Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Whatcha readin’?” 

Percy slapped the book shut. “Nothing! Just…boring Atlantean stuff.” 

Will and Nico glanced at each other. “Uh-huh,” Will drawled. In sync, they pulled out the chairs across from Percy and Annabeth. They sat like they had nowhere to be for hours. 

Annabeth was fighting a smile. Nico stared her down. “You know what it is.” 

“I might. What’s it to you?” 

“Come on now, Nico, if Percy wants to read steamy mer romances in public coffee shops, that’s his business.” 

“I’m not-” Percy bit his tongue, fully aware he was being baited. The boys stared each other down for a long minute. 

“It’s state secrets, I can’t share it.” 

“No,” Nico shook his head, “because if it was confidential you wouldn’t be reading it in public where anyone with an invisibility cap could see.” 

“Well, this is New Rome, where people actually know about this really cool thing called privacy .” 

“The fact you haven’t told us, plus the death stare means it’s interesting. Probably embarrassing.” Nico waved a hand. “Pass it over.” 

“You really want to read my kraken romance?” 

“Nope, it’s not that either. If you say that, it’s definitely something worse.” 

Annabeth nudged him. “Give it up, Seaweed Brain. They’ll haunt you until you tell them, and maybe they’ll have some ideas.” 

Percy grumbled, but tossed the little book on the table. The shiny lilac cover clacked against the table. There was no title on the cover, but Nico snatched it up and began thumbing through the crackling pages.

“As your body adjusts to these new powers, it is normal and natural to have some big emotions. Many godlings feel awkward and confused, or angry that their body doesn’t feel like their own. You may feel centuries old one day and newly formed the next. It is common to be afraid of these changes and also excited about your new abilities.” Nico’s eyes gleamed as he flipped to another page. “As your body grows, you may notice some changes to your tail or tails. Some godlings will shed their juvenile shell, or find that their tail changes color and texture. This is perfectly safe, even if it’s scary at first.” 

Will grabbed the book and began flipping through. 

Nico leaned back in his chair, grinning in satisfaction. “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask about the tail. Is that an option when you want it, or…?” 

“Actually shut your mouth. You’ve got no space to talk, Bone Boy.” 

“Oh, Percy, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Every demigod goes through it.” Will waved a hand, but he was skimming pages as he spoke. “Maybe I should get a copy of this for the infirmary.” 

“Absolutely do not.” 

Will finally looked up at Annabeth. “You said you thought we could help?” 

“Those big emotions getting out of control and starting hurricanes?” 

“Shut up, Nico,” Will said cheerfully. 

“Yeah, shut up, Nico.” 

Nico made a face at Percy.

“It was a gift from Poseidon,” Annabeth explained, and took a sip of her espresso. “We’ve been realizing that Percy has powers he hasn’t known about. We want to learn more, so he can be more deliberate about using them.” 

Will raised his eyebrows. “The Percy we’ve seen isn’t Percy at full power?” 

“Nope.” His voice was grim. 

Will blinked. “Right.”

Nico didn’t seem surprised. “What kind?” 

“I laid a blessing on Estelle.” Percy fidgeted with his cup. “Without realizing I’d done it.” 

Will took a moment to process that, trying to keep a straight face. He’d never heard of any demigod doing that. But now that Percy was actually talking, he didn’t want to scare him off. This was actually big, and Will’s healer brain was taking over. “What kind?” 

“Safety, I guess? So no one messes with her, and she has an easier time than my mom and I did. Rhode said my dad laid one on Estelle before I came back, but there’s another layer to it that looks like me. Like I doubled it up.” 

“Do you think you laid a separate blessing, or boosted the one that was already there?” 

“Annabeth thought of that, but it seems like a separate thing with about the same intent as Dad’s, I guess.” 

Annabeth looked across the table at Nico. “Have you ever done something like this?” 

He shook his head. “Blessings aren’t really a Hades thing. I could probably lay a really messed-up curse if I put my back into it.” 

“Let’s not experiment with that one.” She cradled her espresso cup. 

“Have you experimented with this?” Will asked.

“Not yet. I can’t ask anyone to be a guinea pig. It’s bad enough that it’s sticking to Estelle and I still don’t know exactly what’s in it.” 

“We don’t even know if it would work on demigods,” Annabeth added.

“Your mom gave you her blessing before the Styx. And to-” Nico flushed and cut himself off. 

“And to what?” 

“Um, before we went to Tartarus. She gave me a blessing.” 

Percy cupped a hand behind his ear. “She what?” 

“I told her I was going with or without it. Wasn’t sure if it would even work. Different place, different kid, but we were there anyway to talk to you and Annabeth. She’s always been…” Nico wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence. 

“Okay, putting that aside, because I need to have a conversation with her about that one before I kick your butt.” Percy turned back to Will. “My mom did give me a blessing before I took on the Curse of Achilles. Apparently it’s tradition. We don’t know how much difference it made, but I made it back.” He glanced at Nico. “No thanks to someone.” 

“I literally staged a jailbreak the same day and got you back. Then saved your butts in Manhattan. Stop whining.” 

“Rhode said you put a blessing on the Ophiotaurus, too.” 

“Right, when Bessie was going back and forth between the coasts.” 

“So it works on monsters and mortals.” Will nodded. “I’d be surprised if it didn’t work on demigods. What about the earthquakes?” 

“The what?” Percy stared at him blankly.

Will looked around the table. “The earthquakes,” he repeated, as confused as any of them. “Like at the Williamsburg Bridge. Have you learned anything about those?” 

“I’ve never made an earthquake.” 

“Percy, I was there. I remember what happened. Annabeth, back me up here?” 

She set her cup down, eyes unfocused as she ran through some elaborate calculation in her head. 

Percy frowned. “I used the river; brought water up through the bridge to break it apart.” 

“The bridge shook itself apart. Maybe you used water to start it, but I was on the shore and the ground was shaking there, too. I’ve been in earthquakes before, Percy. I’m dead certain that’s what that was.” 

“Mount Saint Helens.” Percy turned to look at Annabeth. She wrapped her hand around his. “Poseidon is the Earthshaker, even though the earth itself isn’t his domain. I think Will’s onto something. What is an earthquake but the release of energy and pressure from the ground? If you’re shifting the earth to bring up groundwater, then yes, I think that could cause an earthquake.” 

“We’ve both had our powers react without us trying or knowing it,” Nico said. “An accidental earthquake makes at least as much sense as a blessing.” 

“When I was a kid, before I came to camp, there was this kid at school. Nancy Bobofit. She was bullying Grover and I made a fountain pull her in. Didn’t really know I’d done it until later.” 

“And the toilets,” Annabeth reminded him.

“Yeah,” Percy cracked a smile. “I blew up the toilets at camp and soaked Clarisse my first day there.” 

Will snorted. “I’m sure she had it coming.” 

“Alright, experiment time. You and you,” Nico pointed from Annabeth to Will “You’re sciencey people, you supervise.” 

Annabeth’s eyes widened as Will’s narrowed. “I haven’t even put together a proper hypothesis yet-” 

“Sciencey people?” Will grumped. 

“Yep, come on.” Nico stood up, grabbing his coffee.

“I don’t know if I should be flinging this stuff around, Nico.” 

“Clearly you already are. I’d rather you figure out what you’re doing sooner than later, so I don’t have to worry about earthquakes knocking my cabin down just because you ran out of gummy sharks.” Nico headed for the door. 

The other three exchanged looks and jumped up to chase him. 

He didn’t slow as they caught up and flanked him. “We’ll go up past the Field of Mars by the river. Fresh water, which is probably for the best.”

“What exactly are we trying to do?” Percy demanded. 

“You’re going to lay a blessing. There’s fish in the river, right?” 

“You want me to bless a fish?” 

“Well I’m not letting you bless me until I know you can do it right.” 

“Nico, I’m not blessing you!” 

Nico stopped and faced him. “You won’t do it to Annabeth because if it goes wrong you’d go all Rage of Achilles and we’ll all end up dead anyway. You aren’t doing it to Will because if it goes wrong then I’ll have to kill you.”

Will grabbed the back of his jacket. “Absolutely not.” 

“What about Frank?” 

“He’s already got a blessing of Poseidon on him.” 

“Didn’t stop it from working on Estelle.” 

“Leo would be a great candidate if he wasn’t half a continent away.” 

“I could shadow travel-” 

“Absolutely not,” they all chorused, glaring at Nico. 

“Is everything alright?” 

They turned to see Hazel and Lavinia standing nearby, staring at them. 

“Not Hazel,” Nico snapped. 

“I’m not certain it would be wise anyway, not if we want a clean trial.” 

“Excuse me?” Hazel raised her eyebrows. 

Will rolled his eyes, stepping forward. “Ignore them all. Percy needs to learn how to use his powers more effectively, and Nico is trying to volunteer as the guinea pig, but-”

“I’ll do it!” Lavinia’s hand popped up. “That sounds super cool.” 

Hazel held up her own hands. “Maybe you could let them explain what they’re doing first?”

Annabeth cleared her throat. “Somewhere less public?” 

