AN:
This is like my fourth time starting this chapter completely over from scratch. This chapter was a complete bitch to write. It's not from lack of motivation, but rather from the core content of "The Mark of Athena". Due to how many characters and moving parts that already exist in each scene of this book, adding Percy to the different scenes kept coming off as incredibly forced and inorganic, and I just wasn't liking how it turned out. It doesn't lend itself to being altered that way in my opinion. To combat this, I decided to wedge in new scenes, along with altering original ones a good deal. It took a while to get it right. That's why this chapter took longer than usual. I was writing and re-writing hoping to make something I was happy with, and I think I've finally reached it here. So, here's the fruit of my labor, chapter 16 of "The Spartan"

The Argo II, June 2010 CE

Percy regretted not going with them. He had figured that the demigods could handle a simple non-hostile visit to New Rome, so he had opted to stay at Camp Half-Blood with Zoë for a few days, promising to meet up with the demigods later. His date with Zoë had helped him realize that he hadn't been spending nearly enough time with the woman he loved, so he had jumped at the opportunity to be with her.

Looking back, he could see how much of a mistake that choice was. He should've never trusted the young demigods to do something as simple as not dying without his help. Still, he had misguidedly sent them alone, which is why when they iris messaged him in the middle of a romantic picnic with Zoë, he hadn't taken it too well.

They had explained that Leo had "accidentally" attacked New Rome, and now they were on the run, hiding out by Salt Lake City to fix the ship. They had called him just before they went their separate ways to look for parts to make repairs, their faces absolutely begging for adult supervision. Begrudgingly, he and Zoë had cut their picnic short, and vapor-travelled together to the Argo II.

Unlike shadow travel, vapor travel was not instantaneous. He actually had to transform himself and Zoë into water and fly all the way there. It was a little tedious compared to the absolute roller coaster of fun that was shadow traveling, but he didn't mind it. Because of this, it took them a few hours to reach the Argo II, giving Percy plenty of time to stew about incapable demigods.

By the time they had reached Salt Lake City, even at Percy's tremendous speeds, the Argo II was nowhere to be found, leaving Percy to jet around the surrounding skies searching for the flying boat. Finally, he found the floating trireme, materializing himself and Zoë on the deck. His ire was growing, because now he had been forced to zoom through the entirety of Utah's sky looking for them.

"Don't make me do that again." Zoë grumbled from the ground beside him. She had collapsed instantly upon her reformation, looking pale and sickly.

His anger momentarily forgotten; Percy extended a hand to help her up. He smiled apologetically at her. He had forgotten how strange and queasy vapor travel had made him the first time, and Poseidon's blessing gave him a natural affinity to that sort of thing. Zoë had no such luxury, so he couldn't imagine how sick she must be feeling now.

"Sorry about that. It's not first class flying by any means." He said with a sheepish smile.

"I'll say." She muttered. She was much too disoriented and queasy to be upset anyways.

Grasping her hand, Percy tugged her down the stairs going below deck, pulling her towards the mess hall. He hadn't seen anyone yet, so he assumed they were having a meeting. He stopped outside the door, opting to check on Zoë before bursting in. Turning towards her, he saw she was starting to look green, and his face grew soft.

"Zoë, you don't look so good. Why don't you head to our cabin? I'll be there shortly; I just need to yell at some idiot half-bloods." He said it comfortingly, like the idea of him intimidating a bunch of teenagers should bring her great joy.

"Alright." She forced out, still feeling terrible. The vapor travel really hadn't sat well with her. She reluctantly let go of his hand, safely maneuvering to their cabin. Percy watched her leave, waiting for her to turn the corner, his gaze lingering on her as she left. As soon as she was gone, he burst into the mess hall, the door slamming against the wall with violence.

All eyes turned to him at once, and he took in the occupants of the room. He saw Alex and Annabeth sitting together, hands intertwined, and despite his anger, he was happy for them. He saw Piper huddling close to Jason, stealing glances at Jason's obviously wounded skull. He even recognized the two demigods from the glacier, looking at him with confusion, obviously wondering who he was. He remembered that they hadn't seen him without armor, and that was where the confusion stemmed from.

