Nothing is mine.

We're through the peak of the first crescendo of this story now, which means not every chapter will be like the last few in Manhattan, because that's not how writing works, you have to build toward things and create anticipation. And there will, of course, be a second crescendo, since there's a second part.

With Blackjack and Cookies

Small footprints wound through the trees, snaking up the slope past bushes and worn, smooth stones. The quiet rustle of green leaves and cheerful birdsong washed away the distant hum of New York like the tide sweeping castles from the beach.

Percy studied them, letting the sun filtering through the trees soak into his shoulders. 'What do we think, Blackjack? Dracaenae?'

Blackjack snorted and tossed his head, pawing at the ground with one hoof. 'More likely to be another pair of teenage girls out jogging, boss.'

'This is so much harder than Iphi and Zoë made it look,' he muttered, trudging up the hill after the footprints. 'I feel bad about those poor girls. At least the Mist made them think I was just holding a stick and I talked my way out of being maced in the eyes.'

'They thought you were hot, boss,' Blackjack said. 'That's why. If they hadn't thought that, they would have sprayed you in the face with that can thing.'

Percy sighed and broke into a jog; the trees drifted past, stumbling through the branches and over the rocks as he crested the small hill. A pair of girls in yoga pants stretched against the bench.

'Damn it.' He tucked Anaklusmos back in his pocket. 'We are really bad at this tracking thing.'

Blackjack whinnied with laughter. 'You should ask your friends in the Hunt to teach you, boss.'

'No.' In his belly, the sea swirled into a tight ball of cold churning waves. 'I shouldn't go back to see them. They'll be busy doing what they do now.'

And it's better this way. I can't choose to do anything wrong if there's no chance to choose.

'Oh my god.' One of the girls glanced up. 'Does that guy have a horse?'

Percy sighed. 'I wish I knew how to use the Mist to hide you, Blackjack. It's mist, so you'd think I'd be able to do something with it. Thalia could.'

Is there a way, dad?

Use the sea, Percy. His dad's voice drifted to his ears like the sound of distant gulls swept in on the sea breeze. Just as the thick sea fog hides reefs and rocks, so too can the Mist conceal you.

Percy pictured the thick blanket of grey haze hanging over the winter waves and drew it forward across the shore, sweeping its cool embrace over his shoulders.

The girls turned back to stretching, chattering away.

'Onto the next, I guess, Blackjack.' He crooked a finger. 'Come here.'

'Not until I get my cookies, boss.'

'You're going to get fat,' Percy said, shaking his head and swinging his rucksack off his shoulders. 'You won't even be able to take off.'

Blackjack snorted and bumped Percy's shoulder with his wing. 'Do you know how tiring flying is?'

'I haven't done any.' Percy dug the pack of cookies out of the left drinks pocket of his blue bag and grabbed a couple. 'I fell once. Twice, actually. But there was no real flying involved and it really took minimal effort on my part.'

'That's why you give me cookies, boss. So you don't fall out of the sky.' Blackjack tugged the cookies from his hand and chomped them down, scattering small crumbs over Percy's hand. 'Where now?'

'Fly back to where we last had all the tracks together again and we'll see if we can find the right trail, this time.' Percy bit one of the cookies in half and let the chocolate chips melt on his tongue. 'These aren't bad.' He crammed the other half into his mouth.

'They're probably only half a day ahead by now, even with all our detours.' Blackjack stretched his wings and pawed at the ground, churning up the dirt. 'I can still catch them.'

Percy leapt onto his back and wrapped his legs tight around Blackjack's ribs, grabbing a fistful of his mane. 'Let's go then. You know where we're going.'

'It's the fifth time since we got here, boss. I could fly there blindfolded.'

'I am terrible at tracking,' Percy admitted. 'At least I'm doing it by accident, Grover would probably be following girls in yoga pants on purpose. Juniper would have to beat him up again.'

Blackjack sprang forward, racing down the hill and powering aloft with great flaps of his dark wings. They soared over the trees, following the winding hiking trail back toward the sprawling suburbs of New York.

This isn't going very well. I don't suppose you'd give me a hint, dad?

Poseidon's laughter came like the crash of distant waves. There are many facets of the sea that can aid you, my son. And more, too. Your birthright is to tear the world asunder. To change it. Remake it.

'I'd just like to find these monsters before they find some poor kid demi-god, dad,' Percy murmured into the wind. 'I made my choice.'

And it is your choice to make. His dad's humour dwindled, fading away like the receding tide. I will be proud of you no matter what you do, Percy. Whether you choose to pursue the last labour of Heracles and join us in glory or not.

