Children of Pan: The Emperor of Doom

Children of Pan: the Emperor of Doom


Dora's POV

	My cousin Diego and I are visiting a relative in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Naturally, we want to explore the Frog Creek woods. After walking a little ways in, we come to a tall oak tree with a big treehouse at the top. A rope ladder is hanging down from it.

	"Wanna climb up and check out this tree house?", I suggest to Diego. Before we have a chance to start climb, I hear voices coming our way. Diego and I forget about the tree house and head deeper into the woods. As we continue onward, I hear the pitter-patter of little feet sneaking around nearby.

	"Swiper!", I yell out, "No swiping". Right on cue, an orange fox wearing blue gloves and a blue bandit's mask emerges from the bushes.

	"Aw Man!", Swiper complains. Then, he takes off running. Diego and I decide to chase after Swiper, as we both feel like we're meant to pursue him. After I while, we start seeing skyscrapers in the distance, and realize we crossed the state line into New York. We continue following Swiper until he stops near a tall pine tree on a hill with what looks like a blanket made of gold draped on it. We trek up the hill to where Swiper is standing and realize we just stumbled into some kind of weird, Greek-themed summer camp. Swiper suddenly transforms into a tall, human man wearing winged shoes.

	"I am Hermes, god of travelers and thieves, and messenger of Olympus", The man explains, "And welcome to Camp Half-Blood".


Michael's POV

	When Pan (my father, who is the God of the wild) informed me he actually has more demigod offspring then just me, Alfred, Lilly, Milo, Camille, and Madeline, I asked him just how many demigods he has sired. He said he wasn't sure, but knew of two more: a daughter named Dora, and a son named Diego. I wanted these two Demigods brought to Camp Half-Blood, but didn't know where to find them. Fortunately for me, Hermes dropped by with a delivery for Dionysus. I decided to pay Hermes to find Dora and Diego and deliver them to Camp Half-Blood. I was waiting at the Big House with my friends Percy Jackson (son of Poseidon) and Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena) when Hermes arrived with Dora and Diego. Hermes gives me a thumbs up and then vanishes. I notice that Dora is wearing a pink shirt and orange shorts, while Diego is wearing a white vest over a light blue shirt and dark blue shorts, and I realize why their names sounded so familiar to me.

	"So Dora the Explorer is a Demigod", I remark as Percy, Annabeth, and I walk up to the new arrivals. Dora promptly slaps me.

	"Can you please not call me that. I hate that stupid tv show. Some mortal tv personnel made children's cartoon shows based on mine and Diego's exploits, but made them mockeries of us". My magic backpack and magic map DO NOT talk or sing, and neither do Diego's magic camera and magic adventure pack", Dora explains. Glowing symbols in the shape of a pan flute appear of Dora's and Diego's heads.

	"You two are children of Pan, god of the Wild", I explain. I tell them about Camp Half-Blood and offer them a tour. Along the way, I present them each with a celestial bronze boomerang, a weapon all children of Pan wield. Right as we finish touring the camp, Dionysus motions to me. He and Hermes are sitting at a table outside the Big House. The three of us walk up to the two gods.

	"Hermes, I will fulfill my end of our bargain, but i'd like at least a week to train these two before we leave", I explain.

	"What are you talking about? we just got here", Diego wonders

	"There's some kind of powerful dark force out there that threatens the world, and the gods are wanting Demigods to go on a specific Quest. In exchange for Hermes finding you two and delivering you to Camp Half-Blood, I agreed to go on the quest with the two of you. Most Quests are undertaken by parties of three", I hastily explain. Hermes agrees to my terms, and tells me he will return in one week to see us off. Dora, Diego, and I spend the next week training (and beating the other cabins at Capture-the-Flag). Percy and Annabeth leave camp to go visit Percy's mother. The next day, Hermes returns. Dora, Diego, and I meet him and Dionysus outside the Big House after breakfast. Rachel Dare, the camp Oracle, is with them. Before anyone can even say anything, Rachel's eyes glow green and she issues a prophecy for our Quest:

			Many heroes from different places...and a great battle more than one world faces.
			By staircase and treehouse, the journey begins...Along the way you will meet several friends.
			The girl explorer shows the way...a monster the wild god's child must slay.
			Enter the arena dark and starry...and face a battle that will turn out most gnarly.
			Another trip across space and time...will bring you before the one called Prime.
			The final battle awaits at noon...the ultimate enemy originates from Droon.

	After she speaks the last line, Rachel's eyes return to normal and she explains the whole Oracle thing to Dora and Diego. Hermes and I explain that our quest is to find 4 objects of power, then use them to defeat the evil force I told them about before. Hermes tells me the first object is called "the magic treehouse".

	"The prophecy mentions a staircase and a tree house", I point out. Dora and Diego had written down the entire prophecy as Rachel issued it.

	"I have a demigod daughter named Julie Rubin who lives in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. She's said something about a magic staircase before", Hermes informs us.

	"My demigod son Neal, who lives in that same town, has also mentioned this staircase", Dionysus adds. I decide we should begin our quest by going to Frog Creek and asking Julie and Neal about the magic staircase. Dora, Diego, and I walk out of the camp and down the hill. I pull out my harmonica and play a little tune. Moments later, a giant pig known as an Erymanthian Boar runs up to us. Dora, Diego, and I climb onto its back. With another tune from my harmonica, the Boar takes off running. About 15 minutes later, we arrive in Frog Creek. After we dismount from the Boar, it rushes off and vanishes. The three of us don't which house is Neal's or Julie's, so we ask around. The town librarian turns out to be Neal's mother, and she explains that Neal and Julie are likely at Eric Hinkle's house. Dora pulls her magic map out of her back pack, and asks it to show up the way to Eric's house. The map changes to show Frog Creek, with 2 glowing dots indication our current location and Eric's house. As we pass by the town school, the cheerleading squad notices us and walks towards us. As they get closer, I quickly notice they aren't normal cheerleaders.

	"Empousai", I explain to Dora and Diego. The three of us brandish our boomerangs and prepare to attack. I toss my boomerang, but the lead of the Empousai cheerleader squad conjures a baton, also made of celestial bronze, and knocks my boomerang away. Dora and Diego start to toss theirs, but the leader of the Empousai holds up her hand, signaling us to stop attacking.

	"We aren't your enemies, Demigods", the lead Empousai explains, "We work for Hecate, goddess of magic. Hecate has a demigod son and daughter named Jack and Annie who live here in Frog Creek. The goddess stationed us here to act as their bodyguards, in lieu of Satyrs". The five members of the cheerleading squad, all of whom are Empousai, introduce themselves as Jennifer, Amanda, Carly, Rebecca, and Shauna. The five of them insist on accompanying us to Eric's House. Jennifer tells us to go down into the basement and shut ourselves in the little closet built into the bottom of the stairs. When we do this, the floor of the little closet vanishes, replaced by a rainbow-colored staircase.

	"I'd say we found the magic staircase", Diego points out. We hurry down the staircase and find ourselves outside a giant tower. a treehouse is sitting in a nearby tree.

	"That must be the magic treehouse", Dora adds. A door at the foot of the tower opens and five kids walk out: two dark-haired boys wearing glasses, a blonde girl, a blonde boy, and a dark-haired girl. They introduce themselves as Jack, Eric, Annie, Neal, and Julie. After we reveal ourselves as children of Pan, Jack and Annie tell us they are children of Hecate. Neal is Dionysus's son, Julie is Hermes's daughter and Eric is a son of Zeus. We explain our quest to the five of them and tell them the prophecy we are following. Jack and Annie give us permission to use the magic treehouse. The tower door opens again and two old guys with long beards emerge from it.

	"Galen Longbeard and Merlin the Magician", Eric introduces them. Galen explains that we entered a realm called Droon when we went down the magic staircase.

	"The last line of our prophecy mentions Droon. The ultimate enemy originates from Droon", I explain.

	"That could mean any number of villains we have around here. Lord Sparr, Gethwing the Moon Dragon, and Emperor Ko are the most likely candidates, though Sparr isn't as evil as he once was", Galen responds. He and Merlin decide to venture to Droon's Dark Lands to check on the realm's other evildoers. Dora, Diego, and I decide to spend the night in Galen's tower and continue our quest tomorrow.


Diego's POV

	Michael explains to us that Demigods who are aware of their power often have dreams that are prophetic or warnings, especially when they are on a quest. I experienced my first one tonight, and it freaked me out a bit. In my dream, I find myself in a spooky forest, a creepy, dark castle looms in the distance. Something compels me to walk towards the castle, but then i hear a female voice behind me.