Most importantly though, he saw the source of his anger. Sitting on the opposite side of the room was Leo Valdez, the scrawny boy aiming to look as tiny and unnoticeable as possible in his chair. His face looked apologetic, and Percy was sure he was, but honestly, he still wanted to yell. At least a little bit.

"Valdez!" he hollered, his voice causing the boy to wince. "I told you one thing and one damn thing only when you guys left. I said and I quote 'Do not. Blow up. Any Romans.' And guess what I hear in an IM in the middle of a fancy picnic? Valdez blew up some Romans! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't stick a wrench so far up your ass the entire Hephaestus cabin wouldn't be able to differentiate you from the robots you work on."

Throughout his little tirade, the demigods around him shrunk back. Normally, he suppressed his power, as he knew it was overwhelming at times. Only during fights, like back at the glacier when Hazel had mistaken him for a god, did he let it go unchecked. Right now was an exception; his power was unhindered, rolling off him in waves. Suffocating the half-bloods.

"Dude." Jason interjected voice wavering a bit, but still confident. "It's alright. It wasn't his fault."

Percy calmed a little at his words, but he was still a little pissed off. Leo smiled at his friend, thankful for defending him against the angry spartan. It wasn't everyday someone had the balls to come between Percy and the source of his anger, so Leo knew this meant a lot.

Alex however, looked a little jealous at the display, surprised that Percy had taken Jason's word so easily. He wondered if the ancient warrior had adopted Jason as a pupil like he had Alex before his disappearance. He had always looked up to Percy, and thought they had a special student master relationship. He wondered if Jason felt the same. He wondered which of them Percy thought was better.

"He couldn't control his actions. We think he was possessed or controlled or something." Alex supplied. Percy's eyes furrowed, as if he was contemplating what that meant. He shared a look with Annabeth, clearly meaning they were going to be sharing notes.

"Is that true Leo?"

"Yes." Leo squeaked out. He was still a little nervous, which was understandable considering who had been considering maiming him just a few moments ago.

"Alright. Fine. But I'm not happy." He said, shooting the demigod another glare for good measure.

"Yea, we're all in the same boat. We forgive him, but we're not happy. Now, can we move o-" Annabeth began, but she was cut off by Hazel, who just couldn't seem to restrain herself anymore.

"You're that guy from the glacier, aren't you?" she burst out. Her cheeks tinted a bit, obviously embarrassed by her outburst.

"I am. A little different without the mask, aren't I?" he smiled a genuine smile at her.

He liked her on the glacier, and he liked her now. The other Roman too. They showed a lot of grit boarding a ship with a guy who had just bombed their home, possession or not, and he could respect it. That was dedication to their duty, and if there was one thing Percy could admire in anyone, good or bad, it was commitment.

"Yea. A lot different." Frank grumbled.

He knew he was dating Hazel, and that Hazel liked him, but this dude was seriously good looking. Even though each of the girls in the room were in relationships, he saw the way their eyes looked at him, especially when he flashed his grin. It wasn't romantic, but there was a good amount of attraction there, and he couldn't blame them. He was gorgeous. The idea of being compared to this guy hurt definitely hurt his self-confidence a little.

"So. What's the plan now? I need to get back to Zoë, so give me the short version please." Percy asked, looking to Annabeth.

"Kansas. Piper saw something in Katoptris, and we need to land to finish repairs anyways." She explained.

"As good a plan as any. I approve. Now, can I go tend to my sick girlfriend, or are you guys going to blow some more shit up?"

"I think we can handle it Percy. Go see Zoë." Piper said, her voice soothing. She didn't bother charm speaking; she had learned that didn't work on Percy months ago. He claimed it was because he had been working with the gods, including Aphrodite, for years, but Piper wasn't so sure. Personally, she thought it was more likely the product of some insane training ritual he had discovered a long time ago.

