Sins of the Father (TAC Part Two)

by uncleSAM98

Percy Jackson's twin of fate turned his world upside down. He was branded as a traitor, only to have his conviction overturned - but not before the damage was done. Now, his father has tapped him to be his diplomat. The problem? Percy still has a prophecy to figure out, and he's secretly harboring Anastasia as a fugitive from both gods and titans. When is it too much to handle?

2. Chapter 2: The Salty Lass

Previously, on TAC...

"Dad had five sets of twins by one mortal woman, and he split Atlantis into ten regions governed by the ten of us. When Atlantis sank to the bottom of the ocean, we went with it, and it became part of Dad's kingdom... When Atlantis sank, Dad had his brother grant all of us immortal godhood to continue to govern our territories and serve as his council."

Percy presented the stuffed [owl] to a shocked-looking Annabeth. "For you," he said teasingly. "It's your mom."

"Money still be avoiding me bar in protest," Cannonball said... "And ye know Fairy be taking his side, the bastard."

...Melo's territory seemed to be the justice capital. At the very least, they spoke about him as if he were some type of judge.

"It's...Shipwreck, a special brand of rum that Lord Autochthon distills himself... It's three times as strong as the strongest mortal rum you'll find."

"I'm just saying, you've been kind of a dick to [Tyson] lately. You keep losing your patience with him. And whenever you think of him, you have to fight back those memories."

[Chapter Text]

Percy wasn't sure what he had expected, but the Salty Lass exceeded it. The corridor opened into a large underwater bar with tons of open space and plenty of people milling about–nereids, older Cyclopes, and even a few creatures that seemed like a hybrid between a centaur and a hippocampus, with the head and torso of a man, the front legs of a horse, and fish tails instead of back legs. All of the tables were topped with a bubble of air, and the glasses had removable lids to allow the drinks to be carried around. Percy followed Prep to an air-locked corner of the bar sectioned off with nautical ropes where they found the rest of the governors of Atlantis, sans Atlas, drinking. Money and Cannonball were arguing with their faces close together, and Melo stood beside them massaging his temples. Fairy, who was sitting at a table with his head in his hands, looked up as they approached and frowned.

"Who's this?" he said, smoothing back his hair. "I thought we said brothers only."

"You remember Percy," Prep nudged with a loaded look.

Fairy turned his gaze back to Percy and actually took him in this time, his eyes grazing over Percy's chest. Percy subconsciously reached for his torso to make sure he had put his shirt on. "Ah, I think so. The, uh, half-blood. Right?"

Kook pumped his fist. "Ding, ding, ding! Correct!"

With a tight-lipped grimace, Fairy looked down into his drink, which seemed like some sort of fruity cocktail inside a coconut shell. Stirring it with a colorful curly straw, he said, "Delightful," before taking a long sip.

Melo nodded at Kook and Prep and laid eyes on Percy. His face lit up. "Ah, Perseus is here! Look, gents, we have a guest." He hurriedly extricated himself from between Money and Cannonball and approached, reaching out to shake Percy's hand. "Welcome, Perseus."

Percy shook his hand, trying to match his firm grip. "Thanks."

Money let out an exasperated sigh. "Melo! You cut me off. It's not fair that he gets–"

"In due time, Evaemon, yes," Melo said wearily, holding up a hand. "But not in front of the half-blood, please?"

Money rolled his eyes and let out a scoff of disgust, and even Cannonball started muttering under his breath, but they dutifully separated, each wandering to their respective twins. Kook shook his head good-naturedly at the older man.

"Wondering why you even came out tonight?" Kook said with a knowing grin.

"I know why I came here," Melo replied, running a hand through his long salt-and-pepper hair. He was the only brother present with any gray in his hair, and although it was only a few strands of gray, it was enough to be noticeable. "It's high time they put this feud behind them. There's work to be done. I just wish…"

Prep batted his eyes. "That everybody could get along?" he teased.

Melo crossed his arms. "That we could be mature about this. We are all on the same side, ultimately, so I see no point in bickering. Particularly in this fight."

"But who's right?" Money called out from Fairy's table, behind Kook. About ten feet to the right, Percy noticed the pirate twins stop talking to listen in.

Melo sighed. "There is no one person who is completely right nor completely wrong. I can see both sides. You two would do well to look at it from the other's point of view."

