Author: hey guys! so this chapter is going to be canon divergent loosely following the Gracie Code Part 2! I'm just gonna respond to a few reviews real quick if you don't mind:

To anaisonfire: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING ME THIS. I hope that my birds didn't conflict with the SoM canon. Let's just say they bred and migrated and Australia being Australia, is actually a great home for some monsters. My birds actually prollie do stray from the canon, Riordan being a professional author and me being...well, as you can see, a lame fanfiction author lmao.

To Ilysia11: OMG THANKS FOR THE ADVICE! I've always struggled with description and imagery. I'd be a much better screenwriter if I could haha. But I'm working on it! As for the dialogue, yeah, I realized I was doing it wrong all along! Unfortunately, I am quite lazy and I don't know if I'll go back and fix it tbh. Just a lot of work to go through all those chapters, but maybe I will after I finish this story!

To the Guest with the requests pertaining to Miriam: you know, it's an excellent idea. But I just don't see Miriam coming into the story. The story takes place mid to end of season 2, and she hasn't been around since the end of season 1. So I would have to come up with some kind of explanation for her return, right? After being gone so long. And although she can definitely add some drama, Miriam would have nothing to gain from kissing Percy. Miriam would do things to gain attention or to stir up jealousy. The only person she would try to make jealous is Zane, but Zane has made it perfectly clear he has no interest in her. I don't see Miriam attempting to get back at Zane after that much time has passed, you know? And Emma hasn't done anything as of late to get on Miriam's very bad side to get her to kiss her cousin for revenge. There is a possibility of ANNABETH doing something to accidentally get on Miriam's bad side, but Miriam would probably not waste her time on someone who is only here on vacation.

Also, I don't see it to be in Cleo's nature to ask Percy to pretend to date him to make Lewis jealous. It would be FAR TOO embarrassing for her to even ask him. She'll say things to Lewis to stir some jealousy, but if Percy found out, Cleo would pass out for feeling so humiliated. Besides, she'd never ask him because even if it would be fake, she wouldn't ask a guy who already has a girlfriend. She likes Annabeth and Cleo isn't THAT close or comfortable enough with Percy to ask. Just not in her character. If Percy was her childhood friend, that would be a different story.

So you see, it is a pretty interesting idea, but I don't see it working out in this story. Sorry! I really appreciate the suggestion but I hope I was able to sufficiently explain to you why it won't be able to work here. I'm very glad you are enjoying my story and I hope you will continue to read to see what kind of drama I do have in store for future chapters.

And to the reviewers asking me to update quicker: I appreciate your eagerness and love that you love my story, but I'm only going to go as fast as I'd like to. I do have other things in my life, being a full-time college student and part-time cashier. This story, although important to me, isn't my top priority in my life. So I will write when I can. Besides, my monster-sized chapters take time. I can't exactly sit down and do it all in an hour. Well, I could, but that chapter would be terrible, wouldn't it?

Also, who's to say Percy and Emma are EVER going to find out each other's secrets? What they don't know can't hurt them, right?

The following day, Emma awoke bright and early. She tiptoed around her room, careful not to awaken Annabeth, or anyone else in the house for that matter. Perhaps her mother or father were already awake as well, but she didn't bother to check.

Without taking a glance back, Emma was quick in her step down the stairs and headed straight for the front door. Just as her hand reached for the doorknob, a feminine voice from the kitchen called, "Good morning, Em."

The blonde jumped in surprise, stopping short and snapping from her thoughts. The voice was recognized as her Aunt Sally's and her assumption was proven true when Emma rounded the corner to take a step at the edge of the kitchen.

Sally sat at one of the barstools with both hands wrapped around a steaming mug. The scent of coffee hit Emma, and she wondered how she could have missed such a strong and distinct smell earlier. The older woman was still wearing her wrinkled pajamas, and her dark hair was mussed, but pulled back into a low ponytail resting lazily over her shoulder. Her eyes were tired, but a smile was on her lips, which Emma returned half-heartedly.

"Good morning, Aunt Sally," Emma returned.

"Whatcha up to? Heading out this morning?"

"Yeah. I'm going to meet the girls for a bit before I head to work," Emma replied.

