Chapter Three: The one where a god gets a Harry Potter reference

There are somethings that change over time and that's not even counting time travel. Mr.D was not one of those things what so ever.

"Ah yes Peter Johnson come join us and don't you dare cause me a headache otherwise," there was a pause as Mr.D took a sip from his Coca Cola before grimacing at it not being wine, "cheetah. I'll turn you into a nice lovely cheetah or a creature like such."

Percy stared back at Mr.D who was -no, would be referred to as "the wine dude" by certain donut loving pegasus much to said wine dude's annoyance.

"Well there went my hope and dreams of being a dolphin," was the dry (Percy was too tired to be anything else and then was there fact he had endured watching his mom being kidnapped a second time around by Hades) retort Percy gave to Mr.D's threat.

Grover let out a panicked noise before shooting a nervous look at Percy. 'What about nice did you not get?' Grover mouthed to him.

"Do you know how to play pinochle?" Mr.D asked Percy with suspicious blood shot eyes.

Percy frowned as he thought. Mythocards, poker, and gold fish? Absolutely (though sadly he didn't excel at gold fish despite his godly parent). Pinochle? Not so much since he really didn't remember really playing it.

"No," Percy finally answered.

"No sir," Mr.D corrected with air of anger.

Percy without missing a beat replied, "There's no need call me sir professor."

Percy had always wanted to say that; that and take me to your leader.

Mr.D momentarily choked on a poor timed sip of his Coke Cola. Chiron had a look of being torn from being amused and knowing he couldn't (or rather shouldn't) laugh but his lips did twitch upwards. Annabeth, who had been leaning on the banister her back to the banister instead of her stomach so her back was not to them (to him) all the while watching him with wary eyes, let out a laugh so hard she tilted her head. Curls falling with her head into the sunlight. Percy's chest ached at the sight; at knowing Annabeth wouldn't turn her back while in his presence. Suddenly despite it being as sunny and warm it had been a minute ago Percy felt cold.

He bit down the urge to fiddle with something or anything he could get his fingers on. Instead he shoved his hands into his jean pockets that were completely empty. This, the reminder of being in the past, of not having Riptide with him, only made Percy feel even more cold.

Finally someone broke the silence.

"Annabeth?" Chiron called and she came forward. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Hermes Cabin, Percy thought as soon as Chiron said the number. Going back there meant Luke. What was he going to do about Luke? Or rather this Luke? It had been a question that had turning in his heads for weeks and he still hadn't come up with an answer.

"Sure, Chiron," she agreed with slightly pursed lips. Before Annabeth left she turned around and stared at Percy. The look she gave him was that of an alley cat when it found a rat.

"You drool in you're sleep," Annabeth then smiled at him, innocence incarnate. Percy smiled back. It felt more like a grimace than a smile so he was thankful Annabeth had already turned her back on him and had started making her way off the porch.

Percy instead of watching her go looked back at Chiron. "Do you work here ?"

"Not ," Chiron corrected with a soft smile. "You may call me Chiron. I'm afraid was a pseudonym. A lie told so that I could make a house call-"

As Chiron talked Percy figured with a small frown that this time around he sadly would, like last time, not to get see the orientation film. Bummer.

"Grover," Mr.D interrupted Chiron who was saying something about Percy's first test, "are you playing?" It didn't sound like a question.

"Yes sir!" Grover yelped immediately after Mr.D finished his question. With trembling fingers Grover dragged the chipped paint chair agansit the porch deck and further from the table so he could sit.

"Now," Mr.D said, "would you like to tell me why a Greek demi-god has a SPQR tattoo on his arm?"

Percy glanced up. Unlike Annabeth he was never good at looking innocent incarnate.

"I haven't had gotten a single headache from you boy." There was a warning in Mr.D's voice.

"Who are you?" Percy asked. "What does Mr.D stand for?" He inquired.

Mr.D sent him a rather ugly glare. "You'll find that names have great meaning."

Percy, far use to Mr.D and his attitude, only kept on staring with an eyebrow raised. That seemed to annoy Mr.D further. Anger did not suit the - what were the painting of baby faced angels called? Hubbubs, Percy wondered with a small frown. No that wasn't it. It was...cherubs. That was it.

Anger and a Hawaiian shirt did not suit Mr.D even though more often than not he was passive aggressive and wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Funny how life works.

[\]

"You taught Latin class Mr-Chiron. Why would you teach the Greek names of the gods if you're teaching a Latin class?"

