The Cave and the Couch

When the blinding light died away, soft sand shifted beneath my feet. Gentle waves lapped along the shoreline of a crescent shaped bay.

Behind me, every girl who attended the meeting rubbed their eyes or glanced around, disoriented. On the far end of the beach, my future home stood proud. With a sigh, I turned around and trudged up to the group.

"I'm sorry guys… er girls. I really didn't want any of this. I'm going to guess they have rooms for everyone, so go get settled in. Do what you want. I need some time to process everything."

As I turned to walk away, a fist flew into my chest and sent me sprawled out on the sand. A wave crashed over me as I laid dazed. When I gathered my bearings, Thalia eyed me with a grim expression.

"Don't you dare apologize for this, Kelp Head. None of us asked for this. This is how the gods work."

I nodded. "Thanks for understanding, Pinecone Face." My lips curled in a slight positive direction. "But after that punch, you'll need to watch your back." I stood up. "You enjoy yourselves. If my brother built this place, then I'm sure you'll have quite a bit to entertain yourselves with."

They all muttered among themselves and shuffled towards the massive structure. Only Annabeth remained. She locked her eyes with mine. "Don't blame yourself, Percy. We'll figure this out. I know you never asked for this. If this were any other situation, I don't think I would ever say this, but… go ahead and enjoy yourself. As long as you stay good to the others and you always save some time for me, I won't get upset. Just… make sure I get first dibs." She winked at me.

She laughed at my dumbfounded expression and closed my dropped jaw before giving me a peck on the lips. I stared as she followed the others.

Why me?

Before I let myself get lost too far in thought, I took in my surroundings. On the opposite end of the beach, the entrance of a cave opened up. I trudged towards it and tried to process the recent events.

I sulked along the beach as the waves of the lake splashed my legs. How could I tell it was a lake? Simple answer. Fresh water.

The thought brought me back to Ogygia. I realized the two islands paralleled one another. Despite its lavish appearance, it remained a prison. It lied in the middle of a lake. No end to the water presented itself on any side. Only women provided the company. The more the similarities added up, the more my thoughts strayed to Calypso. She offered for me to stay with her and escape my fate. Even though I declined her offer, I still found myself in the same situation, minus the harem detail.

I realized Calypso wasn't among the beach group nor was she on Olympus when the gods made her my concubine. She may still be on Ogygia, waiting in ignorance as Athena comes to free her, only to send her to another island. The poor titaness would never get to see the real world. If only I made sure the gods released her when I first told them to.

Before I managed to finish that thought, I sensed a familiar presence nearby. A quick beating of wings gave me all the warning I needed before a black pegasus landed right in front of me.

Yo, boss. Nice place you got here.

I couldn't help but crack a smile and hug his neck. "What's up, Blackjack? Find any good looking mares since I last saw you?"

Ha! Don't you know, man. Though I can't go bragging too much since you've got me beat by a landslide.

"Oh, come on! You already know about that?"

Everyone knows about that! By the way, there's a bunch of other creatures wondering if they could stay on this island. Ya know, add to the scenery.

"Dude, that wasn't even close to subtle! But sure, go ahead and set up a spot here. Anywhere in particular you want?"

Yo, man. You said it, not me. But yeah. Any spot out of earshot of your place would be great. Oh, and I didn't mean only me. A bunch of hippocampi want to set up a gig here too.

I groaned. "I don't know about that. I wouldn't know where to have them stay. I'll let you know if I find a good spot."

He buffeted his wings in approval. Alright, boss. I'll relay that. While we're on the subject of fine mares though, I heard Silena's back! That true?

I forgot how much the pegasi loved Silena. They couldn't ask for a better godsend. "Yeah, she's back. Can't leave the island for the time being though."

Damn, that's great but it sucks at the same time. Think she'd be willing to go for a ride anytime soon? She knows how to work us.

I frowned. "Hold up a sec! Are you saying that Silena would go and-"

Blackjack whinnied in laughter. No boss, no! Pegasi don't go interspecies and neither does she! We missed her is all. Aside from you, she's the only one who would pay any attention to us. You're still number one, though!

I shivered at the implication. "Well, maybe she can go for a ride sometime. I'll talk to her about it later."

