This chapter was edited by Gladiusx and Reiter.

Logbook Entry #7

Finally! An entry where I can put my own thoughts rather than someone else's. This is my diaryCaptain's Logbook, and should be exclusively mine! If Rachel and the rest want to write their own diaries, they are welcome to make their own.

After speaking to Calypso, I was convinced that it is crucial for the captain to write in his logbook all the events that happened concerning both the ship and the crew. I can't believe Rachel snitched on me!

Whatever.

The last two entries were reserved for the crossing into the New World, as well as the battle that I slept through. Man, that was so embarrassing! I really need a big fight soon to recover my coolness. The red-headed nightmare has been teasing me nonstop about it, heck even Reyna, who used to follow me around like a puppy, has a mischievous glint in her eyes when she looks at me.

My authority is in tatters!

Speaking of Rachel, I need to talk to her soon. The girl puts up a hell of a strong face, but I know her. She's probably my closest friend, and I can tell she is not at all okay with the death and mayhem that we've been through. Heck, she has a bigger body count than I do now, which is seriously messed up to think I don't find that disturbing at all. Or that my competitive side is acting up, hoping for another decent fight to show up.

That's it, after this, I shall have a little heart-to-heart with her.

I ain't gonna go looking for trouble, though; it better come to me on a silver platter if my scoresheet wants to raise itself.

Training that new power that Calypso learned from the cat girl is going well. Electro… lame name aside, the ability came almost naturally to me. So far, I've been able to coat my hands in lightning, though I feel I can do a lot more than just hands. A random image just popped into my head of me flying in the air with lightning shooting from my feet, screaming "LIGHT ON!" and now I can't wait to be able to blast it from all over my body.

And laugh thinking how a certain uncle of mine would explode if he saw me doing that. Thalia would have been so jealous, too. Man, I miss Pinecone Face.

Calypso shrugged when Hylla and Rachel complained about how tiring it was for them. It wasn't as tiring to generate as I thought it would be, but then again, Calypso and I were built different.

Tyson had no talent for it at all, which would make sense, considering he was built towards extreme heat immunity, not to mention the origin trait from what Calypso explained it. Still, my brother worries me sometimes, as I have noticed his wounds do not heal as fast as my own do; just as slow as the rest of the girls in fact. Calypso had looked at his wounds from the battle, and while they were minor, he and Hylla still suffered too many for my taste. Water did not help, and I remember him mentioning how much of an outlier I was, considering I inherited all of Dad's powers when it came to the sea. Still, with the scarcity of Nectar and Ambrosia despite having a steady yet minor supply of Hera's Apples, which are the main ingredient in making them, it appears our next crucial position to fill in the crew is a doctor.

Back to something much cooler, Electro is definitely the real thing, not some fake light show or low voltage electricity, but true, real lightning. Tyson had me help him melt some of the cannons into Celestial Bronze, the divine metal requires an extremely high temperature that only an electric arc furnace – or lightning – can match.

Although, I will admit that I have a long way to go to use it freely as my body has yet to acclimate to the power. Tingling sensation aside, I would rather not burn my hands every time I overuse it.

Strangely, Riptide did not melt when I held it with Electro. Tyson explained that weapons and armor made from Celestial Bronze become sentient and more durable in general. I also needed to intentionally desire to harm my own blade for it to melt, which was something that I simply found abhorrent to even think about.

Disregarding how useful the sword is, it still has Zoë's essence inside it!

Anyway, one of the best decisions I've made so far was accepting Lily into the crew. Having a proper cook is such a godsend! The mini giant is super talented and knowledgeable about all sorts of cuisines and cooking methods. It felt surreal to wake up in the morning and find her peppy face waiting for us in the kitchens after making a breakfast catered to all of our tastes.

Blue waffles, man! Freaking Blue Waffles!

Gods, that girl is precious! Gotta make sure she's super satisfied and happy with her position. Something to discuss with Hylla, seeing as she is our official quartermaster now. She did give me a list of ingredients and other kitchen stuff for us to procure. Tyson can build anything we need, but any ingredients would need to wait until we reach port.

Unfortunately, the world around us has not been kind. More storms and freaky weather were expected, but we barely managed to dodge a freaking battle as well!

Two days after we departed from that mountainous island, we noticed a squadron approaching it from the opposite side. I managed to conceal the ship in a convenient storm miles away and let them pass, though Leo had suggested we scout them.

Reyna agreed and hopped on Blackjack without telling me, and while I was tempted to pull her ear like mom used to do when I was being a little shit, I decided that it was a good idea to have more than one rider for Blackjack. The pegasus joked that in two years, there would be more pegasi in Ogygia for us to pick from, but that's too far away.

