The Cradle of Olympus

by Rohan Rodrigues

Taking place for a brief period in Ancient Greece and beyond, at a time when the Olympian council of Gods haven't reached their full potential yet, an unknown entity has made it's presence known. What will it's connection be to Olympus, and the greater Greek pantheon as well? Arc I is complete, continuing on with Arc II.

46. Chapter 46

Authors Note: Happy late Valentines day! Here's my gift in the form of a new chapter, one (or two) days late. Cause i love you guys. And I…am SO sorry for the unforeseen delay. I honestly didn't expect to bring the chapter out so late. I thought I would have it ready by Saturday, but then life got in the way. Then I thought Sunday, but I overwrote, then I thought Monday, but I overwrote. Then I thought…oh chuck it. But yeah, new chapter, new stuff. Read on everyone.

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Chapter 46: Casino Royale

Percy didn't know what he was doing in a shop full of camping supplies. Oh wait, he had to buy a tent. But his mind was still addled with sideway answers to Thalia's questions for where they were going, again, and the fact that she and him just took a picture with Michael J. Fox just outside of their hotel. He really had to stop himself from shouting 'Great Scott!', and to make not make mental note to always stay in expensive hotels. He didn't want to send an example.

"Can you tell me where are we going now? Pleaseee" Thalia asked as she settled down on her seat, while Percy was struggling to push a carry bag into a compartment. The two were in a travel bus, sitting in the back.

Percy finally gave in. "Las Vegas." He answered, noticing Thalia's shocked face. "What do you think?"

"Am I even allowed to go there." Thalia asked with an incredulous expression.

"Of course you are. And judging from that reaction, something tells me you know more about that place than I do."

Thalia shrugged. "I heard only adults go there, so children may not be allowed…"

Percy snorted. "That's a dumb urban legend, of course kids are allowed. It's not like they banned them or throw those born in the city into the desert and make them fend for themselves. Though I know one city who would love to do that back in the old days." He muttered while shaking his head.

"My mother went there once." Thalia replied with a frown. "She wasn't really normal when she came back."

"Was she ever? I wonder why." Percy said with a sigh. "Sin city. Are you comfortable?"

"Yeah." Thalia replied. "But why there."

Percy smirked. "I'm currently in the west coast area, and like five hours away from a pretty famous city in said area of the United States. Why wouldn't I go there?"

"We could have gone to Disneyland." Thalia whined.

Percy chuckled. "Or the beach."

Thalia pouted. "We did go to a beach, yesterday!"

Percy shook his head fondly. "Not even one step on the water. You didn't get to have the full beach experience." He replied. Thalia pouted more making, Percy grin. "It won't be bad at all, and besides, I'm taking you to Vegas. That's more hardcore than a beach."

"What will I even do in Vegas." Thalia asked with a confused look on her face. "That's an adult place, and I'm a kid."

Percy opened his mouth and then closed it. "Well…I'm sure there's a lot to do n Vegas like…did you know there is a hotel with a roller coaster? Stratosphere Hotel- oh wait, you don't like roller coasters. Well there is the MGM Grand Hotel, maybe you can see some movie and television stuff or sets- ah but you're probably used to that because of your mother. Hmm, well there is Caesar's Palace, though I'm not sure I would like to live in a hotel named after a famous Roman who basically wiped me off the books. So…"

Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"We'll improvise. Go with the flow, but there should be something in or near Vegas that we could do. But what to do, what to do, what-"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we would be leaving shortly for Las Vegas city, Nevada. However, if you still wish to upgrade the trip for a stop at the Hoover Dam, then you can do so now in under ten minutes…"

"Thalia." Percy said suddenly, glancing at her. "Have you ever seen a dam before?"

Thalia shook her head. "What's a dam?" she asked.

Percy grinned, biting back a joke. "Well, you're about to find out."

Almost five hours later, Percy was animatedly talking about everything he knew, or rather recently read, about the Hoover Dam, while Thalia slowly became increasingly pale as they approached the observatory deck.

"This thing is seven hundred feet tall, and, the largest construction project in this country. Built somewhere around the thirties. The 1930's, previous century one."

"That's nice." Thalia mumbled, hiding behind Percy's legs. "But do we have to stand here?"

"Best place to see the dam in all its glory. Unless you want to go that bridge." Percy replied, pointing at the aforementioned bridge. Thalia's eyes visibly widened on seeing it.

"Um…I think I'm fine here…" she whispered.

"What are you doing behind me anyway." Percy said, picking Thalia up. "I doubt you can see with your stature-"

"No, no, no Percy put me down please." Thalia said shakily, shutting her eyes tightly. "Percy please-!"

"Yeah, of course. I didn't realize you're not…" Percy said quickly, setting Thalia back to her feet. "Are you not…of course."

"What?" Thalia asked.

Percy blinked with surprise. "You're afraid of heights. Is that why you're scared of roller coasters as well?" Percy asked after a while. Thalia blushed with embarrassment and gave a small nod, clearly looking like she wanted to be anywhere but here.

"You're afraid of heights." Percy repeated again, glancing up at the sky and then back at Thalia, a grin slowly forming on his face. And then he started laughing.

"What's so funny?!" Thalia cried indignantly, with as much rage an eight year old could muster.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to upset you." Percy said quickly, a cheeky smile plastered on his face. "Having a fear of heights is totally fine, it's just…the daughter of Zeus, Lord of the sky. Afraid of heights?"

"Percyyy." Thalia whined, punching his leg. "Don't be mean…" she said with a pout.

"Aw, I'm sorry bug." Percy replied, ruffling Thalia's hair. "Won't tease you about that, okay?"

"And I still don't have a nickname for you." Thalia mumbled.

"If it makes you feel any better, nicknames don't bother me anymore so no use thinking one for me." Percy replied. "So you may not be able to see the dam this close, want to see it from afar?"

"I guess that's fine." Thalia replied, once again being lifted by Percy. "You don't mind carrying me?"

"Of course not. And now you don't have to worry about me dropping you, not that I was planning to." Percy said quickly, settling her on his shoulders. "Only kidding bug, only kidding."

Thalia patted Percy's cheek. "What kind of bug am I too you anyway?"

"Uh…the cute little one. Not those creepy crawlies." Percy replied, waggling his fingers. "Maybe like, a lightning bug?"

"Is that even a thing?"

Percy shrugged. "I could create one if that's not a thing. Come on, I wonder if there's a dam snack bar over here."

Thalia blinked a couple of times, and then slowly cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"

Percy tilted his head. "Yeah? What else would you call it?"

Thalia giggled. "I wonder how the dam museum is. Maybe we can go and get some dam souvenirs too."

"Yeah, sure." Percy replied. "Though I don't get why you're laughing…"

"Maybe even some dam food. And…look! Dam statues." Thalia said.

"Dam statues?" Percy asked, following Thalia's gaze. Sure enough, there were two statues of winged men perched to the far end of the dam. And there seemed to be an unusual amount of tourists fixated at the bottom of the statue.

Percy tilted his head to the side as he felt slight goosebumps rise on his hand. For some reason, the statues seemed to emit something…weird. Even Thalia was looking at them with a slight frown.

"You can feel that too huh?" Percy asked her.

Thalia nodded. "It does feel strange."

"My strange." Percy whispered, glancing around. He was pretty sure something was up with the statues, but it could also be possible that there was something mythic lurking around too. And with Thalia in his care…

"Hold on to me, okay." Percy said, setting Thalia down. "Just, stay close."

"Is something wrong?" Thalia asked.

"No…and I hope that doesn't change." Percy replied, guiding Thalia to the dam. "Come on, we could see both sides of the water bodies from here properly. And don't worry, I'm not going to let you near the ledge, I got you."

True to his word, Percy kept Thalia close, making sure she wasn't uncomfortable a bit with her acrophobia. Percy had to admit, the engineering of the place was quite marvelous, he almost had a feeling that Athena may have had a hand in the development of it. Though he wondered what the water spirits thought of the dam blocking their river. And as if he had summoned them, a couple of naiads broke their heads from the rivers surface, staring at the dam and mortals glumly. However, when they spotted Percy, the naiads giggled and blew kisses at him, soon retreating back into the water.

"Some things never change huh…" Percy said with a tired sigh, while Thalia swiveled her head back and forth from Percy to the spot where the naiads were.

"Those were…girls? In the water? And blue?" Thalia whispered

"Not that blue. But yes, they are what you saw. Nature spirits of water bodies called naiads, and notorious flirts."

"The blowing kisses?"

"Mhmm. I'm surprised they even noticed me." Percy replied. "Then again, notorious flirts. But I feel like we could do something, like- oh."

Percy glanced around, smirking as he saw the nearby mortals being distracted by taking pictures of themselves and family. Fascinating beings, he thought, but still very oblivious. Percy was kind of glad that hadn't changed over the years. He then summoned some shadow wisps, and placed a camera on top of a wisp.

"What do you say we take some pictures?" Percy asked, to which Thalia excitedly nodded. After a few bunny ears and a small debate on how mortals would react to a shadow like tentacle coming out of the ground, and in the end doing it, which led one guy to throw his camera behind him into the water. Percy then took Thalia back to the observatory deck, soon coming across the angels once again. And not only did the familiar strange feeling wash over Percy once again, he also noticed something peculiar about the statues.

"Blimey! Their toes are really bright." Percy exclaimed.

"But…why?" Thalia asked, looking confused. "Why the toes."

"Hmm…if I was a mortal…I would say that the feet keep getting rubbed is because of…luck? Wild, but probably a good guess." Percy replied with a shrug.

Thalia frowned. "That's supposed to be lucky?"

"Not for me, just the mortals. What wonderful creatures." Percy said with a grin, noticing a very familiar mark on the pedestal of the statue. And then it clicked.

"Of course." Percy said with a laugh. "They're automatons, and dedicated to the big guy himself."

"What's an auto…man?" Thalia asked.

"Automatons. They're these robots basically, that can do all sorts of stuff. Depends on what it was built for."

Thalia's eyes widened. "Are they going to come alive now?"

"Nope. Don't worry, they aren't going to go all Terminator on you. Besides…" Percy said, glancing at the sky. "There's no reason for him to do it now, absolutely no reason at all…"

"Oh damn, we didn't get to eat! Come on, I'm sure the dam…oh. Oh! That's why you were laughing back there, you little rascal." Percy said with a grin, ruffling a giggling Thalia's hair. "I can't believe I missed that…oh I'm getting rusty. Come on, dam snack bar time." And as Percy took Thalia with him, he didn't notice a woman with black hair and sunglasses, and dressed like a park ranger. She was staring at the statues with a fond look, only for it to turn into a deep frown as she glanced at the now rumbling grey sky. Taking out her sunglasses to reveal startling storm grey eyes, she was still glancing up as a car passed by her, only for the woman to seemingly disappear in thin air a second later as the car drove away.

---

"So, this is a burger." Percy said softly, peering at the food item in front of him.

"Cheeseburger." Thalia said, already eating hers.

"And this is like, really delicious?"

"Totally. Other places have more delicious burgers, but this is good too."

"Why not call it a sandwich though, it's clearly two separate breads with filling in between." Percy asked, taking an experimental sniff, then shrugged and took a bite of the burger. "Ohhhh…"

"Well?"

"This is…oh man, mom your black currant pancakes are going to have some serious competition now." Percy said, quickly gobbling up the burger. "I want five more. And a burrito."

"So now to Las Vegas?" Thalia asked.

"Not exactly bug." Percy replied, taking a sip off his drink. "I may have or may not have told the driver that we will not be joining them for final the trip to the city."

Thalia frowned. "Why not? Are we not going there?"

"Oh we still are. It's just that, there's this conservation forest I want to check out, and plus, you also have to get used to sleeping out in the wild like I mentioned before. Every night isn't going to be comfy beds and room service sadly."

"Oh." Thalia said, a thoughtful look on her face. "That sounds fun though. So we will be sleeping in tents?"

"Yep. Bought them already remember."

"And we can roast marshmallows?"

"…I never actually thought of that. Alright then, marshmallows on a bonfire, how about that?"

"And stories?"

"Ghost stories!"

"…No ghost stories Percy."

"Aww…"

After their late lunch, Percy made sure that he had enough stock on food and supplies for their not so last minute camping trip. He already had everything he needed in his shadow pocket. And while he knew his chances were very slim, he still couldn't help that he could possibly…meet her. Almost an hour later, Percy and Thalia reached a place that looked like to be some sort of nature area. At least, that's what Thalia thought as she saw the shrubbery and quite large rocks formations scattered around.

"Turn around quick, and keep the change." Percy told the cab driver, stuffing a handful of dollar bills in the driver's palm. The driver just stared at the dollar bills and then at Percy, and soon drove away without saying another word.

"How much did you give him?" Thalia asked.

"Not much. Just some five hundred dollars or so." Percy replied, swirling around. "Well Thalia, welcome to Red Rock Canyon, just next to Las Vegas as well. And, home to the lovely Toiyabe Forest. Come on, it's getting dark soon and we have quite a trek on our hands.

