Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Percy?” 

He jolted awake, snatching up Riptide from the bedside table. “Annabeth?”

She was standing in the doorway, biting her lip. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” 

“No, no, it’s okay.” He set the pen down and wiped the sleep from his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart. “I wasn’t expecting you this early, is everything okay?” 

“I was going to drop off some blueprints on Olympus on my way over.” She sat beside him, hugging herself. “I couldn’t get in.” 

“Like, the door guy wouldn’t let you in? He should know you by now.” 

“No, like the guard wasn’t there, the button wouldn’t appear, and Hermes didn’t answer when I tried to mail the blueprints up.” 

Percy frowned. “That’s weird. Gods are weird.”

“I don’t like it.” She shivered. “Something feels wrong.” 

He hesitated. “We’d probably know if anything was really wrong. They’d be down here demanding our help. They’re probably just putting us in our place or something.”

“Yeah, maybe.” She sighed. “I’ll check in with Camp tonight. You need to get moving if you’re going to get to the meet on time.” 

Percy glanced at the clock and groaned. “Alright, why don’t you go make yourself some tea while I get ready, and we’ll head out in a few minutes?” 

She kissed his forehead. “I’ll see what you’ve got for breakfast.” 

Percy put the Olympus thing out of his mind, focusing on his swim meet. The day went smoothly, though a little part of him noticed that Rhode and Triton didn’t show up. He tried to push that away, too. They weren’t obligated to be here, and his mom and Annabeth were there cheering his team on, being their incredible selves. His teammates did well, the water soothed the adrenaline left over from that morning’s wake-up, and his coach had good things to say about his form in the fly. 

That evening, though, he sat on his bed next to Annabeth as she sent an Iris Message. “Show me Chiron, at Camp Half Blood.” 

“Annabeth, Percy.” The centaur’s lined face softened when he saw them. “Are you well?” 

“We’re fine. Is everything alright there?” 

Chiron shuffled uncomfortably, hooves clopping. “Mr. D has been recalled to Olympus, without explanation.” 

Annabeth frowned. “I couldn’t get in this morning to drop things off for the rebuilding project, and Hermes isn’t answering when I try to send them up. What’s going on?” 

“I wish I knew, child. I have tried calling multiple deities, anyone who might know what is happening, and have learned little. None of the gods are responding, and no one else knows more than we do.” 

Percy scowled. “It’s been three months. I’m not dealing with this again. We’re not doing another quest.” 

“We have no idea if that will be necessary. There is little purpose in discussing it yet. It may be some sort of council meeting that requires confidentiality.” 

“One including every god?” Annabeth sounded doubtful. 

“You might try reaching out to your parents, but for now there is little else we can do. Olympus may be reopened tomorrow and this will prove to be nothing.” 

“I for one am going to choose to believe that,” Percy said, leaning back against the wall. “I’m tired, and I’m not going to panic over a situation I don’t want anything to do with.” 

“I will update you if any further information comes my way.” 

“Thanks. I’ll do the same,” Annabeth promised, and ended the call. 

Early the next morning, Annabeth brought the humidifier to the living room and tried to place a call to her mother. The rainbow shimmered, but the call never went through. She huddled at the end of the couch, staring into the empty mist. Percy sat beside her, setting a mug of cocoa on the coffee table in front of her. “I’ll try.” 

He picked up a drachma, hesitated, and tossed it in. “Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me my sister Rhode.” 

Nothing. The rainbow rippled, as if trying to form shapes, then settled. Silent. 

Sally had been watching from the hallway. She came to sit beside Percy, taking his hand. “Has she ever responded to Iris Messages before?” 

“I’ve only called her a couple times. Usually it’s harder to get rid of them.” He took a deep breath. “I’m not getting dragged back in. If they don’t want to talk to us, that’s fine. Made it twelve years without any of them. If they want to sulk up on their mountain, they can do what they want.” 

Annabeth reached for his hand. “Percy…” 

“I’m gonna get some air.” He squeezed her hand and left the room. 

Sally wrapped an arm around Annabeth’s shoulders. “How are you, honey?” 

“I don’t know,” Annabeth admitted. “I haven’t really tried to call her before. It’s easier not to. I don’t know if this is an emergency, or just the gods being…” she gestured helplessly. 

“Yeah.” Sally hugged her closer. “I know.” 

A rainbow appeared above the table, and Rhode winced. “Percy.” 

Poseidon slammed a hand on the table, cracking the stone tabletop. “I cannot even talk to my son!” 

She reluctantly waved a hand, dismissing the attempted call. “Hera must be found, we cannot continue on like this.” 

“And how long will that take?” Triton demanded. 

“I am to be a prisoner in Olympus, and what good does this do in finding her?” Poseidon demanded. “In fixing any of it?” 

Triton paced the room, tails flicking anxiously. Rhode slumped back in her chair, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders. She had spent only a couple weeks at home before the order went out. All Olympians were being called to the mountain, and Poseidon’s court was to manage things in his absence. That unfortunately included her. There was to be no contact between the gods and mortal world, not so much as a note on a bedside table. 

“He thinks to order me into house arrest in his palace?” 

“We do not know who has taken the queen of the gods,” Rhode said wearily. “There is no telling how strong they are.” 

“So I am to abandon my people,” Poseidon said bitterly. “For Zeus’s fear.” 

“You are to be our voice in the court.” Amphitrite had entered the room. “We need a voice for the sea. I have ruled alone before. We will manage here together until you are able to return.” 

“If there is a threat we cannot handle, we will call you,” Rhode promised. “We must trust each other, and handle this as a family. The gods will be divided enough without us at each other’s throats. 

“We do what is best for our people and for our family,” Poseidon agreed. “The rest can hang.” 

They winced in unison as a prayer hissed through their minds, laced with rage. 

Poseidon, Triton, Rhode, the whole lot of you. How dare you toy with my son like this? How fucking dare you? He gave everything for you! You were supposed to do better, be better than the rest of them. He trusted you! 

Triton stared at the cracked table. “She’s right.” 

Poseidon sank back in his chair, looking every one of his thousands of years. 

