A Meeting of Heroes

*Hey, guys. Sorry for the month-long delay, but I finally managed to finish up this chapter. It took a bit more time since I needed to reread portions of The Titan's Curse in order to write certain characters as accurately as I could. Hope you enjoy it!

Also, I decided to go with the Riordanverse's timeline and have this story be set in 2007. That means Chapters 1-11 all happened on December 13th, 2007, and it'll all progress from there.

Somewhere on Mount Tamalpais, San Francisco, Friday, December 14th, 2007 (Age 775)

Much like the Olympians, Kronos and his Titan Army moved their headquarters to a part of the United States. It was specifically situated in San Francisco, California, where a recreation of the original location, Mount Othrys, began to be built by Kronos' loyal followers. The King of the Titans himself was still reforming within his sarcophagus, of course, but most of his subjects continued planning Olympus' downfall in his stead. One such subject was his current second-in-command, Atlas.

He was a tall, extremely muscular man with slicked-back hair, tanned skin, and stone-gray eyes. His physique fit that of a battle-hardened warrior, yet at the moment, he was wearing a typical brown business suit. This was most likely the outfit he wore when integrating himself into the mortal world, even if he greatly detested such an action. From his perspective, mortals were far beneath his level of authority and power.

Nicknamed "The General" by his army of monsters, Atlas roughly massaged his aching neck. It felt good not having to hold up the heavens for a change.

"Ahhh! It feels good to be walking out and about like this again. Don't you think so, Castellan?" Atlas groaned in satisfaction. He glanced over to the demigod, Luke Castellan, as he physically struggled holding up the sky in Atlas' place.

Luke was a 20-year-old man with short, sandy blonde hair and striking blue eyes. Although considered attractive by conventional means, the deep scar running down his right eye gave a certain kind of edge to him. Holding up the sky for days on end also took a considerable toll on his mortal body. His skin looked to be a ghostly pale while streaks of white coated his once bright hair.

"Oh right. I guess you'll still be holding that for a while, huh? My bad." Atlas evilly chuckled. His laugh was booming and deep, causing a slight shiver to go down Luke's spine as he heard it.

"Errrgh! R-Remember the damn plan, Atlas. I-I don't know if I can go on like this for much longer." Luke grunted out in pain.

Atlas snorted. "Watch your tone with me, boy. I could send your ass straight to Tartarus in an instant."

"And remind me again, Atlas. What exactly is our role in this convoluted plan of yours?" A new voice asked impatiently.

Atlas looked toward this person in annoyance. Leaning against a stone pillar in the shadows, a man with teal skin and long, orange hair stood. His head was covered by a black bandana while he wore a blue jacket and ruffled, white pants. These pants were tied down by a sash similar in color to his bandana. His jacket additionally extended down to his feet, which were both covered by large, yellow-black boots. He had a pair of three necklaces wrapped around his muscular neck as well.

Given his elven ears and cold, intimidating smirk, it was clear that Bojack did not originate from Earth. The same could be said for the other four combatants standing behind him.

"Patience, Bojack. I was just about to explain it to you." Atlas grunted. He never really wanted this alien's help to begin with, but the immense power Bojack possessed made him quite a worthy ally. And apparently, Kronos was perceptive enough to see that.

"Well, make it quick. Your boss was the one who requested our services here and we want a good reason for it." The Hera clansman demanded in growing irritation. Bojack slammed a fist on the pillar to show that he meant business. Almost instantly, the entire fragment of stone turned to dust upon impact.

"Yes. You wouldn't want to waste our dear leader's time now, would you?" A member of Bojack's crew, Bujin, asked mischievously. He was a short man with a purple turban that wrapped around his entire head. He also wore a red jacket that was bound together by a golden square buckle, and white pants similar to Bojack's.

The Titan of endurance rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up! We already promised to give you something valuable for your services, so pipe down! You people are Time Bandits, aren't you?"

Another member, Bido, stepped into view. He was a tall, muscular Hera with a goatee and a small, spiky tuft of orange hair on his head. Additionally, he wore a purple, form-fitting vest with yellow gloves and boots to match.

"Sure, but before that, we were conquerors. We'll lay waste to anything that doesn't correlate with our own terms of service." Bido proclaimed. He then pointed directly at Atlas with a confident smirk. "And you're no exception, Titan."

"Hmph. Bold words coming from some irrelevant lacky." Atlas sneered.

"Tch. Look who's talking…" The only female member of the group, Zangya, muttered. She had a huge head of long, orange hair and a voluptuous, well-endowed figure. Sporting light blue eyes, she wore a white jacket and white pants that were slightly tied down by a purple cloak. This jacket concealed a blue undershirt that resembled a sports bra in terms of appearance. Each arm was covered by black pull-on sleeves that reached up to her shoulders as well.

She was currently looking at her nails in a bored manner, much to Atlas' growing irritation.

"Enough. Let's just hear him out." Bojack instructed authoritatively. "Go on, Atlas."

"Apparently, I've received recent reports that the Olympian god of war, Ares, was defeated in combat by a mortal not of this world. One monster in my army, a special type of hydra, referred to him by the name, Son Goku. That ring any bells?" Atlas inquired.

"Son Goku, huh?" Bojack repeated in semi-recognition. "Yeah, I know of him. The Time Patrol's usual fodder couldn't shut up about that Saiyan moron."

Atlas quirked a brow in mild interest. "Saiyan? That another race of aliens?"

"Tsk. If you consider some filthy, uncivilized monkeys a race." The last member of Bojack's gang, Kogu, snorted. He was a muscular swordsman with spiky, unkempt orange hair, white pants, and a black shirt. A red sash was also wrapped around his left shoulder. His hair was also wrapped around by a purple headband.

His sword, the Devilish Blade, was thin with a triangular guard and blue-yellow hilt. He was currently polishing it to make its thin blade much sharper.

"Monkeys?"

"Saiyans are born with monkey tails. They can transform into giant apes when influenced by the full moon, which supposedly increases their power tenfold." Bojack recalled from what he's heard beforehand. "They were all blown to kingdom come years ago, though. That Goku guy is one of the only few survivors."

"Well, if he managed to kick Ares' ass singlehandedly, then he's obviously a massive threat. Especially if he's enough of a dumbass to blindly follow Zeus' orders." Atlas lowly grunted.

Bojack quirked a brow. "And, I suppose, that's where you want us to help out?"

"Well, you Heras are warriors, aren't you? Wouldn't some Saiyan like Goku be more than worthy as an opponent?" Atlas replied.

"Hmph. Can't argue with you there. Having the honor of killing the great Son Goku would be a prize in of itself." Bojack chuckled as he tightly clenched one of his fists. He then frowned in a more skeptical manner.

"But, if we're supposedly hunting down Goku, what exactly will you be doing, Atlas?"

"Simple. I've been tasked with recruiting more monsters for the Titan Army. That way, with greater numbers, there will be greater chance of locating the Ophiotaurus."

Bojack grew curious. "Ophiotaurus?"

"A bull-sea serpent hybrid. When slain, its entrails can be burned to grant anyone enough power to eliminate the gods and Olympus in general." Atlas explained with a sinister grin. "We could have won the First Titanomachy with it, but that bastard, Zeus, interfered at the last second!"

