A/N: Hello. Here is the fifth chapter. Enjoy!

Special thanks to PandaBearPotter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Percy's POV

My coming to wasn't something that happened all at once. It was more like a gradual revealing of certain senses until my brain woke up enough to recognize them. My ears detected a silence that was both calm and comforting. It was peaceful. My sense of touch came next, and I became aware of the soft ground underneath me. Then my eyes, opened to see a pure white scene around me. A cloudy river flowed lazily overhead, and a white, soft, field went on for as far as I could see.

I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath. This was nice. I felt happy and peaceful. All that I wanted was to lie back in the soft grass behind me and sleep forever. Curl up into a warm ball and let go of everything.

But as soon as I thought it, I felt the shame. Who was I to give up on my friends? I had to get back to them, no matter how much I didn't want to leave this place. It felt like home here, but I would rather be in a tough situation with my friends and family than be happy and content and alone here.

I observed my surroundings once more. I had no idea where I was, or why it felt so nice. I reached up towards the cloudy river and let my hand create ripples within it. Memories flowed from my fingertips to my mind and i experienced the happiness of a thousand lifetimes.

A boy, laughing with a young girl outside and ice cream shop.

An old couple, walking along the beach while the wind whipped their hair in all directions at once.

Kids playing on a playground, laughing and chasing each other.

A young kid stealing cookies from the kitchen while a mom tried to stop her laughter in the background.

Someone proposing to their significant other, and them tearing up to say yes.

A man watching his husband play hide and seek with their child.

Reunions between loved ones who hadn't seen each other in a while.

The smiles on a happy family at the park.

A young man kissing a laughing woman on the cheek.

Laughter, love, smiles, happiness.

It was making it harder and harder to want to get away.

I remembered Gaea's trap, and how she had attempted to get me to sleep forever. I considered the possibility that this was the same thing, but it didn't feel the same. The other Camp Half-Blood had had my instincts screaming at me to vacate the premises. This time, I felt completely at peace, as if nothing was wrong, and if I stayed here, nothing ever would be wrong. It felt happy.

I took a deep breath before pulling my hand out of the stream. This felt amazing. I felt complete inside, and a love for the world swelled up inside me. I couldn't stop thinking of the reasons I fought in the world, and everything kept coming back to my friends and family.

I missed them. I missed them so much, and it had only been perhaps a day or so. I wondered what they were doing? I hoped that Annabeth was at least moving forward in the quest, and not sitting around moping about me. I would try my hardest to get back to her, but if i didn't, I wanted her to be prepared. She had lost people before though. I knew she'd be fine eventually. And my mom. I wondered if she knew by now. I remembered how, way back an eternity ago when we were in Alaska, that I promised to come back to her safely. Now I don't know if I can reach that promise, but as usual, I would try.

All the questions and what-ifs slowly faded here. It was as if the atmosphere allowed me to think every question through before putting it aside and bringing the most important goal to the front. I knew I had to get back to them. I couldn't wonder of what they were doing until I made it. Then everything would be okay. I just had to keep pushing.

I looked around again. Where was I? If this was a region of Tartarus, where was it? Why would hell be designed to have such a peaceful place, unless it was a trap, but it didn't feel like one. I had already been through this train of thought, but my confusion continued to grow as more questions about where I was began to rise up. This couldn't be Tartarus. There was no way. But then, where was I? Had I escaped Tartarus and was I on the mortal world? That would make things so much easier. But that didn't feel right either. I looked up. There was no visible sun or moon or stars, but there was light. The river continued to flow over my head.

I was so preoccupied with where I was that I didn't notice the floating lady.

"Hello, young hero," She said. Startled, I almost pulled out Riptide before I got a good look at her. She appeared to be a god, but I didn't recognize her.

"Hello," I repeated. "Who are you?"

She chuckled softly at the question, before replying. "I am Eirene, born of Zeus and Themis, Goddess of Peace and Prosperity. I am one of the three Horae, the foundations of a stable society. You may recognize my Roman equivalent, Pax. You never met her in person, but you did spend quite some time on a boat under my name."

The quest to Alaska whipped through my mind, and the tiny little row boat Pax. "Yeah…" I said. "What do you want from me?"

