Who was Orpheus beneath the cowl?

Who was Perseus Jackson without the mask?

Percy stepped away from the mirror as only a black mask stared back, silent, unanswering his internal questions. Instead, his idle steps took him away from himself as his thoughts drifted, searching for an answer in his journey.

Since Lourdes had unofficially adopted him way back and taken the initiative that introduced him to his Greek nature, what he thought of himself changed. Before her, life was simply avoiding Smelly Gabe's wrath and the Penguin's youth induction parties.

His youthful and innocent wish to fit in with the other kids on the block changed under her care because he knew he was not like them. He was the son of an immortal being capable of harnessing the power of the moon's light. Percy wasn't great at it, but well, Greg on fifth street sure wasn't going to be able to do what he could.

The idea of a social life, of going to school for once, fell away in the pursuit of power.

Did he need mortal friends if he only wanted to be a superhero greater than Superman?

His pseudo-sister didn't seem to think so, or she at least never attempted to introduce him to anyone. Lor only ever pointed out the people to avoid—the people she sold to and tricked with her illusionary products.

Now she was in Blackgate, and he was pawned off to Batman.

He was a forgotten child to the world—a tether to the Wayne Legacy but not a member of the Wayne Family. Percy didn't mind that. Bruce wasn't much of a father figure anyways. He was just a ward of Batman, not Bruce Wayne. It also meant he didn't have to go about charity balls either since the world didn't know he existed. Here he was, simply just Orpheus, a kid in a mask who ran with Batman.

Orpheus stood before the mirror once more. There was a scratch on his chest piece. Nothing to compromise the suit, but he would have to marker it in later with a sharpie. A habit he had picked up after Diana jokingly told him it would be easier than trying to repair it.

Diana. She was family through their shared ancestry. Wonder Woman made an effort for him in and out of costume. Sometimes it would be as simple as stealing him away for a day, no matter how much he grumbled about the sunlight. She would tease him and buy a pizza to devour as they laughed the day away in a run-down bowling alley. With her, he was simply just Percy, a kid needing good memories.

Of course, Orpheus had joined the Team because Diana wanted him to, and he hadn't come to regret it yet. And now, she wanted him to go to school too….

The kid in the mirror pulled at the lower portion of his mask. The soft click of the mouth cover came undone and fell to his chin before he pulled it all the way down to his neck. Percy stared at the pale skin and thin lips that were now exposed.

His lips moved, "Hello," dancing across his tongue, but not a sound was made. Just silence. Always silence, no matter how hard he tried to form a single word. Not even a frog's croak escaped.

How could I go to school if I cannot speak?

Orpheus pulled the mask up from around his neck and relatched the covering. Once more, he turned away from the mirror as he paced his room.

Robin did school and the sidekick gig, as did Kid Flash. The dual identity could be overcome.

However, young Percy Jackson had never even stepped foot into a school. His mom, the one he did know of, home-schooled him and showed him the basics of things when he was younger, but even that wasn't perfect. To keep food on the table, she was often busy working and came home late, only to cook before sending him off to bed. Gabe had tried to force him to walk to the nearest school a few miles away, but Sally was too apprehensive to let him roam the streets of Gotham to any degree.

She would say, "He was too special to take a bus through Gotham," or "Something could happen at the school."

Percy used to think it was her love and over-protectiveness for him that held him back inside the house. However, once he was introduced to the broad world of Greek tomfoolery and the rundown of being a demigod, he got an idea of why she did it. She knew he was special, not in the "he's my baby, of course, he's special," but more in the "monster want nom-nom, and my baby is tasty" way.

For that very reason, he kept a small blade in his sock. The celestial bronze dagger was a token from Lourdes the week she had taken him home from the alley. He never went anywhere without it, for you never know when a monster would want to "nom-nom" you.

Maybe school was a bad idea if it could lead to an all-you-can-eat buffet filled with innocent kids in the cafeteria. Yet, with Lor and even Bruce, monsters hadn't come to their homes and attacked…. Maybe there would be a way to protect himself that they had been using? He would have to ask the next time he had a chance.

"Percy, you coming?" Robin poked his head into Percy's room in the Mount Justice Cave, breaking the mute from his thoughts.

The demi-divine turned to his mortal counterpart. Gone was the regular Robin outfit the kid acrobat wore, and instead, it was replaced by flip-flops, sunglasses, and blue swim trunks.

"One second." Percy pulled his mask off. He then grabbed his own sunglasses that were a bit thicker than your typical pair. With a little Wayne Tech, his unique pair prevented the literal silver glow of his eyes from being noticed. The tiny runes carved in the lenses help too.

"Don't forget to remove the armor, too, Mr. Save-the-World." Robin shot him finger guns and laughed before leaving.

Piss off.

