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l i s t e n: jercy au where percy is the one jason wakes up next to in tlh

Jason didn’t remember anything. Yet here he was, sitting on a bus next to a guy holding his hand. Jason hadn’t taken in this guy’s features until now, but knew there was something because of the weight of the stranger’s palms in his. Finally looking at this guy, Jason didn’t believe he was real. Messy black hair, deep skin and sea green eyes looked forward, a strong jaw and slightly curved nose. Freckles danced along the bridge of his nose and the tops of his cheeks, bright teeth peeking through a small grin. Jason saw a few pale scars, making a mental note to ask about those.

“Percy!” Jason heard someone yell, another guy’s voice that sounds fast paced and impatient. The dark haired boy next to Jason turned his head.

“Yeah?” The dark haired boy- Percy- responded. His voice was smooth and gravelly at the same time, like ocean waves hitting the shore.

“Tell your boyfriend to scoot over. There’s enough room for me in your row.” The other guy ordered, and Jason couldn’t hear a joking tone in the word ‘boyfriend’.

“Babe, scoot up a little?” Percy turned to Jason, and he could see the mischief and affection in his eyes.

Jason decided it wouldn’t be so bad to have him as his boyfriend.

astxlphe

Percy had never been comfortable with heights. Being high above the ground never sat well with him. Maybe it was because his mom never let him on a plane, repeating again and again that it was dangerous, but he always felt like he didn’t belong up there.

So, when he was flung off the skywalk into the Grand Canyon, he was pretty sure he was going to die, and not just because he was about to turn into a bloody splatter.

Call it a hunch.

He flailed wildly, trying to grab onto something. The wind howled in his ears, and he was pretty sure he heard thunder. The storm was just above him, and lightning struck several times, a little too close for comfort.

It was like a big guy in the sky was playing Whac-A-Mole, with Percy as the mole.

It’s said that when you’re about to die, your life flashes before your eyes, you realize you have regrets and all that.

Spoiler warning: it was a big, fat lie.

All he could think about, as the initial shock of suddenly falling wore off, was: AAAAAAAAAAH!! and he closed his eyes.

Then it stopped.

Something caught him, brutally halting his fall. Arms wrapped themselves around his waist and he was pulled against a warm body. He tentatively opened an eye and blinked.

Blond hair, purple shirt - where did that purple shirt came from again?

“Jason?”

Jason had caught him. Jason had jumped off the skywalk to catch and him now they were floating.

Yep, Percy thought, I’m dead.

But his heart was hammering in his chest and he was breathing shakily, so maybe he wasn’t. Just to check, he looked down.

His vision swam, and grabbed onto Jason as tight as possible. He felt sick and nauseous.

Definitely not dead.

“Well…” He managed to crack a smile. “You could’ve told me my boyfriend was Superman.”

“I-” He seemed just as lost as Percy was. “I had no idea.”

—

Jason’s newfound superpowers got them back on the skywalk. Both him and Percy wanted to go back up there, in case Coach Hedge and Leo needed their help.

The storm had lost its intensity, replaced by a light rain, which would probably stop soon.

When they arrived, Leo had golden glitter in his hair, some bruises and was soaked to the bone. It looked like he didn’t appreciate the rain, thought it seemed to have the opposite effect on Percy, who was quickly regaining colours.

The three of them didn’t have the time to think too long about what the venti had said — about them being demigods. Even if the joke was kind of lame, Leo was right. Jason didn’t feel very godly either, just scared, confused, tired and in need of a new shoe.

The cracks on the skywalk widened, and the winged horses came.

When Leo pointed out the winged horses, Jason was sure he had finally lost it, but no. A big chariot, pulled by even bigger winged horses — pegasi, Jason’s mind supplied — landed at the end of the skywalk with two teenagers on board.

The blond girl jumped off and threatened Jason with a knife, and it took her friend, a huge guy with a rainbow tattoo, to calm her down. After a long explanation about what had happened and a few cryptic comments about being tricked, they were asked to climb on.

“I’m not going anywhere with her,” Jason said.

“What’s her problem anyway?” Percy asked, scowling. “She looks like she wants to kill us.”

The blond glared at him, knife still in hand, and Percy glared right back. Jason hoped they wouldn’t try to fight each other. Percy had almost died once today, they didn’t want a repeat.

“Annabeth is okay,” the guy, who introduced himself as Butch, told them. “You gotta cut her some slack. She had a vision telling her a guy with one shoe would be the answer to her problem, and well…” He sighed. “Looks like it was a trick.”

“What’s the problem?” Jason felt the need to ask, because he was the guy with the missing shoe here. Maybe he could help.

“She’s been worried sick about one of our camper who went missing a few days about. She was hoping she would be here.”

“Who?”

