I desperately scanned the horizon, searching for anything anything that could get me out, but all I saw was dry land and scheming nosoi.

And then I made the mistake of looking one directly in their yellow, gleaming eyes. They stared past me, their eyes filled with a kind of blankness that I had the unfortunity to have experienced.

These nosoi had been either controlled or commanded. No way would they have attracted us on their own accord, or known where to find us otherwise.

My brow furrowed, going through titans and potential villains that they could be serving for, yet coming up with nothing that could make sense.

A geyser erupted a few feet away spraying the air with water, suddenly reminding me that I has nosoi fumes all over myself.

I crawled towards it with a kind of determination you would only see in half-blood, drenchedmy face in the water, and washed away most of the glittering smoke.

Stuggling to my feet, I found the source of the geyser–an irrigation pipe–and turned the water on Apollo, soaking him in water from head to toe, to which he gave me a withering glare. I ignored him. Being Annabeth's boyfriend gave me a kind of immunity to any other glare less powerful than hers.

The water disrupted the smoke, giving Apollo an opportunity to scamper away, dripping all over the dryish land. Nearby, the nosoi re-formed as water drenched corpses, their yellow eyes glowing with annoyance.

"GET DOWN!" Meg yelled.

I hit the ground, completely trusting some twelve year old kid as frozen blackened fruit of the harvest started to levitate, ricocheting off trees like eight balls, ripping through the nosoi’s bodies. If I were standing up, I would have been killed, but Meg simply stood there, unfazed and unhurt, as frozen dead fruit zinged around her.

All three nosoi collapsed, riddled with holes. Every piece of fruit dropped to the ground, lying there comfortably on the ground.

I looked up."Whah jus happened?"

Ugh. I didn't escape from the clutches of sickness completely.

"I don’t know," Apollo said, so very helpfully. "Meg, is it safe?"

She was staring in amazement at the carnage of fruit, mangled corpses, and broken tree limbs. "I—I’m not sure."

"How’d you do thah?" I snuffled, not really expecting an answer.

Meg looked horrified. "I didn’t! I just knew it would happen."

I didn't press it any further, though a small smile itched at the corners of my mouths, threatening to turn into a full blown grin.

One of the cadavers began to stir. It got up, wobbling on its heavily perforated legs.

"But you did doooo it," the spirit growled. "Yooou are strong, child."

The other two corpses rose, and I inwardly groaned. Whoever commanded these spirits had chosen them well. They hardly seemed defeatable.

"Not strong enough," said the second nosois. "We will finish you now."

The third spirit bared his rotten teeth. "Your guardian would be sooooo disappointed."

Guardian? Did he mean Apollo?

Meg looked as if she’d been punched in the gut. Her face paled. Her arms trembled. She stamped her foot and yelled, "NO!"

More peaches swirled into the air. This time the fruit blurred together in a fructose dust devil, until standing in front of Meg was a creature like a pudgy human toddler wearing only a linen diaper. Protruding from his back were wings made of leafy branches. His babyish face might have been cute except for the glowing green eyes and pointy fangs. The creature snarled and snapped at the air.

"Oh, no," I shook my head."I hate these things."

The three nosoi also did not look pleased. They edged away from the snarling baby, and honestly I would too.

“Wh-what is it?” Meg asked.

I shook my head, unsure of the answer.

"It’s a grain spirit," Apollo said, his voice trembling. "I’ve never seen a peach karpos before, but if it’s as vicious as other types…"

The peach baby turned toward the nosoi and for a split second I thought that they would team up and turn against us, securing our doom.

The middle corpse, the one with the peach in his forehead, inched backward. "Do not interfere,” he warned the karpos. “We will not allooow–"

The peach baby launched himself at the nosos and bit his head off.

Literally. The karpos’s fanged mouth unhinged, expanding to an unbelievable circumference, then closed around the cadaver’s head, and chomped it off in one bite.

In a few seconds, the nosos had been torn to shreds and devoured.

The other two nosoi started to inch backwards, but the karpos crouched and sprang. He landed on the second corpse and proceeded to rip it into plague-flavored Cream of Wheat.

The last spirit dissolved into glittering smoke and tried to fly away, but the peach baby spread his leafy wings and launched himself in pursuit. He opened his mouth and inhaled the sickness, snapping and swallowing until every wisp of smoke was gone.

