AN: Holy crap. Chapter ten already, and almost two hundred favorites. Thank you, to everyone that is reading this story and especially to anyone who takes the time to review it. Reading the reviews lately has been super awesome and I'm glad you are enjoying the story.

The last couple of chapters were a bit weird for me writing-wise. Obviously, chapter eight being my way of getting around some writer's block and a hard left out of the narrative to an almost pure emotion chapter was the more interesting of the two for me. At this point given how the story is going, I know there hasn't been a ton of focus on how Percy's powers over water/the ocean have changed. I'll be honest that is for two main reasons, the first being because that has always been Percy's thing. Rick has already done quite a lot of work with showcasing Percy's powers and while he is much more powerful now there's no reason in my mind his powers would be incredibly different at least in regards to the ones he has always had. The second reason is that I chose other domains and I think they are cool. I've focused a bit more on the Weapons domain but for those of you wanting a bit more classic Percy powers you should like the next section of the story

As always I own nothing you recognize from officially published/licensed works, only my imagination.

Chapter 10: Just Keep Moving

A scream of pain, ringing metal, the twang of a bowstring, and then silence. Percy would have been able to fend off the black-cloaked figure with relative ease were it not for Odysseus' arrows. He needed a way off the roof for Calypso and himself but he barely had time to think let alone pay attention to two things at once. As soon as that thought occurred to Percy he felt like he had just been clubbed.

"I am so dumb."

The words were barely audible as he muttered them under his breath. He focused for a moment and for the first time he manifested another aspect of himself that had enough power to contend with most monsters he might meet. The first few seconds were incredibly disorienting as the input from his senses essentially doubled, but he forced himself to concentrate. The other him grabbed Calypso, his bag, and jumped from the roof to get her out of the line of fire and discover Apollo's fate. His distraction nearly proved disastrous as he barely avoided an arrow and had to resort to a burst of water from a pipe below the roof to knock the new adversary off his feet.

Percy then cut off the flow of information back and forth between the new aspect and his main consciousness. He left enough to maintain its presence but not enough that he was overwhelmed by the sensory information. Immediately he felt less nauseous and confused which he was thankful for. He jumped to the next roof and the next, zig-zagging across the roofs to reach Odysseus while dodging his arrows. As he got closer avoiding the arrows became harder and harder to dodge, especially with the other black-robed figure trying to cut him off. Moments later he skidded to a halt before whipping Riptide out like a striking snake. The arrow, bow, and arm that had been holding them fell and black blood sprayed the rooftop. Odysseus loosed an unearthly howl of pain in which Percy could hear Moros' voice before drawing a shortsword from beneath his cloak.

The two black-robed figures lunged at him simultaneously as though they had practiced it. The unknown and uninjured figure was faster, and he directed a heavy cut at Percy's ribs. Odysseus however swung high in an attempt to force him to raise his guard. Separately neither have been challenging to counter, but together was a different story. Without thinking, Percy summoned another sword into his left hand and blocked both attacks. Percy knew he was at a disadvantage in more ways than one, he was outnumbered, unaware of his opponent's abilities, and he was not at full strength because of the other him that was protecting Calypso and Apollo. Percy glared at the two figures and he gritted his teeth in a twisted approximation of a smile.

"Well come on then. Let's see what you can do!"

Alter Percy

Percy landed back on the ground with Calypso in his arms. He set her down and raced to Apollo's side who was crumpled on the ground not moving. Percy rolled Apollo onto his back and sucked in a breath before grabbing his pack and pulling out a canteen of nectar. It looked like one of the Dracanae had managed to stab Apollo who had instinctively put his arm between the dagger and his chest. Unfortunately, the blade had sliced through Apollo's upper arm and embedded itself in his side where the dagger was still embedded. Apollo's arm was pinned against him with the dagger which presented Percy with only one option, remove the dagger.

He grabbed the hilt and Apollo's eyes flew open as he yelled in pain.

"AAGGGGGGGHHHHH"

"I know it hurts but you need to shut up Apollo. You're injured and I can't risk any more monsters finding you. Now go to sleep."

Apollo barely had time to react before Percy snapped his fingers and Apollo immediately fell unconscious. Percy ripped the dagger out just as Calypso appeared by his side and began to chant in ancient Greek. Her hands glowed and Percy poured the Nectar over the wounds to clean and hopefully speed the healing process.

"Not here we need to get somewhere safe. I'm not at full strength and I can't handle normal monsters for him."

"Fine we can move but let me at least stop the bleeding."

Gone was the gentle tone and relaxed air that Percy associated with Calypso, instead, she was firm and entirely focused on the task at hand. The difference was massive and Percy couldn't help but be impressed as he watched her work. In less than two minutes she had staunched the bleeding and bandaged Apollo enough for them to move.

"Be careful Percy. He's not healed, this is little more than... what is the phrase...a bandaid fix."

Percy nodded and hoisted Apollo off of the ground. He started moving toward the main street again when he became aware that Apollo was warm, incredibly warm. Percy could feel Apollo getting warmer even as he was walking, and as they reached the end of the street Percy was growing alarmed.

"Calypso he's burning up."

