As always thanks for all of the reviews, favorites and follows. The reviews really do make my day! I'm sorry for the long delay for this update, but this was by far the hardest chapter to write (I have more drafts for this than the proposal I'm supposed to be writing). I had a lot of important information to cover, and the first few attempts were too much explanation and not enough showing, so I decided to use the day-in-the-life style which usually is written in present tense based on my research. I'll apologize ahead of time because it starts a little rough but gets better as you go along. If you don't like present tense writing, don't worry I hated writing in it and will never do it again, though unfortunately this section was over 10,000 words, so I broke it up into two chapters. Therefore, the next chapter (definitely the better one so you should give it a chance) is already written, and I'll post it in three more days. After that, I promise no more present tense. Thanks for being amazing readers!

Interlude II – A Day in the Life of a Demigod in an Alternate Universe by Percy Jackson

In case you were wondering what a typical day was like for Annabeth and me, here's an example:

The chrono goes off at 0600. I drag myself out of bed and to the bathroom. Without monsters or the you-are-about-to-die adrenaline kick, waking up that early is hard. Everything is kind of a haze until I splash water on my face. Probably one of the best things about being a son of Poseidon is that my morning face washing feels like an espresso caffeine rush. I head down to the kitchen, snag an energy bar and meet Annabeth at the front door for our daily pre-training run.

With all these Jedi, Sith, and assassins running around, Annabeth and I realized we have to pick up our training and conditioning as much as we can. By 0700, we are back at the house and head to Panaka's super cool training gym in the basement. Today, Panaka beat us down there. He likes to lift weights and do his own training when he's not on a morning guard duty shift though I also think he wants to keep an eye on our training too. "So, what's it going to be today?" he asks.

Annabeth and I practice with a different weapon every day. Sometimes we use swords (still my favorite). Other times it's electropoles, blaster, or whatever new weapon Annabeth can find. Some days it's no weapons at all. "Today, it's Percy's turn with the lightsaber," she replies. Annabeth and I have been taking turns practicing with Qui-Gon's lightsaber ever since Obi-Wan gave it to me although it will be my main weapon in this universe since Riptide's useless against most of the people.

Over the past few months of training, I've gotten pretty good with the Jedi weapon. The weird balance no longer feels awkward. It's hard to explain, but I sort of feel like I'm forming some kind of connection with it. Annabeth says it's just my imagination. But now, I can use the lightsaber almost as well as Riptide which means I win most of our competitive duels when I use it. But, today there's an evil glint in Annabeth's eyes which means she's going to make sure I don't win this time. Annabeth hates losing. "And," Annabeth continues, "You are going to do the Obi-Wan drill!" She opens the lid to a jug of water.

"That's such a handicap," I grumble. "And that's got to be almost a gallon!" At least a few times a week, I practice fighting while lifting water like Obi-Wan had me do on the trip back to Naboo.

She smirks, "Well, I think it's time you have a bit more of a challenge since last time you clearly had enough concentration to make water spiders too distract me."

I wince. I knew she would get me back for that one. Maybe, I was a bad boyfriend for using spiders against Annabeth, but I just wanted to win once in hand-to-hand combat. "At least I made cute little spiders doing the hokey pokey." After her initial shock, it did make her laugh.

"There's no such thing as cute spiders," Annabeth retorts trying to not smile, "though they were quite funny, but that's my point. You clearly are showing good control even while focused on fighting with a small amount of water. Now, you need to do the same thing with more. You lifted about 70,000 gallons when you were practicing by the lake, so this should be a cinch." On our day off, Annabeth and I go to isolated areas, so I can practice using my powers on a larger scale. "Your powers are one of the few advantages that we have in this universe. If we are going to survive you need to hone your control over a larger volume."

I know she's right though I still pout. The Obi-Wan drill, dancing water spiders not included, isn't cool or flashy, like making a hurricane or lifting up a lake, but it does help me get better at using my powers while I'm primarily focused on something else which would definitely be useful. I learned that the hard way back in Rome when I struggled to contain the Giant Otis in a lake while Jason and I tried to battle his twin, Ephialtes.

