Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Moirai were in their home a place that no mortal knew of and where no immortal could ever go to. They stood there, their gaze transfixed on the enchanted fountain. They watched as the events of the future transpire. Death, destruction, and carnage could be seen everywhere. For once Atropos didn’t want to cut someone's thread, Lachesis was remeasuring the tread hoping beyond hope that somehow a mistake had been made and that maybe it could be fixed and lives could be saved. Clotho looked grimly towards her sisters and spoke. 

“The events of the future are worse than we predicted.” 

“You are correct.” From her right, Atropos bitterly agreed. “We had thought that after the first war the gods would learn from their mistakes but we were gravely mistaken.” 

Lachesis from her left asked. “What do you propose we do now sisters?”

“We may need to initiate plan  Ψ .” Clotho said reluctantly. The other two sisters looked at her questionably.

“Are you sure sister? We have not used that plan in eons.”

“Yes, it may as well be our last opportunity. We shall be taking a huge risk but if all goes well then many precious lives would be saved. We have to make the gods see how their actions are affecting their children’s lives. And the children must learn that some things are beyond even the god's control.” She answered.

Both Atropos and Lachesis looked at each other then back at their sister and nodded. “Very well sister we stand beside you. Let us begin.”

The fates joined their hands and started chanting in a language that was older even than ancient Greek. It was a language of magic. Soon their hand began to glow the light around them becoming brighter and brighter until it engulfed everything.

It was a weird day on Olympus. The gods were sitting on their thrones in Olympus. They were having an emergency council meeting and even Hades was invited. For once they all sat in silence there were no accusations no-one was bickering with the other. All in all, it was a weird day. Finally, a bright light appeared at the center of the room when it faded in its place stood the Moirai. The gods stood and bowed respectfully. The fates nodded at them in acknowledgment before Lachesis spoke.

“Olympians we have seen the future events and they are not how we had hoped they would transpire.”

“We the fates are giving you a chance to change the future for the better. We shall send twelve heroes from the future and call upon a few from your time.” Continued Clotho.

“Together you shall read about the life of the greatest hero of all times who was the center of it all. He is unlike any before him he and his partner had succeeded in a place where even the gods dare not traverse. From their adventures, you must learn. And remember all the demigods will be protected by us if you harm any of them there will be severe consequences.”

A flash of light came from behind the fates revealing eleven campers and the lieutenant of Artemis. The youngest camper looked around eleven years old while the oldest looked about nineteen. The campers were all wearing similar orange camp t-shirts. All of them looked around their surroundings confused. A stack of ten books appeared near Hestia hearth.

“The books shall remain blank until all the readers from the future have arrived. Time outside this place has been stopped and will remain so until the end of the meeting.” Clotho said before turning her gaze towards Apollo.

“Prepare the medicine you shall need it shortly.” With that, they disappeared.

The lieutenant moved forward and bowed towards Artemis. The goddess smiled towards her old friend and nodded her head in acknowledgment before snapping her fingers and making a seat appear by her side. While the demigods stood there awkwardly. Hestia the ever-kind goddess sensing their discomfort smiled towards them reassuringly.

“It looks like we will be here for a while. So why don’t we make ourselves comfortable.” 

With that, she waved her hand and couches materialized from the air and arranged themselves in a semi-circle. The demigods took up the left half of the couches while leaving the other side for the future demigods. Apollo and Hermes looked towards each other before shrugging and shrinking to human size and sitting in front of the kids. The other gods happily followed their example some (cough *Zeus and Hera* cough) more reluctantly than others. Once everyone had settled themselves into their seats Hestia asked the children to introduce themselves. They started introducing themselves from the left.

The current Lieutenant of Artemis a tall graceful and gorgeously beautiful girl with brown eyes, upturned nose, copper-colored skin, and a silver circlet braided in her long dark hair started. 

“Zoe Nightshade a hunter and Lieutenant of Artemis.”

Next, a boy with jet black hair and sea-green eyes said. 

“Percy Jackson. The son of Poseidon.” That got Poseidon a few glares from other gods for breaking his oath but he ignored it in favor of smiling towards his son who returned the gesture shyly.

Before anyone could say anything else a girl with curly honey-blonde hair and stormy Grey eyes said. 

“Annabeth Chase. Daughter of Athena.” Athena smiled proudly towards her daughter. 

Next, a Satyr with brown hair and brown eyes introduced himself. 

“Grover Underwood. Satyr.” Zeus upon recognizing him as the satyr who had failed to protect his daughter glared at him causing him to shrink back and hide behind Annabeth.

A large African American kid with black hair and Brown eyes trying to take Zeus's attention off Grover said. 

“Charles Beckendorf. Son of Hephaestus.” Said god raised his head from his latest project and nodded towards his son in acknowledgment before going back to his work.

Next, a beautiful girl with black hair and blue eyes said. 

“Silena Beauregard. Daughter of Aphrodite.” Said goddess smiled brightly towards her daughter.

A girl with dark eyes, pale brown hair, and a vicious sneer spoke. 

“Clarisse La Rue. Daughter of Ares.” Ares looked on uninterested causing the girl to grit her teeth.

A Hispanic boy with black hair and brown eyes said. 

“Chris Rodriguez. Undetermined.” Hermes smiled sadly towards his son. He waved his hand claimed him immediately.

“I’m sorry Chris. With everything going on I have been very busy and wasn’t to claim you immediately. Please forgive me.” He said apologetically and Chris seeing that Hermes was genuinely sorry nodded his head and accepted the apology.

Two skinny boys with curly brown hair, blue eyes, and mischievous smiles said.

“Connor-”

“-And Travis-”

“-Stoll. Son of Hermes.” They finished together.

A girl with brown hair and green eyes who was unfortunate enough to sit between the brothers shook her head and said.

“Katie Gardner. Daughter of Demeter.” Demeter smiled towards her daughter. 

Lastly a boy with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes with a thick pale scar running from the bottom of his eye to his chin spoke. 

“Luke Castellan. Son of that guy.”

He said while jabbing a thumb towards Hermes. The smile on the gods face from the Stoll's introduction fell away. All the kids frowned at him. But before anyone could say anything the ground started shaking and an elevator rose from the center of the group. The demigods looked at it curiously while the gods tensed.

“Are those-” Zeus asked unsurely.

“The doors of death? Yes.” Replied Hades.

“But what are they doing here?” Demanded Poseidon.

“I don’t know brother I do not control the doors they change their positions as they will. But whatever is in them will be coming straight from Tartarus itself.” The last statement caused a ripple of fear among everyone.

“Is there a way for you to tell what is coming through them, uncle?” Artemis asked drawing her bow.

“No. I can’t tell for sure however I do know this whatever is in there has a powerful aura unlike any other I have sensed before.” Answered Hades but upon seeing the pale expression of the demigods and the tense posture of the gods he quickly exclaimed. “But not to worry whoever is in there won’t be able to exit unless the doors are opened from our side.”

Once they heard this everyone started relaxing before a note appeared in Athena’s hand.

“What does it say.” Asked Demeter.

“ Open the doors

-The fates. ” Athena read.

“Are they serious?” Asked a pale Hermes.

“Apparently yes. What do you propose we do brother?” Asked Poseidon. Everyone looked at Zeus expectantly.

“We do as the fates said. Hephaestus, Demeter, Aphrodite, Hestia, Hera, and Hermes protect the demigods. While the rest of us deal with this.”

All the gods nodded and took their positions. The kids were all taken away from the doors and towards the hearth where they would be away from the fight but still be able to see everything. The other gods formed a semi-circle around the doors of death with their weapons drawn. Everyone held their breath and waited anxiously to see what would come through the doors. The silence of the throne room was broken by a chiming sound coming from the elevator. Apollo looked towards his father who nodded in confirmation. Then drew his bow and shot a flat arrow towards a green-up button. As it made contact the doors slowly slid open.

Annabeth and Percy were sitting with their backs towards the wall facing the door of the elevator. After a few minutes, the doors had stopped shaking, and after making sure they would remain that way the two had collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. Their bodies were aching and telling them to rest just as they had been since the last who knows how long. But they knew that they couldn’t do that now. They didn’t know if their friends had made it to the doors in Epirus in Greece or not. Nor did they have a way of telling what would await them on the other side. They had to be prepared for whatever monster, giant, or other evil they might have to face. Four minutes passed and Percy stood and drew Riptide while helping Annabeth stand who held her sword in hand ready to run it through the first monster who came at her. They silently stood in front of the doors their weapons drawn and their hands intertwined. The silence was broken by a Chiming sound. Taking a deep breath Percy kissed the back of Annabeth’s hand before letting it go.

The doors opened and for the first time in a long time, Percy breathed in the fresh air and saw the light he couldn’t believe it. It was all very overwhelming but he couldn’t stop now. They had come too far to let a little disorientation stop them. Together they stepped out of the elevator and were shocked to find themselves in a somewhat familiar place and that they were surrounded by the gods whose weapons are drawn and an equally shocked expression on their face. Upon seeing his father he relaxed and lowered his sword he knew that his father would not let the other gods harm him.

He opened his mouth to greet his father when from the corner of his eye he saw Annabeth sagging forward. Fortunately, he was able to place one of his hands on her shoulder and wrapped the other one around her waist to support her. Unfortunately, his body thought that this was the perfect moment to tell him exactly how exhausted he was and sent them both tumbling towards the ground. Somehow he was able to break her fall and the last thing he remembered was seeing Apollo and Artemis coming towards. He managed to mutter a soft ‘Save her’ Before it all went dark.

To say that the gods were shocked to see two teenagers walk out of the Doors of Death would be an understatement. Everyone stood there in shock as a girl with a slender athletic body, long curly honey-blonde hair covered in blood, golden dust, and grime tied into a ponytail, stormy Grey eyes holding a white sword that looked like it was made out of bone. Along with a tall boy with a Mediterranean complex, disheveled jet black hair and sea-green eyes, and an SPQR tattoo with a trident and a line holding a Xiphos exit the doors. Both teens certainly looked the part of having gone through Hell and back. They were both wearing orange camp half-blood T-shirts that were so torn that they could barely be considered clothing. They had multiple bruises and cuts across their bodies. The girl had her ankle in a bubble wrap cast. The boy had multiple patches of dried blood on his clothes. They were both pale as ghosts and had sticks for arms and legs as if they hadn’t eaten a proper meal in weeks. Their eyes looked broken, they looked like they had seen and experienced too much for any age.

Their eyes looked around their surroundings and something akin to familiarity passed through them. Before they landed on the gods and the two demigod's eyes lit up in recognition. Slowly and in perfect sync they lowered their weapons and relaxed their posture. The boy was about to say something when the girl lost the fight the battle between consciousness and dormancy and started drooping forward. Even in his fatigued state the boy shot forward as fast as lightning and caught the girl in his arms. But looked like he had used the last of his energy in doing so. They both collapsed onto the ground along the way the boy twisted them in such a way so that he could take the brunt of the fall.

Without waiting for anyone else to say anything the twin's Apollo and Artemis moved to check on them. As he got closer Apollo saw the boy lock eyes with them and mutter a soft ‘ Save her.’ before giving in to his exhaustion. Without wasting any more precious time they both started healing the teens. Apollo worked on the boy's injuries while Artemis worked on the girls (Who of course as his twin also had the power of healing but only over girls.) Up close he could see that their injuries were even worse. The boy had claw marks on his back, two broken ribs, multiple cuts and bruises across his body as well as some curses and minor poisoning. It looked like he had tried to shield the girl from the worst of it who as far as he could see had noticeably fewer injuries. Her only major injury being her ankle and a large gash running down her left arm. He would have to ask his sister for the details later.

Both gods set off to work after a few healing spells some ambrosia and nectar both demigods were as good as new. With a snap of his fingers, two hospital beds appeared with the teens resting on them. Their clothes had also been changed they were now wearing brand new versions of the clothes they had arrived in. He turned his attention towards his sister collectively they discussed the conditions of the two half-bloods. They concluded that after everything they had been through the two of them deserved some rest. The other gods would just have to wait a while before their questions could be answered. Together they walked towards the couches where everyone else had returned to give the twins some space. They stood in front of the others in silence unsure as to how they should proceed.

Hestia worried about the demigods well being asked “How are the two demigods doing?”

“They had a lot of injuries from different monsters and a few curses. We have done as much as we can and they are stable for now. But they are still unconscious and it would be best if we let them rest.” He answered.

Running a hand through his beard Zeus asked. “How long do you suppose that would take?”

“In their current state I would say a few-” He was cut off by a scream coming from where he had left his two patients.

He looked over and saw that the boy was thrashing around violently in his sleep having a nightmare. He started moving towards him but before he could take a single step he saw the girl wide awake and already making her way towards the boy. She sat on the bed next to the boy and placed a hand on his cheek she saying different things -which he couldn’t hear due to the distance between them- to try and wake him up. It seemed to word as he suddenly woke up with a gasp. Tears were running down his cheeks. The boy (He needed to know their names so could call them something other than the girl and the boy.) wrapped his arms around the girl and latched onto her desperately. Hiding his face in her neck he started sobbing. The girl ran her hand through his hair whispering into his ear with tears in her eyes. Once the boy had calmed down he pulled away from her. He said something to the causing her eyes to soften. Shaking her head she wiped his tears away before replying and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. The boy immediately relaxed at her touch. It was clear to everyone watching that the two of them were close.

Apollo felt genuinely very bad for ruining their moment but it had to be done as he knew the other gods were anxious to get some answers. He made his way towards them and stopping a few feet away from them he cleared his throat causing the both of them to jump and reach for their weapons. The girl's hand went to her side presumably for her sword which was lying near her bed a few feet away. The boy pulled out a pen and placed himself between the girl and him. Both relaxed upon seeing him but only slightly -The tension not fully leaving their shoulders- and bowed their heads respectfully.

“Thank you for helping us, Lord Apollo.” Said the girl while the boy only smiled at him thankfully.

“I was just doing my job as the god of medicine and healing.” He replied. “Now if you don’t mind I would like to give you a check-up before we go to join the others.” 

As he said that he saw them look around properly for the first time and take in their surroundings. Their eyes landed onto where the gods and demigods sitting and widened comically. He couldn’t blame them it wasn’t usual to see the gods and demigods to be sitting together so -for the lack of a better term- casually. Tearing their eyes away from the scene they turned towards each other a silent conversation passed between them. One that was over before he could catch a single word. Before they turned towards him and nodded.

When Annabeth woke up to an uneasy feeling in her stomach she knew something was wrong. She had long since learned to trust her instincts. Slowly and cautiously she opened her eyes but had to close them due to the sudden light that invaded her vision. Which was weird considering that there wasn’t supposed to be any light in Tartarus. She took a deep breath to keep herself calm. She had to figure out where they were and how had they gotten here. All of a sudden she remembered the events from earlier. Escaping Tartarus with Percy. Bob and Damasen sacrificing their lives for them, them riding through the doors, readying their weapons to face the enemy on the other side, walking out of the elevator to see their parents, feeling lightheaded before everything went dark.

She tried opening her eyes again and was much more successful this time. She looked down and saw herself laying on a bed with a blanket draped over her. She was wearing new clothes and all her wounds were either healed or bandaged. Her best guess would be that Apollo and Artemis had healed them and left them to rest. Which she found hard to do. They might have physically escaped that hell hole but every time she blinked she found herself back there. It was like someone had taken a picture of that place and glued it to the inside of her eyelids. It made it very hard for her to completely relax and that strange feeling wasn’t helping at all. She had to find Percy figure out what that uneasy feeling was and what was causing it.

She was driven out of her thoughts by a scream, Percy’s scream coming from her right. Without thinking she flew out of the bed -which was the wrong thing to do if the spots dancing around her vision were any indication but she just pushed forward- and made her way towards him. He was having a nightmare. His mouth was moving as said something but his voice was too low for her to make out what he was saying. She sat at his side and put her hands on his cheek urging him to wake up. After the second titan war, most campers including the two of them had started experiencing nightmares and she knew from experience that the only way to wake him up was to tell him that all of it was just a dream.

It worked as he suddenly woke up with a gasp with tears running down his cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her and started sobbing on her shoulder. She ran her hand in his hair to try and calm him down as she kept her tears at bay. It broke her heart seeing him like this. They had done so much for the gods and everyone else they deserved some rest and to be able to live out the rest of their lives peacefully. But of course, when have the fates been kind to them. 

She continued running a gentle hand through his hair and whispered ‘Were together, were safe’ in his ear again and again in an attempt to calm him down. She didn’t tell him that it was fine or that it was okay. Because everything wasn’t fine and after going through that place they weren’t okay there would be a time when they would be but now wasn’t it. So she settled for telling him what was true that they were safe, they had made it out alive, and that she was with him and that they were together. Once he had calmed down he pulled away from her and in a meek voice said. 

“I’m sorry.” 

She put her hand on his cheek and brushed away a tear. Sitting in front of her at that moment he looked every bit like the scrawny little kid that she had nursed back to health when they were young that it made her heart melt. Shaking her head she said.

“Don’t be. I will always be there for you when you need me. Just like I know you will be there for me.” 

Before pacing a soft kiss on his head and she felt him relax as soon as her lips touched his skin.

