Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been a regular solstice honestly. Zeus and Poseidon were arguing, Hera was ignoring her husband which just made his temper worse, Aphrodite was talking gossip and makeup with her darling children while also slipping them discreet weapons, Ares was cheering on the fighting even as he hovered close to his kids to protect them just in case, Hermes was on his phone about the deliveries in between smiling at his kids and giving them all a little present, Hestia was tending to the hearth both sad and happy. Sad that there was so much fighting but happy that the family was together. Hephaestus was tinkering with something alongside his kids, Athena was merely humming as she looked at her children present who were trying to act grown up and mature and get her attention and praise, Apollo was both bothering his sister and hanging out with his kids, fussing and fretting over them. Artemis was rolling her eyes and staying away from most of it while also trying to recruit some of the girls in the room. Dionysus was playing cards with his kids. Hades was in the corner away from most of the noise but close to Hestia as he and Persephone watched what was happening around them. A few brave kids on a dare or a lark went over to wave or speak to the Queen and King of the Underworld.

Demeter was fussing over her children and trying to give them some healthy but tasty snacks, ranging from fruit crisps to fruit slices and veggie chips and other things like cereal.

"You are far too scrawny for my liking little ones. Do they not feed you enough at camp? Here here....eat as much as you like there's plenty more." And if she also happened to slip her children some weapons to beat off any unwanted advances...well no one said anything. One of her girls looked very gleeful about being given mamas permission to stab the fuck out of anyone who bothered her.

Chiron looked like he was wishing he could get drunk right about now. Then again he always looked like that at these meetings.

\ That was when there was a bright flash from the middle of the room and several people appeared in a crumbled pile of limbs and curse words.

Hestia looked up amused at the scene while noting the room was silent. Demeter, Apollo, Hermes, and Dionysus were protectively hovering in front of their kids. Ares had a sword drawn, Aphrodite was watching with narrowed eyes and pink magic swirling as her babies were pulled closer, Hephaestus had thrown a table on it's side to act as a shield for his kids, Artemis had her bow strung and an arrow primed and ready, Hades had shadows swirling as he and Persephone stepped closer to Hestia as if to protect her. Athena was watchig with narrowed eyes and ready to summon her shield and spear, Zeus had taken a step in front of Hera who had her staff in hand and Poseidon was holding his trident now as he stared down the new arrivals. All were prepared for any kind of threat.

All were ready for a fight, but it didn't seem like the summoned ones even noticed them yet.

"Damnit Corpse breath get your foot out of my gut!"

"Tell Fish bait to get his fat ass off of me!"

"Who the fuck are you calling fat Neeks?!"

"Watch those hands Stoll!"

"Trust me La Rue you're the last person I want to grab!"

"Oh fuck you!"

"What the fuck?! Will you're blinding me!"

"Sorry Katie! I'm stuck under Nico!"

"That's nothing new for you two!"

There was a bunch of barked laughter and some spluttering at that as the summoned group began to get separated.

"That better be a pen poking me Seaweed Brain!"

"Trust me Feather Brain it is! You are not my type!" There was some more laughter.

"Rude!"

"Dam Perce way to ruin her hopes like that!"

"I'm happily engaged and loyal to my fiance Thals! If she had hopes like that then that's on her!"

"Fair point. We all know there's only one woman in Percy's life like that."

"Better be only one. If he cheats on her I'm kicking his ass!"

"If I am dumb enough to cheat on her I will gladly let you, her other kids, and her siblings all kick my ass and then kick my own ass."

A blond haired boy groaned.

"You're making the rest of us look bad Perce!"

"Then step up your game Travis!"

Finally all the summoned ones were disentangled and standing and looking around.

"Why are we on Olympus? We weren't supposed to get here until next week for the wedding." A teen with a death to Barbie shirt and a hunters jacket and circlet asked in disbelief and confusion.

"And what the actual fuck? This is not the throne room I designed?!" A young woman with grey eyes demanded looking annoyed and confused.

"Uh...did someone mess with the Hecate kids again cause I'm seeing double...a younger double?" A brown haired woman with Demeters eyes asked staring at the kids confused and alarmed.

"Who are you and how dare you disturb the winter solstice?!" Zeus demanded with lightning crackling around him and the young adults all glanced at him and then glanced at each other.

"He doesn't recognize us?" A pale young man with dark hair and dark clothing on asked in disbelief as he looked at the other two who stood at the front of the group. The young man beside him with messy black hair with white in it and a few flower petals stuck in his curls sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, his scars and muscles on display without shame as he stared down a set of young men who looked like twins.

"Travis. Connor. What did you two do?" The two younger sons of Hermes looked at each other surprised and then looked at the two older versions who were protesting their innocence.

"It wasn't them this time papa. Travis has been with me all day and Connors been poking fun at Travis." The brown haired woman with Demeters eyes said shaking her head and she was pulling her hair back into a ponytail. All of the young women and men that appeared seemed to be rather relaxed but also on alert, Hestia noted how each of them seemed to be preparing subtly for a fight and all of them were armed.

"Clarisse?" The younger daughter of Ares perked up and looked at her older self who had prominent muscles and scars and looked ready to rock someones shit.

"Don't look at me Jackson. I ain't done shit. I've been keeping the Hermes cabin and some of my siblings in line so they don't do something stupid for your bachelor party. Sherman wanted to hire you some strippers till I reminded him who you're fiancé is." The older daughter of Ares said crossing her arms over her chest and eyeing everyone in the room.

The Hunter and the pale man on either side of the apparently engaged young man started snickering.

"Oh you should have let him hire the strippers! That would have been hilarious!" The Hunter of all people cackled about that and the engaged man spluttered.

"No way in any type of hell! Absolutely not! That was my one main rule for letting you guys throw me a bachelor party! No strippers!" The messy haired man said horrified and the pale one slapped him on the back.

"Aw come on fish bait. It would have been awesome, you would have turned so red...besides Mater thought it'd be hilarious too and offered to help pay for them." The pale one said and the messy haired ones face dropped.

"Betrayed by one of my own children..." The man groaned.

"Enough! Introduce yourselves and tell us why you're here!" Zeus demanded as lightning flashed around and thunder rumbled, the younger kids looked startled or frightened. The young adults in the center didn't even twitch.

"We'd tell you why we're here if we knew. As it is we're just as confused about the whole time and location travel as you are." The messy haired man with the multiple scars seemed to be the leader of the group as he turned to address Zeus, showing sea green eyes and a face similar to Poseidon's who choked on nothing.

"Father." Athena got her father and everyone else's attention as she pointed towards a note and a crate that was falling. Demeter had moved fast and caught the crate and note before it could hit one of her children.

"It's a letter from the Fates." Demeter announced glancing at her siblings and the future people groaned as one.

"Will you three leave me the fuck alone!? Seriously find someone else to be your whipping boy!" The messy haired Poseidon clone shouted to the cieling and there were chuckles heard from the Fates.

"Uh...is...is that normal?" One of Hermes boys asked hesitantly.

"Eh you get used to it Mini-me. General Fish here has a love hate relationship with them. They love to torment him and he hates the torment but is on decent terms with them." The older version of that boy said waving it off as if it were normal.

"They gave him a ball of yarn one time, just regular yarn, and he ended up tangled in it like a cat while they laughed." Another older Hermes boy snickered and there were chuckles or snorts from the group. The Gods were pretty sure they didn't want to know how the boy knew the Fates so well.

"What does the note say sister?" Hera asked of her elder sister who raised an eyebrow.

"These demigods are from the future, roughly by eight years or so. And the Fates sent them back to read a book which will hopefully make a better future for all of them and us. We're not allowed to smite them or curse them under threats of pain and punishments from the Fates and time has been frozen outside of this room while we read. Demigods you're supposed to introduce yourselves with your names and godly parent but it says to leave out the titles to surprise us and not take all day?" Demeter questioned that last part causing a few of them to point at their leader who rolled his eyes.

The man glanced back and nodded at his group causing them to nod in return.

The woman with Demeters eyes walked up first.

"Katie Gardner, daughter of Demeter." (From now on all of the older demigods or the ones from the Future will have an F in front of their name.)

Little Katie stared at her older self wide eyed and then glared over at a Hermes boy who wolf whistled at her.

"Travis-"

"And Connor Stoll."

"Sons of Hermes. And no-"

"We aren't twins!" The remarkably similar boys for not being twins said grinning and F. Travis wrapped an arm around F. Katie who rolled her eyes.

"Chris Rodriguez, son of Hermes."

"Clarisse La Rue. Daughter of Ares."

"I look badass!" The younger version grinned and seemed very proud of how badass she looked, the older one just smirked.

"Will Solace, son of Apollo." The blond man said with a southern twang to his words as he grinned at his dad and his younger self who had stars in his eyes.

"Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena." The grey eyed woman said nodding to her mother and then smirking at her younger self who barely paid her any attention and was instead focused on the Hunter.

The three remaining young adults looked at each other and then did rock paper scissors to everyone's amusement. The messy haired man cursed when he lost.

"Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon." The man said and there was silence for a moment.

"POSEIDON YO-"

"Thalia Grace!" The hunter shouted to cut Zeus off and dead silence returned to the throne room.

"Daughter of Zeus." Thalia said and she was nearly bowled over by the younger Annabeth who was shocked and confused but very happy.

"But how? You're a tree?!" One of Hermes boys, the one with the scar down his face, demanded shocked as he stared at her wide eyed. The look she sent him back was purely acdic. Many wondered what the boy had done because no one from the future looked happy to see him but a hand motion from Percy stopped them from doing or saying anything.

"I got better with some help." Thalia nodded to F. Clarisse, F. Annabeth and Percy who all smiled or nodded back at her.

"Nico Di Angelo, Son of Hades. Born before the Oath before anyone has an ucler." The pale man said and Hades stepped forward shocked.

"But...but...you are...where...huh...?" Hades looked thrown for words and Nico rolled his eyes.

"Nice to see you too dad. And before you ask Bianca is in your kingdom. Hi mater." Nico waved at Persephone who was beaming at him.

"You're Maria's...look at you you've gotten so big!" Persephone moved forward to hug Nico who hugged her back with ease. He was on better terms with her than he was with his father.

"That's what several years will do to you Mater." Nico said but he was smiling slightly.

"Wait they said you're engaged...you're getting married son?!" Poseidon asked approaching Percy who grinned and nodded.

"Yep! To the most amazing and-" F. Katie shoved a hastily summoned strawberry into his mouth to shut him up.

"Do not let Papa start about his fiancé, he can and will talk for hours about how amazing she is. And trust us, after the first time you do not want to listen to it again." F. Katie said and Percy pouted but ate the strawberry without hesitation.

"Yeah Prissy is down bad. Like we all thought he'd get together with Annie and thought he was talking about her at first when he mentioned a girlfriend and went on a tangent about her." F. Clarisse snickered at that and Percy flipped her off.

"I thought he meant me too."

"We all thought he was talking about you Annie until he mentioned the eye color and half of us were like wait wait what hold on. Do you know how much money some of us lost in bets?" F. Chris rolled his eyes.

"That's your own fault! I told you all you'd never guess and yet you still tried!" Thalia snickered at them.

"Oh shove it! How were we supposed to know he was a reincarnation who remembered and was still head over heels for his wife from his other life?!" F. Travis snickered as well though as he shoved Thalia playfully.

"A reincarnation? And one who remembers his past life? But how can that be?" Hades asked observing the man who shrugged his shoulders a bit.

"Well a near death experience when I was little kick started it and then you'll probably read in the books when I finished getting back my memories." Percy said nodding to the books even as Hestia summoned some couches and chairs for everyone to sit on to be more comfortable.

Most of the gods present chose to sit with their children. The older versions of the children all chose to sit together with Percy, Thalia and Nico who was joined by his father and step-mother and Poseidon quickly went to sit beside his son who tensed a bit and then relaxed after a moment.

"Why did my future self call you papa?" Katie asked from sitting beside her mother and siblings present as she looked at Percy who grinned slightly and shrugged.

"Apparently I'm the Camp Dad, most of the little kids call me papa too." Percy said looking unbothered and F. Connor snickered.

"I don't know, with the way you keep trying to feed us all and make us cookies and then fuss over the kids? You're more of the Camp Mom." F. Connor teased and Percy just shrugged.

"And I'll wear that title with pride." He wasn't at all embarrassed either.

"Chapter One. I accidentally vaporize my Pre-algebra teacher!" Athena had taken the first book and opened it, wanting to get to read about these people and especially her daughter.

"Percy how the actual fuck do you accidentally vaporize someone?" Thalia asked in disbelief as she looked at her cousin.

"When you don't have a clue what the hell is going on."

Chapter Text

"I accidentally vaporize my pre-algebra teacher.

Look I didn't want to be a half blood,"

"None of us do." F. Clarisse nodded in agreement.

"especially when I regained my past memories and realized I was related to my wife."

"Yeah our whole family tree is a circle." F. Katie nodded in agreement.

"Excuse you?" Hera demanded to know what they meant by that.

"You're my aunt and my step mom " Thalia reminded her gleefully and Nico pointed at his own immortal parents.

"Dad married his niece. She is my mom, step mom, and cousin all in one." Nico reminded them all.

Hera shut up and glared at them.

"If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now."

"Well that was fast. Bye." F. Travis started to stand as did F. Connor. F. Katie whacked them both upside the head and shot them a look. They say back down to everyone's amusement.

"Walk em like a dog." Someone muttered and there were snickers and cackles around the room.

"Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life. Being a half-blood is dangerous,"

"Check." Someone nodded.

"It's dangerous."

"Yep!" The younger ones were nodding as well now as the Gods shifted guiltily.

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

"Check." The ones from the future all bowed their heads for a moment as they recalled those they had lost, some of which were in this room.

"Is it...really that bad?" Demeter looked worried as she looked at her children, the rest of the Gods looking at their own kids worried.

"Well I know I had an easier time of it than some others, monsters and satyrs alike can barely tell your kids apart from plants and crops. To them we just smell like crops and the earth so they usually don't find us..." Katie said wincing while F. Katie winced as well.

"Yeah some of us had it easier since our scents mean we get overlooked. I know Percy, Thalia and Nico can barely go thirty feet before being sniffed out by a monster. But even standing right outside the borders of camp for most of us is dangerous and will get us attacked." F. Katie told her mother who's eyes glinted. She exchanged looks with some of the other gods.

They'd have to try and make their children safer then.

"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.

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."

"I felt something stirring I think we should stop." Connor said and Travis was nodding along with his brother.

"Can I get through two sentences without an interruption?!" Athena demanded glaring at the children, the younger ones winced and cowered a bit. The older ones didn't even bat an eye.

"You just did mother." F. Annabeth pointed out with a smirk and Athena narrowed her eyes at her daughter while the rest of the future kids and Poseidon were trying not to snicker.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

"You didn't warn us!" The entire group from the Future and the entire Hermes kids group called out immediately.

"Most of you were there before I was and knew about this stuff! You should have warned me!" Percy pointed out and the Future group pouted but nodded.

"You were a tree and again, you knew this stuff before I did." Percy pointed at Thalia who zapped him playfully.

"And I was a bit busy trying to keep you from being kidnapped." Percy pointed at Nico who had opened his mouth and then slowly closed it.

"Yeah okay that's fair." Nico nodded in agreement.

"My name in this life is Percy Jackson."

"I thought it was Peter Johnson." Someone snickered.

"No it's seaweed brain." F. Annabeth smirked at Percy who stuck his tongue out at her.

"I thought it was Kelp head."

"Fuck off Pinecone face."

"No it's General Fishie!"

"Oh screw you La Rue!"

Despite the bantering and back and forth it was clear that the group all trusted and cared for each other.

"If you wonder what I mean by this life it's because I'm a reincarnation. Yes yes I know I shouldn't remember anything about that. But apparently a near death experience when you're younger helps jog some memories. I can't remember a lot mind you, it's all there in the back of my mind and on the tip of my tongue but it's like a hazy dream. I can only remember bits and pieces. I can't even remember what my old name had been."

"It's still impressive and unheard of that you remember anything at all." Hades noted as he stared at the young man who just shrugged.

"Magic works weird with me. Including the effects of the Rivers and my own powers and especially the Mist." Percy shrugged it off.

"The only things I can remember for certain is that I wasn't a demigod, and that I was married. To an amazing beautiful woman who I did not deserve and who was way out of my league. I remember she had been hurt before and she had had three children before we met and I remember that I absolutely adored and worshipped her and loved her kids as if they were my own. I couldn't remember her name or the names of her kids, our kids. I can barely remember her green golden eyes."

"Green-golden?" That was a curious identifier and everyone looked at Percy who as giving a lovestruck smile at the reminder of his wife.

"We had met, back in my past life, a long long time before the US was formed. Her looks have changed by now but she's still the amazing beautiful woman I love and her new eye color is just as mesmerizing and-" F. Katie had grown another strawberry on a vibe near her spot on the sofa and had passed it to Thalia who shoved it into Percy's mouth.

"You really love her..." Hera noted and she was a bit jealous that even with a change in appearance and after so long apart this demigod still loved the woman he had married.

"Of course I do. I always have and always will even if she decides she no longer wants me." Percy said and the future group groaned.

"She's just as head over heels for you as you are her. Remember what she did to that one nymph who wouldn't stop flirting with you even when you made it clear you were taken and not interested in anyone else?" F. Chris asked and the whole group shuddered in remembrance. Percy looked smitten.

"Yeah she was so badass and gorgeous when she was pissed and possessive." He said dreamily and that...Aphrodite eyed the boys pinkie finger and noted the red string and smiled a bit. Hestia was staring at her sister.

"Please keep reading before he goes into a tangent." Thalia requested of Athena.

"Which is weird since right now in this life 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!" All of the Future demigods cried out with grins on their faces and Percy just shrugged.

"Yeah you could say that."

There were several snorts.

"I could start at any point in my so far short miserable life to prove it, 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."

"Short and miserable?!" Poseidon looked worried.

"Oh yeah back then my self esteem and mental health were trash. So...sorry in advance for all the bad things and self deprecation I think." That did not reassure his father in the least.

"Which was kind of weird for me since I used to live back in the ancient times. Back when the mortals knew and worshipped and feared the gods rather than thinking them simple stories. Now if only I could remember some of it rather than just half there memories of a small altar and a field."

"So you lived back during those times...and a field..." Persephone seemed to be thinking about something as she looked at the boy who smirked at her.

"Did you perhaps used to be one of my worshippers?" Demeter asked staring at the boy curiously.

"Yes my lady. I was a simple farmer in those times and a diligent worshipper. I actually met you when I was a mortal back then, although I did not realize you were a goddess for some turns of the moon." Percy said smiling at her softly and Demeter hummed.

"That explains why you seem familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it...I was among mortals a lot in the old times..." Demeter hummed in thought and was eyeing him as he stared at her softly and with eyes full of worship.

Aphrodite made a hum in her throat that only Ares and Hephaestus heard.

"To most it sounded like torture. 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 he was the only teacher whose class didn’t put me to sleep no matter how hard I tried."

Chiron looked up in interest at this.

"You tried to sleep in class?" Annabeth asked glaring at the man who shook his head.

"No I actually tried to not sleep in my classes, especially since I didn't have the privilege of schooling in my last life. But sometimes my body betrayed me." Percy said sheepishly at the end.

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

Boy, was I wrong.

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 despite me wondering why it was loaded."

Hermes and some of his kids began to laugh.

"No no that's a good question. Why the hell was the cannon loaded when kids were around?" Ares seemed furious about that. For all that he was War and bloodshed many forgot he was also a protector. Not quite like Apollo and Artemis were but he damn well knew that there was no reason for that cannon to be loaded around kids.

"I still don't know and honestly I stopped caring about the answer years ago." Percy shrugged.

"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."

There were lots of laughs at that.

"Okay that one was actually a shark telling me to hit the lever! I didn't know I could talk to marine life back then so I thought the guide told me to do it!" Percy said but he was grinning, that just made people laugh harder.

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

"Noooo tell us more!" Connor called and Luke and Travis were also asking for more stories.

"He does tell us eventually and let's just say he is a chaos magnet and hilarious!" F. Connor assured his younger self with a snicker.

"This trip, I was determined to be good."

There were a lot of snorts from the demigods.

"All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut-butter-and-ketchup sandwich."

"Ugh I forgot about her." Percy pulled a face and Thalia cracked her knuckles as sparks ran through her hair.

"Well...Percy do you happen to know where this Nancy is now?" F. Annabeth asked and her eyes were flashing dangerously, there was a knife in her hands that she was cuddling with.

"Yeah Kelpie. Got an address for me?" Thalia asked with a growl.

"I haven't thought about her in years, and haven't seen her in longer. No I don't know her address." Percy said and both of them looked put out at that.

"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 that hadn't existed back in my original time that I knew of."

"Oh he'll love that description." F. Chris was snickering.

"He walked funny like every step hurt him, but don’t let that fool you. You should’ve seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria."

"Yeah that sounds like Grover alright." F. Clarisse said shaking her head amused but fond.

"Grover? Isn't that the one responsible for-" Zeus didn't look happy as he glanced at his daughter who shot him a dark look.

"It wasn't his fault and anyone who tries to say otherwise can get fucked by a cactus." Thalia said coldly and she eyed her father as if telling him to fuck off as well.

"Don't tempt him. He might actually do it." Percy said and there were multiple snorts at that from gods and mortals alike.

"Excuse you?"

"I didn't ask to be excused. I'm not the guy who turned into a swan to seduce a woman who said no." Percy didn't seem bothered at all by the sparks flying from Zeus who glared at him.

"...Well he's not wrong." Hera couldn't even defend her husband from that and Zeus looked at her betrayed.

"Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn’t do anything back to her because I was already on probation."

"Why were you on probation?" Hermes asked curiously and Percy scowled.

"One of the other kids insulted my mom. So I knocked out his front teeth and then arranged for him to hang from the flag pole by his underwear." Percy said and the future Demigods all looked murderous.

"Someone insulted Sally?" F. Katie looked ready to unleash a winter of her own at that news.

"Travis. Connor. Get the pranks ready boys. We're hunting that one down later." F. Katie said coldly and the two looked like Christmas came early as they pulled out notebooks and began writing things down.

"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.

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

He dodged another piece of Nancy’s lunch.

“That’s it.” I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.

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

"Why would you be blamed for defending your friend?" Apollo asked tilting his head curiously.

"Because demigods are easy scapegoats for mortals. Especially teachers who write us off before ever trying to help us." Percy shrugged it off and F. Annabeth snorted.

"It doesn't help that your resting face looks like you're plotting to do something stupid whether someone tells you to or not." F. Annabeth said and the rest nodded.

"Better than your other resting face which is stoic no emotion shown and your wolf stare." F. Connor shivered as he remembered seeing that one time when he was about to prank Percy. He had quickly decided not to.

"Looking back on it, I wish I’d decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there."

"Yeah I should have." Percy agreed with a nod.

"You'd strike a maiden?" Artemis asked staring the boy down.

"My hands are rated E for everyone. I don't care who it is or what gender they are. If they're gonna start shit with me or mine they're gonna get hit." Percy didn't seem to care if Artemis accepted that or not.

"Yeah Percy doesn't discriminate. He'll hit a girl the same way he would hit a guy. But he doesn't hit anyone who doesn't deserve it or start it." Thalia stared her sister and mistress down and Artemis slowly nodded.

"So you fight them equally?" Artemis asked and Percy shot her a look that questioned why she even asked.

"Of course I do. Why would I go easy on a girl? Have you not seen how vicious and bloodthirsty some of the women in this family are?" Percy asked and Thalia shocked him for that one.

"What's that supposed to mean Kelpie?"

"That honestly the women are much more dangerous than the men." Percy said and the women in the room were pleased by that.

"Really?" Zeus raised an eyebrow at Percy who shot him a look.

"I am more scared of your wife than I am of you. And my fiance is badass and amazing and absolutely terrifying as are her daughters." Percy said and F. Katie seemed smug about that for some reason. Athena seemed smug as she kept reading.

"In-school suspension would’ve been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into... every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye."

"Isn't that..." Nico trailed off and Percy nodded.

"Wait your first monster wasn't the one at the hill?" F. Chris asked staring at Percy who shook his head.

"Mrs. Dodds was this little math 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. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown."

Hades and Persephone shared a look and then stared at Percy but said nothing.

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

"Nah shouldn't she know that's Death Breath?" Thalia asked smirking at Nico who shoved her lightly.

"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.

One time, after she’d made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn’t think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, “You’re absolutely right.”

"Damnit goat boy!" Thalia shook her head at that but she was smiling. The campers looked tense but the future ones were relaxed.

"I was doing pretty good at ignoring her until Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, who had the markings of The Sun God, and I turned around and said, “Will you shut up?”

It came out louder than I meant it to."

"It always does." All of the kids sighed at the same time for that one.

"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?”

"Bet you ten drachma he doesn't know it!" F. Travis said to the others.

"I'll take that bet. Papa is a lot smarter than most think." F. Katie said smirking and F. Travis looked at her surprised.

"I felt a flash of relief and sickness because I recognized it."

F. Travis cursed and forked over the drachma.

"That's the Titan King eating his children." Why why did it have to be that one. It made his head hurt and he could vaguely remember her telling him about it. His wife tearfully describing how it had been like and how cut off from her domains she was and how much the acid had hurt and burned but never killed her. How sometimes she had wished it had killed her. How much her nightmares had haunted her..."

All of the ones from the past froze as they realized what Athena had just read.

All eyes looked to the female Kronides in the room, specifically the second eldest.

"We were married at one point?" Demeter asked softly and Percy smiled at her so softly and lovingly that everyone felt as if they were intruding on something private.

"Yes my dearest." Percy said and Demeter stared stunned.

"But...the only one I ever married was...was..." Demeter was choking on her words and there were tears gathering in her eyes.

"Papa?" Persephone whispered shocked as she stared at Percy as well.

"Yes princess?" Percy immediately glanced at her and Demeter choked.

"Iasion?" Demeter whispered and Percy looked back at her.

"Hello love." Percy said standing and taking a few steps away from the couch, right before he was bowled over by the goddess who hastily shrunk to a human height.

"You're back. You're back." Demeter was crying into his chest as Percy held her and kissed her head.

"Yes my love. I'm back. And I'm never leaving you again." Percy promised as he held her and then suddenly Persephone was there and holding him and looking close to crying as well.

"But...but how...when...why didn't you tell me or call for me? I-" Demeter began to calm after a moment and began to question him but then she froze as she seemed to recall something and stared down at his hand that had an engagement band on in it.

"Oh...you... you're engaged. I forgot...I apologize for-" They could all see Demeter's face drop and then she began to try and close her emotions off but Percy held her chin and leaned in and kissed her. She melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him again.

"But...you ...your fiance..." Demeter was very confused as she stared at him although she'd happily kiss him again.

"There's a reason I call him Papa mom. You two get married next week!" F. Katie called and Demeter's eyes widened as she stared at Percy who smiled at her.

"I'm yours and yours alone my love. As long as you'll have me I'll always love you. In my last life, in this life, in every life." Percys voice was solemn like an oath but soft as a feather touch as he stared into her eyes.

"We're getting married..." Demeter breathed out and Percy winked at her.

"In one week. Your sisters and our princess have been off the walls planning everything. And I did say I wasn't leaving you again " Percy reminded with a smirk and Demeter breathed out a slow breath as she realized what he implied.

"You're going to be her immortal husband." Hera realized it as well and was staring at Percy who smirked at her.

"You picked the golden apple yourself, even though I was already beginning to ascend." Percy confirmed and Demeter...Demeter began to laugh and cry at the same time as she pulled Percy in close and kissed him again.

"He can't take you from me again." Demeter was giddy and Percy shook his head.

"Never again my love." Percy confirmed and Demeter...she pulled him in close and went back to her couch with her kids and pushed him to sit first before perching on his lap without hesitation.

"We can talk later...for now we have to finish reading about your life as a demigod." Demeter snuggled into him contently and he wrapped his arms around her.

"...my new step dad is the same age as me." Katie whispered in disbelief and half the future group started laughing.

"That's the same thing she said when she first caught them making out!" F. Clarisse snorted out a laugh and Demeter would focus on that later. For now she was content to snuggle into the man she had married before and would marry again.

"Yes,” Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. “And he did this because ...”

“Well...” I racked my brain to remember. “He was the king titan and- And ... he didn’t trust his kids, who were the gods. So he ate them, cause he was paranoid about this prophecy thing. Come to think of it, the God King actually ate Metis for the same reason. Maybe eating loved ones ran in the family?”

Zeus stared shocked and aghast while his siblings and kids avoided his eyes, even Athena winced and wouldn't look at him for that.

"Chiron coughed, and I blinked.

“Back on track, Percy.”

“Oh. Sorry. Anyway, the titan Queen hid the youngest and gave her husband a rock to eat instead. And later, when the baby grew up, he tricked his dad into barfing up his brothers and sisters-“

“Eeew!” said one of the girls behind me.

“-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans,” I continued, “and the gods won.”

"You think it's gross hearing it try living it." Hera shuddered as did the other five.

"Did you just sum up one of the biggest wars in history in three sentences?" Ares looked torn between impressed and in disbelief.

"It's a gift." Percy just shrugged.

"Some snickers from the group. 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.’”

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

"HA! Busted bitch!" Thalia cheered. Hermes was planning to track down this girl later and put this question on her job application. Just for shits and giggles.

"Busted." Grover muttered."

"Looks like you think like a goat Thals."

"Shut it corpse bride."

"Oh do NOT go there!"

Percy began to snicker at that as Nico blushed hard and the rest of the future group snickered or smirked.

"Hm?" Demeter hummed questioning, her voice soft and low as she leaned into him with closed eyes.

"You decided to dress him up in some of Persephones old outfits one time, and Thalia joked he looked like a bride. Uncle Hades about had a stroke." Percy whispered to her and she snorted.

"Shut up,” Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.

At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.

I thought about his question, and shrugged."

"Please realize at this point I remembered only bits and pieces of my life back then. And I had no clue I was a demigod in this life!" Percy pointed out even though he never once moved from where he was holding Demeter.

"Ah. So he won't know the answer!" Travis called and Percy smirked as he glanced at little Katie beside him who was watching him curiously.

"I bet you ten drachma he does!" Katie decided and Travis laughed.

"It teaches us our actions have consequences and how the cycle of abuse continues until it's broken? I mean...the Titan King chopped up his dad too and then he got chopped up by the God King...history repeats itself."

Travis cursed and walked over to hand Katie her drachma as she smiled smugly.

"Hm that is true. Not the answer I was looking for but a good one none the less. Full 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, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it’s time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?”

"I hope the happy note is Father being defeated." Hestia said her eyes hard but her voice soft.

"It is my lady." Chiron bowed his head to her and she nodded once relieved.

"I hoped the happy note was the Titan Kings defeat...and why did he say the names? Ah right they didn't know saying the names draws attention...wait how did I know that?....

'Call out my name of you ever are in danger you cannot handle my husband. Saying our names draws our attention...' A soft voice whispered in his mind. A half there memory of a sweet voice and the woman he loved. Wait...wait had his wife been a goddess?! Why did he feel like he already knew that?!?"

"So you didn't remember?" Demeter sounded upset and Percy kissed her nose, making her scrunch it up on reflex.

"I didn't at first. All I knew was that I had been married to the most amazing woman I didn't remember who until a bit later in this chapter." Percy admitted and Demeter hummed and snuggled back into him.

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

"They are doofuses." Artemis and Thalia immediately said that earning Snickers and a few eye rolls. Thalia got a playful shove from Nico for that.

"Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, “Mr. Jackson.” I knew that was coming. I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward 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."

"Hm you're very perceptive." Apollo noted as he glanced at the demigod who smirked and bowed his head a bit in thanks.

"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.”

“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. I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor 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 do so only because I believe in you." Chiron said startling those that hadn't known Brunner was Chiron.

"I know. But back then I didn't know why you pushed me so hard." Percy reminded and Chiron dipped his head in acknowledgement to that.

"But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C– in my life. 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 told me to go outside and eat my lunch."

"I likely had been." Chiron sighed sadly and the others nodded.

"Something caught my attention on the way out however and I froze. It was a statue. Of a beautiful woman with a braid and she had some wheat in her arms. I knew her. She was...she looked familiar. But the statue was off."

"Oh?" Demeter raised an eyebrow as she looked at Percy who smiled at her and kissed her briefly.

"It wasn't beautiful enough."

"Alright Casanova. Reel it in. I don't need anymore siblings until after the wedding." F. Katie said and Demeter's eyes widened and there were several snickers and snorts from around the room.

"Why did she look so small and scrawny? Where had her muscles gone? Demi worked in the fields constantly and had the muscles from it, and she had been known as the giver of corn and often fed everyone, why did she look as if she never ate? She was a mother to three children, why did they have her hips and waist all wrong?!? And why was her braid wrong? She always had it braided over her left side not her right. And where was her scythe or sickle? Why did it just show her holding some wheat where was her cornucopia? And what was with that plain garment? Sure she did not like wearing fancy outfits but she always had flowers and other symbols like horses embroidered in it to represent her children? And why were there no flowers or leaves or twigs in her hair? She always had twigs and leaves in her hair and flowers every time spring and summer was around. And her shoes?!? Why did the show her wearing those almost wooden sandals?! Demi never worse shoes if she could help it! And when she did it was soft and smooth fabric that wound around her feet. Why was this statue all wrong? It had nowhere near the right details or anything close to resembling her beauty!"

"Dude did you just completely dress down a statue of your fiance because it didn't look like how she usually does?" Castor asked in disbelief and Percy huffed and kissed Demeter's cheek as she stared up at him amused and disbelieving.

"Of course I did! They had it all wrong! Demi is much more beautiful than that half done statue looked!" Percy huffed as if offended that it was even a question.

"Is something wrong Mr. Jackson?" Mr. Brunner asked startling me from my thoughts. Why did I think so much about it? Why did I think I knew what that woman looked like?

"No sir just curious about the statue."

"Ah yes. Lady Demeter, Second eldest of the Kronides and one of the twelve Olympians. She's the goddess of the Harvest." Mr. Brunner said and that was right but wrong too. She was much more than just the Goddess of the Harvest. That name stuck with me though. Demeter...Demeter...Demi? I shook my head and followed the teacher outside. It couldn't be. I...doubt she had been my Demi. After all I was no one special in this life or the last. How could I have attracted or been married to a goddess?"

"And yet you were married to me. And will be again." Demeter said and she was smiling slightly as she traced her fingers over his chest, resting her head on his shoulder with her face turned towards his neck.

"And I still don't know how that happened but I will never complain." Percy said and he was so smitten as he stared at her.

"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, and wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn’t have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in."

"Oh for the love of Mother what are you two fighting about now?" Hera asked sighing and looking so done as she stared between Zeus and Poseidon.

"It's his fault!" They both said pointing at each other.

"Do you two even know why you're fighting?" Hestia asked sighing as well and staring them down. They shook their heads.

"Then how do you know who's fault it is?" Hestia raised an eyebrow at them both and they were silent at that.

"Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady’s purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn’t seeing anything.

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."

"OI prissy! No one's allowed to insult you but me, Annie and your cousins. Not even you. Say shit like that about yourself again and I'll rearrange your pretty face!" F. Clarisse barked at him and pointed a knife in his direction. Demeter sat up alarmed and began to stand as her eyes began to glow. Percy wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into his lap and kissed her neck. She froze immediately.

"It's alright my love. It's alright. Clarisse is a friend. That's just her way of telling me I'm not a loser freak." Percy murmured into Demeter's ear and she shuddered at feeling his hot breath on her ear before she relaxed back into him.

Everyone watched impressed, especially her siblings who knew how hard it was to calm Demeter down.

"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.”

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?”

I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I let him take it although I had the distinct feeling my wife wouldn't be happy about that."

"I'm not. You should eat more especially healthy foods. Are you hungry love?" Demeter asked ready to summon some food for her lover reborn who smiled at her.

"Wow the weather must have been really messing with you. You're always hungry." F. Annabeth whistled and Demeter frowned and clicked her tongue. Bags of fruit and veggie crisps appeared for everyone as well as some fresh fruits for them to enjoy.

"Thank you my dearest." Percy kissed her neck again and Demeter shuddered, then she blinked when there was a grape pressed to her lips. Glancing at him she saw him smiling at her and she relaxed, letting him feed her.

It was both adorable and nauseating for everyone to witness.

"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 badly to jump in a taxi and head home.

She’d hug me and be glad to see me, but she’d be disappointed, too. She’d send me right back to Yancy, telling 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."

"Mamas boy." Ares coughed but he didn't seem to mean much by it.

"Yep." Percy agreed without hesitation or shame.

"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.

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.

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

"Stolls add her to the list. I'm hunting this bitch down." Thalia barked at the brothers who's faces were dark.

They leaned together whispering something and F. Katie whispered something that had them looking at her in awe and terror.

"I don't think even I can help her there." Aphrodite sneered a bit.

"I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, “Count to ten, get control of your temper.” But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears."

"Already using your powers? So you knew of your heritage then." Zeus was staring at Percy and there was some jealousy in his eyes but also regret and paranoia.

"Not at all. I didn't learn about my dad until a couple of months after this." Percy said and Demeter hummed as he fed her a watermelon crisp, she noticed he was busy feeding her instead of eating and gave him a stern look as she pushed a piece of watermelon towards his lips.

He happily let her feed him just as he was feeding her. Aphrodite and her daughters were cooing.

"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.

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."

"Because you had." Nico said making Percy shrug his shoulders.

"I still don't know why she waited all semester. I'll ask her next time I see her." Percy said and Nico snorted while F. Annabeth sighed as if she was so done with his shit.

"Now, honey—”

“I know,” I grumbled. “A month erasing workbooks.” That wasn’t the right thing to say."

"Never guess your punishment!" Hermes and all of his kids present and future called.

“Come with me,” Mrs. Dodds said.

“Wait!” Grover yelped. “It was me. I pushed her.”

"That's pretty brave of him. Especially since Mrs. Dodds seems to be a monster." Dionysus said looking at the book curiously.

"You're actually listening?" F. Katie asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Selectively." They nodded as if that explained everything.

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

All of the future Demigods shuddered in fear at that.

"Is he that scary?" Hades asked noticing his son giving a shiver as well.

"He's terrifying when he wants to be." Nico admitted readily.

"I'll say. Remember what he did to that one camper who said something bad about big sister? Even my brother-in-law was terrified and impressed." F. Katie said with a shudder and Hades eyes went wide.

"Someone insulted one of my children?" Demeter's voice was sharp and Percy settled her down by tracing patterns on her hip where one arm was wrapped around her.

"I handled it beloved. No one cares insult our children." Percy assured her and she hummed as she leaned back into him and let him feed her another grape.

"I bet. Papa was always protective of mama and us. Even though he knew we were all a lot stronger than him." Persephone said amused and glad to have the man she viewed as her papa back now and apparently he was staying forever.

"Then I 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?"

"Monster." All the demigods said together as one somehow.

"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 counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.

I wasn’t so sure."

"Good instincts." Ares nodded at that. It was weird to not see him angry.

"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."

"Chiron..." Poseidon began to growl.

"He knew dad. He just didn't want to tip off the monster." Percy reassured his dad who relaxed a bit, Chiron breathed a sigh of relief.

"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. 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. My eye caught that statue of Demeter again."

"You just can't keep your eyes off of her can you Fish bait?" Nico shook his head slightly amused and slightly in disbelief.

"Never." Percy agreed and Demeter smiled at that.

"For a brief second another image overlaid the statue. Of a woman with light sun colored hair and tanned skin from working in the sun, with beautiful green-golden eyes and she was laughing at something. I was mesmerized."

"You really do like my eyes don't you?" Demeter asked amused as she changed her eye color to be green gold like he described rather than the brown they had been.

"I love, adore and worship all of you." Percy said seriously and that earned him a smile and a big kiss.

"Alright break it up you two! I swear I will shock you to make sure you keep your clothes on!" Thalia threatened and Percy shot her a dark look after he and Demeter separated.

"You're the one who barged in without knocking!"

"You were in a public changing room!"

"We were what?" Demeter's face turned golden and her eyes widened.

"I believe Grandmas exact words were something like how she'd rather be tasting the delicious eye candy." Nico said with a shit eating grin and Demeter blushed brighter in embarrassment and horror as her siblings looked at her torn between amused and horrified and her children looked just plain disgusted. No one wanted to think of their parents like that.

"Did you see how red the sales clerk went? And I swear I never heard Hera shriek like that when she realized what was happening!" Percy just laughed.

"Why was I there?!" Hera asked in disbelief and horror.

"This was a few days ago. You and Persephone were helping her pick out a wedding dress for the mortal ceremony for Aunt Sally to attend along with some of the other campers. Nico and Uncle Hades were helping Percy pick out a suit since Uncle Posiedon was banned after suggesting a Hawaiian shirt." Thalia gleefully informed them and Demeter looked embarrassed and shocked.

"Well...at least it wasn't in an open field this time." Persephone didn't even seem surprised. All of Demeter's mortal children let out shocked or disgusted noises, Hera shrieked, Zeus choked on nothing, Aphrodite cackled as Ares snorted, Hermes and Apollo roared in laughter and Hades buried his face in his hands.

"You had to remind me? I had quite happily forgotten about that." Hades groaned and Persephone snorted. Hades had never been interested in his sisters or seeing them naked, and he had been quite willing to forget he had ever seen that field scene.

"Please go back to reading the book." Demeter near begged her niece who obliged.

"Except for us, the gallery was empty. 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…"

Everyone calmed down and turned back to the book, the tension amping up as they remembered what was happening.

"This felt like a trap...

"You’ve been giving us problems, honey,” she said. I did the safe thing.

I said, “Yes, ma’am.”

"You know how to do the safe thing?!" All of the Future Demigods looks shocked at that. Oh that didn't sound good.

"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.

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."

"That's nothing new seaweed brain." F. Annabeth said shaking her head but she seemed fond.

"Well maybe if someone ever gave me a straight answer!" Percy reminded and they all winced at that. Of did Demeter not like the sound of that.

"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. 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."

"You are golden." Hermes said amused and snickering.

"You didn't read the book?" Athena demanded and Percy shook his head.

"Nope. I usually listen to the audiobooks." Percy shrugged and Athena paused and then nodded. That was...sensible.

"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 shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons."

"A Fury?!?!" There were several shouts and several people turned towards Hades.

"He had a good reason to! And it was mostly a misunderstanding!" Percy called out before Hades could be skewered by a trident or strangled by vines. Athena hurried to read before a fight broke out.

"Then things got even stranger.

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 a pen through the air. Mrs. Dodds lunged at me."

"What will a pen do?!" Luke demanded alarmed and confused but Chiron and Poseidon exchanged glances.

"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 anymore. It was a sword—Mr. Brunner’s bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day."

"At least now he has a weapon!" Persephone looked relieved at that.

"But does he know how to use it? He was a farmer last life and even then he's only got fuzzy memories." Ares pointed out and everyone was tense, but the Future Demigods seemed more relaxed.

"Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes. My knees were jelly.

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

"Prissy, swinging a sword is not natural unless you've had training." F. Clarisse looked ready to swing on him and Percy just stuck his tongue out at her.

"The fuck you mean that's natural? I would have thrown the sword at her and ran." One of the Hermes boys from the Present couch muttered earning agreeing nods.

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

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 sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me."

"Did you just defeat our strongest Fury in one hit?!" Hades demanded in disbelief and Nico let out a snort.

"No wonder she hates you!" Nico laughed and oh was he definitely going to be bringing this up if she got too cocky later!

"Damn Perce. Could have used your help on my way to camp." Thalia shook her head in disbelief and Percy gave them all a sheepish smile and shrug.

"What the actual- had that been an entries? One of the tortures of the Underworld King? Had he pissed off his brother in law somehow? Wait...why did he think of the Underworld King as his brother in law?"

"Because technically you're his brother in law and his step father in law." Persephone gleefully threw that out there and F. Katie sighed.

"Family tree is a circle I swear..."

"I shook off the thought and looked around. 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."

"No." F. Katie shut down the F. Stolls as soon as they opened their mouths making them pout.

"Had I imagined the whole thing? 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 still standing 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?" Everyone looked confused.

"I said, “Who?”

There were a few Snickers and snorts at that.

"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. 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.

“Not funny, man,” I told him. “This is serious.” Thunder boomed overhead."

"Apparently I agree with you." Zeus looked confused however as everyone looked at him.

"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 Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn’t even realized I was still holding it."

"Wait...you used the mist on him?!" Thalia didn't look happy, none of the future Demigods did, as they all stared at Chiron who looked confused.

"It seems so but I don't know why I would." Chiron was just as baffled as everyone else.

"“Sir,” I said, “where’s Mrs. Dodds?”

He stared at me blankly. “Who?”

"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra 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 alright?”

"You Gaslit him?!?" Oh did the Future Demigods look ready to go feral on the trainer.

"It seems so but why would I do that?" Chiron was alarmed and confused by his actions which is the only reason he wasn't hit with something sharp and pointy at that moment.

"That's the end of the chapter." Athena announced and she looked around for someone else to take it. Hermes held out his hand and caught the book as she threw it at him.

"Three old ladies knit the socks of death

Everyone looked confused or baffled by this.

"Thanatos wears socks?" Nico looked genuinely confused as he looked at his parents.

"Oh shit I forgot about that..." Percy mumbled and Demeter glanced at him worried and alarmed.

"Darling?" Demeter murmured and Percy kissed her head.

"Don't worry. It wasn't mine." That's all he said.

Chapter Text

"Three Old Ladies knit the Socks of Death." there were a lot of confused or worried looks about this.

Percy winced as he glanced at the future Demigods this was not going to end well.

"I was used to the occasional weird experience, 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 blond 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 pre algebra teacher since Christmas."

"Chiron...why the actual fuck are you gaslighting him?" Thalia didn't look happy and there were sparks crackling up and down her arms.

"You'll have to ask my older self when you get back to your time my dear." Chiron winced at the ozone filling the air at that. Then again none of the future Demigods looked happy about that.

"That could have caused his mind to snap. If it had we would have been utterly fucked." F. Clarisse growled darkly to F. Chris and F. Will who didn't look any happier than she was.

"Were you alright my love?" Demeter asked and she had a hand on his chest.

"A bit confused and all but honestly I forgot they did that." Percy shrugged it off and he was utterly focused on her, Demeter smiled slightly as she offered him another apple slice and he ate it from her fingers, nipping at her fingers playfully and making her giggle and blush.

"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. It got so I almost believed them—Mrs. Dodds had never existed. Almost."

"Grover?" Nico asked and the rest nodded.

"Grover." Percy confirmed even though he was busy feeding the beautiful goddess on his lap another grape.

"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. 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."

"Can't blame you." Thalia shivered, she still had nightmares about being chased by them and the rest of that night.

"Which really sucked because that meant they cut into the memories dreams I had of my past life. I really liked those dreams. I could remember a farm and my wife and how we'd have picnics with our children. Her eldest weaving flowers into our hair and happily calling me Papa...me wrestling with a horse as the three women laughed... I wished I could remember their names and faces when I woke up."

"You always accepted and welcomed my children as your own. You adored the kids." Demeter smiled as she fed Percy a veggie crisp.

"Of course I did! At first I loved them just because you loved them but then I got to know them and I saw them as my own." Percy said and Demeter gave a giddy smile and kissed him again.

"And before he even got all his memories back or started dating you again he pretty much adopted the entire camp, especially me and my siblings." F. Katie said and Demeter gave Percy a surprised but pleased smile.

"You don't mind that she's had children with people other than you?" Hera couldn't fathom that as she stared at the mortal man.

"No. As long as she is happy and our kids are happy? I'm good. I'd still love her, our kids even if she decided she wanted nothing to do with me anymore." Percy didn't hesitate to answer.

"And now that I have you back...well any kids I have will be yours." Demeter said and she was staring up at him in adoration and love.

"And any kids I have will be yours." Percy assured her and that got him another kiss.

Hera huffed a bit in jealousy.

Zeus saw her looking at her sister in envy and winced, he was absolutely going to hear about this later.

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

"What are you two fighting about this time?" Hades asked sighing annoyed as he stared at his brothers who shrugged at him.

"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. I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time."

"You're very in tune with your father's moods." Hera noted and Percy just hummed, he seemed to be giving his full attention to Demeter and feeding her only the best of the snacks available while drawing small patters on her hip or waist with his other hand.

"My grades slipped from D's to F's. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hall 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, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I was only vaguely sure what it meant, but it sounded good."

"You got such low grades?" Athena seemed insulted but Percy ignored her entirely.

"Hell yeah Perce. Deck the Cheeto bitch!" Thalia cheered her cousin on.

"Your grades got a lot better once you had the proper accomodations and audiobooks." F. Annabeth noted and she too seemed to ignore what her mother had said.

"Oh yes imagine that. As soon as the teachers gave him the actual accomodations for his dyslexia his grades went up." F. Will said dryly and he didn't look happy.

"What's an old sot?" Silena asked curiously and getting a smile from her mother.

"It means old drunk dear." Aphrodite said and a few kids laughed now that they understood the insult.

"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 step father and his stupid poker parties."

Artemis and Apollo exchanged looks at that and most of the future demigod exchanged looks.

"Paul's not obnoxious and none of you play poker..." F. Travis had noticed that Percy avoided the game with a passion.

"And didn't they only meet a few years ago? Like two years after you started at camp?" F. Connor picked up the thought of his brother.

"I had another stepfather before Paul." Percy said and his voice was flat and his eyes dark.

"Darling?" Demeter murmured worried and she rested a hand on his cheek.

"It's nothing to worry about now my beloved. The man's been dead for some time." Percy assured her with a smile. That didn't make her relax and instead she only frowned harder.

"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."

"Awww I love you too baby cousin." Thalia cooed at Percy even as most flinched at the reminder of her predicament in the current time.

"I'm not the baby! Nico is! Besides you're eternally fifteen and I'm twenty!" Percy argued and Nico scoffed.

"I was born before either of you!"

"You're a toddler Neeks." Percy said and Nico flipped him off with a growl.

"Nico does have the baby sibling perks. The protective older siblings and the fact that they always try to feed him extra." F. Will said and Nico shot him a betrayed look.

"You adopted your cousin as your brother?" Poseidon asked staring in interest at the group.

"Absolutely. Those two are my annoying siblings. No one's allowed to hurt or attack them without going through me first." Percy nodded and Poseidon shrugged. Alright then he guessed he was adopting two more.

Amphitrite would love having two more to spoil.

"I’d miss Grover, who’d been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. 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."

"Well it was." F. Will shrugged a bit at that and the others nodded.

"And I didn't know I was a demigod!"

"Especially after being attacked by a torturer of the underworld. Why did no one seem to remember her? It was driving me nuts! Why had she even come after me? What did she think I had done?!"

"Hmm good questions. What did she think you did?" Athena asked staring at Percy curiously and he just shrugged.

"Let me just say, I didn't actually do anything. I was being framed just for being born." Percy said and the rest of the future Demigods nodded. Poseidon looked stricken and turned to stare at his brother.

Hades looked just as confused and baffled as the rest.

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

"You threw a book?!" The Athena kids especially Annabeth seemed pissed by that.

"None of us have any room to talk. I distinctly remember throwing the last Harry Potter book when I was reading the epilogue." F. Annabeth said earning a scandalized look from her siblings and her mother.

"Yeah I remember. You accidentally hit Leo and gave the poor guy a concussion." F. Will said giving Annabeth a look and the woman shrugged but did look sheepish.

"I did say sorry! I wasn't aiming for him that time!" F. Annabeth said sheepishly and there were smattered laughs.

"This thing was giving me a headache with the way the words swam off the page and did skateboarding tricks. Why couldn't I just get an audio book instead? I'd never be able to get the spelling right and trying to conjugate the latin was near impossible. Fuck! I missed being a simple farmer who didn't have to know all this. Especially since just a third grade education in this day and age would qualify you as a scholar back then."

"That's true. You'd have been the highest of scholars back then with what you know now." Demeter agreed, especially for a simple farmer like he had been.

"And yet I'd give up all the knowledge of the world if it meant I got to hold you for even a few seconds more." Percy said and Demeter cuddled into his side.

"Damn that was smooth!" F. Connor said and F. Travis seemed to be writing that down.

"Geez way to make the rest of us look bad Perce." Nico said shaking his head and Percy shrugged ever so slightly.

"Then step up your game Nick-Nack. Because this is the bare minimum of how my amazing queen deserves to be treated." Percy shot back.

"I'm not a queen." Demeter raised an eyebrow at him for that one but he kissed her head and grinned.

"Queen of the harvest and Queen of my heart." Percy nearly sing singed and Demeter blushed.

"Have to admit that was a good one." Persephone noted amused.

"I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt. A sensation I knew from my last life. When a certain child felt mischievous and had me accidentally lay in an ant bed."

"Sorry papa." Persephone winced but Percy waved it off.

"Apparently it was supposed to have been some honey but the ants got to it first. I didn't really mind, especially not when my beloved wife had helped tend to the dozens of bites I had gotten. I can almost feel how she had gently kissed each one to soothe the pain."

"That was less than a week before your death..." Demeter murmured and she curled further into him at the memory.

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

I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book. I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. 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."

"And he got only the best." Thalia nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure I knew you tried." Chiron assured the young man.

"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.” I froze."

"Of course you did." F. Clarisse shook her head and Percy just shot her a sheepish smile.

"I don't usually eavesdrop."

"You don't? That's news to me." Nico raised an eyebrow at Percy.

"Well I don't do it on purpose! I'm just usually in the wrong or right place at the wrong or right time depending on how you look at it. Besides I wouldn't have to eavesdrop if people just told me what was going on!"

None of them could make a comeback against that.

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

"Yeah that's fair." Micheal nodded his head and so did the rest of the present time Demigods.

"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 it too—'

'We would only be making matters worse by rushing her,' Mr. Brunner said. 'We need the girl to mature more.'

'But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline-"

"Mature more? The monsters don't care if we're mature, neither do most of the people." F. Clarisse barked out a laugh at that.

"A deadline...." Athena had started jotting down notes as if to try and figure out a mystery.

"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 would be enough to convince him of that.'

"You're lucky he didn't get a mind break." Dionysus snorted at that.

"“Sir, I . . . I can’t fail in my duties again.” Grover’s voice was choked with emotion. “You know what that would mean.”

"You never failed Grover." Thalia's voice was gentle but there was a scoff from Luke. He disagreed with that.

"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 fall—”

"Tall order." F. Will said amused and fond as he gave Percy a pointed look.

"Look I'm dumb and reckless but I'm not That bad!" Percy argued. None of the other Demigods would meet his eyes.

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

Mr. Brunner went silent. My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall. 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.

I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.

A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, 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.”

“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. 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."

"How did he not sense you?" Artemis looked baffled by that.

"I'd been all around the school for months, my scent was everywhere." Percy said and that made them all nod slowly.

They supposed it made sense.

"Grover asked how he felt about the test but Percy was quiet. They believed him to be in danger and there was a deadline and yet they didn't want to tell him anything. What sense did that make?

He made his excuses about being tired and turned away from Grover, laying down and preparing to do a last minute study once more. Then his eye caught on a name. Plutus, the son of Demeter and her mortal husband Iasion."

"I am sorry that I had died and left you alone with our unborn child." Percy apologized softly to his lover who turned and kissed him gently.

"You're here now. That's all that matters." Demeter assured him.

"Seeing the names gave him a splitting headache and a sense of horror. Oh gods. She had been pregnant when he died?! He had died and left her pregnant? He hadn't been there for her and their unborn son or-" Percy dropped his book and passed out asleep. His dreams of the past a lot clearer and giving him some answers now. He remembered his name. He remembered his wife and their three children from before their marriage and he remembered dying in her arms as she begged him to stay with her.

Fuck he had died and left her. Pregnant and hurt and and...he felt like the biggest asshole in the universe."

"Iasion...Percy...it's okay. I never blamed you." Demeter murmured and she shot a glare at her baby brother.

"Percy you were literally murdered. It's not like you walked out on her, you died." F. Will said sighing and staring down Percy who wrapped both arms around Demeter now and pressed kisses to her head as she laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"I know and understand that now. Back then I had just gotten my memories back and realized she had been pregnant when I died. It wasn't logical but emotions don't always listen to logic." Percy said and Demeter tilted her head back to kiss him softly.

"He was and still is the greatest gift you ever gave me." Demeter murmured to him and he looked so smitten and soft as he stared at her.

"Your heart and our children are still the greatest gifts you have ever blessed me with." Percy whispered back and Demeter smiled softly.

"My heart is yours, then, now and forever." Demeter assured him and the two had a soft loving kiss at that.

"Can you two stop trying to make me a baby sibling for ten minutes!" Katie complained, with her siblings agreeing, and she leaned over to try and separate the two a bit.

She ended up snagged around the shoulders and pulled in for a cuddle.

"Don't worry little princess! We won't make you a sibling where you can walk in on us-"

"You sure about that?" Persephone called and she gave them a pointed look.

"-And even when we do give you another sibling we'll still love you and the others just as much!" Percy said kissing the top of Katie's head and Demeter straightened up a bit so that she and Percy were less on the verge of melding into one person.

Instead the Grain Goddess used some vines and pulled all of her mortal children on the couch in for a big cuddle pile, wrapping her arms around as many of them as she could.

"My babies." Demeter murmured and she seemed so happy and content as she held and cuddled her children.

"We cannot ignore them while they are here but you are getting far too comfortable and close with your children Demeter." Zeus rumbled in warning and Demeter didn't even look at him.

"Fuck off baby brother. Some of us actually love our kids. Besides what are you going to do? Attack me?" Demeter knew damn well he wouldn't dare try to strike her or her children.

"I'd be the only one you could try to attack. Because if you try to hurt my children I will absolutely chop you up like you did father and father did grandfather." Demeter's voice was artic cold at that and Zeus felt his gaze drawn to her sword which was next to the couch in easy reach of her hands. With barely a thought the sword would become a scythe...their fathers scythe.

He still didn't know why it had chosen her as it's owner when he was the King of God's and strongest of Kronos sons.

"Husband." Hera put a hand on his arm and Zeus stopped from where he was beginning to rise.

"Let them cuddle and spend time with their children. Just until the reading is over." Hera said and everyone looked surprised at her but Zeus...his anger deflated and he slumped back into his throne.

"Very well, as you wish my wife." He kissed Heras knuckles and immediately the rest of the gods pulled their children closer to fuss and mother, or father, hen over them a bit aside from Athena who just shuffled a bit closer to her children awkwardly.

Only after he had pulled his children present in close, aside from Luke who seemed content to remain on the outside edges of the couch, did Hermes begin reading again.

"The next day I was getting ready to the test with a splitting headache and trying to sort out my old memories and new ones. I had been Iasion. In my past I was known as Iasion the mortal husband of Demeter. And I...I had died, been struck down by the God King, the day I was to be introduced to her siblings so that we could ask her sister the Queen of Heavens for an apple and to bless us so that we may be married for all eternity. I had been struck down and I can remember her teary eyes as she begged me to hold on and yelled for Heavens Queen to get an apple and the Suns Driver to heal me...she had been pregnant. She had been pregnant when I was struck down and I don't know why I was struck down. Why had the God King struck me down like that?"

Everyone looked at Zeus, the Future demigods looking annoyed and pissed and the rest confused.

"Because he didn't want some random mortal to be made immortal, was jealous that Demeter and I were married, and paranoid because the Fates were coming to talk about what domains I'd be given which meant I wasn't just going to be immortal but also a god." Percy threw out there and Demeter scowled at her brother. Zeus glared at him but looked away at the betrayal and rage and heartbreak in his sisters eyes as she glared back at him.

"Yeah that sounds like the old man." Thalia nodded in agreement and now Zeus looked a bit stricken as he turned to look at her.

"Did you just call him the old man?" Apollo asked snickering and Thalia shrugged.

"He sired me yeah but honestly Perce acts more like a dad to me than he ever did. Then again Perce tries to adopt everyone." Thalia threw her brother a smirk.

"I don't try to adopt everyone!" Percy denied and he got flat looks from all the future Demigods.

"Percy...you've got half the council calling you Papa without you even meaning to. You collect kids like other people collect rocks or stamps!" Nico said giving him a flat look.

"Wait what?" Hermes wondered who among them the soon to be no longer a demigod had adopted.

"He is the only male accepted to visit the Hunt whenever. And he motherhens all of us. Even Lady Artemis slipped and called him Papa more than once." Thalia said dryly and Zeus glared at Percy. He adopted one of Zeus's favorite children?! Artemis was his daughter not this upstarts!

"Adopting everyone my love?" Demeter just seemed amused by it all and Percy gave her a lopsided grin.

"Not intentionally." He said as if that made it better. She laughed and kissed his cheek as she slipped off of his lap and into the seat next to him, snuggling under his arm into his chest as she pulled her children to be cuddled into them.

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

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."

"Oh no." F. Annabeth groaned and the rest from the future didn't look too happy either.

"Not a Chiron pep talk." F. Chris shook his head and F. Clarisse sighed.

"What's wrong with my pep talks?" Chiron asked confused.

"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."

"What the actual fuck Chiron?" Apollo seemed in disbelief over what he was hearing.

"Oh it gets worse." Percy casually said.

"My eyes stung.

Here was my favorite 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, Andi. That's nothing to be—'

'Thanks,' I blurted. 'Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me.'

"That was painful." Even Zeus and Hera seemed like they couldn't believe how that went down and they were all staring at Chiron in disbelief while he winced.

"Are my pep talks always that bad?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in the Future Demigods answer.

"Thank our parents and Percy that you finally stopped trying to give pep talks in our time. Usually you just leave that to Prissy." F. Clarisse said and Chiron bowed his head a bit in disbelief. Were they truly that bad?

"Now not just was my headache worse from the test but I also felt like shit. If it wasn't for my mom and the laws of this current land I'd have run right then and there. Run and tried to find somewhere secluded where I could just be a simple farmer again and try to figure out how to tell Demeter I'm back and prove it was me...did she miss me? Did she even remember me? It had been thousands of years since my death after all. Did she move on?"

Chiron winced at hearing how the boy had wished he could run. Oh. They were that bad.

"Not a day has gone by where I haven't missed you. I never forgot you. And while I have had children with mortals, most of the times it's because they remind me of you and I thought they were you reincarnated so no I haven't moved on." Demeter answered the questions easily.

"On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.

The other kids 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. Just like my last life."

"Nobodies?" Hades raised an eyebrow at his soon to be brother in law who gave them all a sheepish grin.

"Again! I didn't know I was a demigod at this point!" Okay they could give him that much leeway at least.

"I still didn't know why or how Demeter herself had been attracted to and then fell in love with me. I had been no one, just a simple farmer among hundreds of others, and yet somehow a literal goddess had decided that she loved me enough to marry me."

"You were one of the most diligent worshippers, and one of the most successful farmers. And you weren't arrogant, you were kind and modest and cared about others. Our first time meeting you had been worried and offered to walk with me to the town because there had been many attacks of unsavory characters and offered me your only meal for the day when you noticed I did not have food to eat with me." Demeter gave Percy a look and he gave her a sheepish smile.

"I didn't know you were a goddess at the time love." Percy reminded her and she snorted.

"No you didn't realize I was a goddess for several months. Until a band of unsavory characters were demanding your money and that you hand me and Persephone over to them. And despite not being a fighter you took down two of the six while yelling for me to take Persephone and run." Demeter reminded and she was amused as she remembered the look on his face when he realized she was a goddess because she had turned those brats into cornstalks.

"I remember that! I had gone to meet moms suitor and he had been confused on how she had a grown daughter already when she looked young! And then the look on his face when mom turned them into corn and he realized who she was!" Persephone laughed as she remembered seeing his jaw drop in disbelief and awe and then how he hurried to kneel only for her mother to pull him up and kiss him as she fussed over his injuries.

"Oh man I wish you had cameras back then! I bet his face was hilarious!" The future Demigods all snickered as they pictured the shock and disbelief on his face.

"It had been rather humourous." Demeter admitted with a chuckle of her own as Percy pouted at her.

"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. If I was really desperate I’d probably do a few runs. And then I’d be spending my free time worrying about where I’d go to school in the fall."

Everyone sobered up and the Archer twins exchanged looks.

"Why did you have to do that? You were twelve?" Annabeth asked looking at him curiously and he didn't answer, his entire attention was on Demeter again as he played with her hair.

"Oh,” one of the guys said. “That’s cool.” They went back to their conversation as if I’d never existed.

The only person I dreaded saying good-bye 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. I decided it was time to get answers."

"Yeah big coincidence." Thalia snickered.

"More like him being a stalker." Nico snickered as well remember Grover following him around the school.

"With hooves." Percy reminded and the three were grinning or snickering together.

"A stalker?" Demeter didn't look happy though as she straightened up, she melted when some of her hair was pushed behind her ear to be braided into the braid he was making.

"My satyr protect dearest." Percy reminded her and she hummed in acceptance.

"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 anymore. I said, “Looking for Kindly Ones?”

"Try not to give the satyrs heart attacks." Dionysus said but his lips were twitching a bit as most of the room snickered.

"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. Grover’s eye twitched. “How much did you hear?”

“Oh . . . not much. What’s the summer solstice deadline?”

He winced. “Look, Perceh. . . I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math 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.”

"Yeah Satyrs aren't generally good liars, especially the young ones." Hermes shook his head amused.

"He got better." F. Chris grinned at his father.

"And now he's a menace. Helping Percy with pranks and joining the capture the flag games." F. Travis complained and Percy grinned at them.

"If you don't want me and Grover getting involved in the pranks then don't prank us...and don't prank Katie to the point she asks for my help getting even!" Percy reminded the boys and Katie groaned against her mother's shoulder.

"They still prank me in the future? What is with you guys targeting me?" Katie demanded glaring over at Travis and Connor.

"It's their way of flirting." F. Katie said and everyone saw the younger ones face spaz as she went through dozens of different emotions.

"Oh? Someone's flirting with one of my kids?" Demeter glanced over at the Stolls with her eyes glinting dangerously.

"Oh no. The inquisition from hell." F. Travis whimpered.

"Excuse me?" Demeter questioned sharply and Percy snickered.

"It's a joke darling. When you found out he was dating Katie you were spending time in the Underworld with Persephone. You came storming up from the Underworld to question him and his intentions. So someone-" Here Percy shot a look at Nico who was sniggering -"joked that you were the inquisition from hell and it stuck."

"Ah...and?" Demeter raised an eyebrow and Percy kissed her cheek.

"And the Stolls know that they barely scrapped by with approval! And that if they do something stupid and mess up then not only will Katie kick their asses but so will her siblings in the camp, any of the veterans, Persephone, Despoina, Arion, Plutus, and then me and you to deal with! To be fair though if she does something stupid then the same veterans will be after her too. But given she's got the braincell most of the time..." Percy trailed off.

"Hey we take turns with the braincell!" F. Connor said offended and Percy raised an eyebrow.

"You two decided to throw a bucket of water on me at three in the morning as a prank." Percy said dryly.

"Look we didn't know Demeter would be in the bed with you!" F. Travis defended himself from that one and Demeter blushed a bit while her kids pulled faces and there were snickers and jeers around the room.

"I'm a son of Poseidon and you threw water on me." Percy dryly reminded them of that little fact and they pouted. They didn't have an excuse for that one. Hermes decided to keep reading to save his sons the embarrassment.

"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, 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."

"And here we have Percy "eat the rich" Jackson making an appearance." F. Annabeth said amused and there were cackles from the future Demigods.

"The only one he eats is his fiance." F. Chris cackled and F. Clarisse snorted. Demeter's face flamed golden at that and her kids all made disgusted faces.

"In my defense most rich people, especially kids!, are assholes!" Percy said and there were agreeing nods to that but then he kissed Demeter's cheek.

It took Hermes a second or two to stop laughing and to keep reading. He didn't know what Percy whispered to Demeter but her face was as bright as Apollo's sun chariot.

"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?"

"Hey be nice to Grover!" Annabeth chided and Percy just shrugged.

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"It came out harsher than I meant it to.

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 into 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."

>"Yeah that's fair when it's put like that." F. Annabeth said shrugging her shoulders.

"Grover,” I said, “what exactly are you protecting me from?”

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. 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 bloodred 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. 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."

There were sharp intakes all around the room and the ichor drained from Demeter's face until she was as pale as Hades was.

"No..." Persephone whispered horrified and heartbroken.

Hermes continued to read with a shaky voice.

"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.

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?”

“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. "

"Not funny kelpie..." Thalia muttered and Demeter was shaking her head slowly in denial.

"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.”

“Come on!” He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.

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

"No!" The outcry from the Future and Demeter and Persephone was immediate and loud. The rest of the gods and current day demigods looked shocked and most were staring at Percy shocked and horrified.

"No no please. You can't...not again..." Demeter was begging as she latched onto him and buried her face into his chest and he held her close. Whispering softly to her.

"My heart clenched. Were they who I thought they were? Had they just..."

"Son...how..." Poseidon choked out and Percy sighed heavily he looked at F. Annabeth and Thalia.

"I didn't realize it until a few years later but...that wasn't my string." Percy said and Thalia seemed to realize it first as her eyes widened and then she nodded slowly. F. Annabeth bowed her head.

"They showed you them cutting a string that wasn't yours...they were choosing you for a Fate or Destiny and needed you to see that." Apollo said snd he was serious as he stared at Percy who nodded his head.

"Yeah. They were picking their champion for the upcoming conflict. Not that I knew that at the time." Percy said and Demeter whimpered a bit but seemed to be calming down.

"It's not yours?" Demeter asked just to be sure and he kissed her head.

"It's not mine, my love." He confirmed and she relaxed a bit and wiped her eyes but stayed curled into him.

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

There were a few weak laughs.

"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. Grover didn’t look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering. He had seen them too. Had he seen them snip the cord?

"Grover?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you not telling me?” He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve.

“Perce, 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?” I knew who they were, what that meant. But did he? He was supposedly my protector...but from what? There was no protection against them."

"No one is safe from the Fates." Zeus said and his voice was solemn, he was holding Heras hand in his as his wife stared at their sister and her beloved.

"His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. Something older, more ancient. More ancient than even the gods.

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. He knew that sign...how did Grover know it?

He said, “You saw her snip the cord.”

"Yeah, so?' But even as I tried to play it off I knew it was a big deal and so did he.

'This is not happening,' Grover mumbled. He started chewing his thumb. 'I don't want this to be like last time." Excuse me last time? Last time what? Had he seen them before?!"

"That wasn't his fault!" Thalia defended her friend from the accusations and then she slumped a bit.

"But no none of us saw the Fates." F. Annabeth added and she had a hand on Thalia's arm. Annabeth and Luke in the room looked pale and shaken.

"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?”

"Fair I think all of us would have been scared and freaking out." F. Clarisse said and they all nodded.

"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me.” This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could. But since he was freaking me out I crossed my fingers. Absolutely not.

“Is this like a superstition or something?” I asked, wanting to know what he did. 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."

"Hmm poppies for sure, maybe a few daffodils." Percy grinned over at Nico who squawked a bit.

"Hey!" Thalia snickered.

"Aww what's wrong Neeks? The little emo still embarrassed his mom turned him into a daffodil?" Thalia teased and there were snickers and snorts around the room.

"Why did I do that?" Persephone asked baffled and Nico pouted.

"We were having a prank war and Dad joined my side. He turned all your clothes a bright eye searing shade of pink and you thought I did it." Nico said making Hades smirk while there were several surprised looks and Persephone gave her husband the stink eye.

"You let me think our son did that and turn him into a daffodil?" Persephone asked and Hades gave her an innocently confused look.

"I don't know my queen. It hasn't happened yet." Hades reminded her but his lips twitched.

"You were very apologetic when you turned me back. And then you banned dad from your room for a month." Nico gleefully informed her and Hades smile dropped into a horrified look.

"Good." Persephone nodded once in satisfaction and then kissed her pouting husbands cheek.

"Don't blame our son for your pranks love." Persephone chided him and he nodded his head in agreement. One of Hermes kids over on the couch made a whip cracking noise that had them all snickering, and some of the gods outright laughing.

"There's only a few sentences left." Hermes said making them all quiet down to end the chapter.

"My heart broke in my chest. The Fates had snipped the cord. My cord. I was destined to die and likely soon. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat. I'd never see Demeter again. And even if I did I couldn't get close to her or tell her who I was. It'd just break her heart more if she knew and I died again.

I couldn't hurt her like that... I'm sorry my love. But it'd be better if you didn't know I was alive again..."

"No. Absolutely not. Even if you were going to die I'd want to know... I'd have wanted to know you were back and I could spend every spare moment I could with you." Demeter looked up at Percy who smiled softly at her.

"I know that now my love. But at the time I didn't. And for four years I thought I was meant to die. That my cord had already been cut. I wanted to spare you some of the pain of losing me once more." Percy said and Demeter made a half growl half whimper noise.

"I'm not losing you again. I can't..." She seemed determined to make that come true and Percy kissed her softly and slowly.

"Never again. I'm already ascending after everything that's happened. And even if I wasn't, we get married in a week in my time. Your sister already has picked the apple for me to eat and is blessing our union. You will never lose me again." Percy assured her and Demeter relaxed a bit and laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Okay you two! Don't make me throw water on you! I don't want to see all that lovey dovey shit!" Thalia called to them and Percy flipped her off.

