It was the second funeral Percy had been to within the year. He thought everything was going well but he supposes the moment that the pin dropped and all went downhill was the moment he got too happy. Percy wasn't allowed to be happy, if he was, bad things would happen. He was happy when they were in New York, then his mother married Gabe. After they leave Gabe and move to California, the Golden State, he made friends and felt happy. Then Reyna left, and his neighbor Ed. Now the one that would really destroy his happiness was when Emily Zhang was killed in combat.

She had fought for her country and had tried so desperately to go back home. At the news of hearing his mother's passing, Frank had destroyed their room in blind rage. It was like watching a storm destroy everything in its path out of anger and Percy understood. He wouldn't be able to go long without thinking or seeing his mother. "Frank." Percy called out for his best friend and roommate. The haunted look on Frank's face as he looked up at him would forever be burned into his mind. He looked pale, looking outside of the car window and seeing all the people dressed in their military clothes. "I'm your friend, anywhere and anytime."

Frank nodded nervously and at the sound of Sally unlocking the car door put him into motion. He stepped out of the car and Percy saw him clench his hand into a fist, he was shaking but at the sight of the military officers, Frank laid his hand flat against his leg.

The Chinese-Canadian boy looked like he had aged five years. They were guided over to the front row and Percy locked his eyes on a single grass blade that stood out by the edge of the dug grave.

Frank was no longer crying silent tears unlike he had when he sat in the car, staring out in front of him at the swinging lights of the police car escorting them to the burial site. Sally had held Frank's hand.

They stood there, keeping a passive face, never faltering, not even when the loud airplanes flew over their heads. Frank stared out as his mother's squadmates marched her casket over to the dug out grave.

The three of them had their hand over their heart, normally both Frank and Percy would start to fumble with the fabric of their suits but they didn't do it. They didn't play with the fabrics because they are respecting Emily Zhang, a daughter, a mother and a soldier.

They finally stood in front of them and the casket was lowered, they folded up the flag. Then came the shouts, following the shouts were the shots and they echoed into the air. Percy had kept his head up and he wondered how Frank was so strong. The boy hadn't shown any emotion.

When he looked back at his best friend he saw the silent tears slip down his cheeks as he was handed the flag. He clenched it in his hands, but not hard enough to wrinkle it.

When they returned back home, Percy was dropped off at the school, but Frank had gone with his mother. He wondered if Frank was going to leave him just like Reyna had done, but he wouldn't blame Frank. The thought of his mother being gone and his grandma being in the state that she is.

– – – – – –

"Shouldn't I be put on a flight back home?" Frank said, his voice somber as he sat down and ran a hand over his face, wiping away all of the wetness that remained. Canada was a long way home but it was where his grandmother was, the only one remaining from his family.

"You're staying in California, Frank." Sally said and rubbed a hand over Frank's back. A steaming cup of tea was put out in front of him and Sally sat down in the corner seat next to him. "Your mother had put you in my care."

"Why?" He was taken aback. "What about Grandma?" He asked, he should be taking care of the only person left that shared blood with him. He should have been on the first flight back to Vancouver.

"Frank, I am going to take care of you." Sally put a leather briefcase on the table. It was the one that his mother had used before she joined the marine corps. He reached out and touched the patchy edge. "I am so sorry for doing this to you, Frank-"

"You didn't do anything to me, Sally." Frank said quietly as his hand trembled over the leather. "You're going to take care of me."

"I'm also going to show you what is in this bag." Sally said, her voice quiet and Frank had pulled open the bag for her. Sally grabbed a bunch of papers out of the bag and put it on top. Envelopes were put to the side and a picture book was there too, one fell out and it showed him as a toddler, sitting and laughing at the camera, leaning over to try and grab it. "Your mother left you letters."

Frank's hand couldn't stop trembling as his fingers ghosted over the wooden horses that were carved and glued onto the photobook. "She knew that she would die in battle?"

"She didn't," Sally said, "She did make sure that you were taken care of, just like your grandmother." She said and slid over another picture of his grandmother being taken care of by a private nurse who was taking care of her.

