soon arrived the twilight
Notes:
Title from Murders, Miracle Musical
Chapter Text
The Fates were surely cackling at Percy right now.
He curled deeper in on himself, the bed creaking beneath his weight. White wood paneling stared back at him, chipped and scuffed from age. The room was dark, he hadn't bothered to turn on the lights. Whatever light was coming from the fading sun was all he had.
Percy missed his cabin. But this was just his luck. After being the one responsible for putting Silena under house arrest, it was his turn. On the floor beneath him, he could hear voices. Some talking, some shouting. He couldn't make out any of the words, but the most ardent voice was undeniably Nico.
Just as they argued what to do with Silena, the camp was now debating what they were going to do with Percy.
Some had mistaken him for a god right away, confused and terrified when he momentarily lost control of his powers. Some saw Kampê bow and dropped to one knee to do the same. Others, like Silena and Clarisse, could only stand still in shock. Percy wanted to explain that he was no god. Not yet. It was complicated but he could explain.
Then he caught sight of Chris Rodriguez. He stared at Percy as if he was Kronos. Someone of unimaginable, horrible power. A being that excelled at trickery and using brute force. Which… Percy was. He was a fighter. He killed to win, to protect the people he cared about. And for years on end, he'd been trying to hide his second godly parent. Chris had made any possible words die in his throat.
They'd all heard stories and rumors about him. How'd he survive events he shouldn't have? How'd he manage to hold the weight of the sky, come back from the dead, and tame their enemies?
Now Camp Half-Blood knew. They knew Percy was not one of them. He never really was. Whatever they thought about him, whether he was a freak or an abomination, it was true. It was all true. He was something almost unkillable.
It sounded like Clarisse was slamming her fist on the table again. Percy could be down in the rec room instead of upstairs, but he thought it wouldn't be fair to the others. Who'd ever argue with him when Percy bled ichor and was clearly no longer just a demigod?
He lied and hid and ran away enough times already. Percy just wanted to get whatever was coming to him.
There was a tapping at his window. He groaned. He was almost tempted to ignore it, but he knew Kampê could be persistent. So Percy rolled over and reached for the blinds. One of Kampê's massive, serpentine eyes was peeking at him.
"Your mother approaches,"she said.
His mom? Did someone call her?
He didn't think she needed to get involved. Not yet. Percy knew how she'd react and screamed internally.
"Thanks, Kampê."
She nodded, but didn't move away from the window."The children argue over you as if you are a diseased dog. They are disrespecting your strength as we speak."
"I know, Kampê."
He closed the blinds, effectively ending the conversation. Ignoring how Kampê could punch through the bedroom wall with not much effort, he knew she wouldn't do anything like that. He'd more than proven himself as a master by now. Percy won her full faith just by bleeding.
He curled up in bed again and contemplated the old trick of acting like he was asleep to avoid a parent. But he couldn't do it to his mom. When there came a knock at the door, Percy said nothing. When it opened, he stared dead ahead at the wall.
"Percy?"
Her voice made his chest hurt.
"Hi, Mom."
Footsteps. Creaking floorboards. Percy felt the edge of the mattress dip. He shrunk away from the hand that touched his shoulder. It was unintentional but it chased away his mother's gentle hand.
"Percy, can you look at me?"
He swallowed. "What are they saying about me?"
His mom didn't answer right away. When she did, it didn't make him feel any better. "They're just scared and confused, Percy. You've done so much for this camp, for them, that I think it's just a matter of time before they accept you again."
Percy wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry. He'd never been accepted at Camp Half-Blood. They appreciated it when he did things like collapsing the Labyrinth and going on quests to recover lost Master Bolts. But he was never like them.
Percy rolled over and sat up.
His mom pushed the hair out of his eyes and tried to smile. It looked sadder than she might've meant it to. She said, "I don't think this was something you would've been able to keep hidden for much longer, Percy. Maybe this is better than waiting."
Maybe she was right. But Percy half wished he could still be alone. He was tired and stuck in a heady miserable haze. And now he was frustrated with his mother. It was a feeling Percy hated, but he couldn't stop himself. He batted her hand away.