Percy turned back into his room and rifled through a drawer for swim trunks. The black padding and scratched Kevlar were replaced by a thin black shirt. It felt wrong having the weight taken off his shoulders. His armor, his second skin, and part of his identity were all laid out like another blanket on his bed. He pushed his sunglasses tighter onto his face to ensure his eyes were hidden and pulled his loose black hair back and out of his eyes before leaving his room.

He joined the rest of the teams sans the speedster as they each grabbed a bike and pedaled out of the hangar. The teens had forgone armor and weapons and instead were armed with a backpack, a bike, and beach wear each as they bumped their way along a dirt path through trees and shrubbery. The backpack provided an almost familiar weight of that of his armor as Percy followed Kaldur and Robin as they merged onto the main road from the path they had transversed.

Around him, the group laughed and talked as they let their bikes coast down the road, but he ignored them. His eyes followed the cars that carefully drove around them. His gaze challenged the passengers that stared at the group of kids.

You could take the kid out of Gotham, but not Gotham out of the kid.

Another car passed, and Percy watched a German Shepard in the backseat bark and pawed at the windows, its mouth spraying saliva across the lightly tinted windows. The girl in the front seat turned to follow the dog's gaze, meeting Percy's own. Her long blonde hair fell across her face, and then she was gone. He was left to watch as the license plate numbers drove out of sight and her blonde hair faded to the back of his mind.

"You good?" Robin coasted beside him. "You didn't have to come if you really didn't want to. I know the night is more of your thing and all."

Unable to properly sign a good enough response, Percy gave him a thumbs up and a forced smile.

Dick nodded back, "You know, I think you'll like it. It's not Montauk, but it isn't a bad beach, either. Pretty small populace goes there, so you shouldn't have to deal with anyone either."

Percy bobbed his head, a mere reaction more than affirmation to what Dick had said. Instead, he mentally reflected for a second time in the hour.

Montauk… he hadn't thought of that place in years. The one place his mom took him to escape the crime capital and the overbearing pig that was Gabe. He could still remember the lighthouse that Mr. Curry lived in. Its light would dance across the walls of their little cabin. The man had even once invited them along to a small bonfire. The keeper of the lighthouse had spoken of tall tales of women out at sea who would come by the sunset and steal your heart. Fishermen stories, as his mom had called them, and young Percy took her word at face value.

However, after years of learning the truth behind the myths, what lurked in the water put Percy on edge. Atlantis existed in the depths of the sea, and Kaldur was proof alone. Meeting the god who reigned over the mythical kingdom also helped back that idea. That also meant sea monsters did too, and if his scent were to lure one to shore, he wasn't too sure what the Team could even do to a beast. It was the reason for his hesitance. While a mortal hero, he could tackle any opposition he dared, but as a demigod, he felt underpowered to deal with sea monsters, especially during the day.

Sure, Diana had trained him in their people's arts, but it was never consistent. The fact that she taught him how to kill also didn't go over well with Batman. The vigilante held staunch in his ways even when Diana would argue that it was her ways, Percy's ways, that mattered. In the end, the amount of training he performed with Diana became less as she instead spent that time being a historian for him. She taught him who Medusa was and the theory of how to sever her head if he ever needed to. They just hadn't gotten around to the sea monster and Kraken portion of the lessons yet.

What good would a sock knife be to a leviathan?

The roar of a wide-open throttle ripped through the air as a motorcycle ripped past Percy and the group. The rider mockingly fake pedaling as he sped by.

"That's not nice," M'gann spoke from somewhere behind him.

"Don't sweat it," Dick responded. " GPS says there is traffic up ahead coming into town because of road construction. He will get caught up in it, and we can pass him and fake rev our bikes in turn."

Percy liked that idea. Sometimes karma could be good for the soul.

The group continued to wind down the mountain road as trees gave way to homes and sidewalks. The traffic they knew was coming crested into view as the Team continued on the shoulder of the road with a clear path.

With a bit of pedaling and mockery, they passed the biker as he sat congested in traffic, unable to lane-split as a cop controlled the traffic flow. In no time, the asphalt turned to pavement as they passed shoreside shops. The pavement soon became sand as they locked their bikes to racks and stuffed their shoes into the bags they had brought.

The golden sand stretched the length of the coast, bending and weaving to the contours of the town. Mounds of sand and grass towered as a wall against the ocean that raged and stabbed the shore before pulling away. The very water that raced across the wet sand, its liquid arms kissed the side of Percy's bare feet. It's high tide. Percy sensed as he looked across the expanse of endless navy blue that merged with the light blue of the sky. The only thing that broke it was the scattered clouds and the faint trace of the moon that haunted the day above the sun.

"Water is a bit choppy," Kaldur said as he led them along the sand. "I wouldn't go too far out if you aren't comfortable with swimming."

"Good for body surfing," Robin responded.

"What is body surfing? We do not have oceans back on Mars."

"It is where you throw your body into the wave and ride the momentum as far as you can onto the shore," Robin explained. The teen pulled his bag off his back and placed it in the sand, where the Team gathered and did the same.

