De Anno Luctus

by silverbird6

For once, Percy's live isn't a Greek tragedy because of his godly relatives. No, this time it was aliens. In a world where superheroes and demigods coexist, the gods are not as all-knowing as they might think, and demigods and mortals alike must rise to the challenges of a new, more dangerous world. Part 1: "Of Gods and Men" series

2. Aut non rem temptes aut perfice

Days 5- The Exodus

Thalia's tree was dying.

The worst thing was no one knew what happened to the Fleece. Peleus likely had been dusted, given the ashes Clarisse had found at the bottom of the tree, but the Fleece shouldn't have disappeared. Although if Percy was being honest, they really didn't know how the whole dusting thing worked, just that it happened. Clarisse was convinced some monster or minor god had taken advantage of the whole thing and stolen the fleece before they realized what was happening. In the end, it didn't matter. The fleece was gone, Peleus couldn't provide any information, and the camp would soon be unprotected.

The camper councilors were grateful that Percy and Nico had come, and Percy was equally grateful that many of the remaining veteran campers were there when the Blip had occurred. Unfortunately, Nico had only stayed long enough to pack a bag before he set off for the Underworld.

"I'm worried" he'd admitted to Percy before he headed out. The son of Hades was chewing on his bottom lip and staring out toward Long Island Sound, "We might be headed towards the same problem that we had during the Giant War".

Percy passed a sleeping Stella off to Rachel, who was helping him unload the Prius into Cabin Three, "The Doors of Death?"

Nico shrugged, "Or Thantos. What if he was dusted? There would be no one to collect souls and take them to the Underworld, or Tartarus".

"Okay. Do you have a plan?" Percy wasn't sure how to check other than finding a monster and killing it just to see what happened. Luckily, Nico thought he could get some answers in the Underworld.

He'd promised to send answers once he had them. Percy didn't want to let one of his only remaining friends go into what could potentially be the most dangerous area of the world alone, but he shuddered to think of the consequences if their defenses were down and the monsters couldn't be killed.

He'd expected to find more answers here: the Greek demigods had a bit more contact with their parents due to Percy's deal at the end of the Titan War and their close physical proximity to Olympus. But they didn't seem to know anything Camp Jupiter didn't.

Hopefully the gods were immune from Thanos's snap (it had taken Percy a while to figure out that the Avengers on the news weren't talking about the Greek god Death but some purple alien when they described the circumstances of the disappearances), but Percy wasn't counting on it. Especially with the disappearance of Peleus and the radio silence from Olympus so far. There had been a council meeting on Olympus the day of the Blip, so they couldn't even be sure that Mr. D had been dusted, though they'd seen for themselves that immortals weren't immune when Chiron had disappeared.

The more pressing concern was the defense of Camp Half Blood. He'd spent a day with the remaining camp counselors, poring over Chiron's records and ancient greek books, searching for a way to protect the camp without Thalia's tree or a way to heal the damage that had been done. But, much like all those years ago when the tree was poisoned, there was nothing. He found himself wishing they still had Dadaeleous's laptop. If there was an answer, it would have been there.

Juniper inspected the tree thoroughly and assured him that the tree would last a few more days even without the fleece, but that wouldn't do them any good if they weren't ready when it fell. Already, he'd spotted small groups of monsters testing the borders. With their numbers depleted and their borders disintegrating, they needed to move as soon as possible.

Reyna had immediately granted his request for sanctuary in Camp Jupiter via Iris message and promised to make space to house the remaining campers. Not that space was exactly an issue at the moment. She even seemed relieved to bolster the numbers of trained defenders at Camp Jupiter. But they had to get there on their own. The legion didn't have the numbers to send out help, not to mention that they would just be increasing the number of demigods that weren't behind protected borders. She'd make sure the senate opened the borders for them and kept the entrance clear. Other than that, it was up to them.

Easy. Percy just had to pack up a centuries old camp and 60 campers that smelled like an all-you-can-eat dinner to every monster within miles and travel exactly 2,942 miles. He'd googled it (and thank the gods that the internet was still mostly working). Not to mention the inevitable debris and wreckage on the roads and avoiding the understandably twitchy national guard.

Percy found himself immensely grateful that some of the former councilors had been back from college for the beginning-of-summer festivities. Percy would never ever admit this to her face, but Clarisse's presence was a lifesaver. And he didn't know how they would ever dream of crossing the country without Nyssa and her band of mechanics.

The remaining former and current head councilors were gathered around the ping pong table, two days before the tree's protection would fail, trying to figure out how to get their campers across the country without getting eaten.

"What about a plane?" Conner asked for the third time, "I know a guy who knows a guy..."

"Who has a super sonic jet that can hold 60 campers plus effects and avoid getting shot down by the Air Force or the Avengers?" Nyssa snapped, arms crossed over her chest, "It's not going to happen. Maybe, if we had the Argo II, we could figure out something. But that's been gone for years, and Festus hasn't made an appearance".

"We know Iris messages are working" Butch was slumped over one of the lawn chairs nursing a Coke, "We could ask my mom for help".

"Yes, the proprietor of ROFL is going to be such a great help" Clarisse snarked, fingering Lamer, "More like she'll shower us in muffins and give us all concussions".

Butch glared at Clarisse, unimpressed. Katie unknowingly diffused the tension as she stepped through the door behind him, brushing dirt off her hands, "Well, I've gathered all the seeds, sproutlings, and ripe produce I can. Anything else we're going to have to leave behind".

Percy nodded, "Is it enough to replant the strawberries in California?"

Katie nodded, "Should be. Anything else is going to be harder but I've worked with the strawberries enough, we should be good". She hesitated, then continued, "We're cutting it close with the food supplies if the dishes don't work".

"They worked on the Argo" Percy frowned, considering, "Is there any reason we think they won't?"

Nyssa tilted her head, "You weren't actually counting on that, were you?"

Percy's stomach dropped, "Umm, yeah? We don't exactly keep food stores here, and I'm guessing the amount from the gardens plus what I pilfered from my parent's kitchen isn't going to be enough for a sixty camper road trip".

Katie snorted, "You'd guess right".

Nyssa ran a hand through her hair, "Percy, the magic of the plates is tied to camp. When we built the Argo, it was in this camp, seeped in Greek magic and mythos. I know we're mechanics and not magicians, but when it comes to demigod equipment, the line is very, very narrow. I don't think there's much of a chance of the magic that powers the plates working outside of Camp Half Blood".

Percy forced himself to breathe, scrunching his face as he attempted to rub away a headache, "Okay, so we'll have to pick up food on the road. Not ideal but it's certainly possible. We'll bring the plates if we can. See if we can get them to work in Camp Jupiter. If not, we'll melt down the celestial bronze and use it for weapons. First priority is still figuring out how to get there safely".

Clarisse grunted, "I still think caravan".

"It's dangerous" Butch warned.

"It's necessary" Clarisse retorted, "We'll make it".

Percy shut his eyes. Clarisse was right. It was going to be a nightmare, logistically and physically. But he didn't think there was any other way. He opened his eyes, and the whole room was staring at him.

Percy furrowed his brow, "What?"

Clarisse crossed her arms and glowered at him, "What are we going to do then Prissy?"

Percy looked between them, "I guess take a vote?"

Katie shook her head, and Percy was shocked when Connor did the same, "Dude, you're the only thing left that even resembles an authority figure. Make the call".

Percy stared, "I've been at Camp Jupiter for two whole years now. I'm, well, me" he gestured to himself, "I'm not..." Percy couldn't bring himself to say her name. "I'm not an organizer or planner. This is a terrible idea. You can't possibly want to put me in charge".

Butch just slapped him on the back, "Seems you're doing just fine so far".

Percy turned pleadingly to Clarisse. Surely she'd be the voice of reason. But she just shrugged, "Don't sit and whine about it, Prissy. Get the job done".

Percy stared at them in shock. They couldn't be serious. But he didn't see a hint of humor on any of their faces. Just trust (and a bit of impatience). Percy took a deep breath and walked over to the window. He could see the sun setting over the Long Island Sound, another day of safety slipping below the horizon. He turned back, "Spread the word. We're leaving in two days".

The councilors nodded and filed quietly out the doors of the Big House. Percy stayed behind, looking at the map of the US, highlighted with their planned route.

"We'd better find some cars," Percy muttered to himself. Drew was at camp. Maybe she could convince a car dealership to part with a few vehicles. Piper had been able to do that.

