A\N: This story just would not leave my head, so here you are! I do not own the PJO universe.
Chapter 2: Note to self: Never ask what could go wrong, it is an invitation.
Fourteen years ago,
22nd September 1992,
Atlantis.
Her husband was humming. Humming.
Amphitrite, Queen of Atlantis and goddess of sea animals, narrowed her eyes. Poseidon was many things, temperamental, vengeful, easygoing, etc. but he had never hummed a lullaby as long as she could remember, not even for their children when they had been babies, let alone his demigod offsprings. (To be fair though, all of their godly children came out of the womb relatively self-sufficient, which suited her just fine as she had never been the most maternal of the Goddesses).
She was aware he had taken a lover recently, and was quite smitten with her, from what her sources told her. She felt anger rising in her as a thought hit her.
She swam towards their bedchamber, her tails lashing about in rage. Amphitrite found her husband in their rooms, where he was reading some papers. He looked up as she entered, confusion plain on his face.
"What makes you so angry, my queen?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.
"Tell me, my lord, have you sired a demigod child? Did you break your oath?" she demanded.
Poseidon half-rose from his seat. "How did you-"
"You did." Amphitrite put her face in her hand, dread replacing her anger as she thought of the possible ramifications this would have.
"You have never minded any of my previous demigod children," Poseidon said carefully.
"You think that I am upset you found a mortal lover?" the goddess asked, baffled.
"Then what?"
She straightened up. "Have you forgotten the Great Prophecy? Do you know what this will do to Atlantis? And what about the child? You have doomed them to the yoke of the prophecy. And if your brothers get wind of it…"
"Do you really think I haven't thought of it all? I never wanted to put any of my children in this position," the sea god said hotly.
The Nereid collapsed onto a chair. Running a hand through her hair in frustration, she thought of ways to mitigate this disaster.
Looking at the despondent face of her husband, she carefully put aside her rage at his actions. She was well aware that they, the gods and goddesses, were prone to falling in love much too easily.
"So, tell me about this mortal who captured your attention," she inquired gently, taking his hand into her own.
The thing was, Amphitrite was not Hera. Unlike the Queen of Olympus, her husband having other lovers did not trouble her, not when she herself had had many a mortal dalliance. Their marriage was an open one. They both were free to take lovers on the side, as long as they remained married. Theirs had been a political match, though Poseidon had fallen for her once he had laid his eyes on her. At the end of the day, they both had only each other.
She felt sorry for her sister-in-law sometimes, what with her husband disrespecting her domains so blatantly.
"Funnily enough, it was her name that drew me in," Poseidon chuckled, his eyes wistful. "She called herself Sally, but her birth name is Salacia. She reminded me of you when we had been younger."
Something shifted at the back of her mind at the mention of her Roman counterpart.
"She is very beautiful, but it was her attitude that drew me in," Poseidon continued, smiling at his wife fondly. "She has the same no-nonsense, pragmatic air to her as you do. She is kind-hearted and charming, with a core of steel. Truly, she is a queen amongst mortals."
Amphitrite smiled at the love he had in his eyes for them both. They were Greek. They could love multiple people at a time. It did not mean that their love was fickle, or shallow. When a god loved, they loved whole-heartedly. That's why so many of the stories of old are tragedies. She just hoped this was not one.
The goddess settled back more comfortably as her husband told her about his paramour. This Sally seemed like a sensible woman. Amphitrite wanted to meet her.
"Tell me about your newest child, my dear," she said, as he finished extoling his mortal lover's virtues.
His face lit up.
"The Fates have blessed me with twins!" Poseidon exclaimed joyfully.
His wife covered her mouth in shock. "Truly? You have not been blessed with twins for ages!" she breathed. "What are their names?"
"Perseus Aeneas, and Aurelia Phoebe," he answered, smiling proudly. "The sea is strong in them."
Before she could congratulate him, the door opened, and her eldest entered.
Triton, Heir of Atlantis and the god of tidal waves, stared curiously at them with green eyes he had inherited from his father.
"Father. Mother," Triton greeted them cautiously. "Is everything alright? The sharks reported raised voices."
His mother waved a dismissive hand. "A minor disagreement, nothing else, my dear. Your father merely did something unwise, that is all."
Poseidon made an offended sound.
She cut her eyes to him. "Don't deny it, darling. It was reckless and irresponsible, regardless of the blessing it became. You should have known better. Now the young ones will suffer for your mistake."
"What did you do, Pater?" Triton asked, now alarmed.
"Your father," Amphitrite answered for her husband, who was now rather pale, "broke his Oath on the Styx, and has sired demigod children."
Her son's twin tails lashed about in anger. Triton had always disliked his demigod half-siblings.
"Calm, Triton. They are just babies, right now. Do not blame them for your father's folly," the queen of Atlantis cautioned, having correctly guessed what was going through her son's mind.
Triton nodded, his jaw clenched, but continued to glare at his father.
Poseidon sighed.
Fourteen years ago,
23rd September 1992,
Brooklyn.
Amphitrite materialized in front of a rather rundown door. Her husband had informed her of the location of his ex-lover's residence. Looking around, she sneered slightly.
This was no place for the children of the King of Atlantis.
She hoped Poseidon had plans of moving his paramour and their children to a more suitable location, or Pontus help her, she would be having words with him.
The Nereid rang the bell.
When the door opened, Amphitrite understood why her husband had been so taken with this particular mortal. The young woman, who stood in front of her with a wary expression, clearly had the blood of the sea. Her color changing eyes were evidence of some immortal ancestry, perhaps a sister of hers. Amphitrite herself had the same eyes, though she could control the change.