"Ah, I see. Will we see you this afternoon after work then?" Sally asked. Emma winced slightly in sheepishness and shook her head.

"No, sorry. I've got to see the girls again. We kinda have to look at something together. I hope you don't mind," she answered.

"Shame. I've been wanting to talk to you about the plans for...you know, your mom's…"

"Right," Emma finished for her. "Don't worry. I got that covered for you. We can go over the plans tonight maybe if I get back in time."

"Do you need me to do anything?"

"Nope. Just for you to relax and enjoy your vacation," Emma reassured. She started to inch her way back towards the front door. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to get going."

"Alright, dear. I don't want to keep you. You enjoy yourself today," Sally said. "And remember, don't work too hard."

Emma chuckled and nodded, "I won't."

Sally watched the teenager turn on her heel and leave in a hurry. There was a sudden pop! from behind, startling Sally. When she looked to the source, she was relieved to just see it was her toast.

A few hours later, Percy and Annabeth descended the stairs. The pair were fully dressed and were ready to go. Unlike Emm's beeline, the couple strolled to the living room, where Sally sat, now properly dressed, and was reading a book.

"We're heading out, mom," Percy announced. Sally looked up and smiled, closing her book between her fingers to hold her page.

"Where to? Going to meet up with Emma?" the older woman suggested.

"Nah. We're going to Mako Island. It's supposed to be really cool," Percy answered. Percy and Annabeth agreed to spare Sally and Paul the details of their horseback adventure. If they knew monsters were lurking around, they would likely not react well and would try to hurry home before the monsters attacked his cousin again. And this was supposed to be a vacation, after all.

"I heard it's supposed to be really dangerous," Sally countered. "Surrounded entirely by sharks."

Percy snorted and Annabeth suppressed a giggle behind her hand.

"Yeah, okay, mom," Percy said. "I'll be real careful around sharks. You know how they terrify me."

Sally gave Percy a look and he stopped chuckling. "Percy, just be careful, okay?"

"I promise, mom."

"And be back before dark."

A tuneful ring interrupted the trio. Percy, Annabeth, and Sally exchanged glances and scanned the room for the source. A cell phone was buzzing against the granite countertops in the kitchen. Percy wiggled his eyebrows at the females before rushing to it.

"Percy," Annabeth warned, following him. "That's Emma's phone."

"I'm just going to take a message for her," Percy assured without sparing his girlfriend a glance. He picked up the ringing phone; the number appeared to be just a number without an obvious contact. "Besides, demigods don't get phones. Lemme have this just once."

Percy thumbed the green button to answer it and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Emma's phone?" A female voice returned. Percy didn't recognize it, but it was definitely has the Australian accent like everyone else in the country had.

"Yeah. She's not here right now. Can I take a message?" Percy asked. Annabeth rolled her eyes and her gaze drifted back to his frowning mother.

"Um-no, actually," she answered. "Thanks anyway." And the call ended. Percy heard the line drop and he held out the phone to examine the screen.

"Huh. My first real phone call and she hangs up on me. How rude," Percy grumbled. He looked back at the women who stared at him expectantly.

The sound of a door opening snatched everyone's attention; Lisa entered from the backdoor behind the kitchen casually. Her expression was pleasantly surprised at the sight of Sally, Percy, and Annabeth and she absently placed her leather purse on the counter.

"Good morning, everyone," Lisa greeted brightly. Her gaze trailed across all three of them before falling on Percy's hands. "Did Emma forget her phone?"

"Yeah, I guess she did," Percy murmured his response. "Annabeth and I are heading out. Maybe if we see her we can give it to her."

"She might be over at Cleo's house. You can swing by there, if you'd like. The Sertori's are the friendliest bunch," Lisa suggested.

"I guess we can do that. We're really just going to go exploring today," Annabeth chimed. "C'mon, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth turned to the front door. Percy flashed a grin to his mom and aunt before following his girlfriend quickly.

"Bye, mom! Bye, Aunt Lisa!"

Inside the Sertori household, Cleo held up a strip of old film from a reel as Rikki hovered a magnifying glass over it.

"Hey, it looks like Max fishing off the beach," Cleo suggested. "Like in our films."

