Percy's New Path

by Charlee56

Annabeth has left Percy to study ancient architecture in Greece. He's been left behind because of her desire to live her own life. She left him a note and then she left him. His heart is broken and he leaves the camp. He travels to his mother's home and there he finds a new path in life that he can take. Will an accidental exposure to this new world give Percy A New Life?

5. Chapter 5

I do not own any of the characters in this story, Rick Riordan owns them all. Darn it. And I have no financial interest or ownership in Delta airlines, Rolls Royce or Dom Perignon. But don't I wish I did!

Time for a time skip. We're gonna deal with Annabeth for a bit.

Percy's New Path chapter 5

July, 2012 Paris, and the Layover

The two European men looked at the beautiful American blonde as she walked down the airport corridor toward the texit. Since the necessary paperwork had been filed on board the jumbo jet before landing, all Annabeth needed now was her passport, personal ID and visa for the European Union nations and she was good to go for a Parisian shopping trip. A short one but…

"Gunther" and "Alois" stared at her receding form and couldn't help marveling at the way her derriere swiveled as she walked. "She can surely expect a lot more attention with a walk like that!", opined ''Alois''.

His partner ''Gunther' simply smiled as he morphed into his actual mortal form as Hermes. Alois morphed into his form as Apollo, the "Immortal Wingmen".

"You know, that line you tried on her was truly lame! "We can show you a world you never knew existed"! How freakin' lame can you get!" The sarcasm had stung "Gunther" badly; that line had worked so many times before…

"Hey dude! I heard YOU try it on her too! Don't hate me just 'cause I came up with it. You went down in flames, too!"

"Yeah, but I'd NEVER try that line on someone like ANNABETH CHASE!" He said this last in a slightly growled whisper.

Hermes looked back at Apollo thoughtfully. He actually had a soft spot for Annabeth due to his son, Luke's love for her. All the times Luke had captured Annabeth she'd never once been in any real danger with the exception of that stupid manticore, Thorn.

Luke had truly loved Annabeth, and when Hermes had finally been allowed to chat with his son in Elysium, the truth of Luke's feelings came out during their talk. Luke had truly fallen for her when she was about fifteen. Annabeth had really physically matured back then and Luke had fallen for her like a ton of bricks!

But her heart was by then in the care of Poseidon's son. It might still be so. Might.

And no matter where she went right now, someone would always be there to care for her. Triton was waiting for her in Athens. He'd been asked by Athena, whom Triton had raised as a daughter, to help the goddess' own most favored daughter get settled and keep an eye out on her until she was in step with her new environment. What Athena DIDN'T know was that Triton also had a sneaky "like" for his younger brother's ex. And Hermes knew that.

Well, the messenger god thought; who wouldn't? Aphrodite had started a pool as to when Annabeth would 'take comfort' with another man. Even Zeus and Hades had some serious cash on it. Platinum drachmas!

Poseidon had gotten angry and disgusted when he was asked to join in; he'd shouted out something inane like "money changers in the temple betting on the sacred virgin"; everybody thought the old sea god was starting to lose it.

It was just a harmless pool; nothing much. No harm in keeping things interesting, right? Annabeth was only human, wasn't she? Right. Just another mortal...

Not one thought was given by any of these "gods" as to Percy's feelings on the matter or the pain such an event with the woman he'd given his heart to would cause him. Not even one.

Annabeth reached the French Customs agents and answered all the questions put to her in her flawless French. Unfortunately, her "flawless" French was almost unintelligible to the two native Parisian officials working that booth. Parisian French is like something on a par with English spoken in Brooklyn, NY City. English spoken in Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Dyker Heights is almost unintelligible to Americans from many other parts of the United States, not to mention with other New Yorkers ***(I lived in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn for a year, and was raised in Manhattan; I really mean this!)***

But Annabeth, sensitive to what was being bandied back and forth by the Immigration Officers as well as what was being said to her managed to scrape by, and the two jaded souls gave her credit for her attempt.

Besides, she was an absolutely stunning blonde, and what Frenchman would ever be unkind to such un belle mademoiselle tres chic et courageuse (smart and brave AND beautiful!)? Especially an American woman of such exquisite beauty who was really trying hard to speak French, the ONLY civilized language?

Once she'd established she was going shopping for clothing and would be back for her connecting flight, the two wise-cracking Customs officers had given her the name and location of several decent but inexpensive bars that served acceptable food in town, and she was passed through and allowed to travel on in to the city.

The taxi she took tried to cheat her (unfortunately typical in a LOT of cities around the world), but Annabeth was well versed in Euros and dollars and the proper exchange rates with American dollars; so she gave the cabbie his proper fare and exited the cab right on the Champs Elysses, right by the The Arch. Minus a decent tip due to his attempt at cheating her.

The famed Triumphal Arch, L'Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile was huge and beautiful and Annabeth took a great shot of it in the morning sun with her special digital camera, a present from Leo for her birthday last year. The Arch is located at the Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly la Place du l'Etoile (the Place of the Stars).

Built in 1806 as a triumphal monument to Napoleon Bonaparte and his conquest of the major kingdoms of Europe (with the notable exception of Great Britain), the Arch stands several stories in height and about 80 feet across. Some early French aviator actually flew his trainer through the Arch in 1919!

And in 1939 Britain was back then the home of Mt Olympus and the gods prevented this interloper in their intercontinental affairs, Adolf Hitler from mounting a cross-Channel invasion, as he'd wanted to do.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War One is in a vault directly under the Arch's internal curvature. There are many engravings and this amazing structure was inspired by the Arch of Titus in Rome which itself was built in AD 82 by the Emperor Domitian. The names of over five hundred French Generals are engraved on plaques along with the names in memoriam of many other great and historical French luminaries.