She smiled. "Nothing. It is my job to bring about peace. Centuries ago, I devoted my time to traveling the mental links between people, and organizing the mind. A couple of weeks ago I made it to the mind of a professor in California. He was in distress about his demigod daughter who was in Tartarus. While I usually leave the demigods alone, she intrigued me and I made the journey over. I'm glad I did. It was a dreadful place,you had just stayed behind in Tartarus, and she could only think of you. I settled her thoughts, and made my way across her strongest link. To you."

I gaped at her. "How long have you been inside people's minds?" I asked.

"Millenia. I am proud of how far the human species has come. You should be proud of yourself as well. Most demigods would not have lasted long in Tartarus."

"It was because of Annabeth," I said. "I couldn't give up when I had her with me."

"You underestimate yourself, young one," She said. "You don't have her with you now, and yet all you think about is getting back to her. This will not be the biggest obstacle you have to face. But I do assure you, getting back to her will be worth it."

I smiled softly. "I know it will be," I said.

"I also bring bad news," She said. The smile slowly dripped off my face. "Tartarus is a place of pure evil. There is a reason that mortal life is not supposed to come down here. Tartarus has a corrupting presence. The longer you stay down here, the more likely it is that your mind will stray to evil thoughts. I ask of you, be careful with your thoughts. Keep your mind on what is important to you, and do not think of giving up. If you do, you will never escape, and you will lose anything good you hold inside yourself. If you are to remain the same person if you make back out, you must follow these instructions. Am I understood?"

I nodded. She smiled at me again. "This will not be hard for you to follow. Already, you are so dedicated to the ones you love that these bad thoughts are not even close to breaking through. After the incident with the poison, Annabeth brought you back. But she is not here this time. Instead, you must use your memories to settle the thoughts of your mind."

I swallowed. "I will."

"Another thing," She said. "I am always one to protect those in need. You seem to need my help the most at the moment. I wish to give you my blessing. Since I am not an Olympian god, there is not much to my powers, but I do believe that you will find them useful nonetheless. With this, you will always be able to find inner peace, and calmly sort through your thoughts. Diplomacy should also be easier for you as well. Maybe, you might be able to find this place again." I smiled at her.

"Thank you," I said. "It means a lot that you are willing to do this. I could really use some inner peace."

"I know that you are not a fan of too much power, but I know that you will find these beneficial."

"I have a question," I said. At her nod, I continued. "Why would you say that you aren't powerful?"

She laughed. "I didn't say I wasn't powerful. I said there wasn't much to my powers. I could throw the entire world into chaos, just for fun, or I could help those who really need it. I find the latter to be much more rewarding. I hope that you will use your powers similarly to the way I use mine." I nodded

She glanced at the sky, before turning back to me. "I'm afraid that I will have to leave soon. Any last requests?" She asked.

I thought for a minute. "Do…. Do you think you could show me Annabeth?"

I could see the spark in her eye as she smiled once more. "Of course. Normally, people do not ask much of me when there is peace. But I will allow this. Love has always been something I treasure, despite its interruptions to inner peace."

She waved her arm, opening up a window of Annabeth. She stood tall on the deck of the Argo II. It was early morning, and she seemed to be discussing something with Piper. Piper talked animatedly, using her hands to speak. It seemed as if she was catching Annabeth up on what had happened above ground. Annabeth laughed a little, but I could still the the effects of Tartarus on her. Nevertheless, she was beautiful, and I drank up every little detail I could see. I continued to stare at her for several moments before Eirene cleared her throat.

"Oh.." I said stupidly. "Sorry."

"No need to be sorry, " She said. "Love has always fascinated me, and I can sense the strong connections between you two."

"Thank you?" I said, not quite sure to respond.

She shook her head and chuckled.

"Anything else?" She asked. "I get the feeling there may be something else you wish to ask of me."

"Yeah," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Do you think.. That maybe you give my mom a mental check up? I haven't really spoken to her in almost a full year, and I really want her to be okay. When I was with Annabeth on the Argo II she told me that my mom had been really worried about me. If I don't make it out, I want to be sure that she'll be okay. I know it's a lot, but do you think you could please do that for me?" I asked. This felt like too much to be asking of the goddess, but I really wanted her to visit my mom.

"I will do it," She said. "Most of your relationships are with people involved in the Godly world, and I usually tend to stay with the mortals. It was merely a chance meeting that I arrived here. I was in fact planning to head to her next."

She looked back at the sky again.

"Young hero, my time with you is running out. I wish you good luck. Remember the words of an old friend. There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it." She tapped the side of her head, smiled at me for one final time, and vanished.

