The next several hours passed by uneventfully after leaving Cabin One, which was nice in a way. No drama, no fighting, just peace and quiet.
Unless you count some campers gawking at me, but even that seemed to have died down some compared to before.
I paid Mrs. O'Leary a visit to pass the time, and she was delighted to see me as always. It seemed like maybe Chiron has trained her somewhat, as she didn't tackle me over and start licking me like usual. Instead, she rolled over onto her back and woofed at me, demanding a belly rub. Now, this hellhound is like twenty times my size, so giving her said belly rub wasn't easy, she still seemed to like it though. After our short reunion, I then told her to go play and she went bounding after some poor dryad nearby, who squeaked and jumped inside her tree to hide, causing Mrs. O'Leary to whine.
"She missed you, you know." I heard a familiar young and gravelly voice say behind me.
I turned to see Nico di Angelo standing under the shade of a nearby tree with a smile on his face.
"Hey Nico," I smiled back. "I'm sure she has, it's been months since she saw me last. I assume you and Chiron have been taking care of her during all this time?"
"Yep, more me than Chiron, but yeah. I even managed to train her just a smidge so she isn't quite as affectionately aggressive, if you catch my meaning." Nico replied with a smirk.
"I do, I was actually thinking just that. Normally, she would have knocked me over and drenched me in doggy saliva, but she didn't this time. Thanks for that, Nico." I said gratefully.
Nico's face then hardened. "Chiron has filled me in on everything that's going on, Percy. An attack on camp from the inside? It's like the Labyrinth all over again."
"Worse than that, Nico. At least we knew where and when the attack from the Labyrinth was coming, but this? We have no idea what's endangering the camp now, or when it could happen. Could be any second or it could be tomorrow." I muttered with a grimace.
Nico set his jaw at my words. "You're right, it is worse now. These mystery people are going to sneak something into camp, right? I wonder what it could be? It can't be a monster, obviously, but it's hard to think of what else could cause such devastation."
I shrugged. "No idea either, to be honest. Could be a multitude of things. I just hope that Chiron and Reyna's plan works and we can find this smuggler before they do any damage."
"Me too, Percy, me too. I'll also keep an eye out for any suspicious activity around camp if this smuggler somehow makes it inside undetected." He said with a determined look.
"I'll be doing the same, or at least try to in between my... busy schedule." I said with an uneasy feeling in my gut.
"Damn, that's right! Your harem fiasco, how bad is it?" Nico asked me with concern.
"It was total chaos at first, Annabeth especially had a hard time adjusting. And when I got a girl to join? Oh man, Annabeth did not take well to it. However, things have calmed down a little now. Of course, I don't expect that to last since I need three more to join." I told him with a tired expression.
"That's good to hear—wait, no it's not—what I meant is..." Nico stuttered out, trying to find the correct words. "Bah, forget it, I'm sure you know what I mean. Anyways, you already have three girls? I know Annabeth is one, obviously, but who are the other two? Who do you plan on asking next?"
"My other girls are Calypso and Reyna. Not sure if you know Calypso, but I'm sure you're familiar with Reyna. Convincing them... actually wasn't as impossible as I thought it would be. The two of them are head-over-heels in love with me, so they eagerly agreed. It was... nice, actually—to know they loved me so much, I mean." I explained with a thoughtful look, a small smile on my face.
"Calypso is that girl from The Odyssey, right? The one from Ogygia? I'll have to talk with her sometime. As for Reyna, can't say I'm surprised, she always did seem fond of you from what I recall. I also think it's great they joined out of love, Percy. I know how much it would eat you up inside if they did it for any other reason. But, what are you going to do about the last three?" Nico said before asking me a question I seemed to be getting a lot lately.
"As of now? Possibly Piper and Rachel. Last one I'm undecided still." I respond simply, which Nico nods understandingly.
"Figured Rachel might be one, I know you two had some history. Piper is an interesting one though, didn't really think she was into you." He murmured in thought.
"You and me both, man. I thought she was scared of me until yesterday when I talked to her. Surprised the hell out of me when she confessed to having a crush on me," I admitted as I reminisced. "But enough about my harem problems, what about your sister? Have you been in contact with her at all?"
"Yes, surprisingly. I was actually kind of worried she'd just ghost me because of Artemis, but we've been talking through Iris messages. She told me that the Hunters plan on stopping by in a day or two, so I'll be able to see her in person again soon." He told me with a vibrant grin.
"That's awesome, Nico! I'm glad you have Bianca back, I mean it. I know how much you missed her." I congratulated him happily.
