Thank you all for your support and for your patience on my updates. I wish I could say life was settling down a lot. But it seems when it does settle down, it's only temporary. Once again, life just keeps throwing hell at me. But I'm still pushing through. Hope you all enjoy the next chapter.

You Always Gotta Plan Ahead

Percy's POV

"I don't wanna get up." Clarisse grumbled as she buried herself in her pillow.

"Neither do I. But unfortunately, we must. Plus, I need to make a few calls." I responded while brushing my fingers in her hair.

Clarisse sighed as she brought her head up to look at me.

"Then make your calls if you must, but I'm staying in bed." Clarisse retorted.

I leaned down and gently kissed her, which she responded to. After everything that happened, it was just nice to finally be able to be done with it and be back with Clarisse. Despite what a mess we were in due to last night's activities, I found myself thinking even Aphrodite herself was nothing compared to Clarisse's beauty.

"I love you." I said.

I was shocked when those words left my mouth. I've never said that to Clarisse before. It wasn't something I planned to say even. It just came out somehow. But what shocked me even more was that I truly meant it. I'd fallen madly in love with Clarisse La Rue. I wasn't sure if my shock was visible to her or not. But her response made it so it didn't matter.

"I love you to Percy." Clarisse said and then proceeded with our kiss, which I responded to immediately.

It was the first time we said we loved each other, and it felt breath taking. I felt like I was the luckiest guy in the world as we wrapped our limps around each other, traced each other's bodies and kissed with no restraint. I had half a mind to go the rest of the way again. But as I had already told her, I had some calls to make. So, when the need for air came, we let it stop our kiss and we just lay there with our heads together and our eyes closed, enjoying each other's company.

"I'll be back in a little bit." I got out, rubbing my nose against hers.

"Don't keep me waiting too long." Clarisse said, bring her hands to my cheeks.

"Never." I responded before kissing her one last time and rising from the bed.

Clarisse just buried herself back in bed as I got up and put my clothes from yesterday back on. Being as presentable as I could be, I made my way out of our room and headed to find the nearest body of water. It wasn't easy, but I finally found a quiet fountain in a corner garden and sent an Iris-message to my brother, Tyson, under the sea. I told him about our adventures, and Bessie. He wanted to hear every detail about the cute baby cow serpent, and I assured him that Annabeth, Thalia, Zoe, Grover and I were all fine.

"Sounds like you guys have been through a lot lately. Sorry I wasn't around to help you at all." Tyson said.

"Don't worry about it. It's over now. But with Kronos still on the move, our recent battle was only the beginning. We still have a long war ahead of us." I commented.

"I hear you. I've been working at dad's forges almost nonstop ever since I came to his kingdom. Things in his kingdom have been kinda rough ever since Luke used the fleece to revive Kronos." Tyson said.

The mention of dad kinda put me on edge. I wasn't sure if Tyson knew or not about how rough things between dad and I were. Most likely for the best that he didn't know. But the fact that Kronos had been on the move ever since his revival since the Sea of Monsters shows despite being put back in his sarcophagus, Luke truly did succeed in bringing him back and he wasn't gonna stop until he destroyed us all.

"Things are getting grim for everyone then." I commented.

"Yep." Tyson just replied.

There was a moment of silence between us then. Neither of us seemed to know what else to say. After taking that moment, I decided to break it.

"Well, I gotta go Tyson. I still have other calls to make." I said.

"Okay. I'll see you next summer brother." Tyson responded.

The idea picked me up instantly. I guess I hadn't realized how much I missed having Tyson around.

"You will?" I asked.

"Yep! I've made two thousand seven hundred and forty-one magic swords. The boss says, 'good work!' He will let me take the whole summer off. I'll use the time to visit camp!" Tyson said proudly, showing me the newest blade.

With that revelation, we ended up talking for a while longer about war preparations and our dad's fight with the old sea gods, and all the cool things we could do together next summer, but then Tyson's boss started yelling at him and he had to get back to work. After the call ended, I dug out my last golden drachma and made one more Iris-message.

"Sally Jackson, Upper East Side, Manhattan." I said.

The mist shimmered, and there was my mom at our kitchen table, laughing and holding hands with someone. I had no idea who this man was or why he was talking with my mom, but I didn't want to start a ruckus or anything. I was about to wave my hand through the mist and cut the connection, but before I could, my mom saw me. Her eyes got wide.