Anyway, the squadron. Reyna reports the ships looked incredibly weird, more like massive floating castles than proper ships, all propelled by huge rectangular sails, hundreds of oars, as well as vast chimneys spewing black smoke to fuel what looked like a primitive propeller system. There were twenty ships in total, and Reyna thought there were at least a thousand, maybe two thousand, people on each one, considering the number of oars and the sheer size.

She retreated when she felt like she was being watched. Reyna could not explain it, other than the feeling of a predator searching for prey. One of the ships continued to the island while the rest turned north. There was no doubt we managed to dodge a really big bullet, especially when Reyna described the flag she had seen on the vessels.

Kaido's Beast Pirates.

Everyone was relieved when we carried on, and no more ships approached us. It has been two days since that incident, and we are now approaching a very strange island.

One that looks like Zeus decided he wanted to wipe it from existence… continuously. Daily. Like, seriously, we've been floating a dozen miles away from the island, yet I can see the amount of lightning strikes hitting the island Every Single Minute, and the sound of thunder makes standing on the deck torture.

Lily explained it's a lightning island, apparently, there are a few of them in the New World. Calypso had been intrigued by the island and asked for us to wait for her while she visited it for some reason. She had taken that crystal I took as a trophy from that sea serpent I slayed in the Sea of Monsters so long ago, and is now with Tyson doing something with it. I think I'll go check on them now.

P*O*D

Percy laid down his pen and stretched. While Riptide could be used as a pen, it was uncomfortable to write with, especially combined with his admittedly chicken scratch, scribble-like script. He got this new fountain pen as a gift from Rachel, her first successful enchantment that never runs out of ink, thanks to that trophy he got from the giant squid. Percy was not sure what to expect when she asked for that ink gland, but it was just collecting dust in his trophy room and leaking ink everywhere. And yes, he had turned one of the side rooms in the Captain's Quarters into a trophy room, where the two Devil Fruits were placed in a bowl.

Calypso had spent time studying the fruits, always muttering and murmuring whenever she did so. She found them quite fascinating and wished to study them for as long as possible, yet it quickly became apparent there was nothing more for her to learn from them until she had more fruits to compare.

Sadly, aside from the fruits, there wasn't much else to put in the trophy room at the moment. Regardless, Rachel had gifted him the pen earlier that day, and it was cool! He had no idea how the enchantment worked, but he found it super comfortable and easy to use. Infinite ink aside, the most important feature was that it could write in different colors.

Naturally, his logbook was now in blue.

Sadly, Hylla had told him he would need another logbook (a formal ledger) to keep all their expenses up to date. At least it would be mostly her filling it out, and Percy would just need to review it every now and then.

Man, running a ship was far more complicated than he thought! He would still not give it up for anything: sailing the high seas, dodging storms and pirates, fighting monsters. It's incredibly fun, especially the side benefits.

Which reminded him to check on Calypso.

Once he exited the Captain's Quarters, the distant rumble of thunder echoed from outside. Percy hummed a tone he could have heard on TV as he walked down the corridor, passing by Lily in her room. He stopped, backtracked, looked through the open door, and raised an eyebrow.

"What's with the fabric?"

"Oh, hi, Captain!"

Lily's room was the same as any of the officer rooms, like Hylla's or Leo's, though he noticed something different. It was more of a one-bedroom apartment, with how large it was, with a couple of side doors leading to what he assumed was a closet and a bathroom. It was still barebones as it only had a single bed, a desk, a chair and coffee table by the window, and a simple vanity with a mirror. There was space for more if she wished to add her own furniture, and not for the first time, Percy wondered how the heck the rooms were so much bigger on the inside than the outside. He was pretty sure when he first took the boat it was not that obvious. A moment later, he shook his head; he could always ask Calypso – Rachel mentioned she had done some expanding and redecorating.

Back to Lily, she was busy at her desk, drawing something on a piece of paper while comparing different fabric cuts in various colors. She glanced up and beamed at him, placing her pen down and stretching her body, releasing several loud pops. Percy found his eyes wandering down the girl's light chocolate skin, past her lithe form and curves, then up to find her blushing as her smile turned shy.

"D-Don't stare so much, Captain."

"Sorry about that." Percy rubbed his brow, which was unbecoming of him, especially as he was the captain and a certain level of professionalism was expected with his newest crew member. Still, he couldn't help but grin and keep teasing her, "Can't deny that you made it easy, wearing so little clothes and leaving the door open."

"Hmph, aren't you too young to flirt with an old lady like me?"

"Flirting? Never, for my heart is taken. But considering my lover is much older than she looks, perhaps I do have a thing for older girls."

Lily grimaced and muttered something about 'Her ladyship being too scary to even joke about her being a cradle robber' before she shook her head, stood from her desk, and grabbed several pieces of fabric to show him. "Anyway, I'm trying to design a new outfit for myself. Due to my devil fruit powers, any clothes I wear have to be made for my original giant height."

