chapter 14.

My dad gives me a seashell and some dating advice

We left the three gods in the house so that we could go check out the hang gliders.

The gliders were kept learning against an old silo. The canvas fluttered in the breeze, but the gliders didn't move anywhere thanks to their strong frames. I wondered what was in the silo, but Mel and Aunt P told me that it was nothing but a hobby of Rob's I of all people should stay away from. I didn't know what they meant by that, maybe he liked solving math puzzles?

The gods had denied any knowledge of knowing about the gliders, but Mel had turned to me with a serious look in her eyes and told me that if the gliders were they, they were definitely sent either by a god or by the enemy camp. So they would either be an integral part of the mission, or they would give up half-way and cause us to fall to our deaths.

Yeah, but which one? We'd have to figure it out ourselves.

"Are you sure about this, Percy?" Caleb grunted, holding up a hang glider. "It looks pretty flimsy."

Hang gliders aren't flimsy. They're quite sturdy, well built, with good workings and they're heavy as hell. I could barely life one a few feet off the ground. Nike and Haniel were struggling to life another two, while it took Eleanor and Caroline's combined strength to life another. It was just that Caleb looked like he'd been hitting the gym since he was born, and he was that strong too, which was why he lofted it in one hand. The rest of us could barely get ours up comfortably.

I'm thirteen, okay? Mom says I'll get much stronger as I get older. Because I look like a strong man, she told me.

The hang gliders were pretty cool though. They were all painted black, which was really cool because we were planning to sneak in at night. A thin but strong canvas stretched along the metal skeleton of the gliders, with a single bar in front that we could hold on to. It was clear that some god or powerful force had wanted to help us, because Rob, Mel and Aunt P said that they knew nothing about the hang gliders, and that they were probably a gift from the gods…or Titans.

Honestly, they probably were from the gods, unless Koios was the Titan of trickery, but I'm pretty sure that was someone else-the prom guy. Promethic? Promethane? Something like that.

I looked at the glider in front of me. It was wide- at least three times long as I was tall. And triangular in shape. One of the weird triangles I learned about in school, not the equilateral one. The pointy arrow one.

Caleb and Nike were arguing about how many weapons they could hold while hang gliding. Haniel was reading Corn! 100 ways to cook it (that was the only book the gods had, other than 27 fun ways to punish whiny demigods ). Caroline wasn't near us. I spotted her a few yards away.

She was dressed in blue jean shorts, with a white and red checked shirt she had tied around her waist. The fact that she had a yellow bandana around her head, with a sword strapped to one leg and a guitar slung across her back, made her look like a gypsy pirate tourist. She was singing another hymn to Melissa- the corn Melissa. I think she was still trying to heal her, but nothing seemed to be working.

I sighed.

I mean, Melissa was the first causality, but who knows what would happen to the rest of us. If we survived this quest, we would simply be sent back to Camp- at least the others- and then we'd have to wait there and either take part in another equally dangerous quest or take part in some turf battle till we died. It was no like the gods did much either way, I mean, the least Ceres could do was turn her back from corn.

No matter what, it was always us demigods that suffered. I mean, not that I've been on a lot of quests, but even now, while the gods were back in the house, playing scrabble or Jenga or whatever, it was up to us to head into the camp, steal a powerful celestial weapon and get out alive. Which was why we were out here making preparations tions while the gods had gone back to watching Hephaestus TV.

I glared at the house, imagining Rob, Mel and Aunt P turning into corn themselves.

Now that I'd pay to see.

I felt an arm on my shoulder, and I turned to see Eleanor looking at me with a gauging look. Her brown eyes shone in the setting sun rays, and I glared at her.

"What?" I barked. I couldn't help it, I wasn't in the best mood. I liked to help other people, especially if it wasn't inconvenient for me, so I couldn't really figure out why the gods didn't even do that.

She sighed. "I know what you're thinking. The gods are so damn selfish, and care only about themselves, even now they're probably playing games while we risk our lives to help them! Not even ourselves!"

"Wow. That was oddly specific. But yeah, uh, you're right."

Her eyes shone with rage, and she took in a sharp breath. "I mean, don't you think it's pointless? I don't know. What if we don't help them? Won't they just find someone else to manipulate?"

I nodded. "Probably. Like they said," I added dryly, "they have quite a few demigods at their disposal."

Eleanor nodded. "Exactly! What makes them think they can just-just use us as they feel like?"

