A/N: I would like to say some words first. I know that most of you are reading this because you think it's another Percabeth fanfic. Well, it is, in a sense. But I've said before that this story won;t focus solely on Percy and Annabeth's love story. It will revolve around the danger the demigods' enemy is bringing. If you're reading this because of Percabeth, then I'm sorry to disappoint you because this isn't about the two of them alone. Another thing is that you may notice I'm giving Lester more time to tell his story. That is because you need to know what his life is like before all the demigod business happen. You need to know him better before anything else. I'm doing this also because Lester's part is happening around early February while Percy's is happening around mid-March so there's some catching up to do on Lester's part but rest assured that the two will meet eventually. Their timelines will soon cross, I'm just asking you to be patient and wait for it. One more thing: Don't take the titles of the chapters too literally. Read between the lines and you might get a hint on what's going on. :D

Potterjay all the Way: Lester IS a demigod. This chapter reveals who his godly parent is. I mean, not the exact deity but either his Mom or Dad. :D

thggymnast998: I'm glad that happened. The primary reason why I wrote that chapter that way was to let you guys know that Lester's life sucks, even in demigod standard. It's cool that I actually helped you with your book. Let me read it, will you? :D

Blazing Crusader: Okay my answer is a spoiler: NO. It won't be Perlypso. I just brought her in to add some drama and because she is needed in the end. For what reason, I can't say yet. Anyway, thank you for reading. :D

I'm an author-I think: Oo nga e. Haha. Napapasarap ako sa pagpopost dito. Don't worry, hindi na 'to tulad nung naunang kwento. Hindi na 'to about jealousy or indecision. Adventure na 'to. May kalaban na 'saka may quest. :D

R3D N3BuLOS17Y: It did? Wow. That's cool. Thank you. And yes, you did, and I'm really grateful. :D

MysticWishes: What were you about to ask?

CimFan: I'm sorry if I haven;t read your story yet. I don't have the time; I'm too busy writing but I promise that as soon as I get the chance, I would. And thank you again. :D

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

-Matthew 6:34

WISE GIRL'S SEAWEED BRAIN 2.0:

DARKNESS ARISING
Chapter 3: HISTORY REPEATING

PERCY

Someone was knocking at my door yet again.

I groaned as I sat up on my bed. I checked the clock on my bedside table. It was half-past midnight. Who could this be? I got an idea and yelled, "Go away, Nico!" He was usually the one who plays prank on me in the middle of the night. I thought he was trying to live up to him being the ghost prince and all. I put my pillow over my head to block the sound. Nico, however, wasn't giving up and kept on banging on my door.

Then I remembered: Nico had left to go back to the Underworld. If this wasn't Nico, then who could this be? The person knocked loudly again. I groaned in frustration as I stood up and dragged my injured leg to the door. I opened it and the person, apparently, didn't notice the door was already open and kept on rapping its knuckles and ended up hitting me in the forehead.

"Ow!" I protested, clutching my head and taking a step back.

I heard a gasp and felt a soft hand touching my arm. "I apologize, brave one," the voice said. I didn't have to look at the person's face to know it was Calypso. "I did not see that the door is already open."

I rubbed my forehead. "No, it's okay," I said. "Is there something wrong?"

Calypso sighed. "I was not able to put my mind to rest," she said.

I had to think about that for a moment. "Um, you mean you couldn't sleep?" She nodded. "Is there any reason why you came to see me?"

Calypso tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. It was kind of ironic that she had the same mannerism as my girlfriend. Her was face was a bit pink when she answered. "I was hoping you would come on a walk with me," she said hesitantly. "I know you could still recall that I am used to walking at night."

"Oh," I said, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. My girlfriend put me to sleep and now an immortal who once admitted that she loved me was asking me to go on a walk with her. What was I supposed to do?

Calypso saw the uncertainty in my eyes. "I will understand if you are not capable, seeing that you are still healing. Rest assured that I would not be upset. I did not also mean to wake you up; I just need company tonight and you are the only friend I have here. Besides, I want to get to know your home."

"Um . . . there's curfew, Calypso," I informed her. "I have no intention of being the harpies' midnight snack."

She smiled. "Do not fear, my brave one. My magic is strong enough to conceal us."

"Uh, okay," I said, still in doubt. Luckily, I was too lazy to get out of my clothes so I was still in my jeans and camp shirt. I went back to my bedside and picked up my crutch. I didn't exactly need it but my girlfriend didn't trust me enough to walk on my own without it and I was trying to be a good, obedient boyfriend so I just did what she wanted me to.