Annabeth rolls her eyes at my begging face. "I'll use the electropole, so it will be more of a fair fight." While we are probably better than most mortals, neither of us particularly like using spears. "That way I can shock you when you get sloppy."

"Actually, I got some new weapons and training tools for you," Panaka says. He goes to one of the weapon racks and grabs something that looks similar to the Gungan's electropoles, but it's made out of a different material and is shorter, maybe a little more than a yard long. "This is a Force pike. It's got a vibro-edged head, so keep the setting on low while you practice. This particular model has a cortosis-weave, so it should be able to withstand a lightsaber."

He tosses it to Annabeth who expertly whirls it around and takes a practice stab. "Oh, I like this! Much more maneuverable than a spear." As a test, I take a swing at it with the lightsaber on full power. Sure enough, the blade didn't cut through the metal. "Wow," Annabeth grins even wider, "Now, I'll actually be able to fight against these Sith."

"Just be careful, the cortosis-weave can weaken the alloy," Panaka warns. "I heard a rumor at the weapons convention that the Baktoid Armor Workshop is developing a similar weapon out of a stronger material though that weapon may be harder to get our hands on. Even a Force pike would be difficult to legally procure if I was not the captain of the Naboo Forces."

Once we start dueling for real, I quickly find out that fighting against my girlfriend when she has a Force pike is not fun. I've fought against spears before, but this Force pike is small enough that Annabeth can use it at a closer range and much faster than any spear. I'm so focused on blocking the shocking end of the pike that I leave myself open to getting rammed with the other end, less painful than the shock but still not cool. After the sixth time she swiped me, I've had enough, so I drop the water ball. The water splatters everywhere, but Annabeth and I keep fighting.

Now, with my full attention on the fight, I can actually block both ends of the staff. I go on the offensive, but before I can really push my advantage, a blaster goes off. Instinctively, I drop to the ground as a blaster bolt flies over me. I roll, but several more follow. I jump up with my lightsaber at the ready and see four spheres firing at Annabeth and me. She dodges the lasers so gracefully it looks like she's dancing. She even deflects a bolt off the pike. Next thing I know there's another bolt coming right at me. I don't have time to move out of the way. My instincts take over, and I catch the bolt on the lightsaber. Automatically, Annabeth and I start working together. She lunges and knocks one of the annoying balls to the ground while I cover her back with the lightsaber. The blaster sphere stays down. We make quick work with the rest of them. The last one goes down when I swipe it with my lightsaber.

Panaka breaks the after battle quite with a few appreciative claps, "You two are good. That was the most difficult setting, and you disabled the droids in just over a minute even though it was a surprise attack."

"Yeah, a little warning would have been nice," I give Panaka a half-hearted glare. "But, it was pretty fun, so I guess it's okay." I switch my lightsaber off and grin. I still can't get over how cool lightsabers sound.

"What are they?" Annabeth asks as she picks up one of them. "Some kind of training droid?"

Panaka nods, "Yes, exactly. I use them to train the Palace Guard on reflexes and marksmanship though after recent events it will be a part of all Naboo Security Force training. Apparently, Jedi also use these remote droids for lightsaber training as well. I will see about getting a few more for you down here. Clearly, you two need more of a challenge."

"Thanks, Panaka!" I grin, glad that our legal guardian has a nice appreciation for weapons and can easily get us new toys – sorry, I mean training tools – to play with.

Annabeth gasps and drops the droid she'd been examining. "Holy Hera! It's 0850! We're running late."

I'm about to sprint up the stairs, but Panaka says, "Percy, the water that is all over the floor."

"Oh, right!" I close my eyes for a second to concentrate and will all the water to flow back into the jug before running up to my room for a record setting shower. Then, I rush back down to the kitchen for breakfast.

Shmi smiles as I slide into the room. "I was wondering if you were going to eat breakfast today," she says and places a heaping plate full of pastries and Naboo's equivalent of eggs and bacon. I think the eggs come from some reptilian bird called Peekaboo or something like that.

"The world would have to be ending before Percy skips a meal," Annabeth says as she takes the seat next to me. Unfortunately, we both know from experience that she's not wrong. "Thanks, Shmi. It looks great!"

