Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.

Story: Perseus Jackson and the Last Frontier

Chapter 28: Load Them Up

Third Person's POV

New Rome

Annabeth marched toward the son of Poseidon; the fear of losing Percy was buried deep thanks to her talk with Piper. Percy stopped pacing as he looked up from his concentration on the ground to see his girlfriend. Annabeth had her arms crossed in front of her with a determined look in her grey eyes. Percy visibly gulped when he saw her; she looked pissed and ready to fight. Annabeth pointed her index finger at the son of Poseidon, before she began to poke him in the chest. "Don't you dare do something stupid and get yourself killed," Annabeth yelled.

Percy couldn't get over how beautiful she was when she was angry. He took a deep breath before he ran his hand through his hair. "They have my sister… I just got her back, Wise Girl," Percy said angrily, trying to control his temper. "What if they hurt her? Why can't I protect those that I care for?" He slumped to the ground with his head in his hands, all angry thoughts gone, fear laced through his voice at the thought of failing his sister, again.

All of Annabeth's anger was gone; she now felt guilty for yelling at him. He was so broken, so desperately in need of someone to save him, from himself. She knelt beside him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "You're not alone. I'm here and all your friends."

Percy looked up and shook his head. "No, they… he can get to them, like Leo. Leo was my friend too, but he betrayed me. He betrayed my little sister." His voice was full of despair and betrayal.

Annabeth shook her head. "He made a mistake. Calypso is captured, like Stacia. Can you really blame him for worrying for her, for doing anything he could to save her?"

Percy stared into those grey eyes. Those eyes were so like her mother's, but also different. Those eyes had seen life as a mortal, with all the ups and downs that came with it. Those eyes were more beautiful and more intelligent than any eyes he'd ever seen before. He wondered how he could have lived so long without seeing them. "I can blame him a little," he replied in a way that reminded Annabeth of her brothers when one of them would talk about a fight he'd had with their brother hours after it happened.

Annabeth smiled before she kissed him on the cheek. "Still a little kid at heart, Doctor Jackson, I see."

Percy smiled before a serious expression crossed his face; his green eyes glowing brighter with the power of Poseidon and Hecate. He stood up, offering his hand to the daughter of Athena. Annabeth grabbed his hand before she was lifted to her feet. She still marveled at the strength of her boyfriend. "Annabeth, do you trust me?" he asked seriously.

"Of course, why do you have to ask?" She replied

Percy took a deep breath, his green eyes flickering before he closed them. "I need you to get the others, have them meet you here, and make sure they're ready for a fight."

Annabeth stared at him worriedly. Why were his eyes closed? "What're you going to do?"

"You said that you trust me," he replied. "I do," Annabeth confirmed. Percy nodded; his eyes shut tight, his face a mask of concentration. "Good, I need to go someplace, but I'll be back…" Annabeth was about to protest, but he cut her off. "I'll be back and I won't go after Stacia without the rest of you, I promise."

Annabeth sighed. "I'll get them, be safe Seaweed Brain," she said before she ran away, in the direction of the infirmary.

Percy smiled, before his face grew serious, with his mouth in a tight line. Suddenly, the shadows around him exploded, five hellhounds landed along the shore of the river. Percy opened his eyes to marvel at his family, the children of Mrs. O'Leary. Mrs. O'Leary stepped forward; Percy scratched her behind the ear. "Good girl," he said. "We need to go home for a bit. I need some… supplies." The great Hellhound nodded before Percy climbed onto her back. Percy gave one last look at Camp Jupiter before he and the Hellhounds disappeared into the shadows.

Camp Jupiter – Infirmary

Annabeth rushed into the infirmary. Jason and the others turned around just after she entered the large tent. "Where's Percy?" Jason asked, concerned for the well-being of his friend. "He went to get something, I don't know what," she replied. Jason nodded. "Most likely some weapons," he guessed.

Annabeth smiled. "Probably," she looked around, Reyna was on a cot being worked on by a few children of Apollo, and Leo sat in a chair, a young Apollo child looking at his eye and bruised jaw. "Jason, go find whoever is able to fight; we need to meet Percy at the river. I don't know what he has planned, but you can bet it will be something else."

Jason chuckled. "Ten years ago, I would have said something sarcastic about Percy's plans, but the new Percy, well… all I can say is that it most likely will be violent and a lot of pain for the other side."

Annabeth shook her head, amusement alight in her storm grey eyes. "Just get to the river, Superman," she replied before turning around and walking out of the infirmary.

Annabeth strode toward the Little Tiber, but she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of Nico Di Angelo falling out of a shadow. His clothes were slightly burned and torn, and he had a bloody cut just below his left eye. "What in the name of your dad happened?" she asked.

Nico smirked at the question before he fell backwards on his behind. Annabeth quickly knelt beside her friend. "Tell me what happened?" she said sternly. Nico nodded numbly. "I tried to follow Octavian… Kronos… whatever," Nico replied, slightly out of breath from his ordeal. Annabeth nodded, urging the Son of Hades to continue. "He went to Mount Tam… Othrys… whatever it's called now. He's got an army of monsters; it's like the Titan War all over again."

