Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Percy is convinced that the Fates have a personal vendetta against him. Why else would they show up in the middle of his surprisingly normal dream surrounding him like a group of vultures anticipating the death of their prey.

Before the fates invaded his dream (his super peaceful pleasant dream which he would really like to go back to) he was laying down on the soft shifting white sands on the floor of one of the most colorful coral reefs he’s ever had the pleasure of seeing. He was watching silently as the schools of fish flitted about above his head the bright sunlight penetrating the water making their scales shimmer. Some would break away from their schools to nudge against his open hands or tickle his nose. He would respond with a laugh and have a bit of fun bending small pieces of the current around their bodies gently swirling them around in whirlpools of colors.

It was nice, until the loud sound of wood falling against marble echoed through the water interrupting the peace. Then the sunlight was gone, and next the fish was gone, and everything was dark and suddenly he could no longer feel the movement of the currents around him. He stood up and looked around till he landed on the first Moirai, Clotho. She sat directly in front of him a basket of what he could only assume to be wool rolled up in a wicker basket in her hand string woven around a wooden rod with a stone sat at the bottom. Periodically she spun the spindle in her hand letting it drop down to the floor with a resounding thud. Percy brought his eyes down and saw that he stood on to polished white marble floor.

His head wiped to the sound at the loud creak that wafted through the air. To his right sat Lachesis turning a swift winding up the thread that snaked across the floor from Clotho’s spindle. She glanced up at him and smiled warmly while she wound the thread.

Where there are two there’s always a third. Percy turned to his left to find the last Moirai perched a top another stool shears placed across her lap. She too smiled warmly at him.

Percy tensed his face scrunching in displeasure before he steeled his expression. He dipped his head down towards the ground “My ladies” he stated and glanced up awaiting instructions. They nodded their heads and he stood up straight. He swallowed down the irritation and let it simmer under his skin before he breathed out.

“To what do I owe the pleasure.”

“Percy Jackson, we want to offer you a deal.”

“What kind of deal”

They smile in unison and all their movement pause. Percy blinks and suddenly they all stand directly in front of him. Percy swallows trying not to shrink back under the, power, or atmosphere more accurately that flows out from them.

“What would you give to undo everything.”

***

A flash of white light engulfs the empty room and once it dies down there stand the fourteen major gods. They all look around in confusion and Zeus and Hera step in front of gods Zeus’s lightning bolt crackling in his hand with Hera to his right a dagger in her right hand and her staff in her left. The other gods stand at the back their respective weapons at the ready.

There’s another flash of light above them and the quite room is full of various screams. The gods look up and watch as groups of children fall from the sky above. The gods watch in confusion as their descent slows the closer they get to the ground before all of them are set down softly on top a pile of cushions. There’s groaning from the pile of bodies as the kids help each other up.

“Speak your purpose” Zeus’ voice booms filling the room. The children scramble off the pile up and take in the gods, blink, and they all fall in to a kneel. A girl about fifteen with short cropped black hair and circle of elegantly crafted silver a top her head glances up at Zeus. Her sky-blue eyes crackle with energy in the lights above and she clears her throat to speak.

“Lord Zeus” she spares a quick nervous glance towards Hera who stands by his side “Father,” at that Zeus raises a curious eyebrow at the word, “we have been sent here by the Moirai for a” she trails off swallowing her nerves “ an arrangement of sorts, they gave us a letter detailing the request if I could step forward and give it to you to review yourself.” Zeus contemplates the request before nodding.

The girl rises to her feet and cautiously steps toward her father palm open handing him the note. He clears his throat and begins to read the paper he’s been handed.

Assembled Olympians

We have gathered you all here today in an effort to save the future. In the coming decades the Great Prophecies shall be complete

At this the gods all begin to shout in indignation, a cacophony of confused questions and irritated statements. Hera raises her hand a silent decree for the gods to quiet down. The gods stop speaking save for the stray disgruntle muttering and Hera then motions for her husband to continue. He clears his throat and starts again

With the completion of the prophecies came great tragedy and we are giving you the chance to prevent this. The demigods carry with them books describing the life of a select group of demigods from in the future this will inform you of future events and you are free to use this information at your discretion with a price. One of the demigods is already aware of price ask them.  And remember divinities no spoilers

Sincerely Moirai

“Well then” Hades grunts out “Introduce yourself and tell us your age and occupation.” Zeus glares at him then reluctantly voices his agreement at the order.

The girl who handed them the note stands tall and goes first.

“My name is Thalia Grace and I am a hunter of Artemis.”

The other children step forward and begin their introductions

“Jason Grace 21 former praetor of the twelfth legion current Pontifex Maximus”

Athena scowls at the roman title.

“Leo Valdez 21 resident of Camp Half Blood”

The gods gathered frown in bewilderment at the gathering of both greeks and romans along with the very noticeable lack migraines the are experiencing but ultimately they all stay silent.

“Piper McLean 21 resident of Camp Half Blood”

“Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano 22 former praetor of the twelfth legion”

“Hazel Levesque 19 current praetor of the twelfth legion”

“Frank Zhang 20 current praetor of the twelfth legion”

“Nico di Angelo 19 ambassador between Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter”

“Clarisse La Rue 23 resident of Camp Half Blood”

“Grover Underwood 36 Protector from Camp Half Blood”

“Annabeth Chase 22 resident of Camp Half Blood”

“Rachel Elizabeth Dare 22 Mortal

“Sally Jackson Mortal”

Some snickers from the group at that,

“Percy Jackson 22 former praetor of Camp Jupiter resident of Camp Half Blood”

The gods look at Percy with mild interest at his declaration and the stack of novels he holds in his hands and he frowns and moves back in to the crowd of people.

The gods nod towards the gathered people and walk to the center of the room sitting down in some rather ornate chairs that had appeared. The mortals take this as their cue and convene on some seats surrounding the center set of chairs that the gods sit in.

With a wave of his hand Zeus floats the first book in Percy’s hands towards him.

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians the Lightning Thief” he reads aloud and frowns at the title. All eyes turn to Percy who shifts uncomfortably under the scrutiny and sighs.

“No, before you ask I didn’t write these or name them.”

Zeus scoffs at the words and cracks open the words and begins to read.

Chapter Text

1. I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER

Zeus pauses in confusion and once again all eyes turn to Percy who flushes at the attention. Sally looks towards her son in amused bewilderment and the others look on in confusion and silence, which Thalia breaks.

She snorts shaking her head at Percy. “That’s just such a Percy chapter title.” That sends snickers ringing through the rest of the group and Percy flushes even more.

“Once again” he says glaring at Thalia “I didn’t write this.” He paused thoughtfully “and what is with you using my name as an adjective”

“Well,” Nico snickers “I mean sometimes you’re just so” he drags out the “o” circling his hand in front of him like he was trying to think of an accurate descriptor “Percy” he said fighting back a smile.

Percy turns his glare towards him which just makes him and the rest of the crowd giggle even more.

As the laughter dies down Zeus starts reading again.  

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.

The group immediately sobers at the declaration.

If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth and try to lead a normal life.

“That won’t work” Sally whispers and Percy shoots her a wry not so comforting smile.

“I know mom, I just maybe if some of them didn’t know like if they had had a bit more time” he trails off and goes quiet turning away.

The other demigods shift uncomfortably and the atmosphere dims causing the gods to look around the room in discomfort taking special care not to look at any of the gathered demigods.

Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.

“Check, check, and check. Wow Prissy it’s almost like you know from experience.”

Percy laughs a bit sounding slightly bitter, “yeah its so weird,” he says playing along “it’s almost like I know exactly what I’m talking about.”

The atmosphere lightens as the mortals all laugh.

If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.

“Why would a normal kid read this” Rachel ask.

“I don’t know I didn’t write this” Percy replies already getting annoyed with saying that and they’re only a couple sentences in.

But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

“Oh spooky and cryptic, fun.”

“Shut up Leo.”

“Wow rude I thought you were the nice one Perce”

“Shut up Leo” Annabeth says.

He puts his hands up in the universal peace-making sign and quiets down.

My name is Percy Jackson.

“Oh really I thought it was Gerald.”

“Why Gerald.”

Thalia waved off his question and Percy frowned in annoyance.

I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.

“Private school huh. Fancy how’d you swing that,” Leo asked.

“Scholarship kid. I’m pretty sure they thought I was some sort of charity case all things considered.”

“Percy” Sally spoke up indignantly “you aren’t a charity case.”

“Mom to them I definitely was.”

Sally opened her mouth to reply, thought for a moment, then closed it. When she thought back to the teachers and administration there, how they looked at her whenever she visited, she thinks Percy was right.

Am I a troubled kid?

Yeah. You could say that.

“Percy” Sally sighed at her son.

Said son smiled sheepishly at her, “sorry mom I don’t think that anymore”

“Do you not think that anymore because you’re not troubled” Jason asked, “or because you aren’t a kid anymore.”

Percy ignored that question.

I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it,

Sally raised her eyebrow towards her son at the word miserable and he once again elected to stay silent.

 but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan— twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.

“Oh, a museum,” Apollo spoke up. “That sounds like fun” he finished with a bright smile and Athena nodded in her agreement.

“Yeah, sounds like fun” Annabeth said agreeing begrudgingly with her mother.

 Meanwhile all the people who had spent any significant time at a mortal school looked annoyed at the very thought of that field trip

I know—it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were.

Annabeth elbowed Percy in his left side in annoyance and Athena sent a glare his way.

Apollo frowned in confusion at that statement. “Why museums are nice.”

Percy rubbed his side a bit and then turned to answer Apollo.

“It’s less going to the museum and more being packed around a bunch of really loud really annoying twelve year olds who don’t understand the concept of leaving people alone or personal space. That doesn’t even begin to count having to stand still in one spot packed together with said kids to listen a teacher who drone on and on about some piece they really know nothing about but still somehow manage to make it the least interesting thing in existence.”

As he spoke Piper, Rachel, Leo, Frank, Clarisse and surprisingly Sally all nodded in agreement at his words their faces scrunched up like they were recalling some truly horrible memories.

But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.

Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.

“Oh is that the alias Chiron used while he was there,” Annabeth said softly so the gods wouldn’t hear.

Grover and Percy both nod. “Wait” Piper asks quietly “you got Chiron as your teacher that’s so not fair.”

“Eh” Percy starts “extenuating circumstances.”

“Big words” Annabeth snickered and Percy rolled his eyes and leaned back with a sigh. Annabeth laughs lightly and leans her head on his shoulder. Percy says nothing only shifting a bit to pull her closer and she smiles.

I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.

Clarisse raised a single eyebrow. “You, not get in trouble I doubt it.”

“What do you mean,” Hermes ask curiously.

“Percy’s a trouble magnet wherever he goes some kind of trouble always follows.”

“So he’s a trouble maker then, a delinquent” Ares states with a vicious grin.

“Not quite a trouble maker” Rachel starts her tone contemplative “he’s a bit too nice for that its more like things sort of just happen in his general area.”

His other friends and his mom all nod in agreement and Percy slumps down in to the cushions a small pout on his lips.

Boy, was I wrong.

See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway.

The room goes silent as everyone processes that bit of information staring in some sort of cross between confusion and disbelief at the boy sitting between his mother and his girlfriend. It starts with a snort from Hazel then Leo starts snickering and soon every mortal in the room except for Percy and his mother is laughing, hard. Some of the gods are also chuckling quietly while the rest look on at the scene in slight amusement.

Sally breathes out a quiet laugh at the flush rapidly over taking her sons face.

“You know you never did explain to me what happen that day I just got the call from the school about how you some how managed to blow up the school bus and I had to come pick you up at the battlefield.” She starts to giggle a bit , “everyone was so confused we” she starts laughing a bit harder “we had to carpool some of the students back.” At this point her shoulders are shaking as she, at the betrayed look her son shots her between peels of laughter manages to ask him one final question.

“How on earth did you manage to shoot a cannon through the school bus?”

Percy ducks his head in to his hands with a groan of embarrassment. He looks up avoiding looking to his right at his mom. “In my defense” he starts “why did they leave a loaded cannon around a bunch of ten year olds did they not expect something to go wrong.”

“I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to touch the cannons.”

“Shut up Rachel.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Wait but didn’t it say you weren’t aiming for the bus what were you aiming the cannon at.”

He decides not to answer Grover’s question and only sinks further in to the cushions under him.

 And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim.

More laughter from the group of mortals as well as a couple stray chuckles from the divinities and Percy rolled his eyes at their amusement.

“To this day that was the single most stressful thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“What about literally everything else you’ve been through” asked Rachel.

“I stand by my statement.”

“Why” asked Frank.

“The teachers, other kids, tour guide, and the fucking sharks were all shouting at me at the same time to pull a stupid lever.”

“What” Sally stated in shock. “You never told me about the sharks.”

“That’s because I didn’t know it was the sharks at the time. I thought it was the teacher. Everyone kept asking me to just pull something because I kept “taking to long.” As he says this he holds his hands up and bends two of his fingers in makeshift quotations.

“The teacher kept telling me to hurry up read the label, same with the tour guide and the kids kept shouting random levers to pull. I think they thought it was a game.”

His face scrunches up a bit in contemplation. “You know now that I think about it the only ones who were giving me clear instructions were the sharks. I can’t remember what they said but it was something like “pull the second red one to the left” or something like that at least.” He shrugged “I got in trouble at the time because I said the teacher told me to pull the lever which I thought he did at the time, and he obviously didn’t so they thought I lied and did it on purpose.”

“Wait didn’t the teacher know about your dyslexia why’d they keep asking you to read the label.”

“They thought I lied about that too.”

“This makes the story way less funny, now it’s just kinda sad.”

“Thanks Nico I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Wait,” Leo said “that doesn’t explain why the sharks asked you to pull that specific lever.”

“Honestly I’m pretty sure they just wanted to play.”

Everyone turned towards Poseidon, who was examining Percy with interest now, for conformation. He blinked at the gazes from the mortals and cleared his throat.

“Yes yes sharks are very playful animals and many of them are extremely fond of mortals. It makes sense that they’d want to get closer to some of them.”

Most of the mortals weren’t quite sure what to do with that information now.

And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.

“You’re so telling me more later” Rachel said excitedly. “How have you never mentioned any of this before.” Rachel bowed her head in mock reverence, “an absolute legend truly.”

Percy glared her playfully fighting down a smile at her antics. “No” he countered “you’ll just laugh at me.”

Rachel placed her hand over her heart and tried to look offended. “Laugh at you” she said putting on a painfully fake and annoyingly posh accent “perish the thought. Why Perseus” she got a look of annoyance shot her way at that and she did her best to try and look innocent leaning a bit closer to him “why would I ever laugh at the misfortunes of my oldest and dearest friend.”

The demigods, Grover, and Sally were all smiling at their antics, except for Annabeth who frowned annoyed. She shifted closer to Percy and leveled a look at Rachel who goes quiet. Percy stops laughing and goes quiet as well throwing his arm around Annabeth and squeezing her shoulder. The frown remains on her face but she leans in to his touch.

The demigods, Grover, and Sally all seem uncomfortable at the awkward shift from the playfulness to the tense silence before them and Zeus takes this as his cue to continue.

This trip, I was determined to be good.

All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.

Piper scrunched her nose up in disgust. “There are so many things wrong with that sentence I don’t even know where to start.”

“How about we start with that last name, Bobofit, poor girl no wonder she’s a troubled kid” Leo said.

“She sounds like a bully” Hazel said with a frown.

“She was” Grover said.

“With extremely bad taste in sandwiches” Percy agreed.

“Got that right peanut butter and ketchup that’s like an afront to decent sandwiches” Thalia said in disgust.

“Hey is ketchup a type of jam” Jason asked, “because its boiled fruit with sugar in it. I mean it does have other spices and stuff but isn’t that like the baseline of jam.”

“Jason some questions should never be answered” Sally said wisely.

That sent another round of laughter through the group. As they laughed the gods looked on at the children in and others as laughed and joked with each other. It was confusing but pleasant seeing them all relaxed and getting along interacting with mortals even. None of them felt inclined to interrupt the laughter and jokes shared between the mortals, until Zeus interrupted the joke with a growl asking if they were done so he could continue.

Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was *disabled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.

“Thank you so much Percy for telling me how you really feel with such a flattering description.”

“I will not apologize for my private thoughts, but I will say this was like ten years ago,” he paused glancing at the assembled gods “for us anyways and I’ve definitely changed my opinion of you.”

He raised a single eyebrow at Percy “for the better” he asked quietly wringing his hands together nervously.

“For the better” he replied with a reassuring smile.

Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.

"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.

Poseidon gripped the arms of his chair in anger ducking his head downward and glaring at his lap. Then he frowned confused. What was he so angry about nothing had happened so far. His emotions felt like a tangled knot his indifference being over taken by this foreign anger.

He shot his son he supposes, his son from the future. Shaking his head he shot Percy a look and who seemed to be making an

“You shouldn’t kill poor defenseless mortals sea spawn.” Athena said with a scowl.

“Especially young girls regardless of their distasteful actions” Artemis added though her lip curled with annoyance as she said the word distasteful.

Percy stared at Athena blankly for a bit lost in thought. He could feel some annoyance and anger simmering in the pit of his stomach and he frowned in discomfort, the emotion felt strangely muted, no it still felt strong but it felt like a memory rather and something he was experience it sat beside the irritation he felt towards Athena separate but equally as real.

He shook his head pulling himself from his musings and muttered “damn I was hoping I could avoid the whole sea spawn treatment for a bit longer.”

Shaking his head he sighed “Lady Athena and Lady Artemis it was a metaphor I wouldn’t actually kill her I couldn’t even if I wanted to I was only twelve at the time.”

He paused with a frown “actually I’m pretty sure she was like two years older than me cause she got held back once” he thought aloud.

He paused again irritation disappearing as he thought about something and scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion. “Wait don’t you guys kill mortals all the time. Including kids.”

The gods all shrunk back at the appalled looks the mortals and Hestia were sending to the them and they all motioned for Zeus to continue reading quickly.

Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."

He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.

"You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."

Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.

“Would hitting Nancy have stopped what happened” Sally asked thoughtfully.

“Mom” Percy blurted out somewhere between amused appalled and proud.

“She’s a bully Percy you know how I feel about them.”

Percy couldn’t fight down the smile her response brought to his face and he gave her a quick side hug which she happily returned.

“No I don’t think it would have. Honestly I probably would have just gotten in to more trouble.”

Sally shook her head in disappointment. “What a shame.”

Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.

He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.

It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.

“Really” Nico said with curiosity “you found it interesting.”

“Yeah why’s that so surprising.”

“Percy you just don’t seem like the type” Annabeth said gently. “You’re always say you don’t like school so I- we just assumed you didn’t have any interest in stuff like that.”

“Just because I don’t like school doesn’t mean that stuff like history isn’t interesting” he replied with a scowl “all the teachers are just really bad at their jobs.”

He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.

Leo rolled his eyes in annoyance “oh she’s one of those teachers.”

“What teachers” Nico asked curiously.

“You know” Rachel said “those teachers. The ones who decide who they hate immediately upon meeting you because they decided you’re a trouble maker just by how you look.

“Oh,” Hazel nodded in understanding “those teachers.”

Several others who’ve dealt with teachers voiced their muttered agreement while the others including the gods looked on in confusion.

“Is it really like that” asked Demeter curiously.

“Oh yeah definitely” Percy replied “getting a decent teacher who hasn’t looked at your past record and automatically decided you weren’t worth the trouble is hard much less getting a teacher who will actually put your accommodations in to place cause “ADHD isn’t real you just need discipline”

Piper let out a bitter chuckle “or it’s “dyslexia doesn’t exist you just need to read it” she said with an eye roll.

“Oh don’t forget “just stop moving you just need to sit still” added Leo.

“Or it’s “you just need to focus why can’t you pay attention” Um I don’t know miss teacher lady maybe its because I literally have a diagnosed disorder that’s makes it almost impossible to focus” Percy said angrily venom dripping from every word he spoke.

Frank nodded his head in understanding

“You think it’s bad now imagine school in the 30’s.”

Every demigod, Rachel, Sally, and Grover all winced in sympathy at Hazel interjection.

“Is it wrong that I’m grateful my dad decided to homeschool me when I came back home” Annabeth muttered.

Percy waved it off “no just be happy you were lucky enough not to go to school. But yeah that’s why I was loved Ch- Mr. Brunner’s class so much because he actually listened when I needed help or an extension on a project or even if I got to overwhelmed and needed a break.”

Poseidon and some of the other gods noted how Percy had stumbled over his former teachers name and filed that information away for later. It sounded like he was about to say his teacher’s first name maybe he knew him well.

Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.

From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.

Rachel winced in sympathy and turned to Grover “what did he do to get after school detention for a whole month.”

He frowned trying to remember “I think he tripped and stepped on Nancy’s jacket and ripped it or something like that.”

She turned to Percy a look of horror on her face “And that was enough to get you detention for a month.”

He shrugged and his shoulders slumped down “yeah it was either that or pay for it and that jacket was expensive” he paused and laughed a bit “I think I did her a favor when I ripped it, it was a really ugly jacket.”

“This makes me wish even more that we met before the dam we could have been friends and I could have helped” she said.

Percy smiled “Rachel we would not have been friends when I was twelve.”

She reeled back in shock “wow rude.”

“Not because of you I just was not a very, lets go with social, person before I met Grover.”

“That’s still true though.” Percy shot a glare towards Nico who raised his hands up in surrender.

One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."

“Way to blow your cover goat boy” Thalia said shaking her head in amusement. Only Grover.

Said satyr rolled his eyes at his friend though his cheeks were stained a red.

Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.

Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"

It came out louder than I meant it to.

The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.

"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"

My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."

Percy was subtly rubbing his cheeks which had tinted red under his copper skin. Poseidon was experiencing the same and he subtly tried to catch the eye of his future son inquiringly who was once again actively trying to avoid his gaze. He made up his mind to have a conversation with his future son as soon as possible.

Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"

Immediately the elder gods excluding Zeus scowled at the memory and Zeus’s tone tinged with amusement as he continued.

"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ..."

"Well..." I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and—"

"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.

"Titan," I corrected myself. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"

"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.

Hera scoffed “Try living it do you know dear father had the most disgusting eating habits” she said glaring at the floor. “And you” she said turning her glare towards her husband “Somehow fed him the most disgusting concoction in your” she sneered “rescue mission.”

Zeus sighed heavily and simply nodded in agreement with Hera. He clearly had this conversation before. He waited nodding a long at set intervals while Hera ranted and during a pause he quickly jumped at the chance to continue reading.

"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."

“Well” Hades said amused “you’re not exactly wrong.”

Hermes chuckled “but that is a gross understatement.

That sent quiet laughter through the gathered gods and Percy flushed burying his head in his hands. “I was twelve” he muttered and felt Annabeth giggling at his side. He sent her a glare and she only smiled.

Some snickers from the group.

Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"

"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted," Grover muttered.

"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.

At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.

I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."

“Well I know now” Percy said.

“Was that him hinting at things or was he just trying to be like a teacher” Piper asked.

“Honestly its probably both” Grover spoke up in place of Percy.

“But is there an answer” Nico asked.

“The mortals argue that the Crooked One’s story is a metaphor for the folly of pride and a cautionary tale for not trying to avoid the inevitable as well as yet another story of how cleverness can defeat power.”

Everyone stared in surprise at Clarisse awed at her weirdly detailed response and she directed a glare at everyone.

“Why do you have an answer for that question specifically” Percy asked voice slightly awed but mostly confused.

“I had to write an essay about something like that and it’s the answer I chose. Honestly its mostly bullshit but I got a B on that essay so” she responded with a shrug.

“I thought you were a sports therapy major” he shot back leaning forward in his chair.

“Pre-recs are a thing Jackson besides I’m an English minor too.”

“English isn’t a pre rec if you took it in high school” he grumbled sitting back.

“Wait you’re an English minor” Leo piped up curiously.

Clarisse scowled “got a problem with that Valdez.”

He shook his head quickly snapping his mouth shut.

“I always wanted to take English in college your parent must be proud” Sally said smiling warmly at Clarisse. She returned the smile albeit a bit awkwardly.

“Wait does that mean when I asked if you knew anyone who could help with my entrance essay and you said no you were lying.”

“Why would I willingly help you Jackson.”

Percy look at her appalled “You’re the worst you know that.”

“And never forget it Prissy.”

"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach.

“Did we really need the reminder of how gross that was” Frank said looking a little green. Hazel snickered at his side and he mock glared down at her the tips of his mouth fighting against the growing smile.

The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note,

“Happy note” Apollo said amused this teacher sounded familiar.

 it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.

“Typical” Artemis interjected with an eyeroll. Immediately the gathered boys including demigods satyrs and gods voiced their protest. Except for Percy who spoke up silencing the cacophony of outcry.

“She’s not exactly wrong” he said and all the mortal boys glared at him betrayal and he only smiled sheepishly in response.

“See even one of your own agrees with me” Artemis said smugly examining the child who had spoken.

The response to that statement was varied many of the gods scowled before rolling their eyes and choosing to ignore this statement. Apollo glared and chucked a cushion at her head which she managed to dodge without once sparring him a glance. This caused him to sink down in to his seat sulking. The demigods and Grover pouted while ultimately deciding that a response wasn’t worth it.

Percy smiled tightly at Artemis shifting uncomfortably at her words and trying to swallow down and ignore the rising discomfort in his throat. Artemis and Poseidon both took note of this reaction and examined him discreetly.

Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."

I knew that was coming.

I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"

Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go— intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.

"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.

"About the Titans?"

"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."

"Oh."

"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."

I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.

I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C– in my life. No—he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.

“He means well Percy” Grover said.

“I know just at the time it was weird. Like having a teacher work so hard and expect me to do well it was weird.”

“Yeah, teachers like that are cool and all but its always kinda weird” Leo spoke up in agreement.

“I get that like you spent all those years in school where just no one expected anything from you and then all of a sudden someone gives a shit about how you’re doing and trying to make sure you actually understand what they’re talking about. Wild.”

Percy nodded in agreement with Piper “yeah even now I’ve met a couple more teachers like that and its just always so weird. Like I had one teacher in eight grade who like saw I had trouble with the reading and actually sent me the link to an audio version of the book without me asking. Crazy.”

The three voiced their agreement and traded more stories about the care they received from teachers with Rachel and Clarisse chiming in periodically with their own stories while the others listened awkwardly. Athena and Apollo Artemis Hermes and Hestia were all staring at the children in poorly disguised pity. The were all well aware of the type of care teachers were meant to give to their students and Athena and Apollo were both appalled by the lack of care and work put in to making sure students were able to learn while Artemis Hermes and Hestia were all disappointed that some mortals would treat children in such a manner.

Eventually they quieted down once more and Zeus took that as his cue to continue. He started again annoyance seeping in to his tone he was getting very tired of all these interruptions.   

I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.

“Now that I think about it he probably had” Percy mumbled.

Annabeth elbowed him in his side causing him to wince and he shot a glare toward her which she returned. “Spoilers Percy” she chided, and he pouted turning away from her. She sighed and kissed him on his cheek to placate him a bit.

He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.

The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.

Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.

“A hurricane in December” Demeter said with suspicion and turned to her brothers. “What on earth are you to fighting about that it caused that.”

“Something petty again I bet” Hera hissed out glaring at her husband and brother.

“Or considering the effect it has on the weather so out of season it was probably serious” Hestia chimes in concerned.

“Um without giving too much away you’re both right, like the reason they’re upset was serious but also the reason they’re fighting was kind of petty” Percy answers glancing towards Annabeth and Grover who nod their agreement.

Many of the demigods and Rachel and Sally grow curious at his declaration they had no clue what happened when Percy learned he was a demigod and were expecting it to be earth shattering considering this is Percy. Clarisse also felt her curiosity spike putting together that they would probably be hearing the specifics of Percy’s first quest, the details of which he was stubbornly silent about. Maybe she’ll finally get to find out why her dad hates him so much.

Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.

Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school—the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.

"Detention?" Grover asked.

"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius."

“Truer words have never been spoken” Reyna says laughing.

“Et tu Reyna” Percy says hand over his heart an overly exaggerated look of betrayal on his face.

Reyna only laughed harder.

Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"

“You expect to much from him Percy” Thalia said shaking her head.

“Hey” Grover spoke up indignantly.

“At the time I had only known him for about 4 months I know better now” Percy said nodding his head sagely.

Grover shot him a betrayed look and Percy shot him an innocent smile in turn.

I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.

Annabeth turned to face Percy eyebrow raised in disbelief. “You” she said tapping him on his chest “didn’t have an appetite.” She crossed her arms over her chest “I find that hard to believe.”

“I’d been having a bad week at that point honestly I just didn’t feel like eating it happens.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t know why besides this already happened.”

“Just sounds fake.”

“Whatever” Percy muttered while rolling his eyes effectively silencing the conversations and Annabeth laughed a little turning back to the story.

I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.

There was a chorus of awes that interrupted Zeus and the god sighted frustrated as he prepared for the onslaught of interruptions.

Percy flushed at the sounds burying his head in his hands. Sally snickered at her sons embarrassment ruffling his hair and he glanced up at his mother still pouting.

“You really missed her while you were at school that’s so sweet” Piper said smiling sweetly. The urge to tease her friend was high and she knew he wasn’t one for the excess attention.

Percy glared at Piper and she laughed.

“Mama’s boy” Thalia said laughing.

“You’ve met my mom you miss her when she’s not around too.”

Thalia laughed again nodding. “Yeah that’s fair” she said turning to face Sally “You’re like the best person Mrs. Jackson.”

Sally smiled a little bashfully at the words “thank you dear. You know you can drop by any time you want. Me and Estelle always love your visits.”

Thalia’s smile softened a bit. “Thanks Mrs. Jackson.”

Zeus examined the smile on his daughters face looking between her and Sally.  

Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.

I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends—I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.

“Ugh that is so gross its probably all covered in spit and who knows what else” Piper said her face twisted in to a grimace of disgust.

“Were you okay Grover” Hazel asked worriedly “I know that had to suck” she said reminded of her own bullies from her childhood and her early months in the legion.

“It was gross” Grover started “but I was fine there’s not much a mortal could do that would bother me too much.” He paused “no offense Rachel, Mrs. Jackson.”

Sally waved away the comment and Rachel just rolled her eyes.

“You still shouldn’t have had to deal with that man its not fair” Percy clearly annoyed at the memory of what Nancy put his friend through.

“Yeah we should find her when we get back to reality see how she likes being bullied.”

“Thalia you are not going to find and hurt a mortal” Annabeth scolded.

“Not hurt just emotionally scar a bit” Percy piped up while Thalia nodded in agreement.

“Don’t encourage her” Annabeth hissed glaring at Percy.

He held his hands up in surrender “Fine I was just joking anyways.”

Annabeth huffed leaning back and scooting away from Percy. He let his hand drop from her shoulder and angled his body away from her.

"Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.

“I hate Cheetos” Percy muttered.

“Same they’re kind of gross” Frank agreed.

“Aren’t you lactose intolerant of course you wouldn’t like Cheetos” Leo piped up amused.

“Cheetos don’t actually use real cheese so it doesn’t bother me but they still taste gross.”

“What do you mean Cheetos don’t have actual cheese in them” Rachel asked looking a little green.

“You didn’t know that.”

“No I didn’t why did you tell me that and ruin Cheetos for me. Oh gods I suddenly have so many regrets” Rachel replied fake gagging.

The kids around looked on at her antics amused.

“What’s a Cheeto” Dionysus asked.

Everyone from the future paused taken a back by the question. Suddenly they were all collectively reminded that the gods before them are from the past. Like really from the past they have no knowledge of modern events and technology and slang and oh my gods what if they start talking in 20’s colloquial not even Hazel will understand those.

Sally gained her baring quicker than the others and while they had a crisis about the logistics of time travel she quickly explained to Dionysus and any other curious gods what a Cheeto was.

Gods this is going to be weird.

I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.

“Here comes the anger issues” Annabeth muttered with a shake of her head sending a teasing smile in Percy’s direction. He frowned in response.

“Sorry for being angry that my friend was being picked on” he responded with a scowl.

The smile slipped from her face and she glared at Percy prickling at his annoyance. “You know I’m right” she spat out.

Percy’s frown deepened and he rolled his eyes. “Whatever” he muttered “you’re always right” he hissed out with finality dropping the subject.

Annabeth bristled and leaned back in her chair.

Both demigods seethed Percy shifting in his seat restless with anger that sat in the pit of his stomach from the emotional memory the book projected in to him hurt at Annabeth’s words and regret for snapping.

In his own seat Poseidon griped the arms of his chair tightly irritation at the foreign anger bubbling up from the pit of his stomach. He gritted his teeth taking in shaking breathes. He needed to have a conversation with Percy soon. He seemed to know something he wasn’t telling anyone else.

I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"

Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.

Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"

"—the water—"

"—like it grabbed her—"

The anger faded and Poseidon’s head cleared allowing him to absorb the sentence his brother just read. Once again he raked his eyes of his future son in curiosity. He was displaying some impressive unconscious control of his abilities at a rather young age.

“Wait Grover you saw that happened and still didn’t know who his dad was when he got to camp” Clarisse asked in annoyance.

Grover shook his head “I knew, or at least I had a hunch but I wasn’t supposed to say anything to anyone about it because of the oath. Plus there are minor sea and river deities although they don’t come on land much but it was still possible.

“Satyr” Zeus boomed out catching Grover’s attention.

“His name is Grover” someone muttered, and at least half of the mortals shushed them simultaneously and Grover sent a glare their way.

“Yes my lord” he said nervously.

“What’s this about an oath.”

“Well my lord” he starts a bit frowning at the sudden soft humming that fills his ears. He shakes his head clearing it away and starts again “in the future” abruptly he silences his mouth gaping open and eyes glazed over as not a sound escaped from him and then suddenly he gasped bending over clutching his throat coughing and gasping for breath eyes wild.

“Grover” Annabeth, Thalia, and Percy all exclaimed worriedly rushing over to his side. Nico turned towards him patting the satyr’s back as he coughed and hacked in to his open hands.

“Did you forget the warning from earlier” Percy said softly helping his friend sit back up and offering him some water from bottle he had been carrying with him. Grover gulped down the liquid greedily and turned towards his friends when he was done still slightly winded.

“What warning” he manages to sputter out between gasps.

Percy looked at his friend assessing his state and making sure he wouldn’t start coughing again.

“No spoilers” he said gravely “remember everything comes with a price they can’t do this” he says waving his hand around indicating the entirety of the room “without some cost. So there’s rules like not spoiling what happens before the books get to it. We can talk about unrelated things but anything the book covers we can’t say. That’s the entire reason we haven’t said anything, save Thalia of course, that would reveal our parentage.”

“Wait so they’ll just try and kill us so we don’t tell them the future” Nico said disturbed.

“No they won’t kill you” Percy answered “at most they’ll cause enough pain to make you pass out. Granted that also sucks so lets not spoil okay.”

“How could we possibly know if we’re going to spoil anything what if we say something on accident” Hazel asked worriedly lacing her hands together with Frank who rubbed circles in the back of her hand in an effort to comfort her.

“There should be a tell, a sound or something that you and only you can hear before you say something.”

