Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I forgot this on the last chapter, but I don't own any of it. All rights belong to Rick Riordan.

The next two months seemed to fly by. After a long discussion with Apollo the night he showed up on Percy's doorstep, it was decided that Percy and Annabeth would, once again, be spending their summer doing the work of the gods. No one except Apollo was happy about that decision, but it came down to doing what the gods wanted or facing their wrath. With those options, the choice was obvious. That night, Percy's sleep was invaded by memories of his father telling him he wasn't supposed to be born, of Annabeth telling him about how Thalia had died and become a tree, and of Bianca dying in the desert. He woke up feeling worse than when he had gone to bed.

Within two days, Percy, Annabeth, and Apollo were meeting with the Kanes, Magnus, and Sam in Central Park to discuss the upcoming quest. The others had been receiving messages from their gods that something big was happening, and that they were expected to take part in it. So it was no surprise to them when Percy and Annabeth relayed the situation to them. However, no one wanted to leave on a quest before they finished the school year, and they were going to have to wait on Hephaestus, his automatons, and his children to complete a ship for their travels, so it was decided that the questers would not leave until the Monday after Father's Day.

As luck would have it, however, when that day arrived, Hephaestus arrived at Camp Half-Blood to inform the group that he hadn't managed to finish their trireme. Leo and the other Hephaestus campers were working as fast as they could, but the combined magic of three pantheons was hindering the process more than expected, so the team didn't leave Long Island until July first. Percy and Annabeth had not said anything to their new team of seven, but the former team of seven all made it clear that they didn't like the date of departure any better than their battle-weary friends. It was a quiet good-bye that felt all too much like a final good-bye. It would be the first of many bad omens that would occur over the next several weeks.

The ship was named Ancient Days, and Percy was named the captain. In many ways, it was a lot like the Argo II, but unlike the ship from the previous quest, the Ancient Days did not fly. It was fitted with engines, however. Though when Percy was sailing, he did not use the engines or the GPS. Annabeth helped him learn to utilize the maps, and once he knew where he was heading, he just willed the trireme that direction. When others sailed, however, they did use the engines and the GPS. Percy could will the ship faster than the engines if he wanted, but the others didn't have that power, obviously.

The quest had three major stops: Sweden, Egypt, and Greece, and they decided to go in that order. However, nothing is ever that simple on a quest, and with the monsters of three pantheons after them, just crossing the Atlantic was proving to be even more difficult than when Percy and Annabeth had been on the Argo II. It took the entire crew of seven and the three automaton ship guardians to help defend the ship from the monsters. Everyone was exhausted by the end of each day, and Percy often felt like he spent more time in the water than he did on board the ship. Sam reminded him that she spent just as much time flying in the air as he spent swimming in the ocean.

If that wasn't enough, it seemed that every time Percy's head the pillow, he was smothered in old memories of every time he had nearly died, of when Bianca died, of learning about Thalia turning into a tree, of the Fates snipping that yarn, and of when he had learned about the oath his father had taken to not have any more demigod children. In all honesty, it was beginning to take a toll on him, but he managed to keep it from the others, except Annabeth, of course.

One day about a week and half into the quest, she cornered him in the supply room of the ship. "Something is bothering you," she informed him.

He kept his back to her while he continued to repair a sail that had gotten ripped in a recent griffin attack. "We're on a quest. We're all bothered by something," he answered lightly.

"No, it's something else. You haven't been sleeping well since Apollo showed up, and you've taken to brooding. I know you, Seaweed Brain. You only brood when something is bothering you."

"I'm just tired, Annabeth. Captaining a ship is no small responsibility."

She grasped his shoulders and turned him to face her. "I know that, but you're still lying."

He looked down and slowly grabbed her hand as he answered, "No, I'm not."

She lifted his chin to force him to look at her face. "Then, look me in the eye and say that."

He sighed. "You're too smart. It really is nothing to worry about, though. It's just some dreams."

Annabeth's eyes widened and she gripped his arms. "Percy, demigod dreams are something to worry about. You know this."

He ran his hands up and down her arms to calm her down. "They're not demigod dreams. Just old memories coming back to haunt me. Really, it's nothing to worry about."

She eyed him closely. "I don't believe you. You're worried about it, even if it is memories, but I don't guess I'm going to get it out of you right now." She hugged him. "Just remember that you're not in this alone. You can tell me anything," she promised.

Percy hugged her back and pressed a kiss to her hair. "I know, but for now, let's just see how things play out. There's no sense in both of us being distracted by my dream memories."

She looked up at him. Then she stood up on her tip toes and kissed him softly. He felt himself relax some as he kissed her back. She pulled back from him and smirked. "There. That's the distracted face I like to see."