Connor suddenly appeared next to him. Percy hadn't even realized he wasn't alone. "Don't worry about that Percy" Connor gave him a shadow of his trouble-making grin, "You just leave that to me".

---

Percy didn't exactly condone stealing, but given the state of the world, he wasn't opposed to it either.

Connor had taken a contingent of eligible drivers in the camp van down the highway, with Clarisse along to supervise. They returned by noon with two minivans, a few trucks and SUVs, a Hummer (which Clarisse had already very vocally claimed), and in one particularly great stroke of luck, three fully functional school buses.

They drove back into camp triumphantly, the campers cheering excitedly. Percy gave himself a moment to smile and relish in something going according to plan. Between those vehicles, Paul's Prius, and the camp van, they were in decent shape. He just hoped Connor had remembered to get some extra gasoline or they weren't going to be going very far.

It was a good thing Percy was so busy. Between arranging transportation, coordinating with Reyna and Hazel, forcing campers to pack only the necessities, and attempting to cram a century's worth of crap into a small caravan of vehicles, Percy didn't have much time to think about his parent's empty apartment or the small jar of dust sitting in his dorm.

He was so busy he almost missed it when Grover moved away from his packing station to talk to him.

"I can't come with you"

Percy paused in the middle of the path, campers streaming around him on either side carrying crates of weapons, food, and in one case, musical instruments. Grover was standing behind him, chewing on a tin can nervously.

"What do you mean, you can't come with?"

Grover, hesitated, then pulled Percy aside, "Juniper's bush is by Zeus's fist, remember? She can't be away from it for long periods of time, not to mention what would happen if it was destroyed when the monsters get in".

Grover was right. The monsters would swarm the minute the defenses were down, even if no campers were present. Percy nodded slowly, not understanding the issue, "So we bring it with us?"

Grover laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound, "I'm pretty sure it wouldn't survive a week of transportation on a truck, constantly under attack by monsters, and then transplanted to a completely different climate and soil".

"You can't just stay here though!" Percy ran his hands through his hair, "I mean obviously we have to protect Juniper, but we could move it somewhere along the way? Like Pennsylvania or Ohio, that's got to have a more familiar climate. Katie could probably help too!"

Grover placed a hand on Percy's arm, stopping him from talking, "Look Percy, Juniper and I aren't demigods. The monsters won't hesitate to attack us if we get in their way, but they aren't going to come after us directly. We'll hide in the forest until they leave. Honestly, they'll all probably just follow the caravan. There's not much here for them otherwise".

Percy scoffed, "Yeah, unless there are cyclops. Then they'll have a grand time chasing you through the woods with no backup".

Grover frowned at Percy, "Look man, I can handle myself. I'm not the same goat that you met all those years ago at Yancy Academy. I've got the blessing of Pan, I can hide us. And if not, well, those monsters won't know what hit them".

"I know you're capable, G-man. And I can't make you guys come. I just..." Percy paused, "The three of us were always a team. I just thought you'd be with me, you know? Everyone's counting on me to be some sort of great leader. I need someone who knows me, who will tell me when I'm pushing too hard or not pushing hard enough, who can give me advice when I'm not sure what to do. Without Annabeth..."

Grover smiled at him, sure and steady, "Percy, you'll be fine. You've trained your whole life for something like this".

"The world's crappiest road trip?"

Grover snickered, "No, you know what I mean. You've earned the camp's trust and you have good instincts. You'll be fine. Plus, you're traveling with Clarisse. I'm pretty sure she won't hesitate to put you in your place if necessary".

Percy laughed. That was true. It wasn't like he was going into this with sixty shiny campers who'd never been on a quest.

Grover smiled, "This isn't goodbye, Percy. Trust me, we'll be fine".

Percy sniffed, drawing Grover into a tight hug, "You'd better be. Or I'm going to find whatever you're reborn as and harass it for the rest of time".

Percy's day got even worse when he went to visit Rachel.

"We're not going to make it, Percy," Rachel said, staring at the hastily painted walls of her cave. It wasn't like her usual art work. It was jumbled and twisted, full of dark colors and bright bursts of red, orange, and purple, but nothing was particularly clear, at least not to him. "I'm seeing...we're just not".

Percy gently removed the red crusted paintbrush from her hand and led her over to a purple bean bag. Stella was sleeping in the green bean bag next to her, wrapped in his mom's favorite blanket. He ignored Rachel's protests and shoved a water bottle into her hand, "Look Rachel, we don't have a choice'.

"We always have a choice" she protested, "We could find the fleece again and..."

"No, we can't," Percy interrupted, "Look, the fleece is going to be a high priority item, I promise. But we need to get the campers someplace safe. Our numbers are depleted, the borders will be down by tomorrow afternoon, and the monsters seem more desperate than usual. If we stay here, we die".

Percy let that sink in for a moment. He needed her to understand. "Camp Half Blood is my home. But the people matter more than the place. And the only place safe enough for 60 demigods to congregate is Camp Jupiter. They'll take us in. We can defend each other. It's a good arrangement, at least until we can figure out what's going on".

Rachel looked straight at him, eyes red and underlined with dark black bags, "I know Percy. But we're not going to make the journey. We're going to lose a lot of people. I've seen you die".

Percy hesitated. He trusted Rachel, trusted her interpretation of future events. But they truly didn't have a choice. "Do you make it?"

Rachel nodded hesitantly, her temper beginning to rise.

"Does my sister make it?"

Rachel nodded, "Yes, most of the time. I've seen it a few different ways. But that doesn't mean just because your sister lives, it's the path we should take!"

"You said it yourself. Nothing is set. We can still change our fates". Percy nodded, his decision reaffirmed. Rachel shook her head and stomped her foot, getting back up to pace across the rug.

"At what cost? Percy, your life is worth just as much as ours. And it's not just you. I've seen the whole camp die. I've seen just a few. It doesn't matter which path we take; someone always dies!"

Percy glanced sharply at her, "Rachel, give me another option".

"March to Olympus! Seek refuge there. Or call Nico back, have him shadow travel..."

Percy stood up and started to pace, "What, he's going to shadow travel 60 demigods to California in less than 24 hours? He'd literally die halfway through, Rachel. And going to Olympus is just as dangerous. We have no idea what is waiting for us up there. The head councilors have debated it, believe me. It's better to take the open road that we know has a safe haven at the end of it. Plus, Olympus is exactly where the monsters expect us to go. They wouldn't think we'd seek refuge with the Romans".

"They'll have plenty of time to figure it out" Rachel complained a bit bitterly.

"Come on Rachel. You can't tell me those other options don't have a cost associated with them too".

She bit her bottom lip and looked out the mouth of the cave, "They do, of course they do. But it's more certain. The path to Camp Jupiter is so...splintered. We could make it there relatively intact, or we could lose everyone on the journey. It's risky".

Percy nodded, "Sometimes, the risk is worth the reward".

Rachel took his hand, "Even if we make it, I don't know what impact this will have on the Olympians. We're doing what's never been done before".

Percy knew that. Of course he did. But it was shadowed by concerns like making sure they had enough fuel and food to survive the week. "Rachel, Grover isn't coming. Nico's off in the Underworld. Reyna, Hazel, and Jason have our backs once we get there, but Camp Jupiter is on lockdown and 2000 miles away. Frank, Piper, Chiron, Leo, Annabeth...they're all gone. I need you".

Rachel looked up at him, eyes watery but determined, "I'm with you, Percy. I've got your back, you know I do. I just need you to understand. We can't take this decision back. We're abandoning the Greek camp to take refuge with the Romans. For the first time, all living Greek and Roman demigods will be in the same place at the same time. It's not going to be easy".

Percy laughed, "Half the universe just disappeared, Rachel. Our lives have never been easy, and they're about to get harder".

"And if everyone dies?" Rachel asked, resigned, "If we don't even make it to the great Roman promised land?"

"Then I'll have an eternity in the Underworld to blame myself".

---

Percy didn't have a moment to himself until the night before their exodus to Camp Jupiter. He laid in his bed in Cabin Three, his sister curled up sleeping in Tyson's bunk, trying not to think about how utterly alone he was. How much everyone in the camp was depending on him to get them to safety. He was 20 years old and could barely manage to remember all his classes without Annabeth's help. Now, he was responsible for transporting 60 young demigods across the country without any protection but themselves.