Calypso laid a hand on Apollo's forehead and as soon as she made contact she yanked her hand back with a hiss of pain.

"How are you touching him right now? It feels like he would burn me if I touched him for even a second. No, not the time, water! We need to find water. It will help keep him cool."

Percy closed his eyes and tried to feel any water that was anywhere nearby. He could feel the water in the air, in Apollo's body, in the pipes, and very distantly to the southeast a lake. He took off in that direction with Calypso barely able to keep up as they raced through the city.

"Calypso get on my back. We need to move faster but I need you to make sure he survives."

"But won't that slow you down?"

Percy just looked at her a crooked grin on his face despite the circumstances.

"Really?"

He tried not to sound too arrogant asking her but he would have been strong enough to carry them both even as a demigod, although not as far.

"Fine."

Calypso responded as color flooded her face then she climbed onto his back and held on as best she could while not hindering his hold on Apollo. Percy started moving again, less quickly, but soon enough he was back at a full run. He could feel the lake getting closer every second and he pushed himself harder until he must have looked like he was flying across the countryside. He hit the lake and was waist-deep before he came to a stop, Apollo already touching the water. The water hissed as it contacted Apollo's skin, steam rising from him like twisting tongues of flame. Percy hadn't been great at school but even he knew that water boiled at two hundred and twelve degrees Fahrenheit which seemed to Percy like it was too high. He willed the water to keep swirling around Apollo so that as the water drew heat out of his body it was replaced with cool water almost immediately.

"Calypso... What is going on?"

"I don't...It reminds me of when you first came to my island. Even unconscious I could tell that you had used so much of your immortal power you had completely overloaded your mortal blood. Something similar happens when demigods consume too much Nectar or Ambrosia, at least that's what the healers in Atlantis told me. He must have done something to put him close to the edge of overload then when you gave him nectar it must have pushed him just far enough..."

Apollo coughed and spluttered as the movement caused his head to drop into the water. His breathing was labored and heavy but Percy saw his eyes were open. They were unfocused and slow but they still showed Apollo was alive.

"Apollo? Can you hear me?"

Calypso's gentle manner had returned and to Percy's surprise and shame, he felt a tiny flare of jealousy. He squashed it immediately, 'Apollo is injured. Get your crap together, what are you jealous about?' To Percy's surprise, a vague sense of confusion overcame him and then it was as if he was in two places at once. He saw with four eyes, heard with four ears, and spoke with two tongues.

"What the..."

Percy realized that the majority of his consciousness must have forced a reconnection for some reason. He thought back to the now once again shared memories which gave him the oddest sense of deja vu. He remembered events he had both witnessed and not witnessed simultaneously, which made his head hurt to think about. Horror and grief were foremost among the feelings making him feel as though the water he was in had suddenly grown icy. The other aspect of him that had been fighting the two slaves to Moros fell to a knee, ichor staining the ground. It mixed with the black blood of his fallen foes, his own golden ichor, and tears soon joined them.

Original Percy

Riptide's tip was moving in a narrow figure eight as Percy stood on the balls of his feet waiting for one of the two figures to move first. The other sword he held in a high guard ready to bring down a cut from above or block one in return. He was confident he could react in time but he knew he had to be careful. The wind whipped his hair and made the hoods of the two cloaked figures whip and snap. Percy glanced upward for only a fraction of a second but as soon as he did he knew it was a mistake. On instinct, he swept Riptide up in front of his body as he returned his eyes to the figures in front of him. The smaller of the two had stepped in and brought his sword down aiming for Percy's shoulder. He intercepted the blow with the blade in his left hand and almost knocked the blade from its owner's fingers. However, a jolt raced up Percy's arm as the blade made contact with the other sword. A chill swept through Percy and he felt his mouth go dry. Percy forced the feeling down and lunged toward Odysseus who backpedalled and raised his sword in return. Strangely neither his sword nor the smaller hooded figure's sword dripped with shadow as the other cursed weapons had.

Percy knew he couldn't fight any less carefully because despite the lack of evidence the other weapons possessed Percy still couldn't sense the swords. It was as if they simply didn't exist yet here he was deflecting blows, and having his blocked in return. Percy could tell he had the advantage in nearly every category save numbers and in the risk of injury at this point. Odysseus was the first to falter, a flickered backhand side cut had blindsided him and he sunk to one knee, black blood beginning to pool around his feet. The smaller of the two yelled and Percy once again felt a terrible chill and sense of fear that was bourne of familiarity. The wind around them was beginning to pick up and Percy knew he wasn't the one doing it.

Dread filled his stomach even as he warded off attacks, and kept an eye on his injured opponent. The smaller man's fighting style was too rigid to effectively counter Percy in an extended duel but the longer the fight went on the more Percy dreaded ending it.

"Moros... You coward... fight me yourself!"

The odd cracking, popping voice seemed to come from two throats at once.

"Oh no... That would be much too simple don't you think... I am no fool Perseus. There were few even amongst immortals who could match you blade to blade before you received godhood. Now... Now I would be foolish to try so I will send heroes as I always have..."

Both throats began to chuckle with Moros' eerie and unsettling laugh and the smaller of the two figures stepped back from Percy and reached for his hood. When it fell around his shoulders Percy felt his fingers grow numb as he gripped the unnamed sword's and Riptide's hilts. His first reaction was disbelief and then gut-wrenching horror.

