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Percy ... why exactly ... are you banned from Atlantis?
He smiled sheepishly at Annabeth who studied him with narrowed eyes. She slowly pushed herself from her seat to meet Percy's awkward gaze, who shrugged and waved her off.
"I've got to go and help Nico with something ... See you later!" Percy yelled over his shoulder, determined to escape Annabeth.
She seized his wrist and yanked him back, forcing poor Percy to face her wrath.
"Nico isn't here at camp. He is visiting New Rome."
Percy paled, "Ahhh"
"SO. What are you trying to keep from me, Percy?"
Her tone made half the dinning pavilion go silent, capturing attention of all campers. Annabeth's voice wasn't raised but the seriousness of her attitude drew a crowed.
Connor Stoll leaned toward Travis. “Ten drachmas says he runs.”
“Twenty says she catches him,” Travis whispered back.
Percy gave a weak smile, before his eyes landed on the envelope in Annabeth's hand.
"Where. did. you. get. that?"
Annabeth stood terrifyingly calm.
Percy glanced around at the campers, who looked surprisingly amused.
Then in a swift motion, he lunged for the envelope in her hand and accidentally ripped the paper in half.
Bold words were written across.
Perseus Jackson inspired civil unrest among Atlantis youth populations and displayed reckless anti-authoritarian influence. Subject has inflicted collateral damage and caused structural collapse in parts of the throne room.
Annabeth sighed, “You blew up the Atlantis throne room?”
The entire pavilion erupted with laughter.
“HE WHAT?" Clarisse slammed her hands on the table laughing.
The Ares campers gave Percy an impressed look while Annabeth just stared at Percy who immediately started backing away.
“It wasn’t on purpose!" he defended weakly.
Annabeth advanced, staring Percy down amusedly.
“The letter said you caused structural collapse."
“Under important circumstances!" Percy defended, "It wasn't my fault! You never blamed me for exploding my school why now this?”
“Percy,” she said cautiously, “ I know you would never do this on purpose but why. Why does this document describe you as an ideological threat?”
The Hermes cabin completely lost it.
Someone actually fell off a bench laughing.
Percy glanced around desperately for support and found absolutely none.
Grover gave him a sympathetic wince before continuing to munch on his coke can.
Mr D sipped his Diet Coke like a rich uncle.
"Percy Jackson has been issued a decree forbidding his entry into Atlantis for five months."
Percy muttered, "That's a new record."
Campers started applauding jokingly.
Percy looked mock offended. “Why are you clapping?!”
“Because that’s hilarious,” Clarisse said.
Percy groaned, "You guys just don't want to hear me out do you?"
Annabeth released Percy from her grasp, and he stumbled as his balance was thrown off by the sudden release.
The campers talked amongst themselves about the situation, watching Percy and Annabeth like an entertaining tennis match. Some even fetched themselves popcorn to spice things up.
Percy used the distraction to try slipping sideways toward the exit.
Unfortunately, Annabeth caught the back of his shirt without even sparing a glance.
"Nope, Seaweed brain you are not going anywhere until you tell me what happened down there. You don't have the right to just rock up at camp acting like nothing happened while covered in strips of seaweed."
"At least your nickname matches your outwear today," Clarisse smirked.
Percy scowled, “Traitors! All of you!"
“You are not escaping this conversation,” Annabeth informed him.
“I didn’t even do anything that bad!”
She stared at him.
“Percy. There are some attached reports.
“…reports?"
Annabeth shoved another paper into his hands.
Percy looked down.
His soul briefly left his body.
There was a sketch of him standing in front of a massive wave behind a shattered throne, with a text of insightful words about him below.
The entire pavilion went silent as Annabeth read out the text.
Then everyone exploded.
“Oh my gods,” Katie Gardner gasped. “You accidentally became revolutionary propaganda.”
Percy looked genuinely distressed. “I DON’T WANT TO BE PROPAGANDA.”
Annabeth finally cracked.
A laugh escaped her.
Percy looked betrayed. “Not you too.”
She covered her mouth, shoulders shaking.
“You started a rebellion,” she wheezed, her demeanour shifted 360 degrees
“I WAS TRYING TO DEFEND SOMEONE!
“YOU DESTROYED A THRONE!”
“IT WAS A REALLY WEAK THRONE. AND I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE! I JUST GOT MAD!"
"Exactly."
At that point even Chiron gave up trying to restore order.
"The Atlanteans were going to sentence someone innocent and firing him from the council! I personally have made a friend in him! Chill out!"
And while the entire pavilion laughed themselves sick, Percy buried his face in his hands and muttered the only thing he could think of.
“I’m never going underwater again.”
"I'm not asking you to." Annabeth retorted.
The next morning, Percy woke to some whooping outside his cozy cabin.