"We're walking?" Thalia exclaimed, groaning. "How much?"

"Hmm, another two or three hours." Percy mused, feeling Thalia's hit her head on his leg, "Come on Thalia, it's not that bad."

Thalia whined, muttering something incoherent.

Percy sighed, mentally hitting himself. Sometimes he forgot that Thalia was still a young kid, a demigod sure, but still a kid. She wasn't used to activities like this at all. Even though it might ask her of it once she's older.

"Okay, how about this. You walk for at least half an hour, and for the rest of the way, I'll carry you along. How does that sound?"

Thalia frowned. "No, it's fine. Just beings silly, I can walk till where we-"

"Thalia." Percy interrupted. "Like I mentioned yesterday, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to. And I don't mind helping you out at all."

Thalia remained silent but then slowly nodded, extending her hand out. Percy smiled softly, taking her hand and beginning their trek. "You know, I never asked. You have a fear of heights; how did you even get that in the first place?"

My mom forced me to do this…bungee jumping? From the roof of our building to the ground. after that…I didn't like tall places. Kept my curtains shut too."

but how did you climb down the fire escape, when you were on the twelfth floor?"

Thalia had a thoughtful look on her face. "I didn't look down." She then said. "And I was trying to go…quickly."

"Hmm, I won't be surprised if it was your adreline. Or just your demigod flight instincts." Percy commented. "Another thing, I didn't really ask what you took with you from your home, if you don't mind me asking."

Thalia shrugged. "Just clothes, toothbrush, the canister, and scrapbook."

"Scrapbook?" Percy echoed. "What for?"

"Just…memories." Thalia replied with a sad smile, staring at the rocks littering the ground. "You said you can control the ground right?"

"Yep. You want to see something cool right?" Percy asked with a grin as he followed Thalia's line of sight.

Thalia grinned in reply, making Percy chuckle. "Alright then, what do you think of this." Percy said, gently turning his wrist. Everywhere around him, rocks began to vibrate until they slowly started to hover off the ground and followed Percy. Thalia watched with awe as the rocks collected to form a boulder of sorts, then split apart to create various patterns in the air. Percy also began to slowly levitate, and the rocks then started to circle him, until there were multiple rings of stones floating around him. Percy then jerked his head to the side, and the stones then fell down, cluttering on the ground. Thalia was too stunned to say anything.

"That…weirdly felt good." Percy said after a brief pause. "Power displays aren't always just a show of strength you know, sometimes they help in making you in tune with your power and surroundings that said powers can affect. And you Thalia, you might as well be on the road to that soon."

"Me?!" Thalia asked with an incredulous expression on her face. "What powers will I even have?!"

Percy smirked. "I'm sure you already know, seeing who your father is."

"I-" Thalia started to say but then paused, an unbelieving look settling on her face. "I cannot…can I?"

"You would have to trust your inner belief and instincts for that. Random emotional bursts can't get you far." Percy replied with a snort. "Which is funny for my case…but yeah. If you want, I can help teach you how to handle whatever powers a child of Zeus could possess. And besides, I have enough experience with lightning for it to be just a tickle."

"I did send some sparks out one time." Thalia mumbled. "But nothing happened after that. It's been a while since I last did it too."

"Sparks is good at your age." Percy said with a slightly surprised tone. "Training you is going to be fun."

"…Training? Like actual training." Thalia asked, her eyes widening.

"Only if you want it." Percy quickly said. "I'm not going-"

"Yes!" Thalia exclaimed. "Can we train now? There's no people around too."

"Woah bug, slow down there." Percy said. "We still have to find a place to rest, and I know you had a long day. Ah, ah, ah, no buts, I can see that big yawn coming out in four seconds."

"But I want to train." Thalia mumbled, letting out a yawn. "And 'm not sleepy."

"Right, and I don't possess weapons made out of indestructible metal. Come here bug." Percy said, picking Thalia up and plopping her on his shoulders. "Now I'm worried you're going to start walking haphazardly. I got you but just, hold on tight okay? …Ow!"

"Sorry!" Thalia said quickly, letting go of Percy's hair. "You said to hold tightly…"

"But not my hair." Percy said with a strangled laugh. "Gently now…I guess."

"Like this?" Thalia asked.

"Hmm. You know what, you're right. There is actually no people around." Percy said, heaving himself up. "I change my mind, hold my hair tightly."

"But you said- WOAH!" Thalia cried out as Percy once again began to levitate off the ground. but this time, beneath him a crack started to appear on the ground which then formed a circle. The large piece of rock then shot up, landing on Percy's feet which he then used to propel him and Thalia forward.

"Why didn't you use this in the beginning?" Thalia yelled out.

"I can't really reveal myself or my status now. I'm supposed to be deceased." Percy yelled back as he zipped through the shrubbery, letting out a whoop as he took a small dive. His eyes then widened, glancing up to check on Thalia. But instead of looking pale with fear like he thought, she was instead staring at him with a frown, turning away when Percy glanced up. Percy decided to ask her about it later, mostly because he can't help but think that the frown was directed at him. And it wasn't because Percy was hovering on a levitating rock.

More than an hour later, Percy finally reached the outskirts of what he was looking for. Percy then hopped off the rock and crouched down, placing his hand on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Thalia asked, still on top of Percy's shoulders.

"Well, if my thoughts and feelings are correct, and I'm sure they are correct. And if I know Artemis for a long time…even though now there's a two thousand year gap now…" Percy said, mumbling the last part. "Anyway, we're on the right track. Toiyabe Forest, nice place, very famous here cause this is a desert. Not the only reason why I'm here, I mean, I want to get in touch with the wild again you see, but-"

"You think Artemis is here?" Thalia asked.

Percy sighed. "No, she's not here. but she was, I could feel it. And maybe…I can try and see where she would go next. Oh, and we're going to be walking now."

"That's alright." Thalia replied with a grin as Percy entered the forest. "You're carrying me anyway."

"Oi, I could just drop you here." Percy said with a laugh. "Ow, ow, I won't drop you, don't clutch my hair tightly. Jeez…kids. My hunters were much well behaved then you, you know.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Thalia said. "Can you tell me more about Artemis? She sounds really nice."

Percy chuckled. "She's not just nice, she's the best. I mean where can I even begin? She's smart, passionate, wild, intuitive, can easily kick my…rear in archery. Headstrong, a bit of a stubborn streak that's endearing and aggravating at the same time. Fiercely protective of those she loves…which can go sometimes out of hand." Percy whispered, a soft smile then settling on his face. "But is willing to see her mistakes and be a better person for herself, and you don't know how proud I am of her for that. Even though she took a risk…she's willing to be true to herself. Gods Thalia, I can literally go on and on and I haven't touched a quarter yet."

Thalia patted his cheek. "You really like her huh."

"No Thalia." Percy whispered, stopping to stare at the approaching full moon. "I adore her with all my heart. When people admire a sunrise or a sunset, I admire the moon as it emits its yellow hue, bringing its soft gentle light unlike the harshness of the sun. But I never expected it to admire me back, that beautiful silver which pierces through me, but instead of hurting, it loves me instead. And along with the softest of gazes which I've never seen been given to anyone. That tender smile that gives light to my existence, accompanied by that soothing voice… . The soft whispers, healing laugh, chaste kisses…"

"Percy?" Thalia whispered, wiping the tear that was drifting down Percy's face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm-" Percy choked out, letting out a shuddering gasp as he wiped his eyes. "I'm alright Thalia, no need to worry. Just…just caught up in memories."

"Don't be scared, you'll see her again." Thalia replied. "Won't you?"

Percy smiled sadly. "I definitely will. But that's not what I'm afraid of." He whispered, letting out a sigh. "Come on, it's getting dark. And I've yet to find that spot." He said, crouching down to place his hand on the ground again. "But we're not far, that's a good thing."

"Are there any animals around here?" Thalia asked after a while, snuggling against Percy.

"Yeah, but I made sure they won't approach us." Percy replied as he stared at a mountain lion, which then scattered away soon enough.

"So…can you talk to animals?" Thalia asked suddenly.

"To some degree. Wild animals and domestic ones, sure. Most sea creatures or birds? Not really."

"So…" Thalia drawled out, stifling a laugh. "You're like a Disney princess?"

Percy blinked a couple of times, a sideways smile on his face. "Nah, I'm a Disney villain. Who would put naughty kids like you to sleep if you make fun of me."

"Meanie." Thalia said with a pout. "A Disney villain with a black cloak…"

"I did have a cloak thing going on back during ancient times." Percy said with a thoughtful look on his face. "And it was black…"

"You are a Disney villain!" Thalia said excitedly.

"Shush, otherwise no stories and roasted marshmallows. Only sleep" Percy replied with a grin.

"…Now that is evil."

Percy then soon came across some heavy vegetation which intrigued him. Forming a knife, he then brought the blockage down and soon came across a rather large clearing, the first he had seen in the forest. Percy could tell that it was used, but not recently. And if the markings had any indication…

"Holes on the ground, where the tent poles would go. Crescent shape." Percy said, slowly forming a smile. "Slight remains of a camp fire, and heavy vegetation around that couldn't have grown in-" he said, placing his hand on the ground. "Three months. I knew it…they were here."

"Artemis?" Thalia asked, Percy nodding in response. "You can tell that easily?"

"Not exactly. I just…know her I guess? And besides, I could sense her presence slightly. Wonder why she wouldn't remove it." Percy muttered, his eyes widening. "Oh wait, that used to be my job. Heh, some things never change."

"Alright Thalia, get ready for your first camping trip. I got the tents." Percy said, removing a blue square made out of cloth from his sweatshirt pocket. "I can see enough sticks to get a regular fire going, and enough food to last till tomorrow lunch. Which is not a coincidence."

"How are you going to make a tent out of that?" Thalia asked incredulously after Percy placed her down.

"Watch." Percy said simply, blowing the cloth piece into the air. It then began to flutter down to the ground, and as soon as it made contact with it, a dark blue tent sprang up, with the ropes and poles fitting itself into the ground.

"…It looks small." Thalia said, glancing at Percy.

"Is it?" Percy replied, hiding the smile on his face. "Why don't we check inside then."

"Okay..." Thalia said, opening the flap and stepping into the tent. "…Percy! Look!"

"Coming Thals." Percy said, patting his shoulder. He too entered the tent, and was greeted with Thalia coming out of a room and entering another, and coming out of that to run down the big corridor.

"It's bigger on the inside!" Thalia said excitedly, grabbing Percy's hand. "The amount of rooms!"

"Is it?" Percy said, trying hard not to look surprised. "That's awesome."

"It is!" Thalia said excitedly. "This can't be the tent you bought in the morning right?"

"Yes, and no. While this is the same tent I bought today, I modified it with my godly powers to fit my needs. Just a simple blessing, and voila! An expansive wide open separate dimension that is fitted snuggly into a smaller and exterior limited space. Kind of like the TARDIS."

"What's a TARDIS?" Thalia asked. "So many rooms." She whispered.

"Only six rooms. And the TARDIS is…I'll make you watch Doctor Who, that would be better than a one off explanation."

"Are we going to be sleeping in here?" Thalia asked. "Which one is my room."

"I don't know." Percy replied with a smirk. "Which room do you want?"

"I can choose my own room?" Thalia said with a surprised tone. "Any room?"

Percy shrugged. "They all are virtually the same. But yeah, any room of your choice, heck, you could even decorate it if you want."

"…Are you sure I can't stay with you and not go with some magic goat later on?" Thalia asked with a whine.

Percy barked out a laugh. "Now I'm worried I'm spoiling you." Percy said, shaking his head fondly. "Come on, help me out by taking everything out of my bag. I'll go get a fire going."

A while later, Percy did indeed get a fire going, after his first attempt to use hellfire failed by burning through entire the wood and food. Percy had made his traditional Greek dishes from back then, the ones that were a fan among Artemis and the hunt, and had now gained a new fan with Thalia.

"You actually made this. Like, you made this now." Thalia said after inhaling a plate of lamb moussaka.

"Full credit goes to my mom really. She was the one who sat me down and taught me the ways of cooking. Which helps when I can make my favorites." Percy said, a sigh escaping his lips. "Though when she makes it, it always tastes the best."

"Your mother…"

"Hestia, goddess of the hearth." Percy answered. "But to be clear, she's my adopted mother. But even though that's the case, she will always be my mother to me, and always has been. Not…her." Percy muttered. "Definitely not her, being all ignorant and that."

"You're adopted?" Thalia asked with surprise.

"Yep. Just to show that family is not always blood, or in my case ichor. But we don't really have the whole DNA thing so…but you get what I mean. The people you originate from may be related by blood, but that doesn't mean one would consider them family. then there are those people who, well, you could probably find somewhere in life and form a bond with. A familial bond, and that's something quite special too."

"…Can you tell me about the gods?" Thalia asked, passing a packet of marshmallows to Percy.