A ghost of a spider crawled down Percy's spine, causing his flesh to goosebump.

Something is watching him.

Percy craned his head at the people walking across the beach. There were only a few people, and none of them were facing Percy or the group. And the sand dunes blocked most sight lines to the storefronts, so nobody was spying on him from there.

That leaves only the sea.

"Oh," M'gann muttered as she watched the waves smash onto the shoreline. "Is that really the most fun thing to do here?"

"Easily. It's super fun. Can leave you quite sore, though." Robin shrugged. "We could also do some volleyball at some point. That's pretty fun."

"That sounds more my speed." she smiled.

"Well, I'm hitting the waves." Robin ran ahead before turning and backpedaling, "You coming too, SB, Kaldur?"

"Sure."

The clone, the Atlantean, and the acrobat raced into the water. The first barrage of waves did little to stall them as they plowed through the impacts of the crashing water.

"Are you going to join them as well?" M'gann asked Percy as she glanced around to ensure no one was watching before her casual outfit shifted to a green bathing suit.

He shrugged while his gaze was locked on the sea and horizon. Whatever was spying on him had only started after his feet touched the water, and now the sense that had alerted him in the first place had melted away. Whatever it was had left. Ideally, it wouldn't return, but it would be foolish to think it would stay away.

"You okay?" M'gann laid a hand on his shoulder, her usual green skin now pale and white as someone who lived in a cave. He would know too. He saw it in the mirror once today already.

"Going slow," he signed at a slowed pace for her to understand. While M'gann had taken to learning his language quickly after their last time communicating a week ago, she was far from fluent. She at least understood enough that he could piece together phrases she did know to use as a base language. Granted, the vocabulary she had learned so far was more for context during a fight than everyday conversations, but they had progressed. That was what mattered.

"We can go into the water together if you are nervous," she offered weakly.

Discreetly, Percy spared her a glance out of the corner of his eye. Her offer, while polite, was a request for herself if her skittish eyes were anything to go by. Plus, her shoulders were pulled in as she cradled her arms to her chest over her swimsuit. As someone who could change her shape at will, she wasn't nervous about her body, so it really only left it to be her own hesitation to enter the ocean—a thing she did not have on her own home planet.

Fair enough to worry about.

Percy offered her his hand.

She glanced at his black shirt and stopped herself from taking his hand, "Are you leaving your shirt on?"

He nodded.

"Why?"

He shook his head to clear the smoke that threatened to suffocate his memories.

"Oh, okay." She turned back to the water and reached for his hand. Thankfully she sensed his soft denial to communicate what it was.

He waited on her a moment as he felt her tighten her hold on his hand.

"I'm ready when you are," she finally spoke.

He stepped forward, the water lapping around their feet as the wet sand compressed under his foot. He could almost feel a spark of energy throb through his veins, ever so faintly smothered by the pumping of his blood. He took another step leading M'gann into the sea. His eyes jumped between the alien and the water, looking for anything that would hamper them.

Then another step.

And another.

Water reached his waist in a few more steps as it slammed into him as it did to the rock outcropping below the lighthouse in Montauk. The spray soaked his shirt, which clung to his body. His right arm was still locked away in M'gann's grasp as she stumbled back against the same wave. The other boys whooped as Superboy tumbled into the shallows as the water crashed around him.

M'gann stumbled once more from another wave, and Percy took pity on her struggle. He pulled her close to him. She turned to him, her full attention watching him as he turned his back to her. He kneeled a bit as another wave began to collide with him. He would carry her through the waves to where they could float in the depths of the shoreline. Catching the hint, she latched her arms around Percy's shoulders as she discreetly used her powers to float onto his back.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

He felt the goosebumps return across his skin, but this time for a different reason. He carried her out into the water until it reached his neck, and he stopped for her to swim on her own.

Percy smiled as he pushed off the sea floor with one foot and bounced with the crest of a passing wave. She copied his movements, and together they bobbed in the waves as the sun bathed them in its unending light.

"This is nice." She smiled at Percy.

"This is awesome!" Robin cheered off in the distance as he fell backward into the water.

"Perhaps if some of my friends from Atlantis were here, we could conjure actual waves to surf."

"Man, that would be so cool. Could you imagine that, SB? Waves like ten feet tall instead of these small ones."

"Yeah, I guess that would be cool," the clone shrugged.

"Perseus Jackson."

Percy thrashed as he put himself in front of M'gann and the Team. Again, his eyes locked onto the horizon, searching for a shadow in the water or a head peaking above the waves.

Whatever M'gann began to say to him was inaudible as he ignored her. The Watcher had returned. Somewhere in this water, they were speaking to him.

"I bring no harm, my boy."

"Percy? What is wrong?" Robin swam over. He tried to place a hand on Percy's shoulder to draw his focus, but the older teen did not budge. Robin, instead, opted to swim in front of Percy's sight.

Sunglasses met modified sunglasses as Percy struggled to think about what he should do. Voices that only you could seemingly hear were never a good sign. He would be a fool to listen to them.

