"Hard times create strong men."

"How far are we out, Percy?"

"I'd say about six hours until we reach port."

"Thank you! I can't stand being on this ship any longer."

The group all laughed at Leo's frustration as they stared out at the open ocean. They had been sailing along on an Alaskan cruise ship for almost a week now and it was finally about time to disembark. It had been a smooth journey despite all of their doubts. No monsters or Gods had given them trouble and Percy couldn't help but thank his father every chance he got. This "quest" was certainly more relaxed than any other one he had partaken in the past. The pearls that Poseidon had given them to mask their presence had been a huge factor in that. It was almost like they were just ordinary teenagers taking a cruise. That certainly was something that they could appreciate. It wasn't often that demigods such as them got to experience ordinary things a regular mortal could.

Percy was the first to leave the deck and return back to his cabin. He wanted to make sure everything was packed and ready to go before they disembarked. Because once they got off this ship, that was it. No help from his father or any other immortal anymore once they were in Alaska. Percy liked to think of it as a blessing but the small voice in the back of his mind said it was a curse. What if the other Gods found them? What if Poseidon couldn't hear his prayers anymore? What if Alaska was just a monster filled haven and they couldn't live there? Where would they go then? All those worries and doubts had been plaguing Percy's mind the entire duration of the cruise. He could tell the others knew just how stressed he had been lately, and he appreciated their help when it came to easing his mind.

They had done a lot of things while on the ship to escape their worries about their future. From going to nightly shows, eating at buffets, even gambling at the casino which Percy didn't even know ships had. They even got to drink alcohol thanks to his mastery over the mist, making them appear over twenty-one. It was certainly a fun time which was something he couldn't remember the last time he had. Laughing to himself, Percy let himself inside his cabin room and began to look over his bags. Originally, he had only brought along one bag as he didn't have much to bring on the journey. Just some clothes, toiletries, food and his sword. That was all to his name. But his father had other plans and had given all of them even more supplies including magical tools, appropriate clothes for every type of weather condition, weapons, ammo, and both mortal and Olympian money. It was certainly a lot and it worried Percy that they wouldn't be able to carry all that stuff but thankfully his father had that in mind and created magical backpacks that could fit numerous things that it otherwise couldn't.

Once everything was organized, he sat down on his bed, hoping to have a short nap before they docked but after everything that happened in Tartarus, sleep didn't come to him easily. Annabeth usually helped him when it came to that. Just her presence was enough to relax him but since she wasn't here anymore, everything had gone downhill, and it was evident on his face. The bags under his eyes had seemed to only grow darker and darker. The only way that he had been able to sleep lately was thanks to the seemingly endless supply of alcohol the ship had to offer the passengers and he made sure to capitalize on that. Pulling out a bottle from under his bed, Percy immediately downed all of its contents before laying back against his pillow. He felt guilty that the others didn't know about what he was doing and how it was starting to become a habit, but he didn't want them to take away the only thing that was able to help him sleep.

Before Percy knew it, his vision was beginning to spin, and his body turned to a weightless mass before succumbing to Morpheus's realm. Somehow, he was able to avoid having nightmares every time he slept while on the cruise which he was thankful for. Whether it was the alcohol or how far he was from the Gods's influence, he didn't care. Just as long as he didn't have to relive past memories when he slept. This time however, it was different. No longer was he able to relax inside of the dark realm and instead was greeted with an all too familiar setting. The smell of street food, the sounds of cars driving and honking, all the people walking around him.

"New York?" He questioned as his dream self looked around the city. Why was he here? The son of Poseidon began to walk the streets as he tried to look for any clues as to why his dreams had brought him here but it was useless. This was just any ordinary day in New York. As he was walking, idly looking around, Percy failed to realize someone was in front of him. Surprisingly, he and the mortal had bumped into one another, causing the smaller man to fall to the ground below Percy. The son of Poseidon was surprised when the mortal gained a horrific look on his face as he looked up at the demigod.

"What the hell!?" The mortal screamed as he stared up at Percy.

"Wait? You can see me?" The demigod asked, reaching out to the mortal who crawled back in fear. Soon other mortals walking the streets began to scream out as they watched the scene unfold. Percy looked around in confusion as all the mortals looked at him in fear, some ran away, some tried to call the police and some even pulled their weapons out on him. As Percy was trying to reason with the onlookers, he noticed a familiar warmth on his hands. Drawing them up, he realized the warmth was actually blood. His, mortal, or demigod, he didn't know and didn't really want to find out.