"Fascinating," Rikki muttered, tossing the glass onto the bed and moving away. There was an unexpected, yet faint, ring from below. Cleo looked at Rikki and Emma uncertainly before setting aside the reel of film.

"I guess I'll go get that," Cleo murmured. Rikki and Emma shrugged, neither knowing who could be ringing the doorbell. Cleo left, Emma moved to examine the set up boards, and Rikki plopped down onto the bed while blowing air out between her lips.

The brunette was quick in her descent down the stairs to the front door. She tried to peer through the window, but it was too heavily decorated to make out more than just two figures. As soon as she opened the door, Cleo tried to hide her surprise with a smile, but her brows furrowed.

"Percy? Annabeth?" Cleo said. "What-what a surprise? What are you two doing here?"

"Hi, Cleo," Percy greeted with a smile. "Emma forgot her phone and Aunt Lisa told us she'd be here."

"Oh," was all Cleo could say. She glanced over her shoulder and gave a yell, "Emma!"

"Coming!" Emma's footsteps were heard against the creaky staircase. Cleo pursed her lips nervously and kept her hand rested on the doorknob. "Cleo, I gotta go. My shift-Percy?"

"Hey, Em!" Percy waved cheerfully. Emma's face had fallen and she looked at Cleo.

"You left your phone at home. We were just dropping it off," Annabeth informed. Percy outstretched a hand to reveal said phone in his palm. Emma subtly breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but feel tense at times when she and the girls were doing mermaid stuff around people who don't know the secret, even if all the mermaid stuff is one floor up.

"Thanks." Emma accepted it gratefully and smiled at her cousin before turning her head to Cleo. "Cleo, I got to go. My shift is going to start soon."

"Okay. You're coming back after, right?"

"Right. See you guys later." Emma's look was almost apologetic, but she masked it well with a harder one. Percy and Annabeth parted for Emma to step past them and make her leave down the driveway.

"Are you guys busy? Annabeth and I were going to go out and explore a bit. Wanna come?" Percy offered. Cleo shook her head a little.

"No thanks. We're kinda busy here. We're just working on a project," Cleo replied. Percy frowned.

"It's summer break. Why are you guys working on a project?" he questioned. The mermaid bit her lip. She wished Emma had stayed just a second longer to help her fib better.

"Um, in Australia, we have to do projects over break," she lied, toying with the end of her ponytail. "I mean, not all of Australia, but our school requires it. And with school starting soon, we don't want to get behind on it, you know?"

"Wow, that sucks," Percy grumbled.

"You guys need any help?" Annabeth offered. "I haven't exactly worked on any projects lately and I would love the mental exercise."

"No," she protested quickly. "We're fine. You wouldn't want to. It's really boring stuff. Like maps. And Australian history. I don't think you'd be too familiar with Australian history, would you?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Alright. But if you guys get stuck, feel free to let me know. Sometimes it's best if you get a second opinion from someone outside, you know?"

Cleo nodded and there was a pause, awkward tension hanging over them in the air.

"Well, we're going to head out then," Percy announced, absentmindedly picking at the hem of his shirt. "See you guys around."

The brunette was at a loss of words. She pursed her lips, nodded her head, and slipped a hand into her pocket. Annabeth gave her a farewell smile and eyebrow wiggle and the couple was off the Sertori porch.

For a moment, Percy and Annabeth walked without speaking down the sidewalk. The sunlight wasn't harsh, dimmed by the clouds drifting lazily across the sky, but giving no threat of rain. There was a breeze rustling leaves and disheveling the demigods' hairs and it lessened the usual intensity of the Australian heat. The silence was comfortable-the morning was pleasant, and Percy wondered why the girls preferred to spend the day indoors.

They strolled past a redheaded girl, who was walking briskly and with purpose in their direction and past them. Nothing was thought of it-Percy sidestepped behind Annabeth out of the way to let her pass and then returned to his girlfriend's side.

"So, how much do you think it would be to rent a boat for a day? I don't have much Australian money," Annabeth said.

"And what would we need a boat for?"

"We're going to Mako, aren't we?"

Percy didn't suppress a snort. "Yeah, and I believe you're going with a son of Poseidon."

