A New Beginning

Chapter 16

This chapter is dedicated to Emer28702000 for answering first correctly. The answer is.........................
The goddess Iris threw a muffin at the giant Polybotes, who mistook it for a grenade!

Percy's P.O.V
My eyes cracked open and I saw a face leaning over me, eyes shut as she sleeped.
"Hey Thals." I croaked. She shot up, suddenly wide awake.
"Wha-whasat?" She asked, looking around. I chuckled hoarsely.
"Thals, calm down." I said.
"Oh my gods! Per-" I quickly cleared my throat.
"I-I mean, Monos." She quickly corrected herself. "I was so worried about you." I smiled.
"You'll need a lot more than that to take me down." I said.
"Do you think you'll be better by tonight?" She asked.
"Um, sure, but why?" I asked, confused.
"It's capture the flag tonight!" She said excitedly. I instantly perked up.
"Can I play as a wolf?" I asked. She shrugged.
"I'm not sure." She admitted.
"Did anyone see me come into camp?" I asked.
"The hunters did, but I managed to drag your big wolfy body here before you turned back into a human. You're really heavy you know."
"Oh, you did not just say that!" I said, snapping my fingers at her. She laughed at me.
"Yup I did." She said with a smile.
"You just insulted king Persasseus! You will pay for that, girlfriend!" I said sassily. Thalia just laughed.
"Persassy strikes again." She said. Just then I heard someone coming. Imediately I turned into a wolf and watched the door open as someone came in.
"Thalia my dear, is your wolf-pet alright?" Chiron asked. I jumped to my feet.
"Wolf-pet?! I am not a wolf-pet!" I growled. Chiron skittered nervously.
"I-I didn't mean any offence, um..." He trailed off, not knowing my name.
"Monos. My name is Monos. I am the guardian of the hunt." I told him. He frowned in surprise.
"A werewolf as a guardian? That's a little shocking." He confessed, "Anyway, Monos. Are you feeling better? When I first saw you, you were unconscious and looked pretty badly injured."
"Well as you can see, I'm perfectly fine." I said simply.
"Um, Monos would like to join us in our capture the flag game tonight. Would he be allowed?" Thalia asked. Chiron thought about it.
"Well, people have been asking if the campers could use Festus. I suppose if I allow you to play, Festus can too. Is that alright?" Chiron asked. Thalia and I shared a look. Festus would be a difficult opponent, with his giant teeth and claws. Oh and don't forget the... I then had an idea.
"Fire." I muttered breathlessly. Thalia looked confused for a moment before understanding what I meant. We imediately knew the answer.
"We-" I started.
"-agree." Thalia finished. Chiron studied us, looking surprised.
"The last people that could end each others sentences was Thalia, Nico and Percy because they were so close. It's peculiar that you can too." Chiron looked slightly suspicious.
"Yes. I suppose it is." I replied coolly.
"Chiron?" A voice called out. A voice that I was really familiar with. I felt my fur bristle angrily but when Thalia put a hand on my shoulder, I relaxed slightly.
"In here my child." Chiron called back. I held back my deep growl as a certain grey eyed blonde entered the room. Thalia next to me also tensed and glared at Annabeth. She looked surprised that Thalia was here then crinkled her nose at me as if I were some disgusting thing at the bottom of her shoe. I felt hot anger run through my fur. Then Leo came running in, right after her.
"Chiron, Leo wants to know if we can use Festus tonight." Annabeth told Chiron. Leo nodded vigorously, a hopeful look in his eyes.
"I have decided yes-" Chiron started.
"YES!" Leo yelled in triumph, "TONIGHT WE ARE GOING TO WIN!" Thalia and I both rolled our eyes.
"As if." Thalia muttered.
"-As I was saying." Chiron continued. "Festus will be allowed if, and only if, the campers agree to let Monos play as well." Annabeth frowned.
"Monos? Who the Hades is Monos?!" Annabeth demanded.
"The guardian of Artemis' hunt. Remember, Artemis told us at the meeting on Olympus?" Chiron gently reminded her.
"Alright, he can play." She snickered, "As if anyone can stand up to a giant, metal, fire breathing dragon. But where is this, Monos guy anyway?" She asked impatiently.
"I'm right here." I snapped. She jumped in fright then turned her nose up at me.
"A werewolf? Artemis must be insane, trusting a mutt like you." Within two seconds Annabeth lay on the ground with me standing over her, my teeth bared threateningly at her throat while growling viciously, Thalia had an arrow pointed at her head.
"Get it off me! Get it off me!" Annabeth shrieked.
"First off, NEVER EVER call Artemis insane, second, never call Monos a mutt again, and third, this 'werewolf' is a hundred times better than you ever were!" Thalia spat and sheathed her arrow, "Let's go." I jumped off of Annabeth and followed Thalia out of the door. I glanced at her and noticed the tears in her eyes.
"Hey Thalia?" I asked.
"Mm?"
"Thank you." I said. She seemed surprised at my gratitude.
"For what?"
"For... for everything. For standing up for me, even against your oldest friend."
"Monos, you're my family. And like you, I would do anything for the ones I love. Even though that's not my fatal flaw, I am still loyal to friends and family. Even stand up for you when no one else will. I'm just ashamed that I could believe the lies that Annabeth fed us. I should never have doubted you." She looked at the ground in shame. I softly nuzzled her shoulder.
"Thalia, it's not your fault." I murmured. She took a deep breath.
"You're right. It's not." She got an angry glint in her eyes, "It's Annabeth's! This is all her fault! I am going to make sure that I punch her really hard tonight." She growled. I blinked slowly. Okay. That's not how I imagined this conversation would go, but okay.
"Thals, get on my back." I ordered. She froze in her ranting.
"Wait, what?" She asked in confusion.