When Percy was fifteen, he went on his first and only quest with both Thalia and Nico. It was just the three of them sent by Persephone to retrieve a stolen sword from Hades. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a huge deal. In fact, it probably would be a side story to all the other bullshit he had lived through since learning he was a demigod, but Percy remembered it vividly. It was, after all, where he had first learned about Thalia's mother in detail.
Thalia hadn't been comfortable revealing more than she had to, and Percy respected that. Still, the image of Beryl's ghost screaming at her daughter in the Underworld played in his mind for months until finally, he went and knocked on his mother's bedroom door.
"Can we talk about Gabe?" he asked her.
It was two in the morning, and his mother's sleepy blinks turned into quick alertness as she glanced around the room, shutting the door tight behind her. Percy felt guilty about bringing it up so suddenly. It felt even a little childish. He should have approached this differently. How upsetting must it be for his mother to hear that name out of the blue? How could he be so thoughtless? So-
"I was just thinking we probably should talk about him soon," his mother said. Percy doubted that, but maybe she read the trepidation on his face and wanted to ease him into it. "I owe you an explanation."
"Owe me?" he repeated, astounded by the implication his mother owed him anything. He owed her everything. "No, nothing like that. I just…" he trailed off, trying to find the right words. "I have a friend who I think went through something similar. It's confusing me."
His mother looked at him, expression growing softer before she gave a solemn nod. "We need cookies," she decided and brought him to the kitchen. It was a thing they sometimes did. For tough conversations, they made cookies. It let Percy move around with his ADHD, going through familiar movements and dispersing any high emotions as they sprinkled chocolate chips and rolled out dough.
"I went to boarding school a lot," Percy finally said as they piled out all the ingredients. "Or military school, or whatever," he said with a weak grin. His mother chuckled. "I mean, I know it wasn't most of my life, but if I wasn't at home then… why Gabe? Was his scent really that strong?"
A few moments of silence followed as his mother carefully grabbed some eggs and set them on the counter. "It was," she finally said. "And even if you only visited during breaks and on the occasional weekend, it was enough." She picked up the first egg and cracked it. "But I would be lying if I said that wasn't sometimes an excuse."
"What do you mean?"
His mother sighed. "I went into that marriage with the best of intentions, Percy. But I realized very quickly I would not be able to leave it. Even if his scent wasn't a factor, I'm not sure I could have left. My parents were dead. My uncle dead. I had no siblings. No real friends. Your father was a god, and I lived in a ridiculously expensive city on minimum wage jobs." She cracked another egg. "Even if he gambled, Gabe still had a job. He hid your scent. Those were perks." She blew out another breath. "And if I ever tried to leave him, I worried he would kill me. Maybe you. But I knew the until death do us part vow was serious with him. I just didn't know who would kill who first."
Percy measured out some chocolate chips. Something heavy and iron filled his mouth. It was hard to hear. His throat felt tight. And gods… he wanted…
"Look at me," his mother said, and Percy forced his eyes away from the measuring cup. His mother gently took it from him, grabbing his hands. "None of that was ever on you. None. Those were my decisions. Not yours. I chose to keep you close to me. I can't bring myself to regret that. My only regret was not seeing…" Her voice caught, and Percy looked away.
Neither of them had said the words out loud before. Percy had seen his mother flinch away from Gabe once, and he knew. Percy wondered when she had figured out it was the same for him. If she realized he had put the pieces together so quickly because he had firsthand experience with why she was flinching.
"What are we?" he asked, and Sally tilted her head. "I just… it feels weird? Like, people talk about survivors and victims and… all these other labels, but I kind of hate it. And then I feel bad that I hate it because that makes it sound like I'm ashamed to associate with other people who went through that stuff."
His mother swallowed, pulling him over to tuck his head into the crook of her shoulder.
"We're alive," she said, which went so much deeper when Percy's life wasn't guaranteed as his sixteenth birthday loomed closer. "And you have nothing to be ashamed of."
Except he was.
And that was why he had taken Thalia to Gabe's statue the following week. She had been irritated at first, grumbling about him stealing her from the Hunt and complaining it wasn't a good look for her to go running off with some boy up until she saw the statue.
"That looks like one of Medusa's," she said, clocking it instantly.
Percy nodded. "My mother technically made it," he said, looking up. "After my stepfather." Thalia frowned. "He went missing a while back. My mother reported it, but I can't say many people cared much about an alcoholic gambler who abused his wife and stepson."
There. Done.
Percy's heart beat wildly. He felt like he had just catapulted the words into the air. They sat awkwardly between them. Percy wanted to whisk them away - pretend he hadn't said anything - but when he risked a glance at Thalia, her expression had hardened.
"I would have broken the statue to pieces," she said quietly.
Percy nodded. "Then she wouldn't have gotten the money for her new apartment."
At that, Thalia hummed, giving an approving shrug. They sat silently for a few minutes, leaving Percy feeling smaller and stupider by the minute.
"My mother drank," Thalia told him. Percy glanced at her. "I know you know that, but… sometimes it's hard to say out loud. For a lot of different reasons, but I think it feels extra weird because of my dad."
Percy could have melted with relief. "Yes," he said, and Thalia's shoulders relaxed. "Everyone sees you as a Big Three kid. You're supposed to be powerful."
"And mortals doing that shit to you?" Thalia said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Like, what would people think?"
"Logically, they probably wouldn't say anything."
"They would be assholes if they did."
"But there's the pity."
"Literally, as if we don't get enough fucking pity for existing."
"And nobody wants their prophecy child to flinch at loud sounds."
"Nobody wants a goddess' lieutenant to gag at the smell of alcohol."
"And even if my dad and I aren't the closest, I kind of want to make him look good?"
"I'm pretty sure I hate mine, but also… it's my dad. He's the literal king of gods. What does it mean if I don't live up to that?"
"I'm ashamed I let it happen," Percy burst out. Thalia looked at him. "To me. To my mom. I know I was only five when it started, but if I'm supposed to defeat titans, what does it say about me that I couldn't even protect us from one mortal?" He breathed out slowly. "My mom says I shouldn't be ashamed, but I can't help it." He looked over to see Thalia studying him. "I don't think any less of you." His voice went a little small. "It's actually really reassuring to know I'm not the only Big Three kid with this issue."
Thalia looked around, eyes darting over the museum before interlocking their arms. "Thank you for telling me," she said. Percy nodded. "I don't think any less of you either. And I would never tell anyone about this."
And for the first time since Gabe was petrified, Percy found himself letting the man go.
Except now it was ruined.
Percy opened his eyes, rolling over in bed to hear chattering outside his cabin. He had a quest to get to, but the idea of the eyes all pinned on him after his last outburst was… too much. He groaned, pulling the blanket over his head.
