AN: Welcome back to another chapter of the insanity that comes out of my head. As much as I like to imagine it, unfortunately, the reality still is the same. I don't own Persona or Percy Jackson.

Credit goes to my Beta NJGrashopper and special consultant asdfo789 of course. To you on FF you're crushing it. In the Percy JacksonXPersona category, we're either 2nd or 3rd in every stat. Ao3 we're over 2000 hits and 80 kudos and almost 20 bookmarks, you guys keep me going, now on with the show.

The showers of May eventually gave way to the scorching humidity of June. The weather was eerily calm as if it was building up to something, though the Thieves knew it was a prelude to war. Roughly a week had passed since Sally's kidnapping and Percy's drop-off at Camp-half blood.

A good dose of Makajamon, Brain Jack, and a touch of mist on Todd wiped and re-fabricated the last month in his mind. Futaba equated it to re-programming a robot. No need to become the prime suspects in Sally's inevitable disappearance report. The thieves didn't want to become the subject of a nationwide manhunt…again.

Akechi's birthday came and went, though he did make a request Ren reluctantly agreed with. It made too much sense for their situation. Though he felt like he made it just to fuck with him, Akechi could be petty like that. He probably did it as revenge for the other day when he served him pancakes for breakfast. Ren just hoped the other thieves wouldn't laugh at him too much.

It was early in the morning and Ann was fidgeting nervously, tapping the table in the den, "What's taking Ren so long? We're supposed to be going over the plan. Also, why do you have that creepy-ass smile on your face, Crow? Seriously stop it."

"Oh, no reason you won't find out soon enough." The former detective prince folded his hands together on top of the table and resumed smiling with his eyes closed.

Ryuji sighed, "Give it up Ann, we've been tryn' all mornin' and that's all he'll say."

"If he wasn't a teammate, I would've torn his mind apart and left him a vegetable right now for the answer." At Haru's calmly spoken words, both Ryuji and Yusuke shuddered and leaned away from the fluffy-haired girl they were sitting next to.

"Oh, but I am, aren't I? Don't want to upset your precious 'Ren-Ren' would you Okumura?" Akechi had switched to a cutesy tone to further rile up the girl.

Without breaking her Nadeshiko smile, Haru responded and pressed her fingers together next to her cheek. "For now, that is. As soon as you put a toe out of line, I'll end you," she said cheerily.

Akechi chuckled in response and to cap it off he winked at her, "Oh my, end me? Are you sure you have both the power and the brass balls to do that?"

"Yes." She simply replied.

Ryuji, Yusuke, Morgana, and Sumire felt ice slide down their spines as they watched the horrifying conversation play out in a nondescript manner. Ryuji could swear he saw a demonic visage appear over her head, while a snake appeared over Akechi's. Then again Haru might be subtly using her powers to mess with him, he wouldn't put it past her.

Futaba was backward on the couch in front of the TV, nodding in agreement with Haru. Ann huffed and glared off to the side with a look of annoyance on her face.

Makoto decided to break up the conversation before it became violent. "Haru, please refrain from making homicidal remarks at teammates. And Akechi, please stop egging her on," she sent her best 'Niijima Glare' to both parties.

"You know that look doesn't work on me, Mako-chan," Haru said as she turned her body towards her, face expressionless.

Before Makoto could respond, the click-clack of heels on stairs could be heard. Wait…Heels?

Makoto swiftly took stock of everyone. Including herself, all the female members were accounted for… Everyone was actually accounted for…except for Ren. Could it be….? As she put two and two together, she looked to Akechi for confirmation, and he had on a smile that threatened to split his face in half. It seemed Ren had silenced himself before anyone else could hear him.

Ignoring the confused expressions on the other thieves' faces, she looked at the stairs far behind the table, and spied the familiar mop of shaggy hair making his way up…...except it was longer than how she remembered….wait everything was different than how she remembered. She blushed in embarrassment for him. She felt her head go utterly red from the sight before her and put her hand to her mouth.

"What is the matter Makoto?" The stoic voice of Yusuke brought her back for a moment.

"R-R-R-R," she squeaked.

"WOW REN, I didn't know you could pull off being a girl that good!" Futaba yelled out from behind her while adjusting her glasses to make sure she was really seeing what was in front of her.

At her exclamation, everyone else turned around and had varying degrees of reaction. Most prevalent among them all were shock and amusement.

"Holy shit dude! You really do look like a chick!"

"Now that's how a true Phantom Thief disguises themself! You all should take notes!"

"If my modeling agent saw you now, he'd never let you go."

"This style! So free and naturally pulled off. I must sketch this!" Yusuke pulled out a sketchbook and pencil from nowhere.

"Ren! I can't believe you–wait, is that my choker? And my boots!? How did you get into my room!?"

"Ren, you look excellent. I didn't know you were into that kinda thing. Maybe I need to adjust some things." Haru whispered in the last part but was still picked up by Ren.

Akechi was laughing his ass off.

"Senpai! That's so not fair! Your hair is still that fluffy even when you're using extensions," Sumire grabbed her own hair in response.

Ren indeed was dressed up as a girl, in a style that would be considered a mixture of punk and goth. His hair was now reaching his mid-back, although the lower portion was separated by a scrunchie making a bushy ponytail, his hair also had streaks of red. He wasn't wearing his trademark fake glasses, letting his silver eyes show. Instead, his accessories of choice were a thin black frilly choker around his neck, a pair of silver owl earrings, and various rings on his fingers-all silver of course. His face was clean-shaven with a touch of lavender mascara around his eyes to highlight his long lashes. On his lips was a deep red lipstick, and on his chin under his lip, he added a beauty mark.

For his clothes he was wearing a sleeveless white crop-top band t-shirt that said 'Green Day' on the front, complete with a stuffed bra underneath. He had on baggy black checkered pants with a small silver chain on the hip and an oversized belt on his waist. To complete the look, he had borrowed Makoto's high-heeled boots.

Ren considered walking back down the stairs and locking himself in his room, but his friends had already seen him, so he decided to face the music.