I went back to Calypso and locked my door after making sure I had the key.

We walked side by side to the beach. I pointed stuffs to Calypso, giving her an idea what Camp Half-Blood was like. I thought I was introducing her to my Camp but I knew that I was constantly shifting to Annabeth. "That's the Arena, where Annabeth and I usually spar together," or "That's the dining pavilion where we eat. Annabeth usually breaks the rule and sit with me," and "That's where the other campers dumped Annabeth and me last August 18th. They caught us kissing and decided that we needed to cool off."

Calypso wasn't speaking. "Sorry," I murmured.

She smiled sadly. "It is okay, my brave one," she said. "I actually liked seeing how your eyes and face light up whenever you mention her." She was quiet for a moment then she added, "You really do love Annabeth."

"I do," I said. "So much."

"She is one lucky girl," she said.

I paused for a moment and asked the question that's been bugging me. "Um, Calypso?" She stopped walking and looked back at me, her eyebrows raised in question. For a while, I just stared at her. Her face was bathed in moonlight, her skin almost sparkling. There was no other way to describe her – she was gorgeous. But I wasn't looking at her in the way I looked at Annabeth. "Do you . . . um, still feel, you know, something for me?"

Calypso didn't answer. Instead, she walked back to me until our faces were only inches apart. "What do you think?" she asked. The smell of her breath fanned across my face, making me feel like my body was being torched. Fire spread from my face and travelled down my spine.

I cleared my throat and stepped away. Calypso looked hurt. I said, "Calypso, look, we can't go there." Calypso nodded and stepped away from me. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt anyone or break anyone's heart but I love Annabeth. It's Annabeth. It's always going to be Annabeth."

Calypso looked away and wiped something from her face. I'd be a fool not to know that she was crying.

"I'm sorry, Calypso," I said. "I know you don't want to hear this but I don't want to lead you on. It will be unfair to you and I don't want to hurt Annabeth. We just went through something bad and I will never put her through something like that again. We're friends. And that's all we can ever be. There's never going to be us. Friendship is all I can offer."

Calypso looked up, tears in her eyes. "You said you don't want to hurt anyone, or break anyone's heart, well, my hero, you keep on breaking mine."

I sighed. "I'm sorry."

Calypso shook her head and reached out to touch my face. Immediately, electricity ran down my body. Her eyes were locked on mine, communicating. "It is fine, my hero," she said. "Your relationship with Annabeth is based on love. You two had been through so much together and I promise I will not interfere or try to drive a wedge between the two of you." She took a deep breath and lowered her hand. "I just want you to know that you will always have my heart."

She moved closer and hugged me to her. Hesitantly, I raised my hands and hugged her back.

That's when I heard the noise. It sounded like someone gargling and someone ripping a piece of a pig apart. Calypso and I sprung apart as the creature was illuminated.

It was the height of a human and almost appeared like one if you don't see how it looked. Or if you don't notice its extra three pairs of arms. I knew what it was. I just watched it from a movie a few weeks ago with Samantha.

A makhai.

LESTER

Skylar looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that," she whispered. I shrugged. "I don't know why the nicest person in the planet attracts the worst luck."

"Me either," I agreed. "I mean, Mom is the best person in the world. I have no idea why she, of all the bad people in this planet, gets this disease. Not that I'd wish this on someone else's."

Skylar eyed me for a moment. "I wasn't just talking about your Mom, Lester," she said. I looked at her, only to find that her eyes were glued to my face. I blushed and looked away. "I also meant you. I don't exactly know that much about you but I can tell from the way you worry about your Mom that you're a great person."

"Thanks," I murmured. Mom stirred and I made my way to her bed. She opened her eyes and smiled brightly when she focused on me. "Hey," I whispered, leaning down and kissing your forehead.

"Honey," she said, touching my cheek. Her touch was light but it was still enough to make me wince. She noticed, of course. Then she leaned back a little and stared at my face. I looked down, unable to meet her gaze. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"I tripped," I lied. "It's nothing. Don't worry about me."

"That's not nothing," she said, touching my face.

"No," I insisted, my voice breaking a little. I hated it whenever I lie to my Mom. She's the only one I really cared about and I just wanted to protect her. "So," I said, making my voice light. "How was your day?"