"Wait, so your clothes shrink with you?"

"Yep! But only if I wear them in my original size. It's such a bother as I can't change into any human clothes since they won't change size with me." Lily frowned as she gestured to the bra-like outfit she wore, "This is the only thing left from my old outfit, the pirates having disposed of the rest. I managed to nick some clothes from the pirate ship, but I already tore through them when I forgot they didn't change size with me."

"And that's impractical," Percy hummed as he looked around his cook's room. "I don't see any sewing machines. Do you have any experience with weaving?"

"Kinda? At least, barely enough to fix my clothes." Lily dropped the fabrics before collapsing on the bed with a groan, "I wish I had something different to wear that would complement my abilities. Looks like my only choice is to sew something for my giant size, but, uhm, that would most likely use all the fabric in the hold."

Percy felt bad for the girl. She did not even have a pair of boots or any other kind of clothes aside from what she was wearing when they freed her. That yellow bra, yellow hot-shorts, and… that was it really. "You really like the color yellow?"

"Yep! It's my favorite, along with red."

His mind tried to remember how much fabric and dyes they had, but he did not really focus on that when Hylla brought him that report. "Have you asked anyone for help?"

"Well, I did ask Hylla for some samples." The girl pointed at the fabrics on the desk, "But I would rather not be a bother to anyone. I'm happy enough that you guys offered me a home."

"You don't have to worry about being a bother to anyone," Percy declared. "We all help each other as much as we can, just like we all depend on you to keep us well-fed. We all have our roles and duties to attend to, and helping out the new crew member is one of them." He sat next to her on the bed and patted her shoulder. "If you need any sort of help, do not hesitate to go to any one of us, alright, Lily?"

The mini-giant's blue eyes teared up as she hugged him tightly, "Thank you so much!"

Percy, meanwhile, wheezed as he tapped her shoulder, "C-Can't b-breathe!" Causing the girl to finally let go of him.

"S-Sorry, I sometimes forget my own strength." Lily looked away bashfully while Percy rubbed his sides, feeling his ribs aching; giant strength was no joke.

"No worries." He stood up and made his way out of the room, grinning back at her. "Wanna join me as I check on Calypso? She is an excellent seamstress, and I assure you she would love to help you."

The mini-giant beamed, then followed him as they chatted about how she was acclimating to life on the Sally Jackson and made their way down the galley to the engine room that doubled as a forge. The sound of thunder became more muted, replaced by hammering and forge bellows. There were more sounds like electrical hums and water bubbling, and as Percy led the way inside the forge, he was reminded of how strange Tyson's domain truly was.

"Wow! It's like something from a fairy tale!"

He grinned at Lily's exclamation, though none of the occupants heard them. Tyson was busy by the forge, striking his hammer at something molten hot, while Calypso was with Hylla nearby, working on some form of magical circle.

"Well, Lily. We did tell you that we are not exactly normal."

The green-haired girl nodded; the first thing they did after that fabulous first dinner was to explain to Lily about their origins and powers. They gave her a similar story to what they told Leo and Gwen, though Percy had decided to trust her with more information since she was a permanent member of the crew instead of being an employer like the prince. Aside from briefly explaining their powers, he also told her more about magic in case she wished to learn. According to Calypso, magic was far easier for women to learn than men, and he would confess that the idea of a giant girl blasting Sith Lightning from her hands was insanely cool.

Thankfully, Lily took all the talk of magic in stride, which made him wonder if she knew of similar strange abilities. Sadly, the mini-giant had yet to show any talent with Electro, though it had only been a day since she had tried it. Not to mention, she was too busy being the cook, and Percy would admit that they were all quite the gluttonous lot.

"Oh, Percy. Welcome," Calypso turned away from whatever hocus-pocus she was doing and smiled at him and his companion. "It's not usual for you to come visit us down here. You even brought Lily."

Hylla nodded in welcome before returning to her work; it appeared that she and Calypso were busy with the large crystal from the serpent as it floated in the middle of the magic circle.

"Yeah, I thought I would come by and check how your work was going." Percy grabbed Lily's shoulder as she was about to wander away to one of the tools that looked suspiciously like an electric kettle. "Try not to touch anything, Lily. You don't know what this innocent-looking kettle does. For all you know, it could suck your blood and blend it into magical fuel for Calypso's wicked rituals."

"Hey!" Percy laughed aloud at his lover's pout, which quickly turned into a guffaw as Lily jumped away in fear. Calypso looked like she wanted to leave the magic circle to give him a good piece of her mind but settled for folding her arms under her bountiful chest and giving him the stink eye. "My rituals are not wicked. I have not used a single living sacrifice in any of my experiments so far… and the dead pirates don't count! All that blood and death would have been a waste anyway. How do you think we are powering most of the ship's magic? It's either our blood and sweat or others."

