Son of the sea foam

by Master of thr forgotten

Not my story it is on ao3 I place it hear for my convinces if u don’t like that deal with it

1. 1

Son of Sea Foam

CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

Place hear for convince not my story

Summary:

"She'll never claim me," he whispered. Silena shook her head, eyes wild as she looked around for anyone who could be watching.

"My mother doesn't remember half of her children as it is," she said with a note of bitterness. "If you do something to impress her, it won't matter. Return the bolt in her name. She'll claim you if you act the part. If you stay unclaimed then they'll figure out what you really are," she said, squeezing his hands tightly. Percy's heart sped up.

"I - I don't know the first thing about Aphrodite-"

"My mother was born of sea foam," Silena cut him off. "And if you're really who I think you are... you are the sea. You can pull this off," she said and touched his cheek. "Get the bolt. Survive," she said. Percy swallowed.

"What if I can't act the part?" He asked. Silena's expression went blank for a moment. Slowly, she slipped off her bracelet and placed it in his hands.

"If you're going to be one of us... you better learn."

Or

AU where Percy has to hide the fact he's a Big Three kid otherwise he'll be killed on the spot. Unfortunately for him, unclaimed kids tend to raise the most suspicion... but he might have found a loophole in the form of Aphrodite.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for other works inspired by this one.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Percy Jackson was a demigod, and his day was only getting worse from there.

To preface, things had already sucked in general. The only highlight was that his stepfather's car exploded. But other than that? No. His mom was gone – leaving him only with a letter before she disappeared into a gold light. That alone sucked, but then he had to fight an ugly-looking bull, find out his best friend was a goat, and now he woke up to find some random girl telling him he drooled in his sleep.

So… yeah. Shout out to twelve-year-olds whose lives weren't a mess.

"Half-blood," Percy repeated, voice trying and failing to stay calm. "So… half….?" he continued on, unable to finish the words. Grover grimaced, kicking the floor of the wood paneling beneath him.

"God."

"Right. Yes, that," Percy said, watching as Grover's eyes flicked around. He seemed nervous. Granted, he had already explained how his searcher's license (whatever that was) was at stake, but Percy wasn't sure where the newfound anxiety was coming from. "God. That's... huh," he said and nodded. "I... need a bowl of ice cream," he muttered. Ice cream would fix this. If it didn't, then maybe he should go back out and find another bull to just send him off with his mother. Grover laughed. It sounded forced. "Are you okay?" he asked. Grover's lip wobbled.

"You're part god," he repeated softly. Then closed his eyes. Percy didn't blame him. He was part god. This was a bit of where his issue lied... with Percy, at least. It seemed weird his life turned out this disastrous given… well, he had some dad in the clouds who could control some aspect of the world. What gives? Grover moved over to Percy, grabbing each side of his shoulders. "You're my friend," he decided, and Percy blinked. Had that been in question? Damnit. Percy really sucked with friends if he didn't even notice that had been debatable. Grover took a long breath. "I don't want you to die."

"Gee, thanks, man," he said. "I don't want to die either."

Grover smiled tightly. "Come on," he said and led Percy through the Big House (which really wasn't a creative name, but sure) towards a more isolated room. Percy frowned. Alright then. He was happy to be out of the infirmary, at least. Still, Grover's uneasiness was starting to bother him. "Percy… your scent is… strong," he said. Percy frowned. "Even with Gabe out of the way."

"That's kind of rude."

"No," Grover said and wrung his hands together. "If I had realized how strong it was... I would have never brought you here." Percy tilted his head. "Even Chiron wasn't sure. We talked about just... leaving you. It might have been safer," he said, peering around. The room he had led them into looked like a storage closet of some sort with various odds and ends stuffed inside (was that a pair of eyes stuff in a jar?), so Percy wasn't sure who would be in here… maybe he was concerned about the eyeballs in a jar. Percy sure was.

"I don't understand. I thought this was supposed to be a safe place for me?" he frowned.

Grover grimaced. "For...most people it is." He looked away. "I should have known your mom was trying to keep you away for a reason. She was smart," he said, a bit bitterly. Percy swallowed. He didn't like how he used past tense when referring to her. Fair, given that she was burst into a gold light, but painful all the same. Grover shifted again. When he spoke, his voice was so low that Percy had to lean in to hear him. "I need to tell you about Thalia Grace."

Thalia Grace. Cool. Solid name. Sounded important. Percy nodded.

"Um, sure."

"She was a demigod I brought here a few years ago. She came with Annabeth Chase and Luke Castellan," he explained. Annabeth. That had been the princess-looking girl, right? He didn't have a chance to ask since Grover kept talking. "They were being chased by monsters when they came. Thalia… didn't make it."

Oh. Percy frowned. That was awful, but... kind of anti-climatic given how shaken Grover was. Percy stuffed his hands in his pockets. He had known Grover for a while now. Maybe he just needed a moment to find the right words for whatever it was he was trying to say.

"Why not?" He asked. Grover stared at him. He went to open his mouth when a loud shriek echoed around them. Percy jumped. The sound seemed to bounce off the walls, shaking the entire house as the ground rumbled beneath them. Grover froze. "What was that?" Percy asked but was cut off by another scream. Grover reached out to grab him. "Is someone hurt?" Percy asked.

Was the bull-guy back? Percy felt a swell of rage at the idea. If he had to kill that thing again, he would. Somehow. Not waiting for Grover, he burst out of the closet back out onto the porch towards the volleyball courts. A girl was stumbling back, hand raised as a few other kids surrounded her. Percy frowned. The girl didn't even have a weapon. She looked young, too. Only a little older than Percy.

"I - I didn't even do it!" she said, voice shaking. "It wasn't me! I swear!" Percy turned to Grover, who was watching with wide eyes - frozen beside him.

"What are they doing to her?" he asked. Grover glanced at him with an uncertain gaze. Cursing under his breath, Percy rushed out, ignoring the alarmed yell of his name towards the volleyball court. Sand was in the air as the girl kept stumbling back and the other kids formed a circle.

"Who was it then?" one boy asked, holding out a sword. The girl whimpered and flinched away. "It's been months, and nobody has claimed you-"

"Maybe my dad just forgot about me!" she said quickly and shook her head. "He just forgot, okay? The satyr said I didn't smell that strong!" Percy's skin pricked at that... Grover's voice echoed in his head. What was bad about a strong scent? He didn't dare ask. Not with this going on. Instead, he stepped out in front, effectively blocking the girl from what appeared to be the ringleader.

"Leave her alone."

"Get away, newbie," the boy sneered. "Let us deal with the katára ourselves-"

"I'm not," the girl said, and Percy felt her hand grab in the back of his shirt. "They're lying. I'm not. I swear-"

"Liar!"

"Stop it!" Percy said. He was acutely aware that the others had swords and weapons while he was standing here, like an idiot in between predators with their prey. "What's wrong with you? She said she didn't do anything," he told them fiercely, feeling anger bubbling in his chest. What was this? A sharp tug was building in his naval - whispering for him to pull at some invisible string. The world around him momentarily stilled.

Don't.

Percy turned. It felt like someone had spoken beside him, but there was nothing but a breeze. Nobody else seemed to hear, given that there was no reaction. All at once, Percy felt a wave of exhaustion tug at him. The feeling in his stomach faltered. What...? He went to step forward, but he ended up stumbling, landing in the sand with a small gasp. Almost like someone had tied him up and zapped him of his energy. From behind him, he could hear the girl yelp. Without thinking, he turned to kick out.

