Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Y/N often dreamed of the skies. Clouds and stars twinkled behind her eyelids every time she closed her eyes. Deep sleep often carried her across the midnight universe until thunder struck and slashed the skies in two. That was when she woke up, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

She wouldn’t fall back asleep after that. She’d lay back, staring at the ceiling, listening to the background, muffled sounds of a still lively Manhattan. 

She wasn’t born and raised in Manhattan. She faintly remembered, as through a mist, a cottage hidden from prying eyes, surrounded by rolling hills, cutting mountains and whistling winds. And if she let her mind focus long enough, she could remember stormy eyes looking down at her. But as fast as the vision came, it went. 

She turned on her side, her gaze catching her reflection in the mirror aimlessly hung on her wooden chipped wardrobe. It was dark in the room, but her eyes glowed all the same. Growing up, her mother always did say her eyes resembled her father’s, brave, tumultuous and violent. Like a storm, the most beautiful eyes, she used to say. 

Y/N blinked before she sat up. Her bare feet touched the cold floor and she gathered a moment to herself to stare out the window. The tall blocks of Manhattan obscured the silver vision of the moon. She turned to look at the electronic clock on her bedside table. It read 2:14 am. A sigh escaped her lips and she got up, letting the duvet fall soundlessly on the purple carpet. She tiptoed all the way out of her bedroom and down the corridor. She passed another bedroom. The door was ajar and she could hear her aunt softly snoring. 

When she entered the kitchen, she was greeted by the humming of the old fridge. She opened it, a wave of coldness cooling down her hot body, the sweat trickling down her temple. The blue light of the fridge cascaded down, illuminating the dark corners of the kitchen. Seeing nothing that could interest her or satiate her thirst, she closed it back, a few polaroids appearing before her eyes. Her mother smiled at her through them, ringlets falling down her back. Y/N appeared in all of them, either hiding her face away from the camera or boldly sticking her tongue out. 

Her father was absent in every photo. She never did meet him. She never knew how he looked, or what his name was. Or what his favourite colour was, the simplest of things. She only knew that he cared enough to leave. 

She could tell the photographs were chronologically pinned on the fridge, because down the line her mother disappeared from the photos and was replaced by her sweet aunt. If she squinted she could have said they were the same person. She remembered a hospital bed, her mother’s pale and sickly face and her aunt’s gentle hand on her shoulder. 

She turned away from the refrigerator. Her hands opened the cupboard and took hold of her glued back Milka mug (she had broken it a few months ago when she thought she saw a winged horse on the roof of the neighbouring block. When she recounted to her aunt what she saw, her aunt only kissed her forehead, picked up the broken pieces of the mug and promised she would mend it back together. Y/N never told her again of the visions).  She opened the tap and let the jet of water fill the mug. She closed it, raising the mug to her lips, the sound of falling droplets onto the sink filling the air. The water felt like a cleansing wave down her throat and she almost forgot the recurring dreams she had. They’ve been hunting her mind for a few years now and she started to wonder if there was something wrong with her, if the winged horses, the lightning and the thunder were clear signs that she was going insane. It didn’t help that she moved schools every few months (“She gets into trouble too often”, “She’s too impulsive”, “She must go to a school for children with special needs” were some of the things the school counselors and the principals always did say to her aunt. They thought she couldn’t hear them, but she did. Always). 

She couldn’t help glancing out the dirty kitchen window. Thunder lightened the Manhattan sky for a split second. She started. Silence and darkness came and she was, once again, left alone in the kitchen, with only the humming of the fridge and the splashing of the droplets to keep her company. A shaky breath escaped her lips. She raised the mug to her lips, but she didn’t get to drink any more water. Lightning illuminated the kitchen once more and a two-headed dog appeared before her, just beyond the window. She screamed and her mug slipped from her hands, shattering. 

The dog was there, tauntingly bearing its teeth at her. Thunder reverberated and rain started falling from the open sky, pattering against the window. A storm was brewing in Manhattan and she took a step back, gaze frozen on the dog. The moment it started barking (she swore she could hear it as though it was beside her), she yelled. Padded footsteps announced her aunt’s presence. “Y/N?! What is it, sweetie?” 

Y/N could hear her gasp, but she was too paralyzed to turn around. The dog jumped on the window and a crack appeared. She jumped back, colliding with her aunt’s waist. A gentle hand settled on her shoulder, much as it did a few years ago in a small hospital room. “Y/N, we need to leave.”

Y/N’s eyes were wide and her mouth fell open. The dog jumped on the window again. Another crack. 

“Y/N, did you hear me? We need to leave. Now .”

Thunder. The heads of the dog hit the window in an attempt to break it. Two cracks.

“Y/N, look at me,” her aunt said, turning her around and gripping her shoulders. “Your mother entrusted me to take care of you and this is what I’m doing. She said that when the time comes, I need to take you to the camp.”

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows and searched her aunt’s gaze for clues. “Camp? What camp? It’s the middle of October.”

“Not just any camp. Camp Half-Blood, a place where you’re safe.”

“I don’t understand. Safe from what?”

The dog hit the window with its heavy paw and the window almost shattered. 

Y/N didn’t need to look into her aunt’s eyes to understand what she was referring to. Safe from two-headed dogs, safe from storms. Safe from nightmares. She simply nodded and her aunt took her by the wrist, dragging her out the kitchen and down the hallway, only stopping to pick up the keys from the glass table. “Take your jacket. It’s raining outside. And you are not catching a cold under my eyes,” her aunt commanded. 

Y/N did just that, taking a hold of her yellow rain jacket, noticing that her aunt just threw a cardigan on herself. She was a woman in her late twenties, with no college degree and rent issues. She was barely getting by (and Y/N always did have the gut feeling she was a burden. She could see it in the extra shifts her aunt took just to get some money and in the dark circles she would wear under her colourless eyes). “Won’t you be cold?” she dared to ask.

A shattering sound filled the air.
“No, come on!” her aunt responded, taking her by the hand and running down the stairs with her in tow. Y/N threw glances behind her shoulder. She didn’t understand why she was being hunted by a two-headed monstrosity and how she was seeing it without thinking, for the first time, she was off the rails. She couldn’t understand how her aunt was seeing it too, nor why she was never told that there was nothing wrong with her, that she was seeing things for what they truly were. 

“Why is it chasing us?” she yelled over the dog’s mad barking. 

“It’s chasing you,” her aunt replied, before opening the block’s door. 

Rain cascaded down on them, soaking them to the bones. Thunder and lightning cut the skies. “Why?”

Her aunt opened the car’s door and pushed Y/N inside, before she ran to the driver’s seat. She entered the car and closed the door with a bang. “Seatbelt on,” she ordered. 

“Why’s it chasing me? What did I do?”

Her aunt put the keys into the ignition. “Seatbelt on, Y/N,” she repeated, her voice strained.

Y/N huffed, before complying. Her aunt drove the car out of the driveway, speeding down the road. Rain splashed the windows angrily. “Your mom told me you’re special. And you are. I saw you. You dream and see all these things-”

“I thought I was going insane!” yelled Y/N, red in the face. “I thought there was something wrong with me!”

Her aunt spared her a sad glance, before focusing on the road. “I know, I’m so sorry. I just didn’t know how to-” she sighed. “How to raise you. I’m still learning, Y/N.”

Lightning enlightened their way out of Manhattan. “So, you believed me all this time? When I told you about the winged horse-”

“I knew your mother was right. She told me of the time she fell in love with a powerful man and then she had you. She said that he wasn’t like any man she had ever met, that he was different. Different from anyone.”

“You know who my father is?” demanded Y/N, turning in her seat.

“I wish I knew. She just told me that he was a god.”

Y/N’s brain stopped for a second, confusion darkening her features. “What? How’s that possible? Did she meet Jesus?”

“No, no. She met a Greek god. All those stories she told you growing up, they’re true. And you’re the child of one of them.You’re a half-blood, a demigod. ”

Thunder boomed and the car rolled down the road. Loud barking carried over the storm. Y/N turned into her seat, looking behind the car. A dark haired dog was running through the rain towards them, tongues sticking out of its mouths, teeth glinting in the lightning. “It’s on our tail!”

Her aunt glanced in the rear mirror, before her foot pressed the pedal, accelerating. Soon, woods covered the car, and the city was no longer in sight.  A river slithered down, reflecting purple and silver lightning, angry waves dancing on the surface. Y/N frantically opened the glove compartment of the car, ruffling through all the brochures and papers, before her fingertips felt the sharpness of a silver penknife. 

“Y/N, darling, what are you doing?” her aunt asked, worry seeping into her voice.

“That thing’s following us. And it’s obviously settled on having me, so it will get what it desires,” answered Y/N, staring at the shimmering silver of the knife. 

“What?”

“Just enough to buy you time. And for you to arrive safely at this camp-”

“Y/N, the camp’s for you ,” stared her aunt at her, before settling her eyes back on the road.

“I’m only safe in your arms, auntie,” replied Y/N, voice soft. Her aunt turned to look her in the eyes and she started at the determination in Y/N’s, bolts flashing in them. “I’m not afraid.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and threw open the door. Ruffling wind entered the car, swaying her hair upwards like a veil. Stinging droplets whipped her skin, cold nicking at it like unforgiving, cutting glass. The dog’s barking cut through the storm’s aggravating simphony and Y/N smiled softly at the woman who looked so much like her late mother. She jumped out of the car, rolling into the mud and hitting her elbow into a slippery rock. She hissed once she felt her skin ripping open, blood curling down her arm. Thunder boomed in the distance, but she only blinked the rain out of her eyes. The car skidded down the muddy road and hit a tree. 

The two-headed dog trampled the leafed wood path, fury lightning its red eyes. Y/N got up, drenched to the bones, shivering in the freezing wind and raised the only weapons she had: the penknife and her ambition. She heard the car’s door open and being slammed. “Y/N, don’t-”

She frowned and hurled the penknife towards the monster’s chest. It stabbed its flesh, blood flowing down its fur. The dog only growled, it raised one of its paws and struck Y/N, casting her into the river’s abyss. Before her whole body was engulfed by the chilling waves, she saw a rumbling lightning striking the two-headed dog. The wind carried away what remained of it: dust and ashes.

Y/N tried to stay afloat, but currents dragged her down and she didn’t know how to swim. Water invaded her lungs and her eyes stung. The cut on her elbow burned her under the unforgiving currents. Panicked, she kicked her feet. She couldn’t see the surface, she could only feel the embracing cold, darkness. Her hands numbed and her legs stopped trying. She felt gentle hands, grabbing her by the waist. Her head broke through the tumultuous waves and her lungs welcomed the sweet, refreshing air. Her eyes came into focus and she recognized her aunt carrying her to the shore. Cold air hit her as her toes touched the muddy earth. Her aunt enveloped her into a bone-crushing hug and she accepted it, sobbing into her already wet cardigan. “You’re so brave, so so brave. It’s okay, you’re okay. You’re safe, now. You’ll be alright, you’ll be alright.” Her aunt caressed Y/N’s wet locks, whispering in her ear and gently swaying her. 

Y/N’s gaze caught sight of a tall tree in the horizon and an imposing, ivory gate with Greek columns braved the already dying storm. Thunder and lightning shied away behind grey clouds and the moon scared away the last raining drops. 

She’d be alright. 

Chapter Text

Y/N blinked against the sunlight. It was pouring out the window onto her face like a golden cascade. Her ears caught sounds of laughter and chatter. It wasn’t the first time she woke up in the middle of a morning chaos. Life in Cabin 11 had always been that way, too lively for her likeliness. People always shuffling, talking loudly and giggling. It was a cabin which burst with life, but it was also too overcrowded. She rarely felt she got a breather to herself. Most of the time she was yearning to be left alone to her thoughts, but always a Hermes kid jumped at the opportunity to talk to her. She always shut them out. A side of her felt grateful for the warmth she was greeted with when she had first stepped into the cabin, but another side of her was longing to know to which cabin she truly belonged. 

Someone jumped on her bunk bed, dipping the mattress. “Wake up, sleepy head!”

“I’m already awake. You lot had awakened me up,” she replied groggily, opening one eye and gazing at the person who was currently taking most of her bed. 

The boy only shrugged innocently. “That’s Cabin 11 for ya. You’re stuck with us,” he grinned. “For a while,” he hastily added once he saw Y/N furrow. 

She only sighed, before getting up. “It’s been four years, Luke.”

Luke was the first who befriended her the day she stepped into the camp for the first time. She could still remember the warm smile he approached her with. 

“Yeah, but others had to wait longer. They still got claimed, though.”

“And others didn’t,” replied Y/N bitterly. 

Luke cast his eyes down. “I know, I’m sorry.” A smile spread on his lips again. “You know what I’ve heard?”

Y/N rolled her eyes, while she gathered her hair into a ponytail. “Amaze me.”

“The new kid. He killed the Minotaur. And Annabeth thinks he’s the one. You know, he might just be. Play your cards right and you might get yourself a quest. The quest.”

Y/N’s eyes widened and she let her hair fall back down. “Really?”

Luke opened his mouth to reply, but familiar hooves entered the cabin and interrupted him. The tall and lean figure of Chiron stood in the doorway, clapping his hands. “Everyone, everyone. Your attention, please.” Y/N turned her head, curiously taking in the sight of a golden-haired boy beside the centaur. “This is Percy Jackson, I trust you will see to whatever he needs.”

She turned back towards Luke. “Is this the kid?” she asked him, pointing towards the blonde. 

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

A grin spread out on Y/N’s face, illuminating her sharp features. “Great. I’ll make the introductions. Don’t interrupt me and let me approach him first. This could be important.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“Promise me, Luke!”

Luke raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I promise! Just don’t scare him off.”

She ignored him and took small steps towards the boy, analyzing his every move. She could tell he was feeling out of place, confused and furious. She could tell because she saw her younger self in his shy eyes and unsure steps. She crossed her arms and leaned on the banister beside his sleeping bag. He was just crouching and taking something out of a backpack when she spoke up. “So, you’re the one who killed the Minotaur?”

He got up and turned around abruptly. His gaze landed on Y/N and she thought his eyes resembled the deep sea and its secrets. “How did you-”

“News travels fast,” she shrugged. 

He only huffed. “Look, if you want to give me a hard time, just do it tomorrow. I can’t do any more today.”

“Are you the kid who killed the Minotaur? It’s a yes or no question,” repeated Y/N more firmly, straightening her back and distancing herself from the bannister. 

The boy’s eyes travelled to the horn besides his backpack.She followed his gaze. “So, you did. It’s true what they say.”

“Uh, yeah,” he replied, shuffling his feet. 

“What’s your name?” asked Y/N, taking a step closer towards the newcomer. She could feel Luke’s gaze burning holes into her back. 

“Percy.”

She smirked. “Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Percy. I’m Y/N.” She stuck out her hand in greeting, and he shook it hesitantly. 

“Heard what happened to you on the hill,” a familiar voice said. Luke came up beside her, approaching Percy just as he did once to her. “And I just… wanted to say I’m really sorry.”

Percy’s gaze slipped towards Y/N, who was still closely watching him, before it fell, aimlessly looking around and taking in the sight of the wooden floor. 

“I know what you’re going through. Believe me.”

“You might not believe it yet, but you’re one of us,” said Y/N, lowering her head to catch his gaze. “You’re a demigod.”

He lifted his gaze, latching onto hers. He almost started at the intensity in them. They strangely reminded him of a thunderous sky in a storm. 

“I’m Luke. You met Y/N here. We’re your friends now.”

“Percy,” he replied, shaking Luke’s hand before his eyes panned to Y/N. She hesitantly smiled, before she turned around. “Settle in, no one’s doing your bed around here!” she yelled over her shoulder.

“Bossy,” he whispered under his breath. 

Luke chuckled lightly from beside him. “She means no harm. It’s just the way she is. We figured she might take after her godly parent.”

“Who’s her godly parent?” asked Percy, taking his gaze off Y/N, who was just picking up a set of arrows and a bow. 

Luke scratched the back of his head. “We, uh, we don’t know. She’s unclaimed. Has been for four years now.”

Percy nodded slowly. He understood. “Just like me,” he murmured.

Y/N loved to watch the birds fly and sing between the emerald trees. She would sit for hours, glancing at the skies every once in a while, while she cleaned her arrows and bow. Today was no different. Sitting under a cooling shadow of a pine, she glanced upwards, catching the sight of an eagle slashing the skies in two. Annabeth was sitting besides her, talking her ear off. “He drools when he sleeps.”
“Does he?” she replied absently.
“Yes, but that’s unimportant. Irrelevant. I think he might be the one.”

Y/N’s lips curled. “I think so too. We might get that quest after all, Annie.”

Annabeth smiled back, her teeth glinting in the sunlight. Not a second later, her face turned serious. “Have you talked to him yet?”

Y/N raised an arrow to her eye level. It glistened. “Do you think it’s clean enough?”

Annabeth’s gaze slid to the silver tip of the arrow. “Yes. Did you talk to him yet?”

“Yes, I did.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“And he seems sad.”

“Obviously he would. He’s new and unclaimed.”

Y/N’s eyes flashed and she let her gaze slide away. “No, wait- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-” Annabeth stuttered.

The eagle let out a cry and it flew away. “It’s quite alright, Annie. It’s the truth,” she smiled bitterly. “Plus, this is why I want that quest. A chance to prove myself and to get his attention.” Her ears recognized Luke’s voice, coming out of Cabin 11. Percy was walking beside him, his eyes shining in wonder. He was looking up at him like a child would look up to their older sibling. She recognized the look. She turned back towards Annabeth. “Got a strategy for Capture the Flag yet?”

“Working on it, but it’s coming around nicely,” smirked Annabeth. 

“Never doubted it. Meet you later to talk it through?”

“You got it.”

Y/N smiled before she waved her goodbye. Her steps carried her to the boys, before Clarisse La Rue, the resident bully of the camp (Y/N still vividly remembered her first week. She almost got herself beaten up by her at a Capture the Flag game, before a gust of wind hit Clarisse in a tree trunk, knocking her out for a half of day), bumped into Percy. He grunted, rubbing his shoulder. “Hey!”

Clarisse turned around and pushed him. He fell, the cold earth hitting his back. Y/N sped up, her bow clutched in her hand. 

“Woah! Hey, knock it off, Clarisse. It’s like his first day, come on,” voiced Luke.

 Y/N reached Percy, holding her hand out to him. He clasped it and she helped him to his feet. He threw her a shy smile and she acknowledged it with a nod. 

Clarisse’s face morphed into a look of false astonishment. “Wait, so this is the kid who killed the Minotaur. Is that right?”

“Uh, yeah?” Percy replied, looking around. 

Clarisse smiled wickedly. “I’ll bet.” She took a step towards him. “Look, you want attention around here, dummy?”

Y/N’s eyes shifted from Percy to Clarisse, her knuckles turning white on the bow. 

“You better be ready for it when it comes.” Clarisse snapped her head towards him, scaring Percy. He took a step back. She laughed and turned on her heels.

“Don’t you get bored, La Rue? Picking on kids half your size?” questioned Y/N, her voice firm and sure. 

Clarisse turned around slowly, her face as still as a stone, a cold and deadly look in her eyes. 

“Oh, right. You’re doing it for daddy,” continued Y/N. “Not working though, am I right?”

Clarisse’s lips twitched in anger. “Still unclaimed, L/N?”

Y/N felt a pang in her chest, but she smirked nonetheless, “Still afraid of me?”

Clarisse only scoffed before she turned her back on her, fisting her hands. 

“Well, she seems nice,” said Percy, pointing at Clarisse’s retreating form. 

“Ares kids,” sighed Luke. “They come by it honestly.”

“Don’t mind her too much,” said Y/N, her hands finally relaxing on the smooth wood of her bow. 

“You’re not afraid of her,” stated Percy, turning to look at her. Once again, he saw that bold look in her eyes. 

“Why should I? She’s just insecure. I’m afraid of nothing, I won’t start shaking in my boots because of a jealous Ares kid.”

“Why don’t they mess with you?”

A smirk bloomed on Luke’s face. “They know better.”

“Luke’s the strongest swordsman at camp and Y/N’s the best archer you’ll ever meet,” voiced Chris, a boy with an earthly brown complexion and jet black curls.

Percy blinked and Y/N could see the gears in his head turning. “So they leave you alone because’ glory’ ?”

Luke nodded.

“So if I get glory Clarisse wouldn’t mess with me either?”

“You learn fast,” said Y/N, regarding him with a glint in her gaze. 

“Exactly,” added Luke. 

"And people think I’m a big deal?” continued Percy, looking up at Hermes' child. 

Luke crossed his arms, nodding his head hesitantly. “Well, sorta, but-”

“And my dad’s got no choice but to claim me,” the blonde said, turning to look at Y/N, as if asking her for her approval. Her smirk fell. It was as if she was looking into a mirror, seeing her pain reflected in a kindred spirit, in the eyes of a boy who felt utterly confused and lost and furious at the world. 

“You can’t force the gods to do anything,” interjected Luke, before throwing Y/N a worried glance. 

“Well, yeah, but… it would make it harder for him to pretend I don’t exist, right?” shrugged Percy, slowly moving his gaze off Y/N to Luke. 

“Maybe.”

Y/N’s voice outpowered Luke’s, her hand once again clenching her bow, until her knuckles turned painfully white. “Definitely!” The boy in question gaped at her. 

A smile shone on Percy’s face, his eyes glinting with determination. “Well, great. Where do we start?”

Y/N’s hands never quivered when she held a bow and an arrow in her hand. Whenever she held the weapons, she felt she had a sense of control she had lost the moment she found she was a demigod. She inhaled and slowly exhaled, grounding herself and emptying her head of thoughts. She slowly pulled the arrow and released it. The arrow cut the air and hit the target. A smile broke on her face and she lowered the bow. She turned to look at the golden-haired boy, who was already gazing at her with awe shimmering in his eyes. She handed him her bow. “Your turn.”

He took the bow out of her hand. “I wanna be very clear about this, I’ve never done anything like this before, and it looks super dangerous.”

Luke lifted a shoulder. “And you never killed a Minotaur before either, ‘till you did.”

“There’s a first for everything,” added Y/N, taking out an arrow. Her eyebrows disappeared under her hairline and she held out the weapon. Percy, unsure, shifted his weight, before he accepted the sharp, silvery arrow. 

An Apollo child drew out a lighter, but Y/N raised her hand in a warning, her head shaking in a very definite and clear “no”. Percy raised both of his arms and closed an eye, trying to focus on the target but it blurred in front of his eyes, much like the air would dance in a very torrid day in downtown New York. 

“You’re holding it wrong,” stated Y/N from beside him.

“Am I?” frowned Percy. 

She sighed. “Yes.”

 Percy could feel her come up behind him. Her fingertips touched his elbow, raising it slightly. “Stay straighter.” Percy straightened his back, feeling warmth creeping up his neck. “And relax your hold on the bow, it’s not going anywhere.” His fingers loosened around the bow. “Focus.” Percy thought that focusing would be a bit too hard when he could literally feel Y/N’s breath near his ear, but he tried nonetheless. 

She took a few steps back. “Release the arrow.” 

And he did just that, except the arrow didn’t comply with his will, it flew over everyone’s heads and it stabbed the dark earth. Apollo’s children shrieked and fell to the ground, in an attempt to shelter themselves from the furious arrow. Percy himself fell, a grimace painting his features. Y/N pulled her lips into a thin line, staring at the place the arrow landed. It shone in the sun.

“Should I try again?” questioned Percy meekly. 

“No!” Everyone yelled. 

“Tough luck,” said Y/N, looking down at Percy. 

“Right,” he mumbled before he stuck his hand out, a silent plea to be helped to his feet. 

Y/N extended her hand, but she only took the bow out of the boy’s hold. “See you around, newbie!” she yelled once she turned on her feet, marching towards where the arrow was mockingly glinting in the sun rays.

She was pretty sure she heard him swear under his breath. 

The light was throwing pretty shades under the tree. A wind picked up and Y/N’s hair ruffled. She looked up at the tree. It was a beautiful pinetree. It was also a lifeline. She heard the stories about it, about how Thalia sacrificed her life to save Luke, Annabeth and Grover. Annie recounted it too many times, Y/N could now recite it in her sleep. She reached out a hand and touched the rough surface of the deep brown bark. It was like a prayer and she almost had the sudden urge to climb it, to regard the world, the wide, swaying blades of grass. To let the winds whip her face in a gentle caress, to let the smiling sun shine on her. 

She wasn’t afraid of heights. Growing up, while her mother was still very much alive, her cheeks still bursting with colour, she would get all her pants ripped just because she was stubborn enough to climb trees. She’d be closer to the sky, she used to say as an excuse. But then, she turned 5 years old and the wooden, rustic cabin was replaced by towering sky-scrapers. The once fresh mountain air was now thick and heavy. And the damp, dewed earth was taken by concrete floor. She hated the city, but it seemed that the city hated her back, as she did not find her place there. 

Light footsteps spoiled the silence and she knew who it was, before she turned around. 

“I think you would have gotten along,” Annabeth voiced.

Y/N turned around. Annabeth was looking up at the tree with longing in her eyes.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” 

She took a seat under the tree’s shade. Her friend followed suit, comfortable silence enveloping them both like gentle hands. Distant laughter could be heard and Y/N basked in the joyous sounds. 

“I watched him. He’s awful at archery and sword making.”

A snort escaped Y/N’s lips and she turned to look at her friend. “He is more than awful at archery. He’s horrendous. Never letting him get anywhere near a bow and an arrow again.. A danger to humanity.” She shook her head, laughing softly to herself.

Annabeth lightly smacked her arm. “Do not laugh! This is serious stuff! He needs to be quest worthy!”

Y/N’s chuckles subsided, a ghost of a smile still present on her lips. “You know I want this as much as you do, Annie. I’m just saying things as they are. Why sugarcoat it? He has no talent in archery.”

Annabeth huffed. “I’m still keeping a close eye on him.”

“You do that,” Y/N nodded. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she turned her whole body toward Annabeth, criss-crossing her legs. “What about Capture the Flag? Any progress on that?”

“Yes and no. Still figuring things out.”

Y/N started nodding, her lips slightly parted, but Athena’s daughter interrupted her. “You’re on my team, obviously.” And she bumped her shoulder with hers. 

A grin illuminated Y/N’s face and she giggled, bumping Annabeth right back. A blowing horn cut the air, announcing that it was dinner time. Annabeth got up with a grunt, dusting her pants, before reaching a hand out to Y/N and smiling down at her. Y/N let herself be pulled up and she threw Annabeth a mischievous grin. “Race you to the tables?”

But she didn’t give her time to answer, as her feet had a mind of her own and sprinted across the hill, down to the camp.
“You cheater!” she heard Annabeth yell, a note of laughter in her tone. 

The sun was casting down, bathing everything in fiery orange and Y/N was feeling good. 

“Is there a Greek god of disappointment? Maybe someone should ask him if he’s missing a kid” Y/N heard Percy say, as she tried to catch her breath (she won the race as she proudly teased Annabeth about it). She picked up an ivory plate, before she waved her friend goodbye, catching sight of Percy’s golden hair. 

“Oizys… but she’s a goddess,” replied Chris, as Y/N squeezed herself between him and Luke. “And her whole thing isn’t really disappointment, it’s more like failure.” 

She wished for spaghetti, like her mother used to make her in the cold evenings (and then her aunt tried to pick up the recipe. Her spaghetti always turned out to taste like cardboard, the sauce too gelatinous, but the thought and her trying were endearing. She ate them all the same). The spaghetti morphed themselves in her plate, swirls of steam rising into the air. Its savoury aroma tickled Y/N’s nostrils and her stomach grumbled.

“How did the first day go?” she said, as she caught Percy’s blue gaze.

“Awful,” he replied, playing around with his food.

“Well, every first day is awful,” she shrugged. She remembered how miserable she felt on her first day at camp, missing her aunt and feeling confused. 

“Thanks, very reassuring.” He threw her a sarcastic smile.

“You’re welcome. Just a reality check.”

“What Y/N is trying to say is that this was just the first day, the others won’t be as bad,” voiced Luke.

“Yes, cause that’s exactly what I was trying to say,” said Y/N, rolling her eyes with a hint of a smile on her lips.

Luke bumped her shoulders with his. “Tone down the sarcasm. It’s his first day.” He then turned to look at Percy, reassuringly smiling at him. “We’re gonna find the thing that you’re good at. I know it.”

A bell chiming cut through the air and Luke turned around. “Our turn.”

“Our turn for what?” frowned Percy, looking at Y/N as she got up. 

“Prayers,” she smirked, before gulping down a fork full of spaghetti. They tasted just like she remembered. 

“Burnt offerings,” added Luke, picking up his own plate. “The gods like the smell, so it gets their attention before you say a prayer.”

Percy frowned. “They like the smell of burnt mac and cheese?”

“They like the smell of begging,” chuckled Chris, before taking his plate and leaving the table. 

Y/N cracked a smile, spiralling the spaghetti on her fork, the sauce dripping down the side of it, vermillion on silver. 

“You burn what you’ll miss the most. Then they really mean what you’re about to say, so they listen,” explained Luke. 

“Do they, though?” mumbled Y/N, mouth full of food. 

Luke didn’t seem to hear her, as he left the table, back straightened. Percy stared her down, lips slightly parted. Y/N gulped down the spaghetti, the sauce burning her throat. “What?” she asked harshly. Her eyebrows pinched. 

The boy jumped, as if out of a daze. “You just- You got something on your face.”

“Do I?” She hastily wiped her cheek, a wild look in her eyes. 

“Not there. There,” he replied, pointing at the corner of his mouth. 

Y/N wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Red sauce painted her hand and she scoffed, before she licked it. Spices and the taste of home invaded her mouth once again. “Thanks,” she mumbled before she turned her back on him, taking steps toward the fire in the centre of the dining pavilion.

The flames were dancing playfully. It was as if they were twirling in a never-ending tango and for a moment she thought she saw a woman smile in the golden light of the flames. She blinked and the flames stared back at her. She scraped the remaining spaghetti off with the fork into the fire. The flames heightened and the smell of home reached her nostrils. “To my father. Please, show yourself,” she whispered. 

She gave up guessing a long time ago. Her first guess was Apollo. But then again, she didn’t have a talent for singing, nor did she have a knack for writing (and if you were to ask her, she didn’t make a good nurse either). After a while, she realised that she might be the daughter of a minor god or one of the many children of a major one, a nameless and faceless child in a crowd of thousands. 

The fire gave one last puff and crackle and she turned back to the table, where she put back the plate. Percy was still there, watching her every move. Her eyes snapped to his. They really resembled the ocean. Her lips curled slightly, in a smirk. “See you tomorrow, newbie. You’d better show your Minotaur-killing skills at Capture the Flag.”

And she turned on her heels, marching towards Cabin 11. 

“Wait, what’s that?” she heard him yell. 

Her smile broadened, her fingers twitching at the thought that she’d hold her bow again. 

Capture the Flag was a glory induced event for the demigods at Camp Half-Blood. For Y/N was no different. She looked forward to the energised atmosphere, the wind-swept woods, the cathartic battle cries. She loved the feeling of freedom and the confidence she felt when holding her trusted bow in hand. But most of all, she looked forward to winning.

“The first team to retrieve the opposing flag and return it across the river shall be the victor,” Chiron’s sure voice boomed across the woods. Y/N stood proudly with the bow in her hand and a fistful of arrows on her back, “As always, there will be no maiming and no killing. I trust these rules will be respected.  Any magical items you may possess, are permitted as well. Every camper who is not injured has to play. Prisoners may be disarmed but may not be bound or gagged. Let the games begin!”

A conch horn blew, announcing the start of Capture the Flag and Y/N grinned, a sense of confidence surging through her veins. The Red Team let out furious battle cries and The Blue Team responded just as much. 

“All right. We have twenty minutes before the second conch and game on,” said Annabeth as she came up to her, Luke and Percy ( who was very much fidgeting, but Y/N chose not to say anything about it, as she thought it would hurt his ego. Not that she cared, but she needed her team to focus and win).  “You know what you're doing?”

“Yes, ma’am” nodded Luke. 

She turned towards Y/N, who smirked. “Always.”

Luke started to walk away, but Annabeth speaking up stopped him in his tracks. “Hey. Today feel like a winning day to you?”

Luke slowly nodded. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Y/N saluted Annabeth and Luke before her gaze slid towards the blonde, who was silently watching the interaction. “See you later, newbie! Try to not get yourself killed!”.

And she was off, on her way, running through the woods, going over Annabeth’s plan. Do what you do best, climb up trees, arrows ready. Watch over Percy, make sure they end up near the river. I’ll be right there, watching on, she said to her. 

Her feet skidded down muddy paths, the smell of fresh grass and pine trees enveloping her. She heard an eagle croaking and she looked up, catching sight of it as it flew across the camp. She stopped, heaving. She turned towards the tree beside her and she put the arrow on her back, before she proceeded climbing it. The rough bark scraped her palm, drawing blood, but she felt like a child, playing in the backyard. Once she reached a safe branch, she looked at the horizon, the red helmets of the rival team weaving between the emerald green of the woods. She scoffed before she closed her eyes, inhaling. A wind caressed her cheek and a second conch blew. She snapped her eyes open, her mind void of any other thoughts beside the desire to win. She jumped from branch to branch, from tree to tree before she came across a clearing. She recognized Percy’s blonde mop of hair, as he laid on a log with his eyes closed, his fingers playing with a leaf. She leaned against the bark, watching him.

For a split moment, she wondered what was going through his mind. He looked so peaceful, different from the many times she felt him tense or stiffen. She also had the urge to just let her eyes close and enjoy the silence and the sweet sounds nature had to offer, but the scarlet helmets of the opposing team caught her attention. She straightened  her back, slowly taking out her bow. 

Percy warily sat up, watching as Clarisse took off her helmet and chucked it towards the woods. “Flag’s that way. It’s not here,” he pointed to the other side of the woods. 

“We know,” replied Clarisse. “Yeah, glory’s fine. Revenge is more fun.” 

She slammed her spear onto the ground. The weapon crackled to life with orange light. Y/N tightened her hold onto the bow and she took out an arrow, watching as Percy hastily grabbed his shield and sword. 

“No maiming. It’s like the one rule,” he said, body stiff. 

“Yeah, I guess I’ll lose dessert privileges for a while. I’ll live,” smirked Clarisse before she attacked Percy. 

Y/N swore under her breath as she watched the boy struggle, swiftly dodging every strike. She raised the arrow and the bow, targeting one of Clarisse’s team mates. Percy fell onto his knee, after he managed to counterattack Clarisse’s crackling spear. Y/N inhaled and exhaled before she released the arrow. It swished, cutting the air, before it stabbed the earth near the foot of The Red Team player. The boy backed in shock, and Clarisse looked around, eyebrows furrowed. “Who’s there?” she yelled.

