A/N: If you don't like changing focuses in the Third Person POV, then, uhh... Sorry? I might have started doing it a lot in this chapter and then didn't stop for the 40,000 words that come after it? Maybe?

Surprise! Midnight update! I might have just failed a 1 credit course by like 2%, preventing me from graduating this semester! That's not going to be fun to explain to all my relatives who I told I'd be graduating! Oops! Anyway, enjoy this chapter filled with filler and not much else! It was going to be part of the next chapter, but then it would be almost thirteen thousands words, and that's too many! Still, I like it!

At the moment, no one has gotten the quote from other media from the last chapter. It was from Dragon Age: Origins, the mage origin. After you wake up from the fade and talk to Jowan, a couple girls are talking about you. One says to the other, "Why do you care? Are you best friends now?" That was totally running through my head when Percy asks Annabeth, "Why do you care?" I was considering having him say the whole thing as "Why do you care? Are we best friends, now?" but that seemed dumb. So, no one has any points yet.

Disclaimer: This is a fan-made work using characters and settings from existing works. It is not intended to infringe on the copyright of any existing work.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There's something in this chapter that may seem OP. Just... don't worry about it, alright? It'll be fine.

13: Percy Doesn't Kiss and Tell

When Percy was finished telling the story, Chiron leaned back in his wheelchair and scratched his beard in thought.

Before the immortal centaur could respond, Percy laid his cards on the table. "I know you'd like to save her, but I also know you'll think the risk isn't worth it. I'm going to tell you now: I don't care."

Chiron was taken aback. "Percy, you can't mean—"

Percy interrupted, "Chiron, please, just let me finish. I'm going to find Bianca. I'll find her, and I'll bring her back. I don't care if there's no quest. I don't care if my actions are sanctioned. I will be going. And if I don't come back…"

He made a claw over his chest and pushed outward.

"If I don't come back, Nico will take my place."

"If you leave Camp without a quest or permission, Pedro Johnson," Mr. D interrupted his own sentence with a yawn. "Then you'll be treated as a defector, and barred from reentering camp. But since I like you so much, Peter, I might not submit the kill-on-sight order for you. Maybe."

If the dried-out god expected Percy to be affected by a threat like that, he was bound for disappointment.

"I don't care."

Percy's words caused the two girls to squawk, the satyr to gasp, and the centaur to grip his blanket tightly.

Nico made a fist, likely vowing to get stronger.

Mr. D just yawned again. "Well, that is your choice, Perry Jordan."

Chiron slowly calmed down. "We'll talk about this later, Percy. For now, why don't you show our new friend Nico around?"

Percy nodded.

"Thalia, Annabeth, how about you make the rounds and tell everyone we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."

As Percy took Nico around, he ended up breaking apart no less than three potential fights between campers and Huntresses. Tensions were high, to say the least.

After dropping off Nico and Lily at the Hermes Cabin, Percy finally headed for the beach. Not only to heal himself, but to find Bessie. She turned out not to be there yet, though. She'd probably not be around 'til the next night.

His plan was to get his father to collect her before he even left on the quest. If he actually got on it, that is. He'd break out with Blackjack if he didn't, defector or not. Mr. D be damned, he'd destroy Kronos one way or another.

That way, he could keep the Lion's pelt, Zoë would stay safe, and he wouldn't have to start over again. He wanted to make it to Kronos this time. He had the first time. How hard could it be?

He'd forgotten that prophecies change if he planned on changing the outcome of the quest.

He went back to his cabin after promoting peace between camper and Huntress to everyone he saw, so that he could Iris Message Tyson. The conversation ended up mostly the same.

After that, though, he looked at the golden drachma in the bottom of the basin again.

After a moment, he threw another coin into the mist.

"Iris, O Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering. Show me my mother, Sally Jackson, in Manhattan, Upper East Side."

The rainbow mist flickered, melting into the image of Percy's mother, cooking breakfast. A late start—that was abnormal. She must've been really tired last night. Made sense, driving to and from Maine.

Percy tried not to scare her. He cleared his throat a couple times, and eventually she heard it.