He landed in front of Meg and belched, a solid 9.75. His orchard green eyes gleamed with pleasure. He did not appear even slightly sick, which I guess wasn’t surprising, since human diseases don’t infect fruit trees. Instead, even after eating three whole nosoi, the little fellow looked hungry.

He howled and beat his small chest. "Peaches!"

Slowly, I raised my sword. "Meg, don move,” I snuffled. “I’m gonna–"

"No!" she said. "Don’t hurt him."

She put her hand tentatively on the creature’s curly head. "You saved us," she told the karpos. "Thank you."

I lowered my sword and my mind was filled of the time I had refused to let anyone kill Bessie, so I settled for a sigh as Meg cuddled the overgrown baby. The grain spirit hugged Meg’s leg and glared at us as if daring us to approach.

"Peaches," he growled.

"He likes you," I noted. "Um…why?"

"I don’t know," Meg insisted. "Honestly, I didn’t summon him!"

"Well, whatever the case," Apollo said, "we owe the karpos our lives. This brings to mind an expression I coined ages ago: A peach a day keeps the plague spirits away!"

I sneezed. "I thought it was apples and doctors."

The karpos hissed.

"Or peaches," I corrected. "Peaches work too."

"Peaches," agreed the karpos.

I wiped my nose. "Not criticizing, but why is he grooting?"

Meg frowned. "Grooting?"

"Yeah, like thah character in the movie…only saying one thing over and over."

"I’m afraid I haven’t seen that movie,” Apollo said. “But this karpos does seem to have a very…targeted vocabulary."

"Maybe Peaches is his name." Meg stroked the karpos’s curly brown hair, which elicited a demonic purring from the creature’s throat. "That’s what I’ll call him."

"Whoa, you are not adopting thah–"

I sneezed and another irrigation pipe exploded behind him, sending up a row of tiny geysers. "Ugh. Sick."

"You’re lucky," Apollo replied. "Your trick with the water diluted the spirit’s power. Instead of getting a deadly illness, you got a head cold."

"I hate head colds." I said. "Neither of you got sick?"

Meg shook her head, still cooing at Peaches, tickling him under his chin. When he caught me watching, he bared his teeth and let of a low growl.

"I have an excellent constitution," Apollo said. "No doubt that’s what saved me."

"And the fact thah I hosed the smoke off of you," I pointed out.

"Well, yes."

I stared at him expectantly.

"Ah…thank you," he said.

I nodded. "No problem."

Apollo visibly relaxed.

"Can we go now?" Meg asked.

"An excellent idea," Apollo said. "Though I’m afraid Percy is in no condition–"

"I can drive you the rest of the way," I said. "If we can get my car out from between those trees…"

I stared at my car trying to figure out a way to get it out just as a police cruiser pulled over on the side of the road, the lights flashing on.

"Aw, Hades no…"

"Great," I muttered. "If they tow the Prius, I’m dead. My mom and Paul need that car."

"Go talk to the officers," Apollo said. "You won’t be any use to us anyway in your current state."

"Yeah, we’ll be fine," Meg said. "You said the camp is right over those hills?"

"Right, but…" I scowled. It was impossible to think straight through the effects of my cold. "Most people enter camp from the east, where Half-Blood Hill is. The western border is wilder–hills and woods, all heavily enchanted. If you’re not careful, you can get lost…." I sneezed again. "I’m still not even sure Apollo can get in if he’s fully mortal."

"I’ll get in." Apollo reassured me, though his voice betrayed him, wavering just the slightest bit.

The police car’s doors opened, two figure getting out.

"Go," he said. "We’ll find our way through the woods. You explain to the police that you’re sick and you lost control of the car. They’ll go easy on you."

I laughed. "Yeah. Cops love me almost as much as teachers do." I glanced at Meg. "You sure you’re okay with the baby fruit demon?"

Peaches growled.

"All good," Meg promised. "Go home. Rest. Get lots of fluids."

My mouth twitched. "You’re telling a son of Poseidon to get lots of fluids? Okay, just try to survive until the weekend, will you? I’ll come to camp and check on you guys if I can. Be careful and—CHOOOO!"

Cursing under my breath, I put Riptide in my pocket and trudged down the hill, sneezing and sniffling.

Just before I reached the officers, I turned and watched the three figure in the background slowly walk away, Meg skipping while Apollo slouched.

"Stay safe," I whispered to the wind, as of it could carry my message all the way to their ears, making my wish known.