Gabe and Beryl had stayed between Thalia and Percy. It was their sacred thing. They even had a day they would meet every few months and just… vent. They would watch old reruns of Beryl's shows and give various critiques before Thalia beat the television with a baseball bat. In turn, Percy would bring up various reviews of his mother's famed statue, and they would continue on their critiques before Percy broke whatever tablet they had stolen to read the reviews off of.
It had been safe. Just the two of them. A mutual understanding that only they could share. More importantly, was the understanding that nobody else would know. Both claimed they weren't ashamed of their pasts, but the truth is that there was a difference between Thalia knowing and literally anyone else.
Exceptions were made, of course. Annabeth and Grover had the general idea and Paul was eventually brought into the fold. But it was never the same as it was with Thalia.
A knock sounded through the cabin.
Boo.
"Who is it?" he called.
"Annabeth and Thalia."
"Annabeth can come in. Thalia can fuck off."
The door creaked open. "Thalia says she won't fuck off," Annabeth greeted dryly.
Percy looked up from his bed, giving her a pleading look. "Can't you convince her?" he asked, using his best pitiful voice. Annabeth snorted, and Percy dropped the act. "Tell her I'm going to drown her in a lake if she doesn't go away."
"I can hear you!"
"Then you're too close to my cabin!"
"I'm entering your cabin."
"Respect my space?" Percy said, turning the end into a whiny question. Thalia stood outside the doorway before lifting a foot. "I will kill you."
"How? With your waterpark powers?"
"Oh, and am I supposed to be afraid of some static?"
Thalia snorted and stepped inside the cabin. Percy screamed and collapsed into the bed.
Annabeth looked between them. "I forget how weird you are together," she commented.
Right. They were weird. Annabeth obsessed over old buildings and cried over demolitions, but sure. Thalia and Percy exchanged looks, but he quickly remembered he was mad at her and put a pillow on his face. "Hey, we need to talk," Annabeth said, moving to the edge of the bed. "We're leaving today and…" she trailed off, patting his leg. Percy peered at her from under the pillow. "Look, yesterday-"
"It's fine," Percy said, sitting up. "When do we leave?"
"Soon, but-"
"Let's just go," Percy said, and Annabeth looked over her shoulder at Thalia. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can move on. Maybe you and I can do something when we get back," he added, trying to think of the list of date ideas he had geniusly stored away for occasions such as this.
Thalia walked up, putting a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Could you go tell Artemis I'll see her before I go? I'm just finishing up a few things," she said. Annabeth hesitated, looking between Percy and Thalia warily. Percy didn't want her to go. She and Grover were the only people he wanted to see right now, but he also knew this was the one part of their relationship in which Annabeth didn't know what to say. He wasn't going to force her to try and stumble through it.
Besides, as annoyed as he was with Thalia, he knew she would at least be honest about everything.
"How bad is it?" he asked after Annabeth had slipped out the door.
Thalia leaned against the frame of his bed, grimacing. "Shock. A lot of, 'did anyone know?' and 'I would have never guessed' from the camp counselors." Percy let his head tilt up to the ceiling with a groan. "They won't say anything to the rest of the camp."
"...and the gods?" Percy asked tentatively. He wanted to say he honestly did not give a flying fuck about what a bunch of immortal assholes thought, but… well. Maybe he did? He couldn't decide as Thalia pursed her lips, fingers thrumming against her arm.
"Apollo is horrified," she finally said. "Artemis, too, actually. She's really upset with my father about letting Gabe roam around camp."
"He's allowed around camp?"
Thalia made a face before walking over to him. "That's what we need to talk about," she said. Percy waited. "So, nobody really knows the real situation between you and Gabe outside of who was there yesterday," she said. Percy nodded. "But… Gabe has realized you are an important person here."
"So?"
"So, he's taken to telling the other campers that he got turned into a statue because he protected you from Medusa and taught you everything you know."
Oh.
Percy blinked.
Uh-huh.
"I… think that's actually hilarious?" Percy said, wrinkling his nose. "Like, genuinely, very funny? Or maybe I'm so mad I can't tell," he said slowly. "Does my dad know?"
Thalia clicked her tongue. "Yeah… I'm pretty sure my dad is the only thing keeping him from getting blasted right now."
Fascinating. Percy ran a hand over his face. He got up, something sour in his mouth. For some reason, he kept thinking back to the gods. To Ares sneering. Hera's smugness. Did they enjoy this? And Zeus… who was protecting Gabe…
"Temperature check?" Thalia asked, lightly kicking his shin.
Percy's eyes snapped back to her. "Don't give me that," he muttered, shoving past her. "We're not doing that."
Thalia sighed, putting her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket as she spun around to look at him. "What do you want me to do then?" Percy grabbed his bag. "I know you're pissed at me. Fine. But-"
"But nothing," Percy said. "You're dealing with your own thing."
"My own thing?"
"Jason. You're mourning Jason. You don't need my stuff on top of yours."
"Don't use Jason as an excuse not to talk to me," Thalia said, and Percy waved her away. "So what you said when Ares egged us into a fight… Are you ready to talk about it?" she prompted. Percy ignored her.
Snatching up his bag, he headed toward the door only to falter. He hesitated, hating himself, the situation, and everything going on. Sighing, he turned around. "Are you okay?" he asked. Thalia frowned. "With Jason?"
At that, something in Thalia's expression tightened. He could see a million things flashing through her face. Anger touched the surface, but it was pushed down as she took a long breath and looked away.
"No," she said, which Percy knew was a huge thing for her to admit. "But it's too complicated to get into right now. And with Hera-" Thalia began only to stop herself. Percy tilted his head. Hera? Hera what? He studied Thalia, trying to read the guilty expression and piece together what little he knew. Hera loved Jason. Thalia loved Jason. Hera hated Thalia.
Surely Hera wouldn't hurt Jason's sister now? He let his eyes drift over her, searching for any signs that could help him. Thalia tensed. He was looking too long. Both their tempers wouldn't be able to stand the scrutiny they had on one another, so he looked away.
"We have an entire quest to argue," he finally said. "Just leave the Gabe thing alone. I don't need help. It's fine. I don't like you right now," he added flatly.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "When do you ever like me?" she muttered and marched out the door.
Percy held his breath as he followed.
The camp felt volatile.
To be clear, nothing was out of place. People still waved. Ares kids sparred. Hermes kids raced. An epic water battle was being led by the Apollo cabin. An excited thrum weaved throughout the campers at the presence of the gods (who, for whatever reason, were still here), but Percy felt like his fight-or-flight mode was put on blast. It was one of those rare times he just didn't want to be here.
