After much thought, Percy came to the conclusion that he had no choice but to prank even the Hermes cabin with the next god. Number Six would probably be his favorite, if only because he'd be there to see the look on the god's face, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to it. The problem was, he didn't see a way he could keep plausible deniability for this one. The Hermes cabin would have to see some of his actual abilities. Some of his future domain abilities, to be exact. But it was something he could potentially bs his way through, so…

So this one he planned on his own, and at breakfast that morning, he asked for grape juice in the goblet. If anyone noticed the change, they didn't comment. Then, about half-way through the meal, he 'accidentally' spilled his glass, reaching out with his powers and grabbing the liquid, even as said glass toppled over, leaving a globule of purple-blue liquid floating in mid-air in front of him.

Gradually, conversation began to stop and everyone stared in surprise at the display of divine abilities. No doubt, people wanted to check what he was 'showing off' against the betting pool. Whispers starting up even louder after a long, quiet moment confirmed that. Percy just pretended to stare in shock.

"Percy," Luke asked slowly.

"I mean… I just got some grape juice. I like it sometimes… and I… um…"

Then his eyes flew wide and he hurriedly squirmed out of his seat, rushing up to Mr. D and Chiron, allowing the globule to follow behind him.

"Mr. D! Mr. D! Mr. D!"

"Perry Johanson. Whatever do you want?" the god asked, annoyed and not even bothering to look up.

Percy brought the liquid in front of Dionysus' face, forcing the god to focus on it, and by extent, the demigod in front of him. "I spilled some grape juice and didn't want it to fall and I felt this tug in my gut and then it did this! Are you my dad?!"

This time, the entire pavilion went almost dead quiet. Even Chiron was staring in utter shock and confusion. Mr. D had frozen, sitting far more still than Percy had ever seen him.

"Mr. D?" Percy asked, secretly gleeful. His reaction was even better than the time-traveler thought it would be.

"Mr. Ja… how old are you boy?" he asked, voice a little shaky.

"Um… eleven, sir. I'll be twelve at the end of the summer." Percy was still pleased, but he couldn't help his simultaneous confusion. He'd thought for sure Mr. D would just deny it and he'd slump dejectedly back to the Hermes table, a couple of campers would think Mr. D was lying, and that would be that.

Instead, the god turned to Chiron."Did I leave the camp twelve and a half years ago?"

"No," Chiron said. "Although you could have split your consciousness, I suppose. You have done that before," he gestured to the silent, wide-eyed twins sitting at the Dionysus table. They stared at the scene with open mouths, more astonished than just about everyone else there.

"That was coming up on a decade since my banishment… it was a bad time… some things are blurry," he muttered, much to Percy's surprise, and unease. This was getting out of hand too fast. If he took the prank too far, he could end up very punished… and punishments from the Olympians were never a good thing. He hadn't meant to actually trick the god. Pranking and tricking were not the same thing in his book.

He gulped. This could go so badly. He may end up as a dolphin… although, he supposed that didn't sound too bad…. Or would that jump start his ascension? Would he be a dolphin and a god? Well, he'd fit right in with the rest of his dad's kids, he supposed.

"That's when sobriety really hit me," Dionysus hissed under his breath. Then he went pale, and Percy was starting to feel really bad, and he wished he knew how to back down. He knew he jumped into things, but he'd actively planned this. He kind of hated that after centuries, he still didn't always think things through. Or… was that his child-brain kicking in? Or both?

(Both. It was totally both.)

(None of this would have happened had his Annabeth been there.)

"Chiron," the god asked, a little hysterically, "did I go so sober that I went drunk? Is that even possible?"

Chiron blinked, glanced between him and Percy a couple of times, and seemed to debate something.

"Isn't that… your domain?" he pointed out slowly. "I wouldn't know. In honesty, I'd ask you in any other instance."

