It's All Greek to Me
Rating: K+
Summary: It's spring break for Percy and Peter, and when they have nothing to do, Percy decides it's about time Peter meets some of his friends. Peter is the first mortal to step foot into Camp Half-Blood that didn't have intentions to become the Oracle. At camp, he enjoys camp traditions, hears about certain campers, and makes new friends.
March
Percy sighed as he tossed his pen above his head, catching it every time it came down.
It was the first day of spring break, and frankly, he was bored. Antonia and Rachel were both going to be out of town for the week, which greatly reduced his options. He was contemplating spending a few days at camp, since Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Nico and Will would be there. He had been welcomed to spend the whole week at camp, but Percy wanted to spend some of the time with his parents and sister. With the end of his senior year of high school in sight, and the idea of college and moving to New Rome, he wanted to spend as much time as possible with his family.
Groaning, Percy rolled over, pushing himself off his bed, and made his way over to his desk. It was cluttered with paper and other knick-knacks, a few empty water bottles mixed in. He shifted graded test papers aside, looking for his phone. Once he found it, he made his way back over to his bed, collapsing onto it.
Seaweed Brain: sos imma die of boredom
Spidey: same though. ned & his family are on vacation and MJ has a ton of protests planned
Percy frowned at the text, before coming up with an idea.
Seaweed Brain: how would u finally like 2 meet Peter?
Beauty Queen: are you gonna bring him to camp? is that even allowed?
Beauty Queen: but yeah i wanna meet him!
Seaweed Brain: idk, but he's a clear sighted mortal. it'll be fine, trust me. ill figure it out
After figuring out a way to convince Chiron to allow Peter into camp, Percy sent off a few more messages to a few of his friends that would be at camp, before replying to Peter.
Seaweed Brain: what would u say if i told u that i have something we could do for a couple days?
Spidey: i'm listening…
Seaweed Brain: i think its time that u meet some of my friends. I'm going to camp 4 a few days, and u r officially invited !
Spidey: wait, your super secret demigod camp? yes, i wanna go! i'll go ask aunt may
Seaweed Brain: tell her that u will have a place to stay, will b provided with food and whatnot, and will be doing fun things. mom is driving me and she can drive u. and u can bring lola!
Percy grinned as he set down his phone. He figured that Peter would be allowed to come, so Percy started packing. He grabbed his backpack, dumping out all the school supplies, before throwing in a few camp shirts, shorts, socks and other necessities, along with a few toys for Andi.
He made his way to the kitchen, smiling when he saw his mom pulling a tray of cookies out of the oven.
When Sally saw him, she smiled, offering him one of the cookies that had already cooled. "I thought you might like to bring some cookies to share at camp."
Beaming, Percy nodded as he took a bite out of a cookie. "Thanks, mom. You're the best!"
"Is Peter going to be going with you?"
"I asked him about it, and he's excited. He just has to ask his aunt. Let me see if he's responded." Percy pulled his phone out of his pocket, excited when he saw he had a text from Peter.
Spidey: may said yes! she just wants to talk about it w/your mom. since i can't tell her about the demigod world…
Seaweed Brain: o yeah thats true. ill let mom know. but yay!
"Peter's allowed to come, but his aunt wants to talk to you about it. Since she can't know about my world, she has a few questions."
"I'll give her a call later," Sally responded as she packed up some cookies. "These are for you and your friends. Don't eat them all!"
Peter was excited.
He was getting the opportunity to go to a top secret demigod camp, and meet some of Percy's friends. He never thought he would get the chance, and he was glad his aunt was letting him go.
He grinned at Percy when he looked back, as Percy was sitting in the front seat. They were getting close; Peter recognized the scenery from when he was looking for Rachel over a year ago.
As Sally pulled up at the bottom of the hill, Peter spotted a few people waiting at the top, next to the tree that guarded the camp.
"The welcoming squad," Percy smiled. "Let's just say there were people who wanted to meet you."
After they grabbed their bags and thanked Sally, they started to make their way up the hill, the dogs running around, chasing each other up the hill, tails wagging, and tongues hanging out of their mouths.
