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And hope you enjoy this one!

In all honestly, I will admit that my plan did sound a bit rickety when I first narrated it to Annabeth and Grover. It was definitely mild than some of my other methods.

Annabeth deemed the plan laughable the second I finished speaking, so of course, we went on with that. After all, what's life without a bit of fun, eh?

It certainly looked comically simple but it would've worked in theory.

Prior, I thought that every divine power I had would vanish the second I would come in contact with the net. Yes, that was still possible and even with all my added powers, I wouldn't be able to break the net. After all, it had held not one, but three Olympians and several Titans in the olden days without much damage.

So, the question of me being under the net had dwindled and the answer was in the negative. However, if my powers worked under the net, while I was standing at the edge of the pool, I could make a tendril of water to fish out the shield before the net could drop completely.

The previous time, I was able to use my powers because I was on the ride that went out of the net's area. So, I had no idea if my powers would work this time if I stood outside the 'net-zone'.

Regardless, we arrived at a general consensus of trying out my 'plan'. (Well, Annabeth disagreed but she couldn't do anything because she was out of ideas too)

Fortunately, the plan did work.

Unfortunately, I underestimated the shield's weight and my hydrokinetic abilities.

The harsh tug of water resulted in a high-speed, spinning shield of doom barreling straight towards us. Luckily, I was able to react quickly and construct a column of water to protect us as the shield clattered against it.

Picking up the shield and cheekily grinning and waving at the cameras, all the while ignoring the murderous looks Annabeth was giving me, I turned on my heels and began my march back to the parking lot, with my two friends taking up the rear.

"Here's your dumb shield, Ares," I pushed the shield into his arms, smirking slightly as he blinked, noticing us. "Hoping for a better show, were you?"

Ares narrowed his eyes before shrugging. "What can I say? I like when punks get their asses handed to them."

"Then you'll love it when we fight," I muttered under my breath. He didn't hear me but judging from the scandalized gasp from behind me, a certain daughter of Athena did.

Oops.

"Bet the cripple was still surprised to see three kids instead of me and Aphy-poo in the trap. Though, I have to say, nice going with the little net problem. I might not be like Athena in terms of strategy and all that shit but I can appreciate good plans and seeing a couple of puny demigods escape from the cripple's trap makes him look bad, which I'll always appreciate."

Ignoring the compliment, I gagged. "You did not just say me and Aphy-poo."

"Aphy-poo and I," Annabeth corrected instinctively, before immediately looking sick at what she had uttered.

Ares rolled his eyes and slung his shield on his back before propping up his bike. He slung one of his legs over the Harley and mounted it, revving the engine. Just as he was about to take off, I glanced at Annabeth.

"Oi, Mr. War," I called out, crossing my arms and scowling. "We brought your stupid shield, now what about our reward and your transportation services?"

"Relax punk," He growled, looking annoyed. "I was getting there."

He snapped his fingers, his shield strapped on his back, unlike the last time when it had morphed into a vest. A familiar-looking blue colored bag wove itself around his hand.

He weighed it slightly and tossed the sheath for the bolt to me. I caught the bag with a slight stumble and examined it for any difference in contents. Oreos, some clothes, twenty bucks, and about thirty or so golden drachmas. Yep, same as before.

Ares stared at us pointedly as if waiting for a 'Thank you, Lord Ares.'

I stared back at him and was delighted to regard that neither Annabeth nor Grover wished him.

"Now close your eyes, punks," Ares said gruffly, looking majorly miffed, putting his shades back on to hide his nuclear eyes. "Godly travel to Santa Monica as promised. Your puny little mortal minds wouldn't be able to handle the strain of teleportation, so I'm just gonna have to flash you."

I perked up.

"Not a word!" He snapped as I opened my mouth to add another remark, making me pout slightly. "As much as I'd love you three to get burned to smithereens, Ol' brain bitch and Seaweed head wouldn't be too happy if their kids were a box of ashes," He laughed loudly, looking oddly pleased with himself for making that joke.

