Disclaimer: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, The Vampire Diaries and The Originals don't belong to me.
English is not my native language, so I apologize for the mistakes I might have.
I am deeply sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. I had a busy summer, and then I started college (which took all my free time) and then Hurricane María hit my island, leaving us without electricity for months. But here it is, finally finished. Hope you guys enjoy!
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Chapter 15
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Grover Underwood usually wore fake feet and pants to pass as a human being, though his disguise only made him look like an awkward teenager with a severe feet illness.
Most of the time, his friends teased him, saying that his disguise only worked because of the Mist, but the truth was that most mortals didn't care much about the strange things they saw. They only thought about it for a second- a small moment, just enough to criticize or to feel sympathy- then promptly forgot all about it.
When he entered Mystic Falls, his disguise was falling apart.
There was a storm raging. His fake feet slipped out of him with every puddle he accidentally stepped in, and the green rasta-style cap he used to hide the tips of his horns was so soaked that he worried he would get hypothermia out of how cold the water was, and how hard it was raining.
When it became too hard for him to keep his disguise on through the storm, he disregarded it and started to walk around barefoot, not bothering to hide his hooves from the world.
There was no need to hide, anyways, there was no one outside- mortals were protecting themselves from the storm. He envied them- ever since he left New York, the storm had followed him.
When he finally reached the neighborhood that his best friend lived at, he stopped for a moment and observed the houses.
There were only two of them, glorious in their old splendor, and for a moment he wondered how expensive it had been for the Jackson family to move to one of those houses. It was a big change going from a cheap apartment to an expensive old house.
He ran all the way to the address Sally Jackson had given him, and once he found himself in front of the house, he made his way into the porch, where he tried to shake all the water off him, but to no avail.
He was so wet that it appeared as though he'd taken a dive into a pool.
Once he was slightly more presentable, he made to approach the door, then hesitated. It had been almost a year since he last saw his best friend in person, long months in which he had been forced to acknowledge her pain from afar, knowing that she was too embarrassed of making him go through the same emotions as her to properly face him.
He had given her the space she needed, but after the emotions he felt coming from her the night before, and the news of the massive earthquake that hit Virginia...he had to accept that it was time to see each other again.
Perhaps not to talk about the things that happened, but to give her his silent support. He knew her enough to know that it embarrassed her to receive vocal support- she didn't like others knowing she was vulnerable.
Heroes weren't supposed to show weaknesses to the whole world- at least not demigod ones, for those same weaknesses could be used against them.
Grover gathered his courage, remembering that he had gone through more dangerous things, that he had faced the wrath of many gods- Mr. D being one of them-, and that he was not supposed to be so hesitant and scared of seeing his best friend again.
But he knew too much.
He knew the things Percy saw constantly, he knew the nightmares she had, the fear and the rage and the blinding desire of exploding and causing the world as much pain as it had caused her.
He knew everything that went through her head, and it was something he didn't know how to address.
Percy didn't know how to address that either, Grover knew that it was the main reason for their sudden disappearance from each other's life.
He took one step forwards and raised one hand to knock upon the wooden door. His heart was beating furiously against his chest by the time he heard steps approaching the door, and once it started to swing open, he felt even more nervous.
All those emotions died away once he saw who was standing on the door, giving him a confused look that mirrored his own.
He didn't know the boy inside the house.
"Hi. Can I help you with something?" The boy asked politely, though he had been unable to hide his surprise at the unexpected visitor.
"This is-" Grover frowned, catching a distant smell lingering on the air. He couldn't place what it was, but it made his muscles tense up in anticipation. It was familiar, but foreign at the same time. Part of him thought he should know what the smell meant, but he wasn't completely sure; there was something different about it. "This is not the Jackson's house? I'm looking for Percy."
It seemed impossible to have gotten the wrong direction, more so when he considered that Sally had told him how to get there in outmost detail, but it was the most reasonable explanation he could think of.
Realization shone on the young man in front of him. His scowl disappeared, and he offered the man a polite smile as he pointed to a house across the street. "That would be her house. I'm Stefan Salvatore."
It suddenly clicked into place.
Nico had mentioned a few of the things Percy had confided in him back when communication systems between demigods still worked; the son of Hades mentioned that their green-eyed friend had formed an alliance with a bunch of mortal monsters- vampires that lived in the same town as her.
What Nico had failed to mention was that they lived right by Percy's house.
Grover's jaw tensed, his muscles felt heavier, his hooves taking one step back before he could think his actions through.
Backing away from the vampire hadn't been his best idea- the porch stairs were soaked too, and he almost slipped, but the worst of it all was: Grover was sure that his action, and the fact that his heartbeat had skipped a beat, had shown the mortal monster that he was feeling a little preoccupied with him.
As if on cue, Stefan gave him a curious look.
Before the vampire could say anything, Grover forced a smile into his face and said, "Thanks man, sorry to bother you again."
"No worries-" Stefan trailed his eyes over the other boy's figure, only to stop once he caught a glimpse of hairy legs and hooves instead of feet. His heart stopped momentarily, then he did the same thing Grover had done: he took a step back.
Fuck. Grover groaned to himself, wanting to throw himself off a cliff for having forgotten that he had disregarded his mortal costume once the rain started to damage it.
"I haven't shaved," It was the first thing that came out of Grover's mouth, and seconds after saying that, he found himself groaning.
He never knew what to say- when he was younger, he had told Charon that he died in a bathtub along with two other demigods. That alone portrayed how horrible his impulsive excuses were.
Stefan stared at him for a long moment, part of him wondering if what he was seeing was a trick of the light, or if there was an actual creature in front of him. He had seen old scrolls shown in Alaric's mythology class, and they showed exactly what was in front of him: a human with the lower half of an animal.
He forced himself to blink a couple of times, too stunned to feel frightened or grossed out.
At last, what came out of his thin lips was: "You're a satyr."
Grover detected the astonishment on his voice and tried not to feel proud to receive such a reaction from a mortal monster.
On his world, upon discovering he was a satyr, people mostly shrugged it off. It wasn't like hearing someone was a demigod, or a centaur, or a god. Satyrs were partially simple, that was something he had to admit even if he didn't want to.
He found himself giving the other creature an amused glance. "And you're a vampire, dude. You shouldn't sound so surprised."
There was a pause between them- he had stunned Stefan into silence. When the air around them became thick with tension, Grover moved away from the Salvatore's Boarding House, knowing that there was probably nothing more for them to discuss.
He was aware that the vampire would not attack, for it would be a mistake of his part- it would break the peace treaty he had with the demigoddess, but he didn't know how bewildered the mortal monster was.
Seriously, how come vampires were arrogant enough to think they were the only living species of monsters in the world? It made him roll his eyes at their obliviousness.
"What do you want with her?" Stefan called, unable to hide his worry.
Grover turned and stared at Stefan, their eyes met somewhere along their stare, and it was like a premonition- Percy's first best friend, and her newest one.