“That explains the hum I heard before I tried to open my mouth” Grover said bitterly.

“Wait” Clarisse spoke up eyeing him suspiciously “How do you know this.”

“Just trust me okay I don’t want anyone else get hurt” he responded carting his hands through his hair in frustration.

Clarisse stared at him silently “whatever” she muttered dropping it.

“Can we keep going Lord Zeus the books will revel everything about the oath eventually. I’m sorry we can’t tell you any more” Percy said plainly taking care to angle his eyes downward not meeting the gods gaze. Zeus in his time was volatile on his best days there’s no telling how he is in the past.

Zeus stared down Percy intensely before he started reading once more.

I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.

As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey—"

“You know I thought she was just a bad teacher but honestly I’m kind of getting evil monster vibes” Piper said eyeing the book with trepidation. She turned to Percy expectantly. He smiled and shook his head.

“No spoilers” he said the smile on his face edging on teasing.

Piper grumbled in irritation but didn’t ask anything else.

"I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."

That wasn't the right thing to say.

“Gee I wonder why” Clarisse drawled sarcastically.

“Shut up Clarisse” Percy mumbled pouting.

She and the rest of the mortals chittered at his annoyance.

"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.

"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her."

I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.

“I appreciate you caring man but I really wish you had told me about her before this happened” Percy said feigning annoyance with his oldest friend.

Grover rolled his eyes to used to Percy’s complaints about the subject of Mrs. Dodds. “Whatever” he said with a sigh. “Stop interrupting.”

Percy laughed quietly at Grover’s defeated expression and mimed zipping his lips.

She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.

"But—"

"You—will—stay—here."

Grover looked at me desperately.

"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying."

"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now."

Nancy Bobofit smirked.

I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare. Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.

How'd she get there so fast?

“So we all agree monster right” Nico said nonchalantly. Percy looked incredulously at him as the other nodded their agreement. He knew damn well which monster this was.

“So bets on what it is” Nico said turning away from Percy’s stare. “I’m guessing empousa.”

“Well we know its not a hellhound. There’s no way that they could hide for this long especially as a human” Hazel said contemplatively. “And its probably not a an empousa they usually act quickly. A harpy maybe.”

“I don’t think so” Frank replied “they aren’t usually that intelligent or patient either.”

“Most monsters aren’t typically that intelligent or patient either. Its almost like she was waiting for something from Percy” Thalia said staring at Percy clearly waiting for him to clarify.

“No spoilers” Percy drawled out a delighted grin on his face. He clearly took pleasure and denying Thalia answers. “Besides you should get your answers before the end of the chapter.”

“Yes we’ll have our answers if you just let me finish” Zeus barked and the demigods quieted down.

I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.

“Oh I hate that” muttered Leo.

“Honestly that’s a mood” Piper says nodding in agreement.

Everyone who had ADHD voiced their agreement and subsequent annoyances at the assessment.

“I hate it, its worse when I can’t tell what’s real and just feels insane because mythology is fucking insane or something that I just misinterpreted or completely forgot about” Percy scowled as he said this.

“We don’t talk enough about how much ADHD kind of sucks sometimes. It’s great that we get battle reflexes and can be quick thinkers but I could have done without all the memory issues, emotional issues, functioning issues etc.” Nico said sourly.

More voices of agreement rose up from the group and Zeus sent them a glare which quieted them all down so he could continue.

I wasn't so sure.

I went after Mrs. Dodds.

Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.

I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.

Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.

But apparently that wasn't the plan.

I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.

Except for us, the gallery was empty.

Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.

Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it...

“Wonder what the poor gravestone did to her” Rachel muttered.

“Honestly she probably killed whoever is depicted.”

“Jeez Nico don’t joke about stuff like that.”

“Sorry Piper its just honestly its probably some kid or something who caused her trouble. That’s the only reason I can think of for her acting that way.”

“He’s probably right Piper” Jason said placing a soothing hand on her shoulder. “I know I just don’t really want to think about anyone being killed by some sort of monster.

Nico winced “sorry again Piper I get that.”

“It’s fine Nico I promise I didn’t mean to snap.”

Nico waved away her apology with a weak smile.

"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.

“Something tells me she doesn’t mean bothering Nancy” Leo muttered.

“Hush its getting good” Ares growled.

I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."

Percy swallowed the lump building in his throat and a shiver ran down his spine. He could feel the adrenaline beginning to course through him nerves alight his hand and legs twitching with the urge to move. He tried his hardest to conceal it and turned his attention quickly to his father looking for the same signs of fear he was feeling.

She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"

The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.
She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.

“Think again Percy” Reyna commented.

“I know now” he whined in response sending Reyna in to a round of quiet laughter.

I said, "I'll—I'll try harder, ma'am."

Thunder shook the building.

"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."

“Confess to what exactly” Demeter asked curiously.

“I’m afraid that would be a spoiler my lady” Annabeth said in a tone she hoped was sufficiently reverent. She was not stupid enough to risk offending any of the gods now that they were out of their own time line.

Demeter nodded accepting the explanation.

I didn't know what she was talking about.

All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room.

“Wait how can selling candy be illegal” Frank asked curiously.

“Yancy had a strict no soliciting policy for some reason” Percy answered.

“That’s weird” he said

“Yeah I didn’t make the rule though I just broke it.”

Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.

Annabeth raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I refuse to read Tom Sawyer that book is boring.”

“That’s fair.”

"Well?" she demanded.

"Ma'am, I don't..."

"Your time is up," she hissed.

Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.

“What the hell is that” Leo exclaimed in confusion. He had never seen a monster like that.

He turned towards Percy expecting an answer but he wasn’t paying him any attention. To busy trying to hide the shivers racking through his body from fear.  

“A fury” Poseidon answered through gritted teeth. He glared at his brother content to let the anger overpower the fear and the energy crackling in his limbs and the desperation to escape. “They only follow the orders of Hades” he growled out anger flaring up at the clearly orchestrated attack on his future child. “So what were they doing attacking a child who wasn’t even aware of his divinity yet.”

Hades stared silently at the fury filled eyes of his brother and merely shrugged. “How should I know this hasn’t happened yet.”

Poseidon glared at Hades but stayed silent knowing the argument was fruitless and giving Zeus the opening to continue.

Then things got even stranger.

“When did those doors get there.”

Zeus paused his reading and everyone turned towards Percy surprised and confused at the sudden unrelated outburst.

“No seriously though when did those doors get here there are so many and this was just an empty room with some chairs before and now there’s like twenty doors scattered around that weren’t here before.”

At his proclamation the people in the room all look around to see that he’s right. Scattered almost haphazardly around the wide circular rooms were many doors all different shapes and colors. Sally counted aloud about twenty in total and everyone glanced rapidly between them in confusion.

No one had noticed there appearance before now.

“Maybe we don’t question the mystery doors Perce.”

“Yeah” Jason said in agreement with Grover “maybe we don’t address this until we absolutely have.”

“There were several murmured agreements and eventually the room was silent again allowing a chance for Zeus to continue.

Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.

"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.

Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.

With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear.

Percy felt the air move across his ear where the talon would have been on that day and he shivered at the memory and the cold wind he felt.

I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword—Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.

Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.

My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.

Percy currently was digging his hands into the skin of his arms desperately trying to stop the shaking. He already wanted this to be over.

She snarled, "Die, honey!"

“Not exactly the thing I want to hear before I die.”

“Shut up Leo.”

“Sorry Reyna.”

And she flew straight at me.

Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.

“Wait you’re natural instinct is to swing the sword at the rampaging monster” Rachel asked incredulously.

“Uh yeah” he responded drawing out the last syllable in confusion. “What other instinct is there in this situation when you’re holding a sword.”

“Drop it.”

“Run.”

“Scream”

“Cry.”

“Simply perish”

“Curse out the person who decided that instead of helping me kill the monster he’d just throw the fucking sword at me.”

“Imagine if he threw it wrong and the blade hit your hand instead of the hilt you’d be out of a hand. You could get a hook like a pirate.”

“Nico I’d probably be dead first cause of the, you know, monster trying to kill me.”

“Honestly I don’t think you’d die, you’re too unreasonably hard to kill like a cockroach.”

That comment got him a pillow to the face because for someone who really sucks at archery Percy’s aim is surprisingly good.

“Honestly he’s right you are really hard to kill.”

“Hazel you’re not plotting my murder right.”

“No just you managing to swing the sword in that situation with no training or even any idea of what’s going on is just impressive. A very Percy thing to do.”

“My name is not an adjective.”

“We can change that” Piper chimed in.

“Why do I put up with any of you.”

“Because you love us” Thalia said sweetly.

“Debatable.”

“Rude.”

The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!

Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.

I was alone.

Percy felt a shiver run down his spine at that line and gripped his arms tightly.

There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.

Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.

My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.

“You really thought someone drugged you.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“What” Sally all but shouted in concern.

“It’s fine it was fine drugging is over stating it a little.”

Sally narrowed her eyes at her son who shifted uncomfortably at his mother’s prying gaze.

“I’ll um tell you when we finish.”

“You better.”

Had I imagined the whole thing?

“Oh if only” Thalia said wistfully.

I went back outside.

It had started to rain.

Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."

I said, "Who?"

"Our teacher. Duh!"

I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.

“This feels familiar” Rachel started frowning. She had been in way to many of these situations before learning about all the gods. The memories still annoyed her to this day but at least now she has an explanation.

“Yes” Sally sighed “this feels very familiar. Rachel blinked at the agreement before she remembered that Sally could see through the mist too. A smile creeped across her face, maybe she could spend some more time with Mrs. Jackson it would be nice to talk to someone who knows how it feels to go most of your life feeling like you’re going crazy.

She just rolled her eyes and turned away.

I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.

He said, "Who?"

But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.

“Grover have I ever told you that you are a terrible liar.”

“You tell me that literally every time you visit Thalia so yes.”

“Well I’m saying it again. You my friend are a horrible liar.”

“I’m happy he’s so a bad liar” Percy said cheerily “if I wasn’t I probably would have tried to check myself in to a hospital or something.”

Everyone gave Percy a look their expression a mismatch of confused and disturbed. HE only shrugged it off deciding not to expand.

"Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious."

Thunder boomed overhead.

I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.

I went over to him.

He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."

I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.

"Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"

He stared at me blankly. "Who?"

"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."

He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"

“What a dramatic end to the first chapter and moving on in to the second where I spent about half a year convinced, I was going insane how fun.”

“Sorry again Percy” Grover winced out guiltily.

“You’re good I mean I’m not actually too happy about the lying but you were the only one who didn’t make me feel like I was crazy.”

“Can we take a break I feel like we’ve been sitting here for hours” Leo whined.

“It’s been twenty minutes.”

“Twenty minutes really I thought it was shorter than that” Nico said surprised standing up and stretching.

“Fine” Zeus grunted out relieved to be free of the interruptions and reading. He will never read another chapter from this book again and is frankly dreading getting through the rest. This doesn’t feel like it’s going to be a quick process.

“We will take a twenty minute break.”

There was a flurry of movement as they all rose from their chairs the mortals heading off to inspect the mystery doors and Poseidon trailing after his future son.

Chapter Text

“So” Percy said turning around to face his friends and mother “exploring anyone.”

There were murmurs of agreement from the children who all turned their eyes towards Sally silently pleading for her agreement. She smiles and nods so together they cautiously make their way towards the closest door in front of them. It stands ridiculously tall in the high set ceiling deep in to the wall the wood a dark cool red sanded to perfection set with a simple brass door knob.

Jason steps in front hand out stretched towards the knob. He hesitate a moment glancing back towards his friends. They all nod their heads motioning for him to open the door. He quickly takes a deep breath and wraps his hand around the doorknob twisting open the door.

Immediately a cold wind rushes past the opening slamming in to the gathered people. There are noises of confusion as they all simultaneously hunch over wrapping their hands around their exposed arms. More confusion as Jason slowly pulls the door open more and they all step through.

Immediately they stop startled at the sound of snow crunching under their shoes. Their eyes trail upward staring in awe at the huge purple canopy above them where golden rays of light manage to fight through the sheet of what seems to be incredibly long and large purple leaves. Surrounding them are deep black trunks stretching high up in to the sky. To there left there is a rustling sound and they quickly and silently shuffle back through the open doorway shutting the door back.

They stare in silence as the wood on the door creaks the dark red wood changing to the same deep purple of the canopy they just saw and slowly a gold engraving starts to appear on the door showing tall mountains whose peaks are covered in snow surrounded by three rings made of triangles.

“Okay what the fuck was that” Rachel exclaims echoing the thoughts of everyone gathered.

“I have no clue” Percy mutters in response still staring in wonderment at the newly displayed carving.

“Were those trees” Grover ask in astonishment.

“I’ve never seen any tree that color before” Piper says breathlessly.

“I mean purple trees do exist but they don’t look like that. Their bark was pitch back like obsidian and they were so tall.” Grover laughs a little still in awe “what the hell was that, where was that.”

“Did … did the gods make that” Leo ask hesitantly

“I’ve never read a myth that talks about a forest with trees like those before but maybe” Annabeth answers. “I mean what other explanation is there.”

“I don’t think the gods made that” Percy says turning to his friends.

“Who else could have made those” Annabeth ask appraising the sparkle of surety in his eyes.

“I don’t think anyone made them at all.”

Clarisse narrows her eyes glaring at Percy. “Explain” she growls out at him.

“I don’t think the gods made them because I don’t think we’re on Earth” he pauses “or at least I don’t think that door leads to Earth.”

“That makes absolutely no sense are you suggesting were on another planet” Annabeth says rolling her eyes in exasperation.

“Yes.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know you said that already but I just” he stops talking biting his bottom and staring at the door they had just recently returned through. “I just know.” He sighs carding his hand through his hair and tugging at a few of the strands. “Look you don’t have to believe me but I’m telling you that the gods didn’t make that forest. I don’t know how I know that I just do.”

The gathered mortals stay silent at his statement each of them turning the suggestion over in their brains trying to conglomerate the knowledge they have on the impossibility of their everyday with the impossibility of both what they saw and what Percy is suggesting.

“I still think it was the gods” Annabeth speaks up finally cutting through the uneasy silence that had settled over them. “What you’re suggesting is just impossible. It has to be the gods there’s no other explanation that makes sense.”

“We deal with the impossible literally everyday” Percy responds amusement coloring his words. “You don’t have to believe me I’m just telling you what I know its not like believing the gods made that” he says gesturing to the closed door “changes what’s there.” He shrugs accepting his girlfriend’s disbelief and signaling his unwillingness to further explain his reasoning.

Annabeth frowns at his flippantness. “It has to be the gods” she says once again with finality staring down Percy. He shrugs again mutters a tired okay and turns away. The rest of the gathered mortals shuffle around uncomfortable with the awkward atmosphere that Percy and Annabeth had left. They stand around silently before they all break away to examine some of the other doors.

Percy stalks off behind Hazel Frank and Nico while Annabeth heads after Jason and Thalia. At least Percy starts to walk with them till he notices some movement in front of yet another door. This one shifting from the bright tan of freshly cut wood to a deep dark blue. The carving that begins to appear within the wood is silver, an intricately carved cliff over looking three large waves lapping at its base. This drawing is encircled by the same three rings as the previous door. He heads towards the door and goes inside.

Through the door way he steps out on to the bleached white rocky surface of a cliff. Sitting at the edge over looking the ocean is his father, or a past version of his father. He hesitates a moment toeing at the loose rocks underneath his feet before walking forward.

“Lord Poseidon” he says as he makes his way towards him. The only indication that Poseidon heard him was the slightest tilt of his head his ear cocked slightly as if listening for Percy. He stops about five feet behind him before Poseidon turns around staring down the man in front of him.

“You are my son” he rumbles the words more statement than question and Percy fights the urge to shift under his gaze. His father’s eyes gleam under the midday suns shining with passive interest as he inspects his future child the way one would examine a particularly interesting plant, passive curiosity with little actual care for anything beyond that. He feels twelve again standing in front of an unfathomable presence his stomach churning with anxiety discomfort cut through by the small childlike pin pricks of hope for acceptance and affection. He swallows down the frustration building in his throat, he thought he was past wanting, hoping for anything more from his father.

The thought of letting Poseidon any version of him but especially this one which does not have even the slightest connection nor affection for him be privy to the turmoil broiling inside him sets Percy on edge. Not trusting himself to speak he simply nods his head in agreement.

Poseidon is silent at his response still staring down Percy. Eventually he speaks again this time more questioning than looking for conformation.

“You know something about this price that the Fates mentioned earlier.”

“Yes” Percy says.

“What is the price.”

Percy hesitates again before he replies. “The Fates told me before this started that because of the nature of this request its complexity and the power required to actually make all of this” he says sweeping his arms around indicating the cliff face they are standing on as well as the door leading back in to the main room “there had to be an exchange. They told me that the exchange could be many things but they settled on three, I mean two prices.”

He paused glancing up at Poseidon who merely nodded his understanding and motioned for him to finish. He took a deep breath and continued “The pain and turmoil of your future our past will be felt by both us from that time and our godly relatives. As for the other prices I’m not entirely sure what it is yet. They only warned me about the first one so I think we’ll have to wait for answers to that.”

Poseidon nods in understanding silent after the explanation. “Thank you” he says staring down Percy who tries not to flinch at the intensity of his gaze. He mutters a quite “no problem” and starts at the ringing that cuts through the wind and the crashing of the waves. He turns back towards the door walking hurrying through with one last glance at the past version of his father who still stands at the edge of the cliff staring back at him. He turns away again hurrying through the open door.

The rest of the mortals are gathered back around the set of chairs and Percy walks over to join them.

“Where did you go” Hazel asks pausing her conversation with Piper and turning towards Percy.

“Oh I went through another door there was like an ocean with a cliff hanging over it” he responds with a smile. “It was actually pretty cool the rocks were weird they looked like marble and was weirdly smooth.”

“Sounds pretty” Piper chimes in.

“I think it was” Percy says “although honestly there was something weird about it though I might explore some more after this” abruptly he cuts himself off scrunching his face up in confusion and staring up at the sky. He stands up quickly and moving towards back, away from the group.

“Percy” Jason ask his voice laced with confusion “what are you doing”

“Um can you guys move back like I don’t know thirty steps or so”

“Why” Leo ask standing up in alarm.

“I’m not sure but I do think you guys should move back” he pauses “probably. I could be wrong.”

The gods watch this interaction curiously waiting for the rest of the mortals to react.

There’s quiet as they take in what he just said and slowly the mortals start moving backwards. Eventually they’ve all moved several feet away from where they were originally sitting.

There’s more silence and everything is still then there’s a large explosion of light about 30 feet above the ground and from the light several bodies begin to rain down. They slam in to the ground below as the mortals watch in confusion and slight horror as the bodies fall in a writhing mass of limbs and gold liquid slamming in to the smooth surface of the floor with a resounding crack splintering the floor where they land.

There are groans from the mass as the bodies untangle themselves from each other rising up individually. Once to their feet there’s a simultaneous snap and the gold running across the cracked floor evaporates away and the crack mends itself and the mangled forms of the standing bodies mend themselves cuts and broken bones fading as if they were never there leaving in its wake flawlessly smooth and unblemished skin. Once healed they stand side by side and stare in the eyes of their doppelgangers.

“Um what the fuck is this”

Simultaneously their heads snap towards Thalia who had blurted out the words in shock and then quickly turn towards the bright light that flashed in the center of the room and the words the that appeared when the light faded.

“This is for fun.”

Percy frowns staring at the answer with the same confusion present on every other person’s face. “Um what do you mean for fun.”

The words ripple and then fade away replaced by an answer.

“We thought we deserve some more entertainment from this so we brought the gods from your time here.” The words ripple again and are replaced with “They have been briefed with the same note as you but we are now adding another stipulation. The gods are not allowed to harm any of the gathered out of malice. If you do there will be consequences.” The words faded once gain before revealing one last phrase.

“Good Luck.”

The words fade away one last time leaving only silence in their absence. The mortals shift awkwardly as they attempt to avoid the gaze of their parents. There was a modicum of comfort before, the idea of a clean slate between strangers that were their parents from the before they knew them before the gods knew of them, that unfamiliarity was appealing to the demigods but now their parents were here tumbling back in to their reality with the all the baggage and pain and anger wrapped and woven irreparably in to their existence.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

With a wave of their hands the gods from the future summon seating for themselves versions of their thrones from their time appearing and they seat themselves in silence.

 “Let us continue” Zeus booms, ignoring the frown that appears on the face of his future self, and passes the book over to Hera who eyes the chapter title in confusion. She then opens her mouth and begins.

      2. THREE OLD LADIES KNIT THE SOCKS OF DEATH

I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly.

“Wait what kind of weird experience” Rachel interrupted “like typical New York weird or like your typical Greek weird experience.”

“Um I’m not sure I never really like classified them they were just weird. I remember one time when I was, I think eight at the time, a market had been set up a couple of blocks away from my apartment and I went because I was bored. This lady I think had pulled me behind one of the stalls and started just muttering stuff. I can’t remember exactly what she said but I do remember something her saying something about birds and bridges and fireflies. This went on for like ten minutes and then she handed me something and just left me there.”

“What the hell” Leo said a look of disgust on his face.

“That’s so weird and so creepy what the hell” Piper said echoing Leo’s sentiments.

“You never told me about this” Sally said unable to keep out the worry creeping in to her voice.

Percy shrugged sheepishly “Sorry, you had to work early that day and you looked so tired when you got back so I didn’t say anything. Besides honestly I thought it was like a weird daydream or something.”

“Why would you think that wasn’t real I mean it was definitely creepy and concerning and weird but not like, our weird” Annabeth asked sweeping her hand across the room indicating the people occupying it.

“Yeah that wasn’t the weirdest part and I thought it was a dream because of what happened after she left.”

“What happened after she left” Hazel piped up obvious concern coloring her words.

“The thing is I could have sworn that she had handed me an apple when she left. When she held it out for me to take it looked like a bright red apple, and it felt like one in my hand but when I looked down at it after she left it was brown and rotted but it wasn’t soft. It had cracked in my hand the pieces falling away and on to the ground and something had burrowed out of whatever the hell it was.”

“I didn’t actually see anything other than it’s eyes. Everything about whatever it was is hard to remember but its eyes are hard to forget. Anyways it flew away after that and a dropped whatever the hell it came out of and kind of watched it sort of just melt in to the sidewalk. I walked out from behind the stall, and I couldn’t find any trace of her, which was weird because it’s not like she could have gone far so quickly she had only walked away like a minute ago and I would have seen her. The market was big and you could see super far up and down the little lines of stands and it wasn’t that crowded yet so she couldn’t have like blended in to the crowd.”

His voice started to trail off at the end while he said this caught up in memories of the deep black hair, a pale iron grip on his wrist he struggled uselessly against, the scent of honeysuckle and smoke sweet and charred burning his nostrils and cold ice blue eyes that paralyzed him in place as a voice that crackled like flames devouring wood whispered words of destiny and emptiness and destruction in his ear. He blinks shakes his head and smiles.

“It was so weird I thought I had made it up. I’m still not sure if it was real or not but it doesn’t matter. The point is I’ve been experiencing weird things since I was little eventually you learn to kinda just brush it off and move on” he finishes with a shrug and turns towards Hera ignoring the concerned and curious gazes of those around him pointedly refusing to say more.

Eventually Hera clears her throat and catching everyone’s attention and they all turn away from Percy and focus back on her as she continues on.

This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr—a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip—had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.

Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.

Rachel snorted “think that’s bad try experiencing that literally all your life.”

Sally nodded sighing at her own memories of these sorts of experience.

Percy frowned “gods all your life, that had to suck, I was genuinely so scared that I was going insane and after the “you’re crazy” looks people kept giving me I thought I was going to pull my hair out or scream or something and that was only after a couple months. I don’t imagine dealing with years of this.”

Rachel sighed “Yeah I really don’t want to stir up old memories but seeing monsters and creatures that other people can’t for your entire life is a good way to well get in to some not fun situations. After a string of less than welcoming therapist I learned to keep my mouth shut about the stuff I saw.”

Sally nodded as well “I understand that. I remember when I was about eight or nine and I told one of my teachers about the “big black dogs with red eyes” I kept seeing. They tried to perform an exorcism on because apparently that was a sign that I was possessed. Not a great experience. After that I quickly learned not to talk about the things I saw, but I was also never sent to another catholic school so that was nice.”

“So that’s why you didn’t want me to go to a catholic school.”

“Yes, they’re probably different now but I was still a little hesitant to send you too any.”

“That’s fair.”

“I never got exorcised but I did have to go through quite a few mandatory therapy sessions and psychologist visits. It’s part of the reason my parents were so unhappy with me. Having a crazy daughter wasn’t great for their reputation” Rachel muttered bitterly sadness and resentment filling her voice and eyes. Reyna leaned over placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and Rachel smiled back at her gratefully.

It got so I almost believed them—Mrs. Dodds had never existed.

Almost.

“Oh Grover what are we going to do with you” Thalia said shaking her head in mock disappointment.

Grover scowled “What makes you so sure its me.”

“Because I know you goat boy and you are a horrible liar.”

Grover rolled his eyes “I know Thalia you already said that.”

“Percy also mentioned that you were the only reason he didn’t think he was going crazy last chapter” Nico pipped up.

Grover glared at Nico while the others snickered at his annoyance.

But Grover couldn't fool me.

“Called it.”

“Shut up Thalia.”

When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.

Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum.

“Yeah you almost got slashed to death a fury who you then proceeded to slash to death.”

“Thank you so much for the unnecessary recap Leo I really appreciate” Percy said rolling his eyes.

“You’re welcome” he replied with a cheeky smile.

“What do you mean fury” Poseidon spoke up looking at his son.

 Percy stared at Poseidon in confusion then turned to his friends.

“Does this mean that the Fates didn’t explain the first chapter to them and one of us is going to have to explain it.”

There’s silence, and then “Not it” rings out from every mortal in the room and they turn to stare at the past gods expectantly.

Athena sighed “Fine” she said “after this chapter I’ll brief” she glanced un easily at the future version of the Olympians and “them on the previous chapter.”

I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.

Grover frowned whipping his head around to stare at Percy “I didn’t know you were having nightmares especially that often. Is that why you stopped sleeping.”

Percy shifts uncomfortably in his seat swallowing down the remnants of terror clawing its way up his throat from the book. “I guess” he answered “I mean there were other reasons I was worried about school and other stuff but the nightmares weren’t exactly helping.”

Grover winced guilt churning in his stomach especially at the look both versions of Poseidon were sending him as they felt their child’s fear and stress. He had already talked to Percy about this on one of those nights where he had been bored out in the wild alone on his trips and IMed Percy for some company, but he had never told him how bad it was. He resolved himself to apologize to him again maybe during their next break.

The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.

I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.

Poseidon winced “Ah I should apologize for that I fear my anger at that time may have been effecting you negatively.”

Percy waved it way not really wanting to argue “its fine it doesn’t matter anymore I did better next year anyways.”

Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.

The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.

Piper raised an eyebrow “Really that’s all that seems fairly tame compared to your other escapades”

Grover snorts at that “Because that’s not the only thing he said, Mr. Nicoll just didn’t report the rest, probably too embarrassed”

All eyes turn to Percy who is trying futilely to disappear in to the cushions of his chair.

“What did you say” Annabeth ask eyeing him with curiosity.

“Um nothing important I might have been a little rude but it wasn’t that bad,”

There’s a flash of light above Grover’s head ad a palm sized clear orb falls in to his lap and a note floats down gently afterwards. He places the orb to his side confused and examines the note.

“It says hold it and think about what happened in the classroom” he says confused but moves to pick up the orb anyways. He examines it closely then his eyes fall closed and he slumps against the back of his seat.

“Grover” shouts of alarm ring out from Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth as the leap up starting to make their way over to their friend. Before they could reach him a beam of light shoots up from the orb in his hand and widens forming a rectangle. It flickers and an image of a classroom is suddenly being projected.

“The hell” Percy mutters staring wide eyed at the screen.

Voices begin to leak from the screen a short thin white man with thinning rust red hair and brown eyes narrowed dangerously at the students in front of him stands leaning over his desk hands splayed out upon the surface. He’s grits his teeth and hisses out something at whoever he’s talking to and the subsequent reply floats through the room.

“I already told you I don’t know how to spell it can I sit down now.” The image flickers to a young child standing up behind a desk black hair a mess as he alternates between tugging at the strands, twisting them between his fingers, rolling his bright green eyes at the man lecturing him and scanning the students who are watching the interaction with palpable interest.

“Is that you” Leo says incredulously turning towards Percy who nods and watches the screen with wide eyes.

“Well maybe if you actually put in even the slightest bit of effort instead of sleeping in my class and actually studied, you’d have passed my test with higher than a 47”

“I don’t sleep in your class, I sleep in history, and I did study.”

“Your obviously lying considering you’re average in my class but then again maybe you are telling the truth and I doubt even if you did study, you’d be smart enough to actually get a passing grade.”

“Woah what” Jason starts incredulously at the words of the teacher “Can he say stuff like that.”

“Better question” Hazel spat furiously “why would he say something like that at all in front of the class no less.”

Both Annabeth and Sally turn towards Percy inquiringly who only stays silent continuing to stare at the screen as the event plays out.

Percy starts at the teachers’ words and immediately the red floods his face under the deep copper of his skin darkening it slightly. His fist clench on top of the table and he ducks his head down. He doesn’t see the smirk Mr. Nicoll sent his way and muttered something under his breath.

Mr. Nicoll’s eyes narrow further, if possible, “what was that Mr. Jackson speak up” he barks out.

Percy grits his teeth “I said I did study and I told you at the beginning of the year that I-“

“That’s enough Mr. Jackson I told you my policy that very same day, every student gets the same treatment in my class I will not make special exceptions for children who make up problems to absolve themselves of responsibility for their poor choices.”

“Ugh” groans ring out through the room from several of the gathered demigods at his words.

“He cannot be serious” Piper says looking annoyed.

“Why do they always say that it’s literally in the DSM both ADHD and dyslexia are literally diagnosable things why do they always say that” Leo rants.

“Because they’re idiots, simple” Clarisse bites out rolling her eyes at the familiar words from Mr. Nicoll.

“I swear they all say the same thing though like you’d think they’re having meetings or something” Piper mutters.

Both Athena’s raises an eyebrow at the children’s anger and open their mouths to ask “I take it” Apollo starts ignoring the glare both Athena’s shoot him “that this is a normal occurrence.”

They shift a bit uncomfortable about his inquiry “Not normal really” Piper starts “like not that it happens everyday.”  

“But it’s not exactly uncommon either” Leo finishes.

“Well” Athena huffs “teacher’s should not act this way they’re meant to guide students and be an encouraging presence not tear them down for needing help.” Athena nods in agreement with her future self and Percy flinches ever so slightly still staring at the screen in silence.

“I didn’t make it up” Percy shouts in frustration “you can ask my mom she said-“

“Mr. Jackson” Mr. Nicoll cuts in once again “I frankly do not care what your mother has to say on the matter, she’s clearly not educated enough about this to make that decision and she does not run this classroom. I do, and I don’t care if your mother lied to you”

“My mom’s not a liar.”

“Clearly she is, entertaining your ridiculous delusions letting you be a lazy uncaring worthless presence in this school and not teaching you how to actually contribute something useful to the classroom. Not only is she a liar but she’s a bad parent. Perhaps it’s to be expected, she never went to college is that correct. Clearly you got your laziness from somewhere. Typical of your types of people.”

“How dare he say that shit about Sally” Thalia shouts gritting her teeth in poorly restrained fury. Nico nods in agreement his lips pursed tight like he’s trying to restrain himself from doing something he’ll regret. Poseidon looks on at the screen in fury gripping the arms of his chair.

“That was so messed up what the heck” Frank mutters eyeing the screen with barely concealed anger.

Sally in contrast only stares at her son as he shakes in anger the scene obviously bringing back unpleasant memories. She lays a hand on her son’s shoulder, and he whips his eyes away from the screen to stare at her. A silent conversation passes between them for a few moments before Sally unable to ask aloud why he didn’t tell her. He sends her a shaky but reassuring smile turns back towards the screen and leans away from his mother closer to Annabeth who glances towards him for a moment then focuses her attention back ahead wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Percy glares at his teacher in trembling with poorly concealed rage, ignoring the eyes of his classmates who had been watching the interaction like a tennis match.

“Don’t talk about my mom like that” he shouts.

Mr. Nicoll stays silent “I am only speaking the truth Mr. Jackson” his tone shifting suddenly to a mocking mask of gentleness and concern. “You have to let go of this unearned desire to be special if you want to succeed in this life. If you just apply yourself and stop making up excuses you could be something, like me instead of ending up like your mother. What is she again a mere candy store employee married to a deadbeat appliance manager, you don’t want to end up like her, do you.”

Percy by now is practically vibrating with anger narrows his eyes and bares his teeth at his teacher in a bitter approximation of a grin. “Why would I want to end up like you, an ugly teacher who has to take bribes from the parents of kids who don’t even care enough about you or this class to even pretend to try, divorced after you’re wife figured out you were cheating on her with a 25 year old who was just using you for your practically nonexistent money, four kids who you don’t even talk to because they realized your attitude is shit and don’t like you enough to deal with you’re crappy attitude shitty stories and your halitosis.”

“You’re a sixty-five-year-old man who gets off on bullying one of your students, a child who is fifty-three years younger than you because you feel like you have no control in your pitiful excuse of a life. You’re ugly, you’re sad, you’re alone and you’re an old sot with a shitty personality and horrible life that you 1000% deserve.

He stares down his shocked teacher in silence for a moment before he says “Now why would I ever want to be like you.”

A chorus of “oooohs” rise up from the group of students as they quickly whip their heads to turn towards Mr. Nicoll in anticipation.

Mr. Nicoll stands in front of the class his face a deep shade of red, from anger or embarrassment. “Jackson” he roars “To the Headmaster’s office. Now” he grits out the final words and Percy moves around his seat eyes fixed on the floor grabs his backpack from where it hangs on the wall and walks out the classroom slamming the door behind him.

The room is silent and then laughter explodes out across the room.

“Oh my gods that’s gold, wow” Leo says doubled over in laughter.

“Holy hell I wish I could have told my teachers off like that iconic” Piper says laughing herself.

“Percy that was actually incredible oh my god” Rachel said turning towards Percy tears of laughter falling from her eyes.

A weak smile spreads across his face at the laughter of his friends “yeah I uh guess it was pretty funny looking back.”

Nico pauses his laughter at his tone and turns to stare at Percy. He catches his eye and Percy offers him a smile and waves away his concern. Nico frowns but turns away.

“More importantly” Percy begins prompting the laughter to quiet down, “What was that.”

“It probably shows memories” Annabeth said watching as Grover slowly wakes up rubbing his eyes with his hands. “The note said to hold it and think about what an event so it probably pulls from memories or something like that at least.”

“Correct” the words float over the center of the room once again then fade away.

“But why” Annabeth ask directing her question towards the center of the room.

“Yeah this seems like a lot of power” Nico pipped up.

“We deserve to get some entertainment from this experience too.”

 Silence ,“okay moving on” Leo said.

With that Hera continues.

Fine, I told myself. Just fine.

I was homesick.

I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.

