Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ever since Dionysus was punished and confined to the glorified daycare that was Camp Half-Blood, he rarely got summons or invitations of any kind outside of solstice meetings. He can still leave, mind you, his twin boys wouldn’t have been born into existence otherwise, but there hasn’t been any reason to.

It seemed that being unable to make wine or cultivate vineyards anymore tended to do that.

So when he is rudely woken up from a summons in the middle of the night from Poseidon of all people, he debates between answering or ignoring it and falling back asleep, before deciding that dealing with an affronted Poseidon was more trouble than it was worth.

He splits his essence, follows the call to an apartment in Manhattan and appears to find his uncle in one of his mortal disguises alone sitting on a well-used couch. “Is there a good reason for calling me in the middle of the night, Uncle?”

Poseidon shifted in his seat. “I called you here for a… favor.”

“A favor.” Dionysus deadpans. “And what I give to the mighty god of the sea that he can’t get somewhere else?” He doubts it's for wine, considering his punishment and the underwater peoples had their own versions of wine, and he’s not giving up his hidden stash anyway. His uncle would’ve just called during the day instead of this clandestine bullshit.

Poseidon sighs, looking more his age, and waves a hand and the Mist sweeps into the apartment. No one would hear them. Dionysus narrows his eyes in suspicion. Whatever this favor is, Poseidon wants it kept quiet.

“I need you to claim a child as your own.”

“No.” The answer was immediate. “You know I hate heroes. Did you think I have forgotten what Theseus did to Ariadne?” A pause. “You broke your oath?!”

“Yes.” His uncle didn’t bother denying it, closing his eyes and looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. “Yes, I did.”

Dionysus pinched his nose. Gods and their bullshit were one of the reasons he needed his wine. “Why did you come to me? Why not some other sea god or even Aphrodite? She has ties to the ocean, doesn’t she?”

“If I had another sea god claim my son, it would mean little in the eyes of my younger brother.” Poseidon explained. “And Aphrodite has a deal with Zeus that he would not interfere with any of her children in exchange for her support in his favor in every council vote. She wouldn’t risk that.”

“And you think I would? If you had so conveniently forgotten, my father had punished me. Why would I risk making that worse? Why would I risk my own children to hide yours? Your son could raze Olympus!” Dionysus argued.

Then his uncle did something he had never seen before. He kneeled. “Please, Dionysus. I swear on the River Styx that I would grant you a favor in turn if you claim him.” Dionysus heard the booming of thunder. “Please.”

That caught his attention. A favor in exchange for a favor. Poseidon did not owe anyone anything to his knowledge, but of the few favors and gifts the sea god gave were all of extremely great quality. And he’s been around enough children of the sea to know that they were often loyal to a fault, come hell or high water, one of which they could control easily. The idea of one of Poseidon’s brats giving their life for his children crosses his mind.

Still, was this worth the trouble?

Before the god could debate it more, the sound of a door opening further in the apartment makes him turn around to find a young mortal woman, certainly his type in any other situation, but couldn’t be anyone else besides Poseidon’s new mortal lover. Must be her apartment.

She’s obviously afraid, nevermind that his uncle would stop him if Dionysus tried anything, but the determination in her frame is stronger. She wasn’t pregnant, which means the brat was born already, probably in the other room she walked out of.

She kneels and bows before him. “Lord Dionysus, I am honored to be in your presence.”

“Sally-” Poseidon starts only to be cut off by a look from the woman. Styx, his uncle must really love this woman to be cowed by a look.

“And I am guessing you are the other woman.” Dionysus throws at her the taunting reminder that Poseidon is a married man, leaving out the fact that his uncle and Amphitrite had their own deal in their marriage. He and Ariadne had a similar deal, but Dionysus wants to see how this mortal reacts.

“Yes, I suppose I am.” The mortal replies, no resentment or scorn in her tone. “I don’t have any offerings to give, nor do I interact with your domains, but I can only humbly ask that you at least consider our plea.”

Dionysus quirks an eyebrow. “Well, Sandra,” He deliberately draws out the name. “Usually mortals make sure to have something to offer before asking gods for their attention.”

The mortal squeezes her eyes. “Please.”

Dionysus did not know Semele, his mother, at first as Zeus had vaporized her due to Hera’s machinations, and he had only known his aunt Ino, Queen of Orchomenos for only three years before Hera came along and killed them too. There were the rain nymphs on Mount Nysa, but Zeus had ascended them to the stars. He did rescue Semele from the Underworld and made her a goddess, but by then he was already a man and a god at that.

But Dionysus had lived with Castor and Pollux and their mother for a while. He loved it, not that he would admit it to his uncle and this mortal. He can see clear as day that the woman before him would do anything to keep her child safe, a child of the Big Three. Dionysus would do anything to keep his own children safe.

Dionysus sighed before looking back at the both of them. He was really about to do this, was he? Gods, he missed the taste of wine. “Fine. Let me look at him.”

When the woman returned with the baby boy in her arms, Poseidon loomed over his shoulder and Dionysus somehow resisted the urge to scoff as he examined the baby boy. His uncle’s overprotective streak wasn’t ending anytime soon.

The boy’s hair was black, certain to be unruly. But the bigger issue was the eyes. The boy inherited his father’s sea green eyes and would instantly give him away. “The eyes have to go.”

Both the woman and Poseidon tense and the wine god doesn’t resist scoffing this time. “As in his eye color! Did you think I meant gouging his eyes out?!”

At that moment, the baby reached out and took hold of his fingers, and Dionysus stared at the eyes of Poseidon, of Rhea, on the boy as he examined the divine finger.

Dionysus remembers seeing the same eyes when he was mortal. Rhea had cured him of his madness before teaching him what she knew, making him into who he was today. She didn’t have to, his grandmother had nothing to gain or lose from aiding him.

His grandmother was kind. Poseidon’s children are loyal. They all had the same eyes.

“So you will claim him as your own?” Poseidon asks.

This was madness, but Dionysus was the madness itself. If claiming this child meant that the twins would live, even if Olympus was razed, then he would take it.

“I want full parental rights handed over to me in exchange for that favor, also sworn on the Styx. Is that acceptable?” Dionysus pointedly looked between the baby and father.

His uncle reared back in shock, but squeezed his eyes, pained and sad as he said, “I swear on the Styx to give you full parental rights over my child.” Ugh, his uncle was always so possessive. The sea always takes, blah, blah, blah.

A boom of thunder.

He’s yours now.

“Good.” The wine god looked back at the baby. “Now, I think some changes are in order.”

Dionysus placed a hand over the baby’s head and all three watched as the eyes changed from sea green to vibrant violet. The curls of black hair gained a purple shine that wasn’t there before.

The boy giggled, none the wiser.

Next was a blessing, made easier by the waiving of Poseidon’s rights over the boy.

Now Dionysus can dress the boy all he likes, but nothing he can do can override the boy’s heritage of a child of the sea. So instead he just pushes a bit of his power into the baby, around the same level as his twins, and lets it take the path of least resistance. Or at least, that’s what he wants to do. It’s not like he’s ever done this before with demigod children not his own.

The air smells like grapes when he takes a step back and lets the couple inspect the baby. He assumes they don’t find anything amiss when Poseidon turns and bows his head towards him. “Thank you. I won’t forget this.”

“You better not.” Dionysus looks back. “What's the boy's name anyway?”

“Perseus, Percy for short.” The woman, Sally, answers. The wine god grimaces at the name. Sally quickly adds on. “Persephone, if he was born a girl.”

“Trying to appeal to vanity, huh? Smart on your end.” Personally Dionysus doubts it would work, Father Dearest was a paranoid bastard and Hades wasn’t the kind to be moved by flattery. But clearly the woman took any straws she could grasp. “Are we done here?”

Poseidon nods and Dionysus moves towards the door. “I’ll send over a gift, so keep an eye out for that.”

He zips back to camp before either could respond and slips back into sleep.

Dionysus sends a gift to Sally to give to Percy, a purple dolphin plush that smelt of ripe grapes, a marine companion to the horse plushies he gave to his twins when they were born. If anyone asks questions about the dolphin choice, he’ll simply turn them into one to prove a point.

The thought of giving a child of the sea gifts reserved for children of the vine made a ugly frown show up on his face. The sea spawn named after an arrogant hero did not deserve the love Dionysus had for his children.

He’s yours now.

But Percy isn’t Poseidon’s anymore, he was Dionysus’s and Styx if he going to slack on this one, so he makes the plush, complete with enchantments to ward off monsters, and makes a note to tell his twins they have a little brother once they get older and in camp and thinks nothing more of it.

It’s a week later when Dionysus feels a small rush, a hum behind his ears. A prayer.

From Sally Jackson.

He throws his gaze at the woman in question and finds an altar to him in the living room of her apartment. It’s shabby, obviously makeshift, but Dionysus feels a taste of red wine when Sally pours a bottle of it in a cup as an offering.

Lord Dionysus, thank you for your mercy and accept this humble offering.

It’s enough to lift his mood, a pleasant surprise. He honestly thought the woman would just ignore him for as long as possible before something gave.

Claiming Percy as his own meant that he had claim over the apartment, now reinforced by the altar. He felt the claim of Poseidon over it as well, but he didn’t care about that. Instead, he moves his gaze to where his newly claimed son was napping the day away in the other room.

It’s there that he sees a blue whale plush beside the purple dolphin plush as Percy quietly and peacefully napped, tinged with his uncle’s power, smelling of brine and saltwater.

He can’t help but chuckle to himself at Poseidon’s insecurity.

Things fell back into the routines from before and Dionysus honestly lost track of time. Sally continued her offerings of wine and who was he to deny her, especially with his restrictions. He may be unable to drink wine himself but the restrictions never said anything about offerings and Dionysus wasn’t keen on letting that be known. Chiron might have noticed his slightly improved mood over the years but he let the centaur come to his own conclusions.

Dionysus went ahead and told Ariadne about Percy, so that was one thing taken care of. In that train of thought, he thinks that Castor and Pollux are ready to learn about their little brother.

Zeus’s laws meant the other gods don’t get involved with their children for the most part, if at all. Of course, both his uncles Poseidon and Hades don’t care much about it, often granting their children the right to enter and reside in their kingdoms without issue where the King can’t touch them.

With his unique imprisonment, Dionysus is saddled with the responsibility of watching over everyone else’s brats. However, it also means that he could interact with his children on a regular basis.

Dionysus decided to accompany his twins to the strawberry fields that morning. It being mid March meant that Camp was significantly more empty without the summer campers. Best time of the year, really.

“So what did you want to tell us Dad?” Pollux asks as they move through the rows of plants, absentmindedly checking the fruit. The plants swell in their presence, fruit growing ripe.

Dionysus took a swig of his can. “I wanted to tell you that you have a little brother.”

Castor and Pollux stop what they were doing to look at him. “We have a little brother?”

“Yes, his name is Percy. He lives in Manhattan with his mother-”

The god is interrupted by the rapid fire bombardment of questions the twins launch at him.

“How old is he?”

“Seven-”

“Can we visit?”

“No, too danger-”

“What are his powers?”

“They haven’t shown up yet-”

“What does he like?”

“His mother’s cookies and grapes-”

“What is he like?”

Dionysus huffs. “A brat like the two of you.”

Castor and Pollux each bear innocent grins worthy of Broadway. “Whaaat? We have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The boys run off to Cabin Twelve, shouting over their shoulders about preparing something for their new little brother.

Dionysus shakes his head, fond. He snaps his fingers and a new bed appears in his cabin before the boys even open the door.

Um, Lord Dionysus? I humbly ask for your presence, I have a few questions?

Sally’s voice rang in his head in the evening, a quick glance revealed her in front of the altar again with a more expensive wine, as if she needed a higher quality offering to get him to respond. Not that she needed it, but she didn’t need to know that. Percy is already asleep in his room, the eight year old cuddling two well-loved plushies.

Dionysus appears at the kitchen table, the wine in Sally’s hands already in his grasp. “How’s my second favorite mortal?”

He doesn’t wait for Sally to take a seat before uncapping the bottle and drinking it. The presence of Poseidon’s claim over the apartment meant that Zeus or any other nosey god wouldn’t be able to see him blatantly breaking the rules.

Well, not as easily. But by then he will have finished the whole bottle.

Dionysus lets out a sigh of relief as that feeling of emptiness is sated. “So, you had questions Barnacle Beard couldn’t answer?”

“I’m your second favorite mortal?” Sally asks, confused. Not likely the questions she actually had but he’ll answer all the same. Isn’t he generous?

“Of course you are, you offer me wine of your own volition.” Dionysus takes another swig of the bottle. Sweet, sweet wine. “And hardly anyone has the sense to make an altar to us these days. You even followed the right steps. Now, I doubt that was your actual question.”

Sally sits up at that. “It’s about Percy’s powers.”

The god frowns. “What about them?”

“I think it’s best if I show you.” She gets up and opens the fridge to take out a half-empty plastic water bottle filled with purple liquid. “I gave Percy a water bottle and I just looked away and the water was already changed and-”

Dionysus ignores the rest of what Sally was saying and takes the water bottle and drinks it.

Freshly squeezed grape juice. The exact kind he would conjure if the mood stuck him before he was punished. Certainly not fermented at all to be wine. Though that will likely change as Percy gets older.

Water to wine. The thought makes him start laughing.

“Lord Dionysus?” Sally stares with a bit of apprehension.

“Water to wine! Ha!” The god replies. He sees Sally’s wide-eyed look. “It’s not actual wine, mind you, it’s just grape juice. Don’t worry, as disappointing as it is, I’ll make sure he doesn’t make wine for the foreseeable future. I’m sure that’s your concern?”

Sally nods, a bit of relief as she sags in her chair. Dionysus huffs. “I don’t let my children make wine until they’re of age these days, you have nothing to worry about besides gaslighting him that you put grape powder in the water.”

“Thank you, Lord Dionysus.” Sally fidgets in her chair, hesitant. “Do you happen to have other children right now?”

“Two older boys, twins.” There’s no point in lying, if Percy makes it long enough to get to camp he’ll be sleeping in Cabin Twelve. “Castor and Pollux. They’re at camp and they already know about Percy. In fact, the boys already made a gift for their little brother with his name on it. It’s quite touching.”

“I see.” Sally just sits while Dionysus continues to savor the wine. Daddy Dearest was truly a bastard for punishing him this way.

Sally says nothing for a few minutes, enough that he knows what she’s thinking. “You don’t want him to go to camp, do you?” Dionysus states more than asks.

“Is it that obvious?” Sally admits. Dionysus snaps a Diet Coke in front of her. She opens it and takes a sip without hesitation. Maybe she’s pretending that it's wine and not Coke like he does. “I don’t want to let him go.”

Dionysus sighs. It’s the same with every parent, isn’t it, the clingy-ness. “It’s best to accept that the moment will come that he will have to go to camp. You have to remember that for all that he’s your son, he’s still half-divine. Keeping him by your side is how other decent mortal parents get themselves killed.”

“I know.” Sally confirms. But I still don’t want to let him go, goes unsaid.

Little Percy had taken to leaving blue cookies on Dionysus’s altar, and cups of water turned to grape juice when Sally’s back was turned. The god knows that Sally had attempted to convince the boy that she put powder in that water bottle, but it seems like he didn’t believe her. A little shit in the making, that one.

Percy had also taken to prayer, but unlike Sally’s customary prayers, ones made by obligation, the little dolphin’s prayers were adorable.

‘Good morning, Lord Dionysus! I made more grape juice for you! And here’s a cookie!’

‘Mom bought some grapes yesterday, you have some!

‘We went to the aquarium and some dolphins talked to me!

The sincerity of the offerings reminds Dionysus of the twins when they were younger and sometimes makes him forget that Percy isn’t actually his kid. While Poseidon doesn’t say anything, he just knows that the sea dog was seething with jealousy at the offerings made to Dionysus instead of him.

Poseidon can brew in anger all he likes. Wasn’t it him who approached Dionysus to claim the boy in the first place and agreed to give up his parental rights? It wasn’t his fault that Percy turned out to be an adorable little shit.

But that topic aside, Dionysus can sense Percy’s powers growing in strength, even if the boy doesn’t realize it beyond grape juice.

Sally had called him to fix some mortal bully’s mind that Percy had accidentally driven insane after Percy had enough and fought back. They were lucky the bully had only started manically laughing nonstop and not something worse.

And for some reason that escapes Dionysus, Percy was somehow blamed and expelled for that stunt. For that offense, he cursed the faculty of that school to never know the sweet release of alcohol, skipping straight to hangover at the slightest taste. An appropriate punishment in his opinion.

Of course, Barnacle Beard caught wind of the incident because of course he did.

“You gave him madness!?” Poseidon, armed with his trident, snarls on the beach that Dionysus was oh so graciously invited to. Read: yanked in the middle of a pinochle game and shoved in front of an angry god with nothing better to do.

Dionysus snarled back, summoning his thyrsus. “What I did was let my power adapt itself to yours! I couldn’t completely alter his heritage, so I did the next best thing! Wine and madness are the closest to your domains! This way we can play off Percy as a legacy of yours instead of being his father, like we discussed! Isn’t that what you wanted?!”

It was a risk to even allude to a connection between Percy and Poseidon when Dionysus was supposed to be the father in the scenario, but they needed an explanation for Percy’s more marine inclinations.

If anyone ever came sniffing, Dionysus would begrudgingly admit that Percy is a descendant and legacy of one of Poseidon’s brats who died in World War II, who had a child before leaving for war. The reason why neither of them said anything was because Dionysus was a loving father who didn’t want his son to get the wrong kind of attention.

For Poseidon, he had no more mortal children to dote on and caught notice of Percy when he talked to the dolphins, and did not want Percy to get smited by Zeus like his great-grandfather after the Great Prophecy was delivered.

Legacies still exist out there in the world, most ignorant of their heritage. The monsters had gotten bolder in recent years, causing any demigods who managed to survive and have a life outside to say nothing to their children unless necessary, cutting ties and unwilling to return to their world. Before World War II, at least one-third of the camp population were legacies. Absolutely none of them came to camp these days.

Godly heritage by its nature could skip over generations before popping up in a descendant several decades later. It wasn’t a stretch for Percy to have Poseidon traits after another infusion of ichor in the bloodline.

The only ones Dionysus thought who could poke holes in their story would be Hades and Apollo, but the Lord of the Dead only got more and more busier as the centuries went on and populations grew. He seriously doubts that his uncle would take the time to track down one long dead son of Poseidon to ask if he had a kid. And Apollo was easy to fool with carefully selected words of truth and nothing more.

And the child of Poseidon they chose for Percy’s supposed ancestor did not share his siblings’ tendency for loyalty and fidelity and really got around without bothering to see the results. Did not like to be restrained, Dionysus might joke in any other situation.

Poseidon draws back, still angry but no longer yelling. “I… admit you have a point.” His uncle narrows his eyes. “But you have to hold it back.”

“You talk as if I’ll drive the boy insane myself. He needs a way to defend himself from monsters since water isn’t an option. Weapons only worked with the Grace girl because she already knew too much.” Dionysus argues back. “Of course, there was that other disgusting mortal that wanted Percy for entirely different reasons, who was only stopped because Percy had madness at his disposal.”

Poseidon growls at the reminder of that mortal. The wine god continues. “You don’t have to completely block off water, he loves making it into grape juice, but fish talking to him? The dolphins are already pushing it. Percy needs to be my child first, your legacy second.”

Poseidon’s hand tightens around his trident, clearly displeased, but from the furrowed brows Dionysus assumes he can’t think of anything better.

“Fine.” The sea god grits out before he vanishes in a flourish of brine and sea spray.

Last Dionysus checked, he was the god of theater, even if this damned family tries to upstage him with their dramatism at every opportunity.

If he asks Sally to give him more wine after that conversation, well, that was no one else’s business but his own.

Thalia Grace and her current state as a pine tree was a reminder of what would happen if Percy learned too much too quickly.

Because of course Zeus went for a young starlet in Hollywood. The ego boost that woman got must have broken the roof of her mansion.

And to boast about alluring the God of the Heavens and tell her daughter that she was half-god before she was ready meant the Grace girl’s scent got far more potent to hide from monsters. If it weren’t for Zeus giving his daughter weapons to defend herself and meeting the Hermes boy and the Athena girl, she probably would’ve died in the middle of the country instead of the camp borders. Another child dead among countless others.

At least her death meant a reinforced barrier. A better fate compared to most, despite what the Hermes boy thinks.

Dionysus couldn’t imagine Sally in that situation with Poseidon. Sure, she made sure to read Greek history and instruct Percy how to give offerings as any decent parent of a demigod should, but to tell him of his divine half? No, the mother had too much love to risk Percy like that.

But if Sally insisted on keeping Percy as long as possible, then Dionysus was going to send a satyr to keep an eye on him and extract him if necessary. Poseidon certainly didn’t disagree when he brought it up. Percy’s plush toys could only do so much to hide his scent before it got too powerful.

To her credit, Sally was only resigned about it.

Dionysus looks up from his cards. He thinks he has a good hand. “Grover, I’m sending you on another assignment.”

Grover whips to him in shock. “R-really, my Lord?”

The Grace girl was still something the satyr had blamed himself for despite the fact that Hades had sent all those monsters after them in the first place. It was enough that no one noticed that Poseidon did not send a single monster at the four of them, likely assuming he was responsible for some.

Either way, Grover hadn’t received his licence because of that, but keeping an eye and taking one of his kids over the border to safety? Should be more than enough to earn him his much desired licence.

“Yes, I need you to watch my son. He’s almost twelve and is going to start attracting monsters soon. His mother insists on keeping him for as long as possible, so be ready to extract him from his school if necessary.” Dionysus bids and takes a swig of his Diet Coke. Maybe if Percy gets here in one piece, he’ll remove that restriction he has on Percy and have him slip Dionysus wine in a Coke can.

Under Grover’s nervousness is a bit of hope. “Y-yes sir! I’ll do my best!”

“You better, or else Castor and Pollux will tear you apart for losing their little brother and I won’t stop them.” Dionysus turns back to his game. “You leave in the morning. His name is Perseus Jackson, but prefers Percy. I’ll give you his mother’s contact information then.”

Once Grover leaves, Chiron decides to speak up. “Are you sure it’s wise to send him so soon?”

“It’s been four years and he was just unlucky enough to get a Big Three kid on his very first assignment.” Dionysus plays a card. Percy wasn’t Poseidon’s, he was his. “If anything, I’m throwing him a bone and I’ll be watching closely.”

The god casts his gaze over to the strawberry fields where Castor and Pollux are currently encouraging one particularly stubborn plant to grow fruit, calling in some Demeter kids to come and help.

Soon, Cabin Twelve will gain another occupant.

Grover makes contact with Sally and enrolls in Yancy Academy at the same time as Percy, and some Mist manipulation ensures that Grover is put in the same dorm.

From there, Grover sends his reports to Dionysus, who passes it off to Poseidon. The god actually agreed to restrain some of Percy’s powers, particularly the fish talking, albeit with some grumbling, but took any bit of news about Percy he could get.

It’s a waiting game and while Dionysus knows that Percy is a sweet little shit devoted to his mother and makes offerings whenever he’s home, Percy’s still been kicked out of every school he’s been enrolled in.

Percy does try for Sally, despite the dyslexia and ADHD. But the school that Sally managed to enroll Percy in despite his numerous expulsions was one for troubled children who were from rich families who would not hesitate to harass the satyr for his crutches disguise.

And Percy would not hesitate to protect his new friend.

But for a while, it goes smoothly. No induced madness in any of those brats that clearly deserve it and Percy indulges his grape juice addiction in the dorm when Grover isn’t looking.

Then Zeus’s Master Bolt gets stolen. Zeus accuses Poseidon.

Absolutely wonderful.

Chapter Text

Percy didn’t like Yancy.

He didn’t really like school at all, if he was being honest. But his mom worked hard to find a school that would take him after all the expulsions on his record and Percy didn’t want to disappoint her again.

The thunder booms and rattles the window, making Percy flinch under the covers. It was times like these that he regrets not bringing either Lady Marina or Lord Tides and the comfort they brought, but Percy didn’t want to risk losing it or having it taken by a bully and feeling that fuzz in his body before they start laughing uncontrollably, so he left it in the apartment.

But the weather’s weird behavior was the least of his problems.

Because right now, he was really thirsty.

Quietly getting up to avoid waking up Grover, he grabs an empty plastic water bottle and slips into the bathroom before closing the door.

Unlike a normal person, or what Percy thinks is a normal person, he doesn’t have anything against drinking from the tap. It’s never been an issue for him.

But that’s not why he closed the door.

Because once the bottle is filled to the top with water, Percy closes his violet eyes and concentrates-

He knows he’s done it when he feels that small tug in his stomach. Percy opens his eyes and is greeted with the sight of fresh grape juice just waiting for him to drink it.

And drink it he does.

He remembers discovering this power when he was seven, his mom gave him a bottle of water and Percy, just having eaten some grapes, wished that the water was grape juice instead. Then a stomach tug later and there was purple grape juice the same shade as his eyes!

His mom thought she accidentally added that grape-flavored powder mix before giving it to him, but Percy knew the truth and he’s been making grape juice ever since.

A knock on the door makes his body freeze and his heart jolt. Wasn’t Grover asleep? “Percy?”

“...Yeah?”

“...Are you drinking grape juice in the bathroom again?” The way he says it makes it sound like Percy has a problem, which he doesn’t, thank you very much. He just likes grape juice a lot.

“...Maybe.”

“...Err, why in there again? I don’t really mind if you drink it in front of me?”

Percy scrambled for an excuse. It’s not like he could say ‘I can literally make water into grape juice and that’s not a normal thing to do in front of people’, so-

“Because I’m… the Supreme Lord of the Bathroom!”

Silence.

“Um… okay?” Grover didn’t outright question it like Percy expected him to. “Just, uh, remember we have that field trip to the Met tomorrow morning. Just don’t stay up drinking, uh, grape juice?” His voice tilted up at the end as if he couldn’t believe what he was saying.

“Yeah, good night!” Percy says right back as he hears some shuffling behind the door.

He liked Grover, he really did. There was just something about the guy that let Percy know that he could be trusted. He was really nice and was the only one who didn’t judge Percy for his quirks and it wasn’t long before Percy considered them best friends.

Percy really hoped they could still hang out after he eventually gets expelled from Yancy.

There were a lot of strange things about Percy.

First, his purple eyes. Percy looked it up and it was an actual eye color, but only people who were albino could have it and Percy definitely was not albino. Not only that, but it was a bright, vibrant violet. It was cool and all, but people would stare at him to the point where he got uncomfortable, so he kept his eyes to the ground.

Of course, teachers took that as disrespect when he didn’t look them in the eyes.

There was that one time in the aquarium where his mom took him for his birthday, one that had dolphins as a limited time exhibit. Percy had pressed his face to the glass despite his mom’s protests about germs and watched as the dolphins played with each other.

Then one of them got closer to the glass and said, ‘Hello little lord!’

His mom didn’t believe Percy when he said the dolphins talked to him, or at least not in the way that Percy meant with words instead of whistles and clicks, but that didn’t matter in Percy’s opinion.

Then there was Percy’s least favorite part.

The laughing.

The insane laughing.

There was a bully back in one of Percy’s old schools. Eddy or Edward, something with an Ed, Percy doesn’t remember exactly. But what he does remember was the boy shoving him to the ground calling him gay for his purple eyes, like he always did because he was a miserable piece of shit.

Percy was so angry at the boy, at all the bullies before him that he felt a warm, fuzzy tingle vibrate throughout his body, a sensation he hadn’t felt before as he glared at Edwin with all the anger he could muster before suddenly feeling drained and ‘not there’ for lack of a better term.

The bully flinched back as if struck, before getting a manic look in his eyes and starting to laugh like crazy. The teachers quickly ushered the boy away when it was clear he wasn’t going to stop.

Percy knew deep down he made Edison crazy, but he didn’t mean to. Really, he didn’t.

The teachers kept asking him what happened, but they kept not believing him when he explained that Edgar had shoved Percy to the ground. Eventually they let him go and expelled him at the end of the year for ‘constantly disrupting the learning environment.’

There was another instance in another school when a man he had never seen before was waiting in the pickup area, saying that he was a co-worker of his mom who was there to pick him up since his mom couldn’t get out of a shift at Sweet on America.

The complement the man gave about Percy’s eyes felt… slimy.

Of course his mom taught him about stranger danger, it was New York, so Percy told the guy to fuck off and turned around to head back inside the building.

That was a mistake, since next he knew he felt hands grabbing him and trying to carry him off and the panic in his chest and that same fuzzy feeling enveloping every part of his body and bursting-

Percy had passed out, but the man let go and dropped him on the sidewalk, laughing maniacally in place while staring at the sky with eyes blown wide. By the time the police got there, the guy had walked into oncoming traffic and… yeah.

After all the procedures and protocols, his mom decided to pull him from that school altogether. It was the only one where he wasn’t expelled. He didn’t like thinking about it.

He got a necklace with a grape bunch attached soon after that, a gift that Sally said was from his dad who heard about everything. Even if he has never seen the man before, he still sent money to support the two of them and gifts for Percy’s birthdays. It kept Percy from being too bitter against the man for leaving them, even if Sally said it was better that way, that his dad was in charge of really important stuff and that visiting them would mean trouble for all of them.

He really hoped he could meet his dad one day. At least so that he isn’t alone during father-son days at school. The nice teachers always have those looks of pity, the meaner ones look at Percy like his lack of a dad explained everything about him.

The necklace always helped soothe and kept him grounded whenever he felt the fuzz, and no one seemed to see it besides him and his mom, and Grover for some reason, which was nice, but of course the necklace could only do so much to lift his mood.

Percy plucked a piece of bread from his hair, glaring at a giggling Nina Bennett a few seats back on the bus taking them to the Met. And Mrs. Davis, the long-term pre-algebra sub that hated his guts, pretended not to notice. “If she throws another piece, I’m punching her in the face.”

Nadia just sticks her tongue at him in response to his glare.

He was seriously debating throwing away all of his hard work when Grover grabbed his arm, looking like he knew exactly what Percy was thinking. “Hey, you don’t want to get in trouble again, do you? You’re still on parole, Perce.”

“Fine.” Percy grumbled. “But if she walks over here and I punch her, that’s her fault.”

The tour was okay. They were all given papers to write things down and the guide did try her best to keep the attention of delinquent kids, but soon gave up and just talked without bothering to ask for questions. Natasha and her posse just didn’t shut up and snickering. The only highlight was the statue of Dionysus.

For some reason, Percy felt like the statue was watching him, but like in a good way. He didn’t say anything though, last thing he needs is people thinking he’s crazy.

Lunch couldn’t have come sooner.

But just when Percy and Grover were about to eat their lunch next to the fountain, Nadine had the greatest idea to dump her lunch on Grover’s lap.

“Oops, my bad.” Her mouth morphed into a sneer. “I was aiming for the trash, but I guess I wasn’t far off.”

Percy really tried to behave himself this entire school year, he really did. The last thing he wanted was for his mom to worry about another school kicking him out. Sally was a saint among saints and didn’t deserve a son like him constantly ruining things.

But his mind went blind with rage and the next thing he knew, Nicole had stopped in front of them as if frozen, a vacant look in her eyes, before that laughter started to erupt from her mouth and she jumped into the fountain rolling around in the water talking to imaginary fish, drawing the attention of their classmates and teachers.

Mrs. Dixon somehow teleported right next to them trying to look her over, but Percy didn’t really care as he struggled not to fall into the fountain from sudden fatigue and his head filled with fuzz. And Grover accidently dumped his own lunch on the concrete when he stood to grab Percy’s arm to steady him.

Some kid decided the whole show was enough to justify screaming, which caused a chain reaction of everyone else screaming, then the Met security guards came running-

Long story short, it was chaos.

Mrs. Dennis had very obviously blamed Percy for Natalie’s change in behavior because she said in that sweet southern voice that clearly said Percy was in trouble. “Now, honey-”

“Wha- I didn’t even touch her!” Percy protested, trying to gather himself again. His necklace felt like it was vibrating.

“Now, honey.”

“Wait!” Grover spoke up. Percy would applaud him for his bravery if it didn’t get him in more trouble. “It wasn’t Percy, I dared Nancy to jump into the fountain! He had nothing to do with it!”

“I don't think so, Mr. Underwood.” Mrs. Dallas sneered.

“But-!”

“You will stay here.”

“Thanks for trying.” Grover looked like he was sending Percy to his death and mourning about it. “I’ll be fine, G-man. Don’t worry.”

For some reason, she led Percy deeper into the Met until they reached the Greco-Roman section again. Why this far?

Percy felt like the statue of Dionysus was staring again, but it didn’t feel so nice this time. It almost felt… worried?

“You’ve been giving us a lot of trouble, honey.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Did you really think you could get away with it?” Mrs. Dalmer had a hand on her jacket, which was a bit weird.

Percy blinked. He thought he hid all his illegal candy and juice where none of the teachers could find it. “Um… no?”

Something was off. The air around Mrs. Daniels was… rippling? Was he going crazy? “Confess now and you will suffer less. It was only a matter of time before we found you.”

Suffer? “M-ma’am, I don’t understand-”

The pre-algebra teacher’s fingers transformed into talons and wings burst from her back. Percy always thought she was a monster in disguise but he didn’t think it was literal. “Time’s up!”

Percy barely managed to get out of the way of her lunge before he heard Grover shout “No!”

He turned and saw Grover trying to play something on reed pipes? It sounded really bad, before Mrs. Dahl turned her attention to the other boy. “Stay out of this, satyr!”

She moved to lunge at Grover. Percy might have finally gone crazy seeing Mrs. Deeds transform into a monster that is trying to kill him, but he isn’t going to let her hurt his best friend. Percy impulsively jumped on her back and grabbed her wings. “Leave him alone!”

Grover’s music seemed to mess with the hag, as she kept unsuccessfully trying to buck Percy off her back despite her strength, but it wasn’t enough before Percy was sent flying towards Grover, slamming against the wall.

“DIE!” The hag screamed as she jumped, claws ready to tear him apart.

Percy was going to die.

Then Percy made eye contact with Dionysus’s statue. And in that split second he heard-

Do it.

Percy blinked and his hands were already outstretched, the fuzz already enveloping his arms crawling up his neck towards Mrs. Druids-

The monster crash landed in front of them, trying to get up. Her eyes were darting all over the place. “What are you-?”

Percy didn’t hear anything else as he kept pushing and pushing the fuzz at her. He already starting to lose himself to it, he didn’t know how much more he could handle-

A warm pulse burst from his necklace and Percy could suddenly think again, the fuzz banished.

Mrs. Davila was not so lucky.

She started to tear off her skin with her claws, screaming and laughing and Percy was given a front row seat to it all as she raved, tearing off her wings with a deranged smile.

Then the hag tore a hole into her chest with her talon hand and ripped out her heart before falling to the ground and turning into a cloud of golden dust.

No one came despite the noise.

At some point during the whole spectacle, Percy had grabbed Grover’s arm, the other boy also frozen in shock. Faintly, he wondered if the death grip he had on Grover’s arm was hurting him. But Grover didn’t say anything either.