Mr. D was getting a little hysterical now. "But he's only eleven! I don't remember having him, but he can control grape juice!" Something seemed to occur to him then and he went almost a pasty white. He almost looked like a middle-aged, fat, Greek statue. "Is he a demigod of SOBRIETY?!" He pointed at Percy as if he were an utter horror. At that point, Percy wasn't sure if Mr. D was pranking him back or if he really believed what he was saying.

Okay, time for damage control. "Um… my mom always said I look like my dad," Percy said slowly. "Gods can change their shape, right. So… have you ever taken a shape that looks like me?"

Mr. D seemed to watch him carefully, and then started to relax. "No. No, I didn't.."

"Oh. Then… maybe it's not you," he looked down, 'disappointed' (secretly very relieved).
Dionysus simply continued to watch Percy for several seconds, eyes narrowed.

"There's something different about you… isn't there," he finally said. "I didn't notice it before but… your domains…" he said that last part quietly. Percy doubted anyone but those nearest would hear. He still winced. Athena's table was close by…

"Then how…?" the god went on. At times like this, Percy realized just how sharp Mr. D could be. After several seconds, the god shook his head. "No. That's not possible… there's another explanation. But…" he glanced around. "I see what you're doing. Very well."

He stood and addressed the entire pavilion.

"Mr. Jorgensen here has brought a valid point to my attention. As much as many of us on Olympus would like to think, we are not actually perfect. Very nearly, I'll admit—" Percy scoffed, but Mr. D ignored him, "—but sometimes even our children fall through the metaphorical cracks. None of us like that when it happens. So if you have not been claimed yet, please talk to Chiron about a list of potential gods who may be your parent. Pray to them and don't bother me with nonsense like this."

And there was the Mr. D Percy remembered. He sighed and shook his head with fond annoyance (if still some wariness). Mr. D eyed him again before standing up.

"I'm going to go take a nap," he said before walking away.

Percy watched him go, still wondering if his prank had backfired… if he'd just been pranked himself. He looked down at the grape juice still hovering in front of him, and then up at Chiron, a little lost.

"Percy, may I have a word with you?" the centaur asked pleasantly.

Percy nodded, following Chiron out of the pavilion and up to the big house. Mr. D was nowhere to be seen, but Percy kind of preferred that. It meant his chances of remaining human were pretty good. He liked those odds.

Eventually, he found himself sitting in front of the old centaur's cluttered desk, staring into the grape juice still floating in front of him like it held the answers to the world's secrets.

"Percy," Chiron said, scooting forward an empty mug that said 'World's best teacher' though 'best' had been crossed out and the word 'oldest' written above it–. "You can put that in here."

Nodding, Percy let the liquid fall into the mug and sat back, releasing his hold on it and letting out a breath of relief. He'd forgotten how much using his powers took out of him at this age. It seemed his own domains were no exception.

He didn't know how long they sat there in silence before the old teacher cleared his throat. "You're playing a dangerous game, Perseus."

"Percy," he muttered. "Unless you want me to destroy, it's Percy." The words were so ingrained in him by now, he almost didn't realize he'd said it.

Chiron frowned, though not in disapproval, the demigod thought, more in puzzlement.

"Names have power," Percy whispered.

"They do," Chiron muttered, half to himself. "In any case, I'm pretty sure I've worked out who your father is." He paused and glanced around, then closed his eyes, probably checking for divine ears. After a moment, he frowned, then reached out and tapped what looked like a glass sphere on his desk twice. It glowed green, then purple, and finally settled on a blue color (Percy approved). Once the color had stabilized, Chiron nodded in satisfaction and turned back to Percy. "I'm pretty sure I know who your father is. You had water in that grape juice, I'm assuming."

Percy sighed and sat back. "Something like that," he said tiredly.

Chiron picked up on his dodge, but didn't say anything about it. He was good at that. Instead, he intertwined his fingers and leaned forward, his elbows resting on stacks of papers on his desk.

"Percy, tricking the gods is never a good thing."