Peter took in the sight of the four demigods standing at the top of the hill, three of them in matching camp shirts, the other dressed in black. There was a blonde girl, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, a baseball camp tucked into her back pocket. Next to her, was a girl with brown
hair, small braids and feathers mixed in, and she had a dagger strapped to her waist. The third girl, the one dressed in black, was leaning against the tree, chewing on gum. She had short, black hair, a circle of silver resting on her head. She had a bow strapped to her back. With them was a blond boy, his hair a mess, and he had a few bandages scattered over his limbs.
"Thalia, I didn't know you were going to be here!" Percy called out as they reached the group, before hugging the blonde girl.
The black haired girl shrugged a shoulder, before pushing herself off of the tree. "Last minute thing. I'm going to be here for a few days. A few of the other girls are here, too."
Seeing the girl, now identified as Thalia, next to the rest of the group, Peter could tell that despite the aura of power radiating off of her, she looked like she was a few years younger.
Percy turned toward the group, arm still wrapped around the blonde. "Guys, this is Peter. Peter this is Thalia, Piper," the girl with the braids waved her hand, "Will and Annabeth. Introduce yourselves a little."
"I'm Piper. Uh, daughter of Aphrodite. You might have heard of my father? Tristan McLean. I'm head counselor of my cabin."
"Will Solace," the boy raised his hand. "Son of Apollo. I work in the infirmary, use a bow and arrows, but didn't inherit my father's musical talent."
"Thalia. My father is Zeus, but I'm a Huntress of Artemis. Her lieutenant, actually. I have a younger brother, Jason, but as he's a son of Jupiter, even though we have the same mother, he's Roman."
"She's immortal," Percy pitched in. "She's actually, technically, older than all of us, but while we'll age, she'll be fifteen forever."
Peter nodded, glad to have an explanation. He looked over at the blonde girl as she began to talk.
"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Counselor of my cabin. I'm dating this Seaweed Brain," she poked Percy's arm, "and Thalia and Piper are my best friends."
"She's also the architect of Olympus," Percy grinned, looking adoringly at her. "And she's an amazing fighter."
Annabeth rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Just let Peter introduce himself, why don't you?"
Peter laughed at their antics, before speaking. "Well, as I hope you've gathered, I'm Peter. This is my dog, Lola. I'm, uh, a clear sighted mortal, or so I'm told. I go to Midtown Tech, and I have an internship at Stark Industries."
"A genius, huh?" Piper raised her eyebrow. "You'll get along with the Athena cabin. Where are you going to be staying?"
"Percy's cabin," Peter shrugged, following the group as they started to make their way down the hill, to where the camp lay, the dogs at their heels.
Peter took in his surroundings, which included strawberry fields, a climbing wall (was that lava?), an archery range and more.
"Alright," Percy turned, starting to walk backwards. "Peter, let's go put our stuff in my cabin, then we can meet up with the others and I'll show you around. Meet us later at the climbing wall?"
"I need to go back to the infirmary," Will shrugged apologetically. "We need to clean up and sort everything. I can meet back up with you guys at dinner. Nico should be back by then. He was visiting his sister at Camp Jupiter."
"I hope he's keeping my baby bro in check," Thalia muttered under her breath. "Thank the gods for Reyna."
"Yeah, even though they're not back to where they used to be, she'll make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble," Annabeth agreed. "While you two settle in," she looked over at Percy and Peter, "Thals, Piper and I will be training. How about we all just meet up at dinner, and catch up after?"
"Works for me," Thalia nodded. "See you guys then." She walked off with the two girls, Will breaking off from the group to head towards the infirmary.
"C'mon," Percy called out as he made his way towards the cluster of cabins that Peter had spotted. They walked by a dozen, Percy telling him which god had which cabin.
"These here," Percy pointed at the twelve around them, "were the first ones. The twelve Olympians. But after the war, it was decided that all the gods should have a cabin here at camp, because those who were unclaimed or who had a godly parent that didn't have a cabin were forced to stay in the Hermes cabin. It was those who were unclaimed or felt like they weren't important that turned on us, and we want to prevent that. Camp is supposed to be a safe place, a place where everyone should feel like they belong."
Peter nodded, understanding where they had been coming from.
"And this one here is mine," Percy came to a stop in front of the cabin with the number three on it. "Poseidon's cabin. I was the first and only demigod in here for awhile. Sometimes, my half brother, Tyson, stays here, but it's usually just me. Tyson's a cyclops, son of Poseidon. He's a general in the cyclops army and works in the forges of Atlantis."