“Wait you had a step father before Paul” Thalia asks curiously.

Percy nods.

“Why don’t you ever talk about him did something happen to him” she asks.

He scowls “I don’t talk about him because he was an asshole and he died a bit after my first quest.”

“Oh” Thalia said awkwardly “that sucks.”

Percy scoffs “Yeah sure.”

And yet... there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he'd survive next year without me.

I'd miss Latin class, too—Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.

“That does sound really beautiful” Hazel said with a smile “its nice that you things” she gestures to Grover “and people to miss even if so many of things there were horrible.”

Percy laughs a bit, brightening after being bogged down with feelings of bitterness and homesickness from the books. Leave it to Hazel to focus on the bright side of things “Thanks Hazel.”

As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.

“You really should study for more than just Latin seaweed brain, you don’t want to prove the teachers right do you” Annabeth whispers next to him with a sigh.

Percy frowns “what do you mean” he whispers back his tone even and clipped deliberately keeping his eyes off of her.

Annabeth frowns noting the flatness in his tone “I mean” she whispers back leaning towards  him “that if you studied the teachers wouldn’t talk about you like well you know.”

“What makes you think I don’t study”

“The book just said that-”

“Yeah I didn’t study for their stupid test after I got functionally kicked out of the school excuse me for not wanting to give them anymore of my time.”

“That’s not what I meant you know that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what exactly did you mean Annabeth.”

Annabeth frowns glaring at Percy pushing away from him folding her arms over her chest. “Don’t get angry with me you know what I meant.”

Percy goes quiet as she pulls away bitterness and anger swirl and mix in the pit of his stomach and he can’t decide if they’re coming from this conversation or from the book. Eventually he sighs deciding that an argument isn’t worth it.

“You’re right I’m sorry. If its any consolation this was ten years ago. I’m better now.”

Annabeth raises an eyebrow examining him for a moment then smiles and leans back in to his arms. “Sure you are seaweed brain especially because you have me to keep you in line.”

Percy manages a smile “yeah” he whispers and drops a kiss on her forehead and focuses back on the reading.

The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.

I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.

“Ah” Percy sits up pulling at his shirt “That was a metaphor what the hell.”

Both Poseidons pat at their shirts in discomfort shifting in their seats.

The others in the room stare at them all in confusion.

“Um Percy” Frank ask hesitantly “you okay.”

Percy looks up from frantically tugging at his shirt “Um I’ll explain in a bit” he says awkwardly sitting down “let’s just continue.”

With one last confused look towards Percy and the Poseidons Hera continues on.

I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.

I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.

I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.

Sally looks over at her son with pride. She knows how difficult that must have been for him especially considering how horribly the teachers had apparently been treating him. Something he hadn’t decided to tell her about. She frowns at the reminder, she needs to remember to talk to him about that especially` because it didn’t seem like a rare occurrence.

I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.

I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "... worried about Percy, sir."

I froze.

I'm not usually an eavesdropper,

“Oh really you’re not usually an eavesdropper huh Percy” Nico says raising his eyebrow. “You sure about that.”

Percy rolls his eyes “shut up Nico.”

“Denial isn’t healthy.”

Percy threw a cushion at him which he proceeded to dodge snickering to himself.

but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.

“I mean I definitely would listen in if I heard my best friend talking about me behind my back to a teacher but I actually do consider myself and eavesdropper” Leo said weirdly proud about that fact.

I inched closer.

"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too—"

"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."

“Why would he decide that” Reyna ask gleaming that Mr. Brunner was most likely someone important considering his involvement in Percy slaying the Fury. “You already saw the monster almost died and killed it, I think it would be weirder not to rush you. In fact it would probably be more beneficial for you to have been briefed on the situation. You could have spent the rest of the school year training instead of whatever you were doing.”

Percy shrugs “I don’t know why he thought it was a good idea you’d have to ask him.”

Reyna turns to Grover raising an eyebrow who puts his hands up in surrender shaking his head.

“I don’t know why either I just did what he told me to do.”

Reyna frowns and sighs in exasperation muttering something about Greeks and poor planning.

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline— "

"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."

"Sir, he saw her... ."

"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."

"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion.  "You know what that would mean."

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall—"

“I can not believe you heard this entire conversation, why didn’t you say anything” Grover said.

Percy only shrugs smiling.

Grover rolls his eyes and sighs he feels like he’ll be doing that a lot during this reading.

The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.

“Wrong move never give away your position when doing recon”

Percy blinks “Clarisse it wasn’t recon.”

“Don’t question my advice Prissy” she growls.

He lets out an astonished laugh “Yeah okay.”

Mr. Brunner went silent.

My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.

A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.

I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.

A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on.

Apollo gasped “It’s Chiron” he says in surprise. “What is he doing there he almost never goes out searching for demigods these days. At least not since we were in England a couple of decades ago.”

His gaze turns to Percy who bristles under his stare. “What changed” he demands. The idea of Chiron leaving behind camp for months is seems just to seek out one demigod. Either the demigod population has drastically decreased or this demigod before him was incredibly important to the future.

“I can’t tell you, it’s a spoiler” Percy replies expression carefully schooled to not reveal his annoyance.

Apollo scowls but doesn’t ask for more clarification.  

A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.

Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."

The romans stared at the greeks in confusion who avoid looking at them.

“What happened on the winter solstice” Athena asked turning to her future self deciding the demigods wouldn’t be able to give her an answer.

Athena opens her mouth to respond pauses then closes it shaking her head. “I’m afraid we can’t tell you anything either.”

Athena scowls but accepts the answer and stays silent.

"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..."

"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."

"Don't remind me."

The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.

I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.

Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.

Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.

"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"

I didn't answer.

"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Just... tired."

I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.

“I wouldn’t have needed to read your expression anyways.”

Percy sighs clearly familiar with this conversation “I know because you can read my emotions.”

Grover snorts “No because you wear your heart on your sleeve you’re so terrible at hiding how you feel.”

Percy flushes and sputters out “I’m not that transparent.”

Grover smirks “sure you’re not.”

Instead of responding to his comment Percy very subtly flips him off and Grover has to stifle his laughter at that.

I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.

But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.

“You are literally always in danger, we all are its called being a demigod” Thalia says.

“I know Thalia.”

“Especially with you, somehow you’re always in some kind of trouble.”

“Okay we get it.”

The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.

For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.

"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best."

Frank winces “This doesn’t sound like its going to end well.”

Percy sighs and nods. Grover winces “Yeah Chiron is really bad about at pep talks. This was very painful to hear.”

His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.

Jason groaned “why do the teachers keep having these talks in front of everyone its like they’re trying to humiliate you.”

Percy shifts uncomfortably “I don’t think he meant to embarrass me.”

“What he meant is irrelevant” Sally chimes in seething at hearing how Chiron singled out her son. “The point was how it affected you. Chiron is several thousands of years old he should be self-aware enough to not single out a child in front of his classroom to give him a horribly worded pep talk.” Sally turns to face her son staring him down “you have a right to be angry at what he did. Especially considering how thoughtless his words were.”

Percy opens his mouth to defend Chiron but spotting the look on his mother’s face decided its better not to say anything.

I mumbled, "Okay, sir."

"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."

“Wow” Thalia groaned “this just keeps getting worse.”

“Yeah” Piper agreed wincing “this is hard to listen to.”

My eyes stung.

Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.

Subtly Percy attempts to wipe the tears welling up in his eyes swallowing down the lump welling up in his throat. He forgot how much this had hurt him when it happened. Shame and embarrassment burned under his skin at the reminder.  At the time it had felt like the one teacher who thought he was worth working with, worth going to bat for, who thought that he had the ability to actually succeed had just told him that actually he wasn’t able to do anything, that this was the inevitable outcome all along. It felt like a confirmation of all the horrible things the teachers had said about him.

Worst of all both version of his father were staring holes in to him as he skillfully avoided their eyes. The reminder that they could feel everything he had felt at the time, the embarrassment, the shame, the insecurity felt like to much to handle and had him sinking down in to the cushion face on fire and cursing the fates.

"Right," I said, trembling.

"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be—"

"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me."

"Percy—"

But I was already gone.

“That was bad someone should teach Chiron about pep talks” Leo said shaking his head in disappointment.

“I’ll talk to him when we get back” Annabeth said with an annoyed sigh,

Percy smiled kissing her cheek which made her smile in turn.

On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.

The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents.

“Percy you were not a juvenile delinquent” Sally scolds.

“Mom considering my record I absolutely was.”

“Most of those were not your fault.”

“But a couple were, remember the thing with the chair.”

“Wait” Rachel asked curiously “what thing with the chair.”

Percy winced “I kinda threw a chair at a kid.”

“YOU WHAT” half the room exclaimed.

“Yeah” Percy drawled nervously tugging at the hairs at the back of his neck “not my best decision.”

“You are so telling me more later” Rachel said excitedly.

Leo stared at Rachel “you’re weirdly excited to hear about that.”

Rachel shrugged “I like drama.”

The Aphrodites giggled “Yes” Aphrodite said “drama certainly makes things more interesting.”

“Not when it gets people killed” Artemis said with a scowl.

Aphrodite waved it away her concerns “minor details.”

Artemis sighed “I see you don’t change in the future” she says glaring at Aphrodite who only smiles and bats her eyelashes revealing in Artemis’ annoyance.

Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.

Hermes raised his eyebrow “I don’t think we’re nobodies, maybe your mother but we are gods. I don’t think anyone would consider us nobodies.”

Percy scowled at the slight at his mom but one look from her had him biting his tongue to keep from snapping. “I didn’t know you guys existed so in my mind well.”

Hermes nodded and said nothing.

They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.

What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions,  and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.

“Wait what” Sally exclaimed peering to the side to stare at Percy. “You never told me you were working over the summer. Besides worrying about school was my job never yours.”

Percy ducked his head down looking guilty and stayed silent.

Sally shook her head “Percy you weren’t meant to be working over the summer we had that conversation before.”

“Mom its fine” Percy pipes up interrupting her “I promise I was safe I just knew I would be bored staying at home and waiting for you to get back.”

“I thought you would have spent most of your time exploring you always loved doing that.”

Percy laughs a bit though it sounds off, strained like he was holding back something particularly unpleasant “yeah but that gets boring after a while.” He smiles at his mom and tries to appear relaxed “I never did anything big I just helped some of the neighbors with random stuff or ran errands for some of the more local shops or sold magazines. Nothing big and it was easy, just something to pass the time.”

Sally frowns eyeing her son. There was something he wasn’t telling her and a cold tendril of fear was curling in the pit of her stomach climbing its way up her chest. She had a horrifying suspicion of what he may have been hiding from her and that chilled her to her core. She shook the thought from her head and tried to pay attention. But it still unnerved her, Percy didn’t like lying especially to her, if there was something he didn’t feel comfortable telling her. No. She wouldn’t think about it.

"Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool."

They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.

The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.

During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.

“I did I never noticed that” Grover said curiously.

“Yeah, you always seemed weirdly nervous back then. I mean I get the real reason now but back then I just thought you hated being teased” Percy responded.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.

I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"

Grover nearly jumped out of his seat.

“Yeah cause you scared the crap out of me. I was so worried that you’d like figured everything out and I had let Chiron down or put you in danger or something.”

Percy winced “sorry G-man I just wanted some answers I didn’t actually mean to freak you out like that.”

He pauses “well I didn’t mean to freak you out that much I was a little pissed at you keeping things from me. I felt like a bit of revenge was necessary.”

Grover laughs a little at that “I did kind of deserve it.”

"Wha—what do you mean?"

I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"

“Oh not much my ass” Grover says glaring at Percy. “You heard practically everything.”

“Well I didn’t exactly know how long you guys had been talking you were gone from the room for a while” Percy defends himself.
“Plus” he mutters “its not like overhearing you guys helped at all I was still confused and freaking out.”

Grover winced as his more sensitive ears picked up his mutterings. “Sorry” he mouthed.

“Its whatever” Percy mouths back.

He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..."

“You’re still trying to keep up the ruse, seriously” Reyna says throwing up her arms in exasperation.

Nico examines her curiously. “Reyna” he starts cautiously “are you okay.”

She scowls “I despise the secrecy there is literally no reason for this information to stay secret in fact it makes more sense for someone to just explain to him what the hell is going on.”

Percy smiles apologetically towards Reyna “Sorry Reyna you’re probably just going to have to get used to it. Most people don’t ever explain what’s going on to me they kind of just expect me to figure it out on my own.”

Reyna groans putting her head in her hand in annoyance.

Annabeth frowns “I tell you stuff.”

Percy tenses and fights the urge to roll his eyes. “Yeah you were probably the only one” he drawls not really wanting to insight another argument.

Annabeth nods satisfied and smiles kissing his cheek like a reward.

"Grover—"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."

"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar."

“See” Thalia exclaims triumphantly “Percy agrees with me.”

Grover sighs “okay Thalia I get it.”

His ears turned pink.

From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.

The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:

“Wait” Rachel ask, “if most of the demigods have dyslexia why is it in a script that’s hard for your eyes to read.”

The demigods turn to each other, then simultaneously they all turn to face Dionysus and stare.

Dionysus catches their gazes and he stares them down in return. This goes on for about two minutes the demigods and Dionysus watching each other in silence. Before the demigods turn away whatever silent conversation going on between them over.

Everyone else watched this in confusion and after a moment Hera continues.

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"What's Half—"

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."

My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.

"Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion."

He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me."

"Why would I need you?"

“Percy” Annabeth exclaims slapping him across the arm.

Percy winces at his words and rubbing his arm to soothe the sting.

“Crap I never apologized for that did I. I’m sorry Grover, I really didn’t mean it that way.”

Grover shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “Dude its fine I knew what you meant besides you didn’t need me.”

“Of course, I needed, need, you. You’re my best friend. Besides who else is going to keep Annabeth and me out of trouble. Or to help me and Rachel come up with a workable cover story to take down those oil companies and M*nsanto.”

“Wait when have I ever needed either of you to keep me out of trouble” Annabeth exclaims then frowns. “And what’s this about a cover story.”

Simultaneously Rachel, Percy and Grover call out a quick nothing avoiding the subject.

Annabeth narrows her eyes glaring at Percy but lets it go.

It came out harsher than I meant it to.

Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you."

I stared at him.

All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.

Grover winces again reminded how much his decision had affected Percy. He had no idea how bad the nightmares or his worries had been for his friend.

"Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"

“Oh you know the usual hordes of monsters a couple gods a few worse things the usual” Jason said sarcastically letting the bitterness seep in to his words

The gods strategically refusing to comment on the statement while the gods stare in confusion.

There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.

“What” Annabeth says startled “why did it stop all of a sudden.”

Neither Grover nor Percy answer her and she frowns.

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.

We were on a stretch of country road—no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.

The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.

“Wait what” Sally says confusion shifting in to panic “you never told me about this.”

“It wasn’t that important” Percy responds.

“You saw the Fates before you even knew you were a demigod and you never told me” Annabeth hisses gripping the arm thrown over her shoulders her fingers digging in to his skin.

Percy winces fighting the urge to tug his arm away as her nails bite in to his skin.

“I’m sorry okay I forgot it wasn’t important at the time.”

Her frown deepens and her fingers dig further in to his arm before quickly releasing him. She shuffles away refusing to look at him and he rubs circles in to his arm soothing the irritate skin where her nail made indents in his skin.

He sighs “I’m sorry Annabeth, I should have told you. I really did forget.”

“You forgot” she grits out “how could you forget something so important. Are you stupid?”

He sighs again choosing not to respond turning towards his mother instead.

“I’m sorry mom.”

Sally hesitates a moment swallowing down her panic, reminding herself that this was years ago. Its nothing to worry about. She knows Percy he’s to stubborn to die any time soon. A breath in, she counts to three and then lets it out.

“It’s okay. I understand” she says carefully. “You didn’t know.”

Percy stares taking in his mom’s expression then he nods and turns away accepting that she really is okay.

I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.

All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.

The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.

Sally’s breath quickens momentarily and she tries to swallow down her panic.

Percy reaches over pulling her in to a hug. “It’s okay mom, I promise you don’t have to worry about me dying. Not anytime soon at least” he mutters.

Sally nods trying to stamp down the fear, the fear she’s felt ever since she first held him in her arms and he whimpered in discomfort at the bright fluorescent lights blinking above him after exhausting his energy crying for the first time. The fear that she’d out live her child, that one day she’d have to bury him young barely in to adulthood.

For now she reminds herself. He’s here, he’s safe, he endured, he survived.

I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.

"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man—"

"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"

“Probably not the best time to joke Prissy.”

“Yeah yeah” Percy replies “I didn’t know at the time okay.”

"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors—gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.

"We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."

"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."

"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.

Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for—Sasquatch or Godzilla.

Leo snorts prompting many glares to be directed his way. He raises his arms up as if shielding himself from their ire. “Sorry sorry I know its serious. Percy’s thoughts are just really good at breaking the tension.”

“Speaking of breaking the tension” Percy pipes up “why socks and not like a blanket or a tapestry or something.”

Apollo answers. “The Fates appear in whatever form they choose typically the appear in what they believe is easier for a person to process or their form has some sort of symbolic meaning. Most likely it was easier for you to process a group of old ladies knitting together than whatever else they could have appeared as. Now the socks are most likely just a bit of fun for them. As you may have noticed they like for their task to be even a little entertaining. They probably thought you seeing a group of old women knitting a giant pair of socks would have been funny. Or there some symbolism that none of us are privy to” he ends off with a shrug.

Percy raises an eyebrow “So the Fates foretold a death by knitting a giant pair of socks because they thought it would be funny” he remarks slowly.

Another shrug “Probably.”

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.

The passengers cheered.

"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"

“That was probably something important wasn’t it” Leo inquires with a wince.

“Probably” Grover answers “I doubt there was actually anything wrong with the bus it was probably just the Moirai messing with it

“That’s probably not good”

“Yeah now that I think about we probably shouldn’t have gotten back on that bus” Grover contemplates aloud.

“Well nothing we can do now” Percy interjects with a shrug.

Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.

Percy shivers a bit once again feeling feverish as an effect. He tugs at his hair again and tries to ignore the effect.

Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.

"Grover?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you not telling me?"

“Everything he’s literally not telling you anything at all” Nico says

“Yeah” Percy says sounding exhausted.

“Sorry” Grover says again.

“I already said its fine you don’t need to keep apologizing you know.

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"

“Close, they’re similar although you could argue that the Fates are more dangerous” Annabeth chimes in.

Percy nods not saying that he already knows this.

“This would have been the perfect time for you to inform him exactly what the hell was going on” Reyna spouts in frustration.

“It’s okay Reyna” Percy says amused.

“It’s actually not I’m not letting this go” Reyna scowls.

Percy shakes his heading trying to hide his laughter.

“If you want I guess.”

His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw."

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."

He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost—older.

He said, "You saw her snip the cord."

"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.

“Your instincts are pretty impressive” Hermes comments. “It’s impressive that you’ve managed to sense the importance of this.”

Percy blinks “thanks I guess.”

“You’re welcome” he says brightly.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

"What last time?"

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."

“Grover” Thalia sighs “you’re going to freak him out if you talk like that.”

“Yeah I figured that out later” says Grover

“I’m sorry” Percy says guiltily.

“No” Grover says resigned “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have freaked you out like that. I would have honestly made the same decision if I was you.”

“But still I did kind of make everything worse.”

“Sure you could say that or we could agree that Chiron should have explained everything and most of your problems would have been solved.”

“Are you guys really putting all the blame on Chiron” Annabeth ask.

“Yes.”

“No.”

Grover and Percy glance at each other then turn back to Annabeth. “Well” Grover starts “I’m putting the blame on Chiron Percy is being his usually overly forgiving self.”

Percy frowns “what do you mean overly forgiving.”

“I mean exactly what I said.”

"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."

This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.

"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.

No answer.

"Grover—that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"

“Huh” Hazel says impressed “how’d you figure that out so quickly.”

Percy shrugs “I mean there were only so many things that could make him freak out like that and honestly as weird as it felt being around them they didn’t feel dangerous so I doubted they would hurt me. Plus he didn’t really start freaking out till he saw them snip the cord so” he trails off shrugging again.

“That’s almost impressive” Annabeth mutters. “Now if only you’d put that kind of thinking to use all the time.”

He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.

“What flowers would you use for my coffin.”

Grover blinks in surprise “I don’t know maybe daisies or something.”

Percy frowns “daisies really.”

“What do you have a problem with my flower suggestions.”

“Yes actually I hope by the time I die you can come up with something more creative. I like Azaleas or Irises or something.”

“Fine Percy when I plan your funeral I’ll use Azaleas.”

“That’s all I ask.”

“Can we stop talking about you dying please” Sally asks looking a little queasy.

“Sorry mom.”

Hera clears her throat “Who would like to read next.”

Hestia smiles “I will sister.”

With a smile aimed at her older sister Hera stands and brings the book over to her.

Chapter Text

“Wait” Hades interrupted before Hestia could begin. “Apologizes sister but I had assumed we would be informed about more of the nature of this task and the space we are in as well as the things we missed.”

Hestia smiled warmly at the future version of her younger brother, she always had a soft spot for Hades considering he was the first person she had met during that long disgusting and bleak period in their father’s stomach. “It’s quite alright Athena was meant to explain somethings to you to catch you up with our current predicament. And” she added turning to face Athena “I hope she will not mind if I assist her.”

Athena nodded her agreement stiffly and gestured for the future gods to come closer so they could listen.

As the gods convene together the mortals slip back towards the doors each of them concluding that whatever happens between the gods won’t be pretty and deciding that they do not want to get in to the middle of it.

They all gravitate towards a single door, a smooth simple cedar red door, which Piper proceeds to open. Together they tense wondering what to expect as together they step through the doorway in to a large circular room with couches and beanbags and armchairs scattered around. It opens in to a ridiculously long hallway with, surprise, several doors set in to the walls.

They stare and shrug as they step further in cautiously. The group breaks some stopping to examine more of the doors nearest to the first entrance some continuing farther down the hallway.

Somewhere near what Rachel thinks is the middle of the corridor Rachel pauses examining the door in front of her. Something about the shape, the color, a bright gorgeous emerald green, feels familiar. She stares eyes tracing the outline and catching on the small scratches near the very bottom left part of the wood. Her eyes widen in recognition.

“Wait a damn minute” she mutters reaching towards the door know and twisting and pushes. The door sticks and the familiarity of this makes her shudder. She presses her weight against the door and pushes it open and steps inside.

“Oh my gods” she mutters eyes raking over the familiar surfaces before her. The large king-sized bed flooding with pillows that takes up a majority of the space, the empty canvases propped carefully in the corner the string of lights over the doorway the scattering of over flowing laundry which she forgot to do the canvas planted on an easel in the center of the room over a tarp splattered with the beginning of her latest creation, its all here.

She steps toward the canvas reaching out and running her hand over the edge of the tape outlining the drawing she’s filling in. Her tip of her finger comes away stained with purple and gold. Its wet, almost as wet as when she left it to dry just before she slipped on whatever random pajamas were scattered amongst the clothes covering her floor without bothering to shower to tired to keep her eyes open for much longer and climbed in to her bed. As wet as she imagines it would still be when not an hour later she had opened her eyes to a blindingly bright light which beckoned her closer and eventually enveloped her entirely.

Overcome with relief and at the same time thoroughly creeped out she steps away from her painting and out the doorway. She beelines to Percy who is examining a closed door (shocker) the light tan color of birch. She stops before she can grab his arm and drag him in the direction of her room deciding that she actually doesn’t want to get punched today and instead steps in front of the door he’s staring at.

“I’ve gotta show you something” she says and Percy nods and allows himself to be dragged by her towards her discovery. She stops at the door and pushes him in front of her and he rakes his eyes over the doorway. He turns the knob and pushes at the door which gives easily (because of course it does stupid ridiculously strong demigods) and steps inside.

And immediately turns to leave because what the hell. He turns to stare at Rachel in surprise

“Is that your room?” She nods and her shoulders slump in relief. Even now with the knowledge that all the crazy things she’s seen over the years are in fact very real she still has trouble trusting her eyes and her head when things get a little too unbelievable. She appreciates the confirmation that she’s not hallucinating from Percy.

He blinks at her agreement “that’s so weird.”

“I know right super weird.”

“And a bit creepy” he adds.

“A little more than a bit.”

They’re silent for a moment and then they both rush down the hallways yelling for everyone to come together and then run back to Rachel’s door which now has the name Rachel inscribed in the wood.

“Why are you both screaming down the hallway” Reyna asked once they all gathered around the two shouting young adults her voice laced with exasperation.

“Look” Rachel simply said motioning towards the door they are standing in front of.

The group inspects the door together and Jason’s eye catches on the inscription inlaid in the wood.

“Is that your name” he ask turning towards Rachel.

She nods “yeah, it appeared there after I opened it and realized it lead straight in to my room.”

“It what” Sally exclaims in shock.

“Yep” Rachel replies twisting the knob and leaning her body to push the door open.

The group moves cautiously in to the space examining it in its entirety. Eventually they file out many of them who had been in Rachel’s room once before visibly shaken.

“There’s even that hole in the wall from when you threw that hammer at me” Nico mutters.

“Wait she threw a what at you” Hazel exclaims looking back and forth between Rachel and Nico.

“Don’t worry about it” Nico says waving away her comment.

“If that’s your room Rachel” Reyna ask turning away from Rachel’s door and motioning towards the others “does that mean these lead to our rooms.”

“I don’t know” Rachel shrugged “probably.”

There’s silence as they take in that information.

“Hey Piper” Leo says a mischievous smirk spreading across his face “I bet I can find my room before you find yours.”

Piper stares quietly at Leo for a moment before an identical smirk grows on her face. “You’re on” she says then rushes down the hallway away from Leo who shouts that she’s a cheater and rushes after her.

The remainder of the group stares after them before “I bet I could beat them both” Clarisse growls and runs after them as well.

A beat of silence

“Not before me” Frank shouts running after her

“I’ll find mine first” Hazel shouts rushing past him.

Soon there’s a flurry of movement as everyone minus Sally, Grover, Thalia, and Rachel rush past each other frantically turning knobs and pushing at doors trying to wrench them open to find theirs. Some doors refuse to budge when pushed and there’s a shout of frustration from some as they frantically move on to the next one.

“Found a kitchen” someone shouts over the rush of sound and movement.

“Oh here’s the bathroom I was wondering where this was.”

“Is this a pool what the hell.”

“Oh, I found mine” Hazel shouts stepping back out of an open door and shutting it watching the amber letters carve themselves in to the black door.

“Mine too” Frank shouted before turning to Hazel. “It’s right next to yours” he said with a smile and Hazel beamed back.

“Found mine” Piper shouted, “Leo come here for a bit.”

Leo nods rushing over. Piper turns around in her room waving Leo inside. “What’s up” he asks.

Piper points towards the corner of her room “Look in the terrarium Mack’s here too.”

Leo looks towards the corner of the room in shock. His hand runs across the wall groping for the light switch. He hears the click and the room floods with white light illuminating the terrarium. Inside a long green body coils around itself in the sand laid across at the bottom of the enclosure.

“My plants are here too” she said nodding towards the line of succulents across what would be her window sill.

“Where does that lead” Leo asked pointing towards the window in laid in to the wall covered by a short black curtain above the sill.

Piper shrugged and Leo walked past her towards the pulling open the curtains. Leo freezes as he takes in the scene behind the glass. His eyes take in the swirling vortex of color. It’s bright and streaks of green and blue and all manner of color pass over the window. The colors swirls in to circles combining together and breaking apart in a shower of sparks. It’s beautiful, it’s terrifying and Leo can’t look away.

Piper noticing Leo frozen staring out the window and takes a look outside the window herself. Her eyes widen at the scene before her and she pulls Leo away and frantically pulls the curtains shut.

“Leo” Piper asks in concern and puts a hand on his shoulder. Leo blinks shaking his head and clearing away the fog from his mind.

“I” he stutters out looking between Piper and the window in confusion. He clears his throat and breathes out a nervous and high-pitched laugh “let’s um not look out the window.”

Piper nods “let’s go tell the others about Mack I know a few of them have pets too and they should be prepared.”

Leo nods and walks out the room followed by Piper just in time to hear the muffled shout of “fuck” from down the hall. They glance at each other in confusion and walk towards the noise.

They find Percy leaning against a wall glaring down at a small furry and sleek body of dark black fur. Ears twitch atop it’s head which turns and bright yellow eyes stare down the two people who just entered the space.

Piper snorts as she takes in the scene “so” she starts her voice colored by amusement “I see you figured out the whole pets thing.’

Percy turns his scowl to Piper and her smile transforms in to a full-blown laugh. She kneels down cooing at the cat that preens at her attention. She runs the knuckle of her finger across the cat’s face and she purrs at her feeling. Piper’s smile softens at the noise and Percy sighs.

He leans down and scoops up the cat in to his arms. “Hi Midnight” he coos and she meows at his acknowledgment. Midnight rubs her face against Percy’s cheek and he rolls his eyes.

“This demon” he starts scratching under Midnight’s chin “practically leaped out of my room when I opened the door. Scared the actual hell out of me.”

Leo laughs reaching down to scratch behind the cat’s ear after Percy placed her down on the ground. “How do you think they got here” he asks standing back up straight and turning to the others.

“That’s what I’m wondering” Piper says “I mean my room looks like they ripped it straight out of the wall, and then there’s the window.”

“The window” Percy interrupts in confusion.

“Man it was wild” Leo says. “There were all these colors and lights and it was wild it looked like a paint explosion or like those color pictures of galaxies and stuff.”

“That’s” Percy pauses frowning “weird” he says finally.

They nod and Percy turns away scooping up Midnight and walks towards the other end of the hallway and slips through the door. Leo and Piper both stare at where his figure had retreated too in confusion and then follow behind him. A few of the other’s eyes latch on to their movement and move to follow them. Before Piper can reach forward to twist the knob the door flies back open and Percy steps back in to the hallway.

He lets out a weary sigh shaking his head and says “They’re still arguing.”

A chorus of groans echo among the group at the revelation.

“Can we go back to sleep then” Grover asks catching the other’s attention. Percy turns his focus to his friend seeing the exhaustion weighing heavily on his shoulders and for the first time since they got here the dark bags under his eyes. He surveys the rest of the people gathered and notes the stifled sighs and their drooping postures.

He shrugs “I mean I doubt they’ll stop anytime soon we might as well sleep while we can.”

Percy watches the relief ripple across the faces of everyone as they all turn towards their respective rooms muttering various goodnights. Annabeth stalks towards him leaning over to places a goodnight peck on his cheek when Midnight lunges forward in his arms.

Annabeth reels back startled by the movement and just barely avoiding the outstretched claws. She scowls glaring at Percy who is backing away and rubbing under Midnight’s chin and gently cooing for her to calm down. Her ears are flat against her head and her body is arched awkwardly in his arms trying in vain to make herself look bigger and she’s hissing as Annabeth steps away from them.

“I thought you were gonna get rid of that thing” she snaps and Percy sighs wearily and holds Midnight closer to his chest.

“She’s not a thing Annabeth she’s my cat and I already told you I’m not getting rid of her.”

“You told me you would you know I don’t like it.”

“That’s not the point I love her and she helps with everything, you know that. I keep her away whenever you’re over anyways.”

“So now a stupid cat’s more important to you than me.”

Percy steps away from the door nervously scooting past Annabeth tracking her movements as he makes his way to one of the armchairs in the center of the room. He settles in to the cushion and lets Midnight perch herself in his lap. Annabeth swears the cat glares at her from her place in Percy’s lap.

“I didn’t say she’s more important than you, just I care about her and I don’t want to get rid of her. Besides you know she was a gift and a really thoughtful one at that.”

Annabeth’s scowl deepens if possible and she seethes at the reminder. “So you’re saying I don’t give thoughtful enough gifts.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Then what is it Percy you know I hate that thing but you still keep it around. It’s like you don’t care about how I feel.”

“Annabeth of course I care about how you feel but I don’t want to get rid of Midnight. She’s not staying with you or anything she stays in my room when you’re over. She barely interacts with you and she’s never hurt you.”

Annabeth’s expression goes blank before she smiles sweetly at Percy. “Percy she almost took my eye out just now. She’s not safe to be around she’s practically feral there’s no reason for you to keep an animal like that around you or me. It’s better for you both if you just get rid of her. Trust me.”

Percy frowns as she says this and tugs at his hair in frustration. They’ve had this conversation before. Every time Midnight so much as breathes in her vicinity she’s chastising Percy for how violent and untrained she is and telling him to get rid of her. Percy refuses each time and she then acts shocked whenever she IM’s him or comes over and Midnight is still there in his lap or perched on his sofa and then the argument starts back up again.

He’s exhausted with this constant argument and part of him is ready to give in. But then Midnight will purr in his laps on the days demanding his attention whenever he can’t sleep or she’ll rub against him on the days he wakes up after a grueling and terrifying nightmare or she’ll pester him on the to sit and cuddles on the days when his anxiety makes him feel like he’ll explode if someone so much as breathes on him wrong and any thoughts of leaving her at a shelter or with a friend fly away.

“Annabeth I’m sorry she took a swipe at you it won’t happen again but I’m not getting rid of my cat.”

“Percy” she says with a smile sweetly shaking her head in coy exasperation. She walks in front of him and leans forward over to place a kiss on his forehead ignoring the low hiss that Midnight lets out “I love you” she whispers close to his ear and Percy feels his cheeks burning as her breath crest his ear “and I know you love me and if you’re going to be moving to San Francisco we won’t be living in a place that allows animals especially cats.”

She pulls away and her smiles falls “Get rid of it” she says with finality and walks away heading down the hall. Percy listens as her foot steps fade away and strains his ears to hear her door slam shut.

Immediately the tension rapidly exist his body and he leans over burying his face in Midnight’s fur. He chokes back a scream of frustration before sitting up and rubbing his hands over his face.

“Percy” someone softly calls and he looks over to see his mom standing near the front of the hallway. She’s concerned he can tell by the way her lips are pressed in a thin line and her eyebrows are knit together. He wants to smile to reassure her that he’s alright but al he can offer her is a weak nod acknowledging her presences as his fingers knit themselves in to the fur of the cat laying in his lap in an effort to soothe himself.

He doesn’t look up as his mom walks over and kneels down at the side of the arm chair.

“What was that about” she ask softly staring at Percy questioningly from where she kneels next to him. Percy shakes his head unable to answer her. He feels drained his mouth feels like it’s full of cotton and his tongue feels like it’s made of lead heavy and awkward. He doesn’t feel like he has the energy it would take to speak and answer her.

Sally frowns picking up on her son’s mood and settles herself on the floor besides Percy. Her hand hovers above him for a moment and settles on his thigh. She feels him tense and she pulls away quickly.

“That didn’t sound good” she whispers breaking the suffocating silence between them. “Are you okay” she finally asks and the question hangs charged in the air between.

Percy frowns and nods his head slightly still not saying a word.

“Do you have this argument often” Sally says her voice deceptively even and the words laced with ice.

He nods again and Sally feels the old embers of anger begin to burn in the pit of her stomach. The fire travels up and sears her heart and climbs up her throat. With a shake of her head she swallows the emotion focusing instead on her continued interrogation of her son.

