A/N:

Hey guys! It has been a hot minute. Damn.

I'm so sorry for how long this has taken. I swear I had every intention of keeping to that two-week update schedule, but then November happened, and everything kind of fell apart from there. If you don't already know, I'm American. So if you've been keeping up with global news, you'll know we're going through some shit right now. As an adult member of society who doesn't, personally, vibe with fascism, I've been a little preoccupied and haven't really been in a writing mood. But never fear! I'm back now, and I've pumped as much fluff into this chapter as humanly possible to make up for it! If I can't be happy, then at least my characters can.

To everyone who left a review or sent me a DM, thank you so much! They make my heart so happy and have been a big motivating factor behind my decision to pick this project back up despite everything that's happening, so thank you! 3

Happy reading and stay safe everyone!

~ August 18, 2012 ~

Percy dreamed he was running.

—

His feet pounded into the soil–concrete–sand, sending vibrations up his legs that pushed his sore muscles over the edge from pain into shaky numbness. His chest heaved, and the stitch forming in his side made every breath feel like he was being stabbed under the ribs with a hot poker. All he wanted to do was stop, but he couldn't. He couldn't. It was chasing him.

The air, at one moment a cool sea breeze and the next carrying the acrid scent of city smog, swirled around him, holding him in place no matter how hard he tried to push forward.

Rational thoughts flitted in and out of his mind like smoke—impossible to hold on to and quickly dispersed by the terror that washed through him in waves. Where he was, how he'd gotten here…None of it mattered. All he knew was that he had to reach them first. His friends—his family—were waiting for him. They were out in the open and vulnerable and he had to reach them before It did or–

—

Percy woke up gasping for breath and reaching blindly forward, fingertips straining for… something.

The source of his fear was on the tip of his tongue, but just as it had for the past three nights in a row, the understanding evaporated, leaving only the urgency and desperation behind.

He huffed in frustration and shoved himself upright, cradling his arm and clenching his traitorous hand into a fist. Prophetic dreams were part of the demigod job description. They all got them. But this one felt different—more sinister. Every morning he woke up panicking like he hadn't since the war, and it left him feeling…off-balance, to say the least.

Percy glanced to his right, but just as he knew it would be, the other side of his bed was empty. Annabeth always stayed with her siblings in the Athena cabin when they were at camp. She was their counselor, after all, and though he knew his father wouldn't mind, it was technically against the rules to sleep in another god's cabin.

Still.

He reached out, running his hand over the cold sheets, and sighed. He always slept better at her side, and as much as he treasured the time he spent at camp, some part of him was looking forward to when they could return to their life together in the city.

Outside, the grey light of dawn heralded the start of the last day of summer. No one else was awake yet, and the camp was quiet and still. Everyone here was safe. He knew that, but his mind wouldn't let him rest. His instincts screamed that there was something wrong, that his family was in danger, but when he threw out his senses, there was nothing. Even the sea monster that had taken up residence in a cave offshore was behaving this morning.

There were still several hours until breakfast, but there was no way he was getting back to sleep. Deciding not to frustrate himself by trying anyway, Percy threw back the blankets and slid out of bed, wincing slightly at the strain the change in position put on his newly bruised ribs. Demigods in general weren't exactly known for pulling their punches in a sparring session, but Clarisse was notorious. He never should have agreed to help her work off some steam yesterday, but he was one of the only people in camp who could keep up with her, and besides. He'd been there. Sometimes, a good fight was the only thing that worked.

A cool morning breeze blew in through the cracked window, carrying with it the scent of sea salt and pine, and he looked longingly towards the water. Bruised ribs weren't severe enough to take up space in the infirmary or use some of their limited supply of ambrosia, but a good soak in the ocean would fix him right up. Plus, everything always seemed clearer underwater, and working on his brother's official "Prince of the Sea" chore list would be a good way to keep busy and kill time. There was no use waking anyone else up just for a stupid anxiety dream that probably didn't mean anything.

