Six Months Later

The tension knotted up in Percy's gut. He looked around. Everyone looked as still as he was, and an ominous silence filled the air.

He looked back down.

It was any minute now. Soon, it would all end, for better or for worse.

A bell rang loudly, amplified by the quietness of the space. Dozens of chairs screeched as they scraped the floor, the people that had been sitting on them for the past hour suddenly standing up. With a loud murmur, each person passed by the teacher, who stood at the door with a desk, and dropped off their tests with little care as they scrambled out of the room – all of this, much to the consternation of the teacher, whose pleas for, "please neatly leave your tests here" and "stay safe this summer" were lost in the hubbub of the crowd.

Soon enough, Percy was the last one there, standing sheepishly in front of his teacher with his test in his hand.

"Need a hand, Mr. Burns?" Percy asked, looking at the mess of test papers that littered the desk and the floor. The aforementioned teacher smiled as he rolled his eyes knowingly, before waving his hand.

"I'll be fine, Mr. Jackson," Percy's favorite teacher replied, taking the test from the fifteen-year-old's hand. "It's the same every year." With a smile, Mr. Burns looked back up at Percy. "Have a great summer, Mr. Jackson, and remember to stay safe." Percy smiled and nodded, before taking his leave.

Percy sighed as he walked through the near-deserted hallways of his school, everyone else having vacated as quickly as they could just moments earlier. There were few things that he would miss about the school, but Mr. Burns was one of them. Much like Chiron – that is, as Mr. Brunner – before him, Burns had faith in all of his students, including Percy, to improve and do well academically. Coming from a mortal that knew nothing about his origins as a son of Poseidon, Percy felt amazed by the faith of the educator. All Percy could hope for was to find an equally good teacher at Goode High School, where his mom and her new boyfriend, Paul, wanted him to go in the fall. Supposedly, it was suited to people like him.

Turning the corner, Percy pushed his way into the streets of Manhattan, reveling in the fresh summer air that blew onto his face after being cooped up indoors for the whole day. Sure, it was hot, but it was far better than a rundown, stuffy school with broken air conditioning. Around the area, some of the students that had also recently exited the school congregated in small groups, making summer plans and laughing in joy and relaxation.

Percy envied them. They were carefree and happy. Not to say that he wasn't happy, Percy mused as he walked down the sidewalk, but being carefree and relaxed was a luxury that a demigod such as himself could not afford, both now and ever. There were always a multitude of threats against him, and with the rise of the Titans becoming a surer reality every passing day, there were only newer, more threatening enemies to face in the future.

He stepped out into a larger street, looking at Central Park from across the roadway. There were already families gathered, parents with children enjoying the summer day together. Percy wistfully smiled. It was the sort of scene that, as a young child, he had always hoped to have. Unfortunately, with the God of the Sea as his father and his mother needing to date an absolutely abhorrent excuse for a human being, there was no chance in any dimension for that to happen.

The streets were filled with more than just families. Performers, be they costumed, magic, or musical, also lined the streets, accepting donations happily as they worked in the heat to entertain. Kids, no older than elementary age, ran around, laughing cheerfully as they zoomed across the grass. Couples, with people who looked no older than he did, strolled past, enjoying nature as they walked with each other.

Percy's chest tightened slightly. He missed her so much…

And that tightening released itself once he remembered that he would be seeing her in less than twenty-four hours. Less than that, in fact.

It wasn't as if they hadn't been talking. They Iris Messaged every now and then, though it was not nearly as often as either of them would've liked, but it was what it was.

He crossed the street and walked by the various performers that lined the edge of the park, glancing every so often at one of them. Absentmindedly, he stretched his arms as he walked, letting his mind wander with random thoughts as he loosened for the last time before preparing to return to Camp Half-Blood.

A tight grip on Percy's arm abruptly stopped him. Turning around, he saw a golden-painted girl standing on a small box, her hand squeezed tightly around his left arm and her eyes wide.

"You- you…" she began. Percy looked at her strangely, his free hand creeping to his pocket in the worst-case scenario.

"Yes?" he cautiously replied, his free hand innocuously pulling out his pen

"The guy with the sword," she hurriedly said, stammering out the words. "At the Dam."

It finally clicked in Percy's brain.

"You're that girl," he started. She nodded. "Err… I'm sorry, I don't remember your time."

She looked miffed at his response, but loosened her grip nonetheless and stepped down from her small box before extending her hand. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

Percy took it, nodding as he recalled her saying her name, in the same fashion, at the Hoover Dam half a year earlier. He brushed off the spare glitter that made it onto his hand once she withdrew from the handshake, but stayed silent as she opened and closed her mouth multiple times.

