Chapter Text
“Is this yours, Percy?” Marie, one of the hostesses, asked. She raised a small wallet, laughing when Percy grinned sheepishly and took it from her. “Is that what you were looking for?”
“Yeah,” Percy replied, stuffing the wallet into his backpack. He felt around his cubby in the back of the restaurant, pulling out his car keys and jingling them around. “Can you guys handle it for the rest of the day?”
“We’re not usually busy in the evenings so I think we’ll be fine,” Marie answered, writing something down on a notepad. “It’s pouring outside though. Do you want to borrow my umbrella? I live right down the road so I can survive without it.”
Percy threw her a cheeky grin, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Marie. I can survive a little rain.”
Rolling her eyes, Marie hit him on his shoulder with a towel, gaining a yelp in response. “Whatever, Percy. You’ve got another shift on Thursday, right? I’ll see you then.”
“Call me if you need anything,” Percy replied, hugging her quickly before hurrying out the back door. Percy looked around, jingling his keys out of habit and looking for his car. Despite the pouring rain, Percy wasn’t fazed by it at all. On the contrary, the rain seemed to slip off him as it would on water-repellent surfaces.
Percy clicked the ‘unlock’ button of his keys incessantly to help. The car lights of a white car caught his attention. He made his way to the car, sliding into the driver seat and plopping his backpack into the seat next to him, his keys in the cupholder.
Scrunching his nose, Percy reminded himself (again) to get his car cleaned soon. Maybe he could do it tomorrow after his swim.
Humming to himself, Percy pulled out of the driveway, the way from the restaurant to his apartment remembered by heart. He flicked on the radio, letting himself relax as he drove.
The sun was covered by dark clouds, heavy rain pouring down for the fourth day in a row. A part of Percy — a very small part — worried over what that could mean before reminding himself that he was in Hawai’i. The state had its own pantheon that didn’t even associate with the Greeks. The testy moods of the god of the skies couldn’t affect him here.
Even so, Percy’s mind still wandered to what it could mean if Zeus was so angry that his moods stretched all over the US. Would that affect him?
It shouldn’t , Percy thought to himself. I haven’t stepped foot on Greek territory, let alone Camp Half-Blood, for three years. Whatever they’re dealing with won’t involve me. It can’t.
Though his thoughts drifted to things that Percy preferred not to think about, the rest of the drive back home was relatively peaceful. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon. He couldn’t really see it that well though. The clouds covered the entire expanse of the sky that he could see, stretching miles.
Thunder rumbled in the sky out of nowhere. Percy jumped, cursing and tightening his grip on the wheel as he made a turn. It’s been years and he was still jumpy about that stuff. At this point, Percy was starting to think it was in his blood.
A few minutes later, Percy reached his apartment building, turning into the entrance and rolling down his window. Percy stuck his arm out with keys in hand, the scanner making a little beep sound as the parking lot entrance opened up.
He passed rows and rows of nice, fancy cars and almost snorted to himself. The apartment complex was a pretty fancy one. It wasn’t like the ones that cost millions of dollars but it was definitely more than he should’ve been able to afford.
Paul’s family, after hearing that they’d be moving to the other side of the country, had helped out generously. His mom, Paul, and Estelle lived in a comfortable home about fifteen minutes away. He’d be going there in a couple of days to babysit Estelle while his mom and Paul went out for a day to themselves.
Percy parked his car in his stall, swinging his backpack over his shoulder again and hopping out of the car. With a press of his keys, the car locked and he made his way to the entrance into one of the main buildings.
“Hey, Percy!” shouted Kai, one of the security guards for the building. Percy looked over, grinning and waving at him just as the doors to the elevator opened. Percy pressed the ‘12’ button, rocking back and forth on his feet as the elevator brought him to his floor.
Ding . Percy made his way to his apartment, unlocking the door absentmindedly. He opened it, looking up and freezing in his place. Percy’s heart picked up and, uncaring of how it might’ve looked, pulled Riptide from his back pocket.
