The Rising Dawn

by Demititan28

Percy didn't just survive after his sacrifice, he thrived. Locked in ice for over 20 years the world he comes back to is not the one he left behind. But he doesn't have time to mourn his missed years, a threat is rising in the east and the survival of humanity is on the line. If Olympus has any hope of survival, it rests on his shoulders. Eventual Pertemis

6. I Get Breakfast with a Goat

Chapter 6: I Get Breakfast with a Goat

The journey south was a slow one, but Percy at least appreciated that he had time to himself to come to grips with his new powers. Manipulating the ice felt similar to manipulating the ocean, it produced the same tug in his gut and seemed to respond to his will, hardening and melting at his command. Outside of producing armour for himself he was struggling though, maintaining solid forms was difficult, and required far more concentration than controlling water of the same volume. Perhaps it was easier to control the ice armour because it was closer to him, and thus enabled him to control it with far less effort. He had experimented with ice tridents and spears but as soon as he launched them they began to melt and typically did not survive in solid form in order to hit the target, usually just ending up splashing whatever he was trying to pierce through.

He couldn't deny how cool the armour was though, it was thick enough to keep the sailors weapons from breaking through and felt virtually weightless. Around the joints it was partially melted to allow him free use of his arms and legs, and if it looked as though a weapon would hit those weak points he could will the melted ice to harden and become as impenetrable as the rest of the armour. It glowed with a pale blue light, the same colour his eyes had been when he had looked at them in the mirror. It certainly made it look impressive, but Percy questioned how stealthy he could be with how much light the ice reflected. If he had to be stealthy he doubted his armour would be too helpful in its current form.

The other issue he was facing was that he was struggling to replicate the ice point he had used to kill the Kraken. In the heat of battle it had been almost second nature, his body and powers responding to him in his time of need. Outside of the stress and pressure of battle though his powers were far less willing to respond to him. Maybe it was because he was new to them or perhaps he had exhausted his power he didn't know. He wished Annabeth was there to analyse what was happening to him and give him the answers, she was always so reliable when it came to things like this.

The thought caused another pang of anxiety and grief that had become normal for him when he thought of his life before he went into the ice. 20 years was a long time, especially considering the fact that he went in the ice when he was only 18. He had "died" as a teenager, and many of his friends would have lived through the prime of their lives without him. He worried about his mother too, if she would still be alive. She was nearing 60, and while that was not too old considering modern health care a lot could happen in 20 years. He also wondered how his little sister Estelle was, since she would be older than him now. He had always liked the name Estelle, especially since it was the name of his grandmother that he had never met. She had died in a plane crash with his grandfather when his mum was young. He remembered that that had been one of the reasons his mum had never wanted him to fly on an aeroplane. Well that and the fact that it was his uncle's domain who did not take too kindly to his intrusion. A dark thought crossed his mind that maybe Zeus had something to do with their death, but passed when he realised that that plane crash had happened decades before his mum even met Poseidon.

If nothing else at least his dad would be alive, one of the advantages of eternal life he supposed. He mused what would have happened if he had taken Zeus' offer of immortality all those years ago, after they had managed to defeat Kronos and save Olympus. He knew he had made the right choice, but couldn't help but think how useful the powers of a god would be if he ever came face to face with Enlil. The scene from his dream haunted him even in his waking hours. He had not even laid eyes on the King of the Annunaki but he could sense his immense power even across the aeons. That and the fact that it was clear Chronos had not revealed everything to him left him uneasy about how the Protegonoi had managed to overthrow them.

He remembered coming up against Tartarus, the primordial god of the pit. It had taken a titan and giant combined to hold him off. If Tartarus had been merely a servant to the Annunaki then what chance did the Olympians have to beat them. An asleep Hadad had almost melted his brain, imagine the kind of damage he could do if he woke up.

