Inside the Temple, the atmosphere was calm but tinged with a sense of finality. The seven days of rest were over. It was time to leave.
Theo sat on the rug, Nathaniel awake and playing happily in his lap. The little boy was currently solid, his tiny hands patting Theo's knees rhythmically, humming a tuneless song.
Theo looked down at him, his expression softening into something serious and gentle.
"Nathan," Theo called softly, waiting until those honey-colored eyes looked up at him. "Listen to me carefully, okay?"
The baby blinked, tilting his head.
"When we go outside," Theo explained slowly, pointing to the door, "there will be other people. I need you to be very brave and hide, okay? Just like you did before."
Nathaniel gurgled, not understanding the words but understanding the tone.
"Only me and Percy can see you when we are alone," Theo continued, stroking the soft black curls. "When others are around, you have to stay quiet and hidden. Can you do that for me?"
As if understanding perfectly, Nathaniel's form shimmered instantly. One moment he was warm and heavy, and the next he was just a faint, glowing outline, light as air in Theo's arms, giggling silently.
"Good boy," Theo whispered, relief washing over his face. "Thank you."
Percy stood nearby, watching them, his hands idle as he waited. He couldn't help but ask the question that had been bugging him since they decided to hide him.
"Theo... why?" Percy asked, his voice low. "Why hide him? Why can't everyone know? He's incredible."
Theo carefully adjusted the invisible bundle in his arms, his expression closing off, becoming guarded again.
"Because I cannot take any risk, Percy," Theo said simply, though his voice held a weight of experience. "He is too special. If anyone else knows he exists... he becomes a target. I won't let that happen."
"But I could protect him," Percy insisted, stepping closer. "I will protect both of you. You know I can."
Theo looked up at him, his eyes sharp.
"Percy... you have your own life. You have your things to do, your friends, your family. You are already busy enough."
Theo took a step closer, his voice dropping.
"Nathaniel is my responsibility. He is given to me. I have to look out for him. I can't... I can't rely on anyone else for this. I can't expect you to put him above everything else you have to do."
The words hit Percy harder than he expected. He felt a pang in his chest, hurt and frustrated.
"Theo, that's not fair," Percy said, his voice firming up. He stepped forward, looking Theo directly in the eye. "Just because I'm busy, or because I have other stuff going on... doesn't mean I don't care. Doesn't mean I won't protect him."
Percy gestured between the three of them.
"He looks like... well, you know. And we protected him for seven days! I want to protect him. I want to protect you. I promise I won't let anything happen to either of you."
Theo looked at him, really looked at him, seeing the sincerity and the determination in Percy's sea-green eyes. For a moment, the walls around Theo's heart trembled.
But old habits died hard. Trust was not something he gave easily, not after everything he had been through.
"Percy..." Theo started, but then he sighed, the tension leaving his shoulders, replacing the intensity with a forced casualness. He looked away, breaking the eye contact.
"Look, it's fine. Let's just pack up and get settled. I know you've been dying to get back."
Theo gave a small, slightly cold smile, shoving his hands into his pockets now that Nathan was light enough to carry easily.
"I know you miss the camp. And I'm pretty sure you miss Annabeth too, right?"
Percy's mouth opened, ready to argue, ready to say No, that's not the point, ready to tell him that they were a team now.
But seeing Theo's closed-off expression back again, seeing that he didn't want to talk about it anymore... Percy closed his mouth again.
"Yeah..." Percy muttered, kicking the ground again, looking defeated. "Right."
He had nothing left to say.
"Come on," Theo said, turning towards the Temple's entrance. "Let's go home."
As they stepped out into the clearing, Blackjack was already there, waiting patiently with his wings folded, pawing at the ground.
"Hey boy," Percy patted the pegasus's neck affectionately, then turned back.
Theo stood a little ways back, holding Nathaniel close. The baby had fallen asleep, his breathing slow and steady.
