I'M BACK!

In all seriousness, I'm sorry this took so long. I honestly lost interest in the show for a hot minute and life got in the way. Now that season 4 is almost over, I've got more motivation to keep working on this.

ON TO THE CHAPTER!

Carol tapped her fingers against her desk while staring at the screen before her waiting for her husband to answer her call.

For as long as she could remember, she and Alonzo would call each other every two weeks to discuss anything but work. It helped them keep each other informed about their lives, though more often than not, their daughter was the topic of discussion.

Carol sighed. The last few weeks with her daughter had been interesting. She'd enjoyed spending time with her and it allowed her to gain an understanding of her daughter she hadn't had before, but the constant missions had been tiring. She did get some souvenirs from it though,

Her screen lit up suddenly revealing the face of Alonzo, a calm and casual smile on his lips.

"Sorry about the wait honey, Admiral Gray was questioning me about some recent cadet placements."

Carol smiled. She loved talking to her husband, he had a way of calming her down.

"Don't worry, I know how overbearing he can be," She said with a dismissive gesture. "Who was he worrying about if you don't mind me asking?"

Carol didn't want to talk about work, but she would never pass up the opportunity to hear high-command gossip.

Alonzo's smile became wider.

"He was upset your newest recruit wasn't put on a, and I quote, 'A ship more suited for his caliber'," Alonzo said in an overly pretentious voice. "I think he's bitter he wasn't able to put him with Riker, you know how he has a soft spot for him."

Carol snorted and shook her head.

"That smug sonovabitch already poached one from my crew, it's only fair I get a replacement," Carol said with a huff. "Plus I'm sure Percy is much happier here with me."

Alonzo nodded in agreement.

"How is Percy doing by the way? Last you told me he had picked his job. What did he pick again?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Carol growled and crossed her arms over her chest.

"He willingly chose to be Science Officer!" Carol exclaimed in frustration. "He studies aquatic life forms and environments all day, then spends his free time with Cetacean Ops!"

Carol took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"It feels like he's wasting his potential," Carol put her head in her hands. "I talked to the department heads, he was amazing at every other job. He could've been a great Captain in no time."

Carol wanted Percy to succeed. She saw so much potential in him and it was frustrating beyond belief to see him waste it.

Alonzo was quiet, seemingly trying to figure out what to say.

"Carol, is he happy?" he asked after a moment. "Does he enjoy his job?"

Carol looked up, her face twisted in confusion.

"From what I've heard he's pretty happy, but I don't se-"

Alonzo cut her off.

"Carol he's not your son," Alonzo said firmly. "I know you feel responsible for him, I do too, but we have no right to dictate his life. When we found him, he was already almost an adult, and we've barely been a part of his life."

Carol paused. She knew he wasn't her son, but she still felt as if he was. She cared for him greatly and wanted the best for him.

"You're right," Carol said with a sigh. "I just want him to succeed."

Alonzo smiled gently.

"I know, it's a consequence of your big heart," he said comfortingly. "It makes you a good mother."

Carol chuckled weakly.

"I am a pretty good mother, aren't I?"

"Yes, yes you are," Alonzo responded with a laugh. "Speaking of being a good mother, how is Beckett faring?"

Carol groaned but smiled.

"She's doing surprisingly well," Carol replied. "She's still belligerent, but she's been slightly better now that we've started working together."

Alonzo raised an eyebrow.

"Really? That's nice to hear. How has working together been?"

"It's been alright, more tiring than I expected though," Carol replied. "She keeps wanting to go on additional missions, they're fun, but I'm afraid I'll run out of shelf space for all the souvenirs."

Alonzo's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"If it's too much, you can say no to her, you are the Captain."

Carol gestured dismissively.

"I'm fine. I don't want to ruin what we have going right now."

"Okay," Alonzo said unbelievingly. "Is there anything else going on with Beckett I should know about?"

Carol perked up suddenly.

"Yes, actually. She's made friends with Percy and from what I've heard, they get along really well."

"That's unsurprising," Alonzo replied with a chuckle. "They have similar personalities and Percy might be one of the few people able to keep up with her," Alonzo's expression shifted to one of contemplation for a moment before he continued speaking. "Why don't you invite Percy on your next mission with Beckett, he might be able to act as a bit of a buffer."