Admittedly, Bojack was intrigued by the sheer power this creature granted. The ability to kill gods definitely wasn't something to scoff at, even for a space pirate like him.

"Sounds interesting…" He lightly rubbed his chin. "What's the first step of your plan then? You have any leads on this Ophiotaurus thing?"

"Unfortunately, no. I've sent a manticore, Dr. Thorn, to capture two demigod children attending a military school called Westover Hall. As potential soldiers in my army, they might help slay the Ophiotaurus and bring forth Olympus' destruction."

"Children? You must be joking." Zangya scoffed in disbelief.

"Feh. As if I need to hear your opinion, wench." Atlas snorted angrily. "If you must know, these two are a special breed of half-blood. Their strength could prove to be quite impressive in the future, especially if their godly parent is who I think it is…"

He then narrowed his eyes in annoyance. If these half-bloods were indeed offspring of Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades, then Camp Half-Blood's brats would more than likely stick their irksome noses into that situation.

"However, the gods will probably try to get their greedy hands on them as well, so my plans could have a chance of failing. If Thorn suddenly becomes an incompetent moron, that is." Atlas grimaced. He had a bad feeling trusting a manticore with that task was a mistake. "To avoid that from happening, I'll be needing to request the services of your…ergh…'Galaxy Soldiers' or whatever stupid name you call them."

Bojack, although annoyed by Atlas' mockery of his group's name, nodded in agreement.

"I suppose that's fine. One of them should be more than enough, though." Bojack said whilst holding up one finger. He glanced at his followers from the side. "Kogu!"

The swordsman in question immediately transported himself to where Bojack was standing. He knelt down and fully sheathed the Devilish Blade.

"Yes, sir?"

"Find this Dr. Thorn guy and eliminate anyone who gets in the way of his mission. And if you happen to encounter Son Goku at Westover Hall, bring him to me alive. Beaten to a bloody pulp, of course, but alive."

Bojack smirked as he slammed a fist into his open palm. A translucent aura of blue ki began to envelop his entire body.

"I wish to greet him personally." He said with malicious intent. Kogu and the others snickered in response.

"Understood. Where do I need to go?" Kogu asked.

"You'll be heading to Bar Harbor, Maine. It's on the other side of the country, but with your speed, I'm sure you'll get there in no time." Atlas explained. "Just track Dr. Thorn's energy and tell him I sent you."

"I don't take orders from you, Titan, but fair enough. I won't waste any more time." Kogu passively shrugged. He then charged up his ki and prepared to take flight.

"W-Wait!"

Kogu's flight was suddenly interrupted by Luke's cry. He struggled to hold up the sky as he weakly breathed in and out.

"I-If…you…ergh…happen to find a girl…with…blonde hair…capture her and bring her to this mountain! I-I need someone…to…take my…ugh…place!" Luke choked out in desperation.

Bojack and the Galaxy Soldiers glared at Luke in complete disgust. It'd been a long time since they've seen someone or something that pathetic.

"Should I even listen to what this weakling's blathering on about?" Bojack inquired.

"Eh, just do what Castellan says. Kronos wouldn't be pleased if the punk dropped dead, so he'll need a replacement, eventually." Atlas replied with a slight wave of his hand.

"Whatever. Keep an eye out for a blonde girl then, Kogu."

The swordsman ruffled his hair in reluctance. "Like that's going to be easy. All these damn Earthlings look the same to me."

"Just shut up and do it. Considering the accuracy of your sword strikes, some snotnosed demigods shouldn't be a problem for you. The blonde one won't know what hit her."

"You're right. She won't." Kogu cockily grinned. Placing the Devilish Blade's scabbard on his back, he then flew into the air at absurdly fast speeds. He was practically invisible to the naked eye within seconds.

"Guess we'll just wait here until he comes back." Bojack muttered begrudgingly.

Atlas clasped a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Bojack. You'll get your chance to fight fairly soon."

"Yeah? How so?" Bojack asked as he quickly smacked Atlas' hand away.

"Let's just say we're not the only ones who will be hunting for the Ophiotaurus." Atlas cryptically proclaimed. He then knowingly grinned from ear-to-ear. "There's a particular…goddess I'll need you to dispose of."

Hearing the word, goddess, Bojack's eyes slightly widened. Fighting against a divine entity, in spite of their immortality, did seem fairly promising.

"Heh. I'd be down with that. What's her name?" He asked.

Atlas, glancing up at the full moon, bared his teeth and looked directly at Bojack. Considering this goddess' close relationship with his daughter, he'd definitely have a fun time tracking her down.

"Artemis."

On the way to Bar Harbor, Maine, Friday, December 14th, 2007 (Age 775)

"Augh!"

Percy Jackson, the 14-year-old son of Poseidon, woke up to a sudden start. His sea green eyes were widened to maximum capacity as he tried to recall where he was. Thankfully, Annabeth, Thalia, and his mom, Sally, were still around. He must have dozed off during the eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine somehow.

"What was even going on in that dream?" Percy thought while anxiously ruffling his disheveled, jet black hair. Somewhat muscular for his age, he was currently wearing a blue jacket that was placed over his Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. He wore a pair of navy blue, almost black jeans as well.

"Another bad dream, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy turned around to see his friend, Annabeth Chase, sitting nearby. She had long, curly blonde hair that was tucked underneath a black ski cap, and piercing gray eyes reminiscent of a thunderstorm. She inherited them from her mother, Athena.

Annabeth intently stared at Percy, waiting for him to explain what was wrong.

Percy wiped some sweat off his forehead. "I guess so. A lot of weird stuff was happening in it."

"Weird stuff? Like what?"

He hesitated. A part of him wanted to tell Annabeth that she was indirectly mentioned by name in his dream, but putting her on-edge didn't seem like the best idea. Nonchalantly revealing that Luke was holding up the flipping sky on his back wouldn't be smart either. He knew Annabeth still had some feelings left for him, after all.

"Oh, just spit it out, Percy. We're all demigods here, so some vision or whatever shouldn't be that big of a deal." Zeus' daughter, Thalia Grace, grunted from the front seat.

She was a 15-year-old girl with spiky black hair and electric blue eyes. She wore an army jacket and pants made from black leather, and similarly colored eyeliner to match. Apart from the freckles spread along her nose, Thalia was the textbook example of a tough, no-nonsense goth. And any person would be completely foolish to mess with her.

Thalia grimaced at Percy before she realized that her statement didn't acknowledge Percy's mom.

She apologetically turned toward Sally and smiled. "Except for you, of course, Mrs. Jackson…"

Sally warmly grinned in return. She was a beautiful 38-year-old woman with blue eyes and long, brown hair that had small streaks of gray. The brightness of her smile made Poseidon's former lover seem far younger than she actually was.

"Don't mind me, dear! You kids keep talking. I'll let you know when we get there." She chirped. Snow continued to heavily pound the car's windshield, so Sally attempted to keep herself focused on driving.

"If only she'd stay a little quieter before…" Percy thought. It would have saved himself the embarrassment of hearing his mom share every single experience he had as a baby with Thalia and Annabeth. Admittedly, he might have dozed off just to avoid the sheer humiliation of it all.

He then shook his head and said, "Well, by weird, I mean five rejected members of the Blue Man Group talking with Atlas…in pirate costumes. That kind of weird."

Thalia deadpanned. "Pirate what now?"