Theo's gaze shifted from the sleeping child, and landed on Percy.
He watched Percy interacting with Blackjack, looking so natural, so much like the hero he was meant to be.
While looking at him, suddenly, a realization hit him. Harder than a brick to the head.
'I'm getting attached.' Theo thought, his heart skipping a beat. He cared. Deeply.
And that terrified him.
Because of his mere presence, Nathaniel was created, and Percy was here with him instead of... instead of where he should be.
Theo's mind raced. 'Percy should be dating Annabeth right now. The Percabeth in Paris.'
'What... what am I doing?' Theo felt a cold wave of panic. 'My plan was to be a background character! Just watch, don't interfere, stay safe! But now... everything is breaking apart.'
Percy, who had been finishing up with Blackjack, turned around. He looked at Theo's face and instantly knew something was wrong.
He could sense the turmoil, the doubt, the fear radiating off him. But why now?
A strange, heavy feeling spread through Percy's chest. Something that he couldn't name, and something that he didn't want to feel anymore.
"Theo?" Percy called out, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. "You ready? Let's go."
"Mn." Theo nodded blankly, walking over slowly.
"What are you thinking?" Percy asked, studying his face.
"Thinking that this place is really magical, it helps to calm the chaos in our mind, but it also purposely removes the reason why it's in chaos in the first place."
Hearing the answer, Percy wanted to snap back: "Is that why you're thinking like that? Is that why your walls are back up?"
But he bit his tongue, forcing the words down.
"Fine, then, ready to go? Let's go!"
Theo just nodded, mutely.
They mounted the pegasus. Percy sat in front, Theo sat behind him, and Nathaniel was nestled safely and securely between them, warm and protected.
Blackjack spread his massive wings, ready to launch.
But as they lifted slightly into the air, Theo's mind was still screaming.
'Should I run away?' the thought came unbidden, dark and desperate. 'Should I just take Nathan and disappear? Let Percy go back to his normal life? Let everything go back to the original plot?'
Percy couldn't see his face, but he could feel the thoughts, loud and clear.
And he felt the tension radiating off the boy behind him. He felt the distance growing between them.
The hands holding onto the pegasus clenched tightly into fists. His jaw set hard.
"Theo," Percy said, his voice carrying back over his shoulder, low and serious. "We are good, right?"
Silence.
Theo didn't answer immediately. He was still lost in his own doubts.
Percy waited. The wind whipped around them, but he needed to hear it.
He needed to know they weren't breaking apart now. They had already passed this. They were friends.
"Theo..." Percy repeated, and there was desperation there, hidden just beneath the surface, barely contained. He wasn't demanding, but he was begging silently. "Right?"
Theo blinked, pulled out of his thoughts by the strange intensity in Percy's voice.
"What are you saying, Percy?" Theo scoffed, putting on his usual bored and annoyed mask to hide his own turmoil. "You're being weird. Obviously we're good. Just fly already, let's go!"
Percy didn't turn around. He didn't get the warm validation he wanted, but he got the answer he needed to hear.
"Right," Percy whispered, more to himself than to Theo. "Let's go."
And with a powerful beat of wings, they soared into the sky, leaving the Temple and their vacation far behind them.
Returning to the normal life as a demigod.
The flight felt long, the silence heavy between them, but eventually, the familiar outlines of Long Island appeared below.
The orange roofs, the forest, and the glittering boundary line came into view.
They had arrived back at Camp Half-Blood.
Nathaniel was already invisible by the time they landed, his form intangible and light in Theo's arms, unseen by anyone but them.
Blackjack landed gently in the middle of the clearing near the cabins. They slid off his back, and Percy dismissed him with a grateful pat.
"So," Percy broke the silence, shoving his hands into his pockets, looking serious. "What's the plan?"
Theo exhaled slowly, his expression hardening into resolve. He pushed his doubts and fears aside for the moment. They were here now. There was no turning back.
