NOTE! THIS IS THE SECOND CHAPTER I'VE POSTED THIS WEEK! If you haven't read chapter 16, please do so!

Now, onto the story.

xXx

"Don't call me 'Wise Girl'."

Annabeth's sudden demand had Percy jumping and turning to face her. He'd been focused on the boat and the sea, as they'd been driven more or less off course by the storm and he'd been trying to correct that. He still remembered the coordinates from the first time (how could he forget them?) and had steered them back towards Polyphemus' island and was trying to make up for lost time by pushing the boat ahead. Annabeth had interrupted that.

"What?"

"'Wise Girl' was what you called your wife, right?"

Oh. Something squirmed in Percy's gut that had nothing to do with divinity. He didn't answer. He didn't need to. The idea of not calling Annabeth (any Annabeth) 'Wise Girl' really bothered him. But it shouldn't. Because this wasn't her.

How long would it take his brain acknowledging that before his heart understood?

"I don't want you to call me that," she reiterated.

Percy sighed, knowing he had to concede. "That's probably for the best." She seemed surprised. "You expected me to argue?"

"Well… um… other gods… would have." She must have realized how that sounded because she winced.

"Not a god," he muttered.

She seemed to deflate. "No. I suppose not."

He took a breath. "Whether I am or not, I'm still going to ask you to respect my things in the future. You had no right to use the final barrier last night. I could have had something I needed to use it for. If I didn't, it's irrelevant. It was mine to use, not yours." Because if she was asking him not to use that nickname, he had some non-major but still important things to bring up too.

Her face twisted into something between indignation and regret. Finally, regret won. "Yeah. Sorry." She probably wasn't, but she was trying, so he'd give it to her. He nodded.

They sat in that awkward silence for a long time before Percy finally spoke.

"You know, when I found out I was… here, the thought that I'd see you just…" he shook his head, unable to describe the utter elation. "But then I realized you're not her. And with how things have changed, you never will be. I figured that out before I even saw you at camp. I decided I wanted to have a relationship with you the way you are. Whatever relationship you want… I'll stay within those boundaries."

She looked at him skeptically.

He held up his hands. "I promise I thought about it before coming to camp, I swear it on the Styx."

Thunder boomed above.

She shook her head. "You're really bad at keeping secrets, aren't you."

"Only my own," he grinned. He didn't know if the gods had figured him out yet, but in case they hadn't…

Annabeth snorted and looked out to sea. "I… don't want to be part of a tragedy."

Percy's smile vanished as he cringed. She could have hurt him worse, he supposed, but not easily. Mainly because her comment—and all its implications—were fair. More than fair.

"I didn't either," he said quietly, and more than a little bitterly.

She sighed, then looked over at him. "Tell me about her."

That took him by surprise. She wanted to hear… about herself? From the future? His eyes narrowed. "You want to know more about what you can do, don't you?"

It was her turn to wince, though he wasn't entirely sure why. He hadn't said it harshly. Still, she set her arms on the railing. "I can't say it didn't cross my mind, but… I think you need to separate us. Think of us as… sisters or something. Sisters with the same name. And that could help."

He seriously considered that, but eventually shook his head. "I don't think I can talk about that, right now. Not without giving everything away."

"You've already given everything away."

Percy sighed and slumped a little. She was probably right. The gods weren't actually stupid, they just acted like it sometimes. "Not everything." He really hoped not, in any case.

She snorted again, though this time out of amusement. "You're so strange. Different from everything I expected."

She was fingering her necklace and her father's ring thoughtfully.

"You think?" he asked.

"Only demigod of Poseidon, one of the most powerful demigods born, all of your… experience. I was expecting… well, not this."

"Hey, you just gestured to all of me!" Percy said, only half joking.

"I didn't mean it like that," she huffed.

Percy blinked. That had been one of her favorite movies to quote… wait… had How To Train Your Dragon even come out yet?

Time travel sucked, by the way.

