"Did you forget the laws, Poseidon?" Zeus snarled.
"No. It simply doesn't apply to us anymore. We're not gods; therefore, I am able to spend time with my son."
It was the weekend, and Poseidon was packing for their beach trip. The gods were all going, he only knew for certain that the demigods; Percy, Piper, and Annabeth would be joining them.
"The laws are stupid to begin with." Poseidon muttered as he packed the cooler.
"Do you want to say that again, fish for brains?" Zeus growled as his fingertips produced electric static.
Poseidon looked up from the cooler to stare directly into Zeus's eyes and said, "I said the laws are stupid to begin with."
"Why I oughta..." Zeus lunged at Poseidon and tackled him to the ground, electrocuting him in the process.
"I leave you two alone for three seconds and you are already fighting." Hades said as he pried Zeus off Poseidon.
"What did you do to his neck?" Hades asked while spotting an ugly burn across Poseidon's throat.
Zeus shrugged as Poseidon rubbed it, "He used his powers against me."
"You deserved it! He called the ancient laws stupid!"
"They are." Hades agreed.
"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE LAWS!" Zeus bellowed.
"Do you want to be stuck like this any longer? I don't! Quiet down before Hera hears you!" Hades hissed.
The other three gods exited their rooms to see what the commotion was about. They found Hades trying to cover Zeus's mouth while Poseidon got to his feet, rubbing a burn on his neck.
"We're gonna be stuck like this for awhile, huh." Apollo said.
"If they continue to behave in this manner, then yes," Athena said.
Artemis sighed and picked up where Poseidon had left off with packing.
Hades pushed Zeus into a chair, giving him a glare, warning him to stop talking. Zeus mumbled and crossed his arms in defeat.
Poseidon groaned as he glanced at the clock, "We're going to be late. Are you all ready?"
"Why do I have to go again?" Artemis scowled.
"Because everyone else is going, and besides, it gives us a chance to get to know the demigods better," Poseidon said as he put the bottle of sunblock in the bag.
"You're just saying that because one of them is your son," Zeus stated.
"He's also the one who saved your daughter, and I don't know, helped us out in two wars," Poseidon shot back.
Artemis raised a brow, wondering which one of Zeus's daughters he was referring to as he had saved two, including herself.
"Stop bickering, we're wasting precious daylight," Apollo said as he snatched the bag and marched out the door.
Thalia grabbed the cooler from the back of Percy's car. She and Nico joined the group at the last minute.
She didn't know what Nico's reason was since he wasn't a beach person, but Thalia had her own motive - to figure out why Artemis was testing her.
She hasn't told the group about her findings, since she hasn't figured out why the Goddess of the Hunt was hanging around four males, or whoever the other female is.
However, Thalia could tell Annabeth was picking up on her wariness as she stalled behind the Prius as well.
Once the rest of the group; Percy, Piper, and Nico set off to join Lady Artemis and her group of - friends? Thalia shook her head, not knowing what to call it.
Annabeth asked once the group was out of earshot, "Why are you being so cautious? Do you sense a monster nearby?"
Thalia shook her head and said, "I'm being tested."
"Tested by whom?"
"It isn't everyday that I can solve a puzzle before the daughter of Athena-"
Annabeth flinched at her mother's name, but Thalia didn't notice.
"- But I'll give you some slack, as you were in a compromising situation at the time. Tell me Annabeth, who does Luna remind you of?"
"Luna? I don't know, if I would to place a finger on it; Zoë, but my interactions with her were very brief compared to you or Percy."
"You're heading in the right direction, but based on her appearance, who does she resemble?"
Annabeth took a good look at Luna. She was wearing a navy turtleneck, with jeans, and combat boots. She stuck out like a sore thumb because she wasn't wearing anything close to beach attire. Her auburn hair was tied into twin French braids. She looked like an older version of-.
Annabeth opened her mouth in shock, "Lady Artemis!"
"Ding, Ding, Ding. You're correct."
"I don't understand? What is she doing here?"
"If I had to take a guess, she's testing me on my recruitment abilities. What I don't understand is why she is around men, or male demigods."
Annabeth analyzed Luna's so-called relatives. Her supposed twin, Archie, was sunbathing; her supposed older sister, Sophia, was sitting between their supposed cousins, Skyler and Duncan, watching Adrian and Percy surfed in the ocean.
Annabeth's mouth dropped open another inch; she said, "Thalia, I don't think they're demigods."
Poseidon stepped onto his board, instructing his son and Piper to do the same. Percy managed to keep his balance, while Piper struggled a bit, but quickly rightened herself.
Percy waved for Annabeth to follow, but she waved him off and talked to Thalia instead.
Poseidon paid no heed to their interactions; his attention was elsewhere, or lack thereof.
The ocean was usually loud, filled with talkative fish. Today, however, the talkative fish were silent, staring at their king in shock; their mouths hung open, it would've been comical had there not been a risk of him being outed to his son. He wasn't sure if they understood what happened to him, but he sent a silent command to them not to breathe a word of it to his son. The last thing he needed was for his son to find out his father was a mere eighteen-year-old mortal by word of fish mouth.
Percy frowned as he too noticed the unusual silence of the waves. Noticing his son's expression, Poseidon asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's just quieter than usual."