"Oh, Paul! You know what? I left my writing journal in the living room. Would you mind getting it for me?" Mom asked.

"Sure, Sally. No problem." The stranger named Paul said.

He left the room, and instantly my mom leaned toward the Iris-message.

"Percy! Are you alright?" My mom asked worriedly.

"I'm, uh, fine mom. Um, . . . who was that?" I got out despite how uncomfortable I felt all of a sudden.

"That was Paul Blofis." Mom answered.

"His name is Blowfish?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No, Blofis. Please don't say Blowfish around him." My mom pleaded.

"And why is he at your home?" I asked, getting suspicious.

"That's not important. Tell what's happened!" Mom demanded.

By her reaction, I had a good idea of who this man was to her. But mom wanted a story first, so I filled her in as quickly as I could. She seemed to go paled as I revealed that Kronos was still at large and moving against both Olympus and the mortal world but sighed with relief when she heard that everyone on the quest was still alive and made it to Olympus as safe and sound as we could.

"Well, I'm relieved to hear you're all okay. How Clarisse doing." Mom continued.

"Aside from being upset about me being kidnapped and me being on the quest when I was supposed to be with her, she's hanging in there. We're still together." I answered.

"That's good. Try not to let her moods get to you. Women can get very moody while pregnant. Hormonal fluctuations, physical discomforts, and the emotional changes associated with the transition to motherhood are a powerful impact on a woman." Mom explained.

"Yeah. Well, she's the strongest women of camp. So, I have no doubt she'll pull through the pregnancy like a champ." I commented.

"You love her, don't you?" Mom stated with a sly expression.

I was a bit taken back by her statement, but only for a second. Even though I didn't plan it out, I told Clarisse that I loved her, and I truly meant it. I was now in love with the daughter of Ares, and I didn't regret it one bit. Sure, our past isn't exactly the cleanest, nor is our relationship one started in the most traditional of ways. But I had no shame in saying to the world that I love Clarisse La Rue.

"Yeah. I do. I love her a lot. I feel like I could die if I didn't have her, like she my whole world." I answered.

"And you're her satellite." Mom added.

"Yeah. I guess I am." I replied.

"Well, I guess I have no reason to tell you to not let her go." My mom smiled widely.

"No, you don't." I replied.

"Just make sure you two are using protection from here on out." Mom added.

"Mom!" I exclaimed in a 'seriously mom?' kind of response.

"Just saying. Nothing gets more distracting and dangerous to teenagers then hormones." Mom teased.

It was always embarrassing when your parents gaslit you like that. But luckily, I had some experience in fighting fire with fire.

"And what about your hormones for your Mr. Blowfish mom?" I countered.

"Percy!" Mom gasped and started blushing up a storm.

"You two were holding hands when I messaged you. Don't bother denying that there's something going on between you two." I continued.

Mom seemed to struggle to find her ability to form words at that point. So, I just decided to stop her stuttering where they were.

"Are you happy Mom?" I pressed on.

The question seemed to take her by surprise. But she didn't take long to answer.

"Yes. I really am Percy. Being around him makes me happy." Mom answered.

"Then as long as he's absolutely nothing like that bald headed fuck Gabe, then there's nothing to worry about." I offered.

The funny thing was, I meant it. Considering the quest I'd just had, I probably should've been worried for my mom. I'd seen just how mean people could be to each other, like Hercules was to Zoe Nightshade, like Luke was to Thalia, and how Gabe was to my mom and me. I met Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, in person, and her powers had scared me a bit even. But seeing my mother laughing and smiling, after all the years she'd suffered with my nasty ex-stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, I couldn't help feeling happy for her. She deserved to be happy.

"You promise not to call him Mr. Blowfish"" Mom asked.

"Not to his face at least." I shrugged.

"Sally? You need the green binder or the red one?" Mr. Blofis called from our living room.

"I'd better go. See you for Christmas?" Mom asked.

"Are you putting blue candy in my stocking?" I raised an eyebrow.

"If you're not too old for that." She smiled.

"One's never too old for candy. Plus, I want my girlfriend to have a proper Jackson welcome." I answered.

"I'll see you then." She smiled and waved her hand across the mist.

I just gave an amused sigh and shake of my head at my mom. She might be embarrassing from time to time, but she was still a cool mother.