A sense of hopelessness washed over him and Percy turned to look out at the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, turning the ocean orange and red as it began to fall off the edge of the world. It reminded him of the story Carter Kane had told him about how the Egyptian sun god Ra sailed a boat through chaos at night and had to battle a giant serpent in order to ensure the sun rose the following day. He wondered if the Sun Boat that Ra sailed on was a different sun to the chariot that Apollo drove across the heavens but the idea of conflicting gods and spheres of influence made his head hurt. However, there was a flickering of an idea in his head. The Greeks and Romans had united to fight off Gaea, so what if the Egyptians and the Norse fought alongside them? Perhaps they would all be wiped out at the hands of the Annunaki, but together maybe they might just have a fighting chance.

The thought gave him a small modicum of comfort and encouraged him to get up from where he had been sitting and make his way over to the captain's quarters. He knocked once and a gruff voice welcomed him in.

The captain was hunched over a map beside a couple of his crew members, but glanced up as Percy walked in.

"Good evening lad. Grow bored of playing with ice?"

Percy rolled his eyes and joined the sailors alongside the map. It shimmered as Percy approached and Percy realised it was no ordinary map. The ship was in the centre, and as it moved the landscape around it shifted.

"How far are we from making landfall?" Percy asked.

"We will arrive at the port in Boston at the crack of dawn tomorrow. And that lad is where your journey with us will come to an end. I've been told there will be a man by the name of Magnus to pick you up."

Percy remembered Chronos mentioning that before he had disappeared and left them with the old fishermans body to dispose of them. They had given the fisherman what the captain called a sailors burial, which included a few words and then unceremoniously being dumped off the side of the ship.

"Is there anything you need from me before I get off tomorrow?"

The captain paused for a second, mulling over the question, before shaking his head and giving Percy a dismissive wave of his hand. "Go get some rest lad, you have done more than enough for us. This is the first time in 30 odd years that we have been able to leave our home. We are very much looking forward to some looting and pillaging."

Percy had taken a half step back towards the door when he turned back to the captain with a frown, "Looting and pillaging?"

"Aye lad, what else are vikings supposed to do?"

Percy's eyes shot open, "You guys are vikings?"

The captain gave a hearty laugh, "Aye, and we've been landlocked vikings for three decades now, we have a lot of time to make up for. I think we'll start with New Jersey, I hear they have a great deal of treasure to plunder."

Percy wouldn't say he had ever heard of New Jersey as a site of great treasure, but as a New York boy he could think of no better place to be raided than New Jersey. "Alright then, good luck guys. I really appreciate your help."

The captain shook his head, "No lad, we appreciate yours. See you tomorrow bright and early."

Percy nodded and made his exit, heading to an upper deck where his sleeping bag lay. It was still fairly early but Percy was tired, and as the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon he made himself comfy and closed his eyes. He had a big day tomorrow, and lots of questions for Magnus when he saw him. The rocking of the boat was comforting, and before long he had drifted off to sleep.

However there is no rest for the weary, and Percy's dream self found themselves standing in a cemetery. It was night wherever he was, and rays of moonlight bathed the cemetery in a silver glow. There was a chill in the air that all cemeteries seemed to possess, but he could feel an aura of warmth behind him, and turned to see the most impressive gravestone there. It stood out amongst the hundreds of stone memorials that surrounded it and appeared to radiate with energy. As Percy stepped forward he saw the name at the top "Jason Grace: Beloved brother, son and friend. A true son of Rome and hero of Olympus"

There were fresh flowers at the base, and Percy could see how well kept it was. It felt divine, and Percy had a sneaking suspicion that that had something to do with Jupiter looking after the memorial of his son. Percy sighed and knelt next to the gravestone wishing that he had been there in Jason's final moments, to save him or, failing that, to say goodbye to his friend one last time.

It was as he knelt next to the gravestone that he realised he was not alone. A girl sat next to him, with dark auburn hair and silver eyes. It took him a second to realise he was looking at Artemis, goddess of the hunt, because unlike her usual 13 year old form that she took when she was with her hunters she looked to be about 20. She also looked tired, with her hair dishevelled and red marks under her eyes that appeared to be from crying. Despite that Percy couldn't help but be in awe of her beauty. Her eyes were cold but bright, and her face was so regal that Percy was once again reminded that she was not just a goddess, but also a princess of Olympus due to being the daughter of Zeus.