"Oh, Percy! I'm so glad you're safe! Did everything go okay? Is everyone alright?" Sally fussed motherly.

Percy smiled. "Yes, Mom, everyone is fine, we're all safe. The only thing is… There were two half-bloods there. And we only saved one."

Sally was an empathetic person, and her heart was immediately filled with pain. Percy saw it on her face, so he explained, "She's not dead. There were two siblings, a boy and a girl. Nico and Bianca. I saved Nico, but Bianca was captured. And I'm going to save her."

Sally's eyes went from pained to worried. "You're leaving on another quest, then?"

Percy shook his head slowly. "No. Not yet. They don't… It's not worth risking three of us to go after someone who might not even be alive. I'm not sure if I'll ever get a quest. But I promised Nico, Bianca's brother, that I'd save her. It was my fault she was taken, Mom. I have to get her back."

Sally sighed. "Percy, I know you feel it's your duty to save everyone, but I'm sure if you hadn't been there that Nico and Bianca would both have been taken. I can't stop you from going to save Bianca, but you have to know it isn't your fault."

Percy had recently heard similar advice from a goddess and an immortal trainer of heroes, but somehow his mortal mom's advice was the most persuasive. "I got it, Mom. I just called to tell you I'm safe, and that I might be leaving camp soon. But I should be home for Christmas."

"Alright, sweetie. I love you!"

"I love you too, Mom."

Swiping his hand through the connection, Percy quickly rummaged around in one of his trunks, labelled simply STUFF.

The Stuff chest was filled with spoils of war he had collected from various monsters. He claimed never to find anything when he went on patrols, because he knew there were still traitors in camp who would tell the enemy he was stronger—and more active—than he looked.

He'd kept Silena from spying, as well as a few others, but he'd never ferret them all out. He wasn't the Commander anymore, just Percy plain old Jackson, and he didn't have the authority to set up an espionage program. There was really no point, anyway.

This was only a test run, to see how much more training he would need. Bianca had been captured instead of Annabeth, but what could that really change? He was sure Bianca wouldn't join the people she'd been captured by within a week, after all. Stockholm Syndrome didn't work that fast, did it?

The only difference so far would be that he would save Zoë and no one would die in the Junkyard of the Gods. That way… Hmm… Thalia would still need to join the Hunt so she never turned sixteen. Well, he guessed she just wouldn't be the Lieutenant, then.

He never stopped rummaging while he pondered, pulling out all sorts of things. Both Minotaur horns—he'd gotten both of them this time—and the fangs of an Empousa, the blood of a certain Hydra and the claws of a Dracanae. He even had some various bones in there.

He took out the things with the least sentimental value and the most actual value, like the extra Minotaur horn, the Hydra's blood, and some of the stronger bones, and tossed them all in a backpack. He took out something he'd found by chance just a few days prior and put it in his pocket. He headed to the forges, where he knew Beckendorf would be.

A lot of Hephaestus kids had actual jobs, as mechanics and stuff, so when he arrived, it was just a lone Beckendorf manning the forge.

"'Sup, Beck," Percy announced.

"Not much, Perce," came Beckendorf's reply. "You need more armor again? I know how you chew through it."

Percy winced and said, "Not so loud, Beck, you know the walls have ears."

Beckendorf looked apologetic. "Sorry, sorry."

Percy waved him off. "'Sa'right, man. Not what I'm here for, anyway."

Beckendorf showed a curious look, quenching the spearhead he was working on as he asked, "Then what are ya here for, Perce? You've never asked for anything else."

"I'll give it to you straight. I need a sword."

Beckendorf nearly did a double take as he stopped pumping the bellows in shock.

"A sword? For you?"

"Yeah-huh," Percy said casually.

Beckendorf scratched his head. "Don't you already have the baddest-ass sword this side of the prime meridian?"

"Sure do," Percy answered un-humbly. "But while Riptide is a beaut', she's not really mine. She was a gift, but someday soon, she'll be going back where she belongs. And I'll need a sword when that happens."

Beckendorf scratched his head. "That makes sense, but you know the rules. I can't make you a new weapon when you already have one. Even if you're planning on losing it."