That decided, he quickly threw on some clothes, scribbled out a note, and slipped out the door.

Hours later, Percy was on his way back from the north shore of Long Island where he'd been explaining (in thorough, explicit detail) the differences between a seal and a surfboard to a bull shark when he sensed Annabeth enter the water. She was still back at camp, a distance usually far outside his range, but as with most things, Annabeth was the exception to that rule.

Down deep, the water was dark—he 'saw' mostly in temperature and current—but now that he was paying attention, he noticed it had lightened somewhat since earlier that morning. Rays of sunlight penetrated the gloom, coloring everything a murky green and permanently sinking his hopes of returning to camp before breakfast.

Percy cursed and decidedly picked up the pace. Maybe if he was fast enough, he'd get back to camp in time to grab something from the pavilion to-go.

He slowed as he approached the familiar shoreline, loosening his grip on the water so that he was moving only on his own power. The sea serpent, who Percy had decided to name 'Kevin', projected idle curiosity and boredom at him as he came up on the underwater shelf that surrounded Camp. Its regard was accompanied by the always-odd sensation of another mind brushing up against his own, and he chanced a wary glance towards where he knew it was curled up in one of the many caves dotting the shoreline. He did his best to send back the impression of sternness and resolved to keep a close eye on Kevin for the rest of the day.

Annabeth was waiting for him on the beach. The water reached up to her mid-calf, but she was facing the wrong way to see him coming, talking to someone sitting on a blanket in the sand. Percy smirked and came in with the next wave, giving it just enough of a boost to spray his unsuspecting girlfriend when he popped up next to her. "Morning, Wise Girl."

She shrieked at the sudden cold and whipped around, shoving playfully at his chest in retaliation. "Percy!"

He just laughed and pulled her into his side, still completely dry for all that he'd spent the last several hours swimming through the Atlantic.

Annabeth continued to grumble in complaint as their friends further up the beach laughed at her expense, but she made no move to escape his hold, instead melting into it slightly, some invisible tension disappearing. She nudged Percy to get them moving out of the water, and he dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head before complying.

"What are you assholes laughing at?" he called, spying Nico and Piper losing their minds on a blanket next to a grumpy-looking Jason.

Will looked up from where he was sitting next to his boyfriend, a fair bit more composed but still obviously amused. "They bet on whether Annabeth could summon you by going into the water. Jason was very passionate in his arguments against you."

Percy turned towards his cousin, putting his hand on his chest in mock offense. "Jason! You didn't believe in me?"

The blond just rolled his eyes, glaring with no heat. "You couldn't have taken 10 more minutes to get back here? Anything over half an hour, and I would've won!"

"I wanted to try and catch breakfast! I didn't realize how late it was!" Percy protested.

This announcement sent the others into another round of hysterics, and Annabeth shook her head at him fondly. "You and your stomach, Seaweed Brain."

"What?" he asked, grinning, "I figured if you were in the water then you must've eaten already, and the Athena cabin isn't exactly known to be full of early risers. Plus, I didn't want to worry you."

Annabeth just hummed skeptically in response and Piper snorted. "Too late on both accounts there, Perce. She kept glancing at your empty table during breakfast like you would suddenly appear in your seat the next time she looked away. And they closed the kitchens like five minutes ago."

Percy cursed under his breath and turned towards his girlfriend. "I left you a note, though!"

She raised an eyebrow at him and dug into her pocket to withdraw a very familiar piece of torn looseleaf. "'In ocean. Be back soon.'" she read, leveling her boyfriend with an unimpressed look. He winced and rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well, he wasn't wrong," Nico said dryly.

"That's not the point!" Annabeth cried, looking skyward and praying to her mother to save her from the idiocy of children of the Big Three. "Anyone could have written that note! And when have any of you ever known Percy to miss breakfast?"

