Montauk was as amazing as he remembered. Nights with a fire on the beach in front of the hut they'd rented, roasting marshmallows; days walking along the edge of the waves looking at the little animals that would scuttle away when the tide was out. He could hear many of them now that he knew how to listen. It kind of blew his mind that he didn't remember hearing them when he was little.

He and his mother had agreed that he probably shouldn't get into the water, no matter how much he wanted to—longed to. Letting his father know he was aware of his power, which would very likely happen if he touched the sea, would draw his attention, which would draw the other gods' attention, and that could end very badly. So, no matter how much he just wanted to touch the water, he made sure he didn't.

It was still an amazing two days they spent there, just him and his mom, talking about everything quietly.

Their second and last night staying there, his mother brought up something she'd obviously been wanting to talk to him about for a while.

"Percy," she said after several minutes sitting peacefully in the cool, beach breeze. He glanced up to see her looking at him so sadly and tensed. "When you spoke about your domains the other day, you seemed… ashamed of some of them. Why?"

He felt himself stiffen and looked away from her, staring into the flames of the fire instead.

She… wasn't wrong. He was ashamed of some of his domains… or more, that he encompassed them—was a part of them, and could never distance himself from them. If he were honest with himself, though, he hadn't really thought of himself as being ashamed. He saw the domains themselves as shameful. And he was a part of them.

Which… yeah, maybe he needed to talk about that. With someone who wouldn't just fall back on 'your domains are your domains' with no inflection at all, when they didn't get defensive and angry. So he slumped, maybe in defeat? He didn't know, but he forced himself to open his mouth.

"For gods, their domains are like… organs," he said slowly, haltingly, "or another body, maybe? I loved the demigod and loyalty domains, and I don't think I could ever hate the sea, even if I wanted to." He turned his gaze briefly out at the waves and the encroaching darkness. "But destruction…" his voice fell to a whisper. "All destruction does is cause pain. I know there's more to it than that—how can I not—but… that's what I see and sense and feel. I'm the most destructive when I'm angry and then I tend to lose control and… I hate that, Mom."

He looked down, unsure what she would say, bracing himself for the worst and not knowing what the best he could hope for was.

"The age-old trolley dilemma," she finally said, her voice quiet. Wait… what? Eyebrows drawing together, he glanced up at his mother in confusion.

"Mom?"

She sighed. "The trolley dilemma. A run-away trolley—or train, if you prefer—hurtling down some tracks. There is a switch the trolley can take, but there are people on both tracks, either unaware of what's going on, or unable to move for whatever reason. You're at the switch. Someone has to die, but how do you choose who does? Do you send the trolley down the track with fewer people? Or do you let it keep going on the track it's on and potentially hit more people? It seems easy, but that won't stop you from feeling guilty no matter what you choose.

"And it gets harder if the track with fewer people has someone you hold dear on it. Does that change the outcome?"

Right, he'd heard about the dilemma before, had even applied it to himself, but this seemed… different.

"The thing is, who is really at fault in that scenario?" his mother asked.

Okay… that was a new take. "At fault?" he asked slowly.

Sally shrugged. "The person at the switch… is it their fault the trolley is out of control?"

"Of course not."

She nodded. "Whoever started that trolley on the crash course is who should be held accountable for the damage done. The person at the switch can't save everyone, and shouldn't be held accountable for whoever gets hurt. But, again, that doesn't stop the guilt."

Percy frowned. "But, Mom… when I destroy—even (maybe especially) on accident—I'm the one setting the trolley on its crash course. I'm the one… was the one," will be the one? "with the power."

He can barely see the color of her eyes in the firelight. They looked gray, almost black, as they stared at him, but were no less kind for it. "I don't think you are… or were."

He frowned. That didn't make any sense. "Mom, in my destructive state, I am destruction incarnate. Things around me would disintegrate or melt, just from being within a certain proximity. The destruction came from me. It goes where I will it. Hurricanes and tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions… all from my temper." And yeah, there was the guilt again.

Sally let out a frustrated huff, though she didn't look frustrated at him. At herself? But why?