Reluctantly, Percy moved to the door. Before exiting, he made the universal "I'm watching you" gesture towards the half-bloods, laughing as he went. Leo relaxed in his seat, realizing that the normally relaxed spartan had forgiven him and was back to his childish ways.

"So that's Percy?" Frank asked to break the silence, gaze directed towards Alex.

"Yea. That's him. Dude can kill a titan like he's squashing a bug, but he might be the goofiest guy I've ever met. Gives some pretty good life advice to boot." Jason said, admiration clear in his voice.

Hazel's eyebrows raised at that. She had always looked up to Jason at Camp Jupiter, so hearing about your hero's hero was kind of weird. She decided she wanted to speak more with this guy. She'd only been around him for about a few minutes total, so she really couldn't tell what she thought of him. Still, Alex, and now Jason, had told her a lot, and she desperately wanted to find out if the rumors were true.

"You look up to him, don't you?" Hazel asked.

The question had been directed at the Son of Jupiter, but apparently that wasn't clear. Still, she couldn't help but be impressed when every demigod around the table nodded their confirmation. These were the greatest demigods of the era, and yet they all looked up to the same guy. Hazel could recognize how telling that was. She wondered idly if one day she'd look up to him in the same way.

The Argo II, June 2010 CE

Percy slowly cracked open the door to the cabin Leo had designed for he and Zoë to share. At first, the campers had thought the idea of them sharing a cabin was pretty scandalous, but Percy had managed to convince them. Sure, he could see why sharing rooms could be a bad idea for the average teenage camper, but c'mon. He and Zoë were both over two-thousand years old, he figured they could handle it.

Eyeing the bed, he saw it was empty. Pressing in now, he looked around. He found no sign of Zoë, so he walked to the bathroom. Upon entering he saw her kneeling over the toilet, dry heaving. He felt guilty. If they had just gone with the demigods from the start, Leo might not have bombed the Romans, and he wouldn't have had to force Zoë to vapor travel.

Grabbing her hair and holding it back, Percy rubbed her back comfortingly while she wretched for a few minutes. He whispered words of comfort, hoping to help calm her. When she was done, he silently left the bathroom, sitting at a desk and waiting for her to clean up a bit. He knew she preferred it this way anyways. Zoë Nightshade could take care of herself, and she didn't like anyone, even Percy, seeing her vulnerable most of the time.

After a while, Zoë emerged from the bathroom, looking a lot better. She was still pale, but her skin had lost the green tint it had before. Percy smiled at her from his spot at the desk. He had been fiddling with his necklace absentmindedly, waiting for her. He wasn't usually a patient guy, but for her he could make an exception.

"Feeling better?" he asked softly.

"Yea, thank you. That vapor travel is terrible, I don't know how you do it." She muttered, making her way to the bed.

"Well to be honest, I reacted like you the first few times." He admitted. He twirled in the chair, not taking his eyes off her as she traversed the room.

Zoë laid down in the bed, drawing a blanket to herself. Percy watched her from the desk, staring at her. She didn't reply, instead staring at him expectantly. He flashed a grin at her, rising from his spot at the desk. She raised her arm, and he snuggled up next to her, allowing her to place her head on his chest.

Neither of them said anything for a while. They just enjoyed each other's warmth, happy to be doing nothing. It wasn't a luxury they often had. Zoë had taken up teaching advanced archery classes with Chiron at Camp Half-Blood, and Percy still had a bad habit of disappearing to run godly errands, so simple times together like these were worth every second.

"I like this." Zoë said, voicing the thought.

"What do you mean?" Percy said, his voice causing her head to vibrate on his chest.

"I know we're on a death-defying quest now, chaperoning a bunch of teenage heroes, but we're together. You're not off doing some asinine quest from the gods, I'm not trying to teach an Aphrodite camper to shoot straight while she cries about her nails. It's just us."

"You're right. I quite like it when it's just us." He murmured into her hair, pressing a kiss against her scalp.

"And what about after all this is done? Will it still be just us?" she asked, her voice losing some of its original cheer.

