Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Drachma for your thoughts?”

Percy startled. He looked away from the glittering surface of the ocean to look over at his girlfriend who had walked up right next to him, leaning on the ship’s railing. “You look like you’re glaring a hole as deep as the Mariana Trench.” Annabeth continued. Percy turned his gaze back to the horizon and sighed, “Just reminded of some stuff I guess.”

They had been sailing for a while now, on the way to Mykonos. They were all still recovering from the storm that Kymopoleia threw their way. Percy was still personally recovering from the poison that Polybotes used on him. He hated just thinking about it.

A lot had happened since their return up until now, but for some reason, it was his (rushed) conversation with a certain son of Hephaestus, when they went to catch the screaming goddess of victory, that’s been crowding his recent thoughts. 

Sure, it was in what was most probably a life or death situation with those aggressive Nikettes, but that’s not important. It just hadn’t completely left his mind.

Annabeth hummed in acknowledgment and started rubbing his arm gently, “Do you want to talk about it? I mean, you have been very lost in your thoughts lately, Hazel was getting worried.” 

Ever since Tartarus, Percy and Annabeth would constantly get lost in thought, memories of the pit flashing through their eyes at every reminder. With no proper time to settle down back on the surface, the couple took every free opportunity they could, together. Sometimes, they would talk, either of what had happened in the past few weeks or just their lives in general. Other times, they would just bask in the comfort and silence of each other’s presence. Today, it seemed as though his thoughts were getting to be too much as Percy took a deep breath.

It also didn’t help that Percy almost died just a couple of days ago. Underwater. That really messed with a son of Poseidon’s brain.

“It’s about Calypso.”

Percy felt Annabeth tense beside him. He knew that this topic was still a bit sensitive to her, even after they had talked about it before Hera took him away, albeit very briefly. After all, the volcano incident was not a very pleasant experience, for him and the people that thought he was, well, dead. Percy continued before she could start asking any questions, “You’ve probably figured it out already, what with that brilliant brain of yours,” he paused as Annabeth smiled lightly before continuing softly, “Leo he...he was there. You’ve heard about it, right? The Khione incident.” 

Annabeth nodded, “You’re thinking about last summer, your request from the gods.”, it wasn’t a question. Annabeth knows Percy well enough to know that he’s most likely blaming himself. Rubbing his arm again she said, “It’s not your fault, you know.” 

Percy shook his head, “I failed her.” 

Annabeth cocked her head to the side, “It’s not your job to tell Zeus to keep his word. Even if it was, you fought in a war, you were recovering.” she chuckled bitterly, “You were taken away and forcefully put to sleep. You had no memories...what I’m trying to say here is that it’s not your fault.” 

Percy closed his eyes, “Well Leo didn’t think that.” 

“Leo doesn’t know what you’ve been through. Come to think of it, no one else on this ship really understands what you’ve accomplished. And you used past tense.” 

Percy ignored her and whispered, “Calypso doesn’t think so either.” Before Annabeth could retort, he held her hand desperately, “The arai. She cursed you. And it’s my fault.” Annabeth froze for a short second before quickly pulling him into a hug. She knew immediately what he was talking about.

“Percy, you didn’t abandon anyone.” Before Percy could open his mouth, she kept going, pulling away slightly to look at him directly in the eyes, “Listen to me. You couldn’t have known how she was feeling. You can’t blame yourself for what happened. She was the one who cursed me, not you. Besides, we made it out, didn’t we? Seaweed Brain, you are a great person, you know that? You don’t have control over everything, but you always find a way to make things better.”

Annabeth knew that Percy didn’t fully believe her just yet, but it was enough for now as he tightened his arms around her and murmured, “Thanks, Wise Girl.” 

They eventually pulled away from each other but didn’t let go of each others’ hands. “Let’s go see what the others are up to, yeah?” But before Percy could lead Annabeth down to the mess hall, a wave of darkness washed over the Argo II. They both heard the footsteps of the rest of their friends running up to the deck before a voice was heard throughout the ship.

Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, you have angered us and Mother Night! We will destroy you!

Percy’s first instinct would probably have been something like yelling Get in line! but the familiar voice had frozen him in his tracks. He saw exactly why he reacted that way when the darkness cleared and on the deck were two demon grandmothers with bat-like wings and glowing red eyes.

He gripped Annabeth’s hand in a death-grip. She didn’t mind as she was doing the same to him. Memories of dark trees and gorgon’s blood flashed through his mind. Memories of Bob. 

He jolted as he felt someone rush past him. Before he knew it, Percy had grabbed Jason’s arm as he pushed past him. 

Jason looked at him alarmed, “Perce what--”

Annabeth shook out of her stupor and hissed at the crew, “They’re the spirits of curses. Kill them and you get whatever anyone has cursed upon you!” Her voice shook a little. Everyone immediately took notice of this and stopped before moving to form a group around Percy and Annabeth, who were both visibly shaken. 

Leo kept his gaze toward the monsters. He gripped his flaming hammer before yelling out, “7 to 2! We can easily take you hags on!”

The arai ignored him, clearly only focused on the couple in the center of the group. 

We heard your call! We have come! We will have revenge in the name of Night!

Percy looked at Annabeth while the rest of the seven looked at them in confusion. “I can take them,” Percy took Riptide from his pocket and immediately uncapped it. “There’s no other way to get rid of them. Someone is going to have to get cursed.”

Annabeth grabbed his wrist, “No! You can’t! We don’t have anyone that can heal you if anything like that happens again. At least let me take the other!”

Before he could respond, the two demons closed in. Frank immediately reacted. He shot his arrows with great aim, but before they could hit the monsters, a dark wave of energy knocked them out of the air. 

Percy yelped as the energy pulsed through the ship. “I don’t remember them being able to do that!”

Everyone staggered back warily. Annabeth cautiously eyed the demons, “I don’t think it’s their doing.” She gasped, “It might be their mother’s protection.” She jumped back as another pulse of energy came at them. 

Percy was confused for a moment. Their mother? “Who--” His eyes widened as he remembered the arai’s words. Mother Night. Nyx.

The two creatures redirected all the advances of the demigods, including Leo’s flaming hammer, Jason’s electricity, and even Frank’s eagle form. Piper’s charmspeak only slowed them down, not completely stopping them. Not even Hazel’s attempts with the Mist were working, the darkness too strong. It wasn’t long before the demigods were scattered around the deck, all pushed back by the weird protection of the arai.

The demons continued moving forward, straight for the two demigods in the center of it all. The demigods all quickly realized that the arai were here for Percy and Annabeth, and Percy and Annabeth only. Probably carrying a specific curse made for the couple. 

Annabeth tugged Percy back, barely missing the arai’s claws. “Percy, we’re going to have to be the ones to kill it.”

Of course, Percy preferred he kill both and bear whatever curses they throw at him. Instead of saying anything out loud, he just grunted in agreement. He knew Annabeth wouldn’t let him get both, so he kept this idea to himself. 

While he was forming a plan to get both demon grandmothers, one of the arai lunged straight at them. In an instant, Percy was in front of Annabeth, slashing it down with his sword. This time, there was no dark pulse of energy, as if Percy was made to kill it. 

Annabeth braced herself for any sound of pain, any sign of a curse, looking at Percy in horror, but nothing came. 

In her worry for her boyfriend, she had not realized how close the remaining one had gotten to her. Luckily, her drakon bone sword was ready in her hand. She began to swing with determination, ignoring the demon’s bared fangs and extended claws, ready to strike it down.

Before her sword could hit the wrinkly skin of the arai, a bronze blade stuck out from its chest. The monster shrieked in surprise, slowly melting into dust. Annabeth looked up in alarm. Her alarmed eyes met intense sea green ones before a bright light blinded everyone, carrying all seven occupants of the Argo II away.

Have everything you’ve ever known be told to your world!

Feel everything you’ve ever felt from the beginning of your life!

Bear the curse of Mother Night, revenge for making her a fool in front of her own family!

Bear the curse of the Pit, you shall not escape the pain this time!

Perseus Jackson...

A voice cackled in the distance.

Chapter Text

Percy opened his eyes and saw that he was suspended in what felt and looked like outer space. Is this a dream?

He tried to recall what happened. He was on the Argo II, fighting some demon grandmothers, and after he struck the one attacking Annabeth. He remembered that bright light...and then he was here. Where is everyone else? 

Panic began to seize his chest. Running a hand through his hair he started to think. Where’s Annabeth? Is she safe? What happened to the Argo? Did everyone else see that bright light? Are they all safe? Where is Annabeth?

“Breathe, child.”

A powerful voice cut through his thoughts. Percy looked up from where he was, slowly lowering his hands from his head. Alarm bells immediately rang in his head. Two figures stood in front of him, one male, and the other, female. He could feel their power coming off of them in waves. He tried stepping back before realizing that he was still suspended in space.

The male figure stood tall, even with the appearance of an old man. He had deep black eyes, and grey hair down to his long beard. He was holding a huge wheel. Along the wheel had different symbols, a lot of them were animals. Percy realized that they were depicting the Zodiacs.

The female beside him stood just as tall, with huge feather wings sprouting from her back. In her hand was a tall stick? Needle? Percy wasn’t sure, he just knew that it was as huge as the wheel that the other guy was holding. In her other hand was a blazing torch. Her long hair was pulled into a regal bun. Percy also realized that she was the one that spoke to him just now. 

“We are not here to harm you Perseus.” She continued.

Percy felt doubt settle in his stomach. His hand crept towards his pocket. These were two powerful beings right in front of him, calling him by his full first name, and they didn’t want to hurt him? Likely story. Before he could stop himself, he demanded, “Who are you? What do you want from me?”

The old dude raised an eyebrow in amusement, not anger surprisingly, “Well, Perseus, it may sound strange, but we are here to help you with your curse.” Percy must have looked extremely confused because the man chuckled before explaining, “The arai have put upon you a very big curse, especially as you killed both the one after you and the one intended for your partner.”

The woman cut in before he could ask another question, “As for who we are, I am Ananke, and this is my husband, Chronos. You are here with us right now in the void.”

At the mention of Chronos, Percy’s first thought was Luke. He was furious, as he had defeated Kronos almost a whole year ago! They must have recognized his train of thought as the woman, Ananke, spoke again, “You think of the Titan Lord. We are not titans, child. We are primordials.”

He suddenly remembered something Annabeth had mentioned in one of her ramblings of random topics. The conversation flashed through his head. 

He and Annabeth had been walking by the creek, all the way back from before he was taken away from Camp Half-Blood. 

Annabeth was off on one of her tangents, somehow on the topic of primordials. Percy was playing around with the water as he listened to his girlfriend talk.

“Ananke is the being of necessity as well as the mother of Fate.” She cut in as soon as she saw Percy open his mouth. “Yes, the Fates.”

Percy snapped his mouth shut before mumbling, “I just thought they were old ladies that just existed.” He made an exploding gesture with his hands, “Like poof. Boom fate exists now.” The water mimicked his gestures, creating a mini-explosion in the water.

Annabeth shook her head with a smile but continued on. “Then we have Chronos, the personification of time.” 

Percy was shaping the water in the air, creating shapes from simple squares and stars to more complex ones like a sword. When he heard the name, he dropped the water back into the creek, causing a splash. He scowled, “Kronos? The one that literally almost ended the world a few months ago?”

Annabeth just kept going, as if she expected this reaction. Wringing her shirt from the water that had Percy had accidentally splashed, she clarified, “Different from the Titan Kronos, Seaweed Brain. This one’s the primordial, time itself.”

Percy helped dry her off. They stopped walking and stood side by side while Annabeth continued her small lecture. “Chronos and Ananke were the ones that separated the Earth into the earth, sky, and sea to maintain order. They did it by crushing this “egg of creation” or so it’s called.” She said while making quotation mark gestures with her hands.

Percy frowned for a short second, then he went back to playing with the water in the creek while shrugging, “Okay sure, why not? Not the weirdest thing I’ve heard.”

Annabeth just laughed at that, “Definitely not.” as they started walking back to the cabins.

Ananke is the being of necessity as well as the mother of Fate. That’s when Percy realized that Ananke was holding a spindle, not a stick. Chronos is the personification of time. Chronos and Ananke were the ones that separated Earth into three parts, earth, sky, and sea.

Percy stared at the primordial beings before him with wide eyes. “You,” he pointed at them in disbelief, “want to help me? A random demigod who got some curse from the arai?”

Chronos nodded, “It is not just any curse, Perseus.” Percy had to stop himself from correcting how his name was being said. “The arai had brought upon you a curse from Nyx and Tartarus themselves. You killed two, you got both.”

Percy vaguely remembered a voice saying something about the curse of Night, and the Pit before getting here. Before he could ask about it further, Chronos raised a hand to continue, “We cannot remove the curse, as it has already fallen upon you, but my wife and I decided to help you use this curse as a way to better the past, present, and future.” 

Ananke picked up from where he left off, “You will find out more about this curse soon, but what you do need to know is that this will be your opportunity to change the future of your past, as well as bettering your relationships. Do not worry about your own timeline, as it will not be heavily affected.”

Percy was still very much lost. He hesitated before asking, “What exactly am I gonna have to do?”

Ananke softened before answering, “Do not be alarmed, for when you get back to your friends, you will see more familiar faces. Some from your present, and some from your past. The curse will reveal a lot about you, whether you like it or not, as per the curse of Night.”

Chronos adjusted his grip on his wheel, “We know your strength and capabilities Perseus, it is why we gave your situation our attention. Without our interference, your curse would be all pain, no purpose. We did what we could to intertwine a blessing within this curse.”

If anything, Percy was even more confused, maybe even a bit frustrated. Why couldn’t they just tell him directly what was going to happen? But then again, when was his life ever that easy. 

He almost burst out in his frustration, but Chronos raised his hand again. This time, it was glowing. Ananke raised her torch and her voice echoed through the void, “Good luck, Percy Jackson. And remember, you are never alone.”

And with that, the glow from Chronos’ hand pulsed and grew into a bright light, enveloping everything in white. He shielded his eyes and felt himself fly backward, faster than a centaur could run. He’s also pretty sure he heard Chronos say, “Oops, that might’ve been too powerful a blast.”

Oh, he was so screwed.

His body hit a wall with a loud crack. Since when was there a wall? And the last thing he heard as he fell to the floor was screaming, a familiar voice cutting through a sea of other voices before he slipped into unconsciousness. 

“PERCY!”

The voice echoed in his head, haunting him in his dreams.

Have everything you’ve ever known be told to your world!
Feel everything you’ve ever felt from the beginning of your life!

It was that voice again.

Bear the curse of Mother Night, revenge for making her a fool in front of her own family!
Bear the curse of the Pit, you shall not escape the pain this time!

Was this what Chronos and Ananke were talking about?

Beware, Perseus Jackson! The voice started to fade. Good luck.

“Percy!”

Chapter Text

When Annabeth came back to her senses, the first thing she realized was that she was no longer on the Argo II. They all had been flung into a room as if someone had just plucked them up from the ship and threw them into the next dimension.

She looked around at the room they were transported to as she lifted herself from the soft floor. It looked like a movie theater without all the chairs, and it was only one level. It was well-lit. There was a huge screen in the front of the room, and the carpeted floor was littered with bean bags, pillows, and blankets. In the center of the room was a golden box. Odd.

She looked back at her friends, who were all groaning and getting up from the floor, and did a quick headcount. 5 people. Including me. The bulldog is Frank so that’s 6. Her eyes widened in alarm when she didn’t see the mop of black hair, “Where’s Percy?”

The rest of her friends froze, they had stopped looking around the room in wonder. They started looking around again, but this time, in a frenzy. Hazel tugged on her curls in panic, “Oh gods. He was just with us!”

Annabeth recalled what happened. The arai had gone for the two of them, completely ignoring the rest of the seven. Instead of taking on one each, Percy was faster, resulting in him defeating both. She gripped her camp necklace, where the coral pendant Percy gave her sat. “No…he got both of them.” She met Piper’s eyes, her tone almost hysterical, “He could be anywhere, possibly severely injured. He took on both curses! He could be…”

Piper quickly made her way to Annabeth, gripping her friend’s shoulders. “Annabeth! Calm down. Stay strong. How about we find out everything we can before jumping to conclusions, yeah?” She didn’t use charmspeak, but Annabeth found herself calming down a bit. 

Jason scanned the room with steely eyes. “There’s no entrance or exit. Whatever happened on the Argo and to Percy must have something to do with this.”

Leo pointed at a corner of the room, “Uh guys? Are shadows supposed to be doing that?”

Annabeth looked over to see what he was talking about. In one of the corners of the room, the shadows gathered, forming a dark area big enough for a person to hide in. Before she could say anything, a figure tumbled out from the shadows and onto the floor. 

Most of them jumped back, clutching their weapons, but Hazel moved forward slightly, “Nico?”

Frank turned back into a human, “Di Angelo? Aren’t you supposed to be with Reyna and Hedge?” 

Nico di Angelo glared at him from his position on the floor. Groaning, he slowly stood up, stumbling a bit as Hazel rushed to help him up. “You tell me! We were already going straight to camp from South Carolina. The next thing I know I end up here, alone. Mind telling me what’s going on?” He looked to Annabeth for an answer, “And where’s Percy?”

Hazel held him steady as he stumbled around for a bit. She looked at him, worried. Nico hadn’t exactly been the healthiest since they found him in a jar for gods’ sake. It’s just now, he felt even weaker. He was even paler than before if that was even remotely possible.

Before Annabeth could explain what they knew, a huge flash of light struck the room revealing a new group of people. More demigods? Annabeth recognized these people. 

She ran straight for two people standing next to each other. “Thalia! Grover!” She brought the daughter of Zeus and the satyr into a tackle. The three of them fell over on the ground, laughing and hugging tightly.

Thalia held her tightly, “Great to see you too, Annie, even though I have no idea why I’m here.”

“Annabeth, my dear, what is going on?” 

Annabeth separated herself from Thalia and Grover at the gentle voice from above them. “Chiron?” She rushed off of the floor to give the centaur a desperate hug as well. Pulling away, she looked around at the other faces properly. She realized that it was all of the counselors of the Olympians’ cabins. She couldn’t see Jake Mason or Drew Tanaka and concluded that it was because Piper and Leo were already present. Her brother Malcolm wasn’t around either, seeing as she herself was there.

“We were in the middle of a war meeting. Aren’t the Romans supposedly going to attack Camp soon? Aren’t you guys supposed to be on a boat?” Katie Gardner trailed off.

“Were you guys really in...that place?” Connor Stoll asked carefully. Travis Stoll nodded from beside him, “Where is Percy anyways? Shouldn’t he be with you guys?”

Annabeth grimaced. If one more person pointed out how Percy was not here, she might just go insane. Thalia patted her back in comfort while Grover let out a small nervous bleat.

Jason waved at Thalia as well, but shifted uncomfortably, “We aren’t exactly sure of what’s going on either.” He explained what they knew so far. 

Will Solace was immediately by Nico’s side once Jason pointed out what he had been doing before all of this. Nico tried slapping his hands away with a scowl, but Will was adamant he checked on his well-being, “You shadow-traveled gods knows how far with a giant statue and two other people! Let me check on you!”

Nico huffed. He did so much worse with his powers, he didn’t know what to think. I mean he only just recovered from a three-day coma according to Reyna.

Thalia looked at Nico. “We saw each other only a few days ago. What the Hades happened to you?”

“You don’t need to know.” Nico glared at her. “Also, did you really have to attack Reyna? You could have just, I don’t know, approached us peacefully?”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Clarisse la Rue eyed Frank and Hazel for a moment before turning her gaze to Annabeth, “So let me get this straight. Something or someone brought us all here, for gods knows what reason, and it probably has something to do with Jackson, again, who is currently missing, again.”

Annabeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn’t freak out now, the situation was too serious. She needed to focus. 

Before anyone could say anything else, bright flashes lit up the room from across them. Annabeth was really getting tired of all these bright lights. 

Leo blanched almost immediately, “Lord Zeus?” he blinked at another flash of light, “Da—Father?”

Across the demigods were the 14 major gods in all their Greek glory. 

“What is the meaning of this? Why are you mortals here?” Zeus thundered while Hera glared at the demigods from beside him. “How dare you summon the council before the winter solstice meeting?”

Hestia immediately spoke up to placate the King of the gods, “Peace, brother. They obviously do not know what exactly is going on either.” She gestured to the mix of confused, terrified, and even angered faces of the demigods. 

Before anyone could stop her, Annabeth stepped forward, glaring at the gods, mostly at Hera and Athena. “Why are we here?” She scoffed, “Do you have any idea how much—“ before she abruptly stopped. She looked back at everyone else to see if she heard Zeus right. Judging from the very confused faces, they all heard it too.

“The winter solstice meeting?” It was Piper who spoke up this time. “Uhh...during the summer?”

Leo clasped her shoulder, “Err, Beauty Queen, are you hearing yourself right now?” Piper just shrugged his hand off while rolling her eyes lightheartedly, “Oh hush Repair Boy, as if you didn’t think the same question.”

While that was going on, the gears in Annabeth’s head were turning at full speed. She stared at the gods for a short moment before turning to Hestia, the least angry immortal in the room, “Sorry to ask Lady Hestia, but what is the date today?”

Hestia just smiled gently, but there was also no hiding her slight confusion when she answered. “No worries, dear. It is currently December 21st of the year 2005.”

Silence.

Everyone either had their jaws dropped, eyes widened or both. No one could bring themselves to speak. Even Annabeth was rendered speechless. This caused most of the gods to look at them skeptically. 

Seeing as none of the children could speak up, Chiron stepped up to explain. “My Lords and Ladies, it seems as there might be something big happening. We,” he gestured to the demigods, “Are from July of 2010.”

He stepped back to give some space to the gods as they processed this. His eyes landed on Zeus, who looked as if he were about to explode, gripping his bolt tightly. Chiron raised an eyebrow and looked over to Hades. The lord of the Underworld looked very indifferent, but it was the helm at his side that caught Chiron’s attention. This would mean that the gods are from right before the bolt and helm were stolen. He met Annabeth’s eyes and could see that she had come to the same conclusion. 

Annabeth nodded at Chiron and began to quietly explain this fact to the others. “The gods are from before Percy’s first quest.” She kept most of her focus on the senior counselors, as they were there at the time. “From right before the theft.” A lot of eyes widened in realization. The rest of the seven on the other hand just looked confused.

Hazel timidly raised her hand. She flushed a bit at the attention from a bunch of Greek demigods she’s never met before but was able to voice out her question. “So umm…do you think that we maybe have to warn them or something? I mean, from the looks on all your faces, this was a pretty big event…” she finished quietly.

Annabeth thought for a moment, before slowly nodding her head. She glanced at the irked gods for a second before looking back at her friends. “This definitely has something to do with Percy. I’m just not sure what. Let’s not reveal anything too big yet. We might not be able to avoid the topic of the Romans though.”

She was cut off from her musings as another bright flash enveloped the room. She heard Nico grumble, “Oh come on! What now?”

When the light died down, she was filled with joy for a second, before dread settled in her stomach.

Standing there dazed were mortals. Not just any random mortals though. It was Rachel Dare, Sally Jackson-Blofis, and Paul Blofis.

Annabeth could feel tears forming in her eyes. “Sally?” 

Sally looked up from where she was dusting off her clothes and let out a strangled gasp. Paul from beside her looked like he’d seen a ghost. Rachel moved towards Annabeth, gave her a short hug before moving over to the rest of the demigods, sensing that now was not the time to ask her questions. 

Annabeth kept her gaze on the Blofis couple before they all rushed towards each other. Annabeth clutched Sally tightly, and before she knew it, they both had quiet tears streaming down their faces. Paul was holding the two girls, a few stray tears escaping from his eyes. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Sally pulled away from Annabeth to look at her tear-filled gray eyes. Annabeth rushed out an explanation before Sally could ask anything. “I don’t know where he went. He was just with us I swear! I—” 

She was cut off as Sally pulled her into another hug. Choking back tears, she reassured the teen, “It’s okay Annabeth. He’ll be back. I just know it.” Her voice was watery but also filled with hope.

After a few minutes of hushed whispers and glances, the family was able to compose themselves. Paul opened his mouth to ask about what they were doing in a place that was not their apartment, but a look around the room and he faltered. He did a double-take when he saw and recognized Poseidon and realized that the gods were all there as well. 

Poseidon on the other hand was staring at Sally with wide eyes. Sally is here? If they are from 5 years into the future and if Sally is here...what about my son?

Rachel was eventually the one brave enough to ask, “So anyone wanna explain what exactly we’re doing here?” 

Piper looked up from where she went to hug Annabeth. Seeing as Annabeth was still trying to regain her bearings, Piper decided to be the one to explain this time. She repeated what Jason had explained earlier to the demigods, plus the new knowledge about the gods being from the past, or possibly them coming from the future. She didn’t mention that they were supposed to be on a quest to defeat Gaea and the Giants, just in case the gods (read Zeus) decide to rampage.

At the mention of Percy and the arai, Poseidon’s eyes widened once more. Sally staggered a bit, more tears slipping from her eyes as Paul held her, eyes filled with worry.

Paul was finally able to choke out a few words, “Okay, so time travel, alright, why not?” his tone filled with slight panic.

It was Athena who spoke up this time. She had noticed the not-so-friendly glances from the one she assumed was her daughter, Annabeth. “Maybe introductions are in order? You may all know each other, but we are still in the dark about who exactly you all are.”

Chiron started. He knew that everyone in the room knew him more or less, but he wanted the demigods to feel comfortable to start. Sally and Paul went next. Sally just introduced herself as the mother of the “Percy” that the demigods have been mentioning. Rachel and Grover went and introduced themselves as well.

Those that were taken from Camp Half-Blood finally felt comfortable enough to start. They went in order of cabin number, gaining nods of acknowledgment, or thumbs-ups and smiles in some cases, from their godly parents as they went. 

Thalia stepped forward after the people from the war meeting all finished their introductions, and stared at Zeus straight in the eye. “Thalia, daughter of Zeus.”

Gasps came from the gods. Hera looked furious and Hades scowled deeply. Zeus gaped at her, “You...I turned you into a tree!”

Artemis took note of her silver parka and circlet. She must be one of my hunters in the future, my lieutenant nonetheless. What happened to Zoë?

All Thalia said back to Zeus was, “Not anymore.” before she stepped back into the small crowd of demigods.

Nico went next, and smirked a bit, knowing full well that the gods came from the time when the oath was still in place. “Nico di Angelo, son of Hades.” 

Poseidon startled while Zeus gripped his bolt once again, roaring, “Hades you broke the oath?”

Hades looked just as surprised as his brothers, “He is from before the oath. I do not...how did you get out?” He was too shocked to point out that Zeus’ daughter had just introduced herself right before. 

It was Hera that pointed this fact out, slapping her husband's arm down, “You broke the oath, you oaf!”

Nico just shrugged in response to his father’s question.

The Seven went next. Annabeth went first, then Leo and Piper. It was Annabeth that proposed the idea earlier of the Greeks introducing themselves first. Athena nodded in approval, she was right about her being her daughter, but she frowned when Annabeth avoided her gaze.

Frank shuffled nervously before speaking up, “Frank Zhang, son of Mars” Ares flickered in form for a moment, before settling on his Roman persona. The rest of the gods flinched back in shock.

Athena recoiled in disgust. “Romans? With Greeks?”

Frank was able to choke out a, “We can explain later.” before retreating backward, controlling himself to avoid turning into a lizard.

Hazel took a deep breath as Mars flickered back to Greek form, “Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto.” 

Hades expressed surprise for the second time that day, changing into Pluto. “She was born before the oath as well. You died!” 

Hazel flinched at that and avoided the looks she was getting from everyone, especially Zeus’ glare. Pluto had the decency to look ashamed at his lack of tact. Jason placed a hand on Hazel’s shoulder in comfort and held his head high. 

“Jason Grace, son of Jupiter. I’m also Thalia’s full brother if that helps” He added with a cheeky grin. 

Zeus spluttered as he held Jupiter back. Hera tilted her head to look at Jason, her champion, with curious eyes. Poseidon and Hades raised their eyebrows at their youngest brother. Hades played with his helm, “You were saying about the oath brother? Seems as you were the only one that broke it.”

Poseidon coughed awkwardly at that and avoided the curious looks from the others. The demigods also shifted uncomfortably at Hades’ words. 

To break the awkward silence, Poseidon changed the topic, “You said you would explain why Romans and Greeks are together?” He eyed the Romans skeptically. 

Annabeth felt a pang in her chest as Poseidon spoke, reminded heavily of her currently missing boyfriend. She thought carefully of what they could tell the gods. She exchanged a look with Chiron as the others looked to her for a response. 

Before she could say anything, a strange breeze flowed through the room. Weird, there are no windows though. Where did that come from then? Soon, a weird portal-like thing appeared out of thin air, creating a strong wind. It was like a vacuum, sucking in air. Everyone stared at it, taking defensive stances. Before anyone could react, an object shot out from the portal and headed straight for the wall. She realized too late that it was a body, as it hit the wall with a loud crack. 

Everyone winced at the sound, but Annabeth was too horrified to react as she saw the familiar black hair and pained green eyes. She heard the gasps and yells of realization from everyone around her as the person yelped in pain. She heard Sally let out a pained gasp. She watched as the body fell onto the ground before her body unfroze and ran across the room toward the person on the ground. She saw his eyes slowly close as she reached him, fueled with panic before screaming.

“PERCY!”

Chapter Text

When Percy regained consciousness, the first thing he heard was voices. A lot of them. At first, he thought it was his weird dreams talking again but soon realized that there were people in the same room as him, whispering in an attempt to be quiet. 

He let out a weak groan as he opened his eyes. Everyone started speaking at the same time. 

“Percy!”

“Oh thank gods, you scared me to Hades!”

“Someone keep the gods distracted.”

“How are there no rooms in this place?”

“Someone get Mrs. Blofis!”

“Give him some space guys.”

When he finally came around, he was met with worried grey eyes right in front of his face. He blinked, taking in his surroundings. His head was propped up on a pillow, and the floor felt soft like carpet. Probably was. He noticed a bunch of people in different places of the room, noticing that he was somewhere in the back corner of the room. 

He fixed his gaze back to Annabeth. “What’s going on? Are you okay? Is everyone else okay?” He winced a bit when he turned his head, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

Annabeth let out a teary laugh, filled with relief as she gave him a hug (and a lighthearted punch to the arm). “Gods, Percy. You disappeared for almost an hour, got thrown across the room into a wall, fainted, and you’re asking if we’re okay?” She brushed some of his hair to the side, “Seaweed Brain.”

Percy sat up and let out another groan. His head was killing him, and his entire body ached. His eyes widened as his encounter with the arai and the primordials came slamming back into him. Before he could tell Annabeth anything, he heard a familiar voice. “Prissy!”

His head whipped around as he stood up, head throbbing. “Clarisse?” He saw the group of familiar faces and felt his heart thud against his chest. “Guys!” And he was swarmed by his fellow counselors. People that he hadn’t seen in months!

Clarisse reached him first. She fisted the front of his shirt and said, “If you disappear on us again, I’m running you through with my spear.” Percy winced slightly but gave her a bright smile as he replied, “Nice to see you too, Clarisse.” Annabeth was somewhere off to the side explaining to the others, to avoid any violent approaches, how he didn’t exactly have the Curse of Achilles anymore.

Will clapped his shoulder, scanning him for any more possible injuries before flashing him a bright smile. “You scared me, man! The first time we see you in months and you get a concussion! You are so lucky I didn’t panic. Seriously, you had a few broken bones in there as well.” Percy returned the smile and just laughed, “Thanks, Will. You’re a lifesaver.”

He hugged Katie and waved excitedly at Pollux. Both of their exchange of greetings were mostly filled with complaints about how his disappearance even affected the nature around Camp. “Seriously, Perce, I’ve never seen the forest look that dead!” Percy just chuckled in response, not knowing how to react to that. 

The Stolls appeared on either side of Percy, each slung an arm across his shoulders. “Percy! Our partner in crime!” Connor exclaimed.

Travis continued for his brother, “Dude, we haven’t seen you in ages! We missed our greatest ally!” He wiped away a fake tear. Percy gave them both bro-hugs while laughing, “Hey guys.”

The brothers pulled away from him just as Percy heard a loud voice. “Kelp Head!”

He immediately braced himself for an electric shock. Just as he thought, he received one, but not before getting wrapped in a tight hug. Percy stumbled back in surprise but was able to hug the person back. “Thals? You’re here too?” 

Thalia pulled back and let out a slightly watery chuckle, but was grinning nonetheless, “Now, now. Don’t sound too disappointed.” 

He couldn’t say anything in return as he was tackled to the ground by someone else. Percy fell with an oof but gasped in surprise. “Grover?”

Grover had tackled him down and was crying into Percy’s shirt, hugging him tightly. He let out a short bleat, “Percy! I missed you so much, man!”

Percy’s heart melted as he hugged his best friend back, “I missed you too G-man.” 

Annabeth laughed at them with joy from the side, heart feeling full seeing their little trio back together again.

Chiron stood over them with a gentle smile and sparkling eyes. He helped both of them up, “Hello, Percy. Long time no see.”

As soon as Percy got up, he gave Chiron a gentle hug. “Good to see you again, Chiron.”

Percy was grinning from ear to ear at this point, eyes stinging from overwhelming emotions that came with all these reunions. “Wow, I wasn’t expecting to see people from home after such a long time.”

Everyone from Camp Half-Blood’s hearts felt full at that. Home. 

Nico walked up to him next. “Hey, Percy.” Percy was surprised. He was pretty sure that Nico was on the way to Camp with Reyna, Hedge, and the statue. He raised an eyebrow at Nico, but kept his smirk, “You got dragged into this too huh?”

Nico just nodded in return, “Whatever this is. But enough about that, there’s someone you need to see.” Nico ended his sentence with a slight smile, eyes twinkling. 

Percy tilted his head in question before looking around the room. He saw the rest of the seven, grinning and waving at him. Percy was relieved that they were all safe from the arai attack. He started to jog up to them but froze in his tracks. His friends had been moving aside, giving way for two people.

He sucked in a breath, “Paul?” Tears immediately sprung to his eyes, “Mom?” 

At the sound of her son’s voice, Sally rushed straight to Percy, tears falling down her face like a waterfall. Paul followed right behind her. They met in the center of the room, Sally slamming into Percy, holding him desperately. Percy was crying now, hugging his mom back with just as much strength.

Sally sobbed, “Oh Percy! You scared me!”

He gasped for a breath, “Mom. Mom I’m so sorry.” Percy kept repeating apologies over and over, words becoming incomprehensible due to his tears. “I’m so sorry for leaving you.”

Sally was whispering things back to him, “Shhh. You have nothing to be sorry for. You came back, baby. You came back home to me.” 

Everyone else in the room was watching with teary eyes, feeling the raw emotion of the family in the middle of the room. Some of the demigods were reminded of their mortal parents.

The rest of the seven had been watching everything unfold. They were relieved that Percy was okay, especially after the stunt he had pulled back on the Argo II. Then they finally saw his impact on the people from Camp. It was the first time they’d all ever seen both Percy and Annabeth so happy. His reunion with his mother hit hard for all of them, reminding a lot of them of their late mothers. 

The gods had been observing everything from the start but forced themselves to stay silent seeing the display in front of them. Poseidon’s eyes almost bulged out of his skull at the sight of his son, but he composed himself as to not bring any attention to himself. Now was not the time. 

The mother and son eventually pulled away after a few minutes of hugging and whispering words to each other. They stared at each other for a moment, Sally soaking in every feature of her son. He had gotten taller, and leaner. But this handsome boy was always going to be her baby that she holds in her arms.

Percy was able to let out a small smile at his mom before whispering, “I love you.”

Sally choked back another sob before putting a hand on his cheek. “I love you too. My little boy.”

It was then that Percy turned to Paul and pulled him in for a tight hug as well. Paul let out a surprised yelp, before hugging his stepson back, allowing tears to finally slip from his eyes.

Poseidon watched on from the sidelines with a longing look.

“Hey, Paul,” Percy murmured, muffled by Paul’s shoulder. “Thanks for being there when I wasn’t.”

Paul rubbed Percy’s back, “We missed you Perce. So much.”

The reunions were over and everything had settled down again. Everyone had started to claim places on the floor, some sprawling on bean bags, or lying down with blankets and hugging pillows.

It was only then that Percy noticed the other group of people, or gods more like it, in the room. He was still standing, staring at the gods with an unreadable expression. Annabeth was quick to whisper in his ear when she saw slight anger cross his face. “They’re from 2005. From right before the solstice meeting when the bolt was stolen.”

Percy’s eyes widened in realization. He recalled Ananke’s words. You will see more familiar faces. Some from your present, and some from your past. 

Zeus glared at him. “I assume you are this “Percy” the others have been mentioning?”

Percy just looked on, slightly unimpressed before nodding in fake enthusiasm, “In the flesh.” He glanced at Annabeth, asking her a silent question. Seeing her nod, he faced the gods again and gave an exaggerated bow. “Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, at your service.” 

Hades reacted first, “So you did break the oath!” He pointed at Poseidon accusingly. Zeus broke out of his shock before pointing his bolt at the boy. “Poseidon! You sired a child against the oath!”

Poseidon rolled his eyes, expecting the outbursts from his brothers. He addressed Hades first, “I did, brother, and I am sorry.” Then he spun to glare at Zeus, gripping his trident, “As far as I recall, you have two children in this room born after the oath. At least I acknowledge my actions, unlike you.”

Percy face-palmed quietly from his place. “Feels like when I first met him.” He mumbled under his breath.

Hera huffed at her brothers in indignation, “It seems as Hades is the only one competent enough to understand what an oath is.”

The other gods looked on in amusement, Hermes having even summoned popcorn, offering some to Apollo and Dionysus. The demigods on the floor were just groaning from the floor in hushed voices, having gone through a similar thing earlier when Jason had introduced himself. 

Hestia walked past her brothers and sat down in the center of the room. Her brothers looked at her in disbelief while some of the other gods shrugged at each other and sat down on one side of the room as well. Soon, the only ones left standing were the Big Three and Hera. 

Percy had sat down beside Sally when Zeus pointed the bolt at him earlier. He rolled his eyes at his cousins like can you believe them? 

His mom had a slightly menacing look due to Zeus’ actions earlier, meanwhile, Paul from Sally’s other side looked like he was about to pass out. 

Annabeth sat on Percy’s other side and began to fill him in on what had happened while he wasn’t there yet. She finished by asking, “Do you happen to know anything? You were gone for quite a while.”

Percy just nodded slowly in response. “I have some idea, but even then I don’t completely understand most of it.”

Zeus finally snapped out of his stupor and pointed at the floor. “We are gods! We should sit on thrones!” He looked at the sitting gods incredulously, “I am not going to sit on the floor with some mortals! I am the King of the gods!”

Poseidon and Hades had already sat down at this point, not caring as much as their whiny brother, used to his theatrics.

Demeter pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just sit down, brother, sister. There are no thrones here.”

Hera began to open her mouth to speak, but one look from Hestia and the King and Queen both begrudgingly sat on a couple of bean bags. 

With the gods mostly on one side of the room, and the demigods mostly on the other side, the group had formed a messy semicircle facing the screen at the front of the room. 

Percy clasped his hands together loudly, “Well, now that that’s all done.” He ignored the glares coming from a few of the gods. “How about I explain my side of the story.”

He recapped what happened on the Argo before blurting out where he went while everyone else was transported here. 

“I took a short detour to the void and met Chronos and Ananke.”

He got blank stares as Athena narrowed his eyes at him, mirroring Annabeth’s face almost exactly from beside him, “Excuse me?”

He launched his explanation, telling everyone what he could remember from his conversation with the two primordials. 

Athena furrowed her eyebrows and started mumbling to herself, “Two primordial beings revealing themselves? To a mere mortal at that?” She glanced at Zeus, “They were probably the ones that brought us all together. We cannot do anything about it then.”

Frank looked at Percy worriedly, “So you did get both curses.”

He just nodded, avoiding the looks he was getting from Annabeth and Sally sat on either side of him. “One more thing. I’ve been hearing this voice from my dreams. It might have something to do with the curse.” He repeated the sentences that have been repeating in his head since the arai attack.

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. “Night and the Pit.” She grumbled, “Of course. We really pissed them off huh?” She sighed, “Not everything is clear but we might be able to get more answers from that box.” She pointed at the golden box near Hestia’s feet.

The box was pretty big. It was gold and had 5 different layers, looking like a stack of books. The box was covered in engravings depicting what seemed like images of different events. Hestia held a hand over the box, “It gives off the heat and comfort of a hearth. It is the reason why I decided to sit here.”

Travis wrinkled his nose, “Connor and I tried opening it a while ago, while everyone was, you know.” He gestured toward Percy at that. Connor nodded from beside him, “We couldn’t open it, and we can usually open anything!”

Hermes looked at the box curiously. His children couldn’t open it?

Percy went to take a closer look, sitting beside Hestia. From a closer viewpoint, he was able to clearly see the engravings. He gasped, “These are...” He pointed at the top layer and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, “Look, these are from my first quest all the way down to the Battle of Manhattan.” He ended with his finger pointing at the bottom layer.

Annabeth looked from over his shoulder, confirming Percy’s statement, “You’re right. What if you try opening it?”

Percy looked back at the box. Everyone watched him with their breaths held as Percy ran his hand across the lid of the box, where an engraving of a pegasus sat. Below the pegasus were the words Chronos & Ananke in Ancient Greek. “It’s from the primordials.”

As his fingers touched the pegasus, it let out a blue glow, much like what happens at an entrance to the Labyrinth.

The lid lifted open, revealing the contents of the first layer. It didn’t have a compartment or empty space like a box would have. Instead, it was more like a golden brick, a flat surface. The surface had more engravings on it. This time, it was a grid. Each square held a delicately carved number going from 1 through 22. 

Everyone looked on with confusion, but Percy touched his finger to the number 1 and it began to glow again. The same blue as earlier. He stepped back as the light grew, before a projection flashed on the screen, coming from the box. 

Annabeth was right when she said this place felt like a movie theater. 

Everyone gasped as fog came out from the box, surrounding them like an extension of the screen. They all scrambled to their places on the floor or bean bags. 

The projection showed pine trees surrounding a low-rise building. The fog formed more pine trees around them, gaining color, proving that it was an extension of the projection, making the people in the room feel like they were there in person.

Percy’s eyes widened in horror. He recognized this place. A glance at Grover’s face proved his thoughts.

The projection zoomed past the trees, revealing a bus, driving through the road. 

Suddenly, a voice spoke, like they were coming from speakers around the room, much like a movie. 

Percy felt his heart drop as he heard the audio play.

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.”

Chapter Text

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

Percy looked around to see if anyone else recognized the voice. Most of the occupants in the room were too distracted by the scene playing before them, but his mom, Grover, and Annabeth looked at him in surprise. 

He whispered so that only the three could hear, “That’s me, isn’t it? But I don’t...what is this?” 

Annabeth grabbed his hand to reassure him, “Let’s just see how it plays out.”

The projection began to zoom in toward the bus.

If you’re seeing this...try to lead a normal life.

Everyone looked at the screen in confusion.

Being a half-blood is scary...believing that none of this ever happened.

The gods looked at the children in worry. Hermes hesitantly asked, “Do you all feel this way?” The silence from the demigods was enough of an answer. Sally held Percy tightly.

Rachel asked, “Why would a “normal” kid watch this? What even is...this?” she gestured at the screen. 

The scene slowly transitioned to the inside of the bus. Rowdy children filled the seats. 

But if you recognize...Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

The scene slowly zoomed towards the near back.

Everyone gasped as they saw not one, but two young, familiar faces.

My name is Percy Jackson. 

There was an immediate uproar. Somehow, the projection paused as everyone’s attention to the screen was lost. Annabeth took a mental note.

Everyone’s attention was now at the pale Percy who was staring at the projection of his younger self in horror.  Although Sally looked at Percy with a wide smile, pinching his cheek. “Cute.”

Katie remembered how Percy looked from when he explored Camp for the first time. “Oh my gods, that is you!” 

Frank stared at his friend in amazement. “You were tiny!” 

Percy glared at Frank. “Hey!”

Leo gaped at Percy in agreement with Frank. That’s the same Percy that’s sat in front of him? He flexed his arm, wondering if he could gain muscle like that.

“I was even talle—” Percy covered Annabeth’s mouth. 

Jason gaped at his friend, “The narration...it’s your thoughts isn’t it?”

Percy yelped at the sudden wetness on his hand, nodding at Jason before giving Annabeth a betrayed look. Annabeth also nodded with a laugh. “It probably is. But look,” she pointed at the screen, “It paused. It’s almost like we have to watch everything. Or at least pay attention.”

Just as she said that everyone turned their attention back to the screen. Just as Annabeth thought, it continued playing, as if nothing happened. 

Everyone hesitantly paid attention to the screen, still in slight shock.

I’m twelve...Am I a troubled kid? Yeah, you could say that.

Despite the direness of the situation, some let out a snort at that. Percy just blushed slightly as Sally ruffled his hair.

Apollo looked curious, “Twelve? How old are you now?”

“I’ll be seventeen in about a month.” Percy answered.

Zeus immediately snapped his attention to the son of Poseidon. Apollo blinked in surprise “You are sixteen? The prophecy?”

Percy just scowled at the mention of the prophecy.

Zeus looked enraged but before any more questions could be asked, Hestia spoke up, “How about we answer more questions after this part is done.” She lightly touched the glowing box in front of her, “Judging by the numbers, this is separated into parts. We don’t need to watch all of them at once after all.”

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

Percy’s parents (all three of them), winced at that statement. The seven on the other hand were reminded that they were still technically on a deadly quest to save the world, not knowing if they were going to survive. 

But things really started going bad last May...Greek and Roman stuff.

“That’s...convenient?” Will blurted out. Athena nodded as the projection flashed to show the museum. 

I know—it sounds like torture.

Athena glared at Percy as well as the demigods that nodded in agreement. Annabeth just raised an eyebrow at Percy with a playful smirk. “Torture, huh?” Percy gave her a small smile. 

Most Yancy field trips were...Mr. Brunner, the Latin teacher, was leading the trip, so I had hopes.

The screen showed another familiar face on the bus.

Everyone’s gaze shot to Chiron. Pollux exclaimed, “You were his Latin teacher?” while Chiron just smiled.

Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy...didn’t put me to sleep. 

Some gods raised an eyebrow at Chiron, seeing the same thing that the audio had described, just minus the wheelchair. Poseidon met Chiron’s eyes, “You went to him?” Chiron nodded.

“No fair! I want a Chiron Latin teacher!” Connor pointed at Percy. 

Hazel looked a bit confused, still not completely comfortable with the number of people she didn’t know in the room. “Doesn’t he teach you at your camp?”

“Having him in an actual school is different.” Travis pouted, answering instead of his brother. 

I hoped the trip would be okay...Boy was I wrong. 

“Sadly.”

See, bad things happen...I got expelled anyway. 

The projection was showing what happened as it was being narrated. As fifth-grader Percy shot the canon, they heard the loud boom that came with it. 

Many jumped at the sound, but everyone was too busy laughing at the scene in front of them to notice. Even Ares was impressed. 

Leo turned to Percy with a big smile, “Dude! Was that even an accident?”

Sally shook her head in exasperation as Percy put his hands up in surrender, “I didn’t mean to explode the bus!”

This caused another wave of laughter as Thalia asked him incredulously, “Then what were you aiming for?!”

The gods looked on in amusement.

And before that...unplanned swim.

Another round of laughter as they watched the fourth-grade class fall into the water.

Nico was smiling widely at Percy, finding it nice seeing this side of him, and not the “perfect hero” that the stories always make him out to be. “You’re crazy!”

Percy blushed at seeing his past incidents come to light. “They told me to hit the lever, so I hit it!”

For the first time, one of the gods found it in himself to civilly interact with the children, “You know, the sharks could have spoken to you and told you which one to hit.” Poseidon said with a chuckle.

Percy looked over in surprise, before letting out a small smile. He had to remind himself that these were the gods before the Olympus lockdown.

“I probably thought it was the teacher. But in my defense, there was more than one lever!”

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

“Sheesh, Perce. And I thought Goode was bad!” Paul whistled in astonishment.

“I thought I was bad!” Piper laughed in wonder.

Percy shrugged at Paul. “Goode was pretty bad though.”

Leo recomposed himself. “Perce, man, you have to tell us more after all of this.” He leaned back on his arms with a big smile.

This trip, I was determined to be good...peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.

Nancy Bobofit was shown chucking pieces of her sandwich at Grover.

Aphrodite wrinkled her nose in disgust, “That is disgusting!”

Annabeth and Thalia looked murderous looking at the scene. Grover just bleated at the foul reminder.

Percy felt a twang of irritation at the display before him.

Grover was...in the cafeteria.

Grover playfully glared at Percy. “Geez, thanks for that description Perce.”

“Anything for my best friend.” Percy smiled innocently.

He then looked at the others to clarify something. “If the rest of these projections are going to be like this, I just wanted to put it out there that I am sorry in advance for my loud thoughts.” He directed his gaze to the gods at this.

Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing...I couldn’t do anything back to her because I was already on probation...or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.

Percy’s face mirrored his own on the projection.

“I’m going to kill her.”

Thalia cracked her knuckles, “Not if I get to her first.”

Grover tried to calm her down. “Thals, this was years ago.”

At the same time, on-screen Grover was trying to calm Percy down. ‘It’s okay, I like peanut butter.’ while dodging the pieces of the sandwich. ‘That’s it.’ ... 'if anything happens.’

“Gods, Perce. You were already unnerving when mad as a twelve-year-old.”

Looking back...decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there...myself into.

Artemis sent a cold stare in Percy’s way, quietly observing him. “Careful there, boy.”

“It was more of an expression...” Percy raised his hands up in surrender

Mr.Brunner was shown leading the class through the Greek and Roman part of the museum.