"I'm not saying this right," she muttered, then took a deep breath and tried again. "Those tsunamis and earthquakes are your fault?"

"Yes," he said, wondering where she was going.

"What about the tsunamis and earthquakes that happened before you were born?"

Percy opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. "I… guess that would be Dad or… um… whoever started them."

"And is a god responsible for every single one? Or are those just forces that happen to exist? Would those forces exist without the god representing them?"

Honestly, he didn't know. Theoretically spring can't happen until Persephone comes back from the Underworld—Demeter won't let it happen… but it's more like she stops it from happening, not that it can't happen without Persephone.

"I have a theory," his mother said slowly, "and I know I'm a young, naive mortal, so take this with a grain of salt."

Percy snorted, sending her a half-smile.

"I think the gods mitigate the powers they are a part of. And maybe that's not all of them, nor does it apply to every powerful immortal being, but without your Father in charge of the sea, would said sea be more or less destructive?"

Again, he didn't know. It would depend how many domains the laws of nature would take over and what other pantheons could step in… but… she kind of had a point.

Though he wasn't sure how exactly it applied to him.

"I'm sure your Father can push those forces to destroy certain areas or beings, for whatever reason, but that doesn't stop the fact that those forces were already there. Your Father drew a lot for the domain of the sea, according to legend, but that suggests that the sea already existed. The forces behind it must have too.

"Before him, we had the Titans. Oceanus and Tethys, before that Pontus and even Hydros, but they're not gods… not like you were. Not like your Father is. And maybe that's part of the reason the different generations of immortals don't get along."

Percy just stared at his mother because no, he'd never considered it like that before. He wasn't sure the gods had.

"Mom… I can create storms…" he said slowly.

"I…" she paused, seeming to take a moment to wrap her head around that. "Okay, then. Right. Storms. Sure. But doesn't that just add more evidence to my point? Didn't storms exist already? Even if not that particular storm.

"Now, maybe I'm wrong, and I'm not saying you shouldn't keep ahold of your temper, but… destruction is kind of necessary, isn't it? Old things torn down to create and make way for new things? Old mantle crust disappearing to create new mantle crust… that is what it's called, right? It's been a couple of years since school…" she suddenly looked sheepish and unsure. Percy just nodded as her face brightened in relief.

"In any case, that's what I mean when I say 'the trolley dilemma'. You've essentially been given a permanent spot at a switch track with many, many different choices, and no matter what you choose, someone will be hurt or killed. And yes, you will have some responsibility for that, but if those forces already existed, then you came in as a mitigating factor, you may have stopped a trolley from rolling down every track at the same time. You've undoubtedly saved people. Does that make sense?"

Yeah… it did. So he nodded. "But," he said slowly, "I'm not sure that's an accurate analogy."

"Maybe not," she conceded. "And, like I said, this is only a theory, one made with limited knowledge and an outside perspective, but… I just thought it was worth pointing out. Especially as it's probably also something you've been needlessly blaming yourself for, knowing you."

Percy snorted, but he couldn't bring himself to smile. He didn't want to shove blame onto someone else—or in this case, something else—because taking that blame made him feel mortal. Kept him different from the Olympians. But maybe he had been blaming himself too much. He wasn't sure and would have to think about it some more before he came to a conclusion.

"What I'm saying," his mother finally concluded, "is that your domain is your domain for a reason, and I would trust you with it."

He felt his cheeks heat up. "Thanks, Mom," he said softly.

"No problem," she said with a warm smile. "Now, how about we get you to bed so you can go to camp tomorrow?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

His mom really was the best.

xXx

The next day started off cool and quiet as they packed their belongings, cleaned up, and left for camp. Percy had driven from camp to Montauk and back multiple times, but honestly, it had been so long since he'd had to, it felt new.

"I'd… like to talk to the head of the camp when we get there," his mom said after several minutes, drawing her son's attention.

