alone at the edge of a universe

by Zaniey013

This is not my story. I'm only publishing this here for my own convenience. The sea is not unlike the abyss; it is deadly, destructive. It hides secrets in its depths and threatens even those that know it well. The sea easily swallows life with no trace left behind. See the rest of the summary inside! Check out the original story on AO3 by SarcasticMetaphor

4. isle unto thyself

Notes:

So this is less of a cohesive story/rewrite of Sea of Monsters and more of a collection of my ideas moments from the book that I wanted to cover. Please enjoy!

(Title from the Miracle Musical song of the same name.)

This was something Percy was dreading since the summer ended: the winter field trip to Olympus. He'd heard about it from Annabeth, but now he was actually one of the kids going. And at first, he had begged Chiron to let him stay at the camp.

He was met only with his teacher's stern but fatherly look. He told Percy, "Staying here? Entirely by yourself? Come now, Percy, a chance to leave the camp grounds will be good for you."

It was true that Percy hadn't been adjusting well to being at camp full time. He had nightmares almost every night, dreaming of indescribable darkness and dread. He sometimes screamed in his sleep so loud, it woke the Ares kids next door. More than once, Clarisse burst through his cabin door in the dead of night, half in pajamas and half in armor, ready for a fight. (Her dad was still a sore spot between them, but Clarisse was always willing to fling herself into danger.)

Going home for Thanksgiving for a few days was the best time of Percy's life, but it hadn't lasted long enough.

The solstice this year was on December twenty second. Though Percy had been told kids who celebrated the holidays usually did so at camp, Chiron offered him a deal. Come to Olympus, and Argus would drive him home to spend Christmas with his mom for a few days.

Percy reluctantly agreed. And that was how he got stuffed into the camp bus along with the nine other year-rounders, plus Argus and Chiron. Clarisse and Silena were sitting in the front row, playfully bickering over what music to listen to. Most of the group wanted cheery holiday pop crap, while Clarisse wanted rock music. Percy sat at the back of the van next to Beckendorf, forehead pressed against the cold glass while he let the conversation flow over him.

Someone nudged his side.

"Hey, Percy. This isn't your first time on Olympus, right?" Beckendorf asked.

"Huh? No, I went once during the summer."

On his quest. Gods, even though he and Annabeth kept in touch via email, it almost hurt to not have her at camp with him.

"You should see Olympus in the winter, though. Snow everywhere, but still warm enough to walk around without a jacket on. And there are these little silver lights hung up for the solstice."

Percy got the feeling Beckendorf wanted to cheer him up. When the summer bled away to fall, Percy got self conscious about wearing sunglasses all the time. He tried to take them off for a few days, but as soon as he did, other campers started seriously avoiding him. Even Clarisse had a hard time mustering up the energy to bully him. So, sunglasses with his winter parka and snow boots.

Percy still wasn't good at making friends, apparently. Not even with the other year-rounders.

"Don't worry, Percy. It'll be fun," Beckendorf said. Thankfully, he left Percy alone after that.

He must have dozed off after that, because the next thing he knew, the bus had stopped and Percy could hear the rustling of winter clothes. He opened his eyes and sat up straight. Everyone was getting off the van, so he followed.

Please,Percy wanted to pray,don't let me see my dad. Or Zeus.

But he didn't, because there wasn't really anyone he could pray to other than the gods. His dad probably meant well, but Percy just didn't want to deal with him now. And of course, how could he forget about how the king of the gods wanted him dead?

The elevator inside the Empire State Building was magically large enough to accommodate the entire group, plus their overnight bags, in one trip. When the elevator stopped, Percy found that Beckendorf hadn't been lying. The whole of Olympus sparkled with white snow. Little balls of silvery fire hung in the air and seemed to bathe everything in an ethereal glow.

"Come now, everyone, to the guest houses." Chiron said. He stepped out of his wheelchair, which Argus folded and tucked under one arm. He led the group through the streets of Olympus, and Percy found himself wanting to stray away to take in everything around him. Though his shades made Olympus look more shadowed than it probably was, it was still gorgeous.

Percy hadn't realized he was starting to lag behind the group until he turned a corner and bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry."

He looked at the girl he walked into, maybe eleven or twelve years old. She had the youthful appearance and bright auburn hair of the nymphs Percy knew from camp. Her eyes briefly flickered over his form.

"I accept your apology, Perseus Jackson."

Okay, so she was probably not a nymph. Maybe a minor goddess? Her silvery eyes and clothes gave Percy the impression he just bumped into someone he shouldn't have. She gave him that same aura of power Mr. D sometimes did.

Still, he couldn't resist correcting her. "I go by just Percy, actually."

The barest ghost of a smile graced her lips. "JustPercy? It's so rare to find a humble boy nowadays."

She laughed quietly, though Percy was lost. The girl started to move around him.

"I suspect we will meet again some day, Percy. I don't doubt your reputed penchant for trouble."

She left Percy and he had to hurry to meet up with the rest of the group. But as they approached where Percy assumed they'd be sleeping, he couldn't get the girl's words out of his head.

Penchant for trouble?

Great. Did Percy earn himself a bad reputation even among the gods?

Then again, he did beat Ares in a fight once. Was that common knowledge?

He decided to shove that idea out of his head as he was led to the boy's guest house. Percy set his bag down on a bunk bed remarkably similar to those from camp. Beckendorf tossed his bag on the bunk above Percy's. Mr. D's kids set up across from them, but the two boys from the Ares cabin set up as far from Percy as possible. Guess they knew better than the rest how annoying his night terrors could be.

For a second, white hot embarrassment flooded through him at the idea of waking up all the other guys because he couldn't handle some bad dreams. Maybe Olympus didn't have night harpies who ate people out past curfew, and maybe Percy could find a nice bench to sleep on.

Please,Percy purposely prayed to no one in particular,let me survive this trip without embarrassing myself.

It was just one night, he told himself as the group regathered to tour Olympus. There was a coffee shop run by nymphs that sold the best tasting peppermint hot chocolate Percy ever had. They walked past a small park where Percy could see people ice skating across a pond. Soft, upbeat music always seemed to be playing, but Percy couldn't pinpoint the source. Chiron ended the tour at a pavilion with marble statues of all the Olympians.

"And are some of the most well preserved statues from the ancient world, the favored keepsakes of the gods from the olden times."

Huh. Mr. D had a hell of a six-pack back then. Percy's eyes scanned over the rest of the statues until he found his dad. Ignoring the fact that the statue's dick was out and he really didn't want to see that, Percy found himself surprised by how much it resembled Poseidon. Or rather, how little his father changed over the years.

At that point, the group was free to explore Olympus within reason. No going inside the throne room, obviously. The gods would commence their yearly winter meeting soon and Percy was relieved to know he wouldn't be bumping into dear old dad at any point in this trip.

But he really wasn't in the mood to wander around Olympus either, so Percy chugged the rest of his hot chocolate and split from the group. Figuring that everyone else would be busy for at least a few hours, Percy decided now was a great time to take a nap. At least then, he could stay up all night so he could avoid making his nightmares a public nuisance.