Mr.D gave him a rather dry look. "Because the Greek gods exist."

"And the Roman ones don't?"

"If you even start to give me headache you'll be wishing I just had the power to take away ten house points. Haven't I already threaten to turn your imprudent brat self into a animal?"

"To be honest I think there are wrost fates than being animal."

There must have been something in his eyes because Mr.D made no comment or retort after looking at him. Chiron however started explaining that the Romans stole their gods from the Greeks. In his mind Percy could imagine how Frank had once said the Romans had made the gods more...well like gods than the Greeks had. Honestly Percy didn't care if the gods were Greek or Roman. It honestly didn't matter to him if Hera was Hera or Juno, if Ares was Ares or Mars, if Athena was Athena or Minerva, and so on.

What mattered to Percy was them messing up his and his friend's lives.

[\]

Sometimes Percy doesn't dream of Tartarus. Sometimes Percy dreams of cabin in Alaska. There's snow on the roof and on the ground that softly crunches as he walks towards the cabin that's living room curtains are open. It's bright and warm in there like its quiet and peaceful out here.

There's a Christmas tree in the corner that's Christmas lights remind Percy of a candle being lit. There's an overwhelming amount of presents under a tree that a blonde haired little girl ripping the wrapping apart from the presents with eager chubby hands.

Percy never gets to see her eyes but he just knows that there's his just like the blonde curly hair comes from Annabeth. Percy never gets to make in that little happy cabin either.

He never tells Annabeth about those bitter sweet dreams when he wakes up to her studying a Greek or Roman mythology book with tired eyes and her hair in a ponytail so it's out of the way.

That's her coping; her knowing what might come next. Except there's no next greet big bad to face for them - for him. Instead there's only reliving it.

[\]

It's when they're in the strawberry patches that Chiron finally confesses. "I must say I'm glad you're alive even with your tattoo. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."

"Does it matter?" Percy asks before kneeling down and touching some soil. It's dry. Too dry in fact. Percy wipes the soil on his jeans. It'll need some more water with how hot today was.

"What should or should not matter?" Chiron asks with that look in his eye. The one that he had when Percy had answered (lied) that he didn't know how how Greek mythology was applicable to real life. It's a look that matches Chiron's age. Old and daunting but none the less a bit curious. It's a look that (despite Chiron being his teacher, his friend) puts the hair on the back of Percy's neck stand up.

Was this how a frog feels before its gutted for kids to examine it? It dies so others can learn.

"If I'm Greek or Roman. Does it really matter?"

Chiron gave a small frown at that. There would have been silence if not the sounds of far off chatter and the clang of metal against metal some distance away from them.

"It shouldn't," Chiron admitted softly, "but it does. Every time Romans and Greeks meet there's war and that's not including what transpired during winter solstice."

"What happened?" Percy asked as he rubbed his thumb and middle finger against one and another. There's still some soil on them.

"Hopefully something that shall be resolved soon," was all that Chiron said on the matter.

Percy grimaced. The life of a demi-god, the life he had never wanted but had grown to both hate and love, had soured Percy's hopes of ever being left out of Greek and Roman not-so mythology shit. Changed timeline or not.

A/N: "Eat bitter, taste sweet," Frank said. "I hate that proverb."

"But it's true. What do they call it these days-no pain, no gain? Same concept. You do the easy thing, the appealing thing, the peaceful thing, mostly it turns out sour in the end. But if you take the hard path-ah, that's how you reap the sweet rewards. Duty. Sacrifice. They mean something."

[\]

Okay so the reason this chapter took so long is because I own all the Heroes of Olympus books in hardback (while I own every Percy Jackson book besides The Last Olympian in paperback which is funny since I prefer Percy Jackson) but I couldn't find where my stupid self put The Mark of Athena.

In other news I find an interesting quote in one of the chapters of The
Lightning Thief. I knows there's debate on whether or not Smelly Gabe ever hurt Percy when Percy was at home besides threatening to kick or punch his lights out.

"I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was something I had learned from living with Gabe, it as how to tell when an adult had been hitting the happy juice."

Anyone else reminded of that line in Harry Potter of Harry having learnt to stay of arm reach? Which yes without a doubt Harry Potter was abused. Now while we do know for sure Sally was abused by Smelly Gabe I think that qoute does suggest that maybe Smelly Gabe might have hurt Percy while drunk. It's funny how things go over your head as a kid but when you read them again as a teenager you notice things.