Annabeth remembered the Iris Message, the black stone walls that surrounded Calypso in her cell. "Of course, that's where she's being held," she reasoned. Nico gave her a curious look. "Kronos has Calypso, that's how he got Leo to inform him where Stacia was on the ship."

Nico's eyes widened first, before they narrowed to slits. "That son of a bitch," he said before he tried to stand. Annabeth grabbed his arm roughly. Nico tried to pull away, but the Daughter of Athena's grip was too strong. "Percy already sent his ass to the infirmary, no need to pile on," she groused. Nico nodded before she let go of his arm. "That's going to leave a bruise you know," he complained. Annabeth smiled. "I could have judo flipped you," she responded sarcastically.

"Ha ha, now… what's up?" he asked rubbing at the bruise that was quickly forming on his upper arm.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at the younger demigod's antics. "We are waiting for Percy and the others."

The sound of running stopped any response from the pale child of the underworld. Annabeth and Nico turned to see Jason, Frank, Hazel, Piper, and surprisingly Thalia running toward them. "Thalia," Annabeth called. "What're you doing here?"

"I can't stop to help my little sister and my idiotic cousin," Thalia said. At the mention of her cousin she looked around for the Kelp Head. "Speaking of the Water Boy, where is he?"

"He left with the Hellhounds," Annabeth replied.

Suddenly, the shadows seemed to close around them before they exploded outwards, as five Hellhounds appeared before them. Percy was on Mrs. O'Leary's back. The other Hellhounds had large black duffel bags strapped to their backs. Percy climbed down and walked toward the other Hellhounds, taking the bags from each monster and laying them on the ground. Annabeth and the others approached. Percy looked up with a serious expression on his face. "Since…" he stared at Annabeth; her arms were crossed and her stormy eyes bored into his green ones. He sighed. "Since you're all coming, no matter what I say, you're going to do what I say, clear?"

Jason frowned. "Depends on what you say," he replied.

Percy stood up, at one point in the past Jason was taller than Percy, but now, Percy was two inches taller than Jason, with at least forty pounds on the son of Jupiter. "Then you can stay here," he rebuked. Jason was about to protest, but Piper shut him up when she stepped in front of him, giving him a very obvious glare. "We'll follow your orders Percy," she confirmed.

Percy smirked slightly. "Very well," he said. "I've packed enough weapons for everyone here. We're heading into what is most certainly a trap. One where Kronos believes I will go into alone, which may have been the case ten years ago, but today, I don't go anywhere unprepared. So, we have an advantage, no matter how small it may be."

Annabeth smiled. Percy unzipped the four large duffel bags and handed hand guns, rifles, shotguns, holsters, ammunition and first aid supplies, along with a backpack for each person.

"Frank," Percy called. Frank stepped forward, curious to know what his friend needed. Percy pulled out a massive gun from the biggest bag. He handed it to Frank, who grabbed it with both hands; the weapon was that heavy. "What is it?" Frank asked. Percy grinned. "This is the M82 or M107 sniper rifle, used by United States Special Forces, among others. It fires a 50 BMG round; this baby can shoot through walls. That's why it has a scope that has day and night vision. You can see right through walls at the heat emanating from the target." Frank just stared at the gun in awe. "You're going to be our sniper Frank. Take out any monster that gets the drop on one of us." Percy threw him a case of bullets; Frank caught them before he used the strap on the rifle to place hit on his back. He got use to the weight quickly. He put the bullets in his backpack, along with his first aid kit and ammunition for his two forty caliber pistols.

Percy handed out the rest of the guns, pistols for everyone, with shotguns for some and assault rifles for others. He stepped up to the last bag and opened. He took out another 44 magnum pistol and strapped it to his left leg. He placed two 32 caliber Walther PPKs in small holsters on each ankle. He took out an AK47 and a SR47 before he loaded them and strapped them to his back with a double rifle holster. He took out a strange gun that looked like an oversized assault rifle, but instead of bullets, he filled the magazine with shotgun shells. He looped the strap on the shotgun around his shoulder. He trapped his Bowie knife on his belt and made sure Riptide was in his pocket. He turned to the others who just stared at him in disbelief. He rolled his eyes. "You can never be too prepared," he stated.

He motioned for the others to step up to the Hellhounds. The group mounted their specific Hellhounds before they disappeared into the shadows. Percy whispered in Mrs. O'Leary's ear before she too turned and charged into the nearest shadow and disappeared. "Where did you send her?" Annabeth questioned.

Percy smiled. "To find an old friend, just in case we need him." Percy climbed onto Anik's back, before he stretched out his arm to Annabeth with his hand open. She took his hand before he pulled her onto the Hellhound's back. Annabeth wrapped her arms around Percy's waist. "You ready?"

Annabeth held on to him tighter. "As I'll ever be," she said before Anik darted into a shadow and the world morphed around them as they traveled through the shadows toward the home of the Titans, Mount Othrys and its black fortress.

AN: Glad everyone is happy I returned. I received a question in my last review, how old is Stacia Jackson, 10 or 12. In some previous chapters it is discussed that she looks like a 12 year old, but in actuality she is 10 years old. I hope that helps. Also, the shotgun that Percy put on his back is an AA-12, combat shotgun with magazine, it is an experimental weapon, it can be set for semi-automatic and full automatic modes, and is used by the Navy Seals. See you all next chapter.