He went back to the guest houses and burrowed under the covers. Surprisingly, the bed was way softer than the bunks at camp, and the sheets felt light and fluffy.Too light,he thought. To his surprise, they immediately pressed down on Percy like a weighted blanket. He imagined them becoming even heavier, and they did. Percy exhaled with relief and closed his eyes.

His dreams were the same as the countless before it.

He dreamt that he was immobilized while his body was taken apart not limb from limb, but atom by atom. Dissolved into dust and sent scattering through the cosmos. But every single fragment of him yearned to be joined with the others, so he screamed with his billions of voices, desperately searching for the rest of himself. He had no eyes, but he could see from countless different perspectives the same infinite abyss. Nebulas that would make Earth look like a pebble, stars so big and bright they could swallow the master bolt's power with ease, and the debris from a million planets blown up by suns over the eons.

Looking at all of that might've seemed cool at first. And it was, to Percy. For the first few minutes on the first night that his dreams started. But then they distorted themselves until Percy found himself locked in a nightmare. The infinitesimal bits of himself floated farther and farther away from each other.

And over the course of both a few seconds and millions of years, some of himself would be compacted to form a new star, some swallowed by black holes, some used to make dust that made stone that made a planet that made life that took the Percy-bits of dust-stone-planet and turned it into grass that got eaten by an animal that got eaten by a human-

So on and so forth.

All the while, Percy would be shrieking his head off, wailing in agony as his body was used and manipulated by the universe in billions of different ways. No part of him knew rest, no part of him could even hope to be reunited with any other bit of himself. Percy was an ever-expanding voice screaming across the entire universe, begging someone,anyone,to help him be whole again.

But no one ever heard him.

Percy's eyes snapped open and he choked on a scream as he sat up in bed. For a single horrifying second, he didn't know where he was. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think. right...

He was on Olympus. He was on Earth. He was one. He was whole.

He was safe. Percy exhaled. He had no idea how long he was asleep, probably not for long given that he was still alone. He leaned over the side of the bunk and rummaged through his bag until he found what he was looking for.

It was a photo of Annabeth that she had sent him early in the fall. She was at some museum, smiling at the camera. Percy stared at the photo and had to remind himself that he wasn't a billion bits of nothing floating through the cosmos. He was real. He was a person with a face and a name. And he had people who cared about him, too.

He carefully hid the photo at the bottom of his bag and left the guest house. He found the others soon enough, gathered in a pavilion for what looked like dinner. Chiron seemed pleased to see him.

"Ah, Percy! Have you been enjoying Olympus so far?"

Percy nodded and sat down at the end of the table. He ate without really tasting, just wanting to get some food in him.

He felt someone kick him under the table. It was Clarisse. "You're on Olympus for a few hours and you're already starting rumors?"

"What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "The nymphs and satyrs here are even worse gossips than at camp. They're all talking about how you've offended the goddess Artemis."

Percy's brain was nothing but TV static for a few seconds. Then he remembered the girl he bumped into.

He swallowed and took a sip of his cherry coke. "I think if I offended her, I would have been turned into a jackalope. Or torn apart by wolves."

He knew the stories about Artemis. He knew what happened to guys who pissed her off. Percy finished his meal and the group started heading back to the guest houses together. It was starting to get dark (if Apollo was inside the throne room, then who was driving the sun?), and Percy hoped his nap was enough to help keep him awake through the night.

Just his luck, as they walked through the circular plaza outside the throne room, the gold doors burst open with a gust of warm air. And out came the gods, maybe for a snack break or something. Percy spotted the girl from before, and she looked pissed as a tan, blond guy in socks and sandals talked her ear off. Artemis and Apollo, if he had to guess.

Behind them, Percy saw a hint of a blue from the corner of his eye and ducked his head down. He hurried with the group as they skirted around the gods and headed in for the night.

Thankfully, he had plenty to distract himself with. The group roasted marshmallows over a bronze basin of fire and told funny stories for a while. After that, Percy and the guys stayed up for a few more hours playing card games. They sat on the floor of their guest house, using whatever they could find as prize money: leftover marshmallows, spare change, drachmas, and a bag of nectar-infused candy Castor and Pollux got from one of the shops.

By the time everyone was exhausted, including Percy, it was early in the morning. Percy got dressed in loose sweatpants and a t-shirt, crawled into bed, but he refused to let himself sleep.

Once the lights went out and the cabin started filling with the sound of snoring, Percy readied himself to slip outside. He carefully got out of his bunk, taking his hoodie and sunglasses from his open bag, right on top of his clothes where he made certain they'd be easy to grab. Then, praying that no alarm would go off, he opened the door to the guest house. There was nothing, so Percy slipped outside.

He'd gotten good at the climbing wall at camp, graduating to the full lava flow and with half the footholds as usual. With his training, it wasn't hard at all to climb his way up a marble column and reach the flat roof of the guest house. Even though it was the middle of the night, Olympus was still bright and lively. The silvery lights glowed in the distance, and Percy felt comfortable enough to enjoy the view without his shades on.

"Can't sleep?"

He startled, turning around and reaching for his pants pocket. He pulled out Riptide before he realized who it was. Poseidon stood at the other end of the roof, dressed in beige pants, black rubber boots, and a blue fisherman's sweater. Even in the faint glow of the night, his eyes were a bright sea green.

"Lord Poseidon?"

They spoke once before, but he still wasn't sure how formal he had to be with his own father.

"You can call me dad, Perseus."

"And you can call me Percy, Dad."

Poseidon laughed and the sound carried the thrum of breaking waves with it. He walked over to Percy and sat down next to him.

"How has living at camp treated you?"

Great.Percy wanted to say,Instead of monsters accidentally finding me at school, I can go into the woods to findthem.

Most of the campers could actually attend boarding schools in the city while coming home to camp on weekends. Not Percy. Monsters followed him more than ever, way too often to ever let him attend an ordinary school again.

But instead of all that, he said, "It's fine."

His dad gave him a look that bordered dangerously close to pity.

"And you… you've been enjoying your time there?"

Percy got a flashback to his last call home to his mom, whose voice still shook whenever Percy mentioned wanting to come home.

"It's fine, Dad. I'm okay."

If Percy wasn't going to bother his mom with his nightmares, he sure wouldn't kick off his first ever dad-son bonding exercise with it either. But to his surprise, the silence stretched between him and his dad. Percy half expected Poseidon to suddenly say he needed to go do some godly shit and disappear in a burst of light.

Percy was also bad at dealing with silences. So he asked, "Do you, you know, have somewhere else you need to be?"

His dad hardly looked upset. He shook his head. "For the solstices, I often clear my schedule for at least a few days. Squabbles between immortal family members often don't end quickly."

Percy knew that fact well. If his dad wasn't here to dispense some godly wisdom, then he assumed there was something else Poseidon wanted to talk about.

"You need me to go on a quest for you?"

Maybe this time, someone stole the sea god's signature trident.

His dad looked surprised. "Is it too much to imagine I wanted to visit my son?"

Kinda, yeah. Gods weren't supposed to win dad-of-the-year awards. Percy remained silent.