Percy nodded in understanding. "I know. That's why this'll be strictly off the books. I don't want the camp to make me a second weapon. I want you to make me a second weapon. And I'm not just cashing in that favor you owe me. I've got plenty of reasons for you to bend the rules."

Beckendorf smiled and let out a low chuckle. "Alright, Perce. You haven't disappointed me yet. Let's see what you've got."

Percy pulled out one of the Minotaur horns. "I know how long you've been eying this bad boy. And he's just the appetizer."

Beckendorf's eyes widened. He'd be able to make such an awesome weapon with that thing. He'd already be willing to break the rules just in exchange for that one horn. That was just the appetizer?

"I've also got this," Percy said as he brought out a celestial bronze container the size of a metal lunchbox.

Beckendorf licked his lips. Anything that had to be stored in celestial bronze was good stuff.

Percy opened the lid, forcing Beckendorf to back off, the smell alone instantly burning his eyes.

Luckily Percy had sealed the room when he walked in, as Beckendorf couldn't stop himself from shouting, "True Hydra's blood! How is that possible?! You had time to bleed it?!"

Percy chuckled. "I sure did. That immortal bastard's last head is safely sealed under a certain boulder in a certain national park, where it should go undisturbed for quite some time. Turns out, scalding water does the trick just fine. Who knew the Immortal Hydra would be so easy to burn?"

Beckendorf shook his head in disbelief. "There couldn't possibly be any more—"

"Of course there is," Percy interrupted. "The last and most valuable thing you'll get to keep for yourself."

He pulled out the long bones from his bag.

"No way."

"Yes way. Bones of a Drakon."

"Did you…"

"Nope. I found them."

"How?"

"A gentleman never kisses and tells, my good Charles."

"And that's all you found?"

"Is it not enough?"

"More than enough! By the beard of my father, it's more than enough!"

"Let's not go bringing family into our private affair, Beck. This is one hundred percent off the record. That includes our fathers. Of course, what you make will eventually come to light, but the payment… should be left anonymous. To answer your question, the rest of the corpse had disintegrated. Only a few bone chips left, and I didn't think you'd need those. Was I wrong?"

"I could use them, but there are good enough substitutes. I'd not say I need them for anything... Not like the intact bones. Good gods, Percy, this is incredible! Just how awesome do you want your sword to be?"

Percy waggled his finger jokingly. "Not so fast, Beck. There's still one more thing."

Beckendorf tilted his head like a puppy. "But you said the bones were the last thing."

"I said they were the last thing you'll get to keep. What I'm about to show you is the reason for my… generosity. I don't expect it'll be easy to work with."

"Well, out with it, man! Don't keep me waiting," Beckendorf chided.

Percy pulled out a large blue gemstone, in the shape of a long, thin diamond—like a squished kite. It was the length of a finger, and about as thick as one, too. "This is the pièce de résistance."

Beckendorf frowned. "A… sapphire? No offense, but how is that hard to work with?"

"None taken, Beck," Percy waved the large man off again. "I'd be more than surprised if you knew how special this was when you first saw it. I certainly thought it was nothing more than a simple gem at first, myself."

"But… it's not?" Beckendorf asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Right. I found it in… let's say, a treasure trove. A treasure trove I expected to be full. But when I looked inside, this was the only thing in it. Now, why would a thief steal everything else, but not this single jewel? Doesn't make much sense. Unless…" Percy waited for Beckendorf to finish his sentence.

"Unless no one stole anything. This was the treasure trove."

Percy nodded, proud of his much-much-younger friend. "This gemstone alone is worth more than a hundred prized swords. Well, in my hands, anyways. Not much use at all for almost anyone else."

"How so?"

Percy grinned. "It seems to amplify the effects of divine hydrokinesis."

Beckendorf's jaw dropped. "That specific?"

Percy nodded. "Yeah. It only works on my water control abilities, nothing else. Thalia couldn't use it at all. The water magic Lily knows wasn't boosted one bit, either."

Beckendorf let out a sigh of disbelief. "It's like that thing was made for you, Percy."