"She's going to forget me." Frank said quietly.

Sally put a hand on his shoulder and softly squeezed. "She can't help it, Frank. She's going to forget everything."

"Even mom?"

Sally nodded mournfully, there was no point in lying to Frank. It was better to have answers instead of wondering, setting up expectations and finding himself disappointed. "You're special." Frank dryly laughed, a habit he had picked up from Percy. "Your father is a god, Frank."

"Jesus?" Frank frowned, "Sally, you know I'm not religious."

"I know." Sally gave him a small smile, "Your father is a roman god, I don't know who and neither does your mother. He cared about her, you should have seen her when she spoke about him." Sally squeezed Frank's hand. "It's becoming more and more dangerous here."

"What do you mean?" Frank asked, was it because his mother had died? "Is there a curse, will grandmother die next?" He was slightly horrified.

Sally cleared her throat and grabbed a piece of cloth and revealed what was wrapped underneath it. "You're a powerful boy, Frank. A goddess, Lady Juno, had come to warn your mother and grandmother." A stick, burned by the tip, is shown. "Frank, this is your life line." Sally said, quietly. "If the wood runs out, you'll die."

"Lady Juno?" Frank asked.

"Juno Moneta." Sally said and the translation of her name fell on Frank's ears. The lady who warns. "You must believe me Frank, you're a demigod."

It was shocking news to the boy, he reached out for the piece of wood and as soon as he touched it, the wood caught fire. Quickly, Sally pats it out and with a frown she looks over at him. "Try not to overthink it." She said softly.

"How can't I?" Frank questioned. "That is my life." He choked out. "I just lost my mom and I can't be with my grandmother."

"Frank." Sally said and pulled out another paper. It was in Latin but they both could read the place, Rome. "This is a safe place for you," She said, "It protects and trains demigods. As soon as they learn of their identity, monsters are attracted to them, run after untrained demigod children so they can have an easy kill."

"Monsters?" Frank asked quietly.

Sally nodded, "Reyna is there too." She whispered, "Hylla came to me, to ask me to help Reyna find New Rome as soon as she learned and even understood her demigod blood." Frank looked shocked. "Frank, I promised your mother that I'll keep you safe." Warm hands were put over his trembling ones. "New Rome will help me keep that promise."

Frank was quiet for a while, staring at the brochure. He took in a shuddering breath and nodded. "I will go." He said, "When am I leaving?"

"Tomorrow, after we pick up some stuff from your dorm." Sally informed him, "We'll have to drive over to the camp, it's a short ride."

"I will have to leave Percy." Frank stated and Sally's calm demeanor faltered a bit.

"It was bound to happen, even if I don't like that my boy is all alone there. He'll have Clarisse but who knows how long that will be." Sally said. "Percy is too young to learn."

"Is he a demigod too?" Frank asked.

Sally paled slightly, out of concern. She furrowed her eyebrows the same way that Percy does when he's concerned. "He is," She said quietly, "But a god is keeping his eyes on him, Percy will come your way eventually, Frank. Discovering yourself is always bound to happen, we get hurt when we don't know who we are." She put her hands around her warm tea mug. "You Frank, are a Roman Demigod, a dangerously powerful one too, that Lady Juno even had to look your way. You have been family ever since Percy brought you home, you're the grandson of your grandmother and above all, you are the son of Emily Zhang."

Frank's lip trembled. "Don't you dare care about not knowing who your godly parent is yet, because you are the son of Emily Zhang." Sally handed over a tissue, "Reyna had been there for about a month, knowing her, she'll have some status to her name already. Reyna is your best friend, Frank. You'll never be alone from now on."

Frank nodded. "Never alone."

– – – – – –

Frank had to leave, just like Renya had to disappear. Percy came back to a letter on his desk, a letter from Frank, saying that he had to go. He didn't say where, but assuming by the cleared out closet, Percy assumed it was now.

