AN: K so here is chapter 3. This will be the last chapter for a while since I have got anything else written at the moment. Anyway enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.

"A half-blood of the eldest gods

Shall reach sixteen against all odds

And see the world in endless sleep

Immortal soul, cursed blade shall reap

A single choice shall end his days

Olympus to preserve or raze."

Part 1

Bound

"Alright, hold on just a second," Maximous said. "If Zeus had already two kids how could he get away with punishing my dad like that?"

"He was Zeus," Chiron said simply.

"But that isn't enough reason to sentence someone to enslavement. And if he was going to do that to one of Poseidon's kids shouldn't he have at least done something to his own. It's a little unfair that he gets a free pass when it comes to breaking an oath and Poseidon and Hades don't."

"That was the way Zeus had always behaved. He was the King of the Gods, Ruler of the Universe, there was no one above him and therefore no one could punish him. His children were always treated different. They were never really admired for their own merit but for who their father was. Children of Zeus were worshiped almost as much as Zeus himself. Little thought was spared for children of lesser gods," Chiron replied.

"That's just bullshit," Maximous growled. "I mean, how can a ruler like that stay in power for as long as he did?"

"He was the best option we had. Better him than Kronos who would drive you all back into the caves and have no other use for you that stepping stones. Better than Ouranus who imprisons his own children because they were ugly. Better that Gaia who would just swallow all of you for no other reason than she could. When it comes down to It Zeus was just the lesser evil. The world was, for the most part good under him," Chiron countered.

"Maybe but it was still nothing but Zeus's toy," Maximous snapped, "and look at where we are now because of him."

"The thing is though, it wasn't Zeus who did this to the world," the Fates interrupted.

"Oh yeah then who did?" Maximous yelled. He was angry. How could his father have been treated like that just for being born?

"Your father," Chiron whispered. Maximous froze.

"What?"

"Your father did this. On the day his war with the gods ended, he and those who followed him destroyed the world."

Maximous stood in blank shock. "But, you said he was a great man, a great hero. Destroying the world is not being a great hero."

"I don't think that was is original intention. I wasn't there the day he destroyed everything but I have a suspicion about why he did this. But to be certain we need to follow up on the search for any surviving gods. Ideally I would like to find the Panic-Bringer or the Soul-Breaker, if they are still alive. They were generally the most reasonable of the four. They might be able to tell us exactly what happened that day," Chiron said.

"Was my father the God-Crusher?" Maximous said with a small about of fear in his voice, after all he was the most hated among mortals these days.

"Yes he was. He was the one who killed…nine of the gods, I think. Only four major gods though," Chiron said as he scratched his beard.

"Um, aren't gods immortal and immune to things like death?" Maximous said.

"That's what we though. But your father found a way to kill them. To kill us," the Fates answered.

"Is there any particular reason we came here?" Maximous asked.

"Yes," Chiron said. "For now though let's just find someplace to set up camp. It will be dark soon. We shouldn't be wondering outside in the dark. The few monsters that remain in this world will be more active here than most places."

Maximous nodded. They learned this the hard way. There weren't many monster's left in the world but the ones that remained were the worst. Monsters expelled from the deepest depths of Tartarus were the only ones that remained these days. "Tell me more about my father. What happened when Thalia found him?"

Chiron smiled. The boy certainly was curious. "Very well."

Chapter 3: The Consequences of One's Actions

The first thing they heard was the baying of the wolves the Hunters used to track down their prey. They had no time to remove the collar around the boy's neck nor the chains around his wrists. The Hunters were hot on their heels as they ran. They thought they'd had it when they reach a river but the water parted for them to cross giving them a few minutes to put some distance between themselves and the Hunters. The demigod assumed they had Poseidon to thank for that, since his son was currently in chains that prevented him from using his powers.

The problem was the Hunters had a god on their side as well. They didn't risk stopping when they reached the opposite side of the river and instead kept running. They ran for so long their legs burned and seized from the strain. Their lungs felt as though someone had filled them with gasoline and lit them on fire. Their breaths were ragged and pained. Still they ran from the sound of the baying wolves behind them.

Poseidon's Son was doing the best out of all of them. He was incredibly fast. He could very likely have outpaced the others with ease. Then again he was used to running with, and maintaining the same pace as, the Hunters but with his legs chained. Without the chains hindering him he was moving with ease. He maintained an easy lope through the forest around them while Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth were stumbling and barely keeping up. His breathing was labored but not nearly as much as theirs.

After about two hours of running Annabeth was done she couldn't run any further. She collapsed to the ground coughing and gaging as what little dinner she had eaten made a reappearance. Without hardly missing a stride the Son of Poseidon threw her onto his back and continued running. Luke and Thalia only made it another half hour before they couldn't continue. When they stopped the sounds of the wolves was cut off by the roar of some monster, presumably it was one of Poseidon's reinforcements. They only got about five minutes rest however before the sounds of the wolves started growing louder again.

They had only made it about another mile however when suddenly the Hunters came into view behind them. Artemis was in the lead looking furious with Phoebe and Zoe directly behind her. Arrows began to zip past their heads. Suddenly the Son of Poseidon seemed to trip and fell face first into the forest floor. The others looked around to see a bronze arrow sticking out of his left calf. Luke started to turn back to help when Thalia grabbed him and shouted, "There's nothing we can do. If we go back to help they will treat us no different than they are treating him. We have to get out of her while they are busy with him."

"We can't just leave him," Annabeth said from on top Luke's back.