"It certainly seems so, doesn't it?" Percy admitted, before sighing deeply. "I messed up, Beck. I had a mission last night. Ended up there were two kids, and I needed to protect them from a manticore. I saved one, but the other was captured, because I didn't finish it off in time. I'm going after her, quest or no quest."

"And you need a new sword."

"Exactly. I need a sword made, and I want this concealed within the grip of the weapon. The trouble is… Well, you'll see in a second."

Percy handed the son of the forge the blue gem. A few seconds after Beckendorf grabbed it, it started vibrating. Softy at first, but it slowly grew more and more intense the longer he held it. It eventually got so bad that Beckendorf had to give it back to Percy or he wouldn't be able to hold on to it any longer.

The instant it touched Percy's hand, it quelled entirely, as if it was just a regular blue gemstone, and the vibration was just a hallucination.

"You were right. That won't be easy to work with," Beckendorf admitted. "But I can handle it."

"How long will it take?" Percy asked, suddenly all business.

"This'll be nearly impossible. It'll take around two days, if I don't work on anything else," Beckendorf said, serious as well.

"I don't need anything fancy, Beck. No enchantments, no etchings, no engravings, no embellishment, no nothing. Don't use any of the stuff I gave you just now, either. This doesn't need to be your masterpiece. Just put the gem in the grip, and nothing else. Make sure it isn't exposed at all, completely encase it in metal. Give me the simplest leather wrapping."

"Mmm…" Beckendorf thought to himself. "I can cut it down to a day and a half, if you want my best work."

"Of course I do. A day and a half should be fine."

"What style do you want the blade?"

"You know me, Beck. I'm a simple man. Make sure it's double edged, pointy on one end, and I don't care about the rest. Somehow I feel like… it'll all work out."

"If you say so, Percy. We both know how weird you are with finding a balanced sword. I don't want you crying to me later if it doesn't feel right in your hand."

"It'll be fine, Beck. Lemme go ahead and put dis gal right here," Percy informed Beckendorf as he turned to leave the forge, his normally tame New Yorker accent suddenly flaring wildly out of control. "But-chya bettah be careful, 'cause dis gal's a handful."

Just before he opened the door, he added, his accent suddenly gone, "Oh, and the Huntresses of Artemis are here until the solstice. Try to keep your girl from mauling them, if you can. You know how she gets when people start 'denying themselves love.'"

Percy could practically hear Beckendorf grimace as he walked out of the forge. Silena was normally the gentlest and most caring girl on the planet, but when 'love' came up… Let's just say he didn't envy Beckendorf for the next week or two.

Percy walked back to Cabin 11 to get Nico, and start his training. Nico wasn't really a melee fighter, preferring to use his divine abilities to fight, but Percy couldn't teach him to use his Hades-given power. Instead, he decided he'd teach him enough swordplay to defend himself should the need arise.

Nico was more than eager to begin training, not even arguing when Percy told him not to stop while he took care of some things.

Such things included making the rounds and telling everyone who he thought would listen to take it easy on the Huntresses, and especially telling the boys not to hit on them if they valued their manhoods.

When he'd made his way back to Nico, the poor boy was gasping for air as he ceaselessly chopped at the training dummy.

"Hey, hey, Nico, I think he's had enough overhead chops for one day!" Percy shouted as he noticed the state the lad was in.

"No," Nico panted. "It's not, enough… I'm still, too, weak… I'm still, worthless…"

Grabbing the training sword from Nico's hands, Percy told him, "If you kill yourself training, you'll be worse than worthless, alright? Bianca is waiting for you, man. How do you think she'd feel if she came back to find you'd died of overwork?"

Nico didn't say anything, and he could only hope that what he'd said had made an impact on the boy.

"Now come on, it's getting dark already. Let's get Lily and head to the Dining Pavilion. It's dinner time."

On the way, Nico asked about Lily.

"Who exactly is she? I tried to talk to her, but nothing got through. It was strange. Like, I could tell she was saying something, but I didn't even have a clue what."

