the stars were made for falling (i)

The sun was finally starting to set. Percy tapped his foot against the gravel pathway, sweating in the stuffy September heat. He was sitting on the porch of an abandoned house in northern New Jersey. The thing was a mess. Some of the windows were shattered, poison ivy grew along one of its walls, and there were so many penises graffitied on the inside that not even he found it that funny. But it was in a prime location. Percy found it on a scouting mission the week prior, it was secluded enough while still being close to their target. All week, Percy was mentally prepping himself for this mission. Now, he couldn't tell if his restlessness was from nerves or excitement.

He tried to distract himself by watching his hellhounds. Onyx was basking in a patch of dying sunlight, Mrs. O'Leary right beside him. She got her own saddle made, so new the leather still had to be broken in. Together she, Onyx, and Andrea were going to serve as his main transport in and out of his mission.

Cass was sitting next to Percy, ears twitching at every stray sound while Ruby trotted around the perimeter.

The door behind him opened. Nico stepped out of the house, wearing dark jeans and his aviator jacket. Beneath it, he was wearing kevlar armor specially designed by Beckendorf. It was perfect for demigods on the go who needed to be fast and stealthy. Percy was wearing a kevlar vest of his own.

Nico sat down on the porch next to him and rolled up his sleeves, revealing the bracers Tyson made for him.

"They're still not here yet?" he asked.

Percy shook his head. In the distance, he could hear the rumbling of cars passing by. He took a sideways glance at Nico, who was adamant about fiddling with his bracers.

"If you're not sure about this, you can stay here and act as backup."

Nico snorted. "As if. I'll be fine, Percy."

He bit the inside of his cheek. Percy tried his luck and added, "She's still sorry. You know that, right?"

Nico froze. He got up and clicked his tongue, getting Cass to come with him.

Percy sighed. "Come on, Ni-"

"Don't," he said. Without looking back, Nico went inside again.

So Annabeth was still a sore subject. Ordinarily, Percy would consider having Nico and Annabeth on the same mission a definite conflict of interests. He would've been fine doing this on his own, or just taking the hellhounds with him. But Nico insisted on coming with him. And as a kid of Hades, his powers could definitely come in handy. He wasn't very happy to learn Percy wanted to partner up with the Hunters for this mission, to say the least. But he didn't back out.

With the summer over, Camp Half-Blood was reduced to less than a dozen campers again. They needed help from whatever allies were available, though the same could be said for their partners. Percy saw first hand how capable Artemis' Hunters were. The problem was that there were only about two dozen of them.

Onyx raised his head and smelled the air. He growled low in his throat, not as a warning but as a sign of apprehension. The crunch of gravel caught Percy's attention. Speak of the devil.

He stood and whistled one long, sharp note. Onyx was on his feet now, Mrs. O'Leary scenting the air. She probably never met the Hunters of Artemis before. They all carried a faint silver glow to them, a touch of magic that kept them semi-immortal. But the rest of the pack had met the Hunters before, in less than ideal circumstances. Percy wasn't overly fond of them himself, but he had a soft spot for his old friends. Artemis, too.

Out of the woods came two figures dressed the same. Black pants, black hunting boots, quivers full of arrows over their shoulders. And they both wore camouflage jackets that shifted to blend in with whatever was behind them. Percy took a few steps down the driveway, unable to fight his growing smile.

"Thalia, Annabeth."

A part of Percy was glad to see Thalia hadn't changed since becoming Artemis' lieutenant. She still wore heavy black eyeliner and had her head partially shaved into an unkept mohawk. The silvery hue around her suited her electric blue eyes.

It suited them both, actually. Annabeth's gray eyes looked like they were giving off the faintest light. She was still the Annabeth Percy knew, but she just felt more like a Hunter than Thaila. And with the dying sunlight bouncing off her blond hair, she almost could've been mistaken for a goddess herself.

The two of them stopped when Onyx barked out a warning.

"Hey!" Percy said, snapping his fingers to call off Onyx."No,they're our friends."

Onyx relented, but kept his eyes glued on the two Hunters. Thalia grinned, as if daring Onyx to test her. In contrast, Mrs. O'Leary, who spent years socializing with people, had no issue with approaching Annabeth to give her a sniff.

"Oh, hi there." Annabeth said. She glanced at Percy and he felt a shock go down his spine. "Who's this one?"

He swallowed. "That's Mrs. O'Leary. And I didn't tame her, actually. It's a crazy story, but she was given to me as a gift."

Thalia was fixated on the leather saddle on Mrs. O'Leary's back. "No way... You ride these things? Like horses?"

Percy shrugged. "Why not?"

Thalia joined Annabeth in giving Mrs. O'Leary a few pets along the side of her neck. Percy feared their reunion would be difficult or awkward. After all, Annabeth and Thalia were supposed to be boy-hating Hunters now. And Percy was… himself.

But if he tried hard enough, he could almost pretend they were all just friends meeting up to hang out. It was almost surreal how easily his old friends fit back into his life.

Annabeth approached Percy and asked, "How have you been doing?"

He tried to give her a smile. "The same. Nothing's changed since summer."

Weeks ago, he got in touch with Annabeth to catch her up on his situation. The one year countdown, Percy's influence on the war, all that great stuff. And now Percy was having a lot of weird, out of body experiences. Sometimes, he'd feel fine. Like he was made of flesh and bone.

Other times, he had moments when his whole body felt feather light. Or more accurately, like he was hollow. It was the same weightless, fuzzy feeling he had after holding up the sky and after the Battle of the Labyrinth. Except now, it was accompanied by a kind of burning beneath his skin. The unmistakable thrum of raw power. It was his divinity trying to untether itself from his mortal shell.