"Did you expect someone cruel and heartless?" he asked, deciding to address the topic with the seriousness it deserved. He'd have to if he didn't want to fall back onto the inside jokes he and his wife had cultivated over the years. She would have made him discuss it seriously anyway, so there was that.

"Yes."

Well… fair. Percy followed her gaze.

"You don't think I am?" he asked quietly. "Even after last night?"

She didn't answer for several seconds. Finally, she spoke. "I won't lie, you were terrifying last night."

He winced again. "Sorry."

"No," she shook her head. "I mean, yes but… um…" She faded off, looking frustrated. It wasn't often she didn't know what to say. "You didn't hurt us. You could have. You didn't destroy anything during our discussion, as far as I know. You wanted to."

He had wanted to punch Luke right off of his high horse, but if he had, he very well could have killed the other demigod. In front of Annabeth and Grover? No. Besides, he'd promised his wife he would give this Luke a chance (even if she hadn't exactly been around to hear it). At some point in the future, he'd probably get so fed up with Luke that he'd break and punch him, but only if he knew he could control his strength. Until then? Nope.

"So," Annabeth continued, "are you scary? Yes. Cruel and heartless?" She frowned. "I haven't seen that yet."

Percy looked down at his hand. "You didn't see me at full power."

"Maybe, but I did see someone who is used to trying to hold back."

"I…" Percy started, but didn't know what to say. Because he had been holding back, and not just for himself, even if he hadn't really been able to feel it otherwise. He hated how he became so callous when he went on Destructive kicks.

When he didn't answer, she rolled her eyes. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that I won't be part of a tragedy, but I thought about it and… I think I'm okay with being your friend. Can you handle that?"

To be honest, he didn't know. Being close to her and not touching her had already been so difficult… but he'd promised that he would work with what she wanted—whatever she wanted. So he took a deep breath, braced himself, and nodded.

"Yeah. And I won't call you 'Wise Girl'." He paused. "Or… um… I'll try not to. It might slip out every now and then."

Her eyes narrowed. "As long as it's slipping out and not on purpose."

He nodded firmly.

Then he paused as he saw her put her necklace away under her shirt. "Um… you may want to consider… um, going to your father's this year."

Annabeth blinked and jumped back, surprised at the non-sequitur. "What? Why?"

He rubbed his hands together, he noticed, annoyed at the obvious tell. "My Annabeth did. And, well, she said it hadn't changed enough, but in a couple of years… well… it can, and going now might be important. And… and they really do love you. They just… don't know how to express it."

He could tell he'd gone too far when her face went stony.

"I told you, I'm not her!"

"I know!" he said back, holding up his hands in surrender. "But you said we could be friends, and as your friend, I still want you to be happy. She said she liked where she and her father ended up. I… just wanted to give you the same opportunity."

Her eyes narrowed again, and he was afraid she'd ream him out again, but eventually, she just nodded sharply. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask," he said, relaxing slightly.

They sat there, looking out to sea for several more seconds before she finally spoke. "Did she… really end up on good terms with her father?"

Percy peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. She hadn't looked at him. He still nodded.

"I… um… could tell you what he said. About… all of this." He wasn't quite sure if that was his place, but he really wanted to smooth things over between Annabeth and her family, not to mention Annabeth and him.

She looked pained for a moment. Then she nodded, albeit reluctantly. Percy understood, and decided to warn her.

"It's not all pretty."

She snorted. "Of course it wouldn't be."

"You still want to hear it?"

This time she nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Alright," he conceded. "Your father told us that he'd always felt kind of violated." Annabeth looked shocked at that. Percy held up a finger, imploring. "Think about it. He hadn't slept with anyone, didn't even think a child was on the radar. And then, suddenly, this woman he'd brainstormed with, and who had helped him on his project, shows up, shoves a child in his hands, and flies off. His 'child' was made without his knowledge or consent."

"My mother doesn't 'fly off'," Annabeth said, but her eyes were fixed on the waves and her hands had balled into fists.