I just sighed in disappointment and closed my eyes. I'm pretty sure I heard a quiet groan of exasperation from Annabeth, too.

A bright flash clouded my lidded eyes, and along with some indecent grumbles from the god, I found my body superheat in a column of fire and then we vanished.

A familiar scent of salt permeated my nostrils as I smiled, feeling the calm wash over me from my father's domain. Opening my eyes, I was greeted with the sight of the Santa Monica pier with the setting chariot of Phoebus at the distance, staining the heavens with vibrant hues of blue, orange, and purple as if it were a palette of the gods.

I heard splutters of coughing from behind me and upon turning, I was greeted by an annoyed-looking Annabeth spitting out sand with a pinched look on her face.

"Whose the seaweed brain now, Annie?" I teased as she gingerly picked a strand of dried seaweed from her hair with a grossed-out expression.

She glared at me. "I will hit you, Jackson."

I just smiled cheerily before frowning. "Wait, where's Grover?"

"Grover!"

"Mmphh!"

I blinked, swiveling my head around to find the owner of the voice.

A pair of hooves caught my eyes. I glanced at Annabeth, who had a slightly bewildered look on her face. "What the Hades..."

I squinted slightly to check if my eyes weren't deceiving me. A pair of furry legs were sticking out of the sand, thrashing wildly and splaying dirt everywhere. The rest of the body was buried beneath the ground and his rasta cap laid evenly on the ground, presumably just above his buried head.

"Mmph!"

I shook my head and jogged over to him, snickering slightly. Grabbing his hooves firmly, I pulled harshly. If I was still twelve I might've had some trouble pulling him out, but my unlost strength did wonders in pulling out a half-barnyard animal from the ground.

And like a beacon of hope, a goat amongst the sand, Grover rose in a shower of dirt from his crypt. As graceful as a dying, wet cat, he tried to stand up before realizing he didn't have his feet on.

Coughing and spluttering he hastily fumbled to put on his fake feet, his hat crooked and shirt tousled with mud and seaweed.

"How in the sweet mother of Zeus did you manage to burrow inside the ground?"

"Bla-a-aa," He bleated indignantly. "I don't know man! I closed my eyes just like Ares said and then I felt my body disappear. When I opened my eyes, it was all dark around me and I couldn't even breathe!"

Realizing, it was probably the work of Ares, I made a mental note to knee him in the balls for Grover.

"What about you guys? Where did you land?" Grover asked, brushing off the seemingly endless sand stuck in his curly hair and shirt. "Percy, you don't even have a single speck of dirt on your clothes."

"Funny, you should ask that," I glanced at Annabeth with a teasing look and puffed up my chest. "Well, I, being the amazing athlete I am, landed perfectly on the surf without any kerfuffles, of course, all the while looking suave and cool. But Annabeth here, on the other ha- Ow!"

Annabeth harshly elbowed me in the ribs and glared at me as if daring me to speak another word. I rubbed my neck sheepishly, pulling out a small clump on seaweed that was stuck in her blonde locks. "Hehe."

Grover blinked, wisely deciphering that continuing said conversation wouldn't too good for his health.

"Where are we anyways?" Grover questioned, looking around the near-empty beach. "And why's no one here?"

I looked around, observing the surroundings closely for the first time. I noticed he was correct. I frowned, this wasn't supposed to be an empty beach.

The last time I was here, it was bustling with natives and tourists alike, even the coast guard hadn't left his chair. Arcades on the boardwalk had rung loudly, pings of the various machines cutting through the joyous cries of the children.

"Are beaches supposed to be this empty?" Annabeth asked quizzically. "Huh, from what I'd read at camp, I thought they'd be overflowing with tourists."

"Nice," I said off-handedly, acknowledging the pun before continuing. "That's the thing. Santa Monica pier is one of the most well-known spots in California, especially in the afternoon or evening. And it was supposed to be polluted too. Either it somehow got cleaner and emptier the last time I was here, or the dickwad sent us to the wrong place."

"The last time you were here?" Grover asked. "You've been here?"