Their little bubble was broken by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Immediately thinking the worst her hand shot to her side where her dagger would normally be. Before she remembered that she had lost it down there. One glance back and sure enough her Drakon bone sword was placed near the bed she was previously resting on. Percy had Riptide in his hand and placed himself between her and the threat ready to defend her. But it turns out that they wouldn’t need to. Because when they turned towards the source of the sound they found Apollo standing there. They relaxed but not fully because after all, he was a god. They bowed their head respectfully.

“Thank you for helping us lord Apollo.” She said trying to convey her gratitude. While Percy gave him a thankful smile.

“I was just doing my job as the god of healing and medicine.” He replied. “Now if you don’t mind I would like to give you a check-up before we join the others.”

As he said that they turned around and got their first look at where they were. They were on Mount Olympus. It was different it was not the one that she had designed no it was the one before the war. Next, her gaze landed on the group sitting in a circle at the center of the room causing her eyes to widen. Not at the sight of the gods sitting with their kids but upon seeing her and Percy’s younger self along with some friends that they had lost because of the war. Tearing her eyes from the scene she looked towards Percy a silent conversation passing between them. 

‘Is that-’

‘Yes.’

‘But how?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘What do you think we should do?’

‘Let’s let them explain the situation first before doing anything.’

‘Okay.’

Upon coming to a decision they turned towards Apollo and nodded. He quickly caught them up with what was happening. When she asked him what day it was he said it was June 11 ten days before the winter solstice in 2006. The day they had left for their first quest. The day it had all started. Once he had completed his check-up Apollo told them to rest and take it easy (To which Percy had scoffed silently and muttered. ‘As if the fates would ever let that happen.’) and told her that even though her ankle had been healed it would still be sore for a while and to try and keep her weight off it for a day or two. Before ushering them towards the others.

Deciding to not take a chance she grabbed her sword and leaned on it as an excuse to keep it close. It wouldn’t be much help against the gods but she felt safer with it nonetheless. As they got closer her gaze landed on a young Silena and Luke causing tears to well up in her eyes. She gripped Percy’s hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. His gaze was fixed upon Zoe and Beckendorf. He squeezed her hand back just as they reached the middle of the circle where they stood with their backs turned towards the demigods of the past. While Apollo went to take his place between Hermes and his sister.

Annabeth felt a pair of burning a hole through the back of her head. She somehow knew who it was but didn’t turn around in fear of locking eyes with the owner. She didn’t know if she would hug Luke or punch him if she did. A few awkward minutes passed by in which the gods waited for them to bow in front of them to show their respect. While they just stood there matching their gaze with their own, the past demigods were looking at them as if they were crazy and would be smitten any minute.

Finally, it was Athena who recognized that they were not going to make any progress and asked. 

“I believe my brother has briefed you about the situation?”

They nodded but Annabeth looked anywhere but at Athena’s eyes. She was still a little bitter from their last meeting. Athena had known that following the mark of Athena was a suicide quest. A quest that none of her children over the centuries had nor came back from alive and the few who did were never the same. Yet she had cursed her with her mark left her out for the wolves while telling her that she had failed her and disowned her on the spot. Heck, she hadn’t even acknowledged her when she completed the quest, defeated her greatest enemy, and recovered her statue. Even in her dreams while she was down there, Athena only talked about her  stupid  statue. Yeah, she knew that it would help them win the war and settle the conflicts between the Roman and Greek demigods but still that didn’t make it hurt any less. And it wasn’t like she was asking for too much a simple ‘I’m proud.’ would have sufficed but that was too much to ask from the mighty wisdom goddess. It was all Athena’s fault if she hadn’t given her that cursed coin she would have been able to concentrate more on defeating Gaea, she and Percy wouldn’t have fallen there. They would have been making their way towards Greece on the Argo II along with their friends to defeat Gaea and her forces. She was broken out of her thoughts by Athena.

“Very well then tell us which year you came from, your name, and your tittles.”

 (AN:/* From this point on the names of Future Annabeth and Percy will be underlined.*)

The two demigods shared a look a silent argument passing between them - and from the triumphed look on the boy's face it looked like he won- the girl squeezed the boy's hand one more time and stepped forward.

“Were both from the Year 2010. I’m Annabeth Chase, the former daughter of Athena.” Said the girl no Annabeth. Her statement electing a gasp from everyone. They started looking between Annabeth and Athena wondering what happened between the two. Even Percy was looking at Annabeth with worry. While the mother and daughter just sat there in shock.  Annabeth ignored it all and continued.

“Retriever of the Master Bolt and Hades Dark Helm. Tamer of Cerberus. Sailor of the Sea Of Monsters. Returner of the Golden Fleece. Defeater of Circe. Bearer of the Titan’s Curse. Navigator of the Labyrinth. The successor of Daedalus. General of the Second Titan War. Wielder of the Cursed Blade. Hero of Olympus. Official Architect of Olympus. Follower of the Mark of Athena. Defeater of Arachne. Returner of the Athena Parthenos. And one of the seven from of the Second Great Prophecy.”

As she spoke the air around the throne room became heavier. Many demigods looked at her in awe and envy because of her achievements and the number of quests she had gone on. Her past self looked on in pride and a little bit of fear in her eyes at the thought of what she had gone through. Athena looked at her daughter proudly -or at least tried to- as Annabeth was once again avoiding eye contact stubbornly she was once again left to wonder what happened between the two of them in the future. The other gods just looked on in silent judgment. They didn’t know what to make of the two demigods that had been able to survive Tartarus a place that even the gods avoided. No mortal should be able to survive Tartarus. Yet here were two demigods standing in front of them. Proof that it could be done. They had heard the achievements of only one demigod and they could tell they were extremely powerful and might pose a threat against them. They couldn’t do anything now seeing as the two were protected by the fates but they would need to hold a council meeting later.

The silence of the throne room was broken by Silena asking the question that was on everyone's mind. 

“What do you mean by ‘former daughter of Athena’ What happened?”

Annabeth looked towards the daughter of Aphrodite an unreadable expression in her eyes and before anyone could decipher what it was she locked it away. A neutral mask appeared on her face as she replied.

“It is just as I said, my  mother.”  She said the word distastefully. “Disowned me at the age of sixteen a few months after the great prophecy had come to pass. Told me I meant nothing to her that I was no child of hers and abandoned me in a subway station with a cursed coin.”

Once again the crowd was stunned into silence. Annabeth sat there in a daze with sadness in her eyes as she wondered what had transpired between her and her mother for them to become so distant. Grover rubbed her back to calm her while Percy patted her hand awkwardly trying to offer comfort.

Meanwhile Luke was silently seething this was the reason why he hated the gods. No matter how much they did for them they would always end up abandoning their children. This was the reason he following his Lord he would do what was best for his family no matter the cost.

Even Athena was questioning the wisdom in her future self's actions. Especially if it was her greatest children in a long time who in the future had been able to recover her sacred statue. She had so many questions she wanted to ask but more than anything that she sought to know was how she had been able to find her statue.

“If you don’t mind me asking how did the two of you end up in Tartarus.” The boy and Annabeth both tried and failed to not flinch at the name. “And what is the second great Prophecy.”

Annabeth took a deep breath and bowed her towards Lady Artemis respectfully. “Of course not My lady. After the-” She started explaining but was cut off by a flash of light and a letter appearing in her hand. She read it silently.

“Read it out loud. ” Hera commanded upon seeing the letter.

Annabeth glared at her causing the queen of the gods to flinch (Not that she would ever admit it).

“Dear gods, goddesses, demigods, Satyr, and immortal (From both the past and the future.)

In our haste to get everything done, we forgot to mentions that the demigods of the future are not allowed to reveal any information about the upcoming events. Everything will be revealed in due time. Gods you cannot force them to reveal anything. Continue introducing yourself we shall send the others shortly.

-The Fates.”  Read Annabeth.

“I guess that means there isn’t very much that we can say to answer your question Lady Artemis. ” Said the boy to the gods for the first time since they arrived.

“Very well then we should continue with the introductions.”

“Did you recover my statue?”

Athena and Artemis said at the same time.

“ Of course she still cares more about that stupid statue. ” Annabeth muttered under her breath but was still heard by everyone in the room.

The demigods were shocked that someone would talk to a god much less the goddess of wisdom like that. The gods were indignant that a demigod -even one with so many achievements- would talk to them with such disrespect. Athena was left speechless how could one of her greatest daughters in history talk about her statue like that. While Poseidon and the boy were both trying to keep their laughter at bay to avoid the ire of Athena. Annabeth was once again left to wonder what exactly happened between her and her mother in the future. Annabeth ignored everyone and said.

“Unfortunately that is a spoiler so you will have to wait for the books to explain.”

The boy interjected and started introducing himself before Athena could ask Annabeth any more questions.

“Percy Jackson. Son of Poseidon. Retriever of the Master Bolt and the Dark Helm. Dueler and defeater of Ares. Slayer of Medusa. Sailor of the Sea Of Monsters. Returner of the Golden Fleece. Defeater of Polyphemus. Slayer of the Nemean Lion. Bearer of the Titan’s Curse. Navigator of the Labyrinth. Defeater of Antaeus. Former bearer of the Curse Of Achilles. Defeater of Hades. Survivor of the Second Titan War. Defeater of Hyperion. Defeater of Kronos. Child of the Great Prophecy. Hero of Olympus. Returner of the Legions Eagle. Praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Defeater of Polybotes and many other Giants and Titans. And one of the Seven.”

Once Percy finished the whole hall was silent. His past self was looking at him in awe. This Percy albeit one that had to go through many life-threatening adventures looked exactly like how he imagined himself looking when he was older. The other campers were looking between the two versions of Percy wondering how this scrawny little twelve-year-old would grow up to be like how he is now and become the savior of Olympus.

Poseidon was looking at his son with a sad look in his eyes. He had subjected his son to a hero's fate. It was his fault he wouldn’t be surprised if his son hated him for it. And yet as he made eye contact with him he saw no traces of hatred. Ares was looking at him with hatred he couldn’t believe that he could be defeated by a child a mere mortal. No, it had to be a lie yes that was it the demigod was making it all up for attention. While the other gods were looking at him with various degrees of emotions from the suspicion that a demigod was able to do so much to hatred and judgment.

All this attention was making Percy nervous so he started fidgeting with Riptide. Yes, he could lead an army in the heat of battle but he was still not comfortable with having many eyes on him.  Annabeth sensing his discomfort took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

This little gesture didn’t go unnoticed by everyone else. Athena’s eyes bugged out at the sight of her daughter holding hands with a sea spawn. Her brain unhelpfully reminded her of the little scene that had played out between the two earlier. It caused a strangled screech -which she would forever deny- to escape her throat. Poseidon merely raised an eyebrow at the two. Percy and Annabeth were avoiding looking at each other or their future selves all the while blushing furiously. Silena was wiggling her eyebrows at the two which did not help their blush as the campers around them snickered.

Meanwhile, Aphrodite was fangirling in the background. She had sensed great potential between the younger version of Poseidon’s son and Athena’s daughter when they had first arrived. It was like a forbidden romance between two lovers who would stand the test of time and other challenges that she would throw at them and come out at the top. She had already begun making a list of events to make their love lives interesting when their future selves had arrived with a powerful and unbreakable bond. From which she knew that she had done her job perfectly. Ooh how she couldn’t wait to see how this love story played out.

Before Aphrodite or Athena could ask the teens questions regarding their love life. A light came from the center of the room. When it faded in its place stood ten teenagers led by a girl with short spiky black hair, electric blue eyes wearing punk clothes, and a silver circlet on her head. The crowd gasped at the sight of the girl they might not have known her personally but they had heard enough about her to know who she was. While the gods were blatantly staring at her and the other children of the group. 

The girl paid them no mind her eyes fixed upon the two demigods of the future who were smiling at her and making their way towards her.

“Annie. Perce.” She shouted meeting them halfway and tackling them with so much force that they almost tumbled down.

“Thalia!” Annabeth exclaimed while hugging the other girl tightly. They stood there for a while before Thalia suddenly pulled back and started yelling at the two.

“What were the two of you thinking putting yourself in danger like that? Did you have any idea how worried I was when found out what happened?” They tried to reply but she didn’t let them. “If you ever do something like that ever again I will bring you back from the underworld with Nico’s help then kill you my self.”

Once she had calmed down Percy rolled his eyes and replied.

“Sorry Thals. Next time we will remember to ask for your permission before being pulled into the deepest part of the underworld.”

Annabeth jabbed him. “Be nice Seaweed Brain. And it’s good to see you too.”

“ Annabeth!” 

Said a beautiful girl of Native American (Cherokee) descent, with chocolate-brown hair that was cut choppy and unevenly, and had thin strands braided down on the sides. Her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscope, going from brown to blue to green, she was wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood T-Shirt and blue jeans.

Annabeth turned to her and said. “Hey, Pipes.” The girl Pipes threw her arms around  Annabeth and cried.

“Dude!” Said a handsome boy with regal Roman features, sky blue eyes, close-cropped blonde hair that made him look like a blonde superman. He also had an SPQR tattoo with twelve lines and an eagle and a scar on the corner of his lip. He stepped forward and gave Percy a bear hug.

“Back from Tartarus. That’s my peeps.” Yelled a scrawny Latino Santa’s elf with curly brown hair, dark brown eyes, pointy ears, and a cheerful elf-like face. He looked like he had taken much more caffeine than the normal limit and was seriously ADHD even by demigod standards.

The rest of the group of teens stepped forward and started greeting the two and telling them about everything they had missed while away. They didn’t comment on the fact that the two looked dead on their feet or the haunted look in their eyes nor did they ask about what had happened. They were happy to see that their friends had made it out alive.

The only two that didn’t swamp the two with hugs were a boy with long black hair, black eyes, his skin around his sunken eyes was dark and his skin was a sickly greenish-white color. He was wearing a black shirt and pants that hung loosely from his frame, a Stygian iron sword hung by his side. He was also wearing a silver skull ring.

And a girl she was beautiful with a regal face of Hispanic decent, she had piercing black eyes, and her glossy black hair is worn in a single braid. She just like Percy and the other boy had an SPQR tattoo but with four lines and a crossed torch and spear. She wore a pair of jeans and a purple Camp Jupiter shirt that left many of the campers confused and gods wary.

Percy walked towards the two and said to the boy.

“Thank you, Nico.”

Nico frowned. “What for?”

“You promised to lead the others to the House of Hades,” Percy replied. “You did it. You kept your promise.”

Nico gazed at the end of the room. “I made a promise and I kept it. Just like I wished someone had kept the promise they made to me.” With that, he walked away. 

Percy looked at Nico's retreating figure with a guilty expression on his face, his back hunched and shoulders tense. Only relaxing when Annabeth intertwined his hand with hers. She shot him a worried look who gave a reassuring nod in reply.

She turned to the girl and said. “Thank you Reyna for responding to my message and coming to help us so quickly. I know it must have been hard for you to leave your comrades behind.”

“It was but I saw a chance for establishing peace between the two camps and took it.”

Their conversation was cut off by a meek voice saying.

“Thalia!” 

The said girl turned to the voice and saw Annabeth and Luke standing behind her.

“Is that you?” Asked Annabeth.

“Hey, little ‘Beth.” She greeted and held her arms open for her.

It was all the invitation she needed as she crashed into her arms. Thalia held her tightly as she sobbed into her shoulder. It had been such a long time since she last hugged Thalia and she missed it. She missed her hugs, the smell of Ozone around her, and most of all she missed Thalia. After a few minutes, Annabeth began to calm down and her sobbing stopped. Annabeth pulled back and wiping her tears she asked.

“Your back?”

A nod.

“Your back. But how?”

Thalia gazed at Percy from the corner of her eyes and replied. “A friend brought me back.”

“Thalia!”

A voice breathed from behind Annabeth. Thalia looked up and locked eyes with the son of Hermes. Her grip on Annabeth tightened.

“Luke.” She ground out. 

Annabeth and  Percy came forward and stood at her sides. She pulled Annabeth behind her and took a defensive stance. Luke either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the action as he took a step forward.

“Thal-” He tried to say but was cut off by a punch to the face by Thalia. The campers yelled in outrage as Ares looked on eagerly excited to see a fight and Hermes winced.

“What-” He tried again but was once again cut off by a hit to the jaw -this time by Annabeth- the force causing him to tumble to the ground. Annabeth looked on in confusion wondering what Luke had done to be on the receiving end of not only Thalia’s rage but hers as well? Luke stood up cautiously staying away from the two girls' hit range and eyeing Percy cautiously expecting him to punch him next. When the other boy made no move to do so he rubbed his jaw and asked.

“What was that for?”

Annabeth glared at him. “Don’t act dumb Luke you know exactly what that was for.” A look of fear and doubt passed his face but he locked it away so quickly that the others wondered if it was there.

“I don’t know what you're talking about.”

“You were never good at keeping things from us.” Thalia scoffed. When he kept a blank face she said. “Fine. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Thalia glared at Luke as the air around the throne room became heavy. Finally, Hestia spoke causing everyone who forgot she was there to jump.

“Why don’t we all settle down and let the new group introduce themselves before we start reading.”

The three future demigods nodded their heads. If there was one god that they liked and didn’t want to be on the wrong side of it was Aunt Hestia. Annabeth and Luke went back to their seats. Percy and Annabeth also took a seat. Thalia took a step forward and introduced herself.

“Thalia. Daughter of Zeus. Lieutenant of Artemis and the survivor of the Second Titan War.” 

