Thalia opened the book to the next chapter and faltered as she read the title.

"Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death"

An uncomfortable silence passed throughout the room.

"The- The Fates?" Athena asked, bewildered. "You- You saw the Fates?"

"How- How are you still alive?" Ares asked.

"I ask myself that every day," Percy said. "You'll understand later. I think."

Thalia calmed her nerves.

"I was used to the occasional weird experience, [..] The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr [...] had been our maths teacher since Christmas."

"Wait," Will said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion-which Nico will never admit he found cute. "How did the Mist create a whole new person?"

Annabeth shook her head, "It didn't. Grace Kerr is one of my older siblings- an Athena child. Chiron must've had her on standby just in case."

Athena nodded, "The Mist would've just made everyone believe that she'd been there the entire time."

"Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody [...] It got so I almost believed them – Mrs. Dodds had never existed. Almost."

"Lemme guess. It was the satyr's fault wasn't it?" Dionysus asked.

"Hey!" Grover said, defensively.

"I'm still surprised he's listening," Rachel muttered to Annabeth, who nodded.

"I can hear you, Riley." Dionysus.

Rachel pressed her lips together, "Riley. Wow." Annabeth stifled a laugh.

"But Grover couldn't fool me."

Dionysus nodded.

"When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. [...] I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat."

"Honestly? I'd take that over real demigod dreams." Percy shuddered. Many demigods nodded in agreement. The gods had confused or concerned expressions. It's that bad? Most wondered.

"The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room."

Many eyes landed on Zeus, who shrugged.

"A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy."

The god of the Sky's expression was one of confusion. What was he frustrated about?

"One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year."

Thalia paused taking a breath. Gods he was mad.

"I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class."

Surprisingly, Athena winced in sympathy. "That's depressing."

Percy shook his head. Only you would find that depressing Wisdom Goddess. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself though.

"Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good."

Many of the others in the room laughed. "So... You basically called him Dionysus?" Coach Hedge asked.

Dionysus glared at the satyr, "I can zap you on the spot satyr."

"The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy. Fine, I told myself. Just fine. I was homesick."

Artemis sent the son of Poseidon a look of sympathy, which didn't go unnoticed as Percy smiled back.

"I wanted to be with my mom [...] even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties."

The Romans and a few of the other Greeks who hadn't known Percy looked confused. Percy shook his head, "Not Paul. My step-father before him."

"What happened to this guy then?" Jason asked.

Percy smiled. A thin creepy smile that looked almost identical to Nico's. "You'll see." He assured the son of Jupiter, which Jason found more disturbing rather than reassuring.

"And yet… there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees."

Thalia laughed lightly, "Sounds like Kelp-Head alright." Demeter raised an eyebrow. This sea spawn may not be too bad.

"I'd miss Grover,"

Grover smiled at Percy.

"who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange."

Now the satyr rolled his eyes, "Thanks Perce."

"Sorry, G-man."

"[...] I'd miss Latin class, too – Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well. [...] I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room"

"Poor book," Leo muttered.

"Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards."

"That's what dyslexia feels like?" Aphrodite asked. Many demigods nodded.

"There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon,"

Percy, Grover, and Annabeth chuckled at the memories of returning the Master Bolt. When things were easier….

"or Polydectes and Polydeuces. [...] I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said, '… worried about Percy, sir.'"

"That's how you knew?!" Grover asked. Percy nodded. "You gave me a heart attack on the bus."

"I froze. [...] 'I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too –' [...] Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can.'"

"That failed," Grover muttered.

"'Sir, he saw her…'"

Annabeth grimaced. "He fought her. I don't think the Mist can hide that."

"'His imagination,' Mr. Brunner insisted. 'The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that.' 'Sir, I… I can't fail in my duties again.'"

Thalia paused and turned her head to look past Percy at Grover. Her voice was light, "You hadn't failed. It was my choice." Most of the others in the room seemed confused.

"Grover's voice was choked with emotion. [...] Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next autumn –'"

"Way to give the boy a heart attack," Hermes grumbled.

