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

6. 6

Son of Sea Foam

CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Percy was forever grateful for everything Silena had done for him since he set foot into camp. However, in these moments, he felt a specific wave of gratitude for her ruthless demand for perfection regarding his French. He had once hated her for insisting that he asked for a bandage with no hint of an accent as he bled out after a game of Capture the Flag, but now he was pretty sure it was the only thing keeping his identity from being revealed as Aphrodite spoke - speaking rapidly and harshly so that if anyone else tried to eavesdrop, they would just hear an angry whirl of 'hon' and 'vu' and 'baguette' (not really, but two years ago Percy would have sworn that French sounded just like that).

"You know," she began, holding up a hand. "I understood the first illegal quest. I was a little concerned with the second, but I understood," she said, and when Percy opened his mouth, spoke louder. "But I draw the line with you running off with a bunch of Artemis' little celibates and Zeus' daughter! Zeus' daughter," she hissed. Percy bit his lip. Okay, she was... very upset. Not good. "You expect me to be okay with my son running off with a kátara after what the last one did to a child of mine? Do you think Artemis' half-wits would protect you if she went rabid?"

"I can protect myself!"

"Not against that thing," she snapped, and Percy's eyes narrowed. "And that all this is for that Athena girl? No. I'm not having it," she said. Percy looked away. "Now I have Dionysus snapping at me because his son followed you here, and what's even worse is that I had to hear my son went missing again from Poseidon, of all people-"

"Poseidon?" Percy cut in. Was that a joke? "Poseidon told you I left camp?"

"I'm guessing he knew because you took a pegasus," Aphrodite said, raising her hands, though there was something in her voice that told him she wasn't sure either. "Either way, customs dictate that you pray to your godly parent before going on a quest. Perhaps you have not done a proper one to know such a thing," she said and with a long breath. Percy could not believe this. His dad snitched on him to his fake-mom? Cold. "You're going back to camp."

"What?" Percy asked, switching to English. "No, I'm not."

Aphrodite's eyes flashed.

"Did that sound like a request?" she asked and took another step towards him. "You told me when you returned that bolt that you would do whatever you could to honor me. This is a far cry from that, Perseus. Get back to camp."

"But Annabeth-"

"She's gone. Dionysus told you that. I am all for a story of sweet heroes rescuing others, but not when Artemis is involved and not with my son's life on the line. Maybe if it had been any other goddess - or if you weren't hunters. Or maybe even if she wasn't with you," she added with a nod towards Thalia. "Then I might consider it. However, it is all of those things, and this is not your quest. Go back to camp."

Percy stared - momentarily shocked into silence. Anger swirled in his chest. Was that how it was? He clenched his jaw, glowering back.

"Or what?" he asked quietly. "Are you going to throw me into that garden with all the unclaimed demigods? I hear it isn't very secure there these days."

In retrospect... not the smartest thing to say. The look on Aphrodite's face was not one he would forget anytime soon. Pure anger that had him rethinking everything he had ever said in his life. It sent fear straight down to the center of his bones - keeping him completely still as her eyes seemed to burn a color that didn't even exist.

"Lady Aphrodite," Zoë's voice called. "What a lovely surprise."

"My temper is not well reigned at the moment, Hunter," she said without her eyes leaving Percy. "I would choose your next words wisely, or perhaps my son can get a better understanding of my wrath as I decide a fitting punishment for you."

Zoë scoffed. "A fitting punishment," she repeated - perhaps not sensing the danger or being entirely too bold. "Would you have me fall in love with a bear, too? Lust after a cricket or whatever it is you do?" she asked. "Perhaps I will merely sic Thalia on you. Violence has never been your forté, has it?" she asked. Thalia rolled her eyes as she muttered something under her breath that didn't sound kind.

Aphrodite turned, looking over Zoë with a terrifying glint in her eyes. Percy felt his skin prickle in warning. There had always been something unsettling about Aphrodite, but he had never seen her truly pissed off to know what it was. Even now, he wasn't sure what exactly they had tapped into.

"Oh, sweetheart," she said, and a feral smile crossed her lips. "It has been far too long since we've seen one another." She took a step forward and everyone collectively tensed. "You wound me, little hunter. I thought over the many years we've hated one another, you might have least gotten to know me a bit better," she said with a fake pout. Zoë opened her mouth, but something seemed to snatch the voice right out of her as her hand went to her throat in alarm. "Don't like violence? My sweet, out of all the gods I could have chosen to be my great love, I chose Ares. I lust after violence," she said quietly, leaning in. Zoë didn't take a step back. "But go ahead. Give me a reason to rip that kátara's throat out."

"Mom," Percy said, a little horrified. Bianca had gone pure white - eyes wide as she subtly stepped back. This probably wasn't the most inspiring introduction after learning her parentage. "Stop-"

"I want your son on this quest," Zoë cut in. Wait. Percy blinked. What? Even Aphrodite paused at that. "I have five spots to fill. Two belong to Bianca and myself. One has been assigned to the satyr and another to Thalia Grace. However, there are two boys here, and I think as quest leader, it is my right to choose which one is my fifth official member," she said, and turned to look at Percy with a sigh. "And I do choose you," she said, voice growing a little quiet.

"You do this to spite me," Aphrodite began, but Zoë shook her head.

"I am choosing him because..." she trailed off for a moment and then made a pained face. "Because he was right. You have fought well," she told him with a nod. "You have fought bravely, and you have fought to save your friend. I would do the same for any member of the Hunt. I can appreciate you doing the same for Annabeth," she said, voice going soft. "And you honor that sword you use. I wasn't sure at first, but... I appreciate what you've done here. For all the members of this quest," she said and met his eyes.

For all members of this quest. She knew. She knew about Bianca.

Percy shouldn't be surprised. Zoë was a wild card that he couldn't get a read on... still, he felt his breath catch for a moment before quickly schooling his expression.

"You cannot force him back if I choose him... and I do," Zoë finally said and gave a weak smile. "Officially, he is part of this quest, my lady."

Big yikes. Percy glanced at the goddess, readying himself for whatever response may come. She was staring at Zoë with narrowed eyes. Then turned her gaze onto Percy. He cleared his throat and stepped forward next to her.

"Please?" he asked and bit his lip. "Technically... you could say Artemis would be indebted to you, right? That's got to be nice?" Zoë shot him an irritated look. "I mean, not only am I your son, but I'm also a boy. I hear she isn't the biggest fan of those," he reasoned. At that, Aphrodite scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest with a mutter of something that Percy decided wasn't best translated. After a few seconds of silence, she shook her head.

"You are... much harder to handle than the rest of my children," she muttered. Percy tried not to panic at the glint of uncertainty in her eyes. "Very well," she said and stepped away from Zoë. "I will allow this, but Perseus... this is a favor to you. I will expect you to make things right between you and me," she warned. Percy tried to give a reassuring smile. It fell a little flat. With a slight purse of her lips, she turned to Thalia. "The last Big Three child who caused me pain had his head placed on a spike," she said and offered a wry smile. "Perhaps remember that as you move forward."

Gods, Percy wanted to tell her so badly that it hadn't been a son of Poseidon... still, what could he say that wouldn't make her more suspicious of him? Within this past year, he had already brought their relationship to a boiling point. He couldn't keep pushing her like this.

"I would never hurt Percy," Thalia said coolly. "I owe him my life as it is. He's my friend," she said, and her shoulders slumped. "...sometimes I think he might be my only friend," she muttered. Percy jerked his eyes up at that. He wanted to say that wasn't true. Annabeth was still alive. He knew that deep down. She had to be.

Aphrodite pursed her lips.

"Very well," she said and gave them all an unreadable look. "Then perhaps I will offer you a bit of advice as you journey forth," she said, and gave them a pleasant smile. It was so sweet and welcoming that you would have never suspected she had been threatening them ten seconds ago. "You must journey through my husband's junkyard. Be wary not to take anything. There will be dire consequences if you do," she said. The group all looked at one another.

"What kind of consequen-" Bianca began, but Aphrodite had already gone. She frowned. Then turned to Percy. "Your mom is scary."

"I can't believe you almost got sent home," Thalia snorted, and Percy kicked some dirt at her. She cackled. "Zoë had to give you permission to stay," she told him. From beside her, Castor frowned.

"So..." he said put his hands in his pockets. "I'm just kind of here, huh?"

Percy laughed.

"I would pick you for my quest," he said, and Castor grinned. "Besides, I get the feeling you'll probably save our asses a few times before this is all over," he added, and then gave a slight grimace. "Also, you're going to have to protect me from your dad when we get back because if he blames me for leading you away..."

"Really? You're scared of my dad?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Have you not met him? He's the guy who threatened to turn me into an earring a few weeks ago."

"That's cold," Bianca frowned. "Not even a pair of earrings? Just the one?"

Percy gestured to her.

"You get it."

"He wouldn't actually," Castor said and then paused. "Maybe. Probably not. Well..." he looked at Percy for a couple seconds. "Yeah, I'll protect you," he finally relented. Percy rolled his eyes but tried not to look too pleased with that. Castor grinned back and - oh no. Nope. Bad. Good? Percy's brain was melting. What was happening? Castor didn't really give him a chance to come up with a response since Grover indignantly cut in to tell Thalia that he was, in fact, her friend. Percy felt his face soften at Thalia's look of uncertainty before turning to find Zoë walking towards their bags to pack up some weapons.

"Thank you," Percy said, walking up next to her. Zoë glanced at him. "For... helping me out there. With my mom," he explained. Zoë said nothing. "I know that, um, you and I haven't really been seeing eye-to-eye and..." he trailed off when Zoë turned to him. Her eyes studied him before touching the circlet on her head and smiling weakly.

"No. I've never been fond of your mother, but I don't believe we were enemies until Hippolytus."

"Hippolytus?" Percy repeated and tilted his head. "I don't know that story."

"Ah, I doubt it's told often in your cabin," Zoë mused. "He was the son of Theseus," she said, and Percy felt his interest pique. Theseus, huh? Percy had heard of his long-dead brother. "He was a close friend with Lady Artemis. A good hunter who had no interest in any sort of romance," she shrugged. Percy hummed. He doubted Aphrodite was content with that. "Often, he hunted with us, and when Aphrodite tried to force him to fall in love, he was offered a place in our ranks."

"I thought you didn't accept boys?"