“Her girlfriend,” Butch said. “A girl named Piper McLean.”

aliferous-ly

Percy thought he might be sick.

That whole shtick about hating flying – yeah, he wasn’t joking, and flying in a chariot didn’t make him feel any better. The open back stuck out like a sore thumb and Percy didn’t like thinking about what would happen if he fell off. Would Jason catch him again, or was that a one time deal? Should Percy put all his hope in luck when luck hadn’t seemed to be on his side, recently?

Speaking of luck, well.

Jason the amnesiac.

The moment Percy had seen Jason, first or second day of school, he knew he was a goner. Jason’s golden-spun hair and eyes like the sea on a clear day, his severe expression transforming into open and honest within seconds of Percy saying “hi”.

He spent months – months – just trying to figure out if Jason was gay or not. Then Jason lead him to the roof (breaking the rules just for him, Percy was gone, gone, gone) and started waxing poetic about the stars and fate. Jason’s eyes reflected the constellations he spoke about and their fingers touched, something like electricity weaving between their skin…

And Jason leaned in, pressing their foreheads together, whispering “I want this to work. I want us to work. Please say you wish the same…”

They didn’t kiss that night, but Percy glowed the next day all the same.

But now Jason didn’t remember?

Percy felt like someone was pressing into his stomach, a dull but constant pressure that hurt the more he thought about it.

The pegasi-lead chariot wasn’t helping.

Especially since, well, the pegasi were talking.

“I’m hungry!” one whinnied, shaking out their mane.

“Why did she take us before lunch? I want some apples!” the other said back. Percy massaged his temples. First Jason had amnesia, then Dylan was a wind-spirit (he knew that douche wasn’t human), then Percy almost died (but Jason caught him), then they flew away on a magical chariot with stupid, annoying talking horses with wings like he was straight out of a hallmark card.

(”Don’t forget to soar above the clouds today! Happy 5th Birthday”)

And then, well.

“Demigods?” Percy asked. “You mean you thing you’re… you think we’re…”

Lightning flashed, because somebody somewhere just hated him, and then the chariot was on fire. Storm spirits started swirling around them and the pegasi did something strange, magical, or trippy (Percy wondered if he’d been drugged and this was all some weird, horrible trip).

They went for the lake, and while Percy knew he should’ve felt a harsher landing – wasn’t hitting water at high speeds supposed to be like hitting cement? – the water enveloped him like a blanket and he felt soothed for the first time all day.

The water was clear, and strange girl-like creatures peered at him curiously. They grabbed at his arms and Percy instinctively lashed out, the water propelling him away from their hands, and their expressions grew quite a bit more confused.

They pointed up towards the surface and Percy remembered oh, yeah, other people and he pushed himself towards the surface, popping out and landing harshly on the ground.

Kids stood with large leaf-dryer-like contraptions, but Percy’s clothes were… suspiciously dry.

Percy’s haywire mind zeroed in on the conversation between Annabeth and a camper with wild curly blond hair and a scowl that turned into a curious expression when he looked at Percy, Jason, and Leo.

“These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven’t they been claimed already?”

“Claimed?” Leo asked, alarmed. Percy didn’t like the sound of the word, either. “Claimed”, like some sort of pet? An object at an auction? Whichever way he spun it Percy couldn’t think of using the word in a healthy relationship sort of way. Especially when one half of the party (him) didn’t want anything to do with it.

“Any sign of Piper?”

“No,” Annabeth said, her weary tone giving away more than the one-syllable word ever could.

The campers around them muttered, dissent travelling among them, and Percy wondered what the girl had done to gather such an incredible reputation.

Percy sought out Jason, then, and narrowed his eyes at the girl not-so-subtly flirting with him. He approached them, fire igniting in his blood, but with one warning look from Annabeth he deflated, settling with standing next to Jason possessively.

Whoever was talking to Jason didn’t scare Percy, but Annabeth sure did.

“We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome,” Annabeth said, hardened gaze focusing on the girl who’d spoken with Jason. “We’ll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they’ll be claimed.”

“Would somebody tell me what claimed means?” Percy said, working to keep the snap out of his tone. He was tired of being ignored, and he wanted answers, damnit.

A gasp swept through the campers and Percy thought he’d said something sacrilegious and was about to be booted from the camp (wouldn’t be the first time). Then he turned around and a hammer, a hammer that was on fire, blazed above Leo’s head.

Someone explained how that was a claiming and Jason said, “That’s the symbol of Vulcan, isn’t it?”

The mutterings about a curse ceased and Annabeth stared at Jason. Jason fidgeted uncertainly. “How do you know that?”

“I’m not sure…”

Suddenly uneasy, Percy glanced at the lake behind him. He’d… breathed under there. The water had almost… followed his command. What did that mean for him…?