“P-percy, we… we have to go.” Grover finally said.

Percy swallowed, throat dry. His hands were shaking. “O-okay.”

The next day Mrs. Davis was replaced by a Mrs. Karen, who everyone was convinced was always there. When Percy made the mistake of asking where Mrs. Dawson was, rumors started to spread that he was starting to go insane just like Nella.

And while Percy really should’ve seen it coming, it did hurt when Grover didn’t believe that there was a Mrs. Dean that made his life hell, though he did notice the guy hesitating before quoting everyone else.

But this wasn’t the first time that Percy was the only one who knew the truth, so he kept his mouth shut. And Grover still stuck by him even when everyone at Yancy avoided him now and his black market business of up-selling candy and juice to rich kids took a hit.

At least both Nancy and Mrs. Dodds were gone.

But the peace didn’t last long.

The Barnes family was threatening to sue the faculty for ‘mental damages’ to Nala and somehow got to the compromise that they would drop the suit if Yancy expelled Percy, as he was the cause of Nelle’s ‘distraught state’ and ‘his presence would trigger a relapse when their daughter was well enough to attend again.’

He wasn’t a lawyer and whatever he knew of the law came from an episode or two of Law and Order, but Percy’s pretty sure that wasn’t legal. But he was already on probation for standing up to bullies and Sally couldn’t hope to spend that much money for a lawyer to fight the suit, so his mom had no choice but to pull him out.

The dorm was emptied out of his belongings before long, two weeks before summer vacation.

Grover wasn’t in the dorm before Percy got there, his stuff already gone without so much a word, making Percy’s mood worse. He was never destined to have friends for long, was he?

It was silent on the way back to the apartment before Sally decided to broach the subject. “Percy?”

He gripped his necklace, feeling the guilt of letting his mom down again. Percy would give her the world if he could. “Yeah?”

“I just want you to know that I love you and I am proud of you and always will be, no matter what.” Sally said, her voice gentle. “And I know your father is proud of you too.”

“Proud of a hyperactive delinquent that gets kicked out of schools? Proud of a lunatic who remembers a pre-algebra teacher that tried to kill me when no one else did?” Percy says without thinking and regrets it right after when he sees the frown on Sally’s face.

“You mean Mrs. Drake?” Sally asks.

Percy couldn’t believe it. “You remember her? Everyone thinks I’m crazy when I asked why no one remembers her-!” He stops when he sees how pale his mom’s face had gotten and the tight grip on the steering wheel. “Mom?”

Sally was silent for a few moments before she put on a strained smile. “There are some things I need to tell you, Percy. Some things about your father. I thought we had more time, but…” She sits up. “How about we go to Montauk a little early this year? I’ll invite Grover too.”

“Grover?” The nasty feeling of hurt rose up at the name and how quickly his best friend had vanished. “But… why?”

“I promise it will all make sense.” His mom insisted. “Please?”

"...Okay.”

They stopped by their apartment so that Sally could pack a few clothes. Percy’s stuff was already in his suitcase so he didn’t need to pack anything, so he waited in the living room while his mom packed.

The altar in their living room was empty of offerings, so Percy decided to fix that.

Percy’s family were Hellenistic pagans worshiping the gods of Greece, though they focused their worship to Dionysus. It was a niche religion, but Percy followed it wholeheartedly. Though he didn’t really advertise it that much, considering he was multiple flavors of weird and he didn’t need another label stuck on him, especially since the word ‘pagan’ made people look at him like he was one second away from sacrificing a live chicken for its blood.

Lord Dionysus, I don’t know if I’m going crazy or not, but thank you for saving me from Mrs. Daley.

He couldn’t make offerings to Dionysus since the teachers at Yancy often made room inspections and Percy didn’t know how to hide an altar, but when he poured grape juice into the cup on their altar, Percy felt more settled.

His necklace hummed. Percy felt calm for the first time in weeks.

“All ready!” Sally stepped out of her room with her suitcase. “Are you ready to go, Percy?”

Percy stepped away from the altar. “Yeah!”

Chapter Text

Montauk was always special to both Percy and Sally. It was special to his mom because that was where she met his dad for the first time and it was special to Percy because the waves always felt right in a way that he couldn’t find the words for.

Once they clean the cabin and change into water clothes, Percy is out the door already gunning for the sand.

The water was supposed to be cold, that’s what the weather report always says, but the waves were always warm for the two of them. The weird weather didn’t touch the small area where they were at. Those weather forecasters should get their stuff checked for always being wrong.

Percy runs towards the water and crashes into the first wave that he finds. The wave washes over him like a hug. He swims in the shallow part, close enough where Sally can keep an eye on him but enough where he could splash to his heart’s content.

Eventually it gets dark and they make a campfire, roasting s’mores with blue marshmallows. He had gotten into an argument at one of his last schools with someone about whether or not blue food existed, which it had to since it was one of Percy’s favorite colors and grapes were already purple. Things got physical and Percy got in trouble. But to cheer him up, Sally had decided to buy a lot of blue food dye and make almost everything they ate blue.

He was still dripping wet from playing from the water as if it didn’t want to let him go. Sally just laughs like she knew something that Percy didn’t when he pointed it out. He decided to put that detail in the box in his mind that had all the weird details about him and called it a day.

But that reminded him about something else. It grated a part of Percy to ruin the happy mood, but Sally had promised to tell him more about his dad and she didn’t say anything yet. “Mom?”

“Yes, Percy?”

“What was my dad like?” Sally paused in the middle of turning a s’more over the fire as if debating on telling Percy. “Mom, please? You almost never talk about him and when you do, you just say that he’s really important. You promised.”

“He is really important, Percy.” Sally sighed. “It’s just more complicated than you think.”

“Mom, please.” Percy begged. “I got my purple eyes and curly hair from him and he sends birthday presents and money but that’s all I know about him. And weird things have already been happening around me-”

Sally had a sad look on her face. “Percy-”

“I make people crazy, Mom!” Percy all but yelled. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes as the past few weeks started to hit him. “A-and Mrs. Doyle turned into a monster and tried to kill me and Grover. Am I going crazy too?”

Sally hugged him as the first tear fell. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Percy, I swear. You are not going insane.” A pause. “You’re right, I did promise to tell you, but it’s just… if I tell you who he is, I… I might have to send you away.”

His mom was clearly avoiding the subject. “Mom, what do you mean you have to send me away?”

“Let’s just enjoy tonight, okay? We can talk about it tomorrow.” Sally said instead.

Percy was prepared to argue, but when he saw Sally’s resigned face, he felt his resolve crumble. His mom deserved better. “Tomorrow, then?”

“Tomorrow.” Sally said. “But for now, how about we enjoy these s’mores?”

There were two big strong men fighting each other on a beach, a great storm above them booming each time one of the men scored a blow against the other.

Give it back!, one of the men yelled as they wrestled. Percy felt a rumbling and laughter from underneath the earth, feeding the anger of the two men.

Then they both transformed into a golden eagle and white horse and continued fighting, the eagle landing slashes against the horse’s snout and the horse kicking the eagle’s face.

Something possessed Percy to run towards the two animals, determined to end the fighting. But before he could take a step, grape vines erupted from the ground and wrapped around his body, trying to pull him away against Percy’s thrashing.

The eagle flew upwards and dove downwards with great speed towards the horse.

No! The moment Percy screamed, the eagle flicked its eyes at him. The horse somehow grew fiercer in its fighting trying to distract the eagle as the vines dragged Percy away.

Percy was woken up by roaring thunder shaking the windows. The wind sounded like it could tear the cabin from the ground with them inside. A thunderclap woke Sally up and she jolted straight up in bed.

He had never seen his mom so afraid before. “Hurricane.”

Suddenly they heard loud banging at the door. Sally leapt out of bed before Percy could blink and opened the door while he scrambled after her.

It was Grover, completely drenched from head to toe, breathing heavy with panic and crutches nowhere in sight. “We have to go now! There’s a monster after us!”

Sally ran back into the cabin but Percy was frozen in place because Grover wasn’t wearing pants.

No, that was a lie. Percy wasn’t staring because Grover’s pants were gone, he was too busy gawking at the goat legs and hooves his best friend now possessed.

Mrs. Dabney had called Grover a satyr.

Grover was a satyr.

Sally grabbed his arm, half hauling him with her. “Percy, get to the car now!”

Percy was too shocked to say anything in response as they booked it to the car and he saw from the corner of his eye that Grover was trotting instead of running like Percy and Sally.

His necklace sent another burst of warm energy and Percy blinked to find himself in the backseat of the car with Grover, his mom driving so fast and recklessly that he could’ve sworn she was drunk. The landscape tore by them as the car blitzed down the road. With all the rain pounding on them, it was a miracle she could even see at all.

“W-what’s happening?! Where are we going?!” Percy whipped to the goat boy beside him. “You’re a satyr?!”

Grover winced and bleated. Bleated. “Yeah, I am. I was going to tell you tomorrow with your mom but then the storm happened and then I caught the scent of a monster-”

Percy turned his attention to the front of the car where Sally had the same death grip on the wheel that he had with Grover’s arm back at the Met. “Wait, you two knew each other already?”

“Not exactly.” Grover answered. “I didn’t really talk in person, but she knew I was watching you.”

“Watching me?” Percy repeated.

“Making sure you weren’t attacked by monsters.” Grover quickly amended. “I had my suspicions that Mrs. Dodds was a monster, so I followed you two in case she attacked you.”

“Wha-Why did you pretend that she didn’t exist then!?” Percy yelled.

“The less you knew, the less monsters you would attract!” Grover replied. “But you already knew more than you were supposed to before I showed up. If it weren’t for your plush toys-”

Percy cut him off, boring into the goat boy with his violet eyes. “My plushies? Who the hell sent you to watch me!?”

Grover flinched under his gaze. “Your dad! He sent me to protect you!”

“My dad?!” Percy snapped his neck back to his mom. “Mom, who is my dad?!”

“Percy,” Sally made a hard turn, sending him and Grover to the side. Percy caught a glimpse of a sign that read ‘Pick your own strawberries!’ “The gods are real.”

“Yeah they are, but what does that have-”

“Sometimes the gods have children with mortals-”

“Wait, what are you-!”

His mom grips the wheel with a desperation he has never seen. “Your father is the god Dionysus and you have two older twin brothers, their names are Castor and Pollux and you have to look for them once you cross the pine tree, Percy!”

Percy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “My dad is Dionysus? I have two older brothers? A pine tree?”

Sally didn’t seem to hear him. “Promise me you will look for them, Percy!”

“What do you mean-!?” Was all Percy could say before the whole sky lit up in pure white and a BOOM.

After that, Percy wasn’t sure what was happening. Every time he blinked, a different scene would be playing before his eyes.

The car was in a ditch. Blink.

He was carrying Grover, his mom was crying. Blink.

Lightning flashed and the silhouette of a half-bull half-man monster appeared from the darkness. Blink.

Sally in the monster’s grip before disappearing in a flash of gold light. He yelled something but didn’t hear what. Blink.

The bull-man charging at Grover as Percy jumped on its back. Blink.

Horn in hand, Minotaur beneath with echoes of his mom screaming and the flash of light. Blink. Percy lifts and slams it down on its face before doing it again and again and again and again and again and again and again again again again again againagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagainagain-

Wake up.

Castor jolts awake at the sudden appearance of his father’s voice, rubbing his eyes. “Dad?”

He flicks the light on and once his eyes adjust, he looks over to his twin and sees that Pollux was also startled awake. “Pol, did you hear Dad?”

Pollux nods. “Yeah, but why in the middle of the night?”

As if to answer their question, their father speaks again. Go to the hill with the pine tree. Your little brother is in danger. I can’t intervene.

They both look at each other. “Percy.” They say at the same time.

Castor and Pollux jump from bed and scramble to grab their weapons before bolting out the door, not bothering to change from their pajamas.

In their haste to finally meet and save their little brother, they didn’t expect a storm to be raging within camp grounds. That should be impossible, the barrier should’ve kept it out.

Unless it had a divine origin. The weather was acting up the past few months and the usual field trip to Olympus was abruptly cut short during the Winter Solstice. Castor had a feeling this storm was related to that.

Because of the rain, the ground became muddy and the low visibility meant that both of them were slower than they wanted. “Godsdamn it!” Castor hears Pollux swear. “How the fuck are we supposed to get there in time?”

Castor sees light flooding out of doors opening from other cabins. He recognizes Lee Fletcher and Beckendorf heading in their direction and a glance in the other side reveals Luke catching up. “At least we have backup, come on!”

“What’s the situation?” Luke runs by Castor’s left as they all run towards the hill. “I just woke up out of nowhere.”

“Same here!” Lee says as he runs with his bow, quiver full of arrows on his back.

“Me too.” Beckendorf adds. He looked like he was still working when he ran out, a hammer in hand. “What’s going on?”

“Our little brother is getting attacked by monsters,” Castor huffs out, wisely leaving out the implication that Dionysus woke them all up. Maybe if it was only Lee, Castor would’ve said something more, but with the other two? Not a chance. “He’s almost to the pine tree!”

The rain started to let up by the time they got there to the pine tree, except- “Where is he? What happened to his protector?” Pollux looks around.

“Percy has to be close-” Castor cut himself off when he felt a warm fuzzy sensation sweep across his skin, the sweet taste of grapes on his tongue. “What the fuck?”

A groan makes him turn to see Lee placing a hand on his temple. “Are you guys feeling that?”

Beckendorf’s eyes were squeezed as his expression was pained. The hand that didn’t have his hammer was rubbing his arm. “Yeah. Feels like a migraine with acid on my skin.”

Besides Castor and Pollux, Luke looked like he was faring better, though the wince on his face said otherwise. Castor noticed his hands were twitching. “Come on, let’s-”

The aura got stronger and Castor almost fell to the ground by the force of it. The sweetness on his tongue got more potent as he heard laughter in his ears.

Wait, that didn’t sound right. Laughter?

When Castor looked again, both Lee and Beckendorf were on the ground giggling like drunks, their eyes glossed over. Lee was trying and failing to sing a song they sang at the campfire earlier that night and Beckendorf was mumbling something about Silena. Luke had stabbed his sword to the ground, his hands gripped on the hilt as he kneeled on one knee, gritting his teeth as he struggled to stay lucid.

Madness. One of Dad’s domains.

Shit, the aura was coming from Percy.

Castor and Pollux locked eyes, more or less lucid, and understood immediately that they were on their own.

Movement from the corner of his eye made the two of them jerk into motion, their swords pointed at the source-

And emerging from the darkness were two figures, one carrying the other with an arm over the shoulder. Castor immediately identified the one being carried as a satyr from the legs, which meant the other boy had to be Percy.

Castor and Pollux only know a basic description of Percy after pestering their Dad for details: curly black hair, purple eyes, tan complexion. The boy in front of them matched them all once Castor saw past the blood and monster dust. It looked like Percy went through hell.

It was common for monsters to chase demigods across the border and it seemed his brother was no different.

Percy managed to survive whatever monster was chasing him. Now it was Castor and Pollux’s turn to help. Castor took a step forward. “Percy?”

The aura shifted as Percy’s wide glowing violet eyes snapped to Castor, glossed over. It was like Percy was looking through Castor rather than at him.

He dropped his sword to the ground and slowly approached Percy like one would with a wounded animal. “Percy, it’s okay. You’re safe now. We’re your big brothers, Castor and Pollux.”

Percy didn’t say anything, simply tilting his head to the side with that same vacant look. It was incredibly unnerving. The background laughter of Lee and Beckondorf didn’t help.

A guttural cry makes Castor turn around in time to see Luke charging at them with his sword lifted high. One last lightning strike made his silhouette black against the bright light.

Grape vines quickly wrap around Luke’s ankles which made him trip unceremoniously into the mud.

“Focus on Percy! I’ll handle Luke!” Pollux yells at Castor, hands outstretched as vines ensnare a wild Luke.

Castor turned back to Percy who didn’t seem to notice Luke going berserk. “Percy, you need to calm down! We won’t hurt you!”

Again, Percy didn’t hear him.

His necklace, his Dad says in Castor’s mind.

The words were like a blindfold ripped from Castor’s eyes and he suddenly notices the necklace around Percy’s neck. The grape bunch pendant attached to it hung innocently against Percy’s chest and Castor could almost taste the familiar tang of Dad’s blessing on it. It was the closest to being claimed without actually being claimed.

Grab it and use it to sober your brother up.

Castor didn’t know how the fuck to do that, but sure Dad.

“Anytime now!” Pollux yells, growing vines around not only Luke who was still struggling but the other two boys to prevent them from getting up and causing more problems. The laughter was now manic.

“I’m working on it!” Percy doesn’t react when Castor takes a hold of his pendant and, out of lack of details in actually doing what his Dad told him to do, just imagines shoving the madness aura back.

For a quick second Castor just thinks he’s standing there looking stupid before he feels the pendant vibrate. It leeches a bit of his strength as the aura gradually recedes, the warm tinging feeling slowly vanishing before it’s completely gone. Castor catches Percy and the satyr that he now recognizes as Grover when Percy collapses.

The laughter behind them tapers off too as the boys fall unconscious in their vine prisons. Pollux bends over hands on his knees, breathing heavily. “Did you do it?”

“Yeah.” Castor tries to carry both of the two bodies but nearly drops Grover. “A little help?”

Chapter Text

“For the last time, piss off Annabeth!” Pollux told the girl in front of him. Castor had stepped out of the infirmary to get food, leaving the place empty of any other inhabitants besides Pollux and Annabeth once he caught her. Invisibility doesn’t mean jack shit if you don’t know how to hide in the first place. “Cas and I are already looking after Percy. Last I checked, the Sunbringer didn’t bless you with healing powers and even then we have Lee.”

The girl bristled like a bird puffing up. Ugh, Athena kids and their need to know everything. “But-!”

Pollux crossed his arms. “But nothing! I don’t give a shit. Percy isn’t the one you’re looking for. Leave him alone. Go bug Grover, he’s got discharged this morning.”

Castor arrives just as Annabeth stomps out the door, no doubt leaving to do just that. Upon seeing her, Castor gains a knowing look on his face. “Percy’s going to get a stalker, isn’t he?”

Pollux rolls his eyes before taking the plate that his twin got for him and takes a bite of the Mac & Cheese, a bit already scraped off for sacrifice or to Dad’s plate. “She’ll let it go after a few days, she always does.”

On the bright side of this whole mess of Percy falling unconscious and staying in the infirmary is that Pollux could now see his brother’s face in closer detail now that they weren’t pelted by rain while hauling him to the infirmary.

Pollux could see the resemblance between Percy and Dad. Percy had the same curly hair with that purple shine and the same violet colored eyes like the three of them. He shared the same nose as Dad along with the same flush and while not the same level as Pollux and Castor, Percy was also a bit chubby.

There were differences of course. The shape of Percy’s eyes were more almond shaped, the chin and jaw were different too. Percy was taller than Castor and Pollux were at his age, not to mention the tan. Percy wasn’t a carbon copy of their Dad but Pollux figured he just inherited the differences from his mom.

And Percy drools in his sleep, that was cute and something to tease him about later.

“I saw Lee when I was grabbing food,” Castor says after swallowing a bite himself. “He said that Percy is going to wake up soon, probably tomorrow.”

“Does he remember anything from last night? Do any of them?” Pollux couldn’t help but ask.

Castor shook his head. “I asked and Lee said the last thing he remembers was when he was rubbing his temple before waking up in your vines. He can’t lie for shit, so I’m not worried. Brutal hangover though. Same with Beckendorf.”

His brother paused to see if they were alone before leaning in and lowering his voice. “It’s Luke that I’m worried about. He said he doesn’t remember anything but I don’t trust it with how he was fighting against Percy’s aura last night.”

Pollux frowned. Of the three that joined the two of them to rescue Percy, it was Luke that went off the deep end. To say that seeing the quintessential big brother of camp charging at them with the intent of hacking them into pieces was a shock would be an understatement. Madness was one Hades of a drug- or was it a drink? “Does Dad know?”

Castor shrugged. “I didn’t really get to talk to Dad before I came here but I caught him watching Luke from the head table. Dad talked in my head last night, it’s how I got Percy to pass out, so he probably saw everything. I don’t think he’s happy with how Luke reacted.”

Well, that didn’t sound good. Pollux stabbed a piece of brisket. “May Luke rest in peace.”

His twin nodded sagely. “May Luke rest in peace. Hey, do you think we can move Percy outside before he wakes up? I don’t want him to wake up in the infirmary…”

Dionysus could privately admit to himself that waking up the head counselors to help Castor and Pollux had backfired. Percy had understandably gone overboard against the Minotaur which made Lester and Beckster become dead weight while Lucian had a more adverse reaction that forced Pollux to trap him in vines.

Inhibitions were often worn down by a flowing drink or madness, sometimes both. There were happy drunks, sad drunks, sloppy drunks, those who didn’t change at all with alcohol and the list could go on. It was always a tossup what kind of drunk a person could be.

He had always expected Luka to be an angry drunk if the demigod ever got around to touching alcohol. Dionysus isn’t blind, he is fully aware of the very few bottles of liquor that get passed around in the camp’s cute version of a black market run by Hermes’s brats and knows that Luis could easily take one for himself, but nothing.

Though perhaps he should thank the Fates that Luigi never did. The amount of paperwork that he would have to wade through in the wake of a cabin massacre threatened to give Dionysus a headache and that wasn’t even taking into account the uproar the gods would raise on Olympus, not to mention the accusations of insanity that Hermes would definitely throw at him.

Honestly, Dionysus didn’t know why Lucky didn’t leave camp by now and take his emotional baggage somewhere else. The boy was nineteen, he should be at some frat party at some random college. The stench of mortal college frat boys should be enough to mask the demigod’s scent, shouldn’t it? Chiron had argued for letting Lucy stay and Dionysus didn’t care enough to fight it at the time.

The god spies Luan from his place in the dining pavilion, watching the demigod corral his cabin for lunch as usual. Dionysus was almost impressed, Lusha hid his definite hangover headache well. Dionysus would definitely spend a minute or two over giving him a lead role on Broadway before assigning him to ensemble and giving the role to Castor or Pollux instead.

He moves his gaze and spots Lennon and Bentley at their tables where their siblings were pestering them with questions on where they got drunk without the harpies on their asses and laughs to himself at their exhausted expressions.

Dionysus just waves a hand and the two blink a few times as their hangovers vanish. It was the least he could do for their trouble at their attempt to assist the twins.

Luc could just deal with it, he’s a big boy. Really, he should be grateful Dionysus isn’t finishing what Percy started and leaving him just like his mother.

Something told Dionysus to keep an eye on him. Every demigod here had more than their fair share of daddy and mommy issues, but that aggression had to come from somewhere and he was going to make sure that his children stayed away from it as much as possible.

Percy was going to wake up soon though, so Luciano is going on the back burner. Shouldn't be too different from the boy's father at any rate.

Percy opened his eyes and found that keeping them open was a different matter altogether.

When he eventually managed to keep them open long enough, he realized that he was sitting on a pillow in a chair on what looked like a big porch.

His legs were covered in a blanket that had vine patterns across the fabric and grape bunches at the corners and his neck was supported by a smaller pillow. Whoever put him here obviously wanted him to be comfortable.

Looking around revealed a vast landscape of trees, an amphitheater and a volleyball court, but what caught his attention was the fields of what he instantly knew were strawberries, small figures walking up and down the rows. The smell of the strawberries wafted through the air, potent enough where Percy could almost taste it.

He would’ve been happy to fall back asleep except… he was really thirsty. And there happened to be one full glass of yellow apple juice right next to him. It would’ve been better if it was grape juice, but he’ll still take it.

However, Percy quickly found out that he overestimated his strength as the glass almost slipped from his fingers. He willed all his remaining strength to bring the glass close to his chest, where it clinked against his grape pendant.

“Careful!”

Percy looked up to find that the voice belonged to none other than Grover. His best friend looked a lot better compared to that night, though Percy noted that the other boy sported eyebags as if he didn’t really sleep at all. Grover was wearing an orange shirt that read ‘Camp Half-Blood’ that had a pegasus on it.

There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask. Where was his mom? Where were they? What happened to the monster? Were they safe?

“You’re wearing pants now.” Percy says instead. Maybe everything was just a crazy dream and his mom didn’t die and was just around the corner of this porch-

Except he glanced at a sandpit and saw several satyrs losing miserably to another team made up of blond children that all looked similar.

Satyrs were real. Grover is a satyr.

Flashes of that night flicker to the front of his mind, vague but connected enough for Percy to understand one simple truth.

His mom is dead.

His necklace felt warm that had nothing to do with the summer heat.

Grover paused, not expecting the statement. He looked sheepish. “Oh, uh, yeah.” He grabs the glass of apple juice from Percy’s hand and moves it to his mouth. “You should drink this, it’ll help you get better.”

“I’m not a baby.” Percy grumbled but complied.

He took a sip of the yellow liquid and almost spat it out. It didn’t taste like apple juice but instead like his grape juice and… Sally’s cookies? Somehow the two flavors didn’t conflict and Percy greedily drank it all, warmth flooding his body and he felt himself getting more energized.

“What was that? It tasted like my grape juice and my mom’s cookies.” Percy asks once Grover withdraws the glass. “Can you give me more?”

Grover’s eyes widened with panic. “Oh no, that would be dangerous. We don’t want you to burn up.”

“Burn up?” Percy can’t help but feel like this was a repeat of asking questions and not getting answers. “Why?”

Grover doesn’t answer, instead helping Percy get up from the comfortable chair. Percy folds the blanket because he was raised with manners, thank you very much. “Come on, Perce. Chiron and your dad are waiting to meet you.”

“My dad?” Percy said as he followed Grover. The porch wrapped around the house they were outside of.

All his life, Percy’s dad was this distant figure that Sally was always tight-lipped about, sending money and gifts but didn’t visit at all. His mom insisted that his dad loved him, but Percy had doubted that he would ever meet the man.

But now things have changed. As Percy takes step after step, his heart beats with nervousness at the thought of meeting the man that had loomed in the background of his life.

Sally had said that his dad was Dionysus. His dad was a god, the one that he worshiped, the one who he gave grape juice to on their altar.

Grover said that Dionysus had sent him to protect Percy. Satyrs were connected to Dionysus.

Oh gods, was that why he could make grape juice and make people crazy? Dionysus’s domains included wine and madness. Percy was given a grape necklace that Sally said was from his dad that helped to calm him down. His eyes were purple.

Why didn’t Percy ever connect the dots?

He wondered what Dionysus looked like. The myths described him as beardless and as an androgynous youth while Sally said Percy had his curly hair from him. Sure, Percy was a bit chubby from drinking grape juice all the time, but surely Dionysus appeared like his statue at the Met, he was a god after all.

He was so caught up in his nerves that he didn’t notice Grover stopping at the end of the porch until Percy nearly knocked him over. “We’re here.”

There were four people, two men and two older boys around the table in front of them playing a card game. Percy wondered if it was poker.

One of the men was in a wheelchair, middle-aged with thinning brown hair and beard. He looked like he’s been through a lot.

But what really caught Percy’s attention were the other three.

He quickly saw that the two boys were identical twins, blond hair with the same curls as his own, chubby and purple eyes. They had one purple stud on opposite ears. They looked like him. The two of them smiled at him.

“Percy! You woke up!” One of them says cheerfully.

‘You have two older twin brothers, their names are Castor and Pollux and you have to look for them once you cross the pine tree, Percy!’ The echo of Sally’s plea rang in Percy’s mind.

But then the last man stood up and Percy’s heart stopped.

The man’s face had a familiar flush to his own, the mess of hair was also black curls that shone purple under the light. His eyes were a more potent shade of violet than Percy’s and looked porky. Percy could see himself and the twins in the man in front of him.

And the aura. It felt powerful but also familiar and welcoming, enveloping him like vines.

The grape bunch pendant vibrated under his gaze.

This was his Dad.

Despite having just drunk that heavenly drink a few minutes ago, Percy’s throat was dry as he dared to ask the question at the tip of his tongue. “Dad?”

The man - Dionysus - walks over until he’s right in front of Percy. He smelt of ripe grapes like Percy’s dolphin plushie Lady Marina. Despite the appearance of a drunkard, power radiated from him, a god. “Welcome home, Percy.”

Tears fell before Percy could stop it. When Dionysus opened his arms, Percy didn’t resist before rushing in for a hug. He only cried harder when those same arms wrapped around him, the reality of his mom’s death hitting him. Soon more arms joined as the twins joined in the embrace.

But now Percy was safe. His dad was hugging him and his older brothers were hugging him too. They were happy to see him.

Percy was home.

Chapter Text

When Percy’s tears somewhat dried up, Dionysus and his older brothers slowly released him from their arms. “You really are my Dad. You’re the god Dionysus.”

The god quirks an eyebrow. “Were you expecting anyone else?”

Percy shook his head. There were so many questions he wanted to ask his Dad. Why did he never visit?

Instead what comes out of Percy’s mouth is: “You don’t look like your statue at the Met.”

“Pffft!” The twins make an attempt to restrain their laughter before giving up and laughing hard. “HAHA! Good one, Percy!”

“Brats.” Dionysus glares at them, though Percy could somehow tell it wasn’t serious.

“Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, young man.” The man in the wheelchair finally says. “My name is Chiron, Trainer of Heroes.”

“Wait, you’re the Chiron?” Percy remembers reading the stories of the centaur who had trained so many heroes. He pauses as he remembers an important detail. “Aren’t you supposed to be a centaur? Where are your horse legs?”

Chiron just smiled. “Oh, this wheelchair is simply a disguise for when I have business in the mortal world. I simply have it on now to avoid overwhelming you. But since you already know…”

The trainer moves and Percy watches as Chiron emerges his full white stallion body from the wheelchair in a flash of light, leaving him wide-eyed. Something tells Percy that he was only going to see weirder.

The centaur turns to Dad. “Ah, I just remembered that I have an advanced archery class to prepare for. I trust you will handle everything with your son?”

Dad just waves him off and the centaur leaves them with clops of a horse. One of the twins gestures to an open chair next to Dad and Percy sits right next to him. “Do you know how to play pinochle, Percy?” Dad asks as they all sit down.

Percy shakes his head and his Dad sighs. Did Percy disappoint him already? “An oversight then. No child of mine is going to walk around not knowing how to play one of the best things that humans have invented after gladiator fighting and Pac-Man. Grover, are you playing or not?”

Grover jumps from where he was standing and takes a seat. “Y-yes sir!”

“Don’t worry, Percy. We’ll teach you how to play.” His brother says from his right as the cards are dealt.

Percy fiddles with his pendant. “Um, what are your names? I mean, my mom told me that your names are Castor and Pollux, but…”

His other brother nods knowingly. “You want to know who’s who?” He points to his right ear. “I’m Pollux. I have a purple stud on my right ear and Castor has it on his left.”

Okay, Pollux is right and Castor is left. Should be easy to remember.

“Though sometimes we switch just to mess with people.” The twin now identified as Castor says with a mischievous smile. Something must have shown on his face because he quickly adds, “Don’t worry, we’ll let you know.”

True to their word, the twins teach Percy how to play pinochle.

“How do you feel, Percy?” His Dad said. Their Dad. Percy had brothers.

“Um, I feel great?” Percy replies. “What was that yellow juice? It was really good. Grover didn’t want to give me more when I asked.”

“It’s Nectar, the drink of the gods and it will taste like your favorite foods. Since we’re demigods, we can drink it to help heal us up. You can’t drink too much though, you’ll literally burn up to a crisp if you do.” Castor answers.

“Oh.” Grover did say something about burning up. “Sorry, Grover.”

Grover jumps a little at Percy addressing him but otherwise relaxes. “It’s okay, Perce. You didn’t know.”

They kept playing and Percy steadily got the hang of the game.

But Percy couldn’t help himself. “Um, Dad? Why do you look like that? Did something happen to you? All your stories and myths describe you to be, um… different.” Dad gains a grumpier expression and he grumbles under his breath as he bids. Percy looks to his brothers in slight panic.

Thankfully, Pollux comes to the rescue. “Gods can change how they look like whenever they want, but the reason Dad looks like a cherub who grew up in a trailer park-”

Percy sees Grover nervously glance at Dad. “I’m disowning you.” Dad grumbles.

“Love you too Dad. Anyway, it’s because the King punished him for one hundred years of being the camp director and Dad took this appearance as rebellion.” Pollux continued. “He’s supposed to be a good influence for us impressionable youth, or something along those lines.” He finishes with a shrug.

The King? What god had that title- oh, that King, Zeus.

“But why was Dad punished?” Percy asked.

Castor put down a card. “Dad went after a nymph who was declared off limits by the King.”

Dad rolled his eyes. “It’s not like he has a shortage of bed mates. Honestly, he’s just jealous that she liked me more than him.”

He then conjured an empty glass in front of them and Percy watched in awe as it was filled with red wine. Dad, seeing Percy’s reaction, swirled the liquid with a smirk.

Dad moves to drink it but Percy flinches as a thunderclap sounds above. He grabs his pendant out of reflex and feels himself relax. His brothers move closer to him.

Unlike Percy, the god gains an expression of mock surprise and looks to the sky. “Dear me, old habits! Sorry!”

More thunder sounded before it stopped. Then Percy watched as Dad transformed the glass into a can of Diet Coke.

Castor had a pained expression when Percy looked at him in confusion. “Oh yeah, Dad was also cut off from his domain of wine too as part of the punishment.”

That sounded wrong. The god of wine cut off from wine? “That… that doesn’t sound right. Dad can’t drink wine? But he’s the god of it! I can make wine! I mean it’s just grape juice but I can get better, right? We have to do something.”

Both of his brothers open their mouths to talk but Dad beats them to it. “Actually, that reminds me. Percy, give me your hand.”

Baffled, Percy complied and gave his hand to his Dad, who took it. He must’ve done something because it was like a lock was taken off from somewhere deep within him and a flood of energy rushed throughout his body. Percy felt a little lightheaded.

Dad gives Percy his hand back. “Sally was worried that you would start making wine when you changed water to grape juice for the first time when you were seven, so I made sure you didn’t make wine whenever you made grape juice. It would've been troublesome otherwise.”

He snaps a Diet Coke into existence in front of Percy. “Neither of your brothers inherited my domain of wine the way you did. Let’s see you make this into wine.”

Once Percy recovers from the energy rush, he quickly grabs the can if only to not look stupid. This is a chance to prove himself. Percy feels that familiar tug in his stomach like when he makes grape juice, but somehow he knew he could now push it further. The tug becomes stronger and-

He lets go of the breath he was holding when the tug disappears. “Did… did I do it?”

It’s completely still when Dad takes the can and opens it. He takes a swig.

Percy feels like those chefs on those cooking competition shows on TV when the judges took a bite of their dish. What if it was still grape juice? He didn’t want to disappoint his Dad.

Dad hums. “It’s adequate.”

“Look at you, your first batch of wine!” “You can make wine!” His brothers congratulate him while Percy blushes from the praise. Pollux shakes his shoulder while Castor ruffles his hair.

While his brothers jostle him, Percy sees from the corner of his eye his Dad making the universal gesture of ‘zip it’ to Grover, who frantically nods.

“On that note, I think I win!” Dad says after he counts up the points.

