Chapter Text
It all starts with a conversation. Or a breakdown, depending on how you viewed it.
It hadn't taken long for Percy to realize that there were two places at camp that, no matter what happened. No matter how the rest of camp treated him. He still felt comfortable being there no matter what.
In large part, thanks to who his Dad was. That came down to the pegasi stable and the lake.
One of which was definitely more complicated than the others, with how camp had started treating him the minute they knew who his Dad was. Since campers still came down here for the lessons. But if he was careful, he could avoid them and the reminder that he was an even bigger outcast in a camp that was supposedly full of them.
And he liked it there. The pegasi weren't judgemental. So it felt like the one place he could go without having to worry about the stares and whispers, at least for right now.
And while they definitely cared who his Dad was, considering he was the lord of Horses. Unlike with the rest of camp, for once it felt like that wasn't a bad thing.
So when it finally starts to become too much. It isn't Luke or Chiron he turns to about what's been happening. It's the leader of the pegasus herd, who it feels like has half-adopted him at this point.
(Percy's used to the behavior; he keeps telling himself. So it shouldn't make him feel that bad. He should be fine with it. It will hopefully get better soon.
And yet somehow the sting of rejection here is so much worse than at his old schools. Probably because this was the place where he was supposed to be understood. Not rejected everywhere.)
And of course eventually he spent enough time around the pegasi. That they noticed, apparently, that he was upset, with one of them asking him what was going on.
"Dad claimed me."
He watched the mare tilt her head in what was clear confusion. Yes, you mentioned that before, though; pardon my confusion, since that is a good thing, right? Or at least that's what I've always heard from the other children.
Percy can't help the wet snort at that. "Yeah, it's a good thing until apparently your Dad is Poseidon. And then everyone hates you for having the audacity of being born."
If a horse could frown, he swears she would be doing it. That is…troubling. It's not like one picks their sire or dam.
"Yeah, well, everyone seems to remember that until suddenly it's a child of a big 3. And then suddenly apparently I'm an exception despite the fact I didn't even know I was a demigod until a week ago."
What he wouldn't go back to three days ago. When he still didn't know who his father was and actually could properly enjoy camp.
Now, outside of a couple of areas, he couldn't really go anywhere with camp. Without people ignoring him in conversation or sometimes walking away.
It wasn't the first time he had been rejected by his supposed peers. But this time hurt worse because this was supposed to be the place he was actually understood.
Not ostracized.
Has the leaders not done anything about it?
"Well, if he has, it hasn't had any effect." Percy said.
And this wasn't the kind of situation you could exactly miss. When the whole camp was engaging in it anyway.
But just because you see something doesn't mean people will do something. That was something he had learned a long time ago by now.
He buries his head into the mare's mane, inhaling sharply. Something about the smell of horses just seems to have a calming effect on him. For at least a moment it feels like things are okay even when the rest of his world seems to be crashing and burning.
It's just so frustrating. He still doesn't even know what half of his powers were. He had basically stumbled through the Ares fight contrary to whatever the rest of camp seemed to think. And might have only survived it because they had accidentally shoved him into a creek.
He looks up again, noticing the way Marigold seems to be staring at another member of the herd. Having some conversation that apparently he can't hear. It feels like they are plotting something, though he can't figure out what. And honestly doesn't have the energy to.
Not right now anyway. That's a problem for future him, if it does turn out to be a problem anyway.
It actually doesn't take that long to find out what the pegasi were planning. Since it becomes a problem the next day.
Percy doesn't get to the stables in the morning. Training with Luke and time with the naiads had taken him somewhere else at camp. So he only overhears about it at lunch when he hears a couple of older campers complaining about the pegasi refusing to be ridden.
When he drops by the stables after lunch, however, they tell him not to worry. That nothing is wrong with them. And Percy isn't entirely sure he believes them. But he doesn't know nearly enough about horses or pegasi to be able to judge one way or another.
Then another pegasus refuses to let anyone ride. And then another. And by dinner time it's apparent that whatever it is isn't just one pegasus having problems. But the whole herd is acting out for some reason. Though since no one ever asks him to ask them directly, no one can figure out why.
Over the next couple of days, Percy's got a growing suspicion about what is going on. But he can't bring himself to actually ask the question. Not until something actually pretty much forces the situation.
