Calm Before the Storm

Remind me again why I bother trying to make sense of things. Honestly, in this gods forsaken world, it's a wonder that I haven't gone insane from all the things that just don't make sense. Is this what it's like to live inside of Annabeth's head? No… I guess it's my head that's the problem.

You know, just taking the past couple of weeks into account, I'm kind of proud that I haven't completely lost it (breaking down in the arms of my future wives notwithstanding). Having a harem forced down my throat, dealing with traumatized girls, getting mind-fucked by the queen of the gods, almost getting dream-fucked by the goddess of love, dealing with more prophecy drama… Need I go on?

Oh, wait. Yes, I do. Because if that wasn't enough, my one solace, my one peace of mind was stripped away from me! I'm not talking about my love life. That's been an Olympian sized clusterfuck for the past two weeks or so. No, I'm talking about my sleep.

While on Galínios, I at least had the luxury of not dreaming. Right? Right?!

Wrong!

For the longest time, I didn't dream once while on this island, and now, right as everything starts to finally make sense, along comes the damned nightmare to take away the one luxury I had left: a peaceful sleep.

Unlike every other dream I had, I wasn't floating in some primordial void nor was I standing in a field of lilies watching a bunch of animals kill each other. No, instead I was standing in a rather familiar looking chamber. Upon first glance, it shared an uncanny resemblance to the dungeon of Galínios. Cold moist cobbled floor, bioluminescent mosses and corals shedding weak light across the space, and even a heavy iron door looming before me.

However, that's where the similarities ended. First, this room was much bigger. Easily large enough to host a football field, outside track included. A row of columns framed either side of a long glass covered channel of water built into the floor. The channel split at the far end of the chamber, and wrapped around the bottom of a dais, upon which a bizarre looking throne sat.

If my breath could hitch in a dream, it would have. Between the columns, running along the channel just the same, were statues. Each and every one of them depicted a young maiden. Nymphs, if the pointed ears were anything to go by. But they were all caught mid scream, many with their hands raised as if holding an invisible box around their head. Some even appeared to have their eyes sewn open.

The urge to puke was immense, but alas, my consciousness didn't have the bile to lose. There was no question how each and every one of these statues were made. Dozens of them reaching all the way to the throne. I silently prayed that their last days were pleasant, but given the evidence, I didn't dare hold my breath.

I strode forward, my footsteps silent, my shadow nonexistent. The closer I came to the throne, the more I could make out a figure that somehow managed to look comfortable on it. An array of barbed chains and shackles were bolted into the walls to either side of the throne. The same was true for the ceiling. Barbed chains dangled from the dark stone like metal snakes reaching for their next meal.

As I turned away from the horrific implementations, my attention focused on the figure affixed to the throne: a hunchbacked man whose wide open legs forced me to turn away.

"Lord Phorcys," a nearby voice barked.

I turned to it. From the shadows, a burly telkhine stepped forward, a bloody whip in his hand.

"Aeron," the sea god croaked. "Has your latest project been productive?"

"Not quite," he growled. "She still has the same fire. It's unusual. Her kind is normally so… frail."

"You're growing soft in your old age. Maybe I should find myself a new master of discipline. Someone who gets me results."

The telkhine took a step back, his fists tight around the whip. "No! I'll have her broken in. It's only a matter of time."

"Bah, maybe that excuse would have worked ten years ago when you got me results. Now, almost all of them end up fighting back or they become so mentally shattered that they're untrainable. I can't run a business if you're ruining my product!"

"But… you've already received payment for—"

"Quiet!" He rubbed his temples. "I hope you didn't come here just to tell me of your failures."

"No, lord. You… have a visitor."

Another figure appeared behind him. Though she still had her frizzy black hair, the goddess Keto seemed to have dropped her schoolgirl persona. Adopting a bluish toga with a fishnet covering it, she appeared more like a deity at the moment than her husband did, and she didn't look happy.

"You knew it was only a matter of time, didn't you?" she said, her face stony.

"What are you going on about?" he gruffed.

"All of this!" She opened her arms, gesturing to the room. "It was only a matter of time before I picked up her smell. Only a matter of time before I learned the truth!"

Phorcy's expression hardened. "Enough. We can discuss this privately when the time is right."

"So all of this, all of it, because you decided that some nymph was too pretty to resist?!"

"I said enough! Damned chaos above and below, it's a wonder I only did it once!"

He clamped his hands over his ears, ignoring his wife as she berated him for what I can only assume was infidelity (hi, dad). The telkhine, Aeron, seemed to find some degree of amusement in watching them bicker, but stepped away before he could get pulled into their spat.