"What the Hell?!" one kid yelled, jumping away from him. "By Hades, someone knock him out!" Percy glowered back. "She's going to get us all killed!" he shouted. Percy shook his head. She looked so scared. How was she going to get anyone killed? "Do you know what she is?" he asked, and when he raised his sword, Percy kicked again. "You little-"

"ENOUGH!"

Thank God. Mr. Brunner. He turned and - right. Yep. He was a horse. Percy had forgotten about that. Beside him was Grover, along with some blonde guy with a scar down the left side of his eye to his chin, who was frowning at the group with firm disapproval. Without hesitating, he shoved the kids aside to get to the girl. Percy sat up.

"She's a katára," the kid said without hesitation, and the group all murmured their approval. "She moved the wind. We saw her."

"It wasn't me! Chiron, please," the girl begged. The blonde guy murmured something to her, rubbing her arm as he knelt beside her. She cried harder. "It wasn't me. I swear-"

"Even if she did," Chiron said calmly, raising his hands. "It means nothing. She could be the child of any number of gods. Most have some control over the wind in some way or another. Aeolus is the god of the winds-"

"Then maybe he should claim her!" one of the other kids said. There were shouts of approval. Percy seethed. He got up with every intention of decking someone when a hand grasped his arm. He looked back to find the blonde guy was shaking his head. His arm was still around the girl's shoulder, lips pursed in a thin line. Wait, his eyes seemed to say. Percy raised an eyebrow. Wait? When these jerks were being... well... jerks?

"Maybe," he said as his gaze moved away from Percy. "She hasn't been claimed because Aeolus doesn't have a cabin here. Have any of you thought of that?" he asked coldly. The group murmured. Chiron gave an approving nod at that and gestured for everyone to part. Immediately the girl got up to race towards him, still trembling. Percy slowly stood up as well - daring anyone to lift another weapon. "Chiron-"

"We can send her to Olympus," Chiron said calmly. "To be sure. Nobody is to touch her. Understood? I will not have it."

...silence followed. Percy looked around. Was this good? Bad? The girl didn't seem relieved by the news. If anything, she seemed more scared. The blonde guy let out a scoff, shaking his head as he pushed past the others to stalk off towards the strawberry fields. Percy opened his mouth to ask someone (literally anyone) for an explanation, but Chiron had already turned away with his hands around the girl's shoulders.

Grover stepped towards him.

"Are you okay?"

"What... was that?" he asked and looked at where the campers had dispersed as if nothing had happened. A few leveled him with some disdainful looks, but other than that... nothing. Percy scowled back just as Grover's hand pulled him away. "What's a ka- katara? Like the girl in that new TV show?"

Grover closed his eyes. "A katára," he said and kept pulling him away from the pit of sand. "That's what I was trying to tell you. It means 'cursed' in Greek. Thalia was one. Well, she wasn't cursed technically, but that's the name they give them."

"Give what?"

"The children of the Big Three," Grover said and kept pulling him. They were towards the tree he had passed earlier. Percy could see where the bull-man had attacked in the distance. Where his mom had...He shook his head clear.

"Big Three? Is that a boy band or something?" he asked. Grover shot him an irritable look.

"The three brothers," he said as if Percy knew who these brothers in question were. "Thalia was a daughter of Zeus," Grover said. Oh. Those brothers. Percy watched when Grover looked around again and swallowed. "The campers wouldn't let her in."

Percy blinked a few times. Wait. What? The campers wouldn't let her in? That couldn't be right. Only... he looked back towards the volleyball court. Could it? His horror must have shown on his face because Grover sighed.

"Big Three kids were outlawed a long time ago. There haven't been any in… a long, long time. They're almost like a thing of myth themselves now. People say they're dangerous and wild-"

"So they kill them?"

Grover shrugged helplessly.

"I… I didn't think they would…" he said slowly, voice going small. Then swallowed. "There's a prophecy about a child of the Big Three bringing the rise or fall of Olympus," he explained. Percy waited. "Percy, they'll do anything to stop that prophecy. People are terrified of it-"

"What is Chiron going to do with that girl?" Percy cut him off. "He said she was going to Olympus. If she's... she's one of them, will they kill her?" he asked. Grover shushed him.

"No. No, Chiron wouldn't send her if he thought there was a chance she could be one of them," he said. Percy narrowed his eyes. "He would help sneak her out of camp before letting that happen. I... the gods have tried to scare everyone into turning against other campers, but Chiron is trying to keep everything calm. People are anxious. Paranoid," he said and then closed his eyes. "Which... brings me to..." he looked down. "Your scent is really strong, Percy," he said, voice painfully even. "I'm not sure if you're one of their children, but if you are…" he trailed off. Percy felt his skin prick. If he was, then he couldn't stay here. His mind thought back to the bull-guy. To the monsters Chiron told him about. Would he really be left to their mercy? Or would a god kill him first? He took a long breath.

"Thank you for telling me," he managed and ran a hand through his hair. "Could… what other gods could I maybe be a kid of? Who even are the Big Three? Zeus and, um, Hades?" He frowned. His mind slipped on the last one.

"Be careful with the names," Grover said quietly. Then reached into his pocket. "Here. I'm sorry I took it, but since you were unconscious... I was worried someone might read it, and I didn't know what was inside."

Percy looked down. It was his mother's letter. The one she had shoved into his hands with her final plea for him to run. He stared. The paper was yellowing with the ends crinkled and the ink a dull brown instead of black. How long had she kept this? His fingers drifted over it.

"Did you read it?" he asked. Grover shook his head. Someone more vigilant might not have believed him, but Percy trusted Grover. His fingers trembled. "Thank you," he said and sank against the pine tree behind him until he was sitting on the ground. Part of him just wanted to sit there... staring. Waiting. These were technically his mother's last words.

"Do you need me to go?" Grover asked, jolting him back into the present. Right. Yes. People. He gave a weak smile before shaking his head and ripping open the seal. His throat closed up when the barest hint of his mother's perfume wafted off the page. He took a long breath and read.

Dearest Percy,

I write in hopes that you never read this. Ideally, I would like to tell you this myself. However, given our luck so far… it might not be possible. There is something I need to tell you about your father. If you have reached Camp Half-Blood, then you know he is someone… important. I am so sorry for lying to you for so long. I wish I can tell you everything now but will refrain in case this falls into the wrong hands. As it is, burn this letter once you finish reading it. Make sure nobody can read a word. It reveals too much as it is.

You may think you are surrounded by friends, but I can promise you these demigods will turn against you, Percy. None of them can know your true parentage. I avoided bringing you to Camp Half-Blood for a reason. They will hunt you the second they realize you're different. You may be safe from mythological monsters, but there are human monsters lurking around you, too. You must be vigilant. Be prepared to run. To defend yourself. If possible, disguise yourself.

Whatever you do, do not draw attention to yourself.

I am so sorry I can't say more. I hope I can see you again.

