Percy

VI

"Sorry about him." Piper said waving away Leo's comment. "He just uses sarcasm to hide his inner pain." Percy nodded in approval.

"Nothing wrong with a little sarcasm to spice things up, but he's right this could be a lot worse." Annabeth gave him a strange look, and he couldn't help but smile; oh how he had missed that look. "Listen we're all together, Leo can drive the ship, why don't we just…go?"

"Brilliant plan." Frank said. "Running away. Love it."

"I prefer to call it…a strategic escape."

"We can't do that." Jason argued. "For one Frank, Hazel and I would be seen as traitors, never allowed back. Secondly we're meant to be securing relationships between the camps. If we just go the Romans will never trust you again."

"There's plenty of time to hug and make up once we've saved the world." Percy told him. "If we don't someone is going to have to stay behind, and I don't see anyone here jumping up and down to do that." He looked pointedly at everyone in the group and was surprised when Annabeth spoke up.

"I can stay." Percy looked at her incredulously. It wasn't that he would have minded her staying behind, especially with the whole burning through Rome prophecy that Ella had predicted which did not sound too good for Annabeth, but there was something wrong. He had never heard her step down from something like this. Never. And definitely not this willingly.

"No we need you Annabeth." Jason said firmly.

"Maybe Percy is right; it's always easier to beg forgiveness than permission." Piper pointed out, Jason looked like he was about to say something to her when Frank stepped in.

"Ok let's not fight before we even know each other. How about we try this the Greek way."

"The Greek way?" Leo asked raising an eyebrow.

"With democracy. All in favour of 'strategic escape'?" To Percy's surprise all the hands went up, even

Jason's. "So we're going with my plan?"

"Looks like it seaweed brain." Annabeth sighed, rolling her eyes at his bigheadedness.

"Awww you have pet names for each other, can I call you Seaweed brain?" Frank asked grinning.

"Not unless you want me to call you Chinese baby man." Percy replied. Leo made a strange sound like he was trying to keep in his laughter but failing.

"Chinese baby man, that's brilliant!" He smiled brightly despite the glare from Frank.

"Can we stop with the name calling? We're not 5." Piper said.

"Yeah besides if we don't go now they're going to realise we haven't showed up at the bathhouse." Hazel added looking nervously around as if someone was going to jump out of a nearby bush and scream 'BOOO!'

"I always hated bath time anyway." Leo said scrunching his nose up in disgust.

"Yeah and don't we know it." Piper told him, jokingly stepping away and pinching her nose.

"Ok you guys head on to the boat; get everything ready for lift off. I need to go find Tyson, explain what's going on to him; he can't stay here once we're gone. I'll meet you by the boat in approximately 10 minutes. Leo can you be ready for lift off by then?"

"Aye Aye cap'n." He answered doing a big fake salut.

Percy walked away from the group, hands in his pockets, head bent down, looking at his purple toga. Jason hadn't been wearing the normal orange of camp half-blood, though he suspected this was so the Roman camp would trust them more. Percy hoped they had brought a spare camp top for him; this thing was so damn uncomfortable.

Seeing Annabeth again had been incredible, the best feeling in the world, but he couldn't help the little feeling in his gut that something wasn't quite right. He tried to ignore it, thinking instead of the task ahead of them. He would have to explain everything to the others, everything that he understood anyway. Glancing up he was Tyson by the edge of the lake, his feet dangling down into the water. Mrs. O'Leary beside him was lapping it up like it was her own personal drinking bowl. Ella was sat chattering to Tyson who probably had no idea what she was talking about, but he seemed to enjoy the sound of her voice.

"Tyson." Percy said dropping himself next to his brother.

"Percy!" Tyson said excitedly giving him a quick, bone crushing hug.

"Listen big guy there's something I need you to do for me, you up to it?" Tyson nodded enthusiastically. "I need you to take Ella make to camp half-blood. Take Mrs O'Leary with you, and make sure no one steals Ella, understand?"

"No one steal Ella." Tyson repeated.

"You know your way back from here?" Percy asked.

"Back to Percy camp?"

"Yes back to my camp. You need to go now though Tyson, before they realise we're gone. You get that?" Tyson stood up and smiled at him revealing his almost toothless mouth, he offered a hand to pull Percy up which he accepted, though Tyson's strength lifted him about a meter from the floor. Ella fluttered onto Tyson's shoulder.

"Is that ok Ella? I promise you'll be safe at camp half-blood."

"Camp half-blood." She said happily. "Half-blood prince, severus snape…"

"No Ella not half-blood…ah forget it. Tyson you'll iris me once you make it back ok?" Percy told Tyson.

"Ok." Tyson said pulling Percy into another hug, as if he was never going to let go. Spontaneous

Once Tyson and the others were on their way Percy started making his way back to the boat, he thought about the message he had left for his mum and Paul, had they got it? If they had would they know why he hadn't been able to come home straight away? Did they know about his new quest? Maybe he should contact them too…suddenly he left the tip of a sword pock his back just between his shoulder blades.

"Going somewhere?" It was Reyna he realised and turned around to face her slowly.

"Reyna I…"

"You and your friends need to be gone in the next 5 minutes; I'll make sure there's no one near the boat so you won't have problems." He started at her incredulously and Reyna sighed, "I'm not an evil person. I just…I let Octavian get to my head, and Jason…"

"Yeah I get it, he's not the same guy, he doesn't remember as much as you wish he could." She shook her head.

"No it's not that, it's the girl he was with, the one with the braids."

"Piper?" Reyna didn't reply, looking awkwardly down at the floor. "I thought you only liked Jason because, well because he was praetor." Percy tried to reason.

"So did I." She admitted. "Until he went missing." She dropped her weapon. "Now you better get moving, tell Jason that this quest has my blessing, though I cannot give them the will of the auguries."

"Thanks. And for what it's worth, Jason doesn't look like he really knows what's going on; his memory hasn't come back as well as mine."

"I want you to send word to me when you find Nico di Angelo, do not make me regret this Jackson." She tucked her belt back into its sheath and Percy was sure for a moment he was the flicker of a smile.