Percy threw a glance upwards, his gaze meeting Y/N’s. She gave him a solemn nod, before she backed into the shadows. The distraction gave him enough time to swipe his sword at Clarisse. She met his attack with one of her own, pushing him with her spear. He fell backwards, over the log, the wind knocked out of him. Y/N grimaced, she took out another arrow, ready to intervene once again. 

“I’m actually not interested in maiming or killing you, believe it or not,” Clarisse stated. “I just want you to admit you’re a fraud. It’d make me feel better.”

Y/N raised the bow. The arrow was ready to be launched.

“Are you feeling up to that yet?” asked Clarisse as Y/N released the arrow. It implanted itself at her feet and the girl took a step back, shock painting her features. Percy got up, speeding through the woods. 

“Guess that’s a no,” said Clarisse, after she recovered from the shock, taking after him. 

Y/N put the bow on her back and she jumped from the tree, landing on her feet. 

“Great aim!” she heard a familiar voice say. 

Y/N smiled. “Thanks, Annie.”

The girl appeared beside her, a blue Yankees cap in her hand. She was grinning. “We’re winning this.”

Y/N opened her mouth to reply, a sense of urgency taking over her brain as she remembered that Percy was still very much alone in a three-to-one fight, but a blood-curdling scream interrupted her. She snapped towards the source of the sound and let the feet carry her to it, the woods whizzing past her. She stumbled onto the shore just as Luke and their team arrived, triumphantly holding the flag and cheering. The scarlet flag was swaying in the wind.

Her gaze found the blonde. Clarisse was holding him by the armour. She pushed him away, once the Blue Team invaded the shore. Percy fell to his knees, his chest heaving. 

Y/N let out a breath in relief as she approached the boy. “You alright?”

He looked up to her and she noted his left eye was slowly turning purple. Blood stained his cheek. He tried to catch his breath, gulping. “Yeah,” he managed to say. 

“You did well,” she replied as she stuck out her hand. He looked at it, before his hand touched hers, and she heaved him up. His eyebrows furrowed as his gaze met hers. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

“Not bad, hero,” Annabeth voiced as she took off her cap, appearing before them.

“Were you here the whole time?” questioned Percy, a note of annoyance seeping into his tone. 

“Yes.”

“You were here the whole time and you didn’t help me?” He briefly glanced at Y/N. “I mean, even Y/N helped, but you didn’t?”

Annabeth simply shrugged. “Yes.”

“Why?” asked Percy in disbelief. 

Y/N glanced behind her shoulder, catching sight of Clarisse scowling her way. Y/N figured Clarisse might have realised where the arrows came from. She threw her a brief smile. 

“Listen… Percy,” she heard Annabeth say. “I’m sorry.”

A splash echoed and Y/N whipped her head around. Percy had fallen into the water, angrily staring at Annabeth. “What is wrong with you?” he yelled. He got up, small waves washing onto the shore. 

At first, Y/N thought her eyes were deceiving her, but they couldn’t have, they never did. She had the best aim and target in the whole camp, they never let her down, not once. She watched in amazement as Percy’s injuries healed right before her eyes, water dripping down his arms and face. Her lips parted. 

“I don’t understand,” said Percy, looking at Annabeth before he moved his gaze onto Y/N. 

A blue glow caught her attention and she raised her gaze. A shining trident was hovering over Percy and Y/N blinked, a puff of air escaping her lips. 

“Your dad’s calling,” smiled Annabeth in awe. 

Y/N’s lips twitched and she felt how the blood in her veins turned to ice, the green-eyed monster invading her thoughts. Perseus Jackson had been claimed, in just a few days. She remained unclaimed up to this day, even after four years of waiting, of praying and of capturing flags.

 Suddenly, the idea of getting a quest spurred her on and she knew that Percy’s arrival at camp and claiming hadn’t been a coincidence. She could feel it in the wind. A storm was bubbling. 

Chapter Text

Night came and went, bleeding into the morning, letting the sun shine down on Camp Half-Blood. Y/N woke up early, well aware of what this morning brought. She put her hair up, tied her shoelaces into perfect bows, made her bed (no wrinkles showed on the marble white sheets) and stepped into the crisp morning air. She looked up towards the clear blue sky, a smile stretching on her lips. A horn announced the beginning of the day and she marched towards the pavilion, her head held high. 

The Greek columns touched the sky, the campfire swaying slightly in the breeze. She entered the pavilion, her eyes meeting Annabeth’s. Other demigods stood in a circle and Y/N recognized Percy’s golden hair. He was speaking quietly to Chiron, mr. D standing proudly beside them, arms crossed. 

She stopped near Annabeth, not taking her gaze off the pair. “Good morning,” she saluted. 

“Good morning, Y/N. Today’s the day,” Annabeth’s sure voice said. 

Y/N nodded, shifting her gaze towards her friend. A small smile bloomed on her lips. “Yes, it is.”

Annabeth smiled back, before Chiron’s voice boomed, his hands settling on his hips. “The Oracle has confirmed what we expected, that this quest will proceed toward the Underworld, where you will confront the god who has rebelled against his brothers. Hades.” Y/N turned to look at the centaur, straightening her back, her face devoid of any emotion. “The entrance to Hades’s domain lies under the city of Los Angeles.” Chiron looked down at Percy. “This is where you will journey to. Time is short.” He moved his gaze to the demigods. “I have selected our most compelling candidates, from which you will choose three to join you on this quest and ensure that we succeed.”

Percy’s gaze settled on Athena’s daughter. “Annabeth.” His ocean blue eyes latched onto Y/N’s and she raised her chin. “And Y/N.” 

“Customarily, one waits to at least hear a name or two before choosing. Are you sure you don’t wanna hear more?” asked Chiron, looking at Percy, the grey in his hair and eyebrows only enhancing the warm wisdom in his eyes.

Y/N could feel Annabeth shift her weight. She looked at her from the corner of her eyes. Someone who didn’t know Annabeth would have been fooled by her determined stance and stone-like eyes. But Y/N wasn’t fooled, she knew her friend too well. She reached over and took hold of her hand, staring straight ahead at Percy and Chiron. Annabeth squeezed her hand, a way of saying “thanks”. She squeezed back. 

“This thing, Zeus’s master bolt, we need to get it back, right?” asked Percy as he looked up at the centaur. 

“Yes,” nodded Chiron. 

Percy raised an eyebrow. “And it’s gonna be hard to get, yes?” 

“Extraordinarily.”

“And if the mission required someone to push me down a flight of stairs for it to succeed… you’d want someone who won’t hesitate when they do it. And someone who would protect from the shadows, someone whose aim you’d trust to reach its target.” Percy’s gaze panned on Y/N. 

Chiron’s eyebrow raised, before he turned back to the demigods before him. “The first quest-mates shall be Annabeth Chase and Y/N L/N!”

 A smirk appeared on Y/N’s face and she squeezed Annabeth’s hand. The morning had brought the promise of a quest she wouldn’t dare fail. 

Y/N didn’t have much to pack for the journey. She looked at the objects strewn across her bed and at the backpack Annabeth lent her, as she didn’t have one of her own. Her arrows were glistening in the sunshine rays and her bow was proudly bending on the sheets. She took hold of an arrow and touched the tip. It was sharp as a needle. 

Footsteps came up behind her and Luke’s voice cut the silence. “You got the quest you’ve wanted for so long.”

She turned around. The boy was kneeling down beside his bed, grunting as he took out a box from under it. “I know.”

Luke laughed. “Aren’t you proud? It seems you’ve made quite the impression on Percy.”

Y/N shrugged. “I don’t care.” She turned back around, stuffing the arrows in the backpack, hiding them from mortal eyes. The bow, though, didn’t fit. She would need to carry it around in plain sight. 

“Either way, you’ve got what you wanted. Somehow you always do.” A warm hand settled on her shoulder. 

She turned to look at Luke, her first friend at camp. He was bearing a soft smile. “You’ll do great,” he added, nodding. 

Her lips curled in a small smile. “Reckon I won’t get into trouble?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh, you definitely will. But try to keep it at minimum. Come back in a piece, alright? You’re like a sister to me.”

A warmth spread in her chest at his last words and her smile turned into a full blown grin. “I’ve always wanted an older brother.” She did. More often than not, during the school days and after her mother’s death, loneliness creeped in her life and she longed for someone to share her pain, to understand her sentiments and to soothe her worries. Her aunt tried her best and Y/N would remain forever grateful to her, but she could feel how her aunt was keeping things away from her, how she held secrets of her own, how she was keeping her in the dark. Maybe this was why she grew to fear it.

Y/N’s gaze slipped towards the box held in Luke’s hands. She nodded towards it. “What’s that?” 

“For Percy.”

“Am I not getting anything?” she replied, a note of envy seeping into her tone. 

“You can take care of yourself, I’d say. You don’t need some old Converse from me to kick ass.” Luke’s eyes twinkled and he ruffled Y/N’s hair. 

“Stop that!” she yelled, as she pushed his hands away and tried smoothing down her hair. 

A laugh escaped Luke’s lips. “Still bossy as ever, I see.”

Her eyebrows furrowed and she threw him a furious look, before turning back to packing. She had half a mind to take with her the yellow coat she arrived in at Camp Half-Blood, but she had outgrown it quite a few years ago. Still, she regarded the flashing, neon yellow of it, as it stayed hung on the back of her bed. 

“You alright?” asked Luke worriedly.

She sighed. “Yes.” She slinged the backpack on her shoulder, the sound of arrows clinking together reaching her ears. She took hold of her bow, her fingers clawing around the smooth wood, fitting like puzzle pieces. She squared her shoulders and she turned to meet Luke’s eyes. “I’m ready.” 

The pine tree stood tall in the wind, its leaves swaying gently. Y/N watched from afar how Annabeth said her goodbyes to Thalia, her hand on the tree’s bark. When Y/N first met Annabeth, she was green with envy at every mention of Thalia’s name. Thalia this, Thalia that. But after Annabeth slowly warmed up to her, Y/N saw the tree as what it really was. A sacrifice. An attempt to shelter those who were just like herself. She saw the tree’s beauty and she was thankful for it. It brought Annabeth to her (whose eyes seemed to follow her everywhere her first few days at camp. At some point, Y/N was fed up with it and confronted her about it. They slowly became friends). 

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, basking in the sunlight, feeling the wind’s caress on her cheek. 

“She’s really gonna miss that tree, huh?” Y/N heard Percy say from beside her. A scowl darkened her features, but she didn’t open her eyes, instead choosing to strain her ears for any bird sounds. She didn’t hear the eagle sing today. 

“When Annabeth first arrived here with Thalia and Luke, they were being chased by monsters,” replied Grover, a satyr with a friendly face. 

Y/N met him a few years back when she tried figuring out her place at camp and her talent. The Demeter children were trying to teach her how to tend to plants. She didn’t have the patience (and it seemed that she didn’t have the talent for it either), but Grover did. He often mingled with the Demeter children and he taught her to make a flower crown, before he put it on the mane of her hair with a warm smile, eyes wrinkling. 

“Agents of Hades. Sisters,” he continued. 

“Furies,” added Percy, nodding. “Mrs. Dodds?”

“Yes!”

Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed. “Who’s mrs. Dodds?”

“Our algebra teacher. Alecto,” explained Grover. 

She hummed in reply. 

“Thalia turned back to fight to buy her friends some time. Her satyr Protector tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. So, at the last moment… Zeus intervened to save her life and… changed her form.” Grover’s voice shook. 

“The most powerful being in the universe's best idea to save his daughter’s life… was to turn her into a tree?” asked Percy, a note of doubt in his voice.

Y/N opened her eyes and turned to look at him. For some odd reason, the question irked her, flaring her up. “He did save her, in the end. And trees are a symbol of life. Not that you would understand.”

Percy’s eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth to retaliate, but Annabeth cut him off. “She was the bravest demigod I ever knew. She fought valiantly and she met a hero’s fate.”

“She met a pinecone’s fate,” replied Percy, pointing at the tree in the horizon. 

Y/N scoffed, turning her back on him, taking a few steps and coming beside Annabeth. She turned around. “You have no respect,” she stated, crossing her arms, bearing a wild look in her eyes. 

Percy met her gaze, confusion simmering in his ocean eyes. 

“Forbidden children are always in danger, even the strongest one, even Thalia. And you are not Thalia,” said Annabeth, her voice firm. 

“Forbidden children are a magnet for danger. Monsters,” added Y/N. “I’m guessing you don’t have a death wish.”

Percy shifted his weight. “No,” he mumbled, clearly annoyed. 

“Then, you’d better listen to us.”

“Do exactly as we say, and maybe you survive this,” said Annabeth. “Are we clear?” But she didn’t wait for a reply, as she turned on her heels, leaving for the border. 

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “Are we clear?” she stressed, leaning forward.

Percy clenched his jaw. “Yes, ma'am.” 

She nodded, before turning around and catching up to Annabeth, bumping their shoulders. 

“Does she think she’s in charge?” she heard Percy ask Grover. She rolled her eyes.

“Who’d you think would be in charge?”

“I guess I assumed we’d do a show of hands or something.”

She scoffed lightly, before she passed the pine tree, her fingers softly caressing the bark. She threw a glance behind her shoulder, the sight of Camp Half-Blood reminding her of a home away from home. She smiled, before she jumped down, the unknown stretching before her eyes. 

Y/N hadn’t missed the city. It looked the same as the day she left it: wild and untamed. She glanced outside the window, as she sat in the bus, towering skyscrapers passing by. She recognized many places. Like that one corner where she was almost bullied by kids twice her size just because she was different. And there’s that candy shop her aunt brought her to once after her first day at a different school than the one she was attending a week before. Her eyes narrowed. That one block seemed familiar. With a pang of heart, she realised it was the block her aunt lived in. If she still lived in it, and didn’t move away. 

She sighed, falling back into her seat. Annabeth was soundly asleep next to her, the chest rising and falling with every breath. Y/N took in her fluttering eyelashes, sweetly kissing her cheek, and Y/N figured Annabeth didn’t sleep the night before. She knew her friend too well. She knew that Annabeth always worried, always strategized, was always one step ahead. 

She tucked a stray strand of  hair  behind Annabeth’s ear, lightly putting her head on her shoulder, shifting more comfortably in the seat. 

The skyscrapers rolled by, until they were nothing but passing, flashing hills.

Her gaze caught Percy looking at them. He was trying to be discreet, Y/N could tell. “What?” she whispered, careful to not wake Annabeth up.

He only shook his head, before turning to look straight ahead. “Nothing,” he simply answered. A second later, he turned in his seat, towards Y/N. “You’re great friends,” he stated, nodding his head toward the sleeping form of Annabeth.

Y/N’s gaze slipped toward the girl. “Yeah, so?”

“Nothing. Just asking.”

Y/N’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you always this curious?”

“I’m not,” mumbled Percy, his ears turning slightly red.

“Yeah, you are. Not only do you always ask stupid things, but you also stare an awful lot. Did your mommy never taught you it’s not polite to stare?”

“I’m not staring!”

“Right, and I’m Zeus’ child,” she replied, sarcasm dripping down her tongue. “Just stop staring. It’s pissing me off. If you’ve got something to say, just come out and say it.”

Percy looked her in the eyes, his jaw clenching. “I don’t”

Y/N only nodded. “Great. I don’t either.” She turned her head to gaze out the window. The city was long gone and she let herself be whisked away by the green scenery.

“There is no way this is what sacred smells like,” said Percy, turning to look at Annabeth and Y/N, as a rocker in his fifties came out of the smelling WC of the bus. Y/N scrunched up her nose, a waft of what she could nicely only describe as garbage passing by. 

“We’re soldiers on a mission. It’s not a vacation,” retorted Annabeth.

“Thank you for clearing that up. But if this is so important, why didn’t Chiron spring for plane tickets? This seems kind of low priority, doesn’t it?” Percy asked, shifting the gaze between his three companions. 

Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed. “What? No one told you?” She moved her gaze onto Grover, who withdrew into himself. “You didn’t tell him?”

“Sorry, I assumed someone had told you,” replied Grover, eyes full of remorse.

“Tell me what?”

“Percy, it isn’t just the monsters who are gonna be trying to stop us. You’re a forbidden child,” explained Grover, tilting his head. “Zeus might decide to take a shot at you himself. The sky is his domain. We’d be serving you on a silver platter to try to travel through it.”

“And flying would be like an act of war, it would mean you’re defying him,” added Y/N. “And you do not want to defy the god of the skies and the king of Olympus.”

Percy searched her face, eyebrows furrowed and lips parted. “Yeah, no one mentioned that,” he eventually replied, his voice full of annoyance. 

The bus slowly pulled to a stop in a gas station, Y/N catching sight of far away trees and she was strongly reminded of the fresh air back when she was living with her mother in a cosy cabin. But that was years ago. 

“Okay, I’m gonna get us some snacks,” announced Annabeth, getting up from her seat and straightening her purple jacket. 

“I wanna come too,” said Y/N, getting up and dusting her pants. 

“I’ll come with you,” voiced Percy, trying to get up on his feet but being pushed back by Annabeth’s firm hands.

“No, you’ll stay right there.”

Percy’s face morphed into a look of disbelief. “What? And how come you’re letting her go, but not me?” he looked towards Y/N, before quickly moving his eyes back on Annabeth. 

“ She has a name. And because I asked her,” piped in Y/N, eyebrows furrowing. She crossed her arms, the blood in her veins starting to boil. 

“Yeah, well, I asked her too. Didn’t seem to help,” furrowed Percy. 

“You’re staying here and that’s final.”

“Monsters can’t smell you through that, so that’s where we want you,” added Annabeth, nodding her head. 

Percy’s eyebrows twitched. “I wanna vote.” He briefly looked at Grover, who was worryingly watching the interaction, his gaze shifting back and forth as if he was at a game of tennis. “Who thinks that we should all go get to breathe fresh air and buy our own snacks?” he asked, gazing at Y/N, one eyebrow slightly arched. He deftly raised his hand. 

“There’s no voting,” Y/N and Annabeth said in unison. 

“Chips and sodas okay for you guys?” questioned Annabeth. 

“I don’t think you should just get to decide we don’t vote.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Annabeth voiced, sarcasm lacing her words.

“There’s no point in voting. I just said you’re not coming. Annie agrees,” replied Y/N, leaning forward, looking Percy in the eyes. Her blood was still boiling in her veins and her skin was hot and she knew she would soon reach her limit, before she’d start to erupt, much like a volcano would, but she kept her voice even and her face devoid of any emotion. 

Percy’s lips curled in disdain. “Of course she does! She agrees to whatever you say!” 

Y/N’s lips twitched. “She knows it’s for the better. You, on the other hand, don’t.”

“Okay. I wanna vote on whether you get to decide we don’t vote.”

Y/N’s frown only deepened and bolts thundered in her gaze, flashing. Percy met her eyes, a storm brewing in his ocean gaze. 

Annabeth sighed. “Grover, please, can you help your…” Her voice faltered as Grover started clapping slowly, smiling awkwardly  “...friend?”

Y/N swiftly moved her gaze onto him, confusion lacing her features. She blinked. 

“I really don’t wanna be a tiebreaker,” Grover said, taking all of them in, shaking his head. “I have a better idea.” His clapping increased in a quick rhythm. He opened his mouth and his voice rounded in swift sounds to sing. “Oh, golly, the road’s gettin’ bumpy ‘cause I got me some friends who just can’t get along. ”

Y/N’s eyebrows raised, her lips parting. 

“ Oh, dear! When the team’s gettin’ bumpy the trick to gettin’ through it is singin’ this song– ”

“Dude, what are you doing?” asked Percy, his voice flat. 

Grover blinked, and he moved his gaze from Percy to Annabeth to Y/N, smiling slightly as if the answer was clear as day. “It’s the consensus song,” he simply answered. “Verse two encourages us to say nice things about each other.” 

Percy looked at Y/N, who was still bearing a confused look on her face. Her eyebrows did lower, though. 

“You get a few rounds in and you’d be amazed at how disagreements just kind of… fade away,” continued Grover, his voice faltering at Annabeth’s bored look on her face. 

Silence settled for a few seconds and Y/N briefly glanced at Percy, who was blinking and looking ahead at nothing in particular.

“Chips and sodas okay for you guys?” repeated Annabeth, her hand in her jacket’s pockets. 

“Whatever.”

“Yes, please.”

Y/N scoffed before she left Annabeth’s side, heading for the bus exit. The air was as fresh as remembered. 

The sliding doors opened, making way for Y/N and Annabeth to enter the gas station. The cashier was a plump woman in her forties, her face empty of any emotion. She looked bored at best.

“Alright, let’s split up. I’ll get the chips, you get the sodas, okay?” said Y/N, looking around, body tensed. 

Annabeth nodded, before going in the direction of the candies. Y/N looked at her departing figure, before she passed the cashier and stopped in front of the snacks aisle. The refrigerators were humming behind her and she moved her gaze down the alley, trying to read the products. The letters were jumbling together, swirling in front of her eyes in a tangle of mess. She blinked and furrowed. She reached a hand out and took hold of a Lay’s chips bag. She whispered the letters. “La… le… lein?” She shook her head. “That didn’t sound right.” She sighed before she picked up three more identical bags and turned her head to search for Annabeth. She recognized her dark braided hair behind the candy aisle. A small smile blossomed on Y/N’s lips and she let her gaze slide away, taking in the shop around her. 

The smile fell off  her face when her eyes caught sight of a woman staring at her over the drinks aisle. She shifted her weight before she left for the cashier, turning to glance behind her shoulder. Annabeth was just coming beside her. “Don’t look now, but I think we’re being watched.”

Annabeth gave a subtle nod before she dumped all the candies and sodas on the cash register. The cashier raised her eyebrows before she started scanning the products. Athena’s daughter glanced behind her shoulder, as Y/N gave the chips bags to the blonde plump woman in front of her, who was suspiciously checking them both out. “Are you dears alone?” she asked. 

Y/N gritted her teeth. “No.”

“You were right,” Annabeth whispered to Y/N, from the corner of her mouth without looking at her. “Do you think it’s…?”

“Yes,” nodded Y/N, throwing the cashier a tight-lipped smile. 

“That would be 10 dollars,” announced the cashier. 

Y/N searched her pockets before she pulled out a green bill, the face of Alexander Hamilton greeting her. She slammed the money on the cash register, took the bag full of chips, candies and sodas and pulled Annabeth out the gas station. The sliding doors closed behind her with a whoosh sound.

They quickened their steps, Annabeth glancing behind her shoulder, a frown on her face. 

“Don’t panic,” Y/N voiced, looking at her, as they entered the bus. 

“I’m not panicking.” Annabeth stopped in the middle of the aisle. “You go ahead,” she said before she put on the Yankees cap, disappearing.

Y/N sighed, as she approached the boys. 

“Look, I’m not against the idea of consensus, I’m just not sure the song is doing what you think it is, is all,” she heard Percy say. She threw the bag onto his lap and he whipped his head around, his eyebrows furrowed. “Hey!”

She shushed him, waving her hand, and looking at the place where she knew Annabeth would be. She strained her ears, hoping to catch bits and pieces of anything that would alert her of the presence of monsters. 

“What are you doing?” asked Percy, closely watching her. 

Her eyes widened when she saw Annabeth reappear, a frantic look on her face. “Open the window,” she urged Percy, pushing him. 

“What?” 

“Just do as I say!”

Percy opened his mouth to retort, his ocean blue eyes darkening, but he was interrupted by Annabeth. “Guys, you need to open that window! Now!” 

“I don’t think these windows are supposed to–” replied Grover, panic overtaking his features once he saw a Fury getting up from her seat. “Oh, no.”

Y/N swore under her breath and she backed, taking hold of her bow. 

“Go, go, go, go, go!” Grover yelled, getting up and pushing Percy. 

Y/N took out an arrow, and she raised it, not taking her eyes off Alecto, as she slowly advanced towards them, her wings stretching menacingly. She heard the boys forcing the window open, the bus alarm filling the air. 

“Everyone, leave your belongings and exit the front of the bus,” the driver spoke up. 

Y/N inhaled, taking a step back as she made eye contact with the Fury. People got up from their seats, swarming the aisle and slowing down Alecto.  

“Y/N, Annabeth, let’s go!,” yelled Percy, touching Y/N’s arm. She shook his hold off, hearing shrieking. 

Another Fury flew in, breaking a window and turning her attention to Percy. 

“Hey!” Annabeth yelled, taking out her dagger. 

“For gods’ sake!” Y/N mumbled as she raised her bow and launched her arrow. It cut the air, before it targeted the Fury’s forehead at the same time the dagger stabbed her heart. The Fury gave out another shriek, her eyes turning glossy. She turned into an ashy dust and Y/N huffed. 

“We’re done here, let’s go!” said Annabeth, picking her dagger up and jumping down the open window. 

Y/N took hold of her fallen arrow. “Come on, Percy!” she yelled over shoulder, looking at the boy as he picked up the box she recognized as being Luke’s. He nodded, and she took it as a sign he would follow her out the window.

He did. 

Birds were chirping and Y/N was happy to be immersed in nature once again. The wind was dancing through the tall pine trees and light was filtering through the deep green leaves. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine she was back home, at the cabin with her mother. But she was on a mission. And she couldn’t let herself be distracted. Not even by the slightest breeze or bird song. 

“Somewhere up ahead this turns into a satyr path,” voiced Grover from behind her. 

“What’s a satyr path?”

“It’s a road through the wilderness. Satyr explorers use them. Harder to track us.”

Y/N’s Converse scuffled, hitting a strayed, small rock. She watched as it rolled down the dusty path. 

“That’s great but if we stay in the wilderness, how are we gonna find a phone?”

She frowned upon hearing Percy’s question. She turned to look at him. The blond was holding the box as if it was the most sacred thing he’d ever get to hold, and envy’s claw squeezed her neck. 

“What do we need a phone for?” Annabeth voiced the question that was swimming in Y/N’s thoughts and mind. 

“So we can call camp,” stated Percy as if the answer was obvious and plain. 

“For what?” asked Y/N, stopping in her tracks. 

“To get help.”

“We’re not getting help,” she replied, resuming her walk. 

“We don’t need help. We’re fine,” added Annabeth. 

Percy scoffed. “We’re fine? We haven’t even gotten to Trenton, and we’re wandering through a forest. I didn’t even know they had forests in New Jersey, but we’ve found one. I would say we’re the opposite of fine.”

“It’s a very pretty forest, though,” mumbled Y/N, looking up at the towering, sheltering trees. 

On hearing this, Grover threw her a small smile.

“We were sent on a quest by the Oracle, by the gods,” Annabeth said, turning to look at Percy over her shoulder. “What’d you think, it would be easy? It’s supposed to be hard. That’s why only certain people are chosen. If we call camp, we’re basically saying it was a mistake to choose us.”

“I’m completely comfortable with that,” replied Percy, shrugging. “Everyone makes mistakes.”

Y/N scoffed. “We can’t afford to make mistakes. This is a one time only chance.”

Percy blinked, looking at her. He opened his mouth to reply, but Annabeth spoke up, stopping in the middle of the path and turning to look at him. “Why are you so afraid of who you are?”

“What?” frowned Percy.

Grover looked between them, inhaling. “You know, what’s interesting about this particular satyr path is it’s actually the one my Uncle Ferdinand took when he set out on his own quest.”

Percy ignored him, looking at Annabeth. “What was that supposed to mean, afraid of who I am? I’m not afraid.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. She was getting tired of his attitude. 

“Yes, you are,” emphasised Annabeth. “You aren’t just a kid. Just a kid doesn’t do what you did to Clarisse back at camp. Just a kid doesn’t have Hades sending top lieutenants to retrieve them. You know, you are a part of something so much bigger than we can understand right now. We have to move forward whether you like it or not, whether you want to or not.”

Percy shrugged. “You don’t want to call camp, fine. Then, at least let’s call your mom.”

Y/N uncrossed her arms, lips parting. She shifted her gaze onto Annabeth. She knew her friend well. All too well. She knew that right at this moment Percy had unleashed a storm upon Athena’s daughter. She knew that million thoughts were currently racing through her mind, swirling around and clouding her vision. She knew that she was holding herself back. She knew her friend very well, because they were mirror images of each other. Y/N worryingly searched her face and took a step closer to her.

Annabeth blinked several times in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

“Athena? Your mother?” continued Percy, as if he was talking about the weather. “I’d call my father, but we aren’t exactly on speaking terms. You know, because of the lifelong neglect and all, but you and your mother seem close, So, why don’t we ask her for help?”

“Grover, will you explain to your friend that he needs to pull himself together?” fired off Annabeth, looking fixedly at Grover who shook his head, looking between them, lips parted. 

Percy’s face morphed into one of understanding. “You can’t ask her, can you?” There was an edge to his voice, one that cut deep. “When was the last time she talked to you?”

Y/N took a step forward. “Alright, cut it out. We’re losing precious time here.”

Percy’s gaze snapped to hers. “What about you?”

Her eyebrows arched, hiding behind her hairline. “What about me?”

“Miss Bossing-everyone-around, left and right. What about that?”

Her face fell and she scoffed. “I’m just trying to help, but if it bothers you that much, seaweed brain, maybe I should stop. Leave you to do the honours, but as far as I can see, you don’t even know where to start.”

“You did not just make this about me, we were talking about you,” furrowed Percy, taking a step towards her. 

Y/N threw him a tight-lipped smile. She stepped towards him, meeting his gaze with furious eyes. “Really? I thought we were saying what was bothering us.”

“Grover,” sighed Annabeth, a plea for help.

Percy whipped his head to her. “I don’t know why you keep pulling him into this. He’s on my side.”

“What makes you think that?”

“He’s my Protector, it’s his job,” stated Percy, raising his eyebrows. 

“He was my Protector first!”

Y/N heard Grover sigh and she took a step back from Percy, turning around and settling on a log. 

“First?” flared up Percy. Her mouth twisted in disdain. “What do you mean first?”

Everyone turned to look at Grover, who shifted his weight and cowered beneath their furrowed gaze. “Very exciting, getting to walk in Uncle Ferdinand’s footsteps. Next best thing to getting to talk to him again”

Y/N swore under her breath, her gaze sliding away from the trio. Her blood was rushing through her veins like hot mercury. She had an itch in her heels, her leg jumping up and down. She raised her gaze upwards, catching the sight of the azure sky between the deep green leaves of the forest. 

“Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth had a satyr protector,” Percy slowly voiced. “That was you.” Then, his voice tensed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Grover furrowed, sniffing the air curiously. “Do you guys smell that?”

Y/N glanced at him, slowly getting up. “Are you smelling something, Grov?”

“Grover, I’m not kidding–” 

“Neither am I. Just shush.”

Silence settled between them, heavily, induced with tension. Y/N glanced from the corner of her eyes at Percy, who was already looking at her, confusion lacing his features. 

“Hamburgers,” announced Grover, taking off. 

Leaves crunched under Y/N’s Converse as she rushed off after Grover. 

“Grover! What are you doing?” voiced Annabeth from behind her. 

“Somebody’s making hamburgers in the middle of nowhere, on a satyr path,” explained Grover, still confidently leading the way. Soon they came out onto a road, a clearing in the depth of the emerald forest. “Whoever it is… They’re from our world.” 

Y/N’s hand clenched around her bow, knuckles turning white. Her stomach churned. “I have a bad feeling about this,” she mumbled. 

Percy threw her a curious look before he continued on his way. 

Grey, gruesome statues stretched menacingly towards the skies, their mouths twisting in pain. Y/N’s lips parted at the sight. 

“Oh, come on,” exclaimed Annabeth from beside her. 

“What?” asked Percy from the other side, turning to look at Annabeth over Y/N’s head. 

The feeling in her stomach intensified and Y/N gripped her bow as if it were a lifeline. The carved wood was familiar at her touch. 

“Aunty Em has a garden full of petrified stone folks. Yeah, this is someone from our world, all right,” scoffed Annabeth. 

Y/N dodged an outstretched finger as she passed the petrified form of a bearded man. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets in fear and remorse and his mouth was open in a silent, neverending scream. She tore her eyes away, a shudder running down her spine. 

“Anyone wanna guess what Em is short for?”

“Medusa,” echoed Y/N as all of them stopped in front of towering petrified monsters. Her answer came as a breath. Short. Rapid. 

“Oh,” replied Grover in defeat and realisation. His face had fallen, regret painting his features.

Y/N took a step back, goosebumps chilling down her arms. 

“Let’s get out of here, please, while we still can,” voiced Annabeth, an urgency in her tone. 

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

They all turned around but stopped in their tracks at the sight of a furious Alecto. Her wings were outstretched and she rolled her shoulders, raising her chin. Y/N took out an arrow and she raised her bow, targeting her heart. She felt Percy shuffle beside her, handing Grover his box and taking out Riptide. 

“You should have accepted my offer when you had the chance,” said the Fury, looking at Annabeth and taking a step forward, her claws glinting in the sunlight. 

Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She straightened her back, not taking her eyes off of the target, even if her mind was screaming at her to turn to look at Annie. To search her face for unsaid answers. 

“Offer? What offer is she talking about?” asked Percy. 

Tension filled silence laid heavy between them and Y/N counted her breaths, preparing herself to let the arrow fly through the air. Heels clicking on concrete cut the silence, a sure voice echoing soon after. “Not today, friends. Not on my doorstep.” 

Alecto hid her face in a raised wing, scarlet scales catching the sunlight, and Y/N didn’t need to turn around to know who was fast approaching. 

Annabeth exclaimed an “Oh, shoot,” before she turned around, hiding her gaze away, Grover doing the same. 

Y/N swore under her breath. Her hand gripped Percy’s elbow, forcing him to turn away. “Don’t you dare look at her, kelp head,” she whispered harshly, meeting his lowered gaze with furrowed eyebrows. He only nodded his head indistinctly.

“If you have something to resolve, why not come inside and I’ll help? Alecto? Will you be joining us?”

The Fury only turned her body away. 

“No, well I wouldn’t think you would.” A beat of silence. “She won’t bother you as long as you’re with me,” a honey dripped note seeped into her voice. 

Y/N slowly let her hand fall from Percy’s elbow. Her other hand was still clutching her bow and arrow. 

“But it isn’t as though she’ll leave either.” The voice raised in a venomous octave. “Not if it means reporting that she failed to retrieve the son of Poseidon.”

Y/N stiffened and she glanced at Percy. His eyebrows pinched together in confusion and he slightly turned on the spot, his gaze pinned to the ground.

