Hey all. Just something I wrote for fun to answer the question "What if Poseidon wasn't kidding when he told Percy about sending him new siblings?" Of course, this takes place a long time after that. It includes a lot of headcanons of mine about Percabeth children and the like, but I know I'm not the first person to use the names I did, so I won't claim the ideas are totally original, lol. If you have any questions, feel free to ask though! I'm always down to chat with my readers.
Azura crossed the threshold of her new home with a significant amount of trepidation. The last few days had been trying, to say the least.
Two days ago, in the middle of her sixth grade end-of-year ice skating field trip, she'd been attacked by another skater who looked more like an upright sea lion-dog hybrid than a man, only to be rescued by the eighth grade student chaperone, Terence, who had knocked the man (?) out with a club he'd produced from seemingly nowhere.
Amidst the panicking skaters, Terrence had scooped her up and carried her off the ice rink, helped her change back into her shoes, and dragged her out of the arena in just over a minute.
What followed had been a day-long chase as Azura and Terrence, who had shed his pants and turned out to be half barnyard animal, fled from the sea lion-dog-man and his two allies who had appeared out of thin air until they reached a place Terrence insisted was safe called Camp Half Blood.
Terrence had done his best to explain that they were being chased by monsters because she was a demigod, and that he was her protector, but between the fear and confusion, most of it had gone over Azura's head.
The trip had been harrowing. There hadn't been much time to stop and rest, and after a four hour bus ride from Buffalo, they'd had to walk or run all the way from Manhattan. Azura had wanted to call her mom, but the idea made Terrence panic. He said something about attracting more monsters, so reluctantly, she let the matter drop.
Finally, they arrived at the safe place Terrence had been talking about, and just in time. Even though Azura had been sure that they'd lost the seal people in Buffalo, they'd somehow caught up just as they were crossing the hill into the camp. Strangely, the monsters seemed to be unable to cross some invisible barrier, and they wailed in frustration over their lost prey.
Following the close call, Terrence had lead her to a large building he called the Big House, and introduced her to a man in a wheelchair called Chiron, who had been playing cards on the porch with two men named Mr. D and Lester, though the man named Lester seemed slightly annoyed at being introduced as such.
Chiron excused himself from the table and dismissed Terrence, then proceeded to show her into a room in the Big House with a projector set up. He played the camp's orientation film for her, which informed her that the Greek gods were real, and she was the daughter of one of them. Chiron himself was in the film, except from the waist down, he had the body of a white stallion. Azura thought that the video just had good special effects, but then, as they exited the room and were about to proceed with her tour of camp, Chiron seemingly proved the film true by rising out of his wheelchair and displaying his full centaur body.
As Chiron showed her the various camp amenities such as the climbing wall and arts and crafts pavilion, he explained that Azura had arrived just a day before the beginning of the summer session, meaning she would have a day to grow accustomed to her new home before the influx of campers arrived. He also explained that she could expect to be claimed by her godly parent within the next day or two, but until then, she would have a bunk in the Hermes Cabin while she waited.
After the tour, she asked Chiron about contacting her mother. He gave her a sympathetic look, before leading her back to the Big House and showing her into a room completely covered in large panels that looked like they were made of bronze. Inside was an old fashioned phone and computer.
"I fear I must ask you to keep it brief," Chiron said. "Despite our precautions, broadcasting a half bloods voice unfailingly attracts monsters, you see. Camp Half Blood is protected, but we prefer not to take chances."
Azura was disappointed, but agreed. She managed to get into contact with her mother, who was relieved to know she was safe, however, when Azura explained where she was, her mother's attitude changed. All of a sudden, she seemed resigned to the fact that Azura was away from home, as if she had been waiting for this to happen for years. She told Azura to stay and enjoy camp for the summer, and that they could teach her to survive, which only served to confuse Azura. Her mom had known about all this?
Reluctantly, Azura agreed, and promised to write to her mother throughout the summer. Chiron escorted her out of the Big House and led her back to the cabins he had shown her earlier, introducing her to a young woman from Cabin eleven. She introduced herself as Avery, the current head counselor of the Hermes Cabin, and got her set up with a bunk and toiletries.
Azura vaguely remembered a story about Hermes being the god of thieves, and asked where Avery had gotten the supplies, but she just laughed her off.
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm more into the travellers and trade side of the Hermes stuff than the thievery."
Then she wished Azura goodnight, and dove into her bunk.
Much later in the night, Azura was woken up by an annoying light shining in her eyes.
"Shut that light off!" Somebody complained. Azura cracked her eyes open to find a glowing holographic three pronged spear hovering above her head.