“Actually Dad, I won.” Castor says smugly, pointing to his tally of points.

Dad groans. He gets up from his chair and Grover gets up too. “I regret having you.” ‘Love you too Dad!’ “I’m going to take a nap before the singalong tonight. But first, Grover.” Dad turns to Grover, who was looking very nervous. “It’s time to talk about your performance on this assignment.”

The satyr was trembling. Dad wouldn’t hurt Grover, would he? Dad was nice but the myths and stories painted the gods as vengeful and petty. “Y-yes, sir!”

“Castor, Pollux, take your brother to the cabin and show him around camp.” His brothers make an exaggerated salute which makes Dad roll his eyes, but Percy felt like it was affectionate. Dad and Grover enter the building the porch was attached to, but not before his Dad squeezes his shoulder.

Percy swallows. “Is Grover going to be okay?”

Castor wraps an arm over Percy’s shoulder and starts walking them down a pathway. “Don’t worry, Dad’s just a grump. Grover is going to be perfectly fine. Come on, let’s introduce you to camp.”

The pathway revealed different facilities like a volleyball court, canoeing, things that would be at a summer camp. The other people Percy saw all wore the same orange shirt that his brothers and Grover were wearing, along those necklaces with different number of beads that he was just noticing. It made the place look lively.

It would’ve been nicer if the other campers weren’t staring at Percy like an animal at a zoo. When they passed by the volleyball court, they nudged each other and started to whisper to each other. One of them even pointed at him while saying, ‘It’s him!’. It was like they wanted him to do a flip or something.

Percy can’t do a flip, if anyone wants to know. He just fell on his back the last time he tried. He did try on the couch though, so Percy feels like that should be a point to him for having a cushion and not breaking his back.

He tries to hide behind his brothers’ larger frames. “Why are they looking at me?”

“Ignore them.” Pollux says with a glare directed to the side. “They just don’t have anything better to do.”

Castor points ahead of them. “We’re almost to the strawberry fields. You’ll love it, trust me.”

The strawberry fields were a lot more impressive up close, so green and lush. The perfect strawberries looked like they were ready to eat right off the stem. There were other campers and satyrs who seemed to be too immersed in their duties to notice them. He wondered if Grover could do the same things the other satyrs were doing with their pipes. Probably.

Pollux went in front of one bush and held out his hand above a strawberry, which swelled in size while gaining a deeper red color and fell right into Pollux’s open palm, who promptly popped it into his mouth.

“The strawberries help pay for the camp’s expenses.” Castor explains. “Dad’s presence makes fruit plants grow really well and Dad’s been banned from growing grapes too, so we grow strawberries instead. Come on, I’ll show you how to coax them.”

Castor leads him closer to another plant. Already the fruit was swelling. “I know it sounds cheesy, but just think about the plants like a baby. Be encouraging to it and you’ll do it.”

Turns out Percy was bad with plants.

Actually, that was a lie. He was a son of Dionysus, which meant he could do things with plants that others couldn’t. He was just bad at plants compared to his brothers.

The strawberry he was focusing on did eventually drop into his hands, ripe and crimson, but it took several awkward minutes as opposed to Pollux who took a few seconds. He could feel which plants needed water though, if that was anything.

Pollux tosses him another strawberry. “Don’t worry about it too much. Cas and I have been doing this for years and we all have different strengths, you know? I mean, we can’t make wine like you do and you’ve clearly been doing that for a long time too.”

That eases Percy’s wounded pride a little as he takes a bite of the strawberries. Hmm, that was good.

His brothers lead him to the edge of a dense area of trees. Castor levels Percy with a heavy look. “So this is the forest. Don’t ever go by yourself, okay? Especially without a weapon.”

Percy was taken back by the sudden change of tone. “Why would I need a weapon? What’s in there?”

“Monsters.” Pollux answers as if it was a completely normal thing to have in a summer camp.

“Monsters!?”

“There’s a barrier keeping them inside.” Castor adds. “Yeah, Camp Half-Blood is a sanctuary for demigods from monsters but it’s also a place for us to train so we can protect ourselves out there. If anything happens we can rush to the infirmary instead of bleeding out or being eaten anywhere else. A controlled environment.”

Percy wasn’t comforted by that but he nodded anyway. If his brothers weren’t that worried, he wasn’t going to stress about it. It’s not like he’s going anywhere near there to begin with.

The dining pavilion was next. It was a really big open space with a lot of tables. It was clearly made to host a lot of people. Percy wondered if they had parties, that would be cool.

There were no walls though, or even a roof. “What happens if it rains?”

“It only rains here if Dad lets it in camp, but otherwise it usually doesn’t happen since the barrier keeps it out. If it does anyway, we just eat in our cabins.” Pollux points at a particular table. “Look, that’s ours. But to be honest, we just sit with Dad at the head table anyway. We’re technically not supposed to, but it’s not like Dad says anything so…”

Percy understood that immediately.

The final stop were twelve cabins that all looked wildly different from each other set in a semi-circle around a hearth. There were smokestacks on the roof of one and another that looked like solid gold. Around the hearth was a little girl who looked younger than him tending the flames. She smiled at Percy and he waved back.

“So each Olympian has a cabin here even if they don’t have children.” Castor points to two cabins that were larger than the rest in front numbered 1 and 2. “Like the King and Queen. They don’t have mortal kids but they still get cabins because otherwise they would get offended and start smiting everyone. Cabin Eight is for the Hunters of Artemis when they come by.”

Percy could understand why Hera didn’t have kids, goddess of marriage and all that, but wasn’t Zeus infamous for having so many kids outside of his marriage? “Um, why doesn’t the King have kids? Isn’t he kinda famous for that?”

Pollux nods. “So you know about the King already, but you gotta remember his two brothers, the Earthshaker and the Host of the Dead.” At Percy’s nod, he continues. “During World War II, the demigod children of the King and the Earthshaker went against the demigods of the Host of the Dead. It was so brutal that the Big Three - that’s what we call ‘em - swore a pact on the River Styx to never have demigod children ever again.”

“You have to understand that swearing something on the River Styx is the highest form of pact you can make and it’s extremely dangerous and painful if you break it. That’s why those cabins are empty.” Castor gestured to Cabin One and another cabin that was numbered with a bronze 3 that was built close to the ground with grayish light blue rock that looked like it was brought up from the floor of the sea. Seashells and pearls decorated the stone. Percy wondered what it looked like inside. “Just stay away from these cabins and you’ll be fine.”

As they passed by Cabin Three, Percy felt a little tug like it was calling him. The sound of waves seemed to echo in his ears like in Montauk. But Castor and Pollux kept walking, so Percy looked away and followed.

“And here,” The twins led him to the end of the left side of the cabin semicircle. “Is home sweet home, Cabin Twelve!”

The cabin was like a typical cabin except it was covered in grape and ivy vines with a bronze 12 above the door. There were two large vases decorated with images of grapes. The front door had a stained glass window that also had grapes on it.

Percy stepped inside and was filled with the same warmth that he felt when his Dad hugged him. There were vines and fruit hanging from the ceiling.

There were three beds. Two were clearly Castor’s and Pollux’s with its ruffled sheets while the third bed had his luggage from the car and his two plushies Lady Marina and Lord Tides.

And one horn.

He pushes down the grief and tries not to cry. He keeps looking around to distract himself.

There’s a water cooler to the back of the cabin with red Solo cups. Percy quickly fills a cup with water and makes it into grape juice before chugging it and refilling it and repeating the process until he’s satisfied. A glance at his brothers reveals the two looking in interest. “Want some?”

“Sure.” They say at the same time and Percy fills up two cups before giving it to them and changing it before their eyes.

Pollux takes a sip before drawing back in surprise. “Oh, shit. This is really good.”

While his brothers enjoy his signature grape juice, he sees a desk covered in papers that on closer look revealed to be theater scripts in a different language than English. Even more astonishing is that Percy could actually read it.

He shuffled through different scripts, some that looked like originals with how old they felt and found that yeah, he could read them all. “How can I read this? I’m dyslexic.”

Castor had sat down on a bed while Percy was reading. “Shit, we forgot to tell you. You also have ADHD, right?”

“Yeah, how do you know? Is it a Dionysus thing?”

Pollux opens a can of Coke, the regular kind. He holds it exactly like Dad. “It’s a demigod thing. As demigods, our brains are hardwired for Ancient Greek instead of English or any other language, which is why we’re diagnosed with dyslexia. Demigods have a natural talent for battle with our heightened senses, which is ADHD. We see too much, not the other way around.”

Huh. Well, at least Percy wasn’t considered a freak anymore, here at least. Though Percy would argue that he spaces out more often than not. “So everyone here has dyslexia and ADHD?”

“Yup.” Castor and Pollux share a look with each other. Do they have telepathic twin powers or something? It’s like they’re talking without talking.

Caster clears his throat. “Look, Percy. We have to tell you some things that we couldn’t say outside. Since Dad is a god, he isn’t allowed to be in our lives like a normal mortal parent because of ancient laws, but he still tries his best with the three of us. You know how Dad paid child support and gave you birthday presents?”

At Percy’s nod, he continues. “Dad is an exception when it comes to godly parents. We get to see and talk to Dad everyday. Sure, he’s here at camp because of his punishment, but he could’ve just ignored us anyway, but he doesn’t. You got to hug Dad, Percy. People here at camp would be really lucky to even see their godly parents at least once in their lifetime.”

Pollux winces. “The gods aren’t that good at being parents. The King, the Foamborn, all of them.”

That has to be an exaggeration. “All of them?”

Castor points to the window where Percy could see the opposite side of the cabin semicircle. “Most of them at least. Do you want to take a guess who Cabin Eleven belongs to?”

Percy goes up to the window, somehow seeing the other side clearly despite the stained glass and spots the cabin in question. It looked kinda normal now that Percy was looking at it a bit more closely, the only defining feature was the caduceus symbol above the door.

Which god had a caduceus again? Oh yeah, it was Hermes. “Is it the Messenger?” He guesses.

“Yup.” Castor confirms. “It’s where his children go like we have with Cabin Twelve.”

Percy sits down on his designated bed and hugs his plushies close to his chest and breathes in their comforting scent. He ignores the horn. “Okay, what does he have to do with the gods being bad parents?”

“Usually when demigods get here, they’re usually undetermined and put in Cabin Eleven since the Messenger agreed to host them. He's the god of travelers and hospitality and all that jazz.” Castor says.

“Undetermined?”

“As in no one knows who their godly parent is until they’re claimed by that parent.” Pollux continues. “But the problem is that people spend years going unclaimed even when it’s obvious who’s kid they are.”

“But aren’t they their children? Why wouldn’t they claim them?” Percy couldn’t imagine knowing what he knows now and Dad not claiming him anyway despite the evidence. It would shatter a part of him to see the god he worshiped and his father rejecting him.

Castor just shrugs. “Sometimes the gods just forget about them and claim their kids once they remember. Other times they want their kids to do something impressive so they have something to brag about.”

Percy knows what abusive parents are on paper. Sure, Dad was an absent parent but at least it was because he was a god and supposedly bound by ancient laws, whatever that means. Even then, Dad tried. “That’s…”

Pollux shakes his head. “Yeah, it’s not great but we can’t do anything about it. We’re really lucky that we have Dad instead of anyone else. Sure, he’s the party god but he has the least amount of demigod children outside of the Big Three and claims us right away and wants us away from danger, not towards it. The only other god I can think of besides Dad that claims their kids right away is the Sunbringer, but that’s the exception, not the norm.”

Castor leans in, voice serious. “Which is why you can’t talk to anyone at Camp about our relationship with Dad. Nothing about child support, birthday presents, pinochle games, nada. It would only make them jealous about the fact that we have Dad while their relationship with their own godly parent is practically non-existent. Their godly parents probably didn’t do anything for them like how Dad did for us. It wouldn’t be the first time people acted hostile around us because of that. Do you understand?”

A part of Percy finds it ironic that in all his life he wanted to meet his Dad only to find out that he was the god Dionysus. And now that he knows, Percy can’t say anything meaningful about it or risk poking the bear in a camp full of them. “I understand.”

“Okay, the mood’s down. That’s gotta change.” Pollux moves to the desk and pulls out a small box from one of the drawers. “When Dad told us about you, we decided to make a welcoming gift for our darling little brother all the way in Manhattan.”

His brother hands him the box and Percy opens it to reveal two purple studs like the ones his brothers have. “Now this was before we saw your necklace but Cas and I thought you would like it if we all had matching earrings since there’s so few of us to begin with. Dionysus kid solidarity, you know?”

“I love it.” Percy immediately says. One problem though. “But where would I even get my ears pierced? Do I have to ask Dad for permission?”

Castor waves it off. The motion looked exactly like Dad when he shooed off Chiron earlier. “Oh that’s no problem. Dad doesn’t care about the jewelry we wear as long as we’re not obnoxious about it. Cabin Ten, the Foamborn’s cabin, has a painless ear piercer that we can borrow. They owe us a favor anyway.”

Pollux stands up. “Actually, I think we can head over and ask before showing the rest of the camp. What do you say, Percy?”

Percy smiles. “I would like that.

Chapter Text

Cabin Ten was covered from roof to floor in pink like one of those Barbie dollhouses that Percy had seen displayed on the windows of stores. The lacy curtains and the pots of flowers completed the look.

When they knocked on the door to Cabin Ten, it opened to reveal a pretty Asian girl around his age with a lot of jewelry and perfect makeup that wouldn’t look out of place in a popular ‘mean girl’ clique.

“Oh. Uh, hey Drew. We were wondering if we could borrow your cabin’s ear piercer for our little brother Percy.” Castor says.

Percy gives a small wave in hopes that this girl wasn’t a mean girl. Those hopes were dashed when Dawn looked him up and down, likely trying to see if he was worth her time. It wouldn’t be the first time some popular kid threw that look at him. “So you’re the one that defeated Pasiphaë's son.”

Her eyes lock on to his grape pendant and a flicker of understanding flashes in her eyes. “Of course it would be one of Mr. D’s kids that would be insane enough to go against a monster like that.”

So Percy did lose it during the fight with the Minotaur. Great. Absolutely wonderful. Made his day.

Pollux starts to usher him away. “Actually, I think we can come back later. Sorry for bothering you-”

“Oh don’t be ridiculous.” Delilah said with a roll of her eyes and waves them inside the cabin. “No offense, but I don’t trust any of you to know what you’re doing. Come in.”

The heavy smell of perfume was the first thing that Percy noticed. The second was the amount of pink on the inside. There were posters of models and movie stars everywhere on the walls and all the beds were twin sized like in Cabin Twelve.

He sat on a stool while Daphne went and grabbed several things - a mirror, a marker and a piercing gun. “Alright, what kind of earrings are we working with?”

Percy takes out from his pocket the box of the purple stud earrings and shows them to her.

She nods. “Those are easy to do. You, hold this in front of him.” Destiny held out the mirror to Pollux, who took it without question, though he blinked a few moments later with clearer eyes. Percy himself felt a faint sensation like silk gliding over his skin before his pendant snapped him out of it with a warm burst.

His brothers did warn him about Aphrodite’s children having something called Charmspeak which made people do whatever they said to do and told Percy to not piss off these campers in particular. Percy definitely saw where they were coming from. Losing control was already terrifying when he did it to himself, he didn’t want to experience it from another end.

“Hold still.” The command briefly took hold before his pendant again broke it, but Percy tried to stay still anyway. Daisy didn’t seem to notice as she took the marker and marked an X on both his ear lobes before taking the gun and positioning it between said ear lobes.

Percy squeezed his eyes expecting a sharp pain from his ear, but then Diana pulled the trigger and he just felt a painless pinch - which is very weird, because aren’t pinches supposed to hurt? - before she took one stud and put it in without much fuss. She does the same to his other ear.

Then she stepped back so he could see it more clearly in the mirror Pollux was holding and sure enough, the purple studs were now attached to his ears as if they were there to begin with. There wasn’t any blood or redness anywhere. “Thank you. I love it.”

Darcy just hums. “As you should. Now, if that’s all, I have things to do.”

As they left Cabin Ten, Percy supposes it could’ve been worse.

The next area they went was the archery field where a row of targets were placed on one end as campers shot arrows from the other.

“Lee!” Pollux calls out and several campers look over as a tall blond teenager approaches them.

The teenager waves with a smile like sunshine, holding a bow with a quiver on his back. “Hi there! I’m Lee, head councilor of Cabin Seven and son of the Sunbringer.” Ah, no wonder, though Percy saw that there were a lot of blond campers that looked like Lester. How many kids does Apollo have? “You must be Percy, glad to see you out and about. Though I don’t remember your ears being pierced?”

“We just got them pierced today with Drew’s help.” Castor pointed to his own stud earring. “That way we all match.”

“Aww, that’s cute. It’d be a nightmare to corral my cabin to coordinate something like that.” Lester directs his attention at Percy, looking him over more closely. “How do you feel, Percy? Any pain anywhere? I can heal any leftover bruises if you got any.”

Percy shook his head as he recalled that Apollo was the god of healing. “Nope, I feel great.”

Lester nods. “That’s good. I was worried for a sec since I went to go help out your brothers the night you came to camp but I didn’t get to see you until after the whole thing was over.”

Percy frowned. What did that mean? “Did you get hurt or anything?”

Castor chuckled a little awkwardly. “You passed out after Pollux and I found you, but you accidentally made our search party blackout drunk and gave them a killer hangover after. Pollux and I were the only ones who were immune for the most part.”

His eyes widened. “Oh gods, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” At least he didn’t make them insane, that would’ve been worse.

Lester just laughs. “Don’t worry about it. I get it, you were stressed out and fighting for your life. We’ve all been there.” That statement didn’t fill Percy with confidence on the general mental state of the campers. “At least I know what a hangover feels like. I’m not touching alcohol anytime soon. Come on, let’s see how you are with a bow. Who knows, maybe you’re a natural at it!”

Percy was banned from the archery fields after one shot, though Lester was gentle about it. Honestly, he doesn’t blame him.

Next was the Camp Forge. Probably a bit cautious after the archery fiasco, his brothers told him to wait while they went to go get a friend that was working there to introduce the two of them.

They soon returned with another teenager with dark skin and muscles that definitely came from working with heavy metal and hammers all day. “Percy, this is Beckendorf, head councilor of Cabin Nine and son of the Forgemaster.”

Bennett’s eyes were the color of dark bronze. “Nice to meet you. It’s good to see you in good shape. Your earrings look nice.”

Percy got the impression that he didn’t really talk all that much. “Thanks, nice bandana. It’s nice to meet you, Bennett.”

The blacksmith paused before turning to his brothers with a raised eyebrow. Did he say something wrong?

“Uh, Percy, his name is Beckendorf, not Bennett.” Castor corrected.

Percy was genuinely confused. “Isn’t that what I said? I know I’m bad with names but I’m pretty sure I said the right one.”

“Huh.” Pollux says after a beat. “I didn’t think that was something we could get from Dad.”

“What does Dad have to do with this?” Percy asked.

“Dad calls everyone except us by the wrong name all the time.” Castor explains.

“On accident?”

His brother shakes his head. “On purpose. We don’t really know why, but obviously it’s not something people like about Dad, or in general I guess.”

Percy wilts a little. “But I got your names right and Grover’s too…”

Bennett just shrugs. “I don’t mind since you can’t help it. Just keep in mind most campers won’t take kindly to being called the wrong name, especially since you’re Mr. D’s kid.” He turns to Castor and Pollux. “What side are you picking for Capture the Flag by the way?”

Are they going to play flag football or something? Percy didn’t know what he was talking about but his brothers clearly did. Pollux copies the blacksmith and shrugs. “We haven’t decided yet. Depends if we’re offered anything. We’ll probably just do a coin flip.”

Bennett nods. “That’s fair.”

They pass by the strawberry fields again when a camper runs up to them. “Castor, Pollux, Jerry’s acting up again!”

“Again?” Pollux groans dramatically. “It’s only been a few days!”

“Who’s that?” Percy couldn’t help but ask, though he wisely kept himself from saying any names. “Is he a camper?”

“A stubborn strawberry shrub that sometimes attacks us with vines. Some campers put a spell on it as a prank but it didn’t dissipate when it was supposed to.” Castor had a look of exhaustion upon saying it. “We’ve asked Dad to get rid of it but he said no, some shit about building character. I think he’s just bored and wants some entertainment. Oh yeah, Percy, this is Katie Gardner, daughter of the nature goddess. Katie, this is our little brother Percy.”

Katrina waves, her hands smudged with dirt. “Hi there, nice to meet you. We’ll probably see each other often. Actually, do you think you can help us out with Jerry?”

Pollux had grown several strawberries and was eating them during the conversation. He gave another one to Percy. “Percy’s not as good with plants as we are. Jerry’s probably going to whoop his ass.”

“Gee, appreciate the confidence.” Percy said sarcastically as he chewed the fruit.

Castor put a hand on his shoulder. “How about you head back to the cabin, Percy? Jerry is a pain in the ass to deal with and we don’t want you to explore camp without either one of us showing you around. It’s still a while before dinner.”

It was chilling in their awesome cabin versus fighting a sentient shrub. Percy knew which one he was going to pick.

He was passing by the bathroom building when someone called out from behind him. “Hey, you!”

Percy whips around to spot a group of big, mean looking campers wearing camo jackets. An even meaner looking girl steps forward. “Percy Jackson. Everyone’s saying that you took down the Minotaur.” She spots his pendant and sneers. “Did you tell Mr. D to make it up?”

He takes a step back. Percy’s no stranger to bullies but he isn’t stupid enough to go against an entire group. He remembers seeing her through the open door of one of the cabins when Castor and Pollux were guiding him, but didn’t get a good look. “My mom died to that monster! Who even the hell are you?”

She adopts a cruel smile. “Clarisse LaRue, Daughter of Ares. And I don’t find it believable that a small piece of shit like you got to fight the Minotaur and win while the rest of us are stuck here training. You probably lost your mom and cried to Mr. D about it.”

Percy’s met bullies like her before. He can handle insults and sneers thrown his way and throw them back in equal measure.

But no one was allowed to insult his mom. No one.

Against his brothers’ advice, Percy decides to go for a low blow. He can’t hide behind Castor and Pollux forever. “What, jealous my Dad loves me while yours is still waiting for you to stop shitting yourself? Explains the smell coming from your ass, Claire. How about you go to the bathroom and wipe it and show you’re potty trained?”

The shift was immediate and Percy could tell he made these big burly kids very angry. “We have an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy. Grab him.”

Percy was kicking and punching as Christina grabbed him by the neck and the others grabbed other limbs to stop him from frailing. None of them dared to take off his pendant, though.

The fuzz- no, the madness attempted to emerge from his skin out of instinct but Percy clamped down on it and shoved it back hard. He will not make anyone insane, he won’t. They might act like Maenads and tear him apart.

The bullies took him to the girls bathroom and Clara forced him to his knees and began to force his head toward the toilet bowl that smelt like shit. Cruel laughter filled the room as Percy tried to push back. He won’t go into that toilet, he will not-

That familiar tug of his stomach and the water in the toilet transformed into wine. The smell of alcohol mixed with toilet water almost made him gag as the tug didn’t go away. Somehow, Percy could tell he was changing all the water in the pipes and plumbing into wine.

The walls started to rumble before wine shot out of the toilet bowl over Percy’s head as Charlotte and the rest of their company screamed behind him. Then the rest of the toilets, the showers, the sink faults, they all exploded with wine as Percy clutched his abdomen in pain. The tug kept pulling and pulling and pulling-

The tug and the pain lessened as the wine slowly stopped flowing and Percy found himself alone in the bathroom, mysteriously dry as not a single drop of wine had landed on him. Though the smell was probably another issue.

He stepped outside only to find Caroline and the bullies drenched in wine.

Percy’s seen enough drunks attempting to walk back to their apartments late at night to know that they were all wasted. One was vomiting on the grass, another was trying to get up but failing miserably, yet another looked like they had fallen asleep. Camilla herself was slurring out threats.

Shit, he’s going to get in trouble.

Wait, Dad is the camp director. Surely he would understand Percy was forced into self-defense. Huh, he can pray to his Dad. He sends a prayer to Dionysus. Um, Dad? I made people drunk by accident. Can you please help me?

A moment later and a flash appears in front of Percy to reveal the god in question. Dad looks around and sees the wine flowing out of the bathroom building and the gaggle of drunk campers. One of them sees Dad and tries to run away but Dad just waves a hand and all of them are ensnared in vines. “Mind explaining, Percy?”

Percy starts from the beginning when Castor and Pollux sent him off to the cabin so they could deal with Jason - Dad lets out a huff of amusement - before encountering Cassidy and her posse and explained that Percy had turned all the water in the building into wine as everything seemingly exploded before stepping outside and seeing everyone drunk.

Dad sighs, though Percy notes it’s a sigh of wistfulness rather than annoyance. Probably at all the wine wasted everywhere. He vows to make more wine for his Dad. “The reason they’re drunk is because you got wine in their mouths and accelerated their intoxication. Not many people know this, but sobriety falls under my domains of madness and wine just as much as inebriation. Since you have inherited both of those domains from me, you have access to both of those.”

Percy supposes that it makes sense that a god would have complete control over their domain with all those details. “Is that why my pendant kept snapping me out of Daniela’s Charmspeak?”

Dad nods. “Yes. With time and training, you will eventually be able to make yourself resistant if not immune to any kind of manipulation that dulls your senses. Your pendant is just an amplifier to help you until you can grasp it on your own.”

The god turns to the campers and seems to age a decade. Dad waves Percy over to where he trapped all the Ares kids with vines. “Now son, it’s time for you to learn how to inflict the debilitating curse of sobriety on others instead of yourself.”

Making someone sober was much harder than Percy expected. It was an odd sensation of the fuzz from madness and the tug of his stomach from wine combined, except in reverse while pulling it out of someone. Percy didn’t know how else to explain it.

Though seeing Cora’s face pale once she saw Dad was something that Percy would not hesitate to share with Castor and Pollux.

Eventually, all the campers were made sober if still trapped vines, completely terrified of Dad. “All of you are punished for the next two weeks for the destruction of camp property. You will be responsible for cleaning and replacing everything that is damaged or there will be worse consequences. Oh yes, and no dessert.”

Chloe sputtered. “But he was the one that made everything explode!”

Dad glared and all of them flinched and trembled in terror. Percy felt like they were seeing something he wasn’t. “Percy acted in self-defense while the rest of you went ahead with that ‘initiation ceremony’. It is abundantly clear who bears the blame, Claire.”

The vines recede though none of them move a muscle. “And for that lip…” Percy watches in terrified awe as the campers’ bodies stretch and their skin turns grey before dolphins appear where the campers were before.

Dad takes Percy by the shoulder as they leave the dolphins flailing on the ground. “Come along Percy, it’s almost time for dinner.”

“Hey Dad?”

“Yes, Percy?”

Was Percy going to ignore the scene he had just witnessed? Yes, and he’s going to do that by asking his Dad to grant him one of his lifelong wishes. “Can you turn me into a dolphin too?”

His Dad doesn’t even pause in his stride. “You always did like dolphins. Tell you what, win this week’s game of Capture the Flag with you crossing the creek with the banner and I will do it. I can wait until you do. Deal?”

“Deal!”

Chapter Text

Dinner was announced with a horn that Percy somehow knew was a conch shell. Both he and his Dad were already at the dining pavilion while the god regaled stories of his adventures when he was a demigod himself. He saw everyone at camp come to the pavilion like ants to a picnic. He even saw a wood nymph walk straight out of a tree and come skipping up the hill.

The Ares campers also made it un-dolphin-ed and not looking like drunks, surprising enough. Dad must’ve turned them back while he was with Percy. They didn’t even glance their direction.

There was another girl with sharp gray eyes sitting at another table that was staring straight at him and didn’t look away when Percy caught her. Though, one of her siblings said something loud and she put a hand against her temple, wincing.

His attention was turned away when he noticed his brothers. “You made Cabin Five drunk?” was the first thing that Castor said when the twins sat down at their table in the dining pavilion while Pollux went in the opposite direction with “Nice!”

Dad sent a mock glare at Pollux while Percy blushed in embarrassment. “It was in self-defense! But at least Dad taught me how to make people sober.”

Both twins nodded like wise men. “Ah yes, the ‘debilitating curse of sobriety’.” “A classic.”

Grover also sat at their table, but it didn’t look like he wanted to talk, not with his Dad so close. Percy wondered what Grover and his Dad talked about when they left. He can ask later.

Chiron was also there next to their table, but he was in his full centaur form so he couldn’t really sit down. The entire pavilion quieted down when Chiron tapped one of his hooves on the marble floor. He raised a cup. “To the gods!”

“To the gods!” Everyone repeated.

Castor must’ve seen Percy staring at his empty cup. “Just say what drink you want and it will fill it up for you. Except alcoholic drinks, a lot of people tried that one. Some of them thought that since Dad was here, he would give them a free pass since he’s the wine god and all.”

Dad huffs. “If I can’t have wine, those brats can’t either.”

Well, Percy didn’t want wine. The smell of it covering the bathroom had quickly turned off his curiosity in that respect. His wine is for Dad anyway.

“Grape juice.” The cup filled up with the liquid and Percy took a taste, though he noted it was less sweet than he was used to. “My grape juice.” There was no change when he took another sip.

“The cups also filter out sugar and caffeine since Chiron doesn’t want to deal with extra hyperactive teenagers.” Percy frowns at Castor’s explanation.

Fine, he’ll have to do it the old fashioned way. “Water.” The cup obeys and Percy changes it to his grape juice which a sip confirms that it had its original sweetness. He drinks it all with a sigh of satisfaction and watches it refill with water again before repeating the process.

Then Percy remembers that Dad was sitting next to him and steals a glance only to find Dad ignoring Percy’s grape juice without a word while the twins were suppressing their laughs.

Well, if Dad isn’t saying anything, then Percy won’t say anything. On that thought…

Percy grabs his Dad’s Diet Coke when he sets down and turns it to wine before returning it. Dad’s expression doesn’t change when he takes back the can, but the god does ruffle his hair affectionately when he takes a swig.

If anyone asks, no, Percy did not lean into the warm touch, they must be seeing things.

Nymphs came forward with platters of food and Percy loaded his plate with a bit of everything. Right when he was going to take a bite, he saw people getting up table by table. “Are they getting dessert or something?”

Both of his brothers got up with their own plates. “Burnt offerings to the gods, Percy. Let’s go.”

Why would they burn offerings if they just give it to Dad who was right there? But Dad just nudges him to follow Castor and Pollux towards the fire at the center where people were dropping parts of their food. Percy mentally shrugs and gets up.

As he approaches the center, he sees people dropping the best part of their meal and saying the name of their godly parent, no titles. Some just say, ‘to the gods’. One of those campers gave Percy a bitter look and put a wide berth between them once they caught sight of his pendant. One of the unclaimed, then.

His brothers weren’t joking, the three of them really were lucky to have their Dad.

Once it was his turn, Percy dropped the juiciest strawberry on his plate and said “Dionysus”.

Percy prayed many times to Dionysus, but as he stands in front of the fire knowing what he knows, strawberry melting away into the flavored smoke, he’s at a loss for words.

He decides to keep it short and sweet. Thank you Dad. I love you.

Another hair ruffle, though no one was next to him.

Percy gets an idea and he fishes out a blue candy from his pocket. If he could give burnt offerings to the gods, why can’t he offer it to his mom? He only had the blue candy to lose and he would gladly burn it all if it meant his mom could hear him from all the way to the Underworld.

He takes off the wrapper and throws the candy into the fire. He whispers “Sally Jackson”.

His throat tightens even though he isn’t speaking. Hi mom, I’m safe at camp now. I found Castor and Pollux like you told me to. Dad is great and he gives me hugs, I wouldn’t ask for a better one. I hope they gave you Elysium, you don’t deserve anything less. I love you.

Nothing happened to indicate that his mom heard him, but Percy wants to think she did.

After returning to his seat, eating his food and laughing from Castor’s and Pollux’s jokes and stories, Chiron again pounded his roof, who pointedly looked at Dad once everyone quieted down again.

Dad got up with a dramatic sigh. “I suppose I should say hello to you brats. Hello. Now, Chiron says the next game of Capture the Flag is this Friday. The laurels were supposed to go to Cabin Five, but due to certain disciplinary actions, the laurels are now held by Cabin Six.” Cheers went up in that same table where that girl was staring at him. The Ares campers were sulking. “Yes, yes, hurrah, hurrah whatever. We also have a new camper, Percy Jackson, son of the great and amazing me.”

Percy wanted to hide from all the sudden stares except they didn’t seem to be looking at him but rather… above him?

Pollux nudged his foot. “Look above your head!” He did and saw a floating holographic purple thyrsus above his head. His pendant seemed to glow with it.

It faded and his Dad kept talking. “Now go to your singalong. Go on, go.”

Everyone cheered at that. Castor and Pollux led him through the crowd to the amphitheater where the Apollo kids led the camp in singing songs about the gods. Percy stuffed his face with s’mores and it felt like he belonged here. This is his home.

When they return to Cabin Twelve, Percy shoves the horn under his bed before grabbing his plushies. He falls asleep instantly.

There’s an insistent knock on the door that morning before breakfast. Percy, whose bed was closest to the door, was democratically elected via thrown pillows to go answer it.

Percy wipes his mouth with grumbles as he opens the door to reveal two identical looking boys, each with a mop of curly brown hair and blue eyes. They both had elvish features. One of them was a bit taller than the other. Percy saw them last night sitting at Cabin Eleven’s overcrowded table. He supposed it wouldn’t be too crazy for two pairs of twins to be at camp with how much the gods get around. Besides his Dad, of course. “Good morning?”



“Good morning!” The boys reply, far too chipper for the time of day. The shorter one asks, “Percy Jackson, right?”

Percy narrowed his eyes. After yesterday, he was wary of other people calling out his full name. “Who’s asking?”

“Connor and Travis Stoll.” The taller one says, though he gave no indication on who was who. Getting their names right was going to be a nightmare. “We’ve heard that you had quite the exciting encounter with Clarisse yesterday.”

Why can’t people just say what they want? Charline was straightforward despite everything else about her. “And if I did?”

The shorter one’s crooked smile gets wider. “No worries! That’s actually why we’re here. We have a business offer for you. Hear us out?”

They were sitting with Cabin Eleven last night, which either meant they were unclaimed or they were the Messenger’s children, though the elvish features gave it away. However, Hermes was the god of thieves and tricksters as much as he was a god of travelers and commerce, and these two looked like troublemakers. As much as having some money for himself was enticing, Percy needed to be on his toes so they wouldn’t scam him or something. “...I’m listening.”

The two of them were clearly happy to hear that. “Great! We were hoping if we could have a partnership between the three of us. Let’s be honest for a second-” That implies they weren’t being honest to begin with. “-we’re in a camp full of demigods who have a natural curiosity towards fermented substances-”

So that’s what they were fishing for. “You want wine.”

The taller one raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Now, let’s not be so quick to judge. Yeah, we want wine, but we don’t want to drink it. We actually want to sell it for you. Respectable merchants such as ourselves wouldn’t drink the merchandise, that would be irresponsible.”

