Jacob slammed the demigod up against the lockers—or tried to. Percy just stood there with an amused look on his face, looking unimpressed. "Yeah, you see, Jake, I had a rough summer. I got a lot of crap by a heck of a lot of people, so I got significantly stronger. So playground bullies are the least of my problems."

Jacob suddenly took in the sophmore's stance: a six-foot-one lithe build that was relaxed but viligant. He looked dangerous, despite the mischievous smirk on his face and the way his hair stuck up like a black porcupine's quills. His eyes looked older than they should have been, a vibrant sea-green that mystified boys and girls alike, throbbing with raw power. Percy's muscles were coiled like a panther ready to spring, always ready to defend. Jacob had felt how rock-solid Percy was first-hand, and registered that in the brief second his hands had made rough contact with Percy's broad chest. His skin was lightly tanned.

Blinking, Jacob stepped back unconsciously. Everyone took notice at the school's biggest bully stepping back from someone. All eyes went from Jacob, to follow Jacob's gaze, to land on a smirking Percy, who seemed unaffected by the attention, but he didn't exactly seem to enjoy it, either.

"See you in class, Jacob," Percy said coolly.

Going to his back-up if physical didn't work, Jacob said, "You probably got kicked out your house, 'cause your precious mother hated it when you joined a gang."

Percy, walking away, laughed, and called over his shoulder. "My mother and I are close, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I've already gone to hell for her, and she's done the same for me. Mom has the patience of a saint, and I had to convince her a couple times that she won't always be there to protect me."

"And you're so responsible," Jacob snorted.

"Hey, considering that I've been kidnapped and keep being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I think that I'm actually fairly responsible," Percy shrugged. (Not to mention that he led an army to war that summer, but he wasn't going to say that.)

"And that you keep saying that you've got a girlfriend, which is obviously a lie," Jacob said, smirking.

"I don't blame you. She's too good for me."

Jacob stopped cold.

"—and your mother's a slut!" Jacob yelled at Percy, trying to elict a reaction out of the placid demigod. Percy's retreating back froze, and the muscles clearly visible under the t-shirt clenched. For half a second, Jacob actually thought that Percy would throw a punch, but Percy just took a deep breath and the muscles relaxed. He pivoted on his right heel, turning to face the shorter boy with a stone-cold face, his eyes throbbing with hate and power more than usual. Percy's jaw was clenched. The people between Percy and Jacob backed up at the look in Percy's eyes.

"I will take your remark with a grain of salt because you simply do not know my mother and how much of a wonderful person she is," Percy said coldly, striding towards Jacob slowly, threateningly. "And because Paul would hate it if I got kicked out of his school for punching someone who clearly deserved it. Insult me all you want, heaven knows I've had enough of it last summer, but don't you dare bring up family with me. That, and Thals would probably kill you herself if she heard that remark. So I'll save your life, just this once because I'm far too forgiving for my own good."

Kids stumbled, eyes wide with panic as the ground under them trembled. Jacob was confused as Percy's eyes flashed with panic, but not because of the tremor. His tightly coiled muscles relaxed and he closed his eyes and breathed out. The earthquake stopped. Jacob looked at Percy bewilderedly.

Percy's eyes opened, tired and weary. "I will see you later, Jacob."

Then he turned around and gracefully maneuvered his way through the chaotic hallway.

"Percy, you've got to keep that power under control," Sally pleaded when Percy got home.

"It's not my fault that he's practically pleading for a fight!" Percy protested. "And I have about as much control over it as you do!"

Sally shut her mouth, emitting a little squeak. Her son sank onto the couch in the living room, burying his head in his hands. "I know how Thals feels now, at least."

Sally sat next to her son, wrapping her arms around him. He leaned into her, seeking comfort just like he used to do when he was little. She rubbed his back in soothing circles, leaning her head on top of his after planting a kiss on his forehead. "Hey, you'll get it under control sometime."

"And what if I don't?" Percy mumbled into his mother's collarbone. "I'll end up hurting more people and causing mass panic again."

"No, Percy, you'll conquer it. Hey, I'll take you out to the country, and you can practice making earthquakes so that you can control them so that you don't make them if you don't want to, how's that sound? I'll even bring a wheelbarrow so that I can cart a tired Percy back to the car."

Percy's back shook with silent laughter, laughter that Sally was soon able to hear. "Gods, I love you."

"I love you too, Percy."

Jacob shuddered as Percy glared at him. Then he realized that the ground was shaking again, harder than last time. Kids shrieked and threw their bookbags over their heads, all of them half-expecting the ceiling to cave in on them. Mr. Blofis stumbled through the hallway and clutched onto Percy, who seemed to be the only one unaffected by the shaking ground. "Percy, stop it," Paul said urgently, hanging onto Percy for balance.

Percy looked at him in terror, and it sunk in for the older man. Percy's next words confirmed it not a beat later: "I can't control it," he said, his voice cracking with fear. "I can't control it."

