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

3. 3

Son of Sea Foam

CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

"SILENA!"

Look, Percy would say it. He would say it. His mom (the mortal one) spoiled him. There. He said it.

That was a little fair. Percy had grown up poor. He had grown up with Gabe. It made sense that his mom showered him with love and affection. She didn't get upset with him all that often and didn't really nag him. Percy really did try his best to be a good kid for her, and she knew that. It was this mutual understanding that they were trying their best for one another that allowed them to have such a great relationship.

Silena, on the other hand…

"Get your ass up and clean, Jackson! Honestly, everyone else here has done their part but you!" the demon child seethed. Percy felt his blood boil a little in return. Living with a bunch of other people (ahem, Aphrodite kids) wasn't particularly easy. It wasn't a challenge he had anticipated, but damn…

Drew spent literal hours getting ready every morning. Mitchell was really weird about people touching his stuff. Lacy was clingy. Valentina never stopped talking. Jaime hogged the bathroom. It was just a mess, okay? Worst of all was Silena.

Don't get him wrong. Silena was great. Most of the time.

"It's clean, okay? Look! Clean!"

"I am not failing camp inspection because of you!"

Never in his life had Percy ever had someone been so hard on him as Silena freaking Beauregard was. It wasn't even just the cleaning. She was ruthless about everything. French? No, it wasn't enough for him to know the basics. He had to be fluent. It wasn't enough for him to know how to do a braid. He had to do a mermaid braid, a French braid, a whatever-the-hell-he-didn't-care-at-all braid. Honestly, was someone going to pop up and say, 'no, he can't do a waterfall braid. He's Poseidon's kid. Let's kill him'?

No. No, they were not.

"We're not going to fail cabin inspection! You're the one giving it!" he shouted, waving his hands around. Silena took a long breath before looking at the ceiling and swearing under her breath in French. When she looked back down, Percy was still glaring.

"And let me tell you something, Perseus. If I walk into this cabin and see that. I will fail us."

"Well, that's on you."

"Clean your bunk!"

"It is clean!"

"I – I swear I'll charmspeak you to do it!" she warned, pointing a finger at his face. Percy snorted. Right. As if she would. "You know what? I have a better idea," she muttered and stormed out of the cabin. Percy scoffed and flopped back on the bed. Whatever. He had things to mull over.

Tyson, for one thing. Poseidon had… claimed him. How did he feel about that?

It wasn't like anyone knew Percy was a son of Poseidon. Was this a message to him somehow? A warning? A sign? He didn't understand. Was it a… punishment? He didn't get it. Tyson was great, but… he shifted a little uncomfortably. But what? He swallowed. He knew what the 'but' was. He just didn't want to admit it.

Ugh. Maybe he was a little vain after all. To care about-

The door slammed back open. Percy jumped when he saw Silena had returned, this time with a celestial bronze ax.

"Silena, what the actual-"

"Here's the deal. I don't know why you're throwing yourself a pity party over there. We can talk about it later, but right now, we have ten minutes until inspection starts. I like things to look nice. So make them look nice, or I will chop everything you own in half," she said. Percy spluttered.

"That seems counterintuitive-" he began but was silenced when she sliced right through one of his socks sitting on the ground. "FINE!" he shouted and rolled out of bed, ignoring Silena sneering at him. "This cabin is a goddamn nightmare-"

"Keep talking, and your skateboard is next."

"Cut my skateboard, and I will cut your hair off in your sleep."

"Jokes on you. I have freaking magic hair. It grows how I want it," Silena said and pointed her ax at a dresser. "Get some flowers to put there. Go. Now."

Damn her and her freaking magic hair. He was still fuming a good three hours after inspection was over and they were paired with the Athena cabin to practice sparring. Even training didn't put him in a good mood.

"… didn't take you as a crop-top kind of guy," Annabeth said as Percy sunk into the ground with a grumble while taking a sip of water. He glanced over at her.

"I'm not. Silena cut my shirt in half."

Annabeth wisely did not ask for any elaboration.

"You guys been... a little terse with one another," she said instead, slowly. Percy sighed. That was one word for it. He glowered at where Silena was gently correcting Lacy's grip with a warm smile. "She treats you differently," Annabeth noted with a hint of caution.

Because he wasn't really one of them, a voice whispered. The thought made his stomach twist a little. He bit his lip, playing with a thread on his shirt.

"I guess I have the most to learn."

"I think you're doing okay."

Percy looked up at her.

"...really?" he asked. Not that she knew everything that was really going on, but... still. It was nice to hear someone say it. Annabeth looked at him for a moment. In the back of his mind, he remembered his father's warning - Annabeth was dangerous. If anyone could figure out who he was - especially after last summer - it was her.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I mean, you're different from most of them, but that isn't a bad thing-" she began, and Percy felt a flash of annoyance.

"No, I'm not!" he snapped at her. Gods, nevermind. He threw his sword down and walked over to where Silena was still with Lacy, ignoring Annabeth behind him completely. Part of him felt a little bad at losing his temper, but he also remembered her reaction to Tyson and decided he didn't feel that bad. "I don't feel like training. Can I go?" he asked Silena. She glanced over at him.

"...is it the shirt?" she asked and stood up. "I'm sorry. I'll get you another one," she sighed as she waved Lacy away to spar with Jaime.

"No. Just not in the mood. I figured I could hang out by the beach since nobody is there," he said casually. Silena narrowed her eyes. "Please. I know Aphrodite kids are super social," he mimicked, ignoring her eyes narrowing further. "But I need some time alone with all this Thalia Grace talk."

"We aren't all super social," Silena told him and then crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. Just be careful and - Percy," she said, grabbing his arm when he started to inch away. "Seriously, what is going on with you?" she asked, studying him over. Oh. Right. That was another Aphrodite thing he didn't have. Sensing emotions. He felt his frustration spike. "Is it really just Thalia Grace?"

"Yes," he lied. Silena didn't look convinced but let him go.

"Alright," she said and then picked her own sword back up. "Just don't be stupid - and maybe bring a few of the books I gave you to read!" she called after him.

"You're not my teacher!"

"Yes, I am!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I'm going to find a way to cut off your magic hair!" he vowed. Silena's laughter echoed after him.

Percy waved her off, pausing only for a moment to look at where Thalia's tree was wilted at the camp's edge. When Annabeth had taken him and Tyson to camp, they had fought two Colchis bulls. Or, rather, Clarisse had taken care of one and Tyson the other before getting claimed. By Poseidon. Because Tyson was a cyclops... and thus a son of Poseidon.

Luckily, the kátara mentality didn't appear to apply to cyclops, but...

"You appear to be deep in thought," a voice said. Percy turned to find Chiron behind him, suitcase in hand, as he gave a weak smile. "Something on your mind?" Percy put his hands in his pockets and sighed.

"I want you to stay."

"It is never a good idea to disobey the gods," Chiron told him, and Percy's mind flickered again to Luke. He and Silena hadn't spoken much of the incident. He knew she was continuing to spy in the camp. His eyes flicked to Thalia's tree again. Had she...? No. Percy shook his head. Silena wouldn't do that. She wouldn't endanger campers. She and Luke were trying to save them. That was their whole thing to sneak them out. It had to be someone else.

"Perhaps the gods are wrong."

"Perseus," Chiron chided and gave a weak smile. Percy only shook his head. "Perhaps, in time, I may clear my name. For now, we must focus on keeping the camp safe and secure," he said, voice thoughtful. Percy tried not to dwell too much on what would happen if it wasn't. "Tantalus will... do a fine job," he added on, though his voice was almost sarcastic. Percy wasn't sure he had ever heard Chiron use sarcasm before.

"Yes, he seems like a real mentor," Percy muttered, and bit his lip. "You'll be back soon," he said - trying to reassure himself as well. Chiron chuckled and clasped a hand on his shoulder. His eyes studied him for a moment.

"Be careful, my boy. Remember who you are," he said and turned away with his hooves lightly clicking against the cobbled path. Percy wanted to laugh. Remember who you are. He couldn't remember who he was when he hadn't even figured it out in the first place. Trying to keep the pain to a minimum, he turned to continue his walk back to the beach. His shoulders seemed to instantly relax upon seeing the waves. Gods, part of him wanted to just... walk forward. Right into the water. Just to see if he could breathe underneath again and rest among the currents. A pressure fell over him again, and Percy shoved the invisible cloth away.

"I wasn't going to do it!" he snapped and then winced. "Sorry, sorry," he whispered quickly. It was easy to lose his patience with a god he couldn't see. He wasn't blasted from the sky, so that was something. "Um, while I have your attention, though..." he began and looked around. "I wanted to ask about Tyson."

"Tyson?"

Percy jumped. Apparently, he hadn't noticed someone there after all. Tyson himself was standing behind him - eye wide and interested as he shuffled up next to him.

"Hey, buddy. What are you doing here?" Percy greeted warily. Tyson looked at him.