"How can I help you, my lady?" the young woman asked.
Interesting. This mortal was clear-sighted, if she could recognize a goddess on first sight.
"Hello, Sally, is it? My name is Amphitrite. No, no, don't be alarmed, my dear, I mean no harm to you or the little ones," she said hastily, upon seeing Sally's widened eyes and tensed body. "May I come in? I swear on the Styx to cause no harm to you or your children."
The sky rumbled at her oath, and Sally visibly relaxed. She stepped back and gestured for the goddess to come inside.
As Amphitrite sat herself on the sofa, Sally asked her nervously, "what would you like to drink, my lady?"
"Water would be fine, my dear. There's no need to look so worried. I am not my sister-in-law, I hold no resentment towards my husband's paramours. Ours is an open marriage, we are both free to take lovers."
"Oh," the young mortal breathed, relieved, and got a glass of water for the goddess sitting on her sofa.
"Thank you." Amphitrite took a sip of water, and stated, "I am merely here to see who had captured my husband's heart after so long. He called you a queen amongst mortals, and I became quite curious. I was told you were named after me, so naturally I had to meet you."
The goddess could see a slight flush on young Sally's cheeks, and smiled, charmed. She continued, "I can see why Poseidon was so enamored. Oh, if only I had met you before him!" Amphitrite winked at her, making the young woman's blush more pronounced.
Sally cleared her throat, slightly flattered. She fidgeted with her hands, but did not know what to say, except, "Thank you, my lady."
"Oh please, call me Amphitrite," the goddess requested. "May I see the little ones, my dear?"
Sally hesitated, but said, "Okay. Follow me."
She led the Nereid to the crib.
"Oh, they are just lovely," Amphitrite breathed as her eyes fell on her husband's children.
The babies were tiny, barely a month old, both swaddled in soft fabric. She frowned slightly as she noticed something amiss.
"The way my husband talked about them, I expected to sense more of the sea on them," Amphitrite said, concerned.
Sally tilted her head. "My daughter has a divine patron. The earrings on both of the twins was a gift from them. It masks their presence from monsters and immortals both."
"That is a very generous gift, indeed, and very useful. I am relieved that the little ones will not suffer a difficult childhood like my husband's other demigod children have," Amphitrite replied. "May I hold them?"
"Of course. Here." Sally picked up one of the babies, and transferred them to Amphitrite's arms. "This is my daughter, Aurelia, and the one in the crib is Perseus."
"Who is your daughter's patron?" the goddess questioned, as she hummed softly to little Aurelia. "I only ask because the enchantment on the earring is very strong, and intricate."
"I don't know if I can tell you," Sally replied, guarded. "I don't know if I should."
"Fair enough." Amphitrite nodded, knowing very well the capricious nature of the divine. She did not want anything harmful to befall this young woman, even if they had only just met. Gods, by nature, were rather narcissistic, and so, this beautiful young lady, who bore her Roman name, had her favor. She hadn't been joking when she had wished that she had met this treasure before Poseidon.
Amphitrite made a decision. Setting down the baby, she reached up and pulled out one of her abalone and pearl hairpins. She offered it to Sally.
"Take this. It will help you."
Sally took it with a confused frown.
"Press the pearl at the top," the goddess prompted. "Point it away from you."
The young woman did as she was told. A shimmering coppery trident materialized in her hand. The trident was seven feet tall, with a huge pearl set at the base of the prongs, and had a sharpened point in the shape of a crab claw at the other end.
"This will help you protect your little ones from anyone who gets past the masking enchantment. The trident is made of Orichalcum, and will be able to kill any monster you come across. You have some immortal blood, so you will be able to wield the weapon with relative ease, with only a little instruction. I will send someone to teach you."
Sally was gazing at the trident with undisguised awe, but took the time to thank the goddess.
"Thank you, Lady Amphitrite. I- You- This gift is beyond generous."
Amphitrite smiled softly, "You're welcome, my dear. If you press the pearl at the top, it will disguise itself as a hairpin again."
Sally pressed on the pearl and watched with amazement as the trident shrank down into the hairpin.
Amphitrite knocked back what would be her fourteenth shot of vodka.
Bless the Eastern European humans for inventing vodka, even if they didn't technically fall under the Greek gods' dominion. She didn't think she could have survived the antics of her family on just nectar and wine.
She had come to this hole-in-the-wall bar after she had met young Sally. The whole situation had shook her up more than she had shown to her husband and her son. Gods, what a mess.
She took another shot.
Twins. She wondered what it meant for the Great Prophecy. As far as she knew, the Prophecy only spoke of one half-blood. She hoped nothing happened to separate the twins. They may have been her husband's, but she had come to care for them as well. Above all, they were still innocent little babes.
Again, she cursed her husband in her mind. Having met Sally, she couldn't blame Poseidon for falling for her.
But cursing him out was rather cathartic.
She could already sense the headaches waiting in her future. The immediate problem being her son. Triton had always been hostile towards his demigod half-siblings, and she understood why. Most of her husband's children had inherited the worst traits of her husband. Though, she had the feeling that the twins would break the mold. At least, she hoped. She prayed that her son would be more amenable, if only for his own sake. Poseidon was very, and rightly so, protective of his latest children, as they were his first children in almost a century.
"Lady Amphitrite! Fancy seeing you here."
An upbeat voice interrupted her thoughts. The Queen of Atlantis turned to see who had disturbed her solitude.
