Percy set a personal goal to get in all of his missing assignments by Thanksgiving break, so he spent most of the next couple of weeks catching up on schoolwork. He didn't visit Anastasia much. Now that the guardians had risen, and they along with the nereids were hard at work, it didn't seem safe to try to slip into the cave. The only times he was able to were in Calli's cove while she played lookout.

"Chto za khernya," she exclaimed to him one such night, "eto chush'."

"So, just to be clear, it's not true?" he said back in English. He had gotten pretty good at understanding Russian, but he didn't feel as confident speaking it yet.

"Of course it's not true," she continued in Russian, exasperated. She turned and kicked the cliff of the oasis and let out a primal scream. "I can't believe he would stoop so low. He actually wants me dead."

Percy rubbed his foot, wishing she would calm down. He wasn't good at comforting her–mostly because he never wanted to. "I bet he's just mad because you left exile."

She gasped. "Oh! Do you remember what he said?" She replayed the memory in her mind of when her father and his wife had cursed her.

If you dare try to leave, I will ensure that every deity, every last titan and god, will make it their mission to hunt you down and destroy you,he had warned her.

His heart sank. "Fuck," he said. "Do you think the gods have heard too?"

"How the fuck should I know?" she yelled, sending a ninety-miles-per-hour jet of hot water into the rock. "You figure that out."

He considered. "Word travels fast in the sea," he said glumly.

She leaned her head back and screeched, her eyes turning yellow, her face gaunt, as her fangs elongated and black feathers sprouted from her skin. Just as quickly, she returned to normal. She didn't have to say it, but he knew: this meant she could never leave this cave if she wanted to be safe.

"If the gods do find out," she said, breathing heavily, "they will likely suspect you know where to find me."

"Eh, I don't know," he said. He conjured the memory of his visit from Kook in his mind. They had settled into a habit of just replaying thoughts and memories in their heads instead of explaining things to each other. ADHD made it hard to communicate solely by thoughts, but usually, that was good enough for merely catching each other up on things. Vocalizing everything sometimes felt like a chore.

She crossed her arms. Her despair had parlayed into irritation. "So, he thinks I'm just some stupid whore who fell for you?"

He shrugged. "Basically, yeah." He wouldn't normally say something like that about someone, but he liked pissing her off. "And he thinks I haven't talked to you since before our punishment. I'm pretty sure he assumes I ghosted you."

She glared at him. "Don't turn me in, if any of them ask about me."

"Yeah, of fucking course I won't," he said.

She sneered, "It's no secret you hate me. I just want to make sure I didn't go through all of this for nothing."

"Trust me," he said, "I'm going to make sure you die at exactly the right time and not a moment before. Okay?"

"Fuck off," she said.

"Besides," he pressed, "maybe some of them will see through the lie. I mean, anyone who knows anything about you would never think you're 'pure.' Your dad kinda gave it away there."

She rolled her eyes, but the tension was eased a bit. He checked his watch.

"Leave me alone, warlord," she said before he could make up some excuse to leave, turning and walking toward the grove of fruit-bearing trees in the oasis. He decided that was a good idea.

So, he visited her less, and time slipped past faster. He tried to limit his visits to the Long Island shore to a couple of hours, maximum, each night, helping and supervising. He developed a slight tickle in his throat and an occasional wet cough, but it didn't get any worse than that. The work was made slower by the fact that the garbage was still accumulating, feeding into the sea through the rivers, but he was encouraged by the fact that he could now see some of the seafloor beneath the section of The Wasteland directly off the shore of Camp Half-Blood. Buoyed, he celebrated the appearance of the ocean floor in the Euros Creek Pub with the water spirits of that shore: nereids Maia and Brionne, and guardians Sandro and Kostas.

"Here, try this," Natalie said, setting down a brown cocktail in front of him. He stopped in for a drink whenever he was in the area, and since he didn't know what he liked yet, the bartender would make him something different each time. He liked wine and beer, and he now firmly believed that vodka was the worst of all the liquors. Rum seemed to be his favorite.

He took a sip. It was a spiced rum drink with hints of something tropical. He could taste the liquor as it went down, but it didn't burn anymore. It did, however, taste very strong.

