Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A demigod should never expect to live a normal life, or even have a period of time where you are free. But even with everything weird happening all around them, they still tried to live, even when it seemed impossible.

Some lived as normal as they could, trying to live longer while some embraced their demigod side and lived short lives with a thrill. But one thing no one expected, no matter what they had been through, was for the Gods to fall out the sky.

—

Waking up early was not Percys favorite thing, waking up overall wasn't. Some days he would rather just sleep, but he forced himself out of bed anyway, probably because Annabeth would drag him out of bed if he didn't go up himself.

Percy stared at the ceiling with tired eyes, wondering why the hell he chose to wake up.

The son of Poseidon had been up late the day prior helping a new camper who came with her protector quite late during the night and was immediately claimed as a daughter of Hephaestus. Percy had handed her off to Nyssa as Leo was no where to be found. The Latino was most likely in Bunker 9 and Nyssa offered to take care of the girl until he was back from whatever he was doing.

Percy ran a hand down his face and laid in silence in his empty cabin as he came back to reality. He was a little annoyed at Leo for all of this, as he was supposed to have border guard the day prior, but being the nice guy he was, Percy took over when he didn't show up.

To give Leo some credit, his inventions were often helpful in camp and Percy wanted to believe he had a good reason for not showing up, but that didn't stop him from being annoyed at him.

Camp had been silent for a while now, with no statue hunting, lost oracles or wars. It was weirdly calm. Now, Percy hadn't really been doing anything for a while, as he had recently come back to camp for the summer and the group had gathered again.

Well, minus one small issue.

Jasons death had shocked Percy to the core and the seven was still mourning, as well as both of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. The group had tried to move on from it, knowing Jason wouldn't want them to be stuck mourning him, but it was hard for all of them. Especially Piper had yet to fully move on.

A knock on Percys cabin door pulled him over his depressing thoughts.

"Percy?"

Percy heard Annebeths voice shine through the door. "Yeah?!" He called back in response, pinching the bridge of his nose. Annabeth didn't answer and opened the door, stepping inside, inviting herself.

Annabeth's blonde hair was slightly ruffled and her grey are were tired. "I thought you would be up by now." She said and walked up to his bed.

Percy sat up, rubbing his eyes. "I am awake." He answered his girlfriend. "Just not "up" Annabeth hummed as an answer, eyebrows raised, but her expression was far away.

Percy cocked his head as he saw Annabeths vacant expression. "You alright there?" He asked. "I am fine, just tired." Annabeth answered. Percy smiled slightly. "You came here to bother me about still being in bed, yet you are tired yourself?" He asked and she sent him a glare. "Oh shut up." She playfully jabbed his arm.

Percy snickered and ran a hand through his hair. "Is there anything going on?" He asked curiously. "Other than that the Stolls almost set cabin 4 on fire? No." Percy snorted hearing that. "How did that happen?" He asked and Annabeth groaned. "Apparently it was a dare to use hairspray and a lighter on a plant, it just ended up being a bigger plant than they expected. I think Katie has already chased them around camp twice."

Percy rolled his eyes with a smile. "Not surprised." Annabeth laughed lightly. "Me neither." She agreed and scanned him. "Get dressed so we can leave." She said and Percy rolled his eyes again.

Annabeth just grinned and left the cabin.

—

Percy stepped out of his cabin, wearing his normal camp shirt and a pair of jeans, Riptide in his pocket as usual. Annabeth was waiting for him, looking at her monster proof phone Leo made for her and the rest of the Seven including Nico and a few others. One of many useful inventions he had made.

Annabeth looked up as he exited his cabin, placing her phone in her back pocket of her jeans. "Let's find the others then shall we?" She asked and kissed his cheek. "Yup." Percy smiled and followed his girlfriend as she walked away.

Percy enjoyed easy life like this, but at the same time, he knew that anything could come up that he or someone else had to deal with. Sadly, that was the life of a demigod, never being able to fully relax with the Gods throwing missions here and there. It was quite annoying.

It had all calmed down after Apollo became a God again from being turned into a mortal, but Percy didn't relax because of it, knowing something like this could happen at any moment. He wished he could relax, but he knew what reality was like.

Annabeth grabbed his hand as they walked. "Thinking about something?" She asked and Percy shrugged. "Nothing special really." He said as they walked. "Do you know where the others are, or are we just walking aimlessly?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Yes I know, they are at the Amphitheater." Annabeth answered. "Oh and Rachel is joining us, her dad had some work in New York, so she is staying here for a while." Annabeth informed, smiling a little.

Percy was quite glad that Annabeth and Rachel got along now, as they had started out as rivals, which Percy honestly found quite silly. He never said that though, as both of them would smack him.

The two girls often chatted and after Annabeth got a phone, she had apparently started a group chat with her girl friends, which Rachel was a part of.

They steered their steps towards the amphitheater and waved at Chris Rodriguez as he walked past, heading towards the Ares cabin, most likely heading to talk to Clarisse.

"Hey!"

Percy and Annabeth were intercepted by Katie Garderner. "Have any of you two seen Travis or Connor?" She asked, sounding annoyed and her eyes had a fire in them.

"No, sorry, is Daisy okay? I heard she got badly burnt." Annabeth asked and Katie sighed. "Will patched her up nicely, she is fine, doesn't even have to stay in the infirmary." Katie informed them, but still looked mad.

"You sure you haven't seen them?" Percy and Annabeth shook their heads. "Damn it! They can't hide forever!" Katie swore and jogged off. Percy and Annabeth looked at each other, shrugging. This was usual in camp anyways.

"They really pissed Katie off huh?" Percy said as they continued walking. "Yeah, but someone got hurt this time, it's fair on Katie's part." Annabeth reasoned. "I guess."

—

The amphitheater was a big stone building that Percy knew Annabeth admired, with her dream of becoming an architect and all. Percy wasn't sure why they met here specifically, but didn't question it.

The group had met in weirder places than that after all.

Percy and Annabeth spotted the others from a bit away. The group contained of Leo, Nico, Will, Piper and Rachel. Hazel and Frank were in Camp Jupiter and Thalia and Reyna were with the hunters, so they were absent.

"Hey!" Annabeth exclaimed and the group looked at them. "I was wondering if you two were going to show up." Piper said. "I had to get this one out of bed." Annabeth said, gesturing at Percy. "I was awake!" Percy argued. "But still in bed." Annabeth finished and he rolled his eyes.

Annabeth turned to Rachel. "Also, hey Rachel, haven't seen you in a while." Annabeth said with a smile. "No, I've been busy." Rachel answered with a smile, but her eyes showed tiredness Percy noted, but didn't question it.

Annabeth either didn't notice, or chose to not ask about it as she continued talking. "What have you been doing then?" The group sat down on the stands, out looking the theater. "Studying mostly." Rachel answered with a shrug and frown. "I don't like school." She stated. "Agreed." Percy said exasperated.

"It's not that bad." Annabeth argued. "It is." Will said, speaking up. "And I only went to school for a few years." Annabeth crossed her arms stubbornly, but said nothing. "What are you studying for Rachel? I don't think I've ever asked." Piper asked curiously. "Lawyer." Rachel answered with a frown. "My dad said it was a good thing to study. I just hope I don't randomly spit out a prophecy in the middle of court." She then said unsurely.

Piper snickered, apparently finding the picture funny. "No that would be bad." She said with a slight smile.

Percy scanned the group as they talked.

Rachel looked tired, well all of them actually looked tired. In Will and Leos cases, it wasn't weird. Will worked late shifts in the infirmary and Leo worked on different inventions.

Rachel had an excuse as well, she was studying at the same time as juggling being the Oracle. Annabeth might just be staying up late reading or having nightmares (Percy guessed it was a mix of both) and Piper probably also had nightmares.

And then Nico always looked tired.

Percy himself was dealing with nightmares, but he was dealing with them better now than when he started getting them. Just then he remembered why he was tired this time.

He turned to Leo at the reminder. "Leo? Why did you skip guard duty yesterday? I had to take over." Percy complained and Leo looked at him. "I was working on something and didn't notice the time." Leo said apologetically. "Sorry." He apologized. "It's fine, just warn us the next time." Percy answered and Leo gave him thumbs up.

"You got it Aquaman!"

Percy didn't even bother to complain at the nickname, as Leo would continue to call him it anyways.

—

They continued talking normally, chatting about nothing in particular. But their calm chatting was soon interrupted by a flash in the sky, but no sound.

They all reacted to the light, covering their eyes. It could not have been lightning as that would have made a sound and this was silent. The light shone over all of camp and then disappeared as fast as it came. The light came from on top of Half-blood hill, next to Thalias tree.

"What the-?" Leo said as the light faded and he removed his hand. "I have no clue." Annabeth answered, immediately alarming the group. Nico moved first, starting to walk off. "Where are you going?" Will called after him. "Checking where it came from!" Nico called back and Will sighed, but quickly followed his boyfriend.

Percy also followed, with Annabeth and the rest close behind. They followed Nico and Will and was soon accompanied by other confused demigods. They all had seen the light and that it came from the hill above camp and were all wondering where it came from.

They ran into Clarisse, who was holding a spear. "Anyone know what the hell that was?" She asked, looking up at the hill. "Nope." Will answered and stopped with Nico at the bottom of the hill.