"You heard me. From what I could tell, Atlas was sending one of those pirate guys over to Westover Hall. And then he fricking flew off the mountain, guys! Without wings!" Percy exclaimed in shock. "He might have broken the sound barrier like a KitKat Bar or something too. It was crazy."

"Aren't you kinda overexaggerating here, Percy? I doubt whoever this guy was moved that fast." Thalia doubted.

"Seriously, I'm not making this up. The guy projected some energy around his body and flew a few miles from where he came from in only a second."

Annabeth cupped her chin. "While that does seem impressive, I'm more confused by Atlas' involvement in all this. Shouldn't he be holding up the sky?"

"He got some demigod in Kronos' army to hold it up for him. I…didn't get a good look at who it was, though, but they were pretty messed up from carrying all that weight for so long." Percy partially lied.

"Messed up? Tsk. They should be dead. No demigod could handle lifting up the sky for a few hours, let alone days." Thalia scoffed in disgust. She didn't think Atlas could be this much of a coward.

"They mentioned finding another replacement, so this demigod probably won't be able to hold it for much longer." Percy regretfully muttered. "But that's beside the point. I have a bad feeling those five blue-skinned guys…aren't exactly from here, if you get what I'm saying."

"What? Are you implying that they're aliens? That'd just be stupid, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth snorted in disbelief.

"Is it, though, Wise Girl? Here's what I heard. They're from a race called Hera, which is a bit too coincidental, not gonna lie, they have orange hair, elf ears, call themselves the Galaxy Soldiers, look like pirates, and conquered multiple planets before becoming so-called "time bandits", whatever that even means. Doesn't that raise a few red flags?" Percy listed off each of the supposed aliens' key characteristics.

Annabeth stared at Percy in bewilderment. Everything he just described was far too bizarre to be true. And yet, it didn't look like he was lying.

"Gods, are you for real? This crap sounds like it could come straight out of a dumb, sci-fi anime." Thalia sighed.

"That's not even the weirdest part. Apparently, there's another alien named Son Goku here who, get this, managed to beat Ares' ass so hard that he scattered into millions of pieces." Percy proclaimed with some semblance of satisfaction. "I'd honestly laugh if it wasn't so unnerving."

Thalia and Annabeth both gaped at Percy in surprise. Even Sally was offput by this information.

"T-That's impossible. No person in the world is strong enough to kill a god like Ares." The daughter of Athena stammered.

"But that's just it, Annabeth; he's not from this world. Maybe these guys are all coming from other planets outside of Earth and Kronos managed to request their help. It seems like your dad did a similar thing with this Goku dude, Thalia." Percy pointed out.

Thalia blinked a few times and said, "Seriously? Guess we missed out on a lot during this whole road trip. Never thought my dad would be the one to act all buddy-buddy with some stranger from another world…"

"Well, there was a huge storm in New York yesterday night, so at first, maybe he wasn't." Annabeth recalled.

"Heh. Sounds like Dad, alright." Thalia chuckled in a slightly resentful tone. "Now, if these weirdos really are "aliens" like you mentioned, what do we even do then?"

"Not sure, to be honest. The one who left was supposedly flying over to Westover Hall. Atlas wanted him to help some manticore named Dr. Thorn retrieve two demigods studying there." Percy said.

"Two half-bloods?! Shit. That's not good…" Thalia hoarsely whispered, mainly so Mrs. Jackson couldn't hear her. This must have been the reason for Grover sending a distress signal two days ago.

Percy slumped his shoulders and burned holes into the floor. "There's more. Atlas talked about some creature called—"

"We're here, kids."

The trio all looked up to see Westover Hall from each of their seats. It was a medieval castle made from black stone with towers, slit windows, and a giant set of wooden doors. Even more foreboding was the fact that it sat atop a snowy cliffside facing the Atlantic Ocean. A dark forest resided on the other side of the academy.

Thalia peered outside from the car window. "And that's even worse. Wonderful."

The kids weren't sure if they should get out of the car. Their mission just got a million times worse than before.

"Do you want me to wait outside just in case?" Mrs. Jackson asked in concern.

"That's alright, Mom. I wouldn't want to keep you waiting for too long."

"But what happens if you need to get away from that…that…" Sally still couldn't properly grasp what she heard before. "…alien you spoke of? I don't want you to get hurt, Percy."

Percy frowned. Although she could be embarrassing at times, he really didn't like making his mom worry.

"It'll be alright, Mrs. Jackson. Thalia and I will be sure to keep Percy out of trouble." Annabeth assured her with a smile.

She relaxed a little hearing Annabeth's words. "If you say so, dear. Just stay together in case a monster happens to pop out, especially that manticore."

"Got it. Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Jackson." Thalia said.

"You're welcome! Do you have everything you need?" Sally inquired cautiously.

"Yes, Mom. We're all set." Percy replied as he opened the car door.

"Extra sweaters? My cell phone number?"

"Mom—" His patience was starting to wear thin.

"Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma if you need to contact camp?"

"Mom, seriously! We'll be careful!" He snapped a bit too aggressively. "Come on, guys."

As everyone hopped out of the car, Sally looked just a tad bit heartbroken. She didn't mean to act overbearing; it was just difficult to see her only son willingly risk his life day in and day out with these insane missions. She was thankful that he had a friend as smart and levelheaded as Annabeth, because, as much as she loved Percy, he could definitely be too reckless for his own good. And with this alien pirate afoot, Sally knew he'd try to get a few good swings at…well, whatever it was. That's just the type of behavior being a hero brought forth.

She bit her lip. "Please come back alive, Percy. Please."

Sally then reluctantly pulled her car out of Westover Hall's driveway and drove off without another word.

Thalia watched the car as it moved further and further into the distance. "Your mom is so cool, Percy."

"Yeah. I guess she is." Percy admitted. "What's your mom like? You ever get in touch with her?"

Annabeth facepalmed. Figures Percy would ask the one question Thalia was the most uncomfortable with answering.

Thalia narrowed her eyes and glared daggers into Percy's very soul. "If that was any of your business, Percy—"

"Enough, you two. We'd better get inside and find Grover." Annabeth abruptly interjected.

Thalia's nodded. "Right. Hopefully, he found those two half-bloods before the manticore did."

Percy looked up at Westover Hall's dark towers. "Or worse, that alien with the sword."

A collective shiver went down their spines in that moment. The wooden doors then creaked open and they entered the academy.

Westover Hall was even bigger on the inside. Its walls were lined with various battle flags, antique rifles, axes, and other displays of historical weaponry. It showcased Westover's status as a military school, albeit to an almost insane degree. Percy wasn't sure what to even make of it.

"Yeesh. Overkill, much?" Percy muttered under his breath.

He placed a hand over his pocket, preparing to pull out his sword, Riptide, if need be. Thalia did the same by anxiously rubbing her silver bracelet. Both of them felt something off about this place.

"I wonder where Grover could—" Annabeth's question was interrupted by the main doors loudly slamming shut. This caused her and the others to lightly jump up in shock.

"Oo-kay then. Guess we'll stay awhile." Percy mumbled sarcastically.

The three slowly walked deeper into the school. Before going any further, they stashed their belongings behind a pillar of some kind.

"You sure that's a good place to put them?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, bringing them along with us would just be dead weight, so it's better than nothing." Thalia shrugged. "Besides, it's not like anyone's gonna notice they're there."

