Disclaimer : I own nothing. Thanks to 8Ball3 for beta-ing!

~0~

Amphibian Aftereffect

~0~

They all knelt down.

Everyone who saw that stupid trident bowed their heads. Even the Ares guys, who looked like their desire to rip Percy a new one just increased tenfold. Clarisse's glare was so deadly he knew she was imagining beating him to death with her bare fists.

"Poseidon…" Chiron announced quietly, yet at the same time, his voice couldn't be any louder in Percy's ears. "The Earthshaker… Lord of Horses… Stormbringer. Perseus and Regulus Jackson, let me give you a proper welcome. Salute, children of the God of the Sea."

Even more silence. As the last of the fire around them died, following their dad, nobody spoke a word. Some, who Percy recognized as the kids Ray and the Keepers brought in, stared at them in silenced awe. Some kept their heads down, in a way he could only describe as respectfully. Most gaped at them, astonished, and he was suddenly remembered that Ray never revealed him to anyone outside his circle of friends.

Speaking of his brother, Ray still propped Percy up. He glanced at his older brother to see what should they do now, only to be confused and slightly alarmed when Ray pulled out his revolver. Stalker ruffled his feathers, unconcerned.

Chiron saw it too. The centaur furrowed his eyebrows as he rose. "Ray, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," Ray said. "I'm waiting to see what you would do, Chiron."

"What I would do?"

"Merely preparing myself. I was there when the Big Prophecy was spoken, my dear teacher, please don't act dumb." Ray smiled humorlessly. "Now, tell me, what are you going to do? Just know that I won't stand still if your decision comes at the cost of our safety."

Ray mentioned it again, the Big Prophecy. Everybody started to whisper, and Percy realized that not everyone knew what the Big Prophecy was, just like him. Annabeth's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't say anything. Grover just looked confused.

"My boy, why would you think I plan on bringing you two harm?" Chiron asked, with eyebrows furrowed and a tone that was almost sad.

"Oh, nothing personal. I just find myself… filled with apprehension." His older brother turned to look at Percival the others. "Nothing personal, right?"

Percival looked befuddled for a second, before his eyes widened in realization. "Wait, Jackson, are implying that-?"

"Like I said my man, it's nothing personal," Ray said. He turned back to Chiron, ignoring Percival's sudden outrage while twirling his revolver in his hand. "So, let me ask you one more time; what are you going to do now?"

~0~

Chiron told them to move their things to Cabin 3, and then he just went to the Big House. Ray agreed, but the way he just agreed with no complaints or efforts on making deals about this only made Percy think this wasn't good at all.

"Can I go take a shower first?" Percy had asked after the other campers were dismissed, remembering about the recently rebuilt bathrooms. "I got sweat all over me, and I smell like burnt steak."

Ray smiled, but it was troubled. "Sure."

They left. Percy saw Percival wanted to come after them, but Alexa held him back, shaking her head. Marcus just lowered his head, so he couldn't see the guy's face. Thalia seemed conflicted, like she wanted to come over, but at the same time she didn't want to.

Percy knew full well they couldn't do anything in that moment. As they walked back to Hermes' cabin to gather their stuff, he took this chance to look around the camp more carefully after Salamander's rampage, mostly to take his mind off whatever fate awaited him.

The activites had started again, but things were a bit different. Instead of practicing, everyone was rebuilding and repairing. The most common campers Percy saw were Hephaestus guys and girls, shouting orders or fixing buildings personally. Ray ignored it all, and ordered Stalker to keep an eye out for anything worrying.

The most obvious damage the Salamander had done was the general area in the middle of the cabins. The colorless scorched grass changed the fresh green look this camp had, though plenty of satyrs and Demeter campers have begun to re-grow the little things, either by nature magic or just throwing seeds around.

Some of the cabins were damaged, but not really serious. None of them had their roofs caved in on them or something, but their walls did blacken from the fire. Still, Percy saw that Athena's gray cabin, Artemis' silver cabin, and Aphrodite's blinding pink cabin were the ones who took the heaviest damage, with shattered glass and burnt out chunks of walls. He saw Aphrodite campers grumbling at the lost wall, from both sides of the cabin.

A camper caught them walking and approached. The guy glanced at Ray, who still hadn't put his revolver away.

"Ray," he said, almost hesitantly. "I just wanted to report that, well… the armory blew up."

Ray sighed, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "Of course it did. Any recoverable weapons?"

The camper answered by motioning to the armory that sat beside the Athena cabin. Well, the armory that used to sit beside the Athena cabin. Percy only saw black marks and shards of metal on the ground. Campers rifled through the ruins, and beside them were carts- some empty, some filled with various weapons.

"I see," Ray muttered. "Well, carry on, Conrad. I know from experience that the Hephaestus cabin will be more than happy to make replacement weapons."

The guy, Conrad, looked surprised for a second before he nodded, the hesitation on his face completely replaced by a small smile. After that, he excused himself and walked back to where he was standing.

Percy stared the guy as he left. "You actually remember everyone's names?"

"I try to." Ray shrugged. "People like it when other people remember their names. And besides, it's the polite thing to do."

Percy hummed as they walked on forward. Percy slowly turned his eyes from the camp's general condition and its campers, glancing to his brother. Ray clutched his revolver with so much force that his knuckles turned white, though Percy also noticed that the safety was on, so… he guessed it was probably okay?

Percy fully turned to his brother. "Hey Ray, you okay?"

Ray glanced at him. "All things considered, it is yet to be seen."

"Yeah, that's fair." Percy smiled, even if he was extremely worried.