I nod in agreement and manage a quick thanks in between bites. We all told Shmi that she didn't have to cook for us, but that didn't stop her. She said that she wasn't used to having so much food, and she discovered that she really enjoyed cooking different things though Annabeth and I would still try to help her whenever we could.

Shmi found a good job helping an elderly couple a few blocks down run their machine shop. When Annabeth asked if Shmi would prefer other work that wasn't so similar to what she did while she was a slave, Shmi just smiled softly and said, "It's the only thing I know how to do, and I am good at it. Besides, choosing to do this and being respected and given a wage makes all of the difference." By now, I'm sure Shmi has enough credits for her own place, but thankfully, she doesn't seem in any hurry to move out. It's not just the cooking that we'll miss, but everyone just seems happier with her around, especially Panaka. When Annabeth and I first moved in with him, Panaka was this super serious military guy. He was fair and tried to take care of us, but he hardly ever smiled or laughed. Now, he's different, and I think Shmi's the main reason.

It's 0920. Usually, Annabeth and I walk to work, but we take a speeder since I cannot be late today. Five minutes later, I park, give Annabeth a quick kiss on the cheek, and take off for my office in the palace. "Goodluck today, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth calls after me. "Try not to offend Tapalo."

I'm pretty sure it's too late for me not to offend Ras Tapalo, and it will only be worse if I show up late. I skid to a stop in my office. The waiting room is empty. "Are they here yet?" I ask my assistant protocol droid.

"No, Master Percy, the Minster of Commerce and Lord Tapalo have not arrived."

I check my watch. It's 0929, one minute to spare. I try to flatten my hair back down and smooth out the wrinkles in my cloths, hoping that it doesn't look like I just ran through the palace. As always, Riptide is in my pocket, and I double check that Qui-Gon's lightsaber is still hidden beneath the Naboo jacket I'm wearing. Even though Obi-Wan did give it to me, I have a feeling that the Jedi Council wouldn't have approved, and as much as I love to annoy the Council, I do not have the time right now to deal with them. Plus, the Naboo are supposed to be a peaceful people, and as a Naboo ambassador, I probably shouldn't be openly wearing weapons. I sit at my desk in the office section and grab a random data pad trying to give the impression that I'm a responsible, knowledgeable adult and not some kid who has no idea what he's doing. At least Jar Jar isn't here to mess this up. He's showing a Gungan fisherman around Theed and introducing him to a friendly Naboo fish merchant. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong with that because I won't be able to help Jar Jar out this time.

The door to my office whooshes open, and the protocol droid walks in followed by two older men in traditional Naboo robes. The Minister of Commerce, Horace Vancil, greets me with a warm smile, "Ambassador Jackson, it is good to see you."

I smile back, "It's good to see you too, Minister." With his completely white hair, stern expression, but twinkling eyes, Minister Vancil is like the grandpa I never had, especially since the only grandfather I ever knew tried to kill me and destroy the world. Minister Vancil has been a huge help as I adjusted to my new job. He gave me lots of support and guidance, was willing to try some of my less traditional ideas, and for the most part was able to stop me from doing stupid things.

"May I introduce, Ras Tapalo from the noble house of Tapalo, leader of the Plasma Consortium" Vancil states just to be polite. Even though I have never seen Tapalo before, I know exactly who he is.

Tapalo has dark hair that's just starting to grey, a rather impressive beard, and a familiar, prominent nose. After all I broke a nose very similar to it. "Ambassador Jackson, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," Tapalo sneers. I just smirk back. I get why the man dislikes me. I really do, but in my opinion his son got what he deserved. Plus, I have Tapalo Junior to thank for my new job which is why his dad has to call me ambassador.

After the Battle of Naboo, Padmé offered both Annabeth and I fancy positions in her cabinet. Annabeth took the job and became Padmé's personal advisor with the bonus of designing a commemorative victory arch. I did not take the job offer. After dealing with shady senators, greedy trade organizations, and arrogant councils, I did not want to deal with any more. Plus, unlike Annabeth I didn't read the news or follow politics. I'm not exactly qualified to advise anyone on trade agreements, taxes, ways to boost the economy, or making new laws. When I told this to Padmé, she just smiled in understanding but said I was selling myself short and that governments could use more people like me and less swarmy politicians. Instead, I went back to the university and helped the professors create accurate maps of the underwater tunnels. Even there, I couldn't completely escape from politicians because the tunnels were suddenly seeing a lot of attention due to the increasing trade with the Gungans and the possibility of new, cheaper interplanetary trade routes, but at least the professors were the unlucky ones that dealt with them.