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

Hephaestus huffed. “Better get used to it, boy.”

The students had gathered around the lecturing Mr. Brunner and a large sphinx stele.

Annabeth gave the image of the sphinx the stink eye but looked around in wonder at the room that now looked like the museum itself. Percy gently grabbed her hand.

I was trying to listen...would give me the evil eye.

Hades and Nico looked at the screen with wide eyes as it panned over to a stern older woman.

Mrs. Dodds was...nervous breakdown.

Nico looked from his father to Percy with a questioning look. “Isn’t that…”

Percy just nodded and put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.

Some demigods looked on in curiosity. “Monster?” they whispered amongst themselves.

From her first day...detention for a month.

Clarisse smirked before asking Percy, “So you got detention for the whole year then?”

“Okay, I wasn’t that bad.” A few laughs were let out as Percy grumbled. “I hope,” he added as an afterthought.

One time...erase answers out of old mathbooks…‘You’re absolutely right.’

It even showed a short cutscene of Percy erasing the said workbooks and Percy confronting Grover about the teacher.

Sally looked on sadly as the demigods winced. Will looked at him in pity, “You look miserable.”

Percy sighed, “Very.”

Annabeth ruffled Grover’s hair as she said jokingly, “Nice going goat boy.” Grover just swatted her hand away. “Look, I panic easily okay?”

As Mr. Brunner was talking, Percy was seen getting frustrated at Nancy. ‘Will you shut up?’ before getting embarrassed at his loud volume. ‘Mr. Jackson, did you have a comment?’

Frank grimaced in sympathy, “Ouch. Of course you were the one who was called out.” before remembering that Chiron was in the same room and muttering a short sorry, not knowing him well enough to know how he would react.

Chiron just smiled at him in reassurance.

Percy was red in the face as Brunner continued to question him. 

…‘Perhaps you’ll tell us what this picture represents?’

“Pop quiz!”

The elder gods and goddesses saw what Chiron was pointing to and groaned. Demeter rubbed her face. “Must it really be that one?”

Percy was able to answer Brunner’s question, answering Kronos eating his kids, and clarifying when asked. ‘Kronos was king god, and—’

Zeus glared at Percy. “God? You think father is a god?”

Percy rolled his eyes, “Be patient will you?”

“Show some respect you—”

Percy corrected himself. ‘Titan.’

“See?”

Zeus just grumbled in response while Poseidon hid his grin.

‘And...the gods won.’

It was Hera’s turn to glare at the demigod. “Only just a big fight? The war against the Titans lasted many years, mortal.”

Instead of snapping back like everyone expected him to, Percy just sighed tiredly. “I didn’t know better, I was twelve. I can tell you now though that I understand the big cost of war. I’m sorry for undermining it.” 

Annabeth rubbed his arm in understanding and comfort.

The gods looked at him in surprise, but the demigods bowed their heads at the reminder of the war they went through, and are going through. Chiron and Sally looked at the demigods sadly.

After a side comment from Nancy, Mr.Brunner asked Percy a follow-up question. ‘And why, Mr. Jackson...in real life?’

Travis let out a low whistle “You know Chiron, you kinda scare me sometimes.” while Connor whispered from beside him “Busted.”

At the same time, Grover muttered, ‘Busted.’ Nancy hissed at him in reply. ‘Shut up.’

Travis laughed at his brother. “Hey, you think like Grover!”

Grover let out an indignant reply, “Hey! You say that like it’s a bad thing!”

At least Nancy...radar ears.

Nico quietly mumbled, “Horse ears sound more like it.”

The ones that heard him let out a quiet laugh, getting louder as Chiron looked at Nico with a raised eyebrow. “What was that, Mr. di Angelo?

Nico just hid his blushing face.

‘Well, half-credit...Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture…scattered his remains in Tartarus...On that happy note...back outside?’

Katie looked at Chiron incredulously. “Happy note? Do we have different definitions of happy or something?”

Demeter nodded in agreement with her daughter. “Anything to do with father is instantly horrible. Definitely not happy.”

Chiron’s tail flicked nervously. “My apologies Lady Demeter. I was pertaining to the gods’ victory more than anything.”

Rachel grinned, “Say, how about you let us in on what exactly your recipe was for what you fed Kronos. Might be helpful in protecting Camp.”

The present Romans looked at her in slight fear. Meanwhile, Zeus looked at her in confusion. “You mortal dare ask me for something so disgusting?”

“Goodness, father. She’s only just asking an innocent question.” Apollo flashed Rachel a grin as he defended her.

While all of that was happening, Percy, Nico, and Annabeth stayed quiet at the mention of Tartarus.

As the class began to disperse, Mr.Brunner called Percy to stay behind. Grover went ahead while Percy and Mr. Brunner began to have a conversation. ‘You must learn to...only the best from you, Percy Jackson.’

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

Chiron looked over at Percy. “I have a lot of faith in you, my boy.”

Percy smiled at Chiron gratefully. “Don’t worry Chiron, I understand.” His small smile turned into a mischievous grin. “But you gotta admit, that question was pretty hard. Especially for someone as clueless as twelve-year-old me.”

Chiron chuckled while shaking his head. He was glad Percy was back.

I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days...what god they worshipped.

The demigods laughed at Chiron’s “What ho!” on the screen.

“Aww, man! Your classes look so fun!” Leo whined. “Can’t you be my teacher in school too?”

Jason looked at the screen curiously. “Isn’t that Roman armor, Chiron?”

Chiron nodded thoughtfully. “It wasn’t authentic though. Just a costume.”

But Mr. Brunner expected...much less spell them correctly.

The demigods nodded in sympathy. Paul mentally took note. As a teacher, it was his job to make sure his students learn comfortably. He wanted to be a teacher that made sure his students weren’t miserable.

“Even you, Annabeth?” Athena looked at her daughter in surprise. 

“Not as bad as Percy, but I still suffer from ADHD and dyslexia. A lot of people forget that.” Annabeth sighed. “School and demigods just don’t mix well I guess.”

Athena looked pained at this. Education is important!

Percy and Brunner finished up their conversation before Percy walked out to join the other kids. Mr. Brunner stayed inside to look at the stele.

“You knew her didn’t you?” Percy asked quietly. 

Chiron gave a curt nod.

The room turned dim as dark clouds rolled over the projections.

The weather all across New York had been weird since Christmas...hurricane blowing in.

Everyone looked up at the darkened sky in wonder.

The gods looked pointedly at Zeus and Poseidon. “Is this both of your doings? Again?” Artemis asked in exasperation.

The two just shrugged. “It has not happened for us yet, remember?” Poseidon said.

Athena tilted her head, asking a question. “Weird since Christmas? You are sixteen currently, from July 2010, turning seventeen in a few weeks, correct?” At Percy’s nod, she continued. “That would mean your birthday is around summer, yes? If this happened in May when you were twelve...that would have been the May of 2006!”

“Oh wow, okay.” Hermes looked at her incredulously. “So he’s been noticing the freaky weather since Christmas of 2005? After the winter solstice? The same one we were pulled from?”

Annabeth nodded. “You’re right.” 

“You better not have planned any funny business for the solstice.” Zeus stroked his beard in thought while eyeing Poseidon. 

Poseidon just glared at him in return. “Who’s to say it’s my fault? It could be yours for all I care.”

Hades rubbed his temples in annoyance while Hestia gave her two youngest brothers a look.

The screen panned to students throwing lunch at pigeons, Nancy trying to pickpocket strangers, and Percy and Grover having a conversation by a fountain.

‘Detention?’…‘Can I have your apple?” 

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

Sally looked at her son worriedly. He always ate, even when he was feeling down. He must have been extremely troubled. That reminded her, she needed to cook food for her son as soon as possible. It had been too long.

Jason looked at Percy incredulously. “Bro, your stomach is a bottomless pit. You’re always hungry!”

All Percy could do was shrug while Thalia patted her brother’s shoulder. “Wasn’t the only time.” She thought of what happened after the Westover incident a few winters ago.

I watched the stream of cabs...thought about my mom’s apartment...wouldn’t be able to stand that sad look she’d give me.

Percy hugged his mom, feeling slightly sad. Sally rubbed her son’s back gently. “You know I would understand, Percy.”

Mr.Brunner was in his wheelchair, eating and reading under an umbrella stuck to the chair. Nancy and her friends were making their way to the two boys. Once she reached them, she dumped her food into Grover’s lap. “Oops.”

Annabeth sat up, fuming. “The audacity of this girl!”

While Grover was trying to calm her (and Thalia) down, Aphrodite looked disgusted. “Is that sandwich half-eaten? That is absolutely vile!”

No one noticed an angry Percy trying to calm himself down too.

I tried to stay cool...I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.

Annabeth nudged Percy quietly. “You good?”

Percy just gave her a jerky nod in return.

The water in the fountain rose up and grabbed Nancy, pulling her into the fountain. “Percy pushed me!” Mrs. Dodds appeared beside them, helping Nancy almost immediately, while the other kids started whispering amongst themselves. Percy looked at them in confusion.

Percy let out a shaky breath. “Gods, what is wrong with me.” He muttered.

Annabeth looked at him in question. Percy shook his head. Later.

Zeus grumbled at Poseidon. “Your son could be a huge threat to Olympus. Cluelessly using his powers untrained at such a young age? Bah!”

“You harm him and I promise you, you will not live to see the next second.” Poseidon shot back at Zeus. 

Hazel leaned back in awe. “The fact that you had no clue...that’s really impressive.”

Hestia glanced at Percy with warm eyes. “Your powers are very in tune with your emotions. Anger is a powerful thing.”

Percy avoided the looks he was getting from everyone, looking down at his hands. “Believe me, I know.” Akhlys flashed through his mind.

Mrs. Dodds turned her attention to Percy, looking like she was waiting for this moment. Percy grumbled.

Connor fake gasped. “You guessed your punishment! Ooh, you are so doomed.”

A terrified Grover tried standing up for Percy but was brushed aside. 

Piper smiled at Grover. “You’re a great friend, Grover.”

Grover gave her a pained smile in return. In his head, he thought about all the times he failed his friends.

Percy leaned over and whispered. “You are a great friend, Grover. Nothing will change that.”

Grover looked at him in surprise, before melting into a genuine smile.

Percy glared at Nancy. 

“Holy Juno, Perce. How were you already terrifying as a tiny twelve-year-old?” Frank looked at the screen in wonder.

“Would you stop with the tiny?” Percy playfully narrowed his eyes at Frank. Frank laughed and shook his head, no.

Nico let out a small shudder. “That glare just gets scarier.” The people that have seen it nodded in agreement. 

Percy looked at him apologetically, but Nico just shook his head. I’m sorry too. He mouthed.

Percy looked back at Mrs. Dodds in surprise. She was already at the top of the stairs.

I have moments like that a lot...my brain misinterpreting things. I wasn’t so sure.

Katie furrowed her eyebrows. “Yeah, no I don’t think it's the ADHD either.”

Percy glanced back at Grover who was too busy flicking his gaze between Percy and Mr.Brunner, who was still reading his book. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared inside the museum already, all the way down the hall.

Pollux looked surprised. “That’s definitely a monster. So that means your first monster wasn’t the one outside Camp?”

Percy shook his head. “You know, technically I had already encountered a few, but this is the first one I faced head-on.”

Hades cursed in his head. Poseidon is going to kill him, the fact that it hasn’t happened yet be damned.

Poseidon looked at Chiron. “I hope you see what is going on.” 

“Don’t worry My Lord. I just needed to make sure she didn’t see me.” Chiron nodded immediately. 

Percy followed her into the museum, all the way into the empty Greek and Roman section. Mrs. Dodds was growling in front of a marble frieze depicting the Greek gods.

“How convenient. It's deserted and there are Greek god statues watching you.” Clarisse drawled. “Just your luck.”

Thunder boomed as Mrs. Dodds kept interrogating young Percy. 'We are not fools, Percy Jackson. Confess, and you will suffer less pain.'

Rachel gaped. “That...is very intimidating. You’re telling me that this was how you found out about this world? By getting accused?”

Piper joined in. “You didn’t even know anything! Must have been so confusing.” Piper shook her head remembering how she felt in the Grand Canyon.

Percy shrugged, leg rapidly bouncing up and down.

All I could think of was...illegal stash of candy I’d been selling out of my dorm room.

Percy flushed, cursing his thoughts, as everyone around him chuckled or sent amused glances his way. Even his mom smirked at him, raising an eyebrow. 

Or maybe...Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.

Percy stared at the screen in horror from what he was hearing. The chuckles turned into full-blown laughter. 

Leo wiped away fake tears. “Gods, Perce. You are comedy gold!”

It was Paul’s turn to send an amused look at Percy, eyebrow raised. “Really, Percy?” He said jokingly, a chuckle escaping his lips.

Percy was still horrified at his own thoughts. “Why’d it have to reveal that in front of an English teacher out of all people?”

Athena was glaring daggers into Percy’s skull. Annabeth came to her boyfriend’s rescue. “I lent him an Ancient Greek copy. He’s read it now.” Annabeth gave Percy a playful glare, before giving in and letting out a soft laugh at the expression on his face.

Hermes leaned over to whisper into Apollo’s ear. “This kid is hilarious. You think we meet him in the future?”

Apollo grinned. “I don’t doubt it!”

As Percy denied all claims made by Mrs. Dodds, she suddenly started to transform into…

“A Fury?!” Poseidon yelled in disbelief, rounding on Hades. “You sent one of your Furies after my son?”

Hades backed up a bit. “Look, it hasn’t happened yet! I do not know why, but I always have a reason!”

“A reason to send monsters after children?” Nico whispered as he and Thalia shared an incredulous look at Hades’ words. “Is the monster part really necessary?”

Sally tightened her hold on Percy. “I know you eventually told me about this but gods, Percy, seeing it is a whole different story.” Her voice shook a little.

Percy’s breath caught in his throat. He didn’t know why he felt so scared. He was able to choke out a response to his mom. “I’m sorry mom. For worrying you. I’m sorry you have to see all of this.” His voice faltered toward the end.

Annabeth was watching Percy worriedly, noticing his weird behavior. She rested a hand on his shaking leg.

“What ho, Percy!”

Mr. Brunner wheeled in, throwing a pen across the air right as Dodds lunged for Percy. He caught the pen, barely missing the talons slashing at him. He was shaking, almost dropping the sword.

“Hey! That’s Riptide!” Someone yelled excitedly but got no response.

“Percy?” Annabeth was trying to get Percy’s attention. Everyone looked towards them.

Percy was staring forward, fear in his eyes, unhearing. His hands were shaking slightly, breathing uneven, looking nearly identical to the version of him on screen.

Sally sat up in alarm when she felt Percy’s tense form, gripping his shoulders. “Percy, honey, talk to me. Are you okay?”

Percy’s unfocused eyes met his mother’s worried ones. He shook his head in a daze. “W-what?”

Annabeth yelled at everyone. “Attention back to the screen! Keep watching!”

The Fury flew straight at Percy, snarling. ‘Die, honey!’

Sally’s arms tightened around Percy, while Poseidon’s hands were gripping a pillow, nearly tearing it to shreds.

Paul’s hand squeezed Percy’s shoulder, looking at the screen in horror. He could actually see the monster attacking his stepson. It was terrifying.

Percy swung the sword, cutting right through Mrs. Dodds’ body, creating a hissing noise as she vaporized into dust, screeching. Percy was left alone in the room holding a pen, shivering as if the red eyes were still watching him.

Percy heaved in a big gulp of air, gasping as if he had been released from something. Annabeth immediately turned his head towards her, gently stroking his cheek. “You good?” She brought her hand down to his still shaking ones.

Percy shook his head confused. “I don’t—”

Annabeth gripped his hand with a grim expression. “I think I do. Let’s talk about it later.”

Meanwhile, almost everyone in the room was looking at Percy incredulously. Even the gods, although they were looking at him with more out of curiosity.

Nico was the first one to get over his stupor. “One swing? No wonder she hates you so much!”

Poor Paul looked as terrified as twelve-year-old Percy. “Your first instinct was swinging the sword? How was it not running away screaming or at least dropping the thing?”

Percy shrugged, still shaken from earlier. “Battle reflex?”

Will stared at him. “You know usually there’s a long fight. A Fury in one swing? That’s something else.”

Travis, Connor, and Leo were reenacting the scene from where they were sat. “You were all like shwoom!” Leo swung an invisible sword towards Connor as Connor made a weird noise, pretending to melt. Travis was making random side effects from beside him, occasionally blowing air for a wind effect. “You vaporized your pre-algebra teacher!”

Katie hid her laugh from beside them.

Percy walked back outside where it was raining. He went over to where Grover and Nancy were. ‘I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt.’

A chorus of “Who?” filled the air. 

Percy went on to ask Grover and Mr. Brunner about the same thing. He looked extremely confused.

“The Mist.” Hazel said in wonder. She knew she still had a long way to go before mastering Mist manipulation. Maybe she could learn while she was here?

Hermes grinned at Grover. “Lying is not your best suit huh, young satyr.”

Grover’s cheeks reddened a bit.

“Chiron on the other hand...experienced aren’t you?” Hermes let out a hearty laugh.

Piper placed a hand on her forehead. “That’s insane! You must’ve thought you went crazy.”

‘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 alright?’

The screen dimmed before going blank. The room went back to looking like an innocent movie theater. The box had stopped glowing as well. 

Silence washed over the room before Annabeth stood up and crossed her arms.

“What in Hades was all of that?”

Chapter Text

Percy buried his face in his knees groaning. “Why me?!”

Annabeth ran a hand through her hair before sitting back down beside Percy, rubbing his back. “You just had to go for both curses.” She pointed out in slight amusement. Percy just groaned once more in response.

Rachel cleared her throat. “Okay, that was a lot to process, so how about we piece together what we have so far?”

Everyone else slowly started to sit up properly, some fixing themselves up from lying down. Athena started the conversation, wanting answers more than anyone. “So far we know that we,” She gestured to the gods, “Are from right before that.” She pointed at the box.

Artemis nodded, speaking up after a beat of silence. “All, or at least most, of you know about this event it seems like. Why father and uncle are fighting again.”

Jason thought for a moment before adding, “So obviously, whatever we just watched was the curse. Part of it at least.” He looked at Percy worriedly. “We don’t know which ones are from the curses and which ones are from the primordials.”

Percy finally looked up, eyes tired. “I might have an idea.” He sat up into a cross-legged position, playing with his fingers on his lap. “This one’s most likely the curse from Night.”

Piper gasped in realization. “The voice right? It said something about everything being told to the world?”

“Your world.” Percy corrected. The statements were engraved in his mind. “My world? I have a feeling that means you guys, seeing as this isn't being broadcasted to the whole world.” He said with a small smile directed at everyone but the gods. “Thankfully.”

They all smiled back at him, touched.

Annabeth hummed in agreement. “That would actually also explain why you guys are here.” She said looking at Sally and Paul.

She suddenly looked down with a dark look. “It’s the Pit’s curse I’m worried about.” She looked back up with stormy eyes. “From what I’m getting, Percy’s gonna be feeling pretty much everything. He’s literally going to be reliving it.”

Thalia caught on. “That’s what happened a while ago, wasn’t it.” She met Percy’s eyes. “You felt the same fear from the Fury attack.”

“He even felt it when he pulled that girl into the fountain.” Annabeth nodded. “The anger, I mean.” She looked at Percy for confirmation. He nodded back.

Everyone slowly began to show signs of realization. They all looked at Percy with various forms of worry. Feel everything you’ve ever felt…

Percy tried to smile reassuringly at everyone. “I’ll be fine! Honestly, I’m more worried about my thoughts than whatever it is I’m going to feel again.” He said with a nervous chuckle.

Leo grinned. “Yeah! Our strong Water Boy got this in the bag!” He exclaimed, flexing his invisible muscles. Percy shot him a grateful look for destroying the tension and getting most of the attention away from him.

He was still worried. He knew his thoughts weren’t all sunshine and rainbows. He didn’t know what could be revealed. His eyes widened.

Bear the curse of Mother Night, revenge for making her a fool in front of her own family!

That must be the purpose of the curse. If his thoughts were to be revealed, they’ll find out all his secrets. They’ll see all the times he’s messed up. He’s no hero. Gods, they’ll never look at me the same way again. Having to feel everything again was just the cherry on top.

He buried his face in his hands, ignoring the questioning looks he was getting from the others. He couldn’t tell them. What was he supposed to say? Hey guys! The purpose of the curse is probably to reveal all of my deepest and darkest secrets. I hope you don’t mind!

He groaned for the umpteenth time that day, muffled by his hands.

He thought back to his conversation with Chronos and Ananke. “... this will be your opportunity to change the future of your past, as well as bettering your relationships.” Ananke had said.

Bettering my relationships? Is this really going to make anything better? I might just make everything worse!

Apollo raised an eyebrow at Percy. “Oh-kayy?” He shook his head and looked at the rest of the children. “That still doesn’t explain why we’re here?”

Percy looked up from his lamenting to look at the gods. “You’re here so you can all stop messing up in the future.” He grumbled.

Both Annabeth and Sally slapped him lightly on the arm. The Romans present looked at him in disbelief. Frank knew that Percy would talk to gods like this, but it didn’t mean he was used to it.

Some of the others just tried to hide their smiles and laughs. Leo let out a quiet snort.

Poseidon looked at his son with wide eyes while Zeus straightened to glare at Percy. “Excuse me?” All of the gods looked at the demigod with mixed expressions.

Percy grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.” After a warning glare from Annabeth and the rest of his friends, he clarified. “The primordials. They brought you here to hopefully come out with a better version of the future for your timeline through the curse.”

It was weird being the one with the most knowledge of what was happening. He preferred going in blind, riding along the waves that can take him anywhere.

Those that haven’t pieced it together yet widened their eyes in realization.

Clarisse crossed her arms. “What’s in it for us? We were literally in the middle of a meeting.”

“Hopefully, the world isn’t moving forward without us. I mean, plucking us straight out of something important isn’t wise after all.” Annabeth looked at Clarisse, understanding her doubt. “Other than the fact that it’s probably part of the curse, it could have been the primordials as well. I’m just not sure exactly why since we know what’s going to happen anyways…”

Percy wanted to scream. He knew. Of course, the curses targeted his weak point, the people who are closest to him. His parents were here for gods’ sake! He cursed Nyx back in his mind.

“To sum it all up,” Chiron started. “You were cursed to go through all, or most, of your pain again, all while your thoughts are being revealed as well.”

Paul raised his hand, still hesitant in front of the immortals. “I’m just curious. Won’t this affect us as well? Since we are technically “changing the past” so to speak.”

Athena rested her chin on her hand. “Yes, I was thinking of that as well.” She looked at Percy with steely gray eyes. “But this would possibly change only our timeline, you said?”

At Percy’s nod, she furrowed her eyebrows. “I see. This must have been done through the help of the multiverse or parallel universes.”

Annabeth widened her eyes at her mother. “You mean...that’s a thing?”

Paul leaned back. “Huh. I really shouldn’t be surprised by stuff like this anymore.”

Thalia answered Annabeth. “Honestly, Annabeth? I don’t see why it can’t be real. Our lives are literally myths come to life.”

Hazel played with the pillow on her lap. “So when they go back, it’ll be a completely different timeline, not affecting us? A parallel universe?”

Clarisse scowled. “If they actually decide to change anything or just forget this ever happened.”

There was tension between the gods and the demigods as some gods narrowed their eyes at Clarisse. Chiron clapped his hoof to the ground. “Children! Let us just see what happens as we push forward, alright?”

Hestia nodded in agreement, giving the rest of the gods a warning look. “Yes. We are all here now, so we better make the most of it.” She raised a hand when Zeus opened his mouth. “I do not think you need to worry about Ancient Laws here, brother. They are from a different timeline after all.”

“Can’t we just, I don’t know, say what happens?” Travis asked. “I mean, most of us here already know that the bol—”

Travis was cut short by a yelp of pain. They all looked over to see Percy doubled over in pain, choking noises coming out of his throat.

Percy didn’t know what was happening. His throat closed off, feeling as if someone was cutting off his airway. 

Everyone looked on in horror as Annabeth jumped into action almost immediately. “Percy?!” She asked with panic, pounding on his back to see if it would help. He heaved in a deep breath, finally able to get a gulp of air. He flopped onto his back, trying to get his breathing back to normal.

Apollo and Poseidon had both stood up, in the middle of making their way to the demigod. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath before looking over to see everyone staring at him in horror. Annabeth was above him, staring at him directly as Paul comforted a panicked Sally. 

Annabeth made desperate eye contact with the two standing gods. Apollo nodded at her as Poseidon summoned some water for Percy to drink. Annabeth helped Percy sit back up, receiving the water bottle from the gods with a thankful look. “Here, drink some water.”

Travis looked at him with wide eyes. “Is that what happens if we try to reveal what happens ahead of time?” He squeaked out.

Everyone was looking at Percy with worry. Connor put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Let’s not test it though.”

“But,” Rachel started, confused. “You guys have been referencing stuff and nothing bad happened!”

“Maybe because we never said anything directly,” Annabeth said, eyes never leaving Percy. “It’s always been vague references.”

Sally was all over Percy once he finished drinking. “Are you okay? What happened? Can you breathe? This whole thing is going to give me a heart attack!”

Percy let out a little cough before sighing. “It’s like someone cut off my air supply. I wasn’t even the one that said anything!” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Travis gave him an apologetic look from his seat.

Percy had to calm himself down. It felt like he was drowning. This was not exactly helping his growing fear of drowning. He shivered lightly.

Apollo was eyeing him from where he stood, making sure he was alright. “The curse must want us to really watch everything. If we knew what was to happen, it would be useless.” He said, unusually grim.

Nico looked at Percy in worry. “It’s like anything we do will affect you regardless.” 

Percy looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. “Welcome to my life.”

It took a bit of time for everyone to process everything they had just talked about. It was a lot to take in. Eventually, multiple conversations started up. 

While everyone was busy conversing, mostly talking about the day’s events, Hazel noticed something when she looked around the room. “Uhh, I don’t think those were here before.”

Near her, Frank, Leo, Jason, and Piper stopped talking to see what she meant. Their exclamations of confusion brought the room’s attention to them.

What used to be solid walls on either side of the room, now had a few doors. Grover looked at the room wildly. “How did we not notice that?”

“We were...distracted.” Annabeth shook her head. “Besides, they weren’t there before. They must have appeared during the first projection.”

Percy, tired from everything that had happened to him in the past few hours, looked at the doors warily. “Is it safe?”

Sally looked at him sadly. Her boy has been through too much, she could see it in his eyes and how he held himself.

It was Chiron and Hestia that reassured them. They had stayed together, talking, since the different revelations. Both being calm in nature had noticed the doors and were able to check them out without anyone realizing.

Chiron pointed at one of the doors. “Seems as if we’ll be staying here for a while, seeing as these doors contain multiple bedrooms.”

Hestia nodded, gesturing towards the door on the opposite side. “That one’s for us. It would seem like we have our own quarters as well.” She looked at the rest of the gods. “I have tested it, but we cannot leave this place even if we tried.”

Ignoring the gods’ grumbles, she continued. “The other doors lead to bathrooms, even a kitchen, and a dining room. This is probably something from Chronos and Ananke.”

Percy stretched. “Well, good enough for me. I say we push through one more of these...whatever these are.” He pointed wildly at the golden box. “After that, we could use some rest, maybe explore the place a bit more, settle down.”

Percy looked at everyone in the room. “If this is really going to be a retelling of my life, well, we’re gonna be here for a long while.”

He reached over to the box and touched the number 2.

Chapter Text

The projection started by showing a montage of Percy during the rest of the school year.

I was used to the occasional weird experience...entire campus seemed to be playing tricks on me.

“The Mist works wonders,” Hazel murmured. “A whole school year not knowing what was going on?”

Percy looked frustrated, either because of the curse or just from the reminder, seeing the scene again. He really thought he was going crazy!

The students acted as if...been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.

“So,” Paul asked Chiron out of pure curiosity. “Was that a random mortal? Or did you have someone on standby?”

“Oh, she was a demigod as well, an acquaintance of mine,” Chiron answered. “Much easier than getting a random mortal involved.”

Every so often...stare at me like I was psycho. 

“I feel like you still get those looks, what with your crazy ideas and impulsiveness.” Frank mused, clearly remembering the Phineas incident.

Percy looked away innocently when his parents gave him looks.

It got so I almost believed them...Grover couldn’t fool me.

The screen showed multiple cases of Percy trying to ask Grover about a Mrs. Dodds. Grover was obviously lying every time.

Hermes gave Grover an amused look.

“Better do your job well, Mr. Underhoof.” Dionysus drawled.

Grover bit his lip. “Yes, sir.” He said in the end.

Something was going on...but at night...wake me up in a cold sweat.

It projected Percy in his dorm bed, waking up from nightmares on various occasions.

Percy shivered lightly. He also looked at the screen with distaste. “That’s not creepy at all.” He scowled. “I swear this feels like someone got my whole life on tape.”

Annabeth sighed sadly. “Power of primordials, I guess.”

“Chronos and Ananke or Nyx and the Pit?” Percy muttered.

“Could be all.” Annabeth shrugged, leaning on his shoulder.

The freak weather continued...biggest tornado ever spotted in Hudson...gone down in the Atlantic that year.

It showed all of the disasters the freak weather brought. The room was filled with the sounds of thunder and rain.

“That is most definitely you two.” Ares accused, pointing at Zeus and Poseidon. “Pretty intense fight you got there.” He said with a grin, looking around the room in wonder.

“Probably this one’s fault.” Zeus huffed, pointing his chin toward his brother.

“Oh, please. You’re probably blowing a fuse for nothing as usual.” Poseidon retorted.

Percy’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. He knew his own mood worsened with the weather, but he also knew Zeus won’t stop arguing with his father throughout this whole thing. He so wasn’t looking forward to dealing with all of that.

I started feeling cranky and irritable...sent out into the hallway almost every class.

Percy looked as annoyed as he did in the projection. He closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths. 

“Your emotions seem as if they are tied with the weather,” Aphrodite stated, staring at the scenes of an irritable Percy with a curious look. “Could it be due to your parentage?”

“I also have some problems with temper in general,” Percy mumbled with his gaze to the ceiling. “I’ll admit that.” 

“Like your father.” Hades pointed out. Poseidon gave him a pointed look but did not deny anything.

He got some sympathetic looks from some of the demigods. “Ds to Fs...man, that’s rough.”

There was a scene showing Percy calling his English teacher an old sot.

Paul hid his laugh with a cough. The others didn’t care as much and just laughed. 

“Oh, he had it coming.” Pollux choked out. “Seriously, lazy? Dyslexia is a thing, sir!”

The headmaster...not be invited next year to Yancy Academy.

Everyone sobered up. 

“Sixth school in six years right?” Piper asked gently. “Damn.”

“You get used to it I guess.” He nodded at Piper.

Fine...I was homesick...obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.

Percy’s breath caught in his throat. He forgot about Gabe. Everyone’s gonna find out.

Paul felt Sally tense beside him. She had her hand tightened around Percy’s arm. Paul also felt a calculating gaze coming from where Poseidon sat.

Everyone looked at Paul, confused. They got an answer from Grover. “It’s not Paul.” He glanced back at Percy worriedly before continuing. “This was his first stepfather.”

And yet...things I’d miss about Yancy.

Percy sighed in relief. Nothing was revealed. Yet.

The view of the woods...worried how he’d survive next year without me...Latin class too...his faith that I could do well.

The screen flashed through the things Percy listed he’d miss. 

“Well, Grover and Chiron aren’t leaving you anytime soon.” Thalia gave Percy a grin. 

Percy gave a small smile in return. “Thank the gods for that.” He looked at Grover and Chiron. “I would’ve been so lost without them.”

“More like dead.” Grover poked his leg with a laugh. Percy laughed with him quietly.

As exam week got closer...subject being life or death for me...I’d started to believe him.

Poseidon nodded.

The clip showed Percy studying for Latin, but as he got more frustrated, he threw his book across the room and gripped his head. 

At the thud of the book hitting the ground, Frank winced. “That bad?”

“Oh, right. You’re just lactose intolerant.” Leo grumbled back at him. Frank just raised his arms up in surrender. “Well, I don’t control that!”

The Greek demigods looked at him in surprise. “You’re not dyslexic?” Pollux asked in wonder. 

Frank shook his head. “Or ADHD for that matter.”

“For real, though,” Percy tapped his temple. “The words were skateboarding across the pages. It gets worse the more frustrated I am!”

There was no way...Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces.

“Well, I hope you know the difference now,” Annabeth told him with a smile. She laughed as Grover chimed in, “Yeah! Or else the big bathtub will get you!”

The three of them laughed. In hindsight, the things they had done on this quest were ridiculous!

The rest looked at the three of them confused. Jason leaned over to Thalia. “Any idea what they’re talking about?”

“Not one.”

Percy paced the room, calming himself down. Brunner’s voice rang across the room, ‘I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.’ before he picked the book back up. 

I’d never ask a teacher for help before...with him thinking I hadn’t tried.

Chiron looked surprised for a second, before giving Percy a warm smile. Percy shot him a thumbs up in return, a wide grin on his face.

Hestia watched this exchange with soft eyes. “You respected him a lot, didn’t you, child?”

“Still do, Aunt Hestia.” Percy nodded before freezing. “I mean Lady! Lady Hestia!”

Hestia let out a gentle laugh at Percy’s nervous stuttering. “No worries, nephew. You may call me Aunt if you prefer it.”

Percy walked down to the faculty offices, all dark and empty except for one. Percy froze when he heard Grover talking to Mr. Brunner. ‘...worried about Percy, sir.’ He inched a bit closer to the door.

Chiron looked surprised.

“Oh right, you heard this.” Grover groaned. 

“Eavesdropping, eh?” Connor wagged his eyebrows at Percy.

“I dare you to try and not listen if your best friend talks about you to an adult.” Percy shot back.

“Point taken. Proceed.”

The adults in the room gave the teens exasperated looks.

‘...alone this summer.’ … ‘The summer solstice deadline-’

“Summer solstice deadline?” Athena mused.

“Ugh. Deadlines.” Leo stuck his tongue out. “Never good.”

‘Will have to be resolved without him.’ … ‘Sir, I...I can’t fail my duties again. You know what that would mean.’

Thalia scooted over to be near Grover. “You never failed, goat boy.” She hissed in his ear before giving him a side hug.

Zeus looked at Grover with penetrating eyes. Was this the satyr that failed his daughter?

The people that didn’t know the story looked at Grover confused.

‘You haven’t failed, Grover.’ … ‘Now, let’s just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-’

Percy flinched at the same time his on-screen self dropped the book in his hands.

Hazel looked at the screen with wide eyes. “Schist.” She tapped her fingers on her knee. “That’s not something anyone should hear.”

She and the other four members of the seven were pretty much clueless about all of this. They might as well be as clueless as the gods at the moment.

Percy’s beating heart was heard as he saw a tall shadow across Mr. Brunner’s door. He glimpsed the shape of an archer’s bow before he hid inside a room down the hallway. A clop-clop-clop followed by sniffing could be heard right outside the door.

Percy wiped his sweat. Since when was I sweating?

“You left your wheelchair?” Dionysus raised an eyebrow at Chiron.

“We were all on edge. Doesn’t hurt to be cautious.” Chiron replied grimly. 

‘Nothing. My nerves haven’t been right since the winter solstice.’

“I’m beginning to think that this is not just the usual fight between gods.” Apollo narrowed his eyes at the screen.

Will gave his father a sarcastic look. “Ya think?”

‘Mine neither,’ … ‘long day of exams tomorrow.’ … ‘Don’t remind me.’

All of the lights went out as Grover walked back to the dorms. Only Percy’s breathing could be heard in the dark as he waited, before heading back to the dorms as well. He was greeted with the sight of a tired Grover lying in bed.

“Not gonna lie,” Travis glanced at Grover, impressed. “You’re not so bad at acting.”

“...Thanks.” Grover let out a resigned sigh.

They had a short conversation before Percy turned around to avoid any more questioning.

“If you’re trying to hide your expression,” Dionysus drawled, “It will not work.”

“I didn’t exactly know that he could read emotions yet, sir.” Percy defended himself.

Paul took a quick glance at Grover. “I am learning so much.” He whispered over to Sally, who gave him a small peck on the cheek. “You’ll be an expert in Greek myths by the end of this.” She said jokingly. 

I didn’t understand...They thought I was in some kind of danger.

Poseidon had begun to play with the pillow on his lap again, mind riddled with worry as he watched his son. Both the one on screen and the one across the room.

His heart ached to see the Percy on-screen, as that is what the Percy in his timeline currently looked like. Could he have done anything to make this easier? What was he thinking? Of course, he could have! He is a god!

He glanced at his son leaning his head on the daughter of Athena’s shoulder and sighed. Stupid laws. Maybe this could serve as a time to properly bond with his son. Yes, he told himself. I will be there for him this time. Timelines do not matter at the moment. I must be here for my son.

After all, Zeus can’t stop him here.

The next day, Percy was taking his Latin exam. He was walking out of the room, obviously drained, before Mr. Brunner called him back inside.

“Damn, Perce,” Jason whistled. “You look exhausted.”

Percy definitely felt like it. “Did you know it was a three-hour exam?” He rubbed his eyes, feeling as if he had been taking the test. “Well, it was a three-hour exam.”

The demigods looked at Chiron in horror. “Three hours?!” Leo exclaimed. “That’s like torture!”

“It was what the curriculum required,” Chiron said sadly. “I still had to follow the rules of the mortal world after all.”

“I swear I think I misspelled everything.” Percy pouted. “Even my name.”

Percy looked worried before Mr. Brunner started. ‘Percy, don’t be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It’s...It’s for the best.’

Mr. Brunner wasn’t loud, but it was clear he was heard as Nancy was seen making kissing motions in the back. Percy looked embarrassed. ‘Okay, sir.’

“Oh dear,” Chiron watched the scene with sadness in his eyes. “I am terribly sorry, my boy...I didn’t realize.”

“S’okay, Chiron.” Percy mumbled. His chin rested on his knees, arms wrapped around his legs making him look small.

‘I mean...only a matter of time.’  

Percy’s eyes stung as he kept his gaze on his feet. 

Here was my favorite teacher...telling me I was destined to get kicked out.

Percy hugged his knees closer to his chest. He just felt so vulnerable. Why must everything be shown? That and the curse was really getting to him.

‘Right’ … ‘You’re not normal, Percy. That’s nothing to be-’ … ‘Thanks a lot sir, for reminding me.’ … ‘Percy-’

Percy hurriedly left the classroom.

Chiron looked pained, realizing that he could’ve done better. “I’m sorry, Percy.”

Percy kept his head down but replied. “I understand now, Chiron.”

Chiron shook his head. “But you didn’t back then.”

Everyone else watched with sad eyes. Annabeth placed her hand on Percy’s lower back, worried. It hadn’t been long, but Percy’s self-esteem was already beginning to show. She bit her lip, remembering how she had treated him the first time they met.

Percy’s friends were also seeing a different side of him, and it was only the beginning. Percy always had a smile on his face, especially when he was at Camp. 

Sally stared at her son sadly, letting Annabeth comfort him for now. She squeezed Paul’s hand. 

The scene skipped to Percy shoving his stuff into his suitcase, clearly the last day of school. It showed other guys, talking about the places they were going for vacation.

They were rich juvenile delinquents...I was a nobody from a family of nobodies.

Percy sighed as more of his thoughts were being said out loud. “I didn’t know.” He didn’t even look up, so Zeus immediately closed his mouth with a huff.

Annabeth whispered near his ear. “We can be Nobody together.” She linked her pinky around his. She felt relief when she saw a small smile form on Percy’s face at her words.

Percy told them he’d be going back to the city for the summer before they went back to their conversation like he never existed. I didn’t tell them that...summer job...worrying about where I’d go to school in the fall.

“Summer job?” Poseidon asked. “Why would you need a summer job?”

Percy avoided his curious gaze. Sally was looking at him in worry as well. 

“Just wanted to help with money at home...” Percy trailed off. “That’s it.”

“Well, they’re rude.” Piper huffed, pointing at the other kids on the screen and taking the attention off of Percy.

Grover scoffed. “Yeah, they didn’t care.”

Percy looked relieved when he saw that Grover had a ticket for the same Greyhound. They stuck together, riding the bus into the city.

“I was really ready to say goodbye to you and everything, man.” Percy laughed, nudging Grover with his leg. 

Grover swatted his leg away. “You didn’t though,” Grover grumbled. “Scared me to death, that’s what.”

During the ride, Grover looked very nervous. He wouldn’t stop looking around and fidgeting in his seat. Percy looked at him curiously, before he couldn’t stand it anymore. ‘Looking for Kindly Ones?’

“Percy!” Thalia looked torn between laughing and scolding Percy. “Might as well become the dam thing and scare him!”

Percy snickered, thankful for the distraction. “We were in a bus, not the dam, though.”

Grover snorted as Thalia reached over to poke Percy in the stomach, laughing out loud.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at their antics. “I still don’t understand this one.” She complained as some people looked at her for an explanation. 

Piper was surprised for a second before schooling her expression. “Oh, right. I just assumed you...knew...everything?” She mentally facepalmed. Of course, she wouldn’t know everything.

She recalled Percy using this joke on the Argo, but no one else understood it. 

Jason stared at the laughing trio longingly. Hopefully, he could get closer to his sister from their time here.

‘Wha-what do you mean?’ Grover jumped so high, almost falling out of his seat. His face turned troubled as Percy confessed what he’d heard the night before the Latin exam.

“Woah, you confessed.” Travis looked at Percy with wide eyes.

Percy pointed at him and Connor. “Yeah well, I’m not like you guys.”

Everyone laughed as they both let out an indignant “Hey!”

Hermes watched the children in amusement. This Percy got along well with his children it seemed. Has he met Luke?

Sally shook her head but had a small smile on her face. Percy was laughing with his friends, happy. It’s all she wants for him. To be happy.

‘How much did you hear?’ … ‘Oh...not much. What’s the summer solstice deadline?’

Grover spun on Percy. “Oh...not much.” Grover pointed an accusing finger at Percy. “Now I know you heard pretty much everything!”

“Oops?” Percy raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry.” He said sheepishly.

‘Look, Percy’ … ‘I was telling Mr. Brunner’ … ‘no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and-’ … ‘Grover, you’re a really, really bad liar.’

Grover turned the same pink as he was on screen. “Yeah...I see it now.” He said, resigned. 

Annabeth massaged Grover’s shoulders with a laugh. “It’s okay, Grover.”

‘Just, take this okay?’ … Grover handed Percy a card.

Apollo took one glance at the card then moved his gaze straight to Dionysus. “Is that script?”

The demigods were trying to look at the card but gave up when they saw the font. Will rubbed his forehead. “That’s a pain to look at.”

Sally furrowed her eyebrows. “Why is it in cursive?” She watched the demigods struggle to read what was on screen. “If all, or most, demigods are dyslexic…?”

Frank read it out loud just for the sake of everyone. 

‘What’s Half-’ … ‘if I want to come visit your mansion.’ Percy looked distraught.

“Sorry, man,” Grover told Percy. “I really could have handled this situation better.”

Percy shook his head. “Nah. It’s a hard job.” He tried giving Grover a smile but was conflicted with the emotions he was being forced to feel.

“You don’t have the best experience with rich kids, do you?” Piper asked softly, playing with her fingers. 

“I have no problem with you. Or Rachel.” Percy shrugged. “But, yeah. I guess in general? They aren’t exactly all that friendly with me.”

Piper nodded reassuringly. “I get it.” There were many reasons why she liked to hide her last name after all. Rachel too.

‘Or if you need me.’ … ‘Why would I need you?’ 

Percy yelped as he felt an elbow dig into his side. It was Annabeth’s. Her elbow had hit him by accident as she sat up in surprise with what he said. “Percy!”

“It came out wrong!” Percy rushed out. “I am so sorry for that G-man.”

“You know, Perce, the next few scenes are probably going to be us messing up on each other.” Grover leaned his head on Percy’s leg. “All’s forgiven, yeah? It was a pretty stressful time. We both couldn’t think straight.”

“Alright,” Percy started hesitantly. “But I won’t say I’ll stop apologizing.” He patted Grover’s head.

‘Look Percy...have to protect you.’ Percy stopped and stared at him.

All year long...keeping bullies away from him...here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.

Percy winced at his thoughts. He poked the back of Grover’s head. “You’re a great protector, man.”

Frank leaned over to Jason. “Satyrs do stuff differently from fauns, right?” Hazel joined in, looking at Jason curiously as well. “They have jobs, kind of like Coach?”

Jason nodded at them. “Yeah. Fauns could learn a thing or two from them honestly.” He paused before adding “Could be helpful in fights even.”

Just as Percy was asking a question, there was a loud noise as smoke came from the dashboard. The driver drove to the side of the road, cursing.

Percy made a face. “Ew, why can I kind of smell it?” He pinched his nose. “Stupid curse.”

Grover gave him a pitying look. “Ooh. Not a great scent from what I remember.”

“What just happened?” Katie asked, confused. Everyone else shrugged but went silent at the scene that was playing.

They all got off the bus, surrounded by trees and litter. Across the road was a fruit stand.

The room was so silent, a pin could drop on the carpeted floor and still be heard as the projection slowly zoomed into the fruit stand.

A few looked confused. “A...fruit stand?”

Sitting on rocking chairs by the stand were three old ladies knitting a huge pair of socks. All three ladies were looking straight at Percy.

“Three old ladies,” Leo looked at the screen curiously, “Knitting socks?”

All Annabeth could do was stare at the screen in horror. “You...you saw…” She shook her head in denial.

“What?” Paul looked around confused, not remembering giant socks from the myths. “What is it?”

Annabeth gripped Percy tightly. “They-they’re looking straight at you!” She covered her mouth.

Poseidon was the one that answered Paul. “Those are the Fates.” He managed to say.

Gasps came from those who hadn’t pieced it together yet.

Sally slowly reached over to grip Percy’s shirt. She remembered Percy mentioning this, but he never mentioned the details.

‘Grover?’ … ‘Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all.’

Leo was reminded again of how similar he and Percy responded to stuff. With humor. The first time he actually paid attention to that fact was when he suggested summoning Nike with Adidas.

The Fate in the middle brought out a giant pair of shears. Grover paled even further, losing his breath. He tried to get Percy back inside the bus, but Percy wouldn’t listen and just stayed back when Grover went inside.

Percy stared at the yarn. Luke’s yarn . But he obviously couldn’t say that unless he wanted to risk his air supply again. He sighed in frustration. He knew the panic this could cause, especially since Gaea’s still currently out for his blood.

All he could do for now was wrap an arm around Annabeth, who was gripping his side tightly.

The lady brought the scissors up to the yarn and snip! 

The sound of the yarn snipping across four lanes of traffic caused people to flinch. All the attention was on Percy once again.

Poseidon actually ripped the pillow apart this time. “No!” He looked at Percy with desperate eyes. “It can’t be!”

“No,” Annabeth mumbled from beside him. She looked up at Percy. “You can’t leave me again.” Her voice cracked.

Nico looked at Percy with wide eyes. Would he be able to feel if he had death hanging over him? Can he do anything?

Hazel had covered her mouth in fear, looking at the rest of the seven in shock. Could this be the quest where he…? After everything he’s been through?

Percy closed his eyes as the panic grew, questions coming from every direction, but he focused his attention on Annabeth. “Wise Girl,” He placed a hand on her cheek, looking her directly in the eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” 

Annabeth stared into Percy’s eyes, searching for any sign of a lie. A tear slipped out of her eye as she hugged him. She was scared but she trusted him more than anything.

Percy let go as he felt a tug on his shirt. It was his mom. 

He scooted closer to her and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m fine.” He gave her a bright smile. Sally stared into his eyes before nodding and smiling back. 

He made eye contact with the others in the room, all the ones that were looking at him with worry or in fear for his life. “I’ll be fine. Trust me.”

The sheer confidence in his voice with that one statement rang through everyone. He’ll be fine.

It didn’t stop the worried glances, but it was enough to get everyone to calm down and continue watching.

Percy wandered back into the bus, at the same time the driver was able to get the vehicle to work again. The other passengers cheered as they were able to get back on the road. 

Nico glared at the bus. “How convenient.” 

“You were really meant to see that.” Chiron gripped a blanket tightly before letting it fall onto the ground in front of him. “They wanted you to see that.”

The bus got going. Grover was shivering badly and Percy looked sick. 

Percy sneezed into his arm.

“Bless you.”

‘Grover?’ … she cut the yarn.’ Grover made a gesture with his fingers, eyes closed. ‘You saw her snip the cord.’ Percy watched him with wary eyes. ‘Yeah, so?’ Percy’s hesitation was seen. He knew it was a big deal.

Percy wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, leaning his head on his mom’s shoulder, feeling feverish as well as apprehensive. He knew that this situation was something serious back then. He just didn’t know anything yet at that point.

‘This is not happening’ … ‘They never get past sixth.’ Percy was looking at Grover scared. 

“Grover…” Thalia sighed. “You know what I’m going to say. Besides, you’re scaring little Percy.” 

Grover nodded. “I know, Thals. Don’t worry.” 

Percy looked even more confused when Grover asked Percy to walk with him after the bus stop. Percy promised he could. 

Percy whispered a small “Sorry.” to Grover.

‘Grover...does that mean somebody is going to die?’

Grover gave Percy a mournful look, as the projection faded away.

No one knew how to react. There were a few beats of silence before Percy groaned dramatically, stretching before getting up, the blanket still pulled around his shoulders. He gave a tired smile. “Break time, right?”

“Perce, what the fu—”

Chapter Text

Everyone stared as Percy disappeared behind a door, presumably to one of the bedrooms to rest. He looked exhausted after all.

