It's The Mindset - DAsObiQuiet - Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2024)

Chapter 1: A Sort-of Rude Awakening

Chapter Text

TW mild suicidal ideation.

xXx

Percy cracked his eyes open and yawned in contentment. He felt rested. Refreshed.

And that… was the first real clue that something had gone very wrong. Refreshed from what? Not many things could un-refresh him these days. He frowned.

Wait… had he been… asleep? As in, asleep asleep? As in unconscious asleep? That realization forced his eyes open wide. Yes. He'd been asleep and he'd just woken up. Refreshed. Which hadn't happened even back when he could sleep. His frown deepened into worry as he tried to find an explanation, subconsciously tapping into old instincts he hadn't needed to use in… a long time. When was the last time he'd actually woken up after not being at least somewhat aware? Not since…

Wait!

He gasped and shot up into a sitting position, looking around frantically. His eyes widened even further as he saw his bed; his room; his house. From when he'd been a child. He knew for a fact this building hadn't survived WWIII. So unless someone was drawing this directly from his memories…

He took a deep, calming breath, and had to cough. No, this couldn't be a strange godly dream, not with that smell. He wrinkled his nose, then pinched it closed. Yeah. Gabe. He didn't think he could forget that scent, no matter how much he wished he could. It was an unpleasant, difficult to reproduce reminder of… his past…

But… that in turn meant…

On instinct, Percy tried to condense water molecules in the air, and his heart rate spiked again. That… took far more effort than it should. It hadn't even been more difficult than barely a thought for… he couldn't even remember the last time he'd struggled. Gritting his teeth, he put all his will behind the effort, and nearly blacked out. He backed off on his efforts a little and the spots around the edge of his vision slowly retreated. He'd just have to be patient, he supposed. Take a little more time. Not something he'd ever been good at, but… He needed to make sure.

After what felt like hours, but was likely only two or three minutes, he had a piece of ice sharp and stable enough to do what he needed. He pricked his thumb with it… and stared.

Red.

Which meant…

No.

No, it couldn't be.

Could it?

The longer he blinked at his thumb and the blood beading on his skin, the lower his jaw dropped. And it was blood, not an illusion. Not only had he felt pain, he could sense the liquid—could sense all the liquid around him like normal… but only in his immediate vicinity. Nowhere else. Only one point of view, here and now, in this room, his body wasn't falling apart as it tended to when he freaked out and he wasn't even sure he could change states at the moment… And had he mentioned that he was bleeding blood?!

He took a deep, shaky breath and willed the blood back beneath his skin. That… took a fair amount of effort too. Which just shook him more. He swallowed. There were likely other scenarios than the one that crossed his mind that would explain this, but the simplest solution was the most likely… no matter how implausible.

No, he needed to think before he jumped to conclusions. Figure it out. Calm down, Seaweed Brain, he practically heard Annabeth say in his head. Think. What had happened? The fact that he couldn't immediately remember just added to his shock and confusion. It felt like trudging through sludge or mud… just, mentally. He forged on anyway.

One of the Athena kids, Min-Ji, had been working on… something. He remembered her explaining it to him excitedly, but… it was fuzzy. (Okay, that was scarier every time he realized it.) Something had gone wrong, he thought. Yes. He'd needed to protect them—the other kids there, watching and training. So he had. But… then something… had happened to him? That seemed right, but… how? And what he remembered couldn't do… this. Could it?

No, he didn't think so. But then… how? Kronos?

No. That wasn't… Kronos wouldn't…

Would he?

Could he?

But in the scenario he did, that brought up so many more questions that didn't have answers, each making the entire situation less likely.

He couldn't dismiss it completely. It was still a possibility, but Kronos was angry and bitter and still in pieces in Tartarus… or had been… would be? Should be… (Huh. Figuring out tenses would get annoying. Wait, did that mean he had dyslexia again? No, he'd figure that out later. Focus.) Why would the Titan waste precious power to reach out for something like this?

Hmm. He'd need more information before he came to a conclusion.

Maybe Chronus then? The Primordial, not the Titan… Although that made just about as much sense as Kronos, to be honest, if for different reasons. Chronus hated getting involved with… well, anyone. He rarely even spoke to other Protogenoi, and had never given mortals the time of day. Pun totally intended.

(His humor was a coping mechanism, okay? Shut up, Annabeth. You too, Grover. Nico! Darn it, Triton!)

Taking more calming breaths, Percy melted the ice and coated his thumb in the water. It healed the small puncture wound easily and quickly. Okay, he'd have to test it out, but he was pretty sure he had access to all of his original, basic powers. Which meant he'd either just awoken his powers in this body, or he'd always had his powers at his beck and call.

He suspected the former. Having the memories of a future immortal dumped in a young demigod's head could certainly do that. Awakening one's powers usually happened when a monster attacked or when a life-or-death situation forced a demigod to use what powers they had, or when they found out who they were. But those weren't the only ways. He, of all people, knew that.

Though that begged the question, how old was he now? And he still didn't know what exactly was going on. Human machines rarely worked on immortals, but that still made more sense than either Kronos or Chronus. And yet…

Time travel? Through science alone? No powers involved…?

(And what did that say about the Greek pantheon that it still made more sense than Chronus caring about anything that actually happened with the gods and mortals or Kronos recovering from being a psychopath?)

Shaking his head, he put that thought aside to think on more once he figured out exactly when he was and his current situation.

Okay, so plan? Get more information. Nodding, he flipped his blankets off of his legs, swinging them over the side of the bed.

Where he promptly fell with a surprised yelp and thump.

His feet hadn't hit the ground when they should have and he overbalanced. That wouldn't have happened in the future, even if he'd taken on a smaller form. To be fair, his (rather loud) tumble hadn't hurt, but the surprise in and of itself added to the surrealness of the situation. No wonder Apollo complained about returning to mortality. Percy had always rolled his eyes at his cousin's antics, but maybe there was some merit to his complaints? Well, Percy may admit that if the sun god would stop complaining in Haiku. His free verse was much better. Not that Percy would tell him that.

Ever.

Percy thumping unexpectedly to the floor, face inches away from old beer bottles (so he hadn't cleaned his room out for the summer yet, good to know) also seemed to bring the fact home: he was truly mortal again… and probably back in time somehow. Which meant, this had all been in his memories. Well, not this this, but having this body and this level of access to his powers. So why did it feel so foreign? He'd tried to hold onto his mortal mind-set after he'd ascended, and he thought he'd been fairly successful before, but now…? How much had he given up after all? What a sobering thought. He'd always suspected, but hadn't wanted to admit it. To have his fears confirmed… kind of hurt. Or, no, it made him feel ashamed. Even guilty. Which he knew was ridiculous because it wasn't like he'd chosen to ascend.

"Stop it," he hissed to himself. "You did the best you could." He had to hold back a wry snort. If only he could believe that.

Taking a deep breath, he checked to see if his body had fallen apart out of habit, only to realize, once again, that he didn't have to hold himself together anymore. It hadn't really taken more than a thought to hold a form in the future, but he could get used to having a solid base state again. It felt good. Like he didn't have to guard himself anymore, even if it hadn't been difficult. Which meant his constant awareness of that possibility had probably been more mentally taxing than he'd realized. Huh. Good to know.

Just to help drive it home, he thought over everything again. He was back in time, and a demigod again, which meant he didn't have immediate access to the whole of his powers, and using said powers would tire him out. He knew that but it had been so long, the concept felt strange. Even after experiencing it. Especially after experiencing it.

Then he sucked in a breath as something else occurred to him. He'd always had an issue with his temper, but… if he got emotional, it wouldn't endanger people anymore. Not like it had in the future. Between his connection to tectonic plates and deep-sea pressure, he'd had to watch himself very, very closely, especially around mortals. But now… no earthquakes with an accidental thought. People wouldn't just disintegrate into some random liquid, or die from too much pressure on their lungs, or have to worry about his purely destructive abilities…

He… he could get used to that, but… this would still take some getting used to.

Hope and frustration battled inside him, beginning to give him a headache. The smell of Gabe on the carpet didn't help. His state now drove home why he'd turned godhood down when offered. Once again, resentment bubbled in his gut at the thought. He really hadn't wanted it, but it had happened anyway. He'd always envied Frank. Frank, who was too powerful, too. Frank who'd been destined to stay mortal, so he'd had a piece of wood that would burst into flame whenever he used too much power. But no one had ever given anything like that to Percy. And why? Because it wasn't his fate.

He may or may not have told the Moirai where to shove that information once they'd told him, half hoping they'd cut his string anyway for his sheer disrespect. They could.

They hadn't.

They'd told him they wouldn't.

Actually they'd told him that keeping him as he was would be a far worse punishment for his words than killing him ever could be.

He hated that they were right.

But…

If his fate was to ascend, then why was he here? Now? Again…

Could he die?

He kind of hated himself for that thought, too. More so contemplating it, but… he had the chance. A chance to be with his friends in Elysium. A chance to—

"Percy?" His mother's voice accompanied a knock on the door and his breath froze in his chest. How long had it been since he'd heard her? So long. Too long.

"M-mom?" he asked. And oh, his voice shook. Immortal voices didn't shake. Right?

"I heard a thump and a shout. Are you okay?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but a muted voice from the other room called out first.

"Leave the kid alone. He's fine. Come back to bed. It's your day off."

Percy's teeth clenched and he forced himself onto his hands and knees. Right. He knew that voice. That disgusting pig of a man who…

No, calm. Keeping his temper wasn't a habit he wanted to get out of, first of all, and he may not be able to wipe out towns and cities at the moment, but that didn't mean he couldn't cause some serious damage, second of all. Besides, he had other things to focus on. Like getting control over his body again. He didn't think it would take long, he just had to adjust to the fact that it wouldn't be instantaneous like it should have been. Like his brain was expecting.

Just another lesson to learn, as he told the campers. Or as Chiron told the campers and Percy had adopted the saying because he agreed. He needed to practice what he preached, after all.

Which probably included, 'Fight to Live. Your life is important to someone, even if it's just me.' Which meant he needed to get rid of the thoughts about trying to end himself, no matter his regrets. His death would destroy his mom, and he wasn't sure he would get into Elysium at the moment anyway. As far as the underworld should know, he hadn't done anything yet.

"Um… Mom?" he managed to get out.

She opened the door and peeked in, eyes so worried. Just seeing her again… he wanted to melt a little. Or a lot. If he'd seen her like that in the future, he'd be a puddle on the floor. The fact that he wasn't…. Well, he wouldn't complain.

"Honey? Did you fall out of bed?" she asked, coming into the room.

Percy heard Gabe curse quietly and his eyes narrowed involuntarily. Then he took several deep breaths again, making sure to count each one. Calm.

It turned out the sea could be restrained, but only by itself. It just had to have the motivation. Like his former fatal flaw… Or was it his current flaw?

No. Later.

(At least that confirmed he had ADHD again. And no ability to split his consciousness to help curtail that. Yippee.)

"Percy?" his mother asked, squatting down next to him, drawing him back to the moment. His breath caught in his throat once again as she reached a hand out, laying it on his cheek. "Oh, baby… you're so pale. What's wrong?"

How long had it been since someone asked him how he was out of sheer worry for him? Not out of a formality or small talk… Triton would. Even Amphitrite. Maybe Thalia and his father… but he just didn't see them as often as he'd like. And… it was too much. It was all too much. He couldn't help it. He threw himself into her arms, clutching her robe tightly. It wasn't as soft as what he was used to—what he could conjure himself—but that just made it more real. He could still smell Gabe on her (ugh), but he could also smell the sugar from her time at Sweet on America. He could smell the shampoo she liked to use, the cheap laundry detergent…

Nothing could smell better at that moment.

"Percy, baby… what's wrong?" she asked, worriedly, running a hand through his hair.

"Mom…" he whispered, feeling tears come to his eyes. He didn't bother trying to hold them back. "Mom I… I've… I…" He didn't really know where to start.

She sighed and clutched him tighter. "Why don't we go get some hot cocoa? I have blue marshmallows."

He half sobbed, half laughed. This felt so wrong… and so right at the same time.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"Sally!" Gabe called from the other room, voice commanding.

Percy felt her tense.

"I have to take Percy to the hospital!" she called back, winking at him as she injected worry into her tone, completely opposite to the annoyance on her face.

"What?! No! We don't have the money!"

A lie. He had insurance, and Percy was on it. His mother had made sure. He remembered her complaining about the changes in laws making it difficult to get good coverage 'anymore', but this should be before that. She'd been pregnant when he remembered her talking about that, so at some point in the future? Just before Estelle?

He really hated that he didn't have his eidetic memory anymore. Mostly eidetic? Godly… yeah, that worked.

"Get ready," she whispered to him.

He nodded as she stood. Without her there, he felt cold.

Then again, he always had.

"Our insurance will cover him," she said loudly, confirming Percy's knowledge as she walked out.

"No! The brat's fine!"

"Percy's not a brat, Gabe, honey," his mom said sweetly.

"Sally," the disgusting man warned.

He continued, but Percy had to tune them out after that, or he'd do something reckless… like stop the man's heart.

Which… he could probably still do, he realized. Even from where he knelt, he could sense the blood inside Gabe's body, which meant he could probably control it if he wanted. That brought him up short as questions raced through his mind. If he could do that now, had he always been able to do that? How? Why? In the future, he'd confirmed that he hadn't gotten that particular power from his father, who had thoughtfully admitted that he probably could control something like human blood if he wanted to, but he'd never needed to, so he hadn't, and it shouldn't have been passed on to his children. They'd always assumed it had been Tartarus forcing him to survive and adapt. That it had been Ahklys—

Sighing, he cut that thought off. It still wasn't something he liked to think about, even after all this time. He'd spoken about it, with Annabeth even (and hadn't that been an uncomfortable conversation) but it still made him feel guilty and distracted, and he couldn't afford a distraction at the moment. He had to figure out what was going on. Then he could make better decisions and he'd have time to think about other things.

Annabeth and her siblings had really rubbed off on him, it seemed. Even after… everything, he'd tended to lean on the Athena cabin, though none of them had been as bright as her in his opinion. He may be biased because…

He paused for a moment as the thought sunk in. Annabeth. He scrambled for the ring he kept on a necklace under his shirt and found… nothing. That hurt. So much. He felt like he'd been socked in the gut. But… he'd be seeing her again! His breath caught in his throat and excitement pulsed through his stomach. As soon as he went to camp, he'd see her! When would he be going? He still didn't know how old he was. He wanted to go now, but if it was too early…

Yet another thing he found strange. He was used to just knowing his age. Immortals only tended to forget their age when they wanted to, or when they were fading. Or both. One often led to the other.

His thoughts drifted back to Annabeth. His wife. Except… His smile faded. No, this… this wouldn't be his Annabeth. This would be a little girl. A little girl who still wanted to prove herself to her mother. A little girl who longed to go on a quest. A little girl who wouldn't know him.

His motions of pulling out a shirt slowed and stopped as he realized. None of his friends would know him. Yes, they were alive at the moment, and he'd choose that over his relationship with them any day, but… that didn't stop it from hurting.

And maybe he'd finally learned a little selfishness as an immortal. The only surprising thing about that was that it had taken him three centuries.

He'd still choose loyalty though. It would just hurt more. Then again, did that mean he embodied his domain more or less with that in mind? Wait… was that even still his domain?

"Yes, dear. I'll make sure to make my bean dip when we get back," he heard his mother say from her bedroom, drawing him out of his thoughts. He shook his head and focused back on the task at hand, getting dressed. One thing he did regret was how he couldn't just change his clothes with a thought anymore. That had been nice.

Then something else occurred to him. He didn't have a mer-form anymore. Or any of his alternate forms, really. That would limit—

No.

Focus.

Here and now. He could deal with everything else later.

He concentrated on his movements as he forcibly stripped his pajamas off and shoved the clean shirt he'd grabbed over his head. Then he searched for a pair of pants. Most of them had been too small (because he'd grown into and then out of them) or too large (so he could grow into them in the future), and honestly, he didn't want to deal with the former. He needed comfortable right now.

He almost fell over again when he tried to shove his legs into the pants he finally chose. Sue him, he hadn't actually had to do that in three centuries. Funny, he hadn't thought getting dressed would be a skill that could get rusty.

"Percy? Are you ready?" Sally asked from the kitchen. "Please hurry. We'll have to take public transportation."

Of course Smelly Gabe wouldn't actually let them take his car to the hospital. The man really should count it a blessing if he survived the day. Even after all this time, it seemed he still knew how to unconsciously push all of Percy's buttons. That was kind of impressive, actually. Disgusting, but impressive.

"Yeah, coming," he called out, his voice hoarse. At least he remembered how to tie shoelaces. It still took him way too long to get his shoes and socks situated, though. He'd never take the ability to change his appearance with a thought for granted again.

Although, with how he'd vowed to not lose sight of mortality, he suspected that would be a lie if he had to ascend again.

Yeah. He'd think about that later, too. Much later if he had his way (if ever).

Stumbling out of the room, he got to the kitchen in time to see his mother pull out the blue marshmallows and wink at him.

"Get your coat. If you're not feeling well, you need to bundle up."

He rolled his eyes fondly at her fussing. Wasn't it summer? Even now, he was at least partially immune to temperature changes, too. Then again, she didn't know that…

And he was going to tell her everything.

Funny how he hadn't even really contemplated not telling her. Even now, the thought almost seemed foreign. To be fair, he'd really like to tell Triton too, but as of right now… It hurt to think that his brother, and one of his closest friends, thought so poorly of him at the moment.

His mother pushing his coat into his space brought him out of his melancholic musings.

"Percy, you're worrying me," she said quietly, studying him with her soft, blue eyes filled to the brim with concern. The nostalgia that struck him at that moment almost took his breath away, and he could only study her for several seconds, determined to commit this moment to memory. Just in case…

"I'll explain everything, Mom," he whispered as he took the coat and pulled it on. "Let's go."

She nodded and led the way out of the apartment.

He almost tripped down the stairs and she had to support him as he got his bearings again. That wouldn't have happened if the elevator had been working. Or if he'd been able to teleport them.

He actually had to talk her out of following through with taking him to the hospital after that. Which… fair.

He sighed. This was wonderful. It really was. But it also sucked.

A lot.

xXx

They took the first bus they could get on for a couple of stops, then wandered around a bit before finding an out-of-the-way restaurant where they ordered breakfast and hot chocolate, without cream of course, so they could fill it with the marshmallows they'd brought.

Then they sat at a corner table to wait for the rest of their food.

Huh. He couldn't just eat ambrosia anymore. He'd have to remember that.

"Percy, what's going on?" his mother asked once they'd sat there for a couple of seconds in silence.

He sighed. This… would not be easy.

"First, I need you to know that I am and always will be your son."

She paled. He winced. She thought she knew where this was going—that he'd discovered his status as a demigod somehow. He hated that what he had to tell her went so far beyond that.

"What I mean is that I am Perseus Achilles Jackson. I am your son—was born your son."

She put a hand to her mouth and looked away.

He took a deep breath. "Mom… I don't know how to tell you this, but… I'm from the future."

She blinked, her shocked gaze snapping back to him instantly. He almost snickered at her dumbfounded expression. Almost. It really wasn't that funny when he thought about it.

Had he replaced young Percy? He hoped not. But then, what had happened to his younger self? He'd have to look into that.

"Bet you didn't expect that," he finally said after a very long silence.

"No…" she said slowly.

He snorted and took a drink of the hot chocolate. Huh. Not bad. He ate human food more often than a lot of other immortals, but maybe he should do so even more?

Fo.

Cus.

Now.

He put a hand to his head. "Going back to ADHD and dyslexia—" he'd checked— "sucks."

More staring.

Right. He needed to actually explain.

(He blamed the mind-set. It was an immortal thing to not tell people everything and let them figure things out on their own because it stuck more.)

"Yes, I know who my father is," he began. "Yes, I know all about the Olympians and Camp Half-Blood and… more." He wasn't quite sure how to address his future immortality. There was so much and so little to say all at once.

Gods didn't really feel overwhelmed. Demigods did. He certainly felt overwhelmed now.

That was something he could have done without.

"More?" she asked slowly, carefully. He almost snorted. Of course she'd catch onto the one thing he was having difficulty with.

After a moment of not finding the words to break it gently, he fell back on his old ways and brute-forced his way through it.

"Yeah. Um… more because I come from three hundred years in the future, give or take a couple of decades." Her mouth didn't drop open, but Percy could tell it was a near thing. "Mom… Dad hasn't had a mortal child as powerful as me in… well, a long time. You see I—"

A hissing sound drew both of their attention and they both turned just in time to see a dracanae burst through the door from the staff room. She searched the dining area eagerly. Percy felt his eyes narrow and he reached out to the mist. Like the water molecules, it didn't react as easily as he would have liked, but he managed to twist it to a point where most mortals shouldn't even notice them speaking.

His mother did, though. Of course. She gasped.

Then the monster's eyes fell on him. "What's this?" she asked, slitted eyes fixed on him and forked tongue licking the air. "A little demigod all ready for me to devour."

His mother gasped again, hand reaching for her butter knife. Even if they all knew that wouldn't actually do anything, he still appreciated the thought.

He shot her a smile before standing and addressing the dracanae. "You can walk out now, or I'll send you back to Tartarus. Your choice."

She laughed. "With what weapon, little one? You have no divine metal on you. I can tell."

Huh. Good to know some dracanae could do that.

He smiled back, perhaps a little sharply. Annabeth had told him his teeth tended to get a little sharper when he wanted to threaten or intimidate. That was before he'd ascended. In the future he came from, he may have gone full-on shark mouth in a similar situation, but for now, this would be enough.

"I don't need a weapon."

Reaching out to the water he'd been gathering, he jerked it forward. The spike of water from behind her solidified enough to shoot straight through her heart. Her eyes flew wide and she gasped out one last breath before exploding into sulfur dust. In the middle of a dining room full of patrons that didn't even notice.

Percy almost blacked out, but with a moment to recover, he managed to stay awake. Snorting, he shook his head (ignoring the fading dizziness) and sat back down as calmly as he could, pausing once he noticed his mother's expression. She stared at him like she'd never seen him before. Three hundred years, and she could still make him feel self-conscious.

"Uh… sorry about the interruption?" What else could he apologize for?

Sally just shook her head. "No, I'm glad you took care of the monster, it's just…"

"A lot?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "You… really reminded me of your father there for a moment." Percy winced at the tone of her voice, both concerned and wistful. He'd be lying if he didn't say some part of him had always wanted his parents to be together. What child in a split-custody situation didn't? But he also knew as well as she did that it would never—could never happen. That didn't stop it from being obvious that she longed for a time when she'd been loved and appreciated by her partner. He'd have to find a way to introduce her to Paul early. Or maybe just make sure it happened on time. Because he was going to change things if he could. It was him. He couldn't do nothing. It would go against his very being. And he didn't want to change that. But he wanted his mother to be happy.

He preferred to think of himself as her son over his fathers. He loved and appreciated his dad, he did, but he wished more people would think of him as Sally's son than Poseidon's. Hearing her compare them… He sighed.

"Y-yeah. I can see why you might think that."

"Percy…" she whispered, reaching a hand out to rest over his on the table. He turned his hand over and clutched at hers.

"The fates said there was no way around it," he explained. "That I was always destined for it—even if I didn't want it.

"Mom… I ascended. In my future… I was a god."

Chapter 2: A Mother's Point of View

Chapter Text

Sally had, admittedly, made many mistakes in her life. Her summer and subsequent months with Poseidon could only be counted as one of them if his family had been hurt by it. She hadn't really thought about it at the time, caught up in a whirlwind romance where an all-powerful being paid her attention for once in her life. She'd admittedly been young and in love and stupid, with dreams too big for her checkbook, a little freedom, a lot of grief, a lot of change, and it had all been so romantic.

It really hadn't hit home until she'd realized, just into January the next year, that her cycle was late. Really late. So she'd taken a pregnancy test. After getting the result, she'd known she had to speak to him again. Despite it being winter, she'd gone to Montauk to talk to the god and that's when he'd really told her about the life of a demigod, about Camp Half-Blood, about his world. She'd done some research before that, but she'd had a hard time equating the god talking so gently to her, who called her a queen among men, with the Poseidon from the myths. She'd even asked him about those.

He'd sighed and gotten comfortable before explaining. First and foremost was how his mood reflected the sea and the sea reflected his mood. He was the sea and the sea was him. The sea could be the calmest, most gentle and comforting presence, or it could be a Category 5 hurricane. It could be steady winds and smooth sailing, or it could be doldrums and stuck in one place for days, weeks, or even months. The sea was freedom and life, but at the cost of tragedy and death.

"Have you only showed this… gentle side to me?" she'd asked, curious more than anything else. She hadn't thought he'd hurt her, and he hadn't. She'd trusted him. (She still did in a lot of ways.)

"Mainly, yes," he'd answered. "I have a temper, Sally. And when I get angry, the sea reflects it, often dangerously—to devastation even—for mortals. I didn't want you to see that side of me. But… I've also mellowed out a lot. As gods, our personalities tend to take on traits of the culture that holds the Heart of the West… for better or worse."

She'd just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "Such as…?" she eventually asked when he didn't.

He'd rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we tended to have a lot more demigods—all of us who can and do—when in France."

She'd snorted. Then his smile had faded.

"My brother, the king of the gods, has always been a little stern, but during Rome, he went through the most obvious metamorphosis. When Rome first took Greece, he… he was the first to change."

"Change?"

Poseidon had cleared his throat. "There were… problems. Greece had gotten… greedy. Not that they hadn't gone through bouts of that before, but many of the Roman and Greek gods are the same except… not. Including myself. Those problems showed with him first, then spread to the rest of us. Even me."

"Roman sea god… You mean Ne—"

He'd cut her off by holding up a hand suddenly. "Yes. Don't say his name."

"Isn't he you?"

"Yes, to an extent, but that could call him to the forefront, and he and I are also… different."

"How is that possible?"

"People still worship who I used to be… and who I became. Because both have more or less gone down in history, and are well known, and both are attributed to me, they both manifest. But each manifestation has still taken on parts of the new civilization.

"My brother, often during Rome's occupation, was a bright, happy god. Towards the end, he became a little… unhinged. During England's turn, he started relatively humble, but became nearly tyrannical. When we first moved over here to America, he was industrious. Now, he seems more lazy, elitist, and paranoid. And he isn't the only one. I have my own problems. It's just more difficult for me to see, I suppose.

"That doesn't stop the fact that I still have those traits from the stories. No matter who I am now, I am also who I used to be. And Sally, all of me has come to love you."

She'd blushed then. Could anyone blame her?

"Gods love differently than humans do, though. And since I have never been human, I cannot explain it properly. I still love my wife, for instance, even while loving you."

That had been the first time she'd begun to realize what she'd gotten into. That this man was married and she was the other woman. She'd known he was married but, for some reason, that hadn't hit her until just then.

It had been a shock, to say the least. She hadn't wanted to hurt anyone… Before she'd been able to ask questions about that, though, he'd gone on.

"But because all of my heart belongs to you in some way, all of those traits may go to our child." He'd gone on to explain the oath and that he hadn't truly meant to break it. But now he had, and their child would likely pay the price.

"In the days of Greece and Rome, when a child was born to me, their traits would depend on which aspect of me loved that mortal. Because so much of me loves you… our child could be one of the most powerful demigods I've ever sired. That puts them in even more danger than normal and almost guarantees they will fulfill the prophecy."

By that point, Sally had covered her mouth with one hand while her other had curled around her stomach protectively. She'd felt so… overwhelmed. She hadn't known what to say or do.

"I am truly sorry," he'd whispered. "And above all else, I cannot so much as visit, especially the older they get. It would only turn my brothers' wrath on them while attracting other monsters. Draw even more attention to them. Although…" and then he'd asked her to go and live under the sea, and promised that he'd build her a palace she could live the rest of her days in and take care of her child. And she'd been tempted… so tempted.

But for the first time in her life, she'd been able to be selfish. She wanted her own path, her own goals… she'd wanted to make her own life. And she'd been convinced she could do it.

What a fool she'd been.

Unfortunately, once Percy had been born, she hadn't wanted to bring negative attention from the other gods down on him, so she didn't dare call for Poseidon. What if another god got to her and Percy first? Even when at Montauk, she'd just been too scared for her son's safety. And besides, gods rarely gave opportunities to mortals a second time.

So she'd married Gabe.

And while part of her was still proud of that particular realization and execution, part of her regretted it for both her and Percy's sake. She had to remind herself that Gabe couldn't be worse than the monsters out there, but part of her—that grew larger every day—wondered if that really was the case. He was an abusive scumbag… But he was all they had to keep Percy safe.

And from the moment he was born, she knew she would do anything to keep him safe.

Up until this morning, though, it had been a stable if unsustainable situation. Now, though…

The boy sitting before her wasn't her son. Or, he was—he always would be, he'd made that clear and she believed him—but the way he sat and spoke, what he knew and how casually he spoke of it…

Yesterday, he'd been her little boy. Her dyslexic, ADHD driven little ball of energy, and she wouldn't trade him for the world. She'd always done her best to make sure he knew he was loved, and he'd looked at her like she hung the stars.

Now he looked at her like he'd seen a ghost. A welcome ghost, but still a memory that haunted him. He claimed he'd become a god, and she didn't doubt him. The way he held himself alone was different, more confident, more focused. He didn't need her. He'd lived for centuries without her. Part of her was so proud, but part of her…

Part of her just wanted her little boy back.

She didn't know how to feel about all of this.

But most of her was still the mother to an 11-year-old demigod, and whether he came back from three hundred years in the future or not, what he did not need was his mother breaking down in front of him. So she wouldn't.

She would, however, need a couple of minutes to process, which meant she needed to stall… and maybe get some questions answered. They'd been sitting there too long while she thought back over everything that had led her life to this point.

So she took a fortifying breath and fixed her eyes on his.

She needed more context.

"Why did you come back, then?"

He slumped a little, and there was her little boy. She almost melted in relief.

"As far as I remember, it was an accident."

She blinked. "An accident?"

He nodded. "I'm still not entirely sure what happened. One of the Ath… Goddess of Wisdom's children was working on a new invention with particle acceleration and… she kind of lost me from there. I'm not a scientist. But whatever happened… well, I woke up here this morning. I don't even know how old I am."

Sally blinked again. "Eleven."

"Turning twelve in August?" he clarified. She nodded. "Guessing it's June now?"

"End of May."

He paused. "Oh. The cannon and the school bus… right?"

That was also her little boy. He looked so sheepish for a moment, and she couldn't help but smile back at him. Before either of them could continue though, a waiter appeared next to their table with their food.

"Thank you," Sally said with a smile as the young man turned to leave.

They both waited for him to be out of hearing range before they started to eat. She watched her son pick at his food for a minute as if infinitely curious before stuffing a large forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"300 years and you still eat like that?" she teased. He paused and that sheepish expression came back.

Yes. This was her Percy. She still needed some processing time, but she could do this.

"So, a god, huh?"

He nodded. "Zeu… um… the King of the gods assigned me as a lieutenant to my father, probably because he doesn't know what else to do with me, but I'm usually in camp or helping the satyrs find demigods to bring to camp since that's my domain." He paused, frowning. "Was my domain?"

Sally felt her eyebrows raise. "Camp was your domain?"

He stared at her like he couldn't understand why she didn't understand.

"Oh, no! I… um…" he cleared his throat and put his fork down. "Okay, every god has a domain—usually a couple, sometimes several. Like Apol… um… the sun guy. Or our messenger. They both have at least a dozen, though many of them are pretty minor."

"What were yours?" Sally asked.

Percy blushed. He was still so adorable. "Demigods, first and foremost," he said firmly and with such confidence. No shame here, even through that blush, and she couldn't be more proud of him. "I wanted to protect them. My loyalty will always be to them and my family."

Sally felt her heart melt a little.

Her son went on. "Loyalty is one of my domains. Was. I don't know if I'll get used to that," he muttered that last part to himself, shaking his head, before fixing that sea-green gaze back on her. "That's, um… my fatal flaw right now, but when it was my domain, I shared it with some others. I had a different emphasis than them. Personal loyalty, really, not so much loyalty to ideals, but to people. Ath… the Goddess of Wisdom called it a lower form of loyalty. I flipped her off."

And there was the impish boy she'd raised too.

"Percy!" she scolded. Because Athena was older than him and an Olympian so still a very powerful enemy. Not to mention, she'd raised him to be polite!

"What?" he defended. "She deserved it!" She'd also raised him to stand up for himself so…

"Still…" she said hesitantly, sending a pointed look at him.

He just grinned in amusem*nt. "I have every right to have issues with my mother-in-law."

Aaaand he threw her world for a loop. Again. She gasped. Mother-in-law?! He was married? Who was he married to? Was she a goddess? Or a demigod? Or… well, she couldn't think of anything else, but this was Greek. There were probably things she wasn't thinking of at the moment.

He must have been able to see the questions in her eyes, because he held up his hand (and looked so much like his father just then, her heart ached). "Later, ok?"

Her lips thinned in disappointment. "You'd better," she warned.

He grinned, his smile bright and sunny.

"Anyway, back to domains," he said, turning thoughtful. "Because of my ties to the sea, I was a god of the depths. The deeper you go, the more within my domain it is. So trenches are all me, even if I share them with sea monsters and some of the Primordials. Pressure, animals, darkness, seawater, and tectonic movement fall under that, too."

"Tectonic movement?" Sally asked, hoping she didn't sound overwhelmed again. Her little boy could control tectonic plates? In the future, perhaps, but still…

He nodded and stuffed another forkful in his mouth. He didn't speak while he ate, at least. Once he swallowed, he continued. "Well, Dad is the Earthshaker. Besides, the deepest points of the ocean happen at subversion zones of tectonic plates, and while they can build mountains and islands, there also tends to be a lot of destruction too… which was also one of my domains." The sheepishness returned, though this looked different. This one, he was ashamed of.

Again, her heart ached.

"You… um… named me well," he said, looking down and picking up his hot chocolate, sipping from the mug while his mother looked on sadly. She didn't quite know what to think about that. Or she did, she just didn't know what to say.

"The last of my domains was, um…" he paused, seeming a little conflicted about this one. "Liquids. Like, all liquids. More a god of the state of being a liquid. My natural state in the future was a liquid. But Dad's is the ocean so… that isn't too unusual, I guess."

Sally frowned. "Is that something you inherited from your father?" Because where else could he have gotten that from? Although, to be fair, Sally didn't exactly know the nuances of godly… well, anything.

The shame had returned, and so had her little boy… the one that seemed so angry and frustrated with the world… and himself. The one she'd hoped he would grow out of. Almost immediately, she regretted thinking he didn't need her. He still did. Three hundred years, and he still needed reassurance. And she'd give it to him… once he finished his thought.

"Uh… not really. That was part of the reason I ascended. My domains changed, and my power fixed onto some domains that didn't already have anyone governing them. At least not from our pantheon."

Sally opened her mouth to say something, when her mind caught on those last words. "Your… pantheon? Wait, are you also Roman?"

He looked startled, eyebrows raising high on his forehead. "Wait, you know about the Romans?"

There… were Romans still? And they were separate from the Greeks?

She decided to tread carefully. "I know your father has a… Roman side to him. He said the other gods do too. Do you?"

Percy blinked, seemed to accept that (though he still looked surprised) and shook his head. "No. So… there's a Roman Camp for demigods in San Francisco. Greeks and Romans don't usually get along, so they've been kept separate up until now, and probably will for another couple of years, if this timeline goes the same way. But since the Romans and the Greeks both knew me as the same person, I don't have another persona, really. I mean, sometimes I can feel myself shift, become more disciplined and all, but that's it. Dad and Neptune are like day and night. Except when they're angry. Then they're almost identical."

Sally blinked and tried to wrap her head around that.

"I don't… understand," she finally said. "I didn't get it when your father explained it to me, and I don't think I get it now."

He nodded. "Fair. It's hard to explain. But I think it's like combining Epithets."

Sally tipped her head to one side and swallowed the food she'd been chewing. "Epithets?"

He nodded. "Yeah. You know Aph… ugh. Names have power and I need to be careful," he muttered to himself, frustrated. "The Goddess of Love has multiple Epithets. One of them was a daughter of Zeu—aarg, the King of the Gods, and one of them was the more common manifestation of her after Ouranous was dismembered." He smiled an apologetic half-smile at the gruesome conversation. Sally thought it amusing that he'd think she'd have an issue with it. She'd read the tales and myths.

"Anyway, both of those two goddesses were worshiped so much for the same thing that they kind of combined and became one, or at least attributed to being more or less the same goddess. Other epithets have her more connected to the sea, others more connected to relationships, etc. I think the same thing, or something similar happened with the Romans." He snorted. "It's funny. Many of the gods seem to think of themselves as so much better than mortals but we need them far more than they need us."

He sounded so bitter.

And he still seemed to count himself as a god… understandable, but still heartbreaking.

"That sounds like something you've argued a lot."

He snorted. "Yeah. The Olympians never listen to me though. They just want to keep an eye on me, worried that my other powers will somehow grow into a domain too, or something ridiculous like that. Or maybe that I'll take over or some other sh… er… crap." At least he was still mindful of what he said around her. She could definitely appreciate that and found it endearing.

He was such a sweet kid. Why was he so ashamed of his destructive side? Well, she supposed she could understand, but still. He'd never use that to hurt anyone. Not intentionally.

But something told her that now wasn't the time to bring that up, so she focused on something else.

"Other Powers?"

He sighed. "Yeah. I mean, basic powers of a god, that most of us have. A true form; the ability to teleport as long as something divine wasn't holding us down; the ability to split my consciousness, though I only had a maximum of four at any given point, and even that could tire me out. I have no idea how Her… the Messenger of Olympus has a minimum of twelve at any given point. It was still something I could do, though I don't know how they thought I could gain some domain over that." He snorted, but then paused, troubled.

"And there's a mind-set that's different, Mom. I… I can't describe it… but I think I still have it. Or at least part of it. It's like I could think on the fifth dimension at times—transcend space and time to something more—while at other times… nothing more than human at best. And that whole 'thinking on a higher plane'… sometimes it just happened. I couldn't make it happen. Well, whenever I got particularly angry or frustrated, I guess… kind of, but other times, no matter how desperate I got, nothing. Triton felt similarly, and I never worked up the courage to ask Dad."

He shook his head. "Thing is, I'm mortal again, Mom. But… I remember things, just only in parts. Like some things I remember why I did them, but not how. Others I remember how but not why. Other things I know I did, but can't remember anything more than that. It's… kind of like a dream, but it's changed me. Even now, I can do more than I ever could originally at this age. Even a couple of years down the road." He looked down at his hand. "Like the Mist thing. I know you saw that."

She nodded, food all but forgotten in front of her.

"I'm pretty sure I could split my consciousness right now," he went on, voice quieter, "but… it would kill me. I remember how the currents and tides of the ocean work, but I know I couldn't begin to control them with my current power. Not on a scale larger than the Long Island Sound, and even then…

"I can sense every ounce of liquid around me—up to and including blood. That's… something I got from the future and I'm pretty sure it's part of why I became a god of liquids. I know how to teleport, but I can't do it as I am right now. It's like I've been bound to this plane… and maybe that's how gods are usually captured, their consciousness is just bound to this dimension.

"It's…" he paused, frustrated, then sighed in defeat. "Like I said, I really can't describe it. There aren't words in English or any other language originating from mortals that can, but because I know some divine things I really shouldn't—I remember my true form as a god, not to mention Dad's and Triton's, and that isn't something a normal mortal mind can comprehend. There has to be something different about me. And for that, I'm sorry. I… I don't know what happened to the Percy of this time. But I promise, I will do everything I can to get him back."

He looked at her then, with such conviction, she could almost feel herself tearing in two. Part of her would always love her son, no matter what he did, but she still needed her little boy back. She'd done so much to protect him, and couldn't just stop now.

"Thank you," she heard herself say softly.

The expression that crossed his face almost physically hurt her. Like he'd been expecting that, but his own heart had broken anyway. Sally frowned and thought over how her words could be taken and realized what he thought: that she didn't want anything to do with him as he was now. Yeah, she needed to head that off.

"But I'm also so proud of you," she forged on. "Even after all that time, you're still a good person. I can tell. You still want to help people, you still care about mortals. If you had to become a god, I know you couldn't have been a better one."

He looked so grateful for a moment, but… he thought she was wrong. She could tell that too.

He turned his eyes down in shame. "Mom… you don't know what I've done. What's happened because of me."

She reached over and put a hand on his cheek. "Oh, Percy. We're not perfect, and neither are Greek gods. I don't expect you to never make mistakes."

"But when I make mistakes as a god, people die, Mom!" he whispered, almost desperately. "Earthquakes happen. Tsunamis… I've accidentally turned people into liquids before. And I'm… I hate it! I never wanted to be a god! I still don't!"

Tears had come to his eyes now and he just looked so lost.

"Oh, Percy," she said, standing up and coming to sit beside him on the bench he'd taken as his seat. "My sweet, sweet boy. Have you ever wanted to hurt someone who is innocent?"

He sniffed, and shook his head. "No."

"Have you ever enjoyed someone in pain?"

He winced and buried his head in her shoulder. Oh. Sally didn't like what that said. "Only once," he muttered. "And I wasn't even a god then."

"I'm betting it was someone who hurt you," Sally guessed.

He nodded. "She was gonna kill me and Annabeth… and we were kind of on a quest to save the world. So many people were counting on us."

Annabeth, huh? She'd file that away for later.

"And never since then?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"Despite being a god?"

He snorted, but shook his head again.

"Then I think that one time was understandable. No, it's not something we should just excuse, but you've been carrying that pain for three hundred years. Don't you think it's about time to let it go?"

"It stops me from becoming like them," he whispered. Sally wanted to cry herself. It took every ounce of strength in her not to. "Like them?"

Percy looked up at her. "Like the Olympians. Even… even Dad and Triton. They just… can't understand. And I don't want to forget. I've already forgotten so much."

Sally reached up, cupping his jaw between her hands gently. "Percy, you are allowed to make mistakes. And it looks like you never made that mistake again. Even if you had, you could always work to fix it. And you do. You've already done so much. You're amazing. And I. Am. Proud of you."

He sniffed again. "E-even if I destroyed entire towns?"

And there went her heart again. Maybe she should just leave it shattered at the bottom of her ribcage?

"You can only do what you can to help who you can. Sometimes… and I hate to say this, but sometimes you'll lose people. That's what happens when you have power. And you have to take responsibility for that. But that doesn't mean you're a terrible person. Even as a god. Besides, how many people have you helped in the last 300 years?"

He sniffed and smiled wetly. "A lot."

She smiled again and smoothed his hair back from his forehead. "Now, those don't exactly cancel each other out—I don't think lives can be measured like that—but I do think your efforts count. Never stop trying to help, and I'm including yourself in that, young man." He snorted and buried his face in her shoulder again, but she could tell he was still smiling. "As long as you keep trying, or plan on continuing to try after you rest for a bit, then you could never disappoint me, Percy."

She smiled and rocked back and forth. "And even if you did disappoint me, I could never stop loving you. I promise my future self felt the same. I'm sure she was looking on from wherever she was in the afterlife and smiling at every good thing you ever did."

He hugged her tighter and she leaned her head on his. "I know the gods from the myths seem a little one-sided sometimes, shallow even," she said, "but even if you did become that way after millennia passed, I'll still love you."

He sobbed a little and they sat there for a bit while he hopefully released centuries of the pressure he put on himself. Eventually, he finally sat back and smiled up at his mother.

Yes. Yes, this was her little boy, and he always would be.

"You okay now?" she asked. "Or at least better?"

He nodded. "I forgot how amazing you are… and I never stopped believing you were awesome."

It was her turn to blush.

"Oh, hush, you," she muttered as she stood and returned to her seat, glancing around and seeing a couple of the restaurant servers watching them with fond smiles. Her blush deepened.

Percy cleared his throat and she turned her attention back to him. "Um…" he was obviously looking for a new topic, which… she really couldn't fault him for.

"You said gods seem a little one-sided or shallow in the myths. Um… I don't think you're wrong. Gods are both more and less complex than humans. We… they embody their domains so deeply, no human could understand. But areas outside our domain tend to be… lacking. Not always, and not with every aspect, but… yeah."

Sally snorted softly and went to put her now cold eggs into her mouth, she couldn't let the food go to waste.

"Sounds like something you've thought about a lot."

He smiled wanly at her. "Yeah."

He went to put his own eggs into his mouth, and that's when Sally struck, smiling mischievousy.

"Sooo… Annabeth?"

He spit his eggs out, actually having to cover his mouth to stop them from spraying everywhere.

"Mooooom!" he whined.

Sally couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.

Chapter 3: The Inter-Pantheon Knitting Circle

Chapter Text

Percy and Sally spent the rest of the day just walking around town, enjoying each other's company. His mom called it window shopping. He called it 'bumming'. Old fashioned, but he'd long since learned that didn't necessarily mean 'bad'. Something many of his campers could have benefited from learning as well.

It was nice to speak and think in English again, even with the dyslexia. The Heart of the West had moved too many times in the future, and knowledge of the language it resided in would start creeping into the gods' language (part of how they knew it had moved), but his English would always be his first language. Nostalgia and all.

He wound up telling his mother about the far future, and some of the demigods he'd met then. Every adventure had their own unique qualities, and it was entertaining to tell most of the time. Sometimes, though… He tried to put a positive spin on everything, he really did. But he'd always been more than a little upset that minors—children sometimes not even in their double digits—had to go on quests and save their town or their family orOlympus. He was working on it; had made strides with the Romans more than the Greeks, but he'd been vying for hard age limits and had almost worn the council down before his jaunt through time. He'd implemented the rule that no one under the age of twelve could go initially, and then bumped it up after two or three decades. When he'd been sent back, it had been an unofficial sixteen before someone could go on a quest, unless a prophecy directly called for it, but Percy had gotten on the Olympian's case more than once for choosing their young child and mostly, they'd backed off.

It would have been worse had Percy not been the god of demigods. The idea of not being able to help even as much as he had (which hadnotbeen enough), would have definitely taken its toll on him. He suspected that had happened to many gods, actually—Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, and Artemis to name a few. That particular domain had given him no small amount of relief. Giving Zeus the middle finger every time the drama queen complained was just the icing on the cake. He seemed to hate that Percy didn't care if demigods brought their parents accolades or whatever; that he only seemed to care about them living long enough to graduate from high school. Or whatever country's equivalent.

Percy had begun to feel like a lawyer going to bat for people who couldn't defend themselves, and he took that job seriously. It exhausted him to think of how he'd have to start basically from scratch, but he would. It was his job after all.

He didn't know how much that got through to his mother, though. Sometimes, it really wasn't avoidable in those stories, but he didn't want to worry her, so he started focusing on the countries they'd moved to instead. Their first stay in South Korea had been fun the century or so they'd been there. They'd even stayed several decades in a couple of African countries. He'd enjoyed that, too. Then they'd gone back to Korea, which had been just as interesting the second time around.

But there was always something about coming home. Even with all its problems, America would always be that, and still had its good points. Like his mother and her cookies. Nowhere else in the world had those, and that would always trump more or less anything else in his mind. Also, his friends, and this version of Camp Half-Blood. There was always a version of Camp Half-Blood in whatever country they set up in… but there was just something about the one Percy grew up in.

Especially after the Titan war.

Speaking of… what was he going to do about that? Would he have to go through all of it again? He hoped not. Besides, knowing what he knew now would change everything. Percy wasn't a good actor. Never had been. Not long term. That hadn't changed with ascension—much to Apollo and Dionysus' annoyance. (Of course not, why would it?) Thus, Percy couldn't act like his old self. He could apparently barely remember how his old self even acted. Although he had noticed a change in himself since he'd returned. He found himself smiling happily, or growling in frustration and anger at little things he would have barely batted an eye at in the future. Someone catcalling his mother almost had him tearing the guy's spleen out with his own blood, but three seconds later, a group of children rushing by and giggling as their minder chased after them fondly had him grinning like a loon. Was that due to his mortality or physical age? Or both? Neither?

Ugh.

He killed three more monsters that day. It wasn't difficult, but it still tended to take a lot out of him seeing as he didn't have any celestial bronze or imperial gold on him, and he had to drink far more water than he remembered doing as a child to recover. However, it was a relief to know that he could handle most of what came his way, even while protecting someone.

Which begged the question: Should he go to Yancy? That would be his next school. He wasn't looking forward to it. Or school at all. Even if it didn't give him as many problems as he remembered because of his future knowledge, he'd still have ADHD, dyslexia, and a terrible school record to contend with. But he'd also met Grover there. And technically Chiron.

What would his other options be though? He could go to camp early, he supposed. Though he'd probably have to stay in the Hermes cabin due to the fact that his father wouldn't claim him if he wasn't forced to. Which, fine, but he'd always preferred his own space. Still, he could deal with that for a year if it meant seeing Annabeth again.

And Luke.Di immortals,Luke. Could he stop the son of Hermes from making the biggest mistake of his life? Of all of their lives? Stop him from believing Kronos' lies?

Did he want to?

After far too long contemplating that question, he finally decided that yes, he did want to. If only for Annabeth and Thalia's sake.

But how would that change everything?

He bit his lip.

