A/N- I'm so sorry for the late update, y'all. There's no excuse but I hope you like the chapter!
THAT NIGHT, ANNABETH…the calm before a storm.
"That's always the funniest shit ever." Katie laughed and the demigods, on understanding, nodded in agreement.
"What do you mean?" Demeter frowned in confusion.
"We're so used to things being complicated that the one time that they aren't, it always feels like a trap or it makes us uneasy." Katie explained.
"That is sad and yet hilariously ironic." Hermes chuckled.
"That sentence is the story of our life, brother." Percy snorted in amusement. Apollo and Hermes laughed lightly at that.
Leo docked the ship at a…gazing over the bay.
"Brooding face." All the Greek demigods nodded and raised their eyebrows at Annabeth for confirmation.
"Brooding face." Annabeth confirmed. Percy looked at them all with an expression that was a mix of confusion and amusement.
"You have a certain brooding face whenever you look at the sea as if you're contemplating life or something." Thalia clarified.
"Huh." Percy said and shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. Those are the only times that my brain actually focuses on a single topic or something related to it. I mean, take this time for example, I remember thinking about the aquarium and the image of those captured people and creatures just kind of sent my brain back to thinking about Pan and the first conversation Grover and I had had about him. I mean, we'd promised him to try and save the environment and well…the aquarium isn't exactly the definition of that." He said. "These are the rare times when my brain doesn't automatically divert to burgers." He joked as everybody's faces turned somber. There were a few chuckles at that but most of the people had started thinking about what Percy had said.
"I think Pan knew that everything wasn't possible but he wanted us to do our best and encourage others too as well. This aquarium was technically run by a god and while, the creatures were of the environment, I think Pan understood that somethings were difficult especially for demigods." Grover said comfortingly to Percy who just shrugged again.
"They might be creatures of the environment but they were the creatures of my environment." He sighed. The sea gang gave him small, sad smiles.
"Well, we'll figure something out." Grover smiled at Percy and the demigod's eyes brightened.
"Yeah, we will." He said with a smile.
Annabeth took his hand…I'm going to get a snack.
Everybody snickered.
"No but this happened when he came back with a cut on his shoulder and casually said 'I just strangled a sea monster'. You remember?" Grover laughed as he asked Annabeth who also burst into laughter.
"Its like he just had a picnic and a relaxing day and came back." Annabeth chuckled and Percy grinned sheepishly.
"That was a Wednesday." He said and stretched his arms, making everybody laugh.
I want to try…they'd taken turns (unwillingly)
"Ehh, Percy's was kind of willingly." Nico said with a raised eyebrow.
"Technically, even mine was 'willingly'." Annabeth pointed out, making air-quotes around 'willingly.'
"So in conclusion, what does this prove?" Thalia asked in a scholarly voice, as if about to dispense wisdom. "It proves, that you both are idiots." She said, before anybody else could answer.
"We'd be dead if Percy hadn't lifted the sky. We needed Lady Artemis' help to defeat Atlas." Annabeth reminded her.
"Yeah, well. Still an idiot." Thalia shrugged and grinned at Percy but gave him a light wink to let him know that she was only joking.
Holding the weight of the sky…symbolic bond with Percy.
"Hey, we can always get a strand dyed or something." Percy offered to Annabeth who chuckled.
"On second thought, why have a reminder of a difficult time?" she sighed.
"Why not think of it as a difficult time that we go through together." Percy smiled and placed a kiss on Annabeth's forehead, making Aphrodite coo.
"I like that." Annabeth smiled and Percy grinned.
Annabeth kissed him…into the harbor with Percy
"The sirens part two." Grover chuckled
"This time I would be the one jumping second." Annabeth chuckled.
"Parallels are always romantic." Silena said with a grin.
She even would have preferred…much time thinking about it.
Everybody, even the gods, gasped dramatically at Annabeth.
"You didn't think deeply about a Civil War monument?" Thalia asked theatrically and put a hand to her chest. "This is shocking." She said and shook her head. "Can't believe it." She continued.
"Oh shut up." Annabeth pouted at her.
Mostly she breathed in the sea…remembering her broken heart.
"Not happening." Annabeth and Percy said in unison and smiled at each other.
"It won't. Relax." Aphrodite assured them.
She was relieved…come back and check on them.
Hades snorted in amusement. "That's probably exactly what happened." He said to Annabeth. Demeter huffed at him and crossed her arms across her chest, knowing that it was exactly what had happened. Hades smirked at her reaction and Persephone chuckled.
"Well, it looks good, doesn't it?" Demeter defended
"Beautiful." Hazel assured her.
"Kind of reminds me of…his eyes glazed over.
"What kind of behavior is this, huh, Socrates?" Nico chided teasingly.
"Oh shut up." Percy pouted at him.
"The fact that you zone out when talking about philosophy while you, yourself, randomly start talking like a philosopher living in Ancient Greece-" Jason snorted in amusement.