Annabeth bumped his shoulder with hers. She said, "You know I'll always have your back. Right, Seaweed Brain?"

He nodded and almost smiled. "Right, Wise Girl."

Percy didn't need to say he'd have hers as well. Despite where the two of them stood, they were still friends. He could feel it.

Annabeth asked, "Is it just you? Or is he here, too?"

Percy sighed. "He's here."

He glanced back at the old house and called out, "Nico? We're all ready."

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. Percy spoke softly, "He wanted to come. But don't worry, he only wants to focus on the mission."

"If you say so." Those stormy, gray eyes promised that at least a hundred different thoughts were running through Annabeth's head. Percy was still unsure of whether Nico fully forgave Annabeth for failing to protect Bianca. Maybe it wasn't his business, but he cared so much about both of them. Even if it was naive, he hoped Nico would stop resenting Annabeth one day.

The door creaked open. Nico stood in the darkened frame, studying the Hunters. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and walked down the front steps to the house.

"Hi," he said. Percy nudged him. Nico added, "The house is stocked with nectar and ambrosia in case anyone needs some later. If the plan is compromised, this will also act as our rendezvous point."

Nico was noticeably only staring at Thalia. "Where are the other Hunters?"

She said, "They're down south in Maryland, trying to capture another cache of the Titan's supplies. We've been doing these raids for a while now, they've got it handled on their end."

"Good," Percy said. He went inside himself and came out with two black backpacks. Their contents clinked with the sound of pottery bumping together. He explained that the bags were loaded with jars of Greek fire. He gave one bag to Annabeth and shouldered the other.

Ordinarily, Hunters and campers wouldn't work together. But when talking, he and Annabeth thought of working together as building better relations between their groups. They needed to know they could all trust each other when they were fighting a war against the same enemies. Besides, the Hunters had lots of experience with night time raids, but the greater New York area was sort of Camp Half-Blood's turf.

Percy prayed this would work.

Just after the sun went down, while there was still a little bit of light left in the sky, the four of them got ready to move. Nico rode with Thalia on Mrs. O'Leary, Percy and Annabeth climbed onto Onyx's back. Using the enhanced darkness to their advantage, the group shadow travelled to their destination.

Their target was a massive shipping dock in Newark, New Jersey. There was a highway nearby brimming with traffic, towering lamp posts keeping the place illuminated, and a staggering maze of commercial shipping containers. Unlike the gods, the Titans were using the mortal world to their advantage as much as possible. They could move supplies, including armor, weapons, raw materials, and more, using mortal docks and railroads.

Their goal was to find the newest shipment of goods that should've arrived already. The plan was to destroy as much of it as they could, but taking some of the loot for themselves wasn't off the table, either. It depended on how quickly the Greek fire spread.

The hellhound pack and the four of them landed on the roof of a squat, white building in the middle of the shipping container labyrinth. It must've been some kind of office or storehouse. There were still mortals hanging around as well, either smoking cigarettes or driving around in forklifts.

As soon as they dismounted, Nico said, "I'll find our target. The rest of you, stay put until I come back."

Before Percy could protest, Nico was swallowed by the darkness and vanished without a trace. Annabeth and Thalia both jumped back. Percy sighed.

"Yeah, he does that sometimes."

He had half a mind to go after Nico, but it would've been a huge waste of time and energy in a place so big. So instead, their group laid low to keep from being spotted. Most of them, anyway. Annabeth had a pair of binoculars and was at the edge of the building scanning their surroundings.

The only sources of light now were coming from the distant lamps and the moon.

"So, how many times have you done this?" Percy asked Thalia, keeping his voice low.

She shrugged. "A dozen? Maybe more. Man, you should've been there when we sunk a cargo ship in Lake Erie, that waswild."

Percy laughed a little. He was glad he and Thalia could be on good terms when they didn't always get along before.

"I bet I can one-up you," he said, "The Titans used to use Daedalus' Labyrinth to move their forces. I led the quest to destroy it."

Thalia whistled and got a glare from Annabeth to keep quiet. Just moments later, Nico reappeared out of the darkness and pointed behind him.

"Over there, that's where our goal is. I saw it, it's a huge section of shipping containers being patrolled by monsters."

"How many?" Percy asked, standing up.

Nico bit his lip. "There's a few dozen containers, and just as many monsters."

Damn it. The Mist could make the mortals see whatever they wanted to see. As far as they were aware, any cyclops could just be a really burly port worker. Assuming the mortals were at least partially safe from the monsters, Percy considered how to work around their sheer numbers.

"Hang on," Annabeth said. She was still staring through her binoculars.

"What is it?" Thalia asked.

Annabeth was staring at something to their right, toward the water. "What's that ship? That's not for cargo, is it?"

Percy went over to her and motioned for her binoculars. Annabeth handed them over and pointed at a ship approaching the port. Peering through the binoculars, Percy couldn't make out the exact model or anything, but some of his nautical heritage kicked in.

"That's a Coast Guard cutter."

"So it's mortal?" Nico asked.

Percy zoomed in as far as the binoculars would allow. He could see with stunning clarity, making him wonder if these were some kind of magic Hunter gear. The boat was big enough to hold over a hundred people. The problem was that it wasn't humans he was seeing on the deck.

"It's loaded with monsters," Percy said."Fuck."

If Kronos could get his hands on a cruise ship, why not some actual military vessels while he was at it?

While the others spoke, thinking of ways to circumvent the ship, Percy's mind was racing. The cutter was still a few minutes from docking. Maybe six or seven at the most. It was close, but he could make it.