"How do you think I feel? Percys my age in this life and he's about to marry my mom." F. Katie said and there were some noises from the Demeter kids present.

"That's the end of the chapter." Hermes said and he held out the book, Hera took it from him.

She looked at the title for a moment in disbelief and then sighed.

"Grover unexpectedly loses his pants."

Immediately there were wolf whistles and laughs.

And then Zeus growled.

"You're not supposed to see anyone but me without their pants." Zeus growled and Hera raised an eyebrow at him.

"And I haven't. Because unlike you I'm faithful to my marriage vows. You have no room to talk or judge anything I do Zeus." Hera said coldly and he winced and looked away.

"She's got you there little brother." Hades was snickering and Poseidon outright laughing.

"Ass faced shit head." Hera muttered several insults towards her husband who winced. Hestia turned and looked at Demeter.

"I blame you for teaching her those." Hestia said flatly and Demeter groaned.

"Oh come on! I said please and thank you around her a hundred times and she never repeated it but I call Father an ass faced motherfucker one time!" Demeter groaned and there were several snorts.

"You taught Hera how to cuss?" Apollo asked staring at his aunt wide eyed.

"I taught Hera, Hades and Poseidon how to swear. And no we don't know where I got it from because I sure didn't learn from Hestia." Demeter admitted.

Chapter Text

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

I know, I know. It was rude."

"At least you're aware." Athena sniffed a bit.

"But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man walking, muttering 'Why does this always happen?' and 'Why does it always have to be sixth grade?" And at one point just reciting funeral rites at me."

"Okay yeah I would have ran too." Travis nodded.

"Especially at the funeral rites." Connor agreed and no one could argue with that.

"Besides if I was meant to die then I didn't want him nearby. He might get hurt or killed too and I didn't want that. He was a good friend...plus if I was going to die there was someone I needed to kill first and something tells me Grover was not the kind of friend that would help you move the body."

"At the time he wasn't but in my time? Absolutely. Would probably help me make the corpse a corpse depending on who it is." Percy grinned but it was vicious, like a baring of the teeth.

"Prissy we all would help you move the body. Hell Annie and Maggot Food have a checklist of how to safety move and dispose of the bodies so we don't get caught." F. Clarisse said pointing a knife she was fiddling with at Nico and F. Annabeth.

None of the current day demigods knew how tor react to that.

"And yet usually it's you or Thalia the one making corpses!" Percy retorted and Thalia snickered darkly.

"Kelp head usually if I'm the one killing someone, it's because I'd give them a mercy killing compared to what you or Nico would have done if you knew." Thalia reminded and her cousins merely hummed their agreement.

"Let me know if you guys have another body would you? They make for excellent fertilizer and we could always use some extra." F. Katie requested and her past self looked wide eyed and a bit horrified at how casually she was talking about it.

"You get the first pick." Nico promised her and F. Travis gave a sappy smile.

"If you need one badly though I'm happy to go grab some traitor or asshole and bring them back. F. Clarisse could probably use them to show some of the more advanced students where to strike for the best damage before they die if you want a live one...or I could bring two? One living and one dead. That way you have the best of both!" F. Travis offered with a smile that screamed simp to everyone else.

"My brother the cat. Hunting prey and bringing it back to his human." F. Connor teased and F. Katie smirked at them as F. Travis pushed F. Connor and the two started squabbling.

"Boys." F. Katie said calmly and they shut up and looked at her.

"We can talk about you two bringing back some mulch for the gardens later. For now settle down." F. Katie said calmly and they both nodded and relaxed and leaned into her, bracketing her between them.

"You kill people? So easily?" Annabeth was wide eyed and horrified and the Future demigods snorted.

"Only the assholes or the ones who attack us first." F. Will tried to reassure them.

"Or those mercenaries that were after us." Thalia reminded and there were nods around the room.

"And I use their bodies for mulch?" Katie looked a bit pale but Demeter hummed.

"Well mortal bodies are full of lots of nutrients and are a good source of nourishment for flora of all kinds. Some mushrooms only grow on corpses." Demeter didn't bat an eye at that and a few of the younger demigods gave her wide eyed looks.

Hera went back to reading fully aware of how dangerous her sister could be.

"At least now I knew for certain he was part of the Whacky world of myth-"

There was laughter at that even the gods looked amused.

"We should get jackets!" The Stolls cheered and Thalia let out a laugh.

"The Hunters do! Percy said that around Lady Artemis and the Hunters once and she laughed before adding that to our uniform!" Thalia said and she stood to show them the back of her Hunters jacket where Whacky World of Myth was embroidered in electric blue.

"I let a boy hang around my hunters?" Artemis asked surprised.

"Only like three of them. Will and Nico cause they aren't interested in women at all and don't flirt with us. Percy because he's a respectful decent guy and only has eyes for Aunt Demeter. Even the other hunters like him and view him as another of the girls. Just don't give him a bow." Thalia said and there were some laughs and sniggers at him being called one of the girls. Percy just shrugged. He was honored the girls saw him so highly.

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

'East One-hundred-and-fourth and First,' I told the driver."

The pranksters around the room grinned.

"If you go to my apartment after this reading either make sure you help me with the body or make sure you are nice to my mom unless you want to be the body."

Most of them stopped grinning.

"A word about my mother before you meet her."

"Kind!"

"Patient!"

"Awesome!"

"Amazing!"

"Caring!"

"Loving!"

"Chill!"

"Badass!"

The future Demigods all called out immediately, all of them lighting up as they talked about Sally.

"You all know her?" Aphrodite asked making the future Demigods nod happily.

"Yeah after Prissys first summer his mom set up her place to be a safe haven for demigods. Whether they were on their way to camp or out on a quest or even just hanging around the city because they go to school nearby, they all are welcome to stop in and rest at Sally's place." F. Clarisse said and she smiled as she thought about the woman who had taught her how to cook a bit, to give her another way to let out violent urges and anger without hurting herself or others.

"The Hunt adores her. Once when Lady Artemis had to go Olympus for something and we were in the city unable to make camp Sally let the entire hunt stay the night in her house. Her and her second husband, Paul, had moved the stuff in the living room so we could all sleep in there and cooked enough food for each of us. We love dropping in to check on Sally and play with Estelle. Artemis is determined to have Estelle be a Hunter and gave her a small bow last time we were there." Thalia said and that caused some snickers recalling the Bow Incident.

"Estelle?" Artemis perked up at the thought of a new huntress.

"My mortal sister. She's only four right now in my time! She was the flower girl at the mortal wedding and was happy to have a new big sister and a dozen nieces and nephews even if she was confused. She's fully mortal but can see through the mist like mom can and Artemis is bound and determined to turn her into a Hunter. She's given her a small bow, a knife, a mini Hunters jacket and even a hunting horn so she could call for help just in case. Mom confiscated the weapons but apparently someone taught her how to bite like a little wolf and she ended up kicked out of daycare when she punched and then bit a boy who was pulling her hair." Percy lit up as he happily talked about his sister.

"Not that her being kicked out of daycare means much. Sally has no shortage of baby sitters available. No matter how much it gave some of them baby fever." Nico snickered as he pointedly looked at his parents.

"Oh leave sister Persephone alone. Mom got baby fever too. And I don't think I need to go into those two do I?" F. Katie pointedly looked at F. Chris and F. Clarisse who blushed and looked away.

"Baby fever?" Persephone asked and she glanced with sparkling eyes towards her husband.

"Mhm. After spending time with Estelle you turned and asked dad if you two could have another baby, this one aging like mortals did instead of being born full grown." Nico informed her with a smirk and Persephone's eyes glittered as she looked at her husband who kissed her head. He'd give her anything she wanted. Even if that meant they had a baby godling who grew slow like mortals did.

Demeter glanced up at Percy who kissed the side of her head.

"We're waiting until after the wedding to try for a baby but you definitely have baby fever love." He murmured.into her ear and she blushed.

Zeus noticed Hera glancing at him longingly as she thought of another baby of her own but before he could do or say anything she just gave a defeated sigh and turned back to the book. His ichor wilted a bit. Did she want another child and yet didn't ask him? Did she think he would not care for a babe or give her one?

"Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the whole 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, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't much care 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 program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school 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 got was meeting my dad and second mom. I don't have any memories of them, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of a smile and a hint of a sea breeze. My mom doesn't like to talk about them because it makes her sad. She has no pictures..."

"Wait you're the result of Posiedon and Amphitrite together with a mortal?" Hermes asked looking at Percy who nodded.

"Yep. I'm just as much mama Trites son as I am dads." Percy agreed and a lot of people looked surprised by that.

"It's not that uncommon for married gods to both love the same mortal. I'm just as much Nico's mother as Hades is his father." Persephone said and Nico nodded. A few people glanced at Thalia.

"Oh don't look at me. We all know there's no way that happened for me. Step Ma hates me." Thalia denied and Hera looked at the girl for a minute and said nothing before turning back to the book.

No one had even seemed surprised that Hera hated the girl. But...step Ma? Hera had never been called Ma before...

"They weren't married and no one could know about their triad relationship. She told me they were rich and important. Then one day, they set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey towards a Greek island and they never came back.

Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea. I had the strangest feeling I knew exactly who they were but I didn't want to assume. There were lots of Ocean deities and a good many were married.

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 even I knew I wasn't an easy kid despite being as independent as I could be thanks to my old memories."

"None of us were easy kids." F. Chris snorted at that and all the demigods nodded.

"Speak for yourselves. I was a great kid." Nico sniffed haughtily.

"Nico you created a crevice at camp, ran away and hid in the shadows for a long while, and played around with the dead and summoned skeletons and stuff....at the age of ten. Also you barely ate anything besides McDonald's and I know damn well you don't get enough sleep at night even now." F. Will said pointedly and Nico gave a huff noise.

"And the vast majority of that is considered a good thing! I'm literally a child of death and only got a little bit of Moms powers over life and flowers." Nico protested and Persephone narrowed her eyes. In an instant she was standing and striding towards her son before she picked him up by the back of his shirt.

"Young man have you not been eating and sleeping properly?" Persephone demanded and Nico hung there wide eyed like a kitten as he stared at her.

"In my defense at that time I was on the run and on the streets and absolutely going through a bad time." Nico offered sheepishly and Persephone huffed and carried him back to her couch with Hades as if he were a cat.

She dropped him on her husband's lap, then sat down beside him and pulled Nico onto her lap as she summoned some fruits and veggies to feed him up a bit.

"No wonder you're so small and scrawny. You need to eat more healthy food." Persephone scolded, and all of them had a flashback to Demeter, and Nico gave an embarrassed noise but relaxed into her as she fed him as if he were a small child.

"Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, 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 nick-named him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts."

There were some disgusted noises but also a dangerous growl. Everyone glanced at Artemis first because of how wolf like the growl was, but she was looking at Percy who was glaring darkly at the book. Hera fought back a wince. Oh. So that was his Kill you later stare.

"Between the two of us, we made 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 blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet."

"Percy." Thalia looked sharply at Percy who gave her a single look. Thalia looked murderous and sparks crackled on her skin.

"Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar. 'So, you're home.'

'Where's my mom?'

'Working,' he said. 'You got any cash?"

"He asked you for money?" Apollos eyes were beginning to turn golden as he hissed that out. Artemis eyes were starting to glow a bit and Aphrodite stopped filing her nails.

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

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."

There were several gagging noises.

"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 paychecks, 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."

Hera paused as she saw the next words and she glanced up at Percy.

"Percy....we won't be able to skip this because of the Fates. But do you wish to leave the room?" Hera offered and that seemed to scare people more than anything.

"We can't leave the room until we're done with reading for the day. Thank you for the offer though." Percy said and he dipped his head a bit at her respectfully, or as respectful as he could be.

"I see...Zeus get ready to grab the twins. Hades you will have to grab Posiedon. Ares...you and Hephaestus get ready to grab Aphrodite." Heras warning caused them all to look alarmed.

"Meaning if I told my mom he'd punch my lights out."

There were shouts and exclamations from all around the room. Zeus had to put both of the Archer twins into a headlock when they jumped from their seats with bows in hand. Hades put up a wall of shadows around his wife and son before nearly tackling Posiedon as the floor rumbled.

Ares and Hephaestus both nearly had to dog pile Aphrodite as her eyes lit up pink and red and the nail file in her hand suddenly seemed a lot sharper and more dangerous.

"He dared-" Demeter looked furious and she began to stand only for Percy to wrap his arms around her and pull her back into his lap firmly as he put his chin on her shoulder and kissed her neck.

"It's alright my love. I'm here." Percy whispered into her ear.

The current day demigods were cowering from the gods rage but the Future ones looked just as furious as the gods. The shadows around Nico and Persephone were becoming sharper and there was a crevice growing on the floor beside their couch with skeletal hands trying to reach out. Thalia had lightning sparking all around her as her eyes glowed blue.

F. Wills eyes were glowing golden like his father's but there was a darkness to them. The F. Stolls both now had snake like eyes and we're writing down in a notebook with dark looks on their faces.

The air around F. Katie was frigid as her eyes glowed green like her mother's. F. Annabeth was twirling a knife in hand with a dark glint to her steely grey eyes. There was a red aura around F. Clarisse and F. Chris was stone faced and glaring.

"Is that all it says Aunt Hera?" Percy called to the goddess who was reading ahead and she looked stricken.

"No. It also goes into your deal." She responded softly and her voice shook.

"You might want to go ahead and read. It'll only get worse if we wait till everyone calms down." Percy said and Hera nodded once.

"See we had a deal. After the first time he beat me and nearly killed me he made me a deal. He could do whatever he wanted to me as long as he didn't touch my mother. I had agreed, I didn't want her to get hurt and so I suffered through it. I didn't care what he did, burned me, whipped me, broke my bones, threw me down the stairs, beat me with a bottle or his belt...even when he starved me. I didn't care. I could handle anything as long as my mother was safe. Which is why I was going to kill him before I died."

Hera could barely choke out those words and the room started to descend further into chaos as everyone rioted and screamed.

Hestia had to lunge forward and help Hades with Posiedon, Athena was helping Ares and Hephaestus with Aphrodite. Hermes was shielding all the kids but his face was dark and cold as well. Dionysus was containing the powers of the Future Demigods as best as he could with Persephone's help. And Zeus was struggling to hold back his twins.

"Iasion..." Demeter was furious and heartbroken and she had turned in his lap so that she was straddling him and face to face with Percy. There were tears in her eyes as her hand came up to cup his cheek and she looked at his scars anew. As if trying to determine which ones were from the mortal.

"Don't worry. He's dead. Has been dead for years in my time...and I have the feeling that when time resumes after the reading he'll be dead within two minutes. And I've been to therapy sessions about it. And I've had my wounds looked at to make sure there was no long lasting damage." Percy assured her and Demeter...she wouldn't give that mortal two minutes. He'd have two seconds once they were able to leave the room and that's only if the others didn't beat her to it.

It took the better part of two hours before everyone was calmed enough to keep reading although they were all still obviously heartbroken and furious.

Hera picked up the book and continued to read in a shaky voice.

"I don't have any cash,' I told him. Damn there were witnesses. Well I would be fine killing them as well...

He raised a greasy eyebrow.

Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should have covered up everything else."

The way Athena, Hestia and Apollos heads whipped towards Percy would have given mortals a snapped neck. He was too focused on Demeter and softly reassuring her that he was okay to pay them any mind though.

"You took a taxi from the bus station,' he said. 'Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry her own weight. Am I right, Eddy?"

"Carry your own- he's a child!" Persephone looked every bit the queen of the underworld right then and the fury on her face reminded those who had been there of Demeter right before she starved the world.

"Eddie, the manager of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. 'Come on, Gabe,' he said. 'The kid just got here.'

'Am I right?' Gabe repeated.

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

'Fine,' I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. 'I hope you lose.' I was tempted to pray to Tyche but didn't want to draw any godly attention right now.

'Your report card came, brain boy!' He shouted after me. 'I wouldn't act so snooty!"

"Percy. Our nicknames." Thalias eyes had gone to Percy with a sharp exhale as the sparks crackling around her returned, making the whole place fill with the scent of Ozone.

"It's fine. I know you two don't mean it like that." Percy said although most of his attention was still on Demeter.

"We'll come up with new nicknames for you Perce." F. Annabeth assured him anyways.

"This gives me a chance to try out new nicknames." Thalia tried to see the positive in it and Percy snickered.

"Compare notes with Clarisse. She's got the most nicknames. Or ask Katie. She's very creative when she wants to be." Percy grinned over at the future Demigods.

"All she does is call you a motherfucker." F. Chris snorted but he grinned slightly viciously at that. Little Katie's eyes went wide but there were some only half forced barks of laughter at that.

"Well she's not wrong." Hermes noted with a small shaky smile and Demeter blushed a bit but Percy grinned.

"She's not." He easily agreed and Demeter hid her face in his shoulder.

Hera read to try and save her sister some embarrassment.

"I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During the 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."

"That's not a home." Hestia sighed sadly looking close to tears.

"My home is people my lady. My mom, step dad, sister. My dad, mama Trite, my immortal siblings...my wife and our kids...my friends... They are my home." Percy said reassuringly and Hestia smiled sadly and nodded in understanding.

"Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of the 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 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. 'Percy?'

She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted. My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. 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 Gabe."

"That woman is a saint. Because even I couldn't do that." Hestia said grimacing at the thought of being nice to that mortal filth.

"Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"

"Why do parents always say that?" Travis asked trying to help dissipate some of the lingering rage.

"Yeah we are gone for ten minutes and they act like we grew five inches." Connor helped his brother out.

"I keep as close of an eye as possible on my kids and yet every time I look at them it's like they have grown so quickly. Even if I turned my gaze for just a few minutes to look in on another of my kids, when I look back I swear they've aged another year." Demeter said and she curled into Percy as he held her and traced patterns onto her body over her dress. She was far from calm but she couldn't fly into a rage right now.

So she'd bide her time.

The other parents in the room agreed.

"Right? It seems like just yesterday Nico was just two years old and tugging on my skirts to be carried..." Persephone said and she was smiling softly at the boy she kept in her arms, her adorable son. She wondered where his sister was...

Hera could privately agree with them and yet not at the same time. All of her children were born gods and Goddesses. Full grown and ready for their domains...she wished she got to raise them as mortals got to raise their babies.

"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. 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. Especially since she didn't have any bruises or injuries that Gabe might have inflicted while I was away.'

"Mamas boy." Someone coughed but it wasn't meanly.

"And proud of it." Percy saw no shame in that.

"Most of us are mamas kids. Percy and Nico adore their moms, Katie loves her mom, the twins and I are mama boys too. Clarisse is a daddy's girl and Chris is a daddy's boy though." F. Will said and then he caught the knife an embarrassed F. Clarisse threw at him.

"What about Annabeth?" Athena looked at her grown child who shrugged.

"Eh I'm on better terms with my dad and step mom now. But I'm probably more of Sally's girl than anything." F. Annabeth still had issues to work out with Athena after the whole...Rome thing.

"What about you Thalia?" Zeus asked his daughter wondering if she was a daddy's girl like Artemis and Athena and Enyo or if she was a mamas girl like Hebe.

"The closest I have to a mom is Step mother dearest and Aunt Sally. So count me as a mamas girl." Thalia said and Zeus pouted while Hera looked surprised.

She was the closest thing Thalia had to a mom, and that was probably because she was married to Thalia's father...and yet Thalia was a mamas girl? She...didn't know how to feel about that...

"From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally—how about some bean dip, huh?"

I gritted my teeth and wished there were no witnesses.

My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a someone who makes her happy and supports her and treats her well. Not that fat walrus.

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 did. 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 Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad. Until that trip to the museum ..."

"Damn that some yarn spinning right there. Sure you aren't a Hermes kid?" Luke asked with a whistle. The Future demigods ignored him.

"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"

"I'll tell you later mom." And hope she wasn't nearby when whatever the Fates had planned went into effect. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if they took his mom."

"Your eyes do the same thing you ass." Thalia said and she threw a bag of dehydrated fruit chips at him. He caught them before they could hit Demeter and opened the bag. Offering some to the beautiful woman on his lap.

"Not intentionally!" Percy defended.

"I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."

My eyes widened. "Montauk?" "Three nights—same cabin."

"You still go?" Posiedon asked looking at his son who smiled while Katie pulled a face.

"He does. And sometimes he takes mom there for dates so she stops trying to work so hard all the time." F. Katie gave a disgruntled look.

"If he's keeping mom from overworking why do you seem so against it?" Persephone frowned at her sister.

"Because the last time they went to Montauk I ended up seeing something no one should ever have to."

"You were the one that came barging in!"

"Because I heard mom screaming! Do you know how alarming that was? Why do you think Uncle Posiedon was right behind me looking worried and Persephone was half a step behind him with a sword in hand?!"

"She was screaming?" Posiedon looked worried while Persephone looked alarmed and then her face become horrified and disgusted.

"Please don't tell me it's what I'm thinking it is." Persephone pulled a face and F. Katie growled.

"It was." She confirmed and Persephone groaned in disgust.

"Really? How many times do people walk in on you two?" Persephone asked disgusted and Hades pulled a face while Posiedon seemed to shut down once he realized what they meant. Apollo and Hermes and Ares were snickering and Aphrodite looked impressed.

"Look. After the first time? It's their fault." Percy said shrugging and Demeter's face was golden from her ears to her collarbone as she blushed hard while her eyes were wide at hearing he had made her scream.

"Please keep reading Hera. I don't want to hear about our sisters sex life!" Hades groaned and Nico snorted.

"Not that you and mom are much better. She did want another baby after all and you were happy to help. Why do you think I've been hiding out with Will? Walking in on you two in the kitchen once was enough thanks." Nico snorted and Hades blushed as well now, Persephone didn't look the least bit ashamed.

Hera looked envious that her sister was apparently being made to scream semi-regularly in the best way and her brother apparently was taking care of his wife as well. She could barely remember the last time Zeus even touched her much less made her scream.

"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 due to him drinking and gambling it away."

And suddenly the more light hearted atmosphere was gone and Poseidon was scowling.

"Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?" I barely kept from punching him and I wanted to split his throat, 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."

"He'd better." Posiedon growled.

"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."

"Bribery. Nice. Is she one of mine?" Hermes asked eagerly.

"Nope! I know who moms godly parent is and sorry but it's not you!" Percy grinned at the pouting Messenger God.

"Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip ... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"

"That's financial abuse." Aphrodite said with a hiss and her eyes locked onto Percy.

"After this reading is done I'm killing that man, taking your mother to a spa day and am making sure she gets an entire wardrobe of clothing she likes and feels comfortable in, regardless of the price. Your job is to make sure she goes along with it." It wasn't a request but an order.

"In my time he's long since dead, and you have done that exact thing. And you love to babysit and dress up Estelle and even have tea parties with her. You and your children adore my sister." Percy said fondly thinking about the last tea party.

"He would know. Last time Estelle had a tea party Percy ended up in a blue dress with a green boa and a tiara." F. Chris snickered and there were several laughs but more awws at how he let his sister play dress up with him.

"Oh shut it. Estelle is the princess of Camp and everyone knows it. Besides your girlfriend was there too in a sparkly pink dress and heels." Percy pointed at F. Clarisse who threw a knife at him that he caught easily.

"Fuck off Jackson! No one can say no to Estelle! Even the gods can't say no to her when she pouts and it's only half cause you're behind her daring them to make her cry!" F. Clarisse scowled at Percy and Thalia snickered.

"Lady Artemis has the picture of Apollo, the old man, Uncle Posiedon and Uncle Hades all dressed up at one of Estelle tea parties framed in her tent." Thalia caused several people to laugh at that.

"Hades always has been a girl dad." Persephone seemed fond and absolutely smitten with her husband as she said that despite his embarrassed scowl.

"So has Zeus." Hera threw her husband under the bus there and he spluttered in outrage.

"I am absolutely a girl dad." Posiedon admitted without shame. He might be in bad terms with his daughters but he adored them all the same.

"I definitely want to recruit your sister now." Artemis grinned at the idea of blackmail on her twin although she had a feeling Apollo hadn't been the least bit ashamed of it.

"Mom wants her to at least finish high school so if you do recruit her keep that in mind. Although Annabeth has offered to help teach Estelle so that's more flexible." Percy warned the huntress who nodded.

"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."

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano until I disembowel you and offer up your entrails as a sacrifice."

"Do it!" Several shouts were heard.

"Hm that was a thought. Demi had preferred Pigs when being given a sacrifice and this filthy mortal was rather piggish. Would she like that sacrifice?"

"Sacrifice him to me while he's still alive, that way I can torture him." Demeter said with a blood thirsty smile that shocked a few people but Percy gave her a lovestruck grin.

"I love your vicious and cruel sides." Percy began to smother her face in soft kisses making her laugh a bit.

"Simp." Someone coughed.

"Absolutely." Percy agreed and kissed his beautiful fiance some more.

"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? This was no way for a husband and father, even a step father, to act! I could never even think of treating Demi and our kids the way this filth treated mom and I!"

"And I never will." Percy whispered to Demeter who smiled and kissed him softly.

"I know you'd never treat me or the children like that." She assured him quietly.

 

"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 or if he was able to get away with punching me.

"Yeah, whatever," he decided.

He went back to his game

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. Did she know?"

"Did she?" Athena asked glancing at Percy who was busy peppering Demeter with kisses and paying no attention to anyone else.

"She's clear sighted so she knew something happened but not what. Not then at least." F. Chris told the goddess instead.

"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."

"One you're twelve. And not on the run, you weren't going to be driving. And two why am I not surprised he just stood there and didn't help." Thalia growled but Percy smirked a bit.

"Hey had to get started on my muscles somehow. Don't think I would have gotten them if he helped." Percy joked and the Future Demigods snorted.

"What muscles? You were a tiny twig when you first showed up punk. You didn't start getting muscles until after you started training." F. Clarisse smirked and Percy stuck his tongue out at her.

"Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve. 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 toward 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 the one from so long ago that was a warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. 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. Maybe it was just the wind...but maybe I had a magic godly parent? I was pretty sure I was not a child of the Crossroads."

"That's nature magic..." Zeus rumbled alarmed.

"Oh Hecate would absolutely adopt you if given the chance but nah you aren't one of hers. All of her kids have purple eyes." F. Annabeth said recalling some of what Hazel mentioned.

"I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.

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, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.

"You love that place." All the future Demigods said as one and Percy nodded even as the Athena group shuddered at the mention of Spiders, especially F. Annabeth.

I loved the place. 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 and second mom.

As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea."

"Oh!" Aphrodite seemed to realize something and turned to look at Percy who nodded. The Love goddess smiled and was making many plans to visit his mom and how to torture the trash pile.

"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.

I guess I should explain the blue food."

"PLEASE!!" The Future Demigods shouted and everyone looked confused.

"Did I never tell you guys?" Percy asked confused and alarmed.

"No! You only told grandma! And I know mom knows cause she added it to the torture of that filth in our time! But you never told us!" Nico said and Demeter looked curious while Persephone looked baffled. She added blue food to a torture?

"Has he never heard of blueberries?" Connor asked and Katie grabbed some from the fruit tray her mom had summoned earlier and threw them at him.

"Blueberries are purple!" There were a lot of snorts and snickering at that.

"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. I didn't tell her how he'd get mad and beat me every time. 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."

"Oh..." The future Demigods relaxed a bit now but a lot of people winced at the mention of him getting beaten everytime his mom bought home blue foods.

"Percy...you have an obedience streak. The only people you listen to are your moms, Aunt Demeter and Aunt Hestia." Thalia said dryly and Percy shrugged.

"He doesn't listen to me?" Posiedon asked and the whole group snorted.

"Not really. He only listens to those he respects and loves. Sometimes he'll listen to us but most of the time? It's just them." F. Annabeth shook her head.

"He listens to me. And to my siblings." F. Katie said smugly and she got a few looks at that.

"That's because he pretty much adopted you as his own and is about to be your step dad. He listens to mom too." Nico said amused and Persephone looked smug.

"He is such a girl dad." F. Travis said amused and Percy just nodded his head in agreement.

"You're that much of a girl dad?" Demeter asked amused but fond, she remembered how he had adored Persephone and Despoina back when he was Iasion as well.

"How can I not be when our beautiful baby girls take after their amazing mother?" Percy asked in return and Demeter couldn't help but kiss him for that.

"What a smooth tongue you have." Demeter teased him with a smile after their kiss ended.

"All the better to love you with my dear." He whispered into her ear and then there was another pear thrown at them.

"Break it up you two! I don't want to see a little sibling getting made!" F. Katie called making Demeter blush and splutter a bit before hiding her face in his chest as he chuckled.

Zeus noticed the look of envy in Heras eyes as she saw their sister and nephew flirt and kiss and be so ridiculously in love. Maybe he ought to do something nice for her soon...

"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.

Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk—my parents. 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."

"None of us do!" The demigods chorused as one.

"Unless it's one of us asking pops about mom. Then we get real tired of hearing him rambling on for five hours." F. Katie snorted at that and Percy huffed.

"I can talk about her for far longer. She's amazing." Percy sounded insulted that they'd think he'd only talk for five hours instead of longer.

"Your father was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes. And your other mom? She was absolutely beautiful and graceful and so loving. Your eyes have some of her coloring, you have her smile and cheekbones and way with sea creatures." If I hadn't already known they were deities then I would have been very confused on how I inherited anything from my second mom."

"Yeah that's fair. And even in the whacky world of myth it's not too common. Only ones I can think of off hand are Shark boy and Death Breath." Thalia nodded in agreement and everyone glanced at Nico. He smiled and Persephone gave a small noise and hugged him close. He had her smile! Hades stared softly at his wife and son although he wondered where his daughter was.

Nico did take most of his looks from Hades but he had some of Persephone in there too, the curl of his hair, his nose and smile...there was probably more but that was the most immediate things he got from Hades beloved wife.

Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish they could see you, Percy. They would be so proud."

"We are!" Posiedon said as if to reassure Percy.

"I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A beaten and scarred boy who didn't fight back against his abuser although I thought of the murder several times...a boy destined to die soon. And if the Gods cared about any of the mortal standards that made it even worse."

"We don't care about the mortal standards and you took the abuse to protect your mom. When Amphitrite finds out she'll be furious we couldn't protect you and demand to have you brought to Atlantis so she can smother you in love." Posiedon assured his son.

"I know that now dad. But back then my mental health and self esteem was shit. I apologize in advance for most of my thoughts." Percy said giving his dad a smile.

"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ... when they left?" She watched the flames. "They were only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin.' That's some bullshit. There is no way that's possible when my birthday is in August. She would have had to be with them in November."

"We were with her for a full year and a half." Posiedon confirmed.

"But... They knew me as a baby."

"No, honey. They knew I was expecting a baby, they even thought you would be a boy, but they never saw you. They went on the trip before you were born."

I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... something about my parents. A warm glow. A smile.

I had always assumed they 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 they'd never even seen me ... I felt angry at my parents. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented them for going on that ocean voyage, a way to leave her without anyone asking questions, without leaving support for mom. They'd left us with no support or anything and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe. At least...until I went through with my plans."

"Percy..." Posiedon looked a bit stricken but understanding.

"Please note. Back when I was Iasion people knew about the gods and then having children with mortals. And there wasn't a no interference law back then that I know of." Percy reminded them all and they nodded slowly. They could see how he'd think it was just abandonment without support in that case.

"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?"

"Punk!" F. Clarisse yelled.

"I regretted it as soon as I said it!" Percy defended himself.

I regretted the words as soon as they were out. 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 wondering if she knew of the godly world.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. 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?" She couldn't mean the fates. There was no one safe from the Fates.

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."

"A rogue cyclops." Posiedon growled as he narrowed his eyes. Amphitrite had found out about that somehow and had...handled the rogue.

"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."

"Like Heracles!" Zeus perked up beaming.

"Ew no. I'd rather not be associated with that egotistical jackass." Percy shuddered in revulsion and Demeter raised an eyebrow but smiled. Iasion hadn't like Hercules either.

"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 how I had sliced my math teacher, a Fury, 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 for her. She deserved a few more moments of peace and happiness. It already hurt that I was planning to slip away into the night with a note left about the Fates.

I didn't want to be near her if my death was going to be violent or painful. I didn't want her to see or risk getting caught in the blast area."

"I hate that you're planning to leave in the middle of the night like that but can see where you're coming from." F. Annabeth grimaced.

The rest agreed. He'd do it to try and keep his mom safe from whatever the Fates were going to have happen to him.

"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 parents wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it."

"My parents wanted me to go to a special school?"

"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp." A what now?

My head was spinning. Why would my parents— 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?"

"Okay yeah when you put it like that it makes it all sound strange." Lee said nodding with a wince.

"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 good-bye to you for good."

"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..." Did she know he was going to die?

She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry. I would never intentionally do that unless it couldn't be avoided.

That night I had a vivid dream and it wasn't a good one."

"Ugh demigod dreams." F. Clarisse groaned and Thalia winced.

"And Percy's got it worse than the rest of us." F. Travis shook his head.

"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. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder. Oh this was not good. I knew those animals..."

"What are you two fighting about now?" Hades groaned although they all were tense at the mention of something below ground goading them on.

Zeus and Posiedon shrugged.

"I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing fighting and killing mortals, but I was running in slow motion. 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.

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 twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery. What the actual fuck where they fighting about?"

"That's what we want to know!" Hermes said frowning and looking between Zeus and Posiedon.

"With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said,

"Hurricane." I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end. Something was hunting us.

Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice—someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door. That...didn't sound like a monster. That actually sounded like...

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."

"What do you mean not exactly Grover?" Annabeth frowned at Percy.

"Oh the title where he loses his pants! This is you seeing his hooves for the first time!" Malcom said realizing it and Percy nodded.

"What's hunting you?" Demeter asked worried and Percy kissed her cheek.

"You'll see my love. But just remember I'm right here safe and holding you."

"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 and putting myself between him and my mom.

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "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 gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on—and where his legs should be ... where his legs should be …

My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now !" That snapped me out of it.

"Let's get to the car!" I called and she was already grabbing her purse as I told her 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 from where she was digging out the keys.

She tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!" I didn't know why she was including him."

"What did you have against Grover?" Luke asked frowning at Percy.

"Remember he has memories of his life as Iasion...and during those times Satyrs were...very different from the ones you all know today." Persephone tried to be diplomatic about it as she grimaced remembering what Satyrs used to be like.

"The ones around camp raised around humans are okay, those are the nice ones. You can be friends with them. But any out in the wild...any that are feral..." Dionysus shook his head and Artemis grimaced.

"No one should go near them. And they are often hunted down by my hunters and I." Artemis knew a few of them got the implications with how their eyes widened.

"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.

Grover was a Satyr. But he didn't act like any of the ones Iasion had known...had they changed a lot during the time he was dead or was he just biding his time? Whatever the case he was not leaving a satyr alone with his mom."

"Which given what they used to be like is perfectly acceptable and reasonable." Hestia even agreed to that making the campers all exchange looks.

"That's the end of the chapter." Hera announced and she held the book out. Ares grabbed it from her hand.

"My mother teaches me bullfighting!"

"Hell yeah that's what I'm talking about!" Ares cheered at the promise of a fight in the chapter.

"Prissy is this..." F. Clarisse leaned forward interested.

"My arrival to camp." Percy said and there were several curious looks at that.

Chapter Text

"After this chapter we'll probably need a break. Most of us have ADHD after all and there will... definitely be some tense feelings and high emotions after this." Percy said after Ares read the title and the gods merely hummed.

"As long as mom isn't dragging you to another closet." F. Katie grumbled and Demeter gave an embarrassed noise.

"Demeter drags him to a closet?" Hera looked confused that didn't sound like her sister at all.

"Oh yes. As much as I hate that I know this? Ninety percent of the time when they're being handsy somewhere most people wouldn't be, like say a dressing room or closet? Mom starts it. Papa respects her too much to even think of suggesting anything like that." F. Katie nodded and Demeter glanced up at Percy who gave her a tender smile.

"Because you only deserve the best of everything and all the love and gentleness in the world. And I hate the thought of anyone walking in on us and seeing you like that. You're mine and mine alone." Percy murmured into her ear. Demeter melted and pressed a kiss to his neck as she curled into him.

"I don't know what he just said and I don't want to know." Thalia snorted as she looked at the goddess who was pretty much a puddle of goo at whatever Percy whispered to her.

"He's being very sweet." Demeter defended but she was still smiling contently. Gods didn't need to sleep, not unless they were playing at being mortal, but she absolutely felt like she could curl up and sleep here in his arms and lap.

"Of course he is. He adores you. Wait until you hear the wedding vows he gave for the mortal ceremony." F. Annabeth waved it off as if she expected that.

"Again. You mentioned that they've had a mortal ceremony and yet you all still call them engaged and not married." Hera noted and the group blinked.

"It's a habit. The Mortal Ceremony was the one where his mom and step dad and sister and most of Camp could attend. He wanted to make sure he was bound to Lady Demeter in every way and since he was raised mortal and had mortal documents proving it he wanted the mortal world to know he was married too. You were very okay with doing two ceremonies but most other Gods don't consider them married and won't until after the Godly Ceremony." Thalia informed her step mom who nodded slowly in understanding.

Ares seemed to get tired of all the talking though as he started to read.

"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.

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, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants. 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."

There were several offended noises but F. Clarisse snorted.

"I'm telling him you said that."

"Oh just wait."

"All I could think to say was, “So, you and my mom…know each other?” Grover’s eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. I wondered what was chasing us and how he'd had outrun it.

“Not exactly,” he said. “I mean, we’ve never met in person. But she knew I was watching you.”

“Watching me?”

Okay add a point towards the stalker category. But this was strange. Grovers been at school around people for a long time...most Satyrs couldn't do that from what I remember?"

"The old days ones and wild ones definitely not." Apollo agreed with a grimace.

"Had to try and keep you safe. It's why I called him in. But then Mrs. Dodds happened and-"

"Oh so now you admit Mrs. Dodds was real." I still wanted to know how he'd done that, made everyone forget her so completely.

"Of course she was real."

"Then how did-"

He continued talking over me which...rude but oh well.

"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you’d attract,” Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. “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.” I'm sorry I'd think the what was a hallucination?!? The fuck was a kindly one?!"

"How did that name get started for my Furies anyways?" Hades asked glancing around confused.

No one could give him an answer cause none of them really knew.

"Who I—wait a minute, what do you mean?” What was the mist? What the hell was a kindly one? The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail and it gave me a sick feeling in my gut.

“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?” He had suspected he was a demigod but what had he done to piss off someone already?!

“Oh, nobody much,” Grover said nervously.

“Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions.” What did I do to piss off my brother-in-law this time?! He couldn't still be mad about the field incident could he?"

"Look. I never have and never will want to see my sisters naked. And yet somehow..." Here Hades glared at Percy while Demeter looked embarrassed and horrified.

"And I never wanted to see mom naked or doing that. How do you think I feel?" Persephone pulled a disgusted look as well.

"Unfortunately we kind of have to get used to it. Those two can barely keep their hands off of each other." F. Katie said giving Percy and her mom a pointed look. Demeter tried to look embarrassed but it failed when she felt a kiss to her head from her...her husband. He was her husband again at least in the mortal world and soon he'd be her husband for all time.

"Or was remembering his past life against some kind of rule and Hades had somehow realized he remembered and that's why he wanted to kill me."

"If I had known you were a reincarnation and remembered I wouldn't want to kill you merely figure out how that happened. If I realized who you were I would absolutely tell Demeter and Persephone." Hades said immediately in answer.

"As it is I'm surprised Zagreus didn't tell us, he knows how much I've missed Papa." Persephone wondered why her son didn't tell her and no one had an answer for that honestly.

Also Ares didn't care as he kept reading eager to get to the fighting.

"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.

“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 where she said she might never see me again...

"Is this about the Fates?" Did he have time to go back and kill Gabe? To try and make his mother safe? He couldn't let Demi know he was alive or had his memories. Not when he'd likely die soon...he'd never want to make her suffer that again."

"I'd rather suffer but have known you than to have never known you and been living in ignorant peace." Demeter murmured as she laid her head on his shoulder and started leaving kisses on his neck. His arms tightened around her and one hand was trailing hearts and I love yous on her body.

"The Fates or Morai or Weavers of destiny. 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.”

Yes thank you for that Grover that definitely helped reassure and calm down mom!"

"Yeah can't blame Percy there that absolutely wasn't a good thing to say with Aunt Sally in the car." Thalia winced and the rest of the demigods noticed.

"I wish you hadn't left me at the bus station so we could have left earlier!"

"Dude you were doing FUNERAL RIGHTS AT ME! WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?!?"

"Grover!"

"Sorry Ms. Jackson!" Mom swerved hard to dodge a fluttering shape.

"Was that-' Another Fury?!

"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.

Outside, nothing but rain and darkness—the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. And my hands shook. I didn't know how to react to any of this. I had never once wanted to be a hero, this life or my last. I had been perfectly happy being a farmer, being a husband and being a father to Demis kids even if they were much older than me.

Right now I wanted nothing more than to ensure my mom's safety and then find and hold my wife."

"So loyal and dedicated to her." Hera sighed and she looked jealous as she glanced at her sister who smiled and seemed determined to kiss ever inch of Percy's neck.

"Always. My life, my heart, and my soul. They are all for you my dearest." Percy murmured quietly to his wife.

"You are such a sweetheart." Demeter was swooning okay, leave her alone the love of her immortal life was back and here and holding her and was being so loving and romantic.

"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. 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. That was the only explanation. We’d been blasted right off the road. There is no way that was normal lightning."

"Zeus!" Posiedon and Demeter both snarled at their younger brother who looked alarmed.

"It's alright my love. I'm. Right. Here." Percy reassured his lover with a kiss to emphasize each word.

"Was the God King trying to kill me again?! I really really don't like lightning. But also what did I do this time? Last time it was because he was jealous of my relationship with Demi and he didn't want his wife to nag at him about how he should be more loyal to his wife like how I was to my wife."

"That's why you killed him? That's why you killed my husband and the love of my immortal life? The only one who I actually loved!" Demeter could not be calmed down now as she shot from Percy's lap with a snarl aimed at her brother.

"You told us that he was bragging and talking about how he had Demeter wrapped around his finger. That you killed him because he was manipulating her." Hera said slowly as she glared at her husband who paled and began to sweat.

"You killed Papa for such a small selfish reason? Because you didn't want my lady stepmother pointing out how a mortal was more loyal to his vows than you were..." Persephones eyes were glowing and she was absolutely ready to prove that she was her mother's daughter.

"If you ever come near or hurt my husband again I will forcibly remind you that while you might be the King of the Gods...I am the one who inherited fathers scythe for a reason. I inherited his scythe, his agriculture and fertility domains and I inherited the earth domains from grandmother. And if you dare try to make an enemy of me Zeus I will remind you why you feared me at one time." Demeter hissed out that threat sounding a lot like her sacred snake as she stared him down looking ready to unleash her full power against him.

"I am your king!" Zeus stood and reached for his lightning bolt, Heras staff smacked his hand away and he turned to see her glaring at him with purple eyes. He hadn't seen those eyes in a while and that...did not mean anything good for him.

"You might be King of the Sky but you forget each of us are royals as well Zeus. Demeter is the second oldest of us, just behind Hestia. She is stronger, smarter and a lot more vicious than you when provoked. Just because she prefers to keep the peace and not fight...I think you have forgotten just how dangerous of an enemy she is. You deserve whatever she does to you for this, and I for one am on her side. I defended your murdering of Iasion because I had honestly believed you when you said he was lying to and manipulating our sister. But to hear how you did it out of jealousy and to avoid being compared to him?" Hera sneered at her husband who was staring at her shocked.

"I AM-'

"ZEUS!" His mouth shut immediately and everyone whipped around to see Hestia standing there. She was still in her small child form that she preferred but she was also staring down Zeus with glowing red gold eyes. Of Kronos children she and Demeter had gotten their fathers eyes, but they had both allowed their domains to influence their eye color a bit to change it. After all none of them liked being reminded of their similarities to their father.

"Sit. Down." Hestia's voice rung with power and Zeus looked mutinous but he sat down.

"You were in the wrong. Back then and now. I doubt you will learn from your mistakes but be aware of this. I too side with my sisters. And while I choose to be peaceful, that is indeed a CHOICE! I am more than willing to consider other options if need be and you are making me consider them." Hestia's voice was thrumming with power and none of the demigods could ever remember the kind hearth goddess being like this before.

They had always just seen her as a hearth or family goddess, not a threat...they forget the lengths some people will go to in order to protect their family.

"I do not wish to fight family. I do not wish to be your enemy. But I will be if you make me. Sit. And for once think with your head instead of your dick." Hestia said and that caused several dropped jaws since not even her siblings expected that of her.

Zeus sat stunned and in disbelief as he stared baffled at his eldest sister.

Then he noticed Hera standing and moving away

"Hera?" He looked thrown at his queen leaving her throne.

"Right now I can't stand to even look at you." Is all she said before she moved to the Future Demigods and sat on the mostly empty couch beside Thalia.

"Oh damn." Hermes whispered wide eyed.

"You know dad fucked up when Hestia rips into him and Hera would rather sit next to one of dads bastards." Apollo muttered to his sister who nodded in agreement, although in the silence of the room everyone heard it.

Demeter stared down her brother for a moment longer before giving a derisive scoff and turning back to the couch.

"Woah mom you were awesome!" Her children seemed wide eyed and impressed and Demeter gave a small giggle as she sat beside Percy again, this time having her sword leaning against her leg, and pulled her closest children, Billie and Katie, closer to her side in a half hug and cuddle.

It took a few minutes for Ares to find his place in the book again as Persephone was pulled into her husband's chest to calm down.

"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 and have questionable motives you’re my best friend and I don’t want you to die!

Then he groaned “Food,” and I knew there was hope."

There were a few smiles or snorts but most were still reeling from what just happened and stayed quiet.

"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 toward 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. He probably did but...but that couldn't be who I thought it was could it?

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. 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.

“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.”

"Not going to happen." None of the future Demigods looked like they believed he'd do that.

"What do you mean not going to happen?" Athena asked frowning at them especially her adult daughter who hadn't once glanced at her or answered her yet.

"There was no way Prissy would leave anyone behind if its at all avoidable. Especially not his mother. Even during the war it was a hassle getting him to leave anyone behind, even with him knowing it was necessary he still fought tooth and nail to try and save everyone on our side." F. Clarisse scoffed as if the thought of Percy leaving someone behind without a fight was impossible.

"War?" One of the lil demigods muttered and there were some worried and scared looks.

"Mom, you’re coming too.” 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 toward 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… but how? He had been killed already..."

"Right you wouldn't have known about the reforming thing." Apollo said with a wince as he thought about how jarring that must have been for Iasion.

"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 toward 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.” 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. 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 looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary."

"I'm sorry did it just say he was in bright white fruit of the looms?" F. Chris asked in disbelief while F. Stolls were cackling and Thalia snorted.

"Is there something kinky going on in the underworld?" F. Travis asked cackling and even F. Will was trying to muffle his laughs.

"Katie?" Nico glared at the Stolls while blushing.

"Got you." F. Katie sighed and smacked both of her idiots upside the head making them stop cackling and pout at her.

"Ow babe!" F. Travis pouted at Katie who raised an eyebrow.

"You were implying my sister and brother in law were up to something involving the Minotaur and said it was kinky. In front of them, my nephew, a bunch of younger kids, and my mom." F. Katie laid out and the Stolls paled a bit and looked sheepish.

They gave apologetic sheepish smiles to Nico who rolled his eyes.

"And this is why Katie is called the Stoll wrangler." F. Will laughed and F. Katie sighed.

"Don't remind me." She seemed exasperated but she smiled when the Stolls pouted and pulled her in close.

Ares didn't care and kept reading.

"Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button 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."

"He gets to face the minotaur?" Someone muttered in jealousy.

"Dude he was just blasted off the road by lightning, his mom is there and his satyr protector is unconscious. After he saw the Fates? Now is not the time to be jealous."

"Oh shut up Carl."

"I recognized the monster, all right. Both from the stories I heard in my last life and because 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 as if trying to refocus on the beast. He had already been killed. He...he couldn't be back.

“That’s—” “Pasiphae’s son,” my mother said. “I wish I’d known how badly they want to kill you.”

"Smart." Athena seemed grudgingly impressed by that.

"But he’s the Min—” “Don’t say his name,” she warned. “Names have power.” But I wasn't going to? I was going to say the Species name...

I didn't have time to ask about that.
The pine tree was still way too far—a hundred yards 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 fifty feet 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.” But how? The rain should be helping mask their scent.

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. Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.

Oops."

There were a few giggles and snorts but most were quiet. They wanted to know what would happen. And a few were worried how Gabe would react.

"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 directions very well once he’s charging. Do you understand?”

“How do you know all this?” surely this wasn't something all of them knew? He barely could remember it and he had a previous life in Ancient Greece!

“I’ve been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me.”

"Yes and no. Yes because it was selfish but no because it wasn't. Him being kept near her and that fat tub of lard is probably what kept the old man from killing him as a baby." Thalia made a so so motion with her hands at that.

"And because letting your child go is a hard thing for a mother to do." Demeter said and she managed to adjust them so that she had Katie pulled into her side, Miranda on her lap and Steve and Douglas as her two youngest and currently her only boys were on Percy's lap leaning into their mother, Billie was sprawled across her siblings and mom. Hera agreed with a sad smile as she glanced at her boys.

"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 yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn’t getting any lighter.

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. The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn’t work. I could never outrun this thing. I was more of a perseverance fighter and runner! My main skill was stamina not speed!"

"I can make so many jokes." One of the Hermes kids said And Apollo and Hermes were trying not to snicker while the kids were giggling to themselves.

"Anyone who makes a joke about that and involves my mom gets poison ivy in their bed and clothing!" Miranda warned with a glare, they shut up because they knew she meant it.

"Still better than Meg the Crotch kicker." F. Chris snorted and Demeter's head popped up. Meg? As in?

"Last time someone made a crass joke about that around Meg she nearly castrated them with her scimitars. She does not play about her mom." F. Connor shuddered. Meg was the scariest daughter of Demeter at camp for a good reason. And also one of the youngest.

"Meg? She's only eight right now..." Demeter trailed off glancing at Percy who kissed the top of her head, she liked being just short enough that she could tuck her head under his chin which he would never at all mind.

"She just turned fifteen in our time. She is an absolute menace and terrifies everyone, she even scared Apollo." Percy cheerfully told her and Demeter smiled, that was one of her babies all right. And she was glad to know that her daughter was alright. Her vision of her baby was blocked somehow and it worried her.

"She's not very patient but she's really kind to her siblings. She was teaching Amara to do crotch kicks last I saw." F. Katie said amused but also a bit annoyed knowing she'd be the one to have to deal with the complaints about that.

"Amara?" Another child of hers? But she didn't have a child named Amara.

"Your last demigod child and your youngest. She turns five soon and was the ring bearer at our mortal wedding." Percy told her and Demeter smiled at hearing she'd have another little baby to love and spoil but then she frowned a bit as she glanced at him...this...would be her last demigod and yet she had a feeling that he wasn't the father. She couldn't imagine letting anyone else touch her if she knew he was back...

"She was probably the most excited about the wedding. She was thrilled that she'd have Percy as a step dad and happily calls him Papa. It nearly caused a fight among some of my siblings when she claimed that if you and him have a baby she'd be the best big sister." F. Katie snickered and Miranda scowled.

"No I'll be the best big sister!" Miranda denied and Katie shoved her sister and Persephone frowned and looked ready to say something.

"Children." Demeter's voice stopped them all cold. That was her serious mom voice.

"I'm sure all of you would be good older siblings, don't fight about it when she's not even born yet. And Persephone you are far too old to be arguing with your siblings about who the best older sibling is." Demeter gave her eldest an unimpressed look.

"I didn't say anything!" Persephone defended herself and Demeter raised a single eyebrow at her making her pout a bit.

Ares scoffed at all the mushy shit and kept reading.

"The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward 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 toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.

“Run, Percy!” she told me. “I can’t go any farther. Run!” 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."

"What?! But Aunt Sally is fine!" The Future demigods looked thrown and confused aside from F. Annabeth who knew what had happened.

"That's not death. Mortals don't die like that." Athena said eyes narrowed curiously.

"She was taken?" Someone asked and there were several looks shot at Hades. Even Persephone looked confused as she looked at her husband.

"No!” Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs—the same rush of energy I’d gotten 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!”

“Raaaarrrrr!” The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists. I had an idea—a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all. 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."

"Not gonna work. Plans never go the way you want." F. Connor said shaking his head.

"You need better insults." Clarisse muttered and F. Clarisse nodded in agreement.

"You know? I almost, read almost, feel bad for the Minotaur. Because now Percys mad." Nico hummed a bit at that but Thalia gave a bloodthirsty smirk.

"I'm not. No one fucks with Aunt Sally." Thalia hissed.

There was a girl at my side. Half there and half not. She had ripped jeans and spiky hair and a shield and spear. She looked at me and all I could think was family. Sister. She smirked and nodded at me slightly, as if assuring me she had my back."

"Do you remember that Thals?" F. Annabeth asked glancing at her sister figure and best friend who made an iffy motion.

"Sort of? Like I can't remember most of the time I was stuck. But I remember feeling rage, protect, brother at some point so that tracks." Thalia shrugged it off.

"Familial soulmates. You three...and a few others, were always meant to be siblings. Your souls have familial entertainment with each other." Aphrodite said tilting her head a bit as she observed Thalia, Annabeth, Nico and Percy.

"And there are a lot of paternal bonds...my you really did adopt a lot of people didn't you Percy?" Aphrodite seemed more amused than anything as she eyed the young man.

"Her kids are my kids whether I sired them or not. And they weren't joking about me adopting several members of the council. Apollo has dinners with us once a week, so does Artemis although I think that's half her trying to talk mom into letting Estelle go hunting. And Hephaestus has standing invitation. And of course Aunt Hestia is always welcome." Percy smiled at his favorite aunt and sister in law.

"What about the rest of us?" Hermes asked pouting a bit.

"You spend every small amount of free time you have with your kids. Dionysus is still stuck at camp for a while but he does meet up with mom in occasion, Aphrodite comes by often to spoil my sister and talk with mom, Ares sometimes gets dragged along with her but not often. Hades and Persephone come and visit often as well and only half cause Nico drags them along with him. And of course Demi lives with me. Zeus rarely comes by and usually if he does it's against his will, Dad and Mama Trite and my immortal siblings pop in every once in a while, and Aunt Hera comes by sometimes. Not often but sometimes. After mom threw hands for what she did she and Aunt Hera got to talking. She is pretty chill when not around Zeus or worried about the impending death of the family." Percy said and there were several choked noises at that.

"Threw hands? Your mom fist fought the queen of the gods?" Someone whispered awed.

"Aunt Hera stripped me of most of my memories of everyone including my mom, dropped me in a forest in San Francisco and pretty much manipulated a lot of events. Mostly for a good cause and reason and everything worked out...but yeah mom was not happy and given what all happened and that mom was pregnant when I went missing? Aunt Hera wasn't even mad about the broken nose." Percy said and he was smiling a bit, recalling with awe how his mom had socked her in the face.

"Aunt Sally is a badass I'm telling y'all." F. Will said snickering and making several people nod stunned.

Ares kept reading but was curious about the mortal who hadn't been afraid to sock his mom.

"When the terror charged again, this time with his hands outstretched to grab me no matter which way I dodged, the girl turned to me and dropped to a knee cupping her hands as if to give me a boost. I don't know where her shield and spear went but I didn't have time to question it.

I trusted her and jumped into her hand and it felt solid as she threw me upwards at a slight angle so that I kicked off of the beasts head and ended up on his back."

"Thanks for the boost Thals." Percy grinned over at his cousin who might as well be his sister who shot him a two fingered salute.

"Anytime Fish stick!" There was some snickering at the name.

"The monster’s head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out. The girl was gone but somehow I knew she was safe.

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. 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 toward 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 backward with all my might."

Not gonna work. Even those of us with enhanced strength can't do that!" Sherman said rolling his eyes at the futile move.

"Maybe he could crack it a bit and then have him ram.the tree again? That might do it." Clarisse hummed in thought and the future demigods all stared at Percy who smirked.

"The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then—snap!"

"No fucking way!" Several people cried out in disbelief.

"How the fuck did you do that?" Sherman asked gaping at Percy. The Percy now he didn't have a problem seeing do that but the same guy as a twelve year old?

"How?" Demeter asked staring at her husband wide eyed and he winked at her.

"You love my muscles dearest." Percy said and Demeter blushed and couldn't help but agree. After all he had good strong muscles from field work when he was Iasion and now...he might have a more lean build but he had prominent muscles.

""Percy the first time she saw you in swim trunks cause we went to the pool she drooled." Nico deadpanned and Demeter blushed but couldn't blame herself.

"And then decided to borrow some water proof lipstick from Aphrodite to leave kiss marks and a few bite marks all over him cause she saw other people drooling too." F. Clarisse snorted in remembrance of that, Percy had not been at all put off by his girlfriends possessiveness and had in fact enjoyed it.

Demeter growled a bit and grabbed Percy by the back of his head.

"Mine." She growled and kissed him furiously until Miranda and Stevie pushed their faces apart.

"Ew. Mom don't make out with Papa when we're sitting on your laps!" Douglas was making a grossed out face and Demeter was embarrassed that she had forgotten about her babies being in her lap.

"Sorry sorry. Don't worry sprouts. Mama won't do it again." Demeter apologized and kissed their heads. Percy was giving a goofy grin at the kiss even as Billie snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"You broke him." Billie informed her mother who was a bit smug at that.

"That happens at least once a week. Mom feels possessive and kisses pops until he can't think straight." F. Katie rolled her eyes far too used to seeing her mom and step dad making out like horny teens.

"To be fair he's just as possessive. Remember when one of his college classmates didn't realize who she was and flirted with her? Percy kissed her so thoroughly she had plants growing all over the college grounds." F. Annabeth reminded and Demeter smiled a bit smugly. Her husband was just as possessive as she was!

"How did we go from him breaking the Minotaurs horn with his bare hands and no training to him and Demeter being possessive over each other?" Hera asked raising an eyebrow at the demigods.

"ADHD." They all responded immediately. As if it were reflex.

Ares looked confused as to how they got that far off track too but went back to reading.

"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. Blinking slowly i noticed the girl was back and was making a stabbing motion. Stabbing her translucent spear into his chest from the side.

The monster charged. Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage towards the heart just like the girl did.

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 cheering from around the room and awed looks. A twelve year old with no weapon and no training had taken out the Minotaur!

"The girl was back over by Grover now and I stumbled that way with my vision going in and out. I had lost my mom and he had been trying to warn us and save us from the Minotaur, he had come searching for us in the night and the storm that was now clearing up.

I wasn't letting him go. I could at the least get him to safety and his injuries looked at. I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for help and my mother.

One of the cabins that I barely noted were there had a light turn on and someone came rushing out.

She had short brown hair and greenish brown eyes...she looked vaguely familiar. She came running and called for someone and another person came rushing as well."

"That was me and Miranda." F. Katie said and she smiled over at Percy who gave her a smile in return.

"My vision was definitely going in and out. I could have sworn she looked like Demi if Demi had brown green eyes instead of green gold or if her hair was blond and curly. It might be curly it was too short and my vision too dark to really tell. But she reminded me of Demi and Persephone and Despoina...

Her friend, sister maybe? They had the same eyes but the hair was different but they had the same cheekbones too..., helped with Grover and someone else came over and gave her a hand but I couldn't see who."

"That was me." F. Clarisse said shrugging when everyone glanced at her.

"Our kids really do look like you love. I will have to beat off so many suitors." Percy said with a faux tired sigh but he was smiling.

"Us too?" Douglas asked staring up at Percy.

"Of course you too silly little bean sprout. You got as much of your mamas good looks as your sisters do. I will be beating girls and guys off of you lot with a tree!" Percy said and he tickled the little boy who giggled while Demeter watched softly as her past and future husband tickled her sons.

Even though they weren't his he loved her children so much...as if they were his own. Damn did she love this man...

"I don't know. Plutus looks like you did back then. Same eyes and complexion and build." For so long her heart had hurt as she thought about and saw the last and greatest gift her husband had given her.

"But he has your hair and cheekbones and nose!" Percy argued and he wasn't wrong but he looked so so much like Iasion had.

"Wait I thought Plutus was the son of Persephone and Hades? I remember seeing a picture of a baby in a cornucopia being given to Demeter from under ground once in a museum." One of Athena's kids asked curiously.

"No no. Plutus is mine and Iasions. What happened in that painting was that he had wanted to go visit his big sister but had gotten stuck in the cornucopia when feeding Cerberus and so Hecate had to bring him back up to me." Demeter said and she was smiling a bit, it had been kind of funny kind of adorable. Ares snickered as well as some of the kids did about a god getting stuck in a cornucopia.

"You hush. I seem to remember Diemo getting stuck in a catapult bucket for a few hours before you noticed." Aphrodite scolded him and Ares hurriedly turned back to the book before she could continue that line.

"The last thing I remember is being laid down in a chair on a wooden porch, moths going towards a yellow light as a familiar beared man and a blond curly haired girl looked at me.

"He's the one, he must be." The blond said.

"He's still conscious Annabeth. Katie can you help bring him inside before going to get Lee and Kayla?"

That was when I passed out."

"Ohhhh the one?" Travis snickered at Annabeth who scowled at him although she blushed.

"His wife might have something to say about that." One of the Ares boys said sniggering as well.

"Oh shut up that's not what I mean!" Annabeth blushed and threw a pillow at them.

"You have to admit how it sounds though." Luke grinned at her making her look embarrassed and annoyed.

"That was the end of the chapter." Ares said and then he tossed the book out towards Apollo who caught it easily.

"I Play Pinochle With A Horse."

There were a few Snickers at that.

Chapter Text

"Actually I think we need a break." Percy said before Apollo could read more than the chapter title.

"What?" Zeus didn't seem happy about that but when Thalia scoffed and muttered something to F. Annabeth Hera heard it.

"The demigods are still mortal husband. They still need to use the bathroom and eat more than snacks." Hera said calmly and Thalia glanced at her surprised and a bit alarmed that she had heard Thalia.

Zeus opened his mouth to argue but the glares he got from all three of his sisters made him close it and grumble.

"Very well. A thirty minute break." He agreed and F. Stolls immediately turned towards Percy and Demeter.

"Hear that? Thirty minutes you two! No making more lil demigods right now!" F. Travis said and there were disgusted noises from some of the kids and a few whistles and catcalls.

Percy smirked.

"I'd need more than thirty minutes." He said and Demeter's face flamed golden as her eyes widened. She smacked him on the chest and he gave her a sheepish grin.

"I don't care how old I am. I don't want to hear that or anything relating to it." Persephone groaned in disgust as she looked at her parents who gave her and her siblings apologetic smiles.

The mortals thankfully got up and started moving around and Hestia was kind enough to summon some food for them to eat. Most of the gods stated close to their children and we're happy to dote on and smother their children in affection.

Persephone made sure their son was eating something healthy but F. Will came over and poked Nico into eating more of the food making her smile. Hades watched as his son was fussed over and welcomed among the other future Demigods with ease. As if he belonged.

"So after the reading..." Persephone leaned into Hades chest even as she watched Artemis both try to recruit some of the demigods and talk with Thalia.

"Hm?"

"Can we have another baby? This one aging like mortals so we can raise them?" Persephone asked her husband who nearly spat out his nectar in surprise but recovered quickly as he coughed. Hera looked at them amused and Hephaestus glanced at them but went back to working on something even as he made sure his kids ate.

"Whatever your heart desires my love." Hades managed to recover quickly and he kissed her head as she reclined against him tucking her head under his chin.

"I'm surprised Demeter didn't try to strangle you for Persephone asking that." Hermes said from beside them making Hades blush a bit embarrassed and affronted but...he had a point.

Glancing at where he last saw Demeter who had summoned her own food for her babies he noticed she wasn't there.

Scanning the room with his eyes even as he held his queen close he raised an eyebrow.

"I think she had the same idea as Persephone. I don't see her or Percy." Hades noted and he noticed his wife glancing over the room as well before she made a noise in her throat.

"I'm not going to go look for them. I don't know what they're doing and I'm not being traumatized again thank you." Persephone declared and Hermes cackled. Hades couldn't blame his wife at all.

"Hey Thalia! The lovebirds vanished again!" F. Chris called to Thalia as it appeared others noticed the disappearance as well.

"It's been about five minutes actually. Which means he's probably got her shirt off by now." F. Annabeth said amused and F. Katie groaned as she made sure her siblings ate.

"It's not my turn to separate them." F. Katie gave the others sharp looks and F. Clarisse scowled.

"It's my turn. Any idea where they slipped off too for this make out session?" She asked glancing at F. Katie and then at F. Annabeth.

"Oh we don't have to go looking to break them up." F. Annabeth waved it away as no big deal and then turned towards Katie's siblings.

"I guarantee you that if one of you called out for your mom she'd appear in less than a minute." F. Annabeth said and the siblings looked at each other unsure.

"Yeah right. Our parents barely care about us. I doubt she'd even hear em." One of the unclaimed kids said making a few of the campers wince and the gods with kids present to immediately fuss over and assure their kids that they do care.

"Mama?" Stevie asked aloud hopefully and there was a brief few seconds of silence. Then Demeter was there and was kneeled down to fuss over her babies.

"Yes sweetheart? Is everything okay my little seedling?" Demeter was checking her kids over for any kinds of wounds and Percy was standing behind her suddenly as well and looking the Demeter kids over and shooting a warning look to the rest of the room. As if daring them to do or say shit to upset his wife's kids.

"Mama why's your shirt inside out?" Douglas asked and there were some snorts and giggles and a few whistles around the room.

"Because mama is silly like that sometimes sweetie. Now come on seedling. Mamas little sprouts need to eat more than that so they can grow big and strong." Demeter got her kids some more food summoned, mostly veggies and some fruits but she did summon some pork chops and ham too.

"Works every time. If there's one thing that'll stop them cold? It's one of the kids asking for them." F. Annabeth muttered to her younger self with a smirk, as if alerting her of that fact for later reference.

"Papa hasn't eaten yet." Stevie said and Demeter immediately glanced at Percy who just shrugged unashamed and unbothered. She clicked her tongue and summoned him some food as well and he chuckled.

"For you my beloved." He murmured softly as he 'sacrificed' some of his ham and veggies to feed his wife. She snorted a bit but then smiled at him.

"You're adorable sometimes you know that?" Demeter asked and he grinned wickedly and leaned in close. No one knew what he said and most didn't want to know as it caused Demeter's eyes to be blown wide, pupils and all, and her face to flush deeply.

It was a bit entertaining to watch him swing between fussing over the kids and flirting quietly with Demeter until she was a blushing mess that was eyeing him hungrily.

And when they all got back to their couches to read again everyone saw the way Demeter claimed her husband's lap and snuggled as far into him as she could while he wrapped his arms around her in return, one hand on her stomach protectively and the other hand tracing hearts and other patterns into her thighs and up to her waist.

"I will get the Stolls to throw water on you two!" F. Katie warned them and Percy grinned and muttered something to Demeter who blushed harder and smacked his hand playfully.

Posiedon pouted in his throne. He had wanted to talk to his son a bit but didn't get the chance. Well he'd try again next break he supposed.

Chapter Text

"Oh damn I forgot how pissed you were." Frank said although he was grinning. It was so satisfying hearing how Percy had first knocked Octavian's teeth out and then after Gwen was okay he was about to see if Octavian could die or not too.

"Before I could beat this fuckers face in and snap his scrawny neck however there was a roar of thunder and the Romans began to kneel as two figures appeared.

First was some muscular soldier guy but I didn't even care about him after I saw who was behind him.

Demi."

"Ceres actually love." Demeter said but Percy kissed her neck with a hum.

"Both sides of you are still my wife, the love of my life and other half of my soul." Percy murmured against her skin and she tilted her head to give him better access.

"Oh I remember this. We were all freaking out." Hazel laughed knowing what happened next.

"I didn't care about anyone or anything else as soon as I saw her. That was my wife! That's my wife and here she was okay and healthy and...my eyes fell to her bulging belly.

She is pregnant. My wife is pregnant... I shoved past the big guy and was at her side in seconds.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are your ankles hurting? Do you need to sit down?"

"Really dear?" Demeter seemed amused but there were several people awwing over how he immediately began to fret over her.

"Imagine what the Romans were thinking seeing this." F. Annabeth snickered.

"Pretty sure Octavian shat himself at one point." Frank grinned and it wasn't a nice grin.

My wife. My wife was here and pregnant and oh gods had I been unconscious all this time leaving her to deal with the pregnancy on her own? I felt horrible and would never make it up to her.

"If you're going to stand there like a garden gnome on steroids at least be useful and conjure a chair for her." I snapped at the big guy and heard several sharp intakes of air."

"You've got balls of steel." Someone whispered amazed.

"You've got balls brat." The garden gnome on steroids seemed amused as he snapped his fingers and a comfortable chair appeared. Good at least he wasn't completely an asshole. My beautiful amazing loving wife laughed lightly as I made sure she sat comfortably in it.

"Do you want anything? A drink? Foods? Me to kill someone? A foot massage?" I'd do anything for her and especially now when I realized I had screwed up so terribly. She was pregnant, my amazing beautiful wife was pregnant and I had been unconscious for a while and didn't even remember anything but her name and face and gods I...I wondered how she could stand being near me. I had gotten her pregnant and then just forgotten?"

"Oh Percy..." Demeter stared softly at her fiance/husband who was peppering her neck in kisses.

"It'll never happen again. If you ever get pregnant again I swear on anything you want me to that I'll be there every second." He promised her quietly and she smiled slightly as she turned her head to give him a soft kiss.

"You better be. Cause the next baby I have will be yours." She murmured against his lips.

"We were all so thrown and confused and shocked." Frank laughed remembering the looks of disbelief and all on everyone's faces despite knowing he probably hadn't been much better.

"She caught me by the back of my head and pulled me into a quick soft kiss. I don't know how often I kissed her before but I was still pretty sure that I could have kissed her a million times and it still would have felt as amazing as the first kiss. This one certainly did.

"Dearest. I'm fine." She said softly when she pulled away and her eyes were beautiful and her lips were pulled up in a smile. She looked so content, so happy. I wanted that look to stay on her face forever.

"Right now the only things I want are my daughter here where I can make sure she's okay. And that murderous weasels neck snapped." She said and I was absolutely ready to comply. My eyes flickered over to Octavian who was nearly shivering against the dirt as he bowed so low."

"You committed murder that easily?" One of the younger campers asked sounding a bit horrified.

"I'd do anything for Demi. Anything. Including murdering anyone she wants me to." Percy wasn't even pretending to be ashamed about that.

"Before anyone could really process what I was doing I was back over beside Octavian and had grabbed the weasel. I didn't hesitate and my hands were steady as I waisted his neck and we all heard the snaps and pops of his neck being broken.

I dropped his body and immediately made my way back towards Gwen. She paled at my approach but I would never hurt her. She was one of Demis children. One of mine... I scooped her up into my arms as if she were a baby and carted her back to Demi without a second thought.

My amazing beautiful radiant wife didn't have much lap space but she didn't care as she held her arms out to take Gwen from me with a smile. Easily taking and cradling her grown daughter as if she were a baby still. Gods was she amazing and beautiful and loving and how did I get so lucky?"

"Demeter, Ceres...Deo...Damate...it doesn't matter. You're still my wife. And your babies are mine." Percy murmured softly and there were a few people who looked ill at him having snapped someone's neck with no hesitation or second thoughts.

"I love you." Demeter said sighing and smiling, how did she get so incredibly lucky?

"I love you too!" Percy was beaming as if he just won the lottery as he gave her a love drunk smile and squeezed her a bit tighter.

"I like how half of that was him just singing her praises." Apollo wasn't even mad about his augur. Honestly the kid deserved it for daring to betray and backstab a fellow soldier. Especially a demigod, one of Ceres kids...and most definitely when her papa bear was right there.

"I didn't even care about what the garden gnome was saying about Frank being his kid and the MVP, he was right Frank absolutely deserved the laurels and Percy would fight anyone who said otherwise, I had already began to rub at my wife's swollen ankles, goddess or not I was sure they were causing her discomfort.

My amazing wife was fussing over our daughter and checking where her wound had been and then giving her some snacks and gods was she so amazing and beautiful. Especially when she fussed over our babies. I was staring at her and I know I must have had a stupid grin on my face as she looked at me amused.

"Hey punk!" The gnome said and I frowned a bit. How dare he interrupt me when I'm trying to spoil my wife?"

"He's just...so affronted at being interrupted while giving her a foot massage." Hermes was snickering hard as were a few other gods.

"Stop calling me a garden gnome!" Ares looked affronted now about that.

"He's talking to you dearest." My gorgeous wife said smiling at me and damn did I love her smile.

"He can wait. You're more important. Are you hungry at all? Thirsty? I can run down to the town and get you something." She let out a small laugh at that while there were affronted noises from behind me and Gwen looked very confused and shocked. I hoped I could hear her laugh every day for the rest of eternity."