The light in the kitchen was on. It hadn’t been when he left. Percy knew it hadn’t been on.
As his heart pounded in his rib cage, Percy’s eyes skittered across the apartment from where he stood. It didn’t seem like anything was stolen but one of his windows was open. Whoever had broken in really didn’t care about being caught.
“Who’s there?” Percy said uneasily, taking a couple of steps into the apartment and shutting the door behind him. He checked the area next to him out of the corner of his eye but no one was there.
It had to be a mortal. Percy had been a special case but other than him, no demigods were allowed to step foot in Hawaiian territory or they’d be killed on site by the gods residing here. With demigods, that included Greek monsters and the Greek gods. None of them could find them here. Even if they could, they wouldn’t be allowed to so much as talk to him—
“It’s just me, Percy,” a voice said from behind him, a voice he recognized. Percy spun around, face twisted in anger and Riptide landing right against his throat.
“How are you here?” Percy hissed, backing up. Percy could’ve taken him easily three years ago but he hasn’t seen Nico Di Angelo since then. Percy wasn’t sure how much more powerful, how much more trained Nico had become since then.
“We cut a deal with the Hawaiian gods,” Nico said cautiously, taking a step forward as Percy took another back, Riptide still at his throat. Water gathered slowly in the palm of Percy’s hand, eyes alight with rage.
For a moment, Nico paused, face hesitant. Percy usually needed a source to use his powers. Now, water gathered in his hand from seemingly nowhere. It looked as if he were creating it on his own.
“This is a big emergency, Percy,” Nico said softly, deciding not to take another step when Riptide pushed harder against his throat. “You know we wouldn’t bother you unless it was.”
“The world could be ending and I still wouldn’t care, Di Angelo!” Percy took a reckless swipe at his chest. Nico jumped back, eyes widening as shadows quickly formed in his hand. A moment later, his Stygian sword parried back, not nearly as stiff or uncomfortable in his hands as it once used to be.
“Hey! Back off him!” another voice shouted, the sound of it strangely compelling. Dazed, Percy’s sword dropped slightly and he blinked repeatedly, shaking off the sound of it ringing in his ears. Sword now loose in his hand, Nico took his opportunity and twisted Riptide until Percy was forced to let go. The sword dropped to the ground, silence following it.
Straightening as Percy realized Nico wasn’t alone, Percy gathered water in ropes at his feet. Nico and whoever else was in the room would hopefully be too focused on him to notice the water forming at their feet.
Percy stretched out his awareness, a barely noticeable tug in his gut following. He raised his hands in surrender, face stony. Forming a picture in his head, he sensed Nico in front of him — the saliva in his mouth, the sweat forming on his neck.
“I’m flattered that you felt the need to bring back-up to collect me, Di Angelo,” Percy drawled and, with a flick of his wrist, sent a rope of half-frozen water at Nico’s sword. The sword slammed against the wall to Percy’s left and he turned, sending two more ropes at the feet of the only other people in the room: a pretty girl with tan skin and brown hair and another girl with a bow slung over her shoulder. He wasn’t sure about the brunette but the other girl must’ve been a Hunter.
Thinking fast, Percy spread his arms out and brought them back in as if pulling things from two opposite directions. Water slammed in through the windows, shattering the glass and quickly forming into collars and wristbands made of ice. Just as Nico made a grab for his sword, Percy sent two of them at his wrists, acting like cuffs that tagged him backward into the wall. Twisting some of his fingers, he formed some of the rainwater into a sharp blade that pressed against Nico’s throat.
Thwick.
Percy turned, catching the silver arrow a moment before it hit his shoulder and throwing it to the side. Appalled, the Hunter lowered her bow, caught off guard. It was just enough for Percy to curl water around one of her wrists and make a pushing movement that sent her reeling back into the wall behind her, dragging her by the wrist. The Hunter fell to the ground, clutching the back of her head in pain.