Percy shrugged off his backpack, grabbed a jar of fire, and handed the bag to Nico. "You three continue as planned, I'll go after the ship and try to buy you time. We'll meet up when this is over, okay?"

The others were clearly reluctant to let him go on his own. But he was their best bet at slowing the boat down.

"Good luck," Annabeth said. He nodded.

Percy grabbed onto Cass' collar and commanded her to shadow travel to the edge of the water. But he hesitated before jumping in. He didn't want to use his powers unless absolutely necessary now. With no other choice, he told Cass to send them both onto the deck of the ship.

As soon as he had his footing, Percy unclipped Cass' collar so no one could tell she was one of his. Thankfully, she brought him to the back of the cutter and no one had seen them yet.

Percy uncapped Riptide and thought that it was such a strange coincidence that reinforcements would arrive on the night he chose to raid the Titan's supplies. It could've been bad luck on their end, but maybe something fishy was going on.

He and Cass snuck around the side of the ship until he found an open door leading inside. With just one jar of fire, his best bet was to set it off in the control room. Cass went around every corner first, seeing as how she probably wouldn't be attacked by any monster patrolling the halls.

She bit the leg of a cyclops and Percy slashed him across the throat before he could even yell. Around another corner, she lunged at a bigger hellhound while Percy drove his blade through its chest. Killing hellhounds was never fun for him, but Cass seemed to accept it as part of her loyalty to Percy. He ran his hand over her neck to brush off the gold dust.

The ship was about a minute or two from docking when Percy found the control room. The problem?

It was empty. The door's metal hinges creaked in the eerie silence.

A sudden agony tore through Percy's back. He shouted and dropped the jar, spilling green fire across the floor. Cass leaped to get out of its way, barking furiously.

Cover blown, Percy staggered into the room and risked a glance behind him. He saw a Dracaena weidling a bow, a vicious grin on her ugly face. She managed to get him in his shoulder where his vest didn't protect him. Percy slammed the metal door to the control room shut and reached for his left shoulder. He hissed and saw stars when he touched the arrow shaft sticking out of him. Sweat and blood ran down his back as the fire in the room just kept spreading.

Cass was pressed into the far corner, hackles raised. Percy had to think fast.

He was caught in a trap, wounded, and now had about thirty seconds before he went up in flames.

He looked out the windows. If he smashed one to either side of the room, he could jump into the water. But just stalling the ship wasn't going to work. The monsters were too close to land anyway.

"Cass! Go to Nico!" Percy shouted, enunciating as clear as he could. Cass' ears perked at Nico's name but she refused to leave.

"Find. Nico."

She whined and tried to approach him so he could go with her. Percy waved Riptide in warning. "No!"

Cass growled but obeyed, vanishing into the shadows. Now it was just Percy. Capping Riptide, he knew what he had to do. He took a deep breath in.

And a deep breath out.

The thrum under his skin spiked in intensity, sending him to his knees. Percy's eyes burned. He squeezed them shut. The heat in the room was unbearable, but it paled in comparison to the power pulsating under his skin.

He felt the waters around the ship seethe. Towering waves bashed against the hull. The clouds overhead darkened. Metal groaned. Percy didn't need to open his eyes to know what was happening.

Everything metal around him turned to rust. Plastic to dust. Glass shattered. The Greek fire sputtered and nearly died out. The roar of rushing water could be heard all around him.

Worse, it was hard to concentrate when he had a searing pain in his shoulder. He already decayed the arrow to dust, but it still burned. His wound distracted Percy for just one second, throbbing in time with his heart. But it was enough. The wind roared as a bit more of his powers flowed from him.

Before he even knew it, Percy was falling through the floor. He hit the hallway beneath the control room, a silent scream tearing from his throat as he landed on his shoulder.

Half a second later, the ship exploded.

And Percy was at the center of it all. The entire ship rotted from the inside out, a shockwave of decay decimating everything in its path until only dust remained. Metal, glass, flesh. Monsters were stripped of their tissue, their bones dissolving.

As Percy screamed, he felt the very life force of the monsters aboard become tangled in his wave of pure entropy. And they too were destroyed. No more rebirth in Tartarus. It was as if the entire ship and everything on it never existed.

The next thing Percy knew, he was at the bottom of the shallow port waters. His shoulder no longer stung with a terrible agony. It just ached and felt stiff now. He blinked slowly until he remembered there was a mission going on without him.

Percy shot to the surface of the water and swam to land. Rain was pouring in heavy, dense sheets as he willed a small wave to lift him onto the side of a dock. Not very far away, plumes of dark smoke rose into the air, illuminated by green light. He hoped that meant the others were successful. Now, Percy just needed to make it to the rendezvous point. He took a staggering step forward.

Annabeth paced up and down the hallway to the old house serving as their refuge. Rain was leaking in multiple places and the broken windows did nothing to keep out the wind.

They were successful in igniting over a dozen shipping containers and robbing a few others. Most of what they stole was armor and weapons that the Hunters didn't need, but would be greatly appreciated by Camp Half-Blood. They all had a few cuts and scrapes that healed right away with a bit of ambrosia, but Percy was still nowhere to be found.

Maybe the freak storm had something to do with it. Because Thalia didn't cause it, and these things tended to follow Percy wherever he went. They didn't stick around long enough to make sure the ship was delayed, but she had high hopes that Seaweed Brain was successful.

Thalia was passing the time by carving a vagina into a wall in the hallway, to "even things out". Nico was sitting at the base of the stairs, his strange sword laying at his side.

"He'll be fine," Nico said, his dark eyes fixed upon her.

"We can't be certain," Annabeth said.

