They all agreed to keep travelling even past the sunrise, wanting to get as far away from Fai's checkpoint as possible before his absence was found out. The path by the stream was well-hidden from the road, but there was no telling how far they would attempt to search now that they knew the quest party was closeby.

The remaining food was split among the group, which they ate as they walked. They were supplemented a little by Fai's supplies, but they had only been intended for a day or two for one person, and between five there was little to go around. There seemed no point in saving anything when they were all hungry and walking now.

Percy had slipped off Blackjack's back once they reached the stream, letting the horse drink the water. He had no qualms about leaving him behind as they kept walking.

"He'll follow when he's done," he'd promised Piper when she'd asked.

Sure enough, an hour later Blackjack had appeared behind them.

"He has a strange bond with that horse," Piper whispered to Annabeth, some time later. She had consistently been glancing backwards to look at Blackjack, who just stared back at her with his large, dark eyes.

Perseus was ahead of them, talking with Jason and Fai. Annabeth was too tired to concentrate on their conversation, but from the snippets she heard they seemed to be telling Fai the finer details of their quest.

Perseus didn't seem to hear them, but Annabeth glanced backwards at his horse anyways. She still wasn't sure if he had been joking about Blackjack understanding them. Annabeth might've thought the horse looked amused, if horses could be amused.

"He has a bond with all horses. His father created them," Annabeth replied in the same low voice, turning back around.

"He told you that?" Piper asked. Annabeth nodded.

"After I asked."

"What else did you ask about?" Piper asked. Thankfully, before Annabeth could answer, the group ahead stopped and turned around.

"We should rest, while we can. We're far enough away from the checkpoint now," Jason said.

Annabeth was grateful both for the rest and for Piper's distraction from her question. Although technically innocuous in nature, the thing Annabeth had asked Perseus about felt secretive, urgent. Annabeth had still not gotten the answers she was searching for, but she felt certain they were close.

And gods, the rest. Annabeth couldn't help but sigh as she sank to the earth, her tired legs shooting sparks of pain up and down her back. They had been riding for the whole night, and walking half the day, on very little food. Not to mention fighting the monster in the middle. Annabeth knew better to complain when she knew they had no supplies, but she was starving.

"We need food," Jason said, as if reading her mind.

"The port is another day's walk," Fai said. If he was uncomfortable, he didn't show it, though Annabeth suspected that might be more the mark of a Roman soldier than Fai himself.

Perseus stood, not saying anything, and made his way to the bank of the stream, which sat about ten feet from where they had settled down. It had widened a significant amount as they walked closer to the ocean, and was now almost the width of a small river.

The others watched him go, faces etched with confusion. Perseus leaned over the water, studying it carefully, as if it contained the answer to a riddle he was trying to solve.

Annabeth was overcome by curiosity. Ignoring the others' strange looks, she stood and followed him to the bank of the river, ignoring her aching bones' protest towards movement.

He didn't seem to notice her as she approached, too caught up in whatever he was doing. Only when their reflections met in the clear water did he look up.

"Come to observe?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Annabeth tried not to think about how she had been the one to cause it.

"What exactly are you going to do?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

A full blown grin spread over his lips.

"Just watch," he said.

Annabeth watched.

His eyes scanned the river, waiting. Annabeth's eyes were drawn towards their reflections, painted on the water below.

Somehow, after two days of grimy travel, Perseus looked no worse than he had when he had first shown up in the open court. Which was to say, he still looked as handsome and godlike as ever, annoyingly so. The water seemed to enhance his best features: brightening his eyes, rippling against his windswept hair, sculpting every inch of his face in glorious relief. Annabeth had never thought she'd meet someone who rivaled Piper's Venus-inherited beauty, but Perseus certainly challenged that assumption.

Annabeth, on the other hand, looked exactly like she had been traveling for two days on little sleep and less food. Her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes sunken with exhaustion. Perseus hardly even looked tired, which was supremely unfair.

She hadn't noticed until now, but her clothes were at least still clean, despite rolling around on the ground fighting the hellhound, and walking hours in the sun— perhaps Venus had enchanted them against picking up grime. That was like her.