"NO! He isn't... He was supposed to be... MOROS!"

Anger eclipsed all other emotions in a fraction of a second. It roared through every fiber of his being and all around them pipes exploded, the air itself beginning to feel heavy. Moros' laughter continued with the choked and gurgling voice of Odysseus and the now revealed smaller of his two foes. Blonde hair matted with sweat and dirt, formerly clear blue eyes clouded with pain and fear, and his lips wide in a cruel approximation of a smile. The small scar on his lip stretched and was nearly invisible as Percy searched Jason's face for any sign of recognition.

Artemis was striding toward her father's palace, and anyone watching could read fury in every line of her body. He slammed her fist against the door like a hammer several times and stepped back where she began pacing like a caged animal. Soon enough the door opened and Zeus stepped out looking stormy.

"What do you want Artemis?"

"This has gone on long enough. Apollo has been injured and it felt as if he nearly immolated. He hasn't even found Python yet, at this rate he will die before he..."

"Quiet!"

Zeus looked around as though expecting to see someone staring at them. He stepped farther forward and gestured for her to enter his palace. She stalked forward into the entrance hall and spun to face her father who was shutting the door behind them.

"Do not presume to question my judgment Daughter. I am your father and your King. I am aware of the risks Artemis, why do you think I sent Perseus with him?"

"Perseus still has not learned to use even a fraction of the power he will wield when he has finally grown accustomed to his domains! You cannot expect him to be able to protect Apollo from Moros, his minions, and Python!"

"The Sea-Spawn will not fail."

"Why? Because you threatened to punish Calypso if he fails? Father, you are tempting fate."

"What are you implying daughter?"

His voice had lowered but it still rippled with anger and the smell of ozone began to intensify. Artemis knew that she was playing a dangerous game but she refused to lose her brother, and she did not want Percy, the first man in millennia to truly earn her respect, to be forced to reform so soon after attaining godhood. A fear that he may fade lingered in her mind as well, after all unlike her and the other Olympians his immortal essence was less stable as it was newly formed.

"You know exactly what I mean. Do not set him against you. Do not think I am stupid Father, I know why you agreed to allow him on the council with little argument." She ignored the look of mixed grim resignation and surprise, continuing before he could interrupt, "Percy is a hero, not just to demigods, but the minor gods and goddesses too. There are even titans who owe him their freedom."

The most obvious example of this was Calypso but Artemis had someone else in mind. To his credit, Zeus flinched slightly without her needing to state the obvious. Her mother, Leto, was still imprisoned despite Percy's efforts and their promise to the contrary.

"You hoped that by allowing him on the council their loyalty would be ensured. Do you forget everything that he has been through at our hands? In what version of this do you have..."

Something in his eyes gave her pause, a sad sort of resignation that made her freeze. Her voice came now barely a whisper.

"You wouldn't dare."

She sounded cold and hard, colder than the icy waters of the Cocytus. When his response came it was with a placating tone that she saw through to the carefully weighed plan beneath.

"Would it be so terrible daughter? You said yourself there has been no worthier of a man in your memory."

"You swore to me that you would never..."

"That is neither here nor there daughter. If he were to be on the council, which he is, it would all but guarantee that the minor deities, the neutral titans, and even some of the formerly hostile titans would hesitate before turning against us. You are right, he is a hero to them all and that was before he was given his domains. I finally have within reach a way to guarantee the safety and stability of Olympus. Your hand is a small price to pay for that is it not?"

"Perseus would sooner aid Grandfather in rising from the Pit again than do something he knows goes against my wishes, he is a good man. What could you hope to gain from such a union even if either of us would allow it?"

Artemis knew that Percy would stand beside her in this argument without question. After everything she had witnessed, and everything she had learned about him there was no longer any doubt in her heart. She would gladly call him friend and she hoped in time that he could say the same.

"He will obey my..."

"No. He won't. However, you already knew that, did you not? As I said he has not fully come into his power but he will. He may not have been as physically strong as my oaf of a half brother but I think that even you may come to regret trying to force him to do anything he does not want to do."

Thunder boomed and she could feel the weather of the world responding to her father's anger, but she didn't care.

"Even once he attains his full strength he will never match me, I am the King of Olympus! I do not care for the insinuation that Perseus could be an issue for me, daughter. He is lesser than Dionysus and Hercules ever were."

Artemis stared at her father in disbelief, she did not know him to be an unintelligent man. He was many things but this seemed to be something different.

"Father my half-brothers would not have defeated Perseus when they were demigods, and I think you know that once he has come into his power he will far outstrip them both. He has all but by accident completed many of the same labors Hercules was tasked with. Name another that before they were even fully grown could claim to have held the sky."

Zeus began to pace back and forth in the hall, the ozone rolling off of him as the thunder continued to boom.

"You seem to think very highly of him daughter, could it be that I was right? As I said before would it be so terrible Artemis? I wouldn't even take your hunt from you despite the deal you made me to make them partially immortal. If you were to wed Perseus it would serve as a link between our house and my brother's, we could finally put our bickering behind us in your best interests."

