Don't be a silent reader
Amara's pov
We were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill well except Luke, so of course everybody treated us as if we'd won some reality TV contest. According to camp tradition, we wore laurel wreaths and a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence.
Luke's shroud was so beautiful — electric blue with embroidered winged shoes — I told him it seemed a shame not to bury him in it. He messed with my hair and told me to shut up. As for percy being the son of Poseidon, he didn't have any cabin mates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER was painted really big in the middle.
It was fun to burn is what percy said.
Mine was taken by the aphrodite cabin to make. The shourd was a beautiful mix of galaxy backdrop with a giant logo of my Ominitrix and green gems sewn in the edges.
As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out s' mores, I was surrounded by my Luke's Hermes cabinmates, Will and the aphrodite kids hugging me close, and Graver's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand-new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. The council had called Graver's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."
The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks told me they'd never forgive me for disgracing their dad. But with one look, they were staying far away from me cause if I can beat up their dad, I can beat them up easily.
That was okay with me.
Even Dionysus's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen my spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head Thank god our favorite mortal didn't die and I do not want paperwork to be done if she had died. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday. . . ."
I moved back into cabin 0 with ship cuddling in m arms, but it didn't feel so lonely anymore. I had my friends to train with during the day. At night, I go to the campfire and told them the story of the quest and how it happened and ended with me being 2 more gods' legacy
As for sweet Mrs Jackson had a chance at a new life. Her letter arrived a week after we got back to camp as I read it out to percy. She told me Gabe had left mysteriously — disappeared off the face of the planet, in fact. She'd reported him missing to the police, but she had a funny feeling they would never find him.
On a completely unrelated subject, she'd sold my first life-size concrete sculpture, she had entitled The Poker Player, to a collector, through an art gallery in Soho. She'd gotten so much money for it, she'd put a deposit down on a new apartment and made a payment on her first semester's tuition at NYU. The Soho Gallery was clamoring for more of her work, which they called "a huge step forward in super-ugly neorealism."
But don't worry, his mom wrote. I'm done with the sculpture. I've disposed of that box of tools you left me. It's time for me to turn to writing. At the bottom, she wrote a P.S.: Percy, I've found a good private school here in the city. I've put a deposit down to hold you a spot, in case you want to enroll for seventh grade. You could live at home. But if you want to go year-round at Half-Blood Hill, I'll understand.
I was planning to also go and find a new school for education for I am going to a public school of Arts. Just because I am a hero, doesn't mean I don't have other passions, from my old life I want to be either an athlete or a movie star...during the break from being a hero I did many short film acting and it made me happy cause it was interesting to play as a person completely different from who you are. I applied with a video application and I got in with a scholarship...
On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. According to Luke, who'd seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.
As Percy and I were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover showed up to tell us goodbye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.
"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say . . . well, you know."
I tried to feel happy for him. After all, it wasn't every day a satyr got permission to go look for the great god Pan. But it was hard saying goodbye. We both only known Grover a year, yet he was one of my greatest friends. Percy almost did not let go of the hug.
Luke gave him a hug. He told him to keep his fake feet on. I asked him where he was going to search first. "Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan ..."
"We understand," I said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"
"Yeah."
"And you remembered your reed pipes?"
"Jeez, Amara" he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat."
But he didn't really sound annoyed. He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway — nothing like the little runty boy me and percy used to defend from bullies at Yancy Academy.
"Well," he said, "wish me luck."
He gave me and luke another hug. He clapped percy on the shoulder, then headed back through the dunes. Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, and George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing Delaware.
"Hey, Grover," Percy called.
He turned at the edge of the woods.
"Wherever you're going — I hope they make good enchiladas."
Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him. "We'll see him again," Luke said. I tried to believe it. The fact that no searcher had ever come back in two thousand years . . . well, I decided not to think about that. Grover would be the first. He had to be.
July passed. Percy and I spent our days devising new strategies for capturing the flag and helping him make alliances with the other cabins to keep the banner out of Ares's hands, I learn more first aid skills studying with little will in Apollo cabin. I got to the top of the climbing wall for the first time before Chiron came and promptly banned me from it cause still a mortal.
From time to time, I'd walk past the Big House, glance up at the attic windows, and think about the Oracle. I tried to convince myself that its prophecy had come to completion. Even percy does the same.
You shall go west, and face the god who has turned. Been there, done that — the traitor god Ares not Hades.