"Percy!"
Okay, fine. Whatever. Annabeth was here, so he took that back.
He smiled as she raced over the field, throwing her arms around his shoulders and beaming at him. He offhandedly wondered why she was being so affectionate. Usually, they warmed up to that sort of thing if people were around. Besides, she just saw him. Why was she so thrilled he was here?
"So," she began, pulling away to grab his hands and walk backward, leading him in whatever direction they were now going. "Tell me more about Baroque's overtly ostentatious style."
Aha. He knew he had watched that YouTube video for a reason. Percy grinned. "What can I say? I'm a Gothic fan-"
"That's not ostentatious?"
"Yes, but not overtly so. You'll notice they use less gold. It's all about the skill of the builders-"
"Oh my gods, I love you," Annabeth grinned, and a polite clap regained his attention.
Percy turned to see a group of kids surrounding Gabe as he lazily lounged in a chair, gesturing vaguely. Ferdinand was off to the side, along with several others who must have been statues not too long ago. Percy pursed his lips. Ah.
He turned to Annabeth, eyes narrowed slightly. "Distracting me?" he asked dryly.
Annabeth didn't even blink. "Can I continue to do so?" she asked. "You promised to tell me about that new skateboarding trick you learned."
"I'm pretty sure you promised to listen to me ramble about the new skateboarding trick I learned."
"Well? Ramble as we get breakfast, Seaweed Brain," she said, interlacing their fingers. Percy didn't move. He looked back over his shoulder, studying Gabe with more of that gross swirling in his stomach.
Annabeth paused, waiting. Percy kept staring. He thought about what Thalia had said earlier… Gabe using his name to make himself a hero to the camp. At first glance, he had been almost amused by how disgustingly opportunistic his ex-stepfather was, but now…
"I can't leave him here," Percy said. Annabeth turned back to him. "He's making friends with a bunch of kids. They think he's a safe person to be around."
And what exactly was he supposed to do about that? He could kill him. Percy had never killed a mortal before, but he couldn't imagine it would be more harrowing than some of the monsters he had killed. But Zeus apparently protected Gabe, which meant the only thing that would stop Percy from joining Gabe in the afterlife was potentially Poseidon… and he was not in the mood to call in any favors with his father.
This led to Option B. Tell people Gabe was a threat, which, unfortunately, would require some additional explanation and conjecture from the rest of camp. Bummer.
Annabeth squeezed his hand, bringing him back to her. He could see concern in her eyes. She would probably devise thirty plans on the matter if he asked. The only reason she was staying silent on potential plots was probably for his benefit.
She opened her mouth, but before she could say whatever it was she wanted to say, a new voice joined in.
"He messed with the nymphs. I think it's fair to lock him in a room for that alone."
Percy turned to see Grover off to the side. Thank the gods. Beside him were the camp counselors. Unthank the gods. He felt himself cringe, hands sweating at the sudden presence of everyone. There were too many people. And the elephant in the room felt too large.
"I can make him special armor that is robot-controlled," Leo said, tucking his hands in his pocket. "So it can look like we're treating him to fancy things, but in reality, he's just my minion." Leo offered a wry smile. "I sometimes wish I had something like that for my Aunt Rosa," he added, voice feeling pointed and meaningful.
Oh.
"Yeah, I could sometimes use one of those for my dad," Clarisse jumped in. "You know what a punk he can be." She paused and then made a cross over her chest. "Thoughts and prayers or whatever," she added.
"What?" Piper asked.
"I don't know. Sometimes, when I insult my dad, I invoke another deity to protect me."
"Does that work?"
"I'm still here, so maybe it does something."
"Can I ask for any god?" Piper asked, looking thoughtful. "I have some Cherokee gods-"
"We're talking about the mouth-breather over there," Travis prompted. "I say we superglue him to Apollo's chariot. I can make it look like an accident."
Will turned. "...how?"
"I would say I was trying to bedazzle your dad's chariot. The mortal fell on it, and what happens next is only for Hades to know."
"...no?" Nico said, looking taken aback by the suggestion. "I think we can just keep an eye on things until Percy's quest is over. We all take shifts, and once that's sorted out, we can think of a more permanent solution."
"And death is totally on the table," Katie said earnestly. Everyone murmured.
"-oh, absolutely."
"I'm down to clown for murder."
"I have this True Crime podcast we can use," Pollux shrugged, and everyone excitedly began comparing notes. Which… thank… you…?
Percy supposed he should be thankful. This was a surprisingly good outcome. Supportive. Not babying him. Ready to kill, apparently, which was a little concerning, but he wasn't mad about it.
But…
"I need some water," he managed and tore himself from Annabeth's grip to dart toward the dining hall. Everything felt loud. Too loud. And kind of quiet, too. He rolled his shoulders back, trying and failing to dissect the antsy feeling swishing uncomfortably in his stomach.
He sat at the nearest table, not even paying attention if it was his, and stared at the wooden planks.
What was wrong with him?
His friends reacted fine. They didn't try to make him talk about anything. Hell, Leo and Clarisse had practically spit out comparable experiences. It had been such a relief when he heard similar words from Thalia's mouth, but now? What was the difference? Why was he filled with unwarranted defensiveness right now? He didn't understand. A bunch of people just offered to murder someone for him, and he felt like they were pointing the knife at his throat.
"May I?" Percy looked up from where his face was buried in his hands to see a beam of sunlight. Literally. Apollo was there, sunny as ever, with a plate full of grapes. "I mean, it's my table, but I also know better than to piss off the cool kid at camp."
Oh. Percy looked around, realizing he was, in fact, at Apollo's table.
"Sorry," he started, but Apollo waved the apology away as he sat down, looking fondly out to where his kids were all shooting apples off each other's heads. Percy honestly couldn't say if they were doing this while Will's back was turned or if they planned to invite him the second he noticed.
"I owe you an apology," Apollo noted and then frowned. "...you don't think the word 'apology' was named after me, right?" he asked. "I mean, it only has one L, and my name has two."
"I don't know. Do you apologize a lot?"
Apollo considered. "Well," he said and tossed a grape into the campfire. "It depends on who you ask. One could argue I should apologize often." He considered. "You know what? I'm going to change a little bit of history." Apollo lifted his hands. "I am here to artemize to you." He beamed, looking absurdly proud as Percy just stared at him. "...like Artemis," he prompted.
"No, I got it."
"It's clever."
"Incredibly."
"You don't seem excited about this."
"I am thrilled to hear this artemilogy, Lord Apollo," Percy said blandly.
"It wouldn't be artemilogy," Apollo murmured. "I think it's artemigy? Or- sorry," he said quickly, probably seeing the look on Percy's face. "Look, kid. I… it was me who asked for Medusa's victims to be brought here," he said.
