A Good Day Gets Poisoned

"Damn, girl. You outdid yourself."

I shuddered, drooling onto my shirt while my tongue was blasted away with the creamy sweetness and tang of the warm blueberry muffin. Everything mixed together so elegantly. The spongy pastry swelling in my mouth, the buttery sugar crumble crunching between my teeth, the velvety custard oozing all over my tongue; it was all too much.

"Looks like you enjoyed that more than busting a load in my mouth," Katie remarked, not sounding too upset while she too enjoyed the fruits of her labor. "Not sure if I should be pleased or insulted."

"Take the compliment, would you?" Julia said, putting on a fresh pair of disposable gloves while a number of Amazons and orange-clad men rushed back and forth to get lunch going. "Also, hurry up with your own food! That's a lot of space you're taking up. And where's that other—"

"Apologies. I'm afraid I found myself lost for a time."

Phoebe marched into the kitchen, her face a mask of impassive stoicism. She strode right up to Katie and me, but once she reached us, that mask cracked.

"Where were you?" She crossed her arms, her fingers rapping along her bicep.

We both glanced toward the walk-in fridge. "We got locked up for a while."

She followed our eyes, then curled her lip. "I see. Well… be that as it may, I need to report on your handmaidens' condition."

"Not too bad, I hope."

"That varies from one to the next." She shook her head with a grimace. "Juniper and Nimba both appear to be fine for the time being. Neither are displaying any symptoms of isolation fatigue quite yet. Rose and Ashe however, are showing onset symptoms, with Ashe looking more severe between the two. Given how much she's stressed herself over Sierra, that really doesn't surprise me."

"I'm honestly surprised Rose and Nimba aren't stressing more," Katie said. "She's Nimba's sister after all. And I know Rose was beating herself up for what happened to her."

"I don't mean mentally and emotionally stressing," Phoebe said. "Though those factor in a bit, physical stressors take a much greater toll on their bodies. Particularly dryads. And nebulae are simply much more resilient, though their lives are often significantly shorter than other nymphs. Suffice to say, Ashe has been a bit overbearing in her attempts to care for Sierra, constantly on the run for anything she may need. That drains a pool of energy she doesn't have to use."

"That… makes more sense. She sees a kindred spirit in Sierra. So that doesn't surprise me." I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Okay. What about the others?"

"Admittedly… I'm not certain about Thŷella. She exhibits traits akin to a nebulae, but presents herself as an oceanid, and even stated her life source was a saltwater spring. Combining the methods I'd look for, some things stick out. If I was correct in my diagnosis, she's in a rather sorry state. Worse than she should be, at least."

"Is it bad? Like, anchor her back to the world now type bad?"

"Not quite. She has a short while to go still, but she's heavily fatigued. And she tells me she hasn't been sleeping, but wouldn't elaborate why."

"I'll have to talk to her then. Though given what you've already said, I'd guess Sierra is in rough shape."

"You are correct. By far, she's in the worst condition out of all of them. Her failing health is a source of stress for all of them. Nebulae are generally very resilient, second only to oreads. But she's endured far more than she had any right to. Using her as a benchmark for the rest, I would say she has three days at most before she's no longer alive."

Icy fingers crawled up my spine, leaving me shivering as the news set in. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Beyond tethering her back to the natural world? None that I'm aware of. That was the only method the Hunt used, and though we had a number of close calls, we never let their conditions get even this severe."

My fist clenched, smashing what remained of my muffin. "Oh, jeez. I, uh… ugh." I took a breath and tried salvaging what was left. "How's Palírroia? Is she at least holding up?"

She hesitated. "Of all nymphs I've known, rarely have I seen any quite as resilient as her. The pain she's endured, and yet she still puts on a masterful facade of contentment." She joined Katie in slipping on her kitchen apparel. "However, I looked for traits she cannot fake. Blown out veins in her eyes, the failing of her nails to return to their proper shade when squeezed… and more. While I cannot say she is in as bad shape as Sierra, she is not too far behind. Though she refuses to let anyone see it affect her."

My head hung low. "Yeah… That sounds like her. It's just… I literally just met with them before coming to see you here. They didn't tell me…"

"They probably don't want you to worry," Katie said, wrapping a gloved hand around my arm. "Not to mention they probably trust that you'll have this solved before they have no choice but to tell you."

"Great. No pressure." I sighed. "Alright. Moping won't help. So besides getting their sources back to where they should be, there isn't any other option?"

"If I knew of another, I would tell you," Phoebe said. "Artemis was the one who perfected the ritual."

"What about the original ritual?"

She grimaced. "The original involved carving directly into the skin of the nymph in question. It was… archaic, cruel. The only saving grace is that their skin healed once the ritual was complete… assuming everything was done correctly. Beyond that, Artemis was not forthcoming with information.

"It's possible Zoë might know something, but I'd doubt it. However… Though it pains me to say it, the Amazons may have further information in their archives. I wouldn't know where to begin though. And… well… because of this delay, I'm going to be busy for a while." She gestured to the oversized skillet Katie was tossing onions into.

"Can't say I've seen Zoë today, but the archives should be simple enough. Push comes to shove, Annabeth could use a break from her blueprints."

"Pfft. Some break. Go from designing a house to digging up life saving information."

"Believe it or not, that is more or less how she operates." I turned back to Phoebe. "But let's say the worst should happen. Could getting their source back to the natural world reverse this?"

