AN: I want to thank all of you for your supportive messages and constant interest in the story. I feel so bad for not having updated for all of you in so long. I had a very busy semester and had very little time for writing and updating. I am so touched that all of you have been so interested in my story. I hope you are all doing well, and staying safe. Also, still haven't read Tower of Nero yet. So any questions mean no spoilers.

There was another few minutes of silence. Wary and hesitant glances moved from Clarisse to Percy and back again. Both were still tense, but no more moves were made. Finally, Percy's chest moved as he exhaled in a deep breath and suddenly the scene started again.

Percy grinned at Clarisse and said she was great. Clarisse looked behind her at the sky turning red. She turned back to Percy and told him to get in the chariot. They had a long ride.

"Question, you're on an island," Magnus frowned. "Unless the chariot flies, you're not getting back to the pier. Not in time. Or does the Ferry take cars?"

"It doesn't," Chris said. Everyone looked at him. "My father's Hermes, remember? Travel, thievery, messengers? It's just kind of stuff we know."

Clarisse and Percy arrived by the Ferry on the chariot. And looked at it then each other. Clarisse mumbled great. What could they do now. Ride across the Verrazano bridge?

"Seriously? How do you manage this stuff?" Carter asked. "You guys don't have the Duat to travel through. How do you even get all these places in time?"

"I honestly don't know."

Everyone looked at Percy as he spoke. He shrugged. "It just works out."

"I'm not going to question it," Carter said with an annoyed shake of his head.

Percy looked around and his eyes glistened. He told Clarisse they'd take the direct route.

"Direct route?" Annabeth asked with wide eyes. "Percy…"

"Wait…."

Clarisse turned to glare at him. "Did you even know you could do that? We had no time! You could've made things so much worse."

"What exactly did you do?" asked Jaz confused.

"Something crazy."

"When isn't that the best thing to do?" Sadie smiled slyly at Percy.

"Most of the time," Carter and Annabeth said together. They exchanged exasperated looks and head shakes.

Clarisse frowned and asked what he meant. Percy closed his eyes and told her to drive straight ahead. Clarisse yelled and lashed the horses forward.

Everyone turned to look at Percy who stayed oblivious. It took Hearth signing a question for him to answer. "Over water?"

"Yeah."

"You can do that?" asked Apollo.

"Apparently."

"So, you just dove in not knowing if you could?"

"There wasn't really time for anything else," Percy said to Rachel's question. She looked and shared an unbelieving glance with Annabeth.

"You can do that though?"

"Yeah."

"Since when?" asked Jason. The only person he'd heard of who could do something like that was killed by the romans 2000 years ago on a cross.

"Since then."

"It's similar to what he did in the Titan war," Grover muttered to Thalia.

"A whole chariot is different than just him."

"This is Percy though. How different is this than anything else he does?"

Thalia just sighed. "One day he's gonna…"

"Yeah, one day. Isn't that why we're here?"

Percy peered over at them curiously, raising an eyebrow in a questioning look.

"It's nothing," Grover said shrugging it off. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Annabeth was scribbling something down on the list she'd been keeping. He could feel how uncomfortable Percy was with the scrutiny. His best friends and girlfriend joining in wouldn't help.

The horses raced over the waves, racing the sunset. The flames on the horses clashed with the suns fiery colors, calming along with the sky as they reached the pier. The sky had turned purple, and it was getting dim. The boat was a huge metal hunk filled with fighter aircrafts. They parked the chariot on the ram and Percy jumped off.

In real life Percy stretched and yawned, "Oh, gods. I forgot how tiring that was."

"I've seen you do more now," pointed out Carter. He was interested just how much power went into the things Percy did. Could he burn up like a magician? How much was too much? What took the same amount of effort as snapping your fingers and what took the same as running ten miles?

"This takes a little more energy."

"Than a hurricane or cleaning the stables?"

"Maybe around the same."

"How long was that ride?" Magnus interrupted.

"Um… ten minutes? I can't think when I'm this tired."

"I wasn't aware you could think at all."

Percy gaped at Nico with an offended look holding his hands to his chest like he'd had a heart attack. "You would betray me like that? Really? I thought we'd been bonding."

"There's a reason several of your nicknames have to do with having a brain filled with ocean stuff," Nico said with an eyeroll. It was clear he didn't mean any of it seriously. "You tend to be oblivious."