"The gods? Huh…the gods… . Well…this is going to be my experience with them so don't think this is how they're going to act with everyone but…" Percy said with a sigh. "We're already talking about my mother so, yeah, Hestia. She practically raised me all by herself, even though the other Olympians told her she didn't have to, even though she had zero experience, she still wanted to give this little god a family, even if it was just her. And I admire her for that, she was definitely like a proper mom. A bit overprotective, sure, but she always meant well. Sang me nursery rhymes to sleep when I was little, taught me right from wrong, and not when it just comes to immortals, but with how mortals perceive it as well. She didn't even rally try to force upon me that she was my 'mother', it was me who did that even after knowing fully well of my heritage. Oh and the food she can make, black currant pancakes… . Maybe I could make them some day. And she always kept me in check if I threw a tantrum, and believe me, you don't want to see godly tantrums. But, as I grew older, I didn't get to be with her more often, especially when…"

"Moving on…then we have of course the other Olympians. For starters, Zeus, your father. We were in good terms with each other, but somedays we would either be glaring daggers at each other, or just throwing lightning at shadows because of something your father did. But he was a good uncle, not the best role model though. Same case with his wife Hera, we were civil with each other but there were times I wanted to wring her neck for the devious plots she would conjure up for those she hates, and most of them were mortals who didn't deserve to incur her wrath. Poseidon and Hades are my favorites, not only did they help me develop my powers, but the little things they did would always be greatly appreciated. One time, I actually thought they were competing with each other to be like a sort of father figure to me, even though I didn't need one. But turns out it was mostly just sibling rivalry mixed with who's going to take Percy to their cool domain and all. Demeter was alright, only saw her like a couple of times a week. She did teach me how to identify plant species, agriculture, and what to have for a proper breakfast which surprisingly wasn't just cereal. But maybe it was because I wasn't scrawny anymore."

"Then we have Ares and Athena…Styx where can I even begin. They were my first tutors, combat and learning respectively. Oh, the amount fights we would get over the weeks, even our own parents would get tired when they see me arrive with a bloody nose, and the next day Ares with a broken elbow. Or Athena with her manuscripts all over the place, and me dangling on the ceiling. We were like siblings with the big age gap, or maybe we were like those cousins who hate each other for childish and petty reasons, but if things go south, we would always have each other's backs, no matter what. Then speaking of siblings, there's Aphrodite to look out for, very clingy and optimistic, and so darn naïve when I first met her. I'm still not sure if she actually has a crush on me, but I always forget about that with her referring to herself as my sister until she gives her heart eyes to me, which means she wants something. Very persuasive mind you, and that magic belt of hers makes her even more scary. Then I have my best friends, Apollo, Hermes, and Hecate. Apollo was a childhood friend, along with Artemis before the two of us were lovers. Hermes and Hecate came later on, and quite in a whim that to. We like, banded together to save this one town from a tyrant, and we just started hanging out after that. Aphrodite also joined in, and we…sort of become a team. Apollo was the music kid, even now I bet, and always chasing after women and men left and right. Kind of liked the idea of me and Artemis as a couple I think, but always freaked out if he saw us alone in private. Hermes would always put pranks to shame, which always irked me, Apollo and Artemis because we were the pranksters before. It kind of led to the three of us thinking of doing some kind of prank war…but…I left when-"

"Oh well…Hecate right. She was the quiet one, a bit mysterious but after being with her for a while, she would show off her crazy side with making potions and manipulating the mist. Freakishly good with magic, and completely badass while at it. Charms, hexes, you name it. She was kind of like the mother hen of the group, if Artemis didn't keep us in check that is. Always scoffed at our hijinks, but nevertheless held a smile as she subtly helped us in what we needed. Much more of a medicine freak than Apollo surprisingly now that I think about it."

"But yeah, that's everyone honestly. There are some more, but we would be here all night if I were to go through everyone." Percy said with a sigh. "Gods, I have been rattling haven't I. Sorry if I bored you by any chance Thalia."

"No it's alright, you haven't bored me at all." Thalia said quickly tilting her head. "Though you sound so sad when you talk about them."

"…I just feel guilty." Percy whispered. "Cause, I disappeared you see, for more than a thousand years. That's what I meant when I said I was deceased, I'm supposed to be dead to everyone but I'm not. But while it was thousands of years, for me, it felt like, nothing. Maybe just a second. But even though immortals don't really have a concept of time, we can still experience it, as well as its effects on the outside world. And sometimes our lives. And truth to be told, before I disappeared, I mostly cut contact with everyone because I was so focused on this…thing." Percy said bitterly, staring at the back of his left hand. "That drives the guilt more. And now I'm here, safe and sound, but I can't even see them because something bad is lurking out there. Something that still thinks I don't exist. Something that I'm going to get rid of soon, if it means being with my loved ones again."

"What happened." Thalia asked softly. "Why did you disappear?"

"It's complicated." Percy mumbled. "But it wasn't my choice for that to happen, I didn't want to go."

"I believe you." Thalia muttered. "The Olympians sound nice."

Thalia then frowned when she felt Percy shake beside her. She turned around to see that he was covering his mouth, his eyes filled with mirth.

"What?" Thalia asked.

"Nothing it's just-" Percy gasped out, laughter soon following. "No one has ever called the Olympians nice, you just called them nice, I-"

"Well compared to mine…" Thalia muttered, bringing her knees closer. "I don't really know my father, he only came for a year and was only focused on my mother. Then there was my brother, but he…"

"…Brother?!" Percy echoed with surprise, his mind starting to race.

"Yeah. I think…" Thalia said, getting up. "I have a picture of him." She said, running inside the tent, leaving Percy with his thoughts racing. He wondered if by brother, Thalia actually meant that he was a son- no, it couldn't be possible. Someone would have mentioned there was another child of Zeus. Or maybe the child was Thalia's brother through Beryl only, a mortal-

"Here." Thalia said, sitting next to Percy. "I didn't think I would tell anyone…but I can trust you right?"

Percy slowly nodded, his eyes slowly widening as he took in the picture in the scrapbook. Blonde hair, a small scar on the upper lip, and Thalia's lightning blue eyes. Zeus's lightning blue eyes.

"His name was Jason. Mom never liked that name at all. Then again, she didn't really take care of Jason or me." Thalia whispered. "I remember my father being nice to him mostly than me, but he then left after a couple of months. Mom didn't like that at all. Then it was just us three…until…"

"Her brother dying! Everything is her fault!"

Beryl's words rang inside Percy's head, making him shiver. There was no doubt about it, this Jason was Zeus's child. And if Beryl's words were true…

"Thalia." Percy said slowly. "Is your brother…did Jason die?"

Thalia didn't say anything, and Percy immediately regretted asking when he saw tears fall across her face.

"Oh Thalia, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Percy said soothingly, bringing the girl to a hug. "I shouldn't have asked, or brought it up."

"But I wanted to tell, not you." Thalia sniffled. "I always wanted to tell someone, but no one believed me. No one believed me at all, not the neighbors, or the police. No one even knows now that Jason existed, they said they he never was real, but they all did saw him before so how?! Pictures, tv, so how come everyone forgot about him? They said I was a liar…disruptive. And then my mother…she…she told me I killed-"

"Hey, hey I don't believe that." Percy said, rubbing her back. "You didn't kill your brother, right?"

"No!" Thalia sobbed. "I loved Jason, he was my baby brother. Why would I kill him, he was only two- But why did he die?! I don't even know how…my mother said she- and then she said I-"

"I don't think you killed your brother at all Thalia." Percy whispered. "But something could have happened, which I'm sure wasn't your fault."

"You believe me?!" Thalia gasped out, with more on the way.

"Shhh, yeah bug, I do believe you." Percy said softly, kissing her head softly. "You're going to be alright okay, I promise you're going to be alright."

"No one believed me…no believed me at all." Thalia mumbled, her sobs dying down.

It took a while, but Percy was finally able to put Thalia to rest, with her snuggled close to his body but still a bit awake. Percy smiled softly as he pushed her hair aside and soothingly rubbed her head, while he stared off at the distance as he tried to make sense of what he just learnt. Zeus had another demigod child, with Beryl as well, making him Thalia's actual brother. But he was now deceased, the circumstances unknown. And apparently, Zeus did not get punished for breaking the oath twice, and Percy doubted the oath was a one-time thing as well. And adding in the mysterious sword that even Thalia was familiar with, something was strange was happening among the Grace family. Something that he hoped wasn't sinister.

Percy decided to leave the question of the sword for now, seeing that Thalia had enough emotional turmoil, but oddly seemed at peace now. Like a weight had been lifted off her chest, and Percy had a guess as to what it was. He then noticed something flickering in the distance, making his eyes slightly widen.

"Thalia." Percy whispered, gently shaking the child. "You're still up right?"

"Mhm, what is it." Thalia mumbled, letting out a yawn.

"You can go to sleep after this, but take a look. Just ahead." Percy replied, levitating some mud off the ground.

"What is it? Something bad?" Thalia asked, opening her eyes.

"Quite the opposite bug." Percy replied with a grin. He then put the fire out with the mud he was levitating, putting the surrounding area back into darkness. Only for it to be brought back to light by something else.

"Are those…" Thalia whispered as she stared at the tiny lights zipping around the forest, some even close to her and Percy.

"Lightning bugs." Percy whispered back, nudging Thalia softly. "That's you bug."

"They're fireflies." Thalia said with a giggles. "Not lightning bugs."

"No, no. they're lightning bugs." Percy insisted with a chuckle. "They produce lightning inside them which lights up a part of their body. Don't tell me all this time you thought they made fire in their bodies and that's what made the light.

"Of course? Why would they be called fireflies then?" Thalia asked.

Percy sighed. "Mortals, you lot are so daft sometimes. Confusing the poor kids over here now. I'm not calling you daft though."

Thalia giggled and then stood up, and then began chasing the fireflies around. Percy grinned as he watched her play, while also marveling at the amount of endless energy kids seemed to possess. Now he knew how his mother felt. Percy then got an idea and fished his camera out, taking in a few pictures of seeing Thalia happy.

"Thank you Percy." Thalia said suddenly

Percy blinked with surprise. "What for?"

"For believing in me. And not only because of…Jason but, back in the beach too. Thank you for always believing in me." Thalia replied, curling back to her previous position and snuggling close to Percy for warmth. Percy just smiled in response and picked her up, taking her back to the tent and the room she picked. After making sure Thalia was sound asleep, Percy then stepped outside and lit the campfire again, sitting next to it with a heavy sigh. He then removed his sweatshirt and rolled up his sleeve, staring at his greyed arm, and the mark in turn. The dark blue 'V' shaped mark. The Tetreja.

"If only I can destroy you, if only I can…" Percy muttered through clenched teeth. "And I still don't know what's going to happen to me if this spreads. If I use that power. Thank you so much Nyx…thank you for not confirming any of my fears and doubts I had of myself regarding you. Just shows how much you care…"

Percy continued to stay out for a while, until he decided to call it a night. And as much as he wanted to stay up all night like he did the past few days, there was too much going on in his head right now to really make sense of. Best was too sleep it off.

Percy almost crashed on his bed, literally, as he tried to get comfortable. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, wondering if he could at least get an hour of rest. And then it happened.

Mist pooled inside the room, obscuring Percy's view. His breaths started getting heavier as distant chanting became louder and louder. Flashes of white light then appeared around Percy, and a familiar hum of energy began to drown Percy's mind. And that's when he saw something…different. Two pairs of magenta glowing eyes, staring directly at Percy. The humming sound only became louder as silhouettes of tendril like things became visible against the now red mist. Percy was frozen, and he wasn't sure why as white energy streams appeared next to his body. The streams then lunged back, and then-"

"Tetrekarn!"

Percy immediately fell off his bed, and landed with a loud thud on the floor. He then quickly scrambled up, his breathing slowly becoming uneven as he tried to collect himself. Letting out a low groan, he dashed outside of the tent and into the clearing, slowly taking in the forest air, and the moon shining above him. And unsurprisingly, staring at it calmed him down.

"I wish you were here with me." Percy whispered, falling to his knees. "I don't know what's happening to me, I don't even know who to ask, who can understand me."

"I need you Artemis."

Percy wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he saw the moon shimmer a bit. Chalking it up to his hallucinations that seemed to weirdly happen to him, Percy got up and formed some weapons out of his braces, and soon fell into a training headspace that stretched the night away.

---

Thalia blearily opened her bedroom door, letting out a yawn as she stumbled out. She wasn't sure who it was, but someone had opened her window to let the sunlight fall on her face, and thus wake her up. And Thalia was pretty sure there was no window in her room last night.

Thalia was not that surprised to see Percy already outside, but this time training with a sword. And after three days, she wasn't sure if the god was an early riser, or just didn't sleep at all.

"Did you sleep…" Thalia began to say, only to trail off at the end.