Both cared about her, though the satyr would never believe anyone else could care about her as much as he did, and the vampire was too concentrated on the realization that those sorts of creatures existed to fully process the irony of the situation.
He said, "I'm going to bring her home."
Stefan raised his eyebrows in contemplation. "Home?"
Grover copied his actions and raised his eyebrows at him. It wasn't none of Stefan's business and they both knew it.
The satyr chose to walk away, and the vampire could only watch him as he did so, wondering, deep down, if their demigoddess friend would break Damon's heart in the process of leaving town.
"Just tell me something," Stefan called tentatively.
Grover was unable to hide his curiosity, and obliged, turning once again to look at him. "Mm?"
"What else is real?" Stefan's eyes roamed through the satyr's hooves.
The other boy tilted his head to the side, a frown upon his forehead. "Everything is real as long as you believe in it."
It sounded like a cliché thing to say, but it was the truth.
One of the few ways a god could truly die was by fading away after people stopped believing in them, and most deities and supernatural creatures had been created out of beliefs- civilizations, nations, cities, they could all be empowered and formed by something as underestimated as the belief someone could have on it.
"But-" Stefan hesitated, then desisted against protesting. He was a vampire that lived in a town full of werewolves and witches- he couldn't be so delusional as to believe there were no other mythical creatures around the world.
"Don't concern yourself with it," Grover advised him quietly.
His eyes were firmly settled on the Jackson's house in the distance, though there was something about his features that made Stefan feel as though the young boy was everywhere, in every form of nature around the street.
"Percy is my friend," Stefan repeated, sounding like he wanted to make a valid point out of it. "Is she-?"
Grover ignored his silent question, instead choosing to continue his advice. "Our worlds are not meant to collide. Don't concern yourself with our business, because we do not concern ourselves with yours. If you do, you might get more than you bargained for."
Fire ignited on the usually relaxed man's eyes. "I know what I'm bargaining for-"
"She's also my friend," Grover's statement shot Stefan's building argument down. "I only want the best for her."
In his perspective, leaving was the best for her.
Mystic Falls was too crowded with mortal monsters- she had stepped into a world that her kind had never meant to be a part of.
Stefan was quiet for a long while, then nodded and said, with his face constricted into an emotion Grover never thought he'd see on a vampire: "If leaving is what's best for her...then I respect it."
His statement only made the young satyr nod quietly to himself.
It seemed that the vampires had grown to care for the demigoddess. It was a startling realization, but he forced himself to respect it. Not all monsters were as bad as the gods would want people to believe- he had heard stories about the monsters that helped Percy and Annabeth escape Tartarus- and he needed to respect Percy's decision to befriend them, even when he didn't agree with the situation.
He walked away, scowling as the rain seemed to fall harder upon him, as though it tried to prevent him from reaching his destination.
Stefan Salvatore could only watch him walk away under the raging storm.
His mind was full of the new startling things he had discovered, doubts crowding every corner of his thoughts.
Satyrs were real. What else that was considered mythology was real? Stefan shuddered just by thinking of all the disgusting creatures that Alaric showed on his classes.
Classes that, for some reason, seemed to amuse the raven-haired girl.
His thoughts shifted towards the raven-haired girl that lived next door to him.
A deep sense of melancholy hit his chest, surprising him. It was then that he realized he couldn't, somehow, picture Mystic Falls without Percy Jackson there.
Not the whole town, because she usually stayed home after school; but their neighborhood, their home.
He liked when she visited them (which was almost every day) because she was still refreshing to their lives- she was the only person in Mystic Falls that didn't have a hidden agenda for them, the only one with which they could talk about normal things.
"Hey, Percy! Did you see that baseball game they passed earlier on tv?"
"Hey, goddess! Did you see that girl's ass?
When she was in a good mood, she would entertain them with conversations on whatever topic they started- she could talk a lot when she wanted. And so, she was the only normal thing in their lives, which was ironic because they knew she wasn't normal.
A new thought emerged on Stefan's mind, and he felt his stomach drop.
His brother would never be at peace without the green-eyed girl there to keep him on check.
The icy-eyed vampire managed to hide it well, but by the way his eyes brightened every time he was around their green-eyed neighbor, Stefan knew.
Damon adored Percy, perhaps for the same reasons Stefan appreciated her, perhaps he had other motivations in mind that Stefan wasn't aware of, but no one could deny that he cared deeply for her.
Stefan would never understand it, because he had never felt alone before, but Percy was special to Damon; she was the first real friend that he had. The first friend that didn't betray him, the first friend to understand him, the first friend that seemed to care about him.
She made him feel less lonely, and because of that Damon cherished her.
The green-eyed vampire shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts, then decided to back inside. There was no reason to keep thinking about those things when he had his own business to deal with. He would miss her if she decided to leave with the satyr, but it would only be a temporary pain- he would soon return to his obsession over his girlfriend, and to try and control his growing desire for human blood.
He was just turning around when a thundering roar shook the whole place.
His heart hammered wildly on his chest, and turning, he realized something: with a loud thunder that seemed to have fallen right in the Jackson's garden, the rain had stopped.
Stefan scowled. How had the rain stopped so abruptly? Almost as though the satyr entering the Jackson's territory had stopped it…as though the rain had only tried to prevent him from reaching that house.
That was impossible, he told himself, blinking to adjust his eyesight and gaze towards the neighbor house. Rain doesn't just follow someone around and tries to prevent them from doin stuff, right?
"Stefan?" Elena called from inside the house, making the green-eyed vampire snap back to reality.
Damon continued over the tense, scattered conversation that Alaric and Rose were having. "Who was it?"
"No one," Stefan called back, heart beating painfully against his chest. He was almost nauseous with all the thoughts that cornered his mind. "Some lost boy, I compelled him to go away."
His brother would eventually find out that he had lied to him, and it would be another drama between them, but Stefan could not bring himself to tell him what he had discovered.
Damon cared a lot about Percy Jackson, and he would, without doubt, do something to keep her in town if he knew someone was trying to make her leave. He needed him to be concentrated on Elena, and only on her. She needed his protection- she needed all the protection they could get against Klaus.
"Pity," Damon called back. In a second, he was at the door with his little brother, who blinked back to reality once more. "He could've been a decent snack." And a few seconds later, he scowled, "When did it stop raining?"
Stefan swallowed thickly, the image of that strange creature- a satyr, he remembered the stories Alaric had started to tell them in class about Greek mythology- vividly present on his mind. He shook his head to clear it from that disturbing image, a gesture that his brother mistook for a careless shrug.
"Let's go back inside," Stefan wanted his brother's attention to be back on their most recent problem: "Rose has something to tell us about Klaus."
Damon had been staring at the cloudless sky, wondering how a storm could dissipate so quickly, but when he heard those words a groan escaped his lips and he looked down to give his little brother an exasperated grimace.