Percy wondered what Artemis was doing at Jason's grave, since even though they were technically siblings Percy felt fairly certain that they were not particularly close. He had a sudden jolt of panic at the thought that perhaps Thalia had been killed, and Artemis was at Thalia's brother's grave to mourn her, but that panic subsided as another figure joined them. The shoulder length spiky black hair gave it away before Percy even saw the silver circlet on her head like a princess tiara. However, just like Artemis, Thalia did not appear her normal age. Despite supposedly being forever 15 she looked older, around the same age as the goddess she served.

Thalia walked up to her mistress and rested her hand on her shoulder. "He hasn't arrived yet my lady?"

Artemis took a cloth from her parka and wiped away tears that were beginning to roll down her cheeks. "I don't know how much longer I can wait."

"He promised he would come, and he hasn't let you down yet."

Artemis shook her head, "I don't know if he made it this time Thalia. He told me if he survived he would meet me here."

Thalia let out a soft chuckle, "Nothing can kill that bastard. He doesn't know how to give up. And we both know he would move mountains to be here. He'll come, I know he will."

Artemis put her hand over Thalias and squeezed it, "Thank you lieutenant."

The two remained there for a few moments, Artemis facing the ground and Thalia staring at the gravestone with a distant expression. "I'm sorry my lady," Thalia said, "I would prefer not to remain here much longer. It brings back too many bad memories."

Artemis nodded, "I understand. Go tend to the rest of the hunters, I will join you in time."

She gave Thalia a final squeeze of her hand before her lieutenant turned and began to walk away towards the exit of the cemetery. Once she was out of sight Artemis looked up from the ground and cast her gaze towards the heavens. It was then that Percy noticed what she was holding in her other hand, it was a necklace from Camp Half-Blood. There were quite a few beads on them and so Percy tried to get a closer look to see if he could tell whose it was based on what the beads were.

"Percy." she whispered.

Percy stopped dead in his tracks. How did she know he was there? Was it a goddess thing that she could sense him or had she specifically summoned him? His breath caught in his throat and he took a step back from her. However, it did not appear as though she had taken any note of his presence, her focus was firmly planted on the moon and stars above them.

"You promised." she whispered again.

Percy wracked his brain trying to remember if he had made a promise to Artemis that he had forgotten about but couldn't come up with anything. Either she was talking to his dream self right there and then or she was talking about a different Percy. It had been 20 years, maybe there was another Percy that had burst onto the demigod scene. He might not be as handsome or funny as him, but Percy was sure that his namesake might have done some cool stuff. Yeah, it was probably a new Percy, the newer model even if it wasn't an upgrade.

But even as Percy tried to cope himself into believing that Artemis wasn't referring to him he felt a pit in his gut that told him his first impression had been right. Artemis was talking about him, and whatever promise he had made and could not remember was what had upset her. He had a moment of panic where he worried that upon arriving back in the world Artemis was going to find him and turn him into a jackalope.

Artemis' gaze fell back to the ground, and quiet sobs began to shake her seated form as she buried her head in her hands. Percy had never been the best with comforting girls, let alone goddesses' but his heart wrenched at the sight of Artemis in such distress. Artemis then, in the midst of her fit of grief, punched the ground, and while for most people it might have hurt their hand more than it made a dent, for an Olympian it smashed open a small crater in front of the gravestone. There was a dull rumble of thunder overhead, and the crater mended itself, with the dirt that had sprayed on the gravestone being cleaned off by a gust of wind. Zeus was clearly not thrilled at the thought that his son's grave would be a casualty of the goddesses' rage.

"You promised you bastard." Artemis sobbed, "You swore to me that come hell or high water you would be here. You can't let me down. I need you. I can't do this without you."

Percy had never seen a god like this before, and certainly not an Olympian. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his chest that he was, for whatever reason, the cause of this. Even though it was a dream, and even though she was the goddess that turned men into animals for fun he knelt next to her and engulfed her in a hug. Whether she could feel it or not he didn't know, but he felt like he had to do something. He held her in his embrace and waited, feeling her shaking form against him and she cried.