Everything changed though about a month after the battle. It's a very long story involving two Gungans, a xenophobic restaurant owner, me making Gungan shoes out of my clothes, Ealos Tapalo (Ras Tapalo's pompous jerk of a son) who used to hit on Annabeth, and over 1000 years' worth of prejudice between the Gungans and the Naboo, all of which lead to me being in a fight. Even though Ealos Tapalo threw the first punch, I still got arrested. The Naboo have a very strict no disturbing the peace policy, so in a situation like this, both parties are punished. It also didn't help my case that Tapalo had a broken hand and nose while I didn't even have a bruise. Though, the broken hand definitely wasn't my fault. Tapalo just didn't know how to properly punch.

Guys you should never get arrested, but I suppose if you have to, then you should do it on Naboo. The detention centers are super comfy, like four-star hotel comfy. Anyway, after a night in the Theed Detention Center, a very amused Queen Amidala sentenced me to a month of community service as a Naboo representative among the Gungans since I was clearly very passionate about fair treatment for Gungans.

To my surprise I actually enjoyed the job and was decent at it, so after I served out my month, I was appointed the official Naboo Ambassador for the Gungan High Council sort of like the opposite of Jar Jar who represented the Gungans among the Naboo. Since it was Jar Jar, though, I've had to help out a lot on the Naboo side too. No offense to the Gungan, he means well and tries hard, but usually if left on his own it turns into an even bigger mess. For the past few months I've mostly just helped the Naboo who wanted to go to Gungan cities for whatever reason and helped Jar Jar with Gungans who wanted to go to Naboo cities. I sat in the Gungan High Council on a few important meetings and basically said what the queen wanted. I helped the Naboo create a more Gungan friendly atmosphere and develop laws against Gungan discrimination in restaurants and businesses, plus doing the same on the Gungan side. I stopped a few greedy Naboo merchants from making unfair deals with Gungan producers. But, my biggest achievement so far was stopping the Gungan mob from terrorizing Naboo villages. I did have to use my powers a little to scare the Gungan mob boss, but I figured more Gungan rumors about me being Gobba's chosen was better than the Gungan mob getting a hold in the Naboo cities.

Today, I'm supposed to supervise a very important negotiation for plasma mining between the Naboo and Gungans. Even though both Queen Amidala and Boss Nass want this new agreement for sustainable plasma mining, the details are going to be difficult to work out between the scientists and the Naboo and Gungan plasma merchants. To make matters worse, Tapalo's Gungan counterpart, Lyonie, is just as ambitious, thrifty, and proud as Tapalo though I don't think Lyonie is nearly as much of a jerk, and Lyonie actually likes and respects me. So, I will be there to pretty much make sure Lyonie and Tapalo won't do anything to start a war since quite a few of those have been fought over plasma in the past. But, because of my complicated history with Tapalo, Minister Vancil is coming to make sure the two of us play nice. All in all, it will be just another fun day in the office.

I'm about to say something really clever in response to Tapalo's sneer and sarcasm, probably 'So, has your son learned how to actually throw a punch,' but I notice Vancil's warning glare and stop. The minister's probably right. Even though the man has been indirectly giving me trouble for ages whenever he can (I'm pretty sure he's the leader of the anti-unification movement), I shouldn't antagonize him this early and so obviously, otherwise my job will be a lot harder. Instead of taunting him, I get a much better idea, so I smile what Annabeth calls my troublemaker smirk and say "Well, now that you're here let's get going." Tapalo looks suspicious and Vancil desperately shakes his head clearly trying to say no to whatever I'm planning.

I lead the two men out of my office and to the royal boathouse where there's a small fleet of Gungan submarines generously donated by Boss Nass to the Naboo ambassador. Sometimes, I really love my job. Although the three of us could fit in the small Bongo, I pick the luxury six passenger one. It has a sleek design with state-of-the-art Gungan technology, and I figure Tapalo won't be able to turn his nose up at the interior. Naturally, I take the pilot chair. Once my passengers take a seat, I fire up the engines. The subs' chronometer reads 0944. I glance at Tapalo and grin. He has no idea what he's in for because today seems like a great day to set a new record.