"Mom.I've never belonged anywhere, not even here. I didn't want you to know about all of it. But I…I'm just…"
Percy's chest seized as he tried to breathe through his nose. His throat burned and his eyes watered. He didn't want to say it. Percy had been kicked out of every school he'd ever gone to, never really fit in at Camp Half-Blood, and most often found company among monsters. Yet somehow, he hoped his life couldn't get worse.
All his efforts to hide his divinity? Wasted.
His ability to keep pretending he was at least human? Gone.
Percy asked, "Where else could I even go?"
Based on the furious debating beneath his feet, Percy doubted he was going to be able to call Camp Half-Blood home for much longer.
He avoided his mother's eye. Percy couldn't bear knowing what she thought of him. A hand reached for him slowly and he let it. His mom wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him against her side. Percy must've had another growth spurt, he could rest his head on her shoulder with ease while sitting down.
His mom ran her other hand through his hair. "Your mortal inheritance is less than what it should be. Would your father let you stay with him? The ancient laws of the gods might allow you to."
He wrinkled his nose. Percy hated the idea of being so far away from her. And Nico. And his hellhounds and Annabeth and Grover, wherever he might be.
She added, "You would be safe there, Percy. He would protect you, I'm sure."
Poseidon might take him in. But Mom said the exact same thing about Camp Half-Blood, way back when Percy had to first decide whether to be a year-rounder or not. This was supposed to be the only place on Earth safe for him. But Percy was not a demigod anymore; he was some strange, monstrous thing.
He never really thought about whether or not Camp Half-Blood would ever find out about his true nature. He never wanted to even think about it. He was alienated enough as it was, but he didn't want to surrender his cabin and the bunk he was able to give Nico.
At the same time, Percy was well aware of the damage he could do to living beings. He might be protected at camp or in Atlantis, but no one else was safe aroundhim.
"I think some time away would do you good," his mom said, "Maybe you could even learn to handle your godly powers from your father? He cares so much about you, he might help if you…"
Percy's mind wandered away. Poseidon was a god of the sea. His domain was tangible, comprehensible. Destruction was a force, nothing good could come of it.
A voice at the back of his mind whispered to him,What's even the point in clinging to your humanity? Everyone knows.
Percy's whole body seized. He couldn't breathe.
His skin began glowing with a sharp white light. And ithurt.It felt like he was being burned from the inside out, his godly nature pressing and fighting against his own skin to break free.
"Percy!"
He shoved himself away from his mother and fell to the floor. Percy pushed himself into the far corner.
"Don't look!" he shouted.
Was this it? Was his time over? He didn't even get his full year.
Percy gritted his teeth, unable to answer his mom or breathe or scream. He could not afford to ascend. Not with his mom so close to him. She might know not to look at a god's true form, but what would such close proximity do to her?
Percy couldn't see anything beyond the hazy glow of his own body. It puslated, shifting between white and blue and green.
He vaguely remembered something Ananke once said. He should have the right to choose what to and to not destroy. So what if he chose to not destroy his mortal shell?
Percy was at war with himself. The light consuming his body spiked and faded almost in time with his heart. He saw it even though his eyelids. Closing his eyes might've not been doing anything since the burning was coming from inside him.
Holding his powers in was almost like holding his breath. But it exerted his whole body instead of just his lungs. Percy curled his hands into fists and bit down on a knuckle.
He didn't want to be a god yet.
He burned and burned and burned untilfinally,the light began to ebb away. When he could see again, Percy found that the walls around him had crumbled, exposing woodwork in some areas. There were also scorch marks on the walls and floor. The edge of the rug at the center of the room had a corner that was burned away. Was that the power of a primordial's true form?
His mom was missing and a horrible jolt of fear struck him before Percy noticed that the door was open.
He looked down at himself.
Little plumes of steam curl off of his skin. Droplets of gold stained the floor. He'd bitten his knuckle so hard, he was bleeding now. Instead of a coppery taste in his mouth, Percy felt something almost like ambrosia coating his tongue. It was ethereal and had an electric bite to it.
Footsteps stormed up the stairs.
It was Chiron in horse form, followed by his mother. Behind them, Percy spotted Nico.
"S-sorry."
Great. Just another thing he ruined.
Chiron gave him a look that was painfully understanding. It was a mix of sympathy and pity, as if Chiron was already mourning him. He said, "It's nothing that can't be fixed. However…"
Percy braced himself.
Chiron said, "I urge you to get some rest. You must be tired."