"I'm sorry Artemis," he said, "For whatever I did. I promise I will make it up to you."

Artemis' eyes suddenly shot up, but she wasn't looking at him, she was peering at something across the cemetery. Percy turned to follow her gaze but before he could lay eyes on the subject of Artemis' attention he felt himself being pulled away, wrenched from the cemetery and sent hurtling back towards the land of the conscious.

His eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright. It was a dream but it had felt so real, and Percy knew from experience that realistic dreams as a demigod were usually more reality than they were dreams. Artemis was crying over something he did? Something he had promised her? Percy took deep breaths trying to figure out what the Hades Artemis had been referring to, but couldn't come up with anything. Perhaps time would answer his questions, but for now he had to put it to the back of his mind, because the sun was beginning to creep over the horizon and its rays revealed coastline in the distance.

"Good morning to ya laddie," a voice called across the ship.

Percy looked over to see the captain at the wheel with a grin on his face.

"That's Boston?" he asked.

"Ay," the captain answered, "First time you'll be setting foot in your home country for 20 years, the old man told me."

Percy briefly wondered how much Chronos had revealed about him to the captain and crew, but decided that the captain seemed about the most trustworthy person he had met since he had woken up out of the ice. He nodded, "It's been far too long, there's a lot I've missed."

The captain took a deep breath and sighed, "Laddie there's nothing quite like going home after a long time away. The seasons change and the world moves but home is where the hearth is, and there's nowhere quite like it in the world."

The words brought a smile to Percy's face, and he couldn't help but think that Hestia would be fond of the captain's mentality. He turned back towards the coast that was growing larger as the ship made headway towards it. "How will Magnus know where to meet us?"

"We don't know for sure. We sent a couple pigeons a few days ago and just yesterday but neither have returned. Hopefully the message gets through, but if not I have been told that you should head towards Hotel Valhalla, it is where the einherji live."

Percy nodded, he recognised the term einherji from when he and Annabeth had met with Magnus before Magnus' quest to prevent Ragnarok. It seemed like it didn't matter which pantheon you were a part of there was always some world-ending event that a couple of teenagers were tasked with preventing. Crazy that the balance of the world often hinged on some stupid and horny teenagers, the gods really needed to figure out a more secure way of keeping balance in the world.

He rubbed his eyes and the last vestiges of sleep disappeared, his dream firmly being put to the back of his mind. He was excited to see Magnus again, as they had gotten along well the first time they had met and at least he would not have aged. That would be some small semblance of comfort in his reintroduction to the world. He could feel something in the air as they neared Boston, something old and powerful, but not something he was familiar with. The aura of the Greek gods had a very particular feel to it, as did the Romans, but this one was unlike either of them. It felt colder, harsher. It felt Norse.

As the ship drew into port Percy scanned the docks and was relieved to find a young man with blonde hair sitting on a bench not too far from the pier where they were pulling in. The hair reminded him of Annabeth, which made sense considering the fact that they were biological cousins.

Percy heard footsteps behind him and glanced back to see the captain approaching him. The captain grinned and stuck out his hand, which Percy grasped firmly. "You have done more for my crew than I thank you for. You have given us our freedom, the safety of our home, and a chance to explore once more. It has been a pleasure having you aboard my ship."

"It has been a pleasure being on your ship captain," Percy replied, "I hope this is not the last time we meet."

The captain reached into his pocket and fished out a thick coin, the same one he had given Chronos and Percy when they had arrived at the village. He pressed it into Percy's hand and closed his fingers around it. "If you ever find yourself in need of a ship, and a fearsome crew, throw this coin to the ocean and we will come."

Percy couldn't keep a smile off of his face, "Thank you captain. Safe travels."

The captain nodded and Percy went to disembark, but before he could the crew formed two columns and stood at attention, forming a guard of honour for him as he left the ship. He felt like that was too much, as all he had done was kill the kraken, but looking at the gratitude in each of their eyes he realised he had done more than just kill a monster, he had given them back their freedom.

As he disembarked the ship and stepped foot on American soil for the first time in 20 years he turned back and called, "Captain?"

