Come yell at me on my tumblr: Percabeth4Life
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OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
We were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke three years ago, so of course everybody treated us as if we'd won some reality-TV contest.
They were all so excited and insisted on following all the traditions. We wore laurel wreaths, attended a big feast with all kinds of food (a breakfast feast that was delicious) and Lord D even gave a speech! It was a quick speech, but it was nice. Then we led a procession down to the bonfire.
We got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins made for us in our absence, or well, Annabeth's cabin made hers. Mine was made by the Demeter and Aphrodite cabins and I was so very touched by the care they put into.
It was sea green silk with pearl patterns embroidered in white and fish decorating it with shimmery thread. There were little doves edging the corners and some strawberries hidden around it. In the center was a trident, with a conch shell behind it.
It was so lovely it was almost a shame to burn.
Annabeth's was equally beautiful, gray silk with intricate embroidered owls and some passages from her favorite poems. There was a faint cityscape that shimmered when the fabric moved, a nod to her love of architecture I supposed.
Grover didn't get a funeral shroud, but he did get a tree planted in honor of him for his successful quest.
Then we settled down for a sing-along led by the Apollo cabin as we passed out s'mores.
It might have been morning, but the camp took it's post-quest traditions very seriously.
I couldn't help but beam when Katie wrapped me in a hug and said she was glad I came back safe. Or when Suki patted me on the back with a smile and said she's glad I didn't gain any scars on my way home.
I sat with the Demeter cabin and relaxed. They welcomed me back with open arms, it was as if I was a part of their cabin.
I shook my head with a grin when Darius dropped his s'more and tried to steal Suki's. She wacked him with her cane and told him to get a new one, a grin on her face. He rubbed his head sheepishly, pushing down his curly afro as he did.
I laughed when Imani gave him a fresh s'more, innocence radiating from her and her black eyes wide and earnest, up until he took a bite and found out she stuck hot peppers in it.
His scramble for milk and Katie being the one to have mercy was familiar. Imani and him always got up to mischief with each other.
"I'll get you back for that, Imani," he promised, mischief gleaming in his dark eyes.
"That was revenge for you taking over my pepper patch to grow those okra plants."
"Okra is good for you and delicious-"
"It's green and gross," she interrupted grandly. "Don't mess with my peppers."
I laughed as Katie shrugged, "Seems fair."
Lapu offered me a freshly made s'more, her two long braids swinging as she leaned past me to reach for the chocolate. "They've been debating that patch of the garden basically since you left."
"Their gardens are really important to them," I said as I accepted the s'more.
"They are," She agreed softly. "It's good to have you back, we were worried"
"I'm okay. It was scary for some parts but we did alright."
"Did our seeds come in handy?" She asked as she settled back with the chocolate to make more s'mores.
Miranda perked up, swinging around, "Ye-yeah! Did the- Did they?"
The others were looking at me now too.
"They saved my life," I told them honestly.
"Oh no! What happened?" Imani cried. She leaned forward to check me over. "Are you okay?"
"I'm glad they helped," Suki said, gently pulling Imani back. "When did you use them?"
I nibbled on the s'more for a moment, gathering my thoughts.
"So, we went to the St. Louis Arch during a layover on our train ride."
"I heard it's really high," Darius said. "And that the river runs right under it! Is the river really right under it?"
"No, it's more like... five-hundred ish feet behind it. But it is pretty high."
"Cool! But it would be cooler for the river to be right under"
"Yeah," I laughed. "It would. But anyways, we were up there, and I was left alone up top, cause there wasn't the space for me to go down with Grover and Annabeth. So, it was me, a dad and his son, the worker, and this old lady with her chihuahua."
"I'm getting monster vibes," Katie muttered as she bit into some chocolate.
"Yeah well, turns out they were sent by Zeus, and the chihuahua was the Khimaira and the old lady was Ekhidna."
Katie choked.
"Th-th-the khi- the KHIMAIRA!?" Miranda cried.
"Zeus sent them?" Suki muttered with a frown, her grip tightening on her bronze cane.
"Yeah, so like, it was trying to kill me, which wasn't fun. And then it's tail bit me-"
"Isn't its tail super venomous?" Lapu asked. "I swear it's a deadly snake but I'm not sure where I read that."
"Yeah, it was really venomous, it was fast acting too."
"How did our seeds help then?" Suki asked. "They weren't medicinal plants..."
"ARE YOU STILL POISONED??" Imani asked in a panic.
"I'm okay, not still poisoned." I soothed her. "And I grabbed one of the packets at random then just... threw them all out. The Khimaira got all tangled in the vines that I managed to get a breather. Then I got kicked out of the side of the Arch, oh yeah, the Khimaira kinda melted a hole in it, and ended up in the river."
"W-wow," Miranda muttered.
"That's crazy," Imani agreed. "I'm glad you're alright. Most important though, did the water heal you?"
"Yeah, the water and a naiad. It was... scary. But it all ended up alright so..."