“And we will do what we can to get back to him, as soon as possible.” Rhode stood, drawing her shawl over her head. “Safe travels, Father. I must speak with Delphin and see what is to be done.” 

There were no more Iris Messages from Percy.

Chapter Text

~Two Months Later~

A rainbow appeared above her desk. Rhode froze. Annabeth Chase was trying to contact her. Surely the girl knew by now that Olympus was closed, and the gods were silenced? It had been over a month since communication stopped. Rhode glanced around her library. While no replacement for her home, the palace library had effectively become her private study while working in Atlantis. No one entered without permission, and at this hour of the morning it was entirely empty. It was as much privacy as she could hope to have. Still, Zeus was furious with everyone, and he had many eyes hidden in every court. 

Lady Rhode, hear my prayer. Please, please answer. Percy is missing.

Heart in her throat, Rhode set down her stylus and accepted the call. The rainbow rippled, fading to reveal the misty image of a young woman. 

Annabeth’s mouth dropped open. “You-” 

“I cannot speak for long, child. I should not have accepted it at all. What is wrong?” 

“Percy went missing, it’s been twenty-two hours.” Annabeth launched in without hesitation, though Rhode could see the anger in her stiff gestures. “He went to his cabin after the campfire on Tuesday night, and we haven’t seen him since. Do you know where he is?” 

Rhode shook her head, feeling fear like heat under her skin. “We have not spoken with him in a month. He said nothing?” 

“We were planning to meet for breakfast the next morning, and-” Annabeth’s voice cracked, and she swallowed, shoving a lock of hair away from her face. “We’ve searched the whole camp. I’ve called his mom and Paul, Nico, Thalia. I tried to IM him directly. The IM didn’t go through, just chimed and told me the person I was trying to call was not in the service area. I thought- hoped maybe he was with you? I know he’s used Iris Messages in the palace, but maybe they don’t reach to the deeper parts of the ocean?” 

Rhode stared past her, mind racing. “Sometimes, if they are very, very deep. However, no one would have brought him here without telling me or my mother and brother. Is it possible he came looking for us himself? Trying to learn about the closed gates?”

“He would have told me if he was going anywhere.” She wiped tears from her cheeks. “All his things are still in the cabin. Everything but Riptide.” 

If Anaklusmos was gone, at least Percy was armed. “I will speak to my family and inform you if he is found here. If you learn anything else, contact me at once. Order or no order. Tell no one we have spoken, and do not try to call my father. He is watched too closely, and will not be able to answer. Trying will only draw attention. I’m close enough to being a nymph, I may be able to take more risks.” 

Annabeth nodded, and Rhode ended the call. She sat for a moment, debating who to bring in. Any involvement could link her family members to an accusation of treason. They would also be furious if she didn’t tell them. She thought of Percy, eyes gleaming as he teased her. He had accepted them so quickly, far more quickly than they deserved. He had trusted them. Sally Jackson was right. They were supposed to be better. 

She left her library, calling for her mother and brother. They gathered in Poseidon’s study, shielded against spies. Amphitrite sat at the desk and Triton remained floating by the door. 

“No names,” Rhode ordered, as soon as the door was locked. She grabbed a drachma from the desk drawer and gestured, separating the molecules of water to create a rainbow at the far end of the room. She flung in the drachma. “Fleecy, please show me Percy Jackson, wherever he is.” 

The rainbow rippled for several seconds, then a gentle chime sounded. “We’re sorry, the being you are trying to reach is not in our service area,” a voice said. The rainbow faded. 

“What was that?” Triton asked. 

“Percy is missing.” Rhode sat in a window seat, hands folded tightly in her lap. “Annabeth messaged me a few minutes ago. He has not been seen in almost twenty-four hours, he has not been found anywhere at camp, none of his family or friends know where he is.” 

“Have you told your father?” Amphitrite asked.

Rhode shook her head. “I’m starting with you. It will be more difficult to tell him quietly.” 

Their mother stared into space, chin on her hand. “There are few places…if he is in the deep trenches, we will need more people to search for him. If he is not…” 

“Can war be declared over this? Father will if he is able.” 

“War need not be declared for a hurricane to run wild,” Amphitrite said. “I will tell him myself.”

“The queen missing, death imprisoned,” Triton muttered. “And no one is allowed to do anything. Is there any chance Father knows where he is? He didn’t tell us for twelve years that the boy even existed.” 

“He told me, and if the boy was in the ocean, I would know it already. We will ask, but we must expect he does not know any more than we do.” She turned to Rhode. “Has anyone attempted to contact the Underworld?” 

Rhode shook her head. “Annabeth has spoken to the Di Angelo boy. He knows nothing. I do not think anyone has dared to ask his father directly.” 

“No, not while there is still hope.” Amphitrite sighed. “I have grown inordinately fond of that boy. I would not see him harmed.” 

“As have we all.” 

Amphitrite waved a hand, and the rainbow reappeared. She took a second coin from the desk drawer. “Fleecy, please show me Poseidon.” 

Waters be blessed, he was alone in his rooms, scowling at a platter of fruit. He brightened a little when he saw them. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

Amphitrite rounded the desk, perching on its edge, hands folded in her lap. “My dear. We are not interrupting anything?” 

“Never.” His smile wavered. “You may speak freely. What is it?” 

“We have received word that Percy is not at camp, where he is supposed to be. Have you sent him on a quest?” 

“The boy has enough on his plate. I’ve given orders that he’s to be left alone. I have no plans to interrupt his time at camp.” Poseidon frowned, blurring slightly as his attention spread. “I’m not sure where he is.” 

Rhode stepped forward. “He has Anaklusmos with him. He was seen going into his cabin the night before last. The Di Angelo child has not had word of him. But messages are not reaching him.” 

The water around them trembled, and the Iris Message wavered. 

“He’s missing.” 

Amphitrite nodded. 

“My son. The Hero of Olympus. My mortal son. Is missing.” 

“He has the Curse of Achilles, Father,” Triton spoke up. “He is difficult to harm.” 

“Not impossible.” Poseidon rose, pacing in front of the IM. 