Nico scowled at her and went back to staring out one of the windows.

Being with the son of Hades again was not the most pleasurable experience. She got the feeling Nico only agreed to work with her out of necessity, but Annabeth could live with that. (In all honesty, she was more curious about how he and Percy grew so close.)

Just as Annabeth was about to leave to go after Percy, the door swung open. Seaweed Brain stumbled in, completely dry but clearly drained. Nico caught Percy as he staggered.

"Thalia, we need nectar!" Annabeth said. She guided Percy to sit down on the stairs as the thundering of boots approached them. Thalia held a canteen in front of Percy's face.

"Drink up."

He took the canteen with the slightest tremor in his hand and drank in long, slow gulps. It was pouring out, the rain should've helped Percy's energy.

Annabeth knelt in front of him and asked, "Percy, what happened?"

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His green eyes were dull and tired.

"The ship… is gone."

The three of them shared the same confused expression.

"Gone?" Nico asked. "As in, it left?"

Percy shook his head. "Gone. Blew up."

Thalia said, "I'll be damned. How'd you do that?"

Annabeth wanted to know the same, especially considering how Percy was on a ship that blew up, but none of his clothes were burned. However, she could tell he was in no state of mind to be giving elaborate answers.

Even without Percy's input, their job was clearly done. It was best for them all to leave as soon as possible, in case any monsters caught their scent.

She reassured Percy that she and Thalia would be fine, they'd manage in the rain and seek shelter elsewhere.

Percy then did something that surprised Annabeth. He hugged her.

"Oh,"she said. But she hugged him back. He was warm, which was good. It was a sign that he'd get back to being himself sooner or later.

"Stay safe," he said.

"You too."

They parted ways after that. Percy and Nico, plus their odd, little pack and all their stolen supplies, vanished into the night.

Percy woke up the day after his mission feeling much better than before. But that didn't mean everything was fine. He could tell there was something wrong with Nico. He was being sulky and quiet, more so than usual. Percy figured it had something to do with the mission but didn't know how to broach the subject. So he did what came naturally to him; Percy found Nico and bluntly asked, "Is something wrong?"

Nico had been hiding out in the woods, stowed away in a rock formation Percy didn't recognize. It was about twice as tall as him, the stone smooth and dark gray. There was a crack in the rocks about three or four feet wide, where a small chamber hidden within. Thinking about it, Nico probably made this place himself.

Nico scowled at Percy. "How'd you find me?"

He stepped aside, revealing Ruby. She padded into the little den, tail wagging at the sight of Nico. He frowned and didn't reach out to pet her.

"Nico?" Percy asked.

No response.

"Can I come in?"

Nico stared at the wall opposite to him. Percy tested his luck and ducked under the archway. The floor of the small cave was solid stone, not dirt. And it was covered in old blankets and tarps. There were even baggies of candy tucked away in one corner and some unlit candles.

"Did you make all this?" Percy asked, sitting down across from Nico. The stone felt cold against his back.

Nico drew his knees to his chest. "What do you want, Percy?"

For a moment, he was taken aback by Nico's sullen mood. He got like this sometimes, sure. But he was usually a little more open to Percy than others.

Not knowing what else to do, Percy grabbed a bag of candy and opened it. The crackle of plastic got Nico to look up.

"Hey!"

"Don't worry, I'll share," Percy said, holding the bag out of reach. It filled the small cave with the scent of cheap sour candy. "But first, I just want you to talk to me."

Percy bit into a gummy worm and set the bag down between him and Nico. With some reluctance, Nico reached for the bag and held it in his lap.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Are you sure about that? There's nooneyou want to talk about?"

Nico swallowed. The plastic bag crinkled in his hands. "You get along with the Hunters so easily."

Percy frowned. Wasthatwhat this was about?

He said, "Thalia and Annabeth are my friends. I don't think any other Hunter would even look at me."

Nico's expression was pinched, like he wanted to say more but was holding back. He asked, "You remember when we were in the Labyrinth with your mom? I told you, Bianca probably would've ended up outliving me if she survived her quest. The Hunters… how many people did they leave behind so they could have their boy-free immortality?"

His words were tinged with a bitter edge Percy didn't quite like. It carried the implication that the Hunters were selfish. That Bianca was being selfish when she chose the Hunt.

"Is that it?" Percy asked gently. "You're still upset with your sister?"

Nico didn't respond. His hair had fallen over his face. Percy was one of the few people Nico didn't mind having physical contact with, but he felt that a hug wouldn't do any good here.

Nico took in a raspy breath. He asked, "How come you don't hurt like me?"

Percy gaped. "What?"

Nico turned his head, staring at the corner of the alcove. "You still like Annabeth. After she chose the hunt over you, the camp. Everything."

"I've known her for years, Nico."

"She left you."

"She chose her own path, the same way I did."

Percy heard the crackle of plastic and could guess Nico was holding onto that bag with a white knuckled grip.

"It still hurts to see them," Nico admitted.

Percy almost didn't know what to make of the other. They sat in silence until it dawned on him.

"Nico, did I ever talk to you about fatal flaws?"

A small head shake.

He said, "Well, every hero has one. It's your greatest weakness. I've been told that mine is loyalty. I've made dumb decisions and put myself in danger plenty of times protecting someone I cared about. Annabeth knows her weakness is her pride. For others, it could be their anger or their greed."

"The dead have spoken about other children of Hades," Nico said slowly, "They speak of how we're incapable of surrendering our grudges."

He raised his head and Percy gave him an understanding nod.

"See? But the thing about our fatal flaws, even if we have to watch out for them, they can help us, too. Mine motivates me."