Percy nodded. Chiron had told him as much when he arrived. Granted, with everything that happened with Gabe, the thought of questioning it hadn't even crossed his mind.
"Why?" he asked for the sake of asking it now.
Apollo shifted uncomfortably. "I…" He closed his eyes. "I wanted to protect them." A note of sincerity echoed at the end. "You might remember I was very recently mortal. The lessons I learned weren't quickly forgotten, even if I clearly didn't learn them very well." Percy stared at him. "I thought it would be dangerous for them on Olympus. A bunch of newly de-statued creatures panicking and scared? They are easy to take advantage of. I thought if they were here, they would be safe. I mean, they're surrounded by heroes." Apollo shook his head. "I thought it was a kind thing. But I never considered that maybe not everyone deserved the kindness."
Ugh. Percy looked away, studying blades of grass by the feet of the table. "It's fine," he said tersely. "I'm not bothered."
Apollo played with one of the grapes before also tossing it into the fire. "If you were-"
"It's fine, Apollo. Really," Percy said. Was the fact he was on the first name basis with him insane? Probably. He sat up. "I just would prefer the campers not to see him as a friend while I'm gone," he admitted, and Apollo paused. "What?"
"… Well," Apollo said and pursed his lips. "There were similar concerns among the gods."
Percy knew the fuck not. He mulled over what that could possibly mean before shaking his head.
"So they want to tell the other campers the truth?" he clarified, voice flat and just… over it. He should have seen this. It was such a petty move. Probably something led by Ares. Of course, they would use their children - most of which they had ignored for years - to try and put his trauma in the spotlight.
"It was a suggestion. I highly doubt your father will allow it. Chiron is very patiently keeping everyone's tempers in check," Apollo assured him.
Percy took a deep breath. He wanted Thalia. Which was frustrating because he was so irritated with her… but he wanted to go back and grab her so she could ease the rubber bands that were snapping in his veins.
"I'll stay," Apollo said suddenly. Percy looked up. "I'll take care of things here. Go on your quest. Don't worry. Take care of Thalia."
"Your father won't object?"
"Don't worry about me," Apollo repeated. His sunny exterior dimmed as he looked out across the camp. "Artemis will help. She doesn't like abusive men. I highly doubt I'll be the only one keeping an eye on ole' Gabino over there," he said, nose wrinkling. "Your friends sound like they have your back, too," he offered.
Percy grabbed a plate, picking absently at some food that appeared. "You heard that?" he asked, glancing over at the camp counselors who were still around the corner. Will caught Apollo at the table, eyes flicking between them uncertainly. Percy nodded once, and he turned back around to say something to Nico. "I… am grateful."
"Are you?" Apollo asked. Not accusatory. Just curious. "Clarisse and Leo-"
Percy put his hand on the table a little harder than he meant to. Apollo went silent, and Percy winced. "I feel like such a dick," Percy burst out. Maybe it was because Apollo was the god of truth, or maybe it was his brief stint as a demigod, but Percy found the words pouring out. Yet another lack of control in his life. "They are trying to tell me I'm not alone, which I appreciate, but…" He scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm annoyed. Why?"
Apollo considered this. He picked up another grape, rolling it between his fingers. "Do you genuinely want a god's opinion?" he asked. Percy shrugged helplessly. "You aren't entirely free of the occasional godly pride - even as a demigod." What the fuck did that mean? Apollo must have read his face because he offered a reassuring smile. "They aren't suffering right now. They aren't snapping at their abusers in front of a group of people or having their past forced out to anyone. They made a choice to imply what they did. You didn't have a choice yesterday to imply what you did."
Well, wasn't that peachy?
"I could have not reacted."
"Human or god would have reacted to that," Apollo said simply.
Percy didn't respond. He still felt bad. Clarisse and Leo had admitted something monumentally brave to him in front of others out of kindness. But the truth was Percy hated being seen. He hated the reminder they had seen yesterday - that interaction and implied what it had. Percy had secretly hoped it would have been glossed over, that people could not have put the pieces together, but they had, and the shame he thought he had left behind was still fucking there.
And now he was being a shitty friend over it. He was reminded of when Tyson had come into his life. The wounded pride that had led to him being a shitty brother for those weeks. Gods, he had really learned nothing over the years.
"Tell me about Medusa," Percy said, unable to stand his inner thoughts. Apollo tilted his head. "We're leaving soon to find her. Any idea where she might be?"
"Ah," Apollo said. He looked over at his kids again. "You could try her emporium in New Jersey again… but if there's a chance she doesn't know what's happening to her, I'd try her parents."
"Her parents?"
"Phorcys and Ceto," Apollo said, leaving Percy to blink a few times in confusion. He had made a point to learn a little about sea gods. He knew Phorcys was the god of the deep sea and Ceto, the goddess of sea monsters.
"But- I'm confused. Medusa was human, wasn't she? Why would she have godly parents?" Percy said.
Apollo glanced over his shoulder. "Medusa… has been many things throughout life." Apollo offered a wry smile before tapping the table. "Hey, have you heard of the Little Mermaid?" he asked. Percy blinked. "Of course you have. Best Disney movie for a Poseidon kid, probably. Funny how mortals always seem to retell whispers of the truth, even if they don't know it."
And with that, Apollo stood up. He looked over at where Gabe was still entertaining some of the campers. This time, Percy noticed Artemis in a tree above, her moonlit eyes dangerously bright as she watched Gabe with laser-focus.
A real hero would take care of this himself. He wouldn't let gods and friends stand between him and a mortal. He would go, kill Gabe, and tell Zeus that if he wanted Percy to find Medusa, he would have to get over it.
He would go to the other campers and tell them all that Gabe was a narcissistic, abusive piece of shit and they shouldn't go near him. He would say he had lived through some nasty shit and then offer to be a person to talk to if they ever found themselves in a similar situation.
But Percy was starting to wonder if he was only a hero when it was comfortable. And the thought made him almost feel like his childhood with Gabe was deserved.
"Thank you, Lord Apollo," Percy murmured, voice numb. "I should get going."
He picked up his bag, relieved to see Annabeth was alone by the tree line.
"Perseus," Apollo called when he stepped away from the table. Percy paused but didn't turn around. "Take care of Thalia. I owe her protection after what happened to Jason. And I know Hera hasn't been kind since Thalia found her brother."
What the hell did that mean?
Percy inwardly sighed. This trip was going to suck.
chapter four
They took the Gray Sisters' Taxi for about thirty minutes before anyone decided to speak.