"To answer your questions. This is organic, Ishtar did it, she happily insisted. No, I'm not into this kinda thing, please don't change stuff. Yes, this is your stuff. Your modeling agent already didn't want to let me go, and yes, I'm aware, Ryuji," he answered in a feminine voice.

"I wonder if Vanadis can do my hair like that," Sumire messed with her own crimson hair.

"Geez dude, even your voice changed, and do you have boobs, man?" Ryuji retorted and some of the others sniggered.

Ren crossed his arms in front of his chest defensively, "This is a padded, stuffed push-up bra, and I'm borrowing Ishtar's voice for your information! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk about a lady's chest?!" he mockingly chastised him.

Ryuji looked around him sweating and spied Haru's cold eyes, giving him a look of disapproval.

"Snrk… He's got you there Ryuji…pffff." Ann was barely keeping it together herself, having to hold her hand clamped to her mouth.

"You don't do things by half do you, Ren? As expected of our leader, which I trained myself."

"Save it kitty, we all know most of that is Ren himself," Futaba called Morgana out.

"Indeed, this disguise is even more impressive than your last one," Akechi placed his hands under his chin, propped up by the table, "Again, you are truly someone who doesn't bore me."

Ren put his hand on his hip "Don't go making Goo-Goo eyes on me now. Was this some sort of sick ploy to ask me out? Sorry to say, but I don't swing that way detective."

"Please… Don't flatter yourself. We both know I have no interest in that kind of stuff. Kindly keep your debauchery to yourself. You know why I asked."

"Alright, alright, questions about Akechi's sexuality aside, let's get back on track. Why are you dressed up as a woman, Ren?" Queen retook control of the conversation, her amazement at Ren's (admittedly pretty) appearance subsiding.

Ren looked at Akechi. "You wanna take that one, pervert?"

Akechi sent an annoyed glance at Ren "I'll let that one slide since I just clarified I have no interest in that stuff. To answer your question, Niijima," he gestured towards the girl on the couch "Sakura, when she looked up the academy, it mentioned a teacher named 'Conner Brunner' correct?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Then, when Amamiya, Takamaki, and Sakura, worked with Mrs. Jackson she mentioned a name, 'Chiron'. Is that also, correct?"

"Are you telling us you think they're the same person?" Yusuke paused his sketch of Ren to look at Akechi.

Akechi shrugged his shoulders in response. "The names fit. In mythology, Chiron was both the trainer and recruiter of heroes."

Sumire's eyes lit up "Wait the teacher in the wheelchair you told us about, he was scouting Percy, wasn't he?"

"Exactly, it also stands to reason he's the head of Camp-Half Blood as well. That's why he was with the school in the first place," Akechi confirmed Sumire's statement.

"Also, why we couldn't find any records on him," Futaba added.

"Wait, I still don't get it. What does that have to do with Ren dressin' up as a chick?"

Morgana sighed at Ryuji's question and jumped in front of him at the table, "Just when I thought you were finally getting smarter," he then licked his paw and started rubbing his head with it. "The reason is that the teacher and Chiron are the same. It means that he saw Ren's face at the museum."

Haru then picked up for him "With there being a high chance of running into him at the camp, it would be unwise for Ren to go in his usual appearance."

"Now with that explained, care going over the plan Ren?"

"Thanks, my queen,"

"That was bold, though it's weird to hear you tease her in a female voice."

"My plan is, that once we infiltrate the camp, we find the file cabinet or computer. It'll be impossible to scrutinize every student personally if the size of the camp is to go by. If we can get ahold of the camper files and make copies it'll make our lives a lot easier. Then if we have the luxury, I want to do some recon."

"Sounds good to me, all in favor raise their hand,"

At Makoto's words, almost everyone had raised their hands although more than a few of them were still discreetly checking out Ren's disguise. Yusuke was the one exception, openly ignoring everything to focus on sketching Ren. Sumire, who was on the other side of him, had to raise his hand for him.

"Okay then meet me on the first floor in 10," Morgana said before passing by Ren and down the stairwell.

"Don't forget to plant those bugs I gave you," Futaba reminded as she turned back to the TV.

The teens then dispersed with the meeting finished, some leaving down the other set of stairs and some gathering in front of the TV along with Futaba. Soon enough it was Ann, Makoto and Ren left around the table.

"You know we still need to talk about you borrowing my clothes."

"It's not my fault you have such good taste in punk clothes, Makoto. I didn't think you would have most of your new wardrobe consist of it though."

Makoto blushed at the statement and fiddled with her necklace, "Y-Y-You know, I thought I'd try something new," Her eyes suddenly hardened on Ren "Wait for a second this isn't about me! It's about you!"

"Alright, okay, let's continue this in the van. Camp Half-Blood is over an hour away and Mona can't even take us all the way there," Ann dragged the two leaders by their collars towards the staircase.

About 30 minutes later the trio was driving up I-495 towards Long Island.

"You know, Ren, I've been meaning to ask, is Athena really the only Greek persona you have?"

"Why do you ask, Makoto?" Ren asked her from the passenger seat.

"Well, I can tell you currently have her equipped, because it makes Anat….," She gripped the steering wheel of the Mona Mobile "... Competitive to say the least. She's whispering to me Ren, to beat you in something."

He put his hand to his chin in thought, "Anat is considered to be the forebearer to Athena in most cases. Maybe that's why? War goddess rivalry? I'm not getting anything on my end," he twisted one of his rings, "Then again, Athena doesn't talk much," he turned his attention inward to the mindscape. While his other personas were as chatty as usual, Athena was quiet, though he did get a feeling of curiosity from her when he reached out.

"That reminds me, we've only seen you use the same personas since we got here too. Have you ever thought about changing her or some of the others out?" Makoto pressed.

He frowned at her question as she turned off the highway "No I can't, the Velvet Room hasn't appeared to me since we've got here. Besides, apparently, I wasn't even supposed to have Athena, So I really don't want to fuse her away,"

Makoto made a sound somewhere between disappointment and agreement in response to Ren's answer.