“My office,” Hazel said firmly.

~~~

An hour later, the whole group hiked across the Field of Mars and up the Little Tiber into the hills near the camp’s border. Hazel perched on a boulder, keeping a good distance between herself and the river. Will sat on the grass next to her, checking the first aid kit in his pocket. The others gathered on the riverbank. 

Nico kicked a pebble into the river. “Yeah, this’ll work. Fish.” 

Percy stared into the water. “I can’t believe I’m going to bless a fish.” 

“Grab a salmon and get to it, Kelp Head.” 

“That’s a prickly sculpin.”

“There’s no way that’s a real fish name.” Lavinia folded her arms. 

“You think I’d make that up?” Percy pointed to another fish. “Striped bass. Sacramento sucker. Rainbow trout.” 

“Just pick one.” Nico pushed him into the river. 

Percy yelped, and a moment later a stream of water hit Nico in the face. Percy popped up and stuck his tongue out at the son of Hades. “You have no sense of whimsy.” 

Nico wiped his face dry, looking not unlike a drowned raccoon. “And you’re stalling. Pick a fish.” 

“Fine.” Percy crouched. Anything in the river had scattered when he fell in, but he coaxed one of the fish back toward him, petting it with gentle fingers. “Three-spined stickleback,” he murmured. “I’m going to try something to help you, alright?”

Of course, lord! It is an honor to help a son of Poseidon.

Percy closed his eyes, focusing on the protectiveness and love he felt for Estelle. He thought of the little fish, scales smooth beneath his fingers, and imagined it passing safely through the world of the river. No bigger fish would chase it, no hook would snag it, and it would always find plenty of food. He felt his fingertips cool, and somehow knew it was done. 

He opened his eyes, and saw the faintest green shimmer of light sinking into the fish’s scales. “Thank you, bud. That was really helpful.” 

Thank you, lord! Oh my gills, my friends are never gonna believe me! 

Percy grinned. “No problem.” 

The fish swam away and he climbed out of the river. 

“Did it work?” Nico asked. 

“Yeah, I could feel it this time.” 

Annabeth laid a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?” 

“I’m okay.” He smiled. “It felt…gentle. Good.” 

She nodded. 

“How do you feel?” Nico studied his face. “Tired? Sore?” 

“A little tired. Not too bad.” 

“So, my turn?” Lavinia asked hopefully. 

Percy squared his shoulders. “Yeah, alright. Let’s try.” 

“Do you need to be in the water? Or I guess I should ask, do I need to be in the water? Because these Converse will take forever to dry, but I can!” 

“No, we should be fine here. The water’s close anyway.” 

“Actually, let’s have you stand in the water, Percy. You said you’re just a little tired, but it was a small fish. People might take more out of you.” 

“I’m with Nico,” Will raised his hand. “I like the sound of anything that keeps people not passing out from exhaustion.” 

“Both of you,” Annabeth decided. “Lavinia, take off your shoes. I know it’s gonna be kind of cold, but it’s better to have you both in the water. It may not make a difference, but it could make things a lot easier.” 

Percy jumped back in the water. Lavinia kicked off her shoes and socks, tossing them over by Hazel’s boulder. Percy helped her climb down the bank and keep her balance on the rocky bed. 

“Y’all look like you’re ready for a baptism,” Will said. “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Mackerel.” 

Nico snorted. “Alright, Padre Jackson, go ahead.” 

Lavinia stood up straight. “Let’s do this.” 

Percy laid his hands awkwardly on her shoulders, then stopped. “Wait, what am I actually blessing you with? For the fish I just wished that he would have plenty of food and not get caught and whatever, but what do you actually want? I don’t want to do that fairy godmother thing where I try to give you something nice, but it turns out that too much of a good thing is really awful, and-” 

“I’m a demigod, so maybe something to make dangerous stuff stay away? Not nymphs, though! Just like, stuff that would kill me. Oh!” Her eyes widened. “Could you do one to keep allergic reactions away?” 

“Not sure how much power I have over allergies, but I guess I can try?” 

“May you always find safety when you need it, good companions, and good health,” Annabeth suggested. 

“Yes, that.” Lavinia nodded. “That sounds good.” 

“Alright, let’s do this.” Percy closed his eyes and reached back to that feeling. He focused on what Annabeth had said, and images of Lavinia happy, healthy, hugging Poison Ivy without getting a rash, of monsters turning away from her scent. When he felt the cool rush in his fingers, like a swift current, he opened his eyes. That same green glow was just visible on her skin, already fading. 

“Whoa,” Lavinia whispered. “That was so cool.” 

“Did you feel it?” 

“Yeah, like water on my skin.” She shivered. “It was kinda weird.” 

“I think it worked. Health, safety, the whole shebang. Also I think you maybe can’t drown now? Don’t test that.” 

“You can’t say that and then tell me not to test it!” 

“Lavinia, do not test that!” Hazel called. 

Lavinia groaned and clambered out of the river, shaking water off her legs. “We should have brought towels.” 

“We brought Percy,” Annabeth said as he waved a hand, sending the water from Lavinia’s clothes back to the river. 

“Coooool.” 

Percy climbed onto the bank and immediately fell over. Nico and Annabeth caught him, easing him down to the ground. 

“Easy, Padre.” 

Will jogged over, checking Percy’s pulse. “Y’all are gonna be the death of me. Scooch forward, let’s get your feet back in the water.” 

Percy inched forward, the exhaustion easing as the water ran around his legs. 

“Better?” 

“Better.” Percy leaned against Annabeth. “I don’t remember feeling like this with Estelle. I would have noticed doing it if it took this much out of me.” 

“That could be because Lavinia’s a demigod.” Annabeth smoothed the hair away from his eyes so Will could check his pupils. “Or because you did it twice in a row, or because the first time it was instinctual. For all we know, you blessed Estelle while you were both asleep, or over the course of a couple days.”  

He made a face. “So we still don’t know much.” 

“We know a lot more than we did.” She turned to Will. 

“You’ll be alright,” he affirmed. “Just need rest and lots of water.” 

“Like baths or to drink?” 

“For you, both.” 

“Got it.” 

“We’ll sit here and rest until you’re ready to walk back. If need be, you can wade downriver, or we can call Blackjack to carry you.” 

Percy nestled into Annabeth’s shoulder. “Cool, sounds great.” 

Lavinia bit her lip. “It’s not something I did, is it?” 

Nico shrugged. “I doubt it. I passed out for two weeks the first time I shadow-traveled. Demigods probably take a lot more work to protect than mortals.” 

“We don’t know a lot of mortals we could try this on,” Annabeth pointed out. “Sally’s already got a blessing, Estelle’s is what started this. Rachel is the Oracle, so gods only know how the magic would react to her. Paul’s the best candidate, but they’re all in New York anyway.” 

“Wow. We don’t know many mortals anymore, period,” Percy muttered. 

Will opened a granola bar and handed it to Percy. “Eat up.” 

“Yes sir, Doctor Solace.” 

“Welcome to my world,” Nico muttered. 

Will handed him a second granola bar. “You too.” 

“I didn’t even do anything! I was supervising.” 

“Mouth is empty, should be full, darling.” 

“I’ll fill your mouth,” Nico muttered, tearing open the wrapper.

Percy choked on his granola. Nico smirked, just before Will smacked the back of his head. 

Chapter Text

Percy stepped into the little temple, clearing his throat. The floors were tiled with elaborate mosaics, and the ceiling flickered with a greenish hologram of a storm. At the front of the room was a round altar, the bronze top an echo of Kymopoleia’s shield. 

“Hey, Kym. Percy here, just checking in. Brought you a snack.” He set an orange on the altar. 

“You’ve been busy.” 

He turned. Kym lounged against the front wall of the temple, arms crossed. She was in a slightly more mortal form than when he’d met her before. Her hair was green and cut in one of those jellyfish styles. Her skin was still fish-belly white, and her smile still too sharp. 

“You’ve been spying on me?” Percy shoved his hands in his pockets.

“I stopped in to check on my temple, it was hard not to notice all of this .” She waved a hand at him, feet to head. “Being in the same room with you, you might as well have a flashing light strapped to your head.”

“I blessed a fish.” 

“Yeah, I noticed. And a demigod.” She shrugged. “Not a half-bad job, if a little boring. If you’re going to the trouble of blessing someone, give them something interesting, like gills. Can you do gills yet?” 

“I don’t think so.” 

She made a face. “Eh, we’ll work on it.” 

“We?” 

“It’s annoying, watching you. You’re just stumbling around like a…” she waved a hand, searching for an insulting enough comparison, “like a baby just learning to use its tail. Either barely moving or bumping into everything.” 

“Thanks,” he deadpanned. 

“Don’t mention it. Now, I’ve seen you whip up some decent starter storms, what else can you do?”

“Uhhh,” he thought back. “I can use currents pretty well. No gills. I can make bubbles. Accidentally blew up a volcano once.” 

Kym cackled. “That’s more like it! How’d you do it?” 

He hesitated, wondering briefly if he should trust her. She had been willing to side with Gaea, and he’d almost died in the fight with Polybotes, too scared to manipulate the basilisks’ venom. But she also hadn’t caused any trouble since then, and he’d heard Triton mention her fondly a couple times since then. He was starting to suspect that the tension between his godly family members wasn’t everything she’d described it to be. If he was totally honest with himself, he was curious what would happen. 

“I was in the caldera, and pulled up a geyser from below the earth. Triggered an eruption, I guess. I wasn’t conscious for all of it, got blown all the way to Ogygia.” 

Kym rolled her eyes. “Oh, you got stuck with that goody two shoes.” 

Percy snorted. “Yeah. Something like that. Will thinks I set off an earthquake during a different fight, but I’m not sure.” 

“Now that sounds worth investigating. Have you tried to do it on purpose?” 

“No, there hasn’t been a safe place to try. I’m not excited about accidentally knocking down a whole city or starting a tsunami.” 

Kym scoffed. “If that’s all.” She pushed away from the wall. “It’s a shame you don’t have any godly family who could help with that.” She reached for his shoulder, and he flinched back. 

“Wait! One sec.” 

“What are we waiting for? You’d rather go to class?” 

“No, I just need to leave a note.” He pulled off his camp necklace, hanging it on the doorknob. “Since I got kidnapped, Annabeth and I tend to get a little nervous if the other one disappears with no warning. For your sake, I’m letting her know I’ll be back.” 

She twirled her hand. “Don’t care. Ready?” 

“Ready.” 

She grabbed his arm and the world blurred, colors shifting and coming back into focus as a barren rocky island. Percy stumbled a little, trying to catch his footing on the rough ground. He could see every edge of the island, and there was nothing but ocean on every horizon. 

Kym folded her arms, studying him like an interesting bug. “Alright, baby brother. Let’s see what you’ve got.” 

Better to try it now, while he had time and space to hopefully do it safely. He closed his eyes, focusing on the rocky ground beneath his feet. He could feel the rugged seafloor sloping down from the island’s shores, the water that saturated it, the salty sea lapping around him. 

“What am I looking for?”

“How should I know? I don’t do earthquakes.” 

“Thanks, you’re so helpful.” 

“I know.” 

He felt that familiar roil of power in his gut, and gave it a gentle tug. He opened his eyes and saw a massive wall of water rise around the island. It was beautiful, and a little terrifying, crashing back down with a roar like a hundred manticores. The ground shook, but it was the shaking of so much weight slamming down, not from the ground itself. 

Kym tsked. “Nope, wrong button. Try again.” 

He scowled. “Maybe Will was wrong. I told him I just broke the bridge apart with water.” 

“Maybe, but that would be boring. Try again.” 

He muttered as he pulled Riptide out of his pocket. He uncapped the sword, swinging it a few times as he focused on the ground again. There, a pocket of water under the island. A crack in the earth, straining edges like clenched teeth. Riptide cut into the rock like butter, and a jolt of power ran down, down, to the teeth. The earth rumbled, strained, and gave. 

Kym whooped. Percy opened his eyes. She was sprawled on the ground, laughing her ass off. “That’s more like it! Now catch your wave!” 

He cast out, finding the growing tsunami rippling out from the island. “Shit!” 

“What in all the trenches is going on here?” Triton appeared next to Kym, glaring at them both.

“Hang on!” Percy flung up his hands, grasping desperately at the tsunami. 

Triton snapped his fingers and the shockwave collapsed, dissipating back into the deep. “What. Is going. On?” 

Percy’s shoulders slumped. “I almost had it,” he muttered. “I’m trying to practice.” 

“I noticed.” Kym was still sprawled on the ground, grinning up at her brothers. Triton poked her with one green foot. “You’re lucky Dad’s in a meeting and didn’t come deal with this himself.” 

“Ah, he’s just stretching his fins.” She waved a hand. “He’s got adult supervision.” 

“You’re doing an incredible job.” Triton rolled his eyes and turned back to Percy. “Do you have a grudge against Hawai’i?” 

“No, I asked Kym for a safe place to practice, because I didn’t want to hurt anyone in New Rome.” He yanked Riptide out of the ground. “Turns out tsunamis are faster than I thought.” 

“No kidding.” 

“He was doing fine, he would have gotten it in a minute.” Kym hopped to her feet. “You’ve done worse.” 

Percy raised his eyebrows. “Is this about how he got kicked out of Camp Fish-Blood?” 

“Camp what?” 

“The underwater version of Camp Half-Blood. Someone told me they don’t let Poseidon kids in anymore, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Triton has something to do with that.” 

Triton put a hand to his chest. “I am offended .” 

“Don’t give him so much credit.” Kym smirked. “That one was all me. Triton was their golden boy.” 

“Because he was smart enough not to get caught?” 

Triton couldn’t entirely hide his smile. “Maybe.” 

“They never even let Benthesikyme enroll.” 

“So what did we learn today, Percy?” Triton raised his mossy eyebrows.

“That you guys are both annoying and I can only trust Rhode.” 

“Try again.” 

“That Triton’s a killjoy,” Kym suggested, “and has been since he decided he was too grown up to have fun?” 

“Yeah, that sounds right.”

“How about ‘unsupervised earthquakes are a bad idea, and Kym doesn’t count as a responsible adult?’”

“Technically I’m an adult.” 

They both looked at him pityingly. “On what mortal technicality, baby brother?” Kym asked sweetly. 

“The responsible part is in question regardless. I think the tsunami made that clear.” 

“So glad you two are getting along,” Percy muttered. 

“Let’s get you home before Dad notices something’s wrong.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Percy capped Riptide and pocketed the sword. “Are you going to tell?” 

“You didn’t tell when I visited you in New York, and I’m not a snitch.” 

Kym clapped Percy on the back. “Good work with the earthquake anyway. We’ll work on the tsunami thing next time.”

“Nope.” Triton grabbed Percy’s other arm and shifted them both away. Percy managed to keep himself steady this time, and they landed smoothly back in Kym’s temple. “She is a terrible influence. It’s too late for Benthesikyme, but maybe there’s still time to save you.” 

“I dunno, she’s kinda cool.” 

“Do not -” Triton covered his face, scrubbing his green hands up through his hair. “I’ve barely seen her in a century and she’s still a pain in my tails! I can’t handle two of you.” 

Percy retrieved his necklace from the temple door. “Don’t worry, no more earthquake experiments. Once was enough. If Dad finds out and raises a fuss, you can tell him I’m done. I know I can do it, that’s all I really needed.” 

Triton sighed. “Look, if you do ever want to practice, tell me or Rhode. I don’t really do earthquakes, but I can certainly handle a tsunami, and between the two of us we can be your safety net. The island isn’t a bad spot, Kym just isn’t great at thinking ahead. We can make sure Dad’s busy, if you don’t want him to know. Kym is right that it’s better if you know what you’re doing.” 

Percy shrugged, but he did file that away for reference. “Kym said you guys kicked her out of Atlantis?” 

“What?” Triton frowned. “No, I mean she’s not invited to many things, but she’s made it very clear she doesn’t want any part of royal life and all the politics that come with it. She’s not the most…diplomatic.” 

“And you are?” Percy raised his eyebrows. “Atlantis is doomed.”

“You just manage to bring out the worst in me.” 

“Aww, I’m honored.” 

“Anyway, she’s not banned. Maybe when she sided with Gaea, but that lasted all of a week. She and Dad fought, she went and sulked somewhere for a while, then got bored and came to bug me during the rebuilding efforts.” Triton snorted. “Kym will be fine. It happens every so often, and it always works out. She got a temple here before I even got a shrine at Camp Half-Blood, and she’ll have that to lord over me for a couple centuries. You focus on your own troubles.” 

“Say hi to Tyson for me?” 

“I will.”

Chapter Text

Percy grabbed a towel, neatly matching the corners. “I don’t know, Annabeth. We all agreed that we wouldn’t tell her, and I don’t want her getting dragged in.”

“Percy, I know you’re scared. But do you really think you can keep this secret anymore?” 

“You say that like I have a choice! If it puts Estelle in danger, that’s not a choice!” 

She set another folded towel on the stack, and her hands fell to her sides. “Of course not. It never will be. But I’m not sure it will anyway. The both of us are only getting stronger as we survive longer. Chances are, she’s going to figure something out eventually. Lots of other demigods tell their families, at least bits and pieces. Bobby and Matt know who we are.”  

“Estelle isn’t other people! What if it’s like medication? It’s all fine by itself, but hit the wrong combo, and she ends up really hurt.” He picked up another towel, snapping it flat. 

“Percy…” Annabeth pushed a curl behind her ear. “You remember a few weeks ago, when we had that group therapy session, and Vivian talked about catastrophizing?” 

He tossed the towel back on the bed. “Is it catastrophizing when almost every good thing in our lives has ended up on fire? I dunno, Annabeth, maybe it’s just bracing myself for the realistic option.” 

“Percy, I love her too.” 

“She’s not your sister,” he snapped. The bathroom faucet began to gush, the pipes gurgling as they tried to keep up with the rush of water. 

Annabeth folded her arms tightly across her chest. Percy swore under his breath, and the faucet shut off a couple seconds later. 

“That was out of line.” 

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t true and it wasn’t right.” 

She nodded shortly. “I need twenty minutes. This isn’t going anywhere productive.” 

“Yeah.” He raked a hand through his hair. 

She closed the bedroom door behind her, and he shut himself in the bathroom, climbing fully dressed into the shower. He stared at the tiled wall, thoughts spinning deeper and wilder. Images kept playing through his head, memories of nightmares where his family died over and over. His mom, burning like Esperanza Valdez. A monster catching his scent on Estelle as it passed the playground. Paul, a hostage surrounded by weapons his mind couldn’t comprehend, used to push Percy into terrible choices. Estelle drowning as she tried to follow him into the sea. 

The nightmares always came back to Estelle. He had seen his mom and Paul in a fight. He knew they could protect themselves to a point. But Stella was so small, so innocent. They weren’t even sure if she could see the things that might come for her. He was her big brother. He was supposed to be able to protect her, teach her how to stay safe, set a good example. 