"You are a simp." Artemis said casually to Percy who smiled happily.

"Absolutely!" He agreed with no shame or hesitation.

"I'm fine darling. Now see what Mars wants." My stunning radiant wife nudged her foot towards the War God and Percy pouted. He pressed a kiss to her leg before he rose and stared at the War God annoyed.

"What?"

"Unsnap the Anemics neck. We still need him for now and Apollo will bitch about it." Mars rolled his eyes but seemed like he expected the attitude.

I stared at the murderous weasel. I could snap it mostly back in place but not entirely...oh well. Glancing at my wife she nodded and so I walked over and twisted the head and neck back to facing the right way. A couple of soldiers flinched at the noise.

"Do you want anything else or can I go back to spoiling her?" I asked the god irritated and he scoffed but waved me off. Immediately I was back at my wife's side taking her other foot in hand to rub her ankles."

"You have to feel bad for the soldiers. They have no clue what's going on and see this crazy Greek absolutely fawn over a goddess and yet be so rude to another God." Thalia wished she had been there that would have been fucking hilarious to see in person.

"Do you wish me to stop him Lady Ceres?*
" Reyna asked but she seemed reluctant to even ask. I stared up at my wife. Did she want me to stop?

"It's alright. Honestly I expected him to do this as soon as he saw me." My darling wife said shaking her head.

"Uhhh mom not that I mind the attention but...what's going on?" Gwen asked and she still hadn't been set down from my lovely wife's arms but when she squirmed my wife lowered her to stand by the chair.

"Mars came to give a quest. I came to see you and my husband both." My amazing lover said it so casually and I beamed at her. She still loved me despite my fuck up!

Several jaws dropped and oh look. The anemic plushie killer was back with us.

Joy.

"Your husband?!" Gwen, our amazing talented girl, seemed so shocked as she looked at me wide eyed.

"Mhm. Which makes him your step dad. And he adores my children." Of course I did! They were mine too!

Several stared went to me shocked and awed. S few bulged their eyes as they stared between me and Ceres. A few had their eyes locked onto my wife's belly.

I leaned forward and kissed her baby bump.

"Mine." I murmured against her belly and she gave a huff of amusement. I looked up into her sparkly eyes and found myself standing slightly as I kissed her as well.

Mine. For as long as she'd have me and give me the honor of saying such."

"Forever then." Demeter said beaming at him as he mouthed the word mine against her neck.

"Yeah we were all gaping stunned and most couldn't believe this new guy who hadn't even been there two days had apparently married and knocked up a goddess." Frank laughed now looking back at it.

So did many others.

"Oh for fathers sake! Punk she's already knocked up. You can stop making out with her like a pair of newlyweds. Now come on I've got a quest for you!"

One of these I'd punch that War God in his face. Stop interrupting my time with my amazing wife!"

"It isn't even about a quest this time or anything. He's just pissed Mars interrupted his kiss." F. Chris said laughing.

Chapter Text

Apollo had just grabbed the book to read when there was a flash of light.

Suddenly there were more people present and looking around.

"Papa! Mama!" A small pig tailed girl in a silver jacket came hauling ass towards Percy and Demeter and immediately climbed into her mamas lap, beaming up at her and showing a missing tooth.

"Perseus!" Amphitrite looked happy to see him and she walked over, kissing her sons forehead when he bowed his head to her in greeting, unable to get up and bow with Demeter and the tiny huntress in his lap.

"My lady." An older Hunter said bowing to Artemis before glancing at Percy with a smirk.

"Pops." She teased and Ares pouted, that was one of his girls why was she calling the punk pops?!

"Introduce yourselves and the time you are from!" Zeus demanded and he noticed the hunter and two others glance at Percy who nodded before they bowed.

"Phoebe daughter of Ares and Huntress of Artemis. From the year 2013." Phoebe said and she moved to sit over near her mistress who smiled at her.

"I'm Amara! I'm mama and papas daughter! Mama gets married next week!" The little girl on Demeter's lap said brightly smiling and making Demeter beam at her. This was her last demigod child. Her last child before she married her husband. And she seemed to happily call him Papa and be completely unafraid of climbing into her lap. Her adorable baby...

"Our baby is a huntress?" Demeter asked Percy giddily. That meant she was partially immortal and would stay small and adorable.

"Kind of. She wants to wait two or three years before she stops aging but she does seem to be interested in the Hunt." Percy shrugged and Amara giggled.

"I don't have to deal with stupid boys full of cooties and germs! And I get to stay yours and papas baby girl! I like being your baby girl!" Amara said brightly and there were several snorts at the mention of cooties.

"Cooties?" Demeter echoed with a small grin and Amara nodded like a lil bobblehead.

"Uh huh Papa says lots of boys have cooties and germs and are really gross so I should stay with Lady Artemis and the Hunt and never grow up or deal with dumb boys." Amara happily informed the entire room and several people looked at Percy in disbelief and amusement. Demeter seemed fondly exasperated and Persephone was snickering.

"And your papa is right. I'd be happy to have you as a Hunter and far away from boys and their germs." Artemis was more than happy to have another Hunter although she eyed Percy in confusion and disbelief.

"Amphitrite queen of the seas, I'm from the same time as the Huntress and my youngest grandchild." Amphitrite was amused as she moved to her husband's side and kissed his cheek. He pulled her into his lap much like their son had done Demeter.

Demeter's eyes went from her child to Percy to Amphitrite...did she mean...

"Grandchild?" Posiedon questioned and Amara perked up.

"Grampy!" She darted off of her mother's lap and towards the sea God, climbing into his and Amphitrites laps unafraid.

"When Percy started becoming the Camp Dad and especially started adopting me and my siblings...well apparently Gramps and Gram were more than happy to take on the role of grandparents." F. Katie smirked towards Posiedon who looked surprised but pleased and was already talking to the little child about sea creatures and food found in the sea.

"Frank Zhang, Son of Mars. From the year 2013." The bulky man said kneeling and bowing his head before standing up almost immediately.

There were murmurs and shocked looks among the gods at Romans being here.

"Hazel Zhang, daughter of Pluto and Proserpina. From the year 2013." Hazel said and Hades and Persephone looked at her wide eyed. She was dead?! They knew their daughter had died years ago so ho-

"Zhang?" Persephone's eyes slowly went from her daughter to the son of Mars who stiffened.

"She and Frank have been married for four months now. He might look big and scary but he's just a giant teddy bear." Percy said and it was half reassuring and half amused.

"Gramps!" Hazel pouted at Percy who snickered a bit.

"I'm not wrong little gem! You're the scary one between you two!" Percy said smiling widely and Hazel pouted. She didn't want to be scary.

"What?" Had his daughter just called Percy Gramps? What the actual fuck?

"The little gem takes after her mom and grandma." Percy said as if that explained everything and it sort of did. Hades looked torn between thrilled and horrified at that news.

"Why are Romans with Greeks?" Athena asked in disgust.

"I didn't know Romans were still alive." Several demigods said immediately in response.

"The camps are allies and friends in the future." F. Annabeth rolled her eyes at her mother who looked at her in betrayal and shock.

There was a quick explanation of the Romans by the Gods who were still shocked that they got along and there wasn't a war again.

"So you don't mind Ceres?" Demeter asked, one eye turning a dark lush green showing that her Roman side was listening as well. She always had an easier time with her Roman aspect since the only real difference her eye color and Ceres was more militaristic.

"Hey there gorgeous." Percy murmured as he cupped her cheek and kissed her gently.

"I love, adore and literally worship all of you. Ceres, Demeter, Deo...it doesn't matter to me. You're all still the woman I love more than anything." Percy assured and he saw how the lush green eye softened just a bit.

"The only reason you and mom weren't married as soon as you turned sixteen after she knew who you were is because mother Ceres wanted to wait and date a little longer to be sure." F. Katie rolled her eyes.

"Which is wild to think about since when Lady Ceres showed up at Camp Jupiter you were fussing and fawning over her and literally referred to her as your wife and she called you her husband." Frank was amused as he remembered Percy's first day at camp.

"I'm still half convinced that whole day was a fever dream." Hazel snickered in agreement and Nico gave a snort.

"...Just....just read Apollo." Zeus waved at his son to read the damn chapter. He looked like he was about to have a migraine if Gods even got those.

"Do you already know what's happened so far?" Posiedon asked looking at his wife and the little girl on her lap who was happily babbling about different sea plants.

"Hecate and the Fates gave us the knowledge of the last few chapters." Amphitrite said and the rest nodded even if Amara didn't seem to care or notice.

"I play Pinchole with a horse."

There were several looks sent towards Chiron there.

"I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food. Which made for an interesting mixed dream where my wife was beating a fury upside the head with a basket full of bread and knives."

"I've seen that happen." Persephone said grinning slightly and Hades sighed, his poor Fury.

"I'm sorry what?" A few people turned to look at her surprised and confused.

"Megaera had come to visit me in the world above while I was with mother, mother saw her and mistakenly thought Megaera was after mother's demigod son who lived not too far away and began beating the poor Fury with a basket we were using for a picnic." Persephone gleefully told them all about that making a few people snicker imagining a goddess whacking a fury with a picnic basket.

"Look I just saw one of the Torturers and while I know they won't hurt my Kore my very much mortal and could be attacked son was nearby! Be glad I didn't use my sword!" Demeter said defensively and Percy gave her a lovestruck smile.

"Always so protective. You love our babies so much." Percy murmured as he kissed right below her ear, she gave a visible shiver at that and several people prayed hard for Apollo to read before things could escalate.

He did so out of amusement. And because he didn't want to see his aunt get freaky.

"I must've woken up several times, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again. I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn, only it was pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon."

That absolutely snapped Demeter out of her haze and she shot a dark look at Annabeth and F. Annabeth.

Then she turned slightly and gave Percy a dark look as well.

"I'm the only one allowed to feed you." She hissed at him and he easily nodded with a smile and kissed her gently.

F. Annabeth merely shook her head with a sigh. She almost forgot how possessive all Gods were, including Demeter.

"Why am I in the infirmary tending to him though?" Annabeth asked and F. Annabeth just motioned to the books.

"When she saw my eyes open, she asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?" I managed to croak, "What?"

She looked around, as if afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

"Something was stolen?" Everyone looked confused and exchanged looks.

F. Will sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to interrogate my patients!"

"I stopped doing it!"

"The other girl from before with the short hair was there too all of a sudden along with a blond boy. Annabeth filled my mouth with the pudding quickly.

"Annabeth! You're supposed to be at archery! We've been looking all over for you!" The other girl said giving the blond a glare and storming over.

"Did you just fill a concussed persons mouth with food?! Even if it's ambrosia pudding you shouldn't do that! He could choke!" The blond boy raced towards me but I couldn't stay conscious much longer."

"Sorry." Annabeth said looking shocked by what she had done and worried she could have hurt him. She was especially worried by the looks Demeter and Posiedon were giving her.

One could tell they were siblings right now from the glares they were sending her.

"When I woke up from another rather pleasant dream of a time gone by I had half expected to have my wife sleeping on my chest as she liked to do. Instead I was alone in bed and a husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He had blue eyes — at least a dozen of them — on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands. Hadn't Demi mentioned him before..."

"What was your dream about?" Demeter asked quietly and Percy hummed low in his throat, his mouth by her ear as he answered.

"Not too sure. This was eight years ago for me, but I doubt it was anything dirty just yet." Percy murmured only for her to hear.

When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to. I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries.

There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt."

"Foreshadowing." F. Clarisse grimaced at that and the rest of the future group who knew what she meant winced as well.

"I can't wait to see how you describe camp!" Silena said excitedly and wondering how everyone would make an appearance.

"On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.

My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it."

"Papa?" Stevie looked worried and Percy took his hand off of Demeter's thigh to snag the boy by the back of his shirt and put him on the goddess's lap.

"Don't worry kiddo. I was just mentally weak from seeing my mom vanish and trying to reconcile everything." Percy assured the boy and Demeter immediately had her arms around her son as she cuddled him.

""Careful," a familiar voice said.

Grover was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Just plain old Grover. Not the goat boy.

Although I knew what I had experienced was no dream I could just try and pretend a little longer right?

So maybe I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we had taken Grocer with us and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason. And . . .

"You saved my life," Grover said. "I . . . well, the least I could do ... I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."

Reverently, he placed the shoe box in my lap. Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood.

It hadn't been a nightmare. I couldn't pretend it was."

"Oh Perce." Thalia said her eyes sympathetic for her cousin/brother who buried his face in Demeter's neck and held her and the child on her lap close.

Hera gave a sad smile towards the hero who would marry her sister. He loved his mother so much and cared for her greatly...

"The Minotaur," I said.

"Um, Percy, it isn't a good idea — "

"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" I demanded. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull."

"You shouldn't say their names!" Annabeth chided him and F. Annabeth looked sheepishly amused.

"You have no room to talk Annie don't even start." Thalia was a bit amused but mostly she still felt bad for her brother.

"What?" Annabeth demanded looking at Thalia shocked and confused.

"You say their names too." Frank told her bluntly and she frowned. There was no way she was dumb enough to do such a thing.

"Grover shifted uncomfortably. "You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?" "My mom. Is she really . . ."? He looked down.

I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight."

"What do you mean even that?" Thalias voice was dangerous as she glared at Percy with sparks flying, several others glaring at him too.

"One I didn't know what the tree was at the time or what it represented. And two you'll see." Percy reminded them.

"My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful. Was this how Demi had felt when our Kore was taken from her? If so I understood better than ever about why the world had frozen over in eternal winter back then."

"I never wanted anyone else to feel that kind of pain." Demeter sighed sadly and she glanced over at her daughter who gave her a sad smile in return.

"Taken? But didn't Persephone go with Hades willingly?" One of Apollo's sons asked confused as he looked at Persephone and Hades. Hades winced a bit but Persephone took his hand and squeezed it.

"No. Trust me I love my husband now. But I was sold off to be married to a man I never met and didn't love by a man who I never had met before and yet claimed to be my father. I didn't know what was happening, I didn't know who this man was or why he was kidnapping or where I was being taken too. All I knew was that one moment I was picking flowers to make a flower crown for mother and the next this stranger with a black chariot bursts out of the ground and grabs me before taking me down below ground. Even as I screamed for help, no one helped me or tried. Mother was too far away to arrive swiftly since we hadn't developed flashing yet and by the time she got to where I had been I was already below earth in the realm of the underworld. I was not at all willing and in fact tried to escape multiple times." Persephone said sharply.

"You never met Zeus before then?" One kid whispered confused but it was heard around the room.

"Ha! If you think being a woman is hard in today's society imagine in ancient Greece! Even for a goddess things were difficult and most of the time the gods saw us as mere playthings or notches to be marked upon their bed posts. I never took my daughter to Olympus, I kept her safely hidden away from all gods in my sacred grove. I did everything I could to shield and protect her from being assaulted by one of the men in the family. Only for her sire to sell her as if she were a basket of fruit to Hades and never tell me a thing about it until after the fact. Many years after the fact. I spent over a decade scouring the earth and making it a barren wasteland to try and find who took my at the time only child with Hecate as my only help. It was only when so many humans died that we were all at risk of fading did Zeus finally admit that Hades had her with his blessing. Make note of that. I had to nearly kill the entire world and all of us before anyone aside from Hecate would help me or tell me what happened to my daughter." Demeter said and her eyes glinted darkly as she glared over at Zeus.

"And don't mistake me for a cruel man. I went to Zeus because I knew he had sired my beloved. I thought he had helped raise her or at least been part of her life. When he gave me permission to wed her I thought he had done so with Demeter's blessing and approval and Persephone's knowledge. It wasn't until hundreds of souls flooded my realm from Demeter's wrath and sorrow did I think to ask Persephone and learn she didn't even know who Zeus was, much less knew he agreed to allow me to marry her." Hades said and he gave his wife an apologetic look and then turned his sorrowful gaze towards his sister. He would never apologize enough for the grief and despair he had caused her.

There was a long moment of silence as the demigods processed what they had just learned, a lot of them shooting discreet glares at Zeus.

"But...a lot of the stories say you're overprotective and smothering...and that Persephone ran away..." One of Athena's younger children said looking so lost and confused.

"I am protective. Because I never want to see my children hurt the way I was. But do not mistake me for some overbearing helicopter mother who wouldn't let her children grow up. If Hades had approached me and said he intended to court my daughter? I would have let the choice be up to Persephone. If he had properly courted my daughter instead of just stealing her away? I would have let them court as long as it was what Persephone wanted. And if my daughter had truly wanted to marry him back then? I would have given my blessings for it. As long as my children are happy and safe and loved? I am happy for them. If my daughter had been willing I would have let her go." Demeter shook her head at the boy, she knew Athena's children tended to be overly reliant on the books and stories.

"Do you know what the first thing I did was when I was able to leave the underworld?" Persephone asked and she got shakes of the head from all the children not from the future.

"I ran to hug my mom. Because I had been scared. And alone. And I knew that as long as my mom was there I was safe. And as scared as I had been for myself I was also scared for my mom. Because I knew she was hurting and grieving and in pain and I couldn't help her. I couldn't be there for her or help her and that hurt me more than anything else had. Because at the time you know what I was? I was a young godling not even fifty years old. And I was a child bride. And scared. And all I wanted was to hug my mom, to know my mom was safe and to know I was safe cause I was with her." Persephone said her voice soft and she choked up a bit as she recalled seeing her mom again after so long underground and then learning what had happened in her absence.

There was another long moment of silence as Persephone got up from her seat beside her husband and moved to sit with her mom and mortal siblings. Demeter had slid off of Percy's lap and immediately had a small child sized Kore in her arms cuddling into her and Stevie was hugging his eldest sister tightly and the rest of Demeter's children were crowding in to latch onto or cuddle their sister or mother. Even F. Katie came over to sit beside her mother and hug her and her siblings.

Then little Amara came rushing over and crawled up into Demeter's lap, wiggling to hug Kore.

"Don't worry big sissy! No one can hurt mama or you now! Papa beats up all the dumb people!" Amara said beaming at her sister who laughed wetly as Percy had his arms around his wife and as many of her children as he could fit in his arms.

"Please read Apollo." Demeter said to her sunny nephew who silently turned back to the book. He winced when he met Hermes tortured eyes and saw Artemis' pointed glare. They all remembered that Hermes and Apollo had spotted Kore when doing deliveries or driving the sun chariot and had wanted to bed her. It had been Artemis threatening them and telling them she'd get Aunt Demeter involved that caused them to back off a bit, right before Kore was kidnapped.

"I'm sorry," Grover sniffled. "I'm a failure. I'm — I'm the worst satyr in the world."

"Oh, Styx!" he mumbled. Thunder rolled across the clear sky and Percy just barely realized he had invoked the name of the River Goddess.

As he struggled to get his hoof back in the fake foot, I thought, Well, that settles it. Grover was a satyr. I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head. But I was too miserable to care that satyrs existed, or even minotaurs.

All that meant was my mom really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.

"I was alone. An orphan. I would have to live with . . . Smelly Gabe? No. That would never happen I'd kill him and live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do something."

As soon as that was reading there were some muffled noises of amusement from the future demigods aside from Frank and Hazel.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's just..." F. Clarisse wheezed as she tried to explain why they were cracking up despite the still tense and somber atmosphere.

"Prissy. You were tiny as a twelve year old. You didn't bulk up until you were close to fourteen. You could barely pass for ten back then much less seventeen." F. Clarisse managed to get out and Percy gave a barely there smile since F. Katie was trying very hard not to snicker as well.

"It's true mama. He was so small...we thought he was like nine ten at most. None of us could believe he was twelve." F. Katie whispered to her mother and siblings who all smiled ever so slightly.

"He was an adorable child the few times I could risk checking in on him. Always small for his age." Amphitrite said smiling fondly in remembrance.

"The ancient law-"

"I'm not an Olympic goddess I'm an Oceanic one. A granddaughter of Oceanus himself and the daughter of Doris and Nereus. Your laws hold no away over me and the only reason I didn't visit Percy and Sally more is because I knew you'd notice and slaughter them without hesitation. So shut your mouth Youngest of Kronos and Rhea." Amphitrite said and Zeus's mouth clicked shut but he looked murderous.

"Please keep reading Apollo." Amphitrite said after a few seconds and the wide eyed sun god did so.

"Granny is badass." Douglas whispered softly awed to his siblings.

"Grover was still sniffling. The poor kid — poor goat, satyr, whatever — looked as if he expected to be hit. I said, "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you." "Did my mother ask you to protect me?"

"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least ... I was." "But why ..." I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming.

"Don't strain yourself," Grover said. "Here." He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips.

I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies — my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay.

And then it changed taste. Homemade food. My wife's. During those few years we got to live together as husband and wife among the mortals before I was struck down. Her homemade Maza and squeezed fruit pulp made from ingredients fresh from our fields. The quick luncheon she'd bring me as I tended the field and we'd sit under a shade tree just talking and laughing or enjoying each other's company."

"You are such a simp Jackson." Phoebe said shaking her head but she smirked a bit. One of the reasons he was so welcomed among the hunters was cause the guy was so far gone on his wife he didn't even think of dating or being near anyone else romantically.

"Ambrosia tastes like my cooking to you?" Demeter asked and she was smiling again as she looked at Percy who hummed.

"It did. All the way until the end of the war and then it changed one day." Percy admitted easily and the Future Demigods rolled their eyes. They knew what was coming.

"Oh?" Demeters smile dimmed a bit at that until Percy gave her a quick kiss.

"Now it tastes like your lips." He winked at her. She blushed as she realized what he said and that his favorite taste was her kisses. But her smile was radiant even as she tried to hide her blushing face.

"Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted. I wondered how it could have tasted like Demis cooking.

"Was it good?" Grover asked. I nodded.

"What did it taste like?" He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty. "Sorry," I said. "I should've let you taste it."

"No!" There were shouts from around the room.

"Are you trying to kill him?" Athena demanded looking at the hero in disbelief and he rolled his eyes at her. She bristled a bit at that.

"No one told me that Nectar and Ambrosia were fatal to Satyrs and mortals. And I had been a regular mortal in my last life so I didn't know what it was then either." Percy pointed out and everyone settled down.

Oh...right...he hadn't known...

"His eyes got wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just . . . wondered."

"Chocolate-chip cookies," I said. "My mom's. Homemade. And then..." I hesitated a bit.

"Then a dish I had once. Someone important to me made it but I can't remember." I felt bad about lying but I wasn't sure if I should tell him about my past life and my wife. Remembering the past lives should be impossible after all.

He sighed. "And how do you feel?" "Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards."

"That's good," he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff." "What do you mean?" He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it were dynamite, and set it back on the table.

"Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."

The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse. My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Grover offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held On to it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn't going to let it go."

"Good that's how spoils of war should be treated." Ares huffed and nodded a bit.

" As we came around the
opposite end of the house, I caught my breath. We must've been on the north shore of Long Island,
Because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered
about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was
seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture-an
open-air pavilion, an amphitheatre, a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their
white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit a dozen high school-age kids and
satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like
Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was
Hallucinating, some of their horses had wings. They had pegasi here?

Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd tried to choke me with popcorn-flavored pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them.

The man facing me was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels — what do you call them, hubbubs?

No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've out-gambled even my stepfather."

"Of course I can out gamble him." Dionysus seemed offended that it was even a concern he'd lose to the man. The campers were trying not to laugh at the description. Except the future ones who snickered freely and unafraid.

"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody."

"Just a camper?" Annabeth huffed at the introduction.

"Compared to the God and immortal famous trainer of heroes? Yes we were just a camper." F. Annabeth said and she looked at her younger self both fondly and exasperated.

"And you already know Chiron..." He pointed at the guy whose back was to me. First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard.

"Mr. Brunner!" I cried. What was he doing here...wait what name did Grover just say?

The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.

"Ah, good, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."

He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"Uh, thanks." I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hitting the happy juice. If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol, I was a satyr. And I didn't know if he was violent. Did I have to protect Grover or the blond girl from him?"

"And here we see Percy beginning his reign as the camp dad and protecting all of his munchkin's." F. Chris said smiling at Percy immediately thinking about protecting someone.

"Do...all of you feel that way around me?" Dionysus looked a bit worried about that as he glanced at the campers. Did he remind them of their abusers?

"There's a reason the Hunters don't like being around you. More than you being a male god that is." Phoebe said while cleaning dirt out from under her nails with a knife.

"Oh as someone who lived with an alcoholic until I ran away? I absolutely hated being around you. I was always on edge." Thalia told her half brother and a few others nodded in agreement.

"I'm not allowed near you after mama got mad cause you tried to teach me blackjack." Amara said and the glare Dionysus got from his aunt made him sink into his throne.

"Nephew. I know gambling is part of your domain, but do not teach my children how to gamble until they're at least thirteen. Or I will be having words with you, and not nice ones like I'm having now." Demeter warned the drunk who nodded rapidly.

"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl. Now I knew her name, it had been fuzzy before when they said her name but I'd blame that on the concussion.

She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy."

"Oh she did? I see Chirons still playing favorites." Lee scoffed and F. Annabeth winced while little Annabeth preened.

Chiron winced at the looks he was getting from the Apollo cabin.

"Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."

She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image."

"Excuse you?" Athena demanded lowly and her children all looked upset too.

"Because when you think stereotypical California girl you think blue eyes." F. Travis said bored and not even looking like he cared if Athena glared at him. The future demigods were all still pissed at her for the whole...Mark of Athena thing. Especially after they had learned about Arachne and what had happened because of her.

Apollo read hurriedly to keep a fight from breaking out.

"They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight."

"I was." F. Annabeth confirmed with a smirk.

"She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say I'm sorry about your mom! Or How are you doing?

Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep."

Laughter exploded around the room and Annabeth and Future Annabeth looked embarrassed.

"That was so... insensitive." Aphrodite frowned however and F. Annabeth grimaced. Yeah she had realized that later.

"Because that wasn't creepy at all to hear from a stranger at all. Especially a young child."

There were more giggles again.

"We were the same age there!" Annabeth pointed out offended at being called a young child from someone her age.

"He's a reincarnation with memories of his past life. One where he was a full grown man who was married and had children older than you. To him we all were kids." F. Annabeth reminded her younger self who pouted but didn't argue.

"Papa. All of your kids back then were older than you were, we're even more so now." Kore said amused as she looked up at Percy who grinned at her.

"And yet you were still my babies. My kids will always be my babies princess!" Percy said and Zeus frowned and glared at one of his kids calling Poseidons spawn papa. But he knew he was still on thin ice from the way Hera and Hestia were staring him down so he bit his tongue for now.

"Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.

"So," I said, anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?" "Not Mr. Brunner," the ex-Mr. Brunner said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron." Fuck okay so he hadn't misheard Grover. This really was the Trainer.

"Okay." Totally confused, I looked at the director. "And Mr. D . . . does that stand for something?" Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason." "Oh. Right. Sorry." Didn't that only apply to gods though? Did that mean this guy was a god?"

"What you didn't recognize him?" Hermes asked with a case of the giggles at Dionysus put out expression.

"He hadn't been born yet when Iasion was alive." Demeter reminded them and Dionysus relaxed a bit at that. Ah so he truly hadn't known about Dionysus.

"I must say, Percy," Chiron-Brunner broke in, "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a
potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time." Excuse him horse say what?"

"Waste your time?! Chiron why would you even think of saying that to a child?!" Hera demanded looking at the horse in shock. A few kids were trying to muffle their laughs though.

"Am I the only one caught up on the Horse say what?" F. Connor asked with a wheeze which set off the future demigods aside from Amara who looked upset.

"Papa isn't a waste! Papa's amazing!" Amara stood in her mother's lap and nearly climbed onto her brother to throw her arms around Percy's neck.

"Awww I love you too lil doe." Percy smothered her face in kisses making her giggle happily.

"Children. Does Chiron say things like that often?" Artemis asked glancing at the campers who all exchanged nervous looks.

"Oh just wait. I guarantee you it'll be worse here in a bit. Prissy had a shitty first day." F. Clarisse said with a wince remembering the way she treated the little punk back then.

Chiron winced. He had a feeling this wouldn't be good.

"House call?" Focus on that first. I'll unpack the rest later.

"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to . . . ah, take a leave of absence."

I tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but I did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher my first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class.

"Why go through the trouble?" I had a feeling he didn't do that for every camper."

"He doesn't." Most of the campers chorused and a few looked jealous.

"Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test." What the fuck did the horse just say?"

There was silence for a few seconds after Apollo gritted out the part about the test.

"Test." Aphrodite's voice was dangerously cold as she sat up in her couch, the nail polish she was putting on her children's nails dripping onto the floor as she whipped the brush up to point at Chiron.

It would have looked ridiculous if she wasn't so furious.

"You call making our children fight to get to camp a test? That only if they pass they're worth the effort?" Aphrodite's voice was low and cold and everyone was remembering just how dangerous she could be now as her eyes lit up a kaleidoscopic glow.

"That's a test I failed at huh?" Thalia's voice was so intentionally casual and light that it screamed danger. It was like the dead calm before a horrid storm and the scent of Ozone was building up around her.

"I offered." Artemis hissed and her eyes were blazing pools of silver gold. Several of the older gods flinched a bit at the eyes. She and Apollo both had gold in their eyes and often tried to hide it like Hestia and Demeter did.

Right now she was too furious to care if she made the elder gods uncomfortable.

"I offered to go out and help bring the demigods to camp. I offered that if there were a lot of monsters or if you couldn't get a satyr there in time my girls and I could go and help the child. You said it was fine. That the satyrs were bringing everyone in safely. You told me that Thalia was a special case and that most didn't need help getting to camp." Artemis voice was becoming more of a growl with each passing sentence as her eyes bored into Chiron.

"I am a protector of children Chiron and you assured me that the children were safe getting to camp. That I could just focus on hunting monsters to thin their numbers and that all the satyrs were getting back with their charges safely! How many children have died because you LIED TO ME!" Artemis howled and she was almost ready to go into her godly form as she stood and was drawing her bow.

"He did what? I thought you weren't helping my children out of spite!" Aphrodite was standing now too and she was just as mad as Artemis.

"I help all children who pray to me or ask! I offered to help the satyrs get the children to safety I don't give a damn who their parents are! I even help mortal children if they stumble upon me or ask for aid!" Artemis snapped back at the love goddess but her glare never left Chiron.

"My lady. In our time we do help escort the children. The Lord of the Wild tells us where each Satyr protector is going and if there is an emergency then either us or the Veterans are dispatched to go and aid the children." Phoebe stood and placed a hand upon her mistresses arm to keep her from striking down the centaur right here and now.

Hearing that she did go out and help the children in the future took off some of her ire but she was still glaring furiously at Chiron who was pale and not looking at any of the gods. None of the gods even Hera looked happy.

"Hermes." Hera said her voice cold and calm, a dangerous kind of calm eeriely similar to Thalia's, that caused the room to go silent and stare at the goddess.

Hermes who had been hissing quieted and his snake eyes landed upon his queenly stepmother.

"I know it is usually not your job. But I want you to write down each and every infraction that Chiron commits in these books. After the books are over we will go over them all and decide what to do." Hera ordered and Hermes settled a bit at being given a task. He conjured some papers and already began to write down what has happened this far into the books.

"Huntress Phoebe. You mentioned that in your time things were found out and resolved and now the Hunters protect the children on their way to camp. Can you tell us what caused the change in the future?" Hera asked staring at the Huntress now who bowed her head a bit to the Queen.

"Grandmother. In the future Percy mentioned this exact conversation about a test to the Gods and asked why such a thing was allowed. None of you had known and did not react well. That is what caused things to change. From what I know, I admit I was not part of the meeting covering everything, none of you had been happy about it and while Chiron is still a teacher at the camp he no longer has power over things like that and all he words and assurances are being double checked by multiple sources." Phoebe said respectfully and Hera startled a bit at being called grandmother but blinked and nodded.

"Hm. Thank you for the information. Everyone be seated and let us see how bad things truly are. We will have justice for every life lost needlessly through such brutal methods." Hera said and her eyes glowed purple instead of brown as she stared down Chiron.

"And I hope for your sake that there were not many. Apollo. Read on." Hera ordered as everyone retook their seats but now all the demigods had scooted a bit away from Chiron. The future demigods moved their seats and all so that one or two was by each group of children and all looked ready for a slaughter.

The gods with children present all moved closer to those kids protectively. Even Posiedon and Amphitrite had moved to Demeter's couch to be closer to Percy, Persephone going back to her husband and the two of them sticking close to their children.

Artemis was taking deep breaths as she tried to calm down while Apollos voice trembled with rage as he read on.

"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?" "Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.

There was a bit of snickering at that but not a lot.

"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously.

"I'm afraid not, but I do know Tavli." I said. "I'm afraid not, sir," he said.

I just stared at him blankly, there wasn't a chance I was going to call a pudgy little man like him 'Sir.""

"And here starts the defiance and sassiness." F. Clarisse smirked, she always liked to watch when Prissy sassed or chewed out the gods.

"Well," he huffed a bit and told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules." Did he not hear the part about Tavli? Wait was he too young to know Tavli?

"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron said.

"Please," I said, "what is this place? What am I doing here? Mr. Brun — Chiron — why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"

Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question." The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile and I tensed. If the pudgy man made a single move towards Grover...he wasn't like your usual satyr and he did try to help and protect us. I wouldn't let this guy hurt him."

"I wouldn't..." Dionysus trailed off at the disbelieving looks a lot of the campers had.

"We know you wouldn't now. The babies don't know that yet though." F. Clarisse said shrugging and motioning towards the younger campers with her knife that she was fiddling with. She had taken up residence in front of the Ares couch with F. Chris beside her in front of the Aphrodite couch. Frank was lounging almost casually in front of the Hephaestus couch on her other side while F. Travis and F. Connor were watching over the Hermes couch. F. Will and Nico were reclined in front of Apollo's with Persephone and Thalia was in a state of casual readiness on her couch with Hazel, Hera and Hades, the two future demigods on the couch ready to react in an instant. F. Katie and Percy were at the Demeter couch still and Percy didn't have any children on his lap right now as he fiddled with a pen in his hands eyes wandering the room for threats.

All of the future demigods seemed ready to leap into action at a seconds notice in case a fight broke out.

"Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer.

There was no way I was going to forget about this so called test of his however.

"Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?"

"She said ..." I remembered her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."

"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?" I pulled my lips back to bare my teeth in a snarl."

"Dionysus!" Demeter snapped at him angrily.

"In my defense usually the mortal parent does it on purpose wanting their child to die or doesn't know about the monsters and does it out of a misguided way to protect them from the unexplained and gets them killed that way!" Dionysus did not give a slightly girly yelp at the glare his aunt was giving him. To be fair all three of his aunts and Aphrodite were glaring at him.

Apollo kept reading to try and spare his brother a bit.

"There was nothing wrong with a mother loving and protecting her child. Who did this oaf think he was to dare say such a thing?

"What?" I wasn't sure if he could hear the threat in my voice or not as he impatiently explained how to bid in the game and I did so with more force than necessary. Grover looked at me alarmed and I tried to calm down a bit for his sake.

"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."

"Orientation film?" I asked. They had a film for this? And he wasn't going to be able to see it?"

"You not seeing the film makes a lot of things make more sense papa." F. Katie said and F. Annabeth grimaced as did F. Clarisse. The F. Stolls winced as well. Hermes write that down.

"No," Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know" — he pointed to the horn in the shoe box — "that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods — the forces you call the Greek gods — are very much alive." No fucking shit horse man."

"Wait why is Chiron using the name? We aren't supposed to." Annabeth looked confused as she gazed past her future self who had taken up post in front of their couch at the centaur who didn't have an answer for her.

"I stared at the others around the table. I waited for somebody to explain more but all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.

"Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?" "Eh? Oh, all right."

Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully. Okay apparently satyrs could eat cans good to know.

"Okay so the Gods are real."

"Well, now," Chiron said. "God — capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical." The fuck? Did he not hear me?

"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about — "

"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter." "Smaller?" He dared call them smaller?!"

"Smaller?" Zeus grumbled angrily as he glared at Chiron who winced. He had no defense there, especially not one that would pacify the King.

Apollo ignored the horse and kept reading.

"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class."

"Demeter," My thoughts immediately went to her, "Persephone, Despoina. You mean them."

"And of course the ultimate wife and family guy immediately thinks of his wife and kids." F. Chris said and honestly he hoped he could be half the dedicated lover and father figure Percy was.

Demeter gave him a small smile for immediately thinking of her and kissed him briefly.

"I half hoped my wife and girls would hear me say their names and would come and investigate or at least take a look and recognize me somehow. But the other half of me hoped they didn't. It was better they didn't know since I had an expiration date.

And there it was again — distant thunder on a cloudless day although I noted some poppy's growing along the porch railing.

"Young man," said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."

So what did he want me to do? Claim to believe in science? Wait yeah he probably did...

"But they're stories," I said. "They're — myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."

"You set him off on purpose?" F. Annabeth asked tiredly as she stared at Percy.

"I didn't want anyone to know I had my past incarnations memories. That and I didn't know who he was." Percy reminded and the future people grimaced in agreement and understanding.

"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"-I flinched when he said my real name,
Which I never told anybody-"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?"

Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals-
They have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they,
Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."

I wasn't liking Mr. D much, but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if... he
wasn't. That confirmed my thoughts about him being a god. But which one? It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his
cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut.

"Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means
Immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are,
for all time?"

I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal, but the tone
of Chiron's voice made me hesitate. Even if I would love to spend eternity with my wife and children..."

"And you will. I'm not losing you again." Demeter said and she shot a pointed glare at her baby brother who scowled. He was absolutely going to smite that demigod if he got the chance.

"And you won't. Remember in my time I'm one week away from being your immortal husband." Percy reminded her with a smile and a quick kiss to her nose just to watch her scrunch it up in surprise.

Apollo smiled at seeing his aunt so happy and knowing she'd get to keep the one she loved.

"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," I said.

"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"

"CHIRON," shouted both Poseidon and Amphitrite in outrage. That was not something you say to a child, that just lost his mother. They glared at the centaur strong enough to scare him and he recoiled. A lot of the younger campers looked shocked and appalled and the older ones looked furious.

A flash of lightning seared the ground next to Chirons feet making him rear back in shock. Everyone looked at where the purple lightning had hit and then looked at Zeus aside from the Future Demigods.

"You ever say something like that again and I won't miss." Thalia promised coldly as her glowing blue purple eyes glared at the centaur who stared at her shocked.

"My heart pounded. He was trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. My hand itched to punch something, my mind screaming at me to destroy everything. It took everything within me to control my breathing. I had to think of my wife and children to calm down. How Demis hair shined in the glow of the sun, how Persephone loved to make flower crowns for us and any child in the village that would approach, how Despoina has come up with that as a title and a fake name to sort out her real worshipers from those that only wanted to ask for boons, how Arion had loved to run so fast he destroyed the neighboring farmers fields when they thought they could mutter something unkind about Demi. His kids had been mischievous, all three of them. Demi blamed it on him. My breathing evened out at the thought of my family."

Hestia and Hera sighed at how much love and care he had for his wife and family. Even if he hadn't sired the children he loved them as if they were his own.

"That was a dangerous gamble Chiron. If Percy lost control nothing and no one would have been safe." F. Annabeth said coldly as she stared down the centaur and twirled her dagger.

"Yeah the whole camp would have been destroyed." F. Katie grimaced at the thought of Percy losing control.

"Surely you're exaggerating!" Athena said looking at the future demigods shocked.

"He is the most destructive child Lord Posiedon has ever sired. Even back when he was twelve he could have destroyed the camp with ease." F. Annabeth said matter of fact and tone brokering for no arguments.

"I'm not that bad!" Percy protested.

"St. Louis."

"The hurricane."

"The battle man."

"Jackson I will punch you."

The future demigods all gave him a blank look.

"Percy. Little sea star." Amphitrite said slowly and Percy blinked up at her.

"If you had lost control you would have destroyed the camp by accident." Amphitrite said seriously but fondly.

"Oh...okay mama." Percy nodded in agreement and there were disbelieving noises.

"Why'd you believe her?" Hermes asked curiously and Percy gave him a look saying it should have been obvious.

"Because she's my mom." Percy might as well have said Hermes was an idiot for asking that question with his tone of voice. Amphitrite smiled a bit and Hera gave a slight twitch of the lips. Mamas boy indeed.

"I said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe you."

"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you." Was the guy even paying attention?

Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."

"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe!"

He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine. My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up. So he really was a god.

"Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions."

Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise. "Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"

More thunder. Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.

Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."

"That's why Dionysus was punished? From the way you acted I thought he had killed one of your demigods or something!" None of the rest of the Olympians looked happy and Aphrodite's eyes were glowing again but Zeus remained stubbornly glaring and silent. Oh he was going to show them all to never question him!

"A wood nymph," I repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space.

"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time — well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away — the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha! Absolutely unfair."

Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.

"And ..." I stammered, "your father is . . ."

"Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course." Well that was fair. Zeus was responsible for half of the demigods and gods."

"More than half." Hera said bitterly and glared at her husband who winced at the look in her eyes. The pain and heartbreak and betrayal. He knew every time he cheated on her it hurt her because of her domains...but he couldn't help it! They were all just so tempting and asking for it!

"The guy responsible for most of the bullshit in the stories and who never keeps it in his toga punished you for going after a wood nymph he wanted?" The same God who had assaulted at least one sister, although from pieces Demi had alluded too I wondered if he had assaulted a second sister, and caused at least half of the issues in the stories because of his libido...and he punished his son for chasing an off limits wood nymph?

Zeus really punished one of his kids like that for cockblocking him? That...actually didn't surprise me."

"Thank you!" Dionysus said looking like he was finally vindicated while Hera had flinched and looked over at Demeter who had flinched as well.

A lot of the older campers flinched or looked down at the reminder of some of Zeus's horrible deeds.

"You da-" Zeus began to storm as he glared at the demigod.

"Yes." Percy glared at him right back and it was his I'll kill you later stare mixed with his wolf glare, which made even some of the gods sink down a bit.

"Let me get something straight right now. I have faced down titans, giants, and gods. I have literally fallen into the Pit and walked through it so a girl I see as a sister didn't walk alone. I am not scared of you. And if you ever try to hurt one of mine, and that includes my wife, my kids and my demigods! I WILL show you why Misery herself ran from me." Percy hissed out dangerously and Zeus sneered. As if he would fall for a bluff like that.

"This I swear on the River Styx." Percy didn't bat an eye and thunder roared overhead.

The gods all felt horrified and the demigods stunned and a bit scared.

Zeus sat down in shock.

"You what?!" Demeter and Persephone and Posiedon all shouted and Posiedon and Persephone lunged and grabbed Percy as if to make sure he was still there. Demeter looked two seconds away from a panic attack.

"Percy...You promised." F. Annabeth said softly but they all heard it and many wondered what she meant.

"If it meant keeping mine own safe? Then I'm sorry Wise girl but I'll break that promise." Percy gave her a sad smile however and she didn't look happy but she nodded in understanding.

Most of the past demigods and gods wondered what she meant. Some didn't want to know.

"You can't...you can't leave me again." Demeter's breathing was fast and shallow and Percy kissed her deeply to calm her down.

"Never. You're stuck with me." Percy assured her after breaking off the kiss, pulling her into his side firmly and putting her head on his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. She snuggled as close as she could and listened to it for a long moment before she seemed to relax a bit. They'd definitely be talking about him being in the pit at the next break though.

Percy glanced over at Apollo who was eyeing him in concern and prayed silently for him to read. After a few seconds he did.

"Mr. D blinked at me for a moment before he grinned.

"Finally someone says it! Allow me to properly introduce myself. Dionysus. God of wine, revelry, debauchery and madness." When the actual fuck had there been a god of wine? Better to play it safe. Gods could be temperamental.

"Nice to meet you?"

He smiled darkly. "No it's not."

He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a straitjacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life.

Okay then."

"You showed things like that to our twelve year old who just saw his mortal parent for all purposes die?" Posiedon looked ready to slug his nephew with the sharp end of his trident. Amphitrite didn't look that far behind him.

"Fear the power of Diet Coke!" Percy said suddenly and Franke and Hazel began to laugh while F. Annabeth snorted.

"What?!" More than a few people looked at them as if they had lost their minds.

"It's a ...a future thing." Hazel giggled and Hades beside her smiled at his adult daughter, it was nice to see her so happy.

A very baffled Apollo read on wondering what the hell happened involving diet Coke.

"Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly.

Again, I said nothing, and just stared at him blankly. I had seen more horrid things than his little party tricks. I distinctly remember hearing my wife eventually telling me about what happened to her. How she broke down sobbing because she had never felt loved before we got together. I remember the look of worry and grief on her face every time our eldest had to go back to the underworld.

No. His little party tricks didn't scare me. Something hurting my wife and kids however... I wondered if he noticed the extra memories in my head."

"He didn't." Percy said but his eyes were tight and he held Demeter who had gone stiff at what had been read aloud. Her children crowded closer and Posiedon winced and moved a bit away to give her space. Zeus didn't do anything but roll his eyes sure that his sister had been overdramatic about it all.

"He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."

I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. Well at least he was gracious in defeat.

I briefly wondered what would happen if I introduce Uno to the gods."

"It nearly caused world war three jackass!" Thalia said glaring at him and he snickered.

"You're just mad cause you lost too."

"You assholes hit me with three plus fours!"

"And you nearly shorted out an entire city block."

"Still not as bad as when Dad gave Mom a plus four and she banned him to the couch. He was moping for a week." Nico said and the campers looked horrified at the thought of the gods playing Uno.

"Oh I heard about that. Lady Hestia nearly barbequed Ares for hitting her with three skips in a row." Phoebe said amused and the gods were very surprised and alarmed. It caused even Hestia to get violent? What kind of game is it?

"We should introduce it at next break." Hazel said mischievously and Frank looked at her horrified.

"Oh that will be bloody. But I'm not playing with Prissy and Lady Demeter. How the fuck they turned it into a team game I don't know but it pissed me off." F. Clarisse glared at Percy who gave her the bird with a grin.

"What?" Demeter was confused.

"Anytime you and papa are playing at the same time, Papa will never hit you with any of his specialty cards and will in fact try to use them all on everyone else so that you can win. And you pretty much do the same thing for him. Because you two are ridiculously adorable dorks in love." F. Katie informed her mother with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey I help you win babe!" F. Travis called and F. Connor laughed.

"I help her win more games!" He goaded his brother with a grin.

"Boys!" F. Katie said sharply and they stopped and pouted at her.

"You two somehow manage to rig the deck and steal the other players cards if you can get away with it. At least mom and papa play fairish."

"Sons of Hermes!" Her Thief and Psychopomp grinned unrepentantly.

Apollo looked briefly into the future to see what would happen if they played and his jaw dropped.

What the fuck? Why was there so much blood?!?

He turned back to the book hoping to distract from the idea of playing Uno later. He wasn't getting involved in that!

"He got up, and Grover rose, too. "I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment." Grover 's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."

Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners." He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably."

"He got your name right?!?" The kids damn near rioted at that.

"Will Grover be okay?" I asked Chiron about to follow my friend into the house. It didn't feel right leaving him alone with a drunk.

Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."

Well hell I couldn't blame him. Did he have a wife and kids up there?

"Mount Olympus," I said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?" Demi had told me about it once before and about how as soon as I was immortal we'd move some of my things into her palace.

"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."

"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like ... in America?" Which would explain why Chiron was here but why were they in America?

"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."

"The what?"

"Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know — or as I hope you know, since you passed my course — the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps — Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on — but the same forces, the same gods." I'm sorry they were Roman too? Is he implying the Roman and Greek gods were the same?

Did that mean...Demi and Ceres...Proserpina and Persephone...they were the same and had some kind of split personality or-"

"Our attributes and attitudes are a bit different since Rome was more Militaristic but some of us are the same. Others are vastly different. Personally I'm not much different as a roman, Ceres is a bit stricter than me but we're mostly the same." Demeter explained and yes she was still snuggled into his side listening to his heart beat.

Not that Percy minded at all. A few of the kids nodded in understanding even if they didn't really get it.

Apollo was pretty much the same either way, same name and all, but he hurried to read before they started switching between forms. That'd be a headache.

"And then they died or faded." I honestly wasn't paying much attention to what I said there, too busy wondering about the implications.

"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not — and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either — America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."

"That is way too much information at one time. Especially since he didn't watch the video that might have given him something to build a groundwork on." Athena looked personally offended by all of this, how would the boy learned if he was overwhelmed?

Apollo shared her thoughts and Hermes wrote it on a separate piece of paper.

"It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club.

"Who are you, Chiron? Who . . . who am I?" Did he know my godly parent? Did he know I was doomed to die?

Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down. And then I blinked as I realized something. He was the hero trainer, Chiron the centaur.

Which meant that-

"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."

but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur… "What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."

"End of the chapter!" Apollo said and then he looked around and tossed the book at Hephaestus who caught it with a grunt and set aside his project in order to read it.

"I become supreme lord of the bathroom..." There was a way everyone exchanged looks as if asking if they heard that right before F. Clarisse and F. Annabeth groaned and Percy snickered.

They think they knew what this was!

Chapter Text

" I BECOME SUPREME LORD OF THE BATHROOM."

Hephaestus didn't know why the kid would be the Lord of a bathroom but shrugged it off. Humans, even half humans like the demigods, had such strange quirks. Some of the future kids were snickering but Ares girl and the Athena girl weren't, they looked annoyed but resigned. The two Romans, his half sister and the Underworld child all were confused.

"Once I got over the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse, the most famous horse at that, we had a nice tour, though I was careful not to walk behind him. I'd done pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, and, I'm sorry, I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front."

There was a burst of laughter and even some of the gods chuckled at that as Chirons jaw dropped. Percy didn't even look embarrassed by that, he just laid his head on top of Demeter's and relaxed. Well as much as he could ever relax with Zeus around.

"We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn I was carrying. Another said, "That's him."

Most of the campers were older than me. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover… I wasn't normally shy, but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to do a flip or something. Did these children have no manners?"

"Absolutely not!" Travis grinned.

"How dare you accuse us of having manners?" Connor followed up earning snorts or rolled eyes.

"Because I've seen you two be on your best behavior to try and impress Demi and Phone when they learned you two were dating Katie." Percy said grinning slightly and he hurried drew his head back to avoid his wife headbutting him as her head shot up.

"You two are dating one of my kids?" Demeter demanded staring at the pair of full blooded brothers.

"We are?!" The Stolls asked looking at their future selves giddily while Katie was gaping shocked at her future self.

"Really papa?" F. Katie rolled her eyes at her father figure who grinned at her.

"And you were the one talking about how our family tree is a circle!" Silena pointed at Future Katie who winced as she looked at the daughter of Aphrodite but then recovered.

"Mom is marrying her nephew, my older sister married her uncle. Aunt Hera is married to her brother. At least Travis and Connor are my cousins, oncw removed at that, and not my brothers or nephews." F. Katie pointed out dryly. Hera mouthed the words Aunt Hera to herself in disbelief.

"Sweet home Alabama!" Half the Apollo cabin burst out singing immediately.

F. Katie sighed and let them sing for a moment before her eyes flashed and a blast of cold and warning hit everyone.

"Woah I can do that?!" Mini Katie's eyes went wide and Demeter looked thrilled.

"You've got my Erinyes epithet?!" Demeter was nearly bouncing in her seat, it was so rare for one of her babies to get her wrath side.

"Mhm. You learn to push your limits when you're in a war." F. Katie said and Demeter and the rest of the Gods looked sharply at the future Demigods.

"War?" Ares asked immediately and earning grimaces from the Future people aside from Amara.

"You'll read about it." Percys voice brokered no argument or questions as he motioned for Hephaestus to keep reading.

The Smith God did so worried about the future and what it meant for his kids.

"I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot…when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched. I knew what that felt like. Persephone had watched me closely at all hours of the day when she first learned me and Demi were talking, much less when Demi surprised my by throwing an apple at me."

"You were too kind and didn't want to even make it seem like you were pressuring me. Honestly we danced around each other for three years before I got tired and threw you the apple." Demeter huffed a bit but she smiled and Percy gave her a soft smile in return.

"That sounds about right. The reason you're the one always dragging him off to make out or more is because he doesn't want to ever make you feel like he's pressuring you. He leaves everything at your pace and what you're comfortable with. Honestly I don't know how you haven't gotten annoyed yet with it." F. Clarisse scoffed knowing she'd be annoyed and insecure as hell if her boyfriend was so passive like Percy was and she had to initiate everything.

"Oh no let me clear this up right now. She initiates a lot, but the reason it seems like I'm so passive is because I don't want to pressure her or make her feel pressured if I initiate in public or around others. When we're alone as long as she's okay with it I am far from passive." Percy smirked and then he leaned to Demeter's ear and whispered something to her. She whined a bit much to everyone's disbelief.

"You. Stop teasing me by saying stuff like that! I am this close to dragging you back to my palace!" Demeter warned and her fingers were nearly touching making him smirk wider.

"Who's to say that's not-"

"NOPE!" The entire future group, Persephone, Hades and the older members of the Demeter cabin yelled at him and he pouted.

"Hephaestus please keep reading before I end up expecting another sibling!" Persephone said making the Smith God snort and look back at the book. She'd be getting that sibling one day. Hephaestus would need to start making a crib for his aunt if she planned to have her immortal baby grow like mortals did. Hmmm he could make two. One for Persephone and Hades and one for Demeter and Perseus... he'll start making the blue prints when he was done reading.

"What's up there?" I asked Chiron.

He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?"

"No," he said with finality. "Not a single living thing."

"True but also not." Hermes said and he was grudgingly impressed by that.

"I can't believe my Oracle moved." Apollo looked confused but happy about this.

"It won't be the first time she did so." Percy said and the future demigods and Phoebe all shuddered remembering it walking.

"I got the feeling he was being truthful. But I was also sure something had moved that curtain. "Come along, Percy," Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. "Lots to see."

We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe. Chiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. I had a feeling Demi loved receiving the strawberries her kids grew. Because with just a glance I could tell some of the ones in the field were my Demis children.

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. Demi...her children...could I still consider her children my own?

"It pays our expenses," he explained.probably mistaking my looks at the children for questioning the crop. "And the strawberries take almost no effort."

"Yes. As long as you love me and wish to, my children mortal and immortal will be yours." Demeter said immediately and she looked a bit hopeful that he would continue to care for her babies.

"Then they're all mine. Yours. Ceres'. All your children are mine. Including ones you haven't had yet." Percy assured her and she beamed at him.

"Well the ones I haven't had yet will definitely be yours." Demeter said and Percy kissed her lightly.

"Will you two stop being so disgustingly in love for five damn minutes? Some of us are eternal maidens!" Thalia threw a pillow at them that Percy snatched from the air with ease.

"Sounds like a you problem pine cone face." Percy chuckled and F. Stolls prayed silently for Hephaestus to keep reading before the Big Three kids broke out into a fight.

"He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants but I knew most of it was probably attributed to my wife and her demigod children… I watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with music. I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D. If I should go back and keep him safe.

"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" I asked Chiron. "I mean ... he was a good protector. Really."

Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horse's back like a saddle. "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill."

"But he did that!"

"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate . . . ah . . . fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part." The fuck? Why was he saying something about Grovers dreams?"

"Chiron! You shouldn't be saying anything about Grovers dreams!" F. Annabeth said glaring at the trainer who had once been the closest thing she had to a father figure.

"Especially to not talk down about them behind his back." F. Chris glared as well.

Little Annabeth looked confused and alarmed as she stared at her older self while Luke seemed interested in the Future Demigods and their apparent issues with Athena and Zeus and Chiron.

Although he wasn't happy that the Son of Posiedon was alive and on good terms with the rest of the gods. He could only guess that means his rebellion to place Kronos back on his rightful throne had failed.

Perhaps he could learn how and work around it?

"I wanted to protest. None of what happened was Grover 's fault. I also felt really, really guilty. If I hadn't given Grover the slip at the bus station, he might not have gotten in trouble. But I was confused as well. Not brave?! He ran through a hurricane and past countless monsters to get to us and get us to safety! And how is it his fault we got struck by lightning?!

"He'll get a second chance, won't he? It wasn't his fault we got struck by lightning!"

"That was his second chance." Someone in the group of Hermes kids said with a wince.

"Although that is a good point about the lightning. The council shouldn't be hard on him since it seems Zeus himself wanted to kill you." Hermes said with a nod to Percy.

"Chiron winced. "I'm afraid that was Graver's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age. . . ."

"How old is he?"

"Oh, twenty-eight." So Satyrs definitely aged differently than mortals.

"What! And he's in sixth grade?"

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."

"That's horrible."

"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career... This horse was starting to piss me off."

"Us too!" A few of the demigods muttered particularly the Dionysus twins and Demeter's kids who worked closer with the Satyrs and dryads than the rest of the camp.

Chiron was getting a lot of glares from the other immortals and the future demigods.

"When will you stop calling me a horse?" He seemed more offended by that however and Percy merely smirked at him.

"Since you have six appendages I could technically call you and insect." Percy pointed out and there was a minor uproar from some of the past campers at that but F. Annabeth merely tilted her head.

"Huh. He does have six appendages like insects do." She said and she wasn't at all offended and Chiron looked at her in betrayal as did lil Annabeth.

Hephaestus didn't really care much bout insects or if Chiron was one. He kept reading.

"That's not fair," I said. "What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"

Chiron looked away quickly. "Let's move along, shall we?" But I wasn't quite ready to let the subject drop. Something had occurred to me when Chiron talked about my mother's fate, as if he were intentionally avoiding the word death. The beginnings of an idea — a tiny, hopeful fire — started forming in my mind. After all I didn't remember much of being dead.

"Chiron," I said. "If the gods and Olympus and all that are here. . ."

"Yes, child?" "Does that mean the Underworld is here, too?"

"Really Perseus?" Hades deadpanned at his nephew, brother in law and step father in law who gave him a cheeky grin.

"Chiron's expression darkened. "Yes, child." He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now . . . until we know more ... I would urge you to put that out of your mind."

"What do you mean, 'until we know more'?" If the underworld entrance was in America I could go, ask about my mom, and maybe if I was lucky see my little princess.

"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods."

"Papa! I'm not little! I am a grown and married woman with kids! And I'm even older than you!" Persephone said a bit embarrassed at being referred to as his little princess out loud around everyone. It made her sound as if she were a small child instead of the centuries old goddess she is.

"Always be my little princess, princess!" Percy nearly sung out as he smiled at her.

"She is my daughter not yours." Zeus growled, his voice like rolling thunder, as he glared at the upstart beat claiming his kid.

"Never saw you as a father. He treated me more like a daughter than you ever did." Persephone immediately switched to glaring at her sperm donor as she looked angry now.

"I am your father!" Zeus said growling at her and now considering that he might have had a hand in raising her to ensure she was disciplined properly and had respect for him.

"I might have been born from your horrid action towards my mother but I am not your daughter. I am the daughter of Demeter and Iasion! The daughter of Demeter and Perseus Jackson. They are my parents!" Persephone looked absolutely ready to show she got her mothers wrath as she glared darkly at the king of gods. Demeter and Percy both were tense and ready to leap up, the rest of the future demigods more than willing to follow their lead.

"You-"

"Shut your mouth husband. You were never a father to her in her millennia of life. Don't try to claim to be one now that she has a father figure who loves her." Hera shut her husband down immediately and he spluttered and turned to look at her shocked. He was also feeling a bit betrayed by the fact that she had chosen to once more sit with the demigods than beside him.

"But she is my daughter!" Zeus protested and Hera gave him a dark look that made his mouth click shut.

"Then you should have treated her as such when she was a godling. Let it go." Hera said simply and then turned and looked at her son.

"Hephaestus sweetie please keep reading." Oh...huh he didn't think he's ever heard his mother use a term of endearment for him.

He blinked at her for a second before looking back at the book. Zeus stared at his wife baffled. Why did she care so much? Was it because Persephone wasn't hers and she didn't like him trying to reassert his claim as Persephone's father?

Yes yes that must be it. She must be happy to have one of his children not born of her disavow him.

Demeter relaxed a bit but eyed her brother warily and noticed Percy doing the same.

"As we got closer, I realized how huge the forest was. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans. It was wild and dangerous. Just like Demi. He wondered if he would feel connected to her more if he went in.

Chiron said, "The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed."

"Stocked with what?" I asked a bit alarmed. Dryads certainly but he surely wasn't telling them to fight the dryads? "Armed with what?"

"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?" Why did he think I would?! He took the pen sword back at the museum and I was visibly unarmed aside from the horn in my hands when I got here!"

"That's another point against him. He took away the only weapon Percy had at the time." F. Travis grimaced and F. Connor hummed in agreement.

"And not answering his questions which could be dangerous." Thalia said and she was clenching her fists tight. This was so different from what he had done with her...

"I am so glad Percy gave me the tour." Nico said wide eyed and he got complete attention from his immortal parents.

"You...went to camp? You were allowed in and could stay?" Hades asked looking at his son alarmed and Nico smiled.

"Yes. To both. Sure I ran away from Camp for a while and a lot of people distrusted me...but I had Percy. He stood up for me and then so did a few others." Nico said glancing over at the Stolls and then at F. Katie who scoffed.

"I needed someone to help me terrify people." F. Katie grinned wickedly at him and he shot her a smirk in return.

"You love me, just admit it Aunt Katie." Nico teased and he got a pillow thrown at him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself death breath. I tolerate you. Save the love word for your boyfriend." And now Nico was blushing hotly and F. Will smirked a bit.

"Oh he blushes like you do. From the tips of his ears to his neck." Persephone noted to her husband with a smile and he scowled.

"I do not blush." Hades said and there were muffled snorts and giggles from the Future.

"Oh really?" Persephone raised an eyebrow and then leaned in close to her husband so that she was nearly dropped across him and whispered something into his ear.

He did indeed blush, golden instead of red like his son, from the tips of his ears to his neck as he stared at his wife wide eyed and tongue tied.

"Point. Proven." Persephone said smugly as she leaned back a bit but was snagged by her husband's arms and pulled into his lap as he held her close. He nipped at her ear and nuzzled into her neck and she laughed a bit.

"Break it up! I don't want to see you two making my newest grandchild!" Demeter called and Hades gave her an annoyed look.

"And I didn't want to see you getting plowed in a field bu-" and there were the shouts of eww and disgust and shock and then some whoops and whistles as Demeter blushed a bit but smirked.

"For someone who says he never wanted to see his sisters naked you sure stared for a while. If I recall right you were staring for at least a full minute before Persephone shrieked because she found us and you finally looked away." Demeter taunted and Hades blushed darker while Hera snorted.

"Demeter. Sister. Dear. Of course he stared. Pretty much everyone wanted you. You were chased after nearly as much as Aphrodite." Hera said fondly annoyed and making Demeter blink at that and Aphrodite made an annoyed noise.

"Don't remind me! Do you know how many times people thought of or envisioned her while sleeping with me?! How many still do?!" Aphrodite demanded and she was annoyed by that but not truly upset. She was used to everyone seeing someone else when sleeping with her but the amount of people who wanted the Agriculture goddess has been staggering.

"Wait what?!" Demeter looked thrown off guard as she stared at Aphrodite.

"Sister. Dear. You are one of the most desired goddesses in the pantheon. Only just behind Aphrodite." Hera said and Demeter looked stunned as she stared at the others.

"Here we go again." F. Clarisse groaned knowing what was coming next.

"Do you know how many times Apollo crashed his sun chariot because he 'accidentally' saw you bathing in a spring?" Hephaestus asked amused and his aunts jaw dropped while Apollo looked embarrassed.

"That's why you crashed so much?!??" Artemis demanded staring at her brother.

Persephone did not look happy as she glared around at all the gods that wouldn't meet her mother's stunned eyes. She opened her mouth to say something when a growl ripped through the room.

Every head snapped to Percy who gently cradled Demeter's cheek while she started to blush at the intensity of his stare.

"May I kiss you?" He asked softly and his thumb brushed her bottom lip.

She could only nod a bit before he kissed her, hard and passionate and loving and deep and she melted.

When he pulled away her eyes were half lidded and her lips bruised as she softly panted for air. She met his deep swirling green eyes and saw possessiveness and desire and love in them and it took her breath away.

"You are mine. I am yours. They can't have you. They can't see you. You. Are. Mine." He said and his hands had settled onto her waist and she bit her lip. She'd do or agree to anything if he just kept looking at her and talking to her with that growl to his voice.

"Can I kiss you again?" He asked and the fact that he was asking even at the way he was nearly feral made her heart melt.

"Please do." She breathed out and suddenly his lips were on hers again and her eyes slipped closed as he pulled her close so that she was straddling his lap. His hands were on her waist gripping just hard enough for her to feel and enjoy and her hands went to his chest out of long abandoned habit.

It felt like nothing had changed at all. She was once more in Iasion lap getting her breath stolen as they kissed with all the love and passion and desire in their hearts and her hands began to slide down his chest.

This would be enjoya-

A sudden splash of water made her yelp and pull away from her husband. Her eyes flashed golden as she twisted her head to look for the culprit.

Her eyes met her unamused sister standing there holding a bucket that Posiedon helpfully refilled for her.

Demeter blinked a time or two before she remembered. Oh...OH! She was still in the throne room! They were reading a book!

"Not going to lie I was expecting that from Katie or the Stolls." Percy didn't seem mad or put out, more amused than anything really, as he waved his hand causally and dried the two of them off.

"I know Demeter would never hurt her children but I thought it best not to risk it." Hestia said casually and Demeter's face was bright golden as she registered all the wolf whistles and whoops there were as well as the disgusted noises of her children.

"Can I look now?" Amara asked and Demeter felt herself die inside a bit as she looked at her youngest. Thankfully Amphritite used her long arms and her own body to shield the younger ones from seeing anything while her tail hid Demeter and Percy slightly from the rest of the demigods.

She opened her mouth to say something, an apology or maybe to thank the Queen of the seas, but she quickly had to slap a hand over her mouth when Percy bit her neck. It was rather hard and deep and the bad thing was that she absolutely enjoyed it which is why she had to cover her mouth. When he pulled back and kissed her neck she knew he had left teeth marks on her otherwise unblemished skin.

"I'm so sorry you all saw that." Demeter apologized especially to her children who looked like they had been traumatized. She managed to turn herself to get off of Percy but he snagged her around the waist and kept her sitting on his lap, he pressed some more kisses to her neck.

"Oh. Papa bit mama again? How come mama didn't bite hime back?" Amara asked oh so innocently and Demeter did not want to have this talk with her baby.

"Nephew please read." Demeter nearly begged him to put her out of her misery.

"Finally, he showed me the cabins. ... Number nine had smokestacks like a tiny factory."

Hephaestus smiled while his kids cheered.

"Number four made my heart clench. The grass tiled roof that had leaves intermixed into it? The tomato vines up one wall the ivy vines and flowers growing up the others. The porch covered in vines and flowers and the scent of apples that seemed to drift from the cabin.

That was Demis cabin. The cabin where Demeter, my Demi, had her mortal children stay. I was of two minds about it. Half of me, the bigger louder half, was happy that she had moved on and found people to love who had given her absolutely beautiful children that I knew she adored. The small tiny dark deep part of me wished that those were my children she had had. That it was my blood that ran through their veins and no one else had ever seen or touched my wife."

"I see you've always been jealously possessive." Hades raised an eyebrow and Percy laughed.

"Oh you think I'm possessive? Wait until you see Demi get possessive!" Percy said laughing and Demeter leaned firmly into his chest and took his hands to wrap them around her.

"Is it moving on when the ones who fathered my children all reminded me of you in one way or another?" Demeter questioned and her eyes were soft as she glanced at her babies. She had so often selfishly secretly wished that they were the products of her and Iasions love. And it sometimes hurt so badly to see them and not see hints of her one TRUE love the one who completed her soul in them.

But she wouldn't change her children for anything in the universe.

"Hmm. I'll get back to you on that. Just know that blood or not they're mine too." Percy said kissing her cheek and his arms were tight around her, not that she minded at all.

"Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. That belonged to the sun god obviously."

Apollo and his kids all cheered at that. F. Will have a sad smile as he stared at all his siblings.

"They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field,.... A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick. She seemed familiar but it was on the tip of my tongue...but why was she so close to the fire? Oh gods that little one was far too close to the flame."

"You saw me?" Hestia asked surprised but pleased. After all only those with a strong sense of family and pure heart could see her at camp.

"I'm sorry I didn't stay and talk." Percy apologized to his aunt who shook her head.

"I don't mind. It's rare enough for someone to see me...and you were worried about me too?" Hestia would absolutely love to have this young man as part of the immortal family. She would support him and Demeter as much as she could. After all she had been the only one back then to know that Iasion had been Demeters One.

"The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve.

Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a holograph, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. If that didn't belong to the king I was a goat."

"Good description. Forgot to mention the creepy ass statue of him though." Thalia said making her father deflate after he had puffed up in pride at his cabin.

"The statues inside the cabin, I couldn't see it." Percy reminded.

"Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks. The Queens naturally.

"The King and Queens?" I asked just to make sure.

'Correct,’ Chiron said.

‘Their cabins look empty.’"

Hera leaned forward with a frown now.

"What?" She looked confused towards Hephaestus as if she hadn't heard him right.

"Several of the cabins are. That’s true. No one ever stays in one or two."

"What do you mean no one stays in my cabin?" Hera demanded turning towards Chiron.

"You don't have any Demigods...so no one stays in your cabin?" Annabeth looked at the Queen confused and Heras eyes lit up with power as she shot up off of the couch.

A few of the kids glowed, the youngest ones flying into Heras arms where she held them for a moment before gently setting them on the couch next to Thalia. The older ones were moved rather gently towards the other couches and Olympians.

Now that there was a wide berth around Chiron her glowing purple eyes landed on him.

"Chiron. Why. Is. My. Cabin. Empty?" Hera ground out with a glare that could cut through diamonds.

"My queen you have no mortal children to-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!!!" No one had ever heard Heras voice boom like that before.

"I am the Goddess of Family! And each one of these children is related to me in some way, they are my family! You know good and well that the unclaimed children or the children of minor gods without patrons at camp are meant to be staying in my cabin!" Hera snarled at him and there were a lot of confused noises at that.

"Patrons?" Luke questioned that part since that's what he called his father.

"I'm the Patron of Nature. The children of all the nature gods are allowed in my cabin. Hecates too since she is a dear friend. And although Persephone does not have many mortal children any time she has one they are allowed in my cabin." Demeter said and she was staring hard at Chiron.

"I'm the patron of Sea. The children of all the water deities are allowed within my cabin, and although rare any grandchildren I may have are allowed as well." Posiedon was all out glaring at Chiron.

"Patron of the arts! The muses rarely ever have kids but if any of them do then they're allowed in my cabin." Apollo waved his hand but he wasn't smiling.

"Patron of Maidens. Technically any young maiden can sleep in my cabin, especially those that are thinking of joining the hunt." Artemis said and she was fiddling with her bow.

"Patron of war. Any of my grandkids are allowed to stay with my cute lil fuckers in our cabin. Any nieces or nephews from my sister Enyo are allowed as well." Ares said growling at the trainer with flaming eyes.

"Patron of love. Any of my grandchildren are allowed in my cabin, since they're almost all love deities." Aphrodite said and her voice was flat and she moved. She had scooped the children that had got sent towards her and Ares and Hephaestus couch and put them on the couch seat. She settled on the floor protectively in front of them flanked by her lover and husband both who had mimicked her actions.

"Patron of travelers true, so technically all of them count for me but also I'm the Patron of Souls. The children of the other soul collectors and soul guides are allowed in my cabin. I just don't turn anyone away, because I thought Heras cabin was full." Hermes said and his gaze was cold as he stared at Chiron.

"You KNOW that the children are supposed to be in my cabin, that's half the reason it's so large! Why were you not letting them into my cabin?! Dionysus why did you not say something?" Hera demanded and Dionysus looked serious as he raised his hands in defense.

"I've only been there a few decades now. And ever since I've been there there's been no one in your cabin. Like the kids I thought you weren't supposed to have anyone in there." Dionysus said seriously and his eyes were glued to the centaur who was staying silent.

After a moment of silence from him Hera snarled like an animal.

"Hermes make sure that's written down. I promise you Chiron. At the end of this reading if I'm not satisfied with your reasons. There will be a reckoning." Hera sneered at the silent horse before she turned and sat gracefully back on the couch, pulling the little ones in to soothe them and whisper soft promises into their ears.

"Make a list children. Of your likes and dislikes and hobbies. I'll make sure the cabin is ready for all of those who need it when you return to Camp." Hera said and her voice was so gentle and motherly now that it gave many whiplash.

"Hephaestus darling keep reading. Everyone try not to interrupt as much so we can get a good idea of things yes?"

Hearing her use terms of endearment for him was still jarring.

"Okay. So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot or patron. Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians.

But why would some be empty?

I stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.

It wasn’t high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough grey stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor.

I peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t do that!’"

"Why would you pull him away? I wouldn't blast someone for just looking. I know certain children hide in there sometimes and have never blasted them." Poseidon said frowning at Chiron who didn't answer.