Peter set his bag down on the porch of the cabin, taking it in. The outer walls were a textured gray stone, pieces of seashell and coral embedded in them, making it look like the ocean floor.
He pushed the door open, wandering in. There were four empty bunks, the other two Peter figured belonged to Percy and Tyson. The walls glowed and shined in multiple colors, much like an abalone. There were a few bronze Hippocampi on the ceiling as decorations, and some plants and corals, sitting on the window sill. In the corner, was a fountain, many gold coins resting in the bottom.
Near one bunk, there were a bunch of photos taped up. Peter moved closer, looking at them. He spotted Thalia, Annabeth, Will, Piper and Rachel in some of them, the only other people he recognized being Percy and his family. The photos obviously ranged in the time they were taken, as he could see the growth each person went through.
"I can tell you some stories about them, if you want," Percy spoke up as he walked into the cabin, spotting Peter looking at the photos. He put Peter's bag on a bed, then walked over. "What do you wanna know?"
"Who are they?" Peter pointed to a picture that was placed in the center. In it, there was Percy in between two others who looked a few years older, one a tall guy, the other, a beautiful girl.
Percy's face grew wistful. "Silena and Beckendorf. Daughter of Aphrodite, son of Hephaestus. They were both heads of their cabins when they were here. They were a couple, and were like parents to the younger campers in both their cabins. Beckendorf was a quiet guy. Looks intimidating, but he really wasn't. He was eighteen, almost ready to go to college. Silena was really sweet, and though she did conform to the stereotypes in many ways, she was more willing to fight than the rest of her siblings. She actually save us in the Battle of Manhattan. Brought the Ares cabin into battle, by disguising herself as their cabin leader, Clarisse. But she died. Beckendorf did, too, before her. On the Princess Andromeda. I was there when both of them fell. They looked after me when I was here. You'll hear things about Silena. Especially from Drew. She's the one mostly behind all the comments."
"Like what?" Peter asked. "And who's Drew?"
"She's another child of Aphrodite. She was head counselor after Silena and before Piper. Honestly, watch out for her. She can charmspeak. I mean, so can Piper, but at least she's nice. Drew uses it to get people to do what she wants. Manipulates them. She tries to tell people Silena was a traitor, that she betrayed us and doesn't deserve to be honored. And yeah, maybe some of that's true. But Silena was manipulated by Luke. I told you about him. But Silena died for us. She didn't have to, but she risked her life and paid with it to help us. She may have betrayed us, yes. But that's not the point. She was a hero."
By this point, the two boys were lying next to each other on Percy's bed, arms pressed against each other.
"Do you have a picture of Luke?" Peter asked quietly, wanting to know more about the son of Hermes, even though he had done some bad things to the campers.
"One," Percy admitted, before shifting slightly to point at a photo. "From my first summer here."
In the photo, there was a younger Percy, his hair really messy. Next to him was a young Annabeth, distancing herself from the son of Poseidon. With them, was another camper that Peter didn't recognize. And then there was a tall blonde, arm wrapped around Percy's shoulder, the other hand stuffed in his pocket.
"That's Annabeth. We weren't friends then, yet. This was before our first quest. That's Grover. He was my first friend. He's a satyr. And then that's Luke."
Peter stared at the oldest demigod. He was wearing a camp shirt, the sleeves cut off. He paired the shirt with khaki shorts. There were sandals on his feet, and a woven bracelet on his wrist. Around his neck was the classic Camp Half-Blood necklace. There was a large scar marring his face, but the blue of his eyes took some of the attention off of it. There was a large, mischievous smile on his face, like he knew a secret no one else did.
"He was nice, when I first met him. Until he tried to kill me, I looked up to him. He didn't treat me differently when my parentage was revealed. He died for us, too. Was the "biggest traitor," even hosted Kronos, but he was the real hero. He died, so Kronos could be sent back to Tartarus. He, Annabeth and Thalia were friends before they got here. All three of them ran away from home, and eventually made their way here. Annabeth and Luke lived here for years. Thalia… didn't get the chance."
"Because she became a Huntress?"
"She didn't become a Huntress for about a year or two after I met her. You know the tree? The one on the hill?"
Peter nodded, turning onto his back, still listening to his friend.