The time-traveler shook his head, turning to look out the window at the pavilion still visible down the hillside. "I didn't mean to." Then he glanced at Chiron out of the corner of his eye. "Are you entirely sure I wasn't pranked right back?"

The ancient being stroked his beard a couple of times before answering. "I think what happened back there had a deeper, more complex impact than anyone has yet realized, including myself and Mr. D.."

Percy thought about that for a moment before nodding. "You're probably right."

"Between you and me, I often am," Chiron said, a small smile growing on his lips. Percy returned it wanly.

"You're going to continue with this, aren't you," Chiron went on, voice more quiet as he eyed the still-blue sphere. "This convincing-everyone-your-godly-parent-is-yet-another-Olympian act."

Percy frowned. He didn't want to stop the prank but…

"Only if I tell all the gods and goddesses that I'm not actually their kid first. I want them to know that it's not my intention to try and trick them. Not really. Just prank the demigods and nature spirits. I really thought this would be funny for everybody." And he honestly hadn't thought he would be able to trick them for more than a couple of seconds at most. How had he misjudged so badly? He didn't like to think about it, but he had to ask himself if his own godhood had gotten to him. The fact that he didn't know the answer just made his suspicions worse. He swallowed down his instinctive revulsion at the idea.

"Hmm," Chiron said, studying Percy intently. "Well, I can't stop you, but I agree that it would do well for you to tell the gods before you go any farther."

The time-traveler nodded. "Right. I'll do that. Thank you, Chiron."

He stood and turned to leave, but the centaur stopped him.

"Oh, one thing I heard from Mount Olympus: someone put forth the idea of rebuilding or adding onto the Hermes cabin. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?" He raised his eyebrow in pointed amusement, and soft accusation.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Percy replied with such fake innocence, there couldn't be any way Chiron would miss it, not after millenia of Hermes kids. Still, more context never hurt. So he scratched his head. "Well, there was this one girl by the fire I was talking to about the cramped conditions, though."

If anything, that just made Chiron look simultaneously more amused and puzzled. "I see."

No, he really didn't. Not yet.

"Great!" Percy said brightly. "Bye, Chiron!"

With that, he hurried out of the room and down the hall. He needed to go somewhere and really think about everything. He was so lost in his thoughts, he only barely saw the figure in front of the back door before he stopped. Then he balked. Mr. D stood there, except it wasn't the fat, beer-belly persona that reminded Percy of Gabe. No, it was the handsome, 20-year-old that Percy had grown more used to recently. In his Greek attire, even.

"Mr. Jackson."

Percy gulped. If Dionysus remembered his name and was using it…

The odds lied. He was so becoming a dolphin.

"I've never seen your domains before. Not in the current gods."

The former god winced. "You can see them, then?"

"Most of them, most of the time. It's not my domain, but I am connected to this camp. The thing is, so are you. And not in a way that I've seen any demigod connect to this camp before. It recognizes its own."

"Uh…" Percy said eloquently.

"Your domains tend to get more vague after that. You could be a child of old Barnacle Beard, or any one of the minor gods and goddesses of the ocean and waters—up to and including the five major rivers of the underworld, for all I know."

Percy couldn't help wincing again. He didn't like to think of those. It reminded him of Tartarus. Even after all this time. He thought he'd gotten it under control, and normally it didn't give him an issue, but he was already on edge, and this confrontation wasn't helping.

"Something dealing with the ocean, and with other demigods… though there's more there. There's something like war as well, but… more? Hmm. And… well, well, a state of being… those are your own. The rest I can't see so well because they belong to your parent. But those are yours, and yours alone.

"I've only ever seen this once: when Apollo was turned mortal."

Percy didn't meet the god's eyes, but he didn't look down either, staring ahead and clamping his mouth closed. They stood in a standoff for several minutes before Dionysus shrugged.