"There is nothing we can do," Thalia said again as she tugged Luke back way from the Hunters.

Luke turned back and saw one last glimpse of Poseidon's son. In his eyes Luke saw only betrayal, pain, and one final desperate plea for help. Then they heard the first crack of the whip, and Thalia continued to pull him along and after a couple hours, when they had slowed to a walk since the Hunters were no longer following them, they reached the sea.

Towering over them, at full godly height, was Poseidon. The ocean behind him beat against to shore with such force Luke was surprised the earth didn't crack. Poseidon's trident was glowing with power in his hand. His eyes were full of a dangerous, almost evil, glint. Luke couldn't help but wonder why they had continued toward the sea and not turned any other direction when they lost the boy. Poseidon's rage was like a hurricane making landfall. Powerful and destructive but they weren't yet to the most dangerous part of the storm.

"I warned you," her growled and the earth seemed to shake under his voice. "The consequences of your failure would be severe. But you still abandoned my son when it became what you considered too dangerous to help him."

"The hunters were right there. They would have killed us before we had the chance to free him," Thalia yelled back.

"My soldiers were ready to cover your retreat and you abandoned him. Now you will feel the consequences of your actions. I curse you Daughter of Zeus. Where ever you go my children will hunt you. The Cyclopes will be the end of you. I have no doubt you will manage to kill a few and until the day you die water will turn to acid in your mouth. The monsters of the deep will haunt your dreams. Should you ever feel the desire to get to near the sea remember this: The Sea is waiting to swallow you.

"Son of Hermes for your failure the rains that fall on you will burn through you skin. Water will forever be repelled by you. You will feel the pain my son now suffers because of you. All things of my domain will reject you. Get to near that sea and the Naiads will destroy you.

"And you," Poseidon said at last turning to Annabeth, "You will forever be surrounded by your greatest fear. Every time you think you are safe the spiders will enter your dreams. All water will burn you, all my children will crave your blood. Your pride will only ever cause you pain. And when the time comes you will all know what it means to lose everything you hold dear. And you will know it is your fault this happened."

Poseidon melted into the sea and their vision went black.

Fifteen.

That was the number Percy stopped counting at. Fifteen lashes with Phoebe's whip. After that the only thing he could notice was the pain, someone shouting, and the pool of blood around him. But it wasn't the pain of the whip that hurt the most. It was the betrayal. He had fallen into the trap. Like a fool he had allowed himself to hope. He though for those few brief hours that he might actually get his freedom back. Of course he was wrong. The Hunters would never let him escape. The only way he would leave their service and be free of these infinite punishments would be to die.

That was it, death. He had to die. He could escape. He had access to knives for cooking and cleaning animals. How could he not have thought of this earlier? The means for him to escape were always there. He had just been too blind to see it. Somehow the whip didn't hurt nearly as much because no matter what Phoebe did to him tonight, it would be the last night he had to deal with it. He actually smiled at the thought.

Then he heard it. A deep guttural growl that seemed to vibrate through the earth. He heard Artemis' wolves growl in response. Phoebe had stopped in here whipping. Percy glanced around. All around him the Hunters had their bows out and were looking in different directions for some unseen threat.

Something massive shot itself out of the tree and with a great ripping, growling, yelping, and other noises of battle the beast tore through the Hunter's ranks.

Before he could register more he felt a set of jaws lift him off the ground. Then world seemed to speed up. It felt like his face was going to peel off. It was dark and cold and exhilarating. Then the world came to a stop. The beast gently lay Percy down in a shallow pond. Immediately Percy felt his skin beginning to knit together. He felt the infection in his old wounds leave and listened to the soft whimpering of a dog.

Slowly Percy lifted pushed himself up onto all fours and turned his head to look at his savior. Standing over him was black, dump truck sized mastiff. Its bright red eyes looked down at him in worry.

"Mrs. O'Leary," he said, or mouthed rather since the collar was still canceling out his voice. His old friend seemed to understand however and wagged her tail.

Percy smiled wryly figure that just as he gave up a real savior would arrive.

The following weeks were by far the hardest Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth had seen. Poseidon had kept to his word and they were now constantly trying to avoid groups of Cyclopes. So far they had avoided being killed by any of them but it was always a close call. They were running a lot these days and because of that they were almost always hungry. One night in Connecticut after Thalia's stomach gave a particularly loud growl Luke spoke up.

"I might know a place we can get some food," Luke whispered like he was half wishing they wouldn't hear him. His teeth were clamped shut almost all the time now to keep from screaming out as he felt the pain Poseidon's son was going through. That didn't always stop him though.

"What do you mean might?" Thalia asked.

"Well," Luke said reluctantly, "I haven't been there for a few years now. And..." Luke paused like he was choosing his words carefully. "It just that it isn't really the…best place to go."

"We need food Luke," Annabeth whimpered.

"I know," Luke said. After a moment he stood and said, "It's this way come on."

After a couple hours of walking they came up over a ridge and looked down on a white colonial house that had a sidewalk lined with stuffed animals that must have been out there for years. Luke sighed. Thalia had her shield out and was limping just slightly. They were all on high alert. "Ok," Luke said. "I'll just slip in, get what we need and slip out."

"Can't we come with you?" Annabeth questioned.

"No!" Luke said and they both jumped back from him. "Sorry, just wait here."

Before they could do anything more there was a flash of light that caused them all to cover their eyes. When it faded there was a postman standing on the ridge glaring down at them. "You shouldn't have come home son," Hermes growled. Hermes turned away from them and commanded, "Come let's go see your mother."