Of course, Ray being Ray, he saw it anyway. "You might think I'm going to say, 'Don't worry', but in this case, being worried is perfectly normal and I do recommend we get worried."

That was far from the response Percy expected, and it was so unexpected he actually burst out laughing. Ray's blank, serious look melted off and even he started chuckling as well. Their laughter sounded… hysterical, in all honesty. Some campers turned to look, and not a few seemed concerned, but both of them carried on, still cackling like madmen.

They reached Hermes' cabin. It was empty, as one half of its inhabitants were evacuated, while the other half were working to fix the camp. This empty sight was a complete 180 from the usual too-full-for-its-own-good view the cabin had, so a whole new wave of hysteria washed over them, and they laughed even harder. Percy didn't know about his brother, but he felt that the butterflies in his stomach weren't just flying around- they were exploding, reforming again, then exploding again, in an endless anxious cycle.

"We might die," Percy laughed, wiping a tear away. He kicked someone's bag away. "We'll probably get executed, hahaha. Why am I laughing?"

"Your anxiety." Ray chuckled while Stalker flew away to stand atop the door. "It's normal. People get anxious when faced with death and mortality. I once did, the former counselor of Cabin Eleven did."

Percy turned to see Ray had sat on his bunk bed with his revolver beside him, staring at him, smiling but with worried eyes that waited for his reaction. There was absolutely no reason why Ray would bring up a former counselor of Hermes cabin.

No, Ray was trying to take his mind off their imminent doom.

Percy felt himself grinning even wider than usual, so much so his lips hurt. "The former counselor of Hermes cabin?"

"Oh yes. Her name was… Adrianne. We went on one quest together, Adrianne, myself, and one other camper, as a prophecy had demanded it."

"It didn't end well, did it?" Percy still grinned. The butterflies had doubled, and he had to physically hold himself back from giggling.

"Heh, if it did, her last dying breath wouldn't be a single gout of laughter. That's Adrianne for you, she died as she lived… laughing and cracking jokes." Ray's smile was almost fond. "Well, my point is, you're anxious, I get it. Your mind decided that the best course of action on handling it is by laughing."

Percy chuckled and kicked another bag- it was harder than the one before, so his toes hurt, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "So what now? I should keep laughing while our executioner chop our heads off?"

"Take some deep breaths, Percy."

He stopped his bullying of innocent bags and turned to his brother once more. Ray nodded, and his eyes were soft… worried. Percy sighed deeply, and his shoulders slumped (huh… he didn't notice how tense he was). He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He heard the creaking of really really old steel as Ray stood up from his bed and approached him.

Percy took another deep breath. He knew what his brother was about to do, and he welcomed it completely. When Ray put his arms around his head and brought him close to his chest, he let himself be engulfed in his brother's scent, finding peace in the familiar smell. He laughed quietly to himself as he returned the hug… Ray still faintly smelled like cheese.

Neither of them said anything. No words were needed. The only thing prominent in Percy's ears were Ray's calm heartbeats. He let that guide his own frantic heartbeat and breathing. Before long, Percy felt way calmer than he ever thought possible.

"Better?" Ray muttered.

He just hummed in response.

"I'll take that as a yes." Percy could feel the smile on Ray's face as he said that. "Because you smell absolutely disgusting, little man."

He burst out laughing in Ray's hold, but this time, the laughter didn't feel weird. He certainly didn't feel like it was out of control, and the butterflies were all gone. He didn't pull back, and since his brother didn't either, he just stayed there.

"Go take a shower, Percy," Ray said, amused.

"Then let me go," Percy replied simply, digging his face into the cheese-scented hoodie and muffling his voice. "So I'll take a shower."

Ray hummed, rubbing the back of his head. "A very difficult ultimatum, I don't know if I'm able to refuse."

Percy laughed again, and finally pulled back. Ray was smiling at him, eyes warm.

"Thanks, Ray," he said, wiping the tears that somehow arrived at the edges of his eyes. "I'm… glad I'm not alone."

"Don't mention it. I'll always be there for you, Percy, remember that. If you ever feel distressed again, I'm always available. Now go take a fricking shower, you make me miss the smell of wet, dirty socks."

Percy grinned. An evil plan hatched in his head, and he raised both of his arms, so the smell of his armpits could invade his brother's area. Ray's face scrunched up, and he took several steps back. He laughed at his older brother's reaction, then turned around to search for his bag. He felt slightly bad when he saw the others bags he had kicked away, and promised himself to fix them after he washed himself up.

As he pulled out a fresh orange camp shirt, he heard a disgusted sound behind him. Percy smirked, thinking that Ray was being overdramatic (that, or his armpits were stronger than he expected), but any form of amusement immediately died when he heard thudding and rapid footsteps.

He turned around just as Ray rushed past him and landed next to the trash bin- no, he fell next to the trash bin, and wretched the insides of his stomach into the bin. Percy instantly dropped his things and hurried to his brother.

"Ray!" Can a day pass without his brother showing signs that he wasn't okay?! It hadn't even been an hour since Salamander died! "What's wrong?!"

Ray puked again, and when he pulled back, sweat had already lined his eyebrows. "I… urgh… dammit, I thought Lady Athena was messing around..."

"Ray, tell me what's wrong! Do you want me to call the healers?"

Ray waved his concerns away, despite him looking like an absolute mess with one hand still holding the edge of the trash can. "No, no, I'm fine. This is… well, I heard that this was supposed to happen, but I guess I underestimated it. Blegh."

'Now is not the time to say confusing crap!' Percy wanted to scream, but outwardly he just asked, "What are you talking about?"