I quickly accelerate the sub to maximum speed and dive into the maze of underwater tunnels. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Vancil pull out a holographic map of the tunnels to show Tapalo something. I make a sharp right without slowing down and guide the sub through a narrow tunnel. Without my powers, we totally would have crashed, but to my passengers, it just looks like a super fancy maneuver. "Umm, Percy," Vancil asks, clearly worried enough to use my first name, "I think you took a wrong turn. This tunnel is marked unsafe on the map."

I grin, "Well, this is the quickest way to Otoh Gunga, and I figured someone of Lord Tapalo's station wouldn't want to waste any time. Besides, it's only marked dangerous for the wildlife." The wildlife hazard is mainly because the tunnel is too small for Bessie Jr to hunt in, so it tends to have a rather high population of dangerous sea creatures.

Right on time a huge, opee sea killer appears. Tapalo lets out a rather high-pitch scream as it opens its mouth and shoots out its tongue. I quickly jerk the sub to the left and downward. The tongue just misses us, and I control the current to push us past the creature at high speeds. I take another tunnel downward and almost run straight into the jaws of a colo claw fish. Luckily my underwater senses warned me, and I pull the sub up over the top of its narrow snout. Before the sub can scrape the top of the tunnel, I dive into a corkscrew around the eel-like body, letting out a whoop. This is way better than a roller-coaster. Suddenly, I sense the colo claw fish isn't alone. There's at least three more of them waiting to lunge out at us. "Oops, when did a claw nest get here!"

"This is a nest!" Tapalo squeaks.

I ignore him and close my eyes trying to focus on the currents around us. "I do not believe this," Tapalo shouts, his anger clearly giving him courage, "He has his eyes close."

"If you don't want to die, shut up." I mutter, concentrating on the feel of the water around us and sensing the anticipation of the hidden predators. The closest colo claw fish lunges, but I will the current to give us an extra boost, and it misses us. The other two try to block us with their bodies but I expertly weave between them. I can tell they are chasing after us, so I push the sub to it's max. I call for Bessie in my mind. "Almost there." We breakout of the tunnel into the more open underwater canyon surrounding the Gungan city. Sure enough, my big friend's waiting for us. She opens her mouth in a big grin, and we sail right by it. Tapalo's eyes are each as big as a cyclops' eye, and the guy looks like he's going to faint. Bessie's mouth clamps down on the closest colo claw fish, and she bats at the other ones with her webbed claws. "Thanks!" I tell her telepathically. "I hope you enjoy your breakfast."

I keep the speed up until we reach the Otoh Gunga bongo docking area then perform a flashy stop that makes us all jerk in our seats. "Well, that was fun," I say with a huge grin. I glance at the chronometer, 0958, "And it looks like I set a new record between Theed and Otoh Gunga!" I look at my passengers, suddenly worrying that I might have showed off a little too much, but they both seem too distracted by our eventful trip to realize that no normal bongo could possibly have gone that fast.

Minister Vancil stands shakily, "Yes, well next time I would prefer the government approved route even if it takes an extra 18 minutes."

Tapalo nodded, clearly unable to speak at the moment. "Are you okay Lord Tapalo?" I ask not even bothering to stop smirking. "You look a little green."

The actual meeting goes about as well as I thought it would. Everyone argues over plasma percentages. Tapalo makes subtle and less subtle insults regarding Gungans. Lyonie walks out. I understandably get mad. Vancil corrects me for behaving unprofessionally and warns Tapalo to be respectful. I go after Lyonie and convince him to come back. Then the whole cycle repeats again and again. Even the food brought in for lunch doesn't help my mood. By 1430, I've had enough, so once I manage to get Lyonie back to the negotiation table for the third time, I say, "Look guys, I have a very busy afternoon and evening. I know this has priority over my schedule. But, I just want you to know that if we finish after 1500, I will have to take that shortcut back to Theed, so I can make up for lost time."

