Drew Takes a Lie Detector Test

"Thank you all for joining us today. Hopefully, we didn't intrude on your busy schedules too much."

"Oh, get over yourself, Owl For Brains. Let's just cut to the chase."

Everyone sat around the rec room, each of us torn across various levels of exhaustion and exasperation. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Myself, Annabeth, my wives, the nymphs, Mrs. O'Leary. Everyone.

Even Sierra, disgruntled as she was, tucked herself away in a corner, surrounded by the other nymphs as they attempted to console her.

"So what's the plan exactly?" Piper yawned, rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes. "Set up a new cabin? If so, can we install a twenty four seven security system? Don't want to get taken by surprise again."

Some of the others nodded their agreement. Those of us in the know shared a miserable glance with one another.

"We're not staying," I said. "I've talked things over with Chiron. Camp is too unstable right now. He was willing to let us stay the night, but any longer is bound to cause problems."

"Problems?!" Drew spat. "Hon, what kind of problems are bigger than going homeless?!"

"Well, you have the multitude of attacks yesterday," Thalia said, kicking her boots up on the ping pong table. "Not to mention the sudden increase in requests for sexual favors. Or the ridiculous amount of gossip surrounding us."

"Wait, people are asking you for sexual favors?"

"Not me." She pointed her thumb towards Piper.

"Unfortunately, yes. Silena and I had to pretty much lock ourselves in the Aphrodite cabin just to get some peace and quiet. Sure, most of the campers were just excited to have us back. But there were a couple new campers who thought it was funny to… oh, how did they put it?"

"'Test our new skills,'" Silena said. "Makes me sick to my stomach that people who don't even know me are already asking such… vulgar things of me."

"Lovely," Reyna said. "Well, we can't also forget the lovely little prank we endured today."

"Please don't bring that up again," Phoebe said, trying to hide in her jacket.

Katie patted her on the shoulder. "I think we get the point. Most may not have a problem with us staying here, but the few who aren't will make our lives a living nightmare. If Chiron wants us out, it's for our own protection."

"Exactly," Annabeth said. "That being said, we need ideas. This is our home we're talking about. Somewhere we can actually stay safe and content."

"Aren't you the architect of Olympus?" Drew said. "Why not just move to the coast or something and build us a new house?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Because that would require time and manpower. I could whip up blueprints for a new house in a day, but the gods aren't exactly going to just let me borrow their construction teams. Furthermore, that'll take time to build. Where do you plan on staying in the meantime?"

"Think your mom would mind letting us crash at the apartment?" Rachel said, cracking a grin at me.

"You joke, but she'd probably try," I said. "But I don't think you're going to successfully stuff about twenty people into a two bedroom apartment."

"If we do," Thalia said, snatching a cracker from the nearby snack table, "I call dibs on the couch."

"We already know we can squeeze onto the bed," Calypso added, batting her eyelashes.

"Anyways," Annabeth cut in, "apartments might work short term. I still have my olympian express card, courtesy of Hazel's generous donation. But we obviously would prefer somewhere with a bit more security. This many half-bloods, not to mention a goddess, is sure to attract a lot of attention we don't want."

"Olympus, perhaps?" Khione said, her voice soft. She hunched as everyone turned to her, and tried shrinking away, but the spotlight was already on her. "I don't like the idea of living right under the Olympians' noses, but surely there are vacancies. Especially with Hera and Aphrodite no longer present."

"You want to squat in at Aphrodite or Hera's temple?" Katie said.

"No offense," Piper said, "but I really think we've had enough mingling from my mother to last us a while. Staying at her place is just inviting more trouble."

Silena and Drew nodded their agreement.

"And Hera has already proven just how low she'll sink just to get back at some of us." Annabeth leaned back in her chair. "I'd rather not invite her wrath any further."

"Still, there are sure to be some residences available, right?" Rachel leaned forward. "I'm sure Apollo could set something up. There's plenty of minor gods, goddesses, and spirits staying there."

"And if not, there's the plausibility of building a new residence," Reyna added. "Surely the gods would allow a construction team to work on that if we stay on Olympus."

"Doubtful," Annabeth said. "This little incident has already caused plenty of delays in my work schedule. There's no way they will allow me to divert resources. The fact that they aren't already yanking me back to continue my work is nothing short of a miracle."

"What's one miracle more?" Rachel snickered.

Annabeth gave her a little glare, but said nothing further on the matter. Everyone had gone quiet for a moment, each of us racking our brains for an answer.

"As much as it pains me to suggest this," Zoë said, "perhaps Artemis would be of help? This harem is obviously upsetting for her, but I do not believe she would turn us away."

"After yesterday, do you really want to risk that?" Thalia said. "Asking her to help out a harem is bad enough, but she's already proven she's on a hair trigger. One wrong move and we might risk something worse than another boar attack."

I shivered at the thought.

"And how can we know she will help us when she wouldn't even look me in the eye when I was brought back?" Phoebe said, her voice tight. "I was thrust into a harem and she just let it happen."

Thalia and Katie rubbed her back and tried consoling her while the rest of us shifted to other ideas.

"Any chance your dad could help us out?" Silena said. "If your brother built the last house, maybe we could try that again?"

"Then we'd run into the same issue as before," Piper said. "Where would we live in the meantime?"

