Percy settled on the floor, leaning against the side of his bed. Annabeth sat beside him, her presence reassuring. Nico stood nearby, leaning on the post that secured the top bunk, arms crossed over his chest. Across from them, Jason and Piper sat, their attention focused on the discussion. They had been trading theories about Theseus, trying to guess his parentage, and sharing their amazement at his similarities to Percy.
A knock on the door startled the group, and Nico jumped to answer it as the room fell into an awkward and cautious silence.
"He-" Nico's voice caught in his throat, his eyes widening as he took in the figure waiting outside. He hadn't been in the pavilion during lunch when Theseus arrived, and despite hearing the bewildering description of the newcomer, he had not expected the resemblance to be so distinct.
Theseus' brow furrowed in annoyance as the door swung open to reveal Nico instead of Percy. "Who are you?" Theseus asked, his tone firm.
"Excuse me?" Nico asked, his voice tinged with incredulity, "Who are you?" The exchange hung heavy with an unspoken challenge.
Theseus' gaze narrowed as he regarded Nico. "Where's Percy?" Theseus asked, his tone clipped, his patience wearing thin.
Nico's response was silent yet seething. He wordlessly widened the door, revealing Theseus to the rest of the room.
Percy sprang to his feet, a wry grin on his face as he swiftly approached the door. "Well, if it isn't the man of the hour. Come in," he invited, gesturing for Theseus to enter. Percy clapped Nico on the shoulder as he passed, a reassuring squeeze that conveyed coolness and an unspoken message of trust. He swiftly pulled out his desk chair for their unexpected guest.
Theseus gladly took the seat. "Thanks. Chiron said that if I had any questions, I should go to you," he explained, dropping his backpack on the floor beside him. Even with several eyes on him, he looked around the cabin, admiring the scenic view of the lake. "So, this is Poseidon's cabin, huh? It's pretty neat," he observed, standing up from his chair to break some boundaries and pick up a few knick-knacks from Percy's table. His fingers glided over a small collection of snowglobes, picking one up that displayed the Hoover Dam inside. He shook the snow globe so that the glitter engulfed the dam. He rolled his eyes, set it back down, and kept walking until he was face-to-face with a large trident that was leaning against the wall underneath a few pinned-up photos. He picked up the heavy trident, carefully eyeing it and twirling it in his hands several times. His lip twitched downward, and he finally placed it back down against the wall. He started to return to his seat, but a particular picture caught his eye that made him stop in his tracks. He was unaware that the room fell silent and the mood had shifted in an unpleasant direction.
Percy had been watching closely as Theseus wandered through the space, tensing each time he picked something up or set it down again. He watched as Theseus spun the trident around in his hands and felt a strange pang of recognition, a fleeting moment of deja vu. Percy finally intervened when he saw him take a photograph off the wall – a portrait of him and his mother. It was Theseus's expression that gave Percy pause. His face was not fond or nostalgic but altogether measured, as though he was going to great pains not to react outwardly to what he saw. Percy walked over and calmly took the photo, pinning it back to the wall where it had been.
"That's my mom," he offered, trying not to add to the growing tension in the room. He turned around and surveyed the rest of the cabin, as Theseus had a moment ago. "Yeah, it's a pretty cool place. I'm the only son of Poseidon at camp right now, so I get my own room. No big deal." He turned back to Theseus. "Do you know who your godly parent is?"
Theseus stared at the photo as Percy took it away from him. He tuned in upon hearing Percy's voice, listening in as he talked about his parents. Percy's question didn't take him by surprise. Instead, he was hoping he would ask. "Oh really? That's pretty cool. Although, it's funny because Poseidon is my dad too," he shrugged like it wasn't important to know as he made his way back to his seat.
It was Percy's turn to freeze. All day, he had brushed off Theseus' existence as a crazy coincidence. It would be something they could all laugh about whenever Theseus was claimed, and his true godly parent was revealed. He looked around the room at the faces of his friends, all of whom mirrored many of the same emotions he was feeling: confusion, disbelief. Nico looked positively ashen, his eyes wide and mouth clenched shut as he tried to process. The room, which had been filled with the peaceful but awkward silence of a new encounter, had transformed abruptly into a chilling chamber of shock. Percy's mind raced.
Theseus reached the chair Percy had offered him earlier and sat down, seemingly unaffected by the astonishing silence his declaration had triggered. He stretched his legs out in front of him, placing his hands inside his pockets while looking around the room as though deciding how best to decorate his new bedroom. He scanned the faces of each of the others, carefully considering their expressions until his eyes landed on Percy, and their eyes met. The corner of Theseus's mouth twitched into a smirk, and he raised his eyebrows at Percy, beginning to laugh.