“I’ll check on him in a few,” Annabeth murmured, looking in the direction of where Percy left. “He needs some time to himself after all of...this.”

Sally was also looking in the same direction sadly. She nodded in agreement to Annabeth. “He needs to rest. This whole thing is going to take some time.”

One by one, conversations picked up here and there. No one else felt the need to leave the room just yet.

Annabeth joined the rest of the seven in their little circle. “Hey. How are you guys dealing with all of this?” She asked as she sat in between Frank and Leo. 

Leo shrugged as he played with small objects from his toolbelt. “Honestly? I kind of really want to see all of this. The stories told back at Camp just don’t cut it.” He looked down at his hands. “It just sucks that Percy has to feel it all again though.”

Piper nodded. “Yeah, we’ve only heard a bunch of stories after all.” She leaned slightly on Jason, arms crossed. “Though the fact that some of his thoughts are being said out loud is also just plain cruel.”

Hazel hugged a pillow to her chest. “We’re here for him though.” She looked at everyone in their little circle with piercing, golden eyes. “No matter what.”

They all nodded, determination flashing through their eyes. Annabeth looked at them, grateful. “For sure.”

“How are you feeling about all of this?” Jason looked at Annabeth. “You’re definitely going to appear any time now.”

“I don’t know, honestly.” Annabeth looked up at the ceiling. “I’ll just have to see when it comes.”

They all sat in comfortable silence before Leo looked up, grinning. “He has some great moments though. Hilarious, and badass!” 

Frank let out a small laugh. “And this was when he was twelve!”

The six demigods laughed together, beginning a new conversation about their shenanigans on the Argo II.

Nico plopped down in between Will and Thalia, where all of the people from Camp Half-Blood were gathered together. 

“This is insane.” Rachel declared. “I mean, at least we don’t have to worry about the war for at most a few weeks.” 

“But we have to go through Prissy’s life story.” Clarisse protested. “And we have no choice!” She didn’t say it out loud, but she really wished Chris were here. 

“Oh, come on Clarisse,” Will rolled his eyes. “We all know you’re friends with Percy. Plus, you have blackmail material now.”

“Hades yeah to that!” Travis and Connor high-fived each other. 

Nico mounted his chin on his hand. “Don’t go too far,” He mumbled. “He’s been through a lot these past few days.”

Thalia turned to face Nico. “And, you?” She raised an eyebrow. “You knew about the Romans and got dragged into some of their quest.”

Nico sat up straight. “I was sworn to secrecy.” He defended himself.

“Can you say anything about what you’ve been doing?” Katie asked cautiously.

“I mean, I probably can.” Nico shrugged. “But do I want to? Not really.”

“We won’t push.” Will nudged him, giving him a comforting smile. “But we’re here if you need to talk.” 

Grover changed the topic, leading the attention away from Nico. 

Nico leaned back as he watched them talk, giving his two cents every now and then, but mostly listened. For once, he didn’t feel the need to hide.

Sally sighed as she looked at all the children gathered together. She still needed to meet most of them properly. 

Paul rested a hand on her shoulder. “You okay? This is a lot to take in.”

Sally hummed, looking at Paul. “Mostly just worried about Percy.” She gripped his hand. “I’m over the moon that he’s back with us though. Even if it is because of some curse.”

Paul nodded, looking around. “He’s a strong one. He’ll get through it.” Paul smiled. “Besides, he has the people he cares about by his side.”

“You know that includes you right?” Sally smiled back at Paul. “He cares for you too.”

Paul looked surprised for a moment before melting back into a smile. “He’s a good kid. I’m happy I met him.” He looked into Sally’s eyes. “I’m happy I met you.”

Sally leaned into his side. “How about you? You aren’t exactly used to stuff like this.” 

Paul sighed. “I’m honestly still processing a lot of this.” He glanced at the gods. “I mean the Olympians are literally sitting right there.” He whispered. “Oh, and I can't forget the fact that we’re watching my stepson’s life. It’s all so…scary? Intimidating? New?”

Sally looked at him worried, but Paul wasn’t done. “But! Whatever happens, I’m here for both you, and Percy.” 

Sally was silent for a second, before hugging Paul. “Thank you. For everything.”

They sat in a nice silence, taking in everything around them, and watching the talking children. 

Poseidon glanced at Sally while playing with his trident. 

The gods were sitting in tense silence, the opposite of what was going on across the room. 

Zeus looked at Poseidon, accusations filling his eyes. “Your son, brother, seems to be very dangerous.”

“Oh please,” Poseidon rolled his eyes. “You’re just mad at how he addresses you.” He gave Zeus an unimpressed look. “Not so kingly now, huh, Your Majesty?”

“Oh come on you two.” Hades rubbed a hand over his tired face. “Are you both just going to ignore the fact that you two are fighting, again?”

“If it has something to do with my son,” Poseidon narrows his eyes at his younger brother, “Then I will raise the seas against you.” He twirled his trident around. “No need to change anything.”

Ares watched the exchange with an intrigued look. Demeter on the other hand looked unimpressed. “Are we seriously going through this? Again?” She sighed. “Both of you are impossible.”

Aphrodite smiled at Poseidon. “Besides, there are more pressing matters here.” She glanced over at Sally and Paul. “You still care for her.”

Poseidon glared at her. “Of course I care!” He huffed. “I still love my wife as well. Don’t go planning any funny business.”

“You say you love your wife but you had a child with some mortal.” Hera sniffed. “I don’t see the logic here.”

“She cares for my demigod children as well.” Poseidon pointed out. “Open marriages exist.”

“How about you worry about your husband first.” Hades rolled his eyes at his sister. “You and your distaste for demigods. Seriously.”

Hephaestus grunted. “As long as they don’t throw the child out a window, I don’t see the problem, woman.” 

Hera looked at him incredulously before crossing her arms with a humph!

“There are more important things to worry about, you know.” Athena chided.

“Oh, come on ‘Thena.” Apollo checked his nails. “You know they won’t stop.”

Artemis rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement with her twin. “We will not get anywhere with this conversation now.”

“Yeah,” Hermes added. “It will also probably be better to gather more information before discussing it properly.”

“I mean, we don’t even know why father and uncle are fighting again.” Apollo looked up from his hand. “How are we gonna talk about what we don’t know?”

Athena furrowed her eyebrows but didn’t say anything more. Dionysus snorted. “I do not care. I just need to know why my son is alone and not with his brother.”

The gods bickered further, not noticing that Hestia was not with them. 

Hestia stayed seated in the middle of the room. Chiron had sat beside her. They were both observing the place, shaking their heads at some of the occupants’ antics. 

“I hope this is used as an opportunity to bond.” Hestia sighed, looking at the gods. “Friendly banters are alright, but fights are much too frequent in the family.”

Chiron was looking at the demigods, watching them with a fond smile on his face. “Maybe they could learn a thing or two from the demigods.” He mused. “Especially young Percy Jackson.”

“He is special, no?” Hestia looked at Chiron curiously. “He has a connection with everyone here. Not including us gods of course.”

“Actually,” Chiron tilted his head. “He knows all of you, and has talked to all of you as well.” He nodded. “A special one indeed.”

Hestia stared at the box in front of her, before moving to get up. “We should all rest now.” She told Chiron before addressing the rest of the room. 

“Let us all retreat to our rooms for now.” Hestia clapped her hands together to get everyone’s attention. “There is no way to tell the time currently, but it wouldn’t hurt to rest.”

Chiron stood beside her. “Let’s call it a day. We can meet tomorrow morning for breakfast before we proceed with the next one.”

They both watched as everyone slowly trickled out of the room, into their respective doors. 

“Get some rest too, Chiron.” Hestia smiled, walking towards the hall for the gods. “ I will see you tomorrow.”

Chiron bowed before trotting into the door on the opposite side. 

Saying Percy was exhausted was an understatement. 

He felt bad just leaving everyone with questions unanswered, but he couldn’t bring himself to deal with that right now. 

He walked through the door, looking up from his feet to see a hallway lined with more doors. Rooms. 

He walked a few more paces forward, to see if there was anything different between all the doors. When he found none, he decided to just go inside a random one to his right. 

As soon as he touched the doorknob, the empty plaque on the door shimmered, revealing words. A closer look and Percy saw that it was his name written in Greek. 

Okay. He thought. There’s probably a room for everyone then. 

He went inside the room, looking around. It was a simple bedroom. Creme walls and a carpeted floor. The twin bed was white and pushed to the right side of the room. On the opposite side was a wooden desk paired with a rolling chair. It was equipped with stationery, and things a normal person would have on a desk. The wall across the entrance had a window. 

Percy rushed forward, curious as to where they really were. He looked outside the window in disbelief. They were suspended in the void. “Poseidon’s underpants.” He muttered to himself. 

He turned around and saw that next to the door was a closet. He walked towards it to see what was inside. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was filled with normal casual clothing. 

He closed the closet door and flopped straight onto the bed. He threw an arm over his eyes and sighed. 

He knew all of this was happening because he took on both of the arai, and he would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant his friends were safe. It didn’t mean he had to like it though. 

He thought about all of the times he messed up or did something stupid and groaned. That’s a lot. He scolded himself. 

He kicked his shoes off and got on the bed completely, burying his face in the pillow. 

They were all going to see how many deaths he’d caused. They were all going to see how Luke betrayed them again. They were probably going to see Gabe. 

On top of all of that, they were going to hear his thoughts. 

Percy shifted to his side and stared at the wall. 

That’s what worried him the most. He could take the pain again, especially if it meant the people he loved didn’t have to. But having his thoughts revealed to everyone?

First of all, he’d most definitely get in trouble. He knew he was observant, and that meant pointing everything out and thinking about it in a way his brain would understand, which was not always the most flattering. 

Second, the number of times he’d exposed himself already within the first two parts? He flushed. Oh, gods. I’m never living any of these down. 

Finally, he carries himself differently, a contradiction to his thoughts. He had to step up as a leader of Camp, which was why he liked walking around with his head held high and a smile on his face. They didn’t have to know how he thought of himself. Or how he thought everyone else thought of himself. 

Don’t even get him started on the ‘revealing anything too early’ thing. He hated it. The feeling of not being able to breathe. The muskeg, the nymphaeum, even the Styx. Drowning. 

He was the son of Poseidon for goodness sake!

Percy’s eyes slowly slid shut as he let out another sigh. There was nothing he could do about it now. He just needed to keep moving forward like he always did. 

He drifted off into sleep. 

Everyone had retreated into rooms that they had claimed. Every bedroom was pretty much the same, just held different clothes in the closets and objects on the desks. 

The last two rooms at the end of the hallway were the only different ones. Sally and Paul had claimed one, seeing as it was a room with a bigger bed, they could just share. Chiron had the other, a room big enough for a centaur. 

Annabeth observed the way names labeled the doors as soon as someone opened them. She immediately went to search for Percy’s name.

As soon as she had found the door with his name on it, she gave it a gentle knock. “Percy?” She frowned at the lack of response and checked the doorknob. It was unlocked. She opened the door slowly, peeking inside, and smiled at the scene before her.

Percy was on his bed, drooling with a peaceful look on his sleeping face.

Annabeth mouthed, cute, before stepping back and closing the door as quietly as she could. He needed that sleep.

Annabeth found an empty door and went inside. She glanced at the desk full of writing materials as she walked over to the bed, letting her hair down. She paused, seeing what was outside the window before shaking her head. Why am I not surprised?

She laid down on her side, bringing the comforter up to her shoulders. She had one thought as she drifted off into Morpheus’ realm.

I hope the nightmares could leave me alone, just this once.

Will was the first one up out of everyone in their hall. He stretched as he got out of bed. He was a morning person after all. Though he couldn’t tell what time of the day it was, that’s not important. 

He walked out of his room, going straight for the main room. He wanted to see if anyone else was up before getting in the shower. He had gone straight to bed last night, he didn’t even know where the bathrooms were. 

As soon as he opened the door to the main area, he stopped. “Dad?” He stared at Apollo who was lounging on a bean bag, playing with his lyre.

Apollo looked up and burst into a wide grin when he saw Will walk through the door. “Hey, Will!” He waved. “The sun people are up first, huh?” He laughed. 

Will gave him a small smile, not really knowing what to do. He walked into the room, closing the door behind him. “Seems like it.”

“Say,” Apollo looked at Will with a mischievous smirk. “Since I can’t exactly ride the sun chariot here,” He set his lyre aside and clasped his hands together. “How about we give everyone a...different morning call.”

Will’s eyes widened before he broke into a wide smile. “I’d like that.” He laughed. This was a chance to bond with his father!

“I just need to freshen up,” Will pointed at the door behind him. “I’ll be quick.”

Apollo nodded at him, leaning back with his legs crossed. “No rush! I don’t think anyone else will be up anytime soon.” He picked his lyre up again. “I’ll see you back here.” He pointed at the other door on the same wall as the one to the bedrooms. “Those are your bathrooms by the way.”

Will looked surprised, looking back at the door his dad was pointing at. “Right, thanks.” He looked back at Apollo “I’ll see you in a few?” before he ran back to his room to get a fresh set of clothes.

Will smirked as he ran. The others are in for a ride. He laughed quietly to himself. Hope their ears are alright after this. 

Chapter Text

A shrill whistle pierced the air, across both the hallways of the gods and of the mortals. Crashes and curses were heard as people fell from their beds from the abrupt wake-up call, clutching their ears. As soon as the whistle stopped, a song started blasting through the walls.

Never gonna give you up…

Clarisse was out of her room first, hair in tangles as she lifted her spear. “Solace!” She marched straight for the main room. “I will kill you!”

Chiron looked at the chaos happening outside his door. The children were stumbling out of their doors, bumping into each other or the walls as they tried to regain their bearings, following Clarisse out into the main room.

Annabeth’s curly hair was a mess as she pushed straight through the crowd, sword in hand, cursing Apollo. Nico followed close behind her, eyes murderous, air dark around him. “That sun boy is going to get it.”

Jason slammed into the wall in front of him, not seeing where he was going. Thalia burst out laughing as she helped her brother up from where he’d fallen on his ass. Piper was clutching her stomach from beside them, laughing at Jason.

He shook his head with an exasperated look, meeting Sally’s eyes from right across the hall where she and Paul stood by the door. Paul looked disoriented from the loud noises, but Sally was chuckling into her hand, looking at the demigods with fond eyes.

The adults waited for the hallway to clear out before following the children out the door.

On the other side of the place, the gods were a mess. 

Ares, much like his daughter, brought out a whole axe. “Apollo!” He bellowed.

Artemis followed right after, hefting her bow on her shoulder, murderous glint in her eyes.

Hermes had fallen on the floor, Hephaestus grunted and rolled his eyes as he helped Hermes up. 

All the other gods rushed out immediately, avoiding the Big Three at the end of the hallway. The brothers all had irritated looks on their faces, power rolling off of them in waves. They, too, stalked toward the main room.

Will and Apollo were crying from laughter in a corner of the main room. Apollo had lifted them up, so they were levitating in their own bubble of protection. Will wiped a tear that had slipped from his eye. “That was amazing!”

Apollo looked at his son proudly, giving him a high-five. “We are so dead, but it was so worth it.”

As soon as he said that, Clarisse and Ares, both holding their weapons, spotted the laughing duo. Clarisse started yelling at them as Ares tried to get through the protection.

More people trickled into the room and soon, the place was filled with jeering and weapons, all directed towards the father and son.

Eventually, things calmed down, and Apollo and Will deemed it safe enough to get back on the ground. Everyone else had calmed down as well, but that didn’t stop them from throwing a punch or two at the pair. 

Nico pointed his sword at Will, eyes still sleepy. “I will destroy you for ruining my sleep.” 

Will laughed with his hands up in surrender.

Piper looked around the room confused, “Where’s Leo and Percy?”

Sally looked around. “Percy’s probably still asleep, boy can sleep through anything.” She sighed, a small smile on her face.

The Big Three were still grumbling on one side of the room, cranky.

Soon, a scream was heard followed by a large crash. The door to the bathrooms suddenly slammed open, water rushing out going into the hallway of bedrooms.

Some people glanced at Poseidon, but he shrugged and raised his hands up. “That is not my doing.”

After a few moments of confusion, the water receded back into the bathrooms. Everyone stared at each other in confusion.

Leo emerged from the hallway a second later, hair smoking with a sheepish smile. Percy was right behind him, rubbing his eyes with a scowl.

“What just happened?!” Annabeth looked at them accusingly, hands on her hips. 

Percy yawned, flopping down on a bean bag. “Fire Boy over here,” He pointed at a grinning Leo. “Lit his bed on fire by accident.”

“The noise startled me, okay!” Leo defended. “Fight or flight, mine is fire.” He nudged Percy awake with his foot. “I couldn’t put it out though. Had to wake Aquaman over here, up.”

Will grinned. “I’m surprised you even got to wake him in time!” He laughed at the grumbling Percy on the bean bag. “If he didn’t wake up to the whistle.”

Annabeth sat herself down on the floor beside Percy. “Did you sleep well?” She asked with tired eyes. 

Percy nodded. “Like a log.” He looked at her worriedly. “You?”

“Good enough.” She shrugged. “Could have been better.”

Poseidon looked at Percy. “So the water was you?” He looked at his son with a hint of pride.

“Well, unless there’s another person that can control water other than the both of us, then yes, that was me.” Percy gave his dad a look, like duh.

Paul shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” He looked at Percy with wide eyes. “It’s still really cool.”

Hestia observed everyone, an amused glint in her eye at all of the ruffled clothes and messy hair. “Let’s eat and freshen up, shall we?”

After a few hours, everyone was able to have some breakfast and change clothes or take a shower. Some people brought a few snacks and drinks to the room they had now dubbed ‘the theater’. 

They formed the same kind of semi-circle but sat beside different people this time. Percy sat near the seven, knowing that his mom wouldn’t mind. 

Apollo and Hermes shrugged and plopped down beside their children. Will, Travis, and Connor looked at each other in surprise, before smiling up at their fathers.

“Hey, kiddos.” Hermes wrapped an arm around a Stoll each. “Let’s have some fun together, shall we?”

Poseidon hesitated for a moment, before standing in front of Paul, hand out. “I’m assuming you have met me already, but I have yet to meet you.” He gripped Paul’s hand in a firm handshake, nodding at him. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Blowfish.”

Paul gaped and just nodded, speechless. He didn’t feel the need to correct the god. Sally looked at Poseidon with curious eyes as he asked, “May I sit with the both of you?”

Sally shared a look with Paul, before nodding slowly. Poseidon grinned, “Let us watch over our son together.”

The three of them sat down, stunning Percy who was watching the exchange from where he sat with his friends. 

The other gods just sat down in the same place they had the day before, still not comfortable at the idea of sitting with their children. 

Percy reached over to the box, touching the number 3. “Here we go again.”

Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.

Leo did a spit take, straight on Percy. “Dude!”

Everyone was laughing. Hard. Though Grover was complaining about how scared he was that Percy left him.

Percy spluttered, wiping his face and drying himself off, not before making Leo’s remaining water explode in his face.

Leo coughed. “Hey! It was an accident.” His hair lit on fire, drying it off. Piper quickly tugged Leo’s sleeve. “Please don’t set fire to the room this time.”

Paul and Sally stared at Leo with wide eyes.

Athena looked at Leo with her calculating gaze. “So you are a fire user.” She glanced at Hephaestus, who kept his face impassive. Hephaestus chooses which of his children would inherit pyrokinesis after all. It wasn’t an automatic trait of his offspring.

“Uh, yeah.” Leo thanked Percy as he dried off the water that had spilled everywhere. “That’s how my bed caught on fire…”

The laughter slowly died down, allowing them to focus once more on the projection that had barely even started.

I know, I know...freaking me out…

The screen showed the reason why Percy was so freaked out. Grover had been muttering to himself, staring at Percy occasionally. ‘Why does this always happen? Why does it always have to be sixth grade?’

Grover sighed in resignation. “Okay, I see why.” He dismissed Percy’s apologetic look with a wave. “I was really freaked out though.”

As soon as they had arrived at their stop, Grover left to go to the restroom. Percy immediately hailed a taxi to go uptown to his place.

“You can go there if you want,” Percy said at the look on the Stolls’ faces. “But we moved.”

The scene stayed on Percy looking out the window as the taxi drove to the apartment, narration playing.

A word about my mother, before you meet her.

Percy smiled at his mom as the people that have met her started yelling out words filled with compliments.

Sally blushed lightly. Paul laughed at her expression, holding her hand gently. “They’re right, you know.” Poseidon even nodded in agreement beside her.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she’s the best person in the world...best people have the rottenest luck.

Sally looked at Percy who smiled at her. He mouthed, you’re still the best, paired with a thumbs-up.

Rachel looked at Percy thoughtfully. “You know, Percy, that theory would apply to you too.”

“She’s right.” Annabeth nodded. She smiled as Percy’s face reddened a bit. He knew he had bad luck, but he was pretty sure his friends had luck just as bad, maybe even worse.

Her own parents died in a plane crash...she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

“Oh, dear,” Aphrodite cooed. 

Sally shook her head. “I’m happy now. It all worked out in the end.” She squeezed Paul’s hand and smiled at Percy. “No need to worry.”

Hera narrowed her eyes at Zeus. “That plane crash better have nothing to do with you.”

“Not all plane crashes are my fault.” Zeus barked. “Mortals mess up enough to cause their own demise.”

Thalia and Jason shared a look before they both rolled their eyes at their father.

The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.

Poseidon looked surprised before melting into a small smile. 

The screen briefly flashed to a scene of a glow, much like a smile. It wasn’t clear, it was blurry like a faded memory.

I don’t have any memories of him...barest trace of a smile...has no pictures.

Percy blinked at the screen, dumbfounded. So it wasn’t a figment of his imagination?

“You visited him?” Zeus pointed his finger at Poseidon. 

Poseidon glared at Zeus. “Yes, I did.” He smiled softly at Percy who was looking at him in surprise. “The Ancient Laws state that we mustn't interfere, yes? I am only visiting him.”

Even Sally looked surprised. “You came back?” She looked up at Poseidon. “You came to see him?”

“Of course I did.” Poseidon nodded. “I’m sure that I am not the only parent that does this.”

Hermes leaned down to whisper in his kids’ ears. “I may not have time to actually visit properly as a messenger,” He smiled at the curious looks he was getting from the two. “But I do watch over all of you, and guide you when I can.”

The Stolls looked at each other in surprise, before smiling widely at their father. 

Meanwhile, Apollo just winked at Will, slinging an arm around his son’s shoulders. Will didn’t know what that meant, but he still smiled, leaning into his father’s side. 

The demigods with no response from their parents just sighed, used to it. 

See, they weren’t married...Not dead. Lost at sea.

Some of the gods looked at Sally, impressed. 

“So, you knew who he was from the start?” Athena gave her a calculating look. 

“Yes.” Sally nodded. “He was just walking on the beach, trident and everything. It’s the first thing I saw.”

“I didn’t know where to put it.” Poseidon rubbed the back of his neck. “So I just brought it with me. I didn’t think anyone would have seen it.”

Beside Percy, Leo whispered in his ear. “And that, Percy, is how I met your mother.”

Percy shoved a pillow in his direction.

She worked odd jobs...never complained or got mad...I knew I wasn’t an easy kid.

“Gods, Sally,” Annabeth smiled at her. “You are a saint.”

Leo placed the pillow Percy threw at him on his lap. He hesitated before tapping Percy’s shoulder. “Could you maybe...I don't know, introduce me to your mom?” Leo asked quietly. Sally reminded him so much of his own mother. 

Percy looked surprised for a moment, before melting into a warm smile. “Of course. She’ll love you.” He playfully punched Leo’s shoulder. “Hey, if you ever need anything, you can always come and ask us.”

Leo stared at Percy, who turned to look back at the screen. He let out a small smile, his heart warm. “Thanks.” He whispered.

Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano...true colors as a world-class jerk.

Percy’s eyes widened as he cursed mentally. He knew it would come up somehow, he just didn’t know how or when it would be brought up. He looked at his mom, who had also tensed slightly. He sighed unnoticeably, he didn’t think it would be brought up so soon.

He felt the curious eyes of the people around him as he sunk into his bean bag.

When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe...moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.

A few people grimaced at that description. 

The taxi slowed down to a stop. Percy got out, grabbed his bags, and slammed the door shut, walking towards his apartment.

Between the both of us, we made my mom’s life pretty hard...when I came home is a good example.

Percy walked inside, immediately hit with the smell. Beer cans and chips were all over their carpet with the tv playing in the background. Smelly Gabe was seen playing poker in the living room with his friends.

Percy gagged, the smell returning to him after 4 years.

Nico looked around, the projection making it really feel like they were inside the apartment with Percy. “You lived here?”

Thalia scowled at the beer cans littering the floor. 

Sally couldn’t even look at the image of Gabe properly. Paul gripped her hand tightly, having been warned about Sally’s first husband.

“That,” Aphrodite pointed at the screen. “Is Gabe?”

‘So, your home.’ … ‘You got any cash?’

“That’s the first thing he asks?” Thalia looked murderous. “Not even a ‘Welcome back’ ?”

“You were twelve,” Katie said incredulously. “Twelve!”

Poseidon’s face hardened. “Is this why you wanted to find a summer job?” He looked at the screen in apprehension. How did he not know about this?

Percy was angry, seeing his former stepfather, but he stayed silent, fingers playing with the beads on his necklace.

“Wait, stop, why is it still zooming in?” Travis cried out.

The projection had zoomed in a bit on Gabe so that he could be better seen.

He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart...expected me to provide his gambling funds...Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out.

Percy flinched. He didn’t think it would be said outright. He sunk even further into his bean bag, keeping his eyes down. His anger drained out of his body, resigned.

Sally had a pained look in her eyes. She and Percy had a conversation about this after Gabe well, you know. They found out that Gabe told them the same thing, that if they didn’t tell the other, they wouldn’t get hurt. Obviously, that didn’t happen. She buried her face into Paul’s shoulder.

Paul could only stare at their old apartment, head reeling. Sally mentioned this guy once or twice, not much detail either, but enough to know that it was bad.

The room was silent as they stared at Percy, not knowing how to react to this new information. It was a common thing to think that Percy had a somewhat normal life before finding out he was a demigod. He had a great relationship with his mom and Paul, and a somewhat caring godly parent. They never would have thought...

“Did he actually…?” Annabeth covered her mouth with both hands. She knew Smelly Gabe was bad, but he never mentioned anything else beyond that. Percy’s lack of response spoke for itself.

Ignoring the horrified gasps and whispers of the others, slowly, she placed her hand in Percy’s line of sight, seeking silent permission to hold his hand.

Percy’s hand twitched before grabbing her hand gently. He didn’t want them to find out. It was over, they didn’t need to find out!

The temperature in the room dropped slightly. “He what?” Poseidon asked deathly calm, yet his eyes were raging like a sea storm. In times like this, the gods are reminded that Poseidon used to be one of the most temperamental gods and had just mellowed down over the years. That did not mean he got any less terrifying when angered.

“Poseidon,” Hestia’s voice cut through Poseidon’s anger clouded mind. He looked at his sister. Hestia tilted her head in Percy’s direction.

Percy had sunk into his bean bag almost completely, looking painfully small. He was obviously uncomfortable, eyes not able to meet anyone else’s. Poseidon softened, anger still stirring within him but he sensed that his temper tantrum would not help his son in any way.

“I’m over it,” Percy muttered. “Let’s just keep watching. Please.” The desperation in his voice struck all of them, especially his parents.

Leo tapped a pattern on Percy’s leg. Morse code. He made eye contact with Percy, trying to convey what he meant. He needed Percy, his friend, to know that he wasn’t alone. Percy was there for him, he wanted to be there for Percy too.

I’m here for you too.

He was startled when after a few beats of silence, Percy tapped back on Leo’s arm. 

Thank you. 

‘I don’t have any cash.’ ... ‘You took a taxi from the bus station.’ … ‘Am I right Eddie?’

Artemis sneered in disgust as Eddie just looked back down at his pretzels while the other two guys passed gas at the same time. 

Thalia was doing everything in her power not to yell at the primordials to get her to where these pigs were. She could easily lead the Hunters to them. She, Percy, and Nico had gotten pretty close ever since that one quest if she could say so herself. Her being a hunter of Artemis didn't stop that. So finding about this part of Percy’s life…well let’s just say she isn’t all that happy.

Poseidon looked murderous, glancing at both Sally and Percy every now and then.

Everyone expressed their disgust at the scene in different ways. 

‘Fine. I hope you lose.’ Percy threw a wad of cash onto the table. He immediately went for his room, Gabe shouting behind him. ‘Your report card came, brain boy! I wouldn’t act so snooty!’ Percy slammed the door shut, enveloping the room in silence.

Annabeth sharply turned her head to look at Percy. “Percy...my nickname for you, I--”

“I like that nickname, Wise Girl.” Percy shook his head, murmuring gently. “There’s no malicious intent. I’m fine.”

“Hey, Percy,” Hazel played with the blanket on her lap. “You know you’re scary intelligent right? You got us out of so much trouble with your ideas.”

Everyone was surprised as Clarisse grunted. “The runt may act stupid.” She picked at her spear. “But that's also why he’s underestimated. It becomes a powerful strategy.”

Percy looked surprised. His relationship with Clarisse was a friends-but-hate-each-other-to-the-next-dimension kind of friendship. 

Annabeth gave Clarisse a sharp look. “She means well.” Annabeth sighed tiredly. “Sure you don’t know everything , but you know how to use what you do know.” She tangled their fingers together. 

The room was full of junk. Magazines were strewn all over the place, boots on the windowsill. Percy dropped his things on the bed. Home sweet home.

Leo sighed sadly, looking at his friend beside him. He and Percy were more similar than he thought.

Chiron watched with sad eyes. He knew he couldn’t have done anything, as Sally had married Gabe from before he even met Percy. He knew that what he could do now was be there for his students when they needed it. 

Suddenly, Percy’s knees weakened, he held the bed for support. He looked scared, glancing at the door in slight fear.

Percy shuddered in his seat. “I thought Dodds was watching me,” Percy said, clearing up the questioning looks being sent his way.

‘Percy?’ Sally Jackson’s voice rang out. Percy melted in relief as his mom walked through the door.

Much like how Percy melted in relief into his bean bag. He picked up a few drops of water from the bottle beside him, playing with it and making shapes.

My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room...seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad...not even me, or Gabe.

“Best description so far,” Nico smiled gently. “It’s only right.” His head was still reeling with what they had found out about Percy’s life before camp. He could feel Thalia’s leg restlessly bouncing up and down. He understood her worry. The Greek children of the Big Three, ever since that adventure in the underworld, had bonded far beyond cheeseburgers. He would definitely join Thalia in her hunt for this sorry excuse of a mortal, make sure he was in the Fields of Punishment himself.

Although he and Thalia were pretty okay friends now, he still didn’t know how to act around Percy. He was getting over it, he really was, but he knew that having a proper conversation with Percy himself would be the one thing that would better their relationship. There was so much they needed to talk about that they never got the chance to yet. They had all the time right now. The question was, could he do it?

Percy sniffed before letting the water float towards his mom. Sally held her hand out, the water floating on top of it, as it formed a small heart shape. She let out a small laugh as the water swirled around her, before returning to her blushing son.

Both Hera and Aphrodite could feel the sheer love and respect Percy had for his mother. It made Aphrodite smile fondly, and Hera look at him curiously. Hera never really received the same respect from her own children.

Frank glanced at Sally. Like Leo, he was reminded of his own mother whom he missed dearly.

‘Oh, Percy’ … ‘since Christmas!’ Sally was in her work uniform from the candy shop. The mother and son sat on the bed as they ate the blue candy that Sally brought home with her. They talked about Percy, whatever he had forgotten to write about in his letters to her. 

Some people in the room cooed as Sally smothered Percy with kisses and cuddles on the screen. Little Percy was clearly trying to hide his smile.

“You were so cute and tiny!” Piper waved her fists in the air. She wanted to take all of Percy’s attention off of what was just revealed. He shouldn’t have to talk about it because it was forcefully outed. She wanted him to talk only when he was ready and comfortable, to the people he wants to trust it with.

Percy covered his face in embarrassment. Not because of his mom, never. But because people kept calling him tiny! Annabeth chuckled as she ran a hand through his hair.

‘Hey, Sally! How about some bean dip, huh?’

Groans and curses were thrown around as they heard Gabe’s voice. Percy gritted his teeth, same as him on-screen. Even without the curse, he would have reacted like this, he knew.

A string of colorful curses came out of Thalia’s mouth. Grover was beside her, staring at her with a mix of horror and amazement. Jason choked back a laugh listening to his sister while Zeus stared at his daughter in disbelief.

Artemis was just nodding along with her in agreement.

Percy calmed himself, before launching into his story about his last days at Yancy. He made it sound convincingly good like nothing bad happened. He choked up mentioning Grover and Mr. Brunner but hesitated as he got to the topic of the trip to the museum.

“You are a storyteller,” Rachel declared. “Seriously, you made Yancy sound great!”

“You do have a way with words.” Jason pointed out. “It’s really cool actually.”

Percy’s way with words has got them out of a lot of sticky situations after all. Not only that, he got people to open up to him easily as well. It wasn’t weird or anything, it was just Percy. 

Sally sensed something wrong as Percy hesitated, but Percy denied anything happened. She decided not to push.

Percy kept playing with the water he had in his hands. “I thought I would sound stupid.” He formed the water to replicate the shape of bat-like wings. “I wonder how much easier things would have been if I just said something.”

“Nah, you didn’t know.” Pollux shook his head. “You didn’t know she would know anything about it.”

“It is mostly my fault for trying to keep you close to me,” Sally sighed sadly. “Even though I knew the risks.”

“It’s only natural for a mother to want their child to stay by their side,” Hestia stated.

Sally glanced at Percy sadly. That didn’t mean she had to risk his safety with Gabe, though. That was still one of her biggest regrets.

‘I have a surprise for you,’ … ‘ Montauk?’ … ‘As soon as I get changed.’

Poseidon looked at her in surprise. “You still go? The same cabin even?”

“Whenever we could.” Sally beamed. Her eyes sparkled at the happy expression Percy made at the mention of Montauk. “It’s very special to us.”

Percy’s leg started bouncing in excitement, even though he knew how the trip ended. He missed their cabin in Montauk. 

I couldn’t believe it...Gabe said there wasn’t enough money. 

Percy scowled, as did many others in the room. They only deepened as Gabe appeared on the screen again.

“If we weren’t stuck in the void,” Thalia fiddled with her bracelet. “I would have hunted this pig down already.”

Percy remembered that no one knew exactly what had happened to Gabe already. He was going to mention it but hesitated. He didn’t know if that counted as a spoiler. He shook his head, not important anyway, they’ll find out soon enough.

‘Bean dip, Sally? Didn’t you hear me?’ … ‘Guacamole. Sour cream. The works.’

Hermes was impressed. “And he believed that?” He asked.

“He wasn’t exactly the brightest.” Sally shrugged. Paul had stayed quiet beside her the entire time, observing this…Gabe Ugliano. He kept an eye out for both Percy and Sally as well, but they seemed to have it all handled.

‘So this money for your trip’ … ‘We’ll be very careful.’

Aphrodite looked appalled at the mention of a clothes budget. But she also looked at Sally in worry. “And you’re better off now, dear?”

Sally nodded, glancing at Paul which Aphrodite noticed. She smiled at them as she sat back in her bean bag elegantly.

‘Maybe...apologizes for interrupting my poker game.’

Maybe if I kick you in the soft spot and make you sing soprano for a week.

“Yes!” Connor groaned. “Please, shut him up!”

“If you won’t do it, I will.” Annabeth cracked her knuckles menacingly.

Percy met his mother’s eyes before sighing and apologizing, albeit begrudgingly. It was full of sarcasm, but Gabe only narrowed his eyes before going back to his game. 

“Creature of such low intelligence.” Athena huffed. “I only wonder how he can live like that.”

“Just call him a dumbass, Athena. It’s easier.” Apollo ducked, laughing as a pillow was thrown over his head at lightning speed.

‘Thank you Percy.’ … ‘whatever you’ve forgotten to tell me, okay?’ They stared at each others’ eyes for a moment, before Sally ruffled his hair and got up to make Gabe’s bean dip.

For a moment...same fear I’d seen in Grover...figured I was mistaken.

“I need to listen to my instincts more.” Percy groaned. 

Annabeth nodded. “We all really need to listen to each other more.” She sent Grover an apologetic look, remembering the times they had ignored his panicked warnings.

Grover just let out a short bleat.

The scene fast-forwarded to Percy lugging their bags into the car. Gabe’s car apparently as he kept complaining about losing his car and Sally’s cooking for a weekend. ‘Not a scratch on this car, brain boy. Not one little scratch.’

Nico rolled his eyes. “Yes, because the twelve-year-old has the license.” 

“Let’s be real here.” Will said. “Twelve-year-old Percy probably drives better than ugly over there.”

Percy smirked, flexing his arm. “I am a pretty good driver if I do say so myself.”

They all laughed, happy for a light break in between all of the negative emotions that had been running through this whole part so far.

Paul grinned. “So, do you have a thing against stepfathers’ cars or something?” He laughed at Percy’s expression as he remembered the Prius. 

“Okay, I blame Blackjack for that.” Percy raised his hands up.

Like I’d be the one driving...he’d find a way to blame me.

“Definitely did.” Grover muttered, remembering the times they saw him on TV, placing all the blame on Percy.

Percy was getting restless in anger again.

As Gabe walked back inside, an angry Percy copied the gesture that he’d seen Grover do on the bus. The door slammed straight into Gabe’s butt, sending him flying up the staircase like a cannonball. Percy got inside the car and told his mom to step on it.

“What was that?” Paul asked, wide eyed.

“As far as I can recall,” Zeus narrowed his eyes at Percy. “That is not a power of a child of Poseidon.” 

Even Grover was looking at him in wonder. “You did that?”

“Is that not magic?” Demeter tilted her head, curious. “Nature magic, at the very least?”

Poseidon furrowed his eyebrows, looking at his son curiously. Could there be something more to his ancestry?

Percy shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sure it was nothing too big.” He never liked the talks about power, especially with someone as paranoid as Zeus in the room with him.

It was clear that they wouldn’t drop it completely, but they stayed silent for now, allowing the projection to continue.

The projection showed a few cutscenes in between the drive to Montauk in accordance with the narration. 

Our rental cabin...I loved the place.

Annabeth’s hand gripped Percy’s tightly when she somehow spotted a spider in a corner of the cabin. She shook her head, loosening her grip. It’s not real. She reminded herself.

Poseidon had a smile on his face as he saw the familiar shore. Percy had a similar look on his face as well. Sally giggled, seeing the father and son. They looked so much alike.

We’d been going there...eyes turned the color of the sea.

“The both of you seem to relax as you near the beach.” Hestia looked at the projection with a knowing look. “I can see why brother came to you.”

Poseidon looked at Sally curiously. Could she have a connection to the sea herself? The ocean reflected in her eyes after all. He would have to see if Percy had any more displays of power he wasn’t sure of.

The duo arrived at sunset. They immediately began to clean the cabin, going through a routine that looked very normal for them. They walked on the beach feeding seagulls and eating blue snacks. 

I guess I should explain the blue food. 

Every one of Percy’s demigod friends sat up straight, curious. 

“We’ll finally know!” Jason exclaimed at the ceiling. “I’ve been so confused looking at your plate every time we ate!” 

Annabeth laughed. “It looks like everyone’s curious, Seaweed Brain.” She relaxed when Percy smiled at the nickname.

Percy grinned. “I just realized that no one knows why I eat blue food.” He spread his arms out. “Here’s the big reveal, then.”

Sally felt warm inside. That would mean even after he disappeared, he still eats his blue food. It really was something special between the two of them. 

See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing…blue candy from the shop.

Realization dawned on everyone’s faces. No wonder Percy would make his food blue whenever he got the chance!

“I approve.” Leo gave a dramatic thumbs-up. “I think that just answered the biggest question I had in life.”

Percy chuckled. “Okay, now you all better let me eat my blue food in peace, ya hear?”

He laughed when all of his friends gave him eager nods. Even Clarisse had nothing to say against it. 

Percy and Sally were running along the shore, Sally chasing Percy, tickling him when she caught up. The pair were laughing like there was no tomorrow. 

This along with keeping her maiden name…she did have a rebellious streak, like me. 

Frank raised an eyebrow. “Rebellious streak? I’m sure it’s more than that.” He would never get over the time Percy stared Mars down, even without his memories!

“I believe he got it from both sides.” Hades mused. “Poseidon here has it in him as well.”

Poseidon looked at his brother pointedly. “It runs in the family.”

“You are the worst, I would say,” Hades smirked. “Even father despised your unpredictability.”

“It runs in the sea, then.” Poseidon winked at Percy, who gave him a knowing smile in return.

As the sun set, Sally and Percy made a fire. They roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Sally had begun to tell Percy a few stories from her childhood. Talking about her dream to write books. 

Percy looked at his mom proudly. She had done it. Writing books really gave her happiness. 

Paul smiled at them fondly. “You made it.” He told Sally. “You’re amazing.”

Percy eventually asked about his father. Sally’s eyes went all misty. She would tell me…never got tired of hearing them. 

The demigods nodded in sympathy. 

Travis smiled up at Hermes. “We never did.”

“Storytime was always the best.” Connor nodded. 

Hermes smiled at his children. 

‘He was kind, Percy.’ … ‘and his green eyes.’

“What do you know,” Apollo looked back and forth between Poseidon and Percy. “Now that you pointed it out, you are literally a mini Poseidon.”

“I can see Sally in you,” Aphrodite observed. “But you overwhelmingly have Poseidon written all over you.”

“Out of everyone here, you look the most like your godly parent.” Demeter nodded. 

“I would say Will and Nico are both close seconds, though,” Katie added, nodding like her mother. 

Apollo looked at Will. “You take a lot after your mother.” He observed. Will smiled. 

Nico on the other hand made awkward eye contact with his father. Hades bit his lip. He wanted to approach his son, but he didn’t know how. 

“From what I’ve seen,” Chiron’s eyes held amusement as he smiled at Percy. “You act a lot like your father too.”

Percy thought for a moment. “I like to think I got a lot from both sides.” He grinned at his parents. 

Annabeth rubbed her nose. “Now I feel really dumb for not knowing your parentage earlier.” She muttered so only Percy could hear. 

Percy shrugged. “The oath. None of you wanted to believe it.” He leaned back and kissed her cheek. “Not dumb at all.”

‘I wish…he would be so proud.’

“I did see you.” Poseidon played with another pillow. “And I am most definitely proud.”

Percy smiled, slightly emotional. Any form of acknowledgment from his father was always enough to render him speechless. 

He could also be emotional from the mess that was his feelings when he was twelve due to the curse, but whatever. 

I wondered how she could say that…sixth time in six years. 

Poseidon shook his head. “As if I care about what grade you get on your report card.” He shot a quick glance at Athena. “I would rather you swim with the friendly sharks after all.” He added with a cheeky grin, in reference to the scene they had watched the day before. 

Sally also took this time to reassure Percy. “A D+ on your report card doesn’t stop you from being the best.” She looked her son in the eye, making sure he understood. 

Percy smiled at both his parents before ducking his head. He sniffed slightly, but he was happy. 

‘How old was I?’ … ‘had to leave before you were born.’

“I guess I was wrong,” Sally said as the screen once again flashed the faded memory of a warm smile, looking down at baby Percy. 

Percy could feel the beginnings of anger stir within him. He knew what this was. “Uh…dad?” He laughed nervously before continuing. “I might be wrong but my thoughts may be getting angry at you in a few.”

Just as he said that the narration said

I felt angry at my father…we were stuck with Smelly Gabe. 

“I understand.” Poseidon looked sad, but he nodded. “Might I even say that your anger is rightfully so.”

The demigods were able to relate to Percy’s words. Their parents looked at them in concern. 

“I know the laws exist.” Percy began. “But it wouldn’t hurt to give a few signs?”

The gods just glared at Zeus and Hera. Those two were always in the way somehow. 

‘Are you going to send me away again?’ … ‘Because you don’t want me around?’ Percy’s regret could be seen all over his face. 

Percy dropped the water he was playing with in surprise. He had forgotten he said that. 

Annabeth sighed sadly. She wanted to make sure that Percy knew he was loved, especially after all of these thoughts were being exposed. 

When Sally’s eyes began tearing up on the screen, Percy was quick to yell out. “I’m sorry, mom!”

Sally just smiled at her son and shook her head. 

‘Oh, Percy, no.’ … ‘send you away.’

A quick memory of Mr. Brunner flashed through the screen, one from their talk at Yancy. 

“You don’t have to stay year-round, right?” Piper asked, confused. “So wouldn’t you still be able to see him?” She was genuinely curious. 

“He’s a Big Three kid,” Annabeth answered. “They’re much more powerful compared to us, which also means they’re like a beacon for monsters.” Annabeth was definitely speaking from experience. 

“We would also prefer it if they trained as much as they could,” Chiron added. “Since they encounter monsters more dangerous than most. And they need more power training to avoid accidents.”

The five present Big Three kids all just sighed. “Powerful and cool? Sure. But the monsters that come with it?” Thalia shook her head. “Not fun.”

“Okay, but,” Percy deadpanned. “Isn’t that also our uncles’ faults?” 

“Well, your dad doesn’t send monsters after us.” Nico piped up. “Thankfully. You just got the short end of the stick.” He told Percy. 

“Lucky me.”

The Big Three themselves looked at each other incredulously. Their children were just there, getting along, having a conversation about them in front of them! 

“Seriously, the fact that we have three of them on board with us on the Argo?” Annabeth whispered to the seven. “No wonder we keep running into trouble. Even Nico was with us at one point!”

Leo looked up thoughtfully. “I wonder if there’s a way to mask their scent.” He fiddled with a wrench from his tool belt. “Could spare the Argo some damage…”

Percy looked at him in surprise. There are some ways. He would know. But he stayed silent. 

‘Because I’m not normal.’ … ‘don’t realize how important you are.’

“Very important.” Travis coughed into his fist. 

“If you were ‘normal’,” Connor made quotation marks with his fingers. “We all would have been dead, honestly.”

Percy had a sudden interest in his fingers resting on his lap. 

Annabeth suddenly poked his cheek. “Not normal isn’t a bad thing.” She knew how special he was, they all did. All of them except Percy himself. 

‘I thought Yancy’ … ‘Safe from what?’

As soon as Sally met Percy’s eyes, a different scene flashed through the screen. 

Percy, about 8-9 years of age, was on a playground. A man in a black trench coat and a hat covering most of his face, followed Percy around the place. When Percy looked up to see who it was, he was startled when he saw only one eye in the middle of the man’s head. He ran to the teachers immediately. 

“A cyclops?” Hazel gaped. 

Poseidon cleared his throat, a sheepish expression on his face. “That might have been one of mine.” At some confused looks, he clarified. “From my forges. I must have sent one to watch over you.”

“Huh,” Percy looked back at the screen, where the cyclops was chased away by the teachers, growling. “Freaked me out anyway.”

Zeus glared at Poseidon, but couldn’t really do anything as he technically didn’t break the Law. 

Sally was deemed speechless once again. She had believed all these years that Poseidon had never even seen Percy until after his first quest. 

The next flash showed a preschooler Percy, gently being put down in a cot to nap. Slowly, a snake somehow slithered into the cot, going straight for Percy. His tiny hands shot out, strangling the snake to death. When Sally arrived to pick him up, she screamed at the dead snake her son was playing with like a toy. 

Everyone gaped at that scene. 

“Is that a Big Three thing?” Leo squeaked out.  “Strong since birth or something?”

“Similar to Heracles?” Artemis narrowed her eyes at Percy as if testing him. 

Percy met Thalia’s eyes at the mention of Hercules, both holding exasperated expressions on their faces, but it was Piper that spoke up. “The jerk?” She crossed her arms. “I’d rather call it a Big Three thing rather than a Heracles, Hercules, whatever thing.” Jason rested a hand on her arm but did nothing to stop her. 

Zeus furrowed his eyebrows, confused at how they were addressing one of his greatest sons. 

Artemis observed this and took note of this behavior at the mention of Heracles. 

The projection quickly flashed through random scenes, all seemingly Percy’s incidents at school seeing as it revisited some familiar scenes such as the canon and the sharks. 

In every single school…I was forced to move.

Percy watched the scenes of his previous school experiences with a frown on his face. Seems that this tradition wouldn’t stop anytime soon. There was no way Goode was going to let him stay after disappearing without notice. 

He looked at Annabeth beside him. But hopefully, he could have a stable future in college. 

Paul looked on sadly. As an English teacher, he could only do so much. 

I knew I should tell…news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn’t want that. 

Dionysus rolled his eyes. “The mortals and their selfish reasons.” He muttered, quiet enough not to bring attention to himself.  “Reason why they all get killed.”

Percy facepalmed. “Sorry.”

“It’s not bad for wanting that,” Annabeth mumbled. “You wanted to spend time with your mom.”

“Still,” Percy insisted. “I should have at least mentioned something. Even a small thing like swords and dust.”

“You forget you still weren’t sure if it was real.” Hazel happened to hear them as she joined their conversation. “In hindsight, sure it seemed so simple. But in actuality?” 

‘I’ve tried to keep you…your father wanted to send you…can’t stand to do it.’

“I know you warned me,” Sally whispered to Poseidon. “I just thought I would lose him forever.”

Poseidon patted her arm gently. “You are a caring mother. You love him more than anything.” He glanced at Percy. “I get it.”

‘My father’ … ‘A summer camp.’ Percy’s face was full of confusion. 

Percy got hit with a wave of dizziness. The confusion from why a summer camp was suddenly mentioned now and never before. 

The campers cheered at the mention of a summer camp. Even Dionysus had to hide his very small, almost nonexistent, smile. 

Jason grinned. Hazel and Frank were curious to see what the Greek Camp looked like. 