"That's normal," Percy explained. "She's a daughter of Hecate. Only a select few can understand her. At Camp, it's just me. I only got here two years ago, but she's been here her whole life. Chiron raised her as an infant, but he realized he couldn't understand anything she said, ever, so there was nothing he could really do."

"Can't she just write down what she wants to say?" Nico asked, like Chiron was an idiot.

"You think we haven't tried that? Anything she writes down is immediately hidden by magic. It's impossible to read. Same with gestures, and sign language. It's impossible for her to communicate with you. But she can understand you."

"She can?"

"Yes. So make sure you talk to her. Just because she can't talk back doesn't mean she likes being ignored."

When they reached Cabin 11, Lily was bouncing around, shouting, "Girl know Lily! Girl all know Lily!"

Lily was now saying, 'She can understand me! She can really understand me!' She didn't bother learning how to say those exact words out loud, because she simply didn't need to. Percy could understand her perfectly no matter what, so why bother learning new words she didn't need? Only when Percy asked her to, did she learn something new. Like saying 'thanks' instead of 'love.'

But anyway, she was jumping all around, being a kid, super excited. There was a new person who understood her! And she was pretty, and nice, and made Lily feel safe, just like Percy.

But Percy had told Lily that it wasn't going to be forever. The pretty girl would only be at Camp for a week or so. Then she would leave again with her group of man-hating friends, and if Lily went with them, Lily would have to leave Percy. Which was obviously not even a consideration for Lily. Lily would stay with Percy, no matter what, and that was that.

So, obviously, Lily had to come up with a reason for the pretty girl to stay with Lily and Percy before she left.

And then Lily, Percy, and the pretty girl would be a happy family forever and ever.

That was as far as the easily-excitable girl's plan really went.

Percy brought her and Nico to his table. He looked down at Lily and said, "I'm gonna take you over to see Zoë now, okay?"

Lily nodded really fast to show how excited she was. She was old enough to start high school, but she seemed more like an elementary schooler. Her behavior was that of a five-year-old, even if she was as intelligent as any other fourteen-year-old. Her petite size just made her seem more like a child. She was shorter than Nico, and acted younger than him, too.

"Now, Lily, you have to learn to say her name, first, okay?"

Lily blinked, like she didn't understand the question. "Lily tell good girl name, no good tell good girl? How?"

Percy let out a sigh to disguise his laughter. "Yes, Lily, you have to call her by her name. 'Pretty Girl' is not good enough, because it would be disrespectful to her. How would you like it if I called you nothing but 'Mage Girl' instead of your actual name?"

"No happy!" Lily said angrily. "Percy tell Lily name! Percy all tell name, all all! No tell name bad bad bad!"

"I couldn't really tell, but that sounded like a lot," Nico observed. "What did she say?"

Percy explained, "She was very upset with the idea. She said, "I'd hate that! You have to call me Lily! You have to call me Lily no matter what, forever! If you don't then I'll really hate it a whole lot!"

"That much?" Nico asked. "It didn't seem like she was talking for that long."

"Yeah. The way she talks is bizarre, but it's nothing if not efficient."

Lily stuck out her tongue at Nico, but he couldn't comprehend it in any way.

"Now, Lily, say the name: Zoë. Got it? Zoë," he coached.

"Z… Zo… Zoh… Zoë. Zoë!" Lily eventually sounded out.

"Good job, Lily!" Percy praised.

"Zoë Zoë Zoë Zoë Zoë!" Lily shouted while jumping around in a circle.

She turned back to Percy and held up her arms, which could only possibly mean 'Pick me up.'

So he did.

"You're getting a little big for this, don't you think, Lily?"

Lily didn't think for a second. She instantly shook her head and said, "No."

Percy held up the overeager teen and brought her over to Zoë's table. As he walked towards the eternal girls' club, more and more eyes focused on him with every step.

Eventually, the chatting from the Artemis table stopped entirely. Zoë gave Percy a long stare—an unreadable stare—before she spoke. "Liliana, wonderful timing. I was just telling everyone of thee."

The regal woman wiggled over on the bench to make room for Lily, and Percy tried his best not to look at the motion. He knew she wasn't actively teasing him, but man, did it ever feel like it sometimes.