'And these monsters, or can't you help?'

Follow the river. You are a prince of the sea and the storm, the springs and streams of this world may tell you many things.

Percy leant forward and patted Blackjack on the neck. 'Follow the river from where we were last sure about those tracks. Land somewhere so I can get to the water.'

Blackjack tossed his head and arced left, swooping low over the trees and gliding up the small river valley toward the hills. The cool breeze streamed past Percy and he closed his eyes, holding out his hands to let it tug at his fingertips as the weight lifted from his heart.

This is so much simpler than all that choosing. I just have to track them down and stop them hurting anyone. No wonder you loved it, Zoë.

Blackjack thudded to the ground, cantering along the river bank as he folded his wings and skidded to a halt at a deep meander. 'Here we go, boss.' He turned his head back. 'You think they didn't use those paths after all?'

'Dad said follow the river,' Percy replied. 'I'm going to ask her if she's seen anything.' He leapt off Blackjack and stepped to the river's edge, reaching down to rest his hand on the smooth, clear surface. 'Er… hi?'

A slim, short nymph with curly turquoise hair rose from the river, a nervous gleam in her pale blue eyes. 'My lord,' she whispered, dipping her head. 'What would you have of me?'

Percy flushed. 'I was just hoping if you'd tell me if any monsters had come this way over the last day or so?'

Her blue eyes flashed and she folded her arms. 'Yes! They came stomping through my beautiful waters, stirring up all the mud and the dirt!'

'Where did they go?'

'Go?' She huffed. 'The big ones are still clomping about upstream of here, where my waters meander through the fields before the little bridge.'

'Thanks.' Percy stepped back from the girl. 'I'll, er, get rid of them for you.'

She smiled. 'Are you Perseus? I'm Hilaron.'

'No,' he said. 'Well, yes, I am, but not the famous son of Zeus Perseus, so not really.'

'You are,' Hilaron breathed, a little colour rising on her cheeks. 'I felt it when you touched my waters. It was just me winding my way through the world to meet my sisters and then suddenly there was you, so much sparkling blue and so strong beneath the weight of all the waves…'

Percy shivered and a prickle crawled across the phantom handprint over his spine. All the weight of the world.

'Thanks for helping me.' He swung himself back atop Blackjack. 'Just keep going upstream until we catch them, Blackjack. It's not far.'

Blackjack broke into a brisk walk, his hooves thudding along the river bank. Hilaron watched them go with wide pale blue eyes and a little smile on her lips.

Snatches of tall green cow parsley flashed past Percy's knees as Blackjack cantered along the river's edge toward a slim arc of stone rising over the shining blue ribbon of the river.

A flash of metal caught Percy's eye.

Three tall hulking cyclopes waded upstream beneath the bridge, chest deep in the river. A thick bronze club glinted on the shoulder of the last as it stepped into the shade of the bridge.

'Let's get them on the other side,' Percy said, patting Blackjack's neck.

Blackjack surged forward. 'I want extra cookies if I have to fight, boss.'

The green fields blurred past and fell away as he spread his wings and powered aloft, streaking over the narrow road and thudding down upon the bank.

'No need.' Percy leapt off his back and pulled Anaklusmos from his pocket. 'I'm very hard to kill. Extremely scratch resistant. Like my old school ruler, only hopefully I won't get snapped in half by Nancy like that did.'

He stepped onto the surface of the river and a shiver rippled across it; the surface hung still as glass beneath him as he strode out to the centre.

The cyclopes waded out of the shade of the bridge, blinking in the sun.

'Hi.' Percy extended Anaklusmos into a gleaming bronze blade and spun it in his hand. 'I have good news and bad news. Which would you like first?'

They exchanged a confused look.

'The bad news,' one said.

'Fair enough.' Percy nodded. 'The bad news is that I'm about to send you to what I hear is a pretty horrible place.'

The cyclops growled and lifted its club. 'One lone demi-god is just a snack for us.'

'What's the good news?' the rightmost one asked.

Percy grinned. 'The good and not unrelated news is the river is going to be much cleaner soon.'

The cyclopes raised their clubs and waded forward.

Sorry. Percy took the river in his grasp, catching it like a palmful of water in his cupped hands. I need to borrow your waters for a moment.

A flash of turquoise hair and wide blue eyes caught Percy's gaze in the sunlight beyond the bridge.

He closed his fingers.

The cyclopes grunted as the river rose in high choppy waves, spilling white foam over its banks as it swept through the bridge.