"Well, we've got to win first. There's no guarantees in life." Percy said quietly. It was a pretty somber thing to say, especially for him.

Zoë felt her breath hitch. He almost sounded scared. Percy was a lot of things, but she had never seen him afraid. She had never heard him with legitimate fear in his voice, even when he was going to face Kronos himself. She sat up violently, looking back at him with shock.

"What do you mean. Of course, we'll win. You're not afraid, are you?" She hissed. Part of her was angry he could be scared, but part of her was terrified too. If he of all people was afraid, what hope was there?

"Honestly," she nodded at him, urging him to explain. "Yeah I am afraid. Kronos was one thing. I knew that if I truly had to, I could beat him. But Gaea? This isn't even the same game. The gods, the titans, monsters, those are fightable. They're beings with powers and skills. The primordials? They're literally the embodiment of the very thing they represent. I don't know how we can kill the earth itself. It just doesn't seem possible… Plus, the EPA probably wouldn't approve."

She stared at him a moment. She knew his joke was out of nervousness, so she threw it aside, but the rest of it took a moment to unpack. She had to concede he had a point. Fighting Gaea was akin to fighting the air or the sky or the time of day. It didn't seem possible, or even logical, when framed in that capacity. Still, she wasn't going to let him doubt. Not when all the demigods on this quest looked to him for support. She'd be the supports support. Quickly, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body into his.

"Percy." She said comfortingly. "We're going to win. There's no one in the godly world I trust more than you to find a way to kill Gaea. With you, me, and everyone else on this ship, we're the planet earth killing machine."

"Pretty sure carbon emissions are the planet killing machine." He joked from beneath her. This time, she could tell the joke came from humor, not nervousness. She laughed, and soon, he was laughing too.

"So. After we kill Gaea via leaving the ship running. Do we go back to what we were doing before?" she asked.

She knew she sounded like a little kid, hopefully asking a parent for ice cream, but she couldn't help it. The idea of returning to the way things had been was scary. She wanted more. She knew he did too.

"No. I don't think I can do that to you. Or to myself. After this is over, I think I'll ask the gods to be relieved me of my duties." He said it like it was so simple, but the idea brought tears to her eyes.

"You'd do that? For me?" she murmured. She was clutching his chest now, looking up into his eyes.

"For us." He emphasized.

"But then, when I die, and you're still living, what happens to you? You live forever without me or your duty?" she questioned. She sounded distraught now.

She seemed heartbroken, and truthfully, she was. The idea had been bothering her for weeks now. She'd had an epiphany one day, realizing that she wasn't immortal any longer, but he was. She'd been forced to face the fact that she would die one day, and he'd live on. She couldn't imagine the pain he'd be in when she left him behind. The idea wounded her soul.

"Zoë that's ridiculous." He said. "Do you really think I'd let that happen? After this is over. After we've won, and we're both happy and together, I'll ask the gods to grant you immortality. If they say yes, great, we ride off into the sunset."

"And if they say no?"

"They won't. But if they do? I'll tell them to revoke my immortality. To make me mortal again. They can even take back their blessings if they want. It doesn't matter if they take everything and I'm left with just you. Because that's all that matters."

"Just me?"

"Just you." His voice was a whisper.

They were both crying now. Silent tears trekked down their faces. It was obviously something they had both worried about individually, and now it was in the air. Both dreaded the idea of one abandoning the other. They were scarred just by the idea of living without one another. How far they'd come from the people they were just a few years ago.

"You'd give up immortality?" she asked through wet tears, forcing her head into the crook of his neck.

"Zoë, if I lived on with you gone, I wouldn't be living. I'd rather die than be without you. I swear it on the River Styx." He said.

Thunder boomed overhead. She felt her heart swell at his words. Suddenly, a scary thought hit her, and new tears emerged. She pressed her head to his chest, crying unconsolably. He tried to get her to stop, but she simply couldn't contain it. She was weak. She wept into his shoulder until sleep overtook them both. The last thing on her mind? The words of the prophecy ricocheting through her skull.