Love,

Mom

Percy stared at the letter, hands shaking. When he looked up, Grover was watching him curiously. He ripped the paper in half.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "She was just telling me the god stuff. She didn't say who it was, though," he told him… which was true. He just got the feeling that his real father was limited down to three options. Grover nodded, watching as Percy shoved the pieces of paper into his pocket. He could burn the rest at the Big House. So... godly parent. That was one thing to digest. Potentially a godly parent who was going to get him hunted. Great.

"If... things end up not being... great," Grover said quietly as he walked them away from the tree. "I'll protect you. Promise."

Percy had thought the idea of Grover protecting him was a little silly, given their previous experiences. Right now, though? The thought almost comforted him. He gave a weak smile. Right. Well, nothing was even sure. Maybe he would be lucky, and some random god would claim him, and he could continue on learning about his weird new life in peace. Maybe he could figure out a way to get his mom back... and help that girl - whoever she was.

And most importantly... he would honor his mother's last wish. He would not draw attention to himself. No matter what.

So, he had drawn attention to himself.

In fairness, the attention came from the defeat of the Minotaur, which was apparently no small feat, so it wasn't like there was much he could do about that. People kept staring or whispering or… looking at him suspiciously as he took his tour with that girl from earlier. Annabeth. She was, uh, nice? In a scary way. If that was even a thing. She was a good tour guide, at least. She liked to explain everything in intense detail - though admittedly, Percy's ADHD wouldn't let him focus that long before becoming fixated on something else. Luckily, Annabeth seemed to expect this. Apparently, ADHD and dyslexia were common among demigods.

"So my father was an Olympian?" he asked and felt his stomach twist a little and then sighed. "I wish it was my mom," he muttered. Annabeth frowned at him. "I mean," Percy rectified quickly, turning red. "I love my mom! Loved. Loved my mom," he said and swallowed the lump in his throat at the reminder of the throbbing pain in his chest. "But... I don't know. Having an Olympian mom feels right, I guess," he said. It was a lie. But really... what else could he say? In truth, the only reason he would want it to be his mom was so that he had the assurance he wasn't that kombucha or whatever it is they had called that poor girl. Annabeth hummed.

"I wouldn't rule it out," she said. Percy tore his eyes away from the arena in front of them to frown at her. "Gods are... well, they aren't confined by normal means of birth," she said slowly. "Take my mom, for example!" she said, and absently yanked at one of her curls. "She's technically a virgin goddess, so her children are born a bit differently. She joins minds with a mortal, and from that, she produces a child."

"I - excuse me?" Percy asked, a little alarmed. "She does what now?" He narrowed his eyes. "Are you messing with me?" he asked her suspiciously. Annabeth glared back. "She has mind sex?" It seemed way too scandalous to say too loudly. Annabeth went bright red before whacking him.

"No! That isn't what it is at all!" she hissed. Percy was pretty sure that was exactly what it was but sure. Maybe nobody had told Annabeth about sex before. He only found out about it himself pretty recently, so he couldn't be sure. She was lucky if nobody told her. It sounded horrifying. "My point is that Athena has had children with other women before. My brother, Malcolm, is like that," she said. Percy nodded slowly. Interesting. He glanced at the cabins curiously.

"Is, um, your mom the only one who can do that?" He asked. Annabeth shook her head.

"Nah, Apollo is famous for having kids with other men. Kayla Knowles' mortal parent is a man. I think they all can do it. Aphrodite is also a pretty common one," she said with a nod towards a pink cabin with lace curtains and potted carnations. "Oh!" Annabeth said, snapping her fingers. "Demeter is another one, but she tends to stick with men, mostly. I can only think of one demigod child who had a woman as a mortal parent," she said. Percy bit his lip. Interesting... could he...?

"How do you know who your parent is?" he asked, thinking back to the girl on the volleyball court. "People keep talking about claiming."

"Every god is different," Annabeth shrugged and tugged his arm to lead him towards the stables. "Most put their symbol above your head to say you're their kid. Some like a bit more... flare," she scoffed, and her eyes flicked to the Aphrodite cabin. Percy wasn't sure what that meant.

"How were you claimed?"

Annabeth's chest puffed out a bit.

"I was seven. It was only a couple of weeks after I came to camp. My mother helped lead me to Thalia and Luke, so deep down, I already knew it was her," she said.

Percy's brain rewound that as Annabeth went on to explain how she had designed some amazing attack for their Capture the Flag game that caused Athena to claim her by sending an owl to gift her an olive branch.

"Thalia?" Percy repeated slowly. "As in Thalia Grace?" Annabeth froze. "You knew her, right?" he asked. Annabeth's eyes flicked to him - the gray swirling dangerously. "Sorry, I... nevermind," he said quickly. Annabeth's lips thinned before she continued with the tour again - words much more terse.

It had all ended with the Hermes cabin, which was apparently his new home until he was claimed. Luke - the blonde guy from earlier - was there to greet him as Percy tripped over his own feet while trying to enter the door. Turns out he was also the camp counselor for the Hermes cabin. He seemed pretty cool. Chill. Annabeth seemed to like him as she completely ignored Percy to instead talk to him as Percy looked cautiously around the Hermes cabin.

"I heard you battled the Minotaur," one kid greeted, popping up from one of the beds. Percy jumped. "Is that true?"

Percy looked down at the horn still clutched between his hands and then slowly nodded. Whispers flew around. Was that bad? Did they suspect something? Was he not supposed to do that? Nobody had mentioned it was bad so far-

"Can I hold it?" another kid asked. Oh. Percy was about to hand it over when a sharp smack followed. Luke was by his side, eying the kid who had spoken with exasperation.

"No. We're not stealing from the new kid," he said and then looked down at Percy. "Keep an eye on your stuff while you're here. Hermes is also the god of thieves," he said and gave everyone a firm look. "Though we don't steal from our friends-"

"He's our friend? I have never seen this boy in my life."

"Maybe he would be your friend if you didn't steal from him," Luke reasoned. The boy looked at Percy and then wrinkled his nose. "You don't want to be friends with the guy who killed a Minotaur?" Luke needled. More whispering.

"Eh," one kid from the other end of the room said. "We'll see how he is at Capture the Flag," she decided. Percy pouted. Well then. He didn't quite know what Capture the Flag entailed, but apparently, his future friendships were riding on it. Luke sighed before planting a hand on Percy's shoulder and steering him towards an empty bed stuffed in the corner of the room.

"Get some sleep." Luke smiled warmly. "You'll be able to adjust more in the morning," he promised. Percy severely doubted that but sat down all the same.

It ended up taking Percy a full three hours to fall asleep, but when he finally started to dream, it started with running.

Running. Running with his heart pounding in his ears and the thundering sound of monsters behind them. A little girl was beside him, hastily trying to keep up before a boy paused to grab her and throw her over his shoulder as another girl kept behind them, sending bright bursts of lightning to the ground. Percy felt he had seen her somewhere before. She didn't look much older than himself now, with short black hair, freckles, and piercing blue eyes that were blown wide in fear.

"HURRY!" a voice called, and Percy jerked around to see Grover up front, waving them over. "It's right here!" the girl let out a low breath of relief before shoving the boy forward.

"Go. Get Annabeth over there," she said and sent another round of lightning out.

"I'm not leaving you!" the boy objected. "Thalia-"

"I'll be fine! Go!" she said and threw her spear forward. A hellhound disintegrated into a flash of golden dust. Quickly, Thalia went over and scooped the spear up before dashing after her friends. Percy could see a small group gathered from inside the camp as the little girl watched with wide eyes from where the boy was trying to peel her off of him.