Ray's eyes lolled back to meet his gaze, and Percy could see his older brother struggling to speak for a few seconds. "You… you know about my… PTSD, right? Clearly, that- urgh- that hinders my job. So… blegh- so Lady Athena made this… medicine to counter that phobia."

"What does that have anything to do with whatever's happening with you?" Percy asked, getting increasingly worried. Ray had a tendency to say a lot of things without actually saying anything at all, and sometimes, that was annoying as heck.

Ray closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. It didn't work, since his brother immediately turned to the trash can and hurled again. After he was done with that, he turned back once more to continue explaining.

"She… she told me it has a second effect." Ray grimaced. "To prevent my body from being… immune to it, it will… excuse itself out of me. Holy Hell, I thought she was… urgh… joking…"

Percy looked at the mess that was his brother, eyebrows furrowed. "By 'excusing itself' you mean… puking?"

Ray smiled weakly. "Is that a trick question? Just… go on ahead and wash yourself, Percy. I'll be fiiiine…"

"I…" Percy clenched and unclenched his fist. "I… think I should call a healer, just in case?"

"Hrm… no, no, you'll just waste their times." Percy narrowed his eyes when Ray's speech almost sounded… slurry, like his mind was half there, and half not. "I'm just… loooosing energy. I'm… gonna goooo take a nap and I'll be… fine. Hrm… yes. Yes…"

Before Percy could form up a response, or maybe even a complaint, his brother closed his eyes and went slack, like a puppet with its strings cut off. Ray slumped back against the wall, saliva dripping from the corner of his lips, dirtying his black Keepers coat.

"Ray?" Percy asked. No response, so he started to shake his brother's leg. "Ray? Hello, Earth to Ray."

And then Ray started snoring. Deciding that maybe Ray needed to rest after all (or he just didn't know better), Percy stood up and gathered his fallen clothes, then threw them to his bedroll haphazardly. As if sensing his plan, Stalker suddenly flew down from his perch and landed on his shoulder.

He hurried outside and practically sprinted to the golden Apollo cabin with his brother's crow flying beside him. In there, Percy pulled aside one of the kids there and told him that Ray was snoring next to a large can of his own vomit and he had no idea what to do. He never saw anyone run as fast as the camper after he fully relayed the information- he even had a bit of trouble catching up.

When he returned, Ray was in the process of being moved by another pair of campers, and the trash can being taken out. Assured at the sight, Percy sighed and gathered his clothes again, then swiftly headed out for the showers. Stalker oddly seemed content to follow him, as the bird just flew along with him.

~0~

Ray cracked his eyes open, and he closed them again when he saw who sat beside him. He desperately hoped that the cabin would be empty, but no, she just decided to come over. When did Percy leave, anyway? And was it him who moved him to his bed?

"Percival's pissed," Alexa informed him, almost absent-mindedly. Ray grabbed around on his bed, and internally sighed when he realized his weapon was nowhere near him. "Hell, don't mind him, I'm pissed at you."

Alexa sat on the bed- more specifically, on his folded Keepers coat that was most probably put there by whoever had moved him. By her carefully blank face, he knew she knew it was there, and sat on it on purpose. He felt cold, even though his black shirt stuck to him like a wet tissue.

"Really now?" Ray croaked- aaand there went his suave faćade, replaced by the croaks of a dying toad. "And what, pray tell, are you angry at?"

"Oh, don't you dare start beating around the bush, you know full fucking well why I'm angry." Alexa's own carefree mask crumbled away as she held him by his collar and snarled to his face. "We've been best friends for six fucking years, and you're just going to suddenly forget about it just like that?"

"What are you trying to say, Clayton?" Ray asked calmly, and almost scowled when his croaking persisted. "Don't tell me you're taking this personally. It's as if you've no idea who I am."

The young woman before him gritted her teeth, and her fists clenched. Ray inwardly mused on how easily she could take his life right then and there; just a simple pull of her crossbow on his forehead, and he'll be having a headstart into Hades' domain.

He was powerless in that moment. His body was sore, the only body parts he could effortlessly use was his mouth, and- by Olympus he could tell the signs of a coming headache. This tranquilizer… Lady Athena's tranquilizer worked a bit too fricking well.

Ray raised an eyebrow when she suddenly chuckled instead.

"It's always been like this, isn't it?" she asked instead, her eyes burning into his. "Despite how I'll gladly take a bullet for you, despite my willingness for your 'Operation fucking Tiger Shark', you still see me as someone you still can't trust a bit too fucking much. And if it's not that, I'm just a tool for your convenience. I'm right, am I?"

"For one, I have explicitly said multiple times that I prioritize my brother's life than all of yours combined. Secondly, if I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have told you about Poseidon to begin with. And you're not dumb enough for me to use you as a simple 'tool', so that last statement of yours is irrelevant. In other words…" Ray stared back. "You are incorrect."

"Dammit, Jackson!" she whispered furiously. "I'm not the one who called that fucking lizard on you!"

"I never either imply or outright claim that you did." Ray tilted his head slightly. "What made you think that you must defend yourself from something I never blamed you for?"

"Even a blind guy would know you were blaming us." Alexa scoffed. "Everyone can see that. You think one of us is a snitch, and for whatever reason called 'Salaman' here to… what, kill you? And here I thought you were smart."

Ray didn't give a definite answer to that. "Whatever you say. Tell me, do you have something else to tell me other other than this… waste of time?"

She sneered. "Well, Percival is being pissy that you think he's a suspect, Marcus doesn't give a shit, and Sophia doesn't know yet."

Ray hummed. "I see. How is Thalia faring?"

"Why the hell should I know?"

"Fair enough. Would you be so kind as to let me go?"