"Yeah," I lied easily. "With my mom."

Annabeth nodded, as she examined the surroundings with a steely eye. I decided to follow her lead and glanced around for any more dissimilarities as well as clues.

Narrowing my eyes, I realized that the beach was much cleaner, too. Previously, plastic bags and bottles littered the tide and the beach, turning the water to a crude dull shade. The distinct smell of garbage had permeated the air, not enough to be noticed but enough to realize in its absence.

And realize its absence, I did. The sea was still a murky green, but it was clearer than before with the occasional clump of seaweed floating through the ocean, but not trash. The air felt cleaner, too, unnaturally so in fact.

I turned around to look at where the arcade was supposed to be, instead, I found an empty spot of white sandy-grey beach.

Annabeth unsheathed her dagger, snapping me out of my reverie. I turned to her with a confused glance to which she shook her head and jutted her ears towards a... villa?

I blinked, narrowing my eyes trying to discern something from the over-the-top beach house.

Faint yells sounded from the direction of the house, flashlights breaking through the setting darkness. Each of us shared a nervous glance, as I uncapped Riptide.

While I was certainly positive it was a mortal issue, I didn't want to take any chances. Years of shit in the divine world make you paranoid. Riptide twirling in my hand, I closed my eyes and focused on the shadows in the distance, half expecting them to repel my control mutinously.

Thankfully, the umbrae responded immediately, shaping themselves to my will. I concentrated, observing any disturbances in the force. (Sorry)

I felt three-no-four people, males, judging from the build. I frowned as I felt them creeping silently in the dark, instead of running straight at us. I rolled my eyes at their wit. Why bother sneaking around if you're just gonna wave a fucking torch all around like a lunatic.

They seemed to act normal enough, well, as normal as you can have three humans sneaking along a wall, but the only weird thing was that all three of them had their right arm resting on their waist.

"Percy?" Grover whispered nervously and I raised a hand, signaling him to stop talking.

I blinked confusedly and focused once again, thinking I had somehow sensed their posture incorrectly. But the result was the same, the three had their right arm resting on their hip as if they were reaching for... ah shit.

"Fuck!" I swore, startling the two questers beside me. I capped Riptide, swiftly pushing it into my pocket before turning to my friends.

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed, alarmed. "What happened?"

"Cops!" I whisper-yelled, grabbing the two's wrists. "This is a private beach. That's why it's clean and doesn't have any tourists! And the dumb owner has called the cops on us."

Dragging the two towards the water, I glanced back quickly to see if the cops were following us. By now, we were ankle-deep in the water, sea-foam swirling around like vertigo. The water offered no resistance as I made the currents swift towards the tide, aiding us and increasing our speeds.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelped as a small fish raced past her shins. "What are you doing!"

I opened my mouth to retort but froze stupidly when a voice behind us yelled. "Hey!"

"What're you kids doin' here? This is private property!"

We turned around to see a trio of cops and some other geezer, standing at the edge of the surf with harsh expressions on their faces. The cops had tazers in their hands, thankfully, and not guns. One of the cops had spoken and was waiting expectantly for an answer.

I looked to Annabeth as if, let me handle this.

"Oh hello, officer!" I spoke cheerily. "How're you this fine day?"

He raised an unimpressed eyebrow and deadpanned. "Very good. Now who are you and what're you doing here?" He questioned again, more insistently.

I smiled widely. "Do you want the truth-truth or the truth-truth?"

"Percy," Annabeth whispered, warily eyeing the rapidly inflowing water, whirling around our legs, growing in height.

I squeezed her hand in reassurance.

The other two frowned. "The truth will be greatly appreciated. But we'll have to take legal action if you lie. Now, I'm gonna ask you one last time, what're ye doin' here?"

I leaned slightly towards my friends and whispered. "Hold on tight to my arms."

"What?" Annabeth muttered frowning, her eyes still on the tazer.

I smirked as the sea responded to my will, the tide sweeping across our legs, accumulating water in an inverted dome around the surf. The tug in my gut increased as the sea fought against the restraints.