"Well," I started. "He did invite us all down to Atlantis. I just figured you all wouldn't want to spend the foreseeable future without any sunlight."

"Yeah, that's a hard pass," Thalia said.

"I'm afraid I must also decline." Calypso's shoulders sank. "It would be a shame to have earned a modicum of freedom only to have it stripped away."

"Hence why I said no. Besides—" I stepped over to the entrance and patted Mrs. O'Leary's snout "—we can't exactly bring her underwater."

She wagged her tail, but whimpered at the mention of going under the sea. Cinder likewise chirped his dissatisfaction with the idea.

"Well we can still ask him, right?" Drew examined her nails. "If anyone will help us, it has to be him."

A light bulb went off in my head.

"Actually… We may already have some divine help on the way."

Everyone perked up their heads.

"Can't believe I only now remembered this, but I had a talk with Hestia last night…"

I relayed to them what Hestia told me about finding us a new home, and this mystery goddess who she thinks would help us.

By the time I finished, some of the girls actually had some hope in their expressions. Annabeth frowned and stared off into nowhere, obviously trying to deduce the identity of this mystery goddess.

"Even if she manages to get us help," Piper said, "we still run into the problem of finding somewhere to stay in the meantime. Unless she just pops in right now to deliver some good news…"

Everyone went quiet, as if we were waiting for that very act to occur.

Hestia didn't show.

When next someone spoke, it was with a sigh of defeat.

"I really wanted to avoid this," Reyna said. "But we might be able to set something up in New Rome. Get a couple apartments. Blend in with the populace. We might even be able to return to a relatively normal lifestyle."

"Are you sure?" Thalia said. "No offense, but we don't exactly blend in. And just about everyone there knows at least a couple of you. There's no way we'll get by unnoticed."

"We don't have to go unnoticed," Piper said. "We just need a place to stay for a few days. Long enough to figure out a more permanent solution."

"Besides," Rachel commented, "you're all war heroes. They'd probably welcome you with a standing ovation."

"Initially, perhaps." Reyna slumped in her chair, a weak smile tugging at her lips. "But once they find out the nature of our situation…"

"We don't have to tell them," Silena said. "If we each get our own apartments, they shouldn't notice."

"You forget that almost everyone was there when this harem was formed," Annabeth pressed. "They'll know exactly what the situation is the moment we set foot there."

"Do you honestly think they'd kick us out?" I asked.

"I don't know. It's a suggestion, but still."

"If they do, they wouldn't have any ground to stand on," Thalia said. "Kicking out the people who saved the world because they all happen to have sex with the same person? Not to mention that the Olympians were the ones who forced this on us to begin with. There's no way they could rationalize that."

Reyna's smile broadened. "Do not underestimate the petty politics of New Rome."

"Even then," I said. "Frank and Dakota are the new praetors. Even if we can't stay in the city, we should at least be able to stay at Camp Jupiter, right? The barracks are… well…"

"More vacant than before?" She curled her lip. "Though it pains me to admit it, there's some truth to that. Frank and Dakota are likely to shield us from the worst of the New Roman policies, but we risk repeating the events at this camp."

"You honestly think they'd do that?"

"Look at the distrust they had the moment they found out you were a Greek. Not to mention the lack of privacy we'd have because of the Lares."

"So much for the mighty discipline of the Roman legion," Rachel sighed.

Reyna shot her a glare. "However, with both Dakota and Frank in charge, I imagine we won't have to worry about the worst of it. Expect some harassment, but nothing quite like what we encountered yesterday."

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind," Kinzie said with a grin.

All eyes turned to me and Annabeth. And then Annabeth followed suit and looked to me for a decision.

"If we don't have any other ideas, then we'll just have to try this one out. I'll try to keep tabs on Hestia, but she said to wait about a week." I turned to Reyna. "Think we could last that long?"

She pursed her lips. "It will likely be a long week, but so long as Frank and Dakota are amiable to the decision…"

"Hope he doesn't hold a grudge for you making out with his ex girlfriend," Piper teased.

A collective groan was let out, along with some prayers it didn't come to that.

"So that answers where we're going," Kinzie said. "But how are we going to get there?"

I cracked a smile at Mrs. O'Leary. "I have a few friends who might be able to help."

Annabeth pinched her nose and Thalia paled. A few of the girls perked up in excitement, but the rest watched on in hopeful ignorance.

"In that case, we have everything decided," Annabeth said. "Before we leave, let's use the next half hour or so to get anything we need. Clothes. Supplies. Some travel food in case, gods forbid, this plan fails. Also, please remember to get some ambrosia and nectar!"

Everyone nodded their agreement, even Khione, who likely just wanted to enjoy a godly meal.

"In that case, this meeting is adjourned," I said. "Let's get our supplies and everything, then meet back at the amphitheater in about half an hour."

Everyone started to make their own arrangements to leave. As Annabeth flashed me an anxious smile and squeezed my hand, my attention turned to another in the room.

"Thŷella, Drew, could you stay for a bit?"

Though hesitant, Drew shrugged and sat back down with her arms crossed. Thŷella had no such reservations, offering a bright smile and a simple nod. As I should have expected, Palírroia didn't share her innate enthusiasm. Rather, she stuck to the side of caution and remained by Thŷella's side.