Ren thought back to the day he first got Athena somewhere between Futaba and Okumura's palaces. Justine, Caroline, and even the false Igor were astounded at her appearance after a fusion accident between Isis and Thoth. The Twin wardens endlessly harassed him on how he managed to pull it off, while their (false) master stayed silent. Even when more personas 'outside his rebellion' started to appear afterwards, he always kept Athena. Hesitant to execute her in any fashion. Something about her seemed…special like she came to him with a purpose. As if she was the spark on the kindling to ignite a wildfire. At this point, she was probably his most used after Arsene-turned-Satanael himself.

Ann poked her head up to the front seats, and her words awakened Ren from his reverie, "Appeared? Aren't they supposed to be your guides or 'attendants to your journey' or whatever they were saying on Christmas?"

He turned to look at her whose arms were hanging over the seat between him and Makoto. "They are, and I wouldn't doubt Lavenza at least, is looking for any way to help us," he turned his head to look out the window "This is just conjecture but, I think the same thing that's stopping me from returning us home, is also blocking us from the Velvet Room or at least hiding us from them."

Ann leaned in closer to Ren, Makoto too, had also spared a passing glance before returning her eyes to the road "What makes you say that, Ren?" Ann asked while prodding his shoulder.

He turned back to her, his face unreadable, his new bangs giving a slight shadow over his face. "Back in Tokyo, the Velvet Room appeared wherever I went. Shibuya? It was there. Shinjuku? It was there. Kichijoji? There too. Akihabara? Somehow even there. But here? Nothing," he took out his dagger and started flipping it in his hand "The Velvet Room was a byproduct of the collective unconsciousness, wherever there was a high traffic of people it'd appear for me, and I'd be able to sense where it was,"

"So, by that logic, you should've been able to find it in the different areas of New York such as Manhattan or Brooklyn." Makoto finished as Ren brought his dagger to a firm reverse-handed grasp.

"Exactly Makoto, combine that with the fact the metaverse app is malfunctioning," he swapped his dagger for his phone which showed the now grayed-out app from its usual unsettling red. "I think whatever it is, is trying to block us off from the collective unconscious entirely. Scary, considering they'd need to have supreme jurisdiction over it, even more, than Yaldabaoth" The three shuddered at the thought.

"Then what about our personas? We can still use those can't we?"

"I think I can answer that one!" Ann chirped. "I think on some level the collective unconscious is already fused with this world and our personas are taking elements from the gods that already exist."

She then toyed with her pigtails as she leaned back in the second row, "Either that or we're adapting to this world," she finished. She then looked up and saw Ren staring at her, and Makoto was peering at her from the rear-view mirror.

"What? I've been thinking about this ever since I started working with the mist. I may be airheaded sometimes, but I'm not dumb," she glared at Ren, but it lacked heat.

He turned back towards the front "Point is, I'm still worried about Lavenza, she would have found me if she could."

What he didn't expect was for Ann to lean forward and snake her arms around his neck and chest in a hug from the row behind "Is it because she loves you? Or that you love her?"

He coughed and spluttered and Ann's words "Oh yeah we do need to talk about that too," Makoto said as she took a hard right approaching the familiar forest.

Ann's arms now looked like ropes tightening around his neck, her head a lead ball as she rested it atop his own. "It was kinda obvious Ren, on Christmas, and in the nurse's office, her eyes didn't leave you once. She looked so lovesick, I almost felt bad for her." There was an odd note to Ann's voice that he couldn't place.

"So, Ren? Don't have anything to say? Care to comment on your other romantic ventures?" Makoto capitalized on Ren's silence with an executioner's smile on her face, made even more unnerving by the fact he could only see half her face because she was currently driving.

Morgana's engine went mysteriously quiet from its usual half-purring, half-rumbling. The personas in his head had all gone silent as well, and he could feel they were distancing themselves from Satanael. Not even the battle-hardened, flute-playing samurai dared to stand close to him.

Ren didn't need to be smart to know his face was red from the mention of Lavenza's feelings, but on the inside, he knew he was a dead man walking. "I–"

"Save it Renny, we already know," he could feel Ann's breath tickling his hair as she spoke, but her hand clutched his torso, and her nails felt like claws "You should've known it was going to come sooner or later since we're all now living together. Us girls do talk after all."

He saw the vein on Makoto's hand bulge "I'm personally pissed at you, when I first found out, I wondered how were you different from Tsukasa? What else was I supposed to think?" he winced at her statement, but it came out as a girlish squeak. He then saw the vein relax. "But I thought about it, and what separates you from that bastard is that you actually do care about us."

He felt Ann's grip lessen and turn more into a caress, but it was more like a lioness playing with her prey "Yeah you stood by us the whole year. Not just anyone would call me out on my bullshit, but then push me to be a better model. Not to mention you stuck up for Mika and spent countless hours investigating that poisoning case just because I asked you to."

"You also exposed Tsukasa and even risked another assault charge. Then Sis might not even be alive if it wasn't for you. You reintroduced Futaba to the world, then saved her friend from being a sex worker. You even helped Haru stand up for herself in her company," Makoto listed off.

"What we're trying to say Ren is, you put time and effort into each relationship you have, you didn't half-ass anything. You went out of your way to make us feel special. But that doesn't excuse what you did though."

"I'm sorry…." He could only offer those words as he looked at the sun starting to rise off in the distance

"When I did turn our relationships more…personal, I did it based on the connection we had, and the bond we shared. Not to start some sort of collection or to be sleazy. I would honestly give up everything, even my own freedom again, to protect that close bond we share, to see you girls smile. It shocked me every time it happened: that you chose me to have something that special with," he couldn't stop now, the words poured forth whether he wanted to or not. He decided to deal with it the best way he knew how.

"Seriously I couldn't believe that study partner line worked on you Makoto," he said with a small half-smile, he looked up and saw her blushing in embarrassment and shame. He decided to continue on before he lost his nerve, or he got killed–whichever came first.

