Chapter 4

"Finally. It's good to get away from him." Adamos says in relief.

"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First." I tell the driver of the taxi I just got into. "Seriously what is with you? Like why are you always hating on Grover?"

"No reason, they're all cowardly and so easy to mess with. Plus, they got it coming." Adamos says with the yet again vague and mysterious explanation.

"They?"

"Don't worry. They're not important at all."

"Rigghhtt." I let the word sound out longer in my head. Adamos claims they're not important but he seems to take any opportunity to torment Grover because he's 'one of them'. Either way I still ditched Grover at the bus terminal. I know it was rude after I promised him he could escort me home but honestly he was freaking me more out when we got off the bus. He kept glancing at me and was muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why is it always the sixth grade?" The fates must have really scared the crap out of him. You see when ever Grover is overly nervous, he has to use the bathroom, so I wasn't surprised when he told me to wait while he rushed off to the nearest bathroom. Then with a little convincing from Adamos and I was leaving in a taxi.

"So Perce, are you ready to see your mom again?" Adamos asks, if nothing else to start a conversation.

"Oh yeah you're going to love her, she's the best person ever. She makes the best cookies, and she always tries hard for me and believes in me, and she's always supportive whenever I get kicked out of a school."

"Oh? Tell me more about her."

"I don't know how but she became the nicest and best woman even though she's had a bad life. When she was five her parents died in a plane crash after lightning struck it," At the mention of this I began to feel anger slowly rising in me that wasn't my own, but I ignore it and keep on talking. "Her uncle didn't really care enough to raise her. She always wanted to be a novelist, so she was saving for college throughout high school. Then her uncle got cancer and she had to quit high school to take care of him until he died." I finished telling him. I don't know why I had told him what I did. Maybe I was hoping that as a god he could help my mom get out of her crap life. And my hopes were right.

"THE SHIT!" Adamos suddenly shouts letting all the gathered anger I was feeling out in my head, making me wince at the volume. "She sounds like an amazing person, why does she have to go through all that crap!?"

"Why are you getting so mad?" I ask feeling a little timid at the sudden outburst in my head. "You don't even know her."

"Percy, the skies are Zeus's domain, there's a chance he might have struck the plane down." Adamos explains and I begin to feel irritation at the sky god. "Also, I know what it's like to have an uncle that doesn't care for you at all so I can relate, and lastly she never got to be a novelist like she wanted. Writing books of any kind falls under my jurisdiction so the fact that she never got to pisses me off."

Everything that he says hits me like a ton of bricks. How could life be so unfair? But then I remember her saying that one of the best things to ever to happen to her was meeting my dad. I don't really have any memories of him, just an embrace and maybe a warm smile. My mom never talks about him because she gets sad whenever he comes up. I've asked about him before, but she says that he was lost at sea when I was a baby. But now knowing that he is a god I feel resentment towards him for leaving my mom with me and this crappy life we live. She deserves better. "So what, it's not like theirs anything we can do about." I think, letting my irritation come out in my thoughts a little.

"Maybe not you because you're just a mortal, but I'm a god so I can help in ways that you never could."

"Like what?" I ask, ignoring the slight jab at mortals from the god in my head.

"I am going to bless the crap out of her life."

"Uh… explanation please?"

"I'm going to bless her with some of my godly power to make her life better. Bless her with everything she'll need to write her novel and throw a few miracles her way and all that."

"You'd do that for her?"

"Damn straight kiddo. You know I actually didn't know my mom for that long."

"Really? What happened to her?" I asked not really expecting him to open up more.

"I only knew her for around fourteen years. She was always kind and supportive to me and my sister if not a bit dark and mysterious at times, but I couldn't see her as much as I wanted, and I can't see her anymore."

"Wow that sucks man."

After a moment of silence Adamos speaks again. "Yeah, but my dad is a great man who loved me enough."