"What's this about, hon? You said it yourself. We meet in half an hour, and that's already not enough time for me to gather my things."

"Let me guess, you had some 'donations' from your siblings."

She flashed me a pretty smile. "What can I say? I guess everyone just loves their big sister."

Or you found some way to coerce them.

"Oh, wait a minute! Is this supposed to be our time you promised me?" She stepped forward and wasted no time in slipping her hands under my shirt. "I was expecting at least a little more setup than this, but I'll take what I can get."

In no time at all, she peeled my shirt up and raked her nails over my body.

"Mmm. On second thought, hon, this may not be a good idea. Thirty minutes is nowhere near enough time to enjoy all of this."

I bit back a grin, thankful to how clueless she was at the moment.

"That's why I asked Thŷella to stay behind." I grabbed her wrists and pushed her arms away. "To prove my point, Thŷella, could you please put your hands on Drew's shoulders?"

"Right away, Master."

Drew frowned for a moment, but made no attempt to resist. Once Thŷella was in place, she simply quirked an eyebrow.

"So we're starting with a shoulder massage?" She took a seat and crossed one leg over the other. "Hon, this is going to take much longer than thirty minutes."

Her initial reaction surprised me, but then I realized why. After all, she was wearing a camp tee shirt. Slightly modified with slits along the sides, but still, cloth wasn't exactly a very good conductor.

"Guess it needs to be skin to skin contact. Thŷella, could you move your hands down to her forearms?"

"Or I could just take my shirt off. I know you liked the view last ti— ah! What is that?!"

I smirked. "Thŷella has a slight electrical current running through her body. Not enough to shock you, but enough for you to feel the difference. With that, she can not only make you go numb, but she can also make you super sensitive. Get the idea?"

Where once she recoiled with a panicked expression, she turned to me and licked her lips.

"Oh hon, I like the way you think. Make it quick this time to do away with the curse, and leave the longer session for later. I can get behind that."

"Good, then I don't have to waste any time."

I glanced at Palírroia, who watched on with a confused frown, but I simply offered her a smile.

"We won't be too long. You can take a seat if you want, or you can leave. I'm not going to let anything happen to Thŷella."

Perhaps my words weren't quite enough to comfort her or perhaps she was just a little too conditioned to watch me after the morning's escapades, but she sat on a nearby couch and anxiously buried her hands in her lap.

I nodded in acquiescence to her unspoken choice, and turned my attention to Drew.

"So, I didn't see you around yesterday after we got here. What were you up to?"

"Oh, hon, worrying about me after our long day yesterday? Don't you worry. I was trying to see what life is like in cabin ten. They actually put Mitchell in charge of them! He's a sweet boy, but those girls are going to walk all over him!"

"That's it?" I tossed the shirt away and stepped over to her. "I'd imagine everyone would be spending more time swarming Silena."

"You have no idea, hon. Everyone was obsessing over her. Made it easy to swipe some cosmetics though."

"Then what else were you up to?" I leaned in and hooked a finger under her chin. "Because I heard you had a nice long chat with some members of the Ares cabin."

"Pfft. They wish. I may have teased some old admirers, since I'm off the market. But they'll spend the rest of their lives scratching at the door, if you catch my meaning."

I glanced at Thŷella, who reeled her head back, but stayed silent.

"Thŷella, is what she said true?"

Both of them went wide-eyed, but Thŷella quickly shook her head.

"No, Master."

"Oh, please hon," Drew said, her fingers fidgeting with her pants. "What could you know about what I did yesterday?"

"Remember what I said about her electrical current?"

She nodded.

"Well, it also gives her another unique ability. With it, she can pick up the smallest changes in your body. Every muscle twitch. Every heartbeat. Every breath. Because of that, so long as she's touching you, she can tell whenever you're lying."

Drew paled and dry swallowed.

"So," I continued, "want to try that again? Because they were pretty riled up. I put both Mark and Sherman in the infirmary, plus a few others. Especially after they were so convinced that you'd give yourself to them."

"What?! I said no such thing to them!" She crossed her arms and huffed. "In fact, I didn't even talk to those two. Too much muscle, not enough brain. Now there's this one other who may have stood a chance. Not a big chance, but a chance."

"Thŷella?"

She took a moment to turn to me, but stuttered out a reply. "The first statement was true. As was the second. Everything after that was a lie."

Drew bristled at her candor. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

She ducked her head. "You are not fully convinced in your interest in this other you spoke of. He would never have been successful if he attempted to pursue you."

I snorted. "Sounds like someone has some high standards."

Her eyes flashed, and her lips curled into a coy smile. "Fortunately for me, you meet them all. Well… at least of those I can see so far."

Thŷella grinned. "She's telling the truth… and I agree."

Even Palírroia, who has otherwise remained silent and still, voiced her agreement and fiddled with her chiton. Compared to the other two, she at least had the decency to act shy about it, whereas Drew and Thŷella wore masks of pure unadulterated confidence in what they said.

I'll admit, that little input sent my ego on an adventure into the heavens.

"We're getting off track." I leaned forward, pressing my hands to the back of the chair on either side of Drew. "Yes or no. Did you have anything to do with the attacks? The nymphs. The Hunters. Any of it. Were you behind the attempted gangrape?"

Her face blanched. "What kind of monster do you—?"

"Yes or no?"