"Oh, Chiron?" he asked. "Sure. He'll probably be happy to come and talk to you. Although, he's the camp activities director. The current camp director is Dio… the God of Wine." And if he said that with more than a little distaste, could anyone really blame him? Dionysus had his good points, but he certainly made up for them with his not-so-good points. Everyone had been relieved when Percy had offered to take over as camp director instead. Especially Dionysus.

His mom almost choked. "Chiron? As in the Chiron? Trainer of heroes?"

Percy nodded, a little confused. "Yeah. Didn't you know? I thought you did."

She shook her head. "Your father gave me a card, told me the basics and… that was it." To be fair, that was more than what most gods did in Percy's experience, but still. He sent an annoyed thought to his father before shaking it off.

"In my last life, you knew, though."

She blinked and glanced at him before turning her eyes back on the road. "Then something must have happened between now and then in your… previous life."

Percy nodded thoughtfully before it occurred to him. "Oh, Grover!" He thought fondly of his best friend and smiled. He hoped Grover was at camp this year. He really wanted to talk to him. "He's a satyr, and he found me. Chiron actually came to my school to see if he could help because I had a strong smell." And maybe because of Grover's previous issues with Thalia, but that felt a little too personal on his friends' behalves to share with his mom. "He's my…" he paused, smile fading. "He was my best friend."

"I'm sure you can get to know him here," Sally assured him.

"Yeah," he said softly. "It won't be the same though."

"No," she agreed sagely. "But it could be better."

He appreciated her outlook, even if he heard the silent echo of 'it could be worse' after her statement. "Thanks, Mom."

She returned his smile as they brought the car to a stop at a T-junction stop sign. "Always."

They turned onto the next road and Percy went back to staring out the window when the car started to slow down again.

"Oh… my…" Sally's voice started weakly, but faded off. Percy's eyes shot to her, but she was looking out the side window. He leaned forward to follow her gaze and saw why she'd had such a reaction. Three old women sat by the side of the road behind a fruit stand, knitting. He scowled for a moment before putting a hand on his mother's arm and smiling reassuringly.

"It's okay, Mom. Just pull off to the side."

"I want to come with you this time," she said as she followed his directions, then flipped on her hazard lights, just in case.

Percy recoiled. "Mom, no! You—"

"Percy," she said in that quiet but firm voice that meant she was ready to out-stubborn him, "I know I'm mortal. I know I don't have powers or godly strength or anything like that, but you are my son. When you came into my life, I stepped into that world, no matter the consequences. And I know you have memories from the future, but that doesn't stop the fact that right now, you are an eleven-year-old boy. Please, if only for the sake of my sanity, let me come."

He didn't like it. He really didn't like it. But that look she gave said she wouldn't back down. So he sighed and nodded.

"Alright, Mom. Just… promise me you'll follow my lead." Not that she usually didn't, but he needed to make sure in case he had to do some kind of damage control. Not that he expected to, but one could never tell with gods.

She nodded firmly. "Promise."

He returned the gesture, and they both got out of the car, approaching the 'fruit stand' cautiously.

"Ladies," he said slowly once they stood in front of the stall. "Two visits in a week. That's unusual. Has something happened?"

The one with the green shawl—Clotho, he was sure—locked gazes with him. "There were simply things we could not discuss with the others present."

"Our pattern has changed," one of the others—Lachesis he thought—said, "but we managed to salvage it… somewhat."

Percy glanced at the enormous hat they were working on. With a pom-pom at the top. He supposed that was one way to save a mess. It looked good, if large enough for a giant.

"I'm… glad. You do know that Thoon might come into the picture soon too, right?"

All three of them hissed at the mention of their giant counterpart.

"He is hidden from us," Atropos said angrily. "We must figure out his plans through our ability to see the others."

"Which we cannot consistently do," Lachesis grumbled bitterly.

"Yeah, I remember that," Percy muttered, commiserating as he studied their hat. "So why are you making a hat large enough for a giant? You planning on shoving that over his head and blinding him or something?"

He meant it as a joke, but they obviously didn't realize that with the glares they shot him.

"Percy," his mother whispered worriedly.

He held his hands up. "I meant it as a… joke…" he faded off as he realized the color of the thread in the pom-pom. Sea-green. With gold.