Hera glared at the demigod while Artemis smiled at her new lieutenant before looking at Zoe. After all the years they had spent together it would be sad to see her old friend go. She could only hope that her retirement had been at her choice rather than a loss on the battlefield.

A boy with sunny blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a casual T-shirt, shorts, and flip flops stepped forward.

“Will Solace. Son of Apollo. Head healer of Camp Half-Blood and the survivor of The Second Titan War.” Apollo smiled brightly towards his sun.

The boy Nico that Percy had been talking to earlier stepped forward.

“Nico Di Angelo. Son of Hades. Ghost king. Survivor of The Second Titan war. And before you say anything I was born the oath.” 

Hades smiled towards his son a reserved smile who gave him a shy smile in reply. He also took notice of the absence of his daughter. He would have to ask his son about her later.

The girl Pipes stepped forward. 

“Piper McLean. Daughter of Aphrodite. Charmspeaker. Wielder of Katopris Blade and Cornucopia. And one of the Seven” Aphrodite smiled at her daughter while Silena looked at her half-sister curiously. Piper appeared different from the rest of her siblings she didn’t care about how she looked and could Charmspeak like her. She wanted to know more about her sister and wondered what the relationship between the two of them is like in the future.

Next, the Santa’s elf stepped forward. “Leo McSizzle. Bad by sup- Ow.” He was cut off by a hit on the head by Piper who gave him a look.

“Fine. Leo Valdez. Son of Hephaestus. Builder of the Argo II. Fire user and one of the Seven.” He said and lit his hand on fire. Beckendorf looks at him in anticipation he wanted to learn more about this ability and compare notes on different projects with him. While Hephaestus looked on curiously it had been a long time since one of his children had retained that particular ability of his. The last time it had happened had not worked out for anyone.

“Jason Grace. Son of Jupiter. Consul to demigods. Praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Slayer of the Trojan Sea monster. Destroyer of the Black Throne of Kronos. Defeater of Krios. And one of the Seven.” 

The hall was stunned into silence. The demigods because they didn’t know that Roman demigods existed and the gods because ‘What the heck were the Roman demigods doing with the Greeks?’. Hera was glaring at Jason but not with the same intensity as before which confused some of the gods. Finally, Annabeth snapped out of the stupor and asked.

“Wait! Grace. Are you…?”

“Yes.” Thalia signed. “Jason is my full brother.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell us you had a brother?” Luke asked. Thalia glared at him.

“Oh, I don’t know probably because I thought that he was dead.” At this point, both Hades and Poseidon were glaring at Zeus.

“You broke the oath not once but twice with the same mortal. An oath due to which you killed my beloved Maria who didn’t even have a part in any of this.” Hades shouted while pointing his spear at Zeus. Who had the decency to look sheepish.

“Hades calm down.” Said, Hestia.

“But-”

“Yes I know but there are children currently present here. We will discuss this matter later in private.”

“Fine.” He grumbled and slid down in his seat. Hestia smiled towards the demigods and asked them to continue.

A dark-skinned girl with shoulder-length curly cinnamon brown hair and golden eyes. She also had an SPQR tattoo with a glyph and a single line.

“Hazel Levesque. Daughter of Pluto. Tamer of Arion. One of the Seven. And born before the oath.” She hurriedly explained. Hades smiled at his daughter and wondered how she came back to life. While Poseidon and Demeter smiled at the mention of their son.

Next, a lean and muscular boy of Chinese descent with brown eyes and close-cropped hair stepped forward.

“Frank Zhang. Son of Mars. Legacy of Poseidon. Shapeshifter. And one of the Seven.” Ares grinned towards his son.

“Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano. Daughter of Bellona Prater of the twelfth legion. And the slayer of the Trojan sea monster.”

Lastly, a tall, slim girl with frizzy red hair, freckled face, and green eyes stepped forward. She wore an oversized shirt and jeans which had doodles on them.

“Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Clear-sighted Mortal and the Oracle of Delphi.”

“I get a new Oracle.” Whopped Apollo while Hades looked on with a blank face. If the oracle had a new body it would mean that the great prophecy had come to pass and that his children were no longer outcasts. As the demigods took their seats Demeter asked.

“I have to ask what are the Greek and Roman demigods doing together in the future?”

“Someone.” Annabeth started while glaring at Hera who pointedly looked away. “Thought that it was a good idea to kidnap the leaders of both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter and exchange them. So here we are now.”

Everyone sat there in awkward silence for a few moments before Zeus asked who would read the book first. Annabeth raised her hand and said that she would do it. Hestia waved her hand and the first book appeared in her hand.

“Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief.” 

Read Annabeth as everyone leaned forward excited to learn about the life of the greatest Hero in history. Even Zeus was paying attention he would finally be able to learn the whereabouts of his Master Bolt.

“Ugh of course it’s about me.” Percy groaned while leaning his head against Annabeth who patted it in mock sympathy.

Thalia scoffed. “What else did you expect? You are the hero of Olympus.”

“ ‘m not a hero.” He mumbled while sliding down in his seat. No one heard him except Annabeth who shot him a look that said ‘Yes you are and we will be talking more about it later.’ and continued.

“Chapter One: I Accidentally Vaporize My Math Teacher.”

Chapter Text

“Chapter I: I Accidentally Vaporize My Math Teacher.”

Annabeth paused to look towards Percy and asked. “How do you accidentally vaporize someone?”

Percy shrugged. “When you don’t know that the other person is a monster and you accidentally slice them and turn them into dust.”

Annabeth stared at  Percy for a few moments before she shook her head and continued continuing.

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

All the Demigods scoffed. ‘Who does?’ They thought.

If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: 

“TAKE COVER,” Thalia shouted and hid behind the couch. While the demigods of the past and the gods looked on in confusion.

“Why?” Asked Athena.

“Because Percy’s advice sucks.” Replied Nico.

“It does not.” Protested both the Percy’s.

“It does actually.” Said Annabeth.

Before they could reply she continued.

close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life. 

“Wow, that wasn’t bad advice Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth said impressed.

“Thank you.” He replied with a mock bow.

Being a half-blood is dangerous. 

“Check.” Said Leo.

It’s scary.

“Check.” Continued Frank.

Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. 

“And check.” Hazel finished. The other demigods nodded in agreement. While the gods looked on in worry. ‘Their children’s lives couldn’t be that difficult could it?’

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

“Don’t we all.” Said the demigods. Not helping the gods worry.

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

“You make us sound like a cult.” Jason snorted.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

“You didn’t warn me.” Leo and Nico said at the same time. Percy looked at the two in exasperation.

“I wasn’t at camp when you arrived.” He pointed at Leo. “And I did warn you. You just didn’t listen to me.” He said pointing towards Nico.

My name is Percy Jackson. 

“ Really, I thought it was Perry Johnson.” Said Nico.

“Your wrong it’s Peter Jonathan.”

“No, it’s Aqua man.”

“No, it’s Kelp Head.”

“You're all wrong its Seaweed Brain.”

“I hate you guys.” Mumbled Percy.

“Love you too Seaweed brain.” Said Annabeth as she kissed his cheek. Aphrodite was jumping in joy While Athena glared at him as she wondered what her daughter had seen in that sea spawn. Their younger versions were once again avoiding each other as they blushed furiously and everyone around them snickered.

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

Am I a troubled kid? 

“Yes, you are.” Shouted everyone from the future. 

Yeah. You could say that. 

“See even you agree with us.” Said Nico.

Percy being the mature sixteen-year-old that he was stuck out his tongue.

The gods watched the demigods antics in amusement the demigods of the future acted like a big happy family. A little broken sure but a family nonetheless. They hoped their own family would stop fighting and start acting like that again.

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

Poseidon frowned he had hoped that his child would have a normal life without him around but it appears that he was wrong.

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

“That sounds interesting.” Athena and Annabeth said at the same time. While Annabeth held in a snort with the amount of time she had spent with her Percy she could safely guess what his next thought would be.

I know – it sounds like torture.

Athena glared at him as Annabeth stared at Percy her mouth hung open. While Annabeth tried to hold in a snicker.

Most Yancy field trips were. But Mr Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes. Mr Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn’t think he’d be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so

“Man I wish I had a teacher like that.” Said Leo wishfully as Percy and Annabeth shared a look.

he was the only teacher whose class didn’t put me to sleep. 

“You slept in class?” Athena shrieked as she wondered once again what her daughter had seen in this sea spawn.

“He has ADHD and Dyslexia like the rest of us, which makes it hard for us to sit still and concentrate in class and most teachers rule us out as troublemakers and don’t bother to help us.” Annabeth defended Percy as Athena stared at her daughter ‘Why was she defending that sea spawn?’

I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn’t get in trouble. Boy, was I wrong. 

“When are you not?” Rachel scoffed.

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

Laughing along with the rest of the hall Will asked. “What were you aiming for?”

Percy shrugged. “I wasn’t.”

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

Another round of Laughter.

“Uncle P your son is the best.” Said, Hermes. While the Hermes brothers said.

“You're helping us with pranks next time.” 

Percy simply shrugged not wanting to give them a concrete answer.

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

“No, we want to hear more.” Apollo, Hermes, Leo, and the Stoll’s said at the same time.

“I’ll tell you about it later,” Percy said hoping that they would forget about it.

This trip, I was determined to be good. All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly red-headed kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend, Grover, in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich. 

Thalia and both versions of Annabeth growled while a pale-faced Aphrodite asked.

“Peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich?”

When Annabeth nodded Aphrodite looked like she would puke at any given moment. Ares seeing the look on her face moved away while Hephaestus wordlessly held a bucket out for her which she took thankfully.

Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must’ve been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, 

“Thanks for the kind words, Percy.” Grover mock glared at Percy.

“Anytime G-man.” He replied.

“I wonder how Percy will describe the rest of us.” Asked Frank his innocent question causing everyone to pause and think. Even Percy tried to remember what he had thought of everyone when he had first met them.

“Well, obviously I will have the best description,” Leo said suddenly.

“Dream on Repair Boy if anyone is going to have the best description it’s going to be Annabeth.” Said Piper as everyone around her nodded in agreement even Percy who remembered thinking she was a princess at first sight.

but don’t let that fool you. You should’ve seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria. 

“Grover.” Annabeth groaned.

Said satyr held up his hands sheepishly.

“It’s enchiladas.” He replied as if that was the answer to everything.

Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, 

Thalia and both the Annabeth's growled.

and she knew I couldn’t do anything back to her because I was already on probation.

“What did you do this time?” Annabeth asked Percy.

Percy held his hands up in defense. “I didn’t do anything.”

The headmaster had threatened me with death-by-in-school-suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip. 

‘I’m going to kill her,’ I mumbled. 

“DO IT,” Ares Yelled.

Grover tried to calm me down. ‘It’s okay. I like peanut butter.’ 

“In your hair?” Thalia asked.

Grover threw his hands up. “I was trying to stop him from getting into trouble.”

He dodged another piece of Nancy’s lunch. 

‘That’s it.’ I started to get up,

“Yes,”  Ares thought.

 but Grover pulled me back to my seat. 

“No”  He groaned.

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

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

“Would you really hit a girl?” Artemis asked while Zoe scoffed greatest hero of all time or not he was still a male and they were all the same.

“No I would have frightened her a bit but I would never intentionally harm her or anyone else no matter how awful they may be.” Percy answered shocking both the goddess and the huntress.

Mr Brunner led the museum tour. He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues 

and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery. It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years. 

“More than that.” Chorused the gods.

He gathered us around a four-metre-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a  stele,  for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting,

“You were listening?” Nico asked in shock.

“Contrary to popular belief I do like to learn.”

but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs Dodds, would give me the evil eye. 

Athena raised an eyebrow at the teacher’s behavior even a sea spawn should be allowed to gain an education.

Mrs Dodds was this little maths teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. 

Ares face lit up.

“No don’t even think about it.” Apollo said.

Ares just stared at him. “Think about what? How do you even know what I was thinking about?”

“You had that look in your eyes that you get before you do something stupid and end up in the infirmary.” He started.

“And then come into my workshop begging me to fix your bike.” Hephaestus finished.

She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last maths teacher had a nervous breakdown. 

Thalia opened her mouth to say something but Percy cut her off. “Before you say anything no it wasn’t because of me.”

From her first day, Mrs Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. 

“No that’s Nico,” Thalia said.

“Hey.” Said Boy retorted.

She would point her crooked finger at me and say, ‘Now, honey,’ real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after- school detention for a month.

Nico paled ‘That couldn’t be, could it? His father didn’t actually send her after Percy did he?’ He caught Percy’s eyes who gave a silent nod confirming what he had been thinking.  Annabeth who had met her a few times came to the same conclusion she took Percy’s hand in hers and squeezed it. Reminding herself that he was with her and he was safe. He squeezed her hand back.

One time, after she’d made me erase answers out of old maths workbooks until midnight,

“That’s harsh man.” Said Chris. 

I told Grover I didn’t think Mrs Dodds was human. He looked at me real serious and said, ‘You’re absolutely right.’ 

“Grover!” Everyone groaned at the same time. Grover smiled sheepishly.

“I was hoping he would take it as a joke.”

Mr Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art. Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the  stele,  and I turned around and said, ‘Will you  shut up ?’ 

It came out louder than I meant it to. 

“It always does.” Annabeth snorted and continued.

The whole group laughed. Mr Brunner stopped his story. 

‘Mr Jackson,’ he said, ‘did you have a comment?’ 

My face was totally red. I said, ‘No, sir.’ 

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

“Ten drachmas saying he doesn’t know what it is.” Said Thalia to Rachel.

“No way I don’t to lose my money.” She replied.

Annabeth who had heard the two turned to them.

“I bet Fifty drachmas that he knows it and I can also swear on the River Styx that I haven’t read ahead.” There was a clap of thunder confirming that she was telling the truth.

“Deal.” Said the other two said at the same time.

I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it.

“Yes. Pay up losers,” Annabeth gloated holding her hand out toward the two. Who grumbled and paid-up reluctantly. Percy just watched his girlfriend's antics in amusement.

‘That’s Kronos eating his kids, right?’ 

The children of Rhea and Kronos groaned. 

“Of course it had to be that one,” Demeter grumbled.

‘Yes,’ Mr Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. ‘And he did this because…’ 

‘Well…’ I racked my brain to remember. ‘Kronos was the king god, and –’ 

“God?” Zeus thundered. Annabeth not wanting her boyfriend to be fried read ahead quickly.

‘God?’ Mr Brunner asked. 

‘Titan,’ I corrected myself.

“Better.” He grumbled. While Poseidon leaned towards Hades and muttered ‘Drama Queen’ under his breath sending them both a round of silent snickers.

 ‘And… he didn’t trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters –’ 

‘Eeew!’ said one of the girls behind me. 

“Eeew is putting it mildly.” Hera sneered.

‘– and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans,’ I continued, ‘and the gods won.’ 

“Did you just sum up one of the biggest wars in history in just a few sentences?” Asked Athena shocked. Percy shrugged as Annabeth said.

“That’s Seaweed Brain for you.”

Some snickers from the group. 

“Why are they laughing? You were right.” Hestia asked.

Piper shrugged. “Mortals are weird like that.”

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

“Well, it could be if you are trying to get a job at a museum.” Hermes pointed out.

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

“Busted,” Said the Stolls. Annabeth laughed as everyone stared at her.  Percy was mesmerized at the sight of her laughing. When they had escaped that place he wasn't sure if they would be the same as before. But now seeing her laughing a genuine laugh gave him hope. 

Annabeth obvious to his inner monologue and feeling everyone’s eyes on her she quickly read the next line.

‘Busted,’ Grover muttered. 

“Nooo, we think like a goat.” Shouted the Stoll brothers as everyone else laughed.

Annabeth hugged Grover while glaring at them. “And what exactly is wrong with being a goat?”

The two wisely chose not to argue with the young daughter of Athena shaking their heads and assuring her that nothing was wrong with it.

‘Shut up,’ Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair. At least Nancy got in trouble, too. Mr Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears. 

“Nope, he has horse ears,” Percy muttered into  Annabeth’s Shoulder low enough for only her to hear. She shifted so that one of her hands was holding the book and ran the other in his hair before continuing. Meanwhile Athena seethed in the background.

I thought about his question, and shrugged. ‘I don’t know, sir.’ 

“Your usual answer then.” Thalia quipped. Percy who was comfortable at his girlfriend's side chose not to reply.

‘I see.’ Mr Brunner looked disappointed. ‘Well, half credit, Mr Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan’s stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus,

Annabeth’s breath caught at the word as Percy and Nico flinched. Percy brought his hand up and gripped the hand she was running through his hair and squeezed it. He tried to convince both her and himself that the two of them were together and that they had made it out of there. She squeezed it back before continuing.

the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it’s time for lunch. Mrs Dodds, would you lead us back outside?’ 

“How is that a happy note?” Asked Demeter but nobody answered.

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

“So they were acting like they always do.” Said Zoe. All the boys argued with her while Percy nodded. Jason turned to him.

“Percy bro you do know that you’re a boy as well?”

“I know but it’s true.” He replied once again shocking Artemis and her Lieutenant.

The two had never known a boy who would willingly accept his shortcomings.

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

“Ooh someone’s in trouble.” Said Leo.

I knew that was coming. I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned towards Mr Brunner. ‘Sir?’ 

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

Athena raised her eyebrow he was quite perspective for a Sea spawn she would give him that.

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

‘About the Titans?’ 

‘About real life. And how your studies apply to it.’ 