"Oh we know it's safe. First night he was moved into the cabin Percy snuck about half a dozen of the little kids out of the Hermes cabin to sleep in there. Burnt you an offering and said that if you hurt the kids just for sleeping in the cabin he'd find a way to kick your ass." F. Connor said remembering how they had busted Percy in the act and helped him sneak the kids out when the smoke above the fire and made a thumbs up and laughing sign and the door had swung open.

They were sure Mr. D had noticed and helped them hide it from Chiron who was looking at them shocked and disapproving.

"And then while Percy was out for the school year after his first summer you expanded and updated the cabin a bit for the few who stayed. Gave Percy his own room and got a dozen beds in there for the little ones, with blankets and glow in the dark sea flora as nightlights and shells and things for them to play with and collect." F. Travis said grinning and Amphitrite laughed.

"And then when you heard Demeter and Percy talking about kids you enlisted Annabeths help in redoing the entire cabin so that Percy and Demeter had what was essentially their own home inside of the cabin complete with a nursery for babies and a kitchen and kids rooms, and also still have a dozen or so beds for the little ones that stayed there." Amphitrite said and Posiedon beamed, summoning some paper so he could write out plans for his future grandchildrens nursery and playroom and toys. Lots and lots of toys.

Hephaestus coughed and went back to the book wondering if they'd commission him for any of the furniture or gadgets for the cabin. It'd be a fun project to work on with his kids.

"Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers. Number five was bright red — a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists…a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALFBLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on me and gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red. But I shook off the thought. Just because she looked or reminded me of someone didn't mean anything.

Nancy was still a child and so was that girl. And what was the saying? A cruel child could still become the kindest adult."

"Gee thanks punk." F. Clarisse said while Mini Clarisse seemed puffing up for a fight.

"He's not wrong babe. You are so soft and kind with any lil campers." F. Chris said and suddenly he had Ares undivided attention as the War God clocked that this punk was dating his daughter.

"I am not soft. Or kind. And anyone who says otherwise gets a beating." F. Clarisse growled out.

"But you're always nice to meet Aunty Risse!" Amara said smiling at her favorite aunt who scowled and rolled her eyes but it was notably softer.

"Because I'm not a fucking idiot lil flower." F. Clarisse said and she knew damn well if she had been mean to or made that baby cry the entire Demeter cabin would jump her, plus the girls Queen of the Underworld sister and very protective and loving mama bear mother. Not even counting what Papa Bear Percy would do.

"I kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron’s hooves. ‘We haven’t seen any other centaurs,’ I observed.

‘No,’ said Chiron sadly. ‘My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I’m afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won’t see any here." Yeah well weren't Satyrs just as bad if not worse?"

"I miss the party ponies. They never come to Camp Jupiter anymore." Frank sighed longingly and Hazel giggled.

"Probably cause they're scared of Reyna. Even knowing she's not there anymore they're still scared she'll show up while they are." Nico said grinning as he thought about his adoptive sister figure who could kick ass.

"Huh?" Malcom asked curiously and Nico shrugged.

"Roman daughter of Bellona, Enyos counterpart, she's badass and awesome and last time Party Ponies were at New Rome she got drunk off her ass and kicked their asses. Now the Ponies are scared that they'll run into her again and she'll fight them sober." Nico said shortly.

"I have several questions." Lee said blinking at Nico who shrugged.

"Not answering em."

Hephaestus began to read again.

"So you're really the Hero Trainer then?" For some reason I didn't expect him to be such an ass.

"The trainer of Hercules from the myths? Yes I am." He confirmed and I did not like the mention of Hercules but shook it off. He was the most famous after all so it made sense to name him.

"Shouldn't you be dead then?" I had never heard of him getting immortality but I suppose it made some sense."

"Oh my gods SpongeBob you can't just ask someone if they should be dead." Phoebe was cracking up and Percy stuck his tongue out at her.

"Oh bite me Sandy!"

"Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. ... I thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. Yeah hell no. The only reason I would ever agree to that is if it let me stay near Demi and our kids...I really need to stop calling them that in my mind."

"No you don't. I'm still your wife and they're still your kids." Demeter said and her heart would break if he ever stopped calling her by her nickname or by the title of wife or with any number of the endearments he whispered into her ear.

"As you've noticed it's hard for me to think of them or you as anything else. Our children. Our little babies. And you're mine. My amazing beautiful loving wife." Percy murmured into her ear completely with soft neck kisses and she hummed appreciatively as she felt his finger trace patterns on her side.

"Doesn't it ever get boring?"

"No, no," he said. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring." Yeah I suppose it would get depressing. Seeing all the children you trained and raised dying either due to monsters or arrogance or age.

Oh, look," he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

The blond child I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven. When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drooled. I tried to see what she was reading… like those in an architecture book.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it . . .? A caduceus. Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds." Hermes was gritting his teeth and Hera didn't look happy.

"And I'm sure most of those children could have been with their proper patron cabin or in mine." Hera growled slightly at that. The demigods of the present all looked away or down.

"Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center. Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully. So he was respected by them. Made sense.

"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner." He galloped away toward the archery range.

I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They had straightened from their bows. They were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools. "Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on."

I stepped inside and almost tripped, making them laugh a bit. Good it caused them to relax.

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked. I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."

Everybody groaned. A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward.

"Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

I eyed the guy warily. He had a knife mark down his face but his smile was intact...but there was something about his eyes that set me on edge. There was a glint to them that I equated with Gabe and his buddies or those plotting and scheming as if the gods didn't see all back in the old days."

Percy kept his face carefully blank as people glanced between him and Luke.

"Sorry if I put you on edge! I'm probably just thinking over who's kid oyu might be." Luke said with a friendly smile.

Percy didn't say anything, just stared him down coldly, but Demeter felt how tense he was and the way he shifted ever so slightly so that he could cover her and the kids from Luke if need be.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing...wasn't the guy a bit too old for her by modern standards? Ah well not like I could judge when I was still in love with a woman older than the country.

She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor for now." "For now?" I asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there… Just the Minotaur's horn. I thought about setting that down, but then I remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves. Although...there was a tiny one eyeing it.

Okay so I might not give it to the older ones or make it easy for them to steal it but I wouldn't say anything if a tiny thief stole it."

"You always did love children. You used to pretend not to notice the orphans in the town stealing some of our crops or pieces of bread you happened to leave out." Demeter said amused and fond and Percy smiled at her.

"You have no room to talk. I seem to remember a certain someone singing and dancing and playing in the fields with the orphans and insisting that they all eat after helping up with the the garden and fields. Tell me dear heart? How many blankets and clothes did you weave to leave for the children to steal?" Percy asked and she huffed. He wasn't wrong.

"I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they were waiting for a chance to pick my pockets.

"How long will I be here?" I asked. "Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

Determined. I guess that means until they received some sign as to who my divine parent is.

Looking around again I took note. Some of the kids had the same features as the scarred boy. More did not.

To my relief I didn't see any kids here that looked like they belonged to my Demi."

"I always claim my children. Generally within their first hour at camp." Demeter said and her kids beamed at her, they all knew she loved them. After all she had discreetly helped them to camp or in the case of Billie who had been chased by monsters after her satyr was killed appeared in person not at all discreet and held back the monsters while giving her directions.

"Come on," Annabeth told me. "I'll show you the volleyball court." "I've already seen it."

"Come on." She grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside. I let her because I was confused as to why she looked so annoyed.

I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind me. When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What?" She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one." Um please don't mean that romantically. Please no. You're twelve and my heart only belonged to one person.

"What's your problem?" I was getting angry now. "All I know is, I kill that fucked up bull — "

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?" "To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?" To survive?!?"

"To survive!" Most of the demigods responded just as shocked as Annabeth and many looked at her confused and alarmed while lil Annabeth blushed and ducked her head scowling. Older one just shook her head and sighed.

"I shook my head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories . . "Yes." "Then there's only one." "Yes."

"And he died, like, thousands of years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So . . ."

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die." Run that by me again?"

"Yeah Princess I've been killing monsters as long as anybody else and that even left me confused. And I did see the orientation video." F. Clarisse shook her head and F. Annabeth winced.

"Yeah I was a bit..." F. Annabeth shook her head grimacing as she recalled what she used to be like.

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."

"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re- form."

I thought about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword — "

"The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?" "You talk in your sleep."

"I sound like a stalker." F. Annabeth groaned and she got some laughs from the rest.

"Oh you talk in your sleep now?" Demeter smirked up at Percy looking as if this was the best blackmail she had ever gotten.

"Uh huh. It's funny. Papa once said the Zebras can't eat the cake cause it's blue. I don't get it though cause blue cake is the best." Amara said matter of factly from where she had now sprawled out over Phoebe and halfway onto Artemis who looked at the little huntress amused.

"Well that's a lot better than hearing him sigh and mumble about how much he loves and misses his wife in his sleep. Our first quest together was so awkward cause of that." Frank said and Hazel blushed and looked embarrassed and disgusted.

"You're telling me. Especially considering that was my grandma he was talking about." Hazel pulled a face and Percy shot her an apologetic smile.

"Oh? And what kind of dream were you having for that to be the reaction dearest?" Demeter asked quietly with a small grin.

"I'll tell you later." Percy whispered into her ear with a smile making her blush and shudder at his warm breath on her ear.

"And that's why the Hecate kids and Mr. D out silencing spells on him whenever he's either in the medical beds or during cuddle piles." F. Katie said dryly and giving them an unimpressed stare.

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?" Might as well have her confirm things and see what was said about the whole name thing.

Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all." Kind...kindly ones? I thought that was only an Athens thing? And besides I didn't say the Furies names! I just said their species. So did it matter if you just said the species or if you said their actual names? And she didn't say anything about the Lord of the Underworlds name being said.

I blinked wondering if the bloody Mary ghost story i heard in schools started cause some poor kid said a monsters name in the mirror three times and it actually killed them... Wait no changing the subject.

"Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."

I pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or . . . your parents."

She stared at me, waiting for me to get it. Okay so it was parentage not patronage?"

"That's not how it should be." Hera hissed quietly with a glare at Chiron.

"My mom is Sally Jackson," I said. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad." So she just assumed it was a guy? Didn't gods have children with mortals of the same genders plenty of times? Besides what made her think I only had one immortal parent? My mom said I had two...although I suppose that isn't normal so I shouldn't be surprised she didn't think about that."

"Why did you think it was a dad Annabeth? I mean Mitchell and Bobbi have two moms." Malcom asked pointing at two of his younger siblings.

"I've got two dads." One of Ares boys piped up raising his hand.

"Me too." Lee from Apollos cabin said.

"I've got two moms remember?" Miranda asked and Percy raised an eyebrow at Demeter who just shrugged at him with a smile.

"It was kind of rude to assume it was a dad. Most of us don't conform or stick with gender norms as you know them. And many of us can switch gender at will or have children with the same gender easily. I've got four children with other women." Aphrodite said making Annabeth blush and shrug, she didn't know what she was thinking.

After a minute in which everyone realized neither Annabeth would answer Hephaestus began to read again.

"‘I never knew him. He could be dead."

"Then how can you say — " "Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us." "You don't know anything about me."

"No?" She raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"How—" "Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

I tried to swallow my embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign… That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek… Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

"You sound like . . . you went through the same thing?"

"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar." And she just used the Minotaurs name again? Weren't we not supposed to use it? Even if it was just the species name.

"Ambrosia and nectar."

The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would 've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."

A half-blood that sounded so racist. I was reeling with so many questions I didn't know where to start.

Then a husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!"

"Ah fuck." F. Clarisse said sighing and putting her head in her hands.

"I looked over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and rough and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the leader said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night." "Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said and my jaw dropped open.

Who taught her that?!"

"Annabeth!" Athena sounded scolding and incredulous and lil Annabeth shrunk in on herself while F. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Get used to it I say worse." F. Annabeth seemed to take glee in the look on her mother's face at that.

"You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward me. "Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

"Ares?" So we were allowed to say the names?

Clarisse sneered, "You got a problem with that?" Why would I have a problem with that.

"Why would I? Isn't he the protector of women?" I remember hearing how he had cut down every man in a town because they had tried to assault one of his daughters who had prayed to him for help. Why would I have a problem with that?"

"I am and I did, more than once." Ares nodded simply and his kids looked surprised.

"Yeah but see dad, we were never taught that. All we were told was that you're the god of war and bloodthirst and battle and that we were natural born soldiers because of it." F. Clarisse making Ares glare at Chiron.

"I have a feeling I know who did that. Hermes write it down. Kids you do know better now though right?" Ares asked glancing from Phoebe to future Clarisse hoping his kids knew better.

"I always knew, I was alive when that happened remember?" Phoebe reminded him and actually she was the one he destroyed the men in the town for before escorting her to his half sisters hunt personally.

"Yeah we learned after the wars and things calmed down and you were back to being yourself again. You and Lady Aphrodite and half of my brothers like to go to different clubs and bars and keep an eye out to make sure the women stay safe." F. Clarisse said and Ares perked up glad that his kids would know better and even help him.

"He also punches homophobes and transphobes on sight." Nico said laughing as he remembered a few pride parade where Ares threw hands with the phobes.

"Ohhhh remember when your little brother was scared about doing his first drag show? And prayed to Lady Aphrodite for courage and confidence to go through with it?" F. Will asked grinning and Percy laughed.

"I remember that! Aphrodite grabbed several of us and told us we were taking part too! The little guy looked so happy and relieved to see us in drag too that he couldn't stop smiling the entire show. He did get a bit embarrassed when Ares stood up in a red sequin dress and blond wig loudly cheering and declaring that his kid was the best drag star there so obviously won but he was laughing too hard at security trying to get Ares to quiet down!" Percy laughed and Ares didn't even care if he had been in drag, hell yeah his kid won!

"Who all did it?" Aphrodite was absolutely plotting the perfect outfits for that.

"Me, Nico, Dad, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus and somehow Uncle Hades got dragged into it too." Percy rattled off and there were several looks of disbelief shot at Hades for that.

"I had mentioned to mom about dressing in drag to cheer the kid on and she said it was a great idea and Hazel pouted dad into dressing up too." Nico supplied helpfully and Hades looked horrified.

"Demeter, Persephone and Thalia took so many pictures. But jokes on you all cause I rocked that lil blue dress and those heels." Percy said and there was a smattering of laughter from around the room.

"Percy you had half the club drooling. You and mom weren't seen for two days after that." F. Katie said and Percy grinned while Demeter eyed him possessively and calculating. As if trying to imagine him in the dress and heels.

"You'd look fabulous in gold and silver dresses...maybe with a bronze trim to bring out your eyes." Aphrodite hummed to Hephaestus in thought and he blinked slowly at her in disbelief before turning back to the book.

"We've got an initiation for newbies Prissy."

"Percy." "Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

"Clarisse — " Annabeth tried to say. "Stay out of it, wise girl."

"You got that from Clarisse?!" Thalia asked in disbelief as she looked at Percy.

"It started as an insult but now it's a term of endearment for one of my little sisters." Percy grinned and F. Annabeth rolled her eyes but she smiled.

"Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and I didn't really want her help. I was the new kid. I had to earn my own rep.

I handed Annabeth my minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before I knew it… Clarisse had me by the neck and was dragging me towards a cinder-block.... Clarisse bent me over on my knees and started pushing my head towards the toilet bowl. It reeked like rusted pipes and, well, like what goes into toilets. I strained to keep my head up. I was looking at the scummy water thinking, I will not go into that. I won’t.

'Just admit you made it up, Prissy.' She whispered to my ear. 'You made it up to being able to defeat the Minotaur. Admit it and I'll let you go.' "

"What the hell?" A few turned to look at Clarisse but then looked at F. Clarisse instead. Hermes was writing down the state of the bathrooms.

"The kid was shrimpy and seemed kind of slow and stupid. So yeah I thought he made it up. I didn't know about his mom." F. Clarisse winced but shrugged off the looks.

"It's cool La Rue. After all if you didn't try to dunk my head at first then we wouldn't be friends right now." Percy grinned at her casually and she bared her teeth in a smile back at him.

"I will sell your soul for one corn chip."

"I'd sell yours for a Klondike bar and wouldn't even eat it."

"Oh don't you two start!" F. Will said shooting them both a glare and then turning to Hephaestus who kept reading.

"I felt angry. My mom gave her life so that I could be safe from the Minotaur, and this girl was asking me to split over her memory, braveness, and love?

The same kind of sensation washed over me that I had felt last night, I felt connected to the water around me, like they were waiting for my command.

Then something happened. I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach. I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse 's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet… The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing her backward into a shower stall."

"That...shouldn't be possible." Posiedon said although there was some laughter around the room.

"Yeah get used to saying that." F. Chris said amused and making Posiedon shake his head.

"No I mean literally. I'm the god of the sea, Amphritite is the Goddess of the Ocean. We have no connection to...well pipe water." Posiedon said although he looked impressed towards his son and Amphitrite laughed lightly.

"As the child said my Lord. Get used to saying that it should be impossible. Our son is rather adept at doing the impossible." Amphitrite said amused.

It took a minute for Hephaestus to be able to start reading again.

"She struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming toward her. But then the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back…The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared. She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in exactly the same place, staring at me in shock.

I looked down and realized I was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry floor around me. I didn't have one drop of water on my clothes. Nothing.

I stood up, my legs shaky. Annabeth said, "How did you . . ." "I don't know." Okay so my immortal parents were water deities. I had kind of suspected that.

We walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled… camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave me a look of absolute hatred.

"You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead." Oh wait did she get hurt. Her breathing was off and she was favoring her left side.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what happened? Are you okay?" I wanted to step forward and help them or get her to medical but she snapped her teeth at me like a dog."

"Yeah I thought you were mocking me or being condescending." F. Clarisse said wincing and Percy grimaced.

"I can see how you got that." He agreed and the two shared teeth bared smiles again.

"Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.

Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her.

"What?" I demanded. "What are you thinking?" Did she have an idea as to my parentage? What water deities could control fresh water again? Cause that's what's in those bathroom pipes right?

"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want you on my team for capture the flag."

"Ah yes the plan." All of the future people who had been there for that looked at F. Annabeth who winced.

"Sorry again about that." She said sheepishly apologetic and Percy sighed.

"I'll try to hold them down when it comes up. Might want to get further away though since I don't know if this next or not." He warned her and she moved to sit beside Thalia who gave her a curious look.

"Percy?" Amphitrite asked raising an eyebrow and wondering what that meant.

"Just remember that I am okay." And that didn't make anyone feel any better as Hephaestus threw the book to Athena who glared at him for a few seconds but he was already distracted drawing up blue prints.

Aphrodite leaned in close and pointed at something whispering to him.

"My Dinner Goes up in smoke."

Everyone saw Percy and F. Annabeth relax a bit at that. So whatever the plan was wasn't in this chapter.

Chapter Text

"My dinner goes up in smoke"

"A whole chapter just for sacrifices?" Luke asked looking confused about that and none of the Future people even glanced at him.

Demeter worried about how her husband's arms around her became tighter as if trying to protect her.

"Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately. Wherever I went, campers pointed at me and murmured something about toilet water. Or maybe they were just staring at Annabeth, who was still pretty much dripping wet. I wished she'd change clothes. Did she not worry about catching an illness?"

"Considering all I got was a head cold that took like two minutes to be healed? No I wasn't." F. Annabeth said shrugging slightly.

"She showed me a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava and clashed together if you didn’t get to the top fast enough. I felt a piece of me die inside at the sight of it. What the actual fuck were they training these kids for?"

"To be fair the rock wall did come in handy the summer after this." F. Clarisse pointed out and F. Annabeth and Percy all nodded.

Athena didn't care. She wasn't gonna stop reading unless she had a comment or another God she respected did.

"Finally we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins. "I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets."

"Whatever."

"It wasn't my fault."

"Oh really?" F. Clarisse asked raising an eyebrow at the man who rolled his eyes.

"It's not like I knew the water would react like that!" Percy said defensively and Demeter chuckled.

"I hope you have better control of your powers now and won't accidentally soak me dear heart." Demeter teased and then she heard the groans from the future and saw F. Katie putting her hands over Stevie's ears, younger Katie doing the same with Douglas and Phoebe doing the same with Amara. In fact all of the future people were covering the ears of the youngest ones in the room, so we're a few Gods who had probably gotten silent prayers from the future ones.

She only then realized the set up she had given her husband and her face burned golden.

"Don't worry my love. Anytime I get you wet is entirely intentional." Percy smirked at her and there was a choked noise from several of the older demigods and Hermes cackled.

"I swear you two can't be together anywhere without this shit happening." F. Katie looked so done with them both and Hestia shook her head with a sigh.

"That tends to be the case when a god or goddess finds their one." Hestia said as if that explained everything and Demeter's siblings shot up alarmed as they whirled to look at her.

"He was your one?" Hera demanded staring wide eyed at her sister and she saw Zeus's look of shock and horror and a bit of regret before he just scowled and looked away. Aphrodite's eyes gleamed in interest.

"He still is." Demeter said and she was still embarrassed but Percy was kissing her neck and rubbing his thumb over her hip.

"Her one?" Silena asked looking curiously between the gods, even Artemis and Athena were reevaluating everything it seemed like as they stared at the couple.

"A God or goddess very rarely meets their One. The one soul truly crafted for them and meant to be their other half for the rest of eternity until Khaos claims us all." Aphrodite said and she sat forward as she tapped into her second sight to look at them and see their bonds.

"It is incredibly rare for an immortal to find their one. Of the ones in this room, Posiedon and Amphitrite are each other's One, Dionysus had met his one with Ariande and Apollos One had been Hyacinths, and Hades and Persephone are each other's One although it took a long time for us to realize that." Hera said and she was staring at the demigod meant to be with her sister.

"Not even I can influence or alter the love between True Ones. Those bonds are sacred and beyond my power." Aphrodite was serious and she was smiling as she looked at their bonds.

"While even gods and goddess who find their True Ones do take mortal lovers occasionally...it is always with their other half permission and agreement. To not have that it is...there is a grave punishment. Sister. Why did you not tell us back then that you had found your One?" Hera asked and her voice was incredibly soft as she stared at her big sister.

"I told Hestia and I thought the rest of you realized it when I was happily mortal married and stayed faithful to my husband. And was going to make him my immortal husband. I had planned to confirm and declare it that day we were meeting but..." Demeter took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, turning her head to listen to her husband's heartbeat.

The day he had been murdered by her brother...

"To lose your One is the most painful thing. It feels as if part of your heart, half of your soul and divinity have faded." Hestia said with grief lacing her tone and a few people looked at her surprised.

"It always hurts, will always hurt. Until you are once more reunited with your One, whether through their reincarnation or by fading and being with them in the Ether." Apollo had grief in his own tone and Artemis reached over to take his hand in comfort.

"Three of us have lost our ones. Demeter is lucky hers was reborn so soon and with his memories. My sunny nephew is still waiting for the rebirth of his One." Hestia explained softly to the children who were wide eyed at this information.

"What about the third?" Luke asked wondering if he could use any of this for his Lord.

"My One I had met as a little godling. Back before my father had eaten me. Father was a different man then, very protective and doting. Naturally finding out his one year old child had found her one in a mortal of all things? Father killed him, erased him from time and existence so that he would never be reborn, destroyed his essence to make sure he would not return. I had been grief stricken and had declared that if I could not have my one I would not have anyone. Thus my eternal maiden vow." Hestia said her shoulders slumped and the hearth dimming as she spoke.

"The side effects of losing our One can vary and be devastating. I had nearly scorched the world and had unleashed a dozen plagues when I lost mine. My Lady Aunt channeled her grief into rage against grandfather and his army from what stories I have heard. And Aunt Demeter plunged the world into another famine in her grief and ended several smaller civilizations. It would have been worse had she not discovered her pregnancy and focused on caring for her child." Apollo said trying to make them understand just how devastating it was to lose the other half of their souls.

"And even after that. The only reason I have had children and not remained Celibate until his return is because I would find mortals who reminded me of Iasion and would produce a child with them." Demeter said softly and she risked a look at her husband who was giving her the most understanding loving smile.

"I would never begrudge you for your grief my love. Nor of the moments of happiness that you had found. No matter what I will always love and treasure you." Percy murmured to her and she relaxed a bit into him.

The demigods were silent as they processed this new information none but the future ones had known.

In their silence Athena returned to the book.

"She looked at me sceptically, and I realized it was my fault. I’d made water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures. I didn’t understand how. But the toilets had responded to me. I had become one with the plumbing."

There were only a few snorts or chuckles at that most still reeling with the new information and Demeter found herself being in a cuddle pile with her mortal children who all wanted to comfort their mom at least a little bit.

"I stared into the lake, wishing somebody would give me a straight answer for once. I wasn’t expecting anybody to be looking back at me from the bottom, so my heart skipped a beat when I noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about five metres below.

They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if I were a long-lost friend. Wait were those...

I didn’t know what else to do. I waved back. ‘Don’t encourage them,’ Annabeth warned. ‘Naiads are terrible flirts.’

'Naiads,’ I repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. ‘That’s it. I want to go home now.’ I remembered how some women near a river had talked to me a few times in my last life. They had been Naiads, they had been friendly and welcoming but not flirtatious. Had that changed too?"

"Some are but most are just friendly." Posiedon assured his son who nodded and was busying himself with making sure the small group of children didn't fall off the couch, especially when Amara came in with a flying tackle that her siblings wheezing and Demeter smiling slightly.

"Don’t you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us.’

‘You mean, mentally disturbed kids?’

‘I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human.’ ‘Half-human and half-what?’

‘I think you know.’ I didn’t want to admit it, but I was afraid I did. I felt a tingling in my limbs, a sensation I sometimes felt when my mom talked about my dad. ‘God,’ I said. ‘Half-god.’

Annabeth nodded. ‘Your father isn’t dead. Percy. He’s one of the Olympians.’ Not necessarily true. It was entirely possible his immortal parents were of the Oceanic court or perhaps they were in the sky court but enthroned.

‘That’s… crazy.’ ‘Is it? What’s the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they’ve changed their habits in the last few millennia?’

Well not really especially when there was an entire camp right now filled with proof otherwise."

"Yeah that's one way to know they're having relations with mortals." F. Travis said and that lightened the atmosphere s bit as some gods looked sheepish.

"But there are–’ I looked around, if all of the gods were still having children with mortals then there should be plenty more children here. Especially given the population of humanity now compared to back in Ancient Greece. ‘But if all the kids here are half-gods –’

‘Demigods,’ Annabeth said. ‘That’s the official term. Or half-bloods.’

‘Then who’s your dad?’ Her hands tightened around the pier railing. I got the feeling I’d just trespassed on a sensitive subject.

‘My dad is a professor at West Point, ’she said. ‘I haven’t seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history.’

‘He’s human.’ ‘What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?’

"What? Sexist? How am I being sexist? Half of the goddesses on the council are eternal maidens from what I recall?" The only two on the council I could think of that weren't either loyal to their wedding vows or maidens were The Lady of Doves and my Demi. And I knew this girl wasn't one of Demis."

"He has a point there. When most think of Demigods they don't remember more than Hercules, the original Perseus or Theseus. The only children Lady Hera has are gods. Ladies Artemis and Athena are eternal maidens, and all of mom and Lady Aphrodite's well known children are immortals as well." Miranda agreed with her step dad and F. Annabeth grimaced a bit.

"Yeah I'm hearing it now and understand." F. Annabeth said and the younger one looked at her confused.

"Who’s your mom, then?’

‘Cabin six.’ ‘Meaning?’

Annabeth straightened. ‘Athena. Goddess of wisdom, war and handicrafts.’ Excuse me huh? Child said what now? Isn't she a maiden goddess?!"

"I am." Athena interrupted herself with a stern look towards Percy.

"The whole child of wet thoughts thing is covered in the orientation film and I didn't know he hadn't seen it." F. Annabeth said casually and the entire Hermes group began to wheeze and cackle.

"Oh for the love of. Annabeth you can't just say that!" Hazel was blushing in mortification and amusement while F. Clarisse was cackling as did some gods at the look on Athena's face.

"I'm remembering that next time one of your siblings calls me a forbidden kid." Nico was grinning amused and F. Annabeth, Thalia and Percys heads whipped towards him.

"Have they been giving you trouble?" Thalia asked sparks starting on her skin as she growled.

"No not recently. Although they do get pissed when I summon ghosts of dead figures to prove them wrong." Nico said shrugging easily. Thalia growled louder and her sparks started crackling.

"At ease step daughter." Hera put a hand on her shoulder unbothered by the lightning, honestly her touching Thalia and openly calling her step daughter was probably what actually caused Thalia to stop sparking, "You can discuss this later. Do not risk the little ones with your sparks."

"Yes ma'am." Thalia said after a few seconds of shock and disbelief, exchanging confused looks with at least half the room.

"And my dad?’ ‘Undetermined,’ Annabeth said, ‘like I told you before. Nobody knows.’

‘Except my mother. She knew.’

‘Maybe not, Percy. Gods don’t always reveal their identities.’

‘My dad would have. He loved her.’ And, I silently added, he absolutely would have told her if his wife was part of the whole thing. I didn't know many immortals who would share a lover, even between spouses...

Annabeth gave me a cautious look. She didn’t want to burst my bubble. ‘Maybe you’re right. Maybe he’ll send a sign. That’s the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens.’

‘You mean sometimes it doesn’t?’ I was confused. Back in the old days Gods always did something to show or prove that a child was theirs. I remember meeting a son of Apollo once who came into the town, he was an alright fellow didn't really brag much about his dad. But Apollo had sent him a golden light to give credit to the man's claim of who his father was."

"I remember him. He tried to court me for a week despite me being married already, until he realized who I was." The smirk on her face meant Demeter had probably gotten tired of the guy and had done something to show the demigod that she was not one to try and steal away.

"...if I knew that I likely would have ended him." Percys eyes flashed and he was kissing at her neck again.

"Annabeth ran her palm along the rail. ‘The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don’t always… Well, sometimes they don’t care about us, Percy. They ignore us.’

I thought about some of the kids I’d seen in the Hermes cabin, teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, as if they were waiting for a call that would never come. I’d known kids like that at Yancy Academy, shuffled off to boarding school by rich parents who didn’t have the time to deal with them. But gods should behave better. I couldn't imagine Demi not claiming her children. She loved children, her own especially.

'So I’m stuck here,’ I said. ‘That’s it? For the rest of my life?’

‘It depends,’ Annabeth said. ‘Some campers only stay the summer. If you’re a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you’re probably not a real powerful force." Excuse him fucking what?!"

"What did you just say?" Aphrodite dared the girl to repeat those words and little Annabeth seemed confused about why she looked angry.

Demeter's eyes were dark.

"It is only that you are a child I do not strike you down where you sit. I see you have your mother's pride and yet none of her self preservation." Demeter hissed and F. Annabeth sighed heavily.

"In the defense of my past words. One, Chiron often did not train them saying that it would not do much good due to their lack of power and as an impressionable child I believed his words. And second, most Satyrs claimed that it was harder to determine your children from mortals due to their scents being either like perfume or like flowers which are common fragrances mortals wear." F. Annabeth said and there were some dark dark looks thrown at Chiron.

"Is that why you rarely let me practice with a spear?" Silena demanded glaring at the centaur who looked nervous.

"You deprive our children of training?!" Aphrodites eyes were glowing once more with power and Percy felt how his wife was shaking in rage.

"You know well my wrath and power. You saw what I was capable of during the wars and then when my wrath is sufficiently irked over the years. And yet you dare try to deprive my children of training, you try to claim them weak and lesser?" Demeters voice was a growl tha promised retribution and many slowly inched away from the two righteously furious women.

"Hermes make a note and then later work with Apollo. We'll need to find someone who is unbiased to train the children." Hera said and many were surprised by how much she was caring about all of this but the messenger nodded and Apollo magicked a phone to his hand to scroll through and find someone to fit the criteria. Best to have a few options on the ready.

Athena spoke up, continuing to read before Chiron could open his mouth and put his hoof in it.

"Are you a fucking idiot?!" I didn't care who was listening in as I gave the girl a bewildered and insulted look.

"You think Aphrodite, Aphrodite Urania, the daughter of primordials is weak? Aphrodite Areia?! The goddess of War who could start a war in a second and send thousands to their deaths with smiles on their faces?" The girl looked alarmed and confused by my behavior but I didn't care. She had insulted the WORST God you could insult and done so so brazenly I was surprised she had yet to be struck down. But she had also...

"And you think Demeter Kronide, the second eldest child of the Titan King and his Queen is weak?! Demeter Cthonia who has control over the earth like her primordial grandmother? Demeter Erinyes?! The goddess who nearly starved the entire world and wiped out several civilizations to try and find and get her daughter back? The lady of the golden blade who even Titans had feared during the war?!" How dare she insult them so?! Was this child daft and untaught?!"

"You know realizing you were her husband and had lived in ancient Greece made your defense and titles used make a lot more sense." F. Annabeth said calmly while Aphrodite was beaming at Percy and Demeter was staring at him amazed.

"I am pretty sure that caught all of our attention. Most of those titles hadn't been used in over a century." Artemis raised her brow knowing that she would have absolutely taken note and interest if she had heard of the titles used.

"Oh I can guarantee you that the second he said Kronide or Cthonia then he absolutely would have gotten moms attention. No one has called mom by those in over two thousand years." Persephone said shaking her head slightly and making the other gods nod.

"Yeah he doesn't do a good job of trying to stay off the radar. Honestly I'm amazed it took someone as long as it did to realize what had happened." F. Katie said shaking her head although at least rh campers had a good excuse, the gods not so much.

Demeter was absolutely going to reward her husband and thank him for his defense of her later.

"I've never heard of those titles for them but it doesn't make a difference." My hands twitched with the urge to slap this child upside her head and make her see sense.

The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it’s too dangerous to leave. We’re year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they’ll ignore us until we’re old enough to cause trouble – about ten or eleven years old – but after that most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you’d know them. Some don’t even realize they’re demigods. But very, very few are like that.'

‘So monsters can’t get in here?’ Annabeth shook her head. ‘Not unless they’re intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside.’

‘Why would anybody want to summon a monster?'

‘Practice fights. Practical jokes.’ What?

‘Practical jokes?’ Apparently I did not hear that wrong."

"Hey don't look at us! We never summoned a monster in the camp!" The Stolls said holding their hands up defensively as most of the demigods turned towards them.

"For once they're right. It wasn't them. It was a son of Athena who summoned it because he got into an argument with a daughter of Apollo over a book." Katie nodded and came to the brothers defense.

"He botched it too so instead of a practice hellhound for a fight he had summoned a baby one who wasn't even old enough to be weaned yet." Miranda smirked recalling that.

"We hid lil Mangler in our cabin for three weeks taking care of him until Chiron found out and had Mr. D send him back to the underworld." Clarisse smirked a bit at that recalling the little hellhound pup.

"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm.’

‘So… you’re a year-rounder?’ Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colours. It was just like Luke’s, except Annabeth’s also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring.

‘I’ve been here since I was seven,’ she said. ‘Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I’ve been here longer than most of the counsellors, and they’re all in college.’

‘Why did you come so young?’ and how did she get here? Did her mother drop her off or her mortal parent? Was she found at random by a satyr and kidnapped?"

"I can tell how worried you are now but back then..." F. Annabeth shook her head sighing at her last actions. Athena hurried to read not wanting to linger long in her daughter coming to camp so young.

"She twisted the ring on her necklace. ‘None of your business.’

‘Oh.’ I stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence. So I guess only she could ask u comfortable questions then?

‘So… I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?’

‘It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr D’s or Chiron’s permission. But they wouldn’t give permission until the end of the summer session unless…’ ‘Unless?’

‘You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time...’ Her voice trailed off. I could tell from her tone that the last time hadn’t gone well. My heart lurched. How many children had died?"

"Two of them." Luke said his eyes downcast when everyone had glanced at him.

‘Back in the sick room,’ I said, ‘when you were feeding me that stuff –’ ‘Ambrosia.’ The foods of the gods. I remember Demi eating it sometimes back at home.

‘Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice.’ Annabeth’s shoulders tensed. ‘So you do know something?’

Everyone leaned forward curiously now except those that already knew.

"Well… no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn’t have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?’

She clenched her fists. ‘I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won’t tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal.’

‘You’ve been to Olympus?’ This child had done something to deserve that honor?

"Some of us year-rounders – Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others – we took a field trip during winter solstice. That’s when the gods have their big annual council.’ they...took a field trip to the ancient Greek home of the gods?"

"Wait do you mean this solstice?" Artemis asked catching that and narrowing her eyes.

"Yes. As of right now in this time I'm still a twelve year old kid at Yancy with vague memory dreams of the past and no true knowledge of the godly world beyond those vague memories. This book takes place in a few months time for you all." Percy said and his dad suddenly looked very very pleased by that. Darkly so.

"Good. That means I can exact justice upon that vile filth." Posiedon hissed darkly and was only stopped by Amphitrites hand on his arm.

"We husband. We both will be exacting justice for what that filth did to our son." Amphitrite said with a demure dangerous smile.

"Damn that means that I can't track you down and start dating you." Demeter seemed very disappointed by that and a few people snorted a bit at her irritation.

"Hmm yes modern day convention does make that hard." Percy agreed with a smile of amusement.

"Watch as soon as you get to camp I'm grabbing you to talk and discuss future outings." Demeter growled at his amusement and he kissed the crown of her head.

"But… how did you get there?’

‘The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six-hundredth floor.’ She looked at me like she was sure I must know this already. ‘You are a New Yorker, right?’

‘Oh, sure.’ As far as I knew, there were only a hundred and two floors in the Empire State Building, but I decided not to point that out. As well as my confusion on them being in New York of all states.

'Right after we visited,’ Annabeth continued, ‘the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I’ve overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn’t returned by summer solstice, there’s going to be trouble. When you came, I was hoping… I mean – Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she’s got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something.’

"That's just pure false. Pretty much the only ones who would work with Athena are Artemis and Zeus." Ares scoffed as he glowered at his sister who rolled her eyes.

"Yeah I was a kid putting her mom on a pedestal and trying to only see the good things in her." F. Annabeth didn't seem surprised like the current Athena kids were and instead like she agreed.

"Sure. Rivalry. That's what it was." Posiedon glared darkly at Athena and F. Annabeth sighed.

"See the main reason, the true one, for the animosity? No one told us about it at the time and that story is one of the ones not allowed within the cabin. So none of us knew the true reason until later." F. Annabeth said with a sympathetic look to the sea God.

"Do you hate me daughter?" Athena asked staring at F. Annabeth confused and alarmed.

"Hating you takes up too much energy and time spent on other things. I don't really care about you one way or the other. You're just there." F. Annabeth shrugged ignoring the gaping wide eyes from the rest of the current time demigods.

"Oh shit." Hermes whispered and Chiron dallied a bit.

"Annabeth sur-" the Horse stopped when he had a knife go flying last his ear by the blond, the knife being caught by F. Chris who twirled it around his fingers before throwing it back. Also barely missing the horse.

"I don't want to hear shit from you horse man. And I'm not saying a word about what happened between me and the Grand Owl. You'll probably read about her actions and what they caused." F. Annabeth said without even having once looked at the centaur.

Athena stared at her wisest daughter in a century or more in disbelief and offense and confusion. After a moment of staring at her and being given a single flat look in return Athena slowly picked up the book wondering why her relationship with her child was that way.

The room was silent aside from the snickering future demigods who mouthed Grand Owl at each other.

Luke was smirking as he plotted.

"I shook my head. I wished I could help her, but I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions.

‘I’ve got to get a quest,’ Annabeth muttered to herself. ‘I’m not too young. If they would just tell me the problem…’"

"And that's my hubris." F. Annabeth said grimacing at the looks she was given.

"Yes you were too young. Children under the age of fourteen aren't considered for a quest. They're too young." Apollo said and all of the demigods looked at each other. The future one steadily avoided the eyes of everyone else.

"I could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. Annabeth must’ve heard my stomach growl. She told me to go on, she’d catch me later. I left her on the pier, tracing her finger across the rail as if drawing a battle plan.

Back at cabin eleven, everybody was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. For the first time, I noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers. Thankfully, nobody paid much attention to me as I walked over to my spot on the floor and plopped down with my Minotaur horn. I was beside a little one who had the same mischievous eyes.

She couldn't be any older than seven and she glanced at my horn and then at me and I pretended I didn't see her do so. I wouldn't be surprised if the horn was gone as soon as I turned my back but I wouldn't say anything."

"I was surprised Christie didn't take it but she's also a little sweetheart so I shouldn't be." Percy said shaking his head and Hermes beamed at the mention of his youngest daughter.

"The counsellor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes family resemblance, too. It was marred by that scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact. ‘Found you a sleeping bag,’ he said. ‘And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store.’

I couldn’t tell if he was kidding about the stealing part but I doubted he was. I said, ‘Thanks.’

‘No prob.’ Luke sat next to me, pushed his back against the wall. ‘Tough first day?’

"Yeah you could say that. I don't belong here." I technically belonged in the underworld but I was not going to explain that."

"Could you have imagined his reaction if you just casually said you should still be dead?" F. Connor asked with a snicker and there were several other snickers as well. Athena didn't stop reading.

"Yeah,’ he said. ‘That’s how we all started. Once you start believing in them? It doesn’t get any easier.’ The bitterness in his voice surprised me, because Luke seemed like a pretty easygoing guy. He looked like he could handle just about anything. And when did I say I didn't believe?

‘So your dad is Hermes?’ I asked. He pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket, and for a second I thought he was going to gut me, but he just scraped the mud off the sole of his sandal. ‘Yeah. Hermes.’

‘The wing footed messenger?'

"Well that's an apt description." Hermes laughed lightly and Percy just shrugged

"That’s him. Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That’s why you’re here, enjoying cabin eleven’s hospitality. Hermes isn’t picky about who he sponsors.’

"Oh I am picky but I thought my Lady Step mother's cabin was full!" Hermes said frowning a bit and Apollo gave a small huff.

"And he's not the god of medicine. That's my son Asclepius." Apollo said still miffed people tried to take his sons domain.

"I figured Luke didn’t mean to call me a nobody. He just had a lot on his mind. ‘You ever meet your dad?’ I asked.

‘Once.’ I waited, thinking that if he wanted to tell me, he’d tell me. Apparently, he didn’t. I wondered if the story had anything to do with how he got his scar. Luke looked up and managed a smile. ‘Don’t worry about it, Percy. The campers here, they’re mostly good people. After all, we’re extended family, right? We take care of each other.’

"Yeah Percy took that motto and became the camp dad." F. Katie shook her head amused and none of the future people even looked at Luke who frowned at them all.

"He seemed to understand how lost I felt, and I was grateful for that, because an older guy like him – even if he was a counsellor – should’ve steered clear of an uncool middle-schooler like me. But Luke had welcomed me into the cabin. He’d even stolen me some toiletries, which was the nicest thing anybody had done for me all day. And yes I realize how low that bar was.

I decided to ask him my last big question, the one that had been bothering me all afternoon. ‘Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me being “Big Three” material. Then Annabeth… twice, she said I might be “the one”. She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?’ I did not want to be given a prophecy thanks.

Luke folded his knife. ‘I hate prophecies.’ Oh that didn't sound good."

"I can hate the prophecies but still be okay with the one who gives them." Percy said wincing and Thalia snickered as did F. Annabeth and Nico.

"I'm telling Rachel." F. Annabeth said grinning at Percy and Demeter shifted on his lap a bit.

"Who's Rachel?" Demeter asked glancing at the group of children in the room as if trying to pick out which one it was.

"Oh she's a friend of mine. Clear sighted mortal who helped us in a quest and... you'll read about it. I think you'd like her, would probably adopt her if Apollo wasn't ready to fist fight you for her." Percy said and Apollo looked confused and alarmed.

"Fist fight? Aunt Demeter? No thanks I choose life!" Apollo said making a few who got the reference to smirk or laugh.

Did the kids not yet realize that fighting Aunt Demeter was asking for Persephone to go ham on you? And if she got involved so would Hades.

"What do you mean?’

His face twitched around the scar. ‘Let’s just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn’t allowed any more quests. Annabeth’s been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He’d had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn’t tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn’t destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until… somebody special came to the camp.’

"He told her a prophecy and promised her something like that?" Hestia didn't look happy as she stared from Annabeth who looked proud and hopeful over to Chiron who winced under the stares.

"She is persuasive and clever..." Chiron tried to defend but F. Annabeth gave an ugly snort.

"Chiron I pouted at you for less than a minute." F. Annabeth seemed amused to call him out and he didn't understand why and neither did the younger campers.

"Favoritism." One of Aphrodite's sons scowled and the goddess made a soft crooning noise as she smoothed out his hair.

"Somebody special.’

‘Don’t worry about it, kid,’ Luke said. ‘Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she’s been waiting for. Now, come on, it’s dinnertime.’

The moment he said it, a horn blew in the distance. Somehow, I knew it was a conch shell, even though I’d never heard one before."

"You have actually. Every Atlantis royal has a conch shell lullaby that they hear as soon as they're born or their ears are working. It's to help attune you to your heightened senses and help your hearing under the waves." Amphitrite explained for everyone.

"And a conch is your brother Tritons symbol of power. Naturally you felt the connection." Posiedon agreed with a soft smile hoping his boys got along.

"Luke yelled, ‘Eleven, fall in!’ The whole cabin, about twenty of us, filed into the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, so of course I was dead last.

Campers came from the other cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which had looked normal in the daytime, but was now starting to glow silver as the sun went down. Ah that must be the Huntresses cabin then. Her Hunt must visit camp to rest from long hunts and see if any maidens wish to join them."

"True." Artemis hummed while Thalia and Phoebe gave cheers for their cabin and Amara beamed.

"It's so pretty in there! It's painted like the forest and they don't get mad when I make some of the plants bloom!" Amara said happily and Demeter smiled softly at her.

"Of course we don't. Not just because you're one of mine and a young one still learning her powers, but also because I've had several of Aunt Demeter's daughters in my hunt." Artemis said smiling at the little hunter. And Demeter smiled as she recalled her semi immortal daughters. She got to see them more often than most since her niece never minded Demeter joining them in the wilds.

"We marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined us from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods – and when I say out of the woods, I mean straight out of the woods. I saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill. It made sense Dryads lived here as well.

In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads. At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven’s was way overcrowded. I had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half my butt hanging off."

Hera breathed deeply for a second.

"You all are allowed to sit at my table. As someone well knew." Hera told the children as she side eyed Chiron who was trying to stay quiet and unnoticed now.

"And as long as you're respectful then I don't mind you sitting at mine." Demeter assured them and Apollo and Aphrodite gave their agreements verbally while Ares and Hephaestus merely grunted but were nodding. Ares was polishing a sword while Hephaestus was working on more blueprints. A few people wondered what he was working on but didn't ask.

"I saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr D, a few satyrs and a couple of athletic looking boys who resembled Mr. D. They had the build of those used to working and toiling in fields but also who enjoyed the fruits of their labors.

Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur.

Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her grey eyes, honey-blonde hair and a few had books with them.

Clarisse sat behind me at Ares’s table. She’d apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching right alongside her friends....

My gaze fell on Table four. Demis table. There were seven kids there. Two of them the girls that had helped me and Grover the other night, two young boys about six or seven maybe...and a set of triplet girls who all had Demis hair color and two had brown eyes while one had green and they all had freckles.

Seven kids...she had seven beautiful children in the camp. My heart lurched. I wanted to go over. I wanted to say hi and fuss and fret over them and...and I wanted to shower them in love and warmth and acceptance. Show them that I loved them as my own just as I did Persephone and Despoina and Arion."

"The triplets are summer only campers, they like to spend the rest of the year in the mortal realm with their mortal mother at her flower shop." Demeter said when a few Gods looked at her.

"Triplets? Ouch." Apollo winced thinking about someone having to push out triplets.

"Honestly I'm surprised I don't have multiple children more often." Demeter waved it off uncaring, her babies were always worth the pain. And she was on good terms with her nieces and sister who had domains of childbirth so she often didn't not labor too long or hard.

"Why?" An unclaimed child asked curiously and Demeter chuckled a bit.

"Many forget that I'm a fertility goddess. Not just a fertility of the earth goddess but all around fertility. Multiple children are more likely to happen to fertility gods and Goddesses." Demeter explained and the child let out an ooohhhh of understanding.

"Demeter was actually the first...how do mortals call them? Octomom?" Aphrodite said casually and that got a lot of wide horrified looks from everyone.

"Yeah mama I love you and I don't mind being a minor goddess of fertility...but I am so glad I never went through that." Persephone said giving her mother a horrified and worried look.

"I didn't mind. My babies are always worth it." Demeter shrugged and F. Katie pointed at Percy menacingly.

"I accept you as my step dad and like how you make my mom happy...but if you knock her up with more than triplets I'll be the one castrating you." F. Katie threatened and Percy laughed and grinned at her before kissing Demeters neck and nibbling on her shoulder. A few looked at the goddess and deadpanned at the fact that she had several hickeys and bite marks on her neck by now.

"I like your faith in my abilities kit Kat but trust me. That's entirely up to her." Percy grinned and Demeter hummed amused and enjoying the bites and kisses.

"I don't mind if you get me pregnant with multiple children. But if you get me pregnant and then die on me again? I'll kill you myself." Her threat was delivered flatly and she wouldn't really hurt him but the way one of her hands came up and grabbed his hair forcing his head to stay buried in her neck...more than one person shuddered. They did not want to be nearby if that happened.

"Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. ‘To the gods!’

Everybody else raised their glasses. ‘To the gods!’

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread and yes, barbecue! My glass was empty, but Luke said, ‘Speak to it. Whatever you want – non-alcoholic, of course.’

I said, ‘Cherry Coke.’ The glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid. Then I had an idea. ‘Blue Cherry Coke.’ The soda turned a violent shade of cobalt. I took a cautious sip. Perfect.

I drank a toast to my mother. She’s not gone, I told myself. Not permanently, anyway. She’s in the Underworld. And if I can get there...I can visit my mom and my princess at the same time.

'Here you go, Percy,’ Luke said, handing me a platter of smoked brisket. I loaded my plate and began to divide up my food to sacrifice it. There was a scraping noise and I noticed everyone getting up and heading to the brazier. It must be time for offerings.

'Come on.' Luke ushered me over and when I got closer, I saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll. I began to get a feeling in my gut. They were only dropping one or rarely two pieces into the flames."

All the gods frowned and looked confused.

"Luke murmured in my ear, ‘Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell.’

‘You’re kidding.’ His look warned me not to take this lightly, but I couldn’t help wondering why he thought it was the smell they liked. They drew power from sacrifice. Did he not know?

Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. ‘Hermes.’ He said a small phrase after the god's name, in another language, almost like a prayer. I felt horror. Did he only sacrifice to his father? Did they no longer follow the old ways?!"

"The old ways?" Annabeth asked making the older ones all grimace.

"You cut your meal into portions, one for each of the Olympians and then for any extra Gods or Goddess you wish to pray too. Dionysus..." Hera explained quickly and then turned to her step son who grimaced.

"That's been going on since before I got to the camp. I thought they were just being spoiled and disrespectful. And anytime I tried to bring it up Chiron shut me down." Dionysus said grimacing and there were a lot of conflicting powers flashing for a moment before Hera turned to her son.

"Make sure he is bound. This goes beyond negligence. We may have just discovered why some gods have Faded that should not have." Hera hissed and Hephaestus held out chains to Ares who immediately whipped them around and wrapped them around Chiron who struggled a bit before freezing at the glares he was getting.

"In our time it's fixed. We started going back to the old ways when one of us questioned Percy on why he was doing it that way and we learned about how things used to be." F. Clarisse said giving assuring looks to the gods and many relaxed a bit and gave Percy thankful nods.

"Who wants to bet he makes a sacrifice to Aunt Demeter?" Hermes asked after a few seconds.

"He makes a sacrifice to all twelve of us." Athena reminded with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah but I meant a specific sacrifice to her."

"No bets."

"I was going to follow the old ways. A large slice of pork went in for Demi, several slices for our children, the twelve slices for the Olympians, then I made sure there were pieces for Lady Hestia and Lord Hades. I didn't want to make a specific prayer and alert them as to who I was, I couldn't wouldn't make Demi cry again, so I added an extra few pieces for my immortal family.

Whoever you are tell me please...

I ended up scraping at least half of my meal into the flames and watched them disappear and saw Mr. D staring at me surprised. I had forgotten that stories said he was an Olympian. And since I was a demigod in this life I guess that meant he was also part of my immortal family. Huh..."

"A lot of immortals are going to be getting that sacrifice and be so confused." Apollo chuckled imagining the confusion and curiosity they all had when some random child had sacrificed to them.

He wondered if any had thought perhaps that the child was theirs and caused a misunderstanding?

"You sacrificed to me?" Hestia and Hades asked in surprised unison.

"Of course." He said as if it were the most obvious thing.

"You are his brother in law and step son in law husband." Persephones said grinning as she saw a few of the children's faces twitch as they were reminded of the 'family tree circle'.

Demeter shifted a bit so that she was leaning against his other shoulder and tilted her head a bit in invitation. The right side of her neck was marked to The Pits and back with love bites...but the left side was clear and unmarked.

She felt as he immediately began to fix that. He wasn't leaving a single inch of her throats unmarked and she loved every second of it.

"When I caught a whiff of the smoke, I didn’t gag. It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn’t have gone well together, but did. I could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke. And I remembered with a soft smile how Demi once laughed as she told me about Ares trying to do so on a dare.

When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention. Mr D got up with a huge sigh. ‘Yes, I suppose I’d better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels.’ A bunch of rowdy cheering rose from the Ares table.

‘Personally,’ Mr D continued, ‘I couldn’t care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson.’ Chiron murmured something.

'Er, Percy Jackson,’ Mr D corrected. ‘That’s right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on.’ Everybody cheered."

"Really D?" Hermes asked smiling and shaking his head.

"Eh that's Damien for you." Percy said grinning at Dionysus who looked surprised and then snorted and turned back to his magazine, but if you looked close you could see a small amused smile on his lips.

"We all headed down towards the amphitheatre, where Apollo’s cabin led a sing-along. We sang camp songs about the gods and ate toasted marshmallows and joked around, and the funny thing was, I didn’t feel that anyone was staring at me any more. I felt that I was home.

Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and we all filed back to our cabins. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until I collapsed on my borrowed sleeping bag.

My fingers curled around the Minotaur horn. I thought about my mom, but I had good thoughts: her smile, the bedtime stories she would read me when I was a kid, the way she would tell me not to let the bedbugs bite.

When I closed my eyes, I fell asleep instantly. Going into Morpheous realm with a smile and immediately having dreams of Demi and I back on the farm and in the fields laughing and being so in love.

That was my first day at Camp Half-Blood. I wish I’d known how briefly I would get to enjoy my new home."

"Well that's ominous." Hermes said sighing a bit and Demeter gave a soft smile as she also recalled those days. He was still kissing and marking her neck however and she enjoyed the marks of his love being left on her skin.

She'd have to return the favor later.

"Who would like to read next?" Athena asked even as she stared at her daughter, there was nothing so far about why the girl might hate her.

"I shall." Persephone offered and Athena had one of her children deliver the book to the Queen of the Underworld who gave them a kind smile.

"We Capture a flag."

Immediately half of the future group tensed and glanced between F. Annabeth, Percy, Demeter and Percys parents.

That was not a good sign.

Chapter Text

"We should stop for the night after this chapter." Percy said sharing a glance with some of the older ones but not all of them.

"Oh?" Aphrodite asked raising an eyebrow at the young man.

"Things pick up fast after this and this one is already going to be a rollercoaster that might need people to calm down. Plus it's already getting late for little demigods." Percy said nodding to the younger ones who were barely keeping awake.

"Children do need their sleep. Very well. After this chapter we will stop for the night, children with parents present will stay the night in their parents temple and the ones without parents present will stay in mine." Hera said and she adjusted one of the unclaimed who was curled into her side.

"Can I stay with Lady Artemis instead of my old man?" Thalia asked immediately and she received a nod from her mistress.

"We Capture a flag." Persephone read and she had caught how F. Annabeth winced at the title.

"The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.

Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which I didn't mind at all. I discovered Annabeth was right about my dyslexia...but everyone else got a surprise when they realized I was already fluent in Ancient Greek, reading it was kind of new but speaking it?"

"Yeah cause you have memories of when you actually lived in that time. Cheater." F. Clarisse threw a packet of candy at him and Percy caught the Skittles easily. Opening it and immediately offering some to the woman in his arms.

Most of them were surprised when Demeter didn't argue or fight or go into a rant about nutrition as she opened her mouth and let him feed her.

"Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. At least, no harder than English... Chiron tried to teach me archery, but we found out pretty quick I wasn't any good with a bow and arrow. He didn't complain, even when he had to de-snag a stray arrow out of his tail. Yeah no absolutely not touching a bow again."

"Where was he standing?" Apollo asked raising an eyebrow and Percy gave a sheepish grin.

"Chiron was about five feet behind Percy, facing towards Percy and was down wind." F. Will said making everyone stare at Percy alarmed and in disbelief.

"How the actual hell?" Artemis gaped at the guy who shrugged slightly.

"The curse on Posiedons kids after Orion." Percy said and Apollo made an ah noise and nodded in understanding.

"Yeah that's on me then." Apollo agreed.

"Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left me in the dust. They told me not to worry about it. They'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods. But still, it was a little humiliating to be slower than a tree. But I could outlast them. Apparently I was a beast when it came to stamina."

"Not a single joke." Miranda growled at the rest of the room while Demeter tilted her head back to eye her husband with a small smirk.

"And wrestling? Forget it. Every time I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize me... Luke told me I might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack- of-all-trades, master of none. But I got the feeling he was just trying to make me feel better. He really didn't know what to make of me either."

"How the fuck did none of us put it together. Especially when we've been to the Winter Solstice and saw Lord Posiedon?" F. Will asked looking at the others who shrugged back at him. Percy coughed a bit.

"I actually questioned that later. Chiron used a lot of mist on all the campers to make sure no one would put it together." And now there were several glares shot at the sheepish horse.

"Despite all that, I liked camp. I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon as I helped Demis children. I even got used to the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night. I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire for Demi and our kids. It was the second time I used the old ways when someone questioned it."

"You always give her the first sacrifice." Nico said shaking his head but smiling slightly and making Percy smirk.

"Of course I do. First sacrifice for my wife, second third fourth and fifth for our children and then everyone else." Percy pressed more kisses to Demeter's already marked up neck and trailed upwards, leaving kisses and marks on her jaw and chin.

"You are a very devoted husband and father." Hera said and it stung a bit. Her husband was nothing like Percy. If anything her husband was the exact opposite. And Hera couldn't help but be jealous even as she felt happy for her sister.

"They deserve no less than all the love and devotion I can give them and then some." Percy said and Demeter hummed and tilted her head back to give him a quick kiss.

"And you are the absolute best husband I could ever ask for. Better than I could ever think of." Demeter murmured in response and she felt his fingers ghost along her sides.

"Please keep reading before they get started." Thalia called to her half sister who pulled a face and went right back to the book.

"Why do you sacrifice like that?" A boy in line behind me asked curiously and I glanced back. It was one of Mr. D's twins. Castor I think.

"Well my mom taught me the old ways. That means sacrificing first to who you're most connected to and then to all the Olympians and then to any other gods you wish to such as godly siblings or step parents or the goddess of Luck or Victory." I explained as best as I could and the boy made a curious noise and then looked at his plate.

"I guess it makes sense to sacrifice to them all instead of just your parent... Can't hurt at least." The boy shrugged at me and then divided up his food some more and copied how I did the sacrifice. His twin behind him shrugged and followed our lead. Even the girl in front of me looked curious and then tugged on the bigger boy in front of her to lift her so she could sacrifice again.

Chiron was staring at us weird but I didn't care as I sat back down at the Hermes table and had to explain the sacrifice again to the curious Hermes cabin members, meaning the Ares cabin behind me heard as well.

It spread through camp rather fast and apparently most of them decided they didn't have anything to lose and so most of the camp sacrificed according to the old ways at dinner that night. Mr. D looked a little better, less grumpy, after and Chiron was watching us confused. A little girl named Megan got claimed by Ares however and was moved to her proper cabin to well wishes from the rest and a few envious looks. I was happy for her and helped her move her things. Clarisse gave me a weird look but nodded slightly when I helped Megan hang up the sword that she got with her claiming and ruffled her hair."

"Wait wait what? I don't have a daughter named Megan!" Ares looked alarmed and confused as he looked at the assembled children.

A small eight year old beside Thalia looked upset to hear that and stared at Ares teary eyed.

"Yeah we know. It turns out she's not your daughter but Aunt Enyo's, you just claimed her so she could stay in your cabin." F. Clarisse said shrugging slightly at her father who looked a lot more relaxed at hearing that. Little Megan seemed calmer too now and she snuggled into Thalia who ruffled her hair.

"I was fine with not feeling a connection or being claimed by my immortal parents. I always felt that warm glow that I got when I tried to picture them which I guess meant they were watching over me but hadn't claimed me yet for some reason. I was mor preoccupied with getting to know Demis kids and taking care of the little ones. Even still I felt a small spark in my mind. The underworld...my mom...I bit my lip several times a day to remind myself that no one cheated death or stole from the underworld. But...the chance to see mom one last time. The chance to see my princess even though it was summer which meant she was spending time with her mother..."

"You're going to end up in my realm aren't you? Without being dead this time." Hades asked sighing and Percy gave him a sheepish smile.

Persephone was just amused.

"I could slightly understand Luke's bitterness with his dad but not really. Hermes was one of the messengers of the gods, and he was the patron of travelers. With all the ways to travel there were these days the poor man was probably running ragged and barely had time to breath much less come visit his kids. I was surprised he had time to make kids honestly."

"Yeah well...I am the fastest of the gods." Hermes said shrugging and then he froze at some grossed out noises from his kids and laughter from Ares and Apollo.

"That's not a good thing when it comes to women dude." Apollo was laughing so hard he was near tears and Hermes face burned bright gold.

"Shut up! That's not what I meant!" Hermes hissed sounding much like George and Martha as he sunk down embarrassed. But hey at least some of his kids thought it was funny to see him so embarrassed.

"Thursday, three days after I arrived at camp half blood, I was going to have my first sword fighting lesson...We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armour. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do, and my reflexes were good."

"Good? You fought like someone who had a few months training when you first started." F. Connor said and they were remembering that day well.

"Well I did have some experience with running off wild animals in the fields." Percy shrugged a bit and Demeter snorted a small laugh.

"Darling. There is a difference between using a sickle to chase off wild animals and using a sword to fight." Demeter said amused and Percy grinned at her sheepishly.

"Good point! For instance most swords aren't curved like a sickle is." Percy said and Demeter laughed lightly and leaned back into him further, turning her head so she could leave kisses on his neck.

Persephone hurried to read.

"The problem was, I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long. Luke tried his best to fix me up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me. I was tempted to try a sickle or a hand scythe like I had used to use back then. But it seemed there were none for training use, all of them were claimed by the Demeter cabin."

"I hand craft each one for my children before they're born." Demeter shrugged when her siblings gave her looks for that.

"I didn't know you had talent at the forge Aunt Demeter." Hephaestus said looking at her curiously.

"Oh I'm not that good at it. Certainly not to your or the cyclops levels. But I do know a bit, mainly just so I can make presents or a hand sickle for my children." Demeter said shaking her head and her children beamed at her.

"I didn't know mama hand made them." Stevie said awed as he thought about his hand sickle back at the cabin.

"Mama hand makes all of our presents. Whether it's something like a wicker basket or a hand sickle or pendant. All of her presents for her children are hand made." Persephone said and a lot of the other kids looked jealous about that but Demeter merely shrugged slightly sheepishly and smiled at her children who were beaming at her.

"Well I'm not Athena or Hephaestus but I do try." Demeter said and she was thinking of all the would be presents she had messed up. Several missing stitches here or an accidental warping to the wood or metal there...

Even the presents she did give her children weren't perfect, just the best of the ones she had made.

Luke and several other children stewed in jealousy. Why couldn't their parents care like Demeter seemed to?

"We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner since this was my first time. "Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."

"Well then it makes sense he would partner with you. He'd be able to stop himself or keep from hurting you too bad since he knows what he's doing." Ares said nodding at the logic in that while Hermes puffed up his chest proud of his favorite son. Luke just smiled when everyone looked at him.

The future demigods all exchanged looks and secretive smiles.

"Maybe he'll go easy on me," I said. The camper snorted... "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap!

By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head, which looked like such a good idea. I did the same. Instantly, I felt better. Strength surged back into my arms."

"Oh that's just not fair." Sherman complained about that and several people sat up interested.

"I mean it kind of is. All the water does is give him more energy not make him magically better at using a sword. And even then his energy boost is temporary. Besides Luke benefits from being a Son of Hermes. He gets his dad's speed and trickery, just like how Ares kids get extra strength and an innate knowledge of weapons." Thalia said shrugging and making everyone nod slowly in understanding.

Luke frowned since Thalia didn't seem to ever even look at him after that first acidic glare she had shot him.

"I still call hacks. You don't get a boost from lightning and I don't get a boost from shadows!" Nico said and he pouted a bit making the others snicker.

"You should get a boost around fields and flowers. Or around springtime. I am the goddess of Spring sweetie. And the reason Percy likely gets such a boost is because he has two oceanic parents which amplifies his abilities." Persephone said making Nico tilt his head to the side slightly.

"That explains why I'm always a little more energetic during spring..." Hazel murmured to her husband who kissed the side of her head, earning him a narrow eyed stare from Hades.

"All of our children get at least a small boost from our domains. Hermes children generally have either a speed or stealth boost, a rare few have a more charisma based boost from his diplomacy domain. Apollos kids get a boost in the sunshine. Hephaestus kids are mostly fire proof or at least heat resistant. Ares kids get a strength boost especially when incredibly angry. Mine have a charisma boost due to my charm speak and sometimes get boosts from water since I do come from the waves." Aphrodite explained to the kids who no longer looked as jealous of the boost.

"Of course if a person's heritage is stacked, for instance if I have a grandchild who goes on to have a child with a water deity then my great grandchild would get an even strong boost to their water or sea skills." Aphrodite looked pointedly at Percy at that and he grinned at her.

"That actually applies to every deity who shares a domain or a kind of arch type with another. Ocean deities would double the oceanic abilities, fire or wind deities would double their bonus...it works for everyone. If a grandson of Hermes had a child with Aphrodite for instance the child would be incredibly persuasive. Or if one of Demeter's mortal grandchildren got with Persephone and produced a child that child would have unparalleled control over plants." Hera said making Persephone and Demeter look a bit grossed out by the mere thought of such a pairing.

Yes yes they were ancient Greek Goddesses and Demeter was going to marry her nephew while Persephone had been married to her uncle for a long time now...but it still felt and sounded weird when put like that.

"Just cause I'm married to and sleeping with my uncle regularly doesn't mean I'll sleep with my nieces or nephews. No just...no." Persephone shuddered in revulsion and Demeter looked sick.

"I might be marrying my nephew but I would never think of one of my grandchildren like that." Demeter seemed ill at just the thought of being attracted to or producing a child with her grand or great grand kid. No. Just...no.

"It was just a scenario sister." Hera assured and Demeter gave another grossed out face for a few seconds before being pulled firmly into Percys chest and he had one hand on her hip and the other wrapped around her stomach.

"One that will never come true. You are mine." Percy growled and Demeter looked surprised but then smiled a bit.

"And you're mine." She agreed and gave him a gentle loving kiss.

Persephone rolled her eyes at her parents but was pulled into Hades chest and looked at him surprised.

"I don't mind if we both fall for the same mortal...but no one else is allowed to touch you. You're mine my queen." Hades growled at her and she smiled and set the book aside.

"Just as you're mine my king." Persephone agreed and the tow of them shared a kiss as well.

"I fucking swear we can't take you four anywhere unless we separate the couples." Nico used a shadow to bring him the book with a roll of his eyes at the possessive kissing couples.

"The sword didn't feel so awkward.

"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo." Great, I thought. Let's all watch Percy get pounded... how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon."

"Hm a good move. You should have him learning the basics before using him to show an advanced move though. An untrained beginner is far more dangerous than a trained master." Ares advised Luke who nodded.

"I'll make sure I remember that sir." Luke was proud he managed to say that without gritting his teeth.

"This is difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique... My blade hit the base of Luke's and I twisted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust. Clang.

Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of my blade was an inch from his undefended chest."

Several jaws dropped at that as a few of the kids looked stunned and even a few Gods were surprised.

"You always were good at surprising people." Demeter said fondly and making Percy begin to leave marks on her jaw up towards her ear. Nico just kept reading knowing well and good his cousin/brother/grandpa always surprised people.

"The other campers were silent. I lowered my sword. "Urn, sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? That was brilliant!" Luke was grinning but there was a glint to his eyes.

"Habit." Percy shrugged and suddenly the mood came down a bit. Demeter frowned and opened her mouth to say something but Douglas and Stevie crawled into her lap cuddling into her making Percy release her and instead begin to gently stroke the kids heads or backs.

Demeter easily gathered her two sons into her arms and held them close.

"Let's take a quick five minute break to put the little ones to bed." Hera said standing with a six year old curled up in her arms already asleep.

Zeus grumbled a bit and Dionysus pretended to be annoyed but no one disagreed as everyone began to take the little already sleeping or close to it ones to bed in the different places.

Hera took the unclaimed ones to her palace and made sure there were plenty of beds and tucked each child in with Hestia's help.

"I get to sleep on a bed?" A five year old desperately fighting sleep asked in wonder. Hestia and Hera exchanged heart broken looks at his wonder over something so simple.

"Yes little one. You all get beds." Hera assured and was given several sleepy smiles or hugs.

Artemis was helping Apollo put his youngest ones to sleep, Aphrodite was helping Ares and Hephaestus even as they helped her carry her little ones to bed. Dionysus didn't have any little ones to put to sleep, neither did Hades and Persephone, Posiedon and Amphitrite or Zeus.

Athena was leading her youngest ones to bed and looked confused when some were moving tiredly and slowly. Thankfully Hestia came to her aid and helped her out a bit, giving her a disapproving look when the goddess set up sleeping bags in her library. Hestia quickly changed a spare room into Athena's palace into a room with beds for her children.

Demeter hummed as she and Percy put her two boys and Amara into beds in her palace. Humming the same lullaby she sung to all of her children at least once as she tucked Douglas in while Stevie was tucked in by Percy and they both tucked in Amara. Percy and Demeter both kissed each child's head good night and just...stood there holding each other as they watched their babies for a moment.

In five minutes everyone was back in the throne room to continue reading it took Nico a minute to find out where he left off but he eventually did.

"For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak... Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised at me with an entirely new interest. "Maybe," he said. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword....

"A lot." All the future people said immediately.

"Do you have a trident yet son?" Posiedon asked wondering if he had given his son a trident.

"I do, my primary weapon is my sword but I do have a trident now too." Percy said and Posiedon beamed.

"Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Grover at the lake, resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall... "Fine," he said. "Just great." "So, your career's still on track?" He glanced at me nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"

Well...no." I had no idea what a searcher's license was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. "He just said you had big plans, you know...and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"

"He should have. He did find a demigod and brought them to camp, the fact the demigod made it alive even with two Elder gods trying to kill him should make it so he passes." Hermes said nodding but the future group who knew exchanged looks and Dionysus scowled a bit.

"Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

"That could take years however. No demigod under the age of fourteen is allowed on a quest." Hera said tilting her head to the side a bit.

"I'm probably giving Ga-" Dionysus paused in the middle of saying the wrong name and grimaced before quickly recovering, "Gustov a chance to train for the next two years to make sure he'll be more prepared for when Pietro gets a quest."

"You actually did try to discreetly protect me a little later in the book so yeah. You giving Grover a chance to train more makes sense." Percy said nodding his agreement but a couple of the future demigods exchanged looks.

"My spirits lifted. "Well, that's not so bad, right?" "Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?" I could think of several reasons to want him along."

"Most wouldn't take a satyr with them on a quest." Charles grunted although he looked to be thinking about it.

"They can sniff out monsters, possibly find more demigods to bring safely back to camp or alert other satyrs about to get them to bring the kid to camp, they don't fall under demigod enchantments, and they don't have dyslexia." F. Annabeth rattled off the topmost facts immediately and all of the demigods paused as they realized that.

Satyrs didn't have dyslexia and could sniff out monsters...how come none of them thought about that before?!?

The gods and future demigods were amused at the looks of realization, disbelief and then slight self loathing on the younger demigods faces.

"Of course, I'd want you along!" Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving... Must be nice to have a useful...
"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."

"Huh I thought it would be for her Hunters?"

"Well yes them too although they don't stop by too often. Last time was a nightmare."

"Excuse me?" Artemis narrowed her eyes and all of the campers scowled, even Thalia scowled.

"Last time they were at camp they burned down two cabins. Four campers have lung conditions from smoke inhalation, three suffered severe burns and five died when they tried to go home for the school year but were attacked by monsters after their lungs or hands were messed up." F. Clarisse said sharply and all the gods looked alarmed at that.

"What?!" Even Artemis was shocked and alarmed.

"They got mad because one of the Hermes kids played a prank on the Aphrodite cabin and a Hunter got caught in it by accident. So the Hunters decided to retaliate by setting the Aphrodite and Hermes cabins on fire." Aphrodite and Hermes looked furious at that knowledge as they whirled towards the Hunters present.