His teacher did something that surprised Percy. Chiron bent down, tucking his legs under him in the centaur approximation of kneeling.
"If you would like, Percy… I could fix you a draught that induces sleep. You would be at ease, I can assure you."
And unable to do any more harm.
"Chiron-" his mom began.
"Please,"Percy said. It wasn't an agreement, he was pleading for help.
Chiron nodded and stood. "It's getting late. It would be best for us all to get some sleep. Curfew is fast approaching, after all."
Percy watched from a crack in his blinds as the campers filed out of the Big House and got to go back to their cabins.
His mom chose another room on the second floor to spend the night in, despite his protests that she should pick a room on another floor. Nico went back to their cabin, only to reappear via shadow travel. He came with a set of Percy's pajamas and his toothbrush.
"This is stupid," Nico said, "All of them werescaredof you. They didn't want to believe someone like you could be living among them."
"Someone like me?" Percy asked, "They know my other godly parent?"
Nico shook his head. "Chiron implied they weren't an Olympian, they were someone older. No one's figured it out but you should've seen their faces."
Percy was a little uneasy. He didn't like the darkened expression on Nico's face. He looked more pissed off than anything. "They don't deserve anything you've done for them."
"Nico…" he cleared his throat, no idea what to say, "Are you alright?"
The other huffed. "Don't worry about me, Percy. This is about you, and I won't let anyone treat you like you're some kind of monster."
It was hard to remember this was the same kid that adored geeky card games and collected miniature figures to go along with them. This Nico was so much older feeling, so much more jaded. It left Percy feeling weird.
"I'm fine, Nico. We can figure out what happens to me tomorrow. Go sleep. And tell the pack I said goodnight."
Shortly after Nico left and he got ready for bed, Chiron appeared in the doorway with a mug full of a steaming greenish drink. Percy accepted it without complaint and winced at the smell. But he still downed it in a few chugs. It was bitter with a sickly sweet aftertaste.
"I would lie down soon, if I were you," Chiron said.
Percy decided to heed that warning. After Chiron shut the door behind him on his way out, Percy climbed into bed. Only a few minutes later, it was like his body quadrupled in weight. His movements felt sluggish, his eyelids impossibly heavy. Was he sinking into the mattress or was it his imagination?
He was asleep before he even knew it.
Percy was aware it was storming before he was even fully awake.
Then his eyes snapped open. Percy sat up and threw himself out of bed. Pushing the blinds aside, he pressed a hand against the cold window in horror. It could've been noon or midnight, it didn't matter. The clouds were so dark, so dense that they blotted out almost all light. Rain came down in such thick sheets that they made the window rattle. Thunder boomed and the Big House quaked.
Camp Half-Blood was flooding.
From his vantage point, Percy could see that the volleyball court was nothing more than a slurry of sand and water. The lake was swelling, swallowing up its shores. He could feel the growing alarm from the nature spirits, the fear and confusion as campers woke up.
Oh gods, what about the cabins?
They weren't built to withstand storms, the camp's border protecting them from heavy rain or snow.
Percy backed away from the window. He tripped and fell, pain shooting up the hand that caught his fall.
Di immortales…what was happening?
It had to be him, right? He was doing this.
Just like the storm that almost came when he stepped on a scrap of metal and hurt himself. But didn't Chiron promise him he'd stay asleep?
The horrible idea that he couldn't keep his loved ones safe even when asleep made Percy go still. The day before, he'd been so upset. Did bottling his feelings up only make the effects of his powers worse?
He squeezed his eyes shut and a tear slipped down his face. He was destroying the camp without even trying. Even worse, Percy had nowhere to go. Not in this world. But there might've been a way to get it to stop.
He crawled toward the nightstand and found Riptide sitting on it. There was still a part of him that was mortal. He could still die.
If he killed himself, he'd resurrect in Chaos' realm. Or Tartarus, even. Someplace where he could do no harm.
Percy angled Riptide so that if he were to uncap it, the blade would elongate and pierce his heart. And he almost did it.
Another thought stopped him. What if killing himself unleashed the power of a supernova? As his mortal side died, what would the rest of him do to Camp Half-Blood?
So as cabins flooded and trees were struck down by lightning, as thunder shook the earth and the entire camp drowned under the weight of his power, Percy sat alone in a darkened room. Immobile.