Carol considered it for a moment. While she enjoyed spending time with her daughter, she couldn't quite keep up with her, plus she wouldn't say no to the opportunity to spend time with Percy.

"Alright, I'll invite him," Carol said with an easy smile. "Now enough about work, tell me what's going on with you?"

Alonzo playfully rolled his eyes.

"If I must."

"Oh shut up, you're dying to talk about how much you hate paperwork."

Carol couldn't wait for the next shore leave on Earth.

"Shit shit shit shit," Beckett whispered under her breath as she ran around a corner looking for a good place to hide.

Things had started fine. The mission was simple, her equipment was decent, and she had a good partner. All she had to do was break out a prisoner and escape the ship alive.

Simple.

But then shit hit the fan and she was royally screwed. The prisoner she was looking for was already dead and her partner was killed in the first few minutes. Even worse she had a deranged guard on her tail that outclassed her greatly.

Beckett found a stack of crates and hid behind them, taking the time to catch her breath and take stock of her resources.

Her phaser was trashed and all she had was a long knife she kept for emergencies, not that it would do her any good against the guard's swords. She lost her comm badge when she ditched her uniform shirt for a diversion, leaving her without a way to signal for retreat.

"If I can just get to an escape pod I can use the ship's commun-"

Beckett's mumbling was cut off by the sound of metal scraping against metal causing her to instinctively duck and narrowly avoid getting skewered by a blade thrust through the wall.

"Fuck! How'd he find me so fast?" She exclaimed as she crawled out of her hiding spot and grabbed her knife.

Once out, she barely had time to move before another blade came at her forcing her to dodge.

"I found you," a smooth voice said mockingly.

From the shadows, a tall figure emerged. They had a long hooded cloak with a large hood that covered their face and a bronze sword.

"I must say you gave a good chase Ensign Mariner, but I am afraid your time is up," The figure said with a dry laugh before lunging at Beckett, bringing their sword up for a downward strike.

Beckett stepped back and brought her knife up to deflect the blade, only for the figure to change the direction of the sword and catch her in the stomach with the flat of their blade, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to drop her knife. Beckett's hand shot to where she was hit while she tried to catch her breath.

She was screwed. She was disarmed and out of places to go. It would be a miracle if she managed to escape.

Without thinking about it, Beckett began backing up, only becoming aware of her actions when her back hit a wall. Before she could properly react to her blunder, two blades crossed over her neck, pinning her to the wall.

"Game Over Ensign, I win," the figure said, a smug smile evident in their voice. "Give up."

Beckett struggled desperately for a moment before slumping against the wall in defeat.

"Fine, I give up," Beckett said with a pout. "Computer, end program."

Around her, the ship's interior melted away into uniform walls of the holodeck.

"What does that make it? Eleven to zero?" the figure said teasingly as they stepped away from Beckett and removed their hood to reveal the smiling face of Percy.

Beckett crossed her arms and sent Percy a weak glare.

"If I remember correctly. It's eleven to one," She replied, a small smile on her lips.

Percy's attitude shifted instantly.

"You know that one doesn't count. You only one because the ship jerked suddenly, causing me to trip." Percy whined while pointing accusingly at Beckett.

"Weren't you the one to say a good fighter uses every advantage they can get, fair or not?"

Percy opened his mouth to retort, only to close it and look away from her.

"Fine, whatever."

Beckett grinned triumphantly, happy that he finally acknowledged her 'win'.

When she first asked Percy to run one-on-one scenarios with her, she'd been expecting a slight challenge from him. What she didn't plan for was for him to dominate every situation she put them in. He won every time and seemed to do so without trying. It was endlessly infuriating and attractive, something Beckett had mixed feelings about.

"Why do I have to wear this costume anyways, what's the point of dressing up?" Percy asked as he shrugged off his cloak revealing his lack of shirt beneath it.

Beckett's eyes immediately locked on his form. It was the first time she'd seen him in anything other than his uniform or a loose-fitting t-shirt, due to the fact he always showered at different times than her. His chest and shoulders were well-defined, but the things that really caught her attention were the myriad of scars that littered his chest and the 'Q' shaped tattoo on his left deltoid.

