"Ug I hate the ocean." Pearl snarled. I looked at her oddly.

"That's a bit odd to say for a daughter of Poseidon."

"No you're not seeing my point; I like the ocean beneath the surface. That's the scary yet beautiful thing about it; you never know what's under there. It could be so deep and dark, and you would never know from just looking on the top." She looked at me like it was a secret that only we knew that she had said. She hopped off the deck rail and walked away. Her hair flipping in the weird way it does.

I watched off in the distance I hadn't been on land for five days. Sick of the boat, I was willing to take a ride on a sea monster rather then stand here. Millions of square miles of blue surrounded us. I stretched and then I yawned. BORING! No monster attacks, no magical god visits, no nothing! IN FIVE DAYS! What is this a normal week and a half voyage to Greece? Just then I saw a small island. It wasn't like the one on Spongebob with the one coconut tree, but rather a small boreal forest. In the middle of the Atlantic…I doubt it. Freaky Greeky moment.

"Hey guys look!" I called. Percy and Annabeth walked over and Annabeth's brow crinkled.

"How odd…" She said.

"That's what I said." I looked at Phoenix who slowly came over. He walked over then closed his eyes and his pupils shrunk to that creepy tiny round circle.

"Lower the anchor, we have to stop." Percy gave me a glance for conformance. I nodded and then I heard the anchor lower. Percy looked at me weird, but then turned around and saw Pearl leaning against a rope dispenser.

"Thanks, sis, taking away all my glory."

"Sure thing bro." She walked over and rested her head on Phoenix's broad shoulder. He hardly acknowledged her. He walked away his whole body tense. Then he leapt into the ocean he swam faster then well- really fast. In other words.

"Come on." Pearl grabbed my hand and dove in she dragged me along through the cold water. I heard a splash behind us. Phoenix already about a mile ahead of us, reaching the shore of the island. Pearl dove down beneath the blue surface, and flicked a bubble around us and I let the air escape through my mouth. She smiled, "Fun stuff, huh?" Her hand swept around the enclosed space. I looked up and saw fish swim around the bubble. Pearl waved,

"Hey Chowder, Johnny, Sarah!" She called to each one, her face breaking into an extremely happy grin. The fish seemed to become ecstatic to hear her voice. The bubble floated to a shallower edge and she waved to them, and blew them an air kiss. Then she grabbed my hand kicked upward to the surface. Our heads broke through the surface and air rushed back into my lungs. She hopped onto the surface the sun warmed my skin, but the air felt cold. I shivered. Pearl patted my back. Then I saw Phoenix was standing stiffly.

His formed started to burn with flames, he shrunk and for a second I actually thought he was burning.

"Phoenix!" I cried. My heart pounding, I didn't exactly like Phoenix but he was a pretty good friend.

"Penelope, he's fine. He's changing form see." She pointed and I saw slowly that red feathers formed over his skin. He soon stood in the form of a bird. The Phoenix. He flew upward in a spiral pursuit, then circled over head. He dove down and I saw a column of flame erupt from the tops of the trees. Pearl's hand gripped my hand and I felt anxiety rise in my chest. What was happening?

"What the heck is he doing?" Percy came up beside me. I turned back and saw Annabeth following him, her hair wet a dripping. I felt a giggle rising in my chest. Her perfect little blond curls were soggy. I turned back quickly.

"It means follow." Pearl said, her voice barely passing through her lips. Her grip was clammy and we walked on. We passed into the forest and soon found the clearing where the fire column had been. I saw smoke rising from the spot. A beautiful red feather was resting on the ground.

"Phoenix!" Pearl called.

"Phoenix!" I yelled.

"I don't see him…where could he have gone?" Percy said.

"You want your friend don't you?" I twirled around to see a boy leaning against a tree. He had black hair and blue streaks ran through it. His eyes were the most shockingly black. He was beautiful but there was a razor sharp edge on him. If you had a sense you would know.

"Who are you?" Pearl's hand automatically went to her sword.

