Percy's POV

We camped out in the woods, about a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that had obviously been used by the local kids for parties. The fast food wrappers and soda cans made me wrinkle my nose in disgust.

I volunteered to take first watch. Annabeth curled up with some blankets from my bag, and was fast asleep as soon as her head hit the ground. Grover, on the other hand, sad down on a blanket and leaned against a tree, staring up at the night sky.

I sat down next to him. "Go ahead and sleep," I told him. "I'll wake you if there is trouble."

He nodded, but didn't move. "It makes me sad, Percy."

I was confused for a moment before I understood what he was talking about. I also gazed up at the sky. "Me too."

Grover didn't speak for a moment. "Are we talking about the same thing?" He asked.

"If you mean all this garbage and the stars, then yes," I replied.

Grover looked at me. I didn't move my eyes from where they were fixed on the sky.

There was a moment of silence before Grover sighed quietly.

"I can't figure you out," he said. "You're a human, yet you don't act like most people. Your feelings are true to your words, yet your words always seem like lies. You seem peaceful and close to nature, yet you also seem ready to whip out a knife and kill something in a split second. I just don't understand it."

There was a second of silence as I tried to think of the best way to say what I was going to say.

"I am not like most people," I said finally. "I am forged from my experiences; my years of being alone, and encounters with other people. The best lies are the ones that are based from the truth, but the lies a person tells become part of your identity. Soon, the person becomes less aware that they are lies, and they start to believe them themselves." I traced my fingers along the patterns on my backpack that was in my lap. "I'm not entirely sure what is true about me and what's not anymore."

I looked away from my backpack and back up at the sky. "A person can say something that's false and not be lying. A person can be saying something that is fact and be telling a lie. It depends on what a person believes. But if everything that you tell everyone about yourself is a lie, but they believe it is the truth, then the lie is actually another version of reality."

There was a moment of silence. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the tree.

Grover spoke. "This is what I mean. You seem so peaceful, yet your thoughts and feelings are so troubled and confused."

I didn't speak for a moment. I glanced at Grover, who was watching me, then I swept my gaze over the dirty clearing. All the litter and pollution. . . It really did make me sad.

"Let's hope you find Pan," I said.

Grover was confused for half a second before realizing what I was talking about. "Yeah. . ."

"I'll help you all that I can," I told him. "I'll help you get your searchers license, I'll help you find Pan. In any way I can. Nature has been my home for as long as I can remember, and have been my only friend. I don't like what people are doing to it. Anyway, you really should get to sleep—"

Grover suddenly cut me off. "Percy, why did you accept the quest?" He asked suddenly.

I was taken aback by the sudden question. "W-what?"

"You heard me, Percy."

"I'm the only child of the Big Three that can help," I said after a slight hesitation. "You know that as well as me."

"Percy," he said, "no offense, but no one can be as selfless as you seem to be."

"Why is it," I asked, "that whenever someone says 'no offence', they say something offensive? It's like saying 'no offence, you're fat.' It's still offens—"

"You're changing the subject."

"Yes, I am," I agreed. Grover waited for me to continue. I didn't.

"Just answer the question. Everyone has a different reason. Someone close to you? Maybe you want to save them? What? What is it?"

"None of your business," I replied curtly. "We have more important problems to think about, and you know that."

". . .Percy, if you have alternative motives, then Annabeth and I—we deserve to know."

"Doesn't mean I'll tell you," I said, looking at him. "Besides, what kind of motives would I have?"

"Well," Grover said, "you said you've been alone. What happened, did a parent die? That's what you said happened. Did one of those girls you think of as sisters die? Maybe you want to bring someone back from the dead. That could endanger our whole mission."

I was silent for a moment.

"Got to sleep, Grover," I said.

"Percy—" he started.

"Grover," I said. I met his eyes and noticed that he definitely wasn't going to go to sleep. I rolled my eyes and turned away. "Ugh. Never mind, you're taking first watch."

I was asleep before he could say anything.

~°~

I stood before a gaping pit. Creatures of grey mist churned around me, along with what I somehow knew were spirits of the dead.

I looked down into the it, and it made me a bit dizzy.

Something evil and huge seemed to be attempting to rise out from the deep and dark abyss.

An amused voice rang out from the pit. "The Little hero. Too weak, to young, but perhaps you will do.

"They have misled you, boy. Barter with me. I will give you what you want."