“My dear, the whole of the Eastern seaboard is not responsible for this. Percy will not want them punished for whatever this is.” 

Whirlpools spun themselves out, and a tsunami settled back into the depths. Poseidon’s posture was tight, but he nodded. “Search parties must be sent out.” 

“We will send for Delphin and Thetis, to coordinate a search.” 

“We’ll find him, Father,” Triton promised. “I won’t rest until we do.” 

“Tell Tyson. He should know.” 

“I will,” Rhode promised. 

Poseidon stopped his pacing. “I must speak with my brother.”

“It may be best if he is not reminded of my existence,” Rhode said. “It will be easier with me than anyone, Uncle has barely noticed me in centuries. Ostensibly, Mother and Triton are running everything down here. If I am forgotten, it will be easier for me to help his friends.” 

Poseidon nodded. “I will call as soon as I can.” 

The message dissolved. 

~~~~~

Two women sat huddled on the Montauk beach, the younger one stabbing the snow-crusted sand with her dagger, churning it loose. Rhode surfaced nearby, but stayed in the shallows as Tyson dismounted and scrambled onto shore. The girl saw them and launched herself to her feet, racing to the water. “Tyson!” 

“Annabeth!” He picked her up and hugged her tightly. “We will find Percy, he will be safe.” 

The girl clung to him. “I know. I’m glad you’re here.” 

Sally Jackson came down to the surf. Her face was tear-stained, her graying hair sliding out of its braid, but she stood firm. “Is there any sign of him?” 

“He is not in the oceans. We have sent out search parties, and we will not recall them yet. But he would have to be so deep…” Rhode closed her eyes, unable to look his mother in the face. “We will find him, Sally Jackson. Annabeth Chase. I cannot leave the water, you must tell no one we have spoken. But we will find him.” 

“What the hell is happening?” Annabeth broke in. “Olympus is shut down, not even my mom is taking my calls. You and Tr-your brother have barely-” 

“There is much going on that I cannot speak of. We do not know if it relates to Percy. You must trust that every resource we have is going to this search. My family will not rest until he is safely home.” 

Sally rubbed her face and Tyson gently patted her shoulder. Annabeth was very still, hands clenched so tight her nails had to be cutting into her palms. “My boyfriend has been missing for two days and two hours, and it’s a little hard to trust gods these days. If you have any information on what is happening-”

Rhode straightened her back. “Your boyfriend, and my brother. Perhaps that means little to some gods, not to me. We will find him, Annabeth. And if he is harmed, there will be a reckoning . You have my oath on that.” 

“I’ll hold you to it.” Annabeth turned away, striding up the beach. “Tyson, we should check in with Grover.” 

He waved to Rhode and followed the demigod. Rhode could hear him asking questions as they left the water. 

Sally reached out, then hesitated. “If I touch you, will it alert anyone?” 

Rhode clasped Sally’s hands, keeping the waves still so they would not lap at the woman’s worn boots. “I cannot step out of the water, but you can touch me.”

“I’m trusting you, as his sister. You have cared enough to be at his swim meets, enough that I see him smiling when he comes home. I need you to care enough to bring him home. No matter what.” 

“I will do everything in my power, Sally Jackson. As I know you will. I cannot swear as I want to, it would draw too much attention here, but you know what I swear in my heart, yes?” 

Sally tightened her hands. “Yes, but you bring him home . No matter what. You understand?” 

Rhode understood too well. She thought back to the immortality her little brother had turned down. Of the places where not even Iris Messages could reach. Of Olympus’ closed doors. “I will,” she said softly. She leaned forward, kissing Sally Jackson’s cheek, feeling the brine of her tears. “I must go, but Annabeth will know how to reach us. If there is any news, I will find a way to send it.” 

Sally nodded, and let go of Rhode’s hands. The goddess stepped back into the sea and let it carry her home. As she landed on the steps of the palace, she felt her own golden tears mixing with the seawater. Even a year ago, it would have seemed impossible that she would weep for a mortal. After only knowing the boy a few months, it seemed impossible that she would not. What a rare power that child had, to love and be loved so deeply. They would bring him home if it meant tearing the world apart.

Chapter Text

“Rhode!” 

She startled awake as Triton slammed through the bedroom door. “Tri! How many times-” 

“It’s Percy.” 

She rolled out of bed. “Has Tyson found him?” 

“No, but he was sighted on the Pacific, heading north along the west coast. He’s with two other demigods.” He made a face. “Roman ones.” 

She searched the waters and found his psyche, moving up the Washington coast. She gasped, shocked by the strength of her own relief at finding his presence again. 

“What by all the rivers is he doing there?” 

“An orca reported seeing him. Apparently he helped push their boat for a while.” 

“Three demigods. Is he on a quest?” 

“He can’t have been this whole time, and who would have sent him?” 

Rhode rubbed her eyes. “Someone very powerful. It would have to be. Something is very wrong here, Triton. He should not know about the Roman camp, much less be traveling with them. How would he have made it to the west coast without being spotted? Who would have assigned him a quest without us knowing?” 

“Who can kidnap the queen and death himself?” 

Rhode swore, heading for the closet. “I will go. I can slide under the radar more easily. Do not tell anyone else yet.”

“You want me to not tell Dad? He’ll be furious if he finds out.” 

“Blame me if he does. We cannot break Father’s heart if it is a false lead. Or…” She sighed. “There is no knowing what condition Percy  is in. If he is a prisoner of these Romans, I should be strong enough to free him. If he is on a quest, by the ancient laws we cannot interfere.” 

Triton winced. “If you’re not back by sunrise-” 

“Then you tell Father everything.” 

“At least take someone with you.” 

“It will be easier to slip by unnoticed if I’m alone, Tri.” She laid a hand on his arm. “I will be careful.” 

“You better be.” 

She changed out of her nightclothes and took down a harpoon from the weapons rack in her study. She slung it across her back, strapped a dagger to her hip, and shifted to the Pacific. 

She found them, in a fragile rowboat barely managing the strain of 15 knots. He perched in the bow, frowning in concentration as he guided the craft over the waves. One of his companions was asleep in the bottom of the boat, the other distracted by the coastline. She stayed underwater, following them. Listening, watching, for any clue as to what was happening. He didn’t seem frightened - distressed, perhaps. No visible injuries. With a tap of her finger, the harpoon melted into the form of a belt. She surfaced, keeping pace with the boat. 