Beckett felt her cheeks heat up slightly, causing her to shake her head to clear it. She'd seen more dudes shirtless than she cared to remember, but for some odd reason, seeing Percy felt different.

Realizing she hadn't answered his question, Beckett took a deep breath to purge any remnants of embarrassment from her system.

"I made you wear it so I wouldn't have to see your face," Beckett said with a forced smile. "I can't take the fight seriously when you have that stupid smile on your face."

"Uh-huh," Percy's expression showed he didn't believe her. "And why did I have to be shirtless for this?"

"I didn't say anything about you not wearing a shirt," Beckett said with a laugh. "That was all you."

Percy looked at the cloak in his hand and shrugged before unceremoniously dropping it on the floor and walking over to wear his folded uniform shirt sat on the floor. He pulled the shirt on quickly and took a minute or so to adjust it and make sure his uniform was in regulation.

Beckett watched the scene with a small smile. It always amused her to see the amount of effort Percy put into following the letter of the rules. In a way it reminded her of Boimler and how much he obsessed and fretted over even the most obscure regulations. Sure, he'd gotten better toward the end of his time on the Cerritos, but he was still largely the same. Percy was similar, but where Boimler did his best to follow the letter and spirit of the regulations, Percy did everything in his power to violate the true meaning of the rules. It was something Beckett admired about him.

Retrieving her own uniform shirt, Beckett put it on and got ready for the rest of the day. She had plans to go on a side mission with her mother while the rest of the crew was working on something else.

"Beckett report to my office and bring Percy with you," her comm badge said suddenly, causing Beckett to frown slightly.

She didn't know why her mother wanted to see Percy, as far as she knew he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Hey dork, Captain wants to see us," Beckett called over to Percy. "Try not to slow us down this time."

Percy walked over to her with a scowl.

"I don't try to slow us down, people just keep trying to talk to me," He said with a sigh. "I don't know why."

Beckett rolled her eyes as she made her way out of the holodeck, Percy right next to her.

He had been on the ship for three weeks and was friends with half the crew and acquaintances with the other half. He seemed to have something in common with everybody, even Delta shift, something Beckett didn't know was possible.

It was annoying and made going anywhere with him a chore. Even worse was the attention he got from the women on the ship. It bothered her for some reason, but luckily Percy didn't seem to notice or care.

"Do you have any idea why the Captain wants to see us?" Percy asked as he waved to a person near them. "You haven't done anything dumb recently right?"

"No, I've been trying to be a bit better now that my mom and I have come to an understanding," Beckett said with a slight frown. "The only reason that I can think of is that we have a side mission planned for today, but if it's that, why did she ask me to bring you?"

Percy simply shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

They eventually made it to her mother's office, only stopping a few times to let Percy talk to people.

"Alright Captain, what you need us for?" Becketts asked as soon as she entered the office.

Carol shook her head slightly before responding.

"Mariner, as you know we have a side mission planned for today," Carol said evenly.

"What about it? You want to cancel it or something?" Beckett said before her mother had a chance to continue.

"Let her finish speaking," Percy whispered, causing Beckett to roll her eyes.

"Thank you, Percy," Carol said with a nod. "As I was saying, we have a side mission planned and I was wondering if you would like to bring Percy along."

Beckett's eyes widened drastically, her head whipping around to see an equally stunned Percy.

She loved the mission she went on with her mother, but in the short time they'd been doing them, Beckett had become frustrated. Her mother couldn't quite keep up with her, and even though they'd agreed to work together, they still argued quite frequently. Bringing Percy along might provide the variety she was looking for.

"I think that's the best idea you've ever had!" Beckett exclaimed enthusiastically. "What do say Perc?"

Percy stood frozen for a moment before he shook himself.

"I would be honored, Captain," he said stiffly.

Beckett rolled her eyes. She didn't understand why Percy was so formal with her mother recently. When she first met him, he was talking with her mom like they were old friends, yet at some point during the last few weeks, he started acting overly formal.

"Good," Carol replied with a smile. "Meet me back here in an hour to go over the mission details."