It might be harder to find a positive in holding grudges, but Percy thought of what he admired in Nico. He said, "You're a very dangerous enemy to have… and a powerful ally."

Was Percy going crazy, or was that a pink tint to Nico's face?

He stood and offered Nico a hand. "You don't have to hide things from me, you know that."

"...yeah."Nico accepted Percy's offer and got to his feet.

The two of them walked back to camp in silence, Ruby padding alongside Nico. They shared the rest of the gummy worms along the way. And Percy said nothing about the way Nico was sniffling or the warmth in his face.

That night, Percy's mood soured the moment he started dreaming. A voice he wasn't overly happy to hear spoke to him.

"Hello, brother."

A world rose up around him, emerging from the darkness. Percy found himself in a shadow version of an ancient Greek city. The rolling hills were dotted with houses made of black stone, statues made of obsidian, and a dark sky overhead. If he wasn't mistaken, it almost looked like the Titan's base on Mt. Othrys. The only difference was that the sky was red, not black. A figure emerged out of the gloom, a humanoid being with dark purple skin and a black hole for a face.

Percy crossed his arms over his chest. "Tartarus. What do you want?"

The primordial laughed. Again, it was like the sound was being sucked inward rather than expelled outward. Almost like an old record being played in reverse, hollow and gritty.

"Would you still like me to apologize for the knife? I was only doing as I was told,thismeant nothing to me," Tartarus said, drawing a finger over where his cheek would've been. As if Percy believed that. Tartarus didn't hesitate before chucking a knife at him the last time they met.

He continued, unbothered by Percy's silence. "Anyway, I've not come because of that. I am only curious. Very recently, aconsiderablenumber of monsters were killed all at once. Can you imagine? In just one moment, I felt all their lives extinguish. And yet, my realm has no wave of incoming monsters to be reborn."

Tartarus asked, a sickening delight in his voice, "Would you by chance have anything to do with it?"

"You sound like you already know the answer."

"And if I do?" Tartarus asked. He walked slowly, lazily. Dragging clawed nails across the surface of a black marble column and leaving deep gouges in his wake. He stopped just before Percy and it took everything in him to not step back.

Tartarus leaned down so they were almost eye to eye. "Don't worry, I won't tellthemabout your meddling in my subjects. In fact, I'm impressed. What's a few dozen, even a few hundred, monsters every now and then for my little brother's sake? You need the practice, after all."

Maybe Percy should've tried to sound more grateful. But he was never a good actor. He said, "I appreciate it. But you don't have to act like you're my brother. We both know I'm not like you."

Tartarus never appeared in his dreams like this before. Percy was afraid something changed or there was something he wanted.

Tartarus cocked his head to the side. From the corner of his eye, Percy saw the way the muscles in his arm tensed.

He dropped down and rolled out of the way, just in time to avoid being clocked across the face. Tartarus growled, slashing the air with his talons as Percy backed farther away.

"Don't letthemhear you say that!" he said, sickly sweet and full of false playfulness. Beneath it, Percy heard the rumble of earthquakes and the hiss of a thousand serpents. Tartarus held out a hand and a long spear made of darkened metal manifested in his grasp.

Percy felt for Riptide but found himself empty handed. So he did the only thing he could do. He ran.

The path ahead of him wound up a steep hill and wrapped around a cliff. It would make for some passable cover if he could make it. Percy glanced back.

Tartarus wasn't running after him. He was moving as if he had all the time in the world, even using his spear as a walking stick. Eachthunkof the spear against the ground rang out in his ears.

"Where are you going, Perseus?"

The ground shook and Percy lost his footing on the crumbling gravel beneath him. It felt like there was an invisible hand grabbing him by one ankle, pulling him closer and closer to Tartarus. Percy skinned his hands on the jagged stones beneath him trying to fight back, leaving streaks of (almost) golden blood on the ground.

"What a brat you are, little brother!" Tartarus said. Percy looked over his shoulder. Tartarus was holding a hand out, a shadowy aura around him. He made the world warp and bend, forcing it to pull Percy closer.

Tartarrus shouted, "All the times I rebuilt you after death, watching you grow. I've watched you for almost as long as Chaos, did you know that? Everything has been given to you so easily. Domains, power, the attention of the greatest being there is… and yet you refuse to acknowledge it!"

"Jealous?" Percy called back. He had only a few yards before he'd be at Tartarus' feet.

Tartarus snarled and swung his spear, driving it into the ground.

The whole world trembled. Up ahead, a wave of boulders crashed over the crest of the hill and came hurtling toward him. Percy's eyes widened.

The world stopped pulling on him. Tartarus' voice rang out, loud enough to be heard over the house-sized boulders that were going to crush him in less than a minute.

"I like your spirit, I really do. You're a fiery little thing, Perseus. But you're just too young. Chaos should've skinned you of your mortality and kept you in their realm for a few thousand years to teach you some proper manners. But even after everything you've done, they're still soweakfor you."

Percy shouted as a knee slammed into his back, knocking the breath out of him as it ground his body into the gravel. A hand buried itself in his hair and forced his head up. To stare at the incoming disaster head on.

"Go ahead, my baby brother. Let me see what you can do."

He hissed through his teeth, eyes watering from the pain. Percy's hands curled into fists as he struggled to get any air into his lungs. Just as he was swallowed by the shadow of a boulder the size of Cabin Three, Percy exhaled. A shockwave raced through the air and evaporated the first boulder. Another came hurtling at him through the cloud of dust.

Percy slammed one palm against the ground, fighting against the weight on his back to rise. He screamed, willing his powers to annihilate everything around him.