Percy strode forward, letting the current of the sea swirl through him, flowing with it as he bent away from the swing of a huge bronze club; he slashed through the throat of the first and slipped past a huge fist, cutting away the top of the head of the second and burying Anaklusmos to the hilt in the chest of the last.

Golden dust washed downstream.

'Sorry about that,' he said, letting the river trickle through his fingers.

The waters subsided.

Hilaron poked her head up from beneath the waves, rising up in front of him onto her tiptoes, flushed and bright-eyed; water flowed from her short dress of soft lily leaves and dripped back into the river, sending small ripples across its clear surface. 'Thank you, my lord,' she whispered. 'It was strange to be held captive by you, but not so bad for a short while.'

'Is there somewhere I can camp near here?' Percy asked her.

She nodded. 'Yes! Just upstream from here, my sister meets me. There's a nice spot there with a little beach.'

A small smile crept onto Percy's lips. 'I do like the beach.'

Bright pink flooded across Hilaron's cheeks. 'Follow me!' She scampered over the ripples, darting up toward where a handful of willows rose over the river.

'Come on, Blackjack.' Percy tucked Anaklusmos away and strode after her.

Blackjack snickered. 'You have an admirer, boss.'

He laughed. 'She is kind of cute in a baby sister sort of way. I wonder if my half-sibling will be all starstruck like that if I see them.'

Starstruck. Starsworn. A small smile crept across his face. Was I like this with you, Zoë? The humour drained away. Am I still like it with her? Is it that obvious?

'Come on!' Hilaron waved from beside the green willow fronds. 'It's just up here!'

Percy picked up his pace, ducking the willow branches.

A second nymph poked her head from the waters where another river flowed through the trees to join at a narrow beach of grey pebbles and short tufts of grass. Short turquoise curls fell over her freckled snub nose and pale blue eyes.

'This is my sister, Glykera,' Hilaron said, lifting a slim young girl in a chiton of soft bright green leaves from the waters. 'She's only small, just from the top of the hills down through these fields to me. She's my littlest sister.'

Percy stepped forward with a small wave. 'Hi, Glykera.'

'Hi,' Glykera whispered. 'You're so big. Even bigger than my big sister. And all bright and warm and blue. I feel like a little puddle.'

Percy smiled. 'I'm Percy.' He pointed at the patch of green grass between the willows. 'Is this the place?'

Hilaron beamed. 'Yes. Nobody can see you in the trees, it's safe and quiet.'

'I can hide it with the Mist too,' he said, reaching for the thick winter fog above the sea and sweeping it forward over the shore, wrapping it around himself like a cloak. 'There, mortals shouldn't be able to spot us now.'

'Do you want to swim with us?' Glykera asked. 'I just like to float along slowly in the sun, but my big sister goes faster.'

'I think I'll rest for a bit,' Percy said. 'I'm chasing after the rest of the monsters.'

'Rest?' Hilaron wrinkled her freckled nose. 'Those three were the only ones. I'm glad you stopped them stomping around stirring up all the dirt, they nearly reached little Glykera.'

Percy frowned. 'Isn't there someone you can ask for help?'

'I prayed to Artemis, our patron and protector, and she told me someone was coming who would help me,' Hilaron said. 'And then I felt you.'

She's watching us. Percy stepped from the river onto the grey pebbles and jumped up from the beach to the green. I'd better be careful, right, Zoë? You can't hear me if I talk to you, but she can.

'Swim with us?' Hilaron flashed him a sweet smile.

'Perhaps in a little while,' he said. 'I need to get my camp all set up and feed Blackjack his cookies before he starts sulking.'

Blackjack snorted and poked his head out from through the willows. 'We staying here, boss?'

'For now,' Percy said. 'We can search from here for more tracks south of the river tomorrow. There were a lot more than three cyclopes in the group that came this way.' He gave Hilaron and Glykera a little wave and dug the tent from his bag, tossing it out onto the grass.

It snapped out, the little fish and sea creatures on the blue fabric rippling as it settled.

Percy snorted. 'Thanks, dad.' He admired an octopus with nine tentacles, a little lump swelling in his throat. 'Oh Annabeth would have hated this tent so much.'

One day, if I choose well, I'll tell her all about it until she gets mad and glares at everything.

Percy sat down on the bank and pulled the cookies from his rucksack, tugging two out of the wrapper and waving them in the air. Blackjack picked his way through the grass and plucked them from his fingers with his teeth gobbling them down in a shower of crumbs.

