Nico had stormed away from the dining pavilion before his mind had a chance to catch up to what he had done, and now that he was alone, the realization began to overwhelm him. He paced back and forth, his footsteps drumming the same insistent rhythm of his thoughts: I can't believe him; I don't even know who he is anymore; there's no way Will could have acted alone; Percy knew it was him, so why didn't he just tell me?
"Percy." Nico stopped pacing. I should go apologize, he reasoned to himself. That was how Nico found himself standing outside the Poseidon cabin, one hand on the doorknob, pushing open the door with a "Hey, Percy."
Percy and Annabeth both whipped their heads to face Nico as he entered, and Nico immediately felt like an intruder in their very special moment. He started to back out of the door, pulling it shut before him. "Sorry! I'll come back later." Before he could get all the way out the door, Percy stood up and beckoned him back in.
"No, it's okay, Nico," Percy said reassuringly.
"Are you sure?" Nico asked hesitantly.
Annabeth nodded emphatically, jumping up to usher him inside with a warm hand on his back. "Yeah, Nico, it's fine. You came in in a rush. Is everything okay?"
Nico nodded in response, but he became unsure of himself and quickly shook his head instead. "I know it was Will."
Annabeth pulled the door closed behind Nico and turned, narrowing her eyes as she considered what he had said. "What was Will? What do you mean?"
Percy was silent, staring at Nico until Nico caught his eyes, and he quickly looked away. His face ached slightly at the memory of the night before, of Will's insatiable fists against his flesh. Percy hadn't wanted Nico to find out that his boyfriend was responsible for his injuries at the risk of adding more stress to Nico's relationship with Will.
When no one spoke, Annabeth looked between the two of them and, judging from both of their sheepish expressions, came to the correct conclusion. "Don't tell me Will Solace did that to you?" she demanded of Percy, sitting back down on the bed beside him.
Percy did not meet her eyes either when he quietly replied, "Yeah, it was Will."
"And why would Will do something like this?" Annabeth continued, wanting to draw the information out of the two of them.
Percy mustered the courage to meet Nico's gaze, a silent exchange passing between them. He understood that Nico deserved to know what Will had revealed to him last night, yet disclosing the truth would only fuel Nico's already simmering anger, further heightening the tension enveloping them all.
"I honestly don't know, okay?" Percy blurted out, frustration evident in his voice. "Will was accusing me of kissing Nico, which never happened! I don't know where he's getting this from."
Annabeth's mouth opened, but no words came out at first, giving Nico time to really languish in the furious blush that was coloring his cheeks. She glanced between Percy and Nico, her mind racing to make sense of the situation. Finally, she managed to stammer, "Wait, what? Will accused you of... of kissing Nico?"
Nico clenched his fists, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "Yeah, like it's some kind of joke. I can't believe him."
Percy's frustration gave way to concern as he saw how deeply this accusation affected his friend. "Nico, I swear, I have no idea what's going on."
Annabeth shook her head, trying to process the information. "But why? Why would he say something like that? It's so out of the blue."
Percy hesitated for a moment, torn between wanting to share more information and protecting Annabeth from unnecessary involvement. "Yeah, it really came out of nowhere," he muttered, trying to mask any indication of knowing more than he let on.
Annabeth's frustration was evident as she sighed heavily. She reached out and cupped Percy's bruised face gently, concern in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Percy," she said softly.
Percy leaned into her touch, finding comfort in her presence. "It's fine," he mumbled, wrapping his hand around her wrist to hold her hand in place. "I'll be okay," he added with a faint smirk.
Annabeth playfully rolled her eyes, her concern mixing with a hint of amusement. "You two need to stay out of trouble," she teased, pulling her hand away and turning to face Nico. "We don't need any more campers getting beat up."
Nico's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger, still reeling from the accusations made against Percy. "I can handle myself," he replied, his voice carrying a touch of annoyance.
