Chapter Text
Percy awoke to a hurricane.
Wind whipped around the corners of his cabin as rain beat against his windows. The trees outside blew back and forth, leaves zooming in whirlwinds.
He stepped outside, pulling on his ‘Surf On’ hoodie over his camp t-shirt. The air had a greenish tint, the clouds were a stormy grey and swirling angrily.
“PERCY!” shouted Annabeth, running towards him as well as she could manage. “PERCY!”
“Annabeth!” he jogged over to her, supporting her. “What’re you doing up? It’s like three in the morning.”
“Everyone’s up. No one can sleep through this. I came to find you. Do you know what’s happening?”
“Huh.” Percy tuned himself to the storm. Emotions began rushing through him, anger, betrayal, confusion. “Someone’s made my dad angry.”
“I can see that Seaweed Brain.”
“Shut up Wise Girl.” Percy looked around, the said “Go into my cabin for now, I’ll go find Chiron.”
Annabeth started to protest but saw the storm raging around her and nodded. She rushed into the Poseidon cabin and the wind slammed the door behind her.
Percy took a deep breath and began walking, using his son-of-the-sea-god powers to make walking easier. It did, however, take a lot of concentration, something his ADHD brain was not adept at.
Jason’s shout of “PERCY! BRO!” didn’t help.
“Yeah?” he called back, watching as Jason descended from the sky. “What’s up?”
“Me, mostly.” Jason stumbled a bit on the landing, barely grabbing onto a gust of wind in time to stop himself from falling into the mud. “It’s the only way I can get around without being blown off course.”
“What’s up mother frickers?!” came a loud shout from Leo, who was using Festus as a wind blocker. “Nice day out eh?”
“Hey Leo,” Percy said. “Glad to see you guys out in the middle of the night in a raging storm. Reminds me of old times.”
Jason smiled, the scar on his lip twitching. “Yeah, that was fun.”
“Nothing like strapping one’s self to a mast with a bungee cord.” Leo added, wincing slightly.
Jason chuckled, then looked at Percy. “Hey bro could you help me out? Storms caused by sea gods are a bit harder for me to control than say, one of their kids.”
"Right. Sorry." Percy turned his attention back to the storm, the frown of concentration retaking his features.
"Hey." A voice came out of the shadows, startling Leo.
"Geez, don't spook me like that!" he objected, calming down when he saw who it was.
"Nico!" Jason exclaimed, and proceded to give the son of Hades a hug.
"Akthp!" Nico spluttered. "Air! Ribs!"
"Sorry." Jason released the other boy and smiled at him. "Just glad to see you."
"That's something I don't hear every day." Nico shrugged, but he was smiing. And it wasn't a creepy smile either, it was a genuine happy smile.
"Oh, don't be dramatic Death Boy." Leo snorted, punching Nico's arm. "People around here like you just fine."
Nico punched him back, smiling a little wider. "Whatever. You guys headed for the Big House?'
"Yeah," said Jason, nodding. "We're gonna ask Chiron if he knows what all this is about."
"This is a change of subject, but what exactly is he doing?" asked Nico, gesturing at Percy, who was still glaring at nothing in particular.
"Oh, don't mind him ese, he's just trying to keep the storm from blowing us off his feet." Leo paused. "Hey, Jason, you think I could Sharpie on his face while he's occupied or--"
Jason inhaled sharply, then let out a long-suffering sigh. "No, Leo."
"Aw man. . ."
"What's going on again--NICO!" Percy broke into a grin and reached to give Nico a hug, but then thought better of it. "Right, not a hugger."
Nico shrugged. "Why not, already had one today."
Percy hugged him gently, the let go as soon as Nico shifted.
"How've you been?" Percy asked, looking him over. "I see you're looking slightly less death like than usual. Must be the shirt."
Nico looked annoyedly down at his bright Hawiian t-shirt that was under his open aviator's jacket. "I didn't have any others clean."
Leo snorted but covered it with a cough as Nico shot him a patented Death Glare. "It uh, it suits you." he choked out, still stifling his laughter.
"Shut up." Nico said as he opened the door to the Big House.
"Chiron?" Percy called, glancing about them.
It was half lit and vague tire tracks (Percy assumed they were from Chiron's wheelcahir) traced across the dusty floor.
"Hello?" Jason craned his neck to see over Percy's shoulder, since he was a full tow inches shorter, something Percy refused to let go. Leo fiddled with some things from his name sake tool belt.
"Maybe he's not--" Nico started, but was cut off by-
"NYPD OPEN UP!" blared a tiny mega phone, held by Leo, who was grinning like an idiot. Again.
"Leo!" Jason admonished, while Percy landed from the jump ha had taken and Nico face-palmed. "He might be sleeping!"
"Not anymore I'm not."
"Heeeey, Chiron. . ." Percy scratched the back of his neck apologetically. "We were just looking for you."
"So I gathered." Chiron emerged from a back room, stretching his human half.
"It was Leo's fault." Nico pointed at the son of Hephatsus.
"Way to throw me under the bus McDonald's Man."
"Guys." Jason interceded. "We're here for a reason, remember?"
"I need to see my dad." Percy butted in, looking serious. "He-he's the one causing this. I can feel it."
"There is no doubt about that, m'boy, but at this hour, in this weather--"
"Hey," PErcy smiled wryly. "I'm the son of Posiedon, I can't drown."
"And neither can his pancakes." muttered Leo, but no one was listening to him.
"At least take a companion." Chiron conceded.
"Jason." Percy replied immediately. "No offense to you two, of course," he added, turning to Leo and Nico. "But he can do, y'know, the venti thing."
Chiron nodded, apparently pleased by Percy's decision, which was a rare occurance. "You have Riptide?"
“Never leave home without it.” Percy took it out of his pocket and pulled the cap off. The Celestial Bronze blade leapt out, catching the dim light. He re-capped it, and the sword shrank back into a pen.
Jason began to remove his coin, but thoght better of it.
“What, afraid to be shown up by Aqua Man?” Leo teased, shoving something back into the tool belt.
“No, just decided not to risk impaling you on the spear.”
“On second thought, I like that decision.”