She trails her eyes over his form he’s practically limp like his light has been sucked from him and methodically practically automatically cards his hands through Midnight’s fur. His eyes are unfocused and his breathing is short and clipped.

Yes or no questions only then, Sally thinks. Percy most likely won’t be talking for some time.  

“Does she know how she helps with your nightmares?”

Another nod and the anger roars to life once again.

“And she’s still trying to make you get rid of her.”

Another nod and Sally swallows some very choice words.

“Do you want me to talk to her.”

He shakes his head and Sally sighs in resignation.

“Okay do you want me to leave.”

Percy doesn’t move at the question. He’s frozen for a moment before he gently pushes Midnight out of his lap and stands up. He reaches a hand down and his mom grabs hold and is pulled up by her son. He pulls her in to a hug and whispers a goodnight and heads back down the hallway with Midnight following behind him.

Sally watches his retreating figure whispers her own goodnight and heads back in to her room her mind a light with new questions about the Annabeth as she rethinks her opinion on her relationship with her son.

Chapter Text

Percy laid across his bed in silence his eyes tracing the winter constellations he had pasted upon the pitch black of his ceiling. Midnight was curled up by his head and Percy had awkwardly angled his arms in order to gently card his fingers through her hair. "I'm probably not sleeping tonight" Percy murmurs aloud to himself  sighing and shifting in discomfort to roll from his back to his side.

Midnight lets out a low meow at the disturbance and moves from by his head to curl herself in to Percy's side. Percy smiles as he feels her purring by his stomach and rereads the words on the posters on his wall.

Percy's hand falls away when Midnight starts squirming under his touch. His hand sits at his side and both Midnight in him lay in silence and stillness. His wall clock, a bright white spot in stark contrast to the dark posters and deep midnight blue paint on his walls, ticks away punctuating every moment of uneasy silence in the room.

Abruptly Percy sits up and slides quickly off the bed. He startles his cat who makes a noise of annoyance while watching him untangle himself from the he'd manage to kick around his legs in his haste. He breathes a frustrated sign throwing the blankets back on the bed and marching towards the door. On his way he swipes a deck from his bedside table and roughly throws open the door.

Midnight watches from the bed in silence her blue eyes shinning in the darkness and sleek black body curled around itself in to a ball. She cocks her head to the side and lets out a low meow. Percy pauses at the sound in the doorway and turns back. The smile he gives her is weak the edges sharpened by barely withheld frustration.

"I'll be back" he murmurs and the door clicks shut behind him Midnight's gaze burning his back.

He moves as quietly as he can down the long hallway and stops in front of the door leading out in to the common room. He strains his ears for a moment searching for the low murmur of argument muffled by the walls between the gods and demigods. Nothing. Cautiously he pushes the door open and steps in to the room.

It's empty the gods having grown tired of the argument conversation and retiring to their own quarters. Good.

He surveys the empty space eyes lingering on the still unmarked doors circling the room. He itches to open them to explore the spaces they haven't yet and distract himself from his racing thoughts. He sighs shaking his head and moving instead to the door he passed through earlier where he had his talk with his father. Or maybe it's his future father, a past version of his father? Whatever.

A moment later he's through the doorway pulling it silently closed behind. The bleached white rocks are smooth beneath his bare feet spattered and wet with the light spray of sea water. An inky black sky stretches out before him dotted with specks of silver light filtering down and illuminating the terrain. 

He breathes in deep relaxing as the wind and sea spray caresses' his skin. He can small the salt and taste it on his lip and frowns. The comfort the sea offers him is familiar but the difference between the ocean he stands in front of and the ocean he knows is palpable.

Cautiously he approaches the edge of the cliff and stares looks down. An ocean laps about ten meters below him the waves crashing on to the same bleached white rocks which he stands on. The peak above the water they stand in the silver light bouncing of the smooth surface.

Anchoring his weight to the surface clutching the cliff face tight between his fingers he peers further over the edge. The water below him shimmers in the darkness light bouncing from it's surface like fireflies. Initially as he watched the mesmerizing shimmering of the water below him he though the starlight was simply bouncing of the waves just like the rocks, but as he stares his eyes adjusting to  the low light he recognizes that the glow is coming from inside the water.

Something glows just under the surface of the waves. Green blue and red shine in the water. Craning his neck Percy looks as far as he can in to the distance. The light covers the entirety of the ocean below him. The scene before him looks like someone had grabbed the stars from above and poured them in to the water.

Overcome with the desperate urge to get a closer look Percy impulsively stands up, stretching his hand out towards the waves. There's a familiar pull deep in his stomach and Percy watches as a thin tendril of water stretches up swirling to meet his palm.

The water he burns with life in a way it doesn't back home. Usually the water he manipulates feels subdued, tired, lifeless. The older he got the more he noticed the hum of the ocean in his veins and then he noticed the lack of fight in the water.  but here it's practically buzzing with life. He can feel the crawl of existence under his skin and watches in awe as the tendril of water moves and flows completely independent of his will. It feels wild.

The tugging is replaced with a heat that burns in his gut and crawls up his arms to the tips of his fingers. He gasp his connection with the water faltering as it writhes under his palm and falls away as quickly as it had came

He watches enraptured as the water tendril slinks down rejoining the mass of water it came from and he can't shake the feeling that he offended it somehow.

"Weird" he mutters resolving to turn away from the water below him and focus on the reason he'd come here in the first place. Privacy to do that reading he's been itching to do since everything had finally calmed down.

He plops down on the rocks ignoring the chill that seeps past his clothing from the wind and water and sets his cards down. He unwraps the blue clothes that covers the cards carefully leaving the wrap to act as a barrier between the slick rocks and the cards. Lightly he traces the symbol he'd stamped on to the card. Taking a deep calming breath he drew four cards from the deck and placed them side by side. One by one he flips them over so the image faces him and frowns.

He stares at the card faces mind racing as he tries to evaluate what this means.

"So it was you."

 The voice cuts decisively through the sound of the crashing waves. Percy's head snaps up at the sound and he stands up muscles tensing body slipping in to the defensive.  He turns to faces the person who interrupted him. His eyes catch the glint of gold and his posture relaxes.

"Apollo" Percy breathed out relaxing as he took in the gods appearance. Long golden hair like spun sun rays pulled back from his face different from the cropped cut his other counterpart wore. He wore jeans and a t-shirt which gave off an effortlessly stylish vibe as usual. Apollo smiled, or rather smirked at Percy as he walked gracefully towards where he stood.

Percy scowled as Apollo stopped just in front of him. "You" Percy paused the words scared me on the tip of his tongue but he closed his mouth before they could pass from his lips while watching the corners of Apollo's . Annoyed he cleared his throat unwilling to give the bastard, god the satisfaction of startling him, something which over the years he's apparently taken great pride in.

Sighing Percy plopped down sliding towards the edge of the cliff face and dangling his legs over the side.

"What are you doing here" he said instead turning his head to trace Apollo’s movements, he ever graceful, as he stalked to his side and slide down to sit next to him.

Instead of answering the question Apollo simply gestured to the deck of cards Percy had wrapped in his lap.

"Only you would bother doing some divining in a place like this." Apollo chuckled as he felt the sea spray across his cheek from the wind. He glanced over to Percy watching the red blooming on his cheeks. Percy glared scowling his amusement and muttering a low shut up.

"So" Percy sighed tracing the embroidered pattern on the cloth covering his cards "did you come here just to bother me."

"I came here" Apollo started rolling his eyes at Percy's flippancy "because I sensed that someone here was trying to take a peek at fate." He looked pointedly at Percy who scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly

"I'm not going to explain myself."

Apollo smiled "I'm not asking you too. I am asking how your feeling about this whole reading your adventures."

Percy hesitated for a moment trying to figure out what he wanted to say.

"Nervous" he settled on finally. "Especially now that I know that we're reading my thoughts. I thought that we'd just be hearing I don't know details, like a short play by play or something about the details but these books feel way too ... personal."

Apollo nodded "that makes sense." he said. " I'd be a wreck in your situation, I'm rather fond of my privacy"

Percy raised a skeptical eyebrow turning to look at Apollo. His mind flashed through the large number of times that the god had been extremely willing to share way to personal details about his life and every moment he tried to invade Percy’s privacy.

"I'm sure you would be" he responded simply rolling his eyes."I'd hate to read your thoughts anyways, who knows what goes on up there."

"I'll have you know my thoughts would be very entertaining."

"Entertaining is one way to put I guess but i was thinking closer to ridiculous. "

"Your so mean to me sometimes."

"Good."

Apollo gasp his face contortions in to an overly exaggerated look of affronted. The faces coaxes a laugh from Percy. The expression falls from Apollo’s face replaced by a triumphant smile.

Percy's laughter calms after a moment and the smile slips from his face. "Why are you really here Apollo, cause I know it's not to rehash the same conversation about my quote unqoute "fascinating predisposition to divining the future" again."

Apollo rolls his eyes as Percy air quotes the last part of his question. "To be fair" Apollo starts and Percy groans knowing exactly where this conversation is going.

"Please don't" Percy says pleading with Apollo.

"It is fascinating. "

"Stop"

"And if you would just let me-"

"No."

"What if I said please."

"No Apollo I will not let you dissect me."

Apollo frowns crossing his arms and huffing like a child and Percy rolls his eyes at that reaction. "It's less dissection and more incredibly invasive surgery."

He raises an eyebrow "and how exactly was saying that meant to convince me. I'm not letting you operate on me for no reason."

Apollo’s frown deepens looking closer to a pout. "It's not no reason it's for the pursuit of knowledge. Which is important" he emphasizes poking Percy in his shoulder.

Percy shakes his head. " I don't care what reason you have your not performing invasive surgery on me. Why would you even say that."

"I cannot tell a lie."

"Okay Washington I'm sure that's was a lie. "

"Well George Washington was also a liar so it still works. But anyways I don't get why you keep saying no."

"Are you serious."

"You won't die."

"Comforting. No."

"I can make so it won't hurt."

"How sweet still no."

"I could just put you to sleep and then do it."

Percy turned to glare at the god. "Apollo" Percy warned "I swear that if I wake up one day to find out you fucking dissected me, I'm murdering you."

Apollo chuckled good-naturedly shifting under the demigods glare uncomfortably. "I'm immortal" he offered as rebuttal.

Percy merely raised an eyebrow studying the go's before him. "And why" he said slowly narrowing his eyes "would you think that would stop me."

Percy stares at Apollo and catches the brief flash of shock on Apollo’s face before it disappears leaving only blankness behind. A small bubble of satisfaction swells in his gut and he can't stop the smile spreading across his face. Apollo is a god, and a rather old one at that, one who's been around for more than a millennia. Shocking someone like him always makes feel a bit triumphant like he's won some unspoken game between the two. Its like he can prove to the god that he's one in a millennium, someone who could be special enough.

Apollo's laughter interrupts his thoughts and Percy can feel the heat crawling up his throat and cheeks. Dangerous, he thinks to himself shaking his head as if he could clear away his embarrassment, thoughts like that are dangerous.

He turns away while Apollo continues to laugh at his side picking at the ground beneath him. He feels Apollo shudder and hears his laughter tapper off.

"Of course it wouldn't" he says wiping tears from his eyes still shaking with the remnants of his laughter "if anyone could it would be you."

Percy stiffens sucking in a breath at his words. He heard it just then, that frustrating fondness that's started to creep in to Apollo’s voice when he's talking to him. Since maybe two years ago Apollo's words have been sweeter than caramel peppered with a kind of warmth and adoration that Percy isn't sure how to handle from him.

It scares him this new effect he seems to have on the god.

"Only you could, and would dare to say that to me without fear of being smote. Percy Jackson I don't think you understand how much-"

"Ask what you're going to ask" Percy snaps ripping a pebble from ground and chucking it over the cliff side in frustration.

Apollo blinks staring at Percy who sighs scrubbing his hand over his face.

"I'm sorry" he mutters. At Apollo's silence he continues. "That was rude. It's just I don't like when people beat around the bush if you have something to say just say it."

Apollo nods seriousness over taking his previous playfulness.

"Why did you agree to this."

Percy blinks and gestures for him to go on.

Apollo turns away mimicking Percy's previous position and staring out at the crashing waves underneath the cliff.

"I don't know where we are, or what's up with these rooms and the books, or anything that's going on here. But I know creating and maintaining something like this would take a lot of power, more than the Morai would typically have ready at their disposal."

Apollo glances out the corner of his eye watching as Percy plucks up another pebble from the ground fidgeting nervously with it in his hand. He fights down the small smile threatening to creep on to his face at the movement. It's endearing really, he thinks to himself, how open he can be with how he feels sometimes.

Turning away Apollo continues. "It isn't often that they attempt to do something that could so drastically change the course of Fate, and it's not something they can do without some sort of contract in place to draw power from and keep Fate from snapping back to it's previously intended course."

Apollo turns fully to his side staring down Percy as he continues. "Contracts, or deals whatever you want to call it, have to be entered in to willingly. You can't force them upon someone  they have to agree. Which brings me back to my original question" he pauses watching for a reaction that doesn't come. "Why did you agree to this."

Percy is silent for a moment still twirling the rock between his fingers while he avoids Apollo's burning gaze. After a bit he sets the rock down and turns to him.

"I wanted to help. I wanted to make things better and I thought this" he gestures outwards towards the ocean and back towards the hidden doorway "was as good of a way to help as any."

Apollo shakes his head in disbelief and he laughs softly. "Of course you did, of course you just wanted to help. Of course your doing all this because you want things to be better and of course your going to throw your entire self, literally, in to this to make it better."

Apollo smiles softly at Percy his eyes shining with affection. "Sometimes Percy" Apollo murmurs so gently turning back to face the ocean once again and "you're really incredible." Percy shudders and stands up quickly.

"Don't say that right now" Percy hisses down at Apollo his face screwed in to an unreadable expression. "Please don't say it like making this contract was something admirable. Not right now."

Percy turns away running his hands through his hair in frustration. He holds his head in his hand scrubbing them up and down his face. He takes slowly breaths focusing on tamping down his anger.

Apollo stands walking in front Percy leaning forward and brushing the strands of hair from in front of his face. Percy flinches back startled at the touch and turns his face from him. Apollo frowns and steps back.

"I'm sorry" he says cautiously. "For touching you like that and for implying that the contract was something to admire. I bet you never expected it to end up like this, having your thoughts read allowed without being able to stop it to a room full of people isn't something happy."

Hesitantly Percy turns back to face him. He mutters an apology which Apollo waves away. "I don't regret making the deal, not really just I'm worried."

Apollo stays silent letting Percy finish. "It was supposed to be simple but things got so complicated so quickly and now everyone's here, and you’re here, and I feel like the surprises aren't going to stop anytime soon and that bothers me."

He gestures towards the door looking frustrated. "My friends don't need any of this. None of them deserve to deal with any of this, not again." He sighs and Apollo moves forward cautiously threading his fingers through Percy's hair. He tenses for a moment then relaxes letting Apollo card twist the loose curls around his fingers.

"Everyone is better now, it feels like the first time in a long time I've seen half of them crack a genuine smile. I don't want them to have to relive everything. I don't want to be the reason long heal scars are cut open again."

"I know" Apollo whispers gently tugging Percy forward and wrapping his free arm around his shoulder. "For what it's worth I don't think any would blame you for any of this. And I think things will get better from this, it'll be hard for some time but it will get better. I believe that."

Percy nods sniffling and discreetly wiping a few wayward tears from his eyes. "Thanks" he murmurs and Apollo lets another soft smile grace his face.

"And Percy" Apollo says as Percy pulls back and scrubs his eyes.

"What" he responds.

"I meant it when I said you're incredible."

Percy frowns opening his mouth to protest but Apollo holds up a hand cutting him off.

"Not because of the contract" he assures and Percy's mouth slams close. "But because you care so much, and because you're trying, even after everything you're still trying to make things better. That's something to admire."

Percy blushes deeply at Apollo's words and the look he's sending him. His mouth opens and shuts at a loss for what to say. Awkwardly he shuffles past Apollo towards the door. He hesitates his cheeks still colored a deep scarlet and glances back towards Apollo who's watching him with barely concealed amusement at his reaction.

"Um" Percy starts awkwardly his fingers flexing around the doorknob of the door he's standing in front of. "Do you want to some cookies, I'm bored and don't feel like sleeping so I was gonna make some."

Apollo smiles brightly. "Yes" he says excitedly rushing past Percy through the door.

Percy snorts rolling his eyes at his excitement following him through the doorway. "Calm down dude they're just cookies."

Apollo pauses looking appalled stopping and turning back to Percy. "Just cookies" Apollo says placing his hand over his heart and indignantly. "Percy my dear, take it from me your cookies are literally divine. The only ones that compare are the ones your mom makes."

Percy nods "First of all, was that a pun?"

"No comment."

"Right, and second you're right my mom's cookies are amazing."

"Yours are too."

"Sure they are. You're helping by the way."

"Aw why?"

"Because I'm not your servant."

"Fine."

----------------------------

The gods sans Apollo shuffle in to the common room heads held high in the face of their past and future counterparts and relatives. They stop taking in the scene before them.

The mortals had split amongst themselves sat upon the couches cushions and even the floor close to each other. They munch on cookies and various other foods and conversing jovially with one another. Occasional barks of laughter breaks through the chatter  punctuating the natural rise and fall of the noise. The gods ignore the idle jabber and instead all focus in on one person.

Apollo sits among the demigod smiling brightly attention held fast by Will and Nico. Will rambles as flipping through the photos on a worn camera sharing stories about each individual image with Nico occasionally chiming in with a smirk and chuckle that sends Will sputtering and pouting at whatever he interjected.

The gods from the future roll their eyes at the scene seemingly used to this sort of blatant disregard for Ancient Laws from the god. Zeus sends a brief glare towards Apollo who resolutely ignores. Zeus grumbles too exhausted to and to fearful of the Fates to bother picking a fight with him. He stalks stormily to his throne and sat down not noticing the amused and victorious glance Apollo spares him before turning back to his son's stories. 

His gaze stays fixed on his son save for the occasional moments he tears his eyes away from the bickering lovers towards Percy. He leans against the couch his arm thrown loosely around Annabeth who flips leisurely through some book he can't quiet see the name of and chatting with Reyna and Thalia.

He tears his gaze away when the he catches the smile, a beautiful bright lie spread across Percy's face, as Annabeth leads back in to his hold. He can feel Artemis'  gaze burning on the back of his neck. He keeps the smile on his face cursing himself internally at being caught.

Eventually Zeus  clears his throat drawing the chattering mortals to where he sits on a chair very similar to the man sat next to him. They both watch silently waiting for the group to situate themselves.

"Creepy" Leo mutters lowly from his place between Piper and Jason and the few others around him nod their heads in agreement.

"Well" Zeus said finally after a moment of complete silence "I think we should begin."

Zeus motions to  Hera who hands the book to Poseidon. He opens the cover and flips to the third chapter and begins

3 GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS

Immediately all eyes including Grover's turn to Percy.

"What" he says.

"Really Percy" Grover says raising an eyebrow "that's the title you go with."

"I didn't name it."

Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal

"Thanks for that by the way" Grover murmurs. "I thought you like died or something."

Percy winces at the confessions and sheepishly mumbles a sorry which Grover immediately waves away

I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to he sixth grade?"

Thalia shakes her head in mock disappointment. "I told you so" she starts.

Grover rolls his eyes at the reminder "I know Thalia"

Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up,

Immediately the demigods and Rachel burst in to laughter, even Sally hides her giggling behind her hand.

Grover groans burying his head in his hands "Thanks so much for announcing that to everyone."

Laughing Percy says "sorry dude but I didn't write this."

Grover raises his head from his hands to flip him off.

so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.

"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I told the driver.

Percy chuckles to himself as Poseidon reads aloud his old address. "Wow" he says "I do not miss that apartment. No offense mom" he says turning to his mother.

"None taken" she says "besides I agree."

She shakes her head and laughs a bit. "It really was awful there wasn't it, somehow the roof above the kitchen was always leaking to this day I'm still not sure what the upstairs neighbors  were even doing."

"Oh" Percy says suddenly "remember that time all the sockets like exploded just out of nowhere and the smoke set off all the fire alarms in the building."

Sally groans "yes. It took forever to get Mr. Pendleton to call the electrician, lazy old man, we didn’t have power for nearly three weeks in January."

"All the candles were nice though, you had so many it was crazy. Plus the gas still worked at least so we had heat some heat."

"Yes but the ventilation was so horrible it hardly even mattered. Not to mention how much snow we had that year."

"Well that was the year you taught me how to knit so at least we had a lot of really ugly blankets to keep us warm."

Sally sighs "That's true." She smiles again "thank gods for your grandmother's old stash of yarn, I don't think I've even made a dent in all that yarn she left me, even to this day,"

Annabeth frowns pulling away from Percy's embrace and angling her body so she could stare at him. "Wait you know how to knit, and you never told me about."

Percy looks confused at her question. "I'm sure I said something about it, besides that sweater I gave you on Valentines day was one I made you."

Annabeth's frown deepened "I didn’t know you made that sweater. You never told me."

"I'm sure I've mentioned it at some point."

"No you didn't."

"But I-"

"No you didn't" she says again emphasizing each word. "I would have remembered something like that."

Percy shuts his mouth deciding not retort and frowns. He swears he remembers bringing it up last week because he's been working on a project for Estelle and had wanted Annabeth's opinion on the color. Maybe he forgot to mention, he has been a little preoccupied with class and work, or maybe he saw Annabeth was busy and decided not to bring it up that day and wait till she was less busy , but she's always busy. Maybe.

"Fine" he says wearily "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He offers her a sheepish smile  as she settles back in to his arms. "I probably forgot I've been a bit distracted lately."

Percy hand settles behind her head twirling a curl between his finger tips and Annabeth relaxes in to the motion. He smiles a bit at her reaction and focuses back on the reading ignoring the still lingering confusion and doubt he feels.

A word about my mother, before you meet her.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

"Luckily" Nico said with a smile "you did eventually manage to get your book published."

Sally smiles and Rachel perked up at the mention of Sally's book.

"Yeah" she said smiling. "Plus your books is like really good, it would be a tragedy if the world had to exist without it published."

Sally's smile turned bashful, "thank you all of you." She turned to Rachel "I'm glad you enjoyed my book."

"I've read it too" Leo pipped up. "It is really good."

"Yeah" Piper chimed in, "I mean I'm still shaken up from that ending."

"Right" Will said "When you did the big reveal where Winter was a puppet under the Company the whole time. I actually screamed."

"It's true" Nico said with a scowl "he did scream, at 3 AM waking me up" he said gritting his teeth.

Will winced "I said I was sorry."

"No you didn't."

"Well I am sorry."

Sally laughed "I'm sorry that he woke you up reading Nico but I'm glad you enjoyed it Will."

Percy smiled at the praise his mom received. "It is a really good book mom. I'm excited for the sequel."

"Wait there's a sequel" Hazel gasped.

Sally chuckled "soon" she said.

Her response  induced excited chattering from the others before they all quieted down with a stern look from Zeus.

The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.

A small sad smile grew on Sally's face at the reminder.

I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile.

Poseidon perked up glancing over at his son in shock. He was just a baby at the time, he's surprised he even remembered that first (and only) visit at all.

My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad.

"Oh Percy I'm sorry" Sally said. "I never meant to make you feel like we couldn't talk about it."

"I know mom" he said "you just seemed so sad every time I brought him up that I didn't think you wanted to talk about him."

Sally shook her head "no I'm your mother you don't need to be concerned about how I feel about something like your father."

"It's fine mom I didn't really want to know about him anyways. I had you that's all that mattered."

Poseidon winced sinking a bit in to his seat.

She has no pictures.

See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.

Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.

"You picked up on that huh" Sally says shaking her head.

"Well you've never been the best liar."

Thalia laughs and Percy's head whips to her direction. "Why are you laughing Thalia."

Thalia shakes her head rapidly trying to stifle her laughter behind her hand. "No reason."

"It's cause you're a bad liar too."  Nico says casually. Percy turns to glare and him and he only shrugs in response. "What it's true."

"I am not a bad liar."

"You actually are" Grover said agreeing with Nico.

"He's right Percy" Sally said.

"Mom!"

"It's okay honey, since I'm such a bad liar you probably got it from me."

Some of the demigods snicker and Percy rolls his eyes.

She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid.

"You weren't that bad" Sally said.

"Mom I love you but we both know that's not true."

"How bad could you have possibly been" Hazel asked.

Percy winced "I got in to a lot of fights as a kid."

"Why" Frank asked frowning "you don't seem like you'd get in to fights for no reason."

"It wasn't for no reason some of the fights just ended badly"  he said carefully.

"What exactly do you mean by badly" Leo asked skeptically.

"I may or may not have sent a few other kids to the hospital a couple times."

"What!" they all exclaimed.

"You sent other kids the hospital, why?" Annabeth asked leaning back to stare at Percy.

Percy scowled at the question "Because they were jerks. I don't regret them getting hurt. Besides they're fine now."

"Like Nancy level jerks or-" Grover said.

"Worse."

Sally sighed "I still wish you hadn't gotten in to so many fights. I would have loved to see you make just a couple of friends at that age. That and I wish you had told me about how they treated you before you started fighting them."

Percy's scowl softens and he runs his fingers through his hair. "To be fair I was a really weird kid. I don't blame them for not wanting to be friends with me. I blame them for everything else though and it's not like I wanted to be friends with any of them anyways." At his mom stern look he added "but I guess I probably could have made a little effort to be friends with them instead of what I ended up doing."

 Percy smiled brightly at his mom and she rolled his eyes at him. He turned away laughing a bit ignoring the discomfort he felt at remembering his time in elementary school. He may have never told his mom the specifics of why he kept getting in to fights to a minimum even back then. He wasn't exaggerating when he said he did not want to be friends with any of them anyways.

"Look at you now though you're still really weird but now you have friends" Nico said with a smirk.

Percy rolls his eyes "thanks Nico."

"You're welcome."

Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano,

Thalia frowned "I didn't know you were married before Paul."

Sally face was blank when Thalia turned to look at her.

"Yes I don't like to talk about my first husband very much he was" she paused searching for the right words.

"We didn't get along as well I would like."

Percy scoffed at that and Leo looked between him and Sally curiously frowning at the look on her face.

"What happened to him" Thalia asked.

"He disappeared under mysterious circumstances" Percy said doing air quotes with his fingers.

Jason raised an eyebrow "Percy you didn't kill him right."

"I didn't do anything."

That made Sally smile.

who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nick-named him Smelly Gabe.

Apollo raised an eyebrow "Creative."

Percy scowled "I was five okay."

Apollo shook his head "No excuse."

Percy rolled his eyes.

I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.

Hazel face screwed up in disgust "That’s disgusting."

"And oddly specific" Frank added.

"But true" Percy said.

Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard.

Sally frowned in concern and glanced at Percy. She was starting to notice a pattern with her son in-spite of how early they were in the reading. It worried her how little he thought of himself.

The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... well, when I came home is a good example.

Poseidon sat up suddenly surprised by the shiver of fear racing down his spine which was almost immediately replaced by an even stronger surge of anger. Frowning he looked over at his son silently inspecting his tense posture and the way his face was deceptively blank despite him gritting his teeth.

This Poseidon thought to himself, seemed to be a sensitive subject he should not broach.

I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.

Percy's nose scrunches up in disgust when his nostrils are assaulted with the acrid scent of beer salt and sweat. He grimaces bringing his hand up to plug his nose in vain then sighs when it doesn't help. The scent makes him jittery an anxious energy sparking through his muscles and he bounces his leg to calm down.

Annabeth looks to him when she feels the movement of his leg against her side and she frowns. She places a hand on his thigh pushes down hard on it. Abruptly Percy stops and looks to Annabeth noting her frown. He grits his teeth and shifts his focus from the book to keeping still a little grateful for the momentary distraction. Annabeth smiles  lacing their hands together and snuggling back in to his side.

Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."

"Where's my mom?"

"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"

That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?

The demigods sit a little stunned at the greeting before Thalia breaking the silence says "why would you have money, you were twelve."

Piper nods her agreement and while frowning she chimes in "isn't he the one with the job, and the adult why was he asking you for money."

Percy rolls his eyes "to torment me" he says lightly. He keeps his gaze focused on Hera but his eyes are glazed over like he's somewhere far away.

Sally frowns "torment you" she asks in concern. Percy startles at his mother's voice and quickly shakes his head. "No, not really just" he hesitates scrambling for the right words to say. "He just didn't like using his own money for his games so he'd ask for mine, he said something about it teaching responsibility" his voices tapers off and he shrugs dismissively. "It's stupid and he was a jerk it doesn't matter."

Sally shakes her head "it's not stupid and it does matter. Percy any money you earned or I gave to you was yours. You were 12 you didn't need to learn responsibility. I wanted you to use that for things that made you happy, a video game or a toy or to go watch a movie. I'm so sorry I didn't notice he was stealing from you."

Percy stares at his mother in silence seemingly at a loss for words. After a moment he tries for a smile  "it's fine I should have told you, I guess it just wasn't a big deal at the time." Quickly he turns away avoiding his mother's worry.

"It is a big deal" Thalia says "Adults shouldn't steal from kids" she mutters bitterly.

Percy rolls his eyes "Thalia this was ten years ago it really doesn't matter at this point."

Hesitantly Grover mutters his name and Percy interrupts. "It's fine really it's over it doesn't matter." He scans the hesitant and concerned gazes of his friends and sighs. "Seriously it's fine lets just drop it and finish."

Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.

Everyone grimaces at the image. "What a flattering description" Hazel mutters sarcastically sparking a bit of scattered laughter. Thalia fake vomits which makes the laughter grow across the room.

"Gross he sounds like he only showers once a month" Leo said pinching his nose closed in disgust.

That sends everyone in to a round of cacophonous laughter.

"Yes, yes it was very funny" three voices ring out simultaneously from the center of the room. Immediately the laughter tapers off as people draw their eyes to the three smiling woman standing in the center of the room. The room fills with a tense energy as the mortals stare at the women on edge by their sudden appearance.

Hesitantly Zeus says "miladies what are you-"

"Hush now Zeus" Lachesis, "stop worrying we aren't here for you." She turns to look directly at Percy who scowls sinking farther back in to his chair.

The Fate's smiles grow at his reaction. "Stand up Perseus" Clotho says "and follow us" Atropos finishes. They move from the center and walk towards an open door leading in to an endless darkness. They stand on the outskirts of the doorway and wait.

Percy glares at the three but stands up and follows them. "Step through the door and wait" they say together when he stands before them. Body tense Percy walks through the door and they watch his body retreat in to the darkness before the door slams shut behind him.

The demigods stare at the open door. "Lady Fates" Sally ask nervously breaking the silence and the Fates turn to their eyes to her their smiles never falling.

"Yes dear" Atropos answers.

"Where did you take him" she asks desperately. She backtracks quickly "I mean if you don't mind me asking."

Lachesis laughs lightly "It's find dear we just sent him away from here for a bit. Letting him watch what's about to be shown would e cruel and we are many things but we are not cruel." This sends her and her sisters in to ravenous laughter and together they follow Percy through the same door.

The demigods glance between each other nervously. The groups startle at a flash of light that goes off in their periphery and they turn back towards the center of the room seeing a similar projection to the one created by the orb hovering in the space where the Fates were initially. Any residual chatter falls away and they all sit in silence and watch the screen.

*******

Percy stumbles through the newly appeared door mumbling curses under his breath with a scowl on his face. Annoyed he some colored powder from his shoulders and sighs. Eventually he'd brushes all the debris from his body and finally takes notice of the silence and the stares directed his way.

He looks back and forth between the silent group. He raises an eyebrow curiously "um hey."

Sally shakes her head snapping out of her shock. She offers her son a watery and tense smile.  "Where did you go?" she asks him and he shrugs in response. "It's not important" he says flippantly "what happened while I was gone."

Almost instantly the room went still at his question and Percy frowned glancing back and forth between the mortals who shifted awkwardly and the gods who stared ahead at him with blank carefully steeled expressions.

Confused Percy carefully and quickly rushed back to his seat next to Annabeth. Once he sat Hera cleared her throat ignoring the questioning gazes Percy leveled at each of the occupants in the room and continued.

He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer.

Dionysius' lips pressed together in to a thin line and his mind flashed back to the little boy still covered in grime and eyes still heavy with exhaustion. He remembers the hesitancy Percy greeted him with upon their meeting and with this new information about his step father.

He sighed lowly examining his hands in boredom. Despite how short his stay at Camp Half blood has been (comparatively of course he is a god after all) Percy was hardly the first child he's come across with notable disdain for his dominion over alcohol, although in Percy's case he'd always assumed it was the boy's unusually high sensitivity to magic and godly presence.

His eyes rove over Percy, who sits listening to Hera read with his arm wrapped around Annabeth and boredom apparent in his face and posture, with new interest.

Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our "guy secret." Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out.

Sally's arms wrap around her waist and her nails dig in to the flesh of her forearms. Her bottom lip wobbles and she bites down hard to stop it. Her eyes burn with un shed tears and she breathes in deeply to settle herself.

She felt eyes boring in to her skin and  she looked over to see her son staring at her. The worry so plainly present in his eyes causes something to seize in her heart and almost sends her in to another round of hysterics.

She failed him. She failed him. She. Failed. Him. And still he's staring at her like she's perfect, like she's the one who needs his protection. There's not a hint of resentment or hatred in his eyes even though-

She bites down harder on the inside of her lip and turns way ignoring the frown she knows will grace his features. She can't fall apart right now.

"I don't have any cash," I told him.

He raised a greasy eyebrow.

Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Thalia blinks then rolls her eyes. "Impressive" she mutters with a scowl. "Of course he'd be able to count all that in his head." Percy watches her curiously and she clicks her tongue in annoyance. "People like that always get what they want one way or another."

"Thalia" Annabeth says nodding her head towards Percy.  She grits her teeth consciously untensing her shoulders and reluctantly stays quiet. 

There's a beat of tense and awkward silence before the reading continues.

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy.

"Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here."

"He seems nice" Hazel says hopefully. A hesitant smile stretches across her face and she looks over to Percy for some sort of confirmation. He shakes his head and her smile immediately falls away.

"Am I right?" Gabe repeated.

Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.

"Fine," I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose."

"Me too" Nico muttered scowling.

"I actually don't think he ever won" Percy said thoughtfully.

Nico snickers "seriously" he says.

Percy nods and smiles "why do you think he always needed more money."

Almost instantly Nico's expression sours and he mutters a low string of curses. "Good" he finally hisses out his words filled with venom and malice. Will pulls him to his side and slowly pulls apart his fingers which were clenched in to fist lacing their hands together and drawing circles on the back of his hands with his thumb. Nico's slowly relaxes focusing on Will's gentle touch and the pattern he draws on his hands letting  go of the tension in his body.

Percy blinks at the rapid shift and watches the display between the two curiously.  Then feeling like he's intruding he quickly turns away still frowning.

"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"

I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.