His stomach sank and it took every ounce of will power inside his body to not curse a blue streak that may very well make the Fates themselves faint.

"Those… were all my possibilities… weren't they," he whispered. Some of them looked more gold than others. He certainly saw some with only the barest touch of the sea-green.

His eyes searched for his yarn in their current hat. It took him a moment, but he did find it… threaded through with gold.

They seemed to know exactly what he was looking at. "We came to warn you," Lachesis said from where she held the hat off the ground. It looked more like a blanket, it was that big.

"We need someone who can interact with the timeline in ways we cannot," Atropos continued, scissors nowhere in sight.

"Your circumstances make you unique," Clotho finished. "Your body currently holds very near the threshold of power a mortal body can contain, though you can grow some…"

"On top of the immortal mind-set, as you put it," Lachesis added, "you must be very careful."

"Or I'll ascend again?" he asked, feeling sick. It felt as if something precious had been ripped away from him… again. He had been looking forward to seeing if he could go with his friends, exist in Elysium with them this time. Not being able to… hurt.

"If you die, you will ascend," Atropos confirmed.

"If you use too much power, you will ascend," Clotho said.

"Or begin the process," Lachesis added on. "On the rare occasions you do not, you end in the fields of Asphodel. Elysium is closed to you."

Percy's world froze, but the Fates just continued anyway.

"If you see someone's true form or use abilities your demigod body cannot handle, even if those abilities are not otherwise taxing, it will begin the process," Atropos finished.

The world hadn't sped up, still moving at a snail's pace around him. He could hear his own breaths. They sounded so loud… and his heartbeat… the blood rushing in his veins…

"So," he managed to croak out, "you say that there are other options, but I get the sense that no matter what I do, there is no way around it."

"It is your Fate," the three of them said together.

Percy closed his eyes.

"You know this," Lachesis said pointedly.

"You've always known," Clotho whispered.

And… yeah, he kind of had.

"Percy?" his mother said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He realized he was shaking.

"I… don't want it," he heard himself say. He thought he'd found a way out. Or… he'd hoped. He realized tears had begun to roll down his cheeks as he met the three goddesses' gazes. "Why was I born with this fate? With this power? Why… when I don't want it?"

"You were what was needed," the three of them said.

He grit his teeth and held back a sob. So, this was them just using him again. He shouldn't be surprised.

"Without you, the giants will win if the Titans do not," Atropos said. "Few others could fill your shoes."

His mother's hand tightened on his shoulder.

"You know," he said, suddenly angry, "it would be a whole lot easier for everyone involved if the gods would just be decent people. Then I wouldn't constantly have to choose between the lesser of two evils and maybe there wouldn't be disgruntled demigods with completely valid points that would be so desperate to change things that they'd side with Kronos. Then maybe people like me, who would prefer to just stay mortal with the rest of their friends and family, wouldn't have to clean up all your messes for the rest of eternity!"

Not waiting for a reply, he turned around and stomped back to the car, angrily wiping tears away, not caring what they had to say and expecting his mom to follow. It took him several moments of trying to calm down in the front seat for him to realize she hadn't. That she was still talking to the Fates.

His fear for her overrode his anger at them, and he hurriedly opened his door again.

"Mom!" he shouted over the top of the car.

"I'm fine, honey," she said, handing over something and taking an apple from their fruit stand. He felt his face pale.

"Mom, no! Whatever you did, it's not worth it! Don't!" he rushed over, hoping he could stop whatever transaction was taking place. Before he could even reach her, though, the fruit stand and the Fates vanished. Percy cursed.

"Mom! What did you do?!" He reached out, cupping her hands as she held the apple. "What did you trade?"

"I…" she said. "I don't think I can say."

Percy swore his heart stopped, even if that was not what his sense of it said.

"You… you didn't trade something for my mortality, did you?" Because that was just the kind of thing his mom would do.

She shook her head. "They said there was nothing even the gods could trade for that next to their own immortality."

But she had asked. He felt guilt rush through him. She'd done that because he'd thrown a tantrum. This was his fault.