An oath to keep with a final breath.

The Argo II, June 2010 CE

Percy woke up to a weight on his chest. Lazily, he reached up to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Looking down, he saw a mass of black hair spread across his chest. Smiling to himself, he reveled in the moment for a while. Zoë was like a furnace, the heat of her body warming him despite the cold temperature of the room.

Lovingly, he watched her sleep for a while. Last night she had been distraught and hysterical, but now she was peaceful. Her breathing was even and deep, and her mouth was upturned in a slight smile, as if she was dreaming of pleasant things. It was a serene sight, and he enjoyed it thoroughly.

Reluctantly, he remembered that he couldn't just lay there all day. Still, she was much too perfect where she was to wake her. Very carefully, he removed himself from underneath her sleeping form. He stood carefully, making sure to be as subtle as possible. He silently crept towards the door, taking one last look back at her as she snuggled deeper into the vacant bed, her arm splayed out over where he had just been.

Reaching the top of the deck, Percy looked around for any of the demigods. He had checked the mess hall, hoping to catch them eating breakfast, but found nobody. Now he was outside, the smell of Kansas filling his nostrils. He searched the deck, seeing Annabeth at the far end, scanning through some blueprints.

He approached her, making noise to alert her of his presence. His time around Nico DiAngelo had taught him that people creeping up on you silently was kind of annoying. Despite his deliberate attempts to be noticed, the daughter of Athena was too enamored in her work. Curiously, he peered over her shoulder, scanning the blueprints. They were of the Argo II.

"Working on the ship?" he asked, though it wasn't really a question. Annabeth jumped, completely caught off guard by his words.

"Oh, my gods! Don't sneak up on me like that." She scolded. He rolled his eyes at that. He had been about as sneaky as a monster truck.

"But yes, I am," she continued, barely looking at him before returning to scan the blueprints, "but Leo made these things so hard to understand."

Percy nodded like he was interested, but honestly, he'd much rather sink a ship then build one. "So… Where's everyone else?"

"Frank and Hazel are scouting. Jason, Alex, and Piper are checking out that vision she saw in Katoptris." Annabeth mumbled out.

"Topeka 32?"

"Topeka 32." She echoed.

"I guess I'll catch up to them. I'll leave you to the ship building, Noah."

"Mhmm." Came Annabeth's reply. She was obviously much more invested in the blueprints than Percy. He was a little miffed. That was a perfectly good Noah's ark joke, and no one had been around to laugh at it.

Grumbling, Percy started to vapor travel. He quickly flew through the fields, heading to where he sensed the road began. When he got to the road, he shot away, heading for the mile thirty-two marker. When he got there, it wasn't a pretty sight.

Alex was standing over Jason Grace, sword pointed down towards his chest. Piper was off to the side, screaming at him to stop, but it was no use. Percy sprang into action, forming his body directly in the path of the blade.

Percy raised his shield, absorbing the blow of Alex's sword. Rising violently, he delivered a headbutt to the demigod's chin, causing him to go stumbling backwards. As Alex made to charge him, he delivered a crushing kick to his chest, sending him flying backwards. As Alex slowly rose, obviously hindered by the pain in his chest, Percy looked to Piper for an explanation.

"Eidolons. They're making them fight." Piper said quickly, eyes on the fast approaching Alex.

"That explains Leo. Get Jason back to the ship, I'll try to knock Alex out without being too rough." He spat out, speaking quickly. Just as he finished, he turned to meet the charge of the possessed son of Poseidon.

"You will die for Gaea. With this demigods' powers and skill, I cannot be stopped." The eidolon in Alex's body roared, attacking Percy violently.

"Yea that's the problem buddy." Percy said with a smile. He quickly disarmed Alex, who hadn't ever stood a chance. "I taught him everything he knows. And-"

The eidolon roared, charging again. He had no weapon, but he seemed intent on using his bare hands to tear Percy limb from limb. Percy pirouetted on his leg, delivering a crushing blow to the demigod's head. He crumpled like tin foil, collapsing unceremoniously to the dirt.