"Percy?" His mother's voice brought him out of his musings and he looked up from the ice-cream cone he held. "Your ice-cream is melting," she said pointedly. Percy blinked, looked down, and saw several blue drips decorating the fingers wrapped around his cone.

"Oh," he said, blinking. Then he reached out with his power and froze it again, wincing when that simple trickhurt.Di Immortales, had he really had this many issues as a demigod? Then again, he was supposed to be a child of thesea, not ice cream, but still… In the future, he'd had some power over most states of matter, seeing as liquid was directly adjacent to both solid and gas. And depending on whatever the gas was made of, he even had some control over that. But here and now, he could barely cool anything down to a freezing point. It was… frustrating. And something he'd have to take into consideration when it came to fighting monsters.

He still wasn't sure whether he brought that ability back with him from the future or if he'd had it all along, but either way, he would have to train it. Or retrain it. He wasn't looking forward to that.

His mother just looked at him with that troubled expression he hated, like she wanted to say something but didn't know if it would help or hurt him more. Seeing the pain on him, she probably wanted him to stop using his powers for little things like that. Not that he would. But he wouldn't do so in front of her if she didn't like seeing him in pain. Which, fair.

Eventually, she decided not to say anything, instead finishing her own ice cream and standing. "We should probably be getting home."

Oh. Right. Home.

ToGabe.

Yeah.

No.

"Mom," he said solemnly, "get rid of Gabe.Please."

His mother paused, frowning. He could see her reluctance, not out of any love for the man, but for what his loss in their life would mean.

"You've seen me take care of monsters," he said with a reassuring smile. "And once I train up, I'll be even better. I can take care of myself."

She bit her lip. "I don't know, Percy…"

He sighed. "Is being around a human monster better than Tartarus' monsters? Really?"

She winced, and he mentally kicked himself for putting it like that, but… she also needed to hear it.

"Please, Mom," he said again. "We'll figure things out. Maybe I can go to camp this summer and then I'll come back in the fall."

She sighed. "I've been looking into schools, and some of the only ones that will take you with your record are boarding schools. That means we won't see each other…"

Or maybe he could do something online? But he also didn't want to be around his mom's house 24/7, as that would attract monsters toher. If he lived there, but left daily for one reason or another, they'd most likely leave her alone, as they had in the past he remembered. He also remembered how to do some minor warding… and while it wouldn't be enough to completely mask his scent, it should be enough to keep them safe if he wasn't thereall the time. And if he recalled correctly, he couldn't get a job at his age. So that was out. He'd have to go out to train, which wouldstillattract monsters, but would that be enough? Though the monsters would double as training, he supposed.

Well, either way, Gabe had to go. He wasn't putting up with that abusiveexophthalmicamathés* a moment longer than he absolutely had to.

And he no longer had to. It was as simple as that. (And he'd never wanted his mom to deal with the man,ever.)

"Then I'll visit you on the weekends. Or we'll try something else. But mom… you don't have to put up with him anymore. Please don't. We both know it's not healthy."

She still looked so worried, so he pushed a little harder.

"I know you're scared of what will happen without him, but when I can take care of myself—when I know what's coming and what can happen—is it really worth it to keep him around?"

His mom looked away, seeming ashamed.

"I'm happy you loved me enough to want to protect me—to not abandon me to the camp like I've seen so many other parents do. But, especially now, we've outgrown what good he can do for us."

She sighed and nodded. "I'll contact a lawyer and draw up the divorce papers."

He smiled. "Good. Then save up so you can go back to school. I know you always wanted to finish your degree."

"My…" she blinked for a second, then eyed him suspiciously. "Percy, did I finish my degree in your future?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. I can't say too much about the future, Mom." He didn't want to get on the Moirai's bad side more than he probably already was, thank you very much. "But let's just say that good things come your way when Gabe isn't there. Maybe not right away, but it will come. Besides, I'm pretty sure I can help bring in money this—"

"You'renotgetting a job," she said sternly.

He blinked. "Um… I can talk clams into giving up pearls naturally and easily. I can find lost things in the water. I can help with boats. I don't have to have an actualjob, Mom. But I can help with money. I did at this age before anyway."

Beside him, his mother stiffened. "What?" she asked quietly.

Percy blinked. Oh… right. She didn't know.

"Gabe told me I had to help contribute if I want to stay under his roof. Whatever money I made, he'd usually make me give up. He called it our 'boy's secret'. Then he'd gamble it away."

Oh. There was the fire in his mother's eyes he so loved to see. And, honestly, if he'd come back a year later than he had, he would have just let things play out as before when it came to Medusa and Gabe. But he couldn't leave his mother with that man for another year. Not if he could put a stop to it. Besides, if he was gone to Yancy, it shouldn't matter much anyway. Mrs. Dodds and Grover had found him the first time. And he'd been away from Gabe then. He knew the man's disgusting smell lingered, but it wouldn't be enough to last to Christmas break, although there were enough other breaks in the school year that his mom had probably initially thought it would be fine. However, with him knowing everything now and actively using his powers? Yeah, no. Gabe's smell probably wouldn't be enough with himstayingthere. Itmightbe with the warding, but he'd have to actively ward the walls. Probably manually since he couldn't just make the correct symbols appear, and that could take a while. And Gabe wouldn't be happy about that.

He'd have to get those wards down before Grover got to school if he went to Yancy, though. He could hide them then. And he'd probably have to tone his use of powers down when Grover came along, or give himself away as a son of Poseidon… Would that be better or worse? They'd probably want him to go to camp immediately if they found out. They'd probably want him tostayat camp. And honestly trying to figure everything out really made him want to just let things play out as they had before. He wasn't good at tracking and planning. Especially now. He coulddoit, but it frustrated him and tended to just make him want to… well, rush in, sword swinging. That 'strategy' had worked last time, after all.

The biggest problem, though, was still what he should do about Luke. And the biggest incentive? Annabeth, of course.

Not for the first time, he missed her brains and planning.

He'd missed her for almost 300 years now. Well, 250. One of the longest living Greek demigods for decades. Percy didn't count.

When he wanted to talk to someone about planning, after Annabeth had passed on, he usually went to see Triton. Which wasn't an option right now for more than one reason. And he couldn't even ask his father without potentially drawing Zeus' and Hades' ire. Actually, he'd have to be careful to do his water powers inside or in the shade… and definitely not at night. He didn't need Artemis and Apollo accidentally catching sight of him.

Ugh. This was such a pain.

And yet… he had the opportunity to save people—give them the chance to actuallylive their lives. Selina, Beckendorf, Michael, Bianca, Zoe… and so many others. Even—especially—people who had joined the Titans.

But he'd have to take advantage of his knowledge.

A large bus pulled up in front of them and Percy blinked, realizing he and his mother had been standing at the bus stop for a while now. He didn't even remember getting there, he'd been so lost in thought. And it seemed like his mother was too.

Good.

And if Gabe decided this would play out any other way than him leaving with his tail between his legs, Percy would find out just how well he could control blood at this point in his life. He smirked a little, firm in the knowledge that that man couldn't hurt his mother anymore—Percy wouldn'tlethim.

Just as he went to step on the bus, right in front of his mother, something pulled at him and he froze. As a god, he would have just pushed his consciousness onto the source of his domain nearest whatever had caught his attention. It took him a moment to realize he couldn't do that, and he mentally kicked himself as his gaze snapped over to the left.

There, in the park across from them, sat a group of women sitting in a circle knitting, weaving, or sewing.

Three of them in particular caught his eye, as they stared directly at him, and knitted a… actually, he couldn't tell from this distance. He felt his blood drain from his face.

"Percy?" his mother asked from behind him.

He swallowed.

"Uh, Mom? I… uh… forgot something."

She seemed surprised as he turned and made his way through the crowd.

"Wait, Percy?! What did you forget?"

She was following him, and part of him wanted to wait for her, but… those were theFates, and he didn't want to put his mother in a dangerous position. It would be dangerous enough forhimto approach them. Would have been dangerous as a god, let alone a demigod.

Not that that would have stopped him.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough. He had to use a crosswalk to head over to the park unless he wanted to jump out into traffic and potentially draw attention to himself. But… he was positive they wanted to talk to him—that they wouldn't disappear, so it would be best to take the long way.

Which was why his mother caught up to him.

"Percy," she scolded as she approached him in the crowd waiting for the light to cross. "God or not, don't just run off! You scared me to death!"

He winced. He'd been wanting to avoid scaring her.

"Um…" he said, trying to remember how it felt to be a 300 year old god and not an 11 year old child, but failing miserably. Then he nodded towards the knitting group… that was still there, at the edge of the grass. That came right up to the sidewalk. He'd never seen that in this part of Central Park before. Right. "That… knitting circle."

His mother frowned and turned to see what he was looking at just as the sign to walk turned on. He had time to see her turn pale before he was walking across the street, this time with her in tow.

"Percy…" she hissed worriedly.

"They want to talk to me."

"What? Why?!"

He paused and thought about that. He hadn't really thought to ask why. He just knew they wanted to talk to him, and he needed some answers, too. His typical 'rush into it' attitude showed itself again. Although, to be fair, this was the Fates.

"Probably because I've changed things by coming back in time."

He really hoped the mist was stopping the mortals around them from hearing him talk about things like that.

"Are… you sure this is a good idea?" she asked.

He sighed. "Not really, no. But I don't think they're going to give me much of a choice." He could just see them showing up under every awning that would allow it from here to their apartment. "Besides, I want some answers."

"Percy…" his mother said again, this time pleading. He paused and turned to her, feeling his expression soften.

"It's okay, Mom. I'll be fine." He hesitated again before voicing his next words. "But I want you to stay back here."

"What?!" she asked, not quite shrieking and wringing her fingers in worry.

He held up his hands. "Mom, I'm a demigod and it'll probably be uncomfortable for me. It might actuallyhurtyou to be around them."

She bit her lip and he could tell she did not want to let him go.

"Mom, do you trust me?" he asked.

Sally Jackson frowned as she met her son's gaze. "Of course I do. I'm not sure I trustthem."

He snorted. "Fair. And you should be careful.Ishould be careful. But Mom… there really isn't much we can do. They want to talk. I need answers. This is actually one of the better scenarios, now that I think about it. But I've gone into situations much worse than this and come out fine."

His mother closed her eyes. "Percy, that doesn't help."

He sighed. "I know. But it's the best I have. To be fair, I have seen and talked to them before, as a demigod, and I came out fine then too."

She didn't answer for several seconds, just keeping her eyes closed and breathing deeply. Eventually, she opened them and fixed her blue gaze on him, jaw tightening in determination.

"Fine. But if you're not back here in fifteen minutes, Iwillcome and get you. I don't care how old you are, you're still my son."

He loved his mother so much. Either he'd forgotten just how much, or she'd somehow managed to be even better than he remembered. Or both. But he liked to think she was just that awesome. (He really didn't want to think about evenmorehe'd forgotten—gods were supposed to have eidetic memories!)

"You're literally the best, Mom," he said, running forward and hugging her, reveling in her warmth and the fact that she wasright therebefore tearing himself away and heading towards the knitting circle. "Be right back!"

"You'd better!"

Once he reached the edge of the grass, he slowed to a walk, chin held high. Just as he went to step up to them, he noticed the other women in the circle. There was a group of three others working on one project together, but everything about them seemed pale and deathly, despite their young faces—beautiful and unnerving all at once. Despite the warm day, they seemed to be dressed for winter, wearing white sweaters, long, heavy, white skirts and white boots. Their hair hung loosely around their shoulders blowing in an unseen wind.

He knew them. The Norns. Percy swallowed and glanced between them and the Fates, three old women who continued to stare at him, dressed in mostly dark colors, skirts and all, with red, green, and brown shawls around their shoulders respectively. He knew the Norns and the Fates had similar roles to play in their pantheons, and it made sense they would know each other, but seeing them next to each other didn't help his nerves. It also didn't help when he noticed their projects would make birds' nests jealous. It seemed both groups were knitting (crocheting? He didn't know the difference) a tangled knot of so many colors of string, it almost made his head ache. He swallowed.

"Ah, here is the man of the hour," a woman next to the Norns said. She looked striking in her blue dress, although her eyes—white and gold, next to the Norn's plain white—were just as disconcerting. That… that was Frigg.

He took a closer look at the others in the circle. One woman, he noted, had eight eyes and wove a… blanket? She reminded him of Piper, but older. So… Native American. Grandmother Spider, most likely (he thought that was her name… he needed to brush up on other pantheons). And on the other side of the circle sat two Asian women, one slightly older than the other. Both of them looked resplendent in silk, Chinese dresses, their hair done up in intricate styles. He wasn't as familiar with the Chinese pantheon, but he had a couple of guesses…

He was in the presence of some very,verypowerful people. And he could feel it. He'd thought that was just the Fates, but now… Only they would participate in aninter pantheon knitting circle.

Clearing his throat, he stepped into the center of their circle and bowed. "My Ladies," he said respectfully, hoping his voice didn't sound too strained. "Was Lady Tayet unable to make it?" he tried to joke, bringing up the Egyptian goddess of weaving. Because it seemed like everyone else was doing some kind of yarn or threadwork.

"She doesn't have a host," one of the Chinese women said calmly, working on intricate needlework that left behind a picture that seemed to come alive, even unfinished as it was.

"She isn't the only one who could not make it to see where the disturbances originated," the old, Native American grandmother said in a firm but scratchy voice. As of yet, only the Fates and Frigg had actually looked at him. For which he was thankful. He wasn't entirely sure he'd survive everyone's gaze on him at once. Not like this.

He tried not to look nervous and met the center Fates' gaze—he couldn't tell which one it was, but he guessed Clotho.

"Then I'll cut to the chase. What's going on, exactly?"

Everyone stopped. No one who wasn't already looking at him turned their attention away from their project, but Percy felt the atmosphere around them grow heavy. It took every ounce of willpower to not bend under it.

"We were hoping you could tell us," one of the Norns—he wasn't entirely sure which one—said. Or kind of said… spoke into his head? He couldn't stop a shiver at their tone. It felt as if his whole body had been dunked in ice. That tracked with the last time he'd spoken to them. However, he had been a god then, and this went into all new levels of unpleasant. Yay.

"Many of our weavings," Frigg explained, "or at least those of us who have continued to weave in the tapestry of life and fate, have found our projects ruined."

She held up the canvas she'd been working on. Much like the Asian deity, her needlework seemed to come to life, until a certain point in the picture when it looked like the thread equivalent of TV static. Gulping, he glanced over at the Asian pictures and realized that their hands had been hiding much the same. The blanket Grandmother Spider wove had a large lump of thread that bunched and gathered the material around it towards the top, and he'd already noted the Fates' and the Norns' work.

Definitely not good. He needed to tell them what he knew, then. For every pantheon's sake.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, hoping he could cover his nervousness, although he doubted it.

"I don't really know. I'm from 300 years in the future, then something happened, and I woke up here in the past. In my old body, nonetheless."

Aaaand that got everyone's attention. He had to close his eyes and breathe deeply to stay calm enough to remain standing when everyone's gaze turned on him. He also may have had to use his own powers on his own blood to keep himself upright. It hurt, but that was fine. The pain grounded him. And hey, he survived.

"You actively traveled to the past?" the older Chinese woman asked slowly.

"How?" the Native American Grandmother asked, leaning forward intently.

"I'm not sure," he repeated, forcing his voice to not shake. "I mean, in the future, the Go… my pantheon's Goddess of Wisdom had a child who was working on a particle accelerator. I was overseeing the project and… something went wrong… I think?" He still couldn't clearly remember. He knew he'd wanted to protect the kids, so he'd thrown up some shields… had he remembered to shield himself? He didn't think so.

Oh.

But still…

"That alone should not do anything," the Fate on the left—Atropos(?)—pointed out.

Percy nodded. "I'm not a scientist, but even I got that. But I can't think of anything else it could be."

"Wait," the third Fate—Lachesis?—finally spoke, drawing all attention to her. "I sense… father time on you."

Percy blinked, then felt himself pale. "Wait… as in the Titan?" He'd been afraid of that.

"Yes," the first Fate said.

He frowned. Why would Kronos have sent him back in time? Or had it been an accident? Some sort of opportunity taken advantage of? But what oppor—wait.

Percy felt his face pale as he looked up at the Fates again. "Um… did… did he… come back with me?"

All the women, who had gone back to their weaving, stopped again.

"That would be… unfortunate," Grandmother Spider said softly.

"I doubt it," Frigg said, half to herself. She kept studying her own weaving. "As chaotic as it has become, this isn't unsalvageable. Announcing that our prophecies—with only a few exceptions—are now null and void, revisiting any prophecies that still work… yes. It's salvageable." She glanced up at Percy. "Especially with a force able to directly interfere working with us."

Percy gulped. "Us?" he asked weakly. "I mean, in the future, the pantheons sort of came together, but… not like this. And definitely not now… before… everything." That may not even happen now.

"And many of the pantheons will not like it," the Norn's iciness rang through the clearing. It almost seemed like they spoke as one. Super creepy, but Percy was kind of impressed at their theatrics. They definitely gave off the vibe they wanted.

"This is too much extra work," the older Asian woman complained. The younger one nodded as well, but also seemed a little miffed at her older counterpart's comments.

"Recovering from upsets like this usually is," Grandmother Spider said matter-of-factly.

Wait.

"You've had upsets like this before?" Percy asked, incredulous.

"No," Frigg said, amused. "Well, not to this extent."

"It would be the Greeks that did this," the younger Asian woman said, shooting a pointed look at the Fates, who ignored her.

"And the Romans," Percy muttered. Everyone froze. Again. The Fates' forms flickered a little.

"Could you explain that, Percy dear?" Frigg asked, her smile just a touch too wide.

The time-traveler choked a little. "Um… I was part Roman. I didn't have a Roman and Greek side. Not really. A little more raw as a Greek, a little more disciplined as a Roman." He absently rubbed the spot where he'd had his SPQR Tattoo. That had come with him into godhood, but tended to be fainter as a Greek. Still there, but just not as prevalent. He'd honestly hoped he would never develop a schism like many of the others tended to have. He cleared his throat and looked around the circle a little sheepishly. "So in this case, I'm both Greek and Roman. Or I was. So… yeah."

Grandmother Spider sighed and seemed to slump. Frigg put a hand to the bridge of her nose, like she would need to address a tension headache. The Fates looked about ready to murder someone. The Chinese women looked about ready to murder the Fates. Only the Norns seemed entirely unbothered—unflappable. Percy, once again, found himself impressed.

"The displaced king did send something back," the second Fate said suddenly, as if to distract from what had happened. "But not everything…"

Any positivity Percy had gained drained away at those words. "What exactly did he send?" he asked, voice dry.

"We cannot tell," the first Fate said. "Not exactly. But the future has changed. By returning, you have essentially fulfilled every prophecy that was fulfilled in the future."

Oh.

Oh.

"Every… one?" Percy wheezed.

"It would have changed had only Perseus returned," the Norns said, as if they hadn't heard him. Percy shivered, even as he managed to glare at them.

"Percy. Unless you want my destructive side to come out."

"You are no longer a god," the older Asian pointed out.

Percy opened his mouth to retort, but paused as he realized she was right and closed his mouth again. He… hadn't told them about that, but he wasn't surprised they'd figured it out. "Yeah. Being in just my body again is… weird. Not bad, but weird." Because part of him should be in every part of his domain. That included all liquid on the face of the planet. It had initially been distracting, but even then, he could only pay attention to certain points at any given time. Even sensing liquid in his immediate vicinity was a lot for his human brain to process, but infinitely less than what he remembered… or kind of remembered because he didn't think a mortal mindcouldcomprehend that state of being.

"In any case," he said after a moment of pointed silence, "I still prefer 'Percy'."

"Very well," the Norns said.

"You wish to ask us questions before we go," the third Fate said.

Percy blinked. Oh, right. He did.

"Uh, yeah. I… was wondering if I should go to Camp early, or wait for Yancy and Grover. I want to… try and save someone."

A sort of shudder ran through the entire group (except the Norns, who just shifted oddly).

"Who will you give up in exchange should you succeed?" the first Fate asked.

Percy's blood ran cold. He'd had to choose between who to save and who to sacrifice before, and it never ceased to shatter him emotionally.

"You… want me to kill someone?" he asked, immediately knowing that wasn't what they'd asked. And judging by their dry expressions, they knew he knew.

He took a deep breath. No, they weren't asking for a sacrifice. They were just pointing out the consequences.

"You're saying Kro… the displaced king will take someone's body? And there is nothing we can do about it."

"Your pantheon has sewn its own seeds and now must reap the consequences," the older Asian woman (Percy really needed to figure out who she was) pointed out.

"It is not our place to make choices," the three Fates said at once and… oh, that was trippy. Whereas Percy feltcoldwith the Norns, his insides seemed to light on fire and buzz with energy when the Fates spoke as one.

"We can only guide and predict," the second Fate said, pointed despite her neutral tone as she stared at the two Asians—who seemed entirely unbothered. "Our interference is limited by our rules, just as yours are."

Percy mulled that over. "So, I'm guessing you can speak to me because of the sudden shift in… well, everything. That fulfills the requirements to physically confront me."

"Indeed," Frigg confirmed, and several of the women nodded. The Norse deity gestured around them, "This will be a one-time occurrence. And the longer we can keep the pantheons apart, the more we can prepare. Please keep that in mind."

Well, good to know.

He nodded. "And everything has more or less reset?" he asked carefully, mind still whirling at that.

Seeing where he was going, the Fates headed that off. "You cannot prevent fate," they said at once.

Percy shook his head. "No, but Icanwork to stop so many demigods from dying. I can work to make this worldbetter."

"Your actions may make more die," Grandmother Spider pointed out.

He looked down grimly, nodding. "It might," he whispered. "But… could I count myself the god of loyalty if I didn'ttry?"

"Not a god," the younger Asian woman muttered, but she didn't sound upset. More thoughtful.

"I… suppose it's the mindset," Percy said, sad but firm. "I still have it… for better or worse. And… I want to live up to it. To my own ideal of that domain."

Another shudder ran through the group, this one far less ominous.

"Very well, Perseus Jackson," the Fates said as one again. "You have made your choice. You must live with the consequences."

He nodded. "I will."

"So be it."

And they disappeared, leaving him standing on the sidewalk outside of Central Park next to his mother. He blinked for a moment as he reoriented himself, noting vaguely how his mother jumped at his sudden appearance.

"Percy! Are you alright? What happened?"

He glanced back at where the knitting circle had been, now only a stone fence cutting New York City off from Central Park, then sighed. "I'll tell you on the way home, Mom."

At least now he had a direction. And he would work his hardest to save everyone he could.

Because he was Percy Jackson, no matter what form that took.

Chapter 4: Gabe and Kronos

Chapter Text

"Just one day," Sally practically begged Percy as they made their way up the staircase to their apartment.

He sighed. "Look, I'll try, Mom. But that's the best I can do right now. But if he so much as looks at you wrong…" He'd been without her for so long, the thought of her being hurt in front of him just then nearly broke him. He never had reacted well to watching people get hurt. Especially the ones he loved.

He was pretty sure he got that particular protective instinct from his father. Well, no, he got that from both of his parents, but how he tended to react was all his dad.

"It will be better if he doesn't suspect anything," she pointed out. "If he does, he can prepare for it. Look for contacts. Friends of friends. And I know how he is, but he can be surprisingly charismatic sometimes."

"Or he just finds all the other slimeballs to stick up for him," Percy muttered.

Sally sighed, but didn't disagree. "Just… please? Be careful and calm."

His lips tightened. "Fine. How much time do you need to build a case against him?"

At that his mother smirked over her shoulder. "What makes you think I haven't got one already?"

He blinked. "What?"

She shrugged. "I knew this was a temporary thing, and I wanted to make sure he never hurt anyone again."

Huh. Yeah, that sounded like his mom. He nodded in approval. "Nice. Okay, then. What's the plan?"

"First, we tell him that you're okay and that you were…" she thought for a moment, "malnourished."

Percy scrunched his nose. "Malnourished?"

She nodded. "It'll hopefully have the side effect of dissuading him from trying anything—on you or me. Because if we took you to the hospital and you were malnourished, it could look bad on him if something else happened."

The time-traveler nodded approvingly. He didn't like it, but… "That's a good idea."

"You'll find I've had quite a few good ideas over the years," she replied, looking relieved. "I don't often act without thinking first."

"I see that," Percy said, shaking his head. "I mean, I knew, but at the same time, I don't think I ever realized just how much thought you put into everything. Even now…" Because he'd known he'd missed some things even back then, but only now was beginning to understand how much he'd missed.

She smiled warmly and turned to him when she reached the landing. "That's the point, Percy. You're my son. I didn't want you bothered by adult problems, especially when I knew you'd have demigod problems."

He returned the smile, took her hand and squeezed it. "You're amazing, Mom. Have I ever told you?"

She chuckled. "You have. But I don't mind hearing it."

He laughed in return and they started slowly down the hall.

"In any case," she said, sobering up, "I already have a bank account he doesn't know about, in and above the stash hedoesknow about, and I'm going to take all ofthatmoney to pretend like I paid for your 'hospital visit', or barring that, something else to help you. But I can't kick him out. We're both on the apartment lease, so either I have to leave, or he has to… voluntarily."

"Or he has to be in jail," Percy pointed out.

She sighed. "Yes, but what he'll have to do to be arrested won't be pretty and I don't want to live through that, or worse, letyoulive through that. Even if he does go to jail, he may have one of his friends bail him out. And then we'll be in an even worse situation."

"I could protect us."

"All the time?" she asked. And… well, she had a point. He couldn't be with his Mom 24/7.

"Then I could use my powers to pretend the house is haunted and scare him out," Percy said thoughtfully. "It wouldn't take much. I can get creative with water." And blood, but he didn't really want to tell her that.

He appreciated that she considered it, but ultimately shook her head. "As entertaining as that would be, I want him out of our lives asap. I think scaring him off would take too long."

Which… fair.

Then something occurred to Percy. "Hey, Mom… Gabe's usually home, right?"

She frowned and nodded.

"I always wondered why he doesn't work."

She snorted. "As a manager and owner, he falsifies records at his store. I've documented that too for financial…" she stopped abruptly, just standing in the hallway.

"Does that count as embezzlement?" Percy asked.

His mother put a hand to her chin. "I don't know, but it wouldn't hurt to find out, now, would it?"

Percy grinned sharply. "I'm pretty sure he's broken some law there."

"Of course he has," she says smugly. "He's undermined employees, suppliers, and I'm positive he's cooking the books in and above the time he's lied about…"

"So who do we contact?" Percy asked.

"I'll do some research… but it might mean he stays for a couple more days."

The demigod sighed. "Fine. But… can we go to Montauk? Say that the doctor said to get me some fresh, ocean air or something?"

Sally thought about that for a moment. "I'll see what I can do. I'll have to work it into conversation organically. Let him think I was saving up for a trip for him and me, but since it's what the doctor ordered…"

He snorted as they approached the apartment and she took out her keys from her purse.

"Mom," he said, suddenly serious. That must have drawn her attention because she looked up at him, concerned. "I'm not going to let him hurt you again."

She stared at him for several seconds before smiling sadly. "I'm sorry you felt you ever had to. That's on me. But I promise, I can take care of myself."

He sighed. "I know you can. It's just… bad memories."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Even after so long?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Though being confronted by it all over again isn't helping."

If anything, her expression grew sadder. "I… Percy. Did I miss something? I don't doubt you've been through terrible things as a demigod, butthisis what you remember? For three hundred years?"

Percy couldn't meet her eyes for far too long, but eventually he managed to look up, lips thin. "Mom… monsters stopped the outside from being safe. He stopped inside from being safe. I don't think I reallyunderstoodsafe until I got to camp. And even then, I couldn't really enjoy it with the war coming up."

Her eyes widened. "War?!"

He sighed and nodded. "I'll… explain it later, but yeah."

"Oh, Percy…"

"Don't apologize again," he muttered. "I told you, I know why you did it."

She didn't answer for several seconds. "I don't think that makes it okay," she whispered, leaning down and planting a kiss on his forehead. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

He bit his lip, not really wanting to talk about it at all, but nodded anyway.

"Alright, we're going in…" she said, unlocking the door. "Three… Two… One." They both braced themselves and walked in.

"About time!" Gabe shouted from in front of the television, his usual sports on.

"Well, I thought about what you said," she replied calmly, a bright smile on her face, "and instead of the emergency room, I took him to an instacare. And yes, they accepted our insurance." She closed the door and sent Percy a little nod towards his room. Bracing himself, he slipped by her and made his way across the living room.

"What's wrong with you, brat?" Gabe asked angrily, narrowed eyes fixed on Percy, who didn't answer.

"Gabe, he's not a brat. But he has been skipping meals. That's what's wrong. So we have to make sure he eats every meal."

"You spent my money forthat?!"

"Honey, we had a small copay we had to deal with. That's it. But the doctor said…" her voice faded off as Percy got into his room and sighed as he leaned against the door. He could still hear them if he wanted to, but he really,reallydidn't. Not unless things got loud and he had to step in.

It had been a long time since he'd felt emotionally tired like this. He'd hated feeling weak, even before he'd ascended. He hadn't missed this—or at least not that part of his past. And even though he knew he could take Gabe, the man—the memories of the man—still made him feel small and weak.

Was that a mortal thing? Or a Percy thing? Or both?

He didn't know, and didn't really want to think about it anymore, so he toed off his shoes and flopped down onto the bed. The bed thatstillsmelled like Gabe.

Ugh.

He still managed to drift into a nap, only realizing he'd done so when a knock on his door startled him awake. "Mom?" he asked. That knock had been too gentle to be anyone else he knew just then.

His mother opened the door, a plate of food in her hands.

"Hey, honey. I cooked a big dinner tonight."

He smiled and sat up, a wave of gratefulness washing over him.

"I figured fish was probably off the menu for a while, so I cooked the pork cutlets we had."

"Thanks, Mom," he said, taking the plate.

"You're welcome, honey."

"And fish is usually fine," he said. "I mean, it can be a little disconcerting to eat them when I can hear them talk, but what do you think mer-folk eat? As long as whatever company caught them is dolphin and whale friendly, I'm usually good."

She blinked in surprise as he took a bite of the food. She'd made mashed potatoes and peas as side dishes, as well as her amazing bean dip in the middle, chips sticking out of it. She'd even dyed the mashed potatoes blue. Because his mom was awesome like that. Even in the future, he liked making his ambrosia blue. The other gods didn't get it. He kind of found that amusing, actually.

And honestly, he once again realized he needed to eat more human food. Was ambrosia better? Sure. But this was good too, and the variety helped.

"I'll keep that in mind," Sally promised, smiling softly. "Also, I managed to get the next few days off of work—traded some shifts around so I'll be working pretty hard later—and I also convinced Gabe to let us go to Montauk for the next few days.

Percy felt his eyes light up. "Really?" She nodded. He shook his head. "I don't know how you do it. You're amazing, Mom."

"Oh, Percy," she said, shaking her head. "You don't have to keep saying it."

The time-traveler frowned and put his fork—now half-way to his mouth—back on his plate. "No, really, Mom. Even Dad said so. Whenever you were mentioned. He called you 'a queen among women'. More than once." Admittedly never in front of Amphitrite, but he always had a sort of far-off, glazed look whenever Sally Jackson was brought up. Poseidon had loved her. More importantly, he'drespectedher. And from a Greek god, that was no small thing.

"He told me that once," she whispered, eyes fixed on the wall on the opposite side of his room. "I thought he was just trying to flatter me."

Percy shook his head. "My father is usually pretty straight forward." Which made the times when he wasn't all the more stark and jarring. "He loved… loves you, Mom. I kind of think he always will."

Sally sighed, bringing her stockinged feet onto the bed and wrapping her arms around her knees loosely. She didn't say anything, and her expression made Percy feel a little guilty, though he couldn't figure out why.

"Your father…" she finally said, so quietly he could barely hear her, "was the first person tolistento me. Uncle… he tried. But he was so sick, I doubt he remembered he even had a niece half the time. And before that, I was a teenager or a grieving child, and he'd taken me in. It wasn't easy in the beginning, especially just after…" After the plane crash that killed her parents. They both knew it, but she didn't want to say it and he wouldn't push it, so he let her gather herself and clear her throat instead. "And I tended to be quiet at school. But your father….

"The first thing he gave me was an enormous delivery of roses. With sea themes of course. Styrofoam fish tucked in it, and an ocean-themed vase… But I'd never been given anything like that before. I told him not to waste money on me. He objected, saying he had it, so he would spend it on those who he felt deserved it. I told him it made me feel uncomfortable. He just…staredat me, Percy. Then he nodded and said, 'okay', and that was that. Anything he gave me after that was small but thoughtful. He gave me a pearl hair clip and a mother-of-pearl bracelet and…" she stopped and sighed.

"I still have those, you know."

Percyhadn'tknown. "Oh? Where?" She didn't wear them.

She smiled sadly. "There are still a few spots Gabe can't get at." Her face fell a little. "He already sold all of my other gifts."

Percy's own smile faded into a glare. "He what?"

Sally shook her head. "Not now, Percy."

His jaw clenched in frustration. The plan. He had to remember the plan. Didn't mean he had to like it.

Though, speaking of…

"Mom," he said slowly, "I… think I've decided I'll stay at Camp this summer."

His mother closed her eyes and looked just a little older for a moment. "Okay, Percy."

"If you drive me there from Montauk, I won't be tempted to end…himand you have the time to get everything together. Besides…" he paused, taking a deep breath, "I have a chance tosavepeople, Mom. I have to take it. Because I know you would in my place."

She didn't answer, and he could tell she was trying to keep back tears. Which was good. If she started crying, he'd lose all his will.

"Oh, Percy," she finally whispered, reaching for him. He set his food on his night-stand and leaned into her, reveling in her warmth and softness. "My baby. I am so,soproud of you."

He gripped her tighter. "I only ever wanted to make you proud." That had been a large driving force through most of his adult and ascended life. If he could convince himself that his mother would approve, he'd do something. No matter what the other gods said. Much to their annoyance.

"Alright, honey," she whispered. "Pack for summer, and I'll drive you there after Montauk."

He nodded. "IM me if something happens. I'll leave camp for you."

"IM?" she asked, surprised. Right. She didn't know about those.

"Oh! Let me show you!" he reached into his pocket for a drachma and found he didn't have any. He also hadn't spoken to Iris, and didn't know if he could use anything else yet. "Right. Um… I'll get you some drachma at camp andthenI'll show you."

"Drachma?"

He nodded. "Yeah. The gods still use that currency."

"But…" she started, then rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You know, I'm not going to even ask."

Percy snorted. "They're old and set in their ways."

Sally laughed. "I believe it. Well, I have to get back to cleaning the kitchen. You rest up for our trip tomorrow."

"Okay, Mom," he said quietly, pressing into her side again before she stood up.

"Finish your food," she said loudly as she opened the door and took a step into the hall. "We don't want another repeat of this morning."

He smirked at her. "Yes ma'am," he grumbled, loudly enough Gabe should hear. She closed the door and he reached over, going back to eating his dinner. Then he went about cleaning his own room, even going so far as to sneak into the bathroom to grab water and try to get some of Gabe's grime out of his bed and carpet. It didn't work as well as he wanted, but it wasn't bad either. He would soak up dirt and then drop whatever wasn't pure water in the trashcan. Since he could control water, he could dry everything easily. It was a method he remembered using in the future, before he'd ascended.

Once he finished, he had a much cleaner room, and was tired enough to go to bed early. Using godly powers in a young demigod body tended to do that to a person. He knew that from experience.

He fell asleep that night, not having to see Gabe again, and his day was all the better for it.

xXx

Percy floated in the darkness. Empty but stifling. He could sense two presences here, one sleeping and happy to stay so.

Erebus.

The other…

Two golden eyes opened in the darkness and fixed on Percy. When he'd first gone to camp, that would have terrified him. Now, it just made him a little wary… and very weary.

"Grandfather," he said tiredly, rubbing his forehead.

"Perseus… Jackson…"

Percy frowned. The tone the Titan had spoken in hadn't been what he was expecting. No spitting anger and hatred, but not the kind facade he would have expected at a first meeting either. The Titan's presence regarded Percy like Annabeth would a puzzle. Or, maybe more like one of the new kids at camp regarded him. They either didn't know anything about him, or they'd heardsomethingbut didn't know what to make of it. Percy's uneasy feeling intensified.

"What do you want, Grandfather?"

Kronos remained silent for several seconds, then whispered something Percy didn't catch.

"What was that?" he asked loudly, "I don't think our connection is all that great. Such a shame." So he was being sarcastic to a Titan. Sue him. He didn't bend to bullying. He'd always been like that to the gods, why not the Titans too?

"Destroy…"

Percy snorted. "You want to destroy the world? How cliché can you get? Every cartoon super-villain in exista—"

"Destroyer," his voice boomed, cutting Percy off. The time-traveler gasped as he felt something inside him respond. His… his domains? But…

"Perseus… the Destroyer," Kronos said again.

Names have power. Percy could sense that side of him stirring, growing, poking and prodding at his careful control. But… as much as that terrified him (he'd lost control too many times before), it also didn't feel the same. Lesser, if still insistent. He grit his teeth and shoved that side of him down for now. He'd deal with that later.

"Nice try, Grandfather," he said, hoping he sounded more triumphant than he felt. And less confused. Confusion was a weakness in front of Kronos. "My crooked, crooked grandfather."

A hiss of displeasure in the darkness.

"If that's all you had to say," Percy said, straightening up, "then I think it's time for me to—"

"I know you."

Percy didn't like the sound of that. At all. "A lot of people who know my father say that."

"No… not… Poseidon."

He shouldn't know that.

The time-traveler still forced a smile as he held up one finger and shook it back and forth. "Ah, ah, ah, grandfather. Don't forget that names have power."

"Should be… god. Not demigod."

"Oh! You like my new disguise! Well, thank you!" Because if Kronos thought Percy was more than he was, then maybe he'd stay away. For now at least.

"Not… Poseidon."

"You're not afraid of my father then?" Percy snorted. "Your funeral. Oh… wait."

More angry, warning growls, but quite frankly, Percy didn't care. He was done. So he grinned vindictively and fell back on what he did best: Tick off beings far more powerful than him and try to survive the aftermath.

"You know, I always wanted to ask: Did your kids taste the same coming up as they did going down? Which, by the way,ew, dude. Even humans don't do cannibalism. Well, most of them. But you? You, the supposedly higher being who issoooomuch more than the weak mortals, and yet you'll sink to depths even they won't, just to maintain power. I mean, howutterlypatheticis that? And—"

A force of darkness slammed into Percy. He threw his arms up to protect his face and… it stopped. He sat straight up in bed. It took him a moment to realize he was back in his old room, Artemis' light shining through his window and illuminating the worn carpet. Right. He was back in time, in his old room, in his bed. He was fine. Kronos wasn't anywhere near.

And yet…

His chest and arms hurt. His legs too, now that he realized it.

Rolling up his sleeves, he saw bruises littering his skin. Same on his chest and legs. He didn't feel anything on his face at least, but still. It was a stark reminder that Kronos could do more than most gave him credit for right now. Even, apparently, Percy. He sighed and rubbed his hand over the bruises lightly. His morning shower should take care of that, at least.

Letting out a long breath, he flopped back onto his pillow.

So, Kronos had reached out to him this time. Kronos who knew Percy's parentage when he really shouldn't. Kronos who knew one of his names—who had tried to bring that side out for some reason. To be fair, the Titan certainlylikedwanton destruction, but Percy sensed another motive there. Maybe to expose him to Olympus? Yeah, that sounded about right.

Great. Now Percy had to figure out if that was something he'd brought back with him, something he'd set off (because, you know, Titan of Time would probably sense time travel) when he'd come back, or him simply awakening his powers earlier than last time that seemed to change so much. Kronos was probably looking for a big three demigod right now. Thalia, Nico, and Bianca weren't available. And the great prophecy was a Greek prophecy, so Jason was out of the running. It would make sense that Kronos would target him if he'd woken his powers at this point.

But he knew Percy's name. His most destructive name. Admittedly, it wasn't that difficult to figure out, but that name shouldn't have had any power on a demigod.

So why had it?

Percy sat there for several seconds trying to think about everything before finally shaking his head.

"Nope," he said aloud and turned to roll back over. Not tonight. He'd think about it tomorrow. Right now, he had sleep to catch up on. If he could, you know, get back to sleep without ancient evil beings invading his dreams.

Hey, he could be optimistic.

Chapter 5: Montauk, Fates part 2, Camp Half Blood

Chapter Text

Montauk was as amazing as he remembered. Nights with a fire on the beach in front of the hut they'd rented, roasting marshmallows; days walking along the edge of the waves looking at the little animals that would scuttle away when the tide was out. He could hear many of them now that he knew how to listen. It kind of blew his mind that he didn't remember hearing them when he was little.

He and his mother had agreed that he probably shouldn't get into the water, no matter how much he wanted to—longed to. Letting his father know he was aware of his power, which would very likely happen if he touched the sea, would draw his attention, which would draw the other gods' attention, and that could end very badly. So, no matter how much he just wanted to touch the water, he made sure he didn't.

It was still an amazing two days they spent there, just him and his mom, talking about everything quietly.

Their second and last night staying there, his mother brought up something she'd obviously been wanting to talk to him about for a while.

"Percy," she said after several minutes sitting peacefully in the cool, beach breeze. He glanced up to see her looking at him so sadly and tensed. "When you spoke about your domains the other day, you seemed… ashamed of some of them. Why?"

He felt himself stiffen and looked away from her, staring into the flames of the fire instead.

She… wasn't wrong. He was ashamed of some of his domains… or more, that he encompassed them—was a part of them, and could never distance himself from them. If he were honest with himself, though, he hadn't really thought of himself as being ashamed. He saw the domains themselves as shameful. And he was a part of them.

Which… yeah, maybe he needed to talk about that. With someone who wouldn't just fall back on 'your domains are your domains' with no inflection at all, when they didn't get defensive and angry. So he slumped, maybe in defeat? He didn't know, but he forced himself to open his mouth.

"For gods, their domains are like… organs," he said slowly, haltingly, "or another body, maybe? I loved the demigod and loyalty domains, and I don't think I could ever hate the sea, even if I wanted to." He turned his gaze briefly out at the waves and the encroaching darkness. "But destruction…" his voice fell to a whisper. "All destruction does is cause pain. I know there's more to it than that—how can I not—but… that's what I see and sense and feel. I'm the most destructive when I'm angry and then I tend to lose control and… I hate that, Mom."

He looked down, unsure what she would say, bracing himself for the worst and not knowing what the best he could hope for was.

"The age-old trolley dilemma," she finally said, her voice quiet. Wait… what? Eyebrows drawing together, he glanced up at his mother in confusion.

"Mom?"

She sighed. "The trolley dilemma. A run-away trolley—or train, if you prefer—hurtling down some tracks. There is a switch the trolley can take, but there are people on both tracks, either unaware of what's going on, or unable to move for whatever reason. You're at the switch. Someone has to die, but how do you choose who does? Do you send the trolley down the track with fewer people? Or do you let it keep going on the track it's on and potentially hit more people? It seems easy, but that won't stop you from feeling guilty no matter what you choose.

"And it gets harder if the track with fewer people has someone you hold dear on it. Does that change the outcome?"

Right, he'd heard about the dilemma before, had even applied it to himself, but this seemed… different.

"The thing is, who is really at fault in that scenario?" his mother asked.

Okay… that was a new take. "At fault?" he asked slowly.

Sally shrugged. "The person at the switch… is it their fault the trolley is out of control?"

"Of course not."

She nodded. "Whoever started that trolley on the crash course is who should be held accountable for the damage done. The person at the switch can't save everyone, and shouldn't be held accountable for whoever gets hurt. But, again, that doesn't stop the guilt."

Percy frowned. "But, Mom… when I destroy—even (maybe especially) on accident—I'm the one setting the trolley on its crash course. I'm the one… was the one," will be the one? "with the power."

He can barely see the color of her eyes in the firelight. They looked gray, almost black, as they stared at him, but were no less kind for it. "I don't think you are… or were."

He frowned. That didn't make any sense. "Mom, in my destructive state, I am destruction incarnate. Things around me would disintegrate or melt, just from being within a certain proximity. The destruction came from me. It goes where I will it. Hurricanes and tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions… all from my temper." And yeah, there was the guilt again.

Sally let out a frustrated huff, though she didn't look frustrated at him. At herself? But why?

"I'm not saying this right," she muttered, then took a deep breath and tried again. "Those tsunamis and earthquakes are your fault?"

"Yes," he said, wondering where she was going.

"What about the tsunamis and earthquakes that happened before you were born?"

Percy opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. "I… guess that would be Dad or… um… whoever started them."

"And is a god responsible for every single one? Or are those just forces that happen to exist? Would those forces exist without the god representing them?"

Honestly, he didn't know. Theoretically spring can't happen until Persephone comes back from the Underworld—Demeter won't let it happen… but it's more like she stops it from happening, not that it can't happen without Persephone.

"I have a theory," his mother said slowly, "and I know I'm a young, naive mortal, so take this with a grain of salt."

Percy snorted, sending her a half-smile.

"I think the gods mitigate the powers they are a part of. And maybe that's not all of them, nor does it apply to every powerful immortal being, but without your Father in charge of the sea, would said sea be more or less destructive?"

Again, he didn't know. It would depend how many domains the laws of nature would take over and what other pantheons could step in… but… she kind of had a point.

Though he wasn't sure how exactly it applied to him.

"I'm sure your Father can push those forces to destroy certain areas or beings, for whatever reason, but that doesn't stop the fact that those forces were already there. Your Father drew a lot for the domain of the sea, according to legend, but that suggests that the sea already existed. The forces behind it must have too.

"Before him, we had the Titans. Oceanus and Tethys, before that Pontus and even Hydros, but they're not gods… not like you were. Not like your Father is. And maybe that's part of the reason the different generations of immortals don't get along."

Percy just stared at his mother because no, he'd never considered it like that before. He wasn't sure the gods had.

"Mom… I can create storms…" he said slowly.

"I…" she paused, seeming to take a moment to wrap her head around that. "Okay, then. Right. Storms. Sure. But doesn't that just add more evidence to my point? Didn't storms exist already? Even if not that particular storm.

"Now, maybe I'm wrong, and I'm not saying you shouldn't keep ahold of your temper, but… destruction is kind of necessary, isn't it? Old things torn down to create and make way for new things? Old mantle crust disappearing to create new mantle crust… that is what it's called, right? It's been a couple of years since school…" she suddenly looked sheepish and unsure. Percy just nodded as her face brightened in relief.

"In any case, that's what I mean when I say 'the trolley dilemma'. You've essentially been given a permanent spot at a switch track with many, many different choices, and no matter what you choose, someone will be hurt or killed. And yes, you will have some responsibility for that, but if those forces already existed, then you came in as a mitigating factor, you may have stopped a trolley from rolling down every track at the same time. You've undoubtedly saved people. Does that make sense?"

Yeah… it did. So he nodded. "But," he said slowly, "I'm not sure that's an accurate analogy."

"Maybe not," she conceded. "And, like I said, this is only a theory, one made with limited knowledge and an outside perspective, but… I just thought it was worth pointing out. Especially as it's probably also something you've been needlessly blaming yourself for, knowing you."

Percy snorted, but he couldn't bring himself to smile. He didn't want to shove blame onto someone else—or in this case, something else—because taking that blame made him feel mortal. Kept him different from the Olympians. But maybe he had been blaming himself too much. He wasn't sure and would have to think about it some more before he came to a conclusion.

"What I'm saying," his mother finally concluded, "is that your domain is your domain for a reason, and I would trust you with it."

He felt his cheeks heat up. "Thanks, Mom," he said softly.

"No problem," she said with a warm smile. "Now, how about we get you to bed so you can go to camp tomorrow?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

His mom really was the best.

xXx

The next day started off cool and quiet as they packed their belongings, cleaned up, and left for camp. Percy had driven from camp to Montauk and back multiple times, but honestly, it had been so long since he'd had to, it felt new.

"I'd… like to talk to the head of the camp when we get there," his mom said after several minutes, drawing her son's attention.

"Oh, Chiron?" he asked. "Sure. He'll probably be happy to come and talk to you. Although, he's the camp activities director. The current camp director is Dio… the God of Wine." And if he said that with more than a little distaste, could anyone really blame him? Dionysus had his good points, but he certainly made up for them with his not-so-good points. Everyone had been relieved when Percy had offered to take over as camp director instead. Especially Dionysus.

His mom almost choked. "Chiron? As in the Chiron? Trainer of heroes?"

Percy nodded, a little confused. "Yeah. Didn't you know? I thought you did."

She shook her head. "Your father gave me a card, told me the basics and… that was it." To be fair, that was more than what most gods did in Percy's experience, but still. He sent an annoyed thought to his father before shaking it off.

"In my last life, you knew, though."

She blinked and glanced at him before turning her eyes back on the road. "Then something must have happened between now and then in your… previous life."

Percy nodded thoughtfully before it occurred to him. "Oh, Grover!" He thought fondly of his best friend and smiled. He hoped Grover was at camp this year. He really wanted to talk to him. "He's a satyr, and he found me. Chiron actually came to my school to see if he could help because I had a strong smell." And maybe because of Grover's previous issues with Thalia, but that felt a little too personal on his friends' behalves to share with his mom. "He's my…" he paused, smile fading. "He was my best friend."