Percy just raised an eyebrow that said, 'Really? That's what you focus on?' at her before going on. "He also said he fell in love with that child anyway, the moment he saw her in that little, golden cradle. That was why he wanted someone else to take her. He didn't think he could provide a good, stable home for her. He said if he'd had a little more time and preparation, maybe he could have given that little girl the home she needed and deserved. That even after years and years, he didn't really know how to do that."

He could tell she had tears in her eyes, but she still refused to look at him. "He's a good father to my brothers."

"Both of whom are completely mortal and he was able to prepare for," Percy said. "You know your father a little. Does he do well without preparation?"

Annabeth didn't answer for several seconds, and when she did, she sounded small. "No."

"That's not your fault," Percy said softly, grateful for his years at the camp now. It still didn't feel completely right, but he could fall back on all of that counseling at least. "You had no choice in any of this. Your father is smart enough to realize that, but that doesn't mean he can let go of everything he feels about the whole situation, no matter how logical."

She didn't speak, so Percy decided to continue, albeit cautiously.

"Maybe sitting down with him—with your whole family, even—and telling them what you need, what to expect, and what you're willing to compromise on would help? I mean… if you're willing to try and decide to go back."

For several minutes, she didn't say anything. He thought she wouldn't answer, but then, finally, she did. "Yeah."

"It still probably won't be pretty." She nodded. "Or easy." Another nod. "And you might have to figure out a schedule better than 'all year except summer' suddenly, but it might be worth it." It took her a lot longer to nod at that.

It also took her several long minutes to answer. "I really hate this."

Okay, repetition it was. Gently. "I'm going to reiterate this, because it sounds like you need to hear it: but you know it's not your fault, right?" he asked, only daring to bump her shoulder with his.

She sighed. "I know—" she tapped her head— "but I don't think I know." She tapped her chest.

He snorted softly. If she was making references, then she was processing. She'd figure it out. He smiled in relief.

"And that… really bothers me," she whispered. "As a daughter of Athena, I should be able to—" She cut herself off, lips thinning as she pressed them together. "Except… I may not because I'm human. I can't just cut off my emotions, can I. No matter how much I want to."

Percy tried not to beam proudly at her. He really did. It would only incite her more if she saw. Thankfully, she didn't turn around, so he managed to get himself under control and looked back out to sea.

"Maybe all of that is something to talk to your dad about, too. You've always been someone who works better with more information, and I don't think you only got that from your mother."

She huffed, but didn't look upset so much as pained. "You're doing it again. I'm not her."

He shrugged. "There are some things that won't change between the two of you. You both started in the same place, after all." He sighed and looked out to sea again. I'm sorry that I know so much more about you than you know about me.. I know that's a power imbalance. But I'm not sorry at the same time, because I wouldn't give up my memories of her for the world."

More silence fell as he thought back on his wife, her smile, her touch, her laugh… He finally broke the quiet a couple of minutes later when he remembered where and when he was, and who he was talking to. Right. Power imbalance. He wanted to fix that. Or, at least make it as equal as possible.

"I'll tell you about myself, though. Whatever you want to know that won't endanger the future. It's only fair."

She didn't look at him, her eyes taking on a slightly troubled expression. He didn't like that and didn't really understand why. Did she not think she could trust him? Had he said the wrong thing? Was he overthinking it?

When she finally did answer, it wasn't an answer at all. It was a topic change.

"When are we getting there, then?"

Right. He could take a hint. "Probably some time later today or tomorrow morning."

She frowned. "At night?"

She had a point. "We'll wait far off the island until sunrise."

"And then what?"

He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, I was kind of hoping you'd have a plan."

She turned to him, incredulous. "What?"

He blinked. "Didn't I tell you?"

"No!"

"Oh. Sorry."

"Oh, for…" she started but took a deep breath. "Okay, you have to tell me everything about that island—everything you saw in your… dream."

"Right," he nodded. "Starting with the carnivorous sheep."

She froze. "The what?"