He turned on his side, staring out the window at the sea, gently lapping on the shore of Camp Half Blood.

Percy and his father had never had a traditional relationship. But something in Percy always knew that someone was looking out for him when he was near the sea. He knew he could step down into its depths and live the rest of his days protected in some deep dark corner of the ocean. That was his father's greatest gift to him. He was a son of the seas, and the seas welcomed him as their own.

But something was different. Even Long Island Sound, which was more of a home to him than even his dorm or his parent's apartment, felt distant. It itched, like fingers on the back of his neck. Percy didn't believe for one second that the gods were immune to whatever power had ripped half of humanity away, because he was pretty sure his dad was gone. The sea felt restless and violent, something that his father worked hard to temper. It still accepted him, allowed him to breath in its depths and remain dry, but it wasn't welcoming anymore.

He had to make his own path now. He just hoped he wasn't dragging the whole camp down with him.

Percy stood at the top of Half Blood Hill, looking down on the Camp that had changed his life. The sun had just peeked over the horizon, making the cabins and the Long Island Sound glimmer merrily. He could see the original cabins, the Big House, the training grounds, and the newer, Annabeth designed cabins and shrines.

This was home. This was the sound of clashing swords and the laughter of campers, canoe races, capture the flag, campfire songs, and Fourth of July barbecues.

But home was more the people than the place. And he was taking what remained of his family with him.

He drew in a breath, then turned toward the road where their caravan awaited. He didn't look back.

---

Day 8- The Red Sea

Camp Half Blood had been traveling for three days and only just made it to the Mississippi River.

They'd been right; driving was slow. They had to all stay together, which meant traveling at the speed of the school buses. Often, they had to stop to remove crashed or abandoned cars from the road before continuing. But they were making progress.

Things had slowed down even further yesterday when they'd finished the food they'd brought with them. Percy had been driving the Prius near the front of the caravan when Stella saw an abandoned convenience store, her little fingers reaching out like she could draw the food to herself. The demigods had all rushed out, with a small guard staying behind to watch for monsters, as the rest of them raided the abandoned country road gas station, both to fuel up and for everyone to grab something to eat.

Connor had procured a large wad of cash and a dozen credit cards at the beginning of their trip (Percy didn't even want to know), so they'd been able to do things fairly by the books so far, but their supply of cash was dwindling and not many gas stations were taking credit cards right now. So when they came across something that was abandoned, they had to take advantage. Percy didn't like it. This was someone's livelihood they were stealing from. But, as Clarisse gruffly pointed out, they likely had disappeared and couldn't use it anyways. And then Stella had waddled out, loaded down with junk food and one single apple, dutifully holding Katie's hand as she crossed the parking lot to where Percy was waiting. Percy couldn't deny the campers or his sister free food during this road trip from hades. He had a feeling this wasn't the last time they'd have to do something like this.

Really, the trip was going as well as could be expected so far. The only problem was that they hadn't seen a single monster yet.

That didn't seem like it would be a problem, but Percy's demigod senses were tingling. He knew they were here. Rachel seemed to as well, looking at every oddly shaped rock and tree as if it would grow fangs and lunge. Clarisse kept the caravan moving at a steady clip, with concerned looks behind her every few miles.

He was riding in Paul's Prius, Rachel taking a turn at the wheel and Stella bundled up in the backseat, their luggage surrounding her. The truck was full of celestial bronze weapons and a collection of the camp's goblets and plates just in case they worked at Camp Jupiter. They were leading the way, figuring a Prius was a little more innocuous if they ran into a highway patrol than Clarisse's souped up Hummer. Percy had barely been able to talk her out of a mounted celestial bronze bazooka. He suspected she might have stowed it somewhere in the car anyways.

She drove right behind him, ready to take the lead if they ran into any monster-related trouble. Behind her was a truck full of supplies and the camp veterans, then the three school buses full of younger campers and supplies, then the rest of the cars trailing behind, with Conner and Butch in a truck in the rear. The remaining Pegasi had been released, going ahead of them to Camp Jupiter. Only Porkpie and Guido remained with their caravan, flying somewhere up above. Blackjack hadn't survived the Snap.

The good news was that even though their progress was infuriatingly slow, they'd been able to keep to their route. I-80 was a big enough interstate that the police forces had made it a priority to clear at least one lane of any abandoned cars or wrecks. Of course there were also police checkpoints in some states, but those were easily circumvented by a well-thought out lie and a daughter of Aphrodite. The crossing into Illinois on the south side of Chicago had been particularly messy until Drew had marched to the front, her hair quickly pulled into a tight bun, and convinced the military officer that she was a humanitarian aid worker with permission from his direct supervisor.

But they were almost to the Mississippi River. Even if he wasn't paying close attention to the map, Percy would have felt it. The Mississippi was a force of nature. They were still a mile or two away and he could feel the river's raw strength.

He'd encountered the Mississippi once before, when he was twelve and falling off the St. Louis Arch. At the time, Percy hadn't thought of bodies of water as living entities. He really hadn't until he encountered the Hudson and the East River in the battle of New York. Since then, he'd assigned personalities to many bodies of water. Even though they were each part of his father's domain, they had quirks and tells.

But since the disappearances, the water felt almost malevolent. Not every river or lake spirit was welcoming toward a son of Poseidon, but they tended to submit to his will, even if sometimes they required a little encouragement. Now, they seemed to keep to themselves. Percy wasn't sure something as strong as the Mississippi would suffer his interference if it came down to that.

"We're close. I'm going to tell Clarisse to take the lead" Percy motioned for Rachel to pull over, flashing their hazards at Clarisse to let her know they were stopping.

"What's wrong?" Clarise's face was tightly pinched as she got out of the car. She had a little bit of engine oil on her shirt and sweat beaded along her brow. Percy was sure he looked similar. No one had showered in four days and it was the heat of summer. Plus the stress of caravaning six dozen demigods across the country with the constant threat of monsters.

"We're coming up to the Centennial Bridge. Hopefully we'll have no problems, but..."

"A bridge over the country's largest river would be the perfect place for an ambush, yeah" Clarisse muttered. She ran her hair through greasy hair, "Connor swore the thing that was watching us is gone".

"The thing that was watching us?" Rachel lifted one eyebrow, "Wouldn't that have been important to deal with?"

Clarisse shrugged, "We weren't sure there actually was anything. The Apollo cabin took a few pot shots in the area we thought it was and nothing happened. The goal is to keep moving, I'm not going to send campers into the woods to find something that may be nothing. Plus, that's always when people die in horror movies. You don't move into the woods to find the monster. Stay on the road and let it come to you on your terms".

"Valid point" Rachel grinned, "We don't want to make any classic horror movie mistakes".

Percy frowned, "I'm pretty sure we're all in a horror movie right now. If not horror, then at least dystopian". He took a moment to step out of the car and stretch his legs, then walked a few feet down the road with Clarisse. They could see the long, concrete bridge stretching out in front of them. There was no military or police presence that they could see, which was unusual for a state border crossing these days. Especially a crossing over such a major trade route.

"Something's wrong" Clarisse muttered, pulling out an honest-to-gods pirate spyglass. She ignored Percy's raised eyebrow in favor of muttering options to herself.

"Are we going to spring the trap?" Percy asked, squinting into the distance. He could see the bluffs on the other side of the river, waiting to welcome them into the west. But the bridge was long and provided absolutely no cover.

"It's solid concrete. They'd have a hard time blowing it but it's not impossible" Clarisse said, "And they wouldn't do it anyways until we were halfway across. Easy pickings. Kill two birds with one stone. That sort of thing".

Percy frowned, "Could we try to proactively blow it?"

Clarisse stared at him as if he'd left his head in New York, "We want to get across this river, Jackson. We need the bridge to do that".

Percy waved away her concerns, "Obviously. But we'd rather blow the bridge and have to go around then have the bridge blow while we're on it. Can we like, I don't know, chuck a grenade down there and see if it sets off explosives?"

Clarisse's glare intensified, "That's not how explosives work".

Percy returned her gaze, frustrated, "Okay, so I'll go for a swim. The explosives would be set under the bridge, right?"

Clarisse bit her lip, "I think so. We should check with Nyssa to be sure".

Percy started forward, "So I take a swan dive off the bridge. Check out the bottom. If it looks good, we can consult with Nyssa and decide whether or not to risk it".

Clarisse nodded and called to him, "I'll get us ready to move across. Don't blow yourself up Jackson!"