"I'm sure you can get to know him here," Sally assured him.

"Yeah," he said softly. "It won't be the same though."

"No," she agreed sagely. "But it could be better."

He appreciated her outlook, even if he heard the silent echo of 'it could be worse' after her statement. "Thanks, Mom."

She returned his smile as they brought the car to a stop at a T-junction stop sign. "Always."

They turned onto the next road and Percy went back to staring out the window when the car started to slow down again.

"Oh… my…" Sally's voice started weakly, but faded off. Percy's eyes shot to her, but she was looking out the side window. He leaned forward to follow her gaze and saw why she'd had such a reaction. Three old women sat by the side of the road behind a fruit stand, knitting. He scowled for a moment before putting a hand on his mother's arm and smiling reassuringly.

"It's okay, Mom. Just pull off to the side."

"I want to come with you this time," she said as she followed his directions, then flipped on her hazard lights, just in case.

Percy recoiled. "Mom, no! You—"

"Percy," she said in that quiet but firm voice that meant she was ready to out-stubborn him, "I know I'm mortal. I know I don't have powers or godly strength or anything like that, but you are my son. When you came into my life, I stepped into that world, no matter the consequences. And I know you have memories from the future, but that doesn't stop the fact that right now, you are an eleven-year-old boy. Please, if only for the sake of my sanity, let me come."

He didn't like it. He really didn't like it. But that look she gave said she wouldn't back down. So he sighed and nodded.

"Alright, Mom. Just… promise me you'll follow my lead." Not that she usually didn't, but he needed to make sure in case he had to do some kind of damage control. Not that he expected to, but one could never tell with gods.

She nodded firmly. "Promise."

He returned the gesture, and they both got out of the car, approaching the 'fruit stand' cautiously.

"Ladies," he said slowly once they stood in front of the stall. "Two visits in a week. That's unusual. Has something happened?"

The one with the green shawl—Clotho, he was sure—locked gazes with him. "There were simply things we could not discuss with the others present."

"Our pattern has changed," one of the others—Lachesis he thought—said, "but we managed to salvage it… somewhat."

Percy glanced at the enormous hat they were working on. With a pom-pom at the top. He supposed that was one way to save a mess. It looked good, if large enough for a giant.

"I'm… glad. You do know that Thoon might come into the picture soon too, right?"

All three of them hissed at the mention of their giant counterpart.

"He is hidden from us," Atropos said angrily. "We must figure out his plans through our ability to see the others."

"Which we cannot consistently do," Lachesis grumbled bitterly.

"Yeah, I remember that," Percy muttered, commiserating as he studied their hat. "So why are you making a hat large enough for a giant? You planning on shoving that over his head and blinding him or something?"

He meant it as a joke, but they obviously didn't realize that with the glares they shot him.

"Percy," his mother whispered worriedly.

He held his hands up. "I meant it as a… joke…" he faded off as he realized the color of the thread in the pom-pom. Sea-green. With gold.

His stomach sank and it took every ounce of will power inside his body to not curse a blue streak that may very well make the Fates themselves faint.

"Those… were all my possibilities… weren't they," he whispered. Some of them looked more gold than others. He certainly saw some with only the barest touch of the sea-green.

His eyes searched for his yarn in their current hat. It took him a moment, but he did find it… threaded through with gold.

They seemed to know exactly what he was looking at. "We came to warn you," Lachesis said from where she held the hat off the ground. It looked more like a blanket, it was that big.

"We need someone who can interact with the timeline in ways we cannot," Atropos continued, scissors nowhere in sight.

"Your circ*mstances make you unique," Clotho finished. "Your body currently holds very near the threshold of power a mortal body can contain, though you can grow some…"

"On top of the immortal mind-set, as you put it," Lachesis added, "you must be very careful."

"Or I'll ascend again?" he asked, feeling sick. It felt as if something precious had been ripped away from him… again. He had been looking forward to seeing if he could go with his friends, exist in Elysium with them this time. Not being able to… hurt.

"If you die, you will ascend," Atropos confirmed.

"If you use too much power, you will ascend," Clotho said.

"Or begin the process," Lachesis added on. "On the rare occasions you do not, you end in the fields of Asphodel. Elysium is closed to you."

Percy's world froze, but the Fates just continued anyway.

"If you see someone's true form or use abilities your demigod body cannot handle, even if those abilities are not otherwise taxing, it will begin the process," Atropos finished.

The world hadn't sped up, still moving at a snail's pace around him. He could hear his own breaths. They sounded so loud… and his heartbeat… the blood rushing in his veins…

"So," he managed to croak out, "you say that there are other options, but I get the sense that no matter what I do, there is no way around it."

"It is your Fate," the three of them said together.

Percy closed his eyes.

"You know this," Lachesis said pointedly.

"You've always known," Clotho whispered.

And… yeah, he kind of had.

"Percy?" his mother said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He realized he was shaking.

"I… don't want it," he heard himself say. He thought he'd found a way out. Or… he'd hoped. He realized tears had begun to roll down his cheeks as he met the three goddesses' gazes. "Why was I born with this fate? With this power? Why… when I don't want it?"

"You were what was needed," the three of them said.

He grit his teeth and held back a sob. So, this was them just using him again. He shouldn't be surprised.

"Without you, the giants will win if the Titans do not," Atropos said. "Few others could fill your shoes."

His mother's hand tightened on his shoulder.

"You know," he said, suddenly angry, "it would be a whole lot easier for everyone involved if the gods would just be decent people. Then I wouldn't constantly have to choose between the lesser of two evils and maybe there wouldn't be disgruntled demigods with completely valid points that would be so desperate to change things that they'd side with Kronos. Then maybe people like me, who would prefer to just stay mortal with the rest of their friends and family, wouldn't have to clean up all your messes for the rest of eternity!"

Not waiting for a reply, he turned around and stomped back to the car, angrily wiping tears away, not caring what they had to say and expecting his mom to follow. It took him several moments of trying to calm down in the front seat for him to realize she hadn't. That she was still talking to the Fates.

His fear for her overrode his anger at them, and he hurriedly opened his door again.

"Mom!" he shouted over the top of the car.

"I'm fine, honey," she said, handing over something and taking an apple from their fruit stand. He felt his face pale.

"Mom, no! Whatever you did, it's not worth it! Don't!" he rushed over, hoping he could stop whatever transaction was taking place. Before he could even reach her, though, the fruit stand and the Fates vanished. Percy cursed.

"Mom! What did you do?!" He reached out, cupping her hands as she held the apple. "What did you trade?"

"I…" she said. "I don't think I can say."

Percy swore his heart stopped, even if that was not what his sense of it said.

"You… you didn't trade something for my mortality, did you?" Because that was just the kind of thing his mom would do.

She shook her head. "They said there was nothing even the gods could trade for that next to their own immortality."

But she had asked. He felt guilt rush through him. She'd done that because he'd thrown a tantrum. This was his fault.

"Mom, I am so sorry. I… I should have kept hold of my temper. And now you… you…" The tears were back, and he kind of hated that. No, he really hated that. A breeze had picked up too, and he could tell the waves had gotten choppy, even from where they were at least a mile inland.

"Percy, you're my son. Of course I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy."

"What did you give up?!" he asked, desperately.

She kissed the top of his head. "Only what I had to."

No matter how he begged, she wouldn't say more. They rode the rest of the way to camp in silence.

xXx

The first time Percy remembered just showing up at camp without being chased or otherwise rushed had been… surreal. For his first two years, he'd also fought something just outside of camp. Then came the winter he found Nico…

Oh Hades… Nico. And Bianca. Who were still in the Lotus Hotel right now…

Where they were safe. If Hades wanted to bring them out to try and be a part of the prophecy instead of Percy or Thalia, he'd cross that bridge then (though Percy had been pretty convinced for a while that that was why the God of the Underworld had been so upset when Bianca died, to a point where he told Nico he wished his youngest would have died instead, and that was Not CoolTM—if Percy had his way, Nico would never hear that). Wait… the prophecy wasn't in effect… he…

Later.

Forcing himself to focus back on the present, he couldn't help but look around warily as he and his mother pulled into the small parking lot just outside the camp borders where mortal families could drop their kids off or pick them up. He half expected to be attacked again… for the first time? They passed the camp's three strawberry delivery (and demigod shuttle) vans parked along one side, and pulled into one of the empty, worn parking stalls. Percy was used to seeing a couple of cars in the now parking lot, but thinking back, that had started with his own piece of junk that his mom and Paul had helped him get. It took him a moment to realize that even the older kids at the camp right now may not even be old enough to drive…

Something inside Percy twinged, but between the surreal feeling of the calm arrival, the Fates' two visits, looking out for possible monster attacks, and his general situation, he couldn't really focus on much at the moment. He hated that his mother still hadn't told him what she'd given up or what that apple she'd gotten even did. But she promised that she would tell him later, when he calmed down.

He knew she was stalling, and that didn't help. So he sat and sulked. Like an eleven-year-old… and he felt kind of disgusting for it. Many of the gods he knew would sulk just as hard. That didn't help either.

"Percy, honey, can you go get Chiron for me?" she asked after they'd just sat there for several minutes.

Nodding, he grabbed his bag and got out, using some conjured water to wash any streaks of tears off of his face as he took the little path up the hill to where the Big House stood. He felt when he crossed over the protection barrier and had to pause, glancing up at Thalia's tree. He was also used to seeing a golden fleece and a dragon there. The hill looked strangely barren without them. Then he continued up until he got to the set of stairs that would lead him onto the porch.

He paused for several seconds when he saw Chiron and Dionysus playing pinochle. Struck with such a sense of nostalgia, he couldn't help but smile, albeit wanly, but it was there.

"Well, whoever you are, you should come over here instead of just staring at the back of someone's head, no?" Mr. D called, not even turning around.

Chiron himself looked mildly startled as he looked up and saw Percy standing there.

"Oh, hello," he said. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Percy blinked at Chiron for several seconds—he looked younger than he had in the future—and cleared his throat.

"Uh… hi. My mom said my dad said I needed to come here. She'd like to speak to the director."

"Chiron," Mr. D said, waving his hand nonchalantly.

"Yes, of course," Chiron said as he stood and smiled. "I am Chiron, this is Mr. D, and you are?"

"Um… Percy Jackson." Surreal. He'd just introduced himself to Chiron. He remembered having several deep conversations with this centaur, and… that had all been erased. He just knew he was going to be continually smacked in the face with that revelation for the next several years. "Um… she's waiting down there?"

"Yes, of course," Chiron said. "Lead the way."

So Percy did, heading back down through the barrier to the camp parking lot. His mom had gotten out of the car and leaned against it, waiting.

"That's my mom, Sally Jackson," he said, pointing to Gabe's Camero and the woman in front of it. She made it look good. Although, to be fair, he never had been a car person. More of a boat person. Go figure.

When she noticed them coming, she stood up. Her eyes widened when she realized Percy was leading an actual centaur to meet her. "Oh, my…" she said under her breath, although both Percy and Chiron heard it.

"Hello, Ma'am," Chiron said, holding his hand out. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you," she said, shaking it firmly. "I'm Sally Jackson. This is my son, Percy."

"Yes, he introduced us. It's a pleasure to make both of your acquaintances. Now, as you both seem to have taken my appearance in stride, I would guess you know why you were told to bring young Percy here to camp."

"Perseus," Percy muttered, unable to shake his shame, still… but they needed to know who they were dealing with.

Chiron glanced down at him. "Excuse me?"

"Um… that's my full name, Perseus Achilles Jackson. I just like Percy better."

A long pause. "I… see," Chiron finally said. After a moment, he cleared his throat and turned back to Sally. "May I ask if you know who Perseus' parent is?"

Mother and son exchanged glances before Sally slowly nodded. "I have a guess… but I don't think it's a good idea to say."

"I promise this is a safe place," Chiron assured her. "We will do our utmost to protect your son."

She nodded unsurely. "I believe you but… until I get the go ahead from him, I won't say."

Chiron sighed, but nodded. "A fair answer."

"Please don't let anyone else know about this conversation," she said, pleading. "I don't want anyone drawing… conclusions."

The old centaur had probably figured out that Percy was a child of the big three with that, but until he had absolute proof, they could count on him to not say anything. Which meant Percy would have to be very cautious using his powers around Chiron. For the whole summer.

Well, he could probably use a good challenge to keep his mind off of other things anyway.

"So, will you be staying year-round, then?"

The question caught both mother and son off guard. Percy wanted to kick himself. He'd known Chiron would probably ask.

"Oh, no," Sally said, a little too fast, just as Percy yelped out, "No! Of course not!"

They both stopped and exchanged a glance. His mom looked so relieved… which meant she'd been worrying, which meant his little silent stint had worried her and he'd hurt her again. He was the worst son ever.

His mom cleared her throat. "I live in New York, Manhattan. Percy will be going to school there this year, and coming home to me for the holidays."

Chiron glanced between them, suspicious. "So, a summer arrangement?"

They both nodded.

"And how old are you, Percy?"

He held back a snort. 'Over 300' probably wouldn't go over well. "Eleven. I'll turn twelve at the end of the summer."

Chiron nodded. "A good time to begin to attend. Well. I'll need some information from you, Ms. Jackson, but I can get most of that over the phone. Or we can invite you into camp to fill everything out, if you'd like to see it."

His mom looked surprised. "I… can come in?"

"Not without invitation," Chiron said, amused. "We have to keep mortals from randomly wandering in here, but we can invite you."

"I'd love to see it," she breathed, both relieved and excited. Percy grinned at her. She'd never been able to see the camp in his previous life. Something had always come up.

"Come on, Mom! This way!" Percy said, excited once again (it had to be an eleven-year-old body thing, because even his dad's moods didn't change like that), dragging her towards the trail.

Chiron chuckled. "I'll have to go first." He led them up the path and crossed over the boundary line. Then he turned around and faced them.

"I, Chiron, Trainer of Heroes, Activities Director of Camp Half-Blood, do invite the mortal, Sally Jackson, inside." At that, he held out his hand. She took it and Percy watched excitedly as she stepped across the threshold. It felt monumental to walk with her to the ridge of the hill, just to the side of the Big House opposite of Thalia's tree. Once they reached the point of the ridge, they paused and looked around.

"Welcome," Chiron said once again, this time with far more pomp and circ*mstance, "to Camp Half-Blood."

Chapter 6: A Mortal at Camp? (Temporairly, And She'll Adopt Everyone She Can)

Chapter Text

Percy had been in charge of Camp Half-Blood for at least 260 years. He remembered, intimately, every iteration of the camp he'd ever been a part of, both as a mortal and a god. Each had positives and negatives, but the first one—this one—was the one he tended to think of the most fondly. He would always remember the camp he'd grown up in.

Or… so he'd thought. Well, he still did, but in his memories, he saw the camp at its height, after the Titan and giant wars, after Percy had made the gods promise to claim their kids and honor the minor gods. The camp he saw before him now was the camp from before the Titan War. The more run-down camp with only twelve cabins.

That was changing as soon as he could figure out how, because he wasn't waiting another three years to fix it. Because this was his camp. Yes, the others were too, but this had been the one that taught him to survive. The one that had defined his life as a demigod and a god. This was where everything started, and it colored every aspect of his life afterwards, for better and worse.

And his mom could finally see it. He was so excited he forgot he was still mad (worried) at her, and he grabbed her hand.

"Come on, Mom! Let's go—"

"Wait a minute," Chiron said, amused. "Firstly, this camp can be a little dangerous to mortals so you need to be careful. Secondly, your Mom needs to fill some things out. You don't have to be there for that, and if you want to be the one to take your mother around, you'll need someone to give you the tour first."

Right. He shouldn't know this place. Glancing at his mother, who also looked amused, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Unfortunately," the centaur went on, "you came just when the Hermes cabin has the Arena… Hmm. Well, Let's see if I can find someone to give you the tour." Chiron smiled, turned, and began to trot down towards the cabins and the kids Percy could see mingling there. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of the camp, so nostalgic and welcoming… in its own, dangerous way. It was a camp for demigods, after all. About half-way through that thought, he began to realize he could sense people… not Mr. D or Chiron, or even his mom (well, maybe a little, if he really concentrated), but the kids in the camp.

What?!

His eyes snapped open and he glanced at the group of Demeter kids he could see in the strawberry fields. Kids he knew were there before they'd come around the bend to where he could see them. He certainly hadn't been able to do that as a demigod the first time.

As they passed by the open entrance to the strawberry fields, something seemed to occur to Chiron.

"Katie!" A familiar girl with blond hair (that he knew would go dark in the winter) and green eyes turned to look at them. Another person he hadn't seen in almost three centuries. "I have a new camper! Luke's busy, would you mind taking him around?"

Oh, thank Chaos. And maybe the Primordials too. Hades, even The Fates, at this point (even if he was still mad at them too). Percy wasn't entirely sure what he'd do if he had to talk to Luke at the moment. Thankfully, figuring out what would happen when he did would have to come later.

"Sure," Katie said, though she gave the strawberry field a long look.

Katie's sister, Miranda, said something to her, then gestured to the kids near her, all tending the strawberries. Katie nodded, looking relieved, and handed her basket of tools over before she began to make her way up towards Chiron and the Jacksons.

"Katie," Chiron said when she'd reached them, futilely trying to brush mud and dirt off of her pants as she walked. "I know you were only just made head councilor, but do you think you could give Percy here a tour while I take his mother up to the big house and get everything situated?"

The green-eyed girl studied Percy and then his mother cautiously before nodding. "Sure."

"Once you're done, bring him back to the Big House, please." The centaur turned to Percy. "This shouldn't take long, and then you can show your mother. Thank you, Katie," Chiron said with a smile, putting a hand on her shoulder before leading Sally back up to the Big House. "This way, Ms. Jackson."

"See you soon, Mom!" Percy called, watching her for a moment before he turned to Katie.

"Hi," he said warmly. It had been too long since he'd seen his old friend, and he couldn't help the smile on his face. "I'm Percy Jackson, age eleven." He held out his hand.

She took it and smiled back. "I'm Katie Gardener, age 13, Daughter of Demeter. A pleasure to meet you."

"Demeter, as in the Goddess of Agriculture, Harvest, Fertility, Sacred Law, Earth, Seasons, Bread, and Growth?"

Katie's eyebrows rose. "Yes," she said kindly. "Though 'growth' isn't typically one of her titles, it certainly applies."

Percy shrugged and began walking down to camp. Katie followed. "I know everyone thinks Persephone is the Goddess of Spring and growth in Spring, but it was Demeter who wouldn't let Spring come when she was taken by Hades." Not to mention she could be utterly terrifying and very much belonged to the Underworld when she resided there in Percy's humble opinion.

"Huh. I never thought about it like that," Katie said thoughtfully. "So you know a lot about the myths then?"

"Mom wanted me to know everything I could, except that I was a demigod, apparently." Technically true. His mother had wanted him to know, but had been too afraid of saying much in case he figured it out. That was null and void now, though.

"Oh! Well, do you know who your godly parent is, then?"

Percy co*cked his head to one side, trying to figure out how to answer that truthfully. "Well, Mom keeps saying I remind her of him, but doesn't outright say his name. She just says: 'Your father used to do that' and stuff."

Katie nodded, not noticing the deflection, thankfully. "A lot of demigods' parents do things like that. Half of them don't even know their kid is a demigod. What about your Mom? Did she know? I'm guessing so because she brought you here."

He nodded. "Yeah, but she refuses to say until she gets permission from him."

"Smart."

"I know, right?"

They shared a grin as they stepped up to the horseshoe of cabins.

"I'll start with Cabin One," she said, then began talking about each cabin for a bit before moving onto the next. This was an introduction he'd given so many times, he knew all the common and uncommon variations by heart. Thus, Percy mainly tuned her out, instead focusing on the girl at the hearth-fire in the center of the cabin area. The girl he couldn't sense very well. Confirmation that he could only sense demigods. Well, mostly. Good to know. It utterly screwed with his mind and told him he'd brought back powers from the future, but still good to know.

He smiled and waved at her. Surprised, she waved back. He made a mental note to talk to her later.

"And this," Katie said, pointing to the run-down cabin that belonged to Hermes, "is the Hermes cabin. You'll probably be staying there until you get claimed."

"How long will that take?" Percy asked.

The older girl shuffled around a little uncomfortably. "We… uh, don't know. It's different for everyone."

Percy scowled. That needed to change too, but he may have to wait until Kronos was defeated before he managed to get that from the gods. Lazy Olympians. Except Athena. He had issues with his mother-in-law, but that was most definitely not one of them. And he'd told her so. She'd been surprised he had anything good to say about her, and that had sparked one of the most civil conversations they'd ever had. He should probably try to go that way this time when he met her too. And there was Annabeth to consider. Yes, he was 300 years old, but there would ever only be one girl for him. And gods tended to overlook age gaps anyway. Not something he always approved of, but in his opinion, humans were the mature ones in the relationships.

It still kind of made him uneasy, and he didn't really want to push Annabeth into anything, but he had no intention of dating anyone else. Ever. No matter what happened between them this time.

Katie was looking at him kind of funny now, and he realized he'd spaced out for a couple of seconds.

"Sorry. ADHD sucks."

She nodded sympathetically. "Most demigods have it. I do. My sister does—you just saw her in the fields."

"Right. So what did you ask?"

"Just if you know anything about Hermes."

"Oh, sure!" He listed multiple domains and a couple of story blurbs while Katie looked on, amused. "So I'll be staying here because he's the God of Travelers, right?" Percy asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "I'll introduce you to the cabin head when we go by the arena. I think that's where Cabin 11 is right now."

Percy hoped his smile didn't noticeably strain. Whatever issues he had with Luke, he'd better get over them quickly. And here he thought he'd come to terms decades ago, if not longer.

"How many kids are staying there now?" he asked a little slowly.

"A lot," Katie said with a sigh. "Anywhere between twenty and forty at any given point, as the children of the minor gods stay there too. I've been coming to camp for two years now, and it fluctuates a lot."

Percy nodded. He already had a couple of ideas about addressing that situation, but he wanted to talk to Hestia first.

After his mom left. Which reminded him…

"So, what else is in camp?" he asked.

"Don't you want to put your backpack down?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Nah, it's fine. So?"

She shrugged back and started towards the arena, pointing out the dining pavilion on the way. As they passed Hestia, Percy waved at her again. She waved back, looking thoughtful.

Percy managed to talk Katie out of introducing him to Luke when they got to the arena, asking her to show him everything quickly so he could show his mom. Reluctantly, she agreed. So she led him by the lake, the climbing wall, multiple paths into the forest (all of which Percy remembered, even now) the arts-and-crafts cabins (where the Athena kids were just then, he couldn't tell exactly which spark of 'demigod' was her though, and couldn't get a glimpse of her, even though he tried), the forges, pointed out the stables, and finally led him to the beach. He couldn't help how at home he felt, breathing in the salt air from off the water.

"This is amazing," he gushed. "I can't wait to show my mom!"

Katie laughed. "Well, it's been a pleasure. Now, why don't we head back up to the Big House so you can get her, huh?"

"Yeah!" Percy said, grinning. They hurried back towards Half-Blood Hill.

As they approached, he frowned at Mr. D sitting on the porch alone. Katie must have noticed.

"Uh… did they explain that Mr. D's a god?" she asked worriedly. Percy thought back to his most recent interactions and shook his head. "Well, he is. He never remembers anyone's name—completely on purpose, we're convinced—and he can turn people into animals. Don't make him mad, ok?"

"Ok," Percy responded easily. She looked pleasantly surprised and relieved. Did he honestly look that much like a troublemaker?

"Ah, young Peter Johnson," Dionysus said when they climbed onto the porch.

"You remembered my name!" he said happily, just to mess with him. The god sent the two demigods a searching look bordering on a glare. He was positive Mr. D didn't buy the innocent look, but that just made it more entertaining. Besides him, Katie sighed.

"And Kerry Granger."

"I'm going to go back to the strawberries now," she said hurriedly, obviously a little intimidated. "Good day, sir. Good luck, Percy." She sent him a smile before hurrying off.

"Your mother is inside, speaking with Chiron," Mr. D said boredly, going back to his game.

"Thanks!"

"We don't normally let mortals through the boundary. Then again, you are a bit of a late arrival and missed most of the drop-offs. It comes earlier every year. But anyway, do you know it can get dangerous here for poor mortals, though?"

Percy… actually appreciated that, if not the tone in which he said it.

"Yes, But my mom's awesome," the time-traveler said. "She can handle anything. But I appreciate the warning! I'm glad our camp director cares so much!"

Mr. D snorted, looking entirely put out, but… that was just Dionysus. He chose to look better—younger, less like someone who would look at home at Gabe Ugliano's poker table—after his punishment ended. Percy had never wanted to start the argument that would follow if he'd ever asked whether that was part of the punishment, or him inflicting his annoyance on everyone else. It just wasn't worth it, and there had been more important things to argue about.

Sending the god a bright wave, the demigod hurried into the house, letting his grin fade to a smirk once he was out of sight. That had been a little too amusing, and he quickly came to the conclusion that he had to screw with Dionysus. For Hermes' sake. He'd roped Percy into way too many pranks and mischief to not have rubbed off on him. Besides, Percy had always liked a good, harmless prank. Maybe he could drag the entire camp into it too? And he could take it farther with them than with the god. Hmm…

"—Going to be hard," Chiron was saying. "Which is why I recommend he stays here all-year-round. Especially if his father is who I suspect."

Percy peeked around the corner into the room Chiron called an office. One would think with his many years of experience he'd be organized, and maybe he understood his own strange way of arranging the space. To Percy, though, his office had always looked like organized chaos at best. His mother sat across from Chiron, who was in his wheelchair, sitting at his desk with his hands crossed and a serious expression on his face.

"I won't abandon him here," she said. "And if that means we have to go through a little discomfort, that's what we have to do."

"It's not 'a little discomfort' I speak of, but regular life-and-death attacks."

"I can handle it," Percy said, striding in. "We appreciate your concern, Mr. Chiron, but I'm not abandoning Mom either. Even if I'm still a little mad at her."

Because he was. That didn't mean she wasn't the best mom ever.

She sighed. "We'll talk about it if you're really that concerned," she said, patting Percy's hand. He didn't usually stay upset at her, so maybe she was starting to realize the severity of what she'd likely done.

"Good," he said. "Now let me show you everything!" He whipped around, about to step into the hall before he realized he'd interrupted them. "Um… if you're finished," he added on.

"Katie gave you a run-down of everything?" Chiron asked.

No, but Percy really didn't need it, so he nodded. "Yeah! It's so cool! I'm so excited to be here! This is gonna be the best summer ever! Only thing that would make it better would be if Mom was staying too."

Chiron smiled at that. "I'm afraid that's not possible."

Percy made a show of sighing. "I figured. Anyway…" he hadn't been this excited in years. It felt like his body just overflowed with energy, not divine energy, mortal energy. That was totally a thing… right? Maybe kid energy?

Apparently the adults could tell, because they exchanged a fondly exasperated look that Percy probably would have missed at his initial age twelve.

"We're done," Chiron said. "Please be careful. The woods are fully stocked, after all."

His mother blinked. "Stocked? With what?"

"Monsters, Mom!" Percy said quickly. "We have to learn to fight them somewhere."

She blanched. "Monsters?! Why… no, how is this camp safe?!"

"We have barriers set up that the monsters can't cross," Chiron said in a placating tone. "And most monsters are smart enough to realize that an attack on a full camp of demigods is a death sentence. So they hide in the forest, usually deep in the forest, and can't get to the activities part of the camp."

Sally frowned. "That… still seems needlessly dangerous to me."

"I assure you, it is quite necessary," Chiron said firmly. "Here they have access to medical facilities, but they get the experience necessary to take into the real world."

"A controlled environment," Percy's mother muttered, then sighed. "I still don't like it."

Chiron just smiled at her warmly. "I don't either."

They shared a commiserating glance before Percy tugged on his mother's hand again.

"Come on, Mom!"

"Alright, Alright, I'm coming. Now, why are you still carrying your backpack around if you've already seen all of camp?"

"No one was at Cabin 11 and they need to assign me a sleeping space."

"Sleeping space?"

Percy winced. She was not going to like that.

xXx

His mother seemed both awed and disgusted by the camp in equal measure. She glared at the woods and was outright horrified at the state of Cabin 11—which she insisted on seeing so she could know where her son would sleep.

When Percy was sure no one was around, they also sneaked into Cabin 3 for just a moment. Sally liked that much better, but that seemed to only incense her more. Even if Percy ended up there, so many other kids would have to put up with Cabin 11. She promised Percy she would pray to his father that very night. He assured her he would too, but they'd have to coordinate. None of them wanted Percy claimed just yet, and all of them would have a vested interest in making the living situation better sooo…

Percy hoped his dad would listen. He hoped he would be able to talk to him soon too. He planned on telling Poseidon more or less everything. He trusted his undersea family. They looked out for each other, even if not always in the kindest of ways. Yes, he was thinking directly of Kymopoleia there. And maybe Triton before he'd come around. Which had taken a while…

"They… make you climb that?" Sally asked, staring in horror at the lava wall. Percy just sort of snickered as several children started ascending it.

"Yeah. It'll come in more helpful than you may think."

"It's a death trap."

"Nah. We have the Apollo kids here, and there are some very strict rules not to approach it when someone else isn't watching. Besides, you don't have to worry about me. As a son of… um… with my father being who he is, I have a pretty high level of heat resistance."

"But what about the other kids?!"

Has Percy mentioned he loved his Mom. So. Much.

"I'm sure they'll all be happy to be adopted by you."

"Percy!"

"They have to learn, Mom," he said, sobering up. "I know it seems harsh, but we have a pretty good track record since the wall was built only a couple of decades ago."

Sally groaned, but Percy frowned. He'd never asked when the wall had been built… he'd never really needed to know. But it had just sort of come to him. Was the camp itself acknowledging him? Sensing something of his future role within its boundaries? Or was that his future demigod domain again? Huh…

What else had he brought back?

(And how much of Kronos was on that list?)

They eventually ended up on the beach once again, watching the tide come in slowly, and just talking.

"So this is where you'll spend the next several summers."

"When I'm not on quests," Percy acknowledged. "And I'll probably commute more often once I'm old enough to drive and get a car."

"I… just…" his mother sighed. "This is… so much."

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "It's weird to have just one brain to process it all too."

Sally groaned. Percy patted her on the arm. Then he braced himself, banishing all levity.

"Mom," he finally said quietly, getting around to the point he still wanted to discuss. "Please. I need to know what you gave up… and what you got in exchange?"

She sighed. "I really don't know exactly what that apple does. It's supposed to give you a shot at happiness. What I traded for it… they said that trading future relationships and children would be detrimental to you and their goals. I could trade memories of you as a child, or the summer I spent with your father… which I just might. Or I could swear service to them. They want more of a hand in the mortal world, apparently, though I don't know why.

"In any case, whatever they take will be taken when the apple is used."

That… was horrible, but better than Percy thought it would be, to be honest. They must either really like him, really fear him, or be in a particularly good mood. Or some combination thereof.

"Mom, I already have a shot at happiness." That was an outright lie, but he was determined to make the best of the hand he'd been dealt. "I mean, sure, I don't want to be a god," he conceded, "but I do like helping the camp, overseeing demigods, helping Chiron… I even became a large part of Camp Jup… um… the Roman camp. And I got to know Dad's side of the family. It wasn't all bad, no matter how I make it sound sometimes." To be fair, they gave Percy directorship of the camp to stop him from freaking out too badly when his mother got sick. He needed something to live for when his friends and family began to leave him.

May have been the single smartest thing they ever did.

He knew he could get scary, even for gods, when he let himself be consumed by his destruction domain.

Former domain…

Except… if he had everything else and seemed to be tied into camp…

Di Immortales.

He was not looking forward to Mt. St. Helen's if he had to live through everything again.

Or Tartarus.

The world seemed to slow, maybe even stop, for a moment. Would he have to…?

No. He was not going to go there. Wouldn't even think of it now. Nope. No. Just... NO. Not until he had to. If he had to, because everything had been more or less reset, right? So he may not have to go back—

"Percy?" his mother's voice brought him thankfully back to the present.

"Sorry, Mom," he said.

"If you're so worried, I may not have to use the apple at all, you know."

He sighed. "It doesn't work like that. Especially not with The Fates. If they gave it to you, you'll have to make the choice to use it or not in the future."

Her brow furrowed and she looked back out to sea. "Oh."

Percy watched her for several seconds before he, too, sighed into a slump. "I love you, Mom. And I thank you. You're thoughtful and wonderful—the best mom I could ask for. I'm convinced all of my luck was spent as a child when getting you as my mother. I just… don't want you to give up your happiness for mine. Your happiness means so much to me. If the people around me aren't happy—the people I love and care for—then what's the point? What was the reason for all the fights and wars and pain?"

"Oh, Percy… I'd give up anything for you, you know that, right?"

The demigod nodded, but gulped and looked down. "I do… and that scares me, Mom. I know what you would give up… and I don't want you to have to go that far. So please, think about your happiness sometimes too."

She sighed and nodded. "Okay, I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

He felt his shoulders and back relax as he leaned into her side.

"I'm happy you got to see this," he whispered.

"Me too."

"Should probably get you back."

She nodded, though neither of them made to move.

"You know, everyone makes bets on the newest campers' godly parent. It's kind of a tradition."

His mother looked down at him, and he could feel her frown. "Okay? Why bring this up?"

"You know how I'm gonna ask Dad not to claim me for a while? Well, I think I brought back some… extra domains and that puts me in a great place to screw with people for a while." Especially Dionysus. And he was glad no one was really paying attention to him outside of the Fates just now. He'd have to be more careful about what he said later.

"You're not going to get in trouble, are you?"

Not if he played it right. "Nah. It'll be up to everyone else to figure things out. I plan on making them guess every single Olympian who can have kids, and any minor gods I can too." He snickered. "Will probably tell that to the Hermes cabin just so they can think I'm one of them."

"Why?" his mother asked, more curious than reprimanding.

"Well, it'll throw everyone off for a while, but mainly to screw with Mr. D and Chiron. It can be pretty difficult to get one up on them. It'll just take some creative application of powers."

"As long as you won't get hurt…" she said.

"Nope." He'd make sure of it.

They stayed on the beach in a comfortable silence for several more minutes before he finally stood, brushed his pants off, and held out a hand for his mother. She smiled and took it, leveraging herself up before they slowly walked back to the big house and Half-Blood Hill.

"I love you, Mom," he told her once he saw her out of the camp.

"I love you, Percy," she said, kissing him on the forehead before turning and heading down to the car.

"Also," he called after her. She paused and half-turned to him. "Destroy him, Mom." He pointed to the car. She followed his gesture, then turned back to him with a smirk that could easily rival his own.

"Bet on it."

Chapter 7: Aunt Hestia and New Prophecies

Chapter Text

After his mom left, Percy decided to head to the pavilion for lunch, but stopped when he saw that same young girl from earlier poking at the ever-burning fire in the center of the cabin area.

Right. Taking a deep breath, he approached her slowly.

“Mind if I sit here?” he asked. She raised an eyebrow at him curiously, but otherwise only smiled.

“Of course not,” she said, gesturing magnanimously to the ground beside her. “Anyone is welcome to sit at my hearth.”

“Thank you, Aunt Hestia,” he said as he took a seat on the stones that had been set up for exactly that purpose. She watched him curiously for several seconds.

“Funny how four words can imply so much,” she finally said, putting the poker down and turning her full attention to Percy. “Aren’t you new?”

He nodded. “Just arrived today.”

“And yet you seem to know who your godly parent is, who I am, and what exactly that entails. Add that to the fact that I don’t often get people around my fire during the day this time of year, let alone anyone who can truly see me, and we have quite the interesting puzzle on our hands.”

He grinned and nodded. “I’m fine with being a puzzle. And I know who my father is as much as you do.”

She raised her eyebrow again, in either question or amusem*nt, before her face fell somberly. “I’m assuming you also know about the prophecy, then.”

His own expression faded as he nodded, turning to look into the flames.

“Would you put up a barrier?” he asked. “Mainly for… divine listening in?” Because if there was anyone he trusted on Olympus, it was Aunt Hestia. That certainly hadn’t changed after 300 years.

She eyed him cautiously for several seconds and closed her eyes. A couple of whispered words later, and he sensed a barrier of magic and power fall over them.

“It isn’t unbreakable,” she said, unnecessarily (though she didn’t know that), “but it should give me a warning should anyone be listening in. Anything more powerful would both draw attention and require more power—likely more than just me, depending on the circ*mstances—to keep anyone from listening. This is more passive… although I get the feeling you knew that too.”

He did, and that was fine, so Percy nodded and shrugged, trying to convey a ‘you’re not wrong’ message without saying it. He also knew she likely couldn’t do much to truly sense some of the more powerful immortals out there, some of the Titans, maybe some of the giants, definitely the Primordials, but this would have to be good enough. He was kind of lucky she’d complied, but then, it was Aunt Hestia and she was awesome like that.

“I only ask that you please let me know if someone does start watching, because I have a lot to say. Also, anything I’m about to say needs to stay secret. I won’t require an oath on the Styx—” he paused and glanced around before leaning forward, “—or Chaos themselves—” she gasped, eyes widening, mortals weren’t supposed to know about that level of oath, “—for me to give this information, but I have to stress how important this is, Aunt.”

Eyes still wide and looking a little pale, she nodded slowly. Thankful, he took a deep breath.

“Aunt Hestia, I know why all prophecies have been rendered more or less null and void.” And if she’d looked pale before, she looked downright pallid after that.

“How do you know that?”

“Because,” he smiled, albeit wanly “I’m from the future. Where I’m from, they’ve already been fulfilled, and by coming back in time, I’ve more or less brought their state of fulfillment back. That sort of… changed everything.”

She stared at him.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Um… oops?”

She shook her head. “You are your father’s son if all you have to say about that is ‘oops’.”

He snorted. “That’s probably more true than I’d really like to admit. Though you should meet my mom… who was just here. Aw, man.” He facepalmed. “I thought it would be a better idea to wait—didn’t want to overwhelm her—but…” he sighed. “You honestly should meet her. I think you’d be surprised at how much like her I am too.”

His aunt smiled warmly, picking up her poker and waving it. A couple more logs fell onto the fire sending sparks into the air.

“How far in the future are you from, then?”

Percy coughed. “About three hundred years, give or take.” He looked away, knowing she was staring at him pointedly.

After a moment, he sighed and turned back to her. “Dad tried to keep his oath, he did. But you and I both know how often Olympians are told ‘no’. They’re just not used to it. And gods are creatures of habit if nothing else. But because he tried… all of him was there when he met my mom.” He knew his eyes grew distant as he remembered his father’s words. “He said all of him loved her, so I inherited parts of more or less all his aspects. That kind of power comes with consequences.” There was always a price.

“You speak as if…” She stared blankly at him. “You ascended.”

He nodded. “Though I’m half convinced that happened because I didn’t want it, for the record.” Understatement. The state of Olympus after he’d first made some realizations…

Yeah, he didn’t want to remember that. Especially not now with how it tended to poke at old wounds.

Instead, he focused on his aunt, finding more surprise in her expression. “Didn’t?”

He slumped. “Still don’t. But apparently it’s fated to happen anyway. Well, either that, or I get the fields of Asphodel.” And if he was bitter about that, well, could anyone really blame him? Who wasn’t already an Olympian… or Aunt Hestia.

She blinked and turned back to the fire. “I… see.” And to be fair, she probably did. Picking up her stick, she began to poke at the fire again. “Was it really so bad, being with us as family?”

He thought about that, wanting to give her a completely honest answer, if only because of his respect for her. In the end, he decided he didn’t have the heart to tell her it wasn’t that, well… at least not all of it, so he just answered her question.

“Not as bad as I thought it would be, but… I thought I’d earned Elysium. I wanted a break—a rest.” He sighed. “Gods don’t rest.” No matter how many ‘naps’ Dionysus took. “Not really. Having that taken away was… difficult.” Having the people he loved taken from him was worse.

Hestia glanced back over at him, eyes sympathetic, even as they burned orange-gold, a contrast to her chestnut-brown hair, and so different from Ares burning red. Comfort compared to conflict.

“What do you plan to do, then?” she finally asked.

His back straightened as he looked into the fire again, jaw setting firmly. “I’m going to do everything I can to save people.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her tip her head to one side. “Save them from what?”

He had so much to say about that… where to start? Probably with context.

“I’ll answer, but first… I seem to have brought some part of my domains back with me.”

She blinked. “Your… domains.”

“I had five major ones: Demigods, Personal Loyalty, the Deep—as in ocean deep, Destruction, and Liquid. Every liquid. The state of being liquid, really.

“I’m going to use those and my future knowledge to stop your father from rising, if I can. Though I suspect it’s inevitable. Still, too many people died last time. That’s who I need to try and save.”

Hestia gasped. “Father is…”

Percy nodded. “And so is Mother Earth, though in my past she rose the year after the second Titan war. I’m not sure if that will stay the same now, though.”

She covered her mouth with her hands, eyes wide and horrified.

“Why do you not want to tell this to anyone?” she finally asked, looking particularly shaky. “Why just me?”

“Your youngest brother won’t believe me, and he’ll likely put a ban on even talking about it. If it puts your mind at ease, I plan on telling Dad more or less everything, though. Maybe even your other brother at some point, but if too many people know too soon, we’ll lose the advantage me coming back in time gives us.”

Silence as she processed that.

“How did you even come back?” she finally ventured.

He shook his head. “An accident, although the three weavers of our pantheon think your father had something to do with it. They think some of him came back with me.”

She looked sick. “Shouldn’t that be more incentive to say something to the full Council?”

He shook his head again. “Aunt Hestia, I don’t trust The King of the Gods. He has never once earned my respect, and until he does, how can I trust him? I know you love him, I know he’s family—to both of us technically, but especially to you—but unless The Fates say otherwise, I can’t see my opinion changing. In my memories, he tried to have me killed multiple times, after I’d succeeded in so many quests, to his benefit, I might add. Though if things end up remotely close to what happened last time, we will have proof your father is rising soon. Hopefully sooner than last time, too. And if we play our cards right, maybe when we combine the two camps, it will go more smoothly for when Great-Grandma Earth wakes.”

The goddess stared at him as if he’d just told her the world was ending. Well, to be fair, he kind of had… and the danger wasn’t even from only their pantheon. The Egyptians and Norse had their own issues going on, too, and that was just what he knew about. Speaking of, he may want to get in contact with the Kane siblings earlier this time… though that could also make things worse too… He didn’t know their timeline and if they were having issues of their own… Could he even reach them at this point? He somehow doubted they’d just be down in Brooklyn right then.

He’d think about that and maybe talk to Hestia again later, after she’d had time to process the bomb he’d just dropped on her. He felt a little bad about it, but someone had to know, in case something happened to him.

“This is… beyond troubling, Perseus.”

He nodded, ignoring the name thing for now. “I know. But I promise I will talk to Dad about it asap. Thing is, I know he can be kind of…” he paused and scratched his cheek a little sheepishly, “reckless. I wanted someone I trust to try and talk some sense into him.”

“I rarely go into his realm,” she pointed out. Fire didn’t often exist underwater, let alone thrive.

“Talk to him about that, then?” he suggested. “We need to become closer as a pantheon anyway. For everyone’s sake.”
She nodded slowly, poking at the flames of her fire again. “I’ll try, but it’s difficult for me to reach him sometimes.” He’d never seen her look so stunned. He tried to squash his guilt at causing that, with only some success.

“It’ll be alright, Aunt Hestia. I’ll do everything I can to stop your father from coming back. We won last time… just with too many losses.”

She sighed and glanced back at him with her ember-warm eyes. “You trust me, Perseus, so I’ll trust you, so long as you tell your father soon. We need to start coordinating.”

Percy nodded. “I wanted to first talk to Dad when I made my first sacrifice here… one reason I wanted to talk to you. Please don’t let that get to anybody else?”

Hestia smiled wanly, but he could tell she meant it. “I can see why you were chosen to ascend.” He blushed a little, knowing she meant it as a compliment, but not wanting to get into that complicated can of worms that was his emotions regarding it.

“I’ll come by and talk to you more often,” he promised, rising to his feet. “Oh, and I’m planning on playing a prank on our lovely camp director. Well, kind of. More the camp, really, but it always bugged me how my dear cousin purposely doesn’t remember kids’ names.” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “I know why he does it, but it actively hurts a lot of campers psychologically, which hurts the entire pantheon in the long run. I took over running the camp in the future, and it’s not that difficult to make the campers feel welcome. Half of what he does, he does out of spite—not even towards the kids themselves, but towards his father—and I can’t condone that. Besides, I want to keep my parentage secret for as long as I can. So I’m going to see if I can get the campers to believe I’m a child of every Olympian who can have children.” He grinned widely and winked at her as her smile grew cautious, but interested.

“Who can…?”

“Well, not anyone who has oaths of maidenhood or your youngest sister, due to her circ*mstances and domains. I may not care for her, but I’m not that cruel… or that stupid.”

Hestia outright laughed. “Oh, Percy, I do believe the future is in good hands with you. But you are welcome to come and speak with me about it whenever you can.”

“Thank you, Aunt,” he said. “May I kiss your cheek?”

She blinked, surprised, then smiled again. “Of course.”

He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. “Thank you for being amazing, Aunt Hestia.”

She blushed a little. “You flatter me.”

He shook his head. “No, I really don’t. It’s just the truth. And I’ll do everything I can to help the camp, Aunt, I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

With a grin, he turned and began walking towards the pavilion again. He passed through the barrier and glanced behind just once to see her staring into her own flames, eyes distant.

He took the path to the pavilion without seeing much else. His talk with Hestia had put a lot of things into perspective. He needed to get a hold of his father… his father who was actively avoiding him for both of their safety. Great. Well, he was nothing if not stubborn. His father would have to listen to him at some point.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts going over his future plans, immediate plans, and his recent talk, that he didn’t prepare himself as he stepped into the pavilion. Once he realized he’d reached his destination, he looked around, thankfully not seeing anyone from Hermes there yet, but he did freeze in place when he saw the Athena cabin there, sitting relatively quietly (even if they all fidgeted) and talking among themselves. A sea of blond hair—with the odd person who had red, brown, or black—and gray eyes, like usual. Since Athena tended to create children from intellectual ideas, Percy knew she had some control over how they looked and had to wonder why she chose blond hair so often. It wasn’t the first time he’d thought that. It had caused quite the issue when the pantheon moved to some other countries where darker hair colors tended to be the norm.

Of course his eyes found her right away. Hair up in a high pony-tail, tanned skin, gray eyes that saw everything around her. Including him. His breath caught in his throat and it took every ounce of willpower he had to not rush right over then and there.

She’s eleven, he told himself. And yeah, he was in an eleven-year-old human body, but that still bothered him. He didn’t want to push her into anything, especially not at this age. This was still Annabeth, but he wanted her to have a childhood and build a friendship naturally, like they had before. And if nothing came of it this time… well, it would hurt, but he’d deal as long as she was happy. As usual, her happiness came before his own. And in this case, he would not let that change, no matter what his mother—or anyone else—said.

He forced his eyes to move on to other tables, most of them empty. Thankfully, he hadn’t run into any of the Ares kids yet. They’d been at the canoe lake, which had been part of the reason why he and his mother had gone to the beach to talk instead of sitting on the end of the pier like he’d initially planned. He’d wanted to introduce her to the naiads, but most definitely not in front of the children of the God of War.

Aphrodite cabin was there in the pavilion as well. His eyes found Selina Beauregard and a very young Drew Tanaka among them. People on his list to save this time—along with the rest of them, of course. In the distance, Percy caught a large number of golden-haired children heading towards them. Apollo, then. Right. Michael Yew and Lee Fletcher were there… and so many others. He didn’t think Will Solace was there just yet, but he’d keep an eye out.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves as best he could and stalked towards the table where the harpies had set out the lunch buffet. He loaded his plate down with several sandwiches, then walked calmly up to the brazier and sacred fire in the center.

To Poseidon, Percy thought quietly. He knew how prayers worked. He’d gotten more than a few of his own in his memories. Intent mattered. The stronger the intent, the louder the prayer. With little intent behind a prayer, it became difficult for the god to discern prayers from other things that happened. So he focused, hard, and hoped it would be enough.

If not, he had the rest of the summer (hopefully) to change that.

Hi, Dad. Yeah, I know you’re my dad. Um… I have some things I really have to tell you, but please, don’t claim me yet. If you want to meet me in a dream, that would probably be the best, or you can talk to Aunt Hestia, but yeah. We have to meet ASAP.

I look forward to talking with you. Please don’t put this off or think it’s some sort of childish thing. It’s not. I promise. It’s vitally important to the pantheon… both Roman and Greek.

If that didn’t get his attention, nothing would.

Bye!

He smirked as he turned and made his way to the Poseidon table out of sheer habit.

“Oi, new kid!” someone called out to him and he paused, turning to see one Annabeth Chase standing up at her table, eyes fixed on him. “If you don’t sit at your cabin’s table, you could get in trouble.”

He blinked, looked down at the table he’d always eaten at in his memories as a demigod, then turned and smiled at her.

“Thanks! Where’s the Hermes table?”