His blood roared in his ears. Percy felt the gravel under him turn to find sand. Boulders, columns, buildings, an entire world. It all became dust under the weight of his powers.

As the world started to go dark, Tartarus said, "Good, good. You're finally learning…"

When Percy next opened his eyes, sunlight was streaming through his cabin windows and Nico was snoring softly across from him.

Percy wished Tartarus was the only one of his primordial siblings that came by to bother him. Or rather, he wished none of them did. But there were some that were a little better than others.

It was early October when he met Ananke for the second time. He had to be dreaming since she was sitting by the fireinCamp Half-Blood. Where Hestia sometimes resided. But this time, it was Ananke with her misty wings and serpent tail prodding at the fire in the center of the cabins.

She spotted him coming out of his cabin and waved Percy over. Knowing that this had to be a dream, he relented and approached her.

"Hello, little brother. How have you been?"

He winced, something curling in his stomach at being calledlittle brother.When Percy didn't immediately answer, she glanced away from the fire. Ananke seemed amused by his brooding expression. "I heard you were visited by Tartarus not very long ago. He's such a brute, isn't he?"

"Is that why you're here?" he asked.

Ananke only hummed as she stroked the flames with her bare hand. "I've come because I felt like our first encounter was too short to really get to know each other. And to extend an apology regarding Tartarus. He and Gaea think they're so mighty because they have physical domains, unlike us."

Right. Ananke was creation and inevitability. An older version of the Fates. Ananke took a handful of glowing charcoal and blew on it, scattering the embers. They danced in the wind, flickering but not fading. Ananke blew on the coals again. This time, they gathered together to form a miniature 3D model of a mountain range made out of smoke and embers.

Percy saw a miniature volcano go off, spewing plumes of dark smoke and fire before the whole image scattered in the wind.

"What was that?" he asked.

Ananke smiled at him. "That, dear Percy, was Typhon. I believe you're familiar with him, yes?"

He grimaced. Percy didn't need to be reminded of how he blew up Mount Saint Helens. And how he was partially responsible for Typhon's awakening.

"He's still stirring," he said.

"And he will continue to do so."

Great. Typhon was the single most powerful monster in the pantheon, easily rivaling any god or titan in strength if the myths were accurate. The very last thing he and his allies needed was an enemy like him. And yet, he didn't think Ananke was trying to trick him with the image of the mountain range.

Percy asked, "It's… inevitable, isn't it? That he'll break free?"

Ananke's smile faded. She stoked the fire once more. "I suppose so. Though I determine the inevitability of events and lives, the Fates are very powerful in their own right. And they do not appreciate my increased meddling when it comes to you. I worry that if I try to push harder than I already have, they will retaliate. And it will only be to your own suffering, as they would not dare attack me directly."

"Oh. Great."

Percy sat down on the grass and buried his face in his hands. Fuck.Fuck.This was not what he needed to hear.

"My condolences, little brother. I know this isn't the best news I could deliver, but I hope it can still be useful."

Ananke put a hand on his shoulder. Percy's whole body tensed and Ananke, to his surprise, pulled away.

"Fear not," she said, "Yes, your situation looks grim. Typhon and the Titans are all very powerful beings, and they might fray what little connection you still have to your mortal blood before your year is over. Butyouare a far more dangerous enemy to have. Whatever you choose to do, I doubt it will be in vain, Percy."

He shook his head, mind racing. What would happen if Typhon rose? Who else but the gods could stop him?

Then he blinked and stared at Ananke. "You called me Percy."

Ananke didn't respond. She only dissolved into smoke as Percy was pulled out of his dream and thrust into the waking world.

This year, it was just him, Nico, the Stolls, Clarisse, Silena, Beckendorf, Jake Mason, and Pollux. Plus Chris Rodriguez, who had nowhere to go after abandoning Kronos' cause. Just ten year-rounders.

It was only about a month and a half since summer ended, and they were already drowning in work. The demigods that went back out into the real world when the summer ended, those who didn't turn traitor, helped where they could. They mostly relayed information from across the country. But more often than not, it was just the ten of them, plus the hellhounds and Kampê, fighting the Titans.

Kampê often left on long missions, usually across the country to some extent. She just needed to be told the general area a platoon of enemy forces were and she handled the rest. But Kampê could only be in one place at one time.

Meanwhile, the Stolls sabotaged a weapons cache found by a child of Apollo living in Virginia. Clarisse and Chris killed a travelling troop of monsters before they could swear loyalty to Kronos. Beckendorf and his brother Mason practically lived in the forge. Weapons, traps, armor, they were up to their necks in demands to be met. Most days, the fires in the forge lit at dawn and didn't go out until curfew.

But it wasn't without a price to pay. Travis broke his arm, Clarisse suffered from a nasty ring of bruises around her neck when a cyclops grabbed her and tried to crush her throat. Both children of Hephaestus walked around with constantly healing burns and cuts on their arms. Silena and Pollux went into the city to survey the increase in monster activity once; Pollux came back with broken ribs and Silena had a black eye. (The only thing stopping Clarisse from storming into New York City and slaughtering anything in her path was the fact that Silena quietly asked her not to.)

Percy and Nico got their fair share of wounds, too. Percy especially. He wasn't used to fighting without always having his powers to rely on, but when he was with others, he just couldn't risk it.

So in other news, every demigod in Camp Half-Blood was just a smidge away from burning up from all the nectar and ambrosia they were consuming. They were all still kids, but Chiron had to tend to them like they were seasoned warriors.

By Halloween, camp morale was low. The fire at the dining pavilion that reflected their emotions was always a dull, grayish simmer. Percy would've figured that the Stolls had some kind of prank planned for their favorite holiday, but no such luck. Breakfast was quiet, filled in only by the sound of the chilly October breeze.