"Looking for daddy," he answered quietly. "Claimed me," he murmured. Percy nodded. He did indeed. Percy wasn't sure why. Not exactly. The whole thing was confusing for him. They sat in silence for a few moments. Tyson watched the waves with a sort of... solemness that Percy hadn't seen on him before. He was usually such a nervous mess of a person with a sweet streak a mile wide.

"Are you happy Poseidon claimed you?" Percy finally asked, turning to him. Tyson wrinkled his nose.

"Yes," he decided. "I am happy." He looked back out towards the waves for a moment. Percy waited. Sure enough, Tyson wrung his hands together and spoke again. "We are friends?" he asked him. Percy nodded quickly. More than friends. Brothers, technically. Still, he couldn't tell Tyson that. The guy might go bursting around camp announcing it. Percy doubted he fully understood exactly what the danger for someone like him was.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Annabeth is not my friend," he said quietly. Ah. Percy shook his head.

"She is your friend. She just... is in a bad mood," he explained. Tyson brightened a bit at that. "But let's give her some space for now," he said quickly. Tyson deflated at that but nodded. "Let's, um, maybe train instead," he said and then paused. Was that actually safe? Tyson had proven himself to be a formidable fighter. Still, the idea of Riptide accidentally nicking him and turning his secret-sort-of-brother into a pile of golden dust seemed not ideal. Tyson didn't give him a chance to take it back before swooping him into a hug.

"Training!" he agreed, almost snapping Percy in half. "Very fun! I will find a big stick," he decided as he set Percy down. Yes. Great. Fine. Black spots danced in front of his eyes before he recovered. Still, he found himself grinning a bit as Tyson bounded away to ready himself for the action. There was a small part of him... that felt a little relieved by Tyson's existence. Living up to the Aphrodite kids was no easy feat, but with Tyson...

Nevermind. That was an awful thought. He was just grateful to have a sibling who didn't yell at him all the time.

With that at the front of his mind, he decided to find a stick of his own to fight Tyson with.

Percy liked Castor.

...which was strange because he hated Castor and Pollux's dad, but whatever. Mr. D rarely paid him much mind anyway.

"You're pretty good at this," Castor mused as he watched Percy carefully pat the dirt down on some of the strawberry plants. "Maybe you're a secret Demeter kid," he said. Percy laughed.

"Nah, Silena and I just spent a lot of time planting flowers around our cabin," he confessed. It had been Silena's way of teaching him the name of literally every flower in existence. Gods, it had been a week of torture, but damnit, he knew the difference between tulips and petunias, and nobody could take that from him. "If I try to plant anything more complicated than that, then it dies on principle," he said, dusting his hands off. "Hey... speaking of which- why can't the Demeter kids just heal Thalia's tree?" he asked, eyes flicking out towards where the camp patrol was. Castor grimaced.

"Poison isn't really one of the Demeter kids forté," he said, looking annoyed. "You would think that a god of some sort could take care of it..."

"I'm guessing you brought this up to your father?"

"Hm," he said with a wry smile. "I do love him, but sometimes our conversations make me want to tear my hair out," he sighed, shaking his head. "You're so lucky your mom is Aphrodite. I wonder what it's like to have a charming godly parent," he drawled out. Percy laughed. "But, yeah, my dad says he can't heal it. I don't know if I believe him or not," Castor said, running his hands through his hair. Percy picked a strawberry out and took a bite, letting the juice burst in his mouth. "I think he's more concerned with clearing Chiron's name, honestly."

Percy felt a surge of annoyance bubble up at the reminder.

"Yes, why is he being accused again?" Percy asked. "Because him being Kronos' son is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Zeus is Kronos' son. They're all his kids! Well, most of them." He rolled his eyes. Castor raised an eyebrow. "I'm just saying. Everyone is related somehow anyway. Plus, it seems dumb to base your opinion on someone off of their parent," he said, trying not to show how personal he felt about that.

"You're going to get blown up," Castor said, though his voice was a little fond. "But they're a paranoid bunch," he explained with a shrug. "Besides, the gods have been looking for a way to get rid of him since Elliott Parker." He grabbed another bucket to fill.

"Who?" Percy asked, helping him pile some strawberries into the bucket. Castor paused to bite into one before giving Percy a thoughtful look, chewing slowly.

"He was a kátara," he said and then shook his head. "Or at least said to be. Nobody knows for sure. It happened back in the sixties, and Chiron was adamant he wasn't really Poseidon's kid. Poseidon was said to have denied it too," he shrugged. Percy's brows came together. "Anyway, he came to camp and said he was a Big Three kid, and he warned the campers to kill him before it became a problem," he explained. "But nobody wanted to do it. He had made friends and stuff. Besides, technically, he was unclaimed."

"Funny," Percy said with a shake of his head. "I don't think Thalia Grace had that leniency."

"And this is why," Castor agreed. "They should have killed him when they had the chance. He ended up slaughtering six people. One of them was an Aphrodite kid," he added with a nod towards Percy. "That one was the worst. Aphrodite was said to be so pissed... she killed him herself." Percy froze. Um, what? "Parker didn't even have a chance to have a trial. She put his head on a spike and everything."

"She what?"

"Yeah," Castor shuddered. "That was the last time they let a Big Three kid in the camp. There was said to be an unclaimed kid after that... maybe a daughter of Hades? She killed someone too. Hades got real huffy about it. Said she wasn't his, but... well, not many demigods can talk to ghosts like she was said to." Castor waved his hand. "Besides, who else would just kill someone for no reason? That's a kátara thing." Percy didn't respond. His mind was spinning.

What was it that Aphrodite had said to him?

I will not allow them to harm another child of mine. Not again. That damned Son of Poseidon will be the last one.

Well, this Elliott kid must be what she meant... Percy bit his lip.

"Hey," he said, looking out over the field where Silena and Troy were eating lunch under one of the camp's larger trees. "I have to go ask Silena something. I'll see you later, right?" he asked. Castor gave a mocking gasp.

"You're leaving me here alone? In these dangerous times?"

"I have faith you can defend yourself."

"And what if a kátara comes along?" Castor sniffed. "I know you're really just off to see Annabeth. You think she's a better friend than me," he said, sticking out his tongue. Percy returned it, fighting back a pained look at the backhanded comment. Not that Castor meant anything by it. He didn't know. Couldn't know.

"If you see a kátara, then maybe give them one of your strawberries," he said with a small shrug, walking backward as Castor continued pouting. "That will surely purge the evil from their hearts!" he called and dashed off towards his siblings. Troy had been claimed a few weeks before Percy came to camp, so they were new Aphrodite kids together. He was younger - only eleven, with dark eyes and the smoothest skin Percy had ever seen in his life. According to Silena, he seemed to have some sort of... weird power that none of them could quite figure out. Apparently, if Troy held your hand long enough, he thought of a random name.

Well, not random, but nobody was sure what the name meant... well, not exactly anyway. It had something to do with who you might be in love with. Drew said it is who someone could fall in love with you, while Lacy was adamant that it was who someone will fall in love with you. Mitchell said it was who the person was currently in love with. Troy said he was eleven and didn't care. Troy was probably one of Percy's favorite siblings.

"Hey, there," Silena beamed up as he approached. "Come to eat with the cool kids?" she asked lightly.

Percy glanced over at Troy. "I have a personal matter to discuss," he said flatly.

Troy's eyes flicked up at him. "...is it your hair?" he asked. Percy glared. "I think you would look good with purple hair."

Troy was no longer one of Percy's favorite siblings.

"Huh," Silena said and looked at Percy thoughtfully. "Maybe. Maybe some highlights?"

"Maybe if he grows it out-"

"It isn't about my hair," Percy cut them off with a sigh. "Troy, can you give us a minute?" he asked. Troy shrugged before licking his fingers. He gave a small wave before rolling over and sprinting down the hill with a shout at some kids to wait up so he could be first to the rock-climbing wall. Silena watched him go fondly before turning to Percy with a slight tilt of her head.

"Aphrodite killed a son of Poseidon?" Percy demanded, looking around to make sure nobody overheard. Silena blinked. "Castor told me! She put his head on a spike! How could you have not told me this?" he whispered. Silena pulled back, looking startled.

"Why is that relevant?"

"Why is that-? Silena, what is she going to do to me if she finds out about me?" he asked. "You think she's going to give me a chance after my potential brother killed her kid?" He looked around again, feeling a thousand invisible eyes on him. "Why did you let me come to this cabin?"

"It wasn't like I could get you into the Ares cabin," Silena said. "Besides, what does it matter? You're not going to get caught - and if you were, they would kill you no matter what," she shrugged. Percy glared at her. "Look, that happened like forty years ago, and nobody knows for sure if he was really Poseidon's kid-"

"It feels like it matters a bit to me," Percy snapped at her. "You spent an hour explaining to me the differences between burgundy and red but didn't mention the casual murder?" he asked her. Silena sighed. She sighed. As if he was somehow the taxing one in this situation. "You know what? Whatever. Fine," he said and turned away. Silena got up to go after him. "I'm going out for a bit-"

"Percy."