She pointed it out and he thanked her before turning and heading to the table she’d gestured at. He supposed he should get used to eating there. It would be strange, eating at such a crowded table, but he had plans to fix that too. Plans he did want to speak about with both Hestia and his father about.

Fifteen or so minutes after he sat to eat, the Athena group left, more or less together. He watched them go as neutrally as he could, but it was so good to see his Wise Girl again, he wasn’t quite sure if he pulled off casual or if he was grinning like a loon. He’d have to work on that. At least he was eating, so that should have hid it.

About five minutes after that, he heard another large group approach and glanced over to see a good fourteen or fifteen kids heading their way, many of them with elven features and mischievous smiles. One in particular stood out, taller than the rest as he laughed and joked with the group, patting several on the back or shoulder and chatting warmly.

Percy turned back around and took several deep breaths, bracing himself. He still had a lot of mixed feelings about the man who had done so much damage… who had been so angry at the gods that Percy thought it sometimes made his own frustration look pale in comparison.

He frowned. He’d never… thought of it like that before, but he could sense that knowledge was right. Luke was angry. Very, very angry. Like, a level of anger that would have Percy creating some pretty destructive storms. Wow.

He could sense campers’ emotions more clearly in the future, although he tried not to, but hadn’t really had the same problem until he actively looked this time…

Huh. Good to know. He’d have to be careful with that ability. The other campers did deserve some privacy… even people like Luke.

“Who’s at our table?!” someone asked suddenly. They sounded young.

Percy took a deep, bracing breath and turned around to face the group of kids walking up to him.

“Uh, hi!” he said hurriedly, standing up. “Sorry if I shouldn’t have, but I was hungry. Just got here. My name’s Percy Jackson. I… uh, haven’t been claimed yet?” He hoped that sounded sincere.

Several kids groaned, but the tallest blond just smiled.

“A new kid, huh?” he asked, walking forward, hand outstretched. His smile accented the scar over his eye. “Welcome to the Hermes cabin then. I’ll be your head counselor until you get claimed, unless you’re a Hermes kid. Then you’ll have to put up with me until one of us leaves. My name is Luke. Luke Castellan. Nice to meet you.”

xXx

Apollo hated his otherwise magnificent, amazing, envious life. Currently, he hated it with all of his might and passion. Which was no small feat.

Because everything had changed. The whole future had just… poofed into something else, and it had been hard enough for him to try and figure everything out the first time.

It didn’t help that he had the images of himself as a pimply, ugly teen—a mortal teen nonetheless—bombarding his head all day. Nothing too concrete, just flashes and images and… some of those hurt in ways that weren’t physical. He made sure not to mention those, even as he loudly complained about his other, obvious pain.

Honestly, he had no idea what to make of it all.

Thankfully, the Moirai had shown up to tell the gods about a yet unnamed anomaly that had more or less fulfilled most of the previous prophecies and created completely new ones. They refused to explain who or how or why, but that had been more information than Olympus had had before. Which was definitely good. He wasn’t sure he could have been coherent if he’d had to try and explain it.

Which really said how bad the pain was. And it had taken him an entire day to form just one haiku! Artemis may or may not have quietly cheered when he’d complained about that—the traitor. What had happened to his sweet, innocent younger sister? His little Arty? Of course, he wouldn’t say that aloud, especially in the state he’d found himself in. He was in pain, not stupid. Well, usually.

Currently, most of him had coalesced into one form and he lay face-down on his bed in his temple on Mount Olympus, groaning. He knew so many people were going through blocks right now due to his state—writer’s blocks, art blocks, music blocks… At least Aesculapius had taken over most of his duties when it came to medicine and health temporarily, but that was of little comfort to him.

“Sharp pains throb, stab, rend,
Aargh! Is this how mortals feel?
Oh, the agony.”

He finally voiced his haiku.

Next to him in her chair, Artemis snorted. “That was… actually pretty good, brother. I believe you do better when you’re in pain. Is this what they mean by ‘suffering for your art’?”

Apollo lifted his head to send a glare her way. Light stabbed into his eyes at the movement, but it was worth it to show her his horrified incredulity.

“Betrayed, by my own sister!” he lamented, plopping his head back down into his pillow.

“There, there,” she said, patting his back, but not sounding remotely sympathetic. “It should pass soon, or so the Moirai said.”

“Not soon enough,” he said, his muffled voice barely heard from the confines of his pillow. “It really hurts, Arty.”

He heard her sigh. “Don’t call me ‘Arty’… but I am sorry you are so uncomfortable, brother.”

He appreciated that, he did, but… “‘Discomfort’ doesn’t scratch it,” he muttered, then winced as the image of a girl with short, brown hair and glasses flashed through his mind again. Oh, there she’d taken down a monster… quite well… that was a monster, right?

What was more disconcerting than the pain, though, was how he could feel these visions changing him—injecting feelings into him he had no context for. Not having at least some control over the emotions or the change scared him… deeply. More deeply than he’d like to admit even to himself. So deeply, he couldn’t even articulate it to his sister.

He knew he wasn’t the only god affected—Dionysus had complained about new discomforts, Athena had walked around looking lost and dazed, for once in her existence, Poseidon had been particularly grumpy and wouldn’t tell anyone why, and Aphrodite had nearly had a heart attack, babbling on about new love, so strong, in so many areas… etc. etc. etc.

Maybe he could help her compose a new haiku later.

Many smaller gods had had issues too. But none as bad as him. He was sure of it.

“Arty… whyyy?” he moaned.

“Apollo,” he heard his sister say shortly, “in pain or not, you call me by that repugnant nickname one more time and I will—”

He shot straight up, his eyes glowing as words formed—likely the first of many actual prophecies, he realized, not just context he didn’t understand—and he began to speak.

(Only later would he realize the mummy of a woman, long-since dead, would simultaneously speak in Camp Half-Blood’s attic, or a blond boy in a camp in California would tear into a stuffed animal and be led to lines he’d never seen before, no matter how many times he’d gone over the ancient prophecies.)

“The old fulfilled, the world anew, cannot prevent the crooked two.
Fifteen years must be fulfilled, or see men and Olympus yield.
If Change arises ere their time, above the new, the old shall climb.
The fruit, for love, once consumed, shows awful choices then exhumed.
The world in peril, once again, may thus be saved by gods and men.”

He collapsed as soon as the last word left him, as if drawn out of his very soul. Some days, the ‘benefits’ from beating Python really weren’t worth it. Although, now that he thought about it, his discomfort and pain had decreased significantly. At least some good had come of that.

For several seconds, the twins sat in silence until Artemis spoke quietly. “Brother? What was that?”

He sighed and turned bloodshot eyes to his sister.

“Call the council again. I’m pretty sure that was the latest great prophecy.”

Then he turned his head back into his pillow. The next few days were going to suck.

Chapter 8: Prank Initiation (and Other Plans)

Chapter Text

If Percy hadn't been prepared for it, he doubted he would have been able to greet Luke (and oh, there's Chris and Ethan too… they looked so innocent) calmly. And if a little nervousness showed through, well, that was only to be expected of a new camper. It took every ounce of will to not just pour out his soul about how evil Kronos was right then and there, but he managed.

To help himself, Percy took a page out of young Nico's book and babbled as much as he could about how excited he was to be there, the myths and gods, how he knew them and the stories, how his mom knew his 'other parent' was a Greek God, but she wouldn't say who until she got the go ahead from said parent. He played it up as much as he could, aiming to come off as the young, innocent, and naive kid. That was a big part of his plan—both the prank plan and the far more serious and necessary Kronos plan.

"So," Luke managed to get a word in when Percy finished off his blue co*ke (because he'd never seen a reason to stop with that). "Do you have any idea who your parent is?"

This time Percy smirked.

God One, Stage One was a go. "Actually, guys, I was hoping you could help me do something," he said, leaning in and lowering his voice. Everyone around him also leaned closer, straining to hear. "I like pranks, and I've been dying to play one recently, so I got this great idea when I was told that I'd have to wait to be claimed. I was told about the betting pool—"

"Who told you?" one of the older campers Percy hadn't ever met before asked, scandalized. He was obviously another Hermes child.

Percy rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, so I may have overheard it. But anyway, I wanted to make it hard for people to guess who my parent is. I mean, whoever they are obviously knows, this is just to make people in camp do a double take, you know? A big, elaborate, harmless prank for a couple of laughs. Can you help me out?"

Everyone stared at him for several seconds before they all snickered or chuckled.

"Well," Chris said in a high voice that hadn't broken yet. (Too young, they were alltoo young!) "I guess that answers that question. He's definitely one of ours."

The older kid—probably a year or two younger than Luke—sat back with a snort. "I'm in. I'msoin. This is gonna be brilliant. We could use a couple of laughs."

"Why's that?" Percy asked innocently, pumping his fist under the table as he fixed his eyes on the kid.

Their smiles fell. "Too few kids came back this year," Luke said quietly. "We're going to have to burn some shrouds and… it tends to put a damper on things."

"Oh," Percy said, his heart already aching for those who were lost. He hadn't even met them. Downside to being a god of demigods. Worth it, but still.

(Or a demigod of demigods now? He wouldn't know, he'd never had any half-mortal kids after his two with Annabeth, and they'd taken after their grandparents respectively, with a couple of his domains thrown in for fun that they'd later developed, because of course.)

"Well, maybe that's why I wanted to do this! I like seeing people smile."

"You sure this kid's Hermes? Seems more like Apollo to me," the older kid said. Percy could have hugged him.

Luke laughed. "I think most of us are in. But first, let's introduce ourselves.

"I already told you my name, so Ethan?" he gestured to the kid who couldn't have been older than ten brooding next to him, with a familiar eye-patch over his left eye. So… he'd already met Nemesis. Percy filed that away, too.

"Ethan Nakamura."

"Chris Rodriguez."

"Johan Michail."

"And I bet we can get the rest of the cabin in on it too," Luke said. "So what's your first idea?"

"Well, I was thinking…" Percy started.

By the time he finished, the others sat back and stared at him like he'd grown a second head. He just grinned at them.

"Man," Chris finally said with a laugh, "the Stolls are gonna besomad they're coming late this year."

Percy just grinned.

xXx

Percy trained. Hard. Because he wasn't a god anymore. Also, if something could work into both his future plansandthe prank, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

So he trained.

And trained.

And in his first fight, he destroyed his partner. Gently, of course. He didn't have Riptide (pity), but that didn't stop him. He claimed his mother wanted him to be able to defend himself, so she'd signed him up for classes. And he'd always been good at it.

By the end of the third day, he already had a significant portion of the camp voting on Ares being his parent, and as much as that disgusted him, it was all just part of the plan, so he could deal.

God Two, check.

xXx

He got his next real opportunity to screw with the camp when that Friday's Capture the Flag came around. Hermes had sided with Ares against Athena this time, which really played so well into his plan. So he pointed out problems and issues with any plan the Ares kids outlined, and when someone got a little too frustrated, he gave them a run down of at least three plans that should work against the other team.

By the time he finished, more or less everyone there just stared at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

The next day, the Hermes' kid running the betting pool—a girl named Amy—had some pretty decent odds for his parent being Athena, despite her usually claiming her kids immediately and his unusual hair and eyes. It wouldn't be the first time someone had fallen through the cracks.

God Three, check.

xXx

While setting up his prank, Percy still had to keep an eye out for any issues with camp, listening carefully to the demigods' conversations, especially for anything detrimental about the gods. He didn't hear much initially, but figured it would just take time. He figured that once the others did start speaking to him about it, he'd decide whether he should step in or not. After all, he would probably agree with most of the arguments they would make.

The few times he did hear something, though, it didn't sound like anyone would go into 'outright treason' territory, up to and including Luke, even when they didn't know he was listening in. He hoped that meant he still had time.

Until he got more proof about Kronos though, he continued to act out his plan, making sure he was the best (and by best, he meant most annoying) younger brother to the Hermes cabin ever. He was determined to befriend as many people as he could, notjustin the Hermes cabin, with the goal of putting himself in a situation where he could talk people out of throwing their lives away. Other than that, there wasn't much he could do except use his powers to try and soothe their nightmares when they weren't conscious enough to fight it off.

He wished Luke would come forward with something he could act against, though. The closer he got to the guy, the more he remembered how much he'd initially liked him. The oldest son of Hermes (at camp) seemed to genuinely enjoy planning the prank out with Percy and the rest of the Hermes cabin. And something that Percy hadn't really foreseen (although he probably should have in hindsight) was how his little scheme brought the cabin together. The time they spent laughing and giggling at the potential chaos and confusion even brought in the claimed children of minor gods who often tended to try and separate themselves from the rest of the cabin. It was a perk he honestly couldn't have planned better and he hadn't realized how much he would enjoy getting to know campers he never had before. Getting close to them even. He'd known dozens—if nothundredsof campers in the future, but not like this. There was something about getting to know a fellow demigod that no Olympian could ever recreate.

It didn't take long for him to realize how desperately he wanted to keep that camaraderie, and how much he genuinely wanted to help every person in that cabin, not because of his domain (or, notonlybecause of it), but because he just liked them. They quickly became his friends. So he spoke with them. He loved talking with Amy about her interest in pursuing something in finance and starting a business someday; to Mara about how she wanted to play professional sports; to Jake about how much he wanted to see the world someday and helping him make a list of places to go; to Johan about his awful home life while helping him train the speed he got from his father; to Ethan about his hobby of physics and, interestingly enough, math; to Chris about how he loved stand-up comedy and just wanted somewhere to belong.

Which, honestly, explained so much.

After that, Percy made a point to pray to Hermes as often as he could, rambling about how Chris was living in his cabin and wasclearlyhis son with how good he was at pranking and jokes but was still unclaimed and it was really affecting how well their big prank might work. Percy made sure to mention how he wanted his prank to work really well and Chris had some of the best pranking ideas! So if Hermes could just go ahead and claim his son already, pretty please, that would be great! (Okay, so he could play up his childishness a little when he needed to, but he figured that was a good thing, and if he had to have it, he would use it for good, darn it.)

It took the god three days to respond, but respond he did… in the best way possible. One night when Chris made the rest of the table laugh so hard many of them could barely breathe a caduceus appeared above his head, spinning lazily. For a moment, everyone just froze in silence, Chris himself looking up at the claim with wide the whole cabin bowed to him, just long enough for him to realize that was what they were doing, before they mobbed him with congratulations, back pats, and noogies. He couldn't stop grinning the whole time, and if there were tears in Chris's eyes, well it was probably just the dust from everyone moving around.

Percy just watched with a warm, content smile. Hopefully that would put a stop to some of his resentment in the future. Percy's domains regarding loyalty and demigods sort of purred (it was the closest word he could find to describe it) with happiness that night. His human side loved the warmth and belonging the whole cabin showed.

Except for Luke, of course. He congratulated Chris, of course, but ended up looking on with a less than happy expression. Percy watched him for a couple of seconds before he caught the blond's eye. Instantly, the expression faded into a huge grin, just as the cabin seemed to expect.

He was good.Sogood.

Percy had still caught it, though, and even as he returned the grin with one of his own, he made a mental note to ask Luke about it later. Maybe that could start the conversation he needed to have with the son of Hermes.

xXx

God Four needed a little work and time, but it really wasn't that difficult once they came up with a scenario.

Percy tried to look upset as he marched up to the Aphrodite cabin, knocking loudly on the door. It really was difficult to not smirk at the Disney-esque feel of the building. So Aphrodite, putting on the facade of ditsy, relationship-obsessed, image-obsessed, and gossipy… which, to be fair, she was, but she was also secretly one of the most powerful beings in the universe… and she knew it. She just didn't see a reason to flaunt it. If Ares knew (Percy never could figure out if he did) it probably drove him nuts.

Yet another smile he had to fight.

Then Selina opened the door, and fighting that smile suddenly didn't seem so difficult. She may have been the very reason he was able to get through his planned act. Memories of her death had haunted him for over three hundred years, after all. It hadn't helped when he'd become the god of liquid, because acid tended to be a liquid. Remembering what that particular liquid could do helped keep him grounded when his destructive side became a little unhinged.

He still hoped, desperately, that he wouldn't have to see it again.

"Yes?" she asked, surprised to see Percy there. Apparently she'd chosen to go with brown hair today. He remembered she'd said she could change her hair color, but it took a lot of effort, so she didn't do it often. He knew her eyes changed color too, but that also took a lot out of her, so she tended to stick with one color for a while. Today, she'd chosen blue.

It was good to see her again, alive and breathing and… like thirteen.

Shaking his head, he tried to smile, but let her see how difficult it was. He could hopefully pass that off as frustration and anger at the made-up scenario, not at the fact that these children had died way too young. They always did.

"Uh, sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I… gosh, this is so embarrassing. It's just… the Hermes kids took my toiletries as a prank, and they think usingdrug storeshampoo and conditioner will be fine for a while." He injected some desperation into his tone. "They don't get how much effort goes into making yourself lookeffortless. So… um, I was wondering if I could buy some from someone… and maybe some gel? A little cover-up? And maybe keep it here until I get my stuff back?"

Selina's eyes grew progressively wider as he went on, ending on such a sympathetic expression, he wondered if he'd gone too far.

"You're not the first kid that's come to us with a similar problem. Until Mom c—um… until you get claimed, you're welcome to keep your stuff here!" She turned around and yelled out at the cabin. "Guys! Hermes emergency 5! Does anyone have anything extra?"

"Or anything I can buy!" Percy insisted loudly. "Please, I don't want to be a bother."

That… didn't help. To be fair, he'd had half expected what happened next, getting dragged into the cabin and getting his skin tone matched, a run-down on contouring, recommendations for the best hair products, and an assessment of what colors to wear to enhance his skin tone—basically, favor pale and bright colors, especially in blues and greens, double especially to match his eyes (they're so pretty and intense!), and how they could give him a haircut that could bring out his cheekbones or his jaw, which would he prefer?

He left with a new haircut and small bags of shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in conditioner, as well as a couple of cans of mousse for volume and some makeup in his 'shade'. To be fair, he'd wanted some to cover bruises and such anyway, but he still felt bad enough that he'd made sure to slip some cash to anyone who had given him anything.

The next morning, Amy came to him grinning from ear to ear saying that the entire Aphrodite cabin had placed bets on him being one of them. He'd have to keep up the routine to perpetuate the facade, but he still grinned from ear to ear and gave everyone in the Hermes cabin high-fives.

God Four, check.

xXx

Annabeth cornered him the next day after lunch, marching up and grabbing him, only to drag him behind the Hermes cabin while everyone else looked on with amused smiles.

Traitors.

"What are you playing at?" she asked angrily, arms crossing over her chest and gray eyes accusing. He'd forgotten that she'd been taller than him at this point. And he may or may not have had to stop himself from grinning dopily at her… even with that expression of anger and frustration.

"What do you mean?" he managed to ask.

"I've never seen a kid who could be both Athena and Aphrodite before. You know about the betting pool and are skewing the odds. Why?"

Percy couldn't help his grin as he leaned forward a little, he knew she'd figure it out. "I have my reasons, Wise Girl, though I'd appreciate it if you don't skew the results and tell people."

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't comment on his nickname for her. "So this is what, just some experiment?"

He shook his head. "No, that's just icing on the cake. Like I said, though, I have my reasons for it."

"Are you trying to tear this camp apart?"

Percy's smile dropped faster than a god could flash away. "What? No! Why would you say that?"

"Creating confusion, making people argue… I see how this could end."

Because she was the daughter of awar goddess. Ofcourseshe would assume those intentions. Percy took a deep breath.

"Trust me, if I wanted to destroy the camp, I wouldn't go about it this way." He'd just create a hurricane inside the barrier… but the very thought made himphysicallysick. That tended to happen when gods (and apparently demigods particularly in touch with their divinity) actively went against their domains.

"No, I want people totalk. I want campers to get to know other people from other cabins. I want something no one has to fight to the death over to be the topic of conversation. I want to help give these kids a chance at a semi-normal life for once."

He had to physically stop himself from showing aggressive body language. It wasn't her fault. She hadn't known she'd more or less just trampled all over his domains. (Domains heshouldn't haveat this point, but he did… yeah.)

She just stared at him, eyes wide and only occasionally blinking in her surprise. Then they narrowed in suspicion. He could tell she wasn't entirely satisfied, but she still nodded.

"I'm watching you," she finally said.

He felt himself relax before covering it with a huff. "Warning taken, Wise Girl."

"Annabeth," she said. "Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."

Percy held out his hand. "Percy Jackson." She took it and they shook. His heart may or may not have soared. Hers certainly didn't, but that was fine. Expected even. "A pleasure meeting you."

"Hmm," was all she said, before turning and walking away. He shook his head as he watched her go.

Then a question occurred to him. "Hey," he called after her. She didn't stop, but he went on anyway. "Who are you betting on?"

She didn't answer.

xXx

"Aunt Hestia," Percy said seriously, taking a seat beside the familiar girl at the hearth, "we have a problem."

She stiffened and looked at him warily–almost panicked. He wondered why until he thought back on his words.

"No, no," he assured, waving his hands as he shook his head emphatically. "Not a world-ending problem, I promise… but fixing it could really help us all. And it's something we'll have to keep in mind going forward from here on out. I didn't have a problem doing this, but… I know how gods can get so self centered… can you promise you'll remind me in the future?"

She studied him for several seconds, orange-red eyes intense. "Something to do with camp then." He nodded. "And you're still sure you'll take it over?"

He snorted. "If I don't, I'd better give up one of my domains." He folded his arms and rested them on his knees before settling his chin on top of them. "Someone has to make sure this camp is actually good for demigods."

Hestia's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You don't think it is now?"

He snorted. "Aunt Hestia, I love you, but have you seen the Hermes cabin?" Frowning, she turned to study the cabin he'd been staying in.

"I don't often see the inside of the cabins," she admitted slowly, "and I do suppose it is old and needs some repair. Is that the problem you have with it?" She turned her eyes on him skeptically.

Percy sighed. "Aunt Hestia, we have nearly twodozenchildren staying in that cabin right now, and I know for a fact that over the next year, it'll just get worse. All of the bunks are taken and some have to stay on the floor.For the entire summer. In a cabin where kids prank and steal for fun.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we didn't also have Artemis' and Apollo's cabins here, but with them, it's like rubbing favoritism and poverty in the Hermes' kids faces, not to mention the children of minor gods and goddesses who don't evenhavecabins of their own."

She turned towards the two named cabins, one shining silver and the other, gold.

"That's not pure gold, or silver," she said, but he could tell that it sounded weak even to her.

He shrugged and pointed to Zeus' 'cabin' (aka, temple) and she had to sigh. "I see your point."

"And maybe this is the Roman side of me coming out, but we're just notorganized. I mean, we don't have to go into military ranks and cohorts like they do in Camp… er, the other camp, but we need more of a system in place—for quests, for protecting the camp, for training… Right now, we're not pushing kids to really survive. And weneedto.Intensively. They graduate from camp and then what? They go off to college—if they've been able to get their GED—or find a job they can somehow keep with the monsters constantly coming after them? They have a path before them that leads to very little peace or rest. Is it any wonder they… we rarely last long enough tomakeit to college, let alone get to a point where we can start families of our own?

"As… your other self, I'm sure you know that there are several legacies over in the Roman camp. Why can't we have that here?"

"Did you in the future?" she asked quietly.

Percy sent her a wan smirk. "Of course. New Thebes, because Dad threw afitwhen we considered New Athens and your niece threw a fit when we considered New Corinth, as they tended to worship my dad."

"That does sound like them," Hestia said with a small smile.

"Weneedto fix this, Aunt Hestia," he said after a moment. "So much resentment has built up because of things like this. These kidslivehere a lot of the time. Often they don't have any good homes to go back to, and half of those that do aren'thealthyhomes. A good half of those families remaining just don'tunderstand(and don't or can't try), and the rest are mostly in poor situations where their parents have problems raising a child on their own without even child support because theirotherparent is the embodiment of anesoteric idea."

"No demigod life is easy," she said, even though she didn't sound like she believed it. She was just trying to play devil's advocate; Sticking up for family because it was her domain and… well, her family. But when it came to destructive and toxic behaviors, that only went so far.

"There's a difference between 'making it too easy' and 'setting them up for failureifthey're not killed or super talented'. How we have everything now hurts the entire pantheon, Aunt, and you know it."

She sighed tiredly. "I do. I suppose it just changed so gradually, I didn't notice." She slumped dejectedly. "But this is as much my fault as anyone else's for not seeing it and letting it happen."

Percy put a hand on her shoulder in support. "It's only your fault if you consciously noticed and let itkeephappening."

Hestia smiled over at him. "You're too kind, I think."

He snorted. "Tell that to the monsters I've killed."

They stared into the flames of the fire for several seconds before the goddess spoke again. "You want me to advocate for this, don't you."

Percy smiled. "I'd appreciate it, but if you don't think you can, or if you think it wouldn't help, I can find someone else."

She shook her head. "No, I can and will. First I will advocate for better accommodations for the campers, especially Hermes—"

"Don't forget the lunch table," Percy said with a grin.

She acknowledged him with an amusedly raised eyebrow. "—And I will plant the idea of an actual retreat for older demigods in some minds."

The time-traveler smiled gratefully. "Thank you aunt." He paused and thought for a moment, then frowned. "Why hasn't this been brought up before? We can't be the only generation to want this to change."

"Mainly because it tends to remind us of… our other sides," she admitted. "But… I think it's time we get past that."

Percy nodded. "No offense, but that's a ridiculous reason to not even consider something safe here. Do you guys really favor Rome over Greece that much? Or is it just more recent in your minds?"

"Nothing like that," she denied. "As I recall, the other camp simply came up with the idea first."

He snorted. "Figures."

They sat quietly for several seconds before Hestia once again broke the silence.

"Have you had a chance to speak with your father?"

Percy sighed. "No. I've prayed to him but he hasn't shown up. I even mentionedRome. Multiple times."

She snorted. "Perhaps Neptune took over instead?" Even she flickered a little as she looked into the fire again.

"I can't even mentionRomewithout that happening?" he asked, incredulous.

She shrugged. "With some of us. It was from hisGreekdemigod son, after all. It may have simply shocked him and because Rome is connected…"

Percy groaned. "Maybe I'll sacrifice to Neptune tonight then. Give him another shock."

She snorted. "I'd like to see the look on his—either side of his—face."

He grinned at her. "You're a prankster at heart too, aren't you." He didn't say it as a question.

She shrugged. "As long as it's harmless."

Percy chuckled. "Well, if this doesn't work, I may have to have you contact him, tell him to come and talk to me."

"I'll do that if this doesn't work," she agreed.

He smiled and leaned over to give her a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks, Aunt Hestia."

"No, thankyou, Percy, dear," she replied as he got up and made his way back to the crowded, broken-down cabin he'd been staying in.

He really did love talking to his aunt.

Chapter 9: Continuing the Prank and a Long Talk

Chapter Text

God Five would be the easiest. He planned on poking at his dad a bit more anyway, so he got together with the Hermes cabin and began brainstorming ideas.

"What about Poseidon?" he asked when they were wondering which god they should go for next.

"I don't know," Johan said, rubbing his chin. "How can we convince people you're a child of the sea, especially with the ban in place?"

Percy raised an eyebrow at him. "Weren't you the one who put our great king of the gods forth?" he asked sardonically.

Johan shrugged, running a hand through his dirty-blond hair. "I mean, who wouldn't believe he fell off the wagon again?"

The others nodded, although Percy did note Luke wincing and looking away.

"Again?" the time-traveler asked slowly.

Immediately, everyone seemed to freeze and quiet down, many glancing nervously at Luke.

"Never mind," Amy said hurriedly, rubbing her hands over her brown braid in a gesture of comfort and nervousness. "Poseidon sounds like a great one for now. I mean, if you were seen down by the beach often, I suppose… Could that work?"

"That wouldn't be enough," a girl named Mara called. She was a daughter of Nike, fifteen years old, extremely competitive, and focused to a fault, even—maybe especially—for ADHD demigods. She laid on her bunk, throwing a ball in the air and catching it, but Percy could tell her full attention was on them.

"Wait," Percy said slowly, "isn't he also the God of Horses?" Everyone turned to stare at him slowly before exchanging glances and nodding, almost in unison—well those who didn't shrug. "What if I'm seen by the sea—I can hold my breath for a long time 'cause my mom taught me, so what if I pretend I'm talking to the pegasiandthey see me by the beach, holding my breath for a while as I swim?"

Everyone contemplated that for several seconds.

"That's not bad, Perce," Luke said, ruffling his hair.

"I knew all of that studying Greek and Roman myths would come in handy," Percy said excitedly.

The other kids laughed. The time-traveler just smirked in triumph.

xXx

Percy went down to the beach that evening and allowed himself to swim and relax in the tide. It invigorated him more than just about anything else he could have done. Letting the water wash over him again and again almost lulled him to sleep. Almost. Because he still had a front to keep up.

Every time he came up from being underwater, he gasped for breath, making a show to the Hermes kids, mostly, that he was, indeed, faking it.

Later, while at the Aphrodite cabin, he mentioned not having gone to see the pegasi yet, and they'd practically dragged him there.

'Lord!'

'The young master comes!'

'Do you hear me, lord?'

'Did you bring any apples?'

'Or sugar cubes?'

Percy froze in his tracks and looked around. "Who said that?"

"Said what?" Drew asked, looking over her shoulder disdainfully—even as a nine-year-old, she pulled it off. The two of them had fallen to the back of the group that was now just outside of the stables. Everyone else turned to look at Percy at their outburst.

"Someone just called to me. Asked for apples… and sugar cubes."

No matter what anyone thought, most demigods weren't stupid. Some of the older kids put it together pretty fast, exchanging glances.

"Uh… Percy," the cabin counselor, a sixteen-year-old named Pierre, ventured carefully. "Hurry up here, will you?" Percy did as he was told, picking his way through the Aphrodite kids. Once he stepped into the stables, the horses wentnuts…well, inside his head. Thankfully, it was pretty normal for them to be curious about a newcomer. He was grateful Pegasi tended to be smarter than the average horse. He had to keep up some plausible deniability after all.

"What the Hades…?" he said, clamping his hands over his ears. "Who's yelling?Please stop!" They did. He slumped a little. "Thank you."

Then he played up a realization, letting his eyes go wide as he turned to Pierre. "Wait…can I hear the horses?!"

'Pegasus!'Several pegasi yelled indignantly.

'I know,' he sent back. 'I'm pranking the humans. This is part of the act. Sorry to offend you, though.'

'Oh,' several of them said, placated.

"I… think you can," Pierre said, exchanging a look with Selina.

"Which god can do that?" he asked excitedly. "I need to do some research!"

He turned to walk back out, but Pierre stopped him with a hand on his arm. "First, why don't you introduce yourself to the pegasi… and don't call them horses. They tend to get huffy when you do."

''Huffy,' he says,' one of the pegasi muttered.

Percy snickered. "That's a great idea. Thanks, Pierre!"

He hurried over to the first one. "Hi! I'm Percy! What's your name?"

Preferably your true name, not your given one, if you're comfortable with me saying it aloud,he clarified silently.

The pegasus, a beautiful, dapple-gray female, seemed highly amused. 'They call me Candy, my true name isShe Who Rides the Storms.'

'And I can say that aloud?'

If you wish.

Percy grinned. "She Who Rides The Storms," he said. "What a lovely name! Nice to meet you!"

"Uh… Percy," Selina said slowly as several of the others snickered behind him. "That's Candy."

The time-traveler looked up with innocent eyes. "But she says…" he paused, "Oh… that's hergivenname. By you guys." He turned to her. "What would you prefer I call you?"

'Either is fine, My Lord. Many Pegasi prefer their given name over their true name.'

"Okay, Candy it is. Lovely to meet you, Candy!"

He went around to each pegasus, introducing himself and patting them on the nose. He could tell the cabin was confused and even heard Selina and Pierre whispering to each other, wondering if there was a gift of Aphrodite dealing with speaking to Pegasai. Animals tended to like most Aphrodite kids, but actuallyspeakto them? Doves maybe… but pegasi?

He even heard Drew snickering to a group of fellow campers that he'd just been faking it the whole time. Which just made him smile more.

Mission accomplished.

God Five, check.

The next day, Poseidon appeared on the roster and he saw several Aphrodite kids look at that with confusion, realization, or disdain. Pierre and Selina fell into the first category, while most of the others fell into the latter two.

Percy grinned. It was time to move onto the next god.

xXx

That night, Percy finally,finallygot to meet his father in this timeline. As soon as he realized he was deep under water, and dreaming, he grinned and looked around. He found his father, looking regal and stern-faced, floating a couple of feet away. He was even dressed like his old Greek self.

Percy still grinned. "Hi, Dad."

His father's green eyes narrowed. "Perseus, explain."

The demigod held up his hands, placating. "I planned on it. I always planned on explainingeverything, which is why I needed to speak with youASAP. Sorry if I caused any… mishaps. I didn't mean to."

Poseidon closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We don't have a lot of time. Me contacting you like this isdangerous, Perseus."

"Percy," he said, "I prefer that."

His father's face fell into deadpan. "Percy."

Percy grinned, then waved his hand. Even if he wasn't a god anymore, he still knew how to create something comfortable for them to sit on in his own dream.

"Alright, Dad… can you guarantee no one else is listening in?"

His father eyed the chair that had appeared behind him—an armchair fit for a king—before he sat carefully, watching his son. "I would probably know at this point, but I will check anyway." He paused, then shook his head. "No. No one is listening."

Percy nodded, relieved, even as he sat in his own, plain but comfortable armchair, both still floating in the middle of the sea.

"Good. Because… I come from the future."

His father just stared. "Excuse me?"

Percy shook his head solemnly. "You heard right. I'm from about three hundred or so years in the future. And I have alotto tell you."

A pained expression crossed his father's face, even if he didn't say anything.

"Would you prefer if I swore on the Styx everything I say is true?" Percy volunteered.

Poseidon's troubled expression deepened. "No. That would just draw attention to us."

Percy sighed. "Fair enough.

"Let me start at the beginning then."

So he did. Poseidon made for a very good listener, eyes never leaving Percy as he explained more or less everything that had happened the first time, starting with the rise of Kronos—his eyes sharpened even more and wrinkles became more pronounced—then the war with the giants and Gaea. He even went into the Roman emperors quickly, but focused more on the giant war as that explained how he knew about the Romans and Neptune.

Being able to project images helped speed everything up, thankfully.

"So, you're from… how far in the future again?" his father asked when he'd finished. Percy ignored the 'supposedly' that silently echoed after that, even as he winced inside. It looked like he'd have to go intothatto convince his father. He'd even given the prophecies he'd fulfilled, at least two of which his father should know. But apparently that wasn't enough. Fine, he'd just keep going.

He took a deep breath and braced himself. "About 300 years."

"How?"

Percy closed his eyes. He'd explained this to his father once before but… it still wasn't something he liked to think back on, not in the least because of the trauma it had given his children.

"I lived to get married, you know," he said. "We thought I'd die at sixteen, but… I survived, Dad. My wife and I ended up living in New Rome. I was a house-husband, took care of the kids while my wife was the breadwinner. Which she was so good at…" he said fondly, thinking back on the many conversations he and Annabeth had had.

"Anyway," he forced himself back to the present (in the past, trippy), "we went on a vacation for a while. Annabeth had to work, so it was just me and the girls. We were going to Disneyland."

His father closed his eyes, already seeing where this story was going, but Percy pressed on. "We were told it was a monster trap, but we had a new cologne that was supposed to mask demigod scent. It had worked on me before but… apparently it wasn't strong enough to mask all three of us. We thought it would be, but… I guess some of it washed off or wore off or… something. I'd even reapplied it after every wet ride…" He sighed.

"We were attacked in the Haunted Mansion."

"You didn't," Poseidon said, hand covering his eyes. "Even I know that's a ride monsters love."

Percy sighed. "Yeah. Well… it happened. While people screamed and ran, I defended my girls from… a bunch of different monsters. Normally, I would have been fine, but… I got injured protecting them. They were only 5 and 8 at the time. I still won, and we ended up stumbling our way out. Obviously, I wanted to get them out of there.

"We met dozens of hellhounds in the parking lot, leading an even larger group of monsters: cyclopes—not loyal to you, obviously—laistrygonian giants, empousai…" he shuddered. "And I knew a bunch of them, Dad. They were there for revenge. They must have heard somehow, I'm still not surehow…

"Anyway, I took my sword out, told the girls to run and call their mother, then anyone else they could. Once they did, I fought. After Tartarus… I thought I'd never fight so hard again in my life, but I did. I had to stop them from getting to my girls that day. Wounded and scared for my family, I still fought. I made them bleed for every single step forward they took.

"But my efforts weren't enough.

"I don't know how long I'd been fighting for when I overextended." He sighed, rubbing his side just under his ribcage. "It was an empousa that got me, one I knew, named Kelli. She'd been waiting for the right moment, dodged inside my guard, and stabbed me. This was in the middle of a mini hurricane, mind you… because yes, I can do that even now. She kept saying how much more delicious I would be after everything, and then how good my daughters would taste. I heard them screaming and… I lost it, Dad.

"I stopped caring and… solidified all five of my domains in that fight. Demigods—because my daughters were demigods, Personal Loyalty, the Deep—so much destruction with the earthquake I caused, reaching as far into the Earth as I could to make the land listen to me, Destruction—I hope that's obvious, and liquid."

Poseidon's brow furrowed. "Liquid?"

Percy nodded and looked down. "When… when I was in Tartarus… um… something happened." Slowly, painfully, he told his father about Ahklys and what happened there. When he finished, he glanced up and winced. He'd never seen his father's face look so… blank before.

"Anyway, when I heard my girls screaming, I threw caution to the wind and I grabbed their blood—all of it. Of every monster there. I'd… been through a lot. Got exploded out of a volcano, even. Almost drowned in unfriendly water and a bog. But I don't remember anything hurting that badly before." He rubbed absently at his sternum, where it had justburned. He doubted he'd ever be able to forget that. "It hurt. So much… I knew I couldn't recover, but I had to protect them. So I pushed on, and made every single one of those monsters combust from the inside out.

"But… it didn't stop. The burning I mean."

He took a deep breath. "The next thing I knew I was a puddle on the ground, and had a sudden, very headache-inducing, awareness of every single drop of liquid in any part of the world that had ever been under our pantheon's control. I could also sense every demigod, and could feel my consciousness drawn to acts of loyalty. I could tell where every fault line on earth was, and I could sense anything that could be remotely destructive, how it could be destructive, and the kind of damage it would deal. The more destructive something was, the more I could sense it."

More blank blinking from his father. "That's… immensely powerful."

Percy snorted. "Yeah. I hated it."

There was a reaction. His father's eyebrows rose, but one fell a little after a second, giving him a confused expression.

Percy sighed. "The only reason I've ever wanted power was to protect the people I love. I don't care about control or accolades or being put on some pedestal… so I hated it, actually. If I could have, I would have moved on with Annabeth and my daughters to Elysium." He looked off into the distance, lost in painful but precious memories.

"I woke up to them crying over me, you know. And by 'woke'… well, you probably understand." Poseidon nodded slowly and Percy went on. "It took every ounce of strength I had to pull myself back together and be there for my daughters. I kept apologizing to them, holding on to them even as I forced myself not to melt. Eventually, I had to try and use new abilities to flash them back to Camp Ju… the Roman camp. It was closer."

Poseidon's form flickered at the name, and Percy sighed. He didn't realize how bad the fissure between the two sides had been at this time—how unstable. Well, hopefully they'd fix that.

"Risky," his father said.

Percy nodded. "But necessary. I dumped myself in the nearest fountain after dropping them off with friends I knew and just… let myself go until I recovered." He chuckled. "My wife almost killed me once I got a solid form again, before she thanked me for saving our daughters." He smiled sadly at the memory.

They sat there in a heavy but companionable silence for several seconds before Poseidon spoke again.

"You know, speaking of Ascending is usually looked on as hubris and treason. Demigods are killed for it…"

Percy snorted. "Yeah. Well, it's apparently supposed to happen this time too." He grumbled under his breath, despite his father's obvious amusem*nt. That was the Poseidon Percy remembered. His clothing had even changed to the terrible Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts he was so used to.

"I won't say this is unwelcome for me, even if I can tell you do not wish it," the god said.

"Yeah," Percy sighed, "that's what you said last time."

"You've given me much to think about, Son. If you are right and Father…" he faded off, troubled.

Percy nodded. "We need to start preparing now. Oceanus isn't staying out of this one. Or, at least, he didn't stay out of it in my memories."

His father closed his eyes and slumped back in his chair.

"This… will take time to think over."

"Yeah. Well, we have a little time. But we've probably been talking too long right now as it is."

Poseidon nodded again before meeting Percy's eyes.

"I am still not entirely convinced of this, but… I do believe you, for the most part. Again, I will think on what you have told me."

"Thanks, Dad," Percy said, grinning brightly. In the future, he would have hugged his father, but figured that would be a little too much at the moment.

They both stood… or floated off their chairs.

"Oh!" Percy said before Poseidon could send him back to his body, "I know I told you about the prank I'm doing, so… could you not claim me for a bit yet, even if some people figure it out?"

Poseidon raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I don't often get that request."

Percy felt his grin go a little sharp. "I have a chance to prank the entire pantheon, Dad. Come on." Well, not the gods really, he'd tell them asap, just so he didn't get smote and ascended too soon. But even a couple of seconds would be highly amusing.

Poseidon just shook his head incredulously. "Where in Chaos did you get that tendency from? Your mother?"

Percy answered with an unimpressed, and very pointed look.

His father seemed surprised.

"Surely not me," he said, only half in jest, "I'm the God of the Seas, not any kind of mischief."

Percy felt a smirk grow on his lips. "So you're saying youdon'twant to get one over on Hermes? That I should stop the prank?"

His father held up his hands. "Now, I didn't say that…"

"Uh-huh," Percy said, smirking.

"Oh, be off with you. You'll throw the entire pantheon into chaos before you even join it at this rate."

Percy just laughed out loud. "If I haven't, I've failed."

Poseidon laughed and waved his hand.

Percy woke in his sleeping bag in the Hermes cabin, already hearing some others get up and move around. Then he smiled.

He had to talk to Aunt Hestia.

Chapter 10: Gods 6 and 7

Chapter Text

After much thought, Percy came to the conclusion that he had no choice but to prank even the Hermes cabin with the next god. Number Six would probably be his favorite, if only because he'd be there to see the look on the god's face, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to it. The problem was, he didn't see a way he could keep plausible deniability for this one. The Hermes cabin would have to see some of hisactualabilities. Some of hisfuturedomain abilities, to be exact. But it was something he couldpotentiallybs his way through, so…

So this one he planned on his own, and at breakfast that morning, he asked for grape juice in the goblet. If anyone noticed the change, they didn't comment. Then, about half-way through the meal, he 'accidentally' spilled his glass, reaching out with his powers and grabbing the liquid, even as said glass toppled over, leaving a globule of purple-blue liquid floating in mid-air in front of him.

Gradually, conversation began to stop and everyone stared in surprise at the display of divine abilities. No doubt, people wanted to check what he was 'showing off' against the betting pool. Whispers starting up even louder after a long, quiet moment confirmed that. Percy just pretended to stare in shock.

"Percy," Luke asked slowly.

"I mean… I just got some grape juice. I like it sometimes… and I… um…"

Then his eyes flew wide and he hurriedly squirmed out of his seat, rushing up to Mr. D and Chiron, allowing the globule to follow behind him.

"Mr. D! Mr. D! Mr. D!"

"Perry Johanson. Whatever do you want?" the god asked, annoyed and not even bothering to look up.

Percy brought the liquid in front of Dionysus' face, forcing the god to focus on it, and by extent, the demigod in front of him. "I spilled some grape juice and didn't want it to fall and I felt this tug in my gut and then it did this! Are you my dad?!"

This time, the entire pavilion went almost dead quiet. Even Chiron was staring in utter shock and confusion. Mr. D had frozen, sitting far more still than Percy had ever seen him.

"Mr. D?" Percy asked, secretly gleeful. His reaction was even better than the time-traveler thought it would be.

"Mr. Ja… how old are you boy?" he asked, voice a little shaky.

"Um… eleven, sir. I'll be twelve at the end of the summer." Percy was still pleased, but he couldn't help his simultaneous confusion. He'd thought for sure Mr. D would just deny it and he'd slump dejectedly back to the Hermes table, a couple of campers would think Mr. D was lying, and that would be that.

Instead, the god turned to Chiron."Did I leave the camp twelve and a half years ago?"

"No," Chiron said. "Although you could have split your consciousness, I suppose. You have done that before," he gestured to the silent, wide-eyed twins sitting at the Dionysus table. They stared at the scene with open mouths, more astonished than just about everyone else there.

"That was coming up on a decade since my banishment… it was a bad time… some things are blurry," he muttered, much to Percy's surprise, and unease. This was getting out of hand too fast. If he took the prank too far, he could end up very punished… and punishments from the Olympians were never a good thing. He hadn't meant to actuallytrickthe god. Pranking and tricking were not the same thing in his book.

He gulped. This could go so badly. He may end up as a dolphin… although, he supposed that didn't soundtoobad…. Or would that jump start his ascension? Would he be a dolphinanda god? Well, he'd fit right in with the rest of his dad's kids, he supposed.

"That's when sobriety really hit me," Dionysus hissed under his breath. Then he wentpale, and Percy was starting to feel really bad, and he wished he knew how to back down. He knew he jumped into things, but he'd activelyplannedthis. He kind of hated that after centuries, he still didn't always think things through. Or… was that his child-brain kicking in? Or both?

(Both. It was totally both.)

(None of this would have happened had his Annabeth been there.)

"Chiron," the god asked, a little hysterically, "did I go so sober that I wentdrunk? Is that even possible?"

Chiron blinked, glanced between him and Percy a couple of times, and seemed to debate something.

"Isn't that… your domain?" he pointed out slowly. "I wouldn't know. In honesty, I'd ask you in any other instance."

Mr. D was getting a little hysterical now. "But he's onlyeleven! I don't remember having him, but he can control grape juice!" Something seemed to occur to him then and he went almost a pasty white. He almost looked like a middle-aged, fat, Greek statue. "Is he a demigod of SOBRIETY?!"He pointed at Percy as if he were an utter horror. At that point, Percy wasn't sure if Mr. D was pranking him back or if he really believed what he was saying.

Okay, time for damage control. "Um… my mom always said I look like my dad," Percy said slowly. "Gods can change their shape, right. So… have you ever taken a shape that looks like me?"

Mr. D seemed to watch him carefully, and then started to relax. "No. No, I didn't.."

"Oh. Then… maybe it's not you," he looked down, 'disappointed' (secretly very relieved).
Dionysus simply continued to watch Percy for several seconds, eyes narrowed.

"There's something different about you… isn't there," he finally said. "I didn't notice it before but… your domains…" he said that last part quietly. Percy doubted anyone but those nearest would hear. He still winced. Athena's table was close by…

"Then how…?" the god went on. At times like this, Percy realized just how sharp Mr. D could be. After several seconds, the god shook his head. "No. That's not possible… there's another explanation. But…" he glanced around. "I see what you're doing. Very well."

He stood and addressed the entire pavilion.

"Mr. Jorgensen here has brought a valid point to my attention. As much as many of us on Olympus would like to think, we are notactuallyperfect. Very nearly, I'll admit—" Percy scoffed, but Mr. D ignored him, "—but sometimes even our children fall through the metaphorical cracks. None of us like that when it happens. So if you have not been claimed yet, please talk to Chiron about a list of potential gods who may be your parent. Pray tothemand don't bother me with nonsense like this."

And there was the Mr. D Percy remembered. He sighed and shook his head with fond annoyance (if still some wariness). Mr. D eyed him again before standing up.

"I'm going to go take a nap," he said before walking away.

Percy watched him go, still wondering if his prank had backfired… if he'd just been pranked himself. He looked down at the grape juice still hovering in front of him, and then up at Chiron, a little lost.

"Percy, may I have a word with you?" the centaur asked pleasantly.

Percy nodded, following Chiron out of the pavilion and up to the big house. Mr. D was nowhere to be seen, but Percy kind of preferred that. It meant his chances of remaining human were pretty good. He liked those odds.

Eventually, he found himself sitting in front of the old centaur's cluttered desk, staring into the grape juice still floating in front of him like it held the answers to the world's secrets.

"Percy," Chiron said, scooting forward an empty mug that said 'World's best teacher' though 'best' had been crossed out and the word 'oldest' written above it–. "You can put that in here."

Nodding, Percy let the liquid fall into the mug and sat back, releasing his hold on it and letting out a breath of relief. He'd forgotten how much using his powers took out of him at this age. It seemed his own domains were no exception.

He didn't know how long they sat there in silence before the old teacher cleared his throat. "You're playing a dangerous game, Perseus."

"Percy," he muttered. "Unless you want me to destroy, it's Percy." The words were so ingrained in him by now, he almost didn't realize he'd said it.

Chiron frowned, though not in disapproval, the demigod thought, more in puzzlement.

"Names have power," Percy whispered.

"They do," Chiron muttered, half to himself. "In any case, I'm pretty sure I've worked out who your father is." He paused and glanced around, then closed his eyes, probably checking for divine ears. After a moment, he frowned, then reached out and tapped what looked like a glass sphere on his desk twice. It glowed green, then purple, and finally settled on a blue color (Percy approved). Once the color had stabilized, Chiron nodded in satisfaction and turned back to Percy. "I'm pretty sure I know who your father is. You had water in that grape juice, I'm assuming."