This was sounding like it was more trouble than it was worth. As much as making wine was awesome, he would rather drink and sell grape juice. Why couldn’t people want grape juice instead? It tasted amazing and it didn’t make people drunk, though he supposes that’s why they want wine to begin with. “And why couldn’t I sell it myself instead of getting a middleman?”

The shorter one replied this time. “Because, respectfully, you are a newbie and don’t know how the economy in our quaint little camp works. You could be getting ripped off by other campers who want to take advantage of you.”

“For all I know, you could be ripping me off with this deal.” Percy pointed out. “And why can’t I ask my brothers on how money works around here? And good wine is very expensive you know. How would campers around here pay for it?”

It seems like the Scotts prepared for questions, which props to them at least. The taller one speaks. “Well, your bros don’t have a pulse on the black market here as much as we do. In fact, they pay us to deliver them snacks from the outside. And-”

Percy watches as the boy pulls out a coin made of pure gold from his pocket. “We have drachmas to cover your fees.”

He offers the coin to Percy, who took it in his hands and marveled at. It was imprinted with the symbol of the Messenger’s caduceus. It seemed like every single minute that Percy spent here at camp, he was learning something that completely blew his mind. Do people really walk around here with gold coins in their pocket?

It must’ve been obvious he was feeling a bit overwhelmed, since the smaller one gestures to the coin. “We’ll let you think on it, yeah? You can keep that drachma as a sign of good faith on our part.”

As they returned to Cabin Eleven across from Cabin Twelve, Percy couldn’t help but think to himself that this could be a way to boost his reputation around here. Maybe if he was willing to break the rules a bit and sell alcohol, people wouldn’t see Percy as just his Dad’s son and the one who defeated the Minotaur.

Percy would have to set some rules or something so it wouldn’t get out of hand, he doesn’t want to get his Dad in trouble with the gods for their kids drinking under his nose. His brothers seem to already know the Stewards, so maybe a few pointed questions could tell him how much they’re paying for snacks and base it off that. Should he let them in on the deal?

Whatever, he could think about it later. Looking at the clock, it was still a good hour until breakfast and he’s going back to sleep.

The next few days settled into a routine that was almost normal, if one ignored being taught by satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur named Chiron.

Each morning after breakfast, Percy is herded off to take Ancient Greek lessons from that same girl that was staring him during dinner. She said her name was Anastasia, though she got mad when he said it back to her. Hey, Percy warned Annabelle he was bad with names. Needless to say, Percy didn’t look forward to mornings. The theater scripts in Cabin Twelve were easier to read than all the stuff from Homer that she was shoving down his throat.

She also kept watching him like a hawk, looking for something. Castor and Pollux said she does this with every new camper but will back eventually. Percy decides to take their word for it.

Since Percy was a new camper, his first week was to follow Cabin Eleven in their schedule since they cycled through different tasks at camp as opposed to his brothers’ set schedule. Trever and Conrad kept giving him meaningful glances. The head councilor for Cabin Eleven, an older camper named Luther Castle. The scar across his face was a bit off-putting, but he was nice though Percy still felt like the guy was just putting up a front because Percy was the son of the director.

Percy didn’t know why he had to do foot races or try to forge weapons if they already knew Percy wasn’t going to be magically good at it. Some of the unclaimed refused to be next to him and glared at his pendant like it personally offended them. A bold Hermes kid tried to steal it when Percy was distracted after a foot race, but they got a really bad hangover the moment they touched the chain, which caused the other Hermes kids besides the Sanders and Luca to stay clear of him. At least it wasn’t insanity.

Wrestling just gave Clarence a chance to slam him down on the mat without the threat of being turned into a dolphin. If she always had a headache by the end of each session after Percy threw a little fuzz at her, that was nobody’s business.

At least he was excused from archery and he always left for the strawberry fields to hang out with his brothers or go canoeing. He really liked canoeing in particular. Percy wondered if he could turn the entire lake into grape juice, but he figured that would land him on the naiads’ shit list and give him a severe stomach-ache from trying. Outside of that, nothing else seemed to click.

It was Thursday afternoon when Percy had his first sword-fighting lesson. He trails behind Cabin Eleven into the arena where they all swung swords at dummies with slashes and stabs. Percy wanted to think he was doing a decent job for his first time at this, but there wasn’t a sword that he was comfortable with despite trying out a number of them. Maybe swords weren’t his thing either.

Eventually Luis announced that they would all be practicing how to dual in pairs and that he would be Percy’s sparring partner.

A camper, one of the unclaimed, gave a harsh laugh. “Good luck, newbie. Luke’s the best swordsman in the last three hundred years.”

Maybe he would’ve retorted that maybe since he was new, Liam would go easy on him, but Percy didn’t think that would make a difference.

Percy was covered in sweat by the time Louie called for a break and everyone swarmed the water cooler. He managed to get a cup and naturally turned it into ice cold grape juice.

He saw Lilian dump the ice water over his head, which Percy thought was stupid. Wouldn’t drinking something cold have the same effect as dumping it on your head? It just seemed like a waste otherwise, but Percy just shut up and chugged his juice. With each drop he felt his strength returning to his battered limbs and the sword he was using didn’t feel so awkward in his grip.

Then Luigi spoke up again. “Alright everyone, we’re going to practice a new technique. If Percy doesn’t mind, I want to give a little demo.” Some among their group looked like they were a little too eager to see him get beat up.

The head councilor went through the motions of demonstrating a disarming move on Percy and to his dismay insisted on going at it until one of them did it to the other. Great.

But unlike their prior spar, something felt different. Percy felt lighter and more nimble as he somehow countered each move the older camper made. He made a lunge that backfired as Lucian deflected it with ease and started to bear down on Percy even harder as if he were trying to kill Percy without it being obvious.

The juice in his muscles was running out. Percy decided that you know what, fuck it.

The disarming move somehow landed and Lance’s sword fell to the ground with Percy’s own pointed an inch from the other’s chest. The arena was dead silent.

Landen was silent for a moment before plastering a smile on his face and insisting that Percy do it again.

When a sword falls to the ground again, this time Percy’s, someone in the crowd murmurs ‘Beginner’s luck?’ and Percy is inclined to agree.

The expression that Luciano has on his face when he looks at Percy after makes him shiver a little.

That Friday afternoon saw Percy reunited with Grover on the pier of the lake after recovering from the lava rock wall. He stopped questioning why the camp had something like that. Liability suits probably weren’t a thing with the average demigod lifespan as depressingly low as it is. No wonder Dad didn’t have many demigods.

Percy gathers the nerve to ask his best friend the question he’s had since his first day. “How was your meeting with my Dad?”

Grover’s expression falls. “It was fine. Perfectly fine.”

Percy will maintain that the satyr was terrible at acting and lying. “You don’t look fine. Is your career okay, at least? My brothers mentioned that you had some big plans, but I don’t know what that means. Did you pass whatever you needed to pass?”

The satyr looked down at the naiads weaving baskets underwater beneath their feet. “Not really. It’s because I got knocked out at the last moment and you were forced to carry me over that I didn’t get my searcher’s license. The Council was more lenient though and they decided that I would get another chance at it since I helped fight the Kindly One with you at the Met and stayed close to you and your mom, along with the fact that you’re Mr. D’s kid.”

“That’s good, right? You have another chance.” Percy tried to argue.

Grover shook his head. “I’m probably not going to go out anytime soon. This was already my second chance. One of the elders floated the idea that if you got a quest and I went with you and we both came out of the other side alive, I could get my license that way, though your Dad shut that down quickly. He doesn’t like his kids going out of quests so you’re not going to get one anytime soon even if quests weren’t banned to begin with. And why would you take me when you have your brothers?”

“Hey, if I ever got a quest, you would be my first pick.” Percy insisted.

Despite his efforts, Grover remained discouraged as they continued watching the naiads weave. “Must be nice to have a useful skill.”

Percy could feel an excitement in the air after dinner that night and was answered by the sounding of the conch shell again.

Anya and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion with a gray banner adorned with an owl above an olive tree that looked like it was made with silk.

From the other side, he saw Bennett and the rest of his three siblings also running in with their own bronze colored banner decorated with an image of an anvil and a hammer about to strike it. All the while campers were cheering and hollering.

Castor explained that the teams for this game were Athena, Apollo and Hermes – two of the biggest cabins in camp - on one side while Hephaestus, Demeter, Aphrodite and Ares were on the other.

“Which side are we on?” Percy asked.

His brother had a sharp smile, also excited. “We’re with Cabin Six this time. We were thinking of doing that coin flip but then you had that run-in with Cabin Five so we changed our mind.”

Chiron after explaining the rules spread out his arms and various equipment appeared on the tables. “Heroes, arm yourselves!”

Pollux grabbed a few items – a sword, helmet, shield and some armor – and placed them in front of Percy. “Here, we picked these out for you.”

His brothers went to grab their own stuff, leaving him to try to put on armor for the first time. When he finished putting it on, it seemed to hang on him before someone adjusted from behind and suddenly the armor fit more snuggly to his frame.

His Dad appeared from behind him, a shield in his hands. “Hold out your arm.” Percy complied and Dad attached it before tightening the straps on that as well.

One blue-plumed helmet later and his Dad is handing him his sword. “Good luck out there.”

Almost out of instinct Percy touches Dad’s can and turns it into wine without a second thought. “Thanks Dad.”

Alexandra shouts ‘Blue team forward!’ and Percy scrambles to keep up with the stream of blue plumes. He spots Castor and Pollux up head who don’t seem to have a problem moving in their armor. Made sense, they were good athletes despite what people might think on first glance.

He somehow catches up to Ann. “So what I am supposed to do?”

Whatever fascination she had with him seemed to have disappeared as she just kept marching without glancing at him. “Border patrol. It’s easy, stand by the creek and keep the reds out. Clarisse is probably going to lead the charge to our flag so just do that thing you did with Clarisse in the bathroom and distract them so we have more time to grab their flag. Watch out for her spear and leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan.”

“Names.” Percy mumbled as she stationed him, though she ignored his comment. She left quickly.

In his boredom, Percy could concide that Adaline was smart for putting him at the creek. Everyone knew by now that he had exploded the bathroom with wine and had gotten the Ares campers drunk, so it wouldn’t be a stretch for a child of Athena to put two and two together and guess that Percy could change water to wine. And here he was, in a place with a lot of water and where the other team has to cross in order to get to his team’s flag.

As much as Percy would’ve liked being where the action was and seeing firsthand how it was like, if only to replicate it later so that Dad could turn him into a dolphin, Percy would be dead weight with this heavy armor on him. He was a newbie too, so that meant less confidence in his abilities.

Dad did say he could wait until Percy did the deed, so that was something. But when an Apollo camper crosses the creek to the other side, he can’t help but feel useless.

Wait, if Chara was coming with her cabin, Percy would need to change the entire creek into wine and somehow splash it into their mouths again. Considering the last time he changed a large amount of water, he would need to get some grape juice in him.

He got on his knees and cupped the water in his hands before changing it to grape juice and gulpping it down, feeling the energy flow through his veins and sating his thirst.

It was his fifth drink when he heard rustling through the forest and a low growl. Percy scrambled for his sword and pointed it to the sound only for that presence to retreat.

He didn’t get much time to think about it before Coral burst out the foliage with four of her ugly siblings. They all stopped when they caught sight of Percy on the other side of the water. Percy saw why Anna had warned him about her spear, which was emitting red arcs of electricity. Who would even give that- oh wait, Dad probably wasn’t the only god to give gifts to their kids. Ares probably didn’t care about casualites in a summer camp game. Marvelous.

“You.” She spat but made no move to cross the creek. Her siblings shifted uneasily beside her. “You made us all look like fucking idiots.”

“You do that on your own.” Percy countered. He thinks he should’ve been more nervous in front of five angry armed fighters, but Percy only felt giddy, hyper, full of adrenaline in front of these bullies. He humilitated them once, he could do it again. “Ready for round two?”

Claire bore her teeth in an angry sneer as her hand squeezed the shaft of her spear, clearly wanting nothing more than to pulverize him. But then she faced her siblings and jerked her head to the side. “We’ll find another way. Let’s go.”

“Do you really think it would be that easy?” Percy spread out his arms dramatically and, with all the energy from the grape juice he drank, changed the entire creek from left to right into wine with ease, finishing with a bow.

Sue him, his Dad was the god of theater. Percy can be dramatic when he wants.

Percy hears a huff in the back of his mind. Brat.

Love you too, Dad!

“Come on, let loose a little!” He kneeled down and made to splash some wine at their faces to get them drunk. What he didn’t expect was for the wine to surge into a wave and crash into the Ares campers.

Huh, he could work with that.

Despite the element of surprise, Carmen seemed to expect this as she shouted before the wave crashed into them, “Lock shields!”

Percy sent several waves at them and drenched them, but the campers stood their ground careful to not let a drop into their mouths. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t long before Percy felt himself starting to flag, breathing heavily and his limbs full of lead. The creek reverted back to plain water, the wine washed away downstream by the current.

The last wave of wine he sent didn’t even reach their knees before Callie charged forward with her spear. “Cream the punk!”

Fuck.

He didn’t get a chance to recover before he’s lifting his sword to block a blow from one of them, but another camper gets him from behind before Charline strikes him straight in the chest with the glowing tip of her spear.

His sword falls as Percy screams in pain bursting through his body from the electricity, a burnt smell hitting his nostrils before he falls back into the creek face first, tears in his eyes.

The fuzz is all over his skin and Percy just barely manages to keep it there.

“That’s what you get for messing with us.” She taunted. “Not much without your Dad, huh?”

He turns the water near his mouth into grape juice and shallows it harshly, making his throat protest. “That’s what... you think.”

With that last surge of energy, Percy’s stomach bursts in agony as he forces the water to again turn into wine and sends it straight up, catching all of them off guard. A primal part inside him knows that they drank it and wills the liquid to intoxicate them.

The campers try to spit it out, but they all fall one by one, drunk. Though Percy isn’t really in a better state, breathing harshly through his mouth on his hands and knees in the creek. His stomach felt like it was pierced by hundreds of needles and nearly crumpled over from the pain. He just knows he’ll throw up if he tries anything else and tries to focus on getting his breath back.

Yelling and elated screaming reached his ears and it took a Herculan effort for Percy to turn his head, just in time to see Lucas and a number of their allies running with the other team’s flag. The Ares campers tried to get up but predictably failed. “...Trick…” Cassandra slurs, eyes hazy.

Lucio crosses into their territory and the bronze banner transforms into a silver one with a caduceus. Chiron steps out from somewhere and blows the conch and their team cheers.

They won.

“Holy shit, Percy!?” He couldn’t tell which brother was hefting up his rag-doll of a body. “What the actual fuck!? Do you really take on all these guys on your own!?”

Percy wanted nothing more than to sleep for a thousand years and his brother’s warm body wasn’t helping as his eyes droop closed. The sound that comes out of his mouth hopefully sounds affirmative. “Yeshh...”

He hears his name being shouted as his body is placed on the ground. His chest armor is taken off, shouts of cheer turning into shouts of horror and anger. A couple of hands are placed over his chest as Percy hears... singing? Is he dying? It feels like he is.

Next thing he knows, someone is helping him sit up. Percy blinks and his Dad was looking at with worried eyes. “How are you feeling, son?”

“Ti….” Percy gave up on talking and just rested his head against Dad’s chest. Dad moves as to lift him up.

Before he could pass out, a howl rips through the air which jolts Percy’s brain into overdrive. It was only Dad’s strong grip that kept him from falling.

Chiron was shouting about his bow. Percy blinked and saw lava red eyes attached to a large black hound. It jumped straight at Percy.

He blinked and the monster somehow was yanked down from its leap and held down by vines as arrows sprouted on its neck before turning to dust.

Percy couldn’t keep himself awake anymore and fell asleep in his Dad’s arms.

Castor couldn’t believe what was happening anymore. First, he finds his baby brother on the verge of dying after taking on five Ares campers by himself. Then it was that hellhound that was summoned by someone from the Fields of Punishment that also went for Percy. If it wasn’t for Dad tying it down with vines for the archers to kill it, Percy might’ve been a goner.

Percy had passed out in Dad’s arms. This was a disastrous first game for his little brother. “Is he going to be okay, Dad?”

It seemed like Dad’s face aged a few years. “He just needs rest. Percy got overconfident and went beyond his limits trying to prove himself.”

“What the fuck, Clarisse!? Were you trying to kill him!?” Pollux yelled with the ferocity of a jaguar. Said camper in question was still drunk but managed to slur out, “Fu...you...”

Castor really thought his twin would kick her in the face before Pollux whipped around to where Annabeth had reappeared out of nowhere. “And you! What were you thinking leaving him without a partner!?”

Annabeth stood her ground. “Athena always has a plan-”

Pollux roared. “Good plans! Well-thought-out plans! Not this bullshit you pulled out of your ass-!”

“Enough!” The command from his Dad made everyone shut up. “Everyone back in their cabins now. Apollo brats, send your best healers and meet me in the infirmary-”

Movement made everyone grab their weapons again. Castor and Pollux placed themselves in front of Percy, ready to fight another monster.

Except what came out of the forest wasn’t a monster. It wasn’t even alive.

The mummified corpse of the Oracle took step after grinding step as sounds of hissing snakes filled the forest, clumps of stringy hair, empty eye sockets and a washed out tie-dye shirt.

“What the fuck!?”

“Is that a monster?!”

“T-the Oracle!”

The Oracle paid them no heed as it got closer and closer. The twins were forced to move out of its way as it stopped before Percy and Dad.

Wake.

Suddenly Percy jerked in Dad’s arms breathing heavily. Castor rushed to his brother’s side as Dad set him down. “Percy, breathe. You’re okay, you’re alive.”

Perseus Jackson. Percy’s eyes jerked from Castor to the mummy in front of them as the Oracle’s grating voice set off all the alarm bells in Castor’s head. I am the voice of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.

Percy looked so small when he said the next few words. “W-what’s happening?”

The Oracle opened its mouth and sickly green mist flowed out. Castor hugged Percy as his little brother held on to him out of sheer terror. The mist spread out and curled around Castor and Percy as the Oracle spoke again.

Chapter Text

Dionysus had long since finished the last can of wine that Percy had given him, but he now wished that he had saved it for this exact moment.

Actually, that was a lie. Dionysus would’ve finished it anyway.

Chiron shook his head at him. “The boy was given a quest, Mr. D. He must go-”

Dionysus scoffed. “Send some of the other brats. All of them are thirsty for glory, aren’t they? I’m sure they’re chomping at the bit to be sent to the slaughter.”

The centaur sighed as if Dionysus was being unreasonable, which he wasn’t, thank you very much. “You are fully aware how prophecies work, Mr. D. It’s already been a few days since the prophecy was been delivered. The King is obviously not pleased about the delay.”

‘Not pleased’ was an understatement. Already a large storm was headed their way and the now constant thunder made it harder to play pinochle in peace. Zeus was anxious to get his Bolt back. The prophecy had guaranteed it would return to its rightful owner and Dionysus wasn’t under any illusions that Zeus would personally throw Percy out of camp if that’s what it took.

The same prophecy that everyone and their mother heard. If the rest of Olympus didn’t learn about it by their demigod children, then they surely did by the notorious gossips that were nymphs.

‘Offerings of the wine shall make secrets known’, ‘Betrayed by one who calls you a friend’, ‘Guide your mother from the end’.

Those lines were the most dangerous in Dionysus’s excellent opinion. The entire prophecy was dangerous but alas.

The whole point of claiming Percy was to hide him from Zeus and Hades, but would the act of doing so expose Percy anyway? Poseidon and Dionysus have the legacy story ready, but with more eyes on Percy it may seem inevitable to deploy it lest someone like Athena or Apollo notice something they aren’t supposed to.

That second line had shifted the atmosphere within camp. Castor and Pollux had withdrawn from the rest of camp and Percy followed their lead. Anyone who had been remotely friendly to Percy now had suspicious eyes and rumors cast upon them, which caused their respective cabins to close ranks like his own children which further exacerbated the problem. Tensions were high and something will eventually break the leopard’s back. He can only hope that the brats don’t kill each other out of dread for the paperwork.

And they still knew nothing about whoever summoned that hellhound.

On the topic of hell, Dionysus had rescued Semele from the Underworld through the aid of Prosymnus. Though Dionysus will not hesitate to smite any being that attempts to exact the same promise from Percy that Dionysus made to Prosymnus – if Poseidon doesn’t beat him to it – and definitely will not let Percy complete it to the end. He highly doubts that Sally told the boy the story in full at any rate.

But Sally didn’t die, he had watched as she was taken by Hades himself. What reason did Hades even have to target Percy like that? Yes, there were traces that Dionysus couldn’t erase from Poseidon, but Percy was his child, covered head to toe in Dionysus’s claims. End of story.

When Grover returned to recover what he could from the wreckage of Sally’s car, he found no corpse or anything else that suggested an actual death. Dionysus had said nothing and forbade Grover from saying anything to that respect lest Percy attempts to do what Dionysus had done. Looks like Percy will do it anyway.

How Percy would convince Hades to let his mother go was something Dionysus didn’t know. His uncle was strict about who left the Underworld. As much as Percy is Dionysus’s devoted child, he doesn’t dare to manifest his chthonic form of Zagreus to grab Sally out of there. Zagreus was - is - a difficult aspect to handle, an otherness that was older than Dionysus, an old man to a child. The domain of rebirth would just make things worse.

Perhaps those ‘keys’ are the answer.

“Fine!” Dionysus exclaimed, already itching for another can of Percy’s wine. “I’ll call him over.”

Right when Percy thought he found his footing at camp, a zombie decided to shake things up.

The stares the other campers threw at Percy had somewhat eased up by the time they played Capture the Flag on Friday. Percy was claimed by his Dad and everyone thought he beat the Minotaur because he was crazy, which ok, he did go crazy after his mom was killed.

But that prophecy made those stares and whispers return with a vengeance. Everywhere Percy went, it felt like there was always someone watching. Castor and Pollux herded him away from the other campers for Percy’s safety, which he thought was dumb. No one else wanted to be near him besides his brothers and Grover.

He still had to train, so Lenny taught Percy in sword fighting if only under Castor’s and Pollux’s hard gazes. Ariel had started to stalk Percy around with some emotion in her eyes that Percy didn’t care enough to decipher. He kept giving her headaches - powers and otherwise - to get her to leave him alone, but she kept going. He didn’t dare to look at all the other people he’s met. The thought that maybe Lester, Bennett, Dawn, Katherine or Tommy and Charlie or Lucan himself would stab him in the back made for some uneasy nights.

Dad got an expression of extreme displeasure ever since that night and Percy remembered Grover’s words about Dad not liking quests for his kids. Thankfully, Dad clarified that he wasn’t angry with Percy. He stopped showing up at dinner though, so Percy didn’t get the chance to give him wine as much as he could otherwise.

But in all the chaos of the past few days, one thought never left Percy’s mind.

He could save Sally from the Underworld. He could save his mom just like Dad did. He can take the quest. Percy had gotten the prophecy, so Dad couldn’t stop him if he tried.

His brothers explained that Percy had the option of taking two other companions to help him on his quest and was extremely recommended that he do so. Power of threes, they said.

It should’ve been obvious who the other companions should be. Castor and Pollux weren’t friends, they were family, three brothers together on a quest. The prophecy had guaranteed that they would succeed in bringing back his mom. And recover what was stolen, whatever it was, but Percy didn’t really care about that. All three of them would bring glory to Dad’s name. Percy had all the cards lined up in his favor.

Except quests were dangerous. They were banned after Luan’s own disastrous failed quest with his two chosen companions dead. Even if Percy didn’t die and saw it through to the end, it didn’t mean his brothers would. His Dad already had so few children and Percy refused to let Castor and Pollux die for his selfishness.

Besides, he already promised Grover a spot. (Percy steadfastly ignored that Grover could betray him too.)

That left one more spot. With the omen of betrayal looming over his shoulder, Percy didn’t know who would fill it. It was the only reason why Percy didn’t leave camp already.

There’s a knock at the door that Percy didn’t want to answer. Castor and Pollux were at the strawberry fields and Percy with his decidedly lesser affinity for plants decided to go back to the cabin if only to escape the stares and whispers. His brothers had reassured him that no one besides Dad and his children could enter Cabin Twelve without permission, but Percy still felt paranoid at times.

“Percy, it’s me. Your Dad wants to talk to you.” Grover said from the other side. Percy opened the door to find the satyr in question. “It’s about the quest.”

There was a storm looming in the distance as they walked towards the Big House. Campers were still doing their usual activities, though with an increased tension in the air. Percy spotted Castor and Pollux in the strawberry fields still working, though he saw them looking up at the sky in worry.

They finally reached the porch where Dad and Chiron were playing pinochle against two invisible opponents, cards floating in the air. Dad tossed his cards on the table once he caught sight of them. Chiron must’ve been winning again. “Finally. Take a seat, Percy. We have much to discuss. Let’s just say the King and by extension Olympus isn’t pleased that this quest has been delayed.”

Thunder boomed, both making Percy flinch and the windows to rattle. Dad didn’t seem to care as he simply rolled his eyes in annoyance. A can appeared in his hand and Percy turned it to wine from his seat before he realized he was doing it. The annoyance left Dad’s eyes once he tasted the wine and his pendant sent its signature calming energy, though Percy barely noticed.

The gods were angry. So many myths were born of their wrath. Hell, even Dad ordered Orpheus to be torn apart by his Maenads because the guy kept ruining Dad’s festivals with his depressing music over losing Eurydice a second time.

The prophecy said he would get his mom back. Percy had to remember that. He won’t end up like Orpheus.

That is if Percy wasn’t turned into a black spot on the ground from a lightning strike. “Is the King going to smite me?”

Dad scoffed. “Not if he wants his Bolt back.”

Before Percy could say anything in response, Chiron leaned forward in his wheelchair. “Percy, how much do you remember from Friday night?”

Percy fiddled with his pendant. “I remember beating Cleo and her siblings, then Castor found me and Dad picked me up, then there was a monster after that? Everyone killed it, then that zom-Oracle woke me up and gave me a prophecy.”

Chiron nodded. “And what do you feel about the idea of a quest?”

The immortal trainer of heroes probably wanted some answer that involved being unafraid and hungry for glory like the heroes of old, but Percy didn’t think there was any use in pretending in front of two immortal beings. He didn’t want to lie to Dad right in front of his face either. “I… it scares me. Castor and Pollux told me how last time the Messenger gave Lucino a quest and he failed with his two companions dead.”

Grover gained a sad expression while the two immortals exchange an uneasy look. “You are correct, Percy. You were given a prophecy, which means you must go on a quest. You will encounter worse fates out there.”

Percy supposes it’s better to rip off the bandaid from the start, even if he was gripping his pendant now. Chiron must’ve seen a lot of people die to say something like that to a twelve year old. “What do I have to do? Dad said something about a Bolt? I have to find it?”

The sheet of rain from the brewing storm was at the edges of camp now. Castor said that it wouldn’t rain unless Dad decides to let it in, but Percy didn’t think it would just pass them by.

“The King’s Master Bolt, to be precise, yes.” Chiron confirmed. “The very same Bolt that the Elder Cyclopes forged alongside the Earthshaker’s Trident and the Rich One’s Helm of Darkness. It is a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives. It makes mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers in comparsion.”

“Oh.”

Chiron nodded yet again. “Yes. It was stolen during the Winter Solstice at the last gathering of the gods and the King immediately blamed the Earthshaker for its theft.”

Stolen? How can something of that much power be stolen?

Dad must’ve known what Percy was thinking because he spoke next. “A god’s symbol of power can’t be taken by another god, which is forbidden by laws even more ancient then myself. On the other hand, demigods aren’t bound by the same restrictions and can go wherever they please. My father suspects that my uncle used a demigod to steal his Bolt so that my uncle could make copies to overthrow him from his throne.”

“Like the first time the King was bound by the Queen, the Sunbringer, the Earthshaker and the Wise One?” Percy asked.

“Precisely.” Chiron said. “The King sent out four of his Olympian children to search for his Bolt, but they were not successful. Tensions have been rising between the King and the Earthshaker as war looms over the horizon.”

Percy couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “But why doesn’t the Earthshaker say he didn’t steal it? Would save us a lot of trouble, right?”

Dad snorted in agreement with him, looking tired in a way that didn’t come from being derived of wine. Percy turned the new can in Dad’s hand into wine anyway. “Remember that we gods are prideful, son. My uncle took great offense at the accusation and demanded an apology by the Summer Solstice, the same deadline that my father had declared for his Master Bolt to be returned, or else they will declare war against each other. It would be nature fighting against itself as the Olympian Council would be forced to pick sides.”

“Olympus has turned its attention on you, the designated retriever ever since the prophecy was delivered.” An angry expression overcame Dad’s face as he gestured to the clouds that had breached the barrier and was currently raining down on Camp. Percy spotted everyone in the strawberry fields booking it to find cover, Castor and Pollux themselves were running in the direction to Cabin Twelve. “And the King is insistent that you leave today, even though you are not ready.”

Chiron sighed as if this was a repeat of an argument they had already. “He has to, Dionysus.”

Dad’s hand somehow made its way to his shoulder as if it would make Percy stay, displeased, but looked away.

“I have to go to the Underworld.” Percy quickly said. “I have to descend and I’ll get to save my mom like Dad did, right?”

Dad got a nostalgic look in his eyes while Chiron flicked his attention back to Percy. “The prophecy certainly suggests as such. The entrance of the Underworld has always been in the west throughout the ages. In this current age, it is in Los Angeles.”

“DOA Recording Studios, to be exact.” The can in Dad’s hand was crushed by the force he was gripping it with.

“What does DOA stand for?” Percy asked.

“Dead on Arrival.”

That certainly wasn’t ominous at all. “Oh.”

Chiron cleared his throat. “As for the god you will face, I have a theory. We have discussed the King and the Earthshaker already. Tell me Percy, who is the third brother?”

A stone dropped into Percy’s stomach. Well, it was logical that he would face the ruler of the Underworld if he was going down there. “...The Host of the Dead.”

“Someone who would stand to gain should the other two go to war. Millions if not billions would perish, bolstering his kingdom enough to overthrow his brothers once they are weakened.” The centaur said. “Someone who is bitter about the lot he was cast. Both the Kindly One and the hellhound have origins in the Underworld. As why he would target you before the prophecy was delivered, I’m afraid I don’t know.”

“I wager Hades likes it there where the drama of Olympus doesn’t reach him.” Dad disagreed. “And the rants he has about paperwork and processing souls when my father or uncle unleash another disaster means he doesn’t want more shit to deal with.”

Chiron shook his head. “There are no other likely candidates, Mr. D. At least, none that I can think of.” Chiron turned to Percy. “Have you chosen your two companions already?”

“Grover.” Percy answered immediately, which made the satyr jump. “You helped me fight that Kindly One in the Met. The spot is yours, if you want it.”

The satyr paused in the middle of eating a pinochle card and pointed to himself. “M-me? I-I’m honored, but what about Castor and Pollux?”

Percy felt Dad’s gaze on him, also questioning. “I don’t want them to die.”

Realizing that sounded bad, he scrambles to add, “I mean, I don’t want anyone to die, but you still have that dream right? If you come with me, you can get your license.”

Grover glanced at Dad, who just waved a hand. “Um… underground spaces and satyrs don’t mix that well… but i-if you’re serious about me coming along, t-then I won’t let you down.”

Percy could cry out of relief. “That still leaves one more companion for you to choose.” Chiron pointed out.

Percy fidgeted a little at the trainer’s observation, the idea of betrayal showing its face again in his mind. “I… I can’t think of anyone else, sorry.”

Despite the bad news, Chiron didn’t seem to be disappointed or grim. “That is quite alright, Percy. In fact, someone has already volunteered to join you, if you wish to have them.”

What? Someone volunteered? Who?

The air shimmered to his right and Anna appeared while stuffing a Yankees sports cap in her back pocket. Okay, people can turn invisible without Percy knowing they were there. Absolutely won’t make him paranoid. “Ashley? How long were you standing there?”

Anastasia narrowed her eyes, annoyed yet again at Percy for getting her name wrong but quickly composed herself. “I’ve been waiting for a quest for a long time. If you’re going to save the world and find the Bolt, I’m the best person to keep you on track.”

His brothers were really mad at her for leaving him alone to deal with Cabin Five during Capture the Flag. “And how do I know you’re not going to ditch me to take the Bolt back yourself?”

Avery sputtered in response. “I- do you want my help or not?”

Well, there wasn’t anyone else and Percy wasn’t going to risk his brothers. He didn’t have any other choice. “Fine.”

Chiron clasped his hands. “Excellent. Head to your cabins and start packing. You will leave this afternoon.”

“Well? Get going.” Dad drawled. It was enough to send Ann and Grover sprinting off trying to not get drenched by the rain.

Percy moved to leave himself, but Dad stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. “Perseus.”

He stopped and turned. “Yeah, Dad?”

“Go pack. A certain someone decided to leave you a gift on your bed.” Dad had a grimace on his face. He probably didn’t like this ‘someone’, whoever they were. “Don’t worry, whatever the gift is, they don’t have any desire to harm you, you have my word.”

Percy decided to trust Dad on that. Right before he left though, Percy tapped the newest can of Diet Coke into wine.

Dad ruffled his hair again.

“Percy! Where were you?” Castor had changed clothes from the wet orange t-shirt to a different one. “You weren’t here when Pol and I came to dodge the rain and there was something on your bed that didn’t look like it came from Dad.”

True to Castor’s word, there was what looked like a greenish pouch on Percy’s bed. It looked like it was made of leather, but not quite? When Percy touched it, it felt like scales like a snake- no, like a fish actually. “Dad told me that someone left a gift for me, but he didn’t tell me who it was.”

Percy picked it up and liquid sloshed around inside it. “It’s full of water? But who would give me a pouch of water? Water skin?” Now that Percy remembers, there was a cartoon show on TV that showed one of the characters with something like this since she was a waterbender. Wait, could Percy control plain water? He could already control wine, so maybe?

“Look,” Pollux picked up a note that was under the gift. The texture was way different from normal paper and the Greek letters looked like they were written in molten bronze ink. “Do you want me to read it?”

Percy nodded and Pollux began reading. “Dear Perseus, you will need help on this quest and I wish to aid you in the task of clearing my name. I understand that you have the power to control liquids, so I gift you this water skin. It is connected to my palace, which means it will never run out of water. I will also order Chiron to give you an additional item when you leave. I am sorry this responsibility has fallen upon you to resolve. May both you and your mother be well and whole at the end of this journey. Good luck.”

Pollux turned it around only to find nothing written on the other side. “There’s no name.”

Percy grabbed a cup, opened the bronze cap on one of the ends of the water skin and poured the water into it before taking a sip. Saltwater. He liked the taste for some reason, but grape juice was better. “I don’t think we need a name. I think the Lord of the Seas gave me this.”

Castor frowned. “But why? Is it about your quest?”

Percy could only nod. “Yeah. The King’s Master Bolt was stolen and I have to go the Underworld to find it to clear the Earthshaker’s name or else there will be war. I have to face the Host of the Dead.”