And here he was, dissociating in the shower, trying not to flood his entire apartment building because he said something cruel to one of the few people who actually loved him. He had all these new powers, things he hadn’t realized were possible, let alone bubbling under his skin. And he had no idea how to control them. He had barely been home since the move to New Rome, always wondering what bloody mess might follow him to that Manhattan apartment. 

Blood on a goldfish patterned blanket. Green eyes dimming. Salt and pepper hair tangling in the surf. 

He curled in on himself, but tears wouldn’t come. 

Please come. He needs you.

A scroll slipped between Rhode’s fingers, clattering on the floor. Zitia jumped, turning to stare at her. Rhode snatched up the scroll, tossing it on the desk. “It’s Percy. I must go.” Zitia nodded and the goddess shifted, following the prayer. 

She found herself in a dark sitting room, scattered with battered couches and armchairs. “Annabeth.”

Annabeth was huddled in one of the armchairs. “He needs someone to talk to, someone who knows about this. I don’t have the answers he needs, and we can’t talk right now, but he shouldn’t be alone.” 

“Have you argued?” 

Annabeth shrugged. “We’ll sort it out. But he needs someone right now, and you’re the only one I can think of who might be able to help him.” 

Rhode followed the hum of power across the apartment. She found her brother in the bathroom, huddled in the shower, staring at the drain. No water was running, and he was fully clothed in jeans and a sweatshirt, but she assumed this was a precautionary measure. He was positively humming with power, barely contained. She knelt on the tile floor.

“She called you.” His voice cracked. 

“She prayed for you.” 

“Estelle needs to know.” 

“That is your decision.” 

Percy looked at her, and his eyes were the shattered green of sea glass. “How?” 

Rhode stood, stepped across his legs and over to the inside wall, leaving him a clear exit. She sat down opposite him, feet to hip, hip to feet. “What do you think she needs to know? What is most important?” 

Percy sucked in a long breath. He tightened his hands around each other until the knuckles turned white. She wasn’t sure he was going to respond. Finally he released his hands. “Who- what I am. Who she can trust. Who to stay away from.” 

“Why do you not wish to tell her?” 

He scrubbed his hands through his hair. “I don’t want her to be scared of every shadow. And I can’t-” He covered his face. Took another deep breath. “I don’t have a choice, Rhode. I have to live with all this in my head. I can’t unknow that it’s all out there. I have to know so I can keep everyone alive. But she shouldn’t have to. And what if it makes her smell stronger? What if I put her in danger?”

Rhode tipped her head back against the yellow tiles. “You refer to the way that demigods’ scent grows as they learn the truth of things? That is not a danger for Estelle. She has no great power in her veins. The scent is that of the ichor in you, the power that rises to your skin. The more you recognize its presence, the more often it is used, the more it rises to the surface. It is like…boiling herbs in water. The scent may be hardly noticeable when the dried herb is stirred into the pot, but when the water heats, the scent of the herbs rises on the steam and spreads through the room.” 

“And I’m a whole chicken soup,” Percy muttered. 

“You have been forced to learn a great many heavy things. The world has never been kind or fair to you, Percy. More so even than most demigods.” She looked up at the ceiling. “If I had my choice, you would never have had to learn such things. I do understand you wanting to protect Estelle.” 

“I’m hearing a but,” he said bitterly. 

“An and. You want to protect Estelle, and you want her to be able to make good choices when you are not there, and you want to be open with her, not hiding or lying to her. Does that seem accurate?” 

“That’s about it.” 

Rhode folded her arms on her knees. “How did your mother teach you about death?” 

“What?” 

“Did she take you to a burial ground and dig up a grave to show you the bones?” 

“What the hell?” He stared at her. 

“Did she tell you of the suffering in Hades, or how it sounded when Orpheus wailed and the world nearly drowned in tears?” 

“No!” 

“No. Death is the one tragedy we all must bear. Even gods, in time. I do not age, but I will someday fade. My husband faded millennia ago. My niece died for a king’s folly. Many of my children have lived and lost mortal lives. We do not tell our children the whole, raw truth of death. That would be too much to bear. 

“So it is with other tragedies. We tell stories, nibble at the edges to show the shape of them. We tell them ‘this is the place we do not go, these are the ones we do not speak to, these are the things we do to stay safe.’ The rest, they learn as they must.”

Percy stared past the wall. “My mom’s parents died in a plane crash.” 

“Did she tell you how it felt when she heard the news? Of the days after?” 

“No. Just…that she missed them a lot. That things were hard.” 

“You learned, though.” 

He picked at his sleeve. “After the Minotaur.” 

“And so it is. Estelle will learn as she grows, as much as she needs to, as much as she can from her own experiences. It is not lying to hold back the details, dear one. It is how we protect the children. Just as you protected your friend Nico by taking on the prophecy. Just as your mother protected you by waiting and telling stories and hiding you from this world.” 

Percy buried his face in his arms. “I don’t even know what I could tell her. Everything is tied to something shitty.” 

She shuffled around, plopping back down beside him. She rubbed his back, slow gentle circles between his shoulders. “It will not be easy, but there is joy. I have seen it in you. Your friendship with Grover, the way your face lights up when you see something new in Atlantis, the care you and Tyson take with Cabin 3, your gentleness with the hippocampi….” 

He snorted. “Okay, I get your point. You sound like my therapist.” 

“I am glad you have one.” 

“I yelled at Annabeth.” 

“She mentioned you fought. She also said you would work through it.” 

“I said she couldn’t understand about Estelle.” He leaned his head back. “That wasn’t fair.” 

“You will apologize?” 

“Yeah.”

“Good. You suit each other well.” 

“You and Zitia. How long have you been together?” 

“Decades, though it’s difficult to say when it began. We were friends first, and I think perhaps we were together before we realized it.” 

“Yeah.” 

She thought for a moment. “Percy, would you like to visit my home? Perhaps some time away to rest would help.” 

He glanced over. “Isn’t it in Greece? Like right in the middle of the Ancient Lands?” 

She hummed. “Yes and no. Rhodes is in the Mediterranean, yes, but in the same way that Mount Olympus is. There is Rhodes there and Rhodes here, and the two are linked on a certain plane. My life force will forever be tied to the original island; it is my body and I am its psyche. However…” 

“Weird magic science, got it.” 

“You have a school break coming up, yes?”

He nodded.

“You could spend it there if you wish. Annabeth would be welcome as well. You could meet Zitia in person, and the weather will be pleasant if you would like to explore or sail.” 

Percy drummed his fingers against his shins. “No monsters?” 

“No monsters.” 

“That sounds…nice.”   

She rubbed his back again. “Give it some thought and tell me when you decide.” 

“I should apologize to Annabeth.” 

“Probably. Have either of you eaten recently?” 

“Uhhhh…” 

She could see him counting the hours, and snapped her fingers without waiting for the answer. “You will find food on the kitchen table, for both of you.” She stood, stepping over him onto the tile floor. “If you decide to visit, I will come back Wednesday morning to pick you up.” 

“Rhode?” 

She turned. “Yes?” 

“Thanks.” 

“Of course, adelphós .” 

She shifted back to her library. Zitia was still there, curled up on a couch under the east window. “Is all well?” 

Rhode sprawled beside her, laying her head in the dryad’s lap. “He needed someone to talk to, but all will be well. We may have guests in a few days. I invited him and Annabeth to come here.” 

Zitia’s face lit up. “Finally! We haven’t had any interesting guests in a while.” 

“My other siblings will be heartbroken to hear it,” Rhode said drily. 

Her wife waved this away. “You know what I mean. I like my peace and quiet, but this will be a treat. I’ve been saying for so long you should invite them.” 

“I was not certain he would come.” Rhodes fussed with the hem of her blouse. “Perhaps I should make melekouni .” 

“We will make it together, as soon as we know they are going to visit. No feasts, though, we don’t need to overwhelm the poor children.” 

Rhode smiled up at her. “I am so very lucky to have you.” 

“Yes, you are.” Zitia grinned. “And you better not forget it, Your Godly Highness.” 

Percy stopped in the doorway. “I’m sorry. What I said was way out of line, and it’s not true, and you didn’t deserve to be talked to like that.” 

Annabeth nodded. “I know you love Estelle. I know she’s not my blood. But I care about her too, and I’ve been really trying with Bobby and Matthew.” 

“I know.” He crouched next to her chair. “We’re all lucky to have you in our lives.”

“I know you want me to get along better with my family, Percy. But we’re never going to be like your family. My dad and I are never going to be close like that. Helen is never going to be like Paul. And I am trying, but I need to know that you’ll let me go at my pace, and respect my boundaries around them, and not shame me for the way things are.” Annabeth took a deep breath. “Estelle may not be my sister by blood, but you know that I would do anything to make sure she has a good life. I will never do anything to put them in danger. Not Estelle, not Sally, not Paul, not Bobby or Matthew.” 

“I know.” He raked his hair back. “I’m sorry. I want to see you happy, but I think sometimes I get too caught up in what happiness looks like for me. I need to listen more to what it looks like for you.” 

She nodded. “I’m not denying that having a better relationship with my family would make me happy, either. But they’re very different people. Magnus is about the only one who gets what this life is like. I am trying, but I can’t burn myself out trying to reach people who don’t give anything back but judgment.”

“And you shouldn’t ever feel like you have to.” He looked up at her. “I’m sorry for not listening enough, and I’m sorry for hitting low, and for questioning how much you care about them. I’ll work on listening more, and thinking before I speak, and saying what I actually mean. I know you love Estelle as much as any of us. I know you’re an incredible sister, even if your mortal family doesn’t always understand it. You’ve done so well with Malcolm and Sophia and all the rest. I’ve been…the nightmares have been really bad again, and I think I let the fear do the talking today. I’ll talk to Viv about it. It’s not fair to make you deal with the fallout of that.” 

Annabeth nodded. “Good. Vivian was right about the adrenaline cooldown, too. We should work on taking some time apart sooner, and talking once we can think clearly.” 

“20 minutes for the lizard brain,” he agreed. “Rhode said basically the same thing you did, by the way. Told me I was catastrophizing, and Estelle’s going to be fine.” He sat back, leaning his head against her knees. “This is probably one of those times I need to trust your judgment more, huh?”

“It usually is.” 

He snorted. “Always is.” 

She ruffled his hair. “True.” 

“Rhode left us some food. Come eat with me?”

She nodded. Rhode had left a small feast spread on the table. They filled plates and curled up in bed to eat, tossing the towels back into a basket. 

“My sister invited us to her island.” 

Annabeth looked up from her cheese. “As in, her island?” 

“She said it’s like Mount Olympus? Both in Greece and not? Anyway, no monsters. We could meet her wife, maybe do some sailing, spend fall break there.” 

Annabeth snickered. “I can’t believe I’m with a guy whose sister is a private island.” 

Percy groaned. “Rachel will never let me hear the end of this. After how many times I’ve teased her for being a rich kid?” 

“That does sound incredible, though. Let’s go.”

“You mean it? I don’t want you to feel stuck there with my godly family.” 

“She’s alright. Anyone else, I would hesitate, but she’s been good to us.” 

“Yeah. It’s starting to feel weird that I haven’t been to Atlantis in so long.” 

She popped a grape in her mouth. “Does it still scare you?” 

“Not in the same way, I guess? I think the therapy and the practice is starting to help. And just having some time pass since everything happened. I’m starting to miss it more than I’m scared of it.” 

She twined her fingers through his. “That’s good,” she said softly. “I’m proud of you.” 

He nodded. “I think I’m getting proud of me, too.” He tucked a curl behind her ear. “You know what I’m really proud of, Wise Girl?” 

“What, Seaweed Brain?” She smiled. 

“You. You are absolutely incredible. The smartest, the patientest, the prettiest-” he punctuated each compliment with a kiss, “the toughest, the scariest, the coolest, the bravest, the-” 

“Okay,” she laughed, catching him and pulling him close for a longer kiss. “I get it.” 

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” 

“So you’ll do better next time, like you always do.” 

“I will,” he promised. 

She set down her plate, settling into his lap. “Wanna show me how much better you can do?” 

His eyes gleamed. “Is that a challenge?” 

“Whatever motivates you, Seaweed Brain.” 

“ You motivate me.” 

Chapter Text

They surfaced on the southern shore. They thanked the hippocampi and let them go, wading the last few yards to the beach. Percy slung his duffle over his shoulder. "You good, Wise Girl?"

"I'm fine." She smiled. "Your island is beautiful, Rhode."

Rhode dug her feet into the pale sand, smiling softly. "Thank you. It is a bit of a walk to the house. I can transport us all there if you are tired, or we can walk and take our time."

The demigods exchanged a look and Annabeth nodded. Their lungs were still scarred from the air of Tartarus. "Transport," she decided. "We'll have time to wander later, when we're not loaded down with bags."

Rhode obliged, and carried them to the front door. She pressed a kiss to the white stone lintel and whispered something. The front door swung open. A short hallway opened up to a sunny courtyard, tiled with bright mosaics of the surrounding landscape. A dryad with a pouf of spiky green curls hurried to meet them, her orange dress fluttering like wings. She beamed, holding out her hands to Percy. "It is so good to finally meet you! May I hug you?" 

Percy stammered permission, and the dryad flung her heartwood-brown arms around him. 

"Rhode has told me so much about you, it's about time we got to meet in person." 

"This is Zitia, obviously." Rhode shut the front door. 

"It's great to meet you, Zitia." Annabeth set down her bag and claimed a hug next. 

"We won't formally offer you guest rights, since you're family, but dinner is almost ready, and your room is in the inner court." Zitia stood on tiptoe and kissed her wife on the cheek. "I'm going to go finish up in the kitchen, come find me when you're settled in." 

Rhode picked up Annabeth's bag and led them across the courtyard to an archway, and another courtyard beyond. This one was tiled with marine designs, swirling outward from a low fountain. They turned to the left, and Rhode opened a simple wooden door. "This will be your room. My library is at the back of the house, and I can usually be found there if you need anything. There is a bathroom off the main court.” 

The room was spacious, decorated in blue and white linen, with broad windows and glass doors overlooking the collonaded porch that surrounded the house. White curtains were tied back in the corners, and could be let down to provide privacy.

Percy tossed his bag on the bed. “This is great, Rhode. Thanks.” 

“I’ll leave you to unpack. We usually eat on the porch outside the library, come find us when you’re ready.” Rhode closed the door behind her. 

Percy flopped onto the bed, his bag almost bouncing onto the floor. He groaned. “This might be the comfiest bed I’ve ever felt. I’m spending the whole trip here.” 

“Then you’ll miss out on every other amazing thing we’re going to see.” Annabeth hopped up to sit beside him. “Oh, you might have a point, though.” 

Percy lowered his voice. “Zitia seems really nice. Like, Estelle’s always going to be the best sister ever, but Rhode and Zitia are pretty cool.” 

"She's nervous."

"Who?"

"Your sister."

Percy frowned up at the ceiling. "Wait, why? I wouldn't have come here if I didn't like or trust her."

"Yeah, she knows." Annabeth rolled over, propping herself on her elbows and playing with a lock of his hair. "She also knows how much that means. I think it means a lot to her too, to bring someone here. She mentioned earlier that she and Zitia don't have many visitors."

"Huh."

"You're making a weird face."

"She's a goddess. And my sister. It's weird that she's nervous."

"You remember we barely talked to her for a year?"

"We did. Just...not much. I hear it." He sighed. "We should probably unpack. Looked like Zitia is putting a lot of work into dinner and I'm not going to ruin it for her."

Some ten minutes later, they crossed the inner courtyard (pausing halfway when Annabeth got distracted by how the mosaics were constructed). They entered the library (stopping as Annabeth’s chin dropped) and walked down the rows of books (with a few detours so Annabeth could check titles and mutter about Alexandria) to the wide porch at the back of the house. There wasn't actually a back wall, just wide arches leaving the library open to fresh air and plenty of light. Percy figured if Rhode could keep her books and scrolls dry in Atlantis, she probably wasn't worried about protecting them from the elements here. 

A wooden table and chairs had been set up, and pottery platters and bowls were heaped with food. Percy hadn’t really registered it before, but the house was on top of a mountain. The porch was more of a balcony here, and the landscape dropped away in every direction, green leaves and bare stone sliding down to blue waves. 

Zitia was fussing with a stack of cloth napkins, and smiled when she saw them. “Sit wherever you like.” 

Annabeth went to the left and Percy took the closest seat, facing out over the balcony. He glanced back as Rhode came up behind him, her bare feet barely making a sound on the tiled floors. She set down a bowl of salad greens and sat to his right. 

“Everything smells amazing,” Annabeth commented. 

Zitia served herself one of the stuffed peppers, looking justifiably proud. “Everything is local and vegetarian. Try some of the horiatiki .” 

Percy loaded up his plate, filling his glass with blue lemonade. The weather had been a little gray and cool when they arrived, but it was perfectly comfortable at the table, and the western horizon was lighting up orange and scarlet as the sun sank. 

Annabeth lifted her plate and shifted her weight, as if to stand. Then she settled back in her seat, her cheeks flushing. Percy realized she’d been about to make an offering, and glanced at Zitia, who was already happily digging into her gemista . 

Rhode took a sip of water. “The thought is appreciated, Annabeth.” 

“Do you guys usually eat?” Percy asked. “When you don’t have visitors, I mean?” 

Zitia shrugged. “I have to eat and drink, same as any other dryad. Rhode usually sits with me.” 

“I do not need to eat, but it is pleasant, particularly when I live with an excellent cook.” Rhode winked at her wife. “Offerings are like being invited to share a meal, as we are doing now. Of course Mother enjoys cooking, so I eat at home when she makes something.” 

“The horiatiki is very good. Thank you, Zitia,” Annabeth speared another cherry tomato. 

“Rhode tells me you are a daughter of Athena, yes?” 

“I am.” Annabeth glanced over her shoulder. “This is a beautiful library. I can only imagine where you found some of these texts.” 

Rhode gestured toward the shelves. “You are welcome to read any of them while you are here. They are shelved by subject, my own system. If you have any questions, ask and I will help you find what you need.” 

Embarrassment forgotten, Annabeth shone with excitement. Percy grinned. “Maybe finish the meal first, then you can run off and bury yourself in books.” 

She kicked him under the table. 