He waved absently back at her, already focusing on the task ahead of him. He walked the short remaining distance to the bridge, then gingerly stepped out onto it. He saw Guido flying above, keeping an eye out for any monsters for him and gave him a jaunty wave, making it to the middle of the bridge without incident.

"Well, here goes," he muttered, then dove off the side of the bridge.

It was a lot further down than he'd anticipated, and the water struck him hard. There was a brief moment of panic. He could feel the strength of the muddy water closing in around him, fighting his presence in its domain. He brushed it off as best he could, sighing in relief when he felt that his clothes were dry and he could easily breathe once again. Percy had hoped that wasn't just a fluke in the Long Island Sound. His fathers blessing was still good for something.

He swam up and broke the surface of the water, squinting at the concrete bridge above him. Nothing seemed to be impacting the supports. Percy swam directly underneath, inhaling sharply when he saw a mass of glowing liquid suspended from the bottom of the bridge.

Greek fire.

He backed away on instinct, then forced himself to swim closer. It was definitely Greek Fire, but he couldn't see any sort of fuse. That is, until he saw what else was hanging from the bottom of the bridge.

For the first time, Percy wished he'd learned archery as two telkhines lit the very short fuses attached to the vats of greek fire. Before Percy could even draw his sword, the Greek fire exploded, shattering the center of the bridge and sending concrete barreling into the water below.

His demigod instincts saved him as he dove as far as he could under the water, propelling himself down and to the side as concrete crashed through the water, sinking rapidly to the river bed. One of the chunks of concrete caught his ankle. Percy screamed as he felt it shatter, then breathed through it as the water started to heal him. It was polluted water so he'd probably have to have a healer look at it, but it at least wouldn't slow him down for now.

Percy took a minute, rolling his ankle to make sure it was good enough, then took off towards the shore. One of the two telkhines had managed to escape as well, swimming in roughly the same direction as Percy.

He might have escaped the Greek Fire, but he didn't escape Percy. Riptide made quick work of him.

When Percy was underwater, it was like wearing noise-cancelling headphones. He could hear chaos above, but he didn't realize just how intense it was until he broke the surface of the water. Campers shouts pierced the air, along with the war cry of dozens of monsters. They'd been waiting in the woods, like Clarisse had feared, ready to cut off the demigods' escape as soon as they blew the bridge. Based on the mass chaos, it seemed they were supposed to wait until the demigods were on the bridge, but the telkhines had jumped the gun when they saw Percy investigating.

Thank the gods for jumpy monsters.

The bridge itself had a massive hole ripped in the middle of it, jagged concrete sinking to the bottom of the river and littering both sides of the bridge. One of their trucks was on fire, the monsters having brought Greek Fire grenades to the party. This was much more organized than they'd expected from a horde of monsters. They'd underestimated their enemy.

Percy forced himself to run out of the river and through the silt of the river bank. His ankle throbed, but it held. Good enough.

He found himself thanking Annabeth for the months of early morning runs as he sprinted up the steep incline back to the road, where the demigods had arranged the cars into a defensive perimeter. Another one of their other cars was already burnt out, greek fire spilling from the windshield. Clarisse and Conner had organized the rear guard, while their small contingent of archers harried the monsters that tried to flank the demigods from the side. Percy almost got himself speared by a young son of Ares when he suddenly appeared from behind their line.

"Easy!" Percy panted, Riptide slicing through a monster who tried to take advantage of their distraction.

"Sorry" the boy's face was flushed red, whether with embarrassment or the heat of battle Percy wasn't sure.

"No harm. Hold the line" Percy pushed back towards the cars, where the campers were in a state of organized panic. He could see a few campers huddled towards the back, arrows in their shoulders and legs. One camper had been dragged away from the rear guard, blood running down his temple. He wasn't moving.

Percy forced himself to take a deep breath and think like Annabeth. His rage wouldn't be useful right now. He needed to get them out of here. This was a battle they couldn't win.

The bridge behind them had a ten foot hole in the center, effectively blocking their path across the river. There were other bridges in the area, but it would require a twenty minute route change, which would require the monsters attacking their flank to be dead and out of the way. Which wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

They couldn't go forward and they couldn't go back. That left only one option.

The sides of the road that Percy had run up were steep. No car could go down that way as is. Plus, the ground around the river wasn't exactly sturdy enough for three school buses. But with a little finagling, they could probably get down off the road. Maybe connect with another smaller road that would get them away from this death trap. Maybe find another route. A small voice whispered another, more daring plan to him as he remembered his conversation with Rachel. This could work.

Percy looked back at the monsters harrying the rear guard, then forward at the collapsed bridge. It was a risk, but he had to, or they all died. Or he tried and they all died anyway.

Rachel suddenly appeared next to him, Estelle in her arms and a streak of monster dust across her forehead. Her face was deathly pale, "Percy, I thought you were dead!"

Percy hugged both of them, then sliced a harpy that attempted to fly down on them. "Not dead yet. We have to get out of here. And I only see one viable path".

He looked down at the Mississippi River. Rachel followed his gaze, and some color returned to her face, "You have to do it. This is the only way. I've seen this. I thought you'd died and we were all going to die with you. But if you can clear us a path..."

"You saw it?" Percy asked hesitantly, running a hand through Stella's hair, trying to sooth her frightened cries. He had to focus. "The river is strong and my powers...I don't think it's a given that I can easily control any body of water anymore. Rachel, I think my father's dead. I don't have his influence anymore".

Rachel hesitated, "That's...a lot. And something to seriously consider later. But...well, it's the only way some of us make it out of this. I've seen you do this, in one version of the future. I think you have to try".

Percy nodded, kissed Stella on the forehead, and handed a knife to Rachel. "Get everyone ready to cross...Clarisse!" he yelled at the bigger girl, gesturing over when she glared questioningly.

"Get everyone ready to move and have the rear guard ready. I'm going to clear us a path across".

She paused, staring at him for a moment before nodding once. "Alright Jackson, you'd better know what you're doing".

"Yeah, I hope so" he muttered, before grabbing Katie Gardener and her sibling Jeremy as they ran past, "Wait, I need you two to clear a path down to the river bed".

Katie paused, looking at the steep slope off the road leading to the bridge, "You're kidding, right? We're excellent gardeners, but we can't change the earth, Percy!"

Percy pulled them over to the side of the road, "Clear the vegetation, in a zig zag pattern down the slope, then leading to the river. Wide enough for the buses. I'll take care of the rest".

They nodded, clearly not convinced but agreeable to anything that would get them out of this alive. Percy just hoped the monsters would leave them alone for long enough to get the path clear.

He ran to the rear guard, pushing them into formation around the area Katie and Jeremy were working, then had Rachel line up the cars that still functioned near the side of the road. The monsters could sense something was about to happen, but Clarisse was holding the line with the celestial bronze machine gun she must have hastily mounted to the top of the Hummer when they stopped. He had the time he needed.

Katie and Jeremy, despite their initial protests, made quick work of a path. They already had worked their way down the slope, three zig zagged lines where the trees had literally moved out of the way, and were steadily making their way towards the river. Percy had never wished that Jason or Hazel were there as much as he did now, but he was all they had.

Percy took a deep breath and tried to remember Hazel and Nico's discussions about controlling the earth. He knew he couldn't do much, and usually what he did was pretty destructive. He had to be...precisely destructive. Sure, that would work. It's not like he'd accidentally blown up a volcano when he tried to use his earthshaker powers before. The good news was that with Gaea gone, the earth didn't seem to be fighting him as much as the water was.

First things first. Percy touched his fingertips to the ground, causing a tiny rumbling underground that shattered the concrete barrier on the side of the road. Then, he caused a slightly larger one on the hillside, trying to smooth out the path for the vehicles. When that didn't work as anticipated, he just dumped a crap ton of water from the river over the slope and sped up erosion, then pulled the water back out of the earth so the vehicles wouldn't get stuck again. The whole process took a precious five minutes, in which two more campers fell and the defensive line had been forced to move back a few feet towards the bridge.

"Come on!" he yelled, slapping the side of the first school bus. He looked over his shoulder. Clarisse seemed to have the rear guard handled for now, though they had no time to dawdle. Percy walked down in front of the school buses, smoothing out the ground when needed and helping push when the bus's wheel got stuck in a rut. Finally, the biggest vehicles were down the slope and moving steadily towards the river, a caravan of vehicles trailing behind. Some of the campers were walking, bags slung over their shoulders and boxes of weapons in their hands from the vehicles that had broken down or been destroyed by monsters.