All this information went through Annabeth's mind as she just stood there looking at the enormous and beautiful structure, this immense and beautiful memorial that embodied the heart of France. She used to subject Percy to information jags like this one over the most minor things. But this wasn't "minor".

And he always listened to her. He ALWAYS heard her. He was her rock, just as she was his. And now she was leaving him….

STOP!

ENOUGH of feeling sorry for herself!

She KNEW this was the right thing to do.

Wasn't it?

Annabeth put her camera away and walked on, trying not to think about Percy back in the direction she'd come from, she saw a restaurant. It looked really nice and was open for breakfast. Being hungry, she found a seat at a table on the sidewalk and a waiter soon took her order. Cafe au' lait et un croissant. Coffee light with milk, and a savory French roll, basted in butter at the bakery. One of life's more worthwhile sins! Oh well, when in Paris…

Next up was shopping. Annabeth needed some good heels and a few skirts and suits. She needed the clothing in order to make good impressions with the people who would be teaching her. Where better to shop for fashionable things than in Paris? It was time to get going. She had a plane to be on no later than noon. Just three hours now…

Manhattan, Upper East Side

Right about then, Percy and Tyson were arriving at his mom's new apartment. She and Paul were doing very well and they'd needed the room of a much larger home for themselves. The boys (Tyson could either bunk with Percy or stay in his own room now), had their own rooms which were both much larger than Percy's old one. And since his mom and Paul had been thinking about having another child, one of their own this time,Percy knew they were thinking ahead to that possibility. By now, Tyson was fully integrated as a Jackson-Blofis, in all but the legalities so he was included in the planning right from the start.

Paul and Sally both needed their own home offices as well, and the seven bedroom duplex they found fit the bill nicely. Sally's first book had sold really well, made the NY Times Bestseller list and was making a lot of money, and Paul had gotten a new job as the principal of Goode High School, and a substantial housing allowance went with the job. The money was no longer a problem, and the deal on this majestic apartment was fabulous! Not as expensive as it might have been.

Tyson and Percy walked down the block slowly, side by side with their weapons in hand but still concealed. They had no opposition from monsters or enemy demigods as they walked, and they soon reached their new home.

It was new construction, a dark glass and steel 46 story skyscraper on the northeast corner of East 86th St, between 1st and York Avenue. Not too ritzy an address but a beautiful new building with all the amenities. They walked up the semi-circular driveway and into the lobby they went.

The doorman looked up and recognized Percy right away. His mother had called down to alert the staff as the family was still new. Percy had been at Camp since just after Christmas and he'd been training the year-round campers in swordsmanship and unarmed combat, so the building staff didn't really know him just yet except for the old wallet-sized photo his mom had sent down. The doorman was a bit shorter than Percy, and he had to crane his neck and look up to see Tyson, who smiled down at him and just said, "Hello! I'm Tyson, Percy's younger brother".

The doorman sensed Tyson's gentle nature and smiled back, and said, "Hello, sir! I'm Andy and if either of you gentlemen ever need help, please just ask". He didn't have any instructions on this son, but Andy was adaptable.

He was also a legacy of Triton, and he'd been offered this job by his wife's uncle who'd been a construction foreman on the building and who was a legacy of Neptune as well as a former legionary, a decurion in the 12th Legion Fulminata. The name of the company that built it was "Star of the Sea Construction and Salvage", (one guess as to who owned it!) and it was formed by Poseidon to provide for both employment and occasionally housing his offspring, legacies and his and their loved ones, as well as Triton's very few legacies. The Seas have a loooong memory! And so did Poseidon.

The two young men went to the elevator lobby and took the first car to the 43rd floor. Almost the penthouse! Tyson was a bit nervous at being so high up in the air, but Zeus had made a deal with Poseidon; both his daughters Artemis and Thalia had full protection while in the waters while engaged on Hunt business or Olympian business, and Percy and all of Poseidon's children had permission to be in Zeus' domain at any level, any altitude. No more blowing up buildings to kill off demigods or their parents.

The girls had both nearly been killed while hunting an amphibious monster near Lake Superior two months past. Poseidon knew that Sally and Paul were looking for new digs and he wanted them in his new building. But they would've been forced to keep to no higher than the third story until the near-deadly incident.

Artemis had tried to rescue Thalia who'd swum into the inland sea that bordered the United States and Canada. Poseidon's son and heir, Triton had been close enough to effect a rescue. The two women had fallen prey to an underwater trap set up by an unknown party and were safely brought to shore and revived by the messenger god.

He summoned his father and Apollo, and both women were brought to Olympus. Athena had been dispatched to supervise the Hunt and guard the maidens until Artemis could get back. It was after Zeus had been summoned by his brother that they'd sat and talked out what happened. Poseidon mentioned how Percy had once talked to him about being afraid to ride any of the Pegasi too high because he was "afraid that Uncle Zeus would fry my ass!"

Zeus smiled at Percy's brash remark and then he offered a deal;

"Brother, if you agree to bless my daughters and the Hunters and give them all both safe passage and the ability to exist in the nearer deeps in connection with their duties and chores, then I will allow and permit all of your family and their companions to safely exist and travel in all my domains, forever".

"Brother, what you say is both generous and quite agreeable to me. I accept! This will make a lot of lives much easier. I also offer to bless all demigods at both camps so they enjoy the beaches and waters in safety".

Zeus smiled. He loved making this kind of agreement. It truly benefited all the gods as well as their children. And it made him look good to everybody because they thought that their dad had driven a very good bargain and gotten the better half of the deal. If only they all knew the truth!

"My brother, you are most thoughtful and generous! Let us announce this to the Council, and we will include the Senate leadership of New Rome as well as both Praetors, and also Chiron and the leadership of Camp Half-Blood. Then we will FEAST!"