The more his lover spoke, the more Lily blanched beside him, and even Percy was not sure if Calypso was joking or not. Tyson just finished hammering whatever he was doing and approached, holding an orb of molten lava in his palm.

"It's done, Calypso. You should fuse it quickly before it cools."

Calypso nodded as she accepted the orb using a pair of tongs, quickly moved towards the floating door-sized trophy crystal and placed it in one of several sockets he just noticed were newly carved into it. The orb quickly fused as the Immortal Witch chanted something that was repeated by Hylla while Tyson moved to the earlier kettle that Lily nearly touched.

"Hey… So it was a kettle!" Lily smacked his shoulder when Tyson poured himself a mug of tea and stared at them weirdly.

"How would I have known what it was?" Percy rubbed his shoulder; the damn girl was way too strong for her size. "Last time I was here, I was nearly strangled by a sentient chain. The same chain, I would like to remind you, that's now being used to keep our captive pirate secured in her cell."

Before Lily could comment, a pleasant chiming sound came from the magic circle, and Percy turned to Calypso, holding the giant crystal.

"It's done!"

"Sweet," Percy stared at the thing, trying to figure out what was so special about it. He could have sworn the new core looked familiar. "So what the heck is it?"

"This, if it works as intended, will be the solution to our power problems." Calypso walked out of the circle, followed by Hylla, "No longer would we need to worry about powering the ship's electronics or any of my rituals. Do you recognize the core?"

Percy inspected it further but his eyes kept drifting up to Calypso's chest; it's been a long time since they cuddled together and–Wait. "Zeus' lightning core. The battery for the ritual that started this whole thing!"

"Exactly! It had been depleted, but since it was made from a charge of Zeus' Master Bolt, what better way to recharge it than with actual lightning? Conveniently, we have a whole island's worth of lightning just outside."

"Awesome. But I thought the ship had a power source that should last us for a long time?"

"About that," Tyson approached with his mug of tea – the Cyclops had taken to the old guy's drink, though he tended to have it at boiling hot temperatures. "The Celestial Bronze core in the engine is not the type that can be recharged; once it's depleted, it shatters. It's already showing signs of degrading, especially after Calypso used it to power several enchantments on the ship."

"Say what now?" Percy turned to his lover questioningly, though he noticed her glancing at Lily, and Percy realized the poor girl had no idea what they were talking about. "Before that, Hylla? I need you to help Lily here with an important matter. She's worried she might trouble you with getting what she needs to make some new clothes. As you can see, she kinda needs a new wardrobe."

Hylla's face softened greatly as she smiled sympathetically at the mini-giant. Percy recalled she also had problems finding new outfits; the girl was still wearing that tube top and hot short combo. "Absolutely. Come along now and tell me all you need."

"Ah, she will need a lot of fabric to make clothes for her giant form. It's the only way for them to shrink with her whenever she changes." Percy decided that Lily was more likely to be reserved, which would not do, "Hylla, I want you to provide her with anything we got. Any fabric, whether cotton or silk or whatever we have in the hold and dyes for her favorite colors. Don't hold back on the expenses."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Hylla smiled as she held Lily's elbow and led her out, the mini-giant beaming at him like a little girl who was given free rein in a candy shop. "Now, let's get you to the hold. I think there's enough space for you to stretch to your full form. Then we can have measurements taken."

"You are very kind, Percy." Calypso stood beside him as he watched the two older girls leave the forge, his lover still holding the door-sized crystal core. "I did not even realize the poor girl had problems with her garments."

"You thought she was an exhibitionist?" Percy smirked at his lover, hugging her sideways as she blushed prettily. "That she just liked walking around in a bra and panties?"

"Well, who am I to judge if that was the case?"

"And you're not worried my eyes would drift to other girls if they dress like that?"

"Oh, my sweet Percy, you can look and touch all you want, but I have no fear who truly owns your heart." The Immortal Witch placed her hands on his chest and raised her head for a smoldering kiss that Percy reciprocated hungrily. "I have no fear of little girls trying to seduce you. Even if they succeed in a moment of weakness, you will always come crawling back to me."

It was Percy's turn to feel his cheek heat up, "You make it sound like you don't mind if I have sex with other girls. I'm not a horndog who would go chasing after women. I don't want that–you're the only one for me, Calypso."

His voice cracked as he tried to convey all of his intent and honesty through his words, and he received another kiss for his efforts.

"And that's why I love you, Percy. You are my horndog. But I know of divinity. The very same divinity you carry within your blood, for you are still the manifestation of the sea, and the sea is whimsical and does not like to be fettered down. It takes what it wishes and is loath to let go of what it claims as its own." Calypso cradled his cheeks lovingly. "I would never deny your nature, that which makes your power and very being. Though I will admit to wanting you all for myself, regardless."

