Wrote it down in the winter of 1610

Just a secret under lock and key until then…

Percy missed home. He missed Camp Half Blood.

Not that the Hunt was all that different. There were still uniforms of some sort, silver-black-white instead of orange, and there were still campfires, and good food, and nectar, and tents.

But he was always walking and it just wasn't the same.

And besides. Artemis wasn't really a Chiron, or a Dionysus.

And no one really wanted him here.

And.

Well.

He just missed it, really

Home.

" Here."

Sey's voice is scathing and dry, annoyance seeping through her, even if she tries to hide it. Percy catches the bundle in his hands, heaving at the weight.

Thalia pursed her lips symphathetically at him.

" Don't mind it. I'm sure they'll get used to you."

Percy gave her a half-hearted glare. " They made it pretty obvious that they didn't like me very much."

" They don't like any men, really, it's not your fault."

Percy sighed, stumbling along as he walked.

" I miss them." he said shortly. " Travis. Bill. Grover. Annabeth."

" You can still visit them." Thalia replied helpfully, trailing behind him.

" It's not the same. I miss it."

Percy threw the bundle down in his work-tent, onto the large table-bowl, thingy, in it. he sighed, and unzipped the bag, wrinkling his nose.

" Laundry." he muttered, clipped.

" I hate the gods."

Thalia twitched. She paused, as though to say something, before stopping herself, giving a smile. " Well. I mean, they did give you options."

" Clearly not good ones." Percy mused as he folded the laundry a bit more forcefully than he should've. " I'd rather run away to Finland or something. Being a demigod sucks."

Thalia scoffed, lounging on the wooden bench by him, cuffing at his head. " I'd say welcome to the club, but you're already it."

" It's not a club, though. It's a hunt, and I'm not supposed to be invited."

" You'll leave when you turn sixteen." Thalia quipped. Percy groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose, eyes scrunching. He narrowed his brows as he felt soap suds stick onto his skin.

" I might be dead by then. You know. Titans. Besides. That's two years away. Two too many."

" Hey. At least you aren't me." Thalia pointed out. " I'll never be sixteen."

" You chose not to be sixteen." Percy corrected.

" So did you." Thalia snapped back.

Percy groaned.

" I didn't have any choice!"

" Technically they gave you a choice."

" Bad ones."

" Bad ones." Thalia agreed. She sighed, getting up, giving him a comforting pat on his shoulder.

Percy stopped for a moment, watching her leave the tent. The cold air brushed against the black of his coat, making him wrinkle his nose.

He really, really didn't like this place.

It's hard to explain to Sally exactly what happened. Percy tries. He does.

It's hard. Hi, mom, I got blackmailed to join a group of all-girl hunters that I'm not supposed to be part of, and I can't leave until I'm 16, and I can't go to school anymore so if you could just pretend that I'm being homeschooled that would be great-

Sally stares at him for a long while when he finishes explaining everything, nerves choking up at every letter that leaves his mouth.

" I'll be safe." Percy mutters. " They hunt monsters for a living, I won't be killed there, if that's what you're worried about. And I can still visit-"

" Percy." Sally's voice feels strained and comforting all in one, and Percy jolts, letting it wash over him in the way he remembers. " Percy. I- well. It's good that you'll be safe. But are you sure? There's nothing you can do?"

He shook his head. " Sorry."

Sally's hand stroked his own, firmly. She paused, shaking her head. " No. Percy, don't be sorry about that. It's not your fault." she stopped. " Are you happy there?"

she asked, finally. Worried.

Percy swallowed.

" I'm fine." he continued, hollowly. Sort of. " I have Thalia, there. Besides, I can visit anytime I want."

He forced out a smile, lips cracking open. " I… besides. We have some really cool uniforms. Way better than orange."