Percy sighed and sat back. "Something like that," he said tiredly.

Chiron picked up on his dodge, but didn't say anything about it. He was good at that. Instead, he intertwined his fingers and leaned forward, his elbows resting on stacks of papers on his desk.

"Percy, tricking the gods is never a good thing."

The time-traveler shook his head, turning to look out the window at the pavilion still visible down the hillside. "I didn't mean to." Then he glanced at Chiron out of the corner of his eye. "Are you entirely sure I wasn't pranked right back?"

The ancient being stroked his beard a couple of times before answering. "I think what happened back there had a deeper, more complex impact than anyone has yet realized, including myself and Mr. D.."

Percy thought about that for a moment before nodding. "You're probably right."

"Between you and me, I often am," Chiron said, a small smile growing on his lips. Percy returned it wanly.

"You're going to continue with this, aren't you," Chiron went on, voice more quiet as he eyed the still-blue sphere. "This convincing-everyone-your-godly-parent-is-yet-another-Olympian act."

Percy frowned. He didn't want to stop the prank but…

"Only if I tell all the gods and goddesses that I'm not actually their kid first. I want them to know that it's not my intention to try and trick them. Not really. Just prank the demigods and nature spirits. I really thought this would be funny for everybody." And he honestly hadn't thought he would be able to trick them for more than a couple of seconds at most. How had he misjudged so badly? He didn't like to think about it, but he had to ask himself if his own godhood had gotten to him. The fact that he didn't know the answer just made his suspicions worse. He swallowed down his instinctive revulsion at the idea.

"Hmm," Chiron said, studying Percy intently. "Well, I can't stop you, but I agree that it would do well for you to tell the gods before you go any farther."

The time-traveler nodded. "Right. I'll do that. Thank you, Chiron."

He stood and turned to leave, but the centaur stopped him.

"Oh, one thing I heard from Mount Olympus: someone put forth the idea of rebuilding or adding onto the Hermes cabin. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?" He raised his eyebrow in pointed amusem*nt, and soft accusation.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Percy replied with such fake innocence, there couldn't be any way Chiron would miss it, not after millenia of Hermes kids. Still, more context never hurt. So he scratched his head. "Well, there was this one girl by the fire I was talking to about the cramped conditions, though."

If anything, that just made Chiron look simultaneously more amused and puzzled. "I see."

No, he really didn't. Not yet.

"Great!" Percy said brightly. "Bye, Chiron!"

With that, he hurried out of the room and down the hall. He needed to go somewhere and really think about everything. He was so lost in his thoughts, he only barely saw the figure in front of the back door before he stopped. Then he balked. Mr. D stood there, except it wasn't the fat, beer-belly persona that reminded Percy of Gabe. No, it was the handsome, 20-year-old that Percy had grown more used to recently. In his Greek attire, even.

"Mr. Jackson."

Percy gulped. If Dionysus remembered his name and wasusingit…

The odds lied. He wassobecoming a dolphin.

"I've never seen your domains before. Not in the current gods."

The former god winced. "You can see them, then?"

"Most of them, most of the time. It's not my domain, but I am connected to this camp. The thing is, so are you. And not in a way that I've seen any demigod connect to this camp before. It recognizes its own."

"Uh…" Percy said eloquently.

"Your domains tend to get more vague after that. You could be a child of old Barnacle Beard, or any one of the minor gods and goddesses of the ocean and waters—up to and including the five major rivers of the underworld, for all I know."

Percy couldn't help wincing again. He didn't like to think of those. It reminded him of Tartarus. Even after all this time. He thought he'd gotten it under control, and normally it didn't give him an issue, but he was already on edge, and this confrontation wasn't helping.

"Something dealing with the ocean, and with other demigods… though there's more there. There's something like war as well, but… more? Hmm. And… well, well, a state of being… those are your own. The rest I can't see so well because they belong to your parent. But those are yours, and yours alone.

"I've only ever seen this once: when Apollo was turned mortal."

Percy didn't meet the god's eyes, but he didn't look down either, staring ahead and clamping his mouth closed. They stood in a standoff for several minutes before Dionysus shrugged.

"Well, I suppose it's none of my concern. You wouldn't be connected to the camp if you meant it any harm, so I'll let this go for now. Although…" he suddenly grew larger and darker, his aura pouring out of him in heavy, stifling waves, hair flying around him like an overgrown mass of sapient vines. "This is your one andonlywarning. Be thankful I am gracious enough to give it to you: Never try to trick me again."

Percy had to swallow and force his own divinity out just to stay standing, but he managed to do so and finally met the god's glowing gaze. In it, he saw madness… but it wasn't anything he hadn't dealt with before. Admittedly, he could feel his mortal mind strain, but Dionysus wasn't trying to kill him or drive him insane, just give him a warning.

He wondered if the god saw his trauma… Probably. He may have to do some damage control there.

Forcing himself to swallow, he pushed his next words out. "To be fair, sir, I did not mean to trick you and I am sorry for it." He'd meant to screw with Dionysus by screwing with the campers. He wasn't stupid enough to try and dupe him about his own domain. Hence why his prank had gone way too far. The situation was potentially still salvageable, but he'd definitely need to be more careful in the future.

Once again, they stood there in a stand off until Mr. D backed down… and then he was back to the stout body in a Hawaiian shirt. Why do gods like those again? Even as one, Percy hadn't understood.

"Hmm. You'd better be. Now, off with you, Mr. Jackson."

Still using his name. Still not good. "Yes, sir."

Percy ducked by him and hurried back to the Hermes cabin, which was thankfully empty. They were supposed to go to the archery range about this time, right? Something like that. He didn't particularly care as long as he got the time to himself that he needed. Part of him wanted to go swimming, just lose his troubles in the waves, but… what if someone saw him? He wasn't in the right mind to keep up a facade at the moment.

So he sighed and pushed that aside, instead going to make a list of gods he would pray to and tell them about the prank. He'd probably be going through that for several days because he wanted to sacrifice to them as well. Ah, well.

xXx

Once he finally met up with the rest of the cabin, they'd cornered him on what had happened. He told them more or less the truth, that he wasn't entirely sure, but he'd seen an opportunity with the prank… and then it had backfired.

"Percy, you're lucky you aren't a dolphin right now," Johan scolded.

"Yeah… Mr. D threatened me with that. I think he could tell I wasn'tentirelyserious when I asked if he was my dad."

"If you're not one of his kids," Mara started thoughtfully, "then how could you do what you did?"

Percy sighed and shrugged. "I just… felt it."

No one seemed to know what to say to that.

Except Luke. "Can you do that with just grape juice? Or other liquids too?"

Of coursehewould ask the right question. Percy pretended to think about that for a moment. "You know… now that you mention it…"

"Does someone have anything liquid on them?" Luke shouted at the rest of the cabin.

"I have some water."

"I have a co*ke."

"Gatorade."

"Alright, set them up in front of Percy, here." Several of the kids came forward with drinks, mostly different types of sodas, a couple of water bottles, the Gatorade, and a cold coffee. Everyone stared at that kid when he set it down, an unclaimed red-head about fourteen years old.

"What?" he asked. "It calms me down and helps me focus. Too many sodas on the regular could give me an ulcer, so…"

"Fair enough," Luke said, then eyed Percy, who was wondering if they knew coffee could cause ulcers too.

Noticing the attention was back on him, the time-traveler swallowed, wondering why he was nervous (probably because this wasLuke) and focused on the liquids. He had to put on the act of someone who didn't know exactly what they were doing so…. He reached out, and the sodas exploded, showering everyone nearby, who ended up shrieking or cursing and backing away.

"I'm sorry!" Percy said, meaning it. He could tell that had genuinely freaked a couple of the kids out, which made him feel guilty.

"It's fine, Percy," Luke said, wiping diet co*ke off his face. "Maybe try again, but with less force this time?"

"Um…" Percy replied, then reached out with his physical hand and opened all the bottles. He got a couple of self-deprecating snickers for that, and some grateful smiles.

Making a show of it, he held his hand out and caused the liquid inside three bottles next to each other to shoot jerkily into the air. The Hermes cabin kids backed away at the sudden movement, but came closer when they just floated there.

Ethan was the first one to step forward and poke at the nearest liquid. It rippled and he came away with a fine coating of Gatorade on his finger, which he licked off.

With that, more kids came forward, beginning to talk in hushed voices as they poked, prodded, and studied the floating liquid.

"So… um… does anyone know who this could be from?" Percy asked a little sheepishly.
Everyone in the cabin turned to him, then glanced between each other, at a loss. Percy sighed, hoping it came off as depressed instead of relieved.

"Maybe one of the sea gods?" Mara ventured.

Scratch that relief. But he would not panic. Keeping a firm hold on his emotions, Percy managed to look at her cautiously. "They can do this?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"I think it's just water for them," another unclaimed kid, a girl not much older than Percy with brown, highlighted hair said. He wondered why he didn't know her, but she didn't look familiar. Had she never come back next summer? Or had she gone with Luke…?

"What if he's a son of aPrimordial?" Ethan said, single dark eye fixed on Percy. That comment shocked the former god enough to lose concentration on the liquid and it all plummeted to the floor, splashing everywhere. Of course.

"I'm sorry,what?" Percy asked, flabbergasted. He hadn't thought someone would gothere. Probably because it wasn'tremotelyclose to true.

Ethan shrugged. "My mother's Nemesis. She's the daughter of Nyx, the Primordial, so on the level of a Titan. Probably a Primordial goddess herself."

Everyone stared at him.

"You haven't been claimed, yet…" Johan said slowly. "How do you know that?"

Ethan snorted. "There's no reason to claim me. Any god outside the Council doesn't have a cabin. That's what she said when I saw her on my way here this year." He put a hand over his eye patch.

More silence. "Ethan," Amy said slowly, "it's not just about cabins."

"No," he responded viciously, "it's aboutrespect, whichnoneof the supposed 'minor gods' get around here."

Several people backed away from him. Percy glanced at Luke, who stood in the back, smirking.

The time-traveler had to step in.

"Do you hate it here that much?" he asked bluntly, purposefully drawing attention back to him. Everyone seemed a little shocked both by Ethan's outburst and Percy's question. Even Ethan looked surprised by the question. No one said anything, so Percy decided to elaborate.

"I haven't been here long, but… despite me having to sleep on the floor and not being claimed, this cabin welcomed me. And I don't know about everyone else, but I like having you here."

"Yeah, me too," Chris said.

"And me," Amy piped up.

"Duh," Mara said.

Then everyone more or less threw their two cents in. Ethan looked genuinely gobsmacked.

"I… um…" He coughed. "No, I do like it here. I just… it's not fair."

"Not balanced?" Percy asked wryly as he stood and stepped forward.

Ethan huffed but nodded.

"Then let's change it," Percy said, holding out his hand at Ethan. "Let's make it more balanced! By the time we leave the camp, it'll be better than ever!"

Ethan snorted, looking up at Percy in wary amusem*nt. Then he took the hand.

"You still might be the son of a Primordial, though. Or maybe a Titan. I heard Oceanus wasn't ever thrown into Tartarus."

He smirked.

Percy groaned.

In the corner, Luke seemed thoughtful if annoyed, though when he saw Percy looking at him, he smiled and shot him two thumbs up.

Percy really needed to find a good time to start that conversation.

The next day, three new bets appeared on Amy's odds list: Dionysus, Oceanus, and 'Primordial', with extra incentives if someone guessed the correct Primordial.

Percy sighed and talked himself out of hiding for the day… or destroying something.

(The latter one was much harder.)

xXx

After that whole fiasco, Percy was a little more cautious when it came to God Seven. Actually, he decided #7 wouldn't even be an actual god. Ethan had sparked another idea after the whole 'Primordial' thing.

Unfortunately, that idea would also have to show off some of his actual powers. Powers he hadn't even tested himself yet. Not extensively. Hopefully this one wouldn't be in danger of getting him turned into a dolphin. At least Aunt Hestia said she'd protect him if it came down to that, but it wasn't a free pass. If he deserved a punishment, she'd find one fitting instead. He gulped and nodded. Message received loud and clear.

It was always the quiet ones…

The thing was, he needed to find his limits, which meant experimentation. He couldn't exactly do that with his destruction domain (although he could feel that one itching to be released, and he'd have to address it soon or risk it boiling over at the worst time) or with his 'deep ocean' domain. His loyalty and demigod domains were being tested constantly, and he knew he couldn't mess with his father's domains too much without giving the game away.

That just left his liquid domain, which he'd already shown off to the Hermes cabin. That one had almost become passive as he could still sense the liquid around him, but he wanted to see if he could still become liquid… or somewhat liquid, even. Without killing himself of course.

And who better to help him than one of the naiads? Besides, if he was seen talking to one of them while becoming liquid, he hoped people would put two and two together (and not get twenty-two).

He also really hoped this wouldn't push him into ascending, which was another reason why he wanted to attempt this near naiads. They should be able to talk him down if he panicked, and in this eleven-year-old body, that wasn't as unlikely as he'd like to hope.

Of course,explainingthat to them proved to be… difficult. They didn't outright call him 'lord', but with their deference and cautious flirtations, he was pretty sure they knew exactly who he was.

"You want us to… help you with your water powers?" one of the Naiads who had come to him when he'd called for help asked.

Percy sighed. They kept getting hung up on water. Which… fair, but in the end, he figured he'd just have to show them.

"Look, I'm going to try something," he finally just said, "and I need you here in case I panic. Okay?"

They all nodded hesitantly, and Percy smiled.

He started with his hair. Because he didn't reallyneedhis hair—no matter what the Aphrodite kids said. He closed his eyes and focused on the memory of his body becoming liquid, then pushed that to his hair.

For the longest time, nothing happened, and he had to push harder. And harder. His gut was beginning to hurt…

And then one of the naiads gasped. Opening his eyes, Percy smiledwhen he sawhis hair literally melting to drop down into the lake below.

"That's… not water…" one of the naiads said slowly. Percy smirked a little at her and tried to feel for the liquid that was his hair below. Then he frowned. He couldsenseit… but not bring it back to him. It felt too diluted.

He'd never had that problem in the future.

"Hmm," he said after a moment, staring down at the water. And was it just him, or did his hair look shorter…? "You know what, I know it's anticlimactic, but I think that's as far as I'll go with this for now, ladies."

"Did you have naiad or neriad blood in your mother's lineage?" one of the naiads asked. "It could have been brought out by your… um… other side?"

Percy rubbed his chin at that. "You know, that's… a really good explanation. Huh." Then he smirked back at them. "You can spreadthatrumor around. Thanks for your help."

xXx

After he'd sacrificed to the gods on his "let them know it's amortalprank" list, he sat down with the rest of Hermes cabin, only to notice Amy staring at him dryly.

"What?" he asked.

She slid the paper, written in Greek of course, with the betting pool on it over to him. At the bottom, he saw a large list of nature spirits who had some sort of bet on his parent being a naiad or neriad. Specified that it may be back in his maternal lineage.

"Anything you want to tell us?" she asked, flipping her long, blond braid over her shoulder as she leaned forward to glare at him.

"I was practicing by the lake and I… um… almost kind of turned into a liquid?"

Groans echoed around the table.

"What the actual—" Chris started, then glanced over at Luke. "Um… yeah, what the actual, man?"

Percy smiled sheepishly and went back to eating.

'Gods' Six and Seven, Check.

Chapter 11: Annabeth Makes a Guess and We See The Demigod Domain in Action

Chapter Text

"Poseidon."

Percy jumped about a mile, then berated himself for his lack of situational awareness. So many things could have told him someone was sneaking up on him… or just walking up behind him, but he'd been distracted brainstorming more ways he could make people think he belonged to some of the other gods. And not only had he been at camp, but on the beach, which meant he'd felt particularly secure. Which was actually a good thing because after Tartarus that hadn't happened for years but…

Yeah, there was a lot of baggage to unpack there. So… later.

"Excuse me?" Percy asked, whipping around, only to see one Annabeth Chase standing above him, arms crossed. She seemed more wary of him than before, but her body language looked relaxed and non-combative.

"Can I sit down?"

He frowned. "Of course." He didn't own the beach. The Camp did, so he supposed the gods did… and he wasn't one of them yet, so yeah.

Carefully, Annabeth sat in the sand, gray eyes studying him. "I think your father is Poseidon."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. Yeah, he knew she'd get it, but he wondered how she'd explained everything he'd shown so far and come to that conclusion.

"And I think you used to be a god."

Percy dropped his notebook and his jaw fell open. How had she figured that out?! No, seriously… HOW?!

"That's how you can control liquids, I'm guessing. It's an augmentation or evolved domain from your father's. He has shown a great deal of… um… power in the past, and most children of the big three tend to be able to fight really well, so that explains that. He was known as the strategist of Olympus before my mother was born, so that's how you could know strategy, plus being a several hundred or thousand year-old god could give you that, as well as whatever you did to convince the Aphrodite cabin. It would also explain why you want to keep your parentage secret, and so why you cooked up this as a 'prank' for the Hermes cabin.

"But another divine being or monster has to be involved somehow because of what you've shown… which means either a legacy on your mortal parent's side—which is super rare—or you're half monster—doubtful as the camp boarders wouldn't let you through—or a god yourself. Or you used to be, and you're mortal now.

"It would also explain why you said 'these kids' to me when regarding the rest of the camp and why Mr. D talked about your domains at the pavilion."

He could only stare in wonder at this girl with such an amazing intellect. For a moment, he had to squash down an old anger that always stoked his destruction domain. It wasn't directed at her (never at her) but at those who had separated him and his wife. Who had taken this amazing girl from him.

He stomped on it hard. Getting upset here would do no good.

Besides, he'd promised.

"Have you told anyone else about your theory?" he asked, voice a little rough.

She glanced warily at him but shook her head. "No. I… figured if you're here and I'm right, you have a reason."

"I appreciate that," he said, shaking his head, feeling his anger subside to something more manageable… more normal. Then he leaned back on his hand, half buried in the sand, as he regarded her.

"Okay, I'm curious. Which 'god' do you think I am, then?"

She shrugged. "I have a list." She took a folded piece of paper out of her back pocket and handed it to him. He opened it and glanced over it. The fact that Triton was on it gave him no endless amount of amusem*nt. The fact that Chrysaor was on it did not.

"Alright, so how do you explain my mother then?" he asked. "I know several people saw her while she was here, so you have to know about her."

Annabeth frowned. "Could have been a nymph posing as your mother, or another goddess… why else would she be here?"

Percy smirked, reached into his pocket, then pulled out a drachma and a crystal he'd recently been able to buy at the camp store.

"Oh, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering! I'd like to speak to Sally Jackson in Manhattan," and he gave her the address, all the while smirking at a wide-eyed Annabeth.

The rainbow cleared and an image of his mother appeared in the sand. She was down on her hands and knees, scrubbing something.

"Mom?" he asked.

She jumped and turned around. "What the… Oh! Percy!" she paused, looking him up and down. "So this is an Iris Message, huh?"

"Yup!" Then he grinned wider. "Did you finally get him out?"

She smiled sharply. "He's gone. Divorce will be finalized in… well, not soon enough, but my evidence should speed it up. Then I sued him for money owed. I think the judge was sympathetic to me or your father helped out because he awarded me everything I asked. So I was able to quit one of my jobs and have been trying to clean up this mess ever since."

Percy beamed. "That's great to hear!"

She nodded, then looked at the shell-shocked girl sitting beside him. "So, who is this, honey?"

He sent her a warning look before introducing them. "Mom, this is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Annabeth, this is my mom, Sally Jackson."

His mother's eyebrows rose in surprise for a moment. Then she grinned slyly. "Oh? Annabeth?"

"Mom," he said, voice deadpan.

She just grinned wider, then held up her hands. "It's my right as a mother to tease my pre-teen son about future crushes."

"MOM," he hissed, hating how he felt himself blush, both from the pain of old memories and embarrassment. He looked over at Annabeth, who was blushing too and staring down at the sand.

Sally laughed. "I'm sorry, honey. I'll make you some cookies to make up for it?"

He grumbled. "Double batch."

"Of course."

"Blue?"

"Naturally."

He grinned. "You are forgiven."

"Over cookies?" Annabeth asked.

Percy just sniffed at her. "You've never tasted her cookies before."

His mom laughed again. Then she looked around and her grin faded. "As much as I love talking to you, honey, I don't have a lot of time to get this place clean before the inspection."

"Inspection?" he asked, worried. "Are you leaving?"

She nodded. "I don't want to chance Gabe coming back here. He's already tried once, and I called the cops on him. So I have another apartment set up."

"Is everything okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes," she said, placating. "But just to be safe, you know?"

"I should be there, helping you," he said. "I can leave right now and—"

"Don't you even think about it. You have things you need to learn there, don't you?" she asked, eyes darting to Annabeth and back. "Friends to make, a life to live. I can pack this all up on my own. I actually have a lot of free time now."

Percy frowned. "But…" he started, already knowing it was futile.

"No buts about it, young man. If I need your help, I'll contact Chiron…" she paused, frowning. "I'm sure I have his number in my purse."

"I'll get you a card or the number if I have to," he assured her. Then he looked down, feeling guilty. It had been a week since he last talked to her, and he'd only gotten a crystal that morning? What kind of a son was he? "Sorry I haven't called you recently."

"You were getting settled at Camp, honey. I understand. Now, why don't you call me tomorrow, huh? If I get everything done that I need to tonight, I should have some time."
Percy smiled wanly at her. "Okay. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie. Nice to meet you Annabeth. If he can, Percy should bring you around for cookies. You'd be welcome in my home."

The blond just nodded and Percy's mother turned back to him. "It was wonderful to see you, honey. I'll get back to work now. Bye!"

"Bye, Mom."

Hesitantly, he brushed his hand through the rainbow and her image disappeared. For a moment, he bit his lip. Should he not listen and head back to New York to help her? He could go there and make it back to camp in a couple of days. He could even take Annabeth if she wanted to come…

Then again, would Chiron even let them go?

"Okay, she was definitely mortal… and you definitely care for her," Annabeth said slowly, as if working something out in her head.

"But…" he prodded.

"But what I said before still stands," she said, frustrated. "How else could you have your own domains? I heard Mr. D say that!"

Percy stiffened a little. "What else did you hear him say?"

She huffed. "Just what was said at the pavilion. I can't go invisible or anything so I couldn't follow you." She grumbled that last part under her breath. Oh, so she didn't have her Yankee's cap yet? Good to know.

Eventually she fell back into the sand, arms spread out, and groaned. "I will figure you out, Percy Jackson. I promise."

He just grinned. "I look forward to it."

With that, she got up and walked away. He watched her go, brushing her shirt and jeans off before starting on her hair, grumbling about sand the entire time.

Then he looked back down at the list he still had in his hands. He still couldn't help but smile at the name 'Triton' there at the top. His brother would never live this down if he could help it. Well, once they had a decent relationship in any case.

xXx

Gods Eight and Nine came by accident about two weeks into his stay at camp.

That night had been rough, both outside and in with a harsh wind blowing around the borders. The prank wasn't on hold, per se, but a lot of the cabin seemed to need time to warm back up to it, which he thought was completely understandable. In response, he'd gone from brainstorming ideas for the prank with the Hermes cabin and on his own, to brainstorming ways to start the conversation with Luke. Unfortunately, he… wasn't good at it and had come to the conclusion he'd probably just have to pull his usual nonsense and bumble his way through it.

Frustrated and annoyed, he'd gone to sleep a little later than he wanted to, and was plagued with dreams of the future, how the camp had gone downhill without him, how Apollo had taken over and was doing his best, but…

He didn't know what time he opened his eyes, but it was late. Trying to figure out what had woken him, he reached out to his domains, almost on habit, and frowned. It was vague, but he could sense danger coming towards the camp. Monsters, he thought. But… not strong enough to get past the barrier. Groaning, he rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. The idea of walking out to face the problem did not appeal to him for some reason. He frowned. Since when did he back down from a fight? A comparatively easy fight. He'd never been nervous of going outside the camp before, but even the thought of stepping past the border unnecessarily… well, it didn't scare him, but it was close. That was new. What?

It took him a moment to realize why. Ascension. He didn't want to ascend again—wanted to put it off for as long as possible. He knew the kind of fights he would have to face in the coming years, but he'd have to face them as a demigod… or not at all. If he ascended, he'd have to leave everyone to fend for themselves, with only what little help he could swing to give them due to the rules; rules that would very much be enforced by the Drama Queen of Sparks, no matter the consequences. He couldn't do that—had to prevent that at all costs, and every time he fought, he would risk getting lost in one of his domains, like destruction. Even in fairly minor fights, if he used too much power, he could ascend. But he also didn't have a firm grasp on his power levels right now. Not really. He knew what he could do if pushed… but if he made a particularly bad judgment call, and died, he'd ascend (or end up in Asphodel).

Neither of those appealed to him. So, while knowing monsters were outside the border felt like an itch he couldn't scratch, if they wouldn't make it past Thalia's tree—

Fear that wasn't his zinged through him, cutting off his thoughts. His eyes widened and he sat bolt upright. A demigod! The monsters were chasing a demigod!

Styx!

For a moment, his two fears clashed. He didn't want to leave and risk ascending but… he couldn't leave a demigod out there alone. He couldn't. And as a god of loyalty, he wouldn't. Determined, he kicked his way out of his sleeping bag, stumbled to his feet and headed for Luke. The guy may be a traitor to the gods, but he'd help demigods now.

"Luke," he hissed, shaking the older boy. "Luke!"

Luke sat straight up, reaching for Percy's neck out of habit, probably. Or trauma. Half expecting it, Percy yelped and ducked, waiting for the other demigod's eyes to clear.

"Percy?" the Son of Hermes asked, croaked really, voice thick with sleep. "What's wrong?"

"Monsters are chasing someone to camp!" he whispered urgently. "They need help!"

Luke (and several others they'd accidentally woken) stared at Percy for several seconds. Then, to his credit, the blond rolled out of bed, scrambled for his shoes and shoving his feet into them before grabbing his sword.

"Hermes cabin! Anyone who can fight! Follow me!"

"What's going on?" someone asked. Percy didn't bother to see who, leaving it to the others to explain. He simply grabbed his own shoes and sword and followed the son of Hermes out the door and into the warm, summer night. Luke seemed to be waiting, or he'd turned around because they almost ran into each other.

"Where are they, Percy?" he asked.

Closing his eyes, Percy reached for his domains again.

"That way," he said, pointing off to the left, past the big house and Thalia's tree.

"Typical," Luke muttered. "Let's go!"

Percy nodded and they both started running for Half-Blood Hill.

About half-way there, something sharp ran through Percy's stomach and he cried out.
"Luke! They're hurt!"

Luke cursed and turned around, half running, half walking backwards. "Jake! Get the Apollo campers and tell them to meet us over here!" Then he grabbed Percy's arm. "Show me where."

Nodding, Percy focused on rushing forward, up the hill and past Thalia's tree, Luke by his side. That felt weird to realize, but was something he'd have to deal with later. Right now, he had a life to save.

"Over there!" he yelled, pointing towards a nearby field.

"Hurry!" Luke yelled, then glanced over his shoulder. "This way!"

Percy also looked behind them and saw several Hermes campers running after them. He let out a breath of relief just before something pierced his shoulder… or it felt like it, but nothing was there. The demigod again…

He hadn't been this in tune with a demigod's emotions for a long time…

Grunting, he braced his teeth against the pain that faded and they continued to run. They heard yells and screams in the distance, and ran faster, shoes pounding against the road.

He didn't notice the clouds gathering overhead until the rain began to pelt them. In front of him, Luke cursed, but didn't slow down.

"Over here!" Percy yelled when Luke slowed at the edge of the field. The time-traveler didn't so much as pause, plowing through the half-grown rows.

A loud braying of a Satyr in pain made him clench his teeth harder and he willed himself to go faster.

He caught the commotion and movement at the far corner of the field not long after, and hurtled through the night, yelling angrily at the hellhound the size of a minivan.

"Percy!" Luke yelled behind him, but Percy didn't stop. He slid under the hellhound with his unbalanced sword, and sliced upwards with all the strength his little limbs could muster. The monster fell into gold dust.

Then he saw a dracaena looking at him, surprised eyes wide and glowing. Angrily, he threw himself forward, sword braced to slice her head off, but she dodged, swiping at him as he rushed by.

"Sisters!" she screamed.

Cries from behind him answered, but he had twisted aside, and was already leaping at her again. She wasn't fast enough this time, and his sword pierced her side. Throwing all of his power behind the pull, he sliced sideways and she returned to Tartarus.

Then he had to duck as more swipes came at him. He rolled and jumped onto the next dracaena's back, stabbing down before she could move. With a cry, she was gone too.

Rain was coming down in rivulets now and Percy knew the storm belonged to him. His destructive side tended to come out like that in battles.

"Where did all these hellhounds come from?" he heard Luke yell and leaped in that direction.

There was one last dracaena fighting Johan behind Luke, who was battling with a hellhound along side several other campers. Percy leaped at the dracaena, pinning her down with his control over water, taking her by surprise. He landed on top of her and put his sword to her throat.

"Who sent you!" he yelled.

She hissed at him.

"Do you want to die fast or slow?" he threatened. "Who. Sent. You?" He put every ounce of power he could into those words. The storm around them fell harder.

"No one!" she choked, half on water, half because of Percy kneeling on top of her, one foot braced against the ground. "We just thought it would be a good idea to set up an ambush for you brats on your way to your camp!"

Percy snorted, feeling for her blood… she was telling the truth.

He shook his head. "Bad idea. Remember that next time." And with that, he sliced her neck. She disappeared into familiar gold dust that immediately mixed with the rain and mud. He noticed the other hellhound was nowhere in sight and several demigods seemed to be recovering, heaving loudly with their hands on their knees or looking around for more monsters.

Percy ignored them and headed for the two weak heartbeats he could sense.

"Help!" someone said. "Please… help! Bah-ah-ah…"

The Satyr.

"Over here," the voice called weakly. He sounded pained. Percy had to pass him to get to the demigod, and paused by his side.

"We're here," he said calmly.

"Over there! Please!" the Satyr, a boy who looked more like a fifth-grader than the protector he was supposed to be, begged. He pointed in the direction of the second heartbeat. Percy nodded, then glanced at the satyr's legs. One had been broken pretty badly. He winced.

"I'll find them."

"Percy!" he heard Luke call, but didn't answer. Instead he got to the demigod laying splayed across the ground. She had long, dark hair fanning out around her, mixing into the mud and was obviously unconscious.

"Over here!" he yelled, checking her over for injury, cursing the fact that he couldn't just flash her to camp. He could tell she didn't have any breaks, but she did have some severe wounds he needed to get to. Wincing, he carefully rolled her over and prayed it wouldn't hurt her. She didn't respond, and her heartbeat was weakening.

He cursed again.

"Someone get the Apollo kids here now!" he yelled. Then he closed his eyes and felt for her blood. He had a heart to keep going and blood circulation to maintain. He could do that at least. And keep the rain out as well.

The storm around them began to fade off as he focused his energy elsewhere, doing his best to keep the girl alive. She had a slice across her stomach that had bled way too much already, and several holes in her shoulder where it looked like talons or something had pierced her.

"Percy! What are you doing?" he heard Luke ask, but again, didn't respond. He had to focus.

"Percy?!"

But he wasn't sure he could answer even if he wanted to. Luke's voice came to him as if from a distance. He was just too focused on keeping the girl in front of him alive.

He didn't know how long he stayed there, but eventually several hands pulled him away from her body and others took his place.

He made a token protest, but before he could do anything about it, spots danced at the edge of his vision. Oh. He'd… pushed too much. Probably shouldn't be surprised.

For the first time since coming back to the past, he really regretted his mortal body. Well, he almost regretted it, because knowing he hadn't ascended yet sent relief surging through him. At least he didn't think he was ascending. It didn't hurt that much.

He didn't have long to contemplate it before the spots took over everything and he fell unconscious.

xXx

Percy came to slowly, a heavy feeling dragging at his body that he hadn't felt in so long, but he remembered it and despised it intimately.

He'd over-extended his powers. Again. Ugh.

He hadn't felt this way since he'd been a demigod, though. So why… wait…

Time travel. Woke up before the Second Titan War, and he's been trying to knock some sense into people's heads—both gods and demigods… right. And he was connected to the camp because he'd been in charge of it in the future, and he had his domains from the future as a demigod, if not so completely as when he was a god… and there'd been a demigod coming to camp!

The girl!

His eyes popped open and he sat up straight, immediately regretting it as his body protested vehemently. He couldn't stop himself from collapsing back onto the bed like so much hamburger meat in a grinder. And knowing him, probably just about as bloody. He wouldn't know. Opening his eyes hurt more.

"Percy!" someone said over his groans. He gathered the will to peek one eye open again and looked over to see Luke sitting in a chair, still in his pajamas from the night before. (He hoped it was the night before.) The other demigod looked dry, but the bags under his eyes said he hadn't slept much. And his hair… yikes.

"Luke?" he asked in a scratchy voice.

"Is he awake?" Someone else asked, and Chris came into view from somewhere over on the other side of the room.

"Percy?" A couple more voices asked, and several cots moved… or the people on top of them did, and he saw at least half of the Hermes cabin there.

"Guys?" he asked, confused. Were they all injured?! He hoped not…

"You idiot!" Ethan Nakamura growled from his bed, darkness radiating off of him for a moment. He very much reminded Percy of his mother just then. "You wake us up and go running off—probably in a storm you created because that popped up and died down way too fast for it to be anything but divine power—and practically kill yourself fighting multiple monsters that most of us haven't ever even seen! What the actual—"

"Ethan!" Luke scolded, drowning out whatever he said, although it wasn't difficult to figure out.

"—Are you, Percy Jackson?!"

"To be fair," Amy said from her place behind Percy and just out of his view, but he could just imagine the dry expression on her face, "I've put both Apollo and Zeus on the list of odds. Zeus for the storm and Apollo for the prophetic dreams and some rudimentary healing that kept our newest camp member alive."

"Is she okay?" Percy asked, too tired to try and reach out to his domains.

"She'll live, thanks to you," a new voice said. Everyone turned to the mouth of the medical ward (aka a room in the big house built for more or less this purpose) to see an obvious daughter of Apollo enter. She was someone else Percy didn't remember from his previous life. There were too many of those. How did the camp grow in number next summer after losing so many campers?

"I'm Erin Colewood," she said as she strode up to Percy's bedside. "And we almost lost two demigods last night, not just one. I don't know what you did, but you kept that girl alive and it almost killed you.

Percy shrugged. He couldn't remember much more than 'keep her blood flowing, keep her heart pumping, keep it clean and uncontaminated, and oh, she needs more!' so he may or may not have conjured blood—or more likely, duplicated it—to make sure she had enough in her veins. He wasn't entirely sure.

"She would have died otherwise," he pointed out tiredly.

"And who knows how many other campers we would have lost to those monsters," Luke said, sounding just as tired and resigned.

Erin sighed but nodded. "Yeah. You did good, kid. And she'll be fine. It might take a while, but we got to her in time, thanks to you."

Percy beamed.

Luke groaned. "Don't encourage him. He's the largest demigod trouble magnet I've seen since I came to camp and that's saying so much."

"I've decided to give odds on his legacy parent, by the way," Amy said suddenly.

Percy blinked. "What?" he asked.

"My money's on Apollo," Chris called.

"I think Hermes is his Legacy grandparent," Mara's voice commented from somewhere else out of Percy's view.

Percy wanted to be offended on behalf of his mother, but he really couldn't muster the energy. He tried for a token effort anyway. "My Mom is not a demigod."

"Okay, great-grandparent," Amy said nonchalantly. "That's the most likely reason for you to have so many different powers that make no sense." Ah, there was the frustration he'd been waiting for. "I'm definitely putting down an option for a double or even triple legacy."

"Hmm. Legacy of Apollo, child of Poseidon for me," Erin said, striding up to Amy and plopping a couple of coins into her hand. Percy couldn't see Amy's smile from where she sat, but he was positive it was an ear-to-ear grin. "I reserve the right to add in another legacy, though."

"Traitor," he muttered to Erin. "Aren't you supposed to be helping me?"

"Here's me helping you. Drink this," she said, leaning down and putting a cup to his lips. He lapped at it and tasted heaven. All these years later, and his mother's blue cookies were still what he tasted. It was more and different as a god, but he was still not unhappy to have that nostalgic taste back to its pure form.

He must be really tired.

He could see why gods left human food alone when they had ambrosia and nectar.

The warmth spread inside him and he sighed back into his bed, already losing consciousness. He just didn't have the energy to stay awake. The last thing he said before he drifted off into Morpheus' realm was:

"Luke, go to sleep."

He heard some sputtering, several sharp laughs, and then nothing.

Gods Eight and Nine, check.

Chapter 12: Luke

Chapter Text

Earlier

Luke didn't like to sleep much these days, mainly due to his demigod dreams. Or whatever they were. He often ended up in some kind of dark void, empty except for the other presence he could sense, but not see. He didn't know who or what it was, or why it kept appearing, but it felt massive, old, powerful… but broken. He'd once heard of how some Japanese people mended broken pottery with a golden adhesive, making the final result both more beautiful and sturdier than it had originally been. Replace 'beauty' with' power' and it described the presence, even if it was still in the process of mending.

He hadn't actuallyheardanything from the presence, but he got some vague emotions and who those emotions were directed at—mainly the Olympians, and he couldn't agree more. It felt good to know he wasn't the only one who hated the current system, and he related to the anger (outright hatred, even) of the destructive tyrants that were the Olympian Gods.

Other people in the camp felt the same, he knew, and those were only the people he knew who talked about it in hushed whispers and complicated metaphors because they were just too scared to outright ask or try to change anything. Mainly because of said tyrants.

In the Greek world, might made right.

Then, just before the summer campers came, the dreams stopped. He didn't know why, and was a little confused at the relief that brought, but the dreams didn't stay away for long. When they returned, stronger than ever, there was a new target for those emotions, one that made Lukeextremelyuncomfortable: A boy, obviously not a god. Dark hair and green eyes that bordered on blue—turquoise even, but not quite. He had a strangely intense expression and Luke definitely got the impression of him riding into his dream on a storm to wreak havoc and destruction.

It had scared him.

What had scared him more, though, was when the kid came waltzing into camp just after everyone else showed up, and Luke hadn't even realized until he'd seen said kid eating at their table. He didn't think many people would have taken his reaction as fear over surprise, especially as he'd forced himself to approach the kid and greet him like he would any other new camper, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened.

The kid had been… harmless, though—seemingly, at least—going on about how his mother knew the myths and told them to him, and how he'd just found out his other 'parent' (yes, he'd used the non-gendered term, which raised suspicions in Luke's head) was a god and he had so many questions.

And then he'd introduced the prank, and Luke had gotten caught up in it and nearly forgotten that he'd had terrifying dreams about this kid. But… he didn't look or feel remotely the same as Dream-Percy, despite the similar features. The kid in his dreams was destruction incarnate. He came in angrily, destroyed anything in his path, and moved on. The kid at the table had been happy, excited, excitable, charming but awkward, and completely innocent. Luke almost couldn't equate the two in his mind; they were so different.

Then he'd seen the kid fight, and it had gotten a little easier to put the two images of the kid into one body, but… still not actuallyeasy. Then the kid started showing some really weird powers—grape juice, really? But also soda, coffee, Gatorade, and water. There had to be some combination of water god in his lineage somewhere… and if he were a child of Poseidon, he could be the one mentioned in the prophecy—the one Annabeth had told him about. The one who could help raze Olympus to the ground…

Still, he'd never heard of a child of Poseidon (oranywater god) being able to controlallliquids. So Luke had jumped to some sort of legacy combination, even if legacies were rare. It would make sense if the kid was the child of the prophecy. Some unholy combination of powers melding, but still a technical halfblood.

And yet, the idea of this kid being the one to potentially wreak destruction on Olympus just… didn't compute. Especially as he seemed to want the entire camp to get along. Somehow he'd taken this prank, and made it into a topic for everyone to discuss whenever they needed something to fill the space, and when disputes broke out, he somehow addressed them… usually by pulling something even more incredible out of… wherever he was pulling these things from.

Then, about two weeks after the kid had shown up, Luke got woken up from one of those rage-inducing dreams. It was never a good idea to wake a demigod up like that, but he still felt a little guilty when his 'attacker' ducked his own counter and then looked up with those sea-green eyes that practically glowed in the dark.

Maybe those dreams weren't so good after all, even if it felt like a release of all his pent-up negativity against the gods.

"Percy?" he asked, just trying to make sure he wasn't still dreaming. The kid looked completely innocent, if terrified, and usually that wasn't how he showed up in the dreams.

Then he told Luke about a demigod approaching camp who needed help. Which had thrown him for a loop because, what? And yet, he'd had dreams of this kid before he'd gotten to camp, so why couldn't Percy be having dreams of another demigod? So Luke had listened. The fact that Percy seemed to know exactly where to find said demigod and that they were hurt certainly raised flags in his mind, but he'd ignored them just then and had taken his sword and shield outside of camp.

With Percy in tow.

He'd only really realized how bad of a situation that could turn into once he'd gotten about half-way down the road leading to camp, but what could he do then? Turn back? Force Percy to turn back? Somehow, he doubted that would go over well.

Then the storm started. Luke cursed because it was supposed to be windy but clear for a while. They were, after all, right off of the Long Island Sound, and that wasn't unusual, even if the wind tended to not bother camp much due to the barrier. Of course it would start raining just as they were out on a rescue mission. That wassolike the gods!

Percy didn't seem to notice, plowing ahead even as the random drops turned into a constant stream, and then practically a downpour. Luke found himself slipping on mud as they rushed through an enormous field of half-grown, planted crops (that seemed new to him… was it new? He'd only been out of camp on his doomed quest the year before…) and came upon a group of monsters just as they took down a Satyr. Luke could hear the crack through the rain and started yelling as a distraction.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Percy sprintingtowardsone of thehellhoundsandwhat was he doing?!

"Percy!"he yelled, just as the beast lunged at him, but Percyslid underneaththe shadowy dog andsliced its neck.

What.

The.

Hades?!

Before he could do anything else, though, he was battling both a hellhound and a dracaena himself, and all he could do was somewhat keep an eye on the younger kid…

Who took down another two monsters just as the other kids showed up, and Luke had managed to stab the second-largest hellhound through the eye, making it fall to dust. Of course, then he'd had to duck underneath another even more massive dog just as Johan came barreling past, yelling at the dracaena Luke knew was behind him.

For several moments, he lost himself to the fight, grateful when the rest of his cabin mates caught up and they all took the hellhound on together.

Maybe they could actuallydothis…

"Who sent you?!" he heard Percy yell, but couldn't pay too much attention.

"Do you want to die fast or slow?" the boy threatened a couple of seconds later and Luke's heart froze in his chest.

That.

That was the kid he saw in his dreams.

"Who. Sent. You?"The raindrops came even faster as those words echoed around them with a power Luke had never even heard fromThalia,a daughter of theking of the gods, before. He'd never heard that from another demigod period. What?!

"No one!" the dracaena answered frantically as Luke dodged another paw swipe in his own fight. Thankfully Mara charged in with a yell and made the hellhound regret that.

"We just thought it would be a good idea to set up an ambush for you brats on your way to your camp!"

Luke's blood ran cold again, second time in as many minutes, and it had him stumbling back from a snap of the hellhound's jaws. Someone had set up an ambush? For demigods?

How many had these monsters taken out already? How many would they have taken out if Percy…?

He swallowed and forced himself onto his feet.

"Bad idea," he heard Percy say coldly. "Remember that next time."

Then a cry and nothing.

Luke hated being confused. So he channeled his frustration and anger into a yell as he saw an opening and thrust his sword forward into the joint between the dog's jaw and spine. Said dog froze and then poofed into golden dust.

The rest of the Hermes cabin stopped, all surprised at the sudden disappearance, before relaxing.

"Thank the gods," he heard one of them whisper. Luke wanted to sneer because no, theyshouldn't…should they?

He shook his head and turned to find Percy, but the kid was already several feet away standing over someone lying in the mud, Johan still running after him and going to kneel by the figure just as Percy dashed offagain.

"Percy!" Luke called, trying to regain his breath after the run and fight. The kid didn't even acknowledge him. The cabin counselor cursed under his breath and ran after him.

"Please… help her," he heard the satyr say as Luke passed by him and Johan.

"We will," he heard his younger brother assure as he glanced up at Luke, their gazes meeting in mutual, overwhelmed confusion for several seconds.

"Over here!" Percy yelled. As Luke ran up to him, their youngest cabin member turned again and yelled, "Someone get the Apollo kids herenow!"

He sounded so… authoritative. Like he was used to being listened to. With how demigods' lives usually were, that… didn't make sense. Even Thalia's bravado had been more or less just that, bravado.

By the time Luke got to them, the kid had closed his eyes, hands hovering over the girl splayed out on the ground. "Percy! What are you doing?" he yelled. He got no answer.

Luke grit his teeth, only stopping himself from shaking the kid because of his memory of how he could control liquid. Maybe he was keeping the girl dry or something? Except not her face! He wanted to curse the kid out. She coulddrownlike that. So Luke leaned over her head, trying to keep water out of her nose and mouth.

"Percy?!" he yelled again, but the boy didn't so much as twitch. Luke cursed under his breath for the millionth time that night, but didn't move. Not until the Apollo kidsfinallyshowed up what felt likehourslater (though it was likely only minutes).

"What's going on?" one of them asked Luke.

"I have no clue," Luke said, "but she has a slice on her stomach and a nasty wound on her shoulder."

"Right," the Ap… oh, that was Erin. Erin said as she gestured for her brothers and sisters to come forward.

"Kid, we need to take over."

No response.

"Kid?"

"I'll take over, Luke," another Apollo kid, Stephen, said softly, letting Luke stand and back away, wincing at the pins-and-needles in his legs.

"Kid, you have to move for us to check those wounds," Erin was saying.

Luke sighed, shook his head, and marched forward, wrapping his arms around Percy. That,finallygot a response.

"No," he said, slurred. "Have to… keep her… alive…"

"It's okay, Percy. It's okay."

He wasn't sure if the kid heard him, as he'd slumped, passing out, leaving Luke standing there, holding his limp body for several seconds before he rushed over to one of the standing Apollo kids. They weren't all healers, but most of them carried ambrosia—especially for things like this—as a matter of principle.

"I need ambrosia and nectar," he said, pointing to Percy.

The kid, a newer one he didn't know too well, stepped back, but then looked down at the shallowly-breathing Percy in his arms.

"R-right," they said, reaching into the bag slung around their shoulder and pulling out a ziplock of yellow squares and a canteen.

"Nectar first," Luke said, a little worried about the rain only to realize it had stopped. He blinked and looked up. The skies were partially cloudy at worst. What?

He shook his head and helped the Apollo kid dribble nectar into Percy's mouth. Even in the moonlight (that hadn'tbeen there five minutes ago) he looked incredibly pale, but the nectar helped bring some color back to his cheeks.

"We have to get him back to camp," Luke said.

The Apollo kid (Luke would really have to learn his name) nodded and Luke stood, ignoring the mud, lifting Percy in his arms and starting to head back the way they'd come.

"Luke!" Johan came running up to him. "Luke, what was that?" he hissed.

"I don't know," the older camper replied, eyes fixed firmly ahead. He was so tired… but who else would carry the kid? Maybe if they shifted him to Luke's back?

"Was that stormhisdoing?"

Luke's foot froze in mid-air, no small feat when carrying a kid half his body weight.
In his dreams, the kid came in on a storm.

For the first time, he could see the terrifying figure in his dreams in the kid he held. And yet… he looked so small and fragile just then.

"I… don't know."

"And dreams and did hehealthat girl? Isn't this taking the prank a little too far?"

"This wasn't a prank," Luke said angrily.

Johan sighed. "Yeah, I know, but… Luke… He took on three monsters by himselfand won."

"I know," he sighed. "I know. But right now, we need to get him back to camp. Help me get him on my back. He'll be easier to carry that way."

Johan snorted. "Yeah, right," he said, reaching over and taking the kid from Luke's arms. "If anything, he's going on my back."

"Johan," Luke started tiredly, but the other kid wouldn't hear of it. He swung Percy around on his back and tried to situate him. Finally, Luke gave in and just helped make the kid secure.

Then they made their way back up to Camp.

xXx

Annabeth came to see him the next morning. Half the kids from Hermes Cabin were there in the infirmary just to make sure they didn't get hypothermia or catch a cold or something. Ambrosia and nectar helpedimmenselythere. Then again, when didn't they help?

At least there had actually been relatively few injuries. Luke had stayed up by Percy's bed while Amy had taken vigil at the new girl's side.

Then Annabeth came racing in, face worried as she looked around frantically.

"Luke!" she said, rushing up to him and throwing her arms around his neck. "You're okay! I can't believe… after last year… and then this… I'm so glad you're okay!"

He winced at the reminder of his failed, hand-me-down quest, but… it also felt good to have her worrying about him.

"What happened?" she asked, leaning back. "I heard something about a pack of monsters and a new demigod?"

"Percy had a dream last night," Ethan said. "Was convinced a demigod was coming to camp but being chased by monsters."

