Chapter Text
Nico’s life is very strange.
He doesn’t remember how he came to the Lotus Hotel. His first real memory is of wandering around the hotel with his sister, Bianca.
They both still know their names, he knows he is ten years old. He even knows when his birthday is. Nico will be eleven on the third of February 1943. He knows it was the fourteenth of June 1942 when they were brought to the hotel.
He knows they used to live somewhere else. That they aren’t from America. Nico thinks they’d been brought to the hotel because of a… war? Maybe? He’s not so clear on that. But he could swear he remembers an explosion.
Then darkness, but a nice darkness. It felt, friendly, like home?
Next, Nico was at the hotel with Bianca. It is okay. He is not entirely sure when it became a casino. There are always things to do. There are board games to play and later, big mechanical arcade games. There are even strange futuristic games that use a machine called a ‘computer’.
Most mornings, when Nico wakes up, there is a new pack of Mythomagic cards waiting for him. He had never heard of this game before he came to the hotel. But the cards feel… nice?
Bianca doesn’t like him mentioning things like that, so he doesn’t tell her, but he has this feeling the cards come from someone who really cares about him. They feel genuine. The cards are fascinating, full of information about Greek gods and monsters.
Occasionally, Nico shows them to other children at the casino. None of them have ever seen them before. A couple of weeks after they arrive, one of the children tells Nico they think Mythomagic works a bit like ‘Pokemon’ and a bit like ‘Magic: The Gathering’. They teach Nico how to play the game, and it becomes one of his favourite things to do at the casino.
Bianca hovers constantly. She doesn’t remember much either. She knows her birthday is the twenty-second of September and she will be turning twelve. She hates not having clear memories of the time before the hotel. She is constantly upset with Nico, frustrated that he won’t stay where she tells him to. That he wanders off and she has to go find him.
It annoys Nico too. He doesn’t want Bianca to leave him alone, she is all he has. It feels like nothing he does is good enough for her.
They fight constantly while they are at the casino. Bianca even starts taking away his Mythomagic cards whenever she thinks he’s broken her rules. She never explains the rules to him. It is not fair.
One day, a man comes to see them. He looks like a businessman, but he definitely is not a businessman. He has dark hair and intense green eyes and tanned skin, similar to Nico and Bianca’s.
Except Nico has heard Bianca describe their skin as being “olive”, and something about it being because they were Italian. Nico doesn’t remember being Italian, but she does. This man looks more like he spends all his time in the sun.
The strange not-colour Nico sometimes sees on other people, is intense around this man. Nico never tells people about the not-colour he can see.
Nico mentions it once to Bianca and she panics and tells him he must never talk about it. That people will think he’s different. They’ll lock Nico up and she’ll never see him again. Later, she says she doesn’t know where that idea came from, but she’s certain it is true.
Nico is careful not to let anything show on his face, even as he tries to get a closer look at the intense not-colour the man has. It makes Nico think of the ocean. It feels nice. Friendly. Nico thinks they should trust this man. He does not know why he feels this way.
The man tells them that they are demigods. Their father is a god. Bianca asks who their father is, if he is coming for them? The man tells them that their father sent him. Someone will be here to collect them later today. They need to go to the lobby and wait right next to the door for a boy with dark hair and green eyes.
He says all will be explained in time. The man assures them that their father loves them. That he still needs to make some arrangements, so it may be some time yet, but they will soon be meeting their father.
He has already had their bags packed. The man pauses a moment to reassure Nico that all his Mythomagic cards and figurines have been retrieved and are in his bag. Given Nico had loaned some of them to the other children, he’s really not sure how the man got them back so fast.
When they go to the lobby, Bianca comments on how strange the man looked, with his blue eyes and blonde hair. Nico questions her until she describes him properly. When he thinks back, Nico can somewhat remember seeing what she describes, but it is like a mirage. Uninteresting, compared to the dark haired green eyed man surrounded by not-colour that lay beneath.
The boy arrives within minutes. He looks like a younger version of the man from before. He introduces himself as Percy and chatters excitedly as he leads them from the casino.
Neither Nico nor Bianca expects to be told eighty years has passed in the world outside. What finally convinces them, is the blonde girl with the grey eyes (Annabeth? Wise Girl?) telling them the date.
Percy had told them it had been eighty years. The entire world certainly looks strange, but it also does not. Only when Nico thinks back, does he realise each morning the hotel changed a little overnight. By the time they left, it is a casino which looks exactly like the world they find themselves in.
After that, Nico experiences possibly the strangest day he has ever had. They travel in a huge futuristic car, all sleek and glossy, the inside leather, and full of what the boy calls “cool doodads”.
They sleep under the stars on a beach, while Annabeth and Percy ‘run an errand’. Well, Nico and Bianca sleep. From the looks of it, the big girl kept watch all night. Nico still does not know her name. The others call her ‘War Drum’ mostly.
Nico thinks she’s amazing. She does not talk much, but she looks like a proper warrior. Even dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. She’s all corded muscle with a dark blonde tight french braid.
When they were still in the car she threw a hairbrush really hard at Percy’s head and then turned her back to him. She did not say a word. Percy just continued talking to Bianca while he brushed out and braided her hair, as if it is something they do so often it is automatic. She is definitely an actual goddess.
Nico has a Mythomagic card that looks just like her. Especially with her hair braided like that. The card is for a goddess called Soteria. She’s the goddess of deliverance and safety. Nico has always liked that card.
Most of the other gods fit in a pattern. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades are the most powerful god cards. Even though Hades isn’t an Olympian. The other ten Olympian gods are kind of spread across a range, with Dionysus having the weakest attack points but the second highest health.
Soteria doesn’t fit the pattern. She’s a protector, but she has really high attack points, the same as Ares. She’s stronger than most of the Olympians. The other children said she is a wild card. Soteria can be used to defeat even powerful gods, and her card adds extra chaos to the game.
The big girl, War Drum, looks just like the picture of Soteria, except for her modern clothes.
When Annabeth and Percy return, things become really strange. The big girl tells Nico and Bianca to stay where they are while she goes to greet the other two. Percy just waves at Nico and Bianca before heading further down the beach. Towards a huge man holding a really big sword?