"Things are about to get wet," I grinned conspiratorially.

Annabeth's eyes widened as did Grovers. Annabeth clamped onto my arm, latching herself alike the vigor of a leech, her eyes blinking nervously. Grover grabbed my free hand and took a step closer to me.

"Hey, kid!" The old bloke, probably the snobby owner of the property, spoke. "The officer is asking you something! Who are you?" He asked in a strange nasally voice. "And what're you doing on my property?"

"This is your beach?" I asked, sounding interested.

"Yes!" he answered proudly.

"Ah...," I nodded, noting astutely. "It's very clean."

"Stop stalling kid!"

"I'm not stalling!" I said indignantly, even though I most definitely was. "I'm appreciating the optic view of the surf."

"Okay," The third cop spoke, "This is the last time we're asking you what are you doing here. If you don't answer we'll have to arrest and detain you over trespassing."

Trespassing? We were in the fucking water! That's my dad's domain and by extension, mine too! You're the ones who're trespassing by that logic!

"Fine," I sighed. "You see, a valuable weapon of my uncle has been stolen."

Annabeth squawked.

"And my dad has been framed by the thief," I continued, ignoring her Death glare. "So, to resolve the family issue, I was chosen by my dick of an uncle to and great-great aunts to go on a quest to retrieve the weapon," I finished with a charming smile. "And my cousin sent me here because everyone suspects my other gloomy uncle."

For a few tense seconds, there was silence before the old man bent over and started wheezing. "You expect us to believe that?! Are you listening to this, officers?!"

The cops laughed nervously along with the man. I raised my eyebrow and shrugged. "It's true."

"Uh-huh, what's the name of your dad, kid?"

I grinned, raising my arms dramatically as the water swirled around our bodies. The cops stumbled back in shock and the old man fell on his butt in fear.

"Tsunami!" He screeched. "Get to high ground!" (Again, sorry)

I blinked, looking at the water structure and then back to the man incredulously. How in the name of Hecate's mist did he identify a vertical column of water as a tsunami?

Hmmph, uneducated oink.

"My dad," I announced dramatically, smirking. "Is Poseidon, the Lord of the Sea."

A ten-meter wave loomed over us as everyone's eyes nearly popped out in awe and shock. Annabeth shrieked and threw her arms around me, nearly crushing me with her bear-hug. Grover whimpered slightly, though seemingly much less manic than the daughter of Athena.

Then again, with the rivalry between Athena and my dad, I couldn't imagine Annabeth being fond of water. Grover's eyes widened as the wave descended, about to crash over us.

"Wait! We can't breathe underw-blubb!"

I stared in wonder at a furiously shaking Annabeth, holding onto me as if I was one of the missing scrolls from the library of Alexandria. Her eyes were clenched shut, and her lips curled into a quivering frown as she was latched onto my body.

Grover had unexpectedly, yet very unsurprisingly, fainted and was hovering a meter from us in a spacious air bubble.

I raised my arm and poked her on the cheek.

She, if possible, clenched her eyes close even further and her grip tightened furthermore. I blinked, very much surprised by her show vulnerability before guilt bubbled in my gut.

I sighed, ashamed of myself for putting my friend under such circumstances. In the past/future, she never had such hesitations about water, probably due to our familiarity. But it had never occurred to me then, that she might've once been scared of the very substance due to her parentage. She probably had been taught that since Poseidon had qualms with Athena, his anger extended to her children as well.

I sighed and softly unclasped her tightened grip. "Hey, you're safe, Annie," I said, rubbing circles along her white knuckles. "I'm sorry, Wise-girl, I didn't think this through or about how it would go for you."

She shuddered slightly before hesitantly opening her eyes and letting out a short gasp. Eyes as wide as drachmas, she gaped wordlessly at the bubble of air underwater, surrounded by thousands of colorful fish and coral.