"And he was right," Chris added on.

Annabeth gasped. "What?! But… that…"

Luke nodded, as did many others.

"We know," they said, practically in unison.

"We're pretty sure he's a legacy on top of being a demigod," Mara said.

"Hey… I wonder," Amy said.

Luke just shook his head. She'd probably be taking bets for legacy parentage now. He imagined the look on the kid's face when he woke up and found that out… then laughed. Maybe a bit hysterically.

Shaking his head, he realized Annabeth had quieted down. She stood next to him, no fidgeting or restless energy, which meant she was using that big brain of hers.

It took him a moment to realize it had been a while since he'd really seen that on her. Maybe to a small extent in Capture the Flag when they were working together, but… wow. He really hadn't wanted to deal with her questions after he'd come back the year before, but… he hadn't meant to push her away. When was the last time they'd just hung out and talked, or even trained together? Had she gotten any better with the dagger he'd given her?

What kind of family was he if he'd dropped her so fast over a couple of questions?

And yet… the idea of taking care of her again, of watching out for her more than he already was justtiredhim out. Not because it was Annabeth, but because he had so many other kids to watch out for now too. Like the little trouble magnet lying on the cot next to him.

He sighed. That didn't mean he couldn't make some effort.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"About what?"

"Him. His godly parent. Legacies." He pointed to the still unconscious boy.

For several seconds, she didn't say anything, eyes on the kid, hard and calculating. "I think," she said slowly, "he's more powerful than any of us realize. That's all I'm really certain about right now. I have some guesses, but I'm still trying to figure it out."

Luke just smiled. "That is so like you, Annabeth." She frowned at him. "You want to figure the puzzle out before you actually make any bets, despite the fact that that undermines the entire point of betting." He tugged on her hair lightly.

She scoffed. "Betting is below us," she said haughtily.

His smile faded a little. That wasn't what seven-year-old Annabeth would have said. Or even eight-year-old Annabeth.

"It's lucrative though," Amy said, hurriedly scribbling in her notebook.

"Besides, it encourages people to think things through," Luke said. "Just think of it as encouragement."

She frowned again. "I suppose."

No, really, when had his little sister become a stranger to him?

Or was he over-thinking this?

"Hey," he finally said, "I haven't slept all night. Most of the Cabin will be discharged later this morning and we're all probably gonna go to bed when we get back," even the healers as that took a lot of energy out of demigods, Luke should know. "But I want someone to be here with him when we can't be. Could you come back a little later and sit with him for me? I'm pretty sure he'll be here for the rest of the day at least."

Annabeth raised a skeptical eyebrow, then looked back at the kid, and finally to Luke again. "Yeah, sure. I have a couple of study hours before lunch, and I can bring them here."

Luke smiled, appreciating that. Maybe his sister hadn't changed that much.

"Thanks, Beth," he said.

"Annabeth," she snapped. "I'll be back at ten."

He just smiled as she turned and stomped out of the room.

xXx

When Percy woke up the second time, he felt immensely better. Glancing to the side, he expected to see Luke sitting in the chair again, but to his pleasant surprise, he found Annabeth instead. She was, of course, engrossed in a book about ancient Greece and had an empty plate on a tray beside them. Judging from the position of the sunlight streaming through the windows, he was guessing lunch.

Why was she there?

"Annabeth?" he asked.

She jumped, accidentally slamming the book closed on her thumb. It was a large, heavy book. Ouch. She hissed and shook her thumb out before turning a glare on Percy. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, sorry," he said, amused. "I was just a little surprised to see you here, is all. I expected someone from my cabin."

"Oh, they all had to go to sleep. Most of them were released this morning and told to rest, but Luke didn't want you alone when you woke up. Or the new girl."

That… was way too nice of him. How had he been that thoughtful and still that vulnerable to Kronos? Thatangry? How had he turned into what Percy remembered? Cold. Ruthless. Willing to sacrifice anything for his goals—up to and including the people he was fighting for.

"What's the situation?" he asked, deciding not to think about that just then. "No one died, right?"

Her eyes narrowed just the slightest bit at him, but she shook her head. "No. Even the girl you helped save and her Satyr are alive."

Right, he remembered hearing about that. Nothing had changed then. He relaxed a little.

"Good."

They sat there in silence for several seconds, Annabeth studying him intently. After some time, he decided to humor her and start a conversation.

"So, what's so incompatible between Aphrodite and Athena?"

She obviously hadn't been expecting that because she just blinked at him, either wondering where that had come from, or why he'd asked. Or both.

So he shrugged. "Earlier, you said that and implied that Aphrodite and Athena aren't compatible. Why?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. It was so nostalgic.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, as if he should know this. "One is all about applied knowledge and skill, the other is all about—" she wrinkled her nose— "emotion."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "You say that as if you don't have both."

She bristled. "Emotion just drags you down and stops you from making clear choices," she said coldly. "It's there to be controlled, not to control you."

His expression didn't change. This was just too amusing. "In my experience, emotion is both motivation and processing. It's just as essential to the human experience as 'applied knowledge.' We don't cope if we can't process, and if we don't have motivation, nothing gets done. Also, anything thatdoesget done feels pointless."

Annabeth's eyebrows drew together. "I guess, but that… that's not…" An older Annabeth would have had a comeback for that.

Still, Percy went on. "The gods embody their domains, probably so deeply we can't understand them or that depth. Your mother is the Goddess of Wisdom. She says all you need to survive is applied knowledge and a cool head. And maybe for her, that's the case." Though tell that to Minerva… yeah, he'd keep that to himself for now. "She likely has thousands of examples where someone with a cool head would have made a better decision than what happened. But feelings are still human, and ignoring that we have them can beextremelydetrimental… because we're demigods. That makes us human too, not just divine. So we embody emotion far more than the Goddess of Wisdom can."

The blond girl stared at him, eyes wide, but didn't open her mouth to say anything, so he continued. "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure your mother understands emotions on an intellectual level, and she has to have them to an extent herself, but she can't reallyexperiencethe emotions like we can. A lot of gods can't, I think."

More blank staring. Had he gone too far? Maybe he should backtrack a little.

"At least, that's my theory," he muttered, feeling very much like the eleven-year-old he was and not the 300-year-old god from his memories.

"Your… theory?" she echoed.

"Yeah."

"So you're saying, we can't feel emotions like, say, Aphrodite can," she asked slowly, as if choosing every word very carefully.

Percy perked up, beaming. He knew she could catch on. "Exactly. Especially emotion that attaches one person to another. Lust, love—in all its forms—longing, joy, contentment, pain, and sorrow that come from our connections to others… Aphroditeisthat. And maybe we embody wisdom more than shecanbut… that's part of the human experience. We can't understand the gods completely, and they can't understand us.

"Which is why I had to ask. Because in my experience, someone theoretically healthy could embody the best traits of Athena and Aphrodite. That's all I'm saying."

Aaand she'd gone back to staring at him. Right.

After a couple of seconds, he coughed and looked away. "Like I said, that's just my theory."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her expression dry out. "You know, this just supports my idea that you're a god."

"Shhh!" he hissed, looking around and making sure no one had heard that. "I don't want anyone else to hear that… theory."

She raised an eyebrow in interest. "Why not, again?"

He pursed his lips, hoping he looked more unamused than he was. "I have my reasons."

"Not helping your case."

He huffed and folded his arms.

"Although, if you were a god, you're the nicest one I've ever heard of."

He perked up a little. "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "Olympian gods were never perfect. Some may say they are, but I don't think they were ever meant to be. Other cultures think of their gods as perfect, but we… celebrate the humanity, I think. Sometimes to our detriment," she muttered.

"You don't talk like an eleven-year-old," Percy said, and if his smile was a bit warm and the nostalgia had returned, well, who could blame him?

"You don't talk like a god."

He blinked. "Meaning…"

"Mr. D talks to us like… like we're either something unworthy of his time, or like we'll cause him too much pain. He keeps his distance at best. All the gods do. They don't tolerate anyone speaking back to them or pointing out issues and flaws. And that's all in and above the ancient laws that forbid them from seeing us.

"You… talk like you're a counselor or a parent or a big brother or something."

He… didn't really want her seeing him like a big brother, but if that was how their relationship formed this time, he'd take it.

"Like someone whocares," she added on with a whisper.

He smiled his most welcoming smile. "I do care."

She huffed. "And that's why I can't figure you out! Just with that single line, you've taken outallof my potential suspects! At least from the myths."

Percy just laughed. "Good luck, then."

"So you're not denying it? That you're a god turned mortal?"

He sniffed. "I never said that."

"Uh-huh."

Oh, he saw movement at the door. Great, his escape had arrived!

"Will you look at that, I'msoooootired!"

"What?" she blinked, surprised.

"I think I need more rest. Night!" He turned on his side, back to her.

"Hey! You can't just—"

"Annabeth Chase! Are you bothering my patient?" Erin's voice and footsteps sounded throughout the room.

"What? No! I—"

"He needs to rest! And if you won't let him, I'll ask you to leave and have one of the Apollo kids wait beside him."

"But…" she started, then faded off, probably noticing his silent laughter. Oh yeah, with that growl, she definitely saw.

"Fine!" she said. Cloth rustled as she stood, probably grabbed her book indignantly, and walked towards the door. "I take it all back! You're awful!" she said before slamming the door on her way out.

Percy rolled back around, snickering still. Erin didn't seem as surprised as one would think by her tone. She did shake her head, though.

"You're playing a dangerous game there, Jackson, getting on her bad side."

He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a masoch*st."

She snorted and shook her head. "You ready for some more Ambrosia?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm feeling much better."

"Good. You should be able to head back to your cabin tonight if everything goes well."

He grinned, then glanced back at the only other presence in the room. "What about her?" The girl from last night, still out cold on her cot.

"She's going to take a bit longer. Three to four days at least. I don't expect her to even wake up until tomorrow. Tonight if she's lucky. She's got a long road ahead of her. I heard from her satyr that she's had a rough life. Finally got out of it to get here and then… this." She sighed. "I've been wondering why we haven't been getting our usual trickle of kids in over the summer."

Percy nodded. He got that. Probably more than anyone realized.

"Anyway, just make sure to clear a spot in your cabin for her. Make her feel welcome and all?"

He blinked, then nodded because, right. He'd almost forgotten that Hermes would be taking her. He could sense whose daughter she was and had almost expected a same-day claiming… like what used to happen in the future when demigods came to… camp.

Oh.

Right.

His domains.

There were still unclaimed kids in the Hermes cabin right now, but he knew their parents too… maybe he should say something? Make a sacrifice… like he did with Hermes and Chris. Yeah. Probably a good idea. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Too distracted with pranks and his plans?

Annabeth was right, he was a Seaweed Brain.

"Will do," he told Erin, realizing she'd been staring at him for a while.

"Good. Here, just a corner…"

He nodded and nipped the corner of the ambrosia square off, feeling the warmth spread through him almost immediately.

"I'm going to go get someone to sit here," Erin said after he'd swallowed. "Will you be okay for a couple of minutes?"

She was such a healer. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't. He wasn't that stupid. Instead he just nodded. "Yeah."

"Good."

After returning the nod, she left him alone in the silence of the cabin, the only other sound the soft, even breathing of their newest camper to keep him company. Well… now that Annabeth had guessed so much (and he really was terrible at keeping it from her), he had to come up with some way to handle that. Not quite damage control, but damage control, because it was Annabeth, and her imagination could run pretty wild considering the information he'd provided… and also not provided in this case.

Good thing he had some time on his hands. He laid back, got as comfortable as he could, and planned.

Chapter 13: Non-Main-Gods

Chapter Text

God Ten was Percy's first non-main-twelve god (because the naiad and primordials didn't count on account of them being mainly legacy ideas, and no one really believed the Oceanus theory… he hoped). The funniest part about number ten? He didn't even plan it. Not that he'd planned Zeus or Apollo, but he'd at leastconsideredwhat he would have to do to convince the camp that either one was his parent before.

Percy had been released in time for dinner earlier and had made his way to the pavilion after Erin had practically kicked him out. He'd been given the best spot on the table (the center, squished as it tended to be) and had endured more than one ribbing comment from his cabinmates. He'd half expected Mr. D to yell at them or make snide remarks while they ate about them leaving camp or not doing their camp duties. Apparently, they'd all agreed and gotten permission from Chiron to take the rest of the day after their impromptu trip outside the boundaries. Instead of anger or annoyance though, the god had just sort of stared at Percy throughout most of the dinner, when he wasn't speaking with his sons, of course.

He'd finished his dinner quickly and gratefully followed the rest of the Hermes and non-main kids away from Mr. D's harsh gaze and back to the cabin for the rest of the night. As much as he hated just sitting around, he knew he needed some rest. So did the others. They all just hoped the cabin would survive a bunch of bored, half-healing demigods. There was doubt.

About an hour before curfew, a daughter of Athena Percy barely knew—a girl in her mid-teen range—burst through the door, drawing everyone's attention.

"I've got it!" she said, a manic gleam in her eye and blond hair poofing out around her head, making her look a little unhinged. "Yes, I still think he's a legacy, but I've figured out his main parent!" She cackled. It took the cabin a moment to realize who she was talking about, he thought, but no one actually said anything, probably a little too scared of a daughter of Athena who looked like that.

Percy could relate.

He could also only stare at the girl and wasn't entirely sure what to think of her actions and their implications. He… hadn't meant to make peoplethatobsessed… Sure Annabeth would worry an idea like a dog with a bone, and he knew Athena kids could be a little… nuts.

But…

This was just supposed to be a little fun. At his own expense even. As an original eleven or twelve-year-old, he would have hated this kind of attention, but he could put up with it now if it gave him a way to bring the camp together. Now he was thinking he may have gone too far…

"Okay, who is it?" Amy finally asked, bringing out her notebook and the single box in the entire cabin that could not be stolen—a gift from her father that only she or someone she gave permission to could carry. She had all the money from the bets in there.

"Hecate!" the girl pronounced proudly.

Percy felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. He hadn't expected that.

"It explains so much! The versatility, and the mist can be similar to water vapor, so liquids can come from that! Or, if nothing else, illusions can make it look likeso muchis happening!" She suddenly turned to him, making him back away a little. Apparently the whole intensity thing was a child of Athena trait, not just an Annabeth trait. Which… fair. "I still think you're a legacy, and can't decide between Hermes or Apollo, maybe even one of the water gods, but I think she's your main parent!"

He plastered a smile on his face, nodding along just to keep things relatively calm. "Although, that would mean you're pranking the camp and using illusions and magic to fake some things, hence Hermes." Then she grinned. "Well played, kid. Well played.

"Anyway," she turned and thrust her hand with a wad of bills (mostly ones from what he could see) to Amy, who had finished writing the new name down in her notebook.

"Alright. Here are the odds I'll give on that off the top of my head, but the final numbers should be pretty close," Amy replied, handing the notebook to the girl, who nodded and handed the notebook, along with the money, back a second later. "Thank you for your business."

The girl left looking more than a little smug. She politely closed the door behind her, leaving the cabin in complete silence.

"Percy," Johan said slowly, "did you plan that?"

Percy didn't take his eyes off the door, then shook his head slowly.

"We haven't had a child of Hecate in a while," one of the other kids—he didn't know who—said. Percy had to blink again because he remembered at least two children of Hecate here before… Alabaster and Lou Ellen. He was pretty sure Alabaster would be here next year… but he'd left with Luke the first time. And Lou Ellen came in the year of the Labyrinth, he was pretty sure. He supposed it could have been the year of the Sea of Monsters though.

"I mean, it would make some sense," Mara said thoughtfully.

While the rest of the cabin fell into discussion, Percy sighed and decided he needed to go to bed early, still recovering from exerting his power.

Still, God Ten, check.

xXx

God Eleven was the first one Percy outright denied.

The Athena cabin taught a class on myths that had apparently just started that year. Percy remembered it being offered the years he first came to camp, but he'd simply studied Greek with Annabeth and hadn't really wanted to study more until their third year… with the Labyrinth. Needless to say, that hadn't lasted too long.

Now, though, he decided to take the class, get to know Annabeth's brothers and sisters more. She'd grown up with these people after all, and just meeting them gave him a better picture of her life. Plus, it was interesting to see what each person focused on when it came to the myths.

"As you can see," the girl who had burst into their cabin, Meghan, said as she put the book she'd been reading from down, "almost every demigod has a fatal flaw. To survive some trials, youneedto know yours. Now, different gods are prone to children with different vulnerabilities. To pick on someone who we know doesn't have a demigod here, Hades' children tend to hold grudges, be particularly cynical, or focused to a point of exclusion on their goals. Other flaws include hubris, ambition, inferiority, vanity, recklessness, lack of self-worth, etc. Sometimes, people have two or three, even.

"I've discovered my own main fatal flaw is my tendency to over-focus to a point of exclusion. So when I get focused on something, if someone points out my fatal flaw I know to take a step back and look at what I've probably missed. It's very difficult for me to see even then, but it's something I can work on now, and an area I know to focus on, especially during quests.

"Does anyone know their own fatal flaw? If so, would you like to share?"

After a moment of heavy silence, a Hephaestus boy raised his hand. "I was told by my father in a dream that my flaw was the inability to resist a challenge. I've been working on it, too."

Another Athena kid sighed. "Hubris. That's pretty common among kids coming from knowledge and wisdom gods, though," she said, bumping an Apollo kid sitting next to her. He smiled dopily at her. If theyweren'ttogether, they would probably be getting together soon. How adorable.

"Yeah," the boy agreed.

Eh, why not? Percy raised his hand. Meghan looked a little taken back. "Percy? You know your fatal flaw?"

"Yup!" he said with a bright smile. "Loyalty. I am literally loyal to a fault."

Silence.

"Who… told you that?" Meghan asked slowly.

Now to really screw with them. "I think it was your mother. At least, she had your eyes. I was at the Hoover Dam, and there were monsters chasing me and she told me there's always a way out, too."

More silence.

Okay, he really had hung around Hermes too much. Messing with people was just too much fun… as long as it was harmless. Besides, it had technically been the truth, even if that wasn't when Athena had told him about his fatal flaw.

"Hey!" the Apollo kid from before said suddenly, eyes bright, "Isn't the god of loyalty Heracles?"

Wait… what?

"Well," Annabeth said as she stared right at Percy, unblinking, "there is a daimon—or guiding spirit—of loyalty known as eusebeia, but Heracles does have a domain of loyalty according to some more obscure myths, though he's usually known for being the god of strength, bravery, and heroes. There isn't a god of loyalty to my knowledge." She raised a pointed eyebrow.

Oh, she did not.

"He was a pretty great fighter too…" Amy said from his left. He looked to see her smiling at the Apollo kid, positively savagely.

Percy just stared at her. Traitor.

"No!" he said, glancing at Annabeth with narrowed eyes as a warning (not that he'd do anything, but still) before looking around at the rest of the group. "This has gone far enough.Diimmortales! I amnotHeracles' son! He's off over in the Mediterranean anyway!"

"How would you know that?" Annabeth asked innocently.

"And even if that were true, gods can split themselves," Mara said, matching Annabeth's tone.

He hated that they had a point. Thelotof them were traitors! He had to nip this in the bud.

"Okay, first, Heracles was known for his super strength. Which I do not have—not more than your average demigod."

"You can fight really well though," one of the Ares kids said. Percy shot them a glare, but they just smirked.

"Second," he emphasized the word, "isn't Zeus the god of the skies? So I'll bet Heracles could fly and shoot lighting and stuff. ThingsI can't do, mind you." Not without help from water or by him actively utilizing the mist or one of his storms, and even then, he rarely had lightning or thunder in his storms. He wasn't—and neverhadbeen—affiliated with lightning, storm or no. He went on. "Sure, I'm a good fighter. I'll give you that. Although to be fair, Ipractice. And, yes, Heracles is a good fighter, but so aredozensof other gods, up to and includingbothAthena and Ares!

"Conclusion,Heracles is not my father."

Silence.

"You know, that's the first one you've ever denied," Luke said thoughtfully. Percy turned an incredulous look on him. He held up his hands. "I'm just saying. Do you actually know who your parent is?"

Okay, he was done with this, not because they were ganging up on him (he could hold his own, thank you) or any anger and rage (he was mildly upset, at worst), but because this was just getting too close to any discussion he didnotwant to have.

Just, no.

So he did the only thing he could. He turned and walked to the door, made a show of throwing it open, and went to step out.

Before he closed the door behind him, he heard someone say, "You know, he could be a legacy of Heracles instead."

"Aarg!" he yelled, throwing his hands in the air and slamming the door (not too hard, just enough to send a message). Then he went and sat at the edge of the lake with the naiads for the rest of the hour. One even kept watch to see if anyone else would see him as they invited him under the lake. He really wanted someone to vent to, so he accepted.

"My Lord, are you well?" one asked once he'd settled in.

He sighed. "I started a bit of a prank to hide my parentage and mess with people, but I think it's gotten out of hand. People seem to be pranking me back."

"Oh, that was the whole 'turning into a liquid' thing?" another naiad asked. Percy nodded.

"And controlling liquids. If I didn't include Poseidon in the list, it would be suspicious, you know?"

"Wise, if reckless," an older-sounding naiad said.

He sighed. "Story of my life. I'm not mad—not really—but I just… really wanted to be around people who know who I am right now, at least a little."

"I see," the same naiad said, nodding. "You are welcome to stay here, lord." He liked her. She sounded calm and experienced. Something he needed just then. The naiads, unlike the nymphs, tended to rotate through Camp Half-Blood a lot, coming here after their lake or river had dried up or been destroyed by other means. They rarely stayed for more than a decade or two, and he would have liked to have known these naiads in the future.

"I'm a son of Poseidon," he said with a smile. "You don't have to call me 'lord'. I thought naiads weren't in my father's court."

The naiads were quiet for several seconds.

"No… there's something more about you. I do not know what, but there is. Therefore, we will show you the respect you deserve."

"And if I ask to just be called Percy?" he asked, feeling his stomach tighten at her words.

She regarded him for several seconds, before a sly grin crossed her face. "Very well, Lord Percy."

He groaned. The other naiads laughed, and then they fell into chatter. Naiads were, as usual, terrible gossips. But hearing about everything going on on Olympus (supposedly) highly amused him nonetheless.

He didn't know how long he stayed there before one of the naiads told him someone was coming and he had to bid them goodbye. They assured him, once again, that he was welcome any time, which he greatly appreciated.

"Thanks," he told them and pushed to the surface, glancing towards camp. If he came up from under the dock, he should be able to trick whoever—

"Percy?" a familiar voice called. He blinked. Annabeth? Great, she'd be too smart to realize he wasn't just sitting on the side of the lake where she hadn't seen. Which meant he'd just have to roll with it. So he made sure to stay wet when he once again ducked back under the water, before pushing himself onto the dock with his hands.

"I'm here," he said.

She looked surprised, rushing over from the path to camp. "Percy? What were you doinginthe lake?"

He shrugged. "Talking to naiads."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, once again pointed, but didn't say anything. Instead, she decided to take a seat next to him.

"Hey, sorry if I let too much slip. I can get… a little over-involved myself sometimes, like Meghan."

He shrugged. "Thanks. I really don't want your theory getting around."

"Is there a reason you don't want anyone to know about your background?" she asked carefully.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What makes you say that?"

She scoffed. "The prank." His eyebrows rose in surprise. She rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows about it, you know."

"Everyone?"

She shrugged. "Most people, I guess. I'm pretty sure they've figured you're messing with them."

He snorted at her comment, then shook his head "I have a lot of reasons I don't want people to know exactly what's going on. One deals with how I saw the Fates on the way to camp."

Annabeth gasped, taken aback. "What?"

He went on as if he hadn't heard her. "I'm in a unique situation where I know a lot of things I shouldn't, and… I want to try and save people. I don't know what will happen when I do, though. I know every action I make has an equal and opposite reaction—or at least unforeseen consequences. If I help people, who will I condemn in the process? And if I make certain choices, I'll change things and will lose a large advantage. Trying to strike a balance there is… difficult."

She didn't answer for several seconds, probably working through what he said, breaking it down and coming to conclusions he just couldn't. Even as a god. She'd always been so good at that.

"Who are you loyal to?" she asked suddenly.

He blinked, a little taken back at her question. "What?"

"You said your fatal flaw is loyalty. Who are you loyal to?"

Should he tell her? Looking into her eyes, he got the sense that if he lied and she found out, she would lose any trust she had in him, and he couldn't risk that.

"The camp. Demigods in general. My friends and family. I swear it on the Styx." Thunder rumbled and she looked surprised. "Personalloyalty is my flaw, I suppose. Notjustloyalty." Then he smiled at her. "I'm trusting you to not spread that around."

She watched him with those (gorgeous) calculating, gray eyes for several seconds before nodding. "Then I don't care."

He blinked. "What?"

"I don't care who you are, which god you are, what is going on. If you're truly here to help us, then you can keep your secrets. But," her gaze narrowed, "if you eventhinkabout betraying us or hurting us in any way, I don't care who you are or were or whatever, I will make sure you do not become them again. I will find a way to kill you,permanently."

His mind went into blue-screen-of-death mode for a moment. Did she just…?

"Did you just threaten someone you think is a god with death? For the camp?" Yeah, he could definitely sense her loyalty at that moment. It made his domains very,veryhappy.

She shrugged. "This is my home—my family. I… just came back from my father's, you know. I…" she sighed and told him the whole story, about how her parents met, how her father hadn't wanted her and her stepmother was scared of her, especially for her other children.

"They don't want me," she said. "Camp does. That seems like something worth fighting for."

"It seems you're pretty loyal yourself," he said, making a mental note to talk with her about her family and father later. Much later. Like next year later.

She regarded him again. "That's one of your domains, isn't it. Loyalty. Not just a fatal flaw."

He didn't snort, but it was a close thing. "Maybe," was all he said, as nonchalantly as he could.

Shedidsnort. "You're an awful liar."

He grinned. "Only to some people."

They sat there in a surprisingly comfortable silence for several seconds before she spoke again.

"Are you really mortal?"

"Yup," he said. "One hundred percent able to die." Although when he died, he'd most likely ascend instead of going onto the underworld, but hey. At the moment, he had mortal blood and could theoretically die. So, not a lie.

"Did you do something…" she hesitated. "Not… good?" she finally finished, shrinking back a little and finally looking and sounding like the eleven-year-old she was.

He shook his head. "Being here is not some sort of punishment. It is a bit of an accident, really."

"I see…" She tipped her head to one side. "I'm guessing you won't tell me how."

"I'm pretty sure I know what you're asking, and even if I knew how this all happened, I wouldn't tell you. Not until I'm positive the benefits would outweigh the consequences."

She scowled.

"Annabeth, this is serious. People could die. People you know and care about. I'm trying to prevent that, I promise. And I know you want to know—that it's a sort of need many Athena, Apollo, and Hephaestus children have, just to name a few. Sometimes, you just have to accept that there are things you won't know… and things that youcan'tknow. At least not now."

More silence fell between them, broken only by the distant lapping of waves on the beach and the various noises around the lake.

"I… um… if youcantell me at some point… um…" she spoke softly again, "would you?"

He smiled sadly. "I don't know if I can. ButifI can, and there aren't special circ*mstances requiring someone else to know first, you'll be the first to know. Promise."

She grinned at him. "Thank you. I'm glad you came to camp."

With that she got up, brushing her shorts off. "I think everyone will start looking for you soon. They were all afraid they made you really mad."

"Nah," he said, waving his hand. "Although Idon'tlike being compared to Heracles." He stood as well, looking down at the puddle of water that had dripped from him onto the dock. "And maybe everyone here should think about how the new guy feels before they gang up on them again."

Annabeth thought about that for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, we probably should."

They turned and began their trek back to the cabins.

"If you don't like being compared to Heracles, then what about the other demigods of lore?" Then she froze. "Wait…Percy…as inPerseus?! I mean he was supposed to die at the end of his life, but that didn't mean hedidso are you—?"

He held up his hands. "My Mom named me Perseusafterthe Perseus in the myths because she wanted me to have a happy ending. But no, I amnotthat Perseus. Or any of the other demigods from myth. I was born Perseus Achilles Jackson in a hospital in New York City eleven years ago."

She slumped. "Oh."

"Are you really that upset that I'm not him?" he asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "I just thought I'd figured it out, is all."

He grinned at her. "Nah, I'm nowhere near that easy to figure out."

She snorted. "And so humble too."

"Annabeth Chase, callingmehumble? Why, thank you!"

"In your dreams you…" she paused and seemed to realize who she was talking to. "I mean… um…"

Percy smiled. "I'm glad you see me as a camper. That's what I want to be. Part of all this."

She still eyed him with suspicion, but her eyes were no longer hard. Instead she just nodded, and they continued back to camp in silence.

Turned out, the Hermes cabin (traitors) still put Heracles on the list for betting, much to Percy's consternation. With very high odds, but still.

Annabeth just laughed.

xXx

Roxanne opened her eyes slowly. She hurt all over, but it was mainly a dull ache, except for her shoulder and her stomach. Those stung a little. But otherwise she felt so warm and comfortable. And it was light out… her father should be coming to….

Wait… that… wasn't a bedroom or any hotel room or even the stupid half-broken RV her father had 'acquired' recently. It looked more like… a cabin? Who had her father tricked this time to—

It all came back. Oscar, who had shown up way too many times to not be following her, had told her about a camp where she'd be safe, said he could get her out of there… away from her father. It had taken far too many 'accidental' meetings to convince her. He told Roxanne about how her mother would help guide her.

So she'd run. It hadn't been easy, but they'd managed… until the weird half-snake ladies and their monster-dogs the size of cars. They'd run faster. She remembered the one snake-lady slashing at her and getting her across the stomach, before a different one stabbed her in the shoulder and… well, it got fuzzy after that. She remembered starting to feel raindrops and cackling and barking and yelling… and then nothing.

"Hey," someone said. She looked over to see a boy there, a little older than her, with blond hair and a blinding smile. "Don't worry. You're safe here."

Safe? Like she was supposed to be once she ran away from the world she'd hated since she was old enough to understand the word? Like her father promised her every time he managed to pull off a job? Like her father's friends had said before…?

She wasn't sure she believed in 'safe' anymore.

"Where am I?" she asked, hoping she sounded more stable than she felt.

"Camp Half-Blood. You made it here with your Satyr, Oscar I think?"

She relaxed a little at his name and nodded. "Is he okay?"

"He got a pretty torn-up leg, but he'll recover soon. Said to tell you he'd come talk to you once he can walk again."

Why couldn't he just use crutches? Or was she just being harsh? Maybe because of how his goat leg was, he couldn't walk on it at all when it was broken or something? She still felt a little miffed that he'd leave her alone with a bunch of strangers.

Or… one stranger as the case may be.

"I'm Jared Meyers. What's your name?"

Yeah, she probably couldn't get away with not introducing herself. Fine.

"Roxanne. Roxanne Belmont." She put on a nice smile, melting it subtly so it matched his. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," he said, shaking the hand she held out. "So, how are you feeling?"

Almost as if in response, her stomach growled. She withheld a blush out of sheer will, but Jared grinned anyway. "Hungry, huh? I can get you some food in a mo, but how are your wounds? Do they hurt?"

Weren't they supposed to? How long had she been out? "Um… a little," she finally said, truthfully. She didn't see a reason to lie. If he did anything, she'd attack him right back—see how he liked being a pincushion. Lying had nothing to do with that.

"Here's something for you to drink, then," he said, pointing to a glass next to her bedside filled with what looked like apple juice. "It'll help you feel better. Meanwhile, I'll get you some food." With that, he stood and walked to the door. "Any allergies I should know about?"

She shook her head.

"Okay, I'll be right back!"

With that, he walked out of the room with so many cots. A medical room of some kind? Then she poked at the glass. Something to drink sounded really good just then. Her throat felt itchy, even with the modifications she could do. She sniffed the liquid, but couldn't smell anything. Should she drink it? Well, if they wanted to poison her, they'd have had a chance already.

So she sipped it and tasted the best thing she'd ever imagined. Like that steak her father had been able to wrangle out of a steakhouse that one time, and a chocolate shake all rolled into one butgoodinstead of gross.

For the first time in years, she allowed herself tohopethat maybe this time, it would be different.

She should have known better.

Chapter 14: Talking To Luke

Chapter Text

“Um… hey.” A quiet voice had Percy turning to see a girl with long, silky-black hair and startlingly blue eyes standing behind him. He only saw a glimpse of those eyes before she looked down shyly. He knew who she was immediately—the demigod from the other night—and was glad to see her looking better. “Um… they said you… um… you saved my life the other night.”

Percy smiled warmly at her. “I just had a dream.” Okay, so maybe it was a little more than that, but a little humility never hurt in Percy’s opinion.

“Thank you,” she said, meeting his eyes and looking so sincere, his domains may have melted a little.

“You’re welcome,” he replied warmly, and held out his hand. “I’m Percy Jackson, unclaimed. And you are?”

“Roxanne Belmont,” she returned, taking his hand and shaking it. He tried not to wilt a little. So she’d been killed in their previous life because he certainly didn’t remember her. Or she’d joined Luke, but he had a feeling it was the former. He’d also never met a satyr named Oscar before. But then, that meant he was able to save lives. Already. That certainly boosted his mood again.

“Welcome to Camp Half-blood,” he said, gesturing around them. “I hope you like it here.”

He had a feeling she didn’t give the small but real smile he saw from her often. “Yeah, me too.”

xXx

The end of June brought a pleasant surprise in the form of Aunt Hestia appearing (in a much older form than usual) at dinner and informing Dionysus that the children had permission to make the Hermes cabin bigger. They couldn’t make it larger than Zeus’ cabin, and some of the other gods may want to expand on their own cabins in response, but she had advocated for how badly the Hermes cabin in particular needed to be worked on.

The children would have to build it themselves though. They would be given basic tools and materials. All they needed to do was tell Chiron what was needed. The centaur looked relieved. Dionysus said he didn’t care. Because of course.

Percy grinned as he looked over at Annabeth, who seemed to have stars in her eyes as she watched the head table and the gods discussing everything. Then he glanced up at Luke, who looked troubled. He wasn’t sure what was going through the older demigod’s head, but he had a couple of ideas. He was tempted to check on the other’s emotions, but ultimately decided against it. If they weren’t enemies yet, he deserved his privacy.

Still…

“Hey, Luke!” he said, drawing the older boy out of his reverie. Luke blinked and glanced down at Percy, face once again back to something friendlier. “Doesn’t Annabeth like architecture?”

Luke pondered that thoughtfully, nodding as Percy grinned.

Annabeth had a plan drawn up the next day. Well, she actually had five, but she presented the one she liked best. After everyone had a chance to look over it and add their own suggestions, she went back to the old drawing board to have another design made.

By the end of the week, it had been approved and she began to draw up what they’d need.

The entire camp came together to dig out the new area she marked and everyone learned more about setting a foundation than they’d probably like, but Annabeth was in heaven.

It was hard work, even with the Hephaestus and Athena cabins taking their turns in construction. The Hermes kids did have to sleep in the under-construction cabin, but to be honest, no one had an issue with that. Not even Roxanne, who quietly took one wall on the floor and helped where she could during the weeks everyone built the cabin.

She was a strange daughter of Aphrodite. Quiet and sharp, rarely speaking unless spoken to, and highly suspicious of more or less everyone. Percy recognized the symptoms of a bad home life and his heart went out to her. He did his best to befriend her, and she did warm up to him a little, but she and Annabeth did not get along. Which he hated, but… fair.

Aphrodite and Athena cabins did get together on the one thing they could agree on later that month—fabric—to help decorate cabin 11 itself. By the time they finished, the Hermes cabin had more blankets, pillows, throw pillows, and curtains of just about every kind than anyone thought was truly needed.

The original part of the cabin got a very thorough cleaning and touch-up as well. It took them over a month, with each cabin working on the Hermes cabin two to four hours a day, to get the whole thing done, but once they were finished, they had a new, clean, and very nicely extended cabin with extra storage space and beds if necessary (which Percy knew would be needed next year).

By the time they finished, Percy couldn’t have been more proud of the camp, and was even pleased with the gods. Hey, it happened every now and then.

Oh, and he’d tackled God Twelve by picking up some surprisingly hot metal in front of the Hephaestus kids, without getting burned of course, and had taken to forging some of the screws and nails they needed for the build. Several people had him down as a Hephaestus legacy by the end of it.

God Twelve, check.

xXx

July (and the Hermes Cabin expansion) had gotten well underway when Percy finally worked up the courage to approach Luke. It bothered him that he felt so nervous about it. Some of that came from the memory of Luke’s lifeless body on the floor of the Olympus throne room. Some of that came from his encounters with the older demigod over those first four years. A lot of it came from Thalia’s tight-lipped stiffness, the obvious sadness and pain in her eyes even centuries later, or Annabeth’s distant, sad look and how her fists clenched whenever he was brought up.

Kronos would still rise. Percy was pretty sure that was inevitable. He would find another demigod, likely from Camp Jupiter, to manipulate. But he could also still approach Luke. Maybe he already had. Percy didn’t know, but the future would ride on the decisions both he and Luke made now. And honestly, he’d like to fight by Luke’s side, or well, have Luke fight by his against the guy who wanted to wipe out all life on Earth and remake the world.

No, really, shouldn’t that be a given? He supposed not, with how many people had joined Kronos but, honestly…

Still, Percy knew he had his work cut out for him. From the older boy’s actions (not to mention that rage Percy had sensed that first day) he could tell where Luke stood when it came to the gods. He’d seen it before from other kids. In the future… (still surreal) children would come to camp who didn’t care. They’d seen too much and moved past the capacity to care. If he couldn’t help them, they tended to leave the country for higher education the moment they could, hoping to leave anything demigod behind, or they did something reckless against the gods. A couple of them would do something reckless against themselves… and those were the worst in Percy’s opinion. He could sense when every one of them died.

He didn’t want to sense that with Luke. Not like that. And he may have a chance because Luke still cared at this point. He cared about the demigods at camp. And that… that might be just enough.

“Hey, Luke. Can we talk?” Percy asked one day during their afternoon free time.

Blinking, the eighteen-year-old regarded his youngest camper for several seconds before shrugging. “Sure. We can get a drink even. Let me grab some co*kes.”

Percy tried not to flinch. Even after 300 years he remembered Luke taking him into the woods to hunt and for a drink of soda, followed by an attack from a pit scorpion that nearly took his life. They were not going into the woods this time though.

He’d even asked Aunt Hestia to help, so they could talk in private. Well, mostly in private, Aunt Hestia could listen in, but even if she did, she wouldn’t snitch.

“You want to sit by the fire? In this heat?” Luke asked when Percy led them in that direction after Luke grabbed the six-pack he’d probably gotten from the Stolls when they’d come back just before work started on the Hermes cabin.

Every time Percy saw the younger version of a camper he knew, it felt like a Titan socked him in the gut. A feeling he was sadly knowledgeable about. Even Luke looked so much younger and freer, like he had less weight on his shoulders, even if Percy could already see that weight increasing.

They sat down across from Aunt Hestia, who just smiled up at them as they each claimed a stone.

“I like it here,” Percy says. “It’s actually not too hot, and it’s cozy.”

Luke shrugged and handed him a co*ke. “Okay. So what did you want to talk about?”

He popped the tab on his can and took a long swig.

“You don’t like the gods, do you,” Percy said, watching Luke carefully. He didn’t say it as a question.

Apparently, Luke wasn’t expecting that, because he spit his cola out onto the fire. Aunt Hestia didn’t look entirely impressed, but she also didn’t say anything. Luke wiped his mouth as he hissed at the younger camper. “Percy! You can’t just say things like that around here! Anyone could be listening in!”

Percy raised an eyebrow.

Obviously uncomfortable, Luke wiped his hands on his pants and looked away. “Besides, what makes you say that?”

“I’ve seen you when you don’t think anyone’s looking. The other night, with Ethan—he was so upset about the minor gods not getting recognition. You were smiling. Then, when he calmed down, you weren’t happy.” That sounded childish enough, right? He hoped so.

“I was just thinking about other things.”

“The way you avoid talking about them.”

“That’s just smart, Percy.”

The time-traveler took a deep breath. “The way you look whenever your dad comes up.”

Luke’s face went blank, no doubt surprised that anyone had noticed, let alone that someone had brought it up. He shot a glance at the girl across the fire from them. Aunt Hestia looked to be very deep in a book that had appeared in her hands out of nowhere, though Percy only noticed that because he’d paid attention to her before.

“Gods are selfish, Percy. That’s a lesson to learn as a whole. They don’t care about their children beyond what we can do for them. They don’t care to be parents… actually, they don’t care for anyone outside of themselves. They think humans are their playthings, not caring how much they get hurt in the process. That’s…” a sour look fell over his face as he stared into the flames.

“That’s just how they are.”

Percy frowned, hoping he looked innocent. “But what about the rule that they can’t be around demigods? Even their children.”

Luke snorted. “That’s just an excuse.”

No, it wasn’t. Percy should know. He’d had the rule quoted at him at least once a year, every year for nearly his first century. His defense had always been his demigod domain. Zeus would freak out like the drama queen he was, Hera would back him up, and depending on who Percy had ticked off that year, various gods would support him or not. He’d give them all the middle finger anyway, say he’d fulfill his duties for his own domains whether they did or not, and walk away.

That had stopped when he’d finally snapped, told them all that they were terrible parents and if they continued as they were, they’d have more Lukes on their hands once every decade or so until they got their acts together. He may or may not have used language that would have had his mother in near tears, but then, she hadn’t been there. Besides, his dad found that particular part of his argument amusing. Then he told them that if they wouldn’t be decent parents, the least he could do was try to be a decent uncle/cousin/friend/mentor because Chiron could only do so much. The least he could do was prove that not every god wasn’t a deadbeat who only cared about themselves. And maybe if he could help them by showing them that someone on Olympus cared, they wouldn’t lose half of their camp to completely unnecessary wars.

He may or may not have gone on about how gods didn’t understand human lives, and never would, but if they dedicated some time to even showing up once every couple of months, it would mean the world to their kids. That was all it would take in most cases. And just because mortal lives were fleeting didn’t mean they were worthless. They shouldn’t have to earn their parents’ love because their parents were too self-absorbed to actually care.

He’d been punished for that. Zeus forbade him from going near the sea for a decade. His father had been furious. The whole situation had sucked, but it was worth it, because they’d changed the rules. A god could see their child up to once a month if said child didn’t know about their godly status, fewer times if they did know, but that would mostly be for their safety. The various gods could also all visit the camp once a month. Percy had been thrilled. The children had been thrilled. Most gods had been thrilled.

But that had been an actual rule they had to change.

Percy regarded Luke with a frown. “Why do you think that?”

Luke sighed and took a drink of his soda. “It’s an excuse, Percy, that’s all.”

“Are you sure?”

“In for a penny,” the older boy grumbled to himself. Then he shook his head. “What else could it be? Why would there be a reason except for lazy gods to have an excuse? It fits so well with them.”

“All of them?” Percy asked.

Luke snorted. “Every god I’ve met. You’re going to get me killed just talking about it, you just watch.” He sounded so… resigned. At least that meant Kronos probably hadn’t contacted him yet. Or if he had, he hadn’t told Luke who he was. “They hate criticism, and hate change even more than they hate taking responsibility.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Hestia said before Percy could say anything. He blinked. He hadn’t expected her to jump in. Both demigods shot her a questioning look. Percy saw Luke’s face pale as he cursed under his breath.

“My Lady,” Luke said, putting on his mask, “I didn’t mean—”

She held up her hand. “Luke Castellan, son of Hermes and May Castellan. I think I have a couple of things to clear up.

“First, no other god was listening in. I made sure of that. Young Percy here said my fire felt safe, undoubtedly why he brought you here despite the time of day and heat.”

Well, that should help to take some suspicion off of him from Luke. He nodded emphatically at her, both grateful and hoping to convince Luke it hadn’t been a set up. Mainly because it hadn’t been. He really hadn’t expected his aunt to say anything.

“Second, that rule is, indeed, an actual rule set down by the King of the Gods after he saw how

Kronos treated the mortals he’d created.” She sighed and shook her head. “He did not give them any choice or freedom. They were mere slaves at best, there to serve my father’s whims, and nothing else. He mainly created them because they were easier to control than even nymphs or other nature spirits. However, he didn’t notice how they changed and grew. Many other gods saw potential there, and wanted to see what mere mortals could do. It has been something that has fascinated my siblings and I for millennia. I find it inspiring, personally.

“By tying ourselves to mortal worship, it allowed us to change—both for better and worse—so we could avoid becoming like Kronos and Ouranos before him.” She sighed. “It seems we have failed, though. Despite that, my youngest brother still enforces the rule, likely out of paranoia. I believe mortals and half-mortals scare my brother. They aren’t supposed to be as knowledgeable or powerful as they tend to become these days.” She chuckled sadly. “It seems we all underestimated them… underestimated you. What brother does now seems more like damage control.” She said that last part more to herself.

“Damage for what?” Luke couldn’t seem to help but venture slowly, carefully.

She sighed. “I am not sure I can explain it.”

So Percy tried. “My mom says that a lot of people—including Poseidon, Athena, and Hera—have tried to take his throne at some point. He fights so hard for it, maybe he thinks he’ll be useless if he isn’t king? My mom says that people who have power usually grow afraid of losing it, but that it isn’t always as simple as greed.”

Hestia smiled, amused at his attempt… or perhaps at his own assessment. “I believe it may also have something to do with how the previous kings were dethroned.”

Well… fair. “Yeah, that would be scary,” Percy said, nodding solemnly.

Luke seemed to grow more puzzled as the conversation went on. “Wait,” he held up his hand, “why are Percy and I still alive? We spoke against the gods… in front of a goddess.”

Hestia shrugged and poked the fire again. “You may find that we have mellowed out in some areas and become more strict in others. We tend to reflect traits of the society we find ourselves tied to. I would not encourage bad-mouthing my brother, but your grievances are understandable, if limited in scope. I cannot punish you for that, and I am not the only one.”

“That’s why I want to change it!” Percy said, pumping as much excitement into that as he could. Then, just to hopefully sell it more, he co*cked his head to one side. “Um… who are you…” he paused and glanced at Luke out of the corner of his eye before adding on, “My Lady?”

Her amusem*nt grew. “Hestia. Goddess of Hearth and Home.”

“Oh!” Percy said excitedly. Maybe he should jump into something? Babble or pull a young Nico? But he wanted to keep addressing this too, and that could get them sidetracked…

Seeming to sense his dilemma, Hestia held up a hand to him, then fixed her gaze on Luke. “I do have some more things I would like to say, if you would hear them.”

Frowning, Luke nodded slowly.

“I remember your father and his brother, Apollo, getting into a large fight because of what happened to your mother. Your father blamed Apollo, and Apollo claimed—still claims—he had nothing to do with it. No one knows who cursed the current Oracle, and accusations could start a war. However, your mother was informed of that before she went in to claim the Oracle’s position.”

Luke looked some impossible shade of pale, green, and red at the same time—a tad on the ‘zombie’ side. Percy couldn’t help but be a little worried. That… shouldn’t be possible. Yet, he was doing an impressive job of pulling it off.

“You’re saying it’s my mother’s fault?”

Hestia sighed. “Not at all. I am saying no one knows whose fault it is, that there is a curse there, and your mother knew that. She wanted to be part of your life so much, she was willing to risk her life to be so.”

Luke clenched his teeth. “Then… why didn’t she say anything to me?! One day we went on a trip, came here, I think, and then…”

The goddess nodded sadly. “I believe she didn’t want to burden you. Your father didn’t know her plans, as far as I know.”

“We were happy, though,” Luke said angrily. “I remember my fa—Hermes being there before…. After, he just left. Mom and I needed him more than ever and he left.”

“What he did brought attention to him and he was punished, by my brother,” Hestia said softly. “He left for your safety—to save your lives.”

Luke looked stricken. “What?”

She shook her head before fixing her ember-warm gaze on the son of Hermes. “Luke, don’t you see it? Your father broke the rules to be with your mother and you. He broke the rules and was punished for it. What that punishment was is not my place to say, but it hurt him too, though I think the worse punishment was having to leave you. He spoke with me about it and…

“The thing about my nephew is that he tries. He loves his children. He wants to be with them and their parents. He has such a large heart and so much room in it for love, despite watching those people he loves die again and again, he’s never given up on that. Perhaps that is why he and Aphrodite get along so well. I know he doesn't always succeed, but he does try. He looks for loopholes and sneaks by on the down low until he gets caught and punished.” She sighed, shaking her head fondly, gaze growing distant. “He’s under a lot of scrutiny right now and likely will be for a couple of decades at least.”

Luke just stared at her, blinking rapidly as he tried to compute that. No matter how cut off he was, Percy could still sense this new information battling with what he’d come to accept as truth before. He’d accepted his world-view as an absolute, which was a mistake… but Percy could understand. And that didn’t mean he was entirely wrong.

“Au… My Lady, Hestia,” the time-traveler said slowly, “I… don’t know everything that is going on, but… despite Luke’s father trying, the fact of the matter is that as things are now, demigods are still hurt, including his siblings.” He gestured to Luke. “Some people thrive under a hands-off way of being raised, but so many others don’t. And that isn’t their fault. They shouldn’t be punished for it.”