Blackjack did his best to bow. Woo! You're the man, boss! We owe you. Oh, one other thing. Is the Horse Friend here too?

"Who?"

The Roman girl. Dark hair. Used to have a pegasus. Guido is her biggest fanboy right now! Capital "P" Pegasus gave her the title of Horse Friend. That's a big deal, man. So is she here?

Reyna… Her having that title shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. That made her a much bigger deal in the world of pegasi than any child of Poseidon. Not sure if I should have been proud or jealous of her.

"Yeah. She's here too. Same situation as Silena."

Blackjack kicked off of the ground and did a little aerial dance. Oh, yeah! My savior is here!

I was sure there was some story to it, but that was for Reyna and Blackjack to know. He relanded after his somersaulting and whinnied in joy.

She can go for a ride too! Anytime she wants. I'll take her around the world!

I found his gusto both endearing and heartbreaking. How could I tell him Reyna couldn't outright leave?

Well, I gotta go relay the good news! You keep em good, boss! I'd go through a glue factory for a mare like them!

With that, he took off and vanished in the sunset. I returned to my walk down the beach.

Before I knew it, I stood at the entrance of the cave. Like Ogygia, white, green, and purple crystals illuminated the cave with a faint light. The exterior of the cave concealed the massive sprawl of the interior. Passages and chambers spread out all over. One of the chambers contained a massive watering hole more than big enough for a pod of hippocampi.

After noting a brighter passage, I strolled along to see the light source. It opened up to a chamber half the size of a gymnasium. Sunlight shone through the open roof. Sand and palm trees covered the area, with a little pond in the center. Next to the pond rested a boulder the size of a pickup truck.

My breath fell short. On top of the boulder, resting on her hip, eyes staring into the sky's reflection in the pond was Calypso.

She caught me staring and greeted me with a sad smile. "Hello, my hero," she called. "I'm glad you could make it."

I walked up to her and embraced her in my arms. Her chest pulsed with choppy breaths, like she was crying, or resisting the urge to cry.

"I'm so sorry Calypso. If I knew the gods hadn't freed you—"

She pressed her finger to my lips, tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to fight them back. After ten seconds of eye contact, she let loose. Her crying wasn't ugly and pained, but soft and light, like mourning doves.

"I told you the Fates were cruel," she wept. "Now they have moved me from one cage to another. And they do this just as I learn that Leo is no longer among the living."

"So," I mumbled. "The gods told you what happened."

She wiped her eyes and sniffled. "Yes. Athena came to Ogygia. She told me of the wars. She told me of Leo's sacrifice and of your wish for my freedom. That of which, I am eternally grateful for. She told me of the harem and explained your disdain for it, as well as the compromise she came to with you involving me."

I scoffed. "Compromise implies both sides agreed to it. I didn't want any of this. I was so close to freeing you. Then she had to go and pledge your allegiance to me. Most of the gods did the same for their children and followers… Now I have to share my bed with most of my closest friends."

She eyed me curiously. "Most would die to be in the position you are, Percy. But that's what I couldn't help but falling in love with. You would die to have the opposite." She smoothed her dress. "But just know, I've fantasized for a situation like this to happen. If you ever want to have some quality time, don't hesitate to come to me." She stood and pecked me on the lips. "But until then, I believe I should get acquainted with my new sisters."

She leapt off of the boulder. When she landed, not a grain of sand splashed. She turned to me one last time before leading herself out of the chamber the way I came in.

By the time I left the cave, the sun painted the sky and water a pearlescent shade of orange and purple. Despite my thinking time, no ideas presented themselves. Sure I could leave whenever I wanted; but unless I decided to neglect my friends, I was just as much a prisoner as them.

Maybe Chiron has some answers. It's about time I paid him a visit.

I tried to stay depressed about the situation, but my hyperactive brain couldn't dwell on it for too long. The surrounding scenery pulled my attention in every direction. Seashells dusted the pale pink sands of the beach, the water flowed like a sea of blue diamonds, a lush tropical forest bathed the center of the island; everywhere I looked, the island got better and better.

Then I looked to my home. From the looks of it, Tyson and his fellow cyclopes did an exquisite job. Lights came from everywhere, including the plants. I realized with a start that he got his hands on moonlace, the very same flower Calypso and I planted together. My heart ached at the memory.