Now I was feeling jealous. He had a father that loved and cared for him. Me, I had Gabe Ugliano. I don't know why my mom married him. He was nice the first thirty seconds but turned out to be a complete jackass. I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe when I was younger because he smelled of moldy garlic stuffed into sweaty gym socks. I know the name was childish, but I was six at the time. If my dad was like Adamos's dad, I know it would be easier for my mom. Between me and Gabe I know that we made my mom's life harder than it needed to be. Me being a problem child that could never stay at the same school, and Gabe was an alcoholic slob. Not to mention the 'bonding' sessions that he used to have with me when I was little. They happen less frequently now but I still find I have to hide them from my mom, so she doesn't worry. Sometimes I see her constantly pulling her sleeves like she's trying to hide something, and it just makes me hate my life more.

"Well lucky you that your dad cares!" I internally snarl at Adamos.

"Watch your tone Percy." He replies in a calm yet icy voice. "I like you, but not enough to let remark like that slide. I won't kill you but there are always alternative measures."

I flinch "Sorry, it just—your dad sounds amazing and I just have a horrible step father named Gabe."

"I know Percy. I've looked at your memories of the last few years. I know what kind of thing Gabe Ugliano is." His voice still cold but for an entirely different reason.

"Wait you looked through my memories!?"

"Of course, that's what I just said." He says as if it compared to going to the grocery store.

"No, I mean how!?"

"Percy. Where am I?"

"In my … oh."

"Right. But even if I wasn't in your head us gods can easily read a mortal's thoughts. We can even other god's minds if they're not careful."

"So what's to stop them from reading my thoughts and finding out about us?" I was starting to feel worried with this new information. I mean the gods could easily dig out my private thoughts and darkest secrets. I didn't want others to pity me for having to live with Gabe.

"Currently I'm protecting your mind. I can't fully protect it because then they would find out. But don't worry I'll guard your darkest secrets for you."

"Thanks." I think and let out a sigh of relief.

"And I plan on having some fun with this Gabe when we see him."

"What are you going to do?" I feel a smile spread across my face. I've learned from watching him torment Grover that the god was a ruthless and creative prankster when he wanted to be.

"Ohh nothing to complex… yet." I could feel the mischievous smirk in my mind.

I change the subject, not wanting to think of Gabe anymore and finally decide to bring up the question that was killing me inside. "Adamos, why do you think my dad left? Did he not care for me or my mom?"

"Percy… you have to understand that the gods do love their children very much and in their own ways." His voice becoming caring, like a parent explaining to a child.

"But why did he leave!?"

"There are… ancient laws that forbade gods from interacting to much with their demi god children, as well as other reasons.

"The god's have laws?" I ask in disbelief.

"Yes Percy. Even us gods have rules we must follow." I could feel him roll his eyes in my head. "Oh hey look we're stopping." He says drawing my attention away from the conversation.

Turning to look out the window of the cab I see that we just stopped in front of my apartment building. "I guess we are." I think. Paying the driver, I exit the cab both dreading what came next and feeling a little excited at seeing my mom.

Line Break

I walk into my apartment hoping that my mom was back from work. Instead, Gabe was in the living room playing poker with his buddies. Behind them the T.V. was blaring ESPN loudly. Chips, empty bags, and beer cans were all over the floor.

Barely looking up from his game and with his cigar still in his mouth. "So, your back."

"Where's my mom?" I ask.

"Working." He said in his fat voice. "You got any cash?"

"You're here for five seconds and that's what he says? What was 'How was your school year' to long of a sentence for him." Adamos says, finally meeting the gross creature that is Gabe Ugliano for the first time. Since the last time I had seen him it seemed that Gabe had put on even more weight. He looked like a tusk less walrus that wore clothes that I wouldn't have put it past him to have stolen from a homeless guy. He had only three hairs combed over his bald head, as if that made him handsome somehow. He managed an Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens but stayed home most of the time. I honestly don't know how he hasn't been fired yet, but the checks keep on coming in anyways and he spends them on cigars and beer. Lots of beer.

"Yep, Adamos meet Gabe Ugliano." I think dryly.

"Oh my me, I can smell him from here." Adamos begins gagging in my head. I had lived with Gabe for years so I could bear it much better than others.