"How could you?"

"Percy, Nico," Annabeth said sternly, as if threatening a punishment.

Both exchanged small smirks. "Annabeth!"

"Why do I even try?" she muttered under her breath. Nico had been hanging out more with the two of them. He was like the extra annoying brother (for Percy) who teamed up against her, or against him. It was a new and strange dynamic but much better than what they'd all had before. "Let's just finish this."

Percy said he'd better leave before Ares came. Clarisse nodded. Percy would be dead in a second. He nodded and gave a small smile offering congratulations. She'd passed her driving test.

Chris started clapping, ignoring his girlfriend's annoyed look. The rest of the room took it up. It continued for a minute or so along with the laughter. Then Sam looked at Clarisse with a furrowed brow.

"Does that mean you have your actual license?"

Clarisse huffed. "I wish. Had to get that separate. It's a lot of work. And ADHD while driving. Not the most fun."

"I like driving. It helps me focus," Percy argued.

"How many of you actually have your license?" Magnus asked. It was a bit frustrating knowing he'd never get one, but he did get to do a lot more exciting stuff on a daily basis. And there was driving to the death in Valhalla.

Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Jason, Thalia, Chris, Zia, Reyna, Rachel and Will raised their hands. Then Apollo added his to the group after a minute.

"I have one for Lester Papadalous," he clarified.

"Does being in the process of getting one count?" Carter asked.

"Why not?"

"I'm not old enough for an actual license. You have to be 17 in New York, but I'm working on it."

"We have other ways of transportation. We're demigods. And don't you guys have portals or something? And I know how to drive if I need too," Leo added in.

"True."

Clarisse nodded her thanks. She grasped the reins tighter. She started to tell Percy, to ask him, about what she was afraid of, how he saw it. Percy interrupted her. He said he wouldn't tell anyone.

Percy winced again. "Sorry."

"Who cares? We're already over it."

She looked at Percy and asked if Phobos scared him. Percy paused and said yes. He saw camp in flames. All his friends pleading for help and he didn't know what to do. He couldn't move from fear. So, he knew how Clarisse felt.

"I always feel awkward watching these weird bonding moments in between you guys," Rachel said wriggling a little.

"What?"

"It just feels weird."

"It's weirder for us."

She looked away and said she guessed she should say, but she couldn't seem to get the thank you out of her mouth. Percy told her not to mention it.

There was huffs and sighs from around the room. Everyone shook their head at Percy or gave him another inspecting look. He didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he thought it was directed at Clarisse for not saying thank you.

"Guys leave her alone. It's cool. I kind of jumped into her quest. Again."

Clarisse scoffed trying to correct him but a nudge from Chris and a pleading look from Grover stopped her for now.

Percy turned to walk away but Clarisse called his name. He turned and looked at her confused. She started to stutter, about when he had that vision. With his friends in it. Percy gave a small smile and told her she was one of them. She just couldn't tell anyone. Or he'd have to kill her. Clarisse smiled momentarily in response.

The second the scene collapsed, Leo made a face, his mouth in an oh, shape as he pointed and bounced in his seat. With a naughty smirk he made his proclamation. "So, you are friends."

"We aren't!" Both Percy and Clarisse protested.

Annabeth and Chris gave resigned but amused looks. "Yes, they are."

The resounding glare from their significant others was something they deftly ignored.

"The secrets out," Will teased. "No denying it now."

"Look who's talking."

"Not sure what you're saying."

"Clarisse would say the same thing about her friendship with your cabin. Not to mention, you and Nico denied anything going on for at least two months!"

"Basically, we all don't like admitting we're friends," Grover interrupted. "Seriously, we all need help. Actually, not me. You guys need lots and lots of help."

"Gee, thanks G-man."

"What are best friends for?"

As the original campers squabbled the others in the room exchanged amused looks. At the side Alex was trying to get Magnus to take bets with her. Sadie was encouraging Walt and Jaz to do the same. Then suddenly a large rumble quieted the room, making everyone turn to a blushing Tyson.

"It's lunch time," he said simply.

"Which means I get to help decide on Wise Girl's dare."

"And Juniper's truth," Grover added to Percy's comment. Their girlfriends exchanged looks as their boyfriends got up and high-fived, walking out to eat together. With some people things would never change.