Leo scowls digging his nails in to the callouses scattered across his palm. "I hate people who do that" he says thinking back to the some of his foster parents would shove his belongings in to the farthest reaches of their home as if to constantly remind him that their home was not and could not ever be his. The way they all but refused to make space for him in their lives and then after shutting him out of their lives they'd shove his things in to those damn trash bags without a single care for what they'd destroy and him off to his social worker only for him to do it all over again. He lost a lot of projects that way and one of the few photos of him and his mother that had survived the fire.

Piper lays a hand on his back and he blinks his eyes refocusing as he snaps out of his memories. He rubs his hands together stamping out the small flickers of flame that had started to spark across his finger tips and leans back against his seat once more and scowls.

I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.

Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.

But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic-how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone-something-was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.

Poseidon's hand moved from over his nose, which he had covered when his nostrils had practically been assaulted with the stench of old washed in cigar smoke and the week bite of old rancid beer, to his arms as he felt the chill Percy had described race through his body. He looked over to his son who had pulled Annabeth close and buried his face in her hair and he could just make out the tiny shakes that ran through his body

Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"

She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.

My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe.

Poseidon relaxes as the chill that had flooded his body is slowly replaced with a pleasant warmth and he smiles at Percy's description of his mother.

Percy smiles at his mom and she flashes him back a wobbly smile that immediately falls from her face when she turns away.

Percy's own smile falls from his face at his mother's actions and the feeling of wrongness that's been bubbling in the pit of his stomach ever since he got back from his meeting with the Fates becomes more prominent and he's more convinced than ever that something important happened while he was away.

"Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"

Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.

We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?

I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her.

Sally laughs lightly when Hera reads this line and her shoulders relax as she's filled with emotions she felt when she walked in that door choking out the ball of guilt sitting in the pit of her stomach

Percy turns to her and narrows his eyes playfully. "You knew" he accuse smiling and Sally nods.

"Percy" she says chuckling "I'm your mother I can always tell when you're hiding something from me." Sally then reaches over and ruffles his hair affectionately.

He scowls and pulls away. "I hate when you do that" he mutters reaching up to fix his hair which she tousled and Sally only smiles.

From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?"

I gritted my teeth.

My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.

Sally's shoulders droop at the mention of Gabe and she fights the urge to pull her son in to a bone crushing hug. The guilt she'd previously shaken off just seconds ago returned crashing in to her heart like a wave

breaking on the shore.

For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad.

Until that trip to the museum …

"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"

"No, Mom."

I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.

She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.

"I wish you had told me" Sally says lowly and Percy opens his mouth to explain. She shakes her head and Percy's mouth closes the words he was going to say dissolving like spun sugar on his tongue.

"I wish you had told me or I" she hesitates staring at Percy her gaze filled with a pain and a rage that wasn't there just moments before. "I wish" she continued "I had asked, I wish I had prodded you I wish I had noticed more in the phone calls and the letters you'd send to me."

She opens her palms and lets her face fall in to them. "I knew something was wrong" she said her voice heavy with guilt and Percy's frown returns while he listens. "But I thought" she looks up at him again and shakes her head blinking back unshed tears.

Percy listens to her taper off and frown at the slew of unspoken words he can see through Sally's expression.

"I wish you had told me" she says finally after a moment of heavy silence between the two. A ball of anxiety starts to grow rolling around in the pit of Percy's stomach. Something tells him she isn't talking about the Fury anymore and that thought makes him uneasy.

"But I understand why you didn't" Sally finishes and turns away to focus again on the reading.

"I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."

My eyes widened. "Montauk?"

"Three nights-same cabin."

"When?"

She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."

I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.

Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"

I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.

"I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."

Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"

"I knew it," I muttered. "He won't let us go."

"I'd find a way" Sally said firmly her lips pressed in to a thin line and the familiar glint of determination that Percy would see whenever she'd weave request so carefully in to her complements and bribes when she used to deal with Gabe's sour attitude burning bright in her eyes.  "I will always find a way."

"Of course he will," my mom said evenly. "Your step-father is just worried about money. That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."

Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip ... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"

"Yes, honey," my mother said.

"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."

"We'll be very careful."

Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip ... And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game."

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week.

Clarisse laughed "A part of me wishes you had" she said a fierce smile on her face.

Percy snorts "yeah, a part of me wishes I had to."

But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.

Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?

The question makes Grover wince immediately reminded of his conversation he had with Percy back during their first quest. Never before has he wished so much to take back something he said.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now."

Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement.

"Yeah, whatever," he decided.

"Wow I can't believe he missed that" Reyna mumbled in reluctant awe.

Percy smiled "for some reason he was never very good with the whole sarcasm thing. I don't know if I was being to subtle or he thought I'd just never have the guts to be sarcastic towards him but he never said anything."

The memories of some of his old taunts towards Smelly Gabe made him smile. His words, his sarcasm was like a shield, the one thing that Gabe could never snatch away not entirely.

He went back to his game.

"Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about... whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"

For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes-the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride-as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air.

Reyna raises a single eyebrow "I'm always a little shocked by how perceptive you are" she said shaking her head.

Percy smirked "Well when you deal with enough jerks in life and the constant fear of saying the wrong thing you get pretty good at reading people." The smirk slips off his face and he frowns "It hasn't always helped though. You'd think if I knew how someone felt it'd be easier to know what to say but nope."

Several of the demigods nodded their heads in agreement. "I understand exactly what you mean" Hazel said sighing. "Yeah" Leo chimed in "people will feel one way and then do things that make absolutely no sense like if you're so sad about not winning first place in the 7th grade science fair why are you suddenly talking shit about my project Jessica I didn't even win first place."

They nod again. "Yeah" Nico says frowning "I mean I don’t know anyone named Jessica but if you want me to move out the way why didn't you just say that instead of aggressively clearing your throat at me. For some reason people are just so against asking for things and its odd."

 "Right" several of the demigods said and began to sound off their own frustrating anecdotes about people feeling one way and acting another, or saying one thing and meaning something else until finally Hera cleared her throat and they all quieted down so she could continue.

But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken.

Apollo shook his head "demigods should never doubt their instincts especially if they're like you Percy."

Percy scowled "yeah well I wish you had told me that before I doubted my instincts and sent us all walking in to the path of a monster."

Apollo snickered "You're fine you lived and if you want I can remind you next time you sense something's wrong and choose to ignore at the expense of your life."

Percy scoffs "thanks I guess."

"What do you mean demigods like Percy" Frank asked curiously.

Apollo smiled "I'm glad you asked" he said excitedly.

"Oh gods" Percy muttered "here he goes again."

"Well Frank as you all might have figured out demigods have slightly heightened senses  beyond that of most mortals and this includes perception. Most mortals have at least a little perceptive in the spiritual sense when it comes to their futures. Their minds naturally and unconsciously take more notice of their surroundings, a consequence of growing older, and eventually learns to recognize patterns which helps it make small predictions about the future. Some mortals are more entuned with the world on a spiritual level so their predictions tend to be bigger and more accurate. Demigods have a slightly stronger ability to do this, that plus demigods natural disposition towards being woven so prominently in to Fate's tapestry means they are occasionally privy to the future on some level those would be the dreams you all tend to have. Do you understand?"

Frank nods slowly and Apollo smiles brightly at him. "Excellent" he says continuing. "Now Percy here is an interesting case I'm not sure if it’s a consequence of being woven so intrinsically in to so many of Fate's tapestries or maybe it's a hold over from Uncle P's time as a prophecy god or something else entirely but Percy's perception of the future is stronger than any I've seen outside of myself and my oracles. His perception I'd argue is strong enough to even be called prophetic at this point and I mean it's even moved on from his quest to his daily life. It's also why his dreams tend to be so vivid or at least that's my theory." He stops and glares at Percy who fights the urge to roll his eyes. "Someone" he says pointedly "refuses to let me confirm my suspicion"

"Wait" Apollo said interrupting his older self "what you said before about demigods perception being linked to their involvement in fate when did you figure that out."

Apollo's expression turns smug and he says voice filled with pride "it was actually one of our daughters who helped me to figure it out you'll probably meet her in about oh three decades or so she was looking in to the philosophy of-"

While the two Apollos ramble to one another Annabeth turns to Percy frowning. "You told him about your dreams" she hisses the nails on her hand which was laced together with Percy's digging in to the back of his hand.

He winces "He asked me one time I think while I was helping him with his task from Zeus or maybe after that I don't really remember."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed "so you just spilled your secrets cause he asked" she said squeezing his hand tight.

Frowning he nods "yes" he mutters. "I don't understand why are you so upset about this."

"Because seaweed brain you're talking to Apollo of all gods, and apparently you're talking often if that little exchange between the two of you is anything to go by and that's dangerous."

Percy sighed tiredly "I know Annabeth you're right but there's nothing I can do he's a god."

Annabeth's frown deepens but she nods. "Fine" she concedes her grip on his hands still tight and Percy squirms in discomfort "but be careful he's a god and more than that he's Apollo you know what he's like."

His eyebrows knit together in confusion before his eyes widen and then his shoulders droop as he lets out an exhausted sigh. "Annabeth if this is still about"

"No" she says sharply and his mouth clamps shut. "You already took care of that problem so no this isn't about that and don't bring it up again."

Percy breathes in deeply counts to ten and lets the breath he was holding out slowly. He turns away from Annabeth wiggling his fingers trying to shake of the numbness spreading through them from how tight her grip is. He looks towards Hera "Lady Hera may you please continue reading I think they'll" he says gesturing towards the two Apollo's still happily caught up in their own conversation "just keep going if you don't."

Hera nods clears her throat and levels a sharp piercing glare at both Apollos who reluctantly quiet down and then she continues.

 She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.

An hour later we were ready to leave.

Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking-and more important, his '78 Camaro-for the whole weekend.

"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch."

Frank frowned "but you wouldn't even be driving you were twelve."

Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve.

Percy chuckled "great minds" he said to Frank who smiled back at him sheepishly.

 But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me.

Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain.

As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the stair-case as if he'd been shot from a cannon.

Grover frowned and turned to Percy "you shouldn't be able to do that."

"What do you mean" Percy asked.

Dionysius spoke up "That gesture Perry Johnson" Percy scowled "was satyr magic demigods shouldn't be able to perform satyr magic"

"Oh" Percy mutters "I did not know that."

"How" Dionysius drawls out "were you able to do that."

Percy shrugs "I don't know it's not like it ever happened again so does it matter."

Dionysius stares down at Percy thoughtfully. "No Perseus" he says with finality "it does matter" and then goes silent.

 Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.

I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it

Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.

Annabeth frowned at the mention of the spiders. "I didn't see any spiders the last time I was there with you" she said.

Percy shrugged "Whenever we plan a trip to there I always go early and clean it to make sure there's no spiders."

Annabeth looked surprised, "oh" she mumbled leaning in closer to Percy's side.

She looked over at him "why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I didn't want you to be scared."

Annabeth scowled "I can handle a few spiders I'm not twelve anymore."

"I know" Percy said softly. "I just" he trailed off unsure what more to say.

"You don't have to do that anymore" Annabeth declared with finality and Percy nodded resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Whatever you want" he said simply and focused back on the reading.

I loved the place.

Sally smiled softly flashes of the memories both old and new she'd made in that cabin  playing through her head. The cabin was one of the few things her parents had owned and it was one of the things they had left for her when they'd died.

She remembered when she first entered the cabin. Her uncle had drove them to Montauk when she was fifteen and the moment she stepped through the door she knew the cabin filled to the brim with old weather beaten and dusty trinkets her parents left behind when they died, would be a second home to her. It's where she found the family photo album filled with pictures from her first few birthdays,, her parents wedding, even photos from before they left Peru for the US.

Her parent's had left little pieces of themselves in that cabin so much so that the cabin is her only real tie to them so her children loving her cabin just as much as she does is a dream come true.

We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad.

As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.

We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.

I guess I should explain the blue food.

"Wait" Piper said "do we finally get an answer to the great blue food mystery" she asked excitedly.

"Mystery" Sally chuckled.

"Yes" everyone responded and Percy rolled his eyes a small amused smile spreading across his face.

See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This-along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano-was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me.

Thalia chuckled "Nice one Mrs. Jackson."

Sally smiled "thank you Thalia."

"Wow" Leo said "I didn't expect that."

Jason raised an eyebrow at Leo "what were you expecting exactly."

He shrugs "I don't know just not that I guess."

"Leo" Percy says curiously "what do you imagine my life is like exactly."

Percy saw Leo stiffen his shoulders jerking up to his ears like he was trying to shrink down in to some imaginary shell and then he relaxed forcibly untensing his muscles. Leo laughs forcibly light and tinged with a bit of jagged nervousness "I don't know dad" he says shrugging.

Percy says nothing and turns away.

When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

Percy smiled softly "I always the stories you shared about them, sometimes I can imagine I know them."

Sally smiles wistfully "I loves sharing them, it helped me remember them as they were. Sharing my parents with you makes me feel like they're still here."

Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk-my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.

Clarisse sighs "none of us do" she says lowly a twinge of wistfulness in her tone.

"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."

Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud."

"I am" Poseidon says softly trying to catch Percy's eye. Percy frowned avoiding Poseidon's gaze who sighed in resignation.

I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.

"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ... when he left?"

All the demigods wince in sympathy.

She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."

"But... he knew me as a baby."

"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."

I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.

Zeus turns and glares at Poseidon who looks away.

I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me.

I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.

"It’s not stupid" Sally says gently. "It's not stupid to resent someone who's supposed to be there for you to care for you, for not being there. I've felt that way even with my own parents."

She looks forward catching the eye of her son and every other child in the room. "It's never stupid to want you're parents to be there that's something every child deserves."

The gods shift awkwardly at her words and the demigods say nothing avoiding their parent's gaze.

"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"

She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.

"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think ... I think we'll have to do something."

"Because you don't want me around?" I regretted the words as soon as they were out.

Percy hunches over clutching his stomach where Annabeth elbowed him. "Ow" he mutters. "Don't talk to your mother that way" she hisses."

"I know I know" he says quietly in response. "I didn't mean it that way."

"I'm sorry mom" he apologizes and Sally waves it away frowning staring at Annabeth.

Annabeth smiles up at Percy "good job" she whispers kissing him on the cheek and Percy sighs.

My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."

Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said-that it was best for me to leave Yancy.

Sally winces while everyone else turns to glare at Chiron shuffles awkwardly where he stands.

"Because I'm not normal," I said.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."

"Safe from what?"

Reyna sighs tiredly but says nothing. Now's not the time to chastise Sally besides she gets the feeling that she'll have plenty more chances to chastise the group for keeping information from Percy which seemingly will be a pattern in these books.

She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me-all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget.

During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.

"What" Annabeth frowned and looked back at Percy scowling "you never told me about this."

Percy frowned himself puzzled by her aggravation. "Why would I need to tell you about this?"

"You should have told me you met a cyclops I didn't know you saw monsters when even back then."

Still confused Percy ask "why would you need to know?"

Annabeth frowns hesitates a moment and then finally says "because I just should."

Percy drops a kiss on her forehead and doesn't respond.

Before that-a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands.

Percy sighs sadly "and they didn't even let me keep the snake" then he frowns.  "Wait I wonder if that's why all the kids were avoiding me?" he ask aloud.

Grover stares at him in mystification "you wanted to keep the dead snake you strangled in your sleep."

Percy nods "yeah I mean it was a very cool color it was black and had these really cool stripes on its head if I remember correctly. I wanted to take a bunch of pictures and then bury it in the park so I could visit it."

"A funeral" Piper asks slowly "you wanted to keep the snake you killed to have a photoshoot and then have a funeral."

Percy thinks for a moment then nods "yeah" he confirms then askes "is it that weird?"

"Uh yes" Piper says bewildered laughing a bit.

"Oh" Percy says surprised "that explains a lot."

In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.

I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.

"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy-the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it."

"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"

"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."

My head was spinning. Why would my dad-who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born- talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?

Reyna puts her head in her hands and groans.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."

"Not necessarily" Hermes says. "Camp Half-blood is a summer camp after all."

"At the time" Sally starts "I figured Percy's scent would be too strong to not stay at camp full time."

"I'd never not come home mom" Percy says.

Sally smiled ruefully "I know I just" she trails off.

"You were worried" Percy filled in and Sally nodded.

"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..."

She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry.

That night I had a vivid dream.

Apollo sits upright on his throne at the mention of the dream suddenly paying much more attention.

It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuck-led somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.

I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, No!

I woke with a start.

Apollo stared at Percy in new interest. "That's quite the dream you had what did it mean."

Percy looked contemplatively at Apollo for a moment his mouth twisted down with annoyance. "I can't" he answers finally "that would be a spoiler."

Apollo sighed glumly. "Fine" he says in resignation. "Tell me did you have dreams like this frequently" he ask instead.

Percy pauses thinking for a moment "yes actually" he says in startled "not usually as vivid though."

A smile spreads across Apollo's face "interesting" he murmured. Briefly Percy was of the time Thalia accidently (or so she claimed) shot an arrow in that had strayed to close to his face for his liking. The whizzing of the arrow as it sailed past him hitting the tree behind him with a resounding thunk isn't what stuck it his mind. Instead the small glint of silver that he caught in his peripheral, the shine of something beautiful and deadly that came rushing towards him at  a speed he can hardly comprehend. Apollo's smile ignited the same feeling in him and Percy shivered pulling Annabeth closer.

Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.

With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."

I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have for-gotten. Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.

Percy rubs his arms running over the goosebumps rising up on his skin and takes a shaky breath as the fear rises through his body.

Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice-someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.

My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.

Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... he wasn't exactly Grover.

Grover sighs "I would have loved to introduce you to the whole Satyr thing under less stressful circumstances." He pauses thinks for a bit then says "all though given the circumstances you handled it surprisingly well."

Percy blinks "um thanks I think."

"Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?"

"Well its not like he actually knew something was wrong considering someone was keeping him in the dark" Reyna said glaring at Chiron.

My mother looked at me in terror-not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.

Percy shakes his head "I still can't believe you guys were talking behind my back" he mutters.

Annabeth glances up at him "they were trying to help you, if you learned about being a demigod before then you'd probably run out and do something stupid and impulsive."

"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"

I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.

"I'd really rather you hurry up and go with Grover seaweed brain you can process later" Annabeth said not turning to Percy.

He frowned wondering whether this "talking to him like he's still in the situation the book is describing" was going to be a normal thing so he could prepare himself.

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled.

Hera stopped reading and frowned. "Language" she chided to Grover. "The last thing you need is to gain my husband's attention while you're looking after the sea spawn."

"Uh sorry" Grover said bemusedly. Both Heras nodded accepting his hesitant apology and Hera continued reading missing the dumbfounded look Grover sent to Percy who only shrugged in response.

 "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"

Nico frowned "wait what do you mean right behind you" he asked in confusion. Will patted his arm "probably a monster honey."

Nico rolls eyes "I know it's a monster I meant why is it following Grover I thought most monsters didn't attack satyrs, unless it's a cyclops."

Grover shrugged "I found it when I was still looking for Percy it was sniffing around the beach looking for them. Percy had mentioned where the cabin was before so I figured he was there and just ran to it. It was never after me I just got in the way."

Percy winced muttering that Grover was never in the way and went silent again.

I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on-and where his legs should be ... where his legs should be ...

My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now!" I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.

She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!

Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.

Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves

"How dramatic" Leo sighed.

"That's the end of the chapter" Hera said sternly. She turned to Ares. "you read next" she ordered and Ares frowned but didn't argue. She tossed him the book and he opened to the next chapter and began to read.

Chapter Text

Ares looks up towards the demigod after he reads the chapter title with suddenly much more intrigued by the chapter he's reading. "Bull fighting" he drawls a grin spreading across his features feral and sharp. "So you kids bumped in to the minotaur, am I right."

"Kid" Sally muttered  and Percy's lips were pressed tightly together his features blank a painstakingly crafted calm. Sally glances towards him worrying her lip between her teeth.

"Uh yes lord  " she says in place of her son who's hands had unconsciously drifted up to Annabeth's hair lightly tugging and twirling her loose curls between his two fingers. She frowns batting his hands out her hair and he settles for  clenching one hand tightly together at his side. 

Ares lets out a laugh that thunders through the room and carries the same viciousness as his smile. "Interesting" he starts "finally we get to see what sort of skills this little demigod" he spits out glaring at Percy who stares unblinkingly back "has to show us."

Ares nods his agreement with his counterpart and leans forward in his chair in interest.

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.

"I couldn't actually see much" Sally admits "but I've driven along that road more than I care to admit and I knew the way to Camp was mostly straight."

"You knew the way to camp even before you took him" Hazel asks.

"Yes" Sally sighs. "A little after Percy was born before I sold the car to help pay for my first apartment. You probably don't remember" she says turning to Percy "you we're so little but you'd have trouble sleeping, nightmares, so I'd take you out to the towards the ocean because I knew the water could always calm you down."

Percy nods "I remember vaguely, it'd be dark and we'd park super close to the beach and just walk along the shore for what felt like hours."

Sally nodded "you always fell asleep after that and I'd strap you in to the car and drive towards the address Poseidon gave me that I had already memorized by that point and just think about taking you in. I knew you'd be safer but I, I just" she trails off.

"You couldn't give up your child even though you knew it was probably for the best" Hera finished smiling sadly down towards Sally who nodded.

"I didn't know that" Percy whispered "I'm sorry" he said louder turning to his mom.

The smile he sends him was wobbly unsteady with sadness and regret "don't be" she said an unspoken "it's not your fault" filling the silence she left behind.

Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants. But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo— lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.

Grover makes a sound, a irritated bleat and glares at Percy.

"I did not smell like a barnyard animal" he says indignantly.

Percy looked away " sorry" he muttered weakly.

Grover huffs and turns towards Thalia who he can hear giggling across from him.

"Why are you laughing" he says leveling an accusing stare at the laughing woman.

"Well" she says still laughing "when you're wet you kinda do, I mean you are half goat."

"Thalia" he says voice raising with his outrage "I do not. Just because I'm half goat doesn't mean I smell like a barnyard animal" he hisses out.

She puts her hand up in mock surrender a teasing smile spread wide across her face. "What ever you say" she says rolling her eyes.

All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... know each other?"

Annabeth rolls her eyes "seriously that's how you want to start."

Percy shrugs "I didn't know what else to ask or how to asks. It seemed like a good enough start."

"You could have I don't know asked who was chasing you, where you were going, why Grover was looking for you, literally anything else would have been a less stupid question."

"I just didn't know what to say. I was shocked and confused and I thought that would be safe and simple." He shrugs dropping his shoulder and shifting closer to her "it was the only thing I could think of at the time I'm sorry" he murmured kissing her cheek.

She scowled in response "That doesn't matter you"

"It was a fine question given the circumstances " Sally interjects frowning at Annabeth. "There wasn't really a good way to broach the subject anyways."

Grover's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."

"Watching me?"

"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."

Rachel frowned and turned in her seat to stare at Percy incredulously "wait so you were just okay with that. You stayed friends after he told you that, you weren't upset or angry or anything."

Percy frowned hesitated before answering "what do you mean."

"I mean" she says pointing between Percy and Grover "that your entire friendship is built on the backs of a lie. Built because you" she points to Grover "we're stalking him and lied to him through the entire time you knew each other and you" she says pointing back to Percy "were just okay with that."

Percy stares at Rachel in shock he looks over to Grover quickly then turns away "I" he starts pauses and hesitates again. He jolts a bit feeling an elbow dig in to his side and he glances down to see Annabeth glaring up at him eyes rapidly moving between him and Grover. He breathes in deeply and turns back to Rachel. "He's my friend Rachel" he says softly with finality.

Grover gapes at Rachel then at Percy anxiety racing up through his body." I am your friend" he insist his voice shaking with a surprising amount of panic.

"I know that" Percy soothes "I do Grover, I know you didn't have to be my friend to watch me I'm not mad I promise."

Grover nods letting out a shaky breath but took note of the sharp pangs of bitterness he could feel through the empathy link before they faded quickly.

"Urn ... what are you, exactly?"

"That doesn't matter right now."

"I get that y'all are on a time crunch right now" Will says "but I think I'd want at least one explanation in this situation because this is like a lot all at once."

"Yeah I had a pretty explosive introduction in to the whole demigod thing" Piper pipes up "but this feels particularly overwhelming."

"This has been going on for months at this point right?" Hazel asks Percy and he nods.

"Almost being torn apart by an angry monster is a pretty standard introduction in to being a demigod  but this still feels like a lot somehow" Frank agreed.

"Maybe it has something to do with people lying to him for months" Reyna grumbled.

"Reyna it's fine besides Thalia's was worse" Percy said shrugging.

"Yeah" Thalia said "but I didn't think I was going crazy the entire time, and I didn't meet the Fates."

"You actually died though" Percy deadpanned and Jason looked at him in alarm. He winced when Annabeth elbowed him in his side. "No offense of course," Annabeth glared at him "I mean you only got really close to dying you didn't fully die so yeah."

"Comparing our introductions in to the greek world is pointless" Nico said sounding bored. "No matter what it always sucks."

There was a pause and then scattered vocal agreement from the group of demigods and Rachel.

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey—"

Dionysus sighed. "Demigods" he muttered shaking his head. "Why do so many of you insist on making this mistake every time."

Dionysus nodded agreeing with him "that's the problem with demigods they never think things through."

Nico frowns "weren't you a demigod for like a twenty years or something?"

They both raises their eyebrows questioningly "and what exactly is your point."

Nico opened his mouth, closed it then shook his head "nothing, never mind."

Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"

I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.

"Goat!" he cried.  

"What?"  

"I'm a goat from the waist down."

"You just said it didn't matter."

"You did say it didn't matter" Nico echoed.

Grover rolls his eyes. "That doesn't apply to something so insulting as calling me a donkey."

 "Then it does matter" Nico responded.

Grover rolls his eyes again and says nothing.

"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"

"Why is being called a donkey insulting" Jason asks curiously.

Thalia snorts "because it would make them a bunch off asses" she said.

Grover rolls his eyes while the rest of them laugh.

"Because" Grover started glaring at Thalia who smiles sweetly in response "donkeys are lazy disgusting and rude and because we're not donkeys who wants to be compared to something they're not especially something like a donkey." 

"I like donkeys" Percy muttered "they're sweet."

Grover scowled "of course they're nice to you" he muttered.

"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"  

"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"  

"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"  

"Of course."

Reyna scowls "you're talking like you didn't spend months actively convincing him that Mrs. Dodds was a figment of his imagination."

Grover looks down guiltily.

"Reyna it's fine this was like ten years ago" Percy says gently.

"It's not fine" Reyna mutters but drops the subject.

"Then why—"  

"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."

"How does that work exactly" Frank asks "it's not like most monsters can read your mind so how does knowing about monsters make your scent stronger."

"It doesn't" Artemis says simply.

"Wait what" Annabeth exclaims in shock.

 She glares at the girl who shrinks back "I mean" she hurries out "may you please elaborate Lady Artemis, if you feel so inclined."

Hera raised an eyebrow at Annabeth's tone who scowled at her

Artemis nodded accepting the question "you scent simply gets stronger as you move towards adulthood and this usually coincides with demigods learning about their identity." She quiets frowning in contemplation. "I suppose" she starts "I can see where the association would have come from though your scents do tend to mellow with age, older demigods are frustratingly difficult to track down because of this."

 "So you're saying" Piper says biting her lip to hold back her laughter,  "demigod scents get stronger because of puberty."

Artemis raises a single eyebrow the edges of her mouth upturned with slight amusement. "If you want to be crass, then yes."

"Seriously" Leo exclaims "that's fucking hilarious."

"And kind of gross" Jason interjects.

"Who I—wait a minute, what do you mean?"

"What he means is that you are the Avatar and it's your job to bring harmony to the world" Nico deadpanned his lips twitching while he fought back a smile.

Percy rolls his eyes in annoyance, " I regret introducing you to that show so much."

"Avatar?" Hermes asks curiously.

"Its this really popular tv show from our time" Will answers. "This twelve year old kid gets frozen in a block of ice for 100 years after he finds out he's the avatar this like ambassador of the spirit realm and the only one who can control all four elements. He has to team up with these other kids to save the world after he learns-"

Nico places a placating hand on Will's back. "Will" he says gently "stop talking."

Will frowns and glares at him. He catches the sly smile Nico tries to hide behind fake concern and then rolls his eyes leaning back and grumbling lowly.

Nico rolls his eyes and a smile tugs at the edges at his mouth and he leans over to whisper something to Will who huffs but leans over in to his touch.

The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.  

"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."

"I understand the sentiment Mrs. Jackson but this really isn't the time for him to not be working with all the facts" Reyna says gently.

Sally nods gravely "if I had known how this would go there's so much I would have done differently."

"Safety from what? Who's after me?"  

"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."  

"Grover!"

"So helpful" Nico muttered and ignored the glare Grover shot him.  

"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"

I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.

"You think you have no imagination" Sally wondered aloud incredulously turning towards her son.

Percy in response simply shrugged "any weird story I'd come up with would never include anyone I actually knew" he paused, thought for a moment and then added "no offense of course."

Sally shook her head her lips quirked up in amusement. "I'm surprised, I remember the stories you used to tell me whenever I came back late from work and you we're trying to get me to ignore that you were awake long past your bedtime. They were adorable and wildly imaginative."

"Because I was like six" Percy said rolling his eyes.

"Still you're many things Percy but unimaginative isn't one of them."

"Sure mom but I think I'll leave the imagination to you."

My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences.  

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. "The place your father wanted to send you."

"The place you didn't want me to go."

"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger."

"Because some old ladies cut yarn."

"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means—the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... when someone's about to die."

"Finally an explanation" Reyna muttered rolling her eyes.

"Whoa. You said 'you.'"

"No I didn't. I said 'someone.'"

"You definitely said you" Nico deadpanned.

"You meant 'you.' As in me."

"I meant you, like 'someone.' Not you, you."

"Boys!" my mom said.

"Probably not the best time to be arguing over semantics" Piper quipped snorting at the annoyed look Percy shot her way.

"He said I was going to die" Percy huffed slipping his arm from around Annabeth's back and crossing them over his chest. Annabeth frowned prying his arm apart and throwing it over her shoulder. She shifted closer slotting her body in between his arm and chest once more.

She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid—a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Just guessing but probably a monster" Thalia sad.

"You" Percy said turning towards her "are so fu-" he paused, caught himself glanced quickly to his side where his mom sat next to him and started again "annoying. You are so annoying."

"Takes one to know one" Thalia quipped back sticking her tongue out in his direction. Percy rolled his eyes and said nothing in response.

"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question. "Another mile. Please. Please. Please."

I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.

 "It's like it's calling you" Hazel muttered in wonder.

"It calls to every demigod" Grover said "something in the border's magic calls to the blood of the gods, but only when you get close enough of course.."

Outside, nothing but rain and darkness—the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.

"Bit of a delayed realization" Jason said. He turned to Percy pinning him with a curious stare. "does it usually take you weeks to process stuff."

Percy thought for a moment then nodded, "I guess" answered. "It can be helpful to not process the full, consequences I guess, when I need to make a decision quickly."

He paused "although to be fair I was still half convinced that was a hallucination, like I said before that wouldn't have been the first time I'd seen something that didn't make sense. Though they usually didn't get to close, or are that dangerous."

Sally frowned "they" she asked her eyebrows knitting together in concern.

Percy waved off her worry "it's nothing they were just some really, um, vivid day dreams I had when I was little."

Sally's frown didn't fade but she dropped the subject.

Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.

"What!" everyone exclaimed and Percy doubled over clutching his ears and squeezing his eyes tightly shut. Pain blossoms hot and sharp on his head and he groans.

"Shit" he muttered "I don't remember this part being so loud or so bright"

 Sally shuttered squeezing her arm around her chest rubbing at the pain radiating out from the long bruise from when the force of the crash had slammed her body in to the steering wheel and then car door.

I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.

Percy and the Poseidons  groan the described feeling flooding their bodies in pain.

I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow."

Frank looks at Percy in surprise " your car just exploded and all you can say is ow."

Percy shrugs uncurling from his previous position. "I mean" he sighs and rubs the back of his neck blinking quickly to clear away the fading colors that had burst behind his eyes when he felt the memory of that flash. He drops his hand and shrugs "what else was I supposed to say?"

Frank balks thinking for a moment then nods "fair" he says finally and turns away.

"Percy!" my mom shouted.

  "I'm okay... ."

  I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded.

"It hadn't" Nico asked shocked. "It sure sounded like an explosion."

Percy stares "how could it sound like an explosion you couldn't hear it, you weren't there."

He sighs "I meant the description sounded like how it feels to be caught in an explosion."

Will stares crossing his arms over his chest and raises and eyebrow "and how exactly would you know that, I don't recall you ever telling me about you being caught in an explosion."

"Well why exactly would I tell you about that" he counters eyeing him challenge gleaming in his eyes.

Will sighs "were you at least okay" he asked tiredly scrubbing his hand over his face.

Nico rolls his eyes "of course not Will I was in an explosion how would I have been okay, but I'm fine now if that's what you meant."

Will sighs again leaning back against his cushion and Nico laughs quietly patting his arm sympathetically. Will fights back a smile and he slings his arm over Nico's shoulder and pulls him close where Nico settles happily in to the space between his arm and his torso.

 We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.

Lightning.

Immediately everyone turns to stare at Zeus who scowls and turns away. Hera rolls her eyes and signals for  Ares to continue. 

That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"

  He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die!

Rachel giggled a sly smile spreading across her face. "Wasn't he your only friend" she quipped lightly and laughed when Percy rolled his eyes.

"Fuck you" he mouthed glaring and Rachel hid her laughter behind her hand.

Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope.

Choked and surprised laughter burst out from the demigods and Rachel  and even the gods cracked a smile. Grover grumbled sinking down in to the seat a splotchy red growing on his cheeks and spreading down to his neck.

He turned to Percy " did you have to add that in to the book."

Percy stopped laughing and stared at him an eyebrow raised "I mean knowing you were alive is probably important." He frowned "but also, once again, I didn't write this."

Grover grumbled some more but dropped the subject.

"Percy," my mother said, "we have to ..." Her voice faltered.

  I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.

The mortals sobered at the description the tension rising as they were abruptly reminded at exactly what situation Percy, Sally, and Grover had found themselves in.

A totaled vehicle, an unconscious Grover, decreased vision from a raging storm and an unknown monster chasing the group.

I swallowed hard. "Who is—"

"Someone you don't want to meet" Thalia muttered her fingers tracing an old raised scar trailing down her forearm. Unwillingly her mind went back to the night and she could hear the growls of monsters behind her so close she could feel their rancid and warm breath billowing against her ankles as she ran. A little girl was screaming and Luke was yelling at her to run faster, her lungs were burning and

A hand rested on her shoulder and she jerked forward her nails digging in to her arm in surprise.

"Thalia" someone whispered softly and she shuddered her focus zeroing in on their breath on the side of her neck. She looked up to see Jason at her side his hand on rubbing small circles in to her shoulder. She frowned in confusion and looked over to the empty space between Piper and Leo where he was sat previously.

"You okay" he whispered. She nodded pinched her arm and the pain shocking away the rest of the fog that lingered after Jason's intervention.

"I'm okay" she said and didn't bother to look over at Jason again even as he kept his hand perched on her shoulder.

"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."

  My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.

  "Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy—you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"

  "What?"

  Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.

  "That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."