"You girls pushed me to be better the next day than I was the previous. Call me selfish but I fell in love with each of you for who you were underneath the rather rough first meetings we had."

He squirmed in Ann's iron-like grip and turned his head around to meet her eyes. "Ann, like Hecate, your inner strength is amazing, regardless of your beauty or what anyone else says. Thinking about how you handled Mika inspired me after Okumura and the public thought the lowest of us. You kept going despite Kamoshida, despite Mika, everything Shido threw at us. Mentally, I think you're the strongest of us all. Yet you had enough compassion to always be there for Shiho, and to reach out to Mika when she was wronged."

He heard a huff behind him.

He turned towards Makoto "To be honest, you aren't like any other girl I've ever seen before, nor will you ever be," He could see her blush slowly go from embarrassment to one born of red hot rage.

"To be frank: you kick-ass, and I love every bit of it," her face went pale white, accompanied by a slight swerve on the road.

"Whenever you have a hunch you look into it, and when you see someone in need, you go full throttle, even if it may come at the cost of yourself. It's why I trust you with the team should something happen to me. You told me you thought you weren't like other girls, but I don't want you to be like the others. I want you to be the one who can kick my ass any day of the week, but also heal it afterward."

"Which I should," Makoto said, a bit looser than the stern voice she was using before.

Ren gave a sad smile and nodded in agreement, then he turned back to the front. "Nothing I say now doesn't change the fact I fucked up and lead you girls on, and I'll find time to talk to the other three as well. I thought that maybe…just maybe I could keep you guys close to me so that when I went back out to the countryside, some of that love and strength would keep me sane until I could move back to Tokyo. I obviously went the wrong way about it. Again, I'm sorry…" unable to bow he opted to deflate and lean back into the pair of arms still tangled around his torso resigned to his death sentence.

"Yeah, you should be, you definitely fucked up in not telling us,"He felt her head shift to on his shoulder "But we are willing to give you a chance. Especially since we're in a brand new world, we're all we have to rely on. Even when we get back, none of us will leave you alone when you have to go home."

Ren then felt Ann's fingers grasp his chin as she forced him to face her. Despite the morning sun, her face was half shaded. "Now. Don't even think of going after any other girls, you're ours now," She then leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss.

Her arms were still around his neck, restricting his movement; not that he cared. So, he allowed himself to sink into the warm and soft feeling of her lips as it became passionate. The fact he was in the presence of both Makoto and Morgana spurred him on as he pressed back against her.

Before the kiss could progress further, she pulled away, an uncharacteristic needy whine escaped his throat. He guessed his disguise was getting to him, or maybe Ishtar was exerting her influence, she certainly was laughing right now.

"Wow, it honestly felt like I was kissing another girl, Ren. Especially with that whine at the end,"

"Ren is always good on the offense but struggles on defense from us," Makoto said with a light blush on her face.

Ann laughed at Makoto's statement "That's what I said!" She then turned to Ren, "You're lucky it was us two confronting you about it. Futaba would have burst into tears, Sumire ran out the room when we brought it up. Haru…." Ann then shuddered "…Haru was saying something about a rope. I honestly blocked it out for my sanity." Her eyes regained a brightness, "Well! That's your problem to deal with later. Have fun!"

Ren broke out in a cold sweat over her words and insinuation that the fluffy-haired girl was currently planning some kind of violent punishment.

Ann then looked over Ren with a hungry look in her eye he didn't like, "Anyways, seeing you like this is almost punishment enough," she put a finger to her chin, "I'm thinking…. You stay like this for a week!" Ren's face froze at the verdict handed out, "Whether inside or outside of the hideout you have to dress like a girl! …Well thief outfit aside of course,"

His female personas save Athena cheered in unison.

Just then Morgana's voice filtered through the engine, "Phew…Crisis averted. I thought I was gonna have to clean the blood out of my seats. Also: Nyahaha that's what you get, Joker!"

"I wouldn't be laughing if I was you. You've been tomcatting ever since we went into Maruki's palace! You're as bad as me!"

"Oh," Ann said, shocked and interested at Morgana's exposure.

"The difference between me and you is that you got caught. I'm not in trouble!" Morgana's smug tone echoed through the van.

"Neither of you are out of the woods yet," Morgana groaned at the unintentional pun before his engine revved in realization.

"Wait?! Neither?! What do I have to do with this?"

"Simple. You aided him. You were with him 24/7 so you knew or had some idea, didn't you?" Ann cheerily said.

"Uh uh uhhhh…. I plead the fifth?"

"Yeah right…Makoto is going to handle your punishment on the way back. We'd do Ren too, but I think this is punishment enough, as Ann said."

"Joker?! Do something?"

"So, when did you first find out?"

"NOT what I meant!"

Makoto sped over a rock to emphasize her point and ignored the following mew before she addressed Ren. "Actually, for me when we started living together it was only a confirmation. I had some inkling, but what really made me suspicious was when Haru awakened to Astarte."

Ren could only rub the side of his face in exasperation "Astarte and Anat are not only best friends but are usually consorts to the same god whenever they would appear in mythology. I found it weird because while me and Haru were friends, we weren't exactly that close at the time. Then she had that obvious crush on you," she explained.

"Like you're one to talk about obvious crushes after the festival," Ann teased, causing Makoto's face to blush again.

"Our personas fit us to a tee, don't they?" He let a resigned note enter his voice. He could only accept the fact he was caught at this point.

"Yeah, they do Ren, but we'll talk more later. I think if I go any further Morgana's engines might fail completely." As they had gotten closer to the camp, Morgana's headaches had manifested as engine stalls. Now that they were a little past Montauk beach it was at a near-constant rate.

The Mona Mobile had stopped shy of the point where the forest opened up into a field. Ann slid the side door open and got out. Before Ren could, Makoto slugged him hard in the arm.

"That was for not telling us anything you asshole!"

"If Athena wasn't my current persona, she might've broken, shattered, or at least fractured my arm. Then again that might be why she hit that hard. Queen's wrath certainly is dangerous, " he thought to himself while rubbing his arm.