"Who are you?" she finally blurted out, after finally deciding on something to ask.

"I'm Percy," he replied, an eyebrow raised in mirth. "I live in Manhattan."

She fell silent for a moment, her brow scrunched up as she tried to figure out how to word another question. "Alright, Percy who lives in Manhattan, what's the deal with the sword and the skeletons? I've seen some pretty weird things, but I still don't appreciate someone trying to slice me in half, or… or, well, having to talk to fricking skeletons."

Percy pursed his lips. "I don't want to drag you into this, but the skeletons are gone, so you don't have to worry about those." Rachel looked ready to protest, but Percy held up a hand. "All I can say is that the less-connected you are to this, the safer you are."

"I'm already in this world," Rachel slowly said. "I can see monsters. I see the weird of things of your world all the time. I just need someone to explain what's going on and what I can do to stay safe."

Percy looked away for a few moments before slowly nodding his acquiescence. "Fine. That's fair. Just know though, if you see anything weird, run. Monsters shouldn't go after a mortal like you out of the blue, but it's not a good idea to stay around them."

"Alright," Rachel replied, bobbing her head. She smiled and grabbed a small piece of paper and scribbled on it. "Here's my number," she said, handing the piece of paper to Percy. "I want answers, but I don't want you to feel too pressured to have to explain everything at once. Hit me up whenever you're free." She winked. Percy blinked.

"Oh shoot!" Rachel suddenly said, pushing the sleeve of her golden shirt up to reveal a digital watch. "I'm late! I'll catch you around, Percy!" Without waiting for a reply, she turned back to her little station, gathered up what little she had there, and took off down the sidewalk in a hurry.

"Okay…" Percy said to himself, before turning back. It was a strange encounter, but then again, she was a strange girl. A mortal that could see through the Mist was a rarity, after all. Rachel was only the second person, after his own mother, that could see into their world, and Percy had no inclination to drag another mortal into such a dangerous place.

Shaking his head, he pocketed the slip of paper Rachel had given him, vowing to explain some of the dangers she faced at a later date – partially because he felt like he owed her something after that clutch save at the Hoover Dam, but also to try and keep her safe. With someone like her, Percy was sure that without giving her answers, she would eventually go looking for those answers herself, and that was more dangerous than anything else.

Percy's musings took him all the way across Queensboro Bridge, and before he knew it, he was putting the key into the lock for his mother's apartment door. Before he turned to unlock the door, a flurry of murmurs, quiet and fast, passed on the other side of the doors. Percy stiffened. Someone else was in there with his mother. It couldn't be Paul, who had to still be working at Goode. There was no one else they were expecting. An unexpected guest, or an unwanted enemy?

Breathing in deeply, Percy whipped out Riptide just as he unlocked the door, almost kicking his way into the apartment with blade out.

Thalia yelped as she dropped a cup on the ground, falling backwards from the kitchen counter by the door. The cup shattered on the ground, making a mess on the floor as Percy's mother poked her head out.

"Percy?" Sally asked, concern in her face. "What's going on?"

The son of Poseidon, for his part, looked mollified, quickly capping the bronze blade back into pen form and into his pocket. Without missing a beat, he strode forward and encapsulated Thalia in a hug. Her mouth slightly ajar, Thalia's surprised expression eventually melted into relief and contentment.

The sound of a clearing throat brought them back to reality, and both Percy and Thalia turned to see Sally staring at the two, one eyebrow raised and her mouth in an amused smirk.

"Is there something I need to know about?" the woman said wryly, smiling at her son and his 'friend'. The teenaged pair awkwardly smiled back.

"Um, well," Percy stammered, unsure of exactly how to word the reveal to his mother. "Thalia is… a close friend. And…" his voice trailed off and became even quieter, "my girlfriend."

Sally Jackson beamed. "I thought as much."

Thalia's eyes widened. "You did? But you didn't say anything earlier." The older woman waved it off.

"When you get to my age, stuff like this becomes pretty obvious," Sally explained, returning to wiping a cup in the sink. "Plus, it's not like Percy gets visits from pretty girls every day, friend or not." Thalia blushed a little at the older Jackson's compliment, while Percy nervously chuckled. Sally put the cup back into a cupboard, before wiping her hands.

"Well," Sally continued, "now that you're here, Thalia can fill you in." She gestured to the daughter of Zeus, and Thalia nodded.

"Percy, we're going to need you back now."