"I don't know, El," I sighed, turning away from the window and staring at her. She looked back at me, and in that moment I saw her for who she really was. A demigod, just in the middle of a huge battle that had nothing to do with her or anything she cared about. Hell, the gods and Titans could all die and we could all just grab a Big Mac and cheer. Like it would make much of a difference. We'd die in the end anyway.

I'd like to think Lupa had thought me about all this when she trained me. She had, but back then I was in the relative comfort of the Wolf House. I knew Lupa would always be there to answer any questions I had, and I could take care of myself. Lupa never openly manipulated demigods. Unlike most of the gods, she believed that gods had to play their part just as much as the demigods.

But in the open battlefield, far away from her and from Rome, in quests that had sent me miles and miles away, the questions were a lot more jarring. And the answers weren't as clear as I'd liked to think they were.

It wasn't fair. Whenever there was peace, the gods always profited. And when there was war, the ones that suffered the most were always the demigods.

I grabbed her hands, raising them up, like we were saluting the setting sun. "You're right though. It's not fair. If- When we end this war, I'm going to make the gods change that."

I decided, just like that. Mom says I can be stubborn sometimes. I just knew I was actually going to do it.

"Change that? How?" I shrugged. "I don't know. Somehow. But I-I'll do it. I swear, really!"

"But-but what if the gods lose? And the Titans win? They're much stronger, better organised, and from what I've seen, the more powerful Titan's are actually willing to help the demigods that serve them."

I raised a brow. "You've seen that?"

"I-" she blushed. "I was on reconnaissance missions before this one. I know how the Titan army works. I got captured by them once."

My mouth dropped open. "WHAT?"

I was a little too loud, evidently, because everyone turned towards me. Even Rob walked up to the window, opened it and shouted a 'Keep it down, will you!'

My face turned red, and Eleanor chuckled and pulled me behind her as she walked towards the silo.

The silo was large, made of bricks and cement. It was painted red, and looked like it had seen better days. The paint was flacking off. A few bricks had fallen off the very top- in fact, I doubted there was any grain stored in the silo in the first place. I hadn't checked to see what was inside it, but judging by the moss that grew all around it, and the fungus that smelled like bread mould and old gym socks, I figured that it wasn't anything worth seeing anyway. Whatever Rob's secret hobby was, it could stay inside.

We walked around the silo, till we were on the far side, away from everyone else. To our back was the silo, and Eleanor and I sat down and leaned against it. In front of us were the cornfields, rows and rows of corn that waved around silently in the breeze, tall shadows that danced in the wind as the sun set and the stars began to come out. The voices behind us had faded, and now there was nothing but the wind whistling through fields of corn, the occasional call of a wolf and far off, near the interstate, I could hear an occasional truck or car passing by.

I probably would have noticed a lot more things if it wasn't for the fact that a really cute girl was holding my hand.

Eleanor sighed. "I did get captured. Once." She shuddered. "It was horrible. I was kept chained like a captive for days and days! And no one came to save me- no one! Apparently it was too much work for the gods to try and rescue a demigod- just one demigod, who was supposed to be willing to die for them!"

I wrapped an arm around Eleanor, for an awkward side hug, before pulling it away. "That's….unbelievable. But honestly, it sucks. Knowing that the gods we serve won't really do much to help us….It's….horrible…I mean, I get that it's risky, and that there are laws of divine intervention or whatever. But why are they even there?" I shook my head. "But you managed to get out, right?"

She nodded. "I managed to escape once I pretended I was unconscious once. The guards unlocked the chains, and I used my powers to force them to fall asleep, before running away."

"You can force people to fall asleep?"

"Well, it's a sleep that restores their health, and they wake up feeling better than before, but yeah, I can force people to fall asleep if I need to."

"That's cool!"

Eleanor snorted. "Of course you'd say that. You can control storms and create hurricanes, and you find putting people to bed is cool."

"Hey, it is cool, alright?"

"Fine," the daughter of Adeona replied, her face once again growing serious. "But you know what I saw there, Percy?"

"What?"

"The Titans actually value demigods. They know our value, Percy. They treat us with respect, because they know we actually influence the winning side of the war. Sure, the gods are powerful and all that, but even then, they are too constrained by their divine laws and their inability to act to win without us. Their essence, their very power is derived from the fact that we believe in them!"

Her eyes shone with passion, and I had to admit, it was a bit hard to argue with what she was saying. I was vaguely aware of the fact that Lupa would skin me alive if I said something similar, but I figured even the wolf-goddess would see the sense in what Eleanor was saying. I mean, would it kill the gods to treat their children with a little more respect? To at least ensure they got to Camp Jupiter or the Wolf House safety, and to claim them so that demigods didn't spend their entire lives without knowing who their godly parent was?