‘Oh.’ 

“Yeah, Percy Oh.” Teased Nico.

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

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

“He only wants what’s the best for you Perce.” Said Annabeth.

“I know that now.” He mumbled in reply.

I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman amour and shouted: ‘What ho!’ and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshiped. 

“I don’t think that even I could name them all.” Said Jason.

“I think the only person who can is our Annabeth.” Said Thalia.

But Mr Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life. 

Athena stared at him her mouth hung open he never made more than a C- in his life and still her daughter liked him. Her daughter definitely deserved someone better than him.

No – he didn’t expect me to be  as good ; he expected me to be  better.  And I just couldn’t learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly. 

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

“He probably had been,” Annabeth mumbled.

He told me to go outside and eat my lunch. The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue. Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I’d ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We’d had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn’t have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in. Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. 

“Wait. What’s going on? Why are Lord Nept- I mean Lord Poseidon and Dad fighting?” Jason asked suddenly. The other demigods who weren’t at camp at the time or didn’t know about the situation also wanted to know what was going on.

Annabeth turned to her a confused look on her face.

“You guys didn’t know.”

“Know what?” This time it was Reyna who asked. Annabeth opened her mouth to reply but Percy cut her off.

“Wait don’t tell them. Let them figure it out themselves like I did.” She thought for a moment before nodding with a smirk causing everyone to groan before continuing.

Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady’s bag, and, of course, Mrs Dodds wasn’t seeing a thing. 

“Is she one of yours?” Asked Apollo.

“It said trying. If she was one of mine she would have already done it.” Hermes replied pointing towards Travis and Connor who were holding Thalia's Bracelet, Piper's Dagger, Leo's Belt, Annabeth's Hat and Percy's Pen in their hands.

"How?" Thalis asked.

"Thalia dear you should this already-"

"-A magician never reveals their secret." Said the brothers. Katie hit them both in the back of their heads.

"You two had your fun now give everyone back their stuff."

The two reluctantly gave everything back.

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

“Percy your not a loser neither of you are,” Annabeth said while glaring at the two versions of Percy trying to drill into them that they were loved.  Percy  nodded while Percy looked down embarrassed not knowing how to reply.

‘Detention?’ Grover asked. 

‘Nah,’ I said. ‘Not from Brunner. I just wish he’d lay off me sometimes. I mean – I’m not a genius.’ 

Thalia thought about making a joke but stopped at the look that Annabeth sent her way.

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

Everyone laughed while Grover flushed.

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

Annabeth stared at him. “Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?”

“You should have seen him during the time you were gone. He wouldn’t eat anything Thalia had to practically force him to eat.” Nico said.

“Percy!” Annabeth chastened.

“You weren’t there.” He replied.

“Like you have room to talk. Do I have to remind you how you spent the last few months without Percy?” Said Piper.

“Wise Girl.”

“You weren’t there.” She threw his words back towards him.

“Touché.”

I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom’s apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn’t seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She’d hug me and be glad to see me,

“Mama’s boy.” Ares teased.

“I am and I’m proud of it.” Percy replied.

but she’d be disappointed, too. She’d send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn’t be able to stand that sad look she’d give me. 

Piper whistled. "Man even I haven't been kicked out f that many school."

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

Leo took out a notepad from his belt and started taking notes. On the other side of the room Beckendorf was doing the same.

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

“I’m gonna kill her.” Growled Thalia.

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

This time Aphrodite did puke into the bucket that Hephaestus had handed her earlier.

“Noo dude-” 

“-you ruined Cheetos for us.” Conner and Travis moaned as they fell against Katie who shook her head at their antics.

I tried to stay cool. The school counsellor had told me a million times, ‘Count to ten, get control of your temper.’ 

“Yeah, that never works,” Will said while shaking his head.

But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears. I don’t remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, ‘Percy pushed me!’ 

Mrs Dodds materialized next to us. 

“She’s a monster.” Said Reyna simply.

Some of the kids were whispering: 

‘Did you see –’ 

‘– the water –’

‘– like it grabbed her –’ 

I didn’t know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again. As soon as Mrs Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I’d done something she’d been waiting for all semester.

“You did you just proved to her that you’re a demigod,” Annabeth explained to Percy kindly.

‘Now, honey –’ 

‘I know,’ I grumbled. ‘A month erasing textbooks.’ 

“No, you never guess your punishment it only makes it worse.” Hermes groaned.

That wasn’t the right thing to say. 

“No shit Sherlock.” Said Clarisse.

‘Come with me,’ Mrs Dodds said. 

‘Wait!’ Grover yelped. ‘It was me.  I  pushed her.’ 

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

“That’s very brave of you.” Hestia smiled towards Grover warmly who blushed and nodded furiously.

She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled. 

‘I don’t think so, Mr Underwood,’ she said. 

‘But –’ 

‘You –  will – stay – here.’ 

Grover looked at me desperately. 

‘It’s okay, man,’ I told him. ‘Thanks for trying.’ 

‘Honey,’ Mrs Dodds barked at me. ‘ Now. ’ 

Nancy Bobofit smirked. I gave her my deluxe I’ll-kill-you-later stare. 

Everyone who had been on the receiving end of the said stare shivered. The gods looked at them curiously.

“Is it really that bad?” Asked Apollo.

“Back then not so much now… you don’t wanna know,” Thalia said shivering.

“Don’t be cowards it can’t be that bad.” Ares huffed. Percy smiled at him before turning his worst glare on him. The War god held his gaze for half a second before he flinched and looked away causing  Percy to smirk.

I then turned to face Mrs Dodds, but she wasn’t there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on. 

How’d she get there so fast? 

“The Mist.” Said Hazel.

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

“I don’t think that’s the case.” Said Katie.

I wasn’t so sure. 

I went after Mrs Dodds. 

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

“Why was he not paying attention?” Asked Frank.

“Oh, he was he just didn’t want Mrs Dodds getting suspicious,” Percy replied.

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

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

“If only it was that easy.” Percy sighed.

But apparently that wasn’t the plan. 

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

Except for us, the gallery was empty. 

“That’s bad dude,” Jason said.

Mrs Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling. Even without the noise, I would’ve been nervous. It’s weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it… 

“That’s really bad you need to get out of there right now,” Piper said worryingly. The others nodded their heads in agreement.

“Guys you do know that I’m right here.” They ignored him.

‘You’ve been giving us problems, honey,’ she said. 

I did the safe thing.

Thalia gasped. “He’s doing the safe thing.”

I said, ‘Yes, ma’am.’

“And he’s using manners. What has the world come to?” She said dramatically and draped herself over Reyna who was sitting beside her. Meanwhile, Percy rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her.

She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. 

‘Did you really think you would get away with it?’ 

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

“Only she isn’t a teacher and she is going to kill you.” Said Silena.

I said, ‘I’ll – I’ll try harder, ma’am.’ 

Thunder shook the building. 

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

I didn’t know what she was talking about. 

“Neither do we,” Hazel muttered.

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

The tense air broke as everyone laughed.

“How much did you make out of it?” Asked Hermes once the laughter had died down.

“I made different amounts every week. Half the profit I would save to help my mom and the other half I would give to the kids who didn’t have lunch money.” Percy replied. 

Hestia smiled at the kind nature of the demigod.

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

Thalia stared at Annabeth for a few moments before asking.

“You’re not going to yell at him for not reading the book?”

“Oh, I already did that when I first found out, and then I gave him the Greek translation to read.” She replied.

‘Well?’ she demanded. 

‘Ma’am, I don’t…’ 

‘Your time is up,’ she hissed. 

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

“FURY, YOU SEND A FURY AFTER MY TWELVE-YEAR-OLD SON.” Poseidon yelled.

“I had my reasons brother,” Hades replied calmly.

“Enlighten me what were those reasons?” He asked.

“I won't tell you. And even if I did you wouldn't believe me.” Poseidon got up from his seat ready to run his trident through his brother. When suddenly.

“Dad stop,” Percy yelled sitting up. “I’m fine. I’m right here.”

“But-”

“I know but as Uncle Hades said he had a valid reason we will find about it later. For now, let's continue reading.” Poseidon grunted but sat down and  Annabeth continued reading.

Then things got even stranger. 

“How do they get even more strange?” Asked Leo.

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

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

“What’s he gonna do with a pen write ‘Please don’t kill me.’?” Asked Clarisse mockingly.

Percy gave a smirk that said wait and watch.

Mrs Dodds lunged at me. 

With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn’t a pen any more. It was a sword – Mr Brunner’s bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day. 

“Oh!” She said smartly.

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

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

‘Wimp.’ Ares thought but didn’t voice his opinion out loud it certainly wasn’t because of the glare that the Jackson kid had given him nope not at all.

She snarled, ‘Die, honey!’ 

And she flew straight at me. 

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

“That’s a natural reaction?” Asked Frank.

“Yep,” Percy replied nonchalantly. He had once again placed his head against  Annabeth's shoulder who had resumed running her hand through his hair.

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

Hisss! 

Everyone in the throne room sat in shock as they stared at the two versions of the son of Poseidon when the silence became too overwhelming Percy finally snapped.

“What?”

Luke who hadn't said anything since the start of the reading spoke.

“You just fought a Kindly One -one of Hades torturers- without any kind of former training and killed it with one hit.”

“So?” He replied confused. “Any one of you could have done it.”

“That's not something that anyone can do. It doesn't happen everyday you should be proud of yourself.”

“It’s not a big deal.” He shouted exasperated. While the gods looked on in confusion ‘Why wouldn’t he accept the glory and the brag rights for what he did?’

“Percy just accept that what you did was a big deal and let's move on.” Annabeth said Percy grumbled ‘fine’ and let Annabeth  continue.

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

The demigods shivered as if they too could feel the eyes watching them.

I was alone. 

There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.

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

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

Artemis turned towards her twin sharply and gave him a look. Apollo who had been thinking about making magic mushrooms with Hermes just gazed back at her innocently as possible.

Had I imagined the whole thing? 

“Unfortunately no.” Said Reyna.

I went back outside. 

It had started to rain. 

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

“Who?” Leo asked.

I said, ‘Who?’ 

‘Our  teacher.  Duh!’ 

I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about. She just rolled her eyes and turned away. 

“It’s the Mist. It made it so that Mrs. Dodds never existed.” Hazel said.

I asked Grover where Mrs Dodds was. 

He said, ‘Who?’ 

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

“Grover.” Thalia groaned. “You are a very bad liar.” Said Satyr blushed and rubbed his head sheepishly.

‘Not funny, man,’ I told him. ‘This is serious.’ 

Thunder boomed overhead. 

I saw Mr Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he’d never moved. I went over to him. 

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

I handed it over. I hadn’t even realized I was still holding it. 

‘Sir,’ I said, ‘where’s Mrs Dodds?’ 

He stared at me blankly. ‘Who?’ 

‘The other chaperone. Mrs Dodds. The maths teacher.’ 

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

“Now that’s how you lie,” Hermes said.

“I’m finished,” Annabeth said and held up the book. “Who wants to read next?”

“I’ll do it,” Thalia said and took the book from her. Sitting back in her seat she started.

“Chapter II. Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death.”

Chapter Text

“Chapter II. Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death.”

Many eyebrows were raised at the confusing title.

I was used to the occasional weird experience,

Thalia paused her reading and said. “It’s sad that I have to agree with you.”

Then continued quickly not giving the son of Poseidon a chance to reply.

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

“Is she an illusion of the Mist or a real person?” Asked Silena.

Hazel shrugged. “It’s hard to tell only Hecate would know for sure.”

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

“So they would look at you like they would usually do.” Rachel teased as Percy stuck his tongue out at her.

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

Almost. 

Everyone groaned as Annabeth said more than asked. “It was Grover wasn’t it.”

Grover threw his hands in the air exasperated. “How do you know it was me it could have been someone else.” 

“Because you, my dear G-man can’t lie to save your life,” Percy replied.

“No, he can only do it to get out of marriage,” Annabeth said as both she and Percy laughed remembering their time on Polyphemus's Island. Everyone around them looked at them in confusion. When it became clear that the two weren’t going to say anything Thalia continued.

Meanwhile, Annabeth looked at her future self deep in thought. She never allowed anyone to get close to her knowing that if she let them in they would leave her behind like everyone else in the end. Like her mother had abandoned her at her father’s doorsteps, like her father had chosen his perfect mortal family over her, like Thalia who was like an older sister to her had died and turned into a tree leaving her behind and even though she would return in the future she would choose the Hunters of Artemis over her, and finally, like Luke who no matter what she tried to tell herself was becoming increasingly distant every day and had stopped talking to her. 

She had promised herself that she wouldn’t let anyone else in. But now seeing her future self so comfortable while surrounded by her friends and gazing at Percy lovingly she thought that maybe just maybe she found something permanent. Maybe she thought as she looked towards her Percy it was time to let someone in.

But Grover couldn’t fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn’t exist. But I knew he was lying. Something was going on. Something  had  happened at the museum. 

“You didn’t hurt yourself while coming to that conclusion did you?” Piper asked mock innocently as Percy scowled at her.

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

Annabeth stopped running her hand through Percy’s hair and grabbed the hand that was laying between them and squeezed it as she laid her head on his. 

The freak weather continued, which didn’t help my mood.

Poseidon raised an eyebrow at how much his son was attuned with his powers. They shot even higher when he saw his son from the future and Athena’s daughter cuddling on the couch but didn’t say anything.

One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year. 

“What are they fighting about?” Reyna muttered but no one answered her.

I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. 

Athena paled and turned towards both Percy’s to give them a stern talking to but stopped at the look that Annabeth shot her way. And no it was not scary.

I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class. Finally, when our English teacher, Mr Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests,

“Didn’t he know you are dyslexic?” Annabeth asked Percy who at first looked shocked that she was talking to him but quickly got over it and shrugged.

“He knew he just didn’t care.”

 I snapped. I called him an old sot. 

Thalia paused at the sound of both Annabeth’s laughing uncontrollably even Athena was trying to hide an amused smile.

“I-It means... It means old drunk.” Annabeth explained causing everyone to laugh.

“So Mr. D then.” Said Travis as said god glared at him from the top of his magazine.

“I would appreciate it if you would shut up Theodore Sean.” 

“Is he actually listening?” Chris asked Beckendorf who was looking just as confused as he was.

I wasn’t even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.

“Only you Seaweed Brain only you,” Annabeth said while shaking her head fondly while kissing Percy on his cheek.

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

Fine, I told myself. Just fine. 

I was homesick. 

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

“I didn’t know Paul had stupid poker buddies or that he played poker,” Nico asked as Percy got a dark look in his eyes.

“No, this is before Paul.” He said but didn’t elaborate his grip on Annabeth’s hand tightening. Percy sat forward with a small hopeful fire burning in his eyes. ‘Would he and his mom finally be free of Smelly Gabe in the future?’ At thought of his mother, the fire in his eyes dimmed and he slumped in his seat he had forgotten that his mom wasn’t with him anymore.

Annabeth sensing the sudden shift in his behavior regarded him questionably he weakly smiled at her trying to convince her that he was fine. She didn’t seem to buy it but didn’t push him to tell her either only giving his hand a quick squeeze letting him know she would be there if he needed someone to talk to before snatching her hand just as quickly not wanting to be caught. She wasn’t looking at him but Percy saw the light pink dusting on her cheeks that he was sure matched his. He looked away hoping no one had noticed.

Unfortunately for him, Silena had seen the encounter and was trying to keep in her excitement she turned towards her mother who winked at her.

And yet… there were things I’d miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. 

“Aww.” Thalia cooed. “I never knew you liked me Kelp head.” Everyone who didn’t know about her past as a tree looked at her as if she was crazy.

“Dream on Bark Face,” Percy replied.

I’d miss Grover, who’d been a good friend, 

“I’d miss you too Percy.”

even if he was a little strange. 

“Hey!” Grover exclaimed while turning towards Percy who held his hands up sheepishly.

“He’s not wrong.” Said Annabeth.

“Not you too.” He whined as Percy and Annabeth giggled.

I worried how he’d survive next year without me. I’d miss Latin class, too – Mr Brunner’s crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well. As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for.

I hadn’t forgotten what Mr Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d started to believe him. 

“Good for you.” Will murmured.

The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the  Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology  across my dorm room. 

“Percy.” “Seaweed Brain.” Both daughters of Athena shouted at the same time glaring at them- one playfully while the other not so much -as the two equally scared Percy’s held up their hands defensively and apologized. Everyone besides Athena and a few others looked at the four in amusement it looks like somethings wouldn’t change.

Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces.

“You know the difference now don’t you?” Annabeth asked teasingly.

“Yep meeting them helped,” Percy replied as Poseidon tensed up fearing for his son's safety.

And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it. I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.  

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

Athena raised an eyebrow here he was once again being perspective maybe she would have to keep an eye out for the sea spawn after all. If only for the sake of judging if he was worthy of her daughter or not.

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

Annabeth nodded approvingly as Percy rolled his eyes.

I’d never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr Brunner, he could give me some pointers. 

Annabeth smiled at her boyfriend she knew it was hard for both of them to ask for help (Unlike her it wasn’t because of his pride no it was because he didn’t want to be an inconvenience to others. He was kind like that always putting others before himself.) so seeing him reach out to someone for help even if it was only for some help in Latin made her proud. She kissed his cheek before snuggling into his side.

