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

7. 7

Son of Sea Foam

CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

It was raining.

Not too hard. Just enough so that you could tell it was as Percy looked around what appeared to be an empty field with two shrouds on it. Both looked poorly made with scrapped cloth and hasty sewing jobs. Still, Percy could tell what they were. One was a dark blue with a golden lightning bolt, while the second was black with a silver helmet. In front of both was Evelyn - wearing jeans and a t-shirt - with her knees drawn up to her chest as she stared with empty eyes.

"For your friends?"

Evelyn looked up to where Luke Castellan was walking up - very much still alive. Somehow. Percy wasn't sure what he was expecting. He looked tired but still offered a wry smile as he looked down at where Evelyn was staring at the shrouds before nodding.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I doubt the gods gave them proper funerals, so... I tried to make do," she said and took a long breath. After a couple of seconds of staring at the shrouds, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a photo before handing it up to him. Luke took it carefully.

"Who's the boy?" Luke asked as he sat down on the ground next to her. Evelyn glanced at him warily before pursing her lips.

"Hugo," she said and reached out towards the black shroud. Luke stayed quiet. "You know he had red hair. We used to say it was made of hellfire," she whispered, voice getting thicker. "He was good." She clenched her open palm against the shroud into a fist. "He was so good... and they - we were fighting, but the gods came and-" her voice broke off. Luke stared at her.

"You loved him?"

Evelyn let her hand slip down. She stared for a moment. Then turned to Luke.

"I loved him more than even Aphrodite can love someone. I loved him with all of my humanity and none of my divinity. I think if you are to love... you should only love the human way. It is the only way to know it is love at all."

Luke seemed to consider that as he wiped some droplets from his hair.

"What about the girl?" he asked her quietly. Evelyn made a noise that might have been a sob. "Sorry, it's just... she looks a little like my friend did. Thalia," he said and reached into his pocket to pull out a photo of his own. Percy couldn't get a good look at it from where he was standing, but he was pretty sure it was Thalia and Luke with a much younger Annabeth. Evelyn took it slowly.

"She does look like Vera," Evelyn said, voice filled with distaste. "Though Vera didn't have freckles, and her hair was dark brown and much longer than hers. I don't know why she let it get that long and unruly. It was hideous."

"Really?" Luke said, looking down at the photograph Evelyn had given him. "She looks pretty here."

"She might have been pretty," Evelyn dismissed. "When she didn't speak... or move. Or breathe. Photographs are perhaps the best medium for her," she said blandly. Luke looked at her - torn between amusement and indignance. There was a pause. "I killed her, you know. Vera."

Luke jerked his head up.

"I remember so little. After Hugo was dragged away, we ran. I got us on a boat in the Indian Ocean. Then... I don't know. There was this mark on my arm, and Vera panicked. I don't know what happened. There was pain and fear and... something else I can't quite describe," she said slowly, brows coming together. The gods came for me. I told Vera to run. I was covered in blood and wasn't really sure why..." she trailed off.

Luke bit his lip. "Then what?"

Evelyn flinched.

"I heard a scream. Then... I... my weapon was in her back," she managed and tried to steady her breath. "I don't... my father was there. He was trying to bound my powers but couldn't seem to do it well. I just remember giving up. I mean, if I killed Vera..." she said and closed her eyes. "I didn't hate her. Not truly. Not enough for that."

Luke said nothing. After watching the rain fall onto the shrouds, he put a light hand on her shoulder. Evelyn stared at it blankly before slowly lifting her eyes to meet his.

"What's your story?" she asked. Luke let his hand slide off of her. "Why have you turned against the gods?" she asked and lifted Luke's photo. "Was it because of this Thalia girl?" she asked him, with a hint of wry amusement. Luke gave a sad sort of scoff.

"They killed her in front of me. In front of Annabeth," he shrugged. "To save her life, Zeus turned her into a tree."

"Ah. Been there."

"Hm," Luke smiled. "Well, she got brought back. They kept her trapped in Olympus and then released her to retrieve Artemis. I expected to find her there. On that mountain. I knew she would join me. She... never made it," he said and shook his head. "My father is Hermes. Not the most... present parent," he said dryly. Evelyn frowned. "My mother was a little... unstable. I used to pray to him constantly, but he never answered. Until I pissed him off, at least," he muttered.

"Did he do that to you?" Evelyn asked with a nod towards the scar on Luke's face. He shook his head.

"Quest. It was a stupid one. To get an apple from Ladon's tree," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I thought about refusing, but... I saw an opportunity," he admitted. Evelyn waited. "You're allowed to bring two people on quests. Trios are recommended," he smiled dryly. Percy watched as he looked down at the shroud in front of them before biting his lip. "I brought this son of Ares... Shaun," he said with distaste. "He was the one who stabbed Thalia. And I brought the daughter of Apollo who held me back when it happened. Unfortunately, both happened to die on that quest," he said with a shrug. Percy's eyes widened - horrified. Then his mind slipped to that dream... the one where he saw Thalia trying to get into camp...

Evelyn hummed.

"Understandable," she responded. "I think you and I have the same fatal flaw, Luke Castellan. I don't forgive so easily either," she said, and right then, her eyes snapped to meet Percy's. He took a step back - a little alarmed at being seen. That hadn't happened before. Not with another demigod, anyway. "Do you mind if I have a second alone with them?" she asked Luke with a nod towards the shrouds. Luke didn't even question it. He stood up with a wry smile before nodding his respects to the ground and marching off in the mud. Evelyn watched him go. Percy wondered if she was purposely allowing herself to stay wet, or if her powers were somehow different from his own. "Hello, Percy."

He didn't respond. Didn't really know how to. Evelyn's gaze flicked back to him before she stood. Percy took another quick step back.

"No need for that," she said with a scoff. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Percy narrowed his eyes.

"Look," Evelyn said and took a small step towards him. "I know who you are. What you are. It isn't hard to sense that we're the same. I knew it when we fought on Olympus. Whether or not you realized it, my hurricane should have crushed you. Your powers protected you," she said and stuck her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans. It was strange to see her out of the 1940s garb he had always associated her with. "Even now. I wouldn't be able to see you if there wasn't something connecting us. I'm not going to tell anyone," she added.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said suspiciously. Evelyn's lips twitched.

"I have no quarrel with you... but we should probably establish what side of things we're on," she said and took another step forward. Percy stepped back. "You're more than likely the prophecy child-"

"What about you?" Percy cut her off. Evelyn paused. "Why wouldn't it be you?" he asked. Evelyn looked older than he was - much older, in fact. She looked him over for a moment before shrugging.

"When that prophecy was made, I was already seventeen. I'm not entirely sure how old I am now. Maybe eighteen? Twenty? Still seventeen?" she frowned, looking down at her body with a hint of uncertainty. "Either way, it isn't me."

"Then why did they bring you back?"

"That's a little mean," Evelyn laughed. "I'm the only one they could bring back. As far as I'm aware, they killed every other Big Three child. Father did everything he could to keep them from killing me," she said with a long breath. "Because that was such a kindness," she muttered. The ground rumbled. "Oh, do you have something to say about that?" she asked the sky. Percy looked around. Did the gods know where Evelyn was? Why not attack? Before he could consider it, there was a flash, and suddenly they were no longer alone.

"I should have known you would find him."

"Father," Evelyn greeted - as if she had somehow expected this. Percy certainly hadn't. He was a little alarmed to find his father now also in the field. He was in his younger form - looking strikingly like Percy with his trident out and glowing amidst the rain. "I was wondering when you were going to make an appearance. I thought for sure we would meet on Olympus," she said and then offered a wry smile. "If not for Perseus, here," she said. Percy bit the inside of his cheek, warily looking at where Poseidon was watching. He looked more stoic than usual... which said a lot given their previous interactions. "Unfortunately, Hecate has protected this camp-"

"Hecate?" Percy interrupted. "A goddess is on your side?"

Evelyn frowned at him.

"Of course. There are plenty of minor gods on our side. Do you think they have enjoyed watching their children turned into plants?"

"Then maybe they should have claimed them," Poseidon snapped at her through gritted teeth. Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest. The previous look of politeness was now overcast with a guarded expression of something much darker.

"Could they?" Evelyn asked. "There is no room for them in your camp. You haven't built them a single cabin or place of worship. And, tell me, who would you first choose as your martyrs given the chance? Certainly not your own children," she said dryly and raised her hands. "My point being that Hecate has used her magic to protect this area. Try and kill me. By the time you break the magic, my allies will have arrived."

Percy had not anticipated this being a fight. Nope. Not a chance. He looked around, a little alarmed. Was there an emergency exit for dreams? If not, there should be. Poseidon took a long breath before letting go of his trident so that it disappeared into the wind. Evelyn's jaw clenched.

"I have no intention of hurting you," he said and walked over to her. "Evelyn... you have a chance to right things," Poseidon said and reached out as if to put a hand on her shoulder but thought better of it. "You weren't in the right state of mind to share your story before, but that has clearly changed now. We can help you," he said gently. Evelyn's face hardened. "Do not become the thing they accuse you of being."

Percy could already tell that this was the wrong thing to say. Evelyn's breath caught as she dug her feet deeper into the ground.