Suddenly Perseus's hand dove into the water, crashing through their reflections and subsequently Annabeth's thoughts. When he brought his hand up again, he was holding a large, struggling fish.

"How did you do that?" Annabeth asked, unable to keep the amazement from seeping into her words. He must have unbelievable reflexes, or else was playing some trick with the water.

"Water is easy for me," he said, tossing the still-squirming fish on the grass beside them.

"How?" Annabeth asked again, because that was not a suitable answer to her question. He smirked, sensing her frustration.

"How does Jason control lightning, or Piper have magic in her voice? We all have a piece of our parent's domain in us."

Annabeth did not miss the way he said 'we all,' like she was included in that assumption. But she could not challenge him, not with the others so closeby. And anyways, she was still curious about his powers.

"You can control water?" Annabeth asked.

"Not always," Perseus admitted, "It's easiest if it's salt water, or connected to the sea like this stream. But it does respond to me, generally."

"That's incredible," Annabeth said, unable to hide the awe in her voice. Perseus grinned at her.

"Hold out your hands," he said.

Annabeth hesitated.

"Why?" she asked.

"Do you trust me?"

Perseus looked down at her, his eyes sparkling in amusement. Only an inch or two separated them in height, but Annabeth always felt like it was an effort to look into his eyes. Perhaps because once she did, it was as difficult to look away as it was to pry a ship from a whirlpool.

Did she trust him?

He'd kept her secret for her, even when she told him it could be dangerous for him. He'd followed her plan in fighting the hellhound, even when he didn't think it would work. He'd answered her questions, which had bordered on pressing and invasive, and had saved her that first night, with no small amount of risk to himself.

But still. She'd barely known him a day. This seemed like his true personality, but how could she be sure? He could be faking it, waiting for the perfect opportunity to turn his charming smile on the others, and spill her secrets to them.

"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted. A delicate smile graced his face, one much smoother than the grin that had held court before.

"Hold out your hands anyways," he said.

Annabeth tugged her eyes away from his face. It took considerable effort, almost as much effort as it did to pull her hands from her sides and offer them to him, palms up. She risked a glance at his expression in the river's reflection. It was slightly distorted, but she thought he looked pleased.

He held his hand out over the river, and a few seconds later something popped out of the water. It was another fish, encased in a sphere of floating water, still squirming and trying to swim away.

Perseus twisted his hand slightly, and the fish floated slowly closer, until it was hovering over Annabeth's open hands. It lowered itself gently into her palms, the water dissolving as it touched her fingers, splashing around her feet.

Annabeth was sure her mouth was gaping open in a similar manner to the fish that was now wriggling in her hands. She couldn't help but look up at him in astonishment. He was grinning again, clearly finding her reaction amusing.

Annabeth had seen demigod powers at work before, but she had never seen someone wield such precise control over their domain so effortlessly. Jason's lightning tended to be unpredictable and draining. He was capable of creating smaller sparks, but usually it wasn't on purpose; more a product of frustration or stress than intention. If Perseus had such a command on this smaller scale, what could he do on a larger one?

"That was showing off," she said, when she managed to find words again.

He laughed, throwing his head back slightly.

"That was just a cheap trick. I promise you, when I show off, you'll know."

"What are you two doing?"

Annabeth turned around, greeted by Piper's curious expression. Annabeth hadn't even noticed her approaching until she'd spoken. Annabeth suddenly became aware that while they might not have been able to hear their exact conversation, the group could plainly see them.

"Fishing," Perseus said, before Annabeth could collect herself enough to answer. He plucked the now-still fish from Annabeth's hand, and threw it on the grass next to the one he'd caught earlier.

"For food," Annabeth added.

That piqued Piper's interest. Piper had never eaten meat as long as Annabeth had known her, but she still ate fish on occasion. Even if she didn't, they were all hungry enough that Annabeth suspected she would've made the exception anyways.

Perseus pulled three more fish out of the river one by one, now closely observed by Piper as well as Annabeth. This time Annabeth noticed that every time he pulled his hand out of the river, it would be completely dry, like it had never touched the water to begin with.

Piper never asked how he did it, but Annabeth could see the calculations in her expression. She must have also observed Percy's more elaborate trick with the water, and guessed he was doing something similar but less flashy to grab the fish directly from the river.