You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned. Through a battle of wars and stars
Check. One master bolt was delivered. One helm of darkness back on Hades's head courtesy of me fighting Ares.
She shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.
This line still bothered me. Ares had pretended to be Percy's friend, then betrayed him by hurting me. That must be what the Oracle meant. . . .
And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.
We had failed to save his mom, but only because we let her save herself, and I knew that was the right thing. So why was I still uneasy?
The last night of the summer session came all too quickly. The campers had one last meal together. We burned part of our dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads. I got my own leather necklace, and when I saw the bead for my first summer I swear percy who blushing, covered his blushing. The design was pitch black, with a sea-green trident shimmering in the center.
"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"
The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares's cabin felt obliged to stand. Hermes's cabin steered Luke and Me to the front so we could share in the applause.
Grandpa was right..... I'd finally found a new family, people who cared about me and thought I'd done something right. And in the morning, most of them would be leaving for the year. As for me, I will leave in 3 weeks so I can live at my new house.
* * *
The next morning, I found a form letter on my bedside table.
Dear Amara Tennyson ,
If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit.
Have a nice day!
Mr. D (Dionysus)
Camp Director, Olympian Council #12
I went and informed him I will stay for 3 weeks before leaving, and when i step out of his office I saw Luke looking sad.
"What is wrong Luke?" I asked him
"Not much...just getting kicked out soon," He said
"Kicked out? why?" He sighed and told me he was going to be 20 soon and legally he is an adult and have to be in the mortal world, getting a job or something. He can still come to camp as a sword trainer for the summer but he is grown up.
" so you just forced to leave 'cause you are an adult but you lived here since you were a kid?"
" Yeah it will be hard....and my mom is still not the best at the moment. She is better off living alone and me visiting her at times but I have to live on my own sometimes" He said
"Well, legally your name is going to cause problems cause you have been living at camp most of your childhood which makes you a missing child. it will cause you to have problems...Why not live with me as my older brother?" I said
"What?"
" well I can ask uncle end and pop chaos to create an identity that you have been adopted INTO and your name legally changed before moving overseas to where I was born and we returned here after Mom and dad died, got into that trouble and you are my guardian finding a job as we live in a family home as I attend my new high school," I said. Luke was shocked and tried to say no but I kept insisting and broke our puppy eyes to which he reluctantly said yes.
He went to talk with Mr. D and I decided I'd go down to the arena and do some sword practice.
The campgrounds were mostly deserted, shimmering in the August heat. All the campers were in their cabins packing up, or running around with brooms and mops, getting ready for final inspection.
Argus was helping some of the Aphrodite kids haul their Gucci suitcases and makeup kits over the hill, where the camp's shuttle bus would be waiting to take them to the airport. I will miss them but they are still a bit overwhelming aunts and uncles which they insisted I call them.
I got to the swordfighters arena and found that Annabeht had had the same idea. Her bag was plopped at the edge of the stage. She was working solo, whaling on battle dummies with a new sword I'd never seen before. It must've been a regular steel blade, because she was slashing the dummies' heads right off, stabbing through their straw-stuffed guts. Her orange camper's shirt was dripping with sweat. Her expression was so intense, her life might've really been in danger. I watched, fascinated, as he disemboweled the whole row of dummies, hacking off limbs and basically reducing them to a pile of straw and armor.
They were only dummies, but I still couldn't help being awed by Annabeth's skill. The gal was an incredible fighter with a sword and so far I have seen her use only a knife so far.
Finally, she saw me and stopped mid-swing. "Amara."
"Um, sorry," I said. "I just — "
"It's okay," she said, lowering her sword. "Just doing some last-minute practice."
"Those dummies won't be bothering anybody anymore."
Annabeth shrugged. "We build new ones every summer."
Now that her sword wasn't swirling around, I could see something odd about it. The blade was two different types of metal — one edge bronze, the other steel.
She noticed me looking at it. "Oh, this? New toy. This is Backbiter."
"Backbiter?"
She turned the blade in the light so it glinted wickedly. "One side is celestial bronze. The other is tempered steel. Works on mortals and immortals both."
I thought about what Chiron had told me once — that a hero should never harm mortals unless absolutely necessary.
"I didn't know they could make weapons like that."
"They probably can't," Annabeth agreed. "It's one of a kind."
She gave me a tiny smile, then slid the sword into its scabbard. "Listen, I was going to come looking for you. What do you say we go down to the woods one last time, look for something to fight?"