"No, not really. Gods don't really sleep anyway, so I'm not missing on much." Percy replied, retracting his weapons into his braces. "So, breakfast time. Sadly, I can't make my special pancakes, but I know how to cook sausages. Though I find it weird eating it for breakfast, since I only know these things in hotdogs."

Percy glanced at Thalia, and slightly frowned when he saw Thalia staring at him with a slightly scared expression. Before Percy could say anything, Thalia spoke up.

"W-What happened to your arm?" Thalia asked, her voice quivering.

"My arm?" Percy asked. He glanced at his right arm and then at Thalia with a confused look. And then his eyes widened. He was wearing a t-shirt. And Thalia was staring at his other arm.

Percy jerked his hands back, the umbra ore material on his right arm climbing up his body and then down to his left arm, joining the other umbra ore brace. The two similar materials combined to form a full hand length gauntlet, coupled with the blue geometric grooves and an intricate design. Percy slightly marveled at what he created and turned towards Thalia, who was still staring at his arm with the same expression. And Percy sighed.

"It's no use hiding it from you anymore, you saw it already." Percy muttered. Retrieving his right arm brace back to its original position. "I didn't want to scare you, and judging from that look, I did in fact do that-"

"What happened to your arm!" Thalia interrupted with a shout, rushing towards Percy. "Is it hurt, is that what happens when you use a sword? Are you injured, do you need bandages-"

"Whoa Thalia, relax. I'm perfectly fine, my arm is alright. Just a bit…disfigured, you don't have to worry about me or it at all." Percy said quickly.

"But…how did this happen?!" Thalia asked with shock.

"Not by using my weapons if that's what you're wondering." Percy replied. "Another question to add to my list." He thought. "I have this special power you see, that causes this thing. I don't know how to fix it either, and it'll continue to spread if I keep using that powers. So as long as I don't use it…I'll be okay."

Thalia had a pensive look on her face. "Is that power…dangerous?"

Percy's face darkened. "Very." He said quietly. "And I don't intend to use it, or lose control of it at all, especially with innocent people around. And definitely not around you."

Thalia nodded. "Okay…but what is that?" she asked pointing at the mark.

"That's…a tattoo. Nothing special." Percy said quickly, summoning his sweatshirt. "Do you think I should probably get a wardrobe upgrade? I think I should get an upgrade."

"Like what?" Thalia asked.

"Hmm, I'm starting to get fond of rock bands." Percy replied, giving a wink. "Right, sausages. I have some mayonnaise to top it with, but no bread for makeshift hotdogs. A shame, I miss my New York hotdogs. And cheeseburgers."

"Cheeseburgers in Vegas?" Thalia asked with a grin.

Percy grinned back. "Cheeseburgers in Vegas!"

Later on, Thalia asked finally asked for something which she was just reminded of when she saw Percy train. "So…can you train me now?"

"Mhm!" Percy hummed, cleaning his hands. "Mhm…mhmm…yep! But are you sure you're ready, cause after last night…"

A slight pained look flashed across Thalia's face, but her eyes held a determined look in them. "I'm ready."

Percy nodded. "Okay. Training you, this is going to be fun. Let's just hope I'm not rusty. Alright, first I'm going to train you with your innate powers, see if we can develop them. And secondly, I can help you specialize with a weapon. So Thalia-" Percy said, forming a spear and sword in each hand, then a lance and axe, then a knife and an attached blade, and then a claymore. "Which weapon do you want?"

"…Definitely not the last one." Thalia said quickly. "Can you actually form any weapon with those things."

"Yep. I don't go for a bow though since I already have one within grasp." Percy replied.

Thalia had a thoughtful look on her face. "Can you make a gun?"

Percy blinked once, and then again. He glanced at his braces, and then at Thalia, and then again at his braces. "A gun?"

"Yeah."

"A gun."

"Yeah."

"A gun?!"

Thalia stomped her foot. "Yeah!"

"…Um not sure if I can." Percy said after a brief pause. "I mean, I can create any weapon out of this, and a gun is a weapon but…I got this way back then so I don't really think- whoa!"

Thalia's jaw opened, staring with surprise at the AK-47 in Percy's arms, who was also staring at it with shock."

"…Huh."

"Can it actually shoot?" Thalia asked.

"Uh…nope. No, I don't want to know." Percy quickly said, bringing the materials back. "And you're not getting a gun little miss."

Thalia pouted, but then brightened up. "Can I have…a spear then? You looked really cool with a spear when fighting that cyclops, so…"

"One spear coming up." Percy said with a smile, a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm…can you give me that mace canister of yours?"

Thalia looked a bit confused. "Sure, but why?"

"I never did this before at all you know, and with my domain more or less revolving around weapons, I wonder…" Percy said, taking the canister from Thalia. He clutched it tightly in his hand and then closed his eyes, while also muttering something in Greek. The mace canister then began to glow blue for a while, and then the glow disappeared.

"Let's see, press the safety cap down instead of flipping it up." Percy said, throwing the can gently to Thalia. She inspected the canister to see if anything changed, but seeing that nothing had changed, she did what Percy told her to. And in mere seconds, the canister began to change shape and elongate until Thalia was holding a seven-foot celestial bronze spear in her hand, which gleamed underneath the sunlight.

"Thank you old dirt face for the lovely prime resource." Percy thought with a smirk. "What do you think?" he asked Thalia.

"It's…It's amazing!" Thalia shouted with a glee, twirling the spear around. "A bit big, but thank you, thank you, thank you-"

"Ah, ah, don't skewer me please." Percy said as he side-stepped, easily missing the blade of the spear which was pointed at him.

"Oh, sorry." Thalia said, blushing with embarrassment. "This is really light."

"Perfect for your stature currently. And well balanced." Percy replied, ruffling Thalia's hair. "And you're welcome."

"How do I change this back into a can though?" Thalia asked.

"Oh, yeah. There is a mechanism where if you hit the end of the spear on any surface, this little groove will unlock and you just have to push down again to turn it into a can."

Thalia did what Percy said, and sure enough, the spear turned back into a mace canister within seconds. "…Can I still use this as the can?"

Percy chuckled. "Of course, just do what you have to do to use the can, no other changes. The spear only activates when you press on top of the safety cap, flip it up to use the can as it is."

"Yep, got it." Thalia said, flipping the cap back. "I thought it wouldn't be possible."

Percy snorted. "Why not? That would be stupid if I removed that ability of it. Like, imagine if I turned a pen into a sword, and it can't even write. How dumb is that?"

"Very dumb." Thalia agreed, summoning the spear. "So, training?"

"Training." Percy agreed, also forming a spear. "Now, the main thing to remember when using spears is that you need to keep distance between you and your opponent. Even though it is a close combat weapon, you need that space to attack properly. You also need to be quick on your feet, especially when you need to jump back. So for today, we're going to focus on those two attributes first, finding space to attack me, and being quick on your feet in order to dodge my lunges. Got it?"

"Uh…" Thalia trailed off, but then nodded defiantly. "I got it."

"Tell me if I'm going too fast or hard on you. I don't want to push your limits."

Thalia nodded again, and then got into position. Though she looked confused when Percy snorted.

"And I forgot to show you the proper stance." Percy said, shaking his head fondly as he corrected Thalia's positioning. "This reminds me off when I got the stance wrong too. Got five hits from Ares that day as he tried to make me perfect it. Now…en garde."

It was a grueling hour, but Percy made sure that there were brief breaks in between in order to not overwork Thalia. Percy still had to remind himself that while Thalia was still a demigod, she didn't have the added endurance of a hunter, and the age didn't help either. But Thalia still carried on, and had even soon gotten a hang of the basics which really impressed Percy. And seeing that Thalia was slowly but surely familiarizing with a spear, and if this continued like this at least thrice a week for a couple of months, Thalia could easily be quite well experienced with a spear at the rate she was going.

"Splendid! Great job bug, you're actually getting the hang out of it." Percy said, side-stepping Thalia's lunge again and stepped back, pinning Thalia in a corner. "Looks like you have no way to escape." Percy replied with a grin, levelling his spear.

"…You got me." Thalia said, giving a tired smile as she slumped down.

"Here, water. I should maybe get stocked up with ambrosia and nectar." Percy muttered to himself. "Let's take a break now, we can do lightning training after lunch. Though mind you…I have no experience with it. But I will try my best."

"Okay. What do we have for lunch, I'm hungry." Thalia asked, laying down on the grass.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "We had breakfast almost two hours ago."

"Starving."

"It's only eleven in the morning."

"Pleaseeeee?"

Percy sighed. "Take it easy for now, I don't want you to strain your muscles. Meanwhile, I could do some hunting."

Thalia perked up slightly. "You're going hunting? Actual hunting?"

"Yep. And no-" Percy said, staring pointedly at Thalia. "You can't come with me."

"But why not?" Thalia asked.

"You have to rest remember? And hunting isn't exactly a resting sport. Not to mention, I don't want you to see me kill animals just like that."

Thalia whined, and the next ten minutes was spent with Percy convincing Thalia to stay back, and to listen to music to pass time.

"I'm not going far, I'm just here only, close by. And don't worry about any dangers, this clearing is well protected. Which also means that you can't leave this place, okay? I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Promise?" Thalia asked glumly.

"Pinky promise. That's what people do right?" Percy said with a smile. "I won't be too long bug, see you soon."

---

Percy did take long.

Though it really wasn't his fault. Just a few minutes into getting his hunting senses up, and Percy was already lost in his game. The cracking of leaves, dodging stray branches and jumping from treetops filled Percy with familiar elation that he sorely missed. Though for some reason, something seemed to be missing as he continued to glide through the forest.

"Maybe I just need to start actually hunting." Percy thought, summoning his bow behind his back. His eyes then trained across the forest floor as he scanned for the fauna found in the forest. He soon found a herd of deer grazing in a patch, and just some hundred meters away, another herd of mountain goats walking along a cliff.

"Deer for old time sake, goats for lunch. I hope Thalia won't mind lamb again." Percy muttered to himself, swinging from a tree with his grappling hook. He did a barrel roll as landed on the ground, pulling the string of his bow back as he took aim at the herd of deer. Percy then took a deep breath and then released, air and the arrow. The projectile zipped through the clearing and hit its mark, but not only that, it even hit through another deer, bringing two down.

"No way." Percy said while he got up, a grin on his face. "Two in one, did you see that Arte-"

Percy's excited look faded when the realization settled in him. He closed his eyes and sighed, trudging towards his kill. And while he collected his kill, it was then that he realized what it was that he felt was missing for him. And he didn't like it. Though that did make him wonder, if she had ever felt the same way.

After tackling the mountain goats as well, (which then led him to jump of a cliff as his kill tumbled off it.) Percy finally arrived back at the camp. He spotted Thalia sitting at the doorway of the tent, fiddling with some pictures and her scrapbook.

"Percy!" Thalia shouted when she noticed the god, running to meet the god. "You came back." She whispered, hugging his legs tightly.

"Of course I did, and I didn't take long either." Percy replied.

"You came back after two hours." Thalia said with a deadpanned look.

Percy blinked. "That is soon. For me…" he mumbled. "I need a watch."

Thalia giggled at his antics while Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry bug. Now, I have lamb again for lunch if that's alright. But what do you want for food though, I have potatoes too. Anything in particular, preferably simple?"

Thalia frowned slightly, and then her eyes lit up. "Minced meat and mashed potatoes. I remember liking that in a restaurant."

"Right." Percy said, a slightly confused look on his face. Minced meat, and mashed potatoes…how would one make that?"

"You mince the meat. And you mash the potatoes." Thalia replied.

Percy smiled. "Thank you Thalia. Okay…this is going to be a bit difficult…"

It took longer than expected, and with some help from Thalia, Percy managed to make a delicious, but not so perfect batch of minced meat and potatoes. But Thalia looked like she was enjoying it, so Percy was happy.

"So, lightning powers. You said that you managed to make some sparks right? Can you do that now?" Percy asked. Thalia raised her hand a bit and narrowed her eyes, mustering a look of concentration. A few minutes passed by, but no change seemed to occur, leading Thalia to drop her hand with defeat.

"No, I can't do it." Thalia said with a sigh.

"Well we're far from done." Percy replied, sitting up. "Seem while emotions, especially when spiked can play a hand with using powers, it is not a recommended method. Instead of trying to concentrate hard, try to keep your mind in peace. Blank if you want. Take time to sense yourself, and then try to reach out for the power. Can you do that?"

Thalia nodded, sitting in a cross legged position. Another look of concentration flashed across her face, making her frown a bit.

"Deep breaths. In, and out. Calm state of mind, don't forget that. Keep yourself in check, and once you have done that, then reach out."

Thalia nodded again and closed her eyes, slowly taking a deep breath and listening to Percy's words on how to regulate it. She continued to do this, and Percy smiled slightly when he noticed her slightly relax.

"You still haven't fully tapped your power yet, but once you do, it's only a matter of practice and skill. Can you feel it? The lightning coursing through you?"

"This is taking long." Thalia mumbled.