"Whoa," he said. "What's in this?"

She grinned. "I decided to bust out something special since you guys are celebrating. It's a hurricane made with Shipwreck, a special brand of rum that Lord Autochthon distills himself."

Who?he thought.Oh, Otto.

"It's very popular with the sons of Poseidon," she went on. "It's also very strong. We don't drink this stuff."

"Speak for yourself," Kostas said cheekily, pulling back his dreadlocks. "How about a round of shots for the janitors?"

Maia groaned, but Sandro and Brionne cheered as Natalie poured out six half-shots and passed them out, keeping one for herself. Percy raised his in the air.

"To a brighter future," he said.

"No, wait," Sandro said, and the others paused with their shots in midair. "I want to say something." He turned to Percy. With his leathery skin and thick black hair streaked with gray, he looked old and wizened, and people tended to listen to him. "Mere weeks ago, I was trapped under that infernal pit, and if it were not for you, I would never have seen the light of day again." Kostas murmured in agreement. "You're a fascinating enigma, Percy Jackson, but one thing is clear: you care about the sea and all its creatures," Sandro said.

"Hear, hear," Brionne said, plucking a strand of her black curls out of her face.

"I saw it before anyone else: you have a good heart. You're one of the best the king has to offer." Sandro raised his shot. "To Lord Perseus!"

"To Lord Perseus!" the others echoed. Percy's face grew red, and he bashfully raised the shot to his lips and tilted it back.

The bar exploded into revelry. Brionne and Kostas took the instruments in the corner from two naiads who were playing folksy tunes and instead played something that sounded a bit like swing music. The curvy naiad, who he had come to learn was named Natasha, started teaching Trevor how to dance to this particular music, while Damien and Marcus danced with a couple of other, older naiads. Yet other girls danced together or waited along the wall for their turn. Maia slipped off behind the bar to talk to Natalie, and the two whispered with their faces close, giggling. Bit by bit, more saltwater spirits trickled in, and soon, the bar was crowded.

He talked to Sandro as he nursed his drink. He had never really been sure what drunkenness was supposed to feel like, but as his drink emptied, he felt certain that he had never been drunk before tonight. This was as buzzed as he had ever been.

"This stuff is dangerous," he said with a chuckle.

Sandro laughed. "You'll get used to it," he said.

"Hey, thank you," Percy said, "for what you said earlier. It really means a lot to me."

"Of course, my lord. I meant it."

"You don't have to be so formal," he said. "Just Percy is fine."

"Yes, Lord Percy."

Percy shook his head, but he was interrupted by Peleus, Calli, and Theros walking over. The two men shook his hand, and Calli kissed him on the cheek. Everyone here seemed to greet each other with a kiss on the cheek, like Europeans. He had trouble getting used to that.

"I hear we're celebrating," Theros said, his hair pulled back in his signature ponytail. Percy noticed with surprise that his tattoo had changed–instead of a shimmery scene of a merman choking a snake, it just looked like he had a patch of fish scales below his shoulder.

"Yes, we've finally found the bottom of The Wasteland," Sandro said.

The three of them seemed impressed. "Well, cheers," Theros said, clinking his glass against Sandro's. "And here's to us being next."

Percy emptied the last dregs out of his drink.

"Another one?" Natalie asked, seemingly appearing out of thin air. Percy shook his head.

"No, thanks," he said. He always stopped at one.

"Oh, come on," Maia said, walking up behind Natalie and wrapping her arms around her waist. "We're celebrating!"

The men clapped him on the shoulders and egged him on. Calli snickered, shrugging at him.

"Oh, what the Hades," he said, looking at her. "I guess one more won't hurt."

That got a lot of cheers. Once Natalie had freshened his drink, Peleus put his hand on Percy's shoulder and raised his own glass.

"I want to tell you I'm sorry for doubting you at first, my lord," he said morosely. "I was thrown off by the mark on your chest. I didn't know you were trustworthy."

"Oh, it's okay," Percy said uncomfortably. "Don't worry about it."

"Still, I was wrong about you," he said. "Please, forgive me."

Percy nodded. "Of course." He wanted to escape Peleus's intensity. "Um, cheers," he said, tapping Peleus's glass with his. The guardian grinned and released his grip on Percy's shoulder.

