Umm hi? I know, I've been gone for more than a year but I am back now and that's the main thing.

I don't really have anything to say only that I would like to dedicate this chapter to KatTheCorgi who left me a lovely review yesterday and inspired me to keep writing this story. So you are amazing Kat and this is for you.

Disclaimer: All rights to PJO and HOO belong to Uncle Rick

Percy POV
I was bored. Bored and restless. I needed something to do. It was all well and good playing board games with Jason and Nico and visiting the cove, but I wanted to do something proper. Like I don't know, train? I just wanted to go and hack at dummies for an hour or so was that too much to ask?

Apparently, it was.

Ethan still wouldn't let me out yet. He claimed that I still had internal damage but I felt fine. Really. I just needed some exercise and I'd be fine. Probably. Ok I'll admit, it did hurt sometimes. But only sometimes. I promise.

But he had said I was getting better a lot quicker since I'd started to visit the cove and go in the sea. I guess that would be my son of Poseidon healing helping me out there. He had even started just leaving salt water in my room for me to put my hands or feet in.

So, there I was, sat on the edge of my bed with my feet in some water hoping he'd finally give me the go ahead to actually do something. Ten weeks was too long for a hyperactive demigod like me to be sat around.

I didn't even have Nico to talk to yet as he was helping the campers train for a while. He hadn't told me, but I knew he was starting to get nervous about when the titan army would attack. We all knew that taking me would set their plans back a bit, but it had been ten weeks and the most anyone had seen were small groups of scouts. It made the camp restless. Everyone knew they could attack at a moments notice.

Eventually, I was broken from my musings by the creek of the door hinges. I quickly looked up to see who was coming in, my senses on high alert, but when Ethan walked in and closed the door behind him I settled back to watching the camp out of the window again.

"Hello Percy." He greeted me while picking up his notes from the side and scribbling something down.

"Hi" I replied, turning to look at the medic. As I did I noticed there was a slight excitement around him today, a small something that made him bounce as he walked and put a smile on his face. I didn't know what it was, but I hoped it would be good for me too.

"Can you come and stand up for me?" Without a word I did as the doctor said and stood in front of the bed, already taking off my shirt as I knew that would be his next request. I stood perfectly still as the doctor unwound the bandages and set them aside. I couldn't bare to look at myself but from Ethan's poorly hidden wince I knew I my skin must be horribly scarred.

Shaking himself slightly the son of Apollo set to work prodding various parts of my skin. "Does this hurt?" he asked, pressing on the right side of my stomach. "S-slighlty." He pressed it again "Where on the scale of 1 to 10?"

"Two" I answered. He just wrote something and moved on.

After several minutes of touching various places to see how much it hurt Ethan told me to put my shirt back on. I did so, thankful to have most of my scars and the King's message hidden from view again. Ethan was the only one who had seen the black lines of writing on my back and I was very grateful that he hadn't told anyone – he had always been careful to make sure Nico didn't see if he helped with my check-up. I didn't understand why, but the grandson of Apollo kept my secret all the same.

"H-how am I doing then doc?" I asked him with a slight wavering in my voice. "You're actually doing great." He answered with a surprised voice. "You are basically healed now Percy, still a few small internal issues so you'll have to take it steady for another week or so. But apart from that you are all healed up physically." He smiled at me and for the first time in a while I felt a real smile tug at the corner of my lips.

"Does this mean I can go t-train?" I questioned him, eager to finally go and do something. His smile widened as he said "Yes, but Percy take it easy - anything too strenuous and you'll pull something and have to come straight back to bed rest." I nodded solemnly as he turned to leave.

Just as he was about to open the door Ethan turned to look at me again "Percy, one last thing." Dread filled me, what had I done wrong? "Your scars, they, well they won't go. You'll have them forever as well as the…" he gestured to his back. He looked at me with pity before stating "Nico is waiting for you downstairs." And finally leaving me alone.

As soon as he left I sank on to my bed and rested my head in my hands. I would never be free of him, I would be reminded of my time with the king every time I looked at my body or saw my face in the mirror. I would always be the one who was marred and marked by the titan king whether the gods won this war or not.

Tears began to fall.

Nico POV

I sat waiting for Percy as I had been since I arrived, Ethan had come past 10 minutes ago and told me he was physically fine to do what he wanted. But that was ten minutes ago. Just as I was starting to consider going upstairs to find Percy, I heard someone coming down. I turned to see the sea prince walking down the last few steps wearing some trainers, blue jogging bottoms and a loose grey t-shirt.

"I'd like to go and train." It was a simple statement, but Percy said it as if it were a question and he expected me to tell him no. It broke my heart. "Let's go then," I replied springing to my feet "no one should be in the arena now anyway the campers are practising drills out on the fields." Percy just nodded and fell into step beside me as we left the big house.

I watched him as he walked down the porch steps, he was so cautious ad careful. His eyes scanned the camp, to doubt trying to find anyone that could be waiting to hurt him. I just wanted to hold him and tell him everything would be ok. But I couldn't. I didn't know that it would be - Kronos was out to get him back.