Annabeth placed a reassuring hand on Nico's shoulder. "We know you can, but that doesn't mean we won't watch out for you," she said, her gaze warm.
Nico's expression softened as he realized the sincerity in their words. "Thanks," he said quietly, appreciating their unwavering support. Then, remembering the reason he had come in the first place, he blurted, "Oh, yeah! I broke up with Will."
"You what?" Percy and Annabeth said together.
Nico moved to sit at Percy's desk, facing the two of them. "He's changed," He shook his head. "This isn't the same Will I know. And I couldn't let him get away with hurting you again."
Percy found himself unable to look at Nico, suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. This was exactly what he had been trying to avoid. He didn't feel that he deserved an advocate after everything he had done.
"What happened?" Annabeth pressed.
Percy winced at Nico's words as he recounted his argument with Will and slumped backward on the mattress, the weight of his remorse heavy in the pit of his stomach.
"Aw, Nico, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Annabeth asked, her eyes darting quickly to Percy before returning to Nico.
Nico shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine. Will's an asshole."
Percy rubbed his hands over his face and chuckled. "You're not wrong. Good for you for standing up for yourself." Taking a deep breath, he sat back up, having repressed his guilty feelings for the moment.
Annabeth stood and crossed over to Nico, placing her hands on his shoulders and kissing the top of his head softly. "I'm here if you ever need to talk, Nico," she offered before turning back to Percy. "And you, try to keep a distance from Will for a while."
As soon as Annabeth was gone, Percy's happy façade turned sullen. "Theseus was there too." Percy recounted the events of the previous night, beginning when he and Nico parted ways. When Percy was finished, Nico pointed to the dark stain on the floor in front of the back door to the cabin.
"Is that where it happened?" Nico raised an eyebrow, and Percy nodded.
"Yeah, I should probably clean that up." Percy shrugged. "What I can't figure out is why he thinks we kissed."
"It was probably Theseus getting into Will's head," Nico reasoned. "Which would explain why Will's been acting this way."
"My list of enemies keeps growing," Percy said wryly, rubbing his neck out of habit.
"Where's your necklace?" Nico asked, taking notice of Percy's naked throat. "Did Will break that too?"
Percy stopped rubbing and looked down, suddenly remembering his missing camp necklace. "No, I lost it a while ago," he said slowly. "I don't know where it is."
"How exactly did you lose it?" Nico asked, intrigued by this new mystery.
"I went to sleep, and when I woke up, it was gone," Percy replied. "I just assumed it fell off or something, but I haven't been able to find it."
"And you don't find that a little suspicious?"
Percy shrugged. "I don't know. I lose stuff all the time."
Nico rubbed his forehead. "Right."
After the events of the previous twenty-four hours, Percy was more than a little reluctant to participate in Capture the Flag that afternoon. Unfortunately for him, the game was compulsory for camp leaders. Considering the shit he was getting from the other campers, he felt he shouldn't push his luck by trying to skip. He tried to keep his head down as he collected his armor and weapons, grateful that no one had yet approached him to ask what had happened to his face. He finished fastening the last buckle on his chest plate just as Frank and Hazel approached him.
"Hey, Percy," Frank greeted him excitedly. As a child of Mars, being team captain was a great opportunity to showcase his skills, so Frank was in an especially good mood.
"Hey, Frank," Percy replied, offering him a small smile before quickly averting his eyes, trying to distract from his still-bruised face.
Frank was shocked to see that Percy was injured, but based on Percy's demeanor, he decided not to ask what had happened. Instead, he offered, "Why don't you take it easy this game, Percy? You and Hazel can take the border."
"I can still play, Frank," Percy protested but stopped when Hazel put a hand gently on his shoulder.
"It'll be fun, Percy; come on," she said and smiled.
Percy sighed in acceptance. At least this meant he wouldn't have to put too much effort into the game.
The forest was quiet around them. So far, Percy and Hazel had not seen or heard any sign of the other team, so they were both feeling very relaxed, content to stroll between the trees and chat with each other. Hazel had graciously not mentioned Percy's beaten face, and Percy was glad not to have to come up with another cover story to explain it away.