"Percy, I meant what I said to you the last time we spoke. Regardless of who you are, I will not renounce my claim over you."

The sea god's eyes grew distant, like he was recalling something important.

"Actually..."

Here it came.

"If it's a quest you want, I know of someone in dire need of your aid."

"What? Who?"

Percy stared at his dad. Who could possibly need Percy's help, of all people?

His dad nodded, though he smiled faintly. "You'll be going home after this trip, yes? That's perfect. Percy, I'd like you to find someone and bring him back to camp with you."

A fetch quest instead of spending Christmas with his mom? Fucking perfect. Where'd Percy have to go this time?

"It shouldn't be very hard to find him."

And then his dad gave him a general area, listing off a few streets that wouldn't take longer than twenty minutes to get to from his apartment.

"That's it? Who is it? It's not-" Percy couldn't even bring himself to say it. It wasn't another child of Poseidon, meaning that his dad got with another woman after leaving Percy's mom, was it?

His dad stood. "You will know him when you see him, Percy. And he will be grateful to findyouas well."

Poseidon lingered for a moment. "Good luck, son."

Then he was gone, a breeze carrying away the scent of sea and salt.

Percy laid down on the roof and wished he could scream without anyone hearing him.

At least his mom was happy to see him. The apartment was actually clean when Percy got home. No Smelly Gabe to stink up the place. There were even a few fresh potted plants on the windowsills, and the tiny fake Christmas tree they put up every year sparkled with tinsel.

When he arrived home, Mom squeezed the air out of his lungs with her hug and Percy let her.

"How has camp been, baby? And your first semester being homeschooled? You finished all your exams, right? Chiron told me you've been doing great in Latin and Greek."

Percy didn't answer right away. He melted against his mom's side and felt like crying.

"I-it's been good, Mom. At least there's no way I can get expelled from camp."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "I'm so glad, Percy."

So sue him, but he forgot about his dad's quest for a few days. Being home was the first time in a long time he was able to sleep without nightmares. Percy got to eat his mom's blue chocolate-chip cookies and watch scary movies with her (horror movies on Christmas Eve was a tradition for them). And on Christmas morning, they traded gifts.

Besides the traditional bag of blue-colored candy her always got, Percy unwrapped the long, heavy package that had been sitting under the tree since he got home.

"No way."

He looked to his mom and knew without a doubt he'd start crying.

"Mom."

"Think of it as a special present, since we didn't get to celebrate your birthday together this summer."

It was a skateboard. Anewone, and it was all his. Percy couldn't count all the times he was younger and wanted to learn. His first and last skateboard, bought second hand a few years ago, broke in an unfortunate accident that definitely didn't involve being chased through a park by serpent ladies.

His mom gave him a knowing smile that reminded him of himself. "Having Gabe declared dead was so difficult, you know. I was hardly consoled with the benefits from his life insurance."

She wiped a false tear and Percy laughed. His mom reached over and squeezed Percy's hand. "But with the apartment being just us, and with you being at camp now, I thought we should celebrate a little bit extra this year."

Percy leaned over and hugged her.

"Thanks, Mom. I have something for you, too."

Percy had been so nervous leaving his mom's gift on the bus while he went on the field trip to Olympus. Thankfully, it hadn't broken on the way home. He watched as his mom unwrapped the brown paper from the cardboard box and opened it.

"Oh,Percy."

It was a clay vase Percy sculpted and painted himself in the workshop. He didn't really have the skills to carve marble, but Silena had taught him how to sculpt pretty well. Percy watched as his mom lifted the vase from the box. He watched as her eyes traced over the black painted patterns of waves and pegasi.

"This will look beautiful in the kitchen, Percy."

"So you like it?"

"Iloveit."

His mom got up to set the vase on the kitchen table. The rest of the day passed by in an idyllic haze, but his quest began nagging him from the back of his mind. Percy knew his mom would be driving him back to camp in the morning, so there really wasn't any other time to go find whoever it was his dad wanted found.

While it was still light outside, Percy pulled on his jacket and winter boots. He also tucked a small flashlight into his pocket, just in case.

"Mom, I have to go somewhere for a little while."

"On Christmas? Where?"

Percy told her about the quest his dad sent him on. She pursed her lips and nodded.

"Alright, Percy. Be safe. You have your sword?"

"Always do."

"And you have some nectar or ambrosia?"

Percy still had a few nectar candies from playing card games, so he figured that counted.

"Yeah, Mom. Don't worry, dad made it sound like this wouldn't take long."

"Okay, Percy. Try to be back before dark."

Percy nodded and headed out. Even on Christmas day, there were still plenty of cars and people on the streets. Without much trouble, he found the general area his dad described. And now that he was there, Percy had no idea what to do. Knock on doors? Ask people if they've seen a freak of nature causing havoc by chance?

If this was a kid of Poseidon like him, Percy figured they wouldn't be hard to spot.

He walked past an alley, paused, then doubled back. At the end of the alley were a few hellhounds. They were the size of wolves and eating chunks of meat from what looked like a cat or raccoon. But that wasn't what caught his attention. Because not very far from the hellhounds was what looked like a makeshift fort made out of cardboard, plywood, and sheets of metal.

Percy recalled how Annabeth ran away from home at the age of seven. A fort in a New York back alley might not actually be a bad place to start searching. The only problem were the hellhounds.

He stepped inside the alley and took out riptide. Percy uncapped it, letting his pen grow into a sword. The nearest hellhound raised its head and growled. The other two raised their heads and followed suit.

"Hey, uh, nice doggies. You've seen a demigod around here? Preferably one still alive?"

The biggest one took a step toward him.

"No? Alright then."

He raised his sword. Then Percy had an idea. He'd grown so used to hiding his eyes, to knowing he was unbearable to look at. But did it extend to monsters too?

He took off his shades.

Immediately, the biggest hellhound stopped growling. It's hackles lowered as it sniffed the air. It wasn't the reaction Percy was looking for, but he could work with it.

Distantly, he recalled memories of playing with some big, black dogs that wanted to follow him home from school. He had memories of feeding them leftovers from his school lunch, too. But that was impossible. Monsters would have ripped him apart.

Percy put his sunglasses back on. One of the smaller hellhounds immediately started barking at him. He took them off. The hostility in the air started ebbing away again.

Monsters were supposed to hate all demigods. So was Percy… not all demigod?

He instantly dismissed the idea. It was impossible for him to be anything other than a regular, albeit powerful, demigod. And other monsters still attacked him. These hellhounds were just bad at being monsters, apparently.

Percy skirted around them and started moving toward the fort, keeping his back to one of the walls. Honestly not sure what else he could do, he knocked on the sheet of plywood making up the door.

"Hey… anyone home?"

No response.

Please don't already be dead,Percy thought.

"I'm a friend. I've been sent by my father, Poseidon."

There was a sound from inside. Percy hoped it wasn't some random homeless guy about to jump him. Instead, it was something much more confusing. The hellhounds started barking again as the door was flung open. Before Percy could react, two massive muscled arms wrapped around him and squeezed, lifting him at least a foot off the ground.