“How did you–”

“A forbidden child has been claimed. How long did you think that secret would keep? It’s a pleasure to meet you, son of Poseidon. I’m Medusa.”

Percy swallowed thickly and risked a glance from the corner of his eye. Upon noticing this, Y/N took hold of his elbow once again. She was shaking her head in warning.

“Percy, don’t,” voiced Annabeth. “She’s a monster.”

“We all choose who we make our monsters, but right now, that one wants to tear you limb from limb…” Medusa replied in disdain. “And I’m offering you lunch. The choice is yours.” 

Heels clicking announced her departure. Y/N let her hand fall away from Percy’s elbow and she straightened her back, staring at the blonde’s profile with furrowed eyes. “You didn’t listen to me! I told you to not–”

“I think we can trust her,” Percy interrupted her, glancing at her before looking at the emerald trees surrounding them. 

Y/N’s eyebrows shot up and she felt her blood boil. 

“Dude!”

“What?”

“I can’t explain it, I just–” shrugged Percy, stumbling over his own words. He turned to look at Y/N, his gaze sincere. “My mom used to tell me her story. And the point was always that she isn’t what people think.”

Y/N opened her mouth to retaliate that they can’t take that risk now, not on this quest, not when she was on her way to find out who her father was, but her glare softened at Percy’s next words. 

“And I definitely trust my mom.”

She could relate to that. Even though she hadn’t felt the warm embrace of a mother in a long time. She closed her mouth and just stared back at him. 

“So I’m going in,” he continued, turning his gaze onto Annabeth and Grover. “You guys do what you want.” He looked one more time at Y/N before he turned to walk away, the sword weighing heavy in his hand. 

Grover stared at both of them, eyes wide as saucers before he left after Percy. 

“What are you–” Annabeth started to ask before her voice slowly died. She turned to look at Y/N, conflict written on her face. 

“We can’t leave them alone, Annie,” replied Y/N softly. “We came as a team, we’re leaving as a team.” She squared her shoulders and threw the bow and the arrow on her back. “And I also can't leave you alone either. So, are you coming? Or are we keeping Mrs. Alecto here company?”

Annabeth took in a breath and nodded her head. “I’m coming.”

The bell chimed as Y/N opened the door and stepped into Aunty Em’s home. Immediately, a wave of sweetness enveloped her and her stomach grumbled at the sight of a filled table. She swallowed away her hunger. 

“Thanks for coming,” said Percy as his gaze found hers. She simply shrugged,her eyes roaming around the room. It strangely reminded her of a grandmother’s house. The kind that knitted and held mint drops in crystal, intricate bowls. Also the kind that was wealthy. She could tell by the antique carpet and the centuries old chandeliers.

“This isn’t the same for me as it is for you,” she heard Annabeth say.

“Why?”

Swift heels and a steady voice interrupted the conversation. “You’re concerned I would hold a grudge against you simply because you’re a daughter of Athena?”

Y/N closed her eyes and turned her head away. The sound of a liquid being poured in glasses reached her ears and a frail waft of lemonade tickled her nostrils. She tried to ignore her scratchy and dry throat. 

“You shouldn’t be,” continued Medusa as if she were talking about the weather. “We’re not our parents after all.”

Y/N frowned. Was she even like her father? She faintly remembered her mother saying she had the same eyes as him, but other than that, was she even her father’s daughter?

“And you and I might have more in common than you think.” 

She felt Annabeth stiffen beside her. She took her hand gently. A touch of reassurance. 

“Please, sit and eat.”

Y/N slowly opened her eyes and took in the sight of a thousand, fresh sweets. A glass was filled to the brim with lemonade and she had to tear her gaze away from it to not give in. She wasn’t sure if she could trust Medusa. She trusted Percy enough to follow him but her gut was telling her otherwise. She felt Annabeth squeeze her hand. She squeezed back. 

“So you’re not a monster, what are you then?” asked Percy as he took a seat at the table, chair scratching the wooden floor. 

“A survivor,” Medusa simply answered. 

A shiver ran down Y/N’s spine. 

“You must be a little more than that. There’s a Fury out there that seems terrified of you,” added Percy, while filling his plate. Y/N watched miserably as he started eating. 

Medusa inclined her head, hands laced. “Because she knows what I think of her.” She straightened her dress before she took a seat on a wooden carved chair. And by the squeak it gave out, Y/ could tell it was also old. If she wasn’t aware of whose house she was in, Y/N would have thought she just stepped into a museum or an antique shop. “I don’t like bullies. When one shows up on my doorstep, they end up spending a lot more time there than they planned for. The gift that gods gave me is that I cannot be bullied anymore.” Y/N could detect a small smile in Medusa’s words. She felt Annabeth’s hold on her faltering.

“What my mother did to you wasn’t a gift, it was a curse.”

A pause. “You are loyal to your mother.”

“Yes.”

“You stand by her?”

“Always.”

“You love her?” 

Annabeth took out her hand from Y/N’s and crossed her arms. “Of course I do.”

Medusa slowly nodded her head. “And so did I. So did I.”

Y/N shifted her weight and looked towards Grover who was stuffing his face with muffins. 

“Do you know the story of how I came to be this way?” inquired Medusa. Y/N felt as though she was once again in those stuffy classrooms, where other kids glared at the back of her head and where she never knew the answers to the questions addressed by the teachers (they always did seem to pick her in her least finest moments. Like that one time she saw an eagle perching itself on a wire and tilting its head at her, as if it knew her.)

“I do,” replied Grover, mouth full of food.

“Do you?”

The satyr blinked. “Do I?”

A bell tolled in the distance and that grumbling feeling in her stomach returned.

“Athena was everything to me,” started Medusa. The red on her lips was popping and she was speaking slowly. “I worshipped her, I prayed to her. I made offerings… She never answered. Not even an omen to suggest she appreciated my love. I wasn’t like you, sweetheart. I was you.”

“I think you’re in the wrong,” Y/N spoke up. It hurt speaking, her throat was too dry and the words came out scratched. 

Medusa moved her gaze on the girl. “Am I? How many times did your father show you a token of his love? Did he ever answer your prayers and offerings? Did he ever recognise you as his kin?”

Y/N remained silent. Her lips drew in a thin line and she exhaled through her nose. She could feel Percy’s stare at the side of her face. 

“I would have worshipped her that way for a lifetime… in silence,” Medusa continued as if she wasn’t interrupted just a moment ago. “But then one day, another god came, and he broke that silence. Your father. The Sea God told me that he loved me. I felt as though he saw me in a way I had never felt seen before.” Her words turned acid. “But then Athena declared that I had embarrassed her and I needed to be punished. Not him. Me . She decided that I would never be seen again by anyone who would live to tell the tale.”

“That isn’t what happened,” raged Annabeth. “My mother is just, always.”

“The gods want you to believe that, that they are infallible. But they only want what all bullies want. They want us to blame ourselves, for their own shortcomings.”

Y/N hated herself for finding mirrored truth in Medusa’s words, in bits and pieces of anger and broken trust. 

“That is not what happened. And you are a liar,” screamed Annabeth.

For a moment silence reigned between them and Y/N counted the seconds until someone spoke up. Ten. 

“Something’s burning,” said Medusa. 

Y/N sniffed the air. Nothing was burning. 

“Would you give me a hand in the kitchen? I think lunch is ready.” Receding footsteps echoed in the room. 

Percy turned his head to look at the girls. Annabeth shook her head. Y/N only glared at him, a clear sign that she wasn’t on board with what he was about to do. He blinked and followed the older woman into the kitchen. 

“He never listens,” sighed Y/N, staring after him.

“Grover…,” said Annabeth. The satyr gazed at her, a pastry sticking out of his mouth and crumbs falling down his chin.  “Get ready to run.”

“Or fight,” added Y/N, getting out her bow, determination glinting in her eyes.

The dark always seemed to sharpen its claws everytime she was around, taunting her, as if it knew she was scared to find out what it was hiding. Doubt made a nest into her mind as she watched her Converse walking down the stone stairs and around the corner, following Percy. She blinked and furrowed against the thick blackness. The front of her sneakers caught onto a small rock and she tripped, her hand landing on Percy’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. He only nodded his head in response. 

Scorching fire travelled down the room, illuminating it whole. Percy turned around, coming face to face with a petrified victim, a woman who seemed to have begged for mercy in her last moments. Percy, startled, gasped and took a step back, bumping into Y/N.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. She didn’t answer. 

Thousands of statues stretched before them, losing themselves in the depth of the room. “Well, she definitely has a collection worth of envy in her basement,” said Y/N, sarcasm coating her words.

A door creaking and closing with a resounding slam alerted the group and Annabeth waved them over. “Come on.”

They ran through the labyrinth of statues, once in a while throwing a look over their shoulders. 

“There’s four of us and only one of her,” started Grover, his voice slightly wavering. “If we split up, she can’t be watching us all at once.”

Y/N shook her head. “She’s smarter than that.”

“I agree,” added Annabeth once they all came to a stop. “I don’t think it’d be that simple.”

“It could be,” replied Grover, sure of himself. “Here’s the plan. I’ll get in the air, I’ll draw her attention. As soon as you hear me say Maia , you guys–”  His voice got muffled by the sound of flipping wings and he was raised in the air. “Oh, boy! Okay! Um.. Off. Down.”

Y/N watched helplessly as Grover disappeared in the abyss of the basement, his whimpers and screams faltering. 

“So, we’re gonna need a new plan,” voiced Annabeth. 

“Yeah,” echoed Y/N.

“We are not our parents until we choose to be,” Medusa’s voice travelled to their ears, authoritative and powerful, a knife in the heavy silence. Y/N scrambled into a run, her Converse sliding against the stony floor. She settled behind the statue of a man with a back wide enough to hide her from petrifying eyes. Across from her, stood Percy, behind a crate, watching her with a fearful gaze. She raised a finger to her lips.  

“You three have chosen.”

She slowly took out her bow and arrow, her eyes catching sight of a stretching shadow. Hissing of snakes reached her ears and she raised her bow. 

“A daughter of a self-righteous mother, who chose self-righteousness for herself.”

She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut..

“A daughter of a stand-by father, who chose to remain deaf to the cries of the innocent.”

A familiar fire travelled through her veins, bringing her to a boiling point. She scowled. 

“And you, you could have shown your father what it means to stand up for someone you love. You could choose to save your mother, instead of doing your father’s bidding. If neither of you will help teach these lessons, perhaps you should be the lessons.”

Heels clicking alerted Y/N that Medusa was getting closer. She could hear the snakes better now. 

“When I ship your statues to Olympus… maybe that will get my point across even better.”

“You won’t,” Y/N’s voice boomed.

“The unclaimed one. Pity. I understand you, child. You’re forgotten, just like me,” Medusa’s voice echoed. 

“You understand nothing. You claim to know me, but you don’t.”

“Come out. Let’s have a look at you.”

Y/N came out from behind the statue with her head held high, bow clenched in her hands and an arrow raised. Her feet were unsure, though. It felt as though she was walking on thin air. 

Heels clicked and Y/N took a step back. She had to maintain a distance in order to launch her arrow. Her ears strained. From her left, she could hear Percy taking out his sword. 

“Don’t I? We’re the same, you and I. I feel your envy and fury. And I know how much you long after your father, how much you miss your dear mother. But I can help you. I can soften your pain. Open your eyes, child. Let me see your eyes. Let me see your father’s eyes .” 

She almost complied, like a lost child on the first day of school. The hold on her bow slightly weakened and she felt the pain she always buried deep inside her, the one she had lived with since her mother took her last breath on a hospital bed. She wanted it gone. Erased. But then she remembered the promise she had made to her mother on her last day, she remembered her aunt’s kind smile and the bow was raised once again, the arrows glinting in the firelight.

“No,” Y/N growled. And then she launched her arrow. A pained hissing reassured her that it reached its target, slashing one of the snakes in half. 

Grover’s yelling brought a smile onto her face and she ducked once she heard him zigzagging through the air towards her. “I didn’t really think this through!” He crashed into a pile of craters, breaking them. Y/N heard Annabeth yell “Now!” and she dared open her eyes.

She saw Percy’s sword glint before it came down, cutting the air and slashing what Y/N assumed to be Medusa’s neck. She inhaled before she came beside him. Somewhere behind her she heard Grover complain about his back and Annabeth fretting over him. Percy gulped before his foot kicked the air. Squelching filled the air and Y/N’s nose scrunched up. “Nasty.”

Percy kneeled and took hold of Medusa’s invisible head, grunting and scowling in disgust. “Aw, man.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t wanna be in your place either,” replied Y/N, eyeing the air between Percy’s hands. 

“You found it?” asked Annabeth, nearing them. 

“Hope so,” replied Percy, getting up.

“There’s one more thing we need to do,”  affirmed Y/N with her hands on her hips. 

Watching Percy bravely take off the Yankees cap and petrify Alecto, sent a shudder down Y/N’s spine. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought she was witnessing an already written Olympian legend, the kind written on time consumed, yellowed scrolls. 

She exhaled as Alecto’s petrified body fell to the ground, shattering in million pieces. Percy put the cap back on, turned on his heels and marched towards the door, where Y/N was patiently waiting. She opened it for him and they slowly descended the stairs towards the basement, the quiet settling between them.

She squinted against the darkness, but her feet tripped the second time that day. She huffed in annoyance, once she regained her balance and dusted off her pants.

“You okay?” inquired Percy, the ocean in his eyes shining in the dark.

“Just fine,” she simply answered, an edge to her tone. 

Torches lit their way and they came before a still Grover and a worried Annabeth, who was throwing them looks.

“Grov? What is it?” Y/N asked, as she stopped beside him. Her eyes caught sight of a marble white statue. A satyr. He had the ghost of a smile on his lips and a daring posture. Realisation dawned on her and she whipped her head towards her friend, watching him swallow tears away.

“Uncle Ferdinand,” replied Grover in a broken whisper. 

“Oh no,” voiced Percy. 

Y/N hesitated before she let her hand gently fall on Grover’s shoulder. She squeezed it for a second, trying to muster a soft smile. She failed. Y/N could never imagine losing her aunt. A pang pierced her heart at the thought of it.

“Grover, I’m so sorry,” said Annabeth, coming closer to him. 

“This is as far as he got on his quest. We aren’t even to Trenton. But look at him,” the satyr chuckled softly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “He’s not like the others, he… He doesn’t look afraid.”

“Sounds like someone I know. It must run in the family,” smiled Y/N.

Grover met her gaze and softly smiled back. “Thank you, Y/N.”  He then blinked his tears away and cleared his throat. “You used the, um, you used the head to get rid of Alecto?”

“Yeah,” answered Percy, watching his best friend with concern simmering in his eyes.

“Good. That was the right move.” He wiped a stray tear. “Uh, we probably should get going. It’ll be dark soon.” 

“But what are we gonna do with the head?” interjected Percy, pointing towards what remained of Medusa. “I just took down a Fury with it and I wasn’t even trying. We can’t just leave it for someone to find.” 

Y/N crossed her arms and opened her mouth to reply, an idea already forming into her head, but Percy beat her to it. “Leave the hat on and bury it in the basement, that oughta keep it safe.”

Her arms fell to her sides and her gaze swiftly moved onto her best friend, but Annabeth’s face was devoid of emotion. Stone.  “Sure. Now, can we talk about the bigger issue here?”

“What bigger issue?” frowned the son of Poseidon.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “ You could have saved your mother? That’s what she said to you, like you discussed it already. Is your mother still alive?”

Y/N looked at Percy expectantly. 

“She’s with Hades. But I appreciate your concern.”

Her mouth fell open and her eyebrows pinched together. “Is this why you’re on the quest?”

“Guys, just please stop,” Grover’s meek voice came from behind them. 

“Oh, I’m concerned,” continued Annabeth, her voice sharp as a knife. “What are you actually doing on this quest and why did we have to hear it from Medusa?”

Percy shook his head, his face scrunching up and he rolled his eyes. “Okay, while we’re at it, “You should have accepted my offer?” What’s that about do you think? And why did we have to hear it from Alecto? And seriously, Y/N? What was that stunt that you pulled?”

Y/N scoffed, cocking an eyebrow. “What stunt?”

“ I feel your envy and fury? Let me see your father’s eyes? You almost lowered your bow. I saw you!” he screamed into her face, taking a step closer.

“But I did not!”

“Enough,” yelled Grover, turning around. 

A beat of silence. Y/N glared at Percy’s profile, lightning flashing in her eyes. She crossed her arms and shifted her gaze from him. 

“The hat was a gift from her mother. It’s the only thing she’s ever possessed that connects them. That oughta matter to you,” continued the satyr with a steady voice. 

“Okay, but how are we gonna make sure this thing is safe?” asked the blond.

“I’m not up to that yet,” Grover replied sharply. “And you know Y/N’s trying to find who her father is. You were like her once, too, Percy, so I’m sure you understand where she’s coming from. But she didn’t let her guard down.”

Percy shifted his weight awkwardly, gazing at the girl beside him. She caught her eyes with a still thunderous glare.

Grover turned to the girls. “And you girls, really? His mom’s alive. Can you imagine how confusing that must be for him? Feeling like he may have to choose between the fate of the world and the fate of the only person who’s ever cared about him?”

She could imagine. If her mom was still alive, she for surely, without a doubt, would have done the same. Y/N’s arms weakened but they didn’t uncross. “What are you trying to say?” she softly asked.

“Why are you talking like this?” added Annabeth. 

“Because all day I’ve been trying to keep this quest on track without upsetting either of you.” He deeply inhaled and exhaled, calming himself down. “But maybe things need to get a little upsetting before they move forward.’ He turned towards Percy. “She asked you a question back in the woods, and you never really answered. What are you so afraid of?”

Percy blinked and shifted his feet. “What are you talking about?”

“You heard me.”

“I don’t know.”

“I think you do. You’ve been fighting with them, you’ve been fighting with me.”

“ Because the Oracle said one of you would betray me. Okay?” flared up Percy. He sighed and licked his lips. “You shall be betrayed by the one who calls you a friend, and you shall fail to save what matters most in the end. That’s the rest of what she said to me. I chose Annabeth because I couldn't imagine we’d ever be friends. I chose Y/N because I thought I could rely on her to protect me, to protect us. And I chose you because I thought if I can count on anyone to be on my side, no matter what, it was you.” He squared his shoulders and his voice broke. “And now, I’m feeling so alone. I don't know what to think or who to trust.”

A silence settled heavily over them. Y/N sighed, her gaze still pinned to one of the statues. It horrified her but she didn’t have the courage to look anyone else in the eye. “I guess I’m jealous,” she eventually voiced.

She could feel Percy’s steady stare on her. “Why?”

“You’re claimed.” Her tongue weighed heavily and she had to swallow some of her pride away in order to speak. “And I’m not.” 

“It’s not like I have the best relationship with my dad. It’s practically non-existent.” 

She heaved, turning to look at him, her eyebrows still furrowed. “Maybe, but he sees you. He knows you, he cares enough to claim you. Mine didn’t and continues to don’t.”

Percy shuffled his feet. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your pity.”

“Yes, I know, it’s just–” he sighed. “This is why you’re on the quest, right? To get the attention of your godly parent?”

She hesitated, averting her gaze for a moment. She almost had the urge to tell Percy off, to turn her back on him and return to the camp to drown her invading thoughts in archery training and tree climbing. But she didn’t and she let her arms fall to the sides of her, her eyebrows and eyes softening in a sad gaze as she turned her head to catch his ocean eyes. “To find out who I really am,” she corrected him softly. 

Percy nodded, at a loss at words. He raised his hand as if he wanted to touch her shoulder in a reassuring manner but changed his mind at the last second. “We’ll find out together.” He turned towards Athena’s daughter. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

Annabeth hesitated, looking at the ground. “Alecto offered to help our quest if I gave you up on her.”

“What did you say?”

“I killed her sister,” shrugged Annabeth. 

“Medusa offered to help me save my mom if I turned on the three of you.”

“And what’d you say?”

“I cut off her head,” he replied as if he was talking about a normal Tuesday.

Grover looked at all of them, wisdom swirling in his eyes. “You didn’t choose to be demigods. We didn’t choose this quest. But we can decide that as long as the four of us are together, none of us are gonna be alone.”

Y/N’s eyes caught Percy’s and she blinked. He pursed his lips. 

“And if we can’t do that, we might as well just head back to camp right now. ‘Cause we won’t make it,” continued Grover, a note of finality in his voice. 

Percy’s gaze shifted between them, a focused look in his eye. He slightly nodded his head, his curls catching the golden light of the torches. “I think I’ve got a better idea what to do with this.” 

He marched towards the desk settled between crates and forgotten statues. His green shirt fluttered and Y/N jogged to catch up to him. He got behind the desk and flipped through a notebook. From where she stood Y/N could see scribbles, black on white, some of them hastily written, others noted in cursive writing. “Hermes Express. She ships these things all over. Some of it goes to Olympus.”

Upon hearing this, Y/N frowned and she took a step closer to the desk, taking hold of the notebook and turning it towards her. Her eyebrows raised in slight surprise. Right there, in neat handwriting stood her father’s address. 

Mount Olympus, 600th Floor, Empire State Building New York, NY

“Percy, you can’t ship Medusa’s head to Olympus,” replied Annabeth in disbelief.

“Why not?”

“Because the gods won’t like it.”

“At all. At all at all,” added Grover, shaking his head. 

Percy frowned and leaned his hands on the desk. “Why? That’s what you do with dangerous stuff. Like batteries, you just send ‘em back where they came from.”

“Okay. Look, this is a bad idea,” voiced Annabeth, a clear worry seeping into her tone.

Y/N raised her eyes from the notebook. A slight smirk was pulling at the corner of her lips. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. Make them see us.”

The blond turned his gaze onto her and shared her smirk. There was mischief shining in his eyes.

Annabeth scoffed and threw her best friend a pointed look. “They will see this as impertinent.”

“I am impertinent,” shrugged Percy.

“Yes, but we’re not,” puffed the daughter of Athena.

The satyr shook his head. “Really, very not.”

“I am,” said Y/N as she crouched down and took hold of an empty box, passing it to Percy. He threw her a brief smile, putting in the invisible head. He slammed the box onto the desk.

“Look. Medusa tried to derail our quest. She’s got serious beef with your mom. When you look at it that way, this seems kinda like tribute or something, doesn’t it? And besides…” He reached into the box and took out the blue cap with a grimace painted on his face. He held it to Annabeth. “...this way, a part of your mom’s still with us.”

She hesitated before she let her fingers wrap around the familiar fabric of the cap. “Thank you.”

He smiled at her lightly, warmly, as only a friend would. Y/N found a tape, forgotten on the corner of the desk, and she passed it to him, still smirking. He raised his gaze to her and took it from her, their fingers touching only for a fleeting second. “Be sure to sign my name as well, seaweed brain.”

His smirk broadened. “Will do.”

“So this isn’t exactly what I meant. By choosing each other,” Grover shook his head. 

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Lighten up a little, Grov. We just took down Medusa together. There will be fewer statues in the world now.”

“That’s not what I meant and there are actual dangers involved here that cannot be–” 

Slow clapping filled the air and Y/N’s smirk turned into a full blown grin.

“You’re gonna sing the song, aren’t you?”

Percy met her gaze and he started clapping faster.

“Okay,” continued Grover evenly. 

“ Oh golly, the road’s gettin’ bumpy .”

“Whatever.”

“ Consensus .”

A giggle escaped Y/N’s lips. Yeah, she could trust Percy. 

Chapter Text

Stars were twinkling in the sky as Y/N fluttered her eyes open. Something soft was cradling her back and she quickly realised she was laying in the dirt, on a bed of moss. She frowned. She didn’t remember falling asleep in the woods. She sat up, her eyes immediately recognising a familiar sight. A cabin stretched towards the starry sky in sturdy wooden beams, shadowed by pricking pine trees. Her blood ran cold, something about it struck a fight or flight response in her.

Or maybe she was just back home. But shouldn’t home feel welcoming?

She got to her feet slowly, turning to look around, but darkness hid what the woods would otherwise whisper in daylight. Everything was quiet. Still. Abandoned even. She turned towards the cabin, startled that a golden light appeared in the window. It was faint and if she remembered well, it came from the old living room, in which she and her mother used to spend evenings reading by the lamplight. Sometimes, her mother would recount to her old legends about Olympus, other times she would refuse to utter a word about them. Y/N didn’t dwell too much on it, happy enough to share some quiet moments with her before bed. It became a ritual. 

Y/N took shy steps toward the cabin, the light flowing from the window illuminating her way and stretching shadows on the mossy ground. She pushed the door open. It creaked as she stepped inside. The light from the living room reached the hallway and she hesitated as she took in her surroundings. Everything was how it used to be. The wool carpet was still biting at its touch, the walls deep brown, a rich aroma of an entire forest residing in the cabin. A few photos hung on the walls and tears gathered in her eyes as she pinpointed the moment they were taken. In one of them there was that creek ten minutes away from the cabin and her dipping her toes in it at the ripe age of three. She frowned. Beside the photo there was one she didn’t ever remember seeing. It depicted her. But as a baby. In the arms of a man. She could only see his arms but Y/N already knew. She sniffed and took a step closer, but the floor whined under her feet and in the darkness surrounding her, she felt being watched. Goosebumps raked on her arms.

“Mom?” she called out, her voice trembling. 

Silence stretched on and she stepped forward. A waft of tomato sauce and spices hit her and she almost stumbled at the familiarity of it all. 

“Mom? Are you in the kitchen?”

She gulped down some tears and stepped into the kitchen. The aroma was stronger there. Pitch black surrounded her, but the moon rays shed light on a pot full of steaming spaghetti and two empty plates. The sight was so familiar that her heart ached. She blinked. She didn’t have enough courage to take a seat at the table and dig into the fresh meal. She turned on her heels, her knees buckling. 

“Mom, where are you?”

Her throat was closing in and she had to swallow just to breathe. Shaking, she stepped into the living room. The lamp was on and the light bathed everything in warm colours. Dust swirled in the light and Y/N almost sneezed. 

“Y/N?”

She whipped around, the heart in her chest stopping for a second. Her mother was standing before her, with a warm smile stretching on her cracked lips. Her hair was curling in millions of ringlets, just as it always did. A few wrinkles decorated the corner of her eyes and a silver flashed from her neck. It was the necklace she always used to wear. The pendant curved in the form of a single raindrop. Y/N frowned at the sight of it. She remembered her mother gifting it to her on that cursed hospital bed. Y/N almost had a half of mind to check her own neck, but the extra weight confirmed to her that she still had it. She blinked in confusion.

“Mom?” Y/N whispered. 

Her mother nodded. “I made spaghetti, my darling. Your favourite.”

A pang pricked Y/N’s heart, as her eyes glistened with unshed tears. And then she rushed towards her and tightly wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in her chest and inhaling her scent. After all this time, she smelled the same. Of pine trees, and dusty books and spaghetti. Of home. 

“What’s gotten into you, sweetheart?” her mother chuckled.

“I just really missed you,” answered Y/N, all choked up.

And with her heart quivering in her chest, she felt the gentle hand of her mother caressing the top of her head. Y/N squeezed her eyes shut, her hands balling the shirt of her mother and she gulped down tears.

But then the caressing turned into hurtful pulls. Y/N frowned. “Mom, it hurts.”

Silence fell upon her ears and the hands continued to pull her by the roots of her hair. Y/N’s face twisted in pain. “Mom, please, it really hurts.”  She tried breaking free from her arms, but it was as if her feet were glued to the floor. “Mom, it’s hurting me.”

“You’re forgotten, child.”

The voice that reached her ears in a sonorous chorus wasn’t her mother’s and she fought against the suffocating hold.

“With no father, no mother and no aunt, you are forgotten. You are no hero.”

Y/N twisted in the arms and fell back, on her bottom. Somewhere in the distance thunder rumbled. Fear clawed at her throat and she looked up. A cloaked figure holding a lantern peered down at her with a pair of golden eyes. 

“You are no hero on this quest. You shall fail it.”

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. When she snapped them open, she was met with the sight of a moving ceiling. Her heart was racing and her breath was shallow. She sat up, panting, letting her eyes roam around. The puffing of the train reached her ears and she slowly exhaled, remembering she was on the way to Los Angeles. Panic subsided and the blood seemed to flow more easily in her veins now. She heard Grover quietly snore on the top bed of the train cabin. She glanced to the bed in front of her, her eyes catching the silhouette of Annabeth, wrapped in bed sheets, her back to her. 

Y/N sighed through her nose, leaning her back on the wall, bringing her knees to her chest. She let her head fall back, watching how the train sped by through the window, grateful that the cabin stopped spinning in circles. She knew what it came after an occurring nightmare. She wouldn’t fall back asleep, no matter the night hour. 

It wasn’t the first time she dreamed in the dead of the night. The dreams and nightmares never left her in peace. They followed her even in the deepest cores of her subconscious, haunting her mind and soul. But this one felt different. More real. Her mother felt real. But only for a split second. The illusion was ruined and she was awake, drenched in sweat and alone in a swaying cabin. 

She hugged her knees and frowned. Someone knew her most burning desire and lured her in with it, twisting it until her home was only standing on shadows, empty rooms and dusty photos. Until her mother was an unrecognisable ghost of what she used to be. Her mouth twitched and she sniffed. 

She leaned her chin on her knees, looking out the window. The moon was enveloping the dark rolling fields in a silver blanket. The stars were winking playfully at her. She missed watching and counting them. In Manhattan they were never visible, and at Camp Half-Blood she was too stubborn to glance out the window, choosing instead to stare angrily at the ceiling every time she woke up during the night. A cloud rolled by and swallowed the moon. Y/N blinked and closed her eyes, listening to her friend’s snoring and the train engines’ puffing. A quiet gasp reached her ears and she opened her eyes, turning to look at the mop of golden curl from beside her. 

Percy was staring up at the ceiling, his lips slightly parted and he looked how she always felt whenever thunder invaded her dreams. How she was currently feeling, still under the effect of the nightmare. She heard him swallow audibly and she uncrossed her arms. “Had a nightmare?” she asked softly, mindful of her friends sleeping. 

Percy jumped, startled at the sound of her voice. He glanced at her, before moving his gaze back on the ceiling. “How did you–?”

“I have them too.”

Silence settled between them and the moon won against the darkening clouds, bathing the cabin in a silver glow. Y/N could see Percy better now, thin beads of sweat crowning his forehead. “Wanna talk about it?”

“No,” he simply answered.

She nodded before she crossed her arms around her knees once again, turning her back to him and her face towards the window. A pine tree stretched towards the inky sky and homesickness washed over her at the sight of it.

She heard Percy rustle in his makeshift bed. She didn’t need to turn around to know he was staring at her. “Do you want to talk about yours?” she heard him whisper.

“No,” she replied, her hands clenching her legs until her knuckles turned white. 

The whistling of the train filled the air and Y/N felt her eyelids get heavier, as if they were made of lead. She blinked the sleep away, sitting straighter. 

Percy’s voice eventually cut through the heavy silence. “Why do you hate me?” 

She stilled. “I don’t hate you.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Well, I don’t. Believe it or not.”

A few beats of silence passed before he spoke up again. “Have you ever met Thalia?”

Y/N’s eyebrows twitched and she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. He was laying on his back again, his hands intertwined on his stomach, searching the ceiling, as if it could give him answers to his questions. “Why do you ask?”

He shrugged. “Well, I mean, she was the last forbidden kid before me, right?”

“From what we know, yes,” Y/N nodded slowly.

“She must’ve dealt with the same kind of stuff.”

“Maybe. I wouldn’t know, I’ve never met her.”

Percy frowned, turning his head to look at her. “But I thought– I mean, you and Annabeth are close. You and Luke, as well. I just thought–”

“I came a year later than them to the Camp. The pine tree was already there,” Y/N interrupted him with a firm voice. “I’ve never met Thalia.”

“Then how come you’re so attached to the tree? I saw you.”

Y/N hesitated for a moment too long. She remembered the rough bark and the energy flowing through it every time she touched it, as if it was alive. As if it somehow knew her.

“It’s sacred,” she murmured.

She heard Annabeth turn in her bed, the sheets rustling, a soft sigh coming through. Percy moved his gaze from Y/N to the figure of Annabeth laying on her back. “Hey, you asleep?” he whispered. 

Y/N rolled her eyes at his question, turning to look at Athena’s daughter. Her chest was raising and lowering in even breaths. 

“Yes,” Annabeth answered, sarcasm coating her tongue. 

“You and Thalia were really close, right?” continued Percy. 

“Yeah.”

“What was she like?”

Annabeth hesitated. “She was tough. I mean, she knew she was a forbidden kid, she just didn’t care. When Luke and Thalia found me, Luke cared for me right away.”

Y/N heard the story already, she knew how it all went down, how the three of them became to each other the home they had lost. She also knew that Luke caring for lost, little children was just the way he was. An older brother even to those who might not have been his half-siblings. But she knew, he was hers, half-sibling or not.

“But Thalia… she made me earn it,” whispered Athena’s daughter in the quiet cabin.

Percy blinked, slightly frowning. “Is this why you give me a hard time? I gotta earn it with you too?”

“Yeah. Maybe,” Annabeth sighed. 

Y/N lowered her gaze, looking at the socks on her feet. They were of the dullest a colour, a washed out grey. A flashing memory flowed into her mind. Giggling and running around barefoot, behind the cabin in the woods, dipping her toes into the creek, climbing trees tall enough to touch the ever crystal sky. She blinked and the memory faded.

“I gotta say, that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” voiced Percy, his tone sharp.

Y/N moved her gaze onto him. “What doesn’t?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

He looked at her, exhaling in frustration. 

“What doesn’t make sense to you?” emphasised Annabeth.

“The way you guys all talk. The way the gods want us to think. Gotta burn an offering to get a parent’s attention. Gotta beat up on Clarisse just to get my father to admit he’s my father. Gotta go on a quest just to get claimed at the end of it,” he said, gazing at Y/N with a storm swirling in his eyes. “It isn’t supposed to work that way. People who are close to you aren’t supposed to treat you that way.”

Y/N moved her gaze away, his words echoing true in her mind. She knew all too well what love is supposed to feel like, she felt it once too. She was lucky to grow up happily between the swaying of the trees and the whispers of the wind. But then luck had run out. 

“You wanna know how I ended up on the road in the first place?” asked Annabeth, cutting the silence. “I started out as a gift to my father. That’s how it works with Athena. We’re born from a thought, and then given to a partner she feels connected to. And for a while, I was treated like a gift. My father cared for me. He loved me. I knew it. Then he met a woman. They had their own kids.” She inhaled, a hand wrapped around what Y/N knew was her father’s ring. “And to her, I– I wasn’t a gift. I was a problem. So I left. I was seven.”