Across the room, Avery sat up in bed, and blinked in confusion at the already fading light.
"Huh," she said. "Welp, I'm not dealing with that until the morning," and promptly went back to sleep.
The following morning was as hectic as her first day. Avery dragged her back to the big house first thing in the morning and told Chiron what had happened. The old centaur's eyes shone with a mixture of intrigue and trepidation, before he did something that surprised Azura. Folding one arm over his chest, Chiron bent forward in an awkward bow, and said, "Hail, Azura McAdams, Daughter of Poseidon, and first child of the big three to be born after the dissolution of the Oath."
After breakfast, Avery collected Azura's belongings from her siblings, who had looted her bunk the moment she'd been dragged off, and walked her over to her new cabin.
On the way over, Azura caught snippets of whispers between other campers who apparently stayed year round.
"First since… Grace," one said.
"Do you… anything like… Jackson?" another whispered.
Apparently gossip traveled fast at Camp Half Blood.
Everything Azura heard only made her more confused though. They were comparing her to people she didn't know, so she gathered that being a daughter of Poseidon was a big deal though she didn't know why. Avery wasn't helping things either.
"Well, here we are!" She told her. "Good luck kiddo, and by the way, I promise I won't betray you and try to revive your grandpa. See you later!"
All of that finally led up to the present. There weren't nearly as many bunks in the Poseidon cabin as there were in the Hermes cabin. One corner of the room had a privacy curtain like you might find in a hospital. When Azura investigated it, she found a double wide bunk bed with a single mounted overtop, a nightstand, a dresser, and a few scattered belongings mounted on the wall or sitting on the furniture, including what looked like the horn of a large bull.
On the other side of the room, a bed sagged as if something heavy had been resting on it repeatedly, and there were a few bits of scrap metal and wire sitting on the pillow.
Aside from the two beds that clearly looked lived in, there were a couple other bunks, a steaming water fountain with light coming out of it, and several ocean themed decorations.
Azura chose one of the untouched bunks and set down her belongings, questions swirling in her head. Breakfast didn't do anything to help either. The summer campers were set to arrive throughout the day, and were only beginning to trickle in. Chiron had promised there would be a mass orientation later, but until then, Azura supposed she would have to wait.
A voice from outside interrupted her thoughts, and Azura shot up from the bunk in surprise.
"…worry Annabeth, I'll get Charlie settled and unpacked. You can check on your siblings."
The door opened, revealing an attractive young man who looked to be in his late 20's, with a young girl riding on his shoulders.
For a moment, neither of them said anything. Azura made eye contact and realized his eyes were the exact same colour as hers. The little girl broke the silence.
"Who's that, daddy?" She asked.
The man smiled nervously. "I think she's the surprise that Chiron told us about," he said. "Hey. I'm Percy Jackson. This is my daughter, Charlie. Are uh… are you a Poseidon kid?"
Azura nodded mutely, unsure what to make of the newcomer.
Percy looked at her with sympathy. "I get it. You only just found out. I remember being pretty confused when I first learned the truth. Nobody ever wants to tell you anything, right?"
Azure nodded again. Charlie huffed and crossed her little arms. "That's not very nice. You need to know things!"
Percy nodded sagely before lifting his daughter off his shoulders and setting her down on the floor.
"Anyway, I guess that makes us half siblings," he said as he strode into the room. "Man, that's weird. I guess dad finally made good on his promise to send me a sibling, haha…"
Percy laughed awkwardly and ran his hand through his hair, but Azura was still stuck on one detail.
"You've met him?" She asked. "What's… what's he like?"
Percy made a face. Azura couldn't tell what his expression was. Understanding maybe?
"As far as immortal parents go, we're pretty lucky," he said. "Poseidon gets way more attached to his kids than most of the Olympians. He cares for us. I know it might not seem like that. You probably resent this faceless, absent entity that you've never met for abandoning you and your mom, right? I've been there too. Don't worry, I'll show you- ah, hey, Charlie, don't touch that!"
Azura looked at the child, who had toddled over to her chosen bunk, and was poking at her bag of belongings. Charlie had the same green eyes as her father, but her hair was blonde and curly. Totally different than hers and Percy's.
Eventually, Charlie reached into her pocket, and held out her hand to Azura. Not knowing what else to do, Azura held out her hand. Charlie deposited the unknown item in her hand, which ended up being a mess of blue cookie crumbs.
"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry," Percy said. "Charlie, that's gross, you shouldn't keep cookies in your pockets!"
Charlie looked down bashfully, and covered her eyes with her hands. "Sorry…" she mumbled. " I wanted to share with her."