Ever since Rose had sought shelter on their house, she had talked about the Original hybrid non-stop. It was getting on his nerves.
Stefan gave him a look, his lips pursed. "It's for-"
Damon rolled his eyes and continued for him, "Elena's safety. Yes, yes, I know."
...
The daughter of Poseidon felt a different kind of emotion fill her senses, one that she was most certain did not belong to her.
Frowning at the familiarity of the situation- it had happened way too many times in the past, back when she could feel Grover's emotions through their empathy link- she stood from the couch she'd been sitting at and moved towards the windows.
She wasn't sure what made her move from the comfort that the velvety couch offered, but once she glanced through the window and saw a familiar figure standing by the Salvatore's Boarding House, everything made sense.
Her parents had mentioned that a friend was coming to visit- she just never imagined that the friend they talked about would be the one friend she was too scared to face.
"Grover-" Percy felt her heartbeat grow erratic. Her best friend was there.
She forced her eyesight to get a better glimpse at what was happening, only to see that he was speaking to one of the Salvatore brothers- it was too far away for her to see which one of them it was, but there was no doubt that the other man was Grover Underwood.
Controlling herself enough to push her worries away, she moved away from the window and towards the door.
Percy had been reluctant to see Grover again- going as far as to evade him sometimes- because she felt disgusted with herself and the fact that, because of their empathy link, she had unintentionally hurt him.
That was not how friends were supposed to be with one another.
She never wanted to hurt Grover- he was her first real friend, the best friend anyone could ever wish for.
And she had made him go through hell, quite literally.
What kind of person did that?
Truth be told, Percy wasn't even sure how to look at him, or what to say or do once in his presence. But regardless of all that, she found herself ignoring every single doubt and fear, and going downstairs.
The pressure on her chest had nothing to do with fear- she had forgotten how much she had missed him.
Percy stopped walking as a new frightening thought crossed her mind.
Grover probably felt all her rage and the dark urges that she tried to keep at bay. What if he found himself disgusted with her for it?
She wanted to throw up in that moment, too nervous to feel anything else.
Anyone would be disgusted with her if they knew how much of a mess she was, if they knew how much she enjoyed making others suffer.
He probably found her disgusting.
A monster, that's what he had once called Luke in the heat of the war, back when they were too young and naive to understand the dark emotions that the son of Hermes had been harboring.
A lot of time had passed since then, the daughter of Poseidon could understand better than anyone the rage that Luke had felt towards the gods. She found herself feeling that same rage, all the time, because it wasn't fair.
Life wasn't fair- but life was controlled by the gods.
Gods weren't fair to mortals, not even those that they had procreated.
That thought ate away at her chest. Did he believe her to be a monster?
Her best friend, the one person whom Percy would never stop caring for, would probably see her now as the one thing that she never intended to become- a monster.
There was no other name for it- who enjoyed making others suffer? Only a monster.
But then again- he wouldn't be there if he hated her, would he?
Percy groaned to herself, hating the mess that were her thoughts.
Impulsively, she opened the door of the house, and saw, with trembling anticipation, how the young man walked towards her, leaving behind one of the Salvatore brothers.
Sooner than expected, Grover was standing in front of her.
At first, they could only stare at each other, surprised with all that had changed about them.
Many things had changed since they last saw each other, but the physical change was a little unexpected.
Out of habit, every time Percy thought about Grover, she couldn't help but picture the sweet boy that she had met back when she was twelve years old. The scrawny boy that had a strange way of walking, the one that she protected against bullies (even though she had been quite scrawny and small back then, too).
Through the years, they had grown together, barely aware of how much they had changed. When you saw someone all the time, it was hard to notice right away when something about their appearance changed.
But almost a year (and a war) had passed since the last time they had seen each other.
The change was abrupt and impossible to ignore.
Grover was no longer the sweet boy she remembered (or at least he didn't look like it). There were marks on his face caused by stress, ones that Percy had seen before on old campers around both demigod camps, and a few scars that marked his dark skin. He had grown a beard, something that she never expected of him, but that suited him. He looked older, which he was (being a satyr, he was a couple of years older than she was, though she couldn't remember exactly how old he was) and more mature.
The war had hit him deeply too, his eyes were enough proof about that.
She wondered if he had gone through his own hell during the war, or if it had started when she disappeared.
The demigoddess was aware that, once Hera took her away without anyone knowing, chaos had started. Everyone looked for her, even the Hunters of Artemis, and she know for experience how exhausting and destroying it could be to look for someone that disappeared without a trace.
Percy was hit with a wave of melancholy.
A lot of time had passed since they talked, many months between them, many suicidal missions and wars and, just, so many things.
Part of her couldn't believe her best friend had grown into a man in such a short amount of time. It made her sad to realize that she had not been there to see the change starting. She had not been there to tease him about his growing beard, or to mockingly swoon at his new muscles.
In the same way, though she wouldn't realize it then, Grover was feeling the same melancholy that she felt, though it had nothing to do with their empathy link.
She had changed, too.
The last time he had seen her had been right before Hera sent her to Camp Jupiter, and she had been a young girl with messy hair and sparkling eyes that laughed at everything she found amusing without fearing the consequences. Her skin had been sun-kissed in a way that made her look almost golden, her smile genuine and contagious because it had been Christmas, and she loved that holiday for some reason.
Grover remembered the last time he had seen her in explicit detail- she'd laughed at something stupid that Connor Stoll had said, her hand seeking Apollo's one and intertwining their fingers together. The god had smiled and moved the hand they had intertwined to his lips, leaving a chaste kiss against her palm while sighing joyfully at the sight of everyone having an enjoyable time. Annabeth had her head resting against the son of Hermes' shoulder (back then they had tried to date for a few weeks, but nothing came out of it in the end), a fond smirk on her lips at his jokes. And Grover had been there, at their side, snickering at the faces that Will Solace made when his father showed affection to Percy- it was strange sometimes to see your friend dating your father. And it had been a good day. Everyone was content- the first war had ended, and peaceful times promised to come…
But they never came.
Instead, the second war started.
Percy disappeared, and a roman boy appeared in Camp Half-Blood.
The war raged.
The woman in front of her was a whole new different person.
Her hair still fell into her back in delicate curls that sometimes, if she didn't comb it well, could look messy. But it was shorter now, barely shoulder-length. She was no longer as sun-kissed as before, it had faded until she seemed only to have a slight tan. She seemed taller, her posture straighter than before, as though she knew she had a right to stand up proud.
Grover couldn't force himself to meet her eyes; he feared what he could find different there.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Percy raised an eyebrow at him, doing what she did best: evading the tension between them and acting as though everything was fine. "Are you going to come in-oh!"
Ignoring her words, Grover had thrown his arms over her and trapped her in a gigantic hug.
She melted against his embrace, her fears dissipating slowly.
Behind them, the door closed with a soft sound that seemed to echo through the silent house.