"You always say that," Fairy complained into his drink. He looked up at Percy and explained, "Melo's the highest judge in Father's kingdom. He usually settles our fights for us because he's the most impartial."

"It's true," Melo said, turning to Percy. "Our high courts, high security prisons, and several prestigious schools of law and philosophy are within my domain. I only preside over the most pressing cases. The biggest appeals, the most high-profile parties. I strive to be the voice of reason in our father's kingdom; when I give my ruling, people know they have been judged fairly."

"Oh," Percy deadpanned, "why didn't I get that?"

All around him, his brothers were silent for a moment, glancing at each other. Percy drank in their discomfort until Kook let out an easygoing laugh.

"Look out for an appeal, I guess," he said, ribbing Melo.

"Thar be no other option, boy," Otto said, his gruff voice as even as Percy had ever heard it. "Ye be the king's son."

"Right," Money said, perking up. "It's different for you–for us, I mean. I guess. He can't just put us through the court system, to be judged by our underlings, or–Poseidon forbid–each other…"

Melo arched an eyebrow. "Are you doubting my impartiality?"

"Dad was the only one who could rule over your case," Kook cut in confidently. "And, besides, I'm pretty sure he wanted it to be as little of a spectacle as possible. I mean, could you imagine if you had done it in the war tribunal? If the public had been allowed to see?"

Percy hadn't asked to get a real answer, but Kook's response made him think, nonetheless. Maybe there were upsides to the way it had all gone down. But nothing could persuade him that there weren't definite downsides, too.

He waved his hand flippantly. "Jeez, lighten up, guys," he said sarcastically, "I was only kidding. Now, does this place serve alcohol or not? I'm dying of thirst over here."

Kook threw his head back in laughter, grabbing Percy and shaking him so forcefully by the shoulders that Percy thought for a moment his brain might dislodge. "That's my guy!" he roared. Steering Percy past the yacht club twins toward the bar, he said to Money with a wink, "He sure got you."

Percy nursed his rum and coke at the edge of the group of boys, nodding occasionally when Kook would try to include him in the conversation. Only the youngest pair of twins would ever meet his eyes. Something about that felt powerful to Percy.

Eventually, he spotted the Salt Life twins playing darts against the wall, and he wandered over to them.

"That's twice you lost, now," Tor was saying with a toothy grin, his finger in Eli's face. "I already got yer golden rod and the cream of yer next crop. What're you gonna wager next, yer houndfish? Yer wife?"

"You ain't gettin' shit from me," Eli growled, puffing his chest. "Play me again if you're man enough, I'll win it all back an' then some."

Tor caught a glimpse of Percy over his twin's shoulder. "What're you lookin' at, half-blood?"

Percy smirked. "A couple of half-bloods," he said.

Eli turned around and barked out a laugh. "Oh, remember, Tor, this one's tough shit. He thinks he can play with the gods."

Tor nodded toward the dart board. "Care to play a round with the big boys, Runt?"

Percy gave a tight-lipped grin. "Glad that name's catching on," he muttered to himself. "Uh, sure. Why not."

"Ever played darts before?" Eli asked while Tor gathered all of the darts together.

Percy had never formally played in a bar, of course, but he had hung a dartboard on the back of his door at every boarding school he had bounced around to, so he had put in his ten thousand hours. "Kinda," he said. "But I don't really know all the rules."

Eli exchanged a glance with Tor.

"It's easy," he said with a friendly smile. "Here, we'll play a round with no bettin', fer practice. See how you feel."

"Gee, thanks."

Percy didn't feel bad lying to these guys. After all, he knew they were trying to do the same thing. He made some intentionally bad throws, missed a few times, and made sure to avoid the bullseye. It wasn't like he was an expert darts player anyway, by any means, but he still wanted to conceal just how good he was at first. Eli and Tor had clearly been playing for centuries, and they took the game very seriously. Keeping his cards close to his chest was the only way Percy could hope to have a fighting chance.

Eli and Tor were all too keen to give him tips on how to play at every turn, incessantly telling him how he should stand, how he should hold the darts, how he should throw. Percy noted with irony that if he actually paid attention to and followed all their advice, he'd probably be so self-conscious he'd lose every time. Percy allowed himself to throw well at the end of the game to bring his score up within a hopeful margin of theirs.

"Not too bad, Runt," Tor said. "You're catchin' on."

"I think he's got potential," Eli said. "Care to play again?"