"... and the fact that you would have the audacity to—"

"Would you be quiet already?! If you would stop your blathering, I would be able to tell you that it worked in both of our favors. But that needs to come later. He now knows. It's only a matter of time before he finds us. Once we get our delivery, we'll both be able to topple him and those newfound sluts. No more hiding away. We'll both have our rightful powers restored!"

Keto balled her fists so tightly her nails cut into her palms. "If you think you can bribe your way out of this…"

"There are bigger concerns than you and me! We can deal with that later! In the meantime—" he turned his eyes to mine with a sickening grin "—how much longer do you need to prepare?"

I woke with a start. Heart pounding, ears slightly ringing, head foggier than the isle of the sirens. As I swallowed breath after breath, I tried piecing together what I just saw.

"Percy?"

A gentle hand pressed to my chest. I turned to see Calypso, her lips downturned and eyes full of concern.

Nothing needed to be said. Without a word, she straddled my lap and rested her head on my shoulder, her hand still pressed to my heart.

"It's okay," she cooed. "It's okay."

I laid back down with her on top of me. Her warmth, her presence, her soft voice. Eventually, it all managed to drag me once more into a (thankfully) dreamless sleep.

When next I woke, Calypso seemed to have beaten me to greeting the rising sun, not that she went very far. As I stretched away the aches of sleeping, she contented herself with tracing circles on my chest with her finger. An aura of calm settled around her, making a situation that would have otherwise left me panicking over last night's dream into something more… tranquil. Serene.

"You seem a lot more put together," she said. "Are you all properly rested now?"

I cracked a smile. "You could say that. How long have you been up?"

She laid her head on my chest and hummed. "Long enough to know that I enjoy watching you sleep." She frowned. "Well, as long as you aren't thrashing around or anything. You worried me."

"Sorry about that," I said sheepishly. "Had a dream."

That certainly seemed enough to catch her attention.

"I thought so, but…" She pulled away, a conflicted grimace on her face. "Nobody has ever dreamed here. Not one. It's been one of the few things everyone has been talking about."

"Huh." I pursed my lips, only to pull them into a shit-eating grin. "Maybe you're just bad luck. Every time we sleep alone together, I seem to have these freaky dreams."

She gasped and pulled away, a look of sheer terror masking her features. "It… it couldn't be…" Her lips pulled into a deep pout as she buried her head into my neck. "That's not funny."

"Maybe not." I pulled her hand up and kissed her knuckles. "But you have the most adorable pout."

I sat up. Though she didn't look too happy about it, she followed my lead.

"Can't we just stay here? The bed is still warm and we could even have the nymphs deliver food."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you half oceanid?" My grin returned.

She crossed her arms and huffed. "If I have to be your personal maid just to get you alone, don't think I won't."

"Maybe I should get you a French maid dress just for the occasion," I mused. "You'd look great in stockings."

Her lips pursed together. "I… don't know what that is, but I'll walk around naked if I need to."

"I know you would." I leaned forward and pecked her lips. "But right now, the last thing I need is you putting bad thoughts in my head." I rolled out of bed. "Now, why don't we go get some breakfast?"

By this time, her eyes narrowed and her lips curled into a coy smile. "Oh, I wouldn't ever want to put bad thoughts in your head." She fell back in an exaggerated fashion and stretched out her arms and legs. As her short night dress trailed up her thighs, she took extra care to show off her lack of clothing beneath it.

I gulped, silently willing my erection to vanish. "You know we can't…"

"I do." She rolled off the bed. "But I want to make sure you still want me. I'm happy to see you do."

As she walked by me, she palmed the bulge in my pants and hummed to herself, a devious smile on her face. "Oh, the things I'm going to do to you." She licked her lips, only to replace it with a cheery mask of innocence the next second and take my hand in hers. "You said you wanted breakfast? Well, let's get going."

We didn't make it far before we came across a pair locked in a conversation I had long dreaded overhearing.

"I don't care if you've got everything planned out! I'm freaking out here!"

"Okay, breathe. Did thou not want him only days ago?"

"Yeah, but that was in the heat of the moment, after you kept gushing about all the stuff he did to you! Now, it's… Oh! Percy!"

I rubbed my forehead as my ears burned.

Of all the conversations to stumble across…

Calypso gave me a smug grin. Meanwhile, Zoë and Bianca shied away with conflicted expressions.

"Hey… So, uh… Good morning."

"Oh, spare me," Bianca said. "Yeah. Big shocker. I'm getting cold feet, okay?!" She waved her hands around, as if trying to direct my attention away from her bright red face. "We go trading a few touches, kiss a bit, and now that the high has worn off, I'm not sure I can go through with this."

