AN: Hey everyone, sorry about the delay, I was away on a study abroad trip for two weeks and when I got back I got a new job and had a bad case of not really writers block but lack of motivation but I'm back now and I'd really appreciate some feedback on how I wrote this chapter.

Son of the Moon

Chapter 17

-Percy-

As the ship sailed away from the island of sorceresses he leaned against the railing and enjoyed the breeze against his face, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon and the beautiful masterpiece of art that the light painted onto the glistening sea. He didn't turn at the soft sounds of footsteps on the wooden boards of the Queen Anne's Revenge but wrapped his arm around Bianca's shoulders when she walked up to him, seeing who it was out of the corner of his eye while Nico came up and clapped a hand to his shoulder and gave a brotherly squeeze and a small smile. "Hylla and Reyna are settling in well," Nico said after a moment of gazing at the chopping waves "Clarisse is showing them around the ship and giving them the rundown of what's happening with the quest and they seem to get along well with Clarisse…".

Here Nico trailed off and he could tell that Nico had some information that he wasn't going to like, "What is it Nico," he asked as he turned to his best friend "what aren't you telling me?".

Sighing Nico asked slowly, as if carefully weighing every word that escaped his lips, "You remember how Hylla said that even in the Sea of Monsters that she had heard stories of the Son of Artemis?". When he nodded the son of Hades continued "Well she thought that you were an immortal from Ancient Greece…and she says her mother is a roman goddess. She claims that the Greek gods don't' exist anymore…that only the roman deities control this world.".

Stunned he stared at the son of Hades before shooting a hand out at the steaming mist rising from the white capped waves and forced them into a shape which created a rainbow. Reaching into his pocked he pulled out a drachma and intoned "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering, show me Artemis, goddess of the hunt.".

The mist shimmered and rolled until it flattened out ad went white before showing his mother in her tent, sharpening an arrowhead before she looked up in surprise and asked happily "Percy!" What do you need?".

"We just rescued two girls from Circe's Isle," he began and he saw by his Mom's expression that she believed them to be recruits for the hunt "and they claim to be Roman demigods…that the Greek pantheon doesn't exist anymore.".

He saw her eyes widen in shock before his Mom hung her head sadly, "I wanted to tell you Percy," she explained shakily and he thought he saw a single tear fall from her eyes as she spoke "from the moment you were old enough to understand about gods and goddesses but I was forbidden to, an ancient law that was put into place by you grandfather after the American Civil war.".

"For what purpose?" he asked tonelessly, no emotion showing through neither through his face nor his stance as he was flanked by the two stoic children of Hades.

"To stop war," was the answer he was given which was enough to crack his façade and allow his shock to escape through, not realizing that the others were coming over to hear the conversation "during the American Civil war it wasn't just the North fighting the South…but the Roman demigods fighting the Greeks, your two cultures hate each other and almost every time you meet there is conflict. I begged my father to allow me to tell you but he refused at first but finally relented to an extent and said that if you discovered this on your own then I could tell you and your friends, but you all must swear to keep it to yourselves.".

"I swear on the River Styx, let it be so." He intoned solemnly as his oath was echoed by the rest of his companions who stepped up behind him.

"I'm sorry Percy," his Mom cried softly "I'm sorry for never telling you." Before she swiped her hand to cut the connection, but before it could fade he said "It's alright Mom, I love you." Causing his last glimse of before the Iris Message vanished was his mother's relieved smile. Turning to the eight demigods in front of him he said seriously "Alright, there's only one major threat between us and Polyphemus Island…the cove of the Sirens.".

"That's alright then," Amanda said relieved "I found a load of beeswax below decks, we just have to plug up our ears and we'll be safe.".

Sighing he turned and laid a hand on the railing as he gazed in the direction in which they sailed "That won't work," he said softly "with the cove of the Sirens at least one person must hear their song or else they will leave their island and swarm the ship, tearing it apart and dragging everyone aboard below the surface of the water.".

Silence filled the air, broken only by the shattering of the waves against the prow of their ship as they sailed onward before Will broke the silence and asked "So who's going to be the one to hear it…and what do they hear anyway?".

"The siren's song is designed to lure you in with your greatest desire," he answered "some believe that it shows a person their heart's greatest desire, others think that it will reveal a hero's fatal flaw, some say it is both and others that it is neither. It may be different for each person or nothing at all, just a spell sung instead of spoken that draws those who hear it to the source. And as for who will listen…" hear he trialed off but he didn't need to answer before Bianca figured it out.

"No!" she yelled "you are not going to be the one to listen to it! I'm not letting you swim off to your death!".

"We could tie him to the mast," Beckendorf offered "I have some Celestial Bronze chains in my bag. All we have to do is make sure we have him disarmed and he can listen to the song as we sail past the island.".

Before the others could argue he began removing every one of weapons and dropping them on the deck as Nico and Will began picking them up and locking them in one of the chests on the deck while Beckendorf brought out the chains and Bianca fretted over him. As the chains were tightened and locked together as he saw the cove of the sirens begin to appear on the horizon. As the island came into sight he saw the others begin plugging their ears up with beeswax as they took their positions on the ship bar Bianca who sat next to him and clenched his hand tight.