He sat out on Frank's bed, the twin bed that actually touched the ground if he'd roll out of it. But he stayed on his bunk bed, just in case Frank would come back. Frank is his best friend, he'll come back.

Clarisse hadn't taken the news very well. She acted out and Percy followed closely behind her. He really tried to be a good kid but with all the emotions he felt, and Clarisse's outbursts of anger and frustration, it was hard.

Percy was in trouble with her, always. The two of them went from example students to students who were being put in detention every time. This time in detention, they were just silent or else it would be more detention.

After every detention, she'd leave right for their club. Letting Percy catch up to her, walking always a few steps behind her. During their sparring sessions, she'd be angry, so angry. Her punches hit harder than usual, her kicks were aimed to hurt and her frustration was sounded loudly.

Their grades were slipping, Frank helped them get it in check at first, but without him they were lost. They don't study together like they used to, now they are supposed to do it alone but knowing them, they hadn't done anything on their own.

– – – – – –

April 10th
Hey mom,

I'm sorry for the calls home that you're getting, I never meant to do all those things but it is just getting worse again. I promised you that I would be good this year, and I really was. I am trying my best, mom. I'm so sorry.

I hope that you can actually spend time worrying and writing your book. I'm doing my best to stop the calls home.

My next tests might be bad, I haven't been able to sleep or focus. The nightmares mom, they're back and are getting worse. I don't know what to do.

Love always,
Percy

– – – – – –

The letters home were less frequent but were getting longer. Percy felt bad, for ranting about everything in his letters home. But without Frank or Reyna, the ones he could talk to had disappeared.

In every letter he apologizes to his mother for taking up her time.

The only subject which kept his good grades was ancient languages, the subject of ancient Greek was something Percy had struggled with, at first. But after a few more tries he was fine.

He was conflicted. When the new teacher wheeled inside of the classroom. It had only been a week after Emily Zhang's funeral, and the disappearance of Frank that both Clarisse and Percy were having a difficult time adjusting to the changes that were happening all around them.

The man was nice, Mr. Brunner. He even introduced a new student whose smell was just icky. The new student looked old, he had a little beard going on and the ache made Percy want to start a face cleaning routine.

"This is Grover Underwood, a new student." Mr. Brunner looked down on the list of students and his eyes then met Percy's. "I believe that he'll be your new roommate, Perseus." Percy refused to look at Grover, even go as far as not even talk at him. Grover now slept in Frank's bed, it wasn't his.

– – – – – –

April 21st
Hey mom,

I have a new roommate, he sleeps in Frank's bed and smells very bad, it reminds me of that farm we passed when we were moving over to California.

He doesn't smell as bad as Smelly Gabe though, I'm glad we left him back in New York. Do you know if he ever submitted those papers? I don't think he can find his floor without us cleaning after him, can you imagine that rank smell?

Sorry, once again for the phone calls.

Love always,
Percy

– – – – – –

He feels bad though, but he can't get over it. Grover gave up with talking to him after Clarisse had nearly punched him, telling him to scram and leave them to eat their lunch alone.

It caused an argument between Clarisse and Percy. It had gotten out of hand during their sparring session that they had to be separated by the trainer. Percy was mad that she would nearly punch a crippled person, Clarisse said that Percy wasn't any better because he hadn't even acknowledged his existence.

– – – – – –

May 10th
Hey mom,

I can't sleep anymore, my roommate is worried and had gone to our teacher, Mr. Brunner. Mr. Brunner had been counseling me and Clarisse, ever since our argument. But we're both stubborn about it.

I'm pretty sure that they suggested sleeping pills for me, and I don't care if I sleep or not so you can do what you want with permission. I'm glad that I could come over last weekend. Mr. Ayers taught me a few sword techniques which were cool, like twisting the sword to disarm someone. I'm sure that I'm never going to be using it but still, it seems like a fun party trick.

We're playing a game in the woods tomorrow. Clarisse and I didn't argue with each other after learning that we're in different teams, so that was nice.

I miss home, Frank, Reyna and Clarisse (even though she is still here).