"Thanks, Percy. I'm so happy she's back too, you have no idea just how much." Nico said gratefully.
We then went our separate ways soon after. It was getting close to dinner time, so I went back to my cabin to wait around and check on Calypso, assuming she was still there. When I entered the Poseidon cabin, I saw no sign of the titaness, which didn't really surprise me. I didn't take her for one who slept in this late; she's probably out tending to the gardens or something not dangerous, hopefully.
I then walked over to the bed where I threw my dragon trophy on. I should really get a better place for it, won't exactly look good for cabin inspection if I have a decapitated monster head lying around... Maybe I'll ask one of the Hephaestus kids later to make me a large trophy rack to hang it on.
I walked back to my bed and laid down on it. I must have been tired still, as I found myself closing my eyes and drifting off into a nap.
I dreamt the world was burning—
Nah, just kidding. For once, I had a dreamless nap. I didn't know how long I was asleep before the loud horn the signaled dinner roused me from my slumber. I then got out of my bunk and stretched before heading outside and towards the dining pavilion.
The pavilion was bigger than I remembered; there were many more tables now, all for the minor gods. I then immediately wondered where Calypso and Reyna were supposed to sit, assuming that ridiculous assigned seating rule was still in effect. Maybe they'd be allowed to sit with me? They are part of my harem, there shouldn't be a problem with that, right? I'll ask Chiron, maybe he knows how this works.
I spotted Chiron sitting at table twelve with my least favorite camp director ever, Mr. D. I mentally prepared myself before walking over, both of them looking towards me.
"Well, if it isn't Pablo Jacques! Finally decided to return after disappearing for a year, hmm?" Mr. D snarked at me as he took a sip of his Diet Coke.
"Yeah, I just missed you so much," I said sarcastically as I then looked towards Chiron. "I wanted to ask you where Calypso and Reyna are going to sit tonight. Is it possible for them to sit with me since... you know..."
"I'm not sure, Percy. We've never had a situation like yours before, so there's no precedent. Perhaps our camp director knows the answer to your question." Chiron replied, looking towards Dionysus.
"Eh? Oh right, you were cursed—I mean blessed with a harem, Peter Johnson," Mr. D drawled out in disinterest. "Well, the rules are that only children of that god can sit at their table, but it says nothing about spouses, or in your case, concubines. So to be frank: I have no idea. Have them sit with you and see if they start to sizzle or not."
Wow, Dionysus was of no help, what a surprise!
"Gee, thanks. I'll do that." I grumble as I left to go find my girls.
Wait, my girls? That's not even the first time I've described them as such! Since when did I start thinking like that?!
I then stood off to the side of the entrance to the pavilion as campers came to dinner, scanning the crowd for any sign of the three. I first spotted Calypso, who was indeed coming from the direction of the Strawberry Fields. She was accompanied by two other girls I recognized: Grover's girlfriend, Juniper and Katie Gardner. It was all too fitting that she'd make friends with a nymph and a daughter of Demeter. Calypso soon saw me and walked over with a smile, the other two following her.
"Percy, I'd like you to meet my two friends here, Juniper and Katie! I met them while we were tending to the strawberries earlier." She said as she introduced the other two.
"Oh, we've met before already. Juniper here is Grover's girlfriend and Katie is an old war buddy of mine from the Second Titan War." I said with a smile as I waved at the two aforementioned girls.
"Long time no see, Percy! Grover told me to tell you he says hi if I saw you before him!" Juniper chirped as she gave me a small hug.
"Where is Grover these days, Juniper? Still busy tending to the wilds?" I asked as I returned her hug.
"He took off immediately after the fight with Gaea to resume his duties as Lord of the Wild, yes. The turmoil from the war caused an upset in parts of the world, last I heard from him he was tending to a severe wildfire incident in California. I miss him terribly, but I'm proud of him too." She tells me with a small smile.
"I'd bet Riptide itself that he misses you just as much, if not more. He'd talk about you all the time in the past when we used to hang out regularly. I'm sure he's looking for an excuse to come back and visit you, knowing him." I chuckled as I patted her back reassuringly before turning my head towards Katie.
"It's been a long time, Katie. How have you been?" I asked.
Katie's dark blonde hair blew gently in the wind as her soft brown eyes looked at me, a smile on her face. "I've been grand, Percy. Life at camp has never been better, to be honest."
"Good to hear that, Katie," I smiled as I then glanced between the three of them. "So, I'm guessing you all met in the Strawberry Fields? A sisterhood formed from a shared love for berries?"