"There are exceptions for those who are worthy and need protection," Zoë said and then gave a long sigh. "But Aphrodite got her revenge. She found a way to get Theseus to kill his own son," Zoë told him. Percy's mouth fell open. "Worry not, Artemis found a way to bring him back to life and keep him hidden, but... it was a terrifying day for all of us," she said solemnly. "To think she would rather us dead than to have a perfectly fulfilling life without that kind of love..." she shook her head.

Percy didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry," he finally went with. "That's awful."

Zoë looked at him.

"Your sword once belonged to me," she said suddenly. Percy nodded.

"I know," he told her. "I saw it in a dream with Heracles," he said. She gave a weak smile. "Here. You should have it back," he told her with a shake of his head. "If I had known it was yours in the beginning, I would have given it sooner-"

"No, no," she said and stopped him from grabbing it. "It is yours. I doubt I will need any weapon for much longer," she said wistfully. Percy frowned at her. "There is something, though... something I need to talk to you about," she said and licked her lips. Giving another weary sigh, she went through the whole thing. Ladon. Her father. Heracles. Percy didn't know what to say to any of it. The whole thing felt so surreal that he could only stare. "I thought," she finished with a sigh. "That he gave you that sword. That you were perhaps working with him."

Percy tilted his head.

Working for him? For who?

"Heracles?" Percy asked. "Didn't he die forever ago?"

"No need to age me, but technically, he did die," Zoë scoffed. "He was made into a god shortly after. The god of courage, bravery, and heroes," she said with bitterness lacing his tone. Percy nodded.

"Gross."

Zoë laughed. It wasn't her usual one either - the one where she was belittling or making a mean comment. It was a genuine laugh that reminded him of bells and wind chimes.

"I thought so too," she admitted and shook her head. "I used to feel bad. We rarely saw one another, but the last I heard of him... he was bitter and tired," she murmured, running a hand over her braid. "But now..." she trailed off, biting her lip. Percy waited. Then turned to him. "I know you've been helping Bianca," she said. Percy tensed. He suspected as much, but it felt terrifying to say aloud.

"You... know about Bianca?" He asked cautiously. Zoë nodded.

"I've been alive for over two thousand years in this Hunt. I've met a variety of people. Most gods don't spend enough time with mortals to really pick up the differences amongst us, but... Lady Artemis will be able to tell as well," she warned. Percy closed his eyes. Damnit. "I've seen many children of the Big Three," Zoë continued. "They're not all bad people. Some of them have been. Some of them have also been very good people. What happened to those kids..."

"Did you know them?"

"Know them?" Zoë laughed. "Several of them were hunters. They didn't just kill those at Camp Half-Blood. They dragged them from our ranks to Olympus and executed them all. Some of them had, admittedly, gotten crazed and violent, but others were still perfectly fine."

"What do you think happened? Was it like a disease?"

"I wouldn't quite call it that," Zoë said slowly and shook her head. "It was... like watching an animal in a trap. There was something behind their eyes. Something scared and confused," she explained. "Even as they did horrible, horrible things, there was just that look of fear trapped behind them. I think some tried to fight it," she said with a shudder. "I tried to tell Lady Artemis, but she was so upset that they had killed so many of us that she wouldn't hear it."

"You'll help protect her, right?" Percy asked. Zoë pursed her lips. "Bianca? She and Nico are... they're good kids," he decided. "Would Artemis really turn her over?"

Zoë glanced over her shoulder. Thalia was laughing at something Bianca said while Grover and Castor both loudly objected with outraged expressions. Percy felt his heart swell a bit at the sight of it. Without the weight of the world on them... they just looked like normal teenagers.

"I don't know," Zoë finally said. "Artemis made the Hunt to protect women in a time of... well, to protect us," she said with a sigh. "And to take in outcasts who might be left to the whims of men who cannot value more than their wants," she added and then shook her head. "But even Artemis quails under the threat of the Big Three children. They killed so many good hunters, and the one boy almost slaughtered her..."

Oh no.

"What boy?"

"The Hades one," Zoë grimaced. Yep. Hugo. It must have been Artemis' ichor that covered him in that dream. That had been what Percy was afraid of. "So, I'm not sure how she will feel about protecting another child of Hades, but I will try my best to look after her while I can," Zoë said slowly and then shook her head. "Percy, there's something else I need to tell you-" she began but was cut off by a loud bang.

"A boar!" Grover shouted as the thing crashed into the ground. Boar. That seemed like an understatement. The boar in question was about the size of a pickup truck with tusks that could have been the length of Percy's arm. Zoë stood up, grabbing her bow.

"The Erymanthian Boar," she said. Percy nodded. Great. Now that they had its name, it would surely be defeated (silently, he apologized to Zoë for the sarcasm). The boar gave a loud squeal before rushing at them. Bianca launched an arrow at it, but it bounced uselessly off of its fur.

"I got it!" Thalia shouted and summoned a lightning bolt as she threw her spear. The boar paused at that - turning to her as if indignant that she had even tried such a thing. Thalia flipped it off in response. "Any other ideas?" she called when the boar turned to trot towards her. Castor brought out his sword, looking thoughtfully at it.

"I could try to trap it with-" he began but was cut off by Grover gasping. The group paused as he scrambled out in front of it. "Grover, be careful!" Castor shouted in alarm. Percy looked around. Maybe he could lure it towards a cliff or something...

"He's a gift!" Grover said excitedly. "A gift from Pan!"

Silence fell over them as the group looked at each other and then towards the boar still roaring behind Grover.

"That's a terrible gift," Bianca finally said. Grover scowled at her. "...sorry," she added with a shrug. Her bow was still raised - eyes narrowed slightly at the potential threat.

"I think it's here for us to ride," Grover said. Zoë spluttered. Percy, for once, agreed. He wasn't too enthralled by the idea of riding that thing. Let alone having them all ride that thing. Someone would definitely fall off, and it looked uncomfortable and-

They ended up riding the boar. All the way West. Percy was (once again) not having a great time. When the thing finally landed after hours (no days, no years) later, he flopped to the ground with a small cry of relief. He wasn't a fan of flying as it was. His first summer at camp had consisted of Silena forcing him on pegasi at higher and higher levels so that he didn't freak out at much. To be fair, he could tolerate flying on pegasi pretty well.

The boar, though? Screw that boar.

"WE LIVED!"

"Speak for yourself," Castor said as he slid off. "Did we lose anyone?" he asked and did a quick headcount. "Wait - where's Bianca?" he asked. From the ground, Bianca gave a strangled scream. "Ah, found her," he said, and turned to Percy. "You good down there?"

"The view is good," Percy grinned up at him. Castor flushed. Aha! Percy could flirt. Years of watching Mitchell and Silena work had finally paid off. He sat up, perhaps a little too pleased with himself, before realizing he wasn't supposed to be flirting with Castor. Didn't he already go over this? It was wrong just to date someone to blend in.

...was it blending in if he actually liked him, though? Did Percy like him? This was a disaster.

"Ew," Thalia said from where she had taken out an apple to bite into. "Get a room."

Now it was Percy's turn to flush.

"I wasn't-"

"Aw," a voice said, and Percy whirled around with a sense of horror to find an IM behind him. Silena's face was smirking from where she looked to be sitting by the lake, dark eyes glittering. "I think that's the first time I've seen you flirt," she said. Percy silently made a vow that he never would again. This was the worst thing to have ever happened to him - and yes, he said that as a child whose existence warranted execution. Silena switched to French, "Castor, huh? I suppose he is blonde-"

"I don't need this right now."

"Uh-huh," Silena scoffed. "I heard Mom is pissed at you. What happened?"

"How do you even know what?"

"I, uh, was visiting Olympus recently," she said, and Percy's brows raised. "Overheard some gods as I was making friends," she whispered. Crap. That was bold of her to do with the security so high. "That perfume you gave me really is coming in handy," she said.

"Silena, be careful. How many demigods did you get out of that garden?"

"Four," she said. "I managed to drape the fleece, so there was a piece over different plants-"

"Silena."

"What do you expect of me, Percy?" she sighed. "You know where I stand on this," she said. Percy looked around. He knew nobody could understand them - well, maybe Zoë could (being two thousand years old probably meant she knew lots of languages) - but it still left him antsy. He took a deep breath.

"Silena, I think Kronos might be the one behind what happened to the Big Three kids," he said. Silena paused. "I haven't pieced it all together, but..." he trailed off before launching into what happened with Elliott Parker and Bianca. Silena pursed her lips as she listened, brows furrowed. "And there is still stuff I don't understand. Luke is hanging out with some guy called the General?" he frowned with a shake of his head. "And-"

"Atlas."

"What?"

"The General. That's Atlas," Silena said as Percy's brain sputtered out. As in the guy who held up the sky? That Atlas? But he was walking around with Luke. If he was gallivanting in Percy's dream, then...? His eyes widened.

"Silena, tell me you don't know where Artemis is."

She closed her eyes.

"Don't make me feel guilty," she muttered as Percy's jaw dropped. "Why not Artemis?! With Atlas free, he can go be general to Kronos' army. We're working to take down the gods. She's a god. Why not?" she asked defensively. Percy snapped his mouth shut. He didn't know what to say. In theory, he had known what side of the war Silena was on, but now that actual progress was being made... he inwardly sighed. As far as anyone was aware, Annabeth and Artemis had both been kidnapped. Zoë probably didn't know about this sky business. His stomach curled.

"And what is Annabeth doing?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "You said you didn't know if she was safe."

"I don't," Silena admitted. "But, Percy, look. She's with Luke. Chances are she's switched sides, or she's just being held captive. I doubt Luke would hurt her, though. It's Annabeth. He helped raised her. He isn't going to let anything bad happen," she reassured him. Percy pursed his lips. He supposed that was true. His hand went towards her Yankees cap. He wished it had at least fell with her down that cliff. If she had it, then maybe she could escape herself...

"I know," he finally said, and shook his head. "But just so you know... if I find Artemis, then I'm going to help save her, too. Zoë isn't that bad, and she says-"

"You want Artemis freed when Bianca is in her ranks?" Silena asked skeptically. Percy groaned. Why was this so hard? "Percy, I won't try to sway you. I know you're trying your best with everything, but... if you don't have proof it's Kronos, then are you better than the gods? I mean, they were the ones who jumped to conclusions about the Big Three kids."