"He's a slow learner."

The Argo II, June 2010 CE

Piper wasn't entirely sure what to do. They had long since expelled the eidolons from the ship, but that wasn't what she was worried about. As soon as they had gotten rid of their spooky ghost problem, Alex and Jason had rekindled their debate about who would've killed who. The only problem was things were getting heated now.

The air was filled with static, and she could see a storm forming overhead. She wasn't sure which demigod was causing it, but she didn't want to find out. They were nose to nose, screaming at each other. Annabeth had been unbothered, telling Piper that Alex and Thalia used to fight like this all the time, before heading below deck to wait it out. Piper on the other hand, was not taking this as lightly.

"Dude, I definitely would've killed you. Fish Fry." Jason said.

"I've trained with Percy for three years now. You don't stand a chance." Alex taunted. Jason shoved Alex at that, causing them to separate.

It was then Piper realized what this was about. Jason had mentioned it, but she didn't realize it was this serious. This wasn't just a playground pissing contest. They were trying to see who had learned more. Who the better student was. Who the next Percy was.

The only problem with that realization, was that Percy was below deck waking up Zoë, and he was the only one who could stop what was about to go down. If it were anyone else, he'd have been back soon, but since he was waking Zoë, he could take a while. It may not sound dangerous, but Piper had spent enough time around the huntress to realize waking her up took some time and should be approached with extreme caution. Still, she had no other choice.

Bursting into their shared room, rushed by her panic, Piper didn't think to knock. As the door flew open, she was met with the sight of Percy and Zoë in a heated kiss. Her inner Aphrodite thought it was cute, but there was no time for sitting and watching like it was a shitty romcom.

"Percy. Jason and Alex are above deck fighting over your love and affection or something." She rushed out.

"Oh, for fucks sake." He muttered. It was then she realized Percy was shirtless, and she might've interrupted interrupted. Despite the dire situation, she took a moment to ogle him, praying Zoë wouldn't notice.

"I'll be right back." He muttered, pressing a kiss to Zoë's temple. She leaned into it, smiling at the contact. Percy turned back to her, pushing past her to run to the deck. Piper briefly wondered if they were always this lovey dovey behind closed doors. They certainly never showed it in public like this. Shaking off the thought, she turned to chase after Percy.

Together, her and Percy ran above deck, met with the sight of Alex and Jason truly fighting now. Their swords clashed against each other, metallic clangs, the air filled with the sounds of combat. Percy didn't move to stop them though. He seemed more interested now that he was there.

"Well. Stop them!" Piper cried, concern for her boyfriend's safety driving her mad.

"No, this is good for them. I just came to referee." He said it as if two angry teenage boys sorting out their issues with lethal weapons was a good and healthy practice.

They watched on as Alex and Jason duked it out. Neither could gain the upper hand. Alex had Jason beat with raw ability, that much was clear. But still, through his discipline, Jason was holding his own. Whereas Alex was a whirlwind of attacks, Jason was a sturdy rock.

If Piper wasn't so worried about Jason's safety, she might've been able to appreciate the beauty of the fight. Jason was rock solid in his allegiance to his teachings. There was no improvisation, just pure reliance on the teachings of Percy and his other sword masters. Each move was calculated and exact. Alex on the other hand, was attacking with insane fervor. He wasn't as calculated or precise, but he made up with it with enthusiasm.

Their swords clashed for a while longer, and Piper was beginning to calm. Sure, this had started as an angry grudge match, but it had quickly devolved into a regular sparring match when Percy had arrived. They seemed to be trying to impress him. It was kind of cute, like two kids fighting for their dad's attention.

Percy watched silently from the sides, his eyes flicking over the fighting demigods. She saw him scanning their movements, analyzing flaws and successes her brain couldn't even comprehend. Finally, though, he had seen enough.