"We call it Thalia's tree. Because she was the tree. She sacrificed herself on the top of that hill to make sure Luke, Annabeth and Grover made it safely. She was young, and as she died, Zeus turned her into a tree to protect us. She came back to life when I was thirteen. Her tree was poisoned, and the Golden Fleece worked too well. Instead of just healing the tree, she was back. She aged slower than she would've normally."
Peter's eyes widened when he heard that. "I can't imagine being a tree for years."
"Yeah, we don't bring it up around her much, honestly," Percy laughed. "But every camper knows the story."
Glancing at the time, Percy sat up. "I think that's probably enough of sad stories. I'll tell you more later, when we come back after the campfire. For now, let's go look around camp. There's a lot to see."
Tony Stark frowned when he went to check Peter's location.
Peter had said he was going to be spending a few days away from being Spider-Man, something that both Tony and May were happy about. However, Tony had wanted to make sure the kid was actually keeping to that, so he decided it would be good to check the last time the suit had been online, and to make sure there was nothing about the spider hero on social media or in the news.
When there was none, the billionaire was pleased. Despite this, he wondered what Peter was up to for spring break. He knew both MJ and Ned had plans, and the man didn't want the kid to spend the whole week bored and alone.
Though it probably wasn't his best idea, Tony decided to check the location of Peter's phone, but was worried when it was no where in New York. He spread the search wider, but there was no signal, and there hadn't been once in about a day, when he had been placed on Long Island.
Shaking it off, Tony decided to forget it. Peter would be fine. May didn't seem concerned when the man had called her to plan Peter's next stay, so if she wasn't worried, there was no reason he should be. Right?
Peter laughed as he sped up the wall, his spider-instinct helping get to the top unscathed. He had never done anything quite like this: a rock-climbing wall that had lava and other traps. It was fun, and Peter was contemplating asking Tony if he could have something similar made in the compound to help him train.
"You're a natural!" Piper called up to him, smiling as she gave him a thumbs up.
"Yeah, usually I'm needed on someone's first time up!" Will shouted, grinning. "Guess I wasn't need though, huh?"
"Nice going, Spider-Man," Percy teased when he joined Peter at the top, far enough away from anyone else so no one could hear what he was saying. "Guess those spider reflexes are doing you some good, huh?"
"That was awesome, dude!" Peter exclaimed as he high-fived his friend. "I wasn't sure at first. I mean, lava? But it was really cool. Maybe I should convince the Avengers we need something like this."
"Dude, that would be awesome!" Percy smiled as they made their way down.
Once they reached the bottom, they clipped out of their harnesses, putting the gear away.
"What next?" Peter asked, bouncing on his feet.
"Well, dinner is soon," Percy responded. "But we probably have just enough time to check out the weapons. I think we should train you. You never know what you'll have around you in a fight, and maybe," Percy lowered his voice, "you might need to use Hawkeye's bow. You never know!"
"Weapons it is!" Peter followed his friend, Piper and Will walking behind them, talking about the upcoming capture the flag game they were going to be playing the following day.
"Okay, so we have sword, daggers, knives, bows and arrows etc," Percy explained as they neared the training area. "I can help you if you want to use a sword. Go to Will or Thalia for the bow and arrows, because trust me, I suck," he laughed. "For a dagger or knife, I'd recommend training with Annabeth or Piper."
"I kinda wanna try them all?" Peter raised the end of his sentence, as if it was a question.
"We can totally do that," Percy nodded. "Just pick what you want to start with, and we can at least find a suitable weapon before dinner."
"I'll start with the sword," Peter decided as he looked around at all the weapons.
"Cool," Percy grinned. "Let's find you a sword."
"We sit at tables based on our godly parent," Percy explained. "So that means, I'm usually alone. Same with Jason, when he's here. And Nico. As children of the big three, we don't tend to have siblings. Thalia and I… we're the result of a broken oath. Nico and Hazel, though they look and seem younger than us, were actually born in the 1900s, before the oath. That's a long story, though. Anyways, we're working on changing the rules, because after the two wars, everything's changed. But for now, I'm stuck alone. Except for you, since you're my guest."
Peter frowned, noting how some tables were overflowing, probably the Hermes table due to those who had been unclaimed.
"Here, follow me," Percy instructed. "We need to give an offering to the gods. Traditionally, we thank our parent. I guess you could thank all of them? Or my dad, I guess? Hestia would be a safe bet, too."
