As the spirits of this world turned the poor hunter into a bear (much more dramatically than a Greek would) Thalia and Percy found themselves watching a very drunk grizzly fall off a cliff trying to escape his brother who was trying to gut him for killing his brothers.

"What?" Percy said out loud, confused even now.

"What's wrong?" Thalia asked, watching the proceedings, cloaked from the storm by Percy's powers.

"Just trying to figure out to explain what just happened to Annabeth later."

"Good luck with that." The Huntress laughed. "Although, even I have to admit that was quite a show."

"I vote to never tell Apollo or any of his children about it."

"Seconded," Thalia said. "They're being way to dramatic."

"Exactly." I just, " snap, "and someone is a bear."

He got knocked over by a paw attached to an angry she-bear!  "Turn me back!" Thalia yelled.

"Sorry!" Percy yelled, snapping his fingers once again and returning Thalia to her human form.

Once she had hands again, she brained him with a knife hilt. "Idiot. Shall we go before you accidentally turn him back to a human?"

Percy nodded but it was futile as Thalia was already gone, following the rapids.

Percy transformed into a seagull and followed her.

The poor hunter, key-knife or something, had fallen into a stream and was currently floating down it.

Percy and Thalia watched as he hit his head multiple times as he drifted, thoroughly unconscious from head trauma by now.

"What now?" Thalia asked once Percy had caught up, both turning back into humans once Key-knife drifted to shore.

"We are to show the way here to the wise shaman of key-knife's village. Her name is..." Percy squinted at the scroll. "Tanana." He closed the scroll. "Is Chaos okay?"

"Why the Hades are you worried about that kolos?" Thalia snapped.

"No, like, in the head?"

Thalia put her hands on his shoulders. "We are literally in post ice age Alaska babysitting a bear."

"Touche." Percy admitted. "Anyway we are supposed to say this to her, guide her to key-knife and then kick back and enjoy the show."

He showed his cousin the scroll and she read quickly before laughing. "That is so freaking cheesy."

"Come on. We need to get moving."

They both took off, heading to the smoke drifting up from the village.

It was small, about a hundred people, houses built of wood and furs scattered around a large fire. Up on the mountain, Percy could see a cliff, the inner wall covered in drawings and handprints.

"So, how we doing this?" Thalia asked. "I vote wolf or stag before changing back in front of this Tanana."

"Sounds good." Percy said, changing into a black wolf with green eyes.

Thalia turned into a silver wolf and both trotted out of the trees.

A child screamed and ran to his mother, the other children stepped back, watching with wary and awestruck eyes.

Thalia and Percy were both large wolves, ones who, in a normal pack of non-shapeshifters, would easily be identified as alphas.

They stalked forward, eyes on the older men, who had taken up crude spears with stoneheads.

There was an old woman sitting by the fire, her eyes watching them, not with fear, but with curiosity. Her long wigitr hair was bound on either side of her face and she had a serene look, like she had really seen it all.

She matched the description Percy had been given so they walked up to her.

"You are no ordinary wolves, are you, my friends?" She said, a warm look in her eyes.

Percy willed actual mist to form, obscuring them from view.

One of the villagers went to help Tanana but Thalia snarled, snapping at his hand, catching his spear instead and breaking it.

She prowled around the perimeter, keeping the hunters away.

Percy shifted, dressed in the furs most men wore here.  "We need you to come with us, wise woman. We have decided to teach one of your tribesmen the meaning of their totem, as punishment for a senseless death. "

Thalia made a strange sound and Percy narrowed his eyes, certain she was laughing at him.

She transformed, amusement dancing in her eyes, hand on one of her daggers. "There is not much time before he wakes."

"Come." They said together, holding out their hands.

When the mist burned off in the morning sun, the wolves and wisewoman were gone.

---------------
They led her to the riverside where key-knife was still unconscious.

Thalia and Percy climbed up a tree and sat back to watch the show.

"What do you think will set him off?" Percy asked. "Ears or the tail?"

"Tail. Definitely. Five drachma."

"You're on!"

Key-knife started to stir, looking disoriented, which was understandable.

"So, Kenai, you've decided to join the living." Tanana said, rubbing Kenai's face with a cloth.

"That's his name!" Percy yelled, getting hit by one of Thalia's wings. "Sorry.

"That must have been on heck of a ride down those rapids, Tanana laughed, refreshing the cloth.

"She's doing this on purpose." Thalia said as Kenai rubbed his head with a large paw.

"Tanana! You won't believe this! I was at the top of this huge-"

Percy and Thalia were laughing now, watching the bear gesture and make very un-bear like noises in an attempt to talk.

"Kenai, honey." Tanana shushed.

"Here it comes." Thalia said excitedly.

"I don't speak bear." She said with a knowing look.

"Please tell me you're filming." Percy said as Kenai leaned over to look at his reflection.

"Way ahead of you." Thalia said, manipulating her phone with a talon.

The resulting panicked rendition of the macarena as Kenai discovered he was,indeed, a bear, had the god and hunter laughing so hard they nearly fell out of the tree.

"I understand why the gods keep turning people into animals now." Percy laughed. "It's hilarious."

Kenai froze in horror before twisting his back to look at his tail.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Far away, Annabeth looked up from her book. "Start packing, guys! Percy is almost done!"

Percy, at that exact moment was groaning as he transformed to a human, throwing up a layer of Mist, and forking over the cash.

"It's always the tail!" Thalia cackled as  Tanana tried to get Kenai to get his schist together.

Kenai, having taken to spinning in circles on his hind legs, ended up tripping in his attempt to get away from reality, and, unable to regain his balance, just shoved his face along the dirt.

That made Thalia fall out of the tree, Percy grabbing her hood and pulling her back up.

Tanana sighed, having givien up on talking Kenai down, and ending up throwing her shoe at the poor kid, which set off another round of laughter.

"Kenai! Sitka did this!" Tanana yelled.

"Who?"

"Big brother, died fighting the bear that this idiot killed. Spirit of the eagle up there." Thalia summarized.

"Oh." Percy said.

"Strange." Tanana said, inspecting Kenai. "Spirits don't usually make big changes like this. They even sent messengers to make sure I find you." She stuck her hands in his mouth and yanked his jaws open, before inspecting his claws. "Sitka must have something really big planned for you. You are gonna get a whole new perspective on things. Do you see in black and white or color."

"Color." Thalia said, shooting a glare at Percy.

"I said sorry."

Kenai grumbled angrily only to get smacked on the nose like a misbehaving puppy. "Oi, listen to me." Tanana scolded. "You got yourself into this mess. If you want to change, take it up with Sitka."

"Where?" Kenai asked.

"You'll find him on the mountain, where the lights touch the earth. You'll have to make up for what you did wrong."

"Very poetic." Percy murmed as Kenai looked towards the mountain he just fell off of, swirling his fingers and transporting Tanana back to her village.

While Kenai looked back, denying he had done anything wrong, Tanana was gone.

"Alright. One poor sod on a spiritual journey. Our work is done." Thalia said, satisfied.

"But you didn't do anything." Percy protested.

Thalia turned with a swish of her cloak and flew towards the guardian camp.

Percy sighed, and followed. Tonight was movie night.

-------------
Far, far away, on Earth 616, Natasha Romanov opened her hand, staring at the tiny flame as it danced on her palm.