"I'm going to go help Thalia, okay?" he said, and it was then that Percy realized he was looking at Luke Castellan. He hadn't recognized him without the scar - but it was clear now as that familiar look of determination crossed his face. Annabeth cried out.

"Wait! I can help-"

"Stay here!" Luke shouted at her firmly and nodded at Grover, who put a reassuring hand on her arm.

"It's okay," he told her. "Thalia's powerful. She's a daughter of Zeus, right? Zeus is strong-" he began but was cut off by a soft gasp. Grover jerked up.

"Zeus? Did he just say Zeus?"

"That girl is a daughter of Zeus-"

"-Big Three child!"

"-prophecy-"

"-and the war!"

"We can't let her in-"

"What?" Grover said, looking around the group of campers in alarm. "All of you back up-"

"You know Big Three kids are illegal!" one girl hissed, yanking out her sword. "We can't let one of those things in here! She could be the prophecy child!"

"So?" Grover asked. "She's already born and here. What are we supposed to do?" he asked, still clutching Annabeth. Luke and Thalia were still fighting with strikes of lightning from beyond the camp as Thalia handed off her shield to Luke, who kept the monsters off their backs. More whispers were rippling across the crowd. A few campers yanked the kids away, glowering.

"We can't let her in. She's too dangerous," someone muttered. Grover bleated.

"She's not dangerous!" Annabeth shouted and ripped her arm out of Grover's grip. "She's my friend!" She went to sprint out after them. Another camper pulled the back of her shirt, sending her tumbling backward to the ground. This did little to deter her as she started yanking and slashing with feral growls that had a few others look down at her in alarm.

"Thalia's a good person," Grover said firmly. "We might even want her to be the prophecy child. She could-" he started but was cut off by Luke diving across the line and tossing Thalia's shield back to her.

"We did it! Thals, come on!" he called, raising his hands to the sky in triumph. Thalia laughed as she moved to put her first foot over the line, only for the sound of another blade being drawn to freeze her. The smile slipped off of her face as she stared back at the demigod in confusion.

"We can't let you in," the camper said, and Thalia blinked. "Leave."

"That isn't funny, dipshit. There are monsters right behind me-"

"Then leave fast."

"Shaun," Grover frowned and stormed up. "Put that down!"

"I'm with him," another girl called and drew her bow and arrow. "Look at all the monsters she's already attracted. We can't have that here-"

"Are you insane?!" Luke shouted, scrambling up. "They're almost here! Let her in-" he began but was shoved back by some of the other campers. Annabeth also reached out, trying to get to Thalia as more and more campers surrounded them, bringing out their weapons with them all directed at a shocked Thalia.

"I'm- I'm not- you can't do this," Thalia objected and pulled her spear back out. She looked over her shoulder, breathing picking up. "I will fight my way in if I have to," she warned. Shaun shrugged.

"You can try."

Thalia's eyes flashed, and with a sudden jolt, Percy found himself jerking up in bed.

The next day was decidedly worse.

Percy was terrible at literally everything he tried. Terrible. Plus, people were watching him in weird ways, which didn't help. It felt like he was being followed with a camera everywhere he went - campers waiting to pull out their weapons and yell, 'I SAW HIM BLOW HIS NOSE! HE'S A SON OF ZEUS AFTER ALL!' or perhaps 'HE STUBBED HIS TOE! A HADES CHILD!' or something equally ridiculous.

It was fine, though. Really. Grover was still there, and Grover was pretty great. He at least had one friend still within all of this nonsense.

Also, Luke. Luke really was cool. Now that Percy knew via his very reliable dream (seriously, were dreams reliable? Was that a thing?) that he had defended Thalia, he felt much more comfortable around him. Not that Percy was certain he was a Big Three kid or anything. Maybe he was the child of someone who just... looked like a Big Three guy.

"Don't look so down," Luke had told him as he corrected his grip on the sword during training. "It takes time to figure what you're good at. Be patient," he assured him. "You'll get claimed soon."

"And if I'm not?" he asked, trying not to sound too worried by the idea. Luke's lips pursed at that. He didn't even answer, instead just patting Percy on the shoulder and walking away. Great. Percy groaned. He was so dead. Not to mention the other weird stuff that was happening as it was since he had gotten to camp. Thunderstorms and earthquakes and... well, things that were apparently not normal here.

"Maybe they found out another one broke the oath," one girl whispered at the Hermes table over lunch one day.

"But wouldn't they just kill it?"

It. Percy focused on his food. It. That was what they called Big Three kids. It. The thought felt gross and uncomfortable. He didn't want to be an it. He was a person.

No. No, he wasn't - for all he knew he was a child of, um, well... Hermes? That felt like a valid option, right? Jack of all trades? Master of none? Only Percy was just bad at everything rather than average. Chiron was even looking at him weird - the same look he got when Percy took too long to answer a question in class. Only, here, he couldn't even venture a guess to make him stop staring at him like that.

"I don't think you're a child of Ares," Annabeth mused as they walked around camp. "But you don't want to be a child of Ares. Athena and Ares don't really get along that well. He's... really violent and just focused on bloody combat," she said. Percy nodded, kicking the ground. Yeah. Based on his fighting skills... not a candidate. "Maybe it's Apollo!" she suggested.

"I suck at archery."

"Or... well, you don't want to be Aphrodite," she said, and Percy tilted his head.

"Why not?"

"She's mean," Annabeth said with a wrinkle of her nose. Percy raised an eyebrow. "Once, when my mother created the flute, she wanted to show all the other gods, and Aphrodite made fun of her," Annabeth said with such offense that you would think she was the one who had been teased. Percy smiled at the ground. "What? It was awful! She made a new instrument, and Aphrodite was rude!"

"Annabeth..." Percy said, already knowing he was about to get yelled at. "Is there any god that Athena does get along with?"

Annabeth spluttered, face going bright red as she retaliated by hitting his shoulder.

"Yes!" she said and paused. "Zeus... and Artemis. And, um-"

"It was a joke," Percy told her, amused. "Besides, I can't be a child of Artemis or Zeus, so..." he gestured vaguely. Annabeth's face softened.

"It's probably Hermes," she said reassuringly. "You should want it to be Hermes. Luke is a son of Hermes. He would be a good brother."

Percy didn't bother to tell her Hermes didn't seem likely either. Maybe he should be planning his escape plan instead...

"Annabeth?" he asked, a little hesitantly. She turned, tucking a wayward curl behind her ear. "Um, I know I already mentioned it, but... Thalia Grace? What... what exactly happened to her?" he asked, wringing his hands. Annabeth's face darkened. She shrugged and marched off towards the arena. "Wait - Annabeth!" he called and raced after her. "Come on!"

"Why do you care?"

"Because..." he started and trailed off. He couldn't say that he might be in the same boat. "People keep saying her name, and I don't understand what happened. Did she do something wrong?" At that, Annabeth's face went completely blank. She paused, hand placed tightly on the handle of her knife as she turned to look at him for a long time.

"She was a child of the Big Three," she said - almost like a mantra. "Those kids are dangerous. They can't control their powers. They hurt people even if they don't mean to. They shouldn't exist, especially with this prophecy," she said. Percy stared at her. But... but... Thalia had been her friend, right? "Her existence was wrong, and if you find yourself with a Big Three kid, you need to turn them over," she warned him. "Or you're just as guilty."