"Whoa-"

"Friend!" He heard a voice say, "Yay! A friend has been sent to me!"

Percy started seeing black spots dance in the corners of his vision.

"Uh, yeah… wanna put your friend down now?"

"Yes!"

Percy grunted as he was set back on the ground. At first, he had no idea what to make of the kid standing in front of him. The hellhounds were pacing the alley, agitated but not necessarily hostile. The poor guy living in the alley was dressed only in ripped jeans and a flannel shirt torn up at the sleeves. His boots had clearly seen better days, being torn by claws and caked in mud.

But what weirded Percy out was how freaking huge he was. He was at least a head taller than Percy and ripped to Hades, but grinning like a little kid. Percy's eyes travelled a touch higher.

Oh.

Percy immediately took a step back, instinctively raising his sword.

It was a Cyclops.

Somewhere on Olympus or in his underwater palace, Poseidon was probably laughing his ass off with some popcorn in hand. Cyclopes worked for him, didn't they? In his underwater forges?

"Who- who are you?" Percy asked.

"My name is Tyson!" The Cyclops said, still smiling, "Son of Poseidon!"

"Percy,"Chiron said through the Iris message."You… cannot bring a cyclops to camp."

His mom gave Chiron a disapproving frown from the side. She was holding the shower head in just the right way that a rainbow formed from the fading sunlight and the flashlight Percy was holding up.

Percy said, "I know, Chiron, but this is different. When we were on Olympus, my dad came to me and told me to find someone. And Tyson claims he's a son of Poseidon, too."

"But do you have any way of proving this?"Chiron asked.

Percy remained silent. His mom leaned forward so she was in-frame and spoke up, "Chiron, he's not an adult cyclops. He's just a child, even younger than Percy."

Mom already had a soft spot for Tyson. When Percy came home with him, his mom had been horrified at first. Then Tyson started babbling about how happy he was to meet a new friend, and apparently, once a six foot tall cyclops starts chattering like a little kid, they become hard to be scared of.

Chiron seemed to consider this. Percy could hear the unmistakable sound of his teacher pawing one hoof against the ground in contemplation.

"Well, seeing as how there are much fewer campers here than usual, we can more safely determine if he would be a danger to the camp."

"So he can come?"

"I suppose so."

Percy wasn't sure if he was happy to hear that. On one hand, great. His quest was done. On the other hand? He didn't sign up to be a cyclops baby-sitter.

"But with the both of you, it may be safer to return sooner rather than later,"Chiron said.

"Oh."

"I'll drive them down to camp tonight, Chiron," his mom said, "Don't worry."

Percy tried not to cry when the call ended. Or scream.

What a fucking Christmas this has been.

They thankfully didn't get attacked by Minotaurs or hellhounds on the way to camp. Unfortunately, that meant Percy was still saying goodbye to his mom a day too soon. He arrived at the top of the hill with his mom and Tyson, Chiron waiting for them.

Immediately, Tyson pointed and said, "Pony!"

Percy wished he could bury himself in the snow for a hundred years.

"Young man, I am acentaur."

Tyson frowned. "Centaur? You like parties?"

Huh?

Chiron looked less baffled and more tired. "Goodness, please don't confuse me for my brethren. Now," he turned to Percy, "are you certain about this?"

Percy nodded, knowing he didn't have much else of a choice. Chiron nodded and turned back to Tyson.

"Very well. Then I, Chiron, give you permission to enter Camp-Half Blood."

The air around them rippled, and Percy didn't doubt that the camp would let Tyson in now. But before he had to leave, Percy hugged his mom.

"Bye, Mom. Can I come home around time for spring break?"

"Of course. Now, have fun. And- and watch after Tyson."

His mom had never been within the camp before, but she did have incredibly clear sight for a mortal. Percy didn't doubt she could see the arena and the lava-spitting climbing wall from the top of the hill. Not for the first time, Percy wondered what she made of him staying year-round.

"Okay, Mom."

He watched her leave, heading back down the hill for her car. Once she got inside, she rolled down the window and waved. Percy waved back, watching her turn around and drive down the road the way they came.

"Percy," Chiron said gently, bringing his attention back to camp.

He and Tyson followed Chiron down the hill.

"You've actually in time for dinner," Chiron said, "and it will be a good time to introduce your new friend. I've already told the campers ahead of time that we would be having a… a guest."

"Perfect," Percy said. He glanced at Tyson, who was turning every which way to take in all of Camp Half-Blood. And for a second, Percy felt bad about being upset earlier. Tyson might've been a cyclops, but he was just a kid too.

Then they arrived at the dining pavilion. The laughter and talk stopped immediately. Everyone stared at Tyson, with Clarisse even brandishing a butter knife in his direction.

"Chiron, what's a cyclops doing in the camp?" she asked.

"It's fine, he's with me," Percy said, "Everyone, this is Tyson. My dad sent me to find him. He's apparently a-"

He struggled to say it aloud. "He claims he's also a son of Poseidon."

"And you just trusted him, you dipshit? He's a-" Clarisse faltered mid-sentence. Everyone began staring at Tyson with even wider eyes. Percy followed their gaze.

A green trident appeared over Tyson's head. The final nail in the coffin, so to speak. Percy wasn't an only child anymore.

The rest of the night was kind of a blur. Percy declined to sing carols or campfire songs, instead heading to bed in Cabin 3. Tyson followed, giddy that he really was Percy's brother. Only when he was actually getting into bed did Percy realize Tyson would be subjected to his nightmares.

"Hey, uh… big guy?"

"Yes?"

Percy was probably going to be hell to live with. "I get nightmares, sometimes. Sorry if I wake you."

Tyson frowned. "Why would you wake me?"

Percy shook his head. "Nevermind. Just get some rest."

"Okay!"

Percy took off his shades, rolled onto his side so he was facing the wall, and called for lights out. The cabin was plunged into darkness. Not very long after that, Percy could hear someone snoring. Gods, Tyson sounded like a chainsaw amplified through a megaphone.

Thanks, dad.Percy thought.

He must have fallen asleep eventually, because at some point in the night, Percy thought he was awake but he couldn't move. He didn't think it was sleep paralysis either, because he couldn't hear Tyson snoring.

So was it a dream? And more importantly, would it turn into a nightmare?

The longer he waited for something to happen, the more Percy realized it was actually too quiet. No wind, no birds, nothing at all. Percy couldn't even hear himself breathing. He thought he was still in bed, but the longer he dwelled on it, the less he was certain he even had a body in this dream.

He felt like he still had weight, but he couldn't feel the texture of his clothes on his skin. Percy tried to move, to struggle against his invisible bonds. And eventually, he was rewarded with a new sound. The thrum of what sounded like a drum, but deeper and coming from all sides of him.

Wait.

Percy stopped trying to struggle and actually listened to the sound.

It wasn't a drum. He was hearing his own heartbeat.

Where was he? What was happening to him? Why couldn't he move?