	"Beware the Raven King", The voice warns. I turn around, expecting to see Dora, but instead I see 2 girls, neither of which is her. The first girl is a red-head, and I recognize her as Rachel, the camp oracle. She was the one who spoke just now. The second girl has green hair tied-up in pigtails, and is wearing a red shirt and yellow shorts. she appears to be 2 or 3 years younger than Rachel.

	"A monster the wild god's child must slay", Rachel chants, sounding more like the oracle this time. Then, she vanishes in a flash of green light.

	"Yotsuba!", a female voice yells. It is coming from he castle. The green-haired girl begins walking towards the castle (I assume her name is Yotsuba) and vanishes. I chase after her and.....find myself in Galen's tower. I realize I am awake and its now morning. Dora and Michael emerge from the rooms where they had slept, and I fill them in on what happened in my dream.

	"This Raven King sounds really scary and really powerful", Dora remarks, "We better go ask Percy and Annabeth for help".

	"Let's take the treehouse to New York City", Michael suggests. Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, and Julie want to come with us and visit Camp Half-Blood, as none of them have ever gone their before. I hand them a book about Camp Half-Blood and tell them to take the tree house there after dropping the three of us of in NYC. The eight of us climb into the Tree House. Jack and Annie supply us with a book about New York. Dora points to a picture that resembles the Jackson house and makes a wish to go there (which is how you activate the tree house's magic). After a big gust of wind, and the tree house spinning, we find ourselves in a tree in Percy's backyard. Percy and Annabeth come running out the back door with their sword and knife drawn. I wave to them from the tree house's window and they put their weapons away. Michael, Dora, and I climb down the rope ladder. Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, and Julie stick their heads out of the window and I introduce them to Percy and Annabeth and vice versa. Eric makes a wish on the Camp Half-Blood book and the tree house vanishes in a flash of light.

	"They're taking the tree house to Camp Half-Blood. They, and the tree house, will be safer there", Michael explains. I take my turn to explain something, telling Percy and Annabeth about my dream and the Raven King.

	"Rachel appearing in your dream and reiterating that line of the prophecy likely means it applies to you and the monster you must slay is the Raven King", Annabeth confirms.

	"The line in the prophecy before that said the girl explorer shows the way, so I think Dora is meant to lead you to the Raven king's castle, but you are meant to slay the Raven King", Percy adds. He and Annabeth decide to come with us to the Raven King's castle, and Sally (Percy's mother) supplies us with some snacks for the trip. As we start to leave, there's a flash of light in the backyard. The tree house is back. I expect to see Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, and/or Julie inside it, but instead there's only a red-haired, pigtailed girl wearing a white hoodie and a red skirt. She suddenly falls backwards out of the treehouse's window and tumbles to the ground. Michael rushes up to the girl.

	"Camille!", He shouts, "What happened?". Her hoodie and skirt are torn and she's covered in scratches and bruises.

	"Pan sensed a group of monsters travelling though the Grand Canyon. Alfred, Lily, Milo, Madeline, and I went to intercept them, but there were too many. I escaped to Camp Half-Blood by tree-traveling", Camille explains. Michael takes a second to introduce Dora and me, and explain how children of Pan can turn trees into teleporters, warping from one tree to another tree somewhere else in the world.

	"When I arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I went looking for Percy and Annabeth, but they weren't around. These five new Demigods told me to use their magic treehouse to travel directly to Percy's backyard. They showed me how to work the treehouse and now I'm here with you. Having been injured in the battle at the Grand Canyon, the treehouse spinning made me dizzy and I fell out of it soon after it arrived here", Camille finishes. Michael helps Camille into Percy's house, and Annabeth offers to sew up Camille's torn clothes.

	"my mother is the goddess of weaving, you know", Annabeth reminds us. She borrows Sally's sewing kit and has Camille's clothes good as new in a matter of minutes.

	"We are on a quest of our own right now", Michael explains to Camille, "Take the treehouse back to Camp half-Blood and recruit some allies, then return to Arizona and take care of business there. We have to go slay a monster called the Raven King, then we will join you". Camille agrees to Michael's plan and disappears in the treehouse. Michael turns to Dora next.

	"The prophecy stated that the girl explorer shows the way. That would seem to be you, so you should be able to show us the way to the Raven King's castle", Michael reasons. Dora retrieves her magic map from her backpack and asks it how to reach the Raven King's castle. The map glows and changes, displaying a map of the Unites States that reaches from, New York all the way to Kansas. A flashing indicator in Kansas indicates the location of the castle.

	"Looks like we're headed for Kansas", Percy remarks.

	"You gonna summon that Erymanthian Boar again?", I ask Michael.

	"I have a better idea", Michael responds. Then, he transforms into a dragon, explaining that another power us children of Pan have is the ability to take on animal forms. He says he will teach Dora and I how to do that later. Percy, Annabeth, Dora, and I climb onto Michael's back and he flies off. Dora tracks our flight path on her map.


Dora's POV

	After flying for a while, we land in a small town in Kentucky to get some lunch. We order meals from a fast food place, but don't stick around (Percy told us that the last time he and Annabeth ate at a burger joint during a Quest, they encountered Ares and he tricked them). Since Michael doesn't want to have to eat his lunch in dragon form, we take a westbound train from Kentucky to Kansas.

	"This train goes all the way to Kansas City, Kansas. From there, we will have a short journey to the forest where the Raven King's castle is located", I explain. The four of us decide to use this train ride to get some sleep. I finally get to experience one of those "dreams" Michael told us about and Diego had before. In my dream, I'm in a big room with black and purple carpet and a huge fireplace. Three young girls are sitting near the fireplace. One of them is Rachel, the camp oracle. The second girl is wrapped in a cloak and I recognize her as Hestia, goddess of the hearth. the third girl has green hair, and I realize she must be Yotsuba, the girl from Diego's dream. Rachel stands up and walks over to me and begins speaking:

				The children of Pan captured in the west...to rescue them, head to the place they know best
				Their allies must undergo a similar hassle...find the child of the hearth in the Raven King's castle
				The prophecies cross as you head back east...your greatest foe, the emperor of beasts

	Rachel vanishes in a flash of light. Camille appears in her place.

	"Leave this prophecy to us for now", Camille insists. Another flash of light...and I'm back on the train being shaken awake by Diego. We have arrived in Kansas City, Kansas. As we disembark, tell the others about my dream. We decide to head for the Raven King's castle post-haste. As we enter the forest leading up to the castle, Michael notices a small stream. Light from the sun is causing a rainbow to appear over the stream, so Michael suggests that I try to Iris Message Camille, and he explains how to do that. I toss a golden drachma into the rainbow and ask Iris to show me Camille, daughter of Pan. A hazy image appears in the rainbow. Camille is at Pan's sanctuary. I quickly tell Camille about my dream.

	"I had a similar dream around that same time. I was sleeping her in Pan's sanctuary about an our ago. Rachel appeared in my dream and delivered the exact same mini-prophecy", Camille explains. She goes on to explain that Pan is worried about his missing Demigod children. Camille had brought Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, and Julie with her to Pan's sanctuary. The five of them are out searching while Camille rested up and recovered from her injuries. I insure her that we will head her way after we take care of the Raven King, and then the image in the rainbow vanishes.


Michael's POV

	We finally arrive at the Raven King's castle. As hinted at by Diego's and Dora's dreams, Hestia and the girl named Yotsuba are waiting for us by the first-floor fireplace. As Diego prepares to confront Raven King, Hestia tells us that the Raven King has several demigods held prisoner in his dungeon.

	"I can lead you to the dungeon", Yotsuba insists. I decide to follow Yotsuba while Diego, Dora, Percy, and Annabeth take down the Raven King.

	"Exactly how many Demigods does the Raven King have here?", I ask Yotsuba.

	"His dungeon is full of them. all of them are children of Aeolus, the wind god", Yotsuba explains, "According to Hestia, The Raven King was once a regular mortal, but he desired the power to fly. He wasn't brave enough to try and steal magic from Zeus so he stole wind magic from Aeolus instead. Aeolus found out and cursed the Raven King, turning into a half-human/half-bird monster. He started capturing Aeolus's demigod children as a way of getting back at the wind god, but this just makes Aeolus mad. The wind god frequently sends tornadoes through the areas around here, attempting to locate and destroy this castle. As a result, Mortals gave this area of the United States the nickname "Tornado Alley", though they are unaware of the real reason there's so many tornadoes in this area". As we approach the part of the dungeon where the Raven King keeps his hostage, I hear something stir and a monster marches toward us. At first, I think it is the Minotaur. When it gets closer, I realize it is something else. The monster is half-bull and half-rhinoceros.