At least I could apologize for the big fat ‘F’ I was about to score on his exam. I didn’t want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn’t tried. 

I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr Brunner’s door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor. I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office.

Mr Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover’s said, ‘… worried about Percy, sir.’ 

‘Ugh, so that’s when you came.” Grover groaned. Percy shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

I froze.

I’m not usually an eavesdropper,

Nico snorted. “Wanna bet?”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping at that time I was following you to make sure you were okay.”

“Sure keep telling yourself that.”

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

“Yeah, we would’ve done the same thing.” Said the Stolls as Katie shook her head.

“You would have done it regardless if it was your best friend or not.”

“True.”

I inched closer. 

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

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

Thalia paused her reading and gazed at Percy. “Nope still hasn’t happened.” Percy Stuck his tongue at her.

“See you're just proving my point.” Percy went to reply but stopped when Annabeth put her hand on his mouth.

“Thalia read.” Thalia didn’t appear to want to do that but stopped when Annabeth shot her a look and read on.

Percy licked her hand causing her to pull it away with a shriek. She glared at him to which he replied with his usual troublemaker grin. She rolled her eyes with a huff.

‘But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline –’ 

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

‘Sir, he  saw  her…’ 

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

“Unfortunately for you guys they didn’t.”

‘Sir, I… I can’t fail in my duties again.’ 

Surprisingly it was Luke that spoke. “Grover it wasn’t your fault.” It was mine he thought.

“For once I agree with him Grover you did nothing wrong in the end it was my choice,” Thalia said but Grover didn’t believe her she was just saying that to make him feel better but he also knew better than to argue with Thalia and not one but two Annabeth’s so he simply nodded.

Grover’s voice was choked with emotion. ‘You know what that would mean.’ 

‘You haven’t failed, Grover,’ Mr. Brunner said kindly. ‘I should have seen her for what she was. Now let’s just worry about keeping Percy alive until next autumn –’ 

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

“Nooo.” Hermes moaned. “You broke rule number 3: Never give away your position.” Leo and his sons accept Luke nodded as everyone looked at them as if they were crazy. 

Mr. Brunner went silent. 

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

“Yes, yes better,” Hermes said leaning at the edge of his throne.

“Hermes you know you're talking to a book right?” Apollo asked.

“Yes, and?” 

“Never mind.”

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

“That’s Chiron isn’t it.” Said Katie.

“Yep.” 

“Wait really. I thought he was the camps activities director what was he doing there?” Asked Jason.

“You’ll find out soon,” Percy replied causing him to groan.

I opened the nearest door and slipped inside. 

“Yes, perhaps there is still some hope left for you,” Hermes muttered everyone simply ignored him and his crazy ways.

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

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

“So something happened during the winter solstice. But what?” Frank asked but nobody replied.

‘Mine neither,’ Grover said. ‘But I could have sworn…’ 

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

‘Don’t remind me.’ 

The lights went out in Mr Brunner’s office. 

I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever. 

"Yes, yes patience is key."

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

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

“So the Satyr can act but he cannot lie?” Asked Apollo.

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

I didn’t answer. 

‘You look awful.’ He frowned. ‘Is everything okay?’ 

‘Just… tired.’ 

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

“That won't work Perry Satyr’s can read emotions.” Said, Dionysus.

“He’s doing it again. The world must be coming to an end.” Chris exclaimed.

“I can hear you, Christopher.”

I didn’t understand what I’d heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I’d imagined the whole thing. But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger. 

“That’s because you are.”

The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, 

“WHAT!” All the demigods started shouting over each other.

“HOW ARE YOU ALIVE RIGHT NOW?”

“MY RESPECT FOR YOU JUST INCREASED TEN TIMES.”

“Man I wouldn’t wanna be you.” Once everyone had calmed downed Thalia continued.

my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I’d misspelled, Mr Brunner called me back inside. For a moment, I was worried he’d found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn’t seem to be the problem. 

‘Percy,’ he said. ‘Don’t be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It’s… it’s for the best.’ 

The gods all groaned. “Please tell me Chiron has gotten better at giving pep talks.”

All the demigods shook their heads.

“He means well but it often doesn’t come across that way,” Will said sadly.

His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. 

Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips. 

“I would just like to point out that Nancy has a crush on Percy.” Piper said.

“Mine,” Annabeth muttered low enough for only Percy to hear as she tightened her grip on him causing him to blush.

Oblivious to the two Leo asked. “How so?”

“Well we heard in the last chapter how she was bullying Grover and people with crushes often try to get their crush’s attention. What better way to do that than to bully his or her best friend.” Piper explained this time people did notice the way Annabeth tightened her grip on Percy especially Aphrodite who shrieked with happiness.

“Man I sometimes forget that you’re a daughter of Aphrodite Beauty Queen.”

“Shut up Valdez.” She said not noticing that she had used Charmspeak.

“Yes ma’am.”

I mumbled, ‘Okay, sir.’ 

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

My eyes stung. 

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

‘Right,’ I said, trembling. 

‘No, no,’ Mr Brunner said. ‘Oh, confound it all. What I’m trying to say… you’re not normal, Percy. That’s nothing to be –’ 

‘Thanks,’ I blurted. ‘Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me.’ 

‘Percy –’ 

But I was already gone. 

Everyone winced. “Yeah, he still hasn’t improved.”

On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase. The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were  rich  juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies. 

“You better watch what you say, boy.” Zeus glared at him. Poseidon ignored his brother and said.

“You are not a nobody Percy you know that right.”

Percy shrugged while Percy simply pointed at Annabeth. “I know that’s Annabeth.”

“My daughter is not a nobody.”

“Sometimes it’s good to be Nobody,” Annabeth said as she gazed into Percy's eyes trying to keep a straight face for as long as she could- which wasn’t very long. -before both of them dissolved in laughter. Everyone had already given up on try to get something out of the two of them so they simply asked Thalia to read on.

They asked me what I’d be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city. What I didn’t tell them was that I’d have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I’d go to school in the autumn. 

‘Oh,’ one of the guys said. ‘That’s cool.’ 

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

“That’s very rude of them.” Hestia frowned.

“What can you say rich kids are rude,” Percy said with a shrug.

“HEY!” Rachel and Piper protested.

“Barring a few.” He amended.

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

“Stalker, stalker, stalker.” Leo chanted as Chris, Will, and the Stolls joined in.

“I am not a stalker.” Grove protested.

“Then why were you following him on the bus?” Asked Chris.

“I was trying to protect him.”

“That sound sus don’t you think Conner.”

“I think you’re right Travis.”

“I am not a stalker.”

“He’s a stalker on hooves.” Leo stage whispered. Grover threw his hands up in frustration as everyone laughed.

During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he’d always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I’d always assumed he was worried about getting teased. 

But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound. 

Finally I couldn’t stand it any more. 

I said, ‘Looking for Kindly Ones?’ 

“Were you trying to give him a heart attack?” Jason asked.

“He almost did give me one.”

Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. ‘Wha – what do you mean?’ 

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

“Noo now you broke Rule Number 6: Never confess your crime.” Hermes cried.

Grover’s eye twitched. ‘How much did you hear?’ 

‘Oh… not much. What’s the summer-solstice deadline?’ 

“That’s what we're trying to figure out. Just tell us already.” Hazel yelled in frustration as everyone looked at her in shock.

He winced. ‘Look, Percy… I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon maths teachers…’ 

‘Grover –’ 

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

‘Grover, you’re a really, really bad liar.’ 

“That’s an understatement.” 

His ears turned pink. From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. ‘Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.’ 

The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes,

“Dionysus Why are the cards like that?” Hestia asked.

“Because I like to watch the brats struggle to read them.” He replied which was the wrong thing to say if the look in Hestia’s eyes was anything to go by.

“Once this over you will change them immediately.” She ordered.

“Yes, Aunt Hestia.” He mumbled because everyone knew you did not want to be on Hestia’s bad side.

but I finally made out something like: 

Grover Underwood, Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800)009-0009

‘What’s Half –’ 

‘Don’t say it aloud!’ he yelped. ‘That’s my, um… summer address.’ 

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

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

He nodded. ‘Or… or if you need me.’ 

‘Why would I need you?’ 

“Percy,” Annabeth said as she hit on the head. “Why would you say that?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean it,” Percy replied.

It came out harsher than I meant it too. 

“See.” He pointed out as Annabeth calmed down.

Grover blushed right down to his Adam’s apple. ‘Look, Percy, the truth is, I – I kind of have to protect you.’ 

I stared at him. 

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

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

Leo got out a small notebook from his tool belt and dramatically opened it.

“I have the list categorized both Monster name and Monster danger level which one would like?” He asked in mock seriousness. Piper and Hazel both hit him one of his shoulders as Poseidon paled.

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

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we’d all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else. We were on a stretch of country road – no place you’d notice if you didn’t break down there.

“That cannot be a coincidence.” Reyna pointed out.

On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand. The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood-red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. 

There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I’d ever seen. 

Everyone in the throne room froze no one dared to move. Until

“PERSEUS.ACHILLES.JACKSON.” Annabeth hit him on the arm with every word. “Why didn’t you tell me you saw the Fates.”

“I’m sorry Wise Girl I wanted to tell you I really did but everyone was already tense due to the war and the Great Prophecy that I didn’t want to make it worse by talking about the Fates. And after that, there wasn’t any time to recover from the war and tell you before everything else happened.”

“But it’s fine now, I’m here and I’m not planning on leaving anytime soon,” Percy said and pulled her into a hug.

“You promise?” Her voice was unsure and low enough for only him to hear. They both knew it wasn’t a promise he would be able to keep not if the gods kept interfering with their lives but he would do everything in his power to keep it.

“I Promise.” He whispered before pulling her onto his lap and stroking her hair. He looked towards Thalia and gestured for her to continue.

I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn. All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses. 

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

“Please get out of there,” Poseidon muttered.

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

‘Grover?’ I said. ‘Hey, man –’ 

‘Tell me they’re not looking at you. They are. Aren’t they?’ 

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

No one laughed as they sat there the atmosphere tense.

‘Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all.’ 

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors – gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath. 

‘We’re getting on the bus,’ he told me. ‘Come on.’ 

‘What?’ I said. ‘It’s a thousand degrees in there.’ 

“Stop being so stubborn and get inside Kelp Head.” Thalia snapped.

‘Come on!’ He prised open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back. 

“Idiot,” Nico muttered but the worry was apparent in his voice.

Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that  snip  across four lanes of traffic. 

Annabeth whimpered tightening her grip around Percy afraid that if she let go he would disappear. Everyone was looking at him with pity in their eyes. Annabeth was gripping Percy’s hand so tightly he feared that it might fall off.

“It’s fine, I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere,” Percy murmured trying to reassure her. Annabeth pulled back suddenly and he was surprised to see the tears in her eyes.

“No, it’s not, Percy don’t you get it they cut the string. They cut your string.”

“No, they didn’t.” He argued.

“Didn’t you hear what Thalia said? They cut your string.”

“No that string wasn’t mine.”

“What?” She asked in disbelief.

“That string wasn’t mine they showed me the string of the person whose fate was linked closely to mine,” Percy explained. Annabeth relaxed greatly at those words but she had a questioning look in her eyes. She was silently asking him whose string it was and he let his gaze travel to Luke for a just second but it was long enough for her to figure out who he meant. She nodded and settled into him again.

Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for – Sasquatch or Godzilla. 

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life. 

The passengers cheered. 

‘Darn right!’ yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. ‘Everybody back on board!’ 

Once we got going. I started feeling feverish, as if I’d caught the flu. 

“That would be natural seeing as you just met the Fates.”

Grover didn’t look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering. 

‘Grover?’ 

‘Yeah?’ 

‘What are you not telling me?’ 

“Many things.”

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. ‘Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?’ 

‘You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They’re not like… Mrs Dodds, are they?’ 

His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs Dodds.

“Oh, they are definitely worse then Alecto little nephew.” Muttered Hades.

He said, ‘Just tell me what you saw.’ 

‘The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn.’

He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might’ve been crossing himself, but it wasn’t. It was something else, something almost – older. 

And here he is once again knowing things he shouldn’t Athena thought.

He said, ‘You saw her snip the cord.’ 

‘Yeah. So?’ But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal. 

‘This is not happening,’ Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. ‘I don’t want this to be like the last time.’ 

“Grover you’re going to scare him.” 

“Too late.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?”

“You’ll see.”

‘What last time?’ 

‘Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth.’ 

‘Grover,’ I said, because he was really starting to scare me. ‘What are you talking about?’ 

‘Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me.’ 

This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could. 

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re not going to keep that promise?” Annabeth asked

“Because he didn’t,” Grover answered.

“Sorry, G-man.” Percy smiled ashamedly.

“It’s fine Perce.”

‘Is this like a superstition or something?’ I asked. 

No answer. 

‘Grover – that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?’ 

He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I’d like best on my Coffin.

“Which flowers did you pick?” Nico asked seriously.

“Daffodils, Lillie's, and Blue Iris,” Grover replied just as seriously.

“Hope for the rebirth of the innocent. Nice choice.” When he saw that the others were looking at him he asked.

“What?”

“Nothing it’s just that we didn’t take you for a guy who knows what different flowers mean,” Reyna said. He shrugged.

“When you have the goddess of springtime as your stepmother you are bound to pick up a few things.”

“Okayyy anyways I’m done who wants to read next,” Thalia said holding up the book.

“I’ll do it,” Reyna said as she took the book from Thalia’s hand. Their fingers brushed causing them to blush lightly.

“III Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Trousers”

Chapter Text

“Chapter III: Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Trousers”

Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal. 

“Percy!” Annabeth exclaimed.

“I’m sorry but he was being weird.” He said defensively.

I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering, 

‘Why does this always happen?’ and, ‘Why does it always have to be sixth grade?’ 

“Okay you’re right. I would have left him as well,” Annabeth said as several people nodded along with her.

“Come on guys you seriously wouldn’t do that to me. Would you?” Grover looked at everyone around him but they either didn’t make eye contact with him or shrugged their shoulders.

“Don’t worry Grover I wouldn’t leave you.” Katie tried to placate him.

“Thank you, Katie. You're my only friend from now on.” He said while playfully glaring at his ‘betrayers’.

Whenever he got upset, Grover’s bladder acted up, so I wasn’t surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom.

“Shout my secrets to the whole world why don’t you.”

“Sorry, G-Man.”

Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown. 

‘East One Hundred and Fourth and First Avenue,’ I told the driver. 

“Before you get any ideas. I would like to point out that we moved out of there.” Percy said causing the Stoll’s, Hermes, Apollo, and Chris who were plotting together to deflate before Chis suddenly sat up with a maniacal Grin on his face.

“What’s that look for?” Percy asked fearing for his life.

“Well my dear friend the future you might have moved out but you still live in the same house,” Chris replied causing his prank partners to whoop with joy.

Reyna took pity on the boy and started reading not giving them any chance to plan their pranks.

A word about my mother, before you meet her. 

“Beautiful.”

“Perfect.”

“Divine.”

“Benevolent.”

“Gracious.”

“Courageous.”

“Sincere.”

“Humble."

“A queen and the greatest mom in the world.” Percy shouted.

“Hey, no fair that’s more than one word. If I had known that was allowed I would have said that.” Thalia protested. Making the gods wonder what the mortal had done to be held in such high regard by the demigods.

“You snooze you lose.” Percy said sticking his tongue out at her.

“How do all know her?” Athena asked the question that was on every god's mind. 

“Aunt Sally’s place is a safe haven for the demigods as her apartment is located near the camp. Whenever it’s late and were outside camp we go to her place. She gives us food to eat and a place to spend the night. She also keeps Ambrosia and Nectar for emergencies.” Explained Will.

“Whenever I need to get away from the underworld I go to her place. She lets me stay in the guest room and her food is the best.” Nico said with a bright smile on his face. Will had never seen the other boy smile so widely before and he would have to admit that he liked it.

“One time the hunters were heading towards the camp but it late and we were low on supplies so I went to Aunt Sally to ask for some Ambrosia. She then proceeded to invite all of us in, cleared her living room for us to spend the night.” Thalia explained.

Artemis smiled. This woman even if she was no longer a maiden she had helped her hunters she would have to find a way to thank her. Percy looked at everyone around him carefully his mind racing his heart filling with hope. If these people from the future had met his mom then it must mean that he had succeeded in his plan of getting her back from Hades.

“And she makes the best chocolate chip cookies. Even if they are blue for some reason.” Leo sighed before going deep into his thoughts about the famous blue cookies. Everyone who had eaten her cookies nodded dreamily.

“Wait when did you eat my mom's cookies?” Percy asked suddenly confused.

“During the time of your absence Annabeth was overworking herself so Chiron asked us.” She said while gesturing towards herself, Jason and Leo. “To take her mind off things and we somehow ended up at your apartment getting to know your mom and eating her famous blue cookies.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Percy said nodding along before switching his gaze on Annabeth. “And Wise Girl what have we talked about overworking our self?”

“To not overdo it unless my boyfriend was kidnapped by a certain Bovine Queen?” She asked as she tried to appear innocent.

In the background, Hera was spluttering as Hermes and Apollo tried to hold in their laughter. Hephaestus didn’t care as he roared with laughter. By now the past demigods had decided that there was no way they could understand their future selves and had given up trying.

Percy didn’t care about anything going on around him. His gaze was firmly planted on Annabeth.

“Nice try but no. You're not supposed to overwork yourself at all.”

