I do not own PJO/HOO.

..

They can't tell me who to be
'Cause I'm not what they see

Yeah, the world is still sleepin'
While I keep on dreaming for me
And their words are just whispers
And lies that I'll never believe

.

That summer took a crazy turn when my parent's got the offer of a lifetime, and my dad almost rejected it.

"Wait, you want us to- " He pointed to himself and my mother, jaw dropped disbelievingly.

Chiron smiled, and nodded in confirmation. Beside him, Dionysius had quite possibly the most satisfied expression he had ever worn. All around us in the meeting room of the Big House, the head counselors muttered among themselves, while I simply raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it is true," The centaur assured not only my parents, but everyone in that room. "The time has come for our dear camp director here," At this, he gestured towards Mr. D, "To return to his position on Olympus. His time of service towards this camp now being up- I'm sure we can all agree he will be missed."

If not for the several obnoxiously loud coughs, there would have been nothing but crickets.

Mr. D rolled his eyes, but didn't look bothered either. "Don't worry. I won't miss you snotty children either."

"And," Chiron continued, casting a curious glance in my parents' direction, "This leaves us with a vacant position- "

"Nope," My father interrupted before the centaur could finish, "If you think I'm gonna be the one responsible for sending these kids off to die on stupid quests for no reason other than because some god said so… you're crazy." He smacked the table with the palm of his hand, causing the entire table, and possibly the whole room, to rattle.

Mr. D cringed. "THAT… is mahogany- oh, forget it! I don't even care anymore! I'm leaving this place."

"Percy, my boy," Chiron replied in a calm voice, "That is the very reason we need you two to take over as camp directors. Two of the greatest fighters this camp has ever seen- who better to prepare these kids?"

"Not gonna happen- "

My father's retort was cut short when my mom placed her hand on his shoulder, and whispered something into his ear. I watched as his flustered countenance suddenly dissolved into a rather… fascinated expression. The two of them had an almost silent, inaudible conversation, while the rest of us waited in earnest to hear what was being discussed.

Suddenly, my mom turned to Chiron. "I'll be right back," She announced, and then ran out the door.

The rest of us, perplexed as we were, stared on in confusion, as my father simply shrugged his shoulders, and distracted himself with tracing the fine features of the mahogany table. Head counselors exchanged bewildered glances, and an awkward, restless silence filled the room, until the sounds of my mother's footsteps could be heard running up the Big House porch.

She appeared in the doorway shortly afterwards, holding several large rolled-up pieces of paper in her arms, as she returned back to my father's side.

"We accept the offer," She announced, and the meeting room went into an uproar. Some kids cheered, some were yelling and asking about the rolled-up sheets of paper, some wanted to know what changed. I was of the latter group, though I remained still and quiet in my seat.

Once Chiron managed to get the counselors calmed back down and, in their seats, he turned to face my parents. He didn't even have to ask.

"We have a condition however," My father confirmed what everyone was probably thinking.

"Just one?" Chiron said.

"Two conditions."

The centaur nodded, and gestured with his hand for my dad continue.

My mother placed the rolled-up sheets of paper on the table, and the grabbed one of the biggest ones, spreading it out for all to see. Like almost everyone, I rose from my chair to get a better look at what she had gone so quickly to retrieve.

It was a blueprint, for what looked like a plan for a city.

"What is this?" Chiron asked inquisitively.

"New Athens," My mother replied, "Like New Rome; a place for demigods to live when they get older. We're no longer going to force them out into the mortal world to fend for themselves just because they get too old for camp."

She grabbed another blueprint, and unfurled it to show the designs for the houses, entire streets lined with them, simple but ornate, as if Ancient Greece itself were being brought back to life before our very eyes.

"Where did you get these?" One of the counselors asked.

"I made them," My mother replied, so very casual-like too. That is, until she looked around at the room full of gawking demigods.

"What?" She said innocently, "It got very boring in Alaska at times."