Tapalo immediately pales, "You cannot be serious. Are you suicidal? We barely survived."

I shrug, "Well we got through the first time, so I figure we should be able to do it again. I have a lot of very important work to return to. Every minute counts."

"I will just ride in another sub," Tapalo states smugly.

"If that's your wish Lord Tapalo," I say with a smirk, "I'm sure I can find at least one Gungan, you haven't insulted yet who might be willing to take you back to Theed since besides me, the only other sub pilots here are Gungans."

Tapalo grimaces, clearly debating who are worse Gungans, who he considers inferior and barbaric, or me. I'm not sure if I should be offended when he decides I'm the lesser evil. After my ultimatum, he quickly agrees to a 50/50 split which I know Queen Amidala will be perfectly happy with. It's greedy Tapalo that wanted more. We are back in the sub right at 1500 with an almost complete plasma deal only missing Queen Amidala's signature since Boss Nass already signed it. "Oh well, I guess I don't have to take my shortcut this time," I say sadly, "But, a guy can always hope, we will be pushed for time the next time we all do this again." I wink at Tapalo, and the man glares at me. For Vancil's sake though, I make sure the trip back is smooth and uneventful. By 1540, I'm waiting for Annabeth at the speeder. She comes out a few minutes later, and we head back to the house.

Unfortunately, we don't have piloting lessons today. Porro Dolphe, one of the pilots in the Space Fighter Corps, has been slowly teaching Annabeth and I to pilot spaceships. Since Porro's super busy and so are we, we only meet three times a week, but Porro seems pretty confident that he'll have us flying like pros in a few months. Surprisingly, I actually enjoy flying spaceships even if I do still freeze up some during take-off and landing. In space, I'm pretty good minus the calculations for hyperspace jumps. I leave those to Annabeth and computers, but in the dogfight sims, I take out more enemy ships than Annabeth. Of course, she claims that it doesn't matter how many more ships I take out since I'm twice as likely to crash my ship doing some stupid, reckless maneuver.

Days like today are much less fun because instead of breaking the sound barrier and playing realistic video games, we meditate. Annabeth's convinced that we need to understand this outside Force that the Jedi and Sith use. Even though I complain a lot about it (after all meditation still isn't fun), and I'll never admit it to Annabeth, I get why we need to meditate. Besides helping me control my powers a little better and saving the plumbing when I lose my temper, I know between the Jedi and Sith in this universe that not knowing about the Force would be as bad for us as not knowing about the gods back home.

Even though the Jedi don't hide from mortals here, it's like they are still in their own world, and unfortunately, Annabeth and I are stuck in there with them because of our abilities. Sure, we know the basics about the Force, thanks to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but I doubt the Jedi Council will tell us any more. Neither of us know exactly what Force-users can do which leaves us extremely vulnerable to both the Sith and even the Jedi if they ever decided to go against us. Could they use something like charmspeak? Would it affect us? Could we stop their telekinesis in a fight? How much of the future do they see, and can they see us now, or do our weird natural shielding block them? Not to mention the freaking lightning the Sith could use or other powers we don't know about. Plus, the biggest question, can we use this outside, surrounding Force?

That is the main reason why Annabeth wants to focus on meditation. I'm pretty sure she finds time to meditate even when we do have piloting lessons in the hope that she can learn to use this Force like the Jedi or at the very least, be able to move objects with her mind since it seems like we naturally have some of the other Force-abilities. Annabeth has never mentioned it, but I know it was hard for her sometimes back home, especially on the Argo II. All of the seven had these super cool powers except her. Despite this, she was still our de facto leader and kicked just as much monster and Giant butt as any of us which I think is her real super power. With enough time for planning and strategizing, I know she can take down any enemy using her smarts and determination. But, in this universe with this outside Force, maybe she can have cool super powers too.

By 1600, Annabeth and I are sitting in Panaka's small courtyard behind the house. It's one of my preferred meditation spots because the trickling fountain helps me focus. I close my eyes and take a deep breath trying to mentally prepare myself for whatever is about to happen. I used to think meditation would be boring, but for some reason, maybe the Force or just the way Qui-Gon taught me to meditate, every time is a little different and not always in a good way. Sometimes, I never leave what I consider my water and stay near my imaginary Montauk beach. The sea is just too wild those days, and it takes too long to find the invisible barrier and make the water quiet enough to cross the border to the other side. Other times, I can easily pass through to those other, still waters.

