Author's Note: I cut this chapter short just so I could post something since it's almost been a month. Unfortunately, this means the promised action got pushed back to the next chapter which is mostly written, so I should be able to update within a week. As always, thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. Sorry for the long delay. Hopefully, I can go back to weekly updates.

Previously: "Even if he was a hybrid, the computer would be able to recognize the DNA of any species that can interbreed. I don't mean to be rude, Percy, but what are you?"

Chapter 12: I Get a Headache

"Yes, that seems to be the most pertinent question at the moment," Qui-Gon stated coolly, as he ejected my blood sample from the comlink and did something to both collectors that made them hiss. "Thank you for all of your help tonight, Obi-Wan. I will fill you in on what they tell me later."

He focused his piercing eyes on us. "Now, Percy, Annabeth, I have answered your most pressing questions and destroyed your blood as you requested. I would like you to answer some of mine. Who and what are you really and how did you end up on Naboo eight months ago? I doubt it was because of a spaceship accident in a wormhole." Well here goes nothing. Annabeth and I shared a look and agreed to tell him the whole truth about the nature of our parents and what really happened that day we came to Naboo.

For most of our story, Qui-Gon kept his eyes closed. He was probably using his Force sense to see if we were lying. When we were done, Qui-Gon opened his eyes and stated, "Well, I sense your honesty in the Force though it always seems more difficult with you two than it should be. You at least believe what you say to be truthful. However, as far as I know, there are no such beings as gods. There is only the Force. Many primitive societies have confused powerful Force-users for gods though your tale is still rather perplexing."

Annabeth frowned at that. "I'm clearly not familiar with the full extent of the power of Force-users, but are they immortal?"

"Some Force-users can have extremely long lives. Yoda, the Grand Master, is nearly 900 years old, and the oldest Force-user we know of lived to be over 2,000 years. This is one reason why cultures have worshiped Force-users in the past." Qui-Gon explained as if we were very young children.

Of course, this annoyed Annabeth, so she fired back, "The gods, including my mother and Percy's father, are approaching 4,000 standard years. They can be wounded and have their essence scattered so that it takes a millennium to reform, but they do not die unless their domains of power are destroyed or the mortals, what we call normal humans, no longer value their spheres of influence in which case they fade from existence."

Qui-Gon looked stunned. "That is indeed most unusual. There are a few beings scattered throughout the galaxy that are naturally deeply connected to the Force and rumored to be immortal with powers greater than any Jedi or Sith. I believe I may have even met one of them, but they do not seem to be linked to any civilization or other beings, only the Force."

Annabeth starting pacing along the balcony. She always paced when she was trying to figure out a particularly difficult problem. "Hmm, I'm not saying the gods aren't connected to this Force somehow. . . Both you and Obi-Wan keep mentioning that Percy and I have an unusual presence in the Force. What is different about it?" Annabeth asked. I could tell she was slowly trying to put something together but wanted all the facts first.

"The most obvious difference is that we can only sense you when we are a few meters away," Qui-Gon explained. "Normally, a competent Force-user should be able to sense a Force presence as strong as yours and Percy's as long as he is on the same planet if not an even wider range. A trained Force-user can learn to hide his presence, but neither of you seem trained, at least in the traditional sense. I could sense Anakin's Force presence as soon as we entered the system although his location was difficult to pin-point. Another difference is that it is very difficult to read your intentions in the Force. Whenever I try, I feel like I am listening on a bad comm connection. The source of all these differences may be that you seem to channel the Force from an inner source, like you are right now, Annabeth. In contrast, most Force-users harness the Force by drawing from the surrounding energy which tends to project out and leave small echoes in the surrounding Force. Even those with a more powerful Force presence collect the Force around them, as opposed to producing it from some inner source. What you are doing right now is quite remarkable. Most Jedi would need to be in deep meditation to reach the level cognition you seem to have achieved based on my limited sense of your Force-use, and I doubt I would even be able to sense it at all if I was not so close to you."

She stopped in surprise. "You mean I am using this Force right now?" Qui-Gon nodded. "But I'm just thinking," she stated. "How could I possibly be channeling some strange energy? Unless. . ." She turned to me. "Percy could you use your powers like you did last night?"