Millions of tonnes of water surrounded us, filtering the sunlight through, lighting the bubble with an unnatural shade of turquoise. Vibrant fish swam around us curiously, darting up and down, wiggling their tiny fins cutely, and feeling the bubble with their snouts. A couple of Hatchets paddled lazily behind us, their long-ass tails trailing behind them, occasionally slapping an unlucky fish.

Beautiful coral rocks adorned with anemones and sponges that swayed with the currents. Upon a closer look, I saw numerous clownfish swimming through their little anemone homes.

Nemo! My childlike mind screamed reflexively.

The result was about twenty of those fish creepily turning their heads towards me in sync. Who calls I, the Nemo?

'...'

I wisely decided to stay away from them, instead, glancing towards Annabeth, who had a look of child-like wonder on her face.

She seemed to take everything in, soundlessly, in awe. Thankfully, her anger at being drenched had been forgotten. I exhaled slightly in relief.

And, yes, I was able to understand the damned marine creatures who were about to spread some very naughty rumors about the son of Poseidon and a daughter of Athena in a bubble, underwater.

I was half-tempted to order them to never speak of this again, but I was pretty sure even my dad couldn't stop them from gossiping. So, I just told them to fuck off.

The fish hastily scurried off as Annabeth frowned, looking annoyed. "Why did you tell them to go away?!"

"How do you know it was me, brainiac?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Yes, because we definitely have another son of Poseidon here with us, don't we?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, would you rather have rumors in every fish-hold in the Atlantic about how a son of Poseidon and a daughter of Athena had hooked up underwater?"

Annabeth's eyes widened as she spluttered, a dark crimson coating her cheeks.

I laughed before a swift punch to the gut shut me up.

"Yep," I squeaked, rubbing my tummy. "I deserved that."

"Yep, you did," Annabeth said smugly, trying her level best to rid the blush on her face.

"Where is Grover?" She questioned before her eyes caught the figure of the satyr passed out soundly in a smaller air bubble with a squid hovering around it. "Oh."

"Oi!" I scolded, eyeing the squid. "Don't poke the bubble! I said don't- No! Don't! Bad squid! Ay, leave him alone!"

I folded my arms and glared at the cephalopod, who finally gave up his thorough examination of the bubble and stared back at me with his one eye.

Is that your friend, Milord?

Yes, he is my friend.

The squid seemed to nod before he turned and swam away. Surface-dwellers are strange.

My lips twitched. That was weird... and completely random.

"Hey, Seaweed brain?" Annabeth called, tapping her foot, well, as well as she could in a bubble. "What's the plan now? Are we just gonna hover in the middle of the pacific or do you even have a strategy? Didn't your father tell you to come here?"

I nodded. "Yes, the neried, Amphinome, said that it was my father's wish that he wanted me to come to Santa Monica pier. I think she was supposed to meet me here. Though I'm pretty she meant just me and not a random satyr and a daughter of Athena."

"And whose fault is that?" Annabeth glared at me before gulping slightly, not even waiting for a response. "And uhh-do you think your dad will smite me? You know, for being in the water and a daughter of his rival. Because I'd hate to spend my last moments in the company of a son of Poseidon who has a serious obsession with the color blue and his ring and a knocked out satyr who was assaulted by a squid."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe not insult my dad while being in his domain?"

"Hey, I was insulting you, Seaweed Brain. Besides, why do you even keep fondling that damned ring so fucking much?"

"It's my bow and it was given to me by someone very special," I said conspiratorily. "Plus, it is really shiny and pretty."

Annabeth stared at me. "You are a child and a crow in one."

"Excuse me?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Crows collect 'shiny things' seaweed brain. Hence, you are a crow," She said snippily as if talking to an annoying toddler. "Children are immature, hence you are a child."

I hummed, completely missing the point of the conversation. "You know, I'd rather be a monkey or a... crab." (hehe)

Annabeth just stared at me. "What even are you?"

I just grinned widely in response and then- I froze. A smirk made its way through my face. "Hey Annie," I called.

"Yeah?"

"Y'know how you said there isn't any other son of Poseidon here?"

