The Sun Chariot was a Maserati. Go figure. Then it was a bus, and the Hunters filed in, immediately heading towards the back, leaving the demigods of Camp Half-Blood, Grover, and Percy to sit in the front. Apollo said something to Thalia, and Percy didn't hear the words, but he put things together when she sat behind the steering wheel, clamping onto it with bone-white fingers. The drive was bumpy, and Thalia was thoroughly freaking out. In the back of his mind, Percy realized why; a Daughter of Zeus, scared of heights. Huh.

His mind was occupied with one thing, though; the looks Artemis had given Apollo when he'd landed. Or rather, the looks she hadn't given him. Her gaze passed over him like the Sun God wasn't even there. No affection, hardly even recognition. The one time she'd stared straight at him, her eyes were so cold.

Just like Father.

Percy shook his head. Now was not the time to dwell on his own failings- not when they were about to crash into a lake! Luckily, Orion instinctively latched onto the water with his control, forcing it to surge up and meet them halfway, cushioning their impact so that, rather than upending half of the lake over the state of New York, the tide just swelled a few feet, before settling down. Orion then manipulated the current into pulling them onto land, and the instant the first wheel made contact with solid dirt, the Hunters surged forward and rushed out. A few of the less dignified ones dropped to their knees, panting heavily, while the more graceful ones, such as the Lieutenant, Zoe, merely looked green around the gills. Percy fought down the urge to hurl as they passed by his seat, and by the time he stepped foot into Camp Half-Blood, he was more or less recovered.

"That… Sucked," Orion said succinctly. Percy found himself nodding in agreement.

"Indeed," he muttered, tugging on the fur-lined collar of his sweater, nestling his face further into the softness. He felt vaguely uncomfortable. It made sense, in a way; this was a place for the children of Olympians, and his Father was not welcome amongst them. So, what did that make him?

Orion tapped him on the shoulder, breaking Percy from his thoughts. "C'mon, let's go see Chiron. Um… Zoe, right?" he asked Artemis' Lieutenant. She nodded briskly. "You know Chiron?"

"I do," she said in a clipped tone. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight, awaiting our Lady. Hunters, with me." Grover went with them for some inane reason that Percy didn't hear, leaving three children of the Big Three together. And the Daughter of Athena, but she was standing a bit away, glancing between the trio warily, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Or, more precisely, she was waiting to see if Percy and Thalia would finish their little scuffle from yesterday.

"Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called to his sister's followed. He received no response, and his shoulders slumped, but a fond smile remained on his face. He seemed used to it. Then, the Sun God was turning to Percy, of all people. "Be careful of those prophecies, Orion," Apollo warned the Son of Poseidon. Yet, his gaze remained locked on the Son of Hades, as if the omen went for both of them. It was nothing Percy didn't know, however, so he simply nodded.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Orion asked.

Apollo ignored him. "Later, Thalia," he said, waving cheerily to his younger sister. "Be good!" He ducked into his reformed Maserati before she could say anything, and roared off into the sky, car glowing so brightly they had to avert their eyes.

Once they had blinked the dark spots out of their vision, Thalia spun on her heel and began walking towards a large house at the base of a hill, her fellow demigods in tow. She barged through the door without even knocking, and stopped in front of the middle-aged man sitting at the table in what looked to be a parlor. A fire blazed on the farside of the room, filling it with a comfortable, if slightly stifling heat. A closer look revealed the man was in a wheelchair. Across from him was a pudgy, pot-bellied man wearing a neon-orange, leopard skin jumpsuit, sipping from a can of Diet Coke. Dionysus, according to Father's information. He was the only one that would be wearing such a disaster in this place.

"Ah, Thalia, Orion, Annabeth, you've returned!" he greeted warmly. "And this young man is…?"

Percy stepped forward. "Perseus Jackson, Son of Hades." Chiron- for there was no one else this could be- paled drastically, and his fingers went limp, cards dropping to the table, face up. Dionysus, grumbling something about "damned centaurs having the luck of Tyche," before tossing his own cards down and giving his full attention to the demigods he'd been trying to ignore.

"Another of you brats?" the God of Wine drawled, purple eyes flashing with something between fury and simple aggravation. "Great. Just go ahead, make more work for me, why don't ya?"

