Percabeth from Annabeth

Chapter 1

The battle was coming towards us. Lady Hestia hadn't been able to help us much. But I guess she was still a god. After that, Hermes. If I had been warned that Hermes would've been here, I would've stayed back at Camp Half-Blood. But I guess other people can't see my weakness. I grudgingly stepped forward.

"My lord," I said. "Kronos is going to attack New York. You must suspect that. My mother must have foreseen it."

"Your mother," Hermes grumbled. George and Martha complained as he scratched his back with his caduceus "Don't get me started on your mother, young lady. She's the reason I'm here at all. Zeus didn't want any of us to leave the front line. But your mother kept pestering him nonstop, 'It's a trap, it's a diversion, blah, blah, blah.' She wanted to come back herself, but Zeus was not going to let his number one strategist leave his side while we're battling Typhon. And so naturally he sent me to talk to you."

"But it is a trap!" I yelled to him, "Is Zeus blind?"

I heard thunder rumble in the sky, Hermes scowled.

"I'd watch the comments, girl," He warned. "Zeus is not blind or deaf. He has not left Olympus completely undefended."

"But there are these blue lights—"

"Yes, yes. I saw them. Some mischief by that insufferable goddess of magic, Hecate, I'd wager, but you may have noticed they aren't doing any damage. Olympus has strong magical wards. Besides, Aeolus, the King of the Winds, has sent his most powerful minions to guard the citadel. No one save the gods can approach Olympus from the air. They would be knocked out of the sky."

Percy raised his hand, I forgot he was there for a moment, "Um . . . what about that materializing/teleporting thing you guys do?"

"That's a form of air travel too, Jackson. Very fast, but the wind gods are faster. No, if Kronos wants Olympus, he'll have to march through the entire city with his army and take the elevators! Can you see him doing this?" Hermes explained,

The idea did sound ridiculous if you put it like that, but I didn't even crack a smile as I imagined monsters lining up and taking turns to use an elvator to go to Olympus while listening to cheery music.

"Maybe just a few of you could come back," Percy suggested. It was a risky idea, but it was also the only way

Hermes shook his head. "Percy Jackson, you don't understand. Typhon is our greatest enemy."

"I thought that was Kronos."

The god's eyes glowed, quite literally. "No, Percy. In the old days, Olympus was almost overthrown by Typhon. He is husband of Echidna—"

"Met her at the Arch," Percy muttered, soft enough so only I could hear him, I remembered it like it was yesterday, "Not nice." he finished

"—and the father of all monsters." Hermes said, "We can never forget how close he came to destroying us all; how he humiliated us! We were more powerful back in the old days. Now we can expect no help from Poseidon because he's fighting his own war. Hades sits in his realm and does nothing, and Demeter and Persephone follow his lead. It will take all our remaining power to oppose the storm giant. We can't divide our forces, nor wait until he gets to New York. We have to battle him now. And we're making progress."

"Progress?" Percy asked. "He nearly destroyed St. Louis."

"Yes," Hermes admitted. "But he destroyed only half of Kentucky. He's slowing down. Losing power."

Hermes looked like he was trying to find a better excuse to believe, and Percy looked like he was trying not to argue. Bessie mooed sadly in the corner.

"Please, Hermes," I tried. "You said my mother wanted to come. Did she give you any messages for us?"

"Messages," he muttered. "'It'll be a great job,' they told me. 'Not much work. Lots of worshippers.' Hmph. Nobody cares what I have to say. It's always about other people's messages."

Rodents, George mused. I'm in it for the rodents.

Shhh, Martha scolded. We care what Hermes has to say. Don't we, George?

Oh, absolutely. Can we go back to the battle now? I want to do laser mode again. That's fun.

"Quiet, both of you," Hermes grumbled to his caduceus.

The god looked at me.

"Bah," Hermes gave in. "Your mother said to warn you that you are on your own. You must hold Manhattan without the help of the gods. As if I didn't know that. Why they pay her to be the wisdom goddess, I'm not sure."

"Anything else?" I asked.

"She said you should try plan twenty-three. She said you would know what that meant."

I obviously paled, and Percy gave me a weird look. I definitely knew what it meant, and I didn't like it. Not one bit. "Go on." I said, trying to keep my voice even

"Last thing." Hermes looked at Percy. "She said to tell Percy: 'Remember the rivers.'" He said, this was obvious. Percy was the son of Poseidon, the river would give him power, but Hermes added "And, um, something about staying away from her daughter."

I'm not sure whose face was redder: Percy's or mine. Leave it to my mom to embarrass me.