"You're not my mom, Silena," he said, getting more irritable. "And trust me, I have enough. I- ow!" he complained when she yanked at his arm. "I just want to skateboard for a bit!"

"Not again with the skateboard!" Silena groaned. "Percy, nobody else in our cabin likes it. Don't you think it makes you stick out too much?" she asked as if they hadn't had this argument a thousand times.

"It's a skateboard!" Percy told her. "Can you please stop complaining about it?"

"Why did you have to bring it to camp?!"

"Because I wanted to - and don't be too alarmed by this - skateboard," Percy said dramatically. Silena narrowed her eyes. "Come on. Nobody else likes it because nobody else has tried it! And besides - there's a pretty design on the bottom of it," he added, which was probably the dumbest thing he could say at that moment. Silena didn't really like condescension all that much. Nor did she tolerate it well.

"You may find it easy to forget," she said, taking a step towards him. "But I'm still the better swordsman between the two of us. So if you want to try that game with me, then maybe think about who is going to win if it comes to a fight."

Percy pursed his lips.

"I wasn't-"

"You were," she said and shook her head. "Just get ready for the chariot race. It may have escaped your attention, but Tantalus isn't Chiron. If he notices something is off, then he will call you out. Maybe think about that too. You know, before you do something stupid," she said. Percy rolled his eyes. Apparently, everything he did was stupid.

Too loud? No. Too quiet? No. Aphrodite kids were charming. They were funny - in a subtle way. They were rarely in a bad mood. They were never this or that or what-freaking-ever.

Percy was just over it. He wasn't perfect. Aphrodite kids were. If he didn't get it together, then he might die. Great. Dying might be easier at this point, honestly.

Bitterly, he went to turn away, but Silena caught his elbow again.

"I'm sorry," she said gently and squeezed his arm. "I didn't mean to snap at you. Let's go back to the cabin to get changed," she suggested, voice softening. Percy looked down. He didn't see what was wrong with what he was wearing, but sure. Letting his feet drag a bit, he forced himself to follow her back to the cabin. Silena tried a few times to get him into a conversation - offering small olive branches along the way, but Percy was too exhausted to really engage. He didn't feel like talking about how he met Tyson, the new school he had gotten kicked out of (again), or the random monsters they had fought before leaving for camp. The second they entered the cabin, he checked to see if it was empty before collapsing on his bed.

"Do you want to dye your hair?" she asked him with a slight nudge. Percy propped his head up.

"What?"

"What Troy was saying earlier. I like it black, but it's up to you," she said, raiding the closet. Percy didn't understand. They were going to be wearing armor for this race. What did it matter what their clothes were underneath? Still, he doubted it was an argument he would win, so whatever.

"Oh, I don't care."

Silena gave him a pitying glance.

"Okay, well, let me know if you want to try something later," she said, and bit her lip as she examined some fabric. "Maybe blue tips?" She suggested lightly. Percy considered. Blue wouldn't be bad, actually. He tilted his head at Silena.

"That won't make me look too punk?" He asked skeptically. Silena laughed.

"I think you can pull it off. Usually, we all have a phase where we dye our hair something wild. My hair was silver for a bit," she said. Percy raised an eyebrow. "What? I was ten. It was cute. Don't judge me," she said and sat down at the end of his bed. "Which one?" she asked, holding out two shirts. Percy stared. "...what is the difference between these two shirts?" she sighed. Percy gave a small wail of despair. Silena didn't even react. She simply waited as Percy finished whining.

"They're shaped different," he finally relented. Silena wrinkled her nose.

"That's one way to put it. They're different cuts-"

"Like with steak?"

Silena slowly lowered the shirts.

"You find new ways to upset me every single day, don't you?" she asked, completely deadpan. Percy pouted as Silena threw the shirts down and lightly pushed his head. "And how are the earrings?" Percy's hand flittered up. They weren't anything dramatic. Silena pierced them last summer and put a pair of simple black earrings in. It was a weird balance to keep him sort of Percy while leaning into the Aphrodite thing as much as possible. Though, in truth, he kind of liked them.

"Not infected," he said. "I was thinking I could also do my lip?"

"Absolutely not."

"Eyebrow?"

"You are thirteen."

"...nose?"

"Complete another quest, and you can get another piercing," she snorted fondly. Percy groaned. Whatever. If he had his way, he would be going after Grover anyway. "I think a few more might be a little too punk," she told him and smooth down his hair. "Come on, let's join the others. You and Annabeth are on a team, right?" Percy's lips thinned as he gave a terse nod. He and Annabeth hadn't been on the... best terms at the moment. She was weird about Tyson. Percy didn't get what her problem was, but there was some tension over him joining their team.

If Silena noticed his reaction (which she probably did - she noticed everything), then she didn't say anything and instead offered a tired smile of her own before leading him back to where Tantalus' chariot race was lining up along with the rest of the cabins - those who were competing, anyway. It looked like a few members of the Aphrodite cabin had decided to join as well... or maybe watch.

A quick rundown of Percy's siblings. There were… a lot. Since people tended to pop in and out of camp, he always seemed to be meeting new ones too. In total, there were thirteen girls, five boys, and Sam. Sam got their own category because they were one of those people who you just couldn't tell, and when asked, their only response was 'I'm pretty', which Percy figured was accurate enough to work. Everyone else accepted that as an explanation, so he figured he would too.

Silena was… well. Silena. She was actually the same age as Mitchell, who should be camp counselor, but decided he would 'rather eat bricks and slit open his own throat' than be responsible for anything ever. Percy deeply respected that. In general, Mitchell was pretty easygoing. The only issue with him was he was… too easygoing, if possible. He seemed to realize people would do things for him and then let them, which was just crazy in Percy's opinion.

"What?" he had asked when Percy watched a group of giggling girls excitedly take his chores. "They want to do it!"

"Silena is okay with this?" he asked. Mitchell snorted.

"I'm not doing anything wrong," he said with a wicked grin, running a hand through mint-green hair. He had dyed it after losing a bet against the Stoll brothers, but much to everyone's chagrin, he looked great with it. "Besides, now I have more time for other, more important things," he said. Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Like what? Are you doing the chariot race?"

"The-? No," Mitchell snorted. "I have better things to do. Not sure what, but..." Mitchell shrugged. "Now I have plenty of time for it!" he said and then looked down when an Apollo girl blushed as she held out Mitchell's newly sharpened sword. "Oh, thank you," he told her as Percy watched in disgust. "This looks great!" Percy could not believe Silena dared to call Percy lazy when Mitchell existed with a group of fangirls scrambling to do whatever he wanted (and no, it wasn't even charmspeak. Percy checked).

Then there was Drew. She was nice. Quiet. Possibly the quietest of all their siblings. When asked, Silena said she was going through a tough time and left it at that. Percy didn't bother to push on that door. It didn't look like she was competing either, given how she decided to simply sit off to the side, braiding Lacy's hair as she sang a soft song in French while Lacy licked a popsicle with eager eyes as she stared at all the chariots.

Lacy was one of the younger ones and by far the sweetest. Nobody had a complaint about Lacy... and nobody should. Valentina was also around Percy's age and fell into the realm of 'stereotypical Aphrodite kid' though Percy noticed she had… different powers. It wasn't charmspeak, but instead, Valentina seemed to alter perceptions to a degree. Kind of what he did with Ares, but the real thing (Aphrodite version, anyway).

"Hi Pollux," Valentina said as she danced over to where they were all standing. Percy narrowed his eyes. "I was feeling generous," she said and twirled a strand of her hair. "Since our chariot is so nice, I thought it was only fair to trade."

Percy shook his head. Valentina's chariot was a few planks of wood on wheels. It had taken her probably ten minutes to put together. However, there was a murmur of awe as everyone unanimously turned.

"You want to trade that?" someone from Pollux's team demanded. "Sucker. Let's do it!"

"Thanks," Valentina snorted and accepted the reins to her new chariot with a wicked wink towards Percy. He sighed. That. That was what he meant. It would probably be another ten minutes before Pollux even realized how much his new ride sucked. Percy grimaced as he looked for Castor, feeling a little bad his friend had been duped. He didn't have a chance to warn him, though. Annabeth had approached him in her armor, checking over her weapons.

"Ready?" she asked. Percy offered a weak smile, noting her determination to ignore Tyson standing nervously behind her.

"Born ready," he smiled and pointedly turned to Tyson. "You ready, big guy?" he asked. Tyson brightened at being addressed, giving a massive smile as Annabeth made an irritated face that had Percy wanting to redo their earlier argument with some stronger choice words.

"Ready," Tyson agreed. Percy beamed.

And...for the record... they were not ready... Nobody was ready for whatever that was.