Chiron studied the blueprints very closely himself. "These are remarkable, Annabeth. Of course, I've seen your work on Olympus so I should expect nothing less."

Okay, now I felt like I was definitely missing something.

"The only problem," My father pointed out, "Is that we don't really have room for it here at camp."

"Oh, I think we can figure something out," Chiron replied reassuringly, as he glazed over the designs for a central square, "Supposedly, the property next door to us is up for sale."

My father cast a curious look in the direction of his old mentor.

"Something about stray kids with tattered and singed shirts showing up on the beach from time to time," The centaur smirked, "Really drives down the property value after the first dozen or so incidents." Rolling up the blueprints once again, he turned to my parents, and asked, "So, what was your other condition?"

"Well, you see," My mother said as she gathered up her blueprints in her arms again, "It's not actually our condition, really- "

Chiron tilted his head. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Um… Luke?"

I suddenly felt all eyes shift onto me, and my cheeks grew flush with color. My parents' looked at me in a peculiar, and uncertain manner, but I was well aware of their inquiry.

"Is this okay with you?" My father asked.

I couldn't believe it. They were actually asking me if I was okay with them becoming the camp directors. It felt so weird, almost wrong, for them to ask me such a thing. There was a very high likelihood that this was their dream job; to get to stay at camp for as long as they wished, all while getting to retire and grow old in one of the very few safe places for demigods. Who was I to deny them that?

And yet, it almost felt like they were making a statement to me specifically, whether on purpose or not. Never before had I had such power over a decision like this. It always been me doing something whether I wanted to or not. Heck, I even had to be forced to go on my very own quest, without a real say in the matter. To have been asked first, for once I my life, felt like a new beginning.

I studied my parents, as they stood there awaiting my answer. No doubt having my parents as the camp directors would possibly come with a few perks, but it would certainly also mean I was less likely to get away with stuff. Would I regret this decision at times? Quite possibly. But hopefully, no more than once a week.

Besides, with my parents being the directors, no doubt we would get the best house in New Athens.

I smiled, and nodded finally.

…..

"What happened in there?" Alek asked, as I trotted down the steps of the Big House. Yelling and shouting could still be heard coming from the meeting room.

"Oh, nothing much," I replied with a straight face, "We just got a couple new camp directors."

"New camp directors?" Alek repeated.

"A couple?" Silena asked from where she stood next to him.

"Who?" Thomas appeared mysteriously out of nowhere.

"My parents," I told them, still straight-faced as ever. I fought back a grin as I watched their faces contort into a mess of confused, skeptical, and stunned expressions. "Oh- and they're gonna be building New Athens as well." And with that, I casually walked past them.

It took them a few seconds to process unsurprisingly. Silena was the first one to overcome her shock, as she ran to catch up, no doubt to force me to spill all the details. Alek and Thomas were close behind her, with the legacy taking the spot immediately to my left, and the son of Ares taking his (now very usual) spot next to Silena.

It didn't go unnoticed the way she slipped her hand into his, though both of their attentions were focused on me and what I was saying. Well, for the most part, at least. It warmed my heart to see Alek as happy as he was these days. He was considered, by far, the luckiest guy in the camp, though I hardly think anyone else could have been so deserving, but maybe that was just me.

Aunt Thalia, despite her best efforts, had been unable to recruit her niece to the Hunters, and maybe, just maybe, Alek felt a little bit of vindication at having managed to not lose Silena forever because of that. Thalia still terrified him though, and she made sure to give him the talk normally reserved for the dads. I had no doubts it was just as effective.

I was just glad for once to see him happy, and to see the way he smiled embarrassingly when Silena teasingly called him by his full first name. It made me ponder whether or not I could have ever been the same way with Carolyn, or if I would ever get to be that way with anyone.

But for the time being, I pushed that thought aside, and just enjoyed the walk with my friends down to the lake.

…..