The others shrugged, but Nico just snorted. "You think there's a chance anyone but Percy wrote that note? With that handwriting? Even Will's is better than that, and he's a doctor."

"Well, I'm sorry we can't all write in calligraphy, Mr. Baby Boomer." Percy shot back, offended. He thought he was doing better with his Greek.

Nico pushed up from his relaxed position lounging on the blanket. "Excuse you?"

"Alright, alright. Girls, you're both pretty." Piper said, cutting in before the bickering could escalate into a full-blown argument. "And honestly, Jason, you should've known. If she can summon him with a dagger, she can summon him with anything. These two can practically read each other's minds."

Percy was about to protest the use of the word 'summon' and ask what they were all doing out here on the beach anyway when a frisbee came out of nowhere and whacked him in the side of the head.

"Ow! What the fuck?"

"Sorry!" Conner called, jogging down the dune towards them.

"Reflexes aren't as sharp as they used to be, there, Percy?" Nico asked mockingly.

Percy flipped him the bird and bent down to pick up the rogue disk. It was bright blue and emblazoned with the logo of the local aquarium, and he took a moment to idly wonder where they got it from before deciding he didn't want to know.

In the distance, Travis and a younger girl who might have been Halina, daughter of Zephyrus, tried unsuccessfully to hide in the dune grass. Percy frowned suspiciously and turned towards Conner as he picked his way through the sand in sneakers (ew). He kept glancing over his shoulder at something, and a grin was ghosting its way over his features despite repeated attempts at neutrality.

Yep. Definitely up to something.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked as soon as he was in earshot. Behind him, his friends had already become distracted by a different conversation—something about birds?—and he tuned them out.

Conner shrugged, looking almost too casual in his camp shirt and baggy cargo shorts. "Just playing frisbee golf, man."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Frisbee golf?"

Conner shifted, antsy as he eyed his hostage piece of plastic. "Yeah, you know. It's golf except you use a frisbee instead of a ball and targets instead of a hole. Different targets are worth different points, and the closer you get to hitting it, the more points you get."

"Huh." That actually sounded pretty fun. "What was the target this time? The ocean?"

He stiffened, avoiding eye contact by looking out at the water. "Nah…"

Percy narrowed his eyes, fighting a grin. He had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew, and though he wasn't happy about being conked in the head, it was, admittedly, pretty funny. "Conner…What was the target?"

A light giggle drifted down towards them from the dunes, and in the brief second Percy took to search the grass for the likely source, Conner's hand shot out and snatched the frisbee, turning on a dime and sprinting down the beach before he'd even realized what was happening.

"Hey! Get back here!" Percy called, immediately giving chase. He was fully smiling now, despite the fact that he had no chance in a footrace against a son of Hermes.

Playing frisbee golf with people as the targets was a game only Travis and Conner could have come up with, though whether Halina was involved as some sort of training exercise or because one of the brothers was using her to cheat was unclear.

Behind him, his friends whooped. "Get his ass!" Piper yelled gleefully.

Ahead of him, Conner cackled, practically flying over the sand even as the water lapped at his feet. "At least tell me if I'm worth more points than Nico!" Percy shouted, panting slightly.

"Hell no!"

"Fuck!"

Percy glanced to his right, eyeing the shallow water contemplatively. It might not be deep enough for what he had in mind, but he was determined to avenge his honor and decided to try anyway.

As the next wave rolled in, he swerved, gathering it around himself and pulling so that he was soon 'skating' on top of his own personal wave rather than running along the beach.

Conner glanced over his shoulder and blanched slightly at the steadily growing wall of water gaining on him. He poured on a new burst of speed, hastily throwing the frisbee in Travis' general direction to free up both of his arms, but it was no use.

Percy willed the waves ahead of them to surge farther up the beach, and with a flick of his wrist, it was over. The water roared, swirling unnaturally so that Conner was surrounded on all sides by silty sea foam. He had just enough time to curse before the walls collapsed, and he was pulled under.