Stymphalian Birds. Who would have guessed it? Probably Percy should have given his routine lack of luck and Thalia's tree dying. Tantalus (being the charming spirit he was) pinned the whole disaster on them and declared Clarisse the winner. He at least managed to claim a tentative truce with Annabeth while discussing his dream with Grover wearing a wedding dress (not a look Percy expected from him, but sure. Silena would definitely have words about the hem job. Percy wasn't as picky... plus, he was pretty sure Grover wasn't wearing the dress as a fun look and was probably in full-on survival mode).

More bad news - Tantalus decided to give the quest they so diligently petitioned for to Clarisse.

"Come now," Tantalus had told him when Percy called him out over the campfire. "I'm not sure such a big responsibility should go to... well, a child of a love goddess over a war god," he reasoned. Percy rolled his eyes. Part of him wanted to object but didn't think that it would get him anywhere.

"I guess that would be like asking you to be a food critic, huh?" he said instead, ignoring when Tantalus' eyes bugged out. From beside him, Annabeth elbowed him. "What? I have better ones-"

"Percy, stop."

"He-" Percy began and then paused. Wait. Wait a second. An idea crossed his mind. A horrible, horrible idea. It was wrong. He shouldn't do it. And yet... "Wait a second," he said loudly. The surrounding campers paused. "Aren't you a son of Zeus?" he asked. The entire camp went deadly silent. "Why are we allowing a kátara to run this camp?" he demanded.

The words quickly caused a round of whispers to zip around the campfire. A few people dove for their weapons. Mr. D, on the other hand, merely sighed from where he was bitterly lounging in his spot next to his kids, looking miserable.

"He is dead, remember?" he asked. This did little to ease the tension. "By gods, shut up."

"So? He can be dead and still hurt us!" someone called. Castor got up to whisper something to his father. Mr. D made a face and then glared at Percy, who only gave a tight smile in return. "He's sending Clarisse because he knows she'll fail-"

"What was that, you little piece of-"

"A kátara would be the one to cook his own son," someone else said, and there was a murmur of agreement.

"I am also a son of Zeus!" Mr. D shouted - effectively silencing the camp. A long pause followed.

"Dad, you're a god," Pollux pointed out warily. Mr. D scowled at him. "Just saying. There's a difference."

"This is why I needed your mother here. One of you go away," he muttered, waving an indignant Pollux and Castor to the side. "I can't deal with both of you at once."

"Maybe we both should go."

"No, I - I just said one- you are terrible listeners!"

"We get it from you!" Castor called, giving Percy a bright grin as he pulled Pollux away. Percy returned it as Mr. D rolled his eyes before turning back to the camp.

"Enough of this," he said and raised both hands. "I can't pretend I am also thrilled with Tantalus' existence. He is - like most of you - horribly annoying. However, he would not have been sent him here if felt he was a risk. Stop whining. Let the silly Ares girl go on the quest. Leave me alone," he said and fell back into his seat. Tantalus sneered - eyes flicking to Percy with an air of victory.

"Anything to say, boy?"

Percy wordlessly offered him a s'more. Mitchell laughed from where the rest of their cabin was sitting. Silena pinned Percy with scolding eyes. He shrugged. Technically, he had done nothing wrong. Though there was still some guilt for playing the kátara card. It was weird how easy the mindset had been to slip into.

"You know Tantalus," Drew spoke up, giving Percy a small, nervous smile. "I hear apricots do wonders for your complexion... if you were trying to brighten up that skin."

"Oh, I heard carrots help with that too!" Valentina said, jumping on board. "Have you tried smoothies? They can get all your vitamins in. Might get rid of those circles under your eyes-"

"Tomatoes too," Mitchell said solemnly. "Hey, Tantalus. Are there any beauty benefits to eating humans? I know you served your son to the gods, but surely you've committed cannibalism before-"

"Enough," Silena cut them all off. "Go do something useful. All of you," she sighed. Lacy clambered up before looking between Percy and Tantalus... then stuck her tongue out.

"You're mean," she decided, and there was a small cheer from the other campers as Tantalus got redder and redder. Percy braced himself for the outburst... either from Tantalus or Silena (who looked like she might just throw him in the Fields of Punishment herself). "And you weren't around when Pop-Tarts were invented, so you'll never try one. They are delicious."

"Lacy!"

"DELICIOUS!" she screamed, holding up both of her hands. Percy had to turn his laugh into a cough. Kids were the best. Troy also joined in Lacy's cry for delicious Pop-Tarts. Silena crossed her arms over her chest and pinned him with yet another look. What? What now? He wasn't doing anything damning! Was she ever pleased about anything when it came to him? Even now, she didn't show a shred of ire towards anyone else as she calmly collected their siblings and led them away.

"You will be on dish duty for the next month!" Tantalus spit at him, eyes practically bugging out of his skull. "You ungrateful little-"

"Go chase a donut," Percy muttered and marched off towards the beach... again. He probably went to the beach too often, but it was the only place that could calm him sometimes. Between Silena's crazy nagging, Annabeth's uncanny observational skills, Tyson being claimed, Grover missing, and Tantalus existing... he was stressed. That wasn't even mentioning his anticipated murder.

Percy collapsed onto the sand and screamed into his arms.

"Delivery for Percy Jackson!"

...he couldn't have even five minutes, could he?

"I'm in the middle of something."

"Oh, of course. Finish your yelling. I'll just be here," the stranger said. Percy looked up, turning to find a jogger next to him, holding a small package. Frowning, tilted his head - eyes taking in blue eyes, salt-and-pepper curly black hair, and a crooked smile. Mortals couldn't just get into camp... and mortals wouldn't know his name.

"Hi," he decided, not reaching for the package. The man snorted and sat next to him in the sand before nudging the box towards him.

"It's from your mom," he said, and Percy slowly accepted the brown package. "The, uh, immortal one. I hear you have two. Congrats on that, by the way. Rumor has it your mom murdered a man and sold his corpse. I love the ambition," he said. Percy blinked a few times. Well, it sounded a little concerning when he put it like that. "Go on! I love seeing people unwrap gifts. Their faces are also priceless," he added. Percy looked back down at the box. The man waited. Weird. Percy slowly undid the brown wrapping, revealing a baby blue box with a note on it.

Happy early birthday! As an apology for my previous thoughtlessness, I thought I would give you a small treat. Enjoy, my darling! - Mom

"I'll give you a hint," the man told him with a sly wink. "It isn't Medusa's head."

Percy grimaced.

"That would have been a very nice gift," he said and tilted his head. "Are you a god?" He asked. The man's smile widened. "Luke's father?" he tried. The smile disappeared.

"I have been known as many things... I can't say that is the first one that normally pops into people's minds," he mused and then patted Percy's shoulder. "But it isn't wrong. I am Hermes," he greeted. Percy nodded. "You have been a topic of Olympus for quite a bit now, Percy Jackson. Quite a lot of effort to get claimed."

"I was given some motivation," he said dryly. "I wasn't thrilled with being forgotten."

"Aw, cut your mom some slack," Hermes said with a small smile. "She's a busy lady. Besides, it looks like she gave you a nice apology gift," he needled with a nod at the box in Percy's hand. "Why don't you go ahead and open it?" Percy paused. With a small glance back at Hermes, he lifted the lid and peered down. A glass bottle sat inside. It was shaped like an apple and colored a dark blue. Curiously, he picked it up to see something shimmering inside.

"What is it?" he asked. It looked like cologne... which was nice? He wasn't big on cologne but sure. It was an Aphrodite thing. Whatever.

"Ooh," Hermes said, eyes brightening. "She pulled some strings for you. I doubt Zeus was easy to convince," he mused, and Percy tilted his head. "Magic in a bottle," he said wisely. "It masks demigod smell. Very rare. Hecate only makes it once every century because the ingredients are so hard to get," he said with a click of his tongue. "Aphrodite probably put something in it too. Aphrodisiac or something," he mused. Percy paused. That wasn't good. He wasn't going to walk around wearing a love potion. Hermes' smile widened. "Unimpressed?" he asked. Percy shrugged.

"No, I just don't think I need anything to make somebody like me," he said, going for cocky. He just sounded tired, though.

"Do you think I like you?"

"Eh," Percy said and gave a slight shrug. "I think that depends on whether I do what you want," he said, raising an eyebrow. Hermes gave him a dazzling smile. "Hm. Thought so. And what is it that you want?"

"You have quite a way of speaking with gods, kid. I thought Aphrodite's kids were supposed to be charming? Or are you one of those Aphrodite kids?"

"I'm a delight," Percy said and rubbed his eyes. Gods, he was so tired. "Wait - what do you mean 'one of those'," he asked, making air quotations in the air. Hermes snorted.

"You know... the mean girl type," he said, leaning back into the sand. Percy spluttered.

"I am not a mean girl!"

"Sorry. Mean boy? Mean person?"

"I'm not mean!"

"Ares says otherwise," Hermes sang, and Percy leveled him with a cool glare. "You don't agree?"

