PART 2
THE SEA OF MONSTERS
A PERCY JACKSON AND NICO DI ANGELO STORY
STARRING CLARISSE LA RUE AND ANNABETH CHASE
GUEST APPEARANCES FROM CLEOXENE CORINTÓS AND KYMOPOLEIA POSEIDONEIA
Percy was happy living with Sally, Nico, and Bianca. Nico was out in sixth grade and Bianca and Percy in seventh grade.
It was one of these days when Percy first approached Tyson.
Percy and Bianca were both on the popular side, unlike last time, for Percy because of his personality and for both of them because of looks.
Nico was as well, and he was always with Percy pranking Matt Sloan and others.
It was one day, after Tyson had come and been the subject of bullying, that Percy and Nico approached him and befriended him. Bianca was nervous around him but handled it pretty well when Tyson moved in with them.
"Hey Neeks," said Percy.
"Yeah?" Was the reply.
"Remember Briares? He tried to sacrifice the Ophiotaurus originally."
"Why?"
"Maybe Kym convinced him."
"I most certainly did not," came a silky voice from behind them.
Nick nearly dropped his sandwich but Percy merely greeted her.
"Hey K. So why did he?"
"He wanted to kill Iapetus and Hyperion. But Zeus knew if he got mad at the gods after…I don't know the exact details. My..husband and I are on talking terms but not much more."
"Huh," said both boys at once before high fiving each other.
Hades was rather concerned by Nico.
The boy had a close sort of brotherhood with the sea spawn and both seemed aware of his powers and heritage.
He also had a drastic personality shift.
He was now far more mature, independent, and a little…depressed. A lot like the son of Poseidon.
He liked them both a lot, and Bianca a lot as well, but the two 'brothers' seemed to almost share a PTSD.
Same mannerisms, random sketches of similar things, and a close connection.
One day, Hades (who, no matter what Persephone laughingly insisted, was not a stalker! Right?) spotted both boys on different sides of their school, drawing.
He recognized them. Arai and Cacodemons.
Tartarus' physical form. Akhlys. Nyx. A titan regeneration pod or two. A sabertooth tiger, but skeletal.
Iapetus.
Gaea.
It scared him to his marrow, Phanes it scared him even deeper.
Fears and trauma from the first Titan War which he had bottled up resurfaced and even with Persephone's help he was struggling to cope. It took his eldest sister's presence to fix it.
Meanwhile, Tyson, Percy, Nico, and Bianca had to deal with Joe Bob and his Detroit transfer friends.
Which, this time, was done without an explosion.
Annabeth appeared AFTER the fight, something Percy would not let up on. She told him Chiron had asked her to get him herself, and promptly screamed about Tyson.
"Do you know what he is?!" She demanded.
"A cyclops, a six year old, and my brother. Anything else?" Replied Percy.
"You really think so lowly of us, Annabeth?" Asked Nico, sighing. "Just because we haven't been claimed doesn't mean we're incompetent," he said.
"Because I suppose you know who it is? Like the Hecate kids?" She asked.
Percy and Nico exchanged a knowing glance and smirk. Annabeth and Bianca took it in, both staring suspiciously.
"What?" Said both boys simultaneously.
Ignoring them, Annabeth spoke up. "We should take the grey sisters, that's the best."
"Would they take three of us plus Tyson? Just asking," said Percy.
"You need information."
"*whistle* BLACKJACK!!!"
A minute and a half later, five Pegasi, including a very large muscular stallion named Pinkyswear descended from the sky.
"Blackjack, Porkpie, Guido, Maroon, Pinkyswear, meet Annabeth, Nico, Bianca, and Tyson. I'll take Blackjack, the rest of y'all go in the order I named."
The half-bloods and cyclops soared into the embrace of Ouranos under the warmth of Hemera, making their way to Long Island Sound near Camp Hero, where Camp Half Blood was located. They landed but unlike last time there was not just a pair of bronze bulls. There was three dozen Dracanae and some leontocephali besieging Clarisse's border patrol as well.
The Pegasi dive bombed with Tyson going faster than anyone else. Percy gave him permission to cross before he could crash and the big six year old landed on a bull, practically ripping its ichor tube off of its back.
Percy and Nico slaughtered their way through the Dracanae with startling ease, unnerving the two girls and the cyclops. They fought side by side like cogs in one vindictive, destructive, whirlwind.
Duck. Slash. Elbow, axe-kick,thrust. Front kick, stab, withdraw. Slash, block, palm on wrist, thrust.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Ice was swirling around the two by the time they were done.
Clarisse, Sherman, Miranda, and the rest of the border patrol were looking at them wide-eyed.
Nico's celestial bronze Kopides were unbalanced for him but still as destructive as ever. Riptide and Nightshade were equally destructive and in even deadlier hands.
"If you keep on staring, the prank war is on," grinned Nico. "And that's not a threat, it's a fact."
Ares cabin stared belligerently at the two and they both gave shit eating, predatory, lupine grins.
Not even by dinner time Cabin 5's sheets were died bright blue with incredibly detailed blue whales drawn in sharpie.
Oh, and 'PJ and NdA were here' cut into every single sheet with the precision of Artemis.
Percy made a beeline for Chiron, ignoring an Annabeth who was telling him Tyson was an unwanted mistake in front of the poor cyclops. Finally, he snapped at her. "I literally only have one thing to say. If you're going to insult a little kid in front of him you are possibly the most despicable person this camp has to offer, no matter how superior you think you are. And he's my fucking brother. If you want to see what the Sea does for its family you can read your Odyssey again, Wise Girl," he snarled.
He opened the door of the big house in front of a rather guilty Annabeth who was doing her best to apologize, but Percy didn't want the apology, only Tyson deserved it.
