Percy was technically already a known fugitive in the last chapter, I think this one could have been called; Garbage Advice

PJOPJOPJOPJO

Magnus read the next chapter title eagerly. "Do you get a cool serial killer name? Like, Percy the Predator? Oh, no The Sea Serpent!" He grandly imposed his hand across each word as if announcing the next star.

"Sounds more like a gang name than a fugitive icon," Jason chuckled.

"You two do not get to name me!" Percy spluttered.

"You're plunging to your death, not sleeping to it," Nico rolled his eyes. Even ghosts never got that morbid.

Will frowned at Nico in concern what kind of thoughts he fell asleep to.

"That's fair," Will assured.

"I'd be doing the same," Thalia agreed.

"I always wanted a good word for the sound of a body smacking the water, thanks," Alex nodded while Percy looked at her with vague concern for why.

"So we're not inviting Grover down there," Jason nodded.

"That was more than one thing," Magnus scoffed.

'Being alive usually is,' Hearth reminded.

Magnus was too stunned to keep reading for several moments. Past the monsters and gods and being at the bottom of the ocean with a Titan telling them they couldn't leave, even having lived this feeling since they'd been trapped down here, it was stinking cool Percy could do that on command now!

Magnus sounded a little to wistful as he read that, he could barely remember his mother's voice already some mornings when he woke up, but that made it come back with perfect clarity.

"The prettiest garbage waste you'll never see," Jason chuckled.

"Pretty sure it was involuntary," Nico said bluntly and without remorse. "Your powers from your parents are not under their control." At least Percy's dad had claimed him, Hades would never notice if he vanished again.

"Thanks," Percy sounded, strangely appreciative, to him? "Cause if I did have to think about it, I'm sure it would never be of any help."

He would forget to breathe, and he knew it, Percy smiled to himself while Nico was still looking at him oddly.

"Only Hercules would have been crazy enough to fight that thing on his own," Will told him bracingly. "Trust me, nobody wants to live up to him."

"Even a child of Zeus wouldn't have volunteered to try," Thalia agreed.

"I'm sure they both vanished once you did actually," Jason reminded, they had mentioned monsters didn't give much care about mortals one way or the other, unless it had just been out of spite, and he imagined they'd go after the demigod first rather than sticking around to do that.

"You know Annabeth would probably find some way to breathe underwater herself and drag you back up for even thinking of leaving this quest to deal with by herself," Magnus scoffed.

"And let's be real, the catfish would side with Grover," Alex nodded.

"Thanks guys, that really helped pull me through," Percy rolled his eyes.

'So much for, it'll always come back to your pocket,' Hearthstone looked fascinated by this magical item though, clearly wanting to ask anyone in the know why it was just hanging around and every property available.

'Guess the timer didn't run out on it?' Magnus answered a pure guess, watching Thalia hopefully as she seemed a leading expert on everything. Even before she gave a shrug though, his eyes had already begun to stray back to Alex who was mimicking his last sign with a curious look. Would he look stupid if he offered to teach her even though he was still learning himself, crap she clearly would say no as she was watching him be such an idiot-

"Hey, the words vanish?" Percy called over.

Oh, right, he was supposed to be reading.

"Is that how we're all hearing each other?" Jason asked in surprise.

"We are breathing underwater, hearing each other is least on my list of problems," Will shrugged.

Percy's breath came out in a floom of bubbles for exhaling so hard, he looked wildly all around as if still hoping for a glimpse of her now. He'd forgive Poseidon for everything if he'd been the one to rescue his mom.

Magnus kept reading without pause though with a look on his face that made Percy want to be angry at him, like pity, like he thought he was just projecting and wouldn't know his own mom!

Both boys looked as wrong-footed as the other now. Percy had been so convinced it had been her for a moment he was still glancing at every shadow, and Magnus was swallowing down his own frustration at the world beyond he'd never get so close to seeing his mother again, even a ghostly current.

"Great, now we have side quests on top of the monsters luring you off path," Alex said not unkindly as Magnus and Percy still looked very out of sorts. "It'll be a miracle if you make this deadline."

"That's usually how most tasks work, does anything ever get done with time to spare?" Thalia gave a nervous laugh as she gently tapped Percy's arm and flashed him a smile while Hearth mockingly asked if he'd like him to read. Their friends helped them to move this along.

"Of course it did," Jason groaned, "gods forbid anyone but the poodle give us a straight answer."

"At least this time it wasn't on purpose," Will shrugged, "it was just, garbage mixed in with good advice."

"That feels like a riddle," Nico frowned.

"One nobody needs the answer to," Thalia said swiftly.

"That's a fair point," Alex nodded along, "one should always acknowledge the bottom feeders as you yourself did earlier."

"I'm sure it was the highlight of its day," Percy chuckled.

"Which you should not answer without a lawyer present," Magnus said at once.

"I find running a much better solution," Alex corrected.

"You two worry me," Percy told them, not wanting to admit he was more inclined to Alex's idea of not getting caught even if he was sure Annabeth would talk them out of any trouble.

Thalia was gently shaking his shoulder and trying to pretend like she didn't know the answer to at least that, it gave Percy the most contortionist look on his face as his relief for his friends being alive was confirmed and the jolting pain through his head for getting to know.

"Damn, how on earth can they blame this on you?" Alex asked in outrage, people really would always blame the easiest target, like some kid from New York managing this.

"Like you said, I thought it best not to give them the chance to ask," Percy sighed.

"Best friend hug," Will chuckled.

"Wouldn't that be the easy way?" Jason mocked.

"Depends on who you ask," Nico rolled his eyes.

"The first and last time I'm sure," Will snickered for himself.

"Your record is three minutes and forty seconds," Thalia added cheerfully.

"I want witnesses to that before I'll believe it," but Percy kind of believed her too, considering how much trouble he'd gotten into his whole life already.

"Is that a new record at least?" Percy challenged.

"Don't make this a contest or Annabeth will handcuff you to her," Thalia sighed.

'Well when she puts it like that it does sound kind of nuts,' Hearth admitted.

'There is no sane way to put this,' Magnus reminded him.

'Point conceded,' Hearth agreed.

"What's he going to do, stop your allowance of sand dollars? Ground you from going on this quest," Alex challenged.

"Possibly invent a new sea slug out of me," Percy offered, "best not to find out from the one god who I at least know wants me to succeed." Poseidon did want this job done for some selfish reason, otherwise he would have asked some other demigod to do it rather than make a mess of claiming him. Right?

All eight of them were dumbstruck by the end of that how everything that could be going wrong, just somehow kept escalating into still getting worse.

"Well that's one way to leave a party," Magnus said as he eagerly handed the book to Alex. No it wasn't for the excuse to watch those technicolored eyebrows while she read, and he'd keep telling himself that as she arched the pink one now when she took it from him and purposefully let their hands brush.