I don't know why I hesitated. Well, actually why is she acting nice...I even say her being nice to percy since we returned but she kinda spoke small talk and quickly left... Ever since I'd gotten back from the quest, she'd been acting a little different. I thought she might resent me for all the attention I'd gotten as I went for the quest instead of her.
"You think it's a good idea?" I asked. "I mean — "
"Aw, come on." she rummaged in her bag and pulled out a six-pack of Cokes. "Drinks are on me."
I stared at the Cokes, wondering where the heck she'd gotten them. There were no regular mortal sodas at the camp store. No way to smuggle them in unless you talked to a satyr, maybe.
Of course, the magic dinner goblets would fill with anything you want, but it just didn't taste the same as a real Coke, straight out of the can. Sugar and caffeine. My willpower crumbled.
"Sure," I decided. "Why not?"
We walked down to the woods and kicked around for some kind of monster to fight, but it was too hot. All the monsters with any sense must've been taking siestas in their nice cool caves. We found a shady spot by the creek where percy has broken Clarisse's spear during his first capture of the flag game. We sat on a big rock, drank our Cokes, and watched the sunlight in the woods.
After a while, Annabeth said, "You miss being on a quest?"
"With monsters attacking me every three feet? Are you kidding?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I miss it, not I am too used to those things that it was a normal thing for me" I admitted.
A shadow passed over her face. I was used to hearing from the boys mostly how cute-looking Annabeth was, but at the moment, she looked weary, angry, and not at all cute. Her blond hair was gray in the sunlight. I could imagine her as a small old woman.
"I've lived at Half-Blood Hill year-round since I was seven," she told me. "Ever since Thalia . . .well, you know. I trained, and trained, and trained. I never got to be a normal teenager, out there in the real world. Then they threw Luke one quest, and when he came back, it was like, 'Okay, the ride's over. Have a nice life.' "
She crumpled his Coke can and threw it into the creek, which really shocked me. One of the first things you learn at Camp Half-Blood is: Don't litter. You'll hear from the nymphs and the naiads. They'll get even. You'll crawl into bed one night and find your sheets filled with centipedes and mud.
"The heck with laurel wreaths," Annabeth said. "I'm not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big House attic."
"You make it sound like you're leaving," I said getting tensed at her behavior
Annabeth gave me a twisted smile. "Oh, I'm leaving, all right, Amara. I brought you down here to say goodbye and to send a message to our dear Sea boy"
She snapped her fingers. A small fire burned a hole in the ground at my feet. Out crawled something glistening black, about the size of my hand. A scorpion.
I started to go for my dial.
"I wouldn't," Amara cautioned. "Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds....maybe faster for you"
"Annabeht, what—"
Then it hit me. She will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend. Annabeth was calling percy a good friend and she is betraying me....the final line
"You," I said. " You stole the lightning bolt... you're the real lighting thief "
She stood calmly and brushed off his jeans. The scorpion paid him no attention. It kept its beady black eyes on me, clamping its pincers as it crawled onto my shoe.
"There a lot out there in the world for me to see, Amara," Annabeth said. "Didn't you feel it — the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics — being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods."
I couldn't believe this was happening.
"Annabeth . . . you're talking about your parents," I said. " You love your mom Athena "
" LOVE? I never loved her...I hated her" She laughed. "That's supposed to make me love them? Their precious 'Western civilization' is a disease, Amara. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest."
"You're as crazy as Ares."
Her eyes flared. "Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time,amara, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long. and percy I tried so hard to push him to my idea manipulating him to hate his parent but you always change it and tells him how much they are trying to love us....you even manage to make luke to write to his dad to talk on how he felt.....so you see why I must be rid of you"
The scorpion crawled onto my pants leg. There had to be a way out of this. I needed time to think.
"Kronos," I said. "That's who you serve."
The air got colder.
"You should be careful with names," Annabeth warned.
"Kronos got you to steal the master bolt and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams."
Her eye twitched. "He spoke to you and Percy. You should've listened."
"He's brainwashing you, Annabeth."
"You're wrong. He showed me that my talents are being wasted. I should be bringing glory and proving I can be a great hero. I could have done Luke's quest easily of getting the golden apples"
"That's not an easy quest," I said. "Hercules did it."
"yes,but," She said. "Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past, all I got was a pity that I would never leave camp even for a quest. I wanted to pull Olympus down stone by stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, something no hero had ever had the courage to take. When we went on that winter-solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I snuck into the throne room and took Zeus's master bolt right from his chair. Hades's helm of darkness, too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant; they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. Their security is horrible. I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft."