"I don't have any cash." I say back. In the recent years whenever I came home, he expected me to pay for his gambling with all my cash. I used to have a jar full of cash that I was saving to surprise my mom with something nice when I was nine only to find it completely empty. When I confronted Gabe about it he apparently lost most of it gambling and spent the rest on cheap cigars. He then threatened me with more of our 'bonding' sessions if my mom found out.

He raised one of his greasy brows. Gabe, while immune to his own odor, had the nose of a bloodhound when it came to money. "You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. "Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, maybe seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right Eddie?"

"His own… the hell! Your twelve and he expects you to…! Just give me the word Perce and I'll make his life hell." Adamos growls.

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on Gabe. The kid just got back."

"Well at least he's somewhat decent."

"Yeah Eddie's a nice guy a lot of the time, he just—doesn't do well with confrontation." I defend the super.

"Am I right" Gabe repeated.

Eddie scowled in to his bowl of pretzels. The two other guys passed gas in harmony.

"Targets acquired then."

"What are you doing?" I wonder what he was up to.

"Nothing. Just act natural."

Taking his word, I fish money out of my pocket and threw the money at him. "Fine I hope you lose." I walk towards my room.

"Your report card came brain boy!" he shouts after me leaning back in his chair. "I wouldn't be acting so snooty!"

"Now turn back and glare at him." Listening to him I do just that. Only to witness one of the best things in my life occur.

As Gabe was leaning back in his chair, one of the back legs collapses causing him to fall back to the floor hard. He lands with a heavy thud that shakes the room, his belly jiggling greatly. The room was silent as he used his fat elbows to prop himself up only to hear a creak. Looking up I see the ceiling fan just above the poker table come loose from Gabe's fatness shaking the room, and landing on one end of the poker table before landing heavily on his leg. This causes a chain reaction with all the food, beers, dips, and cards as they are all launched from the broken table like a catapult and landing directly on Gabe. I quickly turn to avoid laughing at the food and drink covered Gabe hopping around on one leg screaming curses, cradling the leg the fan landed on.

This however doesn't stop Adamos from going into a fit of hysteria at what we just witnessed. I immediately go into my room, slamming the door behind me before breaking down into laughter.

"Oh—oh my—god." I think, not being able to stop the laughter.

"Oh yeah, just you wait Percy. There's so much more instore for the fat man. Just you wait." He says still chuckling.

After the laughter finally dies down, I look around my 'room', which is barely what it can be considered. When I am away at school Gabe uses the room as his personal 'study'. The only thing he really studied were outdated car magazines and explicit magazines that he thinks he's clever at hiding. He always shoved my stuff into a small corner of the closet, left his muddy boots on m window sill and spread his disgusting smell all over the room.

I dropped my suitcase on the bed and then opened the window to let out the Gabe smell.

"Home sweet home." I think sarcastically.

"Aw come on Percy it's not that bad. It's got… character? Nope, never mind. I can't even make this place sound good."

"You know, the smell is just as bad as Mrs. Dodds."

"Yeah. I can't deny that."

Thinking about Mrs. Dodds sends a nervous shiver up my spine. I remember the panicked look Grover had and him making me promise to escort me home. I began having the strangest feeling someone—something—was looking for me. It was getting closer, like it was going up the stairs right now.

Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"

She opened the door to my room, and I began to immediately feel better. She always makes me feel better when she arrives.

Adamos whistles. "Damn Percy. Your mom looks good for her age."

I beat down a blush at the compliment toward my mom, but I can't deny it. My mom was a truly beautiful woman. Her eyes sparkled and changed color in the light to different shades of blue. Her smile was as warm as quilt and shined like the sun. Even though she had a few grey streaks in her long brown hair her face looked ages younger than it should have. She was always kind and understanding, she never raised her voice at anyone. She was one of a kind.

"Oh Percy." She hugged me tightly. "I can't believe how much you've grown since Christmas, and it looks like you've been eating more is see." She notices the weight and bit of muscle I put on thanks to Adamos.

Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate and candy. She brought out a bag of 'free samples' that she always had for me when I came home.

"Aw Percy your mom's so cool." He says as I put a piece of candy in my mouth. As I ate the candy, she ran her hand through my hair and asked about everything that happened at school. She didn't talk about my expulsion. She just wanted to know how I was. I felt guilty keeping secrets from her.

"Hey Adamos?"

"What's your question this time Perce."

"How do you know I'm going to ask you a question?"

"Are you?"

"Hugh—fine. Can I – tell my mom about you?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. People don't tend to react well with possessions."

"Oh…ok."

"If it makes you feel better she probably knows about the gods and all that already so you can talk about that."

"NO…she already has enough to deal with. I don't want to burden her more."

"Alright Perce. It's your choice." He says in a tone that he didn't like it but accepted my decision.

From the other room Gabe yelled, "Hey Sally—How about some bean dip huh?"

I grit my teeth at how he just ruined the moment. My mom was one of the best people in the world. She deserved a god to look after her. Not some worthless shit sack that spends all his money on cheap booze and cigars. I went back to talking to her, telling her about how much better I was doing towards the end of the year, Mr. Brunner, and I even made Nancy Bobofit sound not completely horrible. That is until I got to the part about the museum.

"What?" my mom looked at me with a critical eye, trying to pull my secrets out. "Did something happen?"

"No, Mom." I still felt bad for lying but I already told Adamos that I didn't want to worry her, and since I had him here, I wasn't as worried as I would be.

She looked at me with pursed lips but didn't push the subject.

"I have a surprise for you." She said. "We're going to the beach."

I felt excitement bubble up. "Montauk?"

"Three nights—same cabin."

"When?"

She smiled at me. "As soon as I get changed."

I was so excited; my mom and I hadn't been able to go to Montauk in the last two summers because according to Gabe we didn't have enough money.

Then Gabe appeared in the door way mostly clean but still with some food clinging to him. "Bean dip Sally? Didn't you hear me?" he growled.

"And once again he ruins the moment. Just give the word Percy and I could make him fall through the floor." Adamos makes a tempting offer.

I look at my mom's eyes and see the deal she is silently making with me: Be nice to Gabe and we'll leave for Montauk earlier.

"Not yet. But stay on standby just in case."

"Fine." Adamos concedes begrudgingly.

"I was on my way honey." She says to Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."

Gabe's eyes narrow. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"

"I knew it." I said. "He won't let us go." Mentally I was preparing to give Adamos the signal if he refused.

"Of course he will," my mom says. "Your step father is just worried about money is all. Besides," She adds. "Gabe won't have to settle for just bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip to last the weekend. The works."

"Bribery. She's good."

Gabe's face softens a bit. "So this money for your trip… it comes out of your clothes budget right?"

"Yes, honey." She said.

"I have never wanted to stab someone more in the last century than I do right now." Adamos says in a way that I don't doubt the statement. Honestly, I would have let him if he took over, so long as he got rid of the body afterwards.

"And you won't take my car anywhere other than there and back?" he questions.

"We'll be very careful."

Gabe begins to scratch his double chin like he's contemplating something or digging for a missing Cheeto. "Maybe if you hurry with the seven-layer dip… And if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game."

"Oh ho ho, he just doesn't know when to quit."

"No, he doesn't. Maybe if I kick him in the nuts and make him sing soprano he'll learn." I think to Adamos, but one look at my mom's eyes was enough to keep me from talking.

"I'm sorry." I mutter. "I'm sorry that I interrupted your important poker game. Please go back to it."

Gabe's eyes narrow at me, as if he was trying to find the obvious sarcasm in my voice.

"Yeah, whatever." He decided then left.

"Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about… whatever you want to talk about. Okay?" For a second, I thought I saw worry in her eyes. The same kind I had seen in Grover. But then her smile returned, and I pushed the thought to the side. She brushed her hand through my hair before leaving to make Gabe his dip.

"Your mom is such a nice lady."