Nico can’t really tell what is happening, they are too far away. Then, a man comes to stand with them and wordlessly hands Nico a set of binoculars. They look futuristic and fancy, but he doesn’t stop to examine them, he wants to see!
It is amazing! At first, the blonde girl keeps making too much noise and distracting Percy. Then, the big man with a trident who is standing in the ocean does something. Which is good. Because you should not distract people when they are about to fight a huge man with a sword. Percy and the man with a sword talk for a while.
Then! Percy is suddenly holding a sword too and they start properly fighting!
And the fight! It is incredible! And then! Percy just materialises a trident from nowhere and stabs the big angry man!
It was amazing! Beautiful! Incredible! Like Mythomagic come to life!
After, there are lots of discussions between different people and the blonde girl is very upset. Nico is too interested in the hippocampi to find out why. Because they are actual real life hippocampi!
The front half is a horse and the back half is a fish. They can even do the takhushorizon travel, which is an ability only the Royal Hippocampi have. Or at least, that is what the card says.
When they arrive at Camp Half-Blood they are introduced to Travis and Connor from Hermes’ Cabin. Nico and Bianca are given a mattress on the floor each, with Bianca in the girls dorm.
It is not precisely comfortable, but they are told it is only until the end of summer. Travis spends a lot of time explaining how the camp works and makes sure they know the next day will be unusual. There will be an all day party to celebrate the returning questers.
Annabeth attempted to explain the camp to them when they were in the car. Nico probably should have listened closer. But there was something… not right, about Annabeth.
Her not-colour is dim, at least compared to the other children at camp. It is still a lot brighter than most people at the casino. It is wrong too. Even if Nico could talk to someone about what he sees, he is not sure he can describe it.
Even though Annabeth’s glow isn’t an actual colour, it is a little like if someone took a nice clear bright colour of paint and mixed all the opposite colours through it. All that is left is a really ugly tainted brown colour.
Compared to the clear bright glow of War Drum, and the even brighter not-colour of Percy, it is just wrong and kind of uncomfortable to look at.
At the bonfire that night, Annabeth talks about the quest and tells their story. Travis had told them this is a really important moment for questers, it is how they get their glory. How they will be remembered. But Annabeth is just plain mean. At least War Drum makes sure everyone knows Annabeth was not that impressive.
When they ask for questions, Nico can’t resist making sure everyone knows Annabeth had been tied up and gagged for the fight, because she kept distracting Percy. That makes lots of children angry at her. Good.
After that day, he avoids Annabeth. Nico is very happy that Percy is so willing to include him in things. He is less happy when Percy leaves him with the lady who takes care of Aphrodite’s Cabin. It is a very uncomfortable and confusing talk. Nico thinks it was good. But also, very confusing.
Nico remembers early on at the hotel, just after he’d got his first pack of cards, he had shown one of the other boys a picture of Ares and said he was pretty. Nico had mostly been talking about the matching red armour, but the boy reacted very badly.
The boy had very strong opinions about what he thought Nico was, and used a lot of words Nico had never even heard. It had been confusing. Nico cannot remember his life before the hotel, but he does still have vague impressions of it. He’s sure he remembers a woman teasing a man about an “old boyfriend,” or maybe she said ragazzo? Nico thinks he even joined in and teased the man too.
The lady from Aphrodite’s Cabin tells Nico all about how, at camp, relationships like that are accepted. That things have changed a lot since the 1940’s. Nico is still confused. As far as Nico can tell, the things she is describing are what he’s grown up with. It was only in the hotel, that it was different.
Then, Nico finds out that some demigods were biological children of two men or two women and his brain sort of… froze. It really makes no sense, and it is frustrating that the only answer anyone has is ‘magic’. Then, Percy tells him that Athena’s children aren’t even born, they just pop into existence when she wants to reward a particularly clever mortal.
Nico really doesn’t think babies make good gifts. Also, does that mean they don’t have belly buttons? When he asks, Percy’s face makes so many strange contortions. Nico’s pretty sure that question is now stuck in Percy’s head too.
Nico likes Percy. The day after the quest party, Percy came and collected him. Ever since he just keeps including Nico in everything.
Percy even gave Nico a nickname! “Shadow”. Percy looks so stressed when he mentions it, as if he thinks Nico is going to stab him or something. Nico just likes the name. It feels right. Nico suspects if he could see his own not-colour, Shadow would be the perfect name.
It also just makes him feel… good? Like Nico is welcome. Bianca hates the way Nico follows her around, she’s always telling him to leave her alone.
Whereas Percy… He did say the nickname has something to do with Nico’s aura, but it also makes it sound like if Nico wants to follow him everywhere, Percy genuinely wouldn’t mind?
Even his not-colour shows how genuine Percy is. He wants to be friends with Nico. Nico is used to the way Bianca’s not-colour constantly flashes at him, trying to force him away from her. It makes him feel awful inside. He doesn’t have anyone else. Nico needs Bianca, but she doesn’t want him near her.
He thinks Percy knows more than he’s letting on about the relationship between Nico and Bianca. Their first full day at camp, Nico was told he would be attending activities with Percy, and Bianca would be joining Cabin Ten, Aphrodite’s Cabin, during the day.
Percy is friends with a lot of the kids from that cabin, so he and Nico visit them often, but never when Bianca is with them. At mealtimes, Percy always encourages Nico to sit with him at Cabin Three’s table and not Cabin Eleven’s where Bianca sits. Most days, Nico doesn’t even talk to Bianca until they are returning to their cabin after the campfire.
If they’d told Nico beforehand that they wanted to seperate him from Bianca, he would have exploded at them. She was all he had. By the time Nico realises Percy is deliberately distancing them, he just feels relieved.
It’s fun to follow after Percy every morning. Percy seems pretty popular at camp, and he is constantly pulling the sort of pranks that Bianca would have murdered Nico over. Yet no-one ever seems to mind. Percy tells Nico that pranks are only fun if everyone enjoys it. If it actually hurts or upsets people, it isn’t a prank, you’re just being mean.
It isn’t really something Nico has ever thought about before. Percy tells him that, while he will help Nico pull any pranks he wants, Nico must never prank Bianca.