"Please, Liliana, sit here," Zoë gestured with a smile, and Percy decided, not for the first time, that she looked much nicer that way.

Regardless of how good Percy thought Zoë looked, Lily blushed and said, "...Zoë."

Zoë didn't miss a beat as she replied, "Yes, that is acceptable, as well."

Percy's eyes widened at how quickly Zoë had accepted his little girl's request. He watched in muted shock as Lily climbed into Zoë's lap.

Zoë continued looking at Percy, but when the pair spoke, their eyes told an entirely different story than their mouths.

Percy started by saying, "Thank you for being so good to her."

But his eyes told Zoë, "You said we'd talk later."

She replied neutrally, then coldly, "'Tis no trouble—nor is it a favor to thee."

But her eyes said, "I did. And we shall."

Percy's mouth explained, "I didn't think it was. But I thought I'd thank you anyway."

Of course, his eyes were asking, "When?"

Zoë sent the man away with the line, "Thy gratitude is wasted. Off with thee."

But her eyes explained, "I told thee: later."

Percy smiled at the young girl in the woman's lap—though they appeared to be the same age—and said, "Goodbye, Lily. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

However, his eyes remained locked with Zoë's as they conveyed the rather complicated thought, "Just making sure I didn't imagine the whole thing."

Lily waved, and it translated to 'bye bye.'

Percy waved back as he left.

He was surprised to find Thalia at his table when he returned. Technically, it was against the rules for her to be eating there, but then again, so was Lily eating there, and now Nico was eating there as well. He looked to the Athena table, but Annabeth wasn't there. Weird.

"So it just refills on its own?" the prince of the underworld asked the princess of the skies.

Ah. She was explaining the magic cups.

"Sure does," the prince of the sea jumped in. "And watch this."

Grabbing his own goblet, Percy willed it to fill with Coke. "It's filled with Coke, now. Pretty cool, right? But keep watching."

Percy willed the liquid to turn a bright, clear blue, and it did. "Still Coke. But it's blue Coke. Much better."

As Percy downed the sugary goodness, Nico asked naïvely, "Does it actually make it better?"

Seeing as how Percy was indisposed, Thalia answered for him. "No, Nico. It doesn't actually taste any better. Percy's just being a Kelp Head, as usual."

Percy grinned as he put the goblet down. "Shut it, Pinecone Face. Being blue makes everything better. Just, inherently."

Nico still looked confused. "I don't get it."

Meanwhile, at the Huntresses' table, Lily was having a tough time answering certain questions, when all she really wanted to do was talk to Zoë. She didn't care about the other girls at all. Percy translated for her all the time, so why did she have to waste her precious time with Zoë doing the same thing she did every day? And why were they making her answer such annoying questions?

Fidgeting in discomfort even nestled within Zoë's calming embrace, she muttered, "Lily no. Lily go, Percy no go Lily. Percy all Lily. Lily no go no Percy. No no no."

Zoë translated for her friends' benefits in a similar tone, "I can't. If I go, Percy can't come with me. He means everything to me. I won't leave without him. Absolutely, positively not."

"But now that Zoë can translate for you, you don't need that boy anymore," a random Huntress pointed out.

Zoë gave Lily's angry response. "I don't care about that! I told you, he means everything to me! It's not a matter of whether or not I need him to translate for me. I know that if I have Zoë, I don't need Percy, that's true. But I don't need Percy. Rather, Percy is all I need. Except for… Maybe… nevermind."

Quite a few Huntresses shook their heads, but Zoë wasn't among them. One said, "We're just worried that he'll betray you. That one day, he'll toss you aside. He is a boy, after all."

Zoë soon spoke after observing Lily's response. "Liliana was extremely offended by thy assertion. She repeats 'He won't!' as she cries."

The Huntress who had caused that reaction felt guilty for making another girl cry, but didn't know how to comfort her. The truth was that men are scum, and this Percy guy would eventually show his true colors and desert her. If she couldn't convince Lily of the truth, there was nothing left to say. How could she comfort the girl?