"The proof was in the dead bodies!" Percy said loudly and paused. Why was he defending them so vehemently? What kind of weird, toxic thought process was this? To defend the people hunting him? Was he actually right, or was he brainwashed? His stomach curdled at the thought. This was all so confusing and scary. He wasn't even sure he knew up from down at this point. Silena gave him a pitying look.

"You might be right," she said softly. "I'll look into it. If that happened, then I'm not sure I want to help them either," she said. Percy nodded. "Just focus on Annabeth for now... and Castor," she added with a small smirk. Percy made a face at her. "Don't worry, we'll work on your flirting later," she added with a wink. Percy gave her a few chosen words under his breath before swiping the message away. Somehow, he felt more lost than when she first called him.

Maybe he should talk more to Bianca about all of this. She was a Big Three kid too. Maybe she would get it. Except... well, Bianca seemed just as lost as him within the midst of everything. He didn't blame her. She had been shoved into the role within a week and was in hiding, just like he was. Hell, she knew less than Percy. It felt cruel to keep leaning on her instead of backing off to let her adjust.

"Hey, Tough Guy," Thalia called as she grabbed her bag and flung it over her shoulder. "Artemis Jr. over there says she wants to get moving soon," she said with a jerk of her head towards an exasperated Zoë. "Apparently, that junkyard your mom was talking about is that way. Once we get through that, then we'll be good to go grab Annabeth."

Percy stared. Well, Bianca wasn't the only Big Three kid around... and Thalia seemed like the only person in his life who actually knew what she was doing. He looked around to where the others were eating lunch.

"Wait... Thalia," he said and grabbed her arm. She tensed, but didn't jerk away. "There's something I need to talk to you about," he said quietly and looked around. "It's about the Big Three kids," he said, and she slowly crossed her arms over her chest, chin jutting out.

"I'm listening."

So Percy explained. The best he could, anyway. He went from the journal to his dreams to (vaguely) explaining he had reasons to believe Elliott Parker wasn't a son of Poseidon at all. Thalia was quiet through most of it, occasionally nodding as her fingers twitched towards her bracelet. When he finally finished, she swallowed and looked at the sky.

"So," she began quietly. "It looks as if neither side is looking after my kind," she said, and then a small smile touched her lips. "Other than you, I mean," she said. There was so much defeat in her voice that Percy was a little taken aback. In the short year that he had known Thalia... defeat had never been a note he had ever heard in her voice.

"But don't you see?" Percy said. "If it is Kronos, then we can prove it! Show the gods. Then you'll be free, and it'll be okay, right?" he asked. Thalia gave him a weak smile before moving her hands behind her back. Percy was pretty sure it was to keep him from seeing them tremble.

"Percy," she said and then looked away before taking another long breath. "It isn't that simple. In a way, isn't it kind of worse?" He blinked. What? Worse? How? "That all those kids were just... victims of Kronos somehow, and the gods still killed them? They didn't bother to figure this out themselves? To care enough to see if they could help before all of this? For the love of Zeus, they turned unclaimed kids into plants. They let demigods kill each other. And for what?" she asked, voice breaking. "For what?"

"I... I mean, they killed lots of people," Percy said, wringing his hands together. "Maybe they tried to figure out to help, and they couldn't. And after Kronos is taken care of, we won't have to worry about it anymore," he said. Thalia shook her head.

"I don't think it works like that. I've only just had this year..." she murmured. "This one year of feeling like a damn animal in a zoo. Even if they told me that Big Three kids were legal tomorrow, I would never trust a single one of them again," she said. "Not a god. Not a camper. Not... anyone. They killed me. They turned me into a tree. They kept me in a cage. And now they're sending me out on errands to beg for my own life," she said and shook her head. "Part of me just wants to head to the titans anyway," she muttered.

"What? If they did this-?"

"I don't know," Thalia shrugged. "They didn't do anything to me. Not directly, anyway," she said. Silence fell between them. "Sorry, that's a stupid thing to say. I just... am really tired," she shrugged. "You wouldn't get it-"

"I do," Percy said. "Thalia, I... I get it. More than you know."

Her eyes snapped up. There was a silent buzz between them - almost like their powers meeting.

"You care an awful lot about this," she said and tilted her head. "Not many campers do."

"You're my friend."

"I'm not your only friend," she said, eyes flicking to the rest of the group. "Maybe there's a reason you spend so much time whispering to Bianca," she told him with a slightly raised eyebrow. Bianca. Biting his lip, he thought back to Silena's palm reading. What was it she said? Not to out people? He sighed. This wasn't quite the same as sexuality, but it felt like the same rules should still apply. Bianca wasn't ready for anyone to know. She hadn't had enough practice to handle all of this yet. Besides, Bianca didn't trust Thalia.

Percy, on the other hand...

"No," he said quietly. "Not Bianca."

Wordlessly, he brought out his water bottle and took off the cap before holding out his hand out to summon some water. It made a small ball in his hands before turning into a trident. Thalia's eyes widened. The wind blew, and Percy was pretty sure it was the only thing in the world that moved.

"...no fucking way."

Percy smiled wryly.

"Surprise?"

"Are you serious?!" she whispered and looked around, batting his hand down so that the water fell to the ground. "How did you even-? You know what? I don't think I even have time to know. That is... huh. I'm torn between wanting to congratulate you and punch you in the face," she said with a shake of her head. "Does Annabeth know?" she asked. Percy shook his head. "Grover?" she asked. He shook his head again. "...does anyone know?"

"Silena and my brother, Tyson. He's a cyclops in Atlantis. And, uh, my dad and Rhode. That's it."

"Not even Castor?" Thalia asked, raising an eyebrow. Percy scowled. "What? Just saying. Your new boyfriend might not take well to finding out, Percy," she said.

"He's not my boyfriend."

Thalia laughed before launching herself at him. Percy briefly wondered if he was being attacked, but instead, he found himself squeezed into a fierce hug that maybe even rivaled Tyson's. When she let go, her face was brighter than he had ever seen it.

"I knew it," she grinned. "I knew I wasn't alone."

Percy wanted to cry. He had thought the same thing so many times while looking at Thalia and Bianca these past couple of weeks. He was only glad he had someone to share it with now.

"You won't tell?"

"Tell?" Thalia said and shook her head. "No, dumbass. Of course, I'm not going to tell," she said and gave a light laugh. "Dude, how did you pull this off? Aphrodite? Aphrodite?"

"You're still not allowed to put down my siblings," he warned her, pointing a finger at her. Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she said and bit her lip to keep from smiling. "You're going to have to tell me everything. Come on - I'm going to tell Zoë that we're going to scout, okay?" she said and laughed. "Oh, gods. I mean, I'm sorry. Obviously, I'm sorry. This is a horrible position to be in, and you must be terrified, but we can get through it together, right?"

Percy felt whatever askance had built in his chest crumble immediately.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Together."

Gods were annoying.

Granted, yes, he loved Rhode and... well. Yeah, just Rhode. He was annoyed with his father, and Aphrodite was mad at him sooooo... just Rhode. He would give her an offering later and let her know she was the only god out there he still liked. He definitely didn't like the face waiting for them in front of Hephaestus' junkyard.

"Hey, kiddo," Ares greeted from where he was lounging against his motorcycle. Percy reached for his pen. There wasn't much water for him here to really do much, but he would still give it a valiant effort. "Hey, there. Easy," he grinned as his eyes followed the twitch of Percy's hand. "I heard you and my girl had a bit of a tussle. As a loving stepparent, I had to step in."

"Uh-huh," Percy said. "You aren't technically married to her, and you hate me."

"Both valid points," Ares agreed. "Alright, you caught me. Maybe I'm trying to win some brownie points with her and give you some godly aid."

...would it be wrong to call the God of War a simp? Percy probably shouldn't push his luck.

"The last time you offered me aid, you framed me," he pointed out. Ares paused. From beside him, Zoë raised her eyebrows before turning to Thalia, who merely shrugged. "Besides, my mom already told us what to do. Walk through and don't touch anything." He looked around at the others. "We can do that, right?" There was a low murmur of agreement.

Ares snorted. "No, jackass. I'm not talking about the stupid junkyard," he said with a roll of his eyes. From his pocket, he brought out a knife. Or... not a knife, exactly. A dagger. It looked fairly ornate, with symbols etched into the side of the blade and a red handle. He held it out to Percy, who stared down. "I promise it won't bite," Ares said dryly. Percy looked up at him suspiciously.

"...no, thank you."

"No-? Really?" Ares asked and turned to Castor. "Are you sure you want to date him?" he asked. Percy made an outraged noise as Castor turned bright red. Thalia merely sighed and muttered something that probably wasn't nice under her breath. "What? Your mom tells me stuff," he shrugged. "Look, this knife is one of the few things that can kill those skeletons that have been chasing you across the country," he said.

"That can't be true," Castor said with a frown. "We saw..." he began and suddenly trailed off. Percy felt his anxiety spike. No, no, no- they had all seen Bianca kill that one skeleton early in the quest. Zoë must have realized what he was thinking, because she suddenly cut in, leaning forward to look at the dagger with a wrinkled nose.

"How do we know it is not cursed?" she asked. Ares shrugged.

"Call it an act of trust. It has my blessing, little hunter. Worry not," he said with a sly wink. Zoë sneered and gave a slight shake of her head.

"He cannot accept that," she decided. Ares' expression slipped into a scowl. "If your blessing is really all it needs, then it would be safer for us to watch you bless it ourselves," she said and reached into her bag before pulling out a dagger of her own. It was a lot simpler than Ares' with a leather handle and celestial bronze. Ares looked down at it. Percy half-suspected he would just knock it out of her hand before rolling his eyes and accepting it.

"You do realize my blessing is incredibly rare for anyone outside of my children?"

"You volunteered to do this," Percy said blandly.

Ares made a face at him. "You are so lucky you're my girlfriend's kid," he muttered and said something under his breath. Zoë watched him carefully, leaning in to hear the words. "There. Take it, punk," he said and tossed the knife at him. Percy grabbed it before turning to Zoë. She nodded.

"It is a legitimate blessing," she said and fixed him with a smirk. "That is the second blade of mine in your care, Percy Jackson. Try to do well by it," she said. Percy looked down at the weapon. Did all demigods get this many magical gifts? Or was it an Aphrodite thing? Ares sneered as he tucked his own knife back into his pocket and threw his leg over his motorcycle.