"Well, I suppose it's none of my concern. You wouldn't be connected to the camp if you meant it any harm, so I'll let this go for now. Although…" he suddenly grew larger and darker, his aura pouring out of him in heavy, stifling waves, hair flying around him like an overgrown mass of sapient vines. "This is your one and only warning. Be thankful I am gracious enough to give it to you: Never try to trick me again."

Percy had to swallow and force his own divinity out just to stay standing, but he managed to do so and finally met the god's glowing gaze. In it, he saw madness… but it wasn't anything he hadn't dealt with before. Admittedly, he could feel his mortal mind strain, but Dionysus wasn't trying to kill him or drive him insane, just give him a warning.

He wondered if the god saw his trauma… Probably. He may have to do some damage control there.

Forcing himself to swallow, he pushed his next words out. "To be fair, sir, I did not mean to trick you and I am sorry for it." He'd meant to screw with Dionysus by screwing with the campers. He wasn't stupid enough to try and dupe him about his own domain. Hence why his prank had gone way too far. The situation was potentially still salvageable, but he'd definitely need to be more careful in the future.

Once again, they stood there in a stand off until Mr. D backed down… and then he was back to the stout body in a Hawaiian shirt. Why do gods like those again? Even as one, Percy hadn't understood.

"Hmm. You'd better be. Now, off with you, Mr. Jackson."

Still using his name. Still not good. "Yes, sir."

Percy ducked by him and hurried back to the Hermes cabin, which was thankfully empty. They were supposed to go to the archery range about this time, right? Something like that. He didn't particularly care as long as he got the time to himself that he needed. Part of him wanted to go swimming, just lose his troubles in the waves, but… what if someone saw him? He wasn't in the right mind to keep up a facade at the moment.

So he sighed and pushed that aside, instead going to make a list of gods he would pray to and tell them about the prank. He'd probably be going through that for several days because he wanted to sacrifice to them as well. Ah, well.

xXx

Once he finally met up with the rest of the cabin, they'd cornered him on what had happened. He told them more or less the truth, that he wasn't entirely sure, but he'd seen an opportunity with the prank… and then it had backfired.

"Percy, you're lucky you aren't a dolphin right now," Johan scolded.

"Yeah… Mr. D threatened me with that. I think he could tell I wasn't entirely serious when I asked if he was my dad."

"If you're not one of his kids," Mara started thoughtfully, "then how could you do what you did?"

Percy sighed and shrugged. "I just… felt it."

No one seemed to know what to say to that.

Except Luke. "Can you do that with just grape juice? Or other liquids too?"

Of course he would ask the right question. Percy pretended to think about that for a moment. "You know… now that you mention it…"

"Does someone have anything liquid on them?" Luke shouted at the rest of the cabin.

"I have some water."

"I have a coke."

"Gatorade."

"Alright, set them up in front of Percy, here." Several of the kids came forward with drinks, mostly different types of sodas, a couple of water bottles, the Gatorade, and a cold coffee. Everyone stared at that kid when he set it down, an unclaimed red-head about fourteen years old.

"What?" he asked. "It calms me down and helps me focus. Too many sodas on the regular could give me an ulcer, so…"

"Fair enough," Luke said, then eyed Percy, who was wondering if they knew coffee could cause ulcers too.

Noticing the attention was back on him, the time-traveler swallowed, wondering why he was nervous (probably because this was Luke) and focused on the liquids. He had to put on the act of someone who didn't know exactly what they were doing so…. He reached out, and the sodas exploded, showering everyone nearby, who ended up shrieking or cursing and backing away.

"I'm sorry!" Percy said, meaning it. He could tell that had genuinely freaked a couple of the kids out, which made him feel guilty.

"It's fine, Percy," Luke said, wiping diet coke off his face. "Maybe try again, but with less force this time?"

"Um…" Percy replied, then reached out with his physical hand and opened all the bottles. He got a couple of self-deprecating snickers for that, and some grateful smiles.

Making a show of it, he held his hand out and caused the liquid inside three bottles next to each other to shoot jerkily into the air. The Hermes cabin kids backed away at the sudden movement, but came closer when they just floated there.

