THE STORM GREW STRONGER, as did Elle's anxiety.

Kids screamed, running toward the building. The wind snatched away their belongings, sending worksheets spiraling into the canyon.

Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing, but Jason grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.

"Thanks, man!" Leo yelled.

"Go, go, go!" Coach Hedge was shoving them all, clearly not caring that Leo almost plummeted to his death.

Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Despite the strong winds, she looked calm and confident — telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.

Elle, Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge ran toward them, but the wind seemed to fight them, pushing them back.

A particularly strong gust of wind sent her sliding back. With a screech, Elle reached out, fingers grasping desperately at the railing.

Jason's hand gripped her forearm tightly. He pulled her closer to him, dragging them back to Leo and Hedge. While she appreciated it, Elle was getting sick of needing him to help her.

"Are you okay?" He yelled over the wind.

"Yeah," Elle responded shakily. She cursed herself for it, but look how high up she was! "Thanks."

Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk.

Piper tugged at the handles viciously, hair whipping in the wind. No matter how strong she was, the doors were stuck. She would never be able to open them.

"Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.

Dylan simply stood there stupidly, a moronic grin on his face. He looked as though he were enjoying the storm.

"Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping." He flicked his wrist, and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.

"Piper!" Leo tried to charge forward, but the wind was against him, and Coach Hedge pushed him back.

"Coach!" Leo yelled, clawing at the man. "Let me go!"

"All three of you, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."

"What?" Leo demanded. He stopped fighting against Hedge but continued sending worried looks Piper's way. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it to the side. "What monster?"

The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat, but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. It had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.

Dylan's psycho-happy smile never left his face. "Oh, come on, Coach. Let the kids attack me! After all, you're getting too old for this. Isn't that why they retired you to this stupid school? I've been on your team the entire season, and you didn't even know. You're losing your nose, Grandpa."

The coach made an angry sound like an animal bleating. "That's it, cupcake. You're going down."

"You think you can protect three half-bloods at once, old man?" Dylan laughed. "Good luck."

By simply pointing at the boy, Dylan sent Leo flying off the skywalk. He twisted in midair and slammed sideways into the canyon wall. About fifty feet below the skywalk, Leo finally managed to grab the thin ledge, dangling by his fingertips.

Elle screamed. "Leo!"

"Help!" he yelled up at them. "Rope, please? Bungee cord? Something?"

Coach Hedge cursed and tossed Jason his club. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I hope you're good. You," he glared at Elle, "I know you've got no memories, but you know what you're doing. Keep this cupcake busy while I get Leo."

Why would Coach think that Elle had any idea what to do? He knew her, she was sure of that, but she hadn't the faintest clue as to how to stop Dylan.

"Get him how?" Jason demanded. "You're going to fly?"

"Not fly. Climb." Hedge kicked off his shoes, and Elle's jaw almost dropped. The coach had no feet, and in their place were hooves — goat hooves. And the bumps on his head? Those were horns.

"You're a faun," Jason said at the same time Elle said, "You're a satyr."

"Fauns are Roman," Hedge snapped. "But we'll talk about that later."

Hedge leaped over the railing. He launched toward the canyon wall and hit hooves first. Bounding down the cliff with impossible agility, Hedge found footholds no bigger than postage stamps while he dodged whirlwinds that tried to attack him as he made his way toward Leo.

"Isn't that cute!" Dylan turned toward Jason. "Now it's your turn, boy."

Jason threw the club. It seemed useless with the winds so strong, but the club flew right at Dylan, even curving when he tried to dodge and smacked him on the head so hard he fell to his knees.

Elle looked at the blond with wide eyes, and he looked equally as shocked.

"How...?"

"I have no idea."

Glancing around as she desperately searched for an idea, Elle's eyes landed on Piper. The girl wasn't as dazed as she appeared — crawling as means to not be seen, her fingers closed around the club that rolled beside her. Before she got the chance to use it, Dylan rose. Golden blood trickled from his forehead.

"Nice try, boy." He glared at Jason. "But you'll have to do better."

