(A/N Okay, so this next chapter was supposed to be two scenes setting up coming 'conflicts,' but the first scene somehow took an entire chapter's worth of space ? I'm not usually strict with word count in my chapters, but oops. I'm gonna go ahead and post this 'half' of the chapter early, and then you'll get the rest on my [apparently] normal Saturday update.

A lot of dialog and then... the fun begins)

Grace

"So," Grace bounced the ball off the wall and Percy caught it, bouncing it back to her. "What's it like being a god?"

Percy shifted on the couch and sideyed her, catching the ball without looking, which prompted her to stick her tongue out at him.

"Dunno. What's it like being second generation? Of two different pantheons, at that."

"Dunno," she shrugged and caught the ball again.

They'd come up with about four activities to do that satisfied her ADHD while still allowing them to talk sufficiently when things were…rough. Sometimes they talked about her mom's past, other times her dad's connections. Today, it was just grit through the pain and try to forget the flames. Percy didn't bring up that she'd woken up screaming and she didn't admit that she had a nightmare. Sure, come 2 o'clock this afternoon she might regret throwing ball with a god at 3 AM, but that was a problem for Future Grace.

"If you're loyalty, does that mean you punish all the unfaithful spouses?"

Percy chuckled and shook his head, putting a spin on his next throw.

"Nah, I'll leave that to Hera. Loyalty and accountability, as I tend to, are defined by oaths and bonds."

"Hmm." She considered all the promises she'd made in her life as she bounced the ball off the table before it hit the wall and ricocheted back to Percy. Did white lies count?

"To mortals I pretty much just reinforce 'karma,'" he supplied before she could word her next question.

"Okay…Is it all pretty straightforward? Like, do you ever find someone who broke a promise and- Like! One time I promised Dad I wouldn't get into any more fights! And then Patrick was being a loudmouthed jerk! So, of course, I punched him in the face," Percy was trying not to chuckle at her miming the scuffle, but she really wanted to get her point across. "If I broke that promise, but Patrick really had it coming to him-"

"Your oath was…broken. Yes." He'd looked at the ceiling for a moment in thought before nodding to himself and tossing the ball back to her. "And then…your mother made you publicly apologize… My interference was not necessary, and frankly, I wouldn't have touched that anyway."

"Yeah, I wish I could forget that," she huffed at that part of the memory.

"Oh, no. That was golden."

"What do you mean?"

"Your mom was one scary girl. Patrick was a jerk to you because she was Athenian and he'd heard his parents badmouth her. So when you apologized publicly, with her directly behind you glaring daggers at his parents. Yeah, did you notice he quit being a jerk?"

She thought it over and busted up laughing. Yeah, her mom had been the best.

"So, what's the weirdest contract you've got?"

"Working with Styx on breaking the vow not to sire anyone because of the prophecy."

"Huh?"

"You know the Big Three's vow?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, two of them broke it."

"Oh, yeah. I guess they did. I just… Well, to me that's ancient history," she pelted the ball into the wall to punctuate her jab at his 'age.' "What was their punishment?"

Percy heaved a sigh and held the ball, turning to face her.

"Grace, there really isn't anything keeping me from telling you, but it doesn't really feel right to tell you. I mean, I don't mind giving vague answers if you're really curious, but I'd like to keep confidence."

"I'm okay with vague," she sat up, ready for a puzzle.

"My uncle has been cursed with nightmares for at least a hundred years. Probably a lot longer than that, really."

"Nightmares?"

"Of a specific variety; he knows how to get rid of them if he can. My father, however… Well, I'm his punishment." He coughed, rubbed his neck, and looked generally uncomfortable

"But he loves you? No, I know he loves you! I've seen you two interact."

"There's more to it than that… If you really want to know more, ask Triton. He might not tell you either, but… Yeah, I'll leave that up to him."

She thought for another moment, considering how to direct the conversation and becoming a little fidgety. He noticed her unrest and threw the ball again.

"What about the Lady of the Hunt?"

"What about her?"

"Well, she wants me to be a huntress, right? What kind of vows surround her?"

"Confidence, Grace."

"Come on. I can name two easy ones that everyone knows, I just want you to explain them."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"If you join the Hunt you will be placing your loyalty on her, first and foremost. It's not exclusive, but it is absolute. You'll also be swearing off romance of any kind."

"Okay, cool."

"Her vow to her father is actually really interesting, because they each had a different intent when agreeing to it and her application evolved into something neither of them actually expected.

"Really?"

"Mmhmm."

"Is that something you can give me details about, or is if confidential?"

"Uhh… I mean, like you said, anyone with eyes can see the outcome."

"But that wasn't what was intended?"

"No. Only because I'm pretty sure she wouldn't mind me telling you, I'll elaborate. She had indicated that she would remain chaste in return for not being forced to marry."

"Yeah, duh."

"Her father had indicated she would never mother a child."

Grace felt her jaw drop. That was so different!

"And obviously, it evolved into avoiding the company of men altogether and purging the presence of romance around her."

"Whoa. Talk about a miscommunication."

He chuckled and she tried to wrap her head around that.

"So… How does that work? Like, how there are two different contracts there."

"That's where fractured contracts come in. If she were to-" he cut himself off and scrutinized her for a moment. "If she broke her side of the oath-"

"Had sex, Percy. I'm not an idiot."

"If she had sex," he said through chuckles, "the intention the oath was said with would be broken, but the contract itself would still be intact. So it's fractured. I come sweeping in with a near nonexistent punishment that acts more as a threat and reminder than anything else and everyone goes on their merry ways."

"Especially bae."

"Grace!" She dissolved into peels of laughter. "That was so disrespectful!"

She just kinda grinned at him and waited for the humor to sink in. Eventually his scowl softened and he shook his head in exasperation. Eh, that'd have to do.

"So, what if she got married?"

He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Well, if Big Z didn't force her to marry, and she stopped stiff arming Piper's mom, what would happen?"

He scrunched his face in concentration, seeing something she couldn't. After a moment, he snapped his fingers and a familiar tablet appeared. He shook it and it morphed into a scroll that he stretched out, looking like a crier in a cheesy medieval movie.

"Huh. The contract would become moot if she chose to marry a suitor of her own volition."

Grace wailed the ball at the wall causing Percy to look up at the sound. The ricochet landed squarely between his eyes, making her jump up and pump her fist in victory.

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