Percy spotted her, but there was only wary curiosity in his face. “We’re not looking for trouble, just trying to get north.” 

His companion turned, gawking at Rhode. She barely spared him a glance, flicking her tail to move closer. “I mean no harm. I am only curious where you are going in such a rush.” The boat slowed as Percy let it drift. She folded her arms on the side, resting her chin lightly on them. She could feel his will holding the rickety craft together. He had lost none of his power. 

The Curse of Achilles was burned away, concerning but not necessarily unexpected if he was traveling with Romans. And his eyes – he looked at her like a stranger. Not the blank face that hid annoyance, or the vagueness of distraction, but a total lack of recognition. It was the way he had looked at her in that school corridor months ago. 

He smelled like wolves. 

“Seattle. Care to give us a lift?” 

She tipped her head. “You are on a quest?” 

“Yup, Alaska ho.” 

Rhode winced. “Alaska is…a bad idea.” 

“Yeah, we kinda figured that out. But it turns out you don’t exactly get to pick your quest destinations out of a travel guide.” 

Rhode glanced back at the companion, who was sitting open-mouthed in the stern. The boy had a shimmer of the sea around him, though he was not a close relation. “You should go home, children,” she said softly. 

“Not an option, even if I knew where it was.” He rummaged in a tie-dye satchel. “I’ve got some macrobiotic jerky I can offer in trade for a lift.” 

She shook her head slowly, drifting away from the boat. “I will push you as far as I can. No payment. Just finish your quest and return safely to camp.” 

She brought them into Puget Sound, but could go no further. Much closer to Seattle and she would draw unsafe attention to the demigods. She rested a hand on the gunnel as she released control of the boat to her brother. “Be safe, Percy. Your family is waiting for you.” 

“Wait, you called me Percy. Do you know-” 

Rhode sank into the water, shifting back to Triton’s office in Atlantis.

Triton rounded his desk, grabbing her hand. “Is he well?” 

“He’s being sent on a quest to Alaska.” She leaned against his shoulder. “He has no memories, Triton. He is going to the land beyond the gods with no idea who he is or what is at play.” 

Triton swore. “His companions?”

“Romans. One has a blessing of the sea on him.” 

Triton hugged her. “I’ll tell Father this time.”

“Annabeth Chase must be informed.” Rhode sighed. “I will find a way.” 

She shifted to the shrine of Neptune on Temple Hill. Underwhelming was one word for it. The air was stale, and so was the food on the altar. A little bowl of apples was fully moldy. Sighing, Rhode snapped her fingers. The dust and cobwebs melted away, and a fresh breeze cleared the air. The moldy apples on the altar she dropped in a deep-sea trench for scavengers. She stopped at the blueberry bagel, picking it up. He had left it. She could feel the echo of his prayer, unheard and unanswered. 

He had been here, remembered enough to reach out, and someone had stopped him from contacting anyone. 

Another snap replaced her chiton with jeans and a faded red t-shirt. She could feel herself changing as well. She was not entirely different in Rome, the change was nothing like what it would be for her parents. But the Romans had always focused on her scholarship, her people’s skill for rhetoric. That was all to the good. She would need to be sharp. She left the little shrine, casting out for traces of Percy’s presence. 

There. Something – some one distinctly Greek in this Roman city. She followed the feeling up Temple Hill. What was the son of Hades doing here? 

Halfway there she was torn out of place. 

She was in the temple of Juno. Rhode spun around to find the queen herself standing at the altar, draped in her black robes and goatskin. 

“Did you think you could escape my notice?” 

Rhode bowed, stiff with tension. “My lady. Have I displeased you?”

Juno waved a hand. “You are irrelevant so long as you do not disturb my plans. Olympus reopens tonight. I only wish to be sure that you remember the laws.” She moved closer, her expression hard as stone. “Perseus Jackson must complete a quest here. Jason Grace is my hero and will not be interfered with. I have waited long enough for these pieces to fall in place, and some petty island nymph will not be in my way.” 

Rhode tried to swallow down her anger. She had not inherited her father’s temper, but she was not without her own kind of wrath. Do not put Percy in further danger. Do not bait her. “I am worried for my family.” 

“Your father’s bastard,” Juno scoffed. “Hardly family.” 

“You have never understood Atlantean ways. He is my family. We will see him come safely home.” 

“You will tell your father to behave himself.” 

Rhode raised one eyebrow. 

“Throwing tantrums will change nothing. The boy will do his job, and likely be back in Camp Jupiter before you know it. Everything is going as planned.” 

“That rarely lasts with Percy around.” Rhode commented. “Perhaps you should give up now and send him home.” 

Juno glared, her eyes cold. “Go back to Atlantis, little island. Tell your father whatever you wish, but do not let me catch you near his beloved minnow again until this matter is settled.” She shifted away before Rhode could respond. 

The goddess-nymph suppressed a scream. She eyed one of the tripods set up by the altar, where a flame was merrily burning. She contemplated knocking it over. Triton would have. Which was why she had come instead. She would not burn down a city to spite one goddess. Rhode swore and left the temple, going in search of the son of Hades. He knew something, and she needed to find out what. 

Rhode strode down the temple steps, caught sight of the boy near the Temple of Pluto, and wove through the busy streets. She ambushed him, coming up from behind and grabbing him by the collar. “One moment, please.” She smiled brightly at the girl beside him. “I need to speak with Nico about a hellhound.” 

Nico’s hand went to his sword as she dragged him into an alley, just outside hearing range of the nervous girl.

“What has happened to him?” Rhode demanded.

“Who are you?” 

“I am his sister,” she hissed. “I have been searching for him for months, and you knew he was here.” 

“He just showed up the other day! He’s got no memories, like Jason.” Nico held up his hands. “The Argo II is on its way, he’s supposed to be back soon, and I can’t stop a quest. The queen brought him here, I don't know what in Hades is going on, and no one’s exactly been answering the phone!” 

Rhode swore, trying to keep her form steady. “She brought him here, kept him hidden somehow.”

“The Underworld’s a mess,” Nico admitted. “You know Thanatos is missing?” 

“Do you think it is connected?” 

“I think there’s a lot of coincidences if it’s not. The others will be here in a couple days-” 

“There is no bringing him home until the quest is completed. Even my father cannot break that law.”

“Annabeth’s going to kill me,” Nico muttered. 