The skywalk shuddered. Small fractures appeared in the glass. Inside the museum, the kids' relentless banging ceased, as they backed away in terror.

Dylan's body melted into smoke, suddenly composed of swirling black vapor and electrical sparks. He still had the same face and creepy white smile — he was a living storm cloud.

The words tumbled from Elle's lips before she even knew what she was saying. "Anemoi thuellai."

"You're a ventus," Jason added, which Elle found very contradictory. "A storm spirit."

Dylan's laugh sounded like a tornado tearing off a roof. "I'm glad I waited, demigods. Leo and Piper I've known about for weeks. Could've killed them at any time. But my mistress said two more were coming — two special half-bloods. She'll reward me greatly for your death, boy. As for you," his evil eyes narrowed on Elle, who looked almost pathetic, with her hair whipping in her face and her oversized sweatshirt rippling in the wind. "Well, you need to be kept alive. But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun first."

Two more funnel clouds dropped down on either side of Dylan and transformed into anemoi thuellai.

Piper stayed sprawled on the ground, convincingly acting as if she were unconscious. Her face was pale, but she nodded determinedly at Elle as she gripped the club.

Keep them distracted, Piper seemed to tell her. I'll sneak up on them.

Jason clenched his fists, preparing to charge at the storm spirits.

Dylan raised his hand, arcs of electricity running between his fingers, and blasted Jason straight in the chest.

Bang! Jason was sent spiraling, landing painfully on his back. His clothes were smoking, due to the lightning bolt that had gone straight through his body and blasted off his left shoe. His foot was black with soot.

"Jason!" Elle shouted, running toward the boy she had only known for a few hours. Sure, she didn't know him, but it didn't mean she wanted him dead.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he moaned and grumbled deliriously. Elle smacked his soot-covered face gently, calling his name.

The storm spirits were laughing at the girl. She felt stupid and pathetic, worrying over Jason while the threat was not yet gone. She felt like a worthless damsel in distress.

Elle didn't even notice Coach Hedge climbing back over the cliff with Leo on his back. He was yelling and cursing at the storm spirits.

She glared at Dylan, rising to her feet. She was not going to sit here and wait for Coach Hedge or Jason to fight for her. She was not worthless.

"Hey Dylan!" Her voice, loud and strong, echoed through the canyon. Letting her instincts take control of her own body, Elle felt her hand reach into her pocket. Pulling out the ballpoint pen, she flicked off the cap, letting it fall into the chasm. The pen stretched into a long, bronze sword. The weapon fit perfectly in her hand, comfortable in a way that told her she had done this a thousand times. "You want to have a little fun, yeah?"

Dylan snarled and backed up. His eyes not only observed the sword wearily but the wielder herself. He glanced at his two comrades and snapped, "Well? Attack her!"

The other storm spirits didn't look happy with that order, but they flew at Elle regardless, their fingers crackling with electricity.

Elle swung at the first spirit, blade passing right through it as the creature's smoky form disintegrated into gold dust. The second anemoi thuellai sent a bolt of lightning her way, but Elle's heightened senses had her duck just in time. With one more swing, the second storm spirit dissolved into another pile of golden powder.

Elle grinned, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Just for fun, she swung the sword around her wrist as easily as twirling a baton.

Two creepy assholes down, one to go. Take that motherfucker.

Outraged, Dylan let out a cry. He looked down as if expecting his comrades to re-form, but their remains dispersed in the wind, showering the canyon in gold dust.

Piper was so stunned she dropped her club. "Elle, how...?"

"You!" Dylan screeched at Elle, completely ignoring Piper. "You will pay for that!"

Elle nodded seriously. "Sure. And how would you like me to do that? Cash or credit?"

Dylan swelled with anger — literally. His cloudy form doubled in size as a bolt of lightning struck the skywalk, causing it to violently shake.

"Spirits, fear me!" Hedge bellowed, flexing his short arms as he hopped back over the railing. Then he looked around and realized there was only Dylan.

"Curse it!" he snapped at Elle. "Didn't you leave some for me? I like a challenge!"

Elle shrugged, feeling the excitement of the fight drain from her body. Her sword-arm grew heavy.