"No! Why would you think I'd do something like that?!"

I glanced at Thŷella, who'd gone very still the moment I asked the question. She wanted to know the answer just as much as I did. Perhaps even more.

"What she said was true."

"Of course it was! What kind of sadistic bitch do you think I am? Do you honestly believe I'd do something like that?!"

"I didn't want to believe it, but I needed to check." I told her what went down in the training arena, and what Mark told me at the end of it all.

"And you seriously believed him?"

"Actually, no. I broke his knee because I was almost sure he was lying. But the thought started to fester. It was just one attack after another, and given how pissed you were after the gods denied you a chance to leave…"

Her eyes went wide. "I'm not that bad! Sure, I saw a chance to leave and I took it, but I'm not the kind to hurt someone else! Not like that!"

"I'm sure Piper's skull would disagree."

Silence.

I'd struck a nerve. She crossed her arms and shrunk in on herself.

"Now you get it. I didn't want to believe you would do something like this. Especially after all the help you gave us to rescue them. But you've done enough that I couldn't know for sure."

"Okay," she murmured, lip trembling. "Fine. I've done a lot of stuff lately. I attacked my sisters. I tried ordering around the nymphs. I tried scheming my way to the top! I did everything I could think of to become the alpha bitch in this little pack! Is that what you wanted to hear?!"

Fists shaking, tears streaming down her face, she couldn't have appeared anymore angry in that moment. Or more vulnerable.

"And it never occurred to you to just be a good person?"

All the fiery energy left her. "What good would that do me? It's not like anyone would have bought it anyways. I'm the bitch, right?! I'm the one who ruined Silena's memory! I'm the one that everyone wanted gone! Being nice would only make everyone suspicious!"

I hesitated to reply. Honestly, she had a point.

"Did you at least try?"

"What's the point?" She deflated. "Look, what do you want from me? An apology? Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg everyone for forgiveness?"

"Tempting as that might look, no. I want you to realize that there are things beyond your control. The best you can do is handle things as they come. It won't be easy. Trust me, I know. But you'll get further by being a good person than by taking out your irritation on everyone and scheming your way to the top."

She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Like that saying? What was it… You'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar?"

"Exactly. Is that so hard to understand?"

"Only one problem. I've spent so much time poisoning the honey, none of the flies trust it anymore."

"Then it's on you to teach them otherwise. But you can't convince them until you take the poison out. Only you can do that."

"I guess…" She trailed off. "I need some time to think."

She didn't even wait for me to reply before standing and marching to the door. Mrs. O'Leary wagged her tail in hopes of a nose scratch, but none came.

Though the timing may have been inappropriate, I at least had to ask.

"So you don't want to handle the curse yet?"

She stopped, turned, and fixed a torn expression on me; one part anxious, one part excited. "We kind of killed the mood. Maybe later today, assuming you aren't busy."

With that, she left. Once she was gone, I took a shaky breath of my own and turned to the nymphs.

"Sorry about that. And thank you for sticking through it all."

"There is nothing to apologize for, Master," Palírroia said, making her way over to Thŷella. "We understand."

It took a minute or two for me to collect myself enough to leave the building. Once I did, Mrs. O'Leary picked up on my mood and whimpered. With her efforts to cheer me up, namely her oversized tongue and rolling onto her back, I found myself momentarily distracted.

Oh, the infectious love that only a dog can bring…

One would think with only a half hour left before I take my harem away from camp, there wouldn't possibly be enough time for something to go astray. Right? Right?! Well, clearly the Fates had different plans in mind, because I wasn't even allowed to finish grabbing a set of clothes before things got… complicated.

It all started when a pair of light green arms wrapped around my body.

"Rose? Now isn't the time for—"

"I pledge myself into Perseus Jackson's harem!"

Now before you hold it against me, the person hugging me from behind was nearly identical in both height and build to Rose. Likewise, with only the outside morning light to help me, her skin tone was barely any different.

But the moment that higher pitched voice reached my ears, I went pale and whirled around. Doubly so when I felt this… tug. Almost like when I use my powers. But instead of putting a strain on my gut, it was more of a full body experience.

"Juniper?!"

The petite dryad grinned ear to ear and squeezed me slightly tighter. Once she let me go, she seemed incapable of holding back a string of giggles.

"I did it! I'm actually a part of the harem now!"

"What did you just do? How did you do that?! I didn't even know!"

"Guilty as charged," a new voice said. One I hadn't heard in a very long time.

Leaning on my doorframe, cracking a sly grin, hands tucked into her pockets, was none other than Lou Ellen Blackstone, councilor for the Hecate cabin.

Now I've rarely ever seen Hecate. My best memory of her was the fight we had against the giants back in Greece, but things were a little chaotic then. Her children on the other hand, I'm quite familiar with.

If Athena's staple for her children were their gray eyes, Hecate's would be for their green. Some campers claimed if you get close enough, you could see the magic swirling in their irises, but I've never gotten close enough to confirm that claim. What I can say is to never try and approach them in the dark because nothing will startle you more than a glowing pair of green eyes. Apparently, they have incredible night vision.

Beyond that, there really weren't any defining traits connecting the Hecate cabin together. Sure, there are rumors they apparently age more slowly than typical demigods, but none of us ever lived long enough to confirm that. That said, Lou Ellen did have a sort of timeless beauty to her, almost like Calypso.