Nico was going to argue before he remembers what Percy said about it only being good if people enjoy it. Bianca would be angry and frustrated and her not-colour would do the bad thing. He likes that her not-colour is happy to see him now. So he agrees and promises Percy he’ll leave Bianca out of any pranks he pulls.
Ever since Percy told Bianca that Nico was “mine now”, her not-colour has completely changed. She even came to him one afternoon and played an actual game of Mythomagic with him. By choice. She asked Nico if she could play!
Nico still isn’t sure why or how Percy had come to the hotel to collect them, but Nico is very glad Percy did. He suspects the answer is along the lines of a vision or something. It’s clear Percy doesn’t like talking about those things, so Nico doesn’t ask.
Percy is also a very exhausting person. Nico has no idea how he has so much energy. He mentions it to War Drum once and she just snorts and says he should “be glad Prissy has a whole camp of demigods to keep him entertained.”
It’s strange, Nico is so used to being told how exhausting he is to be around. Yet he is nothing to Percy’s constant energy. Most days after lunch, Nico goes and finds something quiet to do, because he feels like he’s going to collapse from exhaustion if he keeps trying to match Percy’s pace.
Nico notices War Drum and Percy’s father? guardian? -he’s not clear on that relationship- Percy’s ‘family’ also don’t try and keep up with him. Percy just bounces from person to person through the camp and always heads off when their not-colour starts to look frayed. Nico is beginning to think Percy’s ‘prophet thing’ lets him see the not-colour. Nico still doesn’t tell Percy about it.
Nico is not surprised when Annabeth disappears one day. Her not-colour has been looking worse and worse since Nico came to camp. Whatever happened, it really upset Percy, but he also seems really relieved. He ends up doubling the chaos and drags Nico into most of it.
The day after most of the summer campers leave, while they are sitting at dinner, Percy tenses beside him. He is looking towards something only he can see. Nico isn’t entirely sure what is going on, until he hears everything go silent and it seems like everyone is looking at Nico, at something above his head?
When he looks up, there is a glowing black bident above him. A matching one hovers over Bianca. Mr D (Dionysus!) announces they have been claimed. By Hades, King of the Underworld.
Castor, Pollux, Leo, Travis and Connor race over to their table and are so happy for him. They keep telling him how great it’ll be to have another forbidden kid around and they wonder what sort of powers Nico is going to have.
It’s… nice. The thing that’s bugging Nico is how weird Percy’s not-colour has gotten. Nico still isn’t entirely sure how he can understand what it means, but it’s like Percy is anxious? Actually, it looks just the same as when Annabeth was being mean to him.
Nico frowns. Oh. Percy has probably known the whole time that Hades is his father. A lot of the camp don’t like the King of the Underworld, but their reasons always seem to amount to their believing death is a bad thing.
Over summer, during the nightly campfire, Percy has often told stories of the three brothers, especially Hades. Nico has heard a few people comment that they’d never heard so many stories about the ‘Death Lord’ before.
Percy never calls Hades the ‘Death Lord’ or ‘Lord of the Dead’. He calls him Uncle, or the King of the Underworld. Occasionally, the ‘Unseen King’.
Percy says death is as important as birth, but it is still only a small aspect of Hades’ realm. His not-colour reflects Percy’s true fondness for his uncle. He genuinely likes Hades.
Nico blinks as he realises why Percy is anxious. Percy is worried Nico will be upset over who his father is. He thinks that Nico will be angry that Percy withheld this information from him.
By the time Mr D comes over to tell Nico he is moving into Cabin Three and his father has renovated Georgie’s old room, just for Nico, he’s managed to convince Percy how happy he is to be claimed. To call Percy ‘cousin’. To have a bigger family.
Nico likes this new life he has. He likes how much happier Bianca is. How sometimes, she even wants to spend time with him. Nico likes that he has friends who genuinely want him around. He likes that he has a bigger family than just his sister.
Nico remembers what it was like to be surrounded by people whose words and expressions say friend, and their not-colour says lie. He’d hated feeling unwelcome, and needing to pretend he didn’t know they didn’t want him around.
Percy’s not-colour always matches his words and his expressions.
It’s nice to feel wanted.
________________________
Lee Fletcher is very sick of these little chats he keeps getting dragged into.
He knows this is just the beginning. His kid turned thirteen last month. Less than three years and the Great Prophecy will be resolved. They hope.
Currently Dad, also known as Apollo, God of Prophecy, Light, Truth and whatever else he feels like adding today, and Poseidon, King of the Sea, are sitting in the visitor seats of Lee’s office in the Big House. They look kinda stressed.
There was a time when Lee was much more polite and deferential to these gods. Back when he was still adjusting to gods constantly popping in. When he’d still been kind of terrified of them after Dad had gone all wrathful sun god on some campers, scaring the shit out of Lee in the process.
That was years ago. Now, he regularly watches two teenagers talk at the most powerful beings in existence until the gods ‘bluescreen’. It’s literally his kids’ favourite game, they even keep track on an actual physical scorecard. Kinda ruins the mystique of it all. Just a touch.
Lee was raised by a mortal man whose love language was blunt sarcasm. Lee tries to soften it around the kids, but around the gods? These days? Yeah. Nope.
Lee sighs, “Is the world ending, or are y’all just pissed it’s Monday?”
Okay. Yes. He can see why Percy and Clarisse love this game so much.
Dad gives him a reproachful look, “I thought you were meant to be a good role model?”
Dad prefers to take the form of a teenager. Even with the whole being a demigod thing, Lee still finds it weird that Dad looks so much younger than him. These days, even Will and Kayla look older than their father.
Dad has bright golden-blonde hair, intense blue eyes, and sun-tanned skin. Kind of the epitome of the stereotypical blonde American teenager. Complete with designer jeans and tight t-shirts with endless variations of stylised sun logos.
It makes the whole reproachful thing look more like a sulky teen than a stern father.
Lee grins at him, “Nah, decided I’d rather live life dangerously and copy Perce. ‘Sides, you won’t do anything. It’d upset my kids.”
That gets him a glare from both of them. Lee ignores it. They don’t mean it, they do like a bit of theatre though. But Lee knows the truth.