"Yes. It is the only guaranteed method. But I'd caution you on your decision. Their life sources will not heal instantly. It could take weeks for them to recover, if not longer, depending on the environment. Even the best, assuming all goes perfectly, could take a week."

"Then we delay things for a few weeks. I'm not trading their lives for our convenience."

"Good." She flashed me the slightest half-grin. "Though by the Fates' mercy, we will not have to come to that. Given how little time we have, I would encourage you to start your search for information. Anything you uncover could prove invaluable."

"No argument there." I hugged Katie from behind while she tried not to lose her grip on her skillet, then offered a curt nod to Phoebe. "If anyone needs me, I'll be with Annabeth doing the most painful thing I can think of. Studying."

Katie snorted. "I can think of much—"

"You!"

All heads snapped toward the entrance of the kitchen, where a familiar Amazon pointed a spear in our direction. One of Hylla's personal guards.

"Hey! Get that crap out of my kitchen!" Julia knocked the spear aside with one hell of a backhand, but our new guest paid her no mind.

"Forget the niceties," she retorted. "Where have you been?! Our queen requested your presence over an hour ago!"

I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow. "Locked in a fridge?"

"You can thank maintenance for that," Julia huffed.

"And look, if she wants to talk, then fine. I'll head over and explain—"

"It's too late for that, son of Poseidon!" She steamrolled past Julia, jutting her spear toward my confused face. "While you were delayed, the queen was poisoned!"

Yeah… So I had to take a bit of a detour. Instead of rushing over to the silent serenity of studying… Eugh… I instead found myself ushered along at spearpoint by an overly suspicious guard.

"Okay. I get taking precautions, but if you think I did anything, then why are you leading me toward the queen?"

"Because, though I may loathe the idea, your presence was the last of her known instructions. A number of us have been searching for you."

True enough, it didn't take long for another guard to join us while I was escorted toward the queen's bedroom. Another guard stood watch outside, opening the door long enough for us to enter, then pulled it shut.

I didn't get the luxury of taking in the scenery, aside from the luxurious bed dominating the back-end of the room. One I guessed Hylla had intended on using to carry out our private negotiations. Instead, my attention was pulled toward the others present.

Hylla was laid out in her bed, hooked up to a familiar nectar IV drip. Two other Amazons tended to her, one injecting some kind of medicine into the IV bag while the other was in the process of pumping her stomach.

That wasn't pleasant, but not overly surprising. The same could be said for the guard standing watch inside the room.

What caught me off guard was Kinzie, Thalia, and Reyna all at her bedside. The former of the three down on her knees and clasping the queen's hand, much to the chagrin of the medics.

"What…?"

There were too many questions bubbling up all at once. What happened? What caused this? What can we do about it? What asshole do I need to introduce Riptide to?

Thalia was the first to see me, her expression grim. "Tetrodotoxin. She knew about your birthday. Put together a late breakfast for you. When you didn't show, she figured she may as well enjoy it."

A shiver traveled down my spine.

"So… that poison…"

"It was meant for you too. And… probably the rest of us."

Reyna growled, sealing her eyes shut. "This is why we need to know what her plan is! If we knew this was going to happen…"

"Woah, take a step back for a second. How do you even know any of this?"

Thalia tightened her grip on Reyna's hand and pulled her away from staring at her sister. "Because we were eating with her. She had the first of the omelets. She knew something was off because she said her lips were tingling. When she started drooling and slurring, we knew she'd been poisoned. She was on the ground before we managed to get her help."

"If anything, the acute symptoms may have helped her." The medic tending to the IV checked the mask of her ventilator. "It was one hell of a dosage. If she'd gone cold when no one was around, we'd be having a very different conversation."

"So she'll make it?"

"So long as she can make it through the next eight hours or so, yes. We have all we need to flush her system. Just… be thankful you didn't all wind up with it as well."

"Don't they have food tasters and stuff like that for this reason?"

"There was," Kinzie said, her voice hoarse. "That's the problem. The food was checked. In the minutes or so between the tasting and the time it was delivered, someone managed to spike it."

"Which makes even less sense when you consider the event," Reyna said. "Hylla told us she only decided on this earlier today. No one should have known about this."

"No one but the cooks," a new voice said.

We turned to find Theora standing at the door. She marched toward Hylla, her gaze steely and calculated.

"And a select couple of messengers. Any of them could have delivered this information. Unfortunately, she has a lot of enemies, both in and out of the empire."

"You didn't see this coming?" I said. "Isn't that kind of stuff your job?"

She spun on me and leveled a snarl that rivaled my wolf stare in effectiveness. "And what good would that do if the queen decides to make a last minute decision? I do my job well, but I can't be everywhere at once. Nor can I spend all of my time hovering over every detail of her life!"

Huffing, she tried leveling me down with her glare, but once she saw I wouldn't take a step back, she in turn cleared her throat and faced her queen once more.

"Either way, it won't take long to find the culprit. Even the taster is being investigated as we speak. That said, we need to keep this quiet."

"Quiet?!" Reyna turned on her. "Your queen was poisoned and you just want to keep this quiet?!"

"Her enemies among the Amazons will look for any opportunity to pounce. She's in the most vulnerable position she's ever been in. Do you want someone paying her a visit while she's like this? Why do you think I had you all brought here? We need to put up a smokescreen. So far as anyone else is concerned, you all are involved in some heavy negotiations about your budding alliance."