She had an unimpressed look on her face as she saw her nephew in all his golden glory, grinning down at her.
"What are you doing here, Apollo?"
The sun god sat himself down beside her, ignoring her frown. Ordering a cocktail from the bartender, he turned to her, still grinning that infernal grin.
"Are you not happy to see me?"
"No."
Pouting, he said, "and here I travelled so many miles just to see my favorite aunt. Well, after Aunt Hestia, of course."
"Olympus is literally across the river," Amphitrite deadpanned.
He pouted even more.
"You never visit me. So, why are you here?" she asked sternly, completely done with the world after the day she had had.
Apollo's expression smoothened out, transforming into something more serious, more ancient.
"Something changed, today. Not a prophecy, but something important. And I have a feeling that it was because of you," he said lowly, his golden eyes boring into her.
She thought of Sally, of giving her one of Atlantis's weapons, and kept her face blank.
"I haven't the slightest idea what it could be, my dear." She lifted her glass to take a sip.
He studied her keenly. And then shrugged. Sipping on his violently pink cocktail, he told her, "Whatever it is you did, changed the future for the better. That is all I can sense. Anyhow, the Fates are blocking me from seeing the actual change, so I am guessing that they are not against it."
Amphitrite remained silent, having a terrible feeling as to just what she had changed by her actions.
"So, not with Uncle P, tonight? Looking for some company?" He shot her a smarmy smile, and waggled his eyebrows, unsubtly changing the subject.
Amphitrite threw her drink in his face.
Present day,
8th June 2007,
Long Island,
New York.
Ray studied the horde of hellhounds, dracanae, and gods knew what else gathered at the base of the hill. Tilting her head, she thought for a moment, and made a decision.
Shrugging off her backpack, she took it and shoved it into Grover's arms, motioning for her brother to do the same.
"Uff," Grover huffed, trying not to overbalance with both backpacks piled into his arms. "Uh, what-"
"Watch our bags. You need to stay back. You'll only be a liability when we are fighting them." She waved a hand at the gathered monster army. She cut her eyes to Percy, daring him to contradict her words.
He grimaced, but nodded. "We both are used to fighting with each other. Adding another person would just throw everything off. Sorry, G-man." Percy shrugged helplessly.
Ray kept an eye on the monsters, lest they attacked while they were talking, but it seemed like they were letting them make the first move. Weird, but okay.
"I'm supposed to be your Protector," Grover protested, looking very upset at the thought of leaving them.
Percy frowned. "Why do I get the feeling that it has capital letters?"
"Boys, save the lover's spat for later," Ray warned. "We have a more pressing problem. And Grover, you may be a Protector, but Percy and I have been fighting monsters besides each other for many years. Trust me, we'll be fine. We can handle this."
The satyr looked uncertain, but agreed.
Now that the matter was resolved, she fully turned towards the monsters. She glared at the Minotaur, thinking why the fuck doesn't this pest stay dead for long and how did he get even uglier?
"So, how are we gonna do this, brother dear? Do you want the bigger pest, or the smaller ones? I am good with both."
Percy considered the monsters with calculating eyes, his face hardening. Ray could see him visibly getting into what she called his battle mode.
"You killed him last time, so it's my turn now with Beef-Boy," he replied.
"Fair enough. So, snipe and storm?"
"As good a plan as any other."
Ray tugged on her necklace, the pendant detaching and turning into a bow in her hands, with the chain transforming into a quiver full of celestial bronze arrows on her back.
Percy brought out Riptide, the bronze sword resting comfortably in his right hand, his left holding a long dagger. Both of them were proficient in dual-wielding bladed weapons.
She took a deep breath.
Showtime.
The Minotaur charged with a roar. Percy ran to meet him, the world sharpening around him, his senses on overdrive. He was vaguely aware of the hellhounds yelping and bursting into gold dust around him. The demigod shifted his grip on Anaklusmos and slid to the right, just as the Minotaur was about to gore him. He slashed at the monster's head as the Minotaur barreled through the place he had just been in.
The Son of Pasiphaë bellowed as one of his horns was cut off by the bronze blade.
Ducking under an outstretched arm trying to grab him, Percy came up behind the monster and stabbed at his back with his dagger. The Minotaur turned too fast for him, and he changed the stab to a slashing motion, a large gash appearing on the behemoth.
The monster backhanded him with a roar. Percy was thrown back a few feet and landed in a crouch, wincing at the pain in his torso. Before he could stand up, three dracanae were upon him, hissing in glee.
Percy tried to jump back, but was caught by their spears. He stumbled, raising Riptide just in time to block a spear from gutting him. He felt his blood oozing out of his wounds as he stabbed a dracaena with his dagger.
Suddenly, the remaining two monster ladies burst into dust. Ray stood there panting, her twin swords in her hands, and absolutely covered in gold dust.
"Getting rusty there, little brother?" She grinned at him, before her eyes widened.
She shoved him to the side, his ribs protesting the manhandling, and killed the hellhound creeping up on him.
"I am older than you," Percy protested, as he stabbed the harpy bearing down on his sister.
"No, you're not." Ray spun in a circle, destroying more monsters, her swords flashing. She turned to him, grinning wildly. Then she choked, eyes bugging out.
Percy watched in horror as his twin was lifted up by her throat. He had forgotten about the Minotaur.
The Minotaur brought Ray closer to his face, her legs kicking. He sniffed, and growled, probably smelling her parentage.
Percy tried to run towards them, but a sharp pain in his abdomen made him stumble. Looking down, he could see a sword sticking out of his stomach. A dracaena had skewered him from behind as he had been distracted. His vision swam as he fought to stand.