"Umm, I think so, but maybe not as much. I was really worked up last night," I replied.

"That's fine," Annabeth stated, "Master Qui-Gon see what you can sense in the Force when Percy uses his power."

I closed my eyes and focused on my water sensing radar. I then imagined all those water molecules in the air flowing to me and felt a familiar tug in my gut. I cut off the connection before the tugging got too uncomfortable. I had about a cup of water in my outstretched hand.

"Incredible," Qui-Gon muttered as he examined the ball of water floating above my hand. "I have never heard of a Jedi summoning individual water molecules from the moisture in the air. Theoretically, it should be possible with the Force, but the amount of concentration and will it would require, to collect and then change the phase of the molecules, would be difficult for even the most experienced Jedi Masters. Again, there was no draw on the surrounding Force, but this time I could feel you release the Force as you searched for and gathered the water in the air. However, the Force was concentrated on just water and seemed extremely focused."

I didn't have a bottle for the water, and I was feeling kind of thirsty. So, I waved my hand in a circular motion, and the water responded so that it looked like it was in an invisible cup. Then, I drank it. I would not recommend drinking water that you are manipulating. It gives you a nasty headache, but I guess that also could have been all this Force talk.

Annabeth had returned to her pacing. "I think I might have a hypothesis of sorts though it sounds crazy and not fully developed, but it's the best I have at explaining all of this. One last thing, Percy can you bring out Riptide."

"Umm, sure, but why?"

"To test a theory." She turned to Qui-Gon. "Percy's going to bring out his sword. It's made out of a magical metal from our world called Celestial bronze." Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at the word magic, and Annabeth shrugged. "Yeah, maybe there is a scientific or Force based explanation for it, but back home there were things that we just called magic, like Percy's sword, my invisibility cap, and some of my laptop's capabilities. Anyways Celestial bronze can cut through almost any non-magical substance including droids apparently, but it only harms beings that are somehow connected to the gods on our planet at least as far as we know. The blade will just pass through any normal human or sentient being as Percy found out last night when a couple of nonhumans attacked us. I'm curious Master Qui-Gon, if the blade will just pass through you as well. Or, perhaps Celestial bronze has been sensing this Force the whole time, and our definition of its properties was wrong. Perhaps, it actually only harms Force-sensitive beings, and we just didn't know the difference because everyone associated with our gods are Force-sensitive."

"Interesting theory, I am willing to test it," Qui-Gon stated and then looked at me expectantly. I brought out Riptide from my pocket. Qui-Gon frowned at the sight of the pen. I uncapped the pen, and the blade appeared. Qui-Gon raised his eyebrows, "Impressive, and I thought lightsabers were compact and convenient to carry." I handed him the sword, hilt first. He gripped the leather wrapped hilt and expertly examined the blade, getting a feel for its weight and balance. Then he carefully placed his thumb at the blade's edge and gently pressed. He pulled his thumb away, and we all saw the drop of red blood pooling at the tiny cut. He handed Riptide back to me and whipped the cut with one of his disinfectant wipes.

"That is quite an elegant weapon, Percy," Qui-Gon admired. "But, if I understand its properties correctly, this sword will not be able to harm the Hutts or most of the beings that serve them if negotiations to free the slaves go poorly."

"Umm, Yep." I replied sheepishly. "There's a reason that she calls me Seaweed Brain." Qui-Gon just shook his head with a small smile. "But, what does this mean that Riptide works on Jedi?" I asked Annabeth, feeling even more like a Seaweed Brain than normal.

She shrugged, "Well it supports my hypothesis, but I'm still not sure of everything. There are still a lot of holes in it and things that overall just don't make sense. Most people here and back home will probably say this is wrong and impossible, but like I said before it's the only explanation I have."

"Sounds like you have more figured out than I do, like usual, so please do your explainy thing, Wise Girl" I begged.