"What did the prophecy say?" Percy asked, leaning over Annabeth, who had bravely sat between him and Thalia in the backseat. Thalia tore her eyes away from the window to stare at him blankly. A pause followed. "You did remember to visit Rachel, right?"
"I- no?" Thalia asked, and Percy threw up a hand. "Why did I have to go get the prophecy?"
"It's your quest!"
"Since fucking when?!"
"Since your stupid ass said, 'may I honor you by leading this quest to find Medusa?'" Percy mimicked, and Thalia pointed a finger at him, mouth opened to respond when Annabeth sighed and pushed Thalia's hand down.
"We never actually agreed I was leading the quest!"
"Oh my gods," Percy said, letting his head fall back on the seat behind him. "It isn't even a quest if we don't have a prophecy. It's just… an outing," he grumbled, scowling out the window.
He conveniently ignored that several of his own quests had no prophecies… though technically, the second one he went on had one. It was just Clarisse's quest, so she got the prophecy. And then the other- you know what? Thalia was just wrong. As per usual.
Thalia muttered something under her breath as the Gray Sisters took a chaotic right, sailing through traffic.
"If it was that important, why didn't you remind me?"
"I'm sorry, I was a little busy, Thalia."
"Do you want to turn around and get one then?"
Deino honked the horn from the front seat as Pemphredo and Enyo argued over who should have the eye.
"The prophecies are rarely helpful," Annabeth interjected calmly. "Have any of them actually been valuable in leading us? Or do they just cause unnecessary conjecture and anxiety?" she asked reasonably.
Percy and Thalia both went silent. A few miles passed.
"...do we think Medusa will even be at the emporium?" Thalia finally sighed.
"I don't know," Percy said flatly. "Maybe a prophecy would have told us."
"You know what? I-" Thalia began just as Annabeth clapped her hands together.
"Okay," she said loudly, cutting them both off. "No more. I'm not sitting here with you at each other's throats for however long this quest is. There is no prophecy. We're over it." Percy opened his mouth. "We're over it," she added to him. "Thalia, you did forget. You said you'd lead this quest. Say sorry."
"What?!"
"Say it," Annabeth told her dangerously. Thalia blinked before subtly leaning away.
"....sorry," she muttered.
"Great," Annabeth nodded. "This is going to be an emotionally charged few days. Let's put that out there. If you two can't get along right now, that's fine, but if that's the case, you don't need to be speaking to one another. Got it?"
Silence.
"I am looking for verbal confirmation, please."
"Yes, jeez."
"Fucking drill sergeant over there."
"Didn't realize my girlfriend was also my probation officer."
Annabeth took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she exhaled. "I miss Grover," she whispered.
"Same," Thalia muttered.
"Same," Percy agreed.
They all looked at one another. Five minutes later, Annabeth had her phone out with Grover on speaker.
"It has been less than an hour," Grover greeted them but didn't seem particularly surprised by Annabeth's plea to distract them throughout the ride. It might have been the first time they all willingly welcomed his pipe covers over the phone, eventually making various requests.
"Can you do the Pokémon Theme?"
"I vote Who Let the Dogs Out-"
Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley started playing over the line. Annabeth cackled as both Thalia and Percy groaned. The Gray Sisters sang along from the front of the car before slamming on the breaks. Percy's head snapped into the seat in front of him.
"We're here!" Enyo cooed. Percy rubbed his forehead before unbuckling his seatbelt clumsily and stumbling out the side. Annabeth followed suit, thanking them as the car zipped off before they were even all out of the vehicle.
Thalia laid on her back, looking forlornly in the spot the cab had been moments ago. "....my snacks were still in there," she said.
Percy looked warily at the building in front of them. Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium was exactly how he remembered it… minus the numerous statues. Rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced over at Annabeth, suddenly twelve again, watching her nose scrunch up as she tried to read the sign. He smiled a little as she made the same expression now, her hands still placed on her hips just like before.
"What?" she asked when she caught Percy staring.
His smile widened. "You're pretty," he told her and felt a stab of delight when her cheeks flushed.
"You're stupid," she said and marched forward.
"And I'm a third wheel," Thalia sighed, following close behind.
It took all of five minutes to decide Medusa wasn't there. Everything was miraculously abandoned, and based on how the entire emporium was stripped bare, Percy figured the newly resurrected statues had taken supplies before running off.
"What was it Apollo told you again?" Annabeth asked, sitting down at the counter. "Something about the Little Mermaid?"
"That mortals retell stories even if they don't know it's the truth," Percy shrugged as he mulled it over. "So if Phorcys and Ceto really are Medusa's parents… maybe she was always a gorgon?"
Annabeth shrugged. "In older versions of the myth, she was. Ovid came along later and painted all the gods in a much nastier light with his stories." A finger went to her lips. "If Medusa's story was like the Little Mermaid, maybe she made a deal to become human? Which led to Ovid's version of the story happening?"
"Makes sense to me," Thalia said, pulling over a chair. "But who changed her? Your mom?" she asked, nodding to Annabeth. "She was a priestess in her temple."
"She was…" Annabeth agreed. "But after the way my mother spoke yesterday. I don't know. The vernacular doesn't match up." Thalia and Percy looked at her blankly. "She said she felt her magic become undone, right? Well, if she turned Medusa into a human, and now she's a gorgon again, then technically, her magic was already undone."
"Maybe she was referring to the petrified gaze," Percy suggested. "Medusa's sisters didn't have that."
"Okay," Thalia said. "So Athena's curse was removing Medusa's human form and making her petrify people. But who turned her human? Why?"
Percy gave a weak shrug. Hell, if he knew. Annabeth tapped her fingers on her arm, eyes narrowed as if she could glare the ground into giving her answers.
"We find Phorcys and Ceto then," Annabeth said, turning to Percy. "Do you think they'd still be at the Georgia Aquarium?" she asked. Percy stared at her. Annabeth stared back. Percy continued to stare. Annabeth remained resiliently quiet.
…fuck.
"I've met them," Percy said, a little defeated. Annabeth sighed. "When did I meet them? Were you there?"
"No!" Annabeth said. "You were with Frank and Coach Hedge. You got trapped in a tank?"
Oh, shit. Percy slapped his forehead. "That's right! Frank turned into a koi- shut up," he added when Thalia gawked at him in disbelief. "Do you know how many gods I've met? How many have tried to kill me? And I'm expected to remember all of them?" he asked, deciding not to mention that he had purposely studied up on sea gods and goddesses with the hope of being more helpful in his father's domain. Whoops.
"Well, why does Annabeth remember and you don't?!"
"Because she loves me and remembers all the times I've been in danger," Percy shot back. Thalia made a gagging noise. "Whatever. Let's just go to the aquarium," Percy grumbled, kicking the ground.