~~~~~

Percy brushed his teeth, changed into sweatpants and fell onto the bed. He lounged, chin in hands, watching Annabeth as she pulled on an oversize t-shirt. 

“This place is incredible,” she said. “She has first editions of Pindar, and a story from Apollonius I’ve never even heard of.” 

“You’re such a nerd.” 

She rolled her eyes. “That’s why you like me.” 

“Is that why I like you?” He grinned. “Just that?” 

She crossed the room and flicked him on the nose. “Your omniscient sister is right next door.” 

“She’s not omniscient. Just….a-lot-nicient.” 

Annabeth snorted. “How reassuring.” She pulled out her hair tie and picked up her comb, picking through her curls. “Percy, how much have we talked about what happened while you were missing?” 

“Not much. I know you and Mom talked to the rest of the family, and they couldn’t do much to help. I know Rhode found me on the way to Alaska; I remember that part.”

“Did I tell you we fought?” 

“You mentioned it. No details.” He frowned, glancing at the door. “I thought you’d worked it out. Do we need to leave? What do you need?” 

“No, we’re fine. I wouldn’t have come otherwise.” She sat on the bed next to him, crossing her legs. “I was furious with…well, everyone and everything. I went to your godly family early on, to see if you were in Atlantis, or if they could find you. Rhode took over pretty quickly; I think she figured she could slide under the radar easier than the others. She brought Tyson up to join the search, and talked to your mom, and promised to do everything in their power to help find you. Jason thought you might be in New Rome, so she went there to look for you. You hadn’t arrived yet, and we thought it was another dead end, until you left the offerings for your dad. 

“She and Triton tracked you down eventually, you know that part. But I found out on the way there that she’d seen you and let you keep going to Alaska. I made Leo land the Argo II, called her down, and tore into her for not stopping your quest.” 

“Me too, but she couldn’t-” 

“I know,” Annabeth laid a hand on the small of his back, where his Achilles spot had been. “I know. I was so scared, and so angry, and so was she, I think. We screamed at each other for a while, and at some point I realized she was almost as helpless as any of us. If she broke the laws, all of Atlantis would be at risk. Your whole family might have to pay. Who knows what they would have done to Zitia? But she told me…” Annabeth swallowed. “She told me she had faith in me. In us.” 

Percy laid a hand on her knee and she smiled, brushing tears from her eyes. “After that quest, I didn’t want anything to do with the gods in general, and I couldn’t bring myself to pray or make offerings for a long time. I’d always offered to my mom, or for some specific purpose. But Rhode and I sat and talked one night, after we moved to New Rome. After that I started making offerings again, just to her. That felt like reciprocity, like sharing with family, not just worship.” She bit her lip. “It’s part of why I prayed to her the other night.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I was still angry, and so were you, and it was hard to explain why it felt different talking to Rhode. I know you would have probably understood, especially after you started talking to your family again, but I didn’t know how to find words for it. I haven’t talked to her directly about it before. We’ve both been pretending it doesn’t happen. I didn’t want you to feel like I was talking about you behind your back, because it wasn’t about you, really. Not once you were home.” 

“Annabeth, I’m glad that you get along so well with my family.” 

She shifted uncomfortably. “I think it was more that I was uncomfortable? First, with praying at all after Tartarus. But also, I stopped praying to my mom, and now I’ve been praying to a child of Poseidon?”

Percy rolled over, placing a hand on his heart. “You thought I would tease you?” 

“You absolutely would. And will.” 

“I would never .” 

“I can see you crossing your fingers.” 

He grinned. “It is a little satisfying.”

She grabbed a pillow and bopped him in the head. He fell back against the mattress, laughing. “I mean, when you think about it, it’s not much different from you calling my mom or playing with Estelle, and you do that all the time.” 

“It’s so different! She’s a goddess!” 

“And you’re half goddess, Wise Girl. She’s family.” 

“Would you have said that a year ago?” 

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Frowned at the ceiling. “I think I owe Rhode an apology.” 

“That’s…not where I thought that sentence was going to go, but I will support you regardless.” 

He grasped her hand. “We should sleep. It’s been a long day.” 

She leaned forward, kissing him. “Look at you, being all reasonable and mature.” 

He made a face. “Don’t get used to it.” 

“I wouldn’t dare.” She slid up the bed, flipping the blankets down onto his face. “Come on, Seaweed Brain. Big day tomorrow.” 

There was a moment of panic, as always, when she awoke the next morning alone. She fumbled for the pillow and relaxed as she felt Percy’s camp necklace there. She sat up, yawning, and realized the room was already bright. She rolled reluctantly out of bed, dressed in jeans and a gray long-sleeve t-shirt, With Percy’s necklace wrapped around her wrist, she padded out of the bedroom in search of breakfast. Three steps from the bedroom, the library door caught her eye. 

She crossed the inner court, hugging herself against the fading morning chill. The room was already brilliant with sunlight, throwing embossed titles into relief. Annabeth wandered down the shelves, trailing fingers gently over carved scroll-ends and leather-bound tomes. 

Rhode was on the balcony, cradling a steaming mug, a himation draped around her shoulders. She didn’t look up as Annabeth approached, but she tapped a finger against the rim of her mug. A second mug appeared on the table, and a shawl draped over the chair. Annabeth settled the shawl around her shoulders and sat, propping her feet on the chair rail. 

“Good morning.” 

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” 

“I did, the room is very nice.” Annabeth took a sip of her drink. Peppermint tea, the perfect temperature. Of course. 

“Percy is in the kitchen with Zitia. I think they are making a frittata for breakfast.” Rhode set her mug on the table, propping her chin on one hand. “Thank you.” 

Annabeth paused, mug halfway back to her mouth. “For?” 

“For coming here.” 

Annabeth set down her mug. “Thank you for inviting me.” 

Rhode’s lips tugged upward. “You have been my most consistent worshiper in decades. I was hardly going to leave you out.” 

Annabeth flushed. “My mom will smite me on the spot if she ever finds out.” 

“Well, she and I are closely syncretized here. I am sure we could work up some sort of argument for why it actually counts as praying to her, if the need arises.” Rhode sipped her drink, eyes bright with smothered laughter. “I hardly expected or asked for it, given some of the conversations between us.”

“You can call them fights.” Annabeth cradled her tea. 

“For which we have both apologized, and I am glad to see you here. You and Percy make each other very happy, and I could not be more glad.” 

Voices echoed across the inner court. Percy and Zitia, bringing breakfast. Rhode set her mug down, lounging against the table as their partners came out on the balcony. Percy tossed down a hot pad and set a steaming skillet on the table, while Zitia passed around plates and forks. 

“Good morning, Wise Girl. How’d you sleep?” 

“Very well. Breakfast looks delicious.” 

“Zucchini, tomatoes, feta, and fresh oregano.” Zitia kissed the top of Rhode’s head. “I didn’t have enough hands for the teapot, will you?” 

Rhode snapped her fingers. The teapot and a couple more mugs appeared next to the frittata. She picked up a server and began dishing out plates for everyone. 

Annabeth accepted a plate and topped up her mug of tea. 

“We used the last of the cheese you brought back.” 

“I will pick up some more later.” Rhode passed a plate to Percy, and settled back with her mug. “What would you like to do today?” 

“Is it warm enough to sail?” 

“Certainly. We have a little sailboat down in Ormos Líndou.”

Annabeth took a bite and hummed in appreciation. “Sailing today, exploring the library tonight?” 

Rhode smiled. “Percy, if you want to spend some time swimming and exploring underwater as well, I think Annabeth will find plenty to occupy her here this weekend.” 

“Oh, I absolutely will.” She lifted her mug in toast. “Don’t worry about me.”

Chapter Text

The day was perfect, sky and water brilliant blues, the wind catching their sails just so. Annabeth lounged in the bow, sunglasses on, the wind ruffling her hair, chatting with Zitia. Watching her, Percy decided for all the pains of the last 19 years he really was the luckiest guy in the world. 

“You are drooling,” Rhode whispered over his shoulder. 

He swatted her. “Can you blame me? Don’t answer that. I don’t want to hear it.” 

“I just don’t want you to forget you are navigating. I can rescue us all if you run aground, but I would rather not deal with it.” She grinned, lounging on the cabin roof.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this relaxed.” 

She shrugged, swirling her glass. “I am home, I am with Zitia, our world has been at peace for a while. I still have worries, but things are better than they have been for some time.” 

He nodded, adjusting the tiller. “Yeah, I get that. Zitia’s really cool; I’m glad we got to meet her.” 

“I am glad. She likes you, too.” 

Percy frowned, focusing on something off the starboard bow. “Hang on-” 

There was a loud splash, and the boat rocked as something flipped out of the water, over the starboard rail. Percy and Annabeth both jolted forward, then paused. 

Rhode swung to her feet, strode down the deck, and smacked her older brother on the back of the head. “Were you raised in a stable? Have some manners and at least announce yourself if you insist on showing up where you were not invited.” 

“Have some manners and invite me next time.” Triton waved cheerfully at Percy. “Thought I felt you up here.” 

“Yeah, you got me,” Percy drawled. “Up to no good, drinking blue lemonade and hanging out with people I like.” 

Triton sat down next to Zitia. “Hello, favorite sister. How have you been?” 

“Enjoying some interesting company for once.” She grinned, handing him her glass of wine. 

He took a sip and toasted his siblings. “Don’t mind me, I’ve got a day off.” 

Rhode rolled her eyes, but returned to the stern. 

Percy handed off the tiller to her and flopped down between Annabeth and Zitia.

Zitia leaned her back against Percy’s shoulder and swung her legs over Triton’s lap. “Do you actually have the day off or are you just skiving off for a couple hours? Percy and Annabeth are going to teach us how to make s’mores tonight.” 

“I do not ‘skive off.’ I cleared my schedule just for you, favorite sister.”

“Atlantis got too boring for you?”

“Rhode didn’t mention you were coming here and it’s been a while since you visited Atlantis. I thought I better make sure nothing was wrong.” 

“Aww, were you worried about us?” Percy batted his eyelashes. 

“Don’t flatter yourself.” 

Percy leaned over Zitia, patting Triton’s arm. “It’s nice to know you care, bro.”

“Well, someone’s got to give Hawai’i some warning.” 

Rhode had left the tiller, retrieving her glass and coming to sit on the rail beside Triton. “Warn them about what?” 

Triton and Percy exchanged a look, and Percy sighed. “Come on, man.”

“I didn’t say anything.” 

“Your poker face is just sad.” 

“What happened to Hawai’i?” 

Annabeth draped an arm over Percy’s shoulders. “Give it up.” 

“Nothing happened to Hawai’i. Hawai’i is fine. Everything turned out fine.” 

“Percy was practicing earthquakes with Kym,” Triton admitted.

“Kym does not know the first thing about earthquakes. Kym does not know the first thing about teaching.” 

“Which is why it didn’t go great, and I haven’t tried it again, but Triton stopped the tsunami, and every-”

“The tsunami?” 

“That I stopped,” Triton clarified. 

“And did not tell me about?” 

“I promised not to do it again without you and Triton, but I wasn’t planning on doing it again anyway, so-” 

“No, no, no.” Rhode held up her right hand. She flicked her left, and the boat course-corrected slightly. 

“Everyone’s safe, o melema ,” Zitia spoke up. 

“It was weeks ago.” 

“You are not helping your case, Tri.” Rhode took a deep breath. “One at a time. Percy, you inherited the Earthshaker aspect?” 

“It looks that way? I thought the Mount Saint Helens thing was a fluke, just a reaction between the water and the lava, and then the bridge collapse I thought was just water breaking it up. But Will and Annabeth suggested maybe they were earthquakes, and it seemed worth looking into. I didn’t want to hurt anyone by accident, and I couldn’t think of a safe place to try it. Then I brought Kym an orange a couple weeks ago, and she popped up, and we started chatting. She said she could bring me to a safe spot where no one would get hurt. So we went to this island-” 

“I still question why you just went with her,” Annabeth interrupted. 

“As would I,” Rhode sighed. “Go on.” 

“I gave it a try, and it worked, but then it set off a tsunami. I was working on reining it in, and Triton showed up and collapsed it, and he yelled at us, and we all went home. That’s about it.” 

“Mom and Dad were in Olympus for a meeting, so they didn’t know, and I didn’t think it was worth worrying them.” 

Rhode smacked Triton in the head again, and he winced. “At least tell me!” She snapped. “How am I supposed to help, if no one tells me what is happening? Kym knew!” 

“I still haven’t even met Ben, if that helps.” 

Rhode’s hand came up again, palm out, and Percy shut his mouth. “You performed more blessings, did you not?” 

“Yeah, but I already told you about them.” 

“Is there anything else?” 

Percy fidgeted. “I don’t think so?” 

“Annabeth?” Annabeth shook her head, and Rhode let her hand drop. “Alright.” She took a deep breath. “ Tell me next time, so we can be ready, and be careful. If you were able to do this before you realized it, you may be much stronger than you realize, and it could be more dangerous than you think. It is rare for our godly siblings to inherit the Earthshaker aspect, let alone demigod siblings. It is not an inherently bad thing, but just…be cautious.” 

“Got it.” Percy managed a smile and a thumbs up. 

Rhode sighed, adjusting the boat’s course again. “I did not mean to frighten you. Either of you.” She glared down at Triton. “ You are not included in that statement.” 

“I assumed.” 

“So I’ve actually been meaning to ask. Do you think it’s better if I don’t do anything, or if I practice with you guys around, or-” 

“For now, do nothing. Let me…I will see if I can learn anything more first. Earthquakes are not either of our specialty, though I am at least more familiar with land masses than Triton.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

She raked her hair back. “Alright. Yelling over. Triton, you may join us for s’mores.” 

He high-fived Zitia. “Yes! What are s’mores?” 

 That evening, while Percy showed Triton how to build a fire and Zitia checked on her grove, Annabeth made her way to the library. Rhode sat on the balcony, wrapped in a wine-red himation. A steaming mug waited on the table beside her, and she slowly traced the rim with one finger, staring out over the horizon. 