"Stop." He said, his voice stern. Piper had heard that voice before when she had been bored and gone to watch Jason train with him. That was Percy's teaching voice, and it seemed both boys recognized it too. They stopped immediately; swords frozen in midair.

"Percy. We were just ah… Sparring." Alex said sheepishly, hand rubbing his neck nervously.

"Yea save it, I know you were trying to see who would kick who's ass." Percy said sagely. Sure, he was confident that he could kick about anyone's ass, so he didn't have this exact problem, but he was a guy too, he could understand wanting to prove your worth, even if it was just to yourself.

The boys looked embarrassed; eyes cast downward. Jason toed the ground nervously and Alex was a bright red. Again, Piper noted their resemblance to children. Now they were like kids who were about to be scolded by their dad. It was almost ridiculous how much both wanted to make Percy proud. How much they wanted him to approve. She could sort of understand. She felt similarly about Zoë. The huntress had taken her under her wing, so she could see where the affection came from.

"So… Who would kick who's ass?" Jason asked. Piper could see Alex look up at that. Piper really hoped Percy picked a tie, because she could tell whoever Percy thought would lose would be crushed. Somehow, the spartan found a way to crush both of them.

"Jason." He said simply. Alex looked heartbroken. "But not because he's better." Now it was Jason's turn to be crestfallen.

Both demigods looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain. Piper could see it now. Why Percy was such a good mentor. He was using their boyish spat as a teaching moment.

"Jason would've won, because he listens to me. He follows my teachings to a T. And I don't teach things that don't work. Alex, I've trained you for three times as long as I've trained him. Of course your skills are better, but his mind is superior."

Both boys looked upset, thinking they had disappointed him. They looked like they needed a hug.

"Jason, you wanna get better? Fight him more often. That's the best I've ever seen from you. You need a challenge. Something to force you to adapt. That's your biggest flaw. You're still too assembly line. Too cookie cutter."

"You're a challenge." Jason contested weakly.

"I said a challenge, not something impossible" Percy teased.

"And what about me?" Alex asked.

"Stop fighting so wildly. Tone it back just a bit. I know you're Poseidon's kid. I know there's truth when he says, 'The sea doesn't like to be restrained', but that doesn't mean you have to be a loose cannon all the time. Think a little. Remember the things I taught you."

Behind them, they heard a voice yell from the stairs, "Percy, come back!"

"I'll be right there!" he shouted back, shaking his head with a smile. Turning back to the boys he continued his teaching.

"Your largest flaws are polar opposites. You spar, you'll both improve greatly. Learn to fight a little more like each other, and you'll both be so much better, it'll be night and day."

"Percy, now!" they heard Zoë shout again. She didn't sound angry, more amused than anything.

"But hey, don't feel bad that you're not one hundred percent better than the other. Want to know why?"

"Why?" they asked, eager for the encouragement. Percy started to walk away, leaving them to watch and wait as he left. Just before he reached the stairs, he turned to throw one last comment over his shoulder.

"My girlfriend could kick both of your asses."

AN:

So that's it. I hope you enjoyed it. It was so difficult working around the book because just forcing Percy into scenes to say two lines felt so inorganic. I like this format where he's in the between parts, along with sections of the canon events. I hope you agree. Once we get to "House of Hades" I'll be freer to diverge from canon. Now, someone asked a fair question in the reviews about if Percy will be able to kill giants considering he's not a demigod. The answer is yes, and there's a reason. Just like he can hold/be hurt by celestial bronze, Percy can kill giants. This is thanks to his two godly blessings, which cause those rules to treat him as a demigod even though he's a mortal. Also, no, this story isn't going down the NSFW road, the allusion to it you got here is all you're gonna get. Interpret it as you want, I don't really care. I have nothing against you reading smutfics, but that's not this one. Sorry :) Back on track, I really enjoyed this chapter, despite my difficulties writing it. We got more Percy/Zoë stuff, along with establishing the sort of parent/mentor role they're taking on for the seven. My vision for this story is really coming together now. Please let me know what you think. Again, sorry about the wait, and until next time,

Peace