Thalia rolled her eyes, theatrically gesturing for him to lead the way. Again, this was her quest, but sure. They walked for about ten minutes before Annabeth casually asked if they planned to walk the 307 hours to Georgia.
Which led to another argument of how they were going to get there.
"I'm not sitting between you for twelve hours," Annabeth said when Percy suggested they call the Gray Sister again. "Besides, they only operate in New York. I paid extra to get us to New Jersey. I don't have enough for Georgia."
Percy ran a hand over his face as he looked around. They were now outside a gas station. Weird fact about gas stations in New Jersey: they don't let you pump your own gas for whatever reason. So here they were, with a bunch of gas attendants glowering at them as they debated modes of travel.
"Well, Percy and I don't like flying," Thalia said, crossing her arms. "And I am not getting on a boat."
"I could move us quick with a boat-"
"I just said I'm not getting on one!"
"Okay, fine. Bus?"
"Can't just get pegasi?"
"From where?!"
"I still don't like heights, Perseus."
"Annabeth, call Leo and ask if we can borrow Festus-"
"-that is still flying, genius!"
"ENOUGH!" Annabeth shouted. "Oh my gods, you two. This is ridiculous." Percy and Thalia both backed down. "I'm going inside to figure this out. Alone. You both stay here." She turned, and when Percy stepped toward her, she spun around. "No!" she warned and stormed inside the gas station. The bell rang as she opened the door and then again when she slammed it.
Thalia and Percy looked at one another. An awkward silence fell over them.
Percy sat down on the sidewalk. After a few minutes, Thalia joined him. The gas attendants awkwardly shuffled away when a few cars rolled up. Silence followed.
"Do you remember when I first got to camp?" Thalia suddenly asked. Percy looked up at her. "And we'd always argue, and Chiron made us do that stupid honesty exercise?"
Percy snorted. He had forgotten about that. The summer Thalia and Percy had spent together at camp had involved poor Chiron trying desperately to keep them from bringing everything to pieces. Eventually, he came up with a new rule. When things escalated too bad, he'd put them together in a room and turn on a ten-minute timer. During those ten minutes, Percy and Thalia had to be completely honest about their feelings.
"I don't know how he thought that would work," Percy scoffed. "Neither of us were ever honest."
"I was honest when I said you were annoying."
"I guess I was honest when I said you looked like an electrocuted raccoon," Percy amended. Thalia rolled her eyes. They both sat there for a few more minutes. "Do we want to try it for real?" he finally asked. "For Annabeth's sake?"
Thalia glanced in the direction Annabeth had gone before sighing. "Annabeth is my weak spot," she muttered and then sat up, holding up a digital watch. "Ten minutes?" she offered. Percy nodded, and Thalia set the timer. "Who goes first?" Her finger hovered over the start button, but neither volunteered. "Rock, paper, scissors?" she asked. Percy held up his hands. "Don't do the stupid gun trick."
Percy stuck his tongue out but obliged out of sportsmanship or whatever. A foolish choice because Thalia did, in fact, use the gun trick.
"You smell like discount Christmas," he told her, and Thalia pressed the start button. "Whatever. I… guess I am mad at you. I want to know why you didn't talk to me after the Giant War." Percy looked at his hands, trying not to seem too affected by the situation. "You talked to Annabeth."
Thalia bit her lip. She glanced over her shoulder and then the sky. "Well," she began. Then paused. "...fuck. I-" She paused again. "It's complicated."
"So I just don't get to know?"
"No, it means shut up while I try to figure out how to apologize," Thalia grumbled. She rubbed the back of her neck. Percy almost wanted to snap at her for taking too long, but a look of genuine grief touched her features, and he refrained. "Okay. So, the first time you called me was a couple months after the war ended," she said. Percy nodded. "Well, that was the night Piper broke up with Jason." Percy's eyebrows raised. Was that a joke? "Let me finish, oh my gods," Thalia said, voice already exasperated. "Obviously, I said I'd talk to him as soon as possible, and then I went to your apartment."
Percy waited.
Thalia looked away. "Hera was waiting for me," she said quietly. "And she was… pissed." Thalia gave a disbelieving scoff that covered up how her voice grew thicker. "She said some pretty nasty things, which… whatever, right? The takeaway was that I was a shitty sister for seeing you and not him. And Jason had already been through so much without me, so if I couldn't find it in me to be family to him, she would make me."
An alarm went off in the back of Percy's head. Suddenly, his blood was boiling for a different reason. Hera was supposedly the goddess of family. But not necessarily happy ones. The idea the goddess had reminded Thalia in any way of Beryl…
"Basically, she said if I kept choosing you over Jason, she'd make the choice simple for me and kill you," Thalia shrugged. She tugged at the sleeves of her leather jacket. "And, you know what? I could have called my father. It probably would have been the rare times he actually took my side since Hera shouldn't meddle in mortal affairs." Thalia swallowed. "But I didn't. I told myself you had Annabeth and Nico. I mean, they had been to Tartarus. Those were the people you needed. Grover was who you needed. Not me. I… I support you through the shitty family stuff. You didn't need me for this."
Percy looked away. He felt a little like a brat. After all, he had so many people to help him through his problems. His mother. His girlfriend. Numerous friends. A stepfather. So many people… but Percy had wanted Thalia and threw a tantrum when he hadn't gotten her.
"I know that doesn't excuse anything," Thalia said quietly. "But… you have to understand, Percy. I found Jason while looking for you. Jason, who I had stopped looking for, met me when I was looking for you. And…I admit I projected most of my life. I saw Luke's blue eyes and blonde hair and thought… you know. Jason could grow up to be like that." Thalia took a long breath. "And then I ran into Annabeth, who was just a tad older than Jason. And I thought… this is how old my brother would be." Another pause. The wind blew. Thalia looked up at the sky, eyes glassy. "And then I met you. And you… well, I told myself if you were anything like Poseidon and I was anything like Zeus, then we were basically siblings anyway. You understood me. We had similar problems. You were exactly who I imagined Jason would grow up to be, but…" Thalia ran her hands over her thighs. "I met Jason. And he wasn't like you, really. Then I was forced to realize that maybe I did replace him a little in my head with you. And what does say that I… I… I felt weird around him. He was a stranger, and I was almost disappointed with who he was. Not because he did anything wrong but because he just wasn't what I pictured. Which is so, so fucked up, and I felt like a monster for it. So when Hera said those things, I just.." Thalia gave a slightly hysterical laugh. "I couldn't argue with her! I had failed him. I was still failing him."