Annabeth hesitated under the archways. “Rhode…When you talked again the other night, he told you what happened with Akhlys, didn’t he?” 

She glanced up, and motioned for Annabeth to sit. “He did.” 

“Something-” she swallowed, taking the chair beside Rhode. “Something happened when he was fighting her. I don’t know what, but it scared me, and I think he felt it, but neither of us wants to talk about it. He changed for a moment, and I can still see it sometimes.” 

Rhode stared out at the hazy sky. “I am not certain.” 

“You know something, though.” Annabeth leaned forward. “When he talked about the earthquake, it scared you. Rhode, I agree, you need to know about things if you’re going to help us. But that goes both ways. If you know something about him, he deserves to know.” 

“I cannot explain what I do not understand myself, Annabeth.” Rhode met her gaze for a brief moment, and fear echoed between them. “You are right, something changed, but whatever it was, he stopped it. For a while, at least. He has been away for too long, and it was hard to tell during the war, when the miasma of the Pit was clinging to both of you so strongly.” 

“The blessings, though.” 

“I have only seen demigods capable of such a thing perhaps twice. It is true mortals can lay a blessing, but it is a different kind. The Earthshaker inheritance is rare, but not unheard of.” 

“You haven’t told him.” 

“Can you? Before you are absolutely certain?” 

Annabeth pulled her feet onto the chair, hugging her knees. 

“You have changed as well. Not in the same ways, but you are not the girl who left, or even the one who came back. You are certainly not the child who screamed at me in Utah.” 

“It’s been two years.” 

“So it has.” Rhode rested both elbows on the table, finally facing her. “They do not see how strong you are. Not with the children of my father and uncles standing beside you. Your mother sees it, and stays silent to protect you. You know it, and choose to keep your peace. Percy sees some of it, and denies the rest out of fear for you. My uncles, my aunts, they see only a pretty child with a dangerous love.” 

“My limits are a lot stricter than Percy’s.” 

“It is convenient for the world to think so.” 

Annabeth pressed her lips together, fussing with her sleeve. 

“You bridge worlds, Annabeth, and you are building a new one without anyone noticing the walls around them.” 

“I’m just trying to get through college and live a decent life.” 

“Dangerous indeed.” Rhode adjusted her himation. “You know the story of Pallas?” 

“I do.” 

“Good. Triton loved his daughter more than the world. I loved my niece like my own heart. Your mother would have torn Olympus apart brick by brick if it brought her sister back.” Rhode picked up her mug. “You are always welcome in my library, Annabeth. With or without Percy.”

“Thank you,” Annabeth said quietly. 

“If I learn anything more, if I can confirm any theories, I will tell you.” She stood, smoothing her skirt, and cradled her mug in both hands. “I am going to see that they do not burn down my whole island. Sit as long as you wish, there will be a place at the fire when you are ready to join.” 

Annabeth sat for a long time, until the sky was dark enough and her breathing settled enough that she thought the others might not notice how long she had cried. 

Rhode joined them at the fire ring. Zitia greeted her with a kiss, then went back to arguing about firewood with Triton. Percy was certain neither of them was particularly qualified on the subject, and apparently Rhode decided to stay out of it. She joined him by the fire, sitting on the grass and balancing a plate on her lap. He stirred the flames with a stick, nodding in satisfaction as the flames rose. 

Rhode offered him the plate. “Since you are sharing a treat from your home with us, I thought I would make a traditional dessert for you as well. Melekouni seemed like a fitting choice.” 

“Thanks.” He picked up one of the diamond-shaped bars, and tried a bite. Citrus and honey melted on his tongue, and he hummed in appreciation. “Oh, that is good. Not a match for s’mores, but it is really good.” 

She smiled and tossed one into the fire. Percy would swear he saw a flash of Hestia’s face in the flames, then they settled. “I am glad it meets with your approval.” 

“You made melekouni ?” Triton peered over the fire. “What’s the occasion?” 

Percy glanced at Rhode. It was hard to tell in the low light, but she looked a little embarrassed. “There isn’t always an occasion, Tri. Especially on land, where it is easier to make.” 

Zitia leaned forward, winking at Percy. “You and Annabeth are the occasion. Melekouni is usually made for special celebrations, she’s just too embarrassed to admit that she’s excited to have you here.” 

“Zitia!” 

“He should know, and I won’t speak of it again.” 

“No melekouni for you.” 

Zitia slumped into the grass as if mortally wounded. “The cruelest of punishments, unfitting of a benevolent goddess! How could you? To your own wife?”  

“I’ll help you make an extra s’more,” Percy promised, grinning. He sat back, leaning his back against a log. Rhode moved with him, picking out a piece of candy for herself. 

“Annabeth’s taking a while.” 

“She will join us soon. I left her in the library.” 

“She’ll take three hours and miss the s’mores.” Percy considered going to get her, then decided against it. She would probably be happier with whatever book she had found than waiting to roast marshmallows. If she hadn’t joined them in an hour, he’d bring her one.

Rhode passed the plate to Triton and sat back beside Percy, stretching out her legs. 

“I owe you an apology,” he blurted. “Rhode and Triton, both of you. For after Estelle was born. I cut you guys out, and you hadn’t done anything to deserve that.” 

Triton handed the melekouni off to Zitia. “If there’s ever been a time you’re justified in being an cloaca, it was then.”

“You were grieving, and frightened for your sister.” 

“I was furious with all the gods, and that included you guys. But you’ve…well, Rhode’s always been nice to me.” 

“Wait-” 

“Tri’s alright most of the time.” 

“Some of the time,” Rhode agreed. 

“This is a terrible apology,” Triton muttered. 

“Anyway, I just wanted to say I appreciate you guys. It was a dick move on my part, and you’ve actually been pretty good family. So. Thanks.” 

Rhode wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him to her side. “We love you, too.” 

“Turnabout’s fair play,” Triton shrugged. “I can’t really judge you. It’s good to have you back.” 

Percy tried to pretend the heat in his face was just from the bonfire. “Yeah, alright. Did anyone bring out the s’mores supplies? I want to try making one with the melekouni .” 

Chapter Text

Annabeth pulled a couple books out of her satchel and set them on her desk. There was already a stack of books and scrolls there, but she stopped, picking one of them up. It didn't look familiar. The caps were carved with small pinecones, and there was no tag identifying the contents. 

She unrolled the first few inches and skimmed the opening lines. 

Her hands began to shake and she sat down on the bed. A rose petal slipped out of the papyrus, drifting to the floor. Annabeth stared at it until her vision blurred, pulse roaring in her ears. 

It wasn't as though this was entirely unexpected. She had been there. Witnessed the blessings, Tartarus, Mount Saint Helens with her own eyes. But as long as Rhode kept her counsel, they had been able to deny it. Pretend maybe this wasn't what it was. 

She rolled the scroll back up, found a leather case to keep it in, and tucked it away on a shelf with her other reading. Percy wouldn’t touch her books without asking.

That night, Annabeth left her camp necklace on the pillow and slipped out of the apartment, scroll in hand. She rounded Temple Hill, going to the little temple below Kymopoleia’s. She had helped Jason design it and overseen its construction after he died. The freshly carved wooden doors felt as familiar as her own fingertips as she pushed them open, her own sketches brought to life. She closed them behind her and walked the couple steps to the altar. 

Rose-scented air wafted through the tiny room before she spoke. Annabeth turned, facing Rhode. “How long have you known?” 

“How long have you suspected?” 

“Don’t. Don’t be flippant with me. You get to-” Annabeth bit her tongue, turning away. 

“Keep him?” Rhode said softly.

Annabeth’s fists clenched tighter. 

“Annabeth, I will not lie to you and pretend no part of me is relieved. You and I both know, however, that he does not want this. I do not know how he will respond.” Rhode stepped past her, running a hand along the edge of the altar. “I sent you the scroll because it is one of the only examples we have of this. Natural ascension is more than rare, it is almost unknown. Your old camp director welcomed it with open arms. Percy will not. It is impossible to guess what the consequences might be of rejecting that level of power.” 

“He’s done it before.” 

“He delayed it, and barely succeeded.” 

“He does impossible things all the time.” 

Rhode leaned back against the altar, folding her arms tight against her chest. “Perhaps.” 

Annabeth felt a tear slip down her cheek, and brushed it roughly away. “You have another theory.” 

“I think he is only growing in power, and what was done once cannot be done again and survived. I think it will be a choice. Death or immortality. It may not even be his to make, and it may be soon, especially if he continues to experiment with this power.” 

“If he bathed in the Styx again-” 

“It would not protect against what is already within him.” 

Annabeth stared at the wall. “We’re supposed to- We just wanted to be together. I never really believed we would be old. I knew that since I was seven. Percy still thinks maybe, but I-” she swallowed. “I thought we could at least have Elysium together. We earned that.” 

“A hundred times over,” Rhode whispered. 

“Did they know? When they offered it before?” 

“I think not. Perhaps the Fates tell the king things they do not tell others. I think not.” 

“If he doesn’t…” Annabeth’s face crumpled, and she reached out. Rhode barely caught her, opening her arms just in time to pull her close. 

“Will it hurt?” Annabeth shook, tears soaking Rhode’s shoulder. “He said it felt like breaking glass before. Will it hurt?” 

“I do not know. We do not know. There is so little to go on.” 

“He’ll fight it. So long.” 

“I know.” Gold tears soaked into Annabeth’s hair.  

“How do I tell him?” 

“We will. Let him be angry with us.” Rhode smoothed Annabeth’s hair. “Please do not leave him alone. I know it is selfish of me. I know this will be bloody and wretched. I know your heart is breaking, but please do not leave him alone.” 

“You know I won’t.” 

“I know.” 

They stood for a while, swaying together as they wept. When at last Annabeth stepped back, Rhode lifted her chin. 

“My father will not offer, but I will. It is not within my power, but it is within my mother’s, and my father will act if Percy asks him. You have your own choice to make, adelphḗ .” 

Annabeth shook her head. “It was never offered to me.” 

“That does not mean it is not fated. It is offered now. To my sister, my priestess, my friend. No matter what happens after.” 

Annabeth’s hand tightened around Rhode’s. “Don’t ask me now.” 

Rhode nodded, squeezing back. 

“I should go. Before he starts to worry.” 

“Do you want me to walk you back?” 

Annabeth shook her head. “I need to be alone for a while. Before I face him.” She stopped at the door. “You need to tell him soon. I can’t lie to him.” 