"If you're worried about keeping this down, then it's already too late for that." I shrugged. "The guard who brought me here wasn't exactly keeping her voice down."

"Great." Theora pinched the bridge of her nose. "As if this wasn't difficult enough. Look, you all just need to stay here while the queen is on the mend. Once she's awake, you can leave unless she says otherwise."

"I can't stay here," I insisted. "Not with the crap I've got going on. Unless you can just hand me all of my research on a silver platter."

She smirked. "Don't forget who you're talking to. What research?"

"The nymphs. They're… not doing well. We're trying to find out if there's a way we can treat them and delay how long they need before getting anchored again."

"That's… admittedly outside of my realm of knowledge. But I can probably pull something together. Just give me some time, and I'll—"

"Time is something we don't have," Kinzie said, pulling herself up to stand by Hylla's bedside. "You're talking about that ritual, right?"

Thalia grimaced. "We are going longer than we should have…"

"Do you know about it?"

Kinzie shook her head. "Not really. Whenever we recruit nymphs, we take a more literal method of transporting their life source. We may have uprooted boulders and trees a number of times."

I pulled at my hair. "Either way, we need a solution. Phoebe thinks we might be able to find an answer about it if we can trace back to the origin of the ritual. The one used before the Hunt adopted it."

"Skin carving," Thalia spat. "Fucking barbaric. Thank Artemis for not having to go that far."

"Skin carving goes further back than even people," Theora said. "I can go through the archives, but I won't make you any promises. You'd need to speak to a god for something like that."

"Or goddess," Kinzie said, her eyes snapping to me. "Fortunately, you happen to have one on hand."

"Khione," I said, hanging my head. "Isolated as she was, I won't hold my breath. Honestly, the same could be said for Calypso. Though she probably knows less than the hunters. Still, I'll ask and go from there."

"Very well," Theora said. "I'll see what can be found in the archives. You head out and speak to who you must. But should anyone ask, the queen is dealing with some matters pertaining to organizing responsibilities with the new alliance. For that very reason, I'd suggest sending Annabeth here. It'll help further cement the ruse."

"And she'll just be able to walk on in with no one stopping her?"

She pulled out her PDA and swiped through a few spots before jotting down an electronic signature. A few taps later, she handed me a small card.

"Technically, only the queen would be able to offer this kind of access. But fortunately, forging documents is a bit of a trade specialty. Now if anyone stops her, she can simply show them this. They scan it, and it'll prove she's serving as an ambassador, and has special access to otherwise off limits areas, including here."

"You've got this all figured out," Thalia said.

"Unfortunately, this kind of stuff isn't too rare. Not to this extreme, but still. Who do you think covered for the queen while she was off in New Rome?"

Reyna narrowed her eyes in Theora's direction, then took Kinzie's earlier spot by Hylla's side. She whispered into her ear, but I couldn't hear what she said.

"The rest of you need to stay for the time being. At least until she's conscious and talking again. But you." She turned to me and began guiding me to the door. "You have your own agenda to deal with. As do I. So let's not waste any time."

Tracking down Khione took much longer than it should have. Granted, she wasn't exactly hanging out in any of the spots I would have thought to look. In fact, if not for the fact that I was all but waved down, I would have missed her completely.

"Hey, hon! Care to join us?"

Drew's voice carried a good distance. I was desperate enough to check the pool area behind the fitness center, which just so happened to have two hot tubs in opposite corners of the room. One of which was occupied by two of three daughters of my least favorite love goddess.

Both Piper and Drew looked a bit out of place in the room, what with their relatively less athletic builds compared to the olympic level athletes surrounding us in a wide array of swimsuits. Between the two of them, Drew looked far more at home, donning a white bikini and relaxing against the jets of water shooting into her back. Piper wore a familiar looking maroon bikini, just a bit more modest in coverage than Drew's. Though while Drew spread her arms out and relished in comfort, Piper eyed me with an expression I couldn't quite figure out.

Worry? Hunger? Fear? Lust? Honestly, I couldn't tell if she wanted to run away or jump me right then and there.

So instead, I jumped right to the point.

"Have you two seen Khione around recently?"

They shared a glance and both pointed toward the clear glass wall lining the back of the room. On the other side was the spa, where a number of Amazons were in the middle of getting massages, manicures, pedicures, and more from both other Amazons and some of the men, though they opted for red jumpsuits over the normal orange. Among them though was Khione, who was in the middle of what looked like a very thorough hair treatment by one of the men, along with another taking a pumice stone to her feet in a small tub of water. In spite of the luxury treatment, she looked ready to jump out of the seat at any second.

"She's spent thousands of years living in a winter hellscape. We figured it was about time she discovered what the lap of luxury could feel like." Drew reclined with a self satisfied grin.

"Your idea, not mine," Piper said. "But… she's definitely distracted. So props for that."

"Careful, hon. It almost sounded like you were giving me a compliment."

"Don't get used to it."

I shook my head and waved my hands. "Okay. Step back. Distracted from what?"

Piper grimaced. "Even if it was a winter hellscape, it was still all Khione really knew. She's… homesick."

Shoulders drooping, I let out a sigh. "I can't blame her. It took a lot to not stay back at my mom's apartment when I saw her."

"I'm sure Calypso would have supported that idea," Drew said, donning a coy smile.