Slowly, as the ship sailed onward and the Siren's Cove came closer and closer he heard, faintly, a soft whispering sound carried to him on the wind, fading in and out with the breeze only to subtly grow stronger in power and he froze as the soft musical words washed over him and the power enveloped him. Suddenly he snapped his head towards the island and gazed in wonder at what lay before him.

On the shore of the island he saw his family, everyone he cared for, all together, safe and happy, without a care in the world as the beckoned him closer, urging him to join them. Lunging forward he tried to reach them but was unable to get past the chains that tied him back and cried out in misery as he saw his family, his loved ones, finally in a place where they could be safe but where he couldn't get to them. Desperately he pulled at the chains, trying to break free when he heard a groaning metallic sound before the links began snapping against him as he struggled, and finally broke free of his bonds. Before he could though he felt someone grab his arm and spin him around…it was Bianca. Seeing her froze him for a moment, his mind still fogged by the song of the Siren's unable to fully process what he saw before him, how there was a smiling Bianca on the beach, asking him to swim out to her and a tear stricken Bianca in front of him, begging him to stay.

Seeing her tears he felt the fog of the Siren's magic vanish as he dropped to his knees and wept, crying out to the heavens in grief and pain, pouring out his rage at the sirens and their cruel song in his scream. He hadn't learned some life changing secret about himself that he had never known or couldn't admit, there was no big reveal as he discovered what he truly wanted in life, all the Sirens could do was taunt him with what he knew to be his heart's greatest desire before he learned that it was nothing but a false dream. As he felt Bianca's arms around him he stiffened before wrapping around her and crying into her shoulder, and as his tears poured out he made a vow to himself, to make what he saw a reality, to make sure those he loved were safe, to do whatever it took to protect his family.

-Nico-

Standing at the Ship's wheel he watched Percy at the mast, watched him look around bored as they sailed towards the Siren's cove, not yet affected by the Siren's song . When he saw Percy stiffen slightly he knew that it would happen soon and gripped the spokes of the wheel with pale white fingers, knowing that Percy's greatest test to date would happen within moments. When they got close enough that he could see their cove, a crescent shaped volcanic island with black volcanic rock and ash in place of sand that crunched under the siren's feet as they stared out over the choppy black waters, filled with spikes and mines, broken boards and fiberglass frames, the skeletal remains of the ships and plains that had been taken in by the Siren's voices. The Siren's themselves were terryfing to behold, they were vulture like in appearance, standing as tall as a fully grown man with filty black plumage, dirty grey talons, wrinkly pink necks, and faces that, while human, were covered with the grime and gore of their past meals. The human faces of the sirens kept changing and somehow he knew that the faces where those of the people that Percy saw in his visions. The faces of him and his sister, of Clarisse and Amanda, Will and Beckendorf, the girls from the Hunt and Artemis, Chiron and his father, Zeus and Hera, even Hylla and Reyna were there along with some woman he didn't recognize with eyes that seemed the color of the sea as well as a few other demigods from camp.

Shaking his head he turned his head back towards Percy to see his best friend, eyes filled with joy and longing, as the son of Artemis desperately strained against the chains which bound him to try and reach the beach and whatever vision they showed to him. He was grateful that Percy didn't' look at him, he doubted he could stand up to the pleaded expression that would no doubt be fixed upon him but as he watched Percy struggle he noticed the chains seemed to look different before the links began snapping. Staring in shock he couldn't move, unsure of how Percy had managed to destroy the chains so easily before Bianca had grabbed Percy and spun him around. He saw the confusion on his friend's face as his sister no doubt pleaded for the powerful demigod to stay before the fog seemed to clear from Percy's eyes and the boy, no the man, he considered to be his brother dropped to his knees and began to weep in sorrow, in misery, in pain.

He watched and felt shattered at what he saw, Percy had been his rock since he met him, Percy had always been the strong one who helped pick him up when thigns looked tough, the one he had always been able to confide in, the one who he knew would make sure he never went too far if he ever lost control of his anger. To him, Percy was the ultimate demigod, a hero who could do no wrong, a hero who could take no true injury, one who was invulnerable. A tactician to make Odysseus feel humbled, a warrior who could match Achilles blow for blow without trying, a leader who Theseus would give up his crown for. Most of the time he half expected Zeus to flash in and make Percy an Olympian god. To see Percy reduced to such a state was devastating but eye opening, it showed that Percy truly was human, that he wasn't some figure out of some exalted legend, gilded and glorified over countless ages and campfires…and that made Percy seem all the more amazing to him. A man who truly is only a man but accomplishes feats that would make the heroes of old beg to hear his stories told around a campfire in the hopes to be like him.

As he gazed closer he saw a fire return to his friend's eyes, a fire of determination. Of hope, and of life. He knew that whatever Percy had truly seen had shaken him yes, but it had also given him a goal to strive for. He doubted that Percy would ever agree that hearing the siren's song gave him anything but Nico DiAngelo would always know the truth…the Siren's Song gave him conviction, a dream to strive for…a dream to protect.