Her first thought: she was out of practice. Her second: out of practice? Why would she be practicing sword fighting?

Leo got to his feet, breathing hard. He looked completely humiliated, his hands bleeding from clawing at the rocks. "Yo, Coach Supergoat, whatever you are — I just fell down the freaking Grand Canyon! Stop asking for challenges!"

Dylan hissed at them, but Elle could see fear in his eyes. "You have no idea how many enemies you've awakened, half-bloods. My mistress will destroy all demigods. This war you cannot win."

Above their heads, the storm exploded, growing stronger. The skywalk was littered with ever-growing cracks as sheets of rain poured down. The group crouched and hunched over, trying to keep their balance. A hole opened in the clouds — a swirling vortex of black and silver.

"The mistress calls me back!" Dylan shouted with glee. "And you, demigod, will come with me!"

He lunged at a stirring Jason, but Piper tackled the monster from behind. Even though he was made of smoke, Piper managed to connect. Both of them went sprawling. Leo, Elle, Jason, and the coach surged forward to help, but the spirit screamed with rage. He let loose a torrent that knocked them all backward. Jason and Coach Hedge landed on their butts, while Leo hit the back of his head and curled on his side, dazed and groaning. Piper had been flung off Dylan's back, near Leo, her hand getting smacked in a way that told Elle it was sprained, if not broken.

Elle had been thrown toward the railing, tumbling over the side. Her sword clattered from her hand as she grabbed the edge of the wet railing instead. Dangling over the abyss, Elle felt her fingers slipping.

Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw Jason start toward her, but Dylan screamed, "I'll settle for this one!"

The storm spirit grabbed Leo's arm and began to rise, towing the half-conscious boy below him. The storm spun faster, pulling them upward like a vacuum cleaner.

With just one more gust of wind, Elle's hands fell from the slippery railing as her body plummeted into the canyon.

She was screaming, although it could barely be heard over the whipping of the wind.

This is a shit way to die, she thought. Not only did she fall from the Grand Canyon like a fucking idiot, she had no memory of who she was.

In a way, she would die without living.

Suddenly, something heavy collided with her back. She screamed even louder, but quickly realized it was Jason whose arms had wrapped around her waist, face huddled into her neck.

She mimicked his position, whether it was for warmth or a final comfort, she couldn't decide.

Part of her wondered if he fell, or if he was just a fucking idiot and jumped after her.

Elle braced herself for death, clenching her eyes shut and squeezing Jason tighter.

But suddenly, the wind died. Elle let out a strangled gasp. At first, she thought maybe they were dead, but they hadn't felt any impact.

"E-Elle."

At the sound of Jason's voice, Elle opened her eyes. They weren't falling. They were floating in midair, a hundred feet above the river.

Jason tightened his grip around the girl, as if worried she'd slip from his arms. They were nose to nose. She knew her heart was racing, as was his, and wouldn't be surprised if he could feel it through her clothes.

Elle managed to say, "How did you—"

"I didn't," he said. "I think I would know if I could fly..."

He trailed off. Elle knew why.

She was about to offer a few words of comfort, before a gasp tore from her lips. They shot higher, and fast. The motion had knocked the wind out of her, and she was fighting for air once again.

They weren't floating, she decided. She could feel pressure under their feet like they were balancing at the top of a geyser.

"The air is supporting us," Jason said.

"I know," Elle muttered. "But how?"

"I don't know."

The storm clouds were still rumbling and flashing, but the rain had stopped and the strong winds had ceased. Elle wasn't sure if the storm spirits were gone, but either way, they had left Piper, Leo, and Hedge up there.

"We have to help them," Elle said, knowing that Jason was thinking along the same lines as her. "Can you—"

"Let's see." Jason paused for a moment, then instantly, they shot skyward.

The fact that they were riding the winds would've been cool under different circumstances, but after almost falling to her death, Elle couldn't even think about the coolness of it. As soon as they landed on the skywalk, Elle ran to Leo and Jason to Piper.