"Ah, Annabeth, and Percy, how you have grown!" Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Pony!" Said Tyson in awe.
"Excuse you, my dear cyclops, but I am a centaur, not a pony," said Chiron, offended.
"Chiron, what is happening? You're not leaving?" asked Annabeth. "This can't be true?"
Nico walked up confidently. "Hi, I'm Nico Di Angelo, Percy's semi-adopted brother. That's Bianca over there, my sister." Leaning in, he added. "We're unclaimed children of Hades, at least we think, but don't worry—Bianca is probably going to join the Hunt. We were in the Lotus Casino."
Chiron's eyes widened in surprise and he turned to Annabeth straightaway.
"I was blamed for the poisoning of Thalia's tree, my dear girl. Zeus had to find someone to blame."
Percy snorted. "He loves to blame his brothers. Braccas meas vescimini," he added when thunder rumbled.
"Yes, I suppose so. Now run along, I have to talk to the Di Angelo's and Percy," said the Kronide trainer of Heroes.
"We don't have a Hades Cabin."
Percy nodded. "But we have a Poseidon cabin and I can guarantee that Nico, Bianca, and Tyson will be welcome, as well as any daughters of Zeus that will be revived in the next month."
Chiron started. "Wh-what do you mean by that?!"
"I'm going to fix the tree," said Percy matter-of-factly.
"A quest must be given, as per the rules set by Lord Zeus."
"Ain't never been the one for rules, old man," said Percy with a matching grin to Nico.
The old centaur sighed. "I won't question it."
"That's all we ask," said Nico. "Percy, maybe Amphitrite could claim us!"
"I'll get Kym maybe, but Amphitrite would cause a scandal."
"Okay, then."
Percy walked into the dining pavilion with the grace of a snow leopard, laughing along with Annabeth, who seemed to have developed a little crush, Tyson, Nico, Bianca, and the Stoll brothers.
A tantalizing sneer (get it? Tantalizing?) greeted them from the head table. Mr. D clearly was displeased and kept sending worried glances at his kids but kept up the indifferent facade.
"Ahh, that one," he said. "Peter Johnson. He's Poseidon's brat, you know. He is trouble."
"I am Tantalus," said the dead king. "Don't cause problems, Percy Jackson."
So, he already knew the name. Okayyy…..
"Me? Cause problems?" He asked innocently.
"Yes, you, Lightning Thief," said Tantalus.
"He's batshit crazy," said Nico. "He might possibly be the only one who still believes that."
"Watch it, you two," said Dionysus.
"If I feel like it," they said simultaneously. The Stoll brothers grinned, thinking they now had competition.
Suddenly the Bident of Erebos and Helm of Darkness appeared above Nico and Bianca's heads. Tantalus laughed cruelly. "Children of Hades belong in Hades. With the monster."
Winds picked up speed and shadows danced to the rhythm of the waves beating incredibly far inland.
"Dude, did you not get the memo? Pissing off two of the big three is not the way to go," said Percy.
The green hologram of the Trident of Atlantis and Compass of the Coasts and Oceans appeared above the di Angelo's, while the green trident floated above Tyson.
"So, dad staked his claim. All three of them are with me in Cabin Three," said Percy. "You can come once you finish your vegetables, Tantalus," he finished mockingly.
The campers were wary of Tyson but now not at all adverse to the Di Angelos despite their parentage—they knew Bianca was a sweet girl and Nico was Percy's de facto twin.
The Compass gave them right of sanctuary in Cabin Three and any waters under Poseidon and his progeny.
"I'll keep my eyes on you, Jackson," said Tantalus.
"Keep your eyes on your food, it's trying to run away," he replied smugly.
This time, blatant laughter erupted in the pavilion. The camp's activity director seethed silently but Percy and Nico ignored it, sipping their cobalt starlight cokes.
"Before we transition to Camp fire and sing-along, Percy Jackson and Nico… erm, Nico were the ones responsible for bringing the monster, even if he is supposedly a good one according to his dad," said Tantalus.
Thunder boomed as rain started to fall in torrents. Waves crashed and plants grew to unnatural heights, courtesy of Persephone. Tantalus sat back down and it all stopped at once. Above him, an eagle and lightning bolt symbol appeared and then cracked.
"Well, well. It seems, Tommaso, you can no longer call yourself a scion of Zeus," said Mr. D. "A pity, I suppose."
"Wh-What?"
"Do you need me to repeat myself, Tokashiki?"
Percy and Nico slowly made their ways to Cabin 3 while Annabeth apologized to Tyson who hugged her and practically broke every bone in her back. Bianca messed around with Hermes and Apollo cabins, and even Tyson found friends in, strangely enough, Mitchell and Drew from Aphrodite cabin.
Annabeth and Malcolm honorarily led the sing-along, with Lee Fletcher and Will Solace providing the instrumentals.
Nico, who had found his Stygian iron sword from the old timeline on a bunk in Poseidon Cabin, found himself, along with Percy, face to face with none other than Kymopoleia.
The goddess of violent waves and storms sat them down as they plotted their voyage through the Bermuda Triangle.
Shadows darkened and gathered, and as they were discussing transportation, Hades, god of Erebos, appeared.
"Uhm, hi, uncle," said Percy nervously.
"Hello, niece, nephew, son," he said rather cheerfully, "I have news. The thief, Castellan, has a cruis—"
"The Princess Andromeda is nearby?" Asked Nico without thinking.
Hades narrowed his eyes. "How d—"
"We should just tell him," said Kym. "He is your dad, Di Angelo."
"Tell me what?!"
"Okay, you're right, I guess," replied Nico.
"What are you telling me?!?!"
"Okay, pops," said Nico, ignoring the indignant squawk from the eldest Kronide. "We…have memories of the future?"