Percy shrugged. "Sure. This is fun."

"Well, how 'bout we make it more fun," Tor suggested slyly. "You down to wager?"

Percy tilted his head in thought. "What are you thinking?"

Eli scratched at his scruff thoughtfully. "You got a sword, don't you?"

Percy couldn't stop himself from audibly scoffing. "I'd rather wager my life than my sword."

The boys laughed easily. "Alright, fair," Tor said. "How 'bout we jes' bet sand dollars, then?"

Percy considered. He got one sand dollar for every mission he went on for his father, which meant that he now had two. He had plans in mind for them already. But, on the other hand, he couldn't really think of anything else he'd be willing to part with.

"Okay, sure," he said, "but could we start low? I don't have many."

Tor waved his hand. "Sure, sure."

"How many is 'not many?'" Eli asked.

"Um, two."

Eli sucked in on his teeth. "Didn't know you were so hard-up, man."

Tor gave Percy a pitying look. "Maybe don't tell the girls that."

"Eh, it's fine," Eli said with a wave of his hand. "You play yer cards right, and you'll walk outta here a richer man than you walked in."

"So, I guess we'll all put one in the pot to start out with," Tor said, conjuring one out of midair and laying it on the nearest table. Eli did the same. Percy pressed a button on his watch, and in his palm appeared a sand dollar. He set it on the table with the others.

The game began, and Percy let his façade slip, striving to keep on par with the others.

"Not bad," Tor murmured at one point as he brushed past Percy to take his turn.

"So, Percy," Eli said, sidling up to him, "speaking of girls, how ya doin' these days?"

"Um, just fine," he replied.

"Oh yeah? Got any girls in yer life?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Percy restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "Nope."

Eli shook his head and whistled. "Why the Hades not? You're good-lookin', powerful, and you've already had a sex scandal." He leaned in conspiratorially. "You know that havin' a reputation jes' makes 'em want you more."

Percy sputtered, "I–I have not had a–a fucking sex scandal!"

Eli and Tor laughed as Tor handed the darts to Eli. "Whatever you wanna call it," Tor said. "But that don't change the way they look at ya. You could make that work for you, you know."

Percy blinked. "How would I…how? No one even knows."

Tor drew back in surprise. "What d'ya mean? Everyone knows. It was all anyone talked about fer, like, ever."

"Not–not on the surface," Percy sputtered.

"Ah, land-dwellers," Tor said knowingly. "Right. Is that who you're into?"

"Uh, I don't know."

Kook sauntered up to the table with the bet money and took in the scene. "You guys giving my mini-me a hard time?"

"Course not," Tor said with a grin. "We're jes' shootin' the shit. Talkin' 'bout girls."

"Ohhh," Kook said, his eyes lighting up. "Is that so?"

Percy felt heat creeping up his neck.

Tor jabbed his thumb at Percy. "This one says he don't know what he's into."

Kook held his arms out. "Come on, Percy. It's just us."

"I–look, there's just not anyone I'm talking to."

Kook looked confused. "What, like you don't talk to girls?"

"No, I mean, like, there's no one that I'm, like…" Percy struggled to explain himself.

"Pursuing?" Kook offered.

"Yeah, that."

Eli handed Percy the darts. "I dunno if I buy that."

Percy tried to tune out their chatter as he took his turn. He did alright, but he realized he hadn't been paying attention to the last two turns, so he wasn't sure where he stood.

"Hey, Perce," Kook said as Percy collected the darts. "Have you ever rescued a girl before?"

"Yeah, actually," he said, handing the darts to Tor. "I saved a friend of mine last month who was being held hostage by titans."

"I knew it!" Kook exclaimed, pointing at Eli. "See? He's just being shy. For some reason."

Eli whistled. "Bet she was purdy grateful, huh?"

Percy bristled at the suggestive tone of his voice.

Kook grinned at Percy. "So, does this 'friend' have a name?"

Percy hesitated. Finally, he relented. "Annabeth."

"Annie Beth," Eli mused, letting the name roll off his tongue like he were trying to taste-test it.

"No, Annabeth," Percy griped.

Eli raised his eyebrows. "Oh-ho-ho, easy, tiger shark," he taunted. "What's the matter? We ain't allowed to know 'bout her? Is she another one of Dad's enemy's daughters?"

Percy fixed him with a warning look. "It's not like that."