“I know but you weren’t there and I needed to find you.”

“I know that was my fault.” He sighed guiltily.

“And how exactly was that your fault?” She asked while crossing her arms across her chest.

“I promised I wouldn’t leave you but I did. I left you.” Like the others. He didn’t say it but she still heard it. He tore his gaze away from hers unable to look her in the eye. He felt a soft hand on his cheek gently guiding his eyes back to hers.

“Percy, listen to me it wasn’t your fault that you left. And you came back to me in the end.”

“I know but-”

“No, no buts. It wasn’t your fault so please stop blaming yourself. Okay?”

Percy reluctantly agreed. “I can’t say that I will stop completely but I can try.”

Annabeth nodded. It was all she could ask for at the moment. As Reyna continued.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she’s the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, 

“ZEUS.” half the audience gathered shouted. Said god shrugged.

“It’s not like I knew it was her parents.”

and she was raised by an uncle who didn’t care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing programme. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school in her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma. 

The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad. 

Poseidon sighed losing himself in the memories of his lover.

I don’t have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. 

“You visited him?” Zeus asked. Poseidon waved his hand. 

“Please it’s not like you don’t visit your children.” Upon receiving a blank look he asked indignantly. “You don’t?”

“Of course not it’s against the ancient laws.” When he saw that most of the council was avoiding his gaze he dropped his head in his hand and asked.

“How many of you have broken the ancient law to visit your children?” Hades, Apollo, Hephaestus, Hermes, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Poseidon raised their hands. Zeus grumbled under his breath.

“We will be talking about this disregard for the ancient rules later. For now, demigod read.” He ordered.

My mom doesn’t like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures. See, they weren’t married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back. 

Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea. 

“Not a lie but not the truth either. You should take some lessons on lying from her.” Hermes said pointing towards Grover who blushed heavily as everyone laughed.

Athena would have to give the women some credit she was smart for one of Poseidon’s lovers.

She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn’t an easy kid. 

“You can say that again Kelp Head.”

“Shut up Pinecone Face.”

“Make me Fish Face.”

“Moss Breath.”

“Aqua Man.”

“Weather Girl.”

“Fish Breath.”

“Bark Face.”

“Kelp For Brains."

Before things could escalate Annabeth slapped her hands on both Percy and Thalia’s mouths.

“Nope, we're not doing this again. Reyna please continue.” Before the Praetor could do as told Apollo cut her off.

“Wait what do you mean again what happened last time.”

“The last time this happened these two were quarreling for hours,” Will explained. “They didn’t even stop to eat drink or do anything else.”

“Percy didn’t even stop for blue cookies which in of itself is a big achievement.” Said Rachel. “The Stoll’s -our one’s- had placed a bet to see which one of them would be the first to repeat themselves and they didn’t.”

“Really? Not even once?” Hermes asked in disbelief.

“Nope.” She replied popping the ‘p’. “We had the Athena cabin keep track.”

“So who won in the end,” Travis asked eager to learn if they had won the bet or not.

“No-one,” Will replied much to their disappointment. “By dinner time Annabeth had seen enough. She said something to the both of them that shut them up quickly.”

The newly released Thalia sat down grumpily. “I still can’t believe she would say that.” While Percy grumbled in agreement.

“It’s not my fault you two wouldn’t listen to reason.” Annabeth shrugged.

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to go that far.”

“Ooh, I smell blackmail material. What have got Daughter of Athena?” Hermes asked an evil glint in his eyes.

“No Wise Girl you can’t do that you promised.” Percy pleaded with his best baby seal eyes as Thalia nodded in agreement causing her to stifle a laugh.

“Sorry Lord Hermes but I can’t tell you.” The two relaxed at her words as Hermes sat down disappointed.

Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, 

“Ugh I never met that guy but I still hate him.” Annabeth groaned.

“You and me both Wise girl.” Percy agreed.

Everyone looked at the two curiously what had the mortal done to receive the hate of the two demigods. While Percy slightly shrunk in on himself the subtle change of demeanor didn’t go unnoticed by Annabeth who squeezed his hand that she for some reason unknown to Percy still held in hers.

who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts. 

“Nope, that is not an exaggeration,” Percy replied the silent question causing Aphrodite to once again puke while Silena, Katie, and Hazel went green.

Between the two of us, we made my mom’s life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along… well, when I came home is a good example. I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television was blaring. Crisps and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet. 

“Men.” Zoe spat her face wrinkled in disgust nobody bothered to oppose her this time.

Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, ‘So, you’re home.’ 

‘Where’s my mom?’ 

‘Working,’ he said. ‘You got any cash?’ 

“Really man. No welcome back or how have you been? What a jerk.” Leo asked causing Reyna to smile in amusement.

That was it. No  Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months? 

A round of laughter ran about.

Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something. 

“It most certainly does not.” Aphrodite huffed looking offended that someone could dare look like that and call themselves handsome.

He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don’t know why he hadn’t been fired long before. He just kept on collecting pay cheques, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, 

he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our ‘guy secret’. Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out. 

Every single person in the throne room froze as the atmosphere thickened. Annabeth tightened her grip around Percy. As she took deep breaths to keep herself calm lest she’d something she would later regret. Percy shrunk in on himself wanting the ground the swallow him Annabeth’s grip on his hand tightening cause him to wince in pain. The Demigods looking at both Percy’s in shock. Thalia, Nico, and the rest of the seven -who had quickly become a close-knitted family- looked ready to commit murder. They couldn’t believe that their easygoing friend had been abused. Poseidon was buzzing with rage but he knew better than to shout at his sons. So taking a deep calming breath he asked.

“Percy did he- has he ever…” He trailed off as it turns out so many years away from human society doesn't help with one’s social skills.

Percy didn’t want to put his past self in the spot so he took a deep breath and reluctantly nodded.

“Only once and he didn’t punch me he just... he dunked my head into a sink full of water. But it was enough for me to understand and keep my head low around him.” He gave an awkward chuckle and said trying to cut the tension. “Kind of ironic that he tried to drown a Son of Poseidon.” From the blank stares all around him, he could tell that it was too soon.

“Percy son don’t just don’t.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault so don’t apologize.” Percy nodded. “Now about-”

“Could we maybe not talk about it right now.” He cut Poseidon off.

“But-”

“Please.” He said subtly nodding towards his past self who looked ready to bolt at any given second. Poseidon followed his son’s movement and deflated.

“Fine but this conversation isn’t over.” 

“And I get to kill that piece of Shit,” Thalia said threateningly twirling her hunting knife in her hand.

“Unfortunately Sally already got rid of him,” Annabeth said disappointed she wouldn’t get to stick a knife in a few choice places for what he put both Percy and Sally through.

“Don’t worry Thalia, Annabeth we can both go pay him a visit later,” Nico said with a dark glint in his eyes.

“We’ll hold you to that Death Breath.” 

“And what about the one in our timeline,” Silena asked.

“Don’t worry Travis and Connor got it covered. You two can use plan Ω.” Katie said with an unnervingly calm voice. The air around her dropping a few degrees. The Stoll brothers looked shocked.

“How did you know about that?” Conner asked.

“I know about a lot of things.” She replied.

“That doesn’t answer- you know what never mind. We already have almost everything we just need one last thing and I am sure Leo will be able to help us.” Travis said directing the last question towards Leo who nodded.

“I’m in. Just one question though on a scale of one to ten what does this prank rank? Cause I want to make sure it causes him a great deal of pain.”

“Usually it would be a nine but with your help and a few minor changes-” Travis started.

“It can easily go to a twenty on the prank scale and thirty-five on the pain.” Connor finished.

“Wicked.” He grinned like a madman.

Everyone was a little worried by the look but didn’t try to stop the three.

‘I don’t have any cash,’ I told him. 

He raised a greasy eyebrow. Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should’ve covered up everything else.

A small thought started forming in the mind of the Wisdom goddess. But she kept her theory to herself for now. If she was correct then that would mean that this woman is something else. And she sort of intrigued her.

‘You took a taxi from the bus station,’ he said. ‘Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. 

“He can do math's?” Frank asked surprised.

“Somehow.”

Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?’ 

“Carry his own weight- he is a twelve-year-old.” Reyna cut herself angrily.

Eddie, the superintendent of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. 

‘Come on, Gabe,’ he said. ‘The kid just got here.’ 

“At least Eddie is decent,” Hazel said. 

‘Am I  right? ’ Gabe repeated. 

Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony. 

“I take it back.”

‘Fine,’ I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. ‘I hope you lose.’ 

“Don’t worry he will,” Dionysus said from behind his magazine. Everyone looked at him shocked the only ones who didn’t were, Percy and Nico. Percy smiled at the wine god thankfully.

“Are we sure it isn’t the end of the world?” Beckendorf asked Chris silently.

“It has to be there is no other explanation for his behavior.” He replied.

“I can hear you, Charles and Bruce,” Dionysus said distractedly.

“So am I Charles or is it you,” Chris asked and only got a shrug in reply.

‘Your report card came, brain boy!’ he shouted after me. ‘I wouldn’t act so snooty!’ 

I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn’t my room. During school months, it was Gabe’s ‘study’. He didn’t study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer. 

I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home. 

“Ah, sarcasm my old friend,” Leo said solemnly. Which got a few chuckles the atmosphere still a little thick.

Gabe’s smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady’s shears snipping the yarn. But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover’s look of panic – how he’d made me promise I wouldn’t go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone – something – was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons. Then I heard my mom’s voice. 

‘Percy?’ 

She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted. 

Percy felt tears trickle at the edge of his eyes he missed his mom so much. He blamed himself for what happened to her if only he had gone with Grover or did something-anything differently he would have been able to save her. And he will he would do anything it takes to get her back. Annabeth bumped his shoulder as she frowned at the sight of his tears. A silent question in her eyes asking if he was okay along with -was that worry he saw no it couldn’t be- something else. He nodded and faked a smile trying to tell convince her that he was fine. She didn’t buy it but didn’t know what else to do so she nudged his foot with hers and smiled at him. He felt a genuine smile appearing on his face as he nudged her foot back.

My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change colour in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She’s got a few Grey streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. 

Poseidon smiled at the reminder of his lover. Percy smiled a sad smile it had been half a year since he had seen his mother and he missed her so much. He promised himself that after all of this over he would defeat Gaea and go back to his mom hug her and not let go for at least a week. 

Luke furrowed his brows that woman sounded familiar to him for some reason but he couldn’t place why.

When she looks at me, it’s like she’s seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I’ve never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe. 

“She has the patience of a saint,” Percy said.

“She would have needed it to raise you.” Piper quipped causing others to laugh.

“Shut up McLean.”

‘Oh, Percy.’ She hugged me tight. ‘I can’t believe it. You’ve grown since Christmas!’ 

Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. 

“I knew she sounded familiar,” Luke said snapping his finger.

“What are you talking about Luke?” Annabeth asked.

“Remember that time when we were on the run and we tried to steal some candy from a shop but were caught by a worker who gave it to us for free anyway?” He asked.

“Yeah, but what does it have to do with this?”

“Because that worker was Aunt Sally,” Thalia answered her question.

“Really,” Annabeth said surprised.

“Yep, the first time I met Sally properly I recognized the same kind eyes immediately. I asked if she remembered me and she confessed she did and that she was the one who gave the camp an anonymous call giving them a heads up about us.” Annabeth replied to her younger self.

“Oh.”

She’d brought me a huge bag of ‘free samples’, the way she always did when I came home. We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn’t put in my letters. She didn’t mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn’t seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right? 

I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her. 

“I miss her,” Percy confessed in Annabeth’s hair.

“I know. We will get back to her I promise.” She replied squeezing his hand.

From the other room, Gabe yelled, ‘Hey, Sally – how about some bean dip, huh?’ 

“Ugh, he just had to ruin the moment,” Thalia said angrily.

I gritted my teeth. My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should’ve been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe. 

“I would be glad to make that little wish of yours come true.” Aphrodite offered.

“Thank you Lady Aphrodite but that won't be necessary. My mom has already found someone who loves and cherishes her.” Percy replied.

“Oh alright but if you ever change your mind dear just let me know.” She said looking at the younger Percy.

“Thank you?” Percy said unsure.

“Anything for one half of my favorite ship.”

“Your what?” He asked

“Don’t worry about it. Just keep reading dear.” She said waving her hand leisurely.

For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn’t too down about the expulsion. I’d lasted almost the whole year this time. I’d made some new friends. I’d done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn’t been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really had. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofitt suddenly didn’t seem so bad. 

“Really?” Grover asked.

“Mhm.” Came the reply.

Until that trip to the museum… 

“You didn’t tell her did you,” Annabeth stated.

“She already has so much to worry about I didn’t want to add my problems to her list,” Percy replied.

“You are her son she will always worry about you.” She said. “If you had told her she might have had been able to help.”

“I know.” He said sadly.

“Don’t blame yourself Percy you’ll get her back,” Annabeth whispered to Percy who nodded mutely.

‘What?’ my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. ‘Did something scare you?’ 

‘No, Mom.’ 

I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid. 

“She would have believed you, Percy,” Grover whispered.

She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn’t push me. 

‘I have a surprise for you,’ she said. ‘We’re going to the beach.’ 

“Montauk?” Annabeth asked her Grey orbs shining excitedly. Percy gave a small chuckle and nodded.

“You’ve been there Annabeth?” Hazel asked.

“Yep before everything that happened during winter. Percy and Sally invited me to come to the beach with them. It was where he gave me the coral pendant.”

Silena, Katie, Hazel, Piper, and Aphrodite cooed at the sweet gesture.

My eyes widened. ‘Montauk?’ 

‘Three nights – same cabin.’ 

‘When?’ 

She smiled. ‘As soon as I get changed.’ 

I couldn’t believe it. My mom and I hadn’t been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn’t enough money. 

Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, ‘Bean dip, Sally? Didn’t you hear me?’ 

I wanted to punch him, 

“Please do,” Thalia said while the others nodded their approval.

but I met my mom’s eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here. 

‘I was on my way, honey,’ she told Gabe. ‘We were just talking about the trip.’ 

Gabe’s eyes got small. ‘The trip? You mean you were serious about that?’ 

‘I knew it,’ I muttered. ‘He won’t let us go.’ 

‘Of course he will,’ my mom said evenly. ‘Your stepfather is just worried about money. That’s all. Besides,’she added, ‘Gabriel won’t have to settle for bean dip. I’ll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works.’ 

“I like the way she thinks. You choose well Uncle P.” Hermes said while Poseidon gave him a look telling him to back off.

Gabe softened a bit. ‘So this money for your trip… it comes out of your clothes budget, right?’ 

“CLOTHES BUDGET. Clothes budget. Oh, you poor women how have you been living your life.” Aphrodite shrieked as she went on ranting about clothes, shopping, and fashion.

Reyna spared everyone from the rant by continuing.

‘Yes, honey,’ my mother said. 

‘And you won’t take my car anywhere but there and back.’ 

‘We’ll be very careful.’ 

Gabe scratched his double chin. ‘Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip… And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game.’

“He funded your poker game you ungrateful thing,” Jason said angrily. 

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week. 

“Do it.” Came the reply from various people.

But my mom’s eyes warned me not to make him mad. 

Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought? 

She doesn’t. Percy wanted to tell his younger self. She only put up with him to protect us. 

‘I’m sorry,’ I muttered. ‘I’m really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now.’ 

Gabe’s eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement. 

“He can’t possibly be that stupid,” Beckendorf said.

‘Yeah, whatever,’ he decided. He went back to his game. 

“I stand corrected.”

‘Thank you, Percy,’ my mom said. ‘Once we get to Montauk, we’ll talk more about… whatever you’ve forgotten to tell me, okay?’ 

For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes – the same fear I’d seen in Grover during the bus ride – as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air. 

But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip. 

An hour later we were ready to leave. Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom’s bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking – and more important, his ‘78 Camaro – for the whole weekend. 

‘Not a scratch on this car, brain boy,’ he warned me as I loaded the last bag. ‘Not one little scratch.’ 

“It’s not like he would be driving he’s twelve,” said Will.

Like I’d be the one driving. I was twelve. 

“I don’t know what to say to that,” As a few people chuckled.

But that didn’t matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he’d find a way to blame me.Watching him lumber back towards the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can’t explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I’d seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement towards Gabe. 

“It doesn’t work like that,” Zeus muttered.

The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he’d been shot from a cannon. 

“How-how did you do that?” The Lord of the sky asked in disbelief. “That’s not supposed to work with mortals even demigods.” 

“I don’t know, maybe it was the wind,” Percy replied weakly as he shrunk in himself. Zeus didn’t look like he believed nor did anyone else but knowing that to expect answers from Percy, Reyna continued.

Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn’t stay long enough to find out. 

I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it. 

“Man I always wanted to say that,” Chris said.

“Maybe we can do it the next time we pull a prank on Argus. What do you think Connor?” Travis whispered into his ear.

“I think your brilliant Travis. Let’s do it.” Connor replied. Katie who was sitting between them hit them on the head.

“You two will not be pulling any pranks on Argus.”

“But you didn’t have any problems to use plan Ω you practically told us to use it.” Travis Protested.

“Yes, but that was for a good cause. Argus is a perfect sweetheart I can’t have you creating trouble for him.” She chastened them.

“Fine,” Connor grumbled but just as Katie looked away from them he caught Travis’s eye and winked at him.

Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets,

Athena and Annabeth flinched while a shiver ran through Annabeth at the reminder of the mother of spiders.

“Man Jackson how did you convince Annie to go in there?” Thalia asked.

“I cleaned out all the spiders before she came in,” Percy said.

“Percy bro I’m begging you please stop making the rest of us look bad,” Jason said.

“Sorry bro but I can’t help it,” he replied while shrugging.

and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in. I loved the place. 

“Yet it still took you guys weeks to figure out that he was a son of Poseidon.” Rachel said.

“In our defense, we thought that at least the other two big three gods would keep their oath.” Grover defended.

We’d been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she’d met my dad. As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the colour of the sea. 

We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin’s windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work. 

“What’s up with all the blue food?” Frank asked.

I guess I should explain the blue food. 

“Please do.”

See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This – along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs Ugliano – was proof that she wasn’t totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me.

Thalia snorted “You don’t have a rebellious streak Kelp Head, you have an obedience streak in a sea of rebellion.” 

“I do not!” Percy said turning towards Annabeth he asked. “Do I?”

“She’s right Percy you do.” She replied.

“I'm hurt Annabeth how could you. You were supposed to be on my side.” Percy said dramatically clutching his chest. Annabeth giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

“Better.” She asked as he nodded with a dopey grin. From the side, their younger versions pretended to gag. While Leo’s cough sounded suspiciously like the word Simp.

When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop. 

Seeing the question in Artemis’s eyes Annabeth answered.

“Sally was able to achieve to dream. She got her degree and just recently started writing her first book.”

Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk – my father. Mom’s eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them. 

All the demigods nodded absently they all felt the same. No matter how many times they heard these stories from their parents it would never be enough.

‘He was kind, Percy,’she said. ‘Tall, handsome and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes.’ 

All eyes turned on both Percy it seemed as if everyone was looking at them for the first time.

“Huh, she's right you do look like a mini version uncle P especially the older one.” Said Apollo as everyone nodded in agreement.

Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. ‘I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud.’ 

I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years. 

“Those things don’t matter to me, Percy. You are my son and I am and always will be proud of you no matter what you do in life.” Poseidon said to both his sons who started blushing. The other demigods looked at them in jealousy why couldn’t their godly parent be more like Poseidon.

‘How old was I?’ I asked. ‘I mean… when he left?’ 

She watched the flames. ‘He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin.’ 

‘But… he knew me as a baby.’ 

‘No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born.’ 

I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember… something about my father. A warm glow. A smile. I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I’d felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he’d never even seen me… 

“I did visit. I just kept it a secret so no one else would know and cause you trouble,” Poseidon said looking pointedly at Zeus.

I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He’d left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe. 

Poseidon smiled sadly he knew this was coming knew it from the moment he fell in love with Sally that he would never be able to be there for his child like he wanted to be. Knew that his child would always resent him. He wished he could change that and now that the fates had given them a chance he would take it to better his relationship with his son. Both of them.

‘Are you going to send me away again?’ I asked her. ‘To another boarding school?’ 

She pulled a marshmallow from the fire. 

‘I don’t know, honey.’ Her voice was heavy. ‘I think… I think we’ll have to do something.’ 

‘Because you don’t want me around?’ 

“Ouch,” Percy shouted as two hands hit him. One on the head other on the shoulder.

“Why would you say that to your mother Seaweed Brain?” Annabeth asked.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean it.” He replied.

“You better have or I will kill you.” Threatened the daughter of Zeus.

I regretted the words as soon as they were out. 

Percy gestured towards Reyna with his hands silently trying to say See I told you I didn’t mean it.

My mom’s eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. ‘Oh, Percy, no. I – I  have   to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away.’ 

Her words reminded me of what Mr Brunner had said – that it was best for me to leave Yancy. 

‘Because I’m not normal,’ I said. 

‘You say that as if it’s a bad thing, Percy.  

“Yeah Percy. Don’t you know-” Travis started.

“-weird is the new normal.” Connor finished. 

But you don’t realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you’d finally be safe.’ 

‘Safe from what?’ 

Leo once again pulled out a small monster notebook from his tool belt and opened it.

“I still have the list with me. You sure you don’t want it?” He asked.

She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me – all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I’d tried to forget. 

During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head. 

“Ah uh ah.” Poseidon stopped Zeus before he could speak. “The ancient rules say that I cannot visit my children myself but it doesn’t say anything about me sending someone to check on them for me.” Zeus opened and closed his mouth a few times before he grumbled and slid down his throne in defeat. While the other gods took notes.

Before that – a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I’d somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands. 

“Oh like Hercules,” Chris said. Zoe scowled at the mention of the famed hero.

“Don’t compare me with that jerk,” Percy said much to her and everyone else surprises.

“You’ve met him?” He asked.

“Unfortunately no. Because if I did I would have definitely punched him in the face.”

In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move. 

I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my maths teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn’t make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn’t want that.

“It was selfish of me,” Percy muttered.

“It was human. Most of us would have made the same choice you did.” Piper replied. 

‘I’ve tried to keep you as close to me as I could,’ my mom said. ‘They told me that was a mistake. But there’s only one other option, Percy – the place your father wanted to send you. And I just… I just can’t stand to do it.’ 

‘My father wanted me to go to a special school?’ 

‘Not a school,’ she said softly. ‘A summer camp.’ 

“CAMP HALF-BLOOD.” Shouted the Greek demigods at the reminder of their home as the Roman demigods and gods looked on in amusement.

My head was spinning. Why would my dad – who hadn’t even stayed around long enough to see me born – talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn’t she ever mentioned it before? 

‘I’m sorry, Percy,’she said, seeing the look in my eyes. ‘But I can’t talk about it. I – I couldn’t send you to that place. It might mean saying goodbye to you for good.’

“Aren’t you guys given a choice to spend the whole year at camp or not?” Hazel asked.

“We are but since Percy is a child of the big three he would attract more monsters than the average demigods. So Sally knowing about his parentage most likely thought that he would have to have to stay at camp as a year rounder.” Annabeth answered.

“But he doesn’t stay year-round.”

“That’s because he learned how to fight against the monsters and also the fact that no one can keep him away from Sally.” 

“True.” Came the reply from multiple people.

‘For good? But if it’s only a summer camp…’ 

She turned towards the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions 

she would start to cry. 

That night I had a vivid dream. 

“I hate my dreams.” Percy groaned.

“Everyone hates your dreams.” Thalia snorted.

“Why?” Demeter asked.

“Percy’s demigod dreams are worse than the average demigod dreams and he also gets them more frequently than others,” Annabeth replied.

It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf.

“And here they go fighting each other again for some reason we don’t know about. Those of us who do. Don’t want to tell.” Hazel said narrowing her eyes at Percy and Annabeth who avoided eye contact and whistled innocently.

The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse’s muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagle’s wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder. 

“HADES!” Zeus shouted in anger. Said god had already been used to the treatment so he simply gave a bored look and opened his mouth to reply but was beaten to it by his nephew.

“It isn't Lord Hades. We suspected him at first but in the end, it was someone else.” Percy said to the king of the gods.

“He is right father,” Athena interjected. “It isn’t the usual way that Lord Hades does things.” Hades nodded at her approvingly.

“Besides he doesn’t know how to laugh.” She finished as Hades gaped at her as Poseidon and Zeus snickered. Jason intervened before a fight could break out.

“I thought you guys didn’t want to reveal anything to us yet?” He asked.

“We still don’t. But we also don’t anyone to be punished for a crime they didn’t commit.” Annabeth replied.

“And we would also like to apologize to you, Lord Hades,” Percy said. The Lord of the Underworld raised his eyebrows intrigued. “Throughout our quest, we accused you of many things you didn’t do due to false evidence that was planted against you.”

“I can’t say that I’m not surprised, young demigod. But I do know that that apology is genuine so I will accept it.” 

I ran towards them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. 

Athena paused that sounded like- no it can’t be. He can’t be coming back not now.

I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse’s wide eyes, and I screamed,  No! 

I woke with a start. 

“Ha, I won.” Zeus gloated as Poseidon rolled his eyes at the immaturity of his brother.

Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and five-metre-high waves pounding the dunes like artillery. 

With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, ‘Hurricane.’ 

Smart women Athena thought she was starting to like her more and more.

I knew that was crazy. Long Island never saw hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. 

“Uncle P, how could you?” Hermes said dramatically falling onto Apollo who caught him. The demigods snickered at the god's antics as Poseidon sighed already done with this family.

Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end. Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice – someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door. My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock. 

Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn’t… he wasn’t exactly Grover. 

“Why what happened to him?” Silena asked.

“Nothing,” Grover replied. “Percy’s just being dramatic.

“I wasn’t being dramatic.” Percy protested. “I was shocked.”

‘Searching all night,’ he gasped. ‘What were you thinking?’ 

My mother looked at me in terror – not scared of Grover, but of why he’d come. 

‘Percy,’ she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. ‘What happened at school? What didn’t you tell me?’I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. 

“It wasn’t that shocking.”

“It was for me.”

‘ O Zeu kai alloi theoi!’   he yelled.

“Language Satyr.” Dionysus chided.

“Sorry, sir,” Grover replied.

‘It’s right behind me! Didn’t you  tell  her?’ 

I was too shocked to register that he’d just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I’d understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had got here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn’t have his trousers on – and where his legs should be… where his legs should be…

“Tell us already.” Leo groaned.

My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she’d never used before:’ Percy . Tell me  now!’  

I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning. She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, ‘Get to the car. Both of you. Go!’ 

Grover ran for the Camaro – but he wasn’t running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked. Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.

“You were shocked to see his hooves?” Annabeth asked indulgently.

“It was my first time seeing them okay.” He replied.

“I’m done who wants to read next?” Reyna said waving the book around.

“I do.” Rachel said as she snatched the book from her.

“Chapter IV: My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting.”

Chapter Text

“Chapter IV: My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting.”

“What is it with you and the weird chapter titles?” Katie asked.

Percy gave her a half-smile and shrugged but, he wasn’t really paying attention. Losing his mother once was hard enough. And he did not know how he would deal with having to sit and listen as they read about it. Especially when the loss was so fresh in his mind.

Percy was more or less feeling the same way. Yes, he knew that he had gotten his mother back from Hades, that she was at their home in New York safe with Paul. But it didn’t mean that Percy wanted to listen to the way she had been taken away from him. To feel the way he had all those years ago. That feeling of helplessness and fear wasn’t something that Percy wanted to ever experience again. He could only imagine that it would be worse for his younger counterpart. Who had not only lost his mother less than a week ago. But also didn’t know that his mother was alive and was currently being held by their uncle. He needed to talk to him about that.

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. I didn’t know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas. 

Ares rubbed his hands together. “My kind of driving.”

Hephaestus and Apollo just sighed, already done with him.

Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I’d gone insane, 

“After everything that happened with the Kindly one and the Fates, this is what made you think you were going insane?” Will asked.

“It was the last straw.”

or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet trousers. 

Grover gasped dramatically in an attempt to distract Percy from what was to come and said. “Excuse you. This is 100 percent genuine fur.”

It seemed to work as he gave an albeit small but genuine smile.

But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo – lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal. 

“I don’t smell like a wet barnyard animal.” Grover protested.

Annabeth made a show of leaning away from him and pinching her nose. “Debatable.”

The others snickered while Grover huffed and muttered about how they were all big bullies. Calming down, Annabeth hugged him and said. “Don’t worry. Even if you smell, I still love you.”

“Aw, I love you too.” He said, hugging her back.

“You do need a bath though,”

“Hey!”

All I could think to say was, ‘So, you and my mum… know each other?’ 

Grover’s eyes flitted to the rear view mirror, though there were no cars behind us. ‘Not exactly,’ he said. ‘I mean, we’ve never met in person. But she knew I was watching you.’ 

“Stalker stalker stalker.” Chanted the Stolls, Chris, and Leo.

“I was doing my job.” Grover groaned, done with their theatrics.

“Keep telling yourself that Goat boy.”

‘Watching me?’ 

‘Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn’t faking being your friend,’ he added hastily. ‘I  am  your friend.’ 

“It must be hard for Satyrs. For one, it might look like they were using their friendship as means to further their jobs. On the other hand, they can’t let themselves get to attached to a demigod and let it come in the way of doing what they do.” Said, Hestia.

“Thank you. At least someone understands.” Dionysus exclaimed, putting down his magazine. “You Greek demigods don’t appreciate all the hard work that Satyrs do. And don’t even get me started on the way you Romans treat your fauns.” He complained.

Most of the demigods -especially the Romans- looked down, embarrassed. Yes, they weren't mean to the satyrs. But most of them hadn’t acknowledged them outside of quests and bringing newer campers to camp Half-Blood. They promised themselves to change their behavior towards the Satyrs and give them the attention they deserved for all the hard work they did.

Hazel frowned at the mention of fauns. She hated how they were all basically beggars at New Rome. She had tried to help Don and the others, but there was only so much a single demigod could do. Jason and Reyna shared a glance. Hazel had brought her worries about the fauns to them, and they had tried. But one thing or another always got in their way. First, it had been Jason’s disappearance. Then it was Octavian’s constant pushing at Reyna to find a new Praetor, Percy’s arrival, the attack at camp. With everything going on, Reyna hadn’t been able to deal with most of the issues at the Legion. It was all too much for a demigod to handle alone. And if it had been anyone other than Reyna, they would have snapped under the constant pressure a long time ago. They nodded to each other -a promise to take care of the matter as soon as possible- passing between them.

‘Um… what  are  you, exactly?’ 

‘That doesn’t matter right now.’ 

‘It doesn’t matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey –’ 

“Ooh, you did not just say that,” Connor said, wincing. Hermes and Dionysus were both glaring at the two Percy’s.

“I would tread carefully, Perseus Jackson. That is an insult not easily forgiven.” Dionysus warned.

Percy flinched under the god's heated gaze. Percy, unfortunately, used to being on the other end of a god's ire. Didn’t so much as blink.

“One I apologize for. But could you really blame me? I didn’t know that the gods existed at the time. Much less think that my best friend could be a Satyr.”

Dionysus narrowed his eyes at him before grumbling and looking away from them.

Grover let out a sharp, throaty  ‘Blaa-ha-ha!’ 

I’d heard him make that sound before, but I’d always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat. 

“How do mistake a bleat for a laugh?” Chris asked.

“Have you ever heard a teenager laugh?”

“I see your point.”

‘Goat!’ he cried. 

“I thought you said it didn’t matter?” Beckendorf asked.

“That was before he called me a donkey.”

‘What?’ 

‘I’m a  goat  from the waist down.’ 

‘You just said it didn’t matter.’ 

‘Blaa-ha-ha!  There are satyrs who would trample you under hoof for such an insult!’ 

“Coach Hedge.” The seven and Nico said at the same time. 

“Coach! How is he doing?” Clarisse asked. Her whole demeanor lit up at the mention of the Satyr that had brought her to camp.

“He’s fine. The usual trying to pick a fight with everyone and everything in sight while simultaneously calling us all cupcakes and ordering us around.” Leo said with a shrug. “You know the usual. Clarisse nodded along as if she didn’t expect any less from him.

“He… doesn’t sound like your average Satyr,” Silena said carefully.

“He isn’t. Hedge is…he’s special.” Annabeth answered.

‘Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like… Mr Brunner’s myths?’ 

‘Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a  myth,  Percy? Was Mrs Dodds a myth?’ 

‘So you  admit  there was a Mrs Dodds!’ 

“You’re still stuck on that?” Annabeth asked.

“I had spent weeks thinking I was going crazy. So when I was told I wasn’t, of course, I was gonna latch on to it.”

‘Of course.’ 

‘Then why –’ 

‘The less you knew, the fewer monsters you’d attract,’ Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. 

“It wasn’t.”

“Sorry, Perce. I should have explained it to you properly.”

“It’s not your fault G-man. We were in a rush.”

‘We put Mist over the humans’ eyes. We hoped you’d think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are.’ 

‘Who I – wait a minute, what do you mean?’ 

The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail. 

The mood around the hall sobered. The air around the room thickened as everyone was reminded that the three were being chased in a car. The demigods all leaned forward anxiously. Ready to see or rather hear about Percy in action again. The demigods at camp at the time had only heard rumors from the Nymphs and what little Grover had remembered. It would be the first time they would actually get to know how exactly Percy had arrived at camp.

Poseidon sat on his throne in worry. He prayed to the fates for the safety of both his love and his child. But he knew it was fruitless. All of this had already come to pass, and there was nothing he could do about it now. Oh, how desperately he wanted to go to his son -both of them- hold them tight and tell himself that they were fine and they were with him.

Annabeth clutched onto Percy’s hand tightly. She knew what was about to happen. Percy hadn’t gone into full detail about his first encounter with the Minotaur. But from what she had gathered, it wasn’t going to be easy on neither him nor his younger self.

‘Percy,’ my mom said, ‘there’s too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety.’ 

‘Safety from what? Who’s after me?’ 

‘Oh, nobody much,’ Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. ‘Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions.’ 

Poseidon glared at his elder brother, who avoided his eyes. There wasn’t anything Hades could do about all this. These events had already come to pass in both timelines.

‘Grover!’

‘Sorry, Mrs Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?’ 

I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn’t do it. I knew this wasn’t a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird. My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences. 

The Greek demigods, unlike last time, didn’t shout but did smile and sat forward inquisitively. They couldn’t wait to hear their camp, their home, described from another person's point of view.