Percy ran back up the hill.

"Jackson!" Clarisse roared, moving the line back a fraction. "You'd better have a path out!"

Percy ran up to her, slashing a Empousai in the process and patching a hole in the line where a son of Hephaestus had fallen, arm clutched to his chest.

"Yeah, get down and I'll destroy it behind us. Probably won't slow them down a ton, but..."

Clarise nodded and directed the campers to execute a slow retreat, tightening their ranks and easing down the hill. As soon as they were far enough away from the road, Percy stepped in front of them and ripped into the ground, causing an earthquake that shattered the path he'd so carefully smoothed beneath them. He felt a swell of satisfaction when three monsters fell and were crushed into dust. But he didn't have time to gloat.

He ran ahead of the retreating campers, children of Apollo covering their escape with a volley of precious arrows. They were finally to the river, but none of this mattered if he couldn't get them through.

Rachel waved him forward as he reached the front of the line, where the buses idled. The Mississpi looked massive, stretching about half a mile in front of him and about 40 feet down. He took a deep breath, and waded into the river, getting used to the currents and the distinctive feel of the water.

He let himself sink to the bottom of the river bed about ten feet in, dug his hands into the silty mud at the bottom of the river, and pushed.

Come on. Work with me here.

But the river was rebellious. This wasn't his father's ocean, eager to obey his every command. This was one of the longest and strongest rivers in the world. It had been the center of trade and commerce for a dozen people groups and cultures. It had a strong personality and identity, and it did not like being told what to do, especially by the son of the sea god. Especially when the power of the sea god himself wasn't there to corral it.

Percy hadn't come all this way to fail now.

Work with me here.

The river did not want to work with him. The river did not want to be friends with him. Percy realized that he couldn't make a deal or persuade this entity to work with him like he had with so many other bodies of water in the past. He had to take control, if only for a few minutes.

This time, Percy didn't question. He didn't pray to a father who might not even be there anymore, to the gods who could care less if their children survived. He trusted the little bit of god inside himself and the strength his mother had given him. He thought of his friends and family and sister on the river bank behind him, counting on him to clear them a path. They would all die, and it would be his fault.

I am the son of the sea god. Percy told the river. I've slain monsters and Titans and Giants and I will not be the one who brought about the extinction of Camp Half Blood.

The mud started to swirl around his hands.

I've traveled to the ancient world and the Underworld and Tartarus. I've controlled salt water and fresh water and poison. You are water. You are my domain. Submit.

SUBMIT!

With a shout, Percy felt the water gather around his arms. He grinned, pushing to the side, remembering afternoons watching the Prince of Egypt with his mother. This was the same thing.

He was going to part the Red Sea.

Like a barrier had broken, the water roared away from his outstretched arms, leaving a muddy but relatively dry swath of ground leading to the other side of the river. The water rose around him, billowing out in controlled waves, but leaving the center path clear for the campers to cross. He felt like he was back in Crusty's WaterBed Palace, his limbs being stretched to their limit. But he was holding it. They could escape.

The school bus started down the path immediately, telling Percy just how desperate the situation was on the bank. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted by the thought of campers fighting and dying while he held the water. He just needed to keep control, or they would all die.

He felt someone at his shoulder as the caravan drove past him further into the river. It Butch, shield in hand, protecting him from the monster's limited range attacks. Percy looked away and then looked back and this time it was Katie, a mess of seaweed rising up from the river bed to form a cocoon around them.

He lost track of time, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes until Clarisse was yelling in his ear, "Everyone is in except the rear guard. I need you to close the door behind us. Can you do that? Or do we need to hold the monsters until the whole caravan is across?"

Percy hesitated. He was already straining himself just to keep this half mile of river bed dry. But he could do it. He had to.

"Bring the rear guard up to me. I'll close the front door".

A nod, and the rear guard edged into the river bed, monsters following eagerly behind them. Percy frowned. They must be really desperate or stupid if they weren't overly concerned with being in the middle of a river with a son of Poseidon.

As soon as the rear guard passed him, he turned around to face the monsters instead of the far bank, trusting himself to keep the path open behind for the camper's retreat. The monsters hesitated for a second at the sight of one man standing against their pursuit. Howls and cackles rose from the group as they prepared to pounce.

He could feel the power flowing through him, rushing like water released from a dam. The river disliked being restrained. But it did so very much love vengeance. And these monsters had polluted its waters with Greek Fire and debris. Percy grinned, all edges and teeth.

He brought his hands together with a clap, and the river rushed into the previously dry patch of river bed. The monsters floundered, roars turning to screams and wails. Percy swirled the river around, making sure that any monster in the river bed was ground to dust. There was something satisfying after a week of uncertainty to finally be fighting something. He didn't know if that made him cruel or if it just made him a good soldier, but he found great pleasure in making sure the monsters that hunted his people stayed down.

He then turned his attention to the hordes on the bank. He could see them rifling through the discarded vehicles and dragging away the dead campers they hadn't had the time to collect.

Percy saw red.

The remaining telkhines jumped into the river, swimming out towards him with murder in their eyes. They wanted retribution for their fallen comrades. Well, so did Percy.

The angrier he became, the more power he could feel from the river. The Mississippi swirled around him, pressuring him to drop the path he'd created and use its power to crush his enemies. A river that had been polluted for years didn't make for a kind river, and though the Mississippi might lack a spirit like the Hudson and East Rivers in New York, it didn't make it any less dangerous. Percy was using every ounce of control he had. Maybe it was time to give the river some of what it wanted.

He instructed the water to form a whirlpool, trapping the telkhines inside it's spinning center. They wouldn't drown, since they could breathe underwater, so Percy had to improvise. He increased the pressure of the water underneath the wriggling telkhines and ejected them straight into the air. He could hear their bodies hitting the highway as he sent the water sweeping over the river bank, drawing monsters out into the river like a current would the ocean, and burying them in its depths.

He rose out of the water, feet resting on small whirlpools and careful to leave some amount of concentration on keeping the path open. Percy knew he was overextending himself. He could feel the pressure in his head building and building the more of his powers he used. He was not only out of practice, but he wasn't used to controlling something that fought him every step of the way.

Percy looked to the other side. All the remaining campers and vehicles had made it to Iowa, and small figures were yelling at him from the other side. The caravan was safe. They'd made it.

Back on the Illinois bank of the river, the monsters were reforming their lines, but kept slipping in the mud and getting pulled out into the river by his currents. He could go, his job was done. But he wasn't done with the monsters, not yet.

He gathered his strength and the river behind him, letting it raise him up in the air higher and higher. When it had all the power and might that he could gather, he released it, watching the devastating wave crash into the lines of monsters on the other side, drowning them in water and mud. At the last minute, he pulled it back quickly, not trusting the river to return to the bounds of it's banks instead of flooding the surrounding area.

Percy let the recoil from the tidal wave push him across the river, landing relatively close to the shore where his people waited. He dragged himself through the water. His limbs felt like he'd just gone ten rounds of capture the flag and he had an unbearable migraine. The river pulled at his feet, like it wanted to keep him in it's muddy depths. He found himself faltering, like in the River Cocytus. But this time, Annabeth wasn't there to whisper in his ear, to keep him moving.

Suddenly, something lifted him up by the shirt, his feet skimming the water as they flew towards shore. Guido.

The pegasus's teeth were clenched around his shirt, dragging him desperately through the water to the other side. He could hear Porkipie in the distance shrieking at a few of the remaining harpies trying to fly towards them. They landed in a heap, Percy boneless and Guido exhausted.

He patted the side of the pegasus, "Good boy. Good boy".

The pegasus snorted at him, "Blackjack would kill us if we let his boss drown".

Percy laughed deliriously, picturing Blackjack throwing donuts at the monsters as campers crowded around him. Clarisse appeared for a moment, looking at him with concern before yelling at the caravan to move forward. He found himself laid on the floor of a school bus, staring up at doodles and a piece of chewed gum stuck to the roof. His vision started to go fuzzy, and the last thing he saw was the pinched face of his baby sister.

---

Day 11- The Wandering

Percy was exhausted, covered in monster dust, and he could barely move one foot in front of the other, much less deal with their second bus breaking down.

He let himself have a moment of complete and utter despair while his face was still hidden inside the engine compartment of the bus, then wiped his face and turned to Nyssa.