"Uh-huh." Eli walked up to Percy, standing inches away from him. The older boy cleared Percy's height by a full head. "Jus' be careful. You better watch where you stick it."

Percy shoved Eli backward, hard. "Don't talk about her like that!'

Eyes wide and wild, Eli shoved Percy back so forcefully he stumbled all the way into another table. "You wanna fuckin' go, you Runt?" he shouted.

Kook held up his hands. "Easy–"

"I'm not fucking scared of you," Percy shouted back, stomping towards him. Kook swooped in, hooking him by the neck and dragging him all the way across the bar as a struggling Percy hastily pulled his shirt off. Eli hurled insults in his direction as Tor held him back. Onlookers glanced their way and muttered, but no one really seemed that interested. Or surprised.

"I like your guts, kid," Kook said once they had put some distance between them and the others, "but not at Eli. Never at Eli."

"He was baiting me," Percy protested. "You heard him."

Kook ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I know," he said, "but you're going to have to learn to let shit like that roll off your back. It's not easy, I get it. We're all a little bit like that. It's Dad's nature."

Percy crossed his arms, but his expression softened. "I guess that makes sense," he said.

"They're teasing you because they're trying to get to know you. And yeah, part of that means they're going to try to get under your skin. But you're going to have to get razzed if you want to become one of us."

Percy finally nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Kook put a hand on his shoulder. "Eli and Tor are some of the good ones. They're actually really cool, once you crack their shells. And they're fiercely loyal. You'd be smart to get on their good side."

Percy scowled. "Do you think that ship has sailed?"

Kook snorted. "No. Trust me, a spat like that is nothing for us. They're probably over there laughing about getting you riled up."

Percy didn't really feel comforted by that.

"I get along so well with them because I've learned to be easygoing," Kook continued. "I don't let them or anyone else get under my skin that easily. And trust me, I know I make it look easy, but it actually didn't come naturally to me. It took work."

Percy looked up at his brother and blinked. Kook really did make it seem easy. And Percy felt like the opposite of easygoing these days–tightly wound, bent almost to a breaking point, always ready to snap.

"I wish I could be like that," he admitted. "I want to be easygoing like you."

Kook chuckled. "Well, stick with me, kid. You'll get it. It takes practice."

Percy nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry. I'll try."

Kook ruffled Percy's hair. "Attaboy! Let's give them some more time to cool off." He scanned the crowd of people milling around the bar, catching eyes with the nereids playing music in the corner. "How about some dancing music?" he called out.

Giggling, the musicians obliged, and soon the bar was filled with what sounded sort of like ballroom music, if it were played on a confusing assortment of harps, steel drums, and brass horns. It was somewhat similar to the kind of music that the nereids from the coast liked to play in the Euros Creek Pub, but here, the music sounded fancier, more formal. It sounded like the same genre, but made for people with more money–at least, that was the best way Percy could understand it.

Kook nudged him and nodded toward the crowd. "See anyone you like, Percy?"

Percy started to feel a little queasy. The only girls in here were nereids, and, unlike the ones on the coast, these women were healthy and fully radiant and carried themselves with intimidating importance. Some of them looked a little bit like Queen Amphitrite, even, with her haughty air and cold eyes.

"Um, I'm not really much of a dancer," he said.

"What?" Kook shook him by the shoulder. "That's crazy! Dancing is so much fun."

"Really? You like it?"

"We all do," he said with a smile. "You're a rum guy, right? Rum is dancing juice. And dancing is how you separate the boys from the men."

"Oh, is it?" Percy tried to conceal how dubious he felt.

Kook snickered. "You might not get it now, since you're still pretty young, but yeah. Where'd your drink go? Doesn't matter, we'll get some Shipwreck. I'll show you how it's done."

Kook made Percy take two back-to-back shots of Shipwreck with him and steered him out to the floor. He cocked his ear to the side, listening to the music.

"This one's actually pretty good for beginners," he said. "There's a mortal dance that's kind of close to it…oh, waltzing! Have you ever done that?"

Percy shook his head.

"Eh, doesn't matter," Kook said with a wave of his hand. "Just watch what I do."

Kook surveyed the throng of giggling girls around him, then held out his hand to a particularly beautiful nereid with flowing red hair. He pulled her in by her waist, holding her hand with his other hand and straightening his back. They floated around the dance floor, looking weightless as they glided through the water.