"Darling if you cared enough to guess, you'd probably be right." His voice was creamy and silky.

"Are you a demigod?"

"I suppose if that's what you would want to call me. Your friend's gone, sorry pretty girl. One of the gods took him. I was standing here minding my own business and, well you know of course this bird flies down and forms into this kid. He looks at me for a squick of a second and then he lets out this scream, falls to his knees, and banishes with this fire thing. The whole expierence was the weirdest thing that's happened to me in years." He gave a small solemn shrug. When he saw my eyes he gave a small sad smile. I returned it. But my heart was echoing in sadness, who had taken Phoenix.

"Who's your parent?" I asked him.

"Fortuna."

"Well that explains a lot, Fortuna never had that many children. When she did she was really protective over them. But why did she do that to Phoenix? She was bound to know he was Apollo's son." Pearl said, her face twisted from the sad grimace to a thoughtful expression.

"Mom, is pretty protective she put Fiona and I on this island. In the middle of the Atlantic if you hadn't noticed. Maybe she just doesn't want us to get married or anything. I still try to ask her that, but she never really answers. She's like there, but she just ignores me. Fiona's gotten some words from her but to me she's completely silent."

"So that settles it, Fortuna has Phoenix. We really need to get to Greece now. Fortuna, prefers the Olympus there rather then in New York." Pearl said. She got up off the stump she was sitting on. She held out her hand to the boy, "Allies?" He looked at it cautiously.

"Allies, names Matheus."

"Cool name." I said, my face reddening why did I say that?

"Thanks." He smiled. Then he started to walk away. When he realized we weren't following him. He waved for us to come. We followed as quickly as we could. But Matheus knew the woody trails pretty well. It was hard to think if you were just going all on the same route over and over. Or if you were totally off your course. The ground was full of roots and many times I tripped. I should have been more aware in a natural place like this one. But my senses were kind of dull…secretly I had started to develop small feelings for Phoenix. He was starting to become like an older annoying brother to me.

Soon enough we reached the house where Matheus's home. It was a small castle. Fortuna liked to spoil them that was for sure. He unlocked the door with a small golden key. As we walked in, I felt myself shiver the air in here was freezing.

"Cold…I know sorry. Fiona's got a fever…she's really sick these days…" He looked down then walked down the long corridor. I felt like Matheus hid sadness. I tried to imagine an overprotected mother, who gave you whatever you wanted. As hard as I tried I couldn't. I didn't even know who my mother was anymore. Was she dead or had Hades just taken her down like Persephone. I wasn't sure.

He reappeared carrying a small skinny girl. She was so sickly looking she looked so pale and weak. Her hair was long and black. Her eyes a dull black. That had once been a glittering color like her brothers.

"Meet Fiona." Matheus said. He looked down at his sister lovingly. She had once been beautiful I could tell. But now she had a small petite bony face. Her eyes sunken and her gaze like looking in a living corpse. She stared at me.

"Pan…" The only thing she muttered. I gasped, how did she know? She smiled, her thin lips forming upward. I considered it a smile. But her smallish lips made that hard to realize.

"That's the first word she's said in months…she usually is so quiet." He looked down at her she looked up at him her eyes were so luminous and black. But so weak and almost to the color of a metallic grey. He gestured for the door I nodded and opened it. He sighed and followed, it must have been hard leaving the only place you ever knew. It sure was for me… Thinking back on it makes me realize how hard it had been. I missed the life I had so much, I would pay anything to go back. To a different reality, to a reality where my little brother wasn't close to being a god, to a reality where my best friend wasn't dead, to a reality where the only boy that I had ever loved was with his girlfriend, to a reality where Penelope Rondervin was just a normal girl, where she wasn't this girl who was in so much pain, where she wasn't a girl with no sense of who she was, where she wasn't this crazy girl who was the object of two prophecies, where her whole life wasn't mapped out in front of her, where her heart was full and happy…

We walked to the ship my mind lost in thought, my heart weak like a bird's. My world spinning like a record. My only sense was the bitter reality around me. I grabbed the ladder and climbed up then grabbed the rope latter from the table and strung it down. So here I was on a crazy goose chase searching for a demigod's mother that I barely knew, for a boy that I was just starting to like as a friend. A boy that a week ago had told me he had feelings for me, and then started to date my friend. I was hijacked of my true self. Who was I anymore?