Annabeth sighed. She hasn’t been away for as long as Percy, but she missed Camp. Her home. 

‘I’m sorry, Percy,’ … ‘For good? But if it’s only a summer camp…’

Sally looked as if she were about to cry, staring into the fire they had made. After a while, they cleaned up and went to the cabin to get some sleep. 

“Oh gods,” Percy gripped the hem of his shirt. “Here we go.”

As soon as Percy fell asleep, the whole scene changed. A strong storm was hitting a beach where a white horse and a golden eagle were battling each other. 

The people in the room looked around, a mix of wonder and fear. The storm that was pounding on the beach felt so real. If they imagined it hard enough, they would be able to feel the sand below them. 

“This is your dream?” Paul looked around in disbelief. 

Percy nodded tiredly. “Yeah. And it only gets worse from here.”

The eagle swooped down… eagle's wings. 

“And now it is 100% the both of you.” Demeter accused, pointing at the two brothers in question. “Something happened at the winter solstice.”

A voice goaded the animals from below, the ground rumbling. 

The seven automatically adjusted their positions, so that they were either on top of a bean bag, blanket, pillow, or all three. They all automatically thought of Gaea. Even Percy and Annabeth, who knew that wasn’t the case. 

Hera turned to the eldest brother. “You too?” She rubbed her temples. “All three of you?”

Hades looked at the screen skeptically. “I do not think that is me.”

“Well, who else could it be?” Zeus snapped. “It must be you!”

The people that knew bit their lips to avoid saying anything. Hades would sadly have to take the blame for a while. 

Dream Percy ran towards the animals, yelling for them to stop but he was moving in slow motion. 

He thought it was a dream thing, but seeing it again, Percy was sure that Kronos had been influencing him there already. The slow-motion must have been him. 

The eagle dove down, straight for the horse’s eyes. The scene disappeared as Percy screamed, No!

It went back to the cabin, where Percy had woken up with a start. 

“That was intense,” Will said with wide eyes. It was hard to hear over the sound of a storm coming from the projections. 

Zeus and Poseidon were staring each other down. Everyone could feel the tense energy stirring in between them. 

The gods all seemed ready to choose sides if it came to it, looking at the brothers in apprehension. 

Hades observed everything. If it wasn’t him, then who could it be? And how would he convince his dense rock of a brother that it was not him?

The storm was pounding outside of the cabin. Lightning would strike as the waves rose up to twenty feet. The next thunderclap, Sally woke. ‘Hurricane.’

Minus being wet, the occupants in the room really felt like they were in the middle of a storm. Sometimes, lightning would strike right behind someone, causing them to jump up in surprise. 

A lot of the children were under their blankets, a sense of security. 

Over the loud winds, a roar was heard, an angry, tortured bellow that made Percy shiver. 

A chill ran down Percy’s spine. 

Frank looked at him, scared after hearing that roar. “What was that?”

Those that knew about Percy’s fight outside the borders of Camp had their full attention on the screen. They would finally see how it happened. Percy never talked about this stuff properly. 

Sally dug closer into Paul’s side. She was there, but she doesn’t know anything from after she was taken. She shivered lightly. Paul brought a blanket around her shoulders.

Everyone jumped as a voice started yelling from outside the door, pounding on the wood. 

Grover hugged a pillow tightly, this was not going to be fun. 

Sally rushed to open the door, revealing a drenched Grover in all of his satyr glory. ‘Searching all night. What were you thinking?’ But all Percy could do was stare. 

“Oh my gods,” Piper stared at Grover on screen. “That must have given him the shock of his life.”

“It did, thank you very much.” Percy breathed, trying to get ahold of the emotions that he had no control over. 

“It’s not like I unexpectedly lost my pants.” Grover bleated. “It was just easier to run without them.”

“The way you found out about everything is such a mess.” Nico said, wide-eyed. “It was all so sudden.”

“I see the Mist didn’t do anything to help in this situation.” Chiron grimaced. “If anything, it made everything much more shocking.”

Sally looked panicked. ‘Percy…tell me?’ Percy was frozen, not being able to process what he was seeing. ‘O Zeu…tell her?’ 

“What does that mean?” Hazel whispered. Frank shrugged. Jason looked at the Greeks of the seven to answer. He didn’t need to ask because the narration did it for him. 

He’s just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I’d understood him perfectly. By Zeus and all the gods. 

Paul looked a bit pale. “How did he not pass out?” He rubbed his temple. “At least you guys told me. This was just piled all on top of him!”

‘Percy. Tell me now!’ 

This was the first time any of them heard Sally raise her voice. 

Sally looked stricken, the few scenes about to come were not going to be great.

Percy stuttered out an explanation. He mentioned Mrs. Dodds and the fruit stand. Nothing too detailed in the fast-paced situation. Sally looked pale as she tossed Percy his jacket. ‘Get to the car…Go!’

Percy ran behind Grover, staring at the cloven hooves as the projection faded. 

Percy could still feel the panic from the situation. He was restless. He got up and pushed his way in between Sally and Poseidon. “Can I stay here for this one?” 

Poseidon hovered a hand over Percy’s arm. “Of course.”

Annabeth sat in the bean bag Percy had vacated. She knew he needed to be by his mom’s side for what’s to come. The rest of the seven looked worried, not knowing what was coming. 

Percy tried to control his breathing. This third projection revealed more than he was comfortable with. He could practically feel Poseidon’s worry from beside him. 

He exhaled. He knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid confrontations about a while ago, but he wanted to put it off for as long as he could. 

Besides, he knew what was coming, and wanted the next part to be over with as soon as possible. Conversations about Gabe could wait. 

Percy looked at his mom, asking her a silent question. Are you ready? 

Sally nodded firmly. 

Percy took a deep breath and reached over to touch the number 4.

Chapter Text

The loud noise of the storm started up again as the scene started with Gabe’s car tearing through the country roads. Sally Jackson was shown, keeping her foot on the gas and staring straight ahead despite the heavy winds and low visibility. At every lightning strike, Percy could be seen staring at Grover, still in shock.

I wondered if I’d gone insane...smell of a wet barnyard animal.

‘So, you and my mom...know each other?’

Grover kicked a pillow flying in Percy’s direction.

Percy rubbed his nose. “What? I only state the truth.” The pillow hit him smack in the face, the force of a satyr hoof very much felt.

Jason snorted. “Also,” He smirked at Percy. “Nice conversation starter.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Percy grumbled.

The gods were paying more attention to the storm. Zeus and Poseidon have really done it this time, they thought.

‘Not exactly’ … ‘I am your friend.’

Hestia gave Grover a warm smile. “Your friendship with him means a lot to you.”

Grover blushed but nodded. Percy smiled at him when their eyes met, he really missed Grover. He thought for a moment before whispering something into Poseidon’s ear beside him.

Poseidon nodded and moved, sitting somewhere behind Percy and Sally instead of right beside. Percy patted the now empty space beside him. “Come here, man.”

Grover grinned, getting up almost immediately to sit beside his best friend. “This is gonna be a bit rough for the both of us,” Percy whispered in his ear, giving Grover a reassuring glance. “We got this.”

‘Urn...what are you, exactly?’ … ‘You just said it didn’t matter!’

Poseidon snorted from behind Percy, causing a wave of laughter from the teenagers.

“As you can see,” Percy spread his arms out dramatically. “My brain was absolutely fu—fried.” 

‘...trample you underhoof for such an insult!’

“Coach Hedge.” Leo shuddered. “That little guy is scary strong.”

Frank hid his laugh behind a cough.

‘Woah’ … ‘admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!’

Percy rubbed his temples. “I’m feeling the confusion all over again!”

“I feel like I’m feeling the confusion with you.” Paul pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated. “I know a decent amount of myths, but seeing the real-life versions is tripping me out!”

“Sorry, Paul, but the confusion does not end here.” Percy sent him a grin. “At least I won’t be confused alone!”

“Great,” Paul laughed nervously.

‘Of course.’ … ‘You started to realize who you are.’

“See that’s the thing,” Percy threw his hands up. “I did think it was a hallucination and I had no idea who I was! I wasn’t realizing anything!”

“I meant subconsciously.” Grover pointed out. 

“Whatever.” Percy groaned. “There’s also me who actually used to suck at looking past the Mist.” He remembered Tyson, as well as the music room at Goode.

“You’re welcome.” Rachel said cheekily. The empousai incident was something she’ll never forget.

‘Who I—wait a minute, what do you mean?’ Percy’s question was almost drowned out by the loud bellowing noise coming from somewhere behind the car. It was louder than before.

“Seriously, what is that?” Frank jumped. The sound shook him to the core.

Annabeth glanced at the confused group. “If you’ve seen what was hanging on the wall of Percy’s room on the Argo, that could give you a little hint.” She couldn’t risk saying anything more.

Jason furrowed his eyebrows. He never really paid attention to whatever decorated Percy’s room. Whenever he went, it would be to talk to Percy, not to sightsee.

From the looks on the others’ faces, they all just decided to pay attention instead, they’ll get the answer quicker that way.

Sally had to butt into the conversation of the two children. ‘Percy,’ … ‘too much to explain...get you to safety.’ … ‘Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions.’

Hades turned to look sharply at Grover. “Nobody much?”

Poseidon narrowed his eyes at Hades. “You’re worried about that and not the fact that you are putting my son in danger?” He got his hands on a pillow once again, gripping it tightly. 

Hades had the decency to look sheepish. “We still do not know why!” He defended himself. “I must have had a reason!” 

Thalia groaned quietly and exchanged looks with Nico. “By reason does he mean our existence?” She rolled her eyes. “Or did he just hate Zeus enough to send an army after me?”

Nico sighed. “Our dads are too petty for their own good.” He crossed his arms. “At least Poseidon doesn’t drown us whenever he feels like it.”

Thalia nodded. “But all three of them could do better.”

Thalia and Nico made eye contact before chuckling. Bonding over annoying fathers is always one way to go. 

‘Grover!’ … ‘drive faster, please?’

I tried…knew this wasn’t a dream…no imagination…never dream up something this weird. 

“No imagination?” Connor questioned. “Dude, if you have no imagination, I’m a centaur.”

Chiron raised his eyebrow at Connor who hid behind his dad. Hermes let out a deep laugh. 

“I would like to take back that statement about the dreams.” Percy declared, ignoring Connor. “My dreams now are either terrifying or just weird, no in-between.”

Sally suddenly swerved left, down a narrower road. 

Percy gripped his stomach. “I think my stomach just left me.” He groaned. 

“Wow, Sally,” Paul watched, amazed. “How could you even see in the rain.”

“It was all adrenaline at this point.” Sally shrugged. 

Katie pointed at the projection. “Hey look! They’re almost there!”

Through the car windows, they could see white picket fences with PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signages in front of hills and farmhouses. 

‘Where are we going?’ … ‘This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger.’

Percy blew a strand of hair away from his eyes. “I didn’t make this any easier for you did I?” He leaned his head on Sally’s shoulder. “Sorry.” He mumbled. 

Sally placed her hand on her son’s head. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” She placed a kiss on his forehead. “This was all too sudden for you.”

‘Because some old ladies cut some yarn.’ … ‘when someone’s about to die.’

Percy sighed at the mention of the Fates. He felt his mom’s hold tighten around his shoulders. He ignored the worried looks he was getting from the others. 

Poseidon was rigid. He hadn’t let go of the pillow he was holding in a death grip. 

‘Whoa.’ … ‘Not you, you.’

“That whole conversation mixed with the sheer stress of this situation.” Will gripped his hair. “My head’s about to explode. I wasn’t even there!”

Paul looked just as overwhelmed. 

‘Boys!’ Sally jerked the wheel to the right, revealing a glimpse of the dark figure that was following them. It quickly disappeared from sight. 

Rachel was watching with undivided attention. “Holy shi—” She cut herself off when she felt Chiron’s stare, but her eyes stayed wide. 

‘What was that?’ … ‘Please.’

Hazel started quietly chanting along. “Please. Please. Please.”

Frank gripped her hand tightly, equally desperate. 

They knew Percy was safe here, but that did nothing to stop his friends’ worry. The projection just felt so real. 

Poseidon was in a similar state as Hazel. Percy wanted to reassure everyone that he was fine, but knew that it would do little to ease the worry. 

They’d have to keep watching. 

Percy was leaning forward in anticipation even though he had no idea what was going on. Rain and darkness surrounded them. 

I thought about Mrs. Dodds…numb from delayed shock…meant to kill me…Then I thought about Mr. Brunner…thrown me. 

Percy’s throat went dry, experiencing the shock he had felt exactly. His hands clenched into fists. 

All Grover could do from beside him was glance at him every now and then in worry. 

Suddenly, Percy sat up, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand. He braced himself for what he knew was coming. 

A loud boom rattled the room along with a blinding flash of light. 

Everyone jumped, blinded, not prepared for the sudden noise, but that wasn’t the only thing they heard. 

Percy yelped in pain, flinching at the feeling of getting struck by lightning. He groaned, “Ow.”

Percy peeled his forehead off the back of the seat in front of him. ‘Ow.’

“Percy!” Annabeth sat up. Percy met her eyes and shook his head. He was fine. 

Annabeth gripped the bean bag tightly. She just felt so helpless. 

“Gods,” Jason looked at Percy wide-eyed, ready to stand to help him if needed. “You really are feeling everything.”

Of course, the attention had been redirected to Percy after his yelp of pain. 

Sally tentatively touched his arm. “You okay?”

Percy rubbed his chest, nodding. “Guys, this isn’t the worst of it yet. I’m fine.”

Annabeth scowled. “That doesn’t mean we have to like it!” Her back was sat up straight, ready to go to Percy anytime. 

Meanwhile, Poseidon’s dark glare was turned on Zeus. “Lightning?” He asked, deathly calm. 

Zeus avoided his eyes, glaring at Percy instead. “He should not be alive!”

Thalia shook Nico’s shoulders in frustration. Nico just let himself be shaken, equally as frustrated. 

“Watch it, brother.” Poseidon spat, sitting back down only at Percy’s plea. 

Athena was racking her brain, trying to see why the three brothers were mad. They always fought, but it seemed there was a greater reason for this one. She knew the broken oath could be reason enough, but there was something about that Fury attack…

“Can we please continue?” Percy pleaded. “I can still feel the pain.”

The car had fallen into a ditch, driver’s side buried in mud. The car roof was cracked open, allowing rain to enter the car. 

‘Grover!’ Percy shook the motionless satyr beside him. Blood trickled out of Grover’s mouth. Percy shook him some more. No! Even if you…I don’t want you to die!

Percy was gripping Grover’s arm tightly, eyes wide. Grover winced at the tight hold but didn’t do anything to stop him. 

He watched the screen in embarrassment. Some protector he was. First one unconscious. 

Grover eventually groaned, ‘Food,’ causing Percy to lessen his shaking. 

Grover slapped his own cheek lightly, mumbling to himself. He felt a squeeze on his arm. Grover looked at Percy who was looking at him with reassurance, even in his curse-induced panicked state. 

Dionysus was watching the scene with steely eyes. He was observing Grover on screen. 

‘Percy, we have to…’ Sally trailed off as they both looked in horror. As lightning flashed, a figure could be seen. 

Percy’s breath caught in his throat once again as fear crept into him. 

The figure was slowly making its way towards them. It was huge, bulky and fuzzy, somehow also looking like a football player. It also looked like it had horns. 

Piper gaped at the figure with wide eyes. “What…?”

Leo slammed the wrench he was holding into his knee at a clap of thunder in surprise. “Oww.” He gripped his knee. 

‘Who is—’ … ‘Get out of the car.’ Sally tried the driver’s side door, but it was jammed. Percy looked up at the roof after trying his door, but the edges were sizzling and smoking. No luck. 

Paul gripped Sally’s hand, panicked. “How?”

Sally squeezed his hand back, “Everything worked out in the end.” She looked back at the screen. “Just…try not to freak out.”

“Easier said than done,” Paul muttered. 

‘Climb out…that big tree?’ Sally was doing her best, making sure she was heard. The next flash of lightning revealed a huge pine tree at the hill nearest to them. ‘What?’ … ‘property line…until you reach the door.’

“Would ya look at that?” Thalia mumbled. “It’s me!”

Near her, the ones that didn’t know the story from the seven looked at her incredulously. Basically all of them except Annabeth, who just huffed at the reminder. 

“I forget that a lot.” Nico rubbed his face. “It’s still weird to me.”

Annabeth glanced at Percy sadly. “He won’t be able to leave her.”

Hazel’s eyes widened in realization. “Gods…how will this end.”

‘Mom…help me carry Grover.’ Sally looked pale as Percy shouted at her in desperation. Grover was still moaning for food.  

Percy held his head in his hands, his leg bouncing rapidly. 

Some gods observed how he wouldn’t leave his mother alone. Don’t mortals usually do anything to save themselves? What was this demigod doing then?

The figure kept coming closer, grunting and snorting noises getting louder with each step. 

‘He doesn’t want us.’ … ‘Go. Please.’

Percy stiffened slightly. He tried to control his breathing, head still in his hands. He shook his head at every attempt for comfort the people around him tried to give. 

‘We’re going together.’ … ‘Help me with Grover.’ Percy didn’t wait for a response as he pushed the door open, getting out of the car, dragging Grover with him. 

“I’m sorry.” Grover was muttering quietly, all to himself. “I’m so sorry.” He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see that it was Sally’s. She smiled at him, eyes teary, before shaking her head. Don’t be. 

The rain was pouring. Some demigods had covered their heads in blankets, even though none of them were actually getting wet. 

“What the…”

Everyone turned to look at Percy. He was looking down at his hands and shirt in confusion. The weirdest thing was he was wet. It’s as if he was standing under the rain…

“You can get wet?” Leo pointed at him. 

Percy gave him a glare. “Of course I can! How do you think I shower?” He tried drying himself off, but he just kept getting wet again. “I choose to be dry. I can get wet if I want to or if…” He trailed off, looking at himself on screen. 

“If you’re extremely focused on something else and you can’t keep yourself dry.” Annabeth finished for him with wide eyes. “It actually manifests in real life.” She met Percy’s eyes with her own terrified ones. 

Everyone else was silent around them, looking between Percy and the screen. 

Percy had dragged Grover out, but he was too slow. Sally came to the rescue, taking care of Grover’s other side. Together, they lumbered up the hill, unconscious Grover in between them. 

“That grass is much too high.” Demeter protested at the waist-high grass being projected. “It is a dangerous hazard!’

“I thought he was just feeling it!” Rachel exclaimed. 

“No,” Annabeth started to bite her fingernails out of nervousness. “It’s just like an arai’s curse. You don’t just feel it. It actually happens.”

Percy’s face fell, before immediately hardening into a neutral expression. “I’m probably not literally going through it again because of Chronos and Ananke.” He inhaled deeply, letting it out with a big sigh. “They really did what they could.”

He shook his hair out, giving an apologetic look to the people beside him who were getting a bit wet because of him. Poseidon behind him just silently dried anything, or anyone, around him. 

“Let’s keep going. Don’t worry about me.”

Percy glanced back. The scene switched to pan over the monster. A seven-foot-tall mass of muscle and fur. 

“The Minotaur?!” Piper let out a strangled gasp, finally able to see the monster clearly. 

“The Minotaur?!” Poseidon repeated, pillow in hand. 

He was glaring at his brothers, trying to figure out which one of them sent the Minotaur. 

Ares sat up, interested. Finally, a potential fight (both on-screen and in real life). 

Percy blinked the rain out of his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. ‘That’s—’ … ‘Names have power.’

Percy shifted uncomfortably, trying to blink the water out of his eyes. He wasn’t used to this. He wasn’t fighting a giant bull-man, he was just sitting down and doing nothing, so the water in his face was really bothering him.

The Minotaur was sniffing the empty Camaro, not having seen the trio fifty feet away. Grover moaned for food again. ‘Shhh.’ … ‘sight and hearing are terrible…figure out where we are soon enough.’

“You,” Athena looked at Sally with curiosity. “You know much about this world.”

Sally nodded, looking pained. She kept glancing between the projection and at Percy. Why does everything have to happen to her son? 

The Minotaur bellowed suddenly, full of rage, shaking the room. He picked up the Camaro, raising it over his head before throwing it down on the road. It skidded for about half a mile, sparks flying, then the gas tank exploded. Boom!

Not a scratch. Oops.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, a few laughed at that, rubbing their ears from the loud sound of the explosion.

“Yes. Exactly.” Thalia grinned, delighted.

‘Percy,’ … ‘Do you understand?’

Sally received a lot of incredulous looks. 

“You pretty much taught him bullfighting!” Thalia stared at Sally with respect.

“Wow,” Paul breathed. “You really prepared for the worst.”

Sally tugged on the bottom of her shirt restlessly. This had been one of her worst fears come true: a sudden attack on her boy. None of them had been completely prepared. 

‘How do you know all this?’ … ‘Keeping me near you? But—’

Dionysus clicked his tongue. 

“I had basically been preparing since he was born,” Sally whispered to Paul, rubbing her arms. “I should’ve just let him go earlier. It would have been safer.” She shook her head, sadness filling her expression.

The minotaur suddenly roared again, tromping uphill. He’d smell them. The tree wasn’t too far away, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker. They were both dragging Grover, slowing them down. A few more seconds and the Minotaur would reach them. ‘Go, Percy!...what I said.’

Piper was gripping both Jason’s and Leo’s arms tightly. Hazel was doing the same to Frank. 

Everyone was silent, watching with bated breath. The room was only filled with the sounds of the projection along with Percy’s increasingly heavy breathing.

Percy hesitated for a short moment, before sprinting left. The monster glared down at him, following him.

Percy stifled a cough, suddenly being able to smell the Minotaur as it neared him.

The Minotaur charged, horns aimed straight at Percy’s chest. Percy looked terrified, but he held his ground and jumped out of the way at the very last moment.

Collective breaths were being let out as Percy avoided death by horns.

Percy was shaking. He had resorted to sticking close to his mom, something he couldn’t do when the Minotaur attack actually happened. Sally was doing her best to comfort him.

Annabeth wouldn’t stop biting her fingernails, restless to the core. Once this part was over, she was immediately going over to her boyfriend. She glanced at him worriedly. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder. It was Frank. She looked at him gratefully, before turning her attention back to the screen. After all, she too doesn’t know exactly what happened.

The Minotaur bellowed in anger, turning back around. He stared, straight at Sally who was putting Grover down in the grass. The valley down the other side of the hill was now visible, half a mile away. The monster pawed the ground, eyeing Sally who had begun going back downhill, away from Grover. ‘Run, Percy! I can’t go any farther. Run!’

Percy was frozen in fear. He knew his mom was right next to him, but he couldn’t do anything but stare. “Mom.” He whispered.

Sally knew what was coming. She was already rubbing Percy’s wet back, trying to ground him, make sure he knew she was there. Her other hand was in Paul’s, who was gripping it tightly, watching the scene with wide eyes. 

Poseidon was behind them, not knowing what to do. His face was pained, watching the people he cared for in fear, knowing that this would most likely happen in his future—unless they were able to do something about it. 

The monster ran straight at Sally. She tried sidestepping, but the Minotaur had expected it. His hand grabbed her in the neck, lifting her up in the air. She struggled, kicking wildly with her feet. 

Percy on-screen and Percy in real-life let out a desperate “Mom!” 

Everyone was in a panic. It had already happened, but seeing how the events happened affected them too. 

Sally got some confused looks here and there, wondering how she got out of this. 

But I didn’t. She thought, squeezing Paul’s hand in comfort. 

Sally met Percy’s eyes, choking out one word: ‘Go!’

The Minotaur roared and closed his fist around Sally’s neck, making her dissolve in bright light. Gone. 

“No!” Everyone all but screamed, same as Percy on-screen. 

Paul had Sally’s hand in a death-grip. What did he just witness?

“But how…?” Will’s eyes were going back and forth between the screen and Sally. 

Leo was speechless. The pain of losing a mother was something he was all too familiar with. His gaze landed on Percy. His heart clenched, he could see the pain. 

All of a sudden, there was a shift in the room’s atmosphere. They could feel the sudden anger, rolling off of Percy in waves. 

Percy glared as the Minotaur made his way to Grover, who was helpless in the grass. He looked as if he were about to lift Grover too. 

Grover stared wide-eyed. He had almost been taken by the Minotaur as well and he was just out cold! He shivered slightly in fear. 

‘Hey stupid! Ground beef!’ Percy waved his red jacket in the air, running to the monster’s side. 

No one commented on Percy’s insult at the Minotaur, though Clarisse definitely looked like she wanted to. 

Percy looked like he knew he was doing as he put his back to the giant pine tree, still waving his jacket in front of him. As the bull-man charged, Percy’s face shifted into something akin to panic. The bull was running too fast, arms prepared to catch him. 

There was a ripping sound as Poseidon ripped a pillow apart. 

Annabeth was also gripping Frank’s arm by this point, joining Hazel. She could barely breathe properly. 

Nico wrapped himself tightly in a blanket, stealing it from under Thalia. She didn’t notice, too absorbed in the scene in front of her. 

The next sequence was shown in slow-motion. Percy’s legs tensed, not being able to jump sideways, he jumped straight up…landing on his neck. 

Everyone watched in astonished silence. A few had stood up, too restless to sit down. 

Even the gods were speechless. 

“How did you do that?” Clarisse demanded. 

Percy’s late response was merely a shrug. He couldn’t speak. 

Sally was shaken, she never really watched Percy in action, unless you counted the Battle of Manhattan, but even then it was barely. 

Not even a second later, the Minotaur's head slammed into a tree, nearly knocking Percy off. 

Thalia winced at the same time as Percy. She couldn’t feel it, no, but that was still her tree. 

Percy’s head jerked back a bit, actually feeling the impact. 

Percy was locked onto the bull’s horns, the monster trying to shake him off to no avail. The storm was still persisting. 

Percy grunted in effort. The rainwater was annoying him, he was angry and confused, the Minotaur stunk. Being shaken around by the Minotaur was not helping. What more could go wrong?

Oh, right. 

I was starting…one gear: forward. 

“Observant,” Artemis muttered. 

Grover was still groaning in the grass. ‘Food!’

I wanted to...bite my own tongue off.

Grover hid under a blanket in embarrassment. Thankfully for him, no one commented. “I’m so sorry Perce.”

“Not your fault,” Percy muttered. He was stiff in his seat, but he could still somehow reassure Grover. 

Grover bit back a nervous bleat. Instead, he scooted closer to his best friend, giving him as much silent support as he could. If he couldn’t do anything back then, well he could now.

Grover’s moans captured the attention of the Minotaur, as he prepared to charge towards the unconscious satyr. Percy’s hands tightened around the monster’s horn. 

I thought about how...high-octane fuel. The image of Sally disappearing into light briefly flashed across the screen, depicting what Percy was thinking.

Percy’s eyes were shut tight, fists clenched, tapping his knees. He let out a quiet groan from the effort of holding onto the horn. He didn’t want to hold on to anything at the moment, in case he ripped it apart.

Ares was staring at the screen, analyzing the action. Did the scrawny demigod really think he could pull that off?

“He’s angry,” Jason muttered. 

“Mega angry,” Leo added. “It’s scary.”

Percy pulled backward with all his might. The minotaur tensed and grunted in surprise before a snap! Percy flew through the air as the monster screamed and flailed. He fell flat on his back in the grass, smacking his head against a rock. 

Percy yelped in pain, back slamming onto the ground as he lost his own balance. His head hurt like Hades, he couldn't see clearly.

His vision was blurry but everyone was staring at him in various states of shock and disbelief.

Poseidon helped lift him up from behind, back into a sitting position.

“Impossible!” Ares’ eyes were wide. “You barely have any muscle. No training at all at that.”

The demigods’ jaws were pretty much on the floor. The ones that were standing had to steady themselves in their surprise. 

“You actually pulled the horn off? With your bare hands?” Pollux stuttered out. “When we all saw you holding the horn we thought…” He just trailed off, still in shock.

“That’s what’s hanging in his room?” Leo asked in disbelief. “It wasn’t some random thing from the bottom of the sea?”

“It looks like it.” Piper was equally in disbelief. “Holy Hera, how’d he even do that?”

They stared at Percy from where they sat. 

“The anger fuelled him,” Hestia spoke up, a hint of surprise also lining her voice at the display in front of her. “Anger and strong willpower. A will to protect.”

Just then, Percy groaned in pain. Everyone quickly turned their attention back to the screen.

A dazed Percy sat up, horn in hand. The Minotaur raged, charging straight at Percy. As if on instinct, Percy rolled to one side...right up under his furry rib cage. The monster roared in pain, before turning into dust, flying away in the winds of the storm.

“He beat it!” Hazel exclaimed. “Oh my gods, he did it!” She melted into Frank’s arms in relief.

Annabeth let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. So that’s how it happened.

Everyone watched as the Minotaur melted into dust in amazement. The roars of the Minotaur were still ringing in their ears.

“He was twelve,” Travis was one of the ones that had ended up standing, along with his brother. “He was twelve and untrained.”

“Holy shit.” That was all Connor could say as he and Travis slowly settled back down into their seats beside Hermes.

“You Big Three kids are crazy.” Will shook his head, throat dry. He glanced from Percy to Thalia and Nico. “Seriously.”

Sally and Poseidon caught Percy as he fell over in exhaustion, pain coating every inch of his body. His head especially felt like it was being split open. They put him down near Sally’s side, the mother hugging her son firmly.

Zeus was looking at the boy with an unreadable expression on his face, as was Hades.

The rain had stopped. Percy’s knees were shaking and he was clearly in pain and in fear. He managed to haul Grover up and stagger toward the valley. He was sobbing, calling out for his mom, but he kept his grip on Grover tight.

Percy, now lying down on his mom’s side, was sobbing into her chest, though he was obviously trying to suppress it. He buried his face into Sally’s shirt, shoulders shaking with the occasional hiccup. Some people watched with teary eyes. 

Leo and Frank were especially torn by this display.

Grover had scooted closer to the Jacksons, resting a hand on Percy’s thigh.

Paul was hugging Sally from the other side, an arm extended to reach Percy. He just saw his wife die, but not really? Then he sees his twelve-year-old stepson defeat the Minotaur? He could throw up, but thankfully, he didn’t.

Percy collapsed onto a wooden porch, eyes drifting closed. Two people appeared in his sight, staring down at him. ‘He’s the one. He must be.’

‘Silence, Annabeth, he’s still conscious. Bring him inside.’

The projection faded into nothing.

The seven stared at Annabeth in surprise. 

“He’s the one?” Katie couldn’t help but smile a bit.

Annabeth ignored everyone. She immediately got up and went straight to Percy.

“Percy?” She kneeled down beside Grover who had made space for her. She placed a hand on Percy’s shoulder but got no response. 

Sally moved his head a bit so that they could see his face. She was crying slightly, arms tight around her son. She finally saw how he actually dealt with the minotaur.

“Is he okay?” Nico asked from where he sat. Everyone’s attention was on them.

Annabeth sniffed, rubbing her hand gently across Percy’s arm. “He’s unconscious.”

Both Apollo and Will had gotten up from their places on the floor, they wanted to check on him. Apollo sat beside Poseidon, asking silent permission. Poseidon nodded, and moved over slightly, sitting behind Sally and Paul. 

“It’s definitely the curse,” Apollo muttered, hand on Percy’s head. “So there’s nothing we can really do about it. He’s also exhausted.”

“I would think so.” Will nodded. “That was intense. It was also the first major action-packed scene we’ve had. He wasn’t prepared.”

Sally wiped a few tears from her cheeks. “Will we wait for him to wake up?” Percy’s face was still traced with a slight expression of anguish, even if he was out cold.

“We might have to continue,” It was Athena who spoke up, eyes hard. “With how I’ve observed the workings of this...curse.” She met her daughter’s eyes. “He will most probably only gain consciousness once he has in the projections.”

“Right, so uh, how exactly are we going to play the next one?”

Chapter Text

“Oh, right.” Annabeth frowned.

Poseidon had cleaned Percy up a bit, dumping him with fresh, clean water and drying him off. Percy was still out cold by his mom’s side. That left them with the problem of actually starting the next projection.

Will and Apollo had settled back down in their seats, seeing as they couldn’t really do anything else to help the unconscious demigod. 

“Obviously,” Travis spoke up. “It won’t work with me or Connor.”

“Uh-huh,” Annabeth tapped her chin. “As far as we know, Percy’s the only one that can activate it.”

“So what,” Clarisse crossed her arms. “We all try touching the box like idiots?”

Leo had somehow ended up right beside the box, staring at it. He gripped it on both sides and lifted it. It didn’t budge. He huffed, embarrassed. “I was gonna bring it to him. Make his hand touch it or something.” He went back to his seat, scratching his head.

“What if we carry him to the box instead?” Connor suggested. He started to giggle. “That would look ridiculous.”

Annabeth shot him an exasperated look. “I’d rather he stay where he is right now.” She glanced back at Percy and Sally. The mother was barely paying attention to the discussion happening. Instead, she was running her hand through her son’s hair as he slept with his head resting on her chest, the duo pretty much sharing a bean bag.

“What if you try?” Piper asked, gaze directed at Annabeth. “I mean, some of this was technically supposed to be your curse too, right?”

“You’re also a big part of his life anyway.” Katie pointed out. “It’s worth a shot.”

Annabeth seemed unsure, but she gave a small shrug and made her way to the box. She knelt down beside Hestia, sighing. Hestia laid a comforting hand on Annabeth’s wrist and nodded in reassurance. Annabeth smiled at the goddess, before touching her index finger to the number 5.

“It worked!” Hazel exclaimed as the now familiar blue glow lit up the center of the room. Aphrodite smiled knowingly at Annabeth as she scooted back in wonder, before making her way back to where Percy lay. 

The projection started with a herd of murderous barnyard animals before quickly shifting to Percy laying on a bed.

“Uh, what was that just now?” Will blinked, confused. “That was random.” 

Grover snorted. “It was a dream I’m pretty sure.” 

“Huh,” Apollo wondered. “So he wasn’t kidding when he said his dreams were either terrifying or plain weird.” 

He would gain consciousness before promptly passing out again a few times. It fast-forwarded a bit, as Annabeth was suddenly seen by Percy’s side.

Percy groaned. He shifted a bit, causing him to fall off of the bean bag he had been sharing with Sally. Annabeth hovered over him, worry in her eyes, but she also had a small smile.

Much like the scene being projected, Percy opened his eyes to Annabeth hovering over him. Percy looked confused for a moment, blinking slowly, before focusing on Annabeth. “Déjà vu?” 

Everyone snapped their attention to them when Percy spoke. They relaxed, seeing as he was generally all right. Sally sighed in relief.

Annabeth laughed. “Well, I’m not interrogating you this time, Seaweed Brain.” She tried to help him sit back up but he shook his head. “Not now. Maybe when I’m fully awake.” He mumbled, recognizing where they were in the projection. 

Annabeth fed Percy with something that looked like pudding, scraping the falling bits off of his chin with a smirk.

“You two,” Thalia looked from the screen to the couple, scrunching her nose at the way they mirrored the scene almost exactly. “Are disgustingly cute.”

“Mmmh,” Percy licked his lips, ignoring Thalia completely. “I can taste the buttered popcorn.”

“So that’s what it tastes like to you.”

‘What...summer solstice?’ Annabeth all but interrogated a very confused Percy. ‘What?’ ... ‘got a few weeks!’

Everyone was either laughing or looking at Annabeth with amusement. “Annabeth!” Piper laughed incredulously, looking at her friend.

“She’s just like her mother!” Hermes called out. He gave out a hearty laugh when Athena gave him the stink eye. 

Annabeth was red in the face, mumbling incoherently. Percy chuckled from his position on the floor. “Wise Girl.” He snickered even as Annabeth shoved a pillow at his face.

“Why were you even there?” Will looked a bit confused. “It’s not like you had infirmary duties…?”

“Never underestimate Athena children’s thirst for knowledge.” Apollo patted Will’s shoulder. “Which is funny because I’m the god of knowledge.”

‘I’m sorry, I don’t…’ Before Percy could say more, a knock sounded on the door. Annabeth stuffed Percy’s mouth with the pudding in a hurry.

Percy made a muffled sound, eyes closing shut as most of the demigods started laughing again. 

“Oh, little Annabeth.” Leo grinned, whistling innocently when Annabeth’s glare fell on him. 

The next time Percy woke up, a blond guy with blue eyes all over his body was watching him from the corner of the room.

Percy just kept his eyes shut, still on the floor, waiting for his consciousness to come back fully.

Hera straightened, seeing her creation on the screen.

Paul blinked, trying to run through his Greek myth knowledge in his head. He decided not to ask anymore, instead waiting for when they would introduce him or if he somehow remembers his myths.

The scene quickly changed to Percy laying on a deck chair on a porch, pillow, blanket, and all. He finally had woken up. Next to him was a table. It had a drink on top of it, looked like apple juice complete with a straw, cherry, and paper parasol.

Percy inhaled, able to smell the strawberries from Camp, but winced when the pain crashed back on him. His teeth hurt the most, mouth completely dry. “Feels like a scorpion living in my mouth.” He got a few weirded-out looks from that description, but he just groaned.

Annabeth immediately placed a hand on his back, helping him sit up, eyebrow raised. “Scorpion, huh?”

Percy realized what she meant with a start, but only let out a huff as he propped his back on the side of his mom’s bean bag, not wanting to sit up properly just yet.

Percy reached for the glass, but he was too weak and almost dropped it. ‘Careful,’ Grover, wearing an orange camp t-shirt and jeans, was leaning against the porch railings, looking extremely tired. He held a shoebox. 

“You wearing your shoes?” Thalia raised an eyebrow at Grover. 

“I didn’t wanna scare him.” Grover defended himself. “It would be too sudden if I just let my hooves out.”

“As if you knocking on their door without pants on wasn’t.” Rachel retorted. 

“Well!” Grover threw his hands up. “Nothing else I could’ve done!”

Just plain…maybe my mom was okay…big house for some reason. And…

“But because of that, he thought it was just a dream.” Grover put his hands down, resigned. “Sorry, Perce.”

“Hey,” Percy pointed a weak finger at him. “Weren’t you the one that said no more apologies?”

“Right. Sorry. I mean—ugh you’re right, it’s hard.” Grover grumbled out. Percy just smirked at him. 

‘You saved…might want this.’ Grover placed the box on Percy’s lap. He opened it to reveal the Minotaur’s horn. Jagged base, splattered blood and all. 

“And suddenly it wasn’t just a dream.” Frank looked at the scene sadly. 

“I still can’t believe that you just ripped that thing off!” Pollux exclaimed. “Bare hands!”

“Well, I still can’t believe he has the real Minotaur’s horn just sitting in his room!” Leo joined Pollux’s declaration. 

‘The Minotaur,’ … ‘half-bull.’

“Tell the whole world would you?” Dionysus sneered. 

Percy just waved his hand in dismissal. Annabeth on the other hand had her thinking face on. Something was bugging her in the back of her mind. If she could just figure out what…

Grover shifted, nervous about Percy saying the name out loud. ‘You’ve been…remember?’

“Two days?” Sally looked down at Percy with worry. 

“Hey, at least it didn’t take two days this time?” Percy laughed it off nervously, before leaning his head near his mom’s arm for comfort. “I’m fine, mom.” For now. 

‘My mom. Is she really…’ Grover didn’t meet Percy’s eyes when he asked that. Percy looked shattered. He stared across the meadow in front of him. 

Sally started running her hand through Percy’s hair again, reminding him that she was here. 

Percy leaned into her touch, but he couldn’t avoid the sadness he was feeling. 

There was a quiet gasp coming from where the rest of the seven sat. “Pretty,” Hazel admired looking at the view. Frank nodded from beside her. Jason leaned over to the two. “Wait ‘till you see the rest of it.”

Under the blue sky were groves of trees, a stream along with acres of strawberries. They were surrounded by the hills. Right in front was the tallest one, the one with the huge pine tree. 

Thalia blew a raspberry at the sight of her tree. Annabeth pulled her knees to her chest. She missed Camp, her home, so much. By the looks of it, Percy did as well. 

Even that looked…mother was gone…nothing should look beautiful. 

“Oh, Percy,” Sally whispered. Percy looked up at her and gave her a pained smile before biting his lip at the depressed atmosphere his thoughts had created. 

Hera could just feel the connection between the mother and son very strongly. 

Leo could relate. Sighing sadly, he picked up a few bolts from his tool belt and began to play with them. Hephaestus observed him from where he sat. He could see Esperanza in Leo so clearly. 

‘I’m sorry…in the world.’ Grover stomped, fake foot coming off revealing his goat hoof. ‘Oh, Styx!’

“Hmmm,” Rachel mused. “I guess everything’s meant to be sudden for Percy.” She jumped a bit at the sound of thunder that filled the room. 

“Which would have been fine if people actually answered my questions.” Percy groaned. “Also, you’re far from being the worst satyr, G-man.”

“I’m watching you,” Thalia narrowed her eyes at Grover. “The you from four years ago but whatever.”

Percy looked stricken as Grover struggled to put his hoof back into the shoe. 

Well, that settles it…tiny horns on his head. 

“Hey!” Grover covered his head with his hands. “I’d like to keep my hair, thank you very much.”

Annabeth grinned at him, tossing a blanket over his head. “Yeah well, we can actually see your horns now. No need for shaving.”

But I was too miserable…dissolved into yellow light. 

The mood went down again at Percy’s thoughts. It was obvious how important his mom was to him. 

Paul glanced at Percy sadly. He knew how much the boy loved his mother, it just hurt to see him grieving, thinking she was gone for good. 

I was alone…live with Smelly Gabe? No…join the army…do something. 

Despite the mention of Smelly Gabe that left people sneering in disgust, Clarisse snorted. “You? Pass for seventeen looking like that?” 

Before Frank could say anything, Percy raised a hand at him, though he directed his glare at Clarisse. “Not a word.”

Frank shut his mouth, but everyone knew what he was going to say. Tiny. Frank smiled at Percy innocently. 

“No way in Hades are you living with that pig.” Thalia scowled. She ignored the look she got from Hades, using his name right in front of him. 

‘It wasn’t your fault.’ … ‘But why…’ Percy stopped abruptly. He swayed slightly. 

Percy laid his head back on the bean bag again, head swimming. He closed his eyes to lessen the dizziness. Try to at least. 

Grover immediately handed him the glass. ‘Don’t strain yourself.’ As the straw touched Percy’s lips, Percy recoiled. His eyes widened in surprise, putting his lips back to the straw to drink. 

“I was expecting apple juice,” Percy muttered before anyone could ask. He was waiting for the effects of nectar to wash over him. 

Apollo shut his mouth, question answered. 

Chocolate-chip cookies…going to be okay. Before he knew it, the glass was drained, the ice cubes hadn’t even melted. Percy stared at it curiously, he drank something warm after all. 

Percy sighed in content, dizziness fading away. Sally brushed her hand against his cheek, exactly as the narration said. Percy leaned into the touch, reminding himself that the grief he was feeling was passed. 

“Of course, it tastes like your mother’s cookies.” Annabeth rested her hand on Percy’s outstretched leg. 

“The taste changes?” Paul looked curious. “You mentioned something about buttered popcorn too.”

“Food of the gods. The drink is nectar, the one from a while ago was ambrosia.” Annabeth smiled at Paul. “In short, we all taste what ‘heals’ us, or just simply our favorite foods.”

Sally hummed. “Say, how about I make you some cookies later.” She looked down at her son, chuckling as his eyes sparkled with excitement. Percy nodded eagerly. He hasn’t had his mom’s cookies in forever. 

Grover looked at the glass longingly. ‘Was it good?’ … ‘I just wondered.’

“I feel ya, Grover.” Rachel nodded wistfully. “Always wanted a taste.”

Annabeth glanced at Paul, sensing his question. “Like I said, food of the gods.” She gestured at the Olympians. “Only people with godly blood can consume them without bursting into flames.”

Paul formed a small o with his mouth, leaning back and absorbing the information. 

‘Chocolate-chip cookies.’ … ‘What do you mean?’ Percy looked confused as Grover gingerly took the glass back from him. 

“That means we can’t have too much either.” Will supplied this time. “We are still half-mortal after all.” 

Paul nodded, thankful for all of the explanations seeing as he was the least experienced in this world. It was fascinating. 

“See how easy it is to just answer a question?” Percy butted in nonchalantly. The first few days since finding out he was a demigod would have been so much easier if people actually talked. 

Annabeth bit her tongue. She was going to see how she acted as a twelve-year-old. Not looking forward to that at all. 

‘Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting.’

“Oh goodie,” Dionysus muttered, quiet enough so no one could hear besides the gods that sat near him. 

They walked around the farmhouse through the porch. Percy’s legs were weak, wobbling a bit as he walked. The Minotaur horn was held tightly in his hands. 

I’d paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn’t going to let it go. 

The demigods nodded in understanding. Leo and Piper still looked awed. “I am not over that horn,” Leo said. 

Suddenly, they all heard an abrupt oof. They all turned to Percy. He groaned at the floor where he fell. “I just wanted to get a blanket.” He whined. Of course, the moment he decided to get up was when his legs were failing him on screen. 

He got some laughs from his friends. “Nice timing, Kelp Head.” Thalia teased. 

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Percy secretly smiled. 

Soon, the other side of the valley came into view. Percy gasped. The valley stretched all the way until the shore of Long Island. Buildings with Ancient Greek architecture dotted the land, sparkling under the sun. Kids and satyrs were playing volleyball in a sandpit. Canoes were riding across a lake. More kids wearing orange played around a bunch of cabins near the woods. 

Percy rubbed his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. The horses had wings. 

Frank and Hazel gaped at their surroundings as the Greeks cheered at seeing their home. “It’s beautiful.” Hazel gasped. It was smaller than Camp Jupiter—New Rome was huge after all—but that didn’t take away from the beauty of the place. 

Paul and Sally also stared at the view in wonder. “Wow,” Sally murmured. “So that’s what Camp looks like.”

Percy had propped himself back up again on Sally’s bean bag after getting a blanket. He looked at the image of Camp longingly. “I can’t wait to go back.”

“Is it just me?” Piper looked at Camp in wonder. “Or does it look much brighter than when we came?” She asked Leo and Jason. 

Leo looked around for a moment, before nodding. “Well, everyone wasn’t exactly in a happy mood.”

“Yeah, Percy had just gone missing when we arrived.” Jason agreed. 

At the end of the porch sat a card table, two men sitting across from each other, and Annabeth leaning on the railing. 

The man facing me…out-gambled even my stepfather. 

Percy immediately hid under his blanket, glad that he went to get one. 

Hermes and Apollo were laughing with their children, though Will and the Stolls did so more hesitantly seeing as Dionysus was right there. 

Poseidon was grinning at his son’s hiding figure, amused at his description of the wine god. 

Everyone else was either laughing or trying to hide that they were laughing. Nico suddenly remembered his first impression of Dionysus and quickly sobered up. 

Dionysus glared at the lump of blanket, before giving up and grumbling instead. “You bet I could out-gamble that insect.”

‘That’s Mr. D…Be polite.’

Frank gaped. “You guys have a god as your camp director?”

“He mentioned it during Chrysaor’s attack, I think,” Hazel whispered back. 

Frank furrowed his eyebrows. “Oh.” 

“Be polite,” Jason snorted. “Sure.” He guessed that this would explain why Percy acted the way he did around Bacchus. Piper thought of that as well. 

Annabeth was laughing, trying to get Percy out of hiding but he wouldn’t budge. 

‘The girl…longer than just about anybody.’

“Just a camper?” Annabeth teased Grover. 

Grover smirked at her. “Oh I’m sorry, I should have said soulmate.”

Annabeth blushed as Grover high-fived Thalia. 

‘And you already know Chiron…’ Grover pointed at the one sitting with his back facing Percy. ‘Mr. Brunner!’ Chiron turned and smiled at Percy. 

Chiron chuckled at Percy still using his pseudonym even as Grover used his real name. 

Percy’s eyes peeked out from under his blanket and made eye contact with Chiron. He smiled sheepishly before covering himself up with the blanket again. 

‘Ah, good…pinochle.’ He offered a chair next to Mr. D who sighed heavily. ‘Oh, I suppose…glad to see you.’

Poseidon raised an eyebrow at Dionysus but didn’t say anything. 

“Is he always that…grumpy?” Hazel whispered over to Jason who shrugged. “He wasn’t there when we were there. Bacchus seemed less grumpy though.”

‘Uh, thanks.’ Percy scooted away a little bit. 

If there was one thing…stranger to alcohol, I was a satyr.

Thalia sighed in sympathy. She understood that completely. 

The reminder of Gabe dampened the atmosphere a bit. Some sent sad glances in Percy’s direction, but he was still hidden under his blanket. 

Sally looked down at her hands. This was all her fault. 

Paul suddenly gripped both of her hands with one hand, giving it a soft squeeze but not saying anything. 

‘Annabeth?’ Chiron introduced the two children. ‘This young lady...cabin eleven for now’ … ‘Sure Chiron.’ Annabeth was a few inches taller than Percy. 

With her deep tan...take me down in a fight.

Annabeth poked the blanket Percy was hiding under. “Thanks for not giving me a weird description.” She smirked as Percy’s head finally poked out of his blanket. 

“Are you kidding?” Percy furrowed his eyebrows at her. “It didn’t say a while ago but I literally thought you looked like a princess.” He immediately blushed when he realized that everyone heard him. He was going to pull the blanket over his head again but stopped when Annabeth gave him a peck on the cheek, blushing slightly as well.

“Okay but you guys hated each other.” Grover deadpanned. “At the start anyway.”

Both Percy and Annabeth just shrugged. Athena was watching the couple with steely eyes, not really approving of this relationship. She would have to talk to her daughter sooner or later.