The other girl — a demigod, Percy assumed — backed up and raised her hands in the air. “Wait,” she said shakily and Percy paused as if being commanded. It only took that moment for her to swing the hilt of the dagger in her hand at his temple, knocking him to the side.
Without his focus, the ice around Nico’s wrists and against his throat melted. Nico made a grab for his sword, pressing it right against Percy’s neck from behind. Percy froze, thoughts racing as he tried to think about what to do next—
Thump. Thump.
The sounds of feet landing on the wood floor filled his ears and Percy cursed as realization hit him. Were they able to use the Mist while here? Could his powers even sense people being hidden by the Mist? Since he hadn’t sensed them earlier, Percy assumed that was a no.
Percy shut his eyes for a moment, deciding it’d be safer to accept his defeat than taking on who knows how many people. Pent-up anger blared in his chest, a lump forming in his throat. Percy swallowed harshly, head snapping to the side when he felt something against his wrist.
The teen who’d put it there, a curly-haired Latino boy, gulped nervously and took a step back as soon as whatever gadget he’d placed on Percy’s hand was secure. Percy raised his wrist, seeing a bulky, cuff-like bracelet.
“It suppresses demigod powers,” Nico said from behind him. Percy clenched his teeth. The urge to punch him in the face was getting stronger every time he opened his stupid mouth.
Sure enough though, when Percy tried to summon water to his hand, a muted sort of buzzing filled his ears and he clutched his head, feeling slightly dizzy. No water came either.
“If you come peacefully, that’s the only thing we’ll add but we could take you bound and tied in Stygian Iron if it’s needed, Percy,” Nico told him, voice much colder than it’d been in the beginning. His mood must’ve soured between the point where they’d started talking and when Percy slammed him into a wall.
Percy scowled, snapping, “Piss off, Di Angelo—”
A sharp pain blared in his hand and Percy screamed, eyes widening at the silver arrow sticking out of his hand. Percy’s head snapped up, seeing another Hunter with their hand on the shaft. She had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, her skin pale and covered in freckles.
“Hurt one of my friends again and I’ll cut off your hand next time,” the Hunter snarled at him. Percy glowered at her hatefully, opening his mouth to snap back when she twisted the arrow in his hand, and white, hot pain shot up his arm. Percy’s legs nearly buckled and he gripped her wrist, digging his fingers into her arm.
“That’s enough, Anastasia!” another voice shouted. Instantly, the girl — Anastasia , apparently — straightened with a guilty look. Her hand gently let go of the shaft of the arrow so it wouldn’t move around more. The arrow was still in Percy’s hand though, causing enormous amounts of pain so Percy didn’t feel any gratitude for the action.
Thalia Grace stepped forward, and Percy heaved a big sigh. Of course, they’d brought her. Who’s next? Clarisse La Rue?
“Nice to see you too, Percy,” Thalia said drily though he could see the deep furrow of her brows. She was still angry at him, really angry. Without a moment’s hesitation, she gripped the arrow and tore it out of his hand. Percy screamed, clutching his hand as blood oozed from the wound. Anastasia scoffed, rolling her eyes. Percy swore to punch her in the nose when this was all over.
“Dammit,” Nico swore, dropping to help Percy up. “Solace! Heal the wound before we leave and get me some of the Hypnos powder!” Percy’s eyes widened, realizing exactly what he meant by that, and thrashed out of his hold. “McLean, a little help here!” Nico shouted, making a mad grab for Percy as he scrambled backward.
“Hey,” McLean said suddenly from his right, gripping his arm. Her eyes were soft and sympathetic, lips tilted in a kind smile. “There’s no need to panic. We won’t hurt you. Just relax, Percy…”
Percy’s heartbeat slowed and he relaxed, a dazed blanket of calm falling over him. Percy’s thoughts blurred, focusing only on her voice and the grip of her hand on his arm. His eyes fluttered for a bit, snapping back open when Will Solace came running back into the room, panting with exhaustion.
