Hello, readers. Something you'll need to know, this story is set in the future, so instead of 2009, it's set in 2019. I hope you enjoy!

8/18/2019, end of the Titan War

I stood there, feeling almost empty. I knew what I was feeling wasn't healthy, but I couldn't help it. Hearing Annabeth admit that she still loved Luke out loud hurt. Hurt in a way I had never imagined possible. She was acting cold and distant towards me, probably since I was the one who killed him, getting a lucky shot and slicing through his Achilles heel. I was suddenly brought back to the real world

"PERCY JACKSON!" Poseidon announced.

All talking died down. The room was silent except for the crackle of the hearth fire.

Everyone's eyes were on me—all the gods, the demigods, the Cyclopes, the spirits. I walked into the middle of the throne room. Hestia smiled at me reassuringly. She was in the form of a girl now, and she seemed happy and content to be sitting by her fire again. Her smile gave me courage to keep walking.

First I bowed to Zeus. Then I knelt at my father's feet.

"Rise, my son," Poseidon said. I stood uneasily.

"A great hero must be rewarded," Poseidon said. "Is there anyone here who would deny that my son is deserving?"

I waited for someone to pipe up. The gods never agreed on anything, and many of them still didn't like me, but not a single one protested.

"The Council agrees," Zeus said. "Percy Jackson, you will have one gift from the gods."

I hesitated. "Any gift?"

Zeus nodded grimly. "I know what you will ask. The greatest gift of all. Yes, if you want it, it shall be yours. The gods have not bestowed this gift on a mortal hero in many centuries, but, Perseus Jackson—if you wish it—you shall be made a god. Immortal. Undying. You shall serve as your father's lieutenant for all time."

I stared at him, stunned. "Um . . . a god?"

Zeus rolled his eyes. "A dimwitted god, apparently. But yes. With the consensus of the entire Council, I can make you immortal. Then I will have to put up with you forever."

"Hmm," Ares mused. "That means I can smash him to a pulp as often as I want, and he'll just keep coming back for more. I like this idea."

"I approve as well," Athena said, giving me a look that could be akin to pity.

I thought about the Three Fates, and the way I'd seen my life flash by. I could avoid all that. No aging, no death, no body in the grave. I could be a teenager forever, in top condition, powerful, and immortal, serving my father. I could have power and eternal life.

Who could refuse that?

Then I looked into my few good memories in my life. Montauk with mom, helping Paul fix his car, building Ikea shelves with him. Baking cookies and ruining them with mom.

"No." I said.

The Council was silent. The gods frowned at each other like they must have misheard.

"No?" Zeus said. "You are . . . turning down our generous gift?"

There was a dangerous edge to his voice, like a thunderstorm about to erupt.

"I'm honored and everything," I said. "Don't take this as an insult, but I don't want to be so powerful, but so powerless at the same time. You gods have power that we can't understand, but you can't use them to help the world. I don't want that."

"I do want a gift, though," I said. "Do you promise to grant my wish?"

Zeus thought about this. "If it is within our power."

"It is," I said. "And it's not even difficult. But I need your promise on the River Styx."

"What?" Dionysus cried. "You don't trust us?"

"Someone once told me," I said, looking at Hades, "you should always get a solemn oath."

Hades shrugged. "Guilty."

"Very well!" Zeus growled. "In the name of the Council, we swear by the River Styx to grant your reasonable request as long as it is within our power."

The other gods muttered assent. Thunder boomed, shaking the throne room. The deal was made.

"From now on, I want you to properly recognize the children of the gods," I said. "All the children . . . of all the gods."

The Olympians shifted uncomfortably.

"Percy," my father said, "what exactly do you mean?"

"Kronos couldn't have risen if it hadn't been for a lot of demigods who felt abandoned by their parents," I said. "They felt angry, resentful, and unloved, and they had a good reason."

Zeus's royal nostrils flared. "You dare accuse—"

"No more undetermined children," I said. "I want you to promise to claim your children—all your demigod children—by the time they turn thirteen. They won't be left out in the world on their own at the mercy of monsters. I want them claimed and brought to camp so they can be trained right, and survive."