Ethan was the first one to step forward and poke at the nearest liquid. It rippled and he came away with a fine coating of Gatorade on his finger, which he licked off.

With that, more kids came forward, beginning to talk in hushed voices as they poked, prodded, and studied the floating liquid.

"So… um… does anyone know who this could be from?" Percy asked a little sheepishly.
Everyone in the cabin turned to him, then glanced between each other, at a loss. Percy sighed, hoping it came off as depressed instead of relieved.

"Maybe one of the sea gods?" Mara ventured.

Scratch that relief. But he would not panic. Keeping a firm hold on his emotions, Percy managed to look at her cautiously. "They can do this?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"I think it's just water for them," another unclaimed kid, a girl not much older than Percy with brown, highlighted hair said. He wondered why he didn't know her, but she didn't look familiar. Had she never come back next summer? Or had she gone with Luke…?

"What if he's a son of a Primordial?" Ethan said, single dark eye fixed on Percy. That comment shocked the former god enough to lose concentration on the liquid and it all plummeted to the floor, splashing everywhere. Of course.

"I'm sorry, what?" Percy asked, flabbergasted. He hadn't thought someone would go there. Probably because it wasn't remotely close to true.

Ethan shrugged. "My mother's Nemesis. She's the daughter of Nyx, the Primordial, so on the level of a Titan. Probably a Primordial goddess herself."

Everyone stared at him.

"You haven't been claimed, yet…" Johan said slowly. "How do you know that?"

Ethan snorted. "There's no reason to claim me. Any god outside the Council doesn't have a cabin. That's what she said when I saw her on my way here this year." He put a hand over his eye patch.

More silence. "Ethan," Amy said slowly, "it's not just about cabins."

"No," he responded viciously, "it's about respect, which none of the supposed 'minor gods' get around here."

Several people backed away from him. Percy glanced at Luke, who stood in the back, smirking.

The time-traveler had to step in.

"Do you hate it here that much?" he asked bluntly, purposefully drawing attention back to him. Everyone seemed a little shocked both by Ethan's outburst and Percy's question. Even Ethan looked surprised by the question. No one said anything, so Percy decided to elaborate.

"I haven't been here long, but… despite me having to sleep on the floor and not being claimed, this cabin welcomed me. And I don't know about everyone else, but I like having you here."

"Yeah, me too," Chris said.

"And me," Amy piped up.

"Duh," Mara said.

Then everyone more or less threw their two cents in. Ethan looked genuinely gobsmacked.

"I… um…" He coughed. "No, I do like it here. I just… it's not fair."

"Not balanced?" Percy asked wryly as he stood and stepped forward.

Ethan huffed but nodded.

"Then let's change it," Percy said, holding out his hand at Ethan. "Let's make it more balanced! By the time we leave the camp, it'll be better than ever!"

Ethan snorted, looking up at Percy in wary amusement. Then he took the hand.

"You still might be the son of a Primordial, though. Or maybe a Titan. I heard Oceanus wasn't ever thrown into Tartarus."

He smirked.

Percy groaned.

In the corner, Luke seemed thoughtful if annoyed, though when he saw Percy looking at him, he smiled and shot him two thumbs up.

Percy really needed to find a good time to start that conversation.

The next day, three new bets appeared on Amy's odds list: Dionysus, Oceanus, and 'Primordial', with extra incentives if someone guessed the correct Primordial.

Percy sighed and talked himself out of hiding for the day… or destroying something.

(The latter one was much harder.)

xXx

After that whole fiasco, Percy was a little more cautious when it came to God Seven. Actually, he decided #7 wouldn't even be an actual god. Ethan had sparked another idea after the whole 'Primordial' thing.

Unfortunately, that idea would also have to show off some of his actual powers. Powers he hadn't even tested himself yet. Not extensively. Hopefully this one wouldn't be in danger of getting him turned into a dolphin. At least Aunt Hestia said she'd protect him if it came down to that, but it wasn't a free pass. If he deserved a punishment, she'd find one fitting instead. He gulped and nodded. Message received loud and clear.