"Wait, why? I thought I had a week at least before Chiron wanted me back."

Thalia sighed, walking over to the living room space before plopping herself down on the sofa. "I know, but things have changed. I can't explain it all to you, because Chiron's keeping it hush-hush, but you're desperately needed now. The enemy is moving."

Percy 'ahh-ed', nodding his head as he understood. "Alright, I'll get my stuff then. Give me a couple of minutes."

Sally stepped out of the kitchen and into the living space. "No need, Percy." She pointed to the side of the kitchen counter, where a backpack and duffel bag were already sitting there, packed to the brim. "I've already packed for you. Everything you'll need."

Percy smiled. "Thanks mom." He turned to Thalia. "We should go then. Can you give me a minute with my mom?"

Thalia smiled at him and nodded, thanking Sally for her hospitality on the way out before she quietly closed the apartment door behind her.

"I'm sorry, mom. Looks like we can't hang out this week," Percy said despondently. His mother went over to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Oh, baby, it's okay. I know how important you are. The Camp needs you. Olympus needs you. It would be selfish for me to ask you to stay here."

Percy snuggled deeper into his mom's embrace.

"I want you to know," Sally continued, "that I'm proud of you, and I want you to stay safe. You two look after each other, you hear me?" Percy nodded, before pulling away and sighing.

Suddenly, Sally chuckled. "Don't be such a downer. Look on the bright side; you get to spend an extra week with Thalia." She said the name in a sing-song voice. Percy couldn't help but smile at the thought, even though he was embarrassed to talk about it to his mom of all people.

"So how long has this been going on?"

"Um, like half a year. Since December."

Sally thoughtfully looked up. "Ohh, I see. It's been a while then." Her smile turned mischievous. "Ooh, a son of Poseidon and daughter of Zeus? You don't shy from danger, do you?"

Percy grimaced as he nodded. "I know. It's a secret."

"Who knows?"

Percy scrunched up his brow as he thought about it for moment. "Annabeth. Zoë – she's a Hunter. Bianca too, she's also a Hunter. And Artemis. I think we impressed her enough to where she's keeping our secret, though I still think she hates me."

Sally laughed, partially out of how romantic the situation was and at the absurdity of the list of people that knew about his relationship.

"Well, well, that's quite the list. And it's quite the romance. Makes Paris and Helen look tame by comparison." Her voice took on a more serious tone. "I hope you're serious about this, Percy. I raised you to be a man. If you unduly break her heart, I'm not going to be happy with you; I quite like her."

Percy hurriedly waved his hands. "I won't. I promise!"

Sally hugged him one last time. "I know you won't. You better get going. Time for you to save the world." Percy nodded, and grabbed the bags his mother had prepared. With one last good-bye, he slipped out of the apartment door. The moment the door closed, Sally's face lost its humor.

"Again," she whispered, her voice low and shaky.

"Please, Poseidon, keep our son safe."

The sun was beginning to set when they reached Camp Half-Blood. Moving through the shield generated by (not) Thalia's tree, Percy and Thalia both headed to the Big House.

When they entered, they were greeted by a large table. Off on one side, there were about ten campers, all of them being part of the older, more experienced group, sitting around and talking in low murmurs. Annabeth, who was slouched over a wide piece of paper, sat on that side as well, with Grover right beside her poring over the paper. To the other side, Chiron was speaking with Mr. D, who was nursing a small glass of grape juice and had a disinterested expression on his face. The god saw Percy and Thalia walk in before rolling his eyes and leaving.

"Ah, Percy!" Chiron exclaimed, lighting up when he saw the powerful demigod. "The man of the hour. Finally, we can get started. Please, both of you, take a seat." Percy and Thalia quickly sat down, Percy smiling at Annabeth and Grover and waving hi as he did – they both reciprocated before returning to the sheet of paper.

"Now, I am calling this council to meeting," Chiron stated, his voice becoming serious and his face losing all signs of joviality. "We are in an unprecedented crisis. Annabeth has received a prophecy. Please, if you would." He gestured to the daughter of Athena, who cleared her throat as she stood up. She began to speak:

You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze,

The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise.

You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand,

The Child of Athena's final stand.

Destroy with a hero's final breath,

And lose a love to worse than death.

With that, Annabeth breathed out, shaking as she did. It was the first prophecy that had been directed to her. An immense weight, and extraordinarily so in such dangerous times.