	"A Rhinotaurus", I point out. I quickly retrieve my celestial bronze boomerang from my pocket (all of our boomerangs transform into small stone talismans, shaped like Pan, to fit in our pockets. Squeezing the talisman makes it turn back into a boomerang).

	"Hestia said there was probably a monster guarding the dungeon, but I had never encountered it before now", Yotsuba explains. As I spar with the Rhinotaurus, another thought occurs to me.

	"Why is Hestia even here", I inquire.

	"Zeus got worried about the ongoing feud between Aeolus and the Raven King, so he sent Hestia to intervene. The Raven King trapped Hestia in a spell the moment she entered this castle. It prevents her from leaving, but if the Raven King is slain, the spell will be broken. I came here because I heard Hestia's voice calling out to me", Yotsuba explains. As She and I are talking, I manage to slice off one of the Rhinotaurus's horns with my boomerang, but the creature knocks me to the ground in the process. Yotsuba holds a hand up and the torches around us suddenly ignite. She begins moving her hands around in patterns as if casting a spell and the fires leap from the torches and assault the Rhinotaurus. With the monster, trapped in the flames, I recover and toss my boomerang, hitting the Rhinotaurus right in its chest. The monster disintegrates almost immediately, leaving behind only the horn I sliced off of it. Remembering that Percy has a Minotaur horn he kept as a souvenir, I likewise choose to keep the Rhinotaurus horn as one. Yotsuba directs the flames to burn down the dungeon door and I play a tune on my harmonica to make the roots of a tree outside the dungeon window break the window open. All the captured Demigods quickly escape out through the busted window. After all of them are gone, Yotsuba snaps her fingers and all the flames are extinguished. We quickly dash back upstairs to join the others.


Diego's POV

	When Michael and Yotsuba join up with us, the battle with the Raven King isn't going so well. Annabeth and Percy are lying on the ground badly injured while Dora and I are struggling to attack the Raven King. The Raven King managed to take both of our boomerangs when we hurled them at him and is flying around, brandishing both of them. He tries to throw one at Michael, but Michael parries it with his own boomerang, knocking it away. Yotsuba ignites all the torches in the room and bombards the Raven King with their flames, knocking him to the ground. Percy manages to toss Riptide to me, the pen changing into a sword along the way. Before the Raven King can recover, I stab him through the chest with Riptide. He screams and then disintegrates, leaving nothing but a pile of purple feathers behind.

	"Glad that's over", I remark. The Raven King's crown, robe, and scepter fall out of the sky and land at my feet. I take the scepter, Dora dons the robe, and Yotsuba gets the crown (Percy and Annabeth didn't want any of the 3 souvenirs and Michael already has the Rhinotaurus horn). The robe and crown shrink to fit Dora and Yotsuba. We return to the first floor to find Hestia waiting for us. After seeing how beat up we are, Hestia sends an Iris message to Olympus, letting Zeus know she's alright and asking Apollo to come to the castle and help treat our wounds (he's the god of medicine, after all). A few minutes later, the sun chariot (in the form of a sports car) pulls up outside the castle, beside the moat (which is full of sharks). Apollo ignores the sharks and jumps over the moat. He quickly gets to work tending to everyone's wounds. Suddenly, what sounds like a storm hits outside. Percy, Michael, and I venture outside the castle to see a huge tornado approaching. A strong-looking man emerges from the tornado.

	"Aeolus", Percy confirms. I hand Riptide back to Percy (since he had been injured, I'd held onto the sword following the Raven King's defeat).

	"I've come to destroy this castle. I've been searching for it for a long time. The Raven King had the gall to hold my sires hostage here, so I will demolish this place as punishment", the wind god booms. He's angry to the point of raging.

	"We still have people inside. most of which are being treated for injuries sustained while fighting the Raven King", Percy explains.

	"I don't care. I've waited long enough for this", Aeolus insists. Hestia appears beside me.

	"Aeolus, calm down. The Raven King is gone. Diego defeated him. Leave the castle alone", The goddess explains. Aeolus says nothing, but sends his tornado in the direction of the castle.


Percy's POV

	As the tornado approaches, we back up towards the castle moat. Seeing all the sharks in the moat, I get a crazy idea. I will the sharks to leap out of the moat. As they do so, they are sucked into the tornado. Soon the moat is shark-free and I've transformed Aeolus's tornado into a sharknado. I then realize I can control the shark-filled tornado, so I send it right back in Aeolus's face. A few shark attacks later, Aeolus collapses on the ground, exhaustion driving out his rage. I will the tornado to return the sharks to the moat, then cause a small tremor to break a hole in them oat wall, letting the shark swim safely back to the ocean. Hestia walks up to Aeolus and has a little chat with him. The wind god agrees to leave the castle intact and flies away on the wind. Diego, Michael, Hestia, and I head back inside the castle.

	"Everyone is good as new", Apollo confirms, "I trust you taught old Aeolus a lesson he won't soon forget?".

	"Something like that", I remark. Apollo thanks us for saving Hestia and offers us his sun car for a fast trip to Tucson, which is our next destination. Hestia asks us to take Yotsuba with us, and to try and track down Yotsuba's father, who is her mortal parent.

	"If you do find him, tell Yotsuba's father I'm waiting for him here at this castle", Hestia adds, "And yes, if you haven't figured it out yet, I am Yotsuba's mother. When the Raven King captured me, I called out for help and Yotsuba answered my call. She started having dreams telling her that heroes would arrive to slay the Raven King". As far as I knew, Hestia had never had any demigod children before. She'd given her seat on Mount Olympus, and her cabin at Camp Half-Blood, to Dionysus. Anyway, I tell Hestia we will try to find Yotsuba's father. With that, Annabeth, Michael, Dora, Diego, Yotsuba, and I climb into the sun car and head for Tucson.


Camille's POV

	After returning to Camp Half-Blood in the treehouse, I recruited Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, and Julie. We traveled to Gnarly Woods, a secret forest outside Tucson, Arizona which is concealed by the Mist. Within Gnarly Woods lies the entrance to Pan's sanctuary. I explained to the others that Pan is my father and his other Demigod children (besides Michael, Dora, and Diego) have been captured by monsters. Jack and Annie suggest fighting monsters with monsters. They make a quick trip to Frog Creek and return with the five Empousai (Jennifer, Amanda, Carly, Rebecca, and Shauna), explaining to Pan and I that Hecate had placed these 5 Empousai in Frog Creek to bodyguard the two of them, as they are a son and daughter of Hecate. Pan attempts to sense where his captured Demigod offspring are being held, but finds he is unable to pick up any trace of them. We decide to spend the night here and then go out and search for them in the morning. In my dream, Rachel appears and delivers a small prophecy:

				"The children of Pan captured in the west...to rescue them, head to the place they know best
				Their allies must undergo a similar hassle...find the child of the hearth in the Raven King's castle
				The prophecies cross as you head back east...your greatest foe, the emperor of beasts"

	After she is done, Rachel vanishes and Dora appears in her place.

	"I'm at the Raven King's castle. You must focus on rescuing the captured children of Pan", Dora explained. Not long after I wake up, I receive an Iris Message from Dora, confirming that she'd had a similar dream. After a quick breakfast, we all decide to head to the Grand Canyon, which is where the captured Pan kids were last seen. As we leave Pan's sanctuary, we hear what sounds like a small group of large birds land in the nearby trees. Four girls jump down out of the trees. While mostly human in appearance, the four of them have beaks, as well as tail plumage sticking out from under the backs of their shirts. I know whose these four are, and introduce them to the others

	"I'd like you all to meet Cynthia, Louise, Tina, and Gabby. They are Harpies who live her in Gnarly Woods most of the time. Cynthia acts as their leader", I explain to Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, Julie, and the Empousai. Cynthia has dark blonde hair and is wearing a pink skirt and black pants. Louise, who is slightly chubbier than her sisters, has strawberry blonde hair and is wearing a yellow shirt and purple pants. Gabby, who is slightly taller than Cynthia, has brunette hair and is wearing green overalls. Tina, the smallest of the sisters, has purple hair and is wearing a blue shirt and pink shorts.

	"We aren't like your average Harpy. The four of us are sisters. We are Demiharpies, meaning our mother was a Harpy and our father was a regular mortal man. As a result, we can change freely between Harpy and human form", Cynthia explains. The four of them quick transform to Harpy form, their hands and legs morphing into claws and talons, and wings sprouting out of their backs. Then, they change to completely human forms before reverting to their first forms, where they are human, but with some bird parts.

	"We heard that several children of Pan were taken hostage by monsters", Louise adds.

	"We've been doing aerial recon, searching for them", Tina adds.