"Am I only a pawn to you father? Stop trying to change the topic of discussion. You cannot control Perseus, and you never will, not only is he his father's son he is more committed to doing what he believes is right than almost anyone. You also need to realize that you will never NEED to control him for all of the same reasons. So long as we keep our promises and you do not seek a fight, Perseus will have no reason to be a threat."

Artemis knew that Percy was many things, but her last statement had felt heavy on her tongue. 'Would Percy ever openly oppose her father?' She didn't think so but if it meant protecting the demigods... Her father interrupted her train of thought.

"Perhaps you are right. Hmmmmm... He would not be alone, my brothers would back him... Begone from here, I need time to think." Before she could leave he cleared his throat and snapped his fingers, "Also while I will not allow you to aid Apollo in the rest of his journey you may bring him this."

A quiver that she recognized all too well hung from her father's fingers. Inside she could see the fletchings of a single golden arrow and her heart soared at the sight. She knew that now her brother had a chance, a real chance at slaying Python, though he would have only one chance.

"And Artemis, remind Perseus of two things, first his duty. He seems to be forgetting himself if Apollo was so close to immolation. Second that the ancient laws cannot be tricked and that I am not blind."

Before she could respond he disappeared in a flash of lightning leaving the quiver to hang in the air waiting for her to take it. Artemis reached out and took her brother's quiver from where it hung in the air before flashing herself back to her palace. Closing her eyes she focused on her brother, they had always shared a deep connection and she felt it now. She could feel how close he had come to immolating and it terrified her while also giving her an odd sense of hope. For the last few months, she had only been able to feel that he was alive, little more than a vague reassurance. Now though it seemed that the connection was growing and she hoped that was a sign Apollo's power was returning.

With a flash of silver light, she found herself standing waist-deep in a lake. Both Calypso and Percy jumped in surprise, but something seemed off about Percy's reaction. He seemed slow, almost as if he was distracted somehow though she knew it wasn't likely an issue. She turned to her brother who was floating in the water seeming mostly unsupported and held out his quiver. His eyes widened in surprise and a weak smile grew on his lips as he recognized it. However, at that moment he slipped beneath the surface before frantically flailing around. Her eyes flicked to Percy who had been supporting Apollo's body with his control over the water. What she saw filled her with the same chill that feeling Apollo's injury had as she saw his form flicker.

"Percy! Where is the rest of you?!"

Her voice was commanding and loud, she hoped to break through whatever was clouding his consciousness.

"City... Rooftop..."

He only managed those two words before his form flickered again and blinked out of existence. All that remained was Percy's bag which struck the water but it floated instead of sinking. Artemis turned to Calypso who had moved immediately to grab Percy's bag.

"What happened? Who was he fighting?"

"More of the cloaked figures. I don't know where he is. We separated and he went after the two attacking him."

Artemis ripped his bag from her fingers and tore it open. She soon found the vial she was looking for and turned toward the city.

"Stay here. I will return with Perseus as soon as I am able."

Artemis flashed away leaving only a brief flash of silver light behind her. She reappeared far above the city in the form of a hawk. She loved the feeling of the wind under her wings and the feeling of complete freedom that came with soaring with only the power of her wings. Today however was not a flight for pleasure, and her eyes were scanning the city for anything that would tell her where Percy was. It only took her a handful of seconds as the flashing lights of mortal emergency vehicles caught her attention. Focusing on the area she saw water spraying from various points that were dwindling in number even as she watched. She dove toward the area and as she did she caught a flash of gold and she felt the chill once more.

Turning sharply she found the rooftop and dove even faster, transforming back into a human form just before touching down on the rooftop. Percy lay on his back in a pool of Ichor mixed with dark blood and the traces of poison that seeped from his wounds. She knelt at his side and ripped the vial open ignoring the feeling of the ichor soaking into the clothes she wore. His whole form shuddered as the antidote passed his lips but the bleeding was not slowed. He had lost an incredible amount of ichor and Artemis had no special skill with healing. To her surprise, his eyes cracked open, and found her face and his lips twitched into a weak smile. He spoke faintly then and Artemis did not realize he was echoing the friend he had just been forced to fight.

"Thank...you..."

Original Percy

Percy lunged and smote Odysseus with another heavy blow that finally freed him from Moros' fell influence. He had dealt the blow with the sword in his left hand and he left it embedded in Odysseus' chest. Percy couldn't stop for long enough to even catch his breath as Jason jumped back into the fight. Percy warded off his attacks while desperately searching his memories for anything that could help free Jason from this cursed form without having to destroy him. He didn't know if he could bring himself to strike Jason down, not after losing him once. He tried to remind himself that this wasn't Jason anymore, Jason was as trapped as the other heroes had been.

Percy twisted their swords together so that they were pointed at the ground as he leaned closer. The look in Jason's eyes was almost enough to break his will on its own. There was an incredibly dim light of recognition behind them that Percy knew he needed to ignore if he was to do what needed to be done. He shoved Jason away and sank into a defensive stance waiting to see how Jason would respond. To Percy's surprise, Jason remained flat on his back looking up at the sky. Jason's voice came to him now, strained and weak sounding, but it was Jason's voice.