Both twins share a grim look. The three of them had talked about the prophecy and what it meant, throwing around different theories about what those ‘keys’ were. Pollux thought it was supposed to be literal, while Castor thought it was more of a metaphor. Percy had no idea what it could possibly be besides his brothers’ ideas.

One thing they all agreed on though: Percy was going downstairs and would find his mom.

Castor sat down on his bed, face set. “Who did you choose to go with you?”

“Grover and Aubrey-” Percy quickly put up his hands right when his brothers opened their mouths. “And before you say anything, I don’t want to you guys to die! I know we talked about it but it’s the Underworld! Literal Greek hell!”

The twins still looked like they wanted to argue more though. Pollux crossed his arms. “I get Grover, but Annabeth? You’re going to take her after the stunt she pulled.”

“She volunteered. There wasn’t anyone else and I’m not going to risk you guys.” Percy said. “At least Dad knows who to smite if she betrays me, right?”

The twins weren’t appeased by his attempt at humor. Castor just sighed. “Let’s help you pack at least.”

Before long, Percy was hiking up Half-Blood Hill with his brothers, backpack full of spare clothes, a toothbrush and some toothpaste, both mortal and immortal money and finally some ambrosia squares in a little bag. The new water skin was strapped to his chest.

Grover, Anaheim, Chiron and Dad and someone else with tons of eyes that Pollux said was Argus, the personal guard of Hera and head of security around camp, were already there waiting for him.

Upon seeing the water skin, Dad sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course he gave you something like that.”

Percy grabbed it, ready to take it off before Dad stopped him. “Stop, you might has well keep it on. Infinite water is better than none in your case. We wouldn’t want Barnacle Beard from getting offended anyhow.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Even if it was a gift from a god other than Dad, Percy was ready to ditch it if it meant it would stop him from rescuing his mom.

Dad gestured to the water skin. “By giving you that, it’s a sign that my uncle has essentially thrown his support behind you which is bound to raise some eyebrows on Olympus and suspicion from my father. Whether or not it will make things worse for you is yet to be seen. Just focus on your goal for now.”

The nerves of this quest were catching up to Percy now. “Okay.”

Chiron moved forward in his wheelchair. “Are all of you ready to go?”

Percy was about to answer yes before he heard someone running behind him. Everyone turns around to find Lucian running up the hill with a box in his hands. “Thank the gods I caught up with you!”

“Here,” He panted while opening the box to reveal… basketball shoes? “My father gave them to me when I left on my quest, but I don’t really get to use them much these days. Since you got a quest, I figured you would get more use out of these. Maia!”

Wings emerged from the outside of the heels and started fluttering rapidly, making Percy startle away and bumped into Castor. The older Camper before them laughed. “These shoes will help you fly in the air. It helped a lot on my quest, so maybe it could help a lot in yours.”

“A lot of hopes are riding on you, Percy. Just kill some monsters for me, yeah?” Luca patted Grover’s head between the horns, hugged Annabelle and finally shook Percy’s hand, though he pulled a little quicker than normal.

After he left, Ann left towards the van with Argus. Percy stared at the now-inert shoes in his hands. “Um, I don’t really like heights...”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s best if you don’t use them anyway, not with my uncle’s gift around your chest.” Dad said.

“What your father means is that the King doesn’t tolerate any presence that belongs to his brothers in his domain of the sky. Which would end in a lightning bolt, unfortunately. The King is known to smite first and ask questions second.” Chiron explains.

So the Earthshaker gave Percy a gift that would get him killed in the air by the same god that wanted him to find his Master Bolt that he couldn’t have kept somewhere safe in the first place. Wonderful. How soon can Percy find his mom and get off this ride? “Honored.”

The shoes would be useless on Percy’s feet then. Not that he wants to be mean to Lulo, but Percy already had his pendant and the water skin, and Anthem had that Yankee cap that made her invisible. So he turns to his best friend. “Hey Grover, want these?”

The satyr’s eyes lit up and soon the shoes were on his fake feet. “Maia!”

The satyr then flew off in the direction of the van screaming with Chiron shouting “You just need more practice!” and Dad shaking his head in amusement.

He was dreading this, but Percy turned around to face Castor and Pollux. “So... this is goodbye then.”

Pollux lightly smacked his arm in a joking manner, though his tenseness betrayed him. “Don’t say it like that.”

Castor shifts in place, fidgeting. “It’s just- we’ve been waiting years for you and now you’re off on a quest that could kill you. The bed that’s been yours the day Dad told us about you is going to be empty again.”

“Oh.” Damnit, Percy will not cry. He will not cry. “I promise I’ll do my best to come back in one piece. You’re the best brothers I could’ve asked for.”

If Percy did cry a little when his brothers hugged him, no he didn’t.

When they broke apart, Chiron moved in front of him with a pen in his hand. “Ah yes, I almost forgot to hand this off to you, Percy. Uncap it.”

Percy took the seemingly normal fountain pen and uncapped it to reveal the same bronze sword that Percy once saw Chiron use during an advanced sword lesson in the arena one time. He looked at it in shock, turning the sharp sword in his hands. It was the first sword that actually felt balanced for once. “You’re giving me your sword?”

“Its true owner is actually the Earthshaker, as it draws power from the seas. He had ordered me to hand it to you before you left. I am simply but one of its many wielders throughout its bloody and tragic history. Its name is Anaklusmos.” Chiron said.

“Riptide.” Percy translated.

The trainer nodded. “Yes. Keep in mind that the sword can’t harm mortals, it simply deems them too unimportant to harm. You however are twice vulnerable to both Celestial Bronze and mortal weaponry. The sword is also enchanted to never be lost, it will always reappear in your pocket. With the little training you have, I hope it is a boon to your quest.”

Dad took that moment to speak. “Perseus.”

There were lines on Dad’s face that weren’t there before as Percy properly faces the god. Percy had already heard so much on how protective Dad is with his children. He could only imagine what it must feel like for Dad to send Percy on this quest. “I want to give you this.”

Dad held out his hand to reveal four individual grape pieces. “I cannot directly interfere with your quest once you leave, so I made these with the power of my chthonic form just in case. These will take you out of the Underworld to the surface, a ‘rebirth’ if you will. All you have to do is eat it. Don’t worry about it getting crushed.”

Percy carefully put them in the same baggie as the ambrosia. “Thank you Dad. I hope I’ll do you proud.”

Dad hugged him before taking Percy’s face into his hands and placing a kiss on his brow. “You already have, Percy. Now go, save your mother like I have saved mine.”

As Argus drives them away back to the city, as the waving figures on the hill shrink and shrink, Percy sends one last prayer.

I love you Dad.

Chapter Text

Argus drove them to the city and ensured that they bought their bus tickets before leaving in the van.

Percy was only ‘gone’ for two weeks at most but already it was strange coming back to civilization, well, normal civilization. The existence of a McDonald’s was just so jarring compared to the memory of the hellhound. It just seems so… insane, for lack of a better word.

Percy already saw that missing poster with his yearbook photo from Yancy on it. His violet eyes were striking against his black hair and tan. It’s very distinctive, he’s known that since forever, but it might be a problem on this quest.

Anne and Grover also saw the poster with varying expressions of pity. He wondered who reported him and his mom missing. Maybe Sally’s boss at Sweet on America or Edgar, their building super.

Their apartment was actually close by. Hopefully his mom paid the rent before they left and everything that happened after.

He’ll get her back. He has to.

“You’re thinking about your mom.” Grover says out of nowhere.

Percy startles. “Were you reading my mind or something?”

“Just your emotions.” He explains. “I guess I forgot to tell you satyrs could do that. You were thinking about your mom, right?”

At Percy’s nod, the satyr continues. “I wondered what your mom did to keep you hidden from monsters for so long. But then you mentioned your plushies that your Dad gave you and your muted scent made sense.”

“Thanks for noticing that I take showers?”

Grover shook his head, which offended Percy. He didn’t smell, at least not like that one guy he and Sally met that one time. Percy still remembers the smell, like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts. Bleh. “You don’t get it. Monsters can smell demigods. The more powerful they are and the more knowledge they have about our world makes that scent more stronger. You already knew you had powers but now that you know everything, your scent is starting to break from the enchantment your plushies had. I’ve only met one person with that powerful of a scent but...”

The satyr stops abruptly. “But?” Percy asks.

“It’s probably nothing. It’s probably just because you’re powerful for a demigod.” Grover says.

That little detail aside, Percy didn’t think it wasn’t not nothing if it meant they would get attacked by monsters. Grover’s mournful expression made Percy back off from questioning further.

Percy wasn’t dumb, the person probably died already with how often demigods die. And Percy had the same level of scent as this person, or at least getting there. Great.

The bus was taking forever to get there but finally it came and the three of them got on. Their seats were in the back near the bathroom, and while Grover and Astrid put their bags above them, Percy didn’t. His bag was the one with the ambrosia and the rescue grapes.

And he didn’t want to know what his Dad would say if Percy lost the grapes. He didn’t want to disappoint him so soon.

Allison pulled out a book that was in Ancient Greek while Grover just looked out the window. Percy didn’t have anything to do to pass the time and was bored out of his mind. But eventually, as the sun set and his eyes drooped, Percy fell asleep clutching his backpack.

The air is oppressive and dark. Before Percy was a god sitting on a black throne made of bones, tall, pale and imposing. His black hair reached to his shoulders and seemed to be made of darkness itself.

Hades.

It was impossible to move, either out of fear or some spell, he didn’t know. Percy felt like a bug pinned down in front of an exotic collector.

Hades stared at Percy for what felt like an eternity. The god’s eyes were like an abyss. If Percy could take a guess, it was like the god didn’t know what to make of him.

Finally Hades spoke. His voice sounded oily. “I sensed traces of my brother and I believed he had broken his oath, yet you are not what I expected.”

Percy’s pendant was starting to vibrate against his chest and Hades’s eyes flicked to it. “Traces of my brother… yet born of the vine… To think that your bloodline managed to survive long enough to catch my nephew’s rare attention. And that prophecy personally delivered to you as well. Perhaps I was too hasty in sending Alecto.”

Then a golden flash and his mom was before Percy, trapped in a crystal. Percy would’ve have shouted if he could. “Return what was stolen from me and you shall have your beloved mother like your Father before you, child of the vine, or you will never see her again, even in death.”

Hades waved his hand in dismissal before Percy was lurched backwards-

Percy was jolted awake by Amira shaking him, almost sending him to the bus’s walkway. “Wake up!”

“Wha- What’s happening?” Percy gasped. Once he got his bearings - and wiped his mouth - he saw people were getting off the bus with their luggage. “Did we arrive in Los Angeles?”

“Chicago. Something broke down on this bus that the driver can’t fix, so they’re putting us on another one.” Annie Bell grabs her bag. “Come on, Grover’s waiting for us.”

Grover was waiting for them at one of the many benches in the Greyhound bus station. “We’ve got a four hour layover until the next free bus comes.”

Before Percy could say anything about the dream he had of Hades, Anime spoke up. “We should go sightseeing.”

His purple eyes met gray ones, confused. “Sightseeing? Why?”

Alina held herself like she had prepared a 10 point presentation on why they should go sightseeing. “This may be my only chance to see different kinds of architecture up close. It might not be the Gateway Arch, but I want to take what I can get. Monsters are going to find us more easily if we stay here for four hours.”

Percy wanted to say no, they were on this quest to save his mom - and the Master Bolt and whatever Hades had going on - but he wasn’t going to ditch Anya to wander by herself without backup. Who was he, Theseus?

Grover shrugged. “As long as we get some food, I guess.”

They got a cab where the daughter of Athena directed the driver to take them to a place called Tribune Tower. Percy took that time to explain his dream about Hades to the other two.

Ashlyn had narrowed her eyes at Percy as if trying to inspect something when Percy mentioned the ‘traces’ Hades had apparently sensed from him, but frowned as he continued his story. “That doesn’t make sense. He lost something too? He was supposed to have the Master Bolt.”

Percy just shook his head. “Your guess is as good as mine, Wise Girl.”

She paused in her musings to stare incredulously at him. “Wise Girl?”

He put up his hands in surrender. “At least I’m not getting your name wrong, right?”

Annie scoffed. “Whatever, Mad Lad.”

Percy bristled and the two kept sniping at each other with Grover trying to diffuse it to no avail.

It seemed like the Fates were being a bit nice, because there happened to be tours being offered and the three managed to arrive right before the next group left.

They went through each floor with the tour guide explaining what each floor was responsible for. Alex interrupted the tour guide to explain that the Tower was the winner of a 1922 design competition to honor the Chicago Tribune’s 75th anniversary, built in a Neo-Gothic style, whatever that meant. But the tour guide had told her off in that customer service voice, the same one that he heard his mom use when he went to Sweet on America once, which made Arabella join the two of them in the back grumbling. “What does he know about architecture...”

It didn’t stop her from giving her two cents about everything though, talking how she would adjust the windows, how to account for the existing style, etc. Percy tunes her out as he leans over to Grover who was discreetly munching on cans from his backpack. “Do you smell anything?”

Grover paused his crunching to take a sniff and froze. He swallowed the piece of can in his mouth and faced Percy, expression grave. “I-I can smell something. Like it’s following us.”

Both Adrianna and Percy exchanged a look. “Shit.”

Luckily they were at the last floor for tours and their group stopped near the elevators. The doors opened before everyone went inside. Percy ushered Aubrey and Grover inside before noticing that the elevator was full. He couldn’t go on the other elevator next to it because the arrow display showed that it was currently bringing the next tour group up. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll wait for the next one.”

“We’ll wait with you-”

Percy cut Ann off. “Go, it’ll just waste more time.”

Right when the doors closed, the elevator next to it opened and the next tour group spilled out. Percy immediately noticed three big mean-looking boys among the group, if only because he was reminded of the Ares boys back at camp. Can this elevator be any slower?

Then one of the boys took a sniff in the air and turned to Percy, smirk sharp. “I found the demigod, boys!”

Monsters.

Percy kept pressing the elevator button but it was still doing down and he couldn’t hope to use the other one. There were the stairs but it didn’t seem like a good idea given the fact that they were at the 30th floor.

He’s forced to back away from the elevators as the boys approach, evil smiles on their faces. Somehow the boys - no, men - got bigger like giants, almost reaching the ceiling. Their teeth got pointy, their arms got hairy and they had tattoos all over their bodies. The mortals start to point at them and calling for security.

“How about we talk this out over a nice cup of grape juice? Not to toot my own horn, but it’s pretty good in my opinion.” Percy said while he pulled out the Riptide-pen with one hand and uncapped the water skin with the other.

One of the giants laughed which the other two mimicked. “We don’t ‘talk’ with our lunch, Perseus Jackson. We eat them!”

Percy runs back to the floor as they shout behind him, uncapping Riptide and making the mortals shout about a bat. Something tells him to duck and he does just in time for something to fly over his head and a few desks full of papers. He was about to insult their aim when a BOOM shook the building. He looked to where the object landed and found a gaping hole smoking where the wall should’ve been, showcasing the open sky from the 30th floor.

Percy grits his teeth and quickly looked away, dizzy. The rest of the mortals were screaming now, but the giants in front of the exits were blocking their path to get away. Already he could hear police sirens in the distance.

One of the giants punched the one who threw the bomb. “You idiot! We don’t want him too blown apart!”

The punched giant punches in return before pulling out a typical army grenade, colored blood red. “Who cares! Even if the demigod is a little charred, we have the rest of the mortals to feast on.”

Percy couldn’t let that happen. He makes the saltwater in his water skin into wine and bends a little out, floating dark purple against the cream walls, black floors and white piles of paper. Who knows what the mortals were seeing at this point. “Hey ugly! Over here!”

He blasts the wine into their faces the moment they face him, the liquid shooting out like a snake flying to strike. It splashes against one of the giant’s eyes who rears back in pain, screaming. “My eyes!”

Percy didn’t get the chance to see if the wine got into the monster’s mouth before the other two decide to start throwing their grenades anyway. “Forget eating you! You’re too annoying!”

He ducks under another thrown grenade and dives under a desk right when it goes off, shielding himself from the debris, his ears ringing. “You can hide but we’ll find you and eat you!” One of the giants taunt.

While the other giant argues that Percy was better off being blown to bits, the demigod notices that the mortals had moved themselves to the furthest corner from the huge hole in the wall, though the debris had long shattered the glass windows and separators on the floor.

He hides behind the desk as the giants keep throwing grenades. Maybe Percy could make a break for it but he isn’t going to let the mortals become monster chow. What could Percy do? Madness is out, not with the mortals around, there’s a shrinking number of desks left untouched by the grenades to hide behind that Percy risks making even lower by trying to take a pot shot and rushing them down with Riptide was a death wish.

Then it hits him. There was smoke and dust everywhere from the grenade explosions, but no fire. Fire in buildings usually means the sprinklers go off. Water that he could turn into wine without having to risk peeking out and trying to aim it. The floor was already decimated, what’s a little bit more property damage?

“He’s not dead!” One of the giants complains.

The giant that Percy splashed seems to have recovered and he could hear the monster’s heavy footfalls as it approached the mess of the desks and the terrified mortals. “Whatever! Find the demigod! After we eat him, we eat the rest!”

Percy hears desks being overturned and thrown. It was now or never. Percy drinks a ton of grape juice from the water skin and focuses on sensing the water in the pipes. Right when he hears the giant move next to the desk he’s hiding under, even though Percy had braced himself for the pain, he still grits his teeth as he turns the water into wine and makes it burst from the ceiling, taking everyone by surprise.

He keeps the sprinkler water transformed into wine just long enough to sense the monsters getting it into the mouths and lets go. Getting up and drinking more grape juice from his water skin, Percy gets up and throws his free hand at the giants. If Percy wasn’t so focused, he would’ve wondered how crazy he might’ve looked with the water skin to his mouth and a hand outstretched.

The giants tripped and fell to the floor, though they seemed a lot more tolerance for alcohol intoxication as they just got back up, a little unfocused but still angry. “Try harder, demigod! We drink loads of beer!”

It wasn’t like the Capture the Flag game where the Ares campers had a good portion of wine blasted straight into their mouths. So taking out the water skin from his mouth and using that hand to grip his pendant instead and reluctantly Percy let some of the madness emerge from his skin and fly to the monsters.

That did the trick, as they grabbed their heads groaning. Not letting this opportunity slip past him, Percy rushed them with Riptide in hand, slicing off the head off from the closest giant, making the monster dissolve into golden dust and leaving a fair number of unused angry red grenades on the floor before doing the same to the other two addled giants, leaving the ruined carpet floor full of monster dust and grenades.

Percy was about to let himself catch his breath, except the last giant had somehow grabbed another grenade in his hand which dropped to the floor after Percy killed him, the pin already taken out.

Where it landed next to the remaining grenades that the other giants left behind as spoils of war.

His body started running. “Take cover!”

Because not a moment too soon, it had started a chain reaction of grenades going off and making papers fly from the floor. In his haste to get away, all the debris blocking his vision and the slight fuzz of madness still on his skin, Percy didn’t realize until the floor gave under him that he had ran out of the hole in the wall, because of course he did, right as the heat of a giant explosion licked his legs.

He didn’t spare a thought about the state of his backpack or for the mortals still inside before wind was rushing in his ears and his screams ripping from his throat as he was plummeting to his death in the street below, police cars with the lights on at the entrance.

Percy closed his eyes and managed to send a prayer to anyone who would listen. Help.

Suddenly, the sound of flowing water joined the rushing air and Percy opened his eyes to find himself about to collide with a water spout emerging from the Chicago River a block away-

Next he knew, he’s in the river with all its murk, his nose burning, before he’s lifted up. He breaks through the surface and takes a welcome gasp of air.

“Percy! Percy!” He turns to his left to see Grover and Alina yelling from the river walk. He swims over to his two companions where they pull him up. Percy manages to force the water clinging to him off as they sprint further away from all the police cars and news reporters. They flag down a cab to take them back to the bus station and barely make it back in time to catch their replacement bus. Percy vaguely registers the other two talking to him, but he takes off his charred backpack, sits down, reclines the seat back and passes out again.

Chapter Text

I love you Dad.

It’s with that prayer that Dionysus finally answers the summons to the emergency meeting called on Olympus. Council meetings were boring as shit but now Dionysus wants nothing more than to return those boring meetings in place of this pissing contest that was giving him a headache, especially since it has his son they were talking about.

Ares was clearly enjoying it. Bastard.

“The boy is supposed to be looking for my Bolt!” Zeus booms from his throne, his fist slamming on the arm rest.

“I merely seek to aid the boy in clearing my name, brother.” Poseidon responds in kind, trident in hand, a threat underneath. “It would hardly be wise to hinder the demigods and satyr on their quest.”

Athena stands from her throne. “Lord Father, Lord Uncle, if I may interrupt. I believe it may be more prudent to discuss the prophecy that was given to Perseus Jackson. The Bolt was stolen, yes, but the prophecy has stated that the boy will find and return it.”

The goddess holds herself like she had prepared a ten-point presentation. “What concerns me is ‘the god who has turned’ who apparently will be in the west of America. The prophecy has also stated that my daughter and her companions will descend to the Underworld with these ‘keys of shadow and bone’.”

Ugh, she says it like little Angie is the one with the quest.

“You would accuse our other Uncle of the theft, Athena?” Artemis asks neutrally from her throne of silver.

“I do not pass judgement, merely the facts, Artemis.” Athena replies easily. “From where else would Dionysus’s son guide his mother?”

“Could explain why none of us could find Father’s Bolt if its not on the surface to begin with.” Apollo adds. “But what could the boy possibly give to our Uncle in exchange for his mother? I highly doubt Father’s Bolt is shadowy or bony in any respect.”

“Watch it, Apollo. My son is literally prophesied to return the Master Bolt.” Dionysus keeps his voice even, though the vines around his throne betray him with their writhing.

“Which begs the question, Dionysus.” Zeus says, imposing. “Why did you wait so long to send the boy out on the quest if his success is guaranteed?”

Dionysus just waves a hand in Hermes’s direction. “I thought it wise for Percy to have one-on-one instruction from Luciano, supposedly the best swordsman in three hundred years before my son left on his quest. Forgive me if I want him to have the best chances at success, prophecy not withstanding.”

A lie, Dionysus didn’t want Percy to go on the quest or be around Luka at all, but was Apollo going to call him out on it when said god would’ve done the same in Dionysus’s position?

Predicatively, Hermes preens at the mention of his eldest. “A wise choice if I so say myself.”

“Oh please.” Ares barks, dismissive. “So the boy thinks he can swing a sword after a few days of ‘training’.” The god leans forward, a cruel smirk on his face, the kind that proceeds a fight. “What I want to know is why your brat splashes around like Uncle P’s children back in the day. Managed to catch Father and Uncle H’s attention before he got to camp. Why’s that?”

“Can’t accept that one of my children defeated five of yours, including Claire? That spear you gave her didn’t seem to help.” Dionysus drawled back. Ares’s smirk transforms into a scowl, but the damage is done as the atmosphere of the room shifted as the rest of the Council either turned their attention to Dionysus or Poseidon, suspicion or curiosity in their eyes.

“It is rather strange that Perseus is far more inclined towards liquids as opposed to his other siblings past and present. And now our Lord Uncle has openly given his support behind the boy.” Athena says next. Damn her. “My daughter had invoked my name that night the prophecy had been delivered and I found wine in abundance and the boy’s mouth stained with grape juice yet no vines in that creek.”

Dionysus maintained his nonchalance and commanded the vines on the throne to act the same. “Despite our Lord Father having oh so punished me, it doesn’t stop my children from inheriting my domains and every child inherits something different. I thought you would know such a thing, Athena, but alas, you wouldn’t know what its like to be punished. Didn’t you talk yourself out of it from the last rebellion staged on Olympus to overthrow our dear Lord Father? My son is following my footsteps in retrieving his mother, what is to say Annie Bell won’t follow yours in betrayal?” He spits.

“Watch your words, Dionysus.” Athena says, voice hard like marble. “My daughter will do what is necessary for this quest to succeed. Do not let your wife’s experience with Theseus cloud your judgement.”

Dionysus snarls and was about to bring up Odysseus and the shitshow that was her beloved Parthenos before Poseidon interjects. “Actually, I’m rather inclined to agree with my nephew, Athena. I objected to your daughter joining young Perseus and his satyr protector, but I have held my tongue until now. What is to say your daughter won’t betray the boy? Need I remind you of the fate of my son’s daughter, Pallas Athena?”

Dionysus thanks the Fates that his own throne is on the far end of the semicircle, courtesy of Aunt Hestia. Hmm, perhaps he should give her a gift or something.

Athena narrows her eyes, her form flickering in anger, but Zeus slams his arm on the arm rest of his throne with a thunderclap. “Enough! Athena raises a valid point. I sensed Perseus on that night for he had traces of your power. It was only the fact that he is Dionysus’s in the end that absolved you of breaking your Oath.”

“You accuse me of breaking our shared Oath when you yourself have broken it, brother.” Poseidon growls. “Are you so intolerable of my presence that you would smite the boy simply because I have given him my aid, despite his quest to return your Master Bolt? Successfully, might I add?”

Both Zeus and Poseidon sink into another round of arguments, while Dionysus nurses the Diet Coke in his hand. They were hitting a little too close to the truth about Percy and Poseidon wasn’t helping matters. They would have to deploy their legacy story or else-

“Oh, I get it.” Dionysus just dragged his eyes to Hermes in a show of exasperation and annoyance, but if Dionysus had a heart, he thought it would be pounding in his chest. “In fact, I know what’s exactly going on.”

Both Zeus and Poseidon pause their argument to turn to Hermes, who looks like the snake that’s caught the mouse. “The kid is Uncle P’s legacy.”

At Hermes’s declaration, an explosion of questions and exclamations erupts among the gods before it is silenced by Zeus with another thunderclap. “Silence! Dionysus, Poseidon, is this true?”

This is it. Either Dionysus walks out of here without a scratch or everything turns to shit. At least Percy gave him wine.

Zeus leans forward. “Well?”

Dionysus keeps up the mask and sighs in defeat, mindful of the god of truth in the room. He crushed the can in his hand for good measure. “Percy is a descendant of Poseidon, yes. I didn’t know until later, but the reason I didn’t say anything was because I didn’t want him to get the wrong kind of attention from Olympus. He knows nothing about his connection to Poseidon besides the gifts he was given.”

He raises a hand. “And before anyone says a word otherwise, I swear on the River Styx that I and my children have nothing to do with the theft of the Master Bolt.”

Thunder booms in the silence of the throne room. Zeus looks to Apollo who nods his head.

“Come now, Zeus.” Poseidon says. “The boy is named after your own Perseus and he will find and return your Bolt despite your lack of aid. I didn’t send a single monster at your daughter when she was about to pass the camp barriers. The least you can do after throwing that lightning bolt at Perseus and his mother is show him some grace.”

Zeus scowls before Artemis speaks up. “I must agree with Uncle Poseidon, Father. Perseus has done nothing to incur your wrath. The child is on his way to find the Bolt and also save his mother, which I can respect.”

The king of the god slowly nods after Artemis finishes speaking. “Yes. Yes, I believe you are correct, daughter of mine. Perhaps after he returns with my Bolt, I should show a sign of favor to my grandson.”

The smug look on Poseidon’s face is wiped off in an instant and Dionysus braces himself for yet another round of arguments, exhausted.

According to Abby, the monsters Percy fought at Tribune Tower were called Laistygonian giants, to which she simply said they were Canadians when Percy was having an even worse time trying to pronounce it.

Though apparently they didn’t usually carry red grenades. Alondra certainly didn’t think so. “Who would even give them grenades? You said they were colored red?”

Percy nodded, a stolen pair of sunglasses on his face. His eyes were covered up to prevent anyone from recognizing him, well, recognizing him too quickly. Angelica had swiped it from the cab they took to get back to the bus station, some previous passenger must’ve forgotten it. “Blood red.”

Andrea thought to herself for a few moments before she said, “The god of war. He must be the one who must’ve given those giants the red grenades. No other god has connections to military weapons like he does.”

Percy nibbled on a piece of ambrosia, still sore from Chicago, and took a sip of grape juice, thinking. “But why? I didn’t do anything to-” He cut himself off as he realizes and groans. “Wait, I did humiliate his kids twice at camp and always gave Carly a headache each time I saw her. Damn.”

“Do you think he’ll keep messing with us?” Grover asked after a bite of a can from his seat beside Percy’s. “I don’t think any of us want to be smited or blown to smithereens.”

Alice shook her head. “We don’t know for sure. But we just need to be smart about it. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes.”

Percy refilled his two companions’ water bottles with grape juice. Agatha was hesitant at first but Percy could only offer saltwater, wine or grape juice and the first two weren’t good options. Saltwater was, well, saltwater and he wasn’t giving wine to anyone besides monsters and Dad. And Castor and Pollux, but they did ask nicely and Percy only gave them half a cup each!

Well, there was the bathroom sink in the back of the bus but maybe Anais thought it was too gross. Sucks for her, he guesses.

Grover already tasted his grape juice before and just drinks it like normal compared to Anaiah who drinks it all before blurting out, “I figured it out.”

Percy just blinks before giving a hesitant thumbs up. Dionysus was the god of epiphanies after all. “Uh, you’re welcome? Glad the grape juice helped?”

Anatolia leans over the seat in front of them, making Percy and Grover lean back a bit, her eyes a little wide as if she discovered the secrets of the universe. He quickly looks to Grover who is also confused and a bit worried. Percy didn’t sense any madness from her, but that didn’t ease his uneasiness. “Are you okay?”

“You’re a legacy of the Lord of the Sea.” She says instead. “That explains so much, your powers over water, the Host of the Dead after you before you knew you were a demigod, your talent at canoeing. No wonder he’s been helping you so much and saved you back in Chicago!”

She leans back satisfied with herself, eyes back to their usual size. Percy, assured she wasn’t made insane via grape juice, decides to ask questions. “Okay, let’s take a few steps back. What do you mean by legacy and what does the Earthshaker have to do with it? Like a champion or something?”

“A legacy is a descendant of a first generation demigod, like Icarus. His father Daedalus was a child of my mother, which made Icarus a legacy. Do you understand?” At Percy’s nod, the daughter of Athena continues. “Legacies can sometimes inherit abilities from their godly ancestor, but since they’re a generation or more removed, those abilities are less powerful compared to actual demigods, if they even get them at all. There used to be a lot more legacies back in Ancient Greece, Odysseus himself was a distant descendant of the Messenger from his mother’s side and a descendant of the King from his father’s side, but legacies are really rare these days with the demigod mortality rate.”

Percy puts his hands in the air to cut her off. “So you’re basically saying I’m decended from the Lord of the Sea? I mean I always liked going to the beach and I remember hearing dolphins talk, but that doesn’t mean that he’s my ancestor, right?”

Alexa shakes her head, absolutely convinced. “There’s no other explaination. It explains why you’re so powerful and your powers being more inclined to liquids compared to plants like your brothers. Somehow your demigod ancestor managed to have kids before or during World War II and your family survived up until your mom caught your Father’s attention and had you.”

Grover frowned a little. “Maybe Percy should ask his Dad before jumping to conclusions. We don’t want Mr. D or the Earthshaker getting offended or something, even if it also explains why his scent is so strong.”

Agnes just huffs to herself before pulling out her book again with Grover sighing. Percy just sits there trying to process all the information dumped on him.

Well, the prophecy did say ‘offerings of the vine will make secrets known’. Percy supposes it meant Adrianne looking like a conspiracy theorist after a sip of his grape juice.

His life is so weird.

The bus was supposed to be heading straight to Los Angeles without stopping, but they stopped at a bus station in Omaha, Nebraska. The driver said they had to refuel, which ok, fine.

Everyone was allowed to step off the bus to stretch and the three of them stepped off. While Annabelle and Grover left their bags on the bus, Percy kept his charred one on. What? He didn’t want to leave it behind.

While they were waiting for the bus to refuel, they looked around for a place to see if they could buy more snacks since they ate most of them on the road trip.

No vendors seemed to set up shop next to the stop though. There weren’t vending machines either. “I mean, we can tough it out until we get to Los Angeles, right?”

Arabelle frowned. “There has to be something around here.”

Grover took a sniff. “Huh, I smell some fruit nearby. Why didn’t I smell it before?”

Grover led them around the corner and lo and behold, an old fashioned fruit stand was across the street from the station. There were boxes of ripe cherries and apples with a shade of red that rivaled the strawberries sold at camp, plump apricots and jugs of juice in a tub full of ice.

Percy was about to cross the street before a hand grabbed each of his arms to stop him. He turned around to ask what was their problem before he noticed that both Adaline and Grover had the blood drained from their faces, frozen in fear.

Time seemed to slow as he looked back to the fruit stand and noticed the three ladies in rocking chairs that looked absolutely ancient, silver hair and wrinkled skin, knitting what looked like a giant pair of electric blue socks. The ladies on the left and right were knitting a sock each while the one in the middle had a basket on her lap full of the yarn they were using.

And they were staring at the three of them across of the street.

No, they were staring straight at him.

Then the middle one took out a pair of shears made with gold and silver.

Grover was trembling now. Annabeth was frozen to the ground, pale. Percy hardly noticed their reactions as the middle one took the electric blue string and snipped.

Despite the sounds of the city around them, the snip echoed in Percy’s ears.

The fruit stand vanishes when a car whipped past in the street between the two groups, leaving a plain sidewalk behind.

“T-the F-fates.” Amy stammers out as Grover looks like he’s about to mourn the both of them.

“I-I mean, what are the chances they were the Fates?” Percy asks. “No one’s going to die, right?”

Then the bus station exploded behind them.

Chapter Text

The force of the explosion pushes the three of them to the pavement while people dash out of the station in panic, forcing them to get scramble up lest they got trampled by the onslaught of people. A shove from somebody causes Percy’s sunglasses to fall off his face.

“Mommy, look! It’s that crazy kid with the purple eyes from the news!” Percy hears a little girl say and turns just in time for the kid’s mom to flinch once he makes eye contact with her.

Others overhear the girl and point at the three of them on the ground while police sirens get closer and closer.

“It’s those cult kids! Look at his necklace!”

“He blew up the bus!”

“Run!”

Before Percy could blink, Anisha grabs his arm and starts running, Grover hot on their heels. They ran through the streets, dodging cop cars and trying to find somewhere to hide.

Azura had let go of his arm but she certainly wasn’t happy. “Did you really have to tempt the Fates like that!?”

“How was I supposed to know!? Why would the Fates show up in front of us anyway!?”

Grover brayed mournfully as they ran. “Our bags are gone and the police are after us! What are we supposed to do?”

Anniston suddenly points to where a train was moving ahead of them. “Look! Train tracks! There has to be a train station somewhere!”

After a bit more time searching for the station, Percy thanked the gods that they found the Omaha Amtrak Station. It was frustrating on how hidden it was, but the cops weren’t looking for them here and Percy’s feet were hurting.

With Percy’s violet eyes on full display for everyone to see, he keeps his eyes from being seen by the train station staff while Ameena buys train tickets to the closest stop to Los Angeles, which was Denver. The tickets drained a lot of the cash Percy had in his backpack, leaving twenty or so dollars left.