Despite all of the lights and glowing, the only details I could see were the size and abundance of floor to ceiling windows. Since I couldn't distract myself with the wonders the place held, I walked up some stairs to a set of double doors.

Once inside, my heart stopped. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the marbled abalone floor. A floating glass staircase dominated the open room. Intricate sculptures made of coral and pearls dotted two rows of pedestals along either side of the entrance. To either side of me rested comfortable lounging areas, complete with recliners, couches, coffee tables.

On one of those couches sat the heartbroken daughter of Aphrodite, Piper McLean. With her sagged shoulders and grey complexion, she looked ready for a trip to the underworld. The occasional sniffle left her nose, but she muttered herself to silence the moment after.

I walked up and stood by her side. She didn't notice me. I rested a light hand on her shoulder, taking extra care not to come off as aggressive. She leaned her head against my forearm and glanced up to me. Bleary and bloodshot, her eyes glanced in my direction. She tried for a brave smile.

"Hey, Percy. What's up?"

I rapped my fingers along her shoulder. "Still trying to wrap my head around all of this, but not much else. How about you? Pick out a room yet?"

She tried for a laugh. "Heh, yeah. We all did. Wasn't too hard with the dozens of rooms to pick from. And it's not like we have any luggage."

That's right! Zeus sent us here from Olympus with no preparations. None of us had our belongings. No clothes. No toiletries. No mementos. Nothing. I needed to fix that.

"In that case, I'll go to Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter tomorrow, assuming I can, to see what I can get for everyone. Was there anything of yours that you wanted in particular?"

She considered for a second. "Well, there's a turquoise necklace that my Grandpa Tom gave to me a couple years ago. It was my last gift from him before he passed. That and there are a bunch of photos that Leo… had… taken with all of us. They… they're in my cabin…"

Her eyes watered up. I held out my arms and she tackled me into the couch. I cradled her in my arms as she wept over the memory of her friend. I rubbed her head once again, whispering comforting words to her as she trembled and hyperventilated, tears streaming down her face and soaking my shirt.

I wanted to help her. I wanted to punch Jason in the face for cheating on her. I wanted to punch Leo in the face for dying. Seriously, who gave him permission to die? It was me who was supposed to do the stupid and suicidal stuff because I always survived.

I rubbed Piper's back as she let it all out. It took a little while, but she calmed down. She pulled back and rested her hand on mine.

"Percy. I don't know how easily this will come to you, the whole harem thing, but… I want to volunteer as the first girl you claim."

I stared back at her in shock. "Piper… you don't have to do that. You're still not in the right state of mind. Let things settle in for a couple days. Give yourself time to think it over."

She glared daggers at me. "I have thought it over! I knew for a while that Jason wasn't feeling it for me. After all, I was still clinging to fake memories of him. He had nothing to remember me with." She looked down at our hands. "We both stand on level ground because we both lost the people closest to us and because our feelings towards one another started on ground one. Wasn't your best friend made a god or something like that?"

I chuckled at that. "Grover. Yeah, he replaced Pan as Lord of the Wild. He was doing pretty well last I heard from him. Sure that was a while before… you know, Hera got involved, but…"

I sighed when I realized how much I missed hanging out with Grover. I realized that there were a lot of people that I missed being with. Even the Stoll brothers and their shenanigans were worthy of carrying emotional weight.

I stared into her glassy eyes. For the moment they were a dark blue, deep as the ocean and filled to the brim with emotion.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

She nodded with a determined look on her face. "I'm not going to let some ancient law dictate what I can and can't do, nor am I going to wait around for it to take effect. I am going to do it on my terms and because I want to."

Her steely expression softened and her eyes turned a shade lighter as she leaned against me. Wrapping her arms around my arm, her head pressed to my chest. She let out a light snore. Her heavy breathing steadied and relaxed as she fell asleep on me.

All was quiet when Annabeth strolled in behind me. She scanned the area with a familiar critical eye, as if planning future renovations and improvements. When she saw me, she narrowed her eyes and marched up to me. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Piper passed out on top of me and the wet stains on my chest. After she pieced everything together, her expression softened. She walked over to me and kissed me.

"You and me tomorrow," she whispered.