The scorpion was sitting on my knee now, staring at me with its glittering eyes. I tried to keep my voice level. "So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos?"
Annabeth's smile wavered. "I ... I got overconfident. Zeus sent out his sons and daughters to find the stolen bolt — Artemis, Apollo, my mother, Athena. But it was Ares who caught me. I could have beaten him, but I wasn't careful enough. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened to return them to Olympus, and burn me alive. Then Kronos's voice came to me and told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares's head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence." Annabeth drew her new sword. She ran her thumb down the flat of the blade as if he were hypnotized by its beauty. "Afterward, the Lord of the Titans . . . h-he punished me with nightmares. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half-Blood, in my dreams, I was told that a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the bolt and the helm the rest of the way — from Ares down to Tartarus."
"You summoned the hellhound, that night in the forest."
"We had to make Chiron think the camp wasn't safe for Percy, so he would start his quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after you. And it worked but Percy didn't let me come with him in the quest and insisted he took you a stupid mortal and Luke"
"The flying shoes were cursed," I said. "They were supposed to drag Percy and the backpack into Tartarus."
"And they would have if you'd been wearing them. But he gave them to Luke, which wasn't part of the plan. It had confused the curse."
Annabeth looked down at the scorpion, which was now sitting on my thigh. "You both should have died in Tartarus, Amara. But don't worry, I'll leave you with my little friend to set things right."
"Thalia gave her life to save you," I said, gritting my teeth. "And this is how you repay her?"
"Don't speak of Thalia!" she shouted. "The gods let her die! That's one of the many things they will pay for."
"You're being used, Annabeth. You and Ares both. Don't listen to Kronos."
"I've been used?" Her voice turned shrill. "Look at yourself. What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest — the ones who serve him."
"Call off the bug," I said. "If you're so strong, fight me yourself."
Annabeth smiled. "Nice try, Amara. But I'm not Ares. You can't bait me. My lord is waiting, and he's got plenty of quests for me to undertake."
"Annabeth—"
"Goodbye, Amara. There is a new Golden Age coming. You won't be part of it. You're a nice message to our dear hero Percy Jackson"
She slashed his sword in an arc and disappeared in a ripple of darkness. The scorpion lunged.
I swatted it away with my right hand and dial up my sword. The thing jumped at me and I cut it in half in midair. I was about to congratulate myself until I looked down at my hand. My palm had a huge red welt, oozing and smoking with yellow guck. The thing had gotten me after all. My ears pounded. My vision went foggy. I have to get help. The poison was too strong. My vision was getting dark. I could barely stand up.
Sixty seconds or less, Annabeth had told me.
I had to get back to camp. If I collapsed out here, my body would be dinner for a monster. Nobody would ever know what had happened. My legs felt like lead. My forehead was burning. I stumbled toward the camp, and the nymphs stirred from their trees.
"Help," I croaked. "Please . . ."
Two of them took my arms, pulling me along. I remember making it to the clearing, Percy holding me shouting for help, a centaur blowing a conch horn. Then everything went black.
* * *
I woke with a drinking straw in my mouth. I was sipping something that tasted like liquid chocolate- chip cookies. Nectar? no the drink was purple it was the liquid mom balance made.
I opened my eyes. I was propped up in bed in the sick room of the Big House, my right hand bandaged like a club. Argus stood guard in the corner. Percy sat next to me, holding my nectar glass and Luke was dabbing a washcloth on my forehead. Aunt Hestia was there in the room looking at me worried sick but became relieved when she saw me wake up.
"Here we are again," I said.
"You idiot girl," Percy said, which is how I knew he was overjoyed to see me conscious. "You were green and turning gray when we found you. If it weren't for Chiron's healing, Your aunt Hestia's fire magic, and then lord Apollo helping with his own healing power before he left. . ."
"Now, now," Chiron's voice said. "Amara's constitution deserves some of the credit."
He was sitting near the foot of my bed in human form, which was why I hadn't noticed him yet. His lower half was magically compacted into the wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale, the way it did when he'd been up all night grading Latin papers.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."
"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."
Between sips of nectar, I told them the story. The room was quiet for a long time.
"I can't believe that Annabeth . . ." Luke's voice faltered. His expression turned angry and sad. "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse her. ... She was never the same after my quest...and before this quest...she was also weird during the trip as well"
"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."