I walked down to below the ship and then felt it start to move. Two more will join at the ocean's edge. Matheus and Fiona. The prophecy lines echoed in my brain I laid on my bed I looked up at the dark ceiling, the darkness for some reason was comforting. I was actually alone, no one breathing down my neck, no one pressuring me, no one…absolutely no one. I closed my eyes and saw a vision of a forest, a jungle actually in a clearing. In it lay a small castle…a beautiful woman stood on a balcony. The only thing that looked like me from her was my brown hair and her gorgeous gleaming dark green eyes. She was me. Was it just me or was my self consciousness really self-obsessed. I didn't know. But the girl had something on her arm, my mother's wristlet. An ivy woven crown was placed on her head; she had a powerful green glow around her. Her veins coursed with a sparkling green. But she was beautiful. Truly beautiful. I was goddess…a goddess.

My eyes snap open. I'm on the ship, it rocks gently beneath me. But no where close to the castle I saw. I shiver and go and find the only person that I can talk to. I walk and open the door, go to the deck and find him there. She's no where in sight. But I needed to talk to him.

"Percy? I need to talk to you. There's something I need to say."

"Penelope, I know me too…" His voice tired and his eyes showed empathy.

"I can't see myself becoming this goddess. I had a dream…I was her. She stared at me, and I wasn't her, but it felt like looking at yourself in a mirror. It's just your reflection."

"I can't believe that in a few days your going to be a goddess…I don't know how to deal with that. It feels like I always have to protect you, when pretty soon, your going to be ruling a part of the world. Penelope always know that I love you…I know I'm horrible for saying that. But you need to hear it. I can't stand to think of not seeing you. I just met you hardly a month ago and now I can't sleep or eat! I can't stop thinking about you, I can't stop no matter how hard I try…"

"Percy… I…" Tears start to run out before I can stop them. I sit down on the chair, wanting so bad to run to him throw my arms around him and forget the reality that has become my life. I can't though; Annabeth and him have always been meant for each other. I was never meant to be included in their love story…I was just supposed to be an obstacle they would face.

"Please don't, don't cry…Penelope. I love you so much; I can't bare to see you cry."

"Then don't watch, Percy, I love you too…but I can't- no matter how much I want you to…you can't lose her. You can't, I'm not the one for you and you know that too. Deep inside of you, there's that voice that's always screaming in your heart…we can't ever be together. Unless fate wants it… but they don't. You know it…you know it…" I sobbed into my hands trying to forget my own words.

"I know… but I'm not one to follow the prophecy."

"You have too. Percy listen to yourself, look at what I've made you! Look at you!" I cried more tears streaming down my cheeks.

"The only thing you've made me is a broken boy, torn between two girls that I love too much to lose."

"Perseus Jackson, you will never lose me," I smiled, "That's what I want you to understand now. No matter who you chose you will never lose me. I'll always be here, if you disappear off the face of the planet, I will find you. I will. You can't be lost with me…" I caressed his cheek and leaned in closer but I couldn't…I couldn't… I got up and left him. There was no way I could stay now. No way.

I went and knocked on Pearl's door. She opened it, her eyes glassy from sleep and her hair in a messy ponytail. She slanted her eyes at me.

"Penelope? You ok you gotta throw up?"

"Pearl I…" I threw my arms around her and sobbed; she hesitated then wrapped her arms around me. I sobbed in her hair she patted my back, she stroked my hair. My vision was blurred but the only thing I kept seeing was his face. The face with those sea green eyes full of happiness. I had ripped that away from him. I had ripped out a piece of him. Ripping a piece of myself out.