"He's not gonna leave without you" Annabeth stated matter of factly.

"I know" Sally whispered and she moved closer towards her son.

"Mom, you're coming too."

"See," Annabeth said looking pointedly over at her boyfriend "this idiot will never leave anyone behind even if there's nothing he can do to help."

Percy laughed awkwardly plucking at the curls of his head nervously "I just can't imagine leaving my mom behind without knowing she'd be okay."

"I know honey" Sally replied frowning at Annabeth "and I don’t blame you, would never blame you."

Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.

  "No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover." 

"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.

  The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands—huge meaty hands—were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... was his head. And the points that looked like horns ...

  "He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line."

"We should do something about that" Percy muttered.

Annabeth angled her head back to stare questioningly at him, a single eyebrow raised prompting him to continue.

"It's just that I doubt I'm the only one who's had their parent or just someone who's mortal drop them off at the border and I know that I'm not the only one who's dealt with monsters on their way there so maybe there should be I don't know a fail safe or something to make sure what happens with mom doesn't happen, maybe we can do something with the border's magic" he trailed of shrinking slightly under Annabeth's gaze her curiosity long since shifted towards skepticism. "I don't know" he ended clearing his throat awkwardly "I just thought… yeah."

"I don't think that's necessary" she said finally, "you're circumstances where pretty unique and it's hardly been a problem since then."

Percy shrugged " I don't think it would hurt to do some sort of exception system maybe when the border like senses monsters they can like let in anything that's not a monster."

"Really" she said raising an eyebrow "what if there's something dangerous that's not a monster, what if it lets in serial killer or something worse besides who would you even get change the magic because I doubt you could."

Percy stayed silent and only shrugged in response picking at a loose thread on the hem of his shirt "I maybe a Hekate kid or Hazel or someone it wis just a thought."

"Stop that" Annabeth said ignoring his statement to instead swipe at the hand picking at the thread "you'll unravel it."

"Sorry" he muttered

"But..."

"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please."

  I got mad, then—mad at my mother,

"Wow there really is a first time for everything" Rachel said with forced casualness. " I didn't think Percy could even get angry with Sally, like I thought it was physically impossible."

Percy rolled his eyes "I've been mad at my mom before."

"You have" Sally asked shocked her hand over her heart and a look of faux hurt on her face.

Percy whipped his head over to look at her eyes wide like a deer caught in head lights. "Well,  I mean, I just" he stumbled out frantically, until he caught the sparkle of humor in his mom's eyes and the slow spread of a mischievous smile on her face. 

Percy frowned "you're messing with me,, aren’t you" he said and his mom's shoulders shook her hand covering her mouth to conceal her laughter as she nodded.

 at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.

I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom."

"I told you—"

"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover."

I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.

"Dead weight is always lighter than you expect but heavier than you can manage" Leo said.

Piper nodded "yep and we would know considering all the times we've had to carry Jason when he was unconcious."

Jason scowled "can you let it go that only happened like twice"

"It was at least five times" Leo said smirking at Jason who rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue which made Piper laugh in turn.

Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass.

"Why is the grass so high" Will asked.

"To support the native wild life mostly" Grover answered. "Most of the grass is native to long island and all the nature spirits let it grow that high to support the local ecosystem. It's why there's so many butterflies in the spring."

Will nodded.

"Do you have an easy way to get through the grass in situations like this something that won't mess with the ecosystem" Reyna asked curious.

Clarisse nodded "of course we do, at least now, we've made an effort to make the trek to less harrowing a little after this when monsters started being even more of a problem."

Reyna nodded "I don't think I've ever walked up the hill to your camp at least not after" she cut off abruptly and blinked then her eyebrows scrunched together and she let out a noise of frustration. "You know what I'm talking about" she huffed and sighed.

Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine

"Muscle magazine what were you like 30" Thalia laughed.

"No" Percy exclaimed sounding indignant "but that's what he looked like."

Sally raised a single eyebrow "where would you even find those I know I didn't have any."

Percy shrugged "the books store. I liked the magazines cause of the pictures."

Sally smiled "and Muscle Man magazine of all things is what you chose to look through.

Percy's face heat up and he turned from Sally trying to ignore the laughter in her eyes as well as Annabeth's own look, her eyes stormy and her gaze ice cold.

"Don't worry" he murmured kissing her on her temple and Annabeth turned forward again but the frown she wore didn't leave her face.

—bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps,

Apollo raised an eyebrow " 'ceps" he said amused and Apollo hid laughter behind his hands when Percy scowled.

"I was twelve" he said defensively "I didn't know anatomy."

 all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear—I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms—which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.

His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns—enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.

"An accurate description but an electric sharpener, really" Nico said.

Percy shrugged and said nothing.

I recognized the monster, all right.

"Wait really" Frank asked shocked "how." 

Percy laughed "a bull rampaging towards you is pretty easy to recognize and I liked learning about the monsters the most in Chiron's class."

Hazel stared "why" she asked unable to keep her disbelief out of her tone.

"I don't know really" Percy said "I liked the epics and all that but the monsters were just more, I don't know interesting. Honestly the heroes were cool but a little… annoying but the monsters were cool, and dangerous, and sometimes sad so I guess that's why they caught my interest."

"The monsters, the villains usually make a more interesting story, it's a common theme in literature" Clarisse said distractedly. "Everyone loves a villain."

He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.

I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's—"  

"Pasiphae's son," my mother said. "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."  

"But he's the Min—"  

"Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power."

"Every culture has this rule" Nico said his words coming out rushed and excited. "Doesn't matter what culture you're researching names are always important in some stories especially across Europe with things like fairies and giving them your true name can lead to them having power over you. And in some cultures in West Africa names mean so many different things they can be protective or like manifest a future or-" a hand on his shoulder cuts him off and he jerks turning to look over at Will who's smiling gently at him.

Nico blushes and clears his throat twisting a silver skull ring around on his left ring finger. "I said all that to say that everyone else seems to know that names have power and yet Percy still refuses to listen."

"Hey" Percy said while the others around him laughed.

The pine tree was still way too far—a hundred yards uphill at least.

I glanced behind me again. 

The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows—or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away. 

"Food?" Grover moaned. 

"Shhh," I told him.

"What was that gonna do I was unconscious" Grover asked incredulously.

Percy only shrugged.

"Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"

"His sight and hearing are terrible," she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."

"Good actually helpful information" Clarisse said and both versions of her father nodded. "That should help you actually fight the thing."

As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.

Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.

  Oops.

The tension that was slowly building as the book further described the dangerous situation Sally, Percy, and Grover were facing snapped and laughter burst out from every mortal in the room.

Percy laughed a long a rush of foreign vindication flooding him as he remembers exactly how he felt when he saw the charred remains of Gabe's beloved car.

After a few minutes of laughter eventually they quieted down enough to allow Ares to continue.

"Percy," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way— directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"  

"How do you know all this?"  

"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me."

"Of course you were selfish" Hera proclaimed firmly. "He's your child, your love, you have a right to be selfish with your children." she said a fierceness burning in her eyes.

Sally smiled "thank you Lady Hera" she said earnestly.

Hera blinked then smiled back at her "you're very welcome" she said.

"Keeping me near you? But—"  

Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.  

He'd smelled us.

"Well shit" Clarisse said.

The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.  

The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.  

My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said."  

I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right—it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.

"I hate this" Percy whispered rubbing at his nose in disgust as the smell filled his nostrils overpowering the smell of Annabeth's lemon shampoo. "I hate this so much" he muttered again.

He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.  

The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.

Clarisse raised an eyebrow "damn" she whistled staring at Percy with new interest. "I knew your instincts were good even back then but that's impressive."

"Don't sound so impressed" Percy deadpanned.

Clarisse shrugged "you looked like a strong breeze could blow you away back then so" she cut herself off abruptly her eyes widening suddenly before she scowled and turned away. "Nevermind" she muttered.

Percy blinked confused but brushed it off and focused back on the reading.

The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass.

"Why is he going after you" Artemis asked thoughtfully "monsters are meant to ignore mortals especially when there's a demigod present." 

"Maybe he's going after Grover, monsters are fond of satyrs" Hermes suggested frowning at the reminder of this reality.

"The minotaur has never been one for satyrs he kills mostly for pleasure and is for all intense and purposes an herbivore." Artemis said shaking her head.

"Maybe he thought he could draw out Percy by going after his mom" Hazel suggested hesitantly.

"Unlikely" Athena said "the minotaur is hardly intelligent enough to implement that sort of strategy."

"Then why?" Artemis asked and turned to Percy.

He opened his mouth frowned and shook his head apologetically.

We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.

The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.

"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!"

Percy let out a shaky breath, old fear he had believed, hoped he'd long since forgotten flooding his body. His hands were trembling and his arms felt heavy tired from the phantom weight of Grover's body. He could feel the rain pelting him slicking his steps cool on his tired clammy skin and the smell, the smell was the worse part wet grass, the salty tinge of sweat, scorched metal and the unmistakable reek rotting meat.

His fingers flexed where they sat on Annabeth's shoulder and he breathed out slow deliberate breaths trying to keep himself grounded, he wasn't back in that moment where rug of his life was being ripped out from under him,  he wasn't watching frozen while his world was ripped away from him, and he wasn't some kid who could barely drag his only friend to safety, he wasn't there he wasn't.

"That hurt" someone hissed in his ear and he blinked away the memory of the rain drops obscuring his vision to see Annabeth glaring at him his nails digging in to her shoulder.

He ripped his hand off her and brought his arm from her shoulder to his chest. "Sorry" he muttered dejectedly and Annabeth sighed shooting him a look that said "just don't do it again." He nodded and turned his focus back to the reading curling the hand he'd pulled of her around his other wrist and relaxing at the pin pricks of pain that bloomed where his nails dug in to the flesh of his wrist.

"I'm fine" he whispered to himself "I'm here and I'm fine."

But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.

"Mom!"

She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"

Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... gone.

Poseidon scowled subtly glaring at Hades who ignored him choosing, while his predecessor raised a curious eyebrow.

"Someone kidnapped her" Athena wondered allowed "why, what possible reason could someone have to kidnap someone so insignificant."

Percy scowled biting down on his tongue to keep from saying anything instead choosing to glare down at his lap and Sally patted his arm awkwardly unsure what she should say or whether anything needed to be said at all. 

"No!"

  Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs—the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons.

"Adrenaline is a hell of a drug" Will sighed.

Clarisse nodded "a useful drug at least" she added gruffly.

The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.

  I couldn't allow that.

"Thank you again, seriously" Grover said sounding relieved. Percy had never really talked about what happened that night and hearing just how close he was to being eaten or stomped or whatever else the minotaur would have done to him sent waves of gratitude flooding through him.

"Please stop thanking me" Percy responded wearily "it's starting to feel weird."

I stripped off my red rain jacket.

"Why does the color matter" Thalia asked.

Percy stared at her in shock then slowly, like he would to a child he explained "Giant bull, bull fights, red matador cape."

Thalia flushed "oh" she muttered "I knew that."

"Did you actually" Jason murmured questioningly, leaning to rest his head on his sisters shoulder.

"No" she whispered back pushing him off her eyes rapidly moving between him and Artemis who was watching them both with a raised eyebrow. "What the fuck is a matador?" 

"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"

"We're gonna need to work on your insults" Leo sighed shaking his head "that was just tragic."

"Or we could not do that" Percy appealed sounding fearful.

"Don't you worry waterboy" Leo tutted ignoring Percy's pointed "don't call me that" and continuing. "Your uncle Leo will teach you all about how to insult a monster and not sound like third grader on the school playground."

"I'm at least a year older than you" Percy responded.

"Details" he quipped pointedly ignoring Percy's weak glare.

"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.

  I had an idea—a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all.

"Demigod motto" Thalia chuckled "any plan is way better than no plan."

Annabeth shook her head "hardly bad plans get you killed or worse" she declared then playfully elbowed Percy "he can attest to that" and Thalia only laughed harder and Percy whined a bit in discomfort rubbing at the spot she hit.

"Of course you’d say that Annie" Thalia laughed out shaking her head.

Annabeth rolled her eyes but a small smile snuck its way on to her lip and she stuck her tongue out at Thalia who did the same back.

 I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.

"That's not stupid" Reyna asserted. "It's actually impressive how quickly you came up with such a feasible plan from all the information you learned."

"Oh" he sputtered out staring in shock "I thanks I guess but it wasn't , I mean that wasn't the best plan I definitely could have done something, I don't know smarter especially."

"Actually" Jason interrupted "Reyna's right, you know virtually nothing at this point, your mom is gone, and Grover is incapacitated so it's not like you have anyone to help you. The only information you have to work with is this monster is big, fast and seems to have trouble turning so I'd say your plan is pretty good."

"I-" Percy starts his mouth opening and closing while he tries to figure out what to say. Finally he shakes his head "thanks" he mutters and drops his eyes to his lap.

Annabeth rolls her eyes "just take the compliment seaweed brain, it's a passable plan considering it's you."

Percy laughs awkwardly "yeah I guess thanks wise girl."

But it didn't happen like that.

The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.

"He learned quickly" Clarisse muttered "that's not good they aren't usually that adaptable."

Time slowed down.

"Percy" Annabeth started voice tight "please tell me that's a metaphor."

"It was a metaphor" Percy confirmed

"Are you sure" she prodded.

"Pretty sure" he shrugged, she glared and he cleared his throat. "I mean I'm sure, I'm sure he wasn't strong enough to do that yet."

My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck.

"What" Annabeth exclaimed shocked. "You could jump that high back then."

"I don't know I guess" Percy muttered distractedly too lost in the sound of rain and the feel of fur and muscle under his feet and legs.

"How" she demanded and Percy shrugged weakly.

"Adrenaline maybe and probably the rain" he suggested shakily, fighting to keep his voice quiet despite the sound of distant thunder thrumming in his ears.

Percy tensed while Annabeth eyed him contemplatively fighting down the urge to fidget under her gaze. Finally she scowled her lip curling up like she'd saw something unpleasant and Percy almost, almost flinched at her look of irritation. She turned back around and Percy could barely make out her muttering to herself.

He didn't chance a sigh choosing instead to wrap his arm around her waist this time and smiling when she leaned further in to his touch.

How did I do that?

"That's what I wanna know" Annabeth seethed and Percy shifted next to her rubbing small circles in her arm in an attempt to be soothing.

I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.

Percy frowned rubbing his mouth trying to soothe the phantom soreness.

The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.

Almost simultaneously Percy, Poseidon, and Poseidon's noses all wrinkled in disgust.

The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward.

Athena raised an eyebrow and Apollo smiled at the movement looking smug.

Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.

  "Food!" Grover moaned.

  The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might. The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then—snap!

Ares paused to stare at Percy trailing his eyes over  him in newly sparked interest.

"Impressive kid" he praised and Percy shuddered staring at him in barely concealed disgust.
"Thanks" he said his tone a carefully crafted mask of calm and he suppressed the growl that he felt bubbling up in his chest.

His eyes cut to Ares who scowled when he caught his gaze but said nothing.

The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.

  The monster charged.

  Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.

  The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate—not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.

Reyna nodded her head in approval "very impressive."

"You killed the minotaur with it's own horn" Leo exclaimed staring at Percy in awe.

"That's so fucking cool" Piper praised.

"I knew you got the minotaur horn somehow" Nico started staring at Percy in wonder "but I didn't know you literally broke it off with your bare hands and stabbed him with it."

"Holy shit Percy" Will said "that is actually really cool."

"I didn’t know that this is how you got the horn I thought he like ran in to a tree or something not that you literally ripped the horn off his head and stabbed him with it " Grover gushed. "No wonder you hung the thing on your wall."

Percy shifted uncomfortably and muttered a quiet thanks staring at Annabeth, who was staring silently ahead not looking at him.

"Annabeth" he asked hesitantly "you okay."

"We'll talked later" she hissed pulling from his hold.

He tensed his hands going to fidget with the hem of his shirt before he stopped and moved to scratch at the back of his hand instead. "Kay" he mumbled subtly curling in to himself and scooting away.

The monster was gone.

"Yeah disintegration tends to do that" Nico quipped and Percy tried for a weak smile and Nico frowned at the instability of it.

The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother,

Sally's heart clenched and she abruptly pulled her son to her hugging him tightly.

"Mom" he asked forcing lightness and humor in to his voice. "What's this for."

"I'm sorry" she murmured in to his hair. She felt him tense and the barely perceptible shake of his shoulder.

"It's not your fault" Percy promised.

"I'm sorry Percy" she said not bothering to chastise him for his declaration "I'm so so so sorry baby."

"It's okay mom" Percy said his voice starting to shake "I promise, I'm okay"

"I know" she said pulling back and dropping a kiss on the space between his eyebrows and brushed her hand over his cheek wiping away a stray tear that had fallen from his eyes.

but I held on to Grover—I wasn't going to let him go.

The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's. They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow and a proud smile spreading across her face. She practically preened at the description and planted a kiss on Percy's cheek who smiled a wobbly smile at her and quickly turned away hiding fighting the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

"What are you crying for" she frowned "did you hate my kiss that much."

"What no" Percy exclaimed. "I'm just this book is, a lot I guess."

"Oh" she raised an eyebrow and Percy nodded.

"Yeah" he admitted "it's just, you know loosing my mom at the time was a lot so hearing it again is hard."

"Well look on the bright side at least you had a place to go back to and you got her back most people don't get that. You should know that look at Thalia she had no where else to go and her mom isn't coming back, you were lucky."

"I guess" he whispered scratching again at the back of his hand anxiously.

Annabeth sighed and angled Percy's head to drop a kiss on his lips. "It doesn't matter anymore you got her back that's all you need to care about."

"Yeah" he sighed and nodded "you're right I was being stupid I'm sorry."

"You were being stupid" Annabeth agreed "but I love you anyways so it's fine."

Percy laughed "yeah I love you too."

"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."

"That's it" Ares said slamming the book shut. He held it up waving it enticingly. "Who wants it next."

"I'll read."

Chapter Text

Ares nodded tossing the book over to his brother who fumbled with the thing for a moment before he held it steady in his hand. He glared at Ares who shrugged at his annoyance looking bored. Huffing Hermes settles on his throne and opens the book to read. Before he can start there’s a bright flash and the mortals shield their eyes from the intensity while the gods look on in scrutiny.

A moment later the light fades and in it’s place stand three people. The gods and the mortals stare intently at the new arrivals the gods in curiosity and the mortals in scrutiny.

The silence is broken by a gentle fluttering of paper as it spirals down in to Sally’s lap. Hesitantly she picks it up clearing her throat when all eyes immediately turn to her. Her eyes scan the paper quickly and her brows knit together she frowns and reads the note again. She looks up and shrugs prematurely fielding the questions that she knows will be hurled her way. “All it says is” she starts flipping the note towards the others “is They are Important” The collective confusion is palpable in the room and she shrugs again helplessly.

Her gaze automatically zeros in on her son who in contrast to the rest of the mortals is staring down at his hands not in confusion but in quiet contemplation his eyes shining with something that looks suspiciously like guilt.

“Chiron” Annabeth shouts abruptly finally recognizing the face of her mentor. Chiron smiles softly at her when she jumps up out of Percy’s hold and rushes over to him. He laughs a little when Annabeth throws her arms around him letting out a happy sigh when he squeezes back.

At that same moment a booming “BROTHER” rings out before Percy is crushed by a large mass. He laughs and squeezes the mass happily.

“Hi Tyson” he wheezes gently pushing his little brother back to stop him from crushing his lungs. “How are you” he asks sincerely.

Tyson smiles widely moving to hug him again saying “I missed you” happily instead of answering.

Percy laughs and pulls away. “I missed you too big guy.”

“Aw” a voice intoned interrupting the two brothers. Percy frowned at the sound, his eyes rolling almost on instinct as he turned to it.

Drew stood in front of him and Tyson her arms folded across her chest a too wide sickly-sweet smile stretched across her face.

“How cute” she drawled glancing back and forth between the two. Tyson shifted uncomfortably subtly attempting to pull away from his brother. Percy reached out grabbing his arm and gently tugging him back towards him. He sighed, looking her up and down the corners of his mouth fighting against the tug of a smile.

“Hello Drew” he said a ghost of amusement weaving through the greeting.

Drew’s smile softened in to something warmer and she responded in kind.

“Hello mother” she said dipping in to a small curtsy and bowing her head in a small display of reverence. Her mother smiled down at her nodding her head in acknowledgement. Drew smiled at her mother and Percy subtly rolled his eyes and then Drew not so subtly elbowed him in the stomach.

“Ow” he hissed glaring at her as she moved to give Sally a big hug.

“Hi Mrs. Jackson” she chirped excitedly. Sally laughed squeezing her close and pretending not to notice the smug look Drew was sending to her son over her shoulder.

“Drew it’s so great to see you how are you?”

“I’m doing well ma’am” she said smiling. “Is it okay if I sit next to you?” she asked her gaze sliding towards Percy who was glaring at her.

Sally laughed brightly. “Of course you can” she said sliding closer towards Percy to try and make room for Drew on her other side.

Drew perched happily at Sally’s side while Chiron settled behind the couches content to stand and Tyson plopped himself down on the floor in front of Percy.

Hermes sighed muttering a quiet finally and began to read.

I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food.

“Oh is this one of your like weird future telling dreams” Drew ask immediately interrupting the god and pointedly pretending to not notice his grumbling 

Percy shook his head. “No just a normal weird fever dream which you know still sucks.”

Drew tilts her head to look around Sally at Percy. “How would you even know it wasn’t a prophetic dream.” 

Percy gives her a strange look. “Because I never got stuck in a place full of barnyard animals trying to kill me” he answered like it was obvious. 

Drew shrugs. “It could have been like metaphorical.” 

Percy stared at her blankly and murmured a simple “no.”

Drew shrugged again “okay don’t come crying to me when you get stuck in a barn full of rabid alpacas or some shit.”
 
Percy groaned dropping his head in his hands and scrubbing at his face. “Please don’t mention alpaca’s I never want to hear about one of those 

Annabeth abruptly tugs at Percy’s arm sharply pulling him close so that his ear was titled towards her mouth and hissed out “why do you know her.” 

Percy swallowed back tired sigh and whispered, “we went to the same school I’ve been friends with her for like 4 years.” 

I must've woken up several times, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again.
 
“What did you see?” Nico asked.

Percy shrugged “typical passed out stuff hazy people rushing around rooms, random shadows, you know that kind of stuff.”

“Oh” Nico nodded 

 
I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn, only it was pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon.

“Wait” Will exclaims leaning over Nico who was cuddled up against his side to stare in mock awe at Annabeth. “You were helping in the infirmary.” He places on of his hands over his heart the other reaching up to wipe a nonexistent tear from his eye.

“Why Annabeth” he said his voice dripping with saccharine and jest “I’m so proud of you.” 

Annabeth scowls from her own place against Percy’s side the corners of her mouth twitching while she fights to not show her amusement at Will’s antics

“Shut up Will” she says without a hint of malice. “There were” she glances at Percy who quickly looks away “special circumstances okay. I didn’t make it a regular thing.” 

“Well you should” Will declares leaning back and wrapping an arm around Nico who was unsuccessfully trying to push him off the couch. Nico grunts squirming in Will’s hold.

“We in the infirmary would all love to have you around the more often wouldn’t we Nico.”

Nico stops trying to bite Will’s arm off for just long enough to roll his eyes. “Right, I’m sure all the sick children and sore losers would love to be assisted by our resident ice queen.” 

It’s Annabeth’s turn to roll her eyes and she untangles herself from Percy just long enough to reach over Grover and Thalia to whack Nico on his forehead. 

“Hey” he yelps rubbing his forehead. Will laughs and pulls him back so he’s lounging against his chest. He leans down burying his face in Nico’s hair who grumbles still rubbing his forehead.  

“You had that coming” Will whispers dropping a peck on the crown of his hair.

“So, you’re on her side” Nico pouted.

“Yep” Will responds smiling and chuckling to himself when he hears Nico’s low gasp of betrayal. 

Reyna turns to Chiron frowning. “You let a child in to the infirmary alone to care for an unconcious patient” she accuses. 

Chiron shakes his head “no she was just feeding him any healing work was done by me or one of the older Apollo campers.” 

Reyna nods, accepting the explanation. 
 
 
 
When she saw my eyes open, she asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"
 
“What does she mean summer solstice” Athena asked staring at her future child in anticipation

Annabeth subtly straightened looking at the past iteration of her mother fighting off a smug grin she longed to direct at her mother and tried to reply. Just as quickly as she opened her mouth to reply she snapped it shut. She rolled her tongue in her mouth startling at thee feeling like lead that had over taken it. Her mind clouded and she fell against Percy shivering   .

He soothingly rubbed her back and smiled and looked at Athena apologetically.  

Athena scowled as she watched the sickness rapidly over take her daughter, and Athena sighed in resignation. 

“Never mind” she conceded her eyes narrowing at the text in her younger sibling’s hand excitement lighting up across her spine and her fingers tingling, itching to hold the book rip it apart to uncover the information it hid from her. 

“The solstice” she mumbled to herself tapping her fingers against the arm of her throne to soothe the jittering. “Something happens on the solstice.” 

I managed to croak, "What?

Percy leaned his head against the back of his chair blinking slowly and rubbing at his eyes sleepily.
 
 
She looked around, as if afraid someone would over-hear. "What's going on? What was stolen? 

“Stolen” Hermes mumbles interrupting himself. He turns towards the demigods expectingly. “What does she mean stolen.”

Zeus grumbled something incomprehensible to himself and Zeus looked at him with suspicion.

The demigods only offered shrugs in reply. 

Hermes sighed, resigned, and continued.

Chapter Text

Hermes sighed, resigned, and started reading once again.

We've only got a few weeks!"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I don't..."

"How could he possibly know the answer to that no one's bothered to explain what the fuck's been going on" Reyna muttered to no one. She glared towards the ceiling muttering expletives at nothing.

Annabeth scowled and rounded on Reyna "a monster was seen at the border of camp for the first time in years" she said sharply. "Two people almost died" she continued her glare sharpening. "Of course I'm going to ask the kid who caused it about what was going on, especially with-" abruptly she stopped her mouth snapping shut.

She frowned, her expression screwed in to something sour frustration and anger practically radiating from her like a roaring flame, before she sighed shutting her eyes and breathing in then out. Her eyes opened seconds later, her glare softened. "I just wanted to know what was going on. Camp is my home I deserve to know when something or someone," she stressed nudging Percy in the side with her elbow, he smiled wearily, "is putting it and everyone else in danger."

Reyna pursed her lips nodding her head in reluctantly. "I understand" she say slowly "but it is ridiculous to try to get information from the unconscious kid instead of anyone else like say Grover."

Annabeth shrugged "Grover has never been the most observant with stuff like that he wouldn't be able to tell me anything I didn't already know." She paused leaning over Percy to smile playfully at Grover "no offense of course."

Grover only rolled his eyes "sure Annabeth" he said. "But just for the record I would have told everything I knew if you had asked."

Annabeth laughed worked on repositioning herself so she was leaning in to Percy's side again.

Somebody knocked on the door, and the girl quickly filled my mouth with pudding.

The next time I woke up, the girl was gone.

Percy shook his head reaching up to rub at his face tiredly blinking back sleep. Poseidon on the other hand jerked up violently looking around the room in stunned silence and somehow managing to hit Demeter across the leg with his trident which had been slipping from his grasp before the abrupt movement.

Demeter glared and Poseidon glared back the stare off lasting until Demeter turned away in a huff. Hermes watched the exchange between the future version of his aunt and uncle in amusement silently laughing at his now sulking aunt. Poseidon seeing his nephew shaking sent him a sly wink which caused a short burst of laughter to fall from him snuffed quickly at the glare his father sent him before he continued reading.

A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He had blue eyes—at least a dozen of them—on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands.

Both Heras perk up looking lovingly at the book.

"Oh Argus how lovely" Hera says. "He's working at the Camp Half Blood now?" she asks turning to her future self.

"Oh yes" Hera says giddily "he loves watching over all the little urchins- uh I mean children."

All the gods, past and future, glare at her and she holds her hand lightly against her mouth feigning innocence and regret over her words.

Hera, ignoring the glares and grumblings directed at her future self smiles wistfully. "Of course he did" she murmurs her eyes glazing over in memory. "He was always so fond of children even if their origins are-" she looks over at the demigods, all of which avoid her scornful gaze to keep from scowling or saying something they'd regret. Her nose wrinkles in disdain and she sniffs "unsavory" she finishes. "He was always so kind in that regard it's why I'm so proud of him."

Ares sinks lower in his chair while Ares simply rolls his eyes. Hephaestus, in contrast to his future self who silently pulls a trinket from thin air and starts screwing with the sides, scoffs.

Hera glares at him. "Do you have something you want to say to me dear."

"Not much" Hephaestus replies "just a suggestion that maybe you could learn a thing or to about kindness from him."

Hera's lips press in to a thin line but she says nothing and her silence weighs on the group and Hermes awkwardly coughs and quickly starts reading again.

When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to.

"Really" three voices say simultaneously and Piper, Annabeth, and Rachel look back and forth at one another in shock.

Percy looks between the girls curiously. "You sound surprised" he asked perplexed.

"Well I mean" Rachel starts but trails off.

"I love Camp" Piper continues "but it's super old and run down. The Big House is literally falling apart we just had a camp wide activity to patch a hole in the roof in the attic two months ago."

Percy shrugs "old doesn't mean it's not nice."

"I get what you mean" Leo pipes up."The Big House is well huge it looks like one of those mansions in the nice part of town and then there's so much space everywhere you look and the fields and well it's just it's nice, nicer than most places at least even if it's falling apart."

"I liked the hole in the roof" Nico muttered "Franklin liked to sleep up there with me it's a nice napping spot."

"That's where you always disappeared to" Will accused and Nico shrugs.

"Sometimes I get tired and Camp is kinda loud it's quiet up there and dark and it smells sweet and the sunlight through the hole made it look more cozy than like there's an ax murderer waiting to kill you behind all the boxes of Mr. D’s theater costumes."

"You brats better not have touched those costumes they're older than your great grandparents and ten times more valuable than anything you could ever hope to own."

"No one touched your costumes" Percy sighed exasperated. He glanced over and saw Drew shift guilty in her chair and lightly whacked her on her knee. She glared he glanced imploringly back and forth between her and Dionysus and she cleared her throat and stopped her movement.

Dionysus looked suspiciously at his counterpart "why would we store our costumes any where near the camp" he questioned and Dionysus wisely chose not to answer.

I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch

"WHAT" Will shouted in horror. He turned to Percy and pleaded "please tell me you weren't just sitting outside on the porch while unconscious."

Percy shrugs "only half unconscious."

"That's not better" Will shrieked bolting up from his seat.

"Do you know how dangerous that could be" he continued starting to make his way towards Percy as if to examine him for any ten years old injuries that could remained. A tug on his arm and he looked back to Nico who beckoned him to sit back down. Reluctantly he complied taking a breath to calm himself before rounding on Percy again.

"You were struck by lightning, were in a major car crash, thrown off the back of a Minotaur, and unconscious for two days" he listed "and that's without mentioning the mental toll you just suffered all in a body that I'm assuming hadn't even hit puberty yet."

Percy frowned "was that an insult it felt like an insult."

"Haha he called you a baby" Drew snorted chuckling at the glare Percy sent her in return.

"It's not an insult" Will rolled his eyes rubbing at the bridge of his nose "it's a fact you were a child your bones were just starting to develop.. Who the hell" he said looking accusingly at the gathered demigods "thought it was a good idea to take you outside without checking you weren't like sick or at risk of infection or something."

Grover sunk in his chair trying to make himself look invisible. Sensing his friends discomfort Percy tried direct Will's attention back to him.

"Will it's fine, remember it was raining plus I made it up the hill I was okay I promise."

"It's not fine" Will nearly shouts "it's negligent and just because you were okay this time doesn't mean that when something like this happens again, and don't give me that look I know you'll end up in the infirmary again, that things will turn out okay."

His head whips towards Chiron who flinches back at the frenzied look on his face "Chiron why would you move an unconscious patient outside like that you're the one who taught me how risky that could be"

Chiron stayed silent for a moment seemingly taking in the words Will spoke. "I" he started "at the time, thought it best to indulge young Grover he was also hurt during the altercation and in shambles because his friend was hurt and I believed this would help make him feel better. I deemed it safe enough after treatment for Percy to be taken outside after he inquired about it so I-"

"Wait" Grover interrupted "I didn't ask to take him outside you suggested it you said it was a good idea for him to get some sun."

Chiron blinked "right that I did terribly sorry Grover. Will is correct though I should have never allowed you to take Percy outside while unconcious moving a patient unnecessarily without permission is dangerous and"

"But you helped me move him I didn't do it alone" Grover chimed in again frowning.

"Yes of course" Chiron said.

Will looked between the both of them a deep scowl marring his face. "Just because you wanted to make him feel better doesn't mean you can just move a patient like that you know how dangerous that is. Not to mention a complete violation of consent I can't believe you just"

"Will" Nico interrupted and immediately Will fell silent. "Percy said he was fine, Chiron said it was safe it's okay there's no need to keep scolding them like this."

Will still scowled huffed a breath in annoyance. "It's just so so"

"I know Will" Nico said quickly patting his arm "I know you're just worried but this was years ago it's okay to let it go"

Will's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Fine" he muttered sinking down in to his chair to bury his face in the crook of Nico's neck.

Grover relaxed with Will's rant over and craned his neck to whisper to Percy. "Sorry Perce" he said unable to stop the pitiful bleat that bubbled out of him.

Percy rolled his eyes. "It's fine Grove" he sighed tiredly. A wicked smile spread across his face his irritation melting away replaced with mischief "If you apologize again" he started pausing at the suspicion that gleamed in Grover’s eyes "I'm shaving your head in your sleep."

A look of horror fell over Grover's face and he clutched at the curls atop his head. "Not again" Grover he muttered and Percy snickered.

"You can't say I didn't warn you this time" Percy smiled.

gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt.

Percy's face scrunches and he clicks his tongue against the back of his teeth trying in vain to make the feeling of sandpaper on his tongue and the wash away. Sally feels him shift and looks over in concern. He shrugs noncommittally and waves it away.

On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.

"Oh" Grover exclaims turning quickly and leaning over Annabeth to stare at Percy.

"Is that why you" abruptly his voice cuts out and Grover frowns.

"Grover are you alright" Chiron asks in concern

Annabeth clears her throat and glares at Grover who's now sprawled across her lap

A look of understanding dawns on Grover and he scrambles up off her looking sheepish. "I'm alright Chiron" he quickly assures while ducking away from Annabeth's hand which swiped out to tugg at his horns in annoyance. "The Fates put some sort of spell or something on all of us so we can't talk about anything that shows up later in the books. At least I think that's what it does."

Chiron nods looking contemplative. "That is good to know" he says distractedly.

My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it.

Percy's hands begin to shake and hurriedly he untangles himself from Annabeth laughing at the small pout she sends his way. He curls one hand in to a fist lying the other on top and squeezing hoping to still the shaking.

Will contemplates these words staring up towards the ceiling. "How long were you unconscious again" he asks snapping his eyes back down and looking inquisitively at Percy.