Annabeth rolled her stormy grey eyes and gave her boyfriend a nudge. "Did you see how far it is? It's fifty kilometers off the coast!"

Percy merely chuckled at her response and draped his arms over Annabeth's shoulders, pulling her close against his larger frame.

"Wise Girl, that's nothing." Annabeth gave him a look. "Okay, it's not that bad. Think of it as a really long walk. It'll be way cooler to take our time under the waves than to speed across them, right? There's supposed to be a ton of reefs there."

"Apparently a ton of shipwrecks too," Annabeth muttered. "Or so I've heard. Most people apparently find it pretty eerie. No one goes there. Except for maybe one or two scientists."

"Why would scientists go to a deserted island? Too bored of their work?" This earned another, more forceful, nudge.

"The wildlife, Seaweed Brain! There's probably dozens of plants and animals we've never even seen before! And there was one guy who was studying the planetary cycles on Mako, but that's not important," she explained.

"Why would anybody study planetary cycles on an island?" Percy scoffed.

"Probably to see if there's a connection to all the shipwrecks. Like the Bermuda Triangle. Someone must've just been investigating some of the island's mysteries," the blonde mused.

"Of course, we know what's in the Bermuda Triangle," the son of Poseidon said, almost bitterly. "And we're never going to talk about it again."

"Talk about what? Grover getting married or you turning into a hamster?" Annabeth teased.

"It was a guinea pig and you need to stop!"

After playful banter, the two demigods had made it to the beach. Percy used his powers to create a bubble for Annabeth. Although he didn't need it, he remained in the bubble with her, one hand fitting nicely into her's, and the other hand making the bubble move as they did under the water.

As they travelled to Mako Island, many sea creatures swam around them, but not without greeting Percy respectively. He was enjoying the attention a little too much and liked to remind Annabeth of it. But the view was absolutely stunning to her and she couldn't help but look in every direction of the deep blue underworld.

"So which sunken ship should we explore today?" Percy suggested. Dozens of them littered the ocean floor, debris splayed apart in every direction. Annabeth said nothing and they kept gliding through the water. Many of the ships looked fascinating and likely had an equally fascinating history to them. Some were old wooden ships, and some were new yachts. But the irritating thing was that most of them were totally destroyed when they sank. Although there were many ships, there wasn't much to go exploring.

"That one doesn't look so bad," Annabeth pointed to a small fishing boat. Across the back of the boat said, "Lorelei." "In fact, it's completely in tact."

"Yeah, but it doesn't look like much," Percy murmured. He glanced back at some of the larger boats in the distance. His girlfriend did have a point-as much as he wanted to explore the cooler, more interesting ships, they wouldn't get very far. At least this one they didn't have to go digging. In truth, the only debris surrounding the Lorelei was a couple of chairs and a damaged door that fell off its hinges.

"You never know. Just a quick peek on our way." The couple drifted towards the sunken boat. Annabeth lingered over the fallen door and silently wondered what happened to it, because it was clear the damage was done not by the sinking itself. All part of the boat's history, she mused internally.

The bubble modified itself as the two demigods entered the sunken boat. Annabeth looked around with Percy aimlessly staring at things. There wasn't much, just a bunch of clutter of clothes, jewelry, and papers.

"A woman must've owned this," Annabeth guessed, pointing to the jewelry.

"Yeah, but I don't think anybody died here," Percy said. "She must have gotten out when it sank." Annabeth nodded and turned her attention to a corner of the boat. Percy stuck his hand out of the bubble casually and picked up a decorative plastic starfish. He twirled it in his fingers and fondled with it, but then released it, sinking back onto the table.

"She must have lived here too. There's a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom," Annabeth observed.

"Mm," was Percy's response. She glanced at her boyfriend and could tell he was getting bored. Percy poked his fingers at an old, brass scuba diver helmet. Well, at least he came in here with her in the first place. And he was right-not that she would let him know that-there wasn't much in the boat. Nothing that interesting. No secret treasures or mysterious artifacts.

"We should get going," Annabeth announced. Percy looked away from the diver helmet at Annabeth's words. "We gotta get to Mako, right?"