When they returned to Fai and Jason, now laden with fish, the mood of the group improved considerably. They settled back on the ground, forming a loose semi-circle.

"Can these be eaten raw?" Annabeth asked, turning one of the fish over in her hands, "If we start a fire the smoke will draw too much attention."

"We could wait until sunset," Jason said, though he didn't sound particularly happy about the prospect. Annabeth could see why. Sunset was still several hours away, and they were all hungry. But Perseus was shaking his head.

"The heat would spoil them by then. We're better off eating them now, uncooked."

Annabeth figured he would know better than the rest of them, being the son of the sea god and all. Everyone seemed to agree, because there was a litany of nods. Annabeth threw the fish she was holding into the pile in the middle of the circle.

Perseus turned to her. He was sitting next to her, Piper on his other side.

"Can I borrow your knife?" he asked.

"Why?" Annabeth asked, her hand already drifting towards her weapon, which was tucked in her belt.

"Well, I could use Anaklusmos," Perseus said, holding up his bronze sword, which had been sitting on the grass beside him, "But it might be overkill for gutting a fish."

Riptide. The name of his sword popped into Annabeth's head without her even thinking about it.

How had she known that? She'd studied some Greek, but she was almost sure she had never heard that word before.

Perseus was observing her expression carefully, as if he knew exactly what was running through her mind.

Annabeth handed him her knife, if only to get his eyes off her. She wondered if he noticed her hands trembling slightly.

If he did, he didn't show it. Instead he took a fish from the pile and slit it open easily. Annabeth watched, fascinated, as he expertly removed the innards and bones, shedding the scales and cutting the good meat into chunks. It was like he had done it a thousand times before. Annabeth remembered their earlier conversation, when he'd said he hailed from an island. He probably had done this a thousand times before.

"How do you do that?" Piper asked, leaning over with interest.

"Do you really want to know?" Perseus asked. His tone was light, but his expression was a bit skeptical. Piper looked back at him evenly.

"Yes."

"Alright then." Perseus said, handing her a fish.

It was strange how fast his tone could switch from dubious to sincere, genuinely so. His moods seem to shift as suddenly as the winds on the sea.

He was a good teacher though, walking Piper through every step of preparing the fish, demonstrating on his own at the same time. She wrinkled her nose a bit clearing the innards, but otherwise took it in stride.

In the end, Piper's fish came out slightly more mangled and slightly less de-boned than Perseus's, but still edible looking. In fairness, it was her first try, and Piper's knife was much longer and more difficult to wield on a small target than Annabeth's. Annabeth had to stifle a laugh at the thought of Piper's mother knowing her gift, which had been intended as little more than a vanity mirror, was being used to gut a fish.

They all agreed, Piper included, that Perseus should probably take over the remaining fish, despite Piper's valiant effort. It had at least provided some entertainment, and given Piper a new skill that she would probably never have the opportunity to use again.

Perseus made quick work of them, and soon they were enjoying the fruits of his and Piper's labor.

The fish was better than Annabeth expected it to be. She had thought the texture might be off-putting, given it was uncooked, but she found it didn't bother her at all. In fact, it felt strangely comforting, like something she had eaten before, though she couldn't remember a time she'd had fish this raw. It was mostly tasteless, being so fresh, but it was filling.

Annabeth chewed slowly, savoring the food. She didn't often think of the times before she met Jason, and less about the times before Luke, but as she ate she couldn't help but wonder if the familiarity she was feeling now came from that time. Her memories were disjointed and jumbled, mostly preserved in dreams. But in the one she'd recently had about her mother, she was almost sure the village they were in had been by the sea.

Had she eaten fish prepared like this as a child? It seemed entirely possible, even likely, given her proximity to the ocean.

She felt Perseus's eyes on her, but did not give him the satisfaction of looking over. His eyes seemed to be drawn to her whenever she was thinking of something strange and unexplainable, like the moment she had mentally translated his sword's name in an instant. Which was still something to think on, but not here, not now.

"We need a plan." Annabeth said, when they had all eaten their fill of fish, "There is no way we can just walk into the port town without being recognized."