"What do you think you're doing?"

Their walk down the hall was halted by two people, a man and a woman. Both of them wore black military uniforms with red trim, and moved in an almost robotic fashion. Strangely enough, the woman had a moustache while the man didn't. The man did, however, have a hawk-like face and distinctly colored eyes. One was blue and the other was brown.

"Um…uh…" Percy stammered. He didn't even expect something like this to happen.

"Well, spit it out! What are you three doing here?" The woman growled.

Percy attempted to explain himself and said, "Ma'am, we're just—"

"Ha! Visitors are not allowed at the dance, boy! You shall all be ee-jected immediately!" The man laughed. He spoke in a strange accent that sounded French, but Percy couldn't tell what it was for certain.

Before they could be kicked out, Thalia mysteriously snapped her fingers and caused a gust of wind to ripple throughout the entire room. Percy looked upon this action in puzzlement.

"Don't you remember us, sir? We're Thalia, Annabeth, and Percy. We're all eighth-graders who go to school here." Thalia claimed.

The man narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Do you…erm…know these students, Mrs. Gottschalk?"

"Got Chalk? You've gotta be joking?" Percy struggled not to laugh at such a ridiculous name.

"What?" Mrs. Gottschalk blinked a few times to regain her composure. "A-Ah, yes. I believe I do, sir. What are you three doing away from the gymnasium?"

All of a sudden, Grover Underwood breathlessly ran up to the group. He was a satyr with curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a small goatee underneath his chin. He wore a black T-shirt that read, WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT, and a red cap that concealed his goat horns. Due to the Mist's lingering effects, Grover was able to pass off as a normal student without much suspicion.

He panted in relief. "You made it! You—"

His eyes then widened once he caught sight of the two teachers. He stood up straight and gave a poor attempt at a salute.

"O-Oh, hi, Mrs. Gottschalk and Dr. Thorn! I was just—"

"So, that's Dr. Thorn, huh? That means that alien Percy mentioned must be somewhere in the school…" Annabeth thought concernedly. They needed to locate those two demigods as fast as possible.

"What do you mean, they made it, Mr. Underwood? These students live here." Dr. Thorn scowled. It was clear that he despised Grover with every fiber of his being.

The satyr gulped. "Yes, sir! Of course, Dr. Thorn! What I meant to say was that I'm so glad they made…the punch for the dance! It was great and they all made it!"

Dr. Thorn glared down at the trio in displeasure. Knowing that he was a manticore in disguise, Percy ever-so-slightly returned the glare. Sharing direct eye contact, he noticed that both of Thorn's eyes were fake. They didn't exactly move like normal eyes should.

Mrs. Gottschalk, on the other hand, was in her own little world. "Yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not to leave the gymnasium again!"

""""Yes, ma'am! Yes, sir!"""" The four saluted in unison. Grover then hurriedly brought them all down to the gym as instructed.

Dr. Thorn continued to burn holes into Percy's back as he ran away. "So, Perseus Jackson thinks he can trick me, hm? Tsk. Foolish brat."

"Come along, Mrs. Gottschalk. Let's follow them to the gym." He grunted. It was about time to retrieve the di Angelo siblings before Percy could properly interrupt.

"Yes. Let's do that." She muttered. It still seemed like she was under the effects of Thalia's trance, much to his chagrin.

The disguised manticore then rolled his eyes and began marching forward to another one of the gymnasium's entrances.

Meanwhile, Grover continued leading everyone over to the gym. The music became louder and louder as they continued walking down the hall.

Percy, curious about Thalia's power, leaned over to her and asked, "How did you do that finger-snap thing?"

"Um, I was manipulating the Mist. Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?" Thalia asked in surprise.

"No…" Percy choked. "Chiron's never shown me how to do anything like that."

"Huh, weird." Thalia shrugged.

Grover then stopped at the door labeled, GYM, and gasped for breath.

"That was a close one!" Grover sighed. "Thank the gods you made it here!"

"We got here as soon as we could." Annabeth said. She, along with Thalia, both gave the Satyr a warm hug.

"It's really good to see you again, man." Percy smiled. Him and Grover gave each other a high five.

"Likewise. Even though it's only been a few months, it's felt like ages to me." Grover bleated.

"So, this emergency has to with the two half-bloods going to school here, right?"

"Yep, that's exactly…Hey, wait a minute! How'd you guys know about that?" Grover asked in surprise.

"On the drive here, Percy decided to take a few z's and had another dream. And this time, it was a big one." Thalia explained.

The satyr was almost hesitant to ask. "How big are we talking here?"

"Well…"

Percy proceeded to summarize the events he saw in his vision. This included Kogu's possible arrival at Westover Hall and their intent to help capture both demigods for Atlas or, more accurately, Bojack.

Grover's mouth grew agape from fear. "A-A real life alien?! And he's assisting Dr. Thorn? Oh no, no, no. That doesn't sound good at all."

Thalia lightly nodded. "My sentiments exactly."

"Did you happen to spot anyone like that around here?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"No. I've been too focused on meeting those two demigods." Grover sighed. "The only problem is that every time I try to get close to them, Dr. Thorn is always there, blocking me. It's the last day of term here, so we don't have much time left! I don't know what else to do!"

Grover looked over at Thalia in desperation. Although he'd normally seek Percy's help in these kinds of situations, the daughter of Zeus had far more experience fighting monsters.

She crossed her arms. "Just take a deep breath, Grover. What do these half-bloods look like?"

"They're a brother and a sister with black hair. The boy is ten while the girl is twelve." Grover described off the top of his head. "I'm not sure who their parents are, but from I could tell, they're both exceptionally powerful."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. In his dream, Atlas used similar words to describe these two demigods. The Titan also implied that he knew who their parent was, but how? Normally, that type of information wouldn't be known until they were personally claimed at Camp Half-Blood.

"Are these guys really that powerful?" He wondered. Then again, half-bloods were becoming harder to find by the second, so such strength would be welcomed with open arms. It's the reason Grover and other satyrs were even sent to schools like this one to begin with. Camp Half-Blood just didn't have enough campers to fight in the impending war against Kronos.

Thalia then jerked her thumb at the gymnasium. "Are they both at the dance right now?"

Grover nodded. "Yeah. Them and every other student."

"Then let's dance." Thalia cracked her knuckles and prepared to push open the door.

"Oh, wait! I almost forgot. You know that Goku guy that was mentioned in your dream?" Grover interjected at the last second.

Everyone glanced over at Grover in newfound interest. Thalia even leaned away from the entrance for a moment.

"The guy who kicked Ares' ass six ways to Sunday, you mean?" Percy struggled not to chuckle. Witnessing that jerk get his just desserts would have made his entire year, honestly. The look on Clarisse's face would have made it even better.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You're never gonna get tired of that, are you?"

"Nope. It gets funnier the more I think about it." Percy smirked.

"Idiot." She huffed under her breath. "You were saying, Grover?"

"During one of my…erm…extended bathroom breaks, Chiron managed to contact me through an Iris Message and describe what was going on at camp while I was gone."

Thalia was about to question what Grover meant by "extended", but ultimately brushed it off. "And? Did something happen there?"