"Thalia…"
"And the worst part?" Thalia asked, voice growing thicker. "He found out that Hera made that threat." She placed a hand over her mouth, sniffing as she cleared her throat. When she spoke again, her voice came out a pitch higher than normal, strained and wavering. "He asked me if I only spent time with him because I was blackmailed into it. I told him, no, and I explained, but… He just went quiet and said okay, and we never talked about it again. He didn't say anything else, even though I knew he was hurt. I thought we had time to address it eventually. But now… now…" Thalia leaned forward, running her hand through her hair. "I've let everyone down. You. Him. Luke went down a path I couldn't save him from. Grover and I don't really talk anymore, and Annabeth is all I have left of my family." She gave another shaky breath. "I have the Hunt, of course. I love the Hunt. But I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry, Percy. I should have told you what was going on up front instead of ghosting you, but..."
She was looking for the words, but Percy didn't need her to. He understood. The timer beeped on her wrist, and he reached over to shut it off.
"I should have tried harder with Jason," he said quietly. "For you." Thalia gave a watery snort. "I did like him. I think we would have eventually been really good friends." Thalia looked away. "I mean, we would have totally bonded over embarrassing you. Maybe we could have turned up to the Hunt to just harass you. Get Artemis to turn us into weasels or something," he said. Thalia fixed him with a look. "You were a good sister, Thalia. You are a good sister. Hera doesn't know how to love someone right, so she tries to force everyone to do it her way." Thalia nodded again. Percy leaned in. "You are a good sister," he repeated quietly. Purposely. Thalia closed her eyes and grabbed his arm. "And even when I'm mad at you… you're still my lifeline right now. Whether I want you to be or not."
Silence followed. "This Medusa thing is shitty, isn't it?" Thalia finally asked. Percy laughed. Oh, really? He hadn't noticed. Thalia smacked his leg. "Seriously. The stuff with your dad…?"
Oh. Percy pursed his lips.
"Your dad…" he began slowly. Thalia nodded. "He did some messed up things in myths."
"Oh, has he?" Thalia asked with a snort. "I always thought he was the paragon of virtue. That's why my mom liked him so much." Percy smiled at her weakly, and the sarcasm left her eyes. "Look… I know me and my dad aren't the closest, but… I get it. It's weird. You want to like him. He's part of you."
Percy swallowed. "But-" he began and then looked around, almost as if he was worried he'd be caught by Medusa himself. "I- I'm really… struggling…" he said slowly, voice slow and careful. "With this in particular. Like, Gabe is back, and… Thalia, he was married to my mom. For seven years. I'm not an idiot. I know she wasn't attracted to him – and seven years is a long time to avoid someone who feels entitled to things," Percy said, unable to say more than that. Thalia grimaced. "The idea of my father is someone's Gabe." Percy squeezed his eyes shut. "And the worst part is I don't hate him. I hate Gabe. I don't hate my dad. I should. What's wrong with me that I don't? Am I this awful, disgusting thing for not hating him for the same crime that-" Percy cut himself off.
Thalia moved a little closer to him. Their shoulders brushed.
"It's allowed to be complicated, you know," she said quietly. Percy kept his eyes on the pavement in front of him. "We're not gods. We can feel more than one thing at once. We can be confused by them." Percy nodded once, not meeting her eyes. "Tell me something," Thalia said, waiting until Percy glanced at her. "If Medusa told you that Ovid's version of the myth was true, and he raped her, would you believe her?" Percy grimaced but nodded. "Would you stop her from getting revenge on your dad? Stop him from hurting her or anyone else?"
Percy thought to his father's words – the plea for Percy to let her dole out the consequences. He had agreed, but the truth was that even if he hadn't asked, Percy probably would have let Medusa do what she wanted.
He nodded again. Thalia gripped his arm.
"Let that be enough for right now."
Percy fell back on his elbows, breathing in the smell of gasoline and the heat hitting against asphalt. Was it enough? He swallowed. If he was honest, Percy had always had a small penchant for hating himself. And this? Well, it was leaving him teetering on the edge.
"When we get back to camp, I'm going to kill Gabe," he said.
Thalia nodded slowly. "Alright." Percy waited. "Do you expect me to argue?"
"I don't know. Do you think Annabeth would…" He glanced over through his shoulder, making out the top of Annabeth's head through the gas station window. "Understand?"
Thalia hummed, nose wrinkling up slightly. "Maybe not understand, but there's no way in the world she'd hold it against you. She would help if you wanted it. I think everyone would help." She tilted her head at him. "What are you thinking? Shooting him? Stabbing him? Feeding him to a shark?"
Percy smiled a little. "I don't know," he admitted.
The bells rang, and Annabeth poked her head out. Her eyes narrowed a little when she saw them, watching with an air of expectation. When she saw them in somewhat amicable conditions, she stepped out, wordlessly offering them a bag of snacks.
"We're holding a pity party over here," Thalia said, patting the space beside her. "Want to join?"
Annabeth kissed the top of Percy's head and plopped down.
"You got a plan, Wise Girl?" he asked.
Annabeth held up her phone. "Nico and Hazel are on their way to shadow travel us to Atlanta," she said. "And then we go off to find Phorcys and Ceto."
Thalia and Percy looked at each other and nodded. Yeah. That was smart. It was why they left her in charge most of the time.
They sat in silence for the next thirty minutes, snacking on stale donuts and chips on the cracked sidewalk of the gas station with attendants fluttering about. That was how Nico and Hazel found them, fingers covered in Dorito dust and sipping on Fanta.
"Are we even allowed to aid you on a quest?" Nico asked.
Percy wordlessly flicked a chip at him.
"I didn't get a prophecy, so it isn't really a quest," Thalia told him with a shrug.
Percy nodded. "An excellent strategy. We outsmarted the system," he agreed. Thalia raised her hand, and he high-fived her. Annabeth rolled her eyes.
"Uh-huh," Hazel said, lips twitching. She held out her hand. "To Atlanta?" she asked.
Percy looked over at Annabeth and Thalia, who nodded. "To Atlanta," he agreed and took her hand.
As per usual, shadow traveling was that usual slip-and-slide of cold chaos with a couple of right-hand turns before they hit the ground. Percy stumbled before Hazel caught his elbow, pulling him away from a car that honked angrily as it narrowly missed them.
"Sorry!" she squeaked before giving the car a nasty look. "I'm not always the best with precision." She squinted. "…which is why we're about a mile from where I intended."
"I can walk a mile," Percy told her, not too eager to make her strain her powers again. Nico always got tired after Shadow traveling too much. He wouldn't put Hazel through the same just for an extra mile.
"I'll join you," Hazel said, skipping up beside him.
Percy held his breath, wondering what she knew about this quest, but Hazel chattered eagerly about Frank and Camp Jupiter and Reyna's most recent visit from the Hunt.