"I have no more ideas," Piper admitted. She had always been one to run a hand through her hair when she was nervous or agitated, and she was doing it now, rolling her finger around a newly uneven strand.

"You've done enough. Without you we never would have made it through the night," Jason reassured her. Piper smiled softly at him, leaning back on her hands so her and Jason's shoulders touched. It was a small gesture, but it felt strangely intimate, enough to cause Annabeth's eyes to flit elsewhere.

They settled on Fai, who had been largely quiet the entire day, and who Annabeth was starting to suspect was a quiet person in general. His full face was creased slightly in a frown.

"I might know someone who can help," he said, begrudgingly, "But it will not be easy to convince her."

"How not easy?" Piper asked.

Annabeth glanced back at Piper, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as she. Piper was very convincing when she wanted to be, though she didn't particularly like using her powers on completely unwilling subjects. But this was something of an emergency.

But Fai was shaking his head, as if he also knew what they were thinking.

"Your magic will not work on her," he said.

"You sound sure," Piper noted. A bit of red blush creeped up Fai's neck.

"She has magic of her own. She uh— she's the reason I didn't run, when you said to earlier."

Annabeth had almost forgotten that Fai had managed to resist Piper's charmspeak when they were fighting the hellhound. She had been so focused on the fight during that she hadn't had time to dwell on it, and had forgotten about it soon after.

"She put a blanket protection spell on me. It's not enough to stop all magic, but it will weaken stronger things. The protections she has on herself are more powerful," Fai continued, the blush starting to make its way to the tips of his ears.

Annabeth wasn't sure why Fai was so embarrassed about this person, whoever she was, but she seemed like an easy solution to their problem.

"So she's a sorceress," Annabeth deduced. Fai nodded.

"And she could hide us well enough to get through the port town?" Jason asked. Fai nodded again.

"If she chose to help us, yes."

"She seems to like you, though," Perseus said, "I mean, she protected you. Do you think she will do you this favor?"

Fai flushed an even darker shade of red. His fingers were picking at the pouch on his belt, twisting the leather straps.

"Maybe?" he said, sounding decidedly unsure.

"Where is she?" Annabeth asked.

"Not too far. Maybe three hour's walk from here, but in the opposite direction of the port."

Annabeth looked skeptically into the fields beyond the river. It was too hilly to be cultivated, and was mostly just wilderness. People were scattered all over, but most tended to conglomerate around the farmable land. Then again, if she really was a sorceress, Fai's friend probably wouldn't need a traditional source of income.

"That's a half day's walk, counting both ways," Jason noted.

It was an unfortunate truth that they were low on time, but if they did nothing to disguise themselves Annabeth was sure they'd be caught almost immediately.

"We have no better options," Annabeth said, "We'll never make it to the ship otherwise."

"We have to at least try," Perseus agreed.

"If we leave soon, we could be back by sunset," Fai said, glancing upwards to the sun, which was a little before its midpoint in the sky.

"Who should go?" Piper asked, "Obviously Fai, but not me, I'm assuming."

"Mixing your magics would be a poor idea." Fai agreed.

"You'll need someone with a hero's weapon. That hellhound might not have been alone," Jason said. Annabeth knew he would probably prefer to stay behind with Piper, but he would go, if needed.

"I'll go," Perseus offered.

Jason nodded, seeming relieved.

"And Annabeth should come," Perseus added, turning towards her. Annabeth blinked in surprise.

"Me? Why?" she asked.

If she had not been looking carefully, she might've thought his expression was neutral. But she could see the creases of a smile starting to form around the corners of his lips.

"Groups of three are luckiest. And we made a good team fighting that hellhound," he said.

Annabeth could feel the entire group's eyes on her. But she found her own only meeting sea-green.

He wanted her to come with them, even though two could surely do the job just fine. Annabeth wasn't sure why he kept choosing her, over and over again, but she found herself unable to resist each time.

She was drawn to him like an ant to honey.

"I—" the words caught in her throat.

"I'll come," she said, at last.

It felt like several minutes had passed, but in reality it had surely only been a few seconds.

"Good," Perseus said. He was smiling in earnest now, and Annabeth could not help but return it.