Sally doesn't seem convinced. She doesn't seem anywhere near convinced, actually. But still, she nods and smiles and wishes him well, and Percy stays there as long as he dares- which is honestly just three weeks, which is too short, too fucking- and smiles and pretends and eats blue food and brings in a copy just in case-

He can't cook, really, so it's not that useful, but just in case, you know?

Just in case.

There's an itchy sort of feeling whenever Percy walks around the camp. The leaves crunch miserably under his feet, and the dirt is lush and the forest is huge and green and leafy, and really, Percy knows that it shouldn't bother him as much as it does.

Uncomfortable.

Probably has to do with him being a city kid, maybe. He doesn't bring it up, of course.

" Typical for a boy." he's pretty sure they'd say, no matter how much Thalia snapped at them to stay shut.

Not their fault, Percy thought. They were angry, understandably.

Their previous Lieutenant- Zoe died. And now, it was as if Artemis had replaced her almost instantly with a new model and a boy of all things, and Percy got that.

Thalia and he might have travelled with Zoe, sure.

But these were her literal sisters. For decades and centuries.

They knew her better than anyone, and Percy couldn't help but feel that he was intruding in that, sure, he felt guilty, but it didn't really matter, right? In the end?

And it wasn't his fault. Or Thalia, or even Artemis, he guessed.

Wasn't. It really wasn't.

Just needed to calm down.

… Right. Easier said than done.

" You're leaving." Nico shouts. " You're leaving- like her! You killed her! You killed my sister-"

Nico screams at him in a way that Percy can't respond to, his voice screaming like lightning in his ears.

" You're leaving like her-" Nico sobs, and the ground cracks.

( Things don't go too differently from this world and another. )

It's not just the fact that Percy killed her, it isn't, it isn't, it's the fact that he killed her and is leaving like her, leaving him and he might die, and Nico wants him to die, but he doesn't, and he loves him and he hates him and everything is horrible and the world is horrible and he hates it hates everything hates everyone hates-

( Physically, that is. )

The camp doesn't say anything when he comes back. Chiron gives him the slightest nods. Tyson gives him a hug. Grover cries and heaves layers of gifts onto him, and asks for him to visit.

Percy would have visited him anyways, but the sentiment is nice.

" How's Annabeth?" he asks, hopefully. Chiron bites his lip.

" Alright. She will live." Chiron determines. He fixes his gaze onto him.

Percy swallowed nervously. His hands fiddled with the cuffs of his sleeves.

" Can I- can I visit?" Chiron stares blankly at him.

" She's not awake, yet. She's recovering."

" When she wakes up, then." Percy amends.

" You'll need to leave before then." Dionysus pipes up, and Percy almost mistakes him for apologetic.

" Why?"

He shrugged. " Orders."

Clearly. the gods are putting a lot of faith into him, relying on him not to rebel right there and then.

" You could have helped me." Percy says blatantly, facing his father. Poseidon's beard is grey-white, whiter than the last time, his hair flecked with ash. His eyes are still green- darker, and his skin smells of sea salt and coconuts and his voice rings like tidal waves.

No hawaiian shirt, this time.

" I did my best." Poseidon defends. " I convinced them to not kill you."

You could have done more, Percy thinks, thinks angrily, like bile that barely stops him from screaming.

Poseidon is his father, Percy doesn't hate him. He knows that- Poseidon could be worse. Far worse, he isn't, but-

" Okay." Percy grits out. He's not okay.

You could've done more. I know you could have. For me. For everyone else. For-

He shuts up.

Percy did his work quietly and efficiently. He practiced sword-training and hunting. He ate away from the others when he could. Thalia joined him sometimes.

The magical food and drinks stayed the same, so that was good, at least. Percy swallowed another bite of his magically produced blue pancakes.

Sure, he was eating pancakes for dinner, but come on. He deserved this. Pancakes tasted good.

" I can't believe you're eating pancakes for dinner." Thalia said. Percy stuffed another bite into his mouth defensively.

Thalia opened her mouth to speak before a sudden voice jolted both of them upwards.

" Perseus Jackson."

