Prologue: And then There was None

The headaches were getting so much worse.

Triton almost let himself give a sharp intake of pain as he leaned his head against the glass of the window, his eyes squeezed shut as the pounding grew louder and louder in his head.

Focus, he chided himself crossly. He didn't have time to delve into the sharp, pointed pains in the front and back of his skull as he clenched his hands into fists, pushing forward in his mind to somewhere thousands of miles away.

There was a cave. Dripping water. Whispers of wind and darkness blanketing around him.

Where was this? He needed a location. Just a simple feel of where this could possibly be –

"Triton-"

"Damnit!" He yelled as he jolted back, stumbling slightly as he tripped and fell onto his bedspread.

Rhode rose her eyebrows at him, looking down at him calmly as the older god glowered up at her, feeling ire rise at the lack of apologetic expression on her face.

"Did I interrupt something?" She sighed, looking a bit irritated as she joined him on the bed.

"I don't know, did it look like it?" He asked her flatly, the sarcasm dripping venomously through his teeth. Rhode didn't respond, simply taking his hand and soothingly pressing it open. It was only when Triton looked down did he notice the golden flecks of ichor dribbling down his wrist. He hadn't realized his nails were cutting into his skin.

"Are you alright?" His sister asked him quietly and Triton glanced up at her, seeing a glimpse of worry through her stoic mask.

"I can get small bits." He told her slowly "Of things that he's seeing. I just can't ever figure out where or if he's hurt or anything." The god sighed as he let Rhode heal his hands. The pounding of his head lessened slightly, but it was still there. Perhaps Rhode could sense this, because she didn't speak for a couple minutes as she worked.

"You told his friends long ago that they should give up looking for him." She finally said as she tossed silver hair behind her "Perhaps you should do the same."

"Would you ever stop looking for me?" Triton asked her with an air of challenge and Rhode simply looked at him, her eyes giving nothing away.

"Benni wants you." She finally said "Try and get to a healer later if your head is still bothering you." She added and like that, she was gone.

Triton stared at the space his sister had occupied for a moment, his eyes warily flickering across the room before moving again. Benni was at the other end of the castle after all, so he couldn't afford to make this a leisurely swim.

It had been three years. Three since anyone had last seen Perseus Jackson.

Every single day from that point on had been torture.

In theory, years aren't very long for a god. Decades maybe, centuries sure. A millennia? Yes. But years were more a blink of an eye for someone who had been around since the dawn of time.

Triton supposed this should make him appreciate the irony of some things. He was sure that someone with a better sense of humor than him would be able to find it. If he was honest however, all he had really been able to think about since that point was finding his brother.

It didn't seem too long ago when he had seen him through a dream. Granted, Percy had no idea who he was, but it still counted. The Fates had told him they were giving his brother back. Why hadn't they?

Rhode had easily knocked Triton's anxiety down to nothing more as an obsession created out of guilt and the link that Triton shared with his younger brother. And while the god could easily admit the throbbing in his head was some good motivation, he wished she could see it was more than that driving him forward.

The Fates had his little brother. Someone who had developed him in a way that thousands of years couldn't have and Triton owed him so much for that. This was his friend after all, and he would be damned if he just gave up at this point.

Perhaps his line of thinking had tipped off Benni as he walked into her room because his older sister was already on it the second he walked in.

"Sit." She instructed "I just finished IMing Annabeth, and we have a plan."

"Benni." Triton said sharply, looking up at his sister "The demigods aren't supposed to-"

"I don't care." She sighed "I don't care that you told them to stop looking after the year mark. You honestly think Annabeth Chase is going to stop looking for her boyfriend?" She demanded "She's going to keep going with or without our help so I'm choosing to use her." Benni told him, flicking a piece of dark hair out of her eyes.

"You realize this could take years to find him. You're going to let her waste her life away like that?" The younger god demanded and Benni pursed her lips at him, briefly considering the words.

"I don't think it's a waste if she's that unhappy without him." She said quietly and Triton stared at her for a second before feeling his resolve slightly. Deciding to let it drop for now he spoke again.

"What's the plan?" He asked instead and Benni offered a small smile as she stood up and crossed the room to one of her drawers. Picking up a shirt she thrust it at him, eyes expectant as Triton felt the familiar cloth of the orange garment between his hands.