"You should try a thank you, Jackson," he said. Percy merely looked at him. After a couple seconds of pure silence, Ares' face twisted into an ugly glare as he revved his engine. "Whatever, kid. Just survive so I can tell Aphrodite I kept your dumbass alive," he said with a shake of his head. "And hey, maybe offer that pretty coat of yours to her. Might keep her from being so pissed off back on Olympus," he muttered, and with one last roar of the motorcycle, disappeared into a wave of dust.

"Dick," Percy decided. Grover hit his arm. "You agree with me deep down," he added to him. Grover fixed him with a stern look, but Percy could see the amusement underneath it. Shaking his head, he turned to Zoë. "Thank you," he told her. Zoë shrugged.

"Never accept a gift like that from a god who doesn't like you. Maybe he's trying to get in your mother's good graces, but it isn't like she wouldn't forgive him in a hundred years," she said. Percy frowned. "Sorry. Um, two hundred years?" she asked, and Bianca leaned over to whisper something in her ear. "Ah, yes. A thousand years," she decided. Percy shook his head.

"Thank you," he said, trying to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "We should probably go through," he added, looking up at the barren wasteland around them and then to the pile of scrapped metal rising above the barbed wire gate. "Remember not to take anything," he added. The group all murmured their agreement before bringing out their weapons and stepping inside.

Percy wasn't sure what to expect when entering, but it wasn't this. It felt like he was surrounded by thousands of half-made treasures. Pieces of bronze horses, shields, chariots, weapons, crowns - even an electric guitar shaped like Apollo's lyre. Percy fiercely reminded himself of the very solemn lesson he had learned from Aladdin as a child. When Abu didn't listen, they got trapped inside the Cave of Wonders. Percy would not be an Abu.

"I need to talk to you," Thalia's voice said in his ear, steering him to the side in a vice-like grip. Percy yelped a little at her approach. Couldn't this wait until they were out of the junkyard? It wasn't really a place to sit and chat. "Bianca is one of us."

...seriously? Percy pursed his lips.

"No," he said. "No, I don't think she is-"

"Ares said that the knife was the only thing that could kill those skeleton things, and yet Bianca did it, remember? And Grover said there might be a special place she hit it?" Thalia pressed. Percy tried his best to look confused. He must have done a terrible job because Thalia's eyes narrowed. "...what do you know?" she asked suspiciously. Percy looked at the ground. He literally told Thalia his own identity to avoid this. Damn her. "Tell me. Tell me, Percy," Thalia said and hit his arm.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes! Yes, you do!" she said and pointed a finger at him. "We're a team, remember? If she's that powerful, she has to be one of us. Maybe even Hades, considering it was a skeleton," she added thoughtfully. Percy shook his head. "Tell me, or I'm going to tell Castor that you like him!"

Percy's mouth dropped. What kind of threat was that? Before he could articulate his outrage, there was a crunch of gravel, and both jumped.

"What are you guys doing?" Bianca's voice asked as she squeezed between two bronze washing machines to join them. "Zoë says we shouldn't split up."

Thalia, being... well... Thalia, didn't even miss a beat.

"I think you might be a Big Three kid," she said. Bianca reared back - clearly stunned for a moment. Then she turned to Percy to hit his arm.

"You told?!" she demanded. Thalia's mouth dropped before she whirled back around to hit Percy's other arm.

"You knew?!"

"...ow," Percy sighed. The blood drained from Bianca's face as Thalia's last comment settled in. She took a quick step back, accidentally knocking over a pile of golden cubes behind her. Instantly, voices shot out - recordings playing all at once, overlapping over one another. Percy grabbed her before she could fall more, as Thalia suddenly went very still. "Are you okay?" he asked her, baffled. She had gone so still that he had to check to make sure Medusa hadn't appeared.

"Um... yes," Thalia said slowly, eyes falling between Percy to Bianca to the cubes on the ground. He frowned, following her gaze to one cube still chattering by their feet.

"It isn't working!" a voice was saying. "All it does is record me. It won't send any messages. Maybe we should give it back," it was saying. Thalia's eyes narrowed.

"Then leave it! We have to hurry before the leopard gets away-" a girl was saying before the message slowly melted away. Weird. He turned back to where Bianca was eying Thalia over with wide eyes.

"It's okay," Thalia finally said, refocusing back on them. "I'm not your enemy. Between you, me, and-"

Wait. Shit. Percy cleared his throat.

"There's two of you now," he cut in before Thalia could accidentally reveal him. He felt her gaze shift incredulously to him. Maybe Percy should tell Bianca too... but not now. Perhaps it was the fact that technically she was a 1940s kid. He liked Bianca, but there was still that creeping thought in the back of his mind. The 'what if' that felt so rational and irrational at once. "And given that Thalia is older and the only one who can age... it is safe to say she is probably the prophecy child," he said. Thalia grimaced.

"I am turning sixteen this week," she said, shoulders slumping. "And the gods have done a stellar job keeping me in line," she muttered and looked at Bianca for a long couple of seconds. "Don't worry. We'll figure out how to keep you safe," she said, and then her eyes flicked down. "And maybe we should start with dropping the action figure," she said. Bianca jumped. It was then that Percy noticed something in her hand.

"Are you taking something?"

"No!" Bianca said defensively and shoved the item behind her back. Her face fell. "...yes," she muttered, and Percy threw up her hands. "It's just a toy! I mean, what can it really do?" she asked, hesitantly bringing it out. It was a black figurine - probably around the size of her palm. "It's the only one Nico doesn't have," she mumbled. Thalia leaned over and plucked it from her hand.

"...this is the Hades one, right?" she asked, looking at the bottom. Bianca nodded. "I don't think that's a good idea. You know, given the parentage situation and all. Does Nico know?" she asked. Bianca's breath hitched for a moment before she closed her eyes and shook her head. "It isn't worth the risk. I'm sure we can find another one someplace else," she reassured her and tossed it to the side. Bianca bit her lip. "If we're going to take something, it needs to be... important."

"We're not taking anything!" Percy objected. Thalia grimaced.

"Yeah. Right. We're not taking anything," she agreed. Another clatter followed, and this time it was Grover poking his head in.

"Hi," he greeted. "Zoë is freaking out about you guys being gone. Can we go?" he asked. Percy smiled.

"Sorry, G-Man," he said and brushed by the other two to join him. "We're coming."

If Percy ever were to write a book about himself and his various adventures in life - or, more accurately - if he were to get his mother to write a book - then there would be a common sentence. It would go like this:

Blah, blah, blah, blah. And then everything went wrong!

So... without further ado...

And then everything went wrong!

Talos, a super fun automaton, had decided to come out and play. Imagine a giant prototype of a skyscraper-sized man coming at you with a massive sword for no goddamn reason other than to be a jerk. Yep. That was the situation they were in. Percy had some letters of complaint to write when he got back to camp. Needless to say, they were getting their asses kicked.

"I can slow it down with vines," Castor suggested as he raised his hands. Percy opened his mouth to respond when something caught his eyes. A panel was missing from underneath Talos' foot as he moved around Grover (who was valiantly distracting it by growing his own vines). Percy looked up.

"I can get inside," he said. Castor gave him a startled look. "I can get inside and disable it-"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Possibly," he agreed and shrugged off his backpack. "But I-"

"What are you doing?!" Thalia's voice called when she saw Percy throw the bag down. She dodged and weaved as Zoë continued pulling out arrows and fearlessly fighting against it. Percy opened his mouth, only to find Bianca by his side, too. Looking between them, he quickly explained his plan, a little irritated that they were wasting time. Bianca frowned.

"I have Artemis' blessing. I can go-"

"No, it should be me," Thalia said, and Percy threw up his hands.

"We can't all be the idiot who does it!" he complained with a nervous look at Castor, who was starting to wilt a bit with summoning more vines. Grover was trying to help where he could, but they were running out of time. Percy could hear a clock in the back of his mind - counting down until they were all crushed to pieces. Thalia looked over her shoulder and gave a long breath.

"Look at me," she said, lowering her voice. "The gods know who I am. They're going to try and control me. I won't do it. I won't let them. They don't know about either of you. You have a chance to make all of this right... I'm so sorry," she said and grabbed Percy's hand, stuffing something into it. "Promise me when all of this is said and done... you'll find him."

"Find who?" Percy asked, but before he could process what was happening, Thalia shoved him into Bianca, so they both tumbled back. Percy crashed into the ground as he tried to detangled himself from where Bianca had yelped. No. He shot up just in time to see Thalia sprint underneath Talos' foot - climbing inside. "Shi- THALIA!" he shouted, heart pounding. No. It was fine. She would disable it and get out. She was fine.

Fine, fine, fine-

The automaton slowed down, joints creaking as the lights behind its eyes dimmed. Percy relaxed. Thank the gods. She did it.

"Yes! Go, Thalia!" Bianca yelled, punching the air. "I- wait-" she said, eyes widening when Talos tripped over a power line. She grabbed Percy's arm.

"No, she's a daughter of Zeus," he told her. "Electricity won't kill her."

Thank gods it was her, a voice whispered. Anyone else and they would have died on the spot.

"HOW IS SHE GETTING OUT?!" Zoë shouted. Percy's heart stopped. He looked up in horror at Talos starting to break down. Electricity might not kill Thalia, but a thousand pounds of celestial bronze might do the trick. He sprinted forward just as Castor reached out to yank him back.

"THALIA!" he shouted, shoving him off. Please. Please, no. No. "THALIA!"

Talos collapsed to the ground in a heap - sending everything around them shaking. A small explosion went off, sending Percy straight to the ground with a gasp. When he tried to get up again, Castor was there to hold him back.

"Percy..." he said softly. "Percy, it's over. She's gone-"

"No!" he shouted, almost hysterically. "No, she isn't! Bianca. Bianca-" he said and had to force himself to watch his tongue. But she would know, right? She would know. He turned to her with pleading eyes. Bianca had frozen a few feet away, looking more shaken than ever. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly before dark eyes finally met his own. Then, slowly, she nodded.

Percy grabbed his hair and screamed.