Artemis gave him a stern look, flashing a quick glance to Thalia before speaking again.

" I believe we need to talk."

Percy stiffened. His fingers clenched around his plate- not plastic, made of wood mush and some other ingredient he couldn't identify. He forced the anger to stop boiling his blood.

" Oh. Can it-" he stopped. Swallowed. " Wait?"

Artemis gave a silent glance at Thalia, her eyes stern. Thalia opened her mouth, as though to speak, then stopped. Shook her head, gave Percy a pitying glance, and left.

" Of course, milady." she murmered quickly.

Percy watched her leave sorrowfully, acutely aware that he was currently maybe two steps away from getting blasted to smithereens.

The hair along his neck shot up, quivering. A cold sort of fear stretched through him. He forced himself to speak.

" Is there= uh." he stopped. " Milady. Lady Artemis. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Not really a pleasure, but he had to say it anyways.

Artemis let out a sigh.

" Perseus." she stated- and Percy grit his teeth to stop himself from snapping- " I am aware that you may not be particularily pleased by your arrangement in this camp."

" I heard the feeling is mutual." he muttered, and Artemis' eyes flashed, although she continued.

" I wish for you to know that I have no plans on making your stay here unwelcome, or uncomfortable. However. The rules you have been given must be abided by. You cannot interact with any of my hunters beyond what is deemed necessary and appropriate."

Weird way to say flirting.

Percy stabbed his pancakes absently, sticky syrup staining his fingers a dark blue. " Is this about Thalia and I being friends, or-" he stopped himself.

Or is this just a godly version of the talk.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. Her grey eyes stared at him coldly. Sort of like Athena, now that Percy really, really thought about it.

Speaking of Athena, he wondered what Annabeth was doing- after the kidnapping, and was she okay and-

He shot up when Artemis continued.

" - only wish to assure you that you have nothing to fear here as long as you obey the rules."

Percy felt his nerves jolt, realizing just then that he had missed out on what the goddess had said beforehand.

" Okay." he said lamely, forcing his face to stay calm.

Artemis stared at him for a long moment before she sighed.

Turned around. Left.

Percy dug viciously into his pancakes, tearing them apart.

He keeps up news on Camp Half Blood. The war.

Annabeth goes on a quest, and Percy wants to join. He does.

" They already have three." Thalia says.

" I don't care." Percy growls.

Maybe they'll kill him for this, for disobeying the rules. He doesn't care. His friends might die, and he's spent too long here. He needs to leave. Go back.

" You can come with me."

( It's the right choice, Percy thinks. He saved them, saved Annabeth, the volcano, Hephaesteus, they were reunited, they were- and he's leaving again, and it's unfair, because they hugged and kissed, and Rachel was there too, and he got to introduce them, finally, and now Kronos was rising and he was standing miserably before them, again , the Olympians, for the second time in his life, shivering and cold and beaten up, blood pooling on his skin- )

( You're lucky that we're letting you live. )

( He did what he had to do. It doesn't matter what they think. He did the right thing. )

( He hates the Gods, he does. The Titans are worse. That doesn't mean he doesn't hate them. )

Percy understands why Calypso chose the island. They're similar in that way.

" She doesn't deserve to be kept there." he affirms. He tells. He says.

Hermes gives him a pitying look, one that sends rage flowing through him, and drops him off.

" We play with the cards we are dealt."

The battle rages around him. It swings broken and loud, echoing in his ears, his skin stings, and dust and blood fleck across his flesh and armor- indistinguishable. He feels the Achilles Spot shiver on his back, he's more alert than ever, and there's a sense of emptiness as he slices past the monsters- adreniline and instinct fueling his every move.

He's late, that's all hie can think about. He was late with the Hunters, late with Nico, with Luke's mother-

Paul- he wonders how he's doing, how he's doing with his mother, if he can see them again-

Should be seeing them.

He screams when he cuts past another monster, rage tearing past it, gold dust blowing onto his body.