Percy was holding Riptide, but still in pen form, in his right hand. "I do know that we should check it out." He said, looking up the hill. "First time we agree on something, Prissy." Clarisse said and Percy rolled his eyes.

Chiron had now also arrived, his hooves making the gravel crackle. Annabeth turned to him. "Chiron, do you have any idea what that was?" She asked. "I sadly do not know Annabeth." Chiron answered.

Percy started walking up the hill, Nico and Clarisse (both holding weapons) close behind. Percy uncapped Riptide, the pen growing into a bronze colored sword the length of Percys forearm. He held the sword in his right hand as he walked up the hill.

Nico held his sword tightly with his left hand and Clarisse held her second electric spear in both hands, the pit pointed forwards. The light had been weird, almost golden, yet it wasn't warm, nor cold. Actually, Percy had only seen the light, not heard or felt it. It was like the aurora borealis, just faster and more intense, you could only see it.

As Percy stepped onto the top of the hill with the other two behind, he held up his sword. At first glance he saw nothing, then he saw some people scattered around the top off the hill. "What the hell?" Nico's voice was heard behind Percy. "Who are they? They look passed out." Clarisse said.

Percy walked up to one of the bodies on the ground. He gasped when he recognized the face. A face he had only seen on Olympus. On an Olympian.

It was Athena.

Chapter Text

"What the fuck?" Percy didn't usually swear a lot, but it felt like a correct time to. "Who is it?" Nico asked. "Athena." Percy answered, not taking his eyes off Annabeths mother. Athena laid, her eyes closed and Percy realized she was, luckily, only passed out.

"What?!" Nico appeared on his side. "Di immortales, you are right. It's her." Nico said in shock. Percy kneeled next to Athena. She looked far from the usual, her blonde hair sprawled around her and her clothes were ripped. A small cut was on her cheek and was bleeding. That when Percy noticed the second weird thing.

"She isn't bleeding Ichor." Percy realized in shock. "What?" Nico kneeled next to him. And true to Percys word, the usual gold blood was a wine red instead. "Is, is she mortal?" Clarisse asked, looking more shocked than Percy had seen her before. "I think so, there is bruising on her arm, as well as more cuts." Nico answered, his shock shining through in his voice.

Percy stuck forward his hand and placed it on Athenas neck. A low pulsing was felt under his fingers. "She is alive at least." Percy said and stood up. "There are more people here." Clarisse said and gestured around them with her spear. "Check them." Percy said and she nodded, for once not arguing.

Nico did the same as Clarisse, checking a nearby person as Percy checked to make sure he wasn't insane and that it really was Athena. It was without a doubt the Goddess of Wisdom when he checked again.

Nico and Clarisse soon came back. "It's the other Olympian's, all of them, including Hestia." Nico informed and Percy stood up again. "How?" That was the question they all wanted the answer to. "And why?" Clarisse asked, looking down at Athena again.

Percy turned away from the Goddess of Wisdom. "I'll inform the others." He said. "Check the others for injuries." The two other half-bloods nodded and Percy walked off and down the hill.

—

"What did you find?"

Annabeth immediately asked as Percy came into hearing range. "Something I didn't expect to find." He answered. "The Olympians, all of them are up there, passed out." Percy explained and looked away.

"As mortals."

The demigods gathered immediately started talking. "What?!" Annabeth exclaimed. Percy held up his hands. "I don't know! What I do know is they are bleeding normal red blood and are all injured, but not too bad, they are passed out however and need to be moved." Percy looked towards Will, who nodded and entered his role as head doctor.

Will and a few others started moving up the hill to check on the Olympians. "Go back to whatever you were doing before!" Percy called out, not leaving space for an argument and the demigods listened, albeit sounding annoyed as they walked off, talking amongst themselves about what happened.

Chiron came up to him. "Percy, are all the Olympians there?" He asked and Percy nodded. "Including Hestia." He answered and started walking back up the hill with Chiron and Annabeth close behind. The rest of his friends had already walked up the hill to help with the Gods.

Or well, former Gods.

"Chiron, has this ever happened before?" Annabeth asked. "No, it has not." Chiron answered worriedly. That definitely worried Percy and Annabeth as they shared looks, both having a worried expression.

Will was already checking on one of the Olympians, who just happened to be Athena. "Mom?" Annabeth asked in surprise as she spotted Athena on the ground. Percy said nothing, but gave his girlfriend a sad look. "She was the first one we found." Percy explained with a sigh as Annabeth kneeled next to her mother.

Annabeth didn't answer and looked at Athena with wide eyes. "You were right Percy, she was not bleeding Ichor." Will spoke up, looking away from Athena and up at Percy. "But I cannot understand how." Will sounded annoyed and worried. "I hope they know." Percy said, gesturing at the Olympians all around the hill.

Will nodded. Nico appeared from out of a bush. "Why were you in a bush?" Percy asked him confused. "Looking around for any clues on how this happened." Nico answered with a shrug. "Did you find anything then?" Annabeth asked without looking up. "Sadly not, but I was just looking at the ground and not at the Gods themselves." Nico explained.

Annabeth sighed deeply. "Is she okay?" She then asked Will. "Yes, they all seem to be okay from what I can see. Other than that they aren't immortal anymore." Will answered, standing up. "We are going to move them to the infirmary, they can't lay here." Annabeth nodded and stood up.

Percy wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You look tired, you should go back to your cabin and rest." Annabeth sighed. "It's in the middle of the day." She said and Percy shrugged. "I know, but you still look tired." Percy answered and Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Thanks." She answered, but pecked his cheek and walked off down the hill anyways.

Percy turned back. "You should rest as well, you had night guard yesterday anyways." Will said when he came back from talking with Kayla Knowles. "You sure? I could help." Percy said. "I am sure, go rest." Will said and Percy was honestly too tired to argue, so he turned around after waving bye to Will and Nico and walked down the hill.

—

Percy fell asleep shortly after he entered his cabin and slept for a while. He was eventually woken up by a knock on his cabin door.

Percy cracked his eyes open, placing a hand on his forehead. "Hello?" Percy called out, his voice groggy. "Hello Kelphead, you awake?" Percy opened his eyes, fully sitting up. "Thalia?" He asked, gripping his head when his head started spinning from sitting up too fast.

"Yup, can I come in?" Thalias voice shone through. Percy threw off his covers, luckily dressed in a shirt as it wasn't too warm. "I guess." Percy called back.

The door opened and Thalia poked her head in. Annabeth appeared behind her as well, waving at Percy. The two girls entered his cabin and Percys head stopped spinning.

"I didn't know you were going to visit." Percy said, looking at Thalia. "I wasn't, Piper IM'd me and told me Lady Artemis was here, so me and all the hunters are now here." Thalia explained with a shrug. "I was honestly surprised that Piper IM'd me, as we have not talked much, but I now get why she contacted me." Thalia said, looking worried and confused.

"Also, what in Tartarus is going on?" Percy and Annabeth both shrugged. "No clue honestly." Annabeth said. "That worries me." Thalia said and Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone say that?" Percy and Thalia shared a look but neither spoke.

"Either way-" Thalia started. "This is weird and concerning as shit." She stated, gesturing with her hands. "You tell me." Percy said, leaning backwards on his bed against the wall. "By the way, have they woken up?" Percy asked and Annabeth shook her head. "No, but I talked to Will, they should wake soon." His girlfriend answered.

Percy sighed. "What's the time anyways?" Thalia picked up her phone (Monster proof è la Leo of course) and answered. "Like 5 in the evening." She said and put the phone back in her pocket. "Then I should get up, can you two like, leave the cabin?" Percy asked and Thalia shrugged, standing up.

"I can, I don't think you or Annabeth minds if she were to stay though." Annabeth spluttered with a red face, quickly chasing after Thalia who disappeared out the door with a grin. Percy was also red in the face, but smiled nonetheless.

—

Percy exited the cabin, meeting the two girls outside. "So, they are in a better condition?" Percy asked and Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, we still don't know what caused this either, it's quite annoying." Thalia rolled her eyes. "I don't care what caused this, only how we fix it." She looked away.

"The last time an immortal became mortal, it didn't end well."

Percy and Annabeth shared a sad look. This obviously reminded Thalia of her brother Jasons fate, which was still too fresh in mind. Annabeth silently placed a hand on Thalias shoulder in comfort, which Thalia appreciated from her small smile.

"No matter, I am worried how this will end anyways, especially what caused this, or who." Thalia said after a moment of walking in silence. "I agree, I want to know how or why this happened." Percy agreed, running a hand through his hair. "I have looked through multiple books, but I can't find anything which causes an immortal to become mortal other than what Zeus did to Apollo." Annabeth said, tapping her chin. "There must be an answer somewhere!"

Percy smiled and placed a hand on Annabeths shoulder. "If anyone can figure it out, it's you." Annabeth smiled back. "Okay, get a room please." Thalia said with a frown, but her eyes looked amused, making the couple blush.

"Hey!"

Hazel was coming towards them. "Hazel?" Annabeth asked confused and spotted Frank as well. "Frank? Why are you two here?" She asked confused. "Same reason the hunters are, the gods of course." Hazel answered, her hair frizzy from the wind. "Arion brought me and Frank here as soon as we found out."

Percy looked at Frank and he did look slightly green. "I suppose that is to be expected." Annabeth said. "But who is running Camp Jupiter then?" Thalia asked. "We have it under control, don't worry." Hazel answered as Frank looked like he was going to puke if he spoke. "Eh, Frank? You alright there?" Percy asked the Chinese boy, who nodded weakly.