"I'm glad you're okay," Darius declared. "Please don't go around anymore Khimairas though."
I grinned, "I'll do my best."
"Also," Suki added. "Keep the seeds. They might be useful in the future."
"Percy," called a familiar voice. "There you are, we missed you in the crowd."
I turned to find Drew and Lacy walking over, along with a boy I didn't know.
"Hey, Drew, Lacy."
"Percy! We're so glad you're alright. We were really worried," Lacy moved over to me, looking me over. "You didn't get injured at all right?"
"I'm fine, no injuries now."
"Now?" Drew asked sharply. "Should we get you to the Infirmary?"
"No, no, I'm good." I assured them quickly. I was careful not to rub my arms at the electricity that was sparking over it from the barrier.
She squinted at me, "Riiiggghhhttt. Well, as your aunt-"
"Since when were you my Aunt?"
"You're totally related to my mom, Aunt is a good title."
I blinked, "You don't know that."
"If I'm wrong then the cabin will bring you shopping for stylish clothes. In the meantime, as your Aunt-"
Darius snorted, I wacked his arm.
"-I say that you should get checked out in the Infirmary, just to be safe."
"He's fine," Darius chirped. "We made sure of it."
"Since when are you a licensed professional?"
"Since when is anyone that works in the Infirmary a licensed professional?" Lapu wondered.
Drew squinted at the two of them.
"Better than gardeners checking him over. At least they know how to be sure he's healthy."
"But he sa-sa- he sai- he told us he's f-f-fine." Miranda countered, she bit her lip, looking frustrated.
"He said now he's fine," Drew insisted. "As his Aunt and friend I must make sure that he doesn't have any residual pains from his injuries on the quest-"
Lacy pulled at my arm as Miranda, and Drew bickered over my health.
"Percy, this is Giovanni." Lacy beamed at me, motioning to the boy I didn't recognize. "He was late coming to camp this year. Oh yeah, we had a few other people late to camp. You need to meet Willow and Lapis too. Oh yeah! And Halia, and Calisto. And I can't forget Aarya or Sung-ho."
"It's nice to meet you Giovanni," I said as Lacy descended into mutters about all the introductions she needed to do, tugging at her lacy green veil distractedly. "I'm Percy."
The Aphrodite boy studied me, wearing a very neat dress shirt (how did he get a dress shirt version of the camp shirt!?) and slacks. His hair was covered by a neatly wound black veil.
"It's nice to meet you as well," He said. He had a faint accent, Italian? "My siblings have spoken highly of you."
I flushed, "They're very nice, and welcoming."
He flashed me a pleased smile, "They are."
We both turned when Katie interrupted the debate.
"That's enough guys. Percy can decide for himself if he wants to go to the infirmary. If he looks like he's struggling then we'll take him later. Now then, would you guys like to join us for s'mores?"
Drew opened her mouth, but before she could speak Silena interrupted.
"Hey, Percy," Silena said with a bright smile. "It's good to see you again, I'm glad you made it back safely. Are you happy to be back at camp?"
I nodded, relieved that the debate was over. "Yeah, I... I actually really missed camp... or at least you guys."
Drew straightened. "You should come hang out with us later!"
Silena nodded, "Some of the cabin members arrived after you left, you should meet them."
"Plus, we want to do your hair again," Lacy chirped.
"Yeah, sure," I agreed. "Lacy mentioned that too. I'll come by later today?"
"That works," Silena said. "See you then."
She hooked her arm with Drew, murmuring quietly as they walked away.
Lacy waved and Giovanni nodded to Katie and me before they went after Silena and Drew.
"So you're sure you're good, Percy?"
I smiled, warmth filling me. I'd never had so many friends, and ones that worried for me so much... it was nice.
"I'm fine," I promised.
"Okay, so what else happened on the quest," Imani asked, leaning forward once more.
"Yeah," Darius grinned. "You've gotta tell us everything."
"Well okay, so here's what happened."
I started at the beginning with a warm feeling filling me.
This place really could be a home.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
I'd barely had time to drop my bag in my cabin before the celebrations so I headed back after the s'mores.
The cabin was just as I left it, the familiar rubbing salt feel a welcoming sensation for how it dulled the electric sparks to a buzz on my skin.
The cabin smelt of clean sea air and I couldn't help but relax as I snagged my bags from the cubby by the door. Grover had given me back the Ares bag too, so I had to empty that as well.
I had just dropped the bags on my bed to dig through them when Carl spoke.
"Percy! You're back!"
I turned to the fish tank on my dresser where Carl was swimming in happy loops.
"Hey, Carl. Did they take care of you while I was gone?"
"They did fine, I got fed plenty. How was the quest? I assume you succeeded since you're alive. Did you run into anything interesting? You didn't go to any spas did you?"
I laughed, pulling the desk chair to sit across from Carl.
"The quest was... interesting. Not what I expected, it was kind of scary... but yeah, I succeeded, got the Bolt and the Helm and all that stuff."