"M-hmm"

"Well...," I drawled, staring at the distance. "About that."

Annabeth turned towards me and frowned. "Hmm?"

I took a deep breath and bit my cheek to refrain from laughing.

"Oh, Triton!" I called in a sing-song voice, smiling gleefully. "Where are you~u?"

For a minute, nothing happened as the water churned around us ordinarily. Annabeth blinked before glancing at me skeptically. "You sure you didn't hit your head as a toddler?"

"Hey!" I barked indignantly, slightly offended. "What do you mean by that? I still have all my marbles, okay?"

"Why do I doubt that?" She muttered, sighing.

Being the mature demigod that I am, I just huffed childishly and pouted.

"Okay, seriously, you can come out of your little safe, Triton," I said, after a while, facepalming when I sensed him crouch a little lower to hide. The dumbass was crouching whilst being invisible. "Oh, I can literally sense you! No, don't crouch lower! Okay, who made you the heir?"

"Well, well, well," A voice rang through the water, reverberating over the vast expanse of the sea. Annabeth jumped slightly, and I could faintly hear Grover moaning for food. Ah, some things never change.

The water swirled in front of me, solidifying into a merman with blue-tinged skin and raven black hair. In his hand was a trident, not unlike my own, but without the silver highlights and radiating much more power than mine. His tail was gorgeous, and I do mean this in every platonic sense because he's my brother and that would be gross, a sleek sea-green appendage with gold-plates as scales.

His lips were pulled into a sneer, and his eyes locked on Annabeth who looked like she was having the worst time of her life.

"Fraternizing with a daughter of Athena, brother?" He all but spat venomously, his eyes growing dark. "I know not why father even claimed you. You're an insult to the sea. Traveling not only with a daughter of the wisdom goddess but bringing into father's domain? You're lucky father has not yet blasted her."

I took a deep breath. No, I was not angry with his words even though they did sting a little because I understood his fury. Perhaps, it was the death of Pallas or the spat that he and Athena had many thousand years ago, but I knew he hated anything related to Athena with every fiber of his.

Glancing at Triton's furious face and Annabeth's scared expression, I felt guilty over both Triton and Annabeth.

I knew I had to resolve this issue too. The rivalry between the sea and Athena had lasted far too long, and while I could understand why Triton was angry, but the death of Pallas wasn't Athena's fault either.

I would have to curb the enormous pride of both deities, and only then steps towards reconciliation could be effective.

"Triton," I spoke evenly. "Both of us know that father doesn't treat demigods differently over their parentage. Even if Annabeth is the daughter of Athena, dad won't let past prejudices or her parentage affect his opinions. If he did, then how is he and Zeus or Hera different?"

Thunder rumbled faintly somewhere above and Triton growled. "Fine!" He snapped, gripping his trident and leveling it at Annabeth. "If father does not, then I will. Perhaps, then Athena will know the loss of a child!"

My eyes widened as I uncapped Riptide and spun in front of Annabeth protectively. "That is enough, Triton! Are you even hearing what you're saying!?" I said tightly, crouching into a stance if Triton decided to attack. "You will not harm Annabeth, brother. She is on this quest to recover Zeus' bolt and clear father's name! The sea is in her debt and as of now, she is under my protection and I will vouch for her."

Triton glared at me harshly before relaxing slightly and dropping his trident to his side. He summoned the three orbs in soft green light and tossed the pearls to me.

"We do not owe her anymore, Perseus. Me letting her live in mercy is enough and the debt is paid. Let this be a lesson to my kindness, daughter of Athena but do not dare enter the sea again."

I narrowed my eyes. "Amphinome is far more pleasant than you."

"She is fond of you too, brat," Triton grumbled, looking a tad bit disgruntled. "Too much."

I cracked a smile when I heard the envy in his tone. "Jealous much?"

Triton reddened slightly, in embarrassment rather than anger. "Of course not!" He said snippily. "I'm a god! I do not get jealous of little mortals like you."

I snickered. "You're definitely jealous," I wiggled my eyebrows. "Fancying a neried, are you, brother?"