"It's this way." I informed him, pointing Percy towards the arena. It was in the centre of camp and I knew that he wouldn't like going through but it should be quiet now and if I stuck to the lesser used routes we shouldn't find anyone. Percy gulped and nodded, now walking slightly behind me as if he needed me for protection.

It didn't take us long to reach the arena and as I suspected we managed to avoid everyone on our way there.

Once inside we had the whole arena to ourselves until after lunch, so we had plenty of time to train. I started off by lining up the dummies for us to work against and joined Percy in hacking the limbs off them (I'd missed training while I was with him too). After destroying my first enemy I stepped back and looked at the son of Poseidon.

He was a machine.

Already on his third dummy Percy was a whirl wind of attacks. Jabbing, slicing, twisting, rolling, turning – once again I was reminded why he was the greatest hero there had ever been. He didn't stop, always light on his feet. To watch Percy fight was to watch a deadly dance, executed with the up most precision.

When he had despatched of the third dummy I quickly caught his attention before he could go any further. "Perce," he stopped and looked at me, he wasn't even sweating "how about we spar instead otherwise we'll have gone through all the camp's dummies by the time we are done?" I laughed. For the first time he looked at the destruction he had caused. Straw limbs everywhere.

"Um sure." was all he said before walking onto the matted area. I followed, deciding to lay down some ground rules after seeing the dummies fate. "Shall we agree to try not to hurt each other in anyway? If we think we are going to hit to just turn out blades yeah?" I asked him.

"I-isn't that how people usually spar?" he asked back. I nodded, at least I didn't have to worry too much then. We settled into our stances.

It took less than three minutes of Percy to disarm me and place his blade on my shoulder. "Dead" he told me, the cocky glint I remembered returning to his eyes. It was only for a second before he removed the sword, but I saw it and in that moment hope grew within me, that was the Percy I knew and loved. He was finally coming back to us.

I stepped back and retook my stance, I wouldn't let him beat me so easily again, Percy did the same. Without waiting I sprang forward with a slash to his legs, but he simple jumped over it and landed in a roll coming up to stab at my side. I parried his sword away but didn't have time to attack before Percy's blade forced me to duck to avoid decapitation. (Always a good idea.)

While I was ducked I had an idea. I quickly spun with my leg out. I expected Percy to jump but my leg struck and he went tumbling down on to the mats, I jumped over and quickly put my sword at his throat a foot on either side of him to stop his escape.

For a moment I was proud of myself for winning but that vanished when I looked at his face.

Percy's eyes were wide as if he'd seen a ghost and when I looked closer he was trembling slightly. 'Oh no' I thought 'what have I done, how could I be so stupid?' Quickly I sheathed my sword and moved away from him, trying to do anything to fic the damage. But that was when I heard it. "Percy?"

Annabeth.

Slowly, I turned around to face the daughter of Athena, but she wasn't looking at me she was looking at the boy on the floor beside me. Who in turn was staring at her in absolute horror.

"Annabeth…" I tried to get her attention but I realised that it was futile, this was the first time she had seen him since she left Tartarus except for the incident in the throne room. She had found her soul mate again.

She took a step towards him "Seaweed Brain" she breathed out happily.

"N-No" a voice came from the floor and she stopped in her tracks. "Nico." I looked at Percy, he was looking up at me terrified - hoping I would help him. But I didn't know what to do. I looked up at Annabeth again, tears were starting to run down her face. I couldn't even imagine what she was going through.

"Annabeth" I tried again, this time gaining her attention. "I don't think it is a good idea for you to be here." I spoke softly to her. "You know what he believes."

"But, but I didn't do it" she sobbed "I didn't want to leave you in Tartarus" her gaze was back on Percy who had shifted so that he was behind me. "You made me leave, you pushed me into the lift and shut me in. I swear it Percy."

"No, no, no no" I knelt down and rested my hand on Percy's arm, he flinched but I didn't move. He was holding his head rocking gently. Looking back at Annabeth I mouthed 'Go, please'. But she paid me no attention.

Instead she walked further forward and tried to explain to him again.

Instantly, Percy shot to his feet. "Don't come near me!" he shouted, his voice laced with panic. "You're a liar!" he yelled, tears were now running freely down Annabeth's face. "You might be able to trick everyone else, but I know what you did! You left me! You gave me to L- Lord Kronos for your own freedom. You, you knew what he would do!"

That was all Percy could muster. After his outburst he ran. He ran wide past a stunned Annabeth and bolted for the doors, slamming into them and breaking out into the camp.

I shot one last apologetic look at the sobbing daughter of Athena and sprinted after Percy as she fell to her knees.

I'm very sorry it took me a year to carry on this story, it was my exams year so I was very busy. I am going to be updating again now but I am in college now so please don't expect a weekly update as I have very little free time, they will be as often as I can manage to write a chapter.

See ya.