Percy pointedly does not say things couldn’t get worse, because tempting the Fates had gotten them here to begin with.

As the train rolls away and night began to fall, the lights of the city flicker to life and one lone police car with the lights turn on drives past on the bridge above the tracks.

The next afternoon saw them arrive in Denver. Those last twenty dollars were spent in the dining car last night leaving them with just a dollar and seventy-five cents. They haven’t showered since the day they left Camp Half-Blood and Percy was certain it was obvious with his own dip in the Chicago River. He had changed his clothes since he still had his backpack, but he was on his last set of clean clothes.

As they left the train station and averted their faces and eyes from security, Amity asked him. “Can you control saltwater like you do with grape juice and wine, like make it into fine mist?”

Percy winced a little. He had practiced a bit during the train ride when mortals weren’t looking, but controlling saltwater wasn’t as easy as grape juice or wine. It just didn’t respond to his commands as well as the other two liquids. The best he could do was sensing it and moving a drop from one side of the arm rest to the other. He couldn’t even make it float. “Not really. Why?”

“I think we need to call Chiron to tell him everything so far.”

Castor and Pollux had told Percy about Iris-Messaging before he left and that they would be waiting for Percy to contact them since they didn’t want to call in case there were mortals around and drilled him into memorizing the prayer to Iris, goddess of rainbows. They had burned through their mortal money, but they still had a bunch of gold drachmas. “But where would we find a rainbow?”

Adi led them around downtown Denver looking for something. Percy managed to see an abandoned newspaper that had the headline ‘Kids Groomed into Cult!’ with his yearbook photo and another photo from a security camera in Tribune Tower. He decided to swipe it before handing it to Grover to read.

Grover cleared his throat as they walked the streets. “New developments have emerged from the case of Sally Estelle Jackson and her son Perseus ‘Percy’ Ariadne Jackson which has gripped the nation. Both Jacksons had suddenly disappeared on their annual trip to a beach in Montauk, New York with their car found on the side of the road destroyed and abandoned. Ms. Jackson’s boss at her place of employment reported her missing after not showing up for several shifts. As police investigated, their apartment had revealed they were pagans that worshiped the ancient Greek god Dionysus, who presides over but not limited to wine-making, grapes, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, and theater.”

Percy felt Dad’s familiar presence wash over him at Grover’s mention of his name. He relaxed a little as his pendant hummed.

Wait, he felt another presence. It didn’t feel hostile at all. Curious maybe? Wait, his middle name is Ariadne after Dad’s immortal wife. Did Grover just invoke her name? Castor and Pollux had told him that she wasn’t mean or bitter at them for being Dad’s kids unlike Hera was to Zeus’s kids, but was actually nice to them. Dad would’ve said something, right?

Percy decided to not say anything. “The police broke into our apartment?”

“Where else would they start investigating?” Aine replied, still looking for her mark, though he’s sure she noticed his reaction. Can anything hide from her?

Grover kept reading. “Many religious leaders had given their opinions that Sally Jackson had indoctrinated and trafficked her son into a violent demonic cult worshiping this deity, which has gained fire after details emerged of Perseus Jackson’s various expulsions from schools and was last spotted in Chicago attacking three men and causing massive property damage at historic landmark Tribune Tower, seemingly out of his mind while drinking something from a large pouch. Many witnesses had conflicting and absurd accounts about the event, but several common details were compiled and confirmed after reviewing security footage from various locations: that the twelve-year-old is traveling west with two other pre-teen accomplices also wearing orange shirts and likely in the same cult, his eyes are violet in color and is wearing a grape pendant around his neck. It should be noted that Perseus Jackson was a target of a prior kidnapping attempt when he was ten, which is believed to be due to his unique eye color-”

Dad’s presence grew stronger as Grover read the article. A passing group of teenagers that were laughing at a joke laugh even harder. “They think my mom ‘indoctrinated’ me into worshiping Dad?” Percy grimaces as he realizes something. “I mean yeah, I guess, but how did they see my pendant? No one had seen it before.”

“You were kidnapped?” is what Anna-Marie and Grover ask instead.

Madness hums under Percy’s skin as Dad’s presence wraps around his body at the reminder of that day, his pendant vibrating now. His grimace deepens as he takes the newspaper from Grover’s hands and shoves it into a nearby trash can. “I don’t want to talk about it. What are we even looking for anyway?”

Turns out the thing Amanda was looking for was a do-it-yourself car wash, which was empty. She asked for quarters and a few drachmas, which Percy handed over. Grover fed the coins in and turned the knob to ‘fine mist’, which made Percy realize again that if he had better control over water, they could’ve just skipped the whole day of looking for this place. Good job, Percy, really doing your best on this quest.

He mentally slapped himself. Percy was about to talk to his family after a few chaotic days and didn’t want to look grumpy like Dad. “After we’re done talking to Chiron, I want to talk to Castor and Pollux.”

“Sure.” Anaelle took a drachma in her hand and recited the prayer to Iris,“Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.” before throwing the coin into the rainbow where it disappeared in a golden shimmer. “Chiron at Camp Half-Blood.”

For a second, nothing happened. Then suddenly the rainbow shifted to an image of the porch of the Big House, overlooking the strawberry fields and the Long Island Sound. In front of them was two people with their backs turned, one in a wheelchair - Chiron - and someone else with sandy hair, wearing an orange tank top and shorts, a sword at his hip. To Percy’s disappointment, Dad wasn’t anywhere to be found.

“Chiron!” At Annora’s shout, both Chiron and Lucas whip around.

“Annabeth! Is that really you?” Luka’s scarred face curved into a smile. “And Percy! Thank the gods. Where’s Grover? Is he with you?”

Grover tilted the water nozzle and came into their field of vision. “I’m here. We have a lot to tell you.”

Chiron nods, face set. “Of course. Tell us everything.”

The three of them took turns holding the nozzle as they recounted their journey, which looking back on it had a lot of explosions so far. When Percy recalled his dream with Hades, both Chiron and Liam frown.

The centaur’s face adopts a pensive expression. “I was so certain it was the Host of the Dead, but he lost something as well?” The centaur tenses in his wheelchair. “If the Master Bolt was stolen, the King’s symbol of power, it can be inferred that the Rich One’s Helm of Darkness, his own symbol of power, was taken at the same time as the Bolt. Perhaps Annabeth’s theory of Percy being a legacy of the Earthshaker could explain why the Rich One had mistaken you for a demigod of his brother and thief, thus deciding to attack you before you arrived here at Camp.”

“He could be lying and leading them on, Chiron.” Logan quickly adds before Chiron could go on. “What would stop him from lying to get what he wants?”

“But my mom! He said he would give my mom back if I can find what he lost!” Percy interjects. “The prophecy said so and you can’t fight against fate, right?”

Luis shares a look with Chiron before slowly nodding in reluctance. “...Yeah, you can’t fight fate. But remember Percy, prophecies aren’t always straightforward-”

Someone runs up to Chiron just outside of the Iris-Message yelling about a fight happening down near the cabins and Chiron swiftly excuses himself and leaves just in time for a car to pull up in the next stall with its stereo turned all the way up, making the pavement shake, which Arabella quickly used as an excuse to leave and dragged Grover with her to help.

“Things have been a little tense at Camp ever since your prophecy, you know?” Landon shouted over the music. “Someone leaked that it was the Master Bolt that was stolen. We’re still not sure how, probably the thief, but rumors have been flying all over the place and the campers are all taking sides. Castor and Pollux have been on edge for the past few days.”

He leaned forward as if it would make his words more important. “Listen Percy, it had to be the Silent One who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning the field trip up there and we saw him.”

“But my Dad said that gods can’t take another god’s symbol of power.”

“True.” Lucian said, looking troubled. “But demigods can. Even then, you would have to be invisible or something to grab the Helm of Darkness in the first place.”

Invisible? Who could even become- Wait, Arianna has that cap that made her invisible and wasn’t she at Olympus for that field trip?

And someone was going to betray him.

It seemed like Levi realized the same thing as he did. “Oh, hey,” he protested. “I didn’t mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never…I mean, she’s like a little sister to me.” The car in the next stall peels off with a man screaming. Percy wonders what Grover and Alondra did to do that. “How are the shoes I gave you? Are they helping?”

From Percy’s two week stay at camp, he got the impression that gifts from the gods to their kids were really rare. His own grape pendant had gotten a lot of stares and the idea of giving it to someone else sent a wave of possessiveness flow in his veins.

Percy tries his best to not feel guilty at giving the shoes away so soon. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, something like that? “Yeah! Really came in handy!”

The older Camper smiles as the water shut off. His image and voice grew fainter. “That’s great! Take care of yourself in Denver, alright! And tell Grover it won’t end up like last time, no one’s going to be a pine-”

The mist faded away and Luci was gone.

Dad was still lingering around though. I’m fine, Dad. Thanks.

The warmth reluctantly leaves right when Alex and Grover came around the corner, laughing. Her laughter trails off when she notices the Iris-Message was over. “Is everything alright? Did Luke say anything?”

“He said to take care in Denver. But enough about him, I want to talk to my brothers.” Percy took the last remaining quarters in his pocket to pay for another round of water and got another drachma. “Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering and show me Castor and Pollux Boivin at Camp Half-Blood.”

Percy threw the coin into the rainbow and it shifts to the cabin semicircle at camp just in time to see Chiron and several satyrs trying to stop a brawl raging amongst the campers which involved practically everyone Percy has met at camp.

Right smack in the middle of it all were his brothers fighting against what looked like the entire Athena cabin by themselves. Percy sees Pollux takes a punch to the face from one of the Athena kids while Castor commands vines with his arms covered in bruises to ensnare the rest of them to the ground in uncomfortable positions that left them open to attack. The one who punched Pollux, Mickey Price, snarls. “You take that back about Annabeth!”

Now sporting the beginnings of a black eye, Pollux responds with a knee to Malachi’s gut before returning a punch to the guy’s face, sending him to the ground with blood flowing from his nose. “You take back what you said about Percy!”

Before the three of them could recover from the shock of seeing the chaotic scene in front of them, the Iris-Message is suddenly cut off right when vines burst from the ground trapping campers in place, including Percy’s brothers, leaving them alone in the wet and empty car stall.

Focus on your quest.

Percy didn’t know what else to say besides “Fuck.”

Madness was writhing under Percy’s skin the moment Ares walked inside the diner they were at and did something to everyone to ignore them. All his anger and bitterness and rage was boiling at the surface-

Ares had that same sneer as Clara and the rest of Cabin Five. “So you’re one of my little brother’s brats.” He glances at the slight purple stain around the bronze cap of Percy’s water skin. “And with your own little addiction too. Bet you’re just as annoying.”

“You’re the one who gave those giants those grenades!” Percy spat while Aine and Grover paled in fear.

The god grinned and took off his shades to reveal fireballs where his eyes were supposed to be. Are his lovers into that or something? Who was crazy enough to date the god of war? “That’s right you little shit. After you got that prophecy personally delivered to you on a silver platter, I got offended. How can a little newbie demigod do what Apollo, Artemis, Athena and I couldn’t? Decided to give you a little test.”

Grover and Amelia stiffened at the name drops but Percy didn’t care. “Well, you win some and you lose some. You know, like your kids at the creek.”

Ares just laughs harshly. The sound almost made the fuzz burst out from Percy’s skin. “Just like your old man, ha! So what, I don’t fight my kids’ battles, stifles their personal growth. You know, like what your Dad tried to do.”

At least Dad cares about Percy’s well-being. The waitress returns with trays of hamburgers, fries and shakes, making Percy’s stomach growl in hunger, though it doesn’t stop him from noticing Ares threatening the waitress – who lingers a little at Percy’s eyes, making him look away - with a knife to accept the gold drachmas. “You can’t threaten people with a knife!”

“I’m a god, I can do what I want. Comes with the territory.” Ares’s smirk comes back and the food in front of them was the only reason Percy didn’t jump to slap it off. “But to show I’m not just an asshole, I have a proposition for you three to help you along your little quest. I need you to do me a favor.”

Congrats on the self-awareness, Zeus and Hera must be so proud.

“A favor.” Percy deadpans. “And what we give to the mighty god of war that he can’t get somewhere else?”

Staring at the abandoned water park before them, Percy growled. “If he brings his girlfriend here for a date, she must be out of her mind.”

“Be more respectful, Percy.” Astana warned. “That’s the Foamborn you’re talking about.”

“The Foamborn?” Percy knew the myths and all, but he genuinely thought Ares meant a mortal girlfriend. He brought Aphrodite to this place? “Don’t you think being around the goddess of love would raise his standards of a date from all the way down in the Pit?”

Alice just shook her head like Percy was a lost cause and started climbing over the fence. Rude.

Night was falling as they explored the park. Attractions and rides looked unkempt and decayed which the growing shadows were making more creepy. No monsters, no sound, just two demigods and a satyr looking for a shield that a mighty god couldn’t be half-assed to get himself.

They raided a gift shop and Percy walked out with a purple Hawaiian shirt, swimming shorts and a pair of blue Waterland™ shades with a few extras stuffed in his now replaced Waterland™ backpack.

“What?” Percy asked when he noticed Avery and Grover staring. He took off the shades, no one was around and it was getting dark. “Something on my face?”

Grover quickly shook his head. “No, it’s just you looked like a younger Mr. D for a second there.”

“Uh yeah, he’s my Dad? Who else would I look like?” Besides Dad, there was his mom- okay, now his mood is ruined. “Let’s just get the shield and go. Where would a meathead god of war take the goddess of love for a date around here?”

“The Tunnel of Love.” Aglaea points deeper into the park. “It’s an iconic love themed ride in amusement parks. There has be a version of it here somewhere.”

Sure enough they find the empty pool entrance of the ‘Thrill Ride o’ Love’, which Percy thought would be better off as a skateboarding bowl. And sitting at the bottom of the bowl was a lone boat with a polished circle of bronze on the left side of the seat.

“Doesn’t this feel a little too easy? This has to be a trap.” Percy pointed to Ares’s shield. “Why else would literal gods leave their stuff behind and send us to grab it?”

Abigail looks at the base of one of the Cupid statues. “There’s a Greek letter craved here. ‘Eta’.” She squints her eyes in frustration. “Ugh, I almost had it. Percy! Give me some grape juice!”

Excuse me? One would think Athena kids knew proper manners when asking for epiphanies. Percy doesn’t just give his grape juice to just about anyone. “What’s the magic word?”

“Fine, you Mad Lad! Please.”

“By all means, Wise Girl.” Percy rolled his eyes as he bent a bit of grape juice from his water skin and floated it in front of her while he drank some himself, enjoying the rush of energy. Percy could never get tired of it.

Adeline gulped the floating sphere and swallowed before snapping her fingers. “The Forgemaster! The Foamborn is married to the Forgemaster but always cheats on him with the War god. The Forgemaster caught the two of them with a golden net and invited the rest of Olympus to laugh at them! He always tries to catch them to humiliate them ever since.”

“So this is a trap after all.” Grover frowned. “How are we going to grab the shield without triggering the trap?”

Percy took the bronze end of the wine skin out of his mouth as his grape juice thirst is satisfied. “That’s the thing, I think we have to trigger it.”

He started to go towards the boat while Annie Bell protested. “Wait, we can think of something else- Percy!” She groaned before following him, muttering something about boys always messed things up and again, rude, Percy had great ideas, it’s just no one appreciated them.

There was a pink scarf next to the shield, Aphrodite’s. Percy’s caution faded away as the perfume on it reached his nose. It smelled good, like roses or something and Percy was about to put it next to his face to smell it even more before his pendant broke the spell. He jerked away from the scarf in his hands. “Charm magic, ugh.”

“I didn’t think you could break through that.” Aria grabbed the scarf and shoved it into her pocket. “We’re lucky that the scarf didn’t trigger the trap. Come on, let’s look at the shield. Don’t touch it.”

The two looked the object in question, apprehensive. There were… cobwebs? No, a fine metallic string connecting it to the dashboard with the way the light caught on it. Once the shield gets moved, the trap would trigger. Amy swore. “We’re going to have to trigger it.”

“We’re going to have to trigger it.” Percy repeated as he bit the bullet and took the shield.

Percy tries to keep his face from showing the absolute agony his stomach was going through from turning all the water into wine and bowed with a flourish. “Show’s over! Thank you and good night!”

Once the cameras retract back inside the Cupid statues, Percy stops acting and falls to his knees and vomits on the grass as Grover holds his hair up while patting his back. Ana gags at the sound.

Ugh, is his stomach going to hurt and make him vomit every time he pulls a stunt like that? He needs to get a higher tolerance for this. Yeah, he just needs to drink more grape juice and practice more. That’s what people do with wine, right? Start small before building up-

Wait, that sounded bad without context. Look, Percy didn’t want to be an alcoholic-

Grover passes him a spare Waterland™ t-shirt to wipe his mouth once he stops vomiting. “Are you okay now, Perce?”

Percy cleans himself up and gets up with a hiss. At least his Hawaiian shirt wasn’t ruined. “Yeah, I feel better now. I think we need to have a little chat with the war god.”

Ares was waiting for them back in the diner parking lot, very amused. “Not bad for your first time on TV, punk. Maybe you’ll leave Broadway behind and become a C-list celebrity out in Hollywood like that crazy Grace lady back in the day.”

Both Ann’s and Grover’s breath hitch at the name drop while Percy was more concerned about the insult at one of Dad’s domains. The war god obviously wanted to pick a fight at any time, so Percy just grits his teeth and refuses to give the god the satisfaction. He shoves the shield at the god. “You’re an asshole.”

The statement was nothing new to Ares, who just makes the shield morph into a bulletproof vest and points to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street that his dyslexia mercifully allowed him to read: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

Percy’s face morphed into disgust before he could stop himself. The god gestures to the truck. “That’s your ride west straight to Los Angeles with a stop in Vegas.”

A snap of his fingers and the latch opens in the back. Ares then throws a purple backpack at Percy. “And here, something for your little fetch quest.”

Grover’s hand on his arm stops Percy from saying where exactly he wanted Ares to shove his shield as the satyr speaks. “Thank you for your generosity, Lord Ares.”

Percy catches the waitress from earlier looking through the diner window while talking to a cook from the back while the cook takes a photo with a camera, capturing Percy’s eyes. He mentally groans and prepares himself to another headline about cult-crazed pre-teens and their ritual sacrifices involving beheaded chickens.

The sight makes the three of them start to scramble to get inside the truck. Ares’s voice stops them before they could take a step. “One more thing, I hear my brother the Messenger hangs out in this one place called the Lotus Hotel Casino in Vegas. He might take you downstairs if you ask him nicely to smite you.”

Ares then barks in laughter as if he thought of something funny. The Fates must’ve intervened to help. A miracle. “Or you could steal his car keys.”

A stone of dread settles inside Percy as the god speeds off on his motorcycle with that infuriating smirk. Stealing something from the god of thieves and trickery?

As the three of them climb inside the truck and get hit with the smell of literal shit, Percy just repeats over and over in his head that he’ll get his mom back.

You can’t fight fate after all.

Chapter Text

First, it was that emergency meeting on Olympus with Zeus and Poseidon’s pissing contest over who had most claim on the title of ‘World’s Okayest Grandpa’ to Percy and the rest of the gods whispering to each other on Poseidon’s severe baby fever over not having any demigods for the past sixty years. If only they knew.

Then it was Castor and Pollux together pulling the entire camp into a brawling frenzy that Dionysus had to personally step in to break up and cut off the Iris-Message that gave Percy a front-row seat to the chaos.

Supposedly the twins finally stopped dragging their feet on weaving Percy’s funeral shroud and went to the Arts and Crafts Center to start at the same time the Athena brats were there. His boys still haven’t forgiven little Anastasia Chamberlain for that Friday night, so one thing led to another and Castor and Pollux had discovered their powers over frenzy.

His Mother must’ve slipped a blessing in there when Dionysus wasn’t looking. Wonderful. A camper or two might lose a limb in future and condemn him to more paperwork. Ugh.

At least he put all the campers on house arrest. No headaches for the rest of the night. The twins have no excuse to not finish the shroud by tonight.

The sudden notification of Hephaestus TV going live gave Dionysus the excuse to ditch the paperwork of the brawl and was ready to see Aphrodite and Ares be made fools once again, except-

It’s Percy and Annie Bell riding a boat surrounded by wine. How the fuck did that happen?

“Show’s over! Thank you and good night!” Dionysus pauses at the purple Hawaiian shirt Percy is dressed in. At this angle, Percy almost looks a miniature version of himself.

Dionysus lets himself feel smug for two seconds before he realizes that the questers had sprung Hephaestus’s trap and notices the bronze shield around Percy’s arm. Ares’s shield.

So the meathead set them up. For someone who is so insistent on not ‘fighting their children’s battles’, he got awfully offended when they lost.

Well, if Ares is determined not to be seen, then Dionysus will have to remedy that. He’ll forgive the blacksmith for the trap in exchange for helping Dionysus out in humiliating Ares further.

But for now, Dionysus will just check in on Percy- and the boy is throwing up, okay. Well, better he learns his limits now, he supposes.

On virtue of having vomited his dinner back in Waterland, Percy was given first dibs on the Double-Stuf Oreos that were included in Ares’s backpack, which he gave said backpack to Grover to hold on to since Anaiah and Percy already had their own.

They helped tend to the three neglected animals with Grover taking the lead, swapping the food and refilling their water bowls. Avery wanted to free them right then and there, but they were still moving and they weren’t at Vegas yet.

The zebra was staring at him the most compared to the others. “It senses... ‘authority’ from you? He’s trying to talk to you.” Grover says in translation.

Percy gets confused at Grover’s explanation. “I don’t hear anything out of the ordinary.”

Grover shrugs. “Maybe since you’re a legacy? The Lord of the Seas made horses and zebras are related?”

Percy could only shrug in return. “Sorry, I can only talk to dolphins.” He directs his attention to the zebra. “Don’t worry, we’ll free you when we get to Vegas.”

The zebra actually nods in response. You know what, sure. Percy’s life is already weird.

When Percy asks what Luigi meant by ‘being a pine’, both of his companions grimly explain that Lucas, Avy, and Grover had a history before Percy came to camp, and they had another companion with them, a daughter of Zeus, who became the pine tree at Half-Blood Hill at Zeus’s attempt to save her, the very same pine tree Percy had crossed twice to enter camp and to leave it. “You said her name was Taylor Greene?”

“Thalia Grace.” Anniston sighs before getting herself comfortable on a turnip sack and trying to sleep.

Grover, despite his exhaustion, just pats the turnip sack next to him and speaks in a whisper. “Just don’t mention Thalia around Annabeth. They were really close before I found them and everything that happened after. She still misses her a lot.”

Percy sighs. Just his luck.

He tries to make himself comfortable on the sack and decides to change the subject. “Why do you need a searcher’s license in the first place? What are you looking for?”

Grover perks up at the question. “So the god of wild places, Pan, disappeared two thousand years ago,” he told me. “A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore, ‘Tell them that the great god Pan has died!’ When humans heard the news, they believed it. They’ve been pillaging Pan’s kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his sleep.”

The satyr dims a little. “No one’s ever come back though in the past two thousand years. My own dad and uncle were Searchers before me and they disappeared too searching for Pan.”

There wasn’t any indication that saying Pan’s name brought said god’s attention or anything. That must be demoralizing for the satyrs. Percy leans over and gives Grover a hug. “Hey, if anyone could find Pan, it’s you. I’m sure of it. Maybe deep down my Dad’s waiting for someone to find Pan too, they were always mentioned together in some myths.”

“Yeah.” Grover hugs him back. “Thanks, Percy.”

Eventually, they fall asleep.

Percy was in a dark and cold cavern facing a gaping pit. Spirits in the form of whispering mist and trails of smoke were around him. The spirits try to drag him away from it and Percy would’ve followed willingly if he wasn’t frozen in place like in front of Hades.

There was a cold and evil voice echoing from the pit. I am not pleased with this turn of events. The brute made the exchange in hopes of inciting war and it is likely to come close yet never cross into Tartarus. It seems the Fates wish to spite me even now.

Another voice, one that Percy almost recognized, speaks from near his shoulder. “My Lord, surely there is something we can do-”

The evil voice cuts the other one off. Very few can defy those weavers and they are content to observe more often than not. The boy has been aware that the Helm is missing as well and will return everything back in place.

The cavern shakes as the being lets out a terrifying scream of frustration as the spirits try even harder to whisk Percy away. From your observations, the boy is too loyal to his Father and is prone to making his foes inept at any given moment. Simply kill him once you get the opportunity, he will be a thorn at our sides if he is allowed to live. Even if his bloodline is directly from one of my sons, his blood is diluted and we have another more suitable candidate in mind.

“Yes, my Lord.” The voice replies, glee slipping out. “You are well-named the Crooked One.”

And once you do… wait, he has brought himself hither. Blast both his bloodlines, too changeable and unpredictable.

“Impossible!” The other voice cries.

For you in your limited capacity, perhaps. Away with you, little eavesdropper!

Something struck Percy in the chest-

Percy is shaken awake by Grover who quickly drags him down to hide behind the turnip sacks, just in time for the back of the truck to open and one of the drivers comes in to look at the animals. Thankfully Anime’s quick thinking to bang the walls of the truck gives them enough time to free all the animals and for Grover to give a ‘satyr’s sanctuary’ to them.

“Can’t you place a blessing like that on us?” Percy asked as the animals jumped and caused havoc on the Vegas streets.

Grover shakes his head. “It only works on wild animals.”

“So it would only affect Percy.” Anisha reasoned.

“Hey!” Percy protested. “Does it look like I have horns?”

“I was joking. Maybe.” she said. “Come on. Let’s get out of this filthy truck and look for the Lotus Casino Hotel. We obviously can’t ride to Los Angeles anymore, let’s see if we can catch the Messenger and ask him for help.”

Even though they knew what they were looking for, looking for a casino in Los Vegas was like looking for a fruit in an orchard. There was just so many. The three passed through different landmarks, the Monte Carlo, the MGM, and a mini version of the Statue of Liberty.

Percy felt a little homesick at the sight and hoped that he somehow didn’t blow up it up by the time they left Vegas.

Though his frustration quickly overpowered his homesickness. He took a big drink of cool grape juice from his water skin which he passed to Grover, who also greedily gulped down the juice to beat the heat. “Where is it?”

Allison pointed to a dome with lotus petals on the outside of it. “Look, that has to be it!”

The doors of the casino were plated with a glittering chrome and the air conditioning that flowed out smelled like flowers – lotus blossom? Might as well stick with the brand, he supposed.

Upon getting closer, the doorman smiled at the three of them, “Hey kids, you look tired. Do you want to go inside and sit down?”

Ariana took the initiative. “We’re actually looking for someone, the Messenger. Have you seen him around here?”

The doorman paused before shaking his head. “We get a lot of messengers here, young lady. I think you’re better off asking the front desk.”

The sheer size of the lobby takes Percy by surprise. There were video games on large TV screens, a giant water slide wrapped around a glass elevator, waitresses carrying mouth-watering food.

However, before Percy could take a step towards all the delights, a bellhop quickly approached them. “Ah, you must be the VIPs we were expecting! Here are your room key and LotusCash cards-”

Something possessed Percy to take the room key and the smell of those lotus blossoms grew stronger before his pendant broke through the haze. He quickly dropped the key to the ground and notices that the same haze was everywhere in the hotel prickling his skin and was now clouding Grover and Annie’s eyes. “Hey, what gives?! We’re looking for the Messenger-”

Before Percy could attempt to make his two companions lucid, the bellhop nods with that same plastered smile as if he was expecting this and handed Percy a note. “I don’t about any ‘Messenger’, but the person who reserved the suite for you thought this might happen, so we were told to give this to you.”

Percy wearily takes the note and lets some of the fuzz of madness pass over to the bellhop when their hands brush against each other, but the bellhop doesn’t even react at all. Great.

Thankfully, the note was in Ancient Greek:There are no monsters here. Go clean yourselves up. I will meet you when you’re ready. – S.

Percy tried to think of anyone whose name started with ‘S’ but was interrupted by Amber and Grover walking over to the glass elevator, excitedly talking about what rides and games they would go on. He grimaces and follows after them.

Once they enter the elevator, Percy quickly puts a hand to Grover’s temple and banishes the haze before soon doing the same to Anna-Marie.

Both of them blink in confusion before the daughter of Athena turns to Percy. “What happened?”

“There’s like a haze all over this place that messes with your head.” Percy explains as he hands over the note. “I was going to take the both of you and leave once I noticed but then the bellhop passed me this note. We might as well rest up a bit and I can snap you guys out of the haze if it gets you again.”

Grover hands back the note. “But who would want to meet you?”

The elevator dings to their floor. “I don’t know. Let’s hope they’re nice.”

Whoever made the reservation clearly held no expense as the suite had a bedroom for each of them, a bar stocked with all kinds of snacks, candy and sodas, the beds and towels fluffy and soft. It would’ve been absolute heaven.

Percy wishes he could enjoy it, but his pendant was working overtime to keep the haze from clouding his mind again and his other two companions didn’t have the benefit of having sobriety powers. He quickly took a shower with his pendant still on, changed his clothes to other clean ones – swapping out his purple Hawaiian shirt for another purple one that was conveniently his size - and stuffed as many grape flavored snacks and drinks – resisting the strong urge to consume them - as he could in his backpack before stepping outside of his room.

“Hey guys- guys?” Both Grover and Aine were gone from the suite, their rooms empty aside from their backpacks and a few snack wrappers and partially eaten aluminum cans. Percy quickly opens the door to the hallway just in time to hear their excited shouts grow fainter and fainter. “Guys, wait up!”

The elevator door closes right when Percy rounds the corner though he could see through the glass that Anniston and Grover were pointing in excitement at the various games on the ground floor.

Percy could jump into the water slide to beat them to the lobby. Actually, that would be a little fun-

His pendant banishes the haze again, making Percy grimace. Waiting for the elevator it is.

When he finally arrives to the ground floor, Percy manages to spot Grover playing a reverse hunting game where the deer were hunting the rednecks and was about to make his way over-

A hand falls on Percy’s shoulder keeping him in place as a tingly feeling similar to the fuzz of madness envelops that shoulder. A feminine voice speaks. “Ah, there you are.”

Percy jerks from the hand and whips around to face a woman with dark and curly hair. Her eyes and smile were a bit frenzied which made Percy want to run, but it felt vaguely familiar. For some reason, Percy got the impression of a wine mom from this lady. “Who are you?”

The woman laughs, a little manic. “I have a few names. I am Thyone, goddess of frenzy. I am Semele, demigod daughter of the Peacemaker, once mortal lover of the King and mother of the Mad One.”

Percy’s breath hitches and everything clicks into place. Semele’s smile widens at his realization. “But for you my grandson, you can call me Grandma.”

She reaches over and pinches one of Percy’s cheeks like what he imagines a normal mortal grandma would. “Aw, you and your brothers look like what I imagine your Father to be when he was still a mortal boy. Never got the chance to see for myself.”

Grandma lets out a laugh as if it was an inside joke. At least she’s able to laugh about being vaporized by Zeus while pregnant with Dad. “Now come along, I have a task for you.”

Percy rubs his cheek after Grandma lets go and follows her. “But we’re looking for the Messenger, we need his help!”

“The Messenger?” Grandma laughs as if Percy told her a funny joke. “Ha! Whoever told you he was here lied to you and likely intended to trap you here in this timeless hotel. As far as I know, the Messenger hardly has time to waste these days. I suppose that explains how you made it here without me having to send you a dream. But fret not, I have a wonderful solution for you. Hmm, now that I think about it, you likely need your satyr.”

She snaps her fingers and Grover suddenly appears still holding a controller in the shape of a rifle, looking around in confusion. “Wha- where are the rednecks?”

Percy quickly grabs Grover’s shoulders and shakes him while banishing the haze again. “Grover, wake up! The haze got you again!”

Grover blinks as if he were a robot that was rebooting. “Percy! Wait, where’s Annabeth? And who’s this lady?”

“I am Percy’s Grandmother, young satyr. Surely you know who I am.” Grandma answers while twirling a glass of wine she conjured out of nowhere. She takes a sip. “I will be quite offended if you don’t.”

Grover’s eyes grow wide with fear as he drops the rifle controller on the ground. “L-l-lady T-thyone, i-it’s an h-honor.”

Grandma nods in approval. “Ah good, they’ll still teaching the right things at those satyr daycares. Perhaps that youth goddess was on to something with those sponsorships.”

“Where’s Annabeth?” Grover asks as Grandma takes them deeper and deeper into the hotel, which Percy was quickly realizing is a lot bigger on the inside than the outside. “Shouldn’t we go-”

“She’s quite content playing an architecture game that manifested just for her and the Messenger isn’t here to begin with.” Grandma says with both a bit of amusement and dismissal. “The two of you are perfectly capable of completing the task I have for you anyway.”

They eventually stop at a part of the hotel where the people were wearing old-fashioned clothing that Percy remembers seeing in black-and-white photos from his history textbooks at school, but he doesn’t remember what time exactly it was taken. Around World War II?

There was smoke everywhere as the patrons were mostly sitting around tables playing poker with glasses of alcohol. Grover and Percy coughed a little as they got close.

Grandma gestures to the area in front of them. “Now I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in the Underworld before your Father came and saved me from those droll Fields of Asphodel, which I believe makes me an expert on the subject. When I made the reservation for the three of you, I noticed a muted aura similar to the Underworld in this part of the hotel and figured it must be those ‘keys’ that the old mummy sputtered out for you. You would think that the Sunbringer would’ve fixed the Oracle by now-”

“Um, Grandma?” Percy kindly interrupts. Sally used to drop him off with elderly neighbors to babysit him in his apartment building and he remembers how they would go on a roll if he let them. “You were saying something about the ‘keys’?”

Grandma pauses her rant before nodding. “Ah yes, thank you for reminding me. As I was about to say, I can’t exactly pinpoint where it is coming from, but I imagine the two of you would have better luck. Be on the lookout for anything darker than usual. The Underworld is fond of its darkness, I will tell you that.”

Percy looks towards the mass of gamblers and smoke, bracing himself. Hey, at least they were getting somewhere. “Um, thanks for helping us, Grandma.”

She laughs and the tinge of frenzy lightly passes over him. “Don’t thank me just yet. I’ll wait for you here. Now off you go!”

With one last look at his Grandma, who refilled and started to nurse her wine glass with one hand and urged him forward with the other, Percy went in with Grover behind him.

The satyr stuck close to him as Percy keeps waving off the cigar smoke. None of the people at the tables pay them any mind, too deep in their games and drinks to care. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to split up.”

“Probably not.” Percy looks around but nothing spoke ‘darker’. “Can you smell anything besides the smoke?”

Grover didn’t look too happy at the suggestion before sighing. “Well, I can try.”

The satyr takes a sniff full of smoke and lotus blossoms and Percy has to snap him out of it again and hold his hand to keep the haze away. Grover coughs but keeps at it before turning around. “I can smell something in that direction but...”

“But what?”

Grover looks unsure. “It... smells like a demigod.”

Percy’s throat gets dry and he drinks some grape juice for the thirst. “Like a child of the Silent One? But didn’t he swear an Oath about that?”