This… would probably be a long night.

xXx

Once they finished discussing various plans, they decided to head to bed while Luke and Grover kept watch, Grover saying something about how he could sense some strong nature magic in front of them. Good.

Percy took the bed Grover had been sleeping on and managed to get to sleep fairly quickly.

He dreamed about Bianca, Clarisse, and Rachel again. They'd apparently stopped in Denver (of course) and Rachel had been happy to buy them food. That was, of course, before they ran into the Love Goddess herself.

At least it wasn't Ares.

She was the one to send them to the abandoned water park, though. Percy didn't even bother to try and warn them. His opinion of Aphrodite did take a hit, though. Not that it had been extremely high to begin with. It was a little strange how the goddess seemed to focus on Rachel and how Rachel just glared back, hands twitching, as if wanting to reach for a weapon or her credit card or something. She must have grown out of that later. But why did she seem to hate the Love Goddess? Because she didn't think her parents loved her? That was the only thing he could think of…

He hated that he could only watch as they found their way to 'Waterland' (still with missing letters on the sign and everything), skipped the abandoned gift shop, and made straight for the Tunnel of Love ride. Thankfully, Rachel stayed away from the trap while Clarisse and Bianca wandered into it.

He didn't want to see this, but he couldn't look away.

They triggered the trap. The mechanical spiders swarmed them, but they didn't have Percy's water powers to reach into the pipes and escape with. Bianca screamed, almost as loud as Annabeth had, while Clarisse yelled and plowed right into the first bronze wave.

"Bianca! Do something!" Rachel yelled worriedly.

"What?!" Bianca screamed.

"Are you dumb?" Clarisse yelled. "You can make shadows move! Are you a demigod or not?!"

"But I…"

Clarisse cut her off with a howl of pain. The spiders, it seemed, had taken a chunk out of the back of her leg. She still whirled on them, but it was obvious she'd get overwhelmed soon.

"Clarisse!" Bianca yelled, then yipped herself when the spiders came near her.

Unable to just watch anymore, Percy reached out for the water himself. He didn't expect to be able to do anything but… then he realized he could. Surprised, he released his hold and blinked (or did the dream equivalent). Then, slowly, he reached out again and confirmed that yes, he could sense the water… and their blood, and the moisture in the air. His gut hurt, though. Just by sensing it.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled at the water. The ground shook, and the pain grew worse with every second. Was he actually reaching out, over all that distance, to help his friends? He shouldn't be able to do that…

Pushing past that thought, he continued to pull anyway.

Clarisse shrieked as she disappeared under a pile of spiders, and while Percy panicked and pulled harder, apparently that was enough for Bianca too.

"NO!" she screamed, and the shadows all around the place spiked. As in grew, into several foot-long spikes, like pitch-black spears skewering dozens of spiders. Then they bent and moved, skewering more spiders, uncovering a bruised and cut, but otherwise alive Clarisse, who blinked in surprise. In the end, those few mechanical spiders remaining intact went scampering away and Bianca stood in the center, still in the boat, breathing hard.

Rachel remained at the lip of the basin, covering her mouth. She looked so pale in the fading sunlight that Percy almost couldn't see her freckles, which usually stood out when she paled. He hoped she sat down before she passed out or something. Clarisse, meanwhile, stood slowly, wincing as she put weight on her bad leg, and whistled as she looked around.

"Not bad, Princess," she said.

Bianca didn't answer. She sat in the middle of the boat, head turned up but unresponsive. Her eyes had gone pure black.

"Uh… Princess?" Clarisse asked, probably more carefully than Percy had ever heard from her.

Nothing. The daughter of Ares picked her way around the still very much tangible shadows towards the boat and slowly reached out. Percy half expected the shadows to protect Bianca or something, but they didn't. As soon as Clarisse's hand touched Bianca's shoulder, her eyes slipped closed and she slumped forward.