"Don't look at me I was a tree when this happened and I read them the riot act as soon as I was heard about this and saw them again." Thalia reminded and Artemis was staring at Phoebe who sighed.

"Sasha got caught in a glitter prank and grabbed a few others to get revenge. When they got back and we realized the cabins were on fire she promised Zoe and I that the cabins were empty and no one was hurt. She was still punished but we had left before we knew that campers had been inside and hurt." Phoebe said looking a hundred years older as she bowed her head.

"That was why my cabin had to be rebuilt? That was why my little Aisha died?" Aphrodite snarled and she looked murderous.

"Yeah I bet you all felt real big and bad and proud. A six year old died. Do you even know the ages of the kids? Aisha, six year old daughter of Aphrodite died in a monster attack when her father came to pick her up at summers end. James, he was a nine year old son of Tyche. He didn't get to come back the next summer. Carla and Wendy, six and eight unclaimed full siblings. Died because their hands were badly damaged in the fire and they couldn't fight back. Wilson twelve and a son of Nemesis, died from asthma he developed from smoke inhalation while running from a monster." Silena was furious as she glared at Phoebe who bowed her head.

"That explains the bad luck we've been having." Artemis muttered although she felt horrified as she stared at her hunter who wasn't looking up.

"Why were none of us made aware of this?" Athena demanded knowing how easily it could have been her cabin burned down instead.

"All I was told by Chiron was that my Aisha had died due to a monster at her school and that my cabin had been damaged due to an accident." Aphrodites voice was a hiss and she was fighting to keep her true form locked down so she didn't hurt her children in the room.

"Mr. D had been helping us put out the fire and rescue the ones stuck inside. By the time we were done and tending to the injured Chiron said he had already IM'd you and told you about the incident." Clarisse said and there was a small red aura around her as she glared at Chiron.

"Hermes." Hera growled and the Messenger God nodded with a furious snarl.

"Children." Hera took a slow deep breath before turning to the demigods.

"Next time anything, anything, happens you pray to one of us. If you aren't sure who or if you think it's not getting through to one of us then contact someone else. Ares, Aphrodite and Demeter almost always hear and answer the prayers of children. If not then then Apollo or Artemis. If nothing else call for me. I will hear you." Hera said gently to the demigods.

"Dio why didn't you tell us anything?" Apollo asked his half brother who scowled.

"As soon as I recovered from the power usage and trying to soften the trauma and nightmares of the kids I went straight to the Old man and told him. He didn't believe me since I was accusing his favorite daughters little hunting group of doing something wrong. He ordered me to never speak of it again." Dionysus said and many glares were shot at Zeus and Aphrodite was glowing slightly until Hephaestus leaned over and whispered to her for a bit while Ares pulled her into his arms.

"We will be having words about this later brother." Hera said and several eyes went wide and Zeus rapidly paled at hearing Hera call him brother instead of husband.

"Read nephew. Before I lose my temper." Hera ordered Nico who went wide eyed and immediately turned back to the book.

"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?" Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job."

"It's not my job!" Zeus said defensively and he was shot flat looks from all around the room.

"You act like it is so shush. None of us are in the mood little brother." Hestia said and the look of indigent disbelief on Zeus's face was hilarious but no one felt like laughing.

"When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos." "Zeus, Poseidon, Hades." And he said the name of the Titan King? And didn't say anything about me using the Gods names...can someone give me the rules for the whole name thing please cause I am confused."

"Yeah me too at this point." Chris muttered quietly.

"I still don't get why we don't count our sisters. They are older than us after all and while our rage and powers are more obviously destructive we all know Hera is the most volatile, Hestia is the strongest, and Demeter is vicious when she fights and creative." Hades shivered as he recalled a few instances of seeing his sisters being violent and dangerous.

"Because of us three I'm the only one who has demigods and apparently some people forget just how terrifying I can be." Demeter reminded and shot a dark look at Chiron for daring think her kids were weak.

"And most people think that just because Hestia is peaceful it means she doesn't fight. Fools. Hestia is the true strongest of the Kronides." Hera said snorting at the sheer idiocy to think that just because Hestia was peaceful it meant she was weak. She didn't like to fight but she could easily destroy the world in moments if she wished. She was peaceful not harmless.

"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what." "No. He does not have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here . . ." Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that." Excuse me goat say what?"

"Goat say what." Travis was trying not to laugh at that as were a few others.

"I still think it's foolish. Zeus threw Hades out and Hestia abdicated her throne and now Zeus has filled the council with his children. The only reason I went along with the banishment for Hades was because I was angry with him stealing my child and I thought it was temporary not permanent." Demeter snorted derisively as she glared at Zeus.

"He has his throne back in our time. And his own cabin at camp. So does Aunt Hestia." F. Katie said and that surprised everyone.

"Why would I allow that?" Zeus asked in disbelief and he got dark smirks from the future group.

"Because you didn't have a choice." F. Katie said darkly pleased with the look of confusion and worry on his face as he glanced around and they saw his paranoia going high gear.

Were they getting some thrill out of messing with the King of Gods? Hell yeah they were. Honestly this was the least of what he deserved for what his bullshit caused.

"The Hades cabin is technically a Hades and Persephone cabin since mater and Dad usually have the same mortal lover the few times they take one." Nico said smiling at his immortal mom who beamed at him.

"Yeah it's pretty peaceful in there. Lots of tasteful plants and dark purple and dark green to go with the black." F. Will said and that earned him several confused and curious looks and some grins from the older demigods.

"You've been in the cabin?" Hades asked raising an eyebrow at Apollo's son who blushed brightly as he realized what he said.

"I swear we need to get you two a chaperone." Thalia snickered as both of them blushed and Nico hurriedly looked back at the book.

Demeter and Persephone exchanged looks and began to observe the older Will curiously. Apollo just grinned at his son and Hades stared in disbelief at his kids. Why were they both dating sunshine children? Literally in his son's case.

But Zeus and Poseidon — they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the stories. Why are their cabins empty?"

"Not quite a bazillion." Posiedon said amused and Zeus actually turned and looked at Athena as if asking if he had that many.

She shook her head and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful... Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx." Thunder boomed.

"Not like it stopped them." Hera said glaring at her husband.

"And it's not like they paid the price." Thalia reminded bitterly.

"Nope! We did!" Percy said with false cheer and Demeter looked at him concerned as did Posiedon. Hera was looking at Thalia curiously.

"I said, "That's the most serious oath you can make." Grover nodded. "And the brothers kept their word — no kids?"

Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. There was this TV star with a big fluffy eighties' hairdo — he just couldn't help himself."

"When is he ever?" Hera muttered bitterly and hurt. He was the one who married her and yet he couldn't even pretend to respect her.

"When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia . . . well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter."

"But that isn't fair! It wasn't the little girl's fault."

"Little girl?" Thalia asked raising an eyebrow at her cousin/brother who grinned at her.

"Well I didn't know how old you were at the time. And besides you're eternally fifteen whereas I'm twenty." Percy grinned at her and she glared at him but they were both smiling.

"Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia."

"I am sorry about that niece." Hades said to the huntress who waved it off.

"It's okay Uncle. We learned why and I don't like that I was the target of your wrath I do understand it." Thalia assured him and he looked surprised.

"A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half- bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill... So, Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree.

Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."

A lot of people bowed their heads or looked at Thalia in respect.

"That wasn't Zeus. Oak is his sacred tree not Pine." Demeter said glaring at her brother who looked away.

"Oh we learned in the future. He didn't bother saving me, and I'm sure Uncle Posiedon would have but someone else beat him to it and made it seem like it was him." Thalia said and she sent a small smile at Hera who stiffened. They had figured her out? How? She had made sure that if they didn't think it was Zeus then they would assume it was Posiedon.

"I stared at the pine in the distance. The story made me feel hollow, and guilty too. A girl my age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Next to that, my victory over the Minotaur didn't seem like much. The girl I had seen who had helped me with the Minotaur."

"My daughter is the strongest!" Zeus boasted and Thalia gave an ugly unladylike snort.

"Completely different situations actually. I had a weapon and a shield and I knew I was a demigod daughter of Zeus and could use some of my lightning powers. Not to mention I was protecting two other kids and trying to get them and my satyr to safety since I knew I shouldn't exist. Percy had no weapon, no shield, no control of his powers and no idea what was going on. You can't compare the two situations." Thalia took great pleasure in correcting her father who looked like he swallowed a lemon right now.

"I wondered, if I'd acted differently, could I have saved my mother?

"Grover," I said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?" "Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini." "And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?" "No. Never. Orpheus came close....... Percy, you're not seriously thinking — " "No," I lied. "I was just wondering. So.... a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?" It was a sloppy change in subject and I knew that but...I couldn't help the thought."

"Stay out of my realm." Hades sighed as he stared at Percy who gave him a sheepish grin.

"Well I come visit my daughter a lot." Percy said and Persephone snickered at her husband's heavy sigh.

"Great now I have to put up with my mother in law and father in law." Hades groaned and Demeter shot him an amused look while Persephone smacked him in the chest.

"Grover studied me warily. I hadn't persuaded him that I'd really dropped the Underworld idea. "Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools.

We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes... Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?" I got the idea he was reassuring himself more than me."

"She's a goddess." Ethan said glaring at the book and Percy gave him a small smile making Ethan blink at him surprised.

"I know." Percy assured and everyone looked curious or surprised.

"With how often you spend in the fields and with the Demeter kids you might be one of her sons. Although she usually claims her kids immediately." Grover noted that and he had noticed I spent time with the Demeter kids. I felt sick at just the thought."

"No. Absolutely not." Demeter looked ill as well. Look she was fine with him being her nephew and she'd be fine marrying him either way since he was her One and Only. But if he were her son? Absolutely not.

"Yeah no man. No way." He dropped it as if he could tell that something was very wrong with that idea.

That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual. At last, it was time for capture the flag... I turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?" "Yeah."

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?" "Not always," he said. "But often."

Athena and Ares straightened up and their kids grinned viciously.

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do — repaint the flag?" He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one." "Whose side are we on?"

The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded — shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities — in order to win support. I was a bit upset I was against Demis kids. I made a note to not go near or fight them if I could help it. I didn't know why I was even in the game I had only one sword practice session."

"It's not that I thought they were weak, it's so I didn't hurt anyone else for daring try to hurt them especially the little ones." Percy said making Demeter shoot him a fond look. He loved and protected her babies so much.

"That's a good point. He is still too new. He should have a few training sessions before joining the games. All of them should and kids below a certain age shouldn't be involved." Ares said grimacing at the thought of a complete amateur in the games where he could accidentally kill someone.

"Take that up with the activities director." Dionysus said looking pointedly at Chiron. There were a few noises and narrowed eyes and Hermes wrote that down.

"Athena was allied with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From
what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them."

"Whoop!" Castor and Pollox cheered.

"Hephaestus kids were all burly and big from working the forges all day and who knew what kids of traps they had set up."

Charles and his siblings grinned viciously.

"I saw most ignoring the Aphrodite campers when they saw them sitting by the river working on makeup. But I wasn't so foolish and ignorant. I saw them talking with the dryads and Naiads. And most of them had short swords aside from one who was holding a spear. Luckily they were stationed closer to the flag and I doubted I'd been near their fighting areas."

"Good never underestimate Dites kids. They're vicious little fuckers." Ares nodded rapidly in agreement. Aphrodite smiled darkly pleased and her kids all gave innocent smiles that fooled no one.

"The Ares kids who were some of the biggest, roughest and most bloodthirsty kids in Long Island or anywhere else really."

There were cheers and stomping feet from the Ares kids.

"And Demis kids. Much like their mother they were more mild tempered but I knew better than to think they weren't dangerous."

Katie and her two sisters present cheered and Demeter smiled.

"They had the edge in the forest with their connection to nature and I knew how wicked they could be with those hand sickles they preferred. And I distinctly remember seeing Demis ire roused at me one time before I died...now that I was thinking about it it might have been her pregnancy hormones. Cause she didn't usually get mad when I asked if she wanted to sit down and rest a while."

"I was. I didn't even know it at the time but I was a few weeks pregnant." Demeter said smiling sadly as she recalled learning after his death about the gift he had left her.

"Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble... He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, shields made of ox-hide coated in metal.

"Whoa," I said. "We're really supposed to use these?" Not practice blades? Shouldn't they be blunted or made of wood to make sure there was no accidental dismemberment?"

"That's a good idea." Dionysus hummed in thought and wrote that down.

"Luke looked at me as if I were crazy. "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here — Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol...

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!" We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north.

I managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over my equipment. "Hey." She kept marching."

"Percy? Sorry again about this." F. Annabeth said with a wince knowing what was coming.

"Don't worry Annie. I forgave you years ago." Percy waved it off but that made the rest of the ones who didn't know tense and look worried.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked. "Got any magic items you can loan me?"

Her hand drifted toward her pocket, as if she were afraid I'd stolen something.

"Just watch Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?" "Border patrol, whatever that means."

"It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan." She pushed ahead, leaving me in the dust.

"Okay," I mumbled. "Glad you wanted me on your team."

"For someone who wanted him on her team you are acting rather cold." Thalia said nothing that and wondering what happened. After all she hadn't heard of this.

"Oh I think I know what I'm doing." Annabeth said her eyes lighting up and she smiled, as did her mother. F. Annabeth grimaced.

"Yeah it wasn't my best idea." She got two baffled looks from her mother and younger self for that.

"It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees... A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory. I think his name was Lee..."

Apollo and Lee both beamed and whooped.

"Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual.

Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by. I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me. Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating."

Everyone was alarmed now.

"It was there that early?" F. Katie asked looking at her step dad who grimaced.

"It was. Clarisse probably saved my life right then." Percy said and F. Clarisse made a noise. Younger Clarisse looked confused.

"On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark. "Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed."

"Five trained warriors against one kid who had only a single sword fighting lesson?" Hephaestus frowned as he looked at the kids.

"Yeah well we felt slighted by him so..." F. Clarisse grimaced knowing she had been a brat.

"Just like your father." Hera said sighing and looking at her son and then at her husband. She knew exactly where Ares got his temper from although his pride probably came from both of them.

"Yeah no. I wasn't stupid enough to think I could beat them but there was no one around to help me and I had to at least try and hold my ground. Try to buy time for backup...

"Give him a haircut," Clarisse said. "Grab his hair."

I managed to get to my feet. I raised my sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Now both my arms felt numb."

Posiedon was growling and Amphitrite didn't look happy as Demeter grabbed Percys arms and looked at them as if checking for injuries. She saw his scars but couldn't tell if any came from the electric spear.

""Oh, wow," Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared."

"The flag is that way," I told her. I wanted to sound angry, but I was afraid it didn't come out that way."

"You gave up the flags position?" Athena demanded angrily and Percy rolled his eyes.

"I pointed the wrong way. I'm a lot of things but I'm not a traitor." Percy said slowly as if he were talking to a toddler.

"Oh you did sound angry, but your hand barely moved we couldn't even tell which way you tried to point." F. Clarisse said nodding to Percy who shrugged at that.

"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid." "You do that without my help," I told them. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say."

"I swear your mouth is your worst enemy sometimes." Thalia snorted in amusement as several people gave Percy disbelieving looks.

"Not wrong. I blame dad." Percy grinned and Posiedon sighed knowing it was probably his fault.

"I blame your dad too. Your siblings were the same way as godlings." Amphitrite said giving her husband an unimpressed look as he offered her a sheepish grin.

"Two of them came at me. I backed up toward the creek, tried to raise my shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck me straight in the ribs. If I hadn't been wearing an armoured breastplate, I would've been shish-ke- bobbed. As it was, the electric point just about shocked my teeth out of my mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across my arm, leaving a decent size cut. Seeing my own blood made me dizzy — warm and cold at the same time. If I wasn't wrong it was..."

"No maiming." One of the Unclaimed kids said looking worried. Neither Posiedon nor Demeter looked happy.

"What about his blood?" Zeus asked but was ignored.

"No maiming," I managed to say. "Oops," the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege."

"Why is that the punishment?!" Hera and Hestia both demanded alarmed and shocked.

"Punishments are decided by the activities director." F. Annabeth said and Hermes scribbled that down as glares were shot at Chiron. He seemed to be keeping his mouth shut hoping that he'd go unnoticed.

"He pushed me into the creek, and I landed with a splash. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, I would die. But then something happened. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just had a bag of my mom's double-espresso jellybeans."

"So he has more energy... we're still better trained." Sherman shrugged it off as no big deal.

"Clarisse and her cabinmates came into the creek to get me, but I stood to meet them. I knew what to do. I swung the flat of my sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. I hit him so hard I could see his eyes vibrating as he crumpled into the water."

"Oh this isn't going to be good." Clarisse said seeming to realize what was happening and F. Clarisse sighed.

"Warrior Two and Warrior number Three came at me. I slammed one in the face with my shield and used my sword to shear off the other guy's horsehair plume. Both of them backed up quick. Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy. As soon as she thrust, I caught the shaft between the edge of my shield and my sword, and I snapped it like a twig.

"Ah!" she screamed. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"

"My spear!" Clarisse looked furious and upset.

"Well what did you think was gonna happen? He was gonna disarm you and then hand it back while apologizing for you attacking him?" Travis asked and he dodged the knife she threw at him, which was thankfully embedded into the couch behind him.

"Dad gives us a new and better one later." F. Clarisse reassured her younger self who calmed down a bit but still had her fists clenched. Ares was already plotting the new spear he'd ask Hephaestus to make for his daughter.

"She probably would've said worse, but I smacked her between the eyes with my sword-butt and sent her stumbling backward out of the creek... "A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick."

They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers."

"Of course it was a trick." Annabeth sniffed haughtily and F. Annabeth grimaced.

"Yeah but it wasn't a good idea." F. Annabeth scolded and she braced herself for what was coming next.

"What do you mean? It was brilliant." Athena praised and little Annabeth beamed but older one grimaced.

"The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders... "Not bad, hero." I looked, but she wasn't there. I felt myself getting angry. I wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible. "You set me up," I said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

"Sorry again Percy." F. Annabeth said while a lot of people didn't look happy.

"You were there?! And you saw him outnumbered and outmatched and you just watched?!" Posiedon was furious and Amphitrite didn't look any happier than her husband as she glared at the girl. Having never been told about this.

"What the fuck Annie?! He could have been killed!" Thalia looked horrified at the thought of such a callous plan as well.

"It was a good plan!" Athena defended her daughter who looked upset and confused by all the anger she was getting.

"No it wasn't! What if there's a more serious situation and her allies can't trust her because they don't know if they'll be sacrificed for a win that wouldn't mean anything in the long run?" Ares seemed angry as well at the plan.

"He could have been grievously injured or killed! He was sure he was going to die!" Demeter looked similarly furious.

"Well how would you do it then?" Athena demanded glaring at them all for questioning and insulting her daughters brilliant plan.

"I should have had two or three others who were better trained stationed nearby. And warned him that I was using him as bait. Provided him with backup in case something like that had happened or jumped in to help when I arrived even if he had already fallen into the creek at that point." F. Annabeth immediately rattled off things she could have done better and her younger self looked confused and upset but nodded slowly.

"Remind me not to listen to any of Annabeths plans." Chris muttered to the others and most of them nodded in agreement. Until she grew up into the older version of her how could they trust her plans?

Nico caught Percy motioning for him to read and kept going.

"I told you. Athena always has a plan."

"A plan to get me pulverized." "I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but . . ." She shrugged. "You didn't need help."

"No I'm with Percy on this! What kind of bullshit plan was that Annabeth!" It was one of Demis kids, Billie, who looked furious as well. She seemed to be held back by her sister Katie to keep from lunging at Annabeth.

"If he hadn't somehow turned the tides he would be bleeding out right now you heartless shrew!" Miranda was holding back little Stevie and Douglas who didn't look happy in their far too big armor. The commotion was attracting the attention of the other campers and Chiron.

"I am sure she accounted for that and would have intervened if things became dangerous." Chiron spoke up in defense of Annabeth and I wondered why he was defending her.

"Demeter cabin will not listen to her plans until she learns we are not pieces on a chess board or pawns to be sacrificed at her convenience. We shall have no alliance with Athena cabin." Katie spat and her eyes were beginning to glow, I noticed the grass at her feet starting to wither.

Annabeth turned towards me ignoring as Chiron tried to calm down Demis cabin and I wished him luck. There was no changing Demis mind when she put her head to it and she could hold a grudge worse than Hades or Hera if she felt slighted enough. I had the feeling her kids weren't that different."

"We aren't. We take after mama a lot." F. Katie nodded her agreement with the assessment.

"Why are you defending her? She created a scenario that allowed five trained warriors to gang up on one camper with very little training, ill fitting armor, and no idea of his powers!" Hermes demanded of Chiron in disbelief and rage wondering how he could defend the girl in that scenario. The other kids had the right to not want anything to do with her for something like that.

"Annabeth is Chirons favorite. She can do no wrong in his eyes and he lets her get away with everything." Silena spat looking just as furious as the rest of the kids at how Chiron so openly played favorites.

"We should keep reading. Things are about to get worse." Percy said and that earned him some baffled and worried looks.

"Before she could say anything, Lily had punched her in the face. The triplets with green eyes looked just as furious as her older sister as she began to curse out Annabeth who stared at her shocked."

"That's my girl." Demeter was very proud of her kids reactions.

"Petunia and Rose came over to my side and helped me from the creek while calling for someone named Silena. A pretty girl from the Aphrodite cabin, the one with the spear, who was checking on the downed Ares campers with a first aid kit in hand.

She got close to us just as Annabeth managed to get around Lily who had been grabbed and held back by one of Annabeths brothers.

"How did you do that?" Annabeth looked at the wound on my arm as the Silena girl got closer. "Sword cut," I said. "What do you think?" "No. It was a sword cut. Look at it." "I— I don't get it," I said. Annabeth was thinking hard. I could almost see the gears turning. She looked down at my feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy."

"No don't take him out of the water! If the water was healing him let it finish healing him!" Will chided making Annabeth shrink down near tears at how everyone was so mad at her.

"What—" "Just do it." I came out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. My arms started to go numb again. My adrenaline rush left me. I almost fell over, but Petunia and Rose steadied me.

"Oh, Styx," she cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want ... I assumed it would be Zeus..."

"Why did you assume it would be me? He looks just like Posiedon!" Zeus asked put out.

"Maybe because you had already broken it?" Hera asked snidely and he shut his mouth.

"The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek sounding like: "Stand ready! My bow!"
Annabeth drew her sword and Katie dropped Billie. There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers. It was looking straight at me."

"A hellhound." Someone said and everyone was tense and alert and Demeter's eyes were focused on her children wondering if they got hurt.

"Katie and Billie were drawing their hand sickles.

"Triplets get back! Miranda get the boys away!" Katie barked and Annabeth called for me to run. She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her—an enormous shadow
with teeth- and right towards me and the two girls at my side.
I didn't have time to think, I shoved the girls behind me and closed my eyes bracing for my death.

I felt its claws ripping into me and I stumbled back a bit into the girls, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds and I blearily opened my eyes against the pain. The hound had a cluster of arrows in its neck as it fell dead at my feet. Somehow I was still alive too."

"Fuck Percy." Thalia looked horrified and all of the current day campers looked scared or stunned. Nico himself had to take a few deep breaths to keep reading, Hazel reaching over and taking the bokn from him even as her hands trembled.

Demeter had moved them so that Percy was in her lap and she was feeling at his chest as if checking for injuries.

I didn't want to look underneath the ruins of my shredded armor. My chest felt warm and wet, and I knew I was badly cut. Another second, and the monster would've turned me into a hundred pounds of delicatessen meat. I was more focused on the kids.

"P-Petunia. Rose...you two? You alright?" I could barely get the words out and my mouth has a metallic taste to it."

"You nearly died and you focused on them?" Dionysus looked curiously towards the twenty year old who gave a small sad smile.

"I would do everything to protect my kids." Percy said and Katie, Miranda and Billie all huddled close to him as if to be reassured he was still alive.

"Silena and Katie were right there beside us and Katie was checking on the girls who were crying.

Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim as Miranda shielded the boys eyes and Billie had grabbed Lily.

"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't . . . they're not supposed to . . ."

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone.

Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

"I am an idiot." Clarisse said looking at the book in disbelief.

"You were scared and angry and humiliated. You weren't thinking clearly." F. Chris said defending her a bit and she didn't look any happier by that answer.

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her. We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared. "You're wounded," Annabeth told me. "Quick, Percy, get in the water." "I'm okay. What about the girls?"

"Okay? Papa you had your guts visible!" F. Katie said looking at him in disbelief and several people looked horrified. Amphitrite pulled him from Demeter to check and make sure he was alright as Posiedon hovered worriedly.

"Percy I swear you need to start caring about yourself more." Thalia looked ready to electrocute him right then and there.

"Agreed!" All of the Future demigods agreed with her and none looked happy. Most looked rather worried even though they knew he survived this.

"They're fine. They weren't hurt." Katie assured me and I felt myself start to relax at that and my vision immediately began to darken.

Annabeth grabbed my arm. "Chiron, watch this."

I was too tired to argue. She and Katie helped me back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around me. Instantly, I felt better. I could feel the cuts on my chest closing up. Some of the campers gasped.

"Look, I — I don't know why," I said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry..."

"I am so glad we broke you of that habit." F. Will said and they were all relaxing a bit now that Percy was in the water.

"But they weren't watching my wounds heal. They were staring at something above my head. "Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Urn . . ."

By the time I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident. Next to it was a softer blue light with a silver trident and coral. And further up...I felt the armor resize to fit me and my clothes underneath had changed and I heard a squeak from Silena. There was a pink light with a dove soaring above a wave further up."

"What?" Several people looked confused as they looked at Aphrodite who smiled.

"Yeah my mom is a legacy of Aphrodite. Technically Aphrodite is my great grandma." Percy grinned and the Aphrodite cabin whooped in glee.

"That makes you our baby nephew!" Silena seemed happy about that and Percy gave her a strained smile.

"How is this possible?" Annabeth asked staring confused at me. Chiron grimaced.

"It's been determined." All around campers began to kneel, even the Ares cabin although they looked pissed.

"What?" I was very confused. What did that mean?!

"Posiedon.Earthshaker, Storm bringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God. Amphitrite. Queen of the seas, granddaughter of Pontus the primordial of the seas. Hail Perseus Jackson son of the Queen of the seas." And here Chiron paused and looked at the fading dove image.

"And Legacy of Aphrodite, Lady of the Waves, Goddess of Beauty, Lust and Love."

Well fuck. This explained the gold mixed in with my red blood."

"Yes that much godly blood in your veins I'm surprised it isn't fully golden yet." Hera said humming and not looking surprised.

"It explains why he is so powerful. And why he began to ascend so easily after everything." Thalia said and she stretched and then sprawled across the couch and Hera, earning startled looks from the current demigods and half the gods.

Zeus was fuming as Hazel marked the page and set aside the book.

"Time for bed everyone." Hestia announced and everyone began to get up and grumble and go towards the Palaces to sleep. Hades, Hazel, Frank and Nico going to Persephone's palace while Percy went with Demeter to hers.

"Try not to make me a grandfather just yet Son." Posiedon teased and Percy just grinned as Demeter blushed.

"We'll see." Percy promised nothing and he was given grossed out faces or had candy thrown at him by his step kids.

Only a few noted how Zeus was plotting something, especially when his wife escorted Thalia to Artemis' Palace before retiring to her own rather than his.

Chapter Text

The next morning there were several wolf whistles and appreciative stares in the kitchen.

Primarily because Demeter was wearing a far too big shirt and her neck and the exposed parts of her collar bone and shoulders were marked to the Pits and back with hickeys and teeth marks.

But also because Percy was cooking breakfast for everyone while shirtless showing his lithe toned figure, his scars, and the dozens of bites and hickeys on his chest and neck as well as the scratch marks down his back.

"What the fuck? Do you need a healer?" Apollo asked staring stunned at the mauled back of the man from the future.

"Nope. I see these as a badge of honor!" Percy grinned and he was a little bit smug as several people pulled faces at that. Hestia just looked amused as she joined him in cooking.

"Strange. Usually Demeter cooks as well." Aphrodite said and she looked bemused while Demeter had a small glow to her skin and she looked positively content.

"I would but I can barely feel my legs or waist." Demeter cheerfully said that not looking at all ashamed or embarrassed. Or at all like she was in pain.

"Oh for- should I be expecting a baby sibling soon?" Persephone asked looking so done with everything as she entered the kitchen and saw her papa shirtless.

"Nope. I am more than able to satisfy my wife without risking a baby." Percy said and he shot a smirk at Demeter who blushed a bit but grinned.

"At least someone in this family is." Hera muttered and she snapped her fingers, causing a shirt to appear on Percy, as she led the younger ones and unclaimed into the dining area and then moved to help her sister and nephew with breakfast.

"Thanks Aunt Hera!" Percy chirped at her unphazed by his sudden change in attire.

"Annabeth. Can we talk?" Athena asked staring at the older version of her daughter who was sipping on her coffee.

"I have nothing to say to you, especially right now. And if someone else tries to talk to me before I'm done with my coffee I will show them exactly how good I am with a knife." F. Annabeth said blandly and that caused a few people to squeak or shuffle away from her.

"Thought I was the scary one Chase!" F. Clarisse laughed as slapped Annabeth on the back and then easily carried her knife slash.

"Thalia's the scary one. I don't know why that's even a question." Phoebe wandered in with her mistress and lieutenant.

Percy was already putting dozens upon dozens of blue pancakes on the table, a plate with two blue pancakes a large slice of ham and some eggs and toast being placed in front of Demeter.

"Do we still have to do sacrifices here?" Luke asked curiously as he noticed the older ones from the future grabbing plates and already dividing up their food.

"Here mama!" Amara said handing her mama some bacon as a sacrifice and earning coos from the rest or amused smiles.

"Thank you sweetie. But babies? While we're here you eat your food. Don't sacrifice to me." Demeter told her kids who all nodded even though Future Katie had already slipped a slice of pork onto her mother's plate.

F. Travis and F. Connor both slid her a large slice of ham making her raise an eyebrow at them.

"They're trying to stay on their future mother in laws good side." F. Chris said in a stage whisper to the kids who all snickered or smirked at the brothers.

"Shouldn't you do something similar for Ares then?" Luke asked although he was giving F. Chris a dark look.

"Eh he doesn't really want food he prefers I sacrifice my enemies to him when I cut them down. Or the enemies weapons." F. Chris just shrugged and Ares perked up glancing at him.

"You better treat my kid right or I'll break you." Ares grinned darkly at him and F. Chris blinked a bit.

"Huh. That's not as bad as I expected." Was all the son of Hermes said making F. Clarisse give an ugly sounding snort as she tried not to laugh.

"Wait does that really work for getting on her good side?" Hades asked looking at the Stolls and earning a snicker from his wife.

"I think the reason mom doesn't like you this century is because she caught us in the garden love." Persephone said making Demeter glare at Hades who shrunk down a bit with a blush.

"Really? Right in front of my salad?" Nico asked even though he didn't have a salad and it caused half of the future people to cackle.

"Not as bad as the time I caught them in the throne room." Hazel hummed and both of her parents looked sheepish at that as they were given unimpressed or horrified looks from the rest of the room.

"Can we please talk about something that doesn't relate to carnal pleasures?" Artemis asked sighing as she rubbed her temples, she did not want to deal with all this.

"Why do I hate mom?" Little Annabeth asked looking at her older self confused and worried and earning a soft smile from her older self.

"I don't hate mom. That requires too much energy. I just don't care about her. But it's fine because she didn't care about me either, until I proved to be useful to her at least." F. Annabeth said and Athena looked at her confused and alarmed and a bit worried.

"What?" Malcolm asked frowning at his sister who gave Athena a flat look.

"Who did you think fell into the Pit with Percy? And the only reason I fell into the pit was because of Arachne and the Parthenos. And that's massively summing up and undersizing my issues with her." F. Annabeth said making Athena startle at the mention of her Parthenos.

"You're the one who was in the Pit with Percy?" Demeter asked her gaze snapping to the young woman who gave a dark brittle smile.

"I was. And it's only thanks to him I survived and it was only because of some unexpected help we had that we managed to escape." F. Annabeths voice brokered no more questions and Athena looked visibly ill as she looked at the twelve year old version of her daughter now.

"You'll likely read about it in the books." Percy said casually as he set down a plate in front of Hestias spot at the table. The three chefs finishing up the last of the dishes.

"How could a mere demigod survive?" Zeus sneered at the man who didn't look the least bit bothered by the gods ire.

"How could the god of justice fuck up so badly?" Percy retorted earning snickers from the older ones.

"Dam Jellyfish you had to kill him at breakfast?" Thalia asked grinning and Percy shot her a winning smile before taking his seat beside Demeter after handing his wife a cup of Nectar.

"Best time to do it!" Percy beamed and the chatting was light and the mood lighthearted at the breakfast table, Demeter giggling as she fed Amara and Stevie while Hera fussed and fretted over the children she seemed to claim as her own.

Hestia was smiling brightly at the warm family time, her hearth merrily roaring. Ares was showing one of his kids how to switch between a grip meant to cut up food and one to cut up people with their knives. Aphrodite finished eating first and began to coerce her children into eating some more as she braided their hair. Posiedon and Amphitrite were in their own little world as they smiled softly and fed each other. Hephaestus was getting his kids to eat before tinkering with something. Hermes was chatting happily with his kids, and Apollo was making sure his kids and Artemis had enough to eat.

Persephone was making sure her kids were eating enough while Hades was trying to get her to eat. And the Future Demigods were acting like this was your average Tuesday even when Frank ducked under a thrown pancake.

Zeus was glaring around the room but especially at Percy who was feeding Demeter as she fed the little ones.

His plan last night had failed and he was fuming as he tried to figure out another plan. Percy glanced up, caught his eyes, and then just glared for a moment before smirking and kissing Demeter's cheek.

Demeter glanced up as well and shot Zeus a glare before refocusing on her children.

As they were leaving while Percy used water to do the dishes, Percy stopped where Zeus and Hera could hear him and gave Zeus a smug smirk.

"Next time you try to impersonate me to sleep with my wife? Make sure I'm not already in her bed...and make sure it's the right size. Yours was too small when you appeared in the room last night." Percy said smirking at Zeus and making Her as head whip towards them.

"What?" Heras voice was flat and Percy smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

"He apparently decided to try and sleep with my wife last night. He flashed into her bedroom naked while disguised as me. Unfortunately for him we were already...enjoying our reunion...and his transformation was too small downstairs." Percy informed his aunt gleefully and then quickly walked forward to rejoin Demeter and the kids.

"ZEUS OLYMPOS!!!"

Heras shrill shriek echoed around the mountain making many look alarmed and confused as they looked back towards the Queen of the Heavens.

Demeter just smirked and leaned into Percys side as they retook their seats on the same couch as yesterday.

Chapter Text

It took twenty minutes for Hera to drag Zeus into the throne room by his ear.

Quite literally to the amusement of everyone else.

"Oh wow. Haven't seen that happen since the incident with the strippers and the hunt." Thalia muttered amused and there was a snicker from Phoebe while Artemis raised an eyebrow.

Hera dragged her protesting husband right over to Demeter and Percy and shoved him forward with a glare.

He grumbled and rubbed his ear but then winced when she started tapping her foot.

"I apologize for trying to prove you were faking your bond and faking being Demeters One. I didn't expect her to already be spreading her legs for you." Zeus grumbled.

SMACK!!!

"OW!!! DAMNIT WOMAN THE FUCK?!?!?" Zeus yelped when Hera slapped him so hard upside the head many were surprised his skull hadn't cracked open like a walnut.

"What kind of apology is that?!? You tried to fake being Percy to sleep with Demeter thinking she was lying about their bond and knowing it would have possibly caused her to Fade! And yet you say shit like that?!?" Hera demanded and the gods were all alarmed now.

"He did what?!" Persephone and Hestia demanded shooting up from their respective seats.

"Zeus. Olympios." Hestia said coldly and Zeus's face drained of all ichor as he stared at his eldest sister.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I really thought she was lying about the bond." Zeus said as if that at all excuses him.

"We. WILL. Be talking about this later. When there are not small ears around." Hestia said firmly and coldly and many were reminded of the fact that she was Kronos eldest child. The true rightful heiress to his throne.

Zeus shrunk down on himself and whimpered. Demeter didn't look phased as she stayed leaning into Percys side with her kids cuddling into them.

"If you ever do something to threaten Mama again I'm going to rip your eyes out and shove them down your throat so that you can watch as I tear your stomach open with my bare hands!" Persephone snarled and many were surprised and paling at the threat.

Hades looked smitten.

"Sit in your cold throne Zeus. And know that if you ever pull such a stunt again you'd be lucky if Persephone or Hestia got to you first." Hera ordered coldly and she shoved him towards his throne where he hurriedly sat and pouted like a child.

Hera sat primly on the couch with Thalia and immediately had a small six year old in her lap grinning up at her wide eyed.

"You were awesome!" The little one said and Hera managed to give the child a smile of thanks and ran a hand through his hair.

"Who is reading first?" Athena asked wondering why her father had thought such a plan was a good idea. They needed Demeter and her domains too much to risk for something so minor.

"I shall." Aphrodite snagged the book with a dark look towards Zeus, how dare he try to mess with or claim a One bond was fake! Oh she would definitely be helping Hera and Persephone later with any punishment.

She took the book and cracked it open, content to take her eyes off of Zeus since the rest of the gods were eyeing him darkly. Persephone looked ready to send him to Tartarus for a family vacation if he so much as looked at Demeter or Percy.

"I am offered a Quest."

Several head snapped to her in alarm.

"Excuse me. I think I misheard that chapter title." Apollo said and he was still and his eyes dark as he stared at her.

Aphrodite teeth were clenched and the demigods of the present looked stunned. The older ones just shook their head and Chiron tried to sink down in on himself.

"You did not. It seems a twelve year old shall be offered a quest despite the Laws stating otherwise." Aphrodite said and her voice was as cold as the polar ice caps and she knew her eyes were dark and cold as well.

"Iasion... Percy love. Please tell me you're not about to go on a quest as a mere 12 year old." Demeter looked at her husband in disbelief and horror and Percy kissed the crown of her head.

"I promised you I would not lie to you my love." And if that wasn't an answer they didn't know what was. Demeter gave a strangled noise and curled into him further, laying her head on his shoulder and Aphrodite could feel their bond and the love they shared. It calmed her enough to keep reading.

"The next morning, Chiron moved me to cabin three. I didn’t have to share with anybody. I had plenty of room for all my stuff: the Minotaur horn, one set of spare clothes and a toiletry bag. I got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own activities, call ‘lights out’ whenever I felt like it and not listen to anybody else."

"That sounds amazing." One of the unclaimed murmured and Hera ran a hand through her hair.

"And I didn't like it. Why should I be in a big cabin alone when there were so many squished into the Hermes cabin? I wasn't going to let that stand. So that first night before the Harpies came out I took some food from dinner that I had saved and made my way to the sacrificial hearth.

Scrapping the brisket into the flames I wondered if I'd get struck down for this. Because the Ancient Greek farm boy in me would never but the New York me who had lost his mom and knew he was bound to die didn't give a shit."

"Oh this will be good." Thalia rubbed her hands gleefully looking forward to this.

"Hey Dad? Thanks for claiming me and everything. But I hope it's okay if I bring some of the unclaimed kids in the Hermes cabin to stay in mine. Cause they could really use the sleep and proper beds and their own spaces. So maybe don't smite them or I'll only sacrifice a single grape to you for a year unless you smite me too."

"Of course I'd be fine with it." Poseidon just looked amused at the prayer while several kids gasped in offense and disbelief and Chiron looked thrown.

"My boy you can not-" a knife flew by Chiron and was caught by F. Clarisse who was situated behind the centaur.

"You'll learn eventually that we do not take orders from you. And any time you try to tell us what to do? We will not listen." F. Katie said coldly from her spot between the F. Stolls. After a few seconds of silence Aphrodite continued reading.

"The smoke made an okay sign and a laughing face, the door to my cabin creaked as it swung open and then I heard a giggle. Looking beside me there was a small brown haired brown golden eyed child. The little girl I saw before who was poking the fire with a stick.

"I must say I have heard a lot of prayers but never one like that." She seemed amused but she couldn't be any older than seven or eight.

"I aim to please. What are you doing out so late? Shouldn't all lil demigods be in bed resting for tomorrow?" I asked wondering why this small child was out here alone. She giggled again and gave me a fond smile.

"Someone has to keep the fire going." Oh gods who was letting this child play with flames? Should I fist fight someone for this? I will absolutely fist fight someone for this.

"I think the fire will be okay for one night. You should get to your cabin before the Harpies come out. Do you want me to walk you back?"

"You didn't recognize sister Hestia?" Demeter asked amused and Percy gave her a sheepish smile.

"The only time I actually met her was the day I died. And she had the form of a full grown red haired woman then!" Percy defended and there was a few giggles at him apparently not recognizing the goddess but most said nothing. They had never even seen the goddess in their camp before.

"It's sweet how you were worried about who you thought was a young child." Hestia said not taking offense at all and instead looking pretty pleased with his actions.

"Camp dad. Even at just twelve years old." F. Katie teased and Percy grinned and shrugged a bit.

"No thank you. I have no cabin here. But you should hurry and take the young ones from the Hermes cabin to your own." The child said and I frowned, did she need somewhere the sleep? Surely while the Hermes cabin was crowded there would be room for the small child. If nothing else she could sleep in my cabin.

"Did we hear that right?" A voice behind me asked and I whipped around. It was a pair of Hermes boys.

"You're going-"

"To let some-"

"Of he kids-

"Sleep in your-"

"Cabin?" The boys asked and I blinked at them. Travis and Connor right? They weren't twins but we're close siblings and full blooded brothers from the same mortal woman.

"Well my dad apparently gave the approval and I have the space for them. So why not?" I was a bit awkward at the disbelief on their faces but then they grinned at me.

"That's cool if you man!"

"Yeah really! Come on!"

"We'll help you sneak out the kids!"

"Before Chiron or the Harpies show up!" They didn't seem to mind the thought and I glanced back at the small child to ask if she wanted to stay in the cabin as well but she was gone. Wha...had she been a goddess? Who..."

"You should not invite others into your cab-" a sharp of ice went by his ear and shut Chiron up.

"Keep talking horsey." F. Katie dared but he was smart enough to shut his mouth.

"Between the three of us we managed to sneak half a dozen kids out of the cabin and into mine. As we were snuggling the last kid and his things into my cabin Lord D. stepped out onto the porch and saw us.

He blinked slowly once as we stared at him. Then he just took a swig of his diet coke and sat on the porch with his magazine.

"No brats in sight Chiron." He called and he nodded towards my cabin, I made a note to sacrifice him some more grapes at breakfast, and we booked it.

We got little Andrew set up with the others and Travis and Connor slapped me on the back before slipping off back to their cabin.

The little ones all seemed thrilled it have beds and be able to spread out a bit. I smiled as I called for lights out."

"That was very kind of you Perseus." Hera gave the boy a smile and he smiled back.

"Just doing what I could to help Auntie." He said modestly and the future Demigods laughed.

"Like we said! He's the camp dad! Honestly you should see him with the little ones or the toddlers that sometimes get dropped off! I think it was that three year old son of Iris who started calling him Papa right?" F. Chris asked snickering with the others and Percy blushed a bit.

"It was. During his third summer there too. Honestly hearing him trying to explain to Lord Poseidon that no he had not sleep with a goddess at the age of ten was hilarious!" Phoebe said recalling that and snickering.

"I remember that. He had seemed amazed and proud our son had caught the eye of a goddess as a ten year old and horrified to think he was a grandpa already." Amphitrite laughed and Posiedon could only imagine how he had freaked out.

Percy looked embarrassed as Demeter kissed his cheek.

"You'll be a wonderful father." And she always had know he would be. She could barely wait until they were fully married both in the mortal and godly worlds and she could give him so many children.

"Only if you're the mother." He murmured back to her and she grinned. Aphrodite inwardly cooed at how cute they were and promised herself silently that she'd make sure she blessed their wedding and future children.

"Aside from the little ones, the Demeter cabin, and the Stoll brothers the rest of camp avoided me. Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but I got the feeling they were all talking about it behind my back. The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that I was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill me. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe.

The other campers steered clear of me as much as possible. Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with me after what I’d done to the Ares folks in the woods, so my lessons with Luke became one-on-one.

He pushed me harder than ever, and wasn’t afraid to bruise me up in the process. ‘You’re going to need all the training you can get,’ he promised, as we were working with swords and flaming torches. ‘Now let’s try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions.’"

The rest of the campers winced and lowered their heads. Feeling a bit ashamed of their future actions.

"Sorry kelpie." A few of the future ones murmured to him and he waved it off but Posiedon and Amphitrite didn't look pleased at how he was treated.

"Annabeth still taught me Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time I said something, she scowled at me, as if I’d just poked her between the eyes.

After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: ‘Quest… Poseidon?… Dirty rotten… Got to make a plan…’ Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill me for breaking her magic spear. I wished she would just yell or punch me or something. I’d rather get into fights every day than be ignored."

"Should have said something prissy. I would be happy to oblige." F. Clarisse said with a grin.

"Didn't know you liked toilet water that much!" Percy grinned back at her making her flip him off. Thalia and Nico were scowling at how he was treated and Hazel and Frank didn't look happy.

"At least Demis kids and most of the Aphrodite ones treated me normally. The Aphrodite kids apparently collectively adopted me as a nephew. They said I was welcomed to stay in their cabin, apparently the Lady of Doves had set up a bed and wardrobe for me there, and was welcomed to eat with them and spend time with them. I was very grateful for that."

"Of course you'd be welcome! You're our nephew!" Silena said beaming at Percy who gave her a sad small smile in return. Oh. Aphrodite did not like what that look meant. Even as the rest of her children present agreed with their leader.

"Demis kids didn't care at all and hung around me and treated me as normal. I asked once why they weren't avoiding me like the others did.

"Because you're a decent kid Percy. And besides we're second Gen too. Our mom is a first generation Olympian remember? Even older than your dad. If we're going to single you out for being Poseidons son then we should be singled out for being Demeters children." Katie had told me with a fond smile."

"That is a fair point. Aunt Demeter is older than everyone in this room except Aunt Hestia and Aphrodite." Apollo said and Nico snickered suddenly.

"So I'm hearing Percy has a thing for older women?" Nico asked and suddenly there were snickers and groans and laughs.

"Hey! No don't get it twisted! I have a thing for One Woman. Thats it! Older than me or not!" Percy said and that didn't help matters.

"Simp!" Thalia called out and that renewed laughter's from those who knew what a simp was.

"Daddy only loves momma. Even when some dumb bimbos try to flirt with him he only has eyes for Mommy." Amara said matter of factly.

"How do you know what a bimbo is?" Persephone asked her baby sister in surprise and Amara blinked innocently.

"Cause Mommy calls all the dumb ladies who flirt with daddy bimbos. So a bimbo is a dumb lady." Amara said as if it were obvious and Demeter blushed as she realized she likely swore in front of her youngest.

"...sad part is she's not wrong..." Someone muttered and Aphrodite was amused by the little girls innocent remarks.

"Can the mommy clone keep reading? I wanna know more about daddy!" Amara asked blinking at Aphrodite who paused and oh...oh that was adorable and she might just cry.

"Mommy clone?" Artemis asked looking at her little hunter strangely. Amara pointed right at Aphrodite.

"The lady who looks just like mommy but isn't mommy cause Daddy doesn't kiss her." Amara said and oh. Her words hit Aphrodite and Demeter both right in the heart.

"Aww." Persephone cooed over her baby sister while Demeter stood and retrieved her youngest with teary eyes and hugged her tightly.

"Mommy?" Amara asked confused but loving the hug.

"That's Aphrodite baby. Her form is different for everyone. They always see what they think is beautiful when they look at her." Demeter said and she looked ready to bawl. Her baby, her last demigod, thought she looked the most beautiful.

Aphrodite heart nearly combusted. She was the goddess of love. Not just romantic but platonic and familial as well.

And she had always felt the love Demeter and her children shared...but this hit a new high. The pure love and trust this small child had for her mother was enough to move Aphrodite to tears.

What was it mortals said once? Mom was another word for God on the lips of children? Something like that.

Ares gently took the book from her and picked up where she left off as Amara was smothered in a hug and kisses.

"I was glad they weren't treating me differently either. Then Douglas latched onto my leg with a smile.

"Besides! You remind me of dad before he died and momma brought me here!" Oh...oh he was going to cry. His little ones were adorable. Why did Demi make such amazing and beautiful kids?"

"All the family love is amazing." Hestia said sighing as she basked in it while Hera hummed her agreement.

Douglas had climbed into Percys lap and was being held closely and smothered in kisses as well.

"I knew somebody at camp resented me, because one night I came into my cabinand found a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. The article took me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I got, the more the words floated around on the page.

BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT BY EILEEN SMYTHE

Sally Jackson and son Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family’s badly burned ‘78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken.

The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred meters before exploding. Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of themissing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Ms Jackson’s husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past. Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his mother’s disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy.

Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.

The phone number was circled in black marker."

There was a roar of outrage from around the room. Most of the demigods looked stunned and horrified that one of their own has done such a thing.

The Future Demigods looked ready to go on a warpath.

"I never did find out who left that." Percy mused and Frank was barely keeping human form while Hazel had gems sprouting around her dangerously. F. Katie was freezing the couch she was on while F. Travis eyes went white entirely. F. Connor was hissing and F. Will was glowing like a lantern.

Thalia was sparking dangerously and her eyes began to glow while Nico had the shadows writhing.

"Hey Chris. Was that?" F. Clarisse asked with a dark look in her eyes and F. Chris winced.

"Don't know. If it was he never owned up to it." F. Chris shook his head.

Even the gods were appalled.

"They'd think you'd harm your mother?" Hera looked shockingly a lot like Thalia right then as her eyes glowed purple.

"But daddy would never hurt Granny Sally! Granny Sally is awesome!" Amara said looking confused and Phoebe was cursing in a forgotten dialect.

"I find out who left that paper I'll gut them!" Phoebe snarled in English finally and Artemis stared in wonder at one of her oldest most man hating hunters defending a male.

It took approximately thirty minutes for the chaos to die down and powers to calm and settle.

Only after it was calm could Ares keep reading between clenched teeth. Oh he wanted to break this mortal step father who dared abuse those he should protect.

"I wadded up the paper and threw it away hoping the little ones wouldn't find it later, then flopped down in my bunk bed in the middle of my empty cabin. ‘Lights out,’ I told myself miserably knowing the children would sneak in after dark and make themselves at home. That night, I had my worst dream yet."

"Worst one?" F. Annabeth asked glancing sharply at Percy who grimaced.

"Worst one at that time." He agreed.

"I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance. About a hundred metres down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. Were they who I thought they were?"

"Yes yes they were." Thalia said nodding in agreement.

"They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose. I had to stop them. I didn’t know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back, until I was running on the spot, my heels digging uselessly in the sand. Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy."

Several jaws dropped at the description and there were muffled snorts from the second Generation Olympians. Zeus's brothers and sisters snickered and laughed freely, although they all stared Zeus down daring him to try something.

He was smart enough to stay silent knowing he was on thin ice.

"The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt. I yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting! The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice.

‘Come down, little hero,’ the voice crooned. ‘Come down!’

There were now several frowns.

"That doesn't sound like my husband." Persephone said glancing at her husband who frowned as well.

"Dear if that was Hades then he'd have been up there in person punching the both of them." Demeters voice was dry even as she stared narrow eyed at the book.

"Hm that's true." Posiedon agreed easily as did Hera.

"The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the centre of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me. I woke up, sure I was falling. I was still in bed in cabin three.

My body told me it was morning, but it was dark outside, and thunder rolled across the hills. A storm was brewing. I hadn’t dreamed that. I heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold. ‘Come in.’

Grover trotted inside, looking worried. ‘Mr D wants to see you.’

‘Why?’ he glanced at the little kids who were blearily rubbing their eyes just starting to wake up but didn't say a word about them.

‘He wants to kill… I mean, I’d better let him tell you.’ Nervously, I got dressed and followed, sure that I was in huge trouble.

For days, I’d been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Now that I was declared a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren’t supposed to have kids, I figured it was a crime for me just to be alive. The other gods had probably been debating the best way to punish me for existing, and now Mr D was ready to deliver their verdict."

"If they even tried I would have made things very difficult for them." Aphrodite said icily as she glared around the room at the other gods.

"As would I." Poseidon rumbled and his glare caused many to shrink down into their thrones. Those two were some of the worst enemies you could have. Ever.

"Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction. I asked Grover if we needed an umbrella. ‘No,’ he said. ‘It never rains here unless we want it to.’

I pointed at the storm. ‘What the heck is that, then?’ He glanced uneasily at the sky. ‘It’ll pass around us. Bad weather always does.’ I realized he was right. In the week I’d been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I’d seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley. But this storm… this one was huge. It was like...like the sky was angry. Oh...the God King..."

"What am I so mad about? Besides you being born?" Zeus even frowned in confusion about this now.

"And you have no reason to be mad about that since you broke the Oath first." Hera growled at him and he shrunk down under her glare.

"Keep reading Ares. That way we can figure out what's going on." Artemis said frowning and looking narrow eyed as well.

"At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo’s cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus’s twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. I saw Demis kids glance at me, Lily looked worried but Rose and Petunia held her back. Stevie left to the cabin to apparently get the rest of his siblings.

The Aphrodite children were at Arts and Craft and seemed to be working on something particularly hard.

They kept their eyes on the storm. Grover and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents – two sets of cards hovering in the air.

‘Well, well,’ Mr D said without looking up. ‘Our little celebrity.’ I waited. ‘Come closer,’ Mr D said. ‘And don’t expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

"Really nephew?" Poseidon didn't even look angry just deadpan.

"At least come up with your own insults instead of stealing the Grand Owls." Posiedon was very unimpressed but his words did cause there to be smattered laughs as Athena glared.

"A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house. ‘Blah, blah, blah,’ Dionysus said. Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

‘If I had my way,’ Dionysus said, ‘I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We’d sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm.’

"You wouldn't dare." Poseidon nearly growled that out and Dionysus eyed him darkly and a bit scared.

"‘Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr D,’ Chiron put in. ‘Nonsense,’ Dionysus said. ‘Boy wouldn’t feel a thing. Nevertheless, I’ve agreed to restrain myself. I’m thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"That I would be happy with! Then I can keep him in Atlantis without worrying about Zeus's temper tantrum over the Ancient laws." Poseidon smiled now and Zeus growled but one look from his wife shut him up for now.

"Wouldn't my father just turn me back? I wanted to ask but didn't get a chance.

'Mr D –’ Chiron warned. ‘Oh, all right,’ Dionysus relented. ‘There’s one more option. But it’s deadly foolishness.’ Dionysus rose, and the invisible players’ cards dropped to the table. ‘I’m off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I’ll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you’re at all smart, you’ll see that’s a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

"He wanted to protect you. That was his way of trying to keep you safe." Luke said in realization and he didn't sound happy about it.

"Ha! Ridiculous. Why would I want to protect one of you brats?" Dionysus asked scoffing but his heart wasn't in it and everyone could tell.

"Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle.

A credit card? No. A security pass. He snapped his fingers.

The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a holograph, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind."

"You can see us when we flash away?" Hermes leaned forward in interest and Percy just smirked and kissed Demeters cheek. He whispered something to her that made her blush but then he said something that made her eyes widen in shock as she stared at him.

No one knew what he said and most were sure they didn't want to know.

The gods exchanged glances. Even at such a young age the mortal could see them as they flashed away...it was...unheard of.

"Chiron smiled at me, but he looked tired and strained. ‘Sit, Percy, please. And Grover.’ We did. Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn’t got to use.

‘Tell me, Percy,’ he said. ‘What did you make of the hellhound?’ Just hearing the name made me shudder.

Chiron probably wanted me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But I didn’t feel like lying.

‘It scared me,’ I said. ‘If you hadn’t shot it, I’d be dead.’"

"You admitted you were scared?" Someone scoffed but Percy didn't even blink.

"Of course. Fear is what keeps us alive. As long as we don't let it control us there's nothing wrong with feeling scared. And there's no shame it admitting it. To claim you're never scared is to lie, not just to others but also yourself." Percy shrugged at the disbelieving looks he was getting. None of the older ones looked surprised at all. Demeter leaned more into his side and hummed softly.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders to tug her in closer and just held her contently.

"You’ll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you’re done.’ ‘Done… with what?’

‘Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

"He's only twelve. He's not even allowed to go on Quests for another two years." Hermes fretted with his hands a bit at that.

"He's only had a week of training!" Aphrodite seemed scandalized by the lack of training and there were several long minutes as everyone processed that.

"Oh shit he only has a week of training." Someone whispered in disbelief and horror and Apollo looked murderous.

"So you're sending a child with only a handful of lessons on survival out on a quest?! Chiron did you want him to die?!" Apollo demanded glaring at the horse man who looked confused about their demeanor. Why did they care?

Seeing as no answer was coming from the horse Ares began to read some more through gritted teeth. He was a soldier. And he knew you never sent children especially untrained ones out. That was a suicide mission!

What the fuck was going on?

"I glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers. ‘Um, sir,’ I said, ‘you haven’t told me what it is yet.’

"Good. Don't agree to anything unless you know what you're agreeing too." Hades murmured approvingly but he was tense. What the actual fuck was going on?

"Chiron grimaced. ‘Well, that’s the hard part, the details.’ Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

‘Poseidon and Zeus,’ I said. ‘They’re fighting over something valuable… something that was stolen, aren’t they?’

"Stolen?" Both of the brothers leaned forward curiously and then Poseidons eyes widened right as Ares did.

Ares swore violently, this explained a lot!

"Ares!" Hera scolded her son who winced and cut off the last swear.

"Mom if it's what I'm thinking then swearing is nothing. There's about to be a full blown war!" Ares said running a hand through his hair and there were several sharp intakes of breath.

"What do you mean?" Athena asked demanding to know what he meant and wondering how he figured it out before she did.

"Keep reading. No spoilers." Percy called and Ares noted that the Romans looked confused as did Ares baby half sister and Uncle Hades son.

They hadn't know what was happening then. Well this ought to be a treat for them all then.

With a shaky exhale and running his hand through his hair again he began to read again.

"Chiron and Grover exchanged looks. Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. ‘How did you know that?’ My face felt hot. I wished I hadn’t opened my big mouth. ‘The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she overheard something about a theft. And… I’ve also been having these dreams.’

‘I knew it,’ Grover said. ‘Hush, satyr,’ Chiron ordered, well that was rude. ‘But it is his quest!’ Grover’s eyes were bright with excitement. ‘It must be!’"

"But he's still too young." Artemis muttered glancing over at Percy and then looking at some of the children in the room. He hadn't been any older than some of them were, younger than a few of them even.

"Only the Oracle can determine.’ Chiron stroked his bristly beard. ‘Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt.’ What?"

"Oh..." Apollo said dumbly as everyone realized what this meant. All eyes turned to Zeus and his master bolt.

"What?!" Zeus demanded and he was cradling his bolt now as if they would steal it from him right here and now.

"You stole my bolt boy?!" Zeus demanded glaring at Percy who rolled his eyes.

"We've been reading this from my point of view. If I had stolen your bolt it would show that. I didn't even know I was a demigod until several months after it was stolen." Percy pointed out dryly.

"Then who dared-"

"If we read we will find out. It seems that this illegal quest will be for the boy to retrieve the bolt." Artemis was one of the very few who could cut her father off and not get blasted or turned mortal for it.

"The first chapter." Aphrodite leaned forward as her mind clicked over several puzzle pieces.

"It said that the weather has been weird since the winter holidays. The solstice. Which means the bolt must have been stolen on the solstice." Aphrodites gaze turned to the present day demigods. They could rule out the ones who had future versions present but that still left upward of thirty campers here.

"And if it's the same solstice as right now. Then it must have been one of the demigods present." Hermes said looking at his children wondering if it was one of them.

"When I find out who I shall blast them." Zeus snarled and then he glared at Ares.

"Read son!" Zeus ordered and Ares picked up the book.

"I swallowed nervously. ‘A what?’ ‘Do not take this lightly,’ Chiron warned. ‘I’m not talking about some tin foil covered zigzag you’d see in a second-grade play. I’m talking about a two-foot long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives.’ ‘Oh.’

‘Zeus’s master bolt,’ Chiron said, getting worked up now. ‘The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon the Cyclops made for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers.’

‘And it’s missing?’

‘Stolen,’ Chiron said.

‘By who?’ ‘By whom’ Chiron corrected. Once a teacher, always a teacher. ‘By you.’"

"What?" Zeus growled as he glared at Percy who openly rolled his eyes.

"If I really stole your electric dildo do you think I'd still be alive?" There were several choked noises at how he dared call the weapon.

"It is not a dildo! And Demeter could have protected you!" Zeus refuted angrily and Percy gave him a flat look.

"She didn't even know that I was the reincarnation of Iasion until I was sixteen. Currently in the books I'm twelve. Do you really think I could have taken your overpowered firework, when I didn't know I was even a demigod or where Olympus was?!, and hidden it for four years? Especially at camp where there's two gods, a lot of demigods and an ancient horse?" Percy asked slowly as if making sure Zeus knew how stupid that was.

"It's not a firework!" Zeus defended his precious bolt.

"Ares please keep reading so he can learn it wasn't me." Percy said sighing and kissing Demeters head to calm down.

"My mouth fell open. ‘At least’ – Chiron held up a hand – ‘that’s what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: “Mother Rhea always liked you best,” “Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,” et cetera. Afterwards, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now a god cannot usurp another god‘s symbol of power directly – that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it.’

Zeus eyed Posiedon darkly and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm happy with my Trident I don't want your sparkler." Posiedon said annoyed and Zeus growled.

"And I don't know why you two even argued over who mother loves best, we all know Hestia is her favorite." Demeter said glancing at her older sister and trying to hide the pain in her heart. Their mother could barely stand to look at Demeter most of the times when they had seen her.

Demeter looked too much like her father. Her mother could only look at her for a minute or two and Demeter had to always be careful to never sneak up on her mother even on accident.

Hestia and Hades looked sadly at their sister, knowing how often mother couldn't look at her.

"But I didn’t –’

‘Patience and listen, child,’ Chiron said. ‘Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother’s lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn’t sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

"I don't want your stupid ass throne. I've already got one and have my hands full with my kingdom." Posiedon sighed heavily at that and Zeus eyed him with suspicion.

"But I’ve never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!’

"I am not crazy!"

"You are a textbook case of paranoia, sociopath, narcissist in that order. With psychopathic tendencies and a compulsive liar." F. Annabeth said all that with an impressed face and flat voice. As if she wasn't listing the different diagnosis the king could have.

His jaw dropped as he stared at her in shock and disbelief while Athena looked horrified. Ares hurried to read while looking impressed at the girls daring.

"Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn’t seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid. ‘Er, Percy…?’ Grover said. ‘We don’t use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky.’

‘Perhaps paranoid,’ Chiron suggested. ‘Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam…’ He looked at me as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty-eight. How could anyone accuse me of stealing a god’s weapon? I couldn’t even steal a slice of pizza from Gabe’s poker party without getting busted."

"Did you have to steal food often?" Hera frowned, no child should have to steal food.

"Eh it wasn't as bad as it could have been." Percy shrugged it off.

"Dear heart. How would you feel if the kids had to steal food?" Demeter asked softly and Percys eyes hardened.

"I see your point. Only once a week auntie. Kids if you're hungry tell me okay? I'd happily get you something to eat." Percy looked at the kids who all slowly nodded. Hera looked murderous, as did the Underwater royals, Demeter, the Twins, and Hestia.

"Chiron was waiting for an answer.

‘Something about a golden net?’ I guessed. ‘Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods… they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn’t let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?’

"For all the good that's done. He honored that as much as he did his wedding vows." Hera scoffed even as she rubbed her neck in remembrance of her punishment.

"Yeah hear that baby brother? A BETTER ruler. Not to usurp your throne but to make you BETTER." Posiedon sneered at his brother.

"Didn't do any good." Artemis muttered and that caused Zeus to look stricken as he looked at her stunned.

"Correct,’ Chiron said. ‘And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you’ve come along – the proverbial last straw.’

‘But I’m just a kid!’

‘Percy,’ Grover cut in, ‘if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he’s fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you… Wouldn’t that put a twist in your toga?"

"As if the old man didn't break the Oath first." Thalia snorted derisively and Zeus winced a bit at that point.

"And my children are not weapons!" Posiedon seemed offended anyone thought otherwise.

"Ohhhh yeah I should warn you dad. Some of my thoughts in this are not very good..." Percy winced as he realized his thoughts were being read out loud.

"And I can understand and accept that. But you do know I love you right?" Posiedon asked worriedly and a few demigods looked bitter and jealous.

"I do in my time dad. I know you do and I love you too. But tiny me?" Percy winced and Posiedon braced himself.

"But I didn’t do anything. Poseidon – my dad – he didn’t really have this master bolt stolen, did he?’ Chiron sighed. ‘Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon’s style. But the sea god is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That’s June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date."

"You both are idiots." Artemis said sighing.

"Hey!"

"Niece?" The two looked offended and baffled while Hades snorted loudly and Hera had a sudden coughing fit. Hestia hid her giggles and Demeter turned into Percys chest to hide her own smile.

"There is a god of truth on the council. As well as one of lies." Artemis looked so done with both of them.

"Why not just have them verify that Uncle Posiedon did not have the bolt stolen or even know who did it? For that matter you could have merely summoned the boy and asked him if he stole the bolt rather than all this drama..." Artemis trailed off and neither the Lord of the Sky or the Lord of the Seas would look at her or answer.

"Idiot men." Artemis sighed heavily and for once no one could disagree. Posiedon looked sheepishly embarrassed while Zeus just grumbled.

"I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter-'my heart lurched hearing her name, my Demi...-' or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus’s temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?’

'Bad?’ I guessed."

"It would be a massive war with nature ripping itself apart. Most of the world would die." Athena said firmly and the kids looked scared as most huddled closer to sibling or their parents or to Hera and Thalia.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight.’

‘Bad,’ I repeated with a heavy feeling in my heart."

"You need a bigger vocabulary." Malcom muttered but it was heard loud and clear.

"He uses most of his brain on coming up with new ways to flatter and spoil his wife." F. Annabeth said smirking at Percy who grinned unashamed, he leaned down just a bit to murmur into Demeters ear making her smile slightly.

"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus’s wrath.’ It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky. I had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of me. I was furious. "

"Ohhhh the General is mad." F. Connor said leaning forward with a grin.

"Moment of silence for Zeus please." F. Travis said grinning wickedly. All the Futures aside from Percy bowed their heads for a moment.

"You act as if he could best me." Zeus sneered and they all shrugged.

"Twelve year old prissy? Nah not likely. But full grown man? Fuck yeah he could." F. Clarisse grinned sharply.

"Remember during the Bachelor party before the mortal wedding?" Nico asked and F. Will snorted hard.

"He got drunk and started talking about Lady Demeter in a sexual way. Even asked Fish Bait if Zeus could have a turn with his wife once he got tired of her." F. Chris gave a savage smile and Demeter looked horrified and shuddered, curling into Percys side. Demeters other four siblings glared at Zeus as did Artemis and Ares.

"Oh man Barnacle Man went full on apeshit on him. It took me and Dad and Asclepius all night and half of the morning to get him halfway healed for the mortal ceremony." F. Will laughed and Percy was fully focused on Demeter instead of the shocked or awed looks he was getting.

"I promised you remember? He'd never hurt you again. He'd never touch you again. And I keep my promises my love." Percy murmured into her ear trying to calm her down and reminded that he was here. He'd protect her even if she could kick his ass.

"They'll never hurt you again." He brought one of her trembling hands to his face and kissed her knuckles, making her look up with teary eyes.

"You're safe." He promised her, holding her eyes so she knew she was indeed safe.

Persephone worried her lil as she stared at her mother. She wanted to go over and comfort her and assure her she'd be safe too...but...well Persephone was a living reminder of what Zeus had done to her. She wasn't sure if she would make the situation worse.

Luckily her mortal siblings all converged on their mother to blanket her in warmth and love and safety. Persephone felt jealous sometimes, as irrational as that was. Her mortal siblings and even Ploutus had all been conceived willingly by her mother. Not by force like she, Arion, and Desponia had been.

Ares sent one last scorching glare to his father, making a mental note to protect his aunt from him, and continued reading. No one spoke up for a while.

"So I have to find the stupid bolt,’ I said. ‘And return it to Zeus.’

‘What better peace offering,’ Chiron said, ‘than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus’s property?’

'If Poseidon doesn’t have it, where is the thing?’ ‘I believe I know.’ Chiron’s expression was grim. ‘Part of a prophecy I had years ago… Well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle.'

'Why can’t you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?’ ‘Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge.’ I swallowed. ‘Good reason.’ ‘

You agree then?’ I looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly. Easy for him. I was the one Zeus wanted to kill. ‘All right,’ I said. ‘It’s better than being turned into a dolphin.’

'Then it’s time you consulted the Oracle,’ Chiron said. ‘Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you’re still sane, we will talk more.’

Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trapdoor. I pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place. The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else… a smell I remembered from biology class. Reptiles. The smell of snakes.

I held my breath and climbed. The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE’S ISLE and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things– severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, and various other parts of monsters.

A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake’s head, but with horns and a full set of shark’s teeth. The plaque read: HYDRA HEAD NO. I, WOODSTOCK, NY, 1969. By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy.

Not the wrapped-in-cloth kind, but a human female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits, as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles; she’d been dead a long, long time."

"What the fuck?!" Frank asked in disbelief and horror. Hazel looked similarly horrified.

"But...but what about-" Hazel turned to look at Percy who glanced at her.

"RED didn't come in until my fourth year at camp, and she didn't stick around until after the first war." Percy said and Apollo looked furious at the star of his oracle.

"I was horrified. This was the Pythia? The Oracle? What the actual fuck happened? Looking at her sent chills up my back. And that was before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured from the mummy’s mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty-thousand snakes. I stumbled over myself trying to get to the trapdoor, but it slammed shut. Inside my head, I heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around my brain:

I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Loxias Apollon, the prophet and interpreter of the gods. Approach, seeker, and ask.

Nope nope nope fuck this."

"I can't blame you there pops." Phoebe said with a wince remembering when she had seen it.

"I don't think any of us can." Travis muttered.

"I wanted to say, No thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom. But I forced myself to take a deep breath. The mummy wasn’t alive. She was some kind of gruesome receptacle for something else, the power that was now swirling around me in the green mist.

But its presence didn’t feel evil, like my demonic math teacher Mrs Dodds or the Minotaur. It felt more like the Three Fates I’d seen knitting the yarn outside the highway fruit stand: ancient, powerful and definitely not human. But not particularly interested in killing me, either."

"Observant." Hades muttered although he felt guilty looking at the downtrodden Apollo.

"I got up the courage to ask, ‘What must I do?’ The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of me and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars.

Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies. My fists clenched, though I knew this poker party couldn’t be real.

It was an illusion, made out of mist. Gabe turned towards me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle:

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned."

A lot of looks was sent towards Hades here but not by any of the future people.

"You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned."

"Good." Zeus muttered but he was still being glared down by four of his siblings and his twin children.

"You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end."

"But it just said you'd succeed." Annabeth looked confused as did most of the younger kids.

"It said he'd find what was stolen and see it returned so he finds the bolt and gives it to Lord Zeus." Athena said and then Aphrodite sighed heavily.

"Save what matters the most. His mother. She was taken and he's unable to save her. It could be Demeter since he is her One and she is his...but as far as we're aware nothing has happened to her in the book. And we'd know if it had. So it must be his mother." Aphrodite said and the room was dead silent at that.

"But we know she's fine. They all met her and Amara calls her Granny." Hermes said glancing at the future Demigods who were notably silent.

"It said that he fails to save her. But someone else could save her instead. Or she could save herself." Persephone pointed out and that got a few nods. It made sense.

"You'll have to read and see." F. Clarisse said and she honestly wondered how it all went down. Percy never talked about it much.

"I noticed her laying back down and I just...she didn't look comfortable. So with a sort of numb detachment I moved her to sit comfortably in a plush recliner that I wasn't sure was there before and let her sit in the sun. Maybe sitting in the light of the Sun Chariot would help her.

My mind ticked over the prophecy. Go west. Well everything was west from here so that didn't help.

A god who turned. So a god had helped steal the bolt and he'd find them while traveling west.

Find what was stolen and see it safely returned. Well that was good. He'd find the bolt and return it to the God King which meant he'd succeed and not die. That was good.

Be betrayed by one who calls you a friend...that...was worrying. A friend. Someone who calls him a friend. Maybe not someone he called a friend...but who would betray him? He saw the Aphrodite kids and Demis kids as family. His kind of weird aunts and uncles. And his amazing beautiful children by the love of his life. So they didn't count as friends."

"Family love." Aphrodite sighed happily at feeling it radiate in the room, Hestia did as well as her Hearth got a little stronger and flared a little higher. Her kids were beaming at Percy for considering them family.