Peter watched as his friend pushed some of the best food on his plate into the fire, murmuring something under his breath as he did. He followed suit, saying a general thanks to the gods, with a separate thanks to Hestia.
Afterwards, he followed Percy back to the Poseidon table, where they talked about other activities they could do at camp while they ate.
After dinner, Percy pulled Peter towards the training arena. "We have about an hour or so until the campfire, so let's get started with your training." Percy pulled out Riptide, grinning at the awestruck look on Peter's face when it went from a pen to a sword.
"That never gets old," Peter breathed. "Or any less cool."
"Alright, stop geeking out over my sword," Percy laughed. "Grab the sword we found for you. It's time to teach you the basics."
Peter nodded, grabbing the sword. This should be fun, he thought to himself.
And it was, but it was also exhausting. Percy moved so fluidly and with such precision, that Peter felt like a five year old compared to him.
"Dude, I've been using a sword for five years," Percy rolled his eyes as he realized what Peter was thinking. "It takes time and experience, though you seem to be a quick learner. You're doing well for your first time, especially since you don't have battle reflexes built into you. That's why demigods tend to have ADHD. The dyslexia's because our brains are hardwired for ancient Greek. I mean yeah, your reflexes are amazing, but they don't teach you how to wield a sword."
Peter smiled at the compliment. "This is actually really fun. Also a good way to get things out."
"Now, before anyone else shows up, because I know for a fact that Annabeth will be here in ten minutes to yell at me to take a shower before the campfire, let's test out your strength. I know you don't like using your full strength, but here, you won't hurt anyone, trust me. You'll feel better, trust me."
Hesitantly, Peter agreed. He had tried, only once, to test out the full capacity of his strength, and it frightened him. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He held back, knowing that if it ever came to it, he could probably kill someone with how hard he could hit, especially if it was in the right place. But Percy was telling him it was okay, that no one would get hurt, and he couldn't help but trust him. The demigod hadn't led him astray yet.
So Peter took a deep breath, set down the sword at walked up to the training dummies.
"We destroy them all the time, so don't worry about it," Percy called out.
Peter nodded, pulled his fist back, and let go. He watched in awe, and slight horror, as the dummy went flying towards the back wall, hitting another one as it went. Both collapsed at the back of the arena, the head snapped off of the first one.
"Okay, now that was cool," Percy grinned. "I know you're afraid of your strength, afraid that you can't control it. But trust me, you can. It's natural to be afraid, but I wanted to show you that it's okay." Percy left out the part that he was afraid of some of his powers, shoving them as far away as he could, so far that people didn't even think about the fact that his father was not just the god of the sea. He was also the god of earthquakes. Right now, he was trying to help his friend. He could worry about himself later. Or not.
"You were right," Peter admitted. "It was nice to not to have to hold back, even if it was only for a moment."
"We can always do this again later," Percy assured his friend. "But for now, let's put this stuff away. Annabeth will be here any minute to insist we take a shower."
And two minutes later, the blonde walked in, chatting with Piper. Spotting the two boys, she called out to them. "Campfire in thirty minutes! Go take a shower.
Percy shot Peter a "I-told-you-so look" but nodded. As they made their way out, Piper spoke up.
"Nico' s here, and I managed to get Leo out of his cabin. We'll see you there!"
"Okay, so I know who Nico is. Your cousin, son of Hades, dating Will. But who's Leo?" Peter asked as they walked into the Poseidon cabin. He was glad that the cabin had it's own showers.
"Uh, son of Hephaestus, counselor of his cabin. He's a fire wielder, and he tinkers a lot. I think you'll get along with him. He pulls pranks and stuff all the time, but he's really smart. I don't know him as well as some of the others, but he's cool."
Peter nodded, before grabbing a fresh change of clothes. He was excited to see what a demigod campfire would be like.
He was not disappointed.
Peter watched in awe as the flames grew and changed colors depending on the mood of the campers. Magic fire was awesome. The flames were currently a bright gold color, and had to be at least eight feet high.
He was sitting next to Percy, who had Annabeth on his other side. Next to Annabeth was Thalia, then Piper, followed by the demigod Peter now knew as Nico, who was sitting besides Will. On Peter's other side was Leo, who, as Percy predicted, he got on well with. Leo reminded Peter of a mix of Clint, Tony and Bruce, but with way more energy.