"Percy?" Kaldur now joined the group as they watched him stare at the horizon. "At least stop your hands from glowing if you are not going to respond. It would not be wise to reveal who we are to the growing crowd of beachgoers."

Are my hands glowing? Huh, they are.

Percy looked up at the Team, who had begun crowding him.

"What's got you spooked?" Robin asked.

"Something is calling for me. I think it is a 'me-thing,'" he motioned to Robin.

"You sure?"

Percy nodded as the rest of the Team looked back and forth between the two prodigies of Batman.

"Good or bad calling, Percy? Is this an evacuate the beach moment?"

"Evacuate the beach?" Kaldur questioned Robin.

Percy shrugged. There was barely anyone at the beach, but it would be smart. However, the mist could also hide everything if things escalated...

"Right, well, with us here, if something happens, we can take care of it," Robin reasoned.

Could they?

"What is going on?" Superboy joined them.

"Someone is calling out to him." Robin gestured at Percy.

"The sea is full of tempting beasts that would seek to drown you beneath the currents," Aqualad lectured. "Do you really think it is wise to listen?"

"Do you fear I am a siren, Perseus?" the voice spoke once more. "I am Poseidon, and I wish to discuss some personal matters with you. Matters of your mother, Sally."

Poseidon? His mom?

"I'm going," Percy signed, uncaring if it was seen as he dove beneath the waves. Thankfully, none of the Team followed. He would likely have to thank Robin for holding them back.

"A little further. We need just escape the mortals."

Poseidon… I've not spoken to the god in some years since our first introduction. Now he wishes to speak and about my mother as well? Did he find something about her disappearance?

Percy pushed further out as the sea floor began to extend further away from the surface. A darkening hue crept over the waters as fish fled from his presence. Then he saw him. Same as the first time he saw the Ruler of the Seas, Hawaiian shirt and all.

"It has been some time," the Sea God opened as he swirled his trident around briefly. "Be at ease."

A pocket of air began to form around Percy's body, and he breathed fresh, clean air. Beneath his feet, a pedestal of water supported his weight as the god and godling descended onto the sand that had become dry once it was exposed to the air pocket. Hades, even his shirt dried out.

"Even after all these years, I still see her when I look at you." Poseidon smiled. "But I fear I do not know how you fit into her life. Please do not take this the wrong way, but you, Perseus, do not add up. Your age suggests you were the child born, that you would be my child that night almost fourteen years ago.

"Yet, your very essence, your aura, it is pungent with the moon. It does not align with another. As if you were my blood, the sea would surge through you, untamed," Poseidon explained. "It vexes me, and I do not like to be vexed. So, I searched, from every storm cloud to every shoreline, for Sally. For an explanation. I have found none."

So, what was the point of all this?

Percy shrugged at the man, unsure of what to tell him.

"Right. I forgot about your condition. I suppose it is up to me to carry this conversation." The god softly chuckled. "I am sure you are wondering why I brought you here."

Percy nodded.

"It is a simple matter. I had wished to show you the events of the night on which my son was stillborn—a rare occurrence for demigods but not impossible, as I had found out. By doing so, I hoped you might be able to recognize anything that could help me puzzle things together. Perhaps even the smallest of details you may notice may be the breakthrough I need."

Percy nodded. He could do that. After all, Batman was the world's greatest detective, and Percy had learned a thing or two by being near the vigilante. It was like osmium or something…

Poseidon, for his part, reached towards his left eye. A finger touched his eyes as if he was removing a contact. However, unlike a contact, the jewel he had removed glowed softly as the light within it swirled like a liquid being stirred into another.

"They say tears hold our greatest memories. I have found this to be a truth unmatched, for even in the greatest and worst moments, there threatens a tear." Poseidon offered him the teal jewel. "Place it upon your own eye and see."

Percy took the jewel in his hand. It was cold, like an ice cube fresh from the freezer. I have to put this in my eye? He hesitated as he brought the tear just before his eye. Oh boy. He looked to Poseidon, who towered over him, and the god gestured for him to proceed. Percy took a deep breath and returned the nod as he pulled his sunglasses away and slotted them on the neckline of his shirt. Exhaling, he pushed the tear of Poseidon into his own eye.

The world plunged as he fell forward. Water rushed around him. It swirled as it pulled upon his limbs, guiding him into the darkness of the depths. Yet, despite how his heart thumped in his eyelid and the adrenaline that set his veins alight, he felt safe. This surge of water was more akin to a rollercoaster through a tunnel than a riptide trying to drown him. The water had taken him through the dark and now had led him into the light at the end of a tunnel.

He emerged to the sound of a constant beep. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the glaring light as he found himself inside a hospital room wherein a woman lay with her legs in the air. Nurses and a doctor gathered around her as Percy watched water coalesce beside him into the shape of Poseidon. Neither doctor nor nurse spared the god a glance, but the woman did. Her gaze turned to her lover as she screamed out. Poseidon crossed to her side and took her hand in his own as she squeezed it.