Any reason for a good party, right? Just ask Dionysus,. Mr "PARTY TIME"!

This was the agreement that made it possible for Percy and Tyson to ride so high up in the elevator. Also, that "FEAST!" had ROCKED!

The car came to a rest and a bell dinged as the door opened. The two brothers exited and turned right. At the end of the hall they came to the only door at that end of the building, and rang the bell.

The door flew open and both Sally and Paul came out to start the huggin' and the lovin'. Tyson hugged "his mommy" and Sally started leaking tears of joy; her sons were home! Paul shook hands with both, and both younger men hugged their step-father as well.

Dinner was on the table. Sally had outdone herself. She'd made a huge pot roast with loads of vegetables, a soft and succulent six pound roast beef, and loads of buttery soft red potatoes. Both her boys started salivating! They both washed up and came to the table.

Then Sally said, "We should ask a blessing on our meal and for thanks that we are all here safely, together". They all joined hands as Sally recited a Christian prayer of "grace".

Then they sat and dug right in. Sally however, could see how upset Percy was. He spent a few minutes uncharacteristically just moving his food around on his plate instead of attacking his dinner in his usual voracious way.

Paul realized that his beautiful wife was just staring at their son and that he suddenly wasn't eating. He asked Percy, "So how's camp? Chiron okay? Nico, Leo, Rachel and all the rest? How they doing?"

Percy shed a few tears and looked up. He put his fork down and looked up at the man he'd come to regard as a real dad.

"She left me".

His voice was so soft that Paul had to strain to hear it. Percy looked at the older man right in the eyes and handed over the note he'd spent all last night just reading and re-reading.

Paul read the note and handed it back to his stepson. He sighed and pushed his plate back a bit as well.

Sally got up and put her arms around her boy, not saying a word. She just bent at the waist and loved him, pouring her heart into his thirsty soul. Tyson watched closely, listening but no longer eating. His big-brother was hurting and so was he. Their whole family was.

Sally did know already that Annabeth had gone. And it had been determined that it was in Annabeth's best interests. Now Sally would have to begin the very difficult task of helping her beautiful boy. Her terribly hurting son.

Percy was crying ever so quietly. The tears streaked down his face and he put his hands over his face.

"I-I'm really sorry; I can't eat just now. Maybe it's best i-if I j-j-just go t-t-to bed now."

Paul nodded at his beautiful wife and he and Tyson both got up and got Percy up and moving. They walked down the wide hall, with portrait sized photos of Percy taken at camp. There was one of him just sitting on the beach, the dying sunlight just aside him from the angle of the photographer.

The highlights in his hair showed up beautifully and he paused to look at it even though he was still crying.

"Paul? Where did you get this?"

Paul looked at his stepson, already a great man in the educator's eyes and he sighed.

"Your father gave it to your mom for her birthday this last year. It's both of us, our favorite photo of you."

"Who took it?"

"Annabeth".

The next morning Sally was up by 5:30. She'd checked in on her son to find that her "other son" was sitting next to her Percy, just holding his hand and speaking very quietly. Percy slept through without any nightmares or screaming.

When she got to the kitchen at 7am, she found Tyson up and a full pot of coffee all ready.

"Percy went for a run. He got up just a little while ago. He slept really good, Mama Sally".

Sally smiled sleepily and went over to the young Cyclope. She put her arms around him and hugged him to her. Tyson grinned and hugged Sally right back. Sally smiled into his t-shirt and said, "I love you as if you were my very own son. Percy is really lucky to have a wonderful brother like you, Tyson."

Then she asked, "Did you sleep at all last night, sweetheart?"

"No Mama. I sat up and just told big brother everything was okay; that he was okay and that I'd always be here for him".

Sally felt the tears spring to her eyes and could only just snuggle this amazing young man even closer. She really did have a mother's love for Tyson. Both Sally and Paul had talked… She wondered…

"Tyson? I want to ask you something."

"What, Mama? What do you want to ask me?"

"Tyson, Papa Paul and I really do love you, just as if we had raised you and had you as our very own boy. You know this, right?"

Tyson smiled softly and happily. He liked hearing this kind of thing.

"Yeah Mama. And I love you both too, just like we were a for-real real family". He looked down at her and said, "You even make me my very own special cookies, Mama; just like big brother Percy's. And… and…" he hesitated just a little and then said, "I love you and Papa Paul very much. Just like I am really your own son".

"Well, Tyson; would you like to be our son for real? We could adopt you and it would be made legal by a judge. You would really be our son, forever and ever. Papa Paul and I talked about this last night and he wanted to all of us sit down together and talk it over this morning at breakfast. And your real daddy agreed, so long as you're happy and return to Atlantis during the summers to work the forge and drill your armies. Is all that okay with you?

"We have a lot of room and we'll get you into school and we'll take care of you the way you deserve. Percy truly loves you, ya know! He always says ''my brother Tyson" whenever he talks about you, and he talks about you a lot!"

Tyson pulled back from this amazing woman, so full of love both for his brother and now for him as well. He looked at her shyly, not quite really believing this amazing thing he was being asked.

"You really mean it? You wanna be my for-real and forever mommy and Papa Paul my for-real daddy too?"

The younger brother's head started spinning and tears sprang up in his eye. He started laughing softly and hugged Sally so very snugly! But gently… really gently.

Just then Paul walked in, still sleepy but in a great mood. He'd just heard the last part of this conversation as he ambled into the kitchen. Tyson held out a large arm and all three of them hugged and laughed and cried, joy exploding around the room.

Paul looked at his new son-to-be and said, "I guess this is a yes?!"

Tyson could only cry out a big "YESSS!", with all the love in his huge and beautiful heart.

And up on Olympus, Hera and Hestia looked on into the Hearth, together. And they knew that they'd answered more than a few prayers that morning. And well deserved by these people in particular.