"Now, wait just a moment," Apollo said, but I was on a roll.

"And the minor gods," I said. "Nemesis, Hecate, Morpheus, Janus, Hebe-—they all deserve a general amnesty and a place at Camp Half-Blood. Their children shouldn't be ignored. Calypso and the other peaceful Titan-kind should be pardoned too. And Hades—"

"Are you calling me a minor god?" Hades bellowed.

"No, my lord," I said quickly. "But your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that. No unclaimed demigods will be crammed into the Hermes cabin anymore, wondering who their parents are. They'll have their own cabins, for all the gods. And no more pact of the Big Three. That didn't work anyway. You've got to stop trying to get rid of powerful demigods. We're going to train them and accept them instead. All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect. That is my wish."

Zeus snorted. "Is that all?"

"Percy," Poseidon said, "you ask much. You presume much."

"I hold you to your oath," I said. "All of you."

I got a lot of steely looks. Strangely, it was Athena who spoke up: "The boy is correct. We have been unwise to ignore our children. It proved a strategic weakness in this war and almost caused our destruction. Percy Jackson, I have had my doubts about you, but perhaps"—she glanced at Annabeth, and then spoke as if the words had a sour taste—"I move that we accept the boy's plan."

"Humph," Zeus said. "Being told what to do by a mere child. But I suppose . . ."

"All in favor," Hermes said. All the gods raised their hands.

"Um, thanks," I said.

Athena spoke up again, "That wish, while the wish he chose, was not for him. I say we give him one more wish, for his personal use and not for the benefit of others. What he wants for himself. All in favor?"

There was a vote and Zeus sighed. "Alright, Demigod. What is your second wish?"

I stood there, silent. My mind revisited the memories with my family and I made my decision. "I want to be free. I don't want the gods to be able to call upon me for anything, no more commands to risk my life."

Zeus turned red in the face, but simmered, realizing he had sworn an oath. "Your wish is accepted, demigod. Now, I call this meeting adjourned. Let the celebrations begin!"

We were streaming out of the throne room, when Athena appeared in front of me, before beckoning me to follow her, walking away from the party, over to a balcony overhanging the edge of Olympus.

She turned around when I arrived. "Perseus."

"Yes, Lady Athena?"

She sat on a bench, "I think I was right about this, but I wish I wasn't. Your fatal flaw would destroy you, even if you weren't aware of it."

I opened my mouth to respond but she beat me to it. "I know it won't fix your issues with my daughter, but it will be useful later in life. I'm offering you my blessing."

My mouth dropped and she continued, "You'll have a brain rivalling my childrens, your Dyslexia won't be as apparent and you'll develop a photographic memory."

She paused, "Do you accept?"

"I- uh, yeah. I mean, I do, Lady Athena. Thank you."

She put a hand on my forehead and released. I didn't feel any different, but I knew whatever she had done was done. "Now, I do have tasks to accomplish. I wish you well, Perseus."

Without anything else, she faded from existence, like how smoke dissipates into open air. I turned around, walking down the mountain towards the elevator. I kept my head down, the events from earlier with Annabeth still nagging on me.

I stepped in the elevator, my mood was bad enough that the music didn't even affect me. I stepped out of the elevator, stepping out into the August heat. It was well into the afternoon, probably somewhere around 10pm, but I didn't bother hailing a taxi, just wanting to walk and hopefully clear my mind. I got home where mom pulled me into a hug and Paul patted me on the back.

Mom pulled out of the hug and pulled me to the living room. "What's wrong?"

"Annabeth. She basically hates me."

Mom looked bewildered, "What? Why? Weren't you almost dating? You were best friends."

I put my head in my hands, "I killed Kronos, but in the process I killed Luke. Turns out, she still loved him."

Paul rubbed my shoulders, "She hasn't been talking to you?"

I nodded, "She's been more than that, glaring at me everytime we made eye contact."

I felt tears well up again and mom pulled me into a hug.