When Percy and Nico were called to the Big House, he assumed it was for another mission. Instead, he found his mom's car in the driveway and her in the kitchen. The counter was crammed full of baking supplies and grocery bags.

"There you two are," she said. His mom was wearing a beige apron and had her hair tied back. "Percy, can you unpack the bags? Nico, could you get me a big mixing bowl?"

The two of them stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Mom?" Percy asked.

She gestured for them to come in, "Go on."

So they did as they were told. Percy found things like cupcake wrappers and little bottles of sprinkles. He also found powdered sugar and food coloring.

"What's all this for?" Nico asked.

"Oh, I thought we could try to raise some morale," Mom said as she pulled the measuring cups out of a drawer. Percy and Nico shared a look. He personally was skeptical of any efforts to improve the mood at camp. But then again, his mom was special. And he'd never say no to her baking.

Even though Percy wanted to add a few drops of blue food dye to the batter, his mom swatted his hand away when he came close with the dropper bottle.

"You two can make the buttercream frosting, instead. I thought it'd be fun to make it ourselves. Plus, you can color it."

She showed them the print-out recipe she had. Sothiswas why his mom also got plastic triangle baggies and little metal tips.

"Seems easy enough," Percy said.

While Mom fiddled with the Big House's old oven, she entrusted Percy and Nico with figuring out how to use Chiron's stand mixer.

"Do we put the stuff in before or after we put the bowl in the mixer?" Nico asked.

"I don't think it matters," Percy said. The thing wasn't even on yet. After successfully wedging the stirring paddle into the mixer and putting in the bowl, he motioned to Nico to start it up. Creaming the butter wasn't any real issue, but they both got bored and started eating the sprinkles while the stand mixer did all the work.

"Boys!" Mom shouted as she wiped down the kitchen counter.

"Sorry," Percy said. He and Nico returned to their station just as she said, "Ah, I think I left my purse in the car."

She hurried out of the kitchen, gone for only a minute or so. Just long enough for the two of them to fuck up.

The issue with being told something likeadd powdered sugar to bowlwas that he had no idea if he was supposed to add all of it at once. And instead of waiting for his mom, Percy wanted to try and figure it out on their own. Which, in hindsight, was most certainly a mistake. The first of two mistakes. Whatever speed Nico set the mixer to, it was way too high.

He yelped as a plume of white powder flew from the bowl.

Percy shoved Nico aside and pulled the plug. They both shared a look.

Nico's entire front was dusted in powdered sugar. There was even some on the tip of his nose and the ends of his bangs. They stared at each other in dead silence for about five whole seconds. Then a startled laugh caught their attention. Mom was in the doorway, a hand over her mouth as she failed to stifle her laughter.

"Oh, my- oh…Percy. Nico."

She fell against the door frame, laughing louder than Percy heard her do in a while. His mom wandered over to them, picking up a cloth and dabbing Nico's face.

"Oh, you two," she said, hand on his chin.

"Sorry, Mom." Percy said. A stray memory resurfaced in his mind. Him as a little kid, doing something almost exactly like this. He wanted to hold his mom's hand mixer while she was baking a cake or something. Oh man, she was laughing even harder now than when Percy was small.

At the very same time, another voice also said, "Sorry, Mom."

Percy blinked. He heard the audibleclackof Nico's jaw clamping shut. Mom froze.

A small, surprised laugh escaped from Percy's lips. He stared at Nico, whose face was turning bright red.

"Aw, Nico…" she said.

That seemed to be all he could bear. Nico covered his face with his hands and ducked out of Mom's hold. He scurried to the nearest shadowy corner and vanished.

"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. Percy noticed the way she handed him the cloth instead of dabbing his face.

"Percy, I'll take over from here. Clean up and then go find Nico."

"Huh?" Percy was confused. Were they not going to acknowledgethat?

His mom nodded and smiled. "He'll need to know when the cupcakes are ready."

He swore there was a shine to his mother's eyes. And her smile… it wasn't sad, but it was soft and a little shy.

"Nico called you Mom." Percy said.

"He did."

"He called youMom."

She wiped her hands on her apron. "Well… I suppose… he has no mortal family of his own, no?"

It dawned on Percy that his mom was touched. That she didn't dislike Nico seeing her as a mother figure.

"I'll go find him," he promised, setting down the cloth and exiting the kitchen.

Percy passed by Clarisse as she scaled the climbing wall. When she was halfway up, he shouted, "Hey! My mom's making cupcakes!"

"Really?" Clarisse nearly lost her grip on the wall.

Now Percy was on a timer. He'd have to find Nico before Clarisse ate half a dozen of their cupcakes on her own. And with the Stolls surely stealing extras, they'd be lucky if there was anything left for them.

When he was at an equal distance from the cabins and the woods, Percy's gut told him he wouldn't find Nico in Cabin Three. So instead, he headed for the forest and made his way to Nico's secret nook. He found the other there just as he'd hoped, curled up at the far end and murmuring to himself.

No, there was someone else in the cave. A grayish, translucent specter who was sitting next to Nico and speaking softly. Percy squinted, making out a heavy set older man with glasses and a beige sweater vest.

"And how does that make you feel?" the ghost asked.

"Um… Nico?"

Nico jumped and the ghost evaporated. He stared at Percy with a face no less red as when he was in the kitchen."Percy?"

"Who was that?" he asked.

Nico shrugged, "A-a child therapist that died last year. He comes by now and then."

Percy stood at the mouth of the cave, unsure of what to do. "Do you want me to bring you a cupcake?"