"Demon!" A mortal screeched at him as they threw a bottle at him. Thanks to his years of combat experience, Percy dodged the projectile and watched it crash into a window, shattering it. He was about to run away from the scene as this was all too confusing for him but a reflection in the mirror drew his eye. Walking up to it, he was greeted by an armored figure dressed in what looked like some mix of Roman and Greek armor. Percy drew his hand up to his face which had a blank, silver mask on, accidentally smearing it with the blood that was on his hands. This was him in the reflection! Why was he wearing this on the streets of New York no less?

"Hail Perseus!" A choir of voices said in unison behind him. He turned to find a whole legion of similarly armored figures kneeling before him, all stained with blood like he was. Around them the mortals were on the ground, screaming out in pain or dead. Percy, with adrenaline pumping in his heart, turned back to the mirror but instead was greeted by Annabeth in his arms. The daughter of Athena was pale and cold with blood dripping out of her mouth. Percy could feel his hand inside of her chest and slowly pulled it out, her blood staining him everywhere. Dropping her in shock onto the glass shard filled ground, he looked back to find that the entire city was on the brink of destruction. The buildings were on fire or toppled over and mortals laid dead everywhere in the streets.

"Let's move!" His dream self-commanded as he and the legion behind him moved towards the Empire State Building that had a burning Olympus on top of it in the clouds. Percy's vision thankfully shifted away from that horrific scene. He didn't know how much more of it he could've taken. His heart already felt like it was about to explode. This time his dream was more or less just flashes of images. The Gods sitting on their thrones dressed in armor, Camp Half-Blood's hill with a legion of demigods standing on top of it, and some green pasture that had a waterfall along with a couple of mountains around it. After these random images concluded, he was thankfully back up. He shifted upright on his bed as he tried to calm his nerves. What did this mean? What did any of it mean? Was this just some random dream? He didn't think so. Demigods such as him didn't just have random dreams that held no meaning. No, this was a prophecy of sorts or some kind of vision of the future. Percy didn't like that if it was indeed a vision from the future. He didn't want to kill any mortals with an entire legion at his command nor march on a burning Olympus. And what of Annabeth? His heart clenched as the image of her lifeless corpse in his arms replayed in mind.

"No." He firmly stated. If this was a dream of the future, then he'll do anything in his power to advert it. He will never kill Annabeth.

"Percy! Percy! Open up!" He heard a frantic voice that sounded like Piper's voice from behind his door. Darting from his bed, he quickly opened the door to find a wide-eyed Piper with her knife in hand. Monster blood coated her frame, he noticed.

"What's wrong!? He asked her, his hand already holding Riptide.

"We've got trouble. Monsters somehow know we're here. The others are already above deck trying to take them out." She responded breathily. Percy, without another word, motioned her to lead the way. As they were running through the halls that had mortals screaming and cowering in fear, Percy failed to realize someone to his left who promptly tackled him, knocking the both of them onto the floor. Fumbling for his weapon, the monster who looked just like a mortal but with long vangs inside of its mouth and gills on its neck tried to take a chunk out of his neck. Percy kicked the monster off of him before driving his sword through its stomach, ending its life.

"What type of monsters are these!? I've never seen them before." Piper questioned as she dodged a swipe from another unknown monster before slitting its throat with her knife.

"No clue and I don't really care to find out. Let's just find the others." He responded, already climbing up the stairs that led to the ship's deck. The two demigods reappeared above deck where the scene of demigods fighting countless monsters laid out before them. Percy tried to think back to Annabeth's lessons on what these types of monsters could be but he was drawing a blank. He was more of a fighter than a learner.

"Percy! Could really use your help!" Jason yelled out across the deck, swiping at one of the fanged monsters in front of him. Without any hesitation, Percy willed the water from the ocean to solidify into sharp, deadly needles before flinging them at several monsters. While that did help the others ease their burden on taking multiple monsters at once, more just seemed to pour in on deck. The son of Poseidon growled to himself as he willed more water to his command as he fully entered the fight.