A few hours later I was laying on my bed, just staring at my ceiling. I groaned, knowing I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon and rolled over, looking at my alarm clock. 1:15am. I rolled out of bed and got dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. I slipped my hand in my pocket, just making Riptide was there and took my keys from the dresser.

I headed into the kitchen, writing a note letting mom and Paul know that I was going out for a walk before I did just that. I took the stairs, letting my mind wander.

I had just made it to Central Park when a hiss sounded behind me. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? The Bane of Kronosssss, is it?"

I glared and swung around, pulling out Riptide. Before they had a chance to react, I had sliced through three of the four Dracaenae. I disarmed the last one before using a trick Clarisse had taught me, grabbing her wrist and pinning her to the ground by it.

I growled into her ear, "Listen. I'm not going to kill you, do you understand? Instead, I'm going to let you go. What you're going to do, is tell all your monster friends not to fuck with me. I won't kill you, if you don't try to kill me."

She quivered and I spoke again, "Capiche?"

The terrified Dracaenae nodded furiously and I let go. "Tell them I'll kill them if I see them hurting a demigod in my presence. Tell them to stay away from me entirely. As soon as they smell my scent, they better leave. For their own safety. Okay?"

She nodded before running the other way. When I turned to walk away, a familiar person stood up from the bench they were sitting on.

"Hey, Hermes."

"Hey, Percy. That was pretty impressive."

"Thanks. Is there something you need?"

"Humor me, will you?"

I shrugged, deciding I might as well. He'd never led me wrong before, so I didn't figure he'd start now. Hermes snapped his fingers and changed into running clothes, before getting on the ground and stretching. He motioned for me to follow, which I did reluctantly.

"You know, sometimes what you need is to hurt."

"What?"

"Physically, I mean. A hurt you can control, a steady burn."

"Like running?"

He grinned, "Just like running."

He hopped up, "Come on, we won't run too far."

I gestured to my feet, where I was wearing the same, old, beat up Reeboks I had been for the last year. "I don't have the shoes for that."

He nodded, then waved his hand. Suddenly, my feet felt way more comfortable. I looked down and I was wearing a fancy looking pair of Adidas. I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to be getting out of this without being rude to a god that's been nothing but nice to me. We took off at a jog and Hermes remained silent. I got into a rhythm, that was much faster than what I was used to, running with Hermes.

Around mile three, Hermes spoke. "Running is amazing. For more reasons than that I'm the god of speed. It's time to think. The controlled burn of your muscles, the focusing on your breathing patterns, the ache in your lungs, and your feet, pounding on the concrete."

He paused, "It can be incredibly therapeutic."

I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. I had gone on runs with the Stolls, it was something we did frequently. It was always nice when I did it, but I occasionally forgot to do it, and I just didn't want to wake up at 3:30 every morning like they did.

"Running is a battle of the mind more than a battle of the body. Running long distance is a mindset that few people have. It gives you an opportunity to strengthen yourself, better yourself. Gives you something else unique to be proud of. A lot of people turn their life around by running."

I was getting slightly annoyed by his riddles, "What are you trying to say?"

We stopped, and I just realized we had ran the entire six mile loop around Central Park.

He Looked off at the pond we were standing by, "There's a Chinese proverb I like. A Journey of a Thousand Miles, begins with a single step. You're in limbo, right now. Well, the limbo of the rest of your life. Between your life as a hero and your life as a mortal. What I'm trying to say, is that you have potential. You have the mindset of a runner. Run whenever you can, walk if you must, crawl if you have to, but you never give up."

He turned to me, "You're going into your sophomore year of high school, with a whole world of potential ahead of you. All you have to do is take that first step."

Hermes handed me a packet of paper, "Take care, Perce. Think about it."

He jogged off, into the darkness. I decided I'd open the packet when I got home, feeling plenty tired enough to go to bed now. Definitely not because Hermes annoyed me a bit with those riddles. Definitely not.