	"So far, we haven't had any luck, but we still have enough energy to fly you lot to the Grand Canyon, if you want", Gabby suggests. We all decide to take the Demiharpy sisters up on their offer. Julie shows them that she can fly on her own, due to being an child of Hermes, and offers to fly me to the Grand Canyon herself and let the Demiharpy sisters carry Jack, Annie, Eric, and Neal. Once everyone is ready, we fly off together. Surprisingly, Julie outspeeds the Harpy sisters. When we arrive at the Grand Canyon, it appears that no one is there. A large shape flies overhead, and we all take notice. It appears to be a large, grey dragon with four wings. Figuring this can't be good, we decide to follow the dragon. As we give chase, we end up charging into yet another forest and run smack into a large group of girls armed with crossbows, who are trying to shoot the dragon out of the sky. The girl in charge has a shield with an image of Medusa's face on it and her arrows seem to be electrified. I recognize her as Thalia, daughter of Zeus, which means these girls are the Hunters of Artemis.

	"That dragon up there is a Moon Dragon named Gethwing. Our goddess tasked us with slaying Gethwing, though Artemis is not with us at the moment. She had to return to Olympus", Thalia explains, "If you are looking for the Demigods who fought Gethwing's army of monsters back at the Grand Canyon, they were kidnapped and taken to Hollywood". Knowing this, I decide to leave Gethwing to the Hunters and we make haste to Hollywood. The Empousai and the Demiharpy sisters decide to remain behind and help the hunters fight Gethwing.


Michael's POV

	We land the sun car outside the entrance to Gnarly Woods (where Pan's sanctuary is located). Right after we enter the forest, I receive an Iris Message from Camille.

	"The other Pan kids are being held hostage in Hollywood. Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, Julie, and I are already en route to that location. Join us when you can", Camille explains. The message ends and we quickly get back in the sun car and head for California. After we fly past the Grand Canyon, we come across a dragon with four wings dodging a volley of arrows being shot up at it. Percy notices the Hunters of Artemis in the forest below us, and realizes they are the ones shooting at the dragon.

	"Fly up close to that dragon", Percy requests. I drive the sun car right up beside the dragon. Percy rolls down his window, holds Riptide out in pen form, uncaps it, and slices off one of the dragon's wings.

	"You can thank me later", he yells down to Thalia. Percy returns his sword to pen form and we fly onward to Hollywood. Percy, Annabeth, Dora, Diego, Yotsuba, and I arrive in Hollywood at the same time as Camille, Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, and Julie. Yotsuba remembers that her father had been living in California the last time she'd seen him, and Annabeth decides to visit her father while we're in the area, so the two of them run off. Dora and Diego mumble something about giving the mortal TV people who made the children's cartoons based on the two of them a piece of their minds, and then they run off in the direction of the Hollywood film studios. Camille and I start to run after them, but then we hear multiple large objects land on the roofs round us. We look up to see an army of bipedal dragons have surrounded us.

	"Dragonians", Percy explains, "humanoid dragons". I take it as a bit of an insult to be attacked by dragons. As a child of Pan, I can assume any animal form I want, and my favorite form to take happens to be a dragon. The Dragonians lunge at us all at once. Percy uncaps Riptide and I assume my own dragon form, to fight dragon with dragon. Eric summons an electrified sword. Neal makes a nearby fountain spray grape soda all over the place (he's a son of Dionysus, but not old enough for wine). Julie flies into the air and punches one of the Dragonians, knocking him into a tree. Camille plays a tune on her flute and the tree wraps around the Dragonian. Jack and Annie each pull a pencil out of their pockets, twirl them, and the pencils turn into magic wands. They blast 2 of the Dragonians, who instantly inflate until they are almost completely spherical and fall the ground with thud.

	"Obesity Spell", Jack notes.

	"Makes an enemy fat and slow", Annie adds. I change from a dragon to a rhinoceros and charge the two fat Dragonians, sending them rolling right out of town. Another Dragonian flies at me, but Camille turns into a cheetah and tackles it. I turn back to my regular human form and rush off to find Dora and Diego. Percy joins me, saying that the others can handle the remaining Dragonians. As we approach the studio where the Dora and Diego cartoons are produced, there's an explosion from within the studio. A door is blown off its hinges and we rush through into the building. Dora and Diego are inside fighting a couple of ugly-looking beasts. A man in a business suit approaches Percy and me. I notice his shoes have wings.

	"Hermes, I presume?" I ask the man.

	"God of messengers, at your service" the man confirms, "Though right now, I could really use your help to reclaim my film studio from those 2 brutes. Its where Hermes TV is filmed". The two monsters Dora and Diego are fighting appear to be half dragon and half old lady.

	"Haggons", Dora and Diego explain, "Hag dragons". Percy quickly slashes 1 Haggon with Riptide, disintegrating it. I transform into a grizzly bear and tackle the second Haggon, flattening it to the ground. One stab from Riptide, and that one is gone too.

	"There's more Haggons down the hall. They've taken over all the studios. The captured Pan kids are being held in one of the studios, but we haven't figured out which one", Dora explains. The four of us and Hermes rush through studio after studio, slaying every Haggon we meet along the way. We come to a studio that says "Hermes TV" on the door.

	"It's locked from the inside", Diego points out. Hermes taps the door with his caduceus and it unlocks. Inside we find the missing Pan kids (Alfred, Lilly, Milo, and Madeline) locked in a giant cage. Hermes quickly lets them out. We hear a struggle going on in the next studio over. Dora and Diego enter the studio and find its the animation studio where the Dora and Diego cartoons are made. Two boys are wrestling with two huge dragons. I recognize the two boys.

	"Alito and Girag", I explain to Dora and Diego, "Alito is a son of Ares, while Girag is a son of Hephaestus. They're friends of ours". Girag wields a giant hammer, while Alito is trying to punch out the dragons. He appears to be wearing brass knuckles, but they are actually made of celestial bronze.

	"We came here to look for our captured friends", Alito explains

	"But when we got here, we found ourselves up to our necks in dragons", Girag adds. The two dragons approach Dora and Diego.

	"At last we meet. You two are the Demigods we based out children's cartoons on. What an honor it is to finally meet you two in person", the dragons taunt. Dora and Diego, who find the cartoon shows in question terrible and consider them parodies of what the real Dora and Diego are, decide these dragons must be stopped here and now. Dora rips Riptide right out of Percy's hands and slashes one dragon's head off before anyone else can react. Diego morphs into a lion and tears the second dragon to pieces. Alito and Girag deliver the finishing blows to the second dragon. both dragons disintegrate, leaving behind the first dragon's severed head and the scales Diego tore off the second dragon. Diego gathers the scales, which transform into a shield when Girag hits them with his hammer. Dora picks up the severed dragon head. Not sure what to do with it, she pus it in her backpack (which is enchanted so it can hold anything without ever being full).

	"We better head back outside and see how the others are doing", I suggest


Yotsuba's POV

	Annabeth and I arrive at her father's house to find another man visiting with her father. I recognize the other man.

	"My father is here", I explain to Annabeth. Annabeth recognizes my father, too

	"Uncle Kojiro is your father?", Annabeth realizes. Kojiro walks over to us.

	"Its a long story. Frederick here told me about the time he spent with Athena. Not long after that, a pretty lady showed up on my doorstep claiming to be a goddess. I assumed it was Athena and she'd come to sire a Demigod with me now. I ended up fathering Yotsuba with her. I didn't find out until later on that the goddess I'd met was actually Hestia", He explains. Almost right on cue, a young lady materializes near Frederick's fireplace. I recognize her as Hestia, my mother.

	"You need to get going", Hestia explains, "A monster is heading this way. I can take Frederick and Kojiro with me while you to fight it".

	"No offense, miss goddess, but there's no way we're letting our daughters fight this monster alone, even if they are capable of doing so", Frederick insists. Both gentleman rush out into the backyard. Moments later, I hear the sound of a plane taking off. Annabeth and I rush outside to confront the monster and notice our fathers flying overhead in Frederick's Sopwith Camel plane. The monster arrives soon after. It looks like a dragon, but is way bigger than any dragon I've ever seen.

	"A Drakon", Annabeth explains, "Its like a dragon, but bigger, meaner, and harder to kill". She and I quickly take action. Our fathers bombard the dragon with celestial bronze bullets from above, but can't seem to penetrate its armor. When the Drakon tries to shoot fire at us, I control the fire and sends it right back in the Drakon's face.

	"We can't let the Drakon demolish the city", Annabeth points out. She and I lure the Drakon towards the beach. Mortals in swimsuits take off running in every direction. Annabeth climbs up the Drakon's back while I continue redirecting its flame breath. As we struggle with the Drakon, I notice a pre-teen or teenage girl in a sea-green swimsuit standing nearby watching us. She has dark-colored hair and green eyes, making her look like she could be Percy's sister.