"Holy crap, you should see your faces!" he shouted, booming with laughter, stretching his arms behind his head. "No. I don't know who my godly parent is," he answered, resting his hands behind his head.
Annabeth shifted in her seat, her brows furrowing in apparent displeasure. "How is that funny?" she questioned, her tone sharp, her expression clearly unamused. To her, Theseus' attempt at humor only seemed to accentuate the tension in the room further rather than alleviate it.
Piper echoed Annabeth's sentiments, shaking her head in disappointment. "Yeah, seriously? You call that a joke?" Her voice dripped with exasperation as she reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose and pondered why men ever think they're funny.
Nico's dumbfounded expression quickly turned to outrage. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he snapped, shattering the silence which had previously filled the room. He took several steps toward Theseus, but Jason caught his arm and held him.
"Whoa, Nico-" Percy started, but Nico cut him off, wrenching his arm out of Jason's grasp.
"Get off me!" Nico growled.
Jason's intervention halted Nico's advance, his arm gripping Nico's with a desperate plea for restraint. "Nico, it was just a joke."
"Get off, Jason," Nico repeated, his voice cold as ice. "Who do you think you are?" He turned to Theseus, his dark eyes seeming to glow with anger. "Why would you joke about something like that?" Now free from Jason's grasp, Nico lunged at Theseus, successfully tackling him, sending the two boys and the chair careening backward onto the floor.
Without a word, Percy just as quickly entered the fray. He grabbed Nico, lifting him off of Theseus and holding him firmly against his chest to avoid another attack.
Nico's voice, filled with anguish and anger, pierced through the chaos as he struggled to break free. "You don't know what we've been through. We finally have some peace, and you come in and decide to just fuck with us- for what!"
The echoes of his plea hung in the air, a desperate cry for peace from the turmoil that plagued him. His heart yearned for solace, for the sanctuary he had fought so fiercely to create. At that moment, Nico's desperation and longing for peace were palpable, a wounded soul seeking comfort in a world still tainted by the remnants of its recent destruction.
Nico's mind was a whirlwind of emotions, his recent past haunting him like a relentless ghost. The scars of the end of the world, the apocalyptic nightmare they had just barely escaped etched deep within. Every fiber of his being trembled with the weight of the trauma he had endured, and the mere thought of peace felt like a distant, unattainable dream.
As Theseus's ill-conceived joke pierced through the fragile sanctuary Nico had fought so hard to build, rage consumed him. The shock on his face transformed swiftly into seething anger, boiling over and breaking the silence that had pervaded the room. He couldn't comprehend how someone could be so callous, so oblivious to the pain and suffering they had endured.
Theseus pulled himself off the floor and brushed off nonexistent dust from his shirt. "Can't you take a goddamn joke?" he barked at Nico. "If anything, what's wrong with you?" He picked up the fallen chair and placed it back upright, clapping his hands of any dirt. "Control your child," he demanded.
Piper called out from the floor, "Hey! Watch yourself," she warned. "It was a lousy joke, so if I were you, I would just shut it." Piper's voice rang out with authority, breaking through the chaos and demanding attention. Her words, stern and laced with an unintentional touch of her innate charm speak, carried a weight that compelled Theseus to reconsider his actions. A sudden realization washed over him, urging him to cease his disruptive behavior and retreat into silence.
Confusion mingled with a newfound sense of obedience as Theseus found himself inexplicably drawn to the idea of sitting down and keeping quiet.
Percy was caught off-guard by what Nico said. He didn't ordinarily get mad or start a conflict with others, so this outburst in defense of his friends was a surprise. Percy's heart clenched as he held onto Nico, feeling the tremors coursing through his friend's body. Nico's words pierced deep within him, awakening memories of their shared struggles and the indescribable horrors they had faced. The weight of Nico's pain resonated within Percy. He understood that desperate yearning for peace, for salvation from the nightmares that haunted them.
While Percy was touched by Nico's willingness to fight for him, he couldn't have anyone picking fights with new campers unprovoked. "You gotta chill out, Nico," Percy growled, his stern voice scarcely above a whisper. "We've all been through a lot in the last year, but I can't have you attacking people the second they say something stupid."
As Percy's words struck a nerve, Nico's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, not just for his outburst but also for letting his vulnerability show. He had worked tirelessly to build walls around his emotions, to shield himself from the pain and trauma that plagued his past. He reluctantly ceased struggling against Percy's grip, realizing that his impulsive reaction had only added to the tension in the room.
Feeling Percy slowly release his hold, Nico's embarrassment intensified, recognizing how he had let his emotions overpower him. He saw the concern in Percy's eyes and knew he had disappointed him with his behavior. He knew firsthand the consequences of losing control, of letting emotions run amok. It was a dangerous path he had ventured down in the past, and the aftermath had left internal and external scars that served as constant reminders of the importance of self-restraint.