His kid totally doesn’t have multiple Greek gods twisted around his little finger. Nope. Not at all.
It really doesn’t help that his thirteen year old kid is a miniature version of the King of the Sea. He may not have much contact with Poseidon, but his facial expressions are identical. Lee knows exactly how much gleeful mischief is hidden behind those green eyes.
He really hopes they aren’t here for some sort of blame-shifting exercise.
Lee is still ignoring the pouty faces of the two gods, “Just to be very clear, I am still not taking responsibility for what happened with Imhotep, you were all literally in the camp. Watching the kids. I’m a mortal. You are gods.”
He’s still pissed about what happened that day. They’d known something was going to happen. The night before, Lee had found Percy standing completely stock-still, staring at the kids around the campfire.
Percy, the kid who is unable to stay still. Ever. And he was just standing there, frozen. Lee had known something was wrong even before he saw his face. Whoever was looking back at him, it wasn’t Percy.
It was like a horror movie in real life when his kid eventually spoke. Only to say he “knows how she dies”. Lee may be Percy’s High Priest of Apollo, but that one… Yeah. He freaked. Mr D ended up basically sedating his kid with magic.
The next day, they find out it was the Fates’ version of requesting extra security for everything about to happen. Because, apparently, the three beings who control like, the cosmos itself, couldn’t just leave them a note? They had to hijack his kid?
Lee feels like he can be forgiven for being solely focused on watching his kid that day. From a distance. The kid clearly didn’t want to talk to him. There were also multiple unseen gods watching his kid too.
Multiple. Invisible. Gods. And not a single one of them bothered to keep an eye on the girl they knew was a major concern.
At some point during the Fourth of July celebrations, Annabeth let herself into the Big House and had an unsupervised chat with the cursed oracle.
Dad definitely understood Lee’s movie reference, but Poseidon is looking very confused. Lee needs to make sure Percy knows his dad doesn’t do pop culture. Should keep the kid entertained.
“Sorry? Imhotep?”
Lee just waves his hand, “Technically a historical figure? Or mythology? No clue. Egyptian. Also from a popular movie, it’s a cursed mummy. Perce has formed some very strong opinions on the Oracle of Delphi since all of that.”
Dad scowls at him. Still looks like a sulky teenager. Lee sighs, “When the spirit of Python is no longer inhabiting the mummified body of the previous Oracle of Delphi that is stored in my attic, I will give her the proper respect.”
He gives Dad a glare, “Right now, nicknames are making the situation a touch less horrifying. I know you can’t move her elsewhere because of Sky King, but I am less and less okay with her situation every time we have to deal with all this.”
Lee pauses, that reminds him, “By the way, I know the curse can be lifted, but you’ve never actually said what needs to happen?”
It’s Poseidon who answers, “If it was a matter of technicalities, it could be lifted now. The curse is to remain until my brother’s children are welcome and the sacred oath broken. Percy informed the Sky King his actions breached the sacred oath.”
Percy had gleefully told Lee all about the time he got to one-up Zeus, King of the Gods. Lee’s kid is determined to give him a heart attack.
“An oath on the Styx affects my brother differently to the Sky King or myself. He is unlikely to consider himself entirely free of the oath until the Great Prophecy has concluded.”
Lee tilts his head, “Also depends on what he considers to be his ‘children being welcome’. They have rooms in the cabins of other gods. While the kids have worked hard to smooth things over, some campers still have some weird prejudices.”
Poseidon nods, “Nor does the Sky King welcome my brother’s children.”
That’s gonna be fun. Especially if all Percy’s vague comments about ‘the tree’ are ever going to happen. It’d been hard enough keeping one forbidden kid safe and hidden in the camp.
If Thalia is revived they’ll have four openly acknowledged children of the three brothers. All far more powerful than any of the other kids. Also, there are no beds in Zeus’ cabin. That’s gonna be fun.
Lee turns to Dad, “Did you actually find anything out, or is this another no news update?”
Dad and Poseidon have been trying to find out what the currently cursed Oracle of Delphi told Annabeth. If the Oracle hosted the spirit of a prophet Dad had gifted the power of prophecy to, it would be a simple matter.
Back when prophets were more of a thing, if the prophet received their gift from Apollo himself they had a constant connection to the god. Dad saw what they saw.
Percy’s prophetic abilities are equal parts Poseidon and Apollo which means neither god has access to his knowledge. Unless Percy feels like sharing. It’s fun watching him drive them ‘round the twist whenever they try and get information out of him.
The Oracle of Delphi hosts the spirit of Python. Which is a… god? monster? Lee’s never been clear on that. Python was a being? the brand new baby god Apollo killed in order to claim the domain of prophecy.
Since then, clear sighted mortals have acted as host and mouthpiece for the being’s spirit. Since the spirit is older than Apollo, finding out what it told Annabeth has been proving difficult.
From what Lee understands, the prophecies it gave used to be a little more straightforward. Since the curse, the Oracle has become, in Percy’s words “all doom and gloom with an extra dose of foreboding.” Essentially, while it still speaks the truth, it should not be trusted.
Dad brightens, “Yes! I know what the Oracle said! I’m going to need to spend years sunbathing to get all that dark dankness off me, but returning to the cave where Python died gave me the connection I needed!”
Dad pauses, dramatically. Lee’s not in the mood for the theatrics. It’s been nearly three months since Annabeth had her little chat with Imhotep.
So he just spreads his hands in a ‘go on’ gesture and raises his eyebrows.
And now Dad is actually sulking. Dude.
Poseidon finally answers for the petulant sun god, “We still do not know the question the girl asked the Oracle, but we do know the prophecy it gave.”
Poseidon opens his mouth to continue, but Dad cuts him off.
“Yes! We know what the Oracle told her now!”
Seriously? The summer had been hard on all of them. Dad’s choice to revert to constant teenage dramatics now the stressful bit is dealt with, is really starting to grate.
Finally, Dad gives up on the idea of his son congratulating him. and actually recites the prophecy.
“You shall go to the sea, where the monsters roam
You shall find what you seek to claim for your own,
But despair for your life entombed within stone,
And fail without friends, to flee home alone.”