He just didn't know what to do…
As he was on the verge of praying to Chaos for help, the screeching winds and onslaught of rain lessened. Just a little bit. Percy felt their presence before he heard their voice.
My dearest brother, what has upset you so?
They sounded gentle. Concerned, even. Percy felt a shiver go down his spine. He dropped Riptide as he searched for the owner of the voice. It wasn't Chaos, Tartarus, or Ananke. It wasn't Kronos, either. A second later, it clicked. Percy heard this voice at the negotiation of his goodhood.
He asked,"Nyx?"
Ah, so you remember me. I've asked my son for help guiding me to you.
"Son?"
Hypnos.
The god of sleep. Percy asked, desperate, "Is this a dream?"
Can you not tell?
Percy found the strength to stand. "This isn't happening in real life? My camp is safe?"
Safe? With you?For a moment, Nyx sounded almost amused. Like she was humoring him. The walls around Percy began to peel away. The roof lifted and the floorboards fell into a darkened void beneath him. One moment, he was at Camp Half-Blood in the middle of a hurricane. The next, Percy was curling in on himself as gravity itself evaporated. He was in a place so very similar to Chaos' domain.
The difference was that it felt… smaller. Somehow. Or he felt smaller? There were no galaxies that could fit in his palm or worlds he could destroy with the wave of his hand. The stars were bigger. His powers felt more limited here.
"Perseus."
He twisted around. If Chaos was a human-shaped cosmos with black holes for eyes, Nyx was their polar opposite. She was a black void in the shape of an adult woman. She bore smoky wings and eyes that glowed like quasars. Compared to him, she was about ten or twelve feet tall. Nyx stared down at him and she was so much more intimidating than Tartarus. He might've been openly cruel, but he was also painfully arrogant. In many ways, Tartarus reminded Percy of Ares. Nyx, meanwhile, radiated such poise and power that he didn't doubt she could overpower him if she wanted to.
Percy didn't know what to say.
Nyx took his silence as an invitation. She drifted closer to him, lowering herself so that they were at eye level. One of her hands reached for him and Percy couldn't help but flinch. Nyx did not seem offended. But then again, it was hard to read her face. The only emotive part of her were her eyes and they were creased at the corners. Like she was studying him, maybe.
"Your fears are needless," she said, "You are above such things as doubt or shame. Especially in who you are."
Percy felt sick. He didn't want to abandon his fears and end up like Tartarus. He didn't want to turn cruel.
Nyx waved a hand and a solid surface manifested beneath Percy. He looked down and found himself kneeling on a gray asteroid about the size of the Big House. Yet it had the same gravity as on Earth. Nyx was kneeling across from him. The material of her dress spilled over the surface of the asteroid like black smoke, curling into little wisps here and there.
She moved as if to touch him again, but thought better of it. She laced her hands together in her lap. Nyx said, "Hypnos, Thanatos, Aether, Hemera, Eris. I've reared many godlings, Perseus. Some of light, some of darkness. I know a still-developing immortal when I see one."
Percy frowned. A curl of darkness brushed against his cheek and carried away a stray tear.
She said, "It is no wonder you have been adjusting poorly. Even after you ascend, you will still need to be taught control over your domain. I presumed you had longer to master your birthright, but I forgot how short and fast human lives are."
Nyx leaned forward. "Your nightmares, your fears. You are afraid of your own strength, something that is inevitable. But seeing you as you are now, I understand that your distress comes from fighting yourself. You are notmeantto have control over your domain, Perseus. Not yet. Not while you are so young."
His breath caught in his throat.
"This is why Chaos wanted you with them sooner," Nyx said, "You think we are lying when we say you are better suited among other primordials than in the realm of mortals and gods? Perseus, you only need guidance. You need to be with beings who cannot be hurt by you."
His whole chest was shaking now. Percy shut his eyes and found only more darkness. Maybe he did end up making a terrible mistake. Maybe he should've accepted whatever terms Chaos wanted and removed himself from the world he knew.
Selfish. He had always been selfish. He didn't want to let go of his mom or his hellhounds. He didn't belong with other demigods, but that didn't stop Percy from wanting to stay within what was familiar to him.
A part of Percy wished death was something permanent for him.