I let out a grimace. "About that…" I told her about our lack of supplies and belongings, and about Piper's request to be claimed.

Annabeth drew a shaky breath after processing everything. "I can't say I blame her for wanting to get this over with. I just hope her mom isn't influencing her decisions. You heard what she said after she pledged Piper to this place."

I nodded, recalling what Aphrodite said about us. From the looks of things, she was probably right. Piper and I were very likely to get close. I sighed, realizing yet another person in this building harbored strong feelings for me, and I for them. Could my love life get anymore complicated?... Aphrodite, don't you dare answer that…

"Annabeth. I need your input. What do you think about all of this?" I stared at her, putting on my best puppy dog eyes.

She pouted. "I really hate it when you do that… Well, we obviously need a supply run to both camps. That isn't optional. I can talk to the others and get a list of things they want as a top priority. Clothes are already gonna be on that list for obvious reasons. This might be a harem, but I don't think we're ready to start walking around naked quite yet."

I smiled dreamily, the potential image burned in my mind, and Annabeth slapped it right back out of my head.

"Hold your horses, Seaweed Brain. You have an eternity to spare for something like that." She chuckled shaking her head. "But in regards to Piper… go ahead and do it. You've got my permission to take her first."

I stared, awestruck at her words. "Huh!?"

She laughed before clamping her hands over her mouth. "Look. The way I see it, you've already 'claimed' me several times before this whole harem ordeal."

"I did?" I recalled no memory of such activities, but I wish I did.

"Yes, Percy. You did. But besides that, I think Piper needs this a lot more than I do. You are quite literally the only male that she's close to at this point. While I won't deny that I've wanted to jump you every five minutes, she needs this on an emotional level." She leaned in and whispered into my ear. "But this is your one freebie. After her, it is you and me. And I'm going to make up for lost time. You have about seven to eight months to make up for. Got it?"

I smiled. "Yes ma'am."

"Good."

She kissed me one last time before taking off. Either to go sleep or get the list of things we needed. Either way, the day started catching up with me. With Piper on my chest, I couldn't help but get a little drowsy. I kissed her head and rubbed her back. The lights dimmed, as did the glowing plants. Only the moon shone through the large windows.

The light reminded me of Artemis. I could imagine her throwing some rather unsavory gestures in my direction, not that I could blame her.

Content and calm for the first time in a while, I rested myself into the couch corner and sighed. My arm wrapped around Piper's shoulder and hugged her close, to which she nuzzled my chest.

Maybe this whole harem thing won't be too bad.

On that note, I closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Uncomfortable shifting pulled me from my sleep. Disoriented at first, a sharp gasp snapped me to full alertness. From the sunlight, I gauged the time to be no later than seven thirty.

"Um. Percy?"

Piper's head rested on my lap, which wouldn't be an issue if not for the blessing of morning wood. To make matters worse, my arm pinned her down to take in the unholy sight.

I turned my head with a cough, lifted up my arm, and hoisted her away from my crotch. "Um. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to pin you down and—"

"Sheesh, stop apologizing. Besides, I have to say I'm… pretty impressed."

With a start, I glanced at her as she eyed the bulge in my shorts. Her teeth dragged along her lower lip. Before I could comment, she faced me with an innocent gaze and held out her arms.

"Well good morning, Percy… erm. Master. Thank you for, you know, listening last night."

I accepted her hug. "You're welcome. Feel free to talk to me anytime. And don't you dare call me Master unless we're under the covers. It's just Percy. Or any other nickname you want to come up with. But nothing along the lines of Master."

She pulled away. "Yes, sir," she joked.

To see her smile so genuinely made my heart flutter. For the past few weeks, every smile of hers seemed forced. Even with her ratty bedhead, red splotchy face and dragon breath, she looked stunning.

"Well, Percy. Should we get some breakfast?"

I picked her harpy feather from my lap and set it into her hair, just above her ear. "Absolutely. But I have no clue where the kitchen is."

I may not be an expert in architecture, but I can appreciate a large house. Annabeth brought up the style at some point, but the phrase eluded me.

Conception? Constitution?... Contemporary? Yeah, that's it!

Before Piper and I found the kitchen, we passed by a patio and pool area, a garden, and a matted room surrounded by mirrored walls.