Once they were all inside the house Thalia could understand Luke's reluctance. The woman in the house, Luke's mother May, was off. She seemed genuinely happy at Luke's return and gave them all cookies and talked cheerfully with them. However the cookies were burnt and her eyes almost seemed fracture. Thalia could hear Luke and Hermes arguing in the other room but May didn't seem to notice.

"You coming here only hurts the both of you," Hermes was saying.

"Oh and what about you. I've been calling to you for years. Why show up now?" Luke snapped back.

Hermes pursed his lips. "You have made a powerful enemy in Poseidon," Hermes replied.

"No really? Is that why we have been running harder than ever," Luke winced as one of his imaginary wounds throbbed. "Wait don't tell me you knew what was happening to that kid?"

Hermes said nothing at first that said, "The Slave of the Hunters has a difficult fate in store for him. One that could put an end not only to the gods but also to mankind as well. Not unlike your friend Thalia. There is a reason children of the Big Three are forbidden. Thalia should just be glad that her father is Zeus and not Poseidon or Hades otherwise she might have found herself in a situation similar to the boy's."

Thalia though about Jason, how he disappeared and wondered. What if Zeus had chosen to keep her safe through Jason's sacrifice? What if Jason was out there somewhere suffering like Poseidon's son. The though made her nauseous. Jason was the one thing she hadn't told Luke about. It was just too painful for her to talk about her baby brother. Especially now that she knew what was happening to Poseidon's son.

"Please tell me you don't actually think what is happening to him is right!" Luke shouted.

May seemed to jump a little and for a second her eyes seemed to clear and were filled with horror. Then just as suddenly the look vanished and she went back to telling them stories of baby Luke.

"It was not my decision but it was the safest decision. The boy must be kept from becoming a threat."

"So the logical thing to do was enslave him!"

"It was not my idea. The decision has however kept us safe for three years. The armageddon that boy would unleash would not only affect the gods but the mortals as well. We should have killed him but Poseidon threat war if we did that. That only left enslavement. He will live out his days and die in the service of the Hunters," Hermes said.

Luke stared at his father then said, "You disgust me."

Faster than anyone could think Hermes slapped Luke and his son stumbled back. "Your fate is tough enough Luke. Don't make things worse than they have to be."

"What do you mean about my fate being tough," Luke said distracted.

Hermes remained silent for a long time. "Get what supplies you need and be gone. You good at running after all." Hermes began to glow and the demigods all closed their eyes. When they opened them Hermes had gone.

It two and a half weeks after the confrontation with Hermes they met a satyr named Grover.

Grover was small, and supposedly older that any of them. However he looked younger than Annabeth. He was smart though, and fast. He told them he was sent from a camp that was a sort of safe haven for demigods. He said he was supposed to take Thalia back to this camp but that he would take them all back instead. He said he couldn't just leave two demigod out on their own. He was good at finding food out in the wilderness which helped a lot. But it didn't seem to matter where they went Poseidon's fury followed them.

Things started to go really wrong when they reached the outskirts of Brooklyn and thought they would actually make it to camp. Luke even voiced the idea. He had been a little distant toward Thalia since they left behind the Son of Poseidon. Annabeth could tell that it bothered him having to leave the boy behind. He seemed to think there might have been a way to escape with him. Annabeth didn't think so though. Sure she didn't like having to leave the boy behind but at least this way Thalia, Luke, and herself had remained free. But Luke voicing the idea that they were safe seemed to only make the curse that much stronger.

They were passing by an old hotel when they heard a voice scream. The sound ripped through the night air like a knife. Before Thalia or Annabeth could think Luke rushed toward the sound. Grover shouted after him, yelled that it could be a trap but Luke kept on running. He felt bad for the Son of Poseidon, and he thought that maybe by saving this person he could make up for some small part of the error he made when he let himself be pulled away. So he ran to help. The others caught up to him by the time he entered the building.

"Luke we shouldn't be here," Grove hissed. He seemed nervous. It was like he expected to be ambushed any second now.

"NO PLEASE GET AWAY FROM ME! NO MORE PLEASE!" the voice yelled. They sounded young, around their age perhaps.

Luke ran down the hall. It wasn't long after that before they all found themselves separated. The Cyclopes had a plan this time. And the worst thing was that the plan had worked. Slowly one by one Luke, Thalia, and Grover were captured and Annabeth was the last one to remain free.

Slowly and quietly she worked her way down the halls. She never followed the voices. Finally the voices vanished and after a little while longer she found herself at the entrance of a large room. And there they all were. Thalia and the others were all hanging upside down against a wall, and a large fire roared in the center of the room. The Cyclopes were whispering among themselves, Annabeth couldn't tell about what. Suddenly one of them seemed like he was sniffing something, then he turned, looked right at Annabeth, and spoke in her father's voice.

"Now Annabeth. Don't you worry, I love you. You can stay here with me. You can stay forever."

For a brief moment she was shocked. Her dad never said anything like that to her. Then rage filled her and faster than the Cyclops could react she ran forward and stabbed him in the foot. The monster roared and jumped back knocking down his two companions. Annabeth used the distraction to free the others and together they ran.

They ran for days with the Cyclopes hot on their tails. They didn't have much time to rest. Then finally they saw the hill. Together they ran to the top but the Cyclopes had made up a lot of ground in the past couple days and the demigods were exhausted. Thunder rolled overhead as they reached the top of the hill.