"You don't have anything to worry about," Calypso said, stroking my arm. "He's very attentive. It's… intense, but there's almost no pain."

"Yes," Zoë said. "Difficult as it is to believe, he's actually quite gentle. Remember, Thalia couldn't—"

"Could we not talk about that?!" Bianca screeched. "The last thing I need to think about are Thalia's bruises."

I paled. "It… varies from girl to girl. Everyone has different tastes. I try to… meet their needs."

"Well, right now, I need more time. But I'm not going to get any! We only have, what, two days left? Three? And I'm not the only one freaking out! Hazel's two steps away from a panic attack!"

"Okay okay!" I raised my hands in the most calming gesture I could manage, despite Calypso still hugging my arm. "Look, I can't promise what it will be like when it happens. All I can promise is that I'll try to make it as easy for you as I can."

"It's not that I don't have faith in you. I just don't think I'm ready for sex."

"Neither was I," Zoë said, resting her hand on Bianca's shoulder. "He offered time and time again for us to slow down or stop because I was terrified. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I managed. He helped me."

Bianca crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders, clearly unconvinced.

"He can help thee as well," she said, giving me a glare that said "You will, or I'll make sure nobody finds thy body."

"I'll do what I can. I don't want you to freak out about this, but more than that, I don't want you hurt from whatever this curse does."

"I know," she sighed. "Just… bear with me. I need some more time."

"I'd say 'take as much as you need,' but if that were the case, we wouldn't be having this talk. So I'll just say that when the time comes, I'll do everything I can to make it worthwhile."

"Thanks," she grumbled. "I'll… see you guys at breakfast in a little while. Need to clear my head."

Breakfast was… an interesting affair. Why, you ask? Because it was so unnervingly normal. Nobody was bickering. Nobody shot nervous glances at me. Nobody talked in hushed whispers. Honestly, the nymphs were the weirdest part about the meal, and I can't say that I'm complaining.

"Here you go, Master," Ashe purred while serving my plate. She brushed her cheek against mine, humming as she did.

"Oh, you look so wound up!" Rose exclaimed. "Let me help."

I couldn't even put up a semblance of resistance when her fingers started digging into my neck and shoulders.

Nimba hummed, a hungry grin on her face. "He's getting excited. I can take care of that."

"No, thank you!" Piper interjected, pushing her away as she tried crawling under the table. "I'll… I'll take care of it."

So she did. Not ten seconds later, her hand disappeared under the hem of my pants and stroked. My body trembled.

"What's gotten into you girls?" I moaned in satisfaction. "You're not normally this affectionate."

"I can't speak for them," Piper said, "but I'm just trying to contain this a bit."

Her soft hand twisted along my length, squeezing every time she reached the base.

"Right," I groaned. "Contain."

"It's Thŷella, Master," Rose whispered, her miraculous hands pressing to the base of my skull. "Mistress Annabeth told us you are all going on a trip today. When you come back, Thŷella plans to give herself to you while the rest of us watch."

I forced a dry swallow. My eyes darted about, seeking out the vexing blind nymph. She paid me no mind as she served the others, but Palírroia never strayed further than ten feet from her.

"Seems like you only have one to go," Annabeth said, her cheek resting on her hand. "I figured you would have had a mental breakdown by this point."

"Oh, he has," Calypso chirped. "More than once, but we love him all the same for it."

If not for my already flushed face, I might have had it in me to blush. Fortunately, Piper kept me more than well distracted. Despite the occasional odd glance, nobody spoke out against what was happening.

Is this the new norm?

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Annabeth said.

Much to my dismay, she pulled away Piper's hand.

"Fine," Piper sighed, examining her now shiny fingers. "Maybe I got a bit carried away."

Most of the girls, save for a beet red Hazel, didn't even give her a second glance.

"I can finish you off if you'd like," Rose whispered, suckling my earlobe.

"No." I shivered. "That's okay. I'll just be primed for Thŷella when we get back."

I once again forced a dry swallow and took in my surroundings one last time.

Thalia and Reyna were locked in an arm wrestling match while Zoë spectated with an amused expression.

Hazel and Bianca were trying to craft a small figurine out of mouse bones and silver; one that looked suspiciously like the Hades figurine that cost Bianca her life.

Rachel seemed to be getting along well with Silena and Khione, discussing something about making ice sculptures that never melt.

Katie and Calypso argued over the best fertilizer for olive trees.

Drew was apparently fashioning her own make-up using various powders she got from… somewhere.

Piper took to resting her head on my shoulder, hugging my arm as she did.

Annabeth stared at me expectantly.

"Sorry. Did you say something?"