Annabeth faced Percy, glancing at the horn before looking back up at his face. I imagined...something like that. Annabeth was silent for a moment before saying ‘You drool in your sleep.’ before sprinting off.

The room burst out in laughter. Percy was completely red in the face as Annabeth joined in on the laughter. 

“That’s my girl!” Thalia whooped. 

“Hey, we didn’t get to talk about this earlier,” Katie clasped her hands together. “But, ‘He’s the one’? Really?” She smirked at Annabeth.

“Okay, I didn’t mean it like that!” Annabeth defended.

Piper gave her a wide smile. “But it still holds true regardless.” She placed her hand on her chin, shifting her glance to Percy to make her point.

Annabeth huffed, cheeks pink as she grabbed a pillow, plopping herself on her stomach right beside the blanket-wrapped Percy. “They’re not going to let us live this whole thing down, huh?”

Percy shook his head. “We were insufferable twelve-year-olds, honestly.”

“You mean you were.”

“As if you were any better!”

Percy looked baffled. ‘So,’ … ‘names are powerful things...no reason.’

“You know, we were never really told that.” Piper sat up. “Why were we never told that?” She asked Leo. 

Annabeth gasped quietly. She just realized something. “Oh my gods?”

Percy looked at her with curious eyes. “What? What is it?”

“The arai!” She propped herself up on her elbows. “We were literally talking about them before they attacked.”

“Is that why they said they ‘heard our call’ or something?” Percy’s eyes widened. “So, you’re telling me we basically gave away where we were by accident?” He groaned. Of course, his habit of calling everything by name would screw with him eventually.

Leo slapped the pillow sitting in his lap. “We literally go around the ship calling everything by their names.” He hissed at the Argo crew. “No wonder we get attacked left and right. Don’t even get me started on the Big Three people on our ship.” He moaned for all of the damage the Argo had taken due to all of the attacks.

Jason face-palmed. “We probably should have been more careful with that.” He lowered his voice. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Earth Mother is slowly gaining more consciousness because we keep talking about her.” Jason made sure he wasn’t heard by the gods, the only ones that didn’t know about the upcoming Giant War. 

The seven just stared at each other, looking like they were all having some kind of crisis. 

‘Oh. Right. Sorry.’ … ‘wasted my time.’

“I think you could have worded that better, Chiron.” Rachel told Chiron who was seated near her. 

Zeus narrowed his eyes at Poseidon’s son. It seemed like this boy was... something. He would have to keep an eye on him. Make sure he is not out to destroy Olympus.

‘House call?’ … ‘leave of absence.’

A fuzzy scene of Percy back at Yancy appeared. There was someone else teaching their Latin class, before it was quickly replaced with a clearer scene of Chiron teaching it.

“Oh, okay,” Will blinked. “So the Mist was your employer?”

Apollo snorted at that. 

“So, like,” Katie started, gesturing with her hands. “Even now, does Percy have a different...scent or whatever?”

“It’s powerful, to put it shortly,” Grover said thoughtfully. “He didn’t know he was a demigod yet and it was already powerful. What more now that he actually knows and is experienced?”

“There are literally other Big Three kids here,” Percy pointed out, stopping himself from going into hiding again.

“Oh yeah, no,” Grover amended. “They also smell powerful for sure. It’s how we sense they’re Big Three after all.” He shrugged. “But your scent, especially in that context,” He pointed at the screen. “Is somethin’ else entirely.”

“He’s really just out here talking about how we stink,” Nico muttered to Thalia who picked at her nails. 

“A day in the life.” She mumbled back.

‘You...teach me?’ … ‘made it here alive, and that’s always the first test.’

“A horrible test that I failed.” Thalia deadpanned. Jason looked over at her worriedly, he still didn’t know the full story.

“Calling it a test is a little overkill, don’t you think?” Will huffed. “It shouldn’t even be a problem in the first place.”

Jason glanced at Frank and Hazel. “At least you guys don’t get eaten by wolves?” His tone went up, phrasing it like a question. The Romans got several incredulous looks from the Greeks for that statement, while Percy just exhaled exaggeratedly at the mention of Lupa.

Percy flashed Jason a sarcastic grin. “I guess we passed both versions of the test then.”

Sally gave Percy a worried and very motherly ‘Are you serious?’ look.

The gods had no idea what they were talking about. 

‘Grover, are you playing or not?’ Mr. D asked Grover impatiently. The satyr sat down on the fourth chair, trembling. ‘Yes, sir!’

I didn’t…afraid of…tiger-print Hawaiian shirt. 

Percy coughed awkwardly as Dionysus let out a long sigh. 

“Uhh, I didn’t exactly know who you were yet…” Percy defended. “These are my thoughts, it’s not like I knew people would hear it.” He grumbled. 

Annabeth leaned over to whisper in Percy’s ear. “At least you don’t say any of these out loud.”

“See, I still have some form of self-preservation,” Percy said. 

“Not enough to ease my worries.” Sally inserted. She jokingly gave Percy a pointed look. 

‘You do know how to play pinochle?’ … ‘I’m sure the boy can learn.’

“So passionate, D,” Hermes smirked. 

“Gladiator fighting, Pac-Man, and pinochle?” Paul mumbled to himself. “Not a combination of games I would think of.” He was still trying to process all of this. 

“The way barely any of us know how to play,” Travis whispered. “It’s a wonder we don’t have pinochle lessons.”

“Don’t give him any ideas!” Connor whisper-shouted back. “I don’t care if he calls us uncivilized for not knowing how to play!”

Hermes sat in between them, completely amused. 

“Percy, you look physically pained at having to call him sir.” Thalia laughed.

“Oh, as if you aren’t the same.” Percy shot back. 

“You know the three of you are equally terrible.” Annabeth gave Percy, Thalia, and Nico a look.

“Hey!” Nico protested. “Why was I dragged into this?”

Jason leaned over to Hazel. “Should we be worried?” 

Hazel just smiled at him. “Could be a Greek thing.” She shrugged. 

‘What is this place?…teach me?’ Percy looked terribly lost. Mr. D dealt the cards. ‘I asked the same question.’

“D, be nice.” Aphrodite chided. Dionysus just ignored her in favor of drinking the Diet Coke he had summoned. 

“Having a hard time adjusting to the name Chiron, huh?” Rachel smirked when Percy stumbled over Chiron’s name, still confusing it with Brunner. 

“It’s quite alright,” Chiron chuckled. “He did know me as Mr. Brunner for much longer after all.”

Chiron and Percy had a conversation regarding what Sally had told him. ‘Percy,’ … ‘She wanted to keep me close to her.’

Dionysus let out a long exhale. As he had been saying for the past few screenings, this is very typical of mortals. No wonder they die so easily. 

Sally watched the conversation sadly. “It didn’t make things easier at all.” She shook her head. 

“Hey,” Percy rested a hand on her arm. “It all worked out in the end, mom.”

Sally sighed. “Still. If I had just brought you there earlier…”

“I don’t know,” Percy gave her a bright grin, easing her heart. “Things wouldn’t have been the same. I wouldn’t have been as close to Grover for example.”

Grover smiled at Percy. 

‘Typical…usually get killed…bidding or not?’ Percy was clueless, so Mr.D explained the rules impatiently. 

Dionysus nodded in agreement with his future self. Exactly. 

Pollux huffed, looking at his father. That’s dad alright. He shook his head fondly.

‘I’m afraid…won’t be sufficient.’

“Barely anyone actually watches the film when they get to Camp,” Annabeth muttered. “But I thought you at least had. I treated you so harshly.” She buried her face in her hands.

Percy grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away from her face. “Hey, we’re all good now.”

“That’s now,” Annabeth grieved. “What about then?” She removed her hands from Percy’s. “I’m sorry, Percy.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Percy placed a hand on her shoulder. “We can talk about it more after we get to that part. How’s that?”

Annabeth was about to say something, but closed her mouth and nodded instead. “Yeah, okay.”

‘Orientation film?’

“I don’t know if it’s better that you didn’t watch it or not.” Nico scratched his head. 

“Oh, don’t act like you weren’t jumping up the walls in excitement when you saw it.” Percy teased him. 

Nico went red. “Shut up.”

“What’s wrong with the orientation film?” Apollo asked. He directed it after all. 

“Nothing!” Will quickly placated his father. “It’s great!” 

“We didn’t get an orientation film either,” Leo whined. Piper nodded, confused. “I don’t think it was mentioned at all?”

“Honestly, it’s better you didn’t,” Nico whispered. “It’s horrible. Filled with Apollo and Apollo only.”

“If you didn’t use my orientation film,” Apollo inquired. “Then what did you do?”

“Will over here just showed me around.” Leo gestured at Will. “Jake, my half-brother, helped too.”

“Annabeth explained stuff to me.” Piper supplied. “Though I have a feeling it’s much different from how you explained stuff to Percy.” She told Annabeth.

‘No…Grover is a satyr…are very much alive.’ Chiron summarized for Percy, though as Chiron kept talking, Percy’s disbelief grew on his face. He stared at everyone at the table, but only got Mr. D shouting in delight as he tallied points. 

“Do you hear how ridiculous this sounds?” Percy wrapped the blanket even tighter around his form. “Oh, you can see that your best friend here is half-goat so the gods are real.” Percy exaggerated. “So forgive me if I was in denial.” He muttered. 

“That does sound unbelievable,” Paul said, amused at how Percy was acting. He could understand where he was coming from though. 

“I will not shut up about this!” Percy declared. “You all have to go through me complaining, it’s the least I deserve.”

“You have a point there,” Frank shrugged, not seeing a problem with Percy’s outburst. 

“I was hoping he would accept it easily,” Chiron stroked his beard. “Thus making it much quicker than the orientation film.”

Percy stared wide-eyed as Grover ate Mr. D’s Diet Coke can. ‘Wait…such thing as God.’

“So,” Paul looked curious again. “Do you get demigods with conflicting religious beliefs?”

Chiron nodded. “Of course. It usually takes a while before they accept their parentage. Some still continue their practices, no problem there.” Chiron gave Paul a knowing smile. “Alas, who’s to say that Greek and Roman gods are the only ones that exist.”

The gods looked at Chiron incredulously. He wasn’t even trying to hide it!

Paul and the rest of the room likewise looked at Chiron in surprise. And he said it so casually as well!

‘Well…different matter altogether…metaphysical.’ … ‘Smaller?’

“Smaller?” Zeus complained. 

“He’s not wrong, father,” Artemis sighed. “It’s not like we are omnipotent.”

‘Yes…Latin class.’ … ‘Zeus, Hera, Apollo. You mean them.’ Thunder boomed in the distance, sky still clear. 

“Aw yeah!” Apollo winked at Percy. Some of the immortals looked mildly offended that they weren’t mentioned. Poseidon even huffed slightly in jealousy. 

“Gods are so dramatic,” Katie muttered to Thalia, slightly rolling her eyes. 

“Tell me about it.” Thalia scoffed. 

Mr. D didn’t look too happy about Percy casually saying their names. ‘Young man…were you.’

Annabeth all but slammed her forehead on the soft ground at the reminder of calling names. She wasn’t over the fact that it could be the very reason why they were here in the first place. 

Grover just patted her back awkwardly, seeing as Percy wouldn’t leave the comfort of his blanket burrito. 

‘But…before there was science.’ Percy protested, not completely understanding. 

The gods started complaining at the mention of mortal sciences. 

“The muses literally inspired science!”

“Sadly, I do not float around in space as a big fiery ball of gas.” 

“You are a big fiery ball of gas.”

“Hey!”

Hephaestus groaned at his relatives’ outburst. “You just had to mention science.”

“I say we have science to thank,” Leo crossed his arms. “The Mist can use it to hide our screw-ups.”

Dionysus looked like he was about to rant, but one look from Hestia got him shutting his mouth. Good thing too because it looked like he was about to say the exact same thing on-screen. 

‘Science!…tell me Perseus Jackson…look at this boy and tell me.’

“I hate how I’ve almost memorized this lecture already.” Pollux mumbled. 

“Hold it,” Leo looked at Percy. “Have we established this before and I just wasn’t paying attention? Your name is Perseus?”

“You probably weren’t paying attention.”

Percy groaned. Great. He thought. Everyone was reminded of his real name again. 

“Why Perseus?” Zeus looked appalled at a child of his brother’s being named after one of his greatest sons. 

“That would be because of me,” Sally spoke up, an unsure smile on her face at addressing the King of the gods. “I hoped he would at least get Perseus’ luck with regards to living a happy enough life.”

Those that didn’t know Percy’s real name, or just didn’t know the story behind it, let out small sounds of realization. 

“May I introduce Perseus and Jason!” Travis announced dramatically. “Now we’re just missing a Theseus, Achilles, Hercu—“ 

Katie cut him off with her hand on his mouth. “We got it, thanks.”

Jason was startled, he forgot that his namesake was literally another Hero of Old. 

“Just call me Percy, please,” Percy begged. “Perseus either means I’m in trouble or it’s a monster out to kill me.”

“Like the arai,” Annabeth reminded. 

Sally let out a breath. “How about try not to be as casual when talking about potential death?” She asked her son desperately. 

Percy mumbled a small apology, but Sally just side-hugged him. 

I wasn’t...mortal, as if he wasn’t.

Percy kept looking back and forth between the other three people at the table. Grover was pointedly avoiding his gaze, instead chewing on his soda can. Percy gulped.

“I can feel the tension through the screen,” Rachel shuddered. “That is not pleasant.”

“Really wasn’t,” Percy mumbled.

Chiron broke the silence. ‘Percy...can you imagine that for a moment, never dying?...for all time?’

I was about to answer...pretty good deal...Chiron’s voice made me hesitate.

“Immortality is always tempting.” Leo thought about it. “Comics always make it sound especially cool.”

Percy let out a shaky breath. “Eh, I changed my mind.” He would never regret declining immortality. Grover, Annabeth, Thalia, and Nico, all gave him knowing looks. All of them were there when it happened.

The others just looked at each other and shrugged, they didn’t think anything weird about it.

Some gods looked at Percy, analyzing him. They were used to mortals grasping at any chance to live forever.

‘You mean...believed in you or not.’ Percy finally said. Chiron nodded approvingly. ‘Exactly...just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?’

Leo flinched slightly. Frank gaped at what Chiron said.

Percy had to calm his pounding heart while Sally furrowed her eyebrows beside him. “A bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“Chiron usually means well,” Annabeth said quietly. “But he doesn’t really sugarcoat things. Living that long can do that to you, I guess.” She shrugged.

Chiron stayed silent, tail occasionally flicking back.

‘I wouldn’t...don’t believe in gods.’ Percy was able to reply, staying calm. ‘Oh...incinerates you.’ Mr. D immediately responded. Grover was quick to defend Percy, stuttering, but Mr. D dismissed it. ‘A lucky...boys who don’t even believe.’ He waved his hand, summoning a goblet of red wine.

Paul watched with wide eyes, not having experienced things like this yet. 

“Dionysus,” Zeus warned.

Rachel chuckled slightly at Percy’s expression on the screen. “Huge shock.”

“Here begins the count for how much I’ve been threatened by gods.” Percy said cheerily. Sally stared at him in disbelief, as did Poseidon.

“You shouldn’t be so used to it.” Annabeth scolded. “I hate how casual you can be about it.”

“I feel like we need to lock him in his room wrapped in bubble wrap,” Frank whispered to Hazel who nodded in agreement. 

While Percy looked gobsmacked, Chiron didn’t even react. ‘Mr. D, your restrictions.’

Zeus was watching Dionysus closely.

‘Dear...Sorry!’ Mr. D yelled at the sky, causing thunder to rumble again. He changed the goblet to a can of Diet Coke, sighing unhappily.

Zeus leaned back, seeing as he was no longer about to drink wine, while Dionysus started complaining to himself in his seat.

‘Mr. D...declared off-limits.’ Chiron explained, winking at Percy.

There was a loud thud as Thalia face-palmed herself with a pillow. Jason also looked embarrassed.

Hera huffed yet Zeus pointedly ignored everything around him. 

“Punishing me for his own selfish reasons!” Dionysus complained louder. “Absolutely unfair!”

Percy looked on with disbelief. Mr. D started to complain. ‘Yes...The first time, prohibition...the second time, he sent me here...Absolutely unfair.’ Dionysus didn’t care that he was pouting like a kid.

“Hearing this again and basically,” Percy furrowed his eyebrows, ignoring the warning look from Annabeth. “Two gods couldn’t keep it in their pants but one having more power over the other, punishes the other, even restricting them from their own domain, which would make any god bitter.” Percy finished in one breath and was met with astonished silence.

Hazel leaned over to Frank. “I think we need that bubble wrap sooner than later.” She whispered.

Some of them were trying to hide their laughs, he had a point after all! Dionysus didn’t know how to react. The boy insulted him and kind of defended him at the same time. He just stared.

Zeus glared at Percy. “Why you—” He stopped when he met Poseidon’s stormy eyes from behind Percy.

Hera narrowed her eyes at Zeus. “You imbecile, declaring a nymph off-limits for your own satisfaction.” She glanced at Dionysus, scowling, but what she asked next surprised everyone. “At least let him have wine while we’re here. The boy has a point.”

Dionysus looked at his stepmother in shock. He almost burst into tears when Zeus gave a grudging nod. “Fine.” Zeus waved his hand, summoning a goblet in front of Dionysus.

Dionysus stared in disbelief, before slowly waving his hand to fill it with red wine. He took a tentative sip, before bursting into a smile that the demigods have never seen before.

Pollux watched his father with a smile. The other demigods shifted their surprised glances toward Percy, who was chilling in his blanket burrito as if nothing happened.

Sally had to calm herself down. Her son was going to worry her to death, even if all he had done was state what was on his mind. She shared a look with Poseidon, who looked equally exasperated at their son’s behavior around the gods.

Percy asked who his father was, stammering in shock and confusion. Mr. D looked exasperated. ‘Di immortales...Zeus, of course.’

I ran through D names...as if Mr. D was his master.

‘You’re Dionysus, the god of wine.’

“About time,” Dionysus huffed from behind his wine glass. 

“I was taught the basics,” Percy defended. “But I learned to treat them as myths! Not real life.”

Dionysus rolled his eyes. ‘What do...well, duh!...Aphrodite perhaps?’

 “As if!” Aphrodite scoffed.

‘You’re a god.’ … ‘A god. You.’ Percy was not even trying to hide his disbelief as he stared at the god openly.

“Hard to believe, right?” Hermes snickered. He ignored the glare he got from Dionysus, Apollo laughing along with him.

Dionysus rolled his eyes instead. He didn’t care, he was content with his wine.

Instead of answering back, Dionysus looked Percy straight in the eyes. There was a purple fire in his eyes before the screen flashed to visions of grapevines choking disbelievers, drunken warriors going insane, sailors screaming as they turned into dolphins.

Percy wrapped himself even tighter with the blanket. Despite the fear that Dionysus instilled in him from that display, he looked at the rest of the seven at the appearance of the dolphin sailors.

Frank blushed as the seven of them seemed to laugh at an inside joke that only they understood.

Paul looked terrified at the different scenes flashing on the screen. It’s his first time seeing the wrath of a god.

I knew that...rubber room for the rest of my life.

Percy shuddered slightly, as did a few other demigods that had angered the wine god before. Dionysus looked smug. 

‘Would you like to test me, child?’ … ‘The game goes to me.’ Percy kept staring in disbelief, especially with how casually Chiron beat him in the card game.

“You win again, Chiron?” Dionysus sighed in resignation. 

Chiron chuckled. 

Mr. D sighed in a similar resigned manner and stood, Grover standing with him. ‘I’m tired…less-than-perfect performance on this assignment.’ … ‘Cabin eleven…mind your manners.’ He disappeared inside the house, Grover right behind him. 

The Stolls sighed at the mention of their cabin, remembering the time before Percy’s wish. 

“Why would he stay at cabin eleven?” Piper asked. Leo was going to ask the same question.  

Seeing as the people around her were the rest of the seven that didn’t know anything, they all just shrugged. 

Annabeth sensed their confusion. “You’ll see soon.” She reassured them. “Things were different before.”

Hazel and Frank really wanted to see the system of the Greek camp. How different it is from their own. 

Chiron and Percy continued their conversation. ‘Will Grover be okay?’ … ‘Old Dionysus…allowed to go back to Olympus.’

“A century?” Jason’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Sadly.” Dionysus nodded. He held his wine close to his chest as if he was afraid it would disappear. 

“I guess that would explain his grumpiness,” Hazel muttered. 

‘Mount Olympus…there?’ … ‘but the same forces, the same gods.’

“Are you serious?” Percy did a double-take. “You literally told me about the Roman gods.”

The demigods all also looked surprised. How many of them heard this from Chiron and just ignored it? Then again, they were more focused on their own parents than anything else. 

“Everything that Chiron just said,” Paul blinked. “That was a lot to process. Oh my.”

Percy looked over at Paul. “Oh, he’s not done.” He gave Paul an innocent smile. 

‘And then they died.’ … ‘Died?…And so Olympus is here. We are here.’

“I think I’ve malfunctioned.” Leo stared at Chiron in disbelief. “If you told me that when I found out I would’ve passed out from confusion and not shock.”

Paul stared at the screen wide-eyed. It was a lot, but he got it. “Woah. That explained quite a bit.”

“Good for you,” Percy wriggled in his blanket. “I still get confused. And I already know this! Supposedly.”

“Yeah, no,” Travis said. “I just moved on with life and didn’t think about any of those!” He ended cheerfully, smile matching Connor’s who was nodding in agreement. 

Percy looked extremely overwhelmed. ‘Who…who am I?’

Clarisse raised an eyebrow. “Dramatic.”

“It was a genuine question.” Percy shrugged. 

Chiron shifted in his wheelchair, gaining Percy’s attention who as far as he knew, Chiron was paralyzed from the waist down. ‘Who…and I simply adore chocolate.’

“I would have appreciated at least a ‘Yer a demigod, Percy.’ but I guess that’s not how this works.” Percy complained. 

Nico snorted. “Too easy.”

Slowly, Chiron rose from his wheelchair. 

At first…white velvet underwear. 

Chiron raised an eyebrow at Percy who yelped and hid under his blanket again. 

The children were all laughing, not even bothering to hide it from Chiron who just looked amused. Even Poseidon let out a short, loud, bark of laughter. 

Chiron kept rising until all that was left behind was a box with fake legs attached, and a tall white stallion—centaur—beside it. 

Paul let out a small woah, seeing the transformation for the first time. Sally laughed lightly but was also in awe as she had never really seen it happen either. 

Hephaestus nodded at the magic and mechanism of the wheelchair. It was working for Chiron just fine. 

All Percy could do was stare with his jaw dropped. Chiron adjusted his neck. ‘What a relief…Let’s meet the other campers.’

Percy made a weird noise from under his blanket as the projection came to an end. 

Annabeth laughed, smacking a pillow where she guessed his legs were. “C’mon Seaweed Brain. We have to get through the next one too.”

“No!” Percy whined. “I have been hit with a wave of embarrassment and I’m never recovering!”

Hazel giggled, setting the rest of the demigods off. They all laughed, either at Percy’s dramatic wail or simply the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Phew!” Piper gasped for air. “I needed that laugh.” She held her hand to her stomach, smiling widely. 

The bit that was projected wasn’t as heavy as the last one, thank the gods. It put everyone in a slightly better mood than before. 

“Okay, but seriously Percy you have to start the next one.”

“Dam it!”

Chapter Text

It took a few minutes, but Annabeth and Grover were finally able to get Percy out of his blanket shelter. 

“Why do I have to start it?” Percy complained. “You guys started just fine without me in the other one!”

“I feel more comfortable if you start it yourself,” Annabeth helped Percy untangle himself from the blanket he’d been stuck to for the past hour or so. “Since it’s your life.”

“I agree, honey,” Sally took the blanket from Percy as he stood. “It makes me feel better if you’re the first one ready to start.” 

Percy stretched his arms over his head, expression softening at his girlfriend’s and mother’s words.

“Right,” He dragged his feet towards the box, squatting down beside Hestia. He gave the goddess a bright smile. “One more episode then we can take a break.”

Hestia chuckled. Jason looked at Percy weirdly. “Episode?”

“I don’t know what else we can call it,” Percy shrugged. “Besides, isn’t this literally what it is? A TV series about my life?”

He was so casual about it that most of them just went with it. Jason's eyebrows scrunched together. “I guess…”

“Don’t worry too much about it, bro.” Percy said as he touched the number 6. 

He walked back to the bean bag he sat in before the bull-man attack, near his prophecy buddies, Annabeth right behind him. He smiled at his mom, signaling that he was okay, and she smiled back, tossing him his blanket. Poseidon sat beside Sally again, seeing as Percy was back with his friends.

He gave Hazel a short pat on the head, and Frank a high-five, before settling down at his place near Leo again.

“This should be pretty chill.”

The projection starts with narration as Percy and Chiron are walking through the camp, the beginnings of a tour.

Once I...done pooper-scooper patrol in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade...Chiron’s back end the way I trusted his front.

Percy let out a loud “AGHHHH!” slamming his face into a pillow as everyone burst out laughing. 

Even the more uptight gods couldn’t stop smiles from forming on their faces.

“I guess even I am not spared by your thoughts,” Chiron said amusedly.

“I will jump into the void,” Percy mourned. He could never look at Chiron in the eye ever again after this. He could just feel Chiron’s gaze on him, but he didn’t want to look up.

The Greek demigods were laughing the hardest. Thalia choked on her spit, going into a coughing fit with Nico patting her back, teary-eyed from laughter.

“I c-can’t!” Leo had to gasp for air. “First line and you’re out with guns battering! No one’s safe!” He fell over on Percy’s bean bag.

“I don’t even want to ask how you ended up on pooper-scooper patrol.”

Will, the Stolls, Apollo, and Hermes were a mess of laughter on the floor. It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down so they could focus again. Percy kept his face smashed into his pillow though.

As they passed by the volleyball pit, a few campers stopped and stared, whispering to each other when they see the Minotaur horn. ‘That’s him.’ Most of them were older than Percy, satyrs bigger than Grover. 

“News travels way too fast in camp,” Percy grumbled.

“It’s a bunch of bored kids, what’d you expect,” Annabeth shrugged. “You quite literally brought all the excitement for the next few years.”

I wasn’t normally shy...do a flip or something.

“Can you?” Nico asked. It reminded Percy of when they first met, wide-eyed and full of questions. This time though, he wasn’t ridden with anger over Annabeth disappearing, so he gave Nico a wide smile back. “Maybe? I mean, I probably have by chance during fights.”

“Don’t even think about it, Stoll.” Clarisse’s stern voice rang out as she gripped the back of Connor’s shirt while Katie pulled Travis’ arm.

Percy turned his head to look back at the farmhouse. It was big. Four stories, blue with white trim. The scene started zooming in a bit as Percy’s focus was directed at the brass eagle weather vane on the roof. It suddenly shifted a bit as the scene focused on the uppermost window. Something had moved the curtain. The scene shifted back to Percy who was looking at the window with a curious look. 

Percy shuddered, very small and unnoticeable. The feeling of being watched was not pleasant. Apollo’s eyes widened.

“It moved?” Annabeth whispered to Percy. He shrugged, “I think so?”

Thalia looked at Percy. “So it wasn’t the first time when…” She trailed off as Percy shook his head. The campers that knew what they were talking about and were there shuddered at the memory.

Chiron’s eyes narrowed at the window. So that’s why Percy had asked him about it. He thought it was just curiosity.

‘What’s up there?’ Chiron’s smile faded when he saw what Percy was pointing to. ‘Just the attic.’ … ‘Not a single living thing.’

“No one mentioned anything weird about the attic when we were there,” Piper whispered to Jason and Leo. “Any ideas of what they could be talking about?”

Jason looked just as confused. “I don’t think they even care about the attic anymore,” He rubbed his cheek. “Something must have changed.”

“Well,” Hermes piped up, pointing at Chiron. “He’s not wrong.”

Apollo huffed, not liking the implication of Chiron’s wording.

Chiron immediately brought Percy’s attention away from the attic window. ‘Come...lots to see.’ They walked through the strawberry fields, Chiron explaining how it pays for their expenses as a satyr played their pipes, campers picking strawberries around them. He then explained how Mr. D affected the growth of fruit-bearing plants, and how he was most effective with wine grapes.

“Strawberries are good,” Pollux sunk down in his bean bag, limbs spread out everywhere. “But if we were allowed to work with wine grapes with the help of dad? Business would boom.”

“The restrictions are really holding back Mr. D’s potential.” Percy blinked innocently at his dad who in turn grinned at Zeus. 

Instead of fighting back, Zeus just let out a low grumble. “I will think about it.” He growled. 

Pollux gave his dad a thumbs up. Dionysus looked dazed. He gave his son a tentative smile. 

Percy observed the satyr. He was playing the pipes to make the bugs in the field leave the strawberries. 

I wondered if Grover…chewed out by Mr. D. 

“I can do that magic, thank you very much.” Grover said smugly. 

“Yeah,” Percy nodded cheerfully. “ Now you can.”

“Yea—wait. Hey!” 

“You improved a lot, goat boy.” Annabeth kicked Percy’s shin. “Not that you couldn’t do it before, but you really improved. You’re amazing.”

“Thanks, Annabeth.” Grover really missed this-the three of them just teasing each other. 

‘Grover…good protector. Really.’

Grover looked at Percy in surprise, expression softening from their banter just now. “Thanks, Perce.”

“It’s the truth, G-man.”

Chiron sighed. ‘Grover…safely to Half-Blood Hill.’ 

Thalia sighed, knowing where this was going. 

‘But he did that!’ Percy protested. ‘I might agree…might not see this assignment as a success…on Grover’s part.’ Chiron explained. Percy’s face dropped. 

I felt really, really guilty…he might not have gotten in trouble.

Percy’s smile dropped and he directed his gaze down to his lap, fingers playing with the blanket on his legs. 

Grover scooted closer, ending up somewhere in between the group made up of the seven, and Thalia and Nico. 

‘He’ll…second chance, won’t he?’

Thalia winced at the same time as Chiron on the screen. 

‘I’m afraid…five years ago…for his age.’ … ‘middle school student for the past six years.’

“Oh. Wow.” Piper whispered. 

Grover groaned. “Don’t remind me. School was always a pain.”

‘That’s horrible.’ … ‘Quite…some other career.’

“Jokes on them,” Thalia crossed her arms, leg bouncing up and down. “You’re one of the best now.”

Grover smiled at her gratefully. 

Zeus narrowed his eyes at the satyr. 

‘That’s not fair…so bad?’ Percy asked, but Chiron looked away immediately, changing the subject. Percy looked reluctant. 

Something had occurred…avoiding the word death…hopeful fire started forming in my mind.

“Oh no you don’t,” Poseidon protested. “If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, don’t you even try.”

“Well, I don’t know what you’re thinking…” Percy avoided his gaze. Sally let out an exasperated sigh. 

Hades observed Percy. Was he thinking of coming to him?

Percy decided to ask a different question. ‘Chiron…Underworld is real too?’

“And there it is,” Poseidon sat back, resigned. 

Hades sat up straighter at the mention of his domain. 

Chiron’s face darkened. ‘Yes, child…out of your mind.’ Percy tried to ask more, but Chiron changed the topic, turning their attention to the woods. 

“Nice topic change?” Rachel chuckled. 

“Should I expect you soon?” Hades smirked, raising an eyebrow at Percy. All Percy could do was shrug exaggeratedly. 

Grover face-palmed. Both Thalia and Nico snorted at Percy’s shrug. Hades better get used to it. Poseidon too. 

The screen moved to show the woods. Tall, thick trees covered at least a quarter of the valley. ‘The woods…go armed.’ … ‘Stocked…what?’

“It was a simple question.” Percy dropped his head backward, bean bag supporting his neck. 

‘You’ll see…sword and shield?’ … ‘I’ll visit the armory later.’ Percy just looked increasingly confused as Chiron barely answered his questions. 

“I’m getting frustrated for you.” Paul’s eyebrows were furrowed as he tried following the conversation between Chiron and Percy. 

“Chiron, mysterious as ever,” Hestia shook her head. 

“I’m guessing it’s stocked with monsters?” Paul whispered to Sally. “So they need to be armed with armor and weapons, right?”

It was Poseidon that answered. “That would be correct.” He couldn’t help but overhear. 

Paul jumped slightly, before nodding. Sally sighed. “I don’t want to think about that. It’s their life but I just can’t get used to the danger.” She rubbed her face tiredly. 

They continued the tour. They went through the archery range, canoe lake, stables, javelin range, amphitheater, and the arena. 

Hazel, Frank, Paul, and Sally were in awe of the place, looking around in fascination and wonder, seeing as they were the four that have never seen Camp Half-Blood. (In Sally’s case, she had never entered the place)

“It’s very Greek,” Frank pointed out, seeing the architecture up close. 

Hazel giggled. “I would hope so.”

“I m-mean,” Frank stuttered, embarrassed. “It’s different from ours but still really great.”

“Got it.”

‘Sword and spear fights?’ Percy asked as Chiron explained what they did at the arena. 

“Well, what else would we use it for?” Clarisse leaned her cheek on her fist, acting bored. 

“I’m sorry,” Percy rolled his eyes playfully. “I should’ve known it was normal for summer camps to tell children to play with blades.”

‘Cabin challenges…Not lethal. Usually…mess hall.’ Percy’s jaw dropped slightly at Chiron’s comment. 

“Chiron!” Leo barked out a laugh in surprise. That topic change was so sudden. 

“Usually?” Paul whispered in disbelief, jaw slightly dropped like Percy’s on-screen. He glanced at the demigods with wide eyes. They didn’t even react!

“That “usually” is definitely because of the Ares cabin,” Will commented with a small smirk. 

Clarisse glared at the back of his head. 

Chiron pointed at a pavilion framed with Grecian columns. A dozen stone picnic tables sat on the hill, no roof, no walls. The hill it stood on overlooked the sea. 

Annabeth stared at the projections, chin resting on her knees. The Argo’s mess hall was designed to look like Camp’s, but seeing the actual thing sent a pang straight through her heart. 

Percy gripped her hand, sensing what she was thinking about. “We’ll be back there soon. I can feel it.”

She squeezed his hand, determined. “We’ll make it home.” She nodded. They both knew what that meant. We need to survive. 

‘What…rains?’ Chiron looked at Percy weirdly when he asked the question. ‘We…eat, don’t we?’ Percy visibly gave up at Chiron’s answer. 

“It was a valid question!” Percy said loudly, startling Grover near him. 

Hazel let out a small laugh at Percy. “I was just going to ask the same thing.”

Paul nodded in agreement from where he sat. He was really feeling Percy’s confusion right now. 

“I may have forgotten that I haven’t told you about that aspect of camp yet.” Chiron smiled sheepishly. 

“It’s not like you’d get wet in the rain anyway,” Leo poked Percy’s arm. 

“I told you, I can still get wet!”

The two walked to a place nestled in the wood near the lake. The cabins, arranged in a U shape. They were all significantly different from each other, only similarity being a brass number above the doors. 

The Greek demigods cheered. 

“I wonder how they separate themselves,” Hazel muttered to Frank. If Camp Jupiter had their cohorts, what did Camp Half-Blood have?

“Interesting,” Sally mused as she saw the cabins. 

“Hold on,” Piper made a timeout sign. “There’s only twelve?”

The projection started to flash through a few cabins. Number nine had smokestacks like a tiny factory. 

Leo whooped. “Cabin nine, baby!” 

Hephaestus nodded in approval seeing the cabin in front of them. 

Number four had a roof made of grass, tomato vines growing on the walls.  

Katie let out a small cheer. Demeter sat up proudly, a gentle smile forming on her face. 

Number seven was solid gold, gleaming in the sunlight. 

“Seven, best cabin!” Apollo cheered. Will was grinning widely beside his father. 

“Godly parents?” Frank asked Hazel. She tilted her head, observing the reactions of the gods when a certain cabin was shown on screen. “Looks like it.”

The projection zoomed out to show the commons area, where all the cabins were facing. It was dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and even basketball hoops. 

Percy felt a short burst of excitement at the sight of the basketball hoops. He remembered how relieving it was to see something normal ever since entering camp, especially after all of Chiron’s odd comments. 

“You play?” Hermes noticed little Percy’s eyes brighten when he saw the hoops on screen. 

“It’s fun,” Percy shrugged. “Not my main sport though.”

“Duh, it’s obviously swimming.” Leo gestured at Percy with his hand. 

“Percy likes skateboarding too.” Sally supplied with a smile. 

“You skateboard?” Jason asked, surprised.

“Uh, yeah,” Percy shifted. “I like the thrill.”

Piper joined in. “I’ve always wanted to try! But I’ve only ever really surfed.”

Percy grinned at her. “Hey! How about I help you skate some time. We can surf too.”

Piper’s eyes gleamed. “Sounds like a plan.”

Annabeth met Jason’s eyes as they both shook their heads fondly. 

A huge fire pit was in the center of it all. Percy stopped for a moment and looked at a young girl, about nine years old, poking the coals with a stick. 

“You saw me?” Hestia’s surprised gaze turned on Percy. 

“I should’ve said hi.” Percy rubbed the back of his neck, smiling nervously. 

“No, no,” Hestia smiled. “People usually don’t even notice me. I was surprised is all.”

Poseidon looked at the both of them, feeling warm at the interaction between his son and his eldest sister. 

The projection went back to focusing on some of the cabins. Number one was the biggest, with huge bronze doors with an illusion of lightning streaking across them due to its polished surface and the lighting. 

Thalia made a face and Jason just stared at the cabin impassively. Zeus sat up straight, chest puffed out slightly. 

Number two had slimmer columns adorned with pomegranates and flowers, walls full of carved peacocks. One and two were similar, both big and white marble, two was just more graceful.

Thalia’s face soured even more.

‘Zeus and Hera?’ Percy was able to guess. Chiron confirmed it. ‘Correct.’

Hazel and Frank smiled at each other. Their guess seemed to be correct. 

The King and Queen nodded in approval, seeing their cabins in all of their glory. 

“You got it quickly,” Annabeth told Percy. 

He shrugged. “I thought of it differently.”

‘Their cabins look empty.’

“And that’s how it should always be,” Hera huffed, nose pointing up. 

Thalia rolled her eyes. She shared a look with Jason. The only two people that have ever occupied cabin one. 

“Fine by me if she wants it empty,” Jason muttered. “I’d rather live on a boat for all I care.”

Thalia snorted, silently agreeing with her brother. Thank the gods she stays in a different cabin now. 

‘Several…in one or two.’ 

Okay…like a mascot…some be empty?

“Oh,” Annabeth mouthed. “So you thought it was more of a getting assigned thing?” She asked. 

“I know I just met a literal god,” Percy sighed. “But denial is a strong thing.”

“You two accepted it pretty quickly I feel like,” Jason told Piper and Leo. 

“You literally went all Superman on me,” Piper nudged his side. “So I figured, why not?”

“Besides,” Leo leaned on Percy’s bean bag. “They actually explained stuff to us.” 

Percy shoved Leo’s head off his shoulder, but Leo just laid his head back again. “Well good for you guys.” He pouted, having heard what Leo said. 

Percy stopped in front of one of the cabins, number three. It was a long, low, solid building. The gray stone walls were studded with shells and corals. 

A smile began to grow on Poseidon’s face. Sally and Paul knew immediately who’s cabin this was. 

The doorway was open, so Percy snuck a peek. The inside glowed like abalone. Six bunk beds with silk sheets were empty and unused. Percy inhaled.

Percy sat back with a content smile. “Just like Montauk.” He breathed in the slight salty scent of a shore.

“That cabin just fits you so well,” Katie smiled. 

The look of content on Percy’s face put them all at ease like he never left. It put a smile on Poseidon’s face. 

Chiron almost immediately pulled him back. ‘Oh…come along, Percy.’

“I do not mind others looking at the cabin, Chiron.” Poseidon chuckled. “Although I would prefer others only entering if a child of mine is present.”

Chiron nodded. 

Percy observed some more cabins. Number five was bright red with barbed wire on the roof. There was a stuffed boar head hanging over the door. Loud kids could be seen wrestling and arguing inside, rock music blaring. 

“There it is!” Ares cheered loudly. Clarisse nodded with a grunt. 

The projection focused a bit on the loudest girl, one to two years older than Percy. Her gaze landed on Percy, sneering at him. 

“Oh look! It’s you!” Will told Clarisse with somewhat exaggerated enthusiasm. 

“I’m just realizing now that we’ll be seeing our younger selves.” Pollux hid his face. “Oh gods, I thought it would just be until Annabeth.”

“No one’s safe!” Percy exclaimed with a triumphant smile. 

“Are we sure I’m a Mars kid?” Frank laughed nervously as he looked at cabin five. 

Annabeth laughed softly. “Hey, don’t forget the Romans are more disciplined. Less…wild.” She patted his leg. “Besides, you make a really cool child of war.”

Annabeth adored Frank, especially after the Chinese handcuffs incident. Frank admired Annabeth a lot. Hearing that from her put a smile on his face. 

Percy quickly avoided her gaze. He kept walking, but it was obvious that he was still staying clear of Chiron’s hooves. 

“Still not trusting the backside, Perce?” Nico asked, a mischievous smile forming on his face. 

Percy went red. “Why’d you bring it up again?” He whined, burying his face in his pillow once more as people laughed. 

‘We…other centaurs.’ Percy observed, looking around curiously. ‘No…wild and barbaric folk…won’t see any here.’

“Party ponies!” The Stolls cheered.

“Yes, Camp would be completely trashed if they lived with us.” Chiron mused, looking at the brothers. 

Percy thought about something else. ‘You said…are you really?’ Chiron smiled down at Percy. ‘The Chiron…Yes, Percy, I am.’

“That’s insane,” Paul whispered. He was really taking everything in, trying to commit all of it to memory. 

“Chiron, trainer of Percy Jackson.” Annabeth spread her hands in front of her. “Sounds better than ‘Trainer of Hercules’ don’t you think?”

“Trainer of Annabeth Chase, you mean?” Percy shot back. “Let’s be real here, I only go during the summer. You’ve been training under him your whole life!”

They were interrupted by Connor’s yell of excitement. “Hey! We’re like, Chiron’s X-Men!”

“I guess that too,” Percy and Annabeth laughed. 

Grover shook his head at the two. They easily slipped into their own world, you wouldn’t think they gave him migraines before. And satyrs don’t get migraines!

‘But…be dead?’

“Oh yes,” Nico snickered. “Important question.”

“It was a genuine question though,” Percy told him, completely ignoring Nico’s sarcasm. 

Chiron thought about Percy’s question. ‘I honestly…can only assume I’m still needed.’

“Yes, you are.” The Greeks pretty much chorused. Chiron smiled at the children. Hestia chuckled in amusement. 

“Do you know how much of a mess things can get without you?” Percy ran a hand through his hair, clearly remembering his second summer at Camp. 

“Ugh,” Clarisse rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me.”

“Too bad,” Percy humphed. “It’ll probably come up eventually.”

I thought…Top Ten Things to Wish For list. 

“Well,” Percy corrected. “Now I see that he’s no normal stand-in-front-of-a-class teacher.”

He thought about it for a moment before adding, “Still wouldn’t want to be a teacher for thousands of years though.”

Chiron shook his head fondly. “Well, I for one enjoy it.”

Percy was just full of questions. ‘Doesn’t…boring?’ … ‘Why depressing?’

“You literally just said you enjoyed it.” Rachel pointed out. 

“Me enjoying it and it being depressing at times are not mutually exclusive.”

“Heh. Right.”

“I’m sure it never gets boring for Chiron,” Katie rested her chin on her palm, tapping her finger on her cheek. “The Hermes Cabin exists.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment,” Hermes said brightly. The Stolls mirrored their dad’s smile from either side of him. 

Chiron avoided that last question. ‘Oh, look, Annabeth is waiting for us.’

“Okay,” Percy relented. “I know why you avoided that one.” He leaned back. “But everything else still could have been answered!”

“I don’t know if I wanna call Chiron an expert at changing the subject because he does it so much,” Thalia began. “Or not because he’s terrible at it.”

“Eh, he tries.” Nico shrugged. He was sprawled over a bean bag, Thalia sitting on the floor in front of it with her back leaning against the bean bag. One of his legs was draped over her shoulder where she was practicing tying knots for the Hunt with his shoelace. 

Annabeth was shown, reading a book in front of number eleven. Cabin eleven looked like a regular camp cabin. It was pretty worn down with a caduceus hanging over the doorway. 

“And there it is!” Hermes spread his arms out at the sight of his cabin, nearly hitting both Stolls in the face. 

“And there I am,” Annabeth sighed dejectedly. At least her thoughts weren’t being said out loud. She definitely didn’t envy Percy for that. 

They finally reached her. Annabeth looked at Percy from head to toe. 

It was like…how much I drooled. 

“I was gonna joke about how she was checking you out,” Piper grinned. “But what you said is much more...Annabeth.”

Percy avoided her gaze, instead trying to see what book she was reading. His eyes narrowed. 

I thought my dyslexia…literally Greek…architecture book. 

“You know I forget how observant you can get,” Annabeth muttered beside Percy. 

“I’m actually so jealous of how you guys just know another language.” Rachel shared nonchalantly. “Romans have Latin too right? Oh, how I wish it was that effortless.”

“And when you know other languages too?” Leo bounced in his seat. “¡Es muy divertido!”

“There are a bunch of multilinguals right now actually.” Annabeth mused. “You know, other than the Latin and Greek.” 

Piper nodded, pointing a finger up. “French!”

“Louisiana French.” Hazel smiled timidly. 

“Canadian French,” Frank shrugged. “And a few words in Chinese.”

“That’s a lot of French.” Nico raised an eyebrow. “But I can speak Italian.” 

Will looked impressed. “Cool!”

“Oh! Oh! Morse code too for me!” Leo said excitedly.

“Yeah, yeah rub it in.” Rachel groaned. “Rub it in the poor monolingual’s face.”

“Do horse and sea creature count?” Percy asked. He looked up in confusion when he heard laughter. Even his parents were laughing! “What? It’s an honest question!”

“Arion and Percy.” Hazel laughed. “Remember that?” She smiled at Frank, a mischievous glint in her eye. Frank shuddered. “I still can’t believe that horse.”

“What about Morse?” Leo asked Percy quietly as the older demigod was grumbling about unanswered questions. He wanted to ask about it earlier, but couldn’t since they suddenly had to deal with watching the Minotaur attack. 

Percy smiled gently at Leo’s wide and curious eyes. “Tell you later. Right now, only my mom knows.” 

Aphrodite observed the little interactions of all of the children. Their friendship and love for each other are very strong. She smiled. 

‘Annabeth…Percy from here?’ … ‘Make yourself at home.’ Chiron gestured towards the cabin door. The two demigods went inside. It was packed like a Red Cross evacuation center. 

Travis sighed and Connor shook his head. Handling the Hermes Cabin when it was in that state wasn’t easy. 

“Why…?” Piper tilted her head, confused at the number of people crowding one cabin. 

Annabeth pointed at the screen, signaling that they should keep watching for answers. 

Hermes stayed silent, observing the state of his cabin.

Chiron was too tall for the door so he didn’t enter, but the campers all stood and bowed respectfully when they saw him. 

“I forgot we did that,” Percy stage-whispered. 

All of the Greek demigods present are cabin counselors, most of them used to talking and interacting with Chiron. They treated him more like a friend rather than someone of a higher status. 

Chiron just chuckled. He didn’t mind. 

‘Well, then,…see you at dinner.’ Chiron galloped away to the archery range. The kids in the cabin were now standing up straight, staring at Percy. 

They were…at enough schools. 

“Hey, I remember this!” Travis exclaimed. 

“Wish you didn’t,” Percy grumbled. He couldn’t tell if he was just feeling embarrassed again, or if he was feeling second-hand embarrassment from himself. 

Annabeth prompted Percy to go inside. Naturally, Percy tripped walking through the door. The campers inside let out a few snickers. 

“At least you didn’t fall flat on your face?” Hazel stifled her laughter. 

“I almost stabbed myself with that horn.” Percy groaned at seeing himself trip. 

“Gods, Perce,” Piper looked him over. “Wouldn’t have thought you started off like that.”

“Checking him out?” Annabeth raised a playful eyebrow. 

“Just observing,” Piper gave her a cheeky grin.

Percy blushed as they both burst out laughing. 

Annabeth walked in right after him. ‘Percy…eleven.’ … ‘Undetermined.’ Everyone in the cabin groaned when she said that. 

“Undetermined?” Jason asked. 

“I eventually explain it to him,” Annabeth said, but her steely gaze was turned towards the gods. “But yeah, we don’t really use that term anymore now. We don’t need to. Supposedly.”

Piper, Jason, and Leo all looked confused but listened to Annabeth. 

Sally watched twelve-year-old Percy sadly. His first day at camp wasn’t as smooth-sailing as she was told. 

‘Now, now…Welcome, Percy…right over there.’ A tall blonde guy walked forward. He looked to be nineteen. He was tall with a thick scar running down the side of his face. His necklace had five beads. 

Annabeth made a pained noise, burying her head in Percy’s shoulder. Percy’s face hardened, pulling Annabeth closer. 

Thalia reacted similarly to Annabeth, face turning away from the guy on the screen, pulling on Nico’s foot by accident. She ran a hand through her hair harshly. 

Nico didn’t say anything. He kept his face blank as he looked at the guy on the screen. 

The rest of the senior counselors reacted in their own ways as well. The Stolls especially looked very distraught. 

The rest of the seven watched their actions, confused as usual. 

“Who’s that?” Frank whispered, low enough for only the five of them to hear. Jason shook his head, eyes worried seeing how Thalia reacted. “I don’t know. But I’ve seen him in pictures I think.”

Hermes’ reaction was pretty much the opposite of the demigods’. A bright smile broke out on his face. He didn’t notice the faces of the demigods around him. 

‘This is Luke…counselor for now.’