Hazel gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, we were in a hurry." She apologized to her boyfriend. "No worries." Frank answered weakly. Percy winced and heard steps. "Hazel? Frank?"

It was Nico who looked tired. "Nico!" Hazel hugged her brother with a smile. Nico hugged her back, not smiling, but looking less tense. "Hello, how did you get here so fast?" He asked. "Arion." Hazel answered, glancing at Frank, who waved at Nico. Nico frowned at Franks green face, but didn't comment on it.

"Have you been in the infirmary?" Thalia asked. "I have." Nico answered. "I was looking for those two, but I guess it was better I found all of you." Nico said, gesturing at Percy and Annabeth.

"The gods are awake."

Chapter Text

Annabeth was a naturally curious person, so as soon as he found out the gods were mortals, she had to figure out how and why. This ended with her reading books for hours, until Thalia found her, arriving with the hunters.

Now, when Annabeth heard the gods were awake, her curiosity awoke as usual and that led to her, together with Percy and the rest of her friends standing outside of the infirmary.

Will came out of the infirmary, looking tired. "You look tired." Thalia commented. "I am fine." Will answered. "How are they?" Reyna, who had arrived with the hunters together with Thalia, asked, more out of curiosity than worry. "They are fine, a bit, eh, confused let's say." Will said, pausing in the middle of his sentence.

Other than Reyna, Rachel was also there, silently thinking about something.

Thalia groaned. "Let me guess, dad started yelling?" She asked, sounding exasperated. Will nodded. "Yeah." Thalia sighed and none of the others were surprised either, Zeus had a famously bad temper.

"Other than him screaming, how did the others react?" Nico asked, crossing his arms. "Most were confused and some haven't actually talked, seemingly thinking." Will answered with a shrug. "It's weird seeing them like that, they seem shocked over losing their immortality."

Percy sighed next to Annabeth. "Well, can we talk to them, try to get to the bottom of this so it's all over?" He sounded both annoyed and tired, understandably so too.

"I suppose you could." Will said unsurely, opening the door to the infirmary again and stepping inside. Percy shrugged and walked up the stairs to the entrance of the infirmary, then entered behind Will.

Annabeth quickly followed Percy inside, walking next to Piper who also followed. "I am going to be honest, this feels like karma for the gods." Piper mumbled and Annabeth nodded with a small smile.

They walked past Kayla, who greeted them with a simple wave and eventually reached the biggest room in the infirmary, lying at the back of the building. "Maybe let's try to not annoy them for once, we do need answers." Will said, specifically looking at Percy, who rolled his eyes. Annabeth understood Wills worry, Percy was known for pissing the gods off.

Will opened the door and stepped inside, the rest walking in behind him. Annabeth was worried, wondering what to expect.

—

To Annabeths surprise, none of the gods yelled at them. They didn't say anything really.

The gods themselves mostly looked confused, with Zeus, obviously, looking pissed, but he for once kept his mouth shut. Annabeth scanned over the gods, all looking tired to some degree, which was weird to see. Chiron was silently standing in the corner, seemingly having been talking to Apollo.

Eventually, Thalia spoke first. "Well, this is extremely weird." She stated, looking around the room with crossed arms. Artemis answered her. "I honestly agree." The (ex) goddess of the hunt answered her hunter.

Annabeth turned towards the whole room after Artemis finished talking. "Does any of you know how this happened?" She asked, gesturing out with her hands. Athena answered after no one spoke for a moment. "Not much, just small glimpses. It's like I have gaps in my memory." She sounded annoyed at not knowing, to no one surprise.

The others gods nodded or hummed in agreement to Athenas answer. Well that's didn't help at all. Annabeth thought with a mental sigh. "Well, what do you remember?" Piper asked after a moment, her arms crossed across her chest. "A weird darkness, a prick of pain and nothing more." Hestia answered. "That's at least what I felt and heard, cause I saw, well, nothing really."

Aphrodite raised her hand like she was in a classroom. "I heard a laugh as well. A female laugh." She said and a few of the others nodded. "I didn't hear that." Zeus snapped angrily. "Well, you maybe passed out earlier and didn't hear it." Hera snapped back, looking quite pale on the bed she was sitting on.

"I suppose that makes sense that some passed out later." Will said, speaking up. "But other than this, we have one other lead." He said and picked something up from a small table by the door.

It was a piece of cloth, which he unraveled, revealing something that looked like a syringe, but without the thing you press at the back. There was some purple liquid in the syringe, that Annabeth now realized was a dart. The purple liquid had spots of dark blue and gold inside.

Annabeth had no idea what the liquid could be, nor why anyone would shoot a dart, well probably multiple, at the gods. She wasn't the only one who realized that it was a dart.

Hazel raised her eyebrows. "A dart?" She asked, looking at Will confused. "A dart caused this?" Will nodded. "The dart is made of some weird material and I have no clue what the liquid is, but whoever did this seemingly used darts to do this." He explained, holding up the dart with gloves.

"Whatever it is, it's dangerous, probably fatal to mortals and demigods, even in small doses." Will said. "Jim got some on his skin earlier, burned straight through his skin like acid." Annabeth winced and the others demigods had similar reactions. "So, whatever liquid this is, must have burned away the immortality of the gods, while it would kill a mortal." Leo summed up, having been surprisingly quiet. Will nodded, placing the dart down. "I suspect so yes."

The gods stayed silent during this exchange. Annabeth noticed they all looked tired to some degree, most likely an aftershock of the poison. "You said you couldn't figure out what it was made of either?" Athena suddenly spoke. "No, it's nothing I've ever seen before." Will answered, sounding annoyed at this. Athena hummed, but said nothing else.

"I wasn't surprised this happened, at least not as much as the rest."

They all looked at Rachel. "What do you mean?" Nico asked. "I have been having weird dreams lately. I haven't been able to figure out what they really mean, but that dart-" Rachel pointed at it. "-was in the dreams."

That was definitely worrying. "Have you had any new prophecy then?" Piper asked, sounding strained. "No, just dreams." Rachel answered. "What else was in them?" Percy asked. Chiron looked at Rachel with both worried eyes and curious ones from the corner of the room.

The group had by now spread out in different areas in the room, sitting on spare chairs or leaning against the wall. "The dart, a raven, a flower I don't recognize, random things like that." Rachel said, leaning against the wall. "What does the flower look like?" Athena asked. "Similar to a lily pad flower, just on the ground, colored purple and-" Rachel cut herself off, snapping her fingers as she realized something.

"It's the same color as the liquid in the dart! Even the blue spots match! The only thing that sticks out is the gold." This was progress. Annabeth thought. "Don't worry about the gold, it's Ichor that seeped into the dart, it's not part of the liquid." Will explained, Rachel nodding.

"I don't recognize the flower." Athena sounded more and more frustrated. Annabeth was also growing frustrated from this. "Anything else?" She asked the red haired girl. "The raven." Rachel said. "I am not big on symbolism, what does it mean?" Annabeth didn't even have to think. "Death. It symbolizes death." Now that she said it, she realized she sounded way too cheery and flushed pink.

"Great, what a happy omen." Nico said with a frown. "I just told you what it meant." Annabeth snapped and he rolled his eyes. "Anything else Rachel?" Will asked, stopping any argument from breaking out. "A star filled sky, an old ruin I don't recognize either." Rachel thought for a moment. "And a black rose, it's the last thing I can remember."

Annabeth immediately thought of the black rose's symbolism. "I am pretty sure black roses symbolizes major changes, like a death or rebirth. As well as revenge, danger, power and strength, depending on what source you ask. I know for a fact it symbolizes major changes though." She explained, sounding less cheery.

Annabeth didn't expect anybody to react to it, but the gods did, all with different reactions. Zeus looked pissed off, Hera pale and Athena both annoyed and thoughtful. "Well, it means something else as well." Artemis said, sounding torn. "What?" Annabeth asked, almost feeling annoyed. "Now, your answer was correct, I just mean that it's seen as a symbol for a different reason."

Zeus looked at Artemis with a sour expression, like she was telling them something she shouldn't. "Artemis-" He started, sounding pissed off. "What? They should know now, we are stuck as mortals, whether you like it or not! Do you not wish to be immortal again?" That shut Zeus up and Artemis continued.

"The black rose has recently been used as a symbol of rebellion." Artemis started. "A group that we call the Black Rose has been rising to fame. They are a group of anonymous demigods that have been speaking up against Olympus and all of the gods. They have been causing trouble all around both Olympus and overall."

"Their main leader is someone we call The Raven, or just Raven. A female demigod, who seems to have the main control over the group and gives them orders. We don't know her real identity and we have long been suspecting that she is planning something. Now with all this, this might have been her plan."

Annabeth was silent when Artemis finished. "You think a demigod caused this?" She asked feeling unsure. "I don't know, maybe? We suspected Raven was planning something." Athena answered. "This does feel like something Raven, or the Black rose would cause." Apollo said, speaking up. "I have no clue how though."

Annabeth thought as much as she could. "What is their goal?" She asked. "We aren't sure. So far they have mostly been a pain. Stealing artifacts, destroying buildings, graffiti, the usual rebellion things." Hera surprisingly answered. "Their end goal is not clear."

