And Then There Were Four

Percy - The Assignment

They thought we didn't know. I'm not even sure if they know we exist. But we know they're there. And no one will destroy half of New York without our permission. Not even the Avengers.

The war with Gaea had finished a little over a month ago and things were settling down. Well, as settled down as a demigod life could be.

Shortly after the war Leo and Festus had returned. We all celebrated their return. Never have I seen such a party thrown for one person. But if that one person saved the world, then I guess he deserved it.

He also brought back this girl, Calypso. But after what recently happened to her, we don't speak of her much anymore. The last time someone mentioned her name, we didn't see Leo for hours. That's not like him. Often, I think that he uses his flamboyant personality to mask the pain that he feels.

Right now, Annabeth and I approached a massive building at the center of Manhattan. It wasn't a long travel because it was just over an hour away from where we had stayed the night. So we decided not to take the Chariot of Damnation. Annabeth and I had already had enough near death experiences to last us for a long time.

We were in a very busy part of New York. But that's not saying much because, well, in New York, it's always busy. We tried to keep as low key as possible though to avoid unnecessary attention. Both of us were wearing jeans and a regular mortal t-shirt. Despite the low-key dress code, Annabeth still looked beautiful, as always, even in mortal clothes.

All around us we were surrounded by tall buildings, billboards and lunatic mortals. Some of the mortals were in a hurry to get somewhere, some were trying to sell us stuff, and some were standing around doing things that one doesn't usually see on the streets.

The building we were approaching was one of the tallest in the skyline. It was had a curved triangular shape with a platform jutting out from the top. There was a single letter on the tower's platform. The letter A.

After yesterday we were preparing for the worst. Our date had been interrupted by a message from Zeus himself, in person.

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"Son of Poseidon and Daughter of Athena, I need your help," he said as he approached us in mortal form. "There is a threat to our security sitting right here in New York."

Over the years of being a demigod I have learned a few lessons pertaining to the gods. First of all, whenever they show up in mortal form, something's not right. Secondly, whenever they show up in mortal form and you instantly recognize them, that pretty much means throw up a red flag. But, when they show up in mortal form, you can instantly recognize them, and the god in question happens to corner you in the midst of a ton of mortals, something really bad is happening. Like, global nuclear threat bad.

"The security of what?" Annabeth asked, "Our camp?"

"No, Zeus replied, "Our world. We are dealing with a force more powerful than the earth mother herself."

"Hold up, not to jump to conclusions, but isn't that impossible," I retorted, "Who could possibly be more powerful than Gaea?" the earth shook simply at the mention of her name. "I mean, you saw how long it took to defeat her when she was sleeping. Sleeping. The woman hadn't even had her Starbucks yet and it took heaven coming down to put her back to sleep. No one could possibly posses that power."

"Alas, Son of my Brother, you are very wrong. So far I only have a suspicion, but I think someone has committed an act of universal proportions. Head to the building in the center of Manhattan. You will mount a mission to take hold of a powerful force." he paused, whispered something in Annabeth's ear, and continued, "I must leave you now. Your girlfriend knows what you must retrieve. Too many people cannot know."