"Demigod instincts. Why do have to be a pain now." Percy muttered. "Try to focus on my voice, I know it will be a bit difficult, but just try."

"Okay." Thalia said hesitantly. "Now what?"

"Deep breaths, and just listen. Now, can you feel something?"

"Um…is it supposed to itch?" Thalia asked.

"Only one way to find out." Percy muttered. "Maybe try to give a little nudge with your hand?"

Thalia gulped, and then slightly moved her fingers. Percy stared defiantly at her hand, trying to see if there was anything lightning related that could happen. And it did. Percy could smell the faint scent of ozone and suddenly, a few sparks erupted out of the tips of Thalia's fingers.

"That's brilliant Thalia!" Percy said excitedly. "Keep that going, that's it. Maybe even you can try another nudge, like reaching out-"

ZZZZZPPTTT!

Thalia suddenly heard the sound of sparks erupting and cracked an eye open, only for both to open and widen when she saw Percy's hair standing on one end.

"Pffftt." Percy coughed, a small puff of smoke escaping his mouth. "Heh, that tickled."

"It only tickled?" Thalia asked glumly.

Percy's eyes widened. "No, no, no, that's not what I meant bug. I mean, I'm a god so what you did just felt like a tickle. But if you did that to a mortal, you would definitely give them quite an electric shock. I actually saw a small stream of electricity shoot out from your palm."

"Really?" Thalia asked excitedly, extending her arms out. Crackling noises were then heard as sparks erupted from Thalia's hand, some of them even lighting the grass below with fire.

"I can make sparks! And it doesn't hurt now." Thalia said, running around with sparks trailing behind her.

"I can see that." Percy replied, hopping around to stomp of the small fires that were erupting because of Thalia. "Okay Thalia you can stop now; I don't want a forest fire in my hands."

"Oh! Sorry." Thalia said abashedly. "But can I really make lightning now?"

"With enough practice and concentration, yeah." Percy replied. "But only under my supervision little miss, you're still in training. And I don't want any stray bolts hitting some poor pedestrians okay?"

"Okay." Thalia chirped brightly, giggling to herself. "Are you going to fix your hair?"

"Hmm?" Percy hummed, touching his hair. "Well will you look at that, new hairstyle to compliment my wardrobe upgrade. Thanks bug."

"Noooo." Thalia said with a laugh. "You look weird, change it."

"Nope." Percy replied with a grin, making Thalia groan. And just to make Thalia fume more, Percy ended up taking a picture with the girl, who was struggling to look mad and not burst out laughing at the same time. And this time, he made sure to take two.

---

"Here we are Thalia, the city within the desert. An oasis you can say, for people who want…a wild night?" Percy said, glancing at Thalia who had an unimpressed look on her face.

"I'm not making this better, am I?"

"Hmm."

"Well, we are at the perfect time here. Cause now that it's getting dark, all the lights will pop up, and you can finally see the city in its full glory. That sounds cool right?"

"A bit." Thalia answered. "Where are we going to go now."

"A clothes shop for me, and for you if you want any extra clothes as well." Percy replied, spying a mall. "And that's over there."

After wandering a bit around the mall, and horribly failing at using an escalator, Percy finally found the clothes shop he was looking for. He entered it and was soon greeted by blasting typical rock music. A lady was at the counter reading a newspaper, giving Percy an appraising look before she continued to read.

"And there it is." Percy said, picking up a leather jacket of a rack. "What do you think?"

"Now that…looks really cool." Thalia said with a grin, watching as Percy took out more clothes and piled them in one hand.

"The black could go with the blue…ooh, combat boots." Percy said, holding a pair up. "Anything caught your eye Thals?"

Thalia hummed for a bit while staring at the clothes in Percy's hand, a thoughtful look on her face. "Is it alright." She said hesitantly. "If I can have the same clothes as you?"

"Of course you can." Percy replied with a grin. "Excuse me, do you have these clothes but in her size?" Percy asked the lady after getting her attention.

The lady's eyes narrowed. "Sir, I only sell clothing articles for adults, not children."

"I see…" Percy muttered. "Chin up bug, I know what to do." Percy told a glum looking Thalia. "Just pick what you want, and let me do my work, alright?"

Thalia looked a bit confused but then soon ran off to grab her clothes. Percy smiled on seeing her so excited when he spotted something at the back of the shop. He walked towards it and pulled the article of clothing out, his eyes widening when he saw what it was. A long black coat with grey trims, that at least reached to his ankles and was lithe enough for combat and everyday use.

"I had a cloak thing going on back in ancient times." Percy muttered to himself, slowly grinning. He then remembered the jacket he wanted to buy, and that was when he had got an idea. After checking to see if the counter lady was still engrossed with her newspaper, Percy dashed into the changing rooms. After five minutes and a couple of blue flashes of light, Percy then emerged out of the changing room while whistling a tune, ready with his purchase. Thalia also seemed to be done shopping, and was visibly bubbling with excitement.

"Here you go ma'am." Percy said, dumping the clothes on the counter. The lady took a look at the clothes and then at Percy with a raised eyebrow. But after Percy flashed his wallet, the transaction went by without any questions. Percy then asked if it was fine he could change into his clothes now only, which the lady agreed to.

"Alright, listen to me. Go to the changing room and put your clothes on. Don't worry if it's big, I'll fix that soon enough." Percy told Thalia. He too also entered the room and soon came out, wearing a black leather jacket underneath a blue t-shirt, decked with black jeans and combat boots. Percy then removed a set of weapons he hadn't used for quite a while, his silver claws, and wore them which then changed into their disguise of normal black gloves. Thalia then also came out of the room, wearing an all-black attire of a leather jacket, t-shirt, jeans and combat boots. And all of them too large for her.

"Right, hold still." Percy said, snapping his fingers twice. Thalia's clothes then ruffled, and to the demigod's surprise, they shrunk down to fit her perfectly.

"Just a simple resizing trick." Percy replied. "And I made sure that the clothes would grow as you get bigger too. No need to throw them in case you get attached. Going for a bit of a punk look though?"

"You as well too." Thalia replied with a smile.

"Oh if only I had that hairstyle you so lovingly gave me." Percy lamented.

"No way, and I didn't give it to you on purpose." Thalia replied, running off. "Come on Percy!"

"Coming!" Percy shouted, silently hoping that the lady didn't see Thalia's attire. Thankfully, she was still engrossed with her paper and that's how Percy left her. And while Percy chased Thalia around the floor, his mind wandered to the fact that he was actually here, taking care of a child. When that was the last thing he expected to do. But seeing Thalia's elated face, made Percy ache as he was reminded of his own hunters. Zoë, Phoebe, Celyn and Atlana were the only hunters he knew that were still in the hunt before he disappeared, the rest were recruited after that. And then there was Arius, who was still out there but in hiding for some unknown reason. The thought of him, any of them in danger or what they had gone through pained Percy. He dearly missed them no doubt about it. But he was sure he was going to see them again, he was sure. After exiting the mall, Percy then took Thalia through a couple of casino attached hotels, and finally ended up where he needed to be.

"Thalia." Percy stated, picking Thalia up placing her on his shoulders. "Welcome to the Vegas Strip."

Percy could feel Thalia rest her chin on top of his head, and chuckled at the thought of a jaw dropped Thalia. He couldn't blame her though. The Strip during night was fantastic. Neon lights everywhere, fountain dances, and a whole multitude of casinos and hotels with people bustling in and out of them. Percy had just passed the MGM grand hotel, when Thalia began to excitedly point at something.

"Is that the Eiffel Tower?" Thalia shouted through the noise. "I thought that was in Paris!"

"It is in Paris. That's just a replica Thalia, a fake model." Percy replied. "I should go to France one day, that would be nice trip."

"Can I come with you to France?" Thalia asked with a grin.

"Let's just stick to the U.S. bug, France is a different story." Percy replied with a chuckle. "And is that a pyramid, man I would love to go to Giza to see the ancient and modern wonder of the world. And who knows, maybe I'll find a dusty Egyptian god in there, right Thalia?"

"That sounds scary." Thalia muttered, sinking lower.

"Right, no pyramids then. But we do need to find a place to live." Percy muttered as he checked out the various hotels. He still wasn't sure which one to go for, and after cursing the multiple choices available, Percy turned to a lane which he thought would be a dead end, but ended up leading towards another hotel. Percy was about to turn back when he felt something familiar in the air, and he was sure he wasn't imagining it when Thalia also shifted a bit.

"Weird feeling again." Thalia whispered.

"Our type of weird." Percy whispered back, taking a look at the hotel in front of him properly. The hotel like all others had neon lights all over, but most seemed to be fore the gigantic lotus on top of the entrance way. The hotel, or rather the casino's name too, Lotus Hotel and Casino was written in bold bright blue letters below the lotus flower. The glittering chrome doors of the hotel were open, though Percy wondered why no one was leaving or entering the building. But there was a doorman.

"What do you think of this place?" Percy asked Thalia.

"It looks nice." Thalia replied. "We go there?"

"Hmm…yeah. We could go there I guess." Percy replied, slowly trudging to the entrance.

"Heyo you two!" The doorman called out, a big smile on his face. "You may not seem knackered out, but want to check out our fine establishment for a bit? I promise you, staying here will be worth it."

"We don't have bags. What makes you think we want to stay here?" Percy asked, looking a bit suspicious.

The doorman chuckled, raising his arms in surrender. "Sorry for assuming pal, but you don't have to stay here of course. But there's a lot to do over here you know, wouldn't hurt to take a peek.

Percy narrowed his eyes. The doorman…was definitely mortal. And strangely enough, Percy couldn't find any traces of any enchantments or something similar to him as well. Percy was still quite wary of what was going on here, but seeing that this place may have something to do with his world, he might as well check it out. Percy stiffly nodded at the doorman and entered the hotel, only to be blown away with what he was seeing.

"…Shit." Thalia murmured, and Percy definitely agreed. The lobby, or whatever this was filled to the brim with arcade and slot machines. But that wasn't all. There were two water slides twirling around two glass elevators that had to be ten stories tall, with both of them emptying out into a massive indoor and outdoor pool combined. Percy spotted numerous climbing walls, restaurants of every type, amusement park rides, and even various sports centers around the floor. There was even an artificial mountain that was at least twenty stories tall, with a snow themed world beneath it.

"The hell is this place." Percy breathed out, taking a step back. He never heard about the Lotus hotel, he never even saw anyone near that place. but, people were here, people of every kind enjoying themselves to the fullest, with none of them with a look of care.

"Ahoy there!" a voice shouted, making Percy jump. The voice belonged to a lanky man in a pirate get up, and he was waving a piece of pare and two plastic green cards between his fingers.

"You're here to check in mate? Ah, of course you are, why am I even asking."

"Um, actually I-"

"Here's your room keys, and don't worry about our expenses, it's being taken care of. Have to thank our lucky sponsor you know. But, I was wondering if you wanted to attend this month's program of our fine establishment, featuring the lovely Subaqueous Siren."

"I'm sorry, what siren-"

"Just put yours and your kid's name down if she wants to attend on the paper. But mind you, it's quite a sophisticated event, so dress up nicely."

"But clothes- wait she's not my-"

"Ah, that beautiful siren, what a voice! And who knows, maybe our sponsor may finally make an appearance as well for the event." The pirate man said with a sigh.

Percy pursued his lips, not really liking what was happening now. Once again, the man in front of him was mortal, but the Greek presence he was feeling had only increased now. And the man had mentioned a siren…it could only mean the one siren Percy and the rest of the Greek world were familiar with. And hearing about this sponsor, Percy can't help but feel that something may be connected to that person.

"Okay, I'll put my name down. Thalia, you want to- wait, are kids allowed for that show? Because I know what some Vegas shows entail."

"Of course kids are allowed sir, nothing of that type to be shown anywhere. Unless, the siren catches your eye, then you must forgive her for her light…advances. And you, sir, might just be one to catch hers." The man said with a wink. "But it's all safe, very safe…"

"I'll be the judge of that." Percy muttered, putting his and Thalia's name down. He was not comfortable with leaving Thalia anywhere in this place alone, even in the room.

"Okie-dokie, key cards are with you, here's the flyer for more details about the show, names are set- oh, I almost forgot. Refreshments, can't forget about our policy now." The man said with a chuckle. As soon as he called for refreshments, two ladies arrived with a golden tray and offered it to Percy and Thalia respectively. Percy raised an eyebrow when he saw that the refreshment in question was a flower. A lotus flower to be exact.

"Our signature dish, and our waiters are carrying this everywhere. Along with other kinds of food of course."

"Thank you…" Percy said slowly, holding back Thalia's arm who was about to eat the flower. "This isn't the actual flower right?"

One of the waitresses smiled. "Of course not sir. Now that would be preposterous."

"The top most floor, room 4001. And enjoy your stay!" the man called out, walking towards a couple who were only roaming around with bath towels, and began talking animatedly with them.

"Right…" Percy muttered, taking the flower from Thalia's hands.

"Hey!"