The touch of two hands made him open his eyes. Nyx was gone. In her place was a vast expanse of darkness filled with tiny pinpricks of light. Thousands of them, all blinking in unison.
It was Nyx's true form. All of her eyes surrounded Percy, containing him. Despite losing her physical form, Percy still felt two hands cradling his face. He hated the way it made him ache for his mother.
A thumb brushed the corner of his eye, wiping away another tear.
"Hush now,"she said. Nyx's voice was amplified a thousand-fold, so abundant that it made his whole body vibrate. She sounded nothing like a human anymore. More like the wind or the hum of some great, churning machine.
The endless glowing eyes watching him grew brighter, then dimmed. Brighter, darker. A low thrum filled the air and Percy felt something within himself respond to it. He tried to get his breathing to even out, timing it in tune with Nyx. He didn't know what else she wanted.
"Do as I do,"Nyx said.
Though her hands were still, Percy felt Nyx's immense aura press against his own. It wasn't a physical act, not in the way he could still feel her hands. It was like her essence pressing against his. A soul against a soul. Her presence slipped through his skin, almost suffocating him. Panic seized him, making Percy cry out in alarm. But as soon as it came, Nyx's presence yielded. She pulled away from Percy, making him feel impossibly empty.
He breathed deep and finally felt his own aura, his own godly powers, respond. His senses extended to fill the empty space Nyx vacated. Shockwaves flowed from his body in all directions. But the dark and the starry eyes around him didn't evaporate.
Nyx fought against his senses, his powers. She squeezed Percy's being back into the tiny vessel that was his physical body, almost suffocating him once more. Then she pulled away again.
Percy fell into the rhythm of it. It was easier if he closed his eyes and trusted his mind and powers to sense the pacing.
In, out. In, out. At first, it was mostly Nyx manipulating him. But after some time, he didn't know how long, Percy was able to follow her more easily. It took less force for him to retreat and less coaxing to get him to expel his powers.
Two primordials pushed and pulled at each other like it was a game.
Nyx eventually slowed and reappeared in her humanoid shape again. Percy reached for her and rested his hands on her wrists. Not knowing if he wanted her touch to stay or go.
If Percy was dropped back into the waking world that instant, he felt like he might have the slightest more control over himself. He now knew what it was to willingly expel his powers and to recall them just as quickly.
Nyx asked, "Don't you feel better? Your training need not be painful. With time, you could come to enjoy it. To enjoy being yourself, even."
She let go of Percy, slipping out of his loose hold. Nyx continued, "In my opinion, staying partly mortal is only hurting you. Tartarus thinks you are a brat, that you are being willfully stubborn. Ananke is less bothered by your predicament, she knows you will attain godhood eventually. Whether it is now or at the end of the year you bargained for, she doesn't particularly mind. But I know better than them both. You are in the hands of beings who do not know how to care for you. You aresuffering,Perseus. Don't you want it to end?"
"Of course I do."
His voice came easier to him than he expected. But Percy also felt more grounded than he had since before Clarisse stabbed him. He stared at his hands.
"I'mtired,Nyx. I'm sick of not belonging anywhere. I don't want the weight of a war on my shoulders. I never asked for a godly parent, and I definitely didn't want two."
Her head tilted to the side. "What you want is irrelevant. You are a being of immense power, that is a fact that cannot be changed. Before anything else, you should learn control over yourself."
Percy stayed quiet. He felt a slight breeze and a blanket of darkness wash over his shoulders.
"I have matters to attend to. Stay as long as you need, Perseus. Call on me if you need help."
He nodded. Percy watched Nyx spread her shadowy wings and take off, melding with the night sky until she was no longer visible.
Left to his own devices, Percy took in the sight of Nyx's realm. He didn't notice it when he first came, but the stars here moved as if they were alive.
For a second, Percy forgot himself as he watched a man made of starlight wield a club and shield. He was massive, something like ten feet tall, running through the cosmos as he chased after a silver scorpion in the far distance. Percy caught the glint of the three orbs of light that seemed to make up the hunter's belt.
Orion?
His breath caught in his throat as Percy searched the heavens.
Yes, in the distance was another hunter. She wasn't as far away as the scorpion, though much like Orion, she was forever running through the sky. Maybe seeking out stellar prey, mimicking the life she had on Earth. The arrow notched in her bow glinted with a silver light.