Y/N turned to look at her, her eyebrows downcast, a matching sorrow in her gaze. She wanted to reach out and take her by the hand, just as she always did. 

“It isn’t the gods who think that way. It’s everybody. But at least with the gods you know the rules. Show them respect and they’ll be in your corner no matter what.”

Annabeth let a hand fall beside her, at the edge of the bed. Y/N took it and squeezed it. She felt Annabeth squeeze back. By this point, it had become their friendship token. 

“What about you, Y/N? How did you arrive at the Camp?”

Y/N detected curiosity in Percy’s tone. She glanced at him. He was still staring at the ceiling.

“Did you have a Protector satyr?”

“No. I grew up outside of the city for most of my childhood. Just me and my mom for a while.” A nostalgic smile blossomed on her lips and she looked at her outstretched shadow on the floor. If she squinted, she could imagine it was her mother’s silhouette. “Just the two of us against the world.” Her eyebrows pinched together in a furrow. “My aunt brought me to Camp when my mom couldn’t. She was my protector. Both of them were.”

“You’re a year-rounder,” said Percy in realization.

“Yeah,” she nodded, her voice fading.

Percy didn’t reply, a deep silence filling the cabin. Groans and sheets rustling from the top bunk reached their ears.

“You awake?” the blond asked

“Well, I am now. Thanks,” a grumpy voice answered back.

Y/N smiled, hearing it. “Sorry, Grov.”

He just grumbled back.

“Are you okay?’ Percy continued. 

“He’s super grouchy when he doesn’t get enough sleep,” explained Annabeth, her hand still in Y/N’s. 

“ He’s super grouchy when he doesn’t get enough … Nah!” mimicked the satyr in a pitch high voice, with the back towards them, talking to the wall.

Y/N let a giggle escape her lips. 

“Wow,” said Percy, raising his eyebrows. 

“You’ve never been on the road with him before,” stated Annabeth. “A little different than a froofy boarding school.”

“Who’s froofy? You’re froofy. What’s froofy?” said Grover, his voice hoarse. “I think I need to eat.”

“Well, I think we should get a little more sleep while we still can,” said Y/N, taking out her hand from Annabeth’s hold and settling back in her makeshift bed, raising the duvet up to her chin. “It’s still early out.”

“Already ordering everyone around and it’s not even daylight,” retorted Poseidon's son, but his tone turned playful. Challenging. 

“You will regret not listening to me in the morning when all you will have left is bags under your eyes and a sleep deprived brain.” She paused. “Which it will be a shame, since it’s already made from seaweed.”

“Stop calling me a seaweed brain!”

“Stop giving me reasons to!”

Annabeth audibly sighed, turning in her bed, her back to them. “Go back to sleep.”

“On it,” said Grover, seconds away from snoring again. 

Y/N fluttered her eyes shut, the rocking of the train lulling her back to sleep. Before she fell into her slumber, she heard Percy whisper to her. 

“Sweet dreams. I’ll keep the nightmares away.” 

The sleep came to her swiftly, a deep, dreamless one. 

She only managed to sleep for an hour, as Annabeth acutely told her, before she was woken up by Grover’s grumbling stomach. Dawn was just breaking through, painting streaks of fiery orange and deep indigo into the skies, the first rays of sun bathing the dining car in shallow light. And after Grover gulped down an entire breakfast in the span of ten minutes, a silence only cut by the train's horn settled between them. Y/N blinked the sleep out of her eyes, her head in her hand, watching the clouds gather shy and quivering sun rays in them. 

“Two days until we reach Los Angeles. Plenty of time before our deadline to reach the Underworld,” chirped Grover. Y/N turned to look at him. He was bearing a slight, satisfied smile. Y/N suspected that the breakfast must have done its job. She felt the corners of her own lips curling up. 

“Can I ask a dumb question?” she heard Percy say beside her.

Her smile fell from her lips and she rolled her eyes. “You always do.”

“It’s like you need us to make fun of you,” added Annabeth, squinting her eyes at the blond.

“I think he does, Annie,” snickered Y/N, earning a sharp jab in the side from Percy. She frowned at him, kicking his feet under the table. The boy huffed, glaring her way.

“Shoot,” interrupted the satyr, a note of panic seeping into his tone as he witnessed the exchange.

“I’ve never been to Los Angeles before,” stated Percy, his gaze shifting between the three of them. “I’m guessing neither of you have been to Los Angeles.”

Y/N shook her head. She had never been anywhere in the world, apart from the wild pinetree forest where she spent the first few years of her childhood growing up, Manhattan and Camp Half-Blood. She could still recall the fresh, raw smell of pines and the crunching of leaves under her feet. Her senses still remembered the feeling of home. As if she had never left it. A shudder passed her, as fragments of her nightmare resurfaced once again.

“So, how will we have any idea where we’re going?”

Grover shrugged. “No idea.”

“We can always acquire a map,” piped in Y/N. 

Percy panned his gaze onto her. His eyebrows pinched together. “We can’t read maps.”

She rolled her eyes for the second time that day. “I’m well aware, kelp head, thank you.” A small smile blossomed on her lips as she turned to look at the satyr. “Grover can read it for us.”

A look of remorse passed on Grover’s face, his lips curling in an apologetic smile and his eyes softening. “I’m not great with maps either, actually.”

Y/N blinked. “Well, then–”

“But that’s like step thirty-seven, and we’re still on step four. Cross that bridge when we get there,” he continued in a reassuring, warm tone, nodding his head. 

Percy slightly nodded his head along, his eyebrows still furrowed. “Follow-up stupid question.”

“Dude,” Annabeth sighed, rolling her eyes.

“ And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end . Back in Jersey, I told you the Oracle said this quest will fail. And no one’s mentioned it since,” he said, gazing at Y/N. “Seems like something we oughta be taking more seriously…” His voice trailed off, as he caught a glimpse of outside behind Y/N’s shoulder, his lips parting. “Hey. Look at that. Are those–”

Y/N turned her head towards the window. Four centaurs were galloping alongside the train, on rolling green fields, carrying arrows and bows. Y/N quirked up a smile at the sight of them. This was the first time she was seeing centaurs outside the protective barrier of Camp Half-Blood. She still vividly remembered meeting Chiron for the first time. Words had died in her throat as she took in his hooves and four legs. Wonderstruck, she had asked if he was a horse (“And if you are a horse, does that mean I can ride you? I’ve never ridden a horse before, or saw one for that matter! You’re the first, mister Chiron.”). Alas, she was much younger back then. And much more naive. 

“Centaurs,” she and Annabeth said in unison. She threw her best friend a small smile. 

Percy looked around the dining car, confusion lacing his features. “No one even knows they’re there.”

“They can’t see through the Mist,” explained Y/N, tearing her gaze away from the centaurs and towards Percy.  “Unlike us. Few mortals do.”

“There used to be herds of them everywhere,” voiced Grover, wistfully glancing outside the window.

“What happened to them?”

“Humans.” He sighed, eyes downcast. “A few thousand years ago, the god of the wild, Pan, disappeared. And ever since, without Pan to protect the natural world, humans have been trying really hard to chip away at it.” 

“The bravest satyrs volunteer to become Searchers, trying to find Pan,” added Athena’s daughter, knowledge dripping down her tongue. “None have ever returned.”

A thick tension fell upon them, like a heavy winter blanket. 

“Your uncle we found in Medusa’s, Ferdinand,” said Percy, closely watching his best friend. “He was a Searcher?”

Grover only nodded. Y/N’s heart grew heavy at the sight of him, quiet with his lips curled downwards. She tipped her head sideways, catching his gaze, and she smiled his way. He softly smiled back. 

“The Oracle didn’t say the quest would fail,” voiced Annabeth, raising her eyebrows. “ Fail to save what matters the most . That could mean a lot of things. That’s how prophecies work, that’s how fate works. It could mean a lot of things. The harder you work to understand, the harder it gets to understand.” She shook her head, her dark locks swaying. “Sometimes, you’ve just gotta let it come to you when it’s ready.”

“Excuse me. Can I see your tickets, please?”

Y/N jumped in her seat, turning her head towards the voice. She immediately frowned upon seeing a police officer asking for train tickets. Didn’t they have a conductor for that?

She opened her mouth to retaliate, but upon seeing Annabeth subtly shaking her head, she shut it back down. She watched as her friend took out their tickets out of her jacket pocket, handing them to the officer. He glanced down at the tickets, before snapping his gaze back to Annabeth. “You’re in Cabin 17B?”

The hair on her neck stood up and Y/N felt that familiar fire travelling through her veins. “Yes. Is there a problem, officer?”

She felt someone kick her under the table and she briefly acknowledged that someone as being Percy but she ignored him this time, holding eye contact with the police officer. The man only sighed through his nose and waved them to follow him. She shared a look of confusion with her friends, pursing her lips in thought. Her stomach twisted in knots as they followed him out the dining car and through the corridor. He swiftly pushed open the door and a cold draft hit her, chilling her to the bones. The wind whistling reached her ears and her mouth fell open as she took in the disarray state in which their cabin was in. The window was smashed open, sharp glass glinting dangerously on the floor. The mattresses were thrown across and turned up-side down, the white sheets fluttering in the wind. The pillows were strewn across the cabin. 

“You wanna explain?” asked the officer as he pointed towards the chaos. 

Y/N snapped her gaze towards him, the air stuck somewhere in her throat. “What is there to explain? Someone clearly vandalised our cabin!”

The man only raised his eyebrows at her.

“Wait. Wait, you think we did this?” asked Percy in disbelief, turning his whole body towards the officer. 

“Did you?”

Y/N scoffed, crossing her arms. “What gave you that idea? The fact that we are kids?”

“I mean– How? And why?” added Percy, taking a step closer, his shoulder lightly touching Y/N’s. 

“Sir, when we left to get breakfast, everything was intact,” intervened Grover, his voice calm but his eyes frantic. “We don’t know how this happened.”

“We got a witness here, says she heard the window smash, and then heard children’s voices.”

Y/N looked over the officer’s shoulder. A woman with long, lush brown hair was talking to another police officer, waving her hands around. She was wearing a light pink blazer, which to Y/N looked expensive enough to seem out of place in a Second Class train wagon. She shifted her gaze back to their own cabin and took a step towards it.  A hand shot out in front of her, colliding with her waist. 

The police officer hardened his gaze. “Do not enter, kid.”

Y/N frowned. “Why? Now I am not allowed to enter my own cabin?”

The man clenched his jaw but let her pass. She fisted her hands and crouched near the window. There were a million shards sticking into the carpeted floor and glimmering in the just risen sun. She frowned as she took hold of one. It bit into her finger, drawing blood. She winced and raised the finger to her lips, a metallic taste invading her mouth. There were way too many shards for the window to have been broken from inside. Someone must have done it from the outside. Someone or something . 

She got up, her eyes catching sight of a slashing mark left on the wall. It stretched across it, in dark and wide lines. She absently acknowledged Percy exclaiming in the background, his voice strained in frustration.

“Can you tell me what time you left the cabin?” interrogated the police officer.

Y/N turned around, her gaze immediately meeting Annabeth’s hardened one. 

“Are we under arrest?”

The officer backed up, frowning. “I don’t think you wanna take that tone with me, little girl.”

“Are we under arrest?” she repeated, her voice raising. 

The officer huffed and crossed his arms as he glared down at Annabeth. Y/N’s mouth twitched and she marched towards him, her eyes clouding in white hot anger. “No, no, she asked a good question. Are we under arrest?”

“Turns out we are under arrest,” huffed Y/N as she fell into her seat beside Percy, back in the dining car. Her arms were crossed, and she was tapping her foot impatiently. Her blood was boiling in her veins. The train was speeding down the tracks, the sun now suddenly covered by clouds that weren’t there before. 

Percy glanced at her as he gulped, before he shifted his gaze towards the policeman now speaking with the supposed witness. He was jotting down on a small, black agenda, taking her statement.  “So, we’re just killing time ‘till we find out that guy’s like a werewolf or something, right?”

“Werewolves don’t exist, kelp head.”

Percy shifted in his seat as he felt the fury radiating from Y/N in scorching waves.

Annabeth glanced behind her shoulders at the officer. 

A static voice filled the car, announcing the next station. They were soon arriving at St. Louis Gateway in ten minutes. Y/N thought that was as good a time as any to get off that cursed train and try their luck somewhere else. She would even go on foot if it meant she wouldn’t see that police officer again. 

“I don’t think he’s a monster,” replied Annabeth in a whisper. 

“Hard to say,” said Grover. 

“He’s definitely an idiot,” added Y/N, as she burned holes into the police officer’s head. 

“Well, if he’s not a monster, what’s going on here? Why would anyone tear our room apart?”

“Maybe they were looking for something,” suggested Grover, throwing Y/N a worried glance. The girl only sighed through her nose as she tore her gaze away.

“We don’t have anything,” answered Percy.

Annabeth slightly leaned over the table, meeting Percy’s eyes. “The people who think you stole Zeus’s master bolt might disagree.”

Percy shifted his gaze away, blinking. “Right,” he replied, dejected.

The train horn blared, and Y/N shook away some of her stupor at the sound of it. She straightened in her seat. 

“Well, look, they’re not gonna find something we don’t have,” Grover hastily replied, shaking his head. 

“Either way, we aren’t spending the day answering questions in the St. Louis police station,” added Athena’s daughter, frowning.

“Or anywhere for that matter”, mumbled Y/N.

“We need to get out of this before we get delayed,” continued Annabeth, panic lacing her features. 

“I agree,” voiced Y/N as she uncrossed her arms. “We get off the train and take another or…” Her voice faded as she saw that woman tapping Annabeth gently on her shoulder. She was bearing a wide smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and Y/N felt a shiver travel down her spine at the sight of it. 

“D-do you mind if I sit?”

Y/N roamed her eyes over her, taking in her clean appearance. Her teeth were pearly white and her clothes were ironed to perfection. She definitely did not spend the night on the train, and as far as she knew, the train didn’t have any stops during the night. She was carrying a pet carrier. It was slightly shaking, whimpering sounds coming from inside of it. 

Y/N raised her gaze towards the woman and smiled a strained smile. “We do, in fact.”

The woman disregarded her reply as she took a seat beside her, pushing her towards Percy. Y/N huffed in annoyance, shifting as her thigh grazed his. “You poor dears. Your parents aren’t here, are they?”

Sounds of whining came from the pet carrier and Y/N shared a look with Annabeth.  Suspicion simmered in her dark eyes and Y/N gave a small nod. 

“Isn’t that right, precious?” the woman said, as she bent towards the bag with the smile still etched on her face. “Don’t children get scared when they’re all alone?” She straightened her back, shifting her gaze between the four of them. Y/N scooted closer to Percy once she felt her shoulder touching the woman’s.  

“It’s okay. I’m a mom. I know how scared you must be,” she smiled Y/N’s way. 

Y/N’s eyebrows twitched in a small frown. 

“Excuse me. Would you mind giving us a little space?” the stranger asked the police woman standing guard near them. “I think– I think you’re making them nervous.”

“I don’t think she’s the one making us nervous,” Y/N muttered, her lips scowling in disdain.

“Did you say something, dear?”

Y/N plastered a tight-lipped smile on her face. “Nothing.”

The woman closely regarded her, smiling back. There was something sinister about her smile. Something that chilled Y/N to the bones. “You must be the rebel kind.”

Y/N’s eyebrows shot up to the top of her head. “Sorry?”

“The child who’s angry at the world and therefore rebels.” Her lips pouted. “I would know. I am a mother after all.”

Y/N shifted under her heavy gaze. She felt Annabeth nudge her foot and she raised her eyes to meet hers. Annabeth’s gaze shone with kindness and unspoken reassurance  and Y/N knew that if she could, her friend would have squeezed her by the hand. 

“I want you to know… I don’t actually think that you made that mess back there,” the woman nodded. 

“Really? And then what did you even tell the officers?” replied Y/N, her voice dripping with acid poison. 

“I just wanted a moment alone with you. There are some things I need you to understand–”

“You have something on your jacket,” interrupted Grover, his eyes pinned to the pink blazer the woman was wearing. 

Y/N moved her gaze towards it. Something was glimmering, catching the faint, morning light. The sun was still hidden away behind clouds, but a few rays braved them. 

“It looks like– It looks like glass.”

She reached towards the small shard, pinching it between two fingers and taking out of the blazer. A white, thin thread stuck to it. The shard tore into her tissue, a droplet of crimson blood bubbling up and streaming downwards her skin. “It is glass.”

“No one smashed out the windows from inside our cabin.” Grover’s voice hardened as his gaze never left the stranger’s, realisation dawning on him. “Someone smashed them in from the outside.”

“It was you ,” added Y/N, her voice trembling with notes of anger. “ You tore our cabin apart.”

The woman hummed, her smile faded by now. Grunts and whimpers shook the pet carrier and she shifted her attention towards it, rising from the seat and crouching in front of the bag. “Yes, sweetheart. I know, I know. You’re impatient.”

Whatever was in the bag snarled and Y/N’s eyes widened upon hearing it. “There’s no dog in there, is it? It’s something else. Something bigger.”

The stranger rose up and turned towards her, smiling that bone-chilling smile. “Well, aren’t you perceptive?” She shook her head, shrugging. “This isn’t your fault. But sadly, you’re going to have to bear the burden of your parents’ mistakes today.”

Percy’s voice didn’t waver as he spoke up, eyes darkening, determination written on his face. “Listen, lady. I don’t know who you are, but I think I know what you are. We’ve run across a few monsters like you and we sent them all packing.”

The woman scoffed, still smiling. “Monsters like me?” She tilted her head. “Well… of course they’re like me.” Her smile fell off her face and her gaze hardened. “They were my children.”

Y/N froze as goosebumps raked her arms. 

“Children?” asked Percy, shifting in his seat. “What does that mean?”

The satyr straightened his back. “The Mother of Monsters.”

“Echidna,” explained Annabeth, her lips parting. 

The woman smiled at the mention of her name, her eyes glinting. 

The pet carrier rattled and growled. Echidna turned towards it, her hand reaching out to caress it much like a mother would embrace her child. She calmed the monster down, her voice coming in comforting shushes and Y/N started at the familiar look in her eyes. She saw it in her mother’s and aunt’s gazes whenever they used to look at her. Looks of warmth and nurture. 

“Monster. It’s an odd word, considering my grandmother is your great-grandmother, and this has always been a family story” said Echidna, leaning on the table behind her, but still staying close to the pet carrier. Her smile appeared on her face, stretching her lips wide  and showing her sharp pearly white teeth. “But… to my eye, the demigod is the more dangerous creature. Disruptive. Violent. If I exist for anything, it is to stand in the way of monsters like you.” 

The monster inside the bag growled once again, and for a split moment Y/N thought she was hearing the two-headed dog from four years ago, standing in the pouring rain, outlined only by the flashing lightning. Her breath hitched and she backed into her seat, eyes glued to the pet carrier.

“My little one here. She’s just a pup now. Bless her heart,” Echidna chuckled, laying a mothering hand on the bag. “Today… you will be her prey.”

Y/N gulped and she felt Percy stiffen beside her. 

“Are you afraid yet? Oh, it’s all right. Fear is natural. It’s also essential to the hunt. Your fear. Your doubt. Your confusion. I needed  you to understand what was happening so that she could track your scent.’ Y/N was suddenly hyper-aware of the blood dripping down her finger, of its scent lingering in the air. “So that she could learn and grow, because that’s what a good mother does for her children.”

The bag unzipped, furious growling filling the air. Y/N breathed in, her hands twitching, well aware she wasn’t able to use her bow and arrows in such a proximity. She was cursing the day she chose to learn archery, instead of sword fighting.

“Not that you would know,” continued Echidna, her face now devoid of any emotion. 

Y/N’s jaw clenched and she saw red before her eyes. She did know. And she had a feeling Percy did too.

The bag opened with a whoosh. Y/N squinted her eyes and she realised that whatever was in that bag, had a sharp tail.

“You should run now,” smiled Echidna. 

“Duck!” yelled Y/N, as she leaned over with her hands sheltering her head. A draft of air rustled the hair from the crown of her head and she heard a resounding stab near her. Pained screeching followed and she raised her head to see Annabeth sticking her dagger into the monster’s tail. 

“Go!”

Y/N shot up from her seat and bolted towards the door, slamming it open. She sprinted down the corridors, almost sliding as she went. Padded footsteps told her the others were close by.

“You! Stop! Stop!”

Her teeth grinded together as she recognised the policeman’s voice. The train shuddered and she stumbled, falling into a door compartment. She looked over the shoulder, seeing Annabeth lock the door behind them. 

“Percy!” Grover exclaimed, his voice wavering. He reached out to take something glittering out of Percy’s green shirt. 

Y/N frowned and she leaned closer. 

“What is that?” panted Percy.

“It’s a stinger,” replied Annabeth, running up to them. 

“It got to you?” asked Y/N, her eyes wide as she stared up at Percy. The boy only swallowed as he held eye contact with her. A grimace flashed across his face.

“Grover, do you know what kind of monster has one of those?”

“I don’t know. I mean, nothing good probably.”

“Do you feel okay?”

Percy moved his gaze off Y/N onto Annabeth. His breathing turned heavy and he was clutching his shoulder, his eyes widened. “I think so. Why? Do you think it’s poisonous or something?”

“I’m not sure,” replied Annabeth, studying the stinger. 

Y/N sighed through her nose, her eyes flashing. “I told you to duck! Why are you never listening?!”

Percy snapped his gaze back onto her, eyebrows furrowing. “Why are you always ordering me around?”

She scoffed. “Would you prefer for me to leave you to die?”

“Guys, is this really the best time?” asked Annabeth as she looked behind her at the officers banging on the door. The train whined and stumbled forward before slowing down. The sound of approaching, thunderous steps shook the train. Y/N’s eyes widened in horror as a door’s window shattered, the metal creaking and the lights flickering. Familiar growling reached her ears and she took a stumbling step back. 

“We gotta move!”

They rushed through the corridors, out of the train and over the train tracks, hurried steps raising dust and leaving traces behind. They came to a stop once they didn’t hear the growling anymore. 

“Why isn’t it still chasing us?” heaved Percy. 

Y/N inhaled a breath of air as she doubled over. 

“Echidna said whatever she was hiding in that carrier, it’s young. It won’t venture too far from her mother. She’s learning to hunt and this seems like the hunting part,” explained Athena’s daughter, fear clouding her eyes.

“Great,” muttered Y/N as she straightened her back, a faint pain stabbing her in the side. “Let’s go, we can’t stay here.”

Soon the train tracks were replaced by streets and buildings. The occasional raw green of trees popped up between the gray of buildings and concrete as Y/N marched down the street, her hand now gripping her bow. Her mind was reeling and there was a hurry in her steps. 

“We aren’t gonna be able to outrun them for very long,” said Grover, struggling to keep up with her. 

“I know,” replied Y/N, her knuckles turning white on the bow.

“We don’t need to,” intervened Annabeth. “We just need a safe place to hole up.”

“Some place safe,” added Percy. “Any ideas where we might find one of those?”

Y/N spared him a glance. He was much paler than a few minutes ago, his lips turning an alarming shade of purple. He glanced back at her once he felt her gaze on him and she blinked before looking forward. 

“I do,” said Annabeth, her voice confident and steady. She skipped a few steps ahead, now leading the group. “A sanctuary, dedicated to Athena, built by one of her demigod children a long time ago.”

“There is an Athenian temple hidden somewhere in the middle of downtown St. Louis?” asked the satyr, disbelief written on his face.

“Yes. Except it’s not all that hidden.”

A wide arch stretched towards the sky, bending and shining under the sun. To Y/N’s eyes, it looked like an unfinished bow and she grinned upon seeing it. 

“It’s 630 feet wide, 630 feet tall, both to within an inch. It’s got no internal support. Each side is balanced perfectly against the other. The arch is held up by symmetry. It’s held up by math,” said Annabeth as they entered the Gateway Arch, a sparkle in her eyes and her voice filled with pride and wonder. “And it’s earthquake-proof, so Poseidon can’t ruin it.”

“Impressive,” said Y/N, sending her best friend a smile. Annabeth smiled back.

“Nice,” added Percy. 

Annabeth excused herself as she made her way through a crowd of students on a school trip and Y/N wondered for a split second what it would have been like if they were simply just kids, visiting a monument with the class. “This is how you show Athena your love. A monument to the power of perfection.”

“It’s a monument to some other stuff, too,” replied Grover, looking towards an animal skull and a rifle put on display. 

Y/N’s smile fell off her face at the sight of them and she worriedly glanced at him. His eyes were glued to the skull and his jaw clenched. It was the first time she ever saw Grover harden his face. Whenever she thought of the satyr (which was much more often when he was away from Camp, as her mind worriedly travelled to one of her few friends) she thought of a face warmed by the sun, a face lightened by a soft smile. She tried catching his gaze in an attempt to reassure him, but he avoided any eye contact. 

“You’re talking about what some humans want this place to be about. I’m talking about what it actually is.”

“Annie,” Y/N gently called out, slowly shaking her head.

Annabeth met her gaze and softly sighed. 

“Whatever,” replied Grover, looking around. “We’re safe here, right?”

“No monsters can enter. Not even Echidna. We’re safe.”

“Great. Well, since our train exploded, I’m gonna see if there’s another one we can get tickets on. We can’t stay here forever.” Grover’s gaze slid to a picture hung on the museum wall, depicting two horse riders hunting a bison, holding a pair of rifles.  “Just because we’re prey, doesn’t mean we need to be helpless.”

“Do you need help with that? I can come with you,” offered Y/N, mustering what she hoped would be a kind smile.

“No, it’s alright," replied the satyr, before walking off.

A silence stretched for a few seconds before Percy spoke up, walking around and letting his eyes travel the size of the room. “He doesn’t like it when people mess with animals.”

“Yeah, I know. I shouldn’t have snapped at him, I just–” Annabeth sighed. “I know.” Her gaze shifted between her best friend and Percy before she took a step back. “I’ll go help him out. Even if he said he didn’t need any help.” 

“Right,” nodded Percy.

She sent Y/N a pointed look that screamed “Behave!” as she walked away. The girl just rolled her eyes in reply. A thick silence fell between her and Percy and Y/N crossed her arms, taking in the sight of the small museum. 

“So, uh, this is Athena’s place, huh?” she heard Percy ask as he shuffled his feet.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. He was looking around, slightly swaying on the spot. 

“Apparently so,” replied Y/N, frowning as Percy took in a laboured breath.

“Wonder if she’s around.”

“I doubt it”

“Be right down, just going to the potty,” said Percy in a squeaky voice, attempting a posh, British accent.

A smirk tugged at Y/N’s lips and she turned fully towards him. “Charming.”

“I have a gift,” smiled Percy.

“Who told you that?”

“My mom.”

Y/N’s smirk faltered and she uncrossed her arms. “I’m sorry about your mom.”

Percy just shrugged, a sadness swirling in the ocean of his eyes.

“I know how you’re feeling.” 

She did. When her mother fell sick, she lived in a constant state of waiting. Waiting for her to live, waiting for her to die. Waiting for someone or something to give her a sign. A small flicker of hope. And when her mother took her last breath, Y/N felt as if she had lost a part of herself, as if someone had taken her from her. Afterwards, everything was a blur. She didn’t remember the first month after her mother’s passing, nor did she recall the funeral. But she remembered the rage that had clawed its way into her heart. 

Percy’s eyes locked onto hers. “You do?”

“Yes.”

He just nodded, almost imperceptibly. “I’m sorry about your dad.”

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. “Yeah, well, I’m sorry, too.”

Percy waved his hand around. “This is a temple, right? You can pray to him. Like you did back at the Camp.”

“I’m past praying.” She moved her eyes away from him, already feeling that rush of fire taking over her and clouding her mind in red wrath. “I’ve prayed enough. He doesn’t seem to listen.” She turned her eyes back on Percy, who was closely watching her, his pale lips parted. “But maybe you should try. Maybe Poseidon will listen.”

Percy’s gaze fell on the floor. “No thanks.”

“Why not?”

He took in a shuddering breath, as he raised his ocean eyes to hers. “My father…He… I don’t want anything from him, not like you do. He’s had his chances. You’ve done a lot more for me in the past few days than he ever did, even if you annoyingly love to order everyone around. But I’ve seen you do it with care and if I’d had to stick to someone, I–”

He fell silent..

“What? You’d stick with me? Is that what you were about to say, seaweed brain? You don’t even know me.”

“I wouldn’t stick only with you. The others, as well,” he swallowed.

She squinted at him. “Right. And if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought you were thanking me for ordering you around but—” She stopped short once she noticed his uneven breathing. The vibrant ocean in his eyes was now a dull shade of blue and the once now tanned skin was ghostly white, the freckles prominently spotting his cheeks and nose. There were dark eye bags that weren’t there before. “Hey, are you feeling alright?”

He nodded before he collapsed. Y/N latched onto him just before he hit the floor. “Woah! Easy there!”

Thundering footsteps announced her friends’ presence and she grimaced as she struggled to keep Percy upwards.

“Hey! What happened?”

“I think– I think those stinger things were poisonous,” croaked out the blond as he gave up and slid down on the floor. 

Y/N’s frantic eyes met Annabeth’s. Her friend only reached towards Percy, taking him by the arm. “I have an idea. Come on, help me.”

Standing in a fountain wasn’t something that Y/N had on her bucket list. As a matter of fact, she hadn’t even spared the idea a thought. But there she was, crouching in front of Percy in the middle of the fountain, spraying him in the face with water. She scrunched her nose in disgust. The water fountain wasn’t very clean. Not like the creeks in the woods. Not like the one behind the cabin. 

“You look awful, seaweed brain,” she said in an attempt to raise his spirits, her tone teasing. 

The boy met her gaze, pain twisting his face. He inhaled a sharp breath. “Gee, thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled as she threw a handful of water onto his face. He coughed it out.

“The water cured him back at Camp, it should work for poison too, right?” asked Annabeth as she splashed water onto him from the side. 

“Right, but I don’t think it’s working, Annie,” replied Y/N, sharing a worried look with Grover. She looked back at Percy. He was blinking the water out of his eyes, breathing heavily, his chest rising up and down in an effort to ground himself. 

“You know, I think it’s– I think it’s working,” he eventually breathed out, his voice scratchy. “This was a great call.”  He grimaced as he leaned his weight on his hand and tried getting up, only to fall back into the water not even a second later. “Or not.”

“Maybe it needs to be naturally running water for Poseidon to be able to heal him,” deduced Annabeth.

Y/N opened her mouth, her mind sparkling with an idea. Wasn’t the Mississippi river just behind them? A car honking interrupted her train of thoughts. It slid down the road, tires screeching before it spun out of control and crashed, the widows shattering, coating the street with sparkling glass.

“Okay. We need to get back inside,” said Annabeth, an urgency in her tone.

“No, we need to keep trying!” replied Grover.

“This isn’t working and she’s coming!”

“Grov, listen to me,” said Y/N, her voice firm and authoritative. “We can’t be any help to Percy if we’re killed, can we?”

The satyr’s eyebrows frowned in regret and he sighed. Another car honked, police sirens wailing in the distance. Y/N snapped her head around. Echidna was advancing towards them with steady steps and a smile stretching on her face. 

“Gods,” Y/N mumbled, a cold fear scratching at her neck, raising her hair. 

“Okay, look, we’ll take Percy inside and we’ll go to the temple’s altar,” voiced Annabeth, getting up. 

“Altar? Where is there an altar?” asked Grover, standing up, water dripping down his arms.

“The highest point, the best view.”

Y/N’s gaze locked onto Percy’s and she sighed through her nose. Her hands reached out to him, latching around his shoulder and arm. “At three, okay, seaweed brain?”

The boy nodded.

“One, two, three!” She pulled him up, heaving as her Converse almost slipped on the wet floor of the fountain, water sloshing around them. Percy breathed out as he leaned his whole weight on her and she almost staggered. 

“Okay, but what good is that even gonna do us?”

“We’re gonna get to the altar and we’re going to ask my mom for help,” replied Annabeth, a note of finality in her voice.

“I thought we don’t ask for help,” said Percy, looking at her. 

Another car honking and skidding down the path. 

“Come on, let’s get moving.”

Grover took hold of Percy’s other arm, putting it around his neck. Together they jumped out of the fountain, landing with a splash on the concrete. Percy swayed before Y/N put her arm around his back, steadying him. “Gods, kelp head, you weigh like lead.”

“Sorry,” he grimaced, leaning all his weight on the satyr. 

“I didn’t tell you to stop leaning on me, did I?” she said, pulling him back onto her.

“Guys, d–did you hear that?” asked Annabeth, her voice shaking. She was trailing behind, looking towards Echidna. 

Y/N’s footsteps faltered and she frowned, turning toward her best friend.

“Hear what?” questioned Grover.

The girl remained silent for a second, her eyes flickering between the three of them. There was a confusion and a familiar sadness simmering in her gaze, one that Y/N got to know in the time she befriended Annabeth. During camp fires, and quiet nights when the nightmares became too much, during fiery sunsets at the edge of the Camp, near Thalia’s pine tree.  “Annie?”

Annabeth only hastily shook her head. “Never mind. Come on.”

They rushed to the entrance, hastened steps slowed down by Percy’s weight. They dodged crowds and made their way into a tram. Y/N, with the help of Grover, let Percy fall gently into a seat, before she settled next to him. The fluorescent blue light of the tram coloured his face in the shades of a million oceans, illuminating his now discoloured freckles and dark indigo circles under his tired eyes. He was panting and Y/N realised that speaking hurt him, as well. 

“What was that back there? What did you hear? She spoke to you. Alecto did that with me back in the museum in New York. What did she say?” he asked Annabeth. 

Y/N’s gaze moved onto her friend, watching her closely. She was avoiding her gaze, her lips parted and eyebrows slightly furrowed. And Y/N knew then that what she must have heard had to do with one of her many wounds. The kind that only cut deep when growing up with the absence of a mother. One that Y/N knew all too well. “Annie, did she–” But the sound of growling froze her and she snapped her head towards it. Echidna had just entered the museum with her head held high and back straightened in pride and silent rage. The shadow of a monster with two sharp horns was stretching on the wall. Y/N gaped as the tram’s door slid closed, fear paralysing her body, her mind going in overdrive. The tram jolted and started to ascend. 

“Was that the Chimera?” whispered Grover, shock painting his features. “I think– I think that was the Chimera! 

“It was the Chimera,” replied Y/N, still staring at the closed door. 

“How did the Chimera even get inside here? How did any monster get inside here?”