Slash

Hack

Stab

Dodge

Those were the four words he repeated to himself while fighting these mortal-like monsters. There were countless numbers of them and it was hard to control himself when an actual mortal ran past him, fearing for their life. Percy wondered what the mist was showing those mortals as he and the others fought. He had a feeling that whatever it was, they were at the forefront of it and will probably be blamed for this mess. It wasn't the first time he was in a situation like this where the mortals probably thought of them as domestic terrorist.

"On your left!" He heard Jason yell before throwing a javelin next to his head. Thankfully, Jason's aim hit its mark, hitting a monster directly in the face. Percy nodded to him in thanks before continuing his assault. Dodging under a swipe from one, the son of Poseidon spun around the monster before swiping at its leg rendering it immobile. He blocked an overhead strike from another before driving his blade through its neck, spun around back to the other one that was now on the ground and slammed Riptide in its spine.

"There's no end to them!" Leo yelled over the fighting, his hands filled with flames as he tried to fight off the aggressors. Percy agreed as he looked around at the now destroyed deck. Bodies and flames littered everywhere and it seemed that the monsters kept on coming. How was this possible!? Poseidon had put them on this ship, surely he would've known if there were monsters on board. And the pearls, weren't they supposed to conceal their presence? How did the monsters even know they were here? He reached down into his pocket that contained the magical item and took a closer look at it. His suspicions were confirmed.

"Guys, the pearls ran out of magic! Our presence isn't concealed anymore!" Percy yelled out to his group, each one turning to him with wide eyes.

"Shit! That means the Gods can still sense our presence! We're not in Alaska yet." Frank yelled as he split a monster in half. The others all felt fear in their hearts as they realized their journey was looking to be at its end before it even begun. The Gods would soon come and take them away for deserting them. Percy growled as he tried to come up with a plan but seeing as he had to deal with countless monsters and the threat of the Gods appearing at any moment it was a little difficult to think. Sending a piercing shard of ice at one of his assailants, he watched as the monster was sent off overboard but not before hitting one of the emergency lifeboats. That's when it clicked. The son of Poseidon laughed maniacally as he realized they still had a chance! They could still arrive in Alaska and escape the Gods.

"Everyone! On me!" Percy yelled to his friends as he began to make a path of destruction towards one of the orange life boats. The other demigods didn't question what he had in mind and instead wordlessly followed, still killing any monster that approached. It took them a couple minutes as piles upon piles of monsters still tried to block their path but when you had a couple sons of the big three there wasn't much that could block your path to salvation. Once arriving, the black haired demigod ordered his friends to form a defensive perimeter around the lifeboat as he got everything prepared for them to escape.

"Nice thinking, Percy!" Travis yelled out as he duck under a clawed swipe before getting inside the monster's guard and driving his sword through its lower jaw.

"Yeah but could you hurry it up! There's more coming!" Connor mirrored his brother as he tried to keep the monsters from getting any closer to their only escape. The son of Poseidon did his best to hurry up the process. He opened the hatch to the lifeboat that seemed to resemble more of a mini submarine and climbed in to make sure everything was in order. He spotted a couple boxes of provisions and some other things that could be of use. He didn't bother powering it on as he could handle sailing it with his powers. Once he was satisfied, Percy climbed back up the hatch and yelled to his friends to get in.

"Jason, Nico and I will cover you all! Get in!" He yelled out as he charged at the endless supply of monsters.

"Why is it always us that covers the retreat!" Jason groaned out but two angry glares from his two cousins stopped his complaining and made the son of Jupiter draw on his powers and continue his assault. The sons of the big three worked like a well-oiled machine of destruction as they totally annihilated anything that dared to block their path. Their powers of lightning, water and shadows working together in unison. Anyone who watched the onslaught they wrought would say it was a sight to behold, like watching their fathers fight together like they did in the ancient wars. Once Percy realized that the others were safely on board he commanded his cousins to go next.

"Jason, Nico. You're next! I'll cover you." Percy yelled as he willed waves upon waves of water to crash into the hoards. The two cousins nodded before running towards their salvation. Percy's mind went on autopilot as he slashed his way through the crowd. Despite the situation, the son of Poseidon was seen smiling as he fought. He had missed this. He didn't know what it was about fighting endless hordes of monsters and not having to care about holding back but it almost relaxed him in a way. Maybe it was because of his demigod instincts or maybe because it's one of the only things he's good at? Honestly, he didn't care what it was just as long as he was able to continue to fight.