Percy looked around the bar, taking everyone in. Nearly all of the saltwater spirits around Long Island were present tonight. A few had gone missing lately, including Scar Cheek and the nereid with purple hair. No one ever talked about them, but Percy felt like everyone suspected what had happened. He didn't think he'd be seeing them ever again.

But he didn't let that bother him; tonight was a good night. The party raged on, and Percy was feeling pretty pleasant for a change. He hung out at the bar talking to Calli, and periodically, people would walk up to him to greet him or offer him another drink. For once, he felt popular.

"Everyone here is being so nice," he said to Calli.

She beamed at him. "You deserve it."

He wasn't sure if that was true. He hadn't really done much yet other than organize everybody.

"I figured out how to get rid of the trash," he told her, leaning in conspiratorially. Giggling, she leaned in as well. "There's a volcano nearby. I'm going to burn it all."

"Where?" she asked. He pulled the scrap of paper Kook had given him out of his pocket. He always kept it on him, right next to Riptide. She looked at it and frowned. "That's kind of far, Percy," she said. "It's in Atlantis. The guardians can't go that far to help you move all of it."

"That's fine," he said, "I can do it by myself. I'll figure it out."

Natasha bounded up to him, laughing, and grabbed his arm. "Percy, come dance with us!"

"Oh, I don't know about that," he said, trying to delicately pull his arm away.

She pouted. "Come on, you have to! Please?" she said.

His ears grew hot. "I–I don't even know how," he floundered, looking to Calli for help. She smirked.

"I'll show you," Natasha said suggestively. He looked again at Calli and thought,save me.

She shrugged. "I guess she'll show you," she said, amused.

He shook his head in disappointment at her as Natasha dragged him to the floor, but all Calli did was laugh. He blundered around the dance floor with Natasha, feeling like an uncoordinated oaf.

"Sorry, I'm drunk," he said, but he knew it wasn't the liquor's fault.

"Clearly not drunk enough," she said. "This is dancing juice! You just have to be confident."

Easier said than done, but Percy tried his best. Luckily, Natasha was a pretty good teacher, and as he started to remember all the steps, he felt looser, like it were easier to move to the rhythm. There was a surprising number of lifts involved in the dances everyone did down here, but Natasha assured him he didn't have to do those if he didn't want to.

"It's much easier underwater, anyway," she said.

At some point, he stopped being nervous and started having fun, and the night began to blur. He found himself dancing with Hedia at one point, and then the lightskin naiad with braids named Diamond, and then Calli. He found it easiest to dance with her, like there was no pressure. She giggled as he twirled her, her beautiful white gown flowing, and he found himself laughing too.

The naiads eventually took over the music again, and the songs became much folksier, like bluegrass. The saltwater spirits collectively groaned, but the freshwater spirits excitedly formed circles around the floor and started doing what looked a little like square dancing.

"We don't have to do that," Calli said lowly in his ear.

"Okay, cool." He didn't want to get pulled into more dancing against his will, though. He had learned enough for one day. "Want to get out of here?" he whispered in her ear. Eagerly, she nodded.

Moments later, the two lied in a tidepool on the beach, looking up at the night sky. He knew it was risky to have his shirt off, but it was mid-November, and he felt confident no one was going to the beach around this time of night in the off-season. He commanded the freezing tidepool to heat up and laid back in the water, his arm around Calli, who laid by his side, her head against his shoulder. He felt serene.

"Do you ever feel like running away, Percy?" she asked softly into the silence. He was caught off guard.

"Um, running away?" he asked. "To where?"

She shrugged, then nestled her face into the side of his chest. "I don't know. Anywhere else but here."

"It's crossed my mind," he admitted. "When I was a little kid, I sometimes thought about running away from my stepfather. But I never did because I couldn't have left my mom."

"What about this fall," she said, "and everything that happened?" She chewed on her lower lip. "Did you ever think about escaping it all?"

"Escape," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe."

"Anastasia ran away from it all," she said, faltering on her name as if it were taboo. "Would you ever do something like that?"

"I don't think so," he said. "Sure, sometimes it feels overwhelming, and sometimes I feel like I'd love to just give up on everything. But there's stuff that's more important than me."