Elle turned Leo over, and he groaned. His army coat was soaked from the rain. His curly hair glittered gold from rolling around in monster dust. But at least he wasn't dead.

"Stupid... ugly... goat," he muttered.

"Where did he go?" Elle asked, scanning the Latino boy for any serious injuries. Once she realized he was clear, she collapsed beside him, one leg stretched out, and the other tucked upright as her head rested against it.

Leo pointed straight up. "Never came down. Please tell me he didn't save my life."

"Twice," Jason said, walking closer. Piper stood by his side, wincing as she tried to shake off the pain in her wrist.

"Is it sprained?" Elle asked, nodding her head at Piper's arm.

Piper flexed it twice, face contorting in pain. "Maybe a little. Fucking Dylan," she grumbled.

Leo groaned even louder. "What actually happened? The tornado guy, the bronze sword... I hit my head. That's it, right? I'm hallucinating?" 

Elle had forgotten about the sword. Glancing over the side, she looked for any sort of bronze glint but found none. Disappointed, the girl stuck her hands into her pocket, only to find the ballpoint pen safe in her sweatshirt and non-lethal.

Pulling it from her pocket, the girl uncapped it just to make sure she wasn't going crazy. When the blade extended once more, Leo's mouth fell open. Elle delicately placed the cap on the tip of the sword, shrinking it back into a pen. She wasn't sure how she knew to do that. It just felt right.

"Yep," Leo said. "Definitely hallucinating."

Piper shivered in her rain-soaked clothes. "Jason, Elle, those things—"

"Venti," he said, overlapping Elle's response of, "Anemoi thuellai."

They shared a confused glance.

"Either way," Elle finally said. "They're storm spirits."

"Okay..." Piper kept staring at Jason and Elle with worry. "But you two acted like...like you'd seen them before. Who are you?"

Jason shook his head. "That's what we've been trying to tell you. We don't know."

The storm dissipated. The other kids from the Wilderness School were staring out the glass doors in horror. Security guards were working on the locks now, but they didn't seem to be having any luck.

Glancing away from the doors, Elle said, "Coach Hedge told Jason and me that he had to protect four people. I'm pretty sure he meant us."

"And that thing Dylan turned into..." Piper shuddered. "God, I can't believe it was hitting on me. He called us...what? Demigods?"

Leo lay on his back, staring at the sky. He didn't seem anxious to get up. "Don't know what demi means," he said. "But I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?"

Elle felt her mouth pull up in a half-smile before her attention was dragged to the sound of the cracks in the skywalk widening.

"We need to get off this thing," Jason said. "Maybe if we—"

"Ohhh-kay," Leo interrupted. "Look up there and tell me if those are flying horses."

At first, Elle wondered if maybe Leo had hit his head too hard. Then she saw a dark shape descending from the east. As it got closer she was able to make out a pair of gray, four-legged animals that looked exactly like horses — except each one had a twenty-foot wingspan. And they were pulling a brightly painted box with two wheels: a chariot.

"Reinforcements," Jason said. "Hedge told us an extraction squad was coming for us."

"Extraction squad?" Leo struggled to his feet. "That sounds painful."

Elle didn't bother getting up. She was tired and drained. The adrenaline running through her had left with the storm spirits, and all she needed now was a good nap.

"And where are they extracting us to?" Piper asked.

The group watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass as if they sensed it was near breaking.

Two teenagers stood in the chariot: a tall girl with curly blonde hair, somewhere around seventeen, and a bulky dude with a shaved head and muscular arms. They both wore jeans and orange T-shirts, just like Elle. Unlike Elle, they had shields tossed over their backs.

The girl leaped off before the chariot had even finished moving. She pulled a knife and ran toward Jason's group while the bulky dude was reining in the horses.

"Where is he?" the girl demanded. Her gray eyes were fierce and startling, causing Jason to stumble.

"Where's who?" Jason asked, sounding panicked.

She frowned like his answer was unacceptable. Then she turned to Leo and Piper. "What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?"

Leo cleared his throat. "He got taken by some...tornado things."

"Anemoi thuellai," Elle spoke up. Jason and Piper stepped aside as the girl rose to her feet, brushing the gold powder off her thighs. "Storm spirits."