Grover chose that moment to walk back in, a black eye and a slap mark shining bright red marking his face. "The Hunters are all moved in!" he reported triumphantly.

Dionysus slapped a palm to his forehead. "Why do I even bother?" he muttered, shaking his head forlornly. Meanwhile, Chiron's frown deepened.

"It seems there is much to discuss. Sit, and let us talk."

Things got a bit tense when they got to why Percy had interfered as he did. Chiron just about had a heart attack when it was revealed there were now three children of Hades alive at the same time. Percy figured now wouldn't be a good time to mention Hazel (then again, did she technically count as alive if she'd been resurrected? The argument could be made that she was a zombie, or a reanimated human, or something of the sort). Regardless, Chiron was paler than a sheet of paper.

"The prophecy…" he muttered, trailing off in horror.

"Is of no concern," Percy finished for him. Chiron's eyes widened drastically.

"You-you know-?"

"I do."

"Then, does Lord Hades plan to-?"

"It is not my place to speak of Father's plans," Percy said sharply. His harsh glare made it clear that the conversation was over. Chiron placed a fist over his lips and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Then, I suppose we are done here. Annabeth, Thalia, Orion, would you three mind informing the rest of the campers that we will be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening?"

Orion frowned. "Capture? We don't have enough campers for that, though."

"It is a tradition," Chiron explained. "Whenever the Hunters of Artemis visit, we have a friendly match. All the campers will be on the same team, so I think we should have just enough, considering the equally-low numbers of the Hunters."

Thalia snorted. "Yeah, I bet it's real friendly," she growled, though it was clear by the way she clenched her fists that she was itching for the chance to show up the Hunters.

"Oh, and please show Mr. Jackson to Cabin Eleven," Chiron called on the way out, receiving a nod and a wave from the Son of Poseidon.

"Cabin Eleven?" Percy questioned as the four demigods walked deeper into camp.

"Yeah, Hermes Cabin. All the cabins here are sorted by godly parent, but it's only for the Olympians. Kids who aren't claimed, or whose parents aren't Olympians, stay in Cabin Eleven because Hermes is the patron of travelers."

"That… Does not make much sense."

"Nah, not really. Lucky for you, though, it's not summer, so most of the other campers aren't here. Maybe you'll even get a bed!"

Percy stopped midstep. "What do you mean, maybe I'll get a bed?"

Orion blinked, and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, uh… Normally, there's so many people in there that they have to sleep on the floor, but even then, it's pretty cramped."

Percy's jaw worked silently, before he shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"What?"

"I will not stay in Cabin Eleven."

"Wh- but, you have to! Hades doesn't have a cabin here!"

"And that's supposed to be my fault?" Percy snapped, gritting his teeth at the glaring disrespect towards his Father. "You're the only child of Poseidon, aren't you? I'll stay in your cabin."

Annabeth interjected, shaking her head. "That's not how it works. The gods get angry if someone who's not their kid even goes inside their cabin- there's no way they'll just let other demigods sleep there."

"Uncle is by far the most relaxed of the Olympians. He will not mind," Percy argued. "Tell me, Orion Taylor, is your father a petty child?"

"No!" Orion cried indignantly.

"Then will he smite me for sleeping in his cabin?"

"Uh… No…?"

"That's good enough for me." And then, as if the god was agreeing with him, a holographic, aquamarine trident appeared over Percy's head. Annabeth, Orion, and Thalia all stared at him, jaws dropped. Thalia was the first to recover.

"Wait, that's not fair!" she complained. "I wanna move into Uncle P's cabin, too! Mine has this creepy-ass statue of my dad, and I can hardly sleep in there with that thing watching me!" A trident shimmered into existence above her as well, and the girl clenched her fist triumphantly. "Yus! I'm gonna grab my stuff right now, so you guys can finish making the rounds!" she said cheerily. Thunder rolled across the heavens, Lord Zeus making his displeasure evident. "Save it!" Thalia shouted at the sky, ignoring the second thunderclap. She bounded off, a spring in her step, leaving behind a satisfied Son of Hades and her two dumbfounded friends.

"Did that really just happen?" Annabeth asked after a long period of silence, her brain finally catching up.