The demigods were all singing camp songs, but not any that Peter knew. No, instead, they were singing demigod ones, which included "This Land is Minos's Land," "Down By the Aegean," and "I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa."
Peter just watched as they sang, taking in the way all the campers interacted with each other. He could tell the parentage of some of them, but others were harder. Letting his eyes close, Peter breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of the fire.
School had been stressful for him. Now that he was a junior, he was starting to look at colleges. Tony had promised he could help get Peter into any school he wanted, because "Kid, you're a genius. Any school would be lucky to have you." But Peter wasn't sure where he wanted to go anymore.
With the college search, being a superhero, balancing time with his friends and family, and being on the decathlon team, Peter rarely got any time to himself to just relax and be as normal as he could.
And while a demigod camp wasn't exactly normal, there were currently no academic or hero pressures hanging over his head.
He would take what he could get.
Peter was confused for a few minutes when he woke up. He wasn't in his room back in his apartment, and he wasn't in his room that he had at the compound.
He turned onto his side, and when he spotted Percy, still asleep, he remembered.
Smiling, Peter got out of bed, getting ready for the day. He had no idea what Percy had planned, so he prepared for everything. He hesitated for a moment, before slipping one of his web shooters into his pocket. Just in case.
After he was ready, he checked the time, remembering when Piper had told him breakfast was. Sighing, Peter realized he would have to wake Percy up.
Looking around, Peter grinned as he grabbed his pillow, before throwing it, with restrained strength, at the sleeping demigod.
Percy's groaned, flipping over, his eyes still closed. "Don't wanna get up," he muttered, sleepily running a hand through his messy hair. "Five more minutes, mom."
Laughing, Peter responded. "I'm not your mom, Percy."
Percy opened an eye, looking at his friend. "No, you're not." Sighing, he stretched his arms above his head, before reluctantly sitting up. "How are you already up?"
"Just excited," Peter shrugged. "It's not every day I get to spend the day at a demigod camp."
"True," Percy hummed as he pulled out a fresh set of clothes. "M'kay, I'll get dressed. Then, breakfast. I'll show you the stables, and the lake. Piper wanted to have a picnic with the group for lunch, so we'll meet up with everyone at the beach later. Sound good?
Peter nodded, before making his way out of the cabin, sitting on the edge of the porch, kicking his legs back and forth. He looked out at the other cabins, watching people go in and out, meeting with friends, or walking around with their noses stuck in a book.
Percy walked out five minutes later, wearing pretty much the same thing he did the day before. He whistled, and Andi and Lola came bounding out, happy to be out in the fresh air. They had left them in the cabin with their toys, food and water while they trained last night, not wanting to accidentally hurt them. As well, they were both content by the time it was campfire time, and not wanting the dogs around the fire, had let them sleep in the cabin.
Today, though, the activities they were going to be doing were more dog friendly, so they brought them with.
After a quick breakfast, Percy led Peter over to the stables, and when Peter walked in, his mouth dropped.
"Are those— is that—?"
"Yeah," Percy chuckled. "Here, instead of riding horses, we have pegasus riding lessons. I thought you would enjoy seeing them. I'll introduce you."
Peter was even more stunned to see Percy actually talk to the horses.
"Poseidon created horses, so I can talk to them," Percy shrugged. "Horses, zebras, you name it. Any kind of horse."
After introducing Peter to each pegasus, Percy led them back to the doors.
"Unfortunately, Blackjack, my closest pegasus friend, isn't here right now. He's soaring the skies. But I'll have to introduce you to him sometime. I would love to have you ride one, but training takes time. If you ride Blackjack, though, he'll be careful as long as I bring him a treat. He'd be good for your first time in the air."
Peter nodded, excited about the fact that someday, he'd get to ride an actual pegasus.
A bark interrupted their conversation, and they turned to see both dogs greeting someone who had arrived at the stables.
"Hey, Katie," Percy smiled, waving. "You can pet Andi if you want."
The girl smiled back, before scratching behind the golden retriever's ear. Spotting Peter, she held her hand out for him to shake. "I'm Katie, daughter of Demeter. I take it you're this Peter I've been hearing about?"
"Yeah, I guess," Peter nodded as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," she replied, before waving at them as she disappeared around the corner.