“It could be a child of another chthonic god.” Grover reasons, though it doesn’t look like he believed it. “Come on, we might as well check it out.”

Percy held Grover’s hand as the satyr led them through endless tables before they managed to reach what looked like the edge of it before he stopped in disgust. “What’s that smell, can you see-”

He hears a shout and Percy turns to the source to find a balding man wearing more modern things looming over a little boy wearing old-timey clothes. The boy talks hurriedly with an Italian accent. “I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t know the chip was yours-!”

“Bullshit!” The man shouts, obviously angry. “I saw you pick it up right after I dropped it!”

Percy’s already crossed the distance before he could stop himself. “Hey! How about you pick on someone your own size!”

The man turns around- oh shit, it’s that guy Percy and Sally met that smelled absolutely horrible. Ugh, he even smelled the same, not even the smell of lotus blossoms could completely cover it up. “This is none of your busin- Wait, I remember you! You’re Sally’s kid with the purple eyes!”

Percy put himself between the Italian boy and the man. “Look Gavin-”

The man frowns. “It’s Gabe.”

Percy ignores him. “How about you leave this kid alone and you carry on with your own life? You clearly have been doing that and it’s been a few years once we last saw each other-”

“The hell are you talking about? I saw you three weeks ago before I flew out here to Vegas with my buddies.” Gage narrows his eyes. “Wait, why are you taller? And older?”

“Uh, it’s 2006?” Percy notices that the boy looks at him in confusion at the mention of the year. He also feel that Grayson had a lot of alcohol in his system. “What, did you forget with all the drinking you’ve been doing?”

Gael didn’t seem to hear Percy’s insult and started to mutter to himself. “2006? But it was 2000 when we left-”

Percy decides to give the asshole a little push. He stretches out a hand and removes the haze over the man’s eyes. Garrett jerks back as his eyes become clear. “Oh shit, oh fuck, what the fuck? What’s happening, where am I? Why are these people wearing these clothes? What happened to my buddies!?”

He runs off in a panic, leaving them behind. Grover gags. “Ew, that guy smelled so repulsively human.”

With Gregory gone, Percy turns his attention to the Italian kid behind him. “Hey, my name’s Percy, what’s yours?”

The Italian boy stares a bit at Percy’s violet eyes in awe before blinking. “O-oh, my name’s Nico! Your eyes are really pretty-”

Nico freezes as if he said something wrong and his accent gets thicker. “W-wait, I-I meant-”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay!” Percy quickly reassures with a smile. “Thank you for the complement. No one’s ever said that about my eyes.” The demigod looks around at the crowds of people who didn’t notice Gunner’s sudden outburst. “Are you here all by yourself?”

“Nico!”

A girl that looks around Percy’s age rushes towards Nico and starts talking in fast Italian as she checks Nico over. They look similar enough to be siblings.

While the two are talking with each other, Grover leans in and whispers in Percy’s ear. “Percy, that mortal covered Nico’s scent, but those two smell like demigods! Look at their shadows!”

Percy does just that and what do you know, their shadows were darker than everyone else’s like pools of black oil. “Do you think they’re the keys from the prophecy? We can’t just leave them here anyway, you saw what happened with Gianni. He got here in 2000 but it’s only been a week for him and it’s 2006 now.”

Grover nods right when Nico’s sister turns to them. “Thank you for saving my little brother, Nico. We got separated a moment ago. My name is Bianca, and you are…?”

“My name is Percy and this is my best friend Grover.” Percy decides to rip off the bandaid. “Um, are you two demigods by any chance?”

“Like in Mythomagic?” Nico asks with a slight gleam in his eyes while Bianca looks at the two of them like they both spontaneously grew a second head.

Grover shoots a look at Percy that said ‘really?’. “Yeah. I mean, I would’ve worded it better than that, but I can tell the two of you are demigods. It’s not safe here.”

“I’m a demigod too and I’ll prove it.” Percy bends a bit of grape juice out of his water skin and floats it in front of the siblings who watch in shock. “See?”

Bianca nods numbly while the gleam in Nico’s eye get brighter, looking ready to launch several questions at Percy at mach speed.

“Look, we have to get out of here.” Percy says. “Time moves slower here in this hotel and I don’t think the two of you are from the year 2006.”

He rips off the haze from the two siblings and they both flinch. Bianca looks panicked. “Wait, isn’t the year 1945? How?”

“We can explain later.” Grover said. “But we have to go. Percy’s grandma is helping us out and we don’t want to keep her waiting.”

Thankfully the siblings didn’t protest and followed the two back the way they came, though Nico did stare at Percy holding Grover’s hand, but looked away when Percy caught him.

Grandma smiles once she spots them approaching. “Ah, what a delightful surprise. What are your names, little godlings?”

Bianca looks a little weary. “...Bianca di Angelo and this is my little brother Nico.”

Nico didn’t seem to have any fear. “Are you a goddess? Percy said he’s a demigod and that you’re his grandma.”

Grandma chuckles and refills her wine glass in front of them. “Why yes, little godling, I am Thyone, goddess of frenzy. Now that this little ordeal is resolved, it’s time for all of you to leave. Come along now.”

Before long they reach the entrance of the hotel. The goddess snaps her fingers and everyone’s belongings appear in front of them. Percy frowns as the others grab their things. “Grandma, Ashley is still in there and we need to get her out too.”

His Grandma scoffs. “Don’t be ridiculous. I think you’re perfectly fine without her. No opportunities for her to backstab you. What is stopping her from tricking you like the Queen did with me? Her plan during your first war game is simply an indication of what she is willing to do. As much as I love you sweet vine, you are still young and naive.”

Percy stands up straight and refuses to back down. He looks directly at Grandma’s dark purple-brownish eyes and fights against the wave of frenzied energy and visions of Maenads tearing people apart. He grits his teeth. “I’m not leaving her behind.”

Grandma holds Percy’s stare for what felt like forever before she sighs. “Fine, if you insist.”

Allison appears out of nowhere like Grover did before with her backpack appearing on the floor, startling Nico and Bianca, and she looks around in confusion. “My city! Where am I-”

Percy makes her lucid and realization makes its way to her face. “Anatolia, we can explain later but this is my Grandma, goddess of frenzy. She helped us out.”

Amira whips to face the goddess. “Lady Semele-”

“It’s Lady Thyone to you, girl.” Grandma replies harshly as frenzy fills the air for a moment before dissipating. The goddess turns her head to Percy with a raised eyebrow. “Perseus, are you sure you don’t want me to make her molecules erupt in flames? She won’t even feel a thing.”

The girl in question pales in terror as the siblings and Grover freeze. Percy shakes his head as he picks up Amara’s backpack and hands it to her. She takes it with jerky hands. “Grandma, I said no to leaving her behind.”

“Very well, grandson.” Grandma relents, disappointment in her voice.

It’s nighttime when their assorted group leave through the front doors. Grandma points to a bus parked in the street in front of them. “You have two days until the solstice after tonight. The bus will take you to Los Angeles. The rest of you go get yourselves over inside, I wish to speak to Perseus in private.”

Everyone besides Percy and Grandma scramble towards the bus, Grover filling Aubrey on their situation while the di Angelo siblings look around the bright lights of Vegas absolutely gobsmacked.

Grandma puts a hand on Percy’s face like Dad did when he left Half-Blood Hill. “I want you to remember something, a revelation I received once I ascended to godhood.”

The world around Percy seemed to slow as Grandma leaned down and held his gaze, her hand warm. “How could’ve it have occurred to the King to stitch my Son your Father to his thigh and have it work? How could the god of heroes completed his twelve labors while still mortal? How could the retinue of my Son, the Maenads, made themselves immortal out of sheer belief in their madness? All things are possible, and madness is the price we pay to achieve it. It is our right as family of the vine, of you and your brothers. Do not be afraid when the time comes.”

Percy swallows, throat dry. The fuzz under his skin felt like it was resonating with the frenzy in Grandma’s words. “Thank you for helping us out, Grandma.”

Grandma smiles, a kind and genuine one. “Of course, little dolphin. You’re off to save your mother like your Father did with me. How could I not help you?”

Percy holds up his water skin. “Can I give you wine as an offering?”

Her smile widens and she summons her wine glass. “You most certainly can.” Percy pours saltwater into her glass before changing it into wine. Grandma takes a sip and hums in satisfaction. “Your Father is lucky to have you to bestow him your wine. Quite excellent. Why, I feel like I am in the mood for a little festivity!”

Grandma’s clothes shift and Percy quickly looks away once he processes the fact that his Grandma was half-naked. “G-grandma!”

“What? There’s a rave nearby and I’m going to invite some of the girls over to party. I most certainly like to dress for the occasion.” Grandma explains in her leopard print rave outfit. “Ah! I almost forgot to pass on this message for you. My daughter-in-law is going to wait for you at the beach near Santa Monica Pier, she has something for you.”

Percy will take anything he could get. He wonders what Ariadne had for him. “Thanks Grandma. Um, have fun?”

Grandma laughs again, this time truly a howl of insanity. “That I will!” She vanishes in front of him without a trace.

Percy’s life is so weird.

Chapter Text

Once the bus got going, Anastasia quickly took the initiative and gave the di Angelo siblings a mini crash course on Greek mythology. She went over the gods and their titles, monsters and important events with Nico giving comments on their Mythomagic counterparts and would show the respective figurine from his belongings.

Amy was content to answer the constant questions that Nico threw at her while Bianca was still obviously trying to process everything. Percy could sympathize with her, if he wasn’t raised under Hellenism and had the rug ripped from under his feet, he would probably be the same boat.

The daughter of Athena was on the topic of Dionysus when Nico interjects and holds up a card, “Oh, the wine guy!”

Percy paused from drinking his grape juice. “Excuse me? My Dad is more than just the ‘wine guy’, you know. He’s also the god of madness, theater, festivity, fert-”

“I think we get it, Percy.” Ava interrupts. Rude. “In case the two of you couldn’t tell by now, Percy is a son of Mr. D. It’s why he and his brothers have purple eyes.”

“That’s so cool!” Nico shows the Dionysus card to Percy, which displays an illustration of a younger Dad lounging with an overflowing cup of purple wine, his horns on full display with vines intertwined with the frame. Nico also pulls out a similar looking figurine with his Dad standing up and a leopard around his legs. “A lot of people think he’s the weakest god card but I think his powers are pretty sweet!”

Percy, satisfied with having defended his Dad’s honor, decides to offer Nico his prized grape juice. He moves his water skin so that the younger boy could see it better. “On the topic of sweet, do you want some grape juice?”

As Percy tries to aim grape juice to an excited Nico’s mouth while keeping the few mortals from seeing, Bianca asks, “So are the three of you on your own? Why are you trying to go to Los Angeles?”

“We’re on a quest to retrieve a few things for the gods.” Percy explains. “We were at that hotel to look for the Messenger but he wasn’t there to begin with, but then my Grandma showed up to help and we found you two. We couldn’t just leave you there.”

“That being said, you two don’t know how to fight or what powers you might have, which means you’re defenseless against monsters. You are going to have to stick by us.” Alina said.

Percy winces. “We should probably tell you right now that we’re going to the Underworld.”

Even Nico paused in his fidgeting and Bianca looked like she would faint. “The Underworld? Didn’t Annabeth explain that is the place where the dead go? Why?”

“To save his mom.” Grover explains. “The Lord of the Dead had lost something and would give Percy’s mom back in exchange in getting it back.”

“You’re going to save your mom?” Nico leans in. “That’s awesome!”

The boy dims a little and the shadows under their seat lights gets thicker. Alex obviously notices and shares a look with Percy and Grover but says nothing. “We don’t really remember anything about our parents. There was this lawyer that dropped us off at the hotel, but…” Nico doesn’t finish his sentence.

Bianca shifted uncomfortably. “Um, did you find what you are looking for?”

Grover shakes his head, a little nervous. “Not exactly. The Underworld is the only lead we have right now.”

“My Grandma did say that my Dad’s Wife is going to wait for us in Santa Monica. Maybe she’ll have a clue for us.” Percy says.

Amira glances at the dark sky outside the bus. “It’s very late though.”

“I’m sure she’ll wait for us in the morning.” At least, Percy hoped she would. Castor and Pollux said she was nice, that included being reasonable too, right? It would a lot more suspicious for five kids to be on a beach in the middle of the night, one of whom was wanted for terrorism. “I think my Grandma would’ve said something if she wanted to meet us right away.”

There was skepticism in Albania’s eyes and a tiny bit of fear. “Well, your Grandma isn’t exactly…”

“What, sane?” Percy challenged.

“How about we go get a good night’s sleep once we get to a hotel?” Grover interrupts. “The Frenzied One already helped us a lot and she clearly likes Percy and wouldn’t risk him getting hurt by her Daughter-in-law.”

The implication that it was Percy that Grandma was concerned about and not Anaiah was left unsaid.

“Well,” Bianca says. “I’m not sure how much help we’ll be, but we can help you the best we can with getting your mother back. It’s the least we can do after you saved Nico and I from that hotel.”

Nico perks up, his pupils a bit dilated. Maybe Percy should’ve held off on giving him grape juice. “We’re going on a quest? We’re going on a quest, Bi!”

The other passengers start giving looks which makes Nico stop and shrink a bit. Bianca hugs him. “Nico, remember not to shout around people. I have a question. The three of you already know which gods are your parents and Grover is a…”

“Satyr.” Grover finishes.

“Yes, that.” Bianca says. “How can we find out about our own godly parent? We don’t really remember much before the hotel.”

Anatolia shares a look with Percy and Grover before tentatively answering. “At our camp, the gods claim their children and that’s how we know but… We may have reason to believe that you are children of a chthonic god. Your shadows are both thicker than a normal person’s shadow.”

Bianca looks down to their shadows cast from the small seat light while Nico tilts his head in confusion. “What does clothic mean?”

“Chthonic, and it means something of the Underworld, so an Underworld god.” Ashton answers.

“You mean like the…” Bianca pauses as she tries to remember. “The Silent One?”

“Not necessarily!” Grover hastily adds. “There are a lot of chthonic gods. You could be children of any of them.”

“Another thing. We also got a prophecy for our quest.” It might be smarter to keep the di Angelo siblings in the dark about the prophecy, but Percy is better than that. Besides, not telling people things got Arya on Grandma’s shit list and Percy doesn’t want to get on another god’s bad side for lying to their kids and if it turned out to be Hades, Percy would lose his chance at getting his mom back.

Both Grover and Alya whip to Percy in alarm, but he ignores them. “The prophecy said that we would descend to the Underworld with ‘keys of shadow and bone’. That’s why we were looking for the Messenger at the hotel in the first place to see if he could help us, since he can go wherever and all that before we realized he wasn’t there and than Grover and I ran into the two of you.”

“So you need Nico and I to help you cross into the Underworld.” Bianca says.

Percy swallows, throat dry. “Look, we can do our best to figure out something for the two of you if you guys decide to get off this ride, I won’t hold it against you. It’s really dangerous.”

Bianca turns to Nico and they start talking in Italian. Percy was starting to panic that they would want to leave and then the three of them would have to think of something to get into the Underworld or else he would lose his mom and that can’t happen-

Grover taps his arm, bringing Percy back to earth. “Perce, breathe.”

Percy didn’t even notice he was holding his breath. “Thanks Grover.” The reassurance disappears when he notices that everyone had noticed his mini-freak out. Marvelous, Percy will just throw himself out the window.

“We’ll help you.” Bianca says suddenly. “You were honest with us and you clearly want your mother back.”

Bianca turns to Nico. “And since we’re children of an Underworld god, we could find out some answers on how and why we were at the hotel to begin with.”

Percy breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Really, thank you so much.”

They give Bianca and Nico some spare clothes to change into in the bus bathroom to avoid looking out of place and soon the siblings are decked out in full Waterland™ merch by the time the bus arrives at a station. Nico in particular copies Percy with having sunglasses on even though it was almost midnight.

When they call a cab to take them to a hotel near the beach in Santa Monica, the driver pauses at the sight of five kids alone dressed in varying degrees of Waterland™ merch. “Uh, where are your parents?”

“We’re on a quest to save the world!” Nico answers energetically before Bianca shushes him. Okay, Percy definitely shouldn’t have given him grape juice this late at night.

Amber presents to the driver the card from the Lotus Casino Hotel, confident. “Don’t mind him, he drank a Red Bull when we weren’t looking. Our family is waiting for us at Santa Monica and they gave us this debit card. Swipe it.”

Percy quickly adds on. “Yeah, they went ahead for a wine-tasting event but they aren’t answering their phones, so…”

The driver blinks at their story before sighing and pinching his nose while shaking his head. “Fine, I might as well get your kids to your hotel safely and not have you wandering the streets at night. Give me the card.”

The five of them pack into the cab while the driver grumbles about irresponsible parents leaving their kids to fend for themselves, which may or may not be true about most of the gods. Dad really is the best one out of all of them.

Eventually they reach the hotel where they get two neighboring rooms with two beds each from the receptionist who seemed to be equally disappointed in their parents like the driver with an additional mutter of ‘rich people’.

Once they get to their rooms and open the doors, Ariana stops Percy before he could follow Grover and Nico inside the ‘boys’ room, though Grover keeps a hand on the door. “Can we talk?”

“Uh, okay. Sure.” Percy says and gives a reassuring nod to Grover who lets the door close with one last pointed glance to Anniston who nods in return.

The hotel hallway lights buzz as Percy stands there waiting for Ariel to gather her thoughts.

“...Thank you for saving me in Vegas. You didn’t have to.” She finally says, though Percy knew she wasn’t talking about the haze from the Casino.

“My Grandma is just worried about me since the Queen tricked her into being friends and you know the rest. You also know what happened to my Stepmom that I got my middle name from, right? I’m a legacy of the Earthshaker, sure, but I’m not going to be like Theseus and leave you behind.” He replies.

Wait, Percy is related to him now. Ew.

She nods, her eyes turned away from Percy. “Look, Grover talked to me earlier and I… I want to apologize.” She says, uncomfortable. The lights shone over her like those in an interrogation room. “For the Capture the Flag game. I positioned you at the creek because I wanted to lure Clarisse and her siblings and you were a convenient target. Even if they beat you to a pulp, it would’ve given our team enough time for Luke to grab the flag and win anyway. I’m not used to people worrying about me besides Chiron and Luke and maybe I thought that was the same with you. Sure, Castor and Pollux can be protective of you, but I wasn’t expecting your Grandma to show up and… The gods aren’t usually so… involved with their mortal family.”

It was quiet for a moment before Percy spoke up again. “How about we start over?”

He extends a hand out. “Hi, my name is Percy Jackson and I like grape juice.”

She blinks before taking the hand and shaking it. “Hi, my name is Annabeth Chase and I like architecture.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ann.” Percy says completely serious. “Or Wise Girl, whichever you prefer.”

Ann lifts an eyebrow, also serious. “It’s Annabeth. But it’s nice to meet you, Percy. Or Mad Lad, whichever you prefer.”

They both stare at each other for a second before the masks break and they laugh a little. Percy opens the door to the sound of Grover trying to teach Nico how modern showers work. “Good night, Ann.”

Ann looks a little exasperated but just shakes her head. “Good night, Percy.”

The next morning finds the five of them at the hotel breakfast buffet. Everyone had piled their plates and was eating like they haven’t eaten in days. Bianca had recoiled at first on how sweet everything was compared to what she was used to. Nico did not and dug in with glee with a cup of grape juice, courtesy of Percy.

Percy pours maple syrup on his waffle with his own cup of grape juice, shades over his eyes. “So after we’re done eating breakfast, we should go to the beach next to meet up with my Stepmom.”

“Where would we even find her?” Grover asked as he ate some fruit. “The beach is miles long and we only have two days left.”

Ann swallows a bite of her cinnamon roll. “Percy could get her attention with an offering of wine at the beach. You know what libations are, right?”

“Of course I do.” Percy is offended that she would even ask. He was a Hellenist for crying out loud. “My mom and I gave libations all the time. We don’t have a brazer since our apartment building is kinda strict about fire, burning things, candles, so we went with libations. Dad likes wine offerings anyway.”

Bianca pauses in shock before she could take a bite from her eggs. “Your mother lets you around wine?”

At the question, Grover accidentally takes a literal bite of his fork and quickly hides it before any of the mortals could notice. “I’m sure it’s not like that. Sally is a great mom. Even though Percy is Mr. D’s kid, he kept Percy from making wine until he got to camp.”

“Besides, my mom is the one who gives the wine offerings! She’s strict on about me not drinking it.” Percy insists. Sally had kept the wine locked up and gave Percy a lot of lectures on how he wasn’t allowed to touch it until he was older. “I give my grape juice instead and I would rather drink that instead.”

“Which is why Percy should give the offering of wine since he already knows what to do.” Ann said.

Percy eats his waffle, thinking. “Maybe not exactly? We use normal cups instead of a phiale and we don’t pour it on the ground either since we didn’t want to get the wrong kind of attention from our neighbors so… I mean, Dad didn’t say anything about it so I guess it’s fine, but still.”

The new information didn’t deter Ann. “We need to get your Stepmom’s attention somehow and she is waiting for you. We have to give something since she might get offended if we don’t. She’s still a goddess at the end of the day, even if she’s nice to your brothers.”

Well, Percy can’t argue with that. He already gave Grandma wine and Dad was obviously a given, so why not complete the set?

Before they could delve deeper in their discussion, they are promptly distracted by Nico who was attempting to drink the syrup straight from the bottle, much to Bianca’s dismay.

Maybe Percy should’ve realized that a 1940’s kid would get addicted to really potent sugar and should’ve withheld his grape juice.

…

Nah, grape juice is great. Percy has no regrets.

They checked out and they went to the beach, which wasn’t far from the hotel. It wasn’t like Montauk with its calmer atmosphere. On the contrary, summertime meant the beach was packed with people all over the place. Even with Grover, Bianca and Nico trying their best to cover them, someone was bound to notice a few kids dumping wine into the sand.

But they were already here and Ann had swiped a flat bowl from the hotel, the closest thing to a proper phiale. “Alright, are you ready?” Ann asks.

Percy could only nod. There are so many people and trying to find Ariadne in this crowd when he didn’t know what she looks like would be a nightmare. “Now or never.”

Ann gives the flat bowl to Percy. He pours wine into the bowl before taking it in his right hand and extending his arm, pouring the wine into the ground while saying, “Lady Ariadne, we humbly offer this offering of wine. Please accept it as tribute.”

The wine sinks into the sand. Nothing happens.

A couple of mortals start to notice the scent of wine and start looking in their direction, making their group a little nervous. Nico looks around, Waterland™ shades on. “Is she still asleep?”

“I don’t think that’s it, Nico.” Bianca looks at the wet sand. “Maybe you needed to make a hole in the ground first?”

“That’s for the dead and Underworld gods.” Ann corrects. “It might be a special kind of demigod instincts for you-”

Suddenly, the crowds of mortals started to move, forming what looked like tall imposing walls in a maze, shifting and moving with the mortals but still very much there. Percy’s certain the mortals weren’t aware they were doing it.

Then a woman exits a ‘corridor’ formed by the mortal walls and approaches them. She was beautiful, with wavy black hair and mesmerizing yellow eyes that seemed to trap them in place. Percy thinks people could get lost in her otherworldly beauty.

“Hello demigods, satyr.” The woman says once she’s in front of them. “I wasn’t expecting an offering, let alone one made from a faithful believer, but it is a pleasant surprise nonetheless. It has been a long while since I last received one.”

She turns to face Percy and suddenly he sees visions of people laughing with family in fun mazes made from corn fields, others of labyrinths made of cold stone and darkness filled with people desperately trying to get out while slowly becoming mad. “You must be Perseus. You look remarkably like my husband, and a bit of someone else.”

Percy quickly bows and the others follow his lead. “L-lady Ariadne, we’re honored to be in your presence.”

“You may rise.” Ariadne’s expression was unreadable when Percy stood up straight again. She turns around and looks over her shoulder. “Walk with me, Perseus.”

Percy looks nervously at the others. Ann was completely still, Grover was obviously anxious in front of a goddess and Bianca had moved Nico behind her watching with wary eyes. “Um, my Lady, what about my friends?”

“They will be fine in this maze I created out of the mortals as long as they stay put.” Ariadne answers. “Come now, I wish to speak with you.”

With one last glance to his companions, Percy follows Ariadne into the shifting labyrinth.

Once they were a far distance away, Ariadne speaks. “I am quite curious about you, Perseus. Your mother had met my Husband and conceived you while he was with Castor and Pollux and their mother. She must be quite the mortal to grab his attention so soon.”

“My mom always said that she met Dad at the beach in Montauk.” Percy looks away. “Um, my Lady.”

“Did she now?” Ariadne looks out to the sea with a look of nostalgia. “I suppose he was feeling sentimental at the time. He found me at a beach all alone as well. And she gave you my name too. My name was invoked when she went to the local court to make it your middle name soon after you were born. I thought she had discovered my Husband’s true identity and attempted to appease me with such an act. As if I would get angry over my Husband having children with mortals after all this time, I am not the Queen. I know better than to hold his lust all for myself, that is too much to ask for the both of us.”

Ariadne chuckles a bit to herself at her last statement. “I have his love and he has mine. I am content with that.”

“Castor and Pollux said you were nice to them.” Percy threw out, not knowing what else to say and not willing to unpack that.

She nods. “You are correct. Your Father rarely has demigod children and I make it a point to at least meet them at least once. The reason I didn’t meet you until now was because the shield of ignorance was somewhat still over you but in the end, the bull broke it for you.”

They ‘exit’ the maze of mortals near the waves. Ariadne stands a bit away from the water as if she didn’t want it to touch her. “I noticed that the shadows cling to those two demigods. Tell me Perseus, why are they among your group?”

The waves lap at Percy’s feet, warm. “We were looking for the Messenger in the Lotus Casino Hotel so he could help us but he was never there in the first place. Grover and I found them after Grandma pointed us in their direction since she thought they were the ‘keys’ in the prophecy. You’re not going to hurt them, are you?”

Ariadne doesn’t answer his question. “And what will you do once their usefulness is done? Will you leave them in the Underworld to fend for themselves as you take your mother with you and your other companions? I sense my Husband’s power in those grapes in your backpack. You only have four compared to six once you find your mother. Tell me.”

Percy doesn’t understand why she is asking him all these questions. “Wha- I-”

The goddess simply continues to pin Percy with her gaze. “Well?”

“...I don’t know.” Percy eventually confesses. “We still haven’t found anything yet and the Underworld is our only lead.”

He looks into the goddess’s eyes. “I want my mom back but I don’t want to leave anyone behind either. I know you were left behind by Theseus and that was horrible for you. I don’t want to be anything like him, throwing away people once they stop being useful.”

“...I see.” Ariadne looks back in the direction they came, the path already gone by the shifting walls of the mortal maze. “Is that why you didn’t leave behind that daughter of the Wise One in that hotel or allowed my Mother-in-law to smite her even though she might betray you?”

Percy nods. “Ann actually apologized to me last night about the Capture the Flag game.”

“Yet humility makes itself scarce around the children of the Wise One, even their descendants.” Ariadne replies. “Do you know the story of Daedalus and Icarus? While in the service of my father, Daedalus took it upon himself to teach me what you now call math and science, which is how I met his son Icarus. Icarus was a legacy just like you. He was more my brother than my actual brothers by blood and he called me his sister. When the both of them were imprisoned by my father in the Labyrinth, I would always sneak inside to visit them whenever I could.”

She sighed, her eyes downcast. “I witnessed their escape and Icarus’s death into the ocean. For all of his intelligence, his pride was his downfall. I can only take comfort in the fact that he now has peace in death.”

Her eyes turn sharp. “That same pride could lead to the downfall of the Wise One’s daughter as well. Theseus and I went through an adventure of our own in that Labyrinth and he still left me. She could very well take the Master Bolt in return it for the glory and her mother’s approval.”

All this betrayal talk was starting to weigh on him. “...I understand, my Lady.”

Ariadne’s eyes soften and she places a hand on his shoulder. “You are a good boy, Perseus. Both your mother and your Father are blessed to have your devotion. I admit I do not have any lost love for the Lord of the Sea, as he cursed my mother to fall in love with that white bull and gave birth to that monster, it was his ocean that claimed my brother and kept him hidden from Daedalus who could only burn a shroud instead of a body, and finally Theseus who abandoned me on that beach. But even though his blood is within you as diluted as it is, I can tell you are nothing like Theseus.”

“Thank you, my Lady.” Percy says sincerely. “That means a lot, especially from you.”

Ariadne laughs. “I suppose it does. Now hold still, I want to give you a blessing.”

A cool energy passes from her hand into Percy’s body and suddenly the maze didn’t seem so confusing or intimidating at all. In fact, he somehow instinctively knew his way out even with all the shifting ‘walls.’ “...Woah.”

“That prophecy mentioned that you would ‘guide’ your mother from the Underworld, so I believe that the Lord of the Dead may cast upon you the same test he gave to Orpheus who ultimately failed to guide his wife and muse out. As goddess of paths and labyrinths, I give you this blessing to always find your way. I wager it will be useful for all those caverns and dead ends down there.” Ariadne explains.

Percy bows again. “Thank you so much.”

“I will leave this ‘maze’ be for a while longer so you can exercise my blessing. Go return to your companions, I can tell they are getting restless.” The goddess orders. “I look forward to meeting the mortal that enticed my Husband so soon. Good luck on your quest.”

Unlike Grandma who just disappeared without a trace, Ariadne turns around and vanishes into the crowd instead. Once she’s gone, Percy makes his way through the ‘maze’ of people with such an instinctual ease that it’s almost scary. It isn’t long before he finds Ann, Grover, Nico and Bianca again.

Just in time to see them getting dive-bombed by pigeons.

Chapter Text

“They’re Stymphalian Birds!” Ann yells as they run through the maze with Percy at the front, birds following from above.

Percy takes a right and the mortal walls close behind them. He could feel the maze falling apart as whatever spell Ariadne put on the mortals starts to fray. “The man-eating ones?!”

“Oh, I have their card!” Nico exclaims. “They have 3000 attack power but only in groups of three-”

The maze was collapsing now, the birds now diving at the mortals who were batting at them in a panic. “Now’s not the time Nico!” Percy said.

“Grover, play something sharp on your pipes! They don’t like loud noises!” Ann orders.

“Everyone, cover your ears!” Grover takes out his pipes and the rest of them barely have time to put their hands over their ears as the satyr blows out the most disorientating sound that Percy has ever heard in his life.

Thankfully, it scares off the birds. Unfortunately, it meant they were now the center of attention. The ‘walls’ had completely vanished and the maze was no more.

“Come on, we have to go!” Percy takes the lead as they run from the beach into the city proper, leaving behind chaos in their wake.

When they asked a taxi driver to take them to DOA Recording Studios, he just shook his head and said he never heard of it but still takes them to West Hollywood. While driving, he asks, “Hey, you look kinda familiar. You on TV or something?”

Percy scrambles for a lie. “Oh! Uh, they broadcast Annie from Broadway a few weeks ago and I was in it!”

The driver pauses. “Isn’t that thing all girls or something?”

At Ann’s pointed look, Percy amends with a grumble. “I was an extra in the background…”

The driver relents. “Well, we can’t all make it on Broadway.”

They get off at their stop and once the driver pulls away, Ann turns to Percy. “Annie? Really? Are you going to sing Hard Knock Life?”

Percy’s shoulders hunch in embarrassment. “Shut up. You try making a good excuse.”

They walked for several miles looking for DOA Recording Studios – with Nico asking for grape juice every five minutes – when Percy stops in front of a window with TVs showing the news.

“...Las Vegas last night.” A news anchor sits in front of the camera. “The Strip was invaded by ravers under the influence of alcohol and various other drugs with several casualties and deaths. Even more gruesome, investigators say that some of those deaths were caused by dismemberment of all things.”

Her partner shakes his head. “Absolutely awful, Pat. There is speculation that this event was caused by none other than the same cult of the ancient Greek god Dionysus that has gained notoriety the last few weeks as investigators found this clip of security footage from a camera just outside of one of the hotels, let’s take a look.”

The screen cuts to grainy footage of Percy talking with his Grandma and it pauses at the moment Percy was pouring into Grandma’s wine glass. The picture shrinks to a corner as Pat the news anchor shows up again with Percy’s photo showing up again. “This woman has been captured by multiple security cameras and photos during the disastrous rave leading other women causing massive property damage and those deaths of dismemberment, but what is even more interesting is the little boy in front of her, which matches the height and build of one Perseus Ariadne Jackson, who is responsible for prior acts of terrorism in Chicago and Omaha.”

The man takes over. “He was also spotted a few days earlier in Denver with two other children speaking with a dangerous looking man outside of a diner, where a waitress and a line cook bravely took this photo. Police are now saying Jackson is traveling with a group of five children in total and to not approach them as they are potentially armed with weapons and various psychoactive substances. They instead urge concerned parties to call the hotline shown below should they be spotted. When we come back, we will chat with a leading child psychologist and an FBI consultant with experience with cults-”

“Percy, your Grandmother is terrifying.” Bianca says as they walk away from the window.

“You’re telling me.” Percy didn’t think that offering of wine would cause Grandma to kill people, what the fuck?

“At the end of the day, she’s a goddess.” Ann adds.

Percy could only grimace and agree. “I can’t believe they think we have drugs. It’s not like we’re walking around high.”

“Percy, you’re literally addicted to grape juice.” Ann deadpans.

“Grape juice isn’t a drug!” Percy protests. “And I’m not addicted! I just like it a lot!”

Grover and the rest of the group have varying expressions of skepticism - except Nico, who’s enjoying his grape juice which Bianca is staring at like she would have to rip it off his hands. “Percy, the first step is admitting you have a problem-”

Percy huffs. “All of you drank my grape juice and you’re all fine!”

“We don’t obsessively drink it every five minutes though.” Ann points. “And we’re also not Mr. D’s kid either.”

Percy groans before putting an arm around Nico’s shoulders and walking ahead of them. “Come on, Nico. They can’t appreciate grape juice like we do.”

Nico beams as Ann sighs in exasperation.

It was getting dark and they weren’t any closer to finding the place they were looking for.

Now Percy could handle himself in New York, but this is L.A., sprawling and difficult to navigate. Ariadne’s blessing is nice, sure, but it only told him various routes to take to leave the city, which is the opposite of what they need to do.

So their walking pace turned into speed walking as they hurried down the streets of L.A. with Percy at the lead, pointedly not looking at shady people on the streets eyeing them up to see if they were worth mugging.

“Hey, you.”

And like an idiot, Percy stopped.

Soon they were surrounded by wannabe gang members, six in total, rich kids playing bad boys with expensive looking clothes and mean faces.

Bianca quickly shoves Nico behind her, fear plain on their faces.

Percy uncapped Riptide, which made some of them back off, but the leader was probably stupid because he just pulled out a switchblade and started to approach-

“Leave us ALONE!” Nico screamed and suddenly there was a hissing and clattering sound around as fucking skeletons appeared with swords and malicious grins, ready to spill blood.