"Ash, no!" Emma shrieked. Her arms were tightly wound around Ash's neck as he stood holding her in his arms in the ocean.

"Em, just trust me, okay?"

"Take me back now!"

"It's just a bit of water, okay?"

"Ash, no!" Emma clung to him as her entire body shook with fear. If one wave got the slightest wild, it would be enough to make her transform right in Ash's arms. All color drained from her face and her heart was pounding out of her chest. She's going to transform and he's going to hate her! Or he'd take pictures of her and expose her! Their relationship would be over, to say the least, and the thought was just as heartbreaking as it was terrifying. "Take me back now!"

Ash sighed and nodded. "Okay. Alright."

He turned around and waded his way back to the beach. Every step took forever to Emma, and she was practically wiggling in his arms to get out and get her feet on warm, dry sand. Ash set Emma down and she stormed up the beach to put as much distance as possible between the water and her. Ash stood dumbfounded for a moment, before he decided to follow Emma slowly. Emma swept her flip flops into her hands and Ash broke into a jog after her.

"Hey!" he called. "Hey, I'm sorry, I was just trying to help." Emma ignored him and continued marching away. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know!" she snapped.

"You know, Em, whatever it is, you can tell me!"

"You sure about that?" Emma asked with a bitter smile. She almost laughed at him for such a depressing and heart wrenching thought.

"Yes! I want to help you!"

Emma stopped suddenly and whipped around. Here it is. Now or never. If she doesn't tell him now, then would she ever tell him? And if she wouldn't ever tell him, could their relationship keep continuing as is? Ash doesn't deserve a woman who keeps secrets from him. Ash would be much better off without her.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah, I do," Ash said firmly, staring intently into Emma's eyes. Emma searched his brown eyes, almost desperately, for any hint of a lie or hesitation, but saw nothing but seriousness and support. And this could be all she needed. Emma inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Okay." Her tone wasn't steady and she almost wanted to laugh as terror consumed her and made her want to jump out of her skin. C'mon, Emma, pull yourself together. Whatever happens, you will deal with it. You will get through it. You just have to chance it this once.

Emma thought this mantra repeatedly as she walked back across the beach towards the water. She dropped her flip flops without care on her way over and Ash followed. Emma stopped at the water's edge, just before the waves could reach her, and Ash stopped a meter behind her.

Emma took another great breath and looked back at Ash, who was watching patiently, his eyes soft but serious. She lifted a foot to step closer, but stopped herself and turned back to Ash. The blonde jogged a few paces up to Ash, pecked him on the cheek, and a smile tugged on his lips. The more Emma stood there, the more sure she felt. Her heart was fluttering, but maybe, just maybe, this was a good thing after all.

Now with greater confidence, Emma jogged back into the water. The cool water rushed past her ankles but Emma dove into the water. Her legs instantly transformed into an orange tail and she surfaced, revealing it. Ash's gaze trailed Emma's uncertain expression to the orange scaled halter top, and finally settling on the matching tail that swished in the water in place of where her legs should be. The sight stunned him and his jaw fell open, all coherent thought abandoning him.

"Cool," was all he could muster. Emma's face broke into a wide grin and she giggled into the water. Ash took a cautious step closer to her.

"Yes, thank God!" Emma praised to the sky.

"You're...a mermaid-all this time, you were a mermaid!" Ash cried, pushing back his hair with a hand. "Unbelievable! This is just-awesome."

"Listen-" Emma was cut short at the sound of distant voices. She immediately gasped at the sight of surfers approaching the beach. They were a good distance away, but the distance would be closed soon enough. Ash looked at the source of the laughter and then looked back down at Emma. "I'll explain everything. Nobody knows this, not even my family. Meet me at Mako Island, okay?"

"Mako Island?" Ash repeated.

"Yeah. Trust me," Emma insisted. The people drew nearer and Emma didn't wait for his response. She ducked under the water and disappeared before she could be spotted. Ash licked his lips and ran another hand through his hair, but his grin never faded.

Author: fun fact, this chapter was supposed to be much longer, but I thought ten pages would be enough for you guys. So I split it! I thought this was a nice note to end it on? And also a little bit of a cliffhanger, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, as usual, please rate and review! They're truly a joy to read!