"Love you too Papa." F. Katie grinned at Percy as the younger ones cuddled into him and Demeter who smiled a bit now.

"You really do love my children." Demeter said softly and amazed and he kissed her hand that was still in his own.

"Of course I do. They're not just yours. They're mine too." Percy said and he held her gaze as he kissed her fingers. Everyone saw the way she melted a bit and smiled so lovingly at him they felt like they were intruding on something private.

"He's doing really well working out the prophecy." Apollo hummed in thought to his twin and Hermes both.

"Uncle Posiedon did once hold that domain. Perhaps some leftovers carried to the boy and gave him a hand? Enhanced likely from his memories of his last life." Artemis theorized and it was as good a theory as any.

"But the prophecy said it would be someone who called him friend. Not who he called friend. Hmmm he called Travis and Connor friends. And the little ones he had taken in. Who else called him a friend? Definitely not Clarisse or even really most of the campers... He felt like the name was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't quite get it out.

He'd think on it later.

Fail to save what matters most in the end. What matters most? That was his family no contest. But none of his kids nor his wife were in danger that he knew of. His family in the Aphrodite cabin wasn't in danger. Which could only mean his mother. His mother who had...she had died in the minotaurs grasp right? Save her...from death? He'd fail but he'd try... But that didn't sound right. There was no bringing back someone who died. The only way they'd come back was reincarnation and most of the time they didn't know who they used to be...

...

So his mother wasn't dead...think...what happened...she had be in the minotaurs hands...and then she just vanished. Wait...vanished? Yes she had vanished. There was no body. No body meant she wasn't dead. So she was being held captive? By who? And he failed to save her?...but if it said HE fails to save her then perhaps someone else saves her? Or she manages to save herself somehow? There were too many variables. Who had her?"

There were dropped jaws around the room.

"That was rather well thought out." Athena looked like she swallowed glass as she said that.

"Fish sticks..." F. Annabeth slowly turned to look at Percy.

"Yes Feathers?"

"You were only up there for not even ten minutes." F. Annabeth said and there were choking noises. Excuse them what?!

"Huh it felt longer." Percy shrugged.

"What the fuck Kelpie?!" F. Annabeth demanded and Percy looked at her confused of all fucking things.

"I might act dumb but I'm not stupid. I usually just don't have the right information most of the time." Percy said shrugging slightly at her disbelief.

"Daddy is really smart! He can beat the really high levels on the games!" Amara said happily and that broke the tension a bit as Percy grinned and smothered her in kisses. Demeter watching happily and absolutely smitten by the man who held her heart.

"...I absolutely want to play some of the strategy games with you kid. How about a round of Risk later?" Ares asked grinning and wondering if this kid could think up strategies as well as he could think out the prophecy.

"Oh no! Last time y'all played risk we nearly had another world war!" F. Katie shut that down fast.

How the fuck did they almost start a war playing risk?

Actually most of the room didn't want to know.

"It's not our fault Athena had a temper tantrum over being the first one out!" Percy defended and Athena scowled at him.

"It was funny seeing the look on her face when she got knocked out by Apollo though." F. Annabeth said smirking and Athena glared over at Apollo who looked surprised and pleased.

"Keep reading dad before someone gets hurt." F. Clarisse sighed and Ares did so. Note to self don't invite Athena to play Risk.

"I got the feeling that I could stand here trying to work it out until I had cobwebs, too, and I wouldn’t learn anything else.

My audience with the Oracle was over.

‘Well?’ Chiron asked me. I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. ‘She said I would retrieve what was stolen.’ Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. ‘That’s great!’

‘What did the Oracle say exactly?’ Chiron pressed. ‘This is important.’ My ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice and thoughts still racing. ‘She… she said I would go west and face a god who has turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned.’

‘I knew it,’ Grover said. Chiron didn’t look satisfied. ‘Anything else?’ I didn’t want to tell him. What friend would betray me? I didn’t have that many. And to say something about it would just cause paranoia and distrust to run rampant.

‘No,’ I said. ‘That’s about it.’ He studied my face. ‘Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle’s words often have double meanings. Don’t dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass.’ I got the feeling he knew I was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make me feel better. ‘Okay,’ I said, anxious to change topics. ‘So where do I go? Who’s this god in the west?’"

Again looks were shot at Hades.

"Ah, think, Percy,’ Chiron said. ‘If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?’

"Someone who wants a war?" That was a thought. Who would want a war between the two youngest Kronides? A titan maybe?

"No no. Think who would benefit?" Well someone who draws power from war or who has a grudge against them probably.

‘Somebody else who wants to take over?’ I guessed instead.

‘Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

"Oh for the love of- I don't want a war! My kingdom is still backed up from the last world war!" Hades looked so damn done with everything especially when Zeus shot him suspicious looks.

"And I wasn't unhappy with being given the Underworld, it plays into my strengths with my domains over the shadows and dead! I was unhappy about being vanished from my home most of the time and never really getting to see my family! And while I don't exactly like that Zeus forced Posiedon and I both into the oath I don't HATE my brothers. At least not yet!" Hades snarled and glared at Zeus.

"It is true. The only reason he unleashed the army upon Thalia was in accordance with the old Laws on Retaliation. You murdered our lover, the mother of Nico and Bianca, and you would have murdered our two children as well. In fact you tried to. By the Laws him unleashing his army upon her was the lightest form of retaliation. He did not drag her soul to our realm nor did he throw her into the Styx as he was well within our right." Persephone had a hand on her husbands arm as she glared at her sperm donor.

Zeus looked annoyed and suspicious still while Chiron looked away, Hermes wrote down his obvious bias on the notepad.

"Father doesn't hate heroes, or his nephews and nieces. thalia and Percy come visit a lot for cousin hang out. And Percy shared grandmas room when he stays to visit with Mama and fuss over her or us." Hazel pointed out and looks turned to Thalia and Percy in disbelief.

"What? It's peaceful there." Thalia shrugged at the stares and Percy nodded in agreement.

"Besides look how skinny they are. Of course I would visit to make sure they're eating enough." Percy said motioning at his brother in law, his eldest daughter, and his grandson/brother.

"Hm that's a good point. You are very skinny." Demeter turned to observe her brother, daughter and grandson worriedly. At least her granddaughter looked a healthy weight.

"Oh no." Hades dropped his head into his hands. He knew where this was going.

Persephone sighed but smiled slightly.

"I'll have to fix you all some ribs when we break for lunch. And get you plenty of snacks." Demeter fussed as she summoned snacks for everyone and pointedly watched the Underworld Family to make sure they ate something.

She was going to mother hen then for weeks and make sure they were stuffed with food until they couldn't move.

Ares hoped he could steal some ribs later. His Aunt Demeter made some bomb ass ribs.

"I thought about my dreams, the evil voice that had spoken from under the ground. ‘The titan king?’

Chiron looked shocked and nervous. "No no. Not him. Hades."

Huh?!? Horse say what?!?

He must have taken my shock as agreement because Chiron nodded. ‘The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility.’ A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover’s mouth. ‘Whoa, wait. Wh-what?’

‘A Fury came after Percy,’ Chiron reminded him. ‘She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades.’ ‘Yes, but – but Hades hates all heroes,’ Grover protested. ‘Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon…’

‘A hellhound got into the forest,’ Chiron continued. ‘Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."

"Have you completely lost it? I'd want to help Posiedon clear his name not kill his son!" Hades said in disbelief but then Persephones eyes widened.

"Husband." Persephone said catching his attention as she stared at him wide eyed.

"If someone stole Lord Zeus's bolt...what if it's not the only item they took?" Persephone asked and she pointedly looked at her husbands helm that was on the arm of the sofa beside him.

The silence was ringing in the throne room.

"It's possible." Aphrodite said and she was frowning.

"If they somehow got a hold of the Helm then steal the bolt would be simple. And that would explain the Fury and you wanting to get a hold of Percy. If both of you have your items stolen and yet Posiedon didn't...then.."

"Then we'd both blame him." Hades finished.

"But how was his weapon not stolen?" Apollo wondered and Posiedon snorted.

"Cause I'm not stupid enough to take my hand off of it when Hermes or any of his kids are around." Posiedon said making Hermes grin sheepishly remembering when he stole his uncle's weapon.

"But I never leave my helm alone..." Hades trailed off when Demeter turned and gave him a flat look.

"You leave it plenty unattended when you and Persephone sneak off for an hour to act like horny teens." Demeter said and Nico and Hazel pulled faces even as a few gods and kids whistled.

"How did you-" Persephone looked horrified and embarrassed, Demeter just stared at her.

"I'm your mother. You think I don't know you sneak off with your husband when you think I'm not paying attention? Besides one time you two ended up in my palace." Demeter said and Hades pales rapidly.

"What? No we don't we always go to my palace!" Persephone said and Demeter raised an eyebrow at her.

"You might have been aiming for your palace but you ended up in your room in my palace." Demeter said and Persephone looked mortified.

"Is that why you couldn't look us in the eye for twenty years back in the 1800s?" Hades asked quietly and Demeter snorted.

"Oh please. With how often I've walked in on you two or heard you two? I admit to trying to baby and spoil my kids a bit but I'm not that bad. I know full well my daughter is grown and married and has had children and therefore has been intimate with you. I was just embarrassed you two were being so...boring with it. Seriously how long have you two been married and yet everytime I walk in on you it's missionary? Try to vary things a bit why don't you?" Demeter asked and Persephone deathly pale face suddenly turned as bright golden as her hair.

"Oh khaos. Mother no! I'm not discussing my sex life with you!" Persephone hid her face in her husbands chest while he looked just as embarrassed and horrified. Apollo and Hermes were snickering even as most of the kids pulled faces.

"I would like to change the subject please?" Nico asked raising his hand and Hazel rapidly nodded in agreement.

"I second that!" Artemis said looking disgusted. Ares was trying not to break a rib laughing and Aphrodite looked scandalized.

"Okay. Just remember dear. If you ever tire of missionary, and I don't even know how you two did that position on your throne, just say so. I know a lot of positions you can try." Demeter said as if it were nothing important. Persephone whined in embarrassment.

"I'm not discussing my sex life with you." Persephone whined at her mother.

"Oh then what about me? I can suggest a lot of-" Athena snatched the book from Ares and quickly began reading loudly to stop this talk.

"Great,’ I muttered. ‘That’s two major gods who want to kill me.’ ‘But a quest to…’ Grover swallowed. ‘I mean, couldn’t the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine’s very nice this time of year.’

"Maine is never nice." Thalia said although she was snickering at her older half sisters embarrassment.

"To be fair that was in December. And oh man I can barely remember the good old days when only two gods wanted to kill me." Percy grinned as well. Several heads snapped to him.

"More gods want to kill you? Why?" Demeter asked alarmed and worried. Percy kissed her nose.

"Because I'm going to marry one of the most beautiful Goddesses in the entire pantheon. The most beautiful unmarried one..." Percy said grinning and that earned coos and a few impressed looks at him not pissing off Aphrodite with that.

"The single most beautiful person in existence." He murmured softly for only her to hear and she smiled up at him and snuggled back into his side. He was such a sweet talker.

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt,’ Chiron insisted. ‘He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don’t pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead’s motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

"I see now where the bias my children are faced with comes from." Hades glared at his horse brother who winced and looked away.

"A strange fire burned in my stomach. The weirdest thing was: it wasn’t fear. It was anticipation. The desire for revenge. Hades had tried to kill me three times so far, with the Fury, the Minotaur and the hellhound. It was his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he was trying to frame me and my dad for a theft we hadn’t committed

But...my previous side spoke up. This didn't make sense. The Lord of the dead was fair. Above all things he was a fair man. Sure he had taken and kidnapped my eldest daughter but...she did seem genuinely happy those last few times she had left to join him in the Underworld. I could remember her mentioning how he had been patient with her and kind. He had been understanding that although they were Ones she did not know him and his kidnapping had not left a good impression.

But then my more recent life spoke up. He took. My. Mom. I was ready to take him on. Besides, if my mother was in the Underworld… Whoa, boy, said the small part of my brain that was still sane. You’re a kid. Hades is a god."

"Where did that small part go?" Nico asked grinning at Percy who threw a pillow at him.

"I...did he try to fight me?" Hades asked slowly as he looked at Percy who grinned at him.

"Twelve year old me did not try to fight you." Percy said easily and Apollo nodded.

"That's true." He agreed when a few shot him looks.

"Good you do have some sense." Hades said and he wondered why Nico was muffling his noise with the sunshine child. Persephone seemed to be thinking about something but she was still snuggled into his chest and didn't say anything which meant it either wasn't important or she'd think it was funny.

"Grover was trembling. He’d started eating pinochle cards like potato crisps. The poor guy needed to complete a quest with me so he could get his searcher’s license, whatever that was, but how could I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said I was destined to fail? This was suicide. ‘Look, if we know it’s Hades,’ I told Chiron, ‘why can’t we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads.’ Or Demi would. Because if Hades did something that stupid then Persephone would be dragged into it by association and if that happened Demeter would kill her brother."

"Maybe not kill him. That would hurt Persephone. But I don't need to kill him to hurt him." Demeter said and her lips were pulled up into a cold smile aimed at her brother who winced.

"You are irresistible when being dangerous and scary." Percy said and he kissed along her neck again.

"You can never resist her anyways." F. Travis said snickering.

"Right? Like as soon as you two are married I would t be surprised if you had ten or twenty kids before slowing down. It's a miracle she isn't already pregnant in our time." F. Connor said and Percy gave them a raised eyebrow stare.

"I know you two aren't talking. I'm surprised you two haven't made us into grandparents yet with how often you're all over Katie." Percy said and the brothers hummed their agreement. Katie just shrugged a bit.

"Waiting until after the wedding like you and mama are Papa." Was all F. Katie said and lil Katie looked embarrassed.

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same,’ Chiron said. ‘Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades – and I imagine Poseidon does – they couldn’t retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other’s territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they’re bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero’s actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?’ ‘You’re saying I’m being used.’

'I’m saying it’s no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It’s a very risky gamble, but he’s in a desperate situation. He needs you.’"

"I always claim my children after a week or two to let them build up a reputation of their own!" Posiedon said staring at the centaur in disbelief.

"And bold of you to assume that I'd ever let him use our son as a weapon or tool." Amphitrite scowled at the horse.

"You're emotionally manipulating him." Aphrodite deadpanned with narrowed eyes.

Chiron said nothing.

"My dad needs me. Emotions rolled around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I didn’t know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me. Wait...but even if that was true for him then what about the other claiming? I was claimed as a legacy of Aphrodite and as a son of Amphitrite. How did they fit into this? Chiron hadn't mentioned them or their claiming of me...

I looked at Chiron. ‘You’ve known I was Poseidon’s son all along, haven’t you?’

‘I had my suspicions. As I said… I’ve spoken to the Oracle, too.’

No mention of my immortal mom or my...grandma? Great grandma? Wasn't quite sure how far back Aphrodite was on my family tree on Mom's side...but he didn't mention them. Strange..."

"Good point. It's like he's ignoring my claim on you and Aphrodite being your ancestor." Amphitrite noted to her youngest who smiled at her while Chiron frowned but then kept his face clean of emotion.

When no answer or excuse was forthcoming Athena kept reading.

"I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn’t telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn’t worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too.

‘So let me get this straight,’ I said. ‘I’m supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead.’

‘Check,’ Chiron said.

‘Find one of the most powerful weapon in the universe.’

‘Check.’

‘And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days.’

‘That’s about right.’"

"So your average Tuesday?" Thalia asked snickering.

"...I...it's bad I can't deny that." Percy said shaking his head slightly.

"It's bad that this was probably our easiest quest during the entire first war." F. Annabeth pointed out and F Clarisse could only nod in agreement.

"I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts. ‘Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?’ he asked weakly. ‘You don’t have to go,’ I told him. ‘I can’t ask that of you.’

‘Oh…’ He shifted his hooves. ‘No… it’s just that satyrs and underground places… well…’ He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. ‘You saved my life, Percy. If… if you’re serious about wanting me along, I won’t let you down.’

I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, though I didn’t think that would be very heroic. Grover was the only friend I’d ever had for longer than a few months. I wasn’t sure what good a satyr could do against the forces of the dead, but I felt better knowing he’d be with me. Also I called him a friend. Which meant he wouldn't be the one to betray me."

"But daddy. You always say I can cry if I feel like it. Even when the mean big kids said I shouldn't." Amara said confused and Percy dragged her over to kiss her head.

"Don't listen to those mean big kids, daddy will be having a talk with them later. And it's okay to cry. It's okay to feel emotions. You're a child. Cry if you feel like it. There's nothing wrong with crying." Percy said and that...that struck the demigods in the room harder than they'd like to admit.

"So...so it's okay? To cry? Crying doesn't make us weak or babies?" One of the kids by Hera asked hopefully.

"Oh little ones." Hera scooped the children, as many as she could while in this small mortal size, into her arms.

"Crying doesn't make you weak. It makes you human. And even gods cry sometimes. If you need to cry or want to? Then do it. And if anyone gives you a tough time just tell me. I'll handle it." Hera said softly to the children in her arms. One poor girl, no older than ten, buried her face in Heras shoulder immediately and Hera could feel the tears even as the child didn't make a sound.

"You should see Apollo during a movie. He cries during chick flicks more than Aphrodite does." Artemis said awkwardly and hoping she didn't see any kids cry. Just cause she was a protector of youth didn't mean she knew how to handle them crying. Apollo was great at comforting people, she rather sucked at it. She was better at avenging them.

"And you should see Ares sometimes. He gets so proud of his kids he starts crying. And he likes to act all big and tough but I've seen him cry during romance movies." Aphrodite said and that earned a few giggles.

"Demeter does it too. Anytime she gets a present from her kids or heard their first prayer or sacrifice she starts crying. And she cries every time one is born too." Athena said awkwardly hoping none of her kids cry.

"Oh Posiedon is an absolute baby when it comes to the kids and sometimes other things. He started crying over eels once cause they didn't have any arms." Amphitrite said and Posiedon pouted at the snickers.

"Hades does too. You should see him every time he's with his kids. He's cried each time his children are born, cried during their first steps and cried during their first words. There's nothing wrong with crying." Persephone said grinning at her husband.

"I'm not that bad." Hades protested and Persephone kissed his cheek.

"You sobbed and held Nico for two hours when he first called you dada as a baby." Persephone reminded with a smile and Hades pouted while Nico grinned sheepishly.

"There's nothing wrong with crying." Hera reaffirmed and she ran her fingers through the children's hair in turn, saying nothing about her dress getting wet with tears that have been depressed for too long.

Athena started reading again, desperately hoping none of her kids cried. She wouldn't know what to do about it.

"All the way, G-man.’ I turned to Chiron. ‘So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west.’ ‘The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it’s in America.’

‘Where?’ Chiron looked surprised. ‘I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles.’

‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Naturally. So we just get on a plane –’ ‘No!’ Grover shrieked. ‘Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?’ I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me anywhere by plane. She’d always said we didn’t have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash.

‘Percy, think,’ Chiron said. ‘You are the son of the Sea God. Your father’s bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus’s domain. You would never come down again alive.’

"Which is stupid. Uncle P doesn't kill me or Neeks when we go to the ocean." Thalia huffed.

"I mean I get sea sick but I think that's just a me thing not cause I'm a child of Pluto." Hazel said shrugging.

"Heck he even lets Lady Athena's kids into the waters and gods know he has plenty of reasons to kill us all." F. Annabeth pointed out and there were several nods.

"Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed. ‘Okay,’ I said, determined not to look at the storm. ‘So, I’ll travel overland.’

‘That’s right,’ Chiron said. ‘Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help.’

‘Gee,’ I said, feigning surprise. ‘Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?’

"Oh fuck you Tuna fish." F. Annabeth snorted and Percy snickered.

"Only I get to do that." Demeter said making several blush or gag.

"The air shimmered behind Chiron. Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket. ‘I’ve been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain,’ she said. ‘Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you’re going to save the world, I’m the best person to keep you from messing up.’

I glanced at Chiron.

"Was there anyone else?"

"Yeah that's fair after how I treated him." F. Annabeth shrugged while lil Annabeth looked annoyed at the question.

"No I'm afraid Annabeth is your only volunteer."

"That's a lie. Each cabin had at least one volunteer. I know Silena, Charles and I all volunteered." F. Katie said flatly and she glared at Chiron.

"I did too. Pretty sure Castor did, so did Lee." F. Clarisse said glaring at Chiron .

"Wait really? I didn't know there were other volunteers." Percy looked surprised at this information.

"Me neither. Chiron said I was the only one left to ask." F. Annabeth looked thrown. Hermes wrote that down and underlined it.

"Damn."

"You'll need me seaweed brain."

If you do say so yourself,’ I said. ‘I suppose you have a plan, Wise Girl?’

Her cheeks coloured. ‘Do you want my help or not?’ The truth was, I did. I needed all the help I could get. ‘A trio,’ I said. ‘That’ll work.’

‘Excellent,’ Chiron said. ‘This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own.’ Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather. ‘No time to waste,’ Chiron said. ‘I think you should all get packing."

"Wait...wait. Does Percy even have a weapon yet at that time?" Silena asked worriedly and she looked at the future Demigods.

"Nope!" F. Annabeth fiddled with her knife again.

"No weapon, only a week of training, a vague plan. And at that time. Nothing to lose." Percy said smirking and everyone shuddered at the dark smirk on his face.

"I love when you get all dark and hot...and possessive. I love when you're possessive." Demeter said smiling and nuzzling into his neck before leaving kisses.

"I'm always possessive of you."

"I know."

"Alright you two. Remember no kids yet." F. Chris called to then and Percy flipped him off.

Chapter Text

"Let me Athena." Artemis said reaching for the book and being given it gladly.

She looked at the page and raised an eyebrow.

"I ruin a perfectly good bus."

"Can we not destroy parts of my domain please?" Hermes asked sighing and looking at Percy who shot him a lopsided grin.

"In my defense, technically I didn't do it. I was in the right place at the wrong time." Percy said and the entire group from the Future let out choked snorts and laughs.

"If that doesn't sum up everything I don't know what does." F. Clarisse snickered heavily and that...did not reassure the gods or the lil demigods.

"It didn’t take me long to pack. I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me. The camp store loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. The kids in my cabin stole me some extra food from the kitchens to take as I burned offerings to Tyche and Nike for luck and victory."

"That was sweet of them." Amphitrite said smiling slightly.

"Why did they need to steal it? The food should be readily available for all, especially considering that it would help them with the extra calories needed and recover from using powers extensively." Demeter looked confused as to why the food would need to be stolen.

"We have three set mealtimes. And if we want anything between meals we need to either steal it from the kitchen or sneak it in from out of camp. Although the Demeter kids and Dionysus kids can sneak some strawberries from the fields." F. Travis said knowing he and his siblings were the biggest smugglers of food in the camp.

"Chiron. You know they need more food especially after practicing with powers. So why would you limit their foods?" Demeter frowned as she glared at the Centaur who shuffled a bit.

"Given the changes in foods and calorie requirements for children their ages I thought three meals where they could eat as much as they wish were sufficient." Chiron said and there were hisses or scowls.

"I remember when I was a demigod that after training with my powers I needed extra food and rest. I had thought that newer demigods were simply...not as strong. That their blood was more diluted. Is that not the case?" Dionysus asked leaning forward with a frown.

"It's not. If anything over the years our blood would become more potent. Especially if our children take after one of our older or more dangerous epithets. For instance Katie has my Bringer of Winter and Enriys epithet, she would definitely need more food for her powers to develop properly rather than say Billie who was my Sìto epithet or my triplets who got my fertility and Chloe epithet. If Katie doesn't get enough to eat, especially after using her powers, then her powers will be stunted and never as strong as they should be." Demeter said frowning heavily.

"Thankfully it's fixed in our time. Each cabin has their own kitchen to make food and mama makes sure our cabin is always stocked fully of nutritious foods for us. And Papa always makes sure everyone eats as much as they wish especially after training." F. Katie said smiling over at her mother who relaxed a bit hearing it would be fixed.

"Hmmm I'll have to think up a design for the kitchen then..." Demeter mumbled and Percy kissed her head.

"Don't worry my dearest. Annabeth is an architect. She's helped design and redesign all the cabins at least once. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to help come up with designs." Percy said and lil Annabeth perked up while F. Annabeth snorted.

"You know damn well I've already got the designs in my portfolio." She shot him a grin and he grinned back.

"These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us and I remembered that easily, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. Chiron said the coins might come in handy for nonmortal transactions – whatever that meant. Perhaps we'd find a bazaar or an informant that was run by dryads and satyrs or other immortals? When they weren't looking I carefully took and hid two of the coins in my shirt pocket. Demi. Persephone... I could at least pretend that a part of my wife and our eldest was with me...I didn't see any for Desponia, Arion or my...my son. I wish I knew what he looked like. Did he have Demis eyes? Her hair? Her freckles? Did he have my hair? Or my then brown eyes? Maybe he had my nose or her cheekbones? I wish I knew...I wish I had gotten to meet him."

"He's beautiful." Demeter said softly to Percy and she felt despair remembering he hadn't even known of her pregnancy when she died. He had never gotten to meet their son.

"He has mostly brown hair but when the light hits it just right it looks golden, he has your cheekbones but my nose and his eyes are green. He likes to stay in the form of a small child and he uses a cornucopia, he doesn't have freckles." Demeter described to her husband who smiled lovingly at her.

"I've met him in my time my love. And you're right. He is beautiful." Percy murmured to her and she was relieved he had met their son.

"He gave Annabeth and me each a flask of nectar and an airtight bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. I was glad for the children sneaking me mortal food. Because apparently we were meant to find our own."

"No. You should have been given at least a weeks worth of rations as well." Hera said and she didn't sound pleased as Hermes wrote this down.

"Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally. Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector."

"You took a book on a quest?" Hazel asked in disbelief and lil Annabeth nodded happily while F. Annabeth sighed.

"Yeah I was dumb and naive." F. Annabeth admitted making everyone else look at her surprised and confused.

"But... we'll be mostly traveling in busses or trains?" Annabeth asked confused and she got a shake of the head from the older demigods.

"See? Naive." F. Annabeth said as if it solved everything.

"Grover wore his fake feet and his trousers to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. My heart yearned for the apple trees my love and I used to have. Apples were her favorite fruits..."

"Simp." Came the call around the room as Percy grabbed up a bag of dehydrated apple chips and offered them to Demeter who laughed but let him feed her.

"I like apples too." Amara nodded along and Persephone snickered.

"Most of mamas kids do. I don't know how she passed on her love for apples but she did." Persephone said grinning at her mom who wagged a finger at her.

"Hush you. Or I won't make apple pie for you for a year." Demeter said and Persephone immediately zipped her mouth shut.

"Besides Mama can't talk. She passed on her love of pomegranates and honey." Hazel threw her mama under the bus and Persephone pouted at her Roman daughter.

"In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff’s ‘So Yesterday’, both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes. We waved goodbye to the other campers, Aunt Silena slipped me a pocket knife and Billie had 'accidentally' knocked over my bag and insisted on picking it up. I gave her an amused smile when I saw her slip a few rations bars into it. Miranda slipped me a note to never stow my bags when she hugged me. The triplets begged me to come back alive and the boys told me to beat up some dumb monsters.

Katie gave me a long look before slipping a bracelet onto my wrist when she hugged me. It had a tiny bronze sickle charm on it.

The other Aphrodite kids just hugged me or wished me luck, a few slipped me extra drachma or money. One slipped me a compact mirror.

Then we took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus."

"That was sweet of them all." Hestia smiled at the care they showed for one of their own.

"It sucks they have to be sneaky about it however to get past Chiron." Ares scowled dnd Hermes definitely wrote that down.

"How long you gonna keep calling me that Squidward?" Thalia threw a pillow at Percy who caught it easily.

"Meh. Forever if I know it annoys you Pinecone." Percy stuck his tongue out at her, she returned the gesture.

"Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy was the camp’s head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur’s uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck. ‘This is Argus,’ Chiron told me. ‘He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things.’"

"That jokes older than Hermes is." Persephone snorted in disbelief at him still using it.

"Not that that says much. The only immortal here younger than Hermes is Dionysus." Apollo snickered.

"I heard footsteps behind us. Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes. ‘Hey!’ he panted. ‘Glad I caught you.’ Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. ‘Just wanted to say good luck,’ Luke told me. ‘And I thought… um, maybe you could use these.’ He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal."

"You smelled them?" Luke looked confused as to what he was doing and why someone would smell the shoes.

"Boarding school. You never know. Ask Grover about the time someone out enchiladas in his shoes." Percy said shrugging a bit but he mainly focused on feeding his wife and the kids in their laps some more apple slices.

"Luke said, ‘Maia."

"Fucknuggets!" Hermes yelped as he suddenly took an unplanned trip around the room to everyone's amusement. Even he was laughing as he finally got his shoes to stop and turned off the fly function.

"That was nice of you son." Hermes said beaming at his generous boy.

"I just hope they came in handy!" Luke grinned towards Annabeth and Percy.

"Yeah they did. Red baroned us out of a tight spot or two." Percy said and F. Annabeth tried not to laugh.

"Wait red baron...isn't that-" Nico was cut off by nods and he snorted and grinned.

"Oh so we finally get the origins of that nickname huh?" F. Connor leaned in curiously.

"I smell blackmail!" Thalia rubbed her hands together in glee.

"White bird’s wings sprouted out of the heels, startling me so much, I dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

'Awesome!’ Grover said. Luke smiled. ‘Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don’t use them much these days…’ His expression turned sad."

"Yeah don't really want to go flying around camp, especially during archery practice." Luke said sheepishly and that earned a few snickers or nods of agreement.

"I didn’t know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say goodbye. I’d been afraid he might resent me for getting so much attention the last few days. But here he was giving me a magic gift… It made me blush almost as much as Annabeth."

"Ooohhh blushing huh? Gonna join the pride parade Jackson?" F. Will asked snickering.

"Two things. One, if I must use a label Bi is what I am-" Here there were whoops and cheers around the room. Aphrodite threw glitter.

"-and two I am Demeter sexual. I can admit other people are hot or beautiful but she's the only one I'm attracted to." Percy said and there were cries of simp everywhere.

"Good. Because you, Iasion...you as Percy...you're the only one I'm attracted to." Demeter said and she pulled him down into a gentle loving kiss.

Artemis hurried to read. She did not want to see people suck face thank you!

"‘Hey, man,’ I said. ‘Thanks.’

‘Listen, Percy…’ Luke looked uncomfortable. ‘A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just… kill some monsters for me, okay?’ We shook hands. Luke patted Grover’s head between his horns, then gave a goodbye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out. After Luke was gone, I told her, ‘You’re hyperventilating.’ ‘Am not.’ ‘You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn’t you?’

‘Oh… why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?’ She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys."

"Erm that's sweet Annie but-"

"Oh no let me make this clear. I loved you as a brother. And I had a bit of hero worship at the time." F. Annabeth bit that in the bud immediately and Luke looked relieved at the clarification.

"I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. I looked at Chiron. ‘I won’t be able to use these, will I?’ He shook his head. ‘Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air… that would not be wise for you.’"

"Oh right son of Posiedon...sorry man." Luke said sheepishly to Percy who ignored him.

"Always listen to Prissy when he says he has a bad feeling." F. Clarisse said scowling.

"But they said the shoes were useful?" Micheal wondered curiously.

"I nodded, disappointed, but then I got an idea. ‘Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?’ His eyes lit up. ‘Me?’ Pretty soon we’d laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world’s first flying goat boy was ready for launch."

"Oh man tell me someone recorded this?!" Thalia asked grinning as she sat forward.

"I wish we did!" Percy snickered.

"‘Maia!’ he shouted. He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos.

‘Practice,’ Chiron called after him. ‘You just need practice!’ ‘Aaaaa!’ Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading towards the van."

Laughter sprang out around the room, some laughing so hard they were in tears.

"Possessed lawn mower." Thalia was howling in laughter and Nico nearly fell over into F. Will as he cried he was laughing so hard.

"We need to make sure we take a picture or record this when it happens in our time." The Stolls were cackling and there were laughs and giggles for several more minutes. Even Artemis was smiling as she continued to read.

"Before I could follow, Chiron caught my arm. ‘I should have trained you better, Percy,’ he said. ‘If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason – they all got more training.’"

That sobered everyone up.

"Even a child has more training! He's only had a handful of lessons!" Aphrodite sneered and she seemed very upset about that.

"And the only weapon he has is a pocket knife Silena slipped him and my sickle. Although Chiron didn't know that." F. Katie said and she had a hand sickle in her hand that she was flipping up and catching with ease.

"Oh shit. Chiron doesn't know he has a weapon." Hermes wrote that down.

"It's okay I just wish-" I cut myself off before I could say anything else. I just wish I could see my wife and our kids again. I wished I could hug them or tell them I love them. I wish I could meet Ploutus."

"Oh Percy." Demeter leaned into him and she had tears in her eyes.

"We know you love us Papa." Persephone sounded choked up.

"Me, Desponia and Arion told Ploutus all about you. Us and mama made sure he knew that you loved him even if you never met him." Persephone said softly and Percy waved her over. The Queen of the Underworld was in the form of a small child as she climbed into her parents lap and was pulled into a hug and Percy kissed her head.

"What am I thinking?’ Chiron cried. ‘I can’t let you get away without this.’ He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents and I was confused but still I said. ‘Thanks.’

‘Percy, that’s a gift from your father. I’ve kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one.’

I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I’d vaporized Mrs Dodds. Chiron had thrown me a pen that turned into a sword. Could this be…?

I took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather wrapped grip and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand."

Artemis eyes tightened and she glared as she recognized the description of the blade.

"It is a sword made by a sea goddess and imbued with the power of the Seas. Of course it would feel balanced to you son." Posiedon said and then he frowned in thought.

"But what about the Trident? I send a Trident that could disguise as a broach for your use as well." Posiedon said and Percy looked at him surprised.

"Dad I never got a Trident. My first Trident was the one Mama had given me after the war." Percy said and he reached up to tap a button on his shirt, turning the ornate button into a gleaming silver Trident with coral gems around it and seaglass and gleaming seashells imbedded in it.

"Chiron. I will be asking where that Trident went later when children aren't around." Posiedon glared at his half brother who winced.

Percy twisted a small piece of sea shell near the bottom and the Trident once more became a button.

"‘The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into,’ Chiron told me. ‘Its name is Anaklusmos.’

‘'Riptide”,’ I translated, surprised that Ancient Greek came so easily.

'Use it only for emergencies,’ Chiron said, ‘and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case.’

I looked at the wickedly sharp blade. ‘What do you mean it wouldn’t harm mortals? How could it not?’ I remember ed times in the past when the weapons of heroes had harmed mortals. One demigod son of Zeus had flirted with Demi once despite us being married for two years by then, and he had tried to slice her with his knife when she refused him. I could distinctly remember the blade slicing across my flesh when I had put myself between her and the blade."

"Oh I remember him. I turned him into a corn plant for his actions and then lit him on fire." Demeter glared at the book as she recalled that, one of her hands coming up and tracing a path on Percys chest where the scar from the slash has been.

"You knew she was a goddess and still jumped in front of a blade for her?" Athena looked like she was questioning Percys intelligence now as she stared at him.

"Of course I did. Goddess or not she's the woman I love first and foremost. What kind of husband would I be if I didn't do my best to protect her? If I let her get hurt while I could prevent it?" Percy asked in disbelief. He'd never let her get hurt if he could help it. Demeter was a bit smug at having an amazing loving person like him as her One but she made a mental note to remind him she could protect herself.

"Zeus would probably be the one I need protection from." Hera snorted bitterly jealous of her sisters amazing luck.

"And you deserve a lot better." Percy said nodding to her and shooting a glare at Zeus who opened his mouth to argue. The dark looks most of the gods and demigods gave him shut him up.

"But Hecate enchanted the Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze to not hurt mortals after world war 1." Ares said making Percy nod in thanks at now having an answer.

"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It’s deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don’t kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill."

"That's some serious horse shit. It's because Hecate enchanted the ores used to not hurt those who didn't have some divinity or ichor to them. It can hurt trees and plants cause they're connected to Gaea and sometimes to Aunt Demeter. But it can't hurt mortals just cause there's no divinity in em." Hephaestus said shaking his head and Hermes made another note.

"I'm telling Rachel he said that when we get back to our time." Thalia muttered making the future Demigods snicker.

"And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable.’ ‘Good to know.’ ‘Now recap the pen.’ I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. I tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pens at school.

‘You can’t,’ Chiron said. ‘Can’t what?’

‘Lose the pen,’ he said. ‘It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it.’ I was wary, but I threw the pen as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass. ‘It may take a few moments,’ Chiron told me. ‘Now check your pocket.’ Sure enough, the pen was there.

'Okay, that’s extremely cool,’ I admitted. ‘But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?’ Chiron smiled. ‘Mist is a powerful thing, Percy.’

‘Mist?’ Like the weather? ‘Yes. Read The Iliad. It’s full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a halfblood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."

"He wouldn't have time to read it now when he's on a quest." Athena pointed out annoyed.

"Most acts weird for me anyways. Usually I leave that up to Thalia and Hazel." Percy said grinning over at the two women.

"Someone's gotta bail your ass out jellyfish." Thalia grinned back at him.

"Bail him out? I'm sorry who exactly was the one who got arrested and needed to be bailed out of jail?" Hazel raised an eyebrow and there were snickers and giggles.

"Look! That bastard deserved it!" Thalia said defensively.

"He did yes but what about the second time? When you were arrested for egging a federal building and the supreme judges?" Phoebe asked and Thalia scowled.

"The fuckers overturned Roe v Wade!"

"They did what?!" Aphrodite demanded alarmed as was Athena and Ares and Hera.

"Hasn't happened yet! No spoilers for the future Thalia!" Percy said and the gods did not look happy. Aphrodite and Ares were muttering ways to punish the ones who did it. Athena was plotting ways to keep it from happening.

"What about the time you got arrested for public indecency?" F. Annabeth moved along to change the subject.

"Okay that one was the fault of the Party Ponies and me losing a bet again Reyna!" Thalia defended.

"Thalia how many times have you been arrested?" Little Annabeth asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

Seeing that was the only answer they'd get from her Artemis kept reading wondering what the hell was happening to her hunt in the future.

"I put Riptide back in my pocket. For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare.) I had no weapon stronger than a sword and a sickle to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.

'Chiron…’ I said. ‘When you say the gods are immortal… I mean, there was a time before them, right?’

‘Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age’. ‘So what was it like… before the gods?’ I remember wondering once but would never ask Demi. I knew the night terrors and breakdowns she had had still over what happened and her father."

"Why would you ask that?" Hera asked softly and Demeter flinched and cowered into Percys side remembering things shed much rather forget. The other Elder Five and Aphrodite all shuddered and tried to repress the memories.

"I think the book will explain why I asked." Percy said but focused his attention on soothing his wife.

"Chiron pursed his lips. ‘Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born.’

"He ate humans?" Someone sounded sick.

"He ate his own kids. What were humans to him?" Hestia asked flatly and the flat tone of her voice sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Luke looked torn.

"‘But the gods can’t die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they’re alive. So… even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?’ Me failing wouldn't hurt my family right?"

"Oh child..." Aphrodite nearly whimpered. The boy merely wanted to be reassured, to be told that it would be okay. That even if he failed his family wouldn't be damaged and would survive.

"Well there'd be war..." Hermes trailed off as he was shot stern looks.

"Chiron gave me a melancholy smile. ‘No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny.’

'Our destiny… assuming we know what that is.’ ‘Relax,’ Chiron told me. ‘Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

"That's no way to reassure a child." Hera groaned in disbelief over how bad Chiron was at this. What the fuck has happened to the centaur?

"Relax,’ I said. ‘I’m very relaxed.’ When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.

Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Grover sitting next to me as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. I found myself staring at every McDonald’s, every kid in the back of his parents’ car, every billboard and shopping mall.

‘So far so good,’ I told Annabeth. ‘Ten miles and not a single monster."

"You jinxed it!" Several people cried out. Percy gave a sheepish smile as Persephone and Demeter gave him disbelieving looks.

"She gave me an irritated look. ‘It’s bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain.’

‘Remind me again – why do you hate me so much?’ ‘I don’t hate you.’ ‘Could’ve fooled me."

"Sorry Ariel." F. Annabeth winced reminded of her behavior.

"You're fine Bella." Percy waved it off.

"She folded her cap of invisibility. ‘Look… we’re just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals.’

‘Why?’ What did our parents have to do with this? She sighed. ‘How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena’s temple, which is hugely disrespectful."

"I. Was. Drugged." Posiedon gritted out glaring at Athena who rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right." Artemis kept reading to avoid the fight.

"And that was Roman anyways." Frank reminded and Athena glared at him in return.

"Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her.’

'They must really like olives.’ ‘Oh, forget it.’

‘Now, if she’d invented pizza – that I could understand.’ ‘I said, forget it!’

"Besides I thought their rivalry would come from Pallas." 'My mothers name?'

"No", I said staring at her I remember Demi telling me about it when I asked about the horrid times for the Seas, "My niece. The daughter of Triton who your mother killed during a spar."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Athena denied paling rapidly.

"Sure." Posiedon sneered at her.

"I thought she'd block the blow I didn't...I would have never..." Athena looked stricken as she realized no one believed her. Not even her kids.

Artemis just kept reading.

"That was an accident!" "Try telling my parents that. Or my brother." She fell silent at that.

In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn’t say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me.

Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe’s apartment. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flier with my picture on it:

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?

I ripped it down before Annabeth and Grover could notice."

"We noticed we just didn't say anything." F. Annabeth said shrugging.

"Thanks for that." Percy nodded to her.

"Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot."

"Wait. He didn't check the bus? He didn't make sure there were no monsters nearby?" Hera demanded and when the demigods shook their heads in the negative.

"Oh I will be having words with him later." Hera growled.

"I thought about how close I was to my old apartment. On a normal day, my mom would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe was probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her.

Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction I was looking. ‘You want to know why she married him, Percy?’ I stared at him. ‘Were you reading my mind or something?’

‘Just your emotions.’ He shrugged. ‘Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?’ I nodded, wondering what else Grover might’ve forgotten to tell me."

"A lot. We all forgot to tell you a lot." Thalia said sighing heavily.

"Your mom married Gabe for you,’ Grover told me. ‘You call him “Smelly”, but you’ve got no idea. The guy has this aura… Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven’t been near him for a fortnight.’

"The scent. It covered up your own and hid you from monsters." Apollo said and Percy nodded his head.

"That is one brave and smart woman." Ares muttered impressed.

"‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘Where’s the nearest shower?’ ‘You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn’t lived with him every summer, you probably would’ve been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must’ve loved you a lot to put up with that guy – if that makes you feel any better."

"Be grateful? For the beatings he put you through? The scars you carry because of him? The trauma..." Demeter pulsed as she struggled to not burst into her divine form.

"He didn't know. None of us did." Thalia said grimly but Percy decided to distract his wife.

"May I?" Percy asked her softly and when she nodded at him he kissed her hard and passionate and rough and loving.

Her skin stopped pulsing as she kissed him back just as hard.

"Mama! Papa!" Persephone pushed their faces apart and gave them an unimpressed look as she jumped from their lap to regain her adult form and go back to her husbands side.

"Sorry princess! It was the fastest way to keep her from bursting into her true form!" Percy said and Persephone rolled her eyes as Demeter breathed deeply and then laid her head on his shoulder as she relaxed. Regaining her composure.

"Keep reading before something else happens." Apollo whispered to his sister who nodded.

"Grateful. I loved and adored my mom and wished she had gotten dealt a better hand in life but now...to learn that Gabe happened because of me...

I felt sick.

It didn’t, but I forced myself not to show it. I’ll see her again, I thought. She isn’t gone. I wondered if Grover could still read my emotions, mixed up as they were. I was glad he and Annabeth were with me, but I felt guilty that I hadn’t been straight with them.

I hadn’t told them the real reason I’d said yes to this crazy quest. The truth was, I didn’t care about retrieving Zeus’slightning bolt, or saving the world, or even helping my father out of trouble. The more I thought about it, I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support cheque. He’d only claimed me because he needed a job done."

"Sorry." Percy winced and Posiedon waved it off.

"You had good reason to think that way my son. I understand no worries." Posiedon assured him.

"I only took this quest for two reasons. One because a war would break out which would endanger my wife and our kids...and second because Hades had taken my mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back. You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispered in my mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end. Shut up, I told it.

The rain kept coming down. We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover’s apples.

Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. I wasn’t too bad myself. The game ended when I tossed the apple towards Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared – core, stem and all."

There were some snickers at that and Thalia snorted.

"Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth and I were too busy cracking up. Finally the bus came.

As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy – enchiladas. ‘What is it?’ I asked. ‘I don’t know,’ he said tensely. ‘Maybe it’s nothing.’"

"Uh oh." Someone muttered and the room tensed once more.

"But I could tell it wasn’t nothing. I started looking over my shoulder, too. I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. Annabeth moved to stow her bag but I grabbed her wrist.

"We shouldn't stow them. We might have to leave fast." I kept my bag on my back no matter how uncomfortable it was.

"We'll be fine Seaweed brain." I winced at the nickname and said nothing else when she and Grover stowed their bags."

"Sorry Percy." F. Annabeth said wincing.

"In the past Annie." Percy waved it off.

"Never stow your bags or you risk losing all your supplies." Charles grumbled and he stared at Annabeth wondering how she could have forgotten that. There had been a slide show done by one of her sisters on it!

"Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh. As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto my knee. ‘Percy.’ An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse.

When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat. It was Mrs Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face."

"Fuck." The word range around the room and several people looked at Hades.

He winced.

"I must have sent them to retrieve my helm..." He trailed off and he knew that was the only reason Posiedon wasn't wringing his throat.

"I scrunched down in my seat. Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs Dodds – same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers. What the fuck did I do? Did Hades think me the thief as well?"

"Triplet demon grandmothers." Nico choked and he tried not to laugh but F. Connor let out a strangled snort that set him off.

It took a minute or two before Artemis could keep reading.

"They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves. The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan.

‘She didn’t stay dead long,’ I said, trying to keep my voice from quivering. ‘I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime.’

‘I said if you’re lucky,’ Annabeth said. ‘You’re obviously not."

"Truer words were never spoken." F. Chris said in a strangled whisper.

"I think I'm very lucky! I'm still alive and have Demi back in my life, we're married and we have a lot of amazing and beautiful kids!" Percy denied and there were a few smiles and snickers. Demeter claimed Percys lap and took his hands to wrap his arms around her firmly. She half turned so that she was able to listen to his heartbeat.

"All three of them,’ Grover whimpered. ‘Di immortales!’

‘It’s okay,’ Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. ‘The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We’ll just slip out the windows.’ ‘They don’t open,’ Grover moaned. ‘A back exit?’ she suggested. There wasn’t one.

Even if there had been, it wouldn’t have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel."

"That's why he's supposed to check the transport." Hera muttered softly.

"They won’t attack us with witnesses around,’ I said. ‘Will they?’

‘Mortals don’t have good eyes,’ Annabeth reminded me. ‘Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist.’ ‘They’ll see three old ladies killing us, won’t they?’ She thought about it. ‘Hard to say. But we can’t count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit on the roof…?’

We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain. Mrs Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she’d rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: ‘I need to use the restroom.’

‘So do I,’ said the second sister.

‘So do I,’ said the third sister."

"That's creepy." Someone muttered but most were silent wondering how they got out of this.

"They all started coming down the aisle. ‘I’ve got it,’ Annabeth said. ‘Percy, take my hat.’ ‘What?’

‘You’re the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away.’ ‘But you guys –’ ‘There’s an outside chance they might not notice us,’ Annabeth said. ‘You’re a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."

"Wonder what he smells like..." Hermes said and he got a few glares because of the bad timing.

"Sea salt, Apples and Cookies." Demeter answered idly and then blushed a bit when she was given several looks.

"And you smell like Apples, Barley and Poppies." Percy grinned as he kissed her head before nuzzling into her hair.

Artemis rolled her eyes at the cuteness.

"I can’t just leave you.’ ‘Don’t worry about us,’ Grover said. ‘Go!’

My hands trembled. I felt like a coward, but I took the Yankees cap and put it on. When I looked down, my body wasn’t there any more."

"Of course you wouldn't see it. Did you think my magic would not work?" Athena scoffed a bit, her pride hurt.

"For the son of a god you hate? No. I figured you'd have put a security feature in to make sure it didn't work for anyone but your kids." Percy shrugged a bit and Athena had to admit that was a good idea.

"I started creeping up the aisle. I managed to get up ten rows, then duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past. Mrs Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at me. My heart was pounding. Apparently she didn’t see anything.

She and her sisters kept going. I was free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row."

Everyone tensed.

"The old ladies were not old ladies any more. Their faces were still the same – I guess those couldn’t get any uglier – but their bodies had shrivelled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat’s wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips, hissing: ‘Where is it? Where?’ I frowned. It? They weren't looking for me. But a thing...the bolt?"

"No one knows the helm was stolen." Persephone noted and there were frowns from the gods at that.

"I didn't have time to wonder more. The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right. ‘He’s not here!’ Annabeth yelled. ‘He’s gone!’ The Furies raised their whips.

Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bagand prepared to throw it.

What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should’ve been named ADHD poster child of the year."

"I think Leo will fight you for that title." Frank said with a small grin.

"The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror. Still invisible, I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left.

Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows."

"Nope you win!" Hazel gaped at her cousin/grandpa.

"You're lucky that it was the Furies who hit the windows." F. Annabeth pointed her knife at Percy but she was smiling.

"Hey!’ the driver yelled. ‘Hey – whoa!’ We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us.

We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars ploughed aside like bowling pins. Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barrelling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can’t believe there’s so much nothing right across the river from New York.

There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right and the driver seemed to be veering towards the river. Another great idea: I hit the emergency brake. The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet tar and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. I stepped into the driver’s seat and let them pass."

"Holy shit dude." Someone whispered.

"Remind me not to go on a quest with him." Someone else muttered.

"The driver didn't make sure everyone else got off first?" Hermes asked frowning and Percy shook his head.

"I'll handle that." He growled. The driver was supposed to make sure the other passengers got off first!

"The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans. I looked at the open doorway. I was free to go, but I couldn’t leave my friends. I took off the invisible cap. ‘Hey!’ The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the exit suddenly sounded like an excellent idea.

Mrs Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver my F- math test. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather. Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled towards me like huge nasty lizards."

"Tisiphone thinks you're funny by the way. Megaera might have a crush cause she keeps asking me what stupid things you've done." Nico said amused and Demeter frowned and turned her head enough to bite Percys neck and leave a mark. He was HER husband thank you.

"Has Alecto stopped hating me yet?" Percy asked casually.

"She has a dart board with your latest picture on it. She's stolen your year books to keep the picture up to date and I think she has a hate boner for you cause she stalks you to update her board once a week." Nico gleefully informed him and Percy pulled a disgusted disbelieving face.

"That's his luck all right." F. Annabeth said amused and Demeter made sure she left several bite marks on his neck. Those Furies could suck an egg! This was her husband!

Hades looked disbelieving that his torturers liked a demigod and maybe stalked him. Persephone was trying to stifle her amusement.

'Perseus Jackson,’ Mrs Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere further south than Georgia. ‘You have offended the gods. You shall die.’

‘I liked you better as a maths teacher,’ I told her."

Persephone let out an unladylike snort and buried her face in Hades chest to muffle her laughter.

"Why are you like this?" Posiedon asked staring at his son wondering how he lived that long.

"Mama and mom blame you!" Percy chirped happily. Posiedon groaned and buried his head in his hands. Amphitrite looked amused.

"She growled. Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening. I took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword. The Furies hesitated. Mrs Dodds had felt Riptide’s blade before. She obviously didn’t like seeing it again.

'Submit now,’ she hissed. ‘And you will not suffer eternal torment.’

"Tell my brother in law to eat some grains and get over it."

"You did not!" Thalia howled as laughter broke out. Even Demeter was laughing now as Hades gaped at Percy.

"How did they not bring that up to me?" Hades asked in disbelief because if they had he would have investigated. And then learned who Percy was and told his wife and his mother in law.

"I think they were just confused." Percy grinned sheepishly. It took a minute and a half for the laughter to calm for Artemis to read.

"Percy, look out!’ Annabeth cried. Mrs Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me. My hand felt like it was wrapped in molten lead, but I managed not to drop Riptide. I struck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backwards into a seat.

I turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Annabeth got Mrs Dodds in a wrestler’s hold and yanked her backwards while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands. ‘Ow!’ he yelled. ‘Ow! Hot! Hot!’"

"Did you piggyback ride a fury?" Sherman asked gaping at Annabeth.

"She did and it was awesome." Percy praised. Artemis made plans to ask the girl to join the hunt later.

"The Fury I’d hilt-slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Riptide and she broke open like a piñata. Mrs Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs Dodds’s legs tied up in her own whip.

Finally they both shoved her backwards into the aisle. Mrs Dodds tried to get up, but she didn’t have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down."

"Which was funny to see after the fact." F. Annabeth said grinning.

"Zeus will destroy you!’ she promised. ‘Hades will have your soul!’

"Amen." Nico said innocently and there were several laughs.

"Really son?" Hades asked fondly amused and exasperated.

"Mama was Catholic remember?" Nico said grinning as Persephone laughed delightedly.

"He has a point love." Persephone grinned.

Hades just sighed but he was smiling. He hadn't seen Persephone so happy ever since Maria was killed.

"Braccas meas vescimini!’ I yelled. I wasn’t sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant ‘Eat my pants!’"

"Yes. That is what you told a Fury." Hazel said while Frank cracked up.

"I didn't reach you that!" Chiron said looking at Percy who didn't even look at him.

"That's my fault. He's a descendant of Venus and me both. One of my granddaughters didn't know she was a legacy and fell in love with a great great grandson of Venus who didn't know as well." Aphrodite said amused and more than happy to claim the chaos.

"Family tree. Circle." F. Katie sighed.

"Sweet home Alabama!" The song broke out immediately. They only stopped when Artemis kept reading.

"Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck.

‘Get out!’ Annabeth yelled at me. ‘Now!’ I didn’t need any encouragement. I knew this feeling. We rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling,

‘We’re going to die!’ A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could recap my sword."

"That's not good." Hermes winced wondering how badly it would end up.

"It actually worked in our favor later." F. Annabeth said tilting her head. She wondered if Tyche helped with that.

"Our bags!’ Grover realized. ‘We left our –’

BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs Dodds was not yet dead.

‘Run!’ Annabeth said. ‘She’s calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!’

We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us and nothing but darkness ahead."

There was silence for a long moment.

"So." Posiedons voice was ice cold and Amphitrite smirked.

"An underaged and undertrained boy is sent on a quest. To retrieve your bolt. And you destroy a bus, and would have killed him if he hadn't gotten off of the bus? Along with the Satyr and his companion one of your grandkids." Posiedon glared at his brother.

"I thought we weren't allowed to interfere." Apollo said flatly as he stared at his father.

"How have you retained your domains over justice and law?" Hera demanded in disbelief.

Zeus shrunk down and scowled.

"I didn't do it yet." He pouted like a child.

"And if you want to keep your dick attached you'll never do it. You aren't touching my husband. Ever." Demeter hissed at him and he flinched as her eyes glowed.

He didn't look at her as he nodded.

She looked too much like their father when her eyes glowed. No wonder their mother avoided her.

Chapter Text

"I'll read next." Apollo said snagging the book from his sister and flipping it to the right page.

"We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium."

Percy immediately tensed and exchanged looks with F. Annabeth.

"Something wrong my love?" Demeter asked quietly.

"I did something stupid again in this chapter." Percy muttered as Apollo read.

"How bad?"

"Remember when I didn't know who you and Phone were and offered y'all some Pomegranate?" Demeter winced. Neither of them had reacted well.

"Ah. Don't worry I won't let them hurt you." Demeter assured.

"And I won't let anyone hurt you." Percy replied on habit as he kissed her nose, making her scrunch it up.

"In a way, it’s nice to remember there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong."

"Hey!" Ares protested with a frown.

"Can you really blame me?" Percy asked raising an eyebrow.

"Dor instance, when you’re walking away from a bus that’s just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it’s raining on top of everything else, most people might think that’s just really bad luck; when you’re a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day. What did I do to offend Lady Tyche?"

"...Okay that's fair." Ares agreed with a wince as did the other gods.

"So there we were, Annabeth and Grover and I, walking through the woods on the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind us and the smell of the Hudson reeking in our noses."

"Gotta try and get the conservation group more inland sometimes." Posiedon winced thinking how bad off those river gods must be.

"Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupilled and full of terror. ‘Three Kindly Ones. All three at once.’

I was pretty much in shock myself. The explosion of bus windows still rang in my ears. But Annabeth kept pulling us along, saying: ‘Come on! The further away we get, the better.’

'Our bags were back there." Grover muttered and I didn't have time to respond before I had to duck a tree branch."

"And that is why we do not store our bags on a quest." Charles said dryly to Annabeth who winced and nodded.

"Well, maybe if he hadn’t decided to jump into the fight –’

"Ugh I hate my hubris." F. Annabeth groaned and she buried her face in her hands. There were winced of sympathy all around.

"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?’

‘You didn’t need to protect me, Percy. I would’ve been fine.’

‘Sliced like sandwich bread,’ Grover put in, ‘but fine.’

'Shut up, goat boy,’ said Annabeth. Grover brayed mournfully. ‘Tin cans… a perfectly good bag of tin cans."

"You three are lucky to even be alive." Hephaestus said rolling his eyes slightly at the satyr.

"Yeah that's about how it usually goes." Percy said nodding and none of the future ones disagreed but Demeter breathed heavily and nudged her face back against his chest. Listening to his heartbeat.

"After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to me. ‘Look, I…’ Her voice faltered. ‘I appreciate your coming back for us, okay? That was really brave.’ ‘We’re a team, right?’

She was silent for a few more steps. ‘It’s just that if you died… aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world."

"So his life doesn't matter to you?!" Several demigods, Persephone, Demeter and the Underwater Royals looked murderous as they glared at the girl.

"I...did I really say that?" Little Annabeth asked sounding stunned and confused. Future Annabeth winced.

"It was my pride, cabin fever and a few other things all mixing into one big cluster fuck." Future Annabeth said shaking her head at her own words.

"Although it did play to Percys advantage here." Athena noted although she looked awkward. How did she talk to her kid, especially one who didn't care about her, about this?

"How?" Hermes demanded in disbelief.

"The prophecy. You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend. Little Owl over there certainly ain't calling him a friend with that behavior." Ares pointed out and there was some grumbling and anger still but they had to admit that it made sense.

"And that is why I agreed to let you come along rather than just setting out with me and Grover." I said casually as though her not caring about my life didn't matter despite the shocked and horrified look Grover sent her.

"What?"

"You don't care about me. So if the quest requires me to be pushed off of a cliff then you'll do it no problem."

"That's a good point as well." Hera reluctantly admitted with a nod.

"Do you really think I would do that?!" Me and Grover both just stared at her. She as much as said she'd only be upset about my death cause it would mean the quest was over.

She fell silently.

The thunderstorm had finally let up. The city glow faded behind us, leaving us in almost total darkness. I couldn’t see anything of Annabeth except a glint of her blonde hair. ‘You haven’t left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?’ I asked her trying to make small talk.

'No… only short field trips. My dad –’ ‘The history professor.’ ‘Yeah. It didn’t work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home.’ She was rushing her words out now, as if she were afraid somebody might try to stop her. ‘At camp you train and train. And that’s all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That’s where you learn whether you’re any good or not.’ It's also where you died if you were lucky. Because if you weren't strong enough...there were worse fates than dying by monster. Even the humans of this time were worse than monsters sometimes."

There were grimaces and bowed heads from the older ones while the younger ones looked mostly confused. But the older of the current ones and most of the Aphrodite and Ares cabin grimaced as well.

"Yeah. That's one reason why I make sure my kids make it to camp safely and keep an eye on them growing up. I usually have decent taste in partners so the kids are taken care of but sometimes..." Demeter frowned glancing at Miranda who grimaced.

"Wait you're allowed to make sure your kids make it to camp safely?" Athena asked glancing at Demeter who raised an eyebrow.

"That's against the non interference policy." Zeus growled at Demeter who shot him a dark look.

"Most of the time the kids don't see me. And I'm usually disguised as a mortal. But even if I wasn't are you going to really try and tell me I should leave my children to die?" Demeter asked staring at Zeus and daring him to tell her that. The original 'mama bear' as humans would call her. The one who nearly ended the world for a child that had been forced into her.

If she almost ended the world for an immortal child of hers. One who she knew couldn't die. What did he think she'd do for the children that were mortal? The ones who could easily die and be taken from her so young.

"I do the same although I'm a bit more discreet." Aphrodite admitted with a shrug and Zeus turned to glare at her now but she stared him down with glowing pink red eyes and dared him to say something.

"Imma start doing that for my kids." Hermes muttered to Apollo but Zeus heard and whipped around to glare at them.

"Brothers." Artemis spoke before their father could, "Aunt Demeter gets away with it because Father didn't know and fears her. Same with Aphrodite. If you two tried he'd blast you or turn you mortal as punishment no hesitation. Let me escort my niblings. As is my right and duty."

"I do not fear them!" Zeus denied and Aphrodite gave a cackle.

"You forget. I am the mother of Fear and Panic. I know very well how much you fear me and wish to control me." Aphrodite said with a grin that hadn't been seen on her since Sparta.

"You literally drugged and raped me because you feared me and wished to assert control over me and at that time it was only because I took after Fathers looks." Demeter reminded her brother coldly. Persephone winced a bit.

"After I got my domains and after his sword passed to me you feared me even more, to the point where you don't dare try to drug and rape me again. Are you sure your domains don't include delusion?" Demeter raised an eyebrow at him and he scowled at her.

"Sorry mama." Persephone said softly knowing full well that she was his attempt to control her mama after Demeter had learned the assault had left her with child.

Demeters eyes and face were so soft and gentle with her though, nothing like the cold looks she had given Zeus.

"Oh sweetie no. You don't have to apologize. I'm not sorry you were born. You were and still are one of the best things that ever happened to me. I'm just sorry you have to have that mongrel for a sire." Demeter said softly and she broke away from Percy to go and hug her eldest, kissing her head and sitting beside her for a bit to reassure her. She waved for Apollo to keep reading as she spoke softly and quietly to Persephone.

"I love you so so much baby girl. You're my baby not his. Never his. I could never hate or blame you." Demeter murmured only for Persephones ears as she pulled her daughter in close as if the Queen of the Underworld was still a small godling.

Apollo kept reading although his voice was tense while Artemis was glaring at their father alongside Hermes.

"If I didn’t know better, I could’ve sworn I heard doubt in her voice. ‘You’re pretty good with that knife,’ I said. ‘You think so?’

‘Anybody who can piggyback-ride a Fury is okay by me.’ I couldn’t really see, but I thought she might’ve smiled. ‘You know,’ she said, ‘maybe I should tell you… Something funny back on the bus…’ Whatever she wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot˜toot˜toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured."

"Who would dare?" Athena hissed as she sat forward with a dark look in her eye.

"Not the time Thea. Read the room." Ares muttered to her.

"Someone might be torturing my sacred animal!" Athena hissed at her brother.

"Demeter and Hades have an owl as a sacred animal too but she isn't saying anything. Hush." Aphrodite said and Athena mouth snapped shut. Most had forgotten that the Screech Owl was one of Demeters animals.

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!’"

There were a few snickers and snorts and Athena finally relaxed a bit.

"Grover cried. ‘If I could just remember a “find path” song, we could get out of these woods!’ He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff. Instead of finding a path, I immediately slammed into a tree and got a nice size knot on my head.

Add to the list of superpowers I did not have: infrared vision."

"You do underwater you ass!" Nico threw a pack of pear slices at Percy.

"Oh shut up I didn't know that then! And this coming from the guy who can see in the dark as if it's daylight!" Percy threw a package of peach slices at him.

"Both of you are asses!" Thalia said throwing packages of fruit slices at them both.

"I don't want to hear anything from you! You can fucking zoom in on far away things!" Nico called back at her.

"Eagle eyes bitches!" Thalia grinned.

"I got Mama's snake eyes!" Amara beamed happily as she joined in the fun.

"Most of us do. I think the triplets have Crane eyes though." Lil Katie said smiling at her mother who beamed at them.

"They do! Most of you have snake eyes but the triplets have Crane eyes and Billie and Meg have glasses because they got my pig eyes instead but they also have the enhanced sense of smell and hearing from the pig side!" Demeter said happily.

"How come we don't get traits like that?" One of Hermes boys asked jealously as he stared at the other kids.

"Because your ichor isn't as old as ours. The older our ichor the more potent it is in our children. Even the demigods. At some point in the future us Elder gods won't even be able to have demigods anymore, they'll either be minor gods or otherwise immortal. Mine are actually very close to that line. That's why most of my children get at least one or two traits from my sacred animals. I know Silena can see underwater because she got the fish eyes, and her skin is a bit harder to hurt because she has soft scales. Drew has dove eyes and her fingernails are becoming more claw like like a birds. Mitch has a small pair of wings but he hasn't grown his flight feathers yet..." Aphrodite listed that off as she looked at her children.

"Wait but then how do I have a crows eyes? Crows are maters animal not paters." Hazel asked looking at her parents curiously.

"Because in the eldest born of the second generation." Persephone said smiling at her Roman daughter.

"True Athena might have been conceived first given she was born of Metis, Zeus's sixth wife. But given she was ingested and that stunted her development? I'm technically the first born of the second generation Gods and the oldest of Zeus's children. More importantly I'm the first born and eldest of Mama's children. Given Mama is older than Zeus her blood is stronger, and thus stronger in me. I wouldn't be surprised if my younger siblings have scales or other features of her sacred animals...but given my own age and the fact I have the ichor of mama in me then I am actually quite close to being considered an Elder goddess myself. While it's rare for Hades and I to have demigods with a mortal we like, it's just as likely for our mortal children to have my own traits or sometimes rarely traits from Mama, rather than Hades." Persephone said and a few kids were writing that down since it was interesting. Most didn't know Persephone was technically the first born of Zeus's godly children. Most thought it was Athena since she sprang from his skull.

"Another hundred years and my baby girl will be an elder goddess." Demeter said smiling nostalgically, wondering just where the time went. It seemed like it was just last week a small Kore was helping her in the garden and clumsily trying to make a flower crown.

"Yeah she's old." Apollo nodded with a grin towards Persephone.

She snorted and threw a pomegranate at him.

He ducked and kept reading before she threw another one.

"After tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable for another mile or so, I started to see light up ahead: the colors of a neon sign. I could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. I realized I hadn’t eaten anything unhealthy since I’d arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where we lived on grapes, bread, cheese and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. Which while yummy, was not what my body in this life was used to.

This boy needed a double cheeseburger."

"Percy." Demeter eyed her husband who grinned at her.

"They make vegetarian burgers before you ask! And besides there's grains in the bun, and veggies in the burger and dairy in the cheese! And some meat! It's a balanced meal!" Percy said making a few others snicker.

"It is not!" Demeter was smiling as she denied that claim.

"It is! Especially if you make your own burger and it tastes good and is as healthy as you want it!" Percy argued and Amara giggled.

"Mama likes pork burgers! Papa can we have pork burgers for lunch?" Amara asked giving him wide hopeful eyes and Percy immediately melted.

"Course we can little turtle dove!" Percy agreed.

"Sweet! Some of Perces burgers!" Frank cheered.

"Hurry and read dad so we can get those burgers! You'll love them!" F. Will said wide eyed and grinning at his dad.

"So sure of that are you?" Apollo asked and F. Will nodded rapidly.

"In the future you and Aunt Artemis both offer to hunt wild pigs just so he could make the burgers." F. Will said making the twins raise their eyebrows in unison.

"They're that good?" Persephone asked making the future Demigods and Amphitrite all nod in agreement.

"Even Kym promises to behave as long as Percys making his burgers." Amphitrite said and that earned an impressed whistle from Posiedon.

"We kept walking until I saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell. It wasn’t a fast-food restaurant like I’d hoped.

It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden native americans and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that.

The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for me to read, because if there’s anything worse for my dyslexia than regular English, it’s red cursive neon English. To me, it looked like:"

"What the actual fuck does this say?" Apollo squinted at the book.

Artemis peered over his shoulder and mouthed it out as if trying to figure it out herself.

"Let me see...what the pits?" Hermes looked just as baffled.

"Is that even English?" Artemis asked as the three tried to puzzle out what it said.

"Welcome to dyslexia!" Percy made jazz hands at them. Lee pulled on his father's arm and tried to look. It took him a second.

"ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROIUM."

He managed to read it though and there were baffled looks all around the room.

"That can't be what it says." Athena said in disbelief and Apollo passed her the book.

She stared for a long moment.

"Is this how reading looks like to you all?" Athena asked looking at her kids who all nodded.

"I'm going to try and find a way to help with that." Apollo said and he started writing down ideas to try and help the kids with their dyslexia. Athena just kept a hold of the book and kept reading.

"What the heck does that say?’ I asked. ‘I don’t know,’ Annabeth said. She loved reading so much, I’d forgotten she was dyslexic, too. Grover translated: ‘

Aunty Em’s Garden Gnome Emporium."

"Hm there might be some benefit to satyrs going on the quests." Chiron noted wincing at how the two had needed such help.

"We already agreed to that several chapters ago. I've been making plans to have them start training to join the quests." Dionysus rolled his eyes at his old mentor.

"Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken. I crossed the street, following the smell of the hamburgers.

‘Hey…’ Grover warned. ‘The lights are on inside,’ Annabeth said. ‘Maybe it’s open.’

‘Snack bar, I said wistfully. ‘Snack bar,’ she agreed."

"Dam snack bar." Percy said grinning and shaking his head. Thalia snickered hard.

"What?" Clarisse asked staring at the two.

"Inside joke between them and Grover." F. Annabeth said rolling her eyes but smiling slightly.

"Started the summer after Thalia came back...papas third quest. Which means we'll eventually read about it." F. Katie grinned and the two exchanged looks. No not their joke!

"Are you two crazy?’ Grover said. ‘This place is weird.’

We ignored him. The front garden was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps."

"Shit!" Persephone suddenly clocked the name of the place and she whipped around to stare at the two future versions of those kids.

"Yep." Percy and F. Annabeth nodded at her.

"What?" Thalia furrowed her brow as she looked between the three of them.

"Monster trap." F. Annabeth said making all the demigods wince. Posiedon looked worried and Athena hurriedly read. Her daughter was just twelve and in a monster trap!

"Bla-ha-ha!’ he bleated. ‘Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!’ We stopped at the warehouse door. ‘Don’t knock,’ Grover pleaded. ‘I smell monsters.’

‘Your nose is clogged up from the Furies,’ Annabeth told him. ‘All I smell is burgers. Aren’t you hungry?’

‘Meat!’ he said scornfully. ‘I’m a vegetarian.’ ‘You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminium cans,’ I reminded him. ‘Those are vegetables. Come on. Let’s leave. These statues are… looking at me.’

"Shit!" Apollo realized who the monster was and Artemis paled as well.

Dionysus winced as he had confirmation on what happened to one of the satyrs.

"Not going to say anything about those not being vegetables?" Zeus asked raising an eyebrow at Demeter.

"The children are in danger. Now is not the time." Demeter said and she was looking over at Percy worried.

"My head felt a bit fuzzy. Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman – at least, I assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled.

Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all I could make out. Her coffee-coloured hands looked old, but well manicured and elegant, so I imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady. Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too.

I wondered if she practiced Xenia?"

"...She would know it..." Posiedon winced as he realized who that was as well.

"She said, ‘Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?’ ‘

They’re… um…’ Annabeth started to say. ‘We’re orphans,’ I said. ‘Orphans?’ the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. ‘But, my dears! Surely not!’ I had to remember to speak English.

'Yes ma'am. We got taken in by some not so nice people that brought us out to the woods. We ran away but we got lost in the woods and found this place by chance. Would you know the way to town? Or have a phone?" I managed to get out in English."

"Not a bad lie." Hermes muttered impressed.

"Oh, my dears,’ the woman said. ‘You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area where you can eat while I call for a taxi.’ We thanked her and went inside.

Annabeth muttered to me, "Run away orphans?" "Always have a strategy right?" "Your head is full of kelp."

"It was actually a rather good idea." Apollo managed to say with a small smile.

"The warehouse was filled with more statues – people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. I was thinking you’d have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size."

"Oh fuck!" Nico and Thalia seemed to realize it now as they looked at Percy and then over at Persephone.

"Yep! A big one. Darkly beautiful too." Percy said nodding and he shot Persephone a small grin. She gave a sheepish shrug and smile.

"But mostly I was thinking about food. Go ahead, call me an idiot…"

"You're an idiot." The entire future group, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, and Hades said immediately.

"You're my idiot." Demeter grinned at him and he held up his hand and pointed at his wedding ring.

"Forever!" He grinned and she blushed but grinned as well, her smile falling a bit as she looked at her own hand that had no ring on it. Yet.