“Not here, where others may be injured. Not on top of a major fault line. I will invite him to Atlantis soon, and Father and I will tell him.” Rhode leaned back against the altar. “Soon.” 

~~~~~

Winter Break, New York

Percy set the pot of water on the stove, turning up the heat. “Hey, Paul?” 

“Hey, Percy.” Paul’s knife beat a steady rhythm as he chopped mushrooms for the sauce. 

“Do you ever…Does it scare you when I’m around? Especially with Estelle?” 

Paul’s knife paused, then started again, a little slower than before. “The obvious answer to me is no, but I think I should ask why you wonder that.” 

“I know you can’t see everything through the Mist, but I know you see some of it. You know about when I was growing up; all the monsters that came after us because of me. You were here during the Battle of Manhattan. You know about the ambrosia in the cupboard, and the nightmares, and-”

The lid clattered onto the pot. “Look, we get along, and I’m so glad you and my mom found each other, but I know I’m a lot to handle. And even if it’s a good thing, blessing Estelle without knowing it scared the f- Hades out of me, so I can only imagine what you thought of it. And you didn’t sign up for this, right?” 

“Percy.” Paul had set down his knife and turned to face him, laying his hands on Percy’s shoulders. “I signed up for this. You weren’t some kind of condition to marrying your mom. I knew I was signing up to be part of a family, and that includes being your parent. Estelle is not my only kid. Maybe I haven’t made that clear enough, trying to be respectful of your father, but you’re my family as much as your mom or Estelle are. Yes, I’m scared sometimes. For you, not of you. No one should have to deal with some of the things you’ve been through. You are not to blame for your blood, or the things people have done to you. You got that?” 

Percy nodded quickly, clearing his throat. Paul didn’t let go. “Love is not love that alters when it alteration finds,” he quoted. “You remember that from class?” 

“Shakespeare, right?” 

“Child of Apollo, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I’m not going to stop caring about you just because big stuff happens in our lives. All families go through big stuff. Ours might look a little different, but we’ll still get through it together.” His hands dropped, and Percy moved to the counter, picking up the knife. 

He started chopping the mushrooms, grabbing more from the carton. “I’ve been talking to Annabeth and Rhode and my therapist about a lot of things. Mostly trying to trust that things can be okay. I was really focused on keeping Estelle away from all this mess. I’m still anxious about it, and if you don’t want her anywhere near it, I totally get that, and I won’t do anything, so if it’s not okay-” He took a deep breath and set down the knife. “I want Estelle to know about me. About camp, who’s a demigod, that some monsters are real. I don’t want to scare her, but I think she’ll be safer if she knows. Not the big stuff, obviously, when she’s so little. But I want to be more open, I guess, about who I am.” 

Paul pulled out a second cutting board and began mincing the garlic. “It’s your story to tell, Percy. I suspect she’ll find out sooner or later, but I trust you.” 

Percy picked his knife back up. “I’ve been worried that it might make her noticeable to monsters, but Rhode said that won’t happen. I don’t want her trying to imitate me and getting hurt, like if she’s at the beach and doesn’t know she needs to hold her breath.” 

“You’ve been setting a great example for her, Percy. I think explaining sounds like a good way to help her stay safe as she gets older and understands more.” 

“I want to be sure you’re actually okay with this, though. Not just saying yes because you think it’ll make Mom or me happy.” 

“Have I ever lied to you?” 

Percy hesitated. “No.” 

“Why would I start now? About something so clearly important to you and Estelle?” 

Percy shoved the last of the mushrooms aside. “Yeah. I, um…” he grabbed an onion. “I made an earthquake a few weeks ago.” 

“That’s so cool.” Paul grinned. 

Percy managed a smile. “I did almost hit Hawai’i with a tsunami, but Triton stopped it.” 

“So it’s fine, then.” Paul slid a skillet onto the stove, lighting the burner. “Was it fun?” 

“A little,” Percy admitted. “Rhode and Triton yelled at me about the tsunami, but they also offered to help me practice again, so I guess I did okay.” 

“Just remember you’re not doing this alone, right? I know I can’t do much to help you with training, but we’re all rooting for you. From Amphitrite down to Estelle.” 

“Yeah.” Percy began dicing the onion, blinking back tears. “I know.” 

That evening, Percy and Annabeth sat on the floor with Estelle. The girls were stacking blocks, and Annabeth had already flipped one of the block trays over to form a sturdy foundation, murmuring to Estelle about load bearing pillars and weight distribution.

Sally and Paul sat on the couch, his arm around her shoulders, a mug of tea in her hands.

“How much do you want to tell her?”

Percy slid a block closer to Estelle. “Not about the worst of it. She doesn’t need to know about Tartarus. Not for a long time, if ever. Probably that Annabeth and I are demigods, that the gods exist, some stuff about camp. Things that might help her be smart and stay away from the stuff that could hurt her.”

“That all seems wise.” Paul rubbed Sally’s shoulder. 

"I don't want her to be scared of shadows." Sally swirled her mug. "But I think it can be good for her to understand why things are different for her and Percy." 

"She may be clear-sighted like you and we can tell her exactly what kinds of things to watch for. If not, we'll already be teaching her not to talk to strangers. We can still warn her to avoid scary people, or to recognize when things don't make sense. I've learned to do that a little, it may be easier if she grows up with it."

"There's something else. I'd like your permission to bring Stella to camp for a day. Rachel and Chiron may be able to tell us more about the blessing. How it works and what it means for her. Rachel can see blessings, and Chiron knows more than just about anyone, but they couldn't get a good read on it through IM when we checked in with Lavinia.

"I already grilled them both and there's no danger to her. Chiron says the camp boundaries should let her in if we give permission, since she has the blessings. Annabeth and I would both be with her the whole time, and I won't let her anywhere near the lava wall or the woods. But I'm not bringing her if you're not both 100% on board."

"Mortals can go through the barrier?"

"Not all of them. If she can't get through, we'll sit near Thalia's pine and talk to Chiron and Rachel and Nico, then bring her right home."

"How come you've never brought me to camp?" Sally's eyes narrowed.

Percy glanced at Annabeth, suddenly feeling like he'd tripped on a land mine. She froze.

"Uh..."

"Did you know mortals could get through?"

"No! Rachel's the only one I've seen, and she's the Oracle."

"And the pizza guy," Annabeth added. "But we're pretty sure he got lost in the Labyrinth, which can circumvent the boundaries."

"And like we said, the blessings make a difference."

"So if I had a blessing I could get in?"

"Maybe? We don't even know for certain if Estelle can yet."

Paul and Sally exchanged a long, loaded look that Percy tried desperately to identify before it bit him.

"Well," Sally said finally. "I guess it's a good thing I have a blessing.”

Paul sighed. "I always miss out on the fun magic stuff." 

"Wait, since when have you had a blessing?" 

"Since your father gave me one. It was years ago, shortly after you started going to Camp." She shrugged. "I told Paul, but it didn't seem like something you wanted to know. I didn't want to worry you any more." 

Percy rubbed his face. He and his dad were going to have another difficult conversation, very soon. "Okay. Right. It would really help if I could see these things clearly."

“We’ll drive down this weekend, while you’re here on break. I’ll try first, and if I can’t get in, we’ll have Chiron and Rachel meet with us outside the camp borders. How does that sound?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” Percy handed a block to Stella. “Thanks, Mom.” 

Chapter Text

The four of them stood at the top of Half-Blood Hill, just short of the border. Sally had hesitated a little when she saw Peleus slumbering at the base of the tree, but forged ahead with Estelle on her hip. 

"It's right about here. I'll go first." Annabeth took a few steps forward, then turned to face them. "I, Annabeth Chase, give permission for Sally Jackson and Estelle Blofis to enter Camp Half-Blood." 

Nothing felt different, but Peleus stirred, blinking lazily at them. He grumbled, a cloud of steam escaping his nostrils, then settled back against the trunk of the pine. 

"I guess that's it." Sally handed Estelle to Percy and stepped forward, chin up. Nothing knocked her back. No alarms wailed. She looked down the hill into camp, and drew in a deep breath. 

Percy followed her across the border, cradling Estelle in her puffy pink snowsuit. She grew heavier in his arms for a moment, as if something dragged at her. Then the feeling eased, and they were within the borders. 

She made a face. “Don’t like it.” 

“I know, Guppy, it’s not very comfortable is it? But it’s all done now.” 

Sally was taking everything in with wide eyes. Camp was quiet at this time of year,  a faint dusting of snow on the ground. The lava wall was dormant, and a couple of campers were skating on the frozen canoe lake. Percy was reminded of another winter visit, and hugged Estelle a little closer.

"I never thought I'd get to see it." Sally grasped Annabeth’s hand. "Your other home. It's just like you describe it."

Chiron came up the hill to meet them. He nodded respectfully to Sally. "It is an honor to welcome you to Camp Half-Blood, Sally Jackson."

"Thank you for letting us visit, Chiron. I know it's rare for mortals to be here."

"You are a veteran of the Battle of Manhattan, not simply a mortal." Chiron gestured toward Rachel's cave. "There will be time for a tour if you wish one, but shall we speak to Miss Dare first? She is expecting you."

Percy noticed that someone had picked up the bones that were usually scattered in front of the cave. Rachel usually seemed to enjoy the threatening aura, but had apparently tidied up for Sally. He appreciated it. This was nerve-wracking enough. Annabeth pushed aside the velvet curtain that covered the cave's entrance, leading them inside. 

Estelle petted the curtain as they passed. “Soft,” she murmured. 

Rachel was mixing paints, but jumped up when she saw them. Her red curls bounced as she ran to hug Sally. "You made it!"

"I don't think we've seen you since August. How are you, dear?"

"Ah, same old same old." She hugged Annabeth. "Bouncing between Barnard and here, trying not to have visions during class, harassing Nico and Clarisse. Good times." She turned to Percy and Estelle. "So this is the kiddo. That's a blessing alright."

"We figured that much." Percy grumbled.

"Come on in and sit down," Rachel grinned.

Everyone took off their coats and arranged themselves on one of Rachel's couches, while she perched on her stool. Chiron stood nearby, arms folded. Rachel leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees and her chin in her paint-smeared hands.

Percy unzipped Estelle's snowsuit so she wouldn't overheat in the warm cave. She wriggled off his lap onto Sally's, trying to reach a cup of paintbrushes on the end table.

"I haven't tried reading many of these before, so I'm not sure how much nuance I'll catch. But it's definitely Percy. It's shielding her, diverting danger away from her."

"I suspect anyone who wishes her harm will have a difficult time noticing her, and a harder time affecting her," Chiron agreed. He frowned. "It is very strong, but perhaps that is an effect of being layered with another blessing, or continued contact has strengthened it in some way." He looked at Percy. "I do not think she will ever drown, or be harmed by the sea. She may not be able to breathe underwater, that is another level of magic. The ocean might, however, spit her on shore rather than drown her."

Percy nodded tensely. "I thought I noticed that when I was blessing Lavinia. Didn't plan it, but it got thrown in as a freebie."

"Have you seen anything like this before?" Sally asked. "It doesn't seem to be common."

Chiron shifted his hooves, not quite looking at them. "Perhaps once. Very different powers, though. It is difficult to compare."

"Is this like Will's earthquake theory? Have I been able to do this all along? Have I blessed other people without realizing it? If it's new, why can I do it now?"

Rachel winced. "Less questions, Percy, please. I'll try to answer."

Annabeth laid a hand on his arm.

"It is normal for you to learn more about your abilities as you get older and more experienced," Chiron assured. "Theseus could do many things as an adult that he could not comprehend as a child."

"So this is just the demigod version of ‘my brain is still developing?’"

Rachel held up a hand. "Maybe, I don't-" She took a deep breath. "You're really strong, Percy. You always have been. Things might look different for you, and we don't have a huge range of comparison for what adult demigods can do."

Annabeth winced this time. Sally leaned a little closer to Percy. "But Estelle is fine, and Percy isn't hurting himself doing this?"

"She's snug as a bug. Percy doesn't..." Rachel trailed off, frowning at him. "This isn't hurting you, no." She glanced at Annabeth.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Lots of things, Jackson." Rachel tried to smile, sitting up straighter. "The capitol of Bolivia, the square root of pi, my first crush..."

"Rachel, you know something." Percy leaned forward, ignoring Annabeth as she reached for his shoulder. "This is my body, my brain, my sister . If you know something, I need to know."

Rachel slipped off her stool, heading toward her easel. "You asked about Estelle, I told you about Estelle, Percy. Don't ask me about this."

Percy got up, following her. Annabeth buried her face in her hands. "Rachel, what the-"

She whirled to face him, fists clenched. Before she could reply, her eyes began to glow. Her muscles went rigid, and she stared at him, or perhaps some distant point beyond him. Green smoke seeped from her mouth as her voice layered.

" Poison, blood, and ichor gold

A transformation twice foretold

First to fall and first to rise

Born of pit and cloudless skies. "

Chiron caught her as her legs gave out. Rachel swayed back to her feet, pale with exhaustion. She looked up at the others, who stared at her in silence. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and her voice cracked. “I’m so, so sorry.” 

Estelle began to cry, and Percy turned, picking her up, holding her close. She buried her face in his shoulder, squishing his sweatshirt sleeve in her hand. He smoothed her messy curls. 

Sally swallowed, reaching for Annabeth’s hand. “Do you know what it means?” she asked Rachel. 

Rachel looked up at Chiron, who nodded reluctantly. She turned back to Sally. “We don’t know for certain.” 

“It’s not the first time you’ve gotten this prophecy,” Annabeth said.

Rachel shook her head. “It wasn’t those words, but I think it connects to visions I’ve been having. Chiron, if you would?” She walked unsteadily to the back of the cave, where unframed canvases were stacked. She handed a few to Chiron and grabbed a couple more, carrying them back to the group. She propped them on the open couch and stepped back, motioning for Chiron to do the same. 

Percy handed Estelle to Sally and walked out of the cave. 

Rachel crouched at the women’s feet, tears running down her face and Sally’s. “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t decide our fate, Rachel.” Annabeth was as weary as if she held the weight of the sky again. “You only warn us of what’s coming.” 

Sally clung to Estelle with one arm and hugged Annabeth with the other. “Someone should go after Percy.” 

Annabeth shook her head. “I already prayed to Rhode. She knows. Someone will be with him already.” 

“You’re not surprised.” 

Annabeth’s tears spilled over and she shook her head again. Chiron moved behind the couch, laying a hand on her shoulder. “Rhode already figured it out. I think I knew, but I was trying to pretend it wasn’t happening.” 

“I’ve been painting this for a year,” Rachel whispered. “But I couldn’t…I was hoping…” 

“I know.” Annabeth reached down to hug her. “Thank you.” 

The paintings were not identical, but they were variations on a theme. Gray eyes, black curls, sea-green and silver light, shimmering tears and steaming poison. 

“Oh, sweetheart,” Sally whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I couldn’t ask you to lie to Percy, and I couldn’t tell him. Rhode was planning to, next time he was in Atlantis, but-” Annabeth waved at the paintings. “We waited too long.” 

“But you had to carry that by yourself, and that isn’t fair to you.” 

Annabeth laughed, and it caught on a sob. “Fair isn’t really part of any of this.” She leaned into Sally’s side, resting her head against her neck. “You don’t seem too surprised either.” 

“I saw you when you came back, sweetheart. I know about the blessings and I’ve watched the way you’ve changed in the last few years. You’re a little more of a surprise than Percy, but no, I can’t say it’s a total shock. When he went missing, a part of me wondered…” Her breath hitched and she buried her face in Annabeth’s hair. “Oh, my babies. You don’t deserve this, and you’re going to be so good.” 

Annabeth cried harder, shivering as she finally released the weeks of silence. “I’m scared,” she gasped. “Chiron, I’m so scared.” 

“You will not be alone, child.” Chiron’s voice was heavy. 

Estelle began to cry, green eyes wide and frightened. Sally rocked both girls. After a while, she looked down at Rachel. The oracle was still kneeling by their feet, wiping tears from her own eyes with a clean corner of her sleeve. 

“Do you know how long we have?” 

“It looks warm in the visions?” 

“At the same time?” 