Zoë Nightshade, the late lieutenant to Artemis. She seemed to notice he was staring at her. Zoë momentarily lowered her bow and slowed down so that she could wave to Percy.
Without thinking, he gave a small wave back.
Zoë didn't wait for any more of a response. She raised her bow and fired an arrow made of starlight at the constellation Leo, the mirror image of the Nemean Lion. The beast roared and fled, bounding away by leaping from comet to comet. Zoë gave chase to her prey, leaving Percy alone.
Nyx expected him to give up on being human and let his godly side take over. And maybe he really should just let it happen. The only thing stopping him was Chaos' side of their bargain. After ascending, he would have to swear loyalty to Chaos and them alone.Thatwas the scary part.
They could forbid Percy from ever seeing anyone he cared about ever again. They might not be able to make him hurt his family or friends, but Percy feared an eternity alone with no one other than the primordials for company. He didn't belong at Camp Half-Blood, but he wasn't ready to be stuck someplace like here forever.
"Chaos," he said. The entirety of Nyx's realm rippled and shifted to accommodate the new presence within it. Percy tried to take a steadying breath, "I think I need help."
Oh?
Zoë and Orion and the rest of the living constellations vanished. Either the stars shrank or Percy became impossibly tall. Gravity abandoned him. The realm he found himself in was very similar to Nyx's. The only difference were the swirling galaxies that hovered throughout space. And the fact that there was only one other being in it.
So you have been with Nyx? I was wondering why Earth was so quiet.
An amused chuckle. Chaos added,Did you enjoy her realm? When she was first born, I tore out a part of myself to give to her. A bit of the cosmos so that she could rule over night.
"And you did the same to me," Percy said.
A figure manifested in front of him. Stardust compressed into the shape of a human. Chaos said,I heard you have been having difficulties with yourself. Nyx strongly recommends I strip you of your mortality right away. And I must admit, she has almost tempted me to do so.
"I know."
Yet you still called on me?
He didn't know what else to do. Percy held up his hands and stared at his palms.
"This body is only a skin. It's not the real me. But is there any way it could be… I don't know, made stronger?"
Stronger?Chaos asked.
"Do a better job at containing me?"
Chaos' shoulders shook as they laughed.My child. Are you asking me to build you a stronger prison? To further torment you?
Percy let his hands fall to his sides.
If I have learned anything, Perseus, it is that you do not take kindly to very many of my gifts. You will find a way to resent my aid. And in the end, you will only grow more unhappy.
Something strange and cold curled in his gut. It was awful because Chaos was kind of right. They saw everything they did for Percy as a blessing. And he'd spent years trying to run away from them.Chaos approached him. They took Percy's hand and placed a ball of light in his palm. A miniature star.
I can give you more power. A home, a realm all to yourself. Freedom from the tedium of your old life. But a stronger shell? I refuse.
Chaos let go of Percy. He didn't know how to sustain the star, or maybe it was just in his nature. Within a few seconds, the star expanded and turned red. Then it imploded and fizzled away. Percy stared at his empty palm.
I never believed you would last a full year, not in your state.Chaos said.I'm glad you've given up on your little fantasy.
Percy's hand curled into a fist. He held his hand close to his heart.
It would be reckless of you to exist in the physical realm any longer. You should be here, instead.
Ground formed beneath his feet. An atmosphere rose up, up,upand created a blue sky overhead.
Percy found himself on a stone path. He was at the center of a shallow valley, a forest to one side and a lake ahead.
Was he…?
Percy spun in a circle. No, this couldn't be Camp Half-Blood. There weren't any campers or satyrs. There were no cabins or Big House. It was all empty. It was a little eerie, actually.
See what you could have? What's there to miss?
Chaos appeared beside Percy. Too late, he saw the blade of starlight in their hand as they sliced it across his arm.
Percy gasped, reaching for his wound. A shockwave made the grass instantly die and rot away. Trees withered to shrunken husks and even the sky overhead darkened.
As gold blood fell from his wound, rain began to fall. Something this severe didn't even happen when Clarisse stabbed him, making Percy wonder if his powers were stronger here. He scowled but it had no effect on Chaos. They willed their silvery blade away and snapped their fingers.
Not to worry. If you happen to break this world, I will be here to fix it,Chaos said.
