One School Year Later

"Damn it."

Gritting his teeth, Aaron focused fully on the stone in front of him, channeling fully the magic now present in his blood. Closing his eyes he imagined the stone in his left palm, focusing so powerfully that he hoped the Mist would respond and grant his vision truth.

The lack of weight on his palm only served to anger him.

"Gods damn it." Frowning he whispered a quick spell. "Incante: Videtur!"

Power crackled around his palm and the stone shifted, disappearing from his desk and appearing on his palm in a tiny flash of white light. He labored his breathes, a pained sound as he felt the magic in his blood drop from the exertion.

"Damn my mortal flesh."

Deciding that he'd try again later, Aaron stood from his desk and marched over to his closet, pulling out his trident and buckler. Twisting them in the air, they turned into two bracelets, the buckler small and cute connected with a chain on his left, and his trident into what looked like a w with chains on each side. Charles Beckendorf did good work indeed, pity that they never had the chance to cast similar magical masking spells on his bow and quiver.

Comfortable and safe , he headed out of his room just as his step mom called out. ""Percy, you're going to be late"

She knew that he, unlike his brother, was already awake. Magic and it's practice worked better in the dark so he woke at before dawn each day to practice.

Sally, the sweetheart she was, had made blue waffles and blue eggs for breakfast to celebrate Percy's actually completing a year in a school without being kicked out. "Thank you!" He kissed her cheek as he passed by the sink, getting a beautiful smile from his adopted mother.

The food to his utter lack of surprise was delicious, Aaron adored waffles and over easy eggs, so he dug in before his brother arrived, looking oddly melancholic and robotic. He was dressed, like every other Student as their ridiculous school, in jeans and a rock shirt. Around his neck, like always, was his Camp Necklace though there was now a kyanite ring dangling from the center, a gift from Aaron who had gotten them all a matching set with money he made from his paper route. Aaron was planning on spelling the rings with various effects once he started working on long term enchantments, something he had yet to really work on...a family project!

Sadly there was only so much learning he could do in a magic poor area like where they lived. Mastering silent spells, potion basics and learning to control the Mist and Runes was the best he could do on his own.

At some point, ever observant, Sally noticed that Percy seemed odd. "Percy, are you all right?"

"Yeah … fine."

From her place at the kitchen sink, She dried her hands and sat down across from them. "School, or …" She didn't need to finish. They all knew what she was asking.

"I think Grover's in trouble," Percy told her, and Aaron when he turned towards his brother.

It was a frightening tale of Grover, a storm, something monstrous chasing him and a wedding dress.

She pursed her lips, fingering the coin dangling from her neck. Even though she had long since obtained full magic and had started taking some lessons from Aaron, having an easier time then him as it turned out that she was naturally magical hence her Clearsight, she kept the coin since it didn't shatter for her, just directed her magic. Ever since she started practicing magic, it had become a habit for her to touch the coin whenever she felt worried or concerned, which was often with the two of them

"I wouldn't be too worried, dear," she said. "Grover is a big satyr now. If there were a problem, I'm sure we would've heard from … from camp… ." Her shoulders tensed as she said the word camp, something Aaron knew his brother caught as well as he did. "Sorry Aaron." She knew his banishment bothered him, especially since he never did anything to earn said banishment.

"What's wrong?What is it?" The brother asked together.

"Nothing," she said. "I'll tell you what. This afternoon we'll celebrate the end of school. I'll take you and Tyson to Rockefeller Center-to that skateboard shop you like."

In an instant Aaron saw a problem, two actually. "When can we afford that, you always say it's too expensive... and besides, we both know that Tyson will just break the skateboard. He's too big, poor sweet cyclopes that he is."

Neither of them so much as flinched at that word, with two clearsighted individuals it had been easy to discover Tyson's true nature. Percy had been thrown for a solid week but he got over it... his eyes were not the most developed. He missed six other mystical beings in the last year, randomly finding them but never harassing them, even when they went to train with their weapons in various parks.

Percy, bright boy he was, saw through his mother's bribe. "Wait a minute," I said. "I thought we were packing me up for camp tonight."

She twisted her dishrag. "Ah, dear, about that … I got a message from Chiron last night.

"What did he say?"

"He thinks … it might not be safe for you to come to camp just yet. We might have to postpone."