"for walking into a strange lady’s shop like that just because I was hungry, but I do impulsive stuff sometimes. Plus, you’ve never smelled Aunty Em’s burgers. The aroma was like laughing gas in the dentist’s chair – it made everything else go away. I barely noticed Grover’s nervous whimpers, or the way the statues’ eyes seemed to follow me, or the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind us. Should I claim Xenia now or would she look at us weird?"

"Claim it and hope she doesn't break it!" Posiedon encouraged.

"All I cared about was finding the dining area. And, sure enough, there it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater and a nacho cheese dispenser.

Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front. ‘Please, sit down,’ Aunty Em said. ‘Awesome,’ I said. ‘Um,’ Grover said reluctantly, ‘we don’t have any money, ma’am.’

I was about to remind them of the money in my bag but she spoke up first, "No no charge. These are special circumstances for poor children."

"Thank you, ma’am,’ Annabeth said. Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly, so I figured it must’ve been my imagination.

‘Quite all right, Annabeth,’ she said. ‘You have such beautiful gray eyes, child.’ Only later did I wonder how she knew Annabeth’s name, even though we had never introduced ourselves."

"How does she know our names?" Lil Annabeth asked alarmed and confused.

"Because the real mastermind wanted plankton over there out of the way." F. Annabeth said nodding at Percy.

"SpongeBob? Nice!" Percy didn't seem at all offended and instead seemed proud.

"What's SpongeBob?" Lil Annabeth asked earning disbelieving and horrified looks from the entire Hermes and Apollo cabin. Apollo and Hermes themselves looked at her horrified and Athena was confused too as she looked around the room.

"It's a children's show." Ares was the one to say surprisingly.

"The sponge that lives in a pineapple you were talking about?" Hera asked one of the unclaimed who beamed at her.

"You were paying attention?" Little Daria asked wide eyed and amazed as the eight year old stared up at the Queen of Gods.

"Of course I was. You said your favorite character was the Squirrel right? Sandy?" Hera wanted to be sure and the childs smile was almost as bright as Apollo Chariot.

"That show is funny. Wonder if we can make it real..." Posiedon hummed in thought and Amphitrite shook her head fondly.

"No dear. We are not recreating Bikini Bottom and the show." Amphitrite said making her husband pout at her.

Athena was very confused. Huh? A sponge in a pineapple and a squirrel named Sandy? She looked back at the book. This made a lot more sense.

"Our hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before we knew it, she’d brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes and XXL servings of French fries.

I was halfway through my burger before I remembered to breathe. Annabeth slurped her shake. Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray’s waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat. ‘What’s that hissing noise?’ he asked."

Everyone tensed once more.

"I listened, but didn’t hear anything. Annabeth shook her head. ‘Hissing?’ Aunty Em asked. ‘Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover.’ ‘I take vitamins. For my ears.’ ‘That’s admirable,’ she said. ‘But please, relax.’

"Bad lie." Hermes muttered quietly.

"We're okay Grover. Xenia remember?" I barely realized I spoke ancient Greek right then as the woman immediately turned to me and she was silent for a moment.

"Yes child," she spoke slowly and I could feel her staring at me intently, "Xenia."

Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn’t taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at me when I couldn’t see her face, but I was feeling satisfied after the burger, and a little sleepy, and I figured the least I could do was try to make small talk with our hostess.

‘So, you sell gnomes,’ I said, trying to sound interested."

"You did sound curious." F. Annabeth confirmed.

"‘Oh, yes,’ Aunty Em said. ‘And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know.’ ‘A lot of business on this road for it?"

‘Not so much, no. Since the highway was built… most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get. Thankfully I have started doing delivery as well.’ My neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. She couldn't be any older than seven or eight.

The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified."

There were a lot of swears called out as everyone realized who it was now.

"Any children that young get immediate pass to Elysium." Persephone said and she looked a bit sad. Hades nodded in agreement and wrapped an arm around her.

"Ah,’ Aunty Em said sadly. ‘You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face.’ ‘You make these statues yourself?’ I asked.

‘Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company.’ The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.

"I am sorry about your sisters." I offered my condolences.

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, ‘Two sisters?’

‘It’s a terrible story,’ Aunty Em said. ‘Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a… a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

"Boyfriend? I wasn't her boyfriend!" Posiedon scowled darkly.

"That's the Roman retelling. Why is she saying to the Greek demigods?" Aphrodite asked confused as she looked at them all.

"Maybe she senses his faint Roman blood?" Ares muttered nodding towards Percy.

"More likely her last victims had been Romans." Artemis said grimacing and that made more sense to everyone.

" I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I felt bad for her. My eyelids kept getting heavier, my full stomach making me sleepy. Poor old lady. Who would want to hurt somebody so nice?"

"She's aiming most of the magic at you." Hazel noted narrow eyed.

"Percy?’ Annabeth was shaking me to get my attention. ‘Maybe we should go. I mean, the taxi should be here soon.’ She sounded tense. I wasn’t sure why. Grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now, but if Aunty Em found that strange, she didn’t say anything. It was rather nice of her to not say anything about it.

'Such beautiful grey eyes,’ Aunty Em told Annabeth again. ‘My, yes, it has been a long time since I’ve seen grey eyes like those.’ She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth’s cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly.

‘We really should go.’ ‘Yes!’ Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. ‘The taxi is waiting! Right!’ I didn’t want to leave. I felt full and content. Aunty Em was so nice. I wanted to stay with her a while. Maybe I could learn how to sculpt and make something for Demis garden? Or Persephones..."

"Even that deep into the magic you still think of them." Hera sounded a bit jealous as she looked over at Percy.

"She is my One. And Persephone is my eldest child." Percy reminded and Persephone smiled slightly at him but she was tense.

"Please, dears,’ Aunty Em pleaded. ‘I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won’t you at least sit for a pose?’

‘A pose?’ Annabeth asked warily. ‘A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children.’

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. ‘I don’t think we can, ma’am. Come on, Percy –’ ‘Sure we can,’ I said. I was irritated with Annabeth for being so bossy, so rude to an old lady who’d just fed us for free. ‘It’s just a photo, Annabeth. What’s the harm? You could be a good guest.' She shouldn't break Xenia. That was bad."

"Just so you know. You were speaking ancient Greek the entire time." F. Annabeth told Percy who gave her a sheepish smile and shrug.

"‘Yes, Annabeth,’ the woman purred. ‘No harm in being a good guest.’ I could tell Annabeth didn’t like it, but she allowed Aunty Em to lead us back out the front door, into the garden of statues. Aunty Em directed us to a park bench next to the stone satyr. ‘Now,’ she said, ‘I’ll just position you correctly. The young girl in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side.’

‘Not much light for a photo,’ I remarked. ‘Oh, enough,’ Aunty Em said. ‘Enough for us to see each other, yes?’ That was strange.

‘Where’s your camera?’ Grover asked. Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot. ‘Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?’ Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, ‘That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand.’

'Grover,’ Aunty Em chastised, ‘look this way, dear.’ She still had no camera in her hands. ‘Percy –’ Annabeth said. Some instinct warned me to listen to Annabeth, but I was fighting the sleepy feeling, the comfortable lull that came from the food and the old lady’s voice. Besides we were safe under Xenia. ‘I will just be a moment,’ Aunty Em said. ‘You know, I can’t see you very well in this cursed veil…’

‘Percy, something’s wrong,’ Annabeth insisted. ‘Wrong?’ Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. ‘Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?’

‘That is Uncle Ferdinand!’ Grover gasped."

Everyone was tense and on the edge of their seats now.

"‘Look away from her!’ Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap on to her head and vanished. Her invisible hands pushed Grover and me both off the bench.

I was on the ground, looking at Aunt Em’s sandalled feet. I could hear Grover scrambling off in one direction, Annabeth in another. But I was too dazed to move. Then I heard a strange, rasping sound above me. My eyes rose to Aunty Em’s hands, which had turned gnarled and warty, with sharp bronze talons for fingernails."

"That is so much magic..." Hazel muttered.

"Glad her sisters couldn't do that." Frank whispered in agreement.

"I almost looked higher, but somewhere off to my left Annabeth screamed, ‘No! Don’t!’

More rasping – the sound of tiny snakes, right above me, from… from about where Aunty Em’s head would be.

'Run!’ Grover bleated. I heard him racing across the gravel, yelling, ‘Maia!’ to kick-start his flying sneakers. I couldn’t move. I stared at Aunty Em’s gnarled claws, and tried to fight the groggy trance the old woman had put me in. Oh. She was breaking Xenia...

'Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face,’ she told me soothingly. ‘Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up."

"Fuck off bitch. That's my husband." Demeter growled a bit.

"I fought the urge to obey. Instead I looked to one side and saw one of those glass spheres people put in gardens – a gazing ball. I could see Aunty Em’s dark reflection in the orange glass; her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. Her hair was moving, writhing like serpents.

Aunty Em.

Aunty ‘M’.

Oh. Medusa. Son of a fucking whorenugget."

There were a few scattered smiles or snickers.

"Such a New Yorker." Thalia teased tensely. She knew he made it out of this but how hurt had he been?

"How could I have been so stupid? Think, I told myself. How did Medusa die in the stories? But I couldn’t think. Something told me that in the story Medusa had been asleep when she was attacked by my namesake, Perseus. She wasn’t anywhere near asleep now. If she wanted, she could take those talons right now and rake open my face.

The Grey-Eyed One did this to me, Percy,’ Medusa said, and she didn’t sound anything like a monster. Her voice invited me to look up, to sympathize with a poor old grandmother. ‘Annabeth’s roman mother, the cursed Minerva, turned me from a beautiful woman into this.’

Roman? Ah so this was what she meant by boyfriend and all. Cause if I remembered right she was born a gorgon."

"She was." Apollo agreed idly his eyes stuck on the book.

"Don’t listen to her!’ Annabeth’s voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. ‘Run, Percy!’

‘Silence!’ Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. ‘You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy’s daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer.’

‘No,’ I muttered. I tried to make my legs move.

‘Do you really want to help the gods?’ Medusa asked. ‘Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain.’

Less pain? Maybe...but...war...I had to stop...the war right? If there was war...Demi and the kids...they'd get hurt..."

"Loyalty." Hera mumbled and she was cuddling the young ones close while the Demeter cabin was damn near piled on top of Percy.

"Percy!’ Behind me, I heard a buzzing sound, like a ninety-kilogram hummingbird in a nosedive. Grover yelled, ‘Duck!’ I turned, and there he was in the night sky, flying in from twelve o’clock with his winged shoes fluttering – Grover, holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat.

His eyes were shut tight, his head twitched from side to side. He was navigating by ears and nose alone. ‘Duck!’ he yelled again. ‘I’ll get her!’ That finally jolted me into action. Knowing Grover, I was sure he’d miss Medusa and nail me. I dove to one side. Thwack!

At first I figured it was the sound of Grover hitting a tree. Then Medusa roared with rage."

"Go Uncle Grover!" Amara cheered loudly and jaws dropped around the room.

"Did he just whack Medusa with a tree branch?" Hermes asked looking around. There were several stunned nods.

"That is one brave satyr." Dionysus said wide eyed. Looks like George would get his searchers licence and be okay.

"You miserable satyr,’ she snarled. ‘I’ll add you to my collection!’ ‘That was for Uncle Ferdinand!’ Grover yelled back. I scrambled away and hid in the statuary while Grover swooped down for another pass. Ker-whack!

‘Arrgh!’ Medusa yelled, her snake-hair hissing and spitting. Right next to me, Annabeth’s voice said, ‘Percy!’ I jumped so high my feet nearly cleared a garden gnome."

"Yeah you can jump alright." F. Connor grumbled as he remembered playing basketball against Percys team once.

"‘Jeez! Don’t do that!’ Annabeth took off her Yankees cap and became visible. ‘You have to cut her head off’

‘What? Are you crazy? Let’s grab Grover and get out of here.’

‘Medusa is a menace. She’s evil. I’d kill her myself, but…’ Annabeth swallowed, as if she were about to make a difficult admission. ‘But you’ve got the better weapon. Besides, I’d never get close to her. She’d slice me to bits because of my mother. You – you’ve got a chance.’"

"Way to go Annie!" Thalia cheered and the other older demigods cheered too.

"What?" Lil Annabeth was confused.

"You overpowered your fatal flaw." Percy told her with a grin and she looked wide eyed but blushed and smiled. Athena was proud of her daughter but still worried wanting to know what happened.

"What? I can’t –’ ‘Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?’ She pointed to a pair of statue lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, turned to stone by the monster. Near them was a small child no older than five. That's what got me angry.

Annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. ‘A polished shield would be better.’ She studied the sphere critically. ‘The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection’s size should be off by a factor of –’

‘Would you speak English?’ ‘I am!’ She tossed me the glass ball. ‘Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly.’

‘Hey, guys!’ Grover yelled somewhere above us. ‘I think she’s unconscious!’ ‘Roooaaarrr!’ ‘Maybe not,’ Grover corrected. He went in for another pass with the tree branch.

‘Hurry,’ Annabeth told me. ‘Grover’s got a great nose, but he’ll eventually crash.’ I took out my pen and uncapped it. The bronze blade of Riptide elongated in my hand.

I followed the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa’s hair. I kept my eyes locked on the gazing ball so I would only glimpse Medusa’s reflection, not the real thing.

Then, in the green tinted glass, I saw her. Grover was coming in for another turn at bat, but this time he flew a little too low. Medusa grabbed the stick and pulled him off course. He tumbled through the air and crashed into the arms of a stone grizzly bear with a painful ‘Ummphh!’

Medusa was about to lunge at him when I yelled, ‘Hey!’ and threw the glass ball at her."

"Why would you throw it at her?!" Annabeth and a few others cried out in disbelief.

"The compact!" Silena recalled and the Aphrodite cabin grinned.

"Always have a compact handy." Lacey said smirking as she held up her own compact.

"What are you doing?!" I heard Annabeth cry out. I remembered the compact though and dug it out of my pocket. It was smaller but the image was clearer.

I advanced on her, which wasn’t easy, holding a sword and a glass ball. If she charged, I’d have a hard time defending myself. But she let me approach – ten meters, five meters. I could see the reflection of her face now.

'You wouldn’t harm an old woman, Percy,’ she crooned. ‘I know you wouldn’t.’ I hesitated, normally I wouldn't. But...she broke Xenia and was attacking my friends.

From the cement grizzly, Grover moaned, ‘Percy, don’t listen to her!’ Medusa cackled. ‘Too late.’ She lunged at me with her talons.

I slashed up with my sword, heard a sickening shlock!, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern – the sound of a monster disintegrating. Something fell to the ground next to my foot. It took all my willpower not to look. I could feel warm ooze soaking into my sock, little dying snake heads tugging at my shoelaces."

Cheers broke out.

"How the fuck?" Zeus asked in disbelief.

"How in Hermes smelly socks did you do that?" Ares asked and there were snorts at the phrase used.

"Hey leave my socks out of this!" Hermes yelped.

"You do need to wash them and change them more little thief." Hera scolded lightly and Hermes looked at her in disbelief and confusion.

"I had help and Ladies Tyche and Nike favored me then." Percy said modestly and Amara was beaming.

"My Papa is the coolest!" She proudly declared and that earned a few snickers and cooes.

"There's still a bit of the chapter left." Athena said cutting across the cheers and making them all quiet down.

"Oh, yuck,’ Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed, but I guess he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming. ‘Mega-yuck.’

Annabeth came up next to me, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa’s black veil. She said, ‘Don’t move.’ Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster’s head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice. ‘Are you okay?’she asked me, her voice trembling.

‘Yeah,’ I decided, though I felt like throwing up my double cheeseburger. ‘Why didn’t… why didn’t the head evaporate?’ ‘Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war,’ she said. ‘Same as your Minotaur horn. But don’t unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

"It can." Thalia activated her shield making a few people shriek.

"You should make it into something." Thalia said and Annabeth looked eager. F. Annabeth snorted and looked away.

Percy whistled innocently.

"What did you do?" Nico asked staring at Percy who gave him a grin.

"Remember that time we were visiting the garden and Persephone was personally torturing a soul and had that really ugly garden statue?" Percy asked and Persephone tilted her head.

"I don't usually do tortures personally. And I tend to avoid human statues..." Persephone looked at them confused as Nicos face became a dark dangerous wild grin.

"Oh you didn't." Nico seems to know what Percy meant. Percy grinned back.

"I didn't. Mom did." Percy said and Nico cackled. Persephone tilted her head a bit curiously.

Athena didn't understand and kept reading hoping it would tell her.

"Grover moaned as he climbed down from the grizzly statue. He had a big welt on his forehead. His green rasta cap hung from one of his little goat horns, and his fake feet had been knocked off his hooves. The magic sneakers were flying aimlessly around his head.

‘The Red Baron,’ I said. ‘Good job, man.’"

"Oh that's what you meant." Micheal remembered him mentioning the red baron before.

"That's how Grover got that nickname? Fucking boss!" F. Clarisse chortled.

"He managed a bashful grin. ‘That really was not fun, though. Well, the hitting her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun.’ He snatched his shoes out of the air. I recapped my sword.

Together, the three of us stumbled back to the warehouse. We found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double wrapped Medusa’s head. We plopped it on the table where we’d eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.

Finally I said, ‘So we have Minerva to thank for this monster?’

Annabeth flashed me an irritated look. ‘Your dad, actually. Don’t you remember? Medusa was Neptune’s girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother’s temple. That’s why Minerva turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That’s why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She’s still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him."

"I. Was. Drugged!" Posiedon ground out.

"I know brother." Hestia assured him with a soft sad smile.

"Wait. He was really drugged?" Athena looked sharply at her aunt.

"He was. As we tried to tell you. For years. You refused to listen." Amphitrite said glaring at the Grand Owl who didn't meet anyone's eyes at that. She thought they were just trying to make her out to be the bad guy like with Pallas and the accident.

She started reading again so she didn't have to say anything to them.

"Okay one. Ew no. Two. I already have someone I-, " I couldn't say I was married or courting her so what was...oh right, "-have a crush on."

Grover looked at me surprised and then furrowed his brow. He was absolutely going to question me later.

"And three. That's the Roman story right? But we're Greek. And the Greek story is older. You know the one where she was born a gorgon like her sisters?" I reminded her and Annabeth brow furrowed.

"Wait...wait we're talking about the crush thing later. But first you're right. She was born a gorgon. So why did she and my mom use the story of her and your dad being in the temple?" Annabeth was just as confused as me. No we would not be talking about the crush thing later. I was not explaining to her how I was utterly head over heels in love with Demi.

I remember ancient Greece where marrying your relatives was rather common. She was a modern day girl who'd only focus on the fact that Demi is my aunt."

"True." F. Annabeth shrugged at that and most of the demigods nodded their agreement.

"I want to make a Kentucky joke but that hasn't happened yet." F. Connor said snickering and F. Katie sighed and gave him a Look she got from her mother.

He immediately stopped laughing.

"So what do we do with the head?" Grover asked and we all looked at the double wrapped dripping head.

I had an idea. A very dumb but also it made sense idea."

"Oh no." All the future people said and Amphitrite tried to muffle her laughter. She knew what was coming up.

"I stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!

I was angry, not just with Annabeth or her mom, but with all the gods for this whole quest, for getting us blown off the road and in two major fights the very first day out from camp. At this rate, we’d never make it to L.A. alive, much less before the summer solstice.

What had Medusa said?

Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue.

I got up. “I’ll be back.”

“Percy,” Annabeth called after me. “What are you—”

"Percy...Fishie..." Thalia turned towards him slowly with a disbelieving grin on her face.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Nico seemed to realize what he was doing as well.

"Two things. One they were already trying to kill me."

"That's fair." F. Clarisse nodded.

"And two it would have been a faster and easier way to the Underworld."

"Percy, Iasion, love of my life." Demeter took a deep breath and ignored the pain in her chest at the thought of him dying again.

"If you say something like that again I will smack you so hard you'll be seeing literal stars floating around your head." Demeter said and Percy blew her a kiss.

"I searched the back of the warehouse until I found Medusa’s office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone’s garden. According to one freight bill, the Underworld’s billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. I folded up the bill and stuffed it in my pocket."

"Darling if you wanted statues why would you go to her?" Demeter asked curiously looking at her daughter.

"I only went to her for two statues, one of a doe and one for a raven since her wildlife ones are the best. I don't know about the other four." Persephone looked confused as well and glanced at Hades.

"The garden is your space my love I don't do anything with or to it." He assured her.

"Doesn't Ascalaphus usually tend to the orchards and garden? Especially during spring and summer when you're not there?" Hazel asked curiously and Nico nodded.

"He does." Nico agreed and Persephone frowned deeply.

"I'll have to talk to him about that. I don't want the statues of innocent children in my garden..." Persephone shook her head and Hades took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"I'll remove all but the doe and crow ones when I return there my love. Anything else will be gone before you rejoin me." Hades assured her and she smiled and kissed his cheek in thanks.

"Boy. You are suicidal." Athena said having read ahead and she was now glaring at Percy.

"Not anymore I'm not!" Percy said defensively as if that made it any better. Demeters head snapped to him as did several others.

Ares snatched the book from a frozen Athena to read it. How did one react to that?

"According to one freight bill, the Underworld’s billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California.

I folded up the bill and stuffed it in my pocket. In the cash register I found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins.

I rummaged around the rest of the office until I found the right-size box. I went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa’s head, and filled out a delivery slip:

The Gods

Mount Olympus

600th Floor,

Empire State Building

New York, NY

With best wishes, PERCY JACKSON

P.S. Why was she focused on the Roman story? And who thought giving her a grudge against the gods and therefore against demigods was a good idea?"

There was a moment of pure silence and then the Stolls started cackling.

Demeter sighed and stared at her husband in tired disbelief.

"Percy why?" Someone asked.

"Way to go Papa I bet that was hilarious!" Persephone however has bursted out laughing as well and Demeter turned her exasperated look onto her daughter.

"Don't encourage him." Demeter chided but her lips twitched just a bit.

"How are you not dead?" Artemis asked in disbelief as Hermes, Apollo, Ares and Dionysus all started laughing as well.

"Most of us were too busy laughing. Ares was impressed at his gall, Aphrodite was proud, Hera understood he was still pissed at what happened to his mortal mother, and Athena was threatened." Amphitrite explained easily and that...honestly made a lot of sense.

Athena growled and stole the book back from Ares, her voice cutting through the laughter and cheers as she read on.

"They’re not going to like that,” Grover warned. “They’ll think you’re impertinent.”

"It's like batteries. You return to the manufacturer." I said as I poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as I closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!"

"Did you just compare Medusas head to batteries?" Franked asked in disbelief the laughter came back with a vengeance. Even Hera and Hestia were laughing now. Zeus felt his fight and anger drain out of him as he stared at Hera, he hadn't heard her laugh in so long...

"Yep!"

"...You know. I think the reason it took them so long to send you to our camp was because they knew we wouldn't have lasted a month with you there." Hazel said slowly and yes they would be questioning that later.

"And I am impertinent." I looked at Annabeth, daring her to criticize. She didn’t. She seemed resigned to the fact that I had a major talent for ticking off the gods. ‘Come on,’ she muttered. ‘We need a new plan.’

"Why did I not curse you out?" Annabeth asked in disbelief.

"Because I honestly wanted to do the same thing but wasn't stupid or brave enough to. And a bit stunned at him comparing her head to batteries." F. Annabeth said and Athena closed the book showing it was the end of the chapter.

"Papa! Papa come on! You said pork burgers!" Amara was already pulling Percys hand to try and get him to stand and hurry for the burgers.

He stood up and then he flopped down on the ground, carefully taking her with him and only squishing her a little bit.

"Oh no! Gravity is increasing on me!" He groaned theatrically and Amara laughed and wiggles.

"Silly Papa! It is not!" Amara squirmed and then whined over at her mother.

"Yes it is. The same thing happened yesterday." He teased and F. Katie snorted a bit.

"Mama Papas squishing me!" Amara whined but she was still giggling.

"Well we can't have that." Demeter smiled and walked over, hoisting Percy up with one hand effortlessly and scooping Amara up in her other arm.

Percy looked so besotted as he stared at her.

"Dude you are so whipped." F. Chris snickered at his leader.

"Look. This amazing beautiful badass woman can beat the shit out of me and kill me. I am a simple man. Who absolutely loves that my wife can kick my ass." Percy said and Posiedon and Hades and Hephaestus all nodded in agreement.

"Can't blame him there."

"Yeah no he's got a point."

"That's my boy!"

"Really you three?" Hermes asked amused as he stared at them.

"She has a war Epithet and is the eldest god. She can kick my ass with ease." Hephaestus said pointing at Aphrodite.

"My wife is amazing and badass and powerful and can rip my throat out with her teeth and I'd let her." Posiedon nodded in agreement and Amphitrite kissed his cheek.

"Good boy." She said pleased.

"She has a more devious mind than I do and has her mother's wrath and some of her powers. She says sit and I sit." Hades said with the most love stricken expression on his face as he stared at his wife.

"To be fair. If you tell me to sit I sit too." Persephone said smirking and giving him a quick kiss.

"Papa. Stop eating Mama's face!" Amara complained and everyone looked back only to see Amara being held on Demeters hip while she and Percy who was set back down on his feet were exchanging a loving kiss that had apparently been going for a moment or two.

"Can't help it little doe! Her lips are like ambrosia!" Percy grinned as they separated and Demeter blushed a bit but smiled.

"But you said pork burgers. 🥺" Amara pouted up at Percy who kissed her head.

"I know I know. I'm going to go make the burgers now." Percy assured with a smile and then he reluctantly released Demeter and headed for the door.

Chapter Text

As Percy cooked, with some help from Hestia and Demeter, he smiled and listened to the chatter of all the people behind him.

"I promise you my lady it will be that good. You typically prefer his venison burgers but you love his pork one."

"You aren't any better Phoebe. Remember the last cookout we attended at Camp? You straight up tried to shoot someone for one of the burgers."

"You electrocuted someone for getting too close to yours shut it."

"It's weird to see big sisters and brothers so little."

"So you know us in the future?"

"Course I do! Silly Miranda! Mama stays at Camp with us and Papa. Everyone calls her mama but Papa!"

"I finally leave that hell hole?"

"Silly Uncle Dino! You're still in Uncle Pollos infirmary!"

"What? Why?"

"You taught me and Sarah and Lea how to play poker. Mama and Papa weren't happy!"

"Who's Sarah and Lea?"

"Daughters of Hecate. They aren't born yet and they're the munchkins best friends. All three of them plan to join the hunters in a year or so."

"What Aunt Rissa said!"

"Why is the kid calling me Aunt?"

"Me and her punk papa reach a truce. I was around a lot when she was tiny and apparently she liked me for whatever reason."

"Aunt Rissa is awesome! She gave me a knife!"

Demeters head turned a bit to look at the daughter of Ares, her movements in chopping the lettuce and other condiments pausing.

"You gave my youngest a knife?" Demeter asked raising at eyebrow at the young woman.

"Damn right I did." F. Clarisse said unashamed.

Demeter stared for a few seconds and then turned to her husband.

"Have you adopted her yet dearest?" Demeter asked and Percy snickered.

"She's more like a sister than a kid if that's what you mean beloved." Percy said even as he continued to season and cook a rather amazing amount of pork.

"The older one can be your sister. What about the baby version of her here?"

"Ohhhh that's a thought." Percy grinned as he leaned over and pecked Demeter on the lips, "We can adopt whoever you want and as many of them as you want."

"Prissy you can't adopt my younger self!"

"Wanna bet La Rue?"

"Don't tempt Papa Clarisse. We all know he'll do it."

"Katie's right. He adopted literal gods, two of which are older than his own dad."

"Yeah what's adopting our tiny selves compared to that."

"They got a point there Clarisse."

"Shut it corpse breath!"

"...I'm sorry did they just say you adopted gods?" Hera asked raising an eyebrow at Percy who shot her a grin.

"To be fair I think Demeter adopted you a long time ago." Percy rejoined and Hera tilted her head for a second and then nodded.

"Fair enough."

"Which gods did you adopt all together son?" Posiedon asked curious and he glanced at Hera and Hades and Hestia. They were older than him...

"Let's see. The twins, Hermes, Hephaestus, Kym, Nike, Hades, Hera, Nike, Tyche, and a few others. And their Roman counterparts." Percy listed them all off with a hum.

"I'm sorry what? You adopted me?" Hades looked very startled and confused by that.

"You're my son-in-law and you make my princess happy. Of course I did. Pretty sure Demi adopted you as soon as Persephone and you managed to get past the kidnapping thing and make a happy and healthy marriage."

"I did as soon as I saw him making my daughter genuinely happy." Demeter confirmed with a small smile.

"You didn't adopt Hestia?" Zeus asked baffled and Percy shot the small hearth goddess a grin.

"Since Hestia pretty much adopted Demi? She's more my mother in law and aunt than anything." Percy said and Demeter sent her big sister a warm smile, one Hestia happily returned.

"You adopted Kym? Your sister?" Posiedon asked baffled and Percy turned to look at his father.

"Yeah you fucked up with her and you know that. Since I can be just destructive as her I took her in." Percy dared his father to argue.

"He did. He taught her how to safely rage rather than just mindless destruction by storms." Amphitrite said and she had a hand on her husbands arm.

The pork burgers were starting to be plated up, more being cooked still. The future people all ran or teleported to be able to get theirs.

It took another hour or so if cooking before everyone had burgers and there were some extras left over.

"...Okay I'll admit. Burgers aren't bad. As long as you make them." Demeter said after eating her first burger and going for her second.

"And I'll make as many as you want my love. Anything and everything you want I will do my best to give." Percy said with the most smitten look on his face as he stared at her, she blushed a bit and then smiled back at him looking just as love struck.

"Yeah. I'll say he will." Thalia cackled and F. Katie pulled a face while F. Clarisse nearly choked on her burger.

"What?" Hera asked frowning at them confused as the future Demigods all looked amused or tried to hide their amusement.

"One time when Amara was still a baby Grandma told Perce that she definitely wanted kids with him that were slow growing. She said she wanted at least ten to start." Nico snickered as F. Will thumped F. Chris on the back to make sure he wasn't choking.

"Kelpie just looked her dead in the eyes and asked if she only wanted ten. Because if she wanted more he didn't mind." Thalia grinned and Demeter looked at Percy surprised.

"Then she was joking asking if he was sure he wanted forty kids with her-"

"-And General Fishie dead seriously says he'd have as many kids with her as she wanted."

"And then he smirked at her and said-"

"-That he does the fun part in helping make them so he's fine with however many she wants." The F. Stolls grinned and snickered as Demeter froze and looked at Percy wide eyed.

"Forty kids?" Demeter asked making Percy grin and lean in to kiss her softly.

"As many as you want. As long as you want another baby I'll do my best to give you one. I certainly don't mind trying." Percy smirked at her as he pulled away.

"Giving the rest of us a bad name here with our women!" Ares whined at Percy as Aphrodite cooed.

"Then step up your game! Of course I'll treat my beautiful queen, my amazing goddess, the way she deserves to be treated, with upmost respect, loyalty and love." Percy scoffed at him with a grin and he snorted at him. Most of the women cooed or were jealous.

"Mom? What's up? You're just staring at Papa." Persephone leaned over and waved a hand in her mother's face as Demeter stared hard at her husband.

"I'm fine dear. Just trying to figure out how to get him back to my palace so he can blow out my back." Demeter said absentmindedly.

"Mama! Not while I'm eating!" Most of her kids whined or groaned as did some of the other kids.

"Like you need any complicated plan. He's always ready to shower you in love and affection." Thalia scoffed and Demeter was eyeing Percy in consideration. Hmmm.

"How much time do we have before we start reading again?"

"Not long enough for you two to slip away." Hades said and Demeter waved him off.

"That's what you think. Slow missionary might be your only setting but there are plenty of other ways to have fun. So Pe-"

"Will you stop bringing up my sex life?" Persephone asked disgusted and embarrassed.

"Oh hush dear. You've got part of my fertility domain, you'll be craving other positions soon. Probably have been for centuries but were too embarrassed to say anything." The strangled squeak Persephone gave out was telling and Hades whipped around to stare at her wide eyed.

"So Percy...how soon can you finish your burger and we can slip off?" Demeter asked eyeing her husband who shot her a grin.

"I can be done with this burger in less than a minute. But careful Demi. After all my current day self is twelve, sure you want to try and have a baby with a preteen?" Percy teased her a bit. He absolutely would not be getting her pregnant until after the wars thank you.

"With how common teen pregnancy is nowadays? I'm fine with that."

"Ew mama!" Some of her babies pulling faces at her and Artemis looked annoyed.

"Can we stop with all the sex talk?" She grumbled.

"Well if my husband would hurry and finish his burger I won't be talking about it." Demeter said and then they all watched as Percy finished the rest of his burger in twenty seconds flat, F. Chris timed it. Then he was beside Demeter scooping her up bridal style and then they were gone.

There was silence for a moment until-

"Did he just flash like gods do?"

Chapter Text

It was thirty minutes later when the gods and demigods trooped back into the throne room.

Two minutes later Demeter and Percy appeared. Percys T-shirt had rips in it as if he'd been clawed, his hair was a mess, his lips dark and bruised, and his neck nearly maimed with all the bites and bruises on it. He was covered in lipstick marks too.

Demeter wasn't much better, her shirt had the top two buttons undone, her long hair was tangled and messy, she was covered in love bites and hickeys, her skirt was messed up and her lips were puffy and bruised and she had a bit of an awkward gait to her stride.

There were a few wolf whistles, a few exasperated looks and a lot of disgusted ones from Demeters children.

"Sister really?" Hera asked sighing but looking more exasperated than anything, and a bit jealous.

"What do you expect from a pair with a One Bond? Until they're married fully and or she is with child they're going to be like that. It's natural." Aphrodite defended the two of them immediately however.

"That's excuses her but to him they're already married." Someone pointed out to the Lady of Love who snorted.

"Yes but is one of my descendants and was probably blessed. Not to mention he's ascending, more than three quarters of the way there right now. Of course he has the libido and stamina to keep up with his wife." Aphrodite said and Percy hummed.

"I also have a fertility domain to go along with her." Percy agreed and Demeter blushed, oh did she enjoy that part for sure.

"You already have one of your domains?" Posiedon perked up already thinking of having a temple built for his son.

"Two. Loyalty and fertility so far. But more to come." Percy said shrugging and he glowed slightly as he spoke of his domains and they couldn't deny they could feel his aura. Chiron looked shocked and proud for some reason.

"Who's turn is it to read?" F. Katie asked glancing at the others as she lifted the book.

"I will babe." F. Travis said giving her a quick kiss as he took the book from her hand.

He cracked it open and dramatically read the title.

"We get advice from a poodle!"

We were pretty miserable that night."

"Strong start." Connor said with a grin.

"We camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers. I was furious at the mess and began to clean it as best as I could."

There were several curse words from Hermes, Dionysus, Persephone, Demeter and the kids as they all scowled. Most all demigods were very respectful of nature, after all they were friends with Satyrs and Dryads and Nymphs.

The hunters aside from Amara who looked upset were cursing in old tongues.

"We'd taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but we didn't dare light a fire to dry our damp clothes. The fire would draw attention so fast...the Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day. We didn't want to attract anything else. We decided to sleep in shifts. I volunteered to take first watch."

"You should have slept off the rest of the magic." Posiedon said frowning at his son who shrugged.

"It's okay. I didn't stay up long." Percy assured.

"Annabeth curled up on the blankets and was snoring as soon as her head hit the ground. Grover fluttered with his flying shoes to the lowest bough of a tree, put his back to the trunk, and stared at the night sky.

"Go ahead and sleep," I told him. "I'll wake you if there's trouble."
He nodded, but still didn't close his eyes. "It makes me sad, Percy."
"What does? The fact that you signed up for this stupid quest?"
"No. This makes me sad." He pointed at all the garbage on the ground. Even with me cleaning a good bit there was still a lot. "And the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr."

"It is. A horrible time for anyone connected to nature." Artemis said sighing and she missed the wild and clean woods and air. Phoebe nodded with her as did Posiedon, Demeter, Dionysus, Hermes and Persephone. Even Apollo and Amphitrite looked wistful for the times they once knew.

"Yeah. I can only imagine. I'm not as connected nature as you and I hate it." I truly did. I missed the wild and clean air I once knew. The miles of fields and woods and grass without a single piece of trash that Arion would run through. The clean clear waters Desponia had loved to swim in despite hating her sire. The fields of flowers that Persephone had danced through. The clear sky and the nights when Demi would point out the stars and tell me the stories behind them. I missed the nature and the memories attached."

"Yeah things were a lot different back then." Demeter sighed as she recalled those nights as well.

"I remember the field of wildflowers near the house." Persephone said smiling faintly as she recalled dancing in the flowers and helping with the harvest and just how clean things had been back then.

"He glared at me. "Only a human wouldn't. Your species is clogging up the world so fast ... ah, never mind. It's useless to lecture a human. At the rate things are going, I'll never find Pan."
"Pan? The wild god right?" I think I remember stumbling across one of his party groups once. But it was hard to remember. Most of it boiled down to fuzzy half there memories and warmth and Demeter in my arms laughing as we twirled together and her lips met mine."

"I remember that party. We got drunk." Demeter said smiling faintly and Persephone laughed.

"You two ended up creating a new fruit when mom accidentally headbutted you and was fretting and trying to use her powers to heal you." Persephone snickered recalling that. It had been hilarious watching her parents fuss and panic over a nosebleed and end up making a new fruit. It was morbidly beautiful honestly.

"Is that how you created Blood oranges?!" Athena asked in disbelief and Demeter shook her head.

"That's how I made red Bananas." Demeter corrected and there was a smirk on Aphrodites face as she raised an eyebrow at Demeter who flushed brightly.

"Grover eyed me for a moment and I wondered if he felt my wistfulness and longing. He probably did.

A strange breeze rustled through the clearing, temporarily overpowering the stink of trash and muck. It brought the smell of berries and wildflowers and clean rain-water, things that might've once been in these woods. Suddenly I was nostalgic for something I'd never known in this life.

"That's what you want a searchers licence for right? Tell me about the search." He eyed me cautiously as if afraid I'd tease him.

"The God of Wild Places disappeared two thousand years ago," he told me. "A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore, 'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his sleep."

"Is he ever found?" Hermes asked desperately and the Future Demigods aside from Amara gave him sympathetic sad looks.

Amara was confused.

"But isn't the Lord of the Wild U-" Percy covered her mouth with his hand.

"That's a spoiler little flower. We can't give them spoilers." Percy said kindly and Amara covered her mouth with her tiny hands with wide eyes.

Hermes looked desperately at them but he seemed to be clutching onto the delusion that his son was fine.

"And you want to be a searcher."
"It's my life's dream," he said. "My father was a searcher. And my Uncle Ferdinand ... the statue you
saw back there—" "My condolences." I had slipped money into the satyrs hand, a drachma for every human and satyr statue so they could pay the boatman. Grover shook his head. "Uncle Ferdinand knew the risks. So did my dad. But I'll succeed. I'll be the first searcher to return alive."

"Hang on— the first?" Grover took his reed pipes out of his pocket. "No searcher has ever come back. Once they set out, they disappear. They're never seen alive again."
"Not once in two thousand years?"
"No."
"And your dad? You have no idea what happened to him?"
"None."

"Those loyal brave fools." Dionysus and Hermes looked devastated as they remembered all the satyrs lost in the search.

"But you still want to go," I said, amazed. "I mean, you really think you'll be the one to find Pan?"
"I have to believe that, Percy. Every searcher does. It's the only thing that keeps us from despair when we look at what humans have done to the world. I have to believe Pan can still be awakened."
I stared at the orange haze of the sky and tried to understand how Grover could pursue a dream that seemed so hopeless. Then again, I wasn't any better. I held onto the hope that my mother is okay. That Hades would return her. I held onto hope that Demi and our children still remembered me...that she still loved me."

"Always. I could not bare to lose you twice." Demeter murmured as she kissed Percy softly.

"And you won't." He assured her softly.

"Hope dies last." F. Annabeth said softly as if remembering something sad and distant.

"Hope never dies." The rest from the future chorused back immediately by rote. Even Amara, Amphitrite and the Romans.

Hestias hearth flashed higher and cracked merrily and she smiled softly at the demigods.

"How are we going to get into the Underworld?" I asked him. "I mean, what chance do we have against
a god?" Especially an elder one in his own domain.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But back at Medusa's, when you were searching her office? Annabeth was
telling me—"
"Oh, I forgot. Annabeth will have a plan all figured out."

"I deserved that." F. Annabeth winced while lil Annie nodded slowly but was frowning.

"Don't be so hard on her, Percy. She's had a tough life, but she's a good person. After all, she forgave me...." His voice faltered. Did he not remember her saying she would not care if he died? But wait...forgave him?"

"It wasn't your fault Goat boy." Thalia said softly and F. Annabeth and lil Annie agreed with her.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Forgave you for what?"
Suddenly, Grover seemed very interested in playing notes on his pipes.

"Wait a minute," I said. "Your first keeper job was five years ago. Annabeth has been at camp five years. She wasn't ... I mean, your first assignment that went wrong—"

"He was too young but he was the only one available..." Chiron trailed off when Thalia shot him a spark and her eyes once more glowed blue purple.

"Don't. We know the truth." Thalia growled darkly at him and he shut his mouth. There were several other scowls from the Future but most seemed to be ignoring him for now.

"I can't talk about it," Grover said, and his quivering lower lip suggested he'd start crying if I pressed him. I wouldn't do that to my first friend in this life.

"But as I was saying, back at Medusa's, Annabeth and I agreed there's something strange going on with this quest. Some-thing isn't what it seems."

"Well, duh. I'm getting blamed for stealing a thunder-bolt that Hades took." Except that didn't feel right. If he had stolen it he'd have still needed a Demigod to take it. One who had been at the solstice. But who? And from what Persephone said when at home back then he was not a cruel god nor was he the thieving type. So this didn't fit with what I knew of the god..."

"He's not cruel. Even though we are Ones and we're married with the Sky Kings blessing he never hurt me. He did not touch me nor did anything to pressure me. He was fair and understanding. He is not benevolent, especially to arrogant heroes who think their parentage demands he bend to their whims, but he is not cruel either. The cruelest he was was when he unleashed retribution on Thalia. And even then that was her sires fault for breaking Rites. If he hadn't unleashed them I would have." Persephone passionately defended her husband who was staring at her with a lovesick smile.

"By the maker do I love you." Hades said breathlessly as he stared at her in adoration and love. It was always hot when his wife got passionate about something, and when she defended him.

"I love you too husband." Persephone laughed and she kissed him softly and sweetly.

"That's not what I mean," Grover said. "The Fur—The Kindly Ones were sort of holding back. Like Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy ... why did she wait so long to try to kill you? Then on the bus, they just weren't as aggressive as they could've been."

"They seemed plenty aggressive to me." But I knew that was true. They hadn't been that aggressive and Mrs. Dodds had been at Yancy for most of a year... And they had been searching for an object. But what would the Lord of Death want with the Sky Kings weapon?

Grover shook his head. "They were screeching at us: 'Where is it? Where?'"

"Asking about me," I said.
"Maybe ... but Annabeth and I, we both got the feeling they weren't asking about a person. They said "Where is it?' They seemed to be asking about an object." So they had picked up on that. They must have been talking as I bagged up the trash."

"Still no one knows about the Helm being taken." Persephone scowled and she admitted that the children had good reason to suspect and be confused. After all they were children and just doing what they were told.

"That doesn't make sense."
"I know. But if we've misunderstood something about this quest, and we only have nine days to find the master bolt...." He looked at me like he was hoping for answers, but I didn't have any.

Although I had a horrible feeling in my gut. If the sky kings weapon was taken...what if it wasn't the only one?

But if so why did no one know? I chose instead to change the subject because the thought of someone stealing the weapons of two Elder Gods, two of the Kronides...who could they work for then?

"I haven't been straight with you," 1 told Grover. "I don't care about the master bolt. I agreed to go to the Underworld so I could bring back my mother."

Grover blew a soft note on his pipes. "I know that, Percy. But are you sure that's the only reason?"

"I'm not doing it to help my father. He doesn't care about me. I don't care about him." I wondered if he would notice I didn't say anything about my immortal mother or the Lady of Love.

Grover gazed down from his tree branch. "Look, Percy, I'm not as smart as Annabeth. I'm not as brave as you. But I'm pretty good at reading emotions. You're glad your dad is alive. You feel good that he's claimed you, and let's the other kids stay in your cabin and part of you wants to make him proud. That's why you mailed Medusa's head to Olympus. You wanted him to notice what you'd done."

"And because Medusas head is like batteries." Nico snorted and there were snickers.

"And to show off a bit for grandma probably." Hazel said and Demeter looked at her husband with a raised eyebrow.

"Showing off to my wife and proving I could protect our children and myself a bit was a bonus!" Percy agreed and F. Katie snorted and Amara nodded as if it made all the sense in the world.

"Mommy likes it when Papa shows off for her." Amara said as if that were the most obvious thing and Demeter blushed a bit and grinned.

"Just a bit." Demeter agreed with a small grin, she couldn't help but enjoy watching him show off. Look at her husband! He was hot and pretty and badass and strong and ascending and loyal and he's all hers.

"Yeah? Well maybe satyr emotions work differently than human emotions. Because you're wrong. I don't care what he thinks." Strange how no one but the Demeter and Aphrodite kids seemed to remember his immortal mother and ancestor.

Posiedon flinched a bit but there were a few confused looks.

"Why would we forget that?" Malcolm asked and several glares were thrown at Chiron.

"Grover pulled his feet up onto the branch. "Okay, Percy. Whatever."

"Besides, I haven't done anything worth bragging about. We barely got out of New York and we're stuck here with no money and no way west."

"You slew two of the furies and Medusa. And survived an attempt on your life by the Sky King." F. Clarisse glared at Percy who shrugged a bit.

"Still stuck in New Jersey with no way out." He reminded her and she shrugged.

"Grover looked at the night sky, like he was thinking about that problem. "How about I take first watch,
huh? You get some sleep."

I wanted to protest, but he started to play Mozart, soft and sweet, and I turned away, my eyes stinging.

After a few bars of Piano Concerto no. 12, I was asleep.

In my dreams, I stood in a dark cavern before a gaping pit. Gray mist creatures churned all around me, whispering rags of smoke that I somehow knew were the spirits of the dead.

They tugged at my clothes, trying to pull me back, but I felt compelled to walk forward to the very edge of the chasm.

Looking down made me dizzy.

The pit yawned so wide and was so completely black, I knew it must be bottomless. Yet I had a feeling that something was trying to rise from the abyss, something huge and evil."

"No." The ichor drained from the faces of the elder six and Aphrodite.

"It can't be." Demeter was trembling and Percy kissed her head and held her. Whispering softly to her.

Persephone and Amphitrite were doing the same with their respective husbands. Ares was holding Aphrodite and Hephaestus reached over to wrap and arm around her.

The demigods at the Hearth cuddled close to Hestia who was soon being hugged by Artemis while Athena worried and placed a hand on Zeus's arm as he shook his head in denial.

Hera was shivering, and suddenly Thalia was curled into her side and the kids near her were cuddling into her or hugging her. Hera hugged them all close and buried her face in Thalias hair.

"Get away from there." Apollo looked about ready to have a heart attack. Future Travis voice was steady as he read on.

'The little hero, an amused voice echoed far down in the darkness.Too weak, too young, but perhaps you will do.'
The voice felt ancient—cold and heavy. It wrapped around me like sheets of lead. I didn't know who this was and yet I already hated them.

They have misled you, boy, it said. Barter with me. I will give you what you want.

A shimmering image hovered over the void: my mother, frozen at the moment she'd dissolved in a shower of gold. Her face was distorted with pain, as if the Minotaur were still squeezing her neck. Her eyes looked directly at me, pleading: Go!'

"To dare using a child's love for their mother..." Hera growled a bit but stayed holding the children.

"He also used a mother's love for their children to recruit as well." F. Chris grimaced as he recalled a few. Future Travis continued to read before anyone asked him how he knew that.

" I tried to cry out, but my voice wouldn't work.

Cold laughter echoed from the chasm.
An invisible force pulled me forward. It would drag me into the pit unless I stood firm.

Help me rise, boy.The voice became hungrier.Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the
treacherous gods!

I hope the voice heard the slew of curse words I hurled at it. I'd never turn against my wife and children! Or my immortal parents and ancestor!

The spirits of the dead whispered around me,No! Wake!

The image of my mother began to fade. The thing in the pit tightened its unseen grip around me.

I realized it wasn't interested in pulling me in. It was using me to pull itself out.

Good, it murmured. Good.'

'Fuck off leach!' I tried to yell at him.

Wake! the dead whispered. Wake!

Someone was shaking me."

"Your cursed out father?" Hera asked in disbelief and a slight tremor to her voice.

Everyone was grim and silent as they realized who the voice was.

"More than once!" Percy said cheerfully trying to lighten the atmosphere a bit. Demeter gave a choked noise and buried into him, her tears of fear dampening his ripped shirt as she trembled in his arms. He continued to whisper assurances and love into her ear to try and comfort her.

My eyes opened, and it was daylight.

"Well," Annabeth said, "the zombie lives."

I was trembling from the dream. I could still feel the grip of the chasm monster around my chest. I really preferred the dreams of Demi and the kids.. "How long was I asleep?"

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast." Annabeth tossed me a bag of nacho-flavored corn chips from Aunty Em's snack bar. "And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."

My eyes had trouble focusing.

Grover was sitting cross-legged on a blanket with something fuzzy in his lap, a dirty, unnaturally pink stuffed animal.

No. It wasn't a stuffed animal. It was a pink poodle."

"What?" Ares growled and Artemis was tense and glaring.

"Gladolia. Wonder if the dye washed out?" Percy murmured curiously, he'd ask Grover later.

" The poodle yapped at me suspiciously. Grover said, "No, he's not."

I blinked. "Are you ... talking to that thing?" The poodle growled.

"This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"You can talk to animals?" That was new.

Grover ignored the question. "Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy."

I stared at Annabeth, figuring she'd crack up at this practical joke they were playing on me, but she looked deadly serious.

"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," I said. "Forget it."

"Percy," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."

The poodle growled. I was not awake enough for this.

I said hello to the poodle.

Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover. And apparently he could escape easily.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" I asked.

"He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh."

"Of course," I said. "Silly me." So dogs can read English but we can't? That was some manure!"

"It is. I'm working on it." Apollo winced and Athena seemed annoyed a dog read better than her kids.

"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."

I thought about my dream—the whispering voices of the dead, the thing in the chasm, and my mother's face, shimmering as it dissolved into gold. All that might be waiting for me in the West I didn't want to believe it was Hades but who else could barter for my mother?"

"For once I wish it were me." Hades muttered to his wife who nodded sadly.

"Not another bus," I said warily.

"No," Annabeth agreed. She pointed downhill, toward train tracks I hadn't been able to see last night in the dark. "There's an
Amtrak sta-tion half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the west-bound train leaves at noon."

Future Travis marked the spot and shut it handing it to F. Connor who took it with a grimace.

Especially when he saw the title. Oh was no one going to enjoy this.

Chapter Text

F. Connor glanced at everyone and then at Percy and grimaced. This was not going to be a good chapter.

"I plunge to my death."

Just the title of the chapter had a riot starting.

"What?!" Demeters voice hit a high octave as her head whipped towards her husband who kissed her soundly and rubbed her side softly.

"Papa?!" Persephone looked horrified and Posiedon lunged forward and wrapped his son, and therefore Demeter as well, into a tight hug.

"Perce?!" Nico and Thalia and the Romans all looked alarmed and worried.

"Oh shit it's the arch isn't it?" F. Annabeth asked making Percy nod at her as he pulled from the kiss with Demeter.

"Beloved?" Even with her distant eyes and kisses thoroughly lips she still looked worried as she looked at him.

"I didn't die love. I'm okay. I was being dramatic!" Percy said and there were several signs of relief.

"Of course you were. You're Greek." Hazel teased but she looked tense as well. There were several protesting noises but they were half hearted.

"We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain that reminded me of my wife's hair."

"You manage to tie everything to her somehow." F. Travis said shaking his head and smiling. His friend was so damn smitten.

"Because she's amazing and beautiful. Besides grains are part of her domain! Of course they'd remind me of her!" Percy said grinning and Demeter smiled slightly but she was still worried and didn't even care that her brother was holding her as well as Percy. She just needed to be near her husband.

"We weren’t attacked once, but I didn’t relax. I felt that we were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity.

I tried to keep a low profile because my name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers."

"What?" There were several confused looks. Percy just waved at the book.

"The Trenton Register-News showed a photo taken by a tourist as I got off the Greyhound bus. I had a wild look in my eyes. My sword was a metallic blur in my hands. It might’ve been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick."

"Well fuck." Clarisse said wincing and realizing how that would look to mortals.

"The picture’s caption read: Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with two teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.

‘Don’t worry,’ Annabeth told me. ‘Mortal police could never find us.’ But she didn’t sound so sure."

"Oh they can. Honestly Lady Tyche was working over time helping us out there." F. Annabeth said wincing.

"The entire Demeter cabin and Aphrodite cabin and half the Hermes cabin sacrificed to Lady Tyche every meal praying for him." F. Katie said and the two and a half cabins grinned and cheered glad they had helped.

"The rest of the day I spent alternately pacing the length of the train (because I had a really hard time sitting still) or looking out the windows

Once I spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught my eye and waved."

"It is very rare to see some of my kinsmen in the wild." Chiron noted surprised.

"The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines.

Another time, toward evening, I saw something huge moving through the woods. It was a lion, and based on the size alone, I knew it was the Nemean Lion. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light. Then it leaped through the trees and was gone.”

"You saw it? Before the third quest?!" Thalia asked in disbelief and Percy blinked.

"Huh I forgot about that." He shrugged off all the looks he got and waved F. Connor to keep reading.

"Our reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. We couldn’t get berths in the sleeper car, so we dozed in our seats. I had several dreams of better times and Annabeth kept giving me curious looks when I woke up. She mentioned I had drooled and said the name Demi. I felt myself blush, thank Hypnos it wasn't a dream that was...saucy so to speak. Just innocent memories of our time together on the farm."

"Ugh don't remind me. You had that one rated 18 and up dream on our quest and we couldn't look you in the eyes for days!" Frank said making several who caught onto what that meant pull faces. The Stolls snorted and F. Clarisse and F. Chris cackled as Percy looked embarrassed.

"Oh? You'll have to tell me about some of those dreams sometime my love." Demeter said smirking and trailing her fingers over his chest.

"Gladly my dearest." Percy purred to her and F. Katie nudged her boyfriend to keep reading.

"Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking me up. Once, he shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. Annabeth and I worked together to get it back on before anyone could notice.

"So,’ Annabeth asked me, once she’d gotten Grover’s sneakers readjusted. ‘Who wants your help?’

"What do you mean?"

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about? That girl you have a crush on?" No I'd absolutely help Demi with any and everything. I wished it was her who wanted my help.

I was reluctant to say anything. It was the second time I'd dreamed about the evil voice from the pit. But it bothered me so much I finally told her.

Annabeth was quiet for a long time. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs."

"Hades laughs all the time." Persephone said frowning at the girl who winced and bowed her head. The younger version looked disbelieving however.

"I was prejudiced against him my lady. From both my own experiences and from what we were taught at Camp. In my time I know better." F. Annabeth said respectfully and Persephone raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone does. Hard to keep thinking of him as cruel or anything when we all remember him sobbing his heart out when he gave Hazel away during the wedding." F. Will said smirking and Thalia snorted.

"And he'll be crying just as hard when it's time for you and Nico to get married." Thalia teased and Hades looked like he was about to start crying now at the thought of giving his daughter away in marriage.

"And he laughed pretty hard when Lady Demeter pranked the hell out of the entire council aside from Lady Artemis. Pretty sure the shimmering rainbow hair Lester had was what tipped him over the edge." F. Clarisse said using the name Lester to hide which God it was to not tip them off.

"I pranked the council?" Demeter asked surprised, she wasn't usually one for pranks.

"You and my lady decided that you had enough of Lord Apollo and Lord Hermes bragging about being the prank kings." Phoebe smirked at that and Artemis hid her smile behind one hand.

"I got to help! I got to put the glue in the throne!" Amara said happily and there was amused and impressed noises from around the room.

"I frowned briefly. That didn't sound right. Persephone had mentioned how he laughed sometimes especially when one of his subjects had done something humorous. Like when Cerberus had licked Thanatos and ruffled his feathers hard."

Hades and Persephone both snickered at the reminder.

"I wish we had cameras back then." Persephone said wistfully, there would be so much blackmail.

"He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?"

"I guess ... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"

I shook my head, wishing I knew the answer. I thought about what Grover had told me, that the Furies on the bus seemed to have been looking for something.

Where is it? Where? I desperately hoped it didn't mean his own symbol of power was stolen. Who would dare steal from two elder gods? And even then who would protect the thief? Who could do so? Not many had the power to shield even one symbol much less two."

"That's true. Very few, even most of the council, would be able to shield the powerful symbols." Athena eyed the rest of the council trying to figure out who it could be.

" Maybe Grover sensed my emotions. He snorted in his sleep, muttered something about vegetables, and
turned his head....okay maybe not.

Annabeth readjusted his cap so it covered his horns. "Percy, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"

"My husband is none of those! He is the most honorable god there is! And he adores his children and family, he is protective of his own! And greedy? He is the god of riches he has no need to be greedy when all wealth is within his power!" Persephone was starting to glow in rage.

Hades looked smitten as he stared at her while she was looking furious.

"Damn you're gorgeous when you're angry." He said looking lovestruck and Persephone startled and blushed a bit at the compliment.

"Stop complimenting me I'm mad!" Persephone said making him smile besotted.

"And you're beautiful when mad." He repeated and she squeaked.

"Connor keep reading before they make me a sibling!" Nico said and F. Connor snorted. Hephaestus was working on designs for a cradle for the Underworld Rulers. Aphrodite leaned in and whispered a suggestion of using gem motif rather than bones.

"I frowned. That did not sound anything like the Lord of the Dead I knew of in my last life. Even if he had stolen my eldest away from her mother according to Persephone he had thought Demi had known of the marriage agreement. She described him as just and honorable and how even if they were Ones, literal soulmates, he did not touch her if she was uncomfortable. Which was more than any other god could say."

"I want to argue but-"

"I have a set of twins that prove otherwise." Demeter cut Posiedon off with a raised eyebrow and he winced in acknowledgment and released her from his hug.

"You can't say anything. I have a list." Hera told Zeus who had opened his mouth.

"This time?" I asked. "You mean you've run into them before?" Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens. "Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

A pine tree bead. Pine tree. Like Thalia the daughter of Zeus was turned into. Grover said she had forgiven him...Grover has been Thalias protector and Annabeth must have been there as well. One of the two children with Thalia when they made it to the camp."

"How do you piece things together so fast?" F. Annabeth asked annoyed but mostly fond as she gave him a faux glare.

"No clue. I just tend to make connections and leaps of logic in my brain. I'm usually as surprised as everyone else when I'm right." Percy shrugged it off.

Persephone relaxed her glare a bit. Oh...she had been one of the ones targeted by her and her husbands Retaliation...that explained a good bit of her prejudice.

"What would you do if it was your dad?"

"That's easy," she said. "I'd leave him to rot."

"Annabeth?!" Athena asked looking at her daughter in alarm and confusion.

"There's a reason your cabin has more year rounders than any other. Most people don't take too well to having a baby dropped on their doorstep when they don't even remember sleeping with someone. Or know they were talking to a goddess when they caught your eye." Malcolm said and some of the other Athena kids winced.

"Wait. You don't want the mortal parents that you'll be gifting them a child?" Hera asked staring at her step daughter in disbelief and alarm.

"I'm supposed to?" Athena asked confused and Hera buried her face in her hands.

"We'll be having a talk about that later." Hera said sighing heavily.

"You're not serious?" Was she safe at home? Did I have to kill her mortal parent? Had he hurt her?

Annabeth's gray eyes fixed on me. She wore the same expression she'd worn in the woods at camp, the moment she drew her sword against the hellhound. "My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy," she said. "He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and
raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent."

I was absolutely going to be fighting her dad. What the fuck?! For her to know this means someone had to tell her, likely her father himself!"

"You absolutely would have fought him if I hadn't made up with him." F. Annabeth said fondly and Percy shot her a grin.

"Plankton's always ready to throw hands with abusive or neglectful parents. If my mum had been alive when he learned about her, she wouldn't have been after he got to her." Thalia said and Heras gaze snapped to her mortal step daughter in alarm.

"Damn right she wouldn't have been. Remember what he did to Jamie's mum? Damn near sent her straight to Charon himself if Jamie hadn't gotten scared and he had to calm her down." F. Clarisse barked out a laugh with no humor.

"Jamie?" Ares glanced at the assembled children wondering which one that was and who's kid they were.

"Not born yet." Thalia shrugged at them.

"But how ... I mean, I guess you weren't born in a hospital...." Especially when her mom was a maiden.

"I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist."

I stared out the train window. The lights of a sleeping town were drifting by. I wanted to make Annabeth feel better, but I didn't know how. Aside from getting his location and having words with the guy.

"My mom married a really awful guy," I told her. "Grover said she did it to protect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what your dad was thinking." Not that it mattered. She was mine now. I'd adopt her just as I was adopting Demis kids. No kid deserved that."

"Camp dad adopts his first none Demeter child!" F. Travis noted grinning and Annabeth looked wide eyed at Percy while F. Annabeth snorted.

"That's bull. He adopted the little ones before he even got a quest. I'm just the first none Demeter child he adopted that's older than him!" F. Annabeth said grinning at Percy who shot her a grin.

"Annabeth kept worrying at her necklace. She was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads. It occurred to me that the ring must be her father's. I wondered why she wore it if she hated him so much.

"He doesn't care about me," she said. "His wife—my stepmom—treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened—you know, something with monsters they would both look at me resentfully, like, 'How dare you put our family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away." That put two adults on my must fight list."

"She wouldn't let me play with them because I was bigger and stronger and didn't know how to treat babies. And they weren't resentful they were worried and didn't understand." F. Annabeth sighed as she looked sadly at the book.

"So your father doesn't hate you?" Athena clutched hopefully to that thought.

"No he doesn't. He's just not good at showing he does care. And my stepmom didn't know I was a demigod and was scared because she didn't know what was going on." Little Annabeth looked shocked and a bit hopeful about that.

"How old were you?"

"Same age as when I started camp. Seven." She had been so young...

"But ... you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself."

"Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway."

I wanted to ask what happened, but Annabeth seemed lost in sad memories and I had a sinking feeling I already knew. So I listened to the sound of Grover snoring and gazed out the train windows as the dark fields of Ohio raced by.

Toward the end of our second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked to me like a huge shopping bag handle stuck on the city."

"I get to see the Arch?" Annabeth asked excitedly and F. Annabeth grimaced but nodded.

"That's one of my temples. So it should give you some safety." Athena seemed pleased only to be given the side eye glare from the older version of her daughter.

"The title said you plunge to your death. Plunge means to fall or jump. If you're at the Arch then..." Aphrodite stared at Percy and she was alarmed.

"Yep!" Percy made jazz hands at her and faces around the room paled. Especially Thalia and the others with a fear of heights.

"How the fuck did you survive?" Sherman asked staring at Percy in disbelief as Demeter curled into him and Posiedon and Amphitrite had their arms around their semi mortal child.

"You'll see." Percy waved at F. Connor.

"I want to do that," she sighed.

"What?" I asked.

"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?"

"That fucking statue." F. Annabeth growled and shot Athena a glare. Hazel, Frank, Nico and Percy grimaced as well.

"Only in pictures."

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."

"And you did Annie." Thalia said softly and F. Annabeth shot her a smile while everyone looked confused.

"I laughed. "You? An architect?"
I don't know why, but I found it funny. Just the idea of Annabeth trying to sit quietly and draw all day. That was near impossible for a demigod."

"Oh that's why you laughed!" F. Annabeth looked like she understood something and winced.

" Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them
down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."

"Rude. My children can make things too!" Posiedon said and Percy proved it. He summoned some water and made it take the shape of a flower, a poppy, and then froze it into ice and tucked it into Demeters hair.

"Papa makes all sorts of water shapes! And he makes them into ice sometimes and he makes plushies and blankets and pillows and all sorts of things!" Amara defended her father with a serious frown on her young face.

"I know that now sweetie. I didn't know then, and remember he didn't know how to do ice back then." F. Annabeth said soothingly to Amara who narrowed her eyes but nodded once.

"Not to mention he's my descendant. My children and grandchildren are good at crafting things, particularly gifts of love. Of all kinds." Aphrodite added.

"And he's my son as well. There's a reason we call him Little Pearl." Amphitrite chided and Percy was humming as he focused on his hand for a moment and then opened it to reveal several pearls in hand with gentle hues of colors that cast a rainbow when the light hit it just right. He sent one to each of the Goddesses and then gave the last one to Katie.

The future Demigods showed that they each had a pearl somewhere on them.

"I watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below.

"Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean."

"Can't we work together a little?" I pleaded. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?" I knew they had, Demi had told me of a few times they had worked together but it was rare and I wasn't sure if mortals knew of them anymore.

Annabeth had to think about it. "I guess ... the chariot," she said tentatively. "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete."

"Then we can cooperate, too. Right?" We rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel.

"I suppose," she said at last. We pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.

Grover stretched. Before he was even fully awake, he said, "Food."

"Growing boys." Amphitrite said amused and Percy shot her a grin.

"Not to mention that the more powerful a child the more they need to eat. None of that silly counting calories thing mortals focus on nowadays." Aphrodite said frowning, she hated the modern day diets.

"You're against diets?" Someone, one of Athenas, asked surprised.

"All body types are beautiful before one of you says that. If they want to diet or need to for medical reasons then that's fine but I am very against those starvation diets. Self care is a form of love too dears. And starvation is not self care. Trying to change yourself or harm yourself to try and 'fit in' or match the social norms? I absolutely am against that." Aphrodite said glaring at the wall so she didn't risk glaring and disintegrating a child.

She summoned a lot of foods and snacks for the children in case they wanted some. It wasn't the healthy fruit cups and veggies chips Demeter had summoned earlier although there were some of those too.

"I'm a health nut because grains and nutrition are literally parts of my domain. And I hate those diets too. Eat as much as you need to feel full children. No one should starve, and no one shall when I am nearby." Demeter said summoning some fruits for those like her kids who preferred them.

F. Connor began to read again even as F. Katie fed him some of his favorite chips.

"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said. "Sightseeing."

"Sightseeing?" On a quest?

"The Gateway Arch," she said. "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?"

Grover and I exchanged looks.

I wanted to say no, but I figured that if Annabeth was going, we couldn't very well let her go alone. There might be monsters about. Besides there was a three hour layover.

Grover shrugged. "As long as there's a snack bar without monsters."

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. We threaded our way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Grover kept passing me jelly beans, so I was okay. Especially since I was actually a bit interested in the history."

"I can tell you what I remember of the time if you like?" Demeter offered her husband who kissed her nose just to watch her scrunch it up cutely.

"I can ask Clio to tell you about anything you're interested in. She loves telling people about History and she has unbiased records of it all." Apollo offered and Percy shot him a grin.

"You made that same offer in the future. Clio loves coming to teach history classes at Camp, and she's ripped apart more than a few so called historians who put their own biases into their finds and reports." Percy said amused recalling watching Clio tear down one guy who had been so sure of himself about his find proving that Athena had not been a maiden goddess.

"Oh that's a good idea she would love that. I'll mention the idea to her after the reading." Apollo said lighting up thinking of how much Clio would love passing her knowledge of history onto the children.

" kept looking around, though, at the other people in line, something was tickling my nerves. "You smell anything?" I murmured to Grover.

He took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff. "Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."

But something felt wrong to me. I had a feeling we shouldn't be here."

"Could be because your instincts are warning you of a monster." F. Travis said alert and eyeing the book, they all remembered the title. Why would he plunge?

"Or because you're a son of the sea in the Wisdom Goddesses temple. A lot of Sea children are uneasy in Athena's temples." Amphitrite put that out there and a few people gave disgruntled looks towards the Goddess.

"It's Prissy. It's probably both." F. Clarisse snorted.

"Guys," I said. "You know the gods' symbols of power?" Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the onstruction equipment used to build the Arch,
but she looked over. "Yeah?"

"Well, Hade—" Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place.... You mean, our friend downstairs?"

"Um, right," I said. "Our friend way downstairs, the Lord of Underworld. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?" At the most basic of definitions it would be similar. I wasn't sure if they knew the symbol."

"A very basic definition as in it makes people invisible. But my helm is a lot more dangerous than that silly hat." Hades scoffed, Athena looked slightly offended but no one else doubted it.

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

"He was there?" I asked. It sounded like he wasn't and what had Chiron said? The Lord of the Underworld was only ever a guest? Despite being the eldest son?"

"Not anymore he's not. He's a regular visitor whenever he has time and he's allowed back to his home whenever he pleases." F. Katie assured her elder sister who looked ready to read the riot act to someone.

"Why would I allow that?" Zeus demanded sounding paranoid and angry.

"You didn't have a choice." Thalia smirked at her father who looked even more annoyed. But Thalia motioned for F. Connor to keep reading.

"She nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus—the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true...."

"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"Still a simplification but close." Hades agreed.

"But then ... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" I asked. Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks.

"We don't," Grover said."

"If my helm was stolen I probably was keeping an eye out. Especially if I also believed you were the thief." Hades admitted with a nod.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," I said. "Got any blue jelly beans left?"

I'd almost mastered my jumpy nerves when I saw the tiny little elevator car we were going to ride to the top of the Arch, and I knew I was in trouble. I hate confined places. They make me nuts."

"And it only got worse after the pit." Percy groaned and Amphitrite reached over and smoothed his hair down while Demeter leaned into him and Posiedon looked worried.

"Is us crowding you too much?" He worried and Percy shot him a smile.

"Having the people I care about close actually helps, just make sure I can get away if need be." Percy said and then was wrapped in his dad's arms again.

Aphrodite made a mental note to talk to him later and shot a glance at Dionysus who was eyeing the boy as well. Either he or Psyche would be talking with Percy later.

"We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. I figured maybe the dog was a seeing-eye Chihuahua, because none of the guards said a word about it."

"I never saw a dog." F. Annabeth said alarmed and shooting Percy a look.

"Given who that was and who sent her? I'm not surprised." Percy shrugged it off.

"We started going up, inside the Arch. I'd never been in an elevator that went in a curve, and my stomach wasn't too happy about it.

"No parents?" the fat lady asked us. She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.

"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings."

The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.

I said, "Sonny. Is that his name?"

"No," the lady told me."

"Definitely a monster." Someone whispered and everyone was tense.

"She smiled, as if that cleared everything up. My stomach dropped. I kept an eye on the woman, she was most likely a monster.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but if there's anything I like less than a confined space, it's a confined space six hundred feet in the air. I was ready to go pretty quick."

"I don't blame you." Thalia looked pale and Hera wrapped an arm around her without thinking about it.

"Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor."

"Fuck that!" Thalia and Nico both agreed.

"She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily for me the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.

I steered Grover and Annabeth toward the exit, loaded them into the elevator, and I was about to get in myself when I realized there were already two other tourists inside. No room for me."

"Don't split up!" Ares barked.

"The park ranger said, "Next car, sir."

"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you."

But that was going to mess everybody up and take even more time, so I said, "Naw, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom." And I didn't want them here with whatever monster the lady and her dog was.

Grover and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.

I smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Wait a minute.

Forked tongue?"

"Reptilian then?" Artemis muttered trying to name the monster.

"Before I could decide if I'd really seen that and figure out what monster she was, her Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at me. Oh no. Not with the mortals around.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"

His parents pulled him back, they probably sensed something off. The mother looked horrified.

The Chihuahua bared his teeth at me, foam dripping from his black lips. Great. It had rabies."

"It probably did." Percy agreed with his prior thoughts.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."

Ice started forming in my stomach. "Urn, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"

"Chimera,dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

The string of swears that Posiedon and Amphitrite and Demeter let out was impressive.

"Damn I don't think even I knew some of those." Hermes whistled impressed.

"Athena. How did that monster and it's mother even enter your temple?" Aphrodite was glaring red eyed at Athena who looked pale and shocked and wide eyed.

"She let it enter on orders to teach us a lesson." F. Annabeth said coldly even as she picked dirt out of her nails with her knife. That earned even more swears. And Posiedon began to stand to attack Athena but F. Connor read loudly to stop them.

"She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were side-ways slits, like a reptile's.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar."

A lot of the young kids seemed scared. Persephone and the other Demeter kids moved to Percys side as if to reassure themselves he was there. Aphrodite appeared beside them as well and wrapped an arm around Amphitrite and Percy as well.

"The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with ablood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long
diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954."

"Is that real?" Travis asked curiously.

"It is so we can keep track of the dangerous monsters. Prank call us at your own peril." Nico warned with a narrow look.

"I realized I hadn't even uncapped my sword. My hands were numb. I was ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and I knew that as soon as I moved, the creature would lunge.

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

"ZEUS!!" His name was roared around the room. Posiedon was moving to stand and Demeter was summoning her blade but Hera and Aphrodite got there first.