"I know we have a lot to talk about," Grover said quietly, still hugging her. "But can we pretend that it's all fine? Just for a while?"
Percy felt as though the world dropped off her shoulders, allowing her to breathe easily.
Swallowing down all the words she didn't know how to say- the apologies she owed him- the girl forced herself to say: "Of course."
Grover tightened the hug. "Thank you."
The warmness of it made the green-eyed girl choke down a sound of pain. It had been long since someone had hugged her in that way- it felt as though everything would be alright between them, and that was all the hope she needed to clear her mind.
She found herself saying a soft, "I've missed you," and meaning it.
Grover chuckled, feeling an immense amount of ease after those words. He knew what she had gone through- their empathy link connected them on dreams sometimes, so he had seen some of the nightmares that tormented her, and he could feel how embarrassed, angry and resentful she was after unintentionally hurting him while in Tartarus. And so, the satyr knew that the reason for her disappearance was that, shame. Part of him knew that she didn't hate him, but after so much evasion, and so little communication...he had feared the worse.
Percy hesitated, then gently moved away from his embrace to have a proper look at his face. "What are you doing here?"
The question made him falter, something that she noticed instantly, and realized in a moment the reason for his visit.
They grew tired of you, Kronos' voice whispered against Percy's right ear, making her shudder when she felt his cold breath colliding with her cheek. They brought him here because they want him to take you away.
Annoyance coursed through her whole body, and it was such an intense feeling that the satyr staggered back upon sensing her emotions.
"I'm not angry you're here," Percy forced the words out of herself, hating how pained her best friend looked. "I'm just annoyed at my parents."
It was better to let him think that than to explain that she was annoyed with the enemy she kept hallucinating about.
Now that she came to think about it, she didn't even want him to know she hallucinated. No matter how much she loved and trusted him, some things were too personal to share.
Grover sighed deeply, moving one hand through his hair, a gesture that he did when he tried to find the right words to say.
She waited patiently, staring at his face but not his eyes- she couldn't meet his gaze either.
"Sally only wants what's best for you."
Percy frowned. It was starting to seem like everyone thought they knew what was right for her, when only she could say what was right for herself.
"I'm not leaving Mystic Falls," Percy said slowly, as though she wanted to make a point. "I'm almost done with the first semester-"
Exasperation filled Grover's face. "What good would it make for you to have a high-school diploma if you're dead?"
The green-eyed girl rolled her eyes. She refrained herself from saying 'Being dead with a diploma means I could get a job in the underworld' and said instead something with less sass: "I'm not going to die."
"There are Originals roaming this town," Grover stressed. At her surprised look, he explained himself, sighing deeply as he made a motion with his hands that meant it wasn't important. "There are rumors all around, Percy. The most dangerous of them is on his way here, and he won't stop for anything."
The green-eyed girl crossed her arms over her chest, wondering what kind of troubles she would be facing once the original hybrid appeared in town. Elijah had mentioned one of his brothers had a fascination with her kind; for all she knew, it could be Niklaus.
"I'm not worried," The young girl shrugged deeply, her eyes portraying an immense amount of indifference. "I'll deal with whatever problems he brings me when the time is right."
It wasn't a lie, she wanted to go one step at a time, and currently, she had to find the Originals buried at sea before she could worry about a closeted-hybrid wanting to break a curse to unleash his dormant wolf side.
Grover pursed his lips, finding it harder to seek reasons for her to leave.
At last, he said a weak and unconvincing statement: "You live next door to a bunch of vampires."
Percy raised an eyebrow at him. "And my best friend is a satyr, my ex-boyfriend a god, my half-brother a cyclops. It doesn't mean anything."
There was a small pause between them.
In the distance, a soft echo of a conversation between Paul and Sally could be heard, though the distance made it impossible to know what they were discussing.
The raven-haired girl couldn't meet the satyr's eyes for longer than a few seconds, something that he noticed, and stored away for a future discussion.
He was also a little uncomfortable, as it was a common emotion for someone who had not seen their best friend in a long while, and he wasn't blind to how tense things were between them.
But he just didn't know how to address their situation.
She didn't, either, which meant that a long silence followed suit for a few of moments.
Grover shook his head and sighed, deciding to stop beating around the bush. "Why do you want to stay here?"
The intensity of Triton's gaze was burned into her mind, the hidden sorrow for their lost siblings more present than ever before. Part of her, though she would never admit it, wished he would care for her in the same way that he seemed to have cared about their other siblings. She could never fully understand why her immortal brother hated her so much, and sometimes it was a nagging doubt.
To some extent it also worried her.
Triton loathed her, yet he made a move towards her in a way that could almost mean he wanted to help her. It could only mean that her situation was about to get worse than before.
She didn't want to be in Camp when that happened.
"It's complicated," She said at last.
There was also the issue with the Salvatore brothers. She would never admit it out-loud to anyone, but she couldn't imagine spending a few days without hearing Damon's voice. She had grown used to it, and some nights, when both were immersed on their own problems and their own internal struggles, they would find themselves by each other's side, enjoying the silent company and the distraction that they offered.
She had grown to care about him, something that wasn't supposed to happen.
"My advice for you is the following," Hermes spoke. "Don't get too involved with those monsters. They might look human, but never forget that they are, in fact, monsters."
She had lost many friends already that year, she didn't want to lose the one friendship that she still had; the one that had more potential to succeed because of how different their problems were. Damon and Percy were, quite literally, living at different worlds, and their friendship was the perfect combination for people that wanted to forget what their world was like. They found that in each other- Percy could forget about her problems and her world when she was with him, and it was mutual; Damon often forgot about Elena, and Katherine, and all his building mistakes when he was by her side.
"I have friends here," Percy said, thinking about Emma's smile, which often brightened her day.
The pretty girl had become an important part of her life in town, even when their friendship was still surrounded by lies. She had come to realize that no friendship was ever perfect, but the effort put into it could diminish the imperfections it had.
They were her family, she realized with a start.
Emma and Damon.
The family she had created in Mystic Falls, the people that she couldn't imagine leaving behind just because her parents wanted her to go to Camp.
It didn't seem like something worth leaving her friends behind for.
Perhaps it was part of her fatal flaw, perhaps it was simply that she cared about them a lot, but whatever it was, nothing could change her mind.
She wasn't leaving town.
Grover knew then that no matter how much he tried, she wouldn't listen to him.
There was nothing the young demigoddess valued more than friendship. The gods had once told her that since it was her fatal flaw, it would be her downfall. Grover couldn't help but feel worried- what if her recent choice meant her downfall was coming?
In their world, nothing was a coincidence. Everything had to be taken into consideration.
Had Percy known what Grover was thinking about, she would've reminded him that while that was true, he had to take into consideration that her new friends were from the mortal world. In her opinion, her downfall couldn't be caused by mortals when the gods were the ones that had always involved themselves with it.