As much as Annabeth despised the goddess, she did notice how miserable Hera looked. Serves her right. Maybe this really is karma? Annabeth thought bitterly as Hazel spoke up. "Is that all you know?" She asked, slightly shyly. "Pretty much." Athena answered her, sounding dull.

Chiron spoke up for the first time. "If it really is the Black Rose who is behind this, then we need to find them." He said, scanning the room. "They are sneaky, we will need help for it." Nico looked unsure. "Help from who?" He asked, his arms crossed. "I have an idea who I could ask, she owes me a favor, she could help."

The demigod group and Gods shared looks among themselves. "We have nothing better to go of do we?" Frank asked. Percy nodded. "Let's go for the Black Rose first, it's the best lead we have." Chiron nodded, ducking as he exited the room.

Chapter Text

Chiron knew contacting who he was going to contact was risky. She would not appreciate it in the least, but he had no other option, she was one of the best fighters and one of the smartest people he knew or ever knew.

All Chiron could hope was that she wasn't going to freak out entirely.

—

The next day Chiron gathered the demigods for a speech at the dining pavilion. He stood alone up at the big table, Dionysus shining with his absence.

"Half-bloods! As you all have heard about the Gods being here among us, you must have all been wondering what is going on?" The demigods murmured among themselves.

Nico, sitting with Hazel at the Hades table, looked on as the demigods quietly whispered. Chiron held up his hands to quiet down the whispered. "And the rumor spreading is true, they are mortals." This caused the whispers to start up again.

Hazel leaned towards Nico. "You alright? You look tired and pale." Nico rolled his eyes. "I always look like this Haze, I am fine, don't worry." He assured his sisters, who looked unconvinced.

Chiron spoke again. "We have a suspicion that a group called the Black Rose is behind this. We are going to do everything in our power to track them down, to find out what happened up there on Olympus." Chiron assured to calm the demigods.

It was a short speech, but an important one either way. It shortly explained what was going on and what was going to happen. Hazel looked at Nico. "Do you think we'll find the Black Rose?" She asked. "I think we will Hazel. We will be fine." Nico said, almost assuring himself more than his sister.

—

The group met up by the beach, sitting on the sand. As it was late summer, the sun warmed even late in the day. It was around 5 PM, yet it was still very hot outside.

Nico had removed his aviator jacket, placing beside him as he would literally melt if he didn't. Everyone had their own conversations, with Nico mostly looking around at the others. Will sat next to him, looking tired. "Long day?" Nico asked him nicely. "Yeah, you could say that." Will said tiredly.

Nico frowned. "Is it the gods or?" Nico asked, Will shrugging. "Mostly, they are fine, but confused and pissed off." Will informed. "Not surprised that they are pissed off." Nico said, exasperated. Will laughed with a smile now decorating his face. Nico felt some pride at making Will smile.

"Who do you think Chiron contacted for help?" Nico and Will looked over at Leo who spoke, looking away from his conversation with Piper. "I don't know, a different god maybe? An immortal?" Percy said, brainstorming. "I have no clue to be honest." Piper said, leaning backwards onto the sand. The sky was still blue, but starting to shift in purple, pink and orange by the horizon.

Nico frowned, crossing his legs. "Either way, this whole thing has to be resolved. If the Black Rose really is behind this, then we have to find them." The group hummed in agreement. "Well, the gods should be on their feet very soon." Will said from beside Nico.

Piper sat up again, leaning her head on her knees, looking torn. "Don't you all think that-" She fell silent for a moment. "This is like, karma? For the gods?" Piper asked, gesturing with one of her hands as the other hugged her legs. The group looked at her, but no one argued. Nico was silently agreeing with Piper as it made sense.

Annabeth spoke first. "I am not going to lie, I kinda agree." Percy raised his eyebrows. "It's interesting hearing from you, as you were singing praises of the gods when we first met." Annabeth punched his arm. "Shut up." She snapped with an eye roll.

Just then Nico heard a weird noise. Like a bubbling noise. The others also noticed it. "What the-?" Leo said, standing up. Nico also stood up. The bubbling came from the ocean, which was probably the most logical place for bubbling to come from.

They all looked at Percy, who raised his hands. "Not me!" He defended himself and they looked back at the water. Slowly, but not too slow the water rose in a spiral upwards, raising to around 9 feet tall. It was now a spiral of water, swirling upwards.

Nico didn't know if he should draw his sword or not and stood there in a fight ready position, but without his weapon. The rest stood where they had been sitting, Percy holding Riptide in pen form still.

Then the water dropped, like it finally figured out what physics is. When it splashed down onto the sea, it landed by the feet of a girl.

The girl had tanned skin and sea green eyes. Her black hair was hanging down to her waist, small braids decorated with small charms like seashells and corals in her otherwise let out hair.

Her clothes were the most interesting part, it looked to be made out of the sea itself, crystal blue and the white sea foam at the bottom and top of her one shoulder dress, ending just below her knees at the front, but hanging down further at the back.

She looked towards the group of demigods on the beach with her piercing sea green eyes, which were very similar to someone Nico knew. She stepped out of the water, her dress moving like the sea at her movement. Nico now saw that she had classic Greek sandals on her feel as she was out of the water.

The group of Half-bloods looked at her with wide, confused and curious eyes. "Who are you?" Annabeth asked her, her hands hanging by her sides. "Chiron sent for me." The strange girl answered, her accent Greek.

So this was the strange person Chiron sent to help them. Nico had no clue who she was, but now that he knew why she was here, he was a bit less suspicious. "Where is he?" She asked, cocking her head slightly to the side. "I think he is at the big house." Will said and the unknown girl nodded, starting to walk off.

The group shared looks, then followed her. Nico had to admit, he was curious on how this girl was going to help at all and who she was.

Chapter Text

Percy was not sure what to think of the girl that just randomly appeared. He suspected she might be a daughter of Poseidon, as she looked extremely similar to him with her black hair and sea green eyes. Though, how would he not know if there was yet another forbidden child?

It didn't take long to reach the big house and with it being around 5 PM, most demigods had gone inside their cabins and they didn't run into someone.

As they reached the big house, the girl didn't knock and just entered, with Percy and his friends, sharing looks then, following behind her.

Chiron and all the gods were, to Percy surprise, all inside. Chiron looked over at the door when the girl entered. The gods all seemed to recognize her, as they all looked surprised.

"Ah, Aletheia, I was wondering if you were going to show up." The girl named Aletheia bowed slightly. "I said I would show, no? Also, it's Alea, I told you that." She said, eyeing the gods behind Chiron.

Percy and his friends, who were now inside the big house, looked between Aletheia and Chiron curiously. Chiron gave them a curt nod, acknowledging their presence, then turned back to the girl called Aletheia

Aletheia spoke first. "Well this is an amusing situation." She said, smiling slightly amusedly. "The famous Olympians, reduced to being mortal." She did sound slightly amused. "Just cause we are mortal does not mean you can speak to us however you want Aletheia Eleftheriou." Zeus snapped, using, most likely, the girls full name.

Aletheias expression switched into an annoyed one. "One, it's Alea, not Aletheia. Two, I have always spoken to you like this, God or not and three, I am only helping you because I owe Chiron a favor." Aletheia said, shutting Zeus up immediately. Yup, definitely related to me. Percy thought amusingly.

"So, will you help us Aletheia?" Chiron asked and she turned towards him. "I owe you one don't I?" Aletheia said, rolling her eyes slightly. "Yes, I'll help." Chiron gave her an appreciative nod. "I suspect you know your way around camp?" Aletheia nodded. "I would be worried if it has changed that much since I last was here so I would get lost." Aletheia said, glancing at the group of Half-bloods which Percy was a part of.

"But I suppose it has changed slightly." Percy was not sure what she meant by that. Aletheia looked away, meeting Chiron eyes. "It's quite late, I will head to my cabin." Aletheia explained. "Do you not have any things to be moved?" Chiron asked. Aletheia smirked. "They are already there."

Then she disappeared in a cloud of mist.

—

The group left shortly after, being shooed out by Chiron, as he had to talk to the gods.

"That's was weird." Leo said after a moment. "Anyone know who that is?" Annabeth asked, looking to be deep in thought. No one answered the Daughter of Athena. "I think she's a demigod." Hazel said. "Or a demigod who's now immortal." Percy agreed with that.

"Well, we'll see if she turns up at one of our cabins. She said she was going to one, no?" The group collectively nodded. "If we want to catch the Black Rose, we might need sleep. Let's go back to our cabins at least." Frank said, turning to walk towards his cabin.

The rest also split up after saying goodbye. Percy headed towards his cabin with thoughts swirling in his head. He was wondering about this girl who appeared all of a sudden, someone Chiron thinks might be helpful.

Percy was almost 100% sure that she was a daughter of Poseidon, with her appearing in the ocean and all. Also her weird teleportation power was weird, she just disappeared with a poff.

Cabin 3 was nearby, as it lay close to the Big house and Percy absentmindedly opened the door to his cabin, the usual smell of sea-salt hitting him in the face.

"I suspected you were a child of Poseidon."

Percy yelped, not actually expecting someone to be there. The girl was in fact there, standing and looking at him with curiosity. "Um, yeah, thats my dad." Percy said, realizing how stupid he sounded. Aletheia hummed, looking around.

"Looks the same since I saw it last time." She stated, looking back at Percy, who felt judged and having no idea what to say. Luckily the girl did, walking up to him and holding her hand out.