Zoë, on the other hand, said nothing. She simply stroked Liliana's hair gently, soothing the girl with immense speed.

"Thanks!" said Lily happily, once she recovered.

Zoë was stunned. Why had Percy taught her to say that in place of 'love'? She knew that all daughters of Hecate instinctively said that word, 'love,' to express feelings of gratitude. Many daughters of Hecate had belonged to the Hunt, though none in recent years. They often left the fold once they found their Destined One.

Zoë had not understood, at one point, why Artemis had allowed such temporary Huntresses to exist. But with the unique constitution that all daughters of Hecate possessed, Zoë eventually realized the suffering they endured, waiting for that one man, the only one who would truly understand them. They were.. special cases.

Liliana was so attached to Percy, Zoë wondered if he was her Destined One. But that was obviously not the case. They were nigh inseparable, true, but they couldn't read each other's minds. And Percy would have introduced her as such, but he didn't. He was very obviously much more of a father figure to Liliana than anything else. Perhaps that was why he steered her away from using the word 'love' too often? Because he disliked hearing her say it? Maybe he was embarrassed by it.

The Huntresses began talking amongst themselves again, not knowing Lily was alright. That suited Lily just fine.

"Zoë good good good," she stated plainly.

Zoë smiled. "I thank thee, verily, Liliana. You are exceedingly beautiful thyself."

Lily nodded in thanks. Then, she pretended to ask nonchalantly, "Zoë Percy... good good?"

Zoë did not like where this was going.

"Objectively, yes. Very handsome, for a male his age."

The shorter black-haired 14-year-old pointed at her head and asked the taller one, "Zoë Percy?"

Yes, this was rapidly heading in a direction Zoë did not like one bit.

"He is extremely skilled in battle. He is probably the least intolerable male I have met."

"That's high praise!" one of the Huntresses remarked. "Are you talking about that Percy fellow? Is he really so amazing?"

Zoë looked at Liliana bouncing up and down in her lap. "Liliana would like to tell thee: yes. As for myself, it was not praise. Liliana asked me what I thought of Perseus, and I told the truth. He fairly defeated a manticore in single combat, while protecting non-combatants. How many could claim the same?"

"But you said he was the least intolerable male you've ever met. That's basically like saying he's the most tolerable. How is that not praise?"

Zoë blinked once. "That is simply the truth. All other males have been more intolerable. It is not praise. He is still intolerable—simply less so than others."

Lily spoke up, and Zoë parroted for her, "Percy is the most amazing man! The best! If you say mean things about him, I'll be… I'll be very upset! Really mad!"

Commenting herself, Zoë continued, "That was what Liliana had to say. That was praise, was it not?"

"Yeah, that was definitely praise," a Huntress joked.

A minute later. Lily asked Zoë sadly, "Zoë no no no good Percy?"

The immortal teen responded softly, "Not precisely. Hate is not the term I would use to describe my feelings."

"How?" Lily responded.

"I have no positive feelings toward him, but I do not have particularly negative ones, either. If he were female, I think we would be fast sisters."

Lily soon made a big fuss about needing more pizza, and it wasn't long before more appeared in front of her, as usual. Some things never change. Without even waiting 'til between bites, she told Zoë with her mouth full, "Lily Percy good good good. No boy Percy, Zoë Lily! Lily know Percy big big, big. Lily all know Zoë good Percy all Zoë know. Oh! Food good good!"

Zoë didn't respond for a few seconds. When she did, she spoke slowly, as if she was unsure. "Perhaps we shall see, Liliana. Perhaps we shall see. And do not speak with thy mouth full."

Lily didn't ask about Percy again, at least for a little while, leaving Zoë to ponder all she had said.

"I think he's the best there is. There's no better guys than him, believe me! He seems really old, too. I'm certain you'll like him once you really get to know him. Man, this pizza is so tasty!"

Well, maybe not all she had said.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed almost six thousand words of... nothing really happening.

The quote this time is... really obvious. 10 points if you can guess where the quote is, 100 points if you know what it's from.

Next chapter, nothing continues to happen, but this time, it's way more important nothing than the nothing that happened in this one!