"Mom, I am so sorry. I… I should have kept hold of my temper. And now you… you…" The tears were back, and he kind of hated that. No, he really hated that. A breeze had picked up too, and he could tell the waves had gotten choppy, even from where they were at least a mile inland.

"Percy, you're my son. Of course I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy."

"What did you give up?!" he asked, desperately.

She kissed the top of his head. "Only what I had to."

No matter how he begged, she wouldn't say more. They rode the rest of the way to camp in silence.

xXx

The first time Percy remembered just showing up at camp without being chased or otherwise rushed had been… surreal. For his first two years, he'd also fought something just outside of camp. Then came the winter he found Nico…

Oh Hades… Nico. And Bianca. Who were still in the Lotus Hotel right now…

Where they were safe. If Hades wanted to bring them out to try and be a part of the prophecy instead of Percy or Thalia, he'd cross that bridge then (though Percy had been pretty convinced for a while that that was why the God of the Underworld had been so upset when Bianca died, to a point where he told Nico he wished his youngest would have died instead, and that was Not CoolTM—if Percy had his way, Nico would never hear that). Wait… the prophecy wasn't in effect… he…

Later.

Forcing himself to focus back on the present, he couldn't help but look around warily as he and his mother pulled into the small parking lot just outside the camp borders where mortal families could drop their kids off or pick them up. He half expected to be attacked again… for the first time? They passed the camp's three strawberry delivery (and demigod shuttle) vans parked along one side, and pulled into one of the empty, worn parking stalls. Percy was used to seeing a couple of cars in the now parking lot, but thinking back, that had started with his own piece of junk that his mom and Paul had helped him get. It took him a moment to realize that even the older kids at the camp right now may not even be old enough to drive…

Something inside Percy twinged, but between the surreal feeling of the calm arrival, the Fates' two visits, looking out for possible monster attacks, and his general situation, he couldn't really focus on much at the moment. He hated that his mother still hadn't told him what she'd given up or what that apple she'd gotten even did. But she promised that she would tell him later, when he calmed down.

He knew she was stalling, and that didn't help. So he sat and sulked. Like an eleven-year-old… and he felt kind of disgusting for it. Many of the gods he knew would sulk just as hard. That didn't help either.

"Percy, honey, can you go get Chiron for me?" she asked after they'd just sat there for several minutes.

Nodding, he grabbed his bag and got out, using some conjured water to wash any streaks of tears off of his face as he took the little path up the hill to where the Big House stood. He felt when he crossed over the protection barrier and had to pause, glancing up at Thalia's tree. He was also used to seeing a golden fleece and a dragon there. The hill looked strangely barren without them. Then he continued up until he got to the set of stairs that would lead him onto the porch.

He paused for several seconds when he saw Chiron and Dionysus playing pinochle. Struck with such a sense of nostalgia, he couldn't help but smile, albeit wanly, but it was there.

"Well, whoever you are, you should come over here instead of just staring at the back of someone's head, no?" Mr. D called, not even turning around.

Chiron himself looked mildly startled as he looked up and saw Percy standing there.

"Oh, hello," he said. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Percy blinked at Chiron for several seconds—he looked younger than he had in the future—and cleared his throat.

"Uh… hi. My mom said my dad said I needed to come here. She'd like to speak to the director."

"Chiron," Mr. D said, waving his hand nonchalantly.

"Yes, of course," Chiron said as he stood and smiled. "I am Chiron, this is Mr. D, and you are?"

"Um… Percy Jackson." Surreal. He'd just introduced himself to Chiron. He remembered having several deep conversations with this centaur, and… that had all been erased. He just knew he was going to be continually smacked in the face with that revelation for the next several years. "Um… she's waiting down there?"

"Yes, of course," Chiron said. "Lead the way."

So Percy did, heading back down through the barrier to the camp parking lot. His mom had gotten out of the car and leaned against it, waiting.

"That's my mom, Sally Jackson," he said, pointing to Gabe's Camero and the woman in front of it. She made it look good. Although, to be fair, he never had been a car person. More of a boat person. Go figure.