Grover had come over, trying to pull him away, but Percy refused to move. Why? Why? With a jolt, Percy remembered that Thalia had shoved something in his hand. Gods, his stomach shot a burst of nausea through him. He closed his eyes to force it away before reaching into his pocket. When he looked down, he saw one of the gold cubes that had fallen earlier. Why? Why would she take this? Percy shook it, and the recording whirled - playing from the beginning.

"Let's go, Jason! Bacchus is waiting, and I don't want to deal with him whining how even the great Jason Grace can't find the damn thing."

"But we know Mercury stole it! We just have to send the message!"

"Then send it!"

"It isn't working! All it does is record me. It won't send any messages. Maybe we should give it back."

"Then leave it! We have to hurry before the leopard gets away-"

The voices sputtered away until Percy was left to simply shake it again. And again. And again. He wasn't sure how many times he listened to the message - trying to piece it all together. Eventually, it was Zoë who came over and pulled him back on his feet with murmurs for him to go. He didn't know how to respond. How to think. Finally, after hours of just shaking the damn thing, he put it back into his pocket and collapsed on the ground to stare at the sky.

Silence followed for a long time.

"Bianca," Castor finally said after a solid hour had passed. "That was amazing."

Percy glanced over at where Zoë and Grover had built a fire, taking turns feeding it while Castor and Bianca sat on opposite ends.

"What?" Bianca asked and frowned. "What was?"

"Back there. With the vines," he said, and his eyes danced around them all. Percy frowned, propping himself up. "Right, guys?"

What was this?

"Um, yeah," Grover said slowly. "Was that you? Totally awesome."

"Absolutely," Zoë nodded. Bianca stared at them blankly. "Vines are a good power to have. Perhaps you are a child of Dionysus yourself. Or maybe Demeter," she said, and Bianca's eyes widened before she gave a muttered response. Percy sat up to turn to Castor with a questioning look.

"I'm not stupid," he said quietly. "I know there's a reason you looked at her when you wanted to see if Thalia's really dead... and you guys don't actually talk that quietly at night," he told him dryly. Percy flinched. He thought to Silena. She had been so amazing at helping him blend in. Percy was clearly not up to par. Every single person on this quest had figured it out. How was he supposed to protect Bianca if he couldn't even fool one person?

"And you're okay with helping her?" he asked instead. Castor's lips pursed. Then looked back at Bianca warily.

"I don't know how much I can actually help," he said quietly. "It isn't like another god would claim a child that wasn't theirs - let alone two," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "But maybe if people hear about them having powers that the Big Three can't have... " he shrugged. "It would be enough for people to not ask questions. She has a little brother, right? At camp, I can maybe play it off like he's good around plants too," he shrugged. Percy stared. "I know it's horrible," Castor added quietly. "Given what they are, but... I don't know. You're helping her, right?" he asked. Percy nodded. "And what if they put her in that garden? I like Bianca. And she has Nico. I can't imagine Pollux and I being in a situation like that," he tried to explain. "I would never want Pollux in a situation like that," he said, shaking his head. "Never. So, yeah. I know it's dumb, but it's the only thing I can-"

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by Percy leaning forward and kissing him.

...which was a poor tactical decision, honestly. Aphrodite kids should be good at kissing, right? Except - despite all of his training - Percy was still an awkward fourteen-year-old who had not kissed anyone up until this moment. Imagine if this was what ratted him out? How goddamn embarrassing.

But, also, like... how did kissing even work? He would have to ask Silena before trying again. All he really did was lean forward, so their lips met for like...three seconds and then pulled away. Was that what it was supposed to be? No offense to people who kiss regularly, but it was a little anti-climatic.

Which was a bold thing to think, with his heart beating as fast as it was.

"Oh," Castor said and then nodded. "Huh. I see you approve of dumb decisions," he told him and then smiled a little at his feet before glancing up at Percy. "I'll try to make more of those then," he said. Percy's previous trepidation melted away at the sight of it. It was really the only highlight for the next part of the trip. The shock of Thalia's death had been a heavy overcast alongside the pulsing knowledge of Bianca's identity that none of them dared to say out loud.

They ended up at Hoover Dam, where more fun skeletons chased them, and he ran into the strangest mortal with piercing green eyes and fiery red hair. A strange, clearsighted mortal who did not take kindly to almost be chopped in half with his sword.

"She was pretty," Castor noted a bit wryly as he watched the interaction with a slight frown. "You planning on working your Aphrodite charm on her, too?" he asked.

"Unlikely," Percy snorted as he put his sword back in pen form to exchange it for Zoë's knife. "I'm apparently into blondes," he said - realizing a second too late what he said. Castor blinked. "Oh, I - um, well -" he said, flushing. "Silena did that palm reading thing on me and - damnit," he muttered. Castor's puzzled expression morphed into an amused smile. "Leave me alone," he groused.

"I didn't say anything."

"Uh-huh," Percy muttered. "Stop making fun of me."

"I wasn't! I was just thinking that I've always wanted to try one of those palm readings Aphrodite kids do," Castor said and held out his hand. "Maybe try mine?" He asked. Percy narrowed his eyes. "Come on. I'm curious," he said. Oh, whatever. Jerk. Percy grabbed his hand.

"I warn you that I have not yet been properly trained in this yet," he said and looked down. Seriously, how did Aphrodite kids even see this stuff? He tilted his head. "Um, let's see... you like... thousand-year-old hunters with dark eyes," he said. Castor snorted. "Wait, I see something else... Interesting... satyrs who play the pipes?" He said and gave Castor a wicked grin. "Grover is my best friend, you know. I'll put in a good word."

"Thank goodness. I didn't think I had a shot. Anything else?"

"Hm... I'm not- wait. I see... a... redheaded mortal who is... clearsighted? Yes, definitely clearsighted," he said solemnly. Castor rolled his eyes.

"I don't mean to criticize an expert, but I think you need a little more practice."

"Really? What did I miss?" he asked innocently. Before Castor could reply, there was a crash, and they looked over to see Zoë stabbing a skeleton before blasting another with an arrow.

"ARE YOU TWO SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!?" she shouted. Oh. Uh. Yeah. Maybe not the best time.

"Sorry!"

Right. Back to the fighting. Percy ended up seeing Bessie again, which was very fun. Except not really because apparently, Bessie was a monster who could be used for evil? How? She was ridiculously cute? It made no sense? According to Dr. Thorn (aka the Manticore who was still bothering them), if Bessie's entrails were burned, it could be a downfall for the gods. Luckily, they got a message to camp, where Mr. D bitterly helped them. Percy was pretty sure it was only because Castor was with them, but whatever. It worked. Grover ended up taking Bessie to Olympus after Percy gave up his Nemean lion pelt as an offering (to Rhode, obviously), and blah, blah, blah. Look, he would go into more details, but the end result was that they visited Annabeth's dad, got his car, and ended up on top of a mountain.

Now... Percy wasn't sure what he expected to find, but this wasn't it.

1. Artemis was holding up the sky. Fair enough. Silena had warned him about that.

2. Luke was there. Again, sure. Why not? He was on the titan's side. To be expected.

3. Atlas was also there because apparently he was also invited to join the party. Whatever.

4. Annabeth was bound and gagged with a gray streak in her hair.

So, um, that. That was the part that was messing Percy up a bit. Annabeth. Annabeth was... a prisoner. Not thrilled with that, but Percy was okay with grabbing her and leaving. The problem was the gray streak. The one that matched Luke's. Percy was admittedly not always the brightest, but he could put the pieces together. They had made her hold up the sky.

Luke had made her hold up the sky.

Luke. The one who Silena had said wouldn't hurt Annabeth. He had raised her. They were friends. He would never hurt her. Except he did. He didn't just keep her to appease the titans. He didn't just try to convince her to join him. He had made her hold up the damn sky. That counted as hurting her. That definitely counted, and Percy could barely focus with his rage rising. His eyes flicked to Artemis.

He had been back and forth on this decision for a while, but suddenly his allegiance felt clear - and, hey. Maybe it would change once Luke was out of the picture. Except he was, and he made Annabeth hold the sky. It felt abundantly clear to him what he needed to do.

"Give it to me," he told Artemis. "Give me the sky."

"You won't be able to hold it."

"I will. Give it to me."

"Annabeth had a heart of a true huntress-"

"Give to him."

Percy whipped around. That was charmspeak. Charmspeak that Artemis - who was clearly tired and weak from her burden - quelled under. Percy barely had a chance to register who had spoken before lunging forward to accept the weight. His body screamed at it placed on him, but he held firm in the wake of the pain. Through blurry vision, he could see Artemis and Atlas fighting as other figures moved around. He could also still hear the voice speaking in low, hushed tones.

"Atlas, lower your weapon," it said soothingly. "Lower it. Walk back... keep walking back. Don't fight," it told him. Atlas' face contorted as he lashed out at something else beside Artemis. Zoë. There was a scream. More yells. Eventually, the voice spoke again- louder and with more intensity than Percy had even heard Silena put into her words. "Retake the weight."

And just like that, Percy was on the ground gasping, with Atlas once again holding the sky next to him. A foot nudged him.

"Are you okay?"

"Drew?" he groaned and sat up, arms wobbly as he looked up - utterly bewildered to find Drew Tanaka standing above him with her arms across her chest and hair French braided down her back. She gave him what he could only be described as a look of affectionate condescension before offering him a hand. "How...?"

"I stole a plane."

That left way more questions than answers, quite frankly.

"Why?"

Drew's expression faltered. Then she crossed her arms over her chest, not meeting his eyes.

"Between you and Silena, the new Aphrodite fad is going on quests. I had to jump on that," she shrugged. Percy blinked. "Also... I, um, didn't want our last conversation to be an argument," she said with a grimace. "You at least cared to ask what was wrong," she said. Percy was a little blown away by the development but nodded.

"And what was wrong?"

Drew didn't have a chance to answer because her eyes jerked to where Bianca was losing a fight to Luke as Castor untied Annabeth. Drew brought out a crossbow from behind her back and aimed it directly at Luke.

"NO!" Annabeth shrieked, but Drew had already pulled the trigger. The arrow zipped out - nailing him in the shoulder so that he stumbled back, and Bianca kicked out, sending him down into a chasm below. Annabeth gave a sharp gasp of alarm as Artemis' eyes flicked between the place where Luke had stood to Drew.

"Good aim," she said calmly, but there was a catch in her throat. Percy was about to ask if being aided by a child of Aphrodite was that bad when he realized that wasn't the problem.