"Very well, firstly, I think Nemesis, the goddess that brought us here, opened an interdimensional portal that day. So, we're currently in an alternate universe to our own. This could explain our difficulty finding our home planet and the reason your sensor can not detect our midi-chlorians that you claim every living thing in the universe has. I assume you scan for the exact chemical composition of the midi-chlorians in order to distinguish them from other microbial forms?" Qui-Gon nodded. "According to the parallel universe theory, beings from different universes could have undergone different evolution paths, so maybe we do have something similar to midi-chlorians in our cells, but they have a different enough chemical composition to not register in your scan. Percy's sword however seems quite effective at detecting Force-sensitives somehow. Although it's from a different universe, it still was able to cut Qui-Gon even though he doesn't seem connected to any of our mythology which makes me think, Percy, that our whole crazy ancient Greek world is somehow connected to the Force. I mean the only real common denominator between us and Qui-Gon, that I know of, is this Force-sensitivity, so perhaps Riptide uses Force-sensitivity to distinguish us from regular mortals."

"But Annabeth, if we're from a different dimension then how do we even know if there is this Force back home?" I asked.

"We don't. It's just a hunch that I have mainly because of the similarities between the abilities of Force-users and demigods." She turned to Qui-Gon and asked, "What are some specific things that Jedi can do with the Force?"

"Well, there's telekinesis that we use to work on our control and focus in the Force," the Jedi explained. "It's also useful when negotiations fail, and a fight breaks out."

I interrupted. "So that's how you made that droid fly back in the hanger on Naboo."

"Yes, it was. Jedi call that a Force push. The Force also enhances our strength and agility, giving us extra height on leaps and making it possible to do complex flips in combat. Also, it enhances our reflexes giving us an almost precognition of sorts to predict blaster bolts, or an enemies sudden strike with a lightsaber."

"That sounds sort of like our natural battle reflexes as demigods although the mortals labeled it as ADHD, a learning disorder," I said. I thought back to how Annabeth had first explained it to me all those years ago. "Our heightened senses make it, so we're restless and see too much which makes it difficult to focus in normal school."

"Yes, I can imagine without proper training the extra awareness the Force provides could be a problem. That is why meditation is one of the first lessons for younglings in the Order to help them learn how to focus."

"Demigods also have enhanced strength and agility," Annabeth added. "When he was twelve, Percy managed to leap on the back of a seven-foot-tall, sorry I mean over two meters, monster and slay it. Both of us also managed to land a 100-meter drop, and Percy was able to leap a 6-meter chasm while carrying me. Before, we always thought it was just extra strength from our adrenaline and our godly heritage, but maybe, our godly heritage is somehow connected to the Force. As far as I know though, only children of the air god can lift things without touching them and do something similar to a Force push."

"Yeah, funny thing though, I think I might have done something similar when I was twelve." I said. "Right before I found out about everything, Gabe, my ex-step-father, made me so mad that I somehow made the front door slam on him when I was standing several ya- I mean meters away. I was never able to figure out how I managed that one."

Qui-Gon frowned. "Young Force-sensitives can sometimes accidentally perform Force pushes during times of high emotions. It is also why we teach our younglings how to control their emotions early on. Using the Force in anger leads to the dark side."

"Interesting," Annabeth mused. "Maybe, we could learn some of these typical Force-user's techniques. It will probably be more difficult for us since most of our Force power seems channeled to our parents' spheres of influence. I know all of this is kind of unorthodox, but since we're talking about a parallel universe is it possible that the Force works a little differently where we come from?" She directed her question towards Qui-Gon.

"I am not familiar with any actual parallel universes. We have theories of course, but as far as I know anything is possible in an alternate dimension."

"But Annabeth, why are we connected to this Force at all?" I asked. My headache had gotten much worse. How in the world were we linked to this mystic energy field from a different universe?

"No one really knows how the gods formed, Percy. I mean we know they came from the Titans who are the children of the Primordial gods, but how did they first come into existence?"

My head felt like it was going to explode as I realized where she was heading. "Wait, so your saying my dad is actually this Force thing?"

Annabeth shook her head, "Not exactly. My theory is that all the gods and Titans formed from the thoughts and beliefs of mortals. I think back in the ancient times the people believed so deeply in the idea of the gods that maybe the Force or our version of it somehow made them a reality and gave them an actual existence."