She chuckled breathily. "Typical demigod."

"And people that I couldn't leave behind," he said. "You're one of them."

She picked her head up to look at him, propping herself up with a hand on his chest, carefully avoiding the mark. She looked so delicate and lovely in the moonlight.

"What if we ran away together," she said impishly.

He grinned. "Sure, let's go right now."

She giggled. "Okay, I'm kind of serious though. I know you have important hero business to attend to," she said teasingly, "but if things get really bad, and you just need to escape, what if you come find me and we just take off? Go off the grid, disappear?"

He chuckled. "Okay, I'm in. If the world goes to Tartarus in a handbasket, we're saying fuck it, we're out."

"Deal," she said, smiling.

He yawned, and her smile wavered.

"No, don't go yet," she said softly, pouting.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She laid back down and hugged him tightly, and he rubbed her back. After a minute, she sat up again and frowned.

"Okay, I guess you should get some sleep," she said regretfully. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I'm not tired."

"No, you must be. Go rest." She pulled away, and the two stood up.

"I'll be back tomorrow," he said. She hugged him goodbye and took off quickly into the water.

Rest didn't come easily–even when he didn't have prophetic dreams, he still often had nightmares about what had happened to him. He found it hard to sleep even when he wasn't deliberately avoiding it, as if his brain was shying away from the thing that tortured it. He started drinking coffee every morning, even though he found the taste revolting at first, to combat the exhaustion. It helped him stay awake through all his classes, at least. Then, the taste grew on him. He started drinking more and more.

By the last day before Thanksgiving break, he had finally turned in all his missing assignments, and his mom was satisfied with his efforts.

"Chiron wants you to meet him at Camp tomorrow," she said, "to talk about this mission before Annabeth has to fly home."

"Annabeth is going to be there?" he said, perking up. He paused in the middle of washing the dishes to look at her.

She smiled. "That's what I heard."

He couldn't stop himself from grinning. He had been so busy lately, he hadn't been trying to reach out to her anymore. Not that it mattered, since she was seemingly never not busy. But he was going to be able to see her again in less than twenty-four hours.

"Brandi never called me back about covering my shift," his mom said, glancing at the phone. "Maybe I should call her again. Or try David."

"No, don't worry about taking off work," he said, waving her concerns away. "I can just go by water."

She blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah, I travel by water all the time. That's kind of my thing."

"I guess that's true," she said, laughing. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course, mom," he said, willing the dish he had just cleaned dry and handing it to her. "See, check it out, I'm doing my water thing right now."

Laughing, she reached into the sink and flicked water in his face, and he splashed her right back. It felt good to laugh again.

He surfaced on the Camp beach the next morning eager to learn what Chiron had planned. He heard giggling behind him and turned to see Maia and Brionne waving from the water, so he awkwardly waved back.

He marveled at how empty Camp seemed during the winter. He knew only the year-rounders would be here, but even their numbers seemed to have dwindled. As he walked by the cabins, he saw Beckendorf, who nodded at him. From his other side, he heard a splash from the lake, and he saw Natalie rising out of the water and running toward him. He had seen her in the lake from outside of it, and he had seen her human-looking form in the pub, but he had never actually seen her on the surface before. She started out as a translucent figure that looked like water in the shape of a girl, but as she hurried toward him, she gradually became more solid and human-looking.

"Percy!" she said excitedly. "You're here!"

"Hey, Nat," he said with a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm here for a meeting with Chiron about a mission."

"Oh," she said with a trace of disappointment, "so you're not staying."

"No, not until summer," he said.

"What kind of mission?" she asked curiously.

He cracked his knuckles, his joints stiff with cold. "Uh, I'm not really sure. Something important, apparently."

"Cool, yeah," she said, cracking her knuckles as well. "Is that why Annabeth and Thalia are here too?"

He blinked in surprise. "You know who they are?"

"Oh, we know everyone here," she said. "The naiads see everything."

He snorted. "Yikes."

"Yeah, you're telling me," she said in agreement. "So, how is cleanup going?"

"Still good," he said. "We're making lots of progress. Tons of densely packed garbage cubes all around Long Island, and more to come." She laughed, even though he didn't think he had made a joke. "Hey, uh, you mentioned a while ago something about me cleaning the lake and the creeks."