And back in Paris…

Annabeth boarded her flight and was directed to the front of the aircraft, a 747. She was a bit startled. She'd paid for coach seating.

"Excuse me miss; but I think you've made a mistake. I'm supposed to be in coach-"...

"No mistake Miss Chase", the dark haired stewardess replied in Greek. Annabeth noted the slate grey eyes. A child of Athena? "You've been upgraded. Two gentlemen gave you their extra air miles and it was sufficient to upgrade you to first class. They left you a note".

The beautiful brunette took the note out of her apron pocket. It was in a rich tan colored envelope, quite expensive actually. Annabeth had seen this before up on Olympus. It was the kind of stationery that the gods used. Just what was this all about? She opened up the envelope and took out the note and read it, and everything suddenly came clear.

"To Our Beautiful American Friend:

It was too bad you said 'no' to us, the both of us. But we really do understand. You are travelling onward and we are going home. Different directions and all. But please do know that we two brothers are truly your friends, and this parting gift is just our way of saying thank you for an interesting conversation. Good luck in your new life in Greece!"

Sincerely,

Gunther and Alois

She smiled softly and put the note away. She felt a kind of a tingle in her tummy, suddenly realizing that two Olympian gods had tried to put their best moves on her. Pretty pathetic really. But as she took her seat in the front row of the first class cabin and was given her complimentary glass of champagne, she thought that maybe some of this kind of attention could be a good thing. Maybe?

The stewardesses gathered in a group near the rear of the compartment and just smiled at each other. They all already knew who Annabeth truly was. The Architect of Olympus and twice Hero and Savior, just like Percy Jackson. The Great Praetor.

They wondered where the great demigod and renowned hero was right then. Didn't these two travel together? As attractive as she was, the women really wanted a look at Percy. They were all former legionaries from Camp Jupiter, and had taken the stewardess jobs after serving at least four years as Senior Airmen (E5) or higher in the United States Air Force's Special Forces.

Delta Airlines wanted only those applicants who were both physically fit, and also were considered proficient in hand to hand combat. These women came from the ranks of the USAF's 23rd Air Force Unconventional Warfare Ops Group; in other words, commandos. And they were actually onboard to 'neutralize' any and all threats to their aircraft. They all wore flat heeled shoes as opposed to high heels; always a distinguishing mark in their occupation.

And they all respected Annabeth greatly. They knew who she was.

They all still wanted a look at "The Praetor".

Eight pack abs plus cannonball muscles all around? Slate rock hard pecs? Whew!

Annabeth relaxed into her seat, a single and extremely luxurious reclining couch-type chair, and closed her eyes as she sipped the lovely alcohol. the FREE lovely alcohol. She was in France, and the "21 year old" drinking laws of the United States didn't apply here.

Annabeth had gotten some pretty good shopping in, and picked herself up several skirts and dresses along with very chic trousers and several more very stylish pairs of shorts… very short shorts. She picked up five pairs of shoes including two pairs of very high heels and a number of really pretty blouses. Ten? Twelve tops?

For really casual wear she still had her longer-legged Camp shorts and t-shirts, and a few pairs of running and hiking sneakers. She already owned cold weather clothing including a particular silver parka that she'd gotten from Thalia before she left. The daughter of Zeus was her oldest friend and she knew why the younger woman had to leave. Thalia didn't like it, but she understood it.

The big jet started it's rotation down the long runway, and pretty soon afterward it smoothly lifted off. The still very troubled young woman was being looked after by no less than ten legionaries and a retired centurion, also retired as a lieutenant-colonel of United States Marines, Force Recon.

They would make sure that Annabeth was handed off properly to her clandestine Greek demigod escorts and the messenger god of the oceans. The gods had a lot invested in her already. It wouldn't do to lose her to an ancient monster just stepping off the aircraft!

Pretty soon, they reached forty five thousand feet; cruising altitude. They would maintain that altitude until their approach to Athens. Annabeth relaxed into her exceedingly comfy chair and thought of 'Gunther und Alois'. She snorted once; mortals her shapely butt! She speculated for a minute and realized that it had been Apollo and Hermes. It had to have been!

A part of her thought they'd both been pretty good looking, and she decided that if they showed up anywhere else along her travels, she would accept an invitation for dinner. It would be nice to make friends, and she'd always loved Luke's father once she got to know him. He'd always treated her respectfully. Of course, she'd been both younger as well as "with" Percy back when she'd last seen Hermes, but he'd treated her respectfully.

She knew he was truly an immortal horn-dog and all. And so was Apollo, but she knew she could handle them both. She was used to fending off godly attempts at getting into her pretty panties. She'd actually gotten really good at rebuffing them.

But just a dinner would be nice, and she wanted to say thanks for the thoughtfulness of the seat upgrade. Say what you want, but Annabeth had very ladylike ethics and manners. And having a god or two on her side was just a good idea for a single woman.

She put her by-now empty champagne glass into its holder on the tray in front of her and closed her eyes. She needed sleep. And for once, she got some very restful shut-eye. Annabeth never woke up until the stewardess nudged her for her lunch and more champagne as they began their long, slow descent to Athens International Airport.

Back in Manhattan

Paul and Tyson came back about 2 p.m. that day. They looked all over for Percy who had gone MIA during his time that morning running. He normally ran five miles every morning before breakfast, and intended to keep up his workout regimen. He needed some regularity, structure somewhere along the line and if he physically exhausted himself, maybe then he would sleep more restfully.

But somewhere along the line in Central Park, along the East Drive he had just stopped and sat down by the side of the road. He'd finally had enough. Annabeth was gone, he couldn't even really rest anymore and besides that he knew that the gods would come calling again for him sooner or later.