"Luke, Annabeth, go. I'll hold them off," Thalia said as she turned.

They didn't have time to turn back and help before they could hear the start of the battle. Luke tried to turn but Grover stopped him.

"There's nothing you can do to help her right now. You guys are too tired. We need to get to the Big House. Chiron can send help. She is Zeus's Daughter after all. She can hold them for a few minute."

Suddenly Thalia screamed and together they turned to look back.

Thalia lay on the ground and the final remaining Cyclops stood over her. The monster raised his club in the air and brought it crashing down on Thalia. Luke and the others screamed in horror. They could hear the sound of people running up behind them. Then a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and collided with Thalia's mangled body. When the light was gone they could see a giant pine tree growing from where Thalia lay.

As the tree grew they could also see something else growing as well. It flowed through the air with an opalescent shimmer forming a giant dome around the whole of the camp before becoming perfectly clear. And finally when the tree stopped growing it stood taller than any of the others atop Half-Blood Hill. And the Cyclops that had killed Thalia was vaporized by the camp's new barrier.

Three months and still they hadn't found the boy. Artemis was furious. Never had prey evaded her so well. She had begun to wonder if Poseidon was hiding the boy, which would at least explain why he was so difficult to find. Then again if Poseidon had indeed gotten hold of his son there would have been no need to have killed Zeus's daughter. The two brothers were still fighting over that incident.

"I can't understand how this boy is able to evade us so well?" Phoebe growled.

"How does thee think," Zoe snapped back. "The slave lived with us for three years. He knows our methods and how to avoid them. Hades I bet he could even hunt a few of the rookies down if he wished it."

"Oh please. The boy was not nearly that intelligent. His father must be helping him. Or perhaps someone else within the Hunters."

"That is enough Phoebe," Artemis interrupted before matters could get worse. The tension between the two girls had only got worse over the past months. Phoebe seemed to suspect Zoe of helping the boy escape. Artemis knew that was not true seeing as Zoe had be performing…other duties at the time. "Zoe has my complete faith. Perhaps it was you excessive punishments that drove the boy to take such close note of our methods. Three year would be more than enough to find any weaknesses in them. The boy was always smart, we saw that the day I brought him before the council. And I doubt that Poseidon knows the boys location any more than we do. If he did he wouldn't have killed Zeus's girl."

Phoebe looked like she wanted to argue but thought better of it.

Artemis sighed. "It is difficult to adapt with such a large group but the boy is too dangerous you be hunted alone. Add our other duties and suddenly things get even more complicated," Artemis said.

"Let me go after the boy," Zoe said. "I will track him down and once he is located I will send thee word. Then you can bring the other girls to the location and we can catch the boy. He is used to avoiding a large group that is easier to detect. He will not be so lucky when avoiding one person."

"My lady, I must speak against this. Zoe has always had a soft spot for the boy. Perhaps he reminds her of her dear Heracles that she hates so much…"

"That. Is. Enough. Phoebe," Artemis commanded. "Zoe go. I want you to check in once a weak and give me an update. Find the boy and stick close until we have caught up as well. Then together we will take him back to Olympus where a new alternative will be implemented."

Phoebe scowled. But remained wisely silent.

"Yes, my lady. I will leave first thing in the morning," Zoe replied.

"Dismissed," Artemis ordered and the girls left her tent. Later that night however, once everyone was asleep Zoe returned to Artemis' tent were they spent one more night together before Zoe's journey began.

Percy and Mrs. O'Leary had reunited and thing seemed to be slipping back into the old routine. Oh he knew the Hunters were after him but he was smarter now. Three years of living with them had taught him a lot. Chief among them was how to avoid detection. They never stayed in one place for longer than one night. They visited their old hideout in the north and managed to scavenge what few supplies were still usable. His old knife being the main thing.

However he still had the chains around his wrist and the collar around his neck. The chains made it difficult to remain quiet but he was managing none the less. In some ways his time with the Hunters was a blessing. He was far more prepared for surviving on his own now. And he had Mrs. O'Leary to protect him when he needed it. But he was no longer the innocent little boy he had once been. He had plans now. Plans for revenge.

He was going to destroy the gods, every last one of them. If demigods stood in his way then so be it he would tear them down as well. Nothing would stop his revenge. Not his father, not the Hunters, not even Zeus would stop him from tearing down Olympus brick by brick. But he wasn't stupid. He knew he couldn't do that right now. He wasn't much of a fighter. He had never been trained. The Hunters hadn't wanted a slave that could fight back.

So for now he and his companion traveled constantly. They went as far north as the Yukon Territory, and as far south as the Yucatan. Finally after a few months of traveling they stopped just outside Huston. That was where they found their first ally in their war against the gods.

They met on the out skirts of the city. Perce had just stolen a few eggs from a local supermarket for breakfast. He and Mrs. O'Leary arrived in the city only an hour before. The Hunters weren't following them, at least not all of them. He suspected that either Artemis, Zoe, or Phoebe would still be hunting them so they hadn't stopped in the evasion tactics. He had no doubt they would always be hunting him.

Let them, he thought. One hunter would be easier to deal with than twenty.

Once they had the eggs he and the hellhound retreated to a nearby train station and made a quick camp. While Percy cooked his meal Mrs. O'Leary gnawed on a bone they kept from an elk she killed earlier that week. She fed herself generally so Percy never had to worry too much about feeding her now days. Plus her kills generally had enough meat on them for Percy to get some as well. Before too long the eggs were cook and Percy was fed. He put out the fire and started packing up. They weren't staying here long.