"Just push Sally. Our boy is almost here!"

"What do you think I'm doing, you fool," she bit back.

Again, neither the doctor nor the nurses reacted to who she spoke to. Their heads were ducked away as they busied themselves with delivering the baby.

Percy looked at the mother, his mother. The woman who had cared for him for the first half of his life. He hated to think that one day he would forget what she looked and sounded like, but at this moment, he had her memory preserved.

Her brown hair clung to her forehead, glued on by the sweat of her labor. Her eyes were clamped shut as she moaned and groaned. She looked younger than he remembered. There were fewer wrinkles on her forehead and notably fewer bags under her eyes than from the last time he hugged her and stared up into her face.

Percy had gone back to when she was giving birth, all because of a single tear and a mystery.

He glanced around the room at the assembled doctors and nurses again. No one present had even acknowledged his presence, not even Poseidon. However, now that he had given them a good once over, one of the nurses, with a mask pulled over most of her face and a hair cap holding away her hair, was staring down Poseidon. She was the only staff member to witness the god. Curious.

Percy stepped around to look closer at her. The nurse wasn't doing anything but merely standing in the room watching with silver eyes. The very same eyes he saw in the mirror.

Was this his mother? No. This was Poseidon's child, and this was likely just Artemis overseeing the delivery as she was the goddess of childbirth.

"One more push, Ms. Jackson," a woman spoke behind him.

But Percy was a breath away from the woman. He watched the Watcher as her silver eyes began to take on a red hue like blood leaking from the pupil and into the iris.

"You got it," a nurse called to the doctor.

"It's a boy."

The Watcher's eyes glowed a full red as they pulsed like a dying light.

"Let me hold my child."

"He's not breathing."

Her eyes returned to a dull silver as hints of red still bled through.

"What do you mean he's not breathing."

"I don't feel a pulse."

If this was Artemis, why was she letting the baby die? Why were her eyes red?

"Let me see my child."

"Administer CPR."

"On it."

"Poseidon, make them give me my child."

Percy turned as he heard his mom's voice break. Tears mixed with sweat as they trailed down her face.

"I cannot interfere with my child's life. The Laws prevent such intervention."

"That's our son. Save him!" she pleaded.

"I am powerless," he cried. His hands cradled one hand of hers to his forehead as he bowed his head. "It is out of my hands."

Percy turned back to watch as the fake nurse slowly raised her hand. A splash of silver magic spiraled from her hand and into the baby. The black-haired baby began to cry out. Its lungs drew in the air as all the staff sighed in relief.

Maybe this was Artemis? Did she want to see Poseidon break? Was this a goddess's twisted wrath? To dangle the life of a child before their parent?

"Give me my boy!" Sally tried to reach forward, but she was too weak to move.

Poseidon looked up, his eyes meeting the doctors and nurses who had still yet to see him, and then his gaze landed on the silver-eyed Watcher.

"Thank you, Artemis," Poseidon whispered above the cries.

The Watcher's cheekbones raised underneath the mask. A smile hidden beneath the mask at the victory brought on this night.

"We need to take the child to another room so we can maintain his vitals, Ms. Jackson. We will return him to you as soon as possible."

"Please just let me hold him for a second."

"I'm sorry, the baby could relapse at any point. Every second here is a risk."

"Please," Sally cried out once more.

The staff did not turn to her plea as they began to exit with the child. The last nurse, Artemis, as Posiedon had dubbed her, spared the mother one last glance before turning to follow the nurses and staff.

Percy made to follow the nurses out of the room, but as he made it to the doorway, the collection of staff vanished into a blank void of an unwritten reality. He returned to the hospital room, where Poseidon cradled Percy's mother in his arms.

It was a memory. I will not be able to see beyond what Poseidon experienced.

However, as the memory continued, Percy waited on what came next, or else the Sea God would not have shown him this much idling. He would not have let ten minutes of a couple comforting each other lapse without a further point.

"I am going to check on the baby," Poseidon spoke. "Is there anything I can get you while I am about?"

"Water?" Sally asked.

"Of course. I will be back."

Percy followed as Poseidon approached the doorway. Now, the once void painted itself to become a bleak hallway where staff traveled to and from stations and other rooms. The god, however, looked both ways down the hallways before committing to a path. His beach sandals slapped against the floor as he found himself at a viewing window into a nursery where a few babies resided.

Percy and Poseidon scanned each cradle, looking for the newborn that had just been born. However, only a few babies with blonde and brown hair were nestled inside. The son of Poseidon, the baby with black hair, was not amongst the crowds.

The god in his power melded through the observation window, his body forming on the other side as he walked amongst the cribs. Poseidon checked each child, looking for his but could not find him. Then, from the back of the room, a door opened.

The silver-eyed nurse entered with a baby of black hair in her arms as she gently rocked it. Poseidon approached her, his footfall that of small tremors of restrained anguish.