"That's great! Tell me all about it, don't leave anything out. Also just to double check, you didn't go to any spas?"
I shook my head, "No spas-"
"And no mysterious coins or strange maps or anything?"
"None of that," I said curiously, those were new. "We did get a strange backpack and I met a moon God, His name was Khonsu but I'm not sure which pantheon he's from."
"I don't know the name, guess we'll have to research!"
I groaned and leaned back.
I really did like to learn about the myths, but mainly the sea ones. The ones not related were still interesting but they never held my attention like the sea myths. It didn't hurt that I had copies of the sea myths in Halmaheran or Ancient Greek which was vastly easier to read.
I wished there were videos or audio books on the info I wanted, or that Triton could just tell me about it. I always understood things when he told me about it (usually with visual aids).
Well, at least Carl was there to help. He had a lot of odd knowledge.
"Now tell me about the quest!"
I shook my head and focused back on Carl, "Right, so the quest-"
We ended up talking for a while.
I told Carl about the quest and he nodded along and asked questions for more detail. He'd faltered when I talked about Ares, swimming around agitatedly, but just told me to continue. At the end he declared that I did well figuring out what was going on and handling the threats, but I needed to learn to listen to my instincts more and I needed to learn more about my magics.
I agreed, and said I needed to train more with my knife. The Aphrodite cabin would likely help me with that during sparring practice. I was working with them later today so I'd talk to them about it then.
I also definitely needed to learn more about Siren's Song, but I needed Triton for that so it would have to wait until after summer.
Purification and healing I could practice at camp though. Plus I needed to practice more with my trident and get better at fighting on land.
And of course my waterbending. It was really hard to do the pressure in the water. I was used to detail work with waterbending, not big things. I'd need to improve on that.
Carl suggested I make a list, which I was doing anyways... just in my head.
Carl said I'd never remember if that was where I kept my lists.
I made a to-do list
To Do List
Who is Khonsu?Research the Gods and Titans and what they did- Grandpa's question?Research the different pantheons in general- what was all the stuff at the Lotus Hotel?More on curse breaking for Carl- He didn't ask for this one but I'm gonna break his cursePractice waterbendingLearn more about Siren's song Learn some basic healing as soon as possible Practice more with my knife
I nodded, this list would work for now. It was a lot of research but the moon stuff would at least be fun, so would the sea magic stuff.
I stretched, maybe Triton had information on the Moon Gods. I knew that the moon was super important in the sea, half the holidays revolved around it (though I didn't know much about them) but would Triton only work with the Greek Pantheon's moon Gods?
I still had so much to learn about the sea.
"Don't forget to put everything up," Carl reminded me as I stretched out on my bed.
I groaned but pushed up and grabbed my bag.
I wondered about Carl while I dug the clothes out of my bag. I'd never really thought about his parentage but his reaction when I said Ares helped Metani with the Bolt and Helm made me curious.
He had to have been at the camp before, but how long ago? Would anyone here know him? Did he leave anyone behind when he got cursed?
I finished putting the clothes in the drawers (I had a lot more now) before pulling out the blanket from the Hotel. We'd used it in the taxi to Los Angeles but otherwise it had just been in my bag. The other two blankets were split between the Ares bag and Annabeth's. I grabbed the blanket from the Ares bag too. I dropped those on the beds to spread out later.
Next up was the gift from Hades. The sparkling gemstone flower was placed on the dresser next to Carl's tank.
"Ooh, that's pretty, where'd you get that?"
"Hades-ton gave it to me as a reward for returning His Helm of Darkness to Him."
Carl swam in a circle, "Hades? Wow... that's a valuable gift."
"I figured. It's made out of real gems, right?"
"Pretty sure yeah."
I hummed, and dug out the armor from Elei. I didn't get a chance to use it on the quest but I could use it during the Capture the Flag games.
And then there was... I'd forgotten about those.
I pulled out a woven bag with a moon on it. It was the stuff from Khonsu's shop. I'd gotten so distracted by the mess in the Hotel and escaping it, then the talk in the taxi, that I'd completely forgotten about those.
I needed to do better, we could've used those to heal Grover when he got all scratched up from the shoes. These needed to go in the medical kit so I didn't forget in the future.
I pulled that out, thankful that it was set up so it had a lot more space then you'd suspect. I had space for most of the potions.
I counted out the potions as I put them up.
Five basic healing potions tucked in with the general seaweed wraps.
Three energy potions with the painkillers.
Two seeing in the dark potions that I just put with the shock blanket.
There were twelve bottles total of nectar and unicorn draught, but they didn't all fit. I put two of each in the kit and the rest in a cubby in the wall. I'd move those to the bathroom for safekeeping later.
"That's a lot of nectar and... what's the rest?"
"Oh uh, healing potions and unicorn draught, I got them at the Hotel."
"I've never heard of unicorn draught."
"Yeah, I don't remember where he said it's from, he was talking a lot."