“Annabeth?” called Percy, trying to stay upright but failing. His breathing was shallow. Y/N could hear it near her ear. 

She shifted her eyes on Annabeth. Her best friend was still staring down at the floor, blinking and furrowing. She caught her gaze. Shame was painting her cheeks in a dusty pink and her eyes turned into a dark pool of sorrow. 

“We’re in a sanctuary. Athena would have had to let her in, but why would she do that?”

“Annabeth! What did Echidna say to you?” asked Percy, frustration building in his tone.

She sighed through her nose. “She said my impertinence wounded my mother’s pride. And that that will be my doom.”

Y/N’s lips parted. “No…” she muttered in realisation, guilt starting to eat at her stomach. She clenched her fists on her knees.  

Percy started shaking his head, eyebrows creasing together. “Impertinence? What kind of–” His face softened, eyes widening. “Medusa’s head.”

“I embarrassed my mother.”

Now there was a hole in Y/N’s stomach, a glowing deep red flashing beneath her eyelids. “But how’s that possible? You didn’t do anything.”

“I’m the one who sent the head to Olympus,” added Percy, crouching in pain. A drop of water fell from his hair onto his forehead as he shook his head. “I signed the note. Only mine and Y/N’s names were on it.”

“And I went along with it!” flared up Annabeth. “It embarrassed her. Now, she’s angry.”

Y/N shook her head, remorse lacing her features. Her hand itched as it wanted to reach out for her friend’s, but the guilt handcuffed her, tying her to a surging anger and a deep flowing regret. 

“Guys, what are we gonna do?” inquired the satyr, eyes downcast.

“She isn’t gonna help us when we get to the top to save Percy.”

“No, I meant what are we gonna do about Echidna and Chimera?” emphasised Grover, looking between them. “They’re gonna be right behind us!”

“We’re gonna fight,” answered Y/N, feeling the curving of the bow on her back.

The tram slowed to a stop, its door opening with a ding. 

“We’re not gonna have much time. They’ll be up here any minute. And if my mother isn’t going to protect us, then we’ll just have to fight it up here,” said Annabeth as she came out the tram, putting her bag around her shoulders, determination glinting in her eyes.

Y/N followed her out, marching up the stairs. She came to an abrupt stop, as chatter filled her ears. Tourists crowded the top of the Gateway Arch, smiling and pointing towards the view. 

“Oh, no,” voiced the satyr from beside her, steadying Percy up. “We gotta get everybody out of here.”

Y/N swallowed, looking around the room before a wailing alarm slashed the air, blaring and whining. She jumped at the sound of it, before she felt the warm hand of her friend on her shoulder, guiding her along. “You and Percy follow them down.”

Y/N frowned, stopping in her tracks, implanting her soles into the floor, letting them grow roots there. “Absolutely not!”

“What? No, no, no. W-we’re not splitting up,” agreed Grover, shaking his head.

Annabeth sighed, taking him by the arm and pushing him down the hallway. “Grover, come on.”

“No. No, no, no, no, no, we’re all getting out of here together,” breathed out Percy, his lips by now cracked and dry. 

“We won’t make it. Someone has to stay back and slow her down and buy everyone some time.”

“And that someone has to be you?” retorted Y/N with a frown etched on her face.

“Yes. It’s the only way.”

“Well, then, I’m coming with you.”

“What? No.”

“I’m coming with you, Annie. Whether you like it or not. Whether you want to or not. We’re in this together,” Y/N replied, taking her by the hand. She gave it a comforting squeeze. 

The girl opened her mouth in protest, but fell silent upon seeing the lightning in Y/N’s gaze. 

“You’re not Thalia,” continued Y/N, her tone harsh. “You don’t have to do this alone.” 

A look of understanding passed between them and Annabeth’s frown softened. She nodded and squeezed Y/N’s hand back. “Come on.” She pushed the boys down the stairs. “Okay, help him down the stairs and get him to the river. And don’t stop. Not ‘till you get to Hades, not ‘till you have the bolt. Do you hear me?”

The blond started to shake his head, his eyes moving between the girls, his mouth hanging open in clear panic.

“Okay, go,” urged Annabeth.

“It’s not negotiable,” voiced Y/N, staring down at Percy. 

He inhaled a breath of air to reply before a shot of pain made him cower and grimace. 

“You need to get to the river. We’ll be fine, seaweed brain. We’re tough girls.”

“But–”

“Just listen to me this once,” she cut him off. “Trust me.” 

She sent him a small smile and started closing the door, her other hand still in Annabeth's. 

“Wait! Take this,” said Percy, taking a pen out of his pants pocket. A metallic ringing tinkled in the air. A golden, glowing sword materialised in Percy’s hand and he held it out for Y/N to take. She hesitated. “Keep it, you’ll need it, seaweed brain.”

“You need it more than me now,” he croaked out.

“I have my bow and arrows and Annie has her dagger.”

“Just take it,” he sighed.

She reached out for it, wrapping her hand around the handle. It was smooth to the touch, the metal cooling her hand. “Thank–” But with a grunt, the boy pushed her through the door and down the stairs. Annabeth fell behind her, knocking into her and Y/N lost her footing, crashing into the satyr. She whipped her head around after Grover steadied her, but the door to the panoramic view was already closed.

“Hey! Open this door!” she yelled, banging on it with knuckled white fists. 

“Hey! Percy! Percy, please!” Grover pleaded. 

“Percy, no! Don’t do this. They’ll kill you.”

“You idiot! Open this door right now!” 

Percy’s muffled voice travelled to them through the door. “Poseidon’s never helped me before. He wasn’t gonna start now. I would’ve never made it to Hades. But you can. And now you will.”

She heard enough and with a low grunt, she turned around, marching down the stairs, a scowl curling her lips downwards. 

“Y/N? Where are you going? Y/N!” Grover called out after her but she ignored him, her determined steps carrying her down. Her blood was boiling again and she took out her bow, the wooden curve of it fitting in her hand like the piece of an intricate puzzle. She turned the corner, arriving on the first floor. Her eyes roamed around the room, stopping onto an opened tram. She looked around, seeing a scrawny teenager dressed in the uniform of the museum as he hurried to the exit, the alarm still blaring in the background.

“You!” she called out to him.

The boy turned his head towards her, his gaze fearful. He pointed towards himself. “Me?”

“Yeah, you! You’re gonna make this tram work and ascend towards the top,” she replied, marching up to him, her jaw clenched. 

“B-but, miss, the alarm–”

Her voice turned thunderous, her eyes flashing, as she raised her bow and an arrow. “You will do as I say.”

The teenager stammered, his eyes flickering between her and the weapon before he hastily nodded, rushing towards his working cabin. Y/N followed his example, marching towards the tram. After she entered, it closed with a bang and jolted as it started ascending. She lost her balance, colliding into the wall. With a pained grunt, she rose up as the door opened with a ding. She sprinted out, running up the stairs, her hand gripping her weapon. 

“I knew you were coming, demigod. My little one here sensed your blood,” Echidna’s voice echoed, a malice coating tone. “She said it smelled sweet.”

Y/N panted as she arrived at the top, her heart beating in accord with her heavy breathing. Her gaze flew around the room, seeing no sign of Percy, but a hole into the floor. Flames were licking the floor and walls. Echidna was standing proudly in the middle of the room, the Chimera growling beside her, showing its sharp fangs.

“Where’s Percy? What did you do to him?!” she shouted. 

“Down below. 630 feet below. Are you in a rush to meet his fate?” Echidna replied, cocking her head to the side. “Perhaps that can be arranged.”

The Chimera started advancing towards her, opening its mouth in a loud growl. Y/N shuddered and raised her bow, willing her hand to not tremble. The monster growled once more, its scaly skin catching the light of the flames. A bulb of fire scorched the air towards her and she dodged it, before launching an arrow. It stabbed the Chimera in the neck. It gave out a pained growl and raised its tail to hit her but Y/N let another arrow to slay the air, implanting itself in the tail. 

“You really don’t know when to quit, do you?” she heard Echidna say. 

Y/N shook her head as another arrow flew, stabbing the Chimera in its chest and drawing blood. The red slits of its eyes widened and the monster gave out a furious growl, raising its paw, sending Y/N across the room. She fell to the ground, hitting her head. She blinked, grunting in pain as she tried getting up. A buzzing filled her ears and blurred lines obscured her vision. Growling reached her ears, padded steps shaking the Arch. Y/N searched herself for more arrows, quickly realising she ran out of them.

“Heroes have short lives,” Echidna’s voice echoed, stepping towards her. “You are no exception. It’s just how the tales go.”

Stinging tears gathered in Y/N’s eyes as she crawled away from the monster. Fear froze her body, her stomach turning into a small knot as a lump blocked the air in her throat.

And then she felt it. 

Something electric seemed to travel through her body, needles pricking her skin. But they didn’t hurt. It was as though someone was caressing her skin, energy leaving in its wake. It was levitating and life-giving. 

She felt very much alive.

And then she finally understood. She understood that her father was the king of the skies and of gods. And that she was his daughter, in every conceivable way. And that despite his long absence, he granted her the power to pick herself up from the cold ground, that his powers and skies were also hers, that he was the sky she grew up under and that even in her most thunderous dreams he chose to show himself in ways she hadn't understood at first.

Her feet lifted from the ground, her eyes glowing purple, and she let the energy welcome her home, her hair ruffling in the wind. She raised a hand, conjuring lightning and directed it at the Chimera. It bashed upon the monster in crackling fire and thunder. The monster whimpered before it charged towards her, its skin burning, smoke swirling into the air. Y/N raised both of her palms and hit the monster with a final lightning. It dissolved into ashes, wind carrying them away. 

“No!” shouted Echidna, her voice breaking. “You monster!”

The wind slowly lowered Y/N to the ground and she blinked the glow out of her eyes. Her hands still crackled with alive energy. “Between the two of us, I think you’re the monster.”

Echidna’s face darkened with a scowl, as she stepped towards Y/N. The girl realised that she preferred her bone-chilling smile. She took a step back. “Above it all, I am a mother. And you took that from me.” 

“You killed Percy!”

The Mother of Monsters steadily advanced towards her, her scowl slowly turning into her sinister smile. Y/N backed away from her until the back of her sneakers stepped onto the edge of nothing. She regained her balance, as she looked over her shoulder. The ground was stretching before her eyes, wind hollowing. 

“Who’s gonna save you now? You have no one. A motherless and abandoned child.”

She whipped her head around. “That’s not true,” she replied, her voice trembling. “My father helped me today!”

Echidna tilted her head at her, still smiling. “Poor you, so naive. I am so sorry, but you took my baby from me.” Her hands clawed out to her, slashing her across the shoulders and pushing her down the open hole into the floor.

And then Y/N was falling. 

Chapter Text

The raw grass tickled her feet as she wriggled her toes in the dirt. A giggle escaped her lips as she twirled around, losing her balance and swiftly falling on her bottom. A ray of sunlight sneaked through the pine trees and onto her face as she peered up at the swaying laundry hung between the trees. The dark silhouette of her mother hummed behind a white sheet. Another soft giggle escaped her lips as Y/N got up, her eyes shining with mischief. There was a tall pine tree in front of the cabin that she was always curious to climb. Trees had always entranced her. They reached the skies when she couldn’t. 

Tiptoeing through the mud, she peered behind her shoulder. As if sensing her, the stern voice of her mother reached her ears. “Y/N, sweetheart, I hope you’re not about to do what I think you’re about to do.”

Her face flushed in embarrassment and she remained rooted on the spot, her toes now sticking deep into earth. “No,” she mumbled. Her mother had never agreed with her climbing up trees. Or anything high, for that matter (“What if you crack your head open? What will I do with myself, then? Who will I have to love, if not you?”)

“Are you sure?” her mother replied, stretching the last word as she drew back a white sheet blowing in the wind.

Y/N nodded her head, hiding her hands behind her back. Her mother cocked an eyebrow. Y/N had a feeling she saw right through her. She always presumed her mom had a built-in lie detector. She always did seem to catch her red-handed. Like that one time she snuck in the kitchen during the night to greedily lick a bowl full of chocolate cream, which her mom was saving for her birthday cake. She was soon turning five years old. 

A small smile brightened her mother’s face, dimples adorning her cheeks. “Alright. But don’t go too far, honey.”

Y/N gave a solemn nod, waiting for her mom to disappear behind the laundry again, before she skipped towards the pine tree. It was scraping the sky proudly and Y/N almost giggled at the sight of it. She raised her little hands at the level of her eyes. She was well aware that she was too small and the tree was too tall, but there was mischief twinkling in her eyes and a smile pulling at her lips. She let the palms touch the bark, before she reached towards the lowest branch. With a grunt, she heaved herself up, raising her foot and climbing on it. A playful breeze ruffled her locks and she softly giggled, reaching towards the next branch, gazing towards the crystal skies. Her foot slipped, a splinter cutting into her skin and drawing blood, and she let out a scream as the hold on the branch slacked and gave away. The top of the pine tree was shrinking as Y/N heard the distanced cry of her mother. 

Then a delicate, cool breeze hugged her from behind, ruffling her hair and encircling her arms. It gently lowered her on the ground and Y/N blinked upwards at the skies. The footsteps of her mother thundered on the ground as she came into her vision, her face suddenly pale. She picked her up, holding her against her hip, while worriedly checking her injuries. 

“Mommy, did you see that?” asked Y/N, pointing towards the branch she fell from. “I flew, the wind played with me, mommy. It didn’t let me fall.”

Her mother sighed, looking her in the eyes. “Yes, I saw, sweetheart, but we can’t always rely on the wind, now can we?”

“But, mommy, it took care of me.”

Her mother softly smiled at her, caressing her hair. She leaned over her forehead, planting a gentle kiss there. “I know. The wind loves you.” She hugged her daughter to her chest. “The wind and the skies love you. And someday, you will understand why.”

A tear slipped down Y/N’s cheek as the memory flashed before her eyes. She let out a shuddering breath as chill raked her arms. She was falling much like she did that sunny day, back when she was still living in the cabin in the woods with her dear mother. Back when the sun seemed to always shine between the branches and the leaves of the forest. 

Growing up, she was never afraid of heights. She used to climb trees taller than the cabin in hopes of reaching the skies. She wasn’t afraid of climbing them, not even when her hands and feet slipped. Because if she did, somehow a gust of wind embraced and let her down gently. 

But now, when she was rushing towards the earth, she had realised that maybe, just maybe, she should have listened to her mother. Maybe, just maybe she feared falling from the sky. And that maybe, just maybe she would meet her doom all the way down. 

She squeezed her eyes shut, wind whistling past her ears, whipping her hair around. She was suddenly reminded of that night four years ago when she first arrived at Camp. When she stubbornly opened the door to a moving car and jumped out. She wanted to shriek at the memory, to forget the rumbling storm and icy rain drops, but no sound escaped past her lips. She was pretty sure she could taste them if she opened her mouth. She was more than ready to meet her demise when a gentle breeze hugged her from behind, righting her in a standing position. Her hair had fallen back and she opened her eyes when she felt her feet touch the ground.

She knew it then.

She breathed out and raised her gaze towards the sky in a silent thank you. A thunder rumbled, but as fast as it came, it went. Her skin still pricked of energy, goosebumps raking her arms. She gulped, moving her gaze away from the clouds towards the Arch. Smoke billowed in the wind, swirling towards the sky and hiding the top like a veil. She flexed her hand once she realised she lost her bow and arrows forever. 

A siren wailed in the distance and she whipped her head around. The police and an ambulance were rushing down the road, towards the Arch in flashing lights of red and blue and Y/N quickly came to the conclusion that a child like her could raise questions near a smoking and wrecked monument. Taking a few steps backwards, she let her eyes roam around her surroundings, and seeing no sign of Percy, she took off towards the Mississippi river, her heart thundering in her chest.

The sun was now clearing away the clouds, throwing golden rays onto the river. Her soles burned against the pavement, inside her Converse. There was a knot in her throat as she searched the surface of the river. 

“Percy?!” she croaked out, a few strands of hair falling onto her face. “Percy, can you hear me?”

A splash resounded from somewhere to her right and she whipped her head towards it, the knot now falling down into her chest, squeezing her beating heart. Her feet carried her away, closer to the water and she came to an abrupt stop once her eyes caught sight of a soaked Percy standing in front of her and blinking in the sunlight. The knot came undone and she sighed in relief, before a surging anger travelled through her veins. “You!” she yelled, pointing at him.

“Hello to you too,” he replied nonchalantly, a small smile pulling at his lips.

“You— you idiot!” she added, marching up to him, a frown darkening her features.

“I thought I was a seaweed brain.”

“You moron!”

“I honestly prefer seaweed brain.”

“What were you thinking?!” she said, shoving him in the shoulder.

“Ow! That hurt!”

Y/N froze, her furrow falling from her face, a genuine concern replacing it and simmering in her eyes. “Does it still hurt?” she asked meekly, thoughts of the Chimera poisoning her mind. 

“No. But it’s nice that you care,” grinned Percy.

She scoffed, disbelief washing over her features. “This is no laughing matter! I was worried! We all were actually–” 

“I know.”

“I thought that you had died–”

“I know,” he sighed. “But I’m fine. More than fine, actually. Things are different now,” he replied, smiling down at her, the blue in his eyes resembling the ocean at the sunrise.

Y/N blinked, her eyebrows twitching. “Different how?”

Percy moved his gaze away from her towards the river beside them. “My dad… He saved me.”

She followed his gaze, furrow softening. The little waves were catching the sunlight and the water almost seemed golden. The sky was now crystal clear and Y/N could have basked in the tranquility of it all if she ignored the fact that she was in a race against time. She turned her gaze back on Percy. His eyes were shining in the sun, the pool of his ocean reflecting the depth of the river. A few drops of water rolled out of his hair, trickling down his forehead and Y/N watched it glisten. 

“He healed me,” continued Percy softly. “I breathed.” He turned to look at her. “I could breathe underwater.”

“I was really worried,” replied Y/N, meeting his gaze. 

“I know, I’m sorry.” He fully turned his body towards her, a few drops of water sliding down his temple at the movement. “I’m really sorry, but I had to do it. Nothing gets past you, you’re so stubborn and I couldn’t let you, nor Annabeth fight that thing, so I–” 

Y/N huffed before she jumped, letting her arms encircle his neck, bringing him into a hug. He smelled salty. Y/N had never gone to the ocean, or beach for that matter, but his scent strangely reminded her of that. He was cold and his soaked clothes sent a shiver down her spine. She felt him hesitate before he gently put his hand around her middle. “Never do that again,” she ordered, but her tone was soft.

He didn’t reply, a silence interrupted only by the sloshing of the river and the whirring of a distant helicopter falling between them. 

“I’m glad you’re alive, fish face,” whispered Y/N. 

“Fish face?” furrowed Percy as he stepped back from the hug. “Just how many nicknames do you still have left?”

She shrugged “I don’t know. I’m not counting them.” A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. “Unlike you.”

He opened his mouth to reply, his eyes twinkling with mischief but Annabeth’s strained voice cut the air. “Y/N! Percy!”

Y/N turned on her heels, her heart beating out of her chest. She squinted against the sun as Annabeth’s worried face morphed in the sunlight. Her eyebrows were raised in disbelief and her eyes shone with a worry Y/N hadn’t seen before. She let her gaze slide toward Grover who was slightly panting. And Y/N figured she had scared him a bit too much when she took off running down the stairs. An apologetic smile started to flourish on her lips.

“Hi,” she heard Percy say beside her and she almost scoffed at his nonchalant tone. “Look, I’m sorry about shoving you in the stairwell. Shoving both of you”, he added as he glanced at Y/N, who just rolled her eyes in response. “Even hearing myself say that sounds really bad, but I just–  I knew none of you would never agree and there wasn’t enough time–”

Annabeth reached them in three long strides and pulled both of them in a bone crushing hug. Y/N yelped, almost losing her footing before she melted into the group hug, letting her hand fall on Annabeth’s back. A warmth travelled through her body, making its home in her heart and she smiled. She met Grover’s gaze over her friend’s shoulder. He softly smiled back at her, just like he did all those years ago when they first met. She closed her eyes, basking in the quietness of the moment, well aware Percy’s shoulder was touching her own. An electric energy, now familiar, caressed her skin and she smiled at the feeling of it.

“So… you’re not as dead as we thought you’d be,” voiced the satyr, pointing at them and smiling slightly. There was a note of relief in his tone.

Y/N stepped out of the hug and met Percy’s eyes. 

“Surprise,” he said, smiling. 

Confusion pulled Grover’s lips into a frown. “But– but you’re not wet, Y/N. How did you–?”

The girl felt her best friend’s steady gaze on her and she shuffled her feet, a heat creeping up her neck.

“If Poseidon didn’t save you, then who did? continued Grover, watching her.

“Zeus,” replied Annabeth, her voice sure. “Zeus saved her.”

“What?” exclaimed Percy, as he turned his full body towards her. 

Y/N scoffed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. “There’s no need to make a big deal out of it.”

“But that means–”

“Yes. I’m a forbidden child, seaweed brain.” Her eyes locked onto his. “Just like you.” A look of understanding passed between them, as Percy’s eyes turned a darker shade of blue. They were both different in ways others would never understood. Y/N suddenly remembered her first Capture the Flag. She remembered how a gust of wind seemed to appear out of nowhere and hit Clarisse in the chest. She remembered how there always seemed to be that eagle in the sky, closely watching over her. How every time she touched the bark of Thalia’s pine tree, an almost familiar energy welcomed her, pricking and tickling her fingertips. How she always seemed at peace near her tree, despite never having met her. How that one lightning saved her from the two-headed dog all these years ago. How it saved her now.

Percy mustered a soft, encouraging smile and Y/N let her hands fall to her sides. 

“What happened?” asked Grover. 

She shifted her gaze onto him and inhaled a breath of air. “I killed the Chimera.”

Surprise overtook Grover’s features and he babbled. Y/N let a laugh escape her lips. “Someone wasn’t too happy about it.”

“And short version, we need to go to Santa Monica” added Percy, blinking a drop of water out of his eye. 

Y/N’s eyebrows shot to the top of her head and she met her friends’ gazes, exchanging looks of surprise. 

“What, like now?” asked Grover.

Percy just nodded, shifting his gaze between the three of them. 

“We’re supposed to head towards Los Angeles, kelp head,” said Y/N. 

“And we will. But first we need to make a stop at Santa Monica. My father’s gonna meet me there. He’s gonna help us.”

Y/N detected a note of hopefulness in his voice, a light, airy confidence striking sure words and a straightened back posture. She raised her eyes to the skies in a silent question, waiting for a response, for a sign if they’d ever meet. The sky was crystal clear but she could have sworn she saw a lightning flash in the distance. 

“Okay. Uh, just one problem with this plan,” said Grover as Y/N pulled her gaze away from the horizon. “The police think we crashed an Amtrak train and then did that.” He pointed towards the Arch. Black smoke raised towards the skies, undulating like an inky veil. 

“Th– the cops are after us?” asked the blond. 

“Yeah.”

“Great, I’ve always wanted to be a fugitive,” voiced Y/N, rolling her eyes. 

“Isn’t that gonna make it hard for us to get on a train? Or a bus? Or really anything you need tickets for?”

“We’ll just have to walk,” replied Y/N as she shared a look with Annabeth. Athena’s daughter nodded, a twinkle of determination shining in her eyes. “And be careful not to be seen.” She turned to look at Grover and Percy as she squared her shoulders and took in a breath. “Come on, we have a long way to go.”

Sweat trickled down Y/N’s temple as the sun beat down the crown of her head. She huffed out a breath as she watched her shadow stretch on the pavement. It walked ahead of her with steady, albeit tired steps. It collided with Percy’s shadow and she glanced up at him before she moved her gaze away. A bird cawed in the distance and with a heavy heart Y/N realised it wasn’t an eagle’s cry.

“Hey, guys,” voiced Percy. “I think this quest might be harder than we thought. I’ve been thinking.” Y/N  glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “I didn’t steal the master bolt. You guys didn’t steal the master bolt. I mean, why would you? Y/N didn’t even know Zeus was her father until a few hours ago. We’re pretty sure Hades has the master bolt, but he couldn't have stolen it himself.”

“You’re quite the Sherlock Holmes, aren’t you?” asked Y/N, a smirk tugging at her lips.

The blond rolled his eyes, but there was a grin threatening to blossom. “I mean, we don’t even know who actually stole the thing, or why, or how deep this goes.”

Silence stretched on for a few moments as Y/N exchanged looks with Annabeth and Grover.

“I’m the last person to realise this, aren't I?” continued Percy, looking towards Y/N. She only smiled.

“Yeah,” answered Athena’s daughter. 

“Okay, so…” he sighed, lowering his gaze. “Maybe when we started, my head wasn’t fully in this, but since the river…” His voice faded as he raised his gaze towards the horizon. “It all feels different somehow. He saved me. My dad. I guess I just never really thought that’s something he’d do for me.”

His words echoed back to Y/N and she found comfort in them. She glanced at her hands and for a split moment she was sure she saw purple crackling energy enveloping her skin. But as fast as it came, it went.

“So, maybe I gotta take things more seriously now.”

A revving engine cut through the air and the four of them stopped in their tracks. Y/N threw a look over her shoulder, squinting. 

“Car,” said the satyr. 

Y/N frowned, blinking. It didn’t sound like the engine of a car. She knew what a car sounded like. Her aunt used to drive her to school everyday. She couldn’t pick her up every time, though. Sometimes she worked two shifts, other times she struggled to juggle two jobs. There was never enough time. So, Y/N either walked home or took the bus. She hated both options. She’d rather teleport back in her room, under the covers, waiting for something to change. 

“That’s not a car, it’s a bike. Just let it pass. Come on,” voiced Annabeth, as she pulled her by the hand. 

They hurried to hide behind a stone barrier stretching along the empty road, cowering as they did so. Y/N took a seat on the dusty ground, squeezed between Annabeth and Poseidon's son. Her shoulder was touching Percy’s and she shifted slightly away. 

“I’m saying, we’re not just trying to retrieve a thing,” he continued, looking between them.  “I think we might need to be detectives here, too.”

“Yeah,” replied Annabeth, her tone even. 

Y/N glanced at her. It wasn’t often when Annabeth was on edge. The only time she ever saw her that way was when the Chimera was hunting them down. But this time, Y/N could feel her worry and nervousness in cold waves. There was an alarming look in her eyes as she looked at the ground in front of them, moving them as if she was searching for something. And then, Y/N knew. Her friend was trying to make sense of something, to find some answers, some logic, to predict something. Or to prevent it.

She let her hand fall on her friend’s and Athena’s daughter moved her gaze onto her. Y/N tipped her head to the side, her eyes softening. A question was forming in her eyes, but Annabeth only sighed. 

Percy’s voice cut the silence. “Why are you being weird with me again?” He was looking over Y/N’s shoulder at Annabeth, an eyebrow cocked. “I thought we weren’t doing that anymore.”

“I’m not being weird,” replied Annabeth as she pulled her hand away from her hold. 

“Yes, you are. You’ve been weird since we left the Arch.”

Annabeth sighed as she met Y/N’s eyes. 

Percy’s mouth morphed into a perfect “O”. “Oh, I get it” He shrugged, still looking at Athena’s daughter. “It doesn't have to be a thing, you know. That you hugged me.”

Y/N almost huffed in surprise. A heavy weight settled on her heart as she moved her eyes between her best friend and the blond, before she shook the thought away, frowning in confusion at herself. 

Annabeth sighed. “Oh, boy.”

“I mean, we’re like friends now,” nodded Percy. He let his eyes fall on Zeus’ daughter, the ocean in them turning a lighter shade of cerulean. “And anyway, it was a group hug. Y/N hugged me too. That seems like a thing friends do.” He blinked and moved his gaze away from her. “At least, I think they do.”

“I saw the Fates.”

Y/N stiffened and she snapped her head towards Annabeth. “What?”

“Back at the Arch, I saw the Three Fates, and I saw Atropos cut two pieces of thread.”

“And that’s bad or…?” questioned Percy as he looked down at Y/N.

“Well, it’s not great,” she replied, a shiver running down her spine.

Grover gulped. “The Fates weave the life strand of every living thing. When you see a string cut–”

“It means death,” interrupted Y/N, her throat closing in. 

“It means two of us are going to die,” added Athena’s daughter, her hands clenching her knees, knuckles turning white. 

Y/N let her head fall against the stone barrier. It was of the most scorching heat and she let out a silent breath. She wasn’t a stranger to death. She first looked into its eyes at the raw age of six. They bore the warmth of a mother and the empty depth of no tomorrows. Y/N blinked and the pain of the memory subsided, leaving in its wake the heavy weight of a silver necklace. She felt a gentle nudge from her right and she turned to meet Annabeth’s reassuring gaze as if she already knew what she was thinking of. She always knew. Y/N sent her a grateful, small smile before turning away.

“We’re all gonna die eventually,” voiced Percy.

“Some of us leave too soon,” Y/N replied wistfully, gazing into the distance.

“I’m sure it’s not the case here, thunder girl.”

Upon hearing the nickname, she spared him a glance. He was bearing a slightly crooked smile, his eyes still clear as day. They strangely reminded Y/N of the river from behind the cabin she was brought up in. Much more blue, but equally crystalline, shining. “Yeah,” she breathed out, taken aback.

He shrugged. “I’m sure no one’s gonna die. At least, not now.”

“Soon,” said Annabeth, a tremor hidden well in her tone. “It’s a warning, an omen.”

The approaching revving of an engine reached Y/N’s ears and she backed more into the stone barrier. She turned to shush Percy once he started to sigh, but he just ignored her, turning to look at Grover. “Okay. Guys, we need to talk about this whole fate thing.”

She huffed out in annoyance as she tugged him on the arm in an attempt to silence him. He only jabbed her in the side. “Three old ladies with a ball of yarn can’t know what’s gonna happen. What I choose to do changes what’s gonna happen, and I choose to do anything I…want.” His voice faded in a question as silence fell between, the revving of the engine no longer filling the air. 

Y/N frowned, her hold on Percy’s arm going slack. 

“Need some help?” a hoarse voice cut the air like shards scratching concrete. 

She shared a look with her friends, starting to shake her head once Percy began getting up. She tugged on his arm once again, that familiar knot settling in her throat for the second time that day, but he just helped her upwards. She sighed through her nose, throwing him a short glare before Grover’s gentle tone caught her attention.

“Beg pardon?” 

“I asked if you could use some help,” the stranger repeated. 

Her eyebrows twitched. He was dressed as one of those characters from the show her aunt used to watch late into the night (after she tucked her in, she used to tiptoe all the way into the living room and click on the TV to watch some biker soap opera. And Y/N used to listen in until she fell asleep). But the sight of him, for some reason, ignited a searing fire through her veins. Red flashed before her eyes as she gritted her teeth in an unexplainable anger. 

“Nope. No. We’re– we’re good. Appreciate you asking, though. So long,” replied Grover in a meek voice. 

Y/N felt Annabeth pull her by the hand back behind the barrier and she fell in her seat, the shade cooling the fire in her veins. A single drop of sweat trickled down her chin, falling on the concrete with a deaf splash.

“You don’t seem too good.”

She sighed. “We were fine until you came, actually,” she yelled out. “Just leave us alone.”

“We don’t want anything from you,” added the daughter of Athena as she peeked over the barrier.

The biker let out a laugh. “You sure? Because you guys are so behind schedule.”

Y/N froze. She shared a look with Annabeth before she slowly got to her feet, the others closely following suit. “Say that again?” she frowned.

“You are so, so behind schedule. And someone isn’t very happy about it,” he sang, with a grin stretching on his lips. As if on cue, thunder rumbled in the distance, the sun now hiding behind grey, heavy clouds. “I mean, summer solstice is just a few days away. And as much as I’d love to see a good war pop off, as your big cousin and brother, I feel like, maybe I wanna give you a hand.”

Y/N’s breath hitched and her hands fisted, searching for the familiar curve of her bow but coming up empty. 

“Cousin?” inquired Percy. 

“Ares,” responded Y/N and Annabeth in unison. 

“Ah, yes, my little sister. I looked forward to meeting you, but I gotta say, so far you haven’t given me a warm welcome.”

Y/N scoffed, crossing her arms. “How did you even–?”

“Come on, I thought you were smarter than that. An unclaimed kid shoots lightning out of her hands and kills the Chimera? I’d say it’s pretty obvious. And you know how fast news travels.”

Y/N moved her gaze away, her blood boiling. 

“And you must be Athena’s kid,” continued Ares, a note of disdain surfacing in his tone. “Always gotta be the wisest one in the bunch.”

“Why would you help us?” asked Annabeth. “How do you even know about what we’re doing out here?”

“Because I’m doing exactly the same thing as you.” The god’s eyes panned onto Y/N. “Zeus sent all of his kids out looking for the master bolt, too.” At the mention of her father, she met his eyes with a furrowed gaze. “Listen, dummies. I’m hungry. There’s a halfway decent diner up the road. If you want my help, you’ll meet me there. But don’t dawdle. Won’t wait forever.” He smirked, nodding at Y/N. “Wanna hop on, kid?”

The girl felt Percy stiffen beside her and she raised her chin. “Thanks, but I’d rather walk,” she replied, wearing a strained smile. 

“Your loss,” he said as he put on his eyeglasses, despite no sunrays dancing in the skies. The engine came to life once again, he threw them one last smile and he revved down the road, his coat flapping in the wind. Dust swirled upwards in his wake and Y/N almost coughed. 

“That’s my cousin?” questioned Percy in disbelief.

“And my brother, apparently.”

“What kind of family is this?”

“A twisted one,” she replied as she watched the retreating form of Ares disappear into the horizon.

“Come on,” waved Annabeth as she started down the path, as a few shy, golden sun rays started to peek through the clouds. Y/N followed her without looking back. 

The door opened with a cheerful chiming as Y/N stepped into the diner. She was immediately hit with the appetizing smell of fried food. The rich aroma filled the air and she gulped as her stomach grumbled. She turned around and held the door open for Percy, who sent her a small smile in thanks. She hesitantly smiled back. 

She let her eyes roam around the whole room, quickly realising that the restaurant was a faithful image of the one her aunt worked at for a long amount of time as a waitress. Y/N recalled how sometimes she would hang around there when her aunt used to take two shifts. She would try to do her homework, but would give up after the words jumbled stubbornly in front of her eyes (English was the worst of them all, but for some odd reason she used to excel in Ancient Greek. Now she knew why). 

She caught sight of a small family taking lunch together and a warmth blanketed her heart. The father gave more of his fries to his small daughter, before sending a knowing wink to his wife, and suddenly the warmth was replaced by green envy and Y/N had to swallow the sigh that almost escaped her lips.