"A proper Jackson welcome, huh?" I heard.

I turned around to see Clarisse standing there with an amused expression on her face. Like me, she was only dressed enough to be able to walk out in public. But like me, she still reeked of last night.

"My mom works at a candy shop where everything's blue. Blue's been kinda the themed color for us. It really makes everything much more tasteful." I shrugged.

"Sounds interesting. I just hope you two keep in mind that I'll be eating for two." Clarisse stated as she approached me in how she would when she would put me down back then but now is doing it in a more hip-shaking and body teasing kind of way, or however it's described how some women walk.

"She always tends to cook and give more than what she needs to." I said as I placed my hands on her hips and brought her body against mine.

"I'll be sure to give your mom's address to my mom when she visits for the holidays." Clarisse said as she placed her arms around my neck.

"How long were you listening?" I asked.

"About after your brother said he'll visit in the summer." Clarisse answered.

Somehow, I didn't realize I was Iris-Messaging that long.

"Your mom's right, you know." Clarisse stated.

"About what?" I asked.

"You are my satellite. And I can't go without you either." Clarisse leaned into me.

I said nothing as I leaned in to kiss her. She responded back and tightened her hold over me. Feeling that passion again, I tightened my hold of her and begged her for entrance to her mouth. She opened her mouth right away and we engaged in another tongue battle.

"Oh, get a room you two." A voice interrupted us.

Clarisse and I broke the kiss and found Thalia standing a few feet to the side of us along with Zoe, Annabeth, Grover, Chiron and even Artemis herself.

"We already did Grover. It's called the bedroom." I countered.

"Oh, good gods." Thalia pinched the bridge to her eyes.

Clarisse just chuckled at that as she leaned back into me. Zoe just raised an eyebrow and seemed to be trying to not let any laughter out of her mouth. Artemis just raised an amused eyebrow. Annabeth, however, had a dark look on her face. One of those face where one could say if looks could kill, it'd be that look. Given what Aphrodite revealed to me, I guess I couldn't blame her that much. But I wasn't gonna make a scene out of it, especially in front of Clarisse.

"You two. Trying to separate you is like trying to give a cat a bath." Chiron shook his head.

"Well, what do you expect Chiron? When love is true, you can never get enough of it." Clarisse responded and she dug deeper in my embrace.

"Anyways, it's a blessing you all have prevailed in your quest and Lady Artemis is safe. But I have some bad news." Chiron started.

"Luke's still alive. I know." I threw in.

"How do you know?" Annabeth asked.

I explained to everyone my conversation with Ares the other day. And of how the Golden Apple I used to save Zoe with kinda gave me a good idea of how Luke had survived his fall.

"Well, if we do have more battles ahead of us, we'll be ready. We can still figure something out."

I had a feeling she meant "Get Luke to change his ways." which annoyed me even more.

"Perhaps. But time is against us. And Kronos could have many more attacks against camp planned." Chiron said.

At that, my thoughts went on the prophecy. As of right now, the only people who seemed to know about it were Me, Chiron, Luke and Kronos. I rather it to be kept that way. It also occurred to me that I've been so distracted by my relationship with Clarisse and us getting ready for the baby that the prophecy had slipped my mind these past few months. I somehow never realized before now that even though I'll see the birth of my child, I wasn't gonna be there in their life. I was gonna make a choice on my 20th birthday that not only was gonna either save or destroy Olympus and the world but also get me killed. My child was gonna be robbed of their father and I wasn't going to be there for them. I felt my heart drop at that thought.

"Well, Zeus has assured that camp is cleared, and borders have been restored and strengthened as much as possible. His forces won't be able to break through as they did before." Artemis offered.

"How were the Chimera that attacked camp able to break through in the first place? I thought the fleece completely healed the tree." I asked, trying to distract myself from the heartbreak I suddenly felt.

"They must've attacked right after leaving the pits of Tartarus. Some effects from being in that realm for a long period of time and/or just escaping from it a short while ago can have very chaotic effects on you." Artemis answered.

I didn't like the sound of that, and it worried me about just what else Kronos probably had in store for us.

"But everything in camp is as it should be now." Artemis offered.

"I'll have Argus get the bus ready and tell camp to pack up their things." Chiron said before he took his leave.

Once he was away, Zoe stood forward.

"Percy, thank you again for saving my life. And for everything else you've done for us in this quest. We couldn't have done it without you." Zoe said.