At the end of that summer, we burned Erica's shroud.

None of us who knew ever told anyone else what happened on the island that day, at least as far as Erica went. All that the rest of camp knew was that she died a hero, sacrificing her life to save someone else.

As I watched her light blue shroud go up in flames, I focused solely on that. The fact that while she may have made some bad choices at first, she made the right one in the end, and that was how I was going to remember her.

To stave off war between the Athena and Poseidon cabins, I finally was forced to come to a decision. I had originally wanted to stay in the Big House, like my parents were, but they both convinced me that the best thing would be for me to be as 'normal' a camper as possible, and that meant staying in one, or in my case, two of the the cabins. That's right- I have a bunk in both of the cabins. Does this still make me a bit special? Perhaps, but I found it to be the only way to alleviate the tug-of-war being played between the two cabins.

I got my first bead for my camp necklace that summer as well, designed by the Hermes cabin, which only felt right given the circumstances. The bead was half stormy-grey, half sea-green, and inlayed with a figure of a chariot. My mother broke down when she first saw it, and I was more than proud to wear it around my neck.

I met, and grew closer to the rest of the legacies that summer as well. I even got to meet Sammy from Camp Jupiter, along with the rest of the famed 'seven', who upon hearing of my parents' return, came to see them in haste. As one might guess, it was a flurry of emotions, and I was caught neck deep in it.

To sum it all up shortly; Jason tried to arm wrestle my dad, because apparently, they would always have a bone to pick with each other. Aunt Piper was nothing like Aphrodite, which was a relief. Hazel was thirty-two years old, and already acted like a grandma. Uncle Frank would've been extremely intimidating had he not passed out on the couch within five minutes.

Leo and Calypso showed up at one point as well. First thing he did was to ignore my parents altogether, and march over to me, and ask me for the whereabouts of his borrowed car. Upon seeing my inability to answer, he simply shook his head, laughed, and said, "I told you so."'

While I would grow close with the rest of the legacies, much in the same way one gets close with your cousins, Alek would end up being my closest friend. Silena became a close friend as well, though I liked to tease her and tell her it was only because of her association with Alek.

Thomas and I became good friends as well, and he became my go-to sparring partner whenever Alek was busy or with Silena. I had to remind him multiples times however, that I was not interested in any of the girls he tried to set me up with. Of course, he knew girls to spare, no doubt some who had once been determined to win his own affections. I guess they were no 'Taylor from the Demeter Cabin' though.

Apparently, according to him, I had "the hair, the eyes, and the parentage."

Still, there were some days were Alek and I would wander away from the rest of camp, and sit up on top of the rock at Zeus' Fist, and stare out over the water of Long Island Sound. Sometimes we would talk about Erica, sometimes about other things. Sometimes we wouldn't say anything at all, and just listen to the sounds of the construction of New Athens happening not too far down the beach.

On this particular day, as the summer drew to a close, I had one thing really weighing on my mind, as we sat atop the rock. Alek, seemingly reading my thoughts, decided to inquire about it.

"Any news about her?" He asked.

I was quiet for a few seconds, not moving much at all. "Apollo said she's moved back to New York with her parents. She's going back to school."

Alek smiled, and clapped me on the shoulder. "Well, that's good, isn't it?"

I shrugged uncertainly. "She doesn't remember who I am, so… I don't know if it makes a difference."

"Doesn't mean nothing will happen between you guys."

I rolled my eyes, and turned to face my friend. "This is different though, Alek," I insisted, "This isn't a quest where life or death hangs in the balance. This is worse; it's high school."

Alek raised an eyebrow at me.

I ignored him and continued my rant. "There'll be tons of other guys as well, and that's not even considering the fact that I'm a demigod. What if she finds out, and totally freaks? Like, she has no curse, and therefore no reason to think I'm not crazy now."

The boy sitting next to me didn't move so much as a muscle while I rambled on, and he only chose to speak once he was sure I had finished. And what he had to say, didn't exactly reassure me.