It was always the quiet ones…

The thing was, he needed to find his limits, which meant experimentation. He couldn't exactly do that with his destruction domain (although he could feel that one itching to be released, and he'd have to address it soon or risk it boiling over at the worst time) or with his 'deep ocean' domain. His loyalty and demigod domains were being tested constantly, and he knew he couldn't mess with his father's domains too much without giving the game away.

That just left his liquid domain, which he'd already shown off to the Hermes cabin. That one had almost become passive as he could still sense the liquid around him, but he wanted to see if he could still become liquid… or somewhat liquid, even. Without killing himself of course.

And who better to help him than one of the naiads? Besides, if he was seen talking to one of them while becoming liquid, he hoped people would put two and two together (and not get twenty-two).

He also really hoped this wouldn't push him into ascending, which was another reason why he wanted to attempt this near naiads. They should be able to talk him down if he panicked, and in this eleven-year-old body, that wasn't as unlikely as he'd like to hope.

Of course, explaining that to them proved to be… difficult. They didn't outright call him 'lord', but with their deference and cautious flirtations, he was pretty sure they knew exactly who he was.

"You want us to… help you with your water powers?" one of the Naiads who had come to him when he'd called for help asked.

Percy sighed. They kept getting hung up on water. Which… fair, but in the end, he figured he'd just have to show them.

"Look, I'm going to try something," he finally just said, "and I need you here in case I panic. Okay?"

They all nodded hesitantly, and Percy smiled.

He started with his hair. Because he didn't really need his hair—no matter what the Aphrodite kids said. He closed his eyes and focused on the memory of his body becoming liquid, then pushed that to his hair.

For the longest time, nothing happened, and he had to push harder. And harder. His gut was beginning to hurt…

And then one of the naiads gasped. Opening his eyes, Percy smiled when he saw his hair literally melting to drop down into the lake below.

"That's… not water…" one of the naiads said slowly. Percy smirked a little at her and tried to feel for the liquid that was his hair below. Then he frowned. He could sense it… but not bring it back to him. It felt too diluted.

He'd never had that problem in the future.

"Hmm," he said after a moment, staring down at the water. And was it just him, or did his hair look shorter…? "You know what, I know it's anticlimactic, but I think that's as far as I'll go with this for now, ladies."

"Did you have naiad or neriad blood in your mother's lineage?" one of the naiads asked. "It could have been brought out by your… um… other side?"

Percy rubbed his chin at that. "You know, that's… a really good explanation. Huh." Then he smirked back at them. "You can spread that rumor around. Thanks for your help."

xXx

After he'd sacrificed to the gods on his "let them know it's a mortal prank" list, he sat down with the rest of Hermes cabin, only to notice Amy staring at him dryly.

"What?" he asked.

She slid the paper, written in Greek of course, with the betting pool on it over to him. At the bottom, he saw a large list of nature spirits who had some sort of bet on his parent being a naiad or neriad. Specified that it may be back in his maternal lineage.

"Anything you want to tell us?" she asked, flipping her long, blond braid over her shoulder as she leaned forward to glare at him.

"I was practicing by the lake and I… um… almost kind of turned into a liquid?"

Groans echoed around the table.

"What the actual—" Chris started, then glanced over at Luke. "Um… yeah, what the actual, man?"

Percy smiled sheepishly and went back to eating.

'Gods' Six and Seven, Check.

xXx

AN: Thanks to my beta readers and discord mods: Berix, The Shadow Slayer, Asterius Daemon, Quathis, Harlequin, Speedster, Snow, 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's moved to a care facility instead of a hospital! *cheers* And with luck, insurance will cover everything. Well, could still use thoughts and prayers, just in case, but yeah. We're working on it! He can talk very well now and hopefully, soon, we'll be able to get him to sit up on his own. :)

Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)