Percy shrugs and Chiron pipes up "About two days"

Will nods sagely "the weakness is normal it should have cleared up after some proper rest and food."

"Will" Nico started speaking slowly "this was ten years ago I'm sure he figured that out when it happened."

Will rolls his eyes "I was just trying to help" he scoffed.

Nico raised an eyebrow "with something that already happened."

Will pouted leaning back in his chair refusing to answer while Nico snickered beside him.

"Jerk" Will mouthed while Hermes continued as Nico continued his quiet laughter

"Careful," a familiar voice said.

Grover was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops, and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF- BLOOD. Just plain old Grover. Not the goat boy.

Grover shrugged "I thought it'd be too much after" he gestures vaguely at Sally "you know everything."

"And you would have been right" Percy assured. "If you'd showed up in standard goat boy attire I probably would have thrown the cup at you."

Grover mock gasped "you would never" he exclaimed throwing his hand over his mouth like a

scandalized Victorian heiress.

Percy thought for a moment "okay maybe not the glass but at least like a pillow or something."

So maybe I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason. And...

"Oh sweet denial, it's gotten me through so much" Nico deadpanned.

"I hate denial" Reyna grumbled "all denial does is waste time."

"Well" Piper interjected "sometimes it helps. Like sometimes you just aren't ready to deal with life so denial is easier."

Reyna shook her head " then you're just delaying the inevitable pretending like something hasn't happened is useless. It happened you gotta deal with it."

"Sometimes you're just not ready though" Leo said softly. "Sometimes you need to pretend to hold on to a little hope to keep going."

Reyna's expression darkens her gaze darts to Leo who's staring up at the ceiling before darting away again just as fast. She only needed a moment to see that he wouldn't be saying anything else about this. She looks down at her hands clenching them in fist her nails carving half moons in to her palms.

Finally she looks up and simply says "It never last" before falling silent again.

"You saved my life," Grover said.

"Way to shatter the dream Goat Boy," Thalia muttered.

Percy shrugged. "It had to happen at some point," he said. "Better him than Chiron" he whispered to himself a bitter coat over his word.

Drew's brows knit together and she leaned over angling her head and to look at Percy. "You okay?" she asked and Percy rolled his eyes. Drew frowned at his dismissal. "I'm serious Percy are you okay?"

Annabeth scowled wrapping her hands around Percy's forearm and tugging him closer against her side. Percy winced for a moment then quickly smoothed his features over schooling his expression, a tight smile settling upon his lips which he directed at Drew.

"I'm fine" he assured her gently prying Annabeth's nails from where they were stabbing in to the skin of his arms to throw his arm around her again and pull her close just like she wanted.

"This was years ago I'm-" he paused hesitant before finally he said "I'm okay I promise."

Drew stared at him trying to keep her eyes from trailing over to the crescents she knew would be gouged in to the skin of Percy's arm. She sighed and turned away "fine," she grumbled folding her arms against air chair."If you're sure."

"I...well, the least I could do...I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."

"Thanks G-man seriously."

Grover shrugged. "The least I could do after you saved life and all. I needed to do something to make myself useful after that whole disaster." Grover's shoulders slumped after that. "Not that it helped much" Grover sighed.

"It helped" Percy insisted "it was nice to have something to hold on to, I mean, It's not like I had anything on me when I stumbled into camp."

Reverently, he placed the shoe box in my lap.

Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood. It hadn't been a nightmare.

"Unfortunately" Percy mutters to himself scowling.

"Don't you just hate it when you're given a physical reminder of the fact that your world has now changed forever and there's nothing you can do about" Nico quips rolling his eyes when he sees Percy wince watching him slowly sink in to the cushions.

"It was a joke" he says and Percy nods.

"I knew that" Percy assured him hurriedly.

"Well sort of a joke."

"Sorry" Percy says.

"It's not your fault" Nico sighs "It's not." Suddenly feeling very tired Nico leans in to Will's side who wordlessly settles a hand in his hair twirling some of the strands in just the way he knows Nico likes it.

"The Minotaur," I said.

"Um, Percy, it isn't a good idea—"

"Why do we even try at this point" Annabeth says shaking her head in disappointment. "It's not like he ever listens to reason."

"I do listen to reason" Percy argues "just not back then."

Annabeth scoffs "Hardly, you wouldn't know reason if it slapped you and tattooed it's name on your face. The only reason you're alive at this point is because you have me."

"You're a big part of why I'm alive but this was-"

"So you admit I'm the only reason you're alive."

"I guess" he frowned in confusion trying to sort his words out. "No, wait I meant that-"

"What do you mean no?" Annabeth interrupted scowling. "You just said that I was the only reason you're alive."

"No I-" he stopped something heavy settling against his shoulders and he let out a deep sigh. "You're right I just meant when this happened I didn't know what Grover was talking about."

"That doesn't-"

"I think" Sally spoke up sharply. "I think what Percy meant is he has no reason to know about the danger of names at this point. He called him the minotaur because that's the name he's most commonly known by." Her smiled was pressed in to something thin and tight and sharp and she spoke again her tone clipped. "You're a smart girl Annabeth I'm sure you understand how hard it is to make informed decisions without the proper knowledge. It would be ridiculous to criticize Percy for something he didn't know about."

Annabeth blinked shocked into silence by Sally's words for a moment before nodding. "Right, you're right Sally."

Sally's smile settled again in to something softer and Annabeth relaxed burying her face in the crook of Percy's neck again.

Percy stared at his mother also taken aback by her tone and Sally only smiled and said nothing.

"Thanks" Drew mouthed Sally who nodded silently reigniting her resolve to keep a closer eye on her child's relationship with Annabeth.

"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" I demanded. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull."

Grover shifted uncomfortably. "You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?"

"My mom. Is she really..."

He looked down.

"I'm sorry Percy" Sally says. She stands and Grover moves over to her spot so that she can sit next to Percy and pull him in to a hug.

Percy laughs and hugs his mom back. "It's not you're fault," Percy assures, "I just I didn't really know what I'd do without you."

Sally squeezes tighter and Percy squirms coughing once before Sally lets him go. Here eyes are glassy and she quickly blinks away any tears before they can roll down her cheeks.

Leo and Frank watch the interaction silently blinking back their own tears.

I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight.

My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful.

Leo sighs "yeah that's how it feels. After my mom," he paused clearing his throat then continuing.

"After the fire I remember seeing the sun rise over the what was left of our house and it was so nice and it just felt wrong. Like how dare you be beautiful when the most beautiful person in my life is gone." Piper reached over tugging his hand in to hers and rubbing her thumb over his knuckles.

"My mom's funeral happened on one of the nicest days of that year" Frank said. "The weather was perfect, the sky was clear and the my mom's favorite flower had finally started opening up again and I hated that. I remember wondering why they had to wait till she was gone to start up again." Hazel hugged Frank close and he took in a shaky watery breath that familiar anger and resentment rolling through him.

"It's like the world is making fun of you when everything just keeps going despite someone so important being gone" Nico echoed from his place against Will's side.

No one said anything else after that for a long time at that. The weight of those they had lost settling at there sides, even the gods stayed silent not interrupting as their own losses echoed through their minds. Finally after a long moment Hermes began reading again.

"I'm sorry," Grover sniffled. "I'm a failure. I'm—I'm the worst satyr in the world."

"You were a very good protector" Percy said to Grover.

"You almost died" Grover deadpanned.

"Yeah but that wasn't your fault it was, last I checked you can't control the weather." He looked at Grover suspiciously "can you control the weather because I don't remember-"

Grover cuts him off " No Percy I can not control the weather."

"So you agree it's not you're fault" Percy says triumphantly.

"Yes Percy I think we all know who to blame for the car getting struck by lightning."

Both past and present Zeus scowl at the statement and Grover steadfastly ignores them. It's not like they can do anything here after all.

"I was talking about you leaving, and everything else before that. Face it Perce like you wrote-"

"I didn't write this why do-"

"Like you said earlier you spent more time looking after me at Yancy and even after that than I ever did with you, and the one task I was assigned to do after we left was keep an eye on you and keep you from running in to monsters, again, before you made it to camp and I couldn't even do that. I was supposed to be protecting you not the other way around and I failed at that. I'm sorry."

Percy stared at Grover unable to say anything to that, because what was there to say. Sure he was protecting Grover from bullies back at Yancy but that's all. Grover has done so much more for him than deal with a few mortal bullies. He's saved his life multiple times in ways that he doubts the man even realized, he's one of if not his best friend, and for a very long time his only real friend and that mattered. But how could he tell him all that, how was he supposed to explain that Grover saved him so many times even before his first quest.

"Did you know Percy didn't have any actual friends before you."

Percy's head whipped away from Grover to glare at Drew who was leaning an elbow against the arm rest of the couch her face perched in her open palm. "Drew what the fuck."

She shrugged, "what it was getting sad I had to say something." She turned towards Grover "Anyways Grover, I think you're underestimating how important having a friend is. Like everyone remembers their first real for real actual friend for a reason. Having someone you can be comfortable around without the whole authority issue and obligation that comes with parents or family having someone who sticks around because they want to is super important especially for kids at that age. I won't bore you with the scientific details for why but trust me when I say it matters. You might not have been protecting him from bullies or monsters or whatever other creepy thing circles him like a vulture but you were there, and despite being a dirty liar who probably deserved at least a little slap across the face for the gaslighting-" "Drew" Percy warned and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, despite everything you stuck around because you wanted to, and that means something. Right Percy," she turned back to him imploringly and Percy nodded.

"Drew might be, you know" he waved a hand in her general direction ignoring the gasp of indignation she let out at the implication "But she's actually right. You're a good protector Grover maybe not in the, traditional way, but you were good for me."

"And me" Thalia piped up. "You might not have been the best fighter or have the best music taste Goat boy, though you've definitely improved a lot in both now, you actually cared about us when we were making our way to camp, you even" she's cut off abruptly her words catching in her throat and she coughs frowning. She rolls her eyes when the realization of what happened set in, shook her head and continued. "And full offense I've seen the way some of the other satyrs have acted while bringing in demigods you being so nice to us was a good call because if any some of the other satyrs I saw had shown up to get us well, none of us would have liked how things might have ended up."

Grover sighed "Thanks Thalia but things could have, should have gone better."

Zeus scoffs "that is an understatement boy, I do not understand why" he's cut off frowning but starts again. "I can not understand why" again he cuts off and again he tries in vain to power the discomfort to continue his sentence before he finally starts to literally choke on his words devolving in to a fit of coughing.

"Why did I strike the, what did you call it car, in the first place" Zeus wonders aloud ignoring his counterpart's fit. "I can hardly be bothered to care what my brother's progeny do at this time, I highly doubt that would change in the future."

Everyone stares as Zeus finally begins to calm his coughing tapering off. In frustration he scrubs at his mouth brushing away a thin line of cold slowly falling past his lips and down his chin.

"I don't think we're allowed to answer that my lord" Chiron says calmly. Zeus rolls his eyes but says nothing more about the matter.

He moaned, stomping on his foot so hard it came off. I mean, the converse hi-top came off. The inside was filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole.

"Oh, Styx!" he mumbled.

Thunder rolled across the clear sky.

"What is the thunder for" Hazel asks.

Hades grumbles "nothing it's just my brother being dramatic.

"No it is not, I am not the cause of every stray bit of thunder that booms through the sky" Zeus counters.

All the gods turn to look at him in surprise.

"Wait you're not the one doing it" Hermes asks astounded.

Zeus scowls "of course not, why would I care what mortals say about that woman."

"Wait so you mean it's the Styx who makes the thunder whenever we say "Oh Styx"," Will says in shock. There's a beat of silence as everyone looks curiously towards the ceiling, waiting for what would normally be the inevitable rumble of thunder to sound overhead. There's nothing and the demigods look to one another in confusion.

"It makes sense" Annabeth says "after all it is her name, why wouldn't it be her making the thunder."

"But why does she do it" Hazel asks again.

Annabeth shrugs "maybe she thinks we're being rude."

Hazel thinks for a moment then nods in agreement. “I guess it is rude to be invoking the name of a …. a goddess so flippantly.”

“Styx is not a goddess” Athena says.

“She not?” Frank and Annabeth asks together.

“No she’s not” Athena confirms “Annabeth I expect you to know this Lady Styx is much older than us gods.”

Annabeth scowls sinking down in her chair at her mother’s unprompted chastisement.

The Aphrodites nods “yes” the younger starts. “She is even older than us and I was around long before even our dear Hestia” she says blowing a kiss towards said goddess who smiles indulgently.

“If she’s not a goddess,” Nico asks carefully “then what is she?”

“She is the river Styx” Hades says simply and Nico nods understandingly.

As he struggled to get his hoof back in the fake foot, I thought, Well, that settles it. Grover was a satyr. I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head.

"Please don't" Grover pleads his hands flying up to cover his now much more prominent horns.

"I won't" Percy promises.

But I was too miserable to care that satyrs existed, or even minotaurs. All that meant was my mom really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.

I was alone.

Percy's back straightens abruptly just after Hermes reads this last sentence. Suddenly familiar feelings come crashing over him. His limbs ache and his head foggy a storm of grief anger misery and a deep achingly familiar loneliness surge inside of him and he fights the urge to fold himself in to a ball and fall away from the rest of the world. His knees bounce up and down to keep moving and he buries his face in to Annabeth's hair. She smells like graphite and ink and the tropical coconut shampoo he got for her a couple months ago. The sickly sweet of the shampoo burns his nostrils and holds back his tears and he hopes he isn't trembling, the last thing he wants is for Annabeth to notice for her to feel his fear his ache against her and for her to ask .....

"What's with you" Annabeth murmurs and its like someone shoved dry ice down his throat with he intensity of the burn that her question creates and the way his stomach sinks and freezes over as he realizes he can't hide this.

He breaths in once, again and lifts his head up a smile already plastered on to his face.

He can feel his mom's gaze on him sharp needles against the back of his neck and he refuses to look at her. He's not a kid anymore desperate for any crumb of comfort his mother could spare him he will not fall apart in her arms like he's five again no matter how much he wants to.

"Nothing" he soothes in a low voice "just you know memories."

He sees Annabeth nod her understanding at his words "you weren't alone you know."

He blinks "what"

"Without you're mom you weren't alone you had Grover and Chiron you had camp."

He blinks again, "it's not the same"

"So" Annabeth counters "you wouldn't have been the first kid to loose a parent especially not at Camp you weren't alone you had everyone else by your side."

"Not then Annabeth I didn't I didn't know anyone I didn't even know Chiron"

"Yeah I know you didn't know I'm just saying you don't have to feel like you were alone becayse you weren't, not then and not now. You've still got Chiron and Grover and you've got me and everyone else and you even got Sally back so there's no need to feel sad."

"Breathe" Percy thinks to himself staring at Annabeth in silence "count to ten and breathe."

He breathes out slowly softly trying to tamper down the emotions bubbling up over the still raging

storm in his chest.

"Annabeth I know that now but then when I just woke up I didn't have anyone else my mom back then was the only person I had and she was just gone and no offense to Grover" he quickly turns to his friend who waves off the preemptive apology "I love him but at that point I had only known him for a year I didn't, I couldn't be sure that Grover or anyone would be able to deal with me when my mom barely could. I didn't know about Chiron or camp or anything else I just knew my mom the only person who gave a shit about me and was still around was gone and I was literally alone and that was... a lot at the time."

Annabeth frowns shifting uncomfortably in her seat and pulling from Percy hold her expression shifting between astonishment panic and annoyance in the span of seconds. His arms hover in the air a moment where she had previously been settled in them before he settles them against his sides.

"I knew that" Annabeth says "I knew that did you think I didn't, did you think I don't know how fucking hard it is to show up at camp after loosing your family."

"No of course not" Percy assures.

"Of course not like you thought I couldn't know what you meant" she accuses.

"No no that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean Percy because it sounds like you think I'm incapable of understanding that it's hard to loose someone you love. I was just trying to make you feel better. You're the one shaking like a leaf over a book."

"I know I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply that you didn't understand I know you're just trying to help."

"Do you?"

"Of course I do I know that" he glances unconsciously at Thalia who frowns unable to make out what the two are whispering about beyond Annabeth's annoyance and Percy's panic.

Annabeth nods her posture relaxing. "I was just trying to help."

"And you did help you're right I wasn't alone I know that Camp would have been my home even without" he chokes a bit on his words but coughs clearing quickly to hide it "even if my mom hadn't come back. I'm sorry that I said otherwise."

"You would have had me too you know eventually."

Percy nods "Yeah I would have I'm sorry" he held open his arm a nervous shaky smile on his face. Annabeth stared at them for a moment and in a panic Percy wondered if he'd went to far this time messed up too badly hurt her too much that a simple apology wouldn't make things right anymore. A beat of silence later and Annabeth leaned over planting a small sweet kiss on his cheek and settling back in to his arms.

An orphan. I would have to live with ... Smelly Gabe? No. That would never happen. I would live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do something.

Clarisse scoffs "your scrawny ass in the military don't make me laugh."

Percy scowls "I know okay you don't have to rub it in. I was just-" he trails off. Just what, being dramatic, pessimistic, desperate he didn't know. Grief sits hot and cloying in his throat merging with the anger

His mom is, no this was a decade ago, was gone and he didn't know what else to do or think he just knew he didn't, hadn't wanted to live with Gabe. Never him.

He cleared his throat "I just didn't know what to do okay I wasn't going back to Gabe and I've seen what happens to kids in foster care especially kids like me so that wasn't an option."

At the mention of foster care Leo scowled. "Yeah" he echoed "you'd definitely be better off trying for the military."

Grover was still sniffling. The poor kid-poor goat, satyr, whatever-looked as if he expected to be hit.

Hermes stops abruptly looking up to stare down at Grover. "Why were you expecting to get hit?"

Hermes looks over at Dionysus glaring fiercely at him opening his mouth to tear in to the other god before closing it harshly. He scowls and settles for glaring at him instead unable to say anything else on the matter.

Grover clears his throat sinking against the cushions. "The council," he begins awkwardly looking down at his hands curled in to fist. "The council of the cloven elders were in charge of training all the all of us no matter the job, and they weren't exactly the best teachers. It used to be some of the senior protectors or other elders would train the younger ones but that changed. From what the elders said the council got more paranoid and violent the longer the" he trailed off his fist clenched tighter blunt nails digging in to the supple flesh of his palms. Grief still sat so prominently in his throat for a moment he wondered whether it would choke him, keep him from speaking. Yet still after another breath, in and out, he continued. “The longer the search went on the worse the elders got.” He trails off again a horrible mix of shame regret and grief ever present souring his expression. He wipes at his eyes subtly not having the courage to look at either Hermes. He says nothing more, letting the implication sit in the air of the room.

Hermes looks away from Dionysus taking a deep breath to keep the tears from welling up in his eyes and the grief from overtaking him.

Hermes watched his future counterpart in concern. “What search?” he asks Grover.

Grover shook his head “I’m sorry Lord Hermes I don’t think I’d be able to tell you.” He says nothing more, letting both the implications of his words sit in the air of the room. Hermes slowly cautiously begins reading once again.

I said, "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you."

"Did my mother ask you to protect me?"

"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least... I was."

Hermes stops abruptly and frowns. "Why would you loose your job this is hardly the first time a keeper has brought a demigod to camp a little worse for wear. All things considered it's a miracle you made it to camp at all. If anything you should be praised that Percy didn't end up dead just mildly concussed unlike many others who make the journey to camp."

Grover winces looking at his still clenched fist to avoid looking over at Thalia or Zeus who was glaring daggers at the satyr.

Thalia for her part is scowling, glaring up at the ceiling instead of Hermes for the reminder of her fate. Jason looked over at her curiously and shook her head, her eyes practically begging him to not ask clearly not wanting to talk about it.

"I had just gotten off probation after the last, um incident," Grover explains. "I'd been a keeper for a couple other demigods before Percy but his was the big one. It was supposed to decide whether I would be allowed to get my license. The council made it clear that failure of any kind was not an option and loosing Percy's mom wasn't ideal, no offense Perce."

Percy shrugged not looking at his friend. "It's fine not like it was your fault that someone sent a monster to hunt me for no reason, or that lightning randomly hit us," he stopped himself from sending a very pointed glare towards Zeus and Hades who both steadfastly ignored his declaration.

"The last, incident" Thalia spat out "wasn't your fault either."

Annabeth nodded her head in agreement leaning over to whisper something to Grover who thanked her quietly in return.

"But why ..." I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming.

"Don't strain yourself," Grover said. "Here." He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips.

I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip

cookies. Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies-my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay.

A soft sad smile spreads across Sally's features. Reaching over she grabs Percy's hand giving it a quick squeeze. She feels pressure against her palm where he squeezes back and her smile suddenly holds a little more warmth.

Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.

"Was it good?" Grover asked.

I nodded.

"What did it taste like?" He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty.

Annabeth rolls her eyes slapping Percy's arms. He mutters a soft ow looking over at her inquisitively.

"Don't feel guilty over something like not sharing a drink of all things" she scolds a smile slowly creeping up her face. She shakes her head and laughs quietly "gods, you really are such a seaweed brain you feel bad over the stupidest things."

Percy shrugs "I just felt bad he looked like he really wanted to taste and he'd already done so much it seemed mean to not let him have some."

Annabeth rolls her eyes again. "Of course you'd say that" she folds her arms over her chest in annoyance "you know Percy I keep telling you you're too nice one day it's going to come back to bite you in the ass."

Percy sighs "I know I'll be more careful."

Annabeth nodded. "Good" she breathed "I don't need you getting hurt and as your girlfriend it's my duty to look out for you and make sure that doesn't happen."

"And you are wonderful at it" Percy agrees.

"Sorry," I said. "I should've let you taste."

"No you shouldn't have" Dionysus interjects. "Nature spirits do not have the constitution for such things are you trying to kill the poor satyr boy."

Percy stares "well I know that now but I didn't even know what I was drinking back then."

Rachel frowns "oh wording maybe don't take random drinks you don't know the name off nor were explained to you that's how you get drugged."

Percy rolls his eyes "I was fine clearly."

"Yeah but in the future maybe don't afterall you remember what happen at that one time" she counters.

"Okay no that wasn't a drink that was something else."

"Food also counts."

Percy closes his mouth not responding.

Annabeth frowns "what happened."

He winces "I'll tell you later."

Annabeth scowls scooting away from him with a huff.

His eyes got wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just... wondered."

"Chocolate-chip cookies," I said. "My mom's. Homemade."

Sally smiles softly.

"I wish you'd just tell me the recipe already" Percy says wistfully, pointedly not looking at Annabeth and keeping his arms pressed at his side. The taste of his mom's cookies linger on his tongue andhe focuses on the taste and the warmth his body is suddenly filled with, basking in the feeling that comes from snuggling up at his mom's side on a rainy the two of them sharing a plate of cookie and whispering scary stories to one another on her bed.

Sally's soft smile turns wicked and playful quirked at the edges by mishief. "I'm afraid it's a family secret passed down you'll simply have to wait for me to die to find out."

Percy huffs "but that's so long."

"To bad" Sally laughs "I had to wait and so do you."

"It's not that bad" Nico pipes up. "I like the cookies you make they're amazing."

Percy sighs "but are they better than my mom's" he asks raising his eyebrow at the boy.

Sally also turns to Nico, intrigued. "Yes Nico" she smiles sweetly, "are they better than mine."

"Ummm" he says looking between the two Jacksons in panic.

"Look at that you played yourself" Will mutters hiding a smile behind his hand.

"Shut up" Nico hisses.

"Now I want cookies" Piper sighed.

He sighed. "And how do you feel?"

"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards."

"Interesting comparison" Rachel laughs and Percy shrugs smiling.

"That's good," he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff"

"What do you mean?"

He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it were dynamite, and set it back on the table. "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."

“Would love if someone actually bothered answering your questions” Leo huffed.

“Agreed” Piper said “this is starting to get annoying. At least when we got to Camp they explained what happened immediately.

The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.

My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Grover offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held on to it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn't going to let it go.

As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath.

We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley

marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and

there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings.

"It really is beautiful" Jason says. "I love New Rome of course but Camp has I don't know something about it that's well amazing."

Percy nods a wave of awe momentarily overtaking the previous storm of grief. "Yeah even now Camp still manages to take my breath away."

"I love Camp Half Blood," Hazel sighs "you guys have pegasi I'm so jealous." Her lip wobbles just stopping itself from forming a pout and she sinks against her seat.

"Aw Hazel" Percy smiles at her "the pegasi adore you they say you're always welcome at their stables."

"Really" Hazel perks up excitedly clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking with joy.

Frank hugs her close "Plus New Rome might not have pegasi but we do still have the unicorns, and you still have me remember."

Hazel laughs "are you saying you'll be my personal pegasus" she asks playfully.

"Of course, only the best personal steed for you hazelnut."

She laughs again hugging him close.

Percy snorts "don't let Arion hear you say that, he swears he's the best steed for Hazel. He always asks

for you when he pops up at camp and brags about you to the pegasi." He smiles as Hazel rolls her eyes at Arion's alleged antics.

Demeter frowns. "Arion" she says "like my Arion."

Hazel nods "yes we met some time ago he's amazing."

Demeter preens at the praise and Demeter's back straightens in pride "of course he is" she says and her counterpart nods.

Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoon-fed me popcorn-flavored pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them.

The man facing me was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels- what do you call them, hubbubs? No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. He wore a tiger- pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've out-gambled even my step-father.

Both Dionysus, enraged at the less than flattering description, level glares at Percy filled with enough combined malice to drive at least twenty mortals mad from just a glance. Percy avoids the glares subtly shrinking back in to the couch eyes deliberately pointed to the ceiling.

"Lord Dionysus can definitely out gamble Gabe" Grover says hastily and reverently, successfully redirecting the two gods ire away from Percy. The expressions on the Dionysus faces changed from anger to haughtiness as they both fight not to preen with he compliment. They scoff simultaneously.

"Of course I" Dionysus starts then glancing quickly over to his counterpart clears his throat, "we can out gamble any mortal."

Upon noticing Percy mouths a silent "thanks" and Grover sends him a thumbs up.

"But you can't out gamble Chiron" Nico asks immediately flinching back at the glare both Dionysus shot him while the rest of the gods quickly burst in to amused laughter.

"I'm afraid it seems time has not managed to make your skills any sharper Dionysus" Hermes chortled looking smugly at his half brother. Dionysus scowled turning away from Hermes refusing to respond. Dionysus in contrast simply flipped him off.

"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper,

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at Grover, "just a camper" she accused suppressing a smile at the way

Grover squirmed.

"Well" he stammered "compared to Mr. D you are just a camper."

She frowned nodding, reluctantly accepting the explanation.

but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron... ."

He pointed at the guy whose back was to me.

First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard.

"Mr. Brunner!" I cried.

The gods with the exception of Dionysus turn together to look at Chiron in surprise.

"You left camp" Athena asks in shock "you have not step hoof outside of camp in over a century."

"Even longer in our time" her counterpart echoes.

Chiron smiles "I needed to be there making sure Percy was safe was a priority at that time as those from our time may very well know."

The gods from the future nod their understanding while the ones from the past look on in confusion.

"Keep him safe by denying him essential training and information" Reyna asks incredulously.

"Reyna" Percy says hurriedly "it was fine Chiron had other things to worry about besides training me."

"How could he have other things to worry about if your safety was supposedly a priority he let you walk in to a room by yourself with a monster. Didn't you also have detention with the fury so he just let you sit alone with that monster several times, you could have died or worst."

"He had to maintain his cover he couldn't have told me about the monster I probably would have just thought he was crazy. He didn't have any other choice" Percy argued back.

"Except he did" Reyna nearly shouts "he's Chiron the Chiron trainer of heroes" she whips around an accusing finger pointed at Chiron. "You had a thousand years and who knows how many chances to learn how to keep demigods like Percy safe in situations like that and instead you decide to what keep him ignorant and vulnerable it's like you wanted him to... to" she trails off words burning at the tip of her tongue but unwilling to say them, to make such an accusation at Chiron of all people.

"Reyna" Percy says standing up and walking over to her "I don't know what exactly Chiron was thinking but I know he was doing his best to keep me and every other demigod he's caring for safe. I know you worried but this was a decade ago and I was fine."

He tentatively places an arm on her back tracing soothing circles against her skin urging her to relax. Slowly the tension in her muscles fade and she relaxes almost droops over as the fight leaves her.

"Reyna" Sally says taking a position on her other side "thank you for being worried about this and I agree with you but I've got this okay."

She turns to Chiron a glare fixed on her features and Chiron blinks in surprise. "When this is over Chiron I hope you're prepared to have a" she pauses her head cocked to the side looking the centaur up and down appraisingly before smiling cold sharp like a steel blade "a conversation" she continues "with me about the way you handled both my son and the other demigods under your care."

Chiron blinks again than nods. "Of course."

Sally's smile doesn't fall at Chiron's agreement. "Wonderful" she says focusing once again on Reyna.

Hermes clears his throat having watched the entire exchange and goes starts reading again.

The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.

Several demigods groaned.

"Of course Chiron was that kind of teacher" Annabeth sighed shaking her head fondly.

"I hate when teachers do that" Rachel sighed.

"Me too I always end up second guessing myself" Percy agreed.

Chiron smiled brightly at the two his eyes bright with laughter. He turned to Percy with a warm smile

"If it's any consolation Percy you usually did wonderfully on my pop quiz."

"Ah, good, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."

"You just assumed I knew how to play pinochle" Percy asked Chiron.

"All children enjoy pinochle" Chiron says.

Percy smiled "I don't think any child has played pinochle since the 17th century."

"19th century actually" Nico said.

"Really" Percy asked in surprise.

"Yeah the game was brought here by German immigrants and got really popular among adults. It got really popular during World War One among the soldiers, so around now I guess. There's no way kids were playing it till after that though. I don't remember anyone playing Pinochle when I was kid but I don't remember anything from when I was a kid."

Athena frowned "World War I when was that I've never heard of a World War One."

All the people from the future looked between one another in concern. "I'm not sure if I should answer that" Nico said cautiously.

"Using the word one implies that there is more than one" Athena insisted.

"I really can't say" Nico said "I don't think I'm allowed to."

He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"How welcoming" Thalia drawled rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"You're supposed to be welcoming the children not dismissing them after something traumatic" Hera chastised.

Dionysus rolled his eyes . "Please since when do you care about how I treat the brats."

"I care when you are blatantly disregarding the reason you're at that forsaken camp in the first place" Hera countered.

"Why am I even at camp I hardly have children to care for at the camp" Dionysus questioned.

Dionysus huffed and simply gestured towards Zeus. Dionysus scowled nodding in understanding.

"How come they get to say spoilers without nearly dying" Grover muttered.

"Uh, thanks." I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hitting the happy juice. If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol, I as a satyr.

"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl.

She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health,

"Again why were you even there" Will insisted "you hate helping out in the infirmary."

Annabeth huffed "I don't hate helping out at the infirmary."

"Well you don't like it" Will countered.

"You don't know that" she argued.

"Annabeth even now you always try and weasel out of helping out at the infirmary and every time you do you just grumble the entire time avoid the patients and just do inventory."

Annabeth scowled and shrugged "I don't have the greatest bedside manner that doesn't mean I hate helping out at the infirmary."

"You also told me you hated helping out at the infirmary" Piper said shrinking back when Annabeth shot a glare at her. She held her hands up in surrender while Annabeth continued glaring then huffed and turned away.

"Okay" she conceded "I don't really like helping out at the infirmary it's stuffy there is that a problem."

"It's not a problem" Will sighed "I just don't understand why this was the exception."

"I wanted to know what was going on. I know you came later in the summer but you were there during your winter break you remember how nervous Chiron was acting before he just left. I knew something was wrong and I figured the kid who was chased by the Minotaur was probably the cause of it. And I was right. " she finished.

"Yeah you might have been right but you shouldn't have been in the infirmary searching for answers. Keep your investigations out of there it bothers the patients."

Annabeth's scowl deepened. "Fine" she spat out and Will rolled his eyes.

"I get you wanted to help" he sighed "but people are trying to rest in the infirmary they don't need anyone there trying to interrogate them especially when they were unconscious."

Annabeth's frown fell away a little and she nodded "I know I never did it again anyways."

Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."

She was probably my age, maybe a couple inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds: pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.

"I was, just for the record" Annabeth quips towards Percy who still sat by Reyna. She frowned motioning for Percy to come back to sit next to her. Percy slowly got up looking back at Reyna who shook her head and mouthed for him to go back to his girlfriend.

Percy smiled hurrying back to Annabeth's side and who settled back at his side. "I don't doubt it" Percy said and Annabeth smiled.

"Don't keep stuff from me anymore" Annabeth whispered harshly. Percy nodded.

"I doubt you could take him down" Drew mutters leaning back against her seat and trying not to glare at the two.

She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you're so awesome! or something like that.

"Annabeth Chase paying someone a genuine compliment the day I see that is the day the river Phlegethon freezes over" Drew scoffed.

Annabeth scowled jerking up from Percy's embrace to her mouth poised to respond.

"Drew what the hell" Percy snapped and Drew flinched looking over to him in surprise.

"I just meant" she stammered shifting uncomfortably at the glare Percy had leveled towards her.

"You just meant what" he hissed ice coating each syllable the sharpening the words to pierce through her shaky defense

Her shoulders tensed and her face screwed up a range of emotions flashing across her features before she deflated.

"Nothing" she mumbled and turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry" she quickly gritted out and turned away.

Annabeth rolled her eyes not bothering to respond and cuddled up back against her boyfriend.

Percy shot one last icy look towards Drew who defeatededly mouthed "sorry" and "later" before turning his attention back to the book.

Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep."

"Legendary" Piper snorts and Annabeth preens at the flattery.

"I know" she laughs.

Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.

"So," I said, anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?"

"Not Mr. Brunner," the ex–Mr. Brunner said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Okay." Totally confused, I looked at the director. "And Mr. D...does that stand for something?"

Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."

"No one else ever asked if your name stood for anything?" Hazel asked.

Dionysus scowled "Most children simply accept that I want to be called that and don’t. ask. questions.” he emphasized glaring at Percy.

Percy frowned “I didn’t realize it was such a big deal to ask.”

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"I must say, Percy," Chiron-Brunner broke in, "I'm glad to see you alive.

"Yeah I hope you would be" Leo laughed.

"Making it to camp alive is often the first test it was very reassuring that Percy managed to make it" Chiron clarified. "It was good preparation for what was to come in the future."

The atmosphere around the demigods grew cold and Percy frowned at the statement but said nothing.

It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."

"House call?"

"How often exactly did you make house calls" Jason questioned.

"As was mentioned not very often, it had been over a century since I made a house call. Admittedly as the mortal world has changed it has gotten a lot more difficult to make the sort of calls I was used to. It took several years for me to get a teacher certification that would allow me to work in schools the way I did with Percy."

"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to...ah, take a leave of absence."

I tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but I did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher my first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class.

"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" I asked.

"I always wondered why you came to Yancy anyways" Percy said.

"While I wasn't sure who's parent you were when Grover informed me about you I had an idea of how important you would be. It seemed important that I come personally to scout out whether my hunch was warranted."

