Chapter 4: Sea Through Fear or Drown

AN: Hi all. So, there's been a lot of discourse on racism in Fandom lately. Not just that, just the combat of any hate, bigotry and etc. I'm writing this now, long after I wrote most of this series. I was given plenty of feedback on the way the girls responded with what I thought was feminist but hurt people. Please, let me know if I'm doing something wrong. I am female and come from a religion that has been discriminated against but otherwise white and privileged. Please let me know how to correct my behavior and writing so I don't offend anyone.

"Question?" Jaz asked. "Does the mist really disguise something as big as a chariot?"

"It disguises monsters, doesn't it?" pointed out Piper.

"Those are alive."

"It doesn't work that way," Hazel said.

"You'll just see when we find it," Percy promised.

Clarisse and Percy walked around the reptile house. Then Clarisse stopped and pointed there it was, sitting between the petting zoo and sea otter pond, there was a large red and gold chariot with four black horses, decorated with pictures of war and death. The horses breathed fire out of their nose. On one of the horses' chests was a sign saying Official Zoo vehicle.

"That's all it takes for the mist to work?" Sadie asked. "A stupid sign? So, if I stick a sign saying this is an ugly beast on Carter all the mortals will see him as an ugly beast?"

"Only because you have magic," Zia reminded her. "Remember the bird and knife?"

Sadie grinned. "Fun."

"I don't know why it worked, it just did. Honestly, I don't really understand the mist that much. I think Annabeth, Hazel, and Thalia have the most sense of it if you want to question them."

"It's just magic and distortion. People see what they want to," Annabeth shrugged. "You all have something similar. I'm not going into it at the moment."

"Then I have a question! Fire breathing horses, flesh-eating horses, flying horses, underwater horses, man horses, horses with lots of legs," listed Alex. "What kind of horses aren't there?"

Percy and Magnus both shrugged. "No clue. But they're pretty awesome, aren't they? Though these aren't my favorite, though the flesh-eating horses are still the worst."

"You mean their smell was," snorted Grover with a grimace.

"And the things they said. The gold eating one was pretty close though."

Clarisse drew her sword and asked where Phobos and Deimos were. Percy gestured to the horses and Percy scowled as the horse started to call him insulting names in return.

"And Arion and the flesh-eating horses were worse than this?" Nico asked.

"Arion's language is a whole lot worse," Percy said looking at Hazel apologetically. "I've told you and you'll probably hear it when I actually meet him, but he sure wasn't nicer than these guys."

Hazel's eyes widened and she frowned. "But he—"

"In reference to you he only says nice things, he hates Nico, Frank, and I the most," Percy said.

"Sorry," Hazel apologized.

"Don't apologize for him. Percy should. After all, Arion is his brother."

"Not again."

"It's never going to leave you alone."

Percy threw his face into his hands and groaned.

Clarisse said she'd get the reins because the horses knew her. She asked Percy to cover her to which he agreed. She walked carefully toward the horses, freezing when a woman and little girl passed by. The little girl jumped up excitedly and yelled Pony on fire.

"She can see through the mist?" Frank asked.

"Maybe," Percy shrugged. "She's young so it's hard to tell. At least, I think from what I've heard from my mother and what I've seen myself."

"Chiron also told me a lot about this when I became the oracle. Younger people have an easier time opening their minds, kids have bigger imaginations. They can see through the mist easily. Sometimes it fades as they get older."

Apollo nodded with Rachel's statement. "Even those who always are able to see through the mist sometimes don't have the ability as much as they get older."

"My mom said it's a bit harder now, but even Paul has been able to see a little now. They think my sister will definitely be able to see, just because she knows."

"Right. So, this little girl, there's no guarantee of her being able to see through the mist as she gets older," Apollo finished.

The girl's mother said not to be silly. That was an official zoo vehicle. The little girl protested but her mom pulled her away. Clarisse got closer to the chariot and when she reached the horses reared up. They whinnied and breathed flames. Phobos and Deimos appeared there in black armor. Both of their eyes glowed as they smiled.

"Of course, they were there the whole time," Will sighed.

"Because it's never that easy," Leo agreed.

"Deimos is a lot scarier up close," Piper noted.

"It's always scarier when they're up close and personal."

Phobos yelled the hunt was on. Clarisse stumbled out of the way as he led the horses straight toward Percy.

"Not Clarisse?"

"They don't hate me as much as him, just jealous and angry Dad gave me a chance. Percy defeated Dad and already made them look bad. They wouldn't kill me, embarrass or hurt me, sure. But Percy they'd cream."

Percy ran, jumping over trashcans, fences as the Chariot charged through the stuff behind him. Clarisse yelled for him to lookout. He landed in the middle of a rock in the middle of an otter exhibit surrounded by water.