"Yeah she's the best. It just doesn't make sense that she's married to—to him!"

"I wouldn't worry about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I blessed her."

"When?!"

"When you hugged her. She'll be able to write that novel she wants and get it published, and if things go right, she'll meet a man that truly cares about her."

"It'll work right?"

"Yeah, but these things don't happen overnight, so it'll take some time.

"Alright that's good. I guess I'll get ready then." I say filling my bag with new clothes.

Line Break

It had been an hour since the conversation and Adamos was enjoying himself as he tormented Gabe. From making his pants split, to making him hit his head on cabinet doors in the kitchen, to when his beer exploded in his face when he opened it. It was awesome because Gabe could never pin the stuff on me since I was in my room for most of the hour. I think that after looking into my memories had already left an impression of how great my mom is on him before he even met her in person. That's probably why he's doing so much for her and tormenting Gabe so much.

We were finally ready to leave. Gabe took a break from his 'important' poker game long enough to watch as we lugged our bags to the car. Without helping I might add. The only thing that he was doing was gripping his head and mumbling about 'stupid kitchens' and losing my mom's cooking—but more importantly his 78' Camaro—for the whole weekend.

"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," He warned me as I was loading the last of our bags. "Not one little scratch. Got it."

"Does he seriously think that you're going to drive this thing?"

"Honestly I just think he's looking for a way to blame me for something."

I watched him limp back to the apartment. His leg obviously still injured from the ceiling fan falling on it. I felt like spiting him and did something. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gestures I'd seen Grover make on the bus. Adamos said it was a magic charm or something so I though that maybe it would do something to Gabe. I made a warding off evil sort of gesture, then a claw over my heart, and finally a shoving motion towards Gabe. The screen door slammed shut on him so hard it caused him to stumble face first into the stairs.

I stood their silent, not really expecting anything to happen.

"Well that answers that question."

"What question?" I ask still trying to figure out what happened.

"You Percy, have just used magic."

"Wait really!?" I asked. "That was magic? I though that you said it was a charm?"

"It is a charm. One that humans or even most demigods for that matter shouldn't be able to cast. It was basically a charm to reject and stall evil entities around you."

"So how am I able to use it? And what about Grover? He's the one I learned it from."

"Grover isn't exactly human. He's not going to hurt you either if that's what you're thinking."

I was thinking that a bit but I didn't bring it up.

"As for how you can use it my guess is that my minor domain of sorcery has allowed you to use magic. Don't worry, I know many spells, wards, and glyphs so I can teach you magic."

I step into the car not looking back at Gabe and my mom takes that as a sign to leave. During the drive Adamos was telling me of the different kinds of magic he could teach me. From glyphs that I could use to store a spell in an object to wards to set up to achieve different effects. I was honestly excited to learn about magic, but Adamos says that magic is pretty difficult to learn and could take years to learn it and even then, I might only be able to specialize in certain areas.

But still MAGIC!

Line Break

We had arrived in long island. We were on the southern tip of the island, along an empty stretch of beach. The cabin was this medium sized single room box with a bathroom, half sunken into the sand. The inside was plagued with loose sand and spiders in the cabinets and most of the time the ocean was too cold to swim.

"Well it's… quaint at least." Adamos says as we walk up to the cabin.

"Yeah it's great right." I think back eagerly.

"Yeah. Sure." He drawls out.

"Ok I know it's not much, but my mom and I have been coming here for years. My mom even longer. I know this beach is special to her."

"Why's that?" He asks now curious.

"I think it's because it's the place she met my dad."

"I see." Adamos says before staying silent, like he was thinking about something.

Leaving him to his thoughts I turn back to my mom. Since we got here, she seemed to grow younger. Like just being here took away all the stress that she's had over the past year. I would have thought it was Adamos's blessing if I hadn't seen it happen whenever we came here.

We opened up the cabin and began cleaning up. Opening the curtains, dusting the beds, and cleaning the bathroom. Afterwards we walked the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls and ate a bunch of different kinds of blue candy.

"Question. What's with the blue food?"