The three of them giggled but nodded.
"It was happenstance, really. We actually started off by arguing the best methods for berry cultivation, then we started showing off our own preferred methods and before long we were comparing them all to see what could be improved upon. Everything else kicked off from there." Calypso told me with a cheerful grin.
I couldn't help but laugh at the mental image of them arguing over strawberries. "Man, I wish I could have witnessed that conversation, it sounded very entertaining. Three girls arguing over the best way to grow strawberries, how cute."
The three of them then blushed at my comment, embarrassed. Katie in particular looked away and fanned herself, which made me grin wider. I thought I'd spare them from anymore teasing and said they're free to go to dinner. Katie and Juniper quickly scampered off towards the pavilion while I held Calypso back. I then explained how dinner here works.
"So I'll get to sit with you?" She asked as I shrugged.
"Maybe? We'll have to see. If you start to glow or sizzle or something then you need to get up from the table immediately so you aren't disintegrated." I explained to her.
My words didn't really seem to bother her, instead she donned a mischievous smirk. "So what you're saying is, I'll get to feed you at our own table."
I didn't know what was redder, me or the strawberries.
"Uhh—um—if you want, I guess..." I mumble as steam blew out my ears at the mental image.
Calypso giggled at my reaction. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"
"We have to wait for the other two, especially Reyna since she's in the same situation as you." I said, my face red hot.
She pouted but understood. As we waited for Annabeth and Reyna, Calypso hugged my side and rested her head on my shoulder, causing campers to stare as they passed us, some whispering. The gossip was really starting to annoy me, so I started glaring back at anyone who gawked at us. Yes, I know it's weird that another girl is loving on me when I already have a girlfriend, I don't need to be reminded! There's nothing wrong with it anyways, she's just as much my lover as Annabeth is!
Wait, wait, wait, where did that last part come from?! Am I... starting to enjoy this...?
I was unable to dwell on it for long as we were soon greeted by the sight of Annabeth, Reyna, and Piper, who were chatting up a storm with each other as they walked towards the pavilion. I called out and got their attention, then they started to walk over to us, continuing to talk to each other. They were speaking so quickly I couldn't really make out what their conversation was about. I noticed Annabeth give a quick glance towards Calypso, her eyes narrowing just slightly.
"So, what are you ladies talking about?" I asked with a friendly smile.
Annabeth turned to me with a smirk. "You."
"Me?" I repeated back in surprise.
"Yes, you, Percy." Reyna said with a coy smile.
"Going to go into anymore detail or...?" I inquire, confused.
"Nope." Piper chirped, trying to hide her growing grin.
I raised my eyebrows at that, not sure if I should be worried.
What are they planning?
"Um... ok." I said awkwardly.
Reyna then pulled Calypso off me and walked some feet away before whispering into her ear, an equally mischievous grin appearing on Calypso's face as time went on.
"Oh but you'll tell her!" I whined in protest.
Ok, now I'm scared. Four girls whispering about me? This can't be good...
Annabeth giggled and shrugged. "You'll just have to be patient and wait, Percy."
I shivered at her words.
"You girls are kind of creeping me out. Almost makes me feel like you're plotting how to hide my body..." I murmured.
"Oh, it's nothing like that, Percy, stop being a drama queen. You'll find out soon enough." Annabeth said with a wink as all of them giggled some more.
"Ok..." I mumble before straightening up.
I then told Reyna what I told Calypso about the dinner situation.
"Hm, I wonder if that'll work? The gods normally bend the rules in regards to their spouses, but does it extend to their children?" Annabeth muttered in thought.
"Well, we're about to find out. Will you be joining us, Wise Girl?" I ask her.
She just looked at me like I was an idiot. I guess that was kind of a dumb question...
"Obviously! You worry me sometimes, Seaweed Brain..." Annabeth exasperated, throwing her hands up into the air.
I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment as the other girls chuckled at our exchange. We then headed into the pavilion to get our food and sit down. Tonight's menu consisted of watermelon slices, rolls, corn, mashed potatoes, and barbecue ribs. I barely had enough room on my plate for all of it; normally, I'm not a big eater but this stuff looked good. So good in fact that I was hesitant to even scrape any of it into the fire as an offering, but I settled for a piece of watermelon. I wasn't giving my dad any of my ribs, I'm still pissed at him plus I love ribs.