No one commented on Annabeth’s slightly red face on the screen. 

At Percy’s confused expression, Luke patiently explained. ‘You’re undetermined…god of travelers.’

“Cabin eleven isn’t nearly as full as that.” Piper’s eyebrows furrowed. “Wonder what changed.” She muttered. 

Grover who had heard her met her eyes. He subtly pointed his thumb at Percy. 

“Huh,” Piper mumbled to herself. 

Hermes tilted his head at Luke’s wording. He said patron instead of the usual father or parent. 

Percy glanced at the small space on the floor they had given him. He looked at the Minotaur horn in his hands, then back at the floor. 

I thought about…god of thieves. 

“So close,” Connor mourned. “Too bad you remembered.”

Hermes grinned, proud. 

Percy looked around at the campers’ faces. Some were suspicious, some were grinning and eyeing his pockets. 

“You can just tell who Hermes' children are.” Katie rolled her eyes. 

“Aw come on.” Travis grinned, matching the ones on the screen. “You love us.”

‘How long…here?’ Percy kept asking questions and Luke would answer patiently. ‘How long will that take?’ That question set the campers into laughter. 

The gods watched the scene with curious eyes. Was this how it was like at the Camp?

Percy glanced at the gods from the corner of his eye. They’ll see for themselves how this affected the actions of some demigods. 

Annabeth dragged him by the wrist outside, a few feet away from the cabin. ‘Jackson…better than that.’ Percy just looked lost. ‘What?’

“Damn, Chase.” Travis whistled. 

“Here we go,” Grover muttered under his breath. 

‘I can’t…we’re the one.’

“Are you hearing yourself, Annabeth?” Thalia held back her laughter. “The one? Again?”

“Not like that!” Annabeth groaned, slightly embarrassed. 

Percy was still tensed up beside her. It was from the slight anger he was feeling on-screen. Wow, I got angry a lot. 

‘What’s your problem?’ … ‘What do you think we train for?’

“Annabeth!” Athena admonished. 

Percy huffed. Annabeth closed her eyes and face-palmed. “I can’t believe I said that.”

“I can’t believe you guys started out like this!” Jason exclaimed. 

“I can,” Piper laughed. “They still bicker like that! Just less hostile.”

“He’s been my best friend longer than he’s been my boyfriend,” Annabeth shrugged. “We’re not going to act that much different just because we can make out now.”

Athena looked at her daughter in slight horror. What? She knew that she was close to the sea spawn, but her just saying things like that? In front of all the adults nonetheless!

Hazel didn’t know how to react to Annabeth’s blunt statement while Frank was coughing beside her, the water he was sipping having gone down the wrong pipe. 

‘Look…same one in the stories.’ … ‘And…Theseus killed him in the labyrinth…’

Dionysus rolled his eyes at the mention of Theseus. 

Chiron looked amused. “I guess my Latin classes with you paid off.”

“The stories themselves were interesting.” Percy shrugged. “It was the reading and memorization I hated.”

‘Monsters…don’t die.’ Annabeth looked unimpressed. Percy made a face. ‘Oh, thanks. That clears it up.’

Paul looked just as confused, he didn’t recall anyone explaining this to him properly. 

“Yup, thanks for that Annabeth.” Leo nodded at Percy’s reply. “Very clear.”

‘They don’t have souls…for a whole lifetime if you're lucky…Eventually, they reform.’

Paul hummed, nodding and taking the information in. 

“Well, I mean you answered me eventually,” Percy told Annabeth. 

“Are you hearing me right now?” Annabeth looked him in the eyes. “I’m speaking like you should have known all of this.”

“Eh,” Percy shrugged. “You weren’t exactly a people person.”

Annabeth shoved him, but they were both smiling. When Percy directed his attention back to the screen, Annabeth's smile dimmed. She really needed to talk to Percy about how she treated him.

An image of Mrs. Dodds quickly flashed on the screen as Percy was thinking. ‘You mean…with a sword-’ … ‘You talk in your sleep.’

“Annabeth, you are hilarious!” Thalia laughed. She missed a huge chunk of Annabeth’s growing up. Seeing her as a twelve-year-old really warmed her heart.

Sally chuckled. She could vouch for Percy talking in his sleep, having heard it a lot.

‘You almost...Hades’ torturers, right?’

“Yes, they are.” Poseidon narrowed his eyes at Hades. 

Hades ignored his brother, still trying to find out what exactly was going on between him and Zeus.

Annabeth looked down nervously. ‘You shouldn’t...Kindly Ones...speak of them at all.’

“Time to take my own advice.” Annabeth groaned. How could they forget the big rule of not throwing names out randomly?

“I’m rubbing off on you,” Percy smirked, answering her silent question. 

‘Look,…say without it thundering?…plenty of empty bunks right over there.’ Percy whined, pointing at the first few cabins. 

I sounded whiny…I didn’t care. 

“I say it’s valid.” Rachel said. “Everything’s pretty confusing at the start.”

“It’s still confusing now.” Percy deadpanned. “I still don’t know what I’m doing half the time.”

Hera narrowed her eyes at Percy. “Dangerous question there, boy.”

“No, it’s not,” Percy muttered quietly. “It’s just curiosity.”

“Not like you’re telling her to have demigod children so that her cabin isn’t empty.” Thalia agreed with Percy, rolling her eyes. 

Annabeth paled. ‘You don’t…your parent.’ She stared at Percy, waiting for him to get it. 

“Now I know you thought of it more as mascots,” Annabeth sighed. “I guess knowing about this life since seven just made me think it was common knowledge.”

“Still trying to convince myself it was another normal summer camp.” Percy nodded. 

“Normal,” Nico scoffed. “When are we ever?”

Percy slowly dropped his head back down on the pillow he was holding. 

‘My mom…at least, she used to.’

“Well, your mom could very much be a goddess.” Thalia grinned. 

Percy looked up from his pillow, making eye contact with Thalia. “Agreed.” He said seriously. 

“Oh, please,” Sally chuckled but went completely red when Poseidon nodded in agreement. 

Annabeth sighed. ‘I’m sorry about your mom…Your dad.’ … ‘Because I know…if you weren’t one of us.’

“You’re making us sound like a cult.” Connor snorted. 

‘You don’t…about me.’ Percy defended. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. ‘No?…Probably ADHD, too.’

“Geez, Annabeth,” Leo’s eyes widened. “Let him breathe.”

“Because that’s not creepy at all,” Clarisse drawled. 

Annabeth flushed. “I did not know how to make friends.” She covered her face, smacking Percy’s shoulder when he snorted. 

‘How-’ Percy went red, but Annabeth kept going. ‘Taken together…seeing them for what they are.’

Percy exhaled, shaking his head. “This was information overload.”

“You’re talking to a child of Athena,” Ares sneered. “What’d you expect?” 

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him while Athena flat-out glared. Ares ignored the gazes as he picked at his nails with his pocket knife. 

Percy hesitated. ‘You…went through the same thing?’

“More or less.”

‘Most of the kids here did…much less the ambrosia and nectar.’

Paul blinked, following the conversation. “This is a lot to take in.” He pointed out. 

“She’s unstoppable,” Frank whispered, wide-eyed at Annabeth shooting out information right and left. 

‘Ambrosia and Nectar.’ … ‘The food…Face it. You're a half-blood.’

“There it is!” Will made jazz hands. “The big reveal!”

“I can see Percy’s brain failing him,” Nico gestured to Percy’s completely overwhelmed expression on the screen. 

“Well, on top of all that, Annabeth literally told him the stuff he ate just a few minutes ago can disintegrate your bones.” Pollux pointed out. “I’d be horrified!” 

A half-blood. Percy’s voice echoed. 

“Or demigod,” Piper mumbled mostly to herself. 

‘Well! A newbie!’ A voice suddenly yelled. 

Clarisse groaned. “I hate you, Jackson.” She pointed at him. “It’s your fault we’re watching this!”

Percy rolled his eyes, a smirk slowly making its way onto his face. 

The scene panned over to Clarisse, walking towards the pair accompanied by three other campers. They all wore matching camo jackets. 

Ares sat up, intrigued. His children, finally! There must be some action if his children were involved. 

‘Clarisse…polish your spear or something?’ Annabeth and Clarisse began to banter. ‘Erre es korakas!…chance.’

I somehow understood…worse curse than it sounded. 

Percy was visibly surprised that he could understand what Annabeth had just said. 

“You look so lost,” Grover laughed at Percy. 

“You don’t say,” Percy huffed. 

“Love how you translate the Greek for us, Percy.” Rachel joked. “Helpful thoughts.”

Clarisse’s eye twitched. ‘We’ll pulverize…little runt?’ The attention was back on Percy. 

“Percy, I have to say it,” Frank began. “You look tiny in between all of them.” 

Percy opened his mouth to retort but saw himself as the shortest out of the five people being shown on screen. 

He pointed at Frank instead, playfully narrowing his eyes. “You better watch your back.” That was all he could say. He couldn’t say anything about his height seeing as Frank was (sadly) right. 

Annabeth introduced Clarisse. Percy blinked. ‘Like the war god?’

“No, like the sportswear brand.” Will stretched his legs. 

Clarisse sneered, exactly the same thing she did in the projection. 

‘You got a problem with that?’ Clarisse glared. Percy blinked again before straightening. ‘No…bad smell.’

A few gods barked out laughs. Most of the demigods had to hide their laughter from the glaring father and daughter of war. 

Ares turned to Percy, growling. “What’d you say, kid?”

“Drop it, dear,” Aphrodite placed a hand on his bicep. “The child’s just defending himself.”

Piper and Frank shared weirded-out looks. They forgot about the relationships between the gods. 

That didn’t stop Ares from staring Percy down. “I’m watching you, punk.”

“I am so dead later,” Percy whispered to Annabeth and Grover, giggling slightly. “Can’t wait for that.”

“You’re on your own when that part shows,” Grover shuddered. “I’m just an innocent witness.”

Clarisse growled. ‘We got an initiation for newbies, Prissy.’

Chiron sighed. “I hope these have stopped already, Clarisse?”

“Yes, sir.” Clarisse mumbled, crossing her arms. 

“We didn’t have an initiation,” Leo told Piper. Percy, who heard him, shook his head. “You’re not missing anything. Don’t worry about it.”

‘Percy.’ … ‘Stay out of it, wise girl.’

“It was from Clarisse?” Katie gaped. 

“Huh, I forgot about that,” Annabeth chuckled. “The name only stuck once you started using it.” She poked Percy’s arm. 

“I didn’t think about this either.” Percy laughed. “I just wanted to call you a smartass.” He laughed harder as Annabeth bumped her shoulder into his, hard. 

Annabeth did stay out of it, though she looked pained doing so. Percy handed Annabeth his Minotaur horn. 

I was the new kid. I had to earn my own rep. 

“Well, you did!” Will grinned. The other campers that heard about this incident looked forward excitedly. They would finally see it with their own eyes. 

Right as Annabeth took the horn, Clarisse dragged Percy by the neck, straight to the bathrooms. Percy was struggling, but it was futile. They soon ended up in the girls’ bathroom. 

I was thinking…afford classier johns. 

“He’s not wrong!” Hermes laughed. “Seems like we have to step up our game!”

“Do gods even have to use bathrooms?” Travis made a face. 

“Can we not go there?” Katie scrunched her nose. 

“Oh,” Leo realized. “It’s that kind of initiation.”

Piper grimaced. 

Percy was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Sally was sending him worried glances. She didn’t know that he had gone through all of this in camp. He’s had enough already in schools. 

He seemed close to every demigod in the room, so she trusted that they were all on good terms now. 

Percy couldn’t escape Clarisse’s grip, no matter how hard he tried. She and her friends were all laughing. 

‘Like he’s ‘Big Three’ material,’ Clarisse snorted, pushing Percy’s head toward the toilet. 

“You got lucky there!” Will laughed. He was enjoying this, the Ares and Apollo cabin rivalry still going strong. 

Clarisse kicked his back with her bare feet, but Will didn’t stop smiling. Even Apollo was snickering beside him. 

‘Yeah…so stupid looking.’ Clarisse continued, friends laughing along with her. Annabeth was peeking through her fingers in one corner. 

“Well,” Pollux shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but he was nowhere near stupid-looking fighting that monster.”

It showed the toilet, the scummy water inside it. Clarisse pushed Percy’s head farther. 

Percy held his breath, eyes shut. Not only could he smell it, but he could feel the pressure on the back of his head, like someone was really pushing it. 

I will not go into that. I won’t. 

Annabeth placed her hand on Percy’s arm. She could see his face scrunching up slightly. 

A huge rumble rang through the room, sounding like pipes shuddering and the plumbing making sounds. 

Jason, who was drinking from his water bottle, widened his eyes. He stopped drinking, capping the bottle immediately and placing it down a bit farther away from him. 

Water burst out of the toilet, arcing over Percy’s head straight into Clarisse’s chest. Percy ended up on the ground with Clarisse screaming behind him. 

Percy, still not used to the curse, was trying his best not to tap into the tugging in his gut unless he actually wanted to explode the bathrooms here. 

Though he couldn’t stop it completely as a few water bottles present in the room started shaking. 

Just as Percy turned to look, another blast hit Clarisse smack in the face, pressure hard enough to push her down onto her butt. It kept going, pushing her into a shower stall. 

Percy sighed in relief as the pressure left him completely, now grinning at the scene in front of him. He felt a little bad for Clarisse since they were seeing this on such a huge screen, but hey, at least it wasn’t everything that had happened in her life. 

Clarisse’s friends tried to go to her, to help her, but six more streams of water blasted out from the rest of the toilet. The showers soon joined in, all fixtures spraying the Ares girls straight out the bathroom. They spun as they were being washed away. The water shut off as soon as they were out the door.

Everyone in the room was either laughing at the scene or staring at Percy in amazement or disbelief. 

Clarisse had given up on trying to glare everyone to death. She had moved on from this incident a long time ago anyway. It just sucked that it had to be brought up again.

Ares was fuming at Percy, gritting his teeth as Aphrodite’s hand was still resting on his arm so he wouldn’t move.

“So the Argo wasn’t the first time you destroyed bathrooms!” Leo exclaimed, laughing out loud. 

“What can I say?” Percy smirked. “I’m the supreme lord of the bathroom!”

Leo shrieked in more laughter, setting everyone else off as well. 

The water bottles found in the room had finally stopped rippling and sloshing around by themselves. Jason was able to pick his back up safely again. 

“That was some power there, boy,” Zeus narrowed his eyes at Percy, still not over his displays of power. 

He was mostly ignored. 

The scene went back inside the bathrooms. It was now completely flooded, Annabeth soaking wet on the side. She was staring at Percy in shock. Percy looked down and realized that he was completely dry. 

Poseidon let out an astonished laugh. “That’s my boy!” 

Percy jumped, looking at his father in surprise before breaking out into a timid smile. 

Grover turned to look at Annabeth. “How did we not realize?” His eyes were wide. He wasn’t there when this happened. 

“Denial.” Was all Annabeth could say. 

‘How did you…’ Annabeth asked as Percy shakily stood up. Percy shook his head. ‘I don’t know.’

Poseidon looked at his son again. If this was what he could do without training or even knowing, then what can he do now that he is more experienced?

Zeus was thinking along the same lines as his brother, yet his train of thought was more of paranoia than pure curiosity. 

The two walked out of the bathrooms, passing by Clarisse and her friends. They were still sputtering on the floor, covered in mud. A few campers had begun to crowd around the area, gawking. 

“I was there!” Will exclaimed in delight. “This spread so fast.”

Katie nodded. “Yeah, I heard about it when it happened. I wasn’t even near the bathrooms then!”

‘You…totally dead.’ Clarisse glared at Percy, eyes full of hatred. Percy bit the inside of his cheek before finally deciding to talk back. ‘You want…Close your mouth.’

Jason’s jaw dropped as more laughter erupted around the room. Clarisse scared him, yet here Percy was, picking a fight with her on his first day at camp. 

Clarisse let out a low growl. She couldn’t believe that she was stuck here watching this. It was infuriating. 

Clarisse’s friends had to hold her back from attacking Percy. They dragged her back to their cabin, campers staring and avoiding her flailing feet. 

Annabeth was still staring at Percy. ‘What…thinking?’ Percy demanded. 

I couldn’t tell…dousing her. 

“Not so grossed out,” Annabeth shrugged. “I only got hit with shower water, not toilet.”

“Look,” Percy pointed at himself on the screen, amused. “Back when I didn’t know how to dry you off yet.”

Annabeth chuckled. “Oh, Seaweed Brain.” She grinned, leaning on his bean bag. 

‘I’m thinking that I want you on my team for capture the flag.’

“So suddenly?” Jason asked. The projection ended there. 

“Athena always has a plan.” Percy managed to say it at the same time as Annabeth, garnering himself a pillow to the gut. 

Athena raised an eyebrow. She was looking forward to her daughter’s strategy for the game. 

“Anyways,” Annabeth stood, reaching a hand out for Percy to take. “Can we talk?”

Percy took her hand, pulling himself up. “Sure, we’re taking a break now right?”

Chiron nodded. “Yes, we can have lunch as well.”

“We’ll join you guys in a bit!” Percy yelled over his shoulder, laughing as Annabeth pulled him away to the hallway. 

“So, how do we know they won’t just end up making out?”

“Leo!”

Chapter Text

The first thing Annabeth did once the door of her room closed behind them was wrap Percy in the biggest hug she could muster. 

Percy stumbled back, but he was able to keep his footing. “Wise Girl?” His arms automatically wrapped around her, but he couldn’t keep the surprise off of his face. 

“Wait, are you crying? Please don’t cry!” Percy panicked when Annabeth finally looked up to meet his eyes. Her gray eyes were teary. 

“Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth let out a teary laugh. “I just…You’re the strongest person I know.” She wiped her cheeks. 

Percy gently wrapped his hand around her wrist, slowly leading her to sit on the bed. They sat side by side, arms touching. 

“It’s just so unfair,” Annabeth continued, sniffling slightly. “You’ve been through so much, yet you still have to go through this on top of it.”

She gripped Percy’s hand. “Are you okay?” She stared into Percy’s eyes. 

Percy’s facade crumbled. His eyes dulled, directing his gaze downward. He bit his lip. “I don’t know.”

He acted fine during the last few episodes they watched, but he was still secretly shaken from both the mention of Gabe and the Minotaur attack. Of course, Annabeth knew, or at least sensed, how he really felt.

Annabeth placed a hand on his cheek. He sighed. “I’m just tired.” He looked up at the ceiling. “I really don’t mind that we’re doing this if it means that you’re safe,” He closed his eyes. He didn’t know how to explain what he was feeling in words. “It’s just…why the private thoughts? Just the scenes would have been fine, but the narration?”

“You know,” Annabeth started gently. “This won’t make us think of you any less. If anything, I’m understanding you more.”

“You didn’t need to find out,” Percy suddenly croaked out. She knew what he was talking about. 

“I’m so sorry, Percy.” Annabeth’s voice wavered. “The way I treated you before must have made you feel horrible.” Her eyes welled up with tears again. 

“We were twelve,” Percy kissed the top of Annabeth’s head. “You went through your own shit. Your own personal reasons. It’s okay.”

“That doesn’t automatically make everything okay,” Annabeth shook her head, a determined expression forming on her face. “Percy. I want you to care about you.” She turned her body so she was facing him completely. “The time we spend here, I want you to see how amazing you are. Nothing revealed will change that fact, and I want you to know that.”

She kissed his cheek. “You always look out for everyone else. This time, we’re here for you. I’m here for you.”

Percy fell into her open arms. He didn’t cry, but all the tension melted out of his body. “I love you.”

Annabeth held him in his arms. “I love you, too.” And she will make sure he knows that. Oh, and Gabe Ugliano better watch out. She can and will visit him in the Fields of Punishment herself. 

Leo stuck all of the tools he’d been playing with back into his tool belt. He sighed, standing up and following everyone else to the dining room. 

Ever since the third projection—or episode, whatever—his thoughts would always trail back to Percy. It wasn’t hard considering they were literally watching his life, but his old home situation made him look at his friend in a new light. 

Sure, they weren’t all that close yet, but ever since Percy promised to introduce him to his mom, something in him just shifted. Right before this, he couldn’t even look at the son of Poseidon without thinking of Calypso. He was even angry at him at one point. But now? All he sees is someone he can relate to. 

He wasn’t looking at where he was going, so he hadn’t noticed that they had arrived at the dining room already. “Oof,” He accidentally bumped into someone’s back. “Zhang, sorry, didn’t see you there.” 

Frank raised an eyebrow at him, noticing how he was a bit lost in thought. “You good?”

Leo nodded. “Peachy. I’m starved though. Let’s eat.” He gave Frank a grin, skipping to a table. 

The dining room had a few tables, much like the dining pavilion at camp. Each bench could fit around five people, making it fit around ten people per table. Each table was close enough together that they could still hold conversations with ones on other tables. 

The seven sat together at one table. Grover sat with them, saving a seat for Percy and Annabeth. On the table beside them were the demigods from Camp Half-Blood. (Rachel too of course)

Even with the lighter mood of the previous screenings, it was obvious that they were all processing everything they’d seen. Including Percy’s first stepfather. 

“I hope he’s okay,” Hazel said softly. “We watched a lot.”

“I never would have thought…” Jason picked at his food. “It’s just, I guess I thought he always had it better.”

The sound of a fork aggressively hitting a plate sounded through the two tables. Thalia chewed on her food angrily but didn’t say anything. 

“Is there anything we can do, maybe?” Katie sighed miserably. 

“Don’t.” Leo put down his spoon with a clang. Everyone looked at him in surprise. “I know you all mean well, but don’t treat him like he’s going to break.”

Piper looked at him worriedly. “Leo…”

Leo shook his head. “He’s still Percy. Whatever we find out about him here is his business. It’s his call if he wants to talk to us about it or not.” He deflated. “As long as we don’t do things that hurt him, then I don’t see why we need to do anything else differently.”

He and Percy were not so different after all. He understood him. It’s not necessarily a good thing given what exactly they both went through, but that meant that neither of them was alone. 

Leo’s heart beat against his chest. He wasn’t alone. Dirt Face and everyone else that told him so was wrong. He wouldn’t have to push anyone away. 

He ignored Piper’s worried looks, the person who knew him the best in this room currently. 

“He’s right,” Leo looked at Clarisse in surprise. She was the one who’d agreed with him. Clarisse rolled her eyes at the looks she was getting, eating like nothing happened. “Jackson’s a strong one. He’s not gonna appreciate special treatment just because of this.” She pointed her knife at them. “Tell him I said that and you're dead.”

Will blinked before he shook himself back to his senses. “So, how’s toilet water taste like?” He yelped as he ducked to avoid the butter knife that flew over his head and embedded itself into the wall behind him. 

Leo snorted, sending them all into laughter. Leo picked his utensils up again, eating with newfound contentment. 

Sorry, Water Boy. He waved his arms wildly as Percy finally entered the dining room followed by Annabeth after a while. The Super-sized McShizzle ain’t leaving you anytime soon. 

Sally and Paul stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter at each others’ faces of amazement.

They both finally found out how the glasses work. Ask for a drink and they receive.

“This is insane,” Paul watched as his glass filled with apple juice.

Sally nodded. “I can’t believe we get to use this stuff.” 

They ate in comfortable silence before Paul asked the one thing on his mind. “How are you doing? You know, seeing him again.”

Sally stared at her plate. She tried to give Paul a comforting smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. 

“You don’t have to say anything,” Paul quickly reminded her. “I just wanted to make sure you’re feeling alright.”

“It’s hard,” Sally admitted. “Percy and I already had a proper conversation about it after it was all over, but seeing him again just…”

“Everything comes rushing back.” Paul completed for her. She nodded. 

Sally was relieved when it didn’t show anything beyond Gabe just ordering them around that day, but she didn’t know what else would appear in the future projections.

“If I had just taken him to Camp earlier,” Sally lamented. 

“Hey. None of that.” Paul took her hand. “You did what you could to protect your son. Both of you overcame everything. Look at him now.” Paul smiled, pointing at the door that just slammed open.

Sally watched with a small smile as Percy waved back at Leo with the same amount of enthusiasm as the Latino. Annabeth laughed, dragging Percy to the open space beside Grover. 

“They’re all still so young,” Chiron’s voice suddenly came from somewhere beside her. She jumped slightly, startled. 

“May I join you?” Chiron smiled at them. She and Paul currently had a table to themselves, Poseidon having joined the rest of the gods, taking up two tables like their children. 

“Of course.” Sally smiled back.

The three adults observed the rowdy teenagers. Clarisse was still arguing with Will, Nico somehow caught in between them, just trying to eat his food. The Stolls were swiping food from other plates left and right, constantly getting reprimanded by Katie and Pollux. Rachel and Thalia were deep in conversation, food already gone. 

Grover had begun to chew on his fork, watching Jason and Percy have an intense staring contest across each other on the table, the rest of the seven cheering them on, choosing sides. Leo was trying to get one of them to blink. 

Paul let out a laugh. “It’s nice seeing them able to play around like that, not worrying about having to fight for their lives.”

“None of them are even twenty yet.” Sally sighed. She looked at Chiron. “How do you do it Chiron? Even after so many years?”

“It never gets easier,” Chiron sat on the floor next to the table. “But I have no choice but to move on and guide the ones that follow after.”

Sally nodded, chuckling as Percy jumped out of his seat. “You shocked me, you cheater!” He yelled, pointing at Jason. 

Percy shot a small stream of cold water at Jason’s face as he yelled back. “It wasn’t me!”

Thalia was cackling at them from the other table. 

Chiron shook his head fondly. “I better make sure the Big Three kids don’t start a war.” He stood slowly, hooves clopping on the floor. “And Sally? You are a great mother.” He winked at her, before going to calm the kids down. 

Paul stared at Chiron’s retreating figure. “Still can’t believe he’s the Chiron I sometimes teach about in English class.”

Sally laughed. 

“Stop whining, Drama Queen.” Poseidon rolled his eyes, swirling his glass of nectar. 

Zeus had been sulking ever since the mortals had begun eating, all because Hestia told the demigods that there was no need to offer food to them while they were here. 

“They must pay their respects!”

The other gods were over it, talking with each other and ignoring the King of the gods. 

Poseidon tuned his family out, observing his son instead. He smiled as Percy begrudgingly sat back down beside the satyr, as Chiron calmed the demigods down. 

As the god of the seas sipped on his nectar, his thoughts drifted back to the scenes they had watched. It was a lot. 

He wasn’t all-knowing. There was no way he could have known about everything his son had gone through. That also didn’t mean he ignored him on purpose. He was still a busy ruler of his own domain. That and Zeus carefully watched his every move. 

He looked over to where Sally sat, beautiful as ever. He couldn’t believe that he left her and their son to such a monster of a mortal. He didn’t know what he’d do once they got back to their timeline, but knew for sure that this Gabe Ugly-whatever would feel his wrath. 

He couldn’t blame Percy for being angry at his own father. Poseidon knew that he himself just needed to do better from now on. 

Soon. He told himself. He will find the time to talk to his son while they are here. He couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. 

“Both of you better talk to your children soon,” Poseidon startled as Hestia suddenly appeared beside him. He looked at her confused, before realizing Hades beside him had been doing the same thing as him, observing his children. 

Hestia chuckled at her brothers. “They will appreciate it, I’m sure.”

“I am worried,” Hades admitted. This was Hestia they were talking to, after all, they didn’t need to hide anything from her. “His sister is not here with them.”

Poseidon raised an eyebrow at him. “The Levesque girl is just on the other table next to him, right there.”

“No, no,” Hades shook his head. “I have two di Angelo children. The older one, Bianca, is not here.”

Hestia placed a hand on Hades’s shoulder. “There may be only one demigod representative per god.” She looked over at the children. “Romans not included.”

She was right. There was only one demigod child present per cabin sans Hermes. Poseidon just didn’t know why there were a few Romans. It seemed that they only stuck with the same handful of people, that group of seven that included his son. 

“Or,” Hestia suggested, standing up, eyes sparkling. “You can go and ask him yourself.”

She smiled at her brothers before clapping her hands, addressing the whole room. “You can return to the main room once you are done. We will continue again in a few minutes.”

Percy was surprised to find out nothing about what they just watched was brought up when he and Annabeth joined the others in the dining room. 

He was able to sit back, relax, and joke around with his friends. Something they haven’t been able to do in such a long time. 

Percy was still pouting when they began to walk back to the theater due to Thalia shocking him, causing him to lose the staring contest he had with Jason. 

“Aww, don’t sweat it Kelp Head.” Thalia slung her arm around him, ignoring Artemis’ raised eyebrow at her actions. “But Zeus wins today.”

Percy huffed, hiding his smile. “Poseidon’s gonna get you back. Watch it.”

Nico strolled past them, hands in his pockets. “That’s if Hades doesn’t pull in front of both of you.”

Thalia and Percy shared a look before both of them tackled the son of Hades to the nearest bean bag. 

“Wha—hey! Get off me!” Nico complained, stuck under the two demigods. 

The rest of the seven sat near the three wrestling demigods, sticking to Hazel and Frank who were both still getting used to the other Greeks. The other demigods, Rachel, and Grover sat around them randomly, resulting in the demigods all sitting near each other near the center of the room. 

Sally and Paul sat somewhere to the side, beside Chiron. The gods were still mostly clumped together on the other side, a few sitting nearer the demigods. 

Hades watched his brothers’ children in surprise. They seemed close. 

Poseidon nudged him, head pointing to a space somewhere behind their sons. Hades shrugged and followed Poseidon, sitting behind their children, but not too close that they would hear everything they said and vice versa. 

Hermes and Apollo sat near the brothers, wanting to be near their children again, but also letting them sit with their friends. They dragged Dionysus with them. 

Hesitantly, Aphrodite went to sit near them, wanting to see more of her daughter, Piper. She dragged Demeter along with her. 

Zeus, Hera, Athena, Hephaestus, Artemis, and Ares stayed in their old place, on one side of the room directly opposite the mortal couple. 

Hestia took her place near the box again. “Shall we begin?” She looked at Percy who was still laughing with Thalia. 

Nico pushed Thalia and Percy off of him. “This is mine now.” He sprawled himself out on the bean bag. 

“Hey!” Percy laughed. He rubbed his elbow, having hit it on the floor, before getting up and touching the number 7. He sat himself down beside Nico’s bean bag. 

Everyone scrambled to get ready. Percy had started the next one so quickly, with no hesitation, so they were all caught off guard. 

“Hold on! I need to pee!”

The demigods burst into laughter. 

“Make it quick, Stoll!”

Chapter Text

The projection started pretty much where they left off in the last one. Percy, and a dripping wet Annabeth, continued walking around camp. As they walked, campers would point and whisper. The few words they could hear involved toilet water, the incident obviously spread through camp like wildfire.

“I love how you just continued as if nothing happened,” Rachel told Annabeth. “Dripping wet? No problem. Gotta get the job done first.”

“Pretty much,” Annabeth nodded at Rachel, before laughing along with her. “Priorities.”

Annabeth led Percy to a few more places at camp. It showed the metal shop where campers were forging their own swords.

Leo cheered. “One of the best places in Camp, I say!” 

Hephaestus looked at his son, amused. 

A place where satyrs were sand-blasting a marble statue—the arts-and-crafts room.

“Oh, Pan,” Hermes sighed sadly at the sight of the statue. Dionysus looked equally saddened, though he tried to hide it. 

The climbing wall. Two walls that would clash violently, spilling lava and dropped boulders as it shook.

“Is that safe?” Paul squeaked out at the sight of the climbing wall. 

“It’s fun,” Percy quipped. Paul gaped. That did not answer his question at all.

Frank and Hazel looked at the wall with intrigue. “That seems like pretty good training,” Frank mused. Paul looked at him in disbelief. He shook himself out of his stupor. These were demigods he was talking to. It’s normal for them.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Blofis,” Chiron reassured him. “We have every precaution in place in case of an emergency.”

“…Right.”

The two ended up back at the canoe lake, on the way back to the cabins. Annabeth stopped, speaking flatly. ‘I’ve got training’ … ‘It wasn’t my fault.’

“Not your fault,” Jason nodded, smirking. “Sure.”

“Well, it’s not like I meant to explode the plumbing,” Percy defended. “It just...happened?”

Annabeth gave Percy a skeptical look. I realized it was my fault.

“Okay, fine!” Percy complained. “Can’t even defend myself without my own thoughts contradicting me.” 

Their big group in the center of the room laughed. 

“Literally who else’s fault could it be?” Thalia cackled. 

I’d made water...I had become one with the plumbing.

The room burst into another round of laughter, even the gods weren’t spared. 

“Percy!” Will gasped out, trying his hardest to subside his laughter. “How are you so indifferent on the outside when your thoughts are like this?”

“Yeah, dude, you’re literally frowning on screen.” Connor laughed. “The extreme contrast to your thoughts right now.”

“The way you said it too!” Travis slapped his knee. “I had become one with the plumbing.” He mimicked. “You said it so seriously!”

Travis’ impression of Percy set everyone off again. Percy threw Riptide (in pen form) at Travis’ forehead. 

‘You need…Oracle.’ … ‘Not who…ask Chiron.’ 

Percy stared at the lake, looking like he was having an existential crisis. 

Nico snorted at the expression Percy was making on-screen. 

“I just wanted proper answers,” Percy grumbled. 

Grover patted his back in sympathy. “There, there.”

Jason, Piper, and Leo, all looked at each other confused. They all had the same question. Was Rachel not the oracle yet?

Percy was suddenly startled. Two girls were seated twenty feet below the pier. They gave Percy big smiles and waves. He waved back, looking extremely lost. 

‘Don’t encourage…flirts.’ … ‘I want to go home now.’

“Because of the naiads?” Poseidon frowned. 

“Nope.” Percy stuck his tongue out at the people that let out laughs at his declaration of wanting to go home. “It was just the tipping point.”

“Jealous of naiads, Annabeth?” Piper teased. 

“He’s literally the son of a water god,” Annabeth rolled her eyes, but there was no heat behind it. “But sure.”

Annabeth frowned at Percy. ‘Don’t you get it, Percy?’ … ‘I think you know.’

Percy felt a tingling sensation, the same one he got back then. When he knew that he knew what his father was. 

‘God. Half-god.’

“Bingo!” Thalia slow-clapped. “About time!”

“I couldn’t deny it anymore at that point.” Percy rubbed his face. 

‘Your father…Olympians.’ Annabeth nodded.  ‘That’s crazy.’ She gave Percy a second to process before continuing. ‘Is it?…last few millennia.’

Hera scoffed. “You lot haven’t changed that habit at all.” She told the rest of the gods.

Hephaestus rolled his eyes. His mother’s hatred towards demigods was really getting old. 

“Doesn’t have to be one of the Olympians,” Nico pointed out. 

“You know what camp was like before,” Annabeth shrugged. 

Nico nodded. “Right.” They were pertaining to the twelve cabins. They weren’t really able to recognize the non-Olympian gods. 

“Besides,” Percy joined in quietly. “It’s the Olympians that screw around the most.” He looked around, making sure that he wasn’t heard by the gods. 

“You have a point there.”

‘But those are just—’ Percy cut himself off. 

I almost said myths…Chiron’s warning…considered a myth. 

“Well,” Pollux shifted. “You’re kind of already a living legend to the youngsters at camp.”

He said it so casually that Percy startled, going red. 

“Just in general actually,” Leo piped up. Back at camp, everywhere he turned, Percy’s name would be mentioned at least once in every conversation. 

“Moving on,” Percy’s ears were burning. 

‘But if’ … ‘who’s your dad?’ Annabeth tensed, hands tightening around the pier railing. 

Thalia grimaced. Sore subject right off the bat. 

Athena furrowed her eyebrows. 

The rest of the seven realized how little they know about Annabeth’s backstory. She preferred keeping to herself, but they could tell from her reaction that it wasn’t a happy story either. 

Annabeth sighed. She actually told Percy so much during this quest alone. That meant everyone would find out a lot about her too. 

She looked at the screen, determined. If Percy had to go through all of this, then she could handle a few revelations herself. 

‘My dad…American history.’ … ‘how sexist is that?’

“Before anyone says anything,” Percy said loudly, sensing Athena’s glare on him. “It’s because mortals normally only learn about the children of male gods. There are barely any stories about the goddesses and their demigod children.”

“Huh,” Annabeth nodded. “You have a point.”

“Don’t be too surprised.” Percy grinned at her. “But I probably should have asked about a parent instead of your dad.”

“Eh, it’s fine.”

Percy corrected himself, asking about her mom instead. ‘Cabin six.’ Annabeth answered. Percy gave her a blank look. 

“Annabeth, please,” Thalia wiped away a fake tear. “You’re cracking me up.”

“You could have said any number and he wouldn’t have noticed.” Grover snickered.

“Uh-huh,” Percy snorted. “I only knew the first two, eleven, and five. You could have said cabin ten and I would’ve been like ‘ohh’.”

‘Meaning?’ Percy prodded. Annabeth straightened. ‘Athena. Goddess of Wisdom and Battle.’

Athena straightened in her seat, much like her daughter on-screen. She nodded in approval, chin held high.

Annabeth had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She was still slightly bitter that her mother pretty much disowned her at one point, then sent her on a quest that led to her’s and Percy’s almost-death, even though she knew that this was Athena before that happened. 

Okay. Why not?

Athena immediately turned to glare at Percy. “And what is that supposed to mean, young man?” It was worded politely, but everyone could hear the underlying warning in her voice.

“Just me trying to process the whole half-god thing,” Percy raised his hands up in surrender. “No harm meant.”

Annabeth hid the smile threatening to grow on her face as she watched her mother splutter at Percy’s nonchalance.

“You think Mercu–I mean Hermes has some bubble wrap he can lend us?” Frank whispered, leaning over to Hazel. She grinned. “Maybe.”

Percy nodded slowly. ‘And my dad?’ … ‘My dad would have. He loved her.’

Sally blushed as Poseidon nodded, not even saying anything. Paul coughed awkwardly beside Sally.

Percy cringed at the air of awkwardness between his parents. This is too weird.

“You weren’t wrong then,” Annabeth whispered to Percy with a smile. She was seated right behind him and Grover. 

“So being undetermined was common before?” Piper asked quietly so Leo and Jason could hear. They both shrugged, curious. Leo was especially as he was claimed really quickly once he stepped foot into camp.

Annabeth looked hesitant as if she didn’t want to tell Percy otherwise. ‘Maybe you’re right...Sometimes it happens.’ … ‘The gods are busy...They ignore us.’

Percy’s thoughts flashed to the crowded Hermes cabin, the undetermined campers that looked sullen and depressed as if they had given up waiting for a sign.

“Okay, they still ignore us most of the time, nothing new.” Jason nodded. “But that doesn’t explain why the Hermes cabin is so much less crowded now?” He wondered. 

“I think Grover said it has something to do with Percy,” Piper recalled. “But he couldn’t really say anything more than that.”

“Kind of crazy how much can change in such a few years,” Leo began to play with stuff from his toolbelt again. “I mean we arrived like, four years later, but you can tell camp’s changed quite a bit.”

While the trio was having their conversation, the rest of the Greek demigods avoided the looks the gods were giving them.

Percy scowled. This was the problem that pretty much pushed demigods to go over to the Titans’ side.

“Please tell me I claim you soon.” Poseidon gripped a pillow hard.

“Eventually,” Percy sighed. Poseidon furrowed his eyebrows. That didn’t sound like a good thing.

“It’s not so bad, is it?” Hera scoffed, uninterested.

“Not so bad?” Thalia’s face hardened. “Not so bad? The Stolls didn’t sleep on a bed for years. Demigods turned sad, bitter, or both. That attitude you have right now is your downfall.” She spat. She had to stop herself from mentioning the demigods that left camp and joined the other side. They couldn’t mention the Titans yet.

Jason laid a hand on her shoulder to calm her down from where he sat somewhere behind her. Thalia sat back down, but she kept her glare on Hera and Zeus. 

“My children are all claimed immediately at birth,” Athena commented, posture straight. 

“I do my absolute best to claim my children as well,” Apollo mumbled. He kept glancing at Will with worry. 

“Same here,” Hermes nodded. “The unclaimed stay in my cabin after all.”

Clarisse tensed. Will squeezed her arm, trying to prevent her from saying anything. Clarisse fumed. Chris, Hermes’ own son, was undetermined in his own cabin for years. 

The Greeks were doing everything in their power not to snap at the gods. All of their friends that had died in the war, all of the campers that switched sides, Luke and Silena... it was extremely difficult to keep their mouths shut. But, snapping at them would lead to revealing too much, hurting Percy in the process. 

Hazel shifted uncomfortably. The tension suddenly grew so thick the moment Hera finished speaking. She, along with the other members of the seven, had no idea what was going on.

“You’re missing the point,” Percy gritted his teeth. “Even if you do finally decide to claim your children, we’re still ignored.” 

“Children,” Chiron interrupted, face indifferent. “Let’s continue, shall we?”

Leo shivered as they all turned their attention back to the screen. “Is it just me or did the temperature drop?” 

Frank nodded, eyes wide. “I swear, you can feel the tension.” He whispered.

‘So...For the rest of my life?’ Percy asked, resigned.

Sally looked down. That was what she was afraid of, and it put them both in danger. Percy ended up not even staying year-round.

Annabeth shrugged. ‘It depends...Aphrodite or Demeter...powerful force.’

Piper sighed. She could see where Annabeth was coming from. I mean, have you seen her siblings?

“I take offense to that,” Katie muttered. “But I get what you mean.”

“Sorry,” Annabeth tugged on her ponytail. “I really thought I knew everything back then. I didn’t know better.”

“I think you forget Demeter is still our sister,” Hestia mused from her place near the box. “She may not be as showy as our brothers, but she’s still one of the elder gods.”

“Yes, Lady Hestia,” Annabeth played with the hem of her shirt. She turned her gaze to Demeter. “I’ve learned a lot over the years.”

Demeter nodded, not that much offended. It was still nice to get some acknowledgement though.

Annabeth hesitated for a second, before looking at Aphrodite as well. “I also know the power that children of Aphrodite can bring.”

Aphrodite looked at her in surprise, not expecting that. She softened, giving Annabeth a gentle smile.

Piper made eye contact with Annabeth, who just smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up.

‘The monsters...But very, very few are like that.’

“And then he turned out to be the son of one of the three most powerful gods,” Grover fluffed the pillow on his lap. “No biggie.”

Percy blew a strand of hair away from his eyes. “Just our luck.” He told his fellow Big Three cousins. 

“Yeah, Annabeth said ten or eleven years old,” Will pointed out. “But you’ve had monsters out for you since you were a toddler.”

“Perks.”

‘So monsters can’t get in here?’ Percy asked. Annabeth shook her head. ‘Not unless...inside’ … ‘Practical jokes?’

“Nope. No more.” Travis said seriously. “The monsters stocked in the woods are strictly for training from Chiron or Mr. D.”

Percy gripped Annabeth’s hand. “I forgot about that. Uhh...what are we going to do when capture the flag starts?” He whispered. 

“Right, we’re nearing that part,” Annabeth cursed. “Hopefully it’s not yet in this one. Maybe you can have a bit of time to prepare yourself.”

Sally calmed herself. She couldn’t help herself from reacting at every sign of potential danger that the demigods talked so casually about. Paul wasn’t doing any better either.

‘The point is, the borders...strawberry farm.’

“So,” Hazel started, curious. “You don’t have guards at your entrance?”

“Isn’t Pele—” Jason began, but shut his mouth when he heard Percy suck in a sharp breath. He let out a breath of relief that it didn’t get too bad. 

“Not yet, Jason,” Annabeth told him as she rubbed Percy’s back. She turned to Hazel. “We don’t need guards as long as the border works.”

Hazel nodded, but there was something about how Annabeth worded it that told her to keep that in mind. 

‘So...year-rounder?’ … ‘I’ve...seven.’ 

“Seven,” Paul breathed. “So young.”

Annabeth pulled her leather necklace out from under her collar. It had five clay beads and a college ring strung on it. ‘Every August...longer than most...college.’

The reaction was automatic. All of the Greek demigods put a hand on their necklaces. Piper and Leo looked at them curiously, not having earned theirs yet. Nico never stayed long enough at camp to get one. 

“Look at Annabeth’s,” Grover laughed. “She wins.”

Annabeth’s necklace was filled with beads. She had nine in total, plus the same college ring from the projection and a red coral pendant. 

Percy’s had four beads plus his probatio tablet. He glanced down at the tablet, quickly hiding it from view. He would have to remove that while the gods didn’t know that he ended up with the Romans yet. He sighed in relief when he realized that he wore a hoodie today, one he found in the closet, to cover his SPQR tattoo.

The Greeks all had a different amount of beads on their necklaces, but they all shared the same last four beads. 

The Romans looked at the necklaces of the Greeks nearest them, wanting a closer look at the beads. 

Hazel recalled Percy almost losing his when they had their run-in with the Amazons. Good thing they got it back. She could see how important the necklace was to all of them. 

“At least it doesn’t hurt,” Frank mused. 

“What?” Will asked, confused.

“Remember this?” Jason outstretched his arm, his forearm facing up. “This is how we do it, basically.” 

Hazel and Frank copied him, showing their own marks, the Greeks have only seen Jason’s from his time at Camp Half-Blood. 

Athena watched them with narrowed eyes. She was still deeply unsettled by the presence of Romans.

“Is that—” Paul’s eyes widened, as did Sally’s beside him. “Is that branded into your skin?”

“Yeah,” Jason put his arm back down. “Romans have a much more...disciplined system.”

Percy tugged on his sleeves. His parents didn’t know yet. 

“And the lines?” Sally asked. 

“Years of service,” Frank answered. “Like the beads. The symbol is based on our godly parent.”

“Damn, Jason,” Pollux raised his eyebrows. “You’re like the Roman Annabeth with the number of lines you have.”

Jason rubbed his forearm, relieved that no one tried to count it. If they did, they’d know how young he was when he started training. 

‘Why…young?’ … ‘None of your business.’ Annabeth kept playing with the ring on her necklace, the topic still sensitive. 

“Percy, I swear you somehow always eventually find out anyway,” Thalia grumbled. 

“That’s true,” Annabeth agreed. “I don’t know how you do it.”

‘So…walk out…if I wanted to?’ 

“Sure,” Clarisse said. “You’d last a second at most.”

‘It would…Mr. D’s or Chiron’s permission…unless…’

“Permission.” Grover, Thalia, Nico, Annabeth, even Clarisse and Sally, all gave Percy pointed looks. 

He raised his hands. “Well!” He laughed sheepishly. He pointed at Nico. “You’re one to talk!”

Percy prompted her to go on. Annabeth continued her thought. ‘You were granted a quest…The last time…’ She trailed off. 

“We get answers eventually right?” Leo whined. He was very lost. It wasn’t like this when he was at camp. 

“Yeah, I find out eventually,” It was Percy that answered. “Just wait a bit more, sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Leo snorted. “Dude, it’s fine. I just needed to know if I needed to wait or if we could ask you guys already.” He laughed. 

Percy smiled. 

Percy changed the topic. ‘Back in…feeding me that stuff-’ … ‘What did that mean?’ 

“There’s that summer solstice deadline again.” Artemis huffed.

Chiron shook his head. Annabeth had been so eager for answers. This was pretty much the beginning of Percy and Annabeth’s never-ending adventures. 

He looked at said demigod now. She was now more guarded, more tired. He sighed sadly. He’s known her since she was seven and watched her grow up after all. 

‘I wish I knew…seemed so normal.’ Annabeth clenched her fists. Percy looked surprised. ‘You’ve been to Olympus?’ … ‘Some of us…big annual council.’

“So you’ve all been?” Hazel asked, curious. 

The counselors all looked at each other and shrugged. “Pretty much.”

“Although, these three,” Grover said, pointing at Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth. “Have gone more than most.”

“You were there too, goat boy,” Annabeth laughed.

“We’re just out of the loop here,” Piper sighed, gesturing to the five of The Seven. Obviously, Annabeth and Percy knew all of this. It was about them! 

“Well, at least you have the element of surprise?” Percy looked up in thought. “Besides, soon enough, only Grover, Annabeth, and I will know stuff. You won’t feel left out for long.”

“Fair enough.”

Percy looked confused. He asked how to get to Olympus. Annabeth looked at him incredulously. ‘The Long Island...New Yorker right?’

As far as I knew...hundred and two floors...decided not to point that out.

They laughed at Percy’s thoughts.

“Okay, this?” Paul put a finger up. “I know. One of the things I was actually told about before this.” He smiled, proud of himself. Sally chuckled.

“Oh he’s a New Yorker alright,” Grover grinned. “Through and through.”

“Huh, never really asked where you were from.” Piper realized. She was learning so much about her friends.

“Okay, Annabeth,” Leo pointed his wrench at her. “Since when was the sixth hundredth floor being Olympus a common knowledge for people?”

“I don’t even know with myself anymore,” Annabeth groaned into her hands.

“So that’s where Olympus is,” Frank mumbled, enough for Hazel to hear. 

Annabeth kept talking. ‘Right after...weather got weird...something important was stolen...thought you might know something.’ Percy shook his head. He was too overwhelmed. He looked tired and was gripping his stomach—hungry.

“You’re rambling, Wise Girl,” Percy teased. His head felt like it was going to explode. He also just ate, but he was hungry again.

Annabeth buried her face into Percy’s back. 

‘I’ve got to…not too young…tell me the problem…’ Annabeth began muttering to herself. 

“Twelve is young, daughter.” Athena reprimanded. “You better not join a quest rashly.”

Annabeth grumbled to herself, face still smushed against Percy’s back. She ignored her mom. She would see that Annabeth went on that quest for herself anyways. 

Suddenly, Percy’s stomach grumbled. He blushed. 

“Hungry already?” Nico raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. 

“This is the curse!” Percy defended. “I just ate!”