"Water, honestly, do these people never learn?"

"No," Percy said honestly. "Not really."

The water flew around the zoo putting out the flames. The horses were put out and started to run confused. The otters chittered and barked at Percy who fled. Phobos cursed trying to get the horses to follow Percy as he ran. Clarisse used the distraction to jump on Deimos. They, along with his javelin, fell out of the chariot.

"That's got to hurt."

"One little chariot accident isn't enough to hurt me."

Phobos started to chase Percy as Clarisse and Deimos fought with their swords. Percy ran towards the aquarium.

"Seriously," Carter asked. "Why do they never learn not to attack you near water? It's not that hard. I figured it out after a little bit."

"Only a little bit?" Percy teased.

Carter rolled his eyes. "It's not like I didn't get you pretty good as well."

"I'm so excited to finally see this," Sadie said rubbing her hands together. "Carter told me nothing."

Phobos yelled that he had something for Percy. Behind him the chariot melted with the horses, turning itself into a tank with a large gun barrel. He yelled to say cheese. Percy rolled to the side as the missile hit a kiosk filled with stuffed toys and plastic souvenirs exploded. Percy dived into the aquarium as Phobos aimed his gun.

"Can water even help you against that?"

Percy grinned slyly at Magnus's question. "I had to find out somehow."

"Seriously, that thing is insanely powerful."

The room was filled with tanks, with all types of fish and sea creatures yelling son of the sea god as Percy passed.

"Do all of them do that?" Jason asked.

"Most. It gets pretty annoying. It's always some type of name relating to my dad and some praise. Others are just nice and don't say anything."

"I don't get why nothing talks to us," Thalia grumbled.

"Not sure you want them too. It can get annoying."

Percy stood at the back of the aquarium and heard the vroom of an engine. Phobos came in riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the one Percy had seen when he first met Ares.

"The motorcycle is the chariot?" asked Frank surprised.

"Just another form of it. You've seen several."

"The motorcycle was obviously magical the first time we saw it. It's not like the gods like to use more than their chosen vehicles, and we know they can take different forms, like Apollo's sun chariot."

Phobos yelled hello loser as he pulled out his sword. He told him it was time to be scared. Percy raised his sword and faced him but Phobos's eyes glowed brighter.

"Does he think he can beat you in a fight? Even after you beat his father who's obviously better than him."

"Phobos wins fights in different ways then Ares."

"That doesn't sound good."

Then suddenly the scene changed. He was at Camp Half-Blood. It was burning. Everything was smoking or on fire. Some buildings were crumbled and a smoldering ruin. All the campers and residents of camp were on their knees begging to Percy to save them and make the choice. Percy didn't move.

"What is this?"

"It's how Phobos wins," Clarisse says. "He paralyzes his victims with their worst fears."

"Kind of like a Boggart."

"What's a Boggart?" Hazel asked with a frown.

Sadie took pity and explained. "They're in Harry Potter."

"I still don't understand the big deal about it."

Frank grabbed her hand and smiled. "You will. We'll read it together. Sometime after this."

Sadie started to remind them that they could probably get whatever they needed here but was distracted by the question asked from several seats down.

"This is yours?" Chris asked Percy wide-eyed.

"It was."

"You were scared of camp being destroyed? That was your worst fear?" Rachel asked.

"He was scared of the decision and the prophecy. The power to ruin or save everyone's life. Knowing that you'll have to make a decision, that kind of decision is terrifying."

Percy didn't say anything to Thalia's analyzation but one look at him said everything. He was tense, nervous, and unmoving. His fists were clenched, from time to time some of his fingers twitched.

Everyone stared at him, contemplating the fact this was Percy's greatest fear. It wasn't shocking, given his fatal flaw. Thalia kept her eyes trained on him. She knew better than anyone else where that fear came from. She had pretty much given it to him when she became a hunter. Everyone else had no clue as to what that pressure meant.

Still, Percy's fear made them wonder. How much must each loss have pained him? How much did he feel responsible for? Thalia caught a glimpse of a dark shadow on Nico's face. Annabeth was observing it as well. Being Percy's girlfriend, she understood more about him than anyone else in the room. And she understood why the idea of Percy feeling responsible for everyone troubled both his cousins so much. She knew there would be another talk with all of them later.

"How do you snap out of that?" Jaz asked.

"Clarisse did because Percy was there to help her. Maybe she'll help him," Hazel theorized.

Clarisse snorted. "While I was busy with Deimos? Not likely."

"Then how on earth did you snap out of it in time?" Blitz asked.

Percy didn't answer or move. He still had that fear, though it was diminished by the others. All fears of what would happen if he did the wrong thing, made the wrong choice if he lost control; all things he was constantly reminded of while watching this.