"Camp Half-Blood?" He asked with a frowned and Benni sat in front of him, her face suddenly serious.

"Looks like you weren't the only one searching for someone." She said calmly and Triton felt his stomach clench at her implication.

"They've seen him?" He asked sharply, standing up "Is he there now? I thought-"

"He was there." Benni imposed, standing up as well "From what Annabeth told me he came outside the camp and demanded to know where you were. When no one gave him anything he ran and disappeared. No one could track him or even find a trace where he had gone."

"So he doesn't remember them, but me?" Triton asked her with a frown. That could make sense he supposed, they did have their link after all. However, Benni shook her head with a small frown.

"No, I don't think he does T." She told him "It sounded like…. Like he might have been sent to find you." She started and Triton hissed. He remembered Percy had seen him in that dream and knew who he was.

"The Fates." He snapped, his anger growing "Of course. They can't just leave well enough alone, can they?" He snapped out coldly and Benni nodded in agreement. "Well, let's go and see what we can find." He told her and his sister gave another conceding gesture before they both turned out the door.

We're Coming

Chapter One: Tables Turning

We're coming

The words resonated loudly in Alex's head as he tried not to pull out his hair from the echoing pain of it all.

Why, why, why did he have to be such a freak? Alex knew for a fact that other people didn't have voices inside of their heads. Yet here he was, trying to block out Mr. Whoever-the-Hell this was from talking to him.

Slipping further into the woods, he made his way down deep into the cave he had found as he was running from the campers. It was a dark, desolated place that didn't exactly scream happy thoughts, but it would have to do for the moment.

He couldn't believe how badly that had all gone. Years of training and preparing for this very mission and he had somehow managed to get spotted and messed it up within twenty minutes. Incredible, really freaking perfect.

Sighing, he flung down his backpack with disgust, glowering coldly at the ground as he flopped against the bumpy wall with a growl under his breath. He needed to figure something else out. Another way to find his target without messing everything up. Triton wasn't at the camp, he found out that much. But he could tell by the kids' expressions they knew who the man was.

They also knew him.

Or so they said. Percy.

It wasn't the first time he had been called that. When he originally made contact with this Triton person, he had called him the same thing. Percy. Percy.

Alex tried rolling it around in his head a few times, thinking on how it might be to respond to the call of that name, but it felt too foreign. Perhaps they had just gotten him mixed up with someone else?

Ignoring the doubt in his gut, Alex marched forward to where water was misting near the entrance of the cave, muttering some words under his breath so that it came a large screen in front of him.

"Alexander." The screen greeted him and Alex glanced up, seeing the three forms in front of him smiling warmly, if not a bit creepily from the other side.

"Moirai." He murmured, bowing his head slightly. When Alex had first met the three old ladies, he had been a bit resistant in following their orders. He didn't like being told what to do or how to do it, but over time he learned that they would always find a way. He might as well play along with the game.

"I trust your day as been productive." The one farthest right asked him, twirling some string between her withered fingers. Alex almost rolled his eyes, but managed to keep a straight face as he answered.

"Not as productive as I should have hoped. But you already know that." He told them and the three women's smiles grew larger.

"Oh, but of course." The left on chuckled "Triton wasn't there, was he? But trust me, he will be." She nodded to him "Everything is going to plan perfectly. No need to fret, child." She assured him as Alex attempted to resist from glowering at her.

"I have no idea who this man is or what you want with him. If you are going to ask me to do what I did last time-"

"Then you will do it." The middle one snapped at him sharply "Don't pretend you have a choice Alexander." She growled and Alex narrowed his eyes slightly. There was frustration rising in his chest, but he said nothing in response to their jab. He did have a choice. If his time with the Fates had taught Alex anything about life, it was that free will was far from a delusion. It existed, somewhere in the midst of veiled darkness.

"Tomorrow, go back to the camp." The middle woman spoke again, her eyes blank and white as she looked past him into the back of the cave. "Let the campers take you, but know they will think of you as another."

"Percy." Alex nodded "Who is he?"

"You're other half." The left one answered cryptically "He exists, somewhere, but he will not be found for much time."

"My other half?" Alex frowned, slightly taken back "Like… A brother or something?" He asked. That made sense at least. People could mistake him for this Percy guy if they looked alike. The Fates simply smiled at him, looking a little amused by the prospect.