Since he's been careful about what time he is at the stable because, as lonely as he is at the moment, he also doesn't like more direct reminders of how much camp had taken to hating him. He eventually does end up in the same place at the same time as one of the older Aphrodite girls.
It's…awkward at best.
And at the start of it all, they just kind of ignore it all. Until one of the pegasi that she's trying to saddle apparently decides to give her a hard time, if what Percy is seeing is right.
Percy doesn't even realize he's being stared at first. Too engrossed in grooming one of the other pegasi's coats. To notice that the girl has turned her attention to him.
"What?"
"Your Dad's the father of horses, right?"
"Yeah."
"So you can understand them then, right?"
Oh, hey, someone finally realized that he might be able to talk to horses. Only took the camp what, four days?
"Yeah."
"So could you maybe ask them why they aren't letting anyone else in the camp ride them?"
Percy could just say no. After the last few days, part of him feels just that amount of petty at the moment to tell her no, if he's being honest.
But honestly, the longer this had gone on, the more he had become curious about what was behind the coup. The pegasi had assured him that they were doing fine and personally being treated well by the campers. So it wasn't something the campers had done to them, from what he could tell, that had started the coup.
Maybe it was something they had been somehow told by Poseidon? But that didn't really make any sense, considering, as far as he knew, his father had pretty much ignored his existence up until this point. So why would he start caring about how he was treated now?
He would say maybe it had something to do with the other Gods. But considering what he had been told about how the other Gods weren't really paying attention to their kids. That even made less sense.
"Marigold?" He simply said, turning to the dun mare that was basically the leader of the herd in the camp.
It's because of what we have heard about how they treat you.
What?
That…honestly hadn't been the answer he had been expecting. He hadn't even gotten to meet the herd before Poseidon had claimed him. Luke had kept him too busy to try pegasi lessons. Though he had kept promising they would get to it eventually. And he had gotten the impression they cared during his visits.
But he hadn't thought anyone really had cared this much about what was going on.
If the humans won't care for you because of who our lord is. And if our lord cannot interfere because of the threat of war. Then we will do what we can to help.
Before Percy can say anything, one of the other pegasi decides to add their two cents. You are our lord's child, so we would have helped anyway. But regardless, it isn't right for them to keep treating you this way over who your sire is.
Percy, to be honest, is in a bit of shock. Of all the answers he had been expecting to get from the herd. This wasn't one of them. It made sense, he guesses. But after a lifetime of being told he was nothing. And treated that way. With only his possibly gone mother to ever be in his corner…
"What did they say?"
Percy hesitates for a second. If he tells the truth, he isn't really expecting anything to change if he's being honest. He appreciates the pegasi trying to do something. But he doesn't think anything coming out of camp and reaching its own conclusions will make changes.
But he had no real reason not to answer the question since he doesn't think things can get worse at this point. Or maybe it can, since this mind ends up being a reminder of what he has that the others don't.
Not that he asked for any of this.
But he also feels like he should say something. Otherwise, they might come to the wrong conclusions about the pegasus behavior.
"They said it's because of how camp's been treating me."
The older girl blinks a few times. Apparently just as surprised as he was by the answer. "Cause of who your father is or…?"
"Yes and no, apparently. They said it was also because I shouldn't be isolated regardless of who my Dad is. Though that definitely added to it."
The idea of a whole herd of pegasi teaming up to do something. Because they had somehow heard about how camp was treating him like a contagious disease and didn't like it.
It was wild.
The older girl blinked a few times in surprise before saying, cringing. "That actually makes sense. Not sure why we didn't think of that before. Can you do anything about it?"
Percy hesitates at the question. Because yeah, he probably could. He could probably just tell the pegasus herd to play nice and maybe get some brownie points with another camper.
(Though whether that would actually stop the issue is a whole other question. In his experience, lack of consequences to bullying just led to more of it.)
But at the same time…
It wasn't fair.
It wasn't fair that the only way he could maybe not be ignored by the rest of camp. Was by agreeing to convince the pegasi to let them ride again under the condition that they might treat him better.
Might.
Because the girl hadn't actually mentioned doing anything about the source of the whole problem, he realized. He'd just assumed things might get better if he cooperated. Even knowing full well it probably won't.