I looked around. One thing I had forgotten to ask was how to get out of here. Similar to Gaea's trap, there was no easily found exit, nor did there appear to be a barrier of some sorts I could just walk right out of.

Either way, it seemed better than just sitting around here, so I decided to follow the river above me. The longer I stared at it, the harder it became to figure out which direction it was flowing in. I tried to remember which way the ripples had gone when I put my hand in for the first time, but the memory didn't show up.

I put my hand back in the river, allowing the memories to flow through me once more before I could figure out which way the river of clouds and thought seemed to be going. I blinked the lifetimes from my eyes and watched the river closely, before understanding which way the river flowed.

The grass underneath my feet was incredibly soft. I couldn't help but feel the tug of my own will to just stop where I was walking and lie down and sleep. Maybe that was the way out? I didn't feel like Eirene was planning on trapping me here, but I wanted to keep searching.

I felt like shouting. Ever since Annabeth and I had falled down here it was if we were stuck in trap after trap. At least then there was a visible goal we had to get to. Both times I had been in places on my own there was no easily seen way out. First Gaea, then this, and of course, a way out of Tartarus, the original problem.

I wondered if I was still technically in Tartarus? Where was this place in relation to everything else? Eirene had hinted that this was my mind, but she didn't actually say it. For all I knew, this was just a place composed from my imagination, and my actual body was still out in Tartarus. I wanted to get back to it as soon as possible.

In the distance, something caught my attention. It didn't look like the rest of the hilly landscape. Rather, it stood tall and distinct against the white sky. The cloud river didn't exactly flow near the figure, but I decided to step away from the river. I figured that i would easily be able to find my way back to it if necessary. As I approached, the shape became clearer to for a giant tree. But not a normal tree. This was bigger than any other tree I had ever seen. I didn't even know if these types of trees grew in the United States, and I really doubted that they did. This looked like it belonged in a jungle, not in a wide open field. The tree appeared to grow even bigger as I got closer. By the time I was at the base of the tree, I had to crane my head back to look at the branches above me.

I looked backwards, expecting to see the river. It was only a thin line on the horizon, one that I knew I would lose if I didn't keep a close eye on it.

By this point, the weariness of the surrounding area seemed to be getting to me. I felt exhausted, way more than I usually would. This was different from Gaea's trap too. This wasn't inviting me to lay down in the grass. This was pure exhaustion, I could barely keep my eyes open. Maybe for just a minute, I could relax against the tree and rest my eyes. I wouldn't fall asleep, I promised myself. I would just allow myself a moment to breathe and gather my determination.

I slid down the trunk of the tree, leaning against it. The cool weather seemed perfect, with a nice breeze flowing by. The grass waved peacefully, and as I watched it, I felt my eyes slipping shut. The darkness was comforting, and I felt the tension melt out of my body. I felt completely at peace. The ground was soft. It almost felt like a bed. I could almost imagine myself to be at camp, or at home. It was nice.

I let myself slowly drift into a peaceful oblivion.

I looked up at Annabeth mischievously as she stirred blue food coloring into the batch of cookie dough.

"Hey Annabeth," I said. "You like flowers, right?"

She turned to look at me, speaking before she saw what I had in my hands. "Yeah. I really like Marigolds." She froze when she saw the bag. "Perseus Jackson, don't you dare-"

I threw a glob of flour at her.

She wiped it off her clothes and stared at me. Only then did I notice the fire in her eyes. "Two can play at that game, Percy." She grabbed the extra bag of flour that was sitting on the counter. "I promise I'll pay you back later for this bag, but right now, you're going to die."

I swallowed and stepped backwards. Annabeth could be really scary when she wanted to be. She snapped open the bag of flour, and reached inside.

I took another step backwards, watching Annabeth carefully. She would do it, I knew she would. This was not how I figured the scene would go in my head.

And the all out flour war began. We were both flinging flour at each other, Annabeth eventually putting water in her bag to make it all sticky. The floor was covered in it, and I could barely see the markings of the tiles on the ground. The counters were also covered in the stuff. I didn't even remember where the original batch of cookie dough was.

This was a huge mess.

And I suddenly realized my promise to my mom to clean the kitchen while we were gone. I froze, and Annabeth looked at me weird.

"I told my mom that I would get the kitchen clean before the end of the day." I looked at the clock, which read 4:30. "Mom and Paul are coming back at 5."