Percy's eyes were wide as he registered what his lover was saying, but he shook his head; he had a strange feeling that he was misunderstanding something. "I thought you would frown on me even having such thoughts, you know, being Hera's sister and all that."

"Oh, honey. Hera is precious to me, but I am not blind to her faults. She is the one who chose the domain of marriage and family after seeing how my mother and Oceanus were so close to each other. Not to mention she derived her queenly power from her husband and any other woman in Zeus' bed would be a threat to her authority."

"But why can't we be like Tethys and Oceanus?" Percy frowned, still feeling like he was missing something. "What makes you so sure that I would desire more that I would not be satisfied with you?"

"You are your father's son. Oceanus is the manifestation of the ocean's depths, a dark yet calm and peaceful place, especially compared to Poseidon's stormy domain. I spoke enough with Amphitrite to know what to expect from a son of his." Calypso shrugged, "I am certain that if I ask for it, you would never so much as look at another woman ever again, let alone speak to one."

Percy found himself nodding resolutely. If Calypso wanted it, he would do it. He would not like it at all, as he would miss talking with Rachel, bantering with Hylla, or joking with Reyna, yet for his Immortal Witch, he would be willing to do it.

The resolve on his face must have shown, for Calypso smiled brightly at him, "And that's why I know you are the one for me. It would be incredibly unfair of me to deny you your very nature."

"You mentioned Hera feared usurpation of her authority from other women. Do you have no such worries?

"For all that sweet little Hera was a feisty troublemaker, she was never one for fighting. At least, not at the start, though she did tell me the Romans forced her to adopt a more warlike persona." Calypso had a distant look in her eyes as if she was remembering sweet memories from a time before any of his ancestors even spoke English. "I, on the other hand, have always been a fighter. I do not believe that any woman would ever be able to beat me, whether in looks, wits, charm, magic…or battle. Yet, I welcome and relish any challenge, regardless."

Percy gazed at his lover as if he had seen her for the first time. She truly was unlike any woman he had ever known. He was holding her closely now, the crystal shield abandoned on the ground nearby. The Son of Poseidon found himself drowning in his lover's beautiful eyes, her dimpled smile, her cute nose, and her full lips. She might have sounded arrogant in claiming that no woman would be her equal, especially as they weren't too savvy with this new world, yet he could not deny that he found it incredibly hot for his lover, his woman, to desire him so much that she was willing to prove she was the best woman in the entire world just for him.

He still would not go chasing after other girls, though, no matter if Calypso believed that he couldn't control his nature. 'But that's not what she said, was it?' A familiar primal voice deep inside him reminded, 'She knows we can deny our own nature, yet she insists she would never ask us for that!'

'Perhaps so, but that does not mean we would ever risk doing anything to upset her.' And surprisingly, that primal part of him that nearly risked a fight with two monstrous sea kings because they cockblocked him, agreed.

Wait, was this a test? Was Calypso just messing with him and testing his loyalty? Looking at the beaming face of his lover with her bright eyes and wide smile…Percy had no idea whether she was joking or not.

"I hate to break this sweet scene, but could you two either finish up or move it out of my forge?" Percy flinched at Tyson's looming form, grinning at them from the table with a steaming mug of tea in hand.

"Oh, my dear Cyclops, you are also approaching that age where you will want a woman for yourself." Calypso grinned as his brother actually blushed!

"I'm still too young to worry about that."

"Nonsense, you're nearly twelve. I've known Cyclops who marry younger than you."

"Wait, what? I thought you were not even ten!" Percy stared flabbergasted at his brother. "Also, what do you mean he's old enough to marry?"

"I spent a year in the Cyclops forges and did indeed find many Cyclops my age married to sea nymphs. If they have the tools to use them, then the nymphs would fight over us like piranhas over a piece of meat. Cyclops are quite rare, after all, since Father doesn't choose how or when we are born – unless they are the wild ones born solely from the Earth." Tyson shrugged, his lips stretching to a mischievous grin. "Also, I never said I was ten. You're the one who believed that school's records. I mean, how could they know my age if I don't even have a birth certificate?"

Percy felt dumb for a moment before doubling down, "Whatever, you're still too young to even think about marriage. And no, Calypso, I don't care if you knew any younger married Cyclops or whatever, as his older brother, I get the final say in such matters."

His lover burst out laughing, but Percy was not amused. He turned to Tyson, who had a silly grin as he muttered something about 'Brother does care!' Of course, he cared! Tyson was his baby brother regardless of how tall or strong he appeared.

"Anyway, I think we got grossly out of topic." Percy struggled to remember what they were even talking about. "You mentioned something about the power core that Dad installed eroding? What enchantments are you talking about?"