Love always,
Percy

– – – – – –

May 12th
Hey mom,

Sorry but, holy shit. We had that game, like I told you about and at the end of it Clarisse ran out of the woods (she was the last person in) and she was bleeding, not like crazy but still was bleeding. She said she was fine and pushed all the dust off of her.

So I went with her to the medical section and I asked what happened, she just said she fell. But there aren't any uneven places to fall off of, but she looked like she didn't want to talk about it. She was a bit out of it though, I'm not going to lie.

But yeah, I had to leave when Mr. Brunner wheeled inside of the room.

Grover said something about it being too dangerous and that she had to get to camp fast. He had that diffuser with the weird scent out again, it isn't a pleasant smell so when I was inside of the room I asked him if he could take it away, or just not turn it off again.

Was I a bit mean for that?

With love,
Percy

– – – – – –

The next day, everything was weird. Everyone was talking to him, asking about the freak accident that happened to Mr. Drogo and if he fell out of the window in the same class he was in.

He was confused for the whole day, correcting everyone that he had a substitute teacher called Mr. Brunner for about a month. Everyone had looked at him like he had gone insane. But he didn't bother to correct anyone anymore.

When he walked into the classroom, they were starting back again in Latin. Instead of Mr. Brunner sitting in his wheelchair by the desk, a woman sat there, asking if he could sit down. Nobody had seen Clarisse that day and people were saying that she had transferred out.

But he had seen her the day before, on the bed. Grumpy about being asked so many questions and annoyed about having to rest in the medical section's bed. After the class he walked in and looked around, "Clarisse?" He called out when he had called out a few more times a person walked in and waved.

"Clarisse had been discharged a week ago." The person in the scrubs said and Percy had never seen him before, but he nodded. It felt like a fever dream, maybe he should have taken the new sleeping pills that they gave him before it was time for lights out.

– – – – – –

"Why would she leave without saying anything?" Percy asked quietly, he had another week off to study at home before his exams began. Due to his bad grades, Sally sent in a request that he could be taken home, saying that she would work on it with him.

"Percy it has been a month." Sally said as she put a comforting hand on her son's shoulder. "Sometimes things happen and people have to leave." She said.

Percy just bit the inside of his cheek. It has been a month ever since his grades just plummeted, his dreams had been getting worse and worse, the way it was as vague as it was makes him want to go insane.

They pulled up in the driving way and Percy opened the door, by the street a woman walked in a straight line. By the sight of her, Sally covered her eyes with her hands to block the sun out, "Excuse me, Jackson household?" The stranger called out.

As if Percy's neighbor had heard it, the door was thrown open. "Percy, now!" Mr. Ayers called out. The woman's body morphed and with a stretching motion, wings stretched out after she threw her arms back down to the ground. "Your necklace!"

Percy took a hold of the charm and wanted to pull it off and hold it up, just to shout, 'It's a necklace!'. A necklace wouldn't be effective against whatever that thing was, unless it was allergic to gold, maybe deadly allergic.

The woman started running up their driveway, at the same time as she jumped, Mr. Ayers shouted, "Pull!" Percy pulled it down to the side as he tried to bare himself for the woman's attack.

"No!" Warm hands covered his head and were pressed against the side of his body, shielding him from the sudden attack. A cry of pain sounded along with a thud.

The woman had thrown his mother to the side, "Mind your business, mortal." The monster spit out and Percy looked at the monster with the shriveled face and sharp talons that had sliced his mother's side open. Blood was staining her baby blue shirt.

Percy gripped whatever was in his hand and as if he was in the garden with Mr. Ayers again, he slashed at the old woman, defending his mother. Every slash, the woman avoided, jumping back. "Give it back, half-blood." The woman hissed, her voice sounded ancient and shivers ran down Percy's spine.

"What?" Percy breathed out as he held up the sword against the razor-sharp talons of the woman. "I don't know you!" He called out. Another clink of the sound of his sword being bounced off of her talons.