I put the medical kit under my bed before I pulled out the second bag with a moon on it. The only thing in that was the lunch box.
I pulled it out curiously to take a look
"What's that?" Carl asked.
The lunch box had a few sections on the inside, each with different food. I pulled out a piece of flatbread from one section and blinked when another instantly too its place.
Huh, cool.
"It's a lunch box I bought at the Hotel," I mumbled as I nibbled on the piece of bread.
"Oh," Carl said, angling to get a better look. "Looks magic."
"Yeah, it is..."
I poked at the sandwich in the largest section, it had some sort of meat on it I didn't recognize, plus some honey and some lettuce. There was another section that had some sort of soup in it, somehow it didn't spill at all.
There were only two other sections, one with cheese in it, the other with salad. As I poked at them I noticed utensils tucked against the back.
Okay, this was cool. We'd definitely be using it on any future quests (and at school).
I closed it and put it in the top drawer of my dresser before moving to empty the rest of my bag.
I pulled out the water bottle and put it in the cubby by my bed. That had been helpful in the underworld, I was glad Annabeth had tucked it into my back. I wondered how long it would take to fill since it could hold a lake worth of water....
It would probably be best to just periodically refill it so I didn't have to do it all at once.
The calming stone from Masina went back on my desk while my Ocarina went into one of the wall cubbies. I paused when I pulled out a shimmery pink scarf.
I'd forgotten about that, Aphrodite's scarf from the Tunnel of Love ride.
I breathed in, the scent of the sea and other unnamable smells filling my senses, it smelled amazing.
I folded it carefully and tucked it into my dresser drawer. Then I remembered the feather from Eros and tucked that into the dresser drawer as well.
I pulled out my toiletries and grabbed six of the remaining nectar/unicorn draught bottles and brought them to the bathroom. The bottles went under the sink for safekeeping and my toiletries went back in their spots.
The last thing from that bag was my money. I just tucked that into my desk drawer for the moment.
The Ares bag no longer felt of electricity, so I assumed Zeus had disconnected it as the sheath to the Master Bolt. Or maybe Ares had made it a sheath himself, it didn't feel of his magic anymore either.
I pulled out the clothes Ares had given us and raised an eyebrow. There were two pairs for each of us but... were the leather pants really necessary?
I put the ones for me in my drawer and put the others aside for Annabeth and Grover. I'd probably split the cash and remaining drachmas with them too.
The flashlights went in the drawer of my desk before I pulled out the lunchbox Ares gave us.
It was enchanted like the one from Khonsu's shop, and unlike the bag it still felt of magic.
I'd ask Annabeth if she wanted this one. The foods were different in the lunch boxes so maybe we could switch them off. I put it with the Hotel one until I could talk to her.
I hooked the Ares bag on one of the hooks at the entrance area of the cabin before checking the time.
It was about time for my sparring practice with the Aphrodite kids. It felt like ages since we last sparred, but it had only been a week or two.
I grabbed my gear and headed out of the cabin, waving to Luke as I passed him. He was headed to the woods.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
I smiled fondly when Drew tried to check me over for injuries again when I joined them.
"I'm fine Drew, don't worry."
Her face was set in stern lines with her hair pulled up into a neat bun, a fancy hair comb appeared to hold it in place. She only had a small square of fabric to veil the front of her hair instead of a full scarf.
"Hmm, we'll see about that," She said finally. "Draw that pretty knife of yours, let's see how you do against me."
She drew her own knife, a long dagger of celestial bronze with a steel hilt.
"Ah, I don't... I don't use my knife, it's ta, it's not safe for spars."
Her eyes narrowed on me, "You said that before but you never explained why you couldn't use the knife."
"Can't I just use a practice knife?" I asked.
"The weight wouldn't be the same," interrupted one of the other kids, her black hair braided neatly back for practice. "You need to know how to use your knife."
"Yeah, why can't you use your knife?" Jasmine asked from the side, she was sitting out of the sparring right now because she'd just fixed up her nails and didn't want to ruin them. "Isn't the point of it to fight with?"
Another young Aphrodite boy swung his legs beside her, "Seems a bit weird to not practice with it."
"It's made of a metal that isn't safe to use in friendly sparring," I explained. "So I can't use it right now."
"If you can't practice against us with it then you need to figure out something to learn how to fight with it," the first girl said with a frown. "Or use a different weapon for sparring until you figure something out."
"Willow is right," said a tawny skinned Aphrodite girl. "You'll need a weapon that has the same balance or the practice won't be as useful. It was okay for a short while, but now... Maybe the Hephaestus cabin could make a practice knife for you."
"There's an idea," Silena said. "Go talk to them later and see. In the meantime, are you going to use a practice sword instead then? Or another knife like before you left?"
I considered for a moment, "Well, I could use more practice with my trident."
The others around me perked up.
"Wait, you use a trident?" one asked, turning her dark eyes on me. "I don't think anyone at the camp uses a trident."