But before they could leave they suddenly heard a voice shout, "Goh shit that's a big dog!"

Percy whipped around to face the new comer as Mrs. O'Leary growled menacingly. The boy before them took a step back. He was thin and wore a multi-pocketed camo army jacket. The jacket looked way too big for him but he didn't seem to care. He had sharp pointed feature that made him look like he was about to get in trouble.

Percy glared at the boy. The fact that he could see how big Mrs. O'Leary was worried Percy. There weren't very many possibilities that could be interpreted from that. Either the boy was a demigod sent by the gods to hunt Percy down, a clear-sighted mortal like a few of the Hunters had been, or he was like Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth, just a demigod on the run. Bottom line Percy was immediately put on edge. The boy seemed nervous too.

"Um sorry," he said tentatively. "I um didn't mean to bump into you guys. I uh…I just thought I smelled food."

Percy stared at the boy for a long time trying to decide just how to handle the kid. He could just jump on Mrs. O'Leary and get out of here. But there was something about this kid that drew Percy to him. Percy was sure he'd never seen the kid before but there was something about him that was familiar. Then he realized what it was. It was the boy's eyes. They had the same look in them that his had just after his mom died. Percy made his decision then and gestured for the boy to come over.

The boy looked apprehensively at the giant hellhound behind Percy but came over none the less. Mrs. O'Leary shifted to keep a better eye on the newcomer while Percy brought the fire back to life and cooked the last two eggs he stole earlier. The boy didn't ask Percy any questions but he did give the fire a hateful look, like it had insulted his family or something.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked me anything," the boy said after he finished eating his eggs.

Percy tapped the collar in response.

"Yeah I was wondering what the chains were about. But what's with the collar?" Percy scowled at the kid. Obviously he wasn't that bright. Suddenly the pieces clicked together and the boy said, "What the collar keeps you from talking?"

Percy gave a very mocking thumbs up.

"I had no idea that congrats could be so insulting," the kid grumbled. "I take it you can't take it off?"

Percy nodded.

"That's impossible though. How could a metal ring take away your voice?"

In response Percy pointed to his hellhound.

"Good point," the boy said, "By the way my name is Leo. Why are you out here on your…oh wait I guess it's a little difficult to answer when you can't talk huh."

Percy nodded. They sat in silence for a long time until Percy got up and climbed onto Mrs. O'Leary to leave. "You're leaving?" Leo said in surprise.

Percy nodded.

"Can I go with you?" Leo asked almost panicked now.

Percy shook his head. He was under too much heat from the Hunters right now to be taking in strays. And he didn't want this kid's blood on his hands. Let Leo make his own path.

"Please," Leo begged. "I…I don't have anywhere to go. My mom she was killed in a fire. Everyone thinks I started it. My family won't take me because they say I am a devil. The cops will just send me away from here. Take me with you. I'll do whatever you ask. Just please, don't leave me here alone."

Percy stared down at Leo. So he had been right. Leo had in fact lost his mother just like Percy. And just like Percy he had nowhere to go. Still, Percy wasn't sure whether or not this was a trick by the gods. Leo continued to look up at him. He looked so lost then, so helpless, so familiar. Percy remembered the first time Phoebe had beaten him. He remembered bathing in a river later that week and seeing his reflection. He had the same look then that Leo had now. No he decided, this wasn't a trick by the gods, there wasn't a demigod alive that could fake that look. And Percy was sure of one thing, Leo was a demigod.

Finally, Percy sighed, patted Mrs. O'Leary who laid back down on the ground, and helped Leo climb on. Once Leo was on they jumped through the shadows and reappeared thousands of miles from Leo's former home.

Two months of tracking led Zoe here. It was a little railway station in Texas. She studied the tracks around the old remains of a fire. She was probably three or four days behind them. Still this was the first sign she had seen in over a month. The boy was good there was no doubt about that. And judging from what she was seeing he was no longer alone either. Her wolf, Atalanta, sniffed around trying to find some sort of trail. But Zoe was certain she wouldn't find anything.

If her assumption was correct, and judging from the massive paw prints and the beast that had taken him from the Hunters in the first place, the Slave had reunited with his hellhound. Zoe had warned Artemis that they should have track the beast down when they were first given the Slave but the goddess said it would be a waste of time, the beast was no threat to them. Well now it was. But it was difficult to track. They moved around so much Zoe doubted they had been here for more than an hour at most. Not to mention the fact that he most likely had another demigod with him now. Zoe could tell by the way Atalanta's ears had perked that there were now two of them.

Thunder rolled overhead. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon must be having another go at each other, she thought. It wasn't that unusual. They did this about every other day since the death of Thalia. Zeus was pissed at Poseidon for having killed Thalia. Poseidon was pissed at Zeus for what had been done to his son. Hades was pissed at Poseidon because Poseidon had killed Thalia when Hades had wanted to. Zeus was pissed at Hades for wanting to kill his daughter. And finally Poseidon was pissed at Hades for, well nobody was really sure why but he was furious none the less. Still it was annoying for everyone else. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that it would continue for any foreseeable amount of time. It was shaping into a nice little three way war, and only Ares was pleased about that.