"Zoë," he said, voice catching as he raced over to where his friend was lying in a puddle of blood. Atlas' hit must have been stronger than he thought. "No," he mumbled. Not again. No more people were allowed to die. He gripped her arm. "We can save her, right?" he asked. Nobody answered. Zoë coughed up some blood before grabbing his arm and pulling him towards her. "You're going to be okay-"

"Shh..." she managed and tightened her hold on him. "Bianca," she managed. Percy nodded.

"I'll protect her."

"More," Zoë murmured. "I... I didn't tell... you... everything," she managed. Percy frowned. Tell him what? She grabbed him again, pulling him even closer so only he could hear. "Listen to me... Kronos... Kronos wasn't... he planned it... but he... he didn't... do it... wasn't powerful... enough... yet... had help..." she whispered, and her hands trembled. Percy squeezed back. "When I suspected... I tried to... I confronted..." she managed and choked a little on her words. "Had... no proof..." she breathed out. "And nobody would... believe me over... him... maybe Artemis..." she murmured. Percy stared. Maybe Artemis? Who would Artemis place over Zoë? Apollo? Zeus? He didn't understand. "Thought it was revenge," she murmured.

"I don't understand," Percy said, voice shaking. "You're not making sense."

Zoë didn't answer. Her eyes were glazed over as she murmured - clearly struggling to stay focused as Artemis walked over and knelt next to them.

"My lady," Zoë whispered. "I have a request."

Artemis closed her eyes but nodded as she gave Percy a small wave - not quite a dismissal, but a silent request for them to talk alone. Percy swallowed. He didn't want to. Still, he needed to let Zoë get her last words in. He moved back, turning to the others. Annabeth was frozen - tense as her eyes stayed focus on where Luke had been standing. Percy walked over to her.

"Hey," he said softly. "You okay?"

She didn't answer.

"I think it's shock," Castor murmured to him. Percy nodded slowly before squeezing Annabeth's arm. Her eyes snapped to him before walking forward to hug him. Percy sighed before squeezing her back, unsure of what else to do as everyone awkwardly waited for Artemis to finish her conversation with Zoë. When Artemis looked back up, they all gathered back around. Bianca knelt, holding Zoë's hand.

"Thank you," she told her quietly. Artemis gave a stiff nod as Zoë offered a weak smile, going lax as she continued to murmur.

"Stars. I can see the stars again, m'lady," she said, and Artemis ran her fingers through her hair with a whispered blessing.

By the end of the night, a new constellation had been added to the sky.

The trip back to Olympus had been a solemn one.

Percy had hoped they could all just go back to camp, but apparently, that wasn't the case. Drew had joined them after pulling Artemis to the side and having what looked to be a pretty pained conversation with her.

"What was that about?" Percy asked when she walked back, looking deep in thought. Drew's eyes snapped up.

"I figured I would ask her something while she was here," Drew said - voice defensive as she glanced behind her to where Artemis was watching with impassive eyes. "Pegasi are coming to carry us to Olympus. She'll meet us there," she told him and then walked away before Percy could further question her. True to her word, a small herd of pegasi had appeared (led by none other than Blackjack) to fly them back to New York.

The next thing he knew, they found themselves all in a throne room with gods surrounding them and Bessie floating around. It looked as if the meeting had already started as they walked in, voices falling silent when the doors open.

"Artemis," Apollo said sharply, sitting up in his throne. Artemis looked around. Wordlessly, she walked her way to the front of the room, and the gods all looked at her with unbridled curiosity. "Sister-"

"I am fine, Apollo," Artemis greeted and took a deep breath. "These heroes have brought me back. I owe thanks to them - and I would like to honor Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter, and Dionysus for allowing them on such a quest," she said, though her eyes flicked to Aphrodite.

"Me?" Demeter asked with a frown. "Why honor me, niece?"

Artemis frowned.

"Zoë informed me of Bianca's triumph in the junkyard. She and Castor created vines to hold Talos in place when he attacked," she said and bowed her head. "I sensed she was powerful, so I assumed she must be yours," she said with a note of apology. Demeter tilted her head before giving Bianca a curious look. Zeus gave a bitter scoff.

"Triumph," he said softly. "Some triumph."

Percy flinched. From beside him, Annabeth frowned, leaning towards him to whisper in his ear.

"What did he mean by that?" she asked. Percy felt his heart drop. He tried to find the words to answer, but the gods had continued talking, silencing any previous conversation.

"We should perhaps consider the incident a blessing in disguise," a goddess spoke up from one end of the room. Black hair was piled onto her head in an enigma of braids with a single curl hanging free. Percy felt his skin prickle a bit. He knew exactly who this was. Gray eyes flittered around the room, meeting his only for a moment before speaking again. "Though, I also feel my father's disappointment. It was a matter well-controlled, and we are now back to square one," she admitted wryly. Instant dislike swelled inside of him. "Besides," Athena continued as her eyes flicked to Bianca. "We never know who is a wolf in sheep's clothing."

That was decidedly not good.

"For now, we should focus on the more pressing matter," Hermes said, and gestured to Bessie. "This creature. I think we are all in agreement it needs to be destroyed?"

"What?" Percy asked. The gods unanimously turned to him. Whoops. He thought back to his mother's initial letter two years ago. The 'don't draw attention to yourself' was a hard one for him. He could feel Poseidon's anxiety spike up. Percy hadn't dared to look at him to see what form he was in. "You want to kill Bessie?" he trudged on. A long pause followed.

"...Bessie?"

Thus, began the Great Ophiotaurus Debate. Fun. Percy had a hard time keeping his mouth shut, but luckily, his friends seemed ready to join him in his side of things.

"We cannot keep it on Olympus," Zeus objected. "With all the... invasions as of recent, I do not trust it will remain untouched."

"What about camp?" Castor suggested. "My father can protect it."

"No," Dionysus said helpfully. "I will not."

"I could take it to Atlantis," Poseidon offered slowly. Zeus rolled his eyes.

"I will not allow that-"

Percy was beginning to worry over Bessie's safety when Athena held up both of her hands.

"If it must live, simply keep it where we kept Thalia Grace. Despite the recent intrusions, she was well-guarded, was she not? The creature will be untouched there," she said. From beside him, Annabeth frowned - looking around the room with narrowed his eyes. Percy swallowed. How should he tell her? How could he tell her? His heart was thundering despite the grumbled acceptance of Athena's proposition. Artemis stood back up.

"There is another matter I wish to address. Zoë is dead," she said and swallowed a bit before taking a long breath. "It is time I have a new lieutenant," she continued, and Percy felt like he had been sucker-punched. Annabeth. How did he not see it earlier? She and Artemis had spent time together in captivity. "As she died, she asked one request of me... and it was to offer the position to the huntress who accepted the quest despite having no prior experience in doing so," she said and turned. "Bianca di Angelo," she smiled weakly. "Zoë asked for you to take her place. Do you accept?"

Oh. Oh. Percy felt his eyes widened as Bianca stood there shell-shocked. Zoë had said she would protect her for as long as she could. Still, Percy felt his stomach twist at the turn of events. Nobody would think to question Bianca. She would be safe under Artemis' protection... assuming she could fool Artemis. Bianca jutted out her chin. He could still see panic in her eyes, but she hid it well as she stepped forward.

"I do, my lady."

Artemis smiled warmly as the group clapped politely. Apollo wolf-whistled as his sister shot him an irritated look.

"And," Artemis continued, holding up both her hands. "After... recent discussions, I would like to extend the offer to join the hunters to Drew Tanaka as well," she said. The room went deathly still. Percy nervously glanced at where Drew was standing next to him. Her hands were balled up by her sides, chin jutted out as she swallowed.

"Excuse me?" Aphrodite asked from her throne, shoulders pulling back. "Why have you asked this of her? You wish to indoctrinate my daughter into your little-"

"You would not be the first daughter of Aphrodite to join our ranks," Artemis said, ignoring Aphrodite completely. "Of the very few who have joined, most, I must admit, do not last long. However, you have proven yourself, and I think you just may be an exception to this rule," Artemis said. Percy frowned. He supposed Drew helped her in the fight against Atlas... and also shoot Luke. Still, he wondered what made Artemis think Drew would ever accept. "However, the choice is completely yours. I will not be offended if you say no," she said, voice softening in a way Percy didn't quite expect or understand.

Drew looked at her - then to Aphrodite. Slowly, she stepped forward.

"Mother," she said and offered a weak smile. "She asks this of me because of a conversation she graciously had with me earlier," she said, and took another long breath. "I... confessed to her that I had no romantic interest in... anyone," she said with a small shrug. "Not boys. Not girls. Not... anyone," she said, voice breaking towards the end. "And I - I have tried," she said and looked down for a moment, licking her lips before pulling her gaze back up. "I knew most hunters were said to not engage in romantic attraction, so I was curious if this was simple... discipline on their part, or a natural state of being."

"Drew," Aphrodite said, voice softening. "My darling, you are so very young. It is perfectly normal if you don't-"

"I know," Drew said with a nod. "I know that I may wake up tomorrow or in many months feeling differently, but I have been waiting for that day for... very long, and it has not come. Perhaps it will in the future, but something tells me that is unlikely," she said and twisted her hands together. "And with that being said - as honored as I am by Lady Artemis' offer... I must refuse," she said, and this time looked to Artemis with a small smile. "You are right that you and I may be the same, but... I do not think I belong in your hunt. I mean, honestly? Hunting monsters and animals every day sounds like torture. I think I would only like to be a warrior when there's war. Also, the uniform? It's... hideous. I- I'm so sorry. I have to be honest. I could redesign something for you, but there's a lot of silver, and not many girls can pull that off-"

"Drew."

"Right, sorry," she said. "And while my brother has grown to like some of your hunters...my family is at Camp Half-Blood," she said with a small smile towards Percy. "I have all the freedom and power I dare to have. And, most importantly, I wish to be many things in life. However, I hope that if I am only known as one thing... it is a daughter of Aphrodite. I risk losing that if I join you. I risk losing that as it is, but..." she trailed off again, and Percy could tell she was trying to hold back tears. "If I could only be known as one thing. That's what I want to be known as."

Artemis nodded before giving her another smile.

