Percy- My stepmother visits

Chiron, Nico and Dionysus sat silently before me, digesting what I was telling them.

"Dionysus… Mr. D. You were mortal once, but you became a god; how do I stop this? There has to be a way."

"Stop it? You want to stop it? This is good! You're becoming a god! Why do you continue to push away the greatest power, the biggest honour and the most bragging rights possible?!"

"Because-"

"That… Athena spawn has nothing to do with it! If you became a god, so can she! Make her a god! It's that easy."

"I chose against immortality because I wanted a mortal life. I wanted a normal life with her. Colledge, a home, children maybe…"

"Percy," Chiron said. "We get it, but… I'm afraid that there is no changing this. If you aren't immortal already, you're going to be soon."

I opened my mouth, but then clamped it shut again as the words finally began to sink in. I'm becoming a God, and there isn't a thing I can do to change it. A dozen thoughts ran through my head. What does this mean for me and Annabeth? Would she become a god? Could I ask her? How do I tell her? What type of god will I be? Can I choose? Am I becoming a minor god, or an olympian like Dionysus did? Could I somehow live a normal life as well? Will becoming a god change who I am? Will I stay a good person? Am I a good person? What would be my responsibilities?

"Percy, calm down," Nico said. Easy for him to say. I looked at my hands; they were shaking like crazy. My entire life is unravelling before my eyes, and I can't do a thing to change it.

"H- how am I… what do I- what do I tell…" I stuttered, trying hard not to wash away the camp. The diet coke in my glass began to rock backwards and forwards, all the air bubbles being forced to the surface, as I compressed the liquid subconsciously.

A sad smile rose of Mr. D's face. "So now he faces the facts. Think hard on what you plan to do next. There is a war on now, and you may be the defining factor in winning it."

I just nodded. I needed to leave. I needed the comfort of the ocean. If things were different, I'd seek comfort in Annabeth, but I just can't tell her about this yet, especially while she's being so moody with me.

I stood up, and took a deep breath as I made my way to the door.

"I… I need time to think," I said as I walked out, not waiting for a reply. To my surprise, Blackjack was waiting for me outside.

"Boss, whats wrong?"

"Blackjack? What- what are you doing here?""

"You called me."

"I... did?"

"Yes," he nodded. "What's wrong?"

I didn't want to tell him. I didn't want to tell anyone. I want to keep it hidden and just live my life, at least for a little while. But another part of me wanted his opinion, his input. Blackjack is one of my closest friends, and if I subconsciously called him, then maybe I need him for this.

"I'm… I'm not a half- I'm becoming…" I tried. Then I did something that I didn't expect of myself. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and buried my face in his shoulder. I told him everything through our minds, as his head reached around me, comforting my back. I'm not usually one for bro-hugs, but I felt I needed one.

After a while I patted his side. We released each other and I slowly climbed onto his back.

"Thank you… Blackjack, I needed that."

"Yea, boss. Anytime. So, I'm guessing to the ocean then?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

Blackjack flapped his wings, and we rose into the sky, making our way to long island south. We passed over the mess hall, and I briefly viewed the rest of the camp enjoying today's victory.

When we were over the deeper waters, I thanked Blackjack once again, and hauled my leg over his back, before letting myself drop. I fell, and I felt free. The pain and fear temporarily stripping itself from my body as I twisted myself into position during my descent. I hit the water like an olympic diver.

I got deeper and deeper until I was swallowed by the darkness and I let my natural bearings take over as I halted my dive, and shot forward. Undecided on where to go, I continued going forward. Faster, faster, faster, I thought, as if it would help me escape my fate.

Once I had been to Portugal and back, had a lengthy conversation with an angular fish and performed a high-risk dental operation on a great white, I decided that an hour of reflection on my current situation was enough.

I rose from the water and began to walk back to the beach, when I heard a soft, kind voice behind me.

"Hello Percy," she said, and I turned around to face the source. It was Amphitrite, my father's wife and in turn, my stepmother.

"Hey, Mom." Although we may not have met under the best of circumstances -the circumstances being that Atlantis was under a titan attack- Amphitrite and I have a pretty good relationship all in all. Since Annabeth and I had left camp after having dealt with Gaea, I had been making monthly trips to Atlantis to see my father and my brother, Tyson. Amphitrite took great pleasure in joining in.

She's most likely the best stepparent one could ask for. She's generally shy and independant, making her hard to connect with initially, but she's also kind and gentle which I know from experience is rare in goddesses. But best of all is the fact that she isn't prone to jealousy, meaning she doesn't hate my guts like some other gods and goddesses hate their stepchildren, *cough* Hera *cough*.

She wore a simple white gown, and a circlet of crab claws on her brow, a look that complements her beauty nicely. It is easy to see why Poseidon went through such great lengths to court her, she easily rivals the beauty of all her nereid sisters.

She gestured for me to come closer, as she backed into the water. I followed her to the ocean floor, where she sat down. Joining her on the sand, she studied me up and down, before settling her eyes on mine, with a gentle sadness in them.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I bring news from your father… unofficially. Plus, maybe I miss my stepson."

"Yea, sorry about putting off my last visit; I was needed elsewhere."

"At least you do visit, I hardly see my own children anymore," she said bitterly. I decided to change the subject.

"Hows Dad?"

"Angry… really, really angry. That's what this news is about; something happened on Olympus. Zeus has been withholding critical information-" she paused, and decided to change her context. "He was lying to the other olympians."

A rather large lobster crawled up next to me and I stroked it's hard back as my stepmother described the most recent scandal on Keeping up with the Olympians.