She then grabbed his shirt and brought him in for a fierce kiss. Their lips and teeth collided in disorganized chaos. Unlike the soft passion Ann showed, this one was more animalistic and feral. This one was more to satisfy a need rather than to prove a point.

Both of them nearly suffocated the other as they struggled for dominance. After what felt like an entire MMA match, Makoto shoved him away. "And that was so you stay safe," he'd expect her to be a blushing mess over her unusually forward display of affection but when he looked at her, she seemed small. Her face was etched with traces of worry as she gripped the sides of her leather jacket.

"You're going into enemy territory again, Ren. I know you have Ann by your side this time but…. please, please, please come back to us safe this time. I don't know what I'd do if you came back beaten like last time," his heart fell as he remembered when he came back from the torture session disguised as an interrogation.

"I know the others feel similar to me, but me and Futaba saw the full extent….," He remembered the hours they spent with him during his recovery. Futaba during the day and Makoto in the evening.

"Just….be safe okay?" She said in a quiet voice then shifted back to face the front.

"The fool will always return to his queen's court."

Makoto hunched over the steering wheel and let out a mirthless chuckle, "It's odd hearing you say those smooth lines in a woman's voice, but you still have that same confidence, don't you?"

He sent her a quick smile her way and hopped out of the van. Before he closed the door, he heard a quiet "love you" before he dashed off to join Ann who was already halfway up the hill.

They approached the post more quickly than they had last time. The lack of a Minotaur helped in that regard. As they passed by, he felt the subtle sensation he now knew was a magic barrier.

"So, what's the plan, Ren?" Ann asked as she squatted on the valley outlook above the camp.

Now that it was daytime, he could see the camp clearly. It was definitely a Greek camp. He could see campers having a late breakfast or early lunch in a Greek-style pavilion with 12 large tables. The cabins also looked like Greek temples each with a different design. The field he couldn't identify before he could now see was teeming with strawberries. Further back he spotted their entry point.

"That big southern-style house is most likely our target, it doesn't fit with the rest of the camp," he crossed his arms. "However, we'll go around behind the amphitheater, it's almost suicide for us to head down through basically the front entrance. Besides we need to find the place to grab us one of those orange shirts."

Ann nodded in agreement. He saw they were all wearing those orange shirts on the brochure, but he didn't expect it to be in a damn near uniform fashion. Sure, it looked like some of the older campers were milling about in street clothes, but the majority were wearing some variation of the shirt or ancient-era armor.

"Alright let's move out."

At Ren's words, they moved north through the thin tree line that surrounded the camp on the hill. As they rounded the amphitheater, they saw it was currently occupied by a group of campers who all shared the same blue eyes and blinding smiles. They were currently doing what Ren could only describe as an unholy mixture of Run DMC style rap mixed with 80s style singing and…Haikus.

"Yeesh…That's more noise than anything coherent," Ann sweat dropped with her hands on her ears as they went around the outer part of the amphitheater between the end of the raised seats and the deep thicket behind them.

"At least we know where the children of Apollo are. As much as I like karaoke night, it's best to leave them be," He then scanned the path that led to the amphitheater, further north towards the beach was the gigantic lava wall he had seen before.

Down south was a lake filled with campers on triremes and canoes. Sitting near the shore was a rather crappy wooden shack manned by two campers. It looked like a food stall from the 50s except instead of food on display, it housed clothes, toiletries, and various assorted weaponry. The sign on the shack read "We take all forms of currency, drachmas, cash, six different forms of credit card, EBT, and even spoils of war. It was written in Greek of course, and he spotted Ann roll her eyes as she read it.

Ren thought it fit in more with the summer camp motif than anything else he'd laid eyes on until that point. He stood up and put some sway into his hips as he walked down the path to the store, Ann following close behind him.

The two campers managing the store were nearly identical. Both were tall, skinny, with mops of dark brown curly hair, and had elvish almost cat-like features, including smiles that made Ren want to rest a hand on his wallet. He knew fellow thieves and pranksters when he saw one.

"Oh god there's three of them now," Ann muttered under her breath as she looked back and forth between the two campers-acting-clerks and Ren.

"I guess there is a bit of resemblance, but I'm much more handsome than those two. Oh no, I'm starting to sound like Morgana."

"Hello, Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor at your service. What can we do for you two beautiful ladies today, maybe a date?" The slightly taller Stoll propositioned.

Ann burst into laughter "Uh, you are not even close to my age range, little man. You're at least 5 years too young. Besides, I'm already taken," she then smiled and latched onto Ren's left arm.

Travis sighed in resignation, "Harsh… it was worth a try though…the pretty ones are always taken, if it's not another guy, then it's with each other," he then gave them a once over, "…Daughter of Athena and a daughter of Aphrodite I'm assuming?" The two nodded their heads not even bothering to correct them.

"Best to let them make their own assumptions," Ren thought to himself. Akechi and Ann had taught him it was a lot easier to deceive when the person in question already assumed who you were.

"Figures… the Aphrodite kids have never been shy with that stuff, they'll flirt with anything pretty that has a pulse," the smaller one said.

"The real surprise is that she got together with an Athena camper. Those girls are like brick walls most of the time," The taller one supplied to his brother.

Ren didn't know if he should feel offended at the comment, but he did feel an odd mixture of pride and annoyance that wasn't his own.

"We're right here you know!" Ann exclaimed.

"Sorry," They both said at the same time.

"Anyways, what do you need? Spears? Athena kids love those. Sneakers? Fresh off the truck. Female products? First Aid Kits? Those have been going pretty fast with the capture the flag game tonight. How about a whip for you blondie, great in both the field and the sheets," The brothers alternated rapid-fire questions and sales pitches as if they were car dealers or auctioneers.

Ann's face flushed and let go of Ren in surprise "Wha-? NO! How do you even know that stuff! You're like what? 12? 14 at the most?" The brothers shrugged cryptically at her question.

"We cater to our clientele," At the two unbelieving stares they received, they looked at each other, then back at them "Sons of Hermes, god of merchants," they said with sarcastic smiles as if it explained everything.