Will lead Leo away, so his cabin (supposedly) and Annabeth started examining Jason like a puzzle. Percy was coming to terms with how he felt about that (on one hand, Annabeth was very obviously not-into Jason, but on the other, he didn’t want Jason objectified) when Annabeth pointed out the tattoos on Jason’s arm.

Percy felt like he’d been spun around a dozen times and told to walk in a straight line. He knew Jason’s arms, he’d seen Jason’s arms, it wasn’t like the boy shied away from muscle shirts. But Percy had never seen those lines, those letters, and definitely not the eagle.

“They look burned into your skin,” Annabeth said. Something twisted in Percy’s gut.

“They were,” Jason replied, before a strange expression overtook him. “I mean… I think so. I don’t remember.”

Silence settled over the group and that something twisted further into Percy’s gut. Percy couldn’t handle looking at Jason, his Jason, who’d become so different in the span of a few hours, so he studied his hands. Darkly tanned skin, a small scar on his left from a biking accident, a few freckles showing here and there.

When Percy looked up, he and Annabeth were the only people left.

Annabeth gave him a searching look before saying, “I’ll give you a tour. We need to talk.”

Percy gulped but followed. Nothing good ever came from “We need to talk,” but he wasn’t about to question Annabeth, who was probably the scariest girl he’d ever met.

Plus, she hopefully had answers. About being a demigod, about wind spirits, claiming, and most importantly… he hoped she had answers about Jason, his might-possibly-be-ex boyfriend.

astxlphe

Annabeth was pretty unenthusiastic about the tour.

It was efficient, yes, but nobody should look so down while talking about a lava wall, magical archery and pegasus riding.

Sure, Percy wasn’t in a hurry to fly again, but still. Pegasus riding.

They climbed the hill and, to have an idea of the camp’s size, Percy turned around. He let out a soft “wow”

Down in the valley were about twenty cabin, each one looking crazier than the other. One sparkled gold in the sunlight, another had grass growing on the roof, and another was all black with torches of green fire at the front.

Another one was long and low, with gray stone walls and, while from here it looked unremarkable, it was the one Percy was the most curious about.

In the outside world it was winter, but Camp Half-Blood seemed stuck in perpetual summer time.

“The mortal can’t see the valley properly,” Annabeth said. “The weather is controlled, and each cabin represents a god or a goddess. It’s where their children live.”

“You think my dad is a god.”

“Unless it’s your mother. Is she a mortal?”

Percy’s mother might as well be a goddess to him, but it wasn’t the kind of goddess Annabeth was referring to. He nodded and said, a little bitterly. “Yeah, she is.”

Annabeth sent him a strange look, but Percy ignored it.

“So, it’s your dad,” she confirmed.

“He’s dead,” Percy countered. “Well, technically, he’s lost at sea, but it’s been 16 years so I assume he is dead.”

“Convenient, isn’t it?”

Percy couldn’t deny it made sense. Demigod, half human and half god. That was the monster in his dreams kept calling him.

They’ll find you soon, they’d said. Do as we say and your mother might live.

“So, who do you think my dad is?” he asked as they continued to walk up the hill.

“I don’t know, but we should find out soon. Probably at the camp fire tonight.” She frowned. “You’re what? Fifteen? Sixteen? You’re too old already.”

“Gee, thanks.”

She rolled her eyes. “Gods are supposed to claim you when you turn thirteen.”

She said it as if it was obvious, and it made Percy feel a bit stupid. “Why?” he still asked.

“After last summer…well, it’s a long story, but the gods promised they would claim their children by the time they were thirteen. Sometimes it takes longer, but you saw your friend. He was claimed as soon as you arrived.”

“Okay, but why thirteen? Seems kind of random.”

“You start attracting monster around that age. That’s why they send protectors in schools to look for you, guys. To get you to camp before you get killed.”

“Like Coach Hegde?”

“Yeah, he is…well, was, a satyr. Half man, half goat.”

Percy had no trouble believing Coach Hedge was half goat. Some of his frustrated screaming sounded too much like bleating. A lot of kids had made fun of him for that, and Coach Hedge would shake his megaphone at them.

He never liked him much but…

“He’s dead, isn’t he?”

“Probably. Storm spirits are tricky and difficult to kill. They’re made of cloud, so Celestial Bronze — that’s the only thing that can hurt monsters — goes through them unless you hit them just right. I don’t see why they would keep him alive.”

Percy looked down, an uneasy weight in his stomach. Coach Hedge had died so they could reach camp. His dad’s cabin was somewhere down here — maybe he even had siblings.

The idea of betraying them repulsed him, but his mom…

He would turn the world upside down for her.

“It’ll be fine,” Annabeth said. “We’ve all been through a lot, we know what you feel like.”