"The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud."

"No. That is rule number 3! Never make a sound when you're eavesdropping," Hermes said.

"Mr. Brunner went silent. [...] holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow. [...] A bead of sweat trickled down my neck. Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. [...] one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger."

"You were in danger," Annabeth emphasized.

"The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam,"

"3 HOURS?!" Thalia and Leo both exclaimed in sync, Leo ten times louder. Leo smirked and Thalia glared in his direction.

"my eyes swimming [...] eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem."

"That's the least of your problems," Artemis stated.

"'Percy,' he said. 'Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy.[...] Nancy [...] made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips."

Piper moistened her lips. "I'll kill her," she muttered. Percy raised his eyebrows.

"I mumbled, 'Okay, sir.' 'I mean…'[...] 'This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time.'"

Annabeth glared at no one in particular.

"My eyes stung. Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out."

"I'm sure that's not what he meant," Will said calmly.

"Right,' I said, trembling. 'No, no,' Mr. Brunner said. 'Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say… you're not normal, Percy.'"

Everyone winced.

For a son of Poseidon, this boy seems… different from his father. Athena thought.

"'That's nothing to be –' 'Thanks,' I blurted. 'Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me.' 'Percy –' But I was already gone."

Thalia paused her reading and took a long calming breath. She glanced at Percy, asking a question with her eyes, Does it still bother you? Percy waved off the question and smiled, but the daughter of Zeus didn't seem convinced.

Annabeth rose from her seat, walked over, and sat between Percy and Thalia, and squeezed her boyfriend's hand reassuringly. Thalia raised her eyebrows but continued her reading before Athena could react.

"On the last day of the term [...] They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents."

Leo locked eyes with Percy and sent a clear message with his expression. I feel you.

"Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies."

The demigods around the room chuckled, their mood-lifting. Zeus glared, "I AM NOT A NOBODY." Multiple of the male gods yelled similar things; Artemis, Hera, and Hestia shaking their heads.

Percy laughed, "No that's Annabeth." Annabeth laughed and slapped her boyfriend's chest playfully.

Athena glared daggers at Percy, her voice dangerously low, "My daughter is not a nobody." Grover, Annabeth, Percy, and Clarisse glanced at each other, the former three erupting in laughter, Clarisse rolling her eyes despite the smirk that fell across her face at the Wisdom Goddess' confused expression.

"They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city. [...] 'Oh,' one of the guys said. 'That's cool.' They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed."

Rude, Rachel thought.

"The only person [...] I said, 'Looking for Kindly Ones?'"

"Are you trying to give the satyr a heart attack?" Hera questioned.

"Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. [...] 'Oh… not much. What's the summer-solstice deadline?'"

Apollo chuckled, "Sassy."

"He winced. 'Look, Percy [...] My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy."

"Well, that explains a lot," Grover muttered.

"'Okay,' [...] He nodded. 'Or… or if you need me.' 'Why would I need you?'"

Percy winced, "Sorry man," the son of Poseidon whispered to Grover. He smiled back reassuringly.

"Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. [...] I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me."

"Hold it," Grover said. "Losing sleep?" He asked, looking at Percy. Percy smiled shyly.

"And [...] 'what exactly are you protecting me from?'"

"Death," Nico said, flatly. Will hit him upside the head to which Nico reacted with a yelp, but he leaned into his boyfriend anyways.

"There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. [...] just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen [...] gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath. [...] The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. [...] 'Grover – that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?'"

Yes. Yes, it did. Percy thought.

He missed Luke. The son of Hermes had been the first one who actually seemed to care.

Luke had been a brother figure to him. To some extent.

"He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin."

"You are scarily perceptive at times," Grover said.

Percy grinned, "Why thank you." Grover rolled his eyes.

Thalia rolled her eyes at her friends, "The chapter's over. Who wants to read?"

Piper spoke, "I'll read."

Thalia nodded, about to get up and pass it to her, but Hestia flicked her wrist and the book appeared in Piper's hands. That works too.