"Well, I would rather have been with Clarisse the entire time. But I do prefer you alive." I said, offering her my hand.

Zoe glanced down at it and grasped it in the warrior fashion.

"Should you ever need our aid, the Hunt will answer. We are now in your debt, Hunter Friend." Zoe stated.

"Indeed, we are." Artemis stepped forward.

I just looked at them both for a minute and decided that despite everything that's happened recently, I needed to be more prepared than ever. It may not change much of anything, but I had to try.

"Well, you once offered me some more special training like Ares has been giving me." I started as I pulled out the token Artemis gave me back at camp.

"I did." Artemis acknowledged.

"If the offer's still open, I'd like to accept." I stated.

Artemis seemed pleased with this.

"You'll have to travel with the Hunt to receive the proper training I have in mind. But if you're up for it and are willing to take your wits to the next level, I think it can be done. But it'll have to wait until after the holidays. For now, I'll need some time to rest some more. I think we all can use the time to rest a little." Artemis said.

Everybody seemed in agreement to that.

"Can Clarisse come to?" I asked.

"Absolutely. We'll work with both of as much as we can." Artemis answered.

"Sounds good." Clarisse smiled.

"I trust the rest of you will be okay at camp meanwhile?" I asked Annabeth, Thalia and Grover.

"Yeah. No doubt Luke will need time to rest as well. Even he can only do so much in a short amount of time." Thalia answered.

"But we still need to be ready for whatever else he and Kronos have in store." Annabeth retorted.

"The Hunt will help keep an eye on things in camp. We'll make sure the holidays go uninterrupted." Zoe stated.

"In that case -" I started but was stopped by a loud gasp that came from Grover, bringing everyone's attention to him.

"What's with you Goat Boy?" Thalia asked.

"He spoke." Grover cried.

"What are you talking about young Satyr?" Artemis asked.

"I just heard him in my head. He spoke in my mind!" Grover answered.

"Who?" Annabeth demanded.

"Pan! The Lord of the Wild himself! I heard him! I have to, . . . I have to find a suitcase! I have to go!" Grover wailed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm your tits, Grover. What did he say?" I asked trying to calm him down while earning a strange look from all the females, give or take Clarisse.

"Just three words. He said, 'I await you.'" Grover answered.

I'm very sorry that I haven't updated anything in over a year. I didn't mean for the gap to get this way, but life was just a bitch last year. For those who don't know, I got out of a messy relationship at the beginning of 2024, and my ex-girlfriend was so pissed at me because I didn't want to be in a relationship with a control freak anymore that she put me in a financial dilemma. She took all my money. I had to do a lot of overtime at work to get my finances caught up. And work was irritating. Along with doing so much overtime to catch up with my finances, I've had to help keep other positions filled until new people were hired because a lot of people kept leaving or didn't pass their 90 days. I had to do more work than I should've had to. Still do even. Along with that, things in my family got ugly. At the end of February, my mom had spinal surgery. She had a fractured disk in her spine, and it had to come out. I spend most of my free time helping her out and taking care of her. She was able to get back to work at the beginning of July, but it was discovered that my mom had spinal cancer stage 4. Back in the summer of 2016, my mom had breast cancer. When that lump in her chest was found, it was still small and hadn't started to spread yet. So that was found and taken out just in time. But she ended up having to go to ER like four or five other times after that because there ended up being something else wrong with her. We thought we got everything out of my mom's system, but apparently, we were wrong. She had a lump on her spine these past eight years. So, she's been having to go through chemo to try and get rid of it, which was an unpleasant journey due to the open-heart surgery my mom had back in January of 2008 slowly giving her a heart condition. My mom's condition has been keeping me busy like the rest of the family. My free time from that point on was spent making sure my mom's being taken care of and still alive. There were quite a few close calls here and there between my mom experiencing kidney failure, an overdose of chemo, having many pounds of fluid taking out of her body and having a stroke on her brain. As of now she's still alive, still able to move as much as she can and just started radiation. Despite everything my mom was forced to suffer, doctors say she'll be able to make it to long-term remission. So, with all this being said, 2024 was literally a year from Hell for me. I apologize to everyone on how all of this has affected my ability to write. Things have started to calm down and hopefully it stays that way. Hope the update was okay for everyone. See you all at the next update.