“I’ve been expelled from what…eight schools? I managed two years in one, once. It was record. I’m a New Yorker you know? But Wilderness School, all the way in Nevada, was the only one who would have me.”

“We were all labeled troublemakers here. I ran away from home when I was seven.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I bet you have ADHD too, maybe also dyslexia.”

Percy made a face. “Both,” he told her. “Leo too.”

She nodded. “Anyway, demigods always get in trouble, you should here what Piper—“

She stopped herself and looked away. Percy didn’t press the issue. “I fired a revolutionary war canon at my school bus once,” he said, hoping to distract her. “I sent another class swimming into a shark tank, too. I pushed the wrong lever.”

It worked. Annabeth snorted. She didn’t look as scary anymore, and Percy grinned.

“Tell me more,” she demanded.

“Well, there was that one time I pushed a classmate into a water fountain. I mean, I didn’t push her but…”

He thought back on how dry he was when he got out of the lake, how he had been able to breathe under the water and how it had listened to him.

“But?”

“She was bullying some poor guy, and I wanted her to leave him alone. The water just…grabbed her.”

Annabeth looked at him thoughtfully. “Maybe your dad is a minor water god? Or maybe…” She looked him up and down critically. “Nevermind,” she said.

Percy felt self-conscious. He wasn’t exactly in shape, and Annabeth was buff, and it was like she was judging him. She looked like she spent her whole life climbing that lava wall, which she probably did.

“Come on,” Annabeth added, and they arrived at the top of hill.

Not too far from there was a cave. Curious, Percy asked Annabeth what was in there, but she shook her head. “A friend, sometimes. She comes in for the holidays, but most of the time she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. We’ve been expecting her for a few days now. She’s our oracle, she makes prophecies. I thought she might help me—“

“Find Piper?”

She nodded and suddenly looked very tried. They sat on a rock, and Annabeth sighed. “I’m sorry, I just…“

“How long have you been looking for her?”

“Three days, six hours, twelve minutes.”

“What happened?”

She shrugged. “No idea. She’s a year round camper too. Her dad thinks she goes to a special school for difficult kids, he has no idea about gods and everything. After the campfire, we kissed, and we went back to our cabin. She is a daughter of Aphrodite, and she is…was cabin counsellor. Anyway, the next morning she was missing. Her siblings didn’t see anything. She was just…gone.”

Three days ago, Percy thought. Wasn’t that when the nightmares started?

“How long have you guys been together?”

“August,” she answered.

“That’s when I met Jason but…we didn’t get together until about three weeks ago.”

“About that…”

Percy didn’t want to know.

He wasn’t a complete idiot, thank you very much. Jason didn’t have any memories, and he was sure he had just appeared. It could be the truth, all of this was crazy enough for it.

“I’ve known Jason for months,” he said. “I know he doesn’t remember but—“

“It was the Mist,” Annabeth interrupted.

“Missed? What did I miss?”

“No, the Mist. M-I-S-T. It’s what keeps mortals from finding out about us, like a veil. It shows them completely different things.”

“But I’m a demigod, not a regular mortal, so—“

“Anyone can be affected, I’ve seen it happen. That’s how monsters infiltrate schools and everyone thinks they were always here. The Mist can change memories, create memories…”

It could create memories and everything he had with Jason was fake.

He thought back on everything. When they had first met, he had been incredibly patient with both Percy and Leo, who were basically the poster boys of ADHD.

They’d watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof, and they’d kissed.

He’d laughed at his and Leo’s stupid jokes, and Percy clearly remember what his laugher sounded like — that was the first time he noticed he was falling in love.

But all of it had been a lie.

“I don’t even know his last name,” he realized, and his voice cracked. “Or even where he is from.”

Maybe he was a complete idiot after all. He should have noticed sooner. Now that Annabeth said it out loud, it became obvious.

He gritted his teeth. First he was losing his mom, and now Jason? And what if Leo…

No, Leo was real. He had to be. His name was Leo Valdez, he was fifteen, from Houston, and he had been in six foster families but had run away every time. He was also Percy’s best friend and he was real.

Knowing all those things about Leo was reassuring. At least something was right in his life.

He wondered how he felt, knowing that his friendship with Jason was an illusion?

God, he would try to make jokes about it but he was probably a wreck already. Percy had to pull himself together.

“I’m sorry,” Annabeth told him. “Maybe…maybe two can still work out if you get to know each others for real?”

“Thanks,” he answered. “Maybe you’re right.”

He had trouble believing his own words.

It must have shown, because she patted his shoulder and smiled at him a little sadly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we will figure it out.”

aliferous-ly

Percy didn’t like looking at the cabins.

Cabin 6 – Athena’s cabin – seemed organized and chill, like a high-tech library from an ivy league school smashed into a cabin, but apparently his godly parent was his dad, so. Apollo seemed like a cool dad, and he’d definitely play some basketball with those dudes from earlier, but Percy had tried archery and he’d only gotten close to a bullseye from luck.