"Oh right, uh, once Gabe told my mom that there was no such thing as blue food. Just to prove him wrong she made a bunch of blue foods for a while. Cakes, cookies, smoothies, you name it she blued it. That and the fact that she never took Gabe's last name makes me think that she's not totally with Gabe"

"Well I don't know why anyone would want to be named Ugliano. But I'll say it again. Your mom's pretty cool Perce."

"Yeah." I think wistfully.

I was silent for a while before deciding to ask my mom about my dad. "Maybe she knows who he is."

"Hey mom." She looks at me. "What was my dad like."

Her eyes become misty with emotion. "He was kind, Percy. Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle too." She has a far away look now. "You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes." She began to fish around her bag of candy. "I wish he could see you, he would be so proud."

Not taking my eyes off the fire. "I think I understand why he's been away, if only a little bit." I said, but I still wonder what would he be proud of me for. I was a D+ student, a trouble maker, and have been kicked out of six schools. Not exactly the most outstanding child of the year.

My mom looks at me with a bit of surprise in her eyes. Every other time I ask I always try to pry for more information. The fact that I said I understand a bit clearly caught her off guard. Deciding to move the conversation along. "How old was I when he left?"

She turns back to the flames, choosing not to comment on my change in opinion. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. In this very cabin."

I stayed silent, reflecting on what she told me.

"Hey Adamos, do those descriptions remind you of any gods?" I ask.

"Yeah I think I know who your dad is. Those features and description narrow it down to one god, little brother." He says and I feel a smile spread across his face in my mind.

"You mean?" I ask trying to steel my face, so my mom doesn't catch on.

"Yep. You are Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

I let a small smile grace my face. I let the memories fill in in my mind. I remember from the dream of Adamos with his—our—dad and put a face to the missing pieces of the memories. I remember my father holding me as a baby. His smile made me feel warm.

More memories begin to come forward. I remember a large man in a black trench coat and one eye following me around in the third grade. And an even earlier memory was in preschool when I strangled a snake to death. I began to realize that all these myths were around me my entire life.

"Adamos how often are monsters around me?" I think feeling a bit nervous as I remember all the strange things I've seen in my childhood.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I keep remembering all these strange things that happened when I was a kid. Like men with one eye, bird women, snakes. Stuff like that."

"Monsters have always been around you Percy you've just never noticed them, or they've never noticed you. Maybe a few notice on occasion but don't do anything."

"But how come no one else see's them?"

"That would be the Mist at work, and since I know your going to ask the Mist is a mystical veil that clouds mortals from seeing monsters and wipes them from people's memories if they do meet. You remember how no one remember Dodds?"

"That was the Mist? But what about the monsters eating humans?"

"Monster rarely attack let alone eat humans. They prefer to go after Demigods."

My blood goes cold. "What did you just say."

"Monsters are still around as well Perce. They hide like the gods and are immortal like the gods."

"How is that fair." I internally whine. "How am I supposed to get away from something that's immortal.!?"

"Percy they can still be killed."

"But you just sai—"

"I know what I said, it's that you can stab them and blow them up and they turn to dust. They're immortal because they can reform over and over again. Sometimes it can take them years to reform. So the chances of meeting the same monster is highly unlikely."

"Well that makes me feel a bit better, I guess."

At that moment my mom talks, braking me out of the internal conversation.

"Percy are you ok?" She asks worriedly.

"What? Oh, I'm fine. Just zoned out for a bit." I tell her but she just nods her head after a moment accepting the answer.

"I was saying that there was a place that your father always wanted me to send you. But I kept putting it off because I anted you with me longer."

"Wait we've never met but he already has a summer camp picked out for me?"

"Its actually the same place that was listed on Grover's card."

"Really?" I ask only to receive a simultaneous yes from my mom and Adamos. Weird.

My mom was the one to continue. "Wanted to keep you with me for longer but I was afraid that if I sent you, I'd never see you again."

"Why it's only a summer camp?" I ask trying to reassure her.