Oh yeah, Melissa had told me about that in camp. Before she got turned into corn, I mean. Apparently, a lot of gods were too busy to claim their kids, and as a result, Camp Jupiter had a lot of unclaimed demigods- heck, even more than that, they had a lot of unclaimed legacies. Which meant that gods had ignored their kids for generations. I mean, I could sympathise with the gods to an extent- I could forget my Math homework for a while, but even I think I'd remember it once every seventy years.

And this wasn't even lousy homework. It was family.

(I'm sure there's a Vin Diesel joke in this somewhere. It involves corn).

Either way, it only made it a little more understandable why so many demigods were fleeing towards the Titan side. It was a dangerous thing, because Camp Jupiter would lose many good fighters this way. And probably the Greek camp, whatever it was called, faced the same problem too. And that was not to mention spies in the camps- they'd destroy us from the inside.

Yeah, that Titans had this well planned out. They had been able to channel the rage demigods felt over their godly parents being jerks and used it for their own purposes. Of course, they were on the wrong side, but to be honest, I didn't know if I supported Olympus because of the gods in the first place.

"You seem to be thinking hard. Don't do that, it's not good for your health," Eleanor teased, and I swatted her elbow.

"What's it like for the unclaimed demigods?" I asked. If Eleanor was surprised at the tangent in topics, she didn't show it. She simply sighed, pulling her legs back so she could wrap her arms around them.

"It's tough, Percy. The kids don't know who their parents are, and the fact that their parents are their sole connection to the divine world, makes out all the more unbearable for those that don't get claimed. Like, the only reason they're stuck in that camp and can't live a normal life is because of their parent, but their parents can't even have the decency to claim them. I mean, we literally lose demigods from just trying to find out who their parents were. It's kinda like a godly hunger games, if you know what I mean."

I frowned. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You know," Eleanor gestured with her hands, "Most demigods are really desperate to find their parentage. If they find even a sliver of power of the smallest clue that leads them in some direction, they spend their entire life looking in that one direction. Like there was this guy, Emmet-"

"Like from the Lego movie?"

"Would you stop interrupting? I'm trying to be serious here!"

I smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Humour is my….coping mechanism. It's why when I'm in trouble or stressed or don't know what to say I won't shut up. Usually."

She sighed. "Whatever. Anyways, Emmet found out that he knew how to swim even though no one had taught him how to. From then on, he was convinced he was a child of Neptune."

"And…I'm guessing her wasn't?"

"He found out the hard way, when he jumped into an ocean to escape a monster attack. He prayed to Neptune, and figured the water would save him, but it wasn't until his body was found three days later that-"

Eleanor's voice cracked. "He was a good demigod, Percy. Crazy good at Mario Kart too. He didn't deserve that."

I sighed. "True."

Far off in the distance, I could see fireworks light up the sky. In the dusky fields, only interspersed with a few lanterns in between rows and rows of corn, they made the whole sky come to life, just as the stars were beginning to shine behind them. The fireworks lit up the sky shades of green, blue, red and a whole lot of other colours. Everyone around me stopped in their tracks to watch the display, though I had no idea who was lighting them.

Eleanor leaned into my shoulder, and gazed at the fireworks without saying anything. I got the feeling she was thinking hard about a lot of things, so I figured I should give her some space and tried to figure out who was launching the fireworks myself.

They made it easy though. Soon the fireworks began to take various shapes. Cyclopes. Gorgons. Empousai. Dracanaea. A weird dog with chicken legs, and several other monsters I didn't recognise.

For some reason, the monster camp down at the beach were having a firework night.

It wasn't hard to imagine though. While we were here, tired, covered with dust and sweat and grime, working our asses off hauling weapons and hang gliders and what not, down at the beach, everyone was probably having a party- demigods and monsters alike. Heck, they were probably singing around a campfire and roasting s'mores, who knew?

"You're right Eleanor," I began, "the gods don't acknowledge us enough. They use us, and then refuse to accept us or take care of us or even have the decency to check on us. And yes, I really, really hate that its like that. But you know what? I doubt the Titans are better. Sure, they might respect demigods- but they just respect them as weapons. Mere tools to a greater cause. And once that cause is established, probably not worth keeping around."

I took a deep breath, as the chilly night air suddenly settled all around us.