Qui-Gon sighed. "As hard as it is for me to believe, your theory does seem to answer all the questions, like why you and Percy seem to have an unusual connection to the Force. You don't draw your power from the surrounding Force because you have inherited your own power core, for lack of a better word, from your completely Force generated parents, manifested from highly concentrated thoughts of sentient beings if your theory about these gods is correct. It does explain Percy's strange DNA, and since this power core is from your godly parent that is tied to a specific domain, your Force usage is mainly channeled to those particular abilities and attributes, once you become aware of your heritage. The Force additionally enhances your reflexes and physical strength. Annabeth's Force usage is focused extensively on enhancing her mental capabilities and general cognition since your mother's sphere of influence is wisdom while Percy's is concentrated more towards water since your father is associated with the sea. Because of the somewhat limited nature of your Force application and since you do not draw on the surrounding Force like a normal Force-sensitive, you are difficult to sense."

Annabeth just shrugged. "It's my working theory at the moment."

"I assume you did not tell Panaka any of this?" Qui-Gon questioned.

I snorted, "Yeah that conversation would have gone well, 'Hey, Panaka we were sent here by a magical portal, and BTW we're half-gods."

Annabeth just rolled her eyes at my sarcastic response. "Given the circumstances and how vulnerable we were in an unfamiliar world, we thought it would be best if we actually told the officials on Naboo a story that they would believe. We were lucky that Panaka decided to adopt us, but I think he has always known there was something a little different about us."

"I do admit," Qui-Gon stated. "Your whole story does seem rather outlandish, but I have come to accept that the Force works in mysterious ways. However, as I told you on the ship, I am rather open-minded. Most of the Jedi Council would never accept this explanation. Frankly, I'm not sure what they would make of you at all. You are a contradiction to many of our principles, and they will not like that. Just the fact that you use the Force and yet have no midi-chlorians would cause a few of the traditionalist on the Council to faint. Your lack of midi-chlorians suggests that we have perhaps relied too heavily on a midi-chlorian count to determine Force-sensitivity, and in our overconfidence, we have underestimated the great mystery that is the Force." He laughed, "No, those Council members will not like it at all."

"Do you think you could try to teach us some of your techniques in the Force?" Annabeth asked, always eager to learn something new, "though I know it will be difficult for us."

Qui-Gon frowned, "I'm afraid the Jedi Council would never allow it. Even without your unusual circumstances and apparently divine origins, you are far too old for the Jedi Council to ever approve your training. Though maybe I could teach you a few of the basics, especially meditation techniques. I think you would both benefit from that." Although, he said both he was definitely looking at me.

"Umm, I don't know about that," I said. "Percy and meditation are things that just shouldn't go together, like Annabeth and playing hooky."

Annabeth just rolled her eyes, again. "That will be the day. Tartarus will sprout daisies before Percy sits still long enough to meditate." She focused on Qui-Gon and asked, "Even if the Jedi Council won't approve our training, do you think they will help us get home?"

"I think they will try, if only to get you out of this universe before you can shatter anymore of our millennia old doctrine," Qui-Gon mused. "However, as I mentioned before, we have never achieved interdimensional travel at least to my knowledge though we never had a reason to try to do so before. Also, the Jedi do have extensive archives. We may be able to find something in there to help. Although all things considered, I think your presence here is the Will of the Force. When you have accomplished what you were sent here to achieve, I truly believe the Force will guide you back home."

I frowned, "So we just wait here for this all-powerful mystical energy to beam us back home?"

Qui-Gon did his annoying smile. "As I said before my young friend, the Force works in mysterious ways, perhaps even in the form of this being who sent you here, especially if she truly is a manifestation of the Force. This um goddess," Qui-Gon hesitated at that word, "what is her sphere of influence?"

"Nemesis is primarily the goddess of revenge, but it also extends to balance," Annabeth answered.

Qui-Gon frowned, "That is most interesting and possibly troublesome."

"Why? What does it have to do with us getting stuck here?" I asked.