"Hey, let's go to the lake," Percy turned towards his friend. "I want to show you something."
Peter was in awe as he looked around, taking in the fact that he was breathing underwater, protected in a bubble of air that Percy made. And Percy was just standing next to him, without a bubble, breathing, talking and moving just fine. Their dogs were at the edge of the lake, splashing around, but ready to help them if needed.
"This was always my favorite place to come if I need a break from everything," Percy gestured to the space around them. "I mean, everyone knows they can find me here if I'm not anywhere else, but since no one else can breath underwater, I can be alone. It's nice, to just lay on the bottom of the lake and look up at the sky. It looks cool. Actually, I've fallen asleep down here," the demigod admitted, laughing a little. "It's just really peaceful."
"I can see how that would happen," Peter responded lazily, muscles relaxing. "I haven't felt this calm in a long time."
"We can stay down a little longer," Percy replied as he checked his phone, a small bubble around it to keep it from getting wet. "We're not due to be at the picnic for another half hour, and it'll take like, two minutes to get there."
They lay next to each other in silence, breathing in the moment free of stress, enjoying each other's presence.
When Percy's phone beeped, they started making their way back up to the surface reluctantly. Due to the bubble Peter had been in, he emerged completely dry, just like Percy.
Calling for Andi and Lola, they made their way thirty feet down the beach where Piper had spread out a blanket for them to sit on, food already spread out.
"I brought a little something," Percy grinned as he pulled out the bag of blue chocolate chip cookies from the bag he left nearby.
Piper cheered when she saw them. "Your mom's cookies are the best! Make sure to thank her for me!"
"I will," Percy chuckled as he sat down, taking in the array of food. "Everyone else on their way?"
Piper nodded. "Leo just finished up a project, Annabeth and Thalia cleaned up after training, and Will and Nico should be making their way here from the infirmary. They'll be surprised to see you here first," she teased, gently knocking her shoulder against Percy's.
"Hey!" Percy pouted, but his eyes gave away his amusement. "I can be early, sometimes."
"Wow, Kelp Head got here before us?" Thalia's voice carried from where she and Annabeth were walking, making their way towards them.
"Whatever, Pinecone Head," Percy rolled his eyes. "It's been known to happen. Just sit and enjoy the food."
She huffed in response, but sat, claiming the space between Piper and Annabeth.
They started eating, not bothering to wait for Will, Nico and Leo, knowing they would show up soon.
Will and Nico were the next to appear, and Peter couldn't help but laugh internally at how different they looked, especially next to each other. But if they made each other happy, that's what was important, right?
Nico looked a little grumpy, before spotting Thalia. The two cousins greeted each other, and Will sat down on Peter's other side, joined shortly by Nico. They exchanged glances, before helping themselves to food.
Leo arrived a few minutes later, his tool belt still around his waist. He grinned as he reached over everyone to grab a sandwich, then sat down next to Piper. "Hey guys."
"Dude, don't talk with food in your mouth. How many times have I told you that?" Piper scrunched her nose as she looked over at her friend.
"Sorry, Pipes," Leo responded after swallowing the bite in his mouth. "I'll work on that."
"So, Peter," Thalia turned towards the mortal. "If I remember correctly, you're not only a genius, but have an internship with Tony Stark."
"Iron-Man?" Leo asked excitedly. "You know Iron-Man?" He started to ramble, cut off by a look from Piper, shooting back a sheepish look of his own.
Peter nodded as he reached for another strawberry. "Uh, yeah. I do. He's cool. I mean, it's not like we're best friends or anything," Peter lied, not wanting to reveal how close he was getting to the billionaire, in fear of his identity being spilled, even though he knew he could trust the demigods. He just wasn't ready yet. Maybe when he got to know them better. "But yeah."
"That's so cool!" Leo waved his hands in excitement, before asking Peter a lot of questions.
Rolling her eyes, Thalia turned back to the other two girls, starting a conversation with them as Leo talked Peter's ear off.
Percy just grinned, eating his food as he took in how happy his friends looked. Will and Nico were talking about something medical, and the girls were talking about some band. The son of Poseidon was content to watch them, petting the dogs who were laying quietly next to each other, occasionally slipping them a little food.
It was a great day.