"Sorry bug, but I don't really trust this place. especially this signature food." Percy said, lighting his hand with hellfire. Thalia watched as the flower burned to ash within a second inside the whitish grey flame. Percy spied a dustbin and dumped the ash in it.

"What kind of fire was that?" Thalia asked.

"Hellfire, very powerful. Now…let's see what's the deal with this." Percy said, popping his lotus flower in his mouth. "Mhmm, sweet. Mhmm, it actually tastes really delicious."

"And you burnt mine?!" Thalia cried out indignantly.

"But it could still be dangerous. I don't want to risk anything happening to you." Percy quickly replied. "But that was actually really good."

Thalia sighed, though her eyes brightened up when she saw the various attractions everywhere. "Percy, can we check out all that stuff? Look, they have a pool, games-"

"I know Thalia, but maybe we should check out our rooms first, then we can explore. As Percy and Thalia made their way to the elevator, Percy couldn't help notice that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. And that meant everyone. And not only that, but there were actually waiters and waitresses walking around, serving everyone regardless of what they were doing a lotus flower. One even offered him a flower while he and Thalia were waiting for the elevator.

"No thanks, just had one." Percy replied, ushering Thalia inside. Percy then glanced at the button layout, and frowned when he noticed that the ground floor button, which was adequately named 'Fun Floor', was the only one present. And above that, there was a slot big enough to fit a key card. Percy then put his key card in the slot, and a button then popped up below the slot, making Percy's frown deeper.

"This is weird." Percy muttered, pressing the button which was also adequately named 'Top Floor'. The elevator then began to ascend, and after a few floors were passed, Thalia buried her head on Percy's leg.

"It's okay bug." Percy said soothingly, staring warily at the elevator walls. His last experience in one of these wasn't the best, and sure enough as soon as he closed his eyes, bellows of mist once again covered his vision. Percy then slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a look at the flyer about the 'Subaqueous Siren'. Percy raised an eyebrow when he saw that there was no time or date on the flyer, just a paragraph stating that an announcement will be made for signed guests to stand outside the elevators in the ground floor. Before Percy could ponder on it further, the elevator reached their floor, prompting Percy and Thalia to enter the floor. The first room he saw was their room only, though Percy didn't believe it was because it was the first room on the floor. And on entering the room, Percy was met with another surprise.

"Is this a hotel room or a home?" Thalia said, unknowingly saying Percy's question out loud. The room was a two-bedroom suite, and designed in such a way it really reminded Percy of an apartment building, like the one he saw Beryl live in. and everything looked very new from the furniture, or up to date with the latest models like the television. There was even a Nintendo 64 hooked to the television, with a copy of Super Mario 64 in place.

"Okay…" Percy muttered, smiling slightly when he saw Thalia possibly experience a water bed for the first time.

"This-is-awe-some" Thalia said, saying each syllable with each jump.

"Seeing that there's no time to base on when the show might happen, we might as well get changed now and be ready for it." Percy said, setting the flyer down. "Bags are with me, but clothes…"

On a whim, Percy went inside a bedroom and opened the wardrobe. And to his surprise, there were a multitude of clothes inside, and all of the seemed to be based on Percy's recent tastes since coming to the modern world. Pop culture t-shirts, sweatshirts, and even a tuxedo to boot. But what immediately kept Percy on guard was a chiton he found in the back of the wardrobe. A chiton he wore only on Mount Olympus, during time of leisure.

"…I'll just take this." Percy mumbled, snatching the tuxedo and hurrying quickly into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, Percy stepped out of his room and into the living room, gaining Thalia's attention from the television she had put on.

"You look really nice with a tux Percy." Thalia said with a grin. "Like…red carpet nice!"

"Why thank you little miss." Percy replied with a grin, taking Thalia's hand. "But I'm afraid that's not my name. The name's Bond, James Bond. A pleasure." He said, kissing the back of Thalia's hand, making her giggle.

"Okay bug, shower time. And if I'm not wrong, there may be some dresses in the wardrobe for you so pick your favorite. And do you need help again with how to work the hotel shower?"

"Yes." Thalia mumbled. "They are all so different."

Percy snorted. "They are not that different, I don't even think there's any difference at all."

After helping Thalia pick a dress ("Do I really have to wear that?" "Yes Thalia.") and work the shower, ("See, no difference.") Percy then surfed through the various channels to see what was going on with the world. But strangely enough, there were no news channels at all. No weather channels, no sport channels either. Movies, TV and kids shows were there though, and so was a music channel. But the TV didn't feature the date or time anywhere, which Percy found odd. And now that he noticed, there didn't seem to be any clocks in the room too.

"Percy! Can you help me with my socks and shoes?" Thalia called out.

"Yeah!" Percy called back, walking to Thalia's room. "Aww." Percy said, grinning when he saw Thalia all decked out in a dark blue dress. "You definitely look like a little Disney princess." Percy said with a chuckle, leaning against the door frame. "Wait…princess! I found a new nickname, and it even fits."

"How does princess fit me?" Thalia asked with a frown.

"Well for starters." Percy said, smoothening Thalia's dress. "Your father is the king of the gods, making you, his daughter, a princess. And your last name is Grace, so 'your grace', 'yes your grace'. And you look so cute with that dress!"

"I don't look cute." Thalia pouted. "And I'm not a princess." She said, a cheeky grin slowly forming on her face. "You know, maybe I am kind of a princess with my brave knight always helping me."

Percy blinked. "Me, a brave knight? Now that's impossible."

"And-" Thalia continued, her grin widening. "You're my good horsey who takes me around on your shoulders."

Percy blinked again and then stared at Thalia, both of them soon dissolving into giggles and laughter.

"I'm a horse…okay I can agree on that." Percy said, settling his laughter. "Your hair is all frizzled up though."

"It's fine." Thalia whined, pouting again. "My hair's fine."

"But not for a sophisticated event." Percy said in a sing-song voice, smoothening her hair to be acceptable for Thalia and the event. "I'll be keeping your canister just in case. And there we go, you ready bug?"

"Why yes I am, brave knight." Thalia replied with a grin.

Percy snorted. "Whatever you say princess."

"I'm not a princess!"

Percy and Thalia once again arrived on the ground floor, and on seeing the rides again, Percy face palmed. He was in a tuxedo, and Thalia was in a dress. But lucky for him, Thalia was more interested in playing the arcade games, which Percy didn't mind at all. Thalia had immediately rushed towards the dancing games, and even with a dress, managed to beat Percy who definitely needed to correct his two left feet soon. After taking a lotus flower and a plate of chicken wings, Percy then joined Thalia and watched her as she played the racing games. Seeing that she wasn't going to move off the Cruis'n World arcade machine any time soon, Percy then decided to play a game of Virtua Cop 2 with a boy with shaggy black hair, and who was surprisingly good in it for someone who looked like a three-year-old.

"Nice one kid, that was a good finishing shot."

"You weren't bad mister."

"Nico!" a girl's voice shouted from behind. "Come on, we need to eat."

"Coming Bianca! See you mister." The boy called out, running towards a girl who looked no older than five. Percy smiled slightly but then frowned when he saw that there didn't seem to be any adults who could be the kid's parents waiting for them. Before Percy could do anything however, Thalia grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the claw machine games.

"Come on Percy, I want to finally beat you in this." Thalia said gleefully.

"Come on Thalia, you know I'm an expert in this stuff." Percy said with a chuckle, grabbing a lotus flower from a tray.

"But no cheating!"

Percy wasn't sure how long it had been, but he knew he and Thalia were quite hungry after some time. They decided to settle on Chinese, and while Thalia was busy trying to use chopsticks properly by herself, Percy struck up a conversation with a nearby patron, who for some reason looked oddly familiar.

"You look new, which means I can tell my story again." The patron, a man wearing a bathrobe said with a grin. "Now, would you believe me if I told you that I hijacked a plane, and asked for some thousand something dollars, and escaped…eh?"

"Nah, that's impossible. But tell me how?" Percy asked.

The man grinned. "My ingenuity helped, and some spells which helped me get the cash and evade the police forces for some time. Until I found this smashing place of course! No one has reported me, and no cops have come barging in."

"That sounds really cool. …I'm sorry did you say spells?!"

"Yep. You know, my camp mates who were new always thought I was a son of Hermes, with the little tricks I played. But one swipe of their noses, whoops! Then they knew I was a son of Hecate instead. Of course, no one then payed any attention after that…"

"Wait, wait." Percy said, massaging his forehead. "You're a child of Hecate?"

"Ye-p! Oh boy, loose tongue, my bad. Mortals aren't supposed to know about that 'side'." The man said with a grin. "But then again, I don't think the mortals even know that my real name isn't even D. B. Cooper, hah!"

Percy's eyes slowly widened. "You're…D. B. Cooper?"

"Ye-p! Oh boy, loose tongue. Hey…you won't mind not telling the-"

"What year is this." Percy interrupted.

"Uh…1971?"

Percy's eyes widened. "You…and how long have you been here for?"

"A month? Hey what is this, some interrogation-"

"I have to go." Percy said quickly, scooping Thalia up.

"Percy! I just got the hold correctly."

"Sorry Thalia, but I need to ask you something." Percy said, his eyes darting around. "Have you seen anything strange around here?"

"No? Not really."

"What about the people?" Percy then asked, glancing around. "Were the people behaving strangely, were they…wearing different clothes…"

Percy trailed off, and taking Thalia's hand, approached a young boy who looked like he was thirteen. But what caught his attention was the way he was dressed. He wore bellbottom jeans and a red T-shirt with black piping, and his hair was permed and gelled like a New Jersey girl's on homecoming night. And Percy wasn't sure why he knew that.

"Hey." Percy said aloud. It took him a couple of tries, but he was finally able to get the kids attention. "You don't mind if we play a couple of rounds?"

"Yeah sure, come in." the kid said stepping a bit aside. Percy stood in front of the controls and noticed that they were playing a Street Fighter game.

"The name's Jackson. Percy Jackson.

"Darrin."

After two rounds and a final shout of 'Hadouken!' from Percy, he was able to beat Darrin in the game.

"That was groovy man, you're good."

"Yeah, it was totally rad." Percy replied, raising an eyebrow.

Darrin frowned. "What's 'rad'. Weird word…"

Percy slowly nodded. "Hey Darrin, what year is it."

"In the game?" Darrin asked with a frown.

"In real life."

It took a while, but Darrin finally answered. "1977."

Percy's eyes widened. "Seriously? When did you come here?"

"Hey man, I don't like being asked questions. Bad vibes. I want to keep playing…"

Percy was about to open his moth to say something when the screech of an intercom being used was heard, followed by a voice.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, our event program featuring the Subaqueous Siren will be premiered shortly. Attendants, please assemble next to the elevators as instructed before. Thank you for your cooperation."

Percy gritted his teeth as he stared at the arcade, slowly noticing more people who looked out of place amongst the whole ensemble. He then glanced at the distance where he could see people huddling next to the elevators. And lastly, he then glanced at the wide open doors he and Thalia entered from like an hour ago. Or was it…more than that…

"Percy?" Thalia called out, snapping Percy from his thoughts. "Are we going for that event? If not, can we stay in the arcade please, or we can even go to the pool…"

Percy closed his eyes and silently tuned Thalia out as he tried to think carefully. There were people from possibly different time periods in this place, and never left. They think time passes by normally because of possible perception as there is no real way to tell time anywhere. But because of that, they don't know that time…possibly moves at an accelerated rate. Time moves at an accelerated rate…

"Shit!" Percy cried out, his eyes widening. If time did indeed move fast, how long had he and Thalia been in the hotel for? Percy honestly didn't want to know the answer, and was about to grab Thalia and run towards the exit when he remembered something. The reason he had put his name for that event…something about a siren and a sponsor…

Percy's clenched his teeth tightly as he once again reached out, still able to sense the Greek presence in around him. He couldn't believe he forgot to check on it periodically, like as if it was something unimportant. Percy hen took a deep breath and closed his eyes, only to open them to find a grinning waiter practically shoving a tray full of lotus flowers in front of his face.

"You look like you're in a real pinch sir. Here, have a flower. It'll help you relax."

Percy shook his head. "Um…thank you." Percy said reaching out to take a flower when he caught Thalia's gaze. And then remembered something else.

"It may be delicious."

"But it can also be dangerous."

"Actually!" Percy said quickly, retreating his hand back. "I'll pass for now, have to go join the others for the event."

"Of course sir, and we will be serving lotus flowers there as well so you're not losing anything." The waiter replied, walking away.

"Percy?" Thalia asked, looking worried. "Are you alright, you seem a bit scared."

"I'm not going to lie Thalia, something strange is going on." Percy muttered, staring at the open doors. "And I'm not sure what I want to do."

Thalia had a thoughtful look on her face. "Do what you will do." She then said.

"Hmm?"

"Do what you would always do." Thalia replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Do what…Percy would do. Or Perseus."