Mom smiled a bit. "Good. I went to the bathroom all by myself later this afternoon," she said.

I smiled at her. "That's good," I said. "But you didn't exert yourself too much, did you?"

"Of course not," she said.

I couldn't contain my giddiness about having enough supply of her medication to last for a month that I wasn't able to hold my tongue. "There's something good that happened, Mom," I said.

"What?" she wondered.

I picked up the bag of her pills and showed it to her. "I have your medicines," I said brightly.

"Where did you get the money?" she inquired. "You didn't do anything illegal did you?" I shook my head. "You didn't accept that indecent offer, did you?"

My eyes widened. "Mom!" I protested. "Of course I didn't."

She touched my face lovingly. "I'm just kidding," she said. "But seriously, where did you get the money?" she asked.

"Al and a friend helped me," I said. I didn't tell her about me being robbed. The last thing I wanted was to worry her. It wouldn't be good for her condition. "You don't have to worry about paying them; I'll take care of it. And they're not pressuring me so we're okay."

I heard Skylar shift behind me and that's when Mom noticed her. "Who is she?" she asked me.

My face reddened again. Mom noticed, of course, and she looked at me teasingly. I stood up and walked over to Skylar. I took her elbow and led her to Mom's bed. She seemed surprised by this and I took my hand back. "Mom, meet Skylar, my . . . um," I trailed off. I honestly didn't know what Skylar was.

Skylar smiled at my Mom. "Hi, Mrs. Fleming, I'm Skylar Gray, a friend of your son's."

I perked up a little when I heard her say our family name. "I didn't know you know my surname," I blurted out.

Skylar looked at me and I dropped my gaze. "Of course I do, Kyle Lester Fleming," she said at me. Then she turned back and looked at my Mom again. "Thank you."

Mom frowned. "For what?"

"For bringing an amazing person in the world," she said.

Mom tilted her head to the side a little. "Lester didn't tell you?" she asked.

Skylar looked at me again. "What?"

I looked at Mom. "I'm going to," I said. "Do you mind if we talk in private, Mom?" I asked. "If you need me now, then I won't leave."

"No," Mom said. "I'm fine. I've eaten that food you left. Go ahead and don't worry about me."

I knew she just wanted to give me and Skylar some time to ourselves. I went back beside her bed and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right outside."

"Don't hurry," she said.

I motioned for Skylar to stand up. She did and bid my Mom goodbye. "I'll see you later, Mrs. Fleming." Mom smiled at her and waved. She gave me a stern look and I rolled my eyes at her as I closed the door.

When I turned around, I found Skylar staring at me. "What did your Mom mean?"

I gestured for her to sit on our couch. She did and I sat beside her. I took some time before I spoke. I don't go around advertising this to other people but I felt like I could trust Skylar. "Mom isn't my biological mother," I blurted. "My Dad had had an affair a few years before she met my Mom. The woman got pregnant eventually and they had me, but she left right after I was born, leaving me in my Dad's care.

"For two years he took care of me and then he met Mom," I continued. "You see, Mom's sterile. She couldn't bear a child and she and Dad immediately fell in love and got married. It was a good thing because right after the wedding, Dad showed his true colors and told Mom that he hates me, as I am a living reminder of what my biological mother did."

Skylar was silent for a moment, her eyes trained on my Mom's door. I took the opportunity and stared at her. She had dark hair that reached just below her shoulder; her eyes were a beautiful shade of chocolate brown; her skin was flawless and looked so soft and smooth; her face looked like a sculpted masterpiece – chiseled profile, pink lips and warm eyes. She suddenly looked back at me and I gave a start. She smiled at me and then looked over my shoulder, looking at something. "Is that your Dad?" she asked, pointing to a our family portrait. It was taken right after I was diagnosed as dyslexic and ADHD. Mom thought that it would be ideal for me to have something nice to look at.

I nodded. "Yeah. He didn't want to pose for that picture but Mom managed to convince him. She's a very persuasive woman."

Skylar chuckled. "Your biological Mom must've been one beautiful woman. I mean, you don't look like your Dad so I'm sure you took after her."

It took me some time to understand what she was saying. When I finally got it, I blushed down to my neck and muttered, "T-thanks."

Skylar laughed and tapped my cheek playfully. "Do you mind getting something to eat? I'm starving."

"Oh, sure," I said, standing up and walking to where our kitchen was. "We have meatloaf and some leftover pizza."

"Ew," Skylar winced. "I'm vegetarian."