It wasn't too different from some of the dances that Natasha and the other naiads had shown him before. Swallowing back his nerves as the liquor started to hit, Percy glanced around, unsure of how to even begin to ask someone to dance with him.

"Hi there," a lilting voice said, and he turned to see a pretty blonde nereid regarding him with a coquettish smile. "You're Percy Jackson, right?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," he said.

She brushed a strand of her pin-straight hair behind her ear. "I'm Alysia. Care to dance?"

He blinked. "Oh. Sure."

She took his hand and led him to the floor, pressing her lips together to hide a smile. "Don't worry," she said as she placed her hand on his shoulder, leaning forward, "I know you're a beginner. I'll go easy on you."

He laughed nervously. "Ah, thanks." He copied Kook's form and started leading her awkwardly. "I'm not really sure that this is my thing," he admitted in a whisper.

She laughed. "Just stop thinking about it so hard."

Fair enough. Percy was starting to feel buzzed from the booze, so turning his brain off happened without much effort. The minutes started to slip away as Percy floated around the dance floor with Alysia. When the song finally changed, he realized he was unaware of how much time had passed.

"Yessss!" Kook cheered from somewhere to his right. The new song was lively and upbeat, like swing music. Kook grabbed his dance partner by both hands, pushing them apart and then pulling them together, whirling around in a circle, then lifting her off the ground, wrapping her around his body. Percy's jaw dropped.

"I'm guessing you've never done that before," Alysia said with an amused grin.

"Ah, yeah," he said.

"Care to learn?"

He looked at her. "You think I can do that?"

She looked him up and down. "I think you can handle me."

Alysia walked him through all of the basic steps. The leading partners got to choose all of the moves, meaning Percy would have to turn his brain off to even have a chance of making decisions quickly enough for this music. He went through all the moves she showed him in the same order, again and again, trying to commit them to muscle memory. Luckily, the music never seemed to reach a stopping point, continuing on and on while other people joined in the dance around them. It seemed like this was a crowd favorite. Percy whirled Alysia around, tossing and spinning her and jiving with her. Just when he started to feel like he finally got the hang of it, the song changed again. Head spinning, he backed up and dropped her hands.

"Tired already?" she teased.

"Nah," he said with a grin. A nereid appeared by his side and offered him a bottle of water. She giggled as he thanked her, and she hurried back to her friends against the wall. Feeling rejuvenated, he leaned against the nearest table and gulped it down. He was convinced that being underwater was somehow making him a better dancer. He could go all night, physically. But, mentally, he wasn't sure if he had any more room to learn more things.

Kook suddenly thumped him on the back, causing him to cough mid-gulp. He took another sip of the last dregs of water to try to soothe his aggravated throat. "I saw you doing your thing out there," Kook said approvingly, his loud voice seemingly carrying to the furthest corners of the bar. "You'll definitely get the hang of it!"

"Do I get any credit for teaching him?" Alysia said, batting her eyelashes. Percy found himself chuckling.

"Not tonight," Kook said, waving her away. With a small "hmph!" she flipped her hair and strutted off. "Be wary of girls who are attracted to you for your status, Perce," he said in a cautious tone. "Nereids can be fun, and very flattering, but also very fickle."

"Huh," Percy said. "That's a funny word."

Kook snorted. "Sure is, bud."

Kook steered Percy back toward the other governors, who had set up what looked like a beer pong tournament. The yacht club twins were neck-and-neck with the Salt Life twins.

"Ah, Azaes!" Melo said gratefully. "You can join Diaprepes and relieve me."

"We're playing winners," Prep said, playfully punching Kook's arm.

"Oh, fuck yeah," Kook said, fist-bumping his twin. "Hey, Eli, I think Percy has something he wants to say to you."

Eli paused aiming the ping pong ball and turned to look at Percy, along with the rest of the boys. Percy shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," he said woodenly. He glanced briefly at Kook, then raised his hands at Eli. "We cool?"

Eli chuckled, open-mouthed, his cheek protruding from where his tongue was poking into it. "The balls on this kid," he finally muttered to Tor before taking his turn. He bounced the ball into the nearest cup, and he and Tor erupted into hoots and hollers.

Kook caught Percy's eye and gave him a reassuring nod. I guess that means it's fine, he thought.