Rachel twisted the hem of her shirt. “They get vague outside the actual ascension. Like the details could change, but that point is fixed.” 

Sally dug in her purse for a pack of tissues, handing one to Annabeth and using another to clean Estelle’s face. “What do we know, Chiron? About how this works, how long it usually takes, any of it?” 

“Very little, I fear.”

“It’s only happened a couple times before,” Annabeth explained. “Asclepius and Mr. D. Heracles was changed as a reward, like they offered to Percy after the Titan War. Asclepius ascended naturally after his death. Ariadne and Semele were mortal and gifted immortality after their deaths. Mr. D’s experience would probably be the most similar, but that’s only one example to go by.” She looked up at Chiron. “Does Mr. D know?” 

“We have not told him.” 

“That’s not an answer, Chiron.” 

“He may suspect. We have been operating under plausible deniability thus far. Telling Olympus was not our decision to make.” 

Annabeth took a deep breath. “Thank you. I should go find Percy.” 

“Chiron, maybe we could go have a cup of tea?” Sally asked. “I could use something hot.” 

Chapter Text

The wind was bitter, whipping sand and snow into the air, frothing waves across the sound. 

“ Poseidon !” Percy roared. “ Get your ass up here !” The sea seemed to boil, breakers pounding the shore.  He strode down the beach, straight into the water, slamming through the churning waves without a pause. “ POSEIDON !” 

“I’m here.” And there he was, a few yards away, waves breaking past his shoulders. 

“You hear the news? Annabeth and I got another prophecy! All sparkly and new, just for us!” 

“I have.” 

Percy laughed, shaking his head. “No, see, I thought that can’t be right, because if someone knew I was fucking ascending, they would have said something. Maybe on one of those trips to Atlantis you were so excited about. Maybe when you visited for my birthday when all my friends and I were grieving the demigods who died for you, and you gave me a book about becoming a godling, and had a nice private talk with me on the balcony. Maybe at literally any point in the last couple years, seeing as you’re a literal god and you can just blip in between classes for a cup of coffee.” 

Poseidon didn’t try to respond, and Percy took a step closer, his smile disappearing. “Haven’t I given enough? My entire childhood, dozens of my friends, any shred of mental health? I don’t even get to die? How the fuck do you get off, breaking your oath and leaving me holding the bag for eternity? The one time I tried to say no, the one time I tried to set a boundary, Jason died and both camps had to go to war again! 

“I was supposed to at least get college! Four years, no one but you and my siblings allowed to talk to me! No quests, no wars, no fucking prophecies! That was the DEAL! I get four years and I get to die, and you get everything else!” 

“Do not ask me to weep, Percy.” Poseidon’s voice was almost gentle. “I have spent the last nineteen years trying to prepare to watch another of my children die. I know you would not choose this, and I would not force it on you. But do not ask me to grieve that it is fated to be.” 

“Fuck you,” Percy spat. He pulled Riptide out of his pocket and flung the pen at his father’s feet. He strode up the beach, and Poseidon didn’t try to call him back. 

Annabeth met him near the dining pavilion. He jogged to meet her, pulling her into the tightest hug he could. They clung to each other in silence for a while. 

Annabeth finally pulled away, shoving his coat at him. Percy had hardly registered how cold he was. “I’m sorry.” 

He looked up from his coat zipper. “What?”

“I didn’t know for certain, but I suspected. Not about myself, not for a while. But I suspected, and I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know how to tell you. This is happening because you were protecting me, and I-” her voice broke and she cleared her throat, forging ahead. “I know you don’t want this, and I’m sorry.” 

Percy cradled her chin, holding her gaze. “This isn’t your fault, Wise Girl. Even if it was, I’d do it again. We got through Tartarus together, we’ll get through this.” 

“I was half-expecting a hurricane.” 

“I don't want people dying because I can’t keep my temper.” He hugged her close again. “Does Rhode know?”

Annabeth nodded. “She had promised to tell you. I knew it was a possibility for me, but we didn’t know it was a certainty.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I was scared,” she admitted. “Not of you, but for us. I was still hoping I might find us a way out, some hope to give you when I broke the news. Rhode seemed to think this was the only way, and maybe it is, but I wanted to at least try. I didn’t think it was me too, I thought it meant you leaving. We can do this together, not alone.” 

“Tell me next time. I don’t care what it is, Wise Girl, you tell me. Don’t try to carry this by yourself. I’m not going anywhere, immortality or not. You got that? Tartarus didn’t pull us apart, so this sure as hell won’t.”

She nodded, holding tight. 

"Let's find the others. We'll have time to talk, but I don't want to scare my mom." 

Annabeth kept one arm around his waist as they walked up toward the Big House. "Part of me wishes Rachel could see more. That we knew how this was going to happen, so we could prepare. Part of me is thankful she can't, because I don't know if I can handle knowing." 

"Does she know how long we have?" 

"She saw warm weather. We probably have until the end of this winter, at least." 

"Do you think your mom knows?" 

"I don't know. Rhode figured it out, but she sees us a lot more often. If my mom knows, her dad will know soon. I don't think she keeps much from him, and I want to put that off for as long as possible." 

The porch steps creaked and the screen door squeaked in a familiar song. Annabeth’s stomach rolled as she realized she might outlast this house she'd grown up running through. She would outlive her siblings, and possibly the whole of Camp Half-Blood itself. She tightened her arm around Percy's waist. He curled his tighter around her shoulders. 

Sally and Rachel were sitting at the kitchen table. Chiron was pouring tea for all three of them while Estelle played with a pile of blocks by Sally's feet. Estelle jumped up as soon as she saw them in the hall, grabbing Annabeth’s leg. "Up, Anna." 

Annabeth swept her up, hugging her tight. Estelle's cheek was soft against hers for a moment, before she wriggled around, poking Percy in the shoulder. "Sea is sad?" 

"Hey, Guppy. We’re kinda sad, but it’s gonna be okay." He ruffled her dark curls. "You okay?" 

"Chiron found her some blocks; she's been happy as a clam." Sally waved him over and stood to give him a long hug. "Did you talk to your dad?" 

"Yeah. I'm still angry, I'm still gonna yell at some people who deserve it, still gonna spend a lot of time staring at walls and hitting stuff with a sword, but I can actually talk now." He pulled out a chair for Annabeth and sat between her and Sally. 

“The campers have been praying to you,” Rachel said quietly. 

Annabeth’s eyes widened. Sally reached for Percy's hand.  

Chiron folded his arms. "That could certainly be contributing to the circumstances," he said. "Though I am certain none of them realized it." 

"That's what it is," Annabeth muttered. "Gods, I didn't even consider it."

"You've been hearing them?"

"Only a few times. I thought it was my imagination, or the lares. I might be further along than we thought, or possibly we're changing in different ways." She frowned down at the table, letting Estelle wriggle out of her lap and go back to the blocks. "If we just had more information to cross-reference with." 

"What have they said?" Chiron asked. 

Annabeth shrugged uncomfortably. "Asking for help. Knowing what they are, I'm not sure I can say more. It feels too private." 

Rachel looked from one to the other. "You're both really calm about this. Percy, when you found out about Estelle's blessing you were upset for weeks." 

"Oh, I'm full of rage," Percy said matter of factly. "I think this is shock? Maybe? The blessing was already done by the time I found out, I couldn't really do anything except be scared and angry. This is still happening, this I need to deal with. Scared and angry has to wait." 

Annabeth nodded. "For now there's work to do. I need to talk to Thalia." 

"Nico, too."

"Magnus?"

"Think he can come down from Boston?" Percy asked. "Or can they get IMs in the hotel? Is it outside her service area?" 

"They work in the hotel, but he can get a better connection at the Chase Space if needed. I might go up and tell him in person. We need to talk to Mr. D too." 

Percy made a face. "Yeah, fine." 

"I'm not telling my dad yet. Not until I know what's happening. He's not here, there's nothing he can change, and I'm not freaking them all out before I have to." 

"We'll tell Paul together," Sally spoke up. "As soon as we go home." 

"It is nearly time for dinner. Perhaps you will all join us?" Chiron suggested. 

"Can they all sit at the Poseidon table with me?" 

Chiron nodded slowly. "Under the circumstances, you will hear no protest from me."

Sally cleared her throat. “Under the circumstances, I think we better stay here overnight. We’re in no shape to be driving back to the city.” 

“You can stay in Cabin 3 with me.” 

There was no argument.

Mr. D was at dinner, side-eyeing Percy from his seat at the head table as everyone took their seats. When the few year-round campers began lining up to make offerings, Sally got up as well. 

“Mom, you don’t have to.” 

“I know, sweetheart.” 

Percy watched as she went up to the brazier, dropping in her dessert. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what any of them were saying. Estelle bounced in her seat, smacking her plate with her fork. “Anna!” 

Annabeth set down her plate and slid onto the bench next to Percy. “I can’t do it,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to attract attention, but I can hear them, Percy. It’s so much louder when I’m here. I can’t sit alone.” 

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “We’re together.” 

She leaned her head against his shoulder, wincing. “Kayla.” 

“I’ll tell them to stop.” 

“No, don’t tell anyone yet. I’ll just say I have a headache.” 

“We eat our dinner, dear, we don’t throw it.” Sally sat back beside Estelle. “Did you try your apples? Those are yummy!” 

Estelle ignored the apples but started to munch on a piece of quesadilla, swaying side to side on the bench. Sally picked up her own fork and turned to Annabeth. “Read any good books lately?” 

Annabeth relaxed a little. “I found a book about house designs in the ancient world. There’s been some new research into the gynaeceum, and how it was used. Since we visited Rhode this fall, I’ve been wanting to learn more about house layouts and compare notes with her. I’m curious how much of it is accurate. There were some beautiful recreations of wall paintings in the book, and I want to ask about those.” 

Thank you , Percy mouthed to his mom as Annabeth rambled about ochre. She relaxed a little more as the campers finished their prayers, and eventually picked up her fork. It almost felt normal, like a regular family dinner in the Blofis-Jackson apartment. Mr. D left dinner early and the table relaxed a little more. Percy’s shoulders were somewhere in the range of limestone rather than basalt. 

They were getting Sally and Estelle settled in Cabin 3 when the Iris Message appeared. It shimmered into view over the fountain. 

“Percy? Oh thank the hills, you’re okay.” 

“Hey, G-Man.” 

“The empathy link went bananas a while ago and- oh, hi Sally! Hi Stella!” 

“Gover goat!” Estelle zipped across the room and almost fell into the fountain. 

“Hello, Grover!” Sally called. “Percy, do you have any clean sheets?” 

“Um, maybe?” 

“In the trunk by the bathroom door,” Grover told her. 

“Thank you, dear.” 

“Can I ask why your mom and sister are at camp?” 

Annabeth came to stand by Percy. “You sitting down?” 

Grover’s eyes widened. “Are you pregnant?” he hissed. 

“No. Sit down.” 

There were a few seconds of noise as Grover dragged a chair over by his IM set up. “Okaaayy.” 

Percy slipped his arm around Annabeth’s waist. 

“Rachel had a prophecy today, about the two of us,” Annabeth started. “And apparently she’s been painting the same thing for a while now.”

“We’re becoming gods.” 

“That. She saw us ascending. Soon, apparently.”

Grover sat so still that Percy wondered if IMs could freeze. 

“Grover?” Annabeth ventured. 

“Oh.” Grover blinked. “That…explains the blinding rage.” 

“Yeah, sorry about that.” 

“No, no, it’s justified.” Grover let out a nervous bleat. “I don’t…okay.” 

Percy raised his eyebrows. “Okay?” 

“Not okay, obviously, it’s not okay, it’s a mess. But okay, we’ll handle this.” Grover took a deep breath. “We’ve gone to the Underworld, we survived the Labyrinth, we found Pan, we defeated Kronos and Gaea. We’ll handle this.” 

Annabeth swallowed. “You know you’re the best friend ever, right Goat Boy?” 

“Yeah, I know.” Grover smiled, and it was only a little shaky. “I’m going to wrap things up here and come see you, alright? Might be a couple days, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.” 

“We’ll see you then,” Percy agreed. 

“Tell Stella I’ll bring her some good fruit, too.” Grover hesitated. “Do you want me to tell Thalia?” 

“We’ll tell her.” Annabeth rubbed her temple. “I’ll have some questions for her.” 

“Alright, I’ll let you know when I’m leaving here. I love you guys.” 

“Love you too, G-Man.” 

“Love you.” 

The IM faded and Percy rested his chin on Annabeth’s head. “Are you going to stay here tonight?” 

“I need to tell Malcolm, and I should probably sleep in my own bed to avoid drawing more attention. I’ll see you in the morning, alright?” 

“Alright.” He kissed her, and walked her to the door. He leaned against the door frame, watching her until she reached Cabin 6. She waved before letting herself in, and he waved back. 

Estelle shrieked with laughter as Sally threw a sheet over her head, and Percy closed the cabin door, swooping across the room to snatch up his little sister. 

“A ghost? I know how to deal with these!” 

After Estelle fell asleep, Sally came over and sat on the edge of Percy’s bed. He turned over, wiping tears from his eyes, and she brushed a curl behind his ear. 

“I’m sorry, Mom,” he whispered. “I know it hasn’t been easy, and I guess it’s never going to be easy having me as your kid.” 

“Honey, having kids isn’t easy, period. I wouldn’t trade having you as my son for anything. Not in this world or any other.” 

“I’m not giving up. I’m going to keep fighting until one of us ascends. But I’m scared, Mom.” He wiped his eyes. “I’m really scared.” 

Sally laid down, pulling him close and rubbing his back. “I know, sweetheart. Me too, but you aren’t doing this alone. However long it takes, you’ll have me and Paul and Estelle and Annabeth. The rest of your big messy family, because there are so many people out here who love you, and they’re not going to stop because of this.” 

“I won’t be me anymore.” 

“Percy, that is not true.” She lifted his chin, making him look at her. “Who are you?” 

“Sally Jackson’s kid.” 

“That’s right, and what else?” 

“Annabeth’s boyfriend.” 

“And what else?”

“Loyal.” 

“And what else?” 

“Really lousy at keeping promises.” 

She flicked his ear. “Wrong answer, what else?” 

“A brother.” 

“Better. I would also add kind, full of love, tough as leather, a survivor, protective, smart, creative, resilient, gentle, humble, considerate, and patient.” 

“You’re my mom. You’re biased.” 

“I’m also right; don’t sass me.”

He choked out a laugh. “Yes, ma’am.” 

“None of those things I just listed are going to change. They are not part of you because you are mortal. They are part of you because you are Percy. Because you love with your whole heart, and you work so hard to be kind and gentle, even though this world has been trying to make you bitter and callous for years.”

“What if I forget?” 

Sally closed her eyes. His voice was small, and for a moment she remembered him at age seven, frightened to go back to school, curled in her arms just like this. “You have incredible friends, siblings who love you, and a good partner at your side. They will help you remember, just like before. You are your father’s son, but you are mine, too. That will never change, no matter how far apart we are or how long you live.” 

“Guess we don’t really have a choice about telling Estelle now.” 

“Well, it was bound to happen anyway. What are the odds we made it her whole life without a toilet blowing up or a nereid trying to befriend her?” Sally ruffled his hair. “We’ll be alright, Percy. You’re my kids, it’s my job to take care of you, and that doesn’t stop with this. Hear me?” 

“I hear you.” He hugged her. “I love you, Mom.” 

“I love you too, sweetheart.” 

Chapter Text

Dawn was just breaking, scattering flame-colored light across the water. Percy pulled Riptide out of his pocket, spinning the cap as he stared out at the Sound. He’d found it back in his pocket when he got undressed the night before. 

“I am sorry.” 

He spun, flicking the cap off Riptide. He barely lowered the blade when he saw Rhode. “Don’t. Don’t pretend like that.” 

She sat on the sand, looking out over the churning sound, drawing a shawl around her shoulders. “I cannot pretend I am sad that you will live. I am sorry that you will not have the life you wish.” 

“You knew. How many people knew? How long have you known?” 

“I was not certain until a few weeks ago. I knew something was different, something had changed, but I was not sure of the extent. I planned to tell you next time you visited Atlantis. Most of our family knows, or suspects. No one in Olympus, I think.” 

Percy flung Riptide into the waves and collapsed onto the sand a few feet from Rhode. “Why Annabeth? Did I do something to her?”

“No, no, adelphós . Her power is different. You, I think, were born with a little too much ichor in your veins. More than any mortal body could stand, once it rose to the surface. It is burning you from the inside out. She is changing, but not as quickly. She has a choice, for now.” 

“Rachel saw her.”

Rhode nodded. “Annabeth is wise enough to make her own choices. We must trust she will make the ones that are right for her. Have you heard their prayers?” 