There was only one thing left for him to say. "You don't want to go back home?"
The word home made her chest hurt, and the words got stuck in her throat, making her give him an emotional look.
Her home was a small, cramped apartment in Manhattan, where she'd grown up and become the hero everybody loved. Where she had loved, loved, and loved until she could close her eyes and still see the distant silhouette of her loved ones, of her friends, of her family.
But that place was gone- her apartment in Manhattan belonged to someone else now.
Her mother had a new husband and a baby on the way, people to love and care for. She had new priorities now, even if she would always love and care about her firstborn daughter, she needed to concentrate on her own life. She was almost done writing her first book, she was taking care of the house, looking for suitable names for the baby, etc.
Paul was a nice man, but he wasn't her father.
There were things about her world that he couldn't understand, and in that same way, there were things about the mortal man that the demigoddess could never approve of. It was true that they had grown to care about each other and that, most of the time, she could say that she loved him like a father figure, but nothing could make her forget that they weren't a real family. He wasn't her real father.
Her friends from Camp Half-Blood were living their own lives, too.
Between the ones that were attending college (Travis Stoll and Clarisse La Rue), the ones that had their own personal affairs going on (Annabeth Chase, who still looked for her missing cousin), the ones that were still training (Connor Stoll, Hazel Levesque) and healing from the last war (Nico di Angelo, Will Solace), the ones that were also enrolled in school on top of everything (Piper McLean, Jason Grace), and the ones that served as the leaders of their camps (Reyna Ramirez, Frank Zhang) it was evident that, even if Percy went back to Camp Half-Blood, she would be as alone as she was there.
They would always be part of her family, but they had drifted apart, immerse on their own lives.
Mystic Falls was the closest thing she had to a home now- it was where her parents were, where she would finish her education and prepare for college; it was somewhere where she was relatively safe. It would never truly be her home, but it was her house.
She left her home behind once- when she decided to move to Virginia- and things went downhill. She wasn't going to take the risk of leaving her new- and still improving- home; many things could go wrong if she did.
"I have too many memories in New York," The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. The truth coming out of her without announcement, "There's also the fact that I'm relatively safe here, you know? I've only had one attack from our world.
Grover paused for a moment, processing her words, and then nodded quietly. "All right, Percy. I'm happy to hear that you're safe here, even if I don't trust your peace treatment with the vampires. If you truly want to stay here, I respect your decision, and hope that you know you can count on me for anything. Contact me in any way you can, and I'll be here as soon as I can."
Percy allowed herself to give him a warm smile, touched by his words.
Perhaps there was still time for them to be friends again, perhaps their empathy link hadn't damaged their trust in one another. It made her feel relieved, and happy.
"I know, and I tell you the same. You can always count on me for anything you might need."
He returned the warm smile, and unable to contain himself, he wrapped his arms around her again.
This time she didn't hesitate to return the hug with all her strength, clinging to him as though her life depended on it.
When they separated from each other, Grover blinked furiously, trying to hide how sentimental he had become. Knowing he wouldn't want the issue to be discussed, Percy ignored how one single tear escaped his right eye, pretending to be interested with the designs that decorated the wall at their side.
He clapped his hands once, clearing his throat to get rid of all the things he wasn't brave enough to say: "I'm sorry you had to go through Tartarus. I wish I could've been there to prevent it, or at least, to be by your side."
Percy smiled a little weakly. I'm sorry I made you go through hell with me. "Come, my mother will be happy to see you."
Grover accepted the hand she offered him, allowing her to guide him through the halls and towards the living room.
Sally and Paul's conversation became clearer in that moment, though before they could cross the doorway and accompany them, Grover grabbed Percy's elbow to stop her.
She glanced at him, raising one eyebrow in his direction. "What is it?"
"I-I can't stay long," Grover gave her an apologetical look, fidgeting from one foot to the other in nervousness. "I have a mission."
Percy wasn't sure what surprised her more, the fact that he wouldn't be there much, or the fact that he had a mission again.
Since the wars were over, she had completely forgotten that missions still existed- now that their world wasn't being threatened by their power-thirsty family members (Kronos, Gaea), it was hard to imagine what could be important enough to be catalogued as a mission.
Sometimes she forgot how easy missions used to be when they were younger.
Her every first mission, the one to recover Aphrodite's scarf, had been a walk in the park compared to her recent ones.
It was probably stupid, but she missed missions like that.
Things were easier back then, and by nature, demigods liked the thrill of missions, the feeling of having achieved something that came as a direct order from a god.
Now that she was starting to perceive the gods as deceitful, disgusting and horrible creatures, she hated herself for missing that.
Gods needed demigods. They needed them to do all the dirty work they couldn't do themselves, and it enraged her.
Luke Castellan had been right- the gods were better off gone.
Shocked with her own thoughts, Percy blinked and took a step back.
Grover mistook it for a hurtful gesture, and he hurried to explain himself. "It's not that I don't want to be here, because I'd love to spend some time with you, but I've been prolonging this thing for a long time, and-"
It took Percy a moment to realize what he was talking about- his mission.
Forcing herself to push those thoughts away from her (which wasn't easy, she could hear very distantly, as though it came from someone approaching, a dark laugh that made her spine froze. She knew who it belonged to and knew that her recent thoughts about Luke had conjured him), she tilted her head to the side and tried to focus on her old friend.
"What's your mission about?" The daughter of Poseidon looked curious, but not enough to seem like she wanted to be involved with it. "Do you need help?"
The satyr shook his head. "No, no," He replied carefully, then found himself unable not to sigh deeply, "This is something I must do on my own."
Percy crossed her arms over her chest, feeling concerned by his tense posture, and asked: "What is it?"
"It's not an actual mission, but it's just...it's about-" Grover swallowed. "It's about Juniper."
...
Through the course of his immortal life, Damon Salvatore liked to say that he had a control on his humanity switch. He claimed he only cared about himself, but the truth was far from that: he cared a great deal about the people on his life. It was something he thought about often, while he enjoyed a glass of bourbon on his parlor.
"I thought you wouldn't come to my aid," Elena admitted in a soft voice, looking down to the ground.
"And miss the opportunity of kicking ass?" Damon hid behind his smirk, as he usually did.
They locked eyes for a small moment, then looked away when they became lost in one another's stare.
Damon couldn't bring himself to look at her again, instead, he moved towards the mini-bar he had on his house, starting to prepare another drink for himself.
It was still early, but considering everything that had happened, he deserved a drink.
She followed him, hugging her sides as she tried to stop her heartbeat from showing how nervous she was when alone with him.
"I just thought you had better things to do-"
Damon decided to stop beating around the bush. "If this is about last night, Elena-"
"You told me to leave," Elena stressed, sounding pained.
Damon gave her an incredulous look. "You were having sex with Stefan, Elena. What did you want me to do?" His voice had grown louder and angrier at first, but for the next statement he used a quiet voice: "Act like it doesn't hurt me to see you with him?"