A roaring laughter filled the air and Y/N whipped her head around. Ares was sitting alone at a table for four, with two filled plates of fries and cheeseburgers, holding his phone in his hand as he tipped his head back in laughter. 

“Guess this is the right place,” voiced Percy. 

Y/N pursed her lips and followed him to the table, the soft pattering of shoes telling her the others were close behind. Ares shook with a jittering chuckle as he typed something on his phone. He spared them a glance. “Gimme a second, I’m just starting a fight on Twitter here.”

Y/N sighed as she squeezed in between Percy and Grover. 

“Nothing makes me happier than a good-old fashioned, burn-it-down fight,” the god snickered. He threw his phone on the table. “Ah. Okay, done.” He leaned on the table, smiling as he watched all four of them. “So, your quest… is going to fail. Ask me how I know.”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. For a split moment she had the urge to kick him under the table. Instead, she simply scowled. 

“It isn’t going to fail,” affirmed the son of Poseidon. 

A scoff turned chuckle escaped Ares’ lips. He picked up his phone and held it out for them. “For starters…”

Y/N frowned as she leaned closer to it. A man in his forties was headlining the ABX News. There were a few tears rolling down his cheeks and into his moustache but his lips slightly tugging in a satisfied smile betrayed him. “Percy was always troubled, but I never thought he was capable of something like this.”

Her eyebrows shot to the top of her head and she turned to look at Percy.

“Wh– who’s that?” she heard Grover say. 

“My stepdad. What’s he doing?”

“Wait for it,” grinned Ares. 

“And in addition to the destruction at the Gateway Arch you believe he may also have had something to do with your wife’s disappearance?” a static voice filled the silence between them.

“A kid that messed up? What wouldn’t he do?” replied Percy’s stepfather. 

Disgust twisted Y/N’s gut. “Idiot,” she mumbled. Ares must have heard her, as he sent her a small smirk. 

“What?” exclaimed the blond. 

“Wild, right?” responded the god. “The FBI is already spreading your picture around.”

Y/N inhaled through her nose, as she furiously stared at the screen. 

“It’s a Camaro. I really– we really loved that car. So much,” sobbed the stepfather. 

Y/N’s lips curled in disdain. “He’s an idiot,” she repeated. 

“I’m gonna kill him,” voiced Percy, clenching his jaw. 

“I knew I was gonna like you,” said Ares, pride coating his words. “But that’s not all.” His finger slid on the phone screen and a new video played. Y/N started once she saw the concerned face of a woman speaking into the microphone a reporter had thrusted into her mouth. By the looks of her red eyes, she must have cried. She absently heard Percy asking her who the woman was, but all Y/N could focus on was the unshed tears and the eye bags under her eyes.

“Is that your mom?”

“No, she’s–” Y/N blinked and swallowed. “I don’t–”

“Aw, so emotional,” cooed Ares. “It’s been a long time since you’ve last seen her, isn't it? Unfortunately, she’s currently being questioned about why her niece wrecked the Arch, along with a boy wanted by the FBI. So, you know, it isn’t a pretty picture.”

“No, she’s a good kid, it’s not her fault. I know her. My Y/N would never do this,” her aunt’s voice trembled. 

 He turned off his phone, the screen turning black. Y/N found it hard to tear her eyes away from it. 

“Safe to say, the chances of you four idiots hitchhiking the rest of the way to L.A. without getting arrested are slim to none.”

“Why are you sitting here then?” questioned Annabeth, her tone harsh. “If you’re supposed to be looking for the master bolt, too, shouldn’t you be out there looking for it?

A small laugh passed Ares’ lips. “Hm, there’s no fear in you, is there?”

The girl only shook her head in reply. 

“Doesn’t matter. Whether the bolt’s retrieved or not, Zeus is going to war with Poseidon.”

Y/N stiffened. She gulped as she shared a look with Percy. She suddenly realised that if she was a child of thunder and lightning, and him one of the waves and sea foam, a war would pull them to different shores and that thought alone sent a shiver down her spine. 

“No. The Oracle said if we return the bolt there wouldn’t be a war,” he frowned.

“Is that what she said? Or is that what Chiron said she meant?”

Silence fell for a few moments between them.

“You’re new to the family, young one, so let me fill you in on how we work,” voiced Ares, his gaze locked onto the blond. “See, years before I was born, my grandpa Kronos ate my aunts and uncles.” He leaned closer, the look in his eyes blazing. “Yeah. Then my dad made him puke them back up, then chopped him into a million pieces and chucked ‘em into a bottomless pit, so that kinda set the tone right outta the gate. Olympians fight. We betray. We backstab. We will push anyone down a flight of stairs to get ahead.” A grin stretched on his lips. “And that’s why I love my family so much. My dad knows he’s not getting this bolt back with quests or goose chases. He knows there’s a war coming. And in reality, I think he’s okay with that. I think he feels it’s just time for a war, so we’re gonna have a war. Isn’t that great?”

“You’re sick,” spoke up Y/N. Her stomach churned as she looked at her supposed brother. His presence alone awoke in her a deep rooted hatred and a fire that burned her from inside out.

His gaze panned onto her, still grinning. “No, sweetheart, I’m loyal to the family.”

She sarcastically smiled back. “Really? Could’ve fooled me. How’s Clarisse doing?”

The grin slowly fell from his face as he stared back at her. He gritted his teeth, a habit that Y/N realised they had in common when getting mad. He cracked a bitter smile. “You have daddy’s temper. But then again, it does run in the family.”

“Does ugliness run in the family too?”

Ares went to open his mouth but Percy’s firm voice cut the air. “We’re completing this quest. We’re stopping this war. You said you can help.” He raised his eyebrows. “Can you?”

The god moved his gaze away from his sister and onto Percy. He softly sighed. “Okay, so here it is. There’s an amusement park up the road. I left my shield there. You get me my shield back, and I’ll get you to the Underworld by lunch tomorrow with a plan to invade Hades’ palace.”

“You left your shield? Like, forgot it on the merry-go-round?” inquired Annabeth, raising an eyebrow.

Ares’ gaze hardened and he leaned on the table. “Okay. The chirping was funny to me for a minute, but it is getting old.”

“What, like you?” sneered Y/N. 

“You have quite the sharp tongue, kiddo.”

“You have quite the ugly face.”

The god breathed out through his nostrils, much like an angered bull would. “So do we have a deal, or am I killing all four of you so I can eat in peace?” he said in a raised voice. 

Y/N backed into her seat, her thigh grazing Percy’s. 

“Okay,” the blond agreed after he took a look at her. 

 A grin illuminated the god’s face and he leaned back. “Great. One catch. I really do need that shield back, so I’m gonna keep the satyr here as collateral so you don’t run off,” he pointed a finger towards Grover.

Y/N jumped in her seat, a frown darkening her features. 

“What? No,” protested Annabeth.

“Okay,” interjected the satyr.

“Grov, no,” pleaded Y/N, looking at him, starting to shake her head.

He reassuringly smiled. “It’s okay.”

“No way,” interjected Percy, turning in his seat. “We don’t split up again.”

“It’s okay,” repeated Grover, sending him a slight smile. It fell from his face as he turned to look at Ares. “If he wanted to kill us, we’d be dead by now.”

Y/N searched the god’s face for any hint of deceit. She found none as he looked into her eyes, bearing that conceited smirk of his. She felt her rage spike up and she scowled his way. 

“Can I just walk them to the door?” asked Grover softly. 

Ares only sighed and waved them out. Y/N burned holes into his forehead once she saw him picking up his phone back again, a laugh rumbling from his chest. In a fit of fiery rage, she kicked the leg of his chair when she passed it, making it tumble forward into the table with a resounding smack. He turned around, searching for the culprit, that blazing, crazy look back in his eyes. She only smiled and shrugged innocently. 

“Okay, look. Don’t engage with him,” declared Annabeth once they reached the door. “He’ll wanna get you riled up, get in your head and you can’t let him.”

“It’s okay. really,” replied the satyr, mustering an encouraging smile. “I know what I’m doing.”

“We know you do, Grov. Just–” Y/N sighed. “Just be careful. Don’t let him get to you.”

The satyr nodded. “Don’t worry. Go. Get the shield. I’ll be here when you get back.”

Y/N hesitated for a moment, looking back at her friend before she stepped forward to hug him close. She felt him quickly hug her back, his warmth enveloping like the most awaited sun shining after a heavy winter. When she stepped back, Annabeth’s hand met her shoulder. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” responded Y/N, throwing Ares one last glare. “Let’s do this.”

The door closed with a ding after the three of them and a tug at Y/N’s heart told her they would find more than they bargained for. 

Darkness fell as Y/N’s Converse scuffled against the dusty path. She breathed out as she gazed ahead, into the hidden horizon. There was a chill just settling into her bones when she heard Percy speak. 

“Did you really come back for me?”

Y/N blinked, sharing a quick look with her best friend, but Annabeth started quickening her steps, leading them into the tar-like air. She sighed in frustration.

“What?” she replied, not meeting his eyes. She could feel them steadily on her, watching her every move. A shiver went down her spine. She blamed it on the cold.

“At the Arch. Did you come back for me?”

She spared him a brief glance before she sighed. “Yes.”

“Why?”

She finally braved her trembling heart and turned her head to look at him. His eyes were shining with the light of hope, as if he was waiting for a certain kind of answer. He searched her face for any clues, any crease of eye, any tug of lip to betray her well hidden thoughts. But her face remained devoid of emotion. “Because it’s the right thing to do,” she replied, her tone even.

His lips parted. “Right,” he muttered. 

Y/N pursed her own lips before she rushed to Annabeth. Her ears picked up on Percy falling into step with them and a heat pricked up her neck. She felt Annabeth look at her from the corner of her eye and she was suddenly a small child being judged for stealing a candy from the dentist’s counter. 

She straightened her back once she saw an open gate, as if it were waiting for them for some time now, on which “Welcome to Waterland” was written in bold and enormous letters. “That must be it,” she said, as she pointed towards it. She stared up at it, letting her gaze take all of it in. It seemed abandoned. There were no fairy lights or merry-go-rounds. Or any joyous children’s laughter. There was no sweet aroma of  cotton candy hovering in the air. She would have preferred to pay it a visit during the daylight, but between fighting the Chimera for lunch and retrieving a shield at night, she’d choose the latter. At least she wasn’t alone. 

The wind picked up and ruffled her locks, an eerie silence howling beyond the gate.

“I haven’t seen a lot of horror movies, but this seems like exactly the kind of place they’d suggest to avoid,” voiced Percy, stopping in his tracks.

“Very encouraging, fish face. It helps a lot, thanks.”

He sent her an apologizing grimace. 

“I’ve never seen any kind of movie. I’ll have to take your word for it,” said Annabeth as they started walking through the gate. 

“Never? What do you mean never like, never-never ?” asked Percy, looking at her over Y/N’s head. 

“Is there another kind?”

“Well,” breathed in the blond, “if neither of us is dead in a few days, we really ought to fix that. You’re missing out. The four of us could go to the cinema or have a movie night.”

Y/N briefly looked at him. An image of the four of them sprawling on her aunt’s favourite carpet in front of the TV sharpened itself in her mind. Her aunt would bring them snacks and fawn over them. Eventually, she would start narrating embarrassing stories about her niece (which, alas, weren't that many, as they only met once her mom got too sick to take care of her on her own). A warmth blossomed in her chest and she softly smiled at the thought. She could pretend she was a normal child, for once. 

“In the meantime, we should probably get this over with, though,” added Percy as he stepped forward to a turnstile. It was rusty at best and Y/N hesitated as she watched Percy push the gate open. Screeching metal reached her ears and she winced. 

“Wait, Percy, stop!” exclaimed Annabeth, reaching out. 

The boy flinched, stopping abruptly between the bars, stuck in the middle of the turnstile. Clinging, furious metal filled the air from somewhere from above. Y/N raised her gaze, every fiber in her muscles tensed as she took a step forward. 

“Wait, what just happened?” asked Percy, panic trembling in his tone. 

“Just hold still,” continued Annabeth, her hands still held out. “Gimme a second.”

Y/N frowned as she caught sight of the flicker. The metal was shining bronze in the moonlight and it wasn’t rusted. It looked clean and sharp and familiar. She started as she fisted her hand, almost feeling the ghost of her lost bow and bronze arrows. “Is that–” 

“Yeah, I believe so,” sighed Annabeth, turning to look at her. “But why would–”

“Hey, is it what, exactly?” yelled Percy, his voice strained. His eyes were glued to the metal screeching above him, his jaw clenched. Y/N recognized the fear. It was reflecting in the way he stood upright, tensed and on edge. As if he were helpless, as if he couldn’t do anything about it. He turned his head to meet her eyes, looking for help and answers. 

“In the mechanism there, that’s Celestial bronze,” clarified Athena’s daughter, wonder twinkling in her gaze as she stared up. 

“Oh, fascinating,” he spat out, sarcasm coating his tongue, as he shifted his gaze away from Y/N and onto Annabeth. 

“Celestial bronze is what your sword is made of.”

“What my arrows were made of,” added Y/N as she stepped closer to the turnstile. The past tense on the verb and the felt absence of her weapons left an ache, a hole in her right hand. She flexed it as she studied the mechanism. She wished she still had her bow and arrows. They would have been no use, but at least she would have felt that she had some control over the situation. The metal creaked and she winced, inhaling through her teeth. 

“If you’re human, it’ll pass right through you,” continued Annabeth. “If you’re a monster or a demigod…” Her voice faded, the rest of the sentence weighing heavily in the air between them. 

Percy gulped, still eyeing the mechanism. “Well, what’s it doing there?” he asked in a raised tone.

“That’s a great question,” voiced Annabeth. She let her eyes roam around, through the darkness and beyond the gate. “Safe to say, this is not just some amusement park.”

A chill ran down Y/N’s spine and she turned her head, searching in the dark. She had the odd feeling as if someone was watching her. Spying on her from behind.

“A god built this,” she heard her best friend say. A breeze picked up and raked her arm, goosebumps lying in its wake. For a split moment, she almost thought she heard a whisper. She took a step closer to Annabeth, the warmth of her body immediately calming her down and grounding her into the moment.

“What kind of god builds amusement parks?”

“Hephaestus.”

Y/N gulped, looking over her shoulder one more time before she pinned her gaze ahead at Percy. He was still gazing upwards, slightly shifting his weight from one leg to the other. Y/N recognized the flight-or-fight response in him and she shuddered as another cold breeze ruffled her hair.

“Why would Hephaestus build an amusement park?”

“Maybe he finds them amusing?” suggested Annabeth, slightly shrugging. 

“That’s really not funny, Annabeth.”

“It’s a little funny.”

Y/N would have cracked a little smile at the joke if it weren’t for the hoarse whisper travelling to her ears on gusts of wind. 

“No hero…”

She snapped her head around, eyes scrutinizing the jet black darkness, past the bushes and in between the skeleton-like trees. She saw nothing but leaves dancing in the wind.

“Did you guys hear that?” she spoke, taking her best friend by the elbow. She was warm to the touch.

“Hear what?” replied Annabeth, following her gaze. “There’s nothing there.”

Y/N frowned. “I just–”

“Could we, maybe, hurry?” snapped Percy, stress seeping into his tone. 

Y/N whipped her gaze at him, eyes flashing in lightning strikes. “Could you, maybe, lower your voice?”

“Easy for you to say, thunder girl.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Oh… oh, look at that,” said Annabeth as she nudged her best friend. Y/N followed her gaze. Her lips parted once she saw how the mechanism rearranged itself in a cluster of metallic tongues and shining running wheels. It strangely reminded Y/N of that one old clock her mom kept in the living room. It always broke but she somehow put it together with just a screwdriver. Y/N always thought she was handy at pretty much everything. Her aunt, on the other hand, always called the block’s administrator every time something broke in the apartment. He was a chubby, red-faced old man who always brought her a mint.

“That’s cool,” voiced Annabeth, her eyes twinkling. 

“Girls!” called out the blond. 

Athena’s daughter sighed. “Just relax. I’m on it.” She inhaled as she squinted her eyes up at the mechanism. “Okay. I get this. Just– just push through it.”

Y/N looked at her best friend but Annabeth just nodded in reassurance.

“Push?” heaved Percy looking at both of them from the corner of his eye. 

“Yep,” nodded Annabeth.

The blond hesitated, turning on his heels, hand reaching out to the rusted bars before he stopped. “Cause weren’t you the one this morning who was all The Fates say one of us is going to die and we should take it really seriously ?” he asked, one eyebrow arched. 

“Percy?”

“Yeah.”

“Just push.”

Percy let his gaze slide away from Annabeth and onto Y/N, confusion and uncertainty simmering in his eyes. Y/N pursed her lips, before nodding. “Just do as she says. It’ll be fine.”

The boy only thickly swallowed before throwing one last look at the mechanism, a small sigh escaping his lips. He pushed the bars, his shoulders squared and tensed, until the tip of his Adidas touched the pavement from the other sighed. A relieved breath escaped his lips as a ding filled the air. “What was that?”

Y/N glanced at Annabeth, who urged her to go next. Her trembling hands caught hold of the bars. They were rough at touch. If there was something that she could compare them to, it would have been the bark of a tree. But the bark wasn’t red and that hurtful. It didn’t dig into the skin as rust did. Grinding metal filled the air and Y/N winced at the sound. 

“The machine wasn’t designed to hurt us. It’s meant to scare us. It’s a test,” explained Athena’s daughter as she watched her best friend reach the other side.

Another ding chimed in the air and Y/N tilted her head upwards. A vintage-looking panel illuminated the number two in bold characters. A screeching metal reached her ears and she snapped her gaze back on her best friend once she heard her say “It’s stuck.”

“What?” Y/N frowned, rushing towards the gate. 

Annabeth was pushing the turnstile, her knuckles turning white on the crimson bars, a frown stretching on her face. “It doesn’t move,” she heaved.

Percy hurried next to Y/N, his eyebrows pinching together in confusion. “What? How’s that possible?”

Annabeth paused, the hands on the bars going slack. “It’s a quest only for two.”

Y/N’s lips parted, a surging anger travelling through her veins. “But Ares–”

“He knew.” Annabeth raised her head and met her eyes. “He must have known.” She nodded towards the amusement park, looking over her friend’s shoulder. “And Hephaestus wanted to know any time one of us came poking around his playground. I guess now he knows.”

“But–” Y/N shook her head.

“I’ll be fine,” interrupted Athena’s daughter in a firm voice. “I’ll just go back to the diner.”

Y/N blinked, her heart clenching on its own as she looked at the darkness stretching behind Annabeth. That eerie voice echoed in her head again and a lump clawed up to her throat, making it harder to breathe. She shook her head once again as her hand took hold of one of the bars separating the two of them.

“I’ll be fine. It’s just down the road,” repeated Annabeth, this time gentler. She let her hand fall on Y/N’s and gave her a smile. “And anyway, I’m a tough girl. You said it yourself.”

Y/N let out a watery laugh as she remembered her own words from back at the Arch. “Yeah, I know. The toughest.”

Her best friend squeezed her hand before she nodded at Percy. “Good luck.”

Percy mumbled a thanks as Y/N mustered a small smile. She backed away, her hand falling to her side before she turned to follow the boy into the unknown. She threw one last look over her shoulder but Annabeth had already disappeared.

Y/N’s Converse scuffled against the cracked pavement and she hugged herself once a breeze picked up. 

“Are you cold?” she heard Percy say from beside her.

“No,” she replied in a harsh tone, not meeting his eyes.

A silence stretched on between them. Y/N averted her gaze from him, letting her eyes squint against the darkness, at the abandoned rides around them. They were rusty, childish in nature, but she recognized the intricate mechanism on all of them.  A soft smile blossomed on her lips. “Annie would have loved this place.”

“I don’t get you,” voiced Percy, his tone sharp and cutting.

Y/N whipped her gaze at him. “What?”

His eyes were a tumultuous sea storm and Y/N choked on her own words.

“I just don’t get you. I thought we weren’t doing that anymore.”

“Doing what?”

“You going distant and cold on me. Since the Arch, I–”

“What?” inquired Y/N, her frown falling slightly.

Percy hesitated, blinking and licking his lips. “I thought we were friends.”

Her lips parted, her arms falling back to her sides. There was something so sincere in Percy’s eyes that reduced her to shambles, crumbling her walls down, tearing her brick by brick. She felt vulnerable every time he set his steady gaze on her. She now started wondering if she was easy to read, if he could see through the cracks of her being, get a glimpse of her broken heart, of her soul. She never despised him, not really. She had despised the idea that he had everything she ever wanted but never really got. 

She started shaking her head when a playful melody filled the air in sweet musical notes. Y/N jumped in fright as a pink light blinded her. She blinked as she turned her gaze towards the source of it. In cursive, glitching rosy letters, the words “Thrill ride o’ love” invited them to enter a tunnel in a chipped boat. 

“Lovely,” Y/N said, a sarcastic smirk pulling at her lips.

“That’s not the word I would use,” replied Percy, shuffling his feet. 

“Well, the shield must be in there. It’s pretty obvious.”

“But why? I mean–” His lips pulled into a straight line. “Aphrodite.”

The girl only nodded in reply, studying the entrance to the tunnel. 

“But that’s so wrong. He met her here? In her husband’s park?”

“Yeah, well, many things are wrong with this family.”

Percy fell silent and Y/N could feel his stare on her once again. He sighed. “Sure, let’s go check out the scary ghost ride. Why not?”

The low tunnel lights were flickering in the reflection of the water, almost resembling twinkling stars as they did so. The boat was moving on its own, leaving small waves behind. The water was sloshing against the boat and Y/N was throwing looks over its edge every now and then, wondering how deep the water was. She scooted closer to Percy, her thighs touching. 

A sound thudded in the distant and Y/N’s body tensed, her hands flexing onto nothing. No amount of lightning and thunder could replace her old bow and arrows. She knew how to control those, they were sure into her hands. Steady. But she didn’t know how to get control of her newly discovered powers. 

She remembered the electrifying rush she felt back at the Arch. It felt natural, as if it wasn’t the first time. As if it was how it was supposed to be all along. She stared at her hands, willing for a spark of lightning to appear but none came. 

She absently heard Percy inhale a short breath as if he was preparing himself to say something, before another melody filled the air. Y/N snapped her gaze up, frowning, her ears straining. The song seemed to come from everywhere and her eyebrows raised once the voice of a man started singing. 

“Wow,” she said, taken aback. 

What is love? Baby, don’t hurt me…

“Feel like I’ve heard this before,” voiced Percy, straightening his back. “I think, from an orthodontists’ office, maybe?”

The tunnel lit up with colours as a string of light flooded the walls. Y/N looked at Percy. He was watching the light twist playfully in forms of lively shades of white, blue and pink and for a split moment she thought that his eyes were a pair of crystal diamonds, mirroring the light. She blinked in confusion at herself. 

What is love?

Shadows of figures appeared on the wall, a mother and her baby dancing to the beat of the song.

“Wait, I know this,” said Poseidon’s son.

“You do?” asked Y/N, trying to catch his gaze but he was still studying the story depicted on the wall. 

“It’s Hephaestus’ story,” he nodded. 

What is right and what is wrong? Give me a sign.

What is love?

He turned and met her gaze and Y/N’s breath hitched in her throat. 

“Rejected by Hera. Rejected by Aphrodite,” explained Percy, not taking his eyes off of her. “My mom told me these stories all the time. I remember this. She said–” He stopped abruptly, turning his gaze away. 

Don’t hurt me, no more…

Y/N’s eyebrows twitched. “What?”

Percy huffed in slight frustration. “She said this is what the gods are like to each other.” He met her eyes once more. “This is the kind of family they are.”

Y/N pursed her lips in thought. Growing up, her family was her mom and auntie. She had never known her father. Now she knew who he was, but she still didn’t know what he looked like. If he had a favourite colour. If he missed her mom just like she missed her. He only had a name, but not a face. 

“She was trying to keep me away from you guys,” continued Percy, pulling her out of her own mind and into the present. 

Don’t hurt me…

“Maybe you were right all along. Maybe she should have prepared me better.”

“She was preparing you, kelp head,” she interjected, slightly turning in her seat, a sudden fire crawling up her neck, heating her skin as she looked back at him. There was something about him in this light that was throwing her off. “You’re–” She gulped. “You’re different than this.”

Percy’s lips parted, slightly frowning. A moment of silence fell between them, the song still playing in the background in a white noise. “What about your mom? You never bring her up.”

Y/N froze, a million needles piercing her skin all the way to her heart.

“Was she the one on the news?”

The girl sighed, turning away from him. “No. No, that wasn’t her. That was my aunt,” she replied in a soft voice. 

“I don’t understand.”

Y/N inhaled before licking her lips. “My mom tried to protect me in a way. She wanted me to live a normal childhood. Or at least as normal as a demigod can live.” A ghost of a smile stretched on her lips. “She raised me in a small cabin, hidden from prying eyes. In the woods. I loved it there. It wasn’t much but it was home.” The smile ran away from her face and she let her eyes fall onto rippling water, on how light reflected in the small waves. “But then she got really sick and we had to move with auntie to Manhattan. I hated it there. I think I still do, I don’t know, I haven’t been home in four years now.” She inhaled a weavering breath. “And then she died. And all that illusion of normalcy she tried so hard to build died with her.”

Her voice faded and shame creeped up her neck and into her hair. She didn’t dare meet his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she heard him say.

“Thank you,” she managed to reply.

“I think once all of this is over, you should go home. To your aunt.”

She raised her head, smiling softly. “I think so too.”

Percy mirrored her smile, eyes crinkling.

Baby, don’t hurt me

Don’t hurt me, no more. What is love?

The lights went out suddenly, basking them in inky darkness before the boat started speeding up down the tunnel. Y/N gripped on her seat as splashes of cold water sprayed on her face, her hair flying behind her. She let out a yell and when the boat stopped abruptly a shaking breath escaped her lips. Her heart was beating against her rib cage and she turned towards Percy who started pointing at something in the distance, at her left. “There it is. Ares’ shield.”

She followed his gaze before she caught sight of a bronze, enormous shield. It was held by a statue behind a golden throne, which was glinting and throwing specks of light. The boat shook and Y/N gripped its edge until it hurt, until her knuckles turned a deep, hurting white. Thunder rumbled and she gasped upon seeing the boat in front of them free-falling though lightning and storm. 

“Jump!” shouted Percy. 

She snapped her head towards him, her eyes widened in fear. “What?! No, no, no. I can’t swim, I’m afraid of water and I–”

“Just jump!” he repeated, taking her by the hand and dragging her into the water with himself. 

She fell in with a loud splash, freezing water piercing her sides. Her hair floated in front of her face, obscuring the little vision she had of Percy’s golden hair. Her hand slipped from his and in panic she screamed, water flooding her mouth. She kicked her feet and flapped her arms, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t reach Percy’s fading hand. 

And then, she felt currents enveloping and raising her to the surface. She gasped, sweet oxygen filling her lungs and she took a moment to herself to cough it all out. Her throat felt as though someone scratched her from the inside with long and sharp nails. She blinked the water out of her eyes and she turned to her right, taking in the sight of a drenched Percy, who was doing much better than she was. If she didn’t know any better, she would have said that he just had a sunny and fun day at the beach. 

“Did you just use water powers to pull me out?” she heaved, her throat still sore.

“No?”

“Did you just–”

“I don’t know! Maybe? I’m figuring this out as I go.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “You saved me,” she added softly.

Percy tried shrugging it off but Y/N cut him off. “You did. Thank you.”

She could have sworn she saw a dusty pink colouring his cheeks. “You’re welcome. I’m sure you would have done the same thing.”

“No,” she replied curtly before getting up. Her knees wobbled slightly, wet clothes sticking to her skin. “I would have let thunder strike you in the head. Maybe then you wouldn't have had a seaweed brain anymore.”

She heard him huff, but she ignored him nonetheless, insteading choosing to take in the sight of the golden, sparkling throne ahead of her. The statue behind it was more imposing up close and to Y/N it looked like a soldier made from metal. It was gripping onto the shield, blocking it between steady metallic hands.

“How are we supposed to get that thing down?” asked Percy, getting up and coming near her. 

Y/N drew her lips into a thin line, shaking her head. She let her eyes slide lower and took in the intricate details of the throne. Peacock feathers were carved, swirling gracefully into the gold. At the base of each arm, two peacocks stood proudly, almost as if they were standing guard.

“Look,” she voiced, taking him by the elbow and pointing towards the throne. “Those are peacocks. You know whose symbol those are?”

She watched as Percy’s face morphed into one of realization, his shoulders falling. “Hera.”

“Exactly,” she nodded. “So, it means…”

“It was a gift!” exclaimed Percy, fully turning towards her. His eyes lit up, struck by knowledge. He lowered his voice. “It was a gift with a hidden purpose. Hephaestus offered it to Hera, but as soon as she sat in it, she couldn’t get up. All the gods tried, but the machine was too smart. It was too strong. It was too much. Even for them.” He inhaled a deep breath. “Finally, they said if Hephaestus let Hera free, Aphrodite would be his wife.” He slowly turned to look at Y/N, frowning as he did so. “The chair is the bargain. One of us goes in, the other gets the shield.”

Y/N searched his face before she nodded her head. “Alright.” She started forwarding towards the throne before Percy pulled her back. 

“Wait, what are you doing?” 

She broke free from his hold. “I’m not letting you pull that stunt from the Arch again.” She shook her head, her jaw clenching. “Not this time.” She turned on her heels, taking a step forward before Percy caught onto her wrist. 

“Wait, hold on a second–”

She whipped around, eyes flashing. “Let go of me.”

“No.”

“Let go of me, Percy.”

“No!”

She sighed in frustration. “Don’t you understand? I’ve got to do this.” Percy opened his mouth to interject but Y/N cut him off. “One of us has to and it won’t be you. It’s your quest, Percy. You’ve got to see it finished. It has to be to you.”

The blond shook his head. “No–”

“Listen to me–”

“I’m not letting you do this,” said Percy, his voice now taking a sharp tone. There was a note of finality in it that fired Y/N up. 

“Yes, you are!”

“You’re being bossy again!”

“You’re being an idiot again!”

He huffed out in frustration. “Look, you still haven’t got claimed. You haven’t met your father. That’s what you want.”

Y/N let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, we don’t always get what we want.” She struggled in freeing herself from his hold. “Just let go of me, Percy.”

“You were right,” he replied, now in a much calmer voice. “You and Annabeth were right. I can’t believe it but the Fates were right.” 

She stopped, her chest heaving and her arm went slack in Percy’s hand. Her eyebrows twitched in remorse as she looked back at him.

“There’s no getting around this. We dodged it at the Arch, barely, but… maybe this isn’t something you can dodge forever.”

“The Oracle chose you. The gods chose you!”

“Stop it! It isn’t about that!”

“It’s your quest, Percy. It is about that!”

Percy shook his head, a few drops of water sliding down his temple and Y/N was suddenly reminded of this morning when she found him after the incident at the Arch. And she thought fate to be ironic and to have a wicked sense of humour. 

“You’re better than this than me! Better than everyone. You just are. You’re determined. You know what you want. I’ve seen you in action, you’re–” He fell silent as his eyes roamed her face. They quickly softened into a look of apprehension and regret. “The point is I’m the one who stays.”

Y/N felt him gently put something into the palm of her hand and she looked down, at where he was still holding her by the wrist, just a touch of a feather. Riptide in its pen form was now in her palm. A simple pen, but she felt its weight tenfold. He closed her palm around it and she raised her gaze up to him. 

He thickly swallowed. “Believe me, I wish there was another way this quest succeeds. I just don't see it.”

Y/N wanted to say something back but her words were stuck somewhere in her throat. He mustered a soft smile before he let go of her wrist, turning around. She watched as he swiftly turned back on his heels. “I need you to promise me something.”

She inhaled, willing her throat to open and for the words to finally spill out. “I’ll make sure your mom is safe and sound. You can count on me, kelp head.”

His eyes turned watery and the soft smile on his lips stretched lightly. “I know. Thank you.” He paused as he took in the sight of her one more time, small and frail, clenching onto a pen that wasn’t his anymore, but holding a kind look in her eyes. The kindest he had seen so far.

“I was gonna say, when this quest is done, can you maybe swing back here and try to get me outta this thing?” he said, his voice breaking.

She let out a breath. “Do you really think you need to ask?”

“Just making sure,” he smiled. 

Tears gathered in Y/N’s eyes as she watched him turn his back to her and take a seat on the golden throne. The now familiar metallic clinking of a mechanism reached her ears and she inhaled.

“This is weird,” voiced Percy, looking at the arms of the throne. “It’s… warm.”

Y/N’s eyes widened as strands of gold swirl around his legs and engulfed him whole. She took in a sharp breath of air. “Stand up.”

By now, the golden threads reached his shoulders and Percy met her glistening gaze with one of his own. “I can’t.”

“Just listen to me this once and stand up!” she yelled, taking a step closer to the throne. 

“It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“Please, stand up,” she choked.

“I’m okay, I’m–”

Y/N gasped. Perseus Jackson was now a statue of gold staring back to her and breaking her heart in a million pieces. Soon the clanging of metal falling to the ground startled her. Her gaze snapped to the commotion and she recognized the shield lying face down, abandoned on the ground. She ran to it. She kneeled beside it, turning it upwards and regarding it for a moment. She wanted to scream and to throw it into the water behind her. She pushed it away from her and got to her feet. Red, hot anger flashed in front of her eyes and she gripped onto Riptide. She looked down at it before she put it in one of the back pockets of her pants. Her lips twitched as she turned to study the throne.

There must be a way to deactivate it, she thought. Everything in this godforsaken amusement park was a machine. And every machine had a mechanism. And any mechanism could be destroyed. That familiar electrifying rush came back to her, wind picking up. She hurried to the back of the throne. A myriad of small wheels stood still, mocking her. But she knew better. She could better. She raised her arm, her eyes glowing purple as lightning flashed in the palm of her hand before a voice spoke up.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.”

She whipped her head around, her arm falling back, still crackling with energy. She caught sight of a bearded man wearing glasses and a blue jumpsuit. He was looking down at her and leaning on his cane from an upper floor. Something in her gut told she knew who this man was and with a scoff she raised her arm back up, summoning flashes of lighting. “You let him out now. Or your dear machine gets it.”

The man arched an eyebrow before he whistled into a small flute. Immediately stairs broke through the water’s surface, ready to be climbed upon. 

“Off you go,” the stranger urged her.

“I am not leaving without my friend. So, you either let him out willingly or I’ll melt this throne to the ground.”