She nodded brightly. "Oh, yeah, it's definitely not as bad as the beaches. It's mostly clean, no trash. We just sometimes get gunk and stuff in the pipes, and it makes us and the fish sick."

He furrowed his brow. "Pipes?"

"Where do you think the running water comes from?" she said.

He hadn't really thought about it before, but that made sense. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard to deal with. I'll see what I can do."

"I can help you," she said. "I usually end up doing everything like that around here."

"I believe it," he said. Natalie was a natural leader among the other water spirits, taking care of the young ones and keeping the older ones in check. She seemed as tough as she looked.

She beamed, standing up straighter. "Well, I won't keep you. I know you're busy."

"Okay, see you around," he said.

"See you around!" she echoed.

He was the last one to arrive when he got to the Big House, it seemed. Chiron was in his wheelchair, and Annabeth and Thalia were sitting in rocking chairs. Mr. D. was engrossed in a game of pinochle, as per usual.

"There you are," Chiron said cheerfully. "How've you been, my boy?"

Percy shrugged "Can't complain." He locked eyes with Annabeth, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Nice of you to finally join us," she said. "What, did you walk here, Seaweed Brain?"

"Swam, actually," he said, leaning against the porch railing.

Thalia scoffed, then saw his face. "Wait, for real?"

In truth, he had current-traveled there–something he had gotten quite good at. But that seemed too hard to explain.

"Maybe," he said.

Chiron clapped, and they got down to business. Apparently, Grover, who had been scouting in a boarding school in Maine, had sent a low-level distress signal.

"It's not urgent, yet," Chiron explained, "but I want you kids to be on alert. The moment he follows up, I intend to send you out there to help him. Percy's mother has graciously volunteered to drive you children there."

Percy frowned in worry. "Are you sure we shouldn't go out there now?" he said. "Why wait for it to get urgent?"

Chiron sighed. "Frankly, I understand where you're coming from, but I wouldn't want to jeopardize the groundwork he's laid there by sending in an emergency team too soon. We must trust him to do his job."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "So, in other words, it's not a matter of 'if' but 'when.'"

"Hey, at least give him a chance," Percy said defensively.

"No, I'm just saying, we all know his track record–"

"Lay off," Percy said firmly. Thalia's eyes flashed murderously.

"You're both correct," Chiron said gently. "We're trusting Grover, but be ready at a moment's notice. Everyone needs help now and then."

"Sounds good, Chiron," Annabeth said, looking back and forth between Percy and Thalia.

"Thank you, my dear," he said, then smiled wearily. "I must say, it's nice to have you three close by. I know I can count on all of you."

Mr. D. snorted, prompting every head to swing in his direction. "If you say so," he muttered.

Percy's pulse picked up. This was the first time he had been in the presence of one of the major Olympians since his punishment, and he was acutely aware of that fact now. He wondered what Mr. D. thought about it all, if he had even been paying enough attention to know. He wondered if Chiron knew.

No one else seemed to think anything of Mr. D.'s outburst, however. As if nothing was suspicious, Thalia leaned forward and asked Chiron, "Have you heard any updates about Luke lately?" Annabeth hung on every word, making his heart feel like lead.

Chiron shook his head sadly. "No, my dear. He's still on his ship somewhere, but Poseidon has not been able to sink him."

The two girls looked pointedly at Percy, as if that were somehow his fault, although for her part, Annabeth seemed relieved. He was thoroughly irritated now.

"He's got bigger fish to fry at the moment," he said grouchily.

Thalia looked incredulous. "What could be bigger than Kronos right now?"

"Believe it or not, he's got his own problems," Percy growled. "Kronos is not the only titan out there."

Mr. D. barked out a laugh. "Peter would know all about that, wouldn't he," he said, although it was unclear to whom.

This time, everyone seemed to notice something off. They all looked at him quizzically, including Chiron. Percy tried to search the centaur's eyes to see if they betrayed understanding, but he was unreadable.

"I've…been in contact with my father," he said carefully, glancing at Dionysus, who smirked without looking up from his cards. He sighed heavily. "He's going to war with a couple of old sea titans."