Guilty of what? There was no way she believed that, right? They brainwashed her. Gods, this place was-

"Hey!" a voice called, and Percy turned to see a girl with a bandana walking over. She was bigger than him - definitely more muscular for someone his age - with the sleeves of her camp shirt torn off and eyes wild and filled with a fire that Percy didn't think he was going to enjoy. "It's a newbie! I heard you tried to defend the brat from earlier," she called. Annabeth made a face.

"Percy, this is Clarisse. Daughter of Ares," she said tersely. "Clarisse, why don't you go pray to your dad to save your butts from getting kicked later," she snapped. Clarisse sneered at her, flanked by two other kids who looked equally as excited haze Percy. He puffed out his chest. Yeah. This was a no-go for him.

"Stay out of this, wise girl," Clarisse told her, grabbing the collar of Percy's shoulder to yank him away. Oh, whatever. Percy was kind of glad Annabeth stayed put. He had to handle this himself. As it was, he had dealt with bullies before. This would be no different. Godly bullies were still bullies all the same. He tried to jerk out of her grip, but Clarisse was strong. He felt his anger rise as he was dragged towards the bathrooms - a strange feeling in his stomach rising right after she kicked open the door.

"Welcome to initiation," she cooed. Percy's jaw clenched, and the jerk behind his navel became stronger. There was a rumbling somewhere below them. Just as he felt the bathrooms shudder, a powerful pull came over him. Almost like someone had wrapped him in a blanket, binding him in place. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. His body almost completely went lax. It was like on the volleyball court again. What was this? Clarisse's hands were still on his neck, only now he couldn't seem to fight against her.

"Enough."

Percy's numbness was overtaken by a new person entering the bathroom. A pretty girl had marched in, looking downright feral as she sneered at the group of Ares kids surrounding him. They did pause, though. Something about her voice seemed… soothing.

"Let him go, Clarisse," she ordered. Clarisse's grip on his loosened. "Let him go," she repeated, and this time he fell to the ground as she released him completely. He gasped. The weird bind on him loosened slightly – not completely – but enough so that he could move again. He clambered to his feet and rushed over to the girl. "He's coming with me," she said and grabbed Percy's hand. Clarisse nodded, looking a bit dazed.

"Okay. He's going with you."

"Thank you," the girl told her and yanked him out of the bathrooms. "Let's go," she instructed him. "Before they snap out of it." Percy didn't question it. He felt the bind on him loosen a bit more. "Sorry about her. She can be a bit… well, you know," the girl told him. She was ridiculously pretty with long, dark hair and eyes that reminded him of browning leaves in autumn. A soft sprinkling of freckles was hidden beneath darker skin and perfectly applied makeup. "I'm Silena," she told him.

"Hi. I'm Percy," he said and glanced over his shoulder. "How… how did you do that?" He asked. Silena laughed.

"Charmspeak. I don't use it that often," she admitted. "Drew is honestly better at it than I am, but I can get by if the need arises," she told him. Percy stared. He didn't know who Drew was or what charmspeak even entailed, but sure. "You're the new unclaimed camper, right?" she asked. Percy nodded nervously. He tried to remember his mom's letter. No drawing attention to himself.

"Are you claimed?" he asked. Silena smiled. It relaxed him almost instantly.

"Yes," she said and pointed towards a horribly pink cabin in the corner. "Aphrodite. Goddess of love," she sighed and put a hand over her heart. Percy nodded. Right. Gross. "Rumor has it that you're good with water," she said.

"What? No! Who said that? What does that mean?" he asked, blood going cold. Silena scoffed.

"I meant canoeing," she said, and Percy stared at her. "Maybe you're one of us."

His fear froze.

"What?"

"Yeah!" Silena said with a shrug as Percy took long breaths, trying to calm himself. "My mother was the daughter of Thalassa. Her name literally means 'sea foam'. We have lots of ties to water," she said. "It isn't super common for her children to tap into that, but not impossible," she said, twirling a bracelet around her wrist. Percy only glanced down at it for a second, but Silena seemed to notice right away. "Do you like it?" she asked, holding it out. Percy almost jumped back. "Aphrodite gives one to every mortal lover she has. This was my dad's, but he sent it to me to make sure I was claimed right away," she said and chuckled. "I guess he thought my mom might forget about me."

Huh. That was... he looked down at the bracelet. It was a simple silver band with a glittering purple jewel inside, swirling as if a little bit of magic was inside.

"Is that possible?" he asked her quietly. Silena gave him a questioning look. "For gods to... forget they have kids?"

Silena's expression faltered for a moment. He wondered if he had asked the wrong thing. Based on Silena's expression, she didn't quite like that question. It disappeared seconds later, though, as she reached out and grabbed his hands, squeezing tightly.

"Don't you worry about anyone forgetting about you, Percy Jackson," she said warmly. "You've already gotten the gods' attention by slaying that Minotaur. I bet there are gods willing to claim you even if you aren't theirs." she laughed.

Wait.

"That's a thing?" he asked, and Silena raised an eyebrow. "Claiming kids who aren't theirs?"

"Oh, well, not... really. It's happened before," she admitted, letting go of him to clasp her hands in front of her. "The gods have so many kids... they can be hard to keep track of. Sometimes for really promising heroes, they just claim them by accident without realizing it isn't their kid. Kind of wistful thinking on their part. Usually, whenever the real parent steps forward, it gets fixed up real fast," she told him. Percy nodded, breath catching.

Really promising heroes, huh? Percy's eyes flickered over the camp. Could he trick someone else into claiming him? Just for a bit, at least. It would buy him time if nothing else. He could train here - learn to defend himself for a few years and then run away before anyone realized anything was amiss. Maybe he could figure out a way to get his mom back... they could hide out together somewhere. Just the two of them.

"...interesting," Percy finally said. It could be a last resort if he really wasn't claimed. After all, how could anyone be sure? How could his mother be sure? He didn't know how gods worked, but could she be absolutely sure which one his father was? Maybe someone nice and safe would claim him - like... nevermind.

"Don't worry," Silena said and squeezed his arm. "It really doesn't happen often. Let's go back to the Big House. I know Chiron wants to take you to the armory later," she said. Right. Percy nodded and let her drag him back towards the front of the camp. A few people stopped to stare at Silena - watching her all with doting eyes. Some waved and smiled at her. A couple of boys even stumbled over to stutter out a conversation.

"You're popular."

"It's an Aphrodite thing," Silena shrugged. "We're pretty well-liked. We have something about us that just... draws people in," she smiled. "It's also good for battle."

"Uh, what?"

"Oh, yeah. Sometimes you need someone to gawk at how pretty you are so they don't notice when you slit their throat," she said wisely. Percy blinked a few times.

"Sure," he said and squirmed out of her grip. "I do that all the time."

Silena laughed - which was nice because not everyone appreciated his sarcasm. Apparently, it was a sign of 'disrespect' and a 'bad attitude', which had actually been Percy's response on why they maybe weren't laughing at his hilarious jokes. That quip had also not been well-received in the past.

"Oh, they're talking... again," Silena said, staring at a locked door with a frown. Percy was about to ask who when she frowned a little and then glanced at Percy. "How are you with rules? For or against?" she asked. Percy smiled.