"No argument there. But still, I get where she's coming from. Any full blown mental breakdowns yet?"

"Not exactly," Piper said, crossing her arms. "But she'll space out every now and then. Give her a little bit and she'll start crying. Nothing too severe, but still."

"I'll talk with her then."

As I moved toward the spa, Drew reached out and grabbed the bottom of my pant leg. "Oh, come on. Just let her have this little bit of time to herself. She seems to be enjoying it now."

She nodded toward Khione's direction, and sure enough, the goddess relaxed a fair bit compared to a couple moments prior. She even seemed to be talking to one of the Amazon attendants, who took to filing her nails.

"They said the whole process shouldn't take longer than a half hour or so," Piper chimed in. "After that, she said she wanted to try the hot tub."

"I just hope she doesn't take too long," Drew said, holding up her hand. "I don't want to be all pruney when I get out."

"Who's there to show off for?" Piper curled her lip. "The Amazons? They're not exactly impressed. We are a fair bit softer than they are."

"Don't sell yourselves short," I said. "I know I'm probably really biased, but you're both knockouts."

Piper flushed and sank a bit into the water while Drew beamed.

"And still such a charmer. Well, if my pruney fingers aren't enough to keep you away, maybe you should join us. You can talk with Khione in a little bit."

I took a lingering look over in Khione's direction, my fingers fidgeting with the belt loops of my jeans; which Drew took little time in relieving me of.

"Come on, hon. You getting all jealous watching other men with their hands all over your precious snow goddess?"

I didn't even realize she had my pants down to my ankles. "Woah. What the?"

"Drew!"

SPLASH!

That water wasn't very deep. Had I been literally anybody else, I would have smashed my head over the ledge in the hot tub and turned the water red. As it was, I managed to slow myself right before a very bad accident.

Irritation written on my face, I broke the surface of the water while Piper scrambled to pull me up.

"Drew… Don't ever do that again."

She snickered, oblivious to how badly things could have gone. "Fine, fine. Though now you don't have any reason not to stay. Not like your clothes will be dry anytime soon."

I willed myself dry and did the same with my clothes, all of which I put into a less than neat pile off to the side.

"You were saying?"

She rolled her eyes, and elected to make up for her screw up by cuddling up next to me and draping her legs over mine.

"You didn't answer the question. No jealousy whatsoever?"

I pursed my lips. "Just because I'm technically in charge of you doesn't mean I plan to keep you all locked away in a tower somewhere. No one said you can't have social lives."

"There's a difference between social and intimate." She leaned her head on my shoulder with a saccharine smile and flicked her hand in Piper's direction. "For example. Let's say Dumpster Queen here wanted to get a little side action. Maybe you just got too caught up with everyone else. Maybe Jason came back and said the right things at the right time."

Piper squawked, going rigid as she gaped at Drew's words. "Excuse me?!"

"It's just an example, hon. No need to ruffle your feathers. Unless of course you already have something going on. Did I strike a nerve?"

She crossed her arms. "I'll have you know, I am very good at controlling my libido. Just because someone can't imagine a day without spreading her legs doesn't mean I have to."

"Girls, seriously. Isn't this kind of stuff below you at this point?"

Piper pouted while Drew preened. Of course, that turned into a yelp when I slapped the expense of milky thigh peeking above the water.

"You stop trying to get a rise out of her. You were doing good. No need to start acting up now."

She joined Piper in pouting. "Just having a bit of fun."

I shook my head. "And to answer your question, I trust you all to make your own choices. At the end of the day, you were all forced into this. And… as much as I don't want to say it, rightfully speaking, you do still have the ability to look elsewhere. Just… if you do, let me know. That way I know not to keep things up."

"Ahhh. So it's either under your sheets or out on the streets?"

"I'm not going to kick you out. But that doesn't mean I have to keep sleeping with you if you decide to find someone else."

"Don't worry, Percy." Piper leaned forward and grabbed my hand. "You know we wouldn't do that. Isn't that right?" She turned to Drew.

She curled her lip. "As if I'm going to pass on getting stuffed by this stud? Please. Besides, I'm pretty sure all of those guys are on a pretty tight leash. One step out of line, and they'll be eating out of a tube for the next month."

"Which is one of the biggest reasons I'd rather not stick around," Piper said, crossing one leg over the other and bobbing it just enough to break the surface of the water. "Slave states don't exactly suit us, regardless of the technicalities of the harem."

"Slave? You think these guys are forced into this? Hon, please. Nothing is stopping any of them from leaving. They're here because they want to be."

"So they want to be battered down, collared, and forced to submit to everyone around them with two X chromosomes? No offense, but I find that highly unlikely."

Drew shrugged, leaning further into me. "Who are we to judge people's life choices? I'm not losing sleep over a guy who wants to get stepped on."

"And you really think they want that? You think they want to walk around in prison uniforms, complete with a literal tracking collar?"

"Maybe they have really good healthcare?" Drew stroked my arm and pulled it to rest my hand on her thigh. "Besides, just because we don't understand all of it doesn't mean it's bad for them. Think about people who like cuckoldry. I sure don't get it, but does that mean that we should force everyone who likes it to get therapy?"

Piper's shoulders sagged. "That doesn't seem like a fair comparison, but I'm obviously not getting anywhere with this."

"Agree to disagree then." Drew preened, dragging my hand along her thigh until I finally started rubbing it of my own accord. "In other news though, I really wanted to show off these new tops I found."