"Capture the flag is a big deal around here," Percy explained as he strapped on his armor. "Two teams. Cabins trade duties or other things to get certain cabins on their side. I teamed with the Athena, Aphrodite and Hephaestus cabin, of the Olympians, I mean. Usually when we have Hunters here, we all play against them, but since there's only three of them, they reluctantly teamed up with us, but only 'cause of Annabeth and Piper, really. Since Thalia is friends with them, they're willing to be on their side. Most of the Aphrodite cabin will sit out, but it's fine. We have Piper, and she's good. Nico will also be on our team, but we'll be against Clarisse, I told you about her, Will and Kayla, among others."
Satisfied with his armor, Percy turned to help Peter.
"Now, I know you haven't trained much, so we'll keep you out of direct fire. But you'll be a big help, especially with your reflexes. Keep your sword on you at all times. We're not supposed to hurt each other, but a sword fight is normal."
Peter nodded. He would handle this like training with the Avengers, or at least the few he had trained with, since not all stayed at the compound very often. The idea of a battle didn't worry him, but facing up against a bunch of demigods did, at least a little. But he trusted Percy and his friends.
It was fun, and Peter enjoyed the freedom he felt as he ran through the woods. He would've liked to see what it was like to use his webs, but didn't want to risk people finding out that he was Spider-Man. He figured if he came back again, and got to know the campers well enough, he might have the chance. The two days he had been there hadn't been enough to fully grasp everything, so he stayed quiet about his identity. Here, he was just Percy's friend.
Their team won, thanks to the Hunters who set traps to catch the other team. Percy and Annabeth had been the leaders in the charge. They knew the other team would expect it to be them trying to get the flag, so they used that to their advantage. Instead of grabbing the flag, they were the distraction while Piper snuck over and grabbed the flag, rushing it back to safety before the other side could figure out what happened.
Piper looked proud, and Peter guessed it was because she was proving the stereotypes of her cabin wrong. She was a fierce fighter, and no one doubted her anymore.
Percy was right. The camp was changing. And it seemed like it was for the better.
After the campfire, the two boys retreated back to cabin three, taking quick showers, before passing out, tired but satisfied with how the day went.
Andi and Lola curled up next to Percy and Peter respectively, their heads protectively on the boys' stomachs as they watched the door, keeping them safe.
When they woke up the next morning, it was to their dogs licking their faces, Andi gently pawing Percy's face, and Lola nuzzling her face into Peter's neck.
After packing up their stuff, they headed out, planning to grab breakfast before Sally came to pick them up.
They said goodbye to everyone, promising to come back soon. Percy disappeared for a few minutes as Leo talked to Peter, but returned with a smile.
Percy kissed Annabeth goodbye, whispering something to her, before following Peter up the hill, the dogs waiting for them at the top, in the shade of Thalia's tree.
As they waited for Percy's mom, they lay on the grass, looking up at the clouds, trying to find different shapes. They pointed out the shapes they found, trying to outdo each other.
A car horn interrupted their competition, and they sat up, waving at Sally, before standing up, making their way towards the car. Sliding into the backseat with Andi and Lola, Peter buckled his seatbelt, before glancing out the window.
A group of demigods stood at the top of the hill, waving at them as the car pulled away.
"Did you boys have fun?" Sally asked, smiling at them.
Percy nodded, stifling a yawn. "Was lots of fun. Thalia was there, so it was nice to catch up with her. Haven't seen her in awhile. By the way, Piper says thanks for the cookies."
"I'm glad you enjoyed them. What about you, Peter? How did you enjoy spending a few days at camp?" Sally glanced at the boy in the backseat.
"It was great," Peter grinned. "I really needed a break from everyday life, and everyone was really cool. Plus, there were a lot of fun things to do. I'm definitely not gonna forget this."
"I'm glad to hear that," Sally responded, before turning on some quiet, classical music. "It'll take a little while to drive back, so get some sleep if you want. I'll wake you up when we get to your apartment."
"Thanks, Mrs. Jackson," Peter nodded, eyes already drooping.
He dreamt of flying through the sky, enjoying the peace being underwater could bring, and of golden flames as voices sung.
When his aunt asked how camp had been, he simply smiled. "Amazing."
Because it was.
A/N: This is the longest oneshot so far for this story, and I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it! I felt like it was time for Peter to meet some of Percy's Greek friends. Next up, he'll meet some Romans, open up, and strengthen his powers!
~NewtsSuitcase