"I have more questions now."

Ren ignored Ann "In that case, we would like to buy some shirts, we've been out of camp for a while and the ones we have don't fit anymore." Ren put a finger to his chin in thought, "While you're at it, how about you tell us about the capture the flag game tonight?

"Hmm..Ahh yeah, you must've been out of the game for a while. Ares' cabin has the laurels and the jackasses have been holding it over everyone's heads. Tonight, it's Hermes, Athena, and Apollo against everyone else," The taller Stoll talked while picking out a shirt from the rack behind him and folding it to put in a bag.

"How tragic, looks like the lovebirds have to fight on opposite sides tonight! Like the rival families of Paris and Troy!" Connor teased.

"Yes. Very. Also, it's Romeo and Juliet," Ren pointed out unimpressed, as he took the bag and placed the cash on the counter. "Anyways, is someone in the big house over there today? We were thinking of dropping in," He pointed at the blue southern-style home with his thumb.

The brothers shook their heads "No. Not that we know of. Mr.D is away for another Olympian meeting and Chiron is teaching archery today."

"That's all we wanted to know," He switched to a sultry tone, "Thanks for your help boys." He leaned forward and accentuated his words with a wink and a blown kiss. He then swayed as he walked away leaving the two brothers a bug-eyed blushing mess. Ann stifled a chuckle and then followed after Ren.

"... Who's the daughter of Aphrodite again?" In a rare moment of speechlessness, Travis Stoll could only gape and stare at the two girls leaving, unable to respond to his younger brother's question.

XXXXXXXX

After they stopped in the restroom and changed shirts, they began their walk towards the big house passing by the 12 cabins in the center of the camp. Each one shared the same Greek frame as a base but that's where the similarities ended. Some were painted in gaudy colors such as blood red and pink. Some were blindingly bright. Others high tech or mechanical. One even looked like the earth itself might reclaim it at any moment with the number of plants on it. Ren figured one belonged to each major Olympian god.

"You really made those two spill the beans, didn't you?" Ann commented as she walked with her thumbs hooked in the red belt of her jeans.

"Teenage boys. Nothing on their mind right now but money and women."

"You say it as if you aren't still a teenage boy yourself."

"Right now, I'm not," Ren gripped his mock breast through the orange shirt. Ann rolled her eyes in response.

"Okay," she scoffed and then scanned the cabins they were passing by as campers ran to and fro, "Pretty impressive for a summer camp, dontcha think?"

"Not really. To be honest, I'm almost appalled."

"Hmm?! Why?" Ann had an expression that matched a deer caught in headlights.

He couldn't push up his glasses, so he ran his fingers through his bushy ponytail. "Think about it. There are only 12 cabins, right?"

"Hmm-hmm, yeah. One for each Olympian right? That much is obvious." She nodded her head in assurance.

"That's exactly the problem, what about the minor gods? It's disrespectful, arrogant, and egotistical for them to not have a place here. Also, what about their kids?" Ann's face froze in realization. "Do they expect them to be asexual?"

"Maybe…Maybe they live in another camp?" a bit of hope had laced itself into Ann's voice.

"I doubt that…." He gestured to a cabin on the end that looked the most like a summer camp cabin that was wooden and weather-beaten. Only the Greek style in the front with a caduceus on it gave it some sort of grandeur. The cabin was obviously over-populated as even from the outside one could see almost every inch of the floor inside was covered in sleeping bags or some sort of cot. Even outside the cabin, various trees and posts that surrounded it were tied with hammocks. Some campers had even resorted to having tents and sleeping bags set up around the cabin in an attempt to carve out space and privacy.

Ann frowned at the sight of the pseudo-shanty town. "That can't be healthy or legal."

"Even if it wasn't, it's not like they have a choice. It's either live as if you're basically homeless or risk getting eaten outside the border." He sent one last glance at the cabin as they passed by, "I'm guessing Hermes volunteered to take them in, and that's a point in his favor, but it shouldn't have to be like that,"

They walked in an uneasy silence down the remainder of the path down towards the big house.

As they approached the 3-story southern-style home, Ren got the feeling he was being watched again. Homing in on the source, he looked up and spotted the curtain shake as he stepped onto the porch.

He reached out for the knob to the wooden door expecting it to be locked but instead, it pushed open to reveal a living room with tacky leopard print furniture, further back he could see a bronze door and a rec-room. Off to the side, he could see what appeared to be an infirmary housing several sleeping campers. In front of him, was a stairwell leading to higher levels.

"Alright, we'll split here you take the lower level," Ann nodded in agreement.

Ann watched Ren head upstairs. He looked so good as a girl it almost made her mind wander into territories that were foreign to her. Questions she wasn't willing to think about the answer to until she was back in her own room. She smacked her cheeks to bring her mind back on track.

She began moving towards the big bronze door that could be seen further back. If that wasn't obvious, she didn't know what was.

As she made her way through the living room and into the foyer, she noted that if it wasn't old and dusty it was covered in leopard print. Whoever did the interior design needed to be fired. Yusuke would either have a fit or fall in love with the decor at first sight. It was either or with him, no in-between.

"The wine god's sacred animal is the leopard. One of the mop-haired buffoons also mentioned a 'Mr. D'. It's probably an alias for his real name: Dionysus. Either way, we lack the time to dawdle. Unless you are looking to stir the pot with the drunken one, and the equestrian."

Ann heeded her persona's words and scampered towards the door. No need to make Hecate mad at her, she had a fiery temper that matched her own. It had been stoked ever since Ren had pointed out the deficiencies within the camp. She had no connection to the children the other Hecate might have in this world, but Ann could feel it, a mixture of anger and resignation. A wave of anger at being slighted and basically thrown away like trash. She also felt a deep sense of defeat as if that's the way things should be in the end. It reminded her of how she was before she met Ren. Guess persona and user were two sides of the same coin after all huh?