"Oh, no," she said and crossed her arms over her chest. "I think that's where the confusion is. You and your brethren accuse me of being a crazed, blood-lusting killer," she said and took a step forward. "But I have no intention of being a rabid dog for you to put down," she said, voice lowering into a chilling threat. "I am going to be so much worse than that. I want all of you to feel what we felt. Once Kronos brings Olympus crumbling to the ground and puts all of you in chains, I'm going to start a hunt of my own. We'll see how you like being game," she told him and offered a wry smile. "Tell me, father... do gods pray?"

Poseidon said nothing.

"Well," Evelyn said and stepped away. "You better learn. I recommend starting on your knees."

"You will not win this."

"No? I believe that is why you favored me so, Lord Poseidon," she said and turned her eyes to Percy. This time, he didn't step away. Instead, he met her eyes and jutted out his chin. Her expression softened a fraction.

"Evelyn," he said, keeping his voice firm and reasonable. "I know you're angry, but I don't think it is completely the gods' fault. The titans might have been the one to do this to you. To all of you-"

"And?"

And? And? Percy felt his previous confidence dwindle. And? How could she just throw that out there? Evelyn shrugged, perhaps reading his confusion.

"I assumed they were probably involved. This isn't our war, Percy. We're just the people who fight it. If both wronged my family, then I'll take care of both. I don't care what side I choose first. After all is said and done, I will fight the titans too. I will fight until I am the only one left on the battleground. At least then I'll know for sure that my enemies are dead."

There was something about the way she said that... something that told Percy it wasn't anything cocky or peacocking. For the first time, he considered what would happen if he fought her. That back-and-forth on Olympus had been one thing. Evelyn lashing out after years of confusion and Percy trying to calm her. It wasn't the same. Now he wondered how he would fare against her. Rhode said he was powerful - but exactly how would he measure up against someone who had his powers? Who actually trained with those powers? Who didn't have to hide and would have been able to test their abilities?

He wouldn't win.

"I don't want us to be enemies," he said. Evelyn grimaced as she stepped back, eyes flicking to the shrouds on the ground and then to where Poseidon had been standing completely still - watching with unreadable eyes.

"You are not my enemy," she finally said. "I understand whatever you choose. I just hope you understand the same of me."

"You didn't use to be like this," Poseidon cut in. His voice sounded strained. Percy wondered if that was Hecate's magic at work - pushing him away or perhaps seeing his daughter like this was really so painful. "You were kind-"

"I am still kind," Evelyn snapped. "Just not to you. Never to you. Don't complain that I became exactly what you made me to be," she said and shook her head. "As fun as this reunion is, I must go," she added and then glance between Poseidon and Percy. "Forgive me if I don't leave you here to talk."

Percy wasn't sure what that meant. He was about to ask when suddenly Evelyn's pole was pointed at his neck. Ah.

"Don't worry," she told him. "It won't hurt. Stay safe out there. If you ever need me then go into the labyrinth. I'll find you."

Labyrinth? What labyrinth? He wanted to ask, but it was too late. Just like that, she thrust the pole forward, and Percy jolted up in bed.

The rest of the morning felt like a solemn one. He picked at his food, trying to find an appetite as his siblings all engaged in their usual chaos while - oh, no. Nico was here to argue with Jaime... again. Percy had been right to be concerned about those two.

"This isn't even your table!" Jaime was shouting as she slammed her hands down. "CHIRON!"

"Tattletale," Nico said solemnly and took the toast right off of her plate. Jaime spluttered before turning to tug on Silena's arm. A few of the newly claimed Aphrodite kids glanced over at them but wisely did not get involved.

"Percy-"

"Yeah, I got it," Percy said as he stood up. "Hey, Nico. Want to work on sword fighting?" he asked. Nico dropped the toast and scrambled up.

"Yes, please!" he said and practically fell over as he raced after him. "Can I use a real sword this time? I promise I won't accidentally cut someone again!" he added as he skipped next to him. "Can you show me what you did you that kátara?" he asked. "Everyone says you fought one all by yourself," he whispered as Percy tiredly looked at him. The night Evelyn had come back had been... chaotic, to say the least. The gods had naturally come to investigate at the random storm on that mountain, but by that point, Evelyn had gone - leaving Percy to try and throw some semblance of a story together.

The current version was that Percy had been viciously attacked by some mystery kátara (who had not been named, but her identity had been easy enough for the gods to figure out), and he barely escaped with his life. It gathered him a lot of sympathy from the older kids ("That must have been so scary! You poor, poor thing!") and awe from some younger kids... mostly Nico.

"Well, I think maybe she could have killed me but didn't," Percy tried. "So there could be nice kátaras out there," he reasoned. Nico made a face and shook his head.

"No, they're all evil," he said. "When I grow up, I'm going to kill them all so that they can't hurt anyone," he added, puffing out his chest. Percy inwardly grimaced. Great. "Maybe I'll find the one who tried to hurt you," he said. Percy looked around. He wished there weren't so many wandering ears. Maybe then he could gently try to nudge Nico in a different direction. As it was, Nico had fed into nearly everything the other campers had told him. Percy was a little concerned about it. He wanted to talk to him about it, but... well. It was technically Bianca's call. Not his. Maybe the next time he saw her, Percy would bring it up.

He was so deep in thought, he almost didn't notice the giant hellhound in the arena until Nico gave a delighted gasp.

"It's a dog!"

"Nico, get down-" Percy said, pulling out Riptide as he grabbed the back of Nico's shirt. The hellhound turned to him with dopey eyes, cocking his head a bit until a sudden shout made him pause.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there," a voice said as a man appeared to stop Percy's sword from turning the dog into golden dust. "She's not dangerous!" he said, and Percy blinked. A hellhound wasn't dangerous? He pursed his lips, keeping a firm hand on Nico as the dog gave a bright bark, tongue lolling out of its mouth as Percy looked between the monster and the man in front of him.

"She's a hellhound."

"A well-behaved hellhound," the man corrected. "Her name is Mrs. O'Leary. Don't worry. She's perfectly safe. I trained her myself," he added, jutting a thumb to his chest. Percy slowly lowered his sword. "I'm Quintus, by the way," he said. Huh. Interesting. "I'll be the swordmaster this summer."

Percy let go of Nico - though he kept a close eye on the hellhound who was curiously moving closer to them as they spoke. When she was close enough, she gave Nico's hand a small sniff. Then barked.

"...she likes me," Nico whispered, voice full of wonder. Percy felt a stab of anxiety at that, but Quintus didn't seem surprised. On the contrary, Mrs. O'Leary walked over and licked Percy's hand next.

"You can train a hellhound?" Percy asked skeptically. Quintus nodded, putting the flat end of his sword over his shoulder with a bright smile.

"If you have the talent and patience for it," he said and tilted his head. "You're Percy Jackson, right? My mother mentioned you," he grinned. Percy raised an eyebrow. His mother? Before he could ask, Quintus continued speaking. "I'm here to help out while Mr. D is on some personal business. You know, godly matters and whatnot," he said with a wave of his hand. "Thought I might try to up the training while I'm here. When I was a child, we had no summer camps to teach us how to fight," he mused and absently slapped Nico's hand away when he started to reach for one of the many large crates behind him. Nico snapped his hand back - eyes wide with betrayal, before a look of utter outrage overtook it.

"Don't hit me!"

"Don't touch my crate," Quintus threw back easily. Percy looked away before Nico could see the veiled look of amusement on his face. Poor Quintus. Little did he know that by just that mere action alone that he had made an enemy. Not that Nico was a particularly formidable opponent at the moment - he had some jam on his nose and a sparkly band-aid on his forehead - but nevertheless. Nico had a streak of obstinate anger that was unmatched. Blackjack accidentally nipped his finger once six months ago, and Nico still refuses to bring him apples (Blackjack finds this utterly unfair considering he brought the other pegasi apples daily).

However, Percy was a smidge distracted by Quintus' other comment. Back in my day. That was an old person saying. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know many grown-up demigods. The oldest he had seen was Luke - and considering the circumstances that could change at any given moment. Percy wanted to ask how old he was, but the Silena in the back of his head was already loudly threatening him for being so tactless.

"What are you talking about?" he asked instead. "Camp Half-Blood would have been here when you were a child," he went with. Quintus snorted.

"Aren't you sweet? I'm a bit older than Camp Half-Blood."

...Percy was pretty sure Chiron said his first student at this camp included Aeneas, Jason, and Achilles. A warning bell went off in his head. Immortal. How? He didn't look immortal. He looked like a demigod. Cautiously, Percy glanced at where Nico had decided to try and get Mrs. O'Leary to sit... which she did. Either Quintus really had trained her well, or Nico had some sort of... natural bond with her. His stress levels rose some more.

"What are the crates for?" Percy asked with a jerk of his head towards where five boxes were piled high. Quintus' eyes sparkled, but they were interrupted by the soft clicking of hooves that nearly always signaled Chiron was nearby. Percy turned with a polite smile.

"Ah, good. You have all met," Chiron greeted. Percy nodded. Chiron also didn't seem alarmed by the presence of the hellhound - or Nico's immediate kinship with it. "I'm afraid I must interrupt, however. Grover may need you," he added to Percy. Grover? Percy felt his concern rise. He had, of course, been keeping in touch with Grover regularly but wasn't sure what could be wrong. He capped his sword - pausing when he glanced between Nico and Mrs. O'Leary.

"I can watch him," Quintus smiled. Percy pursed his lips.