The next ten to fifteen minutes passed into relatively less tense conversation. Admittedly, I was still a bit wired from recent events to add too much commentary. Still too focused on my need to speak with Khione. But Piper and Drew seemed much more amicable towards one another when subjects weren't quite so serious. Heck, Drew even expressed an interest in letting Piper teach her how to surf.

But after enough time passed, we managed to wait out the wrapping up of Khione's spa treatment.

"I'll admit it, that was perhaps some of the most thorough pampering of my life."

Khione approached us with a sway in her step and a bright smile on her lips. Her mane of hair, which was already luxuriously silky, shimmered under the bright lights and bounced with vibrant life. She wasted no time in stripping herself down to a white bikini, not dissimilar to Drew's, and joining us in the tub. At first she sat by Piper's side, sharing some hushed conversation. Then, with a bashful grin, she crawled around the tub to take her place on my side, opposite of Drew.

The moment she made contact, she wasted no time in cuddling against me, humming her satisfaction. And I took no time reciprocating, pulling her in by her waist and rubbing her hip. Perhaps even taking a chance to feel her hair, which felt like running my fingers over the fur of a baby rabbit.

"Aww. How cute. Even the ice queen has a warm spot in her heart." Drew cooed and patted Khione's head, which resulted in no reaction from the goddess.

"Don't make this weird." I pinched her thigh.

"Eep." She huffed. "I'm gonna make it as fun or uncomfortable as I want. Call it payback for what went down a couple nights ago."

"That… was an accident. But still. Don't forget who you're talking to."

"Sorry, hon. Can't use that card anymore. This cute booty is curse free."

"Not what I meant."

"Oh, come on. It's not like you'll– Hey! Wha- what is this?!"

Her arms locked to her sides, and her back did the same to the side of the tub. The water wrapped around her, holding her in place all below the surface.

Piper snorted. "Someone's been practicing."

I shrugged. "Maybe a little. Though I've been trying to master this."

I lifted my hand from Khione's hip and curled my fingers into an open fist, forming an "O" with them all. The water from the jets to Piper's side spiraled into one another, then thrust forward into a constant stream of pressure right between the underside of her crossed thighs.

"Wha- uuungh… Ohhh…" Her teeth clamped down on her lip while her eyes darkened and glazed over. Shuddering from the best underwater vibrator experience I could give her, Piper squealed as she teetered closer and closer to an unexpected orgasm. "P-percy… Not… here… Please. This isn't the… time."

I let up on the assault, returning my hand to Khione's hip, and freed Drew from her restraints. Meanwhile, Piper tried to collect herself, panting and flushed, her eyes boring into me with equal parts rage, lust, and anxiety.

Before she could lunge at me to either fight me or fuck me, Khione interrupted with a yawn and pawed at my chest.

"Warm… Need… Out… Sleep…"

Piper deflated and Drew smirked.

"Well, you wanted to talk with her. Not sure how long of a chat you were planning to have, but she's all yours. I'm gonna just lift my butt up to the jets and see if I can't get a taste of what you just gave Dumpster Queen."

"Right. Try not to hurt yourself. Or get kicked out from moaning too loud." I stood up, pulling Khione into a bridal carry while she mewled into my chest. "In the meantime, I think this one needs her afternoon nap."

"Feeling okay?"

I strolled through the halls of the warehouse, taking a roundabout way back to the rooms. Whatever it took to get some extra time with Khione. Thankfully, she was light as freshly fallen snow.

"At the moment, I'd reserve my state as somnolent. Though I don't believe this is what you were asking."

"Not quite."

A couple Amazons spared us a glance, smirking as we passed by. Yeah, they probably had a very backwards idea about the roles of our relationship.

She sighed, nuzzling my chest as her arms draped over my neck. "My father was cruel and my brothers were imbeciles, but they are still my family. I don't lose sleep over much, but having my father surrender me on a serving platter to the Olympians does keep me up at night."

I grimaced, marching us past the stairs toward her room, though I don't think she noticed. "No offense, but…"

"I know. I betrayed him. I surrendered any right to his mercy. Or the gods' for that matter. It's not a rational feeling, but I cannot help it. Brutal as he may have been, he was still my only true source of stability. We can't choose our family."

"Believe me, I know how you feel." I led us by the commissary, taking in the smells of half a dozen different food joints. "I had to face that reality years ago when the Olympians debated about killing me. And again when Calypso made me question everything I considered good about my life."

"It's not a good feeling," she said, tugging at the collar of my shirt. "Knowing you're on the wrong side. Knowing that, through victory or defeat, you will lose. But when you have to choose between the only family you know and doing what the rest of the world considers good, how can you choose?"

"Hopefully, you won't have to make that choice. But there is something you could help me with that won't compromise either side."

She turned her coffee brown doe eyes up to me, bleary and glazed.

"Do you know anything about a ritual to uproot a nymph's life source?"

Her eyes darted away. "You are referring to your handmaidens."

"Yeah. They aren't doing well, so we're looking for anything that might help them. Aside from obviously putting their sources back to where they should be."

She gulped. "You believe I would not have to compromise my family for this, but…"

"So you do know something?"

Leaning into my chest and taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip on my neckline. "Not much. But… Do you know how I was born?"

"Like in the literal sense? You're not like one of Athena's brain children, right?"