Percy clenched his fists. “I don’t want anyone to pray to me, Rhode.”

“They already are.” She watched the waves. “They have been praying since the first war.” 

He looked up, face white. “I wasn’t even- I had just said no to all of this!” 

“I do not think they knew what it would do. They only knew they were angry with the gods, and that you had saved them when no one else did.” 

“I didn’t even save them! I led them to their deaths, Rhode! Beckendorf, Silena, Michael, all of them!” 

“Some were always going to die, that is the nature of war. Those who lived would not have come home without you, and they know it. Do you not see how they look at you?” 

“Like I’m a freak? Yeah.” 

“Like a leader. You and Annabeth are heroes among heroes, dear one. You laid Kronos to rest, you have led them through wars and you have proved yourself so well they follow you without hesitation. I saw what happened here, when you called them to arms against Gaea. There was no hesitation, only a reflection of the loyalty you have shown them. You sacrificed to them in Tartarus, nearly sacrificed yourselves. Of course they make sacrifices to you. You have saved the lives of countless sea creatures. Of course they honor you.” 

“There’s no of course! It’s-” There were no words. Unfair was a given, unnatural was a half-truth, undeserved would just make the lecture longer. “I just want to marry Annabeth and live in peace. Get old together, be with our friends.”  

“You still can, dear one. The future will not look as you expected, but you will still have choices. You and Annabeth are not leaving each other behind. You have already begun to change the laws, so you will have more freedom to see your mortal loved ones.”

“I want to hate you for this. All of you. I’ve never wanted this. I’m probably going to be mad at Dad for a really long time.” He winced. “A really long time, now. I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive the Fates, and I really don’t want to.”

“That is your right.” 

“You should have told me sooner. If I’d known, maybe I could have pulled back, at least bought more time. You didn’t give us a choice, and maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference, but fuck you for taking that from us. It was so fucking selfish.” 

“I am sorry.” 

“No, you’re not. You or Dad, or probably anyone in Atlantis. And the kicker is, I wouldn’t be either. Guess that’s that fatal flaw again, because I know I would do anything to keep everyone alive and safe. But that doesn’t make this easier.” He scowled at the waves. “I’m not taking this laying down.” 

“Only a fool might think you would.” Rhode folded her hands in her lap. “Only, please be careful, Percy. Resisting at the end might do harm.” 

“I thought we knew nothing about how this works.” 

“Very little. But so much power, being pushed away…there is no telling how it might react.”

“I really thought I could keep Estelle away from all this.” He laughed, sharp and bitter. “My mom was there, she heard Rachel. She saw the paintings. But how am I going to tell Paul? Nico’s going to throw a fit.” 

“If you have seen him recently, there is a good chance he knows.” 

“He-” Percy’s eyes narrowed. “That little shit . My first act as a god is going to be kicking his butt.” 

“No need to wait. I am certain you are capable now.” 

“I’m kicking your butt too. And Triton, and Dad, and Amphitrite. Kym might get a pass.” 

“You are welcome to try.” 

“Did you defeat Gaea? No? I didn’t think so.” 

“Tri does not know yet. I thought you should at least get the pleasure of seeing his face when he finds out he’s stuck with you for eternity.” 

Percy kicked at the sand. “Assuming Uncle Z doesn’t smite me the second he hears about this.” 

“It would mean war if he did. Atlantis would not stand by.” 

“Even if…” He dug his shoe deeper into the sand. “What if I died today?” 

Rhode closed her eyes. “I do not know. We have no examples to go by. It may be too late already.” 

“Are you lying?” 

She was silent. 

“Yeah.” Percy got to his feet, brushing sand off his jeans. “I should go check on the others.” The water settled as he walked up the beach. He didn’t look back.

Percy asked Nico and Thalia over two days later. They showed up with McDonalds, and the four demigods sat around the living room. Sally and Paul were running errands (which probably meant they were crying in a parking lot somewhere) and Estelle was napping in the next room. 

Percy and Annabeth sat with their backs against the couch, while Nico and Thalia sprawled on the floor across from them. Nico stole one of Thalia’s fries, and she smacked his hand away. “You’ve got your own, boy.” 

“Stolen fries are better.” 

“I’ll cut you, Death Breath.” 

“I’d like to see you try.” 

Annabeth took a deep breath, and Percy twined his fingers through hers. “So,” she began. “You’re probably wondering why we asked you to come here.” 

“We’d like to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative.” 

Annabeth elbowed him. “Not the time, Seaweed Brain.” 

“Justice League is superior anyway,” Thalia said. 

“We’re ascending,” Percy announced. 

There was a beat of silence. 

Thalia swore. 

Nico set down his nuggets. 

Percy raised his eyebrows. “Something you want to share with the class, Nico?” 

“I was hoping I was wrong.” 

“You knew?” Thalia smacked his shoulder. 

“I’ve never seen it before, I don’t have much frame of reference, but there weren’t a whole lot of explanations.” 

Percy pointed at him. “The only reason you’re not getting hit right now is Annabeth told me to be nice. First you pretend not to know me when I have amnesia in New Rome, then you don’t tell us we’re ascending. There is not going to be a third strike, kiddo.” 

“What are you seeing, exactly?” Annabeth asked. 

Nico hesitated. “It’s almost like a cancer? Like a glowy golden cancer eating away at your soul? It’s a lot stronger in Percy, and it looks a little different for each of you. His is like…stage 3 and you’re like a stage 2? I didn’t notice it until recently.” 

“You gotta work on your bedside manner,” Thalia muttered.  

“If you want bedside manner, ask Will.” 

“How long has this been going on?” she asked Annabeth. 

“Maybe since the Titan War? Percy’s been fighting it without realizing. I think for me it may have been happening more slowly for a few years.” 

“Rhode and I think I almost ascended in Tartarus. I kinda superglued things back together, but it’s fighting its way through now.” 

“Evidently campers have been praying to us since the Battle of Manhattan,” Annabeth said quietly. 

“That’s…messed up on a lot of levels.” Thalia raked her hair back. 

Percy turned to Nico. “Can you tell what would happen if we died now?” 

Nico frowned, staring through Percy. “You’re far gone,” he said slowly. “There might be enough of your mortal psyche left for a judgment and admission to Elysium. It would be debated. Annabeth, I think you would still go there.” 

Annabeth tightened her fingers around Percy’s. 

Thalia swirled the ice in her cup. “Who else knows?” 

“My parents and siblings, Chiron, Rachel, Grover, you guys. We’ll tell Hazel and Frank after winter break.”

“My dad might know. If I can tell by looking at you, he can probably tell if he’s paid any attention at all.” 

“Nico survived Tartarus too,” Thalia pointed out. “He fought in both wars, he’s got connections everywhere. He’s not ascending too, is he?” 

They all turned to Nico, who shrugged. “Not that I’m aware of. You?” 

“I don’t think I can, as a Hunter. I doubt I could anyway, unless it was gifted.”

Percy cupped a hand behind his ear. “Sorry, are you saying I’m stronger and cooler and hotter than you? I think that’s what I heard.” 

“Shut up. Do we know what actually set it off? Are the prayers enough?”

Reluctantly, Percy told them about the standoff with Akhlys, and the shattering he had felt. “I think that’s why it’s happening faster for me than Annabeth? It couldn’t be surviving Tartarus, if Nico’s not ascending. If it was just the prayers, I’d probably be hearing them by now. Rhode said I was born with too much ichor or something. That once I started fighting, or using it, this was bound to happen.” 

“Rhode and Rachel both implied that it’s Fate.” Annabeth leaned back against the couch, her face drawn. “That this was always destined to happen, it’s just a matter of when. Percy cheated it twice already, after the Titan War and with Misery. It’s unlikely we’ll be lucky a third time.” 

“I’m surprised you haven’t marched up to Olympus and stabbed someone yet,” Nico told Percy. 

Percy’s smile was tight. “Oh, I plan to. Annabeth doesn’t want anyone up there to know yet, so I’m holding off. I won’t risk them smiting her while there’s a chance we end up in different places. Soon as she gives the nod, Blackjack and I are on our way to the 600th floor.” 

Thalia sighed, stealing one of Nico’s chicken nuggets. “Shit, I thought you guys were going to tell me you’re engaged or something. ”

“Not yet.” 

“Yet?” Annabeth raised her eyebrows. 

He waggled his eyebrows. “If you think you can put up with me for a few thousand years, we can talk.” 

“Anywhere together, Seaweed Brain.” 

Nico and Thalia looked at each other. He mimed gagging. 

“At least you get to die,” she said. “I have to put up with these two for centuries now.” 

“Better you than me.” 

Percy threw a chicken nugget at his head. 

Nico flopped back to the carpet, flinging his arms out. “Help, I’ve been smited.” 

Thalia shook her head sadly. “Another immortal abusing their power, attacking poor defenseless demigods.” 

Annabeth snorted. “Glad you guys are taking this so well.” 

“Oh, it’s deeply messed up,” Thalia popped another fry in her mouth. “And I get why you’re pissed. But I also trust you two to be good at this, and it’s not like we’ve never had to consider the possibility before, at least for Percy. Anyway, if I saw immortality as a tragedy, I probably wouldn’t be Lieutenant of the Hunters. It’s gonna suck for a while, but you’ll be alright.” 

“That’s my big sister,” Annabeth said drily. “Ever reassuring.” 

“That’s me,” Thalia agreed. “Always here in your times of trial.” 

“Better a god than a tree, I guess.” 

Thalia flipped Percy off and went back to her fries. 

“Just don’t make me come rescue any demigod kids of yours,” Nico said. 

“I think we can promise that.” Annabeth rolled her eyes. 

“If my dad harasses you, let me know.” Thalia’s eyes sparked. “I’ll set the Hunters on him. Matter of fact, if you need anything, IM me. I’ll give you space if you want, but Reyna can handle things for a while if I need to curbstomp anyone.” 

“You’re on speed dial,” Annabeth promised. 

“Actually, you’re both terrible at asking for help. I’ll tell Grover to call me if he notices anything through the empathy link.” 

“Are you ganging up on me?” 

“He was my Protector first, Kelp Head. I get first dibs on his loyalty.” 

“Do you have an empathy link with him? I didn’t think so, Pinecone Face.” 

“I literally died for him, that trumps empathy links.” 

“Died is an exaggeration, and who does he call his best friend? The one who didn’t leave him to join the Hunt, that’s who.” 

“I’m so glad you two are going to be stuck with each other for eternity.” Nico took a sip of his Coke. “Annabeth, I thank my lucky stars every day that you got stuck with this dumbass instead of me.” 

“I’m going to have to ask Mr. D’s wife for tips on how she stayed sane for 5,000 years.” 

“Excuse me? Rude.”

“You heard me, Seaweed Brain. If we become immortal together, that doesn’t give you any kind of pass to piss me off. I better not catch you slipping.” 

Nico smirked . “You heard her, Padre.” 

“The only thing that’s slipping is my sword between your ribs, Death Breath.”

“Are you going back to New Rome after break?” Thalia cut in. 

Annabeth nodded. “We don’t really know how long we have, and we had to fight hard to get there. We’re not letting go of it unless we have to.” 

Soft noises came from the bedroom and Percy got to his feet. “I’ll get Estelle.”

“We brought her a kids meal,” Thalia called after him. “Figured she wouldn’t be thrilled if she was the only one who didn’t get chicken nuggets.” 

“Good call!” Estelle was standing in her crib, bouncing up and down. Percy ruffled her curls. “Hey, Guppy. Have a good nap?” 

She grinned up at him. “Hi See!” 

“We’ve got some friends here to see you. Cousin Nico and Cousin Thalia brought you something. Soon as you’re cleaned up, we’ll go say hi, alright?” 

He changed her diaper with the efficiency of long practice, then set her loose. She ran to the living room, and Percy heard her whoop. He rejoined the group and found Thalia flipping Estelle over her shoulder. 

Estelle cackled, wiggling like a fish. “More!” 

“Do the Hunters know this toddler has you wrapped around her little finger?” Percy flopped back onto the floor beside Annabeth. 

Thalia snorted. “Every Hunter who knows she exists would fight to the death for her. Half of them will be trying to convince her to join the second she’s old enough.” 

Nico scowled, and Percy pointed to Thalia with his drink. “Don’t even think about it. Two immortals in the family is plenty.” 

“Mortal world has first dibs, Camp has second,” Annabeth said solemnly. “She’s already crossed the border.” 

“And Mr. D didn’t try to turn her into anything?” Thalia plopped the toddler in her lap, raising her eyebrows. “You really do have everyone wrapped around your finger, kid.” 

“Chicken?” 

Nico opened up her Happy Meal, handing her the box of nuggets. “Yeah, we got you chicken, mimma .” 

“Tank.” She grabbed a nugget, munching away while he pulled open the bag of apple slices. 

“You’re welcome. You said you hadn’t told Hazel and Frank yet. Does anyone from the other pantheons know yet?” 

“No, but I’ll be reaching out to the Norse, maybe the Egyptians. There’s people who should know.” 

Nico nodded, and Thalia glared at him. “Wait, how do you all know about the others? Obviously the Romans, and I run across stuff with the Hunters, but how do you know?” 

He shrugged. “Ambassador of Hades. Started with the Romans, but I’ve visited some of the others since. Annabeth got me an invite from the Norse.” 

“I’ve got a cousin in Valhalla.” Annabeth took a sip of her drink. “Took some maneuvering to get Nico a pass, but we figured it out eventually.” 

Nico shuddered. “It’s so weird there. So many dead people just…walking around like they’re not dead, not even ghosts or anything.” 

“He actually asked Magnus ‘what’s wrong with you?’ and almost threw up,” Annabeth said. “Took 100% of both our diplomatic skills to walk back from that one.” 

Thalia snorted. “I met a Valkyrie last year, while she was trying to claim one of my Hunters’ souls. Almost took her out. Probably didn’t make the best impression on each other.” 

“Which is why I want to give them a heads up. I don’t know how pleased Olympus is going to be about us ascending.” Annabeth’s voice lowered. “If things get…messy, the others should know what’s going on in our neighborhood. I don’t want them coming to investigate. Then we’ll have another New Rome situation on our hands, while there’s enough to deal with.” 

“Probably a smart choice,” Thalia agreed. 

“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” Annabeth said.

Percy caught the bag of apple slices just before Estelle dumped them on the floor. “Emphasis on the second one, given our luck.”

Thalia and Nico stayed through the evening. When Sally and Paul got home, their eyes were red, but they smiled when they saw the group in the living room. Sally pulled Nico in for a hug, so tight he squeaked. He patted her shoulder awkwardly as he stepped away, and her smile widened. Estelle bounced between family members, playing and cuddling, and stealing Thalia’s circlet for dress-up. 

They didn’t talk much about the situation again. Everyone was relieved to focus on mundane things for a while, and threw themselves into making homemade pizzas, arguing over toppings and crust depth. It wasn’t until late that night, when Annabeth and Percy were lying in bed, that the weight of everything caught up to him again. 

She curled into his side, and he smoothed her hair, staring up at the bedroom ceiling. 

“What are you thinking?” she asked. 

"I'm scared,” he whispered. “I'm scared of becoming like them. I'm scared of myself and what I might be capable of doing. Scared I'll hurt people. That I'll forget what all of this is like, and end up like Mr. D. I'm scared of losing you forever if something goes wrong. Scared I'll end up spending eternity running quests and solving their problems and hearing that I was never supposed to exist. I'm so scared of losing everyone. Mom, Estelle, Paul, even Grover isn't going to live forever." He hugged her closer. "What could I do, if they die and I've got that much power in me?" 

She held tight, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm scared too. I’m scared of my hubris becoming too strong, that I’ll do something terrible. I’m scared it will hurt, scared I’ll become like my mother, that I’ll lose you. I’m terrified. But we’ve made it this far, right? It’s not going to be easy. It’s never easy. But we have a chance here, to speak up. They never wanted to listen to us as demigods, and we forced them to anyway. If this is our fate, let’s make it a damn good one. As long as we’re together, we can do anything.” 

He took a deep breath. “Aren’t you tired?” 

“Exhausted. And I’ll keep fighting until I fade, because I refuse to do anything else.” She smoothed a hand down his back. “Percy, I never expected to live to adulthood. You’ve been making these grand dreams of a future for us, and I want them, but it also feels like such a new and fragile possibility. Maybe it’s easier to let go of because it never felt quite possible, or real.”

“Another pretty dream, you said.” 

“Yes. But maybe godhood doesn’t have to be all fighting and quests. Maybe we could have something like Rhode and Zitia. Maybe we could have something like Chiron.” 

“I don’t want to become like Luke.” 

“I know.” She closed her eyes. “I also know we’ll have Thalia watching us, and your siblings, and Grover, and Chiron, and so many friends we haven’t met yet.” 

He kissed her temple. “As long as we’re together, right?” 

“As long as we’re together.”