Percy stared at Thalia, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Well, Percy and Perseus are the same person bug. And I know exactly what I have to do."

---

Percy didn't notice the golden door before. But that only added to the mystery of the place. As Percy, Thalia entered the doors, they soon found themselves in a massive ballroom. But what caught Percy's attention was the pond in the center of the room. There were lotus flowers, the real ones, growing out of it, and in the middle was a humongous lotus like tree. Percy then realized it wasn't a tree but the flower itself, with the huge roots intertwined together to form a sort of trunk. The flower itself was just a bud, not yet in full bloom. And it seemed like everyone's gaze was focused on it too.

"Please take a table everyone, the program will begin in another few minutes." The man with the pirate get up from before proclaimed, though he had forgone the get up for a simple suit. Percy pursued his lips and took a table at the far end of the room. If something Greek was going on here, then it was best he stayed within the shadows for now.

"Would you like drink sir?" a waiter asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirred. And a Capri-Sun for the little one."

"Percy."

"Yes Thalia?"

"I can order my own Capri-Sun." Thalia replied, and then pouted. "And I'm not little, I'm going to be nine soon."

"Soon? How soon?"

Thalia shrugged. "December 22nd."

Percy blinked. "That's in three days! Why didn't you mention that before?"

"I didn't want to bother you." Thalia mumbled.

"Oh come on bug, me knowing your birthday isn't going to be some bother. Okay, now I need to have a birthday party soon." Percy muttered. "What's your favorite flavor cake?"

"Percy, you don't have to." Thalia whined. "I didn't really have birthdays before, it's alright."

Percy was about to say something when Thalia interrupted him. "Percy? What's a siren?"

Percy sighed, keeping his earlier question aside. "A siren? Well…they are creatures found mostly in sea bodies that have the head of a female, and the body of a bird. Amazing singing voices, and so enchanting that they get people to- oh." Percy said, muttering the last bit. "I don't have earbuds-"

The lights in the room then went out, the only source of light coming from the now luminescent lotus flowers, and Percy's blue eye ring. Soft music began to play, and Percy frowned when he recognized the instruments being played. Flutes, Keras, and Lyres. Traditional ancient Greek instruments.

The large lotus bud then began to bloom, and Percy was prepared to cover Thalia's ears tightly when a singing voice started to come out of the blooming flower. It took a few seconds for Percy to realize that the lyrics weren't in English, but in Ancient Greek. Very old Ancient Greek.

Instead of an actual siren coming out of the flower like Percy expected, a beautiful woman instead slowly came out of the lotus flower, wearing a blue gossamer dress. Her greyish blue hair had a lotus flower pinned on it, and was long and flowing, but all over the place like as if she was underwater. Her skin was deathly pale, and she was wearing a head band with little wings attached on them and on her brow. And just like a siren, accompanied with a beautiful singing voice.

"That's a siren?" Thalia whispered. "Doesn't look like a bird."

"I thought it would be a siren." Percy whispered back, frowning a bit. "Not…her?"

The woman raised her hand while continuing her singing, and a series of roots sprouted from underneath the flower. The woman then made her way down, swaying gracefully like ripples in the water. Her singing only began to grow louder as she walked around the ballroom, literally radiating light as she took in her audience. Percy sunk lower on his seat, desperately hoping the woman didn't notice him, but as Tyche would have it, the woman began to gravitate towards his side. And that was when Percy felt another surge of the presence he got way back when he was outside the hotel, only this time, it was stronger. The woman then approached a couple of tables, giving flirtatious winks to the men who smiled goofily in response, making Percy and Thalia roll their eyes. Until the woman approached their table.

The woman didn't waver once with her singing, and Percy easily recognized the word thought the dialect used was quite old. The woman gave a little wave to Thalia and paused when she her gaze fixed on Percy. Her eyes shined brilliantly as she took a step forward. Percy kept his vambrace at the ready when the woman drifted behind his seat, the strange scent of fresh water wafting in the air. And it was only after the woman had left that Percy finally recogzised the presence, and his suspicion only increased tenfold from there. The woman was immortal. But she was older than a god…she was a titan.

The song went on for a couple more minutes, followed by two other songs. When the last verse was sung and the lights came on, everyone started to cheer. The woman blew kisses to everyone as she climbed up the makeshift root stairs, back to the lotus flower. Percy gave a couple of claps and then quickly stood up, walking towards the lotus tree with Thalia following close by.

"Ah, you there." The man from the lobby called out, a big grin on his face. "I told you that you would catch the siren's eye, I'm never wrong with my assumptions. And lucky for you, the siren would like to meet you personally as well!"

"Does she now?" Percy asked, narrowing his eyes. "How long has she been performing here?"

The man shrugged. "For some time. And people love it, best show of the year."

"That's nice. But you said she wants to meet us, can we…"

"Oh yes, of course. Just follow me through here." The man replied, ushering Percy and Thalia to the other side of the room. A door was there marked with a 'Staff Only' sign, which the man opened. Percy and Thalia stepped into another room, with the décor reminiscent of a French throne room, even coupled with the chandelier. A few mortals were present that just stood silently, and sitting on the throne, was the titan from before.

"Ma'am, your guests are here." The lobby man announced.

"Ah…thank you. My dears, proceed with the protocol so I can meet them."

"Yes mistress." Two chattering voices echoed. Percy's eyes widened when he saw the occupant of the voices, and immediately pulled Thalia behind him.

"Fish dogs?" Thalia asked with surprise.

"Telkhines? How do you have telkhines in possession?!" Percy demanded.

"A gift." The titan said simply, her grey blue eyes filled with mirth. "Hurry up dears, protocol."

The telkhines chattered and removed a shower spray each, spraying Percy and Thalia with the liquid mist in it. "What the hell was-"

"It's water dear. But not just any kind, the purest freshwater one can find." The titan said with a smile. "And you recognize my helpers, which means I was correct for assuming you aren't mortal. But then…what are you exactly?"

"Thank you Akhyls." Percy thought. "Can I ask for you name though, or would I have to mentally go through the list of water related titans?"

The titan's eyes widened. "You know who I am? Then you must be a god, no doubt about that. I know my titan brethren, but look, we're now we're getting somewhere."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Are you Klymene by any chance?"

"Oh no, that's my daughter. But I do have to thank her for making me take up this singing gig, I could see why she enjoys fame a lot."

Percy slowly nodded. "Then that means you're Tethys. Titan of freshwater and nursing."

"You know your relatives; I give you that." The titan Tethys replied, slowly caressing her skin. "My dears, I need to be moisturized."

Percy raised an eyebrow when he saw the telkhines approach Tethys, and spray her with the freshwater. "Missing the water bodies I reckon?" Percy asked.

"Oh yes, living in the desert is such a pain." Tethys replied with a sigh. "I have to have water contact every ten minutes, otherwise I feel dizzy. It's been a draining week, let me tell you."

"A week…" Percy muttered, clenching his fists. How long had he been here for?

"Ah, it seems that the lotus flower did their job. Very slow effect though, but it makes sense with you a god." Tethys replied.

Percy's head snapped up to glare at Tethys. "You had something to do with the flowers, didn't you?"

Tethys's eyes widened. "Oh no my dear, you must have been mistaken. Those flowers came way after me. Even after you I reckon, seeing that you didn't recognize them. And if I'm correct, even know this place. But how…"

"Then what is this place if you don't mind me asking." Percy said, narrowing his eyes. "And don't try to hide, I already have my suspicions about this place which I am pretty sure is true."

Tethys smiled. "Then let me fill in. The lotus tree…it originated in an island that many castaways washed upon on. The tree was the only living thing on the island, and the flowers it bore were the ones you might have eaten. Castaways only ate the flower since that was the only source of food available. And then…they fell into bliss. Slowly forgot their lives, way of living, and only lazed around, or, ate the flower in order to derive pleasure. The island then played host to the Greek hero Odysseus and his crew, when he was returning from the Trojan war. Some of Odysseus's crew ate the flower and slowly became like the inhabitants as well. Odysseus had to tie those crew members and dragged them back to the ship. But the island still prevailed, and so did the tree. That is, until the flame of the west started to shift places, prompting the tree to follow as well. And wherever it settled, it stayed hidden until it built a form that best suited its needs to attract more lotus-eaters, and even magnified certain attributes of said place it took form of. I wasn't around for those times, only came around just recently. But I learnt that the lotus tree came out of hiding to take the form of a casino, and settled here in Nevada when gambling became legal, and the first legal casinos were set up in 1931. And, the lotus tree took root, and the rest is history."

"Okay…but that doesn't explain the absence of time in this place." Percy replied. "How can this place do that, and for such a long period of time?"

"And I thought you were a smart one little god." Tethys said with a sigh. "Did you forget what I said. Let me reiterate, 'It stayed hidden until it built a form that best suited its needs to attract more lotus-eaters, and even magnified certain attributes of said place it took the form of.' If you are unaware, there are no windows or clocks in a casino, so that visitors will have no perception of actual time. Even clocks go haywire if you bring it to this place. But the tree was clever you know, it really was. Seeing the large amounts of people that wanted to come and enter the casino it made, the tree wanted to keep them forever. So, it magnified the attribute of unable to tell time, by putting every single person who enters the casino in a form of stasis, they become, immortal. Except for this room and the room where the tree is, they don't have the stasis effect. And I wanted it like that because I can't handle the atmosphere. And without the visitors aging, they couldn't tell that time was actually passing. Immortal, and in a state of bliss and inattentiveness. A good strategy the tree made."

"You speak as if the tree is very much sentient." Percy shot back. "And where is it anyway."

Tethys huffed. "Of course it is sentient, didn't even realize that? As for where it is." Tethys said, pointing behind Percy. "You saw it already."

"…That was the tree?" Percy asked, glancing back at the closed door. "Looks unimpressive."

Tethys nodded. "I agree with that. But enough about this boring place, what about you? I just can't sense you, it's like you don't exist! You're not mortal, definitely not a titan. A god? But which one…maybe a demigod?"

"His name is Percy Jackson." The lobby man piped up, immediately shrinking back on seeing Percy's glare.

"Percy Jackson?" Tethys said with a sneer. "So…a demigod? No, I find that hard to believe." She muttered, glancing at Thalia. "Even her I can't sense. Who are you two?!" Tethys cried out, her eyes flashing.

Percy smirked, not noticing Thalia flinch slightly and rubbing her forehead. Tethys visibly relaxed, but a shocked expression settled on her face as she stared at Percy, eyes slowly widening.

"You…are the god Perseus." Tethys whispered, slightly startling Percy. "The Phantom Olympian…in the flesh. Right in front of me…"

"How did you-" Percy said, glancing at Thalia who was still rubbing her forehead. "You read her mind, didn't you!" Percy said through clenched teeth, extending a blade out.

"And a good thing I did." Tethys said softly, getting up from her throne. "The stories I heard of you from my siblings, my daughter was a bit of a fan of you as well. No one knew whether you were faded, or still alive. A phantom among the Olympians. The god that was once lost to civilization…are you doing well?"

"Oh shut up." Percy muttered, glancing at the door behind him. "So you don't have anything to do with the lotus flowers?"

Tethys's smile wavered. "No?"

"And all this centers around that tree outside?"

"Yes, but I don't understand-"

"Then I don't have to fight you. Thalia, come on we're leaving." Percy said hurriedly, grabbing the demigods hand. But the telkhines beat him to the door before him, baring their teeth and their shower sprays.

Percy snorted. "What are you two going to do, moisturize me?"

"Why yes." Tethys replied. "My dears, use Cocytus water."

The telkhines grinned, turning a knob at the bottom of the shower spray, and pointed them at Percy who raised an eyebrow.

"You're bluffing." Percy said, slowly taking a step back. "You don't have Cocytus water in that…right?"

"And Styx, Phlegethon, Acheron and Lethe! Why wouldn't I have my own children's water reserves with me, especially to use against my enemies?" Tethys mused aloud.

Percy sighed, turning around to glare at Tethys. "I'm guessing you need me for something?"

Tethys scoffed. "Something? You're ironically a myth Perseus, and seeing that no one in the Greek pantheon has exploded with news of your return, I'm guessing you're living up to your title. But…I can't have you running to Zeus and telling him that a titan has escaped imprisonment and is paired with a couple of telkhines. That would be messy."

Percy frowned. "What do you mean, imprisonment? You supported the Olympians during the Titanomachy-"

"And look where that got me!" Tethys snarled. "Imprisoned because of my status as a titan. Everyone who were either neutral or supportive of the gods, the peaceful titans, all of them were imprisoned! After all we did for them, only to be trapped within the depths of various realms. But some of us have been given a second chance, a chance to redeem ourselves. And this time, we shall be against our apprehenders, those who we once considered our allies. The gods were never our family; my family will be together once again to take what was stolen."

"Titans." Percy whispered. "You're serving Kronos."