"I'm not mean," Percy grumbled. "If I was, then I would say-" he began and then cut himself off. That wasn't a smart thread to keep pulling at... though part of him dearly wanted to. Hermes raised an eyebrow.

"...go on."

"Um, nevermind," Percy said and sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right. My day has been... How can I help you, Lord Hermes?" he asked, switching tracks completely. Hermes looked him over with vague curiosity before collapsing next to him on the sand.

"Luke," he said simply. "I believe you have heard he went to the titan side?"

"It's come up," Percy said slowly. Hermes looked him over with consideration. "Are you surprised he went rogue?" Percy asked with a shake of his head. "His friend was murdered in front of him," he said bitterly, playing with the box still in his lap. Hermes hummed.

"No," he said. "Chiron is said to have done that," he said, and Percy blinked. What? Chiron would-

Wait. Percy's mind flicked over the past few days. The pine tree at the front of the camp. He was so stupid. Thalia's tree. He had assumed it was named after her. A dire warning to mark where she was killed. Hermes raised an eyebrow.

"She is the tree?" Percy asked, a little horrified. "But... wait, that doesn't make sense. Was the camp not protected until she came along? It's been thousands of years since this place was built!" He said. There was a rotten feeling in his stomach. Disgusting. They killed her, and it was her death that protected the very camp that murdered her? Gods, it was so messed up.

"Zeus did it," Hermes explained, seemingly unaware of Percy's internal crisis. "She tried to fight her way into camp. A son of Ares got a good nick into her. She was bleeding pretty bad. Zeus decided to spare her the slow death of letting monsters eat her and turned her into a pine tree," he explained. Percy felt a lump in his throat rise. That was awful. "And now she's condemned to die a slow death anyway," he sighed. "Luke and Annabeth... they'll have to watch her die twice," he said. Percy's fingers twitched. "Unless..."

"Unless I get the fleece?" he asked. Hermes shrugged. "Why me? Clarisse is already going."

"You are an experienced quest-goer are you not? Let's just say you have the resume," Hermes told him. Percy bit his tongue. "Besides, it would be a good way to potentially clear Chiron's name-"

"And find Luke?" Percy asked and sat up. "Why not find him yourself?" he asked, tucking a foot under his thigh so he was cross-legged in the sand. "And I don't really know what you expect him to do. All these innocent people dying..." he trailed off, remembering the last thing he should be doing is questioning the status quo. Hermes merely looked at him for a couple more seconds before answering.

"If you knew those kids... the things they had done..." he said quietly. "I remember there was one boy. A son of Hades. Hugo Brandt," he shook his head. "I've seen a lot of evil in the world - I've seen almost all the evil in the world," he said with a shrug. "He was one of the worse ones. It was terrible. That poor daughter of Poseidon... she tried to stop him too," he clicked his tongue and shudder. "You may not understand why we have to be as careful about those Big Three kids, but it was not a decision made lightly," he said. Percy sighed. Sure. "I know Luke was close with the Grace girl. If I could have intervened before, I would have. Imagine watching your child playing with a knife and just waiting for him to get stabbed," he shuddered. "I'm not saying it was right - there were kinder ways of dealing with that girl, but I won't lie and say there wasn't a part of me relieved when she was gone," he said. Percy pursed his lips. All this talk about these kids... maybe he just didn't want to believe it. Hermes smiled wryly. "Just think about it. If you decide to take the plunge, I'll leave a little gift for you," he promised and gave a small two-fingered salute. "Enjoy your time at camp, kid. Tell your siblings I said hi."

And with that, he was gone. Percy stared at the spot he had sat, heart sinking. He wasn't sure he could identify his emotions (not like an Aphrodite kid, anyway), but he knew there was a part of him that was tempted. Not about the fleece, but Grover...

He could get Grover. Grover who was missing. Grover who was in danger somewhere. Clarisse wasn't off to save Grover. Just the fleece. Percy's hand twitched to his pen.

A small crunch caught his attention. When he turned, Tyson was there. Again. Perhaps he was as drawn to the beach as Percy was. He looked cautiously at him before shuffling a little closer.

"Hey," Percy said, softening his voice. "Are you okay?"

"No."

Tyson sat down, apparently not wishing to expand upon that.

"Me neither," he sighed. "How are things going?" Tyson looked at him. A sudden thought occurred to Percy. "What's your cabin like?" he asked. Tyson's lips pressed together.

"Pretty..." he said slowly and sat up. "Want to see?" Percy didn't even hesitate. He was stumbling up to his feet as Tyson perked up at Percy's eagerness. "Let's see!" he yelled, much more enthusiastically, and rushed off towards the cabins. Percy laughed.

He had seen Poseidon's cabin from the outside, of course, but all he knew of it was the stone walls and sloped ceilings. Tyson easily clicked the door open and gestured Percy over.

It didn't take much to convince him to follow Tyson inside. He hadn't dared ever to have stepped foot in Poseidon's cabin. It was too risky. Too suspicious after all the work he had put in. Silena would kill him - still might, even with Tyson as his alibi. Still, Percy couldn't help but give in to the pull as he walked through the door. His heart shattered a bit.

It looked like home.

The subtle smell of the sea, the coral along the walls. The floor seemed to shift like sand at the bottom of the ocean floor. Percy wanted to scream. It wasn't fair.

"Lonely," Tyson said as he watched Percy looked around. Percy smiled sadly.

"I bet it is," he agreed and looked at all the trinkets placed around. "You moved in really fast," he noted and then frowned a bit when he saw a leather book on the ground. "Where did you get this?" He asked, kneeling down to pick it up. Tyson shrugged.

"Need to clean," he answered.

Percy opened his mouth to respond when a photo slipped out the side. He paused. It looked old. He frowned, leaning over to get a better look.

It was black and white - with six children all standing in front of Cabin Three of all ages. The oldest looked to be maybe in their early twenties and the youngest around seven or eight. They were all dressed in neatly pressed clothes that looked straight out of a history textbook. He flipped it over to find crisp handwriting on the back.

Poseidon Cabin, 1942 (James, Evelyn, Sarah, Clarence, Theo, and Julia)

"Whoa," Percy said and stood up sharply, looking around. "Wait. Tyson, this stuff isn't yours, is it?" he asked, feeling a wave of excitement. Tyson shook his head. They hadn't cleaned the cabin out from the last group of kids who lived here. Eagerly, he flipped the book open, reading the first passage.

03.23.1939

James and Julia are terrors and the reason we all get into such loathsome trouble. It is as my mother said - twins are a blessing to each other and a curse to the rest of the world. Perhaps I should explain. Chiron was helping me with my project (you know, the secret surprise party for Lorie) when those two decided to blow up the lake. Yes, they blew up the lake! You never see me use my powers in such a way! They claimed to have only done so in order to hide their loot from James' quest, but Clarence begs to differ.

Oh, who am I kidding? I have been known to perhaps engage in some recklessness, but I only charge the blood of the sea for such a temperament. Surely our father is to blame, is he not?

Must head out soon. Clarence promised me to let him drive his car. Perhaps we can see how it works underwater! If James and Julia have put the lake back, I mean.

Lots of love,

Evelyn

Percy read it over a good three times, fascinated. It was strange to imagine this cabin full and filled with these strangers. He stared back down at the picture. This Evelyn didn't sound evil at all. She sounded like a normal person. Young, exasperated, but still fun.

She sounded maybe even a little like him.

Percy had never really considered siblings too much. He had always been an only child up until a year ago (well, in truth, up until Tyson came along if you want to be technical), but now he felt a sense of longing. Nobody in the Aphrodite cabin would blow up a lake or take a car underwater with him. He bit his lip. It must have been nice to be surrounded by people who were so similar...

"What are you doing?"

Speak of the devil.

Percy glanced up to see Silena in the doorway, looking downright horrified as she quickly closed the door.

"Hanging out with Tyson," he answered and held up the book. "Look at all the stuff that was left in here-"

"No!" Silena whispered - opening her mouth only to pause when Tyson tilted his head. "Um, we need to get back-"

"Silena," Percy sighed. Would the arguing ever end with her? Was there nothing he could do? "I'm just looking. See?" he asked, holding out the journal. "Her name was Evelyn. I just want to read it. Maybe it can help us figure out what happened to them."

Silena's eyes flicked to Tyson before she spoke slowly - voice filled with trepidation.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be seen as a sympathizer," she told him.

"Even if they are people who maybe should be sympathized with?"

"They murdered hundreds of people, Percy."

"But why? And are we even sure they did it?"

"I don't think there is any good reason for killing that many people, and there were plenty of eyewitnesses."

"Who? The gods?" Percy asked. "Because it sounds like they don't know what-"

"Why are you harping on this?"

"You know why! Why won't you consider they weren't awful?"

"Because there is no evidence-"

"I'm trying to find some," Percy argued. "And you can't think they are all bad, either," he said fiercely and gave a subtle gesture to himself. Silena's jaw clenched. "So-"

"I'm not entertaining this. Throw that away."