He came up spluttering and soaked just as Percy's feet touched back down on the sand. The water pulled back, tide returning to normal, leaving Conner looking like a drowned rat and a very dry, very smug-looking Percy standing above him.

Conner groaned and flipped his wet hair out of his eyes.

Making a clean getaway was part of the game. He wouldn't even get his headshot bonus points now! Though he had managed to get the frisbee out of the way…An argument could probably be made for half-credit.

Percy offered a hand to help him up, and just as he was getting to his feet and attempting to brush sand off every square inch of his body, a familiar horn echoed across the valley.

Oh hell yeah! It was Travis' turn now. Thalia was going to destroy him!

Percy eyed the smirk slowly creeping over his features nervously. "Whatever plan you've got cooked up for the Hunters, just leave me out of it, alright? If I don't know, Thalia can't get mad at me later."

"You got it, Cap'n," Conner said with a mocking salute. He turned and ran back up the dunes to meet up with his brother, shoes squelching comically and gait awkward in that 'I've-got-sand-in-my-underwear' kind of way.

Percy snorted in amusement and shook his head, turning around to head back the way he came. Annabeth and Piper were the only ones still waiting on the beach, the others having presumably already left to greet the new arrivals.

It was a hot August day, with the sun already blazing despite it still technically being morning. Down here on the beach, though, there was a nice breeze, and between that and the spray kicked up by the waves, it was about as perfect a summer day as he could imagine. Digging his toes into the sand and closing his eyes, Percy paused for a moment to take advantage of his solitude and drink it all in.

The smell of sea salt and ripe strawberries, the sound of easy laughter, and the feeling of warm sunshine on his head and shoulders…Who would have thought a couple of years ago that they'd be here—relaxed and hopeful and free?

The world had been balancing on the edge of destruction for so long that when the last war ended, part of him didn't really believe it was over. There was always some new crisis waiting in the wings. Always. But maybe, now after everything they'd been through, they'd paid enough blood, sweat, and tears to have earned their peace. Maybe now, when he woke up from a nightmare and told himself he was safe, it wouldn't be a lie.

Percy took a deep breath, and for once in his life, allowed a seed of contentment to take root in his chest. This peace would last. He would make sure of it.

When he opened his eyes again, Annabeth and Piper had stood up and were shaking the sand out of the blanket they'd been sharing. They were laughing at something—probably some joke Piper told judging by the proud tilt to her smile—and Annabeth was glowing, her whole body gilded by sunlight.

Percy smiled softly and jogged the rest of the way to catch up with them.

Annabeth turned as she heard him approach. "Hey, there you are. We were just—

Whatever else she was going to say was lost as Percy pulled her close and kissed her, one hand cradling her cheek while the other twined through her curls. It was short and relatively chaste, but Annabeth still came away blushing and smiling wide enough for her cheeks to hurt. "What was that for?"

Percy leaned back and shrugged, playing idly with the ends of her hair. "You're beautiful. Do I have to have a better reason to want to kiss my girlfriend?"

Annabeth's blush deepened from a light pink to a bright red, and Piper sighed loudly. "Would you two quit being so sappy for two seconds and hurry up? We've wasted half the day already, and we haven't even done anything yet."

Despite her complaints, Piper's eyes were shining with happiness as she looked between her two friends, even as her own heart panged distantly. It was times like this when she missed Shel more than ever.

Annabeth nodded but didn't respond past that, still looking her boyfriend over curiously. It wasn't that she didn't like to be complimented or even that it was out of character for him to do so. (Percy was surprisingly romantic). It was just the suddenness that was interesting, especially today of all days. He was usually moodier than usual on the anniversary of the final battle. Though as he took her hand in his and tugged her playfully up the dune after Piper, she couldn't find it in herself to question it too much. She'd never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth, after all, and Percy deserved to have a good birthday.