After some time, the smell of bacon pulled me towards the kitchen. Piper's face flashed with discomfort, but she followed me without question. We came across the dining room, where the early risers as they idly chatted. The scent of baked goods wafted into the room. I needed to find out who the cook was.

I hugged Piper and went to give Annabeth a morning kiss, despite my morning breath. I said good morning to the group and strolled into the kitchen.

Katie led the others, cooking something good on the stove. All around, a bunch of nymphs rushed to prepare the side dishes. I expected to see nymphs around here, but I only expected oceanids. A nebulae and two dryads consisted over half the group.

I walked up to Katie and gave her a quick hug from behind. "Hey, Katie. Good morning."

She jumped a bit, "Oh! Good morning. Get a good night's sleep?" She eyed me playfully.

Something told me she saw me with Piper. "Yep. One of the best I've had in awhile. How about you?"

She put her hand to her mouth and feigned shock. "What if Annabeth heard such a claim? But I slept very well, thank you." She winked at me and went back to her cooking.

I shuddered. The things Annabeth could do when she got jealous…

I looked over Katie's shoulder. "What's that you've got there? It smells incredible!"

"Just making some omelettes for everyone," she said. "The nymphs are setting up all of the side dishes."

I looked around and saw what she meant. The nymphs set up pastries, juices, and fruit smoothies. I licked my lips in anticipation. Sue me. I love good food.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?"

Katie laughed. "There's nothing difficult in making omelettes. But to answer your question, it comes naturally. My mom is the goddess of agriculture after all."

I couldn't argue with that logic or the results. "Anything I can do to help?"

She bellowed a laugh. "I have five nymphs already helping me. You can help me by going into the dining room and waiting patiently like everyone else."

I decided not to argue and walked out like a puppy with a tail between my legs. As I walked out, Calypso came through an open door with a basket full of fruit in her hands. She hummed to herself as she walked by, giving me a kind smile as she skipped into the kitchen.

I sat down next to Annabeth, at which point she changed seats and sat on my lap. She leaned her head against mine and listened to the morning conversations. For once, everyone seemed genuinely peaceful and at ease. The last of the girls trickled into the dining room and found their seats, though no one wanted to sit by Drew. After every settled in, the nymphs carried out the morning feast.

Katie outdid herself. The omelettes were loaded with various vegetables and herbs. Doughnuts, scones, and danishes coated the platters, with juices, coffees, and smoothies to wash it all down.

I wish I could say everybody ate delicately and enjoyed themselves. Only the second part was true. Everyone pigged out on the heavenly food. I thanked Katie, Calypso, and the nymphs for the meal. A slight moan escaped my lips as I bit into a strawberry, which raised a few eyebrows, but I didn't care. The strawberry reminded me of the fields back in Camp Half-Blood, which in turn reminded me of our task for the day.

"Hey, everyone," I interrupted the general chatter. "Annabeth and I are going to head to the camps today for a pickup trip. Anything you guys need or really want is viable. So if you could make a list—"

Annabeth slapped me upside the head. Leave it to her to ignore the whole "You can't hurt Percy" rule.

"I already took care of the list last night, genius."

Everyone at the table snickered as I looked sheepishly at my raspberry smoothie.

Annabeth stood. "So you all know where we're going to be. I have the list, but now is your chance to add any last minute items to it."

Drew jumped out of her chair and rushed over. Annabeth smirked and handed her a pen and long sheet of paper. Drew scribbled something down and made her way back to her chair, not noticing or not caring about the stares that followed her.

Annabeth took a breath. "Well, we better get going. We should be back before dinner. You guys enjoy yourselves and try not to kill each other while we're gone."

I wanted to laugh, but considering the present company, that seemed like a possibility. Annabeth hauled me out of the chair and I followed her. As we made our way to the beach, I could only think about how in Hades we planned on leaving.

A/N - Well, isn't that a sweet first night. What will happen while at camp? How will the other campers take this? Will Chiron be able to help with this dilemma? Tune in to find out. As always, be sure to leave a review. This work doesn't come easy, you know. Oh well, this is Ronin signing off.

Edits made: Honestly, there wasn't really much of anything to add or take away from this chapter. Some minor stuff is all. That and refining the sentences. The bigger changes come later on.