Lee’s eyebrows flew up, “Uh, okay. That’s even more depressing than the last one. Perce was pretty sure the worst lines of the last one were aimed at Annabeth. Something about the final line starting with ‘And’. With this one, was she trying to get a quest or what?”
At least Dad’s starting to get a touch more serious. He pulls a face.
“I think this may be the repercussions of Chiron attempting to make the Oracle tell him Annabeth’s fate, just after she came to camp. The spirit isn’t meant to be used in that way. Add in the curse and the Fates doing their thing, I’m not entirely sure the spirit is able to give us a prophecy that isn’t connected to Annabeth. Not until the curse is lifted.”
Huh. Annabeth’s arrival coincided with Lee taking a bigger role in running the camp. There have been no quests requiring prophecies since. The first prophecy was last summer. If the Oracle only wants to talk about Annabeth that may cause issues in the future.
Yet another problem for later, Lee sighs. “And we really don’t know what she asked to trigger that? Do we know what it showed her?”
Dad just hitches a shoulder in a slouchy shrug, “I only got a glimpse but it looked to be the Furies attacking Thalia outside camp? Given the way Annabeth spoke to Percy just after, I’m assuming she was asking something about reviving Thalia or ‘saving’ Percy.”
Poseidon adds, “There are too many places and objects within the Sea of Monsters to narrow it down further. It depends on if she was asking about reviving Thalia, or if she wished to find a way to remove his shielding.”
That gets Lee’s attention, he narrows his eyes, “You both told me that necklace was unbreakable. Anyone could put it on him, but it takes the two of you and someone else to remove it?”
“It was forged from adamantine and imbued with the third party’s essence, it cannot be broken. Unless Percy has dreamed of it’s forging and shared that knowledge, the girl will not know what material was used.”
Lee blinks. He’d known there was something unusual about the necklace, but adamantine was… unexpected.
Adamantine is so rare it may as well be a myth. Not even Hephaestus could source it. Of course, Lee knew Atlantis must have gotten hold of some at some point since Poseidon’s trident was adamantine but- Wait.
He stares at Poseidon, “Percy’s trident is made of the same metal as that necklace. So is the spear.”
“Not the practice weapons.”
Lee swallows. Okay. He might still be a little afraid of gods. “I shouldn’t ask how much adamantine you have stashed, should I?”
“No.”
Wonderful. That’s just great. Not terrifying at all. There was literally no visible difference between his kids’ ‘practice weapons’ and the scary ones.
At least both kids definitely knew which was which? The scary weapons were left in charm form and only used in situations that Percy helpfully describes as ‘Fates say so level’.
If it’s ‘only’ life and death, Percy and Clarisse still prefer the more ‘normal’, though still lethal, options. The ones the gods call their ‘practice weapons’. Lee has grudgingly adopted the euphemism, but that spear and trident are absolutely not, by any definition, practice weapons. Sea Gods don’t go in for the whole ‘celestial bronze doesn’t work on mortals’ thing. Their weapons are always equal-opportunity.
Lee doesn’t want to ask. He needs to though. “Can I ask what the ‘practice weapons’ are made of? Is it something that Annabeth might find a way to break?”
Dad looks confused for a moment before his face clears, “Ah, because the metal appears identical, you think she would’ve assumed the necklace is the same? The matching appearance of the weapons was Triton’s doing. We hadn’t actually considered it would hide the nature of the necklace.”
Poseidon seems to be thinking it over, “The practice weapons are a compound metal that is the mark of an item produced by the Royal Forge. Primarily platinum and sacred silver, with some other additional alloys to match the colour. It is rumoured that a blade of aurichalcum can cut through the Royal Forge metal.”
Lee is suddenly very glad he’s spent so much time around Beck, Hephaestus Cabin Head and general camp fix-it guy. Lee actually knows what all those terms mean.
He also knows that the ‘platinum’ Poseidon is talking about is very much not the same metal the mortals use. Lee actually doesn’t know where it comes from. The sea gods aren’t fond of land dwellers. All anyone knows for certain is it comes from the ocean.
Lee’d assumed it was what all the ocean-forged weapons were made of. Other than the celestial bronze sword from Zoe Nightshade, they all have the same odd silvery colour with a cerulean sheen.
Lee tries to get his thoughts in some sort of order, “I know aurichalcum is meant to be one of the strongest metals.”
Lee is not touching where adamantine sits in the ‘strongest metal’ category. Nope.
He goes on, “Isn’t it what most of the gods’ symbols of power are made of? What the Smith God uses when he makes godly stuff? I thought you said no other symbols of power were missing?”
Poseidon is still looking very thoughtful, “There is a small pocket knife that was lost. Well, more like a letter opener? Sharp though. It belonged to the Thief God.”
Lee thinks of Annabeth’s knife. No. That was celestial bronze. Besides, if she’d thought it could cut through Percy’s necklace, she’d have already tried.
“Okay. Aurichalcum letter opener that belonged to the Thief God. If Luke knows about it, Annabeth likely does too. Is it the ‘lost to time’ sort of lost, or the ‘misplaced it and too lazy to look for it’ sort of lost? I’m not actually interested in helping her, but if there’s a chance she’s going to come back and take a knife to my kid’s throat so she can ‘free’ him from his shielding charm…”
It is very disconcerting how much Poseidon’s hidden glee looks identical to his kid’s. And concerning.
“I do not permit the Thief God to deliver messages in my realm. As Triton is the Messenger to the Gods of the Sea, the Thief God has no need to access my realm. He attempted entry anyway, and refused to explain. Triton was determined to discover the reason. He was quite delighted when he learned what had happened.”
Oh no. This is a story that is going to cause problems, isn’t it?
Lee asks very slowly, squinting suspiciously at the god, “And what did happen?”
Poseidon tells the story with many dramatic pauses. Percy says the three brothers were “totally theatre kids.” Lee agrees whole heartedly.
Essentially, an enterprising son of Ares had seen Hermes leave his shiny new aurichalcum pocket knife/letter opener thing behind. The war kid, being an actual real life pirate, helped himself to it. And was promptly lost at sea.