	"You slay that Drakon, girl!", the swimsuit girl yells at Annabeth. Annabeth and I realize this girl can see through the Mist.

	"If you can see this monster for what it is, you should know to run", I yell at the girl. Annabeth repeatedly tries to stab the Drakon with her dagger, but its armor is too tough. I redirect the Drakon's fire at its back to try and melt its armor. Annabeth still can't seem to stab through the super-heated armor and the Drakon throws her off its back. As the Drakon goes to grab Annabeth, a tidal wave erupts from the ocean. The Drakon, Annabeth, and I are soaked. The parts of the Drakon's armor I had heated are now beginning to crack. The Sopwith Camel swoops down over the beach. I see my dad lean over the side, holding what appears to be a small bazooka. He fires it and a rocket or shell, apparently made of Celestial Bronze, hits the Drakon right in the cracked part of its armor. The Drakon explodes, its body turning into dust. When the smoke from the explosion clears, several pieces of the Drakon's armor are lying around, but the monster itself is gone. The swimsuit girl is gone, too. I figure she must have fled shortly before the Drakon exploded. Annabeth picks up the largest piece of Drakon armor and tosses it into the ocean.

	"Since Percy isn't here, that freak tidal wave must've been a gift from Poseidon. Guess he didn't want his son's girlfriend becoming Drakon food. I gave him the largest piece of Drakon armor as a "thank you" offering", Annabeth explains. The Sopwith Camel lands on the beach near us. We gather up the remaining pieces of Drakon armor and stow it in the plane.

	"Mind giving us a lift to Hollywood? That's where we left Percy and the others", Annabeth asks her father. A few minutes later, wear flying over an epic battle scene. Dragons and Demigods are facing off all up and down Hollywood Blvd. Annabeth and I parachute out of the plane. Gethwing, the Moon Dragon we saw earlier, flies over us, heading south. Annabeth asks her father to follow Gethwing and shoot him out of the sky.

	"If Gethwing's here, the Hunters may be in trouble", I point out.

	"Let's wrap up things here first, then go find the Hunters", Annabeth suggests.


Percy's POV

	We emerge from the film studios to find the battle with the Dragonians still raging. As we fight our way across Hollywood Blvd, a Sopwith Camel plane appears over head. Annabeth and Yotsuba parachute out of it. Gethwing flies past us, and the Sopwith Camel chases after him. I rush over to Annabeth and help her and Yotsuba out of their parachutes. We finish off the remaining Dragonians and Haggons and prepare to head back to Arizona, which is the direction Gethwing was headed. The sun car is gone, so Apollo must have come and collected it.

	"We need to head back to Arizona and pursue Gethwing", Michael explains.

	"Anyone have a car?", Camille remarks.

	"I can forge us one", Girag suggests, "I'll need the Drakon armor that Annabeth and Yotsuba are wearing, and the dragon head Dora has in her backpack".

	"Why do you have a dragon head in your backpack?", Annabeth asks Dora.

	"To make a long story short, Diego and I slayed a couple dragons. He got a shield made of dragon scales. I got a severed dragon head", Dora explains. She retrieves the dragon head from her backpack and hands it to Girag. Annabeth and Yotsuba remove their Drakon armor an also hand it to Girag. While Girag works, Annabeth fills me in and what happened with her and Yotsuba when she visited her father. When she mentions the girl in a swimsuit who looks like she could be my sister, that intrigues me. After about a hour (and sending Alito to a local auto parts store to buy some tires), Girag has our new ride ready.

	"I call it...the Panmobile!", Girag announces. The "Panmobile" is a Celestial Bronze sports car. The dragon head is now attached to the roof, though Girag modified it into a Satyr head (like how some mortals put ram horns or deer antlers on their vehicles). Girag shows us how it can go from a sports car to a van to a minibus by pressing a button on the dashboard. It takes minibus mode to have enough room for all of us. We zoom back towards Arizona.

	"This thing also has boat and plane modes", Girag explains, "It can even turn into a train engine, if you ever need one of those".

	"So you basically forged the Magic School Bus for us", Yotsuba jokes.

	"Pretty much, though its not as good as the actual Magic School Bus, which dad forged", Girag responds. When we reach the forest where we'd encountered the Hunters before, we notice injured hunters lying around everywhere. Apollo and Artemis are both on the scene treating injuries. Thalia seems mostly unharmed and his helping treat the other Hunters as well.

	"Gethwing completely overpowered us. Three Hunters were killed, and most of the others were injured. I got word to my father and he sent Artemis to us immediately. Apollo was in the area picking up his car and stopped into lend a hand", Thalia explains.

	"Gethwing is headed towards Tucson. He has a Sopwith Camel plane on his tail, but no mortal stands a change of defeating him", Artemis explains, "You lot need to head in that direction. Also, that area is Pan's neck of the woods, so you better let him know what's going on". We climb back into the Panmobile and soon arrive back in Tucson.


Michael's POV

	Gethwing lands on the roof of the Tucson Planetarium. Annabeth's dad lands his Sopwith Camel on the planetarium's roof as well. he and Yotsuba's dad attempt to shoot the moon dragon with their weapons, but the guns and bazooka have no effect on Gethwing. Gethwing grabs both men and the flies down into the Planetarium.

	"We have to rescue them", Annabeth insists.

	"Enter the arena dark and starry", Dora chants. I had forgotten all about the prophecy Rachel had given us.

	"I would think it is dark and starry inside a planetarium", Diego adds. Alfred, Lilly, Milo, Camille, and Madeline decide to return to Gnarly Woods and tell Pan what's going on while the rest of us enter the Planetarium and face Gethwing. I drop the five of them off just outside Tucson city limits, then head into town. I quickly park the Panmobile in the planetarium's parking lot and the rest of us rush into the building, weapons drawn and ready for a fight. As expected, the inside of the planetarium is dead dark except for the light coming from the inside of the dome, which is made to look like the night sky. We find Gethwing sitting no a large-scale model of the moon. he has Annabeth's and Yotsuba's fathers tied up with ropes and lying a crater. Gethwing snaps his claws and a bunch of Haggons appear out of nowhere.

	"A Haggon is the offspring of a dragon and a Fury. As such, they can shadow-travel", Gethwing explains. Percy leaps up onto a model of Neptune and slashes at one Haggon. Alito stands on a model of Mars and punches out another one. I toss my celestial bronze boomerang and take out the remaining Haggons one after another. As soon as the last Haggon disintegrates, Gethwing flies into action. We hit the moon dragon with everything we've got. Dora produces a celestial bronze machete from her back pack and slices off one of Gethwing's 3 remaining wings. Diego has his dragon scale shield and the scepter of the Raven King. When he waves the scepter at Gethwing, a huge gust of wind slams into the moon dragon and sends him hurtling into a model of Uranus, lodging his head inside the planet. Gethwing quickly gets back on his feet, but stumbles around.

	"I cant see a thing", Gethwing mumbles.

	"Of course not", a voice teases, "You have your head up Uranus". Milo leaps off a balcony and lands on Gethwing's back. Alfred, Lilly, Camille, and Madeline have also arrived on the scene. Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, and Julie decide to focus on evacuating all the mortals from the Planetarium. Milo pulls a small stick out of his pocket and twirls it. The stick transforms into a wooden Saxophone. Milo begins playing it, causing Gethwing to tear Uranus in half and grab his ears. I pull out my harmonica and join in. The other Pan kids follow suit: Alfred has a wooden banjo, Lilly has a wooden tambourine, Camille and Madeline have wooden flutes (the regular tube-shaped kind, not a pan flute like Pan and the Satyrs play), Dora has wooden Castanets, and Diego has wooden maracas. The combined power of our wooden musical instruments appears have a calming effect on Gethwing. After a while, the moon dragon decides he's had enough and flees from the Planetarium. outside the planetarium, someone else is playing a wooden instrument: Pan himself. Apollo and Artemis are with him. As the wild god plays his pan flute, vines growing no the side of the building ensnare Gethwing. Apollo and Artemis draw their bows at the same time.

	"This is for the Hunters you killed", Artemis yells. Sister and brother launch their arrows at the same time and land hits to Gethwing's chest.

	"You do remember that I cannot be killed unless all four of my wings are severed first. I still have two of them left", Gethwing taunts. A third arrow shoots through both of his wings, severing them and pinning them to the side of the building. Thalia is standing nearby, having fired that last arrow.

	"Got that taken care of", Thalia remarks. The now-wingless moon dragon collapses and disintegrates. Dora retrieves the wing she severed and we all head outside where Pan, Apollo, and Artemis are waiting. Thalia hands Percy the wing he had severed from Gethwing earlier.