"Trying to understand makes my brain do acrobatics that I don't really have the brain stamina to. It requires too much of an attention span on one thing and my brain just unintentionally goes to Game of Thrones or something." Percy defended. "Randomly spouting philosophy doesn't require much thinking or processing." He said. Everybody chuckled but Apollo raised his eyebrow at Percy in confusion.
"How in the world does your mind go to Game of Thrones from philosophy?" he asked.
"Goes to the wisdom in that series." Percy explained. Apollo nodded in understanding.
"Ahh. I see, I see." He said.
The other girls didn't say much…he'd had a crush on her ever
"Oh, honey." The Stolls said with matching grins at Annabeth.
"You're going to want to sit down for this." Thalia snickered.
"Hilarious." Percy snickered at Annabeth. Nico looked at him in amusement.
"You aren't my type either." He said.
"You just had to ruin it. Let me be flattered that even guys be crushing on me." Percy complained. Nico snickered and gestured to him to go on and flatter himself with Annabeth and Percy grinned.
"Ah, that satisfaction crashing down the moment when you found out that it was a lie all along." Percy teased Annabeth with a dramatic evil mastermind laugh at the end, making everybody burst out in laughter. Annabeth who had been smiling, trying to control her laughter also ended up joining the others.
Since they rescued him…him that made her uneasy.
Nico gave Annabeth a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his neck. "This one was on me, I'm afraid. I just wanted to stay away from Percy so I guess some of that flowed out towards you as well. Sorry about that." He said. Annabeth smiled at him.
"Don't worry about it." She waved it off and Nico smiled at her.
Still, she felt responsible for him
"Looks like Nico's gonna be getting adoption papers to sign soon enough, Uncle." Hermes chuckled at Hades who laughed.
"Looks like there's gonna be a court case then." Hades chuckled
"Well, good for me that I'm going to be a lawyer then." Percy grinned at Hades who grinned at him and nodded in approval.
"Lawyered!" Zeus grinned at his elder brother, taking everybody except Poseidon, Hades and Percy off guard. Hades put his hands up in surrender.
"That was a good one. I ain't even complaining." He said.
Back when they had met…Annabeth could relate to that.
Annabeth and Nico exchanged small smiles. They'd talked quite a lot once they'd gotten closer at camp. It'd helped both of them to deal with their past. Having somebody who personally understood or relate to their problems and getting it out had helped both of them.
She was so deep in thought…avoiding a horse-drawn carriage.
All the gods looked wearily at Aphrodite who was grinning brightly.
"Told ya." Hephaestus shrugged. Apollo pouted at gave him 5 drachmas as a result of the bet that they had made when nobody else was listening.
"Piper!" Annabeth called…"It is her," she grumbled
Everybody burst out laughing at that and Aphrodite gave her daughter a mock-offended expression at which Piper grinned sheepishly.
"That was just the definition of 'what now'?" Percy snickered.
"More like a 'why'." Piper grinned and Percy laughed.
"Is it more of a 'what now' for you whenever you meet me, son?" Poseidon raised an eyebrow at Percy, his eyes glinting in amusement and Percy swallowed with a sheepish grin of his own. Poseidon gasped dramatically and put a hand to his chest theatrically. "My own son." He said as he wiped off fake tears.
"Can you blame me though?" Percy defended and Poseidon grinned at him.
"Fair enough."
Annabeth squinted at the ghost…anything that had to do with brains.
"Hey, then you just got to show them that you beat that stereotype. And its always the best tactic. Don't say or do anything and just surprise the shit out of everybody." Percy told Annabeth encouragingly. Annabeth smiled at him and gave him a light kiss.
"Thanks, seaweed brain." She said genuinely.
The woman was dressed like…Hazel backed into a palmetto tree.
Everybody snorted lightly in amusement.
"Rude." Aphrodite pouted.
"Now, we aren't really used to goddesses showing outta nowhere and asking for a hug, are we?" Piper raised an eyebrow and Aphrodite gave her a sheepish smile.
"I suppose that's fair." She nodded.
"I'm so glad you're here…Aphrodite knew how to do tea.
"Aw, thanks sweetie." Aphrodite smiled at Annabeth who gave her a nervous grin. "Oh relax, darling, I ship you and Percy too much to do anything to break you up." She assured the daughter of Athena with a light chuckle and Percy and Annabeth heaved matching sighs of relief.
She led them to the central…something with your hair, though
"Why does everybody say that?" Annabeth complained. "That's exactly what Circe said as well." She sighed.
And, Hazel Levesque, your clothes…"You're embarrassing me."
All the demigods and younger gods chuckled.
"That's a right that all parents have had ever since their kids were born. Its universal." Ares assured Piper.
"And it passes on from one generation to another. Like, you will probably embarrass your kids someday too but that's a good thing. It something that everybody can laugh about years after." Apollo smiled.