"Yes Captain," Beckett said with a lazy salute, earning her a subtle eye roll from Percy.

This mission was gonna be fun. She could feel it.

"Explain to me again why you need a backpack," Beckett asked from her bunk. "When has anyone ever brought rope on an away mission?"

Perc rolled his eyes and continued to stuff the items laid on his bunk into his bag.

"This is an off-the-books side mission, we can't rely on having access to our normal gear," Percy replied tiredly.

Beckett hopped down from her bunk and started picking through the things he'd set aside.

"Rubbing alcohol, pliers, matches." She listed off. "When are we gonna use these?"

Percy ignored her. He knew most of the stuff would end up being unnecessary, but years of quests had drilled the lesson of 'be prepared for anything' deep into his brain. Even while walking around the ship he had riptide in his back pocket. The sword didn't work on most things, but he'd been surprised a few times.

"And what about this? It's just a metal tin with a 'Q' on it," Beckett said as she dug through Percy's stuff.

Percy's eyes widened and in an instant, he turned around and snatched the box from Beckett's hands.

A moment of silence passed before Percy said something.

"It's, uh, medicine for my, um, ADHD?"

Beckett gave him a look displaying her disbelief.

"You really expect me to believe that? What's in the tin Percy?"

Percy was getting nervous. Beckett was smart and always called him out on his bullshit. It reminded him of Annabetth in a way that made his stomach feel weird.

"Just tell her it is pain relief medication, you are making a bigger deal of this than needed," A stern female voice said in Percy's mind.

"Shut up, you have no right to talk right now, especially after that stunt you pulled," Percy snapped back.

"We were simply trying to help!"

"Your help made people suspicious," Percy replied. "But I'll use your excuse. Now shut up, I can't deal with you talking in my head at the moment."

"I'm still waiting for an answer," Beckett said, her hands on her hips.

Percy sighed in defeat.

"It's pain medication," Percy muttered. "Some of my scars do more than look ugly."

Beckett's expression softened.

"I saw some of your scars earlier, they looked gnarly," She replied. "What's with the 'Q' though?"

Percy suppressed a groan. Beckett was too curious for her own good sometimes.

"I don't know, it was just on the tin when I found it."

Beckett's eyes narrowed but she said nothing.

Percy put the tin in his bag quickly.

He knew Beckett didn't believe him, but he didn't have a choice. Explaining ambrosia and nectar as 'pain medication was a stretch already, he doubted he could come up with a good explanation on how he got it.

"I've been meaning to ask," Beckett said suddenly. "Why are you so stiff around my mom all of a sudden?"

"She had some things to say about the division I chose. I reminded her she had no say in the matter."

Carol had cornered him a day or two after he started working as a science officer asking why he didn't choose a better job and telling him he was wasting his potential. It had put Percy off and he'd been distancing himself from her.

"I'm grateful for everything she's done for me, I truly am," Percy said seriously. "But she needs to know her place, and right now that place is my Captain."

"She can be a bit overbearing," Beckett said with a smile. "It just shows she cares."

Percy finished packing his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He knew she was right, but he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"That's a surprisingly well-thought-out response. You practice that one is the mirror?"

Beckett punched him in the arm before wincing and grabbing her hand.

"Don't be a dick," Beckett grumbled. "Let's go, my mom is waiting for us."

Percy rubbed the spot Beckett punched.

The effects of bathing in the River Styx apparently didn't have a time limit. The Curse had helped Percy greatly with combat training and kept him out of the sick bay. It did have the unfortunate side effect of forcing Percy to consume far more food than normal, something that definitely drew attention in the mess hall.

"I almost felt that one," Percy said with a smirk.

Beckett rolled her eyes as she massaged her injured hand.

"You're gonna have to explain to me why hitting you hurts so much."

Percy gave her a wide smile.

"Nope."

"I always forget how uncomfortable these seats are," Carol complained as she prepared the shuttle for flight.

"Now you know how we feel," Beckett replied before looking over her shoulder into the back of the ship. "You comfortable back there Perce?"

Carol sighed as she input their destination into the shuttle's navigation system.

The Garlexe were a small bear-like species that had joined the federation a few years prior. They sent a request to have the communication systems upgraded and expanded. It was a standard errand, the kind usually assigned to California class ships.