"Annabeth is out there right now," I said. "I have to go after her."
" I agree with her," Percy said
Chiron shook his head. "No, Percy. The gods — "
"Won't even talk about Kronos," He snapped. "Zeus declared the matter closed!"
"Percy, I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready."
I didn't like it, but part of me suspected Chiron was right. One looks at my hand, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to write with it for a while. "Chiron . . . your prophecy from the Oracle ... it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Amara?" Percy asked
Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Percy, it isn't my place — "
"You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?"
His eyes were sympathetic but sad. "You will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you . . ."
Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows.
"All right!" Chiron shouted. "Fine!"
He sighed in frustration. "The gods have their reasons, Percy. Knowing too much about your future is never a good thing."
"We can't just sit back and do nothing," I said.
"We will not sit back," Chiron promised. "But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants both your life disrupted, both your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."
"Assuming I live that long." He said
Chiron put his hand on his ankle. "You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first, you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice. ..." I got the feeling that he had a very definite opinion, and it was taking all his willpower not to advise me. "But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think about that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision. I'll be back as soon as I can," Chiron promised. "Argus will watch over you."
He glanced at Luke. "Oh, and, Luke be safe out there and protect each other "
"I will she is now my sister," Luke said messing up my hair
Chiron rolled himself out of the room. I heard the wheels of his chair clunk carefully down the front steps, two at a time. Aunt Hestia smiled and kissed my forehead after hugging me as she tells she has to inform my guardians and she vanished in a cloud of smoke.
"Okay. Help me up. I want to go outside." I said
"Andromeda, that isn't a good idea."
I slid my legs out of bed. Percy caught me before I could crumple to the floor. A wave of nausea rolled over me.
Percy said, "I told you . . ."
"I'm fine," I insisted. I didn't want to lie in bed like an invalid while Annabeth was out there planning to destroy the Western world. I managed a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Percy. Argus and Luke followed us outside but kept their distance.
By the time we reached the porch, my face was beaded with sweat. My stomach had twisted into knots. But I had managed to make it all the way to the railing. It was dusk. The camp looked completely deserted. The cabins were dark and the volleyball pit was silent. No canoes cut the surface of the lake. Beyond the woods and the strawberry fields, the Long Island Sound glittered in the last light of the sun.
"What are you going to do?" I asked him.
"I don't know."
He told me he got the feeling Chiron wanted him to stay year-round, to put in more individual training time, but he wasn't sure that's what he wanted. "I'm going home for the year, Percy."
"Where to?"
"My guardians got me a house and I got accepted to a great art school...sometimes when I wonder if I wasn't a hero I would be an actress... I love pretending to be great people in fictional worlds. I never got that chance at my old life but this life I am going to try it and who knows...I might be a small time...and Luke he is going to be my official older brother"
"Will you be far?"
" kinda but we can always call by phone or IRIS message.....my mom has charm all calls to and from me will not be monster tracked so you call me without any worry monster will find you and You won't try anything stupid during the school year, will you?"
He managed a smile. "I won't go looking for trouble. I usually don't have to. When I get back next summer, we'll hunt down Annabeth. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?"
"Oh god percy no"
" Percy yes"
For the first time at camp, we felt truly alone. We looked out at Long Island Sound toward the water as Percy held me close "I'll be back next summer," Percy promised his dad. "I'll survive until then. After all, I am your son."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BONUS
" ARES! YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHERE ARE YOU? I KNOW YOUR BACK HERE IN OLYMPUS!" Aphrodite yells throughout Olympus " I HAVE UNFINISHED BUSSINES ON WHAT YOU DARE TO DO ON MY SWEET LEGACY CHILD"
BONUS BONUS
" wow bro your kid is one awesome lady. I can't wait for her next adventure" End munches on popcorn as he watched what happened on earth
"I need to talk to her about her impulses to battle a god...and going to the woods alone with a suspicious demigod...I thought my heart will stop.....this girl is more troublesome than my actual kid and my kids were Oruanus and Gaia" Choas said with his body going pale as his wife's balance calm him down.
" oh, that boy percy is so going to be possessive of her as they grow...I wonder how their wedding will go"
" Please don't she is only 12....." chaos said " She is too young"
" you asshole know when she is older she will marry him... I and the fates know all the different futures"
" she is just a baby," he said hugging his wife and pouting as she chuckled and pats his head " She a baby.....my baby girl"