But the more anxious he became, the faster his heart beat. Eventually, Percy thought the sound was becoming distorted. First it was a heartbeat, then it began echoing and unravelling. And out of the chaos came a voice. Not like the one he heard in other dreams. It wasn't Kronos. It was a new voice, made out of the pulse of his own heart. The words were so faint, Percy wasn't sure he was even hearing them at all.

"Embrace your true power, Perseus."

When Percy finally had control over himself, it was when his eyes snapped open at daybreak. He sucked in a breath and sat upright. The windows by the door were shaded by silvery drapes, but between the curtains a pale gray light came through. Tyson was still snoring as loud as the crashing surf, amazing Percy that he managed to sleep through it.

Percy let out a sigh and laid back down in bed. What a strange dream. The voice that spoke to him felt ancient and powerful. It could have been Kronos playing tricks on him, or even his dad. Or maybe it was just a strange dream. Hopefully.

Not wanting to risk falling back asleep, Percy rolled out of his bed and threw on some fresh clothes. He shifted through his duffle bag as quietly as possible, pulling out the big bag of candy his mom gave him before slipping out the door. He left a note for Tyson saying he'd come back soon, but he didn't think the big guy would be waking up any time soon.

Percy approached one of the bronze braziers resting in the center of the cabin area. He touched the rim and a flame ignited within it. Usually, all the braziers would ignite with the morning call for breakfast but they could be lit as needed. And Percy needed one.

He grabbed a handful of blue candy, the only food he had on hand, and tossed them into the fire.

I've done what you asked,he prayed,What do I do now?

The wind kicked up and the fire smelled of sweet candy, but there was no response from his dad.

Great.

Percy tapped the rim of the brazier to extinguish the flames.

The plus side of having a cyclops for a roommate and half-brother: Tyson slept through Percy's night terrors with no problem. The big guy was also adept at building things. He spent huge chunks of his day in the forge with Beckendorf, the one guy who seemed completely unbothered by Tyson's presence in camp. So Tyson easily fixed the creaky hinges on their cabin's door and gave the Ares kids a steady supply of freshly-made weapons for them to wreck.

Tyson also didn't mind Percy's eyes. He had very little trouble looking directly at Percy.

The down side: Tyson didn't mind Percy's eyes. Therefore, he wanted to spend as much time as possible together. Tyson worked the forge while Percy took his blend of online classes and lectures taught by Chiron. But once that was over, Tyson followed Percy like a puppy. To the arena, to the woods, to every meal.

Percy would have snapped at Tyson to leave him alone a long time ago if it weren't for one fact; Tyson was too nice to be mad at. He wasn't the big, bumbling oaf Percy made him out to be at first. Yes, he was overeager at times and couldnotread a room, but he was earnest in his efforts to get the other year-rounders to like him.

He was already learning to make weapons in the forge, but his sheer amount of brute strength gave him an in with the Ares cabin. Tyson had to armor up when sparring in the area since he was still a cyclops and they were using celestial bronze, but the idea of fighting an armored cyclops only made Clarisse and her brothers warm up to him faster. Percy theorized that Beckendorf missed having his younger siblings around, so he took a liking to Tyson almost immediately. Even Silena found his innocent infatuation with the pegasi endearing. In a way, Tyson fit in even better than Percy did.

Having Tyson around just made him miss Grover and Annabeth even more. Over their emails, he told Annabeth about how he was sent on a mission to retrieve Tyson and about how he was now rooming with a cyclops.

Annabeth always warned him to be careful around Tyson. She told him how clever a cyclops could really be.

No one knew how it happened or when exactly, but someone poisoned Thalia's tree.

It was between late winter and early spring when the first signs began to appear. Monsters started prowling the border around camp. At first, it was just a stray hellhound or griffin. They could be easily dispatched by just a few campers or Argus. Everyone thought that they were just odd coincidences, getting these monster attacks so close together. Then a hydra managed to slip past the barrier.

Percy was the first to see it as it slinked down Half-Blood Hill. It had four heads and a long, greenish-black body. He shouted for reinforcements, which were the people nearest to him at the time. Those being Tyson and Clarisse on her way to the arena.

The hydra saw them approach and hissed, spitting acid in a ten-foot arc around it. Disregarding the smell of acid and burning grass, Tyson heaved his battle axe and threw it from almost fifty feet away.

"Wait!" Percy shouted.

But with luck, the axe lodged in the hydra's body between two of its long necks. Clarisse charged and sacrificed her newest spear by throwing it into the open mouth of another head.

Its three intact heads hissed and spit as it shook the blades from its body and retreated back up the hill.

"How'd it get through the border?" Clarisse asked.

"No idea," Percy said. Avoiding the acid burns in the ground, he followed the hydra over the hill. It was retreating, but that didn't mean they were safe. Percy wondered if the monster could have been sent by Luke, but Chiron revoked Luke's authority within the camp last summer.

"Smells like poison," Tyson said. He was clutching the half-melted remains of his axe, but at least had the sense to keep the steaming, melted part away from his body.

"Yeah, it was a hydra, big guy."

Tyson shook his head. "No, a different poison. Stronger."

His one eye drifted toward Thalia's tree. Percy and Clarisse followed his gaze and found a pile of yellowed leaves littering the ground under Thalia's tree.

Percy felt a cold chill go through him as he approached the tree. The source of the camp's magical boundaries had a puncture mark in its bark. A sickly green ooze dripped from it.

"No way…" Clarisse said. She stared at Thalia's tree with a mix of outrage and something that bordered on fear.

Percy turned to Tyson, "Go get Chiron! He needs to see this."

Tyson nodded and hurried down the hill while Percy and Clarisse stood guard. No words passed between them, they just stood with their weapons drawn. As if daring any other monster to approach. Not long after, a horn sounded off and the whole of Camp Half-Blood converged on Half-Blood Hill.

Chiron, the satyrs, and the wood nymphs tried for hours to heal the tree's sickness. Thalia's pine tree was poisoned, just as Tyson said. But it was a powerful agent, something that refused all their treatments.

The hours turned into days of unsuccessful attempts to mend the issue. When it became clear that Thalia's tree and all of Camp Half-Blood was in danger, Chiron ceased being their kind-hearted teacher. He was suddenly their captain as they took up guarding the border in shifts day and night.

Argus found no trace of an intruder in or around camp so they had to be prepared for anything. With Tyson, Beckendorft forged weapons and traps to protect the camp. Clarisse volunteered for the most bonus shifts out of any of them. Silena patrolled by air on a pegasus while Percy took most of his shifts on the ground by Thalia's tree.

As another child of the Big Three, Percy felt especially bad about Thalia's fate. It wasn't fair that she was punished just for being born like he was. And now even as a tree, she couldn't find peace.

Gods, what was he going to tell Annabeth?

He wanted to contact her, but Chiron enforced a strict policy to keep this quiet for now. There was no need to panic the campers away for the year, those who likely already had their own worries to face while being out in the world. More than once, Percy considered telling Annabeth anyways. She was one of the very few people who ever knew Thalia when she was alive, he thought she deserved to know.