"I fear that the danger of the situation cannot be understated," Chiron bluntly said. "Clarisse has recently completed her reconnaissance mission – it is clear: Kronos' forces are moving to use the Labyrinth. We cannot allow this. We have discovered an entrance in the Camp itself, so if the forces of the enemy were to be able to chart their way through the maze, they will be able to strike us with impunity." Several of the campers murmured in worry over this possibility.

"To this end," Chiron continued, "we will be assembling a team – a 'strike force', if you will – to enter the Labyrinth, with Annabeth as its leader. Your task will be to find Daedalus, the creator of the maze, and ensure that he does not give up the maze's secrets to the enemy. All of you assembled, minus Percy and Thalia," he gestured at the other side of the table from where he sat, "have been brought here because you have been chosen to be part of this team. You are experienced, you are skilled, and you are mature enough to understand the gravity of the task at hand."

Chiron stood up. "You must not fail." He looked at the clock. "You will head out tomorrow morning at eight. I suggest that you follow Annabeth and plan out supplies and tactics before you leave." There was a scraping of chairs as the campers stood up, following Annabeth and Grover out. Soon enough, the room was empty save for Chiron, Percy, and Thalia.

"Wait, we're not going with them?" Percy wondered out loud. "Why did you want us here, then?"

Chiron sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, seemingly looking his millennia of years, even though he was immortal.

"You two are undoubtedly the most powerful demigods in the Camp. As such, I have decided to send you both on another mission, one equally crucial but perhaps even more difficult."

Percy and Thalia both leaned in.

"You must destroy the Princess Andromeda."

Percy blinked. "The ship?"

"Yes," Chiron sighed. "That ship is a nexus point for the enemy's command – monsters flow in and out, and it is obvious that they are coordinating their offensives and strategies from that boat. Destroying it would delay their plans as they struggle to reorganize, and there is more." He looked straight at the two young demigods.

"Luke Castellan is alive." Percy scrunched up his brow as Thalia took on a shocked look.

"Wait, how?" Percy asked. "He, well he fell. I don't see how anyone could've survived that."

"Kronos has immense powers that made him the leader of the Titans. These include a distinct control over the flow of time. I don't presume to know everything about it, but I would hazard a guess that he quickly reversed the flow of time on Luke's body to restore him before he faded from life. Still, this means that he is an enemy you must both face. You can see why I kept this from Annabeth?"

The two demigods nodded. Annabeth had long been known to have been the most disturbed by Luke's betrayal.

"It wouldn't hurt for you two to spy on the ship for a short amount of time," Chiron mused, leaning back in his chair. "But either way, that ship must sink."

"You got it," Percy exclaimed. Thalia nodded in agreement.

"Then you may go." With that, the two demigods stood up and exited the Big House.

Chiron leaned back into his chair, weariness creeping into his body. How had it turned to this? When did he become the equivalent of a military commander that needed to send children to fight? His thoughts turned to Percy and Thalia. Those two were nearly inseparable after their quest to rescue Artemis, and he had his own suspicions why. Still, he didn't feel the need to pry deeply into their own private affairs. He could only hope that they would be stronger together because of it.

"It's been a while," Percy began. They were walking past the cabins, enjoying the cooler night air.

"Yeah," Thalia responded.

Percy breathed out deeply. "Another summer, another fight. It's never-ending, isn't it?"

Thalia nodded in agreement. "I wish we could break this cycle. I... I don't want to always have to fight to stay alive. I want to enjoy life like everyone else." She looked up at Percy. The implication was there. With you.

"After this," Percy replied. "Maybe. Maybe after the Titans are gone, things will be more peaceful." They were silent for a moment, before Thalia burst into laughter.

"Seriously? You think things are going to be quiet, Titans or not?"

Percy cracked a grin himself. "I guess I was just daydreaming with that."

Thalia looked at Percy again, playfully punching his arm. "Well, keep daydreaming, Kelp Head. I kinda like that dream." Their eyes made contact.

"So do I."

A/N: I'm sorry for the late posting. I got caught up in a lot of things and finals kind of burnt me out. I wish that were the only bad news I have, but I have more: starting January 8th, I'll be moving to a two-week update schedule.

My reasoning for this is that I've moved past the point in this story where it's just a re-write of The Titan's Curse. I need more time draft out chapters and make sure plot points stay consistent and all that jazz, and the extra time really helps with that. If I ever manage to get ahead in writing, I'll switch back to the one week update schedule then. I can manage one chapter a week on winter break, but when school starts back up, that'll be too tough to keep up.

That being said, I hope you all enjoyed the beginning of this new arc! Review, follow, favorite, and stay tuned for the next chapter!

Next update: December 25th, 2017