"Nico!" he called and watched as Nico spun around towards his voice before jogging over. "I have to go see a friend. Are you okay with Quintus?" he asked and then reconsidered. "Maybe you can go back to your cabin-"

"No," Nico said quickly. Percy frowned at him. "Katie gets mad when I kill the plants," he admitted, kicking the ground. Right. Nico's 'Demeter' powers had been slowly but surely giving Percy constant heart attacks. Castor often helped to make sure things looked like they grew around Nico - though it was a struggle for him when it wasn't fruit-based. However, much to everyone's surprise, Nico also killed plants with remarkable ease. Percy had panicked up until Miranda commented that it wasn't unheard of. After all, Demeter could take away life as well as grant it. Often enough, her ire was demonstrated by crops withering at her command.

Nico thought it was the coolest thing. Katie did not.

"Right," he said and ran a hand through his hair. "Well... be careful around the hellhound, alright?" he said and then smiled. "Though, maybe it goes to show that there are always exceptions." Nico tilted his head. "I mean, if there are good hellhounds, then there could be other things we think are bad that can secretly be good, right?" he tried.

This seemed to stump him for a moment before he finally shrugged.

"Yeah, okay," he said, clearly unimpressed. Percy inwardly groaned before straightening up. Maybe he would send Castor after him. Biting his tongue, he wandered off to where Chiron was waiting to take him to a glade. Grover was there alongside Annabeth, Clarisse, a nymph he hadn't seen before, and (naturally) the Council of Cloven Elders (Percy could not say he was a fan).

Turns out, Grover now only had a week to find Pan (missing god of the wilderness- long story) without his searcher's license being revoked, which was... frustrating.

"Why? Why give you a time limit?" Percy asked, irritated by the whole thing. Politics were annoying in general, but the lack of common sense among satyr politics was particularly annoying. "Even if you were lying about having heard Pan, what would this prove? It's stupid," he said, and the nymph (Juniper was her name) cried harder. Grover murmured something comforting before fixing Percy with a tired look. "I can charmspeak them into another decision," he added, looking around for some water. "I can also make Maron hit himself in the face-"

"No," Grover interrupted. "They gave me a week. I'll take it," he said, though his voice was far from confident. "I can figure it out."

"If anyone can, then it would be you!" Juniper said with a fierce nod. Percy nodded. Sure. Whatever his new girlfriend said (yeah, Juniper was Grover's girlfriend... Percy would heckle him about that later, for sure).

"We can help you," Annabeth said, crossing his arms over her chest. "Clarisse and I have some ideas-"

Clarisse. Annabeth had been hanging out with Clarisse? Bummer. He glanced at her nervously - hoping to meet her eyes, but Annabeth didn't look at him. It had been a little difficult between the two lately. She was back at camp. Percy didn't think for a second that was where loyalties lied, though. Silena had said she had seen Annabeth with the titan side a few times over the past year or so. He couldn't fault her for it. Not really.

Still, he just... he missed her.

"Annabeth!" Percy called as he jumped over a log after the group had dispersed. She kept walking. "Hey. Hi. It's me," he said and held out both hands as he practically dove out in front of her. "Please talk to me."

Annabeth froze - looking a little like a deer caught in headlights before schooling her expression.

"Hi," she greeted. "It's you."

"Yeah."

"Hi."

"Hi."

An awkward silence fell over them. From somewhere behind them, Clarisse and Silena were talking - both passionately discussing something as Percy kicked the ground beneath him.

"I heard you fought a kátara," she finally said. "Very brave."

Percy narrowed his eyes.

"Funny," he threw back. "I would have thought you had more details on that particular story," he said - watching her carefully. Annabeth's eyes narrowed. There. She knew that he knew about what she had chosen. He felt his expression softened. "I wouldn't have hurt her even if I could," he said softly. Annabeth looked away. "I wouldn't have hurt any of them. Ever."

"Yeah..." she trailed off and sighed. "Yeah, I heard."

"But you're still mad?"

"I'm not-" she began but was cut off by Silena calling his name. "You better go," she decided and patted his arm. "I'll see you around, Percy."

"Wait!" he frowned and spun around to grab her elbow. "I- can I talk to you later? Maybe you can update me on that cube?" he said, thinking of the golden cube Thalia had given her life for. "Did you find something?" Annabeth's face flickered - a thousand different expressions forming over her face at once before she bit her lip. Slowly, she nodded.

"We can talk later," she decided and gently pulled away. Percy helplessly watched her go before turning to where Silena had finished her conversation with Clarisse - patiently waiting for Percy to look back at her.

"Sorry," she greeted when he dragged his feet back. "Drew and Lacy are staying a bit longer at school - something about a Sadie Kane girl and a school dance - so I need your help training today," she said and then pointed a finger at him. "I think you finally might be better than me," she added with an approving nod. Percy gave a weak smile. "Maybe I should teach you some knife fighting next."

"Why? My sword always comes back to me."

"It's smart to always have an extra weapon. Maybe you come across someone who isn't armed, or you need a surprise attack - plus it just looks cool," she added. Percy laughed as he put his hands into his pockets before following her towards the weapon shed. "We have a new swordmaster, I think. Quintus. We'll see if he takes us seriously or not," she added with a slight huff.

"I'm sure he will," Percy said in his most placating voice. He looked around. Nobody was here... Percy and Silena hadn't had a chance to talk much about, um, last year. It was hard to bring up 'hey, so why did you bring back my half-sister from the 1940s?' in a cabin full of eavesdropping Aphrodite kids. "Hey, um, I've been meaning to talk to you about the di Angelos," he went with instead. Silena paused. "I'm nervous about Nico's powers popping up. I don't know what exactly he can do and exactly how much people are willing to overlook," he admitted. Silena paused, taking off her boots to try on one of the steel-toed combat shoes with knives in them.

"Yeah, how did you manage that?" she asked with a scoff. "Demeter of all people... considering that I watched Nico di Angelo take a literal shot of sugar the other day... it wouldn't have been my first guess."

"Was Aphrodite your first guess for me?" he asked, and Silena pointed a finger at him.

"Fair enough," she said. Then looked at him for a couple seconds - eyes suddenly narrowing with suspicion. Oh... that wasn't good. "What... exactly did you do?" Silena asked him, voice measured in a way Percy didn't like. Briefly, he explained the Winter Solstice and Drew's role in it... something he deeply regretted based on the expression Silena was currently making.

"-but then they got claimed, so everything is fine," Percy finished. Except now, he wasn't so sure.

"You didn't," Silena said, horrified. "Percy, what did you do?" she demanded before taking the nearest thing next to her (which, unfortunately, happened to be her boot) and hit him with it. "Are! You! Insane?!" she demanded as Percy yelped, dodging the assault between her hits. "You had Drew charmspeak her?!"

"Yeah! I told Drew it was just because Demeter had probably forgotten, so it isn't like she suspected anything-"

"Charmspeak is for current situations, Percy! Do you know what that means?!" Silena hissed. Percy shook his head, shrinking a little. "It means that it isn't permanent. You know that, right?" she demanded. Percy nodded. "So, that means that once Drew finished talking and Bianca and Nico were claimed - that it stopped affecting her!" Silena said and hit him with the boot again. "And chances are that she knows Drew used charmspeak on her because she's a fucking goddess and knows Drew is Aphrodite's daughter!" Another hit.

...but yeah. Percy was beginning to see the problem.

"You think Demeter knows?"

Silena gave a small scream before launching the boot at his head.

"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to - how could you not think this through? You're smart. How could you-"

"There was a time restraint!" Percy weakly tried to defend himself, though anxiety was setting in. "I couldn't think of any other options-"

"What else?" Silena asked. Percy paused. "What other stupid thing did you do that night? Tell me," she said, and when Percy shook his head, she narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare lie to me. Look me in the eyes and tell me if you did something else," she said. Percy closed his eyes. Damnit.

"There... maybe... was a conversation..." he began and rubbed the back of his neck. "With, um, a... person. Goddess. You know, like 'ena."

"Who?" Silena asked, and Percy mumbled again. Silena picked up the boot.

"Athena!" Percy said loudly. Silena looked at him. "It was Athena, alright? I got pissed and maybe made some... damning comments."

He got whacked with the boot.

"Oh my gods," Silena whispered and buried her face in her hands. "I left you alone for how long, and you somehow managed this!"

"I - okay, I messed up," Percy admitted. "But I'm going to fix it. Nico and Bianca are safe. I'll figure out a way to keep them safe and - Drew," he said with a sickening realization. "Will Demeter accuse her of being a sympathizer?" he asked. Silena fixed him with a tired look. "I'll figure it out too. If I need to, I can come forward. It's fine. We're all fine."

"You're not coming forward."

"I am if it keeps the rest of them safe. I'm supposed to protect them-"

"And I'm supposed to protect you," Silena said and took a few calming breaths. "You know what? It's fine. I'm going to fix this. You keep your head down, okay? Stay - Percy. Percy look me in the eyes. Look - stay out of trouble," she told him. Percy groaned. "Just let me handle it."

"Speaking of you handling things, how is Evelyn?" he asked. Silena's previous look of fury dropped. "What happened that night? Why did you bring her back?" he asked. Silena opened her mouth before shrugging. "Was it because of me?"

Her eyes snapped up. "What do you mean?"