Not that any of the other gods had openly chosen side. Though from what Artemis had said Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Apollo were backing Poseidon while the other gods were backing Zeus. Hades was alone as always. Still this boy was turning out to be more trouble than he was worth. It would have been much simpler if the gods had just killed the boy and been done with it. But now she was force to hunt the boy down. But the more time she was out away from the Hunters the more conflicted she became. She had always felt that Phoebe was excessive in her punishments of the boy but now she was starting to see them as monstrous. Perhaps if they had treated the boy differently they wouldn't be in this situation. Granted they couldn't have removed the chains but they could have treated him more like a human and less like a monster.

She thought about the prophecies and the steps Zeus had taken in an attempt to ensure they never came true. Well the way things were going that future Zeus was trying so desperately to avoid was looking more and more certain.

Zoe sighed. These thoughts would get her nowhere. Right now her job was to find the boy, and now by the looks of things his companion. Atalanta had finally given up on finding a tray and whimpered slightly. "Well might as well try east," Zoe said. Together she and the wolf turned and walked into the distance.

Life in the Athena Cabin sucked. As it turned out Annabeth and Luke weren't the only demigods Poseidon had cursed. In fact every camper here had some sort of curse on them from the sea god. The Athena and Hermes cabins had it the worst though. Any water the Athena and Hermes campers touched turned to a mild acid. This made it particularly difficult to shower. So difficult in fact that they only showered once every other week because their skin would blister, crack, and bleed if they showered too often or even to long. The Athena cabin was now filled with spiders. Every morning the children of wisdom would wake with three or four tarantulas on their bed. So naturally every morning the campers were woke to a chorus of terrified screams. Now most of the Athena campers only slept about three hours a week.

Hermes cabin was suffering as well but in different ways. None of the children of Hermes looked happy anymore. They had to stay away from the lake or creek because of the Nereids. Every time one of the Hermes campers got to near a body of water the Nereids would drag them under water and attempt to drown them. So far none of the victims had died but on kid had suffered severe brain damage because of a lack of oxygen. They didn't try many pranks anymore because most of them would backfire on them. Like when they tried putting itching powder in all the Ares campers' underwear. The power had instead all magically relocated itself into the underwear of the Hermes campers.

Both cabins had to be extremely careful all the time because if they weren't Poseidon's Curse would jump out and bite them, sometimes literally. One pegasus actually bit off one of the Athena kid's fingers. Needless to say that was another place Hermes and Athena cabins refused to go. The pegasi did however seem to really enjoy dive bombing the two cabins, leaving "presents" on their doorsteps, and defecating on campers as they flew overhead. Mr. D had tried threatening the pegasi but the next day the camp was hit by an earthquake that nearly leveled the Big House and destroyed what personal wine stores Dionysus had managed to acquire.

Today though Luke and Annabeth were sitting next to each other at the foot of Thalia's Tree.

"This sucks," Luke grumbled. He had just taken his biweekly shower that morning and his skin still looked raw from the acid the water had turned into. His hair had always been blonde but now it was bleached white, Annabeth's was as well.

"Not much we can really do about this though," Annabeth replied. She knew Luke was angry, and truthfully she was too. But the gods had ruled for thousands of years, that wasn't about to change now. And besides there was no one that could really take their place. Personally she though Poseidon needed to get off his high horse and quit taking his anger out on the demigods.

"All we are is toys to them," Luke growled with a wince as he felt the Son of Poseidon's pain flair up.

"Luke!" she hissed warningly.

Luke sighed. "It's been almost a year since she died. Do you think…do you think she made Elysium?"

"Yes," Annabeth said confidently.

"I miss her," he whisper.

"So do I, Luke, so do I."

Percy, Leo, and Mrs. O'Leary were in Cowen Park in Seattle when they were found.

It had been three months since they had met. During one of their stops as they passed through a town Percy stole a notebook and pencil. Leo could read somewhat but it took him quite a while to decipher the longer answer because of his dyslexia. Still it allowed them to communicate a little better. They had also been working to finding a way to get the collar around Percy's neck off. So far they hadn't succeeded. Neither had they succeeded in removing the chains.

They were managing extremely well though, considering. As it turned out Leo was an incredible cook so they generally ate fairly well. Most monsters were scared of Mrs. O'Leary's size so they weren't bothered too much on that front. Mortals were oblivious to them, what they actually saw was a mystery to the duo however. This was a good thing though because when they saw the girl staring at them they knew immediately they had been found.

It wasn't Zoe. It could have been Artemis in disguise but Percy had a hard time imagining the goddess taking a form that was so blatantly beautiful. And if there was one thing about this girl that was certain it was her beauty. Still she wasn't quite on the same level as a goddess. This girl's hair was black as night, and her eyes glittered like they had been carved from sapphires. She couldn't have been much, if any, older than they were but she was already showing signs of womanhood.

The girl stared at them intently as if she was trying to decide what to do. She didn't appear to have been on the run. In fact if she was on the run this was clearly her first day. All this meant one thing to Percy, they had found another demigod. Judging by her appearance he had a pretty good idea who her mother was.

He and Leo glanced at each other. In the three months they'd known each other they had learned to trust each other. And in that one glace they had a conversation. They argued for and against speaking to the girl, well for Leo speaking to the girl at least. Percy didn't trust her, what if she is a Hunter, he thought. Leo knew some of Percy's past, enough to understand his mistrust of the girl at least. He however figured that between Mrs. O'Leary, Percy and himself they could hand this girl if she turned out to be hostile.

Finally the girl seem to make her decision. She turn and ran as fast as she could. Percy acted then and Leo was shortly behind. Hunter or not he couldn't risk information on his whereabouts reaching the ears of the gods. Percy caught her in the matter of a few seconds. He was stronger than her and pinned her to a tree in a heartbeat. The girl opened her mouth to scream but before she could get any sound out Percy had clamped his hand over her mouth.