"I think it did," Orion said, grinning widely. He was pretty alright with this arrangement, actually. The one thing he didn't like about living in Cabin Three was that he was by himself. It seemed like that was no longer going to be an issue, which made him a happy camper. "C'mon, let's go tell everyone 'bout the game."

Cabin Three was a bit too low, in Percy's opinion. Then again, he had been living in the Underworld before this, where the ceiling was nearly a mile aboveground, so most roofs looked too low. The building was mostly constructed out of greywood and stone, giving it a rustic feel. There was also a back door, leading to a dock that hung over Long Island Sound. Overall, it was a pretty nice place.

There were six beds in total, split among three bunks. Orion used the one furthest back, next to the windows. A horn hung on the wall above the nightstand next to it, and some clothes were strewn across the floor. Percy dropped his duffel bag on the middle bunk, leaving the one closest to the door for Thalia. He didn't quite feel like unpacking, so he simply sat down on the bed, running his hand over the soft, yet firm mattress. He couldn't help the pang of homesickness that twinged in his chest, but he ignored it. There was no use thinking on something he could do nothing about, so he pushed thoughts of the Underworld aside.

"Listen," Thalia said, rummaging through her hastily-packed bags, back to the Son of Hades. "I'm… Sorry, about earlier." She stopped moving, instead twisting the strap of her bag in her hands. "I was pissed that Orion ran off on his own, and I wanted to take it out on somebody. You just… Happened to be there, I guess."

For a moment, Percy didn't say anything, simply staring at the wooden floor, pressing his toe against a plank that protruded slightly above the others. "It is fine. I suppose I also overreacted. It was uncalled for for me to use my powers against you with such little provocation. I apologize for my rashness."

Thalia finally turned around, and stared at him with an unreadable expression. She extended a hand. "Cousins?"

Percy gingerly took her hand. "Cousins… Yes, I quite like the sound of that," he said with a small, genuine smile. Thalia beamed, then plopped down on her own bed, facing him.

"You must really love your dad, if you'll go that far just because someone disrespects him," she said.

"I owe him everything," Percy said simply, and Thalia's smile became a bit strained.

"I wish I was close enough to my dad to owe him something- besides an assbeating for turning me into a tree."

Percy tilted his head. "I had heard about that, actually. Would you mind telling me what happened? It's not everyday the King of Olympus turns his own daughter into a plant."

Thalia chuckled. "It's not really that great of a story. Around six years ago, I used to live on the streets with Annabeth and Luke."

"Luke Castellan? The Son of Hermes?"

Thalia narrowed her eyes, but relaxed when she saw he was simply asking for clarification. "Yeah. him. We traveled around the country for a few months on our own, when eventually, Grover managed to find us. He led us to Camp Half-Blood, and we were so close, but… We were at the bottom of Half-Blood Hill when the monsters finally caught up with us. Most of them were sent by Hades, I think. The Furies, Hellhounds, Cyclopes, the works." She paused, examining Percy as he pursed his lips. "Did he… Ever say anything about that?" she asked hesitantly. Thalia wasn't actually sure if she wanted to know what Hades might've said, but she couldn't exactly take back the question at this point.

"Once," Percy admitted quietly. "It was more of an offhand comment than anything, but… It sounded like he regretted it."

Thalia's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

Percy nodded. "I was in the Throne Room when Alecto returned with her report, and Father didn't see it necessary to send me away. I didn't pay attention to most of it- I didn't exactly want to hear about the death of one of my cousins," he said with a grim smile, one mirrored by Thalia, "After Alecto left, I heard him whisper something about falling to Zeus' level. He seemed… Upset, by the thought, but by then, it was too late."

"Falling to my father's level?" Thalia muttered. "Did my dad...?"

"He has," Percy replied, answering the unasked question. "Coincidentally, it was Nico and Bianca's mother that Zeus killed, in an attempt to get them," he said gravely. "Perhaps that is why Father jumped at the chance for retaliation. He truly loved Maria di Angelo, and for her to be murdered, right in front of him…"

Thalia grimaced. "Right. That… That makes sense. I still don't like it, but… I guess I can't blame Hades that much."