Clarisse cursed as she struggled to catch her questmate, and the shadows around them snapped back into place, leaving metal husks of spiders behind. What was worse, they were all being watched by Olympus. Clarisse glared up at the cameras murderously once she realized, but didn't comment. Instead, she carefully laid Bianca down, picked up Ares' shield and Aphrodite's scarf, secured them on her back and side respectively, before carefully scooping Bianca back up and making her way to the side of the pool. Rachel did her best to help Clarisse get them out of the pool, despite the steep sides, but it still took them far too long to get Bianca up and out of there. Eventually, the demigods (and mortal) slumped on the nearby, overgrown grass, not seeming to care about the cameras anymore.

Rachel, still breathing hard, bit her lip. "Did you… know she could do that?" she asked.

Clarisse looked down at their slumped teammate. "Not that much."

Before anyone could say anything else, though, the dream faded out and Percy found himself just floating in his own mind for once.

He thought over the dream he'd had, one he had no doubt was true, and frowned. They hadn't seemed like they'd needed anything to help them continue west, so why had Aphrodite showed up? Ares had appeared to Percy because he'd needed an excuse to foist the Bolt onto them, but Percy had prevented that this time. So why was Aphrodite there?

The Shifter. She who changed her shape subconsciously to match the pleasure of those around her. The Shifter's rare child…

That couldn't be a coincidence.

But what did it mean? He'd never been good at connecting things like Annabeth had been. Ugh, he could really use her help right about now…

As if he hadn't had that thought a billion times since her death.

Pushing said thought to the side like he did every time he had it, he focused on what he knew, trying to go over everything and put the pieces together… without much success. He was so close to making a breakthrough. He could feel it… but by the time he woke, he hadn't had any epiphanies.

He did, however, still have a very much aching gut. Joy.

Frustrated, he went up on deck only to realize it was still night… but they'd arrived at the island.

"So, what's the plan?"

Percy didn't jump. He'd sensed Luke there, but it was still kind of creepy. Not that he'd tell the older boy that.

Instead, he glanced down at where Luke was sitting on one of the observation chairs. "I left that up to Annabeth."

Luke snorted. "Weren't you accused of being one of Athena's children?"

Percy frowned. "That was experience, not natural intelligence."

"And you don't have experience here?" Luke asked.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Maybe, via my… dream, but that's still one time, under very different circumstances.

Luke shrugged. "Hit me."

Percy blinked, then grinned and punched the boy square in the jaw, shaking his hand as the other boy reeled. That… had been entirely too satisfying. Despite their little treaty, Luke had still been awful the night before. And yes, there had been a lot of pent up anger, but that wasn't entirely—or even mostly—Percy's fault, nor should it be his problem. He'd just been a convenient target for some misplaced aggression.

Luke cursed in Ancient Greek and drew his hand back from his bleeding lips, then turned his glare on Percy. "I meant with the information you have. What are you, twelve?"

"Um… yes?"

"Oh for…"

"No, really. I have the body of a twelve-year-old demigod. I can't change that. Besides, you can't tell me you didn't deserve it after everything you said last night."

Luke took a deep breath, but either decided the argument wasn't worth it, or that Percy was right and he didn't want to say it, so he just stared dryly at the time-traveler. "Any day now."

Percy huffed, half in amusement, half in annoyance, but ultimately decided a fight wasn't worth it. "The island is relatively large, split almost in two by a ravine down the middle, at least a hundred-foot cliff on either side, but biggest defensive feature, besides Polyphemus himself, are the carnivorous sheep. They constantly guard the actual fleece."

"So we just need to get by those, get the fleece, and get out?" Luke asked, still holding his lip, as if that would help it stop bleeding.

"No," the time-traveler shook his head. "Polyphemus is… um… kind of my brother, if a nasty one. He can breathe underwater like most cyclopes, and likely has some control over water… or at least himself in water. I know he's visited the mainland before." Like when he'd chased Grover down. Though, how exactly had that happened, now that he thought about it. "He has to be able to travel fast." That begged the question, though, why hadn't he followed before? Well, he had been injured, but shouldn't water have healed him? Percy didn't know.