The older camper and goddess had both turned their attention on Percy, Luke looking a little blank, like he couldn’t comprehend what was going on, but slightly relieved that not everything he’d taken for truth had been thrown out the window.

Aunt Hestia nodded. “You aren’t wrong, Percy. Perhaps we should brainstorm some things that should change?”

“Why do you care?” Luke blurted suddenly. Both Hestia and Percy focused on him, his incredulous gaze fixed on the form of the little girl in front of them. “The other gods don’t, so why do you?”

She smiled. “Partially because you are my family. I do not have—will likely never have—children of my own. That doesn’t mean I cannot love my nieces, nephews, and in some cases, cousins. Partially because my main domains are hearth and home, which deals with family. Partially because I was there when my father made his own mortals. I saw how they were treated—albeit through dreams and visions. I don’t want to see that repeated. But I also don’t want us to go so far in the opposite direction that we’ve essentially reached the same level of wrong.” She sighed. “It’s hard to remember that my father wasn’t always…” she faded off, looking for the right word.

“Evil?” Percy asked, probably a touch more sardonically than the situation called for, but he knew Kronos.

Hestia deflated, looking suddenly tired and very old, even in her nine-year-old body. “Yes. He… didn’t used to be. And I think even that is too… simple to just label him.”

Percy sighed and got up, walking over to her and taking her hand. “Au… My Lady Hestia, he ate you. And you did not deserve that.”

“He was scared,” she whispered.

“He was,” Percy nodded. “But that doesn’t give him an excuse.”

“Even then he wasn’t bad,” she said, eyes boring into his. “He just kept…”

“Getting worse?”

She nodded sadly. “Much like we have, I think. Even me.”

“You’re nothing like him,” Percy said. “You can change. He had to be stopped.”

She nodded again.

“That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt,” he finished.

After a moment, she put her hand on his cheek. “You are far too empathetic for your own good, I think.”

Percy looked down. “Thank you.” He didn’t agree, but he appreciated that.

They stayed like that for a moment before Percy remembered why they were there to begin with. He looked over at Luke, who stared at the two of them, blank faced. Hestia followed his gaze.

“I’m sorry, Luke,” she said softly. “I’m sorry you weren’t given this information sooner. It has hurt us in the past to just give information like that away, and we react just like any other sapient being when we are hurt.”

“So you’re saying you gods are a bunch of far-too-powerful, way-too-traumatized people?”

Hestia sighed and shook her head. “You’re not… wrong.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “What am I even supposed to think about this? It doesn’t make anything that happened any better.”

Percy disagreed, but he could see why Luke thought that.

“Perhaps,” Hestia said. “Even we can’t change the past,” she glanced at Percy, “except on very rare occasions.” He shot a dry look at her before looking down, wondering what Luke thought of that exchange. “What we can do is learn. You may take from this what you will. That is not something I can or want to change. It is your choice and yours alone. All I can do is give you enough information to make an informed decision. More knowledge means more understanding… and isn’t that what true family is all about?”

She smiled. “Perhaps that is something my brothers and sisters could use a refresher on. I know I did.”

“Besides,” Percy piped up, “now that we know, we can make things better!”

“Knowing is half the battle,” Hestia said, amused.

They sat in silence for several seconds. In the distance, Percy could hear the other camp members at their own activities. He could also sense them. And he was pretty sure he could sense the nature spirits too, at least a little. None were nearby. Whatever Hestia had done to keep the other gods from listening in seemed to encourage more or less everyone to avoid the fire for now, something he was immensely grateful for. He didn’t think this was a conversation just anyone should overhear.

“I… need to think about this,” Luke finally said, standing up.

“Of course,” Hestia said, magnanimously.

“You should probably go back to the cabin, Percy,” the older boy muttered, running a hand through his hair and not meeting anyone’s eyes.

“I’ll be fine, Luke. Sorry this got so…” it was his turn to search for a word. “Weird,” he finally finished lamely.

Luke’s only reply was a snort and a nod before he turned to leave, what was left of the six-pack in hand.

“Oh, Luke,” Hestia called. He paused and glanced back at her, still suspicious, but the goddess just grinned. “You are always welcome at my hearth, although next time, I would appreciate a more appropriate offering of a drink.”

He just stared at her while Percy tried to hide a snicker. Then, the corners of his mouth twitched for just a moment before he turned and walked towards the beach.

The goddess and the former god watched him go.

“Well,” Percy said, forcing as much positivity into his voice as he could, “I think that went well.”

Hestia just shook her head and smiled fondly.

xXx

Luke didn’t know what to think about everything he’d just heard. For so long he’d hated and blamed the gods for so much… but he’d never thought they would be just as restricted in their own ways. They were gods. And yet…

Hermes had broken rules to be with his mother and him. His father had been punished for it. Hermes had known he would likely be caught and/or punished because it had happened before…

Did that make him hate his father more or sympathize?

(He had a funny feeling it was somehow both, even if that didn’t make any sense.)

He lay there on his bunk in the old part of the cabin, tossing and turning, trying to sleep and failing.

He almost felt like he’d been tricked into speaking. In front of a goddess. He’d spoken truthfully and from the heart about his hatred and anger… and she’d just accepted them. Validated them, even. He’d been expected to be zapped out of existence if that had ever happened.

It just… didn’t make sense with what he knew of every other god…

But how much did he know the gods? Beings that were and weren’t like their myths. Beings that were both more and less than humans somehow: both worse and better depending on the area.

He didn’t know what to think, and he hadn’t been this confused since he’d run away from home.

That brought something else up. His mother. Maybe he should try and go back to see her?

The thought made him long for the memories of his childhood and shudder at the same time. He wished there was something he could do to help her… Would him visiting help her more? At all? Make her worse? He remembered before he’d run, she’d just degraded… And he couldn’t expose himself to that again… could he?

He didn’t know how long he lay there awake, but eventually he must have fallen asleep because he suddenly found himself in the same dream as before. A vast, black throne room, although he could barely see more than the throne itself. Even now, it looked vague and wrong, like it didn’t really have much of a shape, but it should.

Normally the throne sat empty. Now, though, a large, shadowy figure occupied it. Luke didn’t know how he could see a shadow in the darkened room, but he did. The gold eyes fixed on him didn’t help.

Hello, demigod, a voice—one that sounded all too familiar—said. The presence that had been haunting his dreams for so long. The one that had freaked him out about Percy. With everything that had happened, he was more inclined to believe those visions. And yet… I’ve been watching you the most. You have so much potential… and I have a proposition for you.

Luke gulped.

Chapter 15: A Bunch of Ants Chase Me To Grover

Chapter Text

Percy was starting to get frustrated. He'd noticed how everyone had treated him differently since he and his cabinmates had left the camp boundaries to rescue Roxanne—before the Hermes Cabin Upgrade—but he'd expected it to die down. It… hadn't. He wasn't as excluded as he remembered being the first time, but several people definitely avoided him. He didn't expect it to hurt as much as it did. Was he that scary? Or was it a certain prophecy that everyone seemed to know about but no one seemed to know the specifics of looming on the horizon, much like the first time.

The latter would be particularly annoying seeing as said prophecy didn't even apply anymore. But tell them that. Without them jumping to really awful conclusions even he didn't want to touch. He was apparently pushing those limits already.

He hated how much everything had changed in such a short amount of time. Suddenly, the other demigods seemed to expect so much of him and didn't seem to know what to make of that. The worst were the ones who tip-toed around him, as if expecting him to explode at any second, up to and including the couple of new campers that had come in the last month or so (some of whom had been thankfully claimed already). Apparently, just the idea that his father was Zeus freaked them out, even if most people didn't really believe it. Which… okay, he could understand, but that didn't stop it from being annoying (and frustrating) beyond all reason.

It didn't help that, most people had put money down on him having at least three gods in his semi-recent ancestry: his parent, and two legacies. That was… fine. Or he'd thought it would be initially. Now… he wasn't so sure. And he had the feeling he couldn't keep his facades up for much longer. He'd been hoping to keep it up until next year, when he could reveal his parentage if he needed to, but that was looking less and less plausible.

He really hoped he didn't need to out his parentage this year. It would reinforce everyone's belief about him, even if his father wasn't Zeus. But he didn't think he'd be that lucky. He'd already resigned himself to being claimed by camp next year. He was betting on someone managing to steal Zeus' and Hades' emblems of power, even if he desperately hoped it didn't happen. He'd count it a win if it wasn't Luke though. Well, unless it happened to be someone worse, like Annabeth, but he didn't see that happening.

(He wasn't entirely sure how he would react if something like that did happen… but it probably wouldn't be pretty for anyone.)

Percy felt awful thinking that way, but what else could he do? He knew someone else could steal the godly symbols, but he only recognized a couple of those who had joined Kronos the first time: Luke and some of the other kids in the Hermes cabin, Selina (although she'd been swayed more by Luke than anything else, he thought), one older kid from the Apollo cabin he was sure he'd seen on the Princess Andromeda during the Sea of Monsters debacle, along with kids from Hephaestus, Demeter, and Ares (no one from Athena though, interesting now that he thought about it). He knew others had joined up, but didn't know who without tapping into their emotions—something he refused to do. And even if he did know who, he didn't actually know those kids. Likely hadn't even interacted with them the first time. And now, with everyone walking on eggshells, they didn't seem to want to know him anymore. Of course. He still tried to be friendly, but he'd really freaked some of the kids out.

Which was fair. He'd kind of freaked himself out.

He groaned every time he realized just how badly he'd made a mess of everything. The first time this go-around had been a couple of days after speaking with Luke and Hestia. When he'd first come back, he'd settled into his demigod life, reveling in it and the freedom it brought. He'd been lazy, thinking he had time. To be fair to himself, he'd pushed for reform for the Hermes cabin, and he wanted unity in the camp, but… what else had he done? He knew Kronos was coming and here he was, doing more or less nothing except focusing on Luke. Ugh. Had the whole godly attitude of self-assured arrogance started to brush off onto him? After only 300 years? The thought disgusted him.

It didn't help that Luke was avoiding Percy, too. Which he understood, the (physically) older boy needed space and time to think, but it was still disheartening.

Basically, the entire situation was grating on Percy's last nerve. The current attitude in the camp wasn't what he wanted. He wanted lightheartedness and fun and… at least some preparation for the wars to come. So he tried to push through the current camp attitude, forcing himself to remain outgoing and inclusive… but he didn't think he was getting very far. Not that he'd give up but… he hadn't realized how much his friends' support had helped him through stints like this the first time around.

He eventually concluded that he wanted to continue the prank (he and the others had put too much effort into it to just quit now), but he didn't want to put as much time into it anymore. He needed to make sure the camp was ready to fight in—and survive—the upcoming Titanomachy. That was the most important thing. But he still thought his idea could help unify the camp. So, no, he wasn't giving the prank up, but while that might help the rest of camp (or so he hoped); it probably wouldn't help now as much as it had before. Not with all the attention and expectation.

He wished he had someone to go to about everything. Or at least someone who would give him a good fight. After all his friends had passed on in his last life, he'd tended to go to one of his half-siblings to fight or speak to. Kymopolia was good for a fight. Rhode was good for a talk. Triton… was pretty decent for both, depending on the time of year and his mood. Percy had also gone to Aunt Hestia, but… he doubted she'd have many words for him at the moment except 'be careful'. He knew that already.

What he really wanted was something he'd truly wanted for centuries: his old friends. And now they were right there… except they weren't. When Annabeth wasn't avoiding him like Luke was, she would be tense and wary (what happened to her being glad he'd come there?). So that was out, as much as that hurt to admit. He'd sought out Clarisse for a couple of fights, but while she was the daughter of Ares, she was also thirteen, and nowhere near as good as she got in the future, not to mention far more annoying than he remembered with her inferiority complex in full swing. It was also a little weird to see her with long hair again. It really didn't suit her in his humble opinion. Not that he told her that.

Nico wasn't there, wouldn't be for a while. Will wasn't there, wouldn't be for at least a year. Beckendorf was… well, he had baggage attached to him, as did Selina. He couldn't go to any of the other Seven as they weren't there and wouldn't be for far too long (he may have to do something about that, though, at least in the case of Leo and Piper)… and as much as he loved his mom, she really just didn't get some things. She couldn't. He couldn't talk to his dad for many reasons, his brother hated him, and his other godly siblings didn't care or were outright evil…

Which left one person. He almost kicked himself for not seeking them out already. Because he should have. Long ago.

Unfortunately, said friend was very difficult to track down within camp borders. He didn't remember it being so difficult, to be honest. But then again, most nature spirits avoided the campers if they could, and they had experience outrunning gods. Demigods would be nothing.

Thankfully, he had his tie to camp, though. He could sense where most of the nature spirits were by now (if weakly), so he'd just have to set up a situation that would bring him close to them.

So, almost a week after he spoke with Luke, around the end of July, he took a sword (imbalanced, but something he could still work with) and a small, round shield (he would always be Greek at heart) and trudged into the forest. Alone. He wanted his friends, and had been determined to meet every one of them that he possibly could at this point in time anyway, so why not?

Besides, the monsters in the forest couldn't do much to really hurt him, right?

Right?

xXx

I am such an idiot, he thought to himself half-an-hour later as he crashed through the woods, desperately trying to outrun a horde of myrmakes. Some super-powerful demigod I am! Overcome by a bunch of ants. Albeit giant, terrifying ants, but still.

Although, to be fair, he could probably take them, it would just require more power than he really wanted to use at the moment. He'd only been trying to get a couple of myrmake guards to chase him or something, but the tiny tremor he'd sent into the nest had set what seemed like the entire colony on him. One or two he could handle, no problem. Hades, up to twenty he could probably take, though he'd have to be careful. But… He glanced behind him for just a moment. Yeah, that was way more than twenty. He was hoping he'd been sensing wrong, but nope. And using too much power too fast could make him ascend.

So it looked like he was stuck with taking out a couple at a time until he either outran the rest or they decided to stop chasing him. His best option was probably water spears as he could control them even as he focused on running for his life… again. He just had to make sure he used enough power and force to drill through each rock-hard exoskeleton. Oh, and aim. Which had been a lot easier as an actual god. He almost missed his godly powers just then. Almost.

He certainly missed his older, far better developed body as a god or even just an older demigod. His lungs hurt, he had a stitch in each side, and he knew he was bleeding (he could feel it and sense it, yay) from both running through a forest and having to pause and fight a giant ant every now and then. Worse yet, he'd kind of panicked when the entire pankataratos colony had come streaming out after him (he blamed his eleven-year-old mind) and he'd dashed in the direction he'd planned on beforehand…

Right towards where he could sense a gathering of nature spirits and other more benign creatures.

Yeah. No. He needed to find a place to make a stand, because he refused to put nymphs and satyrs in danger. Well, more danger. And using too much power and ascending that way would be too embarrassing. Triton would never let him live it down. He doubted his father would too. Or Apollo. Or Artemis. She always wanted to come off as the older, more responsible twin, but she had a mischievous streak far wider than Apollo's whenever she indulged, and it could get mean.

And that was if he ascended at all and didn't end up in the Fields of Asphodel.

No, focus.

Wrenching his mind away from those thoughts, he thought about his current predicament. Right. Well , he'd have to get to a better vantage point and… there were a lot of trees around. But he needed a particularly large one. One he could keep climbing and a horde of giant ants wouldn't knock over.

It took him another fifteen or twenty seconds of outright sprinting before he spotted one that would work. The lowest branch would be way above a normal eleven-year-old's head, but he was a demigod. Moreover, he used to be a god of liquids. Using some of the water he'd taken from nearby puddles and streams as he'd run, he brought some forward and used it as a platform to leap onto and off of. In one smooth motion, he'd sheathed his sword and used all the power he dared to reach the branch. His hands wrapped around it, scraping his palms on the bark, but he refused to let go. The wood bent as he swung himself up and onto it, taking only a moment to breathe. Below him, the myrmakes caught up, leaping at him.

How did they even know where he was? Weren't they supposed to have awful eyesight? Or was that just normal ants? He didn't care. Dragging his water up with him, he plowed on, reaching up for the next branch and lifting himself onto it. The ants started climbing the tree.

But his plan was working. He grinned and settled himself on the higher branch, drawing his sword again.

"I never met any of you in Tartarus," he yelled down to them. "Hope you like it there."

Now that he had a vantage point, he could focus more on aiming and began to take out the myrmekes a couple at a time, but much faster than before. This, naturally, seemed to make them angrier and they swarmed into a pile, crawling over each other to get to him.

Unfortunately, it was working. He frowned as the pile below grew larger, even with disappearing insects. No, seriously, would he have to take out the entire colony like this?

Playing it safe, he stood and hefted himself on an even higher branch.

"Just go away. It'll be better for all of us," he called down, taking at least five out at once. Unsurprisingly, they didn't listen. He grit his teeth. He was beginning to feel that ache in his gut warning him that he was getting close to using too much divine power. He could hold out for a while longer, but he had no idea if it would be enough.

He sighed. Story of his life. He'd just have to make it enough.

Times like this he really wished he could shoot a bow and arrow. Something he couldn't even do as a god.

He suspected Apollo but had never been able to confirm it.

Focus, he told himself, shooting shards of ice at the myrmeke eyes he could see.

"Behind you!" someone yelled. Without thinking, Percy ducked, swinging down and around the branch almost on instinct. Above him, a myrmeke that had climbed up the opposite side of the tree from the angle of their body, and had made a grab for him with their mandibles. Or whatever those were. Pinchers? Death traps? Yeah, that sounded about right.

And he'd been too focused on the others below him to sense it. Which scared him more than he wanted to admit. Almost without a thought, he reached out and grabbed the liquid he could feel inside the ant's giant body and squeezed.

The ant exploded.

Percy's gut suddenly hurt a lot more. That was why he stuck to ice and water—they just didn't take as much of a toll on him.

Ignoring that for now, he pulled himself back up on the tree branch before shooting his water down at the swarming myrmekes below. And around the back of the tree.

He glanced around for whoever had warned him, but saw no one and figured it had been a tree nymph. He'd thank them later… when he got out of this.

Because he would get out of it.

He didn't know how many more of the monsters he killed over the next minute or so, but a fairly large amount of sulfur dust had piled around the tree and on top of the swarm of ants there.

Then, several loud shrieks and battle cries almost startled him into falling off of the tree branch. Screeching notes of music sounded throughout the forest, making Percy slap his hands over his ears, and just in time too. Below him, several of the myrmekes literally exploded into dust. Even more seemed to get caught in the vines suddenly growing from the forest floor. Trees reached down and grabbed several, throwing them away over the canopy and dozens of Satyrs came streaming through the trees, charging for anything still alive down below.

Percy, who had several spikes of water and ice floating around him just watched, eyes wide. He'd known Satyrs could be powerful, especially when working together, but he'd assumed their boost in power had been from Pan's death (was that something he could look into… later). Well. He could admit when he was wrong.

Once the forest below was clear of any monsters, nymphs began to climb out of the trees that had grabbed the ants and the satyrs broke into cheers. Percy let out a sigh of relief and let his control on the water go. His gut really hurt. Not as badly as that night he'd kept Roxanne alive, but still. Slumping down on his branch, he leaned his head back against the tree and took a moment to catch his breath.

"Hey! You! Up there!"

A smile broke across Percy's face and he shook his head. That was undoubtedly Coach Hedge.

Letting his tiredness show as he leaned over, he waved. "Hi."

"What the…" the satyr paused and took a breath. "What did you do, kid? Myrmekes don't normally chase people like that!"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Um… I may have… accidentally collapsed some of their tunnels? I don't know. I was upset and… kind of wanted a fight." True. "I saw some of them in a nest and there was an… um… earthquake. Not a bad one, but—"

"That was you?" one of the other satyrs Percy didn't know asked, incredulous.

The time-traveler felt his cheeks darken. "You… um… felt that?"

"You're that kid that's trying to tick off every god in existence by claiming to be their child," yet another, older one huffed.

Percy held his hands up in surrender. "I'm not claiming anything. Just putting forth evidence for people to come to their own conclusions.

"As for the… myrmakes?" Several satyrs nodded. "I didn't want to lead them to you all, so I decided to make a stand here." He paused. "Thank you… for coming." He said that as sincerely as he could, because he meant it.

"Only an idiot would provoke a myrmeke nest!" Coach Hedge yelled.

Percy snorted. "Oh, believe me, I was calling myself every name under the sun for that stupidity, and it won't happen again." Slowly, he turned and began to climb down the tree, bracing himself for the inevitable pain of moving. And it hit, making him wince a little.

Stupid eleven-year-old brain. And body.

"Fool demigods," he heard one of the satyrs mutter to a nymph, who nodded.

"I mean," he said as he dropped down onto the lowest branch and then to the ground, "it's not like I was trying to control the earth or anything." Because this was just the perfect opportunity to keep going with the prank. "It just… happened." Not entirely true, but hey.

Several groans sounded from around him. He had to withhold a grin as he plopped on the ground and leaned against the trunk of the tree again.

"And wasn't that water that you were just manipulating?" a nymph asked this time. She stood with her arms folded and flowers in her long, blond hair, but despite that, she looked more or less done with everything.

Percy just shrugged.

"You're a menace," Coach Hedge said, glare fierce. It kind of hurt to not see the familiar warmth in it that Percy was used to (and he looked younger too, fewer gray hairs), but the time-traveler remembered the satyr well enough to know he wasn't really angry, just frustrated. Maybe a little annoyed. So Percy allowed his grin to show.

"Name a demigod that isn't."

Judging by the angry grumbling, he couldn't. No one else spoke up either.

"Get back to camp," Hedge finally said.

"Sure," Percy replied easily. "Once I catch my breath. I used a lot of energy fighting off those things. If you guys hadn't come…" he faded off, still grinning, but it wasn't empty, and the satyrs should know that, with their own empath abilities and everything. That was when he caught a glimpse of familiar brown, curly hair and equally brown eyes. He would have fit right in with the rest of the satyrs if Percy didn't know him so well.

Grover.

Trying not to stare too much, he turned his eyes back to Coach Hedge, whose expression did soften. A little. Percy would take it.

"Thank you," he said, then once again searched the eyes of every satyr and nymph in the area. He knew they could definitely tell he was serious.

"You're welcome, kid," Coach said, softer still. Of course, that didn't mean his voice was soft by any means. It was still Coach Hedge. "We are demigod guardians after all."

"You really do need to get out of the forest, though," another, older satyr said.

Percy nodded. "I'm all for that except… like I said, I'm kind of not a hundred percent sure I'll get back on my own." That was completely untrue. He could make it back. He could. No matter how shaky he felt. Still, this was his chance. "Hey you, there," he pointed to Grover, "sorry to ask this, but would you mind helping me back to camp?"

Everyone turned to Grover, who sputtered, eyes wide. "M-m-me?" Percy nodded. Grover rubbed the back of his head. "Um… sure. I guess."

"Thanks!" Percy beamed.

Many of the other nature spirits sighed and shook their heads as Grover passed them. Percy frowned. Did he really have that bad of a reputation right now? Well, that was something the time-traveler could certainly help with.

"Just get him there safely," one of the older satyrs snapped, a little rudely.

Percy frowned harder, but Grover just nodded and looked down. "Right. Of course."

Before Percy could figure out what to say to make his once (and hopefully future) friend feel better, the younger satyr offered a hand and helped him to his feet. He may or may not have swayed more than he'd thought.

Grover threw one of Percy's arms around his slightly taller shoulders and they began making their way back towards camp. No, really, Percy didn't need that level of help… probably. Hopefully.

"I appreciate everything you've done," Percy said over his shoulder. "Thanks again for saving my life."

"Don't put it in danger in the first place," Coach Hedge yelled after him. Could Percy help it if his grin widened?

For the next several minutes, Grover supported Percy through the woods, catching him whenever he pretended to stumble (and whenever he really did stumble, because that happened more than he wanted to admit).

"Sorry to single you out," Percy finally said. "You looked like you wanted to be there about as much as I did, though."

Grover blinked, surprised. "Oh, yeah. Um… thanks."

"No prob. I'm Percy Jackson, by the way."

"Grover," the satyr reintroduced himself. "Grover Underwood."

Percy held out his other hand, which Grover took, albeit a little awkwardly from the angle. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Grover returned a smile. "You taking on all of those myrmekes was something to see. Did you really collapse their tunnels?"

"I didn't mean to," Percy muttered. The satyr snorted.

The conversation dragged and Percy felt himself growing more frustrated that he didn't know what to say to his oldest friend.

Finally, he just settled on: "So, are you a protector too? Is that a satyr thing?"

To his chagrin, Grover flinched. However, he almost immediately brightened. "Yeah. Was actually scheduled to head out again this year."

"Oh?" Percy considered his next words carefully. "Not your first time, then?" he asked, knowing he could be treading on shaky ground, but wanting to build a rapport.

The satyr slumped, which threw off Percy's own center of gravity and made them both stumble.

"Sorry," Grover muttered, glancing at the demigod. Then he sighed. "No, it's not my first time."

Knowing his emotions could be felt, Percy tried to bring up memories that sparked puzzlement and concern. Not difficult with his life and memories. "You're not that much older than me, though… right?"

Another sigh. "Satyrs age twice as slow as mortals. I'm 27."

"Oh," Percy said, nodding. "I'm guessing you had a bad experience last time?"

Grover shrugged (which almost made them go stumbling again), "You could say that."

"I'm sorry," Percy whispered, entirely honest. "But I'm sure you'll be great this time. You seem like a pretty cool guy. With how much you wanted to leave that gathering back there."

The look Grover shot him showed plain confusion.

"What? You did!" He smirked. "Admit it, you wanted to get out of there."

"Baa-ah-ah," the satyr burst out laughing, then cleared his throat. "What? No! Of course I wanted to be at the council meeting."

Percy raised an eyebrow pointedly, but didn't call him on it otherwise. "Sure, sure.

"Soooo… I gotta say, I was impressed by the showing you all put on back there. Some of the people at camp don't seem to think satyrs and nymphs are all that strong."

"Baa-ah," Grover said, though this time it had no laughter in it. "Satyrs are great fighters! We used to be considered the fiercest of all non-human-mortals!"

"So I guess you've been practicing to get that strong for your next assignment."

Grover shifted uncomfortably. Something Percy could definitely feel. He really wished he could walk back on his own, but he could see he'd overestimated his remaining stamina earlier. Good thing he had Grover to lean on. Even if the guy moved his shoulders way too much.

"Well… I have, recently. I just… I thought I wouldn't get another chance after my last failure and got kind of depressed. I really haven't practiced my pipes as much as I should."

"Oh." Percy… had never known that about Grover. He'd grown into his 'Lord of the Wild' title so well… that was the satyr he remembered. "Well, why don't you ask some of the Apollo kids for help with your music?"

"What?" Grover asked, surprised. "Why would they help me?"

"Well, you're going to go out and protect one of their brothers, sisters, or cousins. Why wouldn't they help you? You just need to practice and have a bit more faith in yourself. Right?"

But the half-goat didn't look so sure. "I suppose."

"Well, I know I'd appreciate it if you were trying to get me to camp safely. And you need to be able to protect yourself, too."

"I can!" Grover insisted.

"Great!" Percy grinned at him. "You seem like a hard-working kind of guy."

The satyr harrumphed in annoyance, but the demigod couldn't help but smile at his friend.

"You know," Grover said as he helped Percy up a hill, "satyrs are empaths."

"You can," Percy grunted (he really had gone all out, hadn't he), "sense emotions, right?"

"Yeah. And you… seem like you know me. There's a familiarity to your feelings towards me—fondness, not as much surprise as I would have thought… why is that?"

Percy didn't answer for a couple of minutes as he thought back on his friend—the friend this Grover would probably grow to be like, but would never truly become—and smiled sadly. "You remind me of someone I used to know. One of my best friends. Most reliable guy I've ever met."

"Y-you think I'm reliable?"

Percy shrugged. "If you're anything like he was."

A pause. "Was?"

"Yeah," Percy whispered. "He's been… gone for a while now. I miss him."

It was Grover's turn to apologize. "I'm sorry."

The demigod shook his head. "It… Well, it isn't okay, but it is something I'll have to learn to deal with. Demigod, and all that."

Another stumbling wince as they came into the clearing housing the demigod cabins. "Yeah."

"In any case, thanks for your help, Grover. I can—"

"Nope."

Percy blinked. He hadn't expected something that firm from Grover this soon. "What?"

"I know your type. You're going to the Apollo cabin right now. And I'm going to take you there."

Percy spluttered. "I'm fine."

"Sure," Grover said, heading straight for the blindingly gold cabin housing Apollo's children.

"Grover," Percy whined.

"Nope."

Percy huffed. "Fine," he muttered. Then he smiled. "If you're like that in the field, you'll be an excellent protector."

Grover must have sensed his sincerity because he straightened a little, and Percy grinned. "Besides, while we're there, you can set up times for them to tutor you in music."

"Baa-ah-ah," the satyr bleated, turning an incredulous—almost betrayed—look on Percy, who just grinned back.

"Mr. Hedge was right," Grover muttered, "you're a menace."

"And proud of it."

Another sigh, but it sounded fond. Percy really hoped this was a new beginning for their friendship.

Chapter 16: The Last Day of the Prank

Chapter Text

The last god Percy really wanted to check off his list of potential parents before stopping the prank was Demeter. The fact that he'd manipulated earth (spread through camp by the satyrs and nymphs) had put Hades on the betting list, even if most didn't seem to think it was that plausible. Percy was more than fine with that.

Ethan had congratulated him for continuing the prank, as had Johan and Mara, but Luke was still avoiding him as August came around. Along with most of the rest of camp.Still. By that point, Percy had just come to accept that that would be his lot in the camps until he made a name for himself, but he'd liked the camaraderie while it lasted.

With everything going on and his thoughts turning to the future, he decided Demeter would be his last prank. Otherwise, he'd be dragging the joke out too long. Besides, as much as he had enjoyed it all, it had worked against him in the end.

Not that he couldn't take it (it was annoying at best), and he did remember enough from his first go around to be used to it. The prank had still seemed to make people think, too, so he probably wouldn't even change it if he had to start over a third time. (He'dbetternot.)

So the final day of the prank ended in early August, when the heat of the summer months could severely hurt plants if not tended to correctly. Now, he'd never had a green thumb, but he'd never been particularly bad at growing either. And the Demeter cabin was always looking for people who weren't terrible to help them with some of the more menial jobs for maintaining the strawberries the camp relied on.

Still, the look on their faces when he showed up. Every single demigod—and a good deal of satyrs too—stopped and stared at him from their various places around the field. He grinned, knowing very well he just looked like a delinquent. He blamed his father.

"Hey," he waved. "Mind if I help?"

"Oh… sure," Miranda, who happened to be the closest, said a little dazedly. She kept looking at him like she wasn't sure she was actually seeing him.

"What do you need me to do?" he prodded after a moment.

"We… need some fertilizer spread."

Ah, yes, the worst job in gardening. Percy still nodded emphatically, pointing to the nearby wheelbarrows with shovels stuck into the piles of smelly, brown 'dirt' inside them. He'd figured he'd probably be doing something like that anyway, so he'd worn his rattiest clothes. Not that most of his clothes didn't have holes in them, but hey.

"Where should I start?" he asked.

"Over there," Miranda said, still kind of blinking at him as she pointed towards a droopier corner of the field that the satyrs and demigods hadn't gotten to yet. He could even see Castor and Pollux in the next field over watching him interact with the Demeter kids, although they looked more entertained than anything. He was positive if they had a bucket of popcorn, they would be relaxing and sharing it as they observed.

He always knew they were smart.

He still made his way over to the appointed area as if no one was watching, pushing the wheelbarrow carefully between the strawberry plants, completely ignoring everyone else.

Thus began a long morning of work.

Initially, he'd wanted to try and manipulate the water inside the plants to make them grow, but after some time testing it out in the woods, he realized he could only make them move, and even then only with far too much effort. Still good to know, but that wasn't actually going to help him in the long run with the Demeter cabin.

It took him entirely too long to remember what would help him: his connection to the camp. It wasn't part of his domains technically, but the camp was so deeply tied in with his demigod domain (not to mention right near the sea, which gave him strength too) that he could,theoretically,manipulate the aura of any living thing connected to the camp. After more testing, he realized it was only to a limited extent. A very limited extent. He fully expected to be taking a very long nap that afternoon.

So, as he worked on spreading the fertilizer, he carefully reached out to the camp and directly fed what divine power he had into the nearby strawberry plants through that connection. Within minutes, he was feeling it, but he kept going, making sure to take a break every half-hour or so.

When it was nearing lunch, Katie approached him.

"Um… Percy?"

He turned and smiled at her, wondering why the world seemed to spin a little.

Oh… wait.

"You… don't look so good."

"Oh, I'm fine," he said, waving her off and pasting a smile on his face. He'd have to head back for that nap as soon as he could. "Did I do a good job?"

She looked past him at the fertilized area and nodded. "Yeah, that looks…"

Percy held back a snicker. She'd noticed the plants from the expression on her face.

"Percy… has anyone come to help you over here, yet?"

He shook his head, keeping a firm grip on the shovel he'd buried into the ground in front of him. That wasn't the only thing keeping him upright at the moment (was it?), but it helped. "Nope. Just me."

Aaand there were black spots. Apparently the shovelwasthe only thing keeping him upright. Oops. He'd overestimated himself again. And he really had pushed this joke too far. Funny how he came to so many realizations as those spots grew. He heard Katie calling out to him worriedly, but couldn't make out what she was saying.

The next thing he knew, he felt warm dirt on his cheek, thankfully not the recently fertilized area. At least it didn't smell that way.

Yeah. This was definitely the last day of the prank. Maybe one of these days he'd learn when to stop.

xXx

Percy woke up in the medical room.

Again.

Good to know that his 300 years of living hadn't managed to pound the recklessness out of him.

Sad to know that he'd exhausted himself over a little bit of gardening.

Seaweed Brain, his wife's fond voice rang through his mind. He shook his head. Every time he thought he'd gotten a hold of how restricted his current access to divine power was, the universe happily shoved his face in how he really hadn't.

"Well, good to see you back in the land of the living," Erin's voice brought him back to the present and he turned his head to see her striding towards him. "Also, you need to apologize to the Demeter cabin. You really freaked them out. Probably the Dionysus cabin too."

Percy sighed. "Yeah. That's fair."

"Good. Now, mind telling me what happened?"

He didn't wince, but it was a close thing. "I… was stupid."

"Was it your prank?"

He did wince that time. "You know about that?"

"Percy, everybody knows about that. It's obvious." She shook her head, golden-blond pony-tail swishing behind her. "If you were trying to keep that a secret, you're not a good secret keeper. We just don't know how far it runs… which is what's making the betting fun. I, personally, highly approve."

Percy snorted.

"Though once you reveal your actual parentage, you'll have to tell us how you did it all."

"With some help from the rest of the Hermes cabin," Percy said, grinning.

"So that rules out Hermes. Good to know."

The time-traveler blinked. "Um… what?"

"I'm positive you know your parentage and if it really was Hermes, you would have said 'our' or 'my' cabin. You're inclusive like that."

Percy snorted. "Are you sure you're not an Athena legacy somewhere too?"

Erin grinned and shrugged. "Who knows? Now, drink up." She held out a glass of nectar, about half-full.

Sitting up was harder than he wanted to admit, but he managed to take the glass carefully before beginning to sip at it. The divine liquid soothed the all too familiar (and somewhat nostalgic, not in a good way) ache in his gut and he let out a long breath. Erin took a seat in the chair beside the bed (the same one Luke and Annabeth had sat in? He thought so—wait, had they designated a bed for him? He may need to rethink… no, focus), seeming content to watch him.

"So," he said, trying to avoid some awkwardness, "where are you from?"

She smiled. "A small city in Colorado. Doubt you've heard of it. Fruita."

"Nope," Percy agreed. "Do you like it there?"

A shrug. "I mean, it is what it is. Although I will say I do love the mountains. It's greener here though. I think I like that, despite it being more crowded."

"Well, I'm a New Yorker, born and raised. Probably always will be." In more ways than one.

She snorted. "I can tell."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked, mock offended.

Erin just grinned.

"So you're, what, seventeen?" Percy went on. He'd never met her before and wanted to know why. Was she a defector, or had she been attacked, or had she just 'graduated'?

"Sixteen," she corrected. "I turn seventeen in October."

Which meant she had at least one other year before she wouldn't be expected back every summer. So either a defector or attacked.

He didn't know which one he preferred.

"Still seems old to a twelve-year-old like me," he managed to force out with a smile, hoping any strain he had could be hidden behind another sip of nectar.

"Brat," she said, good-naturedly. Then she paused. "Wait, I thought you were eleven."

He pouted. "I turn twelve this month."

A twinkle he didn't like entered her eye. "Oh?" she asked, all too innocently. "When?"

His eyes narrowed. "Depends. Are you going to throw me some big party?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you want a big party?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Huh. Did he? He'd rarely had large parties for his birthdays in the past, and once he'd become a god, it had sort of become moot. Dionysus had still tried to use him as an excuse to throw a party when he'd taken over Camp, but it really hadn't been his style. Not that he thought he would mind a party of demigods…

"What would that entail?" he asked slowly, wondering why he'd never had a party before. Well, the first time around, it had probably all been due to the wars, and he did remember a couple, but neverhis. Also, 'parties' tended to change over the years as different campers and cultures came.

"Lots of drinks and food," she started.

Percy laughed. "Fair."

"Probably a couple of fights. Depends on if Mr. D wants to get involved or not. Sometimes he thinks we're below him."

"Really?" Percy asked sarcastically. "I never would have guessed."

Erin snorted, but continued. "Singing—both to and with you—and if we can swing it, maybe some fireworks."

Okay, that actually did sound fun.

"August eighteenth."

She grinned and fell quiet, looking thoughtful. He hoped he hadn't just signed a part of himself away. It kind of felt like it.

"So… where is Fruita exactly?" he asked, hoping to get a little more information, just in case she needed help this year. Maybe he could find a way to get there? There had to be some way for him to use water to travel, like Nico did with shadows. The more demigods they had this time around, the better. Besides, he'd been a god of demigods. It was his job… or would be. Well, it was still a part of him, so yeah, it was his job.

Her eyes narrowed, but she allowed the change of topic. "West Colorado. Right by the Colorado River, actually."

"Oh, really?" he asked, genuinely excited now. If there was a significant body of water near her when (if) she got attacked… Yeah, that would be his next project. Figuring out how to transport via water instead of his usual method, the typical godly way of flashing. Which, again, he was still sure he could do, but he was still pretty sure he wouldn't be mortal afterwards. But it was also the easiest way to get around as a god. And kind of fun too.

Still, as much as he wished otherwise, that wasn't an option. . However, he'd make a way if he had to. Maybe he'd ask his father? If Poseidon could answer him. Or he could ask Hestia about it… And when would be the best time to use it so that someone like, say, Zeus or Hades didn't find out about him.

The last thing he needed were several Furies coming after him instead of just one.

Oh, yeah… he'd probably have to put up with Mrs. Dodds again. Was she even a Missus? Was she seriously married? Weren't they supposed to be maiden goddesses? Or monsters or whatever they were…

No, focus!

Ugh, he really hated ADHD sometimes.

"Yeah," Erin shrugged. "It's usually pretty quiet there. I mean, I've run into a couple of monsters, but nothing major." She grinned, bright and very Apollo-like (also very Koios-like, but he didn't like to think about that, and didn't think she'd like to be reminded of her great-grandfather just then).

"Wait you just… Did you have to jinx it?" he asked dryly.

She snorted. "Even demigods shouldn't be so cynical at your age."

He shrugged. "Maybe I'm several centuries old."

That time, she outright laughed. "Nice try, kid."

Well, now they couldn't say he hadn't given them clues. He grinned cheesily up at her.

Before she could say anything else, though, the door burst open and one of the single most terrifying sights he'd ever seen stood there. A worked up Annabeth Chase was never a good thing. And she looked like she was about to punch him to the moon.

He swallowed uneasily.

"That's it!" she hissed. "You have some explaining to do and you'd better answer or so help me, I'll gut you right here."

He believed it.

"Not in my recovery room, you won't!" Erin returned, folding her arms. He appreciated that. "Imagine the mess."

He appreciated that less.

To be fair, he also appreciated witnesses, but he had a feeling this would be a discussion they shouldn't have in front of those not even remotely close to being in the know.

"Um… Erin," he said hesitantly. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me, but… I really think Annabeth would like to talk to me alone."

She turned her head slowly to stare at him. "Seriously?"

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. The pillow made that difficult, but he managed.

The older girl sighed and shook her head. "Fine. It's your funeral. But if I find blood in here, you will be cleaning this room for the next several years, Annabeth Chase. Do you understand me?"

Huh. She was almost as scary as the daughter of Athena. Color him impressed.

Huffing, Annabeth also folded her arms and nodded. "Fine."

"Good," Erin said. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes, so you'd better finish up by then."

With that, she walked daintily by Annabeth and out the door. Well, apparently she'd gotten her father's sense of dramatics.

(Not that he was one to talk.)

"Hades, I can understand," Annabeth finally said once she'd closed the door behind Erin, striding forward menacingly. "Poseidon is the Earthshaker after all. But Demeter? I've figured out what resulted from your own powers and what was a set-up before that—or most of it—but agriculture?! Very few demigods—or gods in disguise—could have everything I've compiledandthe ability to grow plants."

"And here I thought you were avoiding me," Percy said, unable to keep a smile off of his face, even if his point hurt a little to say aloud.

Annabeth flushed and stuttered, taken aback by his comment. "Oh… I… um…"

"You were being loyal to Luke, and since he was avoiding me, you thought you should support him… or something?"

Her blush deepened. "Yeah… something."

She was so adorable. And just then, she reminded him of their oldest daughter, Lina. She always had taken after her mother in everything but coloring. She'd had Percy's wild, black hair and sea-green eyes. She'd also taken a little more strongly to sea-powers, but her facial features and how she reacted to things that embarrassed her? That was all Annabeth.

"Well, I spoke with Luke about something and he said he needed time to think. I'm just giving him that." Percy shrugged. "Next time, just ask. I don't think he's mad at me, and I'm certainly not mad at him… just the situation."

She frowned. "Oh, he's mad at you. Wouldn't tell me why, but he's really upset and told me to avoid you."

Percy's smile dimmed. "Wait… what?" He thought back to their most recent talk and… no, they'd ended on decent, if somewhat stressful terms. Had something else happened that he didn't know about?

He stared at her, eyebrows furrowed and mouth open because that made less sense the more he thought about it. And it also set off alarms in his head. Something had happened… probably something with Kronos. He had to confront Luke, asap.

"Anyway, back to this," she dropped a folder on his lap, drawing his attention to it (thankfully, he didn't want to think about Luke right now). It was written in Greek.

"What is this?" he asked, pushing his mental notes to the side for now.

"All my evidence," she said, opening the file. "I had to speak to the Aphrodite cabin for this, so you'd better appreciate it."

He didn't snort, but it was a close thing. Then he raised an eyebrow as he read how she laid out evidence theorizing what he'd done to make the camp bet on each god and whether it fit under Poseidon's potential powers, 'his own', and/or the rest of the Hermes cabin. She wasn't completely correct (i.e. she'd gone with Chiron in that he'd had water in the grape juice, and she'd still gone with the idea of the 'Athena wisdom and battle planning' due to his father and not experience), but she was pretty close.

"You don't think I'm a legacy?" he asked. Hadn't she said something about that before?

"I haven't figured out who you are, so I don't know if you used to be human or if you were born a god. If you were born human, then it's not unlikely, but a lot of that could just be your own domains. But not this one. Mr. D and Demeter would both know if you had domains in their area. The only two I can really think of that you fit now are a horse and a woman respectively."

That piqued Percy's interest. "Oh?"

"Arion and his twin sister… the Goddess of ice, frosts, and winter. We're not supposed to say her name by order of Demeter."

Ah, Desponia. According to some professors in the future, she was the precursor to Persephone in Mycanean (and maybe even Minoan) times. Whether that was true or not, he knew they were separate now. He'd met her. She'd hated him because she hated Poseidon. He'd wanted to get to know his half-sister, and hadn't given up, but often came away rather frost-bitten after their encounters. She was cruel… but he could understand why, so he tended to put her in the same category as Kymopoleia—dangerous and unstable, but still family—and he still made overtures when he could.

"I suppose you could be Arion given a human form," she muttered.

He snorted. "You've seen me run. I most certainly do not run like the wind, over land or sea. And why would a horse have power over plants, even if he was a son of Demeter?"

"Well, you were seen with water and ice, so are you his twin sister in a male form?"

"Doesn't she hate, well, everything? Wants to, you know, kill everyone with ice and winter and all? Firstly, it's summer. Secondly, the camp is still alive and not fighting off a freak blizzard, so no."

"Her son, then?"

"With Poseidon as my father?"

She slumped. "Your obvious disgust at that idea alone tells me it isn't true and you were likely born human. Although it wouldn't be the first time the gods had inter-bred."

Percy shuddered. "Ugh. No. I am neither a horse given human form, a very hateful woman in a male form, or a child of either."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "Would you tell me if I did get it right?"

He thought about that, but not for long before nodding. "I would."

"Swear it on the Styx."

Percy raised an eyebrow, but he knew that look on her face. She would be stubborn and this was not a hill he wanted to die on. So he sighed. "Fine. I swear on the Styx that if Annabeth Chase figures out the secret of my past—including parentage—I will tell her honestly."

A crash of thunder, and Percy just stared back at her. She smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

"Are you a child of Poseidon and Demeter?"

"No."

Annabeth waited for a moment, then slumped. "Styx. I thought I had it. But this just makes it all worse! How can you be a god, a child of Poseidon, and no one on this list?!"

"I wasn't in the myths," he said honestly. "I was born twelve years ago in… actually pretty close to here now that I think about it. The Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. I was not a god before then, or a demigod, as far as I know. I, Perseus Achilles Jackson, did not exist more than thirteen years ago, again, to my knowledge."

If anything, Annabeth looked angrier than ever. "But that makes no sense!"

Percy sighed. Seeing her so upset wasn't amusing anymore. Not when it was just getting worse. "You'll figure it out. I know you will. And when you do, it will answer so many of your questions. It will also probably bring up more."

She snorted and slumped back in her chair. "Of course. All correct answers do that."

He knew that look. She was starting to doubt herself, and while that was rare, he hated it when it happened.

"How about a clue," he offered.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You're looking in the wrong place. Instead of myths, think more… sci-fi. Modern sci-fi."

Her frustration went from supremely 'frustrated to a point of destruction' to 'you're utterly crazy' as she stared at him.

"What?"

He shrugged, knowing she'd hate it if he said more. "That's all I can give you."

"You make no sense!" she muttered again, slumping farther in her chair.

"More evidence towards the god theory?" Percy asked innocently. "I mean, when have they ever made sense?"

Annabeth snorted, then looked horrified that she'd done so. Seventeen-year-old Annabeth would have laughed outright at that. Twenty-seven-year-old Annabeth would have rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement.

Seriously, this miniature Annabeth wasadorable.

"Do you want this back?" he asked, closing the folder on his lap and holding it out to her.

"Yes. Fine," she snatched the folder and went to stand, "I'll go look up…" she paused. "Wait, you're not an alien, are you?"

Percy let out an actual urk noise, then turned to stare up at her in incredulity. "What? No! I'm not an alien! I told you where I was born!"

"Just had to make sure," she said, smiling vindictively.

Percy huffed. "Alien. Do I look like an alien to you?"

"Dunno," she said nonchalantly. "For all I know, all aliens look like us."

"All ali—" Percy spluttered. "No aliens are involved in this! Not as far as I know."

"Hmm," Annabeth said, satisfied that the equilibrium had been reestablished.

And not a moment too soon, as Erin came through the front door. "Oh, good, you're both still alive. Wonderful. Now I don't have to kill the other one."

"Hey!" they both said together.

Erin just grinned. "And what was that about aliens?"

Annabeth shot him a grin.

"Oh, for… I'm not an alien!"

Much to his annoyance, it appeared on the betting list before he'd even gotten back to the cabin that night. Right next to Demeter, of course.

He'd forgotten how annoying a young Annabeth could be too.

Chapter 17: Water Travel

Chapter Text

Percy made a point of going with each and every group activity the Hermes cabin kids had the week after the 'Demeter Debacle', up to and including archery practice. Much to all of their amusem*nt and/or frustration. As he'd hoped, seeing him fail so badly seemed to remind them that yes, he was mortal, just like them (for now), and the camp thankfully grew slightly warmer towards him. There were at least four more demigods in the Hermes cabin now, two of them were red-headed twins (a boy and a girl) of Aphrodite, while the other two should eventually be claimed by Hermes and Demeter. Percy hadn’t ever met any of them, which meant they’d either died due to the monster trap or had followed Luke. He was trying to get to know them but the general lingering attitude of the camp made them stand-offish, even when they saw other Hermes cabin members interacting with him like normal.

It didn’t help that Luke was still avoiding him, and he hadn't gotten a chance to chase the older boy down. When he could find the son of Hermes in a somewhat private setting (usually during private study time), there would always be some excuse on his lips before he slipped away.