So when Chiron was out of the Big House, Percy snuck inside to send her a message. He emailed her,

Annabeth,

Something's wrong at camp. The magic border isn't working like it should be. Monsters are starting to attack us. We're holding them off for now and I wasn't supposed to tell you, but you deserve to know.

I'll keep you updated on how things go. If it gets bad you might be safer at home than at camp.

-Percy

He didn't want to tell her that the border was failing because Thalia's tree was dying. That seemed like too much to send in one message. And he had no idea how Annabeth would take it.

At night, he still had his nightmares and terrors. Except, his dreams of scattered across stars started being punctured by dreams of a strange cruise ship. Why, he had no idea. He'd wander its halls, seeing all the old people and families laughing and dining. Even though Percy much preferred those kinds of dreams, he still couldn't shake this sense of dread. It was like constantly holding his breath, waiting for something to leap out and scare him.

It was hard to feel excited for summer, even though that meant no more homeschooling and that guard shifts could be more evenly shared. But Percy was already running ragged from weeks of guarding the border and fending off the things that still got past it.

When it came to hellhounds, Percy was almost always the one to get rid of them. There was something about seeing him and his eyes that lowered their guard. Too bad more intelligent monsters still tried to take a bite out of him.

Campers were already returning for the summer by late May, just when Percy got comfortable with Camp Half-Blood feeling so empty and quiet. Or the relative quiet, he should say. He got used to sleeping in the same cabin as Tyson. With so little people around, Percy was free to use the various training grounds as often as he wanted. After a year of full-time training at camp, Percy was confident calling himself an experienced swordsman.

But all of a sudden, campers began arriving alone, with mortal parents, or after being picked up from airports and train stations by Argus. The cabins started to come to life and Percy had to book time slots for activities earlier in advance. The Stolls came back and were already eager to book the climbing wall, the same going for the Aphrodite kids and the pegasi.

Percy would never admit it, but he'd been counting down the days until Annabeth was due to return to camp. It was partly due to excitement, but partly due to nerves.

She'd been in close contact with him since he messaged her about the border. He described how monsters were already able to cross it and explained that nothing they did to repair the border was working.

He didn't mean to tell her, but Annabeth figured out early on that it had something to do with Thalia's tree. In May, she told him that she had a plane ticket for early June, she'd even be skipping school on her final day of classes to arrive as early as possible.

But right after telling him, she went radio silent and stopped responding to emails. Percy tried not to worry too much, but on the day she was due to arrive, Argus found no trace of her at the airport.

Chiron called Annabeth's father. It turned out she decided to leave home a week earlier than expected to make it to camp herself. She left without telling him or anyone else in the family. Percy begged Chiron to let him search for her, arguing that he could even take Tyson with him for backup.

A few days after Annabeth was due to arrive, she finally stumbled her way up Half-Blood Hill. Too bad she arrived just as Percy, Tyson, and nearly the entire Ares cabin were trying to kill two massive bronze bulls.

The bucking bulls could brute force their way past the dying border but the best part? They fucking breathed fire, too.

"Look out!" Percy shouted. He reached with his senses and pulled. Barrels of water were stationed around the border expressly for Percy to use. He already emptied two trying to put out the bull's flames and was down to the final one stationed at Thalia's tree.

The barrel burst, creating a narrow but fast wall of water that pushed against the bull charging at Annabeth. He got it just off course enough to keep Annabeth from getting gored.

"Over here!" Percy shouted to her.

Annabeth sprinted past the bull, "Percy, what's happening? What's wrong with the border?"

"Charge!" Clarisse shouted from inside the boundary. But half of her wall of shields scattered when the second bull spewed fire at them.

"I'll explain later! I promise!" Percy shouted. He had Riptide in one hand and was controlling his supply of water with the other. "What happened to you?"

Annabeth grimaced. "I'll tell you when this is over."

"Bad cow!" Tyson cried out. He was wrestling the bull that charged at Annabeth, literally grabbing it by the horns. He was carving trenches in the ground from trying to dig his heels into the dirt.

Percy clenched his teeth. He sent his water uphill and under the bull's hooves. It slipped just enough to give Tyson the upper hand. He pushed the bull on its side and began pounding on its face.

"Hey, Annabeth!" Clarisse shouted. She picked up a shield lying on the ground and tossed it across the border. Annabeth caught it as the second bull faced her and Percy.

"These are Hephaestus' bulls," she said.

"They won't be for long," Percy replied. "Get ready to duck out of the way."

The bull charged them. Annabeth raised her shield and Percy pulled up a wall of water as a burst of flames came hurtling toward them.

"Move!" Percy shouted. He dove one way, Annabeth dove another. The bull barrelled past them and charged downhill towards camp. It struck a mound of dirt in the grass and the next thing Percy knew, the ground burst outward as dozens of fine, celestial bronze hooked barbs ensnared the bull. Thank the gods for Beckendorf.

The bull roared, but both its front legs were damaged. Only able to move in staggering circles, it became easy pickings for the Ares cabin.

Just in time, too. Percy hurried to help Tyson finish off the other one only to find the cyclops sitting atop the defunct mechanical bull. The thing's face was beyond recognition, both its horns broken off and laying in the smouldering grass.

"Good job, big guy." Percy said.

He found himself meaning it. With the border failing and the camp in need of all the help it could get, Tyson had long since proved himself.

Tyson beamed at him and hopped off the bull. He patted its side and said, "Lots of good scrap metal here. I'll take it to the forge."

"So this is Tyson," Annabeth said. She stood at a farther distance than Percy was.

"Yeah," he said. Percy glanced at his half-brother, "Tyson, this is my friend Annabeth. She's a daughter of Athena."

"Hi, new friend!" Tyson said. He grinned and gave Annabeth a wave. She didn't return his smile. Percy raised his eyebrows at her and she conceded, giving Tyson a short wave in return.

"Come on," Percy said to Annabeth, "we need to talk."

While Clarisse organized her cabin and while Tyson took the bulls to the forge, Percy and Annabeth went on a walk through the woods. When the sounds of camp were at a good distance, they sat by the river.

Annabeth revealed that she didn't leave home early because she was worried for the camp like Percy thought. Or rather, that was only part of it. She was just so sick of being home with her step-mom and step-brothers, Annabeth felt like she had no choice but to leave. In a way, Percy sympathized with her. He spent years putting up with Smelly Gabe so having bad family members was something he got.

She finished her story with a recap of her cab ride provided by the Gray Sisters and the strange numbers they provided her on the way.30, 31, 75, 12.Something about the numbers ticked a little box in the back of Percy's mind. Like heshouldunderstand what they meant but didn't.

Annabeth was less understanding when Percy revealed why the border was failing.

"Her tree isdying?And you didn't tell me?" Annabeth got up just so she could stare down at Percy. He got to his feet as well.

"I didn't want you to worry, I'm sorry."

"This is something worth worrying about!"

"But I didn't want you to do anything reckless."

Annabeth actually rolled her eyes at him. "Like what?"

"Like running away from home,again.Do you know how much I worried about you when you stopped responding to all my emails?"

Percy's face immediately flushed red, as did Annabeth's. He fumbled over his words, "I-I was just afraid something bad happened to you."