Luke's eyes narrowed. "Great." Right, he hated cyclopes as much as Annabeth. That would make bringing Tyson to camp next year difficult… But that was something for future Percy.

"Basically," Luke continued, "we're going to have to fight him."

"Probably," Percy nodded grimly. "And, um, my body still hurts. If I push too hard with my powers now, I could burn up." Or burn off his mortality. Again. He really didn't want to. Had he mentioned that already?

Great, now he was being sarcastic to himself. He only did that when he was particularly irritable.

"Wonderful! This just keeps getting better!" Luke snarled. At least he was matching Percy's tone.

"Why do you think I wanted to leave this up to Annabeth?"

A silence. "You put a lot of faith in her."

Percy sighed at the accusatory tone. "How can I not? I know what she's capable of."

"You know what your wife was capable of."

"I know what this Annabeth is capable of too," Percy shot back, still annoyed and thus short himself. "She'll come up with a plan. You'll see. We just need to give her some time. It's not like we're in a huge rush."

Luke either huffed or sighed, Percy couldn't tell which. "Fine. You going to go back to sleep then?"

"No," Percy said. "I don't think I can." He was far too awake. "But I might go for a swim."

"Whatever. I think I'm going to try and sleep, then. After I get some ambrosia first." He shot Percy a glare.

"Good idea," Percy started, speaking slowly and with his eyes narrowed in puzzlement.

Luke frowned and folded his arms, tapping his foot impatiently. "What?" he said after a moment.

"You just seem a little different. Angrier than normal. Even before I punched you." Which had been childish, now that he thought about it. He didn't want to apologize though. Not yet. He probably would later.

Luke froze. "What do you mean, 'angrier than normal'?"

It was Percy's turn to look unimpressed. "Luke, I know your fatal flaw. Wrath. Frankly, the way you hide your anger is nothing short of incredible. Wouldn't be surprised if it was linked to a godly trait, that's how impressive it is. So why are you so angry? I thought we ended on good terms last night."

Luke didn't say anything for several seconds. Then, finally, he withdrew, curling in on himself ever so slightly. "The last 'boss' monster I faced was Ladon, the dragon. I failed the quest and my questmates died. I had to run away and leave them behind to…. I guess I'm…"

"On edge?"

The blond snorted derisively.

Despite himself, Percy felt his own frustration dissipate. "Hey, we'll get through this," he said quietly. "I did it once before."

"In a dream, under different circumstances," Luke muttered, throwing his own words back at him. Which, fair.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Look, if I have to use too much power to defeat the guy, then that's what I'll have to do. I'd prefer to choose that over losing anyone on this quest. You have my word. I'd just… like to find another way if possible."

Luke studied Percy for several seconds, but he must have found what he was looking for, because he nodded. "Yeah, that's fair. And maybe I should start accepting that more from you." He raised an eyebrow. "A little."

Percy snorted, enjoying the banter.

Luke shook his head and rubbed a hand down his face. "Now I'm going to sleep, and you need to take your swim."

"I'll see you just after dawn," Percy said.

"Yeah, yeah," Luke muttered, but he didn't sound angry anymore at least. "Don't forget to tell Grover."

"I won't."

The blond nodded firmly, then trudged to the stairs and descended, favoring his left side. He must still be healing, too. And there was the guilt he'd known would come. Ugh. It didn't help that Percy couldn't push himself as far as he'd like… but they needed to save the ambrosia for later, just in case. He'd forgotten about that until just now.

Stop it, Jackson, Percy thought to himself, going to find Grover and tell him what he'd spoken with Luke about a couple of seconds later. It didn't take him long to find the satyr and catch him up on everything.

"You know," Grover said quietly, once Percy had finished, "I think only three people should go in there."

"Because of the quest numbers? You want to circumvent that by having only three people 'active' at a time?" It was a good idea.

Grover nodded. "Annabeth will come up with the plan, so how about you, Luke, and I go. She's the youngest after all."