	"Gethwing is the moon dragon. I am the moon goddess. Gethwing was literally born to be my ultimate prey, and my ultimate predator. It was also his destiny to be slain by either me or one of my Hunters", Artemis explains. I realize this means she was just using us to weaken Gethwing for her, but I can't make myself be angry with her, as she did lose 3 Hunters in the process. Hermes appears nearby, wearing a spacesuit as if he worked in the Planetarium

	"The four wings of Gethwing are your third item of power. You have the magic treehouse, the Raven King's sceptor, and now the wings. There's only one item of power left to find on your quest", Hermes explains, "The Matrix of Leadership".

	"My dad forged something like that back when he forged a bunch of giant robots that turn into cars and stuff", Girag explains.

	"Then, I suggest you pay a visit to Hephaestus", Hermes adds.

	"That was a long time ago, though", Girag points out, "Back in the 80s, Dad made those robots when Hermes offered him a slot in his TV lineup. Dad has long since scrapped those robots and made something else out of them. I don't know if he still has the Matrix or not".

	"The prophecy said another trip through time would bring us before one called Prime. The robot who carried the Matrix in the show was named Optimus Prime. I think we need to use the treehouse to travel back and visit Hephaestus in, or right after, the 80's", I suggest.

	"Dad's show ended around 1991, so aim for that year", Girag suggests. I rush off to Gnarly Woods, as the Treehouse is still in Pan's Sanctuary. Alito convinces Girag to come with me and the two of them chase after me. We quickly reach Pan's sanctuary and climb up into the treehouse.

	"We need a book with pictures to activate the treehouse's magic", I point out.

	"What about this one here", Alito yells. A book titled "A History of 80's Television" is lying in the treehouse. I open it to the page about Transformers. A paragraph about Hephaestus appears on the page, along with a picture of the forge god himself and a giant robot. I get the feeling this part of the book wouldn't be visible to regular mortals. I point to the picture and make a wish to go there. The wind picks up and the tree house starts spinning. When it stops, the treehouse is in a tree on the side of a mountain. We climb down out of the treehouse and find a door in the side of the mountain. The door seems to be locked, or at least it wont budge. Girag taps it with his hammer and the door opens by itself. Inside, we find several giant robots. Hephaestus is sitting at a table in the midst of them.

	"Lord Hephaestus, we have come along way, from the future in fact, in search of something called the Matrix of Leadership", I explain.

	"While I do possess the item you seek, and have no further use for it seeing as Hermes canceled my show, I'm not just going to hand it over to you. you must first prove you deserve it", Hephaestus insists. He gestures to the two biggest robots, which I recognize as Optimus Prime and his archfoe Megatron.

	"If you can defeat Megatron in combat, I will instruct Optimus to hand the Matrix over to you", Hepheastus explains. We approach Megatron, who immediately points his gun at us and starts shooting. I morph into a great white shark and bite Megatron's arm that is holding the gun, but he flings me off. Alito starts punching Megatron, but the giant robot seems unaffected and kicks Alito away. Girag slams his hammer into Megatron and manages to put a nice, big dent in the robot's chest. I return to human form and begin playing my harmonica, but it has no effect on Megatron. The robot swings an arm at me and knocks my harmonica away, sending it flying across the room. I know it will reappear in my pocket like Percy's pen/sword does, but I need a new approach to this fight.

	"I thought you were made of sterner stuff", Megatron taunts. I recognize that line as one of his catchphrases from the show. I morph into a Tyrannosaurus Rex and charge Megatron. My T-rex form is the same height as the robot. While I have Megatron restrained, Girag and Alito attack his chest. Alito punches Megatron where Girag's hammer had dented him before, and this time Alito's punch penetrates Megatron's armor. Alito moves back and Girag delivers the final blow, slamming his hammer into Megatron's now-exposed inner mechanisms. The robot collapses and explodes. Hephaestus applauds us and then motions to Optimus Prime.

	"To the victor go the spoils", Hephaestus remarks. Optimus opens a compartment in his chest and the Matrix floats out of it, and into Girag's hands, shrinking a bit on the way down so it actually fits in Girag's hands.

	"If you ever wanna fight more giant robots, come back and see me", Hephaestus adds. We thank him and hurry back to the treehouse. Moments later we arrive back in Pan's sanctuary and then rejoin the others in Tucson.

	"We have the Matrix of Leadership", I announce, "The last lines of the prophecy said that final battle awaits at noon and our enemy comes from Droon.

	"The short prophecy Dora and I recieved mentioned the emperor of beasts", Camille adds.

	"One of the "evil forces" in Droon we were told about was someone named Emperor Ko", Jack and Annie add.

	"Sounds like we need to get to Frog Creek by noon. Its already past noon today, so the final battle must be tomorrow. I suggest we all get some rest", Annabeth explains. Everyone decides to relax for the rest of the day (assuming no more monsters show up). Hermes books rooms in a hotel for anyone who doesn't wanna spend the night in Pan's sanctuary (being the god of travelers, Hermes has infinite Frequent Flyer Miles). Percy and Annabeth decide to go on a dinner date together. Artemis, Apollo, and Thalia decide to go on and perform funeral rites for the 3 Hunters that died fighting Gethwing. Alfred, Lilly, Milo, Camille, Dora, and Diego head for Pan's sanctuary for the night.  Alito, Girag, Yotsuba, and I decide to head to the Tucson Boxing and Wrestling Arena to train. Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, Julie, and the 5 Empousai decide to head on back to Frog Creek in the treehouse and check on things there. The four Demiharpy sisters return to Gnarly Woods.


Annabeth's POV

	Percy and I pick out a nice steakhouse to eat dinner at. When a waitress walks over to take our orders, She seems oddly familiar to me. We both down T-Bone steaks and mashed potatoes. As we leave the restaurant after out meal, the waitress who served us runs up to us.

	"A word of advice, daughter, before you and your boyfriend take part in tomorrow's battle", the waitress remarks. I realize the waitress is my mother, Athena.

	"Emperor Ko, who you will face tomorrow, is a monster born to appose Hecate, just like how Gethwing was born to appose Artemis. Hecate created the magical realm of Droon to seal Ko away. Ko controls a vast army of beasts, so you'll need all hands on deck during the final battle tomorrow. Combining the four items you retrieved on your quest will allow you to overpower Ko. The Matrix of Leadership, which Michael got from Hephaestus, contains great power. To unleash this power, the Matrix must be opened. It will take wisdom to open the Matrix", Athena explains.

	"Noted", I confirm.

	"Now then, I must be going. Artemis asked me to weave shrouds for her deceased Hunters, as weaving is one of my specialties, and I must get them to the funeral site", Athena insists, "By the way, Percy, your father is waiting for you in the Grand Canyon". I decide to follow my mother and attend the Hunters' funeral service, while Percy heads to the Grand Canyon to see Poseidon.


Percy's POV

	Rather than try to walk or run all the way to the Grand Canyon, I stop by Gnarly Woods and ask the Demiharpy sisters for a lift. Cynthia swoops down, picks me up, and away we fly.

	"I needed to go out and get supper for myself and my sisters anyway. I'm the oldest of the four of us, after all", Cynthia explains. When we reach the Grand Canyon, I notice an old steamship chugging up the Colorado River. my father is at the helm.

	"Dad's on that boat. Drop me off on board it", I explain. Cynthia swoops down towards the steamship. When she's right above it, she lets go of me and I tumble onto the deck as Cynthia flies away out of sight.

	"Its a nice night for a cruise", Poseidon remarks, "Aside from the possible apocalypse coming tomorrow. You kids have your work cut out for you. That's for sure".

	"Don't suppose you're gonna help us fight Emperor Ko tomorrow?", I ask.

	"Zeus wants all of us on guard, to keep the battle contained to Frog Creek", Poseidon explained, "But I will offer you help, in a way. Hold out your sword". I hold out Riptide and Poseidon touches his trident to it. Both sword and trident glow for a second, then the light dims.

	"I transferred a small portion of my trident's power to your sword. Your sword can now be transformed into a trident by pressing the trident symbol on it", Poseidon explains. I notice the trident symbol on Riptide has been transformed into a button. I press it, and Riptide transforms into a trident. I press it again and I turns back into a sword.

	"Thanks, dad", I shout.

	"Consider it my answer to the chunk of Drakon armor Annabeth tossed into the Pacific as an offering to me" Poseidon explains, "And while you're at it, make sure you tell her the freak tidal wave WASN'T my doing. Someone else caused it to happen".

	"I'll let her know", I promise.