"Aye lad?," he yelled back from the side of the ship.

"I never caught your name."

The captain grinned, "My name is Captain Lief Erikson lad. Now get going, you don't want to leave your friend waiting."

Percy could have sworn he had heard that name somewhere before, but couldn't place it. Instead he simply waved to the crew as they turned the ship and began to head out into the open ocean once more. As they left the harbour Percy turned and began to make his way towards where Magnus was sitting.

Just as he had expected Magnus had not aged a day. His blonde hair was shorter than before, but other than that he was the same as he had been the last time Peryc laid eyes on him. Speaking of eyes, the grey stormy eyes that looked back at him as he approached once again reminded him of Annabeth. If nothing else at least Magnus would probably be able to tell him what had happened to her.

Magnus stood and grinned, "Long time no see Jackson."

Percy smiled, "Same to you Chase, you haven't aged a day."

Magnus laughed, "I'm just naturally handsome. You've clearly had some work done."

Rolling his eyes Percy joined Magnus as they began to walk towards the exit of the dock. "So where are we headed?"

"I figured we could get some food, there's a cafe just down the road from here. I had a friend book a table."

Percy realised the last time he had eaten proper food was over 20 years ago, since he had eaten ambrosia in the village and sailor rations on the ship. His stomach rumbled in anticipation of being able to eat proper food. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

The two walked for a minute or two before Magnus finally broke the silence, "So what happened to you? I remember Annabeth calling me crying saying that you were dead, then I get FaceTimed by an old guy in a rainbow telling me to meet you at the dock. Not to make assumptions or anything but I did kinda assume you'd be looking a little more like a dad."

Percy picked at his camp-half blood top awkwardly, "I don't really know what happened. I should have died but…I got trapped in ice. Kept me alive in the middle of nowhere. I guess global warming really saved me huh." He didn't know how much he wanted to share with Magnus, since even though he trusted him he had been burdened with a lot of intense information and figured the less he said about it the better. He also didn't know how comfortable Chronos would be with Percy talking about him, but realised he didn't care all that much. He might have saved him but he had also hidden things from him. Percy wouldn't stay silent for Chronos' sake, but he would for his own.

"Yeah, global warming has been a bit of a bitch." Magnus mused, "I don't follow the news too closely but I heard the Middle East is suffering some insane droughts. Everyone on the news is talking about sending aid to Iraq, apparently it's hit really bad there."

"Damn, 20 years and we still haven't solved that?"

Magnus shrugged, "The mortals have gotten better. A lot of countries are making positive changes, I think that region in particular has just gotten hit particularly hard. Most other places I don't think anyone really notices anything."

"So what other major world news have I missed in the last 20 years?"

Magnus whistled, "Shit Percy a lot. I don't pay too much attention to the news but there have been a couple foreign wars here and there. Most people drive electric, I think we're on the IPhone 2X, their term for 20. First person landed on Mars, first female President, first gay Vice President, Jets won the SuperBowl…"

"The Jets won a SuperBowl?" Percy exclaimed.

Magnus laughed, "Nah I'm kidding they still suck. 20 years is a long time but some things stay the same y'know? Mariah Carey still gets played at Christmas, families still argue about politics at Thanksgiving, kids still go around dressed as monsters and movie characters at Halloween. Being immortal you realise how little things change. I understand the perspective of the gods a lot more now. A lot of it just doesn't matter y'know, change happens in degrees."

"You sound almost apathetic," Percy responded.

"Maybe," Magnus replied, "I still care y'know. I still run the shelter for homeless youths, but the faces come and go. People move on, everyone is living their life, you just gotta live yours. Besides, 20 years ago I had to stop Ragnarok twice and what happened? Nothing. Mortals didn't notice and gods didn't care. Now I just do me, and the world keeps spinning."

Percy didn't necessarily agree with him, but he understood the feeling. He looked up and realised they had arrived at the cafe, and he glanced around at the patrons. It was fairly quiet, and most of the patrons didn't look up as they entered. One put down the newspaper they were reading, however, and Percy realised that it was a goat.

