Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Rated T, mostly because I'm paranoid on this one, partially because parts of it probably are T.

Prologue

The monster nervously stalked forward, its cloven hooves lightly clip-clopping on the hard ground. It was bad enough that the monster had been forced to make a trip through the Underworld. If Hades or his minions were to capture a member of the Titan's army…well, most monsters preferred not to think of what might happen. The monster shook its shaggy head. He couldn't think of things like that. He had enough bad thoughts going through his mind already. At least the Underworld was filled with demons and ghosts seeking revenge against the gods that wouldn't turn him in. That was a much more comforting thought than what awaited him.

He had been called down to Tartarus by Lord Kronos himself. Most would think that a meeting with Kronos would be good, or at least not bad. But lately, Kronos had taken a liking to finding entertainment by means of torture. Of course, the Titan Lord may have been happier if it hadn't been for his traitorous daughter, Krystol Lore. Just one month earlier, she and her friends had managed to single-handedly free the half-blood camp of California and had led a rebellion, destroying most of the Titan army. Things didn't get any brighter when the servant, Kronos' little pet, had failed to return with Lore and kill the others.

The monster stopped just short of the cavern. He thought for a second before grunting deep in his throat. The monster shook, making ash drop from its sleek body, and walked into the cavern.

"Greetings, my lord," the monster said, imitating the servant's voice. Perhaps, given the servant's small victory in the summer, he would be able to trick Kronos into thinking he was the servant and receive mercy.

"Enough with the voices, Leukrokottas," the Titan king roared. The cavern shook. "Do you honestly take me as a fool? Did you truly believe you could trick me?"

An invisible hand wrapped around the monster's throat and he was thrown back against the cavern wall. Hitting the wall hadn't hurt, but it had stunned the creature. Kronos had grown stronger.

"O-Of course not, m-my lord," Leukrokottas stuttered hastily. "I w-was merely testing you. Yes, I was making sure you were as sharp now as you were before."

"Are you calling me weak, then?"

"N-No, my lord, I…I only meant to-."

"Silence." The creature immediately shut its mouth and got to its feet slowly. "You seem to be frightened. Do you think I mean to destroy you?"

"W-Well, there have been rumors…"

"Please," Kronos snorted in annoyance, "I did that only to my more useless or incompetent monsters. I would not waste a creature with your skills. I have a…special assignment for you."

"Oh?" The beast's ears perked up in curiosity as he padded closer to the pit.

"The gods believe they have won," Kronos began. "They think that they are safe once again, simply because their precious camp was saved and Lore has joined them. But I know for a fact that she is not the only one able to take the prophecy."

"She…she isn't?" Leukrokottas asked. He hadn't known there was another heir. Then again, very few had known that there had been even one heir before Lore had been claimed.

"Another heir lives. If we can sway the child to our side, we may yet be able to control the prophecy. Of course, Lore must die still. I can't have her running around and getting stronger."

"Am I to kill the girl, then, my lord?"

"No!" The cavern shook again with Kronos' rage.

Leukrokottas almost whimpered. Surely Hades would have sensed the disturbance Kronos was creating. He was sure to send scouts, and they were sure to find the quivering monster.

"I will see to her death personally!" Kronos thundered. "No, you are to find the child and watch them. Be certain that the half-bloods do not find the child. If they do, finish them off before they can take the heir. I will not lose another of our own to the gods."

"Y-Yes, my lord, and is there anything I should know about the child?"

"The child is far to the east from here. They are powerful, too, so mind yourself and do not upset them. And be cautious. We do not need the gods or half-bloods realizing that we have operations so close to them again."

"Of course, Lord Kronos, but is there any information to help identify the child or narrow down their location? Perhaps you could tell me the child's parentage?"

Kronos' sinister laugh filled the air, making the monster's hair stand on edge.

"That is not your concern. There is no need for any more rumors to move through the world. No doubt, word will soon leak that there is another heir, but we can at least hold back any other valuable information. Any details of the child that spread may result in helping our enemies, or even any monsters that have not joined us and are after a snack."

"So, all I can know is that the child is powerful and that they are in the east?"

"If you do not think you can handle this, I can find another purpose for you."

"No! I…I can do this, my lord. I promise that the child will be ours."

"Good, now gather a few others and go."

Leukrokottas dipped his head toward the pit and left the cavern quickly. Outside, the beast snarled and snapped its teeth.

"This is what I get for serving him? Ugh, slave-driving, worthless piece of-." A roar escaped from Tartarus. Yipping and whimpering, Leukrokottas ran for the Fields of Punishment.

A/N: Hey people. So, I'm back and writing (obviously). Anyway, I should be able to update this story faster until August (thank you summer break). So, hopefully you guys will enjoy this one as much as the last. Well, that's about it, so see ya, I guess.