However, this wasn't the reason for their mission.

For several months the Garlexe had been requesting help with finding an artifact of great cultural significance. Carol thought it would be a great mission for her and Beckett to tackle.

"I'm fine," Percy responded. "The bench is a little shallow though, you think we could trade?"

"No can do," Beckett shot back. "You're an add-on so you stay in the back."

Carol watched as the two continued to trade barbs with a smile.

The addition of Percy had gone better than she'd expected and she was looking forward to seeing how things went.

"We've got about forty minutes until we land," Carol said loudly, interrupting Percy and Beckett's bickering. "Do either of you have any questions?"

Percy's hand shot into the air.

"You don't have to raise your hand dork," Beckett teased, causing him to blush slightly and lower his hand.

"Yes, Percy?" Carol said with a chuckle.

"Why aren't we going with the rest of the crew? We're going to the same place."

"They requested we come separately. They said something about our transporters interfering with their holy ground," Carol replied.

Percy's brows furrowed slightly.

"That doesn't really make sense, but ok."

The rest of the flight went by without any problems, the time filled with light conversation.

"Alright, the Garlexe are self-conscious about their size and appearance, so make sure to say anything that could allude to them," Carol said as the shuttle landed.

"Mom, we are professionals, you don't need to tell us," Beckett said as Percy nodded in agreement.

Carol rolled her eyes. She had the same mindset before interacting with the Garlexe for the first time and she'd been humbled quickly.

The back of the shuttle lowered, prompting the occupants to make their way out. Waiting for them was a creature no taller than four feet wearing a small cloak and a large headdress. The landing area was a courtyard made of pale yellow stone with lush trees scattered around and arches along the edges. Near the back was a large building with three spires, the middle spire the tallest

"Hewwo Captain Fweeman, thank you for answewing ouw pwee," The Garlexe said. "I am High Pweistess Sewyia, welcome to ouw pwanet!"

From behind her Carol heard Beckett struggling to stifle her laughter and Percy said something about Lucas being a visionary, whoever that was.

"Thank you High Priestess, it's our pleasure to assist you," Carol replied with a smile. "I was told we would be meeting with the Garlexe leader."

Seryia waved her paw dismissively.

"Ouw weader decided since the missing awtifact is a church mattur, she wouwd let us handul it."

Carol's brow furrowed slightly. An artifact of religious significance was completely different than one of cultural significance.

"Your call for aid said it was culturally important. Starfleet tries not to interfere with religious matters."

"It is cultuwy importent Captain, it awso happens to be weligous in nature," Seryia said as she turned around and started walking toward the large building at the end of the courtyard. "Follow me, I'lw fill in you in on the detaiws inside."

Carol watched the Priestess walk momentarily before looking to Percy and Beckett. Beckett was still struggling to contain her laughter while Percy seemed to be deep in thought with a troubled look on his face. Beckett's reaction was one Carol understood, Percy's however, was not.

"What's on your mind, Percy?" Carol asked.

"I just," Percy paused for a moment. "I feel like something is off about this whole situation."

Carol frowned slightly.

"Off how?"

Percy brought one hand to his head and gestured to the large spired building.

"The sudden change in who we were meeting, the fact they didn't mention the church's involvement," Percy dropped his hands to his side and sighed. "I don't know, it just feels wrong."

Carol's frown deepened. Sure the situation was weird, but she wasn't getting a sense of wrongness from it like Percy was.

"Don't sweat it Perce," Beckett said as she slung her arm over Percy's shoulders, the man bending slightly to accommodate her. "Things change on missions all the time, especially on one not sanctioned by Star Fleet," Beckett poked Percy in the side with her free hand. "What I'm more interested in talking about is how annoying the Priestess's voice is."

Carol let out a small laugh, her head nodding in agreement.

"Her voice is quite annoying," Carol said before turning to Percy. "Try not to worry so much, Mariner is right about the unpredictability of missions."

"Alright I guess," Percy said hesitantly.

"No 'I guess', just yes," Beckett exclaimed as she grabbed his hand and started dragging him toward the spired building.

Carol watched the two run ahead with a smile.