“Is… is he alright?” Will asked, voice choppy and tired.
“Just heal his hand, Solace. We need to get back into Greek territory before he snaps out of it,” Thalia ordered, face impatient.
Percy looked up as Will hesitantly came closer, eyes cloudy but beginning to clear more and more. Will’s face was full of endless emotions, his heart clenching at the sight of his former friend. The reminder of what happened three years ago was fresh in his mind.
McLean carded a hand through his hair, humming softly. Her face was kind and open, eyes soft and sweet.
“You’ve gotten really good at that,” Will commented as he kneeled next to Percy’s relaxed form. Cautiously, he lifted Percy’s bleeding hand and began to work as quickly as possible. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Nico and the Hunter girl, Anastasia in a heated argument. They had their weapons out and looked ready to stab each other. If Will was being honest with himself, he really couldn’t blame Nico for that feeling.
“For a person who’s never experienced it before, he’s got a good tolerance from it,” Piper whispered, continuing to hum, and smile, and whisper sweetly. “It took him barely a couple of seconds to shake it off the first time. The only reason it’s even working now is because of Leo’s little gadget.”
Will nodded, listening along but most of his focus was directed to Percy’s hand. His brows were furrowed, lips pursed with frustration. “My powers don’t work as well here. I have no idea how Percy was able to use his powers so well.”
“Then just bandage it up so we can leave,” Thalia hissed angrily. Will paled, hurrying to follow the order.
Will managed to stop the bleeding enough, gently bandaging Percy’s hand. Even without the full use of his powers, Will still tried to ease the pain, putting Percy’s hand to his lips and muttering a prayer to his father. Within seconds, a barely noticeable glow showed over Percy’s hand for a moment before disappearing.
“That should be enough until we cross back into Greek territory,” Will whispered in the tense silence. “I’ll be able to use my powers to heal him once we cross.” Thalia nodded silently, glaring pointedly at Nico and Anastasia as she called for everyone’s attention.
“Anastasia, take the Hunters and go prepare our transport,” she ordered, voice much colder as she addressed the Hunter. “Nico, take the demigods with you and follow us as we leave in case Percy tries to escape.” Nico and Anastasia both nodded, gathering their respective groups and leaving the apartment through the various ways they came. Thalia turned around, looking to Leo, Piper, and Will as they prepared to leave as well. “You three stay,” she said suddenly, stopping them in their tracks. “I need Leo here in case we need to detain him, Piper to keep him calm, and Will needs to be with us when we can finally heal his hand.”
The three nodded, helping Thalia get Percy out of the building. Piper used her charmspeak to coax him out, shoulders tense as she did her best to keep Percy from breaking through the spell. Slowly and gradually, they made their way outside and into the transport vehicle. Leo got into the driver's seat, everyone else piling in after him.
Nico and the other demigods were taking other routes on different vehicles, careful to listen and look for any signals. Nico had shadows curling around his body, ready to shadowtravel at any given moment.
Despite all of that, they made it to the boat with relative ease. Thalia released a breath of relief when Percy was in, the magic hopefully too strong for him to break out of. Within minutes, everyone they’d brought had piled into the large boat and Lou Ellen raised her arms, shrouding the Mist around them as they sped across the ocean at speeds far too fast to be anything but Poseidon’s doing.
The saltwater sprayed up into the edges of the boat, cooling Will off as he listened to the sounds of nature and Nico bickering with Anastasia again. She’d always been more hostile towards men than most of the other Hunters, actually resorting to physical violence but Will hadn’t thought she’d go that far with Percy of all people. Especially with how long it took to prepare for this quest. No one had been sure how powerful Percy would be or if he’d figured out how to control the Mist and reveal their hiding spots.
Will thought back to seeing Percy take on both Nico and Piper at the same time, shuddering uneasily. Nico was easily one of the most powerful demigods Will had ever met. It was unnerving to watch him be beaten so easily, even if he did remember the power Percy had displayed when he was still a camper.