"You're saying you can't fix it?"

Nyssa shook her head, "If we were at Camp Half Blood, then absolutely. Out here? On our time schedule? Not a chance".

Percy sighed. He'd expected as much. They only had one school bus left, the other one apparently having broken down right after they'd crossed the Mississippi. "Alright, load any weapons, artifacts, or food into the other two buses. Or strap it to the top, I don't care as long as it moves. If we have space problems, come to me".

The daughter of Hephaestus looked like a modern Rosie the Riveter as she wiped off her face and tied her hair back with what appeared to be a used bandana. Not that Percy was judging, he hadn't changed his clothes since they started this adventure. His shirt was literally hanging on by threads, a huge hole in the back from when Guido had pulled him out of the Mississippi.

Rachel came up on his left, Estelle balanced on her hip as she surveyed the chaos, "Well, at least the mortal police haven't tried to arrest us yet. That's about the only thing that hasn't happened at this point".

Percy rolled his eyes and took Stella, deftly moving his weapons away from her grabby hands. "You just had to put that out in the universe, didn't you?"

"Hey, I'm an optimist" Rachel grinned, helping Nyssa and her crew of campers move a crate of canned food to the other bus. Some campers were already hard at work ripping out the seats to make more room for supplies.

Percy snorted, "Some optimist you were before we left, predicting death and destruction and doom".

Rachel glared at him over the crate. Percy felt lucky that she was holding something heavy and important, or he might have found himself at the wrong end of a blue hairbrush.

"I was just letting you know what the options were. And I was right, wasn't I? This isn't exactly the road trip of a lifetime".

Percy snorted, "Summer break, 2018. Camp road trip! It's one for the history books, that's for sure".

"Percy look! Rolly bug!" Stella shoved a rolly polly in Percy's face. Rachel laughed and moved away to put down her crate.

"Yeah, it is! Where'd you find him?" Percy tried to gently maneuver the bug away from his hair.

"In the car! His name is Mr. Rolly Blofis and he's my pet!"

Percy stared at her for a second, then shrugged, "Alright Stella, just keep him in the car and out of the way".

Rachel snorted, "And keep him away from my hair. If he gets in there, he'll be lost for days".

Percy wiped the sweat off his forehead and stared across the road at their rag-tag group. Everyone seemed to be in slightly better spirits. It had rained the last few days of their optimistically dubbed roadtrip, and Percy had been unconscious for about 12 hours of that. When he'd woken up with a crazy migraine and muscle cramps like he'd never had before, the campers had been down and depressed, just one step away from pulling over to the side of the road and giving up. Not that Percy blamed them. They'd lost more than just cars and supplies in their flight across the Mississippi. Ten campers hadn't made it across the river, and they couldn't even go back for the bodies.

Katie and Clarisse had been the ones to keep everyone moving, with Nyssa scraping together enough vehicles and gas to get them across the rolling hills of Iowa and the flat plains of Nebraska before they had to start cannibalizing vehicles for parts. Connor had managed to borrow a few replacement cars along the way, but they were pushing themselves to the limits.

The constant monster attacks didn't help anything either. Though they'd lost the bulk of the monsters at the Mississippi, small bands seemed to be roaming through the west, looking for demigods to take out their frustrations on. Percy was pretty sure he had a layer of monster dust over himself that would never wash off.

They'd left Camp Half Blood with 60 campers and twelve vehicles. They were entering California with 50 campers and six vehicles. It could have been much worse. It still felt like a failure.

But this morning, the sun was shining, they were surrounded by beautiful forests, and everyone was feeling just a bit more chipper.

Stella tugged on his hair and Percy winced, letting her down to play in the mud. He felt like that was something he should discourage, but honestly, they were all a mess right now. A little bit of mud wasn't going to hurt anyone.

He looked up when Rachel cleared her throat. She was frowning at him, "You should get some sleep. You haven't rested since your little nap after the river".

Percy lifted a box full of rapidly dwindling arrows from the downed bus and carried it over to Mitch, a son of Ares, who loaded it on whatever space was available, "I think I've been Sleeping Beauty long enough. We're so close now, Rachel. We've just got to make it a little further".

Rachel put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look down at her, "We need you fighting fit, Percy. Do you really think there aren't going to be monsters around Camp Jupiter?"

And that was the problem. They hadn't had a single monster attack since they'd crossed into California. Which meant that the monsters were either waiting to ambush them or were currently attacking Camp Jupiter.

"Of course not. Look, if I fall asleep now, I'm not going to wake up for like 12 hours again. We can't afford that, and we need everyone who can fight out of the vehicles, especially with another bus down".

Rachel nodded, biting her lower lip like she didn't when she was concerned, "Just...don't die".

Percy snorted, slamming the bus doors shut, "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not planning on it. You just make sure to get yourself and my sister there in one piece".

Rachel looked like she was going to argue more with him, but a horn sounded in the nearby woods. The border alarm.

Percy jogged toward the disturbance as Clarisse organized the caravan defense, berating those who'd immediately ran to gawk at the disturbance instead of following their procedure. The horn had come from only about a quarter mile down the road. Percy fingered Riptide in his pocket, ready to draw for the inevitable monster attack.

But when he rounded the corner, he saw something that nearly brought tears to his eyes.

"Hey there Kelp Head". Thalia Grace stood in the middle of the road in her bright white hunter's coat, flanked on either side by girls with bows. "Heard you decided to go on a roadtrip. Thought you could use the help".

Percy knew she'd make fun of him forever, but he didn't even bother to retort. He just strode past the intimidated border guard and enveloped his cousin in a hug. She made a startled sound, stiffening for a moment, but then returned the hug. The hunters around her lowered their bows, sensing Percy's presence wasn't unwelcome.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you" Percy sniffled, then stood back and tried to give her his best smirk, "Pinecone Face".

Thalia gave him a sad smirk of her own, then murmured instructions to her second in command. The girl nodded and passed on instructions to the rest. Percy hadn't met most of the hunters, since Phoebe had fallen to Orion. He should probably at least learn their names.

"The hunters will scout ahead and behind. There's a large concentration of monsters in the Bay Area, which is where I'm assuming you're headed." Thalia was all business now, and Percy found himself adopting her attitude.

"You guessed right. We've lost a few vehicles along the way but we're still moving at a decent pace. We were planning to drive through the night and reach Camp around noon tomorrow".

Thalia grimaced, "It might take longer than that. The closer you get to the city, the more debris you have to dodge. The highways have already been cleared out in rural areas where they don't have too much clean up to do. But the cities are clogged up".

"I was afraid of that" Percy muttered, running his hand through his dirty hair, "Any suggestions?"

Thalia shrugged, "Adjust your timetable? I don't know what to tell you Jackson. It's the Roman's fault for setting up near such a densely populated area."

Percy snorted, "It's not like Long Island isn't densely populated either". He pondered the problem as they walked back to the caravan, "Alright, what if we go by boat?"

Thalia looked at him quizzically, "Through the California mountains?"

"No, in Sacramento. We have to go through there anyways. We can hop a boat and sail down through the Sacramento River Ship Channel. It goes all the way down to San Francisco Bay. It'll get us close, though we might have to ditch the vehicles. I don't think there are any vehicle ferries around there".

At that moment, an engine blew smoke behind them. A Hephaestus kid emerged coughing from the engine compartment, yelling, "I'm okay!"

Thalia shrugged, "That might not be a bad thing to do. Looks like your vehicles are on their last leg anyways".

Percy grimaced "When you account for all the monster attacks and driving across the Mississippi, they're not doing that bad. Of course if Nyssa and the other Hephastus kids weren't here, we'd have been on foot a long time ago".

Thalia raised one eyebrow, "Drove across the Mississippi? I'm guessing you don't mean by bridge".

Percy waved her off, already thinking through their next steps, "I'll tell you later. It wasn't fun".

"Doesn't sound like it" Thalia motioned for her second in command to follow her. "Take me to the group, let's get organized".

Percy held out a hand to the second in command, who looked at it as if he'd just offered her a dead fish. In her defense, he was pretty disgusting after a week on the road, "I'm Percy. Sorry, I don't think I've met you?"

At Thalia's nod, she gingerly shook his hand once and stepped back, "Katina".

Percy nodded, stepping back a bit. He didn't want to crowd her, "Nice to meet you. Thanks for helping out. We're in a bit of a rough spot".