"Well, Goku had his fight with Ares in the camp's Combat Arena and, unfortunately, the latter went a bit overboard. Ares decimated most of the arena, forest, mess hall, and a bunch of other stuff. It got so bad that he even revealed his Divine Form…in front of all the campers!" Grover bleated with widened eyes. "Cleanup duty's still going on as we speak."

"Yikes. I know Ares isn't one to really give a shit about anything, but this a bit low, even for him. His own kids were there, after all." Thalia stated in surprise. "What in the hell did Goku do to set him off?"

"From what Chiron told me, it wasn't exactly his fault. Goku was sort of dragged into our world by Aphrodite of all people." Grover nervously scratched the back of his head. "I guess she has a bit of a thing for him."

"Oof. Rejected and brutally beaten down in a fight on the same day? Now, I just feel kind of bad for him…almost." Percy slightly winced. With him being the war god and all, he had a feeling Ares' pride would be severely wounded for quite some time.

"That's not really all that surprising for Aphrodite." Annabeth grumbled. "But Goku getting "dragged" into our world is another thing."

"I agree. What do you mean by that, Grover?" Percy inquired.

"Chiron really didn't give me specific details or anything, but I guess the Empire State Building's elevator can gain access to other universes outside of this one. Aphrodite sent it to where Goku came from, it picked him up, and then, returned with severe damages." Grover summed up the circumstances leading to Goku's appearance. "Zeus then sent Artemis to hunt down Goku, the fight with Ares happened, and a big trial to decide Goku's fate was held on Olympus last night."

"Oh, boy. I think my brain's starting to hurt…" Percy groaned.

Annabeth rested a hand on her forehead in disbelief. "Access to other universes? B-But, but that's absolutely insane! How can there be a full-blown multiverse out there? We haven't even explored the entirety of our own universe, Grover!"

The satyr held up his hands in obliviousness. "Hey, I'm just as blown away by this stuff as you are. However, based on Chiron's description of Goku and his powers, there's nowhere else he could have come from, but another universe. That's why Zeus held that big trial, which I guess ended up going in Goku's favor due to all the destruction Ares caused."

"Looks like you were right about the storm then, Annabeth." Thalia smirked. "Do you know what my dad's actual verdict was?"

"Chiron wasn't there to see for certain, but as punishment for Aphrodite's actions, both her and Goku are going to become new counselors at Camp Half-Blood." Grover revealed in uncertainty. "Goku, specifically, is tasked with helping Chiron train all of the campers. That includes you three, I guess."

Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia glanced at one another. While an extraterrestrial visitor would take some getting used to, this was definitely the type of assistance Camp Half-Blood needed right now. Training under a guy who bested Ares in combat would, no doubt, greatly enhance their strength as fighters.

Thalia wondered if her dad had the very same intentions for Goku up on Olympus.

"I'd need to get a good look at this guy first, but he doesn't seem all that bad." She surmised.

Annabeth wasn't as easily convinced. "I don't know, guys. He's only been around for…a day at most. For all we know, Goku could go rogue and abandon Camp Half-Blood at any moment."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Chiron told me that Goku got along fairly well with Aphrodite, Artemis, Hestia, and many of the campers. Except Ares Cabin for obvious reasons…and the Hunters of Artemis, especially their lieutenant, Zoë Nightshade."

"Oh, great. Figures that little killjoy was at camp." Thalia hissed. "In that case, someone she doesn't get along with is a-okay in my book."

Percy quirked a brow at Annabeth and Grover, wondering what her deal was.

"She has some bad blood with the Hunters. It's a long story." Annabeth whispered close to Percy's ear.

"Ah, got it." Percy whispered back.

He then thought back to the very last moment of his dream. Atlas was particularly hellbent on finding this "Bane of Olympus" thing, so if Artemis did have a close connection with Goku, he had a feeling she'd be in grave danger soon. After all, it was evident that Bojack had a personal score to settle with Goku. Maybe it had something to do with that Time Patrol place or organization he referenced, whatever it may be.

He felt Riptide within his pocket and took a deep breath. "Welp, with that small dump of information out of the way, I think we should all join the party while we still can."

"Right. We need to rescue those two kids before Dr. Thorn can call in that Hera friend of his." Thalia said.

Grover scrunched up his face. "Hera?"

"It's the species Bojack and his goons are a part of." Percy added.

"That's just confusing." The satyr said, not really used to anyone, but Zeus' wife being named Hera.

"Feh. Tell me about it." Percy snorted.

The four then piled into the gymnasium. Filled with red and black balloons, the typically sophisticated students of Westover Hall were going wild throughout the entire room. Boys were either attempting to strangle each other with streamers, kick stray balloons at one another's faces, or stay close to the edges and pretend they weren't there. The girls, in contrast, were all wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti strap tops. They huddled close together like a swarm of locusts, giggling happily as they moved from one unsuspecting guy to the next.

Grover scanned the room before spotting both siblings. "There they are. Their names are Bianca and Nico di Angelo."

Positioned near the bleachers, the two half-bloods seemed to be in a heated argument. Bianca had long, dark silky hair, olive skin, and wore a green cap that concealed her face. Nico, sporting the same skin color, had shaggy black hair that was jostled in all sorts of directions. Both of them had dark brown eyes that almost appeared to be pitch black from a certain angle.

Bianca kept looking around in nervousness while Nico was distracted with a set of trading cards.

"Have you told them yet, Grover?" Annabeth asked.

Grover shook his head. "You know how it is. Once they realize what they are, their scent becomes stronger."

Percy nodded. He knew from experience that the most powerful demigods were more likely to be sniffed out by monsters. And with Dr. Thorn nearby, Nico and Bianca were practically sitting ducks.

"Then let's grab them and get out of here."

Just as he was about to move, Thalia clasped his shoulder. Percy looked up to see that Dr. Thorn was standing relatively close to Nico and Bianca. He gave them a devious smirk and nodded.

At this point, the manticore already knew that Thalia's manipulation of the Mist was a dirty trick and nothing more. He was just waiting for them to make a move.

"Don't look at the kids. Throw him off the scent and pretend we're not interested in them." Thalia instructed authoritatively.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Percy asked.

"Act natural and do some dancing. All three of us should be powerful enough as demigods to distract him in the meantime."

Annabeth tilted her head to the side. "Dancing?"

"Yeah. Just play long for now." She then listened to see what song was playing. Once Thalia realized what it was, she stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Ugh. Whose idea was it to play this bubblegum pop crap?"

"Mine…" Grover admitted. He looked a bit hurt by Thalia's comment.

"Oh my gods, Grover! That is so lame. Couldn't you have requested like, Green Day or something?"

"Green who?"

"Oh, never mind! Let's just dance, goat boy." Thalia yanked Grover's hand and forcefully brought him over to the dance floor.

"Wait, Thalia! I can't dance!" Grover yelped in protest.

"Just stop complaining and let me lead."

The two then tried their best to move with the music, much to Annabeth's amusement. Thalia always managed to bring a smile to her face.

Percy noticed this smile. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just glad to have Thalia back." She said warmly.

As the two continued their conversation, Dr. Thorn glared at all four of his potential enemies. He darted his eyes from them back to the two di Angelo siblings. This decision to dance rather than approach the half-bloods directly was smart, but naïve at the same time. They were fools to think that his sense of smell could be thrown off that easily. Bianca and Nico's scents were simply far too strong for such a setback to take place.