	"Look's like your ride's here", Poseidon points out. Cynthia is flying towards us.

	"You know, if Annabeth and you don't work out, that harpy is pretty cute", Poseidon teases.

	"Seriously, Dad", I respond. Cynthia is close now, and I can see she is carrying multiple red boxes. She swoops down and I grab onto her legs. As she carries me into the sky, Poseidon waves and then pokes the boat with his trident. The entire ship turns into water and sinks, merging with the river. I also notice girl standing on a nearby cliff. She has dark-colored hair and green eyes, making her look like a female version of myself. She looks like she was watching me and dad.

	"I picked up some food for the Pan kids, too, though I figure Michael will get something to eat at the arena", Cynthia explains. I notice she's carrying at least 10 Happy Meals and a couple other fast food bags.

	"Harpies, like phoenixes, can carry extremely heavy loads. Even us Demiharpies are capable of carrying a lot", Cynthia explains. She drops me outside Gnarly Woods before heading inside the forest. I rush off to find Annabeth.


Michael's POV

	The Tucson Boxing and Wrestling Arena is already closed for the night when we get there, but we're regular competitors so we are allowed to train there even after hours. We also have full access to the arena's kitchen, so dinner isn't a problem, either. Alito and I spar inside the ring for a while as Yotsuba cheers us on and Girag acts as referee. Cynthia, the oldest of the 4 Demiharpy sisters, drops by later on and let's me know that she bought dinner for the other Pan kids as well as for her sisters. Yotsuba decides to face Cynthia inside the "squared circle" (a wrestling term for the ring). Cynthia decides to fight as a human instead of a Harpy, to keep things fair.

	"Don't go easy on me, though", Yotsuba insists.

	"Wasn't planning on it", Cynthia taunts. I can't help but notice that she's cute when she's acting fierce. As the girls face off, I find myself cheering for Cynthia. Alito and Girag both cheer for Yotsuba. The fight eventually ends in a double KO. Yotsuba's ready to go to bed, so Alito grabs some food and drinks from the arena kitchen and he, Girag, and Yotsuba head to the hotel for the night. Cynthia's wings re-emerge and she flies out of the ring. Still exhausted from the match with Yotsuba, she tumbles out of the sky and lands right on top of me.

	"Sorry" Cynthia apologizes. She rolls away and stands up, then helps me up as well.

	"I think she likes you", another female voice calls out. Cynthia and I turn around and see another girl sitting up in the bleachers. She looks like a female version of Percy. I realize this must be the girl Annabeth hand Yotsuba encountered on the beach.

	"The arena's closed", I yell up to her. The girl gets up and walks away.

	"Not for people like us", she teases, right before exiting the room. I wonder if she means she's a competitor here or if she's hinting that she's a demigod. If its the latter, I figure we will see her again real soon. Cynthia and I walk out of the Arena together. There's no sign of the other girl, but we notice a woman walking towards us from the direction of the steakhouse where Percy and Annabeth had gone for dinner.

	"You two lovebirds haven't seen Athena around here tonight, have you?" The woman asks. At first, I flinch at her call Cynthia and I "lovebirds", but as she gets closer I get this weird cozy feeling and want to hug, and maybe even kiss, Cynthia. Furthermore, I can tell she's experiencing the same feeling.


Cynthia's POV

	It's been a long night tonight. I offered to go and get dinner for my sisters, and decided to get food for the Pan kids as well. Percy needed a lift to the grand canyon to see his father, so I obliged him as well. By the time I got the food and headed back to Tucson, Percy was done so I swooped in and picked him up along the way. After dropping off the food, I decided to head to the indoor sports arena. For some reason, I want to see Michael. I've had him on my mind lately and don't know why. Anyway, I get there and that pipsqueak Yotsuba picks a fight with me. She turns out to be pretty good, and we both end up collapsing in the end. Alito, Girag, and Yotsuba left for the night, leaving me alone with Michael (except for some random girl who was in the stands). Now, Michael and I are standing outside the Arena as a strange woman walks towards us. As soon as the woman approached us, I felt like I wanted to hug and kiss Michael. I only know one goddess who would cause me to feel like that.

	"Lady Aphrodite, I would think Athena would go to the funeral for the three Hunters that died. She may have been asked by Artemis to weave the shrouds", I figure.

	"Percy and Annabeth came to this steakhouse for dinner earlier. If Athena's in the area, she probably would have dropped by to see Annabeth", Michael explains.

	"I'm aware of that. That's why I came to this steakhouse. Zeus wanted me to find Athena. We Olympians are preparing for tomorrow's battle as well, and We wants our chief strategist on hand", Aphrodite explains, "I'll go to the funeral site and see if Athena is still there. I know Artemis hasn't returned to Olympus yet either, so she may be there, and may know where Athena is. Before I go, I'll set you two lovebirds up on a proper date". The goddess of love snaps her fingers and Michael and I find ourselves standing outside the movie theater two blocks over from the sports arena. Aphrodite is no where to be seen. I notice Michael has a pair of movie tickets in his hand and we are both wearing different clothes: I have on a frilly pink dress and Michael's wearing a dark red tuxedo.

	"I'm not one to refuse a gift from a goddess", Michael notes. We show the tickets to the lady in the box office and she directs us to a theater room. The movie being shown is an animated Hercules film. The Muses are singing "Zero to Hero" as we take our seats. I notice there are 4 others in the room watching the film. A teenage boy and girl are sitting in the front row. Two rows back from them, and four rows down from us, are two older guys. One guy looks like a biker, the other gives me the creeps for some reason. About an hour later, Michael and I notice the boy and girl up front kiss each other. Without thinking, Michael and I lock lips as well. When the movie is over, we leave the theater at the same time as the others. We finally get a good look at the teenage boy and girl, and Michael recognizes both of them.

	"Nico Di Angelo and Clarisse LaRue. Son of Hades and daughter of Ares", Michael explains.

	"Death and war go hand-in-hand, so I guess you two are perfect for each other", I remark. The other two guys leave the theater room and I realize they must be Ares and Hades.

	"Can't say I'm surprised my daughter likes your son", Ares remarks to Hades.

	"Yeah, whatever", Hades responds. The lord of the underworld seems annoyed by the whole thing. He and Nico vanish into the shadows of another dark movie room. Ares and Clarisse rush outside to a pair of motorcycles parked in the parking lot and zoom away into the night. A valet standing nearby walks over to us. Michael quickly recognizes him as Apollo.

	"So what'd do you think of this little "date night" that Aphrodite and I put together?", He inquires. I realize something I'd overlooked: The name of the theater is The Apollo.

	"I take it this theater isn't simply named after you?", I imply.

	"Nope. I own it. I let Aphrodite use it to bring together certain Olympians with their Demigod offspring. We even managed to get Old Zombieface out of his hole in the ground. Granted, I didn't expect his son to fall for Ares's brat, but hey, that's why love is Aphrodite's thing and not mine", Apollo explains, "Anyway here's your keys". I notice the Panmobile parked in the parking lot. Michael and I quickly climb into it and head back to Gnarly Woods. Apollo waves as we drive away, then vanishes. I notice the outfits we had been wearing before Aphrodite sent us to the theater are in the backseat, and seem to be freshly washed. Michael drops me in the woods near the big tree where my sisters are sleeps, then heads on into Pan's sanctuary. I settle into bed for the night. Something tells me we're gonna have a busy day tomorrow.


Michael's POV

	I am woken up by the sound of a major commotion outside. I rush out of Pan's sanctuary to find the Demiharpy sisters fighting what appear to be werewolves with wings. It is early in the morning and the sun is barely up.

	"These Wingwolves are part of Ko's army. he sent them to stop us from reaching Frog Creek", Cynthia explains. I rouse Alfred, Lilly, Milo, Camille, Madeline, Dora, and Diego from their slumber. We make short work of the Wingwolves and head into Tucson. Alito, Girag, Percy, Annabeth, and Yotsuba are ready to head to Frog Creek as well. We convert the Panmobile into plane mode and fly east as fast we can. The moment we fly over Pennsylvania, we can see a major battle in progress. We land the Panmobile in the middle of Frog Creek, and return it to car mode. Ko's army is massive. Eric's house has been blown to smithereens, exposing the entrance to Droon. A minotaur-like monster with three eyes and four arms is standing near the entrance shouting orders to the other monsters.

	"I'm gonna assume THAT ugly brute is Emperor Ko", Milo remarks, pointing to the three-eyed, four-armed bull dude. Explosions and lighting blasts issuing from Frog Creek woods tells me that the gods are battling the monsters there, which means Ko's army is trying to reach Camp Half Blood the same way dora and Diego first reached it.