"Yeah!" Another said, brushing their curly dark brown hair back with their bronze metal arm. "I did hear about that Ares kid, Paul or something? But that was a while before I came to camp."
"Um, yeah. I've trained the most with my trident, Triton insisted that I learn."
"How come we haven't seen it before?" Mitchell asked. "And do you need to get it from your cabin?
"I just didn't pull it out before, and no I have it with me."
I tugged at the charm with a grin, summoning the trident to its full size.
"Okay," the child with the bronze arm said. "That's pretty cool."
I preened.
"Yeah, it was a gift from Triton. It's just a practice one still, technically, I won't get an actual battle one till I'm thirteen."
"That still looks like it can do damage," said another girl... I thought her name was Marinette.
She put down the shirt she was embroidering to come get a closer look.
"Did you name it?" she asked while tucking her blue-black hair back. "All good weapons have names."
I shrugged, "Not this one. I guess I'll name my actual trident when I get it."
"Oh, did you name your knife?" asked the boy that had been swinging his legs.
I blinked, realizing how many of them had moved over to see my trident.
"Tyrone give him some space," said Jasmine as she tugged him back with a dark hand.
He rolled his eyes but bounced beside her.
"Oh ta, no. Triton said it should be named too... I just haven't gotten around to it."
"What's its ability?" Marinette asked. "Like, you said the metal does something right?"
"Yeah," I drew it with my free hand. "It's made of Abyssal Platinum. When it cuts something it exerts the same pressure on the form as from where the metal was mined from. And it's only really mined in the deepest parts of the ocean so..."
"Wait, that's so cool." one girl muttered.
I grinned, "Yeah. It's hard to get, cause it's in the deepest parts of the sea and that's Okeanus-ari's territory and well, going there without his permission is just asking for a sea serpent to eat you. You have to trade for it, or buy it, it's one of the deep sea's most valuable exports."
"The undersea has a trade system," said another girl as she shook her head. Her dreads swung as she did and their ornaments caught the light as she leaned forward in her wheelchair. "I did not know that."
I opened my mouth completely ready to actually talk about it. Triton made sure I knew territories and the biggest goods and exports and stuff of each one so I actually knew a lot about this.
A throat clearing made me falter and I turned to see Khiron standing at the edge of the field.
The others turned, looking a bit sheepish as they noticed him.
"This is your fighting time, not talking time." Khiron chided. "You can chat later."
"Okay," a girl said. "But consider this: I hate fighting."
Khiron sighed but Silena stepped forward with a smile, "Sparring time is for those that want to, it's totally fine that you and the other's don't want to."
"Yes, of course." Khiron said. "But some of you have to use your sparring time for what it's meant for. Please get back on track."
The other's grumbled some, but the ones planning on sparring started splitting up into pairs. Drew snagged my arm with a vicious smile.
I was going to regret not going to the infirmary wasn't I?
Marinette went back over to her seat, picking up the shirt that she was embroidering while another girl settled behind her, pulling out a brush and undoing Marinette's pigtails.
The girl in the wheelchair wheeled over to the side of the benches, and Calisto and the bouncing boy hopped onto the seat next to her. The bouncing boy's dark legs swung as he gave us a thumbs up.
Drew dragged me over to one of the empty spots, then faced me with her rather pointy xiphos.
It was a long blade, shaped like the classic Greek swords. I sheathed my knife and readied my trident. I'd never fought any of them with my trident before. Actually I didn't really fight on land with my trident except on the quest.
I took a breath and focused on the fight.
I moved first, thrusting at her with my trident.
She slid past, her blade almost catching me in the side.
I twisted, swinging the butt of the trident around to catch her in the knees.
Drew stumbled back, just avoiding the strike. Her angular eyes narrowed.
We circled each other slowly for a long moment.
She moved first this time, her blade coming down at my head.
I swished my trident up, catching her blade between the points before twisting sharply.
Drew yelped as her blade was ripped from her hand.
She stumbled forward, her hand coming up to her head and I thought for a second that I'd won.
I yelped, falling back when she whipped her hand out, a glint of metal catching my eye.
I fell over avoiding her swipe, and when I looked up I saw her holding her hair comb, the end gleaming sharp.
"Is your comb a knife!?" I squawked.
She smirked, "Every Aphrodite kid knows how to mix murder and style."
I snorted, still in disbelief, but accepted her hand as she pulled me up.
"Okay," I said. "That was a good move."
"You should see Alexus' lipstick taser, that thing is deadly."
"A lipstick taser!?"
Drew just grinned and I wasn't sure if she's joking or not.
"Okay, switching it up," Silena called. "New partners everyone."
Drew moved over, scooping up her blade, "Good luck nephew~"
"I'm literally older than you!" I called after her as my eleven year old friend walked over to pair up with Giovanni (who was wearing a fancy vest-like structured thing that laced up in the back and holding... a grenade?).