It didn't look like Nico wanted to leave.

"It's fine."

No, it wasn't. Percy gestured for Nico to follow. "Come on, you want to miss out on some homemade baking? Mom'll be disappointed."

Nico's eyes flitted over Percy as he picked at a loose thread in his aviator jacket. He asked, "Aren't you weirded out?"

Percy tilted his head to the side. He could say what he wanted to say, that Nico referring to Sally Jackson asMomwas just as hilarious as it was sweet. But it was impossible to deny that in his efforts to train and protect Nico, Percy had long been assuming the role of a brother figure. So he shrugged.

"Why would it be weird? Now, come on. I don't wanna be last to get cupcakes."

To his relief and delight, Nico got up and followed after him.

Mom didn't bring up thething,and neither did Percy. The year-rounders gathered in the kitchen, enjoying chocolate cupcakes with rainbow colored icing. There was some snickering at the powdered sugar on Percy and Nico's clothes, but that was it.

It was like nothing ever happened. Because it didn't change anything, not really.

That night, Percy opened his eyes. For the first time in a while, he found himself in Chaos' realm. Then again, he hadn't been remembering most of his dreams lately, so he had no idea how long ago he last saw Chaos. All Percy knew was that one moment, he was staring at the bunk above him in Cabin Three. And now he was drifting through space. In the distance, a sun exploded in a brilliant supernova.

Come,a voice said. Percy turned around. What he saw next looked like a microscope increasing in magnification.

A planet in the distance grew bigger and bigger until Percy was phasing through its atmosphere and somehow found himself on its surface.

The ground felt solid enough beneath his feet, despite the dizzying experience. Percy was surrounded by mountains. The air smelled of sulfur and smoke. The ground all around him was a dry, reddish color. It kind of looked like how he imagined Mars. No grass or trees in sight. No animals or rivers, either. Percy felt sweat bead on the back of his neck as he squinted at the dense clouds above.

The ground shook so hard he nearly fell over. The closest mountain peak exploded in a furious burst of magma and fire.

Percy stumbled backward. One by one, the mountains all around him cracked open and roared with a terrible, deafening rumble. For a second, he thought he might see Typhon rising from the fiery depths.

Quite impressive, isn't it?

Chaos was standing next to him, hands behind their back as they watched another volcano erupt. Percy jumped and moved even farther away. Before he could even think to reach out with his senses, Chaos said,This is not like your Earth. You won't find a speck of water here.

Chaos held out their hand and a glowing ember fell into their palm. It fizzled and died out. With the same hand, Chaos pointed a finger at a volcano that was already spitting fire and ash. The ground shook harder than before and this time, Percy did fall over. Chaos, meanwhile, was completely rooted where they stood. The entire volcano collapsed in on itself, sending up a cloud of dark smoke so dense it would surely blot out the sun.

There is no water in this world. And yet, I hope you can still sense a connection to this place,Chaos said.You feel it, yes?

Percy rolled onto his hands and knees and pushed himself to his feet. He backed away from Chaos and concentrated on the world around him. It was so dry, so hot. But beneath him, the rumbling earth was almost soothing.

Chaos lowered their hand.

Percy got the sense that if he just pointed at another volcano, he could make it erupt with ease. Not by controlling the lava or fire, but by making the world itself tremble. It was the earthshaker in him.

"Is this where you've been?" Percy asked. Chaos promised that he wouldn't have to turn into a god for many more months, but just seeing his third parent made his stomach coil with dread. Chaos could easily trap him in this deadly, destructive world if they wanted to.

Not here, not always,they said,This is one of the newer worlds I have made. I've been busy making gifts.

"Gifts," Percy repeated.

For you.

Chaos held out a hand and a crack about a foot wide formed in the ground. Magma welled to the surface and kept rising, elongating until it formed a firey, molten trident. Chaos looked at Percy, the nebulas and stars making up their skin and clothes reflecting the intense light of the trident. But not their eyes. Those twin black holes swallowed all they encountered.

Ananke tells me you have been adjusting poorly.

Percy got a flashback. Not to Ananke, but to something Tartarus said.

He had said to Percy, "Everything has been given to you so easily."

Taking his silence as an invitation, Chaos continued,These are not for now, of course. No, you still have so much growing to do.

Percy stepped away as a river of lava ten feet wide slid down the slope toward him.

Ananke also informed me you had your first sibling spat with Tartarus. He's always been quite boorish. Rest assured, he will become easier to deal with after you ascend.

He didn't know how to respond. Percy still couldn't tell what Chaos wanted. He watched while they pointed at the lava river and made it dissolve into stardust.

I know you must still be upset with me. You are just so bright, so strong. Perseus, I have only wanted to give you what you deserve.

Was this an apology for making Percy ascend? No, that sounded too good to be true. Chaos stared at the distant horizon between two mountain ridges. They snapped their fingers and a whole new plateau formed in the distance, making Percy feel trapped despite the world around him being so huge.

Chaos sighed and let their shoulders sag, a gesture so oddly human that it gave Percy whiplash. They said,I might send Ananke to speak to you from time to time.But I will be busy here. I have more worlds to make. Should you need me…

"I know where to find you," Percy said.

Indeed.

Chaos took a step closer to Percy. It felt like he hit an invisible wall keeping him from retreating any farther. Chaos came right up to him, just like they did at the meeting to determine Percy's fate.

They reached out and ran their fingertips over Percy's necklace. Chaos took hold of the sand dollar Percy had strung on his leather cord and ran their thumb over it. Percy was scared they were going to break it, but Chaos let it go.

You just need more time.