	"We can't let Ko or his army make it out of Pennsylvania", a familiar voices insists. Pan is walking towards us.

	"We gods and goddesses will deal with the monsters that make it into Frog Creek Woods. You need to focus on defeating Ko himself", Pan explains. I ensure Pan we will give it all we've got, and he rushes back to rejoin the other gods. Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, Julie, and the Empousai approach us.

	"This is the final battle, The Battle of Frog Creek", Jennifer, the lead Empousai, declares. As the clock on a nearby church steeple strikes noon, We rush Emperor Ko together. Neal gets in the first blow, pulling a steak knife out of his magic turban and slashing at Ko. The Emperor of Beasts simply swats him away. Percy uncaps riptide and slashes off one of Ko's horns. Ko grabs Percy and tosses him away. Riptide goes flying into the Frog Creek Lake as Percy lands on the beach beside the lake. Annabeth picks up the severed horn and stabs Ko with both the horn and her dagger at the same time. Ko pulls both out like it is nothing and chokeslams Annabeth. Alito punches Ko in the face, taking out one of his three eyes. Ko shoots a burst of fire from his mouth, but Girag intercepts it, using his body as a shield against it (Hephaestus kids are immune to burns and fire). He swings his hammer and sends Ko flying. Ko lets go of Alito and Annabeth,. and Girag catches both of them. The emperor of Beasts lands on the beach, not far from where Percy is lying. Lilly transforms into a sparrow and flies directly over KO, then changes form a sparrow into a huge whale and slams down on him. Lilly returns to her normal form, revealing a dazed Ko, lying stunned on the beach. Percy recovers and reaches for Riptide, but it isn't in his pocket.

	"You dropped this", A female voice hollers out. The girl who looks like she could be Percy's sister emerges from the lake carrying Riptide.She makest transform to trident mode. With one slash, she blasts Ko's other horn off.

	"My name's Penelope Crystal", The girl explains, "And I have the same father as you: Poseidon, god of the sea". Penelope tosses Riptide to Percy, then summons a tidal wave out of the lake. I turn into a Great White Shark and ride the tidal wave straight into Ko's face, taking out another of his eyes with my shark teeth. After I return to human form, I remember what Hermes said about using the four items we gathered on our quest. Diego has the Raven King's scepter and Dora retrieves the 4 wings of Gethwing and the Matrix of Leadership from her backpack. Annabeth grabs the Matrix.

	"Athena said it would take wisdom to open the Matrix. I think that means I have to open it", she insists. Annabeth inserts her fingers into the holes in the Matrix's handles and finds they fit perfectly. She pulls the handles and the orange part of the Matrix comes apart and expands, revealing the blue core inside. A beam of light shoots from the core and strikes Ko in his chest. Ko responds by launching a series of huge fireballs from his mouth. Two of them head straight for Jack and Annie, but two of the Empousai, Carly and Shauna, jump in front of them and take the hit. Jennifer, Amanda, and Rebecca watch as their sisters disintegrate. The three of them, along with Jack and Annie, can only cry. Yotsuba redirects all of the remaining fireballs back to KO, burning him and barbecuing his last eye. the four wings of Gethwing respond to the Matrix's light and attach to my back, carrying me into the air. Diego tosses the scepter to me. The beam of light from the Matrix envelops Ko and lifts him into the air. I point the scepter at him. Energy surges out of the four wings and into the scepter.

	"You're finished, Ko", I declare. I wave the scepter and a huge gust of wind issues forth from it, slamming into KO. I direct him towards the magic treehouse and send him flying into it. The light from the Matrix strikes the treehouse. It spins and vanishes. Second later, it re-appears, but Ko is gone.

	"What happened to Ko?" I wonder

	"The combined power of the Scepter, the wings, and the Matrix amplified the treehouse's magic. Ko has been sent to the ends of time, never to return", Annabeth explains. Pan runs up to us, with several monsters in pursuit. Alfred, Lilly, Milo, Camille, Madeline, Dora, Diego, and I surround Pan.

	"Ko is defeated, but his army remains. We defeated most of them, but a huge number of monsters remain. We need to send them back to Droon" explains. I immediately figure out what my dad has in mind.

	"Everyone who isn't Pan or a child of Pan, cover your ears", I shout. Moments later, Alfred, Lilly, Milo, Camille, Madeline, Dora, Diego, Dad, and I let loose a loud, horrifying scream. All the remaining monsters of Pan's army rush to the entrance to Droon and hurry back through it. Within seconds, not a single monster remains. The Demiharpy sisters land nearby, having just arrived. Cynthia rushes up to me.

	"That was scary", She wheezes.

	"That was our secret weapon: Panic", I explain. The other gods emerge from Frog Creek Woods and ask us all to follow them to Olympus. A short time later, we are all gathered in the Olympians' throne room. Hades is here too, having fought alongside the other gods in the Battle of Frog Creek (Nico and Clarisse had been standing guard at Camp Half-Blood, in case the monsters made it that far).

	"That was quite the impressive Panic you all caused", Zeus remarks", "I'd say Pan's Demigod offspring are a chip off the old block". Pan appears to blush.

	"Anyway, We have some important matters to take care of. Artemis lost 3 Hunters yesterday during the fight with Gethwing", Zeus points out. Hecate, Goddess of magic, materializes in the room.

	"Let us also not forget that two of my Empousai sacrificed themselves to protect my son and daughter form Ko. Their three sisters are here with us now and deserve some compensation", Hecate explains.

	"Unfortunately, their sisters haven't finished regenerating, so having me bring them back is out of the question for the moment", Hades reports. Jennifer, Amanda, and Rebecca look disappointed.

	"Is there anything else you desire?", Zeus asks the Empousai. After a few moments, Jennifer speak up.

	"Going through all this stuff since we were assigned to watch over Jack and Annie has made us kind of jealous of humanity. We've harbored a secret desire to be human ourselves. Perhaps you can grant us this?", Jennifer asks.

	"If you are made human, you will no longer be in my employ", Hecate explains.

	"If Jack and Annie go to Camp Half-Blood, they wont need us to watch over them any more, so we'd be out of a job anyway", Jennifer explains. Hecate waves her hands and the 3 Empousai are transformed into human teenagers.

	"When your sisters are ready to return, I will tell them of your decision and offer them the same thing", Hecate promises.

	"Now that that's settled, On to the next matter. Artemis needs at least 3 new Hunters", Zeus dictates, "I believe my brother Poseidon has a Demigod daughter here among us". Penelope steps forward and introduces herself, but says she doesn't want to join the Hunters, at least not right now. Dora, Camille, Madeline, and Lilly also decline. Jennifer, Amanda, and Rebecca chat among themselves for a bit, then step forward.

	"Since no one else seems to want to, WE will join the Hunters", the 3 former Empousai declare. Artemis and Hecate have a quick chat, then Artemis accepts their offer.

	"Next, we need to give the Children of Pan rewards. It was they who made the defeats of the Raven King, Gethwing, and Emperor Ko possible", Zeus insists. Dora and Diego whisper something in my ear, and I step forward.

	"Dora and Diego are unhappy with the children's cartoon shows that were based on them. As we helped Hermes reclaim his studio in Hollywood, We wish for our own studio in Hollywood so we can make our own TV shows and for Hermes to take over production of the Dora and Diego cartoons, with Dora and Diego themselves advising him on how to improve said shows", Michael reveals. Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Clarisse, Penelope, Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, Julie, Yotsuba, Alito, and Girag also ask for their own TV shows, and for the entrance to Droon to be moved to Hecate Cabin in Camp Half-Blood. Hecate agrees to move the entrance and Hermes agrees to take over the Dora and Diego cartoons as well as set up a studio in Hollywood where all of us Demigods can make our own shows, which will be broadcast to Camp Half-Blood as well as on a mortal TV station. The four Demiharpy sisters' chosen reward is to be able to pass through the magical barrier around Camp Half-Blood, as it had always prevented them from visiting the Pan kids at camp. Dionysus handles that reward himself.

	"Now that all the business is taken care of, it's time for pleasure", Zeus declares. The throne room erupts into a mega-party. Cynthia grabs my arm without warning, nearly causing me to cause another Panic by myself.

	"Care for a dance?", Cynthia asks. I notice Percy is dancing with Annabeth and Nico is with Clarisse. The other Pan kids are chatting with Hermes while Louise, Gabby, and Tina pig out on the food. Jack, Annie, Eric, Neal, and Julie are hanging out together with Yotsuba and Hestia by the hearth. Penelope is chatting with Bessie the Ophiotaurus. Right now, everything seems right in the world.

	"That sounds perfect", I decide. On that note, Cynthia and I dance the night away.