"This is gonna be fun," She muttered to herself.

Beckett was not having fun.

For starters, the artifact they were supposed to find was buried deep in a jungle that seemed only to exist to piss her off. It was humid, making her hair frizzy and annoying to deal with. The constant buzzing of the bugs didn't help either.

Secondly, the Seryia informed them they couldn't have any technology on them, stating it might damage the artifact. They had to negotiate to be allowed to wear their comm badges, even then they had to be powered off unless there was an emergency. It left them isolated from the rest of the crew.

The most annoying thing in Beckett's opinion however was Percy.

Their inability to use even the most basic forms of tech made the bag of supplies he had brought immensely useful. It seemed like Percy had a solution to every problem they encountered packed in a deep corner of his beet-up blue bag. Even worse was that every time the group used something Percy had brought, he sent Beckett a smug look that made her stomach do a frantic little dance.

It was a reaction Beckett didn't care to ponder, forcing her to think about the group's current problem.

"I should be able to climb to the top and toss a rope down," Percy said, gesturing to the tall rock wall that blocked their path.

Beckett rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Oh please, you're just looking for an excuse to use something from your bag."

"Don't diss the bag. The bag is awesome," Percy said seriously as he pulled a thick bundle of rope from his pack. "It's just the easiest way forward, I have plenty of experience free climbing and should be able to reach the top fairly quickly."

"Fine," Beckett responded snarkily.

Percy put his arm through the rope with a smile and ran off.

"You've been pretty passive this whole mission Mom," Beckett said after watching Percy climb for a few moments.

"I could say the same about you," Carol replied as she walked over to stand next to Beckett.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Beckett shot back quickly.

Carol chuckled.

"We both know that you are perfectly capable of scaling that cliff yourself."

Beckett's body tensed up.

"I've only seen how he does on our routine missions. I'm giving him the opportunity to prove he's as capable as everyone says he is," She said, answering Carol's unspoken question.

Beckett refused to admit her mother was right because she wasn't. Any satisfaction she got from watching Percy dominate any task put before him was only because she liked knowing she had competent crewmates. Nothing else.

"If you insist," Carol said in disbelief.

Beckett went back to watching Percy, not wanting to deal with her nosey mom.

As she watched, the thing that stuck out to her the most was how easy Percy made it look. He didn't ever stop to test a hold or readjust his foot placement, he just kept climbing like he knew the best route perfectly.

It was odd, Beckett had been a professional badass for years, and even she hesitated occasionally. The only time she saw Percy hesitate was when they were sparring.

"How do you think he's fitting in around the ship?" Carol asked suddenly, breaking Beckett from her thoughts.

"Pretty well," Beckett said with a shrug. "He seems to know everyone despite spending all of his time doing whatever Science officers do."

Carol nodded slowly.

"I've heard good things from all the department heads, apparently he stops in from time to time to help."

Beckett snorted in amusement.

"Of course he does. What has Ransom said about him?"

"Claims he'd be an amazing Captain if he showed any interest in anything beyond aquatic lifeforms," Carol replied with a smile. "Though he has complained about Percy being harsh during sparring sessions."

"Sounds about right," Beckett said with a chuckle. "How much longer do you think it'll take Percy to finish climbing?"

As soon as she said that, Beckett watched Percy's form appear at the top of the cliff.

"Hey guys, I found some cool stuff up here!"

As it turned out 'cool stuff' ended up being an ancient temple, not that Beckett was complaining.

The temple was fairly small compared to the buildings they had seen earlier but still had a sense of importance. The exterior was covered in vegetation and made of the same pale yellow stone as before.

Entering the building revealed a large square room with three archways in the back, all leading to dark hallways. The walls were covered in engravings that Beckett assumed to be in an early form of the Garlexe language.

Overall it was a pretty generic old temple.

"This definitely seems like the place an artifact would be kept," Percy commented as he ran his hand along one of the temple walls.

"Isn't rule one of temple exploration to not touch anything?" Beckett yelled across the room as she inspected the engravings on the wall.

She didn't understand any of it, but it felt like the right thing to do at the moment.

"I will have you know I am a certified expert when it comes to exploring temples!" Percy yelled back dramatically. "I have a certificate from the Federation and everything."