Leo came running up behind Percy with Mrs. O'Leary just behind him. "Come on Perce, Don't you think this is overkill?" Percy shot Leo a look. "I know you don't want anyone knowing where you are but come on she is just a girl." Leo turned his attention to the girl and started talking to her, "If you promise not to scream or try and run Percy will let you go so we can talk. Just nod if you agree."

The girl nodded and hesitantly Percy released her. She was still shaking from fear though. "The…the dog," she managed.

Leo blinked and looked around to the hellhound. "Mrs. O'Leary? She is harmless, well mostly. But there are more dangerous things that Mrs. O'Leary out there," Leo replied as Mrs. O'Leary wagged her tail at the mention of her name. Percy on the other hand was still eyeing the girl suspiciously.

"And your friend? Why isn't he speaking?"

"Percy hasn't spoken in almost," Leo glanced over to Percy who held up four finger without taking his eyes off the girl, "four years. That collar around his neck isn't for decoration. He could scream so loud his throat bled and still no sound would come out."

"How does a collar stop your voice?"

"Magic," Leo said. "Honestly I don't know the full story. The only way we communicate is through him writing. And I am not that good at reading. By the way my name is Leo."

"Silena," the girl said. "Where are your parents?"

Leo suddenly looked solemn. "My dad left when I was little. My mom died a few months ago. Percy's dad did the same. His mom died to but that was a few years ago before he had the chains or collar. What about yours? Why are you out here alone?"

"It's just me and my dad," Silena replied, "He doesn't pay much attention to me though."

"So you haven't run away?" Leo asked.

"What, no. Where would I go if I did?"

"You could," before Leo could even get the word out Percy had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the girl. Leo supposed he should have been expecting it. After all he knew Percy carried a particular hatred for girls after what the Hunters had done to him. Still, this girl was basically on her own anyway. She was clearly a demigod, why shouldn't they take her with them, if she was willing to go at least.

"Come on Perce," Leo whispered. "Just because they treated you like that doesn't mean she will. And if you judge every girl by the Hunters' actions how does that make you any better than them."

The scowl on Percy's face changed slightly and Leo was pretty sure the look he was getting meant something along the lines of, "Fuck you."

"It's the truth," Leo pressed. Percy's grip on his arm grew painful before finally he let go. Leo go the message though.

Fine then, on your head be it. With that Percy turned and walked back to camp with Mrs. O'Leary in hot pursuit. Leo turn and walked back to the girl.

"Anyway. You are welcome to come with us if you want. We move around a lot. We are never in one place for more than about twelve hours. Percy is great at getting things to eat and from what he has told me I am an excellent cook," Leo said.

"I don't think I am welcome," She said quietly. Honestly she wanted to go with them. But Percy scared her. He gave off this aura of power that was different than anything she had ever seen. More than that though his eyes bothered her. They were filled with so much hate they almost seemed like a weapon themselves.

"Percy won't stop you from coming. I won't deny he doesn't like girls but he has good reason for that. But he won't judge you by other people's actions. He's cold at first but once he warms up to you he will do anything to save your life. Trust me if it wasn't for him and Mrs. O'Leary I would have died at least a dozen times by now."

"Are you sure it is okay," Silena asked.

"Positive," Leo said. And together they walked back to camp where Percy had curled up in Mrs. O'Leary's fur to get some rest.

The first time Silena saw the scars she puked. It was the morning after she joined them. She'd slept near the fire that night with Leo on the other side and Percy curled up with Mrs. O'Leary. When she woke however the massive dog was sitting up sniffing the air. She seemed to be anxious, like she was expecting some sort of attack. Looking around she saw Percy sitting on a log facing the stream that ran by their camp. He had removed his shirt and seemed to be working on one of the seams. Later she appreciated the way it was designed to come on and off without his chains getting in the way.

At the time however, all she could think of was how Percy's shirtless back looked. The scars were so numerous it was frightening. Dozens of pail lines running this way and that on otherwise tan skin. The trident on Percy's face had unnerved her but the scars on his back disgusted her. So when she saw them she sat up ran to the nearest tree and vomited all over the trunk. The noise woke Leo and got Percy's attention.

Leo looked around and saw Percy sitting on the log and Silena throwing up on the tree. He walked over and comforted the girl. "Don't worry I did the same thing the first time I saw his back too. Though he waited a few days before letting me see. Still not something you want to wake up to but you do get used to it," Leo paused. "Are you sure you want to come with us?"

Silena was still trying get her breath back but nodded none the less.

"Great," Leo said enthusiastically. "Well we should probably get going. Really we have been here to long as it is. And Mrs. O'Leary is getting really anxious."

"Go were?" Silena asked with her forehead resting on a tree.

"Where ever Mrs. O'Leary takes us," Leo said.

Silena finally turned around. Percy had put his shirt back on and was holding backpack out for Leo to take. Leo accepted the bag just as they heard the howl of a wolf. Percy's eyes bulged and he ran toward his hellhound. "There aren't any wolves around here," Silena said. Leo looked almost as afraid as Percy, now sitting astride Mrs. O'Leary, did.

"Hurry get on Mrs. O'Leary. We need to get out of here now," Leo said urgently. "Good thing you've already through up." Silena found herself sitting between Percy and Leo and before she could question Leo any further the trio was flying through darkness. Then seconds later they were in a different forest hundreds of miles away.