"Against."

"Normally, that would appall me, but in this case, we can be friends," she smiled at him and quietly went to the window. He wasn't sure what exactly she did to it, but somehow the voices came out of it louder than they probably should. Percy frowned as Silena tucked something away in her pocket. Weird. He wanted to ask what it was but wasn't sure if their voices would be amplified too.

"...by the Summer Solstice!" Chiron was saying. "We may need to send a camper after it."

"Oh, let them fight," Mr. D returned with. "What do we care? If there's a war, then perhaps these brats would finally get the battle they all crave after," he grumbled. "My father's master bolt is no small thing. It isn't as if it could remain hidden forever."

"If Lord Hades has it-"

"Please," Mr. D said. "You know how my family squabbles. My uncle is convinced Poseidon also broke their sacred oath," he said, voice going mocking towards the end. Percy tensed. "If he had, then the child never made it here. That much is certain."

"For their sake, that might be a blessing," Chiron said bitterly. "I do not think Poseidon broke the oath. Not after seeing what happened to Thalia Grace," he said firmly.

"You're not still upset about that, are you?" Mr. D asked. "By gods, Chiron. She was-"

"A child," Chiron interrupted stubbornly. "And with all due respect, my lord, she was a hero."

"Hm. Well, you of all people should know how dangerous heroes can be."

"You were once one yourself, were you not?" Chiron asked quietly. Silence filled the room. Percy got the feeling he was pressing into territory he maybe shouldn't be. "And as a son of Zeus... how would you have survived this predicament?" he asked. "It has been many, many years, but I believe I once trained you within this camp too, Dionysus - and protected you from Hera."

Silena leaned back. Oh, no. Was Chiron about to get blasted? Percy readied himself to burst into the room, but all that followed was a long sigh.

"You're much too sentimental," Mr. D muttered. "Perhaps we should ask my brethren if they would like us to send one of their precious heroes to retrieve my father's bolt. All the dumb ones are looking to send their children after glory," he said. "It won't be my sons, I tell you that. Let Athena send her brats after the thing - or Apollo. They all have a streak of pride a mile long," he muttered. Silena's eyes flicked to Percy before she went back to the window. When she stepped away again, she bit her lip.

"Zeus' master bolt?" Percy finally asked. "What is that?"

"His symbol of power," Silena said slowly. "Like how Poseidon has his trident and Hades' his Helm of Darkness," she explained. Percy's mouth dropped.

"And it's gone?"

"Sounds like it - and there would be war if it isn't returned by the Summer Solstice," she said slowly. "Huh. Smart." Percy looked at her - bewildered by such a comment. "For Hades, I mean," she said quickly. Percy didn't really think it was that smart of him, considering he was already the top suspect and would be fighting in this upcoming war, but sure. He didn't have a chance to reply because right then, the door opened to reveal an exhausted-looking Chiron.

"Percy!" he greeted and then smiled. "Silena," he added. "What brings you both here?" Silena stepped forward and put a hand on Percy's shoulder.

"I was with Percy, and I remembered you mentioned getting him armor for tonight," she said. Percy blinked. Tonight? What was tonight? Chiron chuckled.

"Oh, yes, we must prepare for that," he said, shutting the door firmly behind him. Percy looked between them. Was nobody could to clarify this?

"Prepare for what?" he finally asked. Both laughed.

"Well, it is time," Chiron said with a warm smile. "For Capture the Flag."

Capture the Flag was, uh, what was the word? Oh, yeah. Boring.

Luke had put him on border patrol, which included just standing by the river in armor that didn't really fit, looking like an idiot.

Great.

Perhaps the god of bad pranks heard him, though, because his boredom was alleviated about twenty minutes later when a small group of angry Ares' kids descended upon him, weapons out.

"Well, well, well!" Clarisse called. "Look who it is! Beauregard isn't here to protect you now, is she? Let's see how you fare without her," she said, spear crackling to life with electricity. Percy wanted to roll his eyes, but he wasn't sure that was a suitable response, given how vastly he was outnumbered. A couple of the kids were getting closer with their own weapons out.

"Or maybe I can tell you where the flag is," Percy snapped. Clarisse clicked her tongue as Percy stepped back into the river, water filling his shoes so that he tripped into someone behind him.

"The flag can wait," the guy said. "We have some unfinished business with you first," he grinned and grabbed Percy's hair, yanking hard so that Percy fell onto his knees as the rest of them all gathered closer to them.

"Let me go!" Percy demanded, and, much to his surprise, the Ares kid immediately released him. Percy blinked. So did the other kids. "Oh," he said, a little taken aback. "Thank you."

"What the Hell are you doing?" Clarisse snarled and stepped towards him. Percy scrambled back out of the river, trying once again to order her to stop, but his words fell on deaf ears once more. He glanced around, trying to find a quick escape. There were too many of them to take himself. "Come on," Clarisse purred. "Don't tell me I'm scarier than a Minotaur, newbie!"

"Uglier," Percy said... which wasn't the brightest response. She snarled, swiping her spear forward so that it slashed his wrist as he tried to lift his sword in time.

"You better hope we don't find your pretty little friend who helped you," another Ares kid called. "We'll come for her next!"

Percy felt a spike of rage at the idea that they were off to bully one of the few people who had been nice to him next. Scowling, he stepped back into the water, right up to Clarisse, and put as much force as he could into his voice.

"You are not going to hurt her!" he seethed. Clarisse's eyes went blank. "Why don't you go back to your stupid-looking cabin if you're not going to play?" he demanded and braced himself for the first hit. It never came. In fact, Clarisse only stumbled back, blinking rapidly.

"Cabin," she murmured as if possessed. The others were following suit, all marching out of the water and back into the woods. Percy stared. What is the name of...? He looked around. Was Silena here? Maybe that Drew kid she mentioned? Nobody else appeared to be around. Slowly, he went to step back on the bank when he noticed a thin strand of water around his wrist where Clarisse had cut it. He wiped it away, only to find the scratch gone.

Had the water... healed him?

Curiously, he knelt down next to the river. There was a weird tug in his stomach - a slight tingle in his fingers as he placed his hand in. Immediately, the sensation of being burrito-ed in a blanket fell over him again. He groaned, hitting the water in frustration.

"Come on!" he said to nobody. "I just want to..." he began but trailed off. Want to what? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that the water was calling to him. Like a whisper deep within a cave. Part of him felt like he should run from it, but another part of him... he let his fingers fall over the water again and took a deep breath. "Please?" he whispered. There was a long pause, and then, slowly, the pressure surrounding him lessened. He almost swore that he felt a begrudging sigh somewhere in the cosmos.

This time, when his hand touched the water, he felt a jolt of energy spike through him. The tugging sensation in his navel was back. He lifted his hand and watched in utter fascination as the water rose with it. His breath caught for a moment. He raised his hand higher, and the water followed.

"Whoa," he breathed out and flicked his wrist. The water sprayed everywhere, much to his delight. He knelt to try again. The second time was yielding similar results until a sudden burst of pressure came over him once more and bound the feeling in his stomach, completely gone. "Hey!" he objected, opening his mouth with every intention of complaining more when the snapping of a twig caught his attention.

...that wasn't good.