When she noticed them coming, she stood up. Her eyes widened when she realized Percy was leading an actual centaur to meet her. "Oh, my…" she said under her breath, although both Percy and Chiron heard it.

"Hello, Ma'am," Chiron said, holding his hand out. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you," she said, shaking it firmly. "I'm Sally Jackson. This is my son, Percy."

"Yes, he introduced us. It's a pleasure to make both of your acquaintances. Now, as you both seem to have taken my appearance in stride, I would guess you know why you were told to bring young Percy here to camp."

"Perseus," Percy muttered, unable to shake his shame, still… but they needed to know who they were dealing with.

Chiron glanced down at him. "Excuse me?"

"Um… that's my full name, Perseus Achilles Jackson. I just like Percy better."

A long pause. "I… see," Chiron finally said. After a moment, he cleared his throat and turned back to Sally. "May I ask if you know who Perseus' parent is?"

Mother and son exchanged glances before Sally slowly nodded. "I have a guess… but I don't think it's a good idea to say."

"I promise this is a safe place," Chiron assured her. "We will do our utmost to protect your son."

She nodded unsurely. "I believe you but… until I get the go ahead from him, I won't say."

Chiron sighed, but nodded. "A fair answer."

"Please don't let anyone else know about this conversation," she said, pleading. "I don't want anyone drawing… conclusions."

The old centaur had probably figured out that Percy was a child of the big three with that, but until he had absolute proof, they could count on him to not say anything. Which meant Percy would have to be very cautious using his powers around Chiron. For the whole summer.

Well, he could probably use a good challenge to keep his mind off of other things anyway.

"So, will you be staying year-round, then?"

The question caught both mother and son off guard. Percy wanted to kick himself. He'd known Chiron would probably ask.

"Oh, no," Sally said, a little too fast, just as Percy yelped out, "No! Of course not!"

They both stopped and exchanged a glance. His mom looked so relieved… which meant she'd been worrying, which meant his little silent stint had worried her and he'd hurt her again. He was the worst son ever.

His mom cleared her throat. "I live in New York, Manhattan. Percy will be going to school there this year, and coming home to me for the holidays."

Chiron glanced between them, suspicious. "So, a summer arrangement?"

They both nodded.

"And how old are you, Percy?"

He held back a snort. 'Over 300' probably wouldn't go over well. "Eleven. I'll turn twelve at the end of the summer."

Chiron nodded. "A good time to begin to attend. Well. I'll need some information from you, Ms. Jackson, but I can get most of that over the phone. Or we can invite you into camp to fill everything out, if you'd like to see it."

His mom looked surprised. "I… can come in?"

"Not without invitation," Chiron said, amused. "We have to keep mortals from randomly wandering in here, but we can invite you."

"I'd love to see it," she breathed, both relieved and excited. Percy grinned at her. She'd never been able to see the camp in his previous life. Something had always come up.

"Come on, Mom! This way!" Percy said, excited once again (it had to be an eleven-year-old body thing, because even his dad's moods didn't change like that), dragging her towards the trail.

Chiron chuckled. "I'll have to go first." He led them up the path and crossed over the boundary line. Then he turned around and faced them.

"I, Chiron, Trainer of Heroes, Activities Director of Camp Half-Blood, do invite the mortal, Sally Jackson, inside." At that, he held out his hand. She took it and Percy watched excitedly as she stepped across the threshold. It felt monumental to walk with her to the ridge of the hill, just to the side of the Big House opposite of Thalia's tree. Once they reached the point of the ridge, they paused and looked around.

"Welcome," Chiron said once again, this time with far more pomp and circumstance, "to Camp Half-Blood."

xXx

AN: Thanks to my beta readers and discord mods: Berix, The Shadow Slayer, Asterius Daemon, Quathis, Harlequin, Speedster, and The Chronomancer! Also, than you to the rest of my Discord for putting up with the slowness there and still answering my silly questions. LOL

Hubby is... still not verbal, and we're going to try and get him to walk tomorrow, for those who are interested. Wish us luck (or payers) please!

Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)