I headed over to the Poseidon table after getting my plate and sat down. I eagerly dug in, taking a bite of the ribs first, which were so good it nearly made me moan before I stopped myself. I was soon after joined by Annabeth, Calypso, and Reyna while Piper went off to the Aphrodite table. I was half expecting them to spontaneously combust upon sitting down; I still remember when Annabeth briefly sat at my table a couple years ago and was literally glowing before she left. A few tense minutes passed, yet none of them seemed to be in danger of disintegration.
"I guess it's ok then..." I murmured, eyeing them warily.
"It would seem so. I was definitely about to pop like a balloon at this point when I tried sitting at your table last time." Annabeth remarked thoughtfully before taking a bite of her potatoes.
"Percy, I remember you saying I could feed you," Calypso suddenly spoke up with a sly smile. "Shall we, then?"
My ears went pink as I recalled our previous conversation. I didn't think she was serious about that!
"Oh—uh, yeah, sure..." I squeaked before Calypso smiled at me while Reyna narrowed her eyes and Annabeth glared.
Calypso giggled before taking my fork from me and stabbing it into the ribs on my plate, picking up a piece and moving it towards my mouth.
"Say 'ah'~." She purred.
I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed in my life than in that moment. I could feel dozens of eyes on us as people from other tables took notice of what was happening. I closed my eyes and complied with her request, albeit reluctantly.
"Good boy~." Calypso whispered before moving the fork into my mouth.
I clamped down on the fork and chewed the meat before swallowing, silently praying that she would be satisfied and stop. But as usual, my prayers were in vain. Calypso fed me the rest of the food on my plate, cooing the entire time. I wanted to curl into a ball and disappear at the end.
"I've always wanted to do that. Thank you for indulging me, Percy." Calypso spoke softly before kissing my cheek.
"N-No problem." I stammered quietly, not daring to look up out of fear of making eye contact with anyone.
Ok, I'll admit it. I actually did kind of like that. Only a little though.
Alright, a decent amount.
Fine! A lot, I liked it a lot.
However, I don't think Annabeth did. I heard a loud snap and looked up to see Annabeth's fork was now in two, her fist that was gripping the fork shaking as she glared daggers at the two of us. So much for promising to keep her jealousy under control...
I eventually found the courage to stand up from my table and leave the pavilion. I said goodnight to the girls before leaving, feeling far too many gazes upon me as I walked away towards my cabin. As soon as I was inside I fell face first onto my bed and buried my face into my pillow, the events of dinner tonight lingering freshly in my mind. I likely just made the gossip about me a hundred times worse in a single evening...
Knock knock.
Huh? Who's at my door at this hour? I shrugged and stood up to go open it. Lo and behold, it was my girls plus Piper standing there, all of them with big grins.
"May we come in?" Annabeth asked.
I nodded and left the door open to go sit down at my bed while they walked inside. Once everyone was in, I looked at all of them expectantly.
"I'm guessing this has something to do with whatever you were whispering about earlier?" I asked skeptically.
"Indeed, Seaweed Brain. Though I had hoped you would have figured it out by now." Annabeth said coyly.
"How could I when you refused to tell me anything?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh for the love of—Percy, do you know what day it is?" Annabeth asked me in a slightly agitated voice.
"No, I don't have a calendar. Enlighten me, Wise Girl." I quipped dryly.
"It's your birthday, you idiot! How do you not know?!" She snapped before tackling me in a hug.
I grunted as she tackled me, a bewildered look upon my face. "It is? I thought my birthday was days ago. I knew it was August, but..."
"Only you could forget your own birthday date, Percy." Reyna deadpanned.
Everyone laughed at that. I guess I couldn't say she was wrong...
"It's a little late to be celebrating it though, isn't it? The day is almost over." I said as Annabeth snuggled into my side.
"Still plenty of time to celebrate." Piper said with a smirk.
"We even got you a present." Calypso added with a giggle.
I felt a tingle in my spine as she said that. Something wasn't quite right...
"How? Did you go shopping today? When? The camp is on lockdown." I asked curiously.
All of them exchanged glances before Piper lifted up a bag I didn't notice she was carrying. There was another, larger bag still at her feet. She then walked over and handed me the first bag and told me to open it, so I did. I tore off the tape and opened the bag, pulling out the paper stuffing. However, there was nothing inside it. I looked up confused before I noticed the larger bag Piper had was opened. I then saw they were all holding a pie in their hands, causing my eyes to narrow.
"You wouldn't dare—" I started before eating a face full of banana cream pie from Annabeth.