"Help... Me... Please... Percy..."

Percy gritted his teeth and stepped forward raising Riptide high. Jason's sword whipped around and slashed across Percy's torso and face. The cut stretched from Percy's left side, skipping up to where the sword had again caught on his chest before slicing further upward. He had started to recoil as soon as the blade touched him so the sword didn't cut into his face deeply but it still bled profusely. From just under the left side of his mouth to just above his right eyebrow Percy's face shed heavy rivulets of Ichor. It flowed into Percy's right eye forcing him to close it as he stumbled back away from Jason. The wound burned and he could feel the poison seeping into him just as it had before. He had known the apparent lack of the familiar shadowy smoke on the blade meant next to nothing, but damn did he hate being right sometimes.

Moros' demented chuckling once again rose from Jason's throat, Percy knew he would never forget the sound. He also knew he would hunt Moros to the ends of existence, even if it meant once again entering the Pit. He walked forward once more even as ichor dripped onto the rooftop and he felt the emotions surging once more threatening to bring tears to his eyes. 'No, Jason needs me.' Was the only thought in Percy's mind now. Riptide rose and fell with deadly accuracy, then slipped from his numb fingers. Once more he saw the black smoke rise from the hero he had freed from Moros' curse and he dropped to his knees at Jason's side. He gripped Jason's cold hand and met his eyes even as they grew dim once again. No sound escaped him but his lips moved and just as when Annabeth had fallen he had no question as to what Jason had meant to say.

'Thank... you...'

He stared down at his fallen friend, watching his form dissipate just as all the other slaves of Moros had before. He watched until the last traces of his friend faded away and he began to feel heavy as his rage burning out as quickly as it had come. His vision flickered and Percy felt the cursed poison in his veins, spreading much faster than last time. The world was beginning to grow dark at the edges and he fell heavily to the roof even as his ichor pooled around him. With a blur of motion and a vague sense of someone familiar approaching Percy forced his eyes open and saw that Artemis was kneeling next to him. She ripped open a familiar-looking vial and poured it into his mouth. The heat from the antidote burned suddenly and he felt it purge the cursed poison from his body and he shuddered involuntarily even as his sight began to darken further. He looked at Artemis one final time and just managed to form the words that Jason had tried to say to him only moments before.

"Thank... you..."

As darkness now claimed him Percy felt as though his consciousness was crumbling like a sandcastle being blown apart by the wind. It was incredibly painful and disorienting, like every piece of him that fell away was both fully conscious yet completely incapable of thought. As he continued to fall apart he wondered if this was what fading felt like, and as he became less and less that thought didn't scare him anymore. He would finally be allowed to rest and be free from the pain that filled so much of his short life since he had learned who he truly was.

Suddenly however it was as if something or someone was dragging him back together, reconstituting his consciousness once more into a whole. Percy gasped and sat up his heart pounding as he searched the world around him for something, anything familiar. Now he was afraid, the pounding of his heart like the drum beat of life, fighting every second not to go into the night. The fact that he saw only endless night around him, even the surface he was resting on was invisible to him, did little to ease his feeling of danger. He heard footsteps from what sounded like all around him, and out of the gloom walked three figures that he had seen only rarely before, the Fates.

"You should be more careful, Perseus."

"How many times has he narrowly escaped destruction and failure?"

"Too many times sister, too many."

Percy remained silent though even if he had wanted to he wasn't sure he would be able to speak. The three figures faded from sight and in their place Percy felt an overwhelming presence. Like the avatar of Tartarus or the endless abyss below the Pit, whatever lurked unseen felt ancient beyond reckoning.

"Whose there?"

No response came but he felt a shift in the presence surrounding him, and now a new feeling came. With certainty he knew, he had no idea how, but he knew he was in the presence of something far greater, and far older than the Fates. His limbs felt heavy, and endless possibilities seemed to collapse in on themselves resolving into a shape that vaguely resembled a face. The only thing he could see and recognize for sure were the eyes, they seemed to hold an infinite number of pasts right next to an infinite number of possible futures. Looking into the eyes made the vision he had seen of his life flashing before his eyes when he had looked at the Fates after fighting Kronos seem like a Pixar film by comparison.

As he looked he got the sense that something was unfinished, but that he couldn't know what. It felt like whatever or whoever this was, they were trying to impress something upon him but that their mind was so incomprehensibly different only the largest of ideas were communicable. His head began to hurt as he looked into their eyes and he forced himself to blink and look away. Sunlight flooded his eyes and he coughed again, his pain flooding back into him. He heard Apollo and Calypso call his name and a third that may have been Artemis.

"Percy? How...? This shouldn't be possible he was gone. I felt it."

It was Calypso's voice and despite the nearly blinding sunlight, he could see that she was now kneeling next to him as he lay injured, a position she had occupied far too many times for his liking of late.

"Thanks for the assessment doc now give me some water or nectar, or both."

His eyelids felt heavy but he kept them up and the light no longer hurt so much so he could see Apollo scrambling for their bags. He also saw the lake he had brought Apollo to and grinned, willing the water to flow to him. It began to creep toward him but he felt his consciousness fade slightly as he did so and immediately released his hold on the water. At that moment he felt a sizeable amount of water cascade over him like someone had dropped a bathtub of water on him.