They always did. And he didn't ever want to see them again.

He just didn't want to be a part of it anymore. Percy knew that he could no longer be part of the "Greek world". It wasn't fair to himself or his immediate family. But besides that, hadn't he done enough already? He was barely twenty years old and had commanded the Greek forces in two major wars before he was even 18!

He'd been made a praetor of a Roman legion by battlefield acclamation, and was considered the bane and killer of so many Titans, gods, and monsters that he had virtually lost track of everybody he'd disposed of! He couldn't get any rest from all the women, some of the men and some of the gods as well who constantly made plays for his vaunted attentions. They all wanted a part of him for themselves. They all just literally threw themselves at him!

But what did he want? Not any of them.

He didn't know what he wanted any longer. He did want one… just one... other person in this entire effing world who would dare to touch his poisoned soul, who he KNEW he could trust his heart to.

But she had left him.

He needed to do some serious soul-searching and find out what it was he wanted to do and where it was he intended to go with his life. He knew that he wanted his mother in his life, and he wanted his own immediate family in his life.

He loved his stepdad, he loved his brother Tyson, and he would love any children that his mother and his stepfather had. They'd been talking about it and he couldn't wait to see if he'd be a big brother to some little child who he could mentor and protect and love. Especially love.

Percy really wanted children of his own down deep, but he never let himself think about that because in his heart he knew he wasn't ready for it yet. He wasn't ready to be a parent, but being a big brother suited him fine. He loved watching the young mothers and their children in the parks, especially at the playground where his mother used to take him just across town in Central Park. It was right near the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue, near 78th street and right inside the park walls, just down the drive a few feet.

That area of Central Park was a favorite of his, and not too far from the Boating Pond. Both the playground and the pond was really crowded on Sundays. And the Zoo was about ten more blocks downtown from there. Percy could think there. And he had fully intended to sit at the pond for awhile. But he never got there. He was still where he'd sat down, right along the Park Drive.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he entered a kind of a dream state, almost a mental fugue state to be exact. Morpheus, who loved the park was walking along when he saw Percy. He mentally reached out to Percy and suddenly realized he wasn't dreaming and didn't respond to Morpheus' mental "taps on his psychic shoulder".

But he did recognize the state that Percy was in and he sent out a message to Lady Artemis, to pass along to Thalia that her cousin was not doing well and was just sitting alone in the park. Morpheus promised to stay there and keep an eye on Percy and watch his back so that he would not be attacked and harmed.

The god of sleep did realize that Perseus was in no fit state to protect himself or anybody else, and was probably not even aware of his own surroundings at that point in time. So he just stayed nearby and watched out, and waited for the cavalry to come.

Lake Sheboygan, Wisconsin

"Thalia! I just received a message from Morpheus that Percy isn't doing well right now. He's in New York, in Central Park".

"WHAT!? What does 'not all right' mean? Is he under attack?! HUNTERRRS! GRAB YOUR WEAPONS!"

"NO! HUNTERS STAND DOWN! Sister, Perseus is physically fine. But Morpheus said he's been just… sitting. Sitting. For hours now. No monsters. No combat. He's just been unresponsive, nearly mentally comatose for about five hours now. Morpheus is watching our cousin and he will stay there with him until someone comes to get him. There! Better?"

The group of Huntresses that had gathered looked at their leader/goddess and her lieutenant, and just waited quietly for their next directions.

Tqhalia was quiet for a minute, and then a grin broke out on her face. "I know what to do! I'll IM Sally Jackson, his mother! She's nearby and she'll get him back to her place. Problem solved!"

Thalia searched her pockets, but they were empty.

"Hey! Anybody have a gold drachma?"

Sally looked up when she heard a voice. Paul had just checked in by cell phone; had she turned hers off? She picked up her cell, but again a female voice said, "Ms Jackson? Please look up!"

And she saw Artemis in an Iris Message visual field, as Annabeth had called them. "Yes! Hello! You're Lady Artemis, aren't you?"

"Yes, Ms Jackson. Thalia, my sister is here with me and-"

"Hi, Ms J! How ya doing! Long time no see! My sister and I have a message for you!"

"Thalia? Is that you?! It's been so long, dear! I haven't seen or heard from any demigods in so long! It's wonderful to see you! How are you!? How is The Hunt? Did you get the cookies I sent? Oh dear, I do hope you didn't use Hermes' rear gear for target practice? And by the way, it's MRS Blofis now." Sally held up her ring finger to show off her wedding and engagement rings. "Paul and I got married almost two years ago!", she said with a heartfelt grin.

The two sisters looked at each other and laughed. In regards to Hermes, a couple of the newer Hunters had done exactly that,used Hermes' twitchy tuchas for a bullseye. But they also laughed for happiness about the wedding. No woman they knew save Annabeth deserved happiness more than Sally!

As for Hermes he'd been ready for them, and he didn't get hurt. The five dozen cookies had been a present for Thalia on her fifth year anniversary in The Hunt. She'd shared of course, and all of a sudden Sally could hear thirty-seven young voices all chime in with a very hearty, "Thank You, Ms Jackson!"

Sally grinned as Artemis smiled and said, "Yes, thank you so very, very much. It was really lovely of you to remember Thalia's anniversary, and include enough that everyone got a few. They were better than ambrosia!"

Sally really did appreciate the en masse 'thank yous', but she was more concerned with the message about Percy.

So getting down to brass tacks, she asked directly, "You're all very welcome, but what is this message; is it about my son? Should I be worried? Thalia, truthfully; is Percy hurt? Where is he? He went out this morning about five am for his normal five mile run, and we haven't seen him or heard from him since".

Artemis took over the conversation about then and she related everything that Morpheus had told her. Sally thought for a second and then threw another drachma into the field of view.