Alexa did just that, and he flopped back down to his bed. Ray opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it by putting her hand over his said body part.

"Ray." Alexa sighed. "I can't believe I have to say this… but I swear to the River of Styx that I didn't call the Salamander, or did anything to jeopardize either your or Percy's safety, including revealing your parentage in front of the whole camp."

Ray took a deep breath when the sky rumbled outside, and waited until Alexa took back her hand. After she finally did, he thought of a response. "I… thank you, Alexa, but I'm serious. I never did think you're a suspect. After what happened with Adrianne, you're the last person I'd think of betraying me."

She was unimpressed. "That's your excuse?"

Ray shrugged. "I try not to be too sentimental, so I'm just going to say that you really have nothing to gain if I die."

Alexa crossed her arms.

Ray sighed. "If you want to be sentimental, then fine. I really do trust you… a lot. The uncanny amount of trust you put in me is incredible, and flattering, though knowing who I am I don't think it's wise. Still, because of that, in this matter, I certainly trust you more than Percival, or Marcus, or even Sophia."

Alexa just stared at him, as Ray waited patiently for a reaction. After a while, she raised an eyebrow.

"'In this matter?'" she asked, a bit annoyed.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I wouldn't trust you with handling the Keepers even for an hour, because I know you want to fire a ballistic missile somewhere into the Bermuda Triangle."

The annoyance was gradually doused away. "Fine, you got me on that one."

Ray smiled lightly. "It's really tempting, I know."

They lapsed on into silence. Ray wouldn't claim to know what was inside Alexa's head, he just hoped whatever was ailing her, it was gone. He, on the other hand, tried to execute any feelings that rose whenever moments like these popped up.

Alexa clicked her tongue, and stood up. She turned to him. "Well, I guess that's the only reason I'm here. It probably looks stupid and unimportant to you, but you're my best friend, you fucking asshole, and I just want to make sure you know I won't do you dirty like that. Well, not metaphorically at least."

"Metaphorically?" Ray asked, genuinely confused. "Then what about the literally?"

She just shrugged, but he couldn't mistake that twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "Who knows? We'll talk later after you sort this mess out, and yeah, I know you willsort this mess out. Then we'll shoot as many warheads as we'd like into the sea of monsters."

"I… can't really promise that last part, but thanks."

"Don't mention it. Also, one last thing; Percival is the most stuck-up asshole we might ever know, but he ain't no snitch."

"Noted."

"Marcus might be an uncaring prick most of the time, but we all know that if you die, he has no protection and will be arrested by NATO for multiple warcrimes. And, well, he likes working with us, I can tell."

"K," Ray noted. "What do you have to say for Sophia, dear mediator?"

Alexa almost smiled, he could see it. "You just recruited her. Have you even told her of your recently uncovered secret?"

"Good point. I never did found a proper time."

"And that's your answer. But even before she's with us, our Miss James is the most naïve, kindest girl in the Demeter cabin, so I don't think she'd do that even if she knew."

Ray nodded.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta make sure my bros and sisses don't steal too much from Athena cabin, the poor nerds." Alexa pulled out her crossbow and looked at the bolts. "If you're going to get executed, you know how to call me. Ciao."

She then winked at him, and walked backwards all the way outside. After she was completely gone, he rubbed his hands together and swung his legs off the bed, grimacing at his ruffled enchanted coat. Still, he put it on. Now… where was his brother?

"Oh, hey Alexa," his aforementioned kid family member greeted outside.

"Yooo, Percy." Alexa greeted back cheerfully, a direct opposite of her previous demeanor. "What's that?"

"It's for Ray, I asked from the wood nymphs in the Mess Hall. He gives me these whenever I vomited."

"Cool, he's awake. Good luck with this mess you get yourself wrapped in!"

"Thanks."

Ray drummed his fingers as he listened, idly wondering where his Smith & Wesson had buggered off to. Stalker breached the door first, flying into his preferred perching spot near the doorframe. Percy entered the cabin in second place, and he smiled when he saw him. In his hands was a tray, with a large water jug and a couple of glasses.

"Good morning," Percy greeted, grinning at him.

Ray rolled his eyes, though he was glad his brother didn't get pulled into trouble while he was unconscious. "Whatever, you cheeky tart. Am I correct in supposing that's for me?"

"No, you know how much I like drinking with two different glasses."

Ray was torn between laughing or sighing or rolling eyes again. "Very funny, chucklenuts. Can I have one? I'm thirsty."

That discussion with his dear thief made him parched, unfortunately. Percy grinned again, clearly enjoying being the smartass in this current conversation (admittedly that role was quite amusing to be held), and poured him a drink.

They didn't say anything as Ray gobbled it down and went for seconds. Percy stared at him as he did, sitting cross-legged on the floor with the tray set beside him. Also, holy crap Ray could smell Percy's chosen shampoo from his bed; his brother smelled like a generic brand something like K-Mart would sell.

"So…" Percy said after Ray downed his third glass. "What was that all about?"

"What was what?" Ray put down his glass, raising an eyebrow.

"You're a mess, Ray. Puking all over the place, sweating all the time, you honestly scared me. What happened to you?"

Ray winced. "I… didn't I explain this to you? I think I did."

"You were slurring, so you probably had no idea what you were talking about. Please, explain it to me properly so I know you won't make me worried anymore."

Ray sighed. "Alright… fine, but I'm pretty sure I was explaining it to you properly that time. I have this annoying-as-heck, useless phobia of fire. Honestly, I thought it was pretty tame to other… fears I've seen. Still, my teacher, Lady Athena, wasn't satisfied with that, so she gave my friends these tranquilizers as a contingency, just in case my phobia became a bit too much and gets in the way of something important."