She laughed, "No grenades, Giovanni. Stick with your sword."
Giovanni looked down on her (he was nearly a foot taller than her and six years older), but put away the grenade. He drew the sword from his side, a very non-Greek fencing styled blade.
"I'll just stick my cats on you," he sat cooly.
"Duke Fluffington loves me," she countered with a smirk.
I turned my attention to my new sparring partner. She was called Willow earlier right?
Her braid had gotten a bit messy from her earlier spar, but otherwise there wasn't a mark on her terracotta brown skin, even her clothes seemed freshly pressed.
"Ready then?" She asked.
I nodded, readying my trident.
She lunged suddenly with her knife, slashing at me quickly and getting in my tridents reach before I could block.
I grimaced, scrambling back and wishing for the kind of fighting I'd done undersea. It was so much easier to go up or down.
Her blade almost caught my arm, but I managed to knock it aside with the shaft of my trident.
CLANG
I almost slipped when she suddenly pulled back drawing a... tube? From the sheath at her side.
It took a second for me to understand, but when the first dart hit me in the arm I blanched.
"Of course she has a blowgun," I muttered. "Why would this be easy for me?"
I failed to dodge the first two darts, still scrambling for my balance.
One dart caught me in the upper arm and the other in my shoulder. Their white feathered ends stuck innocently out of my clothes.
I winced, pulling them out, and winced again when I tried to move my arm. That hurt, like shocking tingles going down my arm.
I paid for my distraction with a dart in my other arm.
I ducked to the side, trying to figure out how to get closer to her as I dodged the darts.
Dodging the blowgun darts was hard . I got caught thrice more in the leg, twice in the upper leg and one just above my knee. Even with her having to pull her blowgun away to slide in the next dart, she was too quick at it for me to close the distance without another dart in my side.
I yelped as a dart nearly caught me in the nose.
Rude!
She grinned when I tried to put weight on the leg she'd hit three times, my leg buckled and I fell.
"Ow," I hissed, tugging out the darts. "Why does it hurt like this?"
"I aim for pressure points," Willow said cheerfully. "I studied with Elizabeth in the Apollo cabin. She's the best at acupuncture and knows the body backwards and forwards."
"Wow," I said. "It really works."
She looked pleased, bending down to help me pull out the darts.
"Normally a blowgun would be used for small game hunting, but I'm no good with a bow and arrow, and I wanted something more long distance." She rocked back on her heels, the two foot long tan tube being tucked back into the sheath like holder for it at her side. "Those will hurt for a bit, you can sit out if you want, or try to keep going but you'll need to stretch and massage the area."
"Right," I said, trying to stretch out my arms and wincing. "I guess that's your win then. I think I'll sit out."
She grinned, offering me a hand as she stood. "You didn't do half bad, for your first time fighting me and all."
"Next time I'll do better," I promised.
"I'll look forward to it."
I limped over to join Marinette and the other girl, seeing a few others had also joined in sitting on the side.
Mitchell, Lacy and another girl with sharp eyes and olive skin were sitting with the girl in the wheelchair, the bouncing boy, and the one with a bronze arm. They were chatting as they watched the spars.
Giovanni was sitting on Marinette's other side, a cat in his lap.
Marinette shot me a wry smile as I sat, "Willow is a hard one to fight, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she's good with the blowgun."
"That's just the one she uses for sparring and stuff. Her actual one that she'd use for a real fight is way longer, like more than half her height."
I blinked, "Really? That's long."
"She's really good with it though," Marinette said. "She's gotten good at figuring out how to keep her distance in fights if she can't win fast. It took her ages to get good at targeting the right spots on the human body but it was well worth it."
"Yeah," I murmured. "I'm sure."
"She's gotten very good over the last few years," Giovanni agreed. "More accurate at close distance than the Apollo cabin archers."
"That's really impressive," I said.
"It is," the girl from behind Marinette and me said. She'd been doing Marinette's hair earlier. "By the way, I'm Lapis. Nice to meet you!"
I nodded, "Yeah, it's nice to meet you too. I'm Percy."
She flashed me a grin, "Can I do your hair?"
I shrugged, "Yeah sure."
She grinned, pulling my hair from the bun I'd tied it into for sparring and her brush came out once more. She started separating my hair into sections to brush.
I watched as Jasmine and a small willowy girl got ready to fight near us.
Jasmine had some almost... claw like nails? Gleaming bronze on her finger tips. The other girl was holding some kind of long stick like staff, bound with celestial bronze rings, that was nearly seven feet long.
"What's her weapon?" I asked Marinette.
She hummed, looking up after a moment, "Aarya's? That's a Lathi. She uses a Bangladeshi martial arts style to fight... it's called um... Lathi Khela I think. She's getting pretty good at it, though she started off tripping over it."
"She was still more graceful than you," Lapis teased Marinette gently as she tugged at a tangle in my hair. "But yeah, it's cool to watch. She's only just started learning a year or two ago, but she's improved quickly."