Percy sighed and brushed bits of cookie off his shoulders and out of his hair. 'No wonder you don't get fat, most of the cookie ends up on the ground.'

'Swim now?' Hilaron held out her hand.

Soft sweet laughter echoed through the trees, tugging at the strings of Percy's heart. 'Oh you won't tempt him, little river nymph. His heart belongs to another.'

Aphrodite… Percy's pulse began to race, hammering at his ribs. Why is she here?

Hilaron flushed bright pink. 'Where is she then?'

Aphrodite ducked through the willow branches, trailing her fingers through the green fronds. 'Where is she, Percy?' Her hair shivered from smooth brown to golden curls and back. 'Who do you see when you close your eyes to dream?'

'Why are you here, Aphrodite?' Percy asked.

'I never left you,' she murmured in his ear as she leant upon his shoulder; the sweet scent of her fig perfume washed over him like a cool sea spray. 'Love is your constant companion, Percy, as I am to all mortals drawn to its dizzying heights and soft embrace.'

'Oh wonderful,' Percy mumbled. 'What happened to it being a game for two? It's not two if you're always third-wheeling.'

Aphrodite laughed, sending a bright little thrill rippling through Percy's veins. 'Take your leave of us, Hilaron and Glykera. He will come to swim with you later, I am sure, for Percy is a kind, sweet boy, but know no matter how much you smile at him or how much he smiles back, his heart will never truly be in it.'

Hilaron scowled and drew back into the water, dragging little Glykera with her.

'That was mean,' Percy said. 'She was just being friendly.'

'Love can be cruel,' Aphrodite whispered, her warm lips grazing the back of his neck. 'But it was but the truth, no? It is this nameless girl who you are drawn so hopelessly to. You yearn for her like a moth for the flame.'

'Moths aren't sea creatures,' he replied. 'Unless there are sea moths, which I'm pretty sure there aren't, and they wouldn't be drawn to any flames under the sea anyway.'

Her smile brushed his ear. 'Is she why you remain here chasing monsters and have not returned to the mortal world?'

'I'm not answering.' Percy folded his arms. 'Nothing you can do can make me answer.'

'Oh?' Aphrodite stepped around him, a sharp glint in familiar obsidian dark eyes. 'Not so scared of love any longer, it seems.'

Percy gulped, all the hairs rising on the nape of his neck. 'No. You're still scarier than Kronos or Hyperion or even Ares. They would just chop me to pieces, you...'

'I'd only slice part of you to pieces.' Her red lips curved into a small smirk as she cupped his face in her warm slim fingers and his heart trembled like a bead of water hanging from the tip of a tap. 'And it would be so sweet, Percy. You would love every twist of the blade, crave the feel of my hand upon the hilt, and when the fire is ashes and all else is lost, you would beg me to let you taste it again, even knowing the cost…'

A little shiver rippled down his spine at the soft tug of yearning on his heart. 'Selfish love,' he muttered.

'And still you keep her name a secret from me,' Aphrodite whispered, lowering her hands. 'Do you not wish for my help? I could show you how to make her yours…'

'I don't want to make her mine,' Percy said, wrinkling his nose.

A gleam of triumph flashed through Aphrodite's grey eyes. 'Not yet, Percy,' she breathed. 'Not yet. But I promised when your heart yearned for my favour, I would be kind. I gave you my word. And I always keep it. You only have to ask…'

'I won't.' Percy set his jaw and stared down into the river. 'Never.'

'So stubborn and sweet.' Her soft laughter tugged at his heart like little ripples of white foam drawing back the sand beneath his toes. 'How long will it be, I wonder? There are so many things for me to wonder: Is she as beautiful as Calypso? As clever as Annabeth? As kind as Zoë? As shy as Bianca? As loyal as Clarisse? As fierce as Katie? Is she why you chose not to attempt Heracles's final labour? Can you feel her where she binds you to the mortal world?'

Percy sighed. 'Is there something I can do maybe even involving misplaced scarves that would persuade you not to mess with me at absolutely every spare second?'

'Oh, Percy.' Aphrodite bent and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, sending his pulse racing. 'There is nothing you can do—' she pressed her hand over his hammering heart '—it's all here. I just give it voice.'

AN: Self promo! All my stuff can be found via this tree of links, including the Discord to read early access chapters, or the website that must not be named, to support me and read my stack of original novels, short stories (two of which may feel familiar to readers of this one) and a whole bunch of my first draft chapters to fanfics - you do have to let me know if you find any weird dyslexic typos in those, though, they're not posted solely for everyone to get ahead xD

linktr . ee / mjbradley