“If I bring him home now, he might be safe, but it would set off a war with Olympus. There is no telling how long it will take for his memories to recover. If the queen chooses to be petty, they may never return. If the Fates are angered…” Rhode leaned against the alley wall, rubbing her temples. “If I let him continue to Alaska, we risk losing him entirely.” 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it.” 

Rhode looked down at Nico. He was still so young, and she could see the fear in his dark eyes as he tried to make himself taller. Her shoulders slumped, and she laid a hand on his head. “You are one child, and she is the queen of the gods. Have you told the others that you are here?” 

“My dad gave me orders not to tell anyone. If they show up and see me, that’s one thing. But I can’t piss him off when Hazel is-” he glanced back at the girl. “I have to take care of her.” 

Hades was risking a great deal by even allowing Nico to visit Camp Jupiter. Rhode stepped away from the wall. “I will not risk war on my judgment alone. I must speak with my family.” 

“Does that mean I can go?” 

She waved a hand, and Nico made his escape. Rhode waited until they left, and shifted back to the palace. This was going to be miserable work.

“Is he well?” 

“He is alive.” Rhode sank into a chair. Triton and their parents had been waiting in her father’s study. “The queen is involved.” 

The room shuddered and Poseidon laid a hand on his trident, but did not rise from the desk. “Has she had him this entire time?” 

“It is likely. She saw me in New Rome and warned me away from him. She has forbidden any of us to contact him, or bring him home. She has sent him on a quest to Alaska, and has acknowledged Jason Grace as her hero.” 

Amphitrite’s jaw clenched. “She oversteps herself.” 

Poseidon rose from the desk. “So I must tell my brother to make his wife stand down or go to war,” he said bitterly. 

“The Argo II is days away yet, and the quest has already begun.” Rhode looked up at her father. “I cannot advise war, with the earth rising. But if you choose it, I will stand with you.” 

“We all will,” Triton agreed. 

Poseidon turned to the window, leaning on his trident. He stood for a long time, looking out over the glowing lights of Atlantis. When he spoke again, his voice was as old and tired as Rhode had ever heard. “We cannot. We do not have the strength now to fight on two fronts, and she knows it. The queen will be dealt with when we have the leverage. Rhode, you will continue to watch over him. If she challenges you, tell her you cannot disobey my orders, and she may speak to me directly.”

Tyson .

“Hello?” 

Tyson, find me in the lake.

The young cyclops hurried toward the water, splashing into the shallows. Rhode waited below the surface, and he broke into a wide smile when he saw her. “Sister!” 

“Hello, adelphós . Have you been well?” 

“I am okay, we don’t have much peanut butter left. We have not found Percy yet.” Tyson’s face crumpled. “He smells farther away.” 

“I know. I saw him, but he is moving quickly.”

“You found him?” 

“Briefly. He is going where I cannot follow, but you can, Tyson. He is in Seattle, going north to Alaska. He is on a quest to the land beyond the gods, and I cannot bring him home. I cannot help him more, not when they are watching so closely above. You and Mrs. O’Leary may be able to.”

Tyson nodded. “We will find him and help him.” 

“He has lost at least some of his memories. He does not know who I am, and I trust if he remembered home he would have called immediately.”

“Percy does not remember me? He does not remember Annabeth?” 

“I do not think so,” Rhode’s heart broke again at the expression on his face. “His memories were taken from him, dear one. He would not forget you willingly.” 

Tyson squared his shoulders. “He is still my brother. I will find him, and he will remember.” 

“Tell Annabeth…” Rhode wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence. “Tell her he is coming home. Now that we know he is alive, quest or no quest, memory or no memory, we will find a way to bring him home.”

“Be safe.” Tyson hugged her, then splashed out of the lake. She watched him go, whispering a blessing on the cyclops and his hellhound. She left him with a couple extra jars of peanut butter. 

She shifted to a distant point in the ocean, where little grew. With only krill and squid to hear her, she released her form and screamed, long and wild. The ocean churned around her, currents whipping the sand into clouds. Waves foamed as the surface spun into a whirlpool. 

She screamed until the ache eased a little, and sank to the sea floor. She huddled on the scoured bedrock, surrounded by swirling patterns of sand. She should go back to Atlantis before the others noticed the disturbance and thought the worst. She wanted Zitia. Zitia, and home. 

Rhode thought of dark curls, tangled in the surf. She straightened her shoulders, and shifted to Atlantis. 

Chapter Text

Rhode!

The goddess flinched. The prayer came as a scream, echoing across a lake in the western states. She shifted to the shallows of the lake, where the water came to her waist. It was fresh, and so far inland that her skin itched. The Argo II drifted gently further down the shore. 

“Rhode!” 

Annabeth Chase stood in the shallows, water lapping at her knees, hair falling out of a ponytail, fists clenched. When she spotted Rhode she surged forward, heedless of the waves soaking her shorts and orange t-shirt.

“You knew! You found him and you let him keep going to Alaska!” 

“Do you think anyone allows Percy to do anything? Do you think I wanted to let him go?” 

“I don’t know if you cared either way!” 

“Watch your tone, child.” Rhode felt the ichor in her veins warm. “He is your love, but he is my brother, and you know nothing of what I have been dealing with these past months.” 

“I will be angry when and why I damn well please,” Annabeth spat. “He deserves to be left alone. He deserves to be happy. And I am so damn sick and tired of hearing that no one can do anything to help!” 

Rhode clasped her hands tightly, focusing on her control, on keeping her form stable. “Do you think I relish being helpless, girl?” 

“You’re a goddess.” 

“A minor one. A goddess-nymph. An island spirit. Even my father is bound by his oaths of loyalty. There are laws we have sworn to uphold, and there are many who stand waiting for us to break them. Waiting for any excuse to sweep in and take advantage of a kingdom which is still struggling to rebuild after a war with the Titans, and preparing for another war that is already on our doorstep. Even in speaking to you, telling you what I did, I risked all of that. It did not go unnoticed. I have been threatened the same as you. I stood helpless and furious, the same as you. I have done everything within my power, the same as you. 

“I am bound by the most ancient laws, and I have broken every one I can, and you are right. Percy deserves peace. He deserves happiness. I will do whatever I can to give that to him. I would promise you the world if I could. And I cannot.” She felt tears roll down her cheeks, sparkling gold under the nearly full moon. “It is not only his life under threat. It is everyone in my kingdom, including the rest of my family.”