The three of them made quick work of the dunes, carefully sticking to the path and avoiding the dune grass at Percy's insistence. At the top, right where the sand transitioned into dirt, Thalia and several of their friends were gathered outside the pavilion.

"Hey, Birthday Bitch!" Thalia greeted with a smirk, spying him from over Reyna's shoulder.

Percy rolled his eyes—"Hardy, har, har"—and Reyna smacked her in the shoulder, the motion practiced and familiar. "Thank you, Reyna."

"You're welcome."

Thalia didn't acknowledge the punch or their interaction, instead reaching into the crowd and dragging someone into view he hadn't noticed before. "Look who we found wandering around in the woods!"

"Grover!" Percy exclaimed, immediately stepping forward to hug his best friend. "You're back! How was Idaho?!"

"Smoky, but okay," Grover replied, returning the hug readily. "Turns out the fire was Lord Zeus' doing, not the mortals. I got all the details from a Douglas Fir once everything was contained."

"Oh yeah? Let me guess. He wanted something from somebody, they didn't let him have it, and he threw a temper tantrum."

Thalia snorted but didn't dispute his description of her dad (because he was right). She did, however, pause for a moment before joining the conversation, habitually waiting out the clap of thunder that always accompanied an insult to the 'almighty King of the Gods'.

Nothing came, though. And what followed instead was a slightly awkward, vaguely confused lull in conversation.

"Um… yeah. Something like that," Grover said, looking up at the sky nervously. When several more seconds passed without any retaliation, he relaxed marginally. "Anyway, the fire's under control now, so I should be able to hang around here for a few days before I head down south."

"Awesome! It'll be good to have you back, G-Man. We've missed you!" Percy exclaimed, pulling him into a side hug and ruffling his hair. Grover head-butted him in the shoulder in an attempt to escape, and their rough housing devolved from there.

Annabeth tuned them out, even as Thalia started shouting commentary from where she stood next to her.

It wasn't like Lord Zeus to let blatant insults slide like that, even if they all knew that he wouldn't actually follow up on his 'warnings'. Percy and Thalia bad-mouthing him twice with not even a rumble? It was strange and left a bad taste in her mouth, but she didn't have time to think it through any further as the impromptu wrestling match rolled its way to a stop at her feet.

She looked down and sighed. Percy was holding Grover in a loose headlock, and the satyr, in turn, was repeatedly elbowing her boyfriend in the stomach and eyeing his forearm like he might try the 'biting' strategy again.

When she cleared her throat, they quit struggling and looked up at her sheepishly.

"Really?" she asked, doing her best to keep a straight face.

"Sorry, Annabeth," they chorused.

The sight of them scrambling to untangle themselves off the ground was what finally broke her composure, and she grinned, extending a hand to help them up. "You're both idiots," she said fondly, doing her best to brush them off.

"Ah, but we're your idiots," Percy said, smushing them together in a three-way embrace that was a hug only by the loosest and most violent of definitions.

"Well, that was sweet in a weird way," Thalia announced, ruining the moment and reminding them all of her presence simultaneously.

"Shut up and get over here, Thalia," Percy replied, waving his hands where they stuck out over Annabeth and Grover's shoulders.

Thalia rolled her eyes but obliged, crashing into the group and stretching her shorter, permanently-15 arms as far as they would go. "This isn't fair," she said, voice muffled by Annabeth's shoulder. "You're all too tall, now."

Percy pulled back and ruffled her hair, hissing at the shock of electricity she sent through his hand for his trouble. "No, offense, Thalia, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have gotten much taller even if you hadn't pressed permanent pause."

The glare Thalia sent him in response grew even fiercer at the sound of a new arrival to the group. "Someone's calling Thalia short. I've been summoned?"

"Shut the fuck up, Nico, you're like barely taller than me."

He just smirked and propped an elbow on her shoulder. "Ehh, give it a couple of years." He dreamed of the day he'd be able to reach her head.