Percy opened his mouth to say something. Probably to explain that sharing cookie crumbs wasn't the best, but Azura interrupted him by laughing.
She couldn't help it. The interaction was so silly and domestic, that she couldn't help but forget her tumultuous emotions, if even for just a moment. Eventually, Percy joined in as well.
"Percy?" A new voice called from outside. "What are you laughing abou- oh! Who's this?"
A blonde woman about the same age as Percy had appeared in the doorway. She looked Azura up and down with a critical stare, like she was analysing Azura for threats, or the most efficient way to take her down in a fight. Her gray eyes were intense. Intimidated, Azura stepped back, feeling the urge to hide.
"Annabeth!" Percy exclaimed, voice full of love. "I'm glad you're here. Look! It's the surprise Chiron told us about! I've got a new sister! Let me introduce you, Annabeth, this is… uhhh, I'm sorry, I totally forgot to ask your name."
Annabeth facepalmed. "Seriously Percy? Ugh. Anyway, I'm Annabeth Jackson. This Seaweed Brain is my husband. What's your name?"
Azura laughed again. "My name is Azura McAdams. It's nice to meet you."
Percy gasped. "Your name means blue!"
"Uhh, yeah, I guess so," Azura confirmed.
"That's awesome!" Percy exclaimed. "I'm a little jealous."
"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said lovingly.
"Seaweed Brain, Seaweed Brain!" Charlie parroted, causing everyone else in the room to laugh.
"Anyway," Percy said, stifling his laughter. "You don't need to worry, I'm gonna be for you what I didn't have when I was first introduced to this crazy mythological world. Annabeth will help. We'll make sure you know everything you need to know. I'll teach you how to use your powers, how to use a sword, everything. I helped my mortal half sister learn how to deal with mortal stuff, so it should be a piece of cake to teach you demigod stuff."
Azura smiled at her newfound brother (which was weird to think about), but did a double take when she fully processed his words.
"Wait, did you say powers?"
Camp had grown on Azura.
It had only been a week, and Azura was still learning exactly what it meant to be a demigod, but in all honesty, she was really enjoying herself.
She wasn't intimidated by all the kids walking around with weapons anymore, and she had begun to understand how the mythological elements of the world interacted with her life.
The camp counselors, usually the oldest or most experienced member of each cabin, taught classes and organised activities with each other. The head of the Hephaestus cabin ran a class on making magical weapons and armour, while Aphrodite's leader taught campers how to disguise their scent from monsters. There were other classes too, like how to fight various monsters with Ares, classes about the old stories and myths with Athena, how to stay out of trouble with mortals when monsters interfered with your life with Avery from Hermes, how to survive in the wilderness with Demeter, and more.
Percy and Annabeth taught classes as well. They weren't counselors anymore, they had long since passed the role on to the new generation, at least in Annabeth's case. Nowadays, they spent a few weeks at the beginning of the summer at camp, since it was their favourite place in the , they wouldn't have to worry about monsters for a few weeks and they could pass on what they knew to Chiron's current students.
Azura soaked up as much information as she could from all of them. It was all so fascinating and new. The most interesting thing of all were the stories she heard about her new half brother and his friends. Azura was half convinced that her new friends were exaggerating when they told her all of the crazy things Percy and Annabeth had been through when they were kids.
Still, she was glad to learn from them. Annabeth taught her Greek, and for once, Azura found she actually enjoyed reading without her dyslexia getting in the way. Percy taught her about the powers being a child of Poseidon brought them. At first Azura was disappointed, because she couldn't do anything as cool as Percy. Percy manipulated huge quantities of water all at once, making beautiful shapes in the sky. All Azura could manage was a small whirlpool, and even that made her feel exhausted.
"Don't worry," Percy told her. "It took me a long time to figure out how to even that much when I wanted to. If you're already willing things to happen, you'll catch up in no time."
Capture the flag was a blast as well. Azura's team didn't win, but she still had lots of fun playing. Even if there were a few more deadly weapons involved than she was comfortable with.
At the end of the week, Percy got a surprise visit from someone named Tyson. Tyson turned out to be a cyclops, which had Azura pretty freaked out at first, especially when Percy pointed her out to him and he charged at her. Just when she thought she was about to die, she realised how much of a sweetheart Tyson was when he scooped her up in a bone crushing hug with a cry of "Sister!"
All in all, it was a great first week. Even if Azura still felt like there was a lot to learn, she was looking forward to the rest of her summer a lot more than she had been two weeks ago.
As she lay in her bunk that Saturday, listening to Tyson snore, and watching the watery patterns of light emanating from the fountain dance across the ceiling, Azura contemplated everything she had learned.