Annabeth’s voice cracked. “You were supposed to be better. You’re gods. You were supposed to be able to fix things. Help people. You were supposed to be our hope after the war. But we’re still on our own.” 

“The Fates weave our stories just alike, child. My thread is longer than yours. It does not weave itself.” 

Annabeth turned, facing out across the open water, and screamed until her throat was raw. Rhode saw shadows moving on the Argo II, but no one left the ship. Annabeth had no doubt given orders to leave her be. 

“I have lost children, Annabeth. I have lost siblings. We have not lost Percy.” Rhode hesitantly reached out, and the demigod slumped into her arms, shuddering with sobs. Rhode ran a hand up her back. “The Fates saw fit to make ichor run in my veins. But I have faith in you, Annabeth Chase. I have faith in Percy Jackson. He is coming home.” 

“I’m so tired,” Annabeth rasped. 

“I know, child.” Rhode closed her eyes. “I know.” 

She held the girl until she sensed monsters in the distance, drawn by the scent of demigod. “It will not be safe here much longer. You should go to your friends, and keep flying. Get some sleep if you can. You have long days ahead of you.” 

Annabeth wiped her face dry. “I know you’re trying. You’re the only one who’s talked to us at all for months.”

“Your work, your love and loyalty for my brother have not gone unappreciated. Your love for each other makes you as much my family as Percy is now.”  

Annabeth squeezed Rhode’s hand and stepped away. “I better go.” 

“Fair weather,” Rhode said softly. She watched the ship leave before shifting to her rooms in the palace. 

Her father was sitting in a corner of her darkened study, a drink in his hand. He looked so tired these days. He was dressed in dark blue, blending into the shadows of the room. 

“He nearly drowned tonight.” 

“I know. I felt it.” Rhode sat down heavily across from him. She willed a glass into her own hand, wine from her island. “Great-grandmother is gaining strength.” 

He nodded. “One war barely over, and another already begins. Curse them all.” 

“He is mortal,” she whispered. “How can it hurt so much when we know they must die so quickly?” 

Poseidon closed his eyes. “It only makes the time more precious.”

“If I asked you, would you release me from my duties here? Remove me from the line of succession so that I might act more freely?”

He took a long drink. “Do not ask me that, Rhode. You and I both know it would open you to greater punishment, and perhaps him as well. One child is already kept beyond my protection, I will not leave you so vulnerable as well. War is coming, daughter. You are needed here as much as there.” 

She had expected nothing else. She sipped at her wine. The stones and flowers of home settled on her tongue, grounding her. “Would you ever grant him immortality?”

“He does not wish it.” 

“That is not an answer, dear father.” 

“You know the answer.” He leaned back in his chair, studying her. “Hippeia Athena, wisest of my children.” 

She felt that aspect rise within her like a summer wave. Athena of Rhodes, lady of scholars, creator of chariots, mother of the Heliadai. She took another sip of wine. “Your bridge.” 

“Is that how you see yourself?”

“On occasion. Bridging the gap between your rivalries, the land and water, the ancient lands and these, nymph and goddess.” 

“Perhaps not inaccurate, though a fraction of the truth.”

“I do not think it a bad thing. Diplomacy is a skill I am glad for. Being a voice for the land and smaller spirits in this court is something I am proud of.”

“You and Percy.” He smiled, but she could see the heaviness still in his shoulders. “You have inherited the best of me.” 

“I am honored by the comparison.” 

“I knew about your visits.” 

Rhode took another drink to stall. 

Her father’s smile widened, crinkling those sea-colored eyes. “You are subtle, I might not have noticed. Your older brother is another matter.” 

Rhode snorted. “Tri is as subtle as the Erymanthian Boar.” 

“He may hear that.” 

“I hope he does.” She set her glass down. “You did not stop us.” 

“I am glad to see my children getting along. You brought him no quests, drew no threats, and you have made him happy. I think he has brought you joy as well.” 

“And a great deal of sorrow now.” 

“They always do.” 

“How can we feel so helpless with such divinity in our veins?” 

“I would expect you, of all beings, to have an answer for that, my wise daughter.” 

She stood, wandering to the window. “My children have never suffered as yours have. My immortal children have been protected by their ichor. My demigods have been few, and apart from Lia, they have never drawn much attention. They have never been the victims of such prophecies. I have not been close with most of my demigod siblings. It is rare I encounter something new, after so many thousands of years, but here he is.” She looked out over the city below. In the distance she could see the barracks, where mer warriors would be sleeping, awaiting a call to battle. “He is not like the others, is he? Certainly not like any of mine.” 

“No.”

“Did you know what he would be?”

“Not at first. I am still not certain. I have not the gifts of the Spinners, and Delphi has long been under my nephew’s care. I know my brothers see it. The king would not have offered immortality otherwise.” He set down his glass. “There is no telling how it may spin itself out. Even Theseus, thankfully, did not inherit so much of me.” 

“He is so much…more. Of everything.” Rhode walked back to her chair, sitting down heavily. “I see a great deal of his mother in him. Yet there is so much of you, and he seems to discover more every year.” 

“Yet still able to drown.” Poseidon drew a hand over his forehead. “I have been thinking of Pallas.” 

“We all have.” She finished her glass. “My elder brother most of all.” She rose, laying a hand on his shoulder. “It is good to mourn her, an honor to still love her. However, we must remember that Percy is not Pallas or Lia. Their stories will not be his, and we will not mourn him while he is alive.” 

He nodded. “I should let you go to bed.” 

“Rest well, Father.” 

“Rest well, daughter.” He smoothed her hair and left. 

Rhode undressed and lay in bed a long time, staring at the abalone ceiling. 

She dreamed of Pallas, dark-eyed and fleet-footed in the sparring ring. She remembered Athena, head in Pallas’ lap as the three of them gossiped and spun stories of futures together. The warmth of her niece’s blood, soaking through her tunic as Athena begged the girl to stay with them. The day when gray-eyed Athena, shrouded in a black veil, carried the statue of Pallas to Olympus and set it beside Zeus’s throne. How she had paid it honor before the king of the gods, and turned her face from her father, who had killed her foster sister when Athena would have granted her immortality.

She dreamed of Triton, and he knew she was there. Athena found them, and the three of them sat in silence together, feet buried in the warm sand of a long-extinct lake. 