Not unusual whooping.
Excited screaming.
Which, in Percy’s experience, was honestly worse.
He sat up blearily just as Tyson burst through the door.
“Percy!” Tyson said happily. “The fish horses brought visitors!”
“…What?”
Outside, Camp Half-Blood was already in chaos.
Campers crowded along the beach, yelling over each other while several pegasi circled overhead in excitement.
Percy pushed through the crowd with Annabeth close behind him.
Then he stopped dead.
Three hippocampi floated in the surf.
And standing beside them were six Atlantis teenagers wearing travel cloaks and blue sea-glass bracelets.
“Oh no,” Percy whispered.
A young atlantean boy named Ka spotted him instantly.
“Jackson!”
Before Percy could react, Ka sprinted up the beach with actual human legs and shook Percy dramatically.
“We escaped!”
The entire camp went silent.
Percy blinked. “You make that sound way more illegal than it hopefully was.”
“It was extremely illegal,” another Atlantean girl said cheerfully.
Annabeth slowly lowered her face into her hands.
Connor Stoll appeared beside Percy like an evil little teleporting goblin.
“Percy,” he whispered reverently, “You’re a bad influence on people.”
Percy buried his head into his hands.
“You exploded a throne room,” Clarisse shouted from behind the crowd.
“It exploded emotionally!”
Nobody knew what that meant.
Ka looked around Camp Half-Blood with wide eyes.
Demigods sparred in the distance.
Satyrs played music near the strawberry fields.
Someone from the Hermes cabin to advantage of the dramatic situation and seized the chance to skateboard down the Athena cabin roof for reasons nobody understood.
The Atlantis teenagers looked completely stunned.
“You all just…” Ka gestured vaguely. “…live like this?”
“Like what?” Percy asked.
“Free.”
The word hit harder than Percy expected. Around them, campers quieted slightly.
Kai stared toward the cabins.
“In Atlantis, every part of your future is chosen before you’re even grown,” he said softly. “Your district. Your work. Your obligations.”
One of the younger teens looked down.
“My parents reported me to the council because I snuck in the council meetings.”
Percy’s stomach twisted.
He’d thought this was still just because of his seemingly rebel act that caused the graffiti and teenagers sneaking out at night.
Not this.
Annabeth noticed the exact moment he realised it too.
Ka looked back at Percy.
“You told us people should choose who they become.”
Percy rubbed a hand over his face.
“I was angry. The council is stubborn."
“You were honest.”
Percy tilted his head scanned ing them from head to toe, "How do you guys have actual human legs?"
"It's only for half an hour. We stole a potion. And drank it. Don't worry. You are still the only human as an Atlantean citizen."
"Am I even one?"
Before they could answer, Chiron trotted down the hill toward them.
The Atlantis teens immediately stiffened like they expected arrest.
Instead, Chiron simply smiled kindly.
“Young heroes,” he said, “Welcome to Camp Half-Blood.”
The relief on their faces was painful.
One girl actually looked close to tears.
Then, naturally, the moment was ruined by Mr. D appearing on the pavilion steps holding a Diet Coke.
He took one look at the Atlantis kids.
Then at Percy.
Then sighed like a man personally betrayed by fate.
“Peter Johnson,” he said, “why are there refugees?”
“They’re not refugees!”
“We literally fled the government,” Ka corrected.
Mr. D closed his eyes briefly.
“Of course you did.”
Leo dramatically showed up, "DO YOU GO TO CAMP FISH BLOOD?"
The Atlanteans chuckled, "Yes we do go to camp fish blood."
Introductions were exchanged and within minutes the Hermes cabin was giving the Atlantis teens a full camp tour whether anyone approved or not.
The Apollo campers offered music lessons.
The Demeter kids handed out strawberries.
And Percy watched the Atlantis teens slowly relax for the first time since arriving.
No bowed heads.
No careful silence.
No fear.
Just teenagers being teenagers.
Annabeth stepped beside him quietly.
“You didn’t mean for this to happen,” she said.
Percy stared at the teenage Atlanteans who still had their usual green of blue tint to their skin."
“No,” he admitted.
For the first time since arriving, they sounded happy. Young.
Free.
Percy exhaled slowly.
“But I think I’m glad it did. Exploding the throne room that is."
Annabeth beamed at him, "You're a good influence, you know that?"
Percy offered a small smile.
"Then again, yesterday you were arguing with me like I'm some kind of criminal."
Annabeth laughed, "But you are! You have caused so much damage"
"All for you wise girl."
They sat in silence, enjoying the warmth of the atmosphere.
Annabeth then broke that silence.
"They can't stay in human form forever. What about when they go back?"
Annabeth shifted closer to face Percy, "What would your father say?"
All the colour drained from his face.
"oH SHit."