The others soon joined in and threw their pies at me, each of them saying 'Happy Birthday!' as they launched their sugary weapon, covering me in the gooey pastries. I licked my lips and wiped my eyes so I could glare at them.
"You're lucky this pie tastes good or else I'd be very upset." I said in a faux angry voice, causing all of them to howl in laughter.
"Happy birthday, Percy." Annabeth whispered in my ear before kissing my pie-covered cheek.
"Thanks, you made my sweet seventeen unforgettable," I whispered back before licking some more pie off my fingers. "Did you get the Demeter kids to help with this operation?"
"Yep, Katie Gardner oversaw it. Piper and I came up with it earlier today." Annabeth explained as she swiped some of the pie off my face and tried it herself. "Don't worry though, we have an actual birthday pie for you to eat, and yes, it's blue."
"Fantastic. I think I'll clean myself up first though, if you don't mind," I said as I stood up. "I'm going to go take a quick dip in the lake, be back in a minute."
I then left the cabin and headed for the lake, sticking to the shadows to avoid being seen by other campers as they left the dining pavilion. I didn't need another gods damned reason for people to stare at me or spread rumors.
I soon arrived at the lake and jumped in, submerging myself and letting the water cleanse me of unwanted pie. I heard a few naiads giggling nearby, which made me blush as I had forgotten about them living in the lake.
Oh well, at least they know how to keep things to themselves...
Once the last of the pie was washed away, I got out of the lake and went back to my cabin. Upon my return, the girls all smiled at me as Annabeth held a blue pie with a lit candle seventeen sticking in it.
"It's a special pie that Katie made herself, though I, of course, asked her to dye it blue." Annabeth said as she handed me the pie.
"Why blue?" Calypso asked, the other two girls looking curious as well.
"Ah, it's because my mom would always dye my food blue on special occasions when I was growing up," I explained. "I actually need to pay my mom a visit, I haven't seen her since last year. Maybe once things are calm again."
"Ooo, I like that idea! I'd love to meet your mother, Percy." Calypso beamed excitedly while Reyna nodded in agreement.
I then blew out the candles after the girls sang happy birthday to me, my wish was that I wanted my life to stabilize for once. I then offered a slice of the pie, but all of them declined.
"It's your birthday pie, Percy. Besides, we have one left for the rest of us. Now dig in and tell me what it tastes like, I want to know." Annabeth said as she gave my arm an affectionate squeeze.
I smiled and picked up the fork she handed me before sticking it into the pie and yanking out a piece. The inside of the pie was some kind of a thick and gooey reddish-purple, it made me wonder ingredients were used to make it.
"Huh, I've never seen a pie like this before, interesting." I mused before raising the piece to my mouth.
I then ate the chunk and swallowed. The flavor was indescribable, it was unlike anything I've ever had before, it tasted even better than ambrosia somehow!
"This is amazing!" I exclaimed before shoveling more of the pie down my gullet.
Within a couple minutes I had wolfed down nearly the entire thing, only one last bite remaining. I took my time with the last piece, savoring the flavor before finally swallowing one last time.
"That, was easily the best pie I've ever had in my life. Tell Katie I said tha—" I tried to say before I felt a wave of queasiness wash over me, like I had eaten a bad mushroom.
I suddenly started to convulse violently, dropping the pie container and fork as I fell back on my bed. I could hear the others call out my name and ask what's wrong, their voices full of concern. I couldn't speak however, my mind was blanking and foam started to build in my mouth. I could feel something dark building inside me, ready to burst violently.
"Percy?!" I heard Annabeth scream as she grabbed me and looked into my eyes.
I don't know what came over me, but for some reason I suddenly had my hand around Annabeth's throat, choking her. I then heard her call my name again and I briefly regained control just long enough to let go of her. I knew I was going to lose myself to madness again any second, so I yelled at them to run, but my voice sounded... monstrous.
"Di Immortales! I know what's wrong with him! We have to leave, now! We need help!" I heard what sounded like Annabeth yell out to the others before a voice that sounded like Piper's spoke back. "Charmspeak won't work here, not on this! We have to leave right now, he'll attack at any second!"
I could just barely make out their footsteps as they bounded out of my cabin. I knew she was right, I could feel a malignant bloodlust overpowering every other sense in my body. My consciousness was fading as my eyesight started to have a red tinge, like my eyes were bleeding. I felt an unholy strength surge within me, like I could tear a drakon in two with my bare hands. The last thing I remember before blacking out was my vision going completely red as I took out Riptide.