"Did you fix things with Annabeth?" Hazel asked carefully. "I saw you leave breakfast with her this morning."
"Yeah, we talked things out," Percy replied. "Everything's okay."
"Good," she said with a nod. "I don't need you two breaking up on my watch."
Percy chuckled, swinging Riptide back and forth as he walked. "Not a chance."
Suddenly, Percy tensed when he detected a slight movement in the distance. He held out his arm silently to gesture to Hazel to stop and drew his sword in front of him, taking a couple of slow steps toward the disturbance. He dropped his sword arm when Theseus stepped out from behind a tree a few yards in front of them, walking toward their border.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Percy muttered, causing Theseus to turn toward him and Hazel with surprise.
"Well, well, well. Long time no see, Percy," Theseus drawled. "Nice face. What happened to it?"
"Mind your business," Hazel warned.
Percy put a hand up to stop Hazel, shaking his head. "Don't bother."
Theseus scoffed and kept walking, getting closer and closer to the border.
Percy's grip tightened around Riptide as he swiftly raised the sword, positioning it firmly towards Theseus. "Don't you dare take another step," he threatened.
Theseus stopped walking. "Dare, you say? " he challenged, looking directly at Percy just as he took another step.
"Are you always this full of yourself?" Percy scoffed in annoyance, his fist clenched tightly around Riptide's hilt.
"Did you already forget about last night, or did we hit you too hard?" Theseus said condescendingly.
"You did that?"
Percy and Theseus both turned to Hazel in surprise. Her comment had even caught Theseus off-guard, and he cocked an eyebrow as he stared at her.
"You did that to Percy? " she repeated the question, her voice much more hostile this time. She tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword. Her blood boiled at the idea that a complete stranger dared to come into her camp and attack her friends.
"Who, me?" Theseus asked, amusement coloring his voice. "Of course I did," he spat, the defiance in his tone matching the glint of a challenge in his eyes. His arms were crossed casually over his chest, exuding a confident aura that seemed to taunt Percy.
"What's wrong with you? Do you enjoy tormenting others, you sick freak?" Hazel raised her sword and threw down her helmet.
A wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he witnessed Hazel's perplexed expression. Her furrowed brow and curious eyes only added to the excitement of the moment. Theseus felt a tinge of satisfaction, relishing the way she was trying to unravel the puzzle he presented.
"Hazel, stop. He'll rope you into this mess, too," Percy warned her.
"What mess? What else has he done to you, Percy?" Hazel demanded, not taking her eyes off Theseus.
Theseus only stared at her as Percy delved into his thoughts. The grip on his sword loosened as Percy tried to find a way to explain the current ridiculous turn of events he's gone through in the past couple of weeks.
"Percy's been a very bad camper," Theseus frowned, "He deserves to be punished for it."
"Shut up!" Percy snapped, taking off his helmet and chucking it away from him. "You have been nothing but a pain in my ass since you've gotten here. What do you want from me?"
Hazel suddenly dropped her sword arm, a look of incredulity on her face. "The bathhouse. You're the one who's been setting Percy up!" The more she spoke, the angrier her voice became until she was nearly shouting. The ground around her feet started to glisten as various gemstones emerged from the earth. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened since she had learned to control her emotions better.
Percy stared in relief as Hazel spoke.
"So what. Stay out of my way," Theseus spat.
Hazel shook her head slowly, chuckling in disbelief. "Aw, Theseus," she pouted her lips, mirroring his condescending tone. "It's okay that you're jealous of Percy."
Theseus tensed up.
Hazel continued, returning to her normal voice, emboldened by Theseus's silence. "You don't scare me. I hope you know that you can never be him. You are nothing compared to Percy."
Theseus snapped. A deep growl erupted from his throat, and he lunged at Hazel, bearing his sword. Before he could make contact, his blade clashed against Riptide. Percy had stepped between them and was glaring at Theseus.