I didn't know who this was, and I didn't try and figure it out. I was too filled with anger and rage. The huntresses are my sisters, my family! The camp is full of people like me. Grover and Annabeth were my friends! While the gods aren't always — okay, almost never — good people (or gods), they are still family. I am loyal to Artemis, and she isn't going to betray the gods.

And I am not weak. I have weaknesses, but that doesn't make me weak. I am not too young, either.

But my anger was cut off a moment later.

A shimmering image of my mother appeared over the pit, frozen at the moment, all those years ago, when she prayed to Artemis to keep me safe. Her face, which had faded to but a faint memory, was clearly right in front of me, as recognizable as ever. I may have been too young to remember her fully then, but now, I was never going to forget.

I was filled with sadness at the thought of my mother, but strangely enough, I also felt hopeful.

Cold laughter echoed from the dark chasm, and an invisible force seemed to pull me forward. I had to stand firm; otherwise, I would be dragged into the abyss.

"Help me rise, boy. Bring me the bolt. Strike a blown against the treacherous gods!"

"No! Wake!" The spirits of the dead whispered frantically around me.

The picture began to fade. A feral scream ripped out from my throat. I tried to run to her dissolving image, clawing at the thing in the pit's tightening grip, but I couldn't move. My hands didn't touch anything as I tried to claw and scratch at the invisible force, that didn't seem to be there at all.

I realized that it wasn't interested in pulling me in; it was using me to pull itself out.

"Wake!" The dead whispered. "Wake!"

~°~

Someone was shaking me.

My eyes opened, just to be blinded by the bright sun. I immediately closed them again, then opened them again a moment later. This time, two worried faces (or rather, one worried one and one smirking one) were blocking the sun.

"Well," Annabeth said, "the zombie lives."

"How long was I asleep?" I asked.

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast," Annabeth informed me, tossing over a bag of chips from Aunty Em's snack bar. "And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."

Grover was sitting, cross-legged, on a blanket with a dirty pink poodle in his lap.

The poodle yapped at me suspiciously, and Grover said, "No, he's not."

I just smiled slightly and kneeled next to the poodle. "What's your name?" I asked it, reaching out a tentative hand for the poodle to sniff. The poodle didn't move, but instead growled slightly. I let my hand drop to the ground, and looked to Grover as he answered.

"Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy."

I looked from Grover back to Gladiola. "Hello, Gladiola," I said.

Gladiola studied me for a moment before deciding that I was trustworthy enough. He sniffed my hand, and I patted his head.

"Now, don't go telling anyone my secrets," I said jokingly (or at least, I made it sound like a joke, but the poodle obviously knew otherwise). I let out a short laugh to convince Annabeth and Grover that it was a joke. Even though it wasn't.

"So," I said, looking to Grover, still petting Gladiola. "How'd you find Gladiola? Is he going to help us, or just be our companion for the trip?"

"I went exploring and found Gladiola in the woods," Grover explained. "Gladiola had ran away from his rich owners, who posted a two hundred dollar reward for returning him. Gladiola is willing to go back if it'll help us, even though he doesn't really want to go back."

"Oh," I said in understanding. "Why did Gladiola run away in the first place?"

Gladiola pulled away and growled. I recognized this from my time with the huntresses; sometimes the new hunters (or older ones) would get defensive when the topic of their pasts were brought up. I was like that, myself. And even though this was a poodle, I could tell it was the same kind of thing.

I put both hands up in front of me to show Gladiola that I wasn't a threat. "Never mind," I said soothingly, "forget it. I understand. Is a sore topic. Forget I said anything."

Gladiola calmed down soon. I knew how to deal with things like this for reasons previously stated, so Gladiola settled down within a few moments.

"So we're going to buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple," Annabeth explained.

You just jinxed it, I thought, but I said: "Not a bus?"

"Not a bus," Annabeth confirmed. She pointed down the hill towards some train tracks.

"A train," I said. "Better than a bus. I guess."

Annabeth nodded. "According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon."

A/N

I finally updated. It's lame, I know. Not even 2000 words. I've been busy (yes, I know that's the lamest and most commonly used excuse of all time. I'm sorry).

I meant to update yesterday, but I didn't finish in time, so I had to finish it today. Anyway. . . I hope this wasn't too bad!

I still do not own the original PJO: TLT. I never have, and I never will. The only thing I own is this version, and not even, because this has some parts copied from the book. I'm getting better at using other words while keeping a relatively similar plotline. Kind of.

Anyway, bye!

~England.