The thugs scream in terror - one of them faints on the spot – and flee or attempt to do so, as the skeletons grab their arms and were about to swing down their swords, oh gods-

“STOP!” Nico’s second scream shakes the earth and a large fissure opens in the street, knocking down street lights and signs and down go tumbling the thugs and the skeletons into it.

The few mortals out at this time of night yell in fright while pointing. Police sirens fill the air and the red-white-blue lights flicker in the distance. All the while Nico had passed out from doing all that. Bianca’s face didn’t hide her panicking expression as she tried to carry Nico before Grover rushed to help her.

Ann shouts over the chaos in the streets. “Over there!”

Percy follows her finger to the only open store that read: ‘CRSTUY’S WATRE BDE ALPACE.’

He didn’t get to think about it any deeper as the police sirens got closer and closer, so he ran towards the doors of the store with everyone else following closely behind.

Once they get in, Percy quickly leads them behind a water bed as police sirens rush past the windows to the giant crack in the ground.

“Do you think we can sneak past them?” Grover pants.

“The cops are going to swarm it.” Ann says, though Percy catches the wariness directed at Nico and Bianca. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we can find the entrance.”

“But we need to let Nico rest!” Bianca insists.

Percy was about to add his own two cents when a voice boomed behind them. “My, are you kids alright?”

Standing behind them was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit from the seventies. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. The creep moved toward them slowly, but Percy got the feeling he could move fast if he wanted.

The guy introduces himself as Crusty, but Percy takes a step back as he feels fuzzy madness all over this man, rooted deep. Whoever this was, he hasn’t been in his right mind for a long time.

Percy puts his arms behind his back as he makes a hurried gesture towards the door and hopes his friends got the message. “Hi, sorry for barging in, but we were just leaving-”

“Nonsense, this little kid is all tuckered out. Might as well let him take a nap.” In an instant, Crusty lifts Nico into his arms and drops him in a water bed deeper in the store, the questers scrambling behind. Nico doesn’t even stir when he’s dropped. “Hardly any business at this time of day. Why don’t you kids take a look around?”

Bianca is by Nico’s side, glaring at Crusty, clearly not amused by the suggestion. Percy fidgets uneasily. “Um, I think we’re fine, sir-”

“This one has a million hand massage, my most popular model!” Crusty said, pointing to a lava-lamp water bed, moving like jello. “Go on, try it out!”

Grover climbs on before Percy could stop him. “Woah, this is so cool!”

The madness fuzz gets stronger around Crusty as he mutters to himself about ‘almost’ before getting Ann to another bed. When Crusty pushes Ann on the bed against her will, Percy moves. “Hey! Leave her alone!”

Crusty ignores him and snaps his fingers. “Ergo!”

Suddenly there are ropes trying his friends down on the beds to their protests. Bianca screams as ropes wrap around Nico’s limp wrists and ankles. “Nico!”

Percy was about to take a step back but then Crusty’s hand shot out and grabs his neck. Crusty could easily crush it in his hands. The fuzz of madness on Crusty’s hand brushes against Percy’s neck.

“Let my friends go!” Percy demands.

Crusty nods. “Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit first.”

From the corner of his eye, Percy sees Bianca sneaking over to Ann’s side and trying to find her dagger as Ann tries to direct her. He needs to distract Crusty. “What do you mean?”

“All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are all too short. Got to make them fit. Can’t stand imperfect measurements,” Crusty mutters. Percy could now see the insanity in the monster’s eyes now that he knows to look for it. “Ergo!”

The ropes tighten and Ann, Grover and a now struggling Nico yell louder. Bianca ducks behind Ann’s bed. Percy hopes she got Ann’s dagger, but it wouldn’t mean anything if she couldn’t get the chance to cut the ropes off.

Time to act.

“Wow, I have to say, this is a genius setup!” Percy exaggeratedly praises. “Now I’m guessing ‘Crusty’ is just your stage name, but what is your real name?”

Crusty’s eyes lit up at the praise. “Legally, it’s Procrustes, but ‘Crusty’ has a better ring to it, better business too.”

“The Stretcher,” Percy said. He remembered the story, the giant who tried to kill Theseus with excess hospitality on his way to Athens to kill the Minotaur. “Of course, only a famed person such as yourself could come up with this! Though, I’m sorry you failed to kill Theseus. I’m sure he was an impossible customer.”

Bianca manages to cut off one of the ropes around Ann’s ankles and moved up to her wrist. The monster shakes his head. “Oh he absolutely was, terrible manners and so full of himself, ugh. Can you believe he was actually my brother? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.”

Percy kept his face from forming a grimace. He didn’t want to think about how exactly Percy was related to Crusty. He needed to keep distracting him. “He clearly wouldn’t appreciate the craftsmanship of these beds. Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?”

Crusty nods. “Absolutely. Try it out.”

Percy lets madness emerge from his neck to travel through Crusty’s hand and arm. The monster’s eyes get a little unfocused. “Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?”

The monster smiles, too much teeth for a human mouth. “Guaranteed.”

“No way.”

“Way.”

Hopefully this works. Percy pushes more madness up the hand around his neck. His friends’ cries grow louder as they ring inside his skull as he hears static in his ears- “Show me.”

Once Crusty is on the bed, he snaps his fingers. “Ergo.”

Once the monster is tied up, Bianca stops hiding and slices off all the ropes on Ann before running to Nico to do the same. The monster doesn’t even get to plead before Percy slices his head off and dashes over to Grover to free his friend from the ropes.

Bianca huffs a little from the adrenaline as she hands the dagger back to Ann. “...I don’t think I like being a demigod.”

Ann doesn’t say anything as her eyes stop at the bulletin board behind Crusty’s sales desk. Percy follows her gaze and spots an orange flyer for DOA Recording Studios. The address is just underneath, a block from the water bed store.

Percy was about to tell everyone to get going, but a glance at an exhausted Nico struggling to stay awake made him think twice. In fact, now that Percy thinks about it, everyone was exhausted from walking around LA all day. Grape juice could only do so much to keep them going.

Well, they still had one more day. They could afford to sleep for a bit, the entrance to the Underworld is literally a block away. “I think we should stay the night.”

No one argues with the idea, but everyone looks at the water beds warily. “There should be some normal water beds in the back that don’t have ropes.” Ann suggests. “Hopefully.”

And sure enough, there were. They even tested it with ‘Ergo’ and everything. They lock the doors and turn off the lights as everyone settles in the backroom. Bianca and Nico claimed a bed, same with Percy and Grover with Ann by herself. Once Percy lays his head on the pillow, he’s out like a light.

Percy is shaken awake around 6 AM the next morning by Grover. They eat what’s left of their snacks before leaving the water bed store.

But not before he changes all the water inside the beds into grape juice as a parting gift. Ann just shakes her head. She just can’t appreciate his genius.

True to the flyer information, the entrance was only a block away. Percy swallows in nervousness at the gold letters against pitch black marble. “So this is it, huh? DOA Recording Studios.”

He steels himself. “Look, worst case scenario happens, the four of you can eat the grapes my Dad gave me-”

“Wha- we’re not going to abandon you to the Silent One, Percy!” Grover protests.

“Yeah!” Nico says. “Where else would we get grape juice like yours?”

“Nico.” Bianca scolds and the boy shrinks a little. Percy hands him his water skin with grape juice to cheer him up. “Percy.”

Ann gets an uneasy expression. “The prophecy did say you would guide your mom out of the Underworld… But remember that prophecies aren’t straightforward. Even if you could swipe your mom from the Silent One’s grasp, I don’t think you’ll make it very far. There are a lot of possibilities.”

“Only one way to find out, Wise Girl.” And with that, Percy pushes the doors open and walks through.

The inside of DOA Recording Studios was sleek and absolutely full of people. Every seat in the lobby was taken, some were standing, others were looking out the window. What was creepy was how still everyone was. When Percy stared long enough, their bodies turned transparent.

Oh shit, these people are ghosts.

However, the revelation doesn’t stop the ghosts from snapping their necks in their direction a moment later, staring at them.

More specifically, staring at Nico and Bianca, who pause at all the stares.

They only have a moment to process the sight before the fancy dressed man steps out from behind the security desk and stops right in front of them. His height dwarfed all of them as he faced Percy. The words of his name tag read something starting with a ‘C’.

This had to be Charon, boatman of the dead. The ferryman’s voice had a strange accent, like English wasn’t his first language. “...Perseus Jackson, this is not what the Master of the House had in mind when he said to find what was stolen.”

“Then what did he mean?” Bianca asks, staring straight into Charon’s shades. There was a bravery in her eyes that wasn’t there a second ago. The ghosts start shifting uneasily. “Who is our divine parent?”

Charon grumbles something about not being paid enough. “You, Perseus Jackson, don’t have what the Master is looking for and these two,” pointing at Nico and Bianca, “aren’t supposed to be here and must descend to the Underworld at once to safety.”

Bianca was not satisfied by that answer by the way she pushes herself to the front. The ghosts immediately got up and stand behind their group as if they would swarm Charon if he so much as breathed in their direction. “Let them through. Our parent is the Silent One, isn’t he?”

Ann watches warily from the side.

Charon hisses at the question, clearly irritated, but doesn’t deny it. His face looked like he was weighting the pros and cons of following Bianca’s order. “Fine. Come along godlings. We don’t have all day.”

The spirits reach for them as they walk towards the elevator, but Charon bats them away with a long stick – a rowing paddle - that he suddenly had in his hands. “Freeloaders.”

The elevator itself was crowded to hell – maybe literally – and each ghost had a green boarding pass, though the spirits moved in a way so that Nico and Bianca could have breathing room.

It did not include Percy, Ann or Grover, who were currently getting squished by dead people. Charon ignores their plight. Fucker.

Soon the elevator transforms into a wooden barge and the ghosts’ modern clothing are transformed into black robes. The more Percy looked, the more… dead everything became.

It should be obvious, they’re descending into the Underworld, eventual destination of all the dead, but as their appearances got less and less healthy, Percy’s heart beat harder and harder almost in defiance and madness covers his skin almost as a protective coating.

Maybe it’s because the fuzz, but the polluted River Styx starts to flicker as Percy stares into its depths.

A woman, or what looks like a woman, with ebony dark hair and even darker eyes and nearly translucent skin, stares back.

She knew him, and he knew her.

Styx, goddess of hatred.

His fuzz amplifies in response and his heartbeat is thundering in his ears. The grip he has on the edge of the barge is so tight Percy thought he might splinter it as he keeps staring.

The shades crushing Percy start to chatter incoherently and shake as madness so easily takes them, of course it would, their souls are all they have left, don’t they want to feel alive again come on join the revelry-

“Stop whatever you’re doing or I’m throwing you overboard, brat.” Charon orders. “I’m not paid enough for this.”

The spell breaks. When Percy blinks, the woman in the River is gone.

Percy finds himself muttering a prayer to Dad for strength as he tries to reign in the fuzz. I’m almost there, Dad. Please give me strength.

His pendant becomes warm against the cold chill, comforting. The aroma of ripe grapes overpowers the rancid odor of the River for just a moment as a sensation like a hand on his shoulder arrives and squeezes before it disappears. Remember the grapes, Dad whispers.

Percy’s grip on the barge loosens a bit. He’ll get his mom back.

The boatman leaves them at the shore, the spirits waiting until the di Angelo siblings got off the barge to leave themselves. Percy stretches a bit and shoots one last glare at Charon’s retreating form.

Once Percy’s feet land on the shore, Ariadne’s blessing immediately starts pinging in his head possible routes to leave. Some pings came from the Rivers while the rest were further in the Underworld. He actually felt an exit nearby on the black shore. Something to keep in mind.

Following the worn path soon finds them in some kind of airport terminal with shades moving out of the way for Bianca and Nico like they were royalty.

Considering the situation, they probably were.

As they walk through, a hungry howl rumbles the terminal. It had to be Cerberus, watchdog of the Underworld. Do they feed him at all? Does he eat ghosts if he gets too hungry?

“Look! What’s that?” Nico points at a giant translucent figure that blended in the background until it moved, which is how Percy saw it in the first place. The only solid things about it were the three pairs of eyes and teeth. And the Rottweiler was staring straight at them.

They feed Cerberus at regular times, right? Lunch breaks at least?

The middle head craned towards their group and took a sniff in the air, but then it paused. The rest of the heads followed suit.

“He can smell the living.” Percy realizes.

Then Cerberus starts running towards them. Oh they are so fucked-

The towering Rottweiler stops in front of them, then crouches into a play bow, tail wagging. His begging barks shake the terminal.

“Um, he wants Bianca and Nico to play with him.” Grover translates. “He’s, um, a bit lonely?”

Cerberus is like an overgrown puppy under Nico’s rapid petting, the three heads butting each other to get more pats. Percy hasn’t seen a more serious expression on the younger boy as he tried his best to pat each one.

Bianca clearly wants to join, but she shifts from foot to foot, unsure on how to join.

Before Percy could do anything to encourage her, Ann yanks out a red Waterland™ ball from her backpack and shoves in front of Bianca for her to take, not quite looking at her.

Bianca startles slightly from the sudden movement, but she takes the ball. “Thank you.”

As the di Angelo siblings play fetch with a three-headed dog twice the size of a wooly mammoth, Percy turns to Ann. “Hey, what your deal? You were fine with them earlier.”

“It’s nothing.” Ann says quickly.

Percy didn’t believe it and neither did Grover from a quick glance. The satyr steps closer. “It’s because they’re children of the Silent One, aren’t they?”

Ann looks away and Percy remembers how it was Hades who sent all those monsters that got Tatum killed and turned into a pine tree. “Ann, they didn’t do anything to you. They helped us get here. You’re being unfair.”

“Thalia’s fate is unfair.” Ann says before she catches herself. She shifts from foot to foot, not unlike Bianca earlier. “I was hoping they were children of another chthonic god. But Percy, there’s a prophecy about Big Three kids, a dangerous one. Chiron told me about it.”

Percy’s eyebrows pinch in confusion and so did Grover’s. “What do you mean?”

“After World War II, a prophecy was given that by the time they turned sixteen, a demigod child of the Big Three would either preserve Olympus or raze it to the ground. It’s the real reason the Big Three swore to not have demigod children again. Either one of them,” Percy looks to Nico and Bianca, playing with Cerberus. The carefree expressions on their faces burn into his memory, “Could be the end of Olympus as we know it.”

The end of Olympus?

Before either Percy or Grover could respond to Ann’s revelation, the sound of swooping wings reach their ears as they all stop what they are doing and look up.

Three women flew above them with bat wings, one of whom Percy recognized instantly and scrambled to get Riptide out of his pocket. Nico lifts a hand and points. “Hey, that’s the lawyer lady who left us in the hotel!”

“Huh,” Percy watches as the Furies start to descend. Ann pulls out her dagger while he uncaps his water skin. “You know, she actually used to be my math teacher and tried to kill me a few weeks ago. My Dad told me to make her insane.”

Bianca’s expression is both nervous from the Furies and incredulous from Percy’s statement. “I’m sorry?”

Percy nods, his grip on Riptide firm. “Thank you for your condolences, it was a terrible experience I would wish upon my worst enemies.”

The Furies don’t attack them when they land, however. Mrs. Davids steps forward.

“Children,” She says, though Percy gets the feeling she was talking to the di Angelo siblings. The hag still has the southern accent. Sure, why not. “Your Father requests an audience with you.” She gestures with a clawed hand. “Follow us.”

The other two Furies walk behind their group as if warning them against doing something out of line. Mrs. Drake takes the lead, taking them through a stone path with large walls on both sides, blocking any view of the rest of the Underworld.

Grover suddenly trips and Percy quickly helps him up amid the glares of the Furies. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He says a little breathless as they continue walking. “Satyrs aren’t good with the underground. My backpack feels heavier.”

“Here, we can swap.” Percy switches his backpack for Grover’s, the one that Ares had given them. Actually, the backpack felt more heavier compared to when Ares chucked it at Percy back in Denver. He drinks some grape juice for an energy boost before he whispers the best he can. “Remember the grapes.”

Grover nods his head the most subtle he could.

Before long, they arrive at a tall black castle. The bronze gates are covered in images of death and they are quickly ushered inside.

Chapter Text

The tart smell of the pomegranates in Persephone’s garden was tempting, but it didn’t compare to the aroma of his grape juice so Percy wasn’t moved that much, though he did have to snap Grover out of it as they went on.

There were skeleton soldiers nearly everywhere, all donning military gear from different eras. They all bowed when Nico and Bianca passed by.

Nico is awed by this. Bianca is not.

Soon enough, they were brought into the throne room, and on that throne, Hades.

Hades doesn’t look the same as he did in Percy’s dream. Instead of the divine figure with pitch black hair and void eyes, the Lord of the Dead looked… normal, almost. Mortal. Dressed in a sleek black and white suit, the god stares at the di Angelo siblings and wow, Percy could see the resemblance now that they were in the same room.

Though a tiredness immediately hits Percy and he struggles to keep his eyes open. He wants to lay down on the ground and sleep forever, his energy gone. Hades is his master, he knew more than Percy ever could-

No, that’s not right. He’s a son of Dionysus, he has a right to festivity and revelry the party doesn’t stop just because someone is dead-

His pendant banishes the madness back into his skin and suddenly Percy could think again. He pulls himself up to find his companions looking in worry and Hades glaring.

If looks could kill, Percy’s ghost would be hovering over his body.

...Actually, the backpack is feeling really, really heavy right now-

“Perseus Jackson,” Hades intones. His oily voice shakes the room. “What is the meaning of this? I promised you your mother in exchange for retrieving my Helm, yet you do not have it in your grasp. Instead, you spit in the face of my rare generosity-”

Nico steps forward which silences Hades, though Bianca clamps a hand on his shoulder and holds him back, looking at Hades up and down with an unreadable expression on her face. Percy couldn’t tell if she was disappointed, angry or some other third emotion. “...You are Hades, aren’t you? Our Father.”

The words hang in the stale and still air. Percy resists the urge to make it lively those skeletons have little to live for go on give them a reason to-

His pendant releases another warm burst, almost in worry. Damn it, he can’t keep spacing out here.

Hades’s slow and reluctant nod is the only movement in the throne room. “...Yes, I am. Nico, Bianca.”

“Why did you leave us behind?” Nico asks. “Do you hate us?”

Their group may be the only living mortals to witness the expression of the Lord of the Dead turn into melancholy. “No, I don’t. My children, the outside world wasn’t safe for you and it still isn’t even to this day-”

Apparently, this wasn’t the answer Bianca was looking for as she strides towards the god in question. “Are you not a god!? You are one of those ‘Big Three’ gods, couldn’t you have done something else that didn’t leave us stranded in a hotel?! Couldn’t you have taken us with you or.. just!… Anything!?”

Her last word shakes the ground as the sound of tears and sniffles reach Percy’s ears.

“...I apologize, my daughter.” Hades lifts a hand as if to put it on top of her head, only for Bianca to swerve away before he could. The god looked like he was slapped in the face at the action.

Nico walks up to his sister. “Bi?”

Bianca grabs Nico’s hand and looks back up at Hades-

Grover subtly nudges him and passes a grape piece into Percy’s pocket before slowly doing to the same for Ann, the Furies too focused on the di Angelos and Hades.

Percy’s heart is thundering, ready to pop it in his mouth at any moment.

“...with your actions, not your words.” Bianca finishes. “Sending us away only brought us back to you.”

The softness in Hades’s eyes evaporates as he turns his hard gaze to Percy. “Ah yes. Perseus Jackson, you are bold to bring my children here when they were perfectly safe in the Lotus Hotel. Perhaps you are like your Father, causing chaos and madness wherever you go. And you still haven’t found my Helm.”

Percy swallows, throat dry. “Lord Hades, w-we didn’t find any other leads and the Underworld was our only option-”

“Oh?” Hades sounds like he knows something Percy didn’t. “Then what is that in your backpack?”

Percy’s stomach dropped. No, it couldn’t be-

He slung the backpack off his shoulders and unzipped it and lo and behold, a two foot long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends and humming with power.

The Master Bolt.

Percy is speechless as both Ann and Grover freeze in shock. “I- I don’t understand, how is this happening?”

Hades sneers. “I know exactly what is happening. Both your Father and my Brother conspired to have both the Bolt and my Helm stolen using you as the Thief and you would plant the Bolt in the Underworld and drag me into war. In doing so, my Brother would have his war and your Father would be spared the rest of his sentence at Camp Half-Blood by its destruction. I know of your abilities Jackson, what is to say you didn’t use them to make us gods sink further and further into our cups and steal them from under our nose, only to act the oblivious fool after?”

“I didn’t steal it!” Percy grasps for any straws he could find. Fuzz is rising up his throat and he can’t keep his hands from shaking- “T-the prophecy! It said we would find what was stolen and see it safely returned! And that I would get my mom back! You can’t fight fate!”

That was the wrong thing to say, as Hades narrows his eyes and growls. “You dare to lecture me about prophecies in my own palace? Take them to the cells and leave them to suffocate.”

At the command, the Furies jump into action as a whip wraps around Percy’s arm burning like hellfire. He screams in pain as Mrs. Dabney watches with glee. Distantly, he hears Bianca and Nico yelling at Hades to stop. “Time for your punishment, honey!”

“Fuck you!” Percy opens his water skin with his free hand and blasts the Fury with wine, making her drop her whip. He painfully unwraps it – still blasting the Fury with wine – and throws to a flying Grover. “Grover, catch!”

The satyr fumbles but manages to catch it with a panicked yell. He catches sight of another Fury that was about to attack Ann and whipped her ankle and starting dragging her across the throne room, screaming in terror all the while.

Ann rapidly puts on her Yankees cap and vanishes, but Percy doesn’t have time to think about it as the third Fury tries to rush him and has to also blast her with wine to keep her down with her sister, though he doesn’t have to keep up the wine flow for long as the two Furies on the ground burst into golden dust before Ann reappears at his side, dagger in hand.

The Fury that Grover was dragging around slams her feet on the ground firmly and jerks the whips back, changing the satyr’s trajectory. Grover lets go of the whip but crash lands near them.

Percy jerks his shaking hands at the remaining Fury and lets go-

The Fury clutches her head as madness takes her come on don’t resist let loose give in give in give in giveingiveingivein

Percy blinks and one of his hands is around his pendant while Grover’s hand is wrapped around both as if he moved Percy’s hand himself. “Perce, calm down. Annabeth took out the Fury.”

With heaving breaths, Percy looks and sure enough, Ann is standing near a pile of golden dust that was once a Fury, looking worse for wear and a little out of it.

There’s a tinge of madness on her. Shit, she got hit by Percy’s madness, fuck fuck fuck he needs to help her-

“A marvelous performance. Your Father must be proud to call a lunatic his son.” Hades sneers before he lifts a hand and skeleton soldiers swarm the throne room. “But now, you must die.”

The skeleton soldiers click their guns to automatic and take their aim at them-

“STOP!” Nico screams as he runs into the center of the room with the three of them, Bianca not far behind. The soldiers immediately freeze.

Nico moves to grab Percy’s arm that was wrapped in the Fury’s whip, but Percy jerks away, which causes an expression of hurt to appear on the boy’s face. Percy rushes to explain as the fuzz clings to his skin. “Nico, don’t touch me, please, I-I don’t want to make you insane. I’m sorry, but please.”

Nico’s eyes are filled with worry. “But your arm. And your eyes are glowing-”

“Nico, Bianca, step aside.” Hades orders.

“No.” Bianca says defiantly as she turns around and spreads her arms in a show of protection. “They have done nothing but help us and they are trying to stop war, Father.”

“Bianca-”

“No! All you do is just make things worse!”

Percy didn’t catch Hades’s face as he focused on pulling the madness from Ann and forcing the fuzz away as he clutched his pendant as it sent warm pulses over and over. Ann moves closer to them, more lucid and shooting a look of worry at him.

“I was told that prophecies always come true.” Bianca says. “If you kill them, you wouldn’t find your Helm.”

Finally looking up, Percy sees Hades frown. “I am not letting go of his mother-”

“They didn’t do anything wrong!” Bianca yells. “They shouldn’t have to suffer for that!”

Percy then gets a great idea. Thanks Dad. “I swear on the River Styx that I didn’t steal your Helm!” The ground shakes as the Oath is taken. “I’m supposed to get vaporized on the spot or something if I’m not telling the truth, right?!”

Everyone waits in silence for a few moments, but nothing happens.

Hades’s frown turns into a grimace. “So you continue to draw breath.” The grimace turns into a contemplating look as the god sits back down on his throne. “...I can admit my daughter has a point. I hardly want war with my kingdom as it is.”

He let a ball of golden fire erupt from his hand which landed in front of Percy. It explodes in a golden shower of embers to reveal-

“Mom!” Percy shouts, running and catching her as she stumbles to the ground, hugging her tightly. Grover quickly came over to help her sit up.

“...Percy?” Sally was still wearing the same clothes she had on when the Minotaur had began to squeeze her to death.

He couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “Mom, mom!”

“Perseus Jackson,” Sally whipped over to see Hades on his throne and paled in terror and her arms wrapped around Percy tightly. She then notices all the skeletons everywhere. “I was going to return your mother once I had my Helm, but then you brought my children here. But I cannot kill you for the offense or else I would never find my Helm.”

“I have decided to change the guarantee into an opportunity. Despite your actions against me, I will graciously give you the same challenge I gave to Orpheus all those millennia ago as that prophecy stated for you.” Hades says. “You will walk in front of her and not look behind you as you lead her back to the surface. You will not hear her steps and she will not be able to speak. Should you look back, I will claim her soul. Your companions are not permitted to help you.”

The god leaned forward and the shadows sharpened. “And the two of you will not use those blasted grapes or else I will smite you four and take the Master Bolt for myself. Am I understood?”

Percy more jerks his head rather than nods. “Thank you, Lord Hades.”

Hades scoffs. “You’ve yet to find my Helm or succeed in this task. You are to complete both or else this entire endeavor of yours will be for naught. You only have this opportunity because my children plead your case and because fate demands it to be done. The moment you leave this throne room, your task will begin. I have other matters to attend to.”

The god melts into the shadows and disappears, though Percy isn’t under any illusions that Hades wasn’t somehow watching. The skeleton soldiers start leaving the chamber back to wherever they came from.

Sally turns to him in fear. “Percy, what is going on? Why are you in the Underworld and not at Camp?”

Percy and the others quickly give his mom a quick rundown of the events of the quest – ‘You fell out of a building!? I don’t care that the Earthshaker saved you at the last moment, you fell out of a building!’- before finishing the details.

“I see.” Sally says, clearly dismayed about everything. But despite that, she turns to everyone else. “Grover, Annabeth, Nico, Bianca, I just want to thank all of you for helping my baby boy-” ‘Mom!’ “-This entire quest. Our doors will always be open for you.”

Percy takes his backpack from Grover and digs in it to find the ambrosia baggie with a singular grape left. He gives a bit of ambrosia to Ann before eating a bit himself as he takes the grape out.

“Here,” Percy gives the grape from the baggie and the one Grover passed him over to Bianca and Nico. “My mom and I can’t use these anymore, but the two of you can. If you ever need to, just eat it and you’ll be teleported to the surface. That’s what my Dad says at least.”

“But why would we need to use them?” Nico asks.

“You never know.” Percy explains before leaning in and whispers. “Look, the gods aren’t good at being parents. My Dad’s an exception, but just in case something happens between the two of you and your Dad, you at least have an escape route. Don’t let it out of your sight.”

Bianca nods in grim understanding while Nico just blinks.

“Good luck, Percy.” Bianca says. “Thank you for everything.”

Nico follows his sister’s example. “Yeah, good luck! But um… Can I have some more grape juice before you go?”

Percy thanks them and gives Nico some grape juice before turning to Grover and Ann. “You have to eat the grapes now. You’re not allowed to help.”

Grover has a distressed expression. “But Percy...”

“We don’t have any other choice. We can’t take the Master Bolt either since the prophecy said that Percy would be the one to return it. Taking it with us would be tempting fate.” Ann says, not unkindly. “Good luck, Percy, Mrs. Jackson. You can do it.”

With one last look, both Grover and Ann eat the grapes. Their eyes close as if in a trance and their bodies start to shimmer before gradually becoming translucent. Percy actually panics for a second before their forms start shooting up towards the ceiling and phased right through.

Did they turn into ghosts? Well, rebirth did involve dying in the first place- no, no, Percy isn’t going to think about that.

He turns to his mom, taking the opportunity to see her face after so long. “Are you ready Mom? Ariadne blessed me, I’ll find our way out.”

Sally takes a deep breath before straightening, steel in her eyes. “...Alright, lead the way.”

Percy could feel it the moment Hades’s challenge begins when he steps out of the throne room. Sally’s steps become silent and Percy couldn’t hear anything from her, no steps, no breathing, nothing.

He has to keep going.

The prior pinging of Ariadne’s blessing seemed to condense into a single path that Percy followed out of instinct, step by step. Almost like a hand was guiding him out.

He is going to offer the best wine he could conjure to Ariadne once they get out of the Underworld, he swears it.

The imaginary hand somehow tugs harder, as if to remind him of his task.

Percy must’ve spaced out from walking because he blinks and suddenly he’s at the boundary of the Fields of Asphodel.

Grandma wasn’t exaggerating when she described the Fields as ‘droll’. All the spirits here were different from the ones in DOA Recording Studios or on Charon’s barge just standing around, their faces shimmering like they themselves couldn’t really remember like they looked like in life with expressions of slight confusion or anger. Few trees dotted the landscape. Scores and scores of souls spending an eternity of just standing. He blinks and some vanish while others appear and it happens again when he blinks another time. It was completely silent all the while.

Percy takes a gulp of grape juice and pressed on.

Some spirits took notice and tried to talk to him and presumably his mom behind him, but Percy ignores their chittering and eventually they leave him alone with the company of his own feet crunching down on the wheat grass.

Eventually he passes a tree, but the tall grass means he didn’t see the roots peeking above the ground until he trips on it and falls.

And collides with someone else who was somehow sitting at the tree’s base and not standing.

The girl’s face was more solid, more lucid than the others, looking at Percy like she couldn’t believe crashing into someone was possible anymore.

Her eyes were like dulled gold, her curly hair a cinnamon brown. Her dark skin was ashy and pale and her height was small.

A young girl, dead for gods knows how long.

As Percy got up mindfully not turning his back, the girl’s eyes flicked from him to behind his back towards his mom, questioning. She looks more present and he fell on her, so Percy feels like she is owed an explanation. “I’m sorry for falling on you, but I have to go. I’m saving my mom. The Lord of the Dead let me as long as I don’t turn back.”

She looked at him like she was remembering unpleasant memories, as if she attempted something similar. She reaches out and grasps his arm.

She whispers in a small voice, sounding like she was pushing all of her energy to sound encouraging, though her lips did not move. Her face settled for a brief moment and it sears into Percy’s memory, her nose, her shape of her eyes. “...good luck.”

He blinks, and then she is gone.

A feeling of grief wells up in his soul, as if Percy knew her and didn’t the entire time they were interacting. As if he could’ve done something more-

Percy keeps walking, his mother hopefully following behind.

After walking for some miles, Percy catches sight of a tent with lines of ghosts leaving it towards two very different destinations.

The Fields of Punishment glows in the distance, smoking and the faint sounds of agony and pain as Percy spots tiny figures enduring eternal punishments for their crimes in life. He spotted the ant-sized Sisyphus in the distance, still struggling to push that boulder to the top of the mountain.

He could almost feel Sally’s gaze on his back, urging him to look the other way.

Elysium was another story altogether. Inside the valley and beyond the gates were flowing blue rivers, vibrant green grass with flowers everywhere, buildings from different eras. Percy heard laughter and smelled BBQ even from the distance he was at.

Percy had a feeling that the girl earlier was supposed to be there, not here in the Asphodel Fields.

There is nothing he could do-

In the middle of it all were the Isles of Blest, three little islands. That was where Percy wanted to go when he died for real.

He edges closer to Elysium, not enough to enter its boundaries, but enough where the pressure of the Underworld lessened a little.

Security ghouls caught sight of him as Percy neared the judgement pavilion, though they didn’t move at all to detain him or his mom. It seems like Hades spread the message to not interfere.

Though there was a small group of shades near the entrance of Elysium on the inside of the gates seeming to be in an animated discussion with louder laughter.

It abruptly stops and Percy doesn’t quite turn around but moves his gaze slightly to find that the group noticed him, almost in shock.

Then one of them dressed in royal Greek clothing raises a kylix, one of those Ancient Greek wine cups, and shouts in Ancient Greek, booming like thunder. “To my brother’s success!”

The entire group cheers, shouting what Percy thinks are encouragements in various languages.

The one who raised the glass – his brother, with curly hair and violet eyes like his own - waves with his other hand, the rings on his fingers glittering, voice loud. “Tell Father and my Mother that Thoas, King of Lemnos sends his regards from Elysium!”

Percy doesn’t think that Thoas could see his shaky nod from all the way over there, but somehow Percy knew that he did.

And Percy kept walking.

Cerberus doesn’t stop him at all, though he did whine.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go.” Percy says as he walks by. “But Nico and Bianca are here and they can play with you later!”

The three-headed dog lets out a loud bark of anticipation.

Soon enough, Percy and hopefully his mom were on the black shore of Erebus where Charon had dropped him off earlier. The exit was nearby.

His instincts lead him to a cavern entrance. “We’re almost there, Mom. Just a little bit more.”

It was very dark, enough that Percy uncapped Riptide if only to use its faint glow to light his way. There were spikes on the ceiling of the cavern. Ann probably would’ve revealed what they were called. Grover would’ve been anxious about those spikes falling on them. Nico would’ve shouted that they were cool and Bianca would’ve been tense for the whole thing.

Percy didn’t know how long he was walking for. The temptation to turn around was getting so, so much harder to resist-

Eventually, he sees a metal door. He tries to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Come on, come on.” Percy keeps trying before deciding that desperate times called for desperate measures. He takes his water skin, drinks a fuck ton of grape juice before getting into position.

Then with a great yell, he swings down Riptide on the hinges, which breaks just as easily as the lock on the zebra cage back in Vegas. He does the same to the other side of the door before Percy kicks it down and walks towards the light filtering through the dust-

To find himself in an… office? Room? Place? He takes a few steps forward in confusion looking around.

Wait a minute, this was the office of Crusty’s Water Bed Palace. Percy and Ann raided it last night to see if there was anything useful. For Dad’s sake, the normal office door was still open.

How the fuck did they not notice this door?

Looking down answers his question. Oh, it was covered up by drywall, some bits were still clinging to the door he kicked down.

He was so stuck in his thoughts that he startles when a pair of arms wrap around him. “Percy!”

His mom’s voice. Oh gods. A part of him is too afraid to turn around but Percy gives in and turns around to hug his mom back. He could feel her breathing, hear her, oh gods. “Mom. Mom.”

Percy cries again as they hug each other for dear life. He did it. Oh gods, he did it. His mom is here.

He did it.

The heavy weight of the backpack makes itself known again. “Mom, we have to go. I have to return the Bolt as soon as possible or else-”

“Of course.” Sally says. They get up and leave the room – ‘Did you really make all these beds into grape juice?’ – to the open streets of Los Angeles.

Which is currently on fire.