When I picture Montauk beach in my mind today, the water looks perfect for swimming, calm for the most part but a playful wave every so often. I walk out onto the water and focus on quieting it down as I try to find the invisible barrier. I walk farther and farther from the beach, and eventually, the sea is as smooth as a pond in Central Park. Somewhere along the way, I realize that I can sense it, that feeling. I know I'm close. When I get there, I pause. Part of me doesn't want to deal with the other side today, but as usual my curiosity wins. I never know what I will see or feel over there. I take a deep breath and force the water around me to be completely motionless. Then, I step through the barrier.

Other than the ripples that fan out as I walk on top of the water, the surface is still, but beneath me I can feel currents pushing and pulling and swirling. Some days I try to follow the currents. Other days I try to ignore them. Today, I keep walking forward and brace myself. On this side, I sometimes sense feelings and emotions that aren't mine. It may be incredible joy or devastating sorrow and almost always a constant burning rage that seems to hover around. I have no idea where the feelings come from, but Annabeth thinks they are the emotions of sentient beings all throughout the galaxy. It can get pretty overwhelming, and I have a little more respect for the Jedi if they have to deal with that all the time.

Today, though, everything is calm and peaceful on this side. Even the anger isn't really here as if whatever causes it is distracted. My luck did not extend to the visions. Like the strange emotions, sometimes on this side of the barrier I see images in the water as I walk by, but those are less frequent and way more interesting than the strange feelings. I guess images is the wrong word, more like short video clips of what can only be the past or future. They are less like demigod dreams and more like Piper's knife Katoptris since they are quick flashes and seemingly unconnected. Annabeth gets them too, so it's not like I'm going crazy or anything.

In one, I see a slightly older Anakin laughing with another boy in Jedi robes. Perhaps the kid will make a few Jedi friends. A bit farther, the water shows Annabeth in the co-pilot chair of a spaceship frantically pressing buttons. As the ship goes to hyperspace, she smiles and says, "We did it." Well that also seems good, assuming these visions actually happen.

The next watery vision is not pleasant. There's a sandy pit filled with so many bodies and limbs, like hundreds of people were blown to bits. It's hard to even recognize the bodies. Some are human, and I notice the bright skin of Twil'elks, but there are many other species I don't know. Multi-color liquid soaks the sand and looks like paint, rust-red, blue, green, and orange. It must be blood. In the end it doesn't seem to matter what species you are because everyone bleeds, even gods. I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Normally, I'm not squeamish. I've survived several battles, seen many gruesome injuries, and watched friends die. But, this is something else entirely. This is senseless slaughter. I don't want to look at this anymore. I want to wash it away. Instinctively, I somehow connect the current beneath me with the sea that's always inside of me and push outwards. A huge wave crashes into the vision in the water, breaking it up. But that just forms another wave that keeps going until I can't see it anymore. Cool, I didn't know I could do that! I'm about to try again, but I get a feeling that I'm in danger. That something is going on in the real world.

My hand flies to my pocket, and I draw Riptide as I open my eyes. Instinctively, I raise my sword just in time to block a blaster bolt from one of those training droids. I sprint toward it dodging blaster shots as I run. I leap and knock the droid down with the flat of the blade. Somewhere off to my left I hear blaster fire, but it stops suddenly. I turn and see Annabeth pointing her blaster in the direction of a second fallen droid. She glances at me, "Really, Seaweed Brain? The lightsaber would have been the better choice."

I smile sheepishly, not quite willing to admit that she's probably right. "Old habits. Why did they attack us anyways?"

Annabeth has that look in her eyes that she gets whenever she proves something particularly clever, "Well, I was curious if the Force would warn us of the danger while we were meditating, like Obi-Wan said it does for Jedi, so I set them to attack us anytime within a 30-minute range. Judging by both of our responses the Force did warn us."

I shrug, "Eh, I think it was my amazing demigod reflexes."

Annabeth just rolls her eyes, "I think the Force might be our amazing demigod reflexes."

"Whatever, I need a snack."