"Will you two stop bickering," Carol said, her tone a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "We need to figure out which door to go through."

Beckett stopped examining the engravings and turned toward the archways. They were all identical in appearance, nothing hinting at which way was correct.

"We should split up and-" Beckett was cut off by Percy.

"Nope, that's a super dumb idea and a great way to get us killed. I say we go through the middle door."

"Why would we do that?"Beckett asked incredulously. "The middle door is always boobytrapped!"

Percy crossed his arms and gave her a look that Beckett would vehemently deny liking.

"This is a religious temple, one probably used for prayer and worship. Why would they boobytrap it if they used it often?"

Beckett opened her mouth to argue but closed it just as fast. His logic was sound, but she refused to give up easily.

"What do you think Mom?"

Carol shrugged, her eyebrows raised.

"I don't know, but Percy is the one with the certificate."

Beckett buried her face in her hands and groaned.

"If I die I'm going to haunt your ass for all of eternity," Beckett said to Percy.

"If you do I'll just call my ghost guy."

"Let's just get this over with," Carol said suddenly before they could start arguing again. "I'm tired and just want to get back to the ship."

Beckett stuck her tongue out at Percy and followed after Carol. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Percy smile before walking to catch up to them.

The hall attached to the middle archway led to a small circular room with a pedestal in the middle, on which sat a large hexagonal lens attached to a metal staff. A hole in the roof allowed for a ray of sunlight to shine on the pedestal.

Similar to the first room, the walls were covered in engravings, this time depicting different scenes, with the most interesting scene directly behind the pedestal.

The engraving depicted what looked like a person holding a staff over a crowd of kneeling figures. Several lines connected the kneeling figures to the staff. What appeared to be flames decorated the edges of the scene.

"Hey Percy," Beckett called out after looking over the chamber for a moment.

"Yeah?"

"How much you wanna bet that if we return the artifact the priestess won't turn out to be evil and want to use the staff for galactic domination?"

"I'm not stupid Beckett."

"Fine. Mom?"

"Mariner you know I don't take Sucker Bets."

"You guys are no fun."

Finding out the Priestess was evil came as a surprise to no one and neither did finding out the Garlexe leader wasn't involved at all. The church had apparently been making attempts to take over the government for some time.

The whole thing was so predictable that Beckett wasn't able to enjoy watching the Priestess get locked up for her crimes.

"This sucked," Beckett lamented as they took the shuttle back to the ship.

"It wasn't that bad," Carol replied as she piloted the shuttle. "It was a lot more relaxing than normal and we got a pretty cool souvenir this time."

Beckett looked to the back of the shuttle to see Percy anxiously holding the staff and lens.

"Why do I have to hold it?" Percy asked with a whine. "And why do I still have to sit back here?"

"Because like Mariner said on the way here you're an add-on and belong in the back," Carol replied quickly. "And cause you laughed when the Priestess tried to take the artifact."

"She was going to use it for evil purposes why shouldn't I laugh?"

"It's really hard to catch someone in a lie when you're giggling like a kid trying to be sneaky."

"I said I was sorry!" Percy mumbled.

Beckett listened to the conversation with a smile. At some point during the mission, the tension between her mom and Percy seemed to lessen, making the whole thing more enjoyable.

The flight back to the ship was faster than Beckett was expecting, and before she knew it they were landing in the shuttle bay.

"Mariner hold on for a moment," Carol called as Beckett and Percy were making their way off the shuttle.

Nodding to Percy, Beckett walked back toward her mom and sat down in the co-pilot chair.

"How do you think today went?" Carol asked after Beckett finished spinning in her chair.

Beckett closed her eyes and thought back on the mission. Besides the disappointing end, the mission went well. There were no serious issues or injuries, but-

"I don't think Percy should join us on any more side missions."

Carol nodded her head with a slight laugh.

"Agreed. We didn't get to do much and I think his presence is too distracting for you."

Beckett's head whipped to her mom.

"What do you mean distracted," She asked, her tone accusatory.

"If you weren't arguing with him, you were watching him. You almost ran into trees several times."