"I am Aletheia, though I suspect you heard that earlier. Call me Alea." Aletheia introduced herself. Percy eyed her hand before grabbing it. "Percy." He said, letting go of her hand afterwards. "So, you are also a child of Poseidon?" Percy asked, even though it was quite obvious. "I am." Alea answered walking over to one of the, usually, empty beds. Now there was some things on it, as well as bag beside it.

Oh right, she's staying here. Percy thought to himself. Alea was looking through a notebook absentmindedly. Percy walked over to his bed, feeling the awkwardness in the air.

Percy sat down on his bed, his legs crossed and back against the wall. Alea ignored him mostly, looking at something in her notebook. A paper fell out of it and she unfolded it, then chuckled. Percy, too curious to help himself, asked: "What's funny?"

Alea glanced back at him before turning around, a soft and amused smile on her face. "Nothing. I just found out that my partner wrote me a note and hid it in my notebook." Alea waved with a paper, that had some text and a heart on. "We aren't overly romantic with each other, so I just found it sweet."

Percy found himself growing curious about the girl in front of him. "Are you immortal?" He suddenly asked. Alea shrugged. "Yes." She answered. "I didn't really- never mind." She cut herself off. Percy stayed silent for a moment. "How do you know Chiron?" He asked and Alea chuckled lightly. "We go way back. Around...." She tapped her chin.

"-2000 years maybe? I didn't bother to remember." Alea answered and Percy felt some shock wash over him. "You are 2000 years old?" Alea shrugged. "More or less." Alea answered. "I was born in Greece. Well, Ancient Greece."

Now when Percy thought about it, she did have a Greek accent. "Where were you born?" Percy asked curiously. "Athens." Alea answered with a shrug. "Basic, but true." Alea didn't seem overly emotional thinking back on her old home. "Did you like it?" Alea fell silent. "No." Alea curtly said. "The food was nice though." Percy chuckled. "That would win me over."

Alea smirked slightly and folded up the note, placing it back in her bag. "So, have you ever met any other immortal demigods?" Percy asked curiously.

"Yup. Heracles is a asshole."

Percy snorted at her bluntness. "Agreed. I've never met him but two of my friends have." Alea raised her eyebrows, sitting down on her bed. How isn't the bed wet? Her dress looks to be made of water. "Hm? Which ones?" She asked. "Piper and Jason." Percy answered simply, it hurt too much to think about Jason and Alea didn't push it.

The two sat silent for a moment before Alea spoke again. "I heard about you." Alea said and Percy looked up. "Oh, where?" He asked unsurely. "Oh, everyone has heard about The hero of Olympus." Alea said, looking up, her piercing green eyes cutting straight through him. Percy hummed, not too fond of the title.

The edges of Alea's mouth twitched in amusement. "Not too fond of the title?" She asked. "How did you know?" Percy asked in surprise. "Oh, just assumed from your annoyed expression." Alea answered with a shrug. Percy chuckled. "We are definitely related."

Alea was quiet for a moment before snorting. "I guess so." She said, standing up. "I'm going to get ready to go to sleep. It's not that late, but I have been busy the last few weeks, I need some sleep. Goodnight." She said. "Night." Percy said as she entered the bathroom of the cabin, closing the door behind her.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Percy woke up pretty normally. For once, his sleep had been nightmare free, so he was pretty well rested. Percy rubbed his eyes, sitting up lazily.

"Good morning."

Percy jumped, looking over at the other bed in the room. He had entirely forgotten about Alea from the night prior. "Morning." He said, dropping his hands from his face.

Alea was wearing a simple pair of jeans shorts and a camp shirt, which looked very causal on her considering what she wore the day prior. She sat cross legged on her bed, typing on a phone that Percy hoped was monster proof. Alea's hair was in two French braids down her back to a bit above her waist.

"Do you always wake up this early?" Percy asked. "I don't need sleep." Alea answered, looking up. "Oh right, immortality." Percy said, having entirely forgotten that she was immortal. "Also, it's pretty late." Alea said, gesturing at her phone, showing him the time. It said 9 am. "Oh shit!" Percy swore, accidentally falling out of bed when trying to get out.

Alea raised her eyebrows before ignoring him. "Your clothes are on the chair." She said and Percy looked at her confused, before seeing the folded up clothes on the chair by his desk. "I folded them up for you." Alea said. "Might as well do something nice now when I'm stuck here for a while."

Percy was mildly surprised, but appreciative. "Thank you. I appreciate it." He said, grabbing his shirt. Alea nicely enough turned away when he quickly got changed into his pants and camp shirt. "You gonna tag along for breakfast?" Alea looked back. "I guess, I might not eat anything, but I can follow. I'm curious how much camp has changed since I last was here."

Alea stood up and Percy took note of her black converse having replaced her Greek sandals. "Why the clothes change? You look so... casual now."

Alea looked down at her clothes, before up again. "I like to make a good first impression, but then I do not have the energy to get dressed in that again." Alea said with a shrug. Percy noted that she had golden eyeshadow and some eyeliner around her eyes, but nothing else was resembling her attire from the day prior.

Percy held the door open for Alea and she gave him a small nod in thanks. He then walked out behind her, the door falling shut behind them.

The two both squinted at the sun. "I definitely woke up late." Percy grumbled, Alea glancing at him. "I thought I'd let you sleep, you looked tired." She said with a blank expression. "Yeah, con of being a demigod." Percy said and Alea smiled slightly. "I get it, I have issues with that, even when I'm immortal."

The two got a few curious looks when they walked through camp. "I don't think Chiron has told the rest of camp about you. Only that someone was coming to help." Percy said as they walked past two campers looking at them confused.

"It doesn't bother me." Alea said. "The looks I mean." She confirmed when Percy looked at her confused. "Been through worse." She said before zoning out for a moment, lost in memories of something.

Percy sighed in response as the two walked. With Alea zoned out, he was bored again. The dining pavilion was luckily close by and the soon reached it.

—

The gods were sitting by the big table, clearly a bit uncomfortable. Chiron, who was as usual also by the big table, looked up when they entered.

"Aletheia. I was wondering when you'd join us." He said, as Percy quickly sat down by his table. Alea didn't follow him. "Well, I'm here now." Alea said, a calm smile on her face.

Percy locked eyes with Annabeth on the other side of the pavilion. Her eyes were curious and Percy simply nodded towards Alea. Annabeth smiled before looking back at Alea.

Chiron gestured for Alea to come up to the big table. She listened, walking up and standing next to him. It was now that Percy noticed how much, well, not power, but respect, Chiron seemed to have for her. The gods seemed to also hold some respect, but hiding it well.

"This is Aletheia Eleftheriou, she will help us with our issue we are dealing with." Chiron said, speaking loudly and clearly to all demigods present. Alea said nothing, simply standing with her hands behind her back calmly.

Chiron gave her a nod and Alea sat down on a chair at the big table. Of course, shes immortal. Not a demigod anymore. Percy thought with a mental sigh.

Chiron spoke again. "A meeting will be scheduled for later today and I want you all to attend. Dismissed." Some demigods left after he said that and some simply stayed seated. Percy looked up and saw Alea talk to Chiron in a hushed voice.

"Percy."

Percy jumped as Leo suddenly appeared. "What?" Percy asked, looking at the latino. "We are meeting up by the big house, you coming?" Leo asked. "Just let me eat something and I'll be down." Percy answered and Leo shrugged, walking away.

—

Percy walked to the big house 15 minutes later, the rest of his friends gathered already. "Why are we here?" Percy asked as Annabeth kissed his cheek. "Chiron called a meeting. Only a few were invited." Annabeth explained.

"Like guests and gods."

Annabeth jumped in surprise, spinning around to meet Alea's green eyes. "Yes, they were invited." Annabeth grumbled, annoyed that she got scared. Alea smiled nicely, but said nothing.

"Who's your godly parent?" Nico asked her, his arms crossed. "Poseidon." Alea answered, smiling nicely. "And before you ask, I was born before the oath." Alea said amusedly, clearly noticing Annabeth's expression. "You're immortal?" Leo asked and Alea nodded. "I am." She simply answered with a nonchalant shrug.

Alea then walked up the stairs to the big house. Percy and the others shared a look before following the girl. Alea simply opened the door and entered. Percy followed together with the others.

Chiron, the mortal gods and a few other campers were gathered. "Oh, good, now we are all here. Take a seat, we have a lot to go through." Chiron said, gesturing for them to sit.

Chapter Text

They were all seated now and Percy was sitting in between Alea and Annabeth. Other than his friends, the other campers were all cabin counselors of the other cabins.

"So, what are we here for?" Clarisse asked, looking annoyed as usual. "We need to discuss how we are going to take on the Black Rose." Chiron said, looking around at the ones gathered. "Right, the only issue. You never explained very carefully who they are." Lou Ellen, counselor of the Hecate cabin, said.

"The Black Rose is a rebellion group causing trouble in Olympus. Graffiti, stealing and starting some fights and so one." Alea answered for Chiron. "What do you know about that?" Demeter asked her in an annoyed tone. "More than you might expect." Alea answered calmly, not letting Demeter's tone get to her.

Will spoke up. "Well, how are we supposed to find them? We have no idea where they are...or who they are?" He said the last part as a question. "No, we do not know who they are." Apollo answered. "We know what they go by, at least some of them. But it's not their real names."