"She fell for you once before; I think she could do it again."

"How- "

"I'm not saying it won't be hard," Alek interrupted, "Not that it wasn't hard enough last time for you two. Just wait… More than likely, it won't happen over the span of a week or two like it did the first time."

"So what you're saying is?"

Alek leaned back against the rock, and stared up at the sun drifting slowly down towards the horizon, as it cast a pink glow across the sky, and over the water. "Just be patient," He said, "Trust me on that."

My parents drew straws to see who would get to drive me to school on my first day back. My mother had wanted to do rock-paper-scissors, but my dad had adamantly refused, stating that he hadn't won a single match against her in three years. As to be expected.

So naturally, my mother was pissed when she drew the short straw, and went on a rant about how she hated leaving things up to chance. My dad simply stuck his tongue out at her, as he got in the car. She returned the childish behavior with a much ruder and, as my father would call it, 'unladylike' gesture.

"Don't try that till you're practically married," My dad advised me.

I wish I could say that having my parents back was everything I dreamed it would be, all the time, and that things were perfect between us. It wasn't, and they weren't. That was the simple fact of the matter.

We realized, of course, that this was not really either of our faults. My parents had gone ten years without having a kid to look after, and I had never had 'actual' parents. The closest I got were foster parents whom I simply tolerated until they decided to move on. But now, I was stuck with these two, whether I wanted them or not.

Family meals were awkward to put it lightly, for the first few weeks at least. I mean, what conversations are you supposed to have with you parents who have been missing and out of your life for the past ten years?

So, who do you think is going to win the Super Bowl this year?

Needless to say, it took a while to get used to. I did learn from my dad however, that if things got awkward and I didn't have anything to say, to just ask my mom about how construction on New Athens was going, or about anything architecture-related really. Her eyes would light up, and then, as if forgetting all awkwardness, she would proceed to ramble on about where they were in the construction stage, and how she was trying to find a way to incorporate some more Roman arches into the design, while still keeping an overall 'Greek' theme to it.

The first time I tried it, my dad winked at me, and then he turned back to watch with fond amusement as his wife talked. And it was times like these that made me truly appreciate having my parents back. While my dad's eyes glazed over after five minutes of my mother speaking, she was happy to finally have someone who could follow along, and seem genuinely interested. And I was more than happy to oblige.

I knew that there would come days, possibly weeks or more, where we would struggle, and we would lash out. I knew there would come moments where I would lose all my common sense, and tell my parents that I wished I had never found them, and then immediately regret it. And I knew that they knew it would happen as well. They were once teenagers themselves, after all.

Luckily, for now, I was pretty content, as my dad pulled up to the school parking lot. I hesitated to open the car door.

"She's in there, you know?" My dad said. It almost sounded like he was warning me.

"Yeah, I know."

"What are you gonna do?" He asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, as if to say I don't know. That was probably the most accurate answer, of course.

Percy Jackson… my father, nodded his head. "Can I give you some advice, Luke?" He asked suddenly.

At this point, I was looking for something, anything to make me feel better. To devour this growing sense of nervousness and urgency swelling inside me. I nodded furiously.

He smiled a smile that looked like it was meant to be encouraging. There was an understanding, a knowledge hidden behind it. "Try being friends with her first."

Those were not exactly the words I had been expecting. They left me in a bit of a state of confused shock, so I sat there pretty much frozen. My dad looked at me, then at the car door, then back at me.

"You want me to get that for you?" He asked.

I snapped out of my shocked state, and shook my head, opening the door myself, and hastily stepping out, as I slung my backpack, holding all my textbooks and Cheimaros, over my shoulder. I was too dazed to even remember to wave goodbye, as I walked off towards in the school in a bit of a trance. Only the sound of the car pulling out of the parking lot rattled me enough to turn and watch my dad leave.