Percy threw his head back and burst out laughing. "Gods, I love you." His dreams weren't quite so relentless that night.

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After another week and a half, they finally arrived in Lund, Sweden. They then spent another week traveling the country chasing after leads and killing monsters before winding back up where they started in Lund. Then, Sam and Magnus used the Hunnestad monument carvings to take off into Yggdrasil for four more days of doing the same thing. They apparently met up with a couple of their friends while jumping around the nine worlds and finally managed to bring the sight of the future back to the Völva. When they finally got back, though, Magnus was the color of ashes, and Sam looked like she hadn't slept the entire time they had been gone.

Annabeth and Sadie took charge of getting the two of them down to the sick bay where Apollo said that in his professional mortal opinion, the two were suffering from exhaustion and use of too much magic. All they needed was food and a lot of sleep. Percy made a captain's decision to stay at the harbor for two more days to give them time to recover before the ship went back out to sea, where they would no doubt encounter more monsters they would sitting there in Lund.

By the afternoon of the second day, Magnus came marching up to Percy who was on deck making a final check of the lines, sails, and riggings so they could head out first thing the next morning. "Percy, why are we still at port?"

Percy raised his eyebrows turned to look at Magnus. "We were giving you and Sam some time to recover. You came back to the ship looking like death warmed over."

"I am death warmed over," Magnus deadpanned.

"You know what I mean," Percy replied as he expertly tied off a rope.

"That still doesn't answer my question. We could have slept while we sailed."

Percy shook his head. "Dude, the monsters aren't going to just disappear because we've made it to Europe. Our staying here to give you and Sam a chance to rest was just as much for your benefit as it was for all of us. And, quite frankly, the monster problem is only going to get worse once we cross into the Mediterranean Sea. We're all going to need to be in top form."

Magnus nodded. "Okay, then. I guess I can accept that, but I'm done resting. What can I do to help out around here?"

"Carter's about to cook dinner. You know how he is about meal duty. I'm sure he would appreciate your help."

Magnus chuckled. "Fine, I'll go help him, but don't expect anything gourmet."

"Never do," Percy called out to Magnus, as the son of Frey descended the ladder below deck.

Magnus yelled something back, but Percy couldn't make it out. Knowing Magnus, though, it probably wasn't anything either one of their mothers would have approved of.

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That evening, Percy and Annabeth activated the automaton ship guardians so that everyone could sit to eat dinner together and listen to Magnus and Sam's story and then get a good night's rest before heading out in the morning. The guys had cooked a frozen lasagna and garlic bread and had put together a salad for dinner. There was even chocolate cake for dessert because apparently Magnus had found a box mix and wanted cake. While they ate, Sam and Magnus took turns interrupting one another to tell the story of their adventures in the Nine Worlds over the past several days. Like any hero story, it was a harrowing tale of adventure and near death experiences, that is to say, just a normal day in the life of a(n) demigod/magician/einherji.

At last their story was finished, and everyone was polishing off their cake. Apollo looked like he was about to doze off where he sat, and Percy could feel his own eye lids getting heavy. Sam slowly chewed the last bite of her cake. She was staring off into space looking like she was working out a particularly difficult math problem. Then she blinked, looked at her plate, and slowly said, "There is one thing I can't figure out, though."

"What's that?" Magnus asked through a bite of cake.

"It was something Odin said to me just as we were about to leave to come back to Midgard."

"Well, spit it out," Sadie prompted. "What did he say?"

Sam looked up and locked eyes with Percy. "He said that he wished Percy was Norse so that when he dies he could be brought to Valhalla. He said that you would be an excellent einherji to have when Ragnarok does occur. It was the way he said it, though, as if… Never mind. I was tired and hungry and just reading into things," she finished quickly, shaking her head.

That statement seemed to perk Apollo right up. He didn't look surprised to hear what Odin had said, nor what Sam had tried to not say about the All-Father's statement. He mostly looked worried, like a secret had slipped, and he was hoping that no one noticed. Based on the looks Percy was getting from the others at the table, though, everyone noticed. Percy cleared his throat, put on a confused smile, and casually answered, "Well, thanks, I think. But, I don't really want to fight anymore once I do die, so I think I will just stick with Elysium."

Magnus smirked at him. "Lazy. Leaving all the hard saving-the-world work to me and my friends."

"Once I'm dead, it'll be your turn since I've been doing all that hard saving-the-world work while I'm still alive," Percy replied.

"Hey! I saved Boston before I died!" Magnus exclaimed.

Percy raised his eyebrow and smirked. "I'm just messing with you, bro."