Unlike Calypso, her skin was a fair bit paler, and her hair much darker, like a stream of black ink cascading down her shoulders. Also, having been able to peruse the goods hiding under Calypso's dress, I could say with absolute certainty that Lou Ellen was a fair degree smaller around the chest. Either that or she had on a sports bra. Honestly, either case was equally possible.

"Lou," I greeted. "Been a while."

"You don't need to convince me." She leaned forward, peeling herself off the doorframe. "Happy to help, by the way. Can't say I blame her for wanting to leave."

She inclined her head towards Juniper.

"Wait, what do you mean? You knew how to join?"

"Up until recently, no." She casually strolled into the cabin, taking in the sights. "Once your little… situation started, camp started falling apart. Sure, most people just wanted to go about their lives like usual, but a small group started to make a big impact. Trying to make harems of their own, through bribery, coercion, or force."

She stopped in front of the saltwater fountain, which spouted water into the shape of flying birds.

"Let me guess, they went after you."

"Yep. Obviously, the Aphrodite and Apollo cabins were hit the worst, but a lot of councilors were targeted as well. Myself, Miranda, Nyssa, Chiara, even Malcolm."

"Wait, Nyssa? I thought Jake was in charge of the Hephaestus cabin."

"He's still recovering from his run in with a mechanical dragon. Besides, let's be honest with ourselves. Jake's a little too… soft for what most girls here would want. Nyssa on the other hand, well…" She shrugged. "Personally, I never really understood the whole muscle girl attraction, but it's evidently more popular than the Pilsbury doughboy."

"Careful," I said. "Got a few girls in the harem who definitely fit that ideal."

"Which brings me back to my point. After an attempted blackmail, I started praying to my mother to help me out. Her response was much more… unorthodox than I was expecting. She started flooding me with dreams about how harems work and all that. Honestly, I had no clue how that was supposed to help me. Then you showed up yesterday."

My shoulders sagged. "Please don't tell me—"

"I'm not joining you." She grinned slyly. "Not yet anyway. I'll need to get a fair bit more desperate before I try to escape a bunch of harems by joining another."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Didn't want to take any drastic actions?" I turned to Juniper. "Sort of what I was trying to tell you yesterday."

Juniper puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. "You said to wait until today to make a decision. Well, I waited and you're about to leave, so I made a choice to join. Not that it was a hard choice, after watching you and Zoë last night."

Both Lou Ellen and I reeled back.

"Wait, what?!" we both snapped simultaneously.

Juniper's expression turned smug. "Did you forget that my tree was right next to Zeus' Fist?"

Oh dear…

"You didn't say anything about that earlier," Lou Ellen said. "Interesting. I never took you for an exhibitionist, Percy."

"Oh, he was really good. Made my decision much easier. So I talked to Zoë after you left. Caught her up on the situation and what we talked about last night. She didn't know how I could actually join, but she did help with getting me prepared."

She pulled a small black necklace out from her dress.

"After that, it was just a matter of asking people I thought would know. Lou knows a lot about magic, so…"

"Honestly, almost nobody knows. That's knowledge lost to time. If not for my mom practically spoonfeeding it to me, I wouldn't even know."

"Wait, it's that easy? You just say you pledge yourself to me and that's it?"

"On her part, yes. Why do you think this knowledge was forgotten? The gods practically buried it. It's too easy to exploit. Besides, it's not like they need harems. That would require them to actually commit to a degree."

I grumbled to myself, muttering a couple curses to my rotten luck. Of course people would just be able to join for nothing.

"But there's thankfully a failsafe," Lou Ellen said.

I perked up.

"You never said you accept."

"So she's still—"

"Still not a part of the harem."

As I took a relaxed breath, Juniper practically deflated.

"But you told me—"

"And I knew you were going to force Percy's hand." She smirked at me. "Though I have to admit, it was fun watching you squirm."

"Ever the mischief maker," I grumbled, shaking my head.

"That's me," she replied cheerfully. "But yeah, you need to use those specific words in order to actually pull it off. Pledge yourself using the full name of the person you are trying to join while in close proximity to them. Then afterwards, they have to say they accept. Otherwise, it's just hot air."

"As easy as that…" I breathed. "It's only a matter of time—" I paled and snapped my attention to Lou Ellen. "Please don't—"

"I'm not going to spill the secret. There's no fun in that. I didn't even tell Juniper the whole truth until now. Besides, why would I sell out that information when I could just… you know… take a favor or two?"

"Oh great. What is it now? If you try to make me go on a quest or something…"

"Wow, you really are dense sometimes, you know that? That's not what I'm suggesting. If things get much worse here, I want to be able to leave. Maybe not actually join the harem, but I at least want a way out. However much drama you might have in your harem, I guarantee it's not as bad as here."

"If that's true, then that's actually pretty pathetic. And wait. What makes you think I'll accept you? I haven't even accepted Juniper!"

Juniper crossed her arms with a huff, not pleased with the reminder.

Lou Ellen simply pouted and assumed a mocking prayer position. "Oh, please Lord Percy. Don't leave a damsel in distress here to suffer. I'll be a good girl. Or a bad girl, if that's what you like."

"Not helping your case," I deadpanned.