Again, she shelved that thought as she pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and jammed it into the lock of the door. She heard the soft clicks of tumblers falling into place as the door swung open revealing a windowless half-apartment, half-office. The weirdest thing was that the walls were all covered in bronze just like the door. Then again, she'd seen plenty of weird things in her tour of duty. The excess of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin records next to the stereo was in her top 10 though.

"Just another Friday at the office" she mused out loud as she closed the door behind her. She picked her way past the desk and computer, to the file cabinet behind it. It was surprisingly left open….to Percy's file no less. Ann couldn't help but open it and look at the cleanly typed words.

Perseus Jackson:

Date of Admittance: 5/28/06

Parentage: Currently Unknown most likely Poseidon

Skills: Shows talent for Sword-play, climbing, and canoeing

Other Comments: Generally good for making Dionysus agitated, thus making my life more miserable. Also, very poor with a bow. Anyone within 50 ft is at risk of accidental maiming. Last time, I had to have the Apollo kids pull an arrow out of my [REDACTED]

Okay now that was hilarious, she needed a good laugh. Giggling at the mental image, she put the file folder back in the cabinet and fished out the USB Futaba gave them out of her back pocket. She reached over and stuffed it into the port of the tower on the desk.

It was the same program Makoto used on Sae's computer. Given it was an older CPU compared to Sae's, the download went fairly seamlessly. When it finished, she quickly stuffed it into her back pocket.

She went over to the door about to make her escape, now that she had what she needed. When she swung it open on the other side was another teen who had his hand extended to where the door was.

Clearly, he was as surprised as her at the presence of another person. They quickly appraised one another. The person in front of her looked around the same age as her, if not a little older. He looked like a taller, slightly more muscular version of Ryuji, though instead of dyed, his hair was a naturally close-cropped sandy blonde, and he seemed to prefer tank tops, too.

However, that's where the similarities stopped. If the body was Ryuji, the face was Akechi. His face was twisted in a sneer, blue eyes cold, made even more unsettling by the scar that ran on his face. Her hand instinctively went behind her back, ready to summon her whip at a moment's notice. The teen responded in kind, one hand on the pommel of the sword on his hip, one on the blue bag on his back.

The air was tense for a couple of seconds before the older teen garnered a slack look as if someone called him. Then he switched to a warm smile. One that looked sketchy as all hell in her opinion. It mirrored Akechi's perfectly whenever he'd make one of his "deductions" on TV. A smile designed to get you to let your guard down.

"So. What are you doing in Chiron's office?" He started with a light question

"Oh no reason, I was interested in his oldies collection," Ann belted out in an almost rehearsed fashion. She mentally kicked herself for slipping back into a robotic monotone.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Oh really? Name three Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra songs,"

"My Way, Everybody Loves Somebody, and Amore. Try something tougher next time."

He leaned his arm on the door frame next to her head and brought his face close, his breath smelled like cough drops and medication. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Mind telling me what a daughter of Hecate is doing in his office?" a sour note entered his voice, though he quickly covered it up with a small almost cocky smile. "Pulling a prank, I suppose? Her children are almost better at it than my own kin," He then had the balls to put a hand under her chin.

Ann had to admit he was handsome, and he was trying to play it to his advantage, but she had dealt with people who were far better than him at it.

"Why would I tell you? I'm surprised you can tell what I am in that cesspool you call the Hermes cabin," she lightly shoved him away, enough to send a point but not start a fight. He was giving her major creep vibes.

He laughed in response to her jab, both physical and verbal. But to Ann, the laugh was broken, of one laughing at misery. Someone who was out of hope. "Mess? I think that's something we all can agree on. But it doesn't have to be like this,"

She took a half step back into the office. The teen's face flashed with surprise for a brief second at her action. "What do you mean?"

He walked around her and into the office subtly forcing her out into the foyer, via natural instinct "What I'm saying is, that I'm working on something for forgotten demigods like us. If you're interested, look me up, we could use people like you,"

"Mind giving a lady a name to go on?"

"Luke…Luke Castellan: Head counselor for the Hermes cabin. But you should know that, right?" He studied her emotionless face, "Though I don't blame you for not recognizing me in that 'cesspool'" He then closed the door on her.

Ann blinked in response, realizing she had been forced out. The encounter was…strange and unsettling to say the least. Luke wasn't trying to fit in like Akechi. It was the opposite, it was like he was trying to keep himself from standing out.

She didn't want to reflect on it further…. She had a mission to complete.

She retraced her steps through the house and back to the staircase where she spied Ren coming down. His face was visibly pale, and his hands were shaking.

"What happened to you?"

"I'll tell you later," She could see him visibly morph his face to hide his rare bout of surprise and fear, "Let's go outside and find a place to camp out until the capture the flag game," he grabbed the wrist of his right hand to quell its shaking.

"Wait, you actually want to stay and be in that?"

"Correction: watch it. I don't think I would do well in armor if the camp store is anything to go by."

"So, you want to watch it? For what? Shits and giggles? Want to see a bunch of teenagers with pointy objects trying to maim each other?" She said sarcastically.

"Yes," he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You agreed to that way too fast!" Sometimes her leader/boyfriend was way too laid back and open with his hidden agenda. Though she did think it would actually be good entertainment. Not like they'd let them kill each other, right?

He shrugged, "It'll be good for scouting, and maybe we'll see how Percy is doing."

"Fine," Ann huffed. "When you put it like that, I guess we do owe it to the others and Sally."

Ren smiled at her and grabbed the knob of the door and held it open for her. She returned his smile and lightly brushed his hand on the way out. She had to admit she was pretty excited to see how ancient era warriors fought.

Oracle's Bestiary

#16 Sphinx

These baddies have the head and torso of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bird on its back. Occasionally some may have a snake for a tail like a Chimera. Also comes in Egyptian flavor where it lacks the wings but is more feral and territorial. One thing they all share though is a penchant for spouting riddles that everyone and their mother knows the answer to. Wait–I'm getting some info from Violet. Correction: Everyone sans Skull knows the answer. Also, they can apparently speak multiple languages too.