"You will understand soon." The right one told him, busying herself with a golden string. "Just remember these campers are desperate to see this Percy again – they will be utterly convinced that you are the same boy."

"What happened to him?" Alex asked and the middle one made a clucking sound at his question.

"We took him." She said simply and held up a rotting finger to stop Alex's questions from interrupting her again "It is not matter as of now. You will find out more given time." She said and Alex wrinkled his nose in slightly disgust. He didn't like being left in the dark, but arguing with these three proved to only cause more harm than good.

"I understand." He answered them stiffly "Do you require anymore from me?" He asked and the Fates each dismissed him with a wave of the hand.

Waiting until the mist was completely gone, Alex felt his legs slip from beneath him, allowing his arms to catch the stone wall beside him as exhaustion overtook him. He had been traveling for three days to make it here with little food or sleep – on top of that, his head felt as though someone had taken an axe to it.

"Gods." He muttered to himself "Some Advil would be nice." He grumbled as he empty his bag to see if the contents held any sort of remedy for him. Aside from a bottle of water, six dollars cash, three wrappers, and a variety of weapons he had nothing. Moving back towards the edge of the cave, Alex looked around carefully before slipping out towards a stream he had seen earlier. Where there was water, there was almost always berries.

Concealing himself amongst the plants, Alex spent the next few minutes picking and making small talk with some plants as he went. Some of them called out to him – naming him by that Percy character, but he ignored those.

After a few hours of feasting on the forest, Alex made his way back to the cave where he propped up his bag tiredly, readying himself for a new day on the horizon. Tomorrow he would enter Camp Half-Blood, and only the Fates would know what he would find there.

Annabeth Chase was known for her intellect.

As a daughter of Athena it was always assumed she could present anyone with the facts to any question, but even with the goddess of Wisdom for her mother, Annabeth exceeded the normal amount of aptitude. She was special, and while that was obvious enough, it became even more clear in times like these as Triton ascended from the waves and spared her a shocked glance.

"Did Benni tell you we were coming now?" He asked, brow furrowed as the goddess in question stepped out of the water after him, and cool grey eyes didn't even falter.

"No." She answered briskly "I saw the tide pull in."

Triton, for his part, had no idea what that had to do with anything. He assumed it was some kind of observation she had made from his previous visits, but decided he wasn't about to question it as he stepped towards her.

"Annabeth." Benni greeted warmly and the demigod nodded in tired acknowledgement as she looked around the darkening beach.

"I saw him." She said, and while her voice was steady, there was something in her eyes that physically pained the immortals as they looked at her "We couldn't track him, but he asked for you." She nodded to the god and Triton nodded.

"Benni told me. Do you think he'll be back?"

"He has to be. If the Fates want you two to meet, they'll let him know where you are."

"And if the Fates don't want us to meet?" Triton asked "Percy could have been running here on his own free will before they manipulated something. Maybe he had a memory resurface or something."

"Then we will need you here to help us find him, nevertheless." Annabeth nodded curtly and when she swayed slightly, Benni rushed to her side.

"Whoa there, hot stuff." She murmured "You looked exhausted. How about you get some sleep before we go boyfriend hunting tomorrow?" She asked and Annabeth murmured something.

"I saw him." She grumbled "And I just let him get away… He was so fast… Don't remember him being that fast…" She yawned and both Triton and Benni exchanged wary glances before leading her off towards her bed.

"I'll meet you back at Dad's cabin." Triton told his sister, frowning at the woods. "I just need to see something real quick." He added and without waiting for her answer, moved towards the lining of trees at the edge of camp.

"Lord Triton."

A voice whispered lowly and Triton whipped around, his arm raised as a weapon for any unsuspected foe, but he only came face to face with a small looking nymph.

"Juniper." He sighed, lowering his arm "How are you?"

"I'm fine." The girl dismissed, her green skin looking slightly flushed as she glanced around them earnestly "My lord, I saw him."

"Percy?" Triton immediately felt his attention sharpening to her. "Do you know where he's at?" He asked and Juniper hesitantly nodded. "Why didn't you say anything before?" He asked. Surely Juniper trusted Annabeth and the others?

"I…" The nymph shifted slightly as she looked into the dark woods "You'll understand when you see." She whispered and gently tugged his arm towards the stream. Looking over his shoulder, Triton sighed before allowing himself to be led deeper in.