"You're the only person who knows who I am - and you brought back Evelyn. You knew she was a child of Poseidon, too! Did you pick the one person who you knew I wouldn't have a chance against?" he asked. Silena shook her head.

"Of course not. Besides, Evelyn isn't interested in fighting any demigods. She just wants the gods gone. That's all that matters to her. I just... I saw the name in the garden and... I don't know. She was the only one there aside from one other, but..." she trailed off. Percy waited.

"Was that not who the voice told you to free?" he asked. Silena picked up an arrow to examine it. "Look, I don't know much, but if you're hearing someone in your head ordering you around - that's not a good sign. Was it Kronos?" Silena's jaw tightened. Percy thought back to Zoë. "If it wasn't, then tell me who it was," he said, leaning in. "I think that's the person who made the 1940s kids crazy," he said. Silena's eyes jerked up.

"I don't know who it was."

Percy clicked his tongue.

"I love you to death, but that was the worst lie I've ever heard."

"I'm not lying," Silena told him indignantly and sighed. "I... just... suspect."

"Well, who do you suspect? Have you told Evelyn?"

"I don't really talk to Evelyn that much. It's mainly just Luke and her," Silena said. "And don't worry about it right now - don't," she said when Percy opened his mouth. "I promise I will tell you everything when I know for sure, okay? There are just some things you... you don't want to accuse certain people of without evidence," she said. Percy frowned. Zoë had similar words. That nobody would believe her. Why not? And who was Silena scared of telling? Zoë was nervous about going to the gods... was Silena nervous about telling Luke? Evelyn? Did she want to go to the gods? He once thought he understood her motivations. Now... he wasn't so sure.

The rest of the time sorting weapons was done in silence. He could tell Silena was deep in thought - probably trying to figure out the best way to keep everyone alive. The guilt that had been twisted in the back of his mind made its way front and center. How could he not have it together by now? He needed to figure out... something. Something that made him being alive worth it.

"Hey there," he greeted as he slid into one of the picnic benches by the beach an hour later. "Which one are you again? All I know is that I'm dating the prettier one," he said and secretly snickered at the look on Pollux's face.

"Very funny," he said and flicked a grape at Percy's face. "You want to know how I know that you can tell us apart?" he asked as Percy hunted down the launched grape to toss in his mouth. "You can actually flirt with me," he said. The smile vanished from Percy's face. "Uh-huh," Pollux said smugly. "I've seen you. You can sweet-talk Scrooge himself, but around your actual boyfriend, you turn into a puddle of awkwardness," he said with a click of his tongue. "So sad."

"I've never liked you."

"Yes, I can tell because you aren't awkward," Pollux said solemnly as Percy made a face. Whatever. Mitchell had done his best in teaching Percy to flirt like a pro. It really was easier to think of it as more... playful banter. Percy was generally witty enough to pull it off (when he felt like pretending he had confidence), but tragically Pollux was right. He was no good with people he actually had any interest in... aka Castor. "You're lucky you're pretty," Pollux said. "Because I really don't know what else my brother sees in you."

"You're just mad he beat you here," Percy said and stuck out his tongue. "I'm a joy to be around. Would you like to hear my resumé?"

"Oh, of course," Pollux muttered.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Well, for starters, I can do this," he said and flicked Pollux off. "Which I think is a very compelling quality."

"It's true. You don't find that often."

"This again?" Castor asked, making them both jump as he looked between them. "It would be nice if we could all have a conversation without you quipping at one another," he said and poked at Percy's head. "Besides, Percy has a new girlfriend, haven't you heard? He got her number," he said and pulled up Percy's wrist to show where Rachel Dare's handwriting still hadn't washed off. He sighed. Apparently, the mortal girl from last year went to his school... typical.

"We did blow some empousai together," he said and turned to Castor. "Would you believe me if I pinky promised that I don't like her?"

"I believe you - what I don't believe is that she doesn't like you."

"She doesn't know me!"

"I was there. I saw," Castor said and put a hand on his forehead as he dramatically batted his eyes. "Oh, Percy. Please tell me about these crazy things I keep seeing. Here's my number so that I may hear your wondrous voice day and night and be won over by your Aphrodite charm," he said. Pollux snorted. "I can't believe I had Chiron write me a note to leave camp for that."

"She seems really nice. I think we can be friends," Percy said as he stole some of Pollux's grapes. "Not everyone likes me that way, you know."

"I don't."

"Thank you, Pollux."

"Seriously?" Castor asked. "How do you never notice when people like you? Shouldn't you just... expect it?" he asked and shook his head. "Weird-ass Aphrodite kid."

"It's called being humble."

"Hm."

"Don't 'hm' me," Percy said with a pout. "It's true. In fact, I bet you're the only person in this entire camp who finds me attractive," he said - fairly confident on this point. Despite, well, everything, he wasn't actually an Aphrodite kid. He was a Percy who fooled people into thinking he was something he wasn't. Just because nobody thought to question anything didn't mean he was actually... you know. Like that.

"Ten drachmas," Pollux said. Percy frowned.

"Twenty," Castor countered and turned to him. "Flirt with the next camper who passes. If you make them blush, then I win. If you can't, then Pollux wins."

"...so I don't win at all?" Percy asked. Castor shrugged. "Oh, whatever - hey, Pollux-" he started but was dismissed to instead point him in the direction of Katie Gardner. Ugh. Travis would totally fill his bed with itching powder. Sighing, he turned to wave brightly.

"Hey, Katie!" he said and gestured to her. "I like your shirt," he smiled. Katie blinked at him.

"It's... just a camp t-shirt? You have one too."

"Yeah, well, you wear it better," Percy told her and - much to his surprise - watched as her face went a few shades darker. Quickly, she turned away, muttering under her breath angrily. He stared before looking down at his hands in wonder. "How?" he muttered and then shook his head. "No, she was just mad," he decided. Castor looked at him for a long time. Then turned to Pollux.

"Give me my money."

Whatever. Percy turned to Castor, leaning in so he could whisper.

"I need to talk to you later - it's about Bianca and Nico," he said. Castor hummed as he grabbed his sword and stood up.

"Let's go now," he suggested and glanced down at Pollux. "Don't come in the cabin. Percy and I are talking."

"Gross."

"Talking," Castor scowled at him and grabbed Percy's hand. "Come on. Is it Nico?" he asked lowly as he pulled him away from the beach and towards the rest of the cabins. "Because I freaked out when I saw him with a hellhound, but turns out it's the new swordmaster's pet-"

"No," Percy said. "It's... a thing," he sighed and went through everything he had gone through with Silena (edited, obviously). "I just don't know what to do."

"Talk to Bianca."

"I will. Am. I have to call her later," he said and ran a hand over his face. "I just-" he began but was cut off when the door creaked open, and a pair of wide, dark eyes latched onto them.

"Hi," Nico greeted and shuffled into the room with his arms full of Twinkies. "I brought snacks."

Castor and Percy both blinked at him before looking at one another with inward groans. Percy had, admittedly, gotten kind of fond of Nico. However, he didn't always have the right energy for the kid. Nico was a constant... well. Just a constant. He flopped to the floor and unwrapped a Twinkie with a look of wonder before looking at them expectedly.

"This is my cabin," Castor pointed out. Nico nodded.

"I know," he said and took a bite out of the Twinkie. "Whatcha talking about?"

"Uh..." Castor said and looked at Percy. "Taxes."

"What are taxes?"

"Boring adult stuff."

"Oh," Nico said and held out another Twinkie. Percy snorted and accepted it. "You're not an adult, though," he said skeptically. "Why are you talking about boring adult stuff?"

"I think I'm kind of like an adult," Percy said. Nico wrinkled his nose.

"But adults aren't fun. You're very fun," Nico said and bit into the Twinkie. "These taste bad," he muttered and yet, took another bite. Castor tilted his head.

"Why do you even have those?"

"Because of my... my, um, oh no," he grumbled. "It's happening again," he said and thought for a moment as they waited. Sometimes, Nico tended to forget certain English words. Unsurprising given how fast his brain went, but eventually he found one - or something that worked for what he was trying to saying at least. "From my mortal non-friend," he decided.

"Enemy."

"Yes! My mortal enemy," Nico nodded fiercely. "His name is Will. All he does is make me mad!"

"...Will Solace?" Percy asked with a frown. "That's the medic kid, right?" he asked Castor, who nodded. Will - who was around Nico's age - was probably one of the smartest kids in camp outside of the Athena cabin. He had been training to be a medic, which seemed bewildering for someone so young, but was actually pretty adept and super sweet. Percy couldn't imagine what he had done to upset Nico. "What did he do?"

Nico took a deep breath and dropped the Twinkie.

"He tried to make me look at a baby!" he said, voice rising. "I don't want to look at a baby. Babies are gross. He was all like, 'look, it's a baby satyr, and one day I'm going to deliver those' and I told him that he's supposed to be a medic, not a mailman, and then he laughed at me because he's mean. So I went to the Apollo cabin and told Lee, except Lee told me that maybe I misunderstood - which I didn't - and now I hate him," Nico huffed. Percy blinked a few times - taking this all in.

"I see," he said and bit his lip. "Where, um, do the Twinkies come into it?" he asked. Nico unwrapped another Twinkie with a grimace.

"I wanted to get revenge, and so I told him I was going to steal his favorite snack," Nico said and made a face. "He said it was Twinkies, but these are so gross."