"I'm still getting over the fact that the Goddess of freaking Wisdom Athena is your teacher," Percy muttered.

Ray almost smiled, but he just realized that he was concerned on how his teacher would act towards him now. The probably unhealthy rivalry between her and Poseidon was pretty much an open secret. He had predictions of course, but nothing could ever prepare him for the real thing.

He shook his head. One problem at a time. "Yeah… anyway, she also told me that in order to prevent my body from being immune to it, the medicine will extract itself from my body after its duty is done, through any means necessary. Vomit is one such means."

Percy hummed, looking at him again. His adorable green eyes shone with worry, because of course the little man would still be worried at him. Ray took another gulp of water, relishing it as the liquid refreshed him.

"You have your answer, and…" Ray put down his glass. "…I am indeed fine. Thanks, by the way."

"You're… welcome." Percy sighed, seemingly uncomfortable. "Should we… still move our stuff?"

"We should," Ray agreed. He had no problem breaking some of Chiron's rules, but did prefer not to break most of them, if only to avoid being on Chiron's annoyed side. "Speaking of stuff, what are the stuff you're going to stuff into our new stuff place?"

"Okay, that just sounds dumb, stop it. I got some stu- clothes and other things to move. Let me pack it up in my bag."

Ray nodded, smiling and putting the glasses away. "Alright, let me help you."

His brother thanked him, and they went to work. They gathered clothes, school things (Ray just remembered that Percy was in school when he was immediately escorted to camp), and other such menial but important things. When Percy asked where were Ray's things, he told his little brother that duh, all of his own things were in his base.

"Oh, almost forgot," Ray said, "Can you tell me where my gun is? I can't find it."

Percy looked surprised. "No, I don't. I thought you had it."

"Hmm… no, I didn't. I guess it's in-?"

"Squawk!"

Ray looked up just as Stalker flew down from one of his many nests and threw his freaking revolver at him. Body suddenly filled with energy coming from his fight-or-flight response, Ray jumped and curled into a ball around Percy, blocking his brother from where the gun fell.

His revolver just fell on his bed with an innocent thud.

"Ow," Percy said from beneath him.

When Ray was sure the weapon wouldn't go off, he lifted himself off his brother. He glared at the stupid bird, who landed on another bed and stared at them with half-lidded eyes. It was very tempting to shoot Stalker then and there, but Ray didn't want to give everyone in that room tinnitus.

"What happened?" Percy asked, sitting up. "Did something happen?"

"Stalker was just being an absolutely stupid moron." Ray grumbled, picking up his revolver. "An impromptu lesson for you, Percy, never throw any firearm. If it falls, there's a chance it'll fire, and who knows who'd get hurt if that happens."

"Uh… okay," Percy said, "Let's… go?"

"Yeah." He pulled the chamber and stared at the fully loaded weapon. Stupid… crow. First Salaman, then that chat with Alexa, and now this. What an absolutely terrific day. "Yeah, let's go."

~0~

The journey was thankfully uneventful, and they arrived in their new condo with only few greetings and damage reports. Percy made a trivial comment about how big the place seemed due to the emptiness inside, and put down his bag on one of the bunk beds. Stalker claimed a bed near the door.

Ray stretched his fingers and scanned the cabin. It was awhile since he last set foot in it, but nothing had changed at all. The sheets were clean and white, thanks to the nymphs' efforts in washing the sheets daily, but that was the only visible remains of activity inside. Everything else was somewhat dusty.

Ray sat on one of the empty beds, remembering just what he had to do that day. Hephaestus cabin were the ones who would lead the repairs, with help from other denizens of their merry camp. Some campers got hyperthermia from Salaman's attacks, but thankfully no demigod died and the healers worked tirelessly to mend wounds.

Unfortunately, some naiads died, the heat too unbearable for their watery forms. Athena's cabin, Aphrodite's cabin, and Artemis' cabin suffered heavy damage and as a result were uninhabitable.

Athena campers Ray wasn't too worried- they'd sleep in the forest if they had to, but Aphrodite's kids were a bit too… well, they needed to be relocated for the time being. The base near Half-Blood hill came to mind, but he'd need to speak with the cabin's counselor first for this decision. Maybe they wouldn't mind sharing the place with the Athenas.

Oh, and of course, the betrayal and who was the betrayer. Alexa was very unlikely, though not impossible, but really really highly unlikely. Though… she did swore to the River of Styx, so Ray put her at the bottom of his mental suspect list.

The number one position is murky at best. Percival seemed fitting, but the guy is his best friend. Ray also remembered the day he revealed his parentage to his three friends, and they all swore to the River of Styx that they wouldn't tell anyone.

Marcus also fit the bill, but the only thing he cared about was making weapons and cool gizmos, and they both knew Marcus had the best chance of making advancements with the Keepers.

Sophia… Alexa was right, the girl wouldn't do that. She didn't have the stomach to do stuff like this- a fact that was both frustrating and calming to the others. And of course, the fact that she had no idea about the Poseidon secret made it impossible for her to do it anyway.

Ray rubbed the bridge of his nose, irritated. These were the last things he wanted to think about, but one thing was for sure, he'd always watch his, and Percy's, backs from then on. At least, until he knows who called Salaman for sure.

"Hey Ray."

When he looked up, Percy was staring at him. "Yeah?"

"You've been staring at the floor for a minute. Is something wrong?"

Oh, a few things. "Work… stuff. The camp needs a lot of repairs, and I'm thinking just where can I put the Athena and Aphrodite campers in."

"Why not in one of the empty cabins?"