"Pull yourself together." Percy slowly released his grip on Nico, testing that he wouldn't attack Theseus again before letting him go entirely. Percy rested a hand on Nico's shoulder, and his voice softened. "I know where you're coming from. You know I do, and I appreciate you sticking up for me." He smiled softly at him. "But this isn't the way to act."
As Percy's concerned eyes met his, Nico's heart sank. The weight of his emotions felt suffocating, and Nico struggled to find the strength to push them back behind his carefully constructed walls. He feared that one crack might lead to another and that the floodgates of his past trauma might reopen, consuming him entirely.
He was unable to withstand the proximity of his friends any longer. The self-imposed solitude called to him a refuge where he could wrestle with his emotions in private. With a determined yet pained expression, Nico stepped toward the darkest shadows within the cabin. Without a sound, he slipped into the darkness, a skill he had honed over years of navigating the Underworld. He disappeared like a ghost, leaving his friends behind unsure of how to explain his sudden departure.
Percy's concern grew as Nico slipped away into the shadows of the cabin. He watched his friend's sudden departure with confusion and worry. He had hoped that his words might have reassured Nico, but it seemed that the impact of their exchange had affected him deeply. Feeling a sense of responsibility, Percy glanced around the room, his friends still digesting the recent events. His gaze lingered on Annabeth, who offered him a sympathetic look, understanding his turmoil.
After a moment of contemplation, Percy made a silent decision. He turned to Theseus, his expression now apologetic. "Sorry about that. We've all been through a lot recently, but that's no reason to lash out." He placed his hands in his pocket before quickly adding, "It was a pretty stupid joke, though." Sensing the lingering tension in the room, Percy tried to find a way to smooth things over. "Well, uh, I'm Percy. But you knew that." He gestured toward the direction where Nico had disappeared, "The guy who tackled you is Nico, son of Hades."
"Remind me not to piss him off next time," Theseus grumbled.
Percy ignored his comment and continued with introductions. "That's Jason, son of Jupiter, and Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, over there. And by the bed, there is my girlfriend, Annabeth, daughter of Athena." He motioned to Theseus. "And everyone, this is Theseus Jackson. Which... insane coincidence." He shook his head. "You'll meet everyone else later."
Annabeth looked up upon hearing her name and received a wink from Theseus across the room. She rolled her eyes, ignored the gesture, and directed her attention to Percy.
Theseus leaned over the side of the chair, his words failing to stay hushed. "Percy, your girlfriend's pretty cute. How did you ever manage to snag a woman like her?" His bold comment was intended to provoke reactions from the others. After all, the portrayal of the 'cool' guy as a selfish jerk in TV shows and movies influenced Theseus' perception of social interactions during his time in the human world.
The group's response was immediate and filled with disgust. "So not cool," Jason scolded, disturbed by Theseus' behavior.
Annabeth couldn't help but roll her eyes again.
"Gross!" Piper complained.
Percy winced at Theseus' comment but attempted to laugh it off, seeking to defuse the tension once more. "Yeah..."
Jason, however, wasn't willing to let it slide. "Percy, don't take that from him. He just hit on your girl. Are you really going to let him do that?"
A smirk lingered on Theseus' face as he watched the argument unfold. "Why are you so worked up about it? I was only giving a compliment."
Jason had reached his limit. "Dude, what are you on?"
Percy raised his hands, attempting to calm everyone down. "It's alright! This is just a misunderstanding." He nodded toward Theseus. "It's pretty obvious this guy just has a terrible sense of humor. We're all still getting to know each other. We just have to figure out when we're supposed to laugh."
Jason disagreed, "Pretty shitty sense of humor." He had started to think Nico had the right idea earlier.
Annabeth sighed, weariness creeping into her voice. "Jason, just ignore the guy. He's not worth it." Her words carried a note of resignation, a plea to let go of the tension that seemed to cling to the room.
Realizing that his anger was getting the best of him, he decided it was best to step away. "You know what? You're right. Enjoy the rest of your evening." With that said, Jason collected his belongings and left the cabin, sparks flying off him as he went.
Piper chuckled nervously, grabbing her things as well. "Well, hanging out with you guys was nice, but it looks like it's our time to leave." She said goodbye to Annabeth before swiftly following Jason out the door.
Percy attempted once more to break the awkward silence that had descended on the room after Piper and Jason's exits. "Looks like it's almost time for dinner anyway." He turned to Theseus. "You want to join us?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty starved." Theseus stood up from the chair, tossing his backpack over his shoulder, "So, what's normally served at dinner?" he asked.
"Anything you want," Percy grinned.