"Very well. I thank-"

"Wait," Aphrodite interrupted, holding up a hand. Drew flinched. Silence fell over them once more as Aphrodite leaned forward in her throne, placing her folded hands against her lips. She looked eerily deep in thought as she studied Drew over. "You are thinking of the tale of Hippolytus," she said. Drew closed her eyes. Aphrodite sighed and then looked at Artemis with annoyance before leaning back in her throne. "Drew, I would like you to answer Artemis again," she said. Drew looked up, startled. "But before you answer, I would like you to remember that whether or not you are a hunter - you will always be my daughter first. Every part of you. Even if I am not... understanding of it," she decided. Drew stared - mouth parted for a moment before nodding frantically.

"Thank you," she said quickly. "I - no," she added to Artemis apologetically. "I really would be so awful at it, and I can kind of be greedy. If I win a battle, I kind of want all the credit, sorry," she said. Artemis gave her an indignant look, but seemed to accept this. "But, thank you, mother. Truly," she said. Aphrodite smiled weakly at her.

"Then you are dismissed."

Drew nodded and turned with a long breath. When she saw Percy, she paused. He grinned at her and held out his arms. Drew only hesitated for a moment before launching herself into them.

"That was so badass," he whispered to her. Drew laughed into his shoulder.

"Really?"

"Yeah. That was awesome," he said and held out a hand. Drew high-fived him with a grin before going back to her place next to him. From her other side, Bianca fixed Drew with a warm smile of her own. "Does this mean you're going to stop being mean?"

"Hm," Drew said, and her lips twisted into a wicked grin. "Maybe to other people. Not to you."

"I can accept this," he said, and an idea whirled in the back of his mind. "Can I ask you to help me with a favor later?" he asked. Drew tilted her head but was silenced by Annabeth stepping forward - wringing her hands together. Percy felt a wave of concern rise. She had been so off since they got her back that he really had no idea what was going on through her mind. His heart pounded.

"My lord and ladies?" she began, and Zeus narrowed his eyes. "I...was wondering if before the celebrations start that Thalia might be able to join us?" she asked. An awkwardness hung in the air. "The way you spoke made it sound like she was no longer in her room, but I assume she is still on Olympus?" Annabeth tried. There was a note in her voice - a note of pure fear that told Percy she didn't think she was still on Olympus at all... but still hoped.

"Daughter," Athena finally answered. "Thalia Grace was on the expedition to retrieve you and Lady Artemis."

Annabeth's breath caught.

"But... I... I didn't see her," she said, turned to Percy. "Where is Thalia?" Percy felt everything in him die. He should have figured out a way to tell her sooner. It had all just happened so fast, and she seemed so out of it. He met her eyes and tried his best to keep his emotions in check. "Where is she?" Annabeth repeated, and her voice shook.

"I am so sorry," he breathed out. "Annabeth-"

She stepped back. Something in her eyes snapped.

"You let her die."

"What?" Percy frowned and stared at her. "No. Never. Annabeth-" he started, but fell silent when she shoved past him outside of the room. "Annabeth!" he called and turned to follow. Aphrodite cleared her throat, and he froze. Damnit. Damnit. Part of him wanted to ignore her altogether, but he had caused enough damage with her as it was. Now there was Bianca to consider. He couldn't risk a potential reveal that would put her under more scrutiny. He turned.

Aphrodite's face softened.

"Lord Zeus, may Perseus be dismissed?" she asked. Zeus didn't answer. "Very well. Percy, go."

Part of him was impressed by the casualness she had disregarded Zeus - something she might pay for later based on Zeus' expression, but he didn't have time to be thankful as he bowed and raced outside, spotting Annabeth storming through pillars near the cobbled pathway.

"Annabeth!"

"Stay away from me-"

"I'm sorry," he said, sprinting in front of her. "Annabeth, please. I should have told you on the mountain, but there was so much going on!" he said and grabbed her arm. She brought out her knife. "You don't actually think I wanted her dead, do you? Thalia was my friend," he said. Annabeth laughed.

"I don't know what to believe. You lie all the time, Percy. You can fool everyone else, but I know you're hiding something. I used to think it was just that you were on the titan's side, but..." she shook her head, putting a hand to her camp necklace. "Luke and Thalia are both gone and," she began, voice cracking. Percy closed his eyes. "Why didn't you stop Drew from shooting Luke? You can charmspeak too, right?"

"What?" Percy asked and gave a disbelieving scoff. "Annabeth, he hurt you. I see your hair. He made you hold up the sky-"

"No!" Annabeth shouted and shoved him. "I took it for him. We held it up together until Artemis came along."

What?

"They had you tied up and gagged!"

"Yeah, so-" Annabeth began and looked around, ensuring they were alone before lowering her voice. "It was to make sure the Olympians thought I was a victim. I was fine, Percy. I tried to contact you, but..." she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. You couldn't have known," she said and then looked at the ground. "She's dead," she whispered and put a hand over her mouth. "I didn't even have more time with her. They kept her here and..." She shook her head. "I need time."

"Time? Time for what? Annabeth, please let me help - wait! Here!" he said desperately and reached into his pocket to bring out a golden cube. "Thalia gave this to me. It's a recording of some sort," he explained, placing it in her hands. "It's... I think it's what she died for. I can't figure out why it's important, but I think you can," he said. Annabeth stayed silent. Finally, she took the cube and inspected it before holding it close to her chest.

"Leave me alone, Percy," she said and stalked off. "And don't follow me this time."

That stung. Percy watched her go, feeling a sense of...something course through him as he watched her go. Absently, he went and touched the streak of gray in his own hair. Had Annabeth really taken it for Luke?

"Don't dye it," Drew said, and Percy turned to find her leaning against one of the columns. "You pull off battle scars well," she said and gave him a small smile. "Sorry, I heard yelling and was drawn to the drama. You know how it is." When Percy didn't answer, she sighed. "She'll come around. For now, let's work on that favor you were asking me about," she said and tilted her head. "Why are we doing that again?"

"You've met Demeter, right?" he asked. Drew raised an eyebrow. "Do you think she remembers anything other than cereal and Persephone?" he asked. Drew snorted. "Besides, you're one of the most powerful charmspeakers I know. I figured she was more likely to be, um, honest with you," he said.

"Fair enough. Nice touch of flattery," she said and then, without a second of hesitation, turned back into the room. Percy glanced back at the direction Annabeth went - then back towards the throne room. He sighed. Hopefully, Drew was right. He couldn't focus on Annabeth right now. He walked back into the room to find Drew smiling warmly at Demeter beside a long silver table. Percy slowly went over to join them.

"Oh, I wouldn't have any of the punch," Demeter was saying. "Try some milk instead. Good for the bones," she told Drew as she put the drink down. "You would think they would offer some sort of grain option for the food-"

"Hm," Drew said and stepped towards her. "Bianca was saying something similar when I spoke to her," she said with a shrugged. Demeter frowned. "I really thought she was yours, my lady. With how well she did with those plants... Castor said she was amazing. It's a shame, though. You probably would be so, so proud to have your daughter serving as Artemis' lieutenant," she drawled out. Demeter blinked a few times - looking a little dazed. "Is there maybe a chance you would have forgotten a demigod?"

"Forgotten?" Demeter snapped indignantly, though Percy heard a note of hesitation. "I will say that maybe I could be unsure about one child, but two?" she asked.

Drew laughed. "Ah, yes. I didn't have a chance to interact too much with the other," she said, and Percy turned away. He had confidence that Drew would come through. The second she uttered the words 'claim them' Demeter would be so unsure that it would only take a few seconds. Feeling more confident, he walked towards Bianca and held out his knife. "I think Zoë would want you to have this," he told her. Bianca glanced down at it. "You know, as her successor and all," he smiled and leaned forward. "Might cover up any, uh, accidents," he whispered. Bianca smiled weakly and took it.

"Thank you, Percy," she said before looking around. "I'm... a little nervous. I'm not sure I can pull this off. Did you see how Athena looked at me?" she murmured. Percy grimaced.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But you got this. Fake it until you make it. Trust me, it works," he muttered. Bianca didn't seem sure. "Besides, I was thinking about it earlier, and if you are Artemis' lieutenant, you probably are off leading some of the Hunt, while Artemis leads a different part. Zoë probably planned for you guys not to interact that mu-" he started, but paused when a golden sickle bursting over her head with a flash of light. "Will you look at that," he smiled as Bianca looked up with wide eyes.

"How?" she whispered. Percy glanced over at where Drew was looking smug in the corner.

"I know powerful demigods," he said as everyone politely clapped at Bianca's claiming before turning to pay respects to Demeter. "You're not out of the woods yet, though. We'll need to figure out how to... you're getting an Iris Message," he said, cutting himself off. Bianca turned, and sure enough, mist was gathering with a rainbow overhead. Percy was about to wonder who would be contacting her when Camp Half-Blood came into view with a very flushed di Angelo jumping up and down in a circle.

"BIANCA!" Nico shrieked into the Iris Message. "WE... ARE... DEMETER!" he screeched. Percy turned to where Bianca had put a hand over her face, looking a little alarmed. Nico had to catch his breath. Percy was fairly positive he was crying. "We have so many attack points..." he whispered. "I can't believe it. We're so cool," he said, voice breaking. Percy leaned over to whisper to Bianca.

"We might not have thought this completely through..."

"I can fix this," she said with a nod. "I know how to handle him."

"Are you on Olympus?" Nico suddenly gasped. "I see gods! HI GODS! MOM! MOM, HI!"

"Nico, please," Bianca said as Castor came over to grab Percy's hand. Percy jumped at the action, but it wasn't unwelcomed. He needed some comfort after Annabeth. Nico's shouting immediately quieted. "Nico?" Bianca asked.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked. They all looked at him blankly until his eyes became pointedly focused on Percy and Castor's intertwined hands. Percy looked over at Castor and shrugged. "Are you allowed to do that?"

"Do what?" Percy asked. Nico continued staring. Something about this seemed to blow his mind.

"...hold his hand?" he asked, and then turned to Bianca. "Is he allowed to do that?" he repeated. Bianca fixed him with a bemused look.

"We're dating, so I think so," Castor said. "Wait. I didn't ask you out, did I?" he asked Percy. "Is now a good time to ask you out?" Percy raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I'll wait until my dad and your mom aren't in the room," he said wisely, and Percy grinned. Yes. That would be the big one there. Nico's eyes widened.