"What is that?" a voice asked. The water froze alongside Percy for a moment before dropping back into the river with a splash. He spun around to find Silena staring at him with wide eyes. Her helmet was on the ground next to her, armor glowing a soft pink. Percy swallowed. No. No, no, no. He looked down at the water and the back to her.

"Um, I - uh, that?" he asked. "You... well, you see," he began and laughed as he inched away from her. "That was... not what you might think it is. Though, just for informational purposes, what did you think that was?

Silena's expression was unreadable as she looked at him for a long time - eyes shifting from a lighter brown to the color of dark oak.

"I think I saw you manipulating water," she said. "But not like a child of Aphrodite ever could. Not like a child of... any god that belongs in this camp should," she said. Percy felt his skin prickle as he stepped back.

"Well, that's why I said it's not what you think it is," Percy informed her. "Because, boy, you are very wrong," he laughed and clumsily gripped at his sword. "You see," he began and looked around the forest. "I... am... a... god..."

"You're a god?"

"Yes. Yep, and I am here secretly to conduct an inspection of this camp," Percy told her. "So, please don't tell people about this. I'm in disguise."

Silena raised an eyebrow.

"I see. And which god am I addressing, my lord?"

"A water god," Percy said with a nod. "Like, a god of... the... puddles, more specifically," he said. Damnit. He might be making this worse. "But also maybe not because I'm a god and don't have to answer your questions," he added quickly. Silena dropped her arm so that her sword fell to the ground. Percy frowned at the action, but his concern rose again when she buried her face into her hands and let out a small scream. "Oh - no! No, don't do that! Shhh!" he tried desperately and rushed over. "Stop - stop it! I'm a god! Shh!"

"No, you're not!" she whisper-shouted. "Are you kidding me? There aren't that many gods that manipulate water, Percy!"

"But there are some?"

"Yeah," Silena said and threw up her hands. "Take a wild guess on who."

Percy bit his lip.

"There... there are lots of water gods," he said, sounding way too small. "Um, Triton? Or maybe, like, Thetis! That was Achilles' mom, right?"

"Oh, my gods. Oh, my - No!" Silena said and pointed a finger at his nose. "Those gods don't have children with mortals. Their kids go to a camp under the sea!"

"...but Achilles?"

"Thetis was caught by a mortal and- why am I explaining this to you?" Silena asked, throwing up her hands. "You're a-"

"No, I'm not! River god. There are river gods, right?" he asked. Silena looked at the sky for a moment and took several long breaths. "Please. We can't know for sure and- please? Maybe I am just some random minor god's child. That could be why I'm not getting claimed-"

"You took on a Minotaur with no training. You're clearly very powerful, Percy. Plus, you attracted the Minotaur! Your scent must be strong. Minor gods don't have smells that attract those kinds of monsters," she said and paced back and forth. "I have to turn you over," she mumbled to herself. Percy quickly shook his head.

"Or - and this is just an idea - you can just pretend this never happened?"

"Why did you come here?!"

"I didn't know!" he shouted and then winced as he looked around. "I didn't know what this place was or that you crazy people just murder each other over your parentage! You know who does that? The bad guys in movies! And dictators! I'm pretty sure dictators do that! All of you are a bunch of dictators!" he whispered, gesturing wildly. Silena gave a little squeal of frustration as she held out her hands as if to choke him.

"You're dangerous!"

"You don't know me!" Percy objected. "I am not dangerous at all. I cried during Bambi! Dangerous people don't cry during Bambi!"

"Everyone cries during Bambi!" Silena shrieked. "I - okay. Okay," she said and took a deep breath. "You are... twelve. I am almost fourteen. That makes me the older one and in charge of what to do," she said. Percy made a face. That didn't seem like sound logic at all. "Now, if I tell the other campers, they might kill you," she muttered, pacing. "I could tell Chiron. He would take you to the gods... who... also... might kill you," she muttered. "You can run?" she said and groaned. "But you've barely trained. You would die for sure out there!"

"Death, death, and death," Percy muttered. "Great."

"Even if you survive, then what? You're the prophecy child?" she asked, looking Percy up and down warily. "You just admitted to crying over Bambi! You can't lead us through a war!" Percy cleared his throat.

"Um, you just said everyone cries during Bambi."

"Now isn't the time for this," Silena said. Percy scowled at her. You know what? Fine. Whatever. It didn't sound like he was going to have many options, anyway. He might as well go out like Thalia Grace did. He raised his sword and puffed out his chest. If she could fight to her death, then damnit... so could he. Silena watched for a moment before closing her eyes. "I won't tell," she whispered. Percy paused.

"...you won't?"

"I'll figure out something. I know someone who can arrange for you to go somewhere safer," she said and ran a hand through her hair. "Though I'm not sure he should know the truth either..." she muttered and then looked around. "Go. Run. We didn't see each other. Just don't be stupid again, understand me? No water powers!" she said. Percy nodded. Right. Yes. Totally. He understood. A hundred percent. His heart picked up speed as he turned to race away when a thought struck him. He turned back around.

"What if I get claimed?"

"He wouldn't dare-"

"No. Not by... him," Percy said slowly. Silena tilted her head. "By someone else. You said that could happen, right? If I was claimed by someone who wasn't, well, you know, could I stay here?" he asked. Silena blinked.

"Maybe... but you would need a quest or something. Unclaimed kids don't get quests."

Hm. Percy pursed his lips.

"But... what if I know of a quest I could possibly complete? I could just go on it, right?"

"Alone?"

"Would you come?" he asked, a little hopefully. Silena seemed smart. Better than him with a sword, at least. Her face softened for a moment before sighing.

"I can't leave my siblings like that," she sighed. "I'm camp counselor. I won't risk leaving them over someone I just met," she said, though there was at least a hint of an apology in her voice. Percy grimaced. Worth a shot. "Tell you what, though. I hear Annabeth Chase is desperate for a quest... if you think you can convince her," she said and gave a slight shrug. "Now go. Quick. Until the game is over."

Annabeth Chase. Of course.

Percy nodded and raced off into the woods without another word.

"You want to what?"

Annabeth was not as excited as he had hoped she would be about this potential quest.

"Zeus doesn't have his bolt and is mad about it, so someone has to go get it," Percy told her impatiently. "Chiron won't give me a quest unless I'm claimed, but I might not be claimed if I don't do something worth their attention. The Minotaur thing didn't work, so I have to try this," he said, choosing his words carefully. Annabeth looked at him - nose scrunched up as she leaned back against the pine tree she had been reading under.

"And you want me to go with you?"

"I thought you wanted a quest?" Percy asked. Annabeth pursed her lips.

"It isn't really a quest if it isn't given to you. It's just us being stupid, and Athena does not do stupid," she said. Percy made a face at her. Well then. Two could play at that game.

"Yes, I suppose the smarter option is to just sit safely at camp where nothing can hurt you and train a little more until someone gives you an official quest," he said and crossed his arms over his chest. "How is that working out for you, wise girl?" Annabeth flushed. She slammed her book closed and glared.

"Quests usually have three people, newbie," she snapped, abandoning her book to stand up and march over to him. Percy shrugged.

"I can ask Grover."

Annabeth faltered.

"Look," Percy said. "We already know where the bolt is. We just have to go to the Underworld and get it. How hard can that be?"

"The Underworld is in LA."