I watched in fascination as the two started sparring.
"Who do you think will win?" I asked.
Jasmine was quick and was good at dodging Aarya's strikes. But Aarya was managing to keep a bit of distance between them using the Lathi. It was almost comical how small thirteen year old Aarya was compared to her own weapon, but she seemed to be doing good with it.
"Jasmine will win this time," Giovanni declared. "Aarya is improving but Jasmine is two years older and is a lot more comfortable with her weapon. Aarya still has a bit to go before she can beat Jasmine."
I nodded, watching as Jasmine slipped past her Lathi and took her down, bronze claw things gleaming at Aarya's neck.
"What are those claw things? They look sharp."
"Yeah," Lapis chirped. "They're very sharp. They're called, uh, what did Jasmine call them again?"
She'd just put the brush away and pulled out a comb.
"Cat's claws?" Giovanni asked. "Something like that I think. Drew was interested in them too so we might have to worry about that at some point. Gray from the Hephaestus cabin made them for Jasmine as a joke originally. Said her nails were already sharp enough to cut someone, might as well weaponize them."
Marinette giggled, "That was just after I came to camp. He thought it was funny until she actually started using them and kicked his butt with them a few weeks later. Then he thought it was awesome."
"And then they started dating," Giovanni drawled.
"Well," Marinette said. "They didn't start dating for a few weeks, but yeah."
I laughed, "Sounds like a fun love story."
"Entertaining at least," Giovanni agreed. "Though Jasmine is still sulking over not being able to spar with Alexus."
"Who's Alexus?" I asked. "And why can't they spar?"
Marinette laughed, "Well Alexus is over there, by Calisto and Tyrone."
"Who are Calisto and Tyrone?"
She blinked, "Oh right, I forgot you're new. Calisto is the one with the bronze arm and Tyrone is the boy sitting next to him, with the dreads."
I nodded, Tyrone was bouncing boy. Alexus was the girl in the wheelchair then.
"Oh okay. So why can't Alexus spar with Jasmine?"
"Khiron made her sit out of sparring for another week still. There was a fight while you guys were gone, and Mary, from the Athena cabin-"
"Who?"
"Uh, she's heading to college next year. I don't know if you've interacted. But she made a comment, and well... Alexus was closest. Though if Marinette had been two steps closer it might've been her getting punished. Mary was in the infirmary for a few days after."
I blinked, "Ouch."
"Yeah, Mary deserved it mind you." She added in a mutter, "making comments about you like that."
I blinked, oh. That fight, the one Luke mentioned. I forgot about it.
"But Khiron had to punish her for hurting another camper. Mary got punished too though, so at least it was fair."
I nodded, focusing back on the fights as Willow and a bronze skinned kid got ready to fight.
I relaxed with Marinette embroidering beside me, Giovanni petting his cat (Jeff), and Lapis braiding my hair.
I was glad I came to camp.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
I passed the Ares cabin's table at dinner and avoided their eyes. I hadn't really seen them throughout the day but the looks they were sending me made it clear they weren't happy with me.
But they weren't nice to me before the quest either, so at least it was consistent.
They weren't nice to me at the start though, so at least it's consistent...
I sighed and grabbed my dinner before making my sacrifices. I offered to Triton, Tethys-ran, Okeanus-ari, and Metua like usual, then added one in for Ryujin... Ryujin-rem? I thought that was it. I owed him for helping me against Ares.
I still had to sit at my table alone, but the Demeter cabin waved to me and the Aphrodite cabin smiled and even though it was hard to talk to them from here I still felt like I was with them.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
I stretched out on my bed that night. My starglobe lit it up with gentle light.
I was alone here, but I no longer felt so alone at camp.
I'd met a lot of new people, though I didn't remember half the names. How was anyone supposed to?
It had been strange how everyone greeted me throughout the day though. It wasn't that long ago that they were avoiding me like the plague, yet now they smiled and waved and acted like we were old friends.
The Demeter cabin and the Aphrodite cabin hadn't changed, nor the Ares cabin, but the others acted like they'd never avoided me.
I shook my head, they were scared before.
But it still felt weird.
I wasn't comfortable with a lot of them, especially the Apollo and Hermes cabin. Their treatment hurt the most.
They didn't care before but now they did... it was hard to accept.
I sighed and tried to shove the emotions away, they were annoying.
On the bright side my schedule worked still.
Tomorrow I had Ancient Greek with Annabeth, Archery with Khiron, then lunch. After lunch was arts and crafts time, then helping in the strawberry fields. I would need to visit Hestia as well.
It was a shame that we missed the summer solstice celebration, I had been excited for it. Annabeth assured me I'd love it next year.
At least I got to keep the stuff I made. I hung the suncatcher in my cabin this year. Next year I'd make a better one and a sundial to go with it.
Then I could give them to Triton!
I stared up at my ceiling. How was Triton doing? It had been awhile...
Was he pleased with how I handled the quest? I hadn't seen him in months except for that one dream.