"We can't just parade him around," Theo said firmly. "First, we need permission. Second... we both know it's impossible to hide anything from Chiron. Or Mr. D, for that matter."
Percy nodded slowly, understanding immediately.
"Yeah. You're right. Chiron sees everything. And Mr. D... well, he's a god. He'd know instantly anyway."
"Exactly," Theo agreed. "So here is what we do. We go straight to the Big House. We tell them everything. Only them. We explain what happened, what Nathaniel is, and ask for their judgment."
He looked at Percy sharply.
"No one else can know yet. Not the other campers, not Annabeth, not anyone. Not until we know it's safe."
"Got it," Percy said. "Let's go."
Side by side, they walked towards the Big House.
They pushed open the door and stepped inside, expecting to find both of them waiting.
But the living room was empty except for one figure lounging on the sofa, holding a can of soda.
It was Mr. D.
"Where is Chiron?" Percy asked, looking around.
"Busy," Dionysus said flatly, not looking up from his drink. "Doing centaur things. Don't know, don't care. But if you have something to report, just say it. I'll relay it to him later. Spit it out."
Theo and Percy exchanged glances. Okay, dealing with Mr. D was... unpredictable. But they had to do this.
Theo took a deep breath. He looked down at the empty space in his arms where Nathaniel was floating.
"Nathaniel," he called softly. "Come out. It's okay."
In an instant, the air shimmered. The faint outline solidified, and suddenly Nathaniel was there again, corporeal and warm, sitting comfortably in Theo's arms, blinking his big honey eyes sleepily at the god.
Mr. D lowered his drink, his red eyes sweeping over the baby, taking in the black curls and the tiny features.
Silence stretched for a moment.
And then, Mr. D just shrugged.
"That all?" he asked boredly.
Percy blinked. He was expecting shock, confusion, maybe even anger. But this?
"Wow," Percy said, sounding genuinely stunned. "That's it? That's all? You're not surprised?"
Mr. D raised an eyebrow, looking at Percy like he was an idiot.
"What do you want me to say?" he drawled sarcastically. "Congrats, Peter Johnson, you get laid?"
Percy's brain completely blanked out for a solid three seconds.
Then, his face exploded into a furious shade of red.
"I- I- We didn't!" Percy sputtered, waving his hands wildly, looking absolutely mortified. "We didn't do that! What's wrong with you?"
Mr. D just stared at him blankly, sipping his soda slowly.
After a moment, Percy finally managed to calm down, though his cheeks were still bright pink. He and Theo took turns quickly explaining what had happened.
The egg, the seven days, the hatching, and what Nathaniel seemed to be. They skimmed through the details, keeping it short and simple.
Mr. D listened without changing expression, looking like he was barely paying attention.
As soon as they finished speaking, he just lazily waved his hand in the air, shooing them away like they were annoying flies.
"Done?" he asked, his face completely blank and unreadable.
"Get out."
As soon as they stepped outside, Nathaniel shimmered and turned invisible again, safe and hidden in Theo's arms.
But before they could even take a step further, a blur of blonde hair and gray eyes rushed towards them.
"Percy!"
Annabeth didn't stop. She ran straight into Percy's arms, jumping up to hug him tightly, burying her face in his chest.
Percy, caught off guard, instantly wrapped his arms around her.
"I heard you're back, I missed you so much," Annabeth mumbled into his shirt, pulling back slightly to look at his face.
"Yeah, I missed you too, Wise Girl," Percy said, smiling softly.
Then, Annabeth turned her attention to the boy standing next to them, looking calm and composed as ever.
She gave him a polite smile and a small wave.
"Hello, you must be Theo. Welcome back too."
"Then I will go first," Theo said casually, giving an equally polite nod and already turning on his heel. "Take your time, love birds."
"Wait, Theo-" Percy started, wanting to call him back, but Theo was already walking away quickly, leaving them alone together.
Percy stood there for a moment, sighing slightly, then turned his attention back to Annabeth.