She felt restless. There was still so much she was unsure of. Sure, camp was fun, but Azura missed her mother, and all of the stories she'd been told were unimaginable. Just what was she getting into?
Eventually, she could bear it no longer. Feeling impulsive, Azura slipped out of bed, pulled on her shoes, grabbed the standard issue bronze sword she'd been given, and crept out of Cabin three.
Being careful to avoid the harpies, which she had been told might eat her if they caught her out past curfew, Azura made her way to the beach. Percy had explained that as a daughter of Poseidon, there was nowhere safer or more comfortable for her than near the ocean, and Azura could see what he meant.
The sounds of the waves in the sand and the breeze blowing in from out at sea soothed her. After a moment, Azura took off her shoes and socks, rolled up the ankles of her pyjama pants, and stepped into the surf. Instantly, Azura felt energized, and instantly, she regretted her actions. Percy had mentioned something like this, and now there was no way Azura would be going back to sleep any time soon.
Azura stood in the waves for several minutes, just staring out at sea, wondering how her father could be in control of something so vast, when a soft glow and the sound of someone wading out behind her caught her attention.
She looked behind her, and saw Percy holding his sword aloft for light as he walked over to her. Unlike Azura, he was still wearing his shoes and pants, and she idly wondered why he wouldn't bother taking them off before coming in.
"Hey," Percy said as he came to stand beside her.
"Hey," Azura replied.
For a moment, they stood together and watched the ocean, before Percy broke the silence.
"You know, even now after everything I've been through, I still wonder how I can be the son of someone powerful enough to control all of that," he said, echoing Azura's thoughts from earlier.
Azura nodded, and wondered if maybe she could ask Percy about her worries. If they had similar thoughts about the ocean, why not other things?
"Percy?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"All those stories that the other campers tell about you… they aren't really true are they?"
Percy sighed and got a far-away look in his eyes. All of a sudden, there was something very sad about Percy Jackson that Azura hadn't noticed before. Like he was thinking about people that were no longer with them, or like he was waiting for the monster that was too big and powerful for him to beat.
"I guess so," he said, which didn't inspire much confidence in Azura. "They're probably exaggerated a bit, but yeah. I really did all those things. Together with Annabeth of course. And others."
He sighed again, and turned to face Azura. She noticed that even though Percy was standing shin deep in water, his pants still looked dry.
"Can I be honest with you, Squirt?" He asked, and Azura nodded. Percy had started calling her Squirt earlier in the week because he thought the water pun was hilarious. She and Annabeth had just rolled their eyes at him, and even little Charlie had told him it wasn't that funny, but Percy didn't seem to care.
"Look, I didn't want to be a halfblood," he said. "It's dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. Sorry, that's probably not helping you just want to know what's going on, don't you?"
Azura swallowed. "Yeah…" she said. "Camp is cool and all, but it doesn't feel real, I guess. Not to say that you're lying! I just… I don't know!"
Azura stomped her foot in frustration, unable to articulate exactly what she was feeling. Percy laughed at the action, but his eyes were still sad.
"Annabeth used to do that when she was your age. I made her frustrated a lot back then. Believe it or not, I had a hard time believing myself when I first got to camp. Then I got sent on a quest with a sword and two weeks worth of training and I was pretty much forced to get over it. You've got the chance to ease into it slowly. That's a good thing. Believe me, you'll appreciate it once you've trained for a summer. I'm glad that there's so much more support from the gods and infrastructure for demigods now than there was at my age. My friend Leo runs this place called the Waystation, and my other friend Piper has this, like, halfway house for half bloods to help them get to camp safely. And of course there's Camp Jupiter. You should sign up for the exchange program next year, I bet you'll like it. And- I'm sorry, this is just making things worse."
He was right. Azura felt like her head was spinning with so much information being dumped on her at once, but without any of the context about what made it good to help her.
"Sorry," Percy said again. "It's just, I knew nothing about anything when I was your age. People have a bad habit about not telling us kids of Poseidon what we need to know, right?"
Azura giggled, and Percy put his hand on her shoulder in an awkward 'meant-to-be-comforting' sort of way.
Percy paused, and stared out at the ocean again.
"When I was sixteen, I got the gods to dissolve the oath of the big three. Basically, they all promised each other not to have kids after World War Two, because we're so powerful. We have a tendency to affect the course of history when we get upset or lose control of our powers. Anyway, it wasn't working, because obviously dad had me, and Zeus had two kids, Thalia and- and Jason. Only Hades kept the oath."
Percy took a moment to collect himself and his thoughts. Azura had noticed when his voice hitched on the name 'Jason,' and she wondered if he was one of the people Percy had lost.