Besides, Jason could attest, Percy had a less-than-average singing voice.

Well, Jason couldn’t really attest, could he? Since everything they’d had was a lie.

A stinging pain stabbed at Percy’s heart, but he moved on. Seemed the only thing he could do.

Hephaestus was too mechanical, especially compared to poster-boy Leo. Ares – definitely not, Percy wouldn’t touch that cabin with a ten foot pole (the girl walking in glared at him so viciously, like she had some form of vendetta against him, despite him having never seen her before today).

Hermes seemed like a cool dude, though. Percy peeked in the door and, yup, overflowing with quick fingers and a lonely dissonance striking through. Percy felt at home already.

“We should find you a weapon,” Annabeth said, and Percy found himself by a tool-shed that most definitely did not contain tools.

“Every demigod needs a weapon. Hephaestus makes the best, but we have a pretty good selection, too,” Annabeth said, sounding proud of her cabin. “Athena’s all about strategy – matching the right weapon to the right person. Let’s see…”

She handed him a large broad sword and he almost skewered his foot, which wasn’t embarrassing at all. Then Annabeth produced a large gun, “Mossberg 500″, and Percy just itched to get his hands all over it.

Annabeth took one look at his fidgeting fingers and shoved the entire gun back in the shed, organization be damned.

He couldn’t help but feel a little crestfallen. She started looking at some crossbows – oh yay, another thing to accidentally skewer himself on – when something out of the ordinary caught his eye.

And he picked it up, of course, because who would think a pen could be dangerous, right?

He uncapped it, thinking of scribbling a line on his arm to see if it had glowing ink or something, when the thing turned into a full length double-edged sword. Stumbling backwards, Percy took extra care not to swing it into some old relic just lying around waiting to be broken.

“Anaklusmos?” Annabeth said.

Percy stared at her. “Pardon?”

“It’s the greek name,” Annabeth said, shaking her head in bewilderment. “Sorry, seeing it shocked me enough I slipped into… Well, that’s riptide, Zoë ’s old…” Her vision turned stormy.

Percy steadied the blade in his hands, turning it and testing the balance, which seemed… perfect, though he knew next to nothing about swords.

“Formerly brandished by Hercules,” Annabeth said, nodding in approval. “It’s a well used blade.”

“Hercules?” Percy said, a stone dropping in his stomach. His fingers loosened, because maybe he shouldn’t be wielding Hercules’s old sword. Maybe the dude would come back from the dead and smite him. The day had been weird enough.

“Riptide is a particular weapon,” Annabeth said, warning in her voice. “It only works for very specific people. But, if you feel up to the task…”

Percy didn’t get premonitions often, but the blade felt so comfortable in his palms that he tightened his grip. Annabeth shrugged and set a crossbow down, beckoning him with her finger.

When Percy started following her, sword unsheathed, she sighed. “You have to cap it to turn it back into a pen.”

“Oh!” Percy found the cap and tapped it to the tip of the sword, which transformed back into a pen. Percy blinked and shoved the pen in his pocket.

“It won’t ever disappear from your pocket,” Annabeth said.

“Oh,” Percy said. “That’s helpful.”

“Quite.”

“Hey, uh…” Percy awkwardly pressed his fingers on his upper arm, shoulders hunching somewhat. “Is there a phone at camp? I want to, uh, I want to call my mom.”

“Well…” Annabeth seemed to consider her answer, then looked around. “We aren’t allowed phones. Most demigods, it’s like sending up a flare, letting monsters know where you are. But… I’ve got one. It’s against the rules, but…” she let her voice trail off meaningfully. “Just don’t tell anyone.”

Percy took the phone with shaking fingers, heart in his throat. Stepping away, Percy tried his mom’s private line, which, unsurprisingly, went to voicemail.

He called the other number, his free hand already clenching into a fist in preparation.

“Ms. Jackson’s office.”

“Hey Jane,” Percy said, trying at upbeat but sounding downright gritty. “Where’s my mom?”

“Percy, I thought you weren’t supposed to call from school,” Jane answered after a solid five seconds.

“Maybe I’m not at school,” Percy said. “I decided to run away and live among the woodland creatures, eating bugs for protein and river water for hydration.”

Jane sighed, as if tired of his antics. “Well, I’ll let her know that you called.”

Percy’s grip on the phone tightened. “Where is she?”

“Out.”

Anger boiled in Percy’s stomach, something pulling, a rush. “You don’t know, do you? When are you going to call the police, Jane? She could be in trouble.”

“Percy, we are not going to turn this into a media circus. I’m sure she’s fine. She does take off occasionally, and she always comes back.”