"Very funny Artemis, thank you for that."

He was trying to sound sarcastic but he wasn't sure he pulled it off as the groan of relief that followed his words undermined them. He felt his energy returning but it had been a long time since he had felt this utterly spent. What had that dark place been he wondered. Someone had been there with him but even as he tried to remember the details slipped away.

"Here Percy."

Apollo was holding out a familiar canteen and he took it gratefully, his hand shaking only slightly. Still foggy and exhausted Percy drank the nectar and didn't stop until the canteen was empty. He let it fall to the ground and reached for his chest his fingers searching for the wound Moros had dealt him. When his fingers met only rough fabric he looked down and saw his chest was bandaged heavily. He looked at the three others gathered around and realized he was missing something.

"How did I get here? What happened after you found me Artemis?"

"Perseus...Percy, I don't know how to explain this other than to say that you were for all intents and purposes, dead. You hadn't faded but you should by all rights be reforming right now."

Percy felt his skin crawl and he felt oddly disconnected from himself. He dragged himself slowly toward the water and when the others moved to stop or help him he waved them off.

"I need... I need a minute. Yeah, something like that."

As soon as his hands entered the water he felt himself calming down, and his heart was racing again. He dragged himself further into the water and soon enough was fully in the water below the surface. He allowed himself to sink to the bottom and the water began to knit the skin on his stomach, chest, and face back together. More importantly, the water was familiar, it wasn't salt water but it was still a comforting presence. The water was soothing his mind as much as his body, here in the water he knew who and what he was, and he needed that right now. After all, he had lost, he had never come that close to dying.

"Dad?"

He waited a long while and just when he was about to give up and rise to the surface he heard a response. Like sonar, it seemed to come from all around him without a specific source.

"Are you alright Percy?"

"Yes and no. I uhh I almost ended up reforming, and I think I saw something..."

"I am glad you are safe, but I think there are others who need to talk to you more than me."

Percy nodded then, realizing his father probably couldn't see him, agreed out loud though he received no response. Percy sighed and willed himself to slowly rise to the surface as he gingerly swam toward the shore. He pulled himself up on the shore unable to rise from a kneeling position, and found all three of his...friends, waiting. For some reason, he couldn't help but smile at them as a warmth that he had almost forgotten filled him. Calypso looked concerned as ever, Apollo excitedly examining his quiver like he was worried it would vanish if he looked away, and Artemis who was looking at him the same way Annabeth had used to whenever he did something stupid. Even after what he had just been forced to do, he didn't feel nearly as empty and alone as he had for so many months. He wasn't alone anymore.

"Hey, guys."

After he spoke all three of them just looked at him for a long while as though processing what he had just said.

"Hey, guys? Hey guys?! You were scattered Perseus, the closest a god gets to dying without fading, and that's all you have to say?"

"I'm sorry I scared you. I promise I'm not trying to get myself, I'm just gonna say killed by the way, so much easier, I promise I'm not trying to get myself killed."

Artemis walked away and began pacing angrily just outside hearing range so Percy turned to Apollo and Calypso.

"I better go calm her down. No reason to let her kill you just yet."

"Oh yeah thanks Apollo, real great."

Apollo ran after his sister and Percy could see them arguing animatedly though he couldn't hear them. He turned back to Calypso and found that she wasn't looking at him. She was staring out over the lake at the sunset that was just beginning to turn the sky orange.

"Calypso I'm..."

He couldn't get more than that out before Calypso moved toward him. At first, he braced himself for the slap or punch he was sure was coming, but it never did. She wrapped her arms around his head and he found himself pressed against her even as he was still on his knees. Because of the position, he realized that he could hear her heartbeat clearly, and he could feel her tense as she started to cry. He reached up and pulled her arms off of his head and slowly got to his feet swaying slightly. He made a decision in that moment and opened his arms and Calypso buried her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. He wasn't fully healed and the wound stung beneath the bandage but he didn't say anything, she needed him more than he needed to be pain-free. He returned her embrace and he closed his eyes losing himself in the moment. A moment later he heard Calypso say something, though it was slightly muffled by his shirt.

"You can never do that to me again Percy."

"You know I can't promise that Calypso. With everything that you know about my life you know that don't you?"

She just squeezed him tighter and Percy knew he couldn't blame her.

"I know but... I can't lose you Percy, not... not again."

Percy felt all of the feelings he had carried ever since he had gotten on that raft welling up. Guilt, regret, sadness, determination, and so many more, but most of all he remembered the thing that had kept him up nights the first few months after leaving her island - What if?

"Calypso... Look at me, please."

She looked up at him and the light of the sunset painted her tan skin, and dark eyes with golden light. In that moment he didn't think she had ever been more beautiful, despite the tear tracks through the dust and dirt.

"I... I will always be here for you. Until the world stops spinning or I fade, I can promise you that."

Percy felt a thrill of power run through him as his power recognized the promise for what it was.

"I'm still not...alright. I will be but I need to ask because it will only be harder if I don't. I know what you said but I can't ask you to wait for me because I don't know if I will ever..."