~~~~~

A dark-haired woman in a faded red tee fell into step beside Percy as he left the barracks. He didn’t look at her. “That was you, on the way to Puget Sound.” 

“It was.” 

He rounded a corner, ducking into a narrow gap between two buildings. His sister followed, and Percy turned on her, heart thudding. “Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“The ancient laws forbid us to interfere with a quest. The queen herself came and warned me not to contact you. We weren’t even meant to contact anyone outside Olympus. We had to at least see that you were alive.” 

“You knew who I was.” 

“Yes.” 

“You didn’t tell anyone? You couldn’t tell me who I was?” His hands were shaking. 

“I told Tyson where to find you.” 

“My mom?” His voice cracked, and he winced. 

“She knows, adelphós . Annabeth and I spoke last night, and Olympus has reopened. She got your message the other day. They know you’re alive.” 

The wall was cool against his back, still damp with dew. He was breathing too fast, dizzy with it. “I still don’t get to go home, do I?” 

“I will carry you home now if you wish it.” 

“I can’t.” She nodded, and he closed his eyes, fists clenching. “Annabeth is on her way, and I can’t leave them to deal with Gaea alone.” 

Gingerly, she laid a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t lean into it, but he didn’t pull away, either. “When I saw your mother a few months ago, she had one message for you. To come home, no matter what. No matter what happens on these quests, no matter what you have to do, no matter how it ends, you come home.” 

“Tell her I love her, okay? I’ll call her, I’ll tell her too, but…I want her to hear it as many times as she can, okay? Just…I love her, and I’ll be home as soon as I can.” 

“I promise.” 

“And Rhode, if there’s one thing you or Dad can do, don’t let anyone touch them. Her or Paul. Don’t let them get mixed up in this. They’ve been through enough.” 

She pulled him into a hug this time, arms tight around his ribs. After a moment, he leaned into it, burying his face in her shoulder. She smoothed his hair back, gentle as a stream. “You come home safe, and they will be waiting for you, dear one. Just focus on getting back to us, hear me?” 

“I always do my best.” 