Percy kept to himself as the Salt Life twins went on to win the whole pong tournament. The numbers in the bar had dwindled by that point, and Melo had long since left. As the remaining governors were starting to say their goodbyes, Percy wandered over toward the dartboard, looking for the sand dollar he had wagered.

"Consider it part of the apology," Eli said from behind him. Grimacing, Percy turned to face him.

"Got it," he said. He forced himself to keep going. "And I really am sorry. I'm still getting used to having brothers. I've gotta just let that shit slide off my back."

Eli shook his head. "It's more'n blood that makes somebody your brother," he said. "Dad has plenty of kids. They don't all become my kin."

Percy pressed his lips together. "Yeah. Makes sense."

Eli shrugged. "Kook likes you. I think it's 'cause you're annoyin' in all the ways he is."

"Probably."

Eli cracked a smile, reluctantly, and it made Percy do the same. "Listen, Runt, I know you're some kinda hot-shot up on the surface, but none of that shit matters down here. It's all about what you do for Dad and his people, not fer any of those land-dwellers up there. You get yer shit straight, and actually earn that attitude of yours, and then maybe you'll earn the right to tussle with me."

Percy nodded, then held out a hand to Eli. "Understood."

Eli stared at his hand, then at Percy's face for an agonizingly long moment. Finally, he shook Percy's hand with an incredulous chuckle. "Get outta here, kid."

Percy walked over to Kook, who was playing a game of reflexes with Prep where he tried to slap Prep's hands before he could pull them away.

"Oh hey, Perce–aha!" Kook cried, going for the slap while hoping Prep was distracted. However, seeing it coming, Prep yanked his hands back, unfazed. "Aw…"

Percy leaned against the table and watched as a couple of Cyclopes disappeared through an exit on the far side of the room. "Hey, where do all these doors lead to?" he asked.

"What doors?" Prep asked without looking.

"You know, like the one I came in through."

"Ohhh, right–ah, damn!" Prep snapped his fingers as Kook roared in triumph.

Kook laughed. "They just lead to other tunnels."

"But where do those tunnels go?"

"Other places, either in the palace city or on the edge of it. Encyclopedia's library. My main arena. Prep's ampitheatre. Dad's wife's garden, the arsenal, the–"

"The arsenal?" Percy perked up. "That's next to the forges, right?"

"Uh, with all the Cyclopes? Yeah." Kook gave him an inquisitive look.

"Cool," Percy said, setting his sights on the door that the Cyclopes had disappeared through. "I think I'm going to go pay a good friend a visit."

Kook and Prep exchanged a look. "Okay, if you say so," Kook said.

"It's your life."

Percy shook hands with them, which seemed to amuse them, and Kook, unsatisfied, pulled him into a bear hug. Extricating himself, Percy plunged into the underwater tunnel, hoping his hunch was correct.

When he emerged from the other end, he had to smile. Before him loomed the forges of the Cyclopes, on the other side of which stood their barracks. He wandered into the dorms and plopped down on Tyson's bed to wait for him. Most of the other beds seemed occupied by sleeping Cyclopes. Percy's brain was far too active to sleep, but his eyelids could not stay open nonetheless once he lied back.

He was roused a few minutes later by the sound of a couple of baby Cyclopes shouting, "Percy! Percy!"

He lifted his head and opened one eye. "Yes?"

"Why are you here?" one of them asked, poking him in the side.

"Are you here to see Tyson?" another chimed in.

He sat up. "Yeah, I'm just waiting for him."

"Waiting for Tyson!" the second Cyclops cheered. "I will go get him!"

"Oh, really?" Percy smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks!"

Percy listened to the first Cyclops tell him all about his seashell collection while the other ran off. Several of the other Cyclopes gathered around, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes and gawking in admiration at Percy. For some reason, the attention from them didn't bother him as much as when other sea creatures would gawk at him. It felt less judgmental coming from them.

"Big brother!" he heard Tyson exclaim as he burst through the doors. Percy had only enough time to stand before the larger boy slammed into him, lifting him up in a fierce hug. "You're back!"

Percy laughed as Tyson dropped him back to the floor, clutching his ribs. "Yeah, I'm back, big guy," he said. "It's good to see you."

"You went on a mission?" Tyson asked expectantly.

Percy nodded. "Two."

"Two missions!" Tyson's eye grew wide. "How did they go?"

"Good, good. Not super eventful, I guess. But I was near the palace city because I had to report to Atlas, so I thought I'd come hang out with you, if that's alright." He rubbed his arm. "Sorry I didn't IM or anything first."