‘Where are we going?’ I asked. 

‘The summer camp I told you about.’ My mother’s voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. ‘The place your father wanted to send you.’ 

‘The place you didn’t want me to go.’ 

‘Please, dear,’ my mother begged. ‘This is hard enough. Try to understand. You’re in danger.’ 

‘Because some old ladies cut yarn.’ 

‘Those weren’t old ladies,’ Grover said. ‘Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means – the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you’re about to… when someone’s about to die.’

“Nice save.” Chris snorted as Grover blushed.

Annabeth frowned. Grover, though, unintentionally had said something regarding the future. It wasn’t the first time she had noticed this, there had been other instances as well, but she had shrugged them off. But this was too many times for them to be coincidences. She would have to wait and look for a few more before she came up to a conclusion. 

‘Whoa. You said  “you”.’ 

‘No I didn’t. I said  “someone”.’ 

‘You meant “you”. As in me.’ 

‘I meant you, like “someone”. Not you,  you.’ 

“Uh, Am I the only one here that’s confused or…” Frank said as he glanced around to see the others nodding.

‘Boys!’ my mom said. 

She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she’d swerved to avoid – a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm. 

‘What was that?’ I asked. 

“Yeah.” Piper asked, “What exactly is following you guys?”

“Spoilers,” Annabeth replied with amusement. She was probably enjoying this more than she should, but she deserved a little joy right now. 

Piper huffed and rolled her eyes. But she was glad to see a smile on her friend's face.

‘We’re almost there,’ my mother said, ignoring my question. ‘Another mile. Please. Please. Please.’ 

I didn’t know where  there  was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive. 

“That would be the magic of the camp borders,” Annabeth explained. “It draws in the demigods while also sending danger signals to Mortals. So they know to avoid coming anywhere near camp.”

Athena nodded. “That is correct. The same action applies to the Romans as well. The borders keep them away and prevent them from interacting with the Greeks.” She paused and shot a scornful look towards the Roman demigods. “Or at least that is what it was supposed to do.”

The past demigods shared confused looks. Why weren’t they allowed to interact with the Romans? From what little time they had spent together, they found that Romans weren’t so bad. A little too serious, sure, but fun to be around.

“Why aren’t the Greek and Roman demigods allowed around each other?” Katie asked.

“Let’s just say the two camps have a… long history with each other and leave it at that,” Reyna answered.

Outside, nothing but rain and darkness – the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs Dodds and the moment when she’d changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really  hadn’t  been human. She’d meant to kill me. Then I thought about Mr Brunner… and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling  boom!,  and our car exploded. 

Poseidon shot his brother a glare. He swore if Zeus was behind this…

I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried and hosed down all at the same time. 

I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver’s seat and said, ‘Ow.’ 

‘Percy!’ my mom shouted. 

‘I’m okay….’ 

I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn’t dead. The car hadn’t really exploded. We’d swerved into a ditch. Our driver’s-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in. 

Lightning.

“ZEUS,” Poseidon shouted angrily, his trident clutched tightly in his hands.

“Peace, brother.” Zeus held up his hands non-threateningly.

“Peace, PEACE. You ask of peace, yet you, both of you, attack my son when he has done nothing wrong.” He said, glaring at both Hades and Zeus. Hades at least had the decency to look away.

“He has done wrong. He dared to steal from the gods. On your orders.” Zeus accused.

“I didn’t steal anything,” Percy shouted before his father could say anything. All eyes in the room turned on him, but he didn’t back down. All his life he had been accused of things Percy didn’t do. And now the gods were also accusing him of stealing something he didn’t know about. On behalf of his father. Who, until today, he hadn’t even met. It was their fault that his mother was gone.

“Zeus,” Percy said, taking the attention away from his younger counterpart. “If I really had stolen from you, wouldn’t it have been mentioned in the books? We have been reading them from my perspective.” He pointed out.

“He is right, father,” Athena interjected. Ignoring the shocked look on everyone's faces, she continued. “If the boy had been the thief, it would have come up by now. It would be wise if we all calmed down and read on to find out who the real thief is.” She advised. 

Poseidon glared at Zeus one last time before sitting back in his seat. His brother grunted but said nothing else on the matter. 

That was the only explanation. We’d been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. ‘Grover!’ 

He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, 

No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you’re my best friend and I don’t want you to die! 

Then he groaned, ‘Food,’ and I knew there was hope.

A few chuckles were released, but they were as tense as the air around the room.

‘Percy,’ my mother said, ‘we have to…’ Her voice faltered. 

I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering towards us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns. 

Frank grew paler and paler with every single description. No, he thought it couldn’t be.

I swallowed hard. ‘Who is –’ 

‘Percy,’ my mother said, deadly serious. ‘Get out of the car.’ 

My mother threw herself against the driver’s-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. 

“Please tell me you didn’t think about using that as an exit,” Annabeth asked, looking directly at Percy, who smiled sheepishly. “Percy!”

“I didn’t go through with it.”

“You better not have or else …” She let the threat hang in the air, making Percy gulp nervously.

It might’ve been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking. 

‘Climb out the passenger’s side!’ my mother told me. ‘Percy – you have to run. Do you see that big tree?’ 

‘What?’ 

Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas-tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill. 

“There I am,” Thalia exclaimed cheerfully. The demigods -even the ones who knew about her fate- looked at her weirdly.

“What..?” Hazel asked, unsure if she wanted an answer.

Thalia waved her hand distractedly. “It’ll come up later.”

Rachel shot her a look before continuing.

‘That’s the property line,’ my mom said. ‘Get over that hill and you’ll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don’t look back. Yell for help. Don’t stop until you reach the door.’ 

‘Mom, you’re coming, too.’ 

The gods shot him pitiful looks.

“She won't be able to cross the property line child.” Said, Demeter.

“I know,” Percy replied. He knew all too well about that.

The demigods of the past suddenly remembered that Percy had come to camp without his mother. And upon coming to that realization shot both versions sad look. Some sympathized with him as they had also lost their mortal parents.

Both Percy’s avoided looking at everyone. Percy had his head lowered and willed himself not to cry. He would cry not in front of everyone. Annabeth took his hand in hers to tell him she was there for him. Percy squeezed her hand in silent thanks.

Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean. 

‘No!’ I shouted. ‘You  are  coming with me. Help me carry Grover.’ 

‘Food!’ Grover moaned, a little louder. 

The man with the blanket on his head kept coming towards us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he  couldn’t  be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands – huge meaty hands – were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head… was his head. And the points that looked like horns… 

By now, most of the future demigods had realized who the monster was and looked at Percy with disbelief.

‘He doesn’t want  us ,’ my mother told me. ‘He wants you. Besides, I can’t cross the property line.’ 

‘But…’ 

‘We don’t have time, Percy. Go. Please.’ 

I got mad, then – mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering towards us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull. 

I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. ‘We’re going together. Come on, Mom.’ 

‘I told you –’ 

‘Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover.’ 

“Fatal flaw,” Annabeth said sadly.

“Loyalty.” Athena guessed.

Percy nodded. “It’s not easy to overcome. But I could have been stuck with something worse.”

I didn’t wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn’t have carried him very far if my mom hadn’t come to my aid. Together, we draped Grover’s arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass. 

Hestia and Demeter both glared at Dionysus. Who gulped and shrank back nervously.

“I’ll have that cut as soon as possible.” He said the goddesses hummed. The god of wine hid behind his magazine but didn’t let himself relax.

Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of  Muscle Man  magazine – bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other ‘ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear – I mean, bright white Fruit-of-the-Looms, which would’ve been funny except for the top half of his body. Coarse brown hair started at about his bellybutton and got thicker as it reached his shoulders. His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns – enormous black- and-white horns with points you just couldn’t get from an electric sharpener. 

“You fought the Minotaur at the age of Twelve?” Reyna asked incredulously. She had seen the son of Nept- Poseidon in action. Once briefly at the age of thirteen on Circes Island. And again multiple times during his time in the Legion. She knew he was capable of many great things. But this. To defeat the Minotaur at this age. Without a weapon and any former training. He couldn’t have been able to do it alone. Surely, he had help.

Percy nodded absent-mindedly. He was trying his best to not lose himself in the memories of that night. He still had nightmares from back then.

I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr Brunner told us. But he couldn’t be real. 

I blinked the rain out of my eyes. ‘That’s –’ 

‘Pasiphae’s son,’ my mother said. ‘I wish I’d known how badly they want to kill you.’ 

‘But a he’s a min–’ 

‘Don’t say his name,’ she warned. ‘Names have power.’ 

“Even Sally warned you, and yet you still don’t listen,” Annabeth said exasperatedly. She looked like she had had this conversation multiple times before.

“What else am I supposed to call them.”

“Anything other than their real name.”

The pine tree was still way too far – a hundred metres uphill at least. 

I glanced behind me again. 

The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows – or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn’t sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifteen metres away. 

‘Food?’ Grover moaned. 

‘Shhh,’ I told him. ‘Mom, what’s he doing? Doesn’t he see us?’ 

‘His sight and hearing are terrible,’she said. ‘He goes by smell. But he’ll figure out where we are soon enough.’ 

“You told her about us. Didn’t you,” Athena said.

“Yes,” Poseidon replied tautly.

As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe’s Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded. 

“Oops.” Said Conner. “So much for not leaving a scratch.” The others laughed, but it was forced.

Not a scratch,  I remembered Gabe saying. 

Oops. 

‘Percy,’ my mom said. ‘When he sees us, he’ll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way – directly sideways. He can’t change direction very well once he’s charging. Do you understand?’ 

‘How do you know all this?’ 

‘I’ve been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me.’ 

It is never selfish for a mother to want to keep her child close. Hera thought but kept it to herself.

‘Keeping me near you? But –’ 

Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill. 

He’d smelled us. 

The pine tree was only a few more metres, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn’t getting any lighter. 

“You should have left me. I only slowed you down in the end.” Grover mumbled lowly but was still heard by the people surrounding him. Which unfortunately included Percy.

“Are you kidding? You are my best friend, Grover. I wasn’t going to leave you behind no matter what.”

“Really?” He asked, teary-eyed.

“Really, G-man,” Percy replied. Grover flung himself across Annabeth and hugged him. The tears fell as Percy hugged him back and patted his shoulder comfortingly.

After a while, Annabeth grumbled. “Okay, that’s enough. Get off. You both are crushing me.” There was no heat in her words, and when Grover retreated back to his space, a smile was apparent on her face.

“Sorry.” Grover apologized while rubbing his eyes.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and knocked her shoulder with his. “No worries, Goat boy.”

The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he’d be on top of us. 

My mother must’ve been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. ‘Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said.’ 

I didn’t want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right – it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat. He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest. 

Everyone’s breath caught in their chest. Annabeth buried herself even deeper into Percy’s side as Annabeth held Percy’s hand in a death grip. Off to the side, Poseidon’s knuckles turned white from how hard he was clutching his trident.

The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn’t work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side. 

A collective sigh of relief was taken. But no one dared to relax.

The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not towards me this time, towards my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass. We’d reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We’d never make it. 

The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back towards the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover. 

‘Run, Percy!’ she told me. ‘I can’t go any further. Run!’ 

Percy closed his eyes in an attempt to block the memories from flashing behind his eyes. It didn’t work. Slowly agonizingly, the scenes described by the Rachel girl passed through his mind. He saw the Minotaur grabbing his mom by the neck, and with a flash of bright light, she was gone. He felt a sense of fear, hopelessness, and anger all over again.

But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she’d told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air. 

‘Mom!’ 

She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: ‘Go!’ 

Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother’s neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply… gone. 

His shoulder had risen up to his neck as Percy tried to hide inside himself. Tears that he had desperately tried to keep in were leaking from his eyes and slid down his cheeks. Percy jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked to his right and saw that his father had taken up the space between him and his older counterpart. Posiedon held out his arms, and Percy fell into them. He let his tears fall, and for the first time in weeks, he let himself grieve for his mother. Percy felt a strong, firm hand rubbing his head. And another smaller, softer one tentatively rubbed his back in circular patterns. As his father utter sweet nothings in his ears. 

The occupants of the room looked away. It felt wrong to look at the tender moment between the father and son. Annabeth held Percy's hand tightly in hers as her other hand traced over his SPQR tattoo. Percy had his face half-hidden in Annabeth’s hair as he took deep breaths to keep himself calm. The familiar scent of her lemon shampoo helped him calm down.

The future demigods were confused. They had met Sally Jackson. The kind woman had given them food, a place on her table, and a warm bed to spend the night. Yet, here they were reading about her death. It didn’t make any sense to them, but none of them asked. It wasn’t the right time. Their questions would have to wait. 

Leo looked at the two Percy's with sympathy in his gaze. He knew what it felt like to lose your mother right in front of your eyes. Leo had seen it had experienced it. He wanted to comfort the two but didn’t know how to do it. He bounced his leg up and down. His hand tapping ‘I love you.' over and over again.

Athena narrowed her eyes at the description. She was sure that the other gods had noticed the unusual demise of the mortal. Most wouldn’t do anything about it. But she felt a need to investigate to quench her curiosity. (There were no other reasons- It certainly wasn’t because the women had left an impression on her.) It couldn’t have been a minor god. It had to be one of the Olympians. But who? And Why? She let her gaze wander around the room, looking at each god carefully one at a time. It lingered on Hades and the space at his side.

When Percy was able to compose himself, he sat back and avoided looking at anyone. Poseidon made a box of tissues appear in thin air and held them out, which he took thankfully. His father didn’t leave his side. 

And with a small smile his way, Rachel started reading.

‘No!’ 

Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs – the same rush of energy I’d got when Mrs Dodds grew talons. 

The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too. 

I couldn’t allow that. 

I stripped off my red rain jacket. 

‘HEY!’ I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. ‘Hey, stupid! Ground beef!’ 

Thalia chuckled mirthlessly. “Good to know your insults were always bad.”

Percy smiled, the atmosphere was still thick, but he appreciated that she was trying to lighten the mood for him.

‘Raaaarrrrr!’ The monster turned towards me, shaking his meaty fists. 

I had an idea – a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all. 

“It will work,” Annabeth mumbled. “Your stupid plans always work.”

“That they do,” Percy said softly and kissed her head.

I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I’d jump out of the way at the last moment. 

But it didn’t happen like that. 

“It never does.” Said Frank shaking his head.

The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge. 

Time slowed down. 

My legs tensed. I couldn’t jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature’s head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair and landing on his neck. How did I do that? 

The others in the hall were confused as well.

I didn’t have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster’s head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out. 

The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. 

“Oh!” Jason breathed. It suddenly clicked into place. At the inquiring look he got from the past demigods, he explained. “Whenever Percy is in contact with water, his physical abilities get enhanced.”

They all lit up in understanding. “That explains a lot,” Luke mumbled to himself.

The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils. The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward. 

Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I’d bite my own tongue off. 

‘Food!’ Grover moaned. 

The bull-man wheeled towards him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backwards with all my might.

Ares scoffed that wasn’t going to work.

The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then –  snap!

The gods looked on in shock. Even with his father's gift, this shouldn’t have been possible. The demigod shouldn’t have been able to pull that off. Exactly how powerful was he.

The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife. 

The monster charged. 

Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barrelled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage. 

The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate – not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs Dodds had burst apart. 

The monster was gone. 

There was a moment of complete silence before all Hades broke loose. Some demigods were cheering loudly, others stared ahead blankly, a few asked Rachel to repeat what she had already read. When she did, they joined one of the two categories. It took a while for the gods to calm them down. When they were successful, they gestured towards Rachel. Who gladly continued.

The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief. I’d just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, 

needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, towards the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover – I wasn’t going to let him go.

Hestia smiled kindly. He was a good boy.

The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blonde hair curled like Cinderella’s.

“You were right, Beauty Queen. Annabeth got the best description so far.” Leo said.

“Of course I was,” Piper replied.

Meanwhile, the two daughters of Athena blushed at the description.

They both looked down at me, and the girl said, ‘He’s the one. He must be.’ 

“Oh, he definitely is the one, isn’t he?” Thalia teased.

“Shut up. You know that wasn’t what I meant.” Annabeth said, blushing once again

“You are not denying it.” Piper sang. Causing Annabeth to blush even more heavily now. As Athena silently seethed in the background.

‘Silence, Annabeth,’ the man said. ‘He’s still conscious. Bring him inside.’

“That’s the end of the chapter.” Rachel said. “Your turn.” She threw the book at Will, who caught it.

He opened the book and read the next chapter title with a raised brow.

“Chapter V: I Play Pinochle with a Horse.”

Chapter Text

Hey guys I wanted to let you all know that I will no longer be continuing this fic. I tried but I don't have anymore inspiration to write it. I would like to thank you all for the support you guys gave me and apologize for leaving this fic unfinished.

Chapter Text

Hello everyone and a happy New year. To celebrate this new year I have some amazing news to share with you guys.

Recently I was approached by a writer who is willing to continue this fic. They have already posted on both AO3 and Wattpad, their username is TheYeetMaster. And if anyone you wants to read this fic on Wattpad then you can find them by searching the username TheYeetMaster04.

With that said this will be my last official post for this fic. I had a great time writing it and reading all of your responses. Hopefully I'll be able to interact with you all through my my future fics. 

Till then, goodbye little godlings.