Annabeth glanced around the room at the effects of our Flour Battle. "Well," She said. "I guess we better get started. You take the floor. I'll get the counters."

"Okay," I said. I pulled some water from the tap and onto the floor, washing bit by bit, while Annabeth used a rag to get the flour off the various items on the countertops.

There was silence as we cleaned the flour off the kitchen tops. It was a comfortable silence. I appreciated it, and I knew that Annabeth would too.

I looked at the clock. 4:45. We were about halfway done. It seemed as if we would make it. I smiled, and continued to work.

That smile disappeared as I heard the front door open. They were back early.

"We're home!" Mom called. I looked back at Annabeth and the not completely clean room and ourselves, covered in flour. We stared at each other in fear for a minute before cleaning faster than ever.

It was a lost cause, but we would keep trying.

I stood on Montauk Beach, feeling the cool salty breeze blow over me. It rustled my hair like an old friend and I smiled, before heading back to the car.

It had been time for our yearly visit to Montauk, but for the first time, Paul was coming with us. Mom was really excited. She had really wanted to share our place with him. She had even asked me for permission as well, claiming that it was my spot too. I had told her that if she believed he was deserving, I would have no problem with him coming.

That had got her to smile.

I approached the car to see Mom putting a blindfold on Paul.

"Percy?" She said. "Can you grab the bags and bring them into the cabin? I have to guide Paul."

I nodded and picked up the three duffle bags and followed Mom to the cabin. She was talking non stop to Paul about how much he would love it. I hoped he liked it as much as Mom wanted him to. He seemed like the kind of guy to enjoy this, but one could never be too sure.

Mom opened the cabin door and lead Paul inside.

"Wait here for a second, okay?" She told him.

I set the bags down while Mom grabbed the blue tortilla chips. "Let's go," She said, grabbing Paul by the hands.

The sky was blue, and the air was crisp. I figured that the water would be cold, but it looked lovely anyway. Maybe I could use my abilities to warm it up? I had never tried to alter the temperature of the water. I wondered if my abilities extended to water in the air or ice.

"Here, Percy." Mom said. I stopped and looked towards Paul. It seemed now that my Mom was going to take the blindfold off.

"You know, Sally, that I've been to a beach before, right?" Paul asked.

My mom nodded before she realized that Paul couldn't see her. "Yeah, but this beach is special. It's our beach, and I want you to be a part of our time here from now on. So when you first look at it, it has to be special."

"Okay," Paul said, laughing slightly. I was smiling as well. Mom said that she had done the same to me when I first came to the beach as well, but I didn't remember it.

"Here we go," My mom said, before untying Paul's blindfold and allowing him to see the beach. He looked around at the water and at the sky and at the little cabin where we were staying.

"It's beautiful," He said, and it sounded like he meant it. Mom beamed.

"I knew that you would like it. I've been bringing Percy here ever since he was born, and I've tried to come here at least once every year since the day I found this place." Mom said.

We spent the rest of the day walking up and down on the beach, and feeding the seagulls the blue corn chips. Paul seemed to be as into it as Mom and I were. I appreciated that about him.

Later in the evening, we sat around the fire and Mom made hot dogs. I laughed until my sides hurt, and I knew that both Mom and Paul were doing the same.

And as the glow illuminated our faces as we enjoyed each other's presence around the campfire, I couldn't help but be glad that I was able to spend time with both my friends and mortal family.

I leaned back in my chair, watching the chaos of the meeting table. We were supposed to be discussing the new cabins for the minor gods and goddesses, but no one was attempting to actually have a group discussion.

This felt like home. It was nice to have a meeting where we weren't stressed over what might be our impending deaths.

I made eye contact with Chiron, who was sitting in the back of the room. He liked to be present for the counselor meetings, but he didn't want to contribute. It was his job to supervise and make sure nothing went terribly wrong. He smiled gently, and I could see the laughter in his eyes.

I smiled back and watched my friends banter playfully. I wanted this moment to last forever. Annabeth appeared beside me, pulling her invisibility hat off her head as she sat next to me.

"It's nice, isn't it?" She asked.

I nodded. "It's nice to be able to relax without the fate of the universe over our heads."

She smiled back at me. "It's nice to be normal teenagers."

The thunder and lightning flashed dangerously outside, but I ignored it. It was family movie night, and I wouldn't let a childhood fear make it any worse.