"No."
Apparently that hadn't been the answer the older girl had been expecting. She blinked a couple of times in confusion. "What?"
The confusion lets him gain more confidence when he says it a second time. "I said no."
Maybe this would just cause more problems by using the one little bit of standing he had in camp against the other campers. But honestly, he was worried that agreeing to it would somehow just make things worse because it might tell the others that they could do anything.
And as long as it wasn't during capture the flag, he wouldn't fight back.
So yeah, this was the one thing he wasn't going to budge on.
"Ever since I've been claimed, everyone's been treating me like I caught some contagious disease just because I happen to be a son of Poseidon. Only two people are willing to have a conversation with me, Luke and Grover. Annabeth is around, sure. But she clearly hates me, and I'm not even sure why I keep doing those stupid lessons at this point. And look, I'm used to people ignoring me. Happened all the time growing up. But I thought camp was supposed to be different. We're all kids who are children of Gods who were treated differently for that growing up. So why am I being punished just because my Dad is Poseidon? Why do I feel like I don't belong here?"
Camp was supposed to be the one place where demigods like him belonged. So why did it feel like it was more of the same thing he had grown up with?
"I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be his son. I didn't ask to be a forbidden child who lost his Mom. And yet it feels like everyone here except the herd is punishing me for something I have no control over. In the one place full of people who should understand that."
Camp was supposed to be the one place where people were able to understand what he was going through. And yet all he had been met with was cold shoulders and people not wanting anything to do with him.
And this probably had the chance to make things worse. But he just needed to say something. He couldn't hold this all back anymore.
The girl opens her mouth to possibly say something, but he's not done, far from it. "I didn't ask for five, five Ares campers to come after me because I fought back when I didn't even know what I was doing. I thought I was going to die. Does everyone just think I should have let that happen?"
He does wonder what is going through her head. When she actually pales at that comment. But he's not done at this point.
"I was left alone to deal with a bunch of campers. Because Annabeth just basically only warned me about Clarisse's weapon and then left me alone. So yeah, I fought back the only way I knew how to. And I didn't even know what I was doing because Luke only made sure I had some kind of training literally the day before."
He's slowly starting to lose some steam in the rant. Though the volume definitely has not decreased. He's pretty sure most of camp will hear this, and maybe that's not a bad thing.
"What did everyone expect me to do? Not fight back? This is the one place all of us are supposed to be safe. So why am I being punished by everyone else for, among other things, that I didn't have control over, protecting myself from a bunch of bullies?"
"That's not what we heard-"
Nope, not taking that excuse. They had every chance before now to do something. "Then maybe someone should have actually come to talk to me before treating me like I caught some contagious disease. Or is everyone here allergic to actually talking to each other?"
"I-"
"I have no siblings because of that oath. I literally have no one else except apparently a herd of pegasi and the naiads. So yeah, no, I won't be doing anything. Not unless someone actually plans to fix what's been going on. Which, with how the last few days have been going, sure doesn't seem like it. And I'm going to need to see that first before anything else."
Maybe it was a bit much. Maybe this was the gateway to getting camp to pay attention to him again after ignoring him for something he couldn't control. And he was just messing things over worse with this.
But he was just so tired right now.
So tired of no one caring.
So tired of being scared someone would come after him a second time. Cause he doesn't know what might be worse than a hellhound attacking him in the one place he supposedly was safe.
But he's sure there's something.
"No one else will look after me here. So I gotta take what I can. Even if that apparently is a herd of pegasi."
"...I didn't realize it was that bad."
Percy can't help but laugh at that. "Yeah, of course no one does. Because that would require, you know, actually talking to me. Which no one outside of Luke and Grover has done since I got claimed."
He was just so tired at this point.
Why did it take a bunch of pegasi staging a coup for someone to find out something was wrong? Why did this have to happen in the first place?
Why was it even in the 'safe place' for demigods like him that he was still the outcast?
Percy doesn't stick around the stables to get the girl's full reaction to his crashout. As soon as he's said his piece, he makes for one of the two other safe spaces at camp, the lake.
He knows there is absolutely no way the crashout wasn't heard by someone else. And he has no energy to deal with possible questions and explanations beyond what he already said.
So the plan was to stay in the lake until lights out.