She shoved him off roughly, and their bickering would have dissolved into a proper fight if Grover hadn't interrupted.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you!" Grover exclaimed, desperate not to have a front-row seat to any more battles of the cousins. "I met with some nymphs in Central Park on my way back to Camp, and they said that there's been some unusual activity around Hyperion's maple tree."

Percy tensed, focus sharpening, and Thalia and Nico immediately stopped pushing each other. "Unusual how?"

"Nothing to do with the tree itself," he reassured immediately, surprised at their intense reaction. "But they said mortals keep stumbling into the glen around it, including one of those powered people that fought at the battle last week."

"I'm still kind of peeved I didn't get to be there for that," Jason called over from where he was talking with Reyna a little ways away. "You could've called us."

Percy waved him away without turning his attention away from Grover. "There was no point. By the time you got here, it would have been over. Why does mortals entering the glen matter? Have they been messing with the tree?"

"No. But ever since Hyperion was defeated, it's had special properties. The whole area is supposed to be protected by the Mist."

"Maybe they were just clear-sighted," Annabeth suggested. The statement echoed falsely even in her own ears, but she couldn't help but hope.

Grover tilted his head back and forth a few times, considering. "Maybe. It's only been a couple of people so far, and Holly said that they all left quickly."

There was a considering pause as everyone thought through the new information.

Nico was the first to break it. "Hyperion is still secure in Tartarus. Whatever connection he has with that tree, he hasn't been able to take advantage of it so far. I would have heard about it."

"Good. That's good," Annabeth muttered, face pinched in that specific way they had all collectively named her 'Thinking Face'. "As long as they don't realize what the tree is or start trying to mess with it in any way, it shouldn't matter that they have access to the glen."

She trailed off, and Percy turned to Grover to pick up where she left off, realizing his girlfriend was distracted thinking through all the possibilities. "Can you ask Holly to keep an eye on it for us? I don't know why the Mist has decided that the glen isn't mythical enough to protect anymore, but having a warning if shit hits the fan would be helpful."

Grover nodded. "I'll ask her," he said seriously.

He hadn't meant to bring down the mood of the celebration when he brought this up—he was only trying to avoid a brawl—but he should've known that any mention of the Titan War would bring up bad memories for his friends, especially today of all days.

Grover shifted on his hooves uncomfortably, desperately searching his mind for a new topic of conversation that would rescue the day from his blunder. He shot a pleading look at Thalia, and she sighed, opening her mouth to start a hopefully-more-upbeat discussion when none other than Leo Valdez popped out of the ground not five feet away from them.

His curly hair was smoking, and he was wearing an apron with 'Caution: known to burn water' written on it instead of his usual toolbelt. In his arms was a tray piled high with tacos, and behind him, Will Solace struggled up the stairs from the kitchens carrying another, much heavier one.

"Fear not! The food has… arrived!" he declared dramatically, wide grin fading as he took in the atmosphere. He looked around, confused for a moment, until he spied Jason standing off to the side laughing with Reyna and a newly-returned Piper. "Jason! Dude!" he said accusingly.

Jason, having not been paying attention in the slightest, turned around, confused. "What? Why am I being yelled at?"

"You were supposed to keep the energy up, man! I deputized you and Piper to be the temporary me while I was gone, but I come back, and everyone's all…solemn and shit! What gives?"

"Solemn? What?" He turned around just in time to catch Thalia widening her eyes at him and looking meaningfully between Percy, Annabeth, and Nico. He followed her gaze, and though they did, admittedly, look a little grim for a birthday party, without context, he had no hope of figuring out why. "Uhhhhh…"

Leo scoffed disparagingly and walked into the dining pavilion to place his tray of tacos on the nearest table. "Never mind. You guys are fired. The real Leo, chef extraordinaire, has returned with his specialty birthday tacos: the ultimate cure-all for gloominess! Let the celebration begin!"