Zeus was knocked from his throne by his wife beating him over the head with her staff, where Aphrodite then stabbed him through a shoulder to pin him to the floor.

"I am your king!" Zeus roared in pain and rage.

"You break your own laws Son of Kronos! And they were on a quest for YOU! To us it looks like you WANT a war! And if that is the case then I shall gladly give you one!" Aphrodite snarled in his face.

"I am your king! The defeater of Kronos!" Zeus struggled against the blade and sparked dangerously but Heras eyes glowed and green and blue fog circled his head.

"Demeter and Hestia landed the final blows. All you did was chop him up with his scythe. And as the eldest Child Hestia is the rightful Queen. She was your mother and Fathers Heir and Acknowledged Princess of Othrys. If any should have ruled it is her." Aphrodite said darkly.

"And depending on your actions throughout the series and if you have any reasonings behind them that are just, oh God of Justice, we may decide to hand the throne over to the rightful Queen. What we do with you after depends on you." Hera hissed and Hestia looked upset.

"I never wanted to be Queen." Hestia said softly as Zeus stared stunned at the two women.

"And that is why you would make a fabulous one, and we know you would be fair and put your family first sister.." Demeter said softly to her elder sister who had raised her and loved her as a mother would.

"Certainly better than the so called God of Justice." Hera agreed with a sneer to her husband. Both of her other brothers agreed vocally with that.

"You dare-" Zeus looked furious and heartbroken and betrayed and was knocked out by Heras staff hitting him in the head.

"Keep reading grandson. Hermes can you also record the infractions done by your father or shall I ask for another?" Hera asked her stepson who nodded to her.

"I can do it stepmother." He assured and she smiled at him before retaking her seat. Aphrodite settled back in beside Ares in front of their children, he was staring at her with love struck eyes and even Hephaestus looked impressed and pleased. F. Connor kept reading.

" I stared at her. All I could think to say in my shock and terror was: "Isn't that a kind of anteater?"

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"

The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. I man-aged to leap aside and dodge the bite.

I ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.

I couldn't let them get hurt. I uncapped my sword, ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, "Hey, Chihuahua!" The Chimera turned faster than I would've thought possible. Before I could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at me."

There were several whimpers but no one spoke. Demeter and his parents and kids clutched him tighter.

"I dove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was so intense, it nearly seared off my eye-brows.

Where I had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.

Great, I thought. We just blowtorched a national monument."

"My temple!" Athena said wide eyed and angry and annoyed.

"Not now! Besides blame father not the kid trying to survive!" Apollo snapped at her.

"Riptide was now a shining bronze blade in my hands, and as the Chimera turned, I slashed at its neck but then moved at the last second. My blade sank into its front paws shoulder and cut a deep gash.

But that was my fatal mistake. As I tried to regain my
balance, I realized that I was so worried about defending myself against the fiery lion's mouth, I completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whipped around and sank its fangs into my calf."

"No!" There were several cries and some of the kids began to cry. F. Connor was spale but kept reading resolutely.

"My whole leg was on fire. I tried to jab Riptide into the Chimera's mouth, but the serpent tail wrapped around my ankles and pulled me off balance, and my blade flew out of my hand, spinning out of the hole in the Arch and down toward the Mississippi River.

I managed to get to my feet, but I knew I had lost. I was weaponless. I could feel deadly poison racing up to my chest. I remembered Chiron saying that Anaklusmos would always return to me, but there was no pen in my pocket. Maybe it had fallen too far away. Maybe it only returned when it was in pen form. I didn't know, and I wasn't going to live long enough to figure it out.

I backed into the hole in the wall. The Chimera advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips. The snake lady, Echidna, cackled. "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?"

"Try picking on one who's had more than a week of training and who is old enough for quests bitch." Ares snapped at the book with a glare.

"The monster growled. It seemed in no hurry to finish me off now that I was beaten.

I glanced at the park ranger and the family. The little boy was hiding behind his father's legs. I had to protect these people. I couldn't just ... die."

"Even on the verge of death you care more for other people." Dionysus said with a grimace as he realized what that implied. The boy didn't care about his own life. Artemis was giving the boy a look of curiosity and slight respect.

"I tried to think, but my whole body was on fire. My head felt dizzy. I had no sword. I was facing a massive, fire-breathing monster and its mother. And I was scared. There was no place else to go, so I stepped to the edge of the hole. Far, far below, the river glittered. If I died, would the monsters go away? Would they leave the humans alone?"

"Oh sweetie." Some of the kids were crying while Aphrodite stared at Percy with soft understanding eyes.

Demeter was clinging to Percy and sobbing and the kids weren't much better as Posiedon held his son close and Amphitrite was holding him close and had tears in her eyes.

"I'm glad your mental health is doing better in our time." Amphitrite murmured and she pressed a kiss on Percys head.

"You cared about the humans even then..." Artemis seemed stunned and Thalia was trying to keep her breathing even. Everyone looked rightfully worried and upset by the thoughts of the then twelve year old.

"Keep reading Connor." Percy encouraged and he did with a tight voice.

"If you are the son of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline." Why did everyone forget about my immortal mother and ancestor?

Not that it would help me, I thought. I'd read somewhere that jumping into water from a couple of stories up was like jumping onto solid asphalt. From here, I'd splatter on impact.

The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for an-other blast.

"You have no faith," Echidna told me. "You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart." She was right: I was dying. I could feel my breath slowing down. Nobody could save me, not even the gods. If they would even want to.

My thoughts turned to my wife and our children as I backed up and looked down at the water. I'm sorry my love, I won't get to see you again. Then my thoughts turned to my parents. I remembered the warm glow of my father's smile when I was a baby. He must have seen me. He must have visited me when I was in my cradle. Maybe my immortal mother had too."

"He visited you once when you were a baby as Sally slept. I visited you several times when you were too young to remember." Amphitrite agreed softly and quietly.

 

"I remembered the swirling green trident that had appeared above my head the night of capture the flag,
when Poseidon had claimed me as his son. The softer glow of the coral and silver Trident next to it. My immortal mother Amphitrite who had claimed me as well.

But this wasn't the sea. This was the Mississippi, dead center of the USA. There were no Sea Gods here."

"But still water would not harm you. River or ocean." Amphitrite murmured.

"Die, faithless one," Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flame toward my face.

"Father, Mother, help me," I prayed. I turned and jumped. My clothes on fire, poison coursing through my veins, I plummeted toward the river.

"I love you Demi." I murmured just in case.

And I fell."

It was silent for several moments after F. Connor closed the book to signify the chapter was over.

"You aren't leaving me again." Demeter murmured quietly and Percy kissed her softly and took one of her hands, placing it on his chest to feel his heartbeat

"Never." He promised solemnly.

"How the fuck did you make that jump? Those windows are tiny and the river is not that close." Someone asked breaking the tension and there were some scattered strained laughs.

"You should see General Fishie playing basketball. The jerk can jump like a damn kangaroo!" F. Travis said making Percy grin a bit.

"Still mad I beat you guys in a two v one?" Percy teased them playfully to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Fucker you jump like four feet up at a stand still!" There were a few impressed looks at that.

"Those are some strong legs." Apollo said raising an eyebrow at Percy who pointed at his dad.

"Father of horses. I got a horses leg muscles...and a few other enhancements." Percy said that last but with a sly smirk towards Demeter who blushed a bit.

They didn't want to know.

Chapter Text

"Here I'll read. Because I don't want to know what enhancements the prissy has that makes her blush." F. Clarisse said immediately and the book was promptly thrown at her by the Stoll brother.

She threw a knife at him that he caught easily in return.

Cracking open the book to the marked page she raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I become a Known fugitive!"

"Honestly I think I'm still on the FBI watchlist." Percy didn't even seem surprised by that and instead amused.

"Not to mention the Buzzfeed unsolved articles." F. Chris said and Apollo and Hermes perked up, so did Athena.

"Don't remind me. Half of my school swim meets ended up on that, my classmates sent in articles just to screw with them." Percy said amused.

"So did Rachel. She delighted in sending in cryptic but true things such as you being spotted on Twitter with some jellyfish species that was extremely toxic but you were just cuddling it like it was a stuffed animal." Thalia grinned and Nico was cackling.

"There are so many conspiracy theories about you and your damn cryptid status."

"He has a cryptid Twitter account he uses to mess with them." F. Will informed the rest and Amara giggled.

"Sometimes mama and I take pictures with daddy doing silly things to send in. I liked the one where Katie took a picture of mama picking up daddy and posted it! There were lots of funny comments!" Amara said happily and Demeter smiled fondly at her youngest child who had migrated back over to Artemis lap much to the Huntress amusement.

"Half of them were simping for my wife." Percy snorted and he tightened his arms around Demeter a bit.

"Oh calm down there jerk. After the first thirst comment on you she sent a picture of you covered in lipstick and bites with a caption of you being hers." Thalia threw Skittles at him again.

"And when you saw the thirst comments for her she sent in a pic of her neck marked to hell saying how she's yours and they can't even try to compare." Nico threw some orange slices at them.

"Ha! Should have seen the comments when Aunt Miranda decided to take after you and inform the world that you two had multiple children, sending in a pic of Amara, the boys, and Meg. They were all so confused." Hazel sniggered remembering that.

"Can we get back to reading?" One of Athenas girls asked frowning and F. Clarisse rolled her eyes.

"Fucking kill joys." She muttered but looked back at the book.

The atmosphere was a lot lighter now though.

"I’d love to tell you I had some deep revelation on my way down, that I came to terms with my own mortality, laughed in the face of death, et cetera. But I didn't see Thanatos.
And The truth? My only thought was: Aaaaggghhhhh!"

F. Clarisse made it sound as stupid as possible and there were snickers and snorts around the room.

"The river raced toward me at the speed of a truck. Wind ripped the breath from my lungs. Steeples and skyscrapers and bridges tumbled in and out of my vision.
And then: Flaaa-boooom!"

The Stolls, both versions, made flaboom noises with their mouths and explosion like effects with their hands. F. Clarisse ignored them with ease, especially since her idiot was right there beside her making the hand motions as well.

"A whiteout of bubbles. I sank through the murk, sure that I was about to end up embedded in a hundred feet of mud and lost forever.
But my impact with the water hadn’t hurt. I was falling slowly now, bubbles trickling up through my fingers. I settled on the river bottom soundlessly. A catfish the size of my stepfather lurched away into the gloom."

"Damn that's a big fish." Thalia whistled a bit although the mention of Gabe had anger rippling through the room.

"Clouds of silt and disgusting garbage—beer bottles, old shoes, plastic bags—swirled up all around me. I scowled at the pollution and made a mental note to come back and clean this mess up.

At that point, I realized a few things: first, I had not been flattened into a pancake. I had not been barbecued. I couldn’t even feel the Chimera poison boiling in my veins anymore. I was alive, which was good."

"That was very good." And there was some more relaxing around the room that he had now been cleaned of the poison and healed.

"Wait." F. Annabeth furrowed her brow as she looked at Percy.

"You couldn't feel the poison. But there was no mention of it being drawn out of you. Does that mean it's still in your bloodstream?" F. Annabeth asked and F. Will nodded.

"It was. Honestly with how much he's exposed to poison even as a demigod he's immune to most of them before he began to ascend." F. Will answered and his father hummed in intrigue as he eyed Percy.

"The fuckers blood is toxic. One time his blood got on a emposia and it burned her." Thalia snorted and Percy merely hummed.

"It's pretty likely one of my domains will include poison." Percy agreed and he and F. Annabeth exchanged loaded looks.

"So then during that time..."

"That is the reason yes." Percy nodded to her and F. Annabeth nodded back and relaxed back into her seat.

"Hmm." Posiedon hummed in thought as he stared at his son who motioned for F. Clarisse to read.

"Second realization: I wasn’t wet. I mean, I could feel the coolness of the water. I could see where the fire on my clothes had been quenched. But when I touched my shirt it was perfectly dry."

"That is handy." One of Hephaestus boys said thinking how neat it would be to never get wet.

"Except around mortals when he has to remember to let himself get wet." F. Katie agreed.

"I looked at the garbage floating by and snatched an old cigarette lighter.

No way, I thought.

I flicked the lighter. It sparked. A tiny flame appeared, right there at the bottom of the Mississippi."

"Do NOT let Leo know about that." Frank said shaking his head and earning agreeing noises from the rest. Hephaestus tilted his head. That name sounded familiar. Hera tilted her head as well as she recalled the name vaguely.

"I grabbed a soggy hamburger wrapper out of the current and immediately the paper turned dry. I lit it with no problem. As soon as I let it go, the flames sputtered out. The wrapper turned back into a slimy rag. Weird. But the strangest thought occurred to me only last: I was breathing. I was underwater, and I was breathing normally."

"Only you would realize that Last Jellyfish." F. Travis shook his head amused but was grinning wide.

"He realized it faster than you would have. You still haven't realized it's a bad idea to prank the Demeter cabin." F. Katie said giving him a pointed look.

"I usually do it to rile you up babe. I wasn't expecting The Crotchkicker to prank us back." F. Travis shrugged a bit sheepishly.

"Be glad it was Meg and not Desponia. She was thinking of joining in the pranks if she got caught up in one more." F. Katie said giving her pranksters a pointed look.

"Desponia spends more time at camp or with her siblings now?" Demeter perked up happy to hear her shy daughter was connecting more with others again.

"She loves coming to spend time with her siblings and her dad/brother." F. Will said making both Katie's sigh.

"Family tree. Circle. Might just be a spiderweb at this point." F. Katie was the one who said while Demeter twitched a bit as she realized her husband was the half brother of her twins.

"I stood up, thigh-deep in mud. My legs felt shaky. My hands trembled. I Should’ve been dead. The fact that I wasn’t seemed like…well, a miracle. I Imagined a woman’s voice, a voice that sounded a bit like my mama: Percy, what do you say?

“Um…thanks.” Underwater, I sounded like I did on recordings, like a much older kid. “Thank you…Father. Mother."

"Always little pearl." Amphitrite said softly fondly.

"Anytime little horse!" Posiedon agreed and there were snickers from some of them at that endearment but Percy didn't bat an eye.

"No response. Just the dark drift of garbage downriver, the enormous catfish gliding by, the flash of sunset on the water’s surface far above, turning everything the color of butterscotch.

Why had Poseidon saved me? The more I thought about it, the more ashamed I felt. So I’d gotten lucky a few times before. Against a thing like The Chimera, I had never stood a chance. Those poor people in the Arch were probably toast."

"Because you're my son. I don't need any other reason." Posiedon said shaking his head and smiling at his son.

"Punk...." F. Clarisse looked at him and Percy had a feeling he knew what was coming. More of his suicidal thoughts.

"Again let me remind everyone. These are the thoughts of my twelve year old self. I am older and in a better mental space now. I've had therapy and everything." Percy announced and that seemed to alarm everyone. He noticed Dionysus leaning forward a bit with eyes narrowed.

Aphrodites eyes were locked onto him with a small frown and Hera even looked worried.

F. Clarisse kept reading her tone warning them not to interrupt her.

"I couldn’t protect them. I was no hero. Maybe I should just stay down here with the catfish, join the bottom feeders. Fump-fump-fump. A riverboat’s paddlewheel churned above me, swirling the silt around.

There, not five feet in front of me, was my sword, its gleaming bronze hilt sticking up in the mud.

I heard that woman’s voice again: Percy, take the sword. Your father believes in you. This time, I knew the voice wasn’t in my head. I wasn’t imagining it. Her words seemed to come from everywhere, rippling through The water like dolphin sonar. “Where are you?” I called aloud.

Then, through the gloom, I saw her—a woman the color of the water, a ghost in the current, floating just above the sword. She had long billowing hair, and her eyes, barely visible, were green like mine. I recognized her."

"You went to him? During a quest?" Ares questioned Amphitrite who smirked.

"Oceanic goddess. And a Neriad daughter of Oceanus. I have more leeways with the laws. Besides I was only there for a minute to make sure my son was okay and deliver a message." Amphitrite shamelessly admitted that and there were some pouts from the other gods.

"How did you recognize her so fast?" Someone asked Percy.

"She visited when I was little until just after Gabe came, before we knew what a jerk he was. I thought she was my Mama's girlfriend." Percy said and Amphitrite hummed and smiled but said nothing about it.

"A lump formed in my throat. I said, “Mom?”

Yes and No, child, only a messenger right now, though your mortal mother’s fate is not as hopeless as you believe. Go to the beach in Santa Monica.

“What?” Yes and no? So this was my immortal mother? Lady Amphitrite... She looked just like Trite...

It is your father’s will. Before you descend into the Underworld, you must go to Santa Monica. Please, Percy, I cannot stay long. The river here is too foul for my presence.

I couldn't blame her there it was foul here.

“But…” I was sure this woman was my immortal mother, or a vision of her, anyway. “Mitera—how did you—”

There was so much I wanted to ask, the words jammed up in my throat.

I cannot stay, my brave one, the woman said. She reached out, and I felt the current brush my face like a caress, she smiled softly and warmly like my mama did...You must go to Santa Monica! And, Percy, do not trust the gifts.… Her voice faded."

"The gifts?' Annabeth repeated frowning. Several looks went towards Luke.

"At the time the only gifts were the shoes..." F. Annabeth said staring down Luke with cold eyes.

He gave them a confused look as well. Apollo looked at Hermes who's face fell.

"Gifts?” I asked. “What gifts? Wait Mitera!”
She made one more attempt to speak, but the sound was gone. Her image melted away. If it was my mother, I had lost her again....my immortal mother was gone now too.

I felt like drowning myself. The only problem: I was immune to drowning."

There were sharp intakes of air and Percy winced.

"But during our quest..." Hazels eyes met his and Percy gave her a smile.

"My mental health was a lot better when we went on our quest." Percy informed her and Frank snorted.

"You sure? Cause you pulled some crazy stunts man." Frank asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"I wasn't suicidal during our quest nor felt that way. My mind was a lot better when I had my family in full. And when my amazing beautiful wife and our just as amazing children were back in my life." Percy said and he lavished kisses and gentle nips on his wife who was staring at him intensely.

"That does partially explain it. A pair of Ones being separated does damage their mental states. It's why Demeter has been so grain obsessed and so protective of her immortal children these last few centuries. She's focused on that to try and keep herself from fully splintering at the loss of her One. For a Mortal to know and be aware of his One but not be near them...as well as the other factors in your life at the time. It's a miracle you were as functioning as you were." Aphrodite said staring at Percy who merely smiled at her with a slight shrug.

"Hm. I suppose having half your soul gone would do that..." Athena admitted eyeing Aphrodites for her insightful and smart answer. Showing more than just the flighty lust goddess they had gotten used to.

"So yeah. My mental state is a lot better now. And therapy helps. Well when you have a good therapist it does. Make a note of that kiddies. Therapy does not make you weak, if anything it makes you stronger." Percy informed everyone and his immortal family leaned closer and Demeter pulled his hand up and kissed his knuckles.

"I love you." Demeter murmured and he brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles in return.

"And I love and adore you my wife." He murmured back. F. Clarisse kept reading in the silence.

"Your father believes in you, she had said. She’d also called me brave…unless she was talking to the catfish."

Amphitrite gave an unladylike snort at that and leaned over to ruffle her sons hair and kiss his head.

"Yes sweetheart. I was talking to the catfish. Not my brave twelve year old child who had faced down a Fury, the Minotaur, the three Furies, Medusa, mailed Medusas head to the council with a note calling them idiots, and then faced Echnida and her Chimera." Amphitrite teased with a fond smile.

"I knew it!" He sounded vindicated and it caused several snickers around the room.

"I waded toward Riptide and grabbed it by the hilt. The Chimera might still be up there with its snaky, fat mother, waiting to finish me off. At the very least, the mortal police would be arriving, trying to figure out who had blown a hole in the Arch. If they found me, they’d have some questions. I capped my sword, stuck the ballpoint pen in my pocket.

“Thank you, Father,” I said again to the dark water.

Then I kicked up through the muck and swam for the surface. I came ashore next to a floating McDonald’s.
A block away, every emergency vehicle in St. Louis was surrounding the Arch. Police helicopters circled overhead. The crowd of onlookers reminded me of Times Square on New Year’s Eve. A little girl said, “Mama! That boy walked out of the river.”

“That’s nice, dear,” her mother said, craning her neck to watch the ambulances.

"But he’s dry!”

"That’s nice, dear.”

"Don't ignore your child. Children are more observant than most adults!" Hera scolded the book and one of the kids on her lap giggled.

"You're talking to a book Grandma!" The little one said and the others nearby tensed a bit but Hera just smiled fondly at the child and shrugged.

"That's what I get when I spend time with Apollo or Athena. You should hear them yelling at the characters in their books." Hera said winking at her step son and step daughter who looked at her surprised. Athena was very confused but Apollo raised an eyebrow and gave her a slight smile.

"A news lady was talking for the camera: “Probably not a terrorist attack, we’re told, but it’s still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We’re trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch.”

 

Survivors. I felt a surge of relief. Maybe the park ranger and that family made it out safely. I hoped Annabeth and Grover were okay."

"There were no fatalities. Luckily our elevator was only two floors from the bottom when the explosion hit. We easily got the rest of the way down." F. Annabeth said fondly to Percy who shot her a thumbs up.

"No fatalities? Tyche really was pulling overtime." Artemis noted impressed.

"Oh yeah trust me, anytime I'm on a quest that poor woman pulls so much overtime. I turned down a quest once and she sent me a gift basket for not giving her more work." Percy said and that was both hilarious and worrying thank you.

"I tried to push through the crowd to see what was going on inside the police line.

“…an adolescent boy,” another reporter was saying. “Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show an adolescent boy going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that’s what we’re hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities…”

I backed away, trying to keep my head down. I had to go a long way around the police perimeter. Uniformed officers and news reporters were everywhere.

I’d almost lost hope of ever finding Annabeth and Grover when a familiar voice bleated, “Perrr-cy!”

I turned and got tackled by Grover’s bear hug—or goat hug. He said, “We thought you’d gone to Hades the hard way!” I almost asked if that wouldn't have been the easy way."

"It would have been. No leaving though." Nico admitted with a snort and Demeter scowled and pinched Percys side.

"Stop joking or talking about dying. You aren't leaving me again." Demeter said giving him a dark look. His hand came up and cupped her face, his wedding ring being a cold grounding feeling against her soft cheek.

"May I kiss you?" Percy asked and she leaned in with a nod. He kissed her softly and sweetly for a long moment before pulling back.

"I can't help what my younger self thought back then my love. But remember. I am here. Full grown. Your husband, already ascending with two domains and an Epithet or two of my own. I'm not leaving you again my love." He murmured softly to her and she leaned into him and nodded. She wouldn't be able to survive losing him again and hearing how little he had valued himself. Hearing how suicidal he had been at twelve...it scared her.

"You have an Epithet?" Posiedon perked up and the future group snorted.

"His official Epithet is The Loyal one. Unofficially for now, but soon official if things keep going the way they are, he'll also be known as The Great Father." Phoebe smirked and Demeter glanced up at her husband who smiled at her. Her the Great Mother and him the Great Father. A matched pair...it fit.

"Camp dad." F. Will said with a smirk towards his soon to be step granddad.

"Annabeth stood behind him, trying to look angry, but even she seemed relieved to see me. “We can’t leave you alone for five minutes! What happened?”

“I sort of fell.”

"Percy darling. Falling six hundred and thirty feet was not Sort of fell darling." Silena chided amused and disbelieving at how he described it.

"We didn't have time for a full debrief and I didn't want to scare them!" Percy defended with a small sad smile towards her.

“Percy! Six hundred and thirty feet?” Behind us, a cop shouted, “Gangway!” The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. I recognized her immediately as the mother of the little boy who’d been on the observation deck. She was saying,

"And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua—”

"Poor woman's clear sighted. They're going to think she's crazy." Sherman winced at that and a few others nodded.

"Okay, ma’am,” the paramedic said. “Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in.”

"I’m not crazy! This boy jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared.” Then she saw me. "There he is! That’s the boy!”

I turned quickly and pulled Annabeth and Grover after me. We disappeared into the crowd.

 

"What’s going on?” Annabeth demanded. “Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator you mentioned?”

I told them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, my high-dive act, and the underwater lady’s message, omitting that she was my immortal mother since they had told me about a non-interference law. I didn't want to get her in trouble."

"Your version of whole story was Echidna was up there, her dog was a Chimera, the Chimera blew a hole in the arch, you were trapped and you dove through the hole to the river where a woman that looked like your mom told you to go to Santa Monica." F. Annabeth said flatly to Percy who gave a small shrug.

"Didn't want to risk Mitera getting in trouble if someone was listening in and didn't want to scare you both. Grover would have fainted if I told him I got bitten." Percy said and F. Annabeth tilted her head before nodding.

"Fair."

"Whoa,” said Grover. “We’ve got to get you to Santa Monica! You can’t ignore a summons from your dad.”

Before Annabeth could respond, we passed another reporter doing a news break, and I almost froze in my tracks when he said, “Percy Jackson. That’s right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And the boy is believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy Jackson.”

We ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley."

"Geez. Eris and Nemesis were giving Tyche a run for her drachma." Ares whistled a bit.

"You know...considering what I know now...at the end of the quest I can't help but wonder if Hecate was discreetly helping us as well. Because you'll see that we had some serious luck and a good bit of help from the Mist." Percy wondered about that.

"We can ask Lou or Hecate herself when we get back to our time." F. Connor made a note of that and F. Katie hummed.

"Considering Lady Hecate is good friends with Mom and I'm pretty sure she's helped me or my siblings discreetly more than once? I wouldn't be surprised if she noted you had a connection to Mom and helped you out for that reason." F. Katie agreed.

"Lady Hecate helps us?" Billie asked surprised and F. Katie smiled at her brother.

"You remember that street magician woman? The one who asked you to help with a demonstration and ended up guiding you to your Satyr? That was the Mother of Magic." F. Katie told him and Billies eyes widened.

"That was her!?!? I KNEW those trucks were real!" Billie said and Demeter chuckled.

"Hecate and I try to watch out for each other's children, when she's not in the Underworld with Persephone at least. I discreetly help and guide her children to camp and she does the same for mine when I can't. I helped one of her sons get around some hellhounds chasing him a few years ago, hid him among flowers and trees to hide his scent and shield him so he could get some sleep...I wondered why he wasn't in my cabin but I thought he just preferred to stay with his friends. Or that he preferred Heras cabin since mine is more nature focused and not all of her children are nature driven." Demeter explained and one of the boys near the Hermes couch whipped around to look at her.

"That's why those hellhounds couldn't find me?!? I thought it was just because I was in the tree!" The boy said shocked and Demeter smiled fondly at him.

"They can still sniff out most demigods in the trees and all unless my wild niece or I intentionally shield the trees sights and smells from the monsters. I'm glad you're doing okay Alabaster." Demeter said warmly and the boys eyes widened.

"You know my name?" He seemed stunned and Demeter gave a soft laugh.

"Hecate doesn't have many mortal children. And she loves watching over and talking about her children anytime we meet up. She has pictures of all her children at all times. She's such a doting mother when she can get away with it. I probably know most there is to know about you and your siblings, even those not at camp yet." Demeter said smiling as she recalled her dear friend chatting for hours about her children. Hecate loved and would do anything for her children. It was part of why she and Demeter got along so well.

Alabaster say there stunned and in disbelief for a long moment as F. Clarisse went back to reading.

“First things first,” I told Grover. “We’ve got to get out of town!”

Somehow, we made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted.We got on board the train just before it pulled out for Denver. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind us."

"End of the chapter." F. Clarisse said marking the page and closing the book.

"Break time! For say half an hour? Then we'll come back, read another two or three chapters before dinner and then read a bit more before bed." Hera announced clapping her hands and the tortured ADHD demigods cheered as they got up and began to move around.

"Oi! Pretty boy! You and me! Spar?" F. Clarisse called to Percy who shot her a grin.

"Sure thing La Rue! I'm always ready to kick your ass. And to show off for my wife." Percy winked at Demeter as he jumped up.

"I'll be on standby." F. Will sighed at the two idiots who exchanged bloodthirsty grins and raced off to go and find an area to spar. Most of the Demigods and Gods followed curious and eager.

Chapter Text

Everyone watched as Future Clarisse and Percy sparred. Honestly it almost looked like they were trying to kill each other.

Future Clarisse was all aggression and rage and strength. In one hand her trusty spear from her father after the wars. In her other hand she had summoned a sword. She was using both with experience and skill and savage delight as she went at Percy.

Percy only had Riptide in his hands but he was easily keeping up with Clarisse. He was like a whirlwind as he twirled and his sword arced through the air and batted aside her attacks or parried others.

It was almost like a dance. Her moving with a fast tempo but there was a grace to it, and there were some shocked noises when Percy disarmed her of her sword only for her to summon another one out of nowhere.

"Not many of my kids can do that." Ares said wide eyed and he beamed proudly as he put a hand on little Clarisse shoulder.

"You'll be a fantastic warrior my girl." He said and Little Clarisse was awed at her older self and her abilities, she had to step up her training and try out that summoning trick.

"Go son go!" Posiedon had somehow gotten a little flag and a foam finger and was cheering on his son much to several people's amusement.

Especially when Ares shot him a glare and got a foam finger and flag of his own to cheer on Clarisse.

It ended thirty minutes later when Percy bent in a unnatural way around both of her weapons and held his sword to her neck.

They were barely breathing hard but both were grinning and F. Clarisse dropped her weapons in admittance of her defeat.

"That's 43 wins for Percy, 37 wins for Clarisse and 87 ties so far this year." F. Annabeth announced and several people groaned as Drachma changed hands.

"Good spar Clarisse. Next time we should go all out. Your blessing versus my water power." Percy gave the woman a fist bump that she returned and kicked her spear into his hand to hand it back to her.

"Ha! We'll have to hold it on Olympus after your wedding prissy. Don't want to explain to your wife why I ruined your pretty face." F. Clarisse grinned dangerously at him and he bared his teeth in a grin in return.

"Anyone else want to spar real quick?" Percy asked turning to the rest of the assembled group. All of the demigods not from the future shook their heads rapidly.

"This ain't the reinforced training ground Annie designed Kelpie. So no Mini Big Three spars. Rather not piss off Step Ma because we destroyed half of Olympus." Thalia snorted and Hera raised an eyebrow at that while the Gods exchanged looks especially when Nico nodded.

"What about you love? Want to dust off your sword and spar with me?" Percy asked Demeter with a smile and there were several strangled snorts from the future group.

"You just want your wife to be a badass and kick your ass you simp." Future Chris said amused and Percy threw a water bottle at him.

"You've got no dam room to talk. You're engaged to Clarisse and you simp for her just as much as I simp for Demi." Percy said and Mini Clarisse and Mini Chris stared at each other shocked wide eyed and blushing.

"Papa no. You and mama aren't sparing. For one this isn't the reinforced training ground." Future Katie sighed and gave him a done with your shit look.

"And second the last time you two sparred we had to distract Amara for seven hours. And the nymphs were not happy with cleaning up the mess you two made." Future Katie gave him a pointed look and he grinned unashamed.

"She started it." Was his only answer and there were several sighs and a few disgusted looks.

"And you went a long with it?" Athena asked in disbelief.

"My badass beautiful amazing wife and I were sparring. That meant we were already sweating, we were in workout clothes, and one of us pinned the other by the throat. What did anyone expect was going to happen?" Percy pointed out and Demeter was blushing but smiling as her eyes raked over Percy and she was thinking about their alone time before now.

"That's fair." Aphrodite agreed with a nod as did Amphitrite and Hades.

"Can't blame him there. Persephone and I don't get time to spar together much but whenever we do-" Persephone immediately covered her husbands mouth with her hand as she blushed.

"Not in front of my parents." She hissed at her husband who winced and gave her a sheepish look.

"Mitera. We can hear you two from the Styx." Nico said flatly and Persephones blush deepened while Hades looked smug.

"Hear what?" Amara asked innocently and there were several pale horrified looks around the room.

"Them taking care of Tessa." Nico immediately answered and there were several confused looks.

"Who's Tessa?" Hermes was the one to ask and Nico gave his parents a deadpan stare.

"Their current youngest in our time. Two years old by human years. And they're already trying to give her a baby sibling." Nico said and his parents eyes went wide as they looked at him and then each other.

"I get another grandchild?!" Demeter seemed thrilled and Amara beamed.

"She's so tiny! You said I was even smaller as a baby cause Tessas a goddess and I'm not but I can't believe it! Tessa is so little!" Amara happily babbled about her niece to her mother who soaked up all the details, as did Persephone and Hades.

"Wait. Godlings are being born again?" Hera asked wide eyed and exchanging looks with her siblings. There had been no godlings born for several hundred years now...to hear that more will be born in the future...

"Ohhhh yeah that's a spoiler. Sorry ma." Thalia said and Heras eyes snapped to her immediately as did several others.

Ma. Not step ma. Ma. Thalia was referring to Hera as her mom.

Hera said nothing about it just nodded slowly still staring at the Huntress.

"Well since no one else wants to spar we should head back and keep reading right?" Percy broke up the bit of tension as he wrapped an arm around Demeters waist and pulled her in close, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

"Right yes." Hera agreed and they all filed back to the council room. Where Zeus was just now coming around but a woman who looked a lot like Hera and Hestia was standing there over him looking disappointed.

"Mother?" Hestia asked surprised and the woman looked up. She has Heras hair but Hestias complexion and eyes and her smile as she looked at them was all Hera. They also noticed she had the same cheekbones that Demeter and Hades shared and her eye shape was just like Posiedons while Zeus had her nose and hair type.

"Children. I was brought here to read?" Rhea, the mother of the Elder Six, asked raising an eyebrow as she looked from Zeus to his siblings.

"Zeus fucked up." Posiedon said bluntly and grinned at the thought of getting him into trouble.

"So I've heard." Rhea said dryly and not even a bit surprised.

"And Demeter met her One! There's a week from marrying and him being her immortal husband in the future!" Hestia happily told her mother who smiled softly and sadly.

"Yes I heard about that. Congratulations Demeter." Rhea said smiling but everyone noticed how she didn't look at her daughter.

Her daughter who winced and curled into Percys side as she felt a fresh wave of hurt in her heart by how her mother couldn't even look at her.

"Thank you." She said quietly and she stared longingly at her mother but knew she couldn't approach. If she did her mother would panic. She had to wait for her mother to approach her if she even would.

"Shall we start reading again?" Rhea asked glancing at Hades who had picked up the book.

"Yes mother." Hades obediently flipped to the right page and blinked at the title as everyone got back into place.

"And Zeus. You will sit quietly and listen. I'm already upset with you don't make it worse." Rhea warned her youngest who shrunk in on himself. He hated upsetting his mother.

Chapter Text

"A god buys us cheeseburgers." Hades read and everyone was surprised by that.

"Wait what? But the no interference laws..." F. Chris said furrowing his brow alarmed and confused as he looked at Percy and Future Annabeth. He didn't remember hearing about this.

"Ha gods interfere all the time on our quests." Percy waved it off and focused mostly on his wife who was curled into his side. She kept glancing longingly towards her mother who remained focused on the book and therefore Hades.

"I see. Apollo Hermes already has much to write down. Do you mind?" Hera asked glancing at her sunny stepson who shook his head and summoned some paper.

"Not at all." He assured and began to write down any godly interference done, starting firstly with Zeus blasting their bus.

"THE NEXT AFTERNOON, JUNE 14, seven days before the solstice, our train rolled into Denver. We hadn’t eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. We hadn’t taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill, and I was sure that was obvious.‌"

Apollos pen snapped in his fingers. Artemis was gripping her bow tightly. Aphrodites face fell into a dark look most hadn't seen from her in centuries.

"You children did not have adequate food?" Rhea asked looking horrified at that and Hestia was summoning snacks for everyone.

"We were on a quest. No direct interference, our supplies gone, and we were only given enough mortal money to get our bus tickets and last us one meal." Percy calmly shrugged it off.

"Don't act like you weren't starving more than us jerk. You kept sneaking me and Grover some of your food to make sure we are enough." Future Annabeth said frowning at Percy who just shrugged a bit.

"I was used to going hungry so it was fine. You and Grover weren't used to that and were still growing. You needed the extra food more than I did." Percy waved it off and there were several sharp inhales around the room.

"And you wonder why we try to stuff you full of food in the future little pearl." Amphitrite said giving her youngest a pointed look.

"You will NEVER go hungry again beloved." Demeter assured him with dark eyes at the thought of her husband, her literal soulmate, going hungry. Never on her watch.

“Let’s try to contact Chiron,” Annabeth said. “I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit.”

“We can’t use phones, right?” “I’m not talking about phones.”

We wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though I wasn’t sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere we turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at me, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.

"I swear if it's not about your wife and kids your brain goes straight to water." Frank shook his head bemused.

"Can't help it."

Finally we found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. We veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping our eyes open for patrol cars. We were three adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure we were up to no good."

"Cop worth his donuts." Lil Travis wheezed a bit.

"Perce man you gotta say this stuff out loud sometimes." Future Travis was grinning.

"If I did you'd never get anything done, you'd be too busy laughing." Percy smirked at him.

"What exactly are we doing?” I asked, as Grover took out the spray gun.

“It’s seventy-five cents,” he grumbled. “I’ve only got two quarters left. Annabeth?”

“Don’t look at me,” she said. “The dining car wiped me out.”

I fished out my last bit of change and passed Grover a quarter, which left me two nickels and one drachma from Medusa’s place. Not counting the one in my breast pocket that had Demi on it. I was not giving them that one.

“Excellent,” Grover said. “We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn’t as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping.”

“What are you talking about?”

He fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. “I-M’ing.” “Instant messaging?”

“Iris-messaging,” Annabeth corrected. “The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she’s not too busy, she’ll do the same for half-bloods.”

“You summon the goddess with a spray gun?” and since when did she carry messages for mortals?"

"Well when you put it like that..." Hermes trailed off grinning.

"Hermes no. Leave Iris alone." Hera scolded but she was smiling slightly.

"Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. “Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow.” Well I could probably make one..."

"Yeah but you didn't know how to do it then." Future Annabeth said glancing at Percy who hummed a bit in agreement.

"True I didn't get a chance to try that until later on that summer and during the school year." Percy agreed with a shrug.

"Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.

Annabeth held her palm out to me. “Drachma, please.” I handed over the one with Apollo on it.

She raised the coin over her head. “O goddess, accept our offering.”

She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer."

"I think I like our direct line better." Hazel said smirking slyly at Frank and Percy. Both of whom snorted and covered their mouths, Percy burying his face in Demeters hair while she didn't know what was funny but smiled at seeing him laughing and smiling. She was glad that he was still able to laugh.

She leaned further into him and her children were curled around them looking confused.

"Half-Blood Hill,” Annabeth requested. For a moment, nothing happened."

"Bit of advice. Make sure you specify who the message is for and specify that they aren't busy. Or else there's no telling what you'll see and who you'll get." F. Clarisse said and Percy shook harder with laughter.

"Stop laughing you ass. I just wanted a spar not to see you and your wife double teaming Heca-" future Clarisse was cut off by Percy throwing a bag of chips at her.

"No spoilers." Percy chided her while Demeter was frozen and wide eyed as she glanced at her husband. There was only one person she could think of who'd she let into their bed. There were some curious and interested looks from those that didn't know but Demeter just blushed and leaned into her husband who kissed her head.

"Then I was looking through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. We seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

“Luke!” I called.

He turned, eyes wide. I could swear he was standing three feet in front of me through a screen of mist, except I could only see the part of him that appeared in the rainbow.

"Percy!” His scarred face broke into a grin. “Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?”

“We’re…uh…fine,” Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face."

"Ugh my fucking hero worship." Future Annabeth looked disgusted with herself while baby Annabeth was embarrassed. The Hermes kids all grinned or wiggled their brows but the future ones.

"We thought—Chiron—I mean—”

“He’s down at the cabins.” Luke’s smile faded. “We’re having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?”

“I’m right here,” Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke’s line of vision. “What kind of issues?”

Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

“Chiron had to—what’s that noise?” Luke yelled.

“I’ll take care of it!” Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. “Grover, come on!”

“What?” Grover said. “But—”

“Give Percy the nozzle and come on!” she ordered.

Grover muttered something about girls being harder to understand than the Oracle at Delphi, then he handed me the spray gun and followed Annabeth."

"I'm definitely telling Rachel he said that." Thalia said earning snickers from most of the future group.

"But boys are the weird ones. Like daddy. He's really weird when he's kissing mommy and ma-" Amara was quieted by a hand over her mouth by Phoebe.

"Spoilers munchkin." The old Huntress said grinning while the past people exchanged curious looks.

"What am I missing?" Future Annabeth asked frowning confused as well.

Hazel sniggered a bit behind her hand.

"Let's just say you really misunderstood a relationship between some people." Hazel got out and Percy hid his laugh in Demeters hair. Hades raised an eyebrow as his wife giggled and whispered something to him before giving his sister a Look before he kept reading.

"I readjusted the hose so I could keep the rainbow going and still see Luke.

“Chiron had to break up a fight,” Luke shouted to me over the music. “Things are pretty tense here, Percy. Word leaked out about the Zeus–Poseidon standoff. We’re still not sure how—probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It’s shaping up like the Trojan War all over again, maybe worse. Demeter Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus.”

"You dare side against me?" Zeus growled at them all. Aphrodite raised an unimpressed brow at him, Demeter gave him a flat look, the others didn't look at him but Artemis was tense at her twins side.

"I side with the truth as I always have." Apollo said softly.

"The only reason Lady Athena sided with you was because her dislike of Posiedon outweighed her common sense." Future Annabeth threw out there and Athena spluttered in offense for a moment.

Hades quickly kept reading to avoid a fight for now.

"I shuddered to think that the children would be made to fight their friends and family. In the next stall, I heard Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music’s volume decreased drastically.

“So what’s your status?” Luke asked me. “Chiron will be sorry he missed you.”

"It's weird to remember we used to make reports to the siblings and Chiron instead of Mr. D and our Patron." F. Chris said wrinkling his nose as he thought about it.

"Patron?" Artemis glanced at the demigods, did she and Apollo lose their Protectors of Youth domains? If so she had a feeling she knew who'd get it.

"Camp. Dad." F. Clarisse said nodding towards Percy who shrugged.

"I just watch after the kids." Percy said modestly but the future demigods sent him looks. They knew he went out and helped retrieve all the demigods personally, especially if abuse was suspected.

"I told him pretty much everything, including my dreams. It felt good to see him, to feel like I was back at camp even for a few minutes, that I didn’t realize how long I had talked until the beeper went off on the spray machine, and I realized I only had one more minute before the water shut off. It would have been better if it were one of Demis kids or my aunts and Uncles in the Aphrodite cabin...but Luke had been the only one not in those cabins to train me and treat me normally. So even if he was weird I didn't mind."

"Sorry Dory." Future Clarisse winced as did most of the others. Percy just waved it off

“I wish I could be there,” Luke told me. “We can’t help much from here, I’m afraid, but listen…it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him.”

“But Chiron said the gods can’t take each other’s magic items directly.” “That’s true,” Luke said, looking troubled. “Still…Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You’d have to be invisible.”

"He said what?!" Thalia snarled as lightning sparked from her skin, glaring at Luke who went wide eyed.

"I'm sure I didn't mean Annie!" Luke said looking at Lil Annabeth who looked stricken while Older Annabeth looked stunned.

"I never knew he said that. Percy you never told me..." Future Annabeth said and Percy just stayed quiet and the two had an entire conversation in the silence before she slumped back into her seat.

"Why I oughta-" Thalia was on her feet, eyes aglow and ready to fry Luke where he sat, but Hera reached out and snagged her around the waist with an arm. Unbothered by the lightning.

"Peace for now daughter." Honestly those words brought the whole room up short and Thalia stopped sparking in shock, blinking at her stepmother.

"Wait until the reading is done and we have a full recounting. Then when the young ones are safely away you may have your shot." Honestly Hera calling Thalia daughter and pulling her into her lap to cuddle had the whole room frozen for a moment before Hades began to read robotically.

"We were both silent me in stunned shock that he said that, until Luke seemed to realize what he’d said.

“Oh, hey,” he protested. “I didn’t mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never…I mean, she’s like a little sister to me.”

I wondered if Annabeth would like that description. In the stall next to us, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash.

“You’d better go see what that was,” Luke said. “Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I’ll feel better if I know they’ve done you some good.”

"Oh…uh, yeah!” I tried not to sound like a guilty liar. “Yeah, they’ve come in handy.”

“Really?” He grinned. “They fit and everything?”

The water shut off. The mist started to evaporate.

“Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver,” Luke called, his voice getting fainter. “And tell Grover it’ll be better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he just—”

The snarl from Thalia sounded so much like a wolf that most of them glanced at Artemis and Apollo on habit. F. Annabeths dagger sunk into the couch beside Luke's head as he yelped. Most of the present day kids looked torn between confusion and alarm as they glanced at Luke.

"But the mist was gone, and Luke’s image faded to nothing. I was alone in a wet, empty car wash stall.

Annabeth and Grover came around the corner, laughing, but stopped when they saw my face. Annabeth’s smile faded. “What happened, Percy? What did Luke say?”

“Not much,” I lied, my stomach feeling as empty as a Big Three cabin. “Come on, let’s find some dinner.”

A few minutes later, we were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around us, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas.

Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. “Well?”

I said, “We, um, want to order dinner.” “You kids have money to pay for it?”

Grover’s lower lip quivered. I was afraid he would start bleating, or worse, start eating the linoleum. Annabeth looked ready to pass out from hunger."

Most of the gods were taking in sharp breaths at that. A few glanced at the girl in worry. Artemis and Apollo were growling and Aphrodites eyes were glowing.

Demeter and Hestia made sure there were plenty of snacks in the room and Athena made sure her daughter had some of her favorite snacks nearby.

"I was trying to think up a sob story for the waitress when a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.

All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle’s headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather—but leather that looked like…well, Caucasian human skin.

All eyes turned to Ares who looked confused.

"The guy on the bike would’ve made pro wrestlers run for Mama. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face I’d ever seen—handsome, I guess, but wicked—with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights. The weird thing was, I felt like I’d seen his face somewhere before.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, “You kids have money to pay for it?”

The biker said, “It’s on me.” He slid into our booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth against the window.

He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, “Are you still here?”

He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she’d been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.

"Ares be nicer to the mortals." Hestia scolded her nephew who winced and looked baffled.

"I don't know why I'm acting like that..." He looked confused towards Aphrodite whose eyes narrowed.

"The biker looked at me. I couldn’t see his eyes behind the red shades, but bad feelings started boiling in my stomach. Anger, resentment, bitterness. I wanted to hit a wall. I wanted to pick a fight with somebody. Who did this guy think he was?

He gave me a wicked grin. “So you’re old Seaweed’s kid, huh?”

I should’ve been surprised, or scared, but instead I felt like I was looking at my stepdad, Gabe. I wanted to rip this guy’s head off. “What’s it to you?”

Ares looked stricken at being compared to Gabe.

"Really? Stealing Athena's insults?" Posiedon didn't look impressed as he sent his nephew an unimpressed raised eyebrow.

"Why am I..." Ares trailed off looking lost.

Annabeth’s eyes flashed me a warning. “Percy, this is—” The biker raised his hand.

“S’okay,” he said. “I don’t mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who’s the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?”

Then it struck me why this guy looked familiar. He had the same vicious sneer as some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood, the ones from cabin five.

“You’re Clarisse’s dad,” I said. “Ares, god of war. Protector of women."

Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should’ve been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. “That’s right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse’s spear.”

“She was the one to start it.” I tried to hide my nerves. The man was known to be very protective of his daughters.

“Probably. That’s cool. I don’t fight my kids’ fights, you know? What I’m here for—I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you.”

"Maybe I was watching the kids and decided to give them a hand in exchange for a small favor?" Ares looked confused towards the rest.

"That's more a thing one of us would do. Maybe Aphrodite sent you since you can get away with a lot more than us?" Apollo offered but he was frowning. Something felt off about that.

Everyone looked at the future demigods but most didn't have a clue either. And the ones that did weren't talking.

The waitress came back with heaping trays of food—cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.

Ares handed her a few gold drachmas.

She looked nervously at the coins. “But, these aren’t…”

Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. “Problem, sweetheart?”

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

“You can’t do that,” I told Ares. “You can’t just threaten people with a knife.” This didn't make sense...he was the protector of women...

"I am! So why am I acting like that?!" Ares demanded and Aphrodite hissed suddenly.

"Someone's manipulating you." She growled out angrily and everyone winced or gasped. Especially when those who knew didn't deny it.

"Brother read. I want to learn who is manipulating one of my sons." Hera growled out and Hades nodded grimly. If someone was manipulating Ares, an Olympian war god, then things were very dire.

"Ares laughed. “Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don’t you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor.”

"What favor could I do for a god?”

"Something a god doesn’t have time to do himself. It’s nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little…date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me.”

“Why don’t you go back and get it yourself?” The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.

“Why don’t I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don’t feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?” He leaned forward. “Or maybe you only fight when there’s a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you.”

I wanted to punch this guy especially for forgetting my immortal mother, but somehow, I knew he was waiting for that. Ares’s power was causing my anger. He’d love it if I attacked. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

"Interesting. Not many can recognize what Ares aura does, much less fight it." Aphrodite eyeing her grandson curiously and Percy just smiled.

“We’re not interested,” I said. “We’ve already got a quest.”

Ares’s fiery eyes made me see things I didn’t want to see—blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield. “I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn’t sniff out a weapon that powerful…” He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. “Well…if I couldn’t find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I’m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I’m the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath.”

“You told him Hades stole the bolt?” Something about this struck me wrong."

"Oh really?" Hades sent Ares a withering look. Ares just shrugged at his uncle in confusion.

"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest.”

“Thanks,” I grumbled even as my mind raced. If he couldn't find it then either someone else has already hidden it with an elder god or someone stronger...or...

“Hey, I’m a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I’ll help you on your way. I’ll arrange a ride west for you and your friends.” Ares words broke my thoughts and I wondered...he wasn't acting like you'd expect him to...so if I pushed him a little...

"Oh so you did that on purpose." F. Annabeth said sending Percy an annoyed look that he just grinned at her for.

"He has a good idea though. If Ares isn't acting like usual then perhaps poking him would make him slip up..." Posiedon said humming in appreciation for the tactic.

“We’re doing fine on our own.”

“Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you’re up against. Help me out, and maybe I’ll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom.”

"Ares!" Hera scolded as the ground began to tremble, Rhea looked disappointed and Aphrodites eyes glowed red towards her lover.

"What the fuck? I'd never..." Ares looked horrified.

"Someone's manipulating you." Phoebe reminded her father who still looked ill. He had used a young boys grief and love for his mother for his own ends?

“My mom?”

He grinned. “That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can’t miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride.”

"What interrupted your date?” I asked. “Something scare you off?”

Ares bared his teeth, but I’d seen his threatening look before on Clarisse.

There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous.

“You’re lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They’re not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I’ll meet you back here when you’re done. Don’t disappoint me.”

"Objectively true but most of us wouldn't hold the attitude against him. He's underage, on an illegal quest, with one week of training, had just lost his mom less than a month ago, and you just brought her up. You absolutely deserved the attitude." Hephaestus said glancing at his brother who nodded in agreement.

"After that I must have fainted, or fallen into a trance, because when I opened my eyes again, Ares was gone. I might’ve thought the conversation had been a dream, but Annabeth’s and Grover’s expressions told me otherwise.

“Not good,” Grover said. “Ares sought you out, Percy. This is not good.” I stared out the window. The motorcycle had disappeared.

Did Ares really know something about my mom, or was he just playing with me? Now that he was gone, all the anger had drained out of me. I realized Ares must love to mess with people’s emotions. That was his power -- cranking up the passions so badly, they clouded your ability to think.

“It’s probably some kind of trick,” I said. “Forget Ares. Let’s just go.”

“We can’t,” Annabeth said. “Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don’t ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. He wasn’t kidding about turning you into a rodent.”

I looked down at my cheeseburger, which suddenly didn’t seem so appetizing. “Why does he need us?”

“Maybe it’s a problem that requires brains,” Annabeth said. “Ares has strength. That’s all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes.”

"Oi! I'm smart! Yeah it's more instincts and street smarts but I can still plan a siege and all!" Ares protested and Athena smirked at her daughters words.

"It was my pride and the bias taught to us at camp." Future Annabeth apologized with a wince and bow of the head. Ares scowled over at Chiron.

"Even if you didn't feel like eating, you need to keep up your strength." Demeter fussed as she put some mango slices to her husbands lips and he immediately ate them and then nipped playfully at her fingers.

“But this water park…he acted almost scared. What would make a war god run away like that?”

Annabeth and Grover glanced nervously at each other. Annabeth said, “I’m afraid we’ll have to find out.”

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time we found the water park. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D.

"...Excuse me?" Aphrodites eyes narrowed darkly.

"Oh it gets worse!" Percy said almost gleefully.

Hades who had been reading ahead looked horrified towards Ares.

"You done lost your damn mind. You were probably running from Aphrodite." Hades said and Aphrodite gave her lover a dark look while he looked horrified.

"The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.

“If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date,” I said, staring up at the barbed wire, “I’d hate to see what he does for someone he hates.”

"Ares.

"Dite I'd never take you there in my right mind! I'll blame the manipulations!" Ares said looking terrified of the Love Goddess who was eyeing him darkly.

To everyone's slight amusement Ares began to pray for Hades to read.

“Percy,” Annabeth warned. “Be more respectful.” “Why?” I thought you hated Ares.”

“He’s still a god. And his girlfriend is very temperamental.” “You don’t want to insult her looks,” Grover added. When did I say anything about her looks?

"I'm not that stupid! He's dating my grandma!”

"Does that make him my grandpa?" Persephone asked just to mess with them a bit, her crooked grin almost a copy of Percys.

"You're older than me!" Ares choked out and Persephone raised an eyebrow her grin widening.

"So you're calling me old?" Persephone asked and Ares snapped his mouth shut and begged his uncle to read.

"Don't break him love." Hades chuckled as he pulled Persephone into his side and kissed the side of her head. She melted into his embrace happily. Ares breathed a sigh of relief to everyone's amusement.

“No, Aphrodite,” Grover said, a little dreamily, did he forget my claiming? Oh wait I don't think he saw it...

“Goddess of love.” “He bought her here?! He bought the goddess of beauty here?” “What’s your point?” he asked. I was horrified. Is that really what women were used to in this day and age?! That was the standard for a goddess? If I lived long enough I would never treat Demi like that. I'd treat her like the amazing queen she is...

"You do. Honestly you make the rest of them look bad because you spoil her and treat her so well." Thalia said and she smirked at Percy who just snorted.

"Then they need to step up their behavior. Because I'd never treat Demi as less than she deserves." Percy said and Demeter smiled up at him and leaned in.

"Can I kiss you?" She asked copying his example earlier of asking before kissing suddenly.

"If I ever say no just toss me back into the Pit cause I've lost my mind." Percy responded immediately and he was treated to a long loving gentle kiss from his wife, until Steve tried to push their faces apart.

"I love you." Demeter murmured to him and he smiled softly back at her.

"And I love, adore, and worship you. So much my beloved." Percy murmured back and Aphrodite was nearly knocked out by the amount of love pouring from them.

"Hurry and read before they go further." Persephone told her husband who quickly read on. Rhea smiled slightly at her daughter having met her one and being so utterly in love. She was happy for her second eldest.

“Oh.” I suddenly felt the need to change the subject even as I made a mental note to make sure the children knew both how to properly treat their dates and how they deserved to be treated. “So how do we get in?”

“Maia!” Grover’s shoes sprouted wings.

He flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side. He dusted off his jeans, as if he’d planned the whole thing. “You guys coming?”

Annabeth and I had to climb the old-fashioned way, holding down the barbed wire for each other as we crawled over the top.

The shadows grew long as we walked through the park, checking out the attractions. There was Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where’s My Swimsuit?

"Seriously? Dude. Ares." Apollo looked at his half brother in disbelief and the War God looked almost physically ill.

"I swear Dite. I'd never treat you like that while in my right mind. And if I do then please just run me through on a pike." Ares told his lover who nodded once sharply but didn't say a word to him.

"No monsters came to get us. Nothing made the slightest noise. Which honestly alarmed me more. There wasn't a single animal sound. It was completely silent.

We found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of—

“Clothes,” Annabeth said. “Fresh clothes.” “Yeah,” I said. “But you can’t just—” “Watch me.”

She snatched an entire row of stuff off the racks and disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.

"That's my girl!" Thalia cheered and the Hermes cabin we're looking at Annabeth surprised. Her siblings looked shocked and a bit appalled at her.

"Did you all forget I was on the streets for a while?" Future Annabeth raised an eyebrow at everyone and her mother winced as did Artemis. Her siblings looked a lot less judgemental now.

“What the heck.” Grover shrugged. Soon, all three of us were decked out like walking advertisements for the defunct theme park.

We continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. I got the feeling that the whole park was holding its breath. “So Ares and Aphrodite,” I said, to keep my mind off the growing dark, “they meet up in the mortal world?”

“That’s old gossip, Percy,” Annabeth told me. “Three-thousand-year-old gossip.” Why did she sound like I asked if they were a thing? Honestly I was wondering. Why they met up in the mortal world instead of in the hidden parts of the world or Olympus.

"What the fuck possessed him to bring her here?

"Good question." Aphrodite said coldly as she stared at the book demanding answers silently.

Hades gulped a bit and kept reading, hoping she didn't take it out on him. He knew she was the most dangerous enemy to have.

“Well, you know,” she said. “Hephaestus. The blacksmith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn’t exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn’t into brains and talent, you know?” Excuse me?

"I like talent just fine and brains are wonderful. And I might be the goddess of beauty but I am the LOVE goddess first of all. If there was real love between Hephaestus and I, outward beauty wouldn't have mattered. And I like all beauty, inside and out. Appearances are just a bonus." Aphrodite said glaring at Lil Annabeth who shrunk down in her seat.

"And while my lame leg is his fault, my cognitive impairment is from mother." Hephaestus said glancing at his mother who winced and bowed her head.

"And it wasn't on purpose. My hands were still damaged from Enyo and Ares birth. Burned badly. When I had Hephaestus my hands were shaken and I couldn't hold his weight. I dropped him by accident. Zeus throwing him from the mountain was on purpose however when my sweet little smith tried protecting me from Zeus's unwanted advances." Hera said giving Hephaestus a sad smile that he returned.

Zeus scowled but kept his mouth shut at his mother's disappointed look.

“She likes bikers.” I wonder if Demi would like me as a biker?

"I'd love you no matter what." Demeter said softly and Percy brought her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles.

"Just as I love you. But I'll leave the motorcycles to you mi vida." He murmured to her and she blushed but was smiling as she buried her face into his chest.

"Whatever."“But aren't they divorced?”

"We are. He's in a happy relationship with Aglaïa and has been for centuries." Aphrodite agreed and Hephaestus nodded as well. Huh he should make her another necklace...

"Chiron always told us you were still married." Sophia, a daughter of Tyche, said looking confused.

"Why?" Everyone was confused as they looked at Chiron. He didn't answer.

“Oh sure,” Annabeth said. “He caught them together once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That’s why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like…”

She stopped, looking straight ahead. “Like that." I wondered why she ignored what I said...

"Sorry Nemo. Was trying to focus on what could be coming." Future Annabeth winced but Percy just waved it off.

"In front of us was an empty pool that would’ve been awesome for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.

Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire. On the opposite side from us, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O’ LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS’ TUNNEL OF LOVE! I...what...isn't Cupid or Eros their son?"

"He is. And I don't like the thought of making out in front of him." Aphrodite said giving Ares a pointed look even as he looked ill. That was his son too after all.

Nico muttered some choice things about Eros under his breath earning him a curious look from his immortal mother.

"Grover crept toward the edge. “Guys, look.”

Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares’s shield, a polished circle of bronze.

“This is too easy,” I said. “So we just walk down there and get it?” Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest cupid statue. “There’s a Greek letter carved here,” she said. “Eta. I wonder…” Eta? H?...what could ...oh...oh this is a trap.

"One of my traps for our game. But that's made for gods." Hephaestus said grimacing and everyone was alarmed now.

"Can I request that if you're going to toss me in a golden net can I at least be there with Demi?" Percy asked casually and Hephaestus hummed and nodded. He never tried to catch his aunt in a net before...

Hades snorted at the look his sister gave Percy while Posiedon snickered.

“Grover,” I said, “you smell any monsters?”

He sniffed the wind. “Nothing.”

“Nothing—like, in-the-Arch-and-you-didn’t-smell-Echidna nothing, or really nothing?”

"Percy!" Thalia and Nico and Katie scolded the Prince who ducked his head.

"Sorry! I was on edge!" Percy defended himself and they had to admit he had good reason to be but still!

Grover looked hurt. “I told you, that was underground.”

“Okay. I’m sorry.” I took a deep breath. “I’m going down there.” “I’ll go with you.” Grover didn’t sound too enthusiastic, but I got the feeling he was trying to make up for what had happened in St. Louis.

“No,” I told him. “I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You’re the Red Baron, a flying ace, remember? I’ll be counting on you for backup, in case something goes wrong.”

"Good idea." Ares nodded in agreement to that plan, as did Hermes and Apollo. Even Athena begrudgingly agreed.

Grover puffed up his chest a little. “Sure. But what could go wrong?” “I don’t know. Just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me—”

“Are you kidding?” She looked at me as if I’d just dropped from the moon. Her cheeks were bright red.

There were several wolf whistles around the room.

"Yes because as kind as she's been he absolutely had a crush on her." Silena drawled out as she stared at them in disbelief.

“What’s the problem now?” I demanded.

“Me, go with you to the…the ‘Thrill Ride of Love’? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?”

“Who’s going to see you? Besides I already have someone I like remember?!” But my face was burning now, too. Leave it to a girl to make everything complicated. I missed the easy understanding I had with Demi.

"Dearest. We understood each other so well because we're Ones. Literal Soulmates." Demeter said amused to her husband who grinned crookedly at her.

"Until I fade into Chaos." Percy promised softly and she beamed up at him, ready to kiss him stupid.

Hades quickly read before she did

"Fine,” I told her. “I’ll do it myself.” But when I started down the side of the pool, she followed me, muttering about how boys always messed things up.

"Amen." Artemis nodded with a grin, earning groans and laughs.

"Really? Christianity?" Hera asked in disbelief.

"I mean...Sharkboy once wished Mitera and Papa a Merry Christmas." Nico said grinning at Percy who smothered his laugh in Demeters hair again.

"Honestly that was on them for summoning us for a quest during Christmas." Thalia grinned as she buried her laughter in Heras shoulder.

"Yeah that's fair!" Persephone agreed to her husbands dismay.

"We reached the boat. The shield was propped on one seat, and next to it was a lady’s silk scarf. I tried to imagine Ares and Aphrodite here, a couple of gods meeting in a junked-out amusement-park ride. Why? Then I noticed something I hadn’t seen from up top: mirrors all the way around the rim of the pool, facing this spot. We could see ourselves no matter which direction we looked. That must be it. While Ares and Aphrodite were smooching with each other they could keep an eye out. They'd notice anyone or anything attempting to sneak up on them."

"That's on purpose. We both prefer having clear lines of sight." Aphrodite nodded in agreement to that and Ares was rapidly nodding.

"I picked up the scarf. It shimmered pink, and the perfume was indescribable—apples, barley and wheats, fruits and jam and poppies... I knew this scent. I smiled, a little dreamy, as I stared at the scarf. It smelled like Demi."

"Awww." Aphrodite looked ready to bawl at that.

Annabeth ripped it out of my hand and stuffed it in her pocket. “Oh, no you don’t. Stay away from that love magic.”

“What?”

“Just get the shield, Seaweed Brain, and let’s get out of here.”

The moment I touched the shield, I knew we were in trouble. My hand broke through something that had been connecting it to the dashboard. A cobweb, I thought, but then I looked at a strand of it on my palm and saw it was some kind of metal filament, so fine it was almost invisible. A trip wire.

'Here we go. Chaos time." Thalia rubbed her hands together in glee.

"Wait,” Annabeth said. “Too late.”

“There’s another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another Eta. This is a trap.” No shit Annie.

Noise erupted all around us, of a million gears grinding, as if the whole pool were turning into one giant machine.

Grover yelled, “Guys!”

Up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. Before I could suggest taking cover, they shot, but not at us. They fired at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cables trailed from the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main strands, making a net.

"Well fuck." Nyssa summed it up.

"We have to get out,” I said. “Duh!” Annabeth said.

I grabbed the shield and we ran, but going up the slope of the pool was not as easy as going down.

"Come on!” Grover shouted.

He was trying to hold open a section of the net for us, but wherever he touched it, the golden threads started to wrap around his hands.

"Yeah I learned from past failures." Hephaestus winced.

The Cupids’ heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding us with illumination, and a loudspeaker voice boomed: “Live to Olympus in one minute…Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight…”

“Hephaestus!” Annabeth screamed. “I’m so stupid! Eta is ‘H.’ He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we’re going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!”

My first thought was hoping Demeter and the kids got a good laugh out of this.

"Simp!" The calls rang out.

We’d almost made it to the rim when the row of mirrors opened like hatches and thousands of tiny metallic…things poured out.

Annabeth screamed.

It was an army of wind-up creepy-crawlies: bronze-gear bodies, spindly legs, little pincer mouths, all scuttling toward us in a wave of clacking, whirring metal.

"Spiders!” Annabeth said. “Sp—sp—aaaah!”

"Why spiders? You were trying to grab me and Ares. Not Athena." Aphrodite asked Hephaestus who shrugged even as Athena and her children shuddered.

"Dunno. Hadn't made it yet. Might be to help with the weaving." Hephaestus tried to puzzle out why he did that.

I’d never seen her like this before. She fell backward in terror and almost got overwhelmed by the spider robots before I pulled her up and dragged her back toward the boat.

The things were coming out from all around the rim now, millions of them, flooding toward the center of the pool, completely surrounding us. I told myself they probably weren’t programmed to kill, just corral us and bite us and make us look stupid. Then again, this was a trap meant for gods. And we weren’t gods.

"I should add measures to make sure mortals can't get caught by accident." Hephaestus winced and wondered why he hadn't thought of that before.

Annabeth and I climbed into the boat. I started kicking away the spiders as they swarmed aboard. I yelled at Annabeth to help me, but she was too paralyzed to do much more than scream.

"Sorry Dory." F. Annabeth winced at how that was described and knowing it had been true.

“Thirty, twenty-nine,” called the loudspeaker.

The spiders started spitting out strands of metal thread, trying to tie us down. The strands were easy enough to break at first, but there were so many of them, and the spiders just kept coming. I kicked one away from Annabeth’s leg and its pincers took a chunk out of my new surf shoe.

There were a few hisses, those things would probably take off his whole foot.

Grover hovered above the pool in his flying sneakers, trying to pull the net loose, but it wouldn’t budge.

Think, I told myself. Think.

"You stop that. It's dangerous." Hazel scolded playfully but she was nervous too. It still causes a few shocked snickers however.

The Tunnel of Love entrance was under the net. We could use it as an exit, except that it was blocked by a million robot spiders.

“Fifteen, fourteen,” the loudspeaker called.

Water, I thought. Where does the ride’s water come from?

"But wouldn't the pumps be dry?" Athena asked the boy in disbelief but he just grinned at her.

Then I saw them: huge water pipes behind the mirrors, where the spiders had come from. And up above the net, next to one of the Cupids, a glass-windowed booth that must be the controller’s station.

“Grover!” I yelled. “Get into that booth! Find the ‘on’ switch!” “But—”

“Do it!” It was a crazy hope, but it was our only chance. The spiders were all over the prow of the boat now. Annabeth was screaming her head off. I had to get us out of there.

"Quick thinking. If he can find the right button..." Hermes trailed off staring Expectantly at the book.

Grover was in the controller’s booth now, slamming away at the buttons. “Five, four—”

Grover looked up at me hopelessly, raising his hands. He was letting me know that he’d pushed every button, but still nothing was happening.

I closed my eyes and thought about waves, rushing water, the Mississippi River. I felt a familiar tug in my gut. I tried to imagine that I was dragging the ocean all the way to Denver.

"Two, one, zero!”

"Water exploded out of the pipes. It roared into the pool, sweeping away the spiders. I pulled Annabeth into the seat next to me and fastened her seat belt just as the tidal wave slammed into our boat, over the top, whisking the spiders away and dousing us completely, but not capsizing us. The boat turned, lifted in the flood, and spun in circles around the whirlpool.

Several jaws dropped.

"That's my boy!" Posiedon had his foam finger again however and Amphitrite was smiling proudly.

The water was full of short-circuiting spiders, some of them smashing against the pool’s concrete wall with such force they burst.

Spotlights glared down at us. The Cupid-cams were rolling, live to Olympus.

But I could only concentrate on controlling the boat. I willed it to ride the current, to keep away from the wall. Maybe it was my imagination, but the boat seemed to respond. At least, it didn’t break into a million pieces. We spun around one last time, the water level now almost high enough to shred us against the metal net. Then the boat’s nose turned toward the tunnel and we rocketed through into the darkness.

Annabeth and I held tight, both of us screaming as the boat shot curls and hugged corners and took forty-five-degree plunges past pictures of Romeo and Juliet and a bunch of other Valentine’s Day stuff.

Then we were out of the tunnel, the night air whistling through our hair as the boat barreled straight toward the exit. My stomach dropped.

If the ride had been in working order, we would’ve sailed off a ramp between the golden Gates of Love and splashed down safely in the exit pool. But there was a problem. The Gates of Love were chained. Two boats that had been washed out of the tunnel before us were now piled against the barricade—one submerged, the other cracked in half.

"That's not good for squishy fleshly bodies." Castor said gulping hard

Unfasten your seat belt,” I yelled to Annabeth. “Are you crazy?”

“Unless you want to get smashed to death.” I strapped Ares’s shield to my arm. “We’re going to have to jump for it.” My idea was simple and insane. As the boat struck, we would use its force like a springboard to jump the gate. I’d heard of people surviving car crashes that way, getting thrown thirty or forty feet away from an accident. With luck, we would land in the pool.

"Not a bad on the fly plan for a runt." Ares said sounding a bit impressed.

Annabeth seemed to understand. She gripped my hand as the gates got closer.

“On my mark,” I said. “No! On my mark!” “What?”

“Simple physics!” she yelled. “Force times the trajectory angle—” “Fine!” I shouted. “On your mark!”

"Not the time. I know." F. Annabeth said when everyone looked at her and Thalia had opened her mouth.

"She hesitated…hesitated…then yelled, “Now!”

Crack!

Annabeth was right. If we’d jumped when I thought we should’ve, we would’ve crashed into the gates. She got us maximum lift.

Unfortunately, that was a little more than we needed. Our boat smashed into the pileup and we were thrown into the air, straight over the gates, over the pool, and down toward solid asphalt.

"Oh no." The cheers died and there were worried looks now.

Something grabbed me from behind. Annabeth yelled, “Ouch!”

Grover!

"Red Baron to save the day!" Nico announced grinning a bit.

"Give it up for the amazing flying goat!" F. Stolls cheered and announced and some smattered laughs went around the room all g with applause.

In midair, he had grabbed me by the shirt, and Annabeth by the arm, and was trying to pull us out of a crash landing, but Annabeth and I had all the momentum.

“You’re too heavy!” Grover said. “We’re going down!”

"Did he just call you fat?" F. Clarisse asked F. Annabeth with a smirk and she shot a look at the book.

"I forgot that the first time." She muttered.

We spiraled toward the ground, Grover doing his best to slow the fall.

We smashed into a photo-board, Grover’s head going straight into the hole where tourists would put their faces, pretending to be Noo-Noo the Friendly Whale. Annabeth and I tumbled to the ground, banged up but alive. Ares’s shield was still on my arm.

Once we caught our breath, Annabeth and I got Grover out of the photo-board and thanked him for saving our lives. I looked back at the Thrill Ride of Love. The water was subsiding. Our boat had been smashed to pieces against the gates.

"We got so lucky..." Little Annabeth was definitely going to start making sacrifices to Lady Tyche now.

A hundred yards away, at the entrance pool, the Cupids were still filming. The statues had swiveled so that their cameras were trained straight on us, the spotlights in our faces.

“Show’s over!” I yelled. “Thank you! Good night!”

Laughter broke out around the room, all but Zeus who huffed and Luke who just smiled. Even Dionysus and Ares chuckled.

The Cupids turned back to their original positions. The lights shut off. The park went quiet and dark again, except for the gentle trickle of water into the Thrill Ride of Love’s exit pool. I wondered if Olympus had gone to a commercial break, or if our ratings had been any good.

"I'm sure they were great. Probably caused a riot to learn such young children were on a quest." Hera assured with a grin.

I hated being teased. I hated being tricked. And I had plenty of experience handling bullies who liked to do that stuff to me. I hefted the shield on my arm and turned to my friends. “We need to have a little talk with Ares.”

"Oh that'll be fun." Thalia grinned looking forward to that talk.

"I shall read now love." Persephone said taking the book from her husband who kissed her gently as she did so.