Percy snorted. "Only if you tell her that and try to convince her to stay behind."

The satyr flinched and fell quiet. Yeah, Percy thought so.

"Look," the time-traveler said, "I chose Annabeth and Luke for this quest, not because I didn't believe in you—I do—but this is about their sister, and Annabeth has been waiting her entire life for this. Besides, if you go onto that island, he'll probably be able to smell you… if he hasn't already. Probably lying in wait for another searcher to come his way."

Grover's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything.

"I'm thinking if you stay out here, you might be able to distract him while we sneak up behind him."

"You said he can breathe in water, though… right?"

"Yes."

"What if he comes out to get me? Or us?"

Percy frowned. He hadn't thought of that.

"He can't smell you if you're below the sea. I could set up a bubble for you…"

"But he can still get to me. What if he checks under water?"

Percy frowned. "Are you saying you want to come, despite the unusual numbers?"

Grover sighed. "Having four on a quest isn't a guarantee of death… it's just… not usual." Then he straightened up, looking far more like the Lord of the Wild Percy knew he could be. "If I have to go out on this quest, then I'm going to do it on my terms. Yeah. I'm coming tomorrow."

The time-traveler smiled. "Good. There are few people I'd prefer to have at my back. Though I'd prefer no deaths."

And the shy kid he'd protected from bullies in school was back. "I don't know why. I screw everything up."

"You just need more confidence in yourself. You'd be surprised what you can do."

A long silence passed, and Percy figured it might be time to jump overboard.

"Were we friends… in your dream?" Grover asked suddenly.

Percy blinked, then smiled. "Yeah. You and I met at school in my dream."

"That's why you picked me to help you back to camp last year, instead of any other nymph or satyr, wasn't it." It wasn't a question.

"Well, you were my best friend."

That seemed to startle him. "I… was?"

Percy shrugged. "You have to realize, when I had that dream, I'd never had a friend before. Not really. I was always the weird one, and the trouble maker. Not that I really meant to be, but eventually I just stopped fighting it and kind of embraced it. Then I finally met this kid who's always there for me, always helping me calm down or distracting me or stepping in front of teachers… and it was someone who let me help him and wasn't afraid of me. I felt like I could actually be someone worthwhile around you."

"In your dream," Grover said quietly.

"And in real life," Percy said, smiling. "I won't tell you details about what happened in my dream, but I never lost my respect for you for the rest of your life. And you were around longer than most of my other friends." His smile dimmed, thinking of all the friends he'd lost. "I needed that… I still need that, if you're up for it."

Grover looked over at the time-traveler, face unreadable. But then he smiled. "I think I can handle that. I like having someone rooting for me at my back too."

Percy held out a hand. "Friends?"

"You had to ask?" Grover asked. Percy grinned as they shook hands.

"Great! Now I can teach you the secret handshake!"

The satyr snorted. "We had a secret handshake?"

Percy's grin widened. "Nope," he said, and immediately dove over the side of the boat.

"Hey! Percy!" he heard Grover say before he hit the water. Once below, he looked up to see Grover shaking his head… but he was smiling. Percy would take that as a win.

xXx

AN: Remember this is the second chapter I've posted this week!

I'm not super happy with this chapter, but... eh. Luke got punched. A lot of people wanted to see that.

Thank you so much for reading! And, as always, a special thanks to my beta readers, discord helpers, and tier 3 and 4 readers: Berix, The Shadow Slayer, Quathis, Harlequin, Speedster, Snow, Starlightluv, Squirps, and The Chronomancer! Also, all of my discord peeps and my readers here! Thank you! (If I've missed anyone, PLEASE let me know!

Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)

Lastly, I've started a youtube channel mainly for writing tips and tricks, though maybe some artwork as well. If you're interested, here's the linke!

youtu. be/1UwqJiL7NmE?si=lgRaG5_jvmBBdD8c - (no spaces) Note, this is to my first video, but I have at least two up at this point. :)