"Uh, Nico," Castor said gently. "I don't think Will has ever even eaten a Twinkie," he said. Nico blinked. "I mean, if you told him you were going to steal his favorite snack, then maybe he gave you the wrong snack," he suggested. Nico's mouth dropped. Percy leaned back - waiting for Nico to start screaming. Instead, Nico opened his mouth to let some of the Twinkie fall out, which was kind of gross, but whatever.

"I can't believe this."

"Hm," Castor agreed and patted his knee. "Though, I do happen to know he likes those strawberry yogurts. Maybe go steal those?" he suggested.

Nico nodded. "Okay!" he said and then didn't move. "...I have to later, though."

"Why?"

"Because I told Mr. D I would spy on you while he was gone," Nico explained with a shrug. "He said he would give me two whole drachmas for it - and he would let me watch him do the vine trick," he said and then look Castor up and down critically. "Can you do the vine trick?" he asked.

"I don't know. What's the vine trick?"

"I knew you couldn't," Nico muttered and slumped onto the ground. Castor made a noise of offense. "Only Mr. D can do the vine trick."

"...it might be too late for him," Castor muttered. "My dad has clearly won his loyalty."

"I didn't think your dad liked anyone."

"Yeah, that's the scary part-"

The next day, Quintus started things with a splash by making a camp game. Kind of like tag, except the taggers were trying to maim you - and guess who the remaining two left were?

"Hey," he said as he bounced over to where Annabeth was squeezing her way between two tunnels. "I made you chocolate!" he said brightly and pulled out a ziplock back from his pocket. She looked back at him. "See? It has almonds," he said, shaking it in front of her. That got her to pause.

"Almonds? Wait - stop that!"

"What? I'm just a sweet Aphrodite kid who is innocently making his friends candy with no ulterior motive at all," he said and shook the bag again. Annabeth huffed. "I also have cookies!" he said, bringing out a second bag from his other pocket. "My mom's secret recipe," he told her and watched as Annabeth's determined look of stoicism faded. "Come on... who knows how long we'll be hiding out here-"

"For the record, I know you're bribing me," Annabeth snapped and yanked the bag from his hands. Then paused. "...thank you," she said quietly. Percy shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he shuffled awkwardly.

"Yeah... well... I want us to be okay," he said and sat down across from her on the dirt floor. The scorpions that had been chasing them (fun idea! Thanks, Quintus!) were somewhere outside, but it looked like it would be awhile before they left the area. "So, what did you find with the cube?" he asked. Annabeth handed him a cookie. She went silent as she took a bite of her own, deep in thought.

"Thalia had a brother," she finally said. "I knew she did. I mean, when I was older... I knew about her mother. She was this TV actress, and I got curious, so I looked her up. One of the first things that popped up was this conspiracy theory blog. Her son disappeared when he was two. I have no idea if he was mortal or not. It seems unlikely that she had two children with Zeus, but... I don't know. Maybe that's why Thalia ran," she shrugged. Percy frowned.

"But on the recording..." he said slowly. Annabeth nodded. "So her brother is alive?"

"It looks that way. I mean, Jason Grace isn't a super unique name, but... the demigod world is smaller. If he's a demigod. I don't know. That's the other thing about the recording that was weird. The girl said something about Bacchus? That's Dionysus - except they used his Roman name for some reason."

"His Roman name?"

"Yeah, back when Rome took over, there was a whole situation where their religion and ours got combined. Technically, they are different gods, but they are similar enough that they are like two sides of the same coin," she said and shook her head. "I don't know. Perhaps there could be other gods out there, but... it wouldn't make sense. Greeks and Romans notoriously hate one another. Our gods would be on the constant threat of war. I would hate to see what a fight between Jupiter and Zeus looked like," she shuddered. Percy didn't blame her. They already had one war on their hands. It was no use imagining another.

"Besides," Percy said. "If there were Roman gods out there, then why haven't our gods asked them to help with the titans?"

Annabeth pointed a cookie at him. "Exactly... but, I mean, the cube has to mean something. Maybe Jason is looking for Thalia. He could just have misunderstood and used Roman names instead of Greek?" she said. "Evelyn said-"

"Evelyn?" Percy repeated and sat up. "You've been talking to Evelyn?" he asked. It was a stupid question. Silena said Luke and Evelyn were friends. By extension, Annabeth would be part of the group too. Still, something about the news felt startling. Annabeth immediately closed up. "Sorry - just... still digesting her existence," he sighed and wrung his hands together. "It's hard," he admitted.

"What is?"

Percy stared. He wanted to be honest with her... as honest as he could.

"I want to join the titans. At least part of me does, but... I think they did something to those 1940s kids. Zoë said Kronos organized it and had help. I need to figure out who, but... I don't know. Evelyn doesn't seem to care. She just wants them all gone - if that's even possible," he muttered. "But, I mean, shouldn't she care? If they did that to her once, then they could do it again. Maybe that's why they brought her back," he slumped against the wall. "I'm just so confused," he admitted. Annabeth frowned. Did she think Kronos was responsible for that mess? Did she have proof? Was she surprised? He couldn't tell.

"That's it?" she asked. Percy looked up at her. "There's nothing else?"

"What do you mean?" he asked her. Annabeth's shoulders slumped. She looked down at the cookies in her hand and broke one in half.

"Nevermind," she told him. "I just- did you see that?" she asked suddenly, sitting up. Percy stiffened. He had. A small, twinkling light had shimmered farther to their left. He stood up, pulling out Riptide as he moved into what was clearly becoming a tunnel of some sort. Annabeth followed closely behind. He was about to take another step when her hand jerked out to stop him.

"We need to go back," she said. Percy immediately stepped backward. "I think I know what this is - we need to leave," she said and pulled him a little harder.

"What is it?"

Annabeth kept walking. She took another three steps before glancing back at him with a hint of uncertainty. Then she looked at the passage behind them.

"I think it's the entrance to the labyrinth," she finally said. Percy frowned. "Like Daedalus' maze from the story," she said. "Clarisse was sent to look for it last year. Chiron is worried it could serve as another attack point. That Luke or someone could sneak in for an invasion," she explained. Percy raised an eyebrow. That must have been what Evelyn was talking about in his dream.

"Would he?"

"No," Annabeth said and bit her lip. "Though we could use it to sneak out more demigods. If I could figure out how to navigate it..." she murmured and shook her head. "We would need Daedalus for that, though," she said, and Percy could see the light at the end of the tunnel as they continued to trek their way under stone and dirt. Percy tilted his head.

"Luke had that passage near the Hermes cabin-"

"That's to get out of camp. It's a little hard to get them to the titan camp with all the monsters and traveling and -" she glanced at Percy for a moment before shaking her head. "This could be easier. Safer. If we could figure out how it works," she murmured as her fingers grazed the wall next to her.

"Doesn't Evelyn know?" he asked cautiously. She did say that if Percy ever needed her to go into the maze. Annabeth tilted her head. "Um. Or not. I don't know," he said quickly. It wasn't like he could explain and him and his secret-sister were dream pals. "Why would it just lead you from this camp to the titan camp?" he asked instead. Annabeth watched him for a moment before finally turning away again.

"Technically, it could lead us anywhere," she said thoughtfully. Percy wished he could read her mind. He wanted to know exactly what she was thinking.

Not that he had much of a chance to ask, since they were greeted by a small search party when they exited. Apparently, time worked differently in the labyrinth too. Chiron had offered Annabeth a quest to find Daedalus so they could figure out how to navigate it... Percy wondered if maybe Chiron was secretly on the titan's side. He had to know Annabeth had switched sides? Maybe? He had no idea. Percy barely could figure out his own motivations - much less anyone else's.

"Silena," Percy groaned the following day. "Stop checking out your boyfriend and talk to me," he said, shoving her shoulder. Beckendorf gave a delighted smile at having been so obviously the center of Silena's attention and gave her a shy smile from where he was working on a sword. Silena flushed before spinning around to scowl at Percy. "The labyrinth," he prompted.

"What about it? I - Nico," she interrupted herself. Percy turned to find Nico clambering onto another camper's back with a solemn look of determination. "What are you doing?" Silena asked him warily. "Are you hurt?"

Nico looked up.

"My arm hurts. Lou Ellen said she would carry me," he added. The camper - Lou Ellen - looked to be around Nico's size, so really it was a miracle she could lift him at all.

"Why does she need to carry you if it's your arm that hurts?" Percy asked. Nico beamed. "Nevermind. Are you going to the infirmary?" he asked. Nico's expression soured.

"William Solace might be there," he said and shook his head. "He's still bothering me," he added with a huff. "Yesterday, he made fun of Mythomagic."

"He asked you how to play," Lou Ellen said, shifting Nico's weight. "That isn't making fun of you."

"Yes, it is," Nico muttered. "He's mean."

From the Apollo cabin, Will Solace himself peeked out with a concerned frown before throwing up his arm to wave at them.

"HI, NICO!" he called. "ARE YOU OKAY?! WHY IS LOU ELLEN CARRYING YOU?!" he shouted.

Nico scowled in return before turning to Percy. "You see what I mean?"

"I do not."

"Maybe you're too pretty to be bullied," Nico noted dryly and looked down at Lou Ellen. "Can we go to the lake?"