"Oh, I want to." Ray sighed. "But the god an empty cabin represents might not be too pleased with this decision."

Percy groaned. "Seriously? Just because they don't like it, they'd let the campers sleep outside? It's not like they even need the stupid things."

Thunder rumbled, and Ray smiled. Sensitive, much? "Not like the campers would want to sleep in one of the empty cabins anyway. Thalia said there's no bed in Zeus' cabin, so she had to use a bedroll in an empty cot."

Percy rolled his eyes, and laid down on his chosen bed. "If they can't there, then where?"

"A base," Ray explained simply, shrugging. "We have an empty safehouse not far from camp. I'll have Marcus deploy some automaton guards and sentries, and it'll almost be as safe as camp."

Percy hummed quietly as a response. Ray gazed upon him, thinking about what Chiron was doing in the Big House. Most likely, the ol' centaur was contacting the gods on what they should do.

"Hey Percy," he said.

His brother looked to him. "Yeah?"

"Why don't you go take a nap?"

"What?"

"Things get more dangerous from here." Ray sighed. "If we have to fight, it's best that you're properly rested so you can fight to the fullest. Besides, you just fought against that salamander Perce, you're definitely tired."

Percy's face looked possibly mutinous, so Ray added, "I won't be going anywhere, I'm going to work from here. I'll just write messages and have Stalker send them away. I'm serious, Percy, we have to be prepared for anything, so try to sleep even if you aren't sleepy."

"…okay, fine," Percy conceded, but he had more things to say. "But you better get some rest too. I'm not the one who fainted after puking."

Ray held his hands up. "Okay, okay, I promise. Stalker is the one doing the most work anyway, don't worry."

His brother narrowed his eyes, and nodded, satisfied. He turned around on his new bed, facing the wall, and Ray knew he had closed his eyes. With that out of the way, he turned to Stalker, who had sat on his own bed, staring at him.

"Get me some papers and a pen, bird," Ray ordered, "And please bring me my pills. Both of them."

~0~

Percy hated that stupid cabin, though it had nothing to do with the cabin itself. No, the thing was, even though Hermes cabin was full, it was lively. He could easily imagine that old cabin as just another dormitory in another school, filled with kids similar to him. Heck, he even made a couple of friends in there, like Connor and Travis Stoll, the twins with different mothers.

But in this place? Now he get why Thalia didn't like spending her time in her cabin. It was… not good. Chiron might as well put them in quarantine for being kids of Poseidon and Percy wouldn't notice a difference.

Percy didn't say anything about it of course- Ray already looked pale enough as he was, if he started whining about a new place to sleep, his brother would start working even more to have them rest somewhere else.

So when Ray suggested he go to sleep, Percy followed. He was tired after that whole burning lizard fiasco, so as soon he closed his eyes, he immediately fell asleep.

Unfortunately, dreamland decided to claim his consciousness.

Percy was on a beach. A dark beach with a storm raging over it. Palm trees danced wildly, wind whistled in his ear, and sand kicked up into the air.

But the first thing that pulled Percy's eyes in were two buff dudes getting at it with each other. Both of them beards and long hair, with one in a blue toga, the other green. They did everything a wrestler could think of- headbutts, gut-punches, knee-to-the-face. Everytime a blow landed, lightning flashed and the wind picked up a little faster.

A thought immediately reared its head forward in Percy's head. He had to make them stop fighting. He didn't know why, but he knew their fight was somehow involved with the storm.

Percy ran, but the storm had other ideas. Strong gusts of wind pushed him back, and the harder he tried to fight, the stronger the wind blew him away.

Even with the deafening storm, Percy could hear the blue-guy screaming. "Give it back! Give it back!"

A huge waved formed in the sea, and crashed against the beach, throwing wet sand and salt water everywhere.

"Stop it!" Percy yelled uselessly. "Stop fighting!"

"It's mine! Give it back! GIVE IT BACK!"

The beach quaked. As soon as Percy feared that the fight had escalated so much the earth started shaking, a dark, terrifying laughter echoed from deep beneath the ground.

Come down, little boy… the voice purred. Come down…

Percy suddenly couldn't move his body. As he was frozen in place, he could only stare, a pit forming in his stomach, as sand sank down into the ground. Before long, he could see it- cracks had formed. The sand split open with bonechilling crackles.

Percy just stood there. His legs were glued to the ground. He couldn't even close his eyes when he fell into the crevice. The voice laughed again, as if him falling to his death was the best form of entertainment it had ever seen.

Percy wanted to scream, but his mouth wouldn't move.

~0~

Percy's eyes snapped open as he woke with a start. The surrounding area told him it was Cabin 3, and he closed his eyes again, still feeling the after-effects of falling in a dream. Stupid… he hated dreams nowadays.

When Percy opened his eyes for the second time, he turned and saw Ray sleeping on a bed across his, his left arm over his eyes and his right arm over his stomach. Stalker was on his older brother's stomach, sleeping in a ball form. On the floor next to them was a short stack of papers with a pen on it.

Percy sighed, rubbing his face. From a window, he saw a storm cloud rolling into the hills. Great. His dream was foreshadowing.

A soft knocking from the door made him look at it. "Come in."

It was Grover. "Uh, hey, Percy."

"'Sup, G-man."

Grover stared at him, eyebrows furrowed. "Did… something happen? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Percy shook his head. "Nightmare. What's up?"

"Oh, Chiron wants you and…" Grover saw Ray sleeping on a bed. "Ray to come to the Big House. Should we wake him up?"

A protest formed in Percy's mouth, but he held his tongue. On one hand, Ray still looked a bit pale. On the other hand, his brother would freak out if he wakes and doesn't find him in the cabin.