Lee frowns, “Lost at sea? Really? Wouldn’t you have this thing then?”
Poseidon casually shrugs a shoulder, his face a little too calm and composed, “His ship entered the Sea of Monsters and did not return. That was over three centuries ago. The knife was last seen onboard Queen Anne’s Revenge.”
Wait.
Gods curse theatre kids, he withheld the name deliberately!
Lee says very flatly, “Blackbeard. You’re talking about Blackbeard.”
The King of the Sea beams at him. Lee tries to calm himself down. He has three more years, minimum, of the gods turning up randomly. And when the situation isn’t life or death, they are as bad as Percy with the whole making their own entertainment thing.
Lee exhales slowly, “Annabeth knows where Blackbeard is. The creepy fish told Percy, and Percy is fascinated by pirates. He loves that story. Annabeth knows the guy’s being held captive on Circe’s island. In the Sea of Monsters. At least, that’s where he was a hundred years ago.”
Percy’s had the creepy fish for years. A hundred years ago a demigod stumbled onto Circe’s island and was transformed into either a pig or a guinea pig. The creepy fish doesn’t seem really clear on the details. Doesn’t even know how he ended up a goldfish. Dad thinks it’s something to do with James being born a son of Aegle, a minor naiad.
All they know for certain, is that the curse is the only reason the creepy fish is still alive. Neither demigods nor goldfish live for over a century. Breaking the curse will kill him.
Since Percy is the only one who can understand him, the creepy fish loves telling him stories. Once his kid learned that the creepy fish had met Blackbeard in guinea pig form, he was hooked.
Okay. There’s a knife in the Sea of Monsters that, if she knew of it’s existence, Annabeth would believe is able to ‘free’ Percy from the shield charm that keeps Lee’s kid safe and anchored in the real world.
The whole reason it is unbreakable is because Luke Castellan had intentionally broken Percy’s first charm. When the shield fell, the tether that keeps Percy connected to his physical body snapped. Kid’s heart stopped. Percy immediately called for Dad and they’d gotten spirit and body tethered again. A few more minutes and nothing could have been done.
Luke told Annabeth the gods are using the shielding charm to control Percy. It doesn’t matter how many times Percy explained to her the shielding was necessary. Without it, Percy would need to live completely isolated from everything. He’d permanently be one overwhelming aura away from death.
Even with the strongest shielding Dad and Poseidon can provide, in the form of that shield charm, Percy still doesn’t live entirely in the real world. He’s far more present than he used to be, but he still drifts at times and strong auras completely overwhelm him. They just don’t kill him.
Percy wants to live at camp and be a kid. The charm makes that possible. Percy also knows if he wants it off, all he has to do is ask. When he was little it was different. Now, his kid’s old enough to decide for himself how he wants to live his life. It’d make things harder for him, but Lee would still make it work.
Lee just knows this is a headache waiting to happen, but he may as well get it over with.
“What about Thalia? Is there anything in the Sea of Monsters that could help her? At least from Annabeth’s perspective? I don’t know what you lot have going on. I don’t want to know. My focus is Percy and Clarisse. My interest in her will be if or when she’s a living breathing kid again. Not a moment before.”
Dad smirks at him, Lee hates how much he knows about all the godly machinations as it is.
Then, Dad’s face turns a little more serious.
Dad starts side-eying Poseidon, before he speaks in a more careful tone, “From Annabeth’s perspective, potentially the Golden Fleece? It’s considered able to restore nature and the land to full health.”
Dad waves a hand in a vague gesture, “If she believes the girl is frozen at the point of death, and in tree form… I think it may be in the Sea of Monsters? Percy was dreaming about Odysseus long before I met him. The Fleece shows up in those drawings sometimes. It seems to have a connection to Polyphemus?”
Ah. Yeah. That’s a sore spot that no-one wants to poke. Not the same level as Pallas but…
Poseidon actually seems pretty unbothered, “I’m not aware of the present location of the Fleece. If Percy has been drawing it, it seems safe to assume it is connected to Polyphemus. It’s not part of any of his history, so it would be a recent acquisition.”
Lee face twists as he thinks, “Percy doesn’t exactly share his drawings. I see them, and sometimes Clarisse might see one, but no matter how close he was with Annabeth, I can’t imagine him ever actually showing her those pictures.”
“If Luke knows about the missing knife, between them, they could work out its location. But I really can’t see how she’d even know the Fleece was there. So, if she’s heading to the Sea of Monsters, she’s probably after the knife?”
Lee hates where this is going. Best to ignore those thoughts. He does need to confirm something though, “And just to check, this little knife of the Thief God’s, you’re absolutely certain it can’t break the necklace?”
Poseidon smirks, “It would not even scratch the practice weapons. It is only a rumour, one we have encouraged. It can be useful to be underestimated. Aurichalcum can cut through a celestial bronze weapon, but not the Royal Forge’s platinum compound. Not without additional steps in the forging. None of which were used for that knife. If they had been, it would never have been left for Blackbeard to claim.”
Yep. Not touching that either. “What about the backup anklet and bracelet?”
Dad just grins at him, “Nope, same as the necklace. Though, we took time to disguise those ones.”
Awesome. More things Lee is never going to ask about again. He misses being an eighteen year old unofficial camp leader. It was so much easier!
________________________
When Percy pops up beside her, Clarisse is instantly suspicious. He has that half sheepish, half serious look that is a recipe for disaster. She can handle all the pranks and constant chaos, it’s the serious stuff that’s the problem. Until summer, she’d barely ever seen the kid make this face.
This was his ‘we’re going on an involuntary adventure’ face. It means nothing good.
“Priss.”
“Heeeyyy, War Drum! How’s it going?”
She glares at him, “What happened?”
He pulls a face at her, but does give in, “So, uh, I dreamed about something?”
She just keeps glaring at him, “You have a lotta dreams, Prissy. Kinda your thing?”
He gives her a deeply betrayed look before turning a little more serious, “I knew there was more coming, but I’d hoped it’d be further away? Not that like, four months later, it would all kick off again?”
She groans, “Please tell me Sky King’s not going hunting?”