"Okay, but I'm throwing you in," Lou Ellen told him blandly. Nico seemed to accept this as he let her lead him away - ignoring poor Will as he did so. Percy turned back to Silena, who was staring at Beckendorf again. Useless. Groaning, he shoved her one last time before going off to find someone who would actually listen to him. Luckily, he knew exactly where Pollux and Castor tended to navigate in their downtime.

"I am in a state of distress," he greeted as he entered the amphitheater.

Fun fact: Dionysus was also the god of theatre, thus, making Pollux and Castor theater nerds. It was probably one of Percy's favorite things about his boyfriend. Get the guy started playwrights, and he would be talking for a solid hour. He was a little reminded of his own mom when she talked about writing. Nerds.

"Great," Pollux said without looking up from a paper. "You can be Lady Macbeth."

"Bold of you to assume I can act," Percy said and threw a vicious grin. "I'm just here to watch the show," he said playfully as he leaned in. Pollux still didn't look up.

"Good job. Now try saying it to Castor."

"Damn you," Percy grumbled. Then looked at where Castor was watching with amused eyes. "It isn't my fault you fluster me," he said. Castor laughed.

"Aw, that counts," he said and looked over. "Hey, Annabeth!" he added. Percy whipped around to find Annabeth walking over with a folder and pen, looking exhausted with her hair tied hastily back and ink smeared on her cheek. Had she even slept last night? She gave them all a weak smile before collapsing into one of the long blocks of stone.

"Hi," she breathed out. "I've been looking all over for you," she added and rubbed her eyes. She seemed... awkward for some reason. Probably because she refused to meet Percy's eyes. "I have two other people to ask on my quest," Annabeth explained. "Grover said yes to one spot, and I thought-"

"Really?" Percy jerked up. "You want me to come?" he asked, absolutely delighted by the turn of events. Huh. Look at that. His first real, official quest. His smile faltered when he saw Annabeth's expression, though. Her eyes lowered for a moment before giving him a weak smile.

"I was going to see if Pollux or Castor would join me," she said softly. Oh. Percy blinked. Right. Yes. Sure. He looked away. "I mean, if you want," Annabeth said quickly as she turned to the other two. "I just thought it would make sense, given your stepmother."

"Stepmother?" Percy repeated. Ah. Ariadne. Dionysus' wife, who Castor had also informed him, was the goddess of Labyrinths and Paths. In fact, she had been known to lead Theseus through the very labyrinth that had popped up in camp. "Oh," he said. "You guys are close with her, right?" he asked, trying his best not to sound too disheartened. Castor and Pollux both exchanged wary looks before answering.

"Yeah, Ariadne has always been super cool with our dad's demigods," Pollux said, tapping his fingers against the table. "I'm sure she would give us a blessing or something - ow," he yelped as a not-discreet-at-all kick came from Castor. "But other than that? Nah. Not helpful at all," Pollux rectified with a nasty glare at this brother.

Percy sighed. "No, it's fine," he said and offered Annabeth what he hoped was a supportive smile. "That's a really smart idea," he told her. Annabeth flushed a bit before shrugging, absently playing with the edges of her folder. She could have been nervous... or her ADHD was rearing its head. It was hard for Percy to get a read on her recently, given the... you know. Distance.

"When you change from a mortal to demigod, your powers tend to reflect your mortal life," Pollux admitted. "It's why our dad ended up with wine and insanity."

"Insanity - Hera, right?"

"It's always Hera," Castor sighed. "I lost track of how many people she drove to the brink of madness," he said and turned to Pollux. "Do you want to go?" Castor asked his brother. Percy held his breath. He hoped so. Without Castor, there would be nobody to cover for Nico when he needed to reinforce the Demeter powers. Plus, well... Percy obviously would never stop Castor from going, but he maybe secretly preferred it if he didn't. Perhaps Pollux sensed this because he gave a quick glance between the two of them before scoffing.

"Sure. A quest sounds fun," he said and then fixed Annabeth with a wicked grin. "But we better go before my dad gets back. He might have a thing or two to say, Miss. Annie Bell," he told her. Annabeth gave a grin in return before turning back to her folder and checking something off.

Giving Castor a quick kiss ("Gross." -Pollux), Percy jumped away from the bench to make his way after her.

"Annabeth!" he called and was a little surprised when she stopped and turned to him. "Hi, again," he greeted and took a long breath. "Um, is there anything you need for the quest? I can grab you stuff. I'm a good packer," he said lightly. Annabeth opened her mouth before letting her folder fall down to her side a bit, looking at him with a hint of regret.

"I'm really not mad at you, Percy."

...liar.

"I can still help either way. I want to help. You're my friend... right?" he asked, hating that his voice sounded a little desperate towards the end. Annabeth stared before grabbing his arm and pulling him to the side off towards a large oak tree.

"Look, I... I want to be your friend," she said. Percy nodded. Good. Good start. "But after Thalia, I can't ignore things anymore. I know you're hiding something."

Percy closed his eyes. He wanted to tell her. He did. He thought about it. Prayed to Rhode about it. Asked Silena about it. Talked to his (mortal) mom about it. He tried to justify it where he could. Percy trusted Annabeth. He did. More than almost anyone else in this camp. She had been friends with Thalia - she wouldn't betray him. Hell, Silena had confirmed that over the year, she had seen Annabeth at the titan camp.

So... why not?

"What makes you think that?" he asked instead. In truth, it didn't matter much. Annabeth was Annabeth. It was hard to believe he had ever fooled her. The fact she didn't know exactly what he was hiding was a miracle in itself. Annabeth's lips pursed. "Look, I..." he began and then closed his eyes. He couldn't do it. For the same reason he couldn't tell Castor. Even if Annabeth was on the titan's side... that almost felt forgivable. If the gods caught her, then she could plead possession or magic or being swayed by Luke. Not that she would, but she could. Percy? Percy was pretty sure no mercy would be given for hiding Percy. Silena was bad enough, but... he just couldn't stand the thought of someone else in that position.

"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Don't tell me - but it's hard to be friends with someone who lies to you," she said and walked away towards the Big House. Percy flinched. That wasn't fair... or maybe it was. He groaned, resisting the urge to scream at the sky. He might have if it weren't for the fact some mist was forming next to him. He turned to find Bianca di Angelo forming with wide eyes and quick glances over her shoulder.

"Percy!" she greeted. "Hey, are you busy?"

"Does self-pity count as busy?" he asked her dryly. Bianca didn't laugh. "Yeah, I'm free. Are you okay? I was going to call you today, actually..." he began but trailed off. Bianca only nodded - shoulders relaxing slightly.

"I was hoping you could come to visit me," she said slowly. Percy tilted his head.

"Oh. Do you want me to bring Nico-?"

"Do not bring Nico!" she said loudly enough to make Percy jump. "I - sorry, just... just you. Maybe just bring yourself," she nodded. Interesting. Percy looked her over carefully. Bianca had gotten much more confident since her latest and greatest promotion, but occasionally he could still see glimmers of her old, uncertain self in there. Percy wondered if amongst all the Aphrodite-ness instilled in him, if he had retained some of who he originally was throughout all of this.

"Okay," he said softly - trying his best to sound reassuring. "I need to get permission to leave camp, though."

"You do?" Bianca asked. Percy gave her a weak smile. He had snuck out of camp enough times as it was. Aphrodite didn't need him pissing her off... again. He had promised Silena he would tread carefully. "Okay, well... please hurry," she told him and rattled off her location. Percy nodded. With Mr. D gone, it should be easy to get Chiron to agree to a quick visit. He might just say he wanted to visit his mother or something. Just to be safe.

Except his luck was never that good, was it?

"You're back."

Mr. D looked up from where he was doing something godly with hand waving and scowled at him.

"Unfortunately," he said and swiped something away. "I heard my son was being dragged out of the camp. I suppose you and Annie have worked together to torment even more than usual," he said with a note of accusation. Damn. That was quick. Castor once joked his dad had an alert system on him and Pollux - now he wondered if it was true. Percy pursed his lips. He wasn't thrilled with the quest decision either, but he also had to respect it.

"Chiron said you were on a mission," he said instead. Mr. D's lips thinned. "Are you finished?"

"Finished with tracking down every minor god and ensuring they choose our side of the war? No," he said flatly. "What do you want?"

"Permission to leave camp."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"And here I thought we were friends," Percy drawled. "Joking!" he said quickly when Mr. D turned with his eyes a bit brighter and more dangerous than normal. "I just need to visit a friend. I promise I'll be fast. Maybe if you're lucky, I'll get eaten," he added lightly. There were a couple of seconds where Mr. D seemed to seriously consider this for a moment before shaking his head. Ugh. "Well, I guess that just means I can go hang out with Cas some more-"

"Do you think blatantly trying to manipulate me will get you your way?" he asked. Percy tilted his head. A little bit, yeah. Dionysus' form glowed with irritation before settling down with something muttered under his breath. "Very well," he relented. Percy blinked. So... it had worked. "If it keeps you away from my son, I suppose I should be grateful," he muttered.

"Nico said you paid him to spy on us."

"And he is truly a terrible spy for revealing such a thing," Dionysus snorted. "Maybe I'll turn him into a bottle of Merlot for that," he said. Percy didn't believe him for a second. Normally, when Mr. D threatened Percy, there was real ire behind the words - naturally accompanied by a faint glow or crackle of power. Something told him that he didn't have the same malice for Nico. Percy bowed his head, about to leave it there, when he paused.