"But you know what? I don't think I'll ever stop fighting for the gods. Not because I really care about them and their winning or whatever shit like that. But because I have friends on this side. Family. Like my mom, and Lupa….and you guys. Whenever I fight monsters or demigods or face Titans and the like, I never do it because I have to protect the gods. My primary reason for fighting is to, well, stay alive of course, but more than that, I fight for my friends. For those demigods who could enjoy a life in peace if I ended the war. Not that I could do it on my own," I shook my head. "But I will still fight, as long as there is a Camp to defend. Because you guys are my friends, and I'll die before I let anything happen to you."

Eleanor didn't say anything for a few minutes. I figured she was digesting what I was saying, and would probably give me some super insightful response or something, but when she didn't do anything for ten minutes I realised she'd fallen asleep.

I wasn't sure where the rest of the demigods were sleeping, but I figured that it wouldn't hurt to sleep in the wheat fields. Sure, my back would probably hurt tomorrow morning, but that was nothing some nectar and ambrosia couldn't fix. Besides, everyone had had a long day, and I no longer heard them scuffle around the fields, which meant they'd all hit the hay. I didn't want to disturb any of them, so I lay down my head against the silo and tried falling asleep.

Luckily, with all the mortal peril and godly power usage and all, I was so tired that I fell asleep almost immediately.

Of course, I'm a demigod, so falling asleep means I get weird dreams.

Like this one.

I was underwater, in front of a huge sandy ocean floor. Towards me, miles and miles of sand sloped upwards and upwards, before disappearing over the surface of the water. I could tell we where in a sandy shelf right next to Half Moon Boy even though I'd never been there, because, well son of Neptune and all that.

All around me were several large metal boxes with glass. They were arranged in a full circle around me, and they looked like someone had made a dozen Rubik's cubes out of dull bronze, added random holes in between and filled them with glass, and then chucked them across the ocean.

As I swam close to one, I noticed that the metal was old, but it was clearly high grade. It showed no sigh of rusting, or wear and tear, and though sea grass and kelp grew on it, the metal looked strong enough to withstand a bomb.

I peeked inside an opening and nearly fainted.

Inside, was a group of Cyclopes.

They were huge- each of them was over eight feet tall. They were piles and piles of muscle, with fingers that looked like they could bend metal at will. Unlike most Cyclopes I'd met, they were actually clean- which meant that they weren't covered in dirt and grease with snot coming out of their nose. That was the scariest thing though. Even when wild and stupid, Cyclopes are one of the most dangerous monsters alive. They're incredibly strong, and fire resistant. They can create weapons from anything around them, and they're super humanly durable. Even other monsters avoid them. They can tear whole groups of demigods to shreds.

And that's when they're wild and stupid and naked.

Which is why I was scared, because inside this one cube- which I realised was some sort of house- was no less than fifteen Cyclopes. Each of them was armed with some sort of sea-green armour that covered them from the waist down to their knees, and they all had clubs strapped to their backs. The clubs weren't ordinary wood, instead, it seemed like some sort of underwater tree, which I figured was from Atlantis.

And they were hard at work making weapons. One of them was busy pumping the bellows for a huge forge, which released huge plumes of smoke, though I honestly had no idea how that worked, since it was underwater. Another one was throwing lumps of metal into the fire, and picking them up at intervals with his bare hands. He threw the molten hot metal like it was a volleyball to another, who quickly hammered them into various shapes, and the pieces of metal were then quenched inside a container of some sort. Ordinarily that would be water, but since this whole process was happening underwater, I doubt it was the regular sea water.

"Preparations are going well, as you can see."

I nearly screamed.

I whirled around and drew out maelstrom on instinct, my sense warning me of danger a little too late.

In front of me was a being that emanated power. He was built like a powerful olympic swimmer- except he had long flowy hair and a white beard. His face was unmistakably regal, the sort of face you saw engraved on coins from Ancient Rome. He wore a golden crown that gleamed in the water. It was more like a seashell that a crown, but that fact that it was atop his head made it clear that it served the same purpose. He wore no armour- heck, he didn't wear a shirt- but it was clear nothing in the world could harm him. The waves of power radiating from him were terrible. More powerful than I had ever felt in my whole life- it made Hermes look like a child, almost.

The power he radiated was terrible, but at the same time, also familiar.

It felt like the ocean. Like warm nights at the beach. Like blue cookies, and somehow, it reminded me of mom.

I swallowed hard as I realized who I was looking at, and the being chuckled.