She didn’t, Percy knew she didn’t, never without a note. “So it’s true. You don’t know–”

“I have to go, Percy,” Jane snapped. Percy could almost hear her nails tapping angrily on the table. “Enjoy school.”

She hung up, and his anger grew in his chest. He wanted to scream, he wanted to hit something, he wanted to–

“Percy,” Annabeth said, approaching him. Percy regretfully handed her the phone, and she looked on in sympathy. “No luck?”

Percy glared at the skyline as if it had done him a personal wrong, but didn’t reply.

“Your last name is Jackson?” Annabeth asked, sounding surprised. Then she corrected herself, saying, “Sorry, it’s not my business. But that sounds really familiar.”

“Common name,” Percy ground out.

“I guess so. What does your mom do?”

“She’s a writer and an artist,” Percy said instantly. Technically correct. She most definitely was both of those, despite being generalized.

“Okay,” Annabeth said. She definitely didn’t believe him, but obviously wasn’t going to ask about it, for which Percy was eternally grateful. “You alright? Want to keep going?”

“Yeah,” Percy said, loosening his fist. “Let’s go.”

They walked along the cabins again, and Percy pointed out a silver one, glowing. Maybe he felt a little connected to that one.

“That’s Artemis’s cabin,” Annabeth said, and Percy’s hopes dropped once again. “She doesn’t have any kids, being an eternal maiden and all. There are the Hunters of Artemis, but they’re strictly women and girls.”

“Damn,” Percy said jokingly, despite feeling genuinely chagrined.

“How about that one?” Percy asked, pointing at the same low cabin as before.

Annabeth gave him a calculated look. “That’s Poseidon’s cabin, one of the Big Three. It’s empty, with no kids of Poseidon. The Big Three – Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades – have really powerful kids, really dangerous. For the last seventy years or so, they tried to avoid having demigod children.”

Percy caught the past tense. “Tried?”

“Sometimes they, er, cheated. I’ve got a friend, Thalia Grace, who’s the daughter of Zeus. She gave up camp life and became a Hunter of Artemis. There’s also a kid who shows up sometimes, Nico – he’s a son of Hades. Other than those two, there are no demigod children of the Big Three.”

Percy tried to ignore the warning tone in Annabeth’s voice and focused on another cabin. “And that one?”

“Hera,” Annabeth said, a million different meanings behind the two syllables. She talked about Hera a bit, notably bitter and notably avoiding insulting the goddess in any large way but obviously vaguing insults, when Percy’s vision hyperfocused on footprints.

“We should go in,” Percy said, his mouth two steps ahead of his brain and forgetting to explain his train of thought. Annabeth started protesting but Percy was already in, saying something along the lines of “we’re supposed to live life dangerously anyway, right?”

The moment he entered Percy could see why people didn’t go in. He was cold, and felt incredibly judged. He also tried to ignore the large, terrifying statue of Hera.

It certainly didn’t feel like a cabin. More like a judgement hall.

Unfortunately, he felt some sort of calling to this cabin. He just knew it had something to do with his dream, which. In hindsight, should keep him as far away from the cabin as possible.

A small person was in the back, standing at an alter with a black hood on.

Annabeth gasped. “Rachel?”

She ended up being the oracle who lived in a cave – go figure – and, despite being a normally-totally-normal mortal had an old witchy oracle living within her who tended to appear at the most convenient of times.

They mentioned Jason, which sent all kinds of hurt through Percy’s body, but then they started talking about prophesy’s and one-shoe and something bad, and before Percy could say something about his dreams – something, anything, maybe they could help – Rachel ended up latching onto his arms like a vice.

Percy stiffened. What was it about scary girls today?

Free me, she said, sounding croaky and old and far away. Free me, Percy Jackson, or the earth shall swallow us. It must be by the solstice.

The room twisted, blurring together in sights and sounds. Green smoke billowed around them. Percy saw Annabeth in a flash, seemingly pulling at Rachel’s unforgiving grip, but she disappeared into the smoke. Hera leered at him, her stone expression mocking, and her mouth opened.

Statues shouldn’t breathe, Percy thought blithely as a thick, cheap-smelling perfume enveloped him.

Our enemies stir. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will, and their kind shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME! It echoed like Percy was in a large cave.

Percy collapsed, knees hitting the concrete as the world went black.

godspawns

To be honest, Jason’s visit with Chiron wasn’t the most pleasant visit in the world.

Though, any conversation that started with, “You should be dead,” wouldn’t really be the nicest conversation in the world. When time froze and the Seymour the leopard ate a goddess however, that was probably the worst of it.

Even worse now, as soon as Chiron was about to give Jason some much needed answers, Annabeth and a red-haired girl burst through the doors, breathless, with an unconscious Percy between them.

“What the hell happened?” Jason rushed over to help them with Percy’s passed-out body.