Almost unthinkingly, Percy got up and walked to the trashcan before a weird alarm went off in his head. He froze. The confusion wavered until he looked over at where Silena was staring at the floor. He turned, the feeling of bitter betrayal spiking in his chest.

"Did you just use charmspeak on me?" he asked slowly.

Silena flinched. "I- I didn't mean-" she began, but Percy was already shaking his head, clenching the journal in his hand as he stared at her. "Percy, it was an accident. I didn't-" she began, but Percy didn't give her a chance to answer. Without another word, he shoved his way by her. "Percy!" she called. He ignored her. Almost on autopilot, Percy found himself walking towards the Athena cabin. He rapped on the door. When nobody answered, he pounded harder. After his third attempt, the door slammed open.

"What in the name of Athena do you think you're - Percy?" Annabeth greeted, annoyance simmering down when she saw him. "What's going on?" she asked. Percy looked around, ensuring nobody was passing by, before taking her hand and pulling her out of the cabin. For a second, he thought she was going to punch him, so he hurried his next words before she could knock him out.

"I'm going to get Grover. I'm going to ask Tyson if he wants to leave with me tonight. Are you coming or not?"

Quest number two? Still a bust. They fought a hydra, harpies, endless monsters, etc... it wasn't the most fun. Worst of all was this was an ocean adventure.

Percy was dying. Dying. Which was ironic because he had never felt so alive and himself before. He knew what the tides meant and the subtle differences in the wind. He discovered he could even guide their boat where he wanted it. It was great.

Pretending though? Not fun.

"I didn't know you could sail," Annabeth asked, looking on with curiosity. Hermes had kept his end of the deal. When they returned to the beach, there had been three yellow duffel bags and a small boat to carry them out to sea. They had, naturally, come across Luke first thing. He apparently was off on a cruise ship doing fun Titan Supporter things.

They didn't end up staying long - or even seeing Luke for more than ten minutes. It had been easy to escape with the cologne Aphrodite had given him.

"Are you - what are you doing?!" Annabeth had whispered when Percy had wordlessly squirted her with some of the perfume. "Is now the time? And you smell way worse than I do!" she tacked on indignantly. From beside her, Tyson pouted.

"Can't smell," he complained. Percy sprayed him too... just in case. Annabeth frowned.

"Masks our smell," he whispered and then promptly squirted himself in the face. "...ow," he said when some went into his eye.

"Where did you get that?"

"My mom."

"I - and you just decided to use it now?!"

"It's apparently rare! Don't yell at me! Besides, I literally just got it yesterday!"

"Can't smell!" Tyson complained a bit louder. Annabeth and Percy both shushed him. "... can't smell," he grumbled and glared at the cologne in Percy's hand. Luckily, it had all worked out. They had escaped long enough for Percy to find out what Annabeth's deal was with Tyson (cyclops had apparently kidnapped her, Luke, and Thalia in the past) before they ran into problem number two (a hydra, naturally) and were rescued by... yep. You guessed it. Clarisse. It was probably a fair conclusion to say she wasn't thrilled with their appearance. After some bickering, she seemed to accept they were there, though. At least for now. Inwardly, Percy sighed.

"My mom had a boat," he said as an explanation. He made a note to let his mom know to add that lie to the list. "Besides, Tyson is doing most of the work," he added to where Tyson was sleeping on the other end of the ship where he could safely remain hidden from Clarisse's undead soldiers (how much would it suck to not only lose a war but to be indebted to Ares and his bratty children? Rough... then again, he couldn't pull up too much sympathy. They were confederate soldiers, after all). Percy bit his lip as he watched Tyson rollover before tearing his eyes away.

"Oh," Annabeth said. Her eyes were watching him in that way that made him nervous. "Well, you're a real natural. Better than Clarisse," she said. Percy shrugged and hopped down.

"Natural," he snorted. "Right. It took me a year to figure out how to do even one of those knots," he said with a nod towards the sailor's knot he had literally figured out how to do ten seconds ago. Annabeth smiled weakly. "So..." he said as he sat next to her. Annabeth glanced over. "How are you feeling? With Thalia's tree and everything?" he asked. She tensed.

"Fine."

"Hm," Percy said and then looked her up and down. "Look, as a child of Aphrodite, I do have insane abilities to know what you're feeling," he told her. Annabeth sighed. "But I think that right now... you're just obviously not doing okay," he told her. Annabeth kept silent for a moment. "It's just after you said all that stuff with Tyson, I... I don't get it," he admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"The cyclops thing scarred you, which makes sense, but... you don't seem to have any ill will against the campers. Why not? They're the ones who killed her, right?" He asked. Annabeth swallowed before giving a long sigh. "I just don't get how you can hate Tyson and not-"

"I do hate them."

Percy paused. This was... unexpected.

"Oh," he said and blinked a few times. "Um, okay. You don't really... show that," he said slowly. Annabeth sighed and pulled her knees to her chest. Silence settled over them for a few minutes - the only sound being the waves beating against the side of the boat before she spoke again.

"I hate them," she repeated quietly. "I spent so long trying to find somewhere safe to go. Away from my dad and his wife. Away from the monsters always after us. And when we finally found someplace I... I had to live with the people who murdered Thalia. Right in front of me. And where was I supposed to go? Back to my parents? After all Thalia had done to get me to camp? What was I supposed to do?" she asked and sighed. "I don't know. I just numbed myself to it, and eventually... I figured I would be patient. Strategize."

"Strategize," Percy repeated. "Do you want to join Luke?" Annabeth said nothing. "You do," he said and shook his head. He knew it. She hid it well, but Percy had always suspected. There was no way she would have admitted this even a year ago. "...I think part of me does too."

"What's stopping you?"

"I don't know. What's stopping you?"

"I don't know," she said. They were both lying. Still, neither called another out on it. Looking around, Percy decided to just go for it and pulled out Evelyn's journal. Wordlessly, he handed it to her. Annabeth frowned, flipping through a few pages as her eyes fell over the words (all written in Greek) with thinly veiled fascination. "Where did you get this?"

"I was visiting Tyson and found it in his cabin. I think it might have some clues as to what happened to the Big Three kids," he said cautiously. "It might explain why everyone hates them so much. Maybe if we..." he trailed off, suddenly aware of Annabeth looking at him with narrowed eyes. He shifted. "I mean, they won't stop unless we do something," he said defensively. Annabeth pursed her lips.

"That's true," she said and then shook her head. "You know how dangerous it is to be caught with this, right? If you were seen as a sympathizer..." she told him with a click of her tongue. "They might think you're hiding a kátara or something," she said. Percy frowned. "Sometimes that's the even worse penalty."

"You would get in trouble for hiding one?"

"They would kill you too," Annabeth told him solemnly. Percy frowned. He definitely didn't like that. His mind went to Silena. Maybe her ruthless demand for perfection wasn't just out of fear for Percy. "So we'll have to keep this a secret," she said, holding up the journal. Percy felt himself perk up.

"You want to read it with me?" he asked. Annabeth smiled a little.

"I never pass up the opportunity to read a good book," she said and flipped to the first page. "Besides, maybe there is something in here that could maybe help Thalia," she said. Percy didn't really see how they could help her outside of keeping her tree alive but didn't argue as Annabeth cleared her throat to read the first entry. It was... fun. He and Annabeth took turns reading passages from the book. It helped pass the time from floating endlessly on the boat, keeping their minds occupied as Tyson eagerly jumped in with endless questions and exclamation of excitement after having woken up.

"I cannot believe it - Hugo?" Annabeth was saying as she flicked a page. Percy wondered if it was the same Hugo Hermes had mentioned earlier. It must be. "Why would she want to date a son of Hades?"

"What do you mean? You just read the passage. She said he was cute and gave her flowers," Percy snorted. His long-dead sister had been easily won over by the infamous Hugo, who only had to tell her she was pretty once for her to fall head over heels. In fairness, it didn't sound like he was much better. According to the most recent entry, she told Hugo she liked his hair (described and glossy and the color of hellfire), and he proposed. Perhaps all teenagers were easily besotted... or these two were just dorks.

"I want to hear more about Vera," Annabeth complained. Percy smiled. Vera would be her favorite. "I don't understand why Evelyn doesn't like her. Is it because she is a daughter of Zeus?"

"I think it might have something to do with Vera stabbing her."

"Oh, who cares? It was just a little stabbing," Annabeth dismissed. Percy hummed.

"I'll keep that in mind next time we argue."

"As if you're fast enough to stab me," she muttered and yawned. Percy snorted. That was probably true... for now. He was getting pretty good with his sword. "Where's Clarisse?" she added, looking around. "We should figure out who's taking first watch-"

"Don't worry about it," Percy interrupted. "I can take care of it. You go ahead and get some sleep," he said. Annabeth looked at him warily. "Pinky promise," he said, and Annabeth's face softened marginally before she shrugged and shoved the journal back towards him.