Elena ignored his questions, swallowing down a bunch of things she wanted to say. "Sometimes it feels like you care more about that girl than about me."
Damon scoffed, closing his eyes in annoyance when he realized what it was all about. He guided one of his hands to his nose, pinching the bridge as he sighed deeply.
"What?" Elena demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know you want to say something, so say it."
He had tried to contain himself, not wanting to make things worse, but at her request, he found himself turning around and facing her. They were close, almost too close for comfort, and the intensity of his gaze made her knees go weak, her throat filling with a lump that wouldn't go.
"You're not allowed to be jealous when you keep claiming that you don't feel anything for me," Damon snapped angrily, unknowingly getting closer to her as he did so. "You're my brother's girlfriend. Stop trying to control who I befriend."
"She's not-" Elena started. "I'm not jealous, Damon." But it sounded like she wanted to convince herself. "I just can't understand how you can be her friend! She's not-"
"Enough, Elena." Damon growled, moving to stand by the fireplace, needing to put some distance between each other before he made a mistake.
He wanted to kiss her, there was no denying that, but it was not the right thing to do.
For the first time in a long time, he wanted to do things right.
The doppelgänger looked startled at his outburst, and he realized she hadn't expected him to react in that way.
But there was no other way to react, he had grown exhausted with the game she seemed to be playing with them. She claimed she only loved Stefan, and perhaps she only loved him, but she wanted to have Damon all for herself too.
It was something that he had started to notice, and that instead of making him feel smug, it made him annoyed.
Katherine had played them in that exact same way, and it had damaged the relationship of trust he used to have with his brother.
Elena wasn't allowed to destroy that.
Elena was kind and pure, he was sure about that.
He didn't know what was wrong with her, why she couldn't decide who she really wanted to be with, but he did know one thing: he wouldn't let her destroy what he had with Stefan.
He wouldn't go through the same stuff again, he had enough problems when Katherine was alive, he didn't need Elena to do the same things the vampire bitch had done.
Before he could say what he wanted to say: you either want him, or you want me, but you can't have us both, she spoke: "You want her. You want Percy Jackson."
It was supposed to be a question, but it came as a statement.
The pain on her voice gave Damon a spark of hope- she wouldn't feel pain if she didn't feel something towards him, right? But then he forced himself to drown that hope.
Elena always chose Stefan, and even if she decided to start choosing Damon now, she would try to change him.
He didn't want to change. There was a reason for him to be the way he was- he didn't want to have to live to anyone's expectations.
Damon forced himself to observe her eyes, the eyes that were implanted on his soul, the ones that made him feel the most, and made a choice: he couldn't be selfish with her, she deserved better.
If he wanted her to finally chose one of them and stop her little game, he had to break her heart.
He placed a mask of monotony on his face, and said, "What if I do?"
Elena took one step back, looking wounded.
Damon turned his back on her, facing the burning fireplace, scowling as he forced his sight to remain on the flames. He raised his right arm, the one that held the glass of bourbon, and pointed with it towards the door. Using a soft voice, he told her to leave, and for the first time in a while, she did so without insisting to stay.
As soon as the door was closed, someone else entered the living room.
Damon took a sip of his drink, then turned to face his brother.
Stefan stood by the doorway, his posture tense and straight, as though he had a lot of things bothering him, but his eyes were glued to his older brother in a way that made the other man raise an eyebrow at him.
"What was that all about?" Stefan questioned, trying not to sound too interested.
Damon shrugged deeply, downgrading its importance. "Nothing, just a friendly chat with your girlfriend."
Nothing the older man ever did could be considered friendly, everything always had an ulterior motive.
It was because of that that Stefan found himself asking a soft, "What are you trying to do?" that portrayed how tired he felt.
He didn't have energy to argue, he just wanted to know; the whole situation with Klaus and Elena being used for a sacrifice had him exhausted.
Damon drowned his glass in one single gulp, and then moved to pour himself more. When he had his glass full again, he repeated his actions and drowned it in one single gulp, licking his lips once he was over. A long sigh left his mouth, and he said at last: "I'm tired of this."
Stefan asked him to elaborate.
There were too many things happening at once, he couldn't be sure which of them had him tired already.
Damon made a gesture with his hands, "How long have we been pinning after the same girl?" It was a rhetorical question, his eyes full of unmasked emotion. It was such a strange sight to see Damon Salvatore having a heart-to-heart talk that Stefan didn't dare open his mouth. "We're brothers."
"You're in love with her," Stefan had known it for a long while, everyone knew about his love for her, but he never imagined how deep it was. "You love Elena."
"With all my heart," Damon said bluntly, exhaling deeply, looking vulnerable enough to leave Stefan stricken. "But I don't deserve her."
"You did this on purpose," Stefan realized then, scoffing in disbelief. "You're trying to make her think you like Percy-"
"She's just a kid," Damon said quietly, interrupting what his brother was saying.
Stefan raised an eyebrow at him. "Caroline was just a kid, too."
"Don't bring up past mistakes, blondie was never meant to become one of us." Damon rolled his eyes, then grew serious as he talked about Percy. "There's something going on with her and it angers me that I don't know what it is. I wish I could-" He hesitated, then decided that being honest for one moment wouldn't hurt anyone, "I wish I could help her."
He couldn't get the image of Percy crying after conjuring an earthquake out of his head. Her cries echoed through his skull at all times, like a broken record that wouldn't stop playing the same song over and over again.
It pained him to the depths of his immortal soul.
"You care about her."
The statement shook Damon to his core, and he forced himself to evaluate what he felt towards the green-eyed girl for the first time in months. He was fond of her, that was not a lie, but the realization that it had grown into actual care…that shocked him.
Damon stayed quiet, still drowning on his surprise at his feelings, but his silence was all the answer his brother needed.
A small, almost imperceptible smile crossed Stefan's features. "Careful Damon, your humanity is showing."
Damon scoffed, annoyed that his brother just had to acknowledge out loud what they both knew perfectly well- that, as much as he liked to claim he had no humanity, he had one; and most of the time, it was even stronger than Stefan's.
Feeling the need to defend himself, Damon barked a: "Aren't you always yapping about how important it is to have your humanity-switch on?"
The smile that crossed Stefan's face disappeared slowly, shaking his head as he looked down to process his words and how much things had changed in such a short amount of time.
In the past, he had tried to show Damon that there was nothing wrong with emotions, with being kind and as human as they could be; but not anymore.
He had reached a point on his immortal life that he didn't care what his brother did anymore- and it was then, when he didn't care, that his brother finally showed a speck of humanity.
Truth was, Stefan no longer felt entitled to his brother's humanity.
"Did you ever listen?" He shot back, then sighed deeply, guiding one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "We need to be strong to defeat Klaus when the time comes." He gave him a serious look that resembled a glare, "Don't let your emotions get in the way of that."