"Sir?" he asked - hesitating by the door. Mr. D rolled his eyes. "Will... will your wife help Pollux? In the maze?" he asked.

"That's none of your concern."

"Castor said they were on good terms," Percy pressed and then wrung his hands. "But I... I just worry because of what you said last year. About how she was treated by Theseus..." he trailed off. Dionysus wrinkled his nose. He had Castor's violet eyes - which was a damn shame because Percy much preferred them on his boyfriend - that glimmered with something he didn't dare push back against as he tapped his finger on the table.

"My children are far from the same as Poseidon's," he said venomously. Percy felt his stomach twist a little at that. "Ariadne knows this - but as for what she will do? I cannot say for certain. She doesn't answer to me," he shrugged. "My job is to ensure Pollux is certain he is willing to undertake this ridiculous quest before going back to the minor gods," he sighed. "Where, unfortunately, a child of Poseidon seeks to sway them."

"Evelyn."

"Hm."

A thought occurred to Percy - something he had maybe briefly considered before, but now... now he had a bit more reason to suspect.

"You're the god of madness, right?" he asked. "Couldn't you cure her and the others? Or did you always have it out for Poseidon's kids?" he asked suspiciously. Dionysus snorted, waving his hand, so a new Diet Coke appeared in his hand. He seemed to mull over Percy's words as he took a sip.

"You are in an inquiring mood today," he said lightly. "How about this? I answer, and if you ask another question, I'll cut out your tongue," he said. Percy shrugged. Fair enough. "I hadn't yet been confined to this awful camp during that time. I had no interaction with those awful miscreants," he said with a curl of his lips. "Poseidon did ask me to try and help that one girl after she was captured. It was a... confusing time," he said slowly, and a flicker of uncertainty touched his face. "I did it before they put her in the garden," he added. "I have no idea if it will hold now, though. It is difficult to say without knowing what caused it... There were... other antidotes as well, I hear. Stranger ones," he mused. Percy frowned. "Chiron's blood, for instance. The hunter girl suggested it. Zara or whatever. A strange idea, but it supposedly worked for a short period of time," he said with a shake of his head. Percy frowned. Um, what? "Normally, centaur's blood is poisonous, but in small doses, it brought them all to sound mind for days at a time," he explained. "But ultimately, their minds returned to the rattled state."

"So you knew it wasn't their fault, then," he said, and Dionysus raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't a question."

"I don't understand how Aphrodite ended up with a child so volatile," he muttered. "Perhaps it wasn't their fault. The bloodshed was the same."

Percy shook his head in disgust. Right. It wasn't like he had used the same argument - but there was something in how Dionysus said it... something that made his stomach twist. He turned away.

"What would you have done?" Dionysus called after him. Percy paused. "If these monsters came from nowhere to slaughter your children? Would you have simply investigated as they mucked about tearing innocents limb from limb?" he asked. Percy didn't answer. "You heroes always think yourself so above us in your own little human ways," he said and shook his head. "You're no different. Even now. You don't think I see the hesitation in your eyes. You want to join the titans, too," he said. Percy slowly turned - heart pounding. Dionysus smiled coyly. "Hm. And why haven't you?" he asked. "Is it because you're trying to do 'the right thing', or is it because you follow who you care about?" he asked. Percy stared. "Well, I cared about my children. Not Zeus' or Poseidon's or Hades'."

"I'm not a god."

"You don't know what you are - or even who," he dismissed. "And you'll die before you figure it out," he said and shook his head. "Go visit your friend. I wish you happy travels."

Percy clenched his jaw before slamming the door open - keeping his temper tapered down as he marched off towards the stables. Blackjack must have sensed his mood because he only gave a few comments before jumping off into the sky. Percy made a note to give him extra snacks the next time he visited.

About an hour later, he was over Ohio, circling a small field outside of the miles of farmland that went a hundred miles in every direction. He could see a spot of silver hiding out among a small cluster of trees that lined the area between two properties as he began to make his descent.

"Okay, I'm here," Percy called, sliding off of Blackjack with a wave. "I also come with bad news."

"So do I," Bianca said from where she was pacing. Percy grimaced. "And I think mine is worse."

"I somehow doubt that," Percy told her. Bianca laughed - it sounded a smidge hysterical. "But go ahead. What's up?" he asked. Bianca opened her mouth a few times before wringing her hands. She looked... pale. Scared. He looked around to see if someone was watching them - a trap? No, Bianca would have tried to hint something to him if it was. He frowned at her as she wordlessly gestured him to a huge rock by a fallen tree trunk. Percy walked over, curiously looking down to see a boot sticking out.

"You have to let me explain," Bianca told him. Percy's eyes widened as he leaned over and - yep. There was a body attached to that boot. "She found out. I - I was stupid and careless, and she saw me with my powers," Bianca explain quickly, tripping over her words as she looked around anxiously. "I tried to reason with her, but she kept trying to stab me! I just wanted to push her off, but the knife slipped, and..." she trailed off with a flinch. "I swear, it was an accident," she whispered.

Percy blinked.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Um... so... to clarify... this person is dead?"

"Yes. Yes, very much so."

"You killed her?"

"By accident."

"By accident," Percy repeated and looked down again. "And I'm here to...? Help bury the body?" he guessed. Bianca closed her eyes. "Alright," he said and rolled up his sleeve. "How are we doing this?"

Bianca's eyes snapped back open.

"Um... what?" she asked. Percy tilted his head. "That's it? No follow-up questions?" she asked. Percy considered. He wasn't really sure what else he could ask. He knew Bianca fairly well by this point. She was kind. Fair. Honest. If she said it was self-defense, then he believed her. It wasn't like she wanted to draw attention to herself.

He shrugged. "Was she a hunter?" he asked. Bianca gave him a slight frown before nodding. "...will Artemis ask questions? Did anyone see?"

"We were alone. Artemis might ask, but I can say she was killed by a monster. She won't suspect much as long as she is given a proper funeral."

Percy nodded.

"Alright, we give her a proper funeral then," he said and looked around. "Do we have shovels or...?"

Bianca wordlessly snapped her fingers, and the ground gave away to a perfect hole.

"I don't know why you needed me," Percy told her flatly. Bianca blinked at him a few more times. "Whatever. You grab her legs. I can get her arms," he decided and walked over. Had he seen a dead body before? Thalia's had never been found. His stomach churned at the idea of her corpse left out there... forever in a pile of metal. He shuddered a bit before reaching down to grab the girl's arms.

"Have you done this before?" Bianca finally asked. Percy's mouth dropped.

"No, I have not buried a body before!"

"I don't know! You're weirdly calm about this!"

"Why did you call me then? I - wait, on the count of three," he said as they heaved the body up. "One... two... three!"

Together they tossed the hunter into the hole. They both stared down for a moment before he reached into his pocket to pull out two drachmas. "Um, do you know how Greek funeral rites work?" he asked. Bianca snorted but held out a hand. He placed the drachmas in before watching her jump down to do whatever it was you did when burying a body. A few minutes later, she popped back up, covered in dirt. She gave another snap of her fingers, and the soil fell back over the grave. Percy shook his head. "I really don't know why you needed me for this."

"I hadn't expected you to... well, actually help," Bianca said as she dusted off her hands. "I thought you might tell me to turn myself in or something," she said and crossed her arms over her hand. "I don't know. I've never killed anyone before. I didn't know who to call."

"And you chose me?" Percy asked with a slight grin. "Aw, B. I'm flattered."

Bianca scoffed and looked down at the freshly turned dirt.

"I didn't mean to hurt her," she said, voice going soft. "I... it was an accident," she mumbled and crossed her arms over her chest with a long breath. "I almost let her kill me first. It felt easier, almost. If I was dead, then no more hiding, right? I just... I couldn't do that to Nico," she said, running a hand over her braid. "Besides, Zoë did everything she could to protect me. I couldn't let it be in vain."

Percy considered. He understood that. He lost track of how often he thought that the very thing before thinking of Silena. Nodding, he sat down on the ground.

"Who was she?"

Bianca sat next to him.

"Her name was Petra," Bianca told him and pulled her knees to her chest. "She was nice, I guess. A little... full of herself. She was already annoyed I got promoted to the highest-ranking position after only a few weeks of being in the Hunt," she said with a wry grin. "Kind of had it out for me. I think that's why she followed when she noticed me heading out by myself. She just wanted to catch me doing something dumb. Not..." her voice trailed off. Percy stared. He wondered what he would have done in the position. Killing monsters was one thing. People? It had to be different. Feel different. Percy glanced at the ground.

"I'm glad you fought back," he told her quietly. Bianca leaned over, putting her head on his shoulder. "No offense to Petra. I hope she finds peace in the Underworld," he added. Bianca hummed. "...though if she tried to kill you without waiting for a defense. Eh."

Bianca looked up.

"Eh? You can't 'eh' a dead person."

"I can. Just did."

"Percy," Bianca snorted and shook her head, absently waving her hand over the mound of dirt. The ground immediately settled. "What was your bad news? Did you kill someone too?"

"No, but I realize now you are the best person to bury bodies with," Percy snorted. Then fell into a state of solemn despair. He closed his eyes. "I messed up. Badly. I'm worried you and Nico might pay the price," he said quietly. Bianca frowned and leaned back. "Bianca, I am so sorry," he said and turned to her before explaining the situation with Demeter. Bianca listened quietly, brows furrowed as he did his best to offer what suggestions he could.