The grass regrew as the clouds parted. Chaos pointed at a short hill in the distance and a replica of the Big House sprung from the ground. A porch wrapped around the first floor and lights flickered on from within.
Behave yourself and you could receive the rest of your dear camp.
Percy was transfixed by the newly built Big House. He gasped when Chaos grabbed his elbow and forced him to hold his arm out.
"Don't-"
Chaos ran a hand over his arm. Percy's cut sealed over and stopped bleeding. Carefully, they ran their fingertips over Percy's arm until Chaos was clasping his hand in both of their own.
What do you say, Perseus? Are you done? Are you ready to come home?
Whatever words he had died in his throat. What if Percy lost control of himself during a mission? Or a battle? Or even during a random summer day at Camp Half-Blood? Who would he hurt? Who would he kill, even?
He nearly vaporized his own mother.
A hand wrapped around the back of his neck and urged him closer. Percy rested his forehead against Chaos' shoulder. They were taller than his mom, about the same height as his dad. Still a little bigger than Percy.
Since ancient times, people have had to die with unfinished business. Soldiers killed in war had to move on without seeing their side win or lose. Travelers sometimes perished without reaching their destination. Why did Percy deserve better?
The Romans could take on Mt. Othrys. The Greeks could protect Olympus. His father was free to join the other Olympians in the war. Kronos' ship was sunk.
Maybe he could rest easy. Maybe his time really was here.
Percy raised his head. Chaos seemed to smile at him.
Let me set you free.
They took a step back and waved a hand through the air. Percy gasped as his body began to glow with a blue shimmer. The streams of light flowed over his body as water did over stones. It was mesmerizing watching the swirls and crests of this strange aura. Here and there, he saw wisps of green and white. It was his godly side coming to the surface.
Chaos reached for him and curled their fingers. From his chest, his heart, a tiny wisp of earthy brown pulled a few inches away from his body. Percy searched the rest of himself but he couldn't find another stream of the same color.
This is the last of your mother's influence,Chaos said.
His eyes went wide. The brown was the same color as his mom's eyes and hair. It was the color of chocolate chips, warm and sweet. Looking at it, Percy felt like a monster for trying to destroy it.
Against his own judgment, Percy reached for the wisp of shimmering brown.
"Percy-"
He jumped. Percy spun around, so sure his mother would be only a few feet away from him. But there wasn't anyone else in the world with them.
Chaos asked,Perseus? Give it to me.
Percy ignored them. "Mom?"
"...misses you…"
Yes, that was her voice.
She was speaking to him from somewhere. Percy didn't know where, but she sounded close. Cradling the last vestige of his mother that he had, Percy took a step away from Chaos.
He called out, "Mom!"
Your mother is far away, Perseus. She could not possibly be here, you know this.
But then why was he hearing her?
Percy looked down at the curling thread of brown light in his hands. He didn't know what he'd see, but Percy shut his eyes and thought of his mother. Just like calling forth Jason's image in his dreams, Percy found his mom.
She was sitting on a wooden chair by his bedside. However, she looked different. Her long hair was cut and pulled back into a short ponytail. There were dark bags under her eyes.
"Mom? What happened to your hair?" Percy asked, alarmed. He saw her just a few hours ago, before going to sleep.
His mom leaped out of her chair. She let out a sharp gasp and looked around the room. "Percy? Can you hear me?"
Perseus,Chaos said.Come here. You've already decided you have had enough. It is time for you to stay.
"Where are you?" he heard his mom ask. "Please, answer me!"
Percy's eyes snapped open. He cried out as it felt like the weight of the sky was suddenly on his shoulders. His knees buckled and he collapsed. Percy hit the ground hard. He blinked, dazed.
Chaos appeared in front of him, reaching for his outstretched hand. The one holding what little of him was still mortal. Percy tried but he couldn't get up. He felt pinned in place by an invisible, unshakable weight.
With all his strength, Percy curled his fingers shut with his tie to his mother still in his palm. He felt it pulse, weak but alive.
"Just let me… say goodbye…" he said.
You have made your peace, Perseus. And so have they.
Percy stared at Chaos. "I don't… I don't understand."
Chaos sighed.It was Nyx's idea. She wanted to keep you close. To help train you.
Percy still didn't understand. His mother's voice called out to him. He felt the mortal connection to her hum in his hand.