Even if that meant skipping dinner. And probably training with Luke, which meant the older boy would be annoyed with him. He couldn't deal with the rest of camp right now.
He didn't regret a word he had said. Not when it was all true. But he didn't want to spend time being pestered for what he meant by other campers. (Well, if they even cared about the crashout. Which, going by the track record...they probably wouldn't.) Not right now.
(Well, really not ever if he's being honest. But he can't avoid that forever; unfortunately, he is pretty sure.)
The two naiads were having a conversation he couldn't understand. (Just because they had been teaching him some Atlantean. Didn't mean he still didn't have a long way to go.) He could catch it was related to him, but that was where it started and ended.
Which wasn't much help when his coming to the lake to begin with was unannounced. So while he was pretty sure it dealt somehow with the pegasus crashout. Figuring out anything beyond that wasn't going anywhere.
(And to be honest, he didn't really have the energy to try and maybe guess what it was about.)
"What's going on?" He asked finally, curiosity winning out, looking between the two naiads.
"Someone in you're father's court wishes to meet with you a bit further out to sea. Where your Uncle is less likely to be spying on the entire conversation."
Okay, he had multiple questions about this, mainly starting with why and-"Won't I get in trouble if I leave the camp boundaries?"
Not that he's entirely sure how much he cares about that at this point. Since after the hellhound attack, even here didn't really feel safe.
"He can deal with it, quite frankly, if he has a problem with it." That earned her an elbow from Aurora. "What? If he and that centaur actually did something, none of this would have happened. They can reap what they sow at this point."
Aurora just shakes her head and makes a comment in the other language he doesn't understand. Before turning her attention back to him. "Crudeness by Ella aside, she isn't wrong. If he does cause a problem, someone else in your father's family will cover it. But considering how contentious things are at the moment. Your brief exit shouldn't be a problem."
"But what about monsters?"
Just because he had been trained by Luke a bit more since the whole hellhound thing. Didn't mean Annabeth's whole speech about not being allowed to leave camp if you were powerful hadn't left his mind.
And he definitely wasn't forgetting what had happened with the hellhound any time soon.
He could probably handle himself with a sword. But he would really like to maybe also not almost die for a third time in as many weeks if he's being honest.
"Wrong part of the ocean for them for the most part, and anyone with half a brain cell will stay away considering who your father is."
Huh?
His confusion must have been evident, since Aurora said. "We'll explain what she means when you get back. But the point here is, as long as you stay in the ocean until you return, you should be fine."
That honestly seemed to be a little too convenient. But he wasn't in the mood to prod for answers that actually made sense.
"So who am I meeting with then?"
"We're not entirely sure. There was enough concern about the meetup that even talking about anything beyond his logistics was not a good idea."
So not his Dad then. Or at least that didn't seem likely, given how secretive they were.
Maybe one of his half-siblings?
He just hopes it isn't his stepmother. Since going by his history with stepparents. That will definitely be an experience that won't go well.
Turns out he was meeting with Delphin. Which he probably should have expected after the bit of reading he had done. And since they were probably the least suspicious ones to show up.
But somehow his Dad's right hand being the one hadn't occurred to him.
(To be honest, considering some of his track record. A prank wouldn't have surprised him. Not because the naiads seemed like the type. But he just had been the subject of a lot of mean pranks growing up. And someone lying and saying his father had sent a representative somehow. Felt right up that alley of pranks.
And as seen by the incident with Clarisse. Sometimes the only thing separating what happened here and in the outside world as being different. Was that there were actual supernatural elements involved for the first time that he was definitely sure of in his life.)
But it makes sense he guesses if his Dad is going to actually send someone. If someone's not looking too close, they'll think he's just talking to another dolphin. So no worries about his Dad working up his Uncle even more about whatever was going on in his dreams.
(Which he would really like to know what that was about. Since it really did seem to be tied to whatever had happened the other night.)
"Word travels fast, huh?" It is his first response to Delphin asking about what had apparently been spread around camp events. Even if 'fast' is still technically four days after the fact that they're finally maybe doing something.
He doesn't blame the naiads; they weren't in the forest to see what happened. He doesn't blame Grover, since he can tell his best friend is going through it too. He doesn't need something extra on top of it.