Triton's eyes widened before his face pinched. "Ew! No, of course not! She is literally my god-mother. Don't be gross!" He said.

I blinked. Amphinome was Triton's godmother? Huh. That was... surprising. Although, for some reason, that didn't seem as unlikely as it should have.

In the brief time, I had known Amphinome, she had seemed like a cool lady but not certainly a responsible adult. I mean, she had joked about my dad's Hawaiian shirt obsession with me! But now that I think about it, there were certain aspects of her that were comparable to my mom and in my book, that's a huge win. Perhaps that was why dad had sent her to me on the quest for the bolt, for something that could've ended the world if she'd failed.

So, it was surprising. But, not too much.

Then again, I couldn't be more surprised than when I had learned that Helen of Troy was allegedly born from an egg after Zeus had seduced her mother as a swan. (Sometimes, I wonder how that creep is my uncle)

I smiled slyly. "So, you mean to say that you're jealous of me because your god-mother likes me better. Did she use the 'disappointed face' on you when you complained about me to her?"

Triton spluttered. "T-that is completely false!"

I nodded. "Sure it is."

"Cheeky brat," Triton huffed and grumbled. "Now, if you're done being immature, I'm going to leave."

"What? No warning about Hades or something?" I asked drily. "I was sure that Amphinome had said something about gifts when I met her. Not gonna elaborate on that?"

"I would if you didn't already know what I was talking about," He shot back hotly.

I smirked. "Touche brother."

"Listen, Perseus," He began hesitantly before he froze. His eyes went glassy as if he were listening to something else.

"Father calls," He stated, his eyes growing stormy and dark again. I frowned at the abrupt change in his demeanor.

With a last withering glare at Annabeth, he nodded at me, "Good luck, Perseus." And then turned to swim away.

I just stared at him, open-mouthed. What the hell was that?

At some point, his body started glowing as I averted my eyes, making sure that Annabeth did the same. Light exploded as he revealed his true form, and he flashed away, presumably to Atlantis to give dad his report.

We were left alone in the vast expanse of the endless ocean. The vibrant, beautiful appearance that the water had, had dwindled, and instead, a darker, duller look now rested around us. No more did the fish flit around us as carelessly as they had, instead, they had taken shelter in the coral nervously.

The ocean itself had responded to the sentiments of the two sons of the sea.

The deafening silence was only broken by the groans of a half-goat sleeping. I sighed.

"Well," I said, breaking the tense silence, trying to sound cheery. "I think that went very well. He didn't even call me a bastard once!"

Annabeth just smacked me, her face still pale and sweat lining her forehead.

Waking up Grover was honestly much easier than I thought it'd be. Normally, I would've screamed 'Enchiladas' at the top of my lungs as a quick wake-up call but I wanted to cheer Annabeth up first.

When we got out of the water, the Santa-Monica pier came into view. I laid Grover down on the sand and then ran down to a very suspicious-looking shop at the edge of the avenue. My aim was to buy a book for Annabeth, who was still shaken from the whole Triton shebang.

I picked the first book that had come into view, which had cost a few bucks, and by the time I made it back, I saw that Annabeth was still rooted to her previous spot. She hadn't even woke Grover up.

It was then, I decided to check the book's title and upon closer inspection, I thought it'd be best to not give it to Annabeth.

Also, I still had to wake Grover up.

So, I threw the book at him. (In my defense, I was pretty creeped out by the title, 'Pole-dancing to Gospel Hymns')

Now that I think about it, the screaming would've worked just fine and Annabeth wouldn't have glared at me.

"What the hell, Seaweed-brain?!" Annabeth fumed, after making sure Grover was okay. (He was. I know my own strength) "Where did you even get a book, anyway?!"

Grover bleated, rubbing his head. "I'm fine, Annabeth. The book didn't even hurt, all it did was wake me up. Besides, I'm up now and we're running late for the quest. Let's just go," He tried to placate.

I mouthed I'm sorry to him, but Grover just shook his head amusedly.