She nodded, then fell behind Thalia as they walked back to the main group together.

"Who'd we lose?" Thalia asked softly, "I lost half my hunters. We've just gotten back to full strength after Orion, and then half of us disappear while we're sitting around in camp eating breakfast".

"You find out what happened from the news?" Percy stalled.

Thalia nodded, "Yeah, and I got a hold of Jason. That's how we figured out where you were. They're not too happy you haven't been updating them on your progress".

Percy winced, "Yeah, sorry, we've been running on fumes as it is. I was just going to Iris message them when we got close".

Thalia snorted, "Typical", and then, not having any of his nonsense, "I'll assume from the lack of your other half that Annabeth didn't make it?" Thalia asked, eyes piercing Percy's. He nodded.

"We lost Annabeth, Frank, Piper, and Leo. Will, Travis, and Calypso too. Mom and Paul are gone. I got Stella out".

Thalia winced, "That's a lot of Camp Half Blood leadership" she paused, "That's a lot of family".

"Yeah. We were lucky it was the end of the school year. Never tell her this, but Clarisse has been, well...without her we wouldn't be here. Same for Katie, Butch, and Connor who were at camp after the semester let out". Percy took a deep breath, "And we've still got Reyna and Nico and Jason and Hazel and Rachel. And you're a sight for sore eyes".

Thalia laughed, "I can tell how terrible this week has been by the fact that you'll admit that. Also because you look like ten-layer crap".

Percy laughed, "Yeah, not a lot of shower opportunities out here. Especially since every time we stop for more than five minutes monsters attack".

Thalia nodded, "War of attrition. It makes sense. A little too much sense for monsters".

Percy stared at her, "Are we looking at a more organized group? Another war? Gods I can't handle that right now".

"You won't need to" Thalia reassured him, "We've been hearing whispers but nothing concrete. Nothing to worry about until you're settled at Camp Jupiter".

They walked in silence the rest of the way, greeting the rest of the campers stoically. Clarisse gave the order to resume normal guard duty and the forward guard dispersed among their caravan, spreading the good news. Percy updated Clarisse and Katie on their plan, sending Connor to fetch Nyssa as soon as she was done redistributing their weight on the vehicles.

"Are we really going to catch a boat and ditch the cars, Prissy?" Clarisse asked, fingers clenching around the shaft of her spear. "We'll have to hike through Berkeley. That's...risky. Even for us".

"The cars aren't going to make it" Nyssa appeared behind them, wiping her hands off on an already dirty rag, "I can get us to Sacramento. Probably. Then we're going to have to either switch out vehicles or catch this boat Percy's talking about".

Percy nodded, "Then it's settled. We'll take a boat if we can and make other arrangements if that doesn't work out. We roll out in two minutes, get everyone loaded".

Connor and Nyssa nodded, disappearing back into the mess of cars and campers. Clarisse gave Percy a sharp nod, then stalked off to coordinate the guard, yelling at a young camper who was staring in awe at the hunters. Percy took a deep breath and surveyed the organized chaos. This would work. The arrival of the hunters and finally crossing into California had revitalized them. He turned back towards Thalia and was surprised by a very peculiar look on her face.

"What?" he rubbed his nose, "Do I have something on my face? Other than dirt and monster dust?"

"They listen to you," Thalia said, sounding slightly stunned.

Percy looked at her in confusion, "Yeah? I mean, I'm a cabin head and veteran. I've got some experience".

Thalia shook her head, "You've always been a leader Percy, even if you didn't always see it. I just thought...I thought you'd decided you didn't want that role".

Percy considered that. He'd never set out to become a leader. He just wanted to help people and take action. He wasn't an elected leader like Jason or a natural organizer like Reyna or Annabeth. "I guess, it was never something I actively considered. If I was the best person for a job, like in the Titan War in New York, great. But if someone else wanted the job, like in the Giant War, that's fine. Whoever can get the job done the best. I'm good at the battle stuff, sure. But I'm not a...mobilizer. But they asked me to step up. It's the least I can do".

Thalia shook her head, "Well, then. So, fearless leader, shall we?"

Percy looked at her, still a bit stunned, but having true hope for the first time in days, "Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

---

Day 12: The Promised Land

Percy stood at the bow of a small river boat, trying desperately not to throw up.

It was so incredibly unfair that he couldn't get seasick, but on the mildest ride he'd been on in ages, he was so exhausted that he couldn't keep anything down.

Fifty campers and fifteen Hunters of Artemis were crammed on a river boat meant for a maximum of thirty people, and they were dragging a shipping container full of celestial bronze and the campers personal belongings behind them. Or, more accurately, Percy was dragging it behind them.

They'd arrived in Sacramento to find an appalling lack of options to take a group of their size down the decidedly narrow and winding channel. Luckily, it was a deep water shipping channel, so the river boat could pass through with relative ease. Unluckily, the disappearances had resulted in a good amount of broken down ships and debris littering the channel. He also had to keep the boat floating, which was a challenge sometimes with twice the load it was designed to carry.

"We've got a shipping container ahead on the left!" Connor called out from the tiny roof where he was keeping watch. Two campers rushed to the bow with long poles, measuring the depth to make sure nothing unfortunate was waiting for them underneath the water. When they gave the all clear, Percy maneuvered the boat away from the debris.

They were almost to the San Francisco Bay, where they would hopefully slip through the waters unnoticed by whatever remained of the Coast Guard and dock in Albany, then trek all the way through the Berkely hills to Camp Jupiter. Hopefully, the monsters wouldn't have been expecting this route from them, although Percy wouldn't put it past them to figure it out. He could see the Alfred Zampa bridge in front of them. He'd rest easier once they were in clearer waters, although that came with it's own set of challenges.

Stella stood by him, a stalwart companion through their whole boat journey. She made a disgusted face whenever he hurled into the water below them, but then made a great show of handing him her water bottle, which he always politely declined. He knew he couldn't afford to be dehydrated, but he would drink when his stomach stopped churning.

The Sacramento River was thankfully sleepy, weighed down by pollution and time. Where the Mississippi had become violent and angry, the Sacramento River just slept on, which made it relatively easy to manipulate. But the strain of not only navigating a ship through the debris-ridden waters, but pulling a very heavy shipping container behind them on top of days without sleep and with little food was wearing on him. Percy knew he was in bad shape, but he couldn't stop. Not until they were safe. Anyways, there wasn't anyone else who could help like he could in the water.

Butch appeared next to him, one of their precious remaining granola bars in hand. Percy shook his head, focusing on the water and on keeping the little water he had left in his stomach. Butch looked at him in concern.

"We can port at Pinole if we have to".

Percy shook his head, "That's a fifteen mile trek through monster-infested territory and hilly terrain. We wouldn't make it".

"Our current path is a seven mile trek anyways. We might as well make the journey on land". Butch frowned deeper as Percy shook his head.

"I told Reyna that we were coming in through Albany. If she sends help, they'll come on that route, not through the north hills".

"Reyna also said that their Camp was surrounded and that she was busy keeping monsters away from the camp entrance". But Butch was already backing down, "Whatever you think is best. But we need you on your feet when we land".

Percy knew that. He knew they needed him to carry his own weight, to fight. He didn't need to be reminded of it. But he took a deep breath and thanked Butch for his concern. It wasn't the son of Iris's fault Percy was exhausted and in a bad mood.

Stella looked up at him, a mix of concern and adoration on her chubby toddler face. He'd made her tie herself to the rail just in case something happened. He'd protect her, he would, but it would be better if he knew exactly where she was. Katie and Connor had been by a few times to take her to the bathroom and make sure she ate. Percy smiled down at her, hoping it was a smile instead of a grimace, "It'll be okay Stella. We're getting close now".

She nodded solemnly, eyes wide, "Shower and sleep". It'd become their mantra throughout the last week, when she was crying and couldn't be comforted even by her big brother, when she'd fallen in the woods and they couldn't spare the water to wash her off. He nodded, then turned back to his vigil over the water.

They pulled into Albany an hour later, luckily avoiding all Coast Guard patrols and maneuvering around even more debris. Percy dragged them into the harbor, barely missing the other parked boats and awkwardly shoving the bow onto the dock. Clarisse and Thalia were the first off with a contingent of fighters, ready to sweep for monsters. Connor led a group of campers off to look for any unattended vehicles they could use to transport the wounded and younger children up the hills. Percy just stood at the bow of the boat, breathing hard.