Annabeth's gaze softened. She ran a hand over her face, her stormy eyes reflecting the gears churning in her head. After a moment, she said, "Okay. Okay, look Seaweed Brain. Let's just work on a way to fix this. Got it?"

He nodded. "Right. Got it."

Percy couldn't shake the feeling that the cruise ship they just boarded looked too familiar. He'd never been on a cruise before, and hadn't ever really touched a boat before trying out the camp canoes. So why did he feel his gut tug him down certain halls as if he'd walked them before?

It hit him early on that this was the same ship from his dreams.

The plush red carpet muffled their footsteps, but it also muffled the sounds of anyone else that might be approaching them.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Annabeth asked.

"I think so," Percy replied, trying to keep his voice low.

Both Annabeth and Tyson looked confused.

She asked, "How?"

Percy shrugged as they turned a corner. "You ever get a dream and it just feels, you know. Too specific?"

Annabeth shook her head.

Percy continued, "Like on our quest to recover the master bolt, I kept getting dreams of the potential war between the gods. And these… these visions of Kronos."

Just saying the Titan lord's name made the hall drop a few degrees. Annabeth stopped dead in her tracks. Percy turned, ready to apologize for using the Titan's name. But the look on her face gave him pause.

"Annabeth?"

"Percy… you've been getting visions fora whole year?Like, basically since finding out you were a demigod?"

He shrugged again but felt more and more uneasy.

Annabeth continued, "And you've seen this ship before? In your dreams?"

"Yeah," Percy said. "Why? Isn't that normal for demigods?"

Annabeth stared at him dead in the eye, showing how serious she was. She gave the slightest shake of her head. "Percy, I've only gotten dreams like that a few times in mylife.They were sent to me by my mom to direct me to Luke and Thalia when I ran away as a kid."

She took a step closer to Percy, studying him closely. "Percy… those kinds of dreams have to be sent by someone."

It shouldn't have been possible, but Percy felt the room drop temperature even more. That, or he felt a chill crawl down his whole body. He swallowed, his throat feeling dry. His eyes darted from Annabeth to Tyson, who was also staring at him intently.

He said, "Okay, we can figure that out later. For now, we need to focus."

Percy kept moving forward. He disregarded the lingering question still hovering between the three of them. He also ignored the fact that hedidknow of a voice that came to him in the moments when he was very close to death.

The possibility that that voice could be someone very real, someone he didn't yet know, was enough to make Percy's skin crawl.But he needed to keep his mind on task. After all, Grover needed to be rescued and this ship was supposedly their only real way to get to the Sea of Monsters.

Go figure, it was being secretly run by monsters. ByLuke.

But really, were those two things that different?

Demigod luck was never that great to begin with, so why not lob Percy at a ship full of enemies? Why he'd been dreaming of this exact ship even before it became infiltrated by Kronos' forces, Percy had no idea how to answer. But at least now he was understanding the message.

As they escaped and sped away from thePrincess Andromeda,he tried to push his growing pile of questions to the back of his mind.

Annabeth was still crying softly.

There was a new question on Percy's mind. And a hollow feeling in his stomach.

The two of them just escaped from Circe's island with a stolen pirate ship and now they were headed for the coordinates drilled into Percy's mind.

30, 31, 75, 12. They were coordinates, and Percy knew exactly how to get to them. But the novelty of being able to control a whole ship with his mind wore off a while ago when they just narrowly survived the Siren's island.

Annabeth wanted to hear their song so badly. Percy went along with it by tying her to the mast while he stuffed his ears with wax. He didn't expect her to cut herself free, and he certainly didn't anticipate Annabeth jumping into the water to swim to shore.

Percy had no choice but to jump in after her. When he grabbed her, he saw what Annabeth saw. She dreamed of everyone she loved happy and in a world that she literally designed.

They managed to get back to their ship, but Annabeth was still crying on the deck. She clutched the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, visibly shivering.

He felt that now wasn't a good time to tell her what he found out.

Back when Percy was trying to get them to the ship, dodging between jagged rocks and underwater mines, and before he figured out that keeping her submerged would interrupt the Siren's song, Annabeth was desperate to get to free herself. She twisted and kicked against the current Percy made. When that had no effect, she clawed at his face.

The scratches weren't deep and the sea healed him quickly, but she did manage to dislodge some of the wax in one ear. For just a few seconds, he heard the sirens' song.

And it… sounded bad. Percy didn't receive any visions of everything he ever wanted, or hear the most beautiful music in existence. He just heard a cacophony of screeching somewhere between human vocals and bird-like crying.

They escaped the sirens' island when Percy made a massive underwater bubble for them to travel in. He didn't even realize he lost his sunglasses in the struggle until they boarded their ship. He found some old sheets to wrap around Annabeth. When she raised her head, maybe to thank him, a sharp gasp escaped her throat and she looked away.

Those glasses were the only things that made him bearable for most people, but Percy didn't have it in him to be offended. Annabeth was still upset by what she saw in her vision.

He didn't speak until she did. Annabeth eventually got up and volunteered to keep watch over the ship so Percy could get some rest. She did so while keeping her eyes on the floor.

"Am I really that bad?" Percy asked. He tried not to look at himself in mirrors, but he knew his eyes looked like dark pits surrounded by a stormy swirl of color. Not super comforting to look at.

"Sorry," she said.

"Don't worry about it, really."

Percy went below deck to get some rest. When he closed his eyes, he swore he heard someone whisper to him.

There is nothing more alluring than the call of the void.

Caught between awareness and sleep, Percy didn't realize that the voice spoke to him in no language he recognized. And yet, he understood it perfectly.

When he woke up, Percy felt a prominent emptiness in his stomach.

When they finally arrived on Polyphemus' island, Percy was in for three big shocks. One, Grover was still alive and well, even if his charade was running its course. Percy wished he could hug his friend if it weren't for the man-eating cyclops threatening their lives. Two, Clarisse was still alive and kicking, too stubborn to accept death under pretty much any circumstances. Percy begrudgingly admired her sheer force of will.

Three,Tysonwas still alive. He survived when Clarisse's confederate ship exploded.

When they had the chance to talk, Tyson was able to ignore Percy's eyes and even smile at him. "Big brother!"

He gave Percy a quick-but-spine-popping bear hug just as Polyphemus reappeared to kill them all. The giant cyclops raised his head to smell the air.

Polyphemus rumbled, "I should have known… should have known… you'll all be dinner meat… but one of you is rotten."

Clarisse bared her teeth in a humorless chuckle. "You think he's still sour his fiancee turned out to be a goat?"

"Hey!" Grover cried out.

"No," Percy said, "I think he's talking about me."

"You do smell… scary, sometimes," Tyson mumbled.

Of course it was Percy. He supposedly smelled like the abyss, or something.

When their ship was destroyed, the five of them managed to escape when Tyson called a flock of hippocampus to rescue them. Only when Polyphemus' island disappeared over the horizon did it really hit Percy.

They did it; they got the Golden Fleece to save Thalia's tree and escaped the cyclops' island alive.