When Percy couldn't find Luke, he ended up focusing on water travel instead. Which did not go well. For days. He had almost no progress figuring it out, which in turn frustrated him to a point where he'd broken down and asked his father. He knew Poseidon would likely not risk answering him, but he didn't even know how to go forward at this point, and was a little desperate, if only because he really wanted to help Erin. Not skipping on group activities cut down on his practice time, but more than once he found himself by the lake, trying to figure out what to do or asking the naiads for ideas.

Unfortunately, they didn't have any advice that worked either. They were water; an element given sapience. They just took on their liquid form when they had to travel excessively, or… well, even just rest (hence why they rarely traveled across land). But he couldn't liquify himself. He'd tried… again, but that worked just about as well as it had the first time, annoyingly. So he'd tried connecting with the liquid in the lake somehow. That hadn't worked.

Then, towards the end of the week, a new naiad met him in the lake when he showed up that study period. Which made things very difficult as he was trying to get to the lake on the sly so as not to tip anyone off in the betting pool, but the new naiad didn't know that and greeted him very publicly.

"Are you the—" the beautiful woman with shimmering hair so dark it almost looked blue over her aqua eyes practically yelled. Thankfully one of the regular naiads slapped a hand over her mouth first. It still drew a lot of attention, but there wasn't much he could do about that, he supposed. Maybe he'd head down to the ocean instead. He really wanted a break. If he got far enough down the beach, he could jump in and practice without anyone noticing, he hoped. It would just take a while to get there. Still, better than giving away secrets that could potentially kill him.

"Thanks, Maya," Percy said to the brown-haired nymph who had stopped the new girl from spilling his secrets.

After he explained everything to her, she nodded and leaned forward. "Sorry, M'lord. But I have a message from your father." Percy's heart leapt in his chest. His father had answered? With a naiad messenger? He hoped his father knew what he was doing. Nature spirits were the worst gossips… but then, maybe the direct fear of a god would keep everyone in line?

"Go on," he said excitedly, if warily.

"First, he said to say if anyone spilled this secret by gossiping, he'd find a way to make the rest of their life, no matter how immortal, miserable."

That answered that question. Several of the naiads shifted uneasily, but otherwise, no one spoke. Percy felt himself relax, and sent a mental thanks to his dad.

"Second," she went on, "he said that some of his children have had the ability to traverse large distances via water-travel. Not 'over' the water, or even 'under' the water, but 'through' the water. A sort of ability to teleport via water. Much easier when in a body of water, but possible over land at short distances."

"How short are we talking?" Percy asked suspiciously.

She winced. "He said you'd ask that. He said that it can grow with more practice; that theoretically someone should be able to use water vapor as well, although that can be dangerous because, you know, in the sky and not his realm. But initially you'll be… lucky to be able to hop inches, should you get this technique down."

Percy frowned. He… could work with that. Still limiting, but Erin had said she was by the Colorado River… and he hadn't really paid much attention to that river in the future. Something niggled his mind, but he'd have to do some research. Still, theoretically, if he took a river directly up from the ocean to Colorado, that should work, right?

It was a thought.

Though waterfalls might be an issue. Did the Colorado river have any waterfalls?

No, later. Focus.

"Okay, did he say how this whole water-teleportation thing works?"

"Well, he said you'd have to learn to sense water first. Then, at least initially, you must be touching the water when you… merge with it, differently than us…" she paused when she saw his dry look and shifted uneasily before muttering. "I don't understand either. In any case, you can then move yourself to the farthest point you can sense in the direction you want to go."

He frowned. "I've tried that. I can sense the entire lake, so there's at least one step done—one I'll work on expanding—but I've tried merging and it doesn't work."

The new girl (he really needed to get her name) grinned. "He said you'd say that, too."

Percy frowned. Was he getting predictable? Yet another thing for him to work on.

"And?"

"Firstly, merging and liquefying are (according to him) different. We liquefy," she gestured around to the rest of the group of naiads before going on. "He suggested you may be trying to focus on just liquid in general. The technique he described would require you to merge with water specifically. Become an extension of it."

Percy tipped his head to one side thoughtfully. After a moment, he realized his father was right. He hadn't focused on becoming water specifically. It had just been natural to focus on liquids. It sounded like semantics, but divine powers could be nuanced like that. He of all people understood that.

"Huh. Did he say anything else?"

She shook her head. He nodded in return, still thinking.

"Are you going back to the ocean… um…"

"Doris."

Gift of the ocean, huh? Percy smiled. "Thank you, Doris. So, are you returning?"

She bit her lip. "I… well, despite my name, I am actually a naiad, not a nereid. My last river dried up, which was why I was in the ocean to begin with, so I was hoping I could stay here. Your father said you could pray to him to update him…"

Percy grinned. "Then welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Doris."

Then he turned to the rest of the group. "Could you ladies fill her in on… everything?" Several giggles and nods of affirmation answered his question. "Good. I'm going to head down to the beach and see if I can't find somewhere private to practice."

Standing up, he waved at them before hurrying off. He knew several people were watching him, and he couldn't really change that, but hey. He'd been encouraging their assumptions anyway.

He had to hike nearly to the camp boundaries before he found some place private enough where he could be alone. Wonderful. With that, he took off his shirt and began to practice. Reaching out, he could sense the liquid in front of him—the water. He knew how water felt, knew how it reacted to his powers, knew that seawater tended to react the best to him (hence why he was here), but he'd been the god of liquids for so long, and they all reacted to his powers these days. Even now, he could just sense a normal liquid. He could probably change that if he went to the depths, but the kind of water that really fell in his domain would take too long to reach if he wanted to be back by dinner… or even campfire.

No, he had to separate 'water' from 'general liquids' in his mind. Not easy because water was a liquid. A mildly contaminated liquid? Moderately polluted liquid…

Not helping.

Okay, what had Doris said his Dad said…?

Wait… his Dad. Dionysus said he had his father's domains in him, that they were difficult to sense because they weren't really Percy's. But, especially at this point in time, he had access to them. He just… hadn't been using them like that. Not this time around, when he had his own domains.

For a moment, he just stared out to sea, not really seeing it. Was that really the answer? Had he just been too independent—too eager to rely on his own power? On what felt like his? His father had openly offered to help, and practically begged (in his own, stuck-up, godly way) Percy to seek his help and keep him updated.

So….

Closing his eyes again, he searched through his soul, this time bypassing the connection to his own, diminished powers and reached for that part of him that would always belong to the sea—that would always connect him to his father.

It took longer than he would have liked to admit, but eventually, he felt something almost foreign. It would have been alien if he wasn't so familiar with it, to a point where he almost considered it a part of himself, and had for centuries.

"Hey, Dad," he muttered, unable to keep a smile from tugging at his lips. He didn't open his eyes though. Still concentrating, he reached out to the ocean through that power and…

His breath caught in his throat.

He knew he had a different point of view—that he couldn't be the same as he'd been the first time he'd lived these years. He also knew he was a child of the sea and always would be. But he'd never really sensed the ocean remotely closely to how his father must. That connection, while still there as a god, was diminished, overpowered by his own domains. Understandable but… he'd been missing out.

Because the ocean was… alive. So much began and ended there. The first micro-organisms appeared there. Somehow, he had a feeling life would end there too. At least on this planet. The ocean was freedom. The ability for humans (and so many other animals) to travel longer distances than would ever be possible otherwise, for so long—centuries and millennia.

The ocean was water. Water that could give and take; both merciful and merciless, bound to the tides and whims of gravity and yet seeming to fight back at the same time. Water carved out the strongest of stone and weathered away the highest of mountains.

Water was… so much.

And without his future perspective, he couldn't have seen that—couldn't have known that—without potentially going mad. Was this why children of the big three went insane so often? They got a glimpse of what more really meant?

Because it was…

No, wait… he needed to focus.

Right.

He could freak out about this later. (And he definitely would.)

So yeah, what had his Dad said? Sensing the water—he certainly could—and sensing it as water, not just a liquid. Check.

Then merge with it… which was different from liquefying. Become an… extension? And move through it? Hmm. That wasn't giving him any ideas other than to swim. And he could swim very fast. But the kinds of speed he'd need to go at to reach Erin in Colorado would require him to move far faster.

Huffing, he plopped down in the shallow tide, letting the salty waves wash around him. He didn't know how long he sat there, focusing on the water and trying to find a way to merge with it without liquifying as he had in the future. (His past? Ugh. Time travel.)

Eventually, he flopped back on the sand and stared up at the sky out of frustration. How was he supposed to merge with water without becoming liquid? Or maybe his father hadn't meant that, but just meant not his usual way? Nothing was coming to him, though.

He wished he had his Annabeth with him. She'd know what to do… or at least have some ideas.

Then again, that wasn't the first time he'd thought that. He missed her. So much. Maybe it was out of his frustration, or just tiredness from being so overwhelmed at what lay before him, but, for a moment, he allowed himself to remember a part of his past he usually avoided. His last moments with his wife.

He'd sat by her side as she lay in bed in a hospital room, her body failing due to old age and complications that his father said they weren't allowed to meddle in. The Fates had declared her death, and while he hadn't given up, he'd also known—deep down—that she wouldn't pull through that one. And even if she had, the idea of her spending the rest of her days on that bed, only able to get around with help and a walker, barely able to remember anything. The stroke had done significant brain damage and he didn't know how to fix it, or he would have, and the gods could go right off and screw themselves. But even Apollo refused to touch it.

When she'd died, he hadn't been able to believe it. His daughters had been waiting outside, so it was just him and her as her breath had slowly diminished… until it hadn't come at all. He hadn't moved. Even when father had shown up… with Athena. Annabeth hadn't spoken to her mother for years by that point, and yet, she'd still appeared by her bedside, an expression of deep sorrow on her face as she leaned down. Percy, still too locked in grief, had wanted to tell her to get lost in no uncertain terms, but the recent loss meant he was still in shock. A reassuring hand on his shoulder had also distracted him. He'd turned to see his father standing there, looking on solemnly.

"Annabeth," her mother had said. "I know we didn't see eye-to-eye, and I know you had your reasons, as did I, but something I could never seem to say was that I always loved you. I know human love and love of the gods is different. Of course, I do, but… as much as I could care for my child, I cared for you. I'm…" she'd paused, her voice full of more emotion than Percy had ever heard, "I'm sorry it wasn't enough. I know you wouldn't have wanted to hear that in life, though, so I stayed away. I thought that was what you wanted. I hope it was. Because you seemed happy." Then she'd turned to Percy. "Thank you for making her happy."

That had been the one and only time he'd ever seen Athena cry.

When Percy hadn't replied, she'd nodded. "I'll leave you to mourn. My… apologies for intruding." That had also been one of the few times he'd seen Athena sincerely apologize. Then she'd flashed away.

A god's brain was supposed to encompass so much more than a human's, and yet Percy knew he hadn't been able to process. He'd only been able to sit there and watch.

"I'll… go get the girls," his father had said. He hadn't replied.

He remembered his daughters entering. One of them, he was ashamed to say he didn't remember which one, had collapsed at the bed-side, crying, while the other stood behind her sister stoically. He knew which was more likely—their daughters had very much taken after one parent each—but he also had the thought that he would have been surprised had he been able to feel anything at that point, so he couldn't be sure.

He remembered his father talking, saying something. And then the hand on his shoulder and he'd been under the sea, in the middle of the Pacific somewhere. His brain hadn't even been functioning enough to figure out where.

He also remembered feeling the vaguest traces of confusion under the numbness and asking his father why he'd taken Percy there.

"So you can mourn," he'd said simply. "I know you. You would never forgive yourself if you hurt someone in your grief."

In his…

And it had hit him. She was gone. He would never be able to see her again. Gods weren't allowed in Elysium.

That had been one of the worst typhoon seasons of the century, but it had also stayed mainly in the Pacific itself. Something he'd thanked his father for later. Destruction and the Sea did tend to mix a little too well. Thankfully rogue waves and tsunamis had been relatively low, his grief and anger at not being able to go with his wife turning into the storms of his youth, just on far larger scales. Hence, the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

His father had stayed with him through it all.

Then Nico had let him know Annabeth was fine once he'd been able to return. She'd made it into Elysium, of course. Had even paid for the entire room of waiting people to go with Charon across the river. Even now, he didn't know how she'd pulled that off. The psychopomp had not been happy.

Percy had asked Nico to take him there, to just let him look over the walls to see her, but the son of Hades, old as he'd been at the time, had refused, far more gently than he would have when they'd been young.

He'd died barely a year later.

That hadn't been a good typhoon and hurricane year either.

Each death had left a hole in his heart, starting with his mother and… never really ending. Every child that came to camp hurt when they died, no matter when that was. Nico had been the last of the campers who had died, ironically enough, and with him, Percy had lost the only person who could shadow-travel to the underworld and give him updates on those who had passed. Of course, at the time, he'd only wanted to know about Nico himself, and Hades had (begrudgingly) informed Percy later that he was also in Elysium.

That had been a relief. He'd…

Wait, shadow-travel.

He blinked as his mind caught a hold of that, both not wanting to dwell on that train of thought much longer and seeking a possible answer to his current conundrum. Nico had been the only demigod he knew who could practically teleport, up to and including both him and Jason. Percy could zoom through the sea at mach speeds, and Jason could fly but… no one else could move like Nico could through shadows.

He'd asked Nico how shadow-travel felt to him once, and his cousin described it as less of forcing his will on the shadows, and more becoming one with them and slipping through them. Just like what his father said about water. Nico had harrumphed and shot him an annoyed look when he said it was more like asking permission than it was about demanding it, which was probably why gods flashed everywhere and didn't use shadow travel. It was like entering a different world altogether—an in-between space connecting the underworld and Earth.

Had Percy… had he been approaching this too much like a god? Too sure of himself and what should happen around him in regards to his power? Too demanding? Too commanding?

That thought almost made him wince. It seemed like it, and he'd really have to keep an eye on that.

Taking a deep breath, he reached out through his father's power once more to the ocean, feeling its vastness, depth, timelessness, and changing nature. Contradictions working in harmony.

And he asked if the water would let him through, not in words, but in intent.

He felt himself practically dissolve and then he was out at sea, so far he could just see Long Island in the distance.

For a moment, he blinked, processing what had just happened. It… it had worked! He laughed and dived under the ocean screaming in triumph. A wave shot out from around him, nothing too large or problematic, but still some way for him to show his excitement and triumph.

"Thanks, Dad!" he yelled under the water, knowing his father would hear him. And since it was his father's domain, none of the other gods should be able to. At least, not without his father having some inkling.

After swimming around happily for several moments, he finally realized how dark it had gotten, and his elation dimmed. He had to get back to camp. Which was fine, just more practice.

He closed his eyes and felt for the area of the beach he'd just come from, and then, once again, asked the water to let him through. One rushing sensation later, and he found himself knee-deep in the tide at the edge of the beach, facing the ocean.

Grinning from ear-to-ear, he pumped his fist, making sure to not be too loud this time as he didn't want to draw attention, and turned to head back to camp.

Before he'd taken a single step, he froze.

On the beach, standing still with arms crossed, stood an all-too-familiar figure glaring darkly. Percy's breath froze in his lungs, except for one word that croaked out of his throat.

"Luke…"

Chapter 18: Luke vs Percy Round 1: FIGHT

Chapter Text

Eighteen-year-old Luke Castellan stood in the twilight of the August day, feet firmly planted in the sand on the beach, knees bent slightly. He looked like he could move at the drop of a hat. It was something Percy definitely recognized—a common state for demigods around people they didn't trust. Gone was any friendliness from the blond's face as he stared Percy down. It brought back far too many painful memories and he involuntarily took a step back.

"L-luke?" he tried again, hating how shaky he sounded. This wasn't supposed to happen! If Luke had seen that… did he know Percy's parentage? Was he upset about that? Would he try to kill Percy? Again?! Though Percy would like to see him try when he was literally knee-deep in water. Even if the tide would go out soon.

Still… why was Luke so upset?

Almost as if in answer to his question, Luke spoke. "So, Annabeth was right after all." Percy felt his face go pale. There were far too many very destructive things Annabeth could have told Luke.

"About what?" he asked slowly, taking another step back. His hand brushed the water and he willed it to form a sword. He could freeze it in a moment and fight with that if he had to, even if it likely wouldn't be good enough to stand up to celestial bronze indefinitely.

"You really are a god, aren't you." It wasn't a question.

Percy felt a flicker of hope and reached for it as he shook his head. "No. I'm really not."

"But you were."

Silence. Percy didn't know how to answer that. Telling the truth would bring up so many problems, but if he lied and Luke found out later (which he very well could) it would come across as betrayal. After all, if Percy didn't trust and respect Luke enough to not lie, turn about was fair play. It would shake any trust the boy had in him and Percy couldn't do that. He'd really have to talk to this timeline's Annabeth about keeping secrets, though. He very much regretted only saying and heavilyimplyinghe'd like her to keep quiet instead of making her swear not to tell anyone.

His lack of an answer was an answer in and of itself. And they both knew it.

The son of Hermes sneered. Percy winced. If Luke's eyes went gold, he was out of there. Well, both of them would be, because they'd be out at sea. He knew that those eyes wouldn't—shouldn'tbe gold at this point… but the fear was still there. Irrational as it may be.

"I saw you disappear and appear. Who but a god could do that?"

He could dispute that, at least. "Actually, that was water travel. A form of near-instantaneous travel that gods don't bother with." He may have said that a little too fast.

"The closest thing you can get to teleporting everywhere?" Luke snapped.

Percy opened his mouth to argue, but… again, the other teen wasn't wrong. Before he could figure out what to say, Luke went on.

"Who are you, really?" the blond took an aggressive step forward, arms coming down to his sides… next to the sword hanging there. At least it wasn't a pit scorpion this time.

Percy held up his hands. The sword-shaped water was still there, floating just behind him, though. He had to try and talk Luke down. "I was born Percy Achilles Jackson. I swear it on the Styx." Thunder rumbled. He could sense a storm building behind him too and tried to calm himself down. Luke didn't seem to notice… or didn't care.

"More clever word-traps and loopholes," Luke dismissed. "Just like when you tricked me into talking to Hestia!"

Now wait a minute… "That was completely unintended," Percy denied, taking his own step forward.

"You didn't know she was a goddess?" Luke asked.

The time-traveler winced. "No, I did. I just didn't think she'd intervene. She doesn't usually. And she doesn't spread gossip."

"Everyone on Olympus spreads gossip! All Olympians suck!All of them!" Percy couldn't help but stare in incredulity. How could he say that after Hestia had nearly broken down in front of them? Had he honestly thought that was just a ruse? A mask? A lie?

Was he really too far gone to see reason?

Luke went on. "The entire pantheon only ever promises agony and misery! Injustice! Theyneedto be brought down."

Percy's heart stopped at those words, already sinking in his chest. Luke wasn't thinking rationally… and they were losing him. If they hadn't already lost him.

The stinging shame of failure rose in his chest like a bubble of Phlegethon that wouldn't dissipate. He could just see it; the son of Hermes would run away to Kronos again and end up dying after being used by the Titan like a worthless tool; a meat-suit to act as a medium at best. Percy had to withhold a gasp. Luke didn't realize just how badly he was stomping—with metaphorical spiked boots—all over Percy's domains. And he couldn't explain that either. Not with how Luke would likely reject anything the time-traveler said… not to mention it would reinforce what Luke had accused him of.

But… but that didn't mean he couldn'ttry. Percy had to get through…had to. For Annabeth, for Thalia, for himself, and… for Luke.

So he lifted his chin defiantly and began his counter argument.

"They need to fall? The Olympians? In favor ofwhom, exactly?" He asked, annoyed at the power leaking into his voice. Styx! He wastryingto hold back. Yes, he wanted Luke to see reason, but he didn't want the boy to agree out offear. That had been part of the problem that created all of this!

After a moment, Percy continued.

"In favor of the Titans? OfGrandfather?"

It was Luke's turn to look worried, not frustrated, but definitely flustered.

"Do you even know what his plans are?" the time-traveler pushed. "What role you have? Why? He's called 'The Crooked One' for areason! You think I'm good at tweaking the truth? No. He'll twist things like a pretzel and make you think you walked in a completely straight line until you fall over the edge of whatever path he set up."

Luke was grinding his teeth now. "Who sent you?" he shouted.

Well, if he'd changed the subject like that, maybe he'd listened? Percy almost didn't dare hope.

"No one!" he answered truthfully. The Fates may have known he was coming to camp, but they hadn'tsenthim.

"Liar!"

"I'm not! I swear it on the Styx!" More thunder.

"Then why are you here!? A spy for the Olympians?" Luke took out his sword, feet at the very edge of the water. Then he reached behind his back and pulled out a throwing knife.

Well, Styx.

"No!" Percy protested. "One of my parentsiscompletely mortal as far as I know. Neither of my parents even wanted me to come!"

"So you are one of Poseidon's then?" Luke asked, voice accusing.

Percy gulped and nodded carefully.

"And you've met him?"

"Only once… in a dream." In this lifetime, at least.

"Son of the Stormbringer," Luke said, voice barely audible over the wind as he looked up at the sky above them… at the storm clouds rolling in. "It was supposed to be clear tonight."

That shook Percy. He followed Luke's gaze, taking in the dark mass overhead. This in reaction to his fear and worry. Why was it that some powers seemed so under-powered and yet others—like this—were just too much?

So he took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. Yes, it was dangerous, but he had to get that storm under control. That was more important. He almost immediately regretted it as something hit him in the arm and he gasped, opening his eyes to see the hilt of Luke's dagger sticking out of his skin. He reached for it, but rhythmic splashing in the water (and the ripples they gave off) had him reaching for the water-sword instead. It froze and he brought it around just in time to catch Luke's blade. Pain exploded in his arm and he hissed. It would have probably been well on its way to healing if he had been able to remove the dagger. He knew he could still win, but that didn't make it pleasant.

Story of his life.

"You have nothing good to say about the one person who can challenge your power," Luke hissed. "Thegods'power. Of course you wouldn't! He showed me, though. He showed meyouriding in on a storm and destroying everything. In the name of the gods, no doubt." He kept swinging with every word. Percy knew he could stop Luke if he really tried. He was in the water, after all, but… something told him to let Luke keep going. Something that sounded a lot like Annabeth begging him to save her brother.

"I wouldneverpurposefully harm this camp!" Percy yelled instead, ducking under a swing and rolling to the side easily. It gave him the distance he needed to pull the dagger out of his arm, thankfully, and had the added effect of dousing him in water. He tossed the weapon aside, hearing it plunk into the ocean as Luke looked confused, then frustrated as Percy's arm began to heal. He swung at the younger boy again.

"You rode in on a storm! You left nothing but destruction in your wake! Tell me that isn't the truth!"

That… hit Percy harder than he would like to admit, and he froze. Because hehadbeen a god of destruction. Hehaddestroyed things he hadn't meant to, simply by getting too angry or upset. He'd seen the aftermath, when he'd calmed down. Ruined houses, torn lands, sunk boats… so many lost at sea, downed in water and storms of his making. He'd seen too many bodies. Adults and children alike. Dead because of him.

The guilt ate at him, even after his father had said it was just a byproduct of having that much power at his fingertips. It happened.

He'd kind of hated his father in that moment, because it felt like a cop-out. He hadn't forgiven Poseidon for that.

Or himself.

Those thoughts passed through his head in a second. It was an old, familiar agony. He was used to pushing it aside to deal with later—had long since learned to focus elsewhere—so he only froze for a moment, but that was all Luke needed.

The older demigod thrust forward and Percy saw the tip of the sword coming. He stepped back, but it wouldn't be enough. He instinctively let himself fall, but it still wouldn't let him avoid damage. So he did the only thing he could, and practically begged the water to let him through.

A moment later and he was behind Luke. The blond stumbled forward, straining to recover his balance after his sword strike met nothing, his head pivoting from side to side as he searched for Percy.

For a moment, the world froze. Percy saw everything in front of him in hyper-realism. Luke Castellan wasright there. He… hated to think about it, but he could end Luke's threat right now. He could stop the boy from joining Kronos, killing his fellow demigods, chasing his once-sisters around the globe, becoming a meat-sack for a heartless Titan who only cared about overthrowing Olympus—who would most likely kill humans as a whole if he ever succeeded.

And Percy could stop it.

It would be a mercy.

He could prevent so much pain. For Annabeth, and Thalia, and Selina, and Bekendorf, and anyone who ever served under Luke and Kronos…

He could end it all. In honorable combat, even.

And yet…

What would Annabeth think? Could he ever look her in the eye again?

Could he even look himself in the mirror if he did? Could he call himself the god of loyalty?

For a moment, he saw a tapestry, woven beautifully, shifting color with every move it made… but it split, stretching forever onward in either direction. He immediately understood the momentary vision.

He had a choice to make; a choice that would change the world, and only seconds to make it.

He could kill Luke Castellan right here, right now. Or he could let him live. Both had their risks and…

And in the end, the fact that almost any other god would kill Luke was what swayed him. Because Percy refused to be like them.

Also, he couldn't bear the thought of just giving up on him.

So he swung, but turned the blade to the side at the last moment, just as Luke was whirling around. The flat of his ice-blade hit, shattering on impact (he'd really need to work on strengthening that) and sending Luke back several feet to splash into the water, losing his grip on his sword.

Percy reached down and made another sword, freezing it and bringing it to Luke's throat.

For several seconds, they just sat there, not moving as they glared at each other, before the younger spoke.

"I did that on purpose."

Luke didn't seem to doubt it. He just continued to stare up at Percy silently. Rain had begun to fall around them now, and the waves were definitely larger than they should be, but neither paid it any mind. Percy knew he had to focus on the boy in front of him.

"I could have killed you," he reiterated, more bluntly this time.

"Then why didn't you?" Luke asked, sneering, but Percy could see the fear in his eyes. Fear of him.

He hated being feared.

So he did the stupidest thing he could probably do, and let the sword melt back into water. Luke looked shocked.

"Because I came here to save you, Luke Castellan." Well, not entirely, but he had wanted to try.

Luke's mouth opened, then closed with a clop and he blinked, confused. "Say what?"

Percy sighed. He hated that he had to tell Luke of all people first. But… He sent a prayer to Aunt Hestia and his father, practically begging them for help. Thankfully, they answered. He sensed a shield go up around them—one that would deflect most gazes of the gods, if anyone was really watching him just then (besides the Fates, of course), they may be able to see, but they likely wouldn't be able to hear. He would be sacrificing at least one entire plate of food to Aunt Hestia and his Father in the near future.

"Luke. I really was born twelve years ago to my human mother, Sally Jackson. I was born a demigod, just like you. I grew up in New York City with my mother, who married the literalworsthuman being in existence because only that could cover up my smell, and stop me from being killed by monsters.

"The thing is, I… remember over three hundred years. I don't know exactly how, but I have the memories of a god in my head. My own memories. Because in the future, I—quite by accident, I assure you—ascended. If I could take that back and make sure it never happened again, I would… but the Fates have informed me otherwise. It will happen… again." And if he sounded all too bitter, well, who (besides Zeus, Hera, and Ares) could really blame him?

"Are you saying…" Luke said slowly, skeptically, "that you time-traveled?"

Percy shrugged. "Yes. Pretty sure grandfather dearest had something to do with it." He sighed and crouched down in the water, bringing himself to Luke's height… more or less. At least the other hadn't made a move to attack again. For now, Percy would take it. (And keep his hold on water handy so he could stop Luke from doing anything stupid.)

"That's your claim?" The older boy sounded so incredulous.

Percy shrugged. "We're demigods born to a powerful but unstable pantheon. Monsters exist, magic exists, other realms exist… why not something like this?"

Luke looked about ready to argue, but once again closed his mouth before he could seem to find anything to say. Around them, the rain slowly lightened until only a cool breeze blew by them. He could sense the clouds already clearing away. Percy hated how tired he felt, but could appreciate the effects… at least this time.

It wasn't even entirely a physical tiredness. He still hated it.

It was… complicated.

"What do you mean, saving me?" Luke asked.

Percy didn't look up, even as he kept his senses trained on the other boy. "I… the first time… you joined him. Threw a pit scorpion at me and left camp next year. That was my first year here. It started a war. Demigods against demigods. Almost half the camp followed you. And then we clashed and tried to kill each other again and again. So many of us died."

That still hurt. Would always hurt, he suspected. Bianca, Zoe, Castor, Lee, Beckendorf, Selina, Michael, Ethan… Luke. And those were just the names off the top of his head. There had been so many others…

"And you," he finally looked up and met Luke's eyes, even if he couldn't read the expression on the other's face (horror? Skepticism? Sickness? Frustration? Confusion? Some unholy combination?), he didn't allow himself to look away. "You first died falling off of a cliff. Buthesaved you… so he could take over your body." Percy shuddered, remembering gold irises, so full of hate. Luke's face paled. Percy could see that much, even in the ever dimming light.

"It was the only way he could get out of Tartarus—a sort of stop-gap measure to pull himself together. Literally. You led an army against Mount Olympus. And… I'm not gonna lie, you almost succeeded. But… you stopped him yourself. You realized, at some point, what he really wanted—the end of the human race with the gods. So you took a dagger and stabbed yourself instead of letting Kro—the king of the Titans win.

"Aunt Hestia told us about the mortals he made, remember? They weren't humans but… a similar race. They were made to serve him. Maybe not initially, but eventually, that was their role. And he called it the 'golden age of mortals'. He killed them off too. No one but him really knows why or how. I don't think many care." His fists clenched as he hugged his knees. He was still keeping his senses on Luke, and if he made so much as a wrong move, he would find himself washed out to sea with the tide. It was just beginning to go out anyway.

"Ath… The Goddess of Wisdom and Titan of Fire created humans later, on behalf of the King of the Gods, after what the Crooked One did.

"I don't think he would just let the world go on as it is if he took over. According to our myths, we were made by a combination of the gods and titans. Grandfather wants to remake it into what it was before his children overthrew him." He let out a long breath and looked up at Luke again. "Do you honestly think that would be the best? That it would be worth taking Olympus down to take the rest of the world with it?"

Luke swallowed and shook his head. "You could be lying."

Percy sighed. "I swear on the River Styx that, according to my knowledge, everything I've spoken is true."

More thunder. Yay.

He was drawing way too much attention to himself like this. That shield could only do so much. He'd likely be claimed very soon, just so his father could give him some protection. But if Percy wanted to save Luke… And he did. For so many reasons.

Luke, who was leaning forward, shivering as he put his head in his hands. "What… what even is my life?"

Percy snorted. "If it's any consolation, I've asked myself the same thing so many times I lost count centuries ago."

Luke groaned. Then he ran a hand through his wet hair and looked up at Percy, blue eyes piercing. "What happened to Annabeth?"

Yeah, this wouldn't be pleasant. "You… I suppose you had to leave without her the first time and she refused to join you after that. She was there when you—" he coughed— "died. Both times."

Another groan. "Di Immortales."

Percy wanted to reach out and pat the older boy on his shoulder. He didn't, though.

"Luke," he said instead, voice quiet, "you were—are my friend and mentor, and I'm not the only one. Everyone in the Hermes cabin, no matter whose child they are, looks up to you. As for Annabeth, you're her friend and older brother in every way that matters. When I found myself back in time, the one thing I really wanted to do was try to help you. And… that's why I couldn't kill you. At this point, if you choose to leave, I will let you go. Just… know the next time we meet, we will be enemies. And I will make sure you do not cause that much pain again."

They fell into relative silence.

Then, finally, Luke spoke. "You're the reason all the prophecies reset."

"You know about that?"

"All the cabin counselors were told recently," he muttered. "Chiron told us not to say anything until we knew more. That it might make some kids panic, and panic usually means injuries of some kind."

Percy managed a wan smile at that, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, that was me. Not that I did it on purpose though."

Luke actually flopped back in the water. It was shallow enough that it didn't wash completely over his head when the next wave came in.

"I don't even know what to do anymore," he muttered. "I hate this. I hate the system. I hate the gods. I hate it all."

Percy nodded. "Believe it or not, I agree with you."

Surprised, Luke lifted his head to stare at Percy again. He shrugged. "You're not wrong that most gods are selfish, cruel beings with no perspective and little empathy for mortals. Exceptions being Aunt Hestia," he nodded, knowing the goddess would understand that was for her, "And a couple of other more minor gods. Sorry, Dad, but as much as I love you, it's true," he nodded out to sea. A particularly large wave came rushing in, but Percy had little problem holding it back, feeling the smile on his face grow just a little. He really was glad his dad had mellowed out and not decided to smite him for something like that.

Then he turned back to Luke, his smile fading into seriousness. "Like I said, you're not wrong. Something has to change. But joining forces with someone worse…" He shook his head.

Luke snorted and flopped his head back into the sand underneath him again. "Then what do we do?"

"Well," Percy chose to sit cross legged, unable to stop himself from hoping he'd gotten through to the other boy, "after we won the first war, I got a wish. I used it to make the gods take care of their children—at least claim them after their thirteenth birthday or after they got to camp. It… wasn't much, but it was something. And I hate the fact that I had to use my wish to make them do the bare minimum but…"

Luke lifted his head up again. "You… really did that?"

Percy nodded. "Yeah. And I also made sure every god got a cabin, so that helped. And I'll do it again, if I have to. I'm pretty sure that K… the Titan King will rise again, no matter what. But… I want to save as many demigods—no, as manypeople—as possible. And I'm pretty sure that all starts with you."

The other boy was silent for several seconds before he sat up. "Why me? I'm just a son of…" he made a face. "A son of my father. I can steal and fight and that's just about it. Pretty average for a demigod."

The time-traveler snorted. "You underestimate yourself. You're charismatic and welcoming. You make an already tough time for the kids that come to camp better—easier to manage. And you almost make it lookeffortless.I wouldn't be surprised if half the kids in this camp have a crush on you."

Luke blinked. Multiple times. Then he rubbed the back of his head. "You think?"

Percy laughed. "See, like that! You just seem to know what to say to deescalate a situation… if you want to deescalate it."

Slowly, Luke's hand lowered. "I… don't feel like that's anything special."

"It is," Percy assured with a shrug. "And, personally, I'd much rather fight next to you than against you." He decided to take a chance and held out his hand.

For several seconds, Luke stared at it, then looked up at the smaller demigod.

"I… I don't…. This is too much to process." He shook his head and looked away.

Disappointed, but trying not to show it, Percy lowered his hand. "Yeah, I get it."

The storm had almost completely vanished at that point, just leaving the two in the near-dark of evening.

"Think about it, will you?" Percy finally asked, standing up and stretching, hoping that sounded more nonchalant than he felt.

"Yeah. I will." Well, that was something. More than Percy had expected, really.

The time-traveler met Luke's gaze. "And… try not to listen to someone called 'The Crooked One'… Please?"

Luke didn't say anything in response. Instead he stood as well, reaching down to grab his sword and grimacing at its wet, sandy state.

"Oh, I can…" Percy said, waving his hand and drying them both off.

The troubled expression returned to Luke's face, but he also nodded. "Yeah… thanks."

Percy opened his mouth to say something, but shouts in the distance cut him off.

"Percy! Luke! Come on, guys! Where are you?"

"That sounds like Conner," Percy said.

Luke sighed. "I was supposed to come and get you for dinner. That was a while ago."

Percy chuckled awkwardly. "I guess that happens when you have an existential crisis."

The older boy snorted. "What's our story then?"

That… was probably more than Percy could have hoped for, too. "I… got swept out to sea and you rescued me?"

"During High Tide? And they're going to find out eventually…" Luke paused. "Why haven't you been claimed yet?"

"I asked Dad not to. Didn't want old Thunder Uncle's attention."

"Fair," Luke muttered. Then he shook his head. "I think we should tell them the truth. You just lost track of time, and then I found you and we talked. That's what happened, wasn't it?"

"Minus the swords and the storm… and the dagger," Percy muttered. Then rolled his eyes as he commanded the water to bring the dagger to him. Holding out his hand, the knife fell into it. Luke just stared.

"Percy! Percy Jackson!" the voices were getting closer.

Percy offered Luke the dagger.

"You're seriously giving that back to me?"

"No harm, no foul," he shrugged.

"Ididharm you."

"When I was in water. After confirming my parentage." He raised one eyebrow. "I ask this sincerely: Are you suicidal?"

Luke huffed, but didn't say anything as he hurried up the beach. Percy shook his head, making a mental note to keep an eye on that, and followed. Then something occurred to him and he reached out to grab Luke's arm.

"Luke, you can't tell anyone what I've told you. Even if Grandfather knows about me, he doesn't know everything. Right now, Aunt Hestia knows, The Fates know, my father knows, my mother knows, and you know. It can't go beyond that. Not if we can help it.Livesdepend on it."

The older boy froze and his expression melted into something complex again. "But didn't you say I joined the other side? That Iledit?"

Percy looked down and nodded.

"Then why… why did you tell me?"

A deep breath. "Because I'm willing to take that chance. If that's what I have to do to give you perspective, then that's what I have to do." He shook his head as he looked up at his mentor. "I don't want to watch you die like that again. I definitely don't want to put Annabeth through that again. She already has enough abandonment issues."

"I—" Luke started.

"There you two are!" Connor yelped as he came around a rock and saw them standing there in the fading light. "Didn't you hear us calling?"

Percy and Luke exchanged one last look before Luke's embarrassed smile spread across his face and he rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry. We were talking. Private stuff, you know."

Percy didn't have to force himself to look a little shaky. They'd reached a ceasefire, sure, but… he didn't get the feeling he'd completely convince Luke. Not yet. Maybe a couple of seeds had been planted, but what grew would be up to the son of Hermes. Percy didn't like how he could see so many many ways this could blow up in his face. In both of their faces. Luke knew it too, he was sure. The blond could just hide it better.

"Y-yeah, sorry. I lost track of time earlier," Percy muttered to the approaching demigod.

Connor sighed and shook his head. "Well, let's get back. You've both missed dinner, but we saved some for you, of course."

Percy looked up, grinning. "Thanks."

Luke nodded in agreement.

Dinner sounded great. At least they could agree on that.

Chapter 19: Going Home

Chapter Text

Unsurprisingly, Percy was claimed around the campfire that night. He sighed. In the distance he saw several flashes of light. Another storm, definitely not his, and probably not his father's. Uncle Zeus was not happy.

But several of the campers were.

"I KNEW IT!" dozens shouted simultaneously, exchanging high-fives while others groaned or looked on in bewilderment. Like the new twins who would hopefully be claimed by Aphrodite soon. They'd just stumbled into camp a couple of days before and really didn't seem to know what was going on. Percy had noted that Aphrodite seemed to have a lot of kids coming to camp this year… and that he hadn't ever known most of them. How many kids had that monster ambush taken out?

"Hey! Hey!" Amy yelled, standing up from the back row and managing to draw Percy from his spiraling thoughts. When no one else listened (few could hear her) she taxi-whistled. Louder than Percy could, even. Impressive. Finally, everyone turned to her. "I have everything written down and will be giving everyone their payment when they see me next. Please come as soon as possible. All bets are off at the end of the summer!"

Several grumbles and murmurs, but no one denied her.

"Anyway," she went on, "we still have the legacies to bet on next year. But be warned, any money put down may not come back because we may never find out."

Percy sighed and shook his head fondly as more people grumbled.

"Also," Chiron spoke up from next to the campfire, "I would like to inform you that the prophecy of the eldest gods has been fulfilled already. I do not know how, but neither Percy, or any other child of the big three, will be in danger of fulfilling it."

More whispers ran around the circle as the trident over Percy's head faded.

"Wasn't Olympus to be preserved or razed, though?" Annabeth asked, sounding surprised.

Chiron nodded. "Yes. And whoever fulfilled it must have chosen to preserve Olympus."

Percy felt his shoulders relax at that. Maybe this time wouldn't be as bad as last time after all… or at least for not as long. Several other campers seemed relieved as well. Annabeth (and some of her brothers and sisters) just looked thoughtful.

"Anyway, with that out of the way, I've asked Jared to lead us in singing tonight." The son of Apollo stood from among his brothers and sisters as everyone clapped in excitement or politeness.

"Looks like this will be your last night with us," Ethan muttered as everyone started in on 'Princess Penelope'.

"Yeah," Percy muttered. He liked his privacy, he did, but he'd enjoyed staying in the Hermes cabin.

"We'll miss you," Mara said.

"Yeah," Johan agreed.

Percy smiled. "I'll miss you guys too. You accepting me like you did… it meant a lot to me."

"Maybe you can still train with us," Amy said.

"Yeah," Roxanne cut in.

Percy's smile widened. "I'd like that."

"We'll see what we can do," Luke said. He didn't meet Percy's eyes, but at least he wasn't ignoring him.

"Thanks," Percy said, and meant it.

xXx

Percy slept in the Hermes cabin that night, but moved to the old, familiar Poseidon cabin almost immediately the next morning. He'd forgotten how at home he felt in the low, sea-shell encrusted cabin that smelled of sea-salt and water.

When he'd gone to breakfast and sat at his own table, he couldn't help but feel alone. He waved to the Hermes table and they all waved back, even shouting some things out to him. He'd answered with enthusiasm, but only so much could be yelled across the pavilion.

Just after they got done, though, Luke walked up and handed him a piece of paper. Opening it, Percy saw it was the Hermes Cabin's schedule for the rest of the summer.

"I was told to tell you to come to at least half of these or be prepared to be dragged."

Percy blinked up at the older boy, then looked back at the schedule. "Really?" he asked.

"You've been to a summer camp before, right? Is it really so surprising?"

Ah, he was asking about his previous life. Discreetly. Appreciated.

"In… my other camp, I was… really different. People kind of avoided me. Were scared of me."

"I can see why," Luke said dryly. Percy didn't flinch, but it was a near thing. Luke must have seen that, because he sighed and shook his head. "Sorry. Look, I… I'll think about what you said, okay. No one heard it, right?"

"Well, no one but my dad and aunt." And from the dream he'd had the night before, they were both getting flack for it. Everyone on Olympus wanted to know what Percy and Luke had said, but between the two of them, Hestia and Poseidon had been able to keep that discussion secret. At least everything about the time-travel.

Percy appreciated that, but he also gave it maybe two years (three if they were lucky) before it all came out.

"Good," Luke muttered. He shifted from foot to foot. "Look, I'm still thinking about it. I may need the whole year to think about it. But… I believe you. And…" he looked over at the disappearing Athena cabin members, "I want to be here for Annabeth." He sighed. "That's what a big brother's supposed to do, right?"

Percy's smile this time was small, but more real than just about any other one he'd given that summer. "Yeah. It is. And I'll hold you to that."

Luke snorted. "Fair enough.

"Anyway, are you coming to archery?"

Percy winced. "No. I've had enough of that to last a lifetime. Evenmylifetime. I think I was cursed."

Luke's eyes widened. "Really?"

The time-traveler shrugged. "So… I think I'm going to go down to the sea. Still need to practice some skills."

Luke's eyes narrowed a little, but not in suspicion, more in curiosity. "I'll let everyone know, then. But for sword practice after lunch then?"

"Oh, I'll be there," Percy promised.

"Good. I'll holdyouto that."

Percy watched Luke walk away with a wave and finally felt like maybe,just maybe, he'd been able to get through to the older boy.

Well, he'd find out this year if the Master Bolt did or didn't get stolen.

Until then… well, he had some swimming to catch up on. Oh, and some naiads to talk to. They'd skin him alive if he didn't come and talk to them after he'd been claimed.

xXx

"Hey, Beckendorf," Percy smiled as he ran up to the older boy.

"Percy," he said neutrally. Not a fake neutral either. That was just Beckendorf. At least from what he remembered.

"We don't really have a way to keep in contact with each other because we can't use phones, right?"

The older boy nodded, a touch of suspicion and interest entering his expression. "Not mobile phones."

"But we can use rainbows, right?"

"If we have drachma."

Percy pretended to ponder that. "Have you ever asked her?"

Bekendorf blinked. "What?"

"Well, Lady Iris accepts drachma, but what about other offerings?" Percy had spoken with her in the future and while she didn't seem to have an issue taking drachma, she had said she didn't mind other things either, as long as there was thought and intent behind it. The thought and intent for anything not drachma would determine how much effort she put into the connection.

"You know… I haven't. I don't think anyone has."

"And I know rainbows don't justhappen," Percy went on, "but I can usually make them with water in the sunlight. Which I thought was cool at first, but what happens if I'm underground and I need to call someone? Or on the run? And then I thought that most demigods don't even have that! So I was thinking that making something that could create a small rainbow, something just large enough to take a drachma, could get a message out, you know?

"Is that doable?"

Bekendorf's face went a little blank and Percy inwardly fist-pumped. He'd seen that expression on Hephaestus kids before. And Athena kids too.

"That's… not a bad idea," the larger boy finally muttered.

"Yeah! If it was something we could wear, like a watch or a necklace, even better! And then we can all keep contact during the school year."

"We can use land-lines," Beckendorf corrected, though he still had that distracted look.

"Yeah, but fewer and fewer people have those these days," Percy whined.

Bekendorf sighed. "True. You know what? That's a great idea. I'll talk to my counselor and Chiron… prisms might be good. And we should be able to use small lights. Would a LED be too technical? I'll need to test…"

And he was off. Percy grinned. He'd bet that most demigods would have an emergency call device by the time they went home.

His smile became a little smug as he turned around… and walked almost straight into Annabeth.

He may or may not have let out a (very manly) yelp at the surprise. He should have known. She was a demigod.In camp. He should have sensed her. But no, he was too busy mentally patting himself on the back.

She raised an eyebrow in amusem*nt.

Percy scowled, but made sure there wasn't any bite to it. He'd been the one not paying attention… though that may have been him falling into habit again. He was used tojust knowing. Even after months back in the past.

"You make the weirdest god."

Percy snorted. "Completely agree."

Her other eyebrow rose pointedly. "Not even denying it anymore?"

He let his previous smirk sneak back on his face. "Denying what? I'd just make a weird god."

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "I've finally got your 'sci-fi' books ordered. They're… not going to be easy to get through, but I'll do it. By the time you come back, I'll have figured it out, if not before."

She paused.

"You… are coming back, right?"

He smiled (and if it happened to be a little soft and far too nostalgic, well, that was his business). "Of course. Unless I get killed in the interim."

It was her turn to scowl. "Don't even joke like that."

He held up his hands. "Fine, fine. I'm sorry."

She huffed again and shook her head. "You're ridiculous."

"I try."

At least she looked amused at that, if utterly done.

"I'm glad you and Luke aren't fighting anymore," she said after a moment.

"We weren't fighting," Percy protested.

Annabeth's expression dried out. "So that storm that lasted all of fifteen minutes the other night wasn't yours?"

Ah, she'd caught him. And he couldn't really refute that without lying… which he really didn't want to do. Not to her.

"Maybe," he muttered.

She studied him for a couple of moments before shrugging. "Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with hashing everything out in a fight. Battles can fix problems as much as they destroy. Or at least address problems, I suppose."

Something about that struck Percy, but he couldn't tell what exactly.

"And I like your idea, about personalized rainbows. We'll just need to make sure everyone has a couple of drachma on them for emergencies, and we can figure out what else Lady Iris may want for non-emergencies." She continued to murmur, almost as if forgetting he was even there.

Percy smiled as he watched Annabeth get lost in plans and logistics. Still a rocky start to their friendship, but honestly, she seemed willing to be his friend, or at least work with him at this point. He'd take it.

xXx

The next (and last) big event was Percy's birthday. Well, notjusthis birthday, but everyone's in August. They celebrated the day before everyone would be leaving camp with games, fights, competitions, and they even had a blue-iced cake (that everyone had agreed on, thankfully) and fireworks. He loved it. And he'd be getting another party once he got home, too. Which would be awesome. Even if it was just him, his mom and blue ice cream.

At the campfire that night, Bekendorf and the rest of the Hephaestus cabin handed out little necklaces and bracelets that looked like watches. All anyone would have to do was click a button, and it would shine a rainbow. It wasn't a strong light, but it should work in a pinch. There was even a small, circular disk, regular metal, that one could fix into place an inch or so away from the projection for the rainbow to shine on, but it wouldn't be very large. Would probably only get a verbal message out, but that was definitely better than nothing.

Dozens of people exchanged promises to keep in touch. Everyone in the Hermes cabin asked Percy. Which was definitely a change, and not one he was upset about. Especially when Luke said it. Though he suspected ulterior motives, he'd take it.

He also made sure to let Erin know that if anything happened, to call him, and he'd do whatever he could to get there. She looked a little touched, a little skeptical, and a lot amused.

He didn't think she'd feel that way later, and hoped she listened if a monster did attack.

And then it was time to leave. His mom came and picked him up and he watched Thalia's tree disappear behind them in the rearview mirror.

He still had to do something about that. And he would. But for now, he'd count this summer as a tentative success.

Now to get through the school year.

At Yancy (because of course his mother had to enroll him there).

He'd asked Grover for a little help, but the satyr had said he couldn't. Percy knew what he was and what he could do, and had still chosen to go back home. They didn't have enough satyrs to watch over demigods not in camp and search for new ones.

It made Percy sad that one of his best friends wouldn't be there with him, but he could handle himself. It was a boarding school and a bunch of pre-teens. He'd been teaching and working with pre-teens for over two centuries by now. It shouldn't be that hard. Right?

Right?

END BOOK 1

Chapter 20: UPDATE!

Chapter Text

Because people wanted to know, the next story is up! Click on 'The Once and Future God' at the top or bottom of the page and head on over to 'Saving a Sunbeam'! :D