After a few minutes, he removed his grip from the railing of the boat and massaged his hands. Looking down, he could see Rachel already had Stella gathering her small backpack of stuff. Speaking of, Percy reached for the shipping container he'd hauled across the Bay. There was no way they could get enough vehicles to carry all the celestial bronze and personal belongings that had made it across the country with them. Everyone had a backpack with their essentials. That would have to do for now. With a deep breath, Percy let the shipping container drop to the bottom of the Bay, a ways away from their boat. He would be able to find it later. No use leaving it in a convenient spot for monsters or curious mortals to find. The 12th legion would help him bring it back to camp later.

He took a shaky step away from the bow, collapsing on a bench. Rachel handed him a water bottle which he gratefully sipped on, ignoring the migraine building in his head. Thalia ran up to him, looking at him in concern before relaying the message.

"We've got a clear path, but it's not going to last long. We've got to go, now. Connor found a minivan. Stella can ride in it with the injured and the rest of us will march. That good?"

Percy nodded, happy that someone else was organizing their path up the hills. Thalia looked at him critically, "There's a spot in shotgun. You might want to take it".

Percy shook his head, stretching out his legs, "I'm good to go, really".

Thalia crossed her arms and glared at him, "Let me rephrase. Ride shotgun with you sister, Jackson, or I'll drag you in there myself".

And when she put it like that...what could he say but, "Yes ma'am".

"I expect to be kept apprised. And I'll join the ground force when we get close". Percy matched her glare, but his intensity was lessened by the fact that his legs were shaking.

Thalia nodded, then gestured for them to follow her. Percy took one last look at the now empty boat, then took Stella's hand and made for the minivan.

---

After a glorious two hours in the van, Percy was back on foot and staring down the hill at the Caldecott Tunnel. It was like no time had passed. He could have been standing here alone with only a Panda Pillow-Pet and gorgons on his tail, or hand-in-hand with Annabeth and their worldly possessions, ready to start their first semester of college. Or, you know, with a ragtag group of Greek campers surrounded by blood-thirsty monsters.

"Clarisse! Hold the line!" He shouted, ignoring her angry retort as he picked out a daughter of Hermes from the crowd of demigods. "Hannah! Get over here!"

She ran up, fresh monster dust in her hair and a claw mark down her shoulders. Percy pointed to the Caldecott Tunnel. "Straight through there. Get the legion ready if they aren't already. There might be monsters, but you're our fastest runner and we need backup. Bring me back good news".

Hannah gave him a lazy salute and took off, deftly navigating between monsters and tree roots alike. Percy turned his attention back towards the battle, taking the place of a fallen son of Apollo to stab a harpy through the chest. He didn't even stop to think before turning on the Cyclops attacking Jeremy next to him, and got lost in the rhythm of battle. It seemed like no time at all had passed before Hannah was tapping him on the shoulder. He sent the call down the line to step back and tighten ranks before ducking out of the defensive lineup. The daughter of Hermes grinned at him, wiping sweat off her face.

"They're all set. Retreat into the tunnel" she parroted, a smile on her face. Percy could see a few legionnaires securing the tunnel entrance behind them. Percy knew that the legion functioned best in an open space where they could maneuver. The Greeks were better suited to this type of melee in the confines of the woods. So they needed to draw the monsters onto the flat Field of Mars so the legion could take care of them.

Percy pushed Hannah towards their left flank, "Tell them to sound the retreat. Get the younger campers through first, then we'll back our line up".

She nodded and ran off, passing the instructions as she went along. Rachel appeared beside him, the small knife clutched in her right hand and Stella on her left hip. "Are we good?"

Percy nodded, kissing Stella on the head and wiping away her tears, "I'll be right there. I need you two to go ahead".

"NO!" Stella wailed. "Come with!"

But Rachel nodded once at him and hauled Stella down the hill, following the small flood of campers retreating down the hill into Camp Jupiter. The camp's defensive line made a hasty retreat, covering the children of Apollo who were transporting the wounded from the van to the tunnel. Percy could see some of the Roman demigods helping move the Greeks toward safety as they entered the boundaries of their camp.

Eventually, Clarisse, Katie, Butch, Thalia, and Percy were the last ones remaining, holding off the monsters at the entrance of the tunnel. Katie reached her hands into the dirt and closed her eyes.

"When I say run, run".

They nodded, covering her as Katie worked her magic. Suddenly, the entrance in front of them grew over with prickly vines. The roots wove together as they watched, creating a barrier that, while it wouldn't last long, would allow them to make their escape with the rest of the Camp.

They turned around and exited the tunnel to the most beautiful sight Percy had ever seen.

The Twelfth Legion Fortuna was lined up on the hill in front of the Praetoria, shields and swords and lances glinting in the sunlight. Reyna sat on a pegasus at the front, Jason and Hazel to her left and right. The only thing that separated them from safety was the Little Tiber. Percy helped an exhausted Katie forward, Butch taking over as they ran towards the river. The rest of the campers along with some legionnaires who helped them along had just reached the Little Tiber as the monsters ripped through Katie's barrier.

With a call from Reyna, Hazel lifted her sword and pointed it at the horde of monsters. A small contingent of Roman cavalry started forward, led by Hazel on Arion. The sun glinted off their armor, blinding the approaching horde of monsters. They trotted down the hill at first, then gained speed as they ran to their rescue across the Little Tiber.

"To the legion!" Clarisse roared behind him, urging the campers up the hill towards their promised land.

Percy continued toward the legion as Hazel swept by him like an avenging goddess and crashed into the line of monsters behind them. Thalia ran to his right, the last of her silver arrows finding their marks in the horde behind them.

"Percy! A little help?" Connor called, at the head of the campers who were starting to wade through the river. Percy sprinted forward as Clarisse rushed in the opposite direction, taking his place at the rear of the group. He ignored the splitting headache as he felt the familiar churning in his gut and split the river in two, creating a narrow path of dry ground through the river. The campers took advantage gratefully, increasing their pace and rushing towards the promise of freedom.

The legion followed Percy's lead, pivoting down the middle to allow the Camp Half Blood kids to run through to the other side. Some of the senior counselors stayed at the back of the legion; out of their way but ready to join the fight.

"Clarise! Thalia! Hazel!" Percy yelled, and gestured at them to cross the river. They did so quickly, Hazel offering Percy a hand as she rode past. He took it, swinging rather ungracefully onto Arion's back behind her. He could see the small number of monsters that remained were still giving chase. He snorted, "They just don't know when to give up, do they?"

Hazel shook her head, "Don't worry. We'll show them the error of their ways".

Percy grinned as Hazel stopped Arion and turned him around.

"Virga!" Hazel cried, and the small group of former legion archers released, cutting a swath of monsters down before they could even reach the river. The hunters of Artemis joined in their volley once they reached the relative safety of the legion.

Reyna shouted a series of orders behind him, and the legion marched down the hill at double time, shields loose but ready to cover if they needed to. But the monsters were disorganized, and the legion easily made it to the Tiber.

Hazel looked expectantly at Percy. He ignored the cry building in his chest as he drew on his already depleted strength and split the Tiber in two, allowing the legion to cross with ease. Hazel didn't try to cross the river to join the fight again, instead letting the legion do it's work.

It didn't even look hard. Dust hung in the air and the sun glinted off spears and gladiuses as the full might and fury of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata fell on the horde. Not a single monster ever crossed the river.

The sun beat down on them as the remains of Camp Half Blood collapsed on the ground in relief, safe for the first time in a week. Percy leaned against Hazel, watching the legion avenge their fallen in a way they were incapable of after days of constant fighting and no sleep. Only once the last monster had been dispatched did he let himself slip into unconsciousness.

---

Musical Inspiration:

Day 5- Leaving Camp Half Blood- "Exodus" by Ernest Gold arranged by Henry Mancini (here's the youtube link for the exact version: watch?v=32YPozK5Y-0&list=PLmfoDJoqvxyxZ3qznDa006dNoOAizcY1u&index=2)

Day 8- Percy parts the Mississippi- "Ninurta" by Audiomachine

Day 12- Arrival in Camp Jupiter/The Twelfth Legion Fulminata - "Gladiator Soundtrack-Victory Theme" by Hans Zimmer (here's the youtube link for the exact version: watch?v=OLTZbJMQiD4&list=PLmfoDJoqvxyxZ3qznDa006dNoOAizcY1u&index=5)