"Oh come on!" She stood. "I'm not asking you to take half the camp, which, news flash, half the camp wants to fuck you! The other half either has some sort of weird rivalry with you or is already taken. I'm just asking you to take me. What's one more person?"

She leaned her head back and rubbed her forehead. "Look, I won't pretend like I'm not interested. The idea of getting with you is exciting, sure, but that's not the main reason I'm bringing this to you. As it is, I at least have my freedom if I stick with you. Here, there's not as much of a guarantee. And, hey, If I ever did join... well… for all of the things I'm sure the others can do, I doubt any of them can do this."

Weaving her hands through the air, her image flickered and grew fuzzy. When it refocused, no longer was I looking at a pretty daughter of Hecate, but rather a very familiar daughter of Athena.

I grimaced. "Not only is that a little creepy, but do you realize how sad that sounds? You shouldn't feel the need to pretend to be someone else."

The image of Annabeth dissolved away, leaving Lou Ellen back in her normal state. "You never know when that might be useful. Ever fantasize about clones? Look, I don't care what I have to do, just…" Her shoulders sagged. "Please. I'm not saying now. It doesn't even need to be soon. But if the time comes where this place turns into too much of a cesspit for me, please don't leave me for the wolves."

"What makes you so sure that'll happen? Most of the campers here aren't involved with any of this harem drama. They can protect you."

"But will they?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Look… It's not exactly news to say I've made a couple… well… enemies might be the wrong word. But I've messed around with a lot of people. Pulled pranks the Stolls could only dream of."

If only you knew…

"If push comes to shove. If… if someone does try to force me. I doubt anyone would raise even a finger to help me. There just aren't enough people who care enough."

I went quiet for a moment, taken aback by her actually being genuine for once. "Why not take this to Chiron? He can do something about this."

"He already knows. He's been trying, but he's only one person. Mr. D doesn't care enough to do anything about it. Maybe I'll be lucky and everything will turn out okay. This whole harem fad will blow over and we can go about our lives like normal. But if it doesn't, our options are limited. In case you haven't noticed, this is sort of the only place we can go to avoid monsters."

"Not exactly. New Rome is always an option."

"Oh sure, send us to the opposite side of the country. That's a super easy trip. And to a place that we were literally just at war with. Really good idea."

"We're actually testing it out today. So if things go well—"

"Even if things go well, how am I supposed to get there? That's a several day trip at least. On top of that, while I'm no Olympian demigod, my power could put some of the other cabins to shame. Monsters will cross entire cities to track me down. Not everyone has access to a magical teleporting dog or pegasi. Not that I'm any good at riding them."

"Okay. Okay. I get it. Can we just…?" I sighed in exasperation. "Look, we don't even have a place to live. We aren't leaving because we want to. We're all but getting chased out of camp. Can you at least give us a chance to find somewhere to live before bombarding me with this?"

She went to protest, but practically deflated in on herself. "Yeah. Sorry. It's just… I'm scared. For once in this camp, I'm actually scared. And it's not because of some invading monster army or long forgotten god coming to take revenge, but because I don't want to wake up one day as a playtoy to someone I once considered my friend."

I quirked an eyebrow. "And how is joining me any different?"

"For one thing—" she crossed her arms and smirked "—if I join your group without actually joining the harem, I won't need to sleep with you. But if sometime down the road, I happen to develop feelings for you… or maybe the others… then maybe I could join willingly. It's not that I'm entirely put off by the whole notion. I just want it to be my choice."

I facepalmed and pinched my nose. "Okay. Fine."

"But," she continued, "it's pretty obvious the feeling isn't mutual. That's why I was willing to just put on a disguise or something. But if you really don't want this, I understand. I get I'm pushing a responsibility on you and it isn't fair."

She stiffly made her way to the door, turning back to me right as she reached it.

"I won't tell anyone how to join you. You have my word on that. And… I hope things work out for you. About finding a new home, I mean."

She took a grand total of three steps before my moral compass simply couldn't handle the strain.

"Wait!"

She froze. By the time she turned around, I was already at my door.

I let out a sigh. "Right now, we're looking for a place to settle down. When we do, we'll reach out to you. Maybe even come back to camp for a supply run or something. If things are still bad, and you seriously think something will happen, you can come along. Not as a harem member, but as our guest."

She nodded, a fraction of her smile coming back. "What if things get worse before then?"

I shrugged. "Iris messages are always an option. Just hope you don't call me while I'm on a pegasus."

Her smile turned slightly shy. "Honestly, I'm more concerned that I'd call while you're fucking your girlfriend or something."

"And that's a very real possibility," a familiar voice said.

As if the Fates were laughing at me, Annabeth had strolled up at the tail end of that conversation.

"Hey, Wise Girl. Am I running behind?"

"Yes you are. Everyone is already at the amphitheater. Including a very depressed individual you apparently spoke with after the meeting."

I gave her a look with a very simple meaning.

Later.

She turned to Lou Ellen. "Seeking asylum from the chaos of the camp?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"Under normal circumstances, no. After yesterday, absolutely."

She smiled sheepishly. "Look, I'm not trying to impose or anything—"

"It's not me you need to convince. Nor is it my decision. I know better than you might think about how tempting it can be to leave a bad situation behind, even if you call it home."