When I got home, I quietly snuck in, not wanting to wake up mom and Paul. I snuck to the bathroom. I turned the water on and cranked the heat up. I stripped down out of my sweaty clothes. I stepped into the shower and felt all the muscle aches practically wash away with the water running over me. I knew I had to be careful about how long I showered, because I had been known to stay in here for hours at a time and ruin the water bill. I stepped out and willed myself dry before wrapping a towel around my waist and heading to my room. I turned, immediately towards my dresser and was about to get dressed when I heard a cough behind me. I spun, and saw a goddess sitting in my desk chair, at least, I assumed she was a goddess.

She wore dark robes, with a weird ferret thing in her lap and a Golden Retriever by the base of my chair, where she was sitting.

"Can I help you? I'm trying to get dressed."

She shook her head. "No, you cannot help me. I'm here to help you."

"Can I get dressed first?"

She spun in her chair so she was facing the wall. "Hurry, demigod. I don't have a lot of time."

I did as she asked, just throwing on a pair of underwear and basketball shorts. "You can turn around."

I slipped a shirt on and she started speaking. "I'm Hecate, the goddess of Magic. Yes, the one who sided with the Titans. I'm here to thank you. For not just saving me, but saving my children."

"You're, uh, welcome?" I answered, not quite sure how to respond.

She sat up, "I'm here to offer you a gift."

I scrunched my eyebrows, "I mean, thank you and all, but what is it?"

She folded her hands across her lap. "I can remove your scent. Your demigod scent, that is."

My jaw dropped in shock and she continued, "You could freely use technology, never have to worry about monsters again. You would still be able to interact with the mythological world and go to Camp, without some of the downsides of being a demigod."

I closed my jaw, realizing that this was just too good to be true. "There has to be some catch. Nothing in life is this good."

She nodded, "Yes, there is. A tattoo."

I gave her a deadpan stare, "That's it? It can't hurt more than the Styx."

She shook her head. "It's quite the painful tattoo, it affects your spirit, not just your body."

I sat, quiet, before responding, "Can I choose the tattoo?"

She laughed, "Yes, Perseus. You can choose the tattoo."

I opened my desk and pulled out a notebook. I flipped to a certain page and held it out to her, "Uh, I've been wanting this, is that okay?"

She nodded, "A meandros armband? Of waves? It's a bit too small for the magic. You want one on each arm?"

I nodded, "That'd look pretty cool. I'm alright with that."

"This part is important. You have the blessing of the Styx. If you go through with this, you will lose it."

I thought for a second, before nodding. "I'm alright with that."

"Okay. I'd recommend you bite on something, like a belt. This is going to be painful."

I grabbed a belt from my closet and folded it before biting down. Two torches appeared in her hands. She held them to my biceps and I damn near bit through my belt when they made contact.

If the Styx was a nine out of ten in pain, then this was a seventeen. It didn't feel like a brand despite it being fire, it felt like the Chimera's poison was being injected by millions of tiny needles. Let me tell you, I'm not a fan.

I was staring at my alarm clock, feeling the seconds tick by, and all of them hurting. After twenty minutes, she pulled the torches away and I gasped out, letting my head fall forward. After a few seconds I looked down at my arms, where I saw two, perfectly symmetrical meandros armbands, about two inches thick, wrapping each of my biceps.

Hecate handed me a glass of what I assumed was Nectar and I chugged it fast enough that I barely even tasted it. The red around the tattoos faded and the black was just as a super deep black, I loved it.

I gave Hecate a smile, "Thank you, Hecate."

She shook her head. "No, thank you. You've saved my children from exile. Consider this a favor returned. Good luck, Percy."

She got up and started to glow but stopped. "I won't say this often, but I agree with Hermes. I know he wasn't very straight forward, but that packet will explain it pretty well. Almost everything he said was literal."

With that she glowed again and I averted my eyes. When I looked back, she was gone, along with her pets.

There was a knock at my door, "Percy?"

I looked at my alarm clock and it read 5:00am. Mom usually got up around this time on work days to work on her book. The door opened and she gave me a warm smile, "Good morning, honey. How long have you been awake?"

I rubbed my neck, "I, uh, never went to sleep."

Her eyes got sad, "Oh, baby. I'm sorry."