Will knew a lot of it might’ve had to do with Nico and Piper being caught off guard but just how much had Percy grown in the time between when they’d last seen him and now?
“Will!” Leo shouted, pulling him from his thoughts. “We’re about to cross back into Lord Poseidon’s territory. Come heal Jackson before he snaps out of Piper’s trance.” Will pushed off the railing, heading to find Leo, Thalia, Nico, and Piper surrounding Percy in the room they were keeping him.
Will hurried to Percy’s side, working to heal his hand before they reached New York. He didn’t know how far they’d gotten but with Lord Poseidon helping them along the way, they’d probably be there soon enough.
“How are we going to dock without the mortals noticing?” Thalia asked, looking out into the ocean.
“You’ll see,” Leo answered, a smirk on his face. Thalia turned to him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“It’s not anything that’ll anger Lord Poseidon, is it?” Nico asked uneasily, “I can’t exactly summon skeletons since they can’t swim.”
“Couldn’t you shadowtravel away?” Piper asked.
“I’ve never traveled very far with it,” Nico argued, “I only use it in emergencies; in case I need to get away from a fight I can’t win. I have to run from there.”
“You should practice traveling longer distances,” Thalia said, her expression troubled. “With the rising threat of another war, it’d be best if we all honed our skills as much as we can if we expect to win, especially with how big of a threat this is.” Thalia’s comment seemed to make the room grow colder, the other demigods’ faces twisting in concern and fear.
“You think it’s going to come to another war?” Will whispered, eyes wide with fear.
“It already has,” Thalia retorted, “G- the goddess has already claimed Alaska and halfway down Canada. The mortals are going insane, trying to figure out what in Hades is going on with the sudden weather patterns and earthquakes. Actual people are throwing around the idea that it’s the end of the world.”
“You’re joking,” Leo said, straightening. His face was incredulous, disbelieving that mortals, however accurate they may be, would come to that conclusion. The sentiment seemed to have spread around the room. Nico had raised an eyebrow, face conflicted as to if he was unsure whether to be impressed that mortals came so close to the truth or unimpressed that they came to such a dramatic idea without even knowing of the existence of what was really to come.
“It’s mostly being spread among the more radical people and news channels to drum up views among the gullible populations,” Piper interjected, voice firm. “Trust me, I would know considering who my dad is.”
Will made a noise of agreement, refocusing on Percy. He was asleep. Will assumed Piper had used her charmspeak to coax him into slumber to make the travel easier for everyone on board.
The conversation had continued with everyone else but Will had stopped listening, face pale as he stared at Percy’s once injured hand.
“He doesn’t have the Curse of the Styx anymore,” Will whispered, his voice just loud enough to be heard around the room. Nico wheeled on him, trying to process what Will had just said.
“What?” Thalia snapped before realization dawned on her and she stumbled back, putting her head in her hands as she mumbled curse after curse.
“That must’ve been what he gave up to be allowed entry into Hawai’i,” Piper said softly.
“Do- do you think he can get it back?” Leo asked nervously, fiddling with some little scraps in his hands.
“He’d have to bathe in the River Styx again to do so,” Thalia muttered. Nico cursed, clutching a chunk of hair as he stared at the ceiling of the room.
“Is that even possible?” Will asked, “Could he die from that?”
“It’s never been done before,” Nico said, his voice troubled and uneasy. “Percy’s the first person since Achilles to even be capable of doing it once, let alone twice. I saw what he looked like after he climbed out. I don’t know what would happen if he tried it again but I don’t think he’d climb back out again.”
The room stayed silent, unsure what to say. Eventually, Thalia got up to leave, saying she was going to report the news to everyone else on board. After her, Leo and Piper left to go clear their minds. Nico and Will were the only ones that stayed in the room with Percy, confident enough in Piper’s abilities that he wouldn’t wake up any time soon.