“Vision...,” Annabeth huffed, as if she’d ran the whole way here, “Hera’s cabin... Bad.”

The unknown girl looked up with tear tracks in her eyes.

“I... I think I may have killed him.”

Rachel, the red-haired girl, gently set Percy down on the couch whilst Annabeth sprinted out of the room for a med-kit.

“We have to help him!” Jason urged, “There’s got to be a way to wake him up, right?”

Jason sat on the ground next to the couch Percy was slumbering on. Seeing his usually tan skin so pale and ashen, barely breathing and not moving, Jason immediately felt protective over him. There’s a chance they’re not boyfriends, possibly even strangers, but there was no way Jason was letting Percy die now. Not after he jumped in the Grand Canyon to save his life.

Chiron checked Percy’s pulse, which was scarily faint, but thankfully still there, while Annabeth and Rachel described what happened to Percy in Hera’s Cabin. Apparently, while Hera froze time to talk to Jason, she also possessed Rachel and put Percy into a coma.

“Of course it was Hera,” Jason was shocked at how much venom was in Annabeth’s voice, “First she takes Piper, she takes over Rachel’s body, and now she’s attacked Percy!”

“What did she say to Percy, Rachel?” Chiron asked.

“She went and grabbed Percy’s shoulders and told him to—”

“Free her?” Jason interrupted. “Yeah, I know. She said the exact same thing to me. Free her from the Earth, right?”

“Exactly.”

After some confusing messages about an oath that Chiron wasn’t allowed to break, Annabeth decided it was a good idea to take him to Cabin 15. Hypnos’ Cabin.

Percy dreamt of the last day he spent with his beloved mother.

They were sitting on the porch of the Montauk cabin, waiting for the blue cookies that they’d just made together to finish baking. This was the first time they’d been able to really spend genuine time together in what felt like forever.

Alone, in the comfort of the sea and their cabin, no paparazzi, no journalists, no incessant fans asking questions about her next novel; just her and Percy. He loved coming out to their cabin with her. It reminded him of times when things were simple and easy. That’s why he always turned down the overly fancy shit he was offered.

Yes, all the niceties were great when he was younger, especially since they were dirt poor from Gabe gambling all the money away, but now that he’s older, all Percy wants are simple things.

Ordinary clothes, nothing designer in sight, homemade food, no personal, gourmet chefs, none of that. And especially not a different cabin. Percy didn’t care if the other cabin was more modern, if it was cleaner, or whatever. Their rental cabin at Montauk was the best and only thing he needed.

“Percy, let’s play ‘Any Three Questions.’” Percy’s mom suggested. It was their way of staying close, despite the fact that they haven't seen each other in forever. Sally and Percy used to be closer than any mother-son duo ever, but after her books took off a few years ago (something that Percy is incredibly thankful and proud of his mom for) they’ve drifted. Their little game didn’t keep them that close at all, but it was something.

“Alright. First question, Dad.” Not anything new, Percy always asked about his father.

“He was kind, Percy," she said. “Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes. I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud."(Taken from The Lightning Thief)

“Do you think he’s still alive?” She teared up at that.

“He’s lost at sea, Percy,” she replied in a tone that left no room for argument. That’s what she always said, though. Not dead, just lost at sea.

“Mom—.” Percy started, but was interrupted by the sound of an SUV pulling up. It was Jane, most likely getting ready to tell his mom about what happened yesterday.

You see, Percy was always sent to snobby boarding schools. He hated them, and always got kicked out, but never actively tried to. He didn't want to cause his mom any trouble. He didn’t want to see that disappointed look in his mother’s eyes when he came home, expelled. Trouble always just seemed to find him.

Yesterday, however, yesterday was a new record. Now, considering what Percy’s done in the past—shot a canon at a school bus, let the class take a swim with the sharks, for a few examples, this wasn't that bad, but it was also the record for the shortest time it took for him to be kicked out. Three weeks. He got kicked out in three weeks. It was sadly impressive.

He was at the stables at his way-too-expensive boarding school, grooming and talking to the horses. Call him crazy, but it felt like the horses were talking back to him sometimes. He’s had many good conversations with them. The fish in the pond as well, even though both animals tended to call him, “my Lord,” constantly.

It all went downhill when Nancy Bobofit, the resident bully and leader of the Percy Jackson Hate Club, stumbled in on him talking to them. Names were thrown around, “psycho,” “schizo,” and “freak,” being the main ones.

Nancy was getting on his nerves, and it took just about all the self control he had, which wasn’t that much to begin with, to stop him from decking her right then and there. Her daddy was the headmaster, so that definitely wouldn’t go down well for Percy.

The horses didn’t seem to get the memo however, sensed their ‘Lord’s’ displeasure and decided to trample her.