Chiron leaned back and stroked his chin, looking troubled. "Ah. I see."

Annabeth and Thalia each seemed upset by this news, albeit in different ways. Annabeth looked like someone had just punched her in the gut, whereas Thalia looked downright pissed. None of that made any sense to him.

"He's just got a lot on his plate," Percy said to fill the silence. "And Kronos has some powerful allies in the sea. It's a tricky situation."

Glancing at Annabeth, Chiron asked him, "Has your father enlisted you to help him in this war, then, Percy?" Annabeth hung on to his words the way she had when Luke was brought up, her face contorted in fear.

Mr. D. burst into derisive laughter. Percy glared at him, and the god finally looked up from his game. "Don't mind me–the hand I just drew is dreadful." He shook his head and smirked at Percy, his bleary eyes full of scorn. "Don't you just hate when that happens, Johnson?"

Percy choked back his snide remarks. He knew the god was baiting him, but he wasn't going to bite. "No," he told Chiron simply. The centaur waited, but Percy had nothing further to say.

"Well," Chiron said, clapping once, "his loss is our gain. That adjourns the meeting, but you kids are free to stick around as long as you'd like." To Annabeth, he said, "I told the harpies you would be staying overnight. And you two may stay as well, if you choose," he added.

Percy walked with the two girls toward the cabins. "You're staying overnight?" he asked Annabeth.

"Yeah," she said, "Argus is driving me to the airport in the morning. We're doing Christmas with my grandparents in Virginia this year."

"Oh, that sounds fun," he said.

She shrugged. "My dad never wants to do big things for the holidays. I don't know why he's making us do this all of a sudden."

Thalia was brooding silently, her patented looks-can-kill stare scorching the ground.

"Are you doing anything for Thanksgiving?" he asked her.

She glared at him. "That's none of your business."

He held his hands up defensively. "Yeesh."

As they passed the lake, he heard Natalie call his name, and he turned to see her, Maia, and Diamond waving at him from the pier. He waved back.

"Don't encourage them, Percy," Annabeth said.

He vaguely remembered she had said that a couple of summers ago, but he wasn't sure why. "I don't know, they seem nice to me," he replied. She didn't seem happy about that.

Thalia holed up in her cabin all afternoon, so Percy and Annabeth hung out. They walked through the strawberry fields, catching up, and then stopped by the pegasus stables to check on the newest addition.

Hey, boss, what's good!Blackjack shouted excitedly as Percy walked in, rearing up.

Percy chuckled. "Hey, Blackjack, doing alright. How've you been?"

I'd be better if I didn't have to stay in this stable all day,he replied.

"Sorry, bud," Percy said awkwardly, "that's not up to me."

Well, what's a guy gotta do to get some quality sugar cubes around here?Laughing, Percy grabbed some sugar cubes from Silena's stash and fed them to him, rubbing his nose.

He caught Annabeth staring at him and smiling. She quickly turned her face away, and he felt suddenly self-conscious. She was definitely a little bit taller than him, and she was wearing owl earrings in addition to her camp necklace. Even though the weather outside camp was bitterly cold, the camp's magic borders kept it temperate, so she only needed to wear a sweater and jeans to stay comfortable. Even so, the sweater she was wearing was fitted and stylish, and he couldn't help but notice how much older she looked than she had in the summer, just like at Halloween, even though now she had no makeup on. He swallowed a lump in his throat.

She looked back up at him. "What?" she challenged, as if she hadn't been the one staring.

"I, uh, like your sweater," he said.

She frowned and looked down. "What's wrong with it?"

"What? Nothing. I said I like it."

She crossed her arms. "Okay, weirdo."

He let out a frustrated laugh. Why was she being so weird? He decided to change the subject.

"So, what's Thalia's deal?" he asked. "Does she need a place to stay for the holidays?"

Annabeth screwed her face up. "That's a touchy subject for her."

"I can tell." He started brushing Blackjack's mane. He figured Thalia hadn't reached back out to her mother, for some reason, so he didn't bring her up. "I'm surprised she's not spending Thanksgiving with you."

"No, Thalia doesn't do airplanes," she said.

"Oh. Weird," he said, taken aback, "but same, I guess."