Coming to a decision, Percy jumped from his bed and walked over to his brother's bed. After lightly shaking him, Ray groaned awake. Stalker simply opened his eyes and turned his head to him, still not moving from Ray's chest.

"Hey Ray," Percy said, feeling a bit bad from waking his brother up. "Chiron wants to see us."

Ray grumbled unintelligible things, but he did swing his legs off his bed. Stalker crowed and flew away, perching on Percy's shoulder.

"That's pretty cool," Grover commented, looking at Stalker and laughing slightly. "Do you ever pose in front of a mirror with a crow on you shoulder, Percy?"

Percy grinned. "Never did, but now that you mention it, maybe I should someday. Lead the way, Grover."

~0~

Percy noticed there was someone waiting for them in the Big House, but it wasn't Chiron. It was… a woman, wearing that combination of armor breastplate and flowing robe-ish bottom half. Stalker flew away from his shoulder and landed on the woman's shoulder, but she didn't seem bothered as seen by how she rubbed the crow's beak.

She was pretty though, he gotta say. Her black hair was partly braided on the sides, and even from afar, he could see her grey eyes watching them impassively. It was like seeing a beatiful pattern on a snake- elegant, but she also would like to choke you to death and eat you.

A feeling of familiarity popped up when he saw those grey eyes, since really not many people in the world have grey friggin eyes.

Beside him, Ray tensed. Grover noticed it too, since they both turned to his brother.

"You know her, Ray?" Percy asked, confused.

"Oh yeah. Oh yeah I do. Crap, this is really serious," Ray muttered. "What is she doing here? Are we really…? But, no, that can't be…"

"Who's she?" Grover asked this time, equally interested.

"…My teacher. Lady Athena. You didn't know about this, Grover?"

To that news, Percy also stiffened. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his pen, to calm his nerves. He never let it go, even when they reached the Big House.

"No! She wasn't here when Chiron told me to go fetch you guys." Grover suddenly seemed nervous. It increased more and more nervous as they got close with the goddess, like that one time they were in a zoo and had to approach a lion's cage.

They stopped in front of her. Stalker squawked.

"Regulus." Athena greeted cordially. Her voice was sharp, yet smooth. It was… mildly uncomfortable how everything the goddess did reminded Percy of dangerous objects. "And this is… ah, your brother. Percy?"

"Uh… yes, ma'am." He nodded, a bit hesitantly. You look at Dionysus and the word 'god' wouldn't even pop up in your head. You look at Athena, and- well, the words like 'god' or 'goddess' wouldn't pop up in any healthy mind, but she definitely inspired power.

Athena regarded him with an almost imperceptible interest and barely hidden annoyance. "Regulus hardly talked about you, but I know for a fact that he is very fond of you… which makes it all the more ironic that you are the reason he is in a perilous position today."

Percy's eyes widened. "What?"

Grover's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"Excuse me what?" Ray also asked, eyebrows raised.

Athena motioned to the Big House, and Stalker flew up to the roof out of their sight. "Let us discuss further inside, Chiron is waiting. Oh, and satyr, your services are no longer required, thank you."

Grover gulped, and turned to face them. The nervousness in his eyes were palpable, but Percy could see those were concern that his friend held for them.

"Good luck, guys," he said, nervously. "You'll need it."

Ray ruffled his curly hair. "Don't worry, kiddo."

His satyr best friend calmed down, but the anxiety was still there. Grover waved good bye as he trotted back to the camp's main ground. Percy waved back, trying not to think morbid thoughts as he and his brother entered the Big House.

In the one month he'd been here, Percy never really stepped foot in the place properly, so he could see all the details. All in all, the place really reinforced the image of an old, fancy home you might see in movies. A fireplace in the living room, bear hide carpet on the floor plus its head, and various stuffed animal heads hung on the walls.

There was a tray with empty Diet Coke cans on a table in front of the fireplace, but since Chiron didn't drink soda, it probably belonged to Mr. D.

As they entered further into the Big House and reached Athena, she pointed out, "You seem to have seen better days, Ray."

"Oh that." Ray blinked. "I uh, I used one of your tranquilizers, so I… yeah. It wasn't pretty."

Athena tilted her head down as they passed another door. "Understandable. So those scorch marks are not a result of an event gone wrong?"

Ray chuckled. "I wish, m'lady, I wish. No, we were attacked by a salamander."

"A salamander?" Athena echoed, sounding almost surprised.

Percy just stood back and let the two talked about things. His older brother explained further about the attack that just occurred- holy crap, it just happened this morning. It felt like a long time.

"Ah." Athena nodded as if something just made sense. "A creature of fire to force your hand, if not outright kill you. A clever step, absolutely, but who would do such a thing is our main question."

"Yeah," Ray agreed.

They quieted down. Athena just ignored Percy's existence, something he was completely glad with. Yay for irrelevance.

The goddess opened a door, and they were greeted the sight of full form Chiron standing next to the edge of a ping-pong table, his head almost reaching the ceiling, and a grumpy Mr. D in a fancy suit on one the other side.

"Gentlemen," Athena tilted her head in greeting. Chiron nodded in return, while Mr. D frowned and crossed his arms. "They are here. Ray, Perseus."

Percy turned to her. "Uh, just 'Percy' is fine, ma'am."

Athena didn't seem to hear him- or just plain ignored him, as she strode over to an empty side of the ping-pong table and sat down.

Which left the remaining side to Percy and his brother, the one that faced the door. They sat down.

As soon as their butts touched the seats, Chiron immediately spoke up. "Ray."