He still tried to fight, killing the dracaena who had stabbed him. But it quickly became too much, and his knees gave out. His vision darkened and his weapons slipped out of his slackened grip.
Percy felt a rumble, but couldn't tell if it was thunder or an earthquake. The last thing he saw was his twin killing the Minotaur.
His eyes closed.
"Percy!"
The sky was roiling stormily.
Camp Half-Blood was a hive of activity. A dryad had reported two demigods fighting a horde of monsters gathered at the base of Half-Blood Hill. Senior campers hurriedly armored up, as the younger ones retreated to their cabins, scared.
Half of the Apollo cabin prepped the infirmary, while the rest grabbed their bows and ran to Thalia's Tree. Ares cabin was already on the way up the hill, with Athena's children not far behind.
Chiron himself had readied his bow and was galloping towards the border.
The campers who had reached the top of the hill froze. Almost all of them had never seen those many monsters.
Luke Castellan felt himself paling as he had a flashback to five years ago. He saw Thalia in the place of the girl who was being lifted by the throat by the Minotaur.
Annabeth Chase came over the crest of the hill just in time to see a Scythian dracaena stab one of the two demigods fighting from behind. Her mind immediately flashed back to that terrible night five years ago.
The girl stabbed the Minotaur, and turned to see the other one collapse.
"Percy!" She screamed.
The scream seemed to jar the campers, and they charged down the hill. But before they could reach them, a shock wave surged out of the female demigod, turning most of the monsters to dust. The campers stumbled as the ground undulated. They could smell ozone in the air.
The rest of the monsters turned tail and ran.
"Stop!" Luke shouted, the air becoming charged. The demigods stopped instinctively, their hair raising.
Chiron watched in horror as lightning struck, praying for the life of the two young ones.
Blinking the afterimages away, the assembled demigods took in the sight with awe and fear. The lightning bolt was suspended a few feet above the two fallen demigods, crackling white-hot with power.
A wind rushed through the area, bringing in the scent of stardust and incense.
The lightning bolt dissipated into tiny sparks, which fell harmlessly down around the boy and the girl.
Present day,
9th June 2007,
Camp Half-Blood,
Long Island.
Sea-green eyes blinked open.
Percy groaned as the various aches and pains of his body made themselves known. His gut flared with pain as he shifted.
"Careful there. We just managed to close your wound," a lilting voice said from beside him.
Turning his head, he saw a college-aged guy with a head full of golden curls sitting on the chair beside his bed.
He gave Percy a grin. "How are you feeling, buddy?"
Percy struggled to get up, the blonde helping him settle somewhat upright against the pillows. "Like I was run over by a fourteen wheeler," He panted, his ribs also flaring up.
"That is to be expected. You were skewered by a sword, as well as having four broken ribs." The pretty blonde guy informed him, his blue eyes scanning him. "In fact, I am shocked you are even awake right now. It's been only a day since your battle."
"I heal fast." Percy frowned. "Where's my sister?"
The blonde guy gestured towards the other side of the room. "She's sleeping in the next bed. We thought it prudent to put you both in one room. She'll be asleep a bit longer, I wager. "
"What's wrong with her?" Percy asked worriedly.
"Your physical injuries were severe. She, on the other hand, almost burned herself out by overusing her demigod powers. We barely managed to stabilize her. She'll make a full recovery, but she needs rest. And nectar and ambrosia. Which reminds me, here." He handed Percy a glass of what looked like apple juice with a straw.
Taking it, he took a sip, and smiled at the familiar taste of his mom's salted chocolate chip cookies. He had drunk nectar before, and every time the taste brought back good memories. Sometimes it was the cookies, sometimes it was his sister's salted caramel macarons. The pain in his abdomen lessened drastically.
"Good, right?" Blue Eyes smiled. "By the way, I'm James Singer. I'm in charge of the infirmary here at Camp Half-Blood."
"Nice to meet you, James. I'm Percy Jackson. Thanks for taking care of us."
James's smile widened. "No need to thank me. This is a safe space for people like us."
Percy nodded, but didn't say anything, his eyes on his sister, relieved by the steady rise and fall of her chest.
"By the way, I'm supposed to ask whether you are aware of what you are and why those monsters were there."
"If you are asking whether we know we are demigods, the answer is yes," Percy said, amused at the rather awkward look on James's face. "We've known for years."
"Do you know who your godly parent is?"
"Yes, but I'd rather not say anything until we are claimed."
"Alright." The medic smiled understandingly.
"And yours, if you don't mind me asking?" Percy asked. "Wait, no, let me guess. Apollo, right?"
James chuckled good-naturedly. "What gave it away? Was it the medic part, the blonde hair, or the last name?"
Percy grinned. Before he could reply, the door opened.
A girl, probably his age, with bouncy blonde curls and calculating grey eyes entered. Grover followed her in, a worried frown on his face.
"Pe-ercy!" Grover bleated. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"
"Hey, G-man. I am feeling better. How are you? None of the monsters hurt you, right?" Percy asked, concerned.
"No, I was fine. But never do that again, do you hear me?" his best friend frowned sternly. "You said you could handle it, that you would be fine!"
"I am fine!" Percy protested.
"Made into a shish-kebab, but, yeah, fine," the son of Apollo muttered under his breath.
Percy pouted at him, feeling uncharacteristically at ease around the medic.
"Anyway, this is Annabeth, a daughter of Athena," James introduced the intimidating blond girl. "Annabeth, this is Percy."