There was a disappointing lack of wild cheering at his declaration, but the mood did seem to lighten somewhat. Percy and Annabeth shared one of their Meaningful Looks (telepathic assholes) before coming over to help set up. Whatever they'd been talking about, they'd obviously agreed to put it on hold for tacos.

Nico, meanwhile, darted over to help his boyfriend carry the rest of the food up the last few steps from the kitchen, grunting slightly at the surprising weight. "Valdez couldn't have helped out any more?" he complained.

Will couldn't see him from around the Taco Tower, and his hands were slightly occupied, so he settled for awkwardly kicking some dirt at him in admonishment. "Leave him alone. He's still injured from the battle. If it were up to me, he wouldn't be carrying anything, but he insisted."

Nico raised his eyebrows in surprise, a hint of grudging respect rising up. It wasn't easy to out-stubborn Will Solace. (He should know. He's tried).

By the time they reached the table the others had chosen for the celebratory lunch, Piper and Annabeth had already finished festooning it with the cheesy decorations they'd been hiding in the Aphrodite cabin. Everything was blue (of course) with biodegradable streamers, balloons, and paper plates with cartoon sharks on them that had obviously been bought from the kids' section of Party City.

Annabeth must have picked them up in the city on her last trip to Olympus.

Nico failed to fight down a grin as he turned to find said girl chasing Percy around the pavilion with a sparkly blue birthday hat. He was protesting loudly, much to everyone's amusement, but didn't fight back when she eventually caught up with him, allowing her to secure the too-small cone on his head with nothing more than a sigh.

"Adorable, Percy!" Thalia taunted with a smirk. She held up her hands as if she were taking a picture with an invisible camera. "That's a good one for the scrapbook!"

Percy groaned in embarrassment and stuck his tongue out at her. "I never should have let you guys meet my Mom."

"Whoa!" Leo exclaimed dramatically, joining in on the teasing and putting a hand to his chest. "No need to get nasty! Depriving someone of Camp Mom is cruel and unusual punishment!"

"Punishment? She's my mom!"

Annabeth patted him on the shoulder in joking comfort. "Sally is everyone's Mom."

Thalia snorted. "Some more than others," she said slyly, looking between Annabeth and Percy meaningfully.

Both of her friends blushed bright red, but they didn't deny the implications, even as the others laughed and whistled. Sally was basically already Annabeth's mother-in-law, and they all knew it.

"So, are we just going to act like Thalia didn't call Sally 'Mom' on accident the last time she visited?" Nico asked innocently from where he was sitting at the table. He smirked wickedly as she spluttered and gestured between himself, Will, and Leo. "Cause we were all there."

"I did not!" she protested.

Leo cackled. "You totally did! Oh, man, I almost forgot about that! She ruffled your hair and everything!"

"Shut up!"

Annabeth reached down and grabbed Percy's hand, squeezing it slightly and tugging him towards the table. His ears were still burning in lingering embarrassment, but as he let the sound of his family's happiness wash over him, he couldn't find it in himself to care too much.

He let himself be pulled, both physically and emotionally into the gathering, smiling and joking along with the rest of them.

Later, he knew, at dinner that night and the memorial campfire that followed, the solemn mood would return. But for now, they were free—just a group of friends messing around at a birthday party. And though this kind of life may seem simple or boring on paper, it was all Percy had ever wanted.

Just him and the people he loved safe and happy with a whole future spread out in front of them.

There was nothing better than that.

Distantly, hidden in the tree line along the edge of the West Woods, a single crow watched from its place hidden amongst the leaves of a laurel tree.

The group's laughter carried across the space between them, and it cocked its head at the sound, keen eyes easily picking them out from the crowd of other demigods running around the camp around them.

It cawed, and the sound was almost mournful, echoing and lonely.

They could not hear it. It was too far away, too…small.

Helpless.

With one last croak, it took off in a whirlwind of black feathers and flew off further inland, getting higher and farther away until the sunlight bent around it, and it disappeared.