“I know, o meli. I know.” 

~~~~~

Two days after the war, he called her name, and she was waiting. She found him on the shore, arms resting on his knees. He stared out across the churning waves, and his eyes were like broken glass. He had been a soldier before. A warrior since childhood, just to survive the cruelty of this world they shared. She had seen the distance in his eyes before. But nothing like this. The scars on his skin had multiplied tenfold, and he sat too still. He held Riptide loosely in his fingers, capped, not even fidgeting with it. There was barely any wind, and the air hung sticky with summer. 

“Percy.” She sat beside him, crossing her legs. 

“I met Kym.” 

“So I heard.” 

“Jason’s going to build her a shrine. And action figures.” 

“Triton will throw a fit, I am sure. Are you going home?”

“Today. Annabeth and I are going together.” He was silent for a few seconds. “How much does my mom know?” 

“Very little. It is your story to tell, unless you ask me to step in.” 

“No. She doesn’t need to…” He turned the pen over, just once. The surf curled across his shoes, leaving them dry. “Could you see it?” 

“The Pit? No. It runs too deep.” 

“Good.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“No.” He stabbed the pen into the sand. “It’s over. I’m going home. Going to finish high school, and go to New Rome, and get the fuck away from all of this. Gods, monsters, quests, the whole fucked-up mess.” He stood, brushing the sand off his jeans, and began to walk up the beach. “I just wanted to tell everyone not to expect any calls from Annabeth or I for a while.” 

She watched him go, and felt the Sound settle, melting into gentle ripples. She had seen that look in their father’s eyes a few times. Only ever when he spoke of Tartarus. It spoke of maelstroms and shattered landscapes. 

Rhode walked into the sea, the glassy water swirling around her. It was time to go home. She would come back when he was ready. 

Chapter Text

~Three Months Later~

“Your form is excellent.” 

“Hey.” Shoving dripping hair out of his eyes, Percy walked past her. “What are you doing here?” 

Rhode fell into step beside him, holding out a paper box. “Mother made loukoumades . I thought you might like some.” 

“And you’re checking up on me at practice.” 

“I enjoy your company.” 

Percy ignored this, but held open the school door for her, following her outside. “Amphitrite’s a good baker.” 

“I think so.” She popped open the box and snapped up a fork, offering it to him. He took one of the honey-drizzled doughnuts, savoring each bite as they walked together. The air was crisp today, one of those fall days when everything seems to have been dipped in amber, even in the middle of New York. 

“Are you enjoying this swim team?” 

Percy shrugged. “They’re good kids.” 

Rhode waited, but nothing else seemed to be forthcoming. She steered them off the sidewalk, into the small park next to AHS. A couple benches stood near the play area, and she chose one of them, holding up the box. “Have another.” 

Percy took another, and sat beside her, stretching out his legs. “You heard about the recommendation letter quests?” 

Rhode pressed her lips together, taking the fork and selecting a loukoumas for herself. “I have.” 

“You can’t be my third quest, by any chance?” 

“I already tried.” 

“Figures.” He scuffed his shoe against the pavement. “Apparently they’re my ‘debt for existing.’” 

“Father?” 

“End quote. He said he talked them down from twenty-five.” 

“Hmm.” Rhode took a bite, considering. “Did he tell you the other terms that were set?” 

Percy shook his head, just once.

“Any gods outside your parents and siblings will not be allowed to harass you for the duration of your time in New Rome.” She held up a finger. “Technically, none of us are allowed to harass you except Father, but no one outside the immediate family is even supposed to speak to you without permission once classes start.” 

“Like you and Triton weren’t supposed to talk to me last year?” 

“He knew about that, as it turns out, and allowed it because we weren’t trying to send you on quests.” Rhode rolled her eyes. “No, this is more along the lines of ‘he threatened to hang the queen of the gods over the Acheron and rip apart the holy places of anyone who dares to bother you’ than a slap on the wrist.” 

Percy lifted his head, looking fully at her. “Seriously?” 

“I did tell Annabeth there would be consequences for what happened to you.” She stabbed another doughnut. “Our uncle is well aware that Gaea’s rise is the only reason we did not go to war when you were sent to Alaska.” She studied his expression. “You think I am lying.” 

“The gods don’t leave anyone alone, especially their favorite errand boy. And I’m one demigod; Atlantis can’t go to war over me.” 

“You underestimate yourself.” 

Percy turned away, watching a kid run to the swings. The wind ruffled his gray-streaked curls.  “Look, I’ve watched a lot of demigods die. I’m not better than them, and I know you guys have lived a long time and we probably look like ants to you, so I don’t expect much else anymore.” 

Turning the fork in her hand, Rhode took a deep breath, considering her next words. “Have I told you about Lia?” She knew she had not.

“No?” 

“She was my daughter.” Setting aside the pastry box, Rhode folded her hands in her lap. “Koralia Marinos, my last demigod child. You remind me of her sometimes. Dark curly hair, that crooked smile, the way you focus on what you love.” She closed her eyes, casting back. “She had blue eyes, the color of the sea around my island. Most of my children are scholars, like your Annabeth. Lia, though, she was of the sea and stone. A warrior, in the way of my eldest children.” 

Rhode opened her eyes, blinking back tears. Light shifted through the branches above, drawing lacy patterns on the sidewalk. “She begged me for a quest. I wanted her to stay at camp, to stay safe. The oracle declared otherwise, and when she was fifteen my birth mother, Aphrodite, sent her to retrieve her belt.” 

“Aphrodite’s your-”

“My step-mother has been more of a parent to me for the last three thousand years than Aphrodite ever was. Amphitrite is my mother in every way that matters.”

“Right. Lia went on the quest?” 

“She succeeded and came home a hero. She caught the attention of Olympus, despite being the daughter of a minor goddess. Her father was a demigod, and she was stronger than she should have been.” 

“She was a threat.” 

“Yes.” Rhode swallowed. “They hunted her down. She was hidden from me, as you were in Rome, and if she prayed to me, I could not hear it. She was trying to reach me, I think. Her body washed up on my shore.” 

“Annabeth said you broke the silence on Olympus to help find me,” Percy didn’t look at her. 

“I did.”

He nodded slowly. “You called Lia your last demigod.” 

“I have had no children in the last hundred years. Perhaps someday I will again, but not now.” She tipped her face to the sky, letting the amber sunlight soak into her skin. “Percy, when our father told me of your existence, my first thought was to grieve for you. I did not want to know you, for the same reason I have no mortal children. That was cowardly of me. 

“The Styx is not kind to those who break her oaths, but it is easier to punish a demigod than one of the elder gods. We knew you would suffer for Father’s actions. He knew it, and he fears you hate him for it. I would not blame you if you did. You have done nothing to incur a debt, but he has, and the payment has largely defaulted to you. I cannot bring myself to regret your existence, but I am sorry for what you have been made to suffer.” 

“He told me once he was sorry for putting a hero’s fate on me.” 

“Yes. Perseus was not the only happy demigod, but to find happiness in a life darkened by the Styx herself…” Rhode grasped his hand. “I cannot lift that burden from you, Percy. Even gods cannot break the Fates’ threads. But I swear I will do all I can to ease it. You are not alone, and you will not be as long as we survive.” 

“What if they decide we’re like Lia?” His voice was barely audible. “You said she was too powerful. No one’s survived Tartarus before. If they come after Annabeth or Nico-” 

“Circumstances have changed. Because of you, adelphós . The stakes are higher, but so are the consequences.” 

“You really think Dad would declare war for me?” 

“I have talked him down from it twice already.” 

Percy fidgeted with the sleeve of his hoodie. “I just want to go to New Rome with Annabeth and be done with quests.” 

“I know. I will talk him down again if needed. The fact remains, he is willing, and the king and queen of Olympus know it. They are more willing to make concessions now, and you have sacrificed so much for others. It is your turn to let the ones who love you take care of you. Understood?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Good.” She picked up the box of loukoumades and offered it to him. 

He took another bite and handed the fork back. “I’ve got a swim meet next weekend.” 

“We will be there.” 

“I’ll tell Mom to save a couple seats. Just this time.” 

“Take the rest of the loukoumades for her.” 

“Want the fork back?” 

She waved a hand. “It will dissolve in a few hours.” She stood, brushing imaginary dust from her trousers. “I will see you soon.” 

“Thanks for telling me about Lia.” 

“Thank you for letting me. I do not often speak about her now. I think she would have liked you.” 

“Yeah.” Percy looked down at the box. “I think I would have liked her too.” 

She kissed the top of his head and shifted home. 

~~~~~

Rachel gasped for air, jolting awake. Shaking, she stared at the cave ceiling, her vision still seared with green and silver light. She sniffled, trying to catch her breath. The blankets were stifling, and she flung them off, padding across the cave to her easel. She grabbed a brush and her paints, setting to work. Tears blurred the canvas as she rushed to capture her dream. 

Near dawn, she set down her brushes and stepped back from the canvas. She stood for a long time, spattered paint drying on her pajamas. At last she snatched the canvas off the easel, flinging it across the cave. The frame cracked on the wall and the painting buckled, smearing the floor with sea-green and silver as it fell.