"Nice to meet you." Annabeth turned towards James. "Chiron and Mr. D want to talk to them. Are they fit enough to walk?"
James frowned. "Percy just woke up, and his wound is not yet fully healed. And his sister is still unconscious. I would prefer to keep them here for another day."
"Can you guys please not talk as if I'm not there?" Percy cut in sharply.
Stormy grey eyes turned to him, frigid and intent. There was something about the blond girl that raised his hackles, but at the same time, a voice at the back of his mind whispered: she is important. Important to whom, Percy wanted to shout back, but new it wouldn't make a difference. He had lived for fourteen years listening to that voice, and not once had it been wrong.
A groan from the other bed caught their attention. Percy tried to scramble out of the bed to reach his twin, but James easily held him in place.
"Stay," the medic ordered, and went to Ray's bed, checking her vitals. She struggled to brush his fingers off of her wrists as she sat up.
"Good morning, princess. How are you feeling?"
"Ugh," Ray groaned.
"Yes." James nodded his head, as if it made perfect sense. "That is what happens when you almost burn yourself up from the inside."
She squinted at him. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"I'm your medic, James Singer. You are in the infirmary at Camp Half-blood."
Ray huffed and slumped back into her pillows. And shot back up again. "Where's Percy?"
"Hey sis." Percy waved a hand at her. "You good?"
She tried to get out of bed, but was pushed back by the son of Apollo, who grumbled about stubborn kids.
"You can talk to him from here. He is fine, set to make a full recovery. You, on the other hand, need more rest," James told her sternly.
Ray tched, but settled back into bed. She turned to Percy, running her eyes over him worriedly.
"I am fine, Phoebe," Percy soothed her, his use of her middle name making sure she knew he was telling the truth. It was their way of reassuring each other.
"I thought your name was Aurelia?" Grover asked, puzzled.
"My full name is Aurelia Phoebe Jackson. Call me Aurelia or Ray, only. I will gut anyone who calls me Phoebe apart from my brother," she warned.
"My sister's friendly like that. Anyway, Annabeth, you were saying something about a Mr. D? And Chiron? I assume he is the same one from the stories?" Percy diverted their attention skillfully, having had more than enough experience at distracting to-be victims of his sister's sharp tongue.
"Yes. They both want to meet with you as soon as possible. Mr. D is our Camp Director," Annabeth said coolly.
"And I said that they need to stay here another day," James retorted, his tone sharp.
"I feel well enough for a talk. I don't mind meeting with them now," Ray said, sitting up straight.
Percy agreed with her.
"Oh, for the love of Apollo." James pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. "Let it be known that this is against my medical advice. Don't come whining back if you fall down while walking. And drink this before you go." He gave a glass of nectar to Ray.
"Ooh, nectar!" her eyes lit up as she accepted the glass. His sister was very fond of the godly drink.
After Ray had finished drinking the nectar, the twins, Grover and Annabeth made their way outside. They came out onto the porch and the twins stopped.
"Whoa," Percy breathed, as he took in the entirety of Camp Half-Blood.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Grover smiled at their reactions, quiet pride in his voice.
"Yeah," Ray agreed, as she gazed upon the shining white Greek buildings. The camp looked like a miniature Ancient Greek city. In the distance, the sea glittered under the mid-morning sun, and pegasi could be seen soaring in the sky.
"C'mon, we can't dawdle. Mr. D is not very tolerant of tardiness," Annabeth said briskly, though she had a smug look in her eyes at the twins' awe.
They made their way along the wrap-around porch, the twins only stumbling once.
The four of them came around the corner, where two men were sitting at a table, cards in hand. The brown-haired one was in a wheelchair, with a trimmed beard and ancient eyes. The other man was dressed in a garish purple Hawaiian shirt. He also had a pot belly and purple eyes, but the shirt was what stood out to Ray the most.
"Mr. Brunner?!" Percy exclaimed.
"It's Chiron, dear boy. Mr. Brunner was merely a pseudonym," Chiron replied, his eyes twinkling.
Ray stifled a snort, looking at her twin's surprised, partly sheepish expression, recalling the numerous emails she had received about a 'shady Latin teacher'. Percy jabbed an elbow in her side, correctly reading her mind.
"Sit down," the other man grumbled. "I don't want my game to be interrupted for too long."
"This is Mr. D, our camp director," Chiron introduced. "Now, Grover has told me that you two are aware of the divine world. But I have to ask, how much of it do you know?"
The twin shared a look, sitting down opposite the two men, Grover and Annabeth on either side of the twins.
"We know that the gods are real. And so are the monsters." Percy ran a hand through his hair.
"We know that we are demigods," Ray continued. "Mom believes in the saying, knowledge is power, and so, made sure that we knew everything we needed to. She knew our father was a god."
"Do you know which god is your father?" Chiron asked curiously.
"Bah! Just look at the two of them, the boy more than the girl. They're the spitting images of their father. It is so obvious," Mr. D said, heaving a sigh. "Father is not going to be happy."
"Yes, we saw that yesterday," Chiron dryly said. "Still, I was asking whether they are aware of the identity of their father."
Percy shrugged. "We have never met him, but it was easy to find out who he was. I mean, our godly inheritance is not subtle." A half-truth, good.
"Your sister demonstrated that quite explosively yesterday," Mr. D said nonchalantly.
Both of them frowned.
"What do you mean?" the twins chorused, very confused.
"What is the last thing you remember?" Annabeth cut in, addressing the both of them.
"Me getting a sword through my gut, and Ray killing the Minotaur," Percy answered, grimacing.