"Fleecy! Are you there, dear? Can you do me a solid please?"

The coin was ejected right back at Sally and she caught it deftly. The Nebulae's static-like voice came on and said, "Hiya, Ms J! Good to talk to ya! Something I can do for you? Oh! Hello, Lady Artemis, and you too, Thalia!"

The friendly Fleecy handled almost all the switchboard work for Iris these days with the exception of godly requests. Those were usually handled by Iris herself.

"Hello, Fleecy!"

"Yeah, hey there Fleecy! How ya been?"

"Okayyy, you know how it is; so, what can I do for you all today?"

...

"Paul?"

"Hi, honey! Have you had any word where he is?"

"Yes. Long story short, check in the Park, East Drive about East 83rd St. He should be just sitting there, by the jogging track. I'll explain the rest when you're all home".

"Okay; Tyson and I will grab a cab and get there quick. Thanks!"

"And baby? Thank you for always being here for us all."

"That's my job, sweetie. That's what I do best! I just want to take care of my beautiful wife and our two wonderful sons."

30 minutes later…

"...and he was just sitting there, kind of… well, just crying. He kept saying how he'd 'had enough, enough, enough, no more, no more'. I couldn"t get him to talk with me, but at one point he kind of two-armed hugged both Tyson and me at the same time. Yeesh! He's really strong, our big son! And so is our younger son!"

"Mama? Big brother wouldn't let me or Papa up! Percy is super-strong! But he says "Enough" and "No more". What does he mean, Mama? What's wrong? Why won't my brother talk to us?"

Tyson turned his one lovely soft brown cow eye to his new Mama as if to see the answer in her face, and it was a troubled face. She glanced at her husband's strong features, but he was at a loss also.

Percy was still just sitting there, mumbling incoherently, asking…(?) To someone, anyone, "Why? Why?"

And for once, this one time Sally had no answers. But she thought she knew someone who might.

Athens International Airport

The man in the crisp off-white linen suit did stand out. He stood about 6'4", had an obviously athletic build, and wore a small gold earring in his left earlobe. His black hair was almost a midnight blue and was slicked back, just short of shoulder length and tied with a black band into a 'man-tail'.

His features were reminiscent of Percy's but even more so like their father's. It was a handsome face without the blatant youth of Percy's features. All in all, a strikingly handsome male specimen. And his photo had been taken by almost every sweet young girl in the terminal, and some sweet not-so-young thangs also! Triton was truly enjoying himself, and the adulation he was receiving from these mortals was feeling to him almost as if it were a form of worship (kinda, sorta, maybe a bit?), which fueled his immortality.

He decided he liked this. Maybe he should do this more often?

The beautiful blonde came down the jetway, and she couldn't be missed. Just not possible. She was casually escorted by the crewpeople of the aircraft. It had been an uneventful ride, quite relaxing really.

Annabeth had eaten a wonderful meal, a hearty selection was to be had and Annabeth had picked the available traditional Greek meal; Taramosalata, moussaka and finally a delicious slice of melon with a cup of heavy Middle Eastern coffee. She slept the rest of the way.

So, all rested and refreshed and fortified by a final glass of champagne, she didn't fall on her shapely backside on her new three inch heels and black pencil skirt when she saw Triton standing at the gate waiting for her. Her jaw dropped but she didn't.

At first, she thought it was Percy who was waiting for her and she couldn't figure out why he was dressed that way. The height was about right but the hair was all wrong and Percy didn't have a pierced ear.

She realized all of a sudden that this could not be Percy unless he had been transported by a god, and that was not likely given the number of gods in favor of Annabeth getting away from Percy for a while so that they could both regain their respective mental health. None of them wanted to see either of them break down. No, they'd be needed again in the future. Some war or other conflict; who knew?

Of course neither would ever have gotten to their current state of mind if not for said gods to begin with. But the gods couldn't conceive of that truth. It just wasn't in their personalities to do so. And so their children all suffered.

"Hello, Miss Chase! Did you have a good flight?"

Triton nodded to the crewmen, dismissing them with a brilliant smile, and he placed his hand gently in the small of Annabeth's back, "steering" her to a waiting golf cart which would be their transportation to the Greek Immigration supervisor.

Annabeth caught herself almost gawking. She kinda hoped that Percy would grow up to look like this other son of Poseidon. "Thank you Lord Triton, my flights were both good. The food was great and I got some rest as well".

The airport Immigration Commander had been called that morning at 3am by no less a personage than the Minister for Migration Policy, her ultimate agency head. He had made it imperative that the incoming Hellenic American student was to be treated as a VIP of the highest rank.

She was to receive her long-term residence permit and an information packet on becoming a citizen of Greece if she wished. The paperwork had already been couriered over and was on the Commander's desk in a sealed envelope. There was an armed squad of special forces men securing the office.

Ms Chase was highly regarded by the "HIGHEST OF ALL HELLENIC AUTHORITIES" (the prime minister, the Patriarch, the deposed nobility, WHO?), and was to be accorded all respect including full dress uniforms by EVERYBODY on duty, and the "gentleman" accompanying her was to be addressed as "My Lord" and in no other way. No further explanations were offered and none were asked for.

So when the two walked into the office arm in arm (Triton was just a bit pushy, but Annabeth was smiling) the commander got up from her desk and exited her office. She called her staff to attention and they 'fell in'.

"My Lord, Ms Chase! Welcome! Please come into my office. Ms Chase, I am Commander Andrea Maragos, and it is my pleasure to welcome you home to Greece!"

Five minutes later, all the paperwork had been signed and Annabeth had an indefinite immigration permit to live, study, whatever in Greece. And since she spoke the language naturally, she would be right at home. The beautiful young woman already felt welcomed by Triton, although she knew what he wanted by way of a "welcome home".