...
Over dinner, Percy and Grover discussed his plans, botch ignoring the tension that crowed the room after the raven-haired girl bluntly told them that she wasn't leaving town under any circumstance, and that, if they respected her, they wouldn't continue trying to make her leave.
Paul tried to distract his wife by telling her about his day, but, both were completely focused on the satyr's words; they worried that their daughter would want to help her friend- they always worried when it came to missions.
After they helped Sally clean up the table, the demigoddess guided the satyr towards the music room, which had become her favorite room on the house after discovering that the walls had been soundproofed back when the previous owners lived there. They could talk there without her parents eavesdropping on them.
"I told you about my mission," Grover muttered as he got comfortable in one of the couches around the room.
He eyed it all as he spoke, observing all the music instruments around the room and wondering if his best friend liked the room because she knew how to play those instruments, or because they reminded her of Apollo and his affinity to music.
He met her eyes and gave her a knowing look "It's your turn now."
Percy wanted to play dumb, to claim that she had no mission going on, but she knew that her friend would be able to recognize the lie; he knew her well enough to know when she was hiding something.
"I need to find a way to find something on the ocean- but that's the thing, I don't know exactly in what part of the ocean it is. For all I know, he could've dropped them at the fucking Bermuda's triangle for all I know-"
"What are you talking about?"
Percy took a deep breath, realizing that she had voiced her annoyance without explaining what was going on, and then proceeded to tell him all she that had discovered (through Elijah's mind) about the Originals.
When she finished, Grover had a thoughtful look on his eyes. "How will you know where to look?"
Percy sighed. "I have absolutely no idea."
But she knew she needed to act soon, as much as her encounters with the Original vampire had been polite, she didn't want to test her luck with him; she couldn't keep delaying her mission.
"You could-"
"I'm not asking my father to aid me," Percy snapped, giving him a look. After a small pause in which Grover rose his hands in submission to her, the demigoddess bore a thoughtful look. "Though I do know other sea-deities that owe me a reward."
"I'll go with you," Grover said, making the young woman turn to stare at him, a smile starting to form on her lips. "One last mission together before I embark towards my end-"
Percy rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Juniper will say yes."
"That's not what I'm worried about." Grover paused for a small moment, then admitted his doubts, "What if I'm going too fast?"
Percy tilted her head to the side. "You two have been together for almost five years now."
He continued as though he hadn't heard her, and judging by how nervous he was, he really wasn't listening to her talk. "What if she doesn't want to marry me?"
"That's-" Percy started, to be interrupted by him again.
He was trembling by then. "What if she finds annoying how I eat aluminum when I'm nervous?" And without realizing what he was doing, he took an empty Coca-Cola can out of his left pocket and chewed on it.
Percy gave him a startled look. "First of all, where did you even find that Coca-Cola can because I swear you didn't have it in your pocket five minutes ago?"
"See?" Grover looked desperate, a pitiful whimper leaving his mouth. "That's something that probably annoys Juniper too."
Percy softened her voice and swallowed all the snarky things she wanted to say about his culinary choices on aluminum. "Grover, as long as you two love each other, I don't think you'll make a wrong decision."
"I'm just-" Grover sighed, not knowing how to continue.
She gave him a kind look. "I know you're worried, because it's your future and you need to be sure you're making the right decision, but seriously, my friend, Juniper wouldn't be dating you if she was annoyed by the little things you do. I assure you she won't deny your proposal- it will be fine."
"I hope you're right," Grover swallowed tricky, then shook his head, going back to the first topic they discussed. "Anyways, which deity have you thought about?"
Percy chose to ignore his question. "We leave as soon as my mother and Paul go to bed." She rose from the couch and moved towards the door, deciding to start preparing the backpack she was going to use that night. "Gather your courage because I don't know what we'll face once we find the Original's coffins."
"The sharks should've eaten them." Grover muttered under his breath.
Percy rolled her eyes. "Sharks don't eat people, that's bullshit created by Jaws."
"Does it worry you?" Grover asked suddenly, then explained himself better: "The Originals, not the inaccuracy with which Jaws was made."
Percy stopped, considering his question, then shook her head. "No. Elijah will keep his word. The high-pressure of the ocean probably damaged the Originals into a vegetative state. Niklaus won't know about my existence. See? All fine."
"Probably," Grover pointed out the key-word. "There's a chance they're still alive, is there not?"
"I don't know." Percy was being sincere. "I know that human bodies cannot stand the high-pressure of the sea for a long time, and they have a human body, but the only way to kill them is through a specific stake. I-I really don't know what to expect, but my bet is that they're on a vegetative state."
"Is that what you honestly believe, or what you want to be true?"
Percy shrugged, looking uncomfortable for once. "I just want to deliver them to Elijah so that I can leave behind all the bullshit about Original vampires."
"But you won't," Grover pointed out, raising one eyebrow in her general direction. She was still facing the door, which made it impossible for him to read her features. "We both know that Klaus will seek you out as soon as he discovers it was you who took his siblings out of the ocean."
"Elijah won't allow it," Percy wasn't concerned about the Original hybrid, for she knew that as much as he would want to seek revenge on her for that, he was going to be extremely busy trying to break his curse, which brought her a lot of time to deal with the matter before he could approach her.
Grover didn't know if she believed that Elijah would protect her family and her as he had promised, or if she was simply trying to convince herself.
The young man didn't know why his best friend had the tendency of trusting dangerous vampires that easily, but at the same time, he realized that she really didn't feel any kind of fear at the thought of Niklaus. It was understandable- through her life, she had faced monsters far more dangerous than that hybrid.
"Which deity are you going to ask a favor to?" Grover asked again.
Percy looked back at him, and sighed: "Palaemon."
Grover gave her a confused look. "The god that aids sailors in distress?"
"I know it doesn't sound reasonable, but-"
"You're not a sailor and you're most definitely not in mortal distress." Grover's face brightened with recognition. "Wait a moment, isn't that the god that Apollo hates because of his blunt attraction to you?"
Percy couldn't hide the amused smile that covered her face. "Yes."
She found the whole situation amusing, part of her liked flirting with that specific god. He was handsome and extremely blunt about his attraction to her. It always made her feel tingly, the danger that came with flirting with a deity- she liked the adrenaline that came from it. It made her feel alive, which was mostly what she needed.
"Apollo wouldn't approve of this," Grover said, as though that was all the explanation she needed.
The name brought a shot of pain to her heart, and she forced herself to drown it away. She had successfully managed to forget about him for a few days, she didn't need to feel the pain of his departure again.
"On the contrary," Percy's words tasted bitter on her tongue. "He constantly told me to take advantage of my beauty, for it is not necessarily going to last forever."
She didn't mention how, even though he always told her to take advantage of her beauty, he was also one of the most jealous gods that existed, and that she knew he would never approve of her actions- he knew what it was like to be used.