Tyson smiled softly. "Percy still wants to hang out with me," he said under his breath. Percy felt guilt like a stabbing pain through his heart.

"Hey, I'm sorry that I've been so off lately, bud," he said. "It has nothing to do with you. I hope you're not upset with me."

Tyson looked worried. "You still promise you're not mad at me?"

"I promise, big guy. I promise."

Tyson's face lit up, and Percy cursed himself for ever losing his patience with this kid. Tyson excitedly took Percy on a tour of all the places he frequented, including the artillery, the forges, the mess hall, and a recreation center where Cyclopes played a ton of different games in their free time, ranging from Go Fish to touch football.

"But I work through my breaks most days," Tyson said. "I want to do good."

"Is that why your boss is going to give you the summer off?"

"Yeah!" Tyson's eye sparkled. "I can't wait for camp!"

"Me neither," Percy said, smiling fondly.

Tyson led Percy into a pantry in the rec center and swiped a jar of peanut butter, scooping fistfuls of it into his mouth with his bare hands. "Will Annabeth be there too?"

Percy bit his lip to hide his smile. "Yeah, I think so."

Tyson held out the jar to Percy, but he shook his hands. "No, thanks, I'm good."

Tyson shrugged. "How is she? Annabeth?"

"Good, she's good," Percy said, running his hand through his hair. "We email almost every day these days. California is alright, apparently. She says she misses New York, though."

Tyson suddenly gasped. "We should call her!"

"Um, sure," Percy said, "but maybe if we can find someplace dry…"

Percy gestured to his chest, and Tyson slowly nodded. "Oh, sorry." He tapped his chin in thought, leaving traces of peanut butter. "There's some air in the Queen's garden," he suggested.

Percy sucked in through his teeth. "I don't think I should risk getting caught in the Queen's garden."

Tyson scrunched up his nose. "Oh! The kitchen!"

He dragged Percy back to the mess hall and into an airlocked kitchen that looked big enough to feed an army. Tyson eagerly checked his pockets.

"I think I have one," Percy said, reaching into his own. He carried a gold drachma and a tiny flask of nectar with him for his missions, but he hadn't needed either. Tyson turned on the sink and found a shiny, reflective silver pan and angled it under the overhead light. Percy commanded the tap water to jump out and heat up, forming water vapor in the refracted light.

"O Goddess, accept my offering," he said, tossing the drachma into the mist. It shimmered and disappeared. "Annabeth Chase, San Francisco."

The vapor rippled, and soon, an image of Annabeth appeared. She was in her bedroom, lying on her stomach on the floor, sketching something in a huge sketchpad. It looked like a tower or a monument of some sort. Only her bedside lamp was on, and outside her windows, it looked dark outside. Percy realized with a start that it was probably getting late on the surface. He checked his watch: it read 1:22 AM. He furrowed his brow; there was no way it was half past 1 AM already in New York. He didn't know what time zone he was in right now, but apparently, his watch automatically adjusted.

Annabeth didn't notice the Iris Message, engrossed in her journal. Percy stared at her, entranced by the intense concentration written across her face. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back in a messy bun, as if she hadn't even thought about it, but somehow, it just made her look effortlessly beautiful. She wore a tiny shirt with spaghetti straps, so thin it might have been an undershirt, and thick plaid pajama bottoms. He found himself lost in the curve of her back, remembering how it had looked in her backless dress on Halloween and picturing it again.

Suddenly, he shook his head and snapped back to the present. Focus. Tyson was looking curiously at him, so he cleared his throat.

"Um, Annabeth?" he began. She jumped out of her skin, sitting up on her knees and whipping her head around. "Annabeth! It's just me. Hey."

Catching sight of him, Annabeth clutched her chest and let out a relieved sigh. "Seaweed Brain, you scared the crap out of me," she said.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to bother you."

"No, no, you're not. What's up?" She hugged her knees to her chest and felt around on her bed beside her until she found a sweatshirt and pulled it on.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just here with Tyson, and we thought we'd say hi, see what's new with you, you know…" He trailed off, feeling like he was babbling.

Tyson craned his neck forward to look into the image. "Hi, Annabeth! It's me!"

Her eyes lit up. "Tyson! How are you, buddy?"