"Only that I'm leaving you," she deadpanned. "But since I now have your attention, I guess I have to stay."

Piper snorted.

"Anyways," she continued, "we have our window. Not sure how long it'll last, so we need to hurry to Olympus."

"Fantastic. Time to go confront half of the Olympians."

Everyone went quiet.

"So this is it?" Thalia said. "Everything ends today?"

"Hopefully," Annabeth said. "Best case scenario, we get a standing ovation from the Olympians after uncovering a dastardly plot. Worst case scenario, I get turned into a cow and Percy becomes Aphrodite's personal sex slave. Pretty generic stakes, all things considered."

She smirked. "I was turned into a pine tree, and damn good looking one, I would say. According to you, Percy made for an adorable guinea pig. If you get turned into a cow, you'll be the most radiant cow of them all."

"The word you're looking for is stubborn."

"That too."

Annabeth glared at Thalia and Piper as they poked fun. "Yeah, hilarious. In any case, we have a trip to make. Since Piper and I are the only ones who have directly been affected by this, we'll be the ones going with Percy."

"Again?!" Calypso glared before sinking into her chair with a pout.

"We won't be all day," she said. "If everything works out, we'll be back by noon."

"And if everything doesn't work out?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Then my mom will probably be sucking Percy off for the next thousand years before we get the chance to see him again," Piper said, her voice startlingly light for what she just said.

"Exactly." Annabeth stood. "Let's go wreck some goddesses."

Honestly, I spent the entire trip to Olympus with held breath. Given what we were about to do, I half expected a stray gust of wind to blow me off of Blackjack. That said, I decided it was in my best interest not to tell him what we were about to do.

So apparently, the hippocampi have been trying to get a hold of you. Something about a monster they don't know about.

"Last time they freaked out over some stray sea monster, it turned out to be the ophiotaurus, and he was harmless. I'll look into it when I get the time, which, if everything goes well, might even be today."

Yeah, that's comforting.

"Don't you go sassing me! I won't hesitate to keep away these sugar cubes."

You do that and I'll drop you!

I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

"If you're done arguing with your horse," Annabeth said, flying up beside me on Porkpie, "we need to talk about this dream of yours."

I may or may not have mentioned that when we were saddling up.

"It's Phorcys," I said. "He's the third. He's the one who's running a slave guild."

"That guy you and Frank fought in an aquarium?!" Piper said from behind me.

"He's more than just some 'guy,'" Annabeth said. "He's the father of all sea monsters. One of the pillars of power in the ocean. A long time rival, if not outright enemy, of Poseidon. If he's involved, we might not be able to resolve this peacefully."

"Maybe not if we're on his home turf. But he wouldn't dare show his face on Olympus. We should be safe for now."

"Don't jinx us," Piper mumbled, hugging me from behind.

I snickered. "We can deal with Phorcys when we get back. Maybe ask my dad for some help this time around. I've got a score to settle with that sorry excuse of a sea god."

Not long after, we landed in a park area on the lower levels of Olympus. After dismounting and tossing Blackjack and Porkpie some sugar cubes (mostly to make sure he won't drop us on the way back), the three of us made our merry way up to the personal palaces of the Olympians.

"Out of curiosity," I said, "you mentioned us having a window. How'd you manage that?"

"Very carefully," Annabeth replied, looking quite pleased with herself.

"... Right," Piper said, unamused. "Seriously though, how'd you get her to call off her investigation?"

"I didn't. I gave her a false lead. Told her that I remembered seeing a third leg on whoever gave me the wine. She's probably throttling Priapus as we speak. So we should have an hour or two at least, but we should try to make this quick."

"Is that so?" a contemptuous voice called out.

We whirled around to find ourselves staring into the last pair of grey eyes we wanted to see at the moment.

"And why would that be?"

A/N - I know. An update on April first. What are the odds? I know that this chapter was a bit of a shorter one, but given everything that happens after this, well... there's a reason this chapter earned it's name. Plus, believe it or not, there's actually a lot packed into here. It's just a matter of finding it. Hints and references to future content and such. Let the hunt begin!

Jokes aside, you now have some continuity breaking going on. Dreaming on the island? What blasphemy is this?! Guess you'll have to wait around and find out.

Now would normally be the time I go inviting you all to the Discord server, but let's be honest, if the last several chapters weren't enough to convince you, this won't change a thing. (Psst, that said, we almost have Katie Gardner's scene available for you viewing pleasure)

With this being April fool's day, I'm half tempted to declare that this chapter is a fake, but nah. Best not to rile everyone up after almost a month. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter though. As always, leave your thoughts. This is Ronin signing off.