I focused on the feeling of the rain and the comfort it brought. It made the inside room feel so much warmer and cozier. I snuggled up next to Annabeth as we sat on the floor. Mom and Paul were on the couch.

In an attempt to get closer to Annabeth, I tried the fake yawn thing. The one where you fake a yawn and put your arm against the other person? It seemed to work. She curled up against me. I was congratulating myself on being smooth when she spoke to me.

"That's a pretty cheesy move, Seaweed Brain," She whispered.

"But it worked, didn't it?" I asked her, a grin on my face.

She laughed. "You got me there."

I looked back at my mom. She was watching the film, but I knew that she had heard the twinkle of laughter in her eyes. She glanced back down at me and smiled before turning back to the movie.

A particularly loud burst of thunder crashed outside and I jumped slightly. Annabeth pulled back and looked at me for a second. I raised an eyebrow at her, hoping that she wouldn't figure out that I hated the thunder, but realized that she probably already knew. She was my wise girl after all. I wouldn't be surprised if she was able to predict my moves before I even thought of making them.

She smirked and leaned back against me. Sometimes I swore that she could read my thoughts. Maybe she could. She did take that class in body language, and I wouldn't be surprised if she had memorized a book on it.

I turned back to the movie. The main character was currently attempting to sneak into the bad guy's house.

"I don't approve of the villain's choice of decor," I whispered to Annabeth. She snickered.

"Only you, Seaweed Brain." She said.

We both returned our attentions back to the movie. I listened to the sound of the rain. It was comforting. It reminded me that the world was bigger than anything I had ever experienced.

"Am I picking the next movie?" I asked Annabeth. She nodded. "Get ready to watch some Finding Nemo."

She rolled her eyes, but I ignored it. You were never too old to enjoy a good movie. Even if it was made for kids.

I heard the doorbell ring and knew that Annabeth had arrived. I got up off my position on the floor and ran to answer the door. I pulled it open and smiled at Annabeth.

"Hey Seaweed Brain," She said. "Care to explain that Iris Message you sent me earlier? I was in the middle of a good book."

I grinned even wider. "Puppies." With that, I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.

She made a sound of protest but that quickly died when she heard the sound of barking from my living room.

Even she couldn't resist smiling when she saw the mass of little dogs on the floor. She sat down and pulled one into her lap.

"They're so cute! Where'd you get them from?" She asked, focusing on rubbing the ears of one of the puppies. My neighbor's dog gave birth a couple of weeks ago. She's putting them up for adoption but had to run an errand. She asked me to watch them for an hour or two. Sorry for pulling you from your book, but I thought you might like to spend some time with them."

She laughed and held one up. "I'm glad you thought of me. I wish I could adopt one, but I'm not prepared for a dog."

I smiled. "Same here." I cuddled one to my chest. They were so soft. It gnawed on my finger playfully. I chuckled.

"Do they have names yet?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah," I said. "But I forgot them."

Annabeth shook her head, but I could see the playful smile on her lips.

I saw that she kept coming back to one puppy in particular. He was a gentle one, and spent the majority sleeping. She smiled more when she played with that one.

There was a knock at the door. I got up to open, and smiled when I saw my neighbor. I led her to the living room where the puppies were.

"Sorry, Annabeth. But it's time for them to go home," I said. She smiled softly and picked a couple of the puppies up and we carried them over to the next apartment.

Annabeth hugged me and grinned. "Thanks for inviting me, Seaweed Brain." She gave me a quick kiss before disappearing down the stairs.

My neighbor ended up keeping one of the puppies, the one that Annabeth liked. We went over occasionally to play with it. I would say that I didn't have anything to do with my neighbor keeping the puppy, but that would be lying.

I was on the dock at home. Annabeth leaned against me, slowly flipping the pages of a book as she absorbed the knowledge written on each page. My feet hung over the docks and I swung them back and forth, skimming them against the water. The sounds of camp were around us, and while we probably should have been following the schedules, we had both snuck away to be here. I was sure that others knew that we were here, but they didn't bother us. I wondered why, but left that thought behind to just enjoy the current moment. Everything felt calm, and I felt happy. There was a warmth inside of me. I felt content.

But there was something I had to say, and burst out in a quick whisper of desperate words.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," she replied, almost automatically. I smiled softly and allowed myself a moment of relaxation to enjoy the warmth of the sun and Annabeth's presence.

A/N: Thank you for reading, and please review!

Updated: November 23rd, 2017