Grover couldn't feel more confused even if he tried to. "Do you want to flirt with him?" He raised one eyebrow at her. "Apollo mentioned Palaemon knew you were dating him, and still asked for a kiss from you. If he asked from that knowing you were dating someone, I won't imagine what he will ask now that you're single."
Percy wondered why he had to make things so complicated all the time. It wasn't as deep as he was making it be. "It's nothing like that. He owes me one."
This time Grover's curiosity was more reasonable. "What did you do to have a minor sea deity owing you a favor?"
Usually gods awarded demigods as soon as they finished a mission- they were smart enough not to leave things like that open; they knew that demigods could end up asking for more than they deserved.
Percy knew what he was thinking about and shook her head. "It's nothing like that, he didn't give me an actual mission. I saved his legion of sharks once. Some stupid sailors wanted to hunt them to eat their fins, and I couldn't allow that to happen. I saved them without him asking me to, and in the end, he was so grateful he mentioned I could ask any favor from him in the future."
"And the future is now," Grover raised one eyebrow. "You're sure he can find them?"
"No, of course not. But it's worth a try."
…
Almost three hours later (her parents had taken their time in getting to bed) they found themselves in front of the open ocean, a soft breeze colliding against them as they stood side by side, listening to the sounds of the sea meeting the shore.
Grover fidgeted uncomfortably, which made Percy turn towards him to give him a curious look.
He shuddered against his jacket when another cold breeze hit him. "I can't see anything."
Percy tilted her head to the side in consideration. "We don't have to see, we just have to listen."
At night-time, it was impossible to have a good glimpse of the ocean, more so in that specific beach, where there were no lampposts to illuminate the area.
"Doesn't it unnerve you?" Grover inquired, apparently uncomfortable with the silence.
Percy shook her head, then remembered he couldn't see her, and muttered a soft: "No."
Back when she resided in Camp Half-Blood, Blackjack often woke her up in the middle of the night because a sea creature needed her help. It was because of that reason that she found so normal the darkness that seemed to surround them. She imagined it was probably frightening for someone like Grover, someone that couldn't feel the waves of the water as though they came from within themselves. One wrong step and they could fall on the water, lose track of where was the shore and where was the deep ocean, be dragged by the powerful waves, and drown.
She could feel every single droplet of water in those waves, every single current that navigated its waters. Everything, as though it were another part of her.
The only thing that unnerved her was the realization that she had murdered a bunch of sea creatures there, in that exact same beach, just hours before. She felt sick to her stomach, and then found herself relieved that, since it was so dark, her friend wouldn't be able to see her disgruntled face.
"Are you sure he will come?"
Percy bit her lower lip. "I don't know."
She just hopped she didn't have to enter the water and check for herself, because Poseidon would feel her presence there, and the least she wanted was for him to know she was in his domain.
A new sound reached their ears, making them tense their shoulders in anticipation. It was the sound of an empty boat scraping against the sand, as though someone had arrived at the beach.
Out of habit, Percy took hold of Grover's elbow and pulled him a few steps back from where they were standing, because, even though they were waiting for someone, they couldn't be sure whom exactly had arrived at the beach with them. Their luck was rotten enough for them to worry, it could be an enemy for all they knew.
But then a voice spoke from behind them, making Percy's heart drop, and Grover bit back a scream.
"Oh, I knew tonight would be remarkable." The voice was deep and dry, as though its owner had been too much time underwater without speaking. "Is it a vision that I'm seeing, or is the most gorgeous and talented demigoddess in the world really in front of me?"
Grover relaxed, then promptly rolled his eyes. He couldn't see the god in front of them, but from the words he had spoken, it was clear that they didn't need to fear him. Not to mention that he could comprehend then why his friend had chosen him to help them- Percy was a great woman, but part of her was a little self-absorbed sometimes (something she had adopted from Apollo through the course of their relationship) and anyone would like to receive comments like that every now and then.
The demigoddess tried to control her agitated heartbeat, reminding herself that he was a friend and not a foe. "Hi, Pal," She managed to say after a few moments. "Long time no see."
Palaemon hummed. "Sad that this is not a friendly visit," He straightened his posture, to it was to no avail, the mortals in front of him couldn't see him due to the darkness that engulfed the whole beach. "You came to collect the favor I owe you, so I will ask you, what do you require form me?"
That was what Percy mostly liked about that minor deity. He could flirt and tease her, but as soon as he knew something was up, he would become serious and go straight to business.
Percy took one step forwards, hoping she was not interfering in his personal space, and then proceeded to tell him what she was looking for. After a few seconds of consideration, the god bowed before her and nodded, telling her to wait there for a few moments.
When he was gone, Grover turned towards her. "Do you think he will-"
She hushed him.
A few seconds later, the sound of a boat scrapping against the sand could be heard again, and then they felt his presence at their side again.
Grover raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was fast. How the fuck did he check the whole oceans of the entire world in seconds?
"Persephone, there must have been a mistake." Palaemon spoke with the calmness of an old man, though physically he could appear to be as young as the mortals in front of him were. "There is no single trace of Rebekah, Kol, and Finn Mikaelson on any part of the ocean."
Percy froze, think she might've heard him wrong, and muttered a: "What?"
"There are records of them traveling through boats, but they date back to prehistoric times." Palaemon paused. "My gorgeous sea-flower, I'm sorry, but the information you received was mistaken." He paused, as though wanting to stress the next sentence: "Niklaus Mikaelson did not threw his siblings' coffins into the sea."
"That's- that's not possible." Percy couldn't understand. She had been counting on the fact that the remaining Originals were on the ocean, in a vegetative state. If they were not, that meant they were very much alive.
"I'm sorry," Palaemon replied. "But it is what it is."
A new thought occurred to her: did Elijah know about that? Had he lied to her in purpose because he wanted to harm her? But then she disregarded that thought immediately after remembering she had been inside of his head, that she had seen his thoughts and seen his worry at the belief that his siblings were buried on the ocean.
She forced herself to collect her thoughts enough to say: "Thank you Palaemon. Your help has been very much appreciated."
The god, sensing that she was not in the mood to play around, simply nodded; with one last bow before them, he was gone.
"Now what?" Grover asked carefully.
Percy pursed her lips, her head a clouded mess of thoughts, and finally came to a simple decision. "I have to talk to Elijah."
"You look worried."
Percy sighed deeply. No shit, Sherlock. "My mission was to find them. Something tells me Elijah will ask me to keep looking for them even when they're outside my domain. In other words: it will fall upon my shoulders to find their whereabouts. And I just hope, for my own sake, that they are peacefully sleeping on their coffins with a dagger on their chests, because if they are awake…" She let the phrase hanging, but her friend understood perfectly well what she had meant to say.
If they were awake, there was not a certain way to make sure they would want to side with Elijah.
It was easier to deal with a sleeping monster than with a conscious one.