"I remember killing the Minotaur, and then seeing Percy fall down. Nothing beyond that. Huh." Ray frowned, trying to recall yesterday afternoon. She remembered the bone deep terror she had felt at seeing Percy lie so still, bleeding profusely. Then… nothing. She woke up in the infirmary.
"You did something that destroyed most of the monsters, Aurelia. A shockwave burst out of you, turning the monsters to dust. It went through the air as well as the ground, breaking several trees and knocking several campers over," Chiron recounted pensively.
"And then, you managed to stop one of Father's lightning bolts midstrike," stated Mr. D, snapping his fingers, a can of Diet Coke appearing on the table.
The Jackson twins blanched.
"Well, it might have been someone else, I did sense a divine presence," Mr. D, who was apparently the god Dionysus, amended. "Do either of you have a godly protector, apart from your father?" he asked offhandedly, probably not expecting them to say yes.
Ray cleared her throat. Everyone except her twin swiveled their heads to her.
"You have a patron? Who is it?" asked Chiron nervously.
Ray hesitated, as they all stared at her curiously. Percy grabbed her hand under the table, and squeezed comfortingly, non-verbally giving support.
How am I supposed to tell them that the Creator of the universe has chosen me as his champion?
"I'd rather not say, in case they do not wish for it to be known. I know, of course, but I don't want any extra attention, especially if I did what you say I did."
Chiron nodded his head, accepting her reasoning. Mr. D on the other hand, narrowed his eyes.
"You better pray that your patron can stay my father's rage, girl. And take care not to offend any more gods. Same goes for you," the god of wine said to Percy.
"We'll try not to, Lord Dionysus." Percy stared him in the eye, before lowering his own in a sign of deference. Ray could almost see the outrage that her brother was carefully masking, mirroring her own. It's not our fault the king of the gods chose to target two teenagers.
"Worked that out, did you? I am almost questioning your parentage now," Dionysus mused.
"Like it was hard," Ray scoffed, and immediately bit her cheek. Nothing good came out of being impertinent with gods.
"You must be tired by now, you only just woke up, no?" Chiron cut in before Dionysus could turn her into a plant, judging by the glint in the god's eyes.
"Not really, the nectar helped a lot." Percy seized the chance to change the topic, shooting her a keep quiet look.
"In that case, why don't you show them around camp, Annabeth? And introduce them to cabin eleven?" Chiron asked Annabeth, who nodded and rose from her seat. The blonde girl had been quietly listening to their conversation, a contemplative expression on her face.
The twins followed her lead and stood up. Before they could leave, Percy turned to Chiron and asked, "Um… before we go, do you know what happened to our weapons, Mr. Bru-, I mean, Chiron?"
The centaur, though noticeably missing the horse part, exclaimed, "Ah! I knew I had forgotten something. Here. Weapons are not allowed inside the infirmary, I'm afraid." He took out a number of object from the pocket on the side of his wheelchair.
"Anaklusmos, of course, could not be removed from your person. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get such fascinating weapons?" Chiron asked curiously, as we gathered our weapons. Percy pocketed his lighter (which turned into a seven-foot imperial gold spear), and strapped his holster and dagger at the small of his back.
"We found most of them in monster nests. Except Anaklusmos. That one was a gift," Ray answered, as she slipped on her bronze bracelets that turned into her twin swords and fastened the chain of her pendant around her neck.
"A gift from your father, I assume?" Dionysus asked dryly.
"No, not from our father." Percy refused to explain further.
And with a slight bow towards the god of wine, Annabeth and the twins turned and started to leave.
"Grover, you coming?" Percy paused and asked, head tilted.
The satyr winced.
"He'll catch up," Chiron said. "We just need to discuss something with him."
Percy eyed him for a moment, but nodded at Grover.
Annabeth led the other two towards a cluster of buildings further down the valley, pointing out the different structures of the camp. There was a dense forest, which was where they played Capture-the-Flag, which sounded like a wargame made kid-friendly. The arena, where sword and spear fights happened, and the amphitheater where the camp apparently held sing-alongs around a bonfire. There was the camp armory, which made sense, as it was a camp for demigods; the Arts and Crafts building, which was more Percy's speed than hers; a stable for the pegasi; and a lake which had a handful of canoes.
"We have archery practice twice a week," Annabeth told them, pointing out the archery range. Ray deliberately kept her eyes away from her twin at that. Percy pointedly dug his elbow into her side, knowing what she had just thought.
"What's that?" Percy pointed to a tall structure near the lake, ignoring his twin's wheezing.
"That's the Lava wall, for climbing lessons."
"Awesome," Ray breathed.
"Of course you'd like that, adrenaline junkie," Percy said resignedly.
They arrived at the U-shaped arrangement of mismatched buildings. The cabins were built around a central area, which had a basketball court, a central hearth and a garden with benches.
Annabeth led them to a rundown, relatively large cabin, with peeling paint and a caduceus on the top of the door.
"Each of these cabins represent an Olympian God or Goddess, where their children stay. Some of them are empty, but that's a story for later. This is Cabin Eleven, or Hermes Cabin, where you'll be staying for the immediate future, unless and until your father claims you. As Hermes is the patron of travelers and wanderers, all of the unclaimed demigods, as well as the children of gods other than the twelve Olympians, stay there along with his own children." Saying so, Annabeth climbed the stairs, ushering them inside before her.
The inside of the cabin reminded Ray of an evacuation center, or a homeless shelter. The cabin was filled with demigods of varying ages. There were many bunk beds, with sleeping bags occupying the remaining floor space. She was honestly taken aback.