" MOVE." Someone shouts. Screams.

Percy turns around, his eyes widened, trails of blood smeared across his hair and face.

He catches it. Annabeth's eyes for just one moment.

The blade, closing in, and.

" Annabeth!"

Delphi's voice rings hollow in his ears. Green smoke curls inside of him, clogging up his breath, staining the blood just beneath his skin. He closes his eyes and sees Luke, sees his mother, sees Bianca, sees-

And there's bile rising in his throat, and the blood leaves his knuckles white and heavy.

" Oh. I'm going to die." he says simply, barely trembling in rage.

" Maybe." Annabeth murmers. " I don't- Maybe you won't."

Doesn't believe it. Counts.

I don't want to die.

" You alright?"

Annabeth shifts.

Percy repeats himself, speaking past the clogs in his throat. " You alright?" asks again. Softer, louder, clearer.

" Shouldn't you be fighting Titans out there, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy snorts.

" They can handle it for a while."

" How long was I out?" Annabeth grumbles. Demands, he corrects.

Percy narrowed his eyes. " Not long enough. You should stay here."

" I should. I won't."

" That's not very wise." Percy quips. Annabeth swats at him half-heartedly.

" Shut up."

" I can stay here, if you want?"

Annabeth shot up- or at least, tried to, indignantly. " Perseus Jackson, go out there and fight immediately."

Percy let out a laugh, sharp and bellowing.

" Alright." he said, a soft smile spreading across his cheeks. His face felt pinker. " I'll send Rachel here to keep you company. How about that."

" Fine." Annabeth said blandly. " I'll be up by tomorrow though. Just fucking watch me."

Percy grinned, nodded, and saluted to her on his way out.

" Whatever you say, Wise Girl!"

( Annabeth kills Kronos. Not him. )

( Correction. Luke kills Kronos. )

Which means that he didn't need to be sent to a fucking forest for two years anyways.

Fuck it. Fuck it all.

He's given one wish.

Gift. He calls it a wish. And all of a sudden Percy's unsure. He hasn't been in Camp for what- two whole years now?

He swallows. Glances up.

Zeus and Poseidon stare expectantly- they expect him to accept their offer. His hand twitches.

Opens his mouth.

Percy packs up his bags. He packs them up in a way that can't be described as urgent or anything. Thalia lounges by the corner of his tent, arms crossed in amusement.

" Leaving so soon?"

" You aren't coming with me?" Percy asks. His lips twitch. He's asked this before, but Thalia likes the Hunt. She deserves to be here.

" You aren't staying with me?" Thalia bites back.

" I'll visit." Percy promises. Thalia rolls her eyes.

" You better." she stops, hesitates. " Say hi to Annabeth for me."

Percy groaned.

" Say hi to her yourself, asshole." he grumbled back jokingly.

His voice tasted light and sweet on his tongue.

" Thalia says hi." Percy says when he comes back. He doesn't say it to Annabeth, not exactly, he says it to everyone. To Travis, Connor, Nico, Grover, Chiron, Dionysus-

But he tells it to Annabeth's face, first.

" She's not coming back?" Annabeth questions. Her hands are stained with ink, and there's a new bandage over her finger where a paper cut must've been.

" She'll visit." he promises.

" Like you did?"

Percy shrugged. " Like you will." he says. " How's the architect thing going?"

Annabeth's face lights up immediately, her hair glistening as she rubs it frantically out of her face.

" Perfectly." she says beaming. She grins at him, as though waiting for Percy to speak.

He doesn't have much to say.

" Well?" he asked, walking alongside her. " Tell me all about it."

" Percy?" Sally's voice is... it's not in awe, it's relief. It's happiness and joy, and Percy doesn't respond before he lunges, falling into her hug, the bitter-sweet perfume that she wore.

Sally was older now. They both were.

But.

" I'm home." Percy whispers, almost unbelievably, to himself. To both of them

" I'm home."