Not happening.

Not today, at any rate.

Triton started telling her more of what she'd need to know. "Okay, we have a house all ready for you, and it's in a very nice section of town. Your mother, my adopted daughter told me where to look and no expense has been spared. You have four bedrooms, a hot tub, a gourmet hi-tech kitchen, your own work studio and a T1 fiber optic cable connection that can interface easily with your 'extra special laptop' (Daedalus' laptop) and your very high end audio-visual equipment. You're even hooked up to the new demigod version of Hephaestus TV as well as the extremely high end equipment that your mother, Hermes and I have put together for you that will get you television and internet signals from around the world. And all your bills are being taken care of by me.

"You will have absolutely unrestricted access to every database in the world. Your work on Olympus may continue along with your work connected to your studies, and you start school in two weeks".

The Rolls Royce extended Phantom limousine pulled up to the curb as they walked outside and the driver exited his side. A big man, burly chested and strong by his features, came around the side and opened the rear door for his passengers. Annabeth's luggage was already in the trunk of the vehicle and Triton stood aside to let her in first.

They were both perfect gentlemen, and what a view of her marvelous rear! Yummy! Now THAT was a reward!

Oblivious to Triton's attentions, she climbed in and sat on the wide bench seat. There was a feel of incredible and unbelievable luxury. The cream colored leather seats felt butter soft; the interior was a combination of leathers of varying quality and softness as well as mahogany and teakwood that had a smooth surface texture and looked slightly worn, (old, maybe from sunken treasure ships?) but it all had warm and comfy look about it all.

Triton climbed in and sat down, and he settled his gaze on his 'daughter's' most favored child. This demigoddess had uncovered the Athena Parthenos, fallen into the ultimate Greek hell, and along with his valiant and courageous younger brother had persevered and made it through alive to close the fabled Doors of Death and finding an exit from Tartarus through yet another titanic battle inside the ancient House of Hades in Epirus, Greece. They fought that battle alongside the rest of The Seven.

This woman, as a 17 year old teenager along with his rapscallion of a step-brother had written new history and they'd both become the two greatest living legends of all the demigods throughout Greek history.

This amazingly beautiful woman was a bona-fide killer with a dagger and held his brother's heart in her hands.

And Triton knew without a doubt by way of his father that she had crushed his brother completely by leaving him. Any loyalty to his adopted daughter's own spawn he might otherwise have felt evaporated in the light of that truth.

Triton might not love his brother, but they were both Sons of the Seas, sons of Poseidon and Princes of the Oceans . And THAT REALLY COUNTED! For them, loyalty was everything.

Triton looked over at the still slightly tipsy Heroine of Olympus and smiled at her. "Feeling okay, Ms Chase?"

"Please call me Annabeth. Ms Chase is too formal".

"Well then Annabeth, I suppose you should just call me Triton".

The stunning blonde laughed lightly as the driver, a Merman of Triton's personal guard started the huge and beautiful car up and pulled slowly and gently out into traffic. Karkarsh was an officer, a vice-commander of Triton's personal guard and was extremely and personally loyal to his lord.

In short, he kept his mouth shut, his eyes focused on everyone else who might be a threat and he raised the privacy screen between the front and rear compartments. He knew where to take them.

And he knew to take the long way.

Whatever happened in that back seat STAYED in that back seat. The screen went up and it turned darkly opaque.

"Ms Chase? Annabeth?"

The slightly tipsy blonde was about to get a lot more tipsy.

"Hmm? Yes… Triton?"

This last was accompanied by a slightly sly and appreciative evaluation of the gorgeous hunk of man who just seemed so familiar.

"Would you like some champagne? Dom Perignon, '57?"

Annabeth smiled and reached for the proffered glass, taking it and giggling a little; it tickled her nose, those bubbles! Mmm!

"MMMM! This is deLICIOUS!" The wine was filling the ache in her heart and Triton looked so much like her SeaWeed Brain...

The very woman-savvy sea god made up his mind to try; she was fair game and too good to pass up.

And would ultimately prove easy , he thought. Who knew Annabeth Chase had no tolerance for alcohol?

It was going to prove a long ride and a very long night. And a boatload of drachma was going to change hands.

Manhattan, same day

"Hello, Papa Stavriou"?

"Yes, this is Stavriou, who is… Sally? Sally Jackson?" the old priest smiled broadly. He remembered this good woman from their talks when she was still a teenager.

"Yes Although it's Sally Blofis now. I got married a couple of years ago."

"Ohh, wonderful… I hope? Not that ''Gabriel' fellow?"

"Oh! No; no no no! A wonderful man, I met him through school. I went back to college and began a writing course. He's an English teacher and helped tutor me".

"Well, that's wonderful to hear Sally! So how can I help you? This isn't just a social call, I think?"

Sally paused and bit her lower lip. Her baby boy needed this. It would help him.

"No, Father. It's not. It's my son Percy, Perseus. I still remember that day out on the street… please Father. Percy is in agony; he's quite literally been through hell, through Tartarus! And his partner, his love has had to leave him. I'm afraid he's starting to lose his mind! You KNOW the problems we all have as a result of our allegiances to 'those beings'. I'm almost sorry for my own. But if I had not given myself to his father.."

"You would not now have your son. And you are smart to refrain from using their names. Names draw their attentions, names have power".

At some point in their conversation they'd both switched to the Greek language. The elderly priest had been born in the city of Kalambaka, near the famous Meteora monasteries in Thessaly. It was just a few hundred miles from the original Mount Olympus.

There had been a large community of legacies going back thousands of years. Real live demigods were big news then, and when Apollo worked his way on the old priest's mother back when she was a young and virginal maiden, and never spoke to either of them again, his mother went and found a good man called Petriou Andargas who wanted to marry her and be a father to her illustrious boys. Both of them.