"No. Not that. I mean…" She deflated. "My mother was a princess of Athens, Oreithya. My father was smitten with her, but she rejected his advances. Time and time again, he tried to win her over, but she wouldn't budge. 'Like trying to lead a reindeer to a watering hole,' my father would say. But… he never took rejection well. So he came down in a blizzard and kidnapped her. Spirited her back to his home and had his way with her. I was the result. My brothers as well later on."

I set my jaw and bit back my urge to make a scathing comment. "Zeus isn't much better. But that has nothing to do with you as a person."

She lifted her hand from my collar and stroked my cheek, which quivered under her icy touch. "Well… my mother was mortal in the beginning. Zeus granted her godhood in time for my conception, but due to a later offense, she was stripped of her immortality before my brothers were born. Only through my father's influence were they later granted immortality, but he could not go directly against Zeus. No one can."

"You don't need to convince me. What did she do to get her immortality stripped?"

"Something about my father trying to step in for a storm that Zeus wanted Notus to cause. The damage the two of them caused when clashing was… insurmountable. But as he needed all of the winds as they were, Zeus went after what my father cared for most. My mother. It was only a matter of time before she died. My father tried again to court another, resorting to capture once more, this time with Iris."

"Huh. Weird goddess. Cool, but I'm not touching any of her muffins."

"But I'm sure you can see a pattern here. Granted, Iris was rescued by Heracles, but the point remains. When the time came, he began doing the same with nymphs. He'd grown tired of pursuing a potential wife. At this point, he cared only about gratification."

"So he forced himself on the nymphs."

"Not always. He'd resort to wooing them at first. Some reciprocated, but those who didn't endured a worse fate. He used the ritual you know of. Dragged them back home, then made them dependent on him for survival."

"The more I hear, the more I feel like paying your dad a visit, if you want to see him again."

"Please, I… there is a point to this. Though I promise you, it is unpleasant."

"I don't doubt it. But alright, keep going."

At this point, I'd already circled the hallways enough to get weird looks from the guards, so I elected to carry Khione up to the catwalks.

"The environment is not ideal for nymphs to survive. Oreads could manage, as could nebulae. But my father most craved dryads. The ones furthest from his influence. So when the time came for their captivity, they often would not last long, in spite of his painstaking efforts to keep them alive."

"A lot of good that did them."

I kicked open the door and marched us over to her bunk. Though she could have laid back into the bed, she instead remained curled up on my lap as I took a seat.

"Given enough time, my father did find a method. A pattern of sorts. The more he favored them, the longer they seemed to last. At first, I believed it was some twisted reward system, tending to the needs more carefully of those who were more willing to accept him. Or perhaps even a blessing of sorts. But I doubt my father would give blessings to those who fought him every step of the way."

A cold fist wrapped around my gut. "I can't even imagine what that would be like. If my dad did that, I don't know what I'd do."

"I will admit to my complacency, but the point I mean to say is this. I believe it was his… divine essence that prolonged their lives. Even my mother lasted longer than a mortal should have. Decades longer. But the nymphs he took more often lasted longer than those who didn't. Dryads outlived oreads at times, which is nigh unheard of."

"Wait… so… you're saying—"

"In crass terms, I believe my father quite literally fucked life back into the otherwise fading nymphs."

I balked. That cold fist released my stomach and punched it before running its fingers up and down my spine.

"So, in theory… I could keep the nymphs going if I sleep with them. Even if it's just to delay their symptoms."

She pulled her knees up to her chest. "It is my belief. I cannot say how it works exactly. But I have been around long enough, and my father has brought home enough nymphs for me to say that it works."

"... That…complicates things. And also makes them simpler all at once." I buried my face in my hand. "Damn it."

I mulled over the possibilities, and honestly, I should have thought of it sooner. Looking back at my time with Palírroia and Thŷella, not to mention what Hestia told me about giving them a literal life boost. I probably should have figured it out sooner.

Only one problem. If what Phoebe said was true, then Palírroia and Thŷella were both still in rough shape. So something wasn't quite adding up. Even with Khione's help, I still needed to get some research done.

"Thank you," I finally said. "I know that wasn't easy to tell me. But you may have just saved all of their lives."

She let me lay her in the bed and pull a blanket over her. "Consider it paying off my past sins. I owe them that much at least."

Once she had the blanket pulled up to her chin, I leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek. Granted, it was a bit instinctual, so I wasn't planning for much. But as I leaned in, she turned her head to catch me with her lips. Not some passionate mutual throatfucking with our tongues. She couldn't muster the energy to even try that. But as chaste and delicate as it was, she drew out every second possible, a soft sigh fluttering from her nose and dusting my face with a wintry fog.

Softly, our lips parted from one another, their flesh clinging to one another until we stretched them taut to break free. Even in the otherwise silent room, no smack of our lips gave us away. She laid her head back on her pillow, her cheeks a dusty gold. But she didn't utter a word as she began to doze off, instead leaving me staring at the wall and piecing together what just happened.

We parted, her to finally get a much needed nap, and me to get information. I closed the door behind me, and let my head rest against it. One step closer. And while I'm busy worrying about this mess, poor Reyna was still probably stuck panicking over her sister.

Well, no time to mope.

I took a breath and headed toward the end of the catwalk… only to pause at the sounds of giggling.

The door to one of the nymphs' rooms was partially cracked open. Not nearly enough to see the inside, but more than enough to let me hear everything going on inside.