She pulled me into a hug and when she pulled back, she noticed my arms. Her eyes widened, "Perseus Jackson, what are these? Don't tell me they're permanent."

"Magic tattoos?"

"When did you get these?"

"About half an hour ago."

"They're already healed though!"

Hecate was here. They block my demigod scent, so I don't have to worry about monsters anymore. I just had to get the tattoos to hold the magic. I chose these."

Her eyes widened, "No more scent?"

I grinned and shook my head. "No more scent."

Her eyes watered and she pulled me into a hug, "Oh, my baby, my baby."

We sat there for a few minutes in a hug. My eyes started to tear up too, realizing how wide the benefits of what I had were. No more random monster attacks, the ability to use technology, not having to constantly be looking over my back for angry gods. The good life.

After a bit, mom went to her office and I went to the kitchen and made a bowl of cereal. When I sat at the table, I opened the packet and saw a registration form for the Goode Cross Country team. I turned the packet upside down and a key in a plastic bag fell out, along with a sticky note.

128 E Broadway, PO 177

I sighed, before deciding I'd just have to walk over there, since Paul was already gone to set up his office, since the school year was starting soon so he had taken the car.

I put on a pair of blue jeans and a band shirt, before grabbing my dirty Reeboks. I gave mom a hug, letting her know where I was going. I caught the subway, wondering what could possibly be there.

I got to the address and walked inside the US Postal Office. I took the key out of my pocket and opened the PO box and pulled out a card. I headed to the front desk where the lady took it and came back with a huge box.

I nodded my thanks and when I left. The box had to be close to a hundred and sixty or seventy pounds. I headed down to the subway, knowing I wasn't going to be able to run with a box this huge. I strained a bit, carrying it down the stairs. Upon arrival at home, I dropped the box on the floor, my arms feeling the strain. I shoved it to the living room, where I sat down and opened it up.

The first thing I pulled out was a piece of paper, with one letter on it.

-H

I set it to the side and picked up the first package. Upon unwrapping it, I came to an iPhone 11 Pro. My eyes widened, since I knew this thing had only come out like two months ago. I set it to the side and opened the next box was a GPS watch for running, the 5th gen Nike+ watch. My next package was a pair of Airpods. I opened the box and saw on the front of the charger was engraved JACKSON. I smiled then set it to the side and continued. The box I opened next were trail running shoes. Those would be nice if I ever got out of the city.

I picked up the last package and grunted slightly. This was the heavy one. I opened it and was greeted by a 150lbs adjustable weight vest. This would be useful, but I definitely wouldn't start out with full weight.

I spoke out loud, knowing Hermes was listening, "Thanks, Hermes."

I don't know how, but I knew he heard me. I put the stuff in my room and showered again, this time getting dressed for the day. Upon leaving my room, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it, mom."

"Thanks, sweetie."

I opened the door and saw Poseidon, standing there. "Hey, dad. What's up?"

"Hello, son. I realized I didn't have a gift for your sixteenth birthday. That is a big birthday for mortals, isn't it? It's the age you can drive."

I nodded, "Yeah, it is."

He smiled, "Well, are you free? I have something I want to show you, a late birthday present."

I nodded, "Yeah, sure." I called back into the apartment again, "I'm heading out for a bit, mom. I'll be back in a bit."

"Okay, honey. Stay safe."

I turned back around and saw a wistful look in Poseidon's eyes. He snapped out of it and gestured for me to follow him outside. We walked outside in silence for a bit before he spoke, "So, you're going back to high school?"

I nodded, not sure where this was going. "Yeah."

"Playing any sports?" He lightly bumped my shoulder, "Swimming?"

I laughed, "I wanted to, but I was thinking about it and it would be ridiculously unfair. I'm not the best at self-control, so I'd probably go all out without meaning to and set some crazy record. Then I'd be kidnapped and taken to a secret laboratory where they did tests on me or something."

Poseidon nodded, "I can understand, but I don't think they'd take it that far, or at least, we wouldn't let them. So, what are you playing then?"

I shrugged, "I was talking with Hermes last night and he recommended that I run Cross Country, saying I had potential. Hecate said the same thing."