"Uhh, you guys suck," Silena groaned while Leo chuckled. As she looked up though she saw something long and silver sticking out of Percy's leg. After a few moments she realized it was an arrow. "You got shot," she said dully.

Percy was looking around the surrounding area but glanced down and nodded briefly before turning back to his watch.

"Catch your breath. We'll be doing that again in a few minutes. We can't risk her being able to find us. Percy get that arrow out of your leg and put on a tourniquet. We can deal with it later," Leo said. Percy was already doing that though.

"Who was that?" Silena asked.

"We aren't sure exactly but we will explain it latter. Right now keep an eye out. We can't be too careful."

It was about another ten minutes before the jump through the shadows again. This time when they emerged Mrs. O'Leary collapsed in exhaustion and in the distance they could see a water tower that told them where they were.

They had arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Finally after months of tracking they found the boy. Zoe finally found the boy but only managed to get one shot of and that one arrow hit the boy in the leg. Luckily Zoe had the foresight to poison the tip. It was a mild poison but more importantly it allowed her track the boy's exact location with ease. The problem was were the boy had gone.

Zoe and Lady Artemis now stood at the edge of the realm of the gods. They faced the untamed wilderness that was Alaska. The trouble was it was also the realm beyond the power of the gods. Artemis would be physically unable to cross the border and there were only two places that had more monsters in them than Alaska. The first was the Mediterranean and the second was Tartarus itself.

"What are thy orders, my lady?" Zoe asked.

"If the boy is truly beyond this boundary there is nothing we can do," Artemis said. "I will not risk the lives of my Hunters to pursue him. You say the arrow was poisoned, well good. We are safer with the boy dead anyway. Now he will no longer pose a threat to us. It is safe to say that the only threat to the gods now lies within the hands of Jupiter's son. Though with Juno as his patron we shouldn't have to worry much. She won't hesitate to kill the boy if he becomes a threat."

"What about Poseidon?"

"He will get over it. Just like he got over the whole incident with Medusa. It may take some time but his anger will pass. Now for the first time in years the gods can rest easily."

Zoe kept her silence. Artemis seemed confident in what was to come but Zoe wasn't so sure. The boy had lived for years with wounds on his back that were almost constantly bleeding. There was no guarantee he would be brought down with this poison. And part of her was starting to make her doubt the gods. She kept her thoughts to herself, but she though that for the first time in millennia she was beginning to see what the gods truly were. And it wasn't just Zeus, Hades, or even Artemis that were cruel, Poseidon was as well. All the gods were cruel to those they saw as lesser than themselves. Slowly they turned and started back toward the camp the Hunters had set up toward the south.

"You did well," Artemis said, "Zeus will honor you as a hero for today."

And for every blessing Zeus gives me Poseidon will give me three curses, Zoe thought.

Percy was looking pale. Leo and Silena had cleaned his leg wound as best they could but it didn't seem to be healing. Even the water had seemed unable to touch this would. He was still acting normal though so there wasn't much they could do. Still they were all worried about the wound and what it could mean. Leo and Silena both didn't think they could make it without Percy to help them. And Silena was much less scared of Percy now that she was getting to know him. For now all they could do was hope for the best.

After they had tended to Percy's wound they started to explore the surrounding area. There were an incredible number of monsters here. They saw griffins, massive blue giants Percy called Hyperboreans, Lestrigones, and dozens of hellhounds. They kept their distance form them just to be safe. It was in this searching that they found the doors.

They looked like normal elevator doors from a distance but when they got closer they realized just how large the doors were, and that was the most ordinary thing about them. They were so large Mrs. O'Leary could have walk through them and looked like a normal sized dog. The fronts of them were carved to with images of monsters and death. Around the edges there were some sort of ancient runes the almost hummed with energy. The doors themselves were silver and bordered in some sort of black metal. But the strangest thing was that they were just doors that didn't seem to lead anywhere.

"Any ideas Percy," Silena asked.

Percy shook his head.

Silena turned her head back to the door and looked at the buttons that were just within their reach. Well there was only one button actually, DOWN. "Well, do we try it?" Leo said as he too looked at the button.

"Probably not a good Idea," Silena said quietly. Percy nodded firmly as he swayed slightly. Mrs. O'Leary, meanwhile, had been sniffing around the doors. It was almost like she recognized them.

"Come on we can just take a peak around. We don't even have to go in," Leo said. Percy could see the mischievous light in his friend's eyes and knew there would be no talking him out of it.

Percy rolled his eyes and gestured for Leo to go ahead and push the button. Leo did so and the doors began to open. At first there was a massive boom like a cannon that made them all jump. Dust fell from the tops of the door and slowly they open. What poured out could only be described as pure fear, anger, hate, lust, and everything evil that had ever been. A dull red glow peered out at them and they found their feet rooted to the spot. Mrs. O'Leary barked and the doors started to suck them in like the nose of some monstrous beast.

Suddenly they were all falling though air that was hot and sulfurous. They coughed and gaged as they fell and after what could have been minutes, or hours, or maybe even years they found the bottom. They didn't slam into it in fact they landed lightly on their backs. So gently they didn't even get the air knocked out of them.

Slowly they stood and looked around some sort of cavern. The only light was the dull red glow that seemed to come from, well everywhere. The heat was incredible and only Leo seemed comfortable. But in the distance they could hear the growls and roars of thousands of hungry monsters. The three demigods and their hellhound guardian stood there, each remaining utterly silent as they took in the Hell around them.