"I didn't know that," I said. "I can cook something for you if you want. I'll just go and run to the supermarket to buy ingredients. What do you want to eat?"

She laughed, walking to the kitchen and leaning against the counter. "You are one sweet boy, has anybody told you that?" she asked.

"Um . . . Mom," I said.

"Of course she did," said Skylar. "Okay, how about this, come with me and we'll buy something from this restaurant I know just around the block. The foods there are great and I'm sure your Mom could use some vegetables."

I ducked my head. "Skylar, I've spent all the money on Mom's medicines."

"It's on me," she said then extended her hand. "Come on."

Who was I to decline? I took her hand and we went outside.

"This is really good," Mom said. "Honey, you should try and cook something like this."

We were having dinner in the kitchen. It was a rare occurrence as most of the time, Mom and I eat our meals in her room as she was too weak to stand and walk the distance, but she claimed that she was feeling fine. With my assistance and Skylar's encouragements, she made it out of her room and into the kitchen. It had been a long time since we ate together on the dining table that the sight of her sitting on it almost made me tear up.

"I know," I murmured. "I'll try."

"I can cook for you guys if you want," Skylar offered.

"Oh, that's not necessary," I quickly said. I didn't want to abuse her; she had already done so much for me and my Mom. "I can figure out what's in it and I can do it myself."

Skylar looked hurt. "I was just actually looking for some way to spend time with you." I was taken aback with what she said. I mean, why would Skylar Gray, the head cheerleader of Christopher Columbus High school, would want to spend time with me, the school's punching bag? "If you don't want to, that's fine with me."

"No!" I said, looking at Mom helplessly. She just grinned at me. "I didn't mean it that way, Skylar. I meant that you've already done so much for me and my Mom; I just didn't want you to feel like I'm using you."

Skylar pointed her fork at me. "You, sir, have one hell of an imagination." She stabbed a piece of carrot and put it in her mouth. After chewing, she said, "I don't know why you're thinking like that. You're too uptight. You've got to loosen up a bit and have some fun. Me? I think spending time with you will be awesome."

"Um . . . I mean, if you really want to . . ." I stammered.

"Am I looking at the start of something here?" Mom suddenly voiced out.

"Mom!" I protested.

"Probably," said Skylar, winking at my Mom. They laughed together. "That is if your son makes a move." She then turned to me which didn't help my heart which was doing some serious jumping jacks. "Are you?"

I bowed my head and finished my dinner in silence. How was I supposed to answer that question, anyway? If – and that's a big IF – Skylar had some interest in me, why would she want to date someone like me? She's a senior; I was a freshman. She's four years older than me. Not that I had a problem with that.

After dinner, I made Mom take her pills and helped her get back on her bed. I tucked her in and gave her a goodnight kiss. She murmured something in her breath that I wasn't able to make out. I went out of the room and found Skylar sitting on our couch.

"Is there anything the doctors can do for her?" she inquired.

I sat down beside her. "The doctors said they could do a transplant," I told her. "I can't afford it. I mean, I'd been saving up for it for a sometime but whenever I get my hand on some money, Dad always takes it. Sometimes, if I had enough, I take her to chemotherapy. The doctors said that Mom's condition isn't advanced. It was a good thing that it was diagnosed at an early stage. She can still be cured with chemo and a transplant. But Mom had had a cyst in her ovary once and the doctor said that it was contributing to her rapid deterioration." I took in a shaky breath and wiped my eyes dry. "I just want to save her, you know? She's the only person in this planet that actually cares about me and – "

"No she's not," Skylar interjected. I looked at her questioningly. "I'm here now, Lester. There are two people who care about you now," she said lacing her fingers through mine. She rested her head on my shoulder and the proximity of our bodies made me feel weird. For a while, I just enjoyed the company, telling myself that it would be gone soon. But then again, Skylar said that she would be there for me. "I can help with the surgery. My Dad has connections and we can help with the hospital bills," she said after a while. "The problem is finding a donor."

"There's a donor already," I said.

Skylar looked up and met my eyes. "Who?" she asked. I didn't answer. Her eyes widened as she understood what I meant. "Oh. You didn't mean . . ."

"Skylar," I said quietly. I didn't want Mom to hear what I was about to say because I knew she would never let me. "If I want to save my Mom, I'm going to have to donate one of my kidneys to her."

[Next - Chapter 4: YOU'RE UNDEAD TO ME]