Priss’s weird bobbling half nod half shake thing is not encouraging. “Uh, well, he isn’t the cause, but he’s definitely going to try and take advantage? It won’t affect us directly, but pretty sure he’ll try to force me out of camp.”
Just great. “Force?” Her voice is very flat.
He scrunches his nose, “Not like overwhelming force? Probably just make life suck enough that he’ll take it as given, I’ll move into that horror movie temple he sent all the pictures of?”
Horror movie was one way to describe it. This big glossy brochure had been sent via mortal post to Percy, full of pictures of this very white very ultra modern temple on Olympus. With notes about it being ‘custom built just for Percy!’
They’d handed it all off to Lee, who’d given it to Apollo and Poseidon. It was just… uncomfortable. And kinda blatant.
“Okay. Are we staying here while he makes life suck?”
The sheepishness increases. “Ah, actually, pretty sure we’ll need to go and rescue Annabeth?”
Clarisse shuts her eyes. “Prissy.”
“Hey! I know. It makes no sense, but the Fates say if I don’t do something she’s going to be trapped for like, all eternity, and she’s needed. Look. I know her path is set. I’m not going to try and change it. But we still gotta retrieve her.”
She winces. Of everyone, she’s the only person who genuinely believed Prissy would never choose Annabeth over the Fates. Poor kid is majorly defensive, even though all the gods have apologised after he was finally free to go all ‘I told you so’ on them.
“Prissy, I never thought you would. But is there really no-one else who can get her? Can’t we just, I dunno, call Castellan and tell him he lost her?”
Then she pauses and squints at him, “Wait, where is she?”
“Uh, James’ old island I think? Or at least, that’s where she was headed?”
Because of course she’s on Circe’s Island. Clarisse just stares at him, blankly.
He cringes, “I’ve only see glimpses, but she seems to think there’s something on the pirate ship that can break my necklace?”
Prissy was obsessed with pirates. The creepy fish had delighted in telling him all about Blackbeard and his ship filled with treasure.
The ship that is berthed on Circe’s Island. When they were younger, Priss and Annabeth spent hours pouring over maps and plotting out their course for a quest to retrieve the treasure.
Since Percy couldn’t leave camp without an escort, it was harmless. Until it wasn’t.
“Prissy.”
He just pulls a face at her, “Like I said, only glimpses. But she’s on her own and whatever it is doesn’t set off any alarm bells. It kind of feels like she’s on a wild goose chase?”
Cool, so they aren’t taking Prissy to Annabeth like a lamb to slaughter?
Clarisse purses her lips, “At least we know her route already?”
“Yup. Well, I assume? It’s not a knowing thing, but we were always set on going through the Clashing Rocks, then straight to the island. Though, she did always want to see the Sirens. I’ve never really thought about it, but I’m pretty sure those maps were from one of the sea gods? Dunno where they ended up, she probably has them? At least she’s a girl, so she won’t be a guinea pig when we get there?”
Yeah. Prissy might end up in guinea pig form, though. This is gonna be such fun. “When do we leave?”
He spreads his hands, “Need a few things to happen first. It’s a couple of months away I think? It’s still only mid October, think it starts around Solstice? It’s all just fractured bits, but I do know it’ll happen. Didn’t want to spring this on you.”
“And Lee?”
Kid just kinda twitches and looks away, “I knew you’d be pissed if I didn’t tell you, especially when you can use this time to prep. I’ll quietly give Dad a heads up when it’s closer. He can handle me not sharing better than the others. With Hot Air… I don’t know.”
He gives another vague gesture. Poor kid’s been struggling with finding words since Annabeth got him all twisted up. Clarisse doesn’t like it.
She glares fiercely at him and speaks much more firmly, “Prissy, if this is going to involve her, you need to speak to Lee. I know you won’t admit it, but the stuff she said freaked you. If we’ve got time, get your shit sorted!”
She’s pretty sure if anyone other than Lee heard her say that, they’d be lecturing her about bullying the kid. Clarisse’s words are always too blunt. Prissy knows the difference between Clarisse being honest and being intentionally mean.
He sighs, twisting his lips as he thinks. Finally, he gives in, “Okay, I’ll try. I just… He’s going to start thinking I’m gonna try and save her again.”
Clarisse just snorts, “Then tell him she’ll have a much nicer fate if we leave her there.”
He tilts his head, “Huh. Fair point.”
She doesn’t ask if anyone is in danger. Priss may do the denial thing, but he’s fully aware certain people need to live for future things. Clarisse knows that it’s more like, certain people need to survive until Percy’s sixteenth birthday.
But the kid can only do what the Fates allow. He’s stuck knowing about deaths and injuries in advance. He won’t share that information unless Clarisse can do something about it.
Prissy’ll tell her if she needs to know. Otherwise, it’s better if she doesn’t ask.
________________________
Percy has been kind of dodging Lee a bit. Clarisse was right, this is a conversation he needs to have. With it only being late October, he has time to try and get his head sorted before everything kicks off all over again.
He just doesn’t know how to start.
One morning, he very deliberately stays for the full lesson. Most days, he bails after an hour or so. Sometimes taking an equally antsy Nico with him.
Sitting still is just impossible and mortal homeschool coursework doesn’t really hold his attention. At first, having Nico, Harley and Leo join his lessons was fun. New entertainment after years of his group being mostly just him, Castor and Pollux.
Seven weeks into the usual routine, the newness has worn off. Even with Lee making sure all the material is in audio form and Castor and Pollux always being willing to write answers for him, it’s just… boring.
Percy mostly only does the English and Communication bits. Ironic really, given how hard reading is for him. He constantly struggles to explain the sight and the knowing. Most of the time, it still comes out as word salad, even Apollo doesn’t always understand what he’s trying to say.
The mortal homeschool work gives him new words, so Percy keeps working at it, keeps trying to find the right words to describe things. He even tries with the maths, because numbers are behind, like, everything.
But the rest of it? The science and the mortal history? No, thank you. Especially since mortal history just seems so strange when the background context of the godly disputes is stripped away from it.
Like the idea that World War II started with German mortal forces invading Poland. Which yes. Did happen. No mention is made of how a full year before the mortal war began, Hades went to war against Zeus and Poseidon.