"We know the leader." Athena said. "She's called The Raven." The group said nothing so Athena continued speaking. "The Raven is one of two members we really know of. People on the street have heard of Black Roses mentioning a council, so we suspect those two are members of it." Nico spoke up after Athena finished. "What is their name? The second member?" He asked. "They are just called The Observer." Athena said.

Percy and Annabeth shared a look. That sounds creepy. Percy thought. Alea raised her hand as if she was in a test. "I have been trying to gather some information lately and have been able to acquire some more information about this council." She said in her usual calm tone. "And that is?" Artemis questioned.

"That there is 13 council members with Raven as the top leader." Alea said, still as calmly, her hands interlocked on the table. "There is a hierarchy in place, with Raven at the top." She gestured a little with her hands when talking. "There is a second in command and a third in command. The second in command is, even among the Black Roses, a bit mysterious, but thats just what I've heard when talking to some of them in disguise. That is pretty much everything though. I wish I could provide more information, but alas, I'm just one person."

Alea finished her speech and interlocked her hands again. "A hierarchy? That could make sense." Annabeth said from beside Percy, who was in a bit of a daze with the amount of information. "Raven is clearly their top leader, as Alea said." Piper said, having been quiet for a while.

"Well, how do we fight them then?" Clarisse asked, also gesturing, just a bit more aggressively. "We need to find them first." Kaite Gardener said, also speaking up. "What would be the best course of action?" Annabeth asked. "That depends, Annabeth." Chiron said. "I suggest finding out the identities of the councilors first." Hera said, surprising most of the room as she had been surprisingly silent so far.

"How though?" Katie Gardener asked from next to Travis. "We have no clue where to start." Percy watched Alea, as she seemed quite invested. "We could try to track them using a crime scene." Leo suddenly said, also having been surprisingly quiet. "You said they steal? Maybe we should check one of the scenes out? That could give us hints." He suggested and the group thought about it. "I suppose that could work." Hestia said, brushing some of her reddish brown hair from her eyes.

"It's a start at least."

Percy, who hadn't raised his voice as he had been trying to process all information so far, spoke up. "If we do that, what should we look for?" He asked. "Signs of a fight." Annabeth suggested. "If there has been a fight, there might be marks of what weapons they use for example." Percy's girlfriend suggested.

"Even if we do, how are is that supposed to help us track them?" Hades said, having been silent so far. "It won't, but it's a start. If we know what weapons, it might give us a hint of how they fight. Also, maybe how many they are, I mean, do we know how many they are in total?" A shake of Chirons gave Annabeth her answer.

"Even if we don't know." Alea suddenly said. "I think the plan is solid so far. I have some connections here and there. I can try to see where the last crime was and if it's been cleaned up." Chiron nodded at her. "Please do, it might be helpful. Finding them are of great need." Alea gave a curt nod, seemingly thinking.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Connor suddenly asked. "I mean, our cabin is already asking questions that we can't answer." He said. "So is mine." Will said and everyone with a big cabin nodded. "Tell them we are working on it and are moving forward." Chiron said and they all nodded. "Got it." Will said.

"Good, meeting dismissed for now. I will call one as soon as we have a lead on the latest crime." Chiron said and that was that.

—

Annabeth followed Percy out with their friends doing the same. "Well, at least we have a lead now." Leo said, stretching as if he had been sitting for hours. "A very vague one." Reyna deadpanned and Leo grinned a bit.

Alea suddenly appeared by his shoulder, making him jump. "How do you keep doing that?!" Leo exclaimed and Alea shrugged nonchalantly. "I have been told that before. I guess it's a talent." She guessed with a neutral expression. "You think you'll be able to find something?" Annabeth asked, crossing her arms. "I am almost certain I'll find something." Alea said quite confidently and for a moment Annabeth wondered if she had hubris.

"That's good I guess." Percy said unsurely. Alea nodded, but looked a bit distant. "What's up? You looked thoughtful." Thalia asked. "I'm just thinking about all of this." Alea admitted. "While I guess the Black Rose could be responsible for this, I'm just wondering how they managed." Annabeth and Percy shared a look.

"I mean, they are just demigods." Alea said with a shrug, her arms crossed. "While I'm aware of the damage demigods can cause, can it be that great?" She asked. "Even if they can, I'd rather avoid a third war in such a short period of time. I've been through enough in my lifetime." Alea said, frowning a little. "Oh right, you are like 2000 right?" Leo asked and Alea nodded. "Yay."

On the topic of demigods doing stuff, how did they even managed to do this?" She asked. "They used a poison." Rachel, who Annabeth had forgotten was there, said. Alea paused for a second. "They used what now?" She asked in a weird tone. "Poison?" Rachel repeated and Alea hummed shortly.

"I'm going to get in contact with my contacts and see what I can find. I will see you all later." Alea said in dissolved in mist. Disappearing.

Chapter Text

After the meeting, Annabeth tagged along when the group walked down to the beach. She wasn't fully sure what they were planning on doing, but she had nothing better to do at the moment.

"This is all very concerning." Rachel said as they sat down on the sand. "Indeed." Thalia said, lying down on her back.

"What are we going to do in the meantime?" Leo asked, fiddling with some wires. "Wait, I guess." Will answered, sitting cross legged next to Nico. "For Alea?" Percy asked, leaning back on his hands. "Cause who knows how long that'll take."

Annabeth could have sworn she had heard Alea's full name, Aletheia Eleftheriou, before, but not where. It was bugging her. "I could have sworn I have heard her name before." She said. "Just not where." The group looked at her. "Alea? Thats a common name...I think."

"Not that, her full name, what Zeus called her before." Annabeth said, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend. "Its a Greek name." Reyna said, also lying down in the sand. "She said she was Greek." Percy toned in. "She told me that at the same time she told me her age."

Annabeth felt her curiosity spike. "And that is?" She asked. "I didn't get a specific age, but she simply said 2000." Annabeth blinked in suprise. "That old?" Nico asked. "I don't think you can talk about age." Will chimed in and Nico slapped his shoulder.

"Well, yes, that's what she said. She did tell you all that she was immortal." Percy said with a shrug. "True." Piper said, lying on her stomach. "That might be why. Maybe she is a demigod known in history." Annabeth shrugged. "Maybe, I need to look in some books to be sure though." Hazel raised her hand a little. "That or you could ask Chiron."

That was also an option. "Also true. What I'm wondering though, is what does Alea owe Chiron." Nico said. "Owe?" Frank asked. "Chiron said that he knew someone who owed him something and this was the favor he used, what favor?" Rachel said, her arms resting in her lap. "I wonder that too." Leo said, looking up from his wires. "Again, we could ask." Hazel argued. "What if it's sensitive?" Will asked.

"It could be." Annabeth admitted. "But it's that or asking Alea. I mean, she seems nice. Nicer than I expected." Annabeth had a few run ins with demigods throughout history, but they were all assholes and prideful.

Alea just...wasn't.

"Yeah, she is surprisingly nice for an immortal. I mean, all the ones we've met have almost always turned out to be asses." Piper said, crossing her hands. Thalia sniggered next to her. "Well, maybe she's different? I mean, we don't know anything about her do we?" The group shook their heads.

"I will look through some books and see what I can find out." Annabeth decided, standing up. "I'll see you all later." She said, waving the group bye. "Bye!" Thalia called out behind her as she left.

—

The library in camp mostly contained children of Athena, but sometimes there were other demigods who were bored or something. Annabeth entered, making sure to not make too much sound and steered her steps to the history section.

Sitting in an armchair was Leia, another child of Athena. She was also reading, but glanced up when Annabeth appeared. "Annie!" Leia said in surprise. Annabeth rolled her eyes in response. "Hello Leia." She greeted, reading the backs of the books on the shelf. "I would ask why you are where, but you clearly know what you are looking for." Leia said with a smile. "Yeah, a bit at least." Annabeth admitted. "Do you know any good about famous people from Ancient Greece? Demigods, philosophers and so on."

Leia placed the book down and stood up, quickly reading through the backs of the books before picking one. "This one is more on philosophical stuff, give me a second." She placed the book on a small table before looking a bit more.

Annabeth watched the slightly younger girl look. Leia had come to camp after the whole stuff with the sea of monsters and Annabeth had grown attached to the blonde girl.

"This is demigods, famous ones."

Leia's voice cut through Annabeth's thoughts. "Oh, thank you, Leia." Leia smiled and sat down again. "Have a good read." She said, a cabin 6 saying. "Thank you, same to you." Annabeth said, smiling at her and walking away.

She had an interesting read in front of her.

—

Nico sat in his cabin with Hazel, who was scrolling on her phone while he was silently reading a book. "It's been a while now." Nico looked up. "What's been a while?" He asked. "Since Alea suddenly disappeared. I mean, I'm not sure she's even in camp right now." Hazel said, placing down her phone.

"She can't be here all the time." Nico argued. "I mean, she has a life outside of all this." Hazel shrugged. "I guess, but she said she was going to get in contact with some connection she had. Who knows how long that'll take?" Nico raised his eyebrows. "Why are you suddenly so concerned? You don't usually act like this."

Hazel sighed and shrugged. "I guess this whole thing, plus being a praetor, is tiring. Not that I don't like being a praetor, I do, but this whole thing is a bit stressful." Nico frowned. "I guess that makes sense. But don't you and Frank share responsibility in Camp Jupiter?" Hazel nodded. "We do, but now with all this happening, it's a bit hard to deal with." She admitted. "I mean, we arrived long before the other will come here." Nico blinked, not aware that some other Romans were showing up.

