The reactions I got from the campers were a really mixed bag once I left the Big House.

Every single one of them were jealous; plain to see on every face. I felt bad for them, truly, they couldn't talk to their parents or their godly families, nor could they understand them- not when their whole culture was erased. They were angry with envy, or sad with longing, and some were happy for me.

But they didn't say a word- just stared- as I quickly grabbed my things from the Hermes Cabin so I could take them to Cabin Three.

Well, they didn't, until Luke appeared to stop me from leaving the cabin.

"I guess that explains why you know so much about the gods," Luke said, leaning against the doorway. "Your father broke the laws to see you."

"He's not my father," I corrected, and everyone just frowned, confused. "Triton is my brother. Poseidon is my father. That means that there weren't any laws broken."

"You called him 'Pa," One of the Stolls spoke up.

I shifted, changing my weight from one foot to another. "In Halmaheran- the language of the Sea- the word for brother is aidipa and the word for father is pater. The shortened versions are 'Pa and Pati."

"Language of the Sea?" Luke echoed, incredulous. "The Sea has its own language?"

"Yes. So does the Underworld, and the Magic practitioners, and the Immortals have their secret language too."

Luke frowned, "You know all of these?"

I resisted the urge to duck my head down, and instead straightened. "I have to."

I didn't mention that it was my duty as a prince, or how Hermes taught me diplomacy in each language, or how Athena demands perfect grammar in every language.

Luke pursed his lips and straightened, moving away from the doorway. "Annabeth said you were given a quest?"

My eyes wandered towards the windows were the rain was slowing down to a drizzle. "Yes."

He nodded stiffly. "Once you put your stuff in your new cabin, come meet me in the training arena."

I nodded, and he moved out of the way, letting me leave.

oOo

Luke was a slave driver, drilling me in every move he thought I'd need to know for a quest. From snake-beheading strikes to disarming techniques; we missed dinner, we trained for so long.

The next morning, he knocked on my cabin door while I was finishing packing for the trip.

"Hey, Luke." I greeted.

"Hey, kid," He looked a lot less tense. "I'm sorry about yesterday- Al told me I was being short with you, and that wasn't fair."

"It's okay," I shrugged. "I know it's stupid that I get to interact with the gods and you don't."

"Gods?" Luke frowned, walking into the cabin. "You mean multiple gods? Not just Triton?"

Oh shoot. Quick: Use my skills taught by the god of lies!

"Uhh," I said, panicked.

Mission failure. I'm a dumbass.

"You've met multiple gods!" He burst out, shocked. Then, a look came over his face, similar to how his dad looks when he's thinking. "Have you met my father?"

"Triton and Hermes are both messengers," I mumbled.

"You have." His eyes darkened, then he seemed to remember that he came to me to apologise. "Sorry. I-"

"It's okay, seriously." I told him, "I'm not allowed to see my Pater either- I yelled at Triton once because he could see him and I couldn't."

"You yelled at your godly brother?" He asked, almost impressed.

I wrinkled my nose. "I was ten, and sometimes he forgets that he's my brother and not my dad."

Luke looked confused, so I continued. "I look almost identical to Pallas. He doesn't… Gods don't handle grief well."

"He pretends you're her?" Luke understood immediately.

"He's gotten better at it. Barely compares us anymore," Probably won't ever do it again now that I snapped at him for it.

"That sucks."

I shrugged, "He's my brother. I love him anyways."

"Yeah." Luke didn't seem to believe his own agreement. "Look, kid, I wanted to give you these."

I blinked at the shoes he appeared to have pulled out of thin air. "Flying shoes?"

He smiled, "Recognise them, do you? Yeah, my dad gave them to me for my quest, and they were really useful. I know Annabeth is bringing her cap; guess I thought you needed your own magic item."

"Seriously?" I grinned, "Thanks!"

"You're welcome, Percy." He ruffled my already messy curls. "You all packed?"

"I just need a sword," I told him, fiddling with my pearl bracelet.

He nodded, "Yeah, Chiron told me he has you covered for that."

Huh, I wonder what he's planning with that.

"Bye, Percy. Good luck with the quest," Luke told me. "I'm going to go say goodbye to Annabeth, and try to convince her to leave the books behind."

"Bye," I waved.

oOo

The camp store loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold- which I just gave him a really tired look for, because really? The gods aren't pretentious spoilt beings; in fact, I know Hermes prefers using bronze for everything and thinks they should reintroduce silver and copper drachmas. Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions- and I failed to mention that I have a few already stored as my pocket money.

He gave Annabeth and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish- though, as I know, it can also cure fevers.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored (Apparently, Luke only managed to talk her down from three books to one), and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve.

I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a godly metal detector.

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.

We waved good-bye to the other campers (though it was only Drew and the Stolls that actually came to say goodbye to me), took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood a man in a chauffeur's uniform, covered in eyes.

"This is Argus," Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

I raised an eyebrow at the pun, but nodded.

Annabeth and Grover walked down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys. I was going to follow them, but Chiron stopped me.

"I should have trained you better, Percy," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training."

"That's okay." I stopped myself from talking any further because I was about to sound like a brat. Chiron hadn't really trained me at all, and I haven't learnt much at all from Camp.

"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this."