"My son?" he whispered.

Artemis met his gaze before lowering her head and shaking it in a somber "no."

"What happened to my child?" he growled. "He was alive. I felt it."

Artemis walked past him as she laid the bundle of cloth into a crib. Poseidon loomed over her as the two stared at the child.

A roll of thunder shook the building.

From his spot on the other side of the glass pane, Percy could see as the child opened its eyes, irises red as blood.

"What have you done, Artemis? Did you kill my boy?" Poseidon grabbed the front of her scrubs. "Did you take him to Zeus? Are you fearful of the prophecy as much as he is?"

The prophecy?

More thunder raged, unending, as lightning strobed outside the hospital window.

Again, the woman did not say a word as she held a finger to the outside of her mask. She hushed the god before she brought her other hand to pet the child. Her fingers caressed its cheek as her silver powers flowed into the child.

The fanfare of the storm ended abruptly.

"He is gone, isn't he?" Posidon slumped. His hands were heavy on an empty crib that had to bear his defeated weight.

The goddess nodded as her eyes flicked back to the child she had just held. The boy's eyes, while still red, lightened as a grey, almost silver undertone began to glow from around the pupil.

"I must tend to my lover," Poseidon mumbled.

The god trudged away, and with him, the hospital started to fall into a void and reconstruct itself before his path. Percy fell in step with the god, but not before he spared Artemis one last glance. Her mask was pulled down as she mouthed a single word and kissed the baby's forehead. A word that he had heard too many times in his life. A word that froze his blood upon seeing it dance from her lips.

"Perseus."

There it was. The lynchpin in the mystery of how Percy connected into the narrative. That Artemis knew what had transpired then and there that night. That she had a hand in the outcome of the hospital that night.

But why? What did she do? Why did she do it?

Percy was forced to follow Poseidon back to Sally lest he fall into nothingness. His mom had fresh tears that leaked from her eyes as she was curled into herself on the bed.

"Sally…"

"He didn't make it," she cried.

"My love," Poseidon tried. He crossed the room, knelt before her, and tried to take her hand, but she pulled away. She looked away from his green eyes. She turned her heart from the god she had fallen for.

"Leave," she whispered.

"You should not be alone."

"Leave."

"Sally, please."

"Just leave!" she yelled. "Give me space. I need space." She sobbed into the pillow. "I want to be alone."

Poseidon acquiesced. He slowly stood towering over everything in the room, and he stepped back and turned his back on Sally as he gazed out the hospital window. Out in the distance, the moon glowed over the sea. Its red hue bathing the city in the radiance of a Blood Moon.

Poseidon vanished into water.

The hospital became a surge of cold water as Percy felt his stomach flip, and he found himself back beneath the waves of the sea. He stumbled back as the jewel he had initially touched turned to water, no back into the tear it was, and fell into the sand.

"That is all I know," Poseidon whispered as he readjusted his grip on his trident.

Yes, but I know the detail you need to follow, but how do I tell you…

Percy knelt in the dried sand beneath his feet. He knew what he would attempt wouldn't work, but maybe if he was fast enough, he could get a glimpse of the message across.

Realizing he was attempting something, Poseidon craned his head over to watch as Percy dragged his finger through the sand.

A-

The letter disappeared before it could be completed as the displaced sand refilled the trench it came from. All a cruel reminder that he could not write, no matter what the medium was.

He reached for a cluster of shells and rocks and tried to lay them out into the letter A, but just as they began to form something resembling the letter, they crumbled into sand, and a breeze magically swept away the small piles.

Come on. Just work for half a second. Let Poseidon see it.

Percy tried again, this time drawing the lines of the letter but not connecting them. He had hoped it would trick the curse that I wouldn't be able to read his writing as a letter, but sand filled the lettering before he even made it through the second line.

"What are you trying to write, boy?" Poseidon knelt next to him.

"Nothing that would work," Percy signaled with his hands.

"I sadly do not understand." The god placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Perhaps next time, I can find a translator. Perhaps Hermes. He understood the charades of hand signals you used."

Charades!

Percy snapped his finger, and the sea god focused on the boy. For his part, Percy began to crudely spell out the letter "A" with his fingers. It wasn't sign language, but an upside peace sign with a finger through it worked well enough.

"A?"

Percy nodded before forming an "R". Then a "T" and so on.

"Artemis?" the god finalized.

Percy then mimicked rocking a baby before pointing at himself.

"Artemis carried you?"

Percy nodded again.

"I do not understand. That night, there was no silver-eyed and black-haired child. I had checked each of them."

Percy once again mimicked the rocking of a baby and pointed at himself.

"You are sure you were the child she carried?"

Percy wiggled his hand from side to side in a "so-so" manner. He wasn't sure at all. That child had red eyes. However, she had mouthed his name while she cared for the baby. That had to mean something.

"I guess that is the part where I take what you have found, and now I try to discover its meaning." The god sighed as he stood up. "Thank you, Perseus."