Ray sighed like he was expecting this. "Yes?"

"I seem to have forgotten, how old are you, exactly?"

His older brother smiled. "Sixteen, and you know it. So, are you going to kill me or are we going to be beating around the bush for another half hour?"

Percy clenched his pen a bit tighter. He really didn't get how Ray was so casual about this mess, while before he was the one who did all the work he could to make sure nobody knew about this secret.

Mr. D and Athena raised one of their eyebrows while Chiron grimaced. "My boy, that is not what I meant by that question."

"Oh, don't worry, I can read sub-text." Ray grinned, but Percy and most probably everyone else in that room knew it was fake. "I guess you're here to deliver the gods' verdict, Lady Athena?"

It took the goddess several seconds to respond, and when she did, her back went straighter than a ruler. "I am indeed, Ray. But not in the way you expected. The matter of the Big Prophecy would have to wait, for the time being."

"Oh?" Ray's smile didn't disappear as he put both of his hands on the ping-pong table, entangling them. "Please enlighten me."

Percy pretended he didn't see the thin tendrils of water floating from Ray's water bottle. Following his brother's lead, because this was really a territory he had no idea how to tread, he pulled out his pen and fiddled with its cap.

If they were to be killed, he sure as hell wouldn't just sit sweetly and waited for it.

"Lord Zeus has decided to disclose this information, and, as your mentor, I came here to personally inform you of it," Athena began to explain, not seeing the activity below the ping-pong table. "You do know of it, don't you?"

"I heard rumors." Ray shrugged. "But they're mostly rumors, so I paid them no heed. 'Sides, literally everyone I heard talking about it had different stories."

"But they all had the same concept. You must at least know that something of great importance has been stolen from Olympus."

When Ray simply shrugged again, Percy frowned. Why did his recent dream suddenly pop up in his head? Without thinking, he asked, "Did a fight happen because of this?"

Athena faced him. He almost shrunk back in his seat by the intesity of the stare, but he prevailed.

"Why did you ask this?" she asked.

It was as if her eyes conveyed that if he didn't tell the truth, she'd chuck a pencil to his face. "I… saw the weather. It's been weird since Christmas, like it couldn't decide if it wanted to storm or not. And Annabeth did mention one time that there's tension in Olympus, but she doesn't know the reason why. Also, I got this… dream."

"…Fiddlesticks," Ray said.

"How are you acquentanced with my daughter?" Athena narrowed her eyes.

"Yay," Mr. D muttered unenthuiastically.

"Dream? Please explain further, Percy," Chiron asked, his upper half leaning forward.

Percy started explaining his dream, at first hesitantly, but the longer he talked the easier it became. Beside him, his older brother leaned to Athena and whispered something, then the goddess nodded in understanding. The two Olympians became alert when he started mentioning the voice below ground.

"An underground voice?" Athena mused warily. "But there are multiple entities staying underneath, it can be anyone."

"The first one that comes to mind is Hades." Mr. D shrugged, summoning a coke. "But it's just me."

"It's unwise to point fingers at a powerful and influential figure like him, Dionysus," Athena said, "The Underworld is critical to our world."

"Maybe we can sort who the culprit is later," Ray suggested. "I still don't quite know what is, exactly, the stolen item."

"That's an easy answer." Athena smiled. Percy noticed how she seemed way less tense (he might even use the word 'friendly') whenever she turned her attention to Ray. "The Master Bolt is the stolen item."

Percy blinked when his brother groaned loudly and dropped his head to the ping-pong table. Mr. D sighed and took a sip.

"You look like you don't know what we're talking about, Percy," Chiron piped up, smiling like he was trying not to smile. "The Master Bolt is Zeus' symbol, and arguably one of the most powerful weapon ever concieved into existence. The very same weapon forged by the elder cyclopes, to be used against the Titans in the old war so long ago."

"…Oh."

"By classification, it's a WMD," Ray grumbled with his forehead still stuck to the table. "A weapon that currently has no purpose for being so dangerous."

"And it's… stolen?" Percy asked, eyebrows furrowing. "How can it be stolen?"

"I ask the same thing every morning for the past month," Mr. D commented lazily.

"I'm on the same boat with Dionysus, loathe I am to admit," Athena admitted, sighing. "But we don't know how. Zeus is always present with the Master Bolt- wherever he goes, it follows. But, regardless, even then, how it was stolen isn't even our top priority. The Bolt itself is perhaps our number two priority."

The unasked question formed itself in Percy's head. "It's the fight, isn't it?"

Athena inhaled. "Many pointless deaths have occurred because of my father's feud with yours. Many potential bright minds lost forever… such a shame. I have told my father countless times that no, Poseidon can't possibly steal it, and even if that barnacle-brained deity is many apalling things, a thief isn't one of them."

Percy didn't know what to think on Athena's insult on his absent father. In the end, he just ignored them, since Ray just snorted at the insult too. Soon however, something else formed in his mind.

"Wait," he said, realizing something. "Why did you bring up Poseidon, Lady Athena?"

"Is it not obvious?" Athena genuinely looked confused. "Zeus blames Poseidon. He believes that Poseidon was the one who stole the Master Bolt, and is now keeping it inside his underwater palace to be replicated on a massive scale."

Multiple noises of frustration came from the people inside. Specifically all the three older guys.

"And now we finally get to the heart of the problem, and the main reason I am here. And why I stated that you, Percy Jackson, has put your brother in peril." Athena grimaced as she turned to Ray, who had raised his head. "Regulus Jackson, you are the main suspect for the thievery of the Master Bolt, and if it does not return by the summer solstice, which is in a month's time, Zeus will have you executed."