"Quieter than usual? Which beach do you usually go to? It's always this quiet around here."
Percy hesitated, and Piper beat him to the punch. "We go to Miami Beach every summer with our environmental group to clean up."
That wasn't a complete lie; Percy had gone to Florida four years ago, traveling through the Sea of Monsters.
"Miami Beach? I can see why you think it's so quiet." Poseidon chuckled.
Percy smiled, "Yeah."
Poseidon got into position; "We're gonna start off by paddling out."
Artemis internally jumped, startled, as Thalia and Annabeth sat besides her.
"I'm guessing you girls are not fans of the ocean?"
"We are not my lady." Thalia said.
Artemis froze; she had expected them to figure it out, but she had hoped it wouldn't be so soon.
Artemis exhaled, "How long have you known for?"
"I figured it was you four days ago, my lady. The other gods, about twenty minutes ago." Thalia said.
Artemis opened her palm toward Annabeth in invitation; it was clear she had something to say.
"Why? After everything we have done for you, you still don't trust us?"
"Don't be mistaken, young demigod; you're not being punished."
"Then what is it, a test?" Thalia asked, her voice going up a pitch in frustration.
"In some ways; yes."
Thalia restrained an eye roll; after almost three years as a lieutenant, she had learned patience. "I don't mean to offend you, my lady, but I see tests as a punishment."
Artemis let out a small smile. "Let me rephrase, you're not being tested; the gods are."
Annabeth frowned and said, "I don't think I understand, my lady."
"Hera had decided for us six to be mortals for the school year, so we could 'act like a family'."
Thalia snorted, but quickly covered it as she realized Artemis wasn't jesting, "You're serious, my lady?"
Artemis nodded.
"Mortal?" Annabeth asked.
Artemis nodded, "For now, our powers are diminished to that of a demigod's power. Which is why the satyr or any other person hasn't recognized us as gods."
Thalia crinkled her brow, "I don't understand the purpose of it. How does being mortal make you closer?"
Artemis shrugged. "None of us quite know the answer to that yet. Do they know?" she asked, gesturing to the other demigods.
"Not yet, my lady."
Artemis nodded. "Keep it that way."
"May I ask why?" Annabeth asked.
Artemis gestured to Poseidon and Percy, "Would Percy allow his father to be this close if he knew?"
Annabeth shook her head no; ever since the Giant War, Percy had begun to feel resentment toward his father for being silent.
"The war has affected all of us; with Olympus being closed, we have been limited in our options for help." Artemis grumbled.
Annabeth furrowed her brow. "Other gods helped, like Hades and Mars."
Artemis interjected, "They did, but they weren't on as tight of a leash. Some of the gods have a different relationship with their Roman counterparts, making it more difficult for them to communicate."
Artemis's eyes wandered to Athena; Annabeth caught on to the movement, and blushed. Her mind hadn't yet caught up to the fact that her mother had been a mortal teenager.
"I understand the war has changed opinions about the gods-"
Annabeth held back a snide remark. Even if the Goddess of the Hunt was now mortal, she wasn't going to risk any sarcastic remarks.
"-However, this could be our redemption to make things right, with our own children at least."
"I still don't understand why Hera, out of all the gods, wants the gods to interact with their demigod children," Thalia said. "She hates the demigods."
"Ever since her capture, she changed."
Annabeth let out a quiet snort, "She didn't seem that changed to me."
A small smile graced Artemis's face, "Perhaps it takes time to notice, but if you've been around for millennia, then you'll recognize it."
The sun was setting as the group left the beach; they had a relatively good time.
Poseidon taught Percy and Piper how to surf. Apollo got a tan out of it. Artemis spoke to Annabeth and Thalia, making them swear not to tell anyone. While Hades, Athena, and Zeus watched Poseidon, ensuring he did not return to his kingdom.
The demigods left with Percy as the gods took their own transportation; apparently Hades was the only one who knew how to drive a mortal car. He had taught himself how to drive during the Cold War – Hades didn't give a reason why, nor did any of the other gods question it.
However, the good time died when Artemis revealed to the other gods that Thalia and Annabeth knew the truth.
"This is going to be awkward on Monday." Apollo said as he scratched the back of his neck.
Zeus, Poseidon, and Athena shifted uneasily. Hades looked unbothered; he had the best relationship with his child than any other god since the end of the second war.
"Will she keep her promise?" Poseidon grumbled.
"She swore it on the River Styx, she'll keep it," Athena said, sniffing at him.
Zeus frowned; he knew he hadn't made it high on Thalia's favorite god list. However, she didn't outright avoid him when she didn't know his identity; would that change now?
Poseidon was freaking out internally, even with the Styx promise; he knew his son and Athena's daughter were inseparable. He didn't think the Styx held any weight when it came to those two, and if his son found out…
He knew what Percy thought of him, judging by all of his silent curses directed toward him. He wished he had visited, helped him when Hera wiped his memories, but he didn't.
Athena cursed herself; she had let herself down by hoping for a relationship with her daughter. She knew Annabeth wouldn't want one, now that she knew who she was.
She almost snorted at the despairing expressions Zeus and Poseidon were showing. Their relationship was fixable; they hadn't threatened disownment. Her on the other hand… she didn't know how to fix it. For the first time in centuries, she was agreeing with Apollo – this was going to be awkward.