"You're welcome," Percy responded.

The god politely smiled back, "It wounds me to think Sally may be gone. That her precious soul has crossed into the wandering Fields of Asphodel. But I cannot imagine how this all feels for you. To have your own mother, however, Sally was related to you, taken from you, and your other mother forgotten by all of existence.

"You stand before me, Perseus, the final shadow of the moon, and I fear your life will try only to force you to fall as it does to all heroes. Your mother would not want this, nor will I let it happen. So, for this, for Sally, for everything she meant to me and what she meant to you, I want you to have this gift." The god brought forth his hand as water coalesced into his palm and then into a capped pen. "You will take this world by storm. You will be the current that changes this world. I saw it the day I first met you on Olympus. Son of Sally Jackson, take this blade of the sea and with it, know that your path will be long, your heart tested, but your resolve firm. Take this gift from me and live your best life. For Sally."

:P LINEBREAK d:

Percy sloshed through the breaking waves as he finagled with the pen Poseidon had given him. This wasn't how he ever expected a trip to the beach to go. To think he was worried about monsters when in reality, it was a god who wanted his time. A god longing for the woman and child he had lost, and a goddess mouthing his name on the night of a blood moon.

Life is never simple.

The sand sunk beneath his feet as he looked up to where he had left his backpack amongst his friends' own packs, but where he expected to see everyone's packs lay only his and one other.

"They went back," Dick spoke up, appearing from seemingly nowhere. Percy spun around, kicking up sand to face him.

"You are here." Percy relaxed his arms.

"Didn't want to leave you under the waves for too long. Kaldur thought it should've been him, but I talked him out of it. Figured, if it was a you-thing, you would probably want it as private as it could be."

"Thanks."

"So, what's that pen you are clutching? You didn't enter the water with it."

"I believe it is a weapon of some sort."

"' The pen is mightier than the sword,'" Dick quoted.

"I think Diana is going to be upset. I think she was getting me a proper weapon for my birthday next week."

"Was she? I thought she was getting you a… never mind. You were just trying to find out, weren't you?"

Percy smirked and shrugged off the boy's accusation.

"Good try," Dick laughed. "If that's all squared away, want to get back to the cave? I could use a shower to get rid of all this salt in my hair. The sand too."

"OK."

The two teens grabbed their bags and threw them over their shoulders. Before they could go anywhere, a dog barked and charged Percy, repeatedly jumping onto his thigh as its snout nuzzled his chest and shirt. Unsure of how best to handle the enthusiastic dog, he pushed the slobbering mouth away from him. The dog, unbothered by being pushed away, turned around in place, flinging sand everywhere, and tried to jump into his arms again, ignoring the commands its owner was yelling at it as they sprinted over with a leash.

"I'm sooo sorry," the girl said as she approached and pulled the dog back by the scruff of his neck. The dog then sat as it turned its snout to lick her face. The girl's blonde hair draped over her face as she looped a lead around the German Shepard's neck. "He's been stuck in the car for so long, and there was traffic coming into town that was just horrid. When he saw the sand, he bolted straight out of the car before I could leash him."

"You're fine," Dick assured the teen. Percy, meanwhile, smiled politely as she stood up and looked at them. She was the girl in the car that passed by earlier today.

"Hey, weren't you two biking this morning? Where's the rest of the posse?"

"They went back home," Dick replied.

"Ah, I see. I was surprised to see so many kids in town that I couldn't place. You guys new here?" She looked to Percy for an answer.

"Some of us are," Dick continued to speak for them. "I just visit them often."

"Oh, that's so cool. Where are you from, then?"

"New Jersey. Well, Gotham. Just don't hold that against me."

"Might tease you a bit, but we really can't control the choices our parents make, can we? I used to live in Valdosta, Georgia, for a while. Then my dad decided to move from the fields to here one day." She laughed before looking at Percy. "What about you, Mr. Silent? Where are you from?"

Dick looked at him momentarily as Percy met his gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"He's mute," Dick told her.

"Oh. I mean. Sorry?" she winced.

Percy nodded politely to her, silently accepting her apology.

"So, uh, where are you from then?"

"He's from Gotham like me. However, his aunt moved to Happy Harbor," Dick lied.

"Oh, that's neat. I imagine this little town is much quieter than the city, huh?" she asked as she brushed her wheat-gold hair behind her ear.

Percy bobbed his head as Dick chipped in, "Safer too."

"I bet. If half the things the news covers about that city, I'm surprised you aren't in wheelchairs."

"Well, we are fortunate enough to live on the outskirts of town with my father. We stay clear of the city when we can."

"Makes sense…" she trailed off as her lower lip jutted out. "I'm sorry, I never got your names. Mine's Katie. Katie Gardner."

"He's Percy, and I'm Dick."

She cracked a small smile, "Dick and Percy. Should be easy to remember you two."