"Thanks," she said and gave a pointed look. "Remember to hide that," she said and drifted off towards one of the cots Clarisse had begrudgingly set up. Percy watched her go before getting up to find Clarisse. As expected, she was still isolated in that tiny cockpit towards the front of the boat. He lightly knocked on the side of the door. She glanced over at him before rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Pretty Prissy," she greeted. Percy inwardly sighed. "Here to bother me more?"

"We're taking turns with watch. Annabeth is already asleep. You want to take first, or should I?" he asked. Clarisse narrowed her eyes. "Come on, you're still not mad, are you?" Clarisse put her feet up by the steering wheel. "You're about to annoy me, aren't you?"

"Didn't realize Aphrodite kids were smart."

"Yeah, well, between Aphrodite and Ares, one of them has to be," he grumbled and ignored her eyes narrowing. "Come on, we're not trying to hijack your quest. I just want to find Grover," he said. Clarisse scoffed. "I'm not thrilled with being stuck out in the middle of the sea with you either."

"I suppose it isn't a romantic cruise," Clarisse said snidely. Percy wrinkled his nose. "How did you convince Silena to agree to this, anyway?" Percy paused. It was a beat too long - Clarisse's lips quirked up. "Oh, she doesn't know, does she? Ha," she snorted. "Let me see her throw her hissy fit when she gets back," she mused.

Percy made a face at her. Assuming he lived through this, Silena would be insufferable. He sighed.

"Do you have any issues like that with your siblings?"

"I'm a camp counselor. They do what I say or get their asses kicked," Clarisse said. "If Silena was smart, she would just stab you and be done with it."

"You're joking."

"You have a very stab-able face, Jackson. In fact, I'm considering stabbing you right now," she told him. "I don't care what you and Princess Owl do. I'm doing my quest, and you are here to hitch a ride. We don't have to convene," she told him. Percy shook his head.

"You want to stay up all night?"

"I would never sleep again if it meant I could stop talking to you."

...Percy had tried. Rolling his eyes, he raised his hands in surrender before simply ducking out of the door. Whatever. It was clear that Clarisse had no interest in associating with them, which was completely fine. He just wanted Grover safe. She could do whatever she wanted.

Absently, he went back out towards the edge of the boat, looking over the railing near where the others were knocked out. He smiled weakly at them before turning to the water. Looking around, he made sure nobody was watching before holding out his hand over the waves. Maybe he could try some of the stuff Evelyn had mentioned in her journal. The water bubbled beneath him.

Suddenly, he felt a familiar wave of pressure. Glowering, he looked down at Annabeth and Tyson's sleeping forms before raising his hands to the sky.

"Nobody can see me!" he complained. Great. First, Silena was on his case, and now Poseidon decided he wanted to cut Percy at his knees. Again. He sat down on the edge of the boat, glaring. Anger was bubbling his chest - a swelling of frustration at this entire situation. Why did nobody want him as he was? He tried to ignore the tears pricking behind his eyes. Even in the dark of the night where nobody could see him, he was too... kátara to even dabble with his powers. He was still fuming a few hours later when he sighed and rolled over, lightly shaking Annabeth. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Hm? My turn?" she yawned, sitting up. It had actually been her turn an hour ago, but Percy figured she needed the rest more than he did - them being on the water and all. Percy only offered a tight smile before tucking his knees to his chest as he laid on his side, trying to push down any emotion he was feeling. Annabeth looked at him for a couple minutes, but she said nothing as Percy closed his eyes and finally let the exhaustion claim him.

The dream started out with Thalia Grace standing on a lake. Like, on the water part, which he pretty sure wasn't a thing unless you were dreaming. She had her spear out - shield raised as she looked up at the sky, eyes closed as if expecting rain. Percy frowned as he took a step out. The moment his foot touched the water, she turned to him. Electric blue eyes fixed on him. He froze, unsure of what to do.

"Do you see it?" she asked. Percy tilted his head. See what? He looked around, but all that surrounded them was white. Thalia pursed her lips, spear lowering slightly. "They're here," she said. Percy frowned. Who? He took another step towards her, and she tensed. "It wasn't their fault."

"What are you talking about-?" he started but froze when the world flickered. The water rippled beneath them - reflections changing so that he was no longer looking down at Thalia and himself, but at two strangers. Both were bloodied and in ragged clothes, trembling with swords in their hands. Percy froze. Something in his stomach told him who they were. He didn't know their names, but he did know they were Big Three kids. "Hi," he managed.

"Hello," a voice replied, and when Percy looked back up, Thalia was gone. In her place was Evelyn. He couldn't see her clearly - her form doused in shadows, but Percy knew it was her deep down nevertheless. He could vaguely see her in a plain blue dress with a belt. In her hands was a glimmering net - made with celestial bronze at the end of a pointed stick. She tilted her head. "You should wake up soon."

"I know you," Percy said. "Tell me what happened. Did you really kill all those people?" He asked. Evelyn stepped back. "Who did you even kill?"

"They started it."

Percy had no idea what that meant.

"Who?"

"You better go," she said and then reached out. "And you better stay hidden. The ocean doesn't often give. It only takes."

Demigod dreams. So useless. He opened his mouth to try again, but a sudden screech interrupted him. The world around him shook. When Percy turned back, Evelyn and the lake were gone. Another screech followed, and Percy jolted up just in time to see them heading right towards the straight of Scylla and Charybdis.

Well... that was not ideal.

"Hey - HEY!" Percy yelled, scrambling up. "Annab- CLARISSE!" he shouted because Annabeth would have woken him up before zipping them right into the entrance of the Sea of Monsters. "ARE WE SURE THIS IS A GOOD IDEA?!"

Spoiler Alert: No. No, it wasn't a good idea.

Scylla and Charybdis had - to phrase it nicely - kicked their ass. Also, their boat was blown up, blasting Clarisse and Tyson into gods know where, while Annabeth and Percy barely made it in a raft before slipping into unconsciousness.

Soooo... yeah. To reiterate - quests still sucked. Percy just wanted his friend back, and now his brother was floating somewhere, Clarisse was nowhere to be found, Grover was still missing, and he was at a spa of all places. A spa. He was a little convinced Aphrodite had a hand in this. Now some girl had taken Annabeth to get a massage or something while a lady named C.C. led him towards a room on the opposite end of the resort.

"I'm afraid you need some serious help, Percy. For a son of Aphrodite..." she clicked her tongue.

"Thank you," Percy muttered but followed her - already feeling self-conscious as he eyes a mirror by the open window. C.C. gave him a small pout.

"Don't get me wrong, my darling, you certainly have potential," she said and placed a hand on his shoulder, pointing him in front of the mirror. "Even a son of Aphrodite can't be entirely pleased with himself," she said, voice practically a purr. Percy swallowed. The mirror seemed to smirk back at him. As if it knew. It did know. Percy bit his lip.

There really was so much irony that people had bought the Aphrodite front. Him? He looked nothing like Silena. Or Mitchell. Or Valentina. Or Drew - or any of them. Even with them all looking so wildly different, there was a certain charm to every single one of them. A pull, a whisper, a glistening of beauty that made you just want to stare in awe. Percy wasn't even sure he could pass as attractive. Really, his saving grace was that he would 'grow into' his looks. Maybe. Fingers crossed.

And even outside of that... Percy wasn't sure what he saw when he looked into any mirror. A kátara? Someone who would follow in the footsteps of Evelyn and Hugo and Elliott? Doomed to be a monster who slaughtered without mercy? Why didn't he turn himself over? If that was all he was meant to be... He swallowed. Even now, what good was his legendary Big Three power? Grover wasn't safe. Clarisse was gods know where. Had he done anything successfully so far?

What was he really? A bomb in flimsy disguise. He reached out and touched the glass.

"Hm," C.C. smiled. "Even a son of that whore can find flaws," she muttered under her breath. For a moment, Percy jerked his gaze away - momentarily startled by such a hostile remark. C.C. had already painted on another bright smile - pulling out a bubbling blue potion from seemingly nowhere and shaking it out in front of him. He blinked down at him. "Don't worry, this will fix you right up," she said. Percy looked down. Then back at the mirror. The person looking back at him had suddenly changed into... well, someone like him, but there were differences. His features sharper. Skin clearer. Hair neater. Someone who could actually be a child of Aphrodite. He bit his lip and then glanced once more at the bottle.

...well, wouldn't this help him blend in better? He reached out and grabbed the glass vial. Perhaps this was an opportunity for him... to better disguise himself. He flicked off the top and looked up at where C.C. fixed him with a warm smile, giving a slight nod for him to go on. Swallowing, he lifted it up when someone cleared their throat.

"Put the potion down. Now."

Percy froze. No freaking way.

"Silena?" he asked, spinning around to find – guess who? Yep. Silena with her hair wild, face free of makeup, and looking pissed. C.C. made a noise in the back of her throat. "What are you doing-?"