Percy took over the reflection duties while Annabeth and Tyson caught up. Tyson was over the moon to tell her about how much he'd been killing it at work, and Annabeth seemed pretty excited to hear he'd be back at camp over the summer.

"That's so cool! So, wait, how are you two together? Where are you right now?" she asked.

"Daddy's kingdom!" Tyson said gleefully.

Annabeth's jaw dropped for a moment. "Wow. That's neat."

"I know, right?" Tyson beamed.

Annabeth seemed to be thinking. "I'd love to hear what Percy's up to down there."

Tyson took back the pan, and Percy sauntered back into view. "Why do you assume I'm up to something?" he said cheekily. "Can't I just pay my brother a visit?"

She laughed. "I guess so," she said dubiously. "Have you seen your father at all too, then?"

"Oh, no way," he said quickly, then tried to backtrack. "I mean, I'm not avoiding him or anything. I just assume he's busy. He and I don't really talk much. He's got a lot going on."

She crossed her arms. "Ah, okay. So, this is really just a visit to see Tyson?"

He shrugged. "Well, it gets boring in the city all alone. You and Thalia left me. What am I supposed to do?"

She rolled her eyes, turning her face away as she smiled. "Well, lucky Tyson."

Percy rocked back and forth on his heels. "So, what are you working on there?"

Annabeth hurriedly snapped her journal shut. "It's–well–it's nothing, really," she said, flustered, then she reopened it. "I mean, it's just a sketch of that Ground Zero monument I've been telling you about. I don't know why I did that; you can see it. If you want."

"Yeah, I'd love to."

Annabeth held up the sketchpad for him to see and started talking about the specifications, the materials, the features. Percy's eyes usually started to glaze over when she got into the details about this sort of thing, but he loved hearing her talk about it. Something about listening to someone talk about their passions was so alluring; it made him feel hopeful.

He let her go on and on for nearly twenty minutes, happy to get to see her face again, until they were interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door. Her stepmother cracked it open and peeked inside.

"Annabeth? Are you talking to someone in there?" she asked.

Annabeth closed her sketchpad again. "It's just an Iris Message, Helen."

Her stepmother opened the door further and took a tentative step inside. "Is there a boy?"

Annabeth groaned. "No, it's just Percy!"

Her stepmother beamed, peering into the Iris Message and squinting. Percy wasn't sure what she saw, but she seemed befuddled. "Oh, that's nice. Tell him I say hi."

"Okay," Annabeth said in exasperation, turning her back.

Her stepmother lingered in the doorway as she slowly closed it. "It's getting late…" she called over her shoulder as she left, leaving the door cracked.

Groaning again, Annabeth stood up and stomped to her door, closing it. Percy glanced around at her room and noticed with pleasant surprise that the stuffed owl he had given her was perched on her bed beside her pillow. As Annabeth turned around, she seemed to catch sight of herself in her mirror and started in surprise. As she sat back down, she let her hair out of its bun, fiddling with it anxiously.

"Sorry about that," she said, chewing on her lip. "It's not that late. It's not even nine yet."

Percy nodded slowly. "Ahhhh. So, I don't feel bad, then."

Annabeth chuckled under her breath. "What time is it where you guys are?"

"Almost two."

"In the morning?" Annabeth exclaimed. "Percy!"

Percy shrugged. "What? I don't know, we're hanging. We just lost track of time."

She smoothed her hair back with her hands a couple of times. "Okay, well, I'll let you go, then," she said. "Thanks for calling. It's always cool to see Tyson."

"Bye, Annabeth!" he shouted, twisting his head around and waving with one hand.

"Bye, Tyson!" she said, giggling. Twisting a lock of her hair around one finger, she turned back to Percy. "Sweet of you to think of me while you're hanging with your brother," she said with a cocky grin.

He scoffed. "What makes you think I was thinking of you? You should be thanking Tyson."

"Oh, I'm sure," she said. In a sing-song voice, she called out, "Thank you, Tyson!"

"Bye-bye! I miss you!" he called back.

"I miss you too," she said, and with a quick glance back at Percy, she reached out and waved through the mist, severing their connection.

Tyson set the pan down, rubbing his arm. "It is late," he said.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry," Percy said, "I didn't even realize."

"Sleepy?" Tyson asked.

"I guess."

Tyson's face broke out in a toothy grin. "Sleepover?"

Percy chuckled. "Okay. Sleepover."