His eyes become unfocused as he stared in one spot, his mind somewhere else altogether. What would Phobos show him now? What would a boggart? Drowning in the misery of the Cocytus, succumbing to that and letting the water overtake him. Letting his powers and his feelings take over, hurting the people he loved, scaring them. Those images flashed through his mind, then suddenly combined as something new started to repeat in his mind.

He couldn't breathe. He was going to give in to the feeling of drowning but before he did, he saw someone. Himself. He was smiling cruelly as he manipulated the water and forced it down his doppelganger's throat.

Nico seemed to notice this and grasped Percy's shoulder. He looked questioningly into his cousin's eyes. Percy met his seeing the understanding.

This was the burden they faced with these world-altering powers, with the ability to destroy and hurt… Nico looked at the fear in Percy's eyes and saw his own. Their powers became their greatest fears. He had been scared of the darkness for a long time before being able to embrace it. Thalia was terrified of heights, and it seemed his older sister had been scared of her death. Yet, this just helped remind them to keep it all under control, that is if it didn't drive them to do the opposite.

Then voices popped up, not pleading for their lives or Percy to make a choice but for him to wake up. They called him son of the sea god and yelled it over again. Percy's eyes widened with an influx of power. Then he blinked and the scene disappeared and Phobos's blade was coming down, blocked just in time by Riptide.

Nico's hand was still on Percy's shoulder. He waited for a moment before taking a hand of Percy's shoulder, waiting for his breath to even again. Percy grinned shakily at him in response. "Thanks."

"You sure you're good?"

Percy took a deep breath. He was feeling as if he'd been before, emerged in water. Yet it wasn't scary. It was comforting when he'd woken to the fishes' shouts. He could stay afloat. Their belief in him was what kept him that way. In exchange, he'd protected them. Only until he put them in danger again.

After all, wasn't this how Luke started? Scared for those he loved? Ready to take on the world and the gods to protect them, then in doing so almost destroying it all. Percy was suddenly remembering their final fight with Gaea. He'd almost been her tool of destruction then, Perseus. The Destroyer.

He was shaken out of this thought by a question, though it stayed at the back of his mind. Samirah was looking doubtfully at him. "The fish?"

"They're useful at times. I wouldn't have snapped out of it without them."

"I will never understand your luck."

Percy looked at Thalia slightly confused. "You think I do?"

"Still, that was just in time," Grove said. "Otherwise you would have been toast."

Percy swiped in a counterattack stabbing Phobos in the arm. His shirt was soaked with golden ichor.

"Like I said," Alex grinned. "He's not even a good fighter."

"All he has are the fears of others," Clarisse agreed. "Neither of them are good."

Phobos slashed back. Percy parried and pressed back slashing at his face, cutting his cheek. He started to look afraid as he backed up. Percy kicked him so his back hit the water fountain. He looked frightened up at Percy as his sword flew into the woman's restroom. Percy pulled him to face him.

"You made the god of fear afraid?" Nico asked.

"Talk about irony," Thalia agreed.

"Honestly not that hard. He's a coward."

Percy said he had to disappear now and stay out of Clarisse's way. He told him if he saw him ever again he was going to be a scar in a more painful place. Phobos gulped and said there would be a next time. He disappeared yellow vapor.

"Dude, you looked more terrifying than Deimos."

"I think that's supposed to be a compliment, but I don't really like being scary."

"You're scary. It's not a bad thing, you use it to protect your friends, to help people."

Percy gave Clarisse an unsure look then turned away quickly.

Percy looked at the fish tanks and said thanks.

"That was nice of you."

"They saved my life, didn't they?"

Percy looked at Ares's motorcycle and a slow grin came over his face.

"You wouldn't," Apollo said looking at Percy in interest.

"He would," Grover and Annabeth said together.

"Seriously, what is with you and sitting on the gods' things?" Grover asked.

"What?" Several people asked with curious looks.

"Nothing bad," Percy waved it off.

"Except for almost dying because of it."

"What does that mean?" Jason demanded of Percy.

"Nothing."

"Seriously," Apollo asked. "What other god's things did you sit on?"

"He sat in your chariot."

"Not that," Apollo waved Magnus's answer off, "Was it Hades' stuff? Father's?"

"You know I can't answer that."

"I just don't understand why you could do something so idiotic," Sam said with a shake of his head.

"I do," Rachel replied. "It's because he's Percy."

Percy rode out of the aquarium, following the path of destruction. Animals ran wild, eating others, and the food left from humans. Percy revved the engine and headed back toward the petting zoo.

"What was driving that like?"

Percy looked at Blitz with a grin. "Exhilarating. Definitely stronger than any other vehicle I've driven. You can feel it rush through you, giving you the power and strength itself. Not that I'd ever drive Ares' chariot again."