She blinked back her surprise. "Wait. So you don't have a problem with me joining?"

"If you were some haughty daughter of Aphrodite or Apollo, I might have had a problem, save for a couple individuals. You, I have no issues with."

Lou Ellen gave me a perplexed glance. "So… the fact that I would be sleeping with your boyfriend…"

"I'm already sharing him with almost twenty others," she grumbled. "Sure, most of them aren't likely to sleep with him very often, but still. So long as we keep things reasonable, I think I can be okay with one girl who's actually got a reason to join."

"Um… About that…"

No sooner did I say that before Juniper appeared at the doorway. The moment she did, Annabeth buried her face in her palm.

"Oh, dear gods."

Explaining things to Annabeth turned out to be more difficult than expected. So, who better to explain the situation than the very nymph who tried forcing herself into the harem? Juniper wrapped up her points shortly before we arrived at the amphitheater, by which point, Annabeth had long since traded her bewildered expression for one of mixed confliction and exasperation.

"We definitely need to hear both sides of this," she said as we made our way down the stairs of the amphitheater. "Grover was head over hooves for you for years. This behavior doesn't sound like him at all."

Juniper huffed. "I know what I saw!"

"But we only know what you say. There has to be more to this. Percy made the right call. We can bring you along, but there's no way we're letting you into the harem prematurely. Not until we hear what Grover has to say." She gave me an approving smile.

I'll admit getting her to agree with me was definitely a nice change of pace. It beat arguing with each other at every turn.

Each of the other girls seemed to have packed relatively light. Especially compared to the ridiculous loads Annabeth and I had to deal with back when the harem was first put together. Most only had a backpack or gym bag, with only Drew actually bringing along a suitcase. Shocker, I know.

While most of them were hooking up their gear to Mrs. O'Leary, Calypso decided to spend her time getting familiar with my oversized pet. By which I mean she buried herself in Mrs. O'Leary's scruff while narrowly avoiding her attempts at licking.

"She's so soft and— Whoops! So warm!"

"Are you sure she can carry all of this?" Reyna asked, blocking the sun with her raised hand.

"If we were packing weapons and armor, I would be hesitant," Zoë replied, tightening a knot on the makeshift rope harness they covered my dog in. "Given we are only taking clothes and other small necessary provisions, this should be easy for her."

"She should be fine," I said, patting Reyna on the shoulder. "Just make sure the ropes aren't too tight."

"Too tight?" Reyna said. "If she's shadow traveling, I'd be more concerned about that not being tight enough."

I shrugged. "You managed to shadow travel across the planet with Nico while he had a statue strapped to his back. This is nothing by comparison."

She pursed her lips, but relented to the point. Then her eyes drifted over to Juniper.

"Wasn't expecting anyone to see us off. Though after yesterday's reception, I'm even more surprised nobody is trying to swarm us."

"You can thank Chiron for that," Annabeth said. "He may not have absolute control over everyone, but he definitely has enough authority to reign everyone in for a little while."

"And Juniper isn't here to say farewell." I added. "She'll be traveling with us. At least for the time being."

Reyna raised a skeptical eyebrow. Zoë approached with a conflicted expression, but said nothing. The other girls voiced their concern, but Annabeth silenced them with a very brief explanation.

"We need to speak with someone who, as luck would have it, should be around the New Rome area. If all goes well, she won't be sticking around permanently."

Juniper crossed her arms and pouted. "Seriously, is it so hard to imagine I might be telling the truth? Besides, after what I saw last night, I definitely know Percy is a beast when it comes to sex."

There were mixed responses, from Thalia choking to Katie smirking, but Zoë outed herself when she rushed forward and clamped her hand over Juniper's mouth, her face bright red.

"That was supposed to be in confidence."

"You do realize she never said you were involved, right?" Silena approached with a bright grin. "Though I'm glad to know you finally took your turn."

Realization dawned on Zoë's face, at which point she silently let go of Juniper, stepped over to Mrs. O'Leary, buried her head in her thick fur, and let out a muffled scream.

Silena simply crossed her arms with a satisfied smile, but replaced it with a look of concern as she turned to Juniper.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Sure, he's great and everything, but you still have your freedom."

"With my 'freedom,' I've been stuck here for longer than almost any of you have been alive. Now I actually get to see somewhere new."

Silena went to press the matter further, but I turned away to get everyone moving. With a single shrill whistle, I summoned a stampede of pegasi. Blackjack, Porkpie, Guido… Honestly, I probably just emptied the entirety of the stables in one go.

"My lady!" Guido whinnied, cantering down to a deep bow before Reyna. "Your fabulous steed has arrived!"

Reyna may not have understood him, but she smiled and stroked his muzzle nonetheless.

"Yo, Boss! Uh, we aren't taking everyone here, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Well… Almost everyone. Mrs. O'Leary should still be able to carry a couple of us."

He brayed in protest. "Why is it that every time you call us, the groups keep getting bigger?"

I cracked a grin. "You'll be even happier to know that we're trying to go to New Rome. Over by San Francisco."

"Oh. About that… You see… I kinda hurt my wings. Yeah, not going to be able to fly anywhere outside of the camp."

I pulled out a small sack and dumped some of its contents onto my palm. "An extra two sugar cubes for everyone who makes the flight."