"I am beginning to suspect it has everything to do with why you were brought here. Now that we know the Sith are not extinct thanks to your dream, Percy. I'm sure the Sith would like nothing more than to take revenge on the Jedi for nearly wiping them out a thousand years ago. Meanwhile, the Jedi greatly wish to bring balance to the Force. I highly doubt it is a coincidence that the sphere of influence of the goddess that brought you here just so happens to include the greatest desire of the Sith and the greatest hope of the Jedi."

Annabeth started her pacing again as she thought about Qui-Gon's words. "Hmm, it does explain why Nemesis could send us to this particular dimension even though it seems out of reach for the other gods. But, what do you mean when you say the Jedi want to bring balance to the Force? It appears to me that the imbalance in the Force is in your favor since there seems to be more Jedi in the galaxy than Siths. I assume there can't be too many Siths if they were able to hide from the Jedi for a millennium."

"You just described an imbalance in Force-users in which the Jedi do seem to thankfully have the advantage. However, I'm afraid the Force is a very different matter. Thousands of years ago, there was only the Force, no dark side or light side, and no Sith. No one knows what happens, but the Force was tainted somehow with darkness. A rouge Jedi decided to explore this new darkness in the Force and soon succumbed to the worst emotions sentients can experience: anger, fear, hatred, and aggression. He discovered that he could wield greater power when he allowed these dark emotions to fuel his actions. The Jedi banished him, but they did not understand the great temptation of this new facet of the Force. Soon, the exiled Jedi had amassed a large following, and the Sith order was established."

"So, does that mean this dark side of the Force is stronger?" I asked.

"Yes and no," was Qui-Gon cryptic reply. "It all depends on how you define strength, I suppose. In a straight duel for example, the dark side is known to provide its practitioners with very powerful and ruthless attacks, but it does leave them vulnerable to their basest desires which caused much infighting in the Sith Order and allowed the Jedi to win many Sith-Jedi wars in the past. In contrast, the light side of the Force and the Jedi teachings give us the strength to do what is necessary for the greater good even at the sacrifice of ourselves. This is what ultimately gives us an advantage over the Sith. But, ever since the birth of the dark side, Jedi must constantly resist its pull. This continuous temptation to give into the easy path of the dark side for greater power is the imbalance in the Force. To try to combat this temptation, the Jedi Order has developed a strict code. The code seems to work to some extent, but our ultimate goal is to return the Force to its natural, balanced state. It was believed that this could only be achieved when the last of the Sith was destroyed by the one prophesized to bring balance to the Force. Now that we-"

"Wait! Did you just say the P-word that must-not-be-said?" I interrupted. "Out of all the places we could have been magically zapped to," I groaned, "it just had to be the one with some big important prophecy."

At Qui-Gon's confused look Annabeth explained, "Back home we have an oracle that delivers prophecies that guides us in our quests or missions so to speak, but she often predicts death, betrayal, or the likely end of the world. Ever since he was 12, Percy had this great prophecy hovering over him that said he would either save or destroy the world. When he turned 16, Percy fulfilled the prophecy and managed to save the world, only for both of us to immediately be included in another great prophecy that we almost didn't survive. So, you can understand why the mention of another prophecy might be a little troubling. What exactly is this prophecy? The wording can be very important, but even then, they are nearly impossible to interpret before they come to pass."

"Well, the exact words have been lost to time and legend, but it predicts the coming of a powerful Force-sensitive that will destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force," Qui-Gon stated.

"Yeah that's not good," I warned. "If you guys don't even have the exact words and are relying on some really old interpretation, then there is no way it's going to happen just like that. Prophecies are never that simple."

"Perhaps," Qui-Gon mused. "For centuries we assumed it was just a legend because we thought the Sith were extinct. Many Jedi have spent years meditating to discover a different way to bring balance to the Force. However, since the Sith have probably existed in secret for a thousand years this prophecy could still come to pass. But, back to my original concern about your purpose here. It seems that this goddess Nemesis must have brought you to this universe for a specific reason, but the question is, are you here for revenge or balance?"

Author's Note: Sorry if you don't like how I connected the demigods to the Force. It really shouldn't come up again, so hopefully you will continue reading.

Also thanks to HaywireEagle for correcting my spelling of "Yeah." Please let me know if you find any other errors.