"Who else is coming?" He asked. "A few others that could help." Hazel simply answered. "It will work out, we aren't fighting anymore are we?" Nico shook his head and leaned against his pillow. "No, we aren't." He said with a sigh.

Nico had been thinking about the Black Rose and their motive for doing what they were doing. "Haze?" Hazel looked up from her phone again. "Yes?" She asked. "What do you think the Black Rose is trying to achieve? Like, what is their end goal?" Hazel fell silent for a moment. "I guess making a change. Or just straight up killing the gods." She said unsurely.

"We just found out about their existence, its had to tell. So far, if you don't count the gods turning mortal, they seem to be quite tame, but that could change." Hazel said, placing her phone down by her side. "If they are trying to make a change, what change?" Hazel shrugged. "I don't know." She fell silent for a moment, before speaking, albeit a bit carefully. "Do you think...do you think they are trying the same thing as Luke Castellan?"

Nico stiffened. The second titan war was a sensitive subject in camp, especially to Percy, Nico, Annabeth, Thalia and Will. Percy was the child of the prophecy, Annabeth lost one of her oldest friends, same with Thalia. Nico lost his sister, albeit before the war started, but it was connected to it and lastly Will, who lost almost all his siblings an except Kayla and Austin.

Nico realized he had yet to answer Hazel. "That...would not be good." Nico eventually settled on saying. "No it would not." Hazel said and fell silent, clearly not trying to make him uncomfortable.

It was already a bit too late for that.

—

Later, there was a knock on the door to cabin 13. "Yes?" Hazel called out, looking up from her phone. "We have a lead!" Frank's voice shone through the door. "Alea found out where there was last a crime by the Black Rose!" Will's voice was also heard.

Nico and Hazel were quickly both on their feet, Nico quickly opening the door. "She found something?" Will held up his hands. "That's what dad said when he told us there was a meeting. Also, it's in the dining pavilion. Chiron wants to address all of camp about this." Nico and Hazel shared a look, then nodded, both stepping out of their gloomy cabin.

"So, did you hear anything else?" Nico asked and Will shook his head. "No, just that she found the place where the last crime was." Hazel looked impressed. "That didn't take long did it?" She said. "Well, Alea had years to build contacts, can't be that hard to get clues in that case." Frank said with a shrug.

"That's true, it's helpful."

Nico was the only one who didn't jump in surprise, he had felt Alea approach. "Sheesh, you take after Nico, you both seem to love to sneak up on people." Will exclaimed, his hand on his chest. Alea chuckled with a smile. "I do it by accident. I don't make much sound when I walk." Nico hadn't even thought about that, but it was true, Alea made almost no sound when walking.

Alea smiled nicely. "Camp has changed a lot since I was here last." She said. "In a good way." Nico raised his eyebrows. "In what way?
He asked. "Oh, I was here when it was built. It's quite old." Alea said, smiling. "Well, for one, there are more demigods here now." She said, then frowned. "Probably since there wasn't to many around when it was built." She said and fell silent for a moment. "And secondly, more cabins, which probably explains the first reason." Alea smiled again. "It's good to see children of other gods are also allowed to be protected."

Nico noticed she didn't use the term, minor gods. There was probably no reason for it, but he noted it anyways. "Well, it's good changes at least." Will said and Alea smiled. "Indeed they are." She said. Nico wondered if her politeness was natural or forced as she smiled. It seemed genuine.

Maybe I shouldn't judge her too fast. Just cause I've met other immortal demigods who turned out to be assholes doesn't mean all are. Nico thought as they entered the dining pavilion.

Nico and Hazel waved bye to the others as they split. Will headed towards the Apollo table, Frank the Ares table and Alea walked up to the big table, greeting Chiron with a small nod.

Nico made a note of the glares some of the gods gave Alea. Hazel seemingly also noticed. "They don't seem to like her very much do they?" Hazel asked, leaning towards him. "No, they don't." Nico agreed with a frown.

The question is why.

—

"As you are probably aware, camp is facing some issues."

That must be the absolute worst way of opening a speech, Chiron.

Piper sat by the Aphrodite table, glad for some silence from her half siblings. That didn't stop her from mentally complaining about Chirons opening sentence.

"As we informed all of you last meeting, the Black Rose is suspected to be behind all this." Chiron continued, obviously not having heard Pipers thought. "The Black Rose is a rebellion group containing of demigods all over the world causing chaos. Their leaders are unknown, as their real names are yet to be discovered. The council leading the Black Rose is, as far as we know, made up of 13 demigods."

That cause whispers to break out. Piper understood why, she had heard of the second titan war after all. She hadn't been around, but knew that her own cabin had suffered losses in the war, so she understood the worry.

"We know of the main leader of the Black Rose, the one making the shots. It's a demigod called Raven whom seems to be making the big main decisions." Chiron continued. "We suspect they are behind all of this. There has been whispers of a big move soon happening, so drawing the conclusion that this was it makes sense."

Piper leaned her elbows on the table as she listened. "We are planning on going to one of their crime scenes to see if any details can be uncovered. Aletheia will be leading the investigation of that specific crime scene." Alea simply looked over the demigods, not with overbearing pride or confidence, rather with curiosity.

Piper didn't exactly have a good history with immortal demigods, but she agreed with Annabeth. Alea seemed nicer than most they had met. Chiron gave Alea a nod and she stood up. "I will pick out some of you to come with me, but I'm not forcing anyone to go. The Black Rose can be dangerous and their crime scenes could be the same. As if most of us aren't used to some danger."

A few demigods snickered, which made Piper smile. Alea somehow managed to gain some of the demigods respect in just a few words. The simple action of not making anyone go was appreciated by most. "The crime scene I have been able to find is a simple break in, with some graffiti involved, so if anyone's is big on spray paint, which I'm not, it would be helpful, as simple as knowing the ingredients in could be helpful. Other than that, I don't think I have much else to say." Alea said, giving a smile nod to the camp and sitting down again.

Chiron took the word again. "We leave tomorrow morning, anyone who is interested can come talk to me, dismissed."

Talking immediately broke out. A young girl Piper remembered named Ursa, leaned towards her. "Do you think this will lead to another war?" She asked, her brown eyes worried. Piper smiled as comforting she could. "Don't worry, it will be fine." Piper promised, but Ursa didn't look convinced.

Chapter Text

The Poseidon cabin was quiet, the only sound being Percy's breathing. Alea was who knows where and Annabeth had retreated to her cabin, explaining that as a cabin counselor she had to make sure that everyone understood what was going on.

And that's why Percy was in his bed, scrolling on his monster proof phone when the door opened.

Alea stepped inside, already in the move of releasing her hair from her braids. Percy looked up. "Find anyone?" He asked. "Yes, by the way, are you coming, cause I didn't find that clear?" Alea asked, pointing at him with raised eyebrows. "Yes I am, I am pretty sure Annabeth and Nico are too, not sure 'bout the other though."

Alea hummed, combing her fingers through her night black hair. "That doesn't surprise me." She said, sitting down on her bed, her hair hanging down past her waist and lying behind her on the bed. Percy raised his eyebrows. "How so?" Alea looked up and smiled amusedly. "You are selfless and want to make sure everyone is safe, Annabeth is curious about all of this, as is her nature as a daughter of Athena and Nico doesn't care too much about his own safety, but he does care about others."

Alea counted on her fingers, rolling her eyes with a smile. "It's quite obvious if I say so myself, but I've been told I'm good at reading people." Percy was impressed, but also confused. "How did you know Annabeth's mother was Athena? I don't believe she's mentioned it." Alea's expression didn't change. "It's obvious with how she, one, acts, and two, looks." Alea explained.

"All children of Athena look pretty much the same, so I drew conclusions."

That made sense. "True." Percy agreed, shrugging one shoulder. Alea chuckled, removing her shoes and lying down on her bed, hand above her head. Percy had many questions he had yet to ask her. She was the first immortal demigod that seemed nice and approachable about stuff, so naturally he was curious.

"Alea?"

The girl in question glanced at him. "Nai?" (Yes?) She asked in Greek. "You said you were like 2000 years old?" Alea raised her eyebrows. "What about it?" She asked curiously. "Around what time were you born? Like, is there a specific event that might give me an idea?" Alea thought for a moment. "The first titan war." She answered with a shrug, spinning one of her bracelet's, one made of leather. "Just after?" Percy asked, ignoring the coldness taking over at the mention of any titan war.

"No, just before."

Percy was pretty sure he almost got mental whiplash with how fast he turned to stare at Alea. "Before?!" Alea raised her eyebrows. "Yeah? That's what I just said." Percy blinked. "I didn't know they had kids before that!" Alea shrugged. "They had multiple, don't ask me how they had the damn time." Alea answered, smiling slightly. "I was one of the first, maybe even the first, at least thats what history tells me." Alea said with a shrug. "To be fair, any demigod I met around that period was younger than me, sometimes even by months, so I suppose it could be true, I'm not sure."

Alea shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "I don't really care to be honest." Percy hummed, sitting cross legged on his bed as Alea laid with her hands under her head on hers.

—

They both fell silent until a knock on the door interrupted that silence. Alea and Percy shared a look before he stood up and walked over to the door, opening it.