"Postpone? Mom, how could it not be safe? I'm a half-blood! It's like the only safe place on earth for me!"

"Usually, dear. But with the problems they're having-"

"What problems?"

"Percy … I'm very, very sorry. I was hoping to talk to you about it this afternoon. I can't explain it all now. I'm not even sure Chiron can. Everything happened so suddenly."

Aaron frowned, mind considering the possible things that could make it safe. " The Tree?" They turned to him, looking curious as he continued to speculate. "The only issue that would keep him, someone who isn't banished from the Camp would be if something is wrong with Thalia's tree and therefore the barrier. If it's been damaged someone, which is what I would do if I was Luke and wanted to dismantle the gods bases of operation, that is the first thing I'd do. Make it easier to scare Demigods away from the camp and into my service since I could keep them safe."

They just looked at him, shocked that he'd say something like that. "Well, maybe dear, Chiron did mention the tree but he didn't tell me quite what happened." She looked away, looking close to tears. "Seven-thirty, dear. You should go. Tyson will be waiting."

"But-"

"Percy, we'll talk this afternoon. Both of your boys, go on to school."

"Mom, this problem at camp. Does it… could it have anything to do with my dream about Grover? I remember the lesson Aaron gave us on Prophecies, Sea spirits and their kids are more likely to have prophetic dreams. Could I have seen something?"

She wouldn't meet their eyes. "We'll talk this afternoon, dear. I'll explain … as much as I can."

Together said their goodbyes and walked out of the apartment, stopping only long enough to see a strange shadow on the brick wall, belonging to no one. Aaron gathered his magic, a monster locater spell on his lips when the damned thing disappeared, leaving them all alone.

"Well that's concerning... you saw that, right?"

"It was by my window this morning." Percy turned to him. "On my fire escape."

Frowning, Aaron turned to his brother. "Make sure you have your sword on you today, something doesn't feel right. I love your mom but she isn't right for not telling us what's going on. I might IM Chiron later, or maybe Annabeth."

"I might join you."

They were silent for the first few minutes as they hurried to their train and Tyson, but eventually Aaron spoke up. " I failed to summon using the Mist."

Percy cringed. " Sorry, I know your trying."

"It's annoying, I can't summon it since I am not innately magical enough to draw or influence it's ambient state. You've only started using magic in the last two months and you can already play with the Mist. I wouldn't be surprised if you can teleport using it soon."

"Hey, you can still apparate objects using that spell."

"Well yes, but it's tiring. Using the Mist as a medium reduces the magic I have to use to cast the spell... I can barely create fire without a spell let alone a fireball and I can only levitate spoons a few centimeters in the air. I hate feeling so behind."

"Your doing all of this without innate magic, it's amazing you can do all of this at all. I have ichor in my blood helping me out, Mom's naturally magical. We have advantages, you just don't, so stop being hard on yourself."

"I'll try but no promises... now let's get Tyson before he starts tearing at the walls." And so they did, walking into the Subway tunnel and towards the mountainous body that was Tyson.

His one eye beaming at everything, near tears with terror as he searched for the. "PERCY, AARON!" His typical bellow was so normal at this point, no one even flinched around him as he charged them, looking afraid and relieved. He was adorable and sweet, dressed in a newish navy colored plaid button up shirt and jeans.

Aaron, having been homeless, had made a point to buy the boy ( With Sally's help) new clothes from goodwill as well as Toothpaste and other stuff they kept at school. It had made a massive difference, even if the kid was homeless and the Mist prevented them from finding him ( The kid took advantage of it to hide from others) he looked presentable and almost this side of fashionable. His crooked teeth were almost white and his hair wasn't a mop of bug infested threads but actually looked decent and soft.

Tyson was just adorable and deserved the world but no one cared enough to really help him besides the Jackson family and they could only do so much. They have even invited him to live with them, but Tyson refused with some fear. They weren't really sure why.

"Hey, Tyson." Aaron enjoyed the hug that Tyson slammed him into his even if that meant he was squished against Percy.

The boy was shivering a little. "I thought you weren't coming."

Percy managed to pull away. "We'd never do that to you Tyson."

He beamed a crooked smile. " I know that but I forget. Let's go to school."

"Lets."

Chapter Over, Tell me what you think in the reviews.

Short but a good introduction to the changes a school year has brought him.

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Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.