"Wait!" Annabeth snapped. "I still want to know how did you get money to buy this... book. And a book on Pole-dancing? Seriously?"

I laughed nervously. "Well, you see about that, uh, since you weren't feeling well after the... talk with my brother, I thought a book would cheer you up. I knew that you'd lost your book on architecture on the bus, so I bought you a new one. But, uh, since we were in a hurry, I just grabbed the first book I saw, which unfortunately turned out to be... that," I mumbled, kicking the sand. "I had the money from Medusa in my back-pack, which stayed dry under-water."

Annabeth stared at me, open-mouthed. "What?" She whispered.

"Uh," I said. "I got the money from Medusa which stayed dry?"

"No, no, before that."

"That I got you a book?"

A pause.

"You bought a book... to cheer me up because... I was being a depressed, angsty teenager?"

"Well, not a teenager because we're still twelve."

"Not the point, Percy."

"Uh, yeah," I said, shrugging slightly. "What about it?"

Annabeth stared at me before marching up to me and enveloping me in a huge hug.

Grover's jaw dropped as he stared in disbelief at the daughter of Athena. I don't think my face was much different than his. She had her face buried in the crook of my neck because she was almost as tall as me. Hmph.

"Thank you, Seaweed Brain," She said softly.

Okay, what the hell was happening? Why was Annabeth being so nice to me? And a hug? That too, initiated from gratitude? Yeah, no, I'd have to talk to Chaos or Nyx about the possibility of the advancing of emotions over from the last time-line. Because there was no way in Hades Annabeth would hug a son of Poseidon, one she had known for a couple of weeks at most.

Annabeth pulled away and turned around, walking calmly to the curb and jumping over the divider, onto the side-path. "Well?" She demanded, crossing her arms. "Are you gonna come or just stand there like melons?"

I blinked, glancing over to Grover. "What is happening?"

"You're asking me?!" Grover asked incredulously. "I honestly have no idea."

"So, what now?" Annabeth asked once we caught up to her. "Where do you think is the entrance to Erebos?"

"We aren't going there right now," I said, drawing confused glances from my friends. "We're gonna raid Crusty's water-bed palace first."

A meh chapter.

Okay, before you all come after me with torches and pitchforks, just let me explain. School is shit.

I am at that point in my life right now, that I cannot miss my studies. The educational system in my country is absolutely shit and the only way I can describe it is, that my entrance into med-school will depend on these two years of my life.

Again, I cannot NOT study right now. With that being said, I'm still trying to update my stories frequently.

To everyone wondering, this story is NOT on Hiatus, nor will it ever will be. This is my first ever story, and while it may not be perfect, I'm gonna do my best to complete and revise it. It's just gonna take some time.

(Acceptance is on the backburner tho)

Though, I've decided to shorten the usual 7.5k chapter length to about 5-6k words and up the frequency of updates. (I just feel that 7k words are too much for a fic of this type)

Also, please check out the poll on my profile and my new stories if you haven't already. Drop some reviews there too. I would love some feedback on 'What happens in Rome, stays in Rome' and 'Let me in, 'cause it's cold out here'

PM me any questions, if you have them.

Today's recommendation is 'Knowing when you need help' by Percypotter123 and 'The tale of Perseus: The Trojan war' by Blitz2134.

Answering some questions now.

The Propheseid: Thank you so much for the shout-out and great work on 'Road to Tranquility'!

To XxVaderxX796: Thank you!

To Otagema: I'm glad you think so! I'm trying my best to justify those OOC moments but I'm glad you're enjoying them.

To Death Fury: Thank you for all the positive feedback on the chapters!

To kyuzo3567: Yes, you're completely correct. I've PMed you the reasons too and I do believe that sounds weird. I'll be editing the previous chapters so that the new ones make more sense.

Duckie, I'm going to respond to your reviews personally, so don't be sad lol.

Anywho, that's it for today. Please review and all that jazz and I'll see you next time (In a couple of weeks, this time)

Hope ya'll enjoyed it!

Byeeeee