"Shut up, I did not!" Beckett replied defensively. "I was watching him to-"

"Assess his capabilities, I know," Carol finished teasingly. "We both know that's bullshit. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're interested."

Beckett's cheeks darkened slightly, a reaction she was wholly unprepared for.

It had been a long time since her mom had teased her about her romantic life, and she didn't know how to respond.

Standing up suddenly, Beckett gave a nonsensical excuse before walking off the shuttle.

"Say hi to Percy for me!" Carol called gleefully as she left.

What upset Beckett the most was that she was probably on her way to do just that.

Percy shot up in his bunk drenched in sweat and panting.

It had been the sixth night in a row he'd dreamed about her.

"You guys are failing spectacularly at your job," Percy grumbled.

"Don't blame us, everything that usually works isn't. We literally have no other options." A young male voice replied.

"You guys handed out dreams like they were fucking candy when I was a kid," Percy snapped back. "How hard is it to do the opposite! What good does having twelve gods rattling around in my head do if you guys can't do the one thing I ask you to do!"

"How dare you speak to us that way boy!"

"Can it Zeus. You have no right to speak."

"Percy, have you considered that maybe the reason you keep dreaming about her is that it's time to start moving on?" A gentle female voice said. "It's been five years, you can't keep beating yourself up."

"Aphrodite is right son, you didn't know."

"But I should have!" Percy put his face in his hands. "I should have."

"Perc-"

"Can you guys leave me alone right now? Please."

The lack of response told him they were respecting his wish.

Percy sat up fully and took several shaky breaths. He tried to be as quiet as possible but knew he failed when he felt the padding of his bunk shift.

Turning to his left, Percy was met by the sight of Beckett. She was wearing blue pajama pants and a matching shirt that had 'Cerritos' written across it in yellow lettering. Her hair was down and frizzy. It was an attractive look in Percy's eyes.

"What are you doing on my bunk, Beckett?" Percy asked dryly, pushing his errant thoughts from his mind.

"I'm checking on you, it seemed like you were kinda freaking out a moment ago."

Percy sighed in frustration. Of course, he'd woken up someone as nosey as Beckett, it was just his luck.

"I'm fine," Percy said flatly. "Go back to bed."

"You sure? 'Cause this is the sixth night you've done this."

Percy suppressed a groan. His luck just kept getting better.

"If you must know, I had a bad dream. That's it."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

It was a simple offer, one he was about to refuse, but something stopped him.

When was the last time he talked about it with someone?

He knew his mental roommates didn't count and a quick scan of his memories revealed the last time had been never.

"A few years ago my fi-a good friend of mine passed away," Percy said slowly. "Ever once in a while I have dreams about them, and while the dreams are usually pleasant, what they remind me of isn't."

Beckett didn't respond, but she did place a hand on his back with her thumb tracing gentle circles in the fabric of his shirt.

They sat in silence for a time, neither making an effort to move away.

"I've lost friends before," Beckett said quietly. "It's sucks, but I've been told that talking about it helps."

Percy chuckled lightly.

"You say like you haven't tried it yourself."

A small smile made its way onto Beckett's face.

"Who's comforting who here?"

"Is that what you're doing? I thought you were just trying to tear a hole in my shirt."

Beckett took her hand off his back and flicked his ear.

"Hey," Percy whined. "That almost hurt!"

"Goodnight Perce," Beckett said as she stood up and climbed back into her own bunk.

"Goodnight Beckett,"

"Hey, not to sound weird or anything, but if you ever need to talk I'm here," Beckett said after a moment. "But if you don't want to talk that's fine I just thought I'd offer."

Percy felt his eyes get misty. It was awkward, but he knew the offer was genuine.

"Thank you, Beckett, that means a lot," Percy replied. "And the same goes for you."

"Whatever dork."

Percy shook his head and laid back down.

For the first time in a week, he slept peacefully.

A few things.

The next chapter will probably be the last one before I start dipping into canon. Figuring out what to do with the characters without the guidance of the episodes is a lot harder than I initially anticipated and is part of the reason I lost interest for a bit.

I have decided to end this story at around 10-15 chapters. This is mostly because that's about as much as I can envision for this story. I have set it to 12 on the chapter count, but this is subject to change.

Til next time!