She asked, "Are you really gone already?"
Percy's blood ran cold. His mother sounded more heartbroken than he ever heard. That most certainly didn't sound like she was at peace.
His other arm was trapped under him. Percy pressed his palm flat against the ground and heaved with all his strength. The aura around his body brightened and roared as he got to his elbows. Then to his hands and knees.
He came face to face with Chaos, who was kneeling in front of him. They held one hand out. The weight pressing down on him lessened but it didn't vanish. Percy opened his hand. The shimmering wisp was still intact, though it was dull and faint compared to the rest of him.
It's over now, Perseus. Hand it over.
His ascension was inevitable now.
But even if he lived for all eternity, Percy would never be able to forgive himself if he turned his back on his mother. Especially when she sounded so distraught. He didn't need to stay for the rest of his year. He just wanted to see her again. One more time.
Chaos, however, didn't seem like they'd give him up yet again. Not when Percy was so close to ascending. So with Chaos in front of him and a weight still bearing down on him, there was only one way for Percy to go.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Percy pressed his free hand into the ground and pushed. He spread his senses but this time, tried to keep it contained to a single direction. In seconds, the dirt beneath him turned to dust. It eroded away and Percy started falling.
He fell through the world Chaos made and was back in empty space again. Percy twisted, spotting nothing for him to grab onto. Overhead, Chaos' voice boomed.
Perseus! Stop this nonsense!
The darkened ceiling above him tore away, raining down chunks of earth and stone as a hand the size of a city block reached for him. Its skin was translucent green, black veins and cloudy nebulas beneath. Chaos was only a few seconds away from taking hold of him.
Percy sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. "There's nowhere I can run from you, remember?"
He'd be back. He'd have no choice, eventually.
But for now, Percy envisioned not his mom, but himself. In his mind, he saw his own body asleep in the Big House. There was sunlight filtering through the blinds and his mom was standing in the center of the room.
Falling, he was still falling. Percy sensed Chaos' fingers as they started to close around him.
Percy jerked forward into a sitting position, clutching his chest. He gasped, sweat beading his temples and heart still hammering from his freefall. His hand was empty. He was back at Camp Half-Blood.
"M-"
Two arms wrapped around him, squeezing Percy to death.
"Oh, Percy. My baby. My baby boy, what happened to you?"
"Mom, please-" He coughed. Percy felt lightheaded. He squirmed in his mom's hold. He didn't like the feeling of something pressing against him. Not after seeing that massive hand nearly crush him.
With some reluctance, she let go of him. Percy immediately felt terrible. His mom was shaking like she was about to cry. He looked away from her.
Strange. He was pretty sure his bedsheets were gray when he fell asleep. They were peach colored now.
"Mom?" he asked, dread slowly creeping down his spine, "Did something happen?"
"Percy, what's the last thing you remember?"
He froze. Why would she ask him that?
"I remember going to bed. Chiron gave me some potion that was supposed to help me sleep. I needed it because…"
Percy trailed off. The corner of the room was completely repaired. The walls and floorboards were fixed. The walls were even repainted to match the rest of the room. Mom followed his gaze.
She said, "Percy, promise me you'll stay calm."
With some effort, he managed to meet her eye. He nodded.
His mother laced her hands together. "The camp has been doing fine, before you ask. No one's been hurt badly. Nico misses you, though. The hellhounds, too. Your father even visited. But the important thing is that everyone's alright. It's just that… you've been asleep for a little while, that's all."
"How long?"
She looked like she didn't want to tell him. Percy swallowed. "Mom, how long have I been asleep?"
Her eyes darted to a small calendar on the nightstand. Percy grabbed it, unable to comprehend what he was looking at.
The month didn't readJanuary.
It was June. June first.
"Five months?" Percy asked in disbelief. "They kept me asleep forfive months?"
She didn't answer. Percy threw the calendar to the floor and buried his face in his hands. Something his mother told him came to mind.
Keep giving them hell, Percy. Show them all that you aren't afraid of fighting back...because if you don't, they'll never stop taking from you.
Percy's growing anger abandoned him as he suddenly felt cold and empty. One moment of weakness. Just one. And his primordial family pounced on him. They stole nearly half a year of his life like it wasnothing.Wasn't that cheating?
"Percy-"
"Please, just tell me what happened while I was gone."