Poseidon froze mid step before continuing, "You saw Hecate last night?"

I shrugged, "Well, more like this morning. She gave me a gift in return for pardoning her and her kids yesterday."

He gave a very careful nod, "And what was that gift?"

I pulled my arms out of my hoodie, "She gave me these tattoos. They block my demigod scent using some super high tier magic."

Poseidon took a double take at my tattoos before he stopped completely, before taking one of my arms and inspecting the tattoo very closely. "Uh, what are you doing?"

He didn't respond for a few moments, before letting go of my arm, "Oh, that had me worried. These are very high strength magic. I recognize the spell now. I thought they were an old Atlantean binding curse that would give the creator the ability to control your soul. It's very similar, but different. They give the creator the ability to choose what happens to part of you, once. Once they choose what it is, it will stay like that until undone by the creator. What she did was turn your scent into a power source. You could never die of fatigue now, since it's like a secondary resource, similar to how your body stores fat."

I nodded and we continued walking, "Huh. neat."

We continued in silence before we turned left into a parking garage. We walked up a few flights of stairs before coming to a halt on the second floor of the parking garage. In the space in front of us was possibly the coolest motorcycle I had ever seen.

Poseidon put his hand on the seat, "This beauty is a Harley Davidson V-Rod, Night Rod. She has a 1,247cc engine, or 1115 horsepower, with 77.4 pound-feet of torque, with a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds and 0-100 in 8.1 seconds."

"And it's mine?"

"And it's yours. Now, this wasn't just from me. Hephaestus helped. He's offered to give you a form of his blessing. You'll know everything about your motorcycle, and no type of vehicle would confuse you."

"That'd be awesome!"

A few seconds later, I was enveloped in a dull orange glow. When it faded, I looked at the motorcycle and just seemed to understand everything about it. How to ride it, the throttle response, the inner workings of the entire thing. Now I understand why the Hephaestus kids are all gearheads.

Thunder rumbled and Poseidon rolled his eyes, "Zeus is being a big old baby. He's mad that I've spent like ten minutes with you. I'm sorry, Perseus, but I have to go."

He gave me a hug, "Happy birthday, Percy."

I gave him a hug back, and when we pulled back he gave me a wink, tossed me an ID, before disappearing in a swirl of water.

I looked at the bike, then the key in my hand. I mean, a quick ride wouldn't hurt, right? I swung my leg over the black, leather saddle and dropped the key into the ignition. The motorcycle rumbled to life.

This was going to be fun. I walked the bike backwards and revved up, the noise echoing through the building. I pulled out onto the street and let it out. I flew over the bridge, weaving through traffic in a way that I could take a wild guess and assume was extremely illegal. I dropped a gear and twisted the accelerator, building revs before running back up, launching myself at close to 90mph, over double the speed limit. The wind was in my hair and I had a smile on my face the entire time. It was fun, an escape from any type of reality. It was, well, freeing.

I got back to the parking garage and reluctantly left it, already missing the rumble. I walked home and when I opened the door, I saw mom and Paul in their chairs, reading together.

"Hey, I'm home."

Mom looked up from her book, "I can see that. What were you doing? Something with camp?"

I shook my head, "No, actually. I was actually with dad."

"Poseidon was here? What did he want?"

"I dropped down on the couch, sprawling out, "He was giving me my birthday present, it's pretty sweet."

Paul glanced up from his book, "What did he get you?"

"Well, it's a joint gift between him and Hephaestus. They got me a motorcycle."

Mom choked on the coffee she was drinking, "A motorcycle? Do you know how dangerous those are?"

"I'm a demigod, mom."

"You could get hit by a car!"

"Can't hurt more than being physically thrown into a building by a Drakon."

She crossed her arms, "Did he at least get you a helmet?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I don't know if he thought about it. It'd take quite a bit to hit me. I'm a demigod, mom. I have crazy reaction speeds and a practically prophetic gut that tells me when something's wrong."

"You need a helmet."

I groaned, "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"What if I promise to not get hit?"