"Is he allowed to do that?!"

Oh. Wait. 1940s kid. Right, Percy forgot about that part.

"Yeah," he said as Nico's mouth dropped. "It's allowed."

Nico narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Percy snorted but nodded. "And you can go on dates? And when you're grown up, you're allowed to kiss?" he asked suspiciously. Castor shrugged before also nodding. "Huh... nobody told me about this," Nico murmured. His eyes snapped to Bianca with a look of accusation. "How come you never told me about this?" he asked her.

"Uh, it... never came up?" she asked and tilted her head with a sudden flash of something behind her eyes. "But yeah. It's totally allowed. And super cool even," she said and hit Percy's arm. What? He gave her a bewildered look.

"Um, yep. Super cool," he agreed, though he had no idea why they were reassuring him. Nico gave them a thoughtful look before looking at Percy with critical eyes.

"...and you chose him?"

"Nico!"

"Wow," Castor said and gave a slight pout. "I think I just got roasted by an eight-year-old," he said. Nico gave a slight gasp - vehemently objecting that he was not eight (thank you very much!) as a few more gods filtered by. To Percy's absolute horror, Dionysus was there with a beautiful woman on his arm. He looked happier than Percy had ever seen him... up until his eyes locked with Percy. Scowling, he leaned over to whisper something to the pretty woman and walked over. Not good. Percy looked down at his and Castor's intertwined hands and then to Dionysus. Slowly, he let go.

"Hey!" Castor objected. Percy went ahead and grabbed it again. Dionysus narrowed his eyes. Percy let go again. Castor fixed him with a wounded look. Percy hesitated and grabbed his hand one more time. Dionysus cleared his throat.

"One of you has to take pity on me," Percy complained. Dionysus raised an eyebrow, and Percy gave Castor a pleading look.

"Fine," he said and let go of Percy. "Coward."

"Yeah, that's probably fair," Percy mumbled as Castor gave him a wicked grin. Then, because apparently Percy hadn't been tortured enough, kissed him on the cheek. He felt his face grow hot as he spluttered a bit. It probably wasn't very Aphrodite-like, but luckily, nobody seemed to notice since Dionysus started cursing as he went back to his wife (probably to complain), and Castor went over to hug Bianca as Nico continued to regale her with tales of camp.

"I suppose congratulations are in order."

Ah. Percy's worse nightmare had arrived. He turned to find Athena looking at him.

"I don't quite feel as though I should be congratulated," he admitted and looked down at his hands. "Will Annabeth be okay?" he asked quietly. Athena said nothing. She was studying him with careful eyes. It was more intense than anyone had ever scrutinized before. Part of him was terrified - if anyone could figure him out in a room full of gods, it would be her.

"My daughter is strong," she finally said as her answer. "I never liked her relationship with that girl. Perhaps this will be good for her," she said, though there was doubt in her voice. Percy's eyes narrowed. "You freed Artemis for her," Athena added. It wasn't a question.

"Of course."

"Would you have if it hadn't been Annabeth?" Athena asked bluntly. Percy stared at her - momentarily too shocked to answer. "No," Athena smiled wryly. "I didn't think so. Your loyalty goes to people over causes, doesn't it?" she asked, voice softening. "It is a dangerous thing... to put people over the greater good," she said.

Percy chuckled. "Yes," he said, unable to help himself. Maybe it was dumb to tick Athena off, but he suddenly saw all too clearly the cold logic that the gods seemed to follow in her. "I think there is a garden filled with children to show what you prioritize."

Athena's eyes flashed. "Quite a few of those children have gone missing. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Lady Athena," Percy chuckled. "I was on a quest these past few weeks - and with my mother before that. I can assure you that I had no hand in whoever stole that fleece," he promised her. She didn't look convinced. That was probably fair. Percy's dislike of the goddess wasn't well hidden. "I shouldn't keep you," Percy finally said, and bowed his head. "I thank you for your time, my lady," he told her. Just as he was about to turn away, she called him back.

"You should be careful of who you make enemies with, child."

And, yes, Percy was terrified of this goddess. The one goddess he knew without a doubt he should be terrified of. Athena was the last person in the universe he would ever want to be enemies with. He looked at her - thinking to Thalia. He wondered how much Athena had a hand in things. If her caution had been a whisper in Zeus' ear when deciding so many fates. His fear - still profoundly present - whipped itself into righteous anger, and before he could think better of it, he smiled.

"Of course," he told her and bowed his head. "I would always do well to heed the words of the Goddess of Wisdom," he said and watched as her ruffled feathers seemed to smooth themselves. "I only wish I could offer something to you, my lady."

Athena's eyes narrowed.

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely," Percy said. He was sure that she could hear the feigned innocence in his tone. "I guess the best I can do is offer your own advice back to you," he told her with a shrug. "You should be careful of who you make enemies with. After all," he said and reached down to the table next to them to pick out one of the custard tarts. When he decided on the one a little to the right, he plucked it up and turned to meet her eyes dead-on. "You never know who's a wolf in sheep's clothing." He took a bite of the tart. Licking his lips, he offered one last smile. "Good night, Lady Athena."

So... yeah. That was really dumb. Silena would probably kill him when he told her.

She would also probably kill him over what he was going to do next.

"Annabeth?" he called, silently hoping she had stayed on Olympus as he exited the throne room. Nothing. He sighed and glanced towards the garden. He felt a subtle pull. "Hey, are you in here?" he asked and walked inside. Even if she wasn't there, he felt he should visit. To at least read the names of the poor kids who had yet to be freed. His eyes flicked over the plants. Some of the golden plates had been peeled off - did that mean they were released? His fingers touched a couple of them.

A twig snapped. Then - without any sort of warning - there was a sound. Percy wasn't really sure how to describe it. He was reminded of the roaring of waves, or perhaps what it might sound like if you could hear a storm underwater. It was enough to make him step back in alarm as something came shooting out between the trees with a flash of gold. Percy held out a hand, and the person ran into him.

"Percy?"

"Silena?" Percy asked and looked over his shoulder. Damnit. He should have known. "Are you insane? The gods are right there-"

"I didn't know," Silena said, eyes wide and alarmed. "I didn't know, I swear-"

"What are you talking about? You need to hide! If you just freed another unclaimed kid, they're going to find-"

"Not an unclaimed kid," Silena breathed out. Percy frowned. "I thought it was just a coincidence. I didn't know. I swear, I... I don't even know why I chose that one. There was just a voice telling me," she said. Percy felt an icy chill at that. A voice? Like the voice Elliott Parker heard? He didn't have a chance to ask, considering at that moment, the entire mountain shook.

"What the-? Go. Run before they catch you," Percy said and pushed her away. Silena looked like she wanted to say more, but another rough shudder trembled through them. Someone yelled something out. Percy raced farther into the garden. What exactly had Silena released? Another gate greeted him - older looking with a broken lock on it. Percy had never been this far back before. He shoved the gate open - looking around. There were two kids unconscious on the floor, both groaning as they got up. "Are you unclaimed?!" He called to them, and they scrambled up. One nodded. "Go! Run!" he shouted and sprinted farther inside. A fountain next to him exploded.

So... this was not going well. Percy held up his hand, so the water turned to mist. He had planned to leave it there, but out of nowhere, it hardened to ice, plunging to the ground beside him. Swearing, he dodged - barely avoiding the icicles stabbing him as a sharp gust of went jolted him back slightly. There was a flash of bronze, and Percy raised his sword just in time to block a hit from above.

A loud clang echoed over the garden.

Percy went to disarm his opponent, but it was hard to see with the storm around him picking up. He wanted desperately to raise his hand to stop it but wasn't entirely sure who or what he was fighting against. Was it a god? Working off of instinct alone, he struck out - managing to catch something and feint. There was another flash of bronze that he dodged by diving to the side. Another clang sounded as his sword met something. The wind faltered.

The next few minutes passed by in a flash. He couldn't even process the hits he was deflecting as he moved around the garden - desperately trying to avoid hurting any of the plants as more bursts of storms came through. He hopped up on a branch, trying to see his attacker, when suddenly something tangled his legs. He desperately reached for a branch to kick off what looked to be a net before swinging down and lashing out when he sensed something nearby.

"I'm not here to hurt you! I want to help you!" he shouted and rolled out of the way when something came crashing down next to him. He tried to strike out again, but the net came back, tangling with his sword, so he was forced to drop it.

"Liar!" a voice yelled, and Percy rolled again to avoid being hit. "Where is he?!"

"Where is who?!" he asked and felt Riptide return to his pocket. He pulled it out just in time to deflect another hit. The storm was dying down, giving him a vague outline of his attacker. He launched himself forward, knocking them both to the ground. There was a snap, and something cracked against Percy's face, sending him to the ground with a gasp.

"Poseidon! Where is he?" the person yelled, and there was a hint of familiarity there. Percy couldn't place it, though. Groaning, he raised Riptide to block yet another hit. He reached desperately beside him until he felt a loose branch beside him and grabbed it with his free hand to strike upwards. There was a hiss and another rapid succession of dodging and hitting as Percy ducked and feinted before kicking out and sending the person onto the floor.

"He's in the throne room - what are you doing?" he demanded. "Stop! I can help you-"

"I don't even know you," the person growled and kicked out at him. He managed to deflect it and spun out to avoid the next hit.

"Well," Percy said breathlessly and struck out again. More clangs. They echoed so loudly that he could have sworn that was what was shaking Olympus. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves," he said, and the damn net tangled around his feet again, sending him tripping backward into a bushel of flowers. He spluttered, moving to get up only for a pointed pole to touch the base of his throat. The storm died down - or maybe just paused? If he didn't know any better, he would say that he was in the eye of a hurricane. With a groan, Percy risked a look up at his attacker. It was a girl. He had guessed that much by her voice. He went to move, but she kept her weapon firmly in place. "Hi," he greeted instead. "My name is Percy."

The girl looked at him with a slight tilt of the head. There was something about her. Something unsettling. Her hair was dark and cropped just below her chin, somehow looking perfectly in place and mused at once. Her eyes were green - though dimmer than his own. So dark that he was reminded of the sea at night. Black water with hints of color underneath that left him wondering what lay just underneath the waves. At once, Percy suddenly understood who this was. A small smile played at her lips.

"Hello, Percy," she said and raised the net over her shoulder. "My name is Evelyn."