"Anyway, afterwards, Dad made a joke about sending me all the brothers and sisters who he'd been hiding from Zeus and the other gods. That didn't end up being true at the time, but here we are, almost twelve years later. It seems to me like Dad kept his promise after all."
Azura nodded, filing the new information away. Finally, it made sense why she and Percy were Poseidon's only mortal kids when in all the old stories, there was a whole bunch.
All of a sudden, Percy snapped his fingers like he had just gotten an idea.
"Hey! I know!" He exclaimed. "I'm taking Charlie down to Atlantis next weekend so she can see her 'Grampy Seidon,' as she likes to call him. You should come with us! I'll introduce you. I know that meeting Dad for the first time definitely helped me contextualise my place in all this craziness, even if we weren't super sure of each other at the time. It should help you too."
Azura grinned at him. "That sounds cool!" she said, before a random thought occurred to her. "But how will we breathe?"
Percy smiled back. "Did I not tell you about that perk of being a child of the sea god?"
Later, after Percy had brought Azura back to cabin three and taught her how to will herself to stay dry, Percy dreamt he was at Poseidon's palace.
The place was pretty nice, after it had finally finished its reconstruction from being damaged by the Titan army. Percy especially liked the game room. He'd participated in more than one "guys' night" as Poseidon had called it.
"Percy!" A voice said. Speak of the devil.
"Hey, Dad," Percy said. "How've you been?"
"Things are well here, m'boy," he said. "I just wanted to contact you to find out if you and little Charlie were still coming to visit next weekend? I want to see my favourite granddaughter."
Percy laughed. Most parents used a phone to get in contact with their kids. Poseidon preferred dream communication.
"Yeah, we're coming, but I invited Azura with us. Hope you don't mind."
Poseidon's smile grew sheepish. "So you've met, then?"
Percy nodded. "Nice kid. The little Squirt reminds me of me when I was her age. A bit more quiet maybe. Calmer too."
Poseidon stroked his beard, chuckling lightly at Percy's brilliant pun. "As you are aware, my children tend to reflect my various moods. You, Azura and Tyson are representative of my best days. Others, not so much."
"That's good," Percy laughed. "I can hardly imagine dealing with a little terror of the sea for a sister."
Poseidon raised an eyebrow. "Don't your experiences with Kymopoleia count?"
Both of them laughed at the joke, and Percy was struck with a sense of how lucky he was when it came to immortal relationships. He had said as much to Azura, but it was true. Despite Poseidon still being distant and not always understanding mortal affairs, it was still obvious he cared.
"Alright, son," Poseidon said. "I'll let you go then. Morning will be here soon. I look forward to your visit! Oh, and tell Azura that she's doing well. I've been keeping an eye on her, and I already know she will be a great hero."
Percy grinned. "You got it. See you soon."
Percy woke up with the sun reflecting off one of Tyson's decorations into his eye. Annabeth had burrowed under the covers, some time during the night, and was still asleep.
Apparently, when Percy had brought Azura back, he hadn't closed their privacy curtain all the way, and he could see out into the cabin. Tyson was still snoring away, arms and legs hanging off his bunk, while Azura slept soundly on the other side of the room.
Percy smiled to himself and relaxed, content to bask in the comfort of having his family around him. He had been unsure when he had first met Azura, though he felt like he had done a good job hiding it, but she had grown on him quickly. He hoped that Azura would never have to deal with any of the heartache that he had growing up. At the very least, he'd make sure she was better prepared for the life of a demigod than he was.
The road had been long and hard, but finally, the quests and wars were over. The gods had improved, despite all odds, and the world was at peace. Percy could deal with the occasional monster attack if it meant that he or one of his loved ones never had to go on another terrifying life or death mission again. There would always be trouble in the magical world in some way, but the future looked bright, and Percy couldn't wait to see what Azura and the new generation would accomplish.
I wanted to explain some headcanons real quick. Firstly, I've always liked Charlie (short for Charlotte, even though it doesn't come up here) as the name for a Percabeth daughter. It's a nice way to honour a fallen friend, that being Beckendorf. I know not everyone likes these headcanons, but its okay, because they're not the ones writing this, lol. Second, Annabeth taking Jackson as her last name after marrying Percy. Like many of you I'm sure, my first instinct was to hyphenate to Chase-Jackson, however, when I though about it, I realized she doesn't have much attachment to her old family name, so there wasn't any reason for her to keep it other than 'Girl Power' or whatever.
Thanks for reading. As always, I ask you to consider leaving some kind of review so I can improve my writing. Have a great day!