Hazel hadn't flinched. "Like I said," she began, leaning over Percy's sword toward Theseus as she spat the following word: "Nothing."
Theseus leaned forward too. "You annoying brat-"
"That's enough!" Percy interjected, shoving Theseus away so roughly he stumbled over a tree root. He twirled Riptide as he slowly approached Theseus.
He was fed up. For days, he had been a target of Theseus's machinations, and this was his opportunity for a bit of payback. He approached slowly and swiped his sword toward Theseus, who parried but continued to back away. Percy swung again, quickly falling back into the comfortable rhythm of a fair fight. Up until now, Percy had been at a disadvantage, forced to submit to Theseus's torment to preserve his reputation at camp, but he wasn't afraid this time and would not be holding back.
As Percy advanced, an extraordinary display of power manifested around him. The ground trembled beneath his feet as tendrils of water surged from the earth, spiraling and swirling like serpents, responding to his command. The air crackled with energy as he harnessed the might of the ocean, channeling it into a potent force of nature.
"What makes Percy Jackson so deserving of eternal glory?!" Theseus snarled, struggling to regain his footing amidst the watery onslaught. This was not how he had envisioned their confrontation unfolding, and it unnerved him to see Percy gaining the upper hand.
With a swift motion, Percy lashed out with Riptide, expertly combining swordplay with water manipulation. Each swing of his sword sent torrents of water surging toward Theseus, forcing him to defend against both the weapon and the watery onslaught.
Theseus responded with a series of powerful strikes, trying to overpower Percy, but the son of Poseidon held his ground, fluidly dodging and countering each attack. The water obeyed Percy's will, rising and falling with his command, adding an unpredictable element to the battle.
The water whips and sword clashed in a deadly dance, each fighter seeking to gain the upper hand. The electrifying sound of metal meeting water filled the air as they engaged in a thrilling sword fight, the water serving as both offense and defense. The water tendrils snaked around Percy, creating a protective shield that thwarted Theseus's strikes. The once confident Theseus was now flustered and overwhelmed, unable to keep up with the mesmerizing display of Percy's abilities.
But Theseus refused to back down. With a surge of determination, he redoubled his efforts, trying to find an opening in Percy's defense. The battle reached a climax, each fighter pushing their limits to gain the upper hand. As Theseus's sword struck the water whip, he left himself vulnerable for a split second. Percy seized the opportunity and swiftly countered, sending Riptide slashing through the air and grazing Theseus's arm.
Theseus' eyes widened in shock as he managed to regain his footing.
Did I underestimate this kid? Theseus wondered to himself before answering his own question with a resolute, no, there's no way. However, he had never faced this ruthless, unrestrained version of Percy before. He had heard what Percy was capable of, but to see it in action, to be on the receiving end of that kind of power, was a completely different experience. Percy was closing in on him, his body wreathed in water, a sadistic glint in his eyes, and for the first time, Theseus allowed the tiniest doubt to rattle his confidence.
Percy began to speed up his attacks, alternating blows from Riptide with lashes of the water whips as he continued to advance. He did his best to keep his face blank but couldn't help adopting a faint smirk of satisfaction. He sent another whip hurtling toward Theseus, catching him diagonally across his chest, the water slashing through the armor on his chest and leaving it hanging off him. Theseus didn't have enough time to react to his new vulnerability before Percy descended with more hits, moving so fast now that Theseus couldn't even process where all the attacks were coming from. Water lashed at him from every angle with such speed that he had no way to defend himself against it. His chest plate fell to the ground, and a rope of water smacked his wrist, loosening his sword from his grip and sending it flying into the brush. Another snaked around his thigh and pulled his leg out from under him, sending him crashing onto his back on the ground, forcing all the air from his lungs in one sharp grunt. One by one, tendrils of water grabbed both his arms and then his legs, slamming them back into the ground and holding him prone, a prisoner of Percy's superior power.