Furthermore, they failed to properly address the arrival of his special trump card; one which was sent by General Atlas himself.

His blue eye beginning to glow, Dr. Thorn slowly stepped back and leaned over to one of the far-off entrances. It creaked open to reveal Kogu's tall, imposing figure.

"Are you done wasting my precious time, monster?" The swordsman scowled. Ironically, his accent seemed to mirror Dr. Thorn's.

"Hmph. I did tell you to wait until everyone was in the gym." Dr. Thorn grunted. "Now, do you want to light up this place or what?"

Kogu smirked. "Oh, I'll light it up, alright."

He unsheathed the Devilish Blade and slashed through the entire door. Dr. Thorn, knowing how much stronger Kogu was by comparison, quickly moved out of the way and let him pass.

Everyone, including Thalia, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy, stopped dancing to look up at Kogu. The Hera warrior positioned himself in the middle of the dance floor while certain students stepped backward in fear.

"T-This can't be real…" Annabeth muttered. Now, there was no question that Percy's dream was real.

One student was brave enough to speak up. "W-Who are you supposed to be?"

Kogu deviously grinned. He held out his hand and slowly generated a large sphere of red ki from within it.

"The welcoming committee…" He replied.

Assuming that something bad was about to happen, Percy uncapped his ballpoint pen to reveal Riptide's true form. It was a Celestial Bronze xiphos, or double-edged sword, with a leather grip. It extended to about three feet in length, including its hilt.

He parted from Annabeth and made a beeline for the di Angelo's. Unfortunately, before he could properly bring them to safety, Kogu unleashed his Full Power Energy Ball straight onto the gym's floor.

The entire room then completely exploded in a bright, red flash.

Somewhere close to Westover Hall

Just as Artemis predicted, it took around four hours to reach Bar Harbor, Maine. She and the Hunters sprinted on foot while Goku flew through the skies at a fast, yet relatively equal pace. The swift change in weather took him by surprise.

"Brrr! I-It's freezing here. Are we almost there, guys?" Goku shivered.

Squinting her eyes, Artemis spotted Westover Hall in the distance. "Yes. It should be that castle over there."

The martial artist frowned and said, "Huh. Kinda creepy looking for some school."

He then stopped himself mid-flight and landed near Artemis. Zoë, Phoebe, and the other Hunters also slowed down to address their mistress.

"What should we do now, milady?" Zoë asked.

"Well, if there are indeed two half-bloods at Westover Hall, then it's more than likely that a monster is planning to capture them. They probably disguised themselves as a teacher or faculty member."

She paused to get a better look at the archaic building.

"For now, we should wait until the monster attacks Percy Jackson and his friends. That way, we'll be able to join the fight outside." Artemis said.

"Isn't there a chance they'd get hurt—" Suddenly, Goku sensed a high amount of energy coming from the school. He narrowed his eyes, much to Artemis' curiosity.

"What's wrong?"

"I just felt a huge ki signature. It might be even stronger than Ares in his Divine Form…" Goku muttered in a serious tone. His eyes were fixed on Westover Hall, as if he knew something bad was about to happen.

"Stronger than Ares? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?" Zoë asked.

In that exact moment, a chunk of Westover Hall was blown to smithereens. The explosion was a red dome that projected various beams of light and catapulted pieces of debris into the sky. All that remained was a black plume of smoke and fire that visually contrasted with the white snow.

Zoë grimaced. "I suppose not…"

Curious to find out where this ki blast came from, Goku placed two fingers on the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to use Instant Transmission, Artemis. Try to keep up."

"Wait, Goku! It'd be better if we all came in together." She argued.

"No. You guys need to help Percy and the rest with that monster." Goku shook his head. "I'll be dealing with whoever this unknown fighter is."

He then teleported away. Either Goku was taking this situation very seriously or he just wanted another fight. Artemis hoped it was the former.

"Of course, he wouldn't listen to reason." Phoebe grunted from the sidelines.

"No, Goku's right. Taking on an opponent of his caliber would be suicide for us." Artemis begrudgingly admitted. "Let's just do what he says."

Zoë nodded. "As you wish, milady. It's time for the hunt!"

She then blew a hunting horn that could be heard for miles. This caused the Hunters to collectively let out their battle cries and head for Westover Hall.

Artemis, on the other hand, stood back and changed her form. Instead of a grown woman like she was before, the goddess shrunk down to that of a 13-year-old girl, which was the average age of her Hunters. Her appearance and beauty were still basically the same, though.

She frowned. "I hope you know what you're doing, Goku."

Back at Westover Hall

The once imposing military academy was left in shambles. Unconscious or dead bodies of Westover Hall's students and staff laid motionless from the aftereffects of Kogu's attack. Every single balloon was popped while the streamers caught fire and gradually burned to a gradual crisp. The entrance Dr. Thorn came from was now a massive, gaping hole that brought cold, icy wind into said gymnasium.

The area outside of the school was arguably even worse.

Situated near the tall cliffside, a massive battle was taking place between Kogu, Dr. Thorn, and the group of half-bloods. Dr. Thorn was now a complete manticore with a lion body, spiky tail, and everything else. He shot out deadly thorns that moved as fast and sporadically as heatseeking missiles.

These thorns were powerfully blocked by Thalia's bronze shield, Aegis. Like Zeus' shield of the same name, it sported the likeness of Medusa's face in its center. It wouldn't turn anyone to stone, unfortunately, but it did strike fear into any opponent, especially monsters.

In her other hand, Thalia held a large spear that was usually disguised as a collapsible Mace canister. She channeled electricity through this spear and attempted to stab Dr. Thorn with it.

Nearby, Annabeth was protectively standing in front of Nico and Bianca. She held a short Celestial Bronze knife that she's owned since the age of seven. While Bianca looked traumatized by what was going on, Nico smiled in delight and kept babbling on about some game called Mythomagic.

Percy and Grover, on the other hand, were struggling to keep up with Kogu. Percy was still wielding Riptide and a bronze shield built into his wristwatch while Grover frantically played some music on his reed pipes. This tune caused grass to burst from the snow and tightly wrap around Kogu's legs like vines.

Kogu didn't look concerned in the slightest. He simply stood in place and smirked.

"Nice melody. It'll make a nice song for your funeral." Kogu laughed. He ripped through Grover's weeds like paper and dashed forward.

"U-Uh-oh…" Grover gulped. Kogu, not even bothering to go all out, smashed his fist straight into Grover's stomach.

"Gah!" Grover spat out blood and fell limp. He collapsed onto the snow and fainted instantly.

"GROVER!" Percy screamed. He bared his teeth and glared at the Hera swordsman. "You're so going to regret that!"

"Tch. Regret what? All of this could be avoided if you just board that flying machine and surrender." Kogu pointed out. He gestured to the black, military style helicopter that was hovering near the cliff. It was blaring a searchlight on them.

"He's right! Don't you see how hopeless this is? Yield, little heroes!" Dr. Thorn laughed. He caught Thalia off-guard and roughly smacked her away with his tail.

She hit the ground hard, causing her shield and spear to be flung away from her. "Ergh! Damn it all!"

Dr. Thorn aimed a spike directly at her chest, causing Thalia to roll away. This made Percy's blood boil even further.

He gripped Riptide and foolishly lunged at Kogu. "We're not giving up without a fight, asshole!"