"That camp is a safe haven for demigods, so she probably thinks you'll stay there for the rest of your life and never see you again."

"Why? she can visit right." I ask not really understanding what was so bad about it. If it was a camp for demigods, it couldn't be bad.

"The camp has rules and boundaries that keep mortals out of the camp of hiding it from those that would look for it. Only those allowed can enter and I don't think mortals are allowed for their own safety."

"Oh." I finally understand why my mom was so sad.

The rest of the night was quiet until I went to bed, only to have a vivid dream.

Line Break

There was a storm raging along a beach. Two animals were fighting in the distance, a White stallion and a golden eagle, going at each other like it was a death match. The eagle swoops down and claws the horses muzzle with its talons. The horse counters by kicking the eagle's wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, a monstrous voice chuckles somewhere beneath the earth taunting the animals to fight.

I hear a voice behind me, but I pay it no mind. I try running to them. Trying to stop the fighting but my feet aren't making any traction. Again, the voice screams something at me but I can't hear it over the wind. I watch as the eagle then swoops down towards the horse, it's talons extended about to claw the horse's eyes. I scream 'NO!' at the scene before some one grabs my shoulder turning me around.

It was Adamos, except his body was older than it was when I saw him in the last dream he looked to be in his mid-twenties. His island eyes look onto mine then he screams at me. "WAKE UP!"

I wake up with a start. Outside a hurricane was going off and I could hear the winds hit the cabin. Lightning flashed making it seem as if for a brief moment it's daylight outside and massive waves hit the coast.

The sound of thunder rolled over us and woke my mom up. "Hurricane" was all she said and with wide eyes.

"Glad you could wake up sleeping beauty. Now get up a monsters coming."

"A what." I say out loud. Next thing I know an angry below is heard over the howling winds. That makes my hairs on my neck stand up and I immediately start getting dressed for what ever it is. My mom does the same preparing to leave until we both freeze as we hear a pounding on the door.

My mom, still dressed in her night gown and now some shorts, went over to the door and threw it open. Grover stood at the door out of breath, but he was different than how I remember him.

"Searching all night." He gasps out. "What were you thinking."

My mom looked at me with fear in her eyes—as if she knew Grover's arrival meant some thing bad. "Percy," She shouted over the storm. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"

I felt guilty for keeping things from my mom, but it was overpowered by my anger at the moment. Looking back with a hard and furious expression.

"What? That I killed a monster weeks ago and then had to deal with my so-called friend and Mr. Brunner lying to me for weeks about what happened and making me feel like I was losing my mind cause no one else could remember it!? Because that's what happened. Then I have to deal with him staring at me like I'm a dead man and muttering about how I'm going to die after three old ladies snip a thread." I yell at them. My mom's face pales at what I say, and Grover flinches away with a guilty look, not meeting either of our eyes.

I fell my control slip as Adamos takes over.

"We can play who screwed up later. Right now we need to leave. Grab what you need and get your asses to the car. Grover you start the car." Adamos says in a commanding and authoritative tone that I wasn't used to hearing from him. Neither were my mom or Grover expected such a tone to come from me either and stand there open mouth.

"Are you gonna sit there gaping like fish or are we gonna move! It's gonna be here soon." Adamos shouts, snapping them out of their trance.

Grabbing my bag of the bed and putting on my coat Adamos runs after Grover who went to start the car. I took the time to see what was different about Grover and my mind went blank when I saw that instead of regular feet he had… hooves.

"He's a satyr." He thinks to me and saying the last word with distaste.

"A what?" I whisper still looking at Grover's legs through my—Adamos's—eyes.

"Half human, half goat, all pathetic."

"That seems harsh to say about him." I think to him as he slides into one of the seats in the car.

"It's nothing with him personally. I just think that all satyrs are worthless."

"How is that any better!?" I ask, finally getting the answer to why he dislikes Grover so much yet raising even more questions in the process.

"Not the time Percy!" He thinks to me as my control over my body is reestablished and my mom punches down the gas and goes speeding down the road. Behind me I hear the angry roar. Only this time it was much closer.