It wouldn't take much effort for any god to enlarge this cabin, she thought, biting her lip. This camp was introduced as a safe haven for demigods. I am not seeing any haven right now. Disgraceful.
Percy seized her hand, squeezing tightly. She looked at him, and saw him clenching his jaw, the only indication that he was upset. She sighed, and squeezed back.
All of the people in the cabin swiveled their heads at their entrance.
"These are new campers, Percy and Ray Jackson, who have been assigned this cabin," Annabeth introduced them.
Her statement was met with groans, which Ray understood perfectly. She would also groan in their shoes.
"Regular, or undetermined?" a voice called out.
Annabeth pursed her lips as something flashed through her eyes, which Ray only caught because she had glanced at the blonde just then. "Unclaimed," Annabeth answered after a beat.
More groans.
"Now, now, let's not make them feel unwelcome. This is their home, as well, now." The speaker was a tall, blonde guy who had pushed his way to the front while talking.
"Hey there. Welcome to Cabin Eleven. Name's Luke Castellan. I am the head counsellor of this cabin." An easy-going grin was aimed at the twins. Luke Castellan was tall, handsome and buff, with elfish features and a mischievous expression, and a scar running down the left side of his face. Ray saw that his elfish and mischievous features were shared by some of the residents of the cabin, making her realize his parentage.
"Hey," Percy replied, smiling politely, while his sister ogled the blond. "I'm Percy, and this is my little sister, Ray."
Ray punched him in the arm, and he winced, grinning. "Don't be ridiculous. I am the elder one," She huffed.
Luke let out a chuckle. "I think you guys will fit right in. Anyway, were you giving them a tour of camp, Annie? Go on, finish it before dinner. The cabin won't go anywhere," he said to Annabeth, who blushed.
"Don't call me Annie, Luke," the daughter of Athena grumbled, flustered. She gestured for the twins to follow her and left.
"Bye." Ray gave a wave to the campers, smiling brightly. She knew the necessity of making a good impression, especially in a potential Molotov cocktail of a camp.
She blinked as she came out of the dimly lit cabin, her eyes struggling to adjust.
Annabeth continued the tour, pointing out the various cabins.
"Cabin twelve is Dionysus," Annabeth said, gesturing to the cabin on the right of the Hermes cabin. Dionysus's cabin had grape vines twining around the front pillars as well as the roof.
They started walking.
Cabin Nine looked like miniature factory, with vents on the roof that were steadily pouring black smoke, the entrance adorned with lots of mechanical gears. It was Hephaestus's.
"Cabin Seven is Apollo's," Annabeth informed them as they reached a golden building which was glowing almost too brightly for their eyes. They could see some campers going in and out of the cabin, all of them blond and tanned.
"Five is Ares Cabin." The cabin had a boar's head over the door, with barbed wire on the roof. Heavy rock music could be heard from the open door.
When they reached Cabin Three, a low-lying building made of roughhewn stone slabs, with seashells and corral embedded in the walls and a trident over the door, the twins visibly relaxed as the scent of ocean breeze wafted over them. Annabeth watched this with a frown, her mouth flattening.
"Cabins One, Two and Three are empty, along with Artemis's, Cabin Eight." Annabeth pointed out three other cabins, two of them made out of white marble, looking cold and unfriendly. The last one was entirely silver, with a deer carved over the door. "One is Zeus's, Two is Hera, and Three is Poseidon's."
"Hera and Artemis, I understand. But why Zeus and Poseidon? Didn't they have a ton of children in the old stories?" Percy asked, not wanting to make the blonde girl suspicious by not asking the very obvious question. The twins were aware that they were the result of a broken Oath.
"After World War 2, which was a war between the children of the Big Three, Zeus's and Poseidon's kids on one side, and Hades' Kids on the other, the three brothers swore on the River Styx to not have any more children, because they are usually too powerful. That's why the two cabins are empty." Annabeth had a look on her face as she said that.
"What?" Ray asked.
"Nothing. Let's continue." Saying so, she strode across the central area to the other row of cabins.
"Cabin four is Demeter's." the cabin had flowers and tomato plant growing on the walls, with a roof that had actual grass on it. The doorway had a sickle carved over it.
"Cabin Six is mine." There was obvious pride in Annabeth's voice and demeanor as they came up to a white cabin, which had an owl on top of the doorway.
Cabin eight was a dull silver, and Annabeth explained that it glowed at night, much like Apollo's cabin in the day. They continued on. Percy and Ray sneezed in unison as perfume-laden air wafted out of the last cabin, which had lacy white curtains fluttering in the windows.
"Aphrodite's, I presume," Ray asked, her eyes watering.
Annabeth nodded. She led the way to the central garden. The twins collapsed on a bench, groaning with relief. The tour had taken more out of them than they had thought.
"So, any questions? There are only a few more things to be seen." Annabeth ran her fingers through her blond curls.
Before they could reply, a gruff voice interrupted them.
"So, these are the newbies, huh. Introduce us, Wise Girl."
Four older teenagers stood in front of them, their leader a tall, burly girl with dull brown hair tied back, a spear on her back. She was sneering at the twins, a mean glint in her eye.
"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed, grimacing, but relented. "This is Percy and Ray Jackson. Percy and Ray, this is Clarisse la Rue, head counsellor of cabin five and daughter of Ares."
"They don't look like much," Clarisse scoffed, giving them a once-over, the other three teens snickering. "Listen up, newbies. There is a tradition here at camp. Every new camper must go through the initiation."