"See?" the voice of Juniper said. "It's not as bad as you think."

"Alright, alright," Sierra replied. "If it'll get you off of my back."

Curious, I pulled the door open enough to peek my head inside.

"Olympus, give me strength."

All before was an expanse of exposed flesh. Every nymph I'd grown familiar with, seven in total, all filled the small room. Some standing around. A couple taking up the bunks, both upper and lower. And each of them were completely naked.

Sierra, at Juniper's behest, was in the middle of dropping her chiton from her shoulders the moment my eyes could soak in the view. That also meant her back was turned to me, instead facing Juniper. However, I can't say the same for Juniper herself, whose eyes lit up the moment she spotted me.

"Hey, Percy! What do you think?"

Everyone's attention turned to me, including a squeaking Sierra, who scrambled to try and pull her chiton back up, but only ended up tripping herself and falling into Juniper.

"Master!" Palírroia flowed her way forward, draping her hands over my face and pulling me into the room. "Have you come to further celebrate the day of your birth?"

My throat went dry. "That… that wasn't the plan. What… um… what's with all of this?"

"Juniper wanted us to try this," Nimba said, grinning down at me from her bunk. "She was right. This is freeing. And so comfortable!"

Rose pulled her back from throwing herself off the bed in her excitement. "We hope this isn't an issue."

"And if it is, I take full responsibility." Juniper marched right up to me, her slender body on full display for me.

Unfortunately, she was really pretty. Delicate and willowy, she made her way over on dainty feet. In spite of her short stature, her legs seemed elegant. A smooth expanse of pale green skin joined at a gentle flair of her hips, pinched together at a tiny waist. Between them were the small and delicate petals of her most sinful flower. Her taut and firm belly laid out the carpet for a pair of perky breasts, both a near perfect handful. She reached out her thin arms, wrapping her nimble fingers around my sleeve.

She arched back her graceful neck, looking up at me with her gentle elvish features. Those big bright green eyes hinted at her trepidation, but she put on a brave face regardless.

Grover… I'm so sorry…

"It's… it's fine. This is just a lot to take in all at once."

"Tongue tied," Ashe teased, cupping her hefty breasts and jiggling them in my direction. "I can't say I blame you."

"If it is too much, Master, we can all don our clothing once more." Palírroia stroked my arm.

I cleared my throat, my voice ending up deeper than I intended. "Like I said, it's fine. Just… What's the reason for it? You've never done anything like this before."

Juniper bounced on the balls of her feet. "I'm sharing a little bit of what things were like for free spirits back at camp."

"Hold up. You've never done this at camp."

She rolled her eyes. "Not in front of the campers. You all have such weird hangups about it. So Chiron said we're not allowed to do it with any campers nearby. If we're on our own though, no harm done."

I tried to retort, but honestly, the logic made sense. Not sure whether or not that revelation disappointed me.

"Alright, fine. It's funny that the moment you got the chance, you took it though."

Juniper darted her eyes away and fidgeted with her grip on my sleeve. "Well… we didn't know you were coming by. After Phoebe left, we thought we had some time to ourselves."

"That's actually part of why I came by. She more or less reinforced what you all told me before, but apparently most of you are worse off than expected. Especially you three." My hand rested on Palírroia's back, brushing over her scars while she pressed herself closer to me. At the same time, I turned to Sierra, who gave up on trying to cover herself and plopped down on a bunk right next to Thŷella.

"Look, I want you all to be honest with me. Forget the whole 'master-servant' relationship we're stuck with for the moment. You say the word, and we will find a spot outside to get your life sources where they should be. I don't care if it moves our timetable back. Your lives are way more important."

All of them went quiet. Each of them, bar Thŷella, looked to one another in silent conversation.

"You told us already to come to you when we need to," Ashe said, her stern expression at odds with her nude figure.

"It's not comfortable, but we'll manage," Nimba said.

"Though if you want, we wouldn't be opposed to you checking on us," Rose added. "Even if it ends up with other services rendered."

Palírroia guided my gaze with her palm on my cheek until it was locked with her dulling purple irises. "We will manage. I swear to you, the moment one of them displays that they are nearing a point of no return, I will bring it to your attention."

Much as I could stare into her eyes all day, I turned to face the one in the most need of help. The one who had less reason or drive than any of the others to sugarcoat things.

"Sierra. Please. This is the time to say something if you need to."

She pressed her lips together, staring down at the floor. As the seconds passed, and the growing gaze of myself and the nymphs wore on her, she caved.

"What's there to say? I want to go home, but I won't leave my sister. I'm constantly exhausted, but we need a place to live." She snarled in an effort to fight back her own emotions, but the tear rolling down her cheek gave away the truth. "I… I'm sorry. I don't want to be the reason everyone gets held back. I didn't mean to be a problem when I kept refusing you before."

The breath she drew made my skin crawl with its razorblade raspy quality. But as she pulled herself up to stand and approach me, I couldn't read her face well enough to figure out what she planned next. So much so that my eyes closed as she lunged at me.

… And hugged me.

"It's taken longer for me to come around to this than it probably should have." She sniffled. "But… thank you. For freeing us. For saving us from those vile people. For putting up with me when you had every reason in the world to dump me and let me suffer."