Slash

Hack

Stab

Dodge

Slash

Hack

Stab

Dodge

Slash

Hack

Oh shit, dodge!

He swiftly spun around from a javelin that was thrown at his head, grabbing it in midair before mailing it back to its sender, watching in satisfaction as it hit its mark. That satisfaction soon turned to horror as he watched the monster slowly take out the projectile from his stomach and slowly began to bloat its body.

"That doesn't look good." Percy said before beginning to make his way towards the lifeboat. He could see the monster behind him get bigger and bigger in size as it ran towards him, knocking away its fellow monsters in the path. Percy ran as fast as he could, dodging every swipe from the monsters around him before jumping towards the boat, cutting the ropes that held it in place. The large monster behind him let out an ear-splitting roar before exploding in a massive fireball, sending the lifeboat flying towards the ocean. Percy grimaced as he felt his skin burn but thankfully the pain quickly went away as he and the lifeboat crashed into the ocean water.

"Shit!" Everyone inside yelled as they were viciously thrown around inside. Hazel was the first to get up as she ran over to the window.

"What was that explosion!?" Hazel frantically yelled as she tried to look out the window for any sign of Percy.

"Where's Percy?" Piper asked as she too came up to the window. Through the crashing of the waves against the window and the debris littering the water, all they could see was the cruise ship sinking. It was a horrific sight seeing that massive ship billowing with smoke sinking to the bottom of the ocean floor.

"Oh Gods." Nico groaned as he tiredly rubbed his head. "This is just like the stories I heard when Percy was on his first quest. We're going to be labeled domestic terrorist on the news just like he was."

The group sat in stunned silence as they continued to watch the scene from the window until the hatch above them opened up, revealing a breathless and shirtless Percy Jackson. The demigod tiredly climbed down the ladder and practically collapsed on the floor. Hazel rushed over him to assist in any way she could, but the son of Poseidon waved her off.

"The water took care of all the injuries. Just tired." Percy breathlessly said as he continued to lay down.

"What in Hades's name happened, Percy!" Will asked, asking the question everyone wanted to know.

"One of the monsters seemed to have a bomb inside of him or something. I don't know, I just ran once I saw it." He replied before standing up. The group of demigods were glad to be alive but the situation they were dealt seemed to be bad. They were in open water miles from shore. They lost all their supplies other than the couple of boxes they had in their boat. And the worst of all would be that their pearls, the only thing that concealed their presence from monsters and Gods, stopped working. It would be a miracle if they could make it to Alaska without the Gods noticing where they currently were.

"What do we do?"

"All of our supplies were on the ship!? How are we going to even survive out in Alaska if all we have are the clothes on our back!?"

"Percy, what do we do!?"

"I don't have my tools, money, or spare clothes. We need to get supplies first if we even want to have a chance out there."

"I knew this was going to happen! Why did I think we could have a chance of freedom!"

The group continued to have an uproar and argue amongst one another before Percy had finally had enough.

"Enough! All of you, stop!" The son of Poseidon yelled, causing everyone to cease their arguing. Percy opened the hatch to get a better understanding of the situation. The ship behind them in blazes, the passengers all getting into the lifeboats like theirs, and the monsters nowhere to be seen. He let out a sigh, glad that there was a moment of reprieve.

"Guys, I need you all to stay calm and not fight amongst yourselves." He reasoned. "Now that everything has calmed down, I can think. We're only fifty miles offshore give or take. I can get us there in two hours. One if I push my powers."

"That's great but what about our supplies? Everything we needed to survive was on that ship." Piper asked, a murmur of agreement shot through the group. Everything they packed and everything Poseidon had given them to give them a chance to survive out there was gone in an instant.

"You're right. All we have left is the clothes on our back and the few supplies this boat has." Percy replied, already using his powers to churn the lifeboat forward and racing at speeds that shouldn't be possible for that specific craft. "But I'm not going to sit here and cry about it. I'm not going to wait until the Gods come and kill me or I starve to death."

"But what about-"

"But nothing, Frank. We're demigods. We're used to shit hitting the fan and the odds being against us. So, the question is will you sit and suffer? Or will you stand tall and suffer?"

The group stayed silent but from the way they all perked up and carried themselves, Percy knew their answer. He smirked and nodded at them before setting his eyes on the coast where their future still awaited them.

"We're going to survive. No matter what."