Saying so, the daughter of Ares grabbed Percy's upper arm and tried to drag him up and away. Instantly, Ray was on her feet, an arrow notched and aimed at her.
"We are both rather on edge right now. It would be in your best interests to let me go," Percy said softly, the tip of his dagger digging into Clarisse's stomach.
Clarisse immediately let go, drawing her spear, her companions unsheathing their own weapons. She snarled at the twins, who had both discarded their secondary weapons in favor of their swords.
"Clarisse! Chiron will not be happy, put away your weapons. Same goes for you two." Annabeth frowned at them all.
The two sides continued to glare at each other.
A familiar voice interrupted the tense standoff. "Hey Clarisse, what's going on…" the newest arrival trailed off as she took in the situation.
Ray whipped her head around as she heard the familiar tones of her best friend.
Astrid Jensen was a tall, lithe blonde with sparkling blue eyes and a bright smile, who was now gaping at Ray, who stared back at her, stunned. Astrid had been the black-haired girl's best friend ever since she had punched a girl who had tried to bully Ray in second grade.
"Goldie!?" Astrid exclaimed. "You're a demigod?"
"I should be asking the same question, AJ!" Ray shot back, a smile breaking out on her lips.
Astrid laughed gaily, and pounced on the black-haired girl, lifting and spinning her around.
"How did I never notice you two being demigods?" Astrid asked in disbelief.
"Same way we didn't, I guess. Hey, Astrid," Percy greeted their friend, waving with his free hand, sword still raised in defense.
Astrid nodded back, a frown on her face as she took in the various drawn weapons and aggressive stances.
"You know these punks, Astrid?" Clarisse scowled.
"Yeah, Ray and I go way back," Astrid shrugged. "Now, everyone, please, calm down. Put your weapons away."
Grudgingly, the twins turned their swords back into their respective resting forms, the other four lowering their own.
Ray eyed her best friend, who had now linked her arm with hers. "So, whose daughter are you?" she asked Astrid curiously, Percy leaning towards them in interest.
"My dad's Ares, God of War. I'm their half-sister," she replied, indicating the four with a wave of her hand.
The twins had similar expressions of disbelief. Astrid laughed at that, saying, "I know. Everyone thought I was a daughter of Apollo before my claiming. Apparently, I'm too blond and blue-eyed to be my father's daughter."
"I've never seen you get angry or violent, AJ. Well, not much." Ray amended, remembering the incident in second grade.
Astrid shrugged. "I expel all my aggression on monsters. It keeps me more even-tempered."
"This is all very heart-warming," Clarisse drawled, some of the hostility drained from her eyes at the revelation that they were her sister's friends. "But this isn't over, losers. Next time, we'll meet in the arena. Get ready to taste dirt."
Percy smirked, and stepped up to Clarisse's face. "What makes you think we'll be the ones tasting dirt?"
"You're on, punk," She growled back, eyes narrowed, and stalked off, her cronies scurrying after her.
Ray sighed, leaning on Astrid's side, as she felt her exhaustion double suddenly.
"Whoa." Astrid put her arm around Ray's waist, supporting more of her weight. "Are you even supposed to be out of the infirmary right now?"
Percy shot her a sheepish grin from his twin's other side, helping Astrid support her. "Technically, no. but we just need some rest. That's what the medic said."
"Idiots." She rolled her eyes. She and Percy half-carried Ray near the bench, where the smaller girl sat down heavily, her face pale and sweaty. Percy studied his twin concernedly, a hand supporting her at her back.
"You need to sit down as well," Annabeth told Percy. "You have a gut wound that is not completely healed, and we've walked quite a bit. The only thing remaining is the beach and the dining pavilion."
Percy looked like he was going to argue, but sat down with a grumble.
"So, who is your godly parent, Thing One and Thing Two?" Astrid asked.
"We are unclaimed, as of now. We know who he is, but he has yet to claim us." Ray shrugged.
Annabeth snorted softly. "I doubt we'll have to wait long for that. There is something going on. The weather has been volatile since the winter solstice. And now, you two appear, with a horde of monsters on your tail, and the king of the gods trying to kill you. With the summer solstice in two weeks. It all adds up to something I don't like."
Astrid whistled. "Damn. Also, if I may add, my senses have been going haywire for just as long, and they have been gradually intensifying, coming to a head. It is something I inherited from my father, the ability to sense conflict," She explained to the twins.
Ray and Percy exchanged a look. Percy quirked a brow, do we trust them?
His sister tilted her head, what is your gut telling you?
He nodded once, I think we can trust them with this, not everything, but enough.
Ray agreed, nodding back, mine, too. Alright.
"All we know, is that something was stolen from the gods on the winter solstice, and it has sent all of Olympus in a tizzy. If it is not recovered by Litha, there will be war," Ray said, her mouth tightening, unease lacing her tone.
"And how exactly do you know this?" Annabeth frowned, suspicion coloring her voice.
Percy answered, "Our half-brother is rather fond of us, and told us. Not everything, but enough to keep us aware."
Annabeth shot them a disbelieving look, clearly having worked out their father's identity, and so, knew just who their half-brother was.
A conch shell blowing interrupted their conversation.
"Dinner. C'mon, let's go. You can join the Hermes Cabin there." Astrid offered the twins a hand each, pulling them to their feet.
"We'll continue this conversation tomorrow. Let's not spread it, hmm?" Annabeth cautioned, her grey eyes sharp and bright.
"Of course." The twins nodded in unison.
A\N: Please Review!