Magnus's face fell. "I…Oh. It's hard to tell with you."

Percy laughed. "Whatever, man. Are you done with your plate?"

"What? Oh, yeah, sure," he answered as he handed Percy his empty plate. Percy gathered the other plates, and he and Annabeth cleaned the kitchen while the others went about their evenings. Carter and Jack sparred in the training room. Apollo set up a few targets on the top deck, and practiced his archery. Sam and Sadie had walked towards the cabins probably for some girl talk.

Annabeth and Percy worked in silence. Once the dishes were clean, Percy turned to see Annabeth wiping down the last countertop. She walked over and dumped the crumbs in the trash can, and then headed his way to replace the dish rag. But before she could get the rag to the sink, Percy grabbed her by the waist, pulled her to him, and kissed her. She leaned into the kiss, tossed the rag towards the sink, and tangled her fingers in his hair.

"What was that for?" she asked once they pulled apart.

Percy wound a piece of her hair around his fingers, still holding her close to him, and stated, "You were being quiet."

Annabeth's eyes twinkled. "So you thought that meant I needed a kiss?"

Percy shrugged. "I had no idea if you needed it or not, but it sure sounded like fun to me."

Annabeth laughed out loud at that. "Gods, Percy. You're hopeless."

"And you're hopelessly in love with me, so what's your point?" Percy asked with a smirk.

She laughed again and shook her head. "Is this conversation going anywhere?"

"It could go to my cabin," he answered, waggling his eyebrows.

"And what would it do in your cabin?" she asked, narrowing her eyes and smirking at him.

"I don't know. Talk about what's on your mind. Make-out. Both. Whatever it wants to do," he suggested airily.

She tapped her temple with her index finger. "Hmmm…I suppose that would be okay. We will just have to be careful because I would hate to get arrested for having an inappropriate relationship with a minor." She jumped out of his embrace laughing and took off at a run.

"Hey!" Percy yelled. He ran after her. "Three weeks, Wise Girl!" She flew out the door of the dining hall, and he was just steps behind her. He heard her laughing as she went to the lowest deck of the ship where the crew cabins were located, and then there was silence. He bounded down after her, and just as he was about to run past his door to hers, he was grabbed by his shirt collar and jerked into his cabin. Annabeth pushed the door closed with his body, and then, she closed the distance (what little there was) between the two of them and pressed her lips to his.

After several minutes of making out, their heated kissing and touching slowed down. They sat on Percy's bed cuddling and still kissing a little for a while longer until they were finally just quietly snuggled next to one another lost in their own thoughts. Percy absentmindedly ran his fingertips up and down her forearm, and she rubbed the back of his other hand with her thumb.

"That's what you've been dreaming about, isn't it?" she asked breaking the silence.

"What is?" he asked even though he knew what she was referring to.

She looked over and up at him. "Dying. I don't know if it's you dying or someone else, but your dreams have been about death."

He sighed. "You're right, as always."

"Are you going to tell me about them, or am I going to have to drag it out of you?" she asked when he didn't elaborate on his dreams.

The corner of his mouth turned up. "I suppose I have to tell you, then, but promise me you won't make too much of it," he asked, his voice turning serious. "We're on a dangerous quest, and these are just normal dreams, not demigod dreams."

She looked at him. Her gray eyes were calculating as she looked at him. Finally, she answered, "I promise I won't make too much of it, if it's not necessary."

Percy smiled and squeezed her a bit tighter in a hug. "That sounds about right." Then, his face grew more serious, and he eased up on the hug. "The dreams are just reliving the times I've nearly died, mostly."

"Mostly?" she prompted.

"Well, yeah, but sometimes I dream about when my dad explained his oath to not have any more demigod kids or about the time I saw the fates. And sometimes it's about when I found out that Thalia had died and was turned into a tree, and sometimes it's when Bianca died. Never anyone else, though," he said quietly. "It's always their deaths and my near misses."

"The children of the Big Three," she stated.

He held her chin and turned her face to look at him. "Look, Annabeth. You promised to not make too much of this. I don't want you to worry about me. I've been told plenty of times that I won't survive something, and I'm still here. Everything will be alright."

"But what if-" she started.

"Thinking about the what ifs won't get us anywhere, Wise Girl. We've got to focus on the task at hand. Just stay positive, and we will cross that bridge if and when we come to it."

She looked back down with her head on his chest and hugged him tight. "I just don't want to lose you."

Percy held her close. He didn't want to lose her either, but he couldn't promise that he would always be there. Something was different about this quest; his gut was telling him so. He just kept silent, instead, and eventually they fell asleep holding each other.