"So maybe it's a little hard," Percy rectified. "But, come on, you're smart... and you've been training for this your whole life," he reasoned. Annabeth bit her lip. "Please?" he asked. "I barely know how to use my sword, and if I don't get claimed soon, then I might end up like that one girl who they dragged away to the gods," he said and swallowed. Annabeth's face went blank. "I'm not a Big Three kid. I'm not, but... I can't risk them thinking I might be," he managed. Annabeth closed her eyes. Ten seconds passed as Percy held his breath.

"Fine," she finally said, and Percy perked up. "Fine, we can do this, but you better listen to me, Jackson! I'm not getting killed because you have something to prove," she said - as if she hadn't agreed to this because she had something to prove. "And only if Grover agrees to it. I can sneak us out tonight," she said. Percy felt his stomach flip.

"Tonight?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No! Tonight is good! I can go pack," Percy said and grinned at her. "Thank you!" he added brightly. "I promise, this is going to go well," he said and let his mind wander. The Underworld... where his mother was. Percy swallowed and gave Annabeth one last smile before rushing off down the hill to find Grover. Right. This was under control. He could do this. He could!

"You want to what?"

"That's what Annabeth said," Percy said, a little put out by the lack of excitement. "Look, I know it's a lot to ask of you. I just-"

"No, I'm going," Grover interrupted him. Percy paused.

"...really?"

"I'm your protector," Grover said with a shrug. Percy felt his earlier indignance of that statement melt a little into relief. Honestly, he had never had a friend who was as great as Grover before. "Of course I'm going with you." He gave a weak smile that did very little to hide the anxiety behind this decision. Inwardly, Percy made himself a promise not to let a single monster near him. "Besides, it is the quickest way to get you claimed. And if you're not..."

Percy tilted his head. He knew that Grover had to know. He admitted to at least suspecting...

"Then I don't have to go back."

"I can't just leave you out there," Grover said. Percy tried to ignore the rising nervousness swishing around his chest.

"Well, hopefully, we won't have to worry about it," he said. There was a whisper of doubt in his mind. Even if he completed this quest... would that be enough? Who would think to claim him? How did he convince some invisible power to say he was their child? He swallowed. Now wasn't the time to think like that. He would figure it out as he went. Besides, his primary goal was to get his mom back. That was all that really mattered. "It isn't going to end up like last time," Percy added quietly - for Grover's sake.

There was a sharp gust of wind, and Grover's eyes flicked towards the pine tree out in the distance.

"So, what's the escape plan?" He asked.

As it turned out, Annabeth's 'escape plan' was just Luke. The guy was pretty popular. Figures.

"Don't worry," he greeted when Grover and Percy approached him behind the Hermes cabin. "I'm not here to rat you out," he said. Annabeth rippled into view as she took off her Yankee cap beside him. "I've snuck kids out of camp before. I consider myself a bit of an expert," he smiled dryly and gestured them over. Percy approached cautiously. "Here. I made this tunnel a few years back with the help of some... friends," he said slowly and brushed aside some bushes and debris to reveal a wooden door with a lock on it. Luke knelt to punch in a code. A small click followed.

"Why?"

"Thalia," Luke said simply. Then looked up with a sad smile. "I kept thinking that if we had managed to ever get her into camp... she might have needed a way out. It could happen to another camper. So I made one," he said and pushed the door to the side. "But you'll need to hurry. This will take you straight out towards the road at the bottom of the hill. If someone finds out, they can still catch you. I've given you some money to call a cab and all that," he said, handing Annabeth a backpack. "Be careful - hey," he added, grabbing Annabeth's elbow. "Be careful," he repeated to her. She flushed but nodded quickly.

"I'm always careful," she grumbled and pulled out of his grip. Percy wanted to roll his eyes but instead eyed the passage in front of them warily. Luke chuckled and ruffled Annabeth's hair. She somehow went an even brighter red as she glowered back before marching first into the tunnel with muttered goodbyes. Grover made a noise of distress at her quick disappearance and scampered to follow. Percy also took a step forward, but Luke's voice called him back.

"Silena told me you're doing this to get claimed," he said. Percy stiffened. "Don't worry," he said and placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "I don't think you're a Big Three kid. Silena says you actually might be an Aphrodite kid." Percy blinked. She said what now? "But if she forgets about you... you'll be okay," Luke told him. "We'll get you out of here if she doesn't claim you. Hell, I can get you out of here now if you like. You don't have to do this," he added gently.

Percy hesitated.

"But... where would I go?" he asked, looking down at where Grover and Annabeth had already gone. Luke smiled.

"Somewhere safe," he said. Percy wasn't sure why he didn't trust that. Luke was nice. Silena trusted him. Maybe he should... still. A voice was whispering in the back of his head that the bolt was in the Underworld. Where his mother was. This might be his only chance to get her back. Biting his lip, he shook his head.

"I can do this."

Luke nodded.

"Then good luck and - oh, wait one more second. You have someone else who wants to say goodbye," he said. Percy blinked just as he felt someone tap his shoulder. Spinning around, he turned to find Silena Beauregard waiting with her arms full of a blue backpack and a purse.

"Hi," he said and smiled weakly. "Thank you for..." he trailed off, not wanting to risk saying something to give him away - even in front of Luke.

"Here. I have some good luck gifts for you," Silena said, pulling him to the side. Percy watched as she reached into her purse and pulled out three items. "Eyeliner. You know, in case you want to practice or something," she said. Percy frowned as he accepted it slowly. Um. Sure. Eyeliner was... cool? "This book. It's about my mother. I've made notes in it for you. If you wanted to learn… about her," she said and placed a leather-bound book in his hands. "It has all the true versions of her myths," she said and then lastly held out her bracelet. "And you can borrow this. I recommend wearing it so others can see it. Maybe say it was your mother's," she said and placed them all in the blue backpack before handing it to him.

Aphrodite. Percy's heart dropped. She was trying to get him claimed by Aphrodite - and giving him all the tools to blend in. How though? Percy felt like the least Aphrodite person to exist.

"She'll never claim me," he whispered. Silena shook her head, eyes wild as she looked around for anyone who could be watching.

"My mother doesn't remember half of her children as it is," she said with a note of bitterness. "If you impress her, it won't matter. Return the bolt in her name. She'll claim you if you act the part. If you stay unclaimed, then they'll figure out what you really are," she said, squeezing his hands tightly. Percy's heart sped up.

"I - I don't know the first thing about Aphrodite-"

"My mother was born of sea foam," Silena cut him off. "And if you're really who I think you are... you are the sea. You can pull this off," she said and touched his cheek. "Get the bolt. Survive," she said. Percy swallowed.

"What if I can't act the part?" he asked. Silena's expression went blank for a moment. Slowly, she placed the bracelet in his hands.

"If you're going to be one of us... you better learn."

Percy tried not to let that alone strike fear into him. So instead, he hugged her and accepted the bag. Luke was still waiting behind them, scanning the area carefully before gesturing Percy towards the entrance.

"It's okay if you're afraid," he said as Percy took the first step in. "They're all cowards here. Killing innocent people over something they might do. Killing innocent people over who they might be," he said darkly. "The gods won't ever stop it. Don't let them bully you into buying into that mindset." Percy nodded as he stepped inside, feeling dirt squish underneath his feet. "You're already braver than half of them," he said. "Good luck."

And with that, he slammed the door shut.

don't expect consistency