I knew what he had meant though; I remembered the dreams. And I figured, if it could work for a son of Poseidon, and a daughter of Athena, of all people, it could work for pretty much anyone.

…..

She looked almost exactly the same as she did the last day I saw her, before Apollo wiped her memory. Her dark brown hair hung flawlessly down her back, and she wore her almost trademark oversized t-shirt with running shorts. Standing amongst a small group of her friends, she picked through her locker, which just so happened to be in the same hallway as mine, though on opposite ends.

I tried not to stare too much, as I threw my books into my own locker, lest I come across as an absolute creep. But it was hard not to glance in her direction again and again, hoping that she might notice, that we might lock eyes, and that she would remember. No matter how many times I reminded myself that that just wasn't possible, I still found myself daydreaming.

My only consolation was that one day, if things worked out, maybe I would be able to tell her. Maybe she would be able to remember everything.

I felt gazes on me, and I did my best to ignore them. No doubt, being a new kid, I was already going to get some looks, but I had also been told that being a demigod, I would also give off some strange vibes, or auras, to other people. All that too say, I had been prepared for this, and was otherwise not bothered by it.

What did unsettle me though, was the sound of a curious voice coming from right next to me.

"Hey," Someone said, and in a defensive reflex, I slammed my locker shut, causing said person to jump a little bit.

"Sorry- " I began, but then stopped. I completely froze in my spot.

"No worries," She said, fixing her hair nervously. "This, um- this might sound weird but… I was walking by, and I couldn't help but feel like I know you from somewhere." She seemed just a bit shorter than I remembered, which made sense. Apparently, I had grown almost a full inch over the summer, and my eyes now came up to the top of her forehead.

I almost choked on my own tongue. "Oh-uh, really? That's f-funny."

She nodded, and a tug on her lips indicated she was hiding a small smile. "So… do I know you?" She looked up at me, her eyes trying to pierce into my soul it felt like, though I doubt she did it on purpose. I was probably just imagining things.

The temptation was almost overwhelming, but I resiliently shook my head. "I don't think we've met before."

Her pretty brown eyes seemed neither upset nor perfectly happy; a merely satisfied expression covered her face. "Okay… Sorry, I just had to make sure." She reached out her hand in greeting, and as I shook it, she told me her name.

"Carolyn King."

Then, before I could reply, she kindly asked, "Are you new here?"

I shyly nodded in response.

"Great," She replied, full of genuine excitement. "I'll show you around if you'd like."

"Uh, yeah, sure. That'd be great."

"Awesome. Follow me then," And she turned to walk down the hall, but stopped after taking only a couple steps. Wheeling around to face me, she asked, with an embarrassed look on her face, "I'm sorry. I totally forgot to ask… what's your name?"

"Uh… " My mind went blank for some reason, and I hesitated in the most awkward fashion. Luckily, Carolyn found this amusing, as she huffed out a small laugh, though whether she found it amusing in a cute way, or a pitiful way, I couldn't tell you.

Smiling, I met her met her brown eyes with my own grey and green ones.

"Luke… Luke Jackson."

The End.

And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong

And how can they say I never change?
They're the ones that stay the same
I'm the one now 'cause I'm still here
I'm the one 'cause I'm still here

I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme) ~ John Rzeznik

..

There it is, folks. I wanna say thank you so much to those of who you have followed this story, and especially to those of you who have left such awesome reviews. You guys are the reason I enjoy writing these stories.

If there is still interest, at some point I may be putting up an alternate ending where Percy does die. We'll see, I guess.

As for a sequel, which some of you have asked and messaged me about, I currently don't have plans for one, but I would be open to the possibility. Obviously, I would have to come up with a plot for it, but more than likely, it would center around Luke's relationship with his parents, and his relationship with Carolyn.

For right now, I have a short story I'm gonna start working on. The outline is already complete.

Again, thank you guys so much! I love you all!

Valdezzzz, out!