"Get away from my brother, you witch," Silena interrupted him, pointing her sword at C.C. with her voice was filled with charmspeak. What did she just call her? A wit- wait. Percy felt his blood go cold. Witch. C.C. Island in the Sea of Monsters.

Circe. Percy could scream. How stupid was he?

Circe growled, moving her hands upwards, but Silena was fast. She launched forward to stop the movement, slicing open the side of Circe's hand before whirling around to swing the sword down. Circe disappeared in a cloud of mist - reappearing directly behind her. Percy opened his mouth to warn her, but Silena easily dodged - swinging again before kicking out when Circe disappeared again. Silena scowled with her eyes flicking around the room desperately before turning to the mirror Percy was in front of and slamming down. A crack struck right down the middle before spiraling out and shattering. Circe reappeared.

"How dare-" she began, body going a bright white with anger, but Silena spun around and knocked her back. Circe stumbled onto the ground. Silena slammed her foot down on her wrist - drawing a sharp gasp from Circe as the point of Silena's sword pointed at her throat.

"How's that for a daughter of a whore?" Silena asked with a huff and held the sword closer. "Stay away from us," she said, and Percy was surprised to see Circe's eyes glaze over. Silena's charmspeak was nothing to be trifled with, but the idea that it affected Circe was... impressive. "Now."

This time when Circe disappeared into a cloud of mist... she didn't return. Silena rolled her shoulders back. Then plucked the potion right out of Percy's hand and dumped it on the floor.

"We probably only have about ten minutes. I doubt my charmspeak will work on her very long," she said, and looked in the mirror with a grimace. "Thank goodness we're in a spa. Can you grab me some face masks?" she asked him, dusting her clothes off. "And makeup. I think she has the good stuff-"

"Silena, what are you doing here?" Percy interrupted. Silena narrowed her eyes before marching over to start grabbing stuff herself. "Seriously, you can't-"

"Oh, I can," she said, spinning back around. "This wasn't your quest, Percy. Did you expect me to just let someone from my cabin venture out on a death mission and just… wait?" She put her hands up. Percy's mouth dropped. "No way. You're my responsibility. I'm your counselor. If you do stupid stuff, then I'm involved. That's the rules."

"I – no, it isn't!" Percy argued. "First of all, you're only two years older than me – barely. It's pretty much just one," he argued. Silena made a face at him. "And I had to go on this quest! My best friend is in danger!"

"Then you understand why I'm here."

"I'm not actually one of you," he shouted, throwing his hands up. Silena paused. All at once, his frustration seemed to bubble out at once. "I'm nothing like any of you. I'm not… I don't look like that," he shouted, pointing at the mirror Silena had busted. "I can't speak French very well, and I don't care about makeup or fancy clothes or gossip or-"

"What is wrong with you?" Silena cut him off. Percy's mouth snapped shut. "Is that all you think we are? A bunch of pretty kids who talk about girly things?" she asked. Percy stared. He wasn't sure how to answer that. "Typical," she muttered and tossed her bag down. "You think you're better than us too, don't you?"

"Of course not-"

"Yes, you do. You all do. I'm sorry that the big, strong child of the mighty Poseidon got stuck hiding with us silly little love fools," she said. Percy's mouth popped open, but before he could defend himself, Silena was prodding a finger into his chest. "You know what? You're right. You suck at French. You're messy and hard to reason with, and don't take the time to learn things don't interest you," she said. "And I can overlook some of that, but screw you for saying you're not one of us. As if I'm not putting myself on the line for you!" she shouted at him. Percy stepped back only for her to shove him. "As if there is a single person in our cabin who doesn't love you."

"I – love is kind of a strong word-"

"Too bad! I'll say it again! Love, love, love, love-"

"Stop that!"

"No! Love, love, love-"

"My gods, you drive me insane!" Percy shouted, throwing his hands up. "You can't just throw that out there-"

"Oh, is that scary?" Silena mocked. "Too girly? Is people caring about you demeaning? Is-"

"That isn't the problem, Silena!" he said loudly. There were tears in her eyes. Percy hated himself for putting them there. "I know how much you've done for me. And you're right. I'm… I do underestimate you. All of you, but I'm also in this weird place where I think that, but I… I also don't think I deserve any of you," he said and looked away. Then at the ground. Shame filled him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't-" he began and then took a deep breath. "I'm angry, okay? I'm angry because you're the only person who knows who I really am," he finally told her. "And all you do is try to change me. And I know that it's because you're trying to keep me alive, but..." he looked down, swallowing hard. "Everyone hates me," he said quietly. "Even if they don't know it. Am I really so bad?" he asked, and gods, he was crying, wasn't he? "I know I am far from an Aphrodite kid-" he said but went silent when Silena hugged him.

For a second, he couldn't breathe with her clinging onto him so tightly. It was maybe even a Tyson-level hug, which was just impressive.

"You," she said in his ear. "Are the best person I know," she said and somehow managed to hug him even more. "I'm sorry," she murmured, and he instantly felt himself relax. "For everything. Especially the charmspeak," she told him, voice growing soft. "I... I just got scared, and it happened, and I didn't stop it and- I'm sorry," she sighed. "I know I… I'm really hard on you." She let go with a sigh. "I just don't know what else to do. Loving someone is about accepting them, but I can't do that with you. Not with your life on the line," she said and closed her eyes. Percy shifted a little. "But it isn't because I think you're bad. You're not. Percy, you are not a bad person," she said. He looked away. Love.

"You keep saying that," he muttered and kicked the ground. Silena's brows furrowed. "I don't know how you can just…" He waved nonchalantly. Silena raised an eyebrow.

"What? Talk about my emotions?" she snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know. It comes easy for me," she said. Percy didn't answer. "As for the love thing? I'm a child of love. That also comes easily to me. I think it comes easily to you too. It might be your most Aphrodite trait."

"I thought she was the goddess of romantic love?"

"Eh. Hera sucks at her job. I say mom took over most of her responsibilities a long time ago," she told him. Percy smiled a little. "I came after you because I care about you. I don't care who your godly parent is. You're one of us. That's just kind of the deal."

Percy gave a weak smile.

"Not just to keep me from blowing my cover?"

"No," Silena said and gave a wry smile. "Though I'll admit it wasn't the best move to go on an ocean quest," she shook her head. "But I came here because I want to make sure you're okay. Okay?"

"Okay," he said and ran a hand through his hair. "I, um, am glad you're here. Thank you for saving me," he said and then made a face. "And…um, Icareaboutyoutoo."

"What?"

"Silena," he groaned. Silena didn't make him repeat it, though. She instead turned to the mirror, looking thoughtfully at it and the Percy.

"You know you're only thirteen, right?" she asked. Percy frowned. "Whatever she showed you… it wasn't right," she said. "You look how you're supposed to look right now. Don't let her put dumb ideas in your head." She linked arms with him. "Besides, if that sort of thing matters to you… I think you're going to grow up to be a hottie."

"Ew, Silena."

"Just saying. You should know. You are a pretty cute kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"You'll probably grow up super hot. Just a fact," she said. Percy huffed. Instantly, Silena's face softened. "Come on. I want those face masks and – Annabeth!" she gasped when the door opened. Percy did a quick double-take. Oh. That was Annabeth. Somehow. "You look amazing!" Silena gushed and rushed over. "Oh, my – I love what they did with your hair, and… what kind of eyeliner is that?" she mused. Annabeth blinked.

"Silena?"

"Hi!" Silena beamed. "I know, I look awful. It was a disaster getting over here. I kind of want to use the spa here, but Circe might come back and try to kill me, so…" she sighed. "Let's just grab some goodies and go," she said, squeezed Annabeth's hands. "This is going to be fun! Girls' trip!" she said and then looked over her shoulder. "Well, girls' trip with Percy," she added with an apologetic look.

"Um," Annabeth said. "I… okay," she said as she watched Silena go off to raid the room. She turned to Percy. "Your sister is here," she said slowly. "Why is your sister here?" Percy smiled weakly.

"To be awesome," he said with a slight shake of his head and looked over at Annabeth. "You look really pretty," he told her and watched as she turned bright red. It made him grin a bit. "But you look really pretty without it too," he added - feeling his previous burst of confidence whittle into something more awkward. Annabeth somehow turned an even brighter red as she glared at him.

"Shut up."

"Sorry," Percy said, and jammed his hands in his pockets. "You're really ugly."

"I'm going to kick your ass."

"Silena wouldn't let you," Percy said, turned in the direction is gone. "If we find Clarisse, then I vote that you tell her we picked up another person for our quest," he added. Annabeth laughed, absently touching her hair.

"Nah, that's all you, pretty boy."

"This is so cute," Silena said from the doorway, making them both jump. Her hands were full of products and eyes wild with glee at having found so many different things to grab. "But we should really get going. I can tell Clarisse I'm joining the quest myself," she said and gave them a wicked grin. "But keep your adorable banter up."

Percy may love Silena... but gods was she annoying.

ps

not my story