"That's a goat." Percy exclaimed.

"Observant, clearly the age hasn't gotten to your eyes yet." Magnus joked, "C'mon, meet Otis."

Otis held out a hoof as they approached and Percy tentatively shook it, "Perseus Jackson, pleasure to meet you." Otis said, "I must ask, do you have any more of those pigeons with you, they were quite divine."

Percy frowned, "Did you eat the carrier pigeons we sent to Magnus?"

"I didn't just eat them," Otis replied, "I enjoyed them, and really I think that's what we should be focusing on here."

Magnus took a seat next to Otis and motioned to the empty seat next to them. Percy sat down but still eyed the goat suspiciously, "We needed those pigeons to know the message had gotten to Magnus."

The goat rolled his eyes, "He had already gotten an Iris Message, the pigeons were clearly sent as offerings to Thor's humble steed."

"You're delusional."

"No, I was hungry. And now I'm quite agitated. Don't they teach Greeks any manners these days?"

"Like not eating someone's carrier pigeon?" Percy asked.

Otis waved his hoof dismissively, "You should be honoured that those pigeons had such noble ends. They were sacrificed for the greater good."

Now Magnus frowned, "Your stomach is the greater good now? Aren't you just Thor's brunch?"

Otis growled, "And when Thor eats me he will eat that pigeon, did you think about that? Dumbass demigods."

With a huff he picked his newspaper back up and settled back into reading it. Magnus turned to Percy with an apologetic look, "Sorry, he can be a little touchy. I think it's from being eaten all the time."

Percy vaguely remembered the myth of Thor's goats. He would eat them every day and they would keep replenishing. He hadn't expected the goats to be so snarky. He leaned back and sighed, enjoying the sense of normalcy that came with getting breakfast at a cafe, even if his companion was a goat.

A waitress came over and smiled at them, "What can I get for you all?"

Otis ordered another newspaper while Magnus and Percy each ordered a croissant and coffee. Percy also asked for some toast with specifically blueberry jam, something blue to bring some degree of comfort. When she returned Percy began to sip his coffee and watched Otis nibble at the corners of the new newspaper. It reminded him of Grover and he had another pang of sadness, remembering that for all the appearances of everything being normal, so much would have changed.

"So what happened to Annabeth?" Percy asked, looking at Magnus.

Magnus sighed and leant back, "I'm sorry Percy, but 20 years is a long time. She mourned for a while, she was unconsolable. Blamed herself for not being able to help. She couldn't stand it in New York, said there were too many reminders of you. She got an architectural scholarship at Stanford and met a guy there, Teddy. He's nice, clear-sighted too. They settled down in San Francisco, her as an architect and him as a college professor. They had a couple kids together, Percy and Jason. Thought it was a bit weird to name her kid after her dead ex but she said she wanted your legacy to live on. She loved you, and it took a long time for her to fix herself but…she's happy now. Saw her the other day actually, she was heading down to New York to drop her kids off at Camp Half-Blood for the summer."

Percy felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into his chair the more Magnus spoke. Married….kids…that was meant to be them. That was the future he had hoped they would be able to have together. Even as a wave of grief passed over him at the future with Annabeth he had lost he couldn't help but feel some of the anxiety in his chest fade. She was happy. She had met someone she loved and had made a life for herself. She hadn't let his death hold her back from achieving her dream. Percy felt a tear escape and run down his cheek. He didn't know if it was from relief or grief, and decided that it was probably a little bit of both.

He remembered the first time he had seen her, waking up at the Big House at Camp to her spoon feeding him nectar and ambrosia. Their first kiss before he almost killed himself causing Mt. Etna to explode. The look in her eyes when he turned down godhood for her. Seeing her aboard the Argo as it approached New Rome, when they were finally reunited after so long apart. Seeing her fall into Tartarus and not hesitating for a second to jump in after her. He remembered the smile on her dads face when he asked him for his permission to marry her.