He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents. Yet it thrummed with magic.

"Percy, this is a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I'd vaporized Mrs. Dodds. Chiron had thrown me a pen that turned into a sword. Could this be ... ?

I took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told me. "Its name is Anaklusmos."

"'Riptide,'" I translated, the Ancient Greek came easily.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

"Of course," I agreed.

"Now recap the pen."

I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. I tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pens at school.

"You can't," Chiron said.

"Can't what?"

"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it." Did he just read my mind?

I was wary, but I threw the pen as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron told me. "Now check your pocket."

Sure enough, the pen was there.

"Okay, that's extremely cool," I admitted. "I'm totally gonna ask Triton to do this to my trident for my birthday."

Chiron gave me a disappointed look. "Perseus, don't go asking the gods for trivial favours."

"I'm not asking a god for a trivial favour. I'm asking my brother for a birthday gift." I corrected.

Chiron sighed, and my chest twinged with a funny feeling.

For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.

I see why Triton was so freaked out earlier. Gods, I never should have yelled at him. He was just worried about me.

"Relax," Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

"Relax," I said. "I'm very relaxed." I said, like a liar.

When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.

Is it too late to pray for Athena to come pick me up?

oOo

Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Grover sitting next to me as if we were nor-mal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall.

"So far so good," I told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

She gave me an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

"There's no such thing as bad luck, bird brain," I shot back playfully.

"We have several luck and fortune gods."

I paused. "Okay, maybe there's such a thing as bad luck."

Grover let out a nervous giggle, and that broke the tension in the car, all of us joining in.

In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me.

Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot.

I thought about how close I was to my old apartment, before we moved. On a normal day, my mom would be home from the candy store by now. I miss her. I wonder if Hermes is looking after her.

The rain kept coming down.

We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. I wasn't too bad myself.

The game ended when I tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared- core, stem, and all.

Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth and I were too busy cracking up.

Finally the bus came.

As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy-enchiladas.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

But I could tell it wasn't nothing. I started looking over my shoulder, too.

Triton and Athena didn't teach me to always be on guard for no reason.

I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We didn't stow away our back-packs, instead keeping them on us.

Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.

As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto my knee. "Percy."

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat.

It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face. I scrunched down in my seat.

I really hope she doesn't hold a grudge against me for killing her. She did say to pretend she was trying to kill me, and stuff.

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds- same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan.

"She didn't stay dead long," I said.

"Believe in bad luck now?" Annabeth said.

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" she suggested.

There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," I said confidently.

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"I know that!" I snapped. "Still; I bet Hades told them to be discreet or something."

"Would you stop saying gods' names?" Annabeth bit back, "We are also trying to be discreet!"

"Sor-ry!" I hissed, "I'm kinda really stressed over here!"

"Uh, guys?" Grover spoke up, nervous.

We had hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus had gone dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"Oh Skor!" I cursed. "Annabeth; any plans?"

I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."

"What?"

"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

"But you guys-"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."

"I can't just leave you."

"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"

"We'd rather you didn't." Alecto said, peering down at us.

"Skor," I cursed again.

"Language," The third sister said. "Is that how a young prince should behave?"

Oh no, they all have the disappointed yet scary teacher gene. "Sorry," I said.

Annabeth gave me a look, probably wondering why I am apologising to an Erinyes.

"Our master wants this resolved peacefully," The second sister spoke. "We are to make sure you do not start a war so soon."

"Uh, how?" Grover squeaked, "Please don't kill us!"

Alecto gave him a disappointed look. "Of course not. That is starting a war. We are to delay the bus as to not arise the Sky King's suspicion of our master's allegiance."

"Delay the bus? How?" I asked.

"Like this," The sisters smiled, all teeth.

The bus suddenly swerved.

"We suggest you run," The third sister said kindly.

I exchanged a look with my quest mates, then promptly decided to do as they said.

We jumped over seats to get away from them and down the aisle, and as soon as we were five feet away, they started screeching like the demon grandmothers they are.

I heard a whip crack, and the smell of fire, and the entire bus was screaming something about terrorist grandmas.

What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year.

The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror.

I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows.

"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!"

We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us.

We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.

Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York.

There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river.

Another great idea: I hit the emergency brake.

The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open.

Annabeth grabbed me by my jacket, and Grover by his wrist, and pulled us both off the bus with her.

The other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!"

Oof, those guys don't handle monster attacks well.

BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.

"Run!" Annabeth said.

We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.

A/N

HI I DIDNT KMS! Lmaooo, yeah, I'm back! I was gonna update like,, 2 weeks ago,, but the Bo Burnham new special broke me, so I read the entirety of all the young dudes to try and get my emotional balance back- bad idea, did not work- but I finished it yesterday and have the motivation to write! Also: It's been a year since I started this story! WOW

It's been over a month since I actually did shit and wrote, so I forgot a lot of stuff while writing. Control+F was my best friend while writing this chapter, since it would take forever to re-read everything. Hope y'all enjoy! Oh! And if y'all on ffnet could mass-report the homophobes calling me slurs in the comments (since I can't delete their comments) that would be great!

I also have a PJO discord server for this fanfic (and my other fics) that anyone can join! (Just remove the spaces) : / / discord . gg/ hfXGUeraTg