Kogu continued smirking. He brought out the Devilish Blade and slashed it against Riptide. To his surprise, Percy was strong enough to maintain their clash for more than a few seconds.

"You're pretty good with a sword, boy." Kogu mused. He then placed more power into his sword. "But not good enough!"

He successfully parried Riptide out of Percy's hands, sending it flying into a nearby tree.

"No!" Percy gasped. He then felt his shoulder explode with pain as Kogu kicked him to the side. His body sored across the forest like a ragdoll and, upon landing, was grounded deep into the snow.

Percy's head smacked into the ground, causing fresh blood to pour out like a makeshift waterfall. "H-He's right. This is hopeless…"

Just as he was about to give up, a man emerged in front of him. He had black hair that stood on end, and a martial arts gi that, to Percy's confusion, sported the symbol of Camp Half-Blood.

He turned his head to look down at Percy, smiling. "Percy Jackson, right? Your dad's told me a lot about you."

Percy weakly twitched his body. "Huh? M-My dad? What did…he tell—"

"Just stay down for now. We'll talk more after I deal with this guy…" Goku suggested. His kind smile then changed into a determined frown as he focused completely on Kogu.

"Ah, look who's finally arrived." The Hera swordsman chuckled. "The great Son Goku himself."

Annabeth and Thalia peered at Goku in sudden realization. Bianca, however, was mentally freaking out over the fact that this random buff guy just appeared out of nowhere. The blue guy who could shoot nukes from his hands was already bad enough.

"That's Goku? Did he just wake up or something?" Thalia whispered. She didn't even think hair could be styled like that without using a boat load of gel or product.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name?" Goku demanded to know.

Kogu squatted down. "Someone not to be trifled with, Saiyan!"

He then leapt off the ground and rocketed toward Goku. Kogu slashed his sword in an attempt to cut Goku's body, but the Saiyan managed to backflip away in time.

"Hraaagh!" Kogu screamed. The two flew around the forest as Kogu continued trying to wound Goku with the Devilish Blade. He performed slash after slash until one finally made direct contact with Goku's flesh.

"Tch!" Goku winced as fresh blood burst from his left shoulder. He hurriedly jumped back to put some distance between him and Kogu.

Bianca rubbed her eyes. "P-Please tell me this isn't real…"

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid it is." Annabeth whispered back.

Kogu looked pleased by the wound he gave Goku. Temporarily sheathing his sword, he glared at Dr. Thorn.

"The Saiyan's mine. Go after the blonde one and make sure she doesn't escape!" He ordered.

Annabeth's skin noticeably paled. Considering she was the only one with blonde hair, they were definitely talking about her.

"What? Why would they be after me?" She wondered. She began to question whether or not Percy revealed everything that happened in his dream. It wasn't like him to hold back information like that.

"Not sure what a Saiyan is but will do!" Dr. Thorn cackled. He coiled his tail and prepared to knock Annabeth out with a spike.

"N-No…don't you dare touch her…" Percy shakily picked himself up. Although his senses were starting to get muddled, he was perceptive enough to hear the call of a hunting horn from within the forest.

"No! Not them—"

A silver arrow was shot into his shoulder. He staggered away from Annabeth in considerable pain, howling. Before he could retaliate, five more arrows pierced through his back.

"Gah! Curse you!" Thorn fumed. He shot a dozen spikes into the woods, but none of them were accurate enough to stop the Hunters' onslaught. More arrows just kept coming by the second.

"Oh, great. The Hunters are here…" Thalia grumbled from where she stood.

Artemis, Zoë, and the others fully revealed themselves. Their silver parkas seemed to glow in the moonlight as they slowly closed in on Dr. Thorn's position.

"Permission to kill, milady?" Zoë asked determinedly.

The manticore yanked an arrow out of his shoulder. "Your interference is directly going against the Ancient Laws, Artemis!"

"The hunting of all wild creatures is within my sphere. And you, manticore, are a wild beast." Artemis sternly declared. "Permission granted, Zoë."

"Oh, enough of this nonsense." Kogu scowled. Lifting up his hand, he quickly shot three red balls of ki at Artemis and the Hunters.

Angered by this, Goku phased out of existence and made his way to protect them.

"Get down, milady!" Zoë shrieked. As the ki spheres drew closer, Goku appeared in his signature fighting stance.

"Hyaah!" He shouted. He smacked two of them away with his fists and the third using his shoulder. They all dissolved upon contact with Goku's own energy.

"Phew. That was a close one." Goku sighed in relief. "You guys alright?"

"Erm, yes. I suppose I should thank thee…" Zoe reluctantly said. Thalia was completely blown away by this short interaction.

"Zoë Nightshade? Thanking someone? And a guy no less? Now, I've really seen it all." She thought.

Dr. Thorn shook with fear. It was clear that with Goku around, his days might as well be numbered to a few seconds at most.

He glanced from the helicopter to Annabeth, snarling. "If I'm going down, she's going down with me!"

""WHAT?!"" Percy and Thalia shouted out in horror.

The manticore extended his claws and pounced on Annabeth. Remaining calm, she held up her knife in a defensive position.

"Oh, no you don't!" She cried. The daughter of Athena successfully evaded Dr. Thorn's attack and jumped on his back. She gripped his mane with one hand and repeatedly stabbed her knife into his back with the other.

Zoë saw this as a good opportunity to incapacitate the beast once and for all. "Fire at will, girls!"

Multiple arrows hit different parts of Dr. Thorn's body, particularly the neck, chest, legs, and forehead. Annabeth had to hang on for dear life as the manticore bucked about in agony.

"Y-You haven't seen the last of me, Huntress! I swear it!" He screamed. With Annabeth still on his back, Dr. Thorn threw himself off the cliff and fell toward the waters below.

"Annabeth, no!" Percy yelled in despair.

Not wishing to jeopardize any of the demigods' lives, Goku teleported in front of Kogu and smashed a fist straight into his cheek. "Hyaaah!"

"Oof!" Surprised by Goku's immense speed, Kogu was sent flying away from Westover Hall and crashed into a few trees as a result. They all caved in on top of him, preventing the swordsman from recovering right away.

He then flew down the cliff and caught up with Dr. Thorn's descending form. Annabeth struggled to open her eyes, but was shocked by Goku's appearance, nonetheless.

"Quick! Take my hand, Annabeth!" He shouted. He was essentially flying upside down at this point.

"I-I can't. We're going too fast!" She shouted back. Goku tried his best to calm her down.

"Just jump off the manticore and I'll catch you! You can trust me, I promise!"

Dr. Thorn glared at Goku and swung his tail around in an attempt to strike him.

"Grr! Stop interfering with the General's plan, you alien freak!" He roared angrily.

"The General?" Goku thought, wondering if this person was the one responsible for Kogu's appearance.

Deciding to save that question for later, Goku spun himself around and punched his fist straight through Dr. Thorn's body. He, like the hydra, instantly dissolved into sand.

"Noooooo!" The fallen manticore screamed. Unfortunately, Annabeth was no longer hanging onto anything and thus, plummeted ever closer toward the Atlantic Ocean.

"GYAAAAAH!"

Not wasting anymore time, Goku flew underneath Annabeth and gently held her in his arms. The 14-year-old girl checked her pulse to see if she was still alive.