Percy's head sank into his hands and he silently cursed the fates for always ruining his happiness. He remembered the pounding in his ears as he had tried to escape Hadad's tomb, and the sense of hopelessness as he had watched his future be snatched away from him. All of sudden he wasn't upset, he wasn't overcome with grief, and he wasn't full of self-pity. He was angry. His future had been ripped from him, but he hadn't died. He was going to make Hadad and the rest of the Annunaki regret not killing him when they had the chance. He thought about how powerful he had felt against the Kraken. The power was like nothing he had ever felt before. If that was a taste of what he was capable of now, then he could only imagine what he could do when he had mastered this power. He might have lost his chance to make Annabeth happy, but he could protect the happiness that she had found for herself.

Percy looked up and his eyes met Magnus' who had been looking at him in pity but whose expression changed to one of mild fear. "You okay Percy?" he questioned.

He definitely didn't feel okay, far from it. But for the first time since getting out of the ice Percy felt he had a purpose that he had chosen. One that hadn't been forced upon him, but that he had sought for himself. His fatal flaw was supposed to be personal loyalty, loyalty to a fault. Annabeth had been one of the most important people in his life, and he would make sure he did everything in his power to keep her safe.

"Holy shit his eyes are glowing." Otis exclaimed and Percy glanced at him to see the goat also looking at Percy in fear. Magnus fished a phone out of his pocket and showed it to Percy. Looking at his reflection Percy saw his eyes glowing a pale blue. Cold, intimidating, and full of vengeance, Percy understood why the two had reacted the way they did.

He took a couple of deep breaths and closed his eyes. When he reopened them the glowing had stopped, and the look in his eyes was gone. "Sorry," he whispered.

Magnus shook his head, "Nah you're good Percy, I understand it's upsetting. It's a lot to deal with y'know. I just hope you're not planning on killing Teddy or anything, I promise he's a nice guy."

Percy chuckled and hoped it didn't sound too menacing, "No, nothing like that. Just cursing the gods. I'm happy for her, I really am."

Magnus nodded before a beep cut through the air. The two demigods turned to Otis who was looking through his bag before pulling out a phone of his own. He read intensely whatever was on the screen before the colour faded from his goat face. "Oh gods Thor is going to kill me."

Magnus frowned, "What's new? Isn't that like your job?"

Otis shook his head, "No he's lost his hammer."

"Again!" Magnus exclaimed in exasperation.

"Not that hammer, his other hammer."

"He has two? So why didn't he just use that one last time?" Magnus asked.

Otis shook his head, "One of them is for killing giants and watching Netflix, the other is for mortals. It grants them the power of Thor if they are deemed worthy by the hammer."

"Why have I never heard of it?"

"Because Thor doesn't want mortals knowing they can wield his power. But if someone has stolen it, that would be really dangerous." Otis grabbed the two newspapers and shoved them into his mouth, scarfing them down. "Sorry, I'm a nervous eater. Glad you're not dead Perseus, glad you are dead Magnus. Now, if you'll excuse me."

And with that the goat made his way out of the cafe and began walking down the street. Mortals walked by without paying as much as a shred of notice to the goat, as even if the mist wasn't working its magic, it probably wasn't the weirdest thing the Bostonians had seen that day.

Percy turned to Magnus, "Sounds like you Norse have a new crisis to deal with."

Magnus shrugged, "Honestly, the 20 years you have been gone have been pretty quiet. It's gotten pretty boring in the mythological world. Maybe we killed so much bad stuff the rest are too scared to take us on."

Percy wondered if Magnus would feel the same way if he knew what Percy knew, but decided to let him enjoy his ignorance for a while. "You said Annabeth was taking her kids to camp, what time of year is it?"

"Start of summer," Magnus replied, "June 2nd or 3rd or something like that. I'm guessing you're going to want to visit camp?"

Percy nodded, "And my mum."

Magnus smiled, "Then let's head to the train station and get you some tickets to New York. You've got a lot of catching up to do."

Percy sighed. The first bit of news about the people from his past hadn't been the best, but he was excited to see his mum and camp and catch up on everything he had missed. His old life might have slipped through his fingers, but that didn't mean he couldn't make a new one for himself. He stood and joined Magnus as they made their way down the Boston streets.