I hoped he was alright. And my other sea friends... I'd been away so long, would they have forgotten about me?
I rolled over and closed my eyes, trying to sleep, so much had happened, so much had changed.
I opened my eyes, staring at the starglobe sitting on the table by my bed. The twinkling lights looked like hundreds of little diamonds.
I had a whole half the summer to go still, but I'd see them at the end of it all.
Everything was fine now; the danger had passed. Now I just had to wait.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
Poseidon POV
I scowled at Eros as He lounged in His seat, acting like He owned the temple. Which He did but that wasn't the point.
"Have you listened to a word I said?"
"Yes, yes, leave your darling little son alone, don't mess with his love life, and don't try to date him, anything else you wanted to unnecessarily tell me?"
"Unnecessarily!?" I snapped. "You were following him around!"
Eros rolled His eyes, looking like the most handsome of all men as usual, "The gamin was overwhelmed, Poseidon. I wasn't flirting with him-"
"You flirt with everyone," I said unamused.
Eros' lips twitched, "That's just who I am! And, anyways, he's darling, but he's a touch too young for my interest."
"By three thousand years," I agreed.
"I wouldn't say that much," He said with a sly smile. "How old was his mom when you fell in love."
I glared at Him but He just laughed.
"The point being," He continued. "I was helping him. Poor child was overwhelmed, I know those symptoms. Aphrodite is technically of the sea as well, I know how it goes when they can sense the things around them."
I frowned, "He shouldn't be at the point where he can sense the presence of power or magic."
"And yet he is," Eros drawled. "I was ever so kind to help him out. And it's hardly my fault that he's filled with such love for people. His mom, his brother, he even cares so much for his friends. I'm the God of Love, not just romance, Poseidon."
I pursed my lips, "Just don't mess with him."
He smiled innocently, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, "I would never dream of it."
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
Triton POV
I studied the room that I set up for Persi's stay in Atlantis. Mevu was writing up the note for Persi's mom so she wouldn't worry about Persi being gone for a time.
We had some guests arriving a bit before Persi, Mevu decided to take advantage of the announcement to communicate more with some other sea deities.
She was disappointed Sedna refused, but I wasn't sure what else could be expected. Sedna wasn't one to listen to us, She'd always refused the invitations. It wasn't surprising, Sedna ruled Her territory and She ruled it well so there weren't any issues to handle with Her.
Metu had the announcement ready, or so He said, and rooms were being prepared for all the guests that were coming. Best of all, I finally got Persi's merfriends to stop bothering me by promising that they could see him in a more private setting when he arrived.
There was still so much work to do still.
I paused as I looked at Persi's room, it's worth it at least.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
Unknown POV
"My Lord," I said as I stood before His power. "Do you have a need of me?"
"Yes," He murmured. "I have something for you to do before you leave."
I bowed, "I aim to serve."
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to leave a review! They feed my soul.
What did you think of the campers? What did you think of Percy's feelings? What did you think of the sparring? What did you think of Poseidon and Eros?
I'm only saying it one more time. This is a book rewrite. Also the endgame of this whole series is gonna be Percabeth. This does not make Percy less bi, nor does it mean that will be his only relationship.
The weapons and fighting styles mentioned in the Aphrodite section have been researched but if I got something wrong let me know :)
Persi is being used instead of Percy because in Halmaheran there is no Letter 'C'. So for those in the sea they refer to him as Persi. There is also no letter 'J' so Percy Jackson will become Persi Yakson.
Halmaheran
Persi=Percy
Metua: Father
Metani=Grandfather
ta=halmaheran filler word, like um or uh
Metu=Dad
Mevu=Mom
Suffixes
ari=old king
Terminology
Khimaira=phonetic spelling of Chimera
Ekhidna=phonetic spelling of Echidna
Khonsu=Egyptian Moon God
Khiron=phonetic spelling of Chiron
Sedna=Inuit Goddess of the Sea
OC's Interacted With
I am only mentioning the OC's that either had a moment of spotlight in the chapter, or were repetitive in their mentions. You do not need to remember the OC's and this list is simply to help remember if you get confused. Most OC's are just side mentions and Percy is not going to remember most of them by name either
Imani=Demeter child
Lapu=Demeter child
Suki=Demeter child
Darius=Demeter child
(There are 6 total Demeter children, Miranda and Katie are the canon ones)
Giovanni=Aphrodite child that dresses fancy at all times and likes grenades. Has cats
Jasmine=Aphrodite child that uses celestial bronze cat claws to fight
Tyrone=Aphrodite child that was very bouncy
Marinette=Aphrodite child that was sewing
Willow=Aphrodite child
Lapis=Aphrodite child that was braiding Percy's hair
Aarya=Aphrodite child, from Bangladesh, uses Lathi to fight in a fighting style called Lathi Khela
(other names were mentioned but did not have a focus. Canon characters include Drew, Silena, Mitchell, and Lacy)
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