•as the world caves in•

•two bronze bulls•

Personally, if there's anything I hate more than scorpions, it's bulls.

First of all, last year there was the Minotaur. Second of all, I just don't like them. They're big, and loud, and everything that can make you cringe and dread ever seeing them.

I watched the battle rage atop the hill, everything about the bulls, and my home being attacked, filling my thoughts and twisting my stomach like I would a rope.

"Border patrol, to me!" A girl's voice—definitely Clarisse, shouted.

Border Patrol? Camp certainly did not have border patrol last summer.

"We have to help them," I said firmly, twisting my sword and looked at Percy and his hesitation. "It's either we help her and she gets mad for us helping, or we let them have gods knows what happens to them and camp."

That swayed his mind enough as he grabbed his pen, now sword, and rushed up the hill with me, Annabeth right with us.

Percy shouted something, to which Annabeth shouted back, however I was too involved in my battle with a bull and other heroes I couldn't recognize with their armor.

I frowned at the bulls, almost instantly realizing just what they were.

"Annabeth?" I shouted to her in worry.

"I forgot the sunscreen at home!"

"Come on!" I groaned.

In case you're unaware, we're currently fighting the wonderful Colchis bulls, made by Hephaestus. Since we are half mortal, we really shouldn't be fighting them without Medea's Sunscreen SPF 50,000, however, Annabeth forgot hers the one time we needed it.

I watched as the two bulls crashed into Clarisse and Percy attempt to help her, but she just screamed at him,

"Spread out!" I shouted to the remaining heroes. "Keep the bulls distracted and away from camp!"

I swung my sword at a bull, causing a deeper gash on its side that Percy had previously made, but the other bull started charging.

Gods, I had no way out and was about to get crushed before I could even pray to my mother.

The first bull started to shoot fire, of which I tried to dodge, but my foot got caught on something, probably a tree root, and pain went up my ankle and leg. I tried to scramble up, but all it did was buckle and I tried to crawl away, thrashing my sword at the bull approaching.

"Someone, help her!" Percy practically screamed.

I heard struggles from Tyson, to which Annabeth furrowed her brows and stood tall. "I, Annabeth Chase, give you permission to enter camp! Now help Cor!"

I held my arm before my face as Tyson jumped between me and the bull.

"Tyson!" Percy yelled.

I watched the fire die down, and Tyson stood, unharmed, with a grin in his face as he helped me up. Then, he turned and punched the bull, again and again until it looked horrible.

The moment Tyson let go of me, I fell again. Annabeth and Percy rushed over.

"Oh, gods, Cor, are you okay?" Annabeth asked, rummaging through her bag. "How did I forget my nectar? Can you walk?"

I shook my head. "I can't even stand."

Percy stood up, holding his hand out. "I'll help you to the big house."

I smiled, feeling myself heat up. I took his hand and tossed my arm over his shoulder, completely leaning on him. He timidly wrapped an arm around my torso and carefully walked us down the hill.

"Thank you," I said, Annabeth catching up with us and allowed me to put an arm around her as well.

"You're welcome," they both said, allowing us to burst into a fit of laughter.

Clarisse ran over. "Get her to the big house and come back for wounded, let Tantalus know what happened.

"Tantalus?" I questioned. "I thought he was stuck down there."

"He's the activities director."

"What about Chiron? And where's Argus?"

"Argus got fired. You three have been gone too long. Things are changing."

"But Chiron..." Percy trailed. "He's trained kids to fight monsters for over three thousand years, he can't just be gone. What happened?"

"That happened." She snapped and pointed to Thalia's tree.

Everyone knew the story behind her tree, especially Annabeth and I. Six years ago, Grover Annabeth and I, along with Luke and Thalia, arrived at Camp with an army of monsters on our tails. When cornered at this hill, Thalia, who so happened to be a daughter of Zeus, made her final stand to allow us to safety. As she died, Zeus took pity and turned her into the tree, creating a border for our camp and leaving her memory forever.

However, the needles were yellow, and in the center, was oozing green sap from a puncture mark.

I felt millions of emotions cloud my head as I understood what happened.

Someone poisoned her tree.