"Come now, dear. I'm sure you noticed how larger than normal many of the rooms on the ship have become, right?" Calypso moved to grab the dormant crystal shield before leaning on it in front of him. "The cargo hold is far larger than it has any right to, the officer's rooms look more like actual apartments rather than tiny cabins, and even the entertainment room is bigger and wider."

"Wow, I did notice those changes, and I think Rachel mentioned it was thanks to you, but I didn't know you were capable of such enchantments." Percy was impressed. The ship was already large for all of them, but if it allowed them more space and a better quality of life, then that was great.

"I didn't think I was capable either, but whoever your father commissioned to design the Captain's Quarters was a skilled enchantress. I simply studied the enchantments and expanded upon them, spreading them to the many parts of the ship." Calypso's smile turned brittle before she sighed, "Sadly, I did not expect the power requirements. I'm too out of the loop with the advanced techniques that witches and enchanters used back in our world. My methods are simply too primitive and need a lot of work and fine-tuning to be efficient. It's why I depend on Hylla so much, as, while she is not particularly talented in witchcraft, she is still very knowledgeable about it."

"That's still awesome. I take it that's what caused the power core to need replacement?" Calypso nodded, and Percy turned to Tyson. "How long do we have? I remember you saying it should last half a year or something."

"More than a month, less than three."

"And if it suddenly runs out?"

"All the enchantments would fail catastrophically and I can't remove them easily," Calypso said in a small voice, but Tyson grinned.

"We still have a contingency thanks to you."

"Me?"

"Yes, brother. I was thinking of strapping you inside the furnace and having you go full Lightning Mode to power the ship in the worst-case scenario. Can't guarantee your safety or sanity, though."

Percy narrowed his eyes as his brother laughed. "Ha ha ha, might as well get some blood sacrifices instead."

"Well…that's always an option."

Percy gawked at his lover, "Wait, you weren't joking?"

"I did say those pirates were already dead, and it would be a waste to let their life force dissipate to nothing. Even with all the blood magic I harnessed from the dead monster and the pirates, I still wasted too much of it." Calypso shuffled her feet awkwardly as if she were a child who was caught with their hands in the cookie jar. It was worryingly cute. "Besides, it's better than them turning into vengeful spirits or something."

"Ugh, you didn't tamper with their souls or something, did you?"

"Of course not! Just their life force!"

Percy had no idea what the difference was, but he nodded. He had no wish whatsoever to provoke whatever god of death that may or may not exist in this world, thank you very much. "Good. So what's the plan? Will you be okay out there in that lightning show?"

"Tyson and I shall go out there," Calypso explained as his brother finished his tea, walked to a closet, and brought out a couple of thick rubber suits. "While I could endure the lightning to an extent, there is no need to risk my health, especially as I will be too busy directing all that lightning to the core, at least at the start. This suit is something Tyson created – it is resistant to shock, but he will be with me just in case as he is far more durable to heat than I am."

"Good, how do you plan to get there?"

"On Leo's dinghy." She pointed at a boat placed on a depressed part of the ship, looking almost like a dry dock. "It's made entirely out of wood, so it should be fine until we reach the shore. Once on the island, I will start my work while Tyson covers my back. And no, sweetie," Calypso interrupted him before he could even open his mouth, "I would rather you stay on the ship in case something happens while I'm busy. Neither of us should ever be too far away from the ship at any time."

Percy nodded reluctantly; the pirate attack had given him a fright just by thinking what would have happened if the enemies were a tad stronger than they expected. While Percy was still awakened by the racket, he could have been too late to prevent tragedy. He and Calypso were undoubtedly the strongest in the crew, and she was right. Until the others grew more powerful, one of them always had to guard the ship and the crew, especially when danger could be hiding just around the corner.

"Alright, I suppose you are going now?" The two nodded in unison, Calypso pulling on the rubber suit over her dress; Tyson was putting on his own suit behind a privacy screen in the corner. "Okay, I will wish you good luck then."

He waited until they were fully dressed in their suits before Tyson moved towards the wall and pressed a button on a control panel. The ship's hull retracted as a gate he did not realize existed opened, allowing seawater to enter and fill the little dock that had the boat float. Calypso hopped onboard with her crystal while Tyson grinned at his shocked face.

"I just get bored sometimes and work on the occasional side project." Tyson then pointed at the control panel. "Let me show you how it works. You should close it after we leave."

Percy nodded dumbly, as Tyson explained how the docking system worked, still wondering how the heck his brother built such a mechanism without compromising the ship's hull integrity or even them realizing it!

Regardless, as he watched the two of them row away, Percy closed the watergate and then drained the excess water with his powers. He was certain there was another mechanism to get rid of the water, but he didn't even think of waiting for it.