"Percy shut up. I will wait forever if that is what it takes. You might not be the same as when I met you but I don't care, I don't love you because you're some perfect hero who always does the right thing, or is crazy powerful, or just plain crazy. The more I learn and the more I see the more I know that you're worth waiting for. That I can promise you."

He felt the sincerity of the promise just in her words but he felt it through his powers too, and Percy realized something about his sense for promises. Intent and belief mattered, you could promise anything and everything all the live long day but it didn't matter if you never meant it, if you never felt to the bottom of your soul that you would follow through on your word. He could feel just how deeply Calypso meant every word she said as clearly as he had his promise. He rested his chin gently on top of her head and she rested her head against his chest. Percy knew that there would always be a part of him that loved Annabeth, but he knew deep down that she was right, eventually, he would have to move on.

He also knew that he would never be the same, and part of him was screaming at him to pull back, to protect himself and run from the possibility of even more loss. It was a loud voice, all the louder because of his fight with Jason who had been controlled by Moros. It screamed through his veins and tore at his sense of well-being, clawing for attention despite his will to ignore it.

"Percy?"

Apollo's voice interrupted his introspection and he looked up and saw that Apollo and Artemis had returned. Artemis looked much calmer and despite his current position she didn't seem overtly hostile. Looking back at Apollo he registered that he was holding out the golden arrow on his open palm, and Percy knew what he wanted. Percy reached out with his left hand and hesitated just before making contact with the arrow, even from inches away he could feel power in the arrow. So much more power than was in any of the arrows Artemis had given him and he had copied before. With so much power contained in the arrow, he hesitated wondering if he would be able to replicate it safely. He looked up and saw the desperation in Apollo's eyes and knew he had to try, Apollo needed him to try. He couldn't run from this any more than Apollo could have used his power to create an arrow instead of healing Harley.

His fingers made contact and he felt his power flare immediately in response. He separated himself from Calypso immediately even as his fingers wrapped, almost on their own, around the arrow. Heat flowed up his arm and it was nothing like anything he had experienced before. He had thought the antidote had been intense the last time he had taken it but it had been nothing compared to this. It felt as though he was trying to hold onto an explosion or a raging inferno. Falling to one knee Percy grimaced as the pain grew more intense then almost as suddenly as it had begun the heat and pain vanished. Gasping Percy staggered back to his feet.

"Wow! That was...intense."

"Did it work? Can you make more?"

Percy focused on his power, searching himself, and felt it again deep within himself. The heat welled up again as he concentrated, he gritted his teeth but he had to let go, already the attempt was draining what little strength he had recovered.

"I think I can, but not right now. I'm too exhausted for this right now."

"Uhh yeah, Percy you're kind of smoking."

Apollo's words didn't immediately register but when they did he looked around and he realized he had singed the edges of his clothing.

"Oops."

"Okay, that's enough using your powers for now. You need to rest. Now."

Calypso's stern side was on display again and Percy grinned sheepishly. Artemis was glaring at him again and Percy couldn't help but grin wider at her.

"Thanks, Arty, saved my butt, again."

"Don't call me Arty. You are reckless and you..."

Her ranting continued for some minutes, and the tirade became rather impressive. She had been waiting for an opportunity to lay into him, though he couldn't help but continue to grin at her throughout.

"You're lucky my brother needs you Perseus. Why does the first man I respect in millennia have to have been the biggest idiot also in that same time frame?"

"I mean do you want an actual answer or is that just rhetorical?"

"I can't believe you even know that word let alone know how to use it properly."

"Hey! I know stuff!"

All four of them were laughing now and Percy appreciated that he had been able to make Calypso smile. Artemis stopped laughing rather quickly and grew serious again.

"Before I go my father had a message for you Perseus."

"Percy remember? Not Perseus."

She narrowed her eyes at him before continuing.

"He asked me to remind you of your duty as he put it if Apollo was so close to immolation he must be forgetting. Additionally, he wanted to remind you that the Ancient Laws cannot be tricked and that he is not blind."

"Isn't that three messages?"

Artemis threw her hands up and walked away before fading into a beam of moonlight.

"Too much?"

Percy asked Apollo and Calypso. Apollo answered by roaring with laughter so hard he nearly fell over.

"Oh, I am so glad you're a god now. I am going to enjoy having someone else around that irritates my sister. You're my brother already, and she likes you. Well at least enough that she hasn't throttled you yet."

"Great. I'll keep that in mind. Also, do you think I should tell your dad to shove it or is that a bit much."

Thunder rumbled overhead and they all glanced upward.

"How about we keep from antagonizing him more than necessary? Sound like a plan Percy?"

"Well I can't promise anything seeing as he hates me, but I won't go out of my way to irritate him. Anymore than normal that is."

Now it was Apollo's turn to be exasperated with Percy who was enjoying the lighthearted moment despite the topic. They gathered their supplies and decided it was best to move as far from the lake as possible. The concentration of demigod scent, as well as the godly power in the area, was likely like a flare gun announcing their presence to monsters. So they made their way back to the town on foot as quickly as they could. It took them almost an hour which meant that it was well after nightfall when they found themselves back amongst civilization. Now that he was beginning to calm down Percy was beginning to feel just how tired he was despite the nectar, the water, and his dip in the lake.