Juniper jumped back from Sierra's lunge whereas Palírroia attempted to step between us, only to follow Juniper's suit and let Sierra have this moment. As for myself, I froze. Torn between confusion and my desire to comfort, the latter won out and let me wrap my arms around her.

Up in the bunk, Nimba stared down at us, her fists pressed up to her lips as her bright eyes glistened with happy tears. Rose wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a relieved embrace.

When Sierra finally pulled away, she'd stained my shirt with tears. As those dark eyes of hers met mine, she gave me the closest I'd ever seen to a smile. She let her arms slip away, and I did the same. Juniper guided her back to her bed while Nimba and Rose scrambled down to join them. Ashe, already waiting on the bunk, welcomed her with open arms.

Right as I let out a deep exhale, Palírroia was there to squeeze me tight enough that drawing another breath seemed almost impossible.

"I will inform you of her condition, should she get worse."

I nodded. "Speaking of which. There's someone else I need a quick chat with."

She frowned, but followed me hand-in-hand as I approached Thŷella and took a seat at her side. Obviously, she did the same, claiming my other side with her whole body, every naked inch of it pressed to me while she wrapped her arms around my chest.

My free hand rested on Thŷella's thigh, and she in turn grabbed my hand to interlace our fingers.

"Phoebe told me you haven't been sleeping, but wouldn't say why. What's going on?"

She tensed, her hand squeezing mine. "It… is difficult to explain. I have… Mmm…"

"It's alright. Take your time." I brought my other hand to place on hers, which Palírroia allowed with no resistance. "I have all day if necessary."

"No. That is not necessary. I just do not know of a word to use for this. They are like dreams. But not dreams. Memories? Memories of my life, but…"

She turned to face me, her blank eyes staring off at nothing in particular. Desperation written on her face, she reached out to Palírroia, who returned the favor.

"She has been having nightmares, Master. When her mind is given a chance to rest, she dreams of memories past. Only… it seems those memories are trying to use her memory of sight to remake them more… complete."

"So… if I'm understanding this correctly, you're having nightmares about things that happened to you after you lost your eyesight. But now those memories seem like you had your eyesight during them?"

"I… Yes… In a manner of speaking. But it all feels… wrong." She leaned into me, her anxiety numbing my arm. "Not all memories are bad, but even the good do not feel like they belong. Nothing looks the way I think they should. It is like… Mmm…"

"Like you're trying to paint a picture with color when all you've known is black and white."

She curled up, pulling her feet onto the bed and hugging her knees to her chest. "I still don't know what color is."

Despite my urge to stick my foot in my mouth, I instead pulled her in for a hug. "So you've basically been having nightmares. Reliving your old life, and even the good parts are getting ruined."

"And the bad… well." Palírroia climbed behind her and joined the hug. "There was a great deal of bad."

"You don't need to convince me. I wish I could do something about it, but…"

"We would not ask the impossible of you master," Palírroia said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You have given us more than we'd dare hope."

Thŷella sniffled. "Given time, I imagine this will pass."

"Only one way to find out. But if you need anything…"

She shook her head. "Tempted as I may be to ask you to share my bed to offer me further comfort, I know these concerns are insignificant compared to what many of the others endure."

"Not true. Everyone has their issues, sure. But losing memories and eyesight is something the others can't really claim."

"Be that as it may, I'm afraid this bed is not large enough to hold the three of us."

"Wrong again. I spent last night in an identical bunk with two women, both of whom were a fair bit bigger than both of you."

Her cheeks flushed. "I… don't know what else to say."

Palírroia whispered into my ear. "She won't say it, but the memories have left her dealing with fits during the night. She is concerned she will strike you should you share the bed with her."

As if that would stop me.

"The choice is yours," I said. "Whatever you think you need to help you sleep, just let me know."

"Of course, Master."

We remained there for a little bit longer. The three of us basked in the comfort of our company and bodies while the others fawned over Sierra. Eventually, they gave her some much needed space, and I too decided enough time had passed. Though I wanted to stick around, I wouldn't come up with a solution to the big problem by just chatting.

"Get what rest you can. And like I said before, anything you need, just come find me and ask."

A collective agreement passed between them all. I took a moment to let my gaze linger on them, both from a fondness trying to choke me up and admittedly because the image of them all naked needed to stay etched in my memory for as long as possible.

When I finished that mental snapshot, I took my leave, making sure that the door was sealed behind me. Letting out a sigh, I tried to retrace my steps.

Where was I… Oh yeah!

With a solid goal in mind, I strode down the catwalk. Under most circumstances, I'd consider this the equivalent to me marching to my own grave. For once though, the idea of visiting a library didn't fill me with dread. Instead, I marched there with a very singular purpose in mind. Anything it takes to make the nymphs healthy again.

A/N: Seems my timing on getting chapters out is slowly improving. Hopefully, the next one will also be a short wait.

Lots to unveil, lots to happen, lots of people to get the tar beat out of them if it means discovering who poisoned Hylla and why. And of course, Percy now has to deal with a whole new onslaught of issues in the form of the nymphs ever growing deadline. Didn't he just get one of them resolved? Oh, well. We know how he'll pull miracles out of his butt (and get viciously burned) to save them.

Won't bother boring you all with the details of my life, so I hope you all enjoyed the read. Only time will tell if the coming chapters will resolve what we hope to resolve. P atreon is always open, and Discord is always an option. But a review is free in everything but time. Hope to hear from you. This is Ronin signing off.