Alone in the forges, Percy decided to check on the rest of the crew while they waited for Calypso and Tyson to return. He passed by the hold, sneaking a peak to find Lily's giant form laid down on the ground while Hylla, Reyna, and Gwen were busy with measuring tapes and lines as they jumped all over her body to take her measurements. Once again, Percy found himself shaking his head at how wonderful magic was, as he walked away before the girls could rope him into a chore.

He found Leo in the library with several books about their old world laid on the desk. The library, like many of the other rooms on the ship, was soundproofed, so when Percy opened the door, Leo flinched at the sudden sound but relaxed when he saw him. They chatted for a bit, but the Prince was clearly engrossed in reading what seemed to be books on navigation and physics, and Percy excused himself to check on their prisoner.

The cat girl was quiet in her cell, as she laid on the cot, the Celestial Bronze chains still attached to her arms. The foolish girl had tried to escape using her electric powers, a couple of days after they set her bones straight and allowed her to heal. Yet the chain merely drank all the power she could generate, exhausting her till she collapsed and most likely regretted her life choices. Percy shook his head at such foolishness; he would not judge why people would choose to sail the high seas or take up the skull and bones, Gods knew he would most likely rebel if he found himself a subject of some trashy royal.

But once they started a life of villainy, it was only natural they would be prepared to face the consequences. "Live by the sword, die by the sword," as the saying goes.

Searching for his final crewmate and his closest friend, Percy found her in the entertainment room, watching some documentary about lions of all things on the screen. Something was off, though. Percy had expected Rachel to turn to him at the sound of the door opening as the rumbling of thunder followed, yet she stared blankly at the screen.

"Rachel? Are you alright?"

His redheaded friend flinched before turning to him, her dull green eyes lighting up when she saw him. "Hey Perce, come in. Come have a seat."

Percy joined her on the couch; the girl was wearing SpongeBob-themed pajamas with her knees drawn up as she hugged them tightly. Once he sat, she moved a bit closer to him and they watched the documentary as a lion and his mate chased after a deer and brought it down before dragging it to a spot where his cubs and another lioness were waiting.

"Thanks for the pen, Rachel. It's very handy not having to change my sword into a pen." His friend nodded softly, but her smile still seemed…fragile. Percy frowned as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I'm…fine. I think." Rachel bit her lips in hesitation before glancing at him sideways. Percy squeezed her shoulder gently, and the girl sighed. "No, I don't think I am."

Percy hummed, "The battle and the deaths?"

"Yeah…I can still see the dozens of pirates I killed with my gun. How I blasted them to pieces, bits of meat and guts all over the deck." Contrary to what he expected, Rachel's voice was dull, and so were her eyes, instead of panicky. "I should have expected how deadly Requiem would be after all the tinkering me and Tyson did with her. I thought I knew, but…the human body is so fragile, isn't it?"

"Yeah, from my experience, most humans are fragile, yet they can be incredibly tough and stubborn at times. But blood and death are things that will endlessly chase us as demigods. I remember when I first entered the mythological world and started killing monsters. While they dissipated to dust, that was only when they died. Some of them take time to die, and sometimes it still feels like it was just yesterday when I tore away one of the Minotaur's horns from its head before stabbing it in the heart with it."

"…Okay, that's pretty badass." Rachel chuckled before turning to him. "And you never had problems with people dying or killing?"

"To be honest, I hardly have any skeletons in my closet." Percy shrugged, "At least not ones that I intentionally killed. I think those assassins that were after Leo and Gwen are my first true human kills. Nevertheless," he squeezed his closest friend's shoulder again and brought her for a tight hug, ignoring her squeak of surprise. "I will confidently tell you that I would be prepared to murder a thousand more men if it meant protecting my loved ones. I may not like it, but if they come to me with intent to kill, then I would tear them to pieces with my own teeth if I have to. Hear me when I say this, Rachel; I will never judge you for doing what you have to do, especially in defense of yourself and your friends."

Rachel stopped struggling in his arms and huffed loudly. "That is not how you are supposed to assuage a girl's worries, you doofus."

"Oh? How else, then?"

"For starters, you don't strangle her with a warm hug." Percy chuckled awkwardly as he let go of the girl, yet that only caused her to cling tighter to him as she dragged his arms back around her. "I didn't say you can let me go, Percy. Also, you should be telling me how you will always be by my side and never allow me to have to kill someone again…or something sappy like that."

"Hey, I'm a realist and am all for gender equality. Giving you such an empty promise is just not like me."

"Yeah, this world doesn't seem like the type to hold your hands when it comes to fights to the deaths."

"To be fair, neither was our world. We were simply blessed to live in a relatively peaceful time and place and have gods who would watch over us as we did the stupidest stunts."