Eventually, they found a hotel on the northern outskirts of town that had a room available for the night. With some slight manipulation of the mist, they got to the room and were all soon collapsed on the bed, the floor, and the couch. Percy despite laying on the floor was asleep almost immediately, and Apollo soon followed him as he lay on the couch. Calypso however lay awake staring at the ceiling as she listened to her two companions' steady breathing. Her mind wouldn't let her rest and she kept coming back to the moment she had known he was gone, and the moment that he had embraced her promising to be there for her. When she had felt his essence fade from his physical body it was like someone had sucked every bit of air out of her lungs at once. She had been too numb to even register immediately when he had moved again. It had only been after hearing Apollo say his name that she realized what was going on. What was wrong with her? She hadn't been this bad after the others had left her, even when Percy had left her island she had been angry and morose not numb.

She rolled onto her side and stared down at the dark shape on the floor that was Percy. An impulsive thought later and she was dragging a pillow and one of the blankets off of the bed onto the floor next to him. She tried to gently tuck a pillow under his head and cover him with the blanket without waking him, and she succeeded. She returned to bed but something still felt off and she found herself staring at Percy who was still asleep and unmoving. It had been many years since she had used her magic for anything more than aiding her with mundane tasks but she closed her eyes and willed it forth now. As soon as she did it became clear to her what was bothering her as there were more than three presences in the room.

"Percy. I told you to rest and not use your powers. What do you think you're doing?"

She had felt a part of Percy unseen near the door and knew he was keeping watch. Her voice was low and strained as she tried to keep her annoyance and voice in check so she didn't wake Apollo. She felt the secondary presence fade then Percy opened his eyes and looked at her.

"I can't Calypso. I just... Not again."

He sounded desperate, and like someone who was teetering on the edge. Calypso gritted her teeth and buried her face in a pillow to muffle her groan of frustration. 'Damn it! Damn, the gods! Damn, fate! Why him? Why is it always him?' Even as the words ran through her mind she knew that there would and could never be an answer. Even if an answer could be found it didn't matter because Percy had already lost and suffered far too much. She knew that the best thing she could do now was just be there and not run away. She had to stay by his side no matter what because she wasn't sure what he would do if he lost more friends now.

"Percy, what happened on the rooftops?"

He sat up and the blanket fell away as he reached up to rub his face tiredly. He was doing his best to hide it but after healing him the first time, and the last few days she could tell that he was drained. She waited to see what he would say and at first, he refused to meet her eyes as he resolutely stared at the door. Calypso slipped off of the bed and onto the floor next to Percy so that she could grab his hands. She could feel very slight tremors running through him as soon as she touched him though she knew he wasn't cold.

"I just want to help you, Percy, so please tell me what happened."

When he finally turned her breath caught in her chest at the look in his eyes because it wasn't sadness. His eyes burned with anger and frustration that she knew was not directed at her.

"You want to help me? Can you promise you won't get captured or killed? Can you promise that fate will leave me alone after this? Can you stop Moros from USING MY FRIENDS AS PAWNS?!"

She flinched as his voice rose even though she knew he would never hurt her. She knew the moment he recognized her reaction because his face fell and he scooted away from her wrapping his arms around his knees and refusing to meet her eyes again.

"I'm sorry Calypso, I shouldn't have yelled, least of all at you. I just... I don't know what to think anymore, I had to... It was Jason, he was the second one."

She slid herself across the floor until she was next to him, and she reached up and gently turned his chin to face her. She knew that Jason had been one of the friends he had lost at the end of the last war, but she didn't know much more than that so she focused on what she did know.

"I am sorry that you had to face him that way, I can't imagine how hard that was for you. I didn't know him but I do know you, and I don't want you to think I'm afraid of you Percy. I am far less fragile than I look, and I don't want you to be afraid of how you feel. I have been down that road and it never ends well. You will just force yourself to ignore it, ignore the good and the bad until eventually, it tears you apart from the inside."

Both of them jumped and whipped around as Apollo cleared his throat loudly.

"I appreciate the therapy session for our friendly neighborhood hero but could you do it at not," Apollo looked at the clock exaggeratedly, "One AM?"

The two of them sheepishly apologized to Apollo who rolled back over still grumbling to himself the whole while. Calypso looked back at Percy who was staring at the floor over his knees. Calypso moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder as she leaned against him.

"Thank you, Calypso. For everything, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You're welcome Percy, now get some sleep if you can. You need it."

AN: Sorry for the perspective jumping around kind of oddly during the chapter. I was trying to figure out how exactly to showcase Percy splitting his consciousness to do two things at once in a way that was not mind-bendingly complicated. I will try to avoid the perspectives being as odd in the future. If anyone has any thoughts on the way I did it feel free to let me know as I have said before I am far from a professional writer/editor.

I want to clarify something that is directly related to the very end of this chapter. If you dislike how I am writing about Percy emotionally reacting when he is talking with Calypso I completely understand. One of the things that has always bothered me about the way characters like Percy are written is how trauma is displayed. I just feel like when Percy is written in too many stories he doesn't display the sort of anger that all too often gets directed at the wrong people as often as the right ones.