Annabeth smiled like that was funny, which made him smile too. She looked at the ground and bounced up and down, like she was psyching herself up, then sighed.

"Um, Percy," she said, "there's–"

"Oh!" a girl said suddenly, interrupting them. They looked to find Silena stopped in her tracks. "Sorry, I didn't realize the stables were occupied!" she said with a giggle.

"No, it's fine," Annabeth said hastily, turning as red as Percy felt. "Actually, I should go, I think. See you guys at dinner." And with that, she briskly exited.

Silena looked curiously at Percy. "What's up with her?"

He threw his hands up. "I never know."

There wasn't much to do, so he decided to visit Anastasia since he hadn't checked on her in a while. The entrance near camp was a bit to the West of the point at which the Zephyros creek, which flowed through the forest, met the sea. There was an underground tunnel of water above the cave opening that surfaced just inside the edge of the woods, at a spot so thickly covered by dense foliage that he hadn't even realized it existed. The trees around the small pool were all dead and black, as if charred, but provided a thick barrier between the clearing and the rest of the woods. He was pretty sure it was impossible for a human to get to this spot from inside the forest, and no one would enter the dense foliage from the beach, so it was a secret hiding place. He and Anastasia had found it while exploring, and he knew sometimes she liked to come up here to be in the outside world again. Something in him knew that's where he would find her, and sure enough, when he surfaced in the salty pool, she was sitting with her back against the lifeless trees, picking at the grass.

"Privet, Jack-off," she said boredly.

He heated up the water and rested his arms on the earth. "How's it going? Staying sane?"

"About as much as you," she replied. "Was that meeting today? How did it go?"

"Not much to tell. But Mr. D. was a pain in the ass." He replayed the highlights in his mind for her.

"Sorry your war meeting was not more enjoyable," she said sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, It wasn't about war, actually, it was about a potential rescue mission."

"Yes, the goat needs help," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Maybe."

She crossed her arms. "You should talk to Mr. D. while you are here," she said. "See if he has heard about the rumor my father started."

He scowled. He absolutely hated that idea.

"Just do it," she snapped.

"Uh, no, I'm going to play it cautious," he said. "I don't want to attract suspicion."

She glared at the ground, shaking her foot. Her entire body teemed with nervous energy.

"I'm losing my mind here, Jack-off," she said. He grimaced at the nickname for him she had seemingly settled on. Apparently, just "Jackson" was too familiar.

"Why do you have to call me that," he said with an exasperated sigh.

"What's wrong? It suits you," she taunted.

"You could always just call me Percy," he said, and she rolled her eyes. The two of them had made a bet recently to see who could go the longest without ever addressing the other by their first name. She was definitely playing it smart by trying to get under his skin, but he would rather die than lose to her.

"In your dreams." She smirked. "So, how's Annabeth?"

He glared at her. She knew Annabeth was on his mind, and he hated when she brought it up.

She grinned devilishly. "I don't know why you two don't just make out already," she said.

"Shut up," he growled.

"You know, in Sparta, warriors used to bond by exploring each other's bodies," she said with a sly grin.

He blushed bright red. "That cannot be true."

"I'm pretty sure it is. It strengthened their bond to fight alongside their lovers. I'm surprised hero camp doesn't employ that strategy."

He gripped his hair in his fists. "Ugh, shut UP," he shouted. "You're so insufferable!"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm not the one pining like a loser after another war criminal," she muttered.

He huffed, refusing to take the bait. The air was thick with silence for a while. "Well, do you need food or anything?" he finally said gruffly.

She shrugged. "I get by pretty well on what grows on the oasis," she said. "But I could always use more vodka."

He gagged. "You have the worst taste in liquor," he said.

"Oh, please," she argued, "rum is not better."

"As always, you continue to be wrong," he said, leaning back in the water. "I'll see you when I see you."

With that, he melted back in the water and resurfaced on the beach. He had gotten pretty good at taking off and putting on his shirt in the blink of an eye, so he wasn't worried about anyone noticing. When he did, he was shocked to see a man lounging in a beach chair on the sand, a fishing rod next to him with a line cast forty yards into the water. Percy felt like all of the air had left his lungs.

Poseidon grinned. "Hey, son. Let's talk."