Same as the one the cognition of my mother was based on, they like to take to the sky and then pick off unsuspecting prey like birds. Though in some encounters we have seen them possess breath attacks for ranged capability. They also tend to distract more vulnerable men and male monsters with their rather large boobies (TдT)(TдT)(TдT). I can't win even against monsters. Though I guess they were literally made to attract men. Kind of disturbing now that I realize I basically imagined my mom doing it, and Skull probably leered at that. ∑(ΦдΦlll brb going to mess up Skull's room.

Anyways weaknesses: Just answer the riddle it spouts, and it'll eat itself or leave you alone. If battle can't be avoided, keep it from flying. It loses a lot of its mobility when it's on the ground, and the huge body doesn't do it any favors in the urban jungle that is the USA. Like other bird-like enemies, guns are super effective on their wings. Skull's Buckshot seemed to be really effective, but I'll bet my secret stash of sweets that Inari's sniper rifle would be super-duper effective. Also, it can be confused by counter-riddling it.

Drops:

Common:

Earrings

Button(Usually of the academic variety)

Claws

Uncommon:

Corset (Pretty sure I saw Skull sniffing it on camera once)

Pythagorean Puzzle

Rare:

Greek Fire

King's Scepter (Egypt Variant only)

AN:*sees angry mob approaching* Here's a fun fact I just learned. In the game's code, If you set the A.I to healing mode. Morgana will prioritize Ann for healing over everyone, even Joker. Funny enough, in a reversal, Morgana is Ryuji's last resort for healing, even after healing himself. Nobody is programmed to heal Akechi, but he himself, indicating they already know what he's up to. Shit like that is why I love Persona 5

*Boards up door and windows* Yeah, yeah, I know why you're really reading this AN. The reason why I chose the Harem path is that I feel it's the truest to Ren's character. Throughout the P5 media we've gotten it seems like the most obvious choice. It's also what feels natural to me writing in P5s case. (please don't hurt me)

To add onto that, in modern Persona games, other inter-team parings seem forced to me. 9 times out of 10 they have absolutely no on-screen chemistry, or the personalities don't mesh to warrant the paring even happening, and it usually comes off to me as a Kishimoto-style "Let's make sure everyone finds someone the reader knows and likes". In some cases I find it says more to the character if they date someone outside the main cast, it gives a sense of that character actually having a personal life or trying to distance themselves from the craziness that is the SMT world. Example: Chris/Reji in P2, Junpei in P3/P4AU. Then I find it even more powerful if a character stays single to prove a point. Example: Maya in P2 and the P3 girls in the arena games. Note: I'm not here to shit on your headcanon or pairing,(Unless you shit on mine) I'm just saying it really doesn't make sense to me most of the time.

Why I pick harem and it feels natural to me in P5 you may ask? In P5, Raoul's description goes out of the way to mention multiple lovers. As I put in the story Anat and Astarte's relationship fluctuates between close friends and consorts of the same god depending on what myth you read. Then there's Maruki's deleted harem V-day event where he grants you a wish for letting him continue with his plans. Not to mention the anime V-day episode (please put your pitchforks away)

In Catherine Full Body there's the PT's ending where Ishtar and the girls call out Joker, implying they know he's dating multiple girls(no torches either)

In P5D Joker has a decoration in his room you can only get if you date Kawakami(need more wood)

Also to boot, I thought it would be interesting for certain characters later. Then there's the fact that part of the reason I'm writing this story is out of catharsis and my own satisfaction. I am prepared for people to drop this story. The only thing I can do is ask you to stick with me. If you don't, I can only offer a toast to the death of the author, and then another one to hope you find something more entertaining to read and/or write to your taste.

That being said, the fact that Ren is in a relationship isn't the point of the story I'm trying to tell, nor will it be the pure focus. The focus is on the adventure in a new world, and if I let it dominate the story then I've undermined my own story, and if you ask both my beta and asdfo789 I have a lot planned for this story.

So, why bother? You may ask. Like I said before I feel this is the truest to Ren's character. Unless it's an AU, I like my MCs to be as close to the character as intended. The problem with it is that for RPG MCs (sans Final Fantasy) most relationships are left open. One of the main things persona is known for is its various shipping wars. Then the story of P5 is just about done when they came to the world the only things left are the third tiers and Maruki. No sense to beat around the bush. If you want a post-game romance go check out "A Charming Joker" by asdfo678

Building on that, Ren's friendship with the male members will not be tossed to the wayside, so don't worry. Every PT will have their time to shine and own arcs. Also, there will be no PJOXPT pairing. The only human characters that even fall into the PT's age range in this story are Luke, Thalia, Hyllia, and one other character. Luke is….. Well, Luke. And Thalia is currently a tree, and by the time she joins the story, the PTs will have aged another year to boot. (slight spoiler)Hyllia doesn't even have a major part until SoN

Now for the chapter itself, camp half-blood is interesting to write about mainly because the issues the demigods have with the gods is ironically sitting in the safe haven they made for their kids. Not to say solving the camp's issues is the end-all-be-all but it's the biggest symbol one can physically point to. Ren and Akechi are most likely to be the ones to see it right off the bat.

Also, I have an FAQ on my FF bio now but I'll paste it here:

1. It'll be an erratic update schedule. With the way my life is, it's simply insanity to put a deadline on a chapter and also puts undue stress on me to put out a product that 9/10 times I'm not gonna be proud of and I lose sleep over it as a result. I will be updating what phase of the writing process I'm on though.

2. The story in "The Lightning Thief" arc is going to be roughly a tag-along following the book. Note: I said roughly, that I do have 3 major changes planned but the ripples won't be felt until the next books. That being said, "Sea of Monsters" and onward is going to be completely different. So please stick with me through the first book.

3. Will the third-tier personas appear? *non-committal shrug* Maruki is the final bad guy so, of course, they'll appear at one point or another. Most likely not until mid to late in the story. I really don't like the message it gives to the other characters in the context of this story: The god evolving into a human. And I feel some of the lessons learned were lost on the third-tier. The second-tier was picked because it meshed well with the PJO world.