Percy shrugged. "It does not change the fact that he still tried to kill you. Just as it does not change the fact that Maria di Angelo is dead. Father has too much respect for the natural order to reverse it, despite having the power to do it, so all he can do is stew in his bitterness."

"Well, now I just kinda feel bad for him," Thalia joked, lightening the mood a bit. Percy smirked in bemusement.

"You never finished your story."

"Oh, right. Anyways, the monsters managed to catch up to us at the bottom of Half-Blood Hill, and I stopped to hold them off while Grover got Annabeth and Luke over the property line. It was easy enough, since the monsters were there only for me, but there were too many. I got overwhelmed. The last thing I remember was one of the Furies tearing into me with her claws, before Dad sent down a bolt of lightning, killing it and turning me a tree."

"Ah, that would be Megaera. I was wondering where she had disappeared to during those few weeks, but I never bothered asking," Percy murmured, pulling the fuzzy collar of his sweater up further. Cabin Three had some sort of climate-controlling magic that kept the place comfortably warm, but even then, the Son of Hades felt rather cold.

Orion finally returned from accompanying Annabeth back to Cabin Six, a small smile on his face. Percy smirked.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Orion Taylor. Aphrodite will be pleased." Thalia snorted, and Orion turned bright red.

"Sh-Shut up, man! We're just friends!" he protested. His eyes fell on something behind them, and his eyebrows crinkled downwards in confusion. "What's that?" he asked, speaking to nobody in particular. Percy turned around to see what his cousin was referring to.

Sitting on the windowsill on the side of the cabin opposite the bed was a simple stone fountain, with just a single basin and spout. Water bubbled inside it. Likely sea water, considering this was Poseidon's Cabin. Percy had ignored it, since it didn't strike him as particularly important, but his interest was piqued by the fact that even Orion, the one who lived here, didn't seem to know about it. Both he and Thalia stood up, walking over to examine it.

"Thanks, Dad," Orion whispered. Inside the basin, a dozen drachmas shone. Orion picked one up contemplatively, his nature protecting him from the boiling water. He turned it over in his fingers a few times, before opening a window. The light struck the water shooting out the spout, forming a rainbow, which Orion flicked the drachma through. "Oh Iris, Goddess of Rainbows, show me… Tyson, at the forges of the Cyclopes." The rainbow flickered, and suddenly a deluge of harsh noises flooded the cabin. The hammering of anvils, the hiss of superheated metal, and the bellowing of a Cyclops fighting to be heard as they shouted orders. In front of them was who Percy assumed to be Tyson, slamming a mallet down on a white-hot blade, concentrating intensely. Behind him was a window that looked out into the bottom of the ocean, yet water did not come flooding in, despite there being no glass.

"Tyson!" Orion shouted, then again when the Cyclops didn't seem to hear him. Finally, Tyson raised his head, and his single eye lit up in joy.

"Orion!" Tyson shouted, dropping his work and attempted to hug the Iris Message.

"Woah!" Orion yelped, taking a startled step back. "It's just an IM, big guy! I'm not actually there!"

Tyson backed up a few steps, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh. I… Knew that. Yes," he said, unconvincingly. Finally, he seemed to notice Percy and Thalia. "Thalia! Hello!" Tyson cried, waving childishly. Thalia giggled, and waved back. They'd talked a few times before he went to the forges at the end of the summer, and they'd gotten along pretty well, despite Thalia's past with Cyclopes. "And… Who are you?" he asked Percy bluntly.

"This is our new cousin, Perseus. He's a Son of Hades," Orion said.

"Percy works as well," the teen offered. "Only my Father and his servants call me Perseus." Then again, they were the only people who talked to him.

"Hi, Percy!" Tyson called, grinning widely. Percy allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

"Hello."

The two brothers exchanged small talk for a bit, before Orion asked, "So, have you been talking to Dad much?"

Tyson shook his head, smile falling. "Daddy is busy. He is worried about war,"

"War?" Orion repeated, alarmed. "War with who?"

"Old sea spirits stirring up trouble. Aigaios. Oceanus. Those guys."

Orion's eyebrows furrowed. "I've heard of Oceanus. He's one of the Titans, right? But who's Aigaios?"