Annabeth stood outside, a book tightly held in her hands. "Percy, I did find something!" She exclaimed, her hair a bit tangled. "Find what?" Annabeth peeked behind Percy as Alea spoke. "Oh, I didn't know you were here." She said in mild surprise. "I sorta live here right now, but I'll let it slide." Alea answered, sitting up.

Percy stepped to the side and let Annabeth inside. "So, what did you find, as Alea so nicely asked." Percy asked as Alea rolled her eyes. "Oh, It was about Alea actually." Annabeth said and Alea raised her eyebrows. "Really? What about me?" She asked curiously. "Well, I recognized your name, your full name and it bothered me, so I looked for a book on old and famous demigods." Annabeth explained.

"Uh huh." Alea said. "Again, what did you find?" Alea asked, but she looked amused, so she weren't being rude. "The books said you were the first demigod ever born." Alea raised her eyebrows and her and Percy shared a look. "Funnily enough, thats exactly what me and your boyfriend were discussing." Percy flushed pink at the same time as Annabeth.

"Oh, how did you know?" Annabeth asked and Alea gestured at her hand. Percy was so used to holding Annabeths hand that he didn't even notice he was holding it. "You are holding hands and considering your reaction was to blush, I am assuming I was right." Annabeth chuckled, but didn't let go of Percy's hand. "Well, your assumption is correct." She said with a smile.

Alea smiled in return and Percy was happy they got along. To be fair, Alea did seem to get along with everyone but the gods. "I have another question if thats fine?" Annabeth said. "Pes." (Say) Alea said with a shrug. "Well, is it true you founded camp together with Chiron?"

Percy blinked in surprise while Alea simply smiled. "That is true, I did found it with him. I don't want to sound prideful, but it was my idea for a camp. Chirons first idea was a field, I just fixed it up a bit." Alea said with a chuckle, then frowned. "But Zeus refused to give me the permission to build a cabin for the gods other than the Olympians, I wasn't allowed to build a cabin for Hades either." Alea grumbled, sounding annoyed. "So I do thank you for making sure that happened." Alea said, smiling again.

Annabeth smiled and answered first. "It's thanks to Percy, it was his request when he decided to deny immortality." Alea smiled at him. "Really? You denied immortality? I guess we have more in common than what I thought." That surprised Annabeth too. "But, you are immortal, no offense."

Alea chuckled lightly in slight amusement for their surprise. "I didn't ask for it. It was more of a... forced gift I guess." She tapped her chin. "I mean, I did deny it, but later in life, it was kinda forced upon me." Percy suddenly felt bad for Alea. From how she described it, she wasn't too happy about it. "Oh, I'm sorry? I don't know how to react to that." Percy said and Alea rolled her eyes. "No worries, it was long before you were born, I mean, thousands of years before you were born, you wouldn't been able to stop it anyways."

Alea smiled at him reassuringly and laid back down on her back. "But yeah, not really ideal."

Chapter Text

"Annabeth?"

The daughter of Athena jumped in surprise. "Sorry Leia, didn't see you there." Annabeth apologized to her half sister. Leia smiled. "It's fine, you just looked zoned out." Leia answered, scratching her neck.

The two daughters of Athena stood on top of half-blood hill, next to Thalia's tree. They had gathered to go look at this crime scene Alea had been able to find.

Speaking of the daughter of Poseidon...

Alea was chatting to Chiron about something. She had been given the leader role for this mission, which Annabeth didn't mind, she trusted Alea by now. Also, she seemed capable of keeping them alive if something happened. Other than the two daughters of Athena and daughter of Poseidon, there were some others gathered.

Percy, Nico, Kayla Knowles, the head of the Nemesis cabin named Nelly ven and a demigod Annabeth, if she remembered correctly, was a daughter of Hecate were all gathered as well. "It's a surprisingly small group." Leia commented. "I expected a bigger one." Annabeth hummed in response. "We can't be too many can we? We would draw too much attention." Leia shrugged in response.

Two others also stepped onto the hill, Athena and Artemis. Annabeth was surprised the two goddesses (technically former) had come. Alea had the same thoughts apparently.

"I didn't expect to find you two here." She commented. "I thought you might want an eyewitness wiht you, in case we find something that connects back to what happened on Olympus." Athena answered, her arms crossed. On her back was a spear and Artemis was carrying a bow, to no one surprise.

"That could be helpful indeed." Alea answered, one arm on her hip before removing it and clapping her hands together. "Gather up!" She called out and Annabeth smiled at Alea's almost motherly expression. "She reminds me of a mother." Leia said before glancing at Athena. "Well, how a mother should be." Annabeth simply frowned in response.

"So, the crime scene I have found is simply a break-in at a museum." Alea said. "Why a museum?" Kayla asked, her arms crossed. "Artifacts from ancient times, sometimes important, are displayed in them." Alea answered. "There is some graffiti there too, who here was the expert on that?" The girl Annabeth didn't know the name of raised her hand slightly. "Me, I can take a look at that when we arrive." She said and Alea nodded.

"Good, let's go then. Try not to touch anything."

Alea gestured in a circle. "Stand in a circle, I'll take us there." Annabeth and Leia shared a look, but did as Alea said. When they were all in position, Alea held out her hands, palms up.

Suddenly, Annabeths body felt like static and she looked down at her hands, which looked more transparent than usual. She and Percy had time to share on look before everything turned white.

—

After a moment of nothing but the feeling of static and the whiteness around her, Annabeth's feet hit the ground.

She stumbled, like most of the others, when the static and whiteness disappeared, Alea looked completely fine thought. Annabeth took note of the mist around them that disappeared a second later.

"Was that your weird mist thing you do sometimes?" Nico asked, looking, other than Alea, the least affected. "It was. It's called Mist travel." Alea answered before smiling crookedly. "You children of hades aren't the only ones with disappearing acts." She said before looking up and behind him.

Annabeth followed her line of view and realized that they were in a park close to a big building that Alea was looking at. "Is that the museum?" Nelly Ven asked, her arms crossed. "It is." Annabeth jumped, having forgotten Athena and Artemis. "Where are we?" Artemis asked, looking around.

"The Krannert art museum in Champaign, Illinois."

"We are in Illinois?!"

Alea looked at Percy with raised eyebrows. "Yeah? So? The Black Rose isn't exclusive to New York." She said. "How did you have the energy to take us 850 miles?" Annabeth asked confused. "Perks of being immortal I guess." Alea answered with a shrug and short hum. "Shall we go inside? It's closed for the weekend so there is no one there."

With those words, Alea turned on her heel and walked towards the museum. Kayla sighed, then followed and shortly after, the rest did too.

—

The inside was quite impressive, but having seen Olympus, it wasn't as impressive as it could have been. There was graffiti as soon at they entered.

The branches of the Black Rose reaches further than what you think!

Our thorns are sharper than you think!

We might be pretty, but all roses have hidden thorns.

That was the three messages Annabeth was able to read. The rest was scribbles with different symbols, a raven, a wolf, a blade and so on. A big rose with black outlines was the main thing Annabeth noticed though. The petals each held different symbols and some were just colored in with black paint.

"That can paint at least."

Annabeth glanced at Kayla, who looked at the graffiti with a tilted head. No one said anything against it. The girl whom Annabeth still didn't know the name of, opened the bag she had brought. "I have some things that might be able to held detect what spray paint and normal paint this is, 'cause it's not all spray paint."

Alea smiled at her appreciatively. "Thank you, what is your name?" She asked. "Ana Cho." The girl answered, brushing her shoulder length multicolored hair to the side. Alea nodded, then turned to the rest. "Let's go in pairs." She decided. Annabeth and Percy immediately caught each other's eyes.

Kayla and Nico teamed up, Nelly with Ana and Athena with Artemis. "I guess you will have to go with me." Alea said to Leia, who nodded, albeit unsurely. Annabeth squeezed her shoulder assuringly, then let go as she walked over to Alea.

"Ana, Nelly, please stay and keep an eye on the door at the same time as analyzing the paint. Call us if anything happens."

The two girls nodded and Alea nodded back. "Okay, let's go then."

—

The ancient Roman section, which Annabeth and Percy decided to check out, held no signs of any fight. "You see anything?" Annabeth asked, holding her sword tightly. "Nope." Percy said, not holding riptide, but clearly ready to grab it.

Annabeth sighed, looking at a helmet in a display case. "This whole deal is confusing." She admitted and Percy sniggered. "You? Confused? That must be a first." Annabeth glared at him and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry, continue."

Annabeth looked away. "I am also worried." Percy frowned out of the corner of her eye.

"About?-"

"What this means."

Annabeth turned back. "A rebellion group? It worries me. It's too similar to how all this started." She gestured around them, but Percy understood. "I agree." He said. "But don't overthink it, it might be harmless."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "They turned the gods mortal, seaweed brain." Annabeth argued. "They can impossibly be harmless."

Percy frown deepened. "I guess that's true." He said, then sighed. He walked over, placing a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "But see it from the bright side." Annabeth raised her eyebrows, urging him to continue.

"At least the gods get some karma."

Annabeth burst out laughing. "I guess thats also true." She said, smiling again. "Maybe they'll even learn a lesson or two." They both laughed, which felt nice considering the former atmosphere.

The two smiled at each other for a moment before Annabeth turned away. "Let's see if we find anything." Percy smiled and nodded, then they continued walking.