"Now Percy, put the blade down. It would be a bit sad if I were poked by my own gift to you, wouldn't it?"

I quickly turned maelstrom back to a coin, and hurriedly sank to a knee. I didn't know what else to do, because if I had any doubt before, it was all clear now.

I was looking at none other than Lord Neptune, god of the seas, creator of storms and bringer of earthquakes.

In other words, my dad.

"Rise, my son. You need not bow to me here in my own domain- for it is your own as well. Besides, I am confident that you will honour me in the battlefield more than you could ever honor me by bowing."

I looked up, confused. The whole situation was really weird, because most people don't have dreams about meeting their dad for the first time. And even them, most times your dad isn't the god of the sea.

So I asked him the first question that came naturally to me.

"Can I call you dad?"

Neptune laughed, and the ocean seemed to roar with him.

"Sure, Percy, if you wish," he said, with a twinkle in his eyes. "Not many can claim the privilege of having me as their father, and while it is yet to be decided if you are someone I will be honoured to call son or not, we shall hope for the best, shall we not?"

He winked, and I turned red.

"Of course, dad. Quick question- why are you so….urm…"

"Free? Not all military like and controlled like Lupa?"

My ears turned red. "Uh…yeah. I thought you would be like that."

Neptune smiled. "Percy, I am the embodiment of the ocean. Sometimes it is a dreadful storm so harsh it can wipe out all life. Sometimes it is a violent maelstrom so powerful it destroys countries. But more often than not, it is merely a happy gurgle that gives life to all around it. I am in a good mood today."

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Is it not obvious? I get to meet you of course! I had to ask Jupiter quite a few times- he was rather loathe to let me meet you."

I smiled at that, and it made me feel warm inside. The fact that my dad actually wanted to meet me, even though he was a really busy god and probably had other things to do made me realize he actually cared.

"Of course, Jupiter wouldn't stop raving towards me about how his boy returned his lightning bolt and prevented a war between us and what not-" Neptune rolled his eyes. "Even though Jason is staying with the Greek camp. So I told him the least he could do was allow me to meet my boy as well."

"Jason? Is he a child of Jupiter? I thought Jupiter didn't care about his sons."

"Oh yes, we do care, son,"my dad replied. "Don't let the battle around you influence the battle inside you. We are taking action, though you may not see it. There are a lot of battles going on, in realms that are too powerful for you to contribute in. Not only that, there is a lot that is being done behind the scenes for us to win this war, for there has not been a war quite like this since the last Titan war. Gods help their heroes, but children of Neptune always have something more. The ocean protects its own. You will not be alone tomorrow, taking the monster camp, for when you are at your greatest need, you should blow on this."

He handed me a conch shell.

It was about the size of a penny, and beautifully designed, with white waves etched out on the shell. I put it against my ear- because that's what I always used to do when I found shells back at the beach- and smiled as I heard the ocean against my ear. It was so small I was afraid it would get lost in my ear, but I managed not to let my clumsiness get the better of me.

Neptune took out a long black thread, somehow attached it to the conch shell and wrapped it around my neck.

I felt like I was getting a Presidential award. You know, like the Obama meme. The sea congratulating the sea on being the sea.

"It's a little small to blow on," I stated, which it was. Given my luck, I'd probably end up swallowing it- which, I realized, was probably the reason why Neptune had attached it to a string. So I didn't choke on a conch shell in the middle of battle.

My dad laughed. "I wouldn't worry about that. You see, more than how hard you blow the horn, it is your intent that matters. This shell signifies that you are of the ocean- and the ocean always protects its own."

I smiled. "Sweet! So I'll always have this…uh…phone a friend power or whatever?"

"That wouldn't be feasible now, would it?" he said, smiling. "No. This works only once. But the conch shell remains. You must remember that it bears the sign of the ocean. No matter where you go Percy, or who you interact with, you will always, always be my son. And remember- I am proud of you."

I felt tears threatened to fall past my eyes.

"Thanks, dad," I croaked. I wiped my eyes, the last thing I wanted was for Neptune to see my crying.

"But should you ever find someone who deserves this conch shell- you may give it to them. It will protect them from drowning at sea. Like I said, the ocean protects its own."

Yeah, he seemed to like saying that.

"That's amazing! So you mean like a friend who is really adventurous or something?"

Neptune winked. "Sure, but I was talking about a special friend. You know, conch shells always go hard with the ladies."

I rolled my eyes. Neptune may be the lord of the seas and thousands of years old, but he was still my dad and apparently wanted to make me a ladies man. At least, I'm glad he wasn't into cracking dad jokes.