"It's not up for debate, Percy. You're getting a helmet."

"I groaned, "Fine."

Suddenly, there was a loud 'pop' from the air above my lap. A box dropped from nowhere, probably from Hermes' mail. I opened the box on the spot and pulled out a black helmet.

Mom gave a sing nod, seemingly satisfied. "Good. You'll wear that every time you get on the bike."

I nodded dejectedly. "Okay, I'll wear it."

Paul closed his book and looked over at me, "So, school starts Tomorrow. You have all your school stuff in your room already, we already have you registered for school. Are you going to be playing any sports? Need anything for them?"

I nodded, "I'm thinking I'm gonna try Cross Country. I've had two gods tell me I should, but I don't need any gear. Hermes gave me a pair of shoes last night that are pretty great."

Paul's eyes widened, "Two gods? When was this?"

I shrugged, "Last night I went for a run and met Hermes and this morning, probably around three or four a.m. I met Hecate."

He nodded slowly, "They were in our apartment?"

"Only Hecate."

He nodded a bit more assuredly. "Okay."

"Mom looked over at us, "I'm really in the mood for pizza."

Paul and I looked at each other and I responded, "Mom, you don't have to ask twice."

Paul nodded in agreement, "Pizza's always good."

Mom nodded and pulled out her phone. "Percy? The pepperoni and cheese piezilla, breadsticks, and a 2-liter? The usual?"

I grinned and nodded, "Yes, please."

Mom turned on the TV and we pulled up a movie. The greasy pizza was amazing, and we had just finished the movie when I heard a knock at the door.

Paul got up, "I'll get it."

A few moments later, Paul came back in, with three, familiar deities following.

I raised an eyebrow, "What's up, guys?"

Apollo held his hand out for a fist bump, "Hey, cuz. We're on our way to Hong Kong for the night, you want to come with us?"

"I mean, I'm down. Let me check with mom first."

I looked over at mom, who was looking at the three with a guarded expression. I nodded, realizing neither mom or Paul knew who these three were.

I stood and Aphrodite gave me a hug, "Mom, Paul, these are Apollo, Tyche, and Aphrodite. Three of the most annoying deities on Olympus."

Tyche pushed my shoulder, "you know you love us."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. Can I, mom?"

She nodded, the guarded look still there. "Don't hurt yourself."

Apollo slung an arm over my shoulder, "Oh, we wouldn't let him get hurt."

I pushed his arm off and bent over, giving mom a hug. "I'll do my best. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetie."

The three gods said their goodbyes and we left the apartment. When we got outside, we flashed to Hong Kong and Aphrodite looked at me again and stepped back, "That's what you're wearing?"

I looked down. I was wearing beat up, torn Reeboks, blue jeans that I knew didn't fit that well, and a nondescript, blue t-shirt. I shrugged, "What's wrong with this?"

She shook her head, "No, no, no. We're going shopping."

I shook my head, "I know for a fact that I can't afford what you want me to wear."

She grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the alley we were in, "I'll pay for it. Money doesn't matter much to me, and this is unacceptable."

I got dragged down the street, before laughing and just walking with them.

She pulled me towards the first shop, and I knew I wouldn't be able to afford it. The next few hours were a whirlwind. I've learned a few things, though.

1. My butt looks 'totally, like, scrumptious' in Calvin Klein jeans

2. I'm 'totes, super hot' and I should dress like it

3. Reeboks are out of fashion, it's about Nike blazers

4. I can rock a fur collar denim jacket

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty informative trip. I just have way too many clothes now that they flashed back home. Like, I'm going to have to clear out part of the room under my bed to fit this number of shoes. I got home after six hours, looking at 2:00AM on my clock. I was ready for bed.

I finished my basic hygiene routine and fell into bed, half conscious. That consciousness was quickly lost.

It's weird to think about, but I was honestly kinda excited for my second day at school.

Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, there's more to come. If there's something particular you want, feel free to contact me and I'll try to add it in.

For legal reasons, I own nothing except the plot. All rights to Rick Riordan and Hyperion Publishing.