"You as well, Miss Gardner. Isn't that right, Percy?" Robin nudged him, a single eyebrow raised that crested over his sunglasses. Percy politely nodded as he met the girl's gaze. Her eyes were as green as Poison Ivy's skin. They looked almost too perfectly green. Her lips too. Too perfectly proportioned. Like a marble statue.

"Say, Percy, since there isn't another school around here for miles, should I expect to see you in the Happy halls? Or do I need to let Little Moxie here to come chase you down again if I want to talk with you?"

There it was once again: School.

"You know," Dick comparatively brought a hand to cover his lips from Percy as he staged-whispered to Katie, "he's been homeschooled for so long. You might have to let Little Moxie come find him."

Why did Dick have to wink?

"You were homeschooled too?" Katie turned to him. "My Dad used to be a worrier about me for so long that he didn't let me leave the house until I went to a summer camp when I was twelve. Ever since then, I've been going to school. Best change of my life. I think you would like it if you are anything like me."

"Yeah, Percy. That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I mean, I'm sure Katie here can look out for you too. Plus, school isn't all that bad."

"Diana just asked me to consider this the other night," Percy signed.

"Did she? Well, what did you say?"

"She left before I could respond," Percy responded.

Katie's phone buzzed as she pulled it out and stepped away, the dog falling in line behind her as she answered the phone.

"She pull the move on you? Just vanish like B?"

"More of a casual lift-off."

"I'm still waiting for someone to get us back with the whole disappearing act. I mean, they have to have thought of it by now."

"I don't mean to interrupt," Katie interrupted, "but my dad is wondering where I'm at, so I have to go. Hopefully, I'll see you two soon. I come down to the beach just about every weekend in the summer with Moxie and my dad."

"We'll be around. And I'll convince, Silent here to give the school a try."

"All right. I like the sound of that," She smiled. Even her teeth were pearly white. She seemed almost too perfect in her appearance. "I'll see you guys later then, and if not, hopefully then at school, Percy."

He nodded as she gave him a smile and jogged away in the sand. Little Moxie looked up to her owner as she trotted at her side.

"She likes you," Percy's fellow sidekick teased as Katie gave one last look back and waved. The boys responded in kind with their own wave.

"No, she's just being polite."

"I'm telling Bruce you want to go to her school. Happy Harbour High, I believe?"

"I don't know if I even want to."

"Percy, my brother from another mother, my partner in fighting crime, we may not come from the same background, but we both know she's cute. You would be foolish to pass her up because you don't want to go to school. Look, if you are worried about maintaining a good grade, I'll hack the system and give you straight A's and perfect attendance. Just give her a chance."

"You really think she likes me?"

"The whole wet shirt clinging to you, I think, did a lot. Plus, girls love the quiet and mysterious."

Percy looked down at his stomach. Huh, it was dry when he was under the water. Now it's wet on land. Life is wack.

"Let's just get back."

"Of course. Wally should be getting off school himself about now and being tubing over."

"Right," Percy responded.

The two boys resumed their small trek to their bikes. The sand clung to their heels as they brushed away all they could before putting on socks and shoes to bike back in.

As the two entered the ops room of the cave, a gaggle of Leaguers and the rest of the Team stood. Percy and Robin stopped as they nodded at the Dark Knight, who looked them over and nodded back.

"We were just about to call you in," Green Arrow threw his arms out. "Must of knew we needed you two."

"What's going on? We have a mission?" Robin asked.

"No," Batman deadpanned. "You have a new teammate‑"

"My newest prodigy. "Green Arrow pushed a blonde girl in green forward. "Meet Artemis."

That is going to be confusing.

AN: 8k words later... A special thanks to Bouble for helping me with this chapter and its creation. A special thanks to you for reading this story. I know that this story is more for a niche audience, and I appreciate all of you who come back to read each update and always leave positive remarks.

To recap this chapter, the idea going into it is to approach three ideas:
1. Recap where we are at and start the next small story arc and pose the questions I wish to address about Percy.

2. Further complicate the plot on just how Percy was born and how it all happened. (final answer comes in the final chapter of this book)

3. Meet Katie and continue to lead Percy to Happy High for some plot.

Thanks for reading! I would love it if you left a review and dropped a follow and a favorite. It shouldn't mean as much to me as it does, but it really does encourage me to try and give you the best writing I know how to give.

So, let's take a small moment to talk about updating this story. I still plan to update each of my four stories once a month, but the order in which they update is decided on the Discord server. (see next paragraph) So, if you want to see this story more often compared to my PjxSW and PjxHP fic, go upvote it in the next poll.

If you would like to get in touch with me or other FanFic authors, come join all of us in the Emerald Library on Discord. I have my own channel within the server under the PJO section where you can come chat with me and see a bit behind the scenes on my inspirations and what I am working on next. Just type " discord. gg / library " into any URL browser or in Discord itself to join. (Remove the spaces and quotes) If you join the server from my story, let me know!

That's about it.

-Manke