"See? I told you, you could trust me." He smiled.

Annabeth blushed in embarrassment. "Just bring me back up…erm…Goku. Being in this kind of position is really awkward."

"Hehe. Fair enough." Goku chuckled. He then took notice of her stormy gray eyes. "Say, are you Athena's daughter by any chance?"

Annabeth quirked a brow. "Yeah, my name's Annabeth Chase. How'd you guess?"

"Your mom had the same eyes back when I met her on Olympus. She voted to have me banished to 'Tartar-Sauce' during my trial." Goku recalled.

Annabeth deadpanned. "You mean Tartarus, right?"

"Isn't that what I said?" Goku stated obliviously. Annabeth brushed some stray locks away from her forehead, sighing.

"This is the guy they hired as a counselor? He acts like a little kid. Probably has the intelligence of one too." Annabeth thought in dismay. Then again, she couldn't deny that Goku was exceptionally good at fighting, so he did have some merits. He did just save her life as well, of course.

"Never mind that. Thanks for rescuing me." Annabeth grinned. "I'm sure it'll get you on my mom's good side too."

"You think so?" Goku asked.

"Well, I doubt it, but there's still a chance. My mom's just hard to please, so don't hold it against you or anything." Annabeth replied in an honest tone.

"Guess I'll keep that in mind the next time I see her." Goku muttered.

He flew back to the top of the cliff, managing to avoid the helicopter's line of fire as he landed. Once he set Annabeth down, both Percy and Thalia were relieved that she was okay.

Thalia walked up to Annabeth and gave her a big, sisterly hug. "Thank the gods! I thought they got you for a second there."

"I did too. Good thing Goku was able to make it in time." Annabeth said as she returned the hug. She then looked at Goku. "Though, the fact that a single punch from you made Dr. Thorn explode does raise some questions."

"Yeah. Guess I have some explaining to do." Goku sheepishly scratched the back of his head. However, the sound of gunfire interrupted their conversation.

Bullets were shot into the ground near Goku and the Hunters' feet. Neither of them really batted an eye at this attack, but some of the Hunters did separate from one another just in case.

Goku was about to retaliate, but Artemis placed a hand on his leg with a neutral expression. "Save your energy, Goku. I can handle this."

He nodded and let the moon goddess do her thing. Her auburn hair blew in the wind as she calmly looked up at the helicopter.

"Mortals are not allowed to witness my hunt." Artemis announced. With a wave of her hand, the helicopter was transformed into a flock of ravens that blended in with the night sky. It was as if the helicopter wasn't even there to begin with.

Goku blinked his eyes in amazement. "Wow. I didn't know you could do that."

"As a goddess, I can transform all sorts of objects into animals, including mortals who make an enemy of myself or my Hunters."

"Huh. I'm surprised you didn't use it against me then." Goku said.

"Don't get on my bad side and I won't have to." Artemis mischievously winked. "Besides, I wanted to challenge you legitimately as one fighter to another. I'm sure you can understand that."

"Oh, definitely! I'm excited to fight you again someday!" Goku clenched his fists in anticipation.

Artemis giggled. "As am I, Goku."

Bianca walked up and made a 't' sign with her hands. "Okay, time out. I get you're having a good little talk and everything, but can we slow down for just a second here?"

"Who…are you people? How were those guys flying before? And, oh yeah, how in the world could that orange-haired dude shoot bombs out of his hands?!" Bianca asked while pointing fingers at everyone.

"It seemed pretty cool to me! They were like something straight out of Mythomagic!" Nico laughed in awe. He was particularly dazzled by Goku's own abilities.

"Mythowhat?" Goku asked. It sounded like some type of strange food to him.

"Shut up about that stupid game, Nico! This is serious!" Bianca scolded her brother. Nico snorted before looking between Goku and Artemis in pure admiration.

Understanding how confused Bianca was at the moment, Artemis looked at her sympathetically. "A better question to start with is who are you? Who are your parents?"

Bianca glanced down at Nico as she anxiously rubbed her shoulder. Telling her past to complete strangers was far from easy.

"See, our parents—"

To everyone's horror, the entire ground began to shake back and forth. Deep in the forest, Kogu emerged from the shrapnel of eviscerated trees. He shook with rage as his earrings and necklace glowed a bright, vibrant yellow.

"Looks like Chrono's back for more." Percy joked, comparing the Hera's appearance to a popular JRPG character.

After each piece of jewelry flashed a light blue, Kogu muscles gradually expanded in size. Waves of energy reverberated off of his body, causing the nearby wind to pick up speed. It became faster and faster until Kogu's fully unleashed his true power.

"HRAAAAAAA!" The swordsman powerfully screamed. He was engulfed by a yellow pillar of ki that sent every piece of snow and tree bark flying away from him. By the end of this transformation, Kogu's black shirt was gone, and his muscles were insanely huge. He also had light green skin and bright red hair in place of his original appearance.

"Awesome!" Nico yelped.

Bianca protectively held him close to her. "Quiet! This is anything, but awesome!"

Kogu surrounded himself with a yellow aura. "Come out and face me, Son Goku! My leader's patience is wearing thin!

Everyone looked at Goku. He stood there for a moment, silently taking in the amount of destruction Kogu caused. If he got there earlier, the lives of those innocent students and teachers could have been spared.

He grimaced. "I don't know who your leader is. But whoever they are, I'll be sure to give them a proper fight as soon as I'm done with you. That's a promise."

"Feh. That's implying you'll even be able to defeat me, Saiyan." Kogu cockily laughed. "In my Full Power state, you don't have a chance in hell!"

"Well, I have a form of my own, so let's see how it goes then, shall we?" Goku replied. He stepped forward and immediately transformed into a Super Saiyan. The power of his aura sent a shockwave that almost knocked everyone off their feet.

"What? Did you use yellow hair dye when we weren't looking?" Percy asked in confusion.

"This is the form Goku used to defeat Ares, Percy Jackson. It supposedly multiplies his power 50 times over in battle." Artemis explained.

"Oh crap. Really? This ought to be fun to watch then." Percy grinned in excitement.

Goku loosened his joints and performed some small stretches. Due to mastering the form over eight years ago, his personality didn't change all that much as a Super Saiyan.

"Stay off to the side, everyone. I'm not sure how strong this guy's race can truly get." Goku advised cautiously.

The group did as they were told and patiently waited for Goku's fight to begin. Percy and Thalia also moved Grover's unconscious body just in case.

Kogu and Goku stared each other down. Green eyes met blue eyes in a fierce battle of will and determination. The wind brushed past their faces as second after second continued to pass by.

Then, without any further delay, the two interdimensional warriors resumed their bout.

"HAAAAAAH!"

"GRAAAAAH!"

Goku's fist fully collided with Kogu's in a massive implosion. They stood in place as their contrasting auras battled with one another for dominance, combining to form a dome that practically blinded the entire forest with yellow light.

Artemis observed their actions in concern. Although she had full confidence in Goku's abilities, Kogu's appearance as a whole was another matter entirely. Did the Titans manage to make contact with other universes like Aphrodite did? If so, how many fighters like Kogu could be out there?

"What is Atlas planning with all this?" She thought in growing ire.

The moon goddess looked over at Zoë, frowning. She could only hope that her trusted lieutenant wouldn't be dragged into this conflict somehow.