"Well, I mean, maybe it's not that bad. A trip to Frisco shouldn't take more than a few hours."

Despite my efforts to not groan, a few of the others were clearly able to make out my dissatisfaction.

"What's the problem?" Annabeth said.

"This is going to be a several hour flight. Not sure everyone will be able to keep it up for that long. Not to mention we're on a time limit."

She quirked an eyebrow. "By my guess, we should be there by early afternoon, accounting for the time zone shift. Should give us plenty of time to get settled in, assuming all goes well. That said…"

I dared to let a beam of hope shine through my face.

"Reyna!" she called.

With a start, Reyna stopped spoiling Guido and rushed over.

"How do you feel about shadow travel?"

She frowned. "It's definitely not my preferred method of transportation, but useful in times of great need. Why?"

Annabeth grimaced. "Because this may be one of those times of great need. The pegasi will take a few hours to cross the country. Mrs. O'Leary should be able to do that in a fraction of the time. Obviously, we won't be able to just use her without exhausting her completely."

Reyna already figured out the rest. "So you want me to go ahead of everyone and make sure we can get set up and not waste time traveling."

Annabeth nodded.

Her shoulders sagged. "Obviously, I'd prefer a pegasus, but this is a priority." She turned to me. "You should come with me as well. Not only are you in charge of the harem, but the Legion respects you."

I cracked a grin. "I guess that leaves Silena in charge of leading the pegasi."

Annabeth crossed her arms. "Yeah. Fine. Whatever. Just don't do anything stupid before we get there."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

We relayed the news to the group, most of whom weren't happy about being stuck on a pegasus for several hours. Guido was especially crestfallen at not getting to fly with Reyna. On the other hand, Silena grinned in anticipation of leading their little expedition, and in little more than a few minutes, paired up our least experienced flyers with those who knew what they were doing. Or in other words, the nymphs paired up with veteran campers, most of whom voiced their excitement about the upcoming journey.

Likewise, there were some individuals who weren't too enthused about flying.

"You're not getting me up there," Thalia said. "Flying to some mist shrouded teleporting island for a few minutes is one thing. Traveling across the entire country over several hours is another matter entirely."

"Fine! I'm not going to fight you on this. For the record, both Reyna and I agree that pegasi are the less terrifying way to travel."

Mrs. O'Leary whined and huffed at that remark.

Cinder chirped nervously and huddled against Thalia's neck. Clearly, he wasn't too enthused about shadow traveling either. Oddly enough, the opposite issue seemed to be happening with one of the pegasi.

"I don't do gods!"

Khione was struggling getting her pegasus under control. Even with Silena's help, the pegasus refused to let Khione climb on board. Something about how she would turn her into a flying ice sculpture.

I gave Thalia a raised eyebrow. Nothing needed to be said. A full minute passed before Thalia growled, slid off of Mrs. O'Leary, then went to switch places with Khione.

After a small exchange, Khione shyly approached us.

"She said I should come with you."

I merely held out my hand with a smile.

Though hesitant, she took my hand and let me pull her up with me and Reyna.

"You might want to hold on," I said. "Shadow traveling can be… an experience."

Her warm eyes went wide, and despite her shaky hands, she wrapped her cool arms around my chest and buried her face in the side of my neck. I shivered, but her soft cold skin was oddly refreshing in the late summer heat. Reyna followed suit and held onto Khione from behind.

All around us, everyone settled into position, ready to take flight.

"Be careful, Master!" Palírroia called, holding onto Annabeth.

Silena was the last to mount her pegasus, reigning in Porkpie while Thŷella cried out and clung to her back.

I gave everyone a wave and wished them a safe journey. With a mostly unanimous reply, I nodded my head, leaned down to Mrs. O'Leary's ear, and whispered.

"Camp Jupiter, girl. Let's go see the Romans."

A/N: So that all happened. Guess that brings the Camp Half-Blood arc to a close. The truth came out and Drew is off the chopping block... in a manner of speaking. So much covered in a single chapter, I can barely keep up! And yes, this is a re-upload of the same chapter. But with how much changed, I'd rather everyone actually get notified of this than have a bunch of confused readers in the future. To anyone who is unsure of what changes were made or why they were made, you are free to join the server and find out.

Which reminds me... So there are a lot of changes being made to the story. Or rather, only a couple changes, but ones that have taken a great deal of time to adjust. So far as I'm aware, the entirety of the "headmistress" and "wife" hierarchy has essentially been swapped. Even have a little explanation for how it works in the first chapter, if you choose to reread it. That said, I'm always on the lookout for any inconsistencies. If you happen to spot Piper, Calypso, or Thalia referred to as wives in any chapter, or Annabeth as headmistress, do please let me know so I can fix it. There were a lot of changes to make and a lot of material to cover so I may have missed one or two.

With the beginning of the next arc, I can only wonder what trials and tribulations the heroes will have to endure. How will the Romans receive them? Will Frank try to see Hazel? Will a Lar run around with his underwear on his head? Who knows? Well... I do of course (or do I?). Regardless, please leave your questions, comments, or concerns in the reviews. I'm always eager to see what you all think. And as always, if you'd like to have access to these chapters a week before everyone else, feel free to sign up on P atreon. Or you can hop over to the Discord server to say hello! Either way, I look forward to hearing from you. This is Ronin signing off.