"And my brother is rising! Like a phoenix, he will rise and burn the Olympians, ushering in a new golden age. And we're not alone, oh we're not alone Perseus. The gods are oblivious, and will probably continue to be like that once we reach our full might. And if the gods think that their precious demigods, beings of Knowledge and Life will be able to help them, then they are sorely mistaken. But…there is now an anomaly. You."

"You know about Kronos rising it seems, you know too much than what I expected. And I can't have that, especially when my brothers plan has just entered its next phase."

"And that is?" Percy asked.

Tethys blinked and then laughed loudly. "You're making me monologue, how precious. I am not the enemy Perseus, but I guess it depends on perspective. I hope yours isn't clouded by being in the shadows for too long."

"But enough talk." Tethys said with a sigh, mist coming out of her body. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you walk away just freely. Which is why, I can bring you peacefully to my brothers-" she said, snapping her fingers. "Or send you to them the painful way."

The telkhines behind Percy and Thalia growled loudly, while the mortals that were present removed guns from their pockets. Percy's eyes widened, silently taking out Thalia's canister from his jacket. Tethys clapped her arms and a celestial bronze armor shimmered around her body, with a four pronged spear in hand.

"Seriously?" Percy said with a huff. "Always a spear with you water deities, can't you all ever go for something else?"

Tethys raised an eyebrow and hummed. The spear then disappeared, leaving Tethys with her arms spread wide. Her hands then began to glow, the glow fading to reveal the titan holding a disc in each hand, with three prongs coming out around it.

Percy's eyes widened. "Shurikens?! That's not allowed, those are literally Japanese-"

"Mortals, grab the girl. Helpers, place a mind spell on that other mortal fool. Then guard the doors. I, shall engage the god in combat."

"Thalia en garde! Whack them with the can only, not the spear!" Percy yelled, throwing the canister behind him, which Thalia caught. Percy then summoned shadow wisps which he then used to bind the mortals hands together, incapacitating them. Thalia shook the can and then sprayed the mortal's eyes, temporarily blinding them. She grinned, though she wondered why she couldn't just use her spear. Instead, she did hit the mortals hard on the head, knocking out some unconscious.

Percy meanwhile summoned his attached blades, and met Tethys mid strike. She jumped back and twirled around Percy, striking him lightly with her weapons. She moved like a dancer, which Percy had to admit was quite helpful when fighting with how graceful she moved. Percy once again summoned his shadow tendrils and launched them at Tethys, but she blocked them with her weapons. Tethys then raised her hand and a wave of water emerged behind her, which Percy silently cursed at. Tethys smirked and threw the wave at Percy, slowly manipulating the water to form a cocoon around Percy. Tethys smiled, thinking she got the upper hand but to her surprise and shock, Percy looked completely fine inside the water cocoon, and even gave a lopsided grin. He then raised his hand, and a wave of shadows churned behind him. Tethys gulped, and Percy threw his hand forward, the wave of shadows fully consuming Tethys. The water cocoon around Percy disappeared, with him landing on his feet. He glanced back to check on Thalia, and was glad to see that she was fine, and had even managed to incapacitate the mortals who were now lying on the floor.

"I hope you didn't hit them too hard." Percy said, giving Thalia a high five. "Nice job though bug, I would say to use the spear for the telkhines now, but with those shower sprays…"

"Um, Percy?" Thalia asked. "Is that thing you made supposed to do that?"

Percy turned around, and found the shadow cocoon churning faster with specks of light poking out. Like a sixth sense, Percy immediately wrapped his hands around Thalia and pulled her close, just as a shockwave of energy blasted out of the cocoon and hit Percy, sending him crashing through a wall. He groaned lightly as he tried to move his body, while Thalia had a bit of a coughing fit.

"That…totally sucked." Percy groaned, slowly getting up. "Are you alright Thalia?"

"Yeah, just got some dust." She replied with a cough.

Percy nodded, and then felt a searing pain erupt on his back, making him cy out in pain. He fell down, and behind him, Tethys walked out of the door with small steps, flanked on either side by her telkhines.

"Hmm, I think I found my new favorite weapons. And I have you to thank for Perseus." Tethys said with a smile. She then flicked her fingers, and the shuriken came out of Percy's back and back in Tethys's hands.

"Percy!" Thalia cried out, glaring hatefully at Tethys. "Stay back!" she shouted, summoning her spear out.

"Oh will you look at that; the child wants to play pretend." Tethys cooed, snapping her fingers. "Take her away, and if she resists, spray her with Cocytus water. That will make her quite."

"You're not going to get me." Thalia muttered, breathing heavily. "And you're not going to take Percy."

"Hush child." Tethys said with a frown. "Don't make this hard for me, I hate seeing children hurt."

"Then leave me and Percy alone!" Thalia yelled, sparks flying out of her hand. "Back off!"

Tethys growled. "Oh mother. Take her away."

"NO!" Thalia cried out, electricity crackling around her body. A burst of lightning then shot out from her spear, sending a bolt towards Tethys. Her eyes widened, and she then grabbed the telkhines and pulled them in front of her, making them take the hit. They were immediately electrocuted, and holding the metal shower sprays didn't help the circumstance as they got paralyzed on the spot, and a few seconds later, disintegrated into dust.

"You foolish child!" Tethys yelled, clenching her fists. "Now you've done it, I'm going to make sure you rue the moment you didn't listen to me!"

"And I believe she told you to back off!" Percy yelled, sending a stream of hellfire directly at Tethys. The titan shrieked with pain as she stumbled back, desperately trying to remove her slow melting armor. Percy sighed heavily and then grabbed Thalia's shoulders as she swayed dangerously close to the ground.

"Thalia? Hey, are you feeling alright?" Percy asked, worry laced in his voice.

"Yeah…" Thalia mumbled, her eyes drooping. "Just…a bit dizzy..."

And then she fainted.

"Oh bug…" Percy said softly, checking to see if she got any other injuries. He then saw Tethys slowly get up, staring hatefully at Percy, her weapons also out. Percy narrowed his eyes in response and placed Thalia safely away.

"She had it coming." Tethys growled out. "And so will you."

Percy didn't answer, and instead removed his bow tie. Tethys raised an eyebrow at the action, but immediately went on high alert as shadows pooled from the room, and began to encompass Percy's body. Two sets of glowing purple orbs emerged from the shadow area of the face, which then turned blue as the shadows dissipated, revealing Percy in his original attire, coupled with the black coat from before and a sword forming out of his brace.

"A wardrobe change?! That's what you did-" Tethys laughed out, only to stop midsentence when Percy rushed forward, and made a cut on Tethys's face. The titan cried out in pain and then growled loudly, throwing her shurikens at the god. Percy deflected the shurikens with the sword and made his way towards Tethys again, ready to strike. The titan had a look of slight fear on her face as she began to dodge Percy's swings, though the god was becoming faster with each swing. Tethys then summoned her weapons back, and Percy narrowed his eyes as he jumped in a horizontal position in the air, the shurikens passing harmlessly above and below him and back into Tethys's hands. The titan was panting hard now, but still managed to block Percy's blows as she tried to push the god back, but he didn't budge. Percy then let out a yell as he brought his sword above Tethys's head, which the titan narrowly blocked with her shurikens joined together. Percy clenched his teeth tightly as he pushed his sword downwards, while Tethys did the opposite. Both of them were radiating power as each of them tried to disarm the other, and Tethys was actually scared on seeing the power that Percy was radiating, which was almost comparable to a second generation titan. Tethys then heard the sound of metal cracking, and noticed that there were cracks forming on her weapons. Tethys then tried to break out of the position Percy had her in, but that proved more difficult as Percy continued to keep his hold. And then, the shurikens broke.

Percy's sword landed inside Tethys's shoulder, making her scream. Percy then retracted his blade back and formed two knives, which he then used to completely disarm the titan. And finally, he then formed a shield which he used to push Tethys back, sending her sprawling to the ground, a couple of feet away.

"What…kind of metal is that." Tethys gasped out, clutching her shoulder in pain.

"Nothing of your concern." Percy replied. "I can't just leave you here."

"What are you going to do to me then." Tethys whispered, slowly crawling forward.

"I can't hand you over to Olympus. But since you're with the titans, I might as well get some questions out of you."

"Some questions out of me?" Tethys muttered, turning her head around. "And that's where you're wrong."

Tethys then lifted herself ahead, grabbing the shower spray of the telkhine from before, turning the knob, she then turned around and sprayed Percy with the selected water. Percy stumbled back as he felt the water hit his face, and was about to grab Tethys when he felt his movements becoming a bit sluggish. Voices started to echo inside his head, and for a brief moment, Percy thought he was experiencing the world of all ends again. But this didn't seem to be the case, as he could clearly hear the voices, and they were all speaking to him.

"Abnormal."

"A mistake."

"Killer."

"Liar…renege!"

"Who's speaking." Percy muttered, clutching his head tightly. "Who's speaking?"

"He commands! You don't get to ask of us, after the misery you placed upon everyone. You promised, and you lied!"

"Wha…What did I lie…"

"You're selfish, making everyone you know think you're faded when you're not. While you experience joy in the new world, everyone still grieves!"

"No, I-"

"You left your lover waiting…you left her weak. And you tried to kill her, you tried to take her life while she was helpless!"

"No, that was an accident, I-"

"You said it would be forever with her, and you ended it. You let yourself be away from her, you're weak! She was heartbroken, in a state of vulnerability one had never seen before. Why do you think she took the oath…you caused it. You broke her trust!"

"Stop it…"

"You abandoned your home. And now you're going to leave behind the demigod in your care. That's what you do Perseus, you abandon everyone!"

"Water from the river Acheron." Tethys stated as she watched Percy stumble around, clutching his head with pain. "Torturous, isn't it? Even us titans can't handle the woes that the river speaks to us. now that you're incapacitated, it will be easier to bring you with me now. As for the girl, I would have left her here for the casino, but there must be something special about her is she's with you. And the fact that I can't still make out what she is, but definitely a half-blood. Who knows, maybe my brother would have some use of her. And as for you, I hope he decides to drown you temporarily in the river Lethe. You could be our great asset, fighting a noble cause. Help hide Kronos within your shadows."

Twilight shadows black throne of time.

Percy then let out a guttural roar, his eyes glowing brightly as he summoned a spear. Without waiting, he threw the spear directly at Tethys, where it pierced right through the titans heart. It took a few seconds for Tethys to realize what had happened, and she responded with coughing out some ichor.

"No more." Percy muttered, breathing heavily. "…Abandoning my family…no more."

"I should…heal." Tethys gasped out, coughing more ichor. "Why am I…no. No I need, I need water. Helpers, moisturize me, moisturize!"

"Seems you're finally getting delusional. I think it's best I send you to Tartarus. The painful way." Percy said coolly.

"Tartarus…" Tethys whispered, a grin starting to form on her face while white cracks also started to appear on her body. "Oh Perseus, you should have given me to Olympus instead. Because now, my brothers will know. He will know now…that you exist. And they will…come for you… . See if you can hide from them…Phantom Olympian."

Percy's eyes widened as the implication of Tethys's words registered. The titan then let out a piercing shriek as specks of light shot out of her body, the cracks increasing as well. Percy then quickly shadow travelled and appeared next to Thalia, forming a large shield with both his vambraces and covered them both. It was only a second later when Tethys exploded, sending another shockwave across the room which could have possibly vaporized even a demigod. Percy slowly peeked from top of the shield, his eyes assessing the damage that had taken place in the room. Every single part of the room seemed to have blackened, and even the tree looked quite damaged as well. Percy slowly got up and retracted his weapons back, and gently picked up Thalia from the ground, who looked like she was in a semi-conscious state. Percy then realized he could hear strange cries coming from outside the ballroom doors, and quickly opened them to find every single guest clutching their heads in pain. But a few seconds later, their pained looks disappeared, and they resumed whatever they were doing, like as if what just happened to them never even happened at all.

"They all experienced pain…at the same time the tree took damage." Percy muttered to himself as a bitter thought entered his mind. The lotus flower had them all in control. He couldn't destroy the tree like he previously thought, if he wanted to risk possibly killing every single person. He couldn't save them all.

"I'm sorry." Percy whispered as he dashed through the room, almost knocking the doorman over as he barreled out of the main doors. The cool desert air soon filled his lungs, but Percy didn't stop until he made his way halfway into the Vegas Strip. He was grateful to see that practically nothing had changed from what he could see, meaning that he hadn't skipped over years. But just in case, he quickly looked around for a television at least to check the date and time, and soon found one in an appliance store. And he was then hit with what he saw.

December 22nd, 1996. One in the morning. Yesterday was the winter solstice, and today was Thalia's birthday. And he did not even have a party planned at all.

---

And…I'm tuckered out. Anything I want to let you guys know…blegh, my mind is too addled up for that. Oh well, I guess that will be reserved for the next authors note. Now, update date. That's going to be…next week. On Saturday. I would have done this week only but I don't have the strength to write continuously for a week so…sorry XD. But yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you thought about it and I will see you guys, wherever Percy is going next. And that doesn't make sense. Bye!...\/