She wasn’t actually trampled however, no matter how funny that would’ve been, and she wasn’t actually hurt all that badly. They just kicked her down lightly and forced her out of the stables. Maybe a fractured finger from a horse stepping on it, but it wasn’t even his fault! Sadly, this somehow equated to, “Percy got the horses to kick me and trample me!!” and promptly got him booted. The worst part though, was that Mr. Bobofit was pressing charges.

Charges for assault on his poor, darling daughter (even though that was the horses’ doing!) and property theft (because he apparently ‘stole’ the horses as well. It’s not Percy’s fault that the equines didn’t want to be in a place where people were rude to their Lord! It’s not Percy’s fault the horses ran away! And yet somehow, it was all blamed on him).

He knew that if he told his mom himself, it’d save him a great deal of guilt and it’d stop the whole, “Percy, why did you hide this from me?” accusations, that oddly seemed to hurt a lot. Sadly though, Jane kept advancing. And by now, Sally spotted her.

Please fall down, Percy prayed. If there’s anyone listening right now, make Jane take a header. I’m not asking for permanent damage, just knock her out for the rest of the day, please?

“Mom, there’s something I need to tell you!” Percy started again.

“Wait a second sweetie, Jane’s coming. I have to talk to her first. You know how she is.” Sally got up to meet Jane halfway. He couldn’t hear the conversation, but judging by how Jane kept pointing at him accusingly, she’s not telling the good version. Any traces of happiness on his mom’s features soon left her face and an exasperated one took over.

Sally looked back at Percy, meeting his eyes, but Percy quickly averted his stare. He couldn’t stand that look—like he’d betrayed her trust.

After Jane said her piece, his mom gave her a signal to wait and started walking towards Percy.

“You told me you would try, Percy,” she said.

“Mom, I was just about to tell you about the stables—”

“They’ve expelled you,” she said. “Horses, Percy? Our house is big now! I could’ve gotten some stables built and buy you any horses you want—”

“You mean Jane would do it?” Percy demanded. He couldn’t help it. The anger just welled up and spilled out of him. “Mom, just listen like you used to do. Don’t make me wait for you to ask your stupid three questions. I don’t even want a horse! I don’t want, never have wanted, any of that posh shit! What I want is to go to regular school. I want you to take me to parents’ night, not Jane. Or homeschool me! I learned so much when we read about Greece together. We could do that all the time! We could—”

“Don’t make this about me,” his mom said. “I’m doing the best I can, Percy. I always have been.”

I know, he thought. And you did a very good job, up until you had Jane take over.

His mom sighed. “Jane’s talked to the police, brokered a deal. The headmaster will drop the charges, but you have to agree to go to a boarding school in Nevada. They specialize in problems ... in kids with tough issues.”

“That’s what I am, aren’t I?” His voice trembled. “A problem.”

“Percy... you said you’d try. You let me down. I don’t know what else to do.”

“Do anything,” he said. “But do it yourself! Don’t let Jane handle it for you. You can’t just send me away again!”

“Go see Jane, Percy. She has the details.”

“Mom...”

Sally looked out at the sea with a solemn expression, her blue eyes changing colors like they always did when they gazed at the ocean. Percy could feel the familiar stinging of tears, but refused to cry. He headed up the beach toward Jane, who smiled coldly and held up a plane ticket. As usual, she’d already arranged everything. Percy was just another problem of the day that Jane could now check off her list.

That’s all he’d ever be; a problem. A burden. He loved his mom more than anything in the world, and would do literally anything for her. The harsh words that came out of Percy’s mouth back there was like bile rising. He couldn't stop it and couldn't force it back down, until it just came spewing out like word vomit.

Suddenly the dream changed. Percy was on a mountain top with a bonfire blazing in front of him.

“This is your second warning,” a deep voice rumbled. It seemed to shake the very ground Percy was standing on. He’s heard this bone-chilling voice before in his previous dreams, but it never got any less terrifying. The face the voice was coming from was disgusting. He could only see the thing’s face, but he could tell that the monster was huge.

“You’ll do what you’re told,” the giant said. “You’ll go on the quest. Do our bidding, and you may walk away alive. Otherwise—”

He gestured to one side of the fire. Percy’s beautiful mother was hanging unconscious, tied to a stake.

Percy tried to call out to her, but his voice wasn't working. It felt as if he was drowning, despite the fact that he’s never even come close to drowning before.

“I’ll be watching,” the giant said. “Serve me, and you both live. You have the word of Enceladus. Fail me... well, I’ve slept for millennia, young demigod. I am very hungry. Fail, and I’ll eat well.”

The giant roared with laughter. The earth trembled. A crevice opened at Percy’s feet, and he tumbled into darkness.

#jae writes #jercy #kinda? I didn't really write any but it was there

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