 A bitter smile tugged at Hephaestus’ lips. “In spite of what our brother might’ve told you, I am not someone who’ll be pushed around.”

“Well, I am not either. I said I am not leaving here without my friend.”

“I know our father ignored you your whole life and just recently recognized you. You walk outta here with that shield… and you’re a hero.”

That damn whisper echoed in her mind, as if she could hear it again. “No hero…” . Y/N scowled and bolts of thunder boomed in her hand. 

“He’ll be proud and you’ll finally be claimed. Isn’t that what you want? Everything will go back to normal, to how things should be.”

“But this isn’t normal!” she yelled, eyes flashing purple, wind now raging around them.. “Why should I go on a quest to earn a parent’s love and affection? Why should anyone win glory in order to be remembered? It isn’t normal, brother. And you know it. It shouldn't be like that.”

The god hesitated. He let his hand fall onto the banister. 

“Please, let him out. He doesn’t deserve any of it. He isn’t Hera. He is good. He’s better.” A tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek as her voice broke, a storm now howling in the room. She watched through the purple haze as Hepahestus whistled one last time onto the flute. She let her arm fall back down and rushed to the front of the throne. The golden strands retracted, retracing their path back down. 

Percy heaved, opening his eyes, and Y/N almost cried at the sight of him breathing again. The storm died down and she hurried to meet him halfway once he stumbled up. The question “Are you alright?” was stinging her tongue but the god’s voice resounded through the room before she even had the chance to open her mouth. 

“I do know it, Y/N.” He regarded her for a moment. “Well, aren’t you quite the thunderstorm? I’ll put a good word with our father for you.” And then he limped away, leaning on his cane, disappearing through the door he came in. 

Y/N swallowed before she whipped around towards Percy. He was already looking at her, shock and exhaustion lacing his features. 

“Are you alright?” she finally asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m– you stayed.”

“Yeah,” she breathed out.

“Why?”

“Because that’s what friends do,” she smiled up at him.

A grin broke on his face, eyes fully shining. 

“Oh!” exclaimed Y/N, digging into the back of her faded jeans. “I believe this must be yours.” She handed him Riptide and he took it from her hand with his gaze still pinned on her, grin stretching and fingers brushing. 

“Thanks.”

“Anytime, seaweed brain. Anytime.”

The door opened with a ding and Y/N stepped past the threshold seething. She was dragging the shield after her, back straightened and chin raised. The diner was empty except for Ares and her friends. Upon seeing Annabeth safe and a sound, a part of her rage dimmed down. 

She dumped the shield onto the table, meeting Ares’ eyes and crossing her arms. “You sent Annabeth with us even though you knew it was a two heroes quest?” She tilted her head. “Just because she’s Athena’s daughter? Jealous much?”

The god clenched his jaw and sat up from his seat. “I wouldn’t take that tone with me, little girl.” He towered over her, a fire burning in his eyes. “Or do you forget who you’re talking to?”

Y/N scoffed. “I’m very much well aware of who I’m talking to.” She uncrossed her arms and looked up to him with a steady gaze. “A coward.”

Ares inhaled through his nose, grinding his teeth. 

“Where’s our ride?” interrupted Percy as he got between them. 

The god moved his gaze away from Y/N and onto the blond. He waved them to follow him out the diner as he took hold of his shield. It disappeared once it reached his hands and Y/N blinked in wonder. She stepped out of the diner, the bell chiming once again, and she frowned upon seeing a truck await them at the front. 

“You’re kidding,” voiced Percy in disbelief.

Ares snapped his fingers and the back doors of the truck opened soundlessly. “Get in, don’t. I really don’t care. But in a few hours, this thing is gonna be at the Lotus Casino in Vegas. Hermes hangs out there. You play your cards right and his personal driver can get you to L.A. in minutes.”

Y/N breathed out through her nose, annoyed by his mere presence alone. 

Ares threw out a backpack to Percy. “Here. Clothes. Cash. Drachmas to summon Hermes. I’d wish you luck but what good would it do you,” he shrugged. 

“We’re not gonna fail,” said Poseidon’s son. 

A grin stretched on the god’s face. “Don’t worry. Your dad had plenty of kids he stopped caring about once he lost interest.” He panned his gaze onto Y/N.  “Isn’t that right, little sister?” He almost spat out the words as he said them and Y/N had the urge to wipe that grin off his face with physical force and rage alone. 

“You’ll have lots of company,” he continued, looking back at Percy. 

“We’re not gonna fail,” repeated Percy. He absently handed the backpack to Grover before he advanced towards Ares. “And I’m getting pretty tired of you saying it.”

“Percy,” worryingly called out Grover.

“You think you know who I am, but you don’t. And if you aren’t careful… you’re gonna find out.”

“Percy!”

The god looked at him with an impressed glint in his eyes, before he gazed at Grover.

“So, thank you for the emotional abuse and the cheeseburgers. And the ride! We’re gonna take you up on that too.”

Y/N threw Ares one last glare. “Bye,   big brother , she said, spitting out the last word. “See you at the family dinner.” The god met her with a charged glare of his own but she ignored him, following her friends into the truck, grunting as she climbed in. 

“Hey, do you think we could get some paper towels or something?” softly inquired Grover. “It’s not that nice in here.”

Ares only smiled before snapping his fingers once more. The doors closed on them, engulfing them in complete darkness. Immediately, a foul smell hit Y/N and she scrunched her nose. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought to be in a not cared-after stable. 

“Well… this smells,” said Percy.

“Charming,” she added, advancing further inside.

“If it gets us where we need to go, that’s all that matters,” replied Annabeth.

“Assuming Ares was telling the truth,” voiced Percy.

“He’s not that good of a liar. His own rage and pride betrays him,” said Y/N, crossing her arms.

“He wasn’t,” interrupted the satyr. “Not entirely, at any rate.”

“What?” asked Y/N, arms uncrossing.

“He was holding something back.”

“How do you know?” said Athena’s daughter.

“Because I think I got it out of him.” Grover looked between all of them. “I know who stole the master bolt.”

Y/N’s lips parted in shock. The lightning thief was exposed. That meant a step closer to finishing this quest. That meant a step closer to her father. A step closer to Zeus. To the skies.

Chapter Text

The truck sped down the highway as Y/N stared up at the ceiling. She had no doubt that the clock had already struck midnight, now nearing the witching hour. Silence had long settled, a silence only cut by Grover’s soft snoring and the quiet breathing of the animals surrounding them. 

Her eyelids were heavy with sleep but she didn’t dare close them. The last time she did, the image of her childhood home crumbled under the weight of shadows and deceit. The last time she closed her eyes and fell asleep, the embrace of her mother turned cold, golden eyes glaring down at her. 

She put her hands around her torso once an eerie voice echoed in her mind. It was the same words over and over again, haunting her and giving her no rest: “No hero… No hero… No hero…”

“Stop it!” she whispered back harshly and then the voice fell silent. She breathed out in relief. A bird croaked out somewhere from the back of the truck and Y/N was grateful to hear something else other than her own thoughts and the deafening silence. 

She turned on her side, watching Annabeth sleep. She seemed to have a peaceful slumber and Y/N briefly wondered if sweet dreams were taking her to a welcoming home, to places she wouldn’t otherwise reach. She hesitated before she reached out and let her hand fall gently on her friend’s arm. “Annie?” she whispered into the dark.

The girl only mumbled a few times before she turned on her back.

Y/N sighed in defeat but didn’t dare retract her hand, the touch bringing her comfort. She looked up at the ceiling before her best friend’s voice startled her.

“You can’t sleep?”

Y/N turned her head back at Annabeth. She was slightly yawning, but looking back at her all the same.

“Did I wake you up?” asked Y/N, regret lacing her words.

“Yes, but it’s alright. You can’t sleep?” she repeated.

“Not really.”

“Why? What is it?” asked Annabeth, turning on her side, her eyes shining with worry through the dark as they looked back at Y/N.

“Just nightmares,” muttered the girl, careful to not awaken the others or to startle the animals inside the truck. 

Annabeth hesitated, looking at her with such pity that Y/N preferred if she didn’t look at her at all. “They’re not real,” she eventually said, voice soft. 

Y/N moved her gaze downwards. There were some straws of hay near her head, close to her nose. She suddenly found them interesting enough to stare at them. She felt Annabeth rest her hand over her own and she hesitantly raised her gaze.

“Does this have to do with what you heard the other day?” inquired her best friend. 

Y/N felt shame creeping up her neck. She realised that she must have looked insane yesterday evening at the edge of the amusement park when, with a quivering body, she turned around in fear to search the stretching darkness, only to see nothing at all. She could have sworn she heard that chilling whisper. It was loud. Loud enough to still echo. She sought her friend’s comfort then and she hoped Annabeth would forget about it, but nothing ever escaped Athena’s daughter. 

“Y/N?” she repeated, catching her gaze. 

“It’s probably nothing,” muttered Y/N. “It must have been the nerves.” 

But she didn’t believe herself and it seemed that Annabeth didn’t either, not by the way she was regarding her, as if she was a puzzle to solve. But there was something else in her gaze, as well. A compassion that Annabeth only reserved for her, for the quiet moments only the two of them shared. 

“Can I ask you something?” said Y/N, her voice barely a whisper, as she shuffled closer to her friend. 

The girl only nodded.

“Did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That I was a forbidden child?” She slightly frowned as she inhaled. “That I was Zeus’ forbidden child?” The name weighed heavily on her tongue, blocking the air on its way to her lungs.

Annabeth hesitated. “I suspected.”

Y/N’s lips twitched, an evident hurt now simmering in her eyes. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Her tone turned sharp, but she still refused to talk louder than a mere whisper. 

Annabeth squeezed her hand, her eyebrows twitching into a frown. “It wasn’t my place to say. I couldn’t have told you. I wanted to!”

“So why didn’t you?”

“The gods– Zeus–”

Y/N scoffed as she slightly pulled away. 

“Listen to me!”

Y/N pinned her gaze back on her friend. There was an urgency in Annabeth’s eyes, a clear apology. 

“I couldn’t have told you that you were Zeus’ child because you had to be claimed.”

“I’m still not–”

“And it doesn’t make you any more different,” replied Annabeth, her voice firm. Her gaze wasn’t wavering from her friend’s and Y/N felt how the buzzing in her head quieted down and a warmth spread throughout her whole body. “You’re still my best friend.”

“Yeah…” muttered Y/N, the words dying in her throat. 

Athena’s daughter squeezed her hand once more. “You could have been any god’s child. It wouldn’t matter to me. You wanna know why?”

“Why?” voiced Y/N, her eyes getting misty.

“Because I would still see you the way I do.”

Annabeth leaned in to hug her and Y/N put her own hands around her back. The truck moved swiftly down the road, its floor was cold and stiff at best, but Y/N was content and full and relieved all at once. 

“When did you know?” she asked, her voice now scratchy with emotion.

Annabeth let out a small chuckle, the air tickling Y/N’s ear. “First week, during Capture the Flag. You blasted Clarisse into a tree with a gust of wind. Do you remember?”

“Yeah,” Y/N chuckled back.

Her friend leaned back. “You should get some sleep.”

“I’m scared,” Y/N finally admitted as a cold dread washed over her. 

A soft smile stretched on Annabeth’s lips. “We’re here.” She nodded behind Y/N and the girl turned around taking in the sight of the silhouettes of a snoring satyr and of a boy with golden hair. She turned back around and mirrored Annabeth’s smile.

“Alright.”

Her friend pulled away from the hug and settled back to her side of the floor, a kindness twinkling in her eyes as she looked at Y/N. “Alright. See you in the morning, sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams,” muttered back Y/N but she had already fallen asleep by the time the words left her mouth. 

Light flooded the inside of the truck and Y/N shielded her eyes as she looked up at Grover. 

“Does that help?” asked the satyr.

“Guess we’re about to find out,” sighed Athena’s daughter as she rolled a crystal in her hands, trying to catch the little light inside the truck. 

“It’s the most we can do,” added Y/N. As she turned on her heels, she caught sight of a Percy blinking sleep out of his eyes. The sunrays hugged his curls almost like a halo and a smirk curling Y/N’s lips. “Morning, sleeping head.”

Percy gave out a grumble as he got up from the floor. He followed her as she took a seat near Annabeth. The hay beneath her scrunched, almost dipping as it did. 

“Can you see where we are?” Annabeth asked Grover, who was still perched upon bales. The satyr nodded before he stuck his head out into the opening, through the truck’s ceiling. His shadow was now a headless silhouette on the wall. 

“We’re almost there,” he replied, coming back inside. He jumped down and his shadow was stretching across the floor, following his every move like a mirror would. 

Percy turned towards Y/N, catching her gaze. “Did you sleep well?”

She shuffled in her seat, a heat creeping up her neck as she remembered the way his eyes sparkled in the dim lights of the tunnel. “Did you?”

“I asked you first.”

“Yeah, well, I asked you second. What about that?”

“Well–”

“She slept just fine,” interrupted Annabeth, still rolling the crystal in her hands. She threw them a side glance, a little smirk pulling at her lips. 

Y/N pursed her lips. She suddenly regretted sitting between Annabeth and Percy. She felt his gaze heavily on her. He seemed to do that a lot lately. Annabeth’s teasing did not help either. What was she even teasing about, anyway? What was there to tease about?

She frowned at her friend but Annabeth just smiled back. 

“I slept fine,” confirmed Y/N as she turned towards Percy. 

He slowly nodded. “No nightmares?”

“Not this time, no.”

“Right,” he mumbled. “That’s– that’s good.”

She quirked an eyebrow as she tilted her head. “Did you have any?”

“I’m not sure.” Percy blinked, his eyebrows now pinching together. “It was sort of weird, actually. I–”

“There! I got a signal!” exclaimed Annabeth. 

Y/N straightened her back, whipping her head towards the rainbow glowing in midair. A slight, sweet ringing now filled the truck. It reminded Y/N of wind chimes blowing in the air. She glanced at Percy from the corner of her eye. The blond was still looking at her. Why was he always looking at her? It was starting to become irritating, like an itch beneath her skin. 

“You’re supposed to toss it, kelp head.”

“What?” he frowned.

“The drachma?”  she replied, raising her eyebrows and nodding at the golden coin in his hand. 

“Oh, right!”

The coin flipped in the air, glinting, before it got swallowed by the rainbow, disappearing in a burst of colours. 

“This will never stop being weird,” said Percy, staring at the rainbow.

“If you want the gods’ attention, you have to pay for it,” explained Annabeth. 

“Not necessarily with blood,” joked Y/N, smirking.

“That’s not funny,” glowered Poseidon’s son.

“Only because you have no sense of humour.”

“It really wasn’t funny though!” came Grover’s voice in a yell from the back of the truck. 

The disapprovement in his voice made Y/N grimace. “Sorry, Grov!” she yelled back.

Annabeth shushed them, waving her hands before she took in a breath. “Oh, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering.”

Y/N watched as the rainbow shone white, as if winking, before its light turned red. It wasn’t the first time she witnessed an Iris Message. She saw plenty of them at the Big House, when she sneaked past it to glance through the window at Chiron’s office. Her early days at the camp were filled with lots of wandering around, poking in places she shouldn’t (the attic was forbidden at all costs, unless one would receive a quest. The sight of the Oracle frightened her and she swore to never set foot in the attic ever again). 

“Okay, show me Camp Half-Blood. Chiron’s office,” continued Annabeth. 

The rainbow twinkled once again before the back of a boy appeared before them. It was hazy at best but Y/N could recognize the orange shirt of the camp. The boy’s black hair shone through the rainbow and she squinted at the blurry vision. “Wait, is that–?”

“Luke?” asked Percy, confusion lacing his words. 

The boy in the rainbow slowly turned towards them, surprise painting his features. “Y/N? Annabeth? Percy! Are you okay?” His voice was muffled, as if he was speaking through a phone underwater. 

A small smile bloomed on Y/N’s lips at the sight of him. 

“Yeah, we–we’re fine,” answered Athena’s daughter, an urgency now present in her tone. “Where’s Chiron?”

“And what are you doing in his office?” added Y/N as she peered at the blurry Luke. The rainbow flickered and then he came into focus once more.

Hermes’ son pursed his lips and inhaled. “Chiron’s holding camp with both hands. I’m just helping him. Everyone thinks we’re going to war, so the cabins are taking sides.” 

A chill ran down Y/N’s spine. An image of her and Percy leading their fellow demigods into war suddenly took shape in her mind. Storms of thunder and lightning resounded in her mind in maddening echoes. She blinked, chasing the vision away. “We’re not going to war,” she voiced firmly, squaring her shoulders. “We’ve got that covered.”

“I hope you’re right,” sighed Luke, shaking his head. “Please tell me you’re calling with good news.”

“We know who stole the bolt,” announced Percy proudly, raising his eyebrows. 

Luke faltered, blinking. “How do you know?”

“We ran into Ares, and Grover got him talking and realised Ares knew who the thief was but was covering for them,” spoke Annabeth, her eyes now twinkling. She shrugged. “So, who would Ares cover for other than…”

“His favourite daughter,” continued Hermes’ son. He frowned, parting his lips in surprise. “Clarisse is the lightning thief.”

Y/N nodded. “It would seem so. You’ve got to tell Chiron. He must know.”

“Chiron’s gotta arrest her, find out what she knows,” added Percy. “There’s more to this than the bolt, something bigger.”

Y/N turned to look at him, searching his face for any clues. Her eyebrows knitted together. The golden eyes she saw the other night in her dream surfaced at the back of her mind, freezing the blood in her veins. 

“Don’t ask me how I know, you just gotta trust me,” said the blond as he gazed back at her. 

“Okay, I’m on it,” smiled Luke. “So, Ares, huh? What was that like?”

Y/N almost scoffed, crossing her arms. The mere thought of her brother melted the ice in her veins, boiling her blood until she felt a quiet rage burn from inside. “He was something, that’s for sure,” she said, scowling. 

“Well… compared to the Chimera on Monday and Medusa on Sunday, could have been a lot worse,” Percy replied.

The girl frowned. “Medusa wasn’t on Sunday.”

“What? Sure she was.”

She slowly uncrossed her arms. “No, she was on Saturday.”

“Well then, what was on Sunday?

“Nothing. There were no monsters.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just am,” smirked Y/N.

“Wow,” replied Poseidon’s son, rolling his eyes.

“Guys, what is this?” Luke’s voice echoed in the truck.

“What?” asked Y/N and Percy at the same time. She spared him a glance before she turned to look back towards Luke.

“When did you turn into an old married couple?” asked Luke, crossing his arms and nodding his head towards them. A slight smirk was tugging at his lips.

Y/N felt Percy stiffen beside her as she widened her eyes, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. “We did not!”

“You’ve been arguing like that the whole quest,” retorted Annabeth, rolling her eyes. 

“Annie! Whose side are you on?”

“No one’s. I’m just telling things as they are,” smirked Athena’s daughter.

Y/N huffed out in disbelief. The heat now reached her ears, reddening them. The air inside the truck suddenly seemed too stuffy, as if someone tossed and locked her into an overheated oven. 

“Not to change the subject,’’ voiced Percy, staring at the ground, his shoulders still stiff. “But I’m gonna. We’re headed to Las Vegas to find your dad–”

Upon hearing the words, Y/N’s breath hitched and she jabbed him into the side. The rainbow flared up once more before the image of Luke smiling at them dissolved into thin air. 

“What was that about?” Percy frowned at the girls, as he rubbed his side. “You should stop injuring me when things don’t go your way,” he added as he looked at Y/N. 

“You’re fine,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “But you shouldn’t have brought up Luke’s dad.”

“What? Why?”

“You can’t ask Luke about his dad,” added Annabeth. 

Percy pointed towards the empty wall of the truck. “Well now I certainly can’t,” he said, his tone flat. 

“If you tell him we’re going to see Hermes, he’s gonna try to talk us out of it,” continued Athena’s daughter, shaking her head. “We don’t need that right now.”

Y/N inhaled. “He doesn’t like talking about him.” She glanced towards where Luke’s hazy vision should have been. His scar suddenly flashed in her mind, as a bolt of lightning would. She remembered how, in her first month at camp, she used to shy away from asking him about it. But apparently her curious gazes had been too obvious because Luke had offered her a smile, the scar stretching slightly, before he had replied in an even tone: “Bad memories. Dad.” He had let her trace his scar with trembling fingertips before he turned away from her. After that, she did not dare to bring up the subject of his scar or of Hermes. 

“They don’t get along?” she heard Percy ask, anchoring her into the present.

“At all,” answered her best friend, sighing.

Hurried footsteps shook the floor of the truck as Grover’s worried voice neared them. “Okay, got some updates,” he declared, squaring his shoulders. Y/N tore her eyes away from the wall in front of her towards her friend, taking in his dishevelled state. 

“What is it, Grov?” she asked, getting up from her seat, the others soon following suit. 

“The men driving this truck are not nice people. Traffickers.” 

“You want to free them,” concluded Y/N, a soft smile blossoming on her lips.

The satyr just nodded.

“We can do our best to help these animals escape, but not if it means if we’re jeopardizing the quest,” said Annabeth in an authoritative voice, shrugging her shoulders. 

Grover waved his hands. “Oh, no, no, no. They’ve already got a plan to get themselves out.”

Feeling someone’s heavy stare on her, Y/N turned to look at the blond on her right. Percy’s gaze was sweeping over her hair, lips parted. “What?” she asked him, frowning. 

He blinked, swallowing thickly. “You have some hay there,” he replied, pointing towards the strands of hair flowing down her shoulder. 

Embarrassed, she averted her gaze and took the straws of hay out of her hair. She was suddenly reminded of his first day at camp. She could still taste the splash of tomato sauce from the spaghetti, spiced and warm. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

“And us, too!” continued Grover, excited. He put a hand on one of the cages near him, his face lighting up with a smile. “I mean, some of these guys, so smart. They were really only missing, like, one piece of the puzzle to get the cages unlocked.”

“What’s that?” questioned Percy. Y/N glanced at him from the corner of her eye. 

“Thumbs.” Grover inhaled, as he patted the cage affectionately. “But we’re here now, so… all good.” 

“And once the cages are open, they have a plan from there?” inquired Athena’s daughter, quirking an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” nodded the satyr. “Really elegant. I mean, these guys, they’re… they’re like artists.”

Y/N breathed in. “Well, then, we should get to work.” She brushed past Grover, towards the back of the truck. “I’ll handle the birds,” she yelled over her shoulder. Percy’s stare burned her still. 

She slowed down once birds’ chirping and cawing reached her ears. Thousands of golden eyes peered at her through the darkness, little light slithering through the sunroof and into the truck. She hesitated under their scrutinizing and curious gaze. She threw a glance around the truck, catching a glimpse of Percy caressing a zebra. It neighed at his touch and she almost smiled at the sight. Sighing, she turned back towards the rusted cages in front of her and started unlatching every lock. Every now and then, the birds would nuzzle against her hand in thanks. 

It wasn’t long before she stood in front of the last cage. A yellowed sheet was draping over it, obscuring the bird shrilling behind it. Y/N took hold of the sheet, clutched it in her fist before she threw it aside. A gasp got stuck somewhere in her throat.

Electric, blue eyes were staring back at her, as black feathers caught rays of light in shimmering reflections of the darkest ink. The bird’s beak looked sharp and it curved slightly at its end. She caught her reflection in its gaze. It was as if she was looking into a mirror, crystal clear and shining. 

“Aren’t you a beauty?” breathed out the girl as she petted the eagle. The bird pinched her finger, her skin reddening at the sharp and sudden pain. “Ouch!” she exclaimed as she brought the finger up to her mouth. “Okay, so not a very friendly beauty. Noted.”

“Aren’t you going to unlock the cage?” a hoarse voice reached her ears.

The finger fell from her mouth and her lips parted in shock. She could have sworn she saw this eagle’s beak move.

“What?” she asked, frowning and taking a step back. “Did you just talk?”

Was she going insane? Were the sleepless nights and nightmares catching up to her?

The bird tilted its head, squinting its eyes at her. “Am I speaking a foreign language? I said: aren't you going to unlock the cage?”

Y/N’s eyes widened and she tripped over her own feet, falling backwards and into some empty cages. They cluttered to the ground in an echoing smash and the girl winced once her head hit the floor. 

“Y/N!” she heard Annabeth exclaim in sheer panic, followed by rushed footsteps. 

Zeus’ daughter fluttered her eyes open, massaging the back of her head. Her friends were looking down at her, worry etched on their faces.

“What happened?” asked Grover as he helped her up. 

Y/N sighed as she threw the eagle an annoyed glance. “I thought I heard that bird talking.”

The black-feathered eagle cried out in indignation. “Some respect you show!”

Upon hearing the eagle speak again, the girl huffed out and took another step back, bumping into Percy. The blond steadied her by the elbows as he shifted his gaze between the bird and Y/N. “I don’t understand. What is it?”

The satyr gasped, a grin lighting up his face. “Y/N, you can speak to eagles! Do you know what that means?”

Y/N tilted her head, frowning. “But–”

“It’s your heritage,” added Annabeth, taking a step towards her. “You inherited the ability to understand eagles and to talk to them from your father.”

The girl fell silent as she turned to look at the bird in the cage. She had always been weirdly fascinated about eagles and their brave flight. Even as a little child, she often seemed to catch sight of an eagle cutting the skies in two with its wings. But she had never been close to one. Much less speak to it.

Now looking at the eagle staring back at her, Y/N felt as if a small piece of puzzle was falling into place. And if she looked closely enough, she could see her reflection mirror itself in the eagle’s eyes. 

She advanced towards the cage and softly unlocked it, a soft clink filling the silence. The eagle bowed its head in thanks before it jumped, swiftly landing on her shoulder. She turned back toward her friends, catching Percy’s gaze. 

“Does this mean you can talk to horses?” she asked. 

The boy shrugged. “I just learned I can talk to zebras.”

“Same thing, kelp head.”

Percy scoffed but he smiled all the same. 

The truck was now rolling to a stop and Annabeth looked around. “We must have arrived. Ready?” she said, as she shared a last look with her friends.

“Ready,” replied Y/N, straightening her back. The eagle squealed in approval. Then the truck’s doors opened and a blinding light flowed into stuffy darkness. 

“Was this in the artists’ plan?” voiced Y/N, an amused smile threatening to take over her face.

Chaos now reigned on the streets of Las Vegas. Cars were abruptly coming to a stop, impatient and furious horns disrupting the steady flow of the traffic. It reminded Y/N of the days in which she and her aunt used to be stuck in the Manhattan traffic, in a tight car with the windows down. Her aunt would get irritated, tapping her foot and checking her wrist watch every few minutes, while Y/N stared out the window at the passing people, wishing to be anywhere but between concrete buildings and sparkling skyscrapers. 

“This seems dangerous,” added Percy, leaning towards Grover and watching the animals occupying the boulevard. It was a rare sight to see a camel stuck its head into a car’s window and even a rarer sight to see numerous exotic animals in a modern downtown Las Vegas.

 Some panicked shouting reached their ears and Y/N turned to see a man rushing toward his own car. A grizzly bear climbed on it, bending the shining hood. A snort almost escaped Y/N’s lips. 

“Oh, they’ll be totally fine!” replied Grover, waving Percy off. “I gave them a Satyr’s blessing, so they’ll be able to reach the wilderness safely.”

“I meant for the people.”

Silence fell and Y/N glanced at Grover. He was regarding the scene in front of him with an open mouth, as if he was seeing it for the first time. “Oh… them,” he replied meekly. “I mean, I’m sure they’ll… Yeah, I don’t know. But the animals are all set.”

“If it helps you feel any better, Grov, it isn’t very different from a normal day in Manhattan.”

The satyr softly smiled her way. She smiled back.

“In Manhattan there aren’t exotic animals,” quipped Percy, looking down at her. 

“How would you know?” said Y/N, crossing her arm and squinting up at him. The sun rays were bathing his curls in a golden halo and Y/N had to blink against its brightness. 

“I’m a New Yorker.”

She scoffed, turning away from him. “Poor argument. There’s the Central Park Zoo.”

“You just don’t want to accept defeat.”

Y/N almost scoffed again but the sight of the eagle flying across the sky caught her undivided attention. It slayed the endless crystal blue, much like a blade would, before it swooped in, speeding down towards her. It gracefully landed on her shoulder for the second time that day before it nibbled on her hair affectionately.

“It seems you have made a friend,” smiled Grover.

“It seems so,” replied Y/N in a soft voice, petting the eagle’s beak. 

A siren blaring in the distance cut the air. Y/N raised her gaze, scrutinizing the horizon. Flashing red and blue reflected in the sparkling glass buildings, speeding down the boulevard and zig-zagging through the scattered animals. 

“Okay, come on, before the cops show up,” ordered Athena’s daughter.

A shiver went down Y/N’s spine as she remembered that her face and Percy’s had been splattered on TV as wild children destroying historical monuments. They were probably in the newspapers as well. Nervously, she glanced at the strangers around her but they seemed too preoccupied with the animal situation to pay her any mind. 

“So, how do we know which hotel is the Lotus?” asked Poseidon’s son, turning towards the girls. 

The eagle gave out a cry and took flight towards a building in the form of a lotus flower. Its surface sparkled in the sun, swaying in the heat and Y/N had to shield her eyes from the sunrays to take in all in. There was something about its towering structure that drew her back to the skyscrapers in Manhattan. She sighed as she let her hand fall to her side, the bird now circling back to her, perching itself on her shoulder. A small smile bloomed on her lips as she felt its soft feathers tickle her neck.

“I’m guessing the one with the giant lotus blossom on it,” replied Annabeth, as she started walking towards the hotel, taking Y/N by the hand. 

Percy’s lips parted as he took in the sight of the imposing building. “You were like two seconds ahead of me. Seriously.”

Y/N heard Annabeth snicker under her breath as she threw her an amused glance. She could tell the others were close behind by Grover’s hooves tapping against the pavement and Percy’s mumbling.

“Sometimes, it might be okay to just let the easy ones go,” he continued in an annoyed tone. “Can we agree to just try it, maybe?”

A smirk pulled at Y/N’s lips as she looked over her shoulder at the blond. “You just don’t want to accept defeat, kelp head.”

The boy huffed. “Very original.”

She almost let out a small laugh as she opened the door to the hotel. Instantly, a stinging and overly sweet smell hit her. She scrunched out her nose in disgust as she looked around. Everything was in different shades of pink. The low lights were throwing glittering hues all around and her footsteps barely made any sound on the carpeted floor. In front of her, a vintage white Cadillac was rotating on a platform. 

“I know we’re supposed to be saving the world, but would it be unprofessional if we just hung out here for a bit?” voiced the blond in wonder as he took a step forward.

His eyes were sparkling as he took in everything around him and Y/N had to catch him by the wrist just to stop him in his tracks. The boy looked down at her hand, lips parting, before he pinned his gaze onto her.

“Focus, Percy. You’re on a quest. You can’t let anything distract you,” she said.

“Right,” he muttered.

“We find Hermes, we get him to hook us up with a ride to Los Angeles and a plan to get into the Underworld, and we are out of here ten seconds later,” added Annabeth, raising her eyebrows.

“I was kidding,” replied Percy in a flat tone, still watching Y/N as she let go of his wrist. 

“Wait, hang on” voiced the satyr, sticking his hand out.

“What?” asked the blond, tearing his gaze away from Zeus’ daughter. 

Grover glanced around the lobby, a worry simmering in his brown eyes. “Your mom told you all the stories. Did she read you the Odyssey?”

An image of her own mother reading in the armchair by the fireplace flashed in Y/N’s mind. It faded as quickly as it came. She blinked as a stab pierced her heart. Reaching up, her hand touched the cold necklace around her neck. It cleansed her thoughts.

“The graphic novel,” answered Percy nonchalantly. 

Y/N shared an amused glance with her best friend. “The graphic novel?” she asked as she looked back at Percy. 

“It counts,” he shrugged, a playful twinkle in his eyes. 

Grover shook his head at the exchange and inhaled. “Odysseus lands on a beach. There’s these guys who’ve forgotten where they came from, forgot everything that was important to them, and they got that way because they ate…”

“The lotus flowers,” voiced Percy and Y/N in unison. They shared a quick glance, before Y/N swiftly latched her gaze onto the panel behind the still rotating Cadillac. She couldn’t read what was written on it. The words kept jumbling in front of her eyes and she sighed in frustration. A single lotus flower shone above the jumbling letters. 

“If we go in there and then forget everything, that would be bad on a number of levels,” continued the satyr in a worried and stiff voice. 

“But if Hermes is in there, though, then what choice do we have?” she heard Percy inquire softly. “What do you think, thunder girl? You always have something up your sleeve.”

Y/N turned her head towards him. He was closely watching her and she suddenly felt small under his gaze. Frail. She took in a breath. “We shouldn’t touch any food.”

“Just don’t eat anything,” added Athena’s daughter as she threw a pointed look at Grover. 

“Or drink, for that matter,” continued Y/N, raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms.

Grover’s lips parted in confusion as he started following them down the lobby and into the casino. “Wait, why were you looking at me when you said that?” 

The casino beat the lively chatter to which Y/N used to fall asleep in Cabin 11. Cheering and laughter echoed all around her in an endless cacophony. The girl frowned as her gaze swept the length of the hallway. Wide, greedy smiles were plastered on everyone’s faces, their eyes turning a dull colour at the sight of money. 

“Why would anyone waste time on such things?” she scowled in disgust, as she looked at the poker table nearest to her. A man had won that round and whooped as he pulled the chips towards him, stacking them up. His eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets as he laughed in delight. A shudder passed Y/N as she tore her gaze away. 

She felt Percy stiffen as he shrugged. Frowning, she turned to look at him. A veil had fallen over his eyes, turning his gaze blurry as he looked ahead. 

“What is it?” asked Y/N softly, as she threw a glance at their friends walking in front of them.

The blond sighed through his nose. “Nothing. I just– I just remembered something.”

The girl fell silent, hesitating. Another cheer reached her ears and the eagle on her shoulder jumped in fright at the sudden noise. “Penny for your thoughts?” she continued, after she caressed the bird’s head. 

A small smile pulled at Percy’s lips, as he turned to look at her. “You care.”

“Well, we are friends now, aren’t we?”

The smile on Percy’s face stretched into a grin before it slowly fell off. “My stepdad. He plays poker.”

“The idiot from TV?”

“Yeah.”

Y/N lowered her voice, well aware of the crowds around them. “Did he ever hurt you?” Her chest tightened at the mere thought. Her gaze roamed his face, sliding down the curve of his neck, in search of any hidden scars. There weren’t any and she almost breathed out in relief. At the sound of him speaking, she snapped her gaze up to his. 

“Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our guy secret.” His voice turned shaky, before it fueled up to rage. “Meaning if I told mom, he would punch my lights out.”

“And did that happen often?” said Y/N, her eyebrows pinching together. There was a pain digging into the depths of her skin, piercing her heart. 

“Often enough,” replied Percy quietly. “I think he might have hit mom more often than he threatened to hit me, though.”

“I’m sorry, Perce. Your mom deserves better.”

Upon hearing the nickname, Poseidon’s son fully turned towards her, a genuine smile lighting up his eyes, changing their dark colour into a clearer ocean. “Thank you.”

“This place is a lot bigger than it looked from outside,” voiced Grover as he came to a stop. “He could be anywhere.”

Throwing one last glance around, Y/N spoke up. “We need to split up.”

“I agree,” Annabeth nodded. 

“I thought we didn’t do that anymore,” said Percy while looking at Y/N. He shifted his gaze between the three of them. “Also, you guys have seen him before, but I haven’t. So, I’m not gonna be much help alone.”

“We’ll pair up,” voiced Y/N, raising her chin.  “I’ll go with Grover. You can go with Annie.”

“Wait, what?” frowned Percy. 

“Do you want to go with Grover? In that case–”

The blond sighed in frustration, shuffling his feet. “That’s not what I meant– I just–” His voice died down as he averted his gaze. The low beams threw shades on the side of his face and Y/N parted her lips as a slow realization dawned on her, 

“I don’t know what Hermes looks like, kelp head. I’ve never met him,” she replied, catching his gaze. “I would be no help.”

The boy just nodded.

“Go check that side of the floor. I’ll take Percy this way,” voiced Athena’s daughter pointing to her left. “One way or the other, we meet back in the lobby in twenty minutes.”

“And remember, don’t eat anything! Stay away from any food that might look appetizing,” said Y/N, the eagle on her shoulder crying in agreement. Upon recalling the smell that still invaded her senses and nostrils, she added: “Or anything too sweet.”

The others nodded and Y/N backed away, taking Grover by the elbow. The jacket rustled under her touch. The satyr started turning around but stopped in his tracks, looking at Annabeth. “Wait! What do we say to him if we find him first?”

“Nothing,” Annabeth simply answered. “Meet me here and you’ll take me to him.”

He paused before he nodded, blinking. “Yeah. Of course.”

He turned on his hooves and followed Y/N down the hallway. The girl threw one last look over shoulder. “Good luck!” she yelled, smiling. 

She could have sworn she saw Percy smile back. 

The sweet smell was starting to give her a headache. Y/N scrunched her nose as she looked around, the chattering noise drowning out the muffled tapping of Grover’s hooves against the carpeted floor. The aroma reminded Y/N of some cheap flower perfume her aunt had tried once in a store before she put it back on the shelf disgusted. 

“What does Hermes look like?” she eventually asked Grover, who was scanning the area before them. 

“You can see a bit of him in Luke,” he answered, shrugging. 

“Right,” she muttered, Luke’s scar flashing before her eyes. A pain stung her the length of her cheek as if she had a scar of her own. She raised the hand to her skin, and the vision faded away. 

The eagle, feeling her distress, stuck its beak into her hair, tugging lightly on it. She laughed lightly as she caressed its feathers. Small electric bolts passed her fingertips at the touch and she almost gasped in awe. 

“You should name him,” voiced the satyr, looking at the bird. 

Y/N shifted her gaze between the eagle and her friend. “It’s a boy?”

The eagle scoffed and she startled. “Of course I’m a boy! Only a boy like me could have such beautiful feathers. Don’t you agree?” he croaked out, raising his head proudly.

“It seems you may have offended him,” voiced Grover, an amused twinkle in his eyes as he gazed at the eagle.

Y/N sighed, looking at a waiter carrying a platter full of seafood. “Too bad I can’t give him any treats.” The thought of food made her stomach grumble angrily and she had to tear her gaze away from it. 

Someone must have won at poker again, thought Y/N as another cheer reached her ears. She glanced at the eagle from the corner of her eyes. There was such a familiarity in his gaze. One that reminded Y/N of the electrifying feeling of using her powers for the first time. She blinked as her eyebrows slightly furrowed. She now wondered if her heart, her own blood would recognize her father despite having never met him. He was a blurry figure in the back of her mind, a scratchy record playing white noise in a loop, echoing in her depths. There was a hazy memory, a dream-like picture of stormy eyes looking down at her. Maybe she could recognize his eyes. They were also hers, after all. But how many times did she dare to look at herself in a mirror?

Growing up, looking at the faded family photos, she only saw herself in her mother. The same hair, same smile, the same stature. The eyes were the only thing that differentiated them. Her mother’s were much kinder, while Y/N’s always had a certain sharpness to them, as if beneath them a storm was raging, waiting to be unleashed. 

“So, how are you going to name him?” said Grover, pulling her out of her thoughts. 

She blinked away the stupor and took in a breath. “I think Blade fits him.” The eagle let out a happy croak as he nuzzled his beak into her hair once more. “What do you think, Grov?” she asked, smiling, as she turned to look at her friend.

But her friend was no longer in sight. She stopped in her tracks, planting her soles deep into the carpet as cold dread splashed over her, freezing her all over. “Grov?” she yelled, her voice strained. “Grover!”

No reply came, only the sound of gambling machines and coins clinking filled the air. A noise buzzed in her ears as she turned on her heels, her eyes rapidly sweeping the hallway. The casino was spinning in front of her and she had to stick her hand out, latching onto a poker table.

“Up for a game, miss?” a smiling man asked her. 

She barely managed to croak out a no, before she stumbled forward. “We lost Grover,” she breathed out, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. “He was beside me just a few seconds ago, I–”

“You’re panicking,” said Blade, tugging on a strand of hair.

“I am not panicking!” she almost snapped. But it was as if someone was squeezing her throat, making it harder to breathe. “We need to find Grover.”

“I can fly around–”

“No! We’re not splitting up!”

Her legs shook as she advanced down the hallway. Everywhere she looked she saw unknown, blurry faces. They blended in front of her, scraping any defining features they might have had. She could have passed Hermes and she wouldn’t have known. Soon, her panic turned into a fiery rage. The headache persisted and she cursed under her breath as she took another turn and saw no signs of her horned friend. 

She slowed down and sighed. “We must return to the lobby. Tell the others. Twenty minutes must have already passed.”

She let her gaze take in the length of the casino before she turned around, bumping into a child. She let out a yelp as she looked down at the boy. He couldn’t have been more than eight years old. He looked skinny at best. A leather jacket swallowed his arms and hung down his small body. His olive skin shone under the pink lights and his eyes were glowing as he stared up at the eagle.

“Is that an eagle?” he asked, as he pointed at the bird still perched on Y/N’s shoulder. 

The girl hesitated as she looked between them. A sense of urgency was pressing down on her, raking her arm hair into goosebumps. “Yes,” she answered, as she looked behind the child. No Grover in sight. 

“Woah, you’re so cool! Will you play a game with me?”

“No,” she replied harshly, as she rushed past the boy.

“Please! I can help you find the lobby aftwards.”

Y/N abruptly came to a stop. The goosebumps made their way up to her neck, as she slowly turned around. The child was patiently looking back at her, a twinkle of wonder in his gaze.

“What’s your name?”

“Nico,” he beamed. 

The girl stepped towards him, taking in a breath. She forced a friendly smile before she crouched down in front of him. There was something different about Nico, something she couldn’t quite put a finger on. “Where are your parents, Nico?” she asked.

The boy’s grin slowly fell from his face, eyes turning downcast. With a pang, he reminded Y/N of the times in which kids twice her size would throw her against the lockers at school (“Where are your parents, freak? Cat got your tongue?). She then would start crying and push back a little too hard, gusts of wind escaping her little hands. The principle’s office had become a recurrence, a door through which she stepped through way too often for her liking. 

“I’m here with my sister,” Nico answered, shrugging shyly. 

Y/N nodded, letting her gaze slide over the gamblers around her. Sighing, she got up. “You don’t have to take me to the lobby. You should return to your sister, she must be worried.”

The boy let out a huff, as he stared up at her. “But I really want to play with you! I liked you.” He shuffled his feet. “Unlike many people from here,” he added quietly.

Zeus’ daughter sighed, Grover’s figure taking form in her mind. “I’m on a tight schedule.”

“Just one game! Pretty please?” he pouted. 

Y/N hesitated, pursing her lips. Nico’s eyes were wide and pleading and the sight alone squeezed her heart. Sighing, she turned to look at Blade. “Fly around, at the slightest sign of Grover, you let me know. I’ll whistle if I need you.” The eagle bowed his head before he stretched his wings and took off flying. A single, jet black feather floated all the way down to the carpented floor and Y/N bent down to pick it up. It was soft to the touch. “For you,” she said, handing it to Nico. 

The boy’s eyes started shining as he reached out to it. “Does this mean you will play with me?”

“Alright,” agreed Y/N half-heartedly, rolling her eyes.

The child let out a cheer, taking her by the hand and tagging her down the hallway. Y/N almost tripped and huffed. “Wait, hold on!” Soon enough, she found herself in front of a dancing mat for two and she raised her eyebrows. 

The mat was lighting up in neon colours and was attached to a TV bigger than both of them. Sparkling, it looked as if it hadn’t been used until then. 

“I’m not dancing,” said Y/N in disdain as she took a step back, but Nico tugged her yet again by the wrist and she stumbled onto the mat. The screen lit up happily, welcoming them, before a woman’s voice started singing, filling the air between them in high notes and octaves. 

If you wanna run away with me I know a galaxy

And I can take you for a ride

The first steps were shy. Y/N missed a lot of the beats, and most of the time she tried to match Nico’s own steps. Her side of the screen was filled with red and flashing “X”s and “Try again!”.  

I had premonition that we fell into a rhythm 

Where the music don’t stop for life

She felt as though she was dancing with two left feet, awkward and helpless. She was never much of a dancer, unlike her aunt who, when she thought no one saw her, popped in the only Céline Dion album she had and danced in the kitchen. Y/N could see her shadow twirl across the scratched floor and stretch up the slowly chipping walls. Life never got easier in the concrete boxes of a rushing Manhattan, but her aunt found small moments of silver lining, moments Y/N quietly witnessed on evenings and nights when sleep didn’t come easily. 

Glitter in the sky, glitter in my eyes, shining just the way I like

If you’re feeling like you need a little bit of company

You met me at the perfect time 

Her screen flashed green once her foot slid across the mat. The music picked up, carrying sweet notes in the air and drowning the noise all around. Slowly, Y/N’s lips curled into a smile as the melody caressed her skin. Her heart started to beat to the song’s own drums and she let out a laugh as she twirled, strands of hair tickling her neck. The song softly came to an end as the TV displayed the final scores. 

“I beat you!” cheered Nico, turning to look at her.

Y/N shrugged. “I let you.”

Laughing, the boy started shaking his head but a girl yelling his name made him jump. Glancing over his head, Y/N caught sight of the spitting image of him in the form of a furious girl. She had the same olive skin and the same dark hair. A beret was shielding her scrutinizing gaze from Y/N. 

“I got to go,” winced Nico. “That’s my sister.”

Y/N just nodded, nudging him towards the girl. 

“It was nice meeting you, you’re, like, so cool. I’ll never forget you!” rambled the child as he started walking backwards, almost tripping as he did. 

An amused snort escaped Y/N’s lips as she crossed her arms, a lopsided smile curling at her lips. A “I told you to never leave my side!” reached her ears in a strained and wavering voice as she watched Nico’s older sister take him by the hand, dragging him deeper into the casino. There was something about her that reminded Y/N of her aunt when getting frustrated. “I told you to never stray from me in the supermarket!” she told her once, breathing heavily, a hand upon her heart. Back then, Y/N could have sworn she heard someone call out to her in whispers. It never happened again. Not until recently.

Sighing, she let her gaze wander around. An odd chill crept up her neck, as her mind failed to piece together the pieces of her surroundings. She had the nagging thought that a certain piece was missing from the puzzle, distorting the full image and her reality. Why was she even there? She frowned as she took a step forward before a man addressing her stopped her. 

“That dance battle was very groovy!”

Arching an eyebrow, she slowly turned to look at him. At first, she thought he was merely a worker, hired to entertain the children. His outfit was certainly outdated. Flared jeans and floral shirts looked ridiculously silly on him, making him stand out in the crowd of the casino. His long, curly hair was held up by a single green ribbon. 

“Groovy?” she asked, straightening her back. 

“Yeah, as in–”

“I know what groovy means!” she snapped. 

The man’s smile fell as he scowled. “Quite ill-mannered, aren’t you?”

She stiffened as the final piece fell into place and she frantically looked around. The sweet aroma wasn’t leaving her nostrils and there was an itch under the soles of her feet. 

“What year is it?” she croaked out. Her throat dried up and she gulped. A stinging pain slithered down her throat, as if she just swallowed shards of glass. 

“What kind of question is that? It’s 1973.”

No. 

No.

The noise drowned out as the blood in her veins raced to her head, her fingers turning freezing cold. She brushed past the man as she hurried down the hallway. Suddenly, the room seemed to shrink and Y/N had to push through the crowd, her elbows jabbing everyone in the side. 

A pair of horns curved above the swarming crowd and the girl almost tumbled forward in blind rage as she met the satyr’s gaze. He was much older than Grover, his hair and beard long greyed by now. He too, was hurrying through the gamblers, and Y/N caught a glimmer of guilt in his eyes. 

“Hey! Hey, you!’ she yelled, marching towards him, her hands curled into fists. “Where’s my friend?! Where’s Grover?!”

The satyr stumbled over his own words before he took off deeper into the casino, soon getting swallowed by the crowd. Frustration built in Y/N’s chest as she lost sight of his horns and she cursed under her breath as she broke through the waves of people. A screech echoed and she whipped her head. Blade was slashing the air in two, as he flapped its wings, his beak shining in the low light. Raising two fingers to her mouth, Y/N whistled and the eagle flew towards her in a straight line, leaving behind a small tornado. 

Jumping, Y/N latched onto his legs and Blade sped up once again, the floor getting smaller by the second. A dizziness came over her as she glanced downwards, her stomach somersaulting and lurching in unpleasant waves.

“Could you follow that satyr, please?” she said, squeezing her eyes, the air rushing past her ears, ruffling her hair. 

The eagle gave out a cry in agreement. Y/N could feel him flap his wings, the tips of his feathers gently touching her head at times. 

“A daughter of Zeus’ afraid of heights?” she heard him ask, a note of disbelief and amusement in his tone. 

“I’m not afraid!” she lied as she forced her eyes open. But the dangling of her feet into the air made her sick.

Suddenly, she caught sight of those horns again and she had the urge to jump before him, cutting his path. Inhaling, she closed her eyes again. “Lower me!”, she said, hoping that the eagle heard her through the wind howling and commotion in the casino. When she felt him slow down and descend, she took a leap of faith and jumped down. Her heart almost beat out of her chest and she had the odd feeling that her stomach was heaving upwards. 

With a yelp, she fell down on something warm, her left leg sliding against the rough carpet.. An immediate pain stung her knee as she snapped her eyes open only to come face to face with a shocked Percy. 

“Y/N?!” he yelled in disbelief. “Did you just fly?”

He was frowning, his gaze roaming her face, a few curls falling into his eyes. 

Ignoring him, Y/N stumbled upwards, untangling herself from the boy, searching the casino with her gaze. A few thundering steps told her Annabeth was running towards them.

“Wait, where’s Grover? Wasn’t he with you?” continued Percy, getting up. 

“He’s getting away!” she only replied as she found the satyr running away from them, a frantic look in his eyes. She took off after him, but the pain in her knee slowed her down, stinging through her skin all the way to the bone. Heaving, she tried speeding up but she only fell behind, helplessly watching as the unknown satyr took a turn, jumping on the poker tables. Gasping and scared yelling filled the air as gamblers backed away.

Soon, Percy rushed past her, pushing through the crowd, the backpack on him swaying in the process. “Hey!” he screamed as he jumped on the older satyr, knocking him to the ground with a resounding smack. The satyr groaned as he hit his head. 

Panting, Y/N came to a stop near them, her knee still crying in pain. A dull ache pricked at her side. She felt Annabeth arrive next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. As always, she radiated warmth.

“You alright?”

Y/N only nodded, but her best friend must have smelled the lie, as she continued closely watching her. 

“Where is Grover?!” yelled Poseidon’s son, his face twisting in fury. 

The satyr’s eyes widened in fear as he looked back at Percy before he silently shifted his gaze on the girls. 

“Where is he?!” repeated Percy, shaking him. 

“The arcade,” the satyr replied, his voice wavering. 

And that was enough for Y/N to hear before she limped towards the arcade, the others closely following behind. She could feel Percy’s rage match her own in scorching waves. 

The arcade was much quieter than the rest of the casino. The whole room was bathed in neon lights, in shades of pink and green. A few game machines dinged as children inserted coins, the screens of the machines lighting up their faces and smiles.

Y/N took small steps. Each one was a stab in her knee, the pain curling and flowing down to her toes. She winced as she advanced into the arcade, the carpet doing little to sooth the piercing ache. The eagle on her shoulder tugged on a strand of hair, as if he was feeling her hesitance, a habit she noticed he had picked up. 

“What is up with your leg?” Percy’s suspicious voice reached her.

She spared him a glance from the corner of her eye. “Nothing.”

“Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”

“No.”

“Then why are you limping?”

She huffed and forced herself to walk normally. “I’m fine.”

“I’m keeping an eye on that leg,” voiced Annabeth sternly.

Y/N turned to look at her. She could see that she didn’t believe her. She could read it in her eyes. Y/N’s concerns and secrets had never been more transparent. To Annabeth, she was an open book. 

“I’ll be fine,” she murmured as she looked back ahead. She straightened her back once she recognized Grover’s hairy legs. She shared a look with her friends before they hurried up to him, the ache biting her in the knee once again. She masked her pain, shielding it away from the others. 

“Grover?” said Percy, reaching up to him. 

The satyr was with his back to them, waving his arms in the air, making circle motions. A dark vest hugged his torso. Y/N noticed he was holding in both of his hands some sort of remotes. She frowned at the weird shape of them. The TV remote back at home didn’t look like that. Her heart clenched at the thought that maybe she didn’t even actually remember what the remote looked like. If it was black, white or the grey in between. She was sure that it was worn out, there wasn’t an evening when her aunt Penny didn’t jump through the channels before she settled on her favourite soap opera (it was always aired on Friday nights. Y/N remembered that well.)

“Grover!”

Flinching, Grover turned toward them and Y/N’s lips parted at the glasses he was wearing. It hid half of his face, obscuring his eyes. She could only guess if he was seeing them. 

Sighing, Percy reached out and took them off. Grover stared at them, confusion simmering in his eyes. 

“I was so close!” he whined. 

“I know, I hate it when someone does that to me.” The blond shrugged, before he glanced at Y/N. “And I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but it’s really time to go.”

“Of course,” nodded the satyr, shifting his gaze between the three of them. “Where are we going?”

It was as if someone had dumped an ice bucket on her. A chill raked her arms and she froze, her muscles tensing. She could feel Blade squeeze her shoulders in reassurance but Y/N only saw Grover helplessly looking at them, a hopeful glimmer in his gaze. 

Percy squinted his eyes. “You don’t know who we are, do you?” he asked, as his voice turned edgy, a note of worry bleeding into it. 

“Yeah. No, I don’t. Have we met?” replied Grover, sticking his hand out for a handshake. 

Y/N exhaled through her nose as she shared a quick look with both of her friends. Time was dripping down, ticking and echoing and soon it would explode, much like a bomb would. She swore she could hear thunder somewhere outside the casino. Or was it in her mind?

No hero…

 Sweat started breaking down across her skin, trickling down Y/N’s back as she looked at Grover’s hand in disbelief. 

Percy clasped his hand and shook it. “Percy. Y/N. Annabeth,” he voiced in a hurry, pointing to each of them. “We’re your best friends.”

“Really?” gasped Grover, a grin illuminating his face and chasing away the shadows of confusion. He leaned to shake the girls’ hands before, his eyes twinkling. “I have friends?”

“Of course you do,” replied Y/N, closely peering up at him and slowly shaking his hand. Her erasure from Grover’s memories stung and, for a split moment,  she wondered if her auntie had forgotten about her too. 

“Is that an eagle?”

Uncertain, Y/N shuffled her feet, turning to look at Percy. “Well, yeah.”

“Why do you have an eagle on you?”

“He’s your friend too,” she voiced, her lips curling down. “You really don’t remember? You helped me name him.”

Grover shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I really don’t know what you're talking about.” Then, the smile came back to life. “How did you name him?”

Y/N opened up her mouth to reply but Percy interrupted her, sighing. “Oh, boy. Grover, we’re on a quest.” His hands grabbed both of the satyr’s shoulders and he looked him in the eye, slightly shaking him. “We can’t do this without you. We’re short on time, and we gotta go. Right now.”

“A quest? That sounds amazing!” Grover grinned. He zipped off the vest on him, throwing it onto the ground. The grin slowly died. “But is it dangerous? It’s not a deal-breaker, I’m just curious.”

Y/N sighed and she took a step forward, reaching to take him by the elbow. “Grov, we really gotta go.”

“I’m sorry, what was your name again?” he asked her, before he pinned his gaze on Annabeth. “And what was yours?”

Y/N’s face hardened. “Y/N. Annabeth. Let’s go!” she reminded him before she dragged him out of the casino, the pain lingering in her knee. 

Their footsteps echoed throughout the empty underground parking garage. A pair of car keys clinked in Percy’s hands as he fiddled with them. “Okay, god of travellers. What kind of car does the god of travellers have?”

Y/N’s lips drew in a thin line as her gaze slid around her. Most of the cars looked expensive or brand new, their surface shining much like the Cadillac from the hotel lobby did. Inhaling, her lungs filled with chilly air, not as stuffy and saccharine as the one in the casino, but not as fresh as the one she would breathe in if she were back in the woods she grew up in.

The pain in her knee was now a ghost, a dull reminder that she stupidly fell through the air. Which she found incredibly ironic now that she knew she was Zeus’ daughter. Wasn’t she supposed to know how to fly or something? She fell so many times from trees in her early childhood and never actually shed a tear about it, so why did it bother her so much now? But she never actually scraped her knees on the way down, the soft wind always caught her before she did. This time, no wind embraced her during the fall.

“Guys, I gotta say, so far, this quest is really exciting,” voiced Grover, almost skipping. “Really hoping we find that car.”

“Finding the car isn’t the quest,” replied Annabeth from beside Y/N. 

“There’s more?”

She felt Percy tense as they all shared a look of anxiety. “Jeez,” he sighed. “We’ll explain it to you on the way. We’re in a bit of a hurry.”

Annabeth started quickening her steps and Y/N rushed to keep up with her. A stab in her knee made her almost trip and she winced. It was if someone was sticking a very sharp knife through her skin, all the way to the rough bone. 

“How’s the leg?” she heard her best friend ask as she deliberately slowed down. 

“It’s fine,” said Y/N, catching sight of a black vintage car. 

“You don’t have to lie to me.”

Sighing, the girl turned to look at Athena’s daughter. Once again, she caught her lie in a trap, singleheartedly just by sparing her a glance. “I’ll be fine, Annie. It’s just my knee, I must have fallen on it. Nothing to worry about.”

“Does it hurt?” replied Annabeth, notes of worry seeping into her tone.

“A bit,” shrugged Y/N. “But I’m a tough girl, right?” she added, smiling.

Her best friend nudged her in the side. “There’s no tougher girl.”

“Besides you, of course.”

“Of course,” replied Athena’s daughter, rolling her eyes. “How could I have forgotten?” 

Y/N’s smile broadened before she stiffened, straightening her back. From the corner of her eye, she could see a taxi of the most bright yellow. The car was a loyal copy of the ones she saw in Manhattan rushing in traffic or honking at stop lights. “Hey, is that–?

“Could be,” voiced Annabeth as she advanced with large steps towards the taxi. A single envelope was tucked between the wipers and the windscreen. She reached out to it and the paper rustled in her hands. 

Y/N frowned as she looked over her friend’s shoulder at the envelope. It bore the pink logo of the Lotus Hotel in the right corner. The letters weren’t stubborn this time, they didn’t play around, jumping to each corner in hazy lines. She could read the writing and she could only assume that it was written in Ancient Greek. She had to admit, though, her brother did not have the prettiest handwriting. 

TO THE DUMB KIDS

“Cute,” she voiced, bitter sarcasm dripping from her tongue. “Can’t believe that I have half of the Olympus as siblings.”

“Big family,” joked Annabeth, throwing her a small smile before she called out to the boys. 

“Hermes drives a car?” asked Percy in disbelief as he stepped towards them, followed by Grover. 

“And left us a note.”

“How do we know that’s for us?”

Raising her eyebrows, Annabeth turned the envelope in her hands. Percy’s face fell as he read the words scribbled on it. “Nice,” he said in a flat tone. 

Annabeth shook her head. “Should’ve known the god of thieves noticed his pocket getting picked.”

“You picked his pocket?” asked Y/N, a small laugh threatening to escape her lips. 

“Tough girl, remember?”

A proud glimmer shone in Y/N’s eyes as she looked at Annabeth. Her friend opened the envelope and started skimming through the lines. “Back door to the Underworld, magic word, map in the glove box. And he says we’ll become travelers once we’re on the road. And the car will take us wherever we wish to go.” Frowning, she leaned closer to the letter. “And he says hi to you, Y/N. He says and I quote: "A family reunion is in order.”

“What?” she glowered, snatching the letter from her hands. Sure enough, her name was there, black on white, mocking her. If she squinted enough, she could see it laughing back at her. “Yeah, not really keen on it,” she added, pushing the note back in her friend’s warm hands. 

“So, one of us has to drive the car out of the garage,” voiced Percy, as he looked between the girls. The three of them expectantly moved their gazes on Grover, who for a few moments looked back at them.

His lips formed into a perfect “O” before he started shaking his head. “Oh, I’m still not hundred percent sure what we’re doing here, which seems disqualifying.”

Y/N gulped once all her friends pinned their gaze on her. A fear crept down her neck, slithered down her back, leaving in its wake a shudder. “I’m not getting behind the steering wheel,” she said as the night of her arrival at Camp Half-Blood thundered through the depths of her mind. 

The blond slowly nodded at her. “Yeah… Yeah, sure, I mean… I killed the Minotaur on my first try, right? How hard could this be?” he said, smiling at her as he tossed the keys into the air, the playful clinking echoing around the garage. 

Blade, still silently perched on her shoulder, gave out a displeased cry as Y/N got into the front seat. Huffing, she petted his velvety feathers. “Just for a little while,” she said, as she put him on the console between her and Percy. But she was just as tense as the eagle, shoulders stiff and back straightened. 

“Seatbelt on,” she ordered, her aunt’s own words echoing in her mind. 

Percy spared her an annoyed glance. “I was just about to do that.”

The others slammed the doors closed as they got into the backseat. Y/N met Annabeth’s gaze in the rearview mirror. Her friend only gave a barely perceptible nod, before the engine coming to life filled the silence. 

“Alright then,” muttered Percy as he squeezed the steering wheel. The engine revved and the car lurched forward. 

Y/N’s breath hitched as she gripped the sides of her chair. The tires screeched as the car came to a full stop and she flew forward. She stuck a hand out towards the glove compartment.

“My fault! That was me,” voiced the blond, swallowing thickly. “How do you make it go backwards?”

Horrified, Zeus’ daughter slowly turned her head towards him. “What?” She clutched onto her seatbelt, the hair on the back of her neck raising in fright. 

The engine came to life once more and the car slid backwards, crashing into a pole. The eagle flapped its wings, displeased, before jumping onto Y/N’s lap. Whipping her head around, she was met with Annabeth and Grover’s pale faces. The satyr was now gripping Annabeth’s elbow and the girl was panting in shock. 

Y/N’s eyes widened as she saw smoke swirl out of the car. She turned back in her seat, her eyes flashing, the fear in her veins now boiling into restless rage. “You’re wrecking this whole car!”

Percy cringed. “Yeah, well, at least I’m not the one ordering someone in the driving seat!”

Y/N scoffed and she opened her mouth to retort but Grover’s meek voice cut her off. “You’re doing great.” He sounded sick at best.

“Maybe try aiming for the middle,” suggested Annabeth, slightly leaning forward between the front seats. 

Percy gritted his teeth before pressing the pedal. The car screeched and slid forward before it stalled again, throwing Annabeth back in her seat. 

“You know, for a New Yorker, you drive poorly,” voiced Y/N, her tone harsh. 

“Look, you’re welcome to give this a try!”

The tires cried as they melted across the pavement, leaving behind tire tracks. The car skidded forward, gaining speed. Inhaling a sharp breath, Y/N backed into her seat as blaring horns echoed through the garage, a black car shooting in front of them. Percy hit the brake and Y/N found herself lurching forward once again, Blade almost hitting her with a flapping wing in the chin. 

Heaving, the blond pointed at the fading car. “That guy didn’t even slow down!” The cab gave its own shrieking horn and Y/N flinched at the sound.

“Okay. Keep going,” said Annabeth in a shaky voice. “Up to the street.”

Percy squeezed his eyes before he let the engine roar back to life, the car speeding down the underground parking. The brakes squealed as the cab came to a full stop. Gulping, the boy hesitated as he took in the sight of the curb exit before them. 

“It’s okay. You’ve got this,” came Annabeth’s reassuring voice.

Poseidon’s son sighed as he turned to look at Y/N. She mustered what she hoped would be an encouraging smile. Percy tensed and the car engine gave out a single screech as the cab took the turn. 

Y/N breathed out, a soft smile blooming on her lips as she turned to look at the driver. Feeling her gaze on him, Percy turned towards her with a smile of his own, the low lights of the parking garage throwing shades on the side of his face. 

Suddenly, screeching metal scarred the comforting silence and Y/N jumped in her seat. Light bulbs shattered, embers hitting the window on her side. “Too close! Too close! Turn left!” she yelled as she shielded her head. 

“I’m trying!”

“Are you really?”

Percy huffed as he threw her a quick glance. “Could you just stop yelling for a second?! I can’t concentrate!”

“Yeah, right, ‘cause that was the problem,” scoffed Y/N. “Not concentrating.”

The car jerked as it took a sudden turn. The girl could feel her blood pressure going up, spiraling and tightening the flesh of her skin as she stared ahead in horror. “What are you doing?! You’re driving us straight in those traffic cones!”

“Well, if you think it’s that easy, why don’t you try it?!”

“Just keep your eyes on the road, fish face!” replied Y/N, her voice strained, stress wavering it slightly. 

Her knuckles turned ghostly white as she clenched onto her seatbelt, the colour from her cheeks now long drained. “Gods, we’re going to get killed by a car," she mumbled frantically under her breath. “We survived monsters, but we’re gonna die in a car crash.”

The cab tore through the barrier in front of them, a yell escaping Grover’s lips. A blinding light poured into the car, as a horn screeched and Y/N whimpered as she turned to look out the window. Her lips parted in shock, the blood that was rushing through her veins, now freezing to a stop as she stared at the incoming truck towards them. A silent scream rumbled in her chest, failing to break out and she ducked, as she raised one hand to her head, the other protecting a quivering Blade. 

But the impact never came, silence, broken only by the soft raindrops pattering against the windows, instead falling around them. She slowly straightened her back, her arms shakily falling to her sides. 

“Where are we?” panted Percy, still gripping the wheel.

No reply came and he turned to look at his friends in the car. Y/N met his gaze with a startled one of her own. “Is everyone alright?” she asked, her voice still slightly wavering. Mumbles of “okay”,“just fine” and an eagle screech filled the car and she sighed in relief, falling back into her seat. 

“Turn off the lights,” voiced Annabeth from the back seat. 

Soon, darkness enveloped them like a heavy blanket. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, a flash of lightning illuminating the inside of the car for a split second. Y/N shuddered as she unfastened her seatbelt and swung open the car door. Blade flew onto her shoulder and her Converse sunk into the wet sand. Raindrops kissed her skin and slid down her locks, soaking her clothes and sending a chill down her spine. Waves could be heard crashing against the shore and a salty air filled her lungs as she breathed in.

“Percy, Annabeth, Y/N, wait,” voiced Grover as he got out of the car. “You… You guys are my best friends.”

A soft smile pulled at Y/N’s lips as she turned towards the satyr. Despite the cold rain, she could only feel warmth spreading from her chest all the way to her toes. 

“Little weird that I forgot a lot more stuff than you guys did. Wonder what’s that about.”

The smile on Y/N’s face slowly died as she almost sighed. 

“We weren’t alone,” said Annabeth, her tone warm. “It’s easy to forget what’s important when you’re alone.”

Y/N pursed her lips in regret as she reached out and touched Grover by the arm. “I’m really sorry I lost you there, Grov. I should have paid more attention. You are my friend and I let you out of my sight. I shouldn’t have.” 

Grover just shook his head. “No, it’s– I’m sorry I left you alone.”

“You didn’t,” she smiled. “I had Blade.” The eagle pinched her finger affectionately as she caressed his beak. “And I made a new friend in the casino. You didn’t leave me alone.”

The satyr mirrored her smile and touched her hand. He was warm and it only fueled the pleasant feeling inside her. 

Another thunder rumbled, a storm brewing on the sea. The waves rolling onto the sand sent whipping particles of seafoam against her skin. A few landed on her lips. They tasted salty and cold. 

“I think I gotta go meet my dad now,” said Percy, shoulders stiff. 

“We’ll be here when you get back,” nodded Grover.

Percy’s lips parted as he took a hesitating step forward. “What do I say to him?” he asked, as he turned to look at his best friend, a few wet strands of hair sticking to his forehead. He shifted his gaze on the girls, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“You’ll know,” replied Annabeth softly. 

The blond pinned his gaze on Y/N and she just took in a breath. His eyes were glowing with hope again, a glimmer she recognized all too well when it came to absent fathers. She gave an encouraging nod and she hoped she mustered a kind smile, the type that would ease all worries and erase all doubts. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s dying to meet his son.” Her shoulders raised in a shrug. “Although, I’m not sure what he would say about his driving skills.”

The worry on Percy’s face melted into a lopsided smile, before he squared his shoulders and stepped forwards into the dark sea. And as he disappeared beneath the shoreline, Y/N couldn’t help but feel a pang of the greenest envy, one that faded as soon as the vision of Percy’s smile shaped into her mind. 

Another lightning hit the horizon. A storm was calling. A storm that, she was sure, had no shelter. Her hand fisted onto the ghost of her bow. This time, she was ready to respond to its call.