He couldn't believe their luck. Especially when they managed to arrive in Miami and pull together just enough cash to send Clarisse in a cab to the nearest airport, one magical fleece in tow.

Go figure, his demigod luck would run out when they were immediately captured by Luke and his gang. The Princess Andromeda mocked them from where it was stationed in the port.

"Bring them aboard," Luke said to his cronies. He glanced at Percy and quickly looked away. "And blindfold that one."

"Luke, you absolute-" Percy started. He got cut off when hands grabbed him, forcing some kind of fabric over his eyes. Percy walked blind, he assumed alongside Annabeth, Tyson, and Grover, as they were forced back aboard Luke's ship.

"Where are we going?" Percy whispered.

"They've stopped. We're on the deck," Annabeth said. "Luke and his men are watching us."

"All of you, quiet," Luke said. He sounded close by. When he tried to ask for the Golden Fleece to heal Kronos, they revealed they didn't have it. Percy wished he could have seen the look on Luke's face when he realized it was with Clarisse and on route to Miami International Airport.

Just as Luke called for a steed to take him to the airport, Percy tried to think fast. He was blindfolded, knew he was outnumbered, and was at risk of losing everything he worked for to Luke before Clarisse could get to New York. Before he could even think of a plan, Annabeth was two steps ahead of him.

And apparently, her plan was to goad Luke so he got even more pissed off at them. She screamed, high-pitched and furious in a way Percy had never heard before. Annabeth accused him of poisoning the tree, of deceiving everyone, even Mr. D, of setting up Chiron, of intentionally weakening Camp Half-Blood's primary defense. All of which he agreed to.

"Yes," Luke shouted back, "I did it all! You already know this, why do you keep asking me?"

"Because," Annabeth said, "I want everyone in the audience to hear you."

Luke said what Percy was thinking. "What audience?"

Before anyone could stop him, Percy pulled his blindfold off. To his shock, behind Luke was an Iris Image of Mr D. And all of Camp Half-Blood as they ate lunch.

"Annabeth,"Percy whispered, amazed. She was screaming at Luke this whole time to keep his attention on her. On Annabeth's other side, he heard Grover let out a nervous snicker.

Luke snarled as he slashed through the IM, dissolving it. When he turned back to them, he froze as his eyes locked on with Percy's. He uncapped Riptide and took a step forward.

"What's the matter, Luke? Afraid two kids will embarrass you instead of just one?"

Luke unsheathed his own sword and pointed it at Percy. "I always hoped it wouldn't have to come to this." His eyes darted toward Annabeth, "I wanted to believe you could be reasoned with."

He turned his attention back to Percy. "Andyou.Of all people, I would have thought that you were sick of how the gods treat us. But you've proven to be too unreliable. Sorry, Percy, but you have to be replaced."

Percy didn't have the time to dwell on that fact. He readied himself for a fight. Even though Luke had both a sword and called for a shield, Percy had an advantage of his own. His eyes were uncovered, and he could tell Luke wasn't making eye contact on purpose.

Percy's plan was just to stall Luke until Annabeth could make up another plan to get them out of this situation. He might've had a year's worth of practice sword-fighting, but Luke had many more. As their swords clashed, Luke kept trying to get Percy off-balance. Each time Percy tried to call on the nearby water to help him, his concentration was interrupted by a sword almost going through his stomach.

But Luke didn't look like he was enjoying their fight very much.

"Stop doing that!" He shouted.

"Doing what?" Percy feinted to the left and lunged right. Luke saw right through his ruse.

"Using your eyes-" he said before being cut off by blocking Percy's blow.

Usinghis eyes? Percy had never heard it put like that before.

Their rescue finally came, and in the shape no one expected. A dozen centaurs in war paint, neon paint, and armed with both paintball guns and traditional bows burst onto the deck.

They escaped thanks to Chiron and the Party Ponies. Back at the centaur's camp, one of them gave Percy a set of novelty neon green star-shaped sunglasses to cover his eyes with. Not ideal, but temporary.

Not long after, Percy and his friends were finally back at Camp Half-Blood. With Chiron in tow no less. The day was saved, Clarisse fulfilled her prophecy, the camp was protected again, and Percy was alive. His friends and brother were alive.

Everything seemed good for once.

After everything Percy and Tyson went through, he almost couldn't believe he had to say goodbye. He and Tyson were walking by the shore, the ocean lapping at their feet as Percy had no idea when he'd next see his brother. Apparently, Tyson received a message in his dreams (again, a dreampurposefully sent by someone)telling him he was invited to work in Poseidon's underwater forge.

"You sure you'll be alright on your own?" Percy asked.

Tyson laughed. "I won't be alone. I'll have other cyclopes. And Dad, too."

Right. Percy was a mortal hero, meaning no father-son fishing trips or hikes. He supposed that by virtue of technically being a monster, Tyson didn't really have those sorts of restrictions.

A part of Percy was jealous Tyson would get to live it up under the sea and actually get to be around their dad. Another part of Percy wished his brother would stay. Not because Tyson was one of the best smiths in camp, and not because Tyson was a powerful ally to have. But because Percy truly saw Tyson as his full on brother. Someone who didn't get mad at him for having nightmares. Someone who actually wanted to be there and comfort him.

Tyson stopped to ask Percy, "And willyoube alright withoutme?"

Not for the first time, and maybe not for the last, Percy wondered if Tyson could read his emotions the way Grover could. Tyson was young, but he was incredibly intuitive.

Percy tried to crack a smile. "Yeah, big guy. I'll be fine. And I won't be alone, either. I'll be able to talk to Annabeth."

"Good! You deserve to be happy too!" Tyson clapped him on the back so hard, Percy's knees buckled.

In the distance, they heard the whinny of a horse. A figure broke through the waves about fifty feet from the shore. It was a white hippocampus with a rainbow colored fin instead of a mane. Tyson's ride.

But before his brother could leave, Percy asked, "Oh yeah, Tyson. I've always wanted to ask since we first met, but how did you know you were a son of Poseidon?"

Tyson smiled widely, his big brown eye reflecting the moonlight.

"Didn't know at all, not at first. But then one day, I started praying to anyone for someone to help me."

Tyson paused, as if reminiscing. Then he continued, "I didn't get an answer for a really long time, but then one day, I had a dream where Dad came to me. He said someone special would find me. Find me… and bring me somewhere safe."

Tyson squeezed Percy in one of his spectacular bone-crushing hugs. "And then you came! And we got to live at camp together!"

The hippocampus in the water whinnied. Tyson's smile fell as he set Percy down.

"Don't worry, we'll see each other again."

Percy tried to ignore the heaviness in his heart. "Yeah, of course we will. Now get going, big guy. You've got a job now."

Percy waved Tyson off as he watched his brother wade into the water. Tyson climbed on Rainbow the Hippocampus' back, and off they went.

All of a sudden, Percy was alone again.

It was the second to last day of the summer. Grover was going back out into the world to look for Pan. Annabeth was staying at camp again this year, but she would be going to a boarding school in the city for most of the year. So close, but still so far away.

Now with Tyson gone too, Percy felt more alone than ever.