"So you were testing him" Reyna demanded.

"Yes I was" Chiron agreed "but I had to be sure that Percy would be able to survive what was to come."

Chiron then smiled turning to Percy "and luckily you were."

Percy smiled shakily "yeah lucky."

"And if he wasn't" Reyna snapped.

Chiron said nothing

Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood.

"And yet you somehow neglected to tell me that my child was attacked by a fury while you were supposedly keeping an eye on him" Sally growled glaring at Chiron.

Grover looked down "I'm sorry Sally I should have told you."

Sally smiled "it's not your fault Grover you were the child it was Chiron's responsibility to explain what happened."

She turned back to Chiron her glare once again replacing the warm smile she previously wore "I'll save the rest of what I want to say for our later conversation Chiron just know I am not happy with the way you handled this."

Chiron nodded

But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test."

Reyna frowned she did not agree with how Chiron was framing this. He had ample opportunity to prepare Percy for this test and just didn't. Even Lupa with her harshness made sure to prepare each demigod she took under her charge as best she could for the trials they will undertake and Chiron just did nothing and she wasn't sure why.

She sighed to herself, there had been an idea sitting in the back of her head ever since her previous outburst that she was too afraid to give shape outside her mind. She hoped she was just reading to deeply in to Chiron's actions, that he was just old and tired and overwhelmed and not- . She shook her head "no" she mentally chastised "the Greeks love Chiron, Percy loves Chiron despite everything and if Percy can forgive Chiron for his negligence then so could she.

"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?"

"Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair,

"Do you actually know how to play pinochle" Percy asked Grover curiously.

"At that time?" Grover asked and Percy nodded.

"I didn't have a clue how to play that game I was just hoping if I played I wouldn't be in as much trouble. I know how to play now though spend enough time with Mr. D and Chiron and you'll have no choice but to learn.

though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.

"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously.

"I'm afraid not," I said.

"I'm afraid not, sir," he said.

"Sir," I repeated. I was liking the camp director less and less.

"The feeling is mutual Perry" Dionysus scoffed.

“Well," he told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules."

"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron said.

"Sure but I didn't want to learn" Percy said to Chiron.

"Nonsense knowing the rules of Pinochle is a skill everyone should master you never know when it can be of some use" Chiron retorted.

Percy sighed "well whenever that I happens I'm sure I'll remember to thank you."

"Please," I said, "what is this place?

"Yes please can we get back to the topic of what the hell is going on" Rachel said with relief.

Percy frowned "Rachel you know what was going on."

"Yeah but I wanna hear him explain it, I never got a formal introduction to all the mythology stuff I wanna hear from an expert."

Chiron looked at Rachel in amusement "I'd be happy to explain to you sometime later Ms. Dare."

Rachel shook her head "nah I'll get it from the book I'm fine."

What am I doing here? Mr. Brun-Chiron—why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"

Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question."

"Mr. D was not this mean when I made it to camp" Will said suddenly.

"He barely acknowledged me when I got there" Clarisse said

"Same here" Annabeth said looking at her boyfriend her eyes narrowed with curiosity.

"It seems like he just hates Prissy" Clarisse said.

"I do" Dionysus said.

"He does" scoffed Percy.

"He hated you from the first time you met, why" she asked.

Percy face scrunched up in annoyance before it fell settling in to a frown. "I don't think I can tell you."

"Percy" she warned and his hands flew up in defense.

"I'm serious I think it's explained later I can't tell you."

She huffed "fine" she conceded with a roll of her eyes.

The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile.

Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student.

Annabeth mock gasped "Percy your star student how could that possibly happen."

Percy rolled his eyes "ha ha very funny I get it I know I suck at school."

"You said it not me" Annabeth laughed "besides Chiron I thought I was your star student."

Chiron smiled "you both are" he insisted.

Drew frowned "Wait Percy weren't you on honor roll when you graduated."

Percy nodded "first and last time I was honored for anything having to do with grades."

Annabeth frowned "you wouldn't have made it without my help anyways." she said.

Percy nodded and smiled "yep all thanks to you."

Annabeth smiled smugly before turning to glare at Drew "how do you even know he was on the honor roll."

Drew rolled her eyes "we went to the same high school, duh I was in his class we graduated at the same time."

"Oh" Annabeth said looking at Drew curiously "I didn't see you there."

"That's weird" Percy said "Drew was salutatorian.”

Drew smiled "that I was."

"Well I didn't notice you" Annabeth rolled her eyes "maybe you just weren't that important." she said innocently and Drew scowled glaring daggers in response.

"Or maybe you stuck your head so far up your ass that you couldn't see past the shit you're always spouting" she hissed quietly nearly gagging when Annabeth looked over at Percy expecting praise.

He expected me to have the right answer.

"Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?"

"No" Sally said bitterly "I unfortunately didn't."

Percy frowned "you did your best mom."

A bitter laugh escaped her at her son's assurance and she wanted to scream that it wasn't enough. Her best wasn't good enough because he still got hurt beaten abused and betrayed all because she made a selfish wish and a stupid decision. But instead she looked over at her son his eyes shining with worry and simply smiled. "Thank you Percy" she said and watched as his frown deepened but he nodded and turned away.

"She said..." I remembered her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."

"Really" Poseidon said looking at Sally with new interest. "That is rather unlike me I do not usually interfere with choices of the parents of my children. I especially wouldn't tell them that if they took the child to camp they would never see them again."

"You didn't not really, but there were" she paused and cleared her throat and dark look passed over the faces of the gods from the future, "extenuating circumstances I guess you could say. That and my ability to see through the mist you thought it was important to warn me."

Poseidon nodded still staring inquisitively at Sally.

"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed.

Both Dionysus nod their heads in agreement at the words of themselves in the book.

Sally sighed dropping her head in her hands. She was quickly coming to the realization that the way she went about trying to keep Percy safe in those older years most probably made things much worse. Everything she did trying to keep knowledge of Poseidon from Percy and especially with Gabe, she scowled deeply at the thought of that man the fire of rage roaring back to life at the mere thought of his name and she took a shuddering breath to calm herself, she could rage later right now she needed to focus on her son right now not get hung up in the past.

Young man, are you bidding or not?"

"What?" I asked.

He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.

"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."

"You guys have an orientation film" Hazel asks.

"Apparently yes" Percy shrugged. "I've still never seen it though."

"Wait you've never seen the orientation film, still" Apollo asked.

"Yep" he said cocking his head to the side "is that a bad thing."

"It simply means you haven't witnessed my superb acting. Unacceptable."

Percy blinked "oh of course, it's a tragedy" he said in a monotone voice, "I'll be sure to fix that as soon as possible." He turned away from Apollo to roll his eyes as discreetly as possible.

"A film outside of a theater" Hephaestus muttered "now that is an idea."

"I like the theater" Tyson murmured looking up from some gizmo he had been tinkering with for the past couple minutes.

"We're still on to go see that new movie you wanted to see when it comes out" Percy smiled.

Tyson nodded happily "Yep movie time with brother."

Percy laughed "I guess you're looking forward to it"

Tyson smiled at Percy and nodded before going back to the gears he had been placing in the device.

"Orientation film?" I asked.

"No," Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know"—he pointed to the horn in the shoe box—"that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods—the forces you call the Greek gods—are very much alive.

I stared at the others around the table.

I waited for somebody to yell, Not! But all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.

"How did you not think you were being inducted in to a cult ..... or kidnapped?" Rachel asked in astonishment.

Percy shrugged "I had been kidnapped before and this just didn't feel the same."

Rachel stared before shaking her head. "Okay coming back to the whole you've been kidnapped before thing because we are definitely having a conversation about that, what do you mean didn't feel the same."

Percy hesitated "it just kidnappings feel more I don't know hostile. I definitely thought that Chiron was crazy, no offense Chiron" he added quickly shooting an apologetic look at his mentor.

Chiron chuckled "none take" he assured "a common reaction when first being introduced in to this world."

Percy nodded "right so I thought Chiron was crazy but it didn't feel like I was any danger exactly. Apart from Mr. D being" he shrugged "you know Mr. D, being at Camp those first couple of days felt" he trailed off searching for the right words. "Not nice exactly but I don't know peaceful I guess." He shrugged again "no worse than being the new kid at a new school."

"I think I probably would have tried to run the moment they said "the Greek Gods are alive" and the hostile adult started laughing like a serial killer." Rachel admitted with a laugh. "No offense" she added offhandedly smiling at Dionysus who huffed and ignored her.

"Well I didn't exactly have anywhere else to so there was also that. Camp had to be safe because if not well" he trailed off.

"Oh" Rachel said.

"Just out of curiosity" Piper asked "what would you have done if Camp wasn't a safe place."

"Can camp even be considered a safe place" Nico muttered and Will nudged him gently a finger placed over his mouth in the national "shushing" motion when he looked over. He rolled his eyes in response but said nothing more.

Percy shifted awkwardly, this was something he thought about more often then he cared to admit. That one brush with the loss of his mother was enough for a life time cementing a now ever present fear of her one day just being gone again. More often then not around early summer he found himself wide awake in his bed replaying that night that empty space where his mother had resided for that moment before she was just, nothing, burned in to his brain. Possibilities played over the image what could he have done differently what would he do if it happened again plan and idea one after another echoing in his head stealing away sleep. No he definitely did not like to think about this.

Instead he simply shrugged "no clue all the adults around me acted like a cross between Mr. D and Gabe so I wouldn't want to stay with them and anyone else was either dead or extremely unlikely to take in a twelve year old so I'm not really sure."

Piper nodded and they continued listening.

"Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"

"Eh? Oh, all right."

Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully.

"Why mournfully, was it cause you were loosing" Leo joked.

Grover frowned "I wasn't loosing" he said.

"Sure you weren't" Leo said.

"I wasn't" he insisted pointing instead to Percy. "He was loosing."

"Hey" Percy shouted "I had never played before unlike you."

"Not like you're any better now" Grover shot back.

Percy frowned and grumbled something about annoying satyrs and confusing card games.

"Wait," I told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."

"Well, now," Chiron said. "God—capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."

The gods all winced together. "maybe don't phrase it like that. "Hermes said. "Jesus is not super fond of people talking about his parent like that."

"Wait, Jesus is real" Frank wondered aloud.

"As real as any of us" Athena answered.

"Wait then does that mean that the Christians were right does hell like exist" Leo asked hastily.

Athena hesitated "yes and no. As Chiron said it's best not to wonder about the metaphysics of it all."

"Wait but-" hurriedly cutting him off Hermes continued.

"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about—"

"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."

"Smaller?"

"Yes Chiron feel free to explain what exactly you meant by smaller" Zeus asked curtly.

"Nothing so offensive my lord I just meant that compared to a God that supposedly controls the entirety

of everything you have all taken the much more practical approach with your domains."

Both Zeus' eyed him suspiciously be for nodding accepting his answer.

Chiron sighed in relief.

"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class."

"Zeus," I said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."

And there it was again—distant thunder on a cloudless day.

"Why all the thunder" Nico asked curiously.

Zeus huffed "it's a warning our names are not meant to be used so lightly. Our names are tied to us in a way you mortals simply can not comprehend saying them is equivalent to a prayer or in more extreme cases a summoning. This modern world may have lead to many of you forgetting the ancient rules but that doesn't suddenly mean that they're no longer important."

Nico nodded his understanding.

"At least its fun to come up with nicknames for all of you" Drew hummed.

Will looked at her curiously "what kinds of nicknames?" he asked.

Drew smiled slightly and let out a small giggle "I'll tell you later" she promised.

"Now I would very much like to know what you have come up with" Aphrodite said to her daughter her eyebrow raised.

Drew smiled nervously "wouldn't knowing defeat the purpose" she said hesitantly.

The goddess continued to eye her in suspicion but nodded her acceptance.

"Young man," said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."

"But they're stories," I said. "They're—myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."

"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"—I flinched when he said my real name, which I never told anybody—"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals—they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."

"So does that mean space is fake or something. Like those pictures we have of the sun and the earth are just not real?" Rachel asked.

"You all have pictures of outer space" Athena asked in astonishment. "What exactly have the mortals been doing in your time" she asked turning to her counterpart. Athena smiled promising to explain to her later.

"Not exactly" Apollo answered. "Dio's explanation left a lot to be desired"

Dionysus scowled "do not call me Dio." Apollo ignored him and continued.

"With those natural forces it's not as simple as we are those forces and more that we embody the movement and many primal aspects of those forces. We as gods residing over many of the natural processes of the earth have dominion over many core aspects of these forces I can stop driving my chariot and the sunlight will no longer touch those places we rule over. But that does not mean that the sun itself is gone. I have dominion over it's motion whether it it's warmth can be felt by our charges not whether it exist or not. It's much the same for many of us. Uncle Poseidon is not the ocean itself but the currents the waves the movement the impact that is him that is what he controls. Father is not the sky but the roll of the thunder the snap of the lighting the bluster of the wind he controls that. Does that make sense."

She blinked "not really no sorry" she said sheepishly.

"Ah" he said and thought once more "okay let me rephrase then. We did not create the elements we generally speaking are not the elements we are much closer to shepherds. These aspects of the world follow our whims bend to our desires like a shepherds flock follows their crook but that does not make the shepherd the sheep themselves. How is that."

She nodded slowly "okay I think I get it."

"Of course when it comes to those more abstract concepts that mortals are so fond of love and madness and the like things are much more complicate but no need to get in to that." He added on.

“Wait what.” Rachel said but Apollo ignored her motioning instead for Hermes to just continue not paying any mind to Rachel’s indignant scowl.

I wasn't liking Mr. D much,

"The feeling is mutual" Dionysus scowled.

Percy sighed. "Yes you've made that very clear" he whispered to himself.

but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if...he wasn't. It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut.

Athena looked at Percy "I am impressed Perseus" he scowled at the use of his full name. "Most would not bother to question such language. Many would consider it trivial."

Percy balked for a moment but quickly recovered. "Thank you " he said through his shock.

Annabeth scowled. She elbowed Percy roughly in the side.

"Ow" he muttered rubbing the side she hit. "What did I do."

Annabeth glared and turned away. "Figure it out" she growled yet still continued leaning on her boyfriend.

"Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"

I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal, but the tone of Chiron's voice made me hesitate.

"I think I've changed my mind" Percy said his looking up at the ceiling in contemplation.

"Maybe it's cause I'm mortal but the idea of being immortal feels I don't know wrong."

"It's not that bad" Apollo insisted.

Percy shrugged "I don't know all the people I care about are mortal. When Chiron asked me this I hesitated because well the only person I cared about was gone but now well"he turned to the demigods "I have all of you I can't imagine leaving that behind."

"Awwww Percy" Hazel said rushing forward dragging Frank and Nico behind her to give him a hug. Tyson and Grover also got up piling on to the hug. Annabeth rolled her eyes but also hugged him. Sally got up and joined the growing pile of people hugging her son.

"Thanks Hazel" Percy said briefly squeezing her arm which was wrapped around him "but that's enough okay seriously."

Hazel pouted but pulled away dragging her boyfriend and brother back down to their seats.

"Well lucky for you you're not going to have that chance" Dionysus said gruffly rolling his eyes at the affection "again" going unspoken but still understood by all who knew.

Percy smiled tightly "yep" he said simply.

"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," I said.

Nico frowned "why does that matter."

"Why is that of all things what you ask" Annabeth echoed.

Percy shrugged "would you want someone to deny your existence while you were standing right in front of them" he pointed out.

Annabeth blinked "I guess not."

Nico frowned "that would be weird I guess."

"Point proven."

"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"

"How dare you" Sally said sharply turning to glare at Chiron in disgust. "How dare you hold my disappearance over his head like that for the sake of your lesson. What could have possibly made you think that was an appropriate thing to say to a child who just woke up after that kind of ordeal. What exactly was your intention here was that a fucking joke of some kind."

"He needed to understand" Chiron stammered.

"He needed to understand what" Sally prodded angrily.

"I was hoping" Chiron said carefully "that relating my words back to an emotional event would help him come to terms with his circumstances quicker." He finished looking back and forth between Sally and several of the demigods who were all openly glaring at him.

"And you chose my death of all the so called emotional event the only one you could think to use was the death that happened for him less than an hour ago." Sally raged and Chiron hung his

head in shame.

"What the hell Chiron" Thalia said in shock.

"If someone had said that to me after my mother" Leo fumed "I would have fallen apart."

"Those are fighting words" Clarisse said with a shake of her head. "Saying stuff like that back where I'm from got people jumped."

"That was messed up" Frank agreed frowning at Chiron.

Reyna frowned the same inkling that had been pricking at the back of her head growing larger by the moment. Chiron's comment was disgusting and out of line but also targeted. It felt like another test of some sort like Chiron was prodding at this version of Percy's insecurities and shame but for what exactly. Her frowned deepened whatever the reason was she did not like it. This is not how the Romans do it demigods are tested on their skill their power their prowess abilities they have control of parts of themselves that can be honed and sharpened in to an effective weapon but this. Chiron insisting on pulling on the shattered pieces of Percy's love for his mother and himself just felt wrong. As her hunch grew she hoped even more that this was just ignorance.

"Mom" Percy spoke up snapping Reyna out of her thoughts. "It's okay" he insisted "I knew what he was trying to do and I didn't let it get to me."

"But you should have" Sally retaliated still glaring at Chiron her soft voice nearly shaking with fury. "You should be angry Percy you can be angry about this. I know Chiron means a lot to him but what he said was incredibly out of line."

"I know it wasn't" he hesitated a moment frowning searching for the right words. "I know what he said was wrong but he meant to test me I needed to be ready for what was to come."

Chiron shook his head "no" he said "your mother was correct. I needed to test you yes but reopening a wound so recently carved was too far." He bowed his head to Percy "I am sorry Percy please forgive me."

Percy immediately shook his head "no no it's fine Chiron really I know what you were trying to do and it's okay I mean it."

Chiron pursed his lips together a moment but nodded letting the matter drop.

"Chiron I think we need to have another couple lessons on how to speak to children" Artemis sighed and her brother nodded in agreement. "I'll help" Apollo said "I can add a module about grief counseling."

Hera sniffed "Chiron you should already know how sensitive a person's mother can be" she chastised "it is not a topic to broach lightly.

"Of course miladies and mi-lord I fully understand" Chiron said nodding his head in acceptance.

My heart pounded. He was trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. I said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods."

"And that has not changed. Time is a circle all roads lead to atheism." Percy quipped.

"Deism" Nico corrected.

"What" Percy asked.

"Deism the belief that the gods exist but they don't give a shit about you that's deism."

"Oh" Percy said shocked. "I didn't think there was a word for it."

Poseidon and Hades frowned. "You think we don't care about you" Poseidon asked.

"I don't care about them" Ares barked.

"Yeah we know" Clarisse grumbled.

Startled Ares looked over at his daughter. "I care about you" he insisted quickly. Clarisse shrugged not looking at her father.

The other gods watched and frowned.

"You can't all think we don't care about you" Aphrodite said.

None of the demigods said anything many shrugged not looking at their respective parents.

"Of course we care about you" Athena said in shock. "You are our children."

Annabeth scoffed "you all have an interesting way of showing it."

Zeus stared "if you all feel that way then why?" He trailed off unable to finish his thought.

Drew shrugged "just because we don't think you care about us doesn't mean we want you to like, die."

The present gods simple stared at their children in silence. The reality of just how tenuous their relationship with the children who fought for them and in many cases besides them settling uncomfortably in them all.

The past gods looked between their counterparts and future children in worry. While they had always had a tenuous at best relationship with their children, ancient laws be damned they never expect for many to just assume that they held no care for them no love. They could not understand how their collective relationship with their children had degraded so much, or an even worrying thought perhaps had always been this way. This thought seemed to punch them all collectively in the chest anxiety creeping over them at the thought especially with the statement about their potential death. As unrealistic as that seemed to them it was obvious that something happened in their future that would threaten all of them and that concerned them.

Awkwardly Hermes continued.

"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."

Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."

"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe!"

"Is that why Mr. D hates you because you said the gods don't exist." Annabeth asked.

Percy shook his head "no but it probably didn't help."

Zeus sighed " you could at least attempt and understand the lesson I wanted you to learn."

Dionysus rolled his eyes.

He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine.

My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up.

"How often has he tried that" Zeus asks Chiron tiredly.

"About once a month or so" Chiron answered ignoring Dionysus's glare.

"Dionysus" Zeus roared and Dionysus whipped his head around to stare at his father in horror. Fear then indignation battled across Dionysus's features. He settled on rage "It is my domain" he roared back "you have no right to restrict me."

"No right" Zeus scoffed "I am king I can do as I please. I have not cut you off from your worshipers I have not stripped you of abilities or even restricted any of your many other domains I have simply told you to not partake away from Olympus. Your punishment is minor and simple and yet you rage against me about rights. "

"You don't understand" Dionysus insisted in near hysterics "this is my domain this is part of me and you tell me I can not indulge, can not revel in an aspect so central to myself. You could not possibly understand how I feel. You have locked me in a cage of your design for a century all over a measly nymph."

"It is not about the nymph" Zeus insisted.

"Then what father what possible reason could you have for this."

"Because you were one of them" he shouted. He dropped his head in to his hand rubbing at his temples in frustration. Dionysus balked staring at his father in shock mulling over his outburst.

Snapping his head up Zeus looked steadily upon Dionysus. "We will continue this later." He turned to Hermes. "Continue son."

Hermes nodded and continued.

"Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions."

Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.

"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"

More thunder.

Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.

"Is your restriction only for wine" Leo asked curiously.

"What are you talking about Leonard."Dionysus sighed still reeling over the brief screaming match between him and his father.

"I mean there are other alcohols." Leo said ignoring the name. "It's probably not exactly the same as wine but rum or mead probably better than Diet Coke."

Dionysus thought for a moment. "I believe it is only wine. But I know better than to drink around you skittish children Pauline over there is a good example as to why."

Percy scowled "I'm twenty two I'm hardly a child" he retorted.

Dionysus scoffed "sure come back when you've taken even a sip of wine and maybe I'll change my mind."

"I have drank before" Percy seethed. "Like twice" he muttered to himself.

"Why Diet Coke of all things" Piper asked.

Dionysus shrugged "I am fond of the taste."

"Okay but diet seriously."

"What exactly is Diet Coke" Dionysus asked curious about his counterpart's habits once restricted from their favorite beverage.

"It's Coca cola with less sugar" Grover explained.

Apollo's nose scrunched up in disgust "why on earth would they go and do a thing like that. Sugar is one of the best things you mortals have created. It's very delicious."

Grover shrugged "diet culture" he said simply.

He stared "and what exactly is diet culture."

Will sighed "something I don't think we have the time to explain."

Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."

"A wood nymph," I repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space.

"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time—well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away—the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha! Absolutely unfair."

"Yeah" Nico whispered leaning over towards his sister. "It's not fair that we have to suffer just cause someone's mad that Mr. D is a better lay than him."

"What was that" Zeus snapped.

He shook his head "I didn't say anything."

Will and Hazel both snickered beside him. "Nice going" Hazel muttered laughing harder at the glare her brother sent her way.

Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.

"Choose your words carefully Pomade" Dionysus warned.

"Oh come one you're not even trying anymore" Percy groaned.

"And..." I stammered, "your father is..."

"Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course."

"I think most of us are fathered by Zeus so that won't tell you much" Apollo snickered.

Hera glared at Apollo for a beat before quickly shifting it to her husband he cowered under her gaze.

The mortals for there part were trying very hard not to laugh.

I ran through D names from Greek mythology. Wine. The skin of a tiger. The satyrs that all seemed to work here. The way Grover cringed, as if Mr. D were his master.

"You're Dionysus," I said. "The god of wine."

Annabeth sighed "You figured that out didn't Mr. D just say to be careful throwing around names."

Percy laughed "yeah that hadn't really sunk in yet."

"What was your plan if the D wasn't relevant to his name" Grover asked curiously.

"Why would he do that" Percy countered.

Grover shrugged "I don't know maybe if he wanted to hide who he was."

"Why would I need to hide" Dionysus said.

Grover shrugged again "I don't know it was just a thought."

Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?"

"Y-yes, Mr. D."

"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"

"You wish you could be me" Aphrodite scoffed.

"You're a god."

"Yes, child."

"A god. You."

"Well you certainly weren't acting like one" Artemis scoffed. "You can hardly blame him for his skepticism."

Dionysus scowled "well maybe I'd act more like "a god" as you so eloquently put it" he roared "if I was not being unfairly relegated to that forsaken summer camp simply for chasing a single measly wood nymph that father had his wandering eyes on." Dionysus nodded along with his counterpart.

Artemis rolled her eyes "maybe" she started backing up her younger counterpart and looking at the older Dionysus "you wouldn't have been relegated there if you would stop acting like a petulant child."

Dionysus shot up "how dare-"

"ENOUGH" both Zeus shouted and Dionysus reluctantly sat down still glaring at Artemis.

He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a straitjacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life.

"Woah" Leo whistled in appreciation. He turned to Percy "does that happen every time you look in to a gods eyes" he asked "cause that's kinda cool."

Percy shrugged "I'm not sure I don't make a habit of looking in to gods eyes." He thought for a moment "though there is this sort of aura around a lot of the gods that you can kinda get the same feeling."

He pointed to the gods "see look there" and the demigods turned to look where he was pointing. There, along the outline of the gods sat an impression of a kind. A vague whisper a barely visible mark of something surrounding them.

"Do you see" Percy said "that I don't know, the aura around them" he turned to watch as the demigods all nodded in understanding.

"Focus on that, if you look at it for long enough then well" he trailed of with a shrug and watched them as they did what he suggested.

The demigods stared at their respective parents and counterparts squinting at the impression surrounding them. Then suddenly it flashed in their heads massive storms swirling above the open sky the winds touching down and swallowing unsuspecting towns and cities, the cry of a warrior from where they stand covered in gore and surrounded by the fallen enemies and allies alike, the choking of one ten a hundred people as they collapse from an indomitable disease the smell of their bodies as they rot in a puddle of their own sick, industry churning the madness of an innovator cackling as they burn their body to a crisp at the foot of their revolution, the forlorn cry of mothers and lovers lamenting the cruelty of the loves that never bore fruit, the piercing howl of a wolf in to the frightened silence of a wild place nd the smell of pine and cedar and iron as they charge through the forest, the oppressive silence of the earth as it groans over head the weight of the surface bearing down on those trapped below their icy still rotting fingers reaching towards the light, and the clack of a shuttle across the warp the threads gleaming red the scent of copper and salt permeating the air as a lone person weaves a tapestry made from the dregs of these horrors.

"Oh" Leo said his voice quivering, "so not cool then."

"I don't think I want to do that again" Nico muttered pulling Will in close.

"Agreed" the other demigods all said.

Percy shrugged "you asked."

"Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly.

"No. No, sir."

The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."

I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He got up, and Grover rose, too.

"How often does Chiron win" Frank asks curiously.

"Chiron always wins" Nico says smirking.

Frank nods and turns to Chiron "can you teach me how to play" he asks.

Chiron smiled "I would be delighted to Frank."

Frank nods again and smiles.

"I should have known" Hazel says shaking her head, her mock annoyance in stark contrast to the smile slowly creeping up her face and the fondness in her voice.

"You know me Hazelnut I love games" Frank shrugs smiling.

Hazel giggles "I know."

"I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight.

“Wait gods can get tired” Jason wondered.

“Of course we can” Hera said smiling. “Just like you all we use energy and feel fatigue. Typically though we have higher stamina than any mortal can hope to achieve.”

Drew snorted “that’s what she said” she muttered to herself.

The mortals all laughed quietly to themselves while Hera frowned in confusion.

“What does that mean exactly” she asked and Hermes tried not to laugh at his stepmother.

“Nothing nothing” Drew said hurriedly “it’s a um” she paused scrambling for what to say. “It’s it’s a pun” she said settling on her words finally. “Well sort of a pun.”

Hera frowned more “I don’t understand where is the pun.”

“Its” she trailed off nervously “it’s hard to explain exactly.”

Hera scowled “then try girl” she snapped.

“Um” Drew said simply looking at all the mortals who stared back in pity.

Deciding to have mercy on the girl Hermes tapped his counter part on the shoulder urging him to continue.

But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."

"It wasn't his fault" Percy mutters to himself simmering quietly in his seat. His grip around Annabeth's shoulder tightens for a split second before he forces himself to relax.

Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."

Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners."

He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.

"Will Grover be okay?" I asked Chiron.

Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been...ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."

"A century over a mere wood nymph" Dionysus practically shrieks, turning to his father. "You would never do such a thing right father not over a nymph of all creatures."

Zeus scowls at his youngest son. "If that is the punishment my future self gave I am sure it was warranted" he answered gruffly.

"But why" Dionysus voice rises an octave nearing hysterics, and Dionysus slumps in his own throne in exhaustion clearly having had this conversation several times before. "since when have to spared a single thought for such a thing."

Hera scowls at that immediately and she glares at Zeus. "I loath to agree with this child but he is correct." Her smile is tight and her words full of venom when she asks "dear husband why would you

care for a nymph so much as to punish your son for chasing after them."

Zeus tenses sitting up straighter in his throne and swapping a stern look between his wife and his son.

"I do not know the whims of my future self but I am sure the decision was a necessary one. Regardless it is neither of your places to question me."

Hera's lips press together in to a thin tight line but she back downs anyways, and Dionysus slumps back against his throne still seething but in silence.

"Mount Olympus," I said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"

"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed use to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."

"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like...in America?"

"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."

"The what?"

"Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possible fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know—or as I hope you know, since you passed my course—the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps—Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on—but the same forces, the same gods."

"Our gods are definitely not the same" Jason said. He looked over at Zeus and could faintly make out the mirage of Jupiter the man taller his hair lighter and his features sharper than the god who sat in front of him now.

Percy nodded "yeah Ares and Mars are like night and day from one another."

"My mom and Minerva are too" Annabeth agreed. "Definitely different."

"And then they died."

"Why died" Annabeth asked incredulously pulling away to stare at her boyfriend.

Percy blinked, "what?" he asks.

"Why died why would you jump to died, not they don't exist they died that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard"Annabeth rants staring at Percy in near open mouth shock.

Percy shrugs "I don't know it just made the most sense."

"It made sense that the gods you supposedly didn't could exist died," Annabeth says slowly an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

Percy leans back holding in a sigh of resignation "I, yeah I think I thought they just didn't exist anymore, but they did exist before now. I guess I couldn't imagine anyone believing in something like gods without a reasons so it made sense that maybe they did exist but now they don't anymore."

Annabeth stares for a beat of silence before shaking her head in sympathy. "Seaweed Brain," Annabeth says punctuating the nickname with a lingering kiss on his temple "I love you but that was the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Maybe leave the philosophy to me okay," she finishes smiling sweetly and snuggling back up against his side.

Percy pulls her close "it made sense at the time" he mutters.

Annabeth laughs softly "of course it did."

"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either—America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."

"Why America" she asked accusingly before she could stop herself, "why here of all places you could have followed anywhere else why come here."

Aphrodite smiled kindly at her daughter "we weren't always in what they call the Us in fact we didn't even set foot on this places soil until oh maybe a century after their little spat with the British. We were well aware of the claim or lack there of we had to this land. But things changed after the mortals had their little industrial revolution or whatever they called it isn't that right sweetheart." She turned to Hephaestus he rolled his eyes at the mock sweetness lacing her words.

"Yes" he said gruffly "the new machines and industry the mortal were creating opened up a lot of avenues for travel. More and more people started moving to here many of our followers were scattered across and ideas scattered across the world."

Athena nodded "yes with Greece in so much turmoil and the rising prominence of Britain we had no choice but to follow them and then America started slowly influencing the rest of the world and here we are. I can't speak for how we are in the future but right now we tend to split our time between Britain and America it's been fascinating and harrowing watching that country expand it reminds me of Rome's encroachment on us."

Her eyes grew dark then as she remembered when Rome first began she frowned turning to Piper. "It was not our intention to push anyone out of their homelands well aware of how devastating it can be we take no pleasure in lapping up the waning influence of another form of divinity like lowly scavengers but I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice. We follow our people our ideas our consciousness that is just the way it is."

Piper pursed her lips "I know that" she choked out Leo and Jason both rushed over pulling her in to a hug. "I know," she whispered her voice wobbling small and tired "but it's just not fair."

"No" Aphrodite assured her "it's not."

It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club.

"Closer to a cult than a club" Reyna muttered rolling her eyes.

"Who are you, Chiron? Who...who am I?"

“That is not a question I could answer for you” Chiron explained “that’s something you have to answer for yourself.”

Percy sighed “I still don’t really have an answer.”

“I don’t either” Thalia agreed.

The rest of young adults nodded each of them muttering about how they aren’t sure who they are yet and how they thought they would have figured it out by now.

Sally laughed “I’m afraid that the question of who you are is one you’ll spend your entire life trying to answer. Hell I’m not even sure I have the answer to that for myself.”

Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down.

"Not paralyzed Percy, though I do understand how someone as young as you were would come to that conclusion."

Grover frowned "I thought the wheel chair was just to help the mist hide you better."

Chiron smiled sadly "yes and no. The chair certainly does make it easier for the mist to hide me form. It works best having an object to mold itself around but it also helps with the pain. I have lived a very long time and the modern world is not kind to my legs and hooves."

"Is that why you still use it even when you're at camp" Annabeth wondered aloud.

"Yes" Chiron smiled "it is. My chair is wonderfully designed and offers me much comfort and support when standing or holding myself up is too painful." He turned to Hephaestus "I truly can not thank you enough for such a wonderful gift."

Hephaestus grunted waving off Chiron's thanks "not a problem Chiron, happy to help."

Hephaestus looked between his counterpart and Chiron curiously. "Do you believe you'd appreciate such a gift in this time?" he asked Chiron.

Chiron straightened his back practically beaming at the younger god "of course I would."

Hephaestus nodded a leather bound journal and gold and black pen appearing with a wave of his hand as he began to quietly jot down ideas.

"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven.

There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."

Hazel looked over at Chiron her brow wrinkled in confusion,"can you eat chocolate?" she asked curiously.

Chiron smiled indulgently "yes child, as stated I am actually quite fond of it."

Hazel blinked and frowned at him. "How? I was told that horses can't stomach chocolate."

Chiron chuckled "they can not."

Hazel stared at him confusion still coloring her features accompanied by several other demigods who were listening.

"Do you have a horse stomach?"

"Nico" Will chastised, "you can't ask Chiron if he has a horse's stomach."

"Okay" Nico rolled his eyes "but do you have a horse stomach?"

Will sighed resigned and Chiron's smile widened. "My anatomy contains many interesting features similar to horses, whether a stomach though I'm afraid I am unsure."

"....... was that a dick joke"

"Drew please don't start," Percy groaned.

"What" she huffed almost whining "it sounded like a dick joke."

"I regret asking" Hazel muttered looking a bit queasy.

"You regret, asking imagine how I feel" Nico said.

Leo's eyes narrowed at Chiron "do," he paused hesitating before carrying on "do you have two rib cages?"

Chiron said nothing instead turning to Hermes and asking calmly for him to continue.

And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.

I stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.

"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers.

"That's all for the end of the chapter" Hermes says shutting the book