"He is also a Titan," Percy explained. "Son of Gaia and Pontus, rather than Ouranos, like the original twelve. Pontus is the Primordial of the Sea, so it stands to reason that if Aigaios inherited his father's power, he is likely even more in tune with his domain than Oceanus."

Orion paled. "How's Dad gonna handle both of them?" he whispered in horror. Tyson somehow heard him over the roar of the forge.

"Daddy is strongest Sea God! He will not lose!" the Cyclops cried.

Orion's grin came back, but it was noticeably strained. "Yeah. Course he is, big guy. Sorry, I'm just a little stressed, I guess. Anyways, what are they doing?"

"Old spirits protect the bad boat. They keep it hidden from Daddy, and he cannot smash it like that," Tyson said moodily. Orion chuckled at his pouting.

"Smashing it would be good," he agreed. "Where is the Princess Andromeda right now, anyways?"

Tyson's unibrow curved downward. "It went very far, for some reason. Panama Canal."

"What the heck's down in Panama?" Thalia asked. She'd been very quiet thus far, but the mention of Luke's ship had her attention.

"It is likely crossing through to the Pacific Ocean," Percy cut in. "The Panama Canal cuts through Central America, making it so ships don't have to go all the way around South America to reach the West coast." Orion stared at him in awe.

"How do you know so much? Are you sure you're not one of Annabeth's siblings?"

Thalia thumped him on the back of the head playfully. "Just because you've got kelp for brains doesn't mean everyone else does," she teased, dancing away from the half-hearted retaliatory swipe.

"Yeah, yeah," Orion grunted. "Anyways, Tyson, tell Dad I said hi, would ya?"

Tyson nodded readily. "Yes! I must get back to work now. Goodbye, Brother! Goodbye, Cousins!" The demigods waved at the Cyclops, and the Iris Message cut out. A conch horn sounded in the distance, making Thalia and Orion head for the door.

"C'mon, Percy," Orion said, testing the nickname, "That's the dinner bell."

The outdoor pavilion where they ate did not seem very crowded. Percy assumed that was because most of the campers were only there for the summer, and the thought of being here, surrounded by so many people, made his skin prickle. He thanked his lucky stars profusely that his Father had chosen this time of the year to send him out, or he wouldn't have survived very long. Thankfully, though, even if he was here at that time, the camp seemed to have some inane rule that the children were only allowed to sit at the table of their godly parent, which meant everyone wouldn't be crowded around him at every meal. It explained why the present campers were staring at him, Thalia, and Orion oddly as they sat together at the Poseidon table.

Most of the noise came from Artemis' table, where the Hunters sat, eating and drinking like one big family. The Lieutenant, Zoe, sat at the head of the table, occasionally smiling when one of her fellow maidens said something to her. Otherwise, she simply watched over them, a proud glint in her eye.

Percy wouldn't lie; seeing them like that made him slightly jealous. He only ate meals with his Father a handful of times, usually whenever the Lord of the Dead had something important to tell him. The announcements only took about a minute, leaving the rest of the meal to be spent in an awkward silence as Percy did his best to remember his table manners, which was not helped by Hades staring at him intently. The god was not one of those immortals who chose to eat, on account of the fact that they would not get any nutrition from it, so he had nothing else to occupy his time, allowing him to give Percy his undivided attention. Unfortunately, it was simply one of those times when the demigod couldn't fully appreciate it.

He was shaken from his reverie when Thalia kicked him under the table. She sat across from him, next to Orion, and was giving him a quizzical look. He waved her off, picking up his spoon and taking a bite of his gumbo, humming in satisfaction. In one of the few conversations he'd had with Hazel, she'd mentioned her favorite food being shrimp gumbo, since it reminded her of New Orleans. Percy could see why she liked it. It tasted quite good. Although, he had to wonder if it was considered sacrilege to be eating shrimp at Poseidon's table. Thalia nudged him again.

"So, are you playing capture the flag tomorrow?" she asked. "We could really use the help; the Hunters have won every single game they've ever played against us."

Percy shrugged. "Perhaps. Although, it does not sound like something I would enjoy much, to be honest."

"You totally should!" Orion said, taking a break from devouring his pizza, "Capture's a tonna fun!" Both his cousins were now looking at him imploringly, completely focused on him, and Percy shifted uncomfortably.

"...Fine."