"Like jumping from the Gateway Arch?" Before Percy could defend himself, the ruthless girl struck once more. "Or challenging the god of war to a duel? Or maybe taking on the heavens on your shoulders? Oh wait, it has to be when you blew up Mount Saint Helens."

"Okay, okay. I get your point. Sheesh, talk about beating a man when he's down." Rachel giggled before letting go of him and staring him in the eyes.

"I don't care about any of that equality nonsense right now, Percy. I've tasted battle and seen death, and while I'm prepared to do my part in future fights, I don't think I'm a big fan of it." She hesitantly raised her hand to hold his cheek. "Forgive me if I am abusing our friendship, but I would much prefer if you are my hero who comes to save me from the villains than me having to fight for my life."

For the first time since he had met her, Rachel looked vulnerable. Talking about and training for combat was one thing, but having a taste of it could kill the enthusiasm of any adrenaline junkie. Then, there was the fact that Rachel did not inherit the demigod ability to ignore the death and misery that comes from their divine parentage, though the girl insisted it was more like demigods were sociopaths. Percy doubted she even had their combat instincts, even if she was significantly stronger and more agile than a normal human. A part of him wanted to tell her that it was too early for her to have such a defeatist attitude that she could still grow strong and powerful with training. Yet, was it worth it to force an ordinary city girl to abandon all of her innocence and turn her into a killing machine?

Because that was what demigods become with enough time: ruthless killing machines. Nevertheless, Percy would never allow himself to descend into such depravity so as to kill for no reason.

It was then that Percy realized something crucial: Rachel never asked for any of this. Not the adventure, not to be torn away from her home…she only joined him to help her friend, him. How could she have possibly known she would forever be torn apart from her home, her school, her dreams and projects, and an entire normal life ahead of her? Calypso might have offered to stop the ritual if any of them objected, but Percy knew that Rachel was not one to force others to give up their freedom just because she was afraid.

It further hardened his heart on what to do.

He held the girl's hands and brought their foreheads together.

"I promise you that no matter what may happen, I will always do my best to be there to protect you." Rachel smiled gently, but he squeezed her hands harshly. "However, I hate the idea of you being weak and needing to be protected. If you want me to be your knight in shining armor, then this princess needs to be strong enough to hold on until I arrive from whatever monstrosity I'm fighting."

"Ugh, you're just making excuses for me to train."

"Is it working?"

"I guess."

"I will do my best to keep you out of fighting and bloodshed, but the world is hardly so kind as to always indulge us." Percy rubbed his chin lazily. "You should at least be able to fight and defend yourself no matter what, don't you think?

"Alright, I get it. I won't skive off training, whether it's with you or Calypso. I'm not like Reyna, you know."

"Hey now, the little twerp is a savant with any weapon I give her. Just like her sister."

"Do you think it has something to do with their mother?"

"Has to be. She must be some kind of goddess of war, but they don't look like Athena. Also, what's with your gun's name? Requiem? So Edgy!"

"Hey, it's called being cool! It's something you need to work on, Mr-I-Slept-Through-The-Whole-Battle."

"Hey, that's incredibly unfair, you…"

From there, they spent the rest of the night bantering and chatting about random things until Calypso and Tyson returned hours later with mixed news.

"We will have to leave the core for some time," Calypso explained as they sat at one of the kitchen tables for dinner. Rachel looked much better and was engaged in a deep discussion with the other girls about designing clothes for Lily. One thing led to the other and they all decided they would spend the next few days weaving and sewing new wardrobes for them all.

"How long are we talking about?" Leo asked worriedly, understandable as every moment wasted meant his Uncle could usurp more power.

"A few weeks but definitely no more than six," Calypso replied before quickly adding at their wide eyes. "Of course, I'm not saying we will wait that long here. Percy can always navigate us to this island later and we have enough fuel for one or two months, perhaps more if I disable some of the non-essential enchantments."

Percy nodded in assurance as Leo and Gwen turned to him, allowing the prince to relax. "Thank you, and I apologize for rushing you."

"Relax, Leo, don't ask me how, but I have a feeling that our destination is not too far from here," Rachel assured them as she enjoyed her cupcake.

With that out of the way, they finished dinner, and within the hour, they were cruising away back to G-14.

A lighter chapter full of fluff and character interactions instead of the usual action.

Rachel is the most normal part of the crew, while Calypso continues to confuse Percy.

Poor Lily and her wardrobe malfunctions. I will be changing how some of the Devil Fruits work, and this is just an example. Even if it's magic, there needs to be some sort of sense to it and consistency.

For instance, Devil Fruits don't care about TV ratings or decency. If a Zoan transforms with normal clothes, they will tear them to shreds.

Join me on Discord for discussions and to read one advanced chapter! Discord code is vN7sTYhEp6.