The blonde girl's face went deathly pale. Her eyes went wide with fear and shock, and the knife clattered from her hand. A small, strangled sounded gasp tore from her mouth.

The three teens shared a glance of confusion as they watched the stunned blonde stare in horror at the confused girl before her.

"Elle?" She breathed, as though she couldn't believe what she was saying. "But I — you... you..."

"Look, I don't mean to be rude," Elle said rudely, "but I have no idea who you are."

The blonde was at a loss for words. "I... it's me, Annabeth. How... how are you here?"

The name caused another pain to strike her behind the eyes. Suddenly, she recognized the girl as the one from her vision earlier. She was the girl that rolled her eyes at Elle when she asked what a half-blood was.

Elle glanced at Jason, who just gave her a helpless shrug as if saying I don't know anything either. Why are you asking me?

"I just told you," Elle said. "I don't know. I don't even know my last name."

The blonde girl, Annabeth, was frozen in place, blinking at the brunette in shock and horror. It was nearly the same expression that Hedge wore, except this one seemed to reflect something personal — she knew Elle in a way that Hedge didn't.

"What about Percy?" Annabeth's tone was urgent and scared. Not a good combination. "Do you remember anything about Percy? Do you know where he is?"

Percy.

Elle didn't know where he was, but she did remember him. Just as she opened her mouth to say so, Elle closed it again. She wasn't exactly sure why, but Elle said, "No." It was exactly a lie, it just wasn't the expanded version of the truth.

Annabeth released a shaky breath. "Okay. Well... let's get you on the chariot — all of you, on the chariot. Then you can tell me what happened," she said the last part of Jason. Her gaze fell back on Elle. "I... I don't understand how this is possible."

The girl's arm jerked, as if she were going to reach out to the brunette, but thought better of it.

When they reached the chariot, the bald guy had a similar reaction — it didn't hold the same personal affiliation that Annabeth's did, but it was clear he knew who Elle was.

As they readied the horses for travel, Jason told their story. When he finished, Annabeth didn't look satisfied. "No, no, no! She told me he would be here. She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer. Elle..." she trailed off. It was clear that in the answer to whatever problem she had, Elle was important, but Annabeth just wasn't sure where she fit in.

"Annabeth," the bald guy grunted. "Check it out." He pointed at Jason's feet.

Elle hadn't thought anything about it, but he was still missing his left shoe, which had been blown off by the lightning. Jason's foot was left to resemble a charred lump.

"The guy with one shoe," said the bald dude. "He's the answer."

"No, Butch," the girl insisted. "He can't be." She glared at the sky as though it had done something wrong. "What do you want from me?" she screamed. She sounded like she was about to cry. "What have you done with him? And what have you done to her? Why is she here?"

The skywalk shuddered, and the horses whinnied urgently.

"Annabeth," said the bald dude, Butch, "we gotta leave. Let's get these four to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."

She fumed for a moment. "Fine." She fixed Jason with a resentful look. "We'll settle this later."

She turned on her heel and climbed on the chariot, finishing their preparations.

Piper shook her head. "What's her problem? What's going on?"

"And how does she know me?" Elle butt in. "How do you know me?"

"We have to get you out of here," Butch said, fixing Elle with a weary look. "I'll explain on the way."

"I'm not going anywhere with her." Jason gestured toward the blonde. "She looks like she wants to kill me."

Butch hesitated. "Annabeth's okay. You gotta cut her some slack. She had a vision telling her to come here, to find a guy with one shoe. That was supposed to be the answer to her problem."

"What problem?" Piper asked.

"She's been looking for one of our campers, who's been missing three days," Butch said. "She's going out of her mind with worry. She hoped he'd be here."

"Who?" Jason asked.

"Her boyfriend," Butch said. His eyes landed on Elle, as though she were a bomb about to go off. "A guy named Percy Jackson."

a/n: this is all i'm going to post for now! if it gets a handful of reads, i'll post chapters three and four next week. if it doesn't, i'll probably post them anyway.

thanks for reading!