An hour and a half passed before they finally closed in enough on New York that it could barely be seen if you looked closely. Will worried over how they’d dock. Leo said he had a plan but the last time Leo said he had a plan, Will’s hand had nearly been chopped off so he wasn’t all too confident in whatever ‘plan’ Leo cooked up this time around.
Another five minutes passed and just when Will got up to ask Leo exactly what his plan was, the boat jerked so hard that Will toppled to the floor, landing painfully on his bottom.
“The Argo II, everyone!” Will vaguely heard Leo shout from the outside. He wondered if Leo had some sort of microphone amplifying his voice. “My greatest creation!”
There was a shriek outside and Will scrambled up from the floor, rushing out the door with Nico on his heels.
“What’s going on?” Will demanded, panting in exhaustion as his eyes darted around the main deck. He saw Thalia, face white with terror and rage as she stared at Leo, grinning sheepishly.
“What did you do, Valdez?” Nico snapped, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“I’m getting us to Olympus,” Leo said defensively.
“How?” Nico gritted out. Leo raised the makeshift controller thing he used to steer the Argo II or whatever he called the stupid boat.
“The Argo II is going to fly us up into the range of the Olympus portals and we’ll fly into one, landing at the dock closest to the Olympian throne room where some of the other campers will be to help us get Percy safely secured so he can’t escape,” Leo explained. Thalia only seemed to grow whiter and whiter with his explanation though.
“Am I the only one who feels like we’re treating him like he’s a prisoner?” Lou Ellen grumbled, peeking over the rails and quickly backing up again.
“He might as well be treated like one after that little power display he gave us back in his apartment,” Piper retorted. She wasn’t entirely fond of the Jackson kid. For years, all she’d heard were good things and this was his reaction to all of them coming to him for help? She thought he’d been said to be loyal and a great friend but if he was so great then why did he leave?
Piper sighed, rubbing her temples. There was a shrouded mystery over why exactly he’d left for the Hawaiian territories, giving up something so powerful as the Achilles’ Curse but the only people that knew seemed to be the veteran campers and none of them would say anything about it, always changing the subject when it was brought up.
“He’s not going to be treated like that,” Nico snapped, glaring at her. Piper shrugged, ignoring the chill that ran down her spine at the glare. There were rumors that Nico could kill people with his glare, literally but it’s never been proven before. Besides, the closest thing to a response that Nico ever gave to that question was an eye roll so he never exactly confirmed it.
“How much longer, Leo?” Thalia’s face was white with terror. Piper took a step closer to her, concern etched on her face. Thalia glared at her from where she stood frozen against the wall and Piper backed off, raising her hands in surrender.
“Almost in range,” Leo replied absentmindedly, too focused on steering the Argo II. It took a couple of minutes then the Argo II gave a loud, harsh jerk and—
A large, white portal opened up in front of them and they sailed right into it. A moment later, they sailed into a dock right at Olympus. Leo fiddled with some controls on his panel and a large staircase formed, leading down to the dock where there were demigods and, if Piper’s memory served correct, Lord Hermes.
Lord Hermes made his way onto the main deck, face stony and serious. Everyone gave a small bow, a murmur of acknowledgment rippling throughout the deck.
“Where is he?” Lord Hermes asked, voice cold and hard. Piper gulped, clenching and unclenching her fists as she led the god and the demigods who’d just boarded into the room they placed Percy in. She opened the door to his room, staring at his sleeping form as Lord Hermes entered.
“The meeting isn’t scheduled to happen for another couple of days,” Lord Hermes said, face unreadable. “We’ll let him settle in until then.” Piper nodded, whispered the message to another demigod who went to tell everyone waiting on the main deck. The Olympian snapped his fingers and Percy’s unconscious form reappeared in his arms.
Lord Hermes carried Percy off the Argo II, gaining whispers and wide-eyed stares from passersby who recognized the once glorious hero. Piper didn’t know where he was taking Percy but she didn’t follow after him, deciding to stay back with Leo and the others to finish with the Argo II.