"She hasn't said anything," Bianca said and then bit her lip. "I mean, it is... concerning. I - hey," she interrupted herself and lightly tapped Percy's forehead. "It's okay. Stop looking at me like that. We're not dead yet."

"Bianca, you can be mad at me."

"But I'm not," she said and turned to him. "I've never had many friends, you know. Not that I can remember. It's always just been Nico and me. You... you might actually be the first," she smiled wryly. "And given that you're one of the few people who know who I am... you might be my only. I know you've done nothing but try to help me. How can I be angry at you?" she asked. Percy stared. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her so badly. They were in this together...

...but he had told Thalia. He told Thalia for the same reasons, and look what happened. Silena had told him that his reveal had nothing to do with her death, but he disagreed. She went in there, knowing that he could carry on the prophecy. Knowing he couldn't be controlled by the gods. Would she had gone otherwise? He swallowed and looked down. He couldn't lose anyone else.

"I'm glad you're my friend."

Bianca smiled.

"I'm glad you're my friend, too. We'll figure the Demeter thing out. Somehow. Someway. She hasn't said or done anything yet. Who knows? Maybe she's convinced. Drew is pretty powerful," she reasoned. "Her charmspeak could work differently."

Percy hadn't considered that. Of all their siblings - Silena included - Drew was the most powerful. He couldn't imagine what someone who was stronger than her in charmspeak would look like. He relaxed a little.

"You think?"

"I'll do some thinking on it," Bianca told him. "If Nico and I need to run, then we can run. I just think that would be too damning if we disappeared now. Maybe... if worse comes to worst, he and I can go to the Underworld," she said. Percy gave her a startled look. "I know. I was a little nervous at the idea too, but... it is our home. Technically. In a way," she shrugged. "I think my father would protect us."

Percy wondered. Hades didn't seem like the most nurturing parent, but Percy also didn't know him well.

"If you need help, I can take you there," he said with a grimace. "I went there when I was twelve."

"Yeah?"

"Your dad is not a fan of me," he grinned. Bianca laughed. "Hey..." he added and then turned, so he and Bianca were face-to-face. With a grimace, Percy grabbed her hands and squeezed. "I know it isn't my place, but I want to talk about Nico," he said slowly. Bianca frowned. "He's fine," Percy added quickly, before she could grow concerned. "For now, anyway. I'm... a little worried about him. He has really taken to the, um, camp beliefs?" he explained weakly. Bianca's frown deepened. "He hates kátaras a lot. He's really sold on how awful and dangerous they are."

"Ah."

"Yeah," Percy said. "Look, I know he's a kid, but he has absolutely no idea what he is. I mean, it's already dangerous with him not knowing. One day he's going to accidentally stumble into powers that we can't explain away or somehow slip up without even knowing. Just because he's claimed won't make people blind," he said softly. Bianca bit her lip. "More importantly, though, is that he's going to hate himself once he learns the truth. Everyone else is already going to hate him. I just... think it would be worse if you wait," he said gently. "It seems cruel to let him think he's something he's not."

Bianca went quiet. Wordlessly, she pulled out Zoë's knife and ran her fingers over the blade. Percy waited.

"You're right," she finally sighed. "I just wish there was another way. He loves camp so much," she sighed, shaking her head. "I don't want him to have to feel scared there."

Percy nodded. He wished there was something he could say that was semi-reassuring. Still, there was nothing he could offer that Bianca didn't already know. After a couple more minutes of silent deliberation, she stood up. He jumped to join her.

"I'll talk to him when I see him next week," she decided. "I already told Artemis I'm spending the day with him. I'll take the time to explain it all properly. We can go out and do something. That'll help ease the blow," she decided. Percy smiled. Yeah. That would work. Maybe if they stuffed some Mythomagic cards in front of him, the pain would be numbed enough for him not to immediately fold under the shock. "He's... um, doing alright, though? Other than that?"

"Yeah," Percy snorted. "He's made a mortal enemy," he told her, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure the poor kid just wants to be his friend, but Nico had already decided," he told her. Bianca's lips twitched at that. "Also, he's somehow befriended Mr. D," he added with a roll of his eyes. "Apparently, Nico is paid to spy on Castor and me," he said and wrinkled his nose. "Nico takes his job very seriously."

"Oh, I bet," Bianca laughed. "Good. I'm glad he's happy," she smiled. "Has he actually made a friend? Other than you and Mr. D?"

"Nobody consistent," Percy said. "Sometimes he just talks to himself if nobody else is around. He adores everyone in the Demeter cabin, though. I'm pretty sure he has Miranda Gardiner wrapped around his finger," he said. Bianca frowned. Huh. It occurred to him that... well, Nico thought Miranda was his sister, too. He wondered how that made Bianca feel. Based on her guarded expression - not thrilled. "He misses you," Percy added. "And tells everyone who will listen that his sister is a goddess," he said. They had explained to him many (many) times that the Hunt wasn't a bunch of goddesses, but Nico wasn't entirely convinced yet. "According to him, you would have infinite attack points in Mythomagic."

"Hm," Bianca said as she straightened her bows over her shoulder as they approached Blackjack. "Funnily enough, he said the same about you. Castor has two points."

"Ouch. Why does he hate him so much?"

"Hate is a strong word," Bianca said. There was a hint of amusement in her voice, though. "But I have some theories. I'll tell you them whenever we bury the next body."

"Oh, planning your next murder so soon?"

"Nah. It's your turn. My guess is that you're going to kill a god somehow," she said as Percy lifted a leg over Blackjack. Percy considered - not entirely put off by the idea - before leaning around the pegasus' neck to give her a two-finger salute.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You're doing awesome - and you're a good sister, Bianca."

Bianca's eyes softened.

"Thanks, Percy."

And with that, he urged Blackjack into the air. Fully intending to get back to camp and resolve at least one out of his two hundred and sixty-three problems at hand.

Except... about four days later... those two hundred and sixty-three problems didn't matter. Not right now. Not compared to the one problem... the one that had him panicked and... and...

"Castor!" he whispered, pounding on the door to the Dionysus cabin. He hit it harder. "Open up!"

It was the middle of the night, and the sky was hauntingly clear. Normally, he might find comfort in the constellations, but right now, all he could think of is the dire stories they told and whispers of the death that hung over them. He had a bag slung over one shoulder and a very scared Nico di Angelo behind him - eyes wide with fear and confusion. The door creaked open to reveal Castor looking exhausted, with shadows under his eyes. He opened it all the way when he saw Percy.

"You heard."

"Heard what?" Percy asked and looked around before shoving himself and Nico inside. "Castor, we have to - are you going somewhere?" he interrupted himself, looking around the cabin. Clothes and weapons were flung about with an open bag on the ground filled with supplies. Castor glanced at him and then to Nico.

"You haven't heard," he said slowly. "Percy, Annabeth is back."

"Back?" Percy frowned. "She's only been gone for like a week," he said, and a sense of cold fear hit him. "Is she alright? Where's Grover?"

"Yeah," Castor said quietly. "Chiron said she should recover. Unconscious, but... she'll be fine. We don't know what happened for sure. She just appeared. They'll have to wait until she wakes up to get answers..." he trailed off. Percy's brows creased. Wait.

"Pollux?" he asked. Castor shook his head. "What about Grover?"

"Neither of them has shown up," he said. Percy closed his eyes. Of course not. Damnit. Grover... "I can't leave my brother in that maze, Percy. I'm going after him," Castor said. Percy's eyes fell back to the bag. Then to Nico. He felt as though life was at a tipping point. He had waited long enough. Hid long enough. Soon, it would be time to make decisions. He swallowed.

"Okay," he whispered and closed his eyes. "Nico and I have to leave."

"What? Why?" Castor asked sharply. "What happened?"

"Percy, it's okay," Nico cut in, voice a little higher than usual. "The ghost said it's normal."

"Ghost?" Castor repeated as Percy closed his eyes. "What ghost?"

"The one in camp," Nico said, looking between them nervously. "He says I'm the only one who can see him, but I know that's probably him playing a trick on me," he explained. "All demigods can see ghosts," he said. Percy was going to throw up. Gods, he was going to throw up. "But this one talks to me a lot. He asks me lots of questions."

Castor stared with wide eyes.

"Does this ghost have a name?" he asked. Nico nodded uncertainly.

"Elliott."

Silence.

"Alright," he finally said. "That's an issue, but are you sure leaving camp is-"

"That isn't the problem, Castor. I think that's the reason for the problem," he explained quietly. "I need to find Evelyn. I've tried getting ahold of Bianca, but she isn't answering, and Silena... she's off on... on a quest of her own," he said, deciding it was best not to openly admit his sister was on a titan mission. "I know Evelyn is in the maze. We're going to have to find her. That or Mr. D as a last resort," he said. An absolute last resort. He had no idea what Mr. D would do...

Castor stared. Percy could see the moment it clicked. Slowly, he turned to where Nico was watching them. Poor, frightened Nico... Percy didn't know what to even say to him. He had to explain this somehow. Wordlessly, Castor reached for Nico's wrist. Percy half-expected Nico might pull away, but he didn't dare move as Castor rolled up his sleeve.

In the middle of Nico's arm was a red dot.