"Give it back, Half-Blood." She hissed and Percy swiped one more time. That was the final time with the sword in his hand, with a swing of her arm, the clank of the metal dropping onto the ground sounded. "You can't interfere, god!" She hissed at other side of the fence, where Mr. Ayers stood.

"Percy!" The man called out, Percy just breathed out over the towering figure of the monster. He fell over the rocks that made the edge of the little pond they had in their front garden. "Water!" Ayers called out, "Do you feel it around you?" He shouted, "Pull it, the water."

Percy was cowering before the woman, feeling cold in her shadow as she got closer and closer. She held up her hand, showing off the crazy sharp talons and Percy flinched, looking to the side.

His mother laid against the car, the window was broken by the impact of her being thrown against it. She was bleeding from her head and her wound by her side and Percy felt anger. 'Pull your necklace, Percy.' The sound of Mr. Ayers' voice sounded in his head. 'Feel the water.'

Percy felt it, the water. How it was next to him, how his hand had gotten wet because he flinched in the way of the water. There was always the feeling of there being something in his gut, and like his neighbor said. He pulled on it.

Water out of the pond was shot out at the strange woman, Percy finally caught a glance of her nametag, Mrs Dodds, the letters quickly changed into Alecto. It was one of the kindly ones, one of the three furies out of the book that his mother would read to him.

Percy quickly stood up as Alecto still struggled to push against the water, driving her back and away from the black-haired boy. Percy pulled his necklace again and now he actually had managed to get a look at the two swords in his hand. It was a gorgeous bronze and gold sword.

He had been gaping at it for a slight bit too long because he hadn't noticed that the water stopped pushing Alecto away. He only had a split second to put his sword up in a cross for her claws to clash against it. Percy stepped back into the small pond due to the pressure of Alecto's attack.

With the bronze sword in his left hand, he pushed away the sharp claws and with the gold sword, he pushed it into the woman. He breathed out as she disintegrated into dust, "I killed someone." He whispered under his breath. Immediately, the swords dropped down his side as he ran over to his mother.

He fell down to his knees as he patted his mother's cheeks. Her eyes opened, with effort. "Percy." She rasped out, "They're after you." She breathed out and she looked at the shadow that appeared behind Percy. "Take him, keep him safe." She said. The sound of police and ambulances sounded, and Mr. Ayers put a hand on Percy's shoulder. "He's a special one, Triton. A child of Rome and a child of Greece, your father has made peace."

Percy felt the overwhelming presence behind him and he felt the small twitch of Mr. Ayers' hand on his shoulder. "Take him?" Percy was pulled up to his feet, "Mom, no, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He rambled, "They're coming for me, I never meant for you to be hurt-" he was panicking now.

"We've got to go, Perseus. The mortals are approaching." Percy tried to reach out for his mother, but Mr. Ayers held him back. "You're a rare kid, Perseus. Your mother will be taken care of by her kind."

Percy tried to reach out one more time, but as he stretched his arm. As if all the energy was sucked out of him, his knees buckled, but he doesn't remember hitting the ground. It was pitch black and the same dream started again.

He was on that beach again, a horse was fighting the same eagle, and they bash against each other, over and over again. Neither of them seems to take any damage but their surroundings suffer under their fight, sand gets blown away, leaving craters in the ground but there was something new.

To the left of them, on the dunes there was a light, coming from an old crater. Only it didn't stop at the surface but went down deep, and deeper. 'Perseus, fated to be a hero. Fated to endanger his others. You don't want that, neither do I. Join me, and your loved ones will be protected.'

'Who are you?' Percy had asked him. It was all a dream, but the amount of fear he felt said that it quickly had turned into a nightmare. There was a fear instilled in him and he couldn't move, as if his body wasn't solid.

'You're waking up, little demigod. Until next time.' It was ominous, Percy didn't want to see him next time, but his gut told him that he'd see the man again.

– – – – – –

"Percy Jackson, child of the Romans and a child of the Greeks." A voice said, and Percy opened his eyelids were heavy. He could barely look up at the voice. "We've been expecting you."