Annabeth's head shot up from her laptop, startling everyone in her cabin as she darted out of the Athena cabin. She threw herself onto Blackjack, yelling instructions from thirty feet away. She had hardly gotten one leg around the pegasus when he was leaving the ground. He flew through New York like a black blur, Annabeth clinging onto him for dear life.

She could see Goode High School shaking violently.

Annabeth fell off the black pegasus, curling up into a ball, rolling with the impact on the shaking ground. This time, he'd be in the hallways, on the ground floor. She darted into the building, dodging screaming students, and tackled Percy and Paul as part of the ceiling under where they had been standing dropped.

Then she kissed her boyfriend, putting all her emotions into it. She wove her fingers through his hair, desperately hoping that her kisses would have the usual effect. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

The tremors faltered, slowed, and then stopped altogether. She broke the kiss, panting slightly.

Percy hugged her closer, his chest shaking. Annabeth nearly stepped back in shock as she realized that Percy—steady as the tide (or a rock) Percy—was crying. "I love the effect your kisses have on me," he said, his voice wavering dangerously high.

"I think we're visiting your dad soon," she said softly, her forehead touching his.

"No kidding," he said, regaining control over his voice. He hauled himself up, and helped Annabeth and Paul up.

Percy looked at his dad skeptically, who had taken a page out of Hades's book and ignored Zeus as he attempted to teach his son on how to control the earthquakes that he was prone to cause.

Key word: attempted.

Poseidon resisted the urge to laugh or sigh at the face his son was making. Percy's voice was hesitant as he repeated what Poseidon had asked him to do with skepticism laced in his voice. "You...want me to...crack open the ground. Did you know that it'll landslide, even if I could do it?"

Poseidon went for option number two and added onto it: he sighed and facepalmed. "Yes, I want you to crack open the ground."

"I'm not a god! I can't just wave my hand have the ground open!" Percy protested, flapping his arms about for added emphasis. Next to him, Annabeth was shaking from laughter.

"You look like a penguin trying to fly."

"Thanks," Percy told her dryly.

Poseidon groaned. "I think you got both your parents' stubborness genes," he muttered. "That's a bad thing."

Percy's look at his dad spoke volumes. "You want me to crack open the ground! Do you know how noticeable that AHH!" Percy jumped and clapped his hands together in fright as the ground opened up and abruptly shut.

Poseidon shrugged. "I don't see any difference. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but shutting a chasm is a start."

Annabeth's laughter started up again at her boyfriend's flabbergasted face. (Honestly, he's the only one who thinks he can't crack open the ground. Seaweed. Brain.)

Age Twenty-four (HoO did happen)

"You would never know how much easier it is with your very destructive powers under lock and key," Percy whispered into Annabeth's ear. "And frankly, I'm glad that you don't have very destructive powers."

"I've got enough crap with my hubris," Annabeth agreed. "But your powers have gotten stronger."

"No," Percy disagreed. "I just have more control over the amount of power I have. I've always had this amount. I've just had no control over it."

Annabeth arched an eyebrow. "You must've been a pain when you were little, with that much uncontrolled raw power."

"That uncontrolled power was actually what made Alecto come after me all those years ago," Percy agreed. "Twelve, actually."

Annabeth leaned against her husband's chest, and his hands were resting protectively on her slowly rounding stomach. "It feels like yesterday that we were in the infirmary."

Percy snorted. "Which time?"

The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes. "The forty-second, Seaweed Brain. You don't remember that time? No, the first time, dummy!"

"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a piece of straw-stuffed armor on a stick that I regularly demolish," Percy said cheekily. "Yeah, that was kind of painful."

Annabeth rolled her eyes again fondly. "You're just happy that you finally beat your dad in a swordfight, which in my opinion, was a lot more than a simple swordfight."

"I swear, it was an accident," Percy defended. "I don't know why, Riptide just really likes going through gods' heels."

Annabeth groaned and thumped her head against Percy's chest. "You have a lot of accidents, Seaweed Brain."

Percy huffed, and looked out to sea. Sitting there, in his element, with the stiff ocean breeze ruffling his hair, the sunset illuminating his face, he looked exactly like his dad.

"Hey," she said. "You finally got it under control."

"Tell that to Paul's poor school," Percy snickered.

Annabeth paused. "Okay, you got a point there."

A/N:

I actually liked this. Wow. Not everyday that I actually like some of the stuff I've written. Shipwrecked, Common Enemy, and now this. I think it's because of the action and the humor in this. But damn, all these roiling emotions leaves me emotionally drained.

I know, I'm alive. You wouldn't believe how much of a full-time job my sister is when Dad disappears on his slightly ADHD tangents. If I hadn't scrutinized Percy's every step (now I sound like a stalker, thank you, Winter's weird mind), I'd say that Dad was more ADHD than Percy. Seriously. Jeez.

Actually, I've no idea where the heck this came from. Oh well. As long as you guys like it. But then again, what I like you guys are all over. Its crazy. Over twenty favorites on both Shipwrecked and Common Enemy. Daaaaaaaaang!

Okay, yeah, see ya!

-Winter