He was almost starting to think she knew nothing when she suddenly she burst out, "can I hug you?" When Percy blinked, she backtracked. "Um, just because I miss you and-"
"Nico?"
"No," Hazel said fiercely and then paused. "I heard about Medusa. I mean, everyone has, but I thought you might be extra sensitive because…." she trailed off. "Your dad."
Oh. Wait. She didn't know about Gabe. Percy relaxed slightly, but part of him felt a wave of fondness at how well she knew him.
"Do you think it's true?" Percy asked carefully. Hazel tilted her head. "What my dad did to her?"
They walked about ten feet before Hazel answered.
"You remember Arion, right?" she asked. Percy faltered. Fuck. He hadn't thought about Arion in a while. His half-brother… the horse. Percy was actually less bothered by his brother being a horse and more agitated at the memory of why he was a horse. Demeter, who was looking for her missing daughter, caught the attention of her brother (hi, dad) and understandably said she was not interested.
What followed was Demeter turning into a horse to run away, Poseidon turning into a stallion to chase after her, and boom—Arion and his twin sister, whom Percy knew very little about.
Running a hand over his face, he sighed. Honestly, when Arion told him the story, Percy had been so distracted by the cursing and how weird it was that gods just turned into animals and had sex he hadn't fully registered the darker implications.
"So he definitely did it," Percy muttered darkly. They walked a few more feet. "...I'm sorry, I just realized we could have also asked Arion to take us. We wouldn't have dragged you away from your praetor duties."
Hazel waved the words away. "Frank has it handled," she dismissed. Percy gave her a weak smile. They were approaching the Georgia Aquarium, which did look familiar now that Percy was in front of it. The printed hours on the window claimed it was closed, but the door was wide open with Thalia, Annabeth, and Nico already inside.
"Hey," Hazel said, suddenly reaching out to grab his arm. "You're a good person. You know that, right?" Percy gave a weak smile. Maybe. He sometimes had doubts. Again, he thought to Clarisse and Leo trying to help him. Apollo's words had been helpful, but he still felt like an ass for not appreciating it more.
"Thanks, Hazel," he murmured. She squeezed his arm once and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Do you want me to stay?" she asked, tilting her head.
"We got it covered," Percy promised her. "Besides, if you stay, Nico will stay, and if Nico stays, he's going to argue with Thalia the whole time."
"Do I strike you as an argumentative person?" Nico asked dryly from where he had been pretending not to listen as Annabeth and Thalia roamed the front desk, curiously looking for any security cameras they might have to dismantle.
Percy shrugged. "Eh. Thalia is."
"Nico and I are friendly," Thalia called absently. Percy frowned. Were they? Nico had never expressed any sort of liking toward, well, anyone in the Hunt. Reyna might be the exception, but Percy wasn't sure how their relationship fared after joining.
His confusion must have shown on his face because Nico offered a meager shrug. "Jason's ghost asks me to check on her sometimes. And Reyna asked me to be nice to her. Really, I have no choice."
Oh. Right.
Why did he feel like he was suddenly spiraling again?
Perhaps it was the weird connections that all sat between them. How Nico suddenly filled a place in Thalia's life due to his connection with Jason and Reyna, while Percy failed to fill a place in Jason's life despite his connection with Thalia. Maybe it was the sinking realization that after he had given Thalia such a hard time over the Tartarus thing, he had subconsciously been punishing her by not being present during her grief over Jason. It seemed like Nico had to an extent.
Jesus Christ, he was the worst. How could he have so little regard for people? No wonder he was being disgustingly empathetic to his father. He was just as sick and twisted and-
"Percy," Annabeth said, cutting in quickly. He wasn't sure what tipped her off until he noticed the water trembling in the connecting room behind the entrance. Wincing, he stilled his emotion, so the water stopped. Annabeth smiled and grabbed his hand.
"We got it from here," she told Nico and Hazel. "Thanks for the lift."
Hazel gave them each a big hug, promising them a hot chocolate date the next time they visited Camp Jupiter. She told Percy to call Frank and asked Thalia to say hi to Reyna for her. Nico simply nodded, though when he passed Percy, he gave the smallest of pats… which was pretty heavy affection for Nico and him.
"Thank you," he murmured.
"Apollo and Artemis are keeping a close eye on camp," was all he said in return, but Percy was grateful for it all the same. He relaxed, confident that between two gods and his friends, Gabe wouldn't be going around causing problems.
The doors shut with a click as Nico flung an arm over Hazel's shoulder, saying something that made her laugh. Percy kind of wished he was a Hades or Pluto kid. Maybe the next time he saw his uncle, he'd ask about the godly adoption process. Given that Hades wasn't his biggest fan, it was likely a no, but maybe someone else would take him in. Who was the least fucked up god?
…Hestia. After all of this shit was done, he was asking Hestia to adopt him as his godly parent. The Son of Hestia sounded cooler anyway. In fact, fuck it. He already gave Hestia a good chunk of his offerings. She might as well have all of them. Would she be chill with him moving into her cabin?
"Percy?" Annabeth asked, squeezing his hand. "Are you okay?"
Percy gave a grave nod before turning to her. "I'm all in on Hestia," he said. Annabeth blinked. "What's the nicest thing you can do for a god? What does she want? I'll get her whatever."
"I don't think she wants much of anything other than peace."
"Fuck, she's the best," Percy grumbled and nodded. "Alright, let's go. Thalia? If I die, you have to tell Hestia she's my new godly parent."
"Tell Mr. D that he's your new godly parent, got it."
"No."
"Nobody is dying," Annabeth sighed and pulled them in. Her face was set into something hard, and Percy regretted not speaking with her earlier. How was she faring with all of this? What did she think of Athena's role? He should have checked on her-
Something clattered in the other room. It was dark, with the tanks illuminated. Most were strangely empty, leaving Percy to wonder if something was being cleaned or if a more sinister plot was at play. He walked further in, eyes peeled for Phorcys and Ceto, but the aquarium seemed oddly…abandoned.
A stupid thought because the moment it entered his mind, there was the sound of a sword being unscathed.
"Well, well, well," a voice said, and Percy felt a tug of familiarity move through him. "We meet again. How are you, little brother?" Percy turned to see a gold mask glinting near one of the tanks. A flash of memories rolled through him. An attack of some dolphin pirates on the Argo II and being disarmed in a flash of gold.
"Chrysaor," he answered, and the figure stepped out. "I was looking for-"
"Phorcys and Ceto?" Chrysaor answered, face still covered by the same Gorgon mask Percy had first met him in back when they were sailing to Athens with curved tusks. "No, no, no. I think not. I know why you're here, and if you want to find my mother, you'll have to go through me."