With Theseus securely in place on the ground, Percy approached leisurely, enjoying the fact that he had his enemy on the ground beneath him this time. Percy dropped Riptide onto the ground with a soft clang, and he knelt over Theseus, grabbing the front of his shirt and hoisting him up so that they were face to face. Theseus glared back at Percy, but his eyes betrayed him with the slightest hint of fear, and Percy reveled in it.
There followed a silent conversation between them, communicated through their intense expressions. Suddenly, Percy's eyes narrowed, and a fierce determination flashed across his face. Theseus barely had time to react before Percy's fist connected with his jaw, the punch delivered with startling force.
The impact stunned Theseus. For a moment, the air crackled with tension as Percy's punch seemed to resonate through the clearing. Theseus tasted blood, his jaw throbbing with pain, and his eyes narrowed in defiance. "Take a look around, hero," Theseus hissed through grit teeth.
Percy looked up suddenly, catching sight of the clearing around them, which had filled up with other campers watching with a mix of horror, shock, and amazement. Percy did not have time to register what this development meant for him before a pair of strong hands grabbed his shoulders, violently yanked him off of Theseus, and dragged him a few yards away. The water holding Theseus down dissipated back into the ground as Percy lost his concentration.
"What the hell are you doing?" Frank bellowed at Percy, who struggled against his grip.
"Let go of me, Zhang," Percy snapped as he struggled against Frank to stand. With difficulty, he managed to wriggle out of Frank's grasp and scramble to his feet. He shoved Frank's chest, pushing him away.
"What was that!?" Frank reiterated angrily. "What were you planning to do, waste him?"
"No! Are you crazy?"
"Are you?" Frank shot back. "We've been looking for you for the past thirty minutes. The game is over. It ended, Percy! Why were you still fighting? Didn't you hear the horn?!"
Hazel ran up to the two of them and stood between them. "It's fine, Frank! Percy was only defending me-"
"Defending you? Why would he go to these extremes just to defend you? It's just a game."
"It wasn't part of the game, Frank. Theseus is the one who's been causing trouble at camp, not Percy," Hazel explained quietly.
"Not you, too," Frank sighed exasperatedly. "Sounds to me like Percy just wanted an excuse to show off his power. And he picked the new kid to use as an example."
"What?!" Percy and Hazel responded at the same time.
"Again, are you fucking crazy?" Percy shouted.
"What's with you and your superiority complex?" Frank squared up to Percy and shoved him in the chest, forcing him back a couple of steps. "You're already the big hero, you have so much influence, and it's never enough for you. You're so selfish," he moved to shove him again, but Percy batted his arm away, "always showing off, using the people around you to boost yourself up. We get it, Percy." Frank tried to push Percy back again, and again Percy grabbed his arm, this time pushing it away with more force. "You're an amazing person with unbelievable superpowers." He took one last step toward Percy and grabbed the straps of his armor with both fists, nearly forcing Percy onto his tiptoes as Frank pulled him closer. Frank's voice devolved into a snarl, "What more do you need?"
Annabeth quickly shoved her way through the crowd before the scene could escalate further, pushing Frank away from Percy and placing herself between them.
"Enough! Both of you," she ordered. "This isn't the way to resolve this." She spun around to scan the campers who were still standing crowded around the group. "What are you all still doing here? Don't you have better things to be doing? Go away."
The campers reluctantly began to disperse at Annabeth's command. Hazel grabbed Frank's arm and led him away from the scene, wondering how she could change his mind.
Percy marched over to where he had dropped Riptide and collapsed it back into a pen. As he forcefully shoved it into his pocket, he caught sight of Theseus in the receding crowd, his arm slung over Will's shoulder.
Will looked over at Percy simultaneously, and they caught their eyes. His gaze roved over Percy's face for a moment, taking account of his injuries before sending him a self-assured wink.
Percy ensured that he had Will's attention before he spat on the ground next to him.