Apollo who?

And the little family was happy.

But nothing lasts forever, and if not for the fact that Dionysus had gone through the area checking local vineyards in response to prayers of local farmers (the old ways never really died) the two boys might have lived and died in the area. Died a lot sooner.

Monsters also abounded in that area, particularly Empousae. The boys went to the Camp in the USA and never went home to Greece again. Their mother and her husband had three children of their own, and it was decided that for the safety of all the five mortals, the two brothers should remain in the United States and in their own world.

Stavriou knew exactly the kinds of problems Sally meant. He asked the one question he saw that needed answering.

His tone of voice was soft and gentle, very understanding. This good woman needed this kind of attention here. Her family was truly in danger, but he would never push this;

"Sally, do you want me to come over? We could talk and you could maybe introduce me?"

No hesitation: "Yes Papa, please, please do come. But there's just one thing before you do that I need to let you know. Percy's younger brother by his father; he's a Cyclope. Very gentle and loving. Tyson is very kind. And we've taken him in. He's still a child, really. And his birth father does know and approves".

That gave Stavriou pause for a few seconds. But he'd dealt with Cyclopes before. If these caring and good people trusted this young one then so would he.

"That's fine, and thank you for warning me! Always good to know. I will talk with him as well as Perseus. I'm sure that 'Tyson' will have a lot to tell me as well!"

"Ohh, Papa Stavriou this is good news! When do you think you might be able to come over?"

"Well, what's for dinner? I can come over there this evening and stay for a bit. Do you think your husband could drive me back?"

"We're having leftover pot roast. Percy and Tyson came home last night and we all sat down, but Percy kind of lost it and I just put everything up until tonight".

Stavriou smiled; Sally's pot roast was amazing and he was sure that dinner would be wonderful.

"That's fine! Don't worry about the things we cannot change, Sally. You and I and Paul will try to help your sons make everyone's lives better. And the pot roast will be excellent, I have no doubt! I can be there in an hour. Does that work? We can sit and have coffee, and I will help set the table. Paul is home, yes? He and I can get to know each other. Does he like baseball?"

"Yes! He does! He's a big Yankees fan, even has an annual reserved seat!"

"See? We like the same things, he and I. And Percy likes to spar with a blade, right?"

"My son is considered the greatest living swordsman among both Camps. He even defeated the war guy (no names here!) in a one on one match when he was twelve!"

Now THAT was REALLY IMPRESSIVE!

"Wow! I guess I'm going to have to up my game a bit! But I am sure Percy and I will get along just fine. And so will Tyson and I. He is creative, a smith, no?"

"Yes! You hit it on the head! Tyson is very creative. In fact, he told me a little while ago he had something to give me that he made over this summer. My youngest is a very sensitive and creative person! I can't wait to introduce you all!"

The old priest chuckled, remembering just how very creative Sally herself could be. He decided it was time.

"Sally, I'm going to grab a few things and then I'll get on my way. I will see you soon".

"Please catch a cab. No trains, that just takes too long. I'll pay, please! Let me give you our address; we've moved." She started hearing her friend protest the cost but she was absolutely adamant and she soon prevailed.

As they both hung up the phones Sally reflected that this might be the beginning of a whole new day for her son. She had been worried sick for many years now, ever since Grover had dragged Percy back to the old house yelling at Sally that it was time to get him to Camp immediately.

She'd known that her son would be safe in Camp, but getting him there had been the problem. Her time with Hades had been a nightmare. And by now she herself was ready for a change as well. She had talked to Paul a few times about this and she was ready to be placed beyond the authority of the old Pantheon. It was finally time.

Sally had hesitated this long only out of loyalty to her son. But she was ready to make a move and if she and Paul were blessed with any children of their own, there would be no arguments or second thoughts; any of their children would be baptized as soon as the church prescribed because she wanted them kept safe and away from all this madness.

Her son was so young and had lived so much already. He had accomplished so much with his short life, a life spent risking his very existence and now his life spent in grief, having lost his first and possibly his greatest love. And all because of 12 very selfish and self-centered beings who dared to call themselves "gods".

If Sally had this right, and she was pretty sure that she did, they would soon see what the REAL God was all about! She just hoped that Percy's father did not have to pay the price as well, and neither would Tyson.

Tyson; he was another consideration. She needed as much information as she could get to make this work and to keep Tyson safe as well. He didn't have anywhere near the same degree of problems that Percy did and he fit much more easily into his world within all this framework than Percy had in his.

The question for this evening would be: could she help the boys and her husband in putting together a world in which they would all be safe and still be a family? She resolved to find all of this out from Papa Stavriou tonight.

And she resolved further to get the education in her newly chosen faith that she would need in order to help live and guide her family lthrough all this. It was her responsibility because she had brought this to everyone with her love for the god of the oceans.

It hurt her heart to think this way; she sincerely wished she had never met him.

AN

So that's chapter five. This is a story about what one man can do to live his life, serve the world and beat the gods he's always known for one, just ONE God who has supplanted virtually all the European and a lot of the African and Asian pantheons over the last two thousand years.

Annabeth will "write her own chapter" as will Percy and Tyson. And once she is free of all the constraints she's been forced to live with all of her son's life, so will Sally. Paul will go on to do great things once the twelve stooges are forced to leave him alone as well.

Ever wonder just how much the Olympians might have been restraining everyone's lives in order to "better serve the gods"? If Aphrodite thinks that Annabeth's possible infidelity will cause Percy and his family to come back into the "warm and caring embrace of Camp life and Olympus, for the greater good", welll, she's got another think coming!

They ALL do.

So? Please read and REVIEW! I think there are many of you I'm not reaching. Please do review and tell me now what does or doesn't appeal to you in this story.