"I was, once."

I blinked. "What?"

"Before you were born. I had a dad jokes phase- because they were the rage then. Triton used to howl with laughter at first, but eventually he got too tired of them. And since I had no other kids, I had to stop."

"No offence, but I'm glad you did."

He laughed. "I never said I wouldn't crack dad jokes on you, son. I'm shore I can find some good ones."

I groaned. "Dad," I whined, not caring that I sounded like a whiny teenager. Because I was one- but more importantly, I felt like it was just a part of me trying to act like how normal teenagers would act with their dads. It was not like I had met Neptune before, and I was going to treasure every moment.

"Fine, son," he replied, chuckling as he moved back, preparing to assume his godly form and ensuring there was enough space between us so I didn't get vaporised instantly. "I will be off now- I do not know when I will see you again. Maybe we can meet in person next time. But remember," he raised his hand and placed it over my heart, next to the conch shell. "The ocean- and thus, I- will always be with you. Even when you do not see us."

I smiled. "Thanks dad."

"Now go retrieve that weapon. Zeus is annoying enough when he talks about how his son retrieved that other one-"

I frowned. "Another one?"

"Zeus, Percy. The greek king of the gods- as I'm sure you know. The Titan's aren't only attacking on the Roman front, they are working equally as hard- probably harder- on attacking the Greek front as well."

"Why harder? Wouldn't the Greek's be easier to beat?"

Neptune's eyes flashed dangerously, and for a moment I saw another man stand in his place. Unlike Neptune, he had a floral shirt on, which was unbuttoned till his chest, with bermuda shorts and flip flops. His hair was long and curly, with a black beard, tanned skin and sea-green twinkling eyes. But most of all, he was powerful. Powerful in an ancient way that Neptune was not. Raw, unrestrained power that was foreign and ancient to me, unlike anything I'd felt before, except it was simliar, in a sense, to that of Hermes.

Both powers referred to an older time. A more bygone age.

"Do not underestimate the Greeks," Neptune told me, as he morphed back. "They are far more powerful than you think they are. Most of the war will be fought by the Greeks- indeed, the one who kills Kronos will be Greek. Perhaps it will be you."

I sputtered. "M-me? But I'm not G-Greek!"

"As much as you might deny it, Percy- and I understand your reasons, trust me, I do- you will have to accept it one day. You cannot let go of your heritage

"I'll choose Rome then!" I replied, confidently. I was a Roman through and through. Lupa told me that. She trained me- not the Greeks. I cared about Rome more than anything else right now. Except, maybe, the sea. And family. And my closest friends. And blue food- you get the idea.

"Even if it means the end of the world?"

I swallowed. "Uh…I'm not sure about all that…"

Neptune smiled, but it was a sad smile, as if he knew I would be facing a lot of sorrow in the future. Considering the fact that he was a god, he probably did.

"When the time comes, I am sure you will choose right."

I felt my anger flare up. "But why? Why should I side with the Greeks? They have done nothing for me! I don't feel anything towards them! I love Rome! Lupa was the one that brought me up- not…not you or Hermes or any other god!"

I thought I would be blasted on the spot, but my dad simply sighed. "You are right of course. Children of the sea are fatally loyal- and you most of all, considering that it is your fatal flaw. But still, I have hope in your, son. You will do the right thing when the time comes."

It was a bit weird that my Roman dad who'd adopted me really wanted me to go back to being Greek, because it was though enough fitting within the Roman camp in the first place. But I hoped it would make sense in the long run, and that I didn't have to make that decision in the end.

I smiled. "I hope so dad."

"I must be off now. Take care Percy, and remember that it is only in the storms of adversity that the ships of weakness are sunk."

I nodded. "Thanks…dad. For everything."

Neptune smiled, before I closed my eyes, and he disappeared.

When I opened them, I was back in the corn fields. Eleanor was still sleeping next to me. The silo was behind me, and my back ached. I'd probably compressed a nerve- because I couldn't feel my left arm. It was probably because Eleanor had slept on top of it, but I figured it would be fine in a few minutes.

The sun rose over the horizon, turning the corn fields into a blaze of golden glory with its splendor.

I realized with a start, that it was D-Day. We approached the Titan's camp today. Well, tonight, to be precise.

I nervously fingered the conch shell around my neck, and as I did, I felt a small breeze blow towards me, smelling of salt and sea.

The ocean protects its own.

And now, I would protect my friends.