“As if that stops you from finishing all the food back at home,” Sally teased, smile bright. 

“Mom!”

Annabeth heard Percy’s stomach growl. She told him to go on to dinner, she’d follow. Percy relented, leaving Annabeth tracing something on the pier with her finger. 

A battle plan. 

“Correct,” Annabeth mumbled into Percy’s back. Percy chuckled at her softly, as not to jostle her. 

“You know,” Thalia leaned on Nico’s bean bag. “I hate how observant you can be.”

“Tell me about it,” Clarisse scowled. 

“This is why you somehow found out all my secrets,” Thalia continued. “I swear!”

“Makes me miss the whole picture sometimes though,” Percy huffed. 

“Until it’s staring you in the face,” Nico agreed. “Or told directly to you.” He trailed off and sighed. Nico’s pretty sure that Percy still thinks he hates every being of him, even though that’s not the case. Quite the opposite actually. 

Percy walked into cabin eleven. No one really paid him much attention as he plopped on his spot on the floor, still holding the Minotaur horn. Everyone was just waiting for dinner. Percy observed the other people in the cabin. 

For the first time…similar features…troublemakers.

“Yup,” Katie wrapped herself in a blanket. “You basically just described these two down to a tee.” She pointed at the grinning Stolls. 

Hermes chuckled, watching his sons. 

Luke came over to Percy with a smile. ‘Found you…camp store.’

“Ow, Wise Girl,” Percy peeled Annabeth’s face off his back, instead pulling her to his side to give her more comfort. 

Thalia was chewing on her lip hard enough to draw a bit of blood. 

The fact that they’d be seeing Luke more than once hurts all of them. Mixed emotions everywhere. 

I couldn’t…stealing part. 

“Probably did,” Connor shrugged. His gaze would always end up everywhere but Luke’s face. 

Hermes smiled proudly. 

Luke sat next to Percy, beginning the conversation. ‘No prob’ … ‘doesn’t get any easier.’ Percy startled at Luke’s bitter tone. 

Hermes tilted his head at Luke’s tone but shrugged it off.

Thalia tapped Nico’s leg, asking silent permission to play with his shoelaces again. Nico adjusted his position, obliging. Thalia needed the distraction.

‘So...Hermes?’ As Percy asked, Luke pulled out a switchblade. Percy looked at it warily, but Luke just used it to scrape his sandal.

“Gods, I thought he was going to gut you for a second there.” Leo joked, before laughing nervously realizing that the other demigods didn’t react well to that comment.

He could have. Percy winced. Luke really felt like a big brother during his first few weeks at camp. His betrayal hurt. Deeply. 

They were all going to see how Luke betrayed them again. 

‘Yeah. Hermes.’ … ‘That’s him...who he sponsors.’

I figured...me a nobody...lot on his mind.

Annabeth scoffed. Percy rubbed her arm. “Yeah, seems like he meant every word.” He sighed.

“Wing-footed messenger guy?” Apollo laughed at Hermes, who raised his eyebrow at Percy. Percy flushed. Of course, they pick that up. 

“I don’t think I’ve heard that before,” Hermes told Percy, amused. Apollo was for some reason just cracking up beside him. 

A lot of the gods suddenly grew curious wondering what his impression of them would be. They’ve already seen his thoughts on Dionysus. He already had this description for Hermes yet hasn’t met him yet. Would he even meet all of them?

Percy asked if Luke had ever met him. ‘Once.’

I waited...how he got his scar.

Hermes sighed at the reminder. He was the one that assigned that quest after all. 

Luke didn’t elaborate. Instead, he reassured Percy with a smile. ‘Don’t worry...extended family, right? We take care of each other.’

“Ouch!” Nico pulled his leg back. “Thalia!”

“Sorry,” Thalia scowled, not seeming sorry at all for accidentally shocking Nico. She just couldn’t believe Luke’s words right now. How dare he?

Travis and Connor just both started playing a hand game together, trying to ignore Luke’s words.

“Family…” Annabeth scoffed, still tucked into Percy’s side. Percy’s arm pulled her even closer. 

He seemed to understand...nicest thing anybody had done for me all day.

Annabeth sighed, resigned. “Sorry.” 

Percy shook his head.

Thalia observed Percy. She didn’t know his relationship with Luke, seeing as she was a tree. Before this, she thought Percy just knew him as another camper from Hermes cabin. She didn’t realize how much Luke got Percy to trust him.

Percy finally asked another question after a few beats of silence. ‘Clarisse…‘Big Three’ material...Annabeth…‘the one’...What was that all about?’

“And they were both right.” Leo grinned, trying to diffuse the slightly dampened atmosphere in the room. He had no idea why it was like this. Thankfully, a lot of them smiled and agreed with him. 

“Yet,” Grover laughed. “Everyone was like ‘I wonder who his parent would be?’” 

“I know!” Katie joined in. “As if he’s not literally a mini Poseidon!”

Poseidon chuckled.

Just like that, the energy in the room lightened. Leo smiled, relieved. Even Annabeth managed to relax a bit.

Luke folded his knife. ‘I hate prophecies.’ … ‘I messed things up for everybody else...somebody special came to camp.’

“That’s what I meant by ‘the one’.” Annabeth pointed out. She huffed. “But I guess no one cares about that reasoning.” A small smile formed on her face.

Piper laughed. “Nope!”

“Oh,” Leo said. “This is what you meant by that quest that happened ‘last time’?” He asked Annabeth.

“Yeah,” She replied softly.

“He went to the Garden of Hesperides?” Jason asked. That was nearer Camp Jupiter than Camp Half-Blood.

“Yes,” Hermes answered him. “It was the quest I gave him when he requested one.” 

‘Somebody special?’ … ‘Don’t worry...come on, it's dinnertime.’

“Turns out he is the one,” Chiron smiled at Annabeth. “But you went through a journey looking forward to every new camper we got, didn’t you, Annabeth?” 

Annabeth blushed. “You must’ve been relieved that I stopped bugging you right?” She was able to grin back.

Chiron chuckled, shaking his head fondly. 

“Favoritism,” Travis whispered to his brother. Connor laughed out loud, covering his mouth when people turned to look at him questioningly.

Right as Luke and Percy were getting up, a horn sounded through the room, coming from a distance.

I knew...never heard one before.

“It’s of the sea,” Poseidon smiled. 

“I don’t know why but that’s so cool,” Paul whispered to Sally. “Even if it’s just literally him hearing a conch shell.” 

Sally laughed at him. “Wait until you see the other things he can do. Even I haven’t seen them for myself yet.”

‘Eleven, fall in!’ Luke yelled. The whole cabin formed a line in the yard, in order of seniority landing Percy in the very back. Other cabins started filing into the yard too. Eleven obviously had the longest line. The screen briefly flashed to the empty cabins, including number eight, glowing silver as the sun set. 

Artemis smiled at the sight of her silver cabin.

Frank and Hazel watched how their camp worked, faces filled with curiosity.

“Look!” Connor pointed at the front of the line excitedly. “It’s us!” He shook his brother.

As the demigods marched to the pavilion, satyrs joined in from the meadow. Naiads came from the canoe lake. There were girls that came straight out of the trees in the woods–nymphs.

Paul yelped in surprise as a girl came out of the tree projected near him. 

Percy laughed, his reaction had been pretty similar. 

A central fire was burning in the middle of the pavilion. The columns held torches. Each cabin had a table, white tablecloth trimmed with purple. Eleven’s table was overcrowded, Percy could barely sit on the bench. Four tables were completely empty.

“There’s the problem with splitting up by parent,” Jason spoke to the two other Romans. 

“Yeah,” Frank nodded. “We don’t have that problem.”

Hazel reached over to tap Percy’s shoulder. “Does that mean you sit alone now?”

Percy turned and smiled at her. “Yeah. It’s fine though.”

Nico snorted. “His mode of communication with others is yelling.” After the Titan War, whenever he would visit Camp, Percy would try to start a conversation with Nico, who was also alone on the Hades table they added, by yelling at him so he could be heard.

Hazel frowned. She still felt bad that some had no space, while others were alone. Annabeth saw Hazel’s expression. “The seating situation is much better now. No more overcrowded tables, don’t worry.”

Hazel nodded.

The projection next showed Grover eating at table twelve with Dionysus, a few more satyrs, and two blonde boys. Chiron stood beside this table as well. 

Pollux let out a small, “It’s me!” but his heart wasn’t in it. He stared at the face of his laughing brother on-screen sadly. He looked to the side and met his father’s gaze. He bit his lip at Dionysus’ questioning gaze before turning back to the front.

“He has another son?” Piper whispered. She looked at Katie who shook her head sadly. Piper’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh.”

Next, it flashed to table six. Annabeth sat with other gray-eyed, blonde-haired kids. They all seemed pretty serious and athletic.

Athena nodded at the projection, seeing all her children eating peacefully. 

“Would you look at that?” Ares drawled. “It’s Bird Brain’s brainchildren.”

Athena glared at him. Annabeth ignored the comment, not wanting to be reminded of how she was born before anyone asked anything. She explains it to Percy at one point anyway. It’s almost definitely going to be brought up later.

Table five was loud. Clarisse had cleaned up after the bathroom incident, laughing and belching with the rest of the kids at the table.

Ares grinned.

“At least my children have manners,” Athena sneered at him. 

Clarisse rolled her eyes at the goddess’ comment. Sharing a part of the domain of war did nothing to help them get along it seemed. 

The screen flashed back to table twelve as Chiron pounded his hoof on the floor, raising a glass. ‘To the gods!’ Everybody followed, raising their own glasses.

Percy rolled his eyes when he saw Zeus puff his chest out slightly at the toast.

The nymphs served them their food. The glasses stayed empty. Luke instructed Percy about the glasses. Percy thought for a moment, before speaking to his glass. ‘Cherry Coke’ … ‘Blue Cherry Coke.’ He watched as the glass filled with liquid, turning blue. 

Paul would have been surprised if it wasn’t for the fact that they used those same glasses for lunch a while ago.

“Yes! The blue!” Leo cheered. Sally smiled.

Percy laughed. “Not used to that reaction to my blue food.”

“Are you kidding?” Leo held up a fist. “I am a supporter now!”

Percy sipped his coke before sighing in content. 

Perfect…toast to my mother…Underworld…if that’s a real place, then someday…

Chiron and Sally shared a look. Even if Chiron told him not to think about it, Percy stopped at nothing to get his mom back.

“There’s no way I can stop you, is there?” Poseidon sighed in defeat when Percy nodded cheerfully. The god of the sea turned to Hades. “I can stop you from giving him a hard time though.” He narrowed his eyes at his brother.

“Well, it’s not like I asked him to come to my domain,” Hades huffed. “If he gets killed doing so then that is his responsibility.”

Percy snorted as Nico face-palmed. Sally stared at Hades, wide-eyed. 

“And when they find out you’ve been more than once,” Thalia grinned at Percy and Nico. “Both of your dads are gonna pop a vein.”

“Wait ‘till we get to our mini-quest,” Percy snickered. “Nico, your dad is going to hate us more than he does now. His brothers’ children in his domain? Unacceptable!” He laughed.

“Ugh, if that’s gonna be shown,” Nico pointed at Percy. “You’re going to give everyone a heart attack with what you did back there.”

Luke handed Percy food. Percy loaded his plate, ready to dig in, but Luke called Percy to follow him. Campers were standing, carrying their plates to the fire in the center of the pavilion. As they followed suit, Percy saw what they were doing. He was confused, as they were burning the best parts of their food.

Zeus started grumbling, once again complaining about the demigods not doing that a while ago. 

Luke explained. ‘Burnt offerings…the smell.’ Percy looked at him in disbelief. He watched as Luke tossed some grapes into the fire for Hermes. Percy stared, walking towards the fire himself. He was next. 

Whoever you are, tell me. Please.

Percy scraped a slice of brisket into the fire. He caught a whiff of the smoke, eyes widening when it didn’t smell like burnt food.

Percy inhaled. “So weird,” He breathed. “But it smells good so whatever.” 

I could…live off that smoke.

“Who’s to say some haven’t tried?” Artemis asked, gaze pointed at her twin. 

“You’re the one that dared me,” Apollo accused, pointing at her. “You know I don’t back down from a dare!”

Artemis smirked, denying nothing. 

Dionysus snorted, pointing at Hermes. “That one didn’t even need a dare.”

“Hey! We don't talk about that!”

The demigods returned to their seats to eat. The scene fast-forwarded to when most of the campers had finished their dinner. Chiron pounded his hoof to get everyone’s attention again. Dionysus stood with a sigh. ‘Yes, I suppose…holds the laurels.’

Ares cheered along with table five on-screen.

Dionysus rolled his eyes. Why was this his job?

Dionysus continued. ‘Personally…Peter Johnson.’

“There it is!” Pollux exclaimed. “I was wondering when he would start calling you other names!”

“So…it’s normal?” Frank asked. 

The Greeks beside him nodded, though none of them seemed annoyed.

Chiron corrected him. ‘Er, Percy Jackson…Go on.’

“Nice speech?” Hazel said, unsure. She could already see such a big difference between the behaviors of Romans and Greeks.

The demigods cheered. They all moved to the amphitheater. The projection played a montage of Apollo’s sing-along, showing Percy laughing and enjoying himself as he ate s’mores and joked around with others from cabin eleven.

I didn’t feel…I felt that I was home. 

His fellow campers smiled at him.

Percy leaned back slightly, not knowing how to react. The feeling was bittersweet knowing what came right after this. 

The scene moved on to the conch horn blowing for bedtime. The campers all moved back to the cabins. A tired Percy collapsed immediately on his sleeping bag. The Minotaur horn was held near his chest. The scene briefly flashed to Sally, showing them that Percy was thinking about her, before falling asleep.

I wish I’d known how briefly I’d get to enjoy my new home.

“Well that’s not ominous at all,” Leo waved a screwdriver around.

Annabeth looked at Percy worriedly. Percy shrugged, slightly avoiding her gaze. “You’ll see, I guess.” He mumbled.

He suddenly stood, apologizing to Annabeth who fell over because she had most of her weight on him. He walked over to Will whispering something in his ear. Will nodded, standing up and walking back with Percy to their place in between Nico and Annabeth.

Nico looked at them confused but didn’t say anything when Will sat near him, a bit behind his bean bag.

Annabeth made a small sound of realization. “Capture the flag? Already?”

Percy nodded. “I think so. Either the next or the one after, I’m not sure.”

Those that were there when it happened also showed signs of recognition, most looking at Percy in worry. Chiron adjusted his position nervously, how would this manifest through the curse?

Percy went to his mom after talking to Will. Sally looked at him worriedly.

“Just wanted to warn you, my first kind of serious injury since we started happens soon,” Percy told her quietly so that only Sally and Paul could hear. “It’s not the worst, sadly, but I thought you would want the heads up.” He smiled nervously at them. 

“We have no choice but to push through it,” Sally rubbed Percy’s arm. “Don’t worry about me, honey. Just…stay safe.”

Percy softened. He hugged his mom. Obviously, he survived, but if the injuries appeared again now, one wrong move or a moment of hesitation before he healed on-screen could seriously hurt him. It’s why he asked Will to stay near, just in case.

He pressed the next number on the box, number 8, before jogging back to his seat.

Percy plopped to the floor. He yelled to diffuse the worried looks he was getting from those that knew. “Time for some fun!”

“If that’s your definition of fun then no wonder you're always stuck in some mess.”

Chapter Text

The projection started with a montage of Percy going about his schedule for about two days since he arrived. 

The next few days…routine that felt almost normal…satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.

This piqued Paul’s interest, not that it wasn’t already, but he wanted to see what a “normal” day in a camp full of demigods looked like. You know, the one without the fighting-for-your-life-in-front-of-the-Empire-State-Building part.

“Oh, yes,” Rachel nodded, stroking an imaginary beard. “Lessons from goats, trees, and a horse. A day in the life.”

The screen showed Percy and Annabeth, the latter teaching the former Ancient Greek.

Each morning…few lines of Homer without too much headache.

“You were the teacher?” Paul asked Annabeth. “Even if you were only twelve?”

“Well, she was already a cabin counselor,” It was Katie that answered him. “Counselors are the ones that help Chiron with all the different activities at camp.”

“It also helped that he knew me already,” Annabeth added. “Made it easier.”

The next scene was of Percy at the archery range with Chiron. 

The rest of the day…looking for something I was good at. 

Chiron was trying to teach Percy archery, but the arrow Percy shot somehow ended up in Chiron’s tail.

Chiron watched with fondness, that was a fun memory. 

Everyone burst out laughing at Percy’s horrified face on the screen. Apollo and Artemis on the other hand looked at Percy incredulously. 

“How did you even manage that?” Apollo asked, horrified. 

“What can I say?” Percy shrugged. “It’s my talent.”

Thalia cackled. “You offended the god of archery with your pure skill.”

“Dad, don’t even think about trying to teach him,” Will smirked. “He’s hopeless.”

“Is that a challenge?” Apollo raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure I can at least teach him a thing or two.”

“No!” Percy waved his hands in a no thanks gesture. “I mean—It’s fine! I prefer my sword anyway Lord Apollo.” Percy chuckled nervously. 

“He’ll bring it up again once he sees you shoot that one shot,” Nico muttered to Percy, amused. “Good luck with that.” 

Percy waved a hand in dismissal. That was still a good number of episodes away. 

“If you say so,” Nico snorted. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

It switched to Percy with the nymphs, preparing to foot race. The wood-nymphs he was racing against left him in the dust. They told him not to worry, running away from lovesick gods was good practice for them after all. 

But still…slower than a tree. 

“I would laugh,” Pollux piped up. “But we’re all slower than them.”

“Except these two,” Katie jabbed her thumb in the direction of the Stolls. “They can at least keep up.”

The brothers high-fived each other, Hermes laughed with pride. “Those are my boys!”

The scene moved on to Percy and Clarisse wrestling, if one could even call it that. It was more of Clarisse just pulverizing Percy on the mat. ‘There’s more…punk.’ Clarisse said into his ear. 

Percy grimaced slightly, rolling his shoulder. 

“Aww, baby Percy,” Annabeth cooed. “Couldn’t even last a second. Training does wonders.”

“Hey!” Percy protested, poking Annabeth in the side. Annabeth laughed, slapping his hand away. She was surprisingly ticklish. 

“You’re a beast now!” Connor pointed at him. “One of the only ones that can give Clarisse a real challenge.”

Clarisse rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it. She liked training with the guy. 

Poseidon listened to what they were saying, growing proud. 

The one…canoeing.

The projection switched to a scene of Percy cutting through the waters in his canoe, leaving the others behind. 

That wasn’t…kid who had beaten the Minotaur. 

“So none of you, you know,” Piper waved her hands around. “At least guessed his parentage?”

“Pretty sad isn’t it?” Percy drummed his fingers on his pillow. 

“Didn’t want it to be true,” Annabeth shrugged. “The oath and all.”

“This…oath,” Frank began. “What was it for, anyway?”

“None of your business,” Zeus huffed at the Roman. 

“Ignore him.” Hades groaned, Poseidon discreetly rolling his eyes beside him. 

“I’m pretty sure I explain some of it to Percy eventually,” Grover smiled at Frank.

Jason was curious too. He never really knew about the oath. He guessed the Romans either didn’t count or didn’t care. That didn’t really explain why Hades and Zeus reacted the way they did when Hazel and himself had introduced themselves earlier, but he put it up to them being in front of a bunch of Greeks who actually knew of the oath. 

The next few scenes showed Percy working with other campers, trying to find out where his specialty lay. 

I knew senior campers…decide who my dad was. 

“Yeah, even though it’s really obvious now,” Pollux nodded. “You had us stumped.”

I wasn’t as strong…or—gods forbid—Dionysus’ way with vine plants. 

Dionysus raised his eyebrow at the demigod. “Well, I wouldn’t want you either.” He snarked. 

Luke tried…master of none. 

The projection showed Luke trying to reassure Percy. 

But I got the feeling…make of me either.

Percy watched as Luke tried to reassure his younger self. He sighed, shaking his head. Luke’s dislike for Hermes was pretty blatant, even before he betrayed him. 

Apollo snorted. “Your son called you a master of none.”

“I see it as him calling me an all-rounder.” Hermes shot back, not noticing the awkward glances the demigods were giving him. 

Despite all that, I liked camp…

As Percy’s thoughts described what he liked about the place, the screen projected it. The beach, the strawberry fields, even the woods. 

“It’s hard not to like,” Annabeth smiled wistfully. This was not helping her homesickness in any way. 

The scene shifted to Percy at dinner with cabin eleven again, making his offering at the fire. 

I would eat…try to feel some connection…warm feeling…his smile. 

Percy felt warm inside. He still couldn’t believe that his dad actually visited him before he knew about this world. 

Poseidon was getting restless, when does he claim his son? He completely ignored Zeus’ glares at the mention of his visit. 

I tried…my mom…bring her back…

Hades observed the demigod. It seemed as if he wouldn't get the idea out of his head. Was it possible he really did have his mother hostage? The woman was here and alive after all. 

I started to understand Luke’s bitterness…phone appear?

“There would be no balance if we were to meddle in your…mortal affairs.” Hera sneered.

“But we’re not asking you to do stuff for us!” Percy ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Just a ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ would work.” 

“Not like we’re asking you to do our laundry.” Thalia joined in, rolling her eyes at her stepmother. “Gods.”

Hera looked outraged. “How dare…”

Dionysus quietly sipped on more wine from where he sat. One upside to being the camp director was that his children were there. Not that he would say that out loud.

“Listen to our children, Zeus,” Poseidon gave his brother a look. “If it weren’t for you…”

Zeus narrowed his eyes at his brother but stayed silent.

Some of the gods secretly nodded in agreement to Poseidon’s words, some just remained stoic.

Thursday afternoon…sword-fighting lesson.

The scene fast-forwarded to the afternoon of the next day. Cabin eleven was gathered at the arena, Luke in front as their instructor. 

Jason had his full attention on the screen. He wanted to see how Percy started out training, especially with how he is now. 

Hazel and Frank were the same. They could finally see how the Greeks trained, and how Percy, the one that demolished everyone during War Games, got to be so good with a sword. 

I guess I did okay…reflexes were good. 

They started with basics on the dummies in Greek armor. Percy followed whatever Luke would demonstrate.

“I would say your reflexes are more than just good but you do you.”

The scene changed to Percy testing out different swords with Luke’s help. 

The problem…none of the practice blades seemed to work for me. 

“Huh,” Jason tilted his head, curious. “It shouldn’t be that hard to find a balanced blade usually.”

Percy smiled, pulling his pen out of his pocket and twirling it in his hands. “Good thing I don’t have to then.”

Poseidon saw this and grinned. 

In the next scene, everyone was in pairs. Luke stood beside Percy, announcing that he’d be his partner as it’s his first time. 

“Geez, guys,” Percy looked at the Stolls. “Have some faith in me will you?”

Somewhere on the screen, the Stolls could be seen as a pair standing off to the side, snickering at Percy being paired with Luke. 

“Can you blame us?” Connor laughed as Travis was making faces at himself on the screen for some reason. “You looked like a lost puppy about to duel the sword instructor.”

One camper walked up to Percy. ‘Good luck…three hundred years.’

Hermes nodded, proud. 

Travis stopped making faces at the screen. “Little did we know.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Percy. 

“He’s still better,” Percy rolled his eyes. “He’s the one that taught me after all.”

“Oh, just take it, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth nudged his shoulder. “Mr. Best swordsman in the last few hundred years.”

Paul looked at his stepson, impressed. “Really now?”

Percy flushed, mumbling to himself. Something about Chrysaor and getting disarmed. Annabeth shook her head.

Sally chuckled at her son’s behavior. 

Poseidon was having a stare-down with Hermes.

‘Maybe…easy on me.’ Percy said, ignoring the camper’s snort after that. 

“Great,” Percy groaned. “They’re gonna show this too?” He mentally and physically braced himself for Luke’s sword-fighting lesson. 

Luke showed Percy the moves by demonstrating them on him. Percy would end up getting hit by the flat of Luke’s blade, even with Luke’s shouts of encouragement and advice. 

Sally winced slightly every time the sword would hit Percy’s body. 

“Ow,” Percy grumbled, rubbing the bottom of his ribs. He was sweating now too, but he kept his hoodie on. 

Eventually, Luke called for a break. Everyone went straight to the drinks cooler. Percy watched as Luke poured ice water on his head. 

“You didn’t!” Leo laughed. 

Percy shrugged, a wide grin on his face. “Not like I knew.”

Percy got a drink from the cooler and did the same. Instantly, he stood up straighter, looking less tired. He held the sword properly. 

Percy ruffled his hair with his hand, thankful for the relief that water gave him, even if it was for a short time only. 

‘Okay, everybody…little demo.’ Luke announced. Percy looked a bit nervous. 

Great. Let’s all watch Percy get pounded. 

“I remember this!” Travis exclaimed. 

The campers gathered around, suppressing smiles. 

I figured…me for a punching bag. 

“Well, yeah,” Connor grabbed a pillow, hugging it to his chest. “You shocked everyone there.”

Luke announced he would be demonstrating a disarming technique. ‘This is difficult…years to master this technique.’ He demonstrated it on Percy in slow motion, Percy’s sword clanging to the ground. 

“Important,” Athena nodded, attentive. “Yet difficult to master.”

Ares was also paying careful attention, curious to see how the scrawny kid would hold up. 

The Stolls snickered, having been the only ones there in person. “Yup. Years to master.”

‘Now…Ready, Percy?’ Luke charged. The scene cleared, as if it was in 4K suddenly, expressing how clearly Percy could see. Percy countered Luke’s attacks. The expression on Luke’s face changed, pressing harder. 

Those that weren’t there when it happened watched as Percy held himself up against an experienced swordsman. 

“Woah, what?”

The scene slowly started going back to its normal quality, Percy tiring. He started slowing with his sword, growing unbalanced. 

I knew…figured, What the heck?

Percy pulled the disarming maneuver. Clang. Luke’s sword fell to the ground, Percy’s own sword pointed at Luke’s undefended chest. The arena was silent. 

Ares’ eyes widened. 

Paul could barely follow what was happening because sword-fighting was very fast-paced, but he still gaped, extremely awed. Even Sally couldn’t hide her surprise at her beginner, twelve-year-old son.

“And that was your first time doing that?” Jason stared at Percy. “The technique that usually takes years?”

“I had an energy boost,” Percy started playing with his pen again, looking down on his lap rather than meeting anyone’s eyes.

“But an energy boost doesn’t give you the skill to do it.” Hazel pointed out. “You just get stronger.”

“You are a natural,” Poseidon laughed, pride filling his loud voice.

Percy lowered his sword. ‘Um, sorry.’ He shifted uncomfortably at the silence. Luke was stunned.

“Sorry? You just kicked ass!”

Percy rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “Habit?”

Leo sighed. He understood where Percy’s need to apologize stemmed from.

‘Sorry?...Show me that again!’ Luke grinned excitedly.

I didn’t want to…abandoned me.

“So the energy boost lasts for a short time only?” Paul asked.

“It lasts longer if it’s saltwater,” Percy nodded. “Or even just being around the ocean.”

Luke insisted. This time, there was no struggle. Luke quickly disarmed Percy the moment their swords touched. Silence covered the arena again before someone said, ‘Beginner’s luck?’

“The confusion!” Travis wailed. 

“Travis look, we look so confused,” Connor snorted, pointing at their faces on the screen while pulling on his brother’s sleeve. 

Luke wiped his sweat, looking at Percy with newfound interest. ‘Maybe…a balanced sword…’

“Well,” Nico started. He was thinking of what Percy did after the Styx. He was a whirlwind with his sword. Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to continue, but he didn’t.

“Well, what?” Rachel prodded.

“What, you want me to say it?” Nico furrowed his eyebrows. “I can’t do that, remember?” 

“Thanks for that,” Will snorted. “But yeah, balanced sword plus Percy Jackson?” He recalled the Battle of Manhattan. “Basically a one-man army.”

The scene changed. It fast-forwarded to the next day, Friday. Grover and Percy were on the climbing wall. Grover was quick, like a mountain goat. Percy wasn’t so lucky, the lava almost touching him, burning holes in his shirt. He almost fell a few times. 

Percy panted slightly. “I don’t remember the wall being that hard to climb.” He patted down his smoking hoodie, thankful that a hole didn’t really burn through the material.

“Percy, you could barely even walk properly in armor before,” Annabeth teased. 

“I get it, I was tiny,” Percy immediately turned his gaze on Frank before he could say anything. Frank gave him an innocent smile, shrugging like what can I say? “Nowhere near as strong.”

Clarisse hid her snort of amusement.

Once they were done, they made their way to the lake, sitting on the pier. They watched as the naiads weaved baskets underwater before Percy finally asked how Grover’s conversation with Mr. D went. Grover turned a bit yellow. ‘Fine’ … ‘So did you get it?’

“Searcher’s license?” Hazel tilted her head, not used to fauns– satyrs –doing anything important.

Nico, sensing his sister’s confusion, leaned over to whisper to her. “It was one of their jobs but they don’t really need that job anymore. You’ll see.”

Hazel nodded along with Frank.

‘Mr. D suspended judgment.’ … ‘Of course, I’d want you along!’

“My own best friend,” Percy placed a hand on his chest, mocking hurt. “Didn’t believe I’d get a quest?”

“Well, did you see yourself on that wall?”

“Hey!”

“Meanwhile,” Thalia smirked. “Annie over here was already convinced you’d bag that quest.”

Annabeth glared at her. “I was right, wasn’t I?”

Thalia just laughed in response.

‘Basket-weaving…useful skill.’ Grover mourned, looking at the naiads. Percy immediately tried reassuring him—that he had a bunch of talents—but Grover just looked even more miserable.

“And now you’re Lord of the Wild,” Percy whispered so that only Grover (and Annabeth beside him) could hear. Any louder and it would’ve been a spoiler. Grover blushed, bashful. Annabeth chuckled, ruffling his hair. “You’re amazing, Grover.”

They changed the subject, talking about the pros and cons of the gods, but it quickly moved on to Percy asking about the four empty cabins. 

Percy sighed in relief, thankful that it didn’t show all the details of their conversation about the gods. He would’ve been smitten on the spot. 

‘Number eight…she’d be mad.’

“You forget my hunters reside there when they visit, satyr.” Artemis raised an eyebrow at Grover. 

“Of course, Lady Artemis. Sorry, Lady Artemis.” Grover all but stuttered. 

Thalia stifled her laughter.

‘Yeah, okay…Big Three?’ Percy pointed at the three cabins at the end. 

Hera glared at Percy, but she was completely ignored by the demigod. 

Hades scowled. He did not have a cabin, unfortunately. 

Nico gave his dad a quick glance. He’d be so surprised if he sees camp as it is now. 

Grover tensed a bit. ‘No…That’s her husband's job.’

Thalia choked. “Grover!” She laughed. Hera’s face was priceless!

“The satyr isn’t wrong, father,” Dionysus smirked, seeing Zeus’ face whose expression was in between rage and embarrassment. 

Grover hid from Zeus and Hera behind Annabeth’s shoulder. 

‘When…sons of Kronos.’ Grover corrected Percy. Percy nodded in realization. ‘Zeus, Poseidon, Hades.’

Demeter and Hera rolled their eyes as the brothers sat up straighter at the mention of their names. Hestia shook her head in amusement. 

‘Right…decide who got what.’

“So…” Paul hesitated. “You really just drew lots? For your domains?”

“Yes, pretty much,” Poseidon answered him immediately, to avoid Zeus saying anything about mortals asking him questions. “They fit us very well, no?”

“The sky fits that airhead very well.” Hades pointed at Zeus with a smirk. 

They all turned their attention back to the screen before Zeus could say anything back. 

‘Zeus got…Underworld.’ … ‘He doesn’t have a throne…wouldn’t be pleasant. Let’s leave it at that.’

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nico narrowed his eyes, asking before his father could. 

“You know what it was like before,” Grover told Nico, avoiding Hades’ gaze. 

Nico nodded, grumbling. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Uhh, Uncl—Lord Hades?” Percy started, faltering slightly at Hades’ sharp stare. “The things we say here about you aren’t all that good but I can tell you we don’t think like that anymore.”

Hades furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

“I guess you could say we’re more accepted?” Nico shrugged. "Especially compared to before."

Hades was surprised, but he hid it well. Was four years into the future really that different? That would explain why a son of Hades had no problem interacting with the children of Zeus and Poseidon. 

‘But Zeus and Poseidon…empty?’ … ‘About sixty years ago…swore on the River Styx.’ Thunder boomed. 

“Oh.” Frank squeaked. “That’s why.” 

“World War II was a demigod war?” Paul asked in disbelief. 

No one said anything about the other reason the oath was made. 

“Hey, Thalia,” Percy leaned back. “Remember when we almost started World War III between the two of us?”

Thalia grinned and nodded. “Memories.”

The gods stared at them in disbelief. What?

“Let me join next time,” Nico crossed his arms. “I was ten then.”

“Please don’t,” Pollux laughed nervously. “The first time was terrifying enough.”

Jason and Hazel exchanged glances. 

Annabeth leaned over to Percy. “I wasn’t there right?”

Percy shook his head. “Nope.”

‘That’s…can make.’ … ‘kept their word—no kids?’

“Ha, yeah right.” Percy scoffed. “I was so clueless.”

“Five children of the Big Three in this very room,” Demeter shook her head. “Unbelievable.”

“Well, none of mine were born after the oath,” Hades gloated. 

“Zeus broke it first,” Poseidon accused. 

“You still broke it!” Zeus shot back. “And the other is Roman!”

Percy slammed his head on Nico’s bean bag, Nico slapped his hand to his forehead, and Thalia smushed a pillow to her face. Hestia chuckled at her brothers’ children. 

“Do they usually act like this?” Jason looked at his father and his uncles with wide eyes, asking Hazel. Hazel shrugged, covering her smile with her hand. 

Grover’s expression darkened. ‘ Seventeen years ago…terrible fate on his daughter.’

“Lucky us, Kelp Head,” Thalia mumbled, muffled slightly by the pillow. “Scapegoat for immortals that broke a little promise.”

Percy huffed, not lifting his head from the bean bag. 

Percy looked at Grover in disbelief. ‘But…little girl’s fault.’ 

“Little girl? I was your age!” Thalia peeled her face off of her pillow to glare at Percy. “Well, your on-screen age but you get my point!”

“Just following what Grover said,” Percy looked up from the bean bag, giving Thalia an innocent smile. “Besides, you’re technically younger now— oof.” A pillow hit Percy straight in the face. 

“Okay now give it back.”

“No, it’s mine now— hey!”

Thalia smiled, cuddling the pillow she snatched back. 

‘Percy…powers greater than other half-bloods…almost made it…top of that hill.’ Grover pointed to the pine tree standing on top of the hill. 

“Hard to believe that Percy is that much more powerful than others supposedly,” Paul mused, talking to Sally. “I kind of just see him as my stepson, you know?”

Sally hummed. “I guess you’ll be able to see it now.” She gestured to the box. 

“Almost made it?” Piper looked at Thalia confused. 

‘All three Kindly Ones…why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill.’

“You…w-what?” Jason looked at his sister, dazed. 

“Don’t they tell you this story at camp?” Percy asked Piper and Leo, both looked shocked at the story. 

“We came when you…you know.” Leo tore his gaze away from Thalia to answer Percy. “So everything was more about you.”

“Oh.” Percy blinked. 

“I’m fine Jase,” Thalia softened, ruffling Jason’s hair. “I’m here now.”

“Yes, I still don’t know how that would happen,” Athena furrowed her eyebrows, still wondering how Thalia was alive and kicking. 

Thalia gave her an exaggerated shrug. “Spoiler, I guess.”

Percy stared at the tree. 

The story made me feel hollow, and guilty too…could I have saved my mother?

“Defeating the Minotaur by yourself is still a big feat, you know,” Annabeth muttered, gently resting her head on his shoulder. 

Percy kept his gaze down on his legs, not saying anything. Annabeth sighed, rubbing his thigh. 

‘Grover…Underworld?’

Poseidon shook his head in defeat. Percy wouldn’t drop the topic of the Underworld. 

Grover looked at Percy. ‘Sometimes’ … ‘you’re not seriously thinking—’

“Houdini was a demigod?” Paul whispered. 

“That’s what you got from that?” Sally giggled at him. Yes, she was worried about Percy wanting to go to the Underworld just to get her back, but she knew that it had happened already. All she could do now was watch. 

Percy cut him off, lying. ‘No…guard a demigod?’ He changed the subject, asking about satyrs instead. Grover studied him, not believing Percy. ‘Not always…child of the Big Three…we alert Chiron…could cause really huge problems.’ Grover explained.

“Grover, you’re like an expert in that department now.”

‘And you found me…something special’ … ‘I didn’t…You’re probably a child of Hermes or…like Nemesis…Don’t worry about it, okay?’

I got…reassuring himself more than me.

“Wishful thinking,” Grover sighed. 

“Jokes on you, I got the quest anyway.” Percy grinned at him, keeping his voice down. Grover pushed his face away. 

“Nemesis is a goddess,” Annabeth corrected Grover.

“Yeah, slip of the tongue, sorry.” Grover shrugged. “It was still a possibility though. Gods can have children with just about anything and anyone.”

“He’s right,” Apollo nodded.

Fast-forward again to dinner. The energy was high as it was the night of capture the flag.

“We were right,” Percy muttered, rubbing his cheek from where Grover had pushed him. “That was quick.” Annabeth squeezed his arm.

The conch horn sounded through the room as the plates were being cleared away. Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion, carrying a ten-foot-long, gray silk banner with a barn owl on an olive tree.

The cheers from the screen were deafening, proving that capture the flag is definitely one of the most anticipated events at camp.

Athena allowed a small smile on her face, proud. 

“Remember when Percy said he liked capture the flag when we were explaining the war games?” Hazel leaned her elbow on Frank’s knee. Frank smiled, nodding. “Let’s see how they play.”

Clarisse and two other Ares kids ran in next, carrying their flag. It was red with a bloody spear and a boar’s head. More cheers burst from their team.

Ares smiled wickedly, a dangerous glint in his eye. “Yeah, baby.”

The demigods were joining in with the cheers, the adults smiling at them. 

Percy turned to ask Luke a question. ‘Those…flags?’ … ‘First we have to get one.’ They yelled over the loud cheering. 

“Heh, I was going to ask the same question about the flags,” Paul smiled sheepishly. 

“Painting a flag is a bit hard don’t you think?” Chiron responded, amused. 

Luke gave Percy a sly look when he asked whose side they were on. 

The scar…almost evil in the torchlight. 

Percy sucked in a breath. “Oh.” 

Annabeth looked up at him. “Your instincts are so on point, you’re almost prophetic.” 

Percy couldn’t tell if she was joking about the prophetic part. 

‘We’ve…temporary alliance with Athena…you’re going to help.’

Chiron announced the teams. Athena was with Apollo and Hermes. 

Apparently, privileges had been traded…to win support.

Hermes and Apollo high-fived each other. They both waved wildly at Athena who ignored them for the most part. 

“So teams change all the time?” Hazel asked. For them, they were almost always against the first two cohorts. 

“Yeah,” Annabeth nodded. “Best bribe wins.” She winked at Hazel. 

The Ares team was announced. They had everyone else. The screen went through them one by one. Dionysus had two kids, both good athletes. 

Pollux gave a weak cheer as the screen showed him and Castor, fixing their armor. Rachel patted his back, a sign of support. 

Demeter’s kids were shown next, practicing a few moves with the plants around them. 

Katie pumped her fists in the air, smiling. 

Aphrodite’s kids were talking amongst themselves, fixing each other’s hair and clothes. 

Piper watched her siblings, shaking her head with a sigh. 

Clarisse spotted Silena, somewhere behind all her siblings, helping some of their younger campers. She bit the inside of her cheek. 

Hephaestus only had four people. Their muscles from working in the metal shop 24/7 were prominent. 

Leo whooped. Will tapped his shoulder, pointing at one of the bigger kids. “That’s Beckendorf.”

Leo immediately whipped his head to the screen, following Will’s finger. He realized he could maybe learn a thing or two about his predecessor through this. 

Percy’s grip on the pillow he was holding tightened at the sight of Beckendorf. It still hurt. 

Finally, Ares’ children. A dozen mean-looking campers standing with confidence. 

Clarisse huffed, knowing what happens to them in this game. 

Chiron pounded his hood to get everyone’s attention. He announced the rules. 

“Well, this is different from the capture the flag I’m used to,” Paul said as he listened to Chiron enumerate the rules. 

Sally chuckled. “I’d hope so.”

‘…Arm yourselves!’ Chiron ended, spreading his arms out. All the tables in the pavilion filled up with equipment: from helmets to spears. 

Paul gaped and Sally’s eyes widened at the weapons. Her parental instincts still preferred kids to stay away from weapons. It doesn’t help that her own son has a sword that can’t leave his side. 

‘Whoa…use these?’ Percy staggered back in surprise. Luke looked at him like he was crazy. ‘Unless you…be on border patrol.’ Luke handed Percy his equipment. 

Percy grunted, feeling the weight of the metal. “Was I really this weak?” He complained. 

“At least you could carry it,” Will pointed out. “Some newbies couldn’t even stand.”

Percy was visibly weighed down by his huge shield. It had a caduceus in the middle of it. His helmet had the blue horsehair plume of their team. He lifted his shield slightly, observing it. 

I could have snowboarded…run fast. 

Thalia scrunched her nose. “What’s it with you and snowboarding with shields?”

“What can I say?” Percy shrugged. “It’s fun.” 

“This kid,” Sally shook her head. 

‘Blue team, forward!’ Annabeth yelled. Blue team cheered as they followed Annabeth down the south woods. Red team was taunting them from behind, heading north. 

“Wow, Annabeth,” Piper watched as Annabeth led her team. “And you were twelve.”

Percy caught up to Annabeth, struggling slightly with his armor. He greeted her, but Annabeth kept marching forward. ‘So…loan me?’ Percy tried. Annabeth’s hand flew to her pocket. 

“Think I’d steal your cap?” Percy smirked at Annabeth. 

“I was still associating you with Hermes,” She covered his face with her hand. 

‘Just…your job?’ … ‘It’s easy…Athena always has a plan.’ Annabeth pushed forward, leaving Percy in the dust. ‘Okay…on your team.’ He mumbled, sad. 

Annabeth squeezed Percy’s hand, an apology. Percy squeezed hers back. 

“A bit cold, don’t you think?” Hazel asked Annabeth. 

“Quite,” Annabeth agreed, even if they were talking about her own actions. “I guess I just wanted him in position as soon as possible.”

Athena watched, analyzing Annabeth’s strategy and nodding in approval. 

“Percy, has anyone ever told you that you look like a baby seal with your puppy eyes?” Piper looked between the Percy on-screen and the Percy in the room with her.  

“What?”

“Nevermind.”

Percy walked to where Annabeth stationed him. It was dark, fireflies could be seen every now and then. Percy stood by the creek as the rest of the Blue team hid in the trees. Percy’s sword dragged on the floor. Unbalanced again. 

“Gods, Percy, you’ve really grown.” Sally’s heart almost burst at the sight of her small son on the screen. 

“We watched him grow!” Travis wiped a fake tear away. 

“You only see me during the summer,” Percy pointed out. 

“Yeah, yeah.”

Chiron watched as Percy stuck his tongue out at Travis. Yes, Percy really did grow. As a hero, and much more, as a person. 

There was…Olympus had to have liability issues, right?

“Uh, sure.” Nico picked at the frayed ends of his shirt. 

“Can you believe I thought no one would attack?” Percy snorted, laughing at the ridiculousness of his own thoughts. “How clueless.”

The conch horn blew. Cheers erupted from everywhere in the woods. Percy watched as an Apollo kid leaped through the creek like a deer before disappearing from sight. 

Great. I’ll miss all the fun, as usual. 

“Hey, remember the times when I missed all the fun?” Percy said loudly, voice laced with sarcasm. 

Poseidon looked at his son worriedly. What was that supposed to mean?

Sally blew out a puff of air. If Percy keeps this up, she would get a heart attack. 

“Always the life of the party now, huh?” Jason gave Percy a sympathetic look. 

“Sadly.”

A low growl sounded through the room. 

Everyone froze. A chill ran down Percy’s spine. 

“What was that?” Paul asked, panicked. 

“That early in the game?” Annabeth looked at Percy, wide-eyed. 

“That’s terrifying,” Sally whispered, her and Paul moving closer to each other. They weren’t used to this. 

A lot of the demigods automatically tensed, reflexes kicking in, before remembering that it was merely a projection. 

“It could’ve happened much earlier,” Katie said, a slight shake in her voice. “When no one was there…”

“What?” Piper demanded. “What is it?” 

“Uh, Pipes, they can’t say anything, remember?” Leo calmed her down. 

Piper clenched her jaw, sitting back. “Watching. Right.”

Jason placed a hand on her knee. 

The growling stopped just as Percy raised his shield. It was like nothing was there. 

Annabeth started chewing on her fingernails. Percy quickly took her hand away from her mouth, placing it in both of his. 

Suddenly, on the other side of the creek, five Ares kids came out screaming and yelling. ‘Cream the punk!’ Clarisse led them. 

Ares smirked. 

Athena nodded, attentive. Her suspicions of her daughter’s strategy were right. 

Clarisse started grumbling. Something about stupid water and spears. 

“So much for Olympus’ liability issues,” Percy mumbled. 

Clarisse’s glare was intense behind her helmet, five-foot-long spear glowing red in the dark. The other campers all held bronze swords. They charged Percy. 

Sally tensed, eyes checking on her son every now and then. Percy’s had enough problems with mortal bullies already. 

Poseidon’s steely gaze flitted between Ares and her daughter. 

Clarisse shifted uncomfortably, feeling Percy’s parents all watching her. 

Percy looked behind him. It was no use, he was alone. 

“What kind of plan is this?” Poseidon demanded. His gaze landed on Annabeth.  “No backup for him? The new kid?”

Percy pulled her closer, choosing to keep watching instead of answering his father. He’d see for himself anyway. 

Percy sidestepped the first kid’s swing, but they had him surrounded. Clarisse attacked, but Percy blocked it with his shield. 

Percy jolted, arm quickly pulling away from Annabeth. He gritted his teeth and shook his head when Annabeth tried touching him. His arm had gone numb and his body tingled. 

Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. 

“Seriously Thalia,” Percy tried rolling his shoulder but ended up wincing in pain. “I think you helped build up my tolerance to that over the years.” He could really use that tolerance now. 

“You barely even saw each other after Thalia left camp,” Annabeth pointed out. 

“So?” Percy huffed. “That’s how much she shocked me every time we were together.”

Thalia grinned, sparks flying in between her fingers, winking at Percy and Annabeth. 

As Percy was trying to recover from the shock, another Ares kid slammed his chest with the butt of his sword. All of them laughed at Percy hitting the dirt. 

Percy gasped, falling over from his sitting position. 

Will scooted a bit closer, alert. 

‘Give…Grab his hair.’ Clarisse ordered. Percy staggered to his feet, raising his sword. Clarisse slammed it aside, sparks flying. ‘Oh, wow…Really scared.’ Clarisse mocked. 

Percy groaned, losing feeling in both of his arms now. 

A low growl came from Poseidon, glare directed at the daughter of Ares who wisely avoided his gaze. 

Hades threw a pillow into his brother’s lap. “Hold that.”

“No worries Mrs. Blofis,” Chiron said when he felt Sally look at him. “Rest assured I talked to her and her cabin mates after the game.”

‘The…that way.’ Percy pointed. 

I wanted to sound angry…out that way. 

“Yeah, no it didn’t,” Percy made a face at the way his voice shook on-screen. He didn’t get up from his position on the floor, knowing what was to come. 

‘Yeah, we don’t care…made our cabin look stupid.’ One said. Percy snarked back. ‘You…without my help.’

Ares snarled at Percy, who was face-palming himself on the floor. 

“Words as your weapon,” Leo snickered. “Respect.”

“Percy, you still say stuff like that,” Annabeth laughed at him. 

“True,” Percy’s voice was muffled behind his hands. “But at least I can fight back now.”

They scowled, two of them coming for Percy. He tried backing up, but Clarisse was fast, striking her spear against his breastplate right on the ribs. 

Some people winced at the sound the spear made against Percy’s armor. 

Percy grunted at the electric shock that reverberated through his body. 

With no time to recover, another camper slashed at his arm, leaving a cut. Percy looked dazed, staring at the blood. 

Percy yelped, clutching his arm in surprise, still not expecting it. When he pulled back, everyone could see blood seeping through the cloth of his hoodie. 

Sally gasped, sitting up and getting ready to stand. Paul stared at the blood with wide eyes. 

Will was by Percy’s arm in an instant. Apollo was on standby, watching the demigods from where he sat. 

“We know we can’t heal it fully,” Will muttered. “But maybe I can…”

“I’m fine,” Percy gritted his teeth. “It’ll be gone soon. Wait for the other one.”

“Let me at least put some pressure.”

‘No maiming.’ Percy managed to say. The Ares kid did not look sorry at all, grinning, ‘Oops…dessert privilege.’

“That’s the punishment for maiming?” Sally’s voice was stern as she addressed Chiron. 

“It is included in the punishment,” Chiron calmed her down. “But it is not all.” 

“Mom, I’m fine,” Percy said when Sally’s gaze landed on him. “Wasn’t even a maim, more of just a scratch.”

“Not helping, Percy.”

“Shutting up now.”

The guy pushed him into the creek, laughing at him along with his buddies. Percy landed with a huge splash. Everything cleared. 

The smile melted off of Ares’ face. Clarisse’s scowl deepened. 

Poseidon brightened, a smirk threatening to grow on his face as Percy made contact with the water. It only grew when he heard his son’s sigh of relief. 

“I think it’s okay now, Will.” 

“Shush, I’ll just stay here.”