He doesn't even really blame his Dad for this. Sure, he's not happy with him about other things. But he hopes he didn't claim him just so people would isolate him. But it wasn't like he had ever really met the God before. So he had no way of knowing.
And to be honest, he really didn't want to ask the God what his possible intentions with the claiming were, if Delphin even knew. He would rather just never know that piece of information.
Who he does blame is everyone else who apparently went by word of mouth. And didn't do anything until he couldn't contain his frustration at the situation anymore.
Certain members of the ocean are more of a gossip than others. So once word got to one, it was bound to spread like an underwater wildfire. Your father was not very happy to receive word about the hellhound from the gossip mill first rather than from Chiron.
That was...interesting. He hadn't realized that Chiron hadn't told anyone outside of camp, probably, about the attack. Or at least it sounds like that.
"Maybe he's waiting until he has a suspect?"
It's a weak defense. Since last he checked, Chiron still wasn't really looking into who was behind the attack. But it's the only one he can offer at the moment.
It's the only one keeping him sane. At the idea that someone tried to murder him. And the person that is supposed to be in charge of him just stood around and nearly let him die.
Twice, actually, if they counted what happened with Mrs. Dodds, part of him remembered.
For his sake, that is what I am hoping he is doing. Since he is in the hot seat as it is. And once your father finishes with other issues, he plans to look into what's been going on at camp once he can push it through the council, I believe. Though knowing your father, he might just ignore that.
Huh, he's got more than a few questions about that. Though right now- "That is probably going to catch quite a few people by surprise. A lot of campers don't think the Gods care about what happens here. Let alone pay attention to what is happening."
Which is why he is pretty sure most of them think they can get away with what they did. Since their parents weren't paying attention to them. And Chiron and Mr. D. definitely weren't paying attention despite living here it felt like.
That is dependent on the situation, I feel. There are certain members of the council I will not name who definitely have too many children and not enough time to give adequate attention. Percy already had a guess on who that was, considering what their cabin looked like. But at least with your father, he does care about what happens. He just is in a difficult situation.
"Because of whatever he's fighting with Uncle about?"
Correct.
"What is that about anyway?"
Right now, I feel it's best you don't know. Less suspicious that way, considering the accusations being thrown around if you were never told what was taken in the first place. If it comes to it, then you will find out eventually.
"Dad's trying to keep me out of this?"
That was nice to realize he was trying to do something. Especially since, with everything he had heard, the Gods really didn't do that kind of thing. And as far as he could tell, the pegasus had acted completely on their own.
But then again, his Dad had sent Delphin to talk to him. And he was pretty sure none of this conversation was normal. Soo…probably best to just throw out the idea of normal right now.
We are certainly trying to avoid it. However, tempers can run hot on Olympus, and refusing to admit someone was in the wrong wouldn't be a new problem. And your Uncle certainly has been at that for a while.
"So Dad cares?" He's not even entirely sure why he's asking. If his Dad was as absent as some of the other campers' parents. He wouldn't be having this conversation, right?
But he thinks he needs to hear those words from someone who actually knows him. And not just based on his own possible imagination.
Your father certainly cares. He has just been restricted in showing how he can care because of things that I believe would be best explained by him.
Yeah, he was going to have to meet his Dad before he really believed anyone on that. Because part of him still wasn't convinced this was just some show he was putting on.
But it was a nice thought to think he might care about what happened to him. Even if it might be short-lived.
It was nice to hold onto for at least a little while.
Not every God looks after their children as they should. And your father has had complications with looking after you due to our laws and the oath. But he has always cared about you. Even if it has always been from a distance.
Yeah, and that's the hard part about this whole thing.
Believing something about someone you've never met. In contrast to what you've been told your life by everyone but one person.
I hate to change the subject. But your father is rather incensed about the camp's behavior and wants to know more. That was part of the reason he sent me. So I must ask: how did this happen?
"I didn't ask anyone to do anything." Something about this whole situation just puts him on the defensive.
I never said you did.
"You would be one of the first." He mutters under his breath.
That… is a rather concerning statement that I will be bringing up with your father. But please, truly, we just want to solve whatever is going on with you at the camp, if possible.
Yeah, Percy isn't sure if that's possible. Since some of this seems to have been going on for years. But he'll entertain Delphin with a story at least.