"Well, I don't see why…Love, revenge, wine. Very helpful.
"All three of those when combined can lead to some very…interesting stuff." Dionysus mused. All the demigods' eyes widened.
"You might have to clarify that, Mr.D. Our brains directly go down the gutter." Chris told him with a wince. Dionysus smirked at Chris.
"Who says that where your brains are taking you isn't a part of the 'stuff'?" Dionysus said, making air quotes around 'stuff'.
"Oh for fuck's sake." Clarisse pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.
"Exactly." Dionysus nodded, making everybody groan miserably and the god chuckled lightly.
"Its actually not as bad as you're making it out to be, you know? It was more of a general statement and it doesn't only mean sex. There's a lot of crazy things that happen when you combine love, revenge and wine. It can mean murder, it can mean bar fights, it can mean a new James Bond movie." Dionysus shrugged.
"He's not wrong." Aphrodite nodded in agreement.
"Wouldn't say no to a new James Bond movie." Travis shrugged.
"See!" Dionysus said.
Hazel nibbled a sugar cookie…Love and war always go together
Aphrodite and Ares couldn't help but share small smiles. Most people had believed that the only the reason that they had been together had been because of physical attraction but that wasn't the case. They both had promoted each other's domain. Aphrodite had helped Ares find the light in his darkness and he had helped embrace her darkness. Love and war were more closely allied than people believed just as hate and love were a blurred line.
"Sounds like the same logic that fueled the Trojan war." Silena mused.
"It was." Aphrodite smiled at her.
They are the peaks of human…right before he died.
"And you realized that you didn't like him anymore and saw him as a brother." Will raised an eyebrow at Annabeth.
"Never really loved him, did I? More like a celebrity crush." She said.
Next came Percy…another girl named Rachel.
"They're kind of like Joey and Rachel. They had a crush on each other, got together for a while and eventually decided that they were much better off as friends." Aphrodite said. Rachel and Percy smiled at each other.
"That's true." They both said.
And then he almost died…lose his memory.
"Yeah, well, you know that I'm never going to make it easy for you, right?" Percy smirked at Annabeth. Everybody couldn't help but chuckle as Annabeth's words were said right back to her and Annabeth laughed.
"Well, I'm prepared for however difficult you might make it." She told him and Percy grinned widely.
"I have a list." He said casually, making Annabeth laugh harder.
"Interesting," Annabeth said…troops and took the fort.
"Oh, thank the gods that she remembered." Thalia snickered.
"Yeah, we were afraid that you had a fever or something." Grover teased Annabeth.
"I hate you both." Annabeth pouted. The two of them just smiled sweetly at her.
"We love you too." They said in unison.
"Oh, such a party…General Beauregard himself
"Wait what?" Silena asked Aphrodite. "He wouldn't have to have any relation to me, right?" she asked.
"He was your ancestor, I believe." Aphrodite told her. Silena's eyes went wide but she nodded.
"Not that surprising, really." She said. "I just didn't know that you knew him." She said.
Made an appearance…right here in the park.
"Lovely isn't exactly the way that I would describe our talk." Reyna muttered. Apollo gave her a sympathetic smile. He knew what it felt like to search for love and yet not find the one. Well, maybe he had found the won but Hyacinth had died.
And the Romans had Mars…largely by Athena's children.
"But most people think that they were orchestrated by children of Ares!" Clarisse protested.
"That's because everybody thinks that my children are only bloodthirsty." Ares said, clenching his fists. He'd always hated the way that his children had been perceived throughout the years. Nobody had ever thought that war didn't only consist of bloodshed. It consisted of alliances, strategy, the brotherhood that was forged among the soldiers as well as the common desire for peace. People only ever talked about the big wars but nobody ever thought about those small wars that had been fought for a true cause that changed the life of the people for the better. It just always had to be blood. Just like most people never understood war, they'd never understood him and at one point he'd given up on trying to make them.
"That's…" Annabeth wanted…"Romantic?" Aphrodite offered.
"How-?" Lee asked in confusion.
"The people are fighting for something. Something which means so much to them. I don't mean romantic only in the sense of 'dating' but in the sense of caring about something enough to fight for it." Aphrodite explained.
"I suppose that that's one way of looking at it." Lee conceded.
"Yes, I supposed it is"…For war or for peace?"
"So no pressure there." Annabeth muttered.
"None whatsoever." Poseidon said to her with a small smile. "Do not worry about it, Annabeth. I believe that even if the statue could be war, it couldn't be found by somebody who desired that. The journey would make that choice for you." Poseidon said "Now, I know that you've already found the statue and this is all done but I just wanted to make sure that you heard this." He smiled at her. Percy and Annabeth looked gratefully at Poseidon and he just chuckled.
Annabeth was glad for the…for some tea cakes to go?"
"Chapter's done." Hermes said.
"I'll read." Piper said.