The water…double-espresso jelly beans. 

“Ooh, they’ve done it now!” Leo laughed, excited. Percy’s water powers were always so cool on the Argo. The rest of the seven looked excited to see what would happen too. 

“Finally,” Percy felt under his hoodie. The cut began to close. He no longer felt like he just walked through an electrical fence.

“Good.” Will could sense the cut closing as well. He focused all of his attention on the screen, but not before shooting Clarisse a small smirk. “I wanna see this.”

Percy stood just as Clarisse and her cabinmates started walking into the creek. Percy had a new glint in his eyes. 

I knew what to do. 

“Let’s go, Percy!” Travis cheered. “Blue team for the win!” 

Paul and Sally watched the screen with rapt attention, sensing the tides about to turn. 

It all happened very fast. Percy swung at the first guy, knocking his helmet clean off and sending him crumpling into the water. Two more came at him. He slammed one in the face with his shield, and sheared the other’s horse head plume with his sword. They backed up quickly. The fourth didn’t attack, nervous, but Clarisse plowed on.   Percy caught the shaft of her spear with his shield and sword as she thrust, and snapped it. The snapping sound was clear as day. 

“What the actual hell?” Leo’s jaw dropped. Actually, pretty much everyone’s jaw was dropped, wide eyes landing on Percy, who was still sprawled on the floor, since they weren’t there when it happened. 

Other than Clarisse and Annabeth of course. 

“That was what, five on one?” Frank stuttered. Those were children of war!

“Four technically.” Percy slung his arm over his eyes. 

“Four—it doesn’t matter!”

“Okay,” Paul nodded, dumbstruck. “I’m starting to see the ‘more powerful than most’ part now.” 

“You broke her spear?” Ares seethed.

Clarisse lifted the one beside her up. “I have a new one, father.” She made it so that her tone was indifferent. She didn’t want to give anyone the benefit of the doubt that she felt any upset feelings. 

Ares wasn’t having any of it. “This is why that stupid oath should have been kept too!” He whined to his father. “Your children get too destructive.”

“As if your children aren’t any better, Ares.” Poseidon shot back. “Back off.”

Ares directed his glare to Percy instead, ignoring Poseidon. “You…”

‘Ah!…corpse-breath worm!’ Clarisse screamed at him. Percy stopped her from saying anything else by slamming the butt of his sword right between her eyes, causing her to stumble out of the creek. 

“And he did all of that, with no bloodshed,” Poseidon said, giving Ares a pointed look. 

Screams sounded from everywhere as suddenly, Luke raced toward the boundary line, red flag raised high. His cabinmates plus a few Apollo kids covered him from the back, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. 

Hermes started cheering and the Stolls started laughing, high-fiving Will even though he wasn’t seen on the screen. 

Athena’s eyes gleamed. A good strategy always won. 

‘A trick! It was a trick!’ Clarisse yelled, cursing as all the Ares kids got back up. They tried to stop Luke, but he jumped across the boundary into friendly territory. The cheers exploded. The banner shimmered, design changing into a silver banner with a caduceus in the center. Luke was carried onto the shoulders of cheering campers. Chiron blew the conch horn, joining them in the woods. 

Hermes started laughing at Ares’ fuming face. Athena smirked at the war god as well. Apollo was just cheering, fists in the air.

Paul looked dazed—in a good way. “So that’s how the flags change.” He was able to say. 

Hazel was grinning widely. “That looks so fun.”

“I’d love to play a game against the Greeks,” Frank nodded, smiling. 

“Right? If we can somehow get the camps to get along, it’d be so fun actually.” Jason agreed. 

Annabeth heard them. “A Greek vs Roman capture the flag game sounds great.” She whispered to them. 

The seven thought about it. If all goes well and Reyna is able to deliver the Parthenos, the two demigod groups could really do so much together. 

“War games too!”

The screen focused back on Percy who was grinning widely. Suddenly, Annabeth’s voice sounded through the room. ‘Not bad, hero.’ Percy looked around confused. ‘Where…fight like that?’ She suddenly appeared, Yankees baseball cap in hand. 

“You can turn invisible?” Frank asked. 

“Wouldn’t that have been helpful onboard?” Leo couldn’t remember a time Annabeth used this on their quest so far. 

“You don’t think I know that?” Annabeth glared, but the fight slowly seeped out of her eyes as she muttered. “It stopped working.”

“Oh,” Piper realized. “That’s the same cap in your room isn’t it?”

“Why?” Athena heard her daughter. “That was a gift from me, was it not? It wouldn’t just stop.”

“Calm, Wise Girl.” Percy reminded, calming his own self down as well. Annabeth nodded and took a deep breath. She faced her mother. “Exactly.” Annabeth met the eyes of her mother head-on. 

Athena’s eyes widened. Me?

Percy looked mad. ‘You set me up…all figured out.’ Annabeth didn’t look fazed. ‘I told…always has a plan.’

Ares scowled. He hated that phrase. 

‘A…me pulverized.’ Percy protested. Annabeth shrugged again. ‘I came…you didn’t need help…do that?’ Annabeth stared at Percy’s arm. 

“Imagine if you weren’t Poseidon’s son,” Will mused. “Maybe it would have actually gotten you pulverized.”

“If he wasn’t Poseidon’s son, he wouldn’t have gotten the Ares cabin mad.” Katie pointed out. “He would’ve gotten dunked in the toilet.”

“Thanks, guys,” Percy grumbled. 

‘Sword cut…think?’ Percy moved his arm. Annabeth shook her head. ‘No…Look at it.’ Percy finally looked down at his arm. A long white scratch was fading. Eventually, it disappeared. 

“So cool,” Leo watched the cut heal, awed. 

“That is so unfair!” Thalia complained. “I don’t heal by inhaling air!” 

“Thalia, that’s just breathing.” Jason pointed out. 

“I swear Percy can list his powers but all I can say is that I electrocute people.” Thalia kept going. “Don’t. Say a word. About flying.” She pointed at Jason and Leo. Jason quickly raised his hands up in surrender. 

“You’re still insanely powerful though. That and the hunter stuff too.” Annabeth told her. 

“You know what’s unfair?” Percy pointed at Frank, sitting up abruptly and ignoring Will’s warning. “This guy can shapeshift because he’s a descendant of Poseidon. Not even Neptune. Poseidon.”

“Percy,” Frank hissed, embarrassed. “Would you drop that?” 

“Never.”

“You can shapeshift?” Rachel asked, surprised. 

“Wait,” Poseidon sat up. “You are a descendant of Periclymenus, then?”

“Yes sir.”

“I see.” 

“Hold on. So that means you can turn into things like an elephant?” Travis asked excitedly. “Or a dragon?” Connor joined in. 

“Yes!” Percy answered them. “So cool right?”

Frank groaned. Percy was so amazed at his shapeshifting ability, he doesn’t realize how cool he was with his own Poseidon water powers. 

Percy looked lost. ‘I-I don’t get it.’ Annabeth was thinking hard. She looked down at Clarisse’s broken spear and Percy’s feet. ‘Step out of the water, Percy.’ Percy tried questioning her, but eventually followed the order. As soon as he stepped out of the water, he stumbled, Annabeth catching him. 

Percy paled, falling backward and back to his lying-down position. Will crossed his arms and gave him an I told you so look. 

Annabeth cursed. ‘…assumed it would be Zeus.’

“And why is that, girl.” Zeus narrowed his eyes at Annabeth. 

Annabeth huffed. “I just thought…with Thalia already born and the oath and all.”

“See,” Hera glared at Zeus. “Your actions caused people to naturally expect you to have more children. Even after that oath!”

Hera’s complaints fell deaf on Zeus’ ears. 

Percy was going to ask something, but the growl from earlier came again, much closer than before. 

Everyone tensed again. Sally and Paul stiffened, gripping each other’s hands tightly. 

A howl ripped through the forest and the room. The cheers of the campers died instantly. Chiron yelled in Ancient Greek. Annabeth drew her sword. 

Stand ready! My bow!

“What the…” Piper looked around, trying to see if she could spot anything in the projection of trees around them. She gasped, along with a few others, as the thing revealed itself on-screen. 

On the rocks just above them, was a huge black hound the size of a rhino. Red eyes and dagger-like fangs. It was staring straight at Percy. 

Sally watched, terrified. Paul wasn’t any better, staring at the monster, seeing it clearly. 

“A hellhound?” Poseidon demanded, pillow flailing around as his hands flew up in annoyance. “Hades, is that from you?” 

“No, you dimwit!” Hades shoved him. “Someone obviously had to summon it from within the borders.”

Percy had to hold Annabeth’s hands again to stop her from biting her fingernails. 

‘Percy, run!’ Annabeth yelled, but everyone, including Percy, was frozen in their spots. 

Sally whimpered, leaning closer to Paul. 

Annabeth tried to step in front of Percy, but the hellhound was too fast. It leaped over Annabeth straight into Percy. Its claws ripped through Percy’s armor, the sound loud and unpleasant like ripping paper. 

Percy yelled out in pain. 

A cluster of arrows hit the hound’s neck. It fell dead on the ground. Chiron trotted up next to them, bow in hand. 

“Percy!” Annabeth desperately squeezed his hand. 

“Oh, gods.” Sally stood, Paul staring in horror from behind her. 

Percy’s hoodie was quickly turning red, blood spilling from his chest. Will ripped the hoodie over Percy’s head, discarding it along with Percy’s also bloodstained shirt. 

Everyone could see the claw marks of the hound, slashed across Percy’s chest. Hazel covered her mouth, elbow hitting Frank who didn’t even notice as he was watching his friend, wide-eyed. 

Poseidon automatically tried pouring water over it, but it didn’t close. Blood just washed away with the water but that didn’t help seeing as blood was still coming out of the wound. 

Percy was just thankful he was lying down on the floor, wincing slightly when Will started applying pressure with a cloth from Apollo. 

“Just keep watching!”

‘Di immortales…not supposed to’ … ‘Someone inside the camp.’ Chiron looked grim. Luke walked up beside them, flag in his hands. 

“Was it…?” Nico asked Annabeth, eyebrows furrowed. The look on Annabeth’s face was answer enough.

‘It’s…Percy summoned it.’ Clarisse yelled. Chiron told her to quiet down. The hellhound’s body disappeared into the ground through the shadows. 

Poseidon glared at Clarisse. “Why you—”

“Dad! Not now please.” Percy groaned, chest hurting like Hades. 

‘You’re…get in the water.’ Annabeth told Percy. He staggered. ‘I’m okay.’

“Where’s ‘okay’ in that?”

‘No…Chiron watch this.’ Annabeth said as Percy tiredly stepped back into the creek, the campers crowding around them.  

Percy heaved a sigh of relief, closing his eyes. 

Sally’s legs gave out from under her. Paul steadied her, bringing them back down to their seats earlier. 

The wounds on his chest began closing. Percy looked better as well. Gasps sounded out from everyone. Percy tried to apologize, not seeing what everyone was looking at. 

Leo bit his lip at Percy apologizing again. His childhood really affected him. 

Will, with Annabeth’s help, started cleaning the blood from the healing wounds. 

‘Percy, um…’ Annabeth pointed above his head. Percy looked up just as the sign was fading. It was a green glowing holographic image of a trident, spinning above his head. ‘Your father…not good.’ Annabeth muttered. 

Percy slowly sat up, signaling to Annabeth and his mom that he was fine. Everyone else was staring at the claiming on the screen. 

‘It is determined.’ Chiron announced. All around Percy, everyone started kneeling, even the Ares campers. Percy was bewildered. ‘My father?’ As everyone bowed, Chiron continued, bowing slightly as well. ‘Poseidon. Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.’

It was silent as the projection ended, the dramatic mood carrying over to the room. 

It was Paul that broke the silence. “I think that gave me goosebumps, holy…”

“Your claiming was so much more dramatic than mine, dude.” Leo blinked. “Was the kneeling normal before?” 

“Claiming wasn’t as common before, remember?” Piper reminded him. “But also, he’s a Big Three kid. Could be that too.”

“Stormbringer…” Jason trailed off, eyes wide. He wasn’t the only storm. 

The seven stared. Percy almost only exclusively used his water powers, they forgot that Poseidon also technically had control over other things. Earthshaker. 

Poseidon breathed a sigh of relief. He finally claimed his son. 

Percy ignored everything as he looked down and checked on his bare chest. It was healed all right, but he really was getting his injuries again. He sighed. Of course, he was. 

Sally placed a hand on her chest, exhaling with relief as she watched her son stretch slightly. Percy was healed. It was alright. She still needed to make sure, though. “Percy, are you o—Percy Jackson is that a tattoo?”

Chapter Text

Percy froze mid-stretch. A million curses flew through his mind. 

“Uhh…” He glanced down at his arm. Sally was staring at it incredulously before her eyes widened even more. That’s not ink. 

The gods came to the same conclusion, seeing the letters SPQR on the demigod’s forearm. Poseidon gaped. 

“Why do you have the Roman brand?” Zeus demanded. “You are Greek are you not?”

Athena looked at the tattoo distastefully. Not only was her daughter dating the son of Poseidon out of all gods, but he had the Roman’s mark too?

“From what I’ve observed so far,” Athena narrowed her eyes at Percy and Jason. “The son of Jupiter also seems like he knows much about the Greek Camp.”

The demigods looked at each other, panicked. 

“Look,” Percy took the lead, placing a blanket around his shoulders, covering his bare torso and more importantly, his scars. “The future is messed up. I’m not sure if I can say anything about this and the Romans. We should focus on these projections for now.”

Jason nodded. “We don’t know yet if any of this will be shown,” He pointed at Percy’s arm. “But even if it doesn’t, we all think it’s better if you don’t know about it yet. You have enough to worry about with what we’re watching now, especially if you’re going to make changes to your own timeline.”

“Now if we do end up having to watch whatever we’re going through now —and I really hope that’s not the case—then you’ll be able to see why for yourselves.” Percy finished. 

Athena obviously did not like that answer, but she couldn’t exactly argue with it either. She huffed, leaning back on her bean bag with as much dignity as she could sitting so near the floor as an Olympian. 

Chiron watched as the two boys placated the gods. No wonder Hera chose those two for her plan. 

Poseidon watched his son, not really minding the Roman tattoo but instead looking at his form. Yes, he was fit, but he looked thin underneath the muscle he had. What happens in their timeline?

“Let me just get rid of this and we can continue,” Percy sighed, walking over to his discarded clothes. 

“Allow me,” Aphrodite snapped her fingers. The bloodstained clothes disappeared, and a fresh shirt appeared in Percy’s hand. 

Percy blinked before quickly putting the shirt on. “Thank you, Lady Aphrodite.” He bowed his head toward her. 

“No problem, dear.” 

Percy dragged his feet to the box, pressing the next number. He passed by his mom, explaining that she can check on him later and look at the tattoo if she’d like, before going back to his seat.

It was the next morning, Chiron helped Percy move to cabin three. 

I didn’t have to…not listen to anybody else. 

It showed Percy settling down in his cabin, sitting at the Poseidon table at the pavilion, choosing his activities at camp, and calling ‘lights out’ for himself. 

“Well, besides the space for yourself part, we can all do all of that since we’re counselors.” Katie mused. 

“It’s different being alone though,” Pollux pointed out. “And you don’t have to constantly watch over your siblings.”

“It’s alright, I guess.” Percy shrugged. 

And I was absolutely miserable. 

“Oh.”

Percy flinched slightly. Well, that completely contradicted what he just said. 

He looked down, letting the narration explain for itself, avoiding the looks he was getting—especially the ones from his parents. Annabeth’s hold on his hand tightened. 

Just when I’d started to feel accepted…as if I had some rare disease. 

Poseidon frowned. He was a child of the Big Three, wouldn’t he have been celebrated? Then he remembered the oath and the prophecy. 

Sally was doing everything in her power not to grab her son and keep him with her, away from everyone, for the time being. 

Nobody mentioned the hellhound…behind my back…camp that had always been considered safe. 

The projection showed a few scenes of Percy walking through camp, and everyone around him whispering to each other as he walked by. 

The campers that had been there were looking guiltier and guiltier, knowing that they were a part of that. 

Percy felt horrible, the feeling of being singled out like this was something he didn’t want to relive. Not like he had a choice. 

This episode was off to an extremely bad and gloomy start. 

The other campers steered clear…sword lessons with Luke became one-on-one. 

Wherever Percy went, campers moved out of his way, avoiding him as much as possible. 

The campers winced. 

“All because he was claimed as a Big Three kid?” Piper asked, incredulous. 

“Gods, Percy,” Katie covered her face in shame. “We were no better than school bullies. I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry, Perce,” Connor said sadly. Travis nodded beside him. It was true that cabin eleven had been too scared to have another sword class with Percy after his stunt at the creek. 

Nico was surprised. He had always assumed that Percy was welcomed and well-loved since the start. He never would have thought that Percy would know what it was like to be cast out or pushed away. 

He pushed me harder…bruise me up in the process. 

Luke was shown training Percy. ‘You’re gonna…Fifty more repetitions.’

Leo’s eyes widened. “Fifty?” He wasn’t a sword-wielder so he wouldn’t really know how to train with one. 

“It was helpful,” Percy murmured, rubbing his now sore arm. “But sometimes I wonder why he even bothered.”

“He wanted to recruit you, right?” Annabeth muttered back. “He didn’t know you well enough yet. He thought you’d follow him.”

Percy shrugged and nodded. “I guess.”

“Well, that’s one thing to thank him for,” Grover snorted. “Thank the gods you got sword training, even if it was from him.”

Annabeth still…poked her between the eyes. 

Percy and Annabeth finished up one of their Greek lessons. The second they finished, Annabeth would walk away from him muttering stuff to herself. ‘Quest…Poseidon?…Dirty rotten…plan…’

Annabeth’s head fell on Percy’s shoulders. “Friendly much?” She groaned about herself. 

Percy chuckled, supporting her back with his arm. “Don’t sweat it, Wise Girl.”

“You’re too kind, Seaweed Brain.”

“Oh, please.”

Even Clarisse…than be ignored. 

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” Clarisse complained. “I wanted to pummel you to the ground.”

“Not like I could even approach you,” Percy raised an eyebrow. “You chased me away if I even so much as looked at your way.”

“You sure you weren’t just scared of him, La Rue?” Will looked at her.

Clarisse gave him a glare. “You wish, Solace.”

I knew…resented me because one day…

Percy entered his cabin but stopped abruptly seeing a newspaper on the floor near his doorway. He picked it up and opened it to the Metro page. Percy’s expression got stormy, both from his dyslexia and the content of the paper. 

Percy rubbed his face. He didn’t even want to look at the newspaper being shown on screen. He remembered it clearly. 

Thankfully, before any of the demigods yelled out in frustration, the narration read the newspaper out loud. 

BOY AND MOTHER…BY EILEEN SMYTHE

Sally Jackson and son…Gabe Ugliano claims…violent tendencies in the past. 

Everyone scowled at the mention of Gabe and what he said about Percy. 

Police…son Percy is a suspect…crime-stoppers hotline. 

The scene zoomed in on a number on the paper, encircled in black marker. Percy wadded the paper up, throwing it away in anger. 

“Who would do such a thing?” Hazel furrowed her eyebrows, glaring at the screen. Campers winced when her gaze swept through them. They didn’t blame her for looking at them skeptically. Finally, her gaze landed on Percy, worried. 

Ever since the newspaper article was shown, Sally’s heart fell. Her boy didn’t deserve this. 

‘Lights out.’ Percy whispered miserably, flopping on his bed. 

That night, I had my worst dream yet. 

“Worst,” Percy said in disbelief. “If only my past self could see the ones I get now.”

The occupants of the room started bracing themselves, preparing for the dream that they were about to witness. 

The scene shifted to a beach in a storm. A city could be seen in the background. Percy was running through the sand.

Once again, some demigods wrapped blankets around themselves seeing the storm. 

Down the surf, two big, muscular men were fighting each other. They both wore a Greek tunic, one with blue trim and the other with green. Every time they collided, the storm intensified, complete with lightning. 

“It’s not animals anymore,” Demeter crossed her arms. “Now it’s just blatant that it is the two of you.”

“When will we know why?” Hades groaned. 

Dream Percy tried running toward the two men but the wind was too strong, blowing him back. Over the sound of the storm, the one wearing blue could be heard yelling. Give it back!

“You sound like a kindergartner,” Hera raised an eyebrow at her husband. Percy had to hide his snort. He thought the same thing.

“Give what back?” Zeus watched the screen attentively, ignoring Hera.

Percy yelled at the two. Stop it! Stop fighting! It was drowned out by the waves crashing against the shore.

Paul and Sally watched with wide eyes. This wasn’t normal for them.

Jason, as well as Athena, were trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

Suddenly, the ground rumbled. A deep and evil voice laughed from under the earth. Percy froze. Come down, little hero, come down!

Percy shivered, the voice chilling him to the core. The others weren’t doing so well either, the voice creeping everyone out.

“Now I’m sure that that is not me. I do not sound like that.” Hades declared, before paling further under his already pale complexion. “But if that’s not me then…”

“Who else would it be?” Zeus barked. “It must be you, brother.”

Poseidon rolled his eyes but stayed silent, worried about the voice.

The sand under Percy split open, straight through the earth. He slipped, falling straight in and through the darkness. Percy sat bolt upright in his bed, his breathing slightly erratic.

Percy’s breath left him. His arm shot out, gripping Annabeth’s arm like a lifeline. The fall to Tartarus flashed through his mind. The feeling of falling felt too real.

Annabeth held Percy just as tight. “Not real,” She whispered, reassuring both Percy and herself.

The rest of the Seven watched, ready to help if needed. The most they could do was divert the attention, seeing as they were the only ones that witnessed how they ended up in the Pit along with Nico. 

To their relief, Percy let out a shaky exhale, nodding. “I’m good. Just caught me off guard.” He said quietly. 

It was the next morning, but it was still dark outside the cabin. Signs of a brewing storm could be heard through the roll of thunder across the hills. Suddenly, there was a distant clopping noise before a clear knocking sound sounded throughout the room.

“Geez,” Rachel startled. “You’d think I’m used to sudden noises by now.”

‘Come in?’ Percy looked up. It was Grover. ‘Mr. D…see you.’ … ‘He wants to kill- I mean, I’d better let him tell you.’

Percy scrunched his nose. “Comforting.”

“Grover!” Thalia stifled her laughter. “What is this, payback for scaring you?”

“Might as well be,” Grover stuck his tongue out at her. “Besides, why else would a god want to see you?”

“…True.”

“I’d be scared out of my wits if someone told me that,” Frank shuddered. 

Apollo raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying we only call you if we want to kill you?”

“It’s either that or you need us for a favor,” Percy grumbled. 

Apollo stared at him, opening his mouth to retort. Hestia cut in before he could say anything. “Let’s not go there. Let’s keep watching, shall we?”

Percy paused for a moment, nervous, before quickly getting dressed and following Grover out of the cabin. 

For days…expecting summons…figured it was a crime for me to just be alive. 

“Eh,” Dionysus waved his hand dismissively. “No one cared as much as father over here.”

The other gods had probably…Mr. D was ready to deliver their verdict. 

“Yeah, what D said.” Hermes nodded. “We wouldn’t decide on your life just because you were claimed.”

“Didn’t stop them from doing just that for other reasons,” Percy muttered under his breath. It sucked that they could decide if he could live just by the raise of a hand in a vote. 

As the two walked towards the Big House, the sky was dark. Rain was approaching. Percy looked up before asking Grover if they needed an umbrella. Grover shook his head. ‘No…want it to.’

“So much for that,” Grover leaned back on his arms.

‘What…then?’ Percy pointed at the storm. Grover glanced at that direction, uneasy. ‘It’ll pass…usually does.’

“And that’s why they don’t have a roof at the pavilion.” Paul nodded to himself. Sally smiled at his eagerness to learn about this world. 

I realized he was right…skirted right around the edges of the valley.

Hazel looked at the storm clouds warily. “With a storm that big, you would really hope it just passes around you.” Camp Jupiter didn’t exactly have the luxury of magic weather. 

Nearby, everyone was just going around their normal routines, Apollo’s kids playing volleyball with satyrs, Dionysus’ twins at the strawberry fields, but they were all tense, eyes locked on the storm. 

“Some day that was,” Pollux adjusted his blanket on his lap. “I remember it clear as day.”

“That day was not a clear day though,” Travis pointed out, snickering. He laughed louder when Pollux tried throwing a pillow at him. Connor snatched the pillow out of the air and threw it back. Katie had to stop them before it turned into a full-blown game of catch. 

The pair eventually reached the Big House, stepping into its front porch. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table while Chiron sat from across him—just like on Percy’s first day, except this time, there were two invisible opponents, their cards floating in the air. 

Paul blinked at the floating cards before shaking his head. The ones playing pinochle were literally a god and a centaur in a wheelchair. He could handle two invisible beings. 

‘Well…little celebrity.’ Dionysus didn’t even look up from his cards. Percy just waited. Mr. D beckoned him over. ‘Come…just because Barnacle-Beard is your father.’

Poseidon narrowed his eyes at his nephew just as thunder shook the Big House windows, lightning flashing across the sky on the screen. 

Paul, who saw Poseidon’s glare at the wine god, shuddered. A god’s bad side is a no from me. Especially that one. 

“They don’t hear anything unless it’s an insult.” Thalia rolled her eyes at the thunder. 

“Wouldn’t be surprised if they’re hardwired to flash lightning every time someone insults them.” Nico snorted. 

“That’s if you say their names or anything to address them by,” Percy grinned, joining in. “The tip is to not direct it at anyone out loud. You can get away with it a lot more times like that.”

‘Blah, blah, blah,’ Dionysus said. Chiron just kept his gaze down on his cards. Grover cowered by the porch’s railing. 

“After years of being friends with Percy,” Grover chuckled at his scared past self. “I got used to it.”

“Your welcome,” Percy grinned at him. 

“I’m not sure if it’s a good thing.” 

“At least you don’t hide at every clap of thunder anymore.”

‘If I had my way…little brats safe from harm.’ Dionysus said, ignoring the growing disbelief on Percy’s face. Chiron gave him an apologetic look before addressing the god. ‘Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D.’

Dionysus huffed, crossing his arms and avoiding the sea god’s glare. 

Dionysus waved a hand in dismissal. ‘Nonsense…dolphin…back to your father.’ 

“Dionysus,” Poseidon warned. 

“I know, I know,” Dionysus sighed. “None of that.”

“If you really want a dolphin right now, Frank can do that just for you, right now!” Leo snickered. 

Frank reddened. “Valdez.”

It didn’t help that the rest of the Seven were stifling their laughs at what Leo said. 

“What? I’m just saying!”

Chiron gave him a warning, but Dionysus just cut him off. ‘Oh, all right…I’m off to Olympus…Chiron feels you must do.’ Dionysus rose, the floating cards dropping onto the table. He snapped his fingers, disappearing with his security pass in hand. 

“Nah,” Percy said. “I prefer my human body, thank you very much.”

“Uh-huh,” Annabeth smirked. “You sure you don’t want to try life as an animal? At least this one’s a sea creature.”

“Don’t even start,” Percy groaned. “It’s bad enough that we’re probably going to watch that too.”

‘Sit, Percy, please. And Grover.’ Chiron smiled tiredly. He laid down his cards, a winning hand. 

Dionysus grumbled something about horses and winning. 

‘Tell me…make of the hellhound?’ Chiron asked as the two sat down. Percy shuddered at the word ‘hellhound’. 

Chiron probably wanted…didn’t feel like lying. 

“Yes, thank you for being honest,” Chiron nodded. 

‘I was scared. If you hadn’t shot it, I’d be dead.’

Sally shuddered. That possibility was too painful to think of. 

“When hellhounds were still our biggest concern.” Percy blew out a puff of air, exasperated. 

“I know right?” Annabeth replied. “Now you even have your own.” She whispered. 

Percy sighed. He missed his dog. 

‘You’ll meet worse, Percy. Far worse before you’re done.’

“Understatement.”

Percy looked confused. He asked Chiron to clarify. ‘Your quest…accept it?’

“Uhh…am I missing something here?” Paul asked. 

“Nope,” Percy deadpanned. “That’s how he told me.” 

“I say more details eventually,” Chiron said sheepishly. 

Percy glanced at Grover who was crossing his fingers, hoping he’d accept it. Percy looked back at Chiron. ‘Um…what it is yet.’

“At least you asked,” Poseidon dragged a hand down his face. There was no way Percy didn’t go on this quest. Why else would they be watching this?

“I may be reckless,” Percy shrugged. “But I’m not that reckless.”

“…You sure ‘bout that?” Frank asked. 

“Yea—wait, hey!”

‘Well that’s the hard part, the details.’ Chiron grimaced. 

“Isn’t it always,” Nico huffed. 

Thunder rumbled again. The storm clouds reached the beach. It looked like the sky and the sea were mixing together. ‘Poseidon and Zeus…stolen, aren’t they?’

Zeus shot Poseidon a glare. “Stolen?”

“Obviously,” Hera rolled her eyes. “Why else would you have been fighting like that in his dreams?”

“Why is it you accuse me? It could have been you for all I know!” Poseidon glared back at his brother.  

“The better question is,” Hades pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why is it that your first instinct is to accuse the other? It could’ve been someone else for all we know.”

“Like you?” Zeus turned his glare on Hades. 

Thalia started slapping Nico’s shoulder out of frustration. 

“I don’t think I can deal with them any longer,” Nico groaned. Percy nodded in agreement, watching the brothers argue with an unimpressed look. 

“Take it out on each other once you find out what actually happened, would you?” Demeter snapped. The three shut up, but the tense air between them did not disappear. 

Chiron and Grover looked at each other in surprise. ‘How did you know that?’ Chiron asked. Percy blushed, regretting saying anything, but explained anyway. ‘The weather…also been having these dreams.’

“So do you get a lot of dreams like that?” Apollo asked. 

“Uh, yeah,” Percy replied. “Isn’t it another demigod thing?”

“Well, sure demigod dreams always tell us stuff,” Annabeth pondered. “But you seem to get them almost all the time.”

Percy made a face. “Helpful though, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

Grover brightened. ‘I knew it.’ … ‘his quest! It must be!’

Grover groaned. “I was so excited and for what?”

“You wanted the searcher’s license.” Pollux pointed out. 

“Well, yeah,” Grover stuttered. “Oh, you know what I mean!”

‘Only the Oracle…worst quarrel in centuries…To be precise: a lightning bolt.’ Chiron finally revealed. 

The gods fell silent. One by one they turned to look at Zeus who was rendered speechless. 

Zeus’ face of disbelief morphed into that of rage. “My bolt?!” He roared. “Poseidon, you have my bolt?” 

“I don’t need your stupid bolt!” Poseidon barked back. “My trident works for me just fine!”

“Stupid? My bolt is not stupid!” Zeus retorted before realizing his bolt wasn’t in his hands. His eyes widened in panic before bolting to the gods’ quarters. 

Poseidon snorted. “Did that airhead forget that we can still summon our own weapons here?” He crossed his arms, pissed at the accusation. 

“No wonder the weather was so bad,” Athena said. “Not only was something stolen, but it was also the master bolt out of all things!”

Jason looked extremely surprised. How did he not know about this? Sure he noticed the weird weather patterns back then but he never would have thought…

The other members of the seven that had no idea what happened just looked gobsmacked. 

“Where is he?” Hera hissed. “The stupid thing won’t play without him!”

Right as she said that, Zeus barged back into the theater, bolt crackling in his hand pointed straight at Poseidon. 

“Brother, you do remember that gods can’t steal each other’s symbols of power directly, right?” Hestia’s voice calmly cut through the chaos. “Would you please calm down so that we may learn more?”

Zeus kept his bolt pointed at his brother before finally lowering it down slowly. “Fine.” He kept his bolt close as he sat down. “But once I find out who did this, they will pay.”

Throughout the whole incident, the demigods kept quiet, fidgeting nervously. No matter what they thought of him, Zeus was still the King of the gods and one of the Big Three. 

Paul went extremely pale at the display. “How am I going to survive this any longer?” He whispered to Sally. She looked equally as shaken. 

‘A what?’ Percy laughed nervously. Chiron gave him a warning look. ‘Do not take this lightly…god-level explosives.’  

Everyone couldn’t help but glance at the bolt in Zeus’ hands. 

“So that’s what Percy meant,” Hazel murmured. 

“Hmm?” Frank asked. 

Hazel clarified. “When he saw Jupiter’s statue at camp, he said it didn’t look like that.” She chuckled. “Little did we know he’d already seen it.”

‘Oh.’

“Yeah,” Paul squeaked. “Oh.”

‘Zeus’ master bolt…mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers.’ Chiron seemed to be getting a bit worked up. 

Zeus nodded at the description of his symbol of power. 

‘And it’s missing?’

Percy cursed. He stealthily stood up, ignoring his friends’ looks of worry and confusion, and moved to an area near the back of the room where there were no people too near him. 

‘Stolen,’ … ‘By you.’ 

It all happened so fast, but for Percy, it felt like everything was in slow motion. Zeus stood, raging, and pointed his bolt at the son of the sea god. “You!”

Percy met Annabeth’s horrified eyes just as a bright flash of light from the master bolt blinded everyone. 

People screamed and yelled out in alarm. Sally was being held back by both Paul and Chiron. Annabeth was in the same position but with Grover and Nico. 

When the room cleared, everyone stared at where Percy stood, terrified for what they thought they would see.  

Sally collapsed into Paul’s arms. “Oh thank Poseidon!” She sobbed. 

Poseidon had his back facing them. He had pulled Percy against his chest, protecting him. His arm was outstretched to the side, trident shimmering in his hand. Zeus’ lightning strike was absorbed by the water wall he made. Poseidon vaporized the water, making it all disappear. 

“Are you okay, Perseus?” Poseidon looked down at Percy. He was holding him tightly. 

Percy blinked. He looked up at his dad and nodded, a bit dazed. What just happened? “I–yeah, thank you.”

Poseidon shook his head and gave him a small smile. “No need. I’m just doing my job as a father.” He loosened his hold on Percy before turning to glare at Zeus. “Now, what were you thinking? It was obviously not him! We watched him find out about our world. How would he have known about your dumb bolt?

“Blame me all you want, brother, but don’t you dare lay a hand on my son.” Poseidon snarled. 

Zeus sputtered. “Well, he obviously had something to do with it!”

“But. He. Didn’t. Steal. It.” Poseidon emphasized every word. “If you and your thick head could just be calm and listen for once, then you’d be able to find out the actual culprit you dolt.”

Poseidon helped Percy up, face softening when he looked at his son. “Up you go.”

Percy quietly thanked him again. Poseidon gave him a small nudge to go back to his friends. 

As Percy was making his way back to his place, he was tackled in a hug by two people. Sally and Annabeth held him tightly. 

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Percy murmured, hugging them back. 

“Not your fault,” Sally caressed his cheek. “Doesn’t stop it from stressing the life out of me though.” She sighed. 

“Yeah, this won’t be the last time a god tries to kill you.” Annabeth’s face was buried in his shoulder, her voice muffled. “But another scare like that and I might just judo flip someone.”

Percy chuckled. “Noted.” He led his mom and Annabeth back to their seats, before sitting back on his. He felt someone hug him from behind. He smiled when he saw who it was. “Hey, Hazel.”

“Scared me,” Hazel mumbled into his back. 

Percy patted her hand. This just reminded Percy that even though she is part of the seven and one of the most powerful demigods he knew, Hazel was still really young. “Stay here?”

Hazel nodded. She loosened her grip on Percy but didn’t let go. Percy leaned back for Hazel to hold him better. Frank smiled at the two of them. 

The rest of the demigods also moved nearer to each other, making their little crowd even tighter. 

“Be patient, okay? Brother?” Hestia looked at Zeus sternly. “Let’s continue, please.”

Percy gaped. Chiron held up a hand before the demigod could say anything. ‘At least that’s what Zeus thinks…immediately blamed Poseidon…Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it.’

“See? You have no proof. It’s all assumptions.” Poseidon rolled his eyes. He was back in his seat as well, beside Hades and somewhere behind the group of children. 

‘But I didn’t—’ … ‘Zeus…used to topple Zeus from his throne…openly claimed you…found his thief.’

“How many times do I have to say that I do not want to overthrow you?” Poseidon groaned.

“Could have fooled me.” Zeus glared. 

“I have my own kingdom under the sea,” Poseidon shot back. “I don’t need any more responsibilities like that.”

‘But I…Zeus is crazy!’

“Excuse me?” Zeus glared at Percy. 

Percy stared straight ahead, ignoring him. 

“Father.” Thalia looked Zeus in the eyes. They had a mini stare-down before Zeus finally backed down. Thalia sighed. They’d have to deal with this until they found out the true thief. Even then there was no guarantee that Zeus would just accept it. Jason rubbed her shoulder gently. 

Chiron and Grover nervously glanced up. The clouds were rolling straight over the valley, not around. ‘Er…don’t use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky.’ Grover said. 

“We sure do,” Hades muttered quietly. Poseidon snorted in agreement. 

‘Perhaps paranoid,’ Chiron cut in. 

Zeus raised an eyebrow at Chiron. 

‘Then again…question thirty-eight on your final exam.’ Chiron looked at Percy expectantly. 

“I didn’t want his throne,” Poseidon grumbled. 

“Chiron, I can’t remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, much less question number thirty-eight on an exam.” Rachel said. 

How could anyone accuse me…Gabe’s poker party without getting busted. 

Percy sighed, eyes slipping shut at another mention of Gabe. He let his focus drift to the feeling of Hazel playing with his hair instead. 

‘Something about a golden net?’ Percy eventually guessed. ‘Poseidon and Hera…promised to be a better ruler, right?’

Zeus scowled at the reminder. 

“Nothing’s changed,” Apollo whispered to Hermes. “Feel like I got turned into a mortal for nothing.” He secretly glared at Athena, the one that got away with no repercussions. Curse his father and his favoritism. 

‘Correct,’ Chiron said. 

“Oh,” Travis whistled, impressed. “So you actually remembered question thirty-eight or whatever?”

“Nah,” Percy waved a hand up in dismissal, eyes still closed. “I guessed.”

“Ah,” Connor snorted. “Yes of course.”

‘And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since…you’ve come along—the proverbial last straw.’ Chiron continued. 

“Their fights got worse ever since that incident,” Demeter rubbed her temples. “Such a nightmare.”

“As if you don’t join in sometimes,” Hephaestus grunted. “Or pick a fight with Hades.”

“Hazel, you are the only reason why I’m still sane right now,” Percy muttered. Hazel was still playing with his hair, occasionally massaging his head. 

Hazel giggled. “Glad I could help.”

‘But I’m just a kid!’

“So?” Zeus huffed. “Hermes stole Apollo’s cattle when he was born!”

Percy’s eyes snapped open. “Is he serious right now?”

“He’s a god!” Thalia exclaimed incredulously. “Mortal babies literally don’t and can’t do anything else but cry!”

“You’re telling me that mortal “kids” don’t steal?” Zeus asked. 

“Wha—I mean sure they steal,” Leo stuttered. “A cookie from the cookie jar at most!”

The god looked at him blankly. Dionysus rolled his eyes. Of course, his father didn’t understand mortals, unlike himself who actually started out as a demigod and now has to run a camp full of the little brats.

“What Leo is trying to say is,” Annabeth clarified. “A twelve-year-old, not even a teenager yet, is most unlikely to go off and steal a god’s symbol of power.”

“Should’ve known some gods don’t have the proper concept of mortal age,” Nico sank into his bean bag. “A year-old to Zeus is equal to a fully grown spartan warrior.”

“Spartans start training at seven years old.”

“Not my point!”

‘Percy…that put a twist in your toga?’ Grover cut in. 

“Jokes on you I don’t wear a toga,” Percy had fully relaxed in Hazel’s arms again. 

Hazel tapped his head. “You did once.”

“That was one time!”

‘But…have this master bolt stolen, did he?’

Poseidon huffed. “Of course not! I don’t—”

“Don’t need it. Yeah, we know.” Hades cut him off. 

Chiron sighed. ‘Most…thievery is not Poseidon’s style…before the solstice…there will be war.’

“So that’s the summer solstice deadline,” Athena muttered. “Of course it is.”

‘And…full-fledged war would look like, Percy?’ Chiron asked. Percy tilted his head. ‘Bad?’

“Too put it lightly.” Ares grinned. 

‘Imagine…Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight.’ Chiron pushed. Percy just stared. ‘Bad.’ He repeated. 

“Bad.” The demigods repeated. 

“Guys,” Percy whined. Everyone laughed, high-fiving each other. 

‘And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus’ wrath.’ 

“And that’s exactly what just happened.” Annabeth scowled. She rested her hand on top of Percy’s. 

Suddenly, rain started pouring. The ones playing Volleyball stopped to look at the sky, stunned. 

“I was out in the fields when this happened,” Katie remembered. “Had to sprint back. I was dripping wet.”

‘So I have to find the stupid bolt, and return it to Zeus.’

“Stupid?”

“Oh hush you thunderhead.”

‘What a better…son of Poseidon return Zeus’ property?’

“I can’t believe you got caught in the middle.” Jason sighed. “Not a good place to be. Sorry man.”

“Don't be. I’m always caught in the middle,” Percy grumbled. “You’ve had your fair share too I’m sure.”

‘If…where is the thing?’ Percy asked. Chiron’s expression dimmed. ‘I believe…must seek the counsel of the Oracle.’

Apollo sighed at the mention of the Oracle. Rachel sat up. She remembered how the Oracle looked before. It wasn’t great. 

‘Why can’t…beforehand?’ Percy asked. ‘Because…too afraid to accept the challenge.’ Chiron calmly replied. Percy gulped. ‘Good reason.’

“Chiron, the Oracle was probably scarier than you telling me where you thought the bolt was,” Percy said. 

Chiron shrugged. “You’d have to consult the Oracle either way.”

“True.”

‘You agree then?’ Chiron asked to make sure. Percy glanced at Grover who nodded enthusiastically. 

Easy for him. I was the one Zeus wanted to kill. 

Grover winced. “Sorry.” He muttered quietly.

‘All right. It’s better than being turned into a dolphin.’ Percy shrugged

Dionysus raised an eyebrow. “Sure about that?”

“Drop it, nephew,” Poseidon growled.

“Oh all right.”

‘Then it's time…assuming you’re still sane, we will talk more.’ Chiron said. Percy nodded hesitantly, before standing to go inside the Big House.

“Well, that’s not worrying at all,” Leo drawled. “What’s up with this attic?”

“The Oracle?” Piper furrowed her eyebrows, trying to make sense of what she was hearing and seeing. “In the attic?” 

Jason, Piper, and Leo all glanced in Rachel’s direction. Rachel saw this and immediately shook her head, subtle enough for only the three to notice.

Jason sighed. “We’ll just have to wait and see. As usual.”

Four flights of stairs later, Percy stood under a green trapdoor. He pulled the cord and the door swung down, ladder falling into place. Percy made a face from the smell of the air in the attic. He took a deep breath and held it, before climbing up.

Percy rubbed his nose with a scowl. “Forgot about that.” It smelled like snakes. 

Annabeth made a face. She was pretty much the last camper to get a prophecy from the Oracle before Rachel, if not counting Percy getting the paper with the great prophecy written on it. Not a pleasant experience. 

The attic was filled with different stuff. Armor stands and shields covered in cobwebs and rust. Leather steamer trunks with sticker labels. The projection zoomed in on some: ITHAKA, CIRCE’S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. 

Percy stared. “I can’t believe this.” He’s been to both places. Unbelievable. 

Annabeth gripped Percy’s hand and squeezed it every time she saw a cobweb. Seriously, did they have to have the whole 3D experience? Couldn’t it just have been a plain screen?

There was a long table stacked with jars filled with pickled claws, eyes, and a lot more monster parts. 

Sally shuddered, seeing all of the jars. 

Campers that never went up the attic made various faces of wonder or disgust. 

On the wall was a dusty mounted trophy. It looked like a giant snake’s head but with horns and sharp teeth. It zoomed in on the plaque that read HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, N.Y., 1969. 

Percy exchanged looks with Annabeth. It just so happened that the stuff he read was stuff that he would eventually deal with in the future. He would have said something, but Hazel would hear it. He wasn’t risking another spoiler scare. 

Finally, the projection settled by the window. On a stool sat a shriveled female body: a mummy. It wore a tie-dyed sundress, a bunch of necklaces, and even a headband over its long black hair. The face was thin and leathery, with glassy white slits for eyes. 

She’d been dead a long, long time. 

A chill ran through Percy’s back. He felt Hazel’s hands freeze on his hair. “Oh my gods, what is that?”

Piper looked slightly green, so did Sally. Paul had paled, staring at the mummy with his jaw dropped. Leo scrunched his nose, hands nervously twisting the material of his tool belt. Frank and Jason kept their eyes on the mummy, confused. 

The campers of Camp Half-Blood shuddered, especially those that saw it move that one time. 

Apollo rubbed his hands down his face, mumbling to himself. His poor Oracle. 

Rachel looked at him. She wondered if she could keep the fact that the Oracle had changed hosts now from him. At least until it was revealed. 

Hades kept his face passive. 

Suddenly, the mummy sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured out from the mouth, coiling through the floor making hissing sounds. 

A few people yelped in surprise—those that didn’t know that this was the Oracle. 

Percy tried to get back to the trapdoor, stumbling over himself. The trapdoor slammed shut, locking him in. A voice suddenly rang out, freezing Percy in place. I am the spirit of Delphi…Approach, seeker, and ask. 

“That’s the Oracle?” Piper squeaked out. 

Jason’s eyes were wide, flitting between the screen and Rachel. 

Paul felt his stomach churn. “I thought I’ve seen creepy but this might take the cake.”

Apollo didn’t look too happy. He wanted to yell out, tell them the Oracle deserved more respect. Hermes gave him a look, stopping him. “It’s creepy and you know it.”

Apollo huffed, crossing his arms. 

“Thank the gods we have Rachel now,” Annabeth muttered under her breath. Grover, who heard her, nodded in agreement. 

I wanted to say, No thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom. 

Leo snorted. 

“Wonder what it would have said…” Travis mused. 

Rachel raised an eyebrow at him. “You gonna test that out?”

“Nope!” Travis held his hands up. “I’m good, thanks.”

Percy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. 

The mummy…didn’t feel evil…felt more like the Three Fates…not particularly interested in killing me, either. 

Sally sighed. Her son had barely even settled down properly, and he was already thinking about which beings wanted to harm him. 

Annabeth squeezed Percy’s hand again at the mention of the Fates. 

Percy straightened. ‘What is my destiny?’

“Ooh, dramatic,” Nico said. He snickered as Percy kicked his bean bag. 

The green mist swirled and collected in front of him. Suddenly, it formed four men playing cards around a table. Their faces became clearer. 

Percy scowled, directing his gaze to the ceiling instead, head still pretty much on Hazel’s lap. 

Percy’s fists clenched. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies. 

Groans and yells of outrage rang throughout the room. 

Paul pulled Sally a bit closer. She complied, laying her head on his shoulder. 

One by one, Gabe and his friends turned to face him, each saying a line. You shall go west…has turned. 

“God who has turned?” Zeus cast a suspicious glance at Hades. The Lord of the Underworld glared back at him. 

“Your domain is in the west,” Zeus snapped at his glare. “I’m just looking at the possibilities.”

“Everything is towards the west from New York you idiot,” Hades shot back. 

“Would you two just shut up?”

You shall find…safely returned. 

“That better mean my bolt.”

“That better mean you can stop accusing people now.”

You shall be betrayed…friend. 

And you shall fail…most in the end. 

There was silence at the last two lines. 

Percy seemed a bit pale. He exhaled, breath shaky. 

“That…didn’t sound good,” Frank finally said. 

“Yeah, no shit,” Leo breathed. 

“Betrayed?” Piper looked worried. She tried to look around for any answers, but the people she met eyes with would immediately look away. 

“Fail to save?” Hazel looked down at Percy. “And you got this prophecy at twelve?”

“Tell me about pressure,” Percy looked up at her with a small smile. “All’s well, you’ll just have to see.” He patted her hand. 

“You can keep saying you’re fine all you want,” Annabeth said. “But that doesn’t make it any less stressful. Especially with what happens on this quest alone.” She gave her boyfriend a pointed look. 

“I’m wrapping you up in bubble wrap, got it?” Hazel tapped his head. 

Percy laughed. He snuggled further into Hazel’s lap. 

Frank moved closer, smiling down at Percy. “You gave us enough stress during our quest. What more when you were twelve?”

Percy smiled up at him sheepishly. “That’s why you guys are there.” He blinked innocently. 

Grover grinned at Hazel and Frank. “Join me and Annabeth in the ‘Losing our minds over Percy yet he somehow survives’ club.”

They all laughed, Percy pouting in the center of them all. 

The mist began to dissolve. It cooled back into a serpent, slithering back into the mummy. Percy panicked. ‘Wait!…fail to save?’

“Sadly, that won’t work,” Apollo said. “It has delivered the prophecy. It is done.”

“Yup, know that now. Thanks.” Percy huffed. 

Frank heaved out a sigh. “Percy, I swear—”

The mist snake disappeared back into the mummy’s mouth. The mummy leaned back against the wall, as if nothing happened. 

I got the feeling…audience with the Oracle was over. 

“Creepy.” Piper shuddered. She suddenly yelped, jolting in surprise. “Damn you, Leo!” She pushed his face away from her ear. 

Leo cackled. He had hissed in Piper’s ear like a snake to mimic the Oracle. 

The scene changed. Percy was back outside with Chiron on the porch. ‘Well?’ Chiron asked him. Percy was slumped in his seat. ‘She said I would retrieve what was stolen.’

“If only it was as simple as it sounded,” Percy grumbled.

“There, there,” Hazel patted his head. 

Grover chewed on his can excitedly. ‘That’s great.’