Percy has opinions on that war. He remembers the conversation Hades had with Poseidon after Zeus struck the hotel Bianca and Nico were sheltering in with their mother. He suspects the war was actually between Hades and Zeus with Poseidon attempting to act as a mediator. If they go to war again he knows the sides will be different. Percy really wishes he didn’t know that.
When the lesson ends and the others explode out of the classroom, all at their limit after three hours of forced stillness, Percy stays back.
Lee just looks at him for a moment.
Then, Lee gives him a warm smile, “You look like you’re finally ready to talk? Where are we going?”
That’s the good thing about Lee. He always just gets it. It kind of makes Percy feel even guiltier. He’s been acting like such a brat since Annabeth left. Switching between clinging to Lee and avoiding him entirely. He’s repeatedly refused to talk about any of it since that day. Percy just doesn’t know how to put it into words. The weird dreams are not helping.
But War Drum is right, if they are going to be in close quarters with Annabeth he needs to do something about the absolute mess in his head. And he needs to do it before Zeus gets even more focused on Percy. Soon, it’s not gonna be safe to talk at all.
They go up to the Big House, to the main living room. Percy can’t help but smirk at the goldfish in the tank. All automatons, courtesy of Leo. Mr D was highly amused and did something so they were each a different colour now. He keeps making snarky comments about how much better “fish the brat can’t talk to” are.
Leo’s planning to install microphones and speakers in the fish and some sort of software, so Percy can talk to the robot fish. It’s gonna be awesome.
Lee suggests they talk first and do a late lunch later, maybe get some junk food? It’s a peace offering. Something for Percy to use as a distraction when he decides he’s done talking. Not quite as fun as when he was little and would just abruptly announce he needed to feed James, but still.
Percy drops down on the couch beside Lee and watches the little robot fish.
He honestly still doesn’t know what to say. He huffs and slumps back.
He can hear the smile in Lee’s voice, “It’s not that bad, Perce. Talking about things will help. Just start wherever, and we’ll work backwards if we need to.”
Lee reaches over and pulls Percy against him, letting him lean into his side with his head on Lee’s shoulder, Lee’s arm wrapped around him. It’s been their thing since he was little. The familiarity of it all kind of makes him want to cry.
Percy’s frustration is clear in his voice. “It’s a whole bunch of things, I don’t know how to explain them. My head’s a mess, Hot Air. And things feel… wrong?”
Lee’s always so calm, Percy’s anchor in every storm. “Wrong as in, you’ve seen or know something that shouldn’t happen, or wrong like your mind or body aren’t right?”
That’s the other thing about Lee. He can be as vague as Percy and they usually understand each other. Sometimes not, but mostly, even if Percy gets the words wrong, Lee knows what he wants to say.
“Not a future thing. There’s stuff that’s gonna happen, and at some point I’ll need to tell you, but we got time. It’s more… I feel too much like a kid?”
Lee is thoughtful, “You are at the age most prophets would just begin seeing little glimpses of the future and past. They normally wouldn’t come into their full power until their late teens or early twenties. Dad’s been worried about what it will mean for your own abilities.”
Percy has been given multiple talks about ‘what puberty means for demigods’. They are as mortifying as they sound. it’s a mandatory lecture for new demigods. When a new camper arrives, they aren’t allowed back into the mortal world until Lee and Chiron are confident they understand what to do if new abilities start showing up.
Percy wrinkles his nose, “I don’t think that’s it. Like, I know my knowing is stronger than it used to be. But I don’t think I’m really seeing more. Except when the Fates decide I need to see something. Or they straight up hijack me.”
He’s still upset about that. It terrified Lee. He knows they only did it because Percy was unable to find an option to alert the others that wouldn’t accidentally change the path. It still sucked.
“Maybe it’s not a prophet thing at all? Feeling too much like a kid… You were unhappy when you told me about some of the things Annabeth said.”
Percy cringes, how does Lee make connections like that? Or notice that at all?
Percy can feel Lee’s sigh ruffle his hair where his head leans against Lee’s shoulder. It’s easier if he doesn’t look at Lee. Better to look at the mechanical goldfish. Mr D has given one of them the same rainbow hair Piper still has.
“Perce, is it because you’re still upset by what she said? Do you think you aren’t allowed to be bothered by it?”
Percy picks at a loose thread on his sleeve, “I see terrible things every night. I hear worse. If I’m gonna be upset by her it should be over her stealing the Bolt and the Helm, for working with Luke against the gods.”
“And not because she called you names and didn’t listen to you?”
Percy just cringes back into Lee. He can already feel tears forming. He doesn’t want to cry. He should be past this! He’s a Prophet of Apollo!
Lee waits him out.
Finally, Percy answers him, speaking softly, “I’ve never had that before, Hot Air. Like, some people don’t like me, or they think I’m too weird. Everyone listens to me though, or they don’t let me speak at all. They don’t listen to me and just not hear me. She cared about me like a lot. It was real. We were friends for years. And she never heard anything I said.”
Percy pauses, he still doesn’t understand why it’s different, “It’s never really upset me that some of the gods see me like a thing. They aren’t the ones I need to deal with, and you and Apollo keep me safe. But Annabeth… she had this idea in her head of who I was and she just ignored anything I said that didn’t fit that.”
Lee stays silent, letting him sort through his head and find the words.
“When she tried to tell me something that wasn’t for me and I stopped her… After, me ’n War Drum talked to her. Told her I couldn’t talk to her about prophet stuff anymore. Made a joke about how if she didn’t stop, you’d have to babysit me. Was joking, but I asked her to help me keep the bit of freedom I have.”
Lee’s soft, “Ah,” as he realises, “Later, she told you that you had asked her to keep her freedom. Tri asked me about that. He was worried we’d overstepped and not realised.”
Percy snorts, “Fusspot is such a mother hen. I don’t want a babysitter, it would feel like losing a freedom if it had to be a thing, but I’d still do it over risking whatever the Fates are planning.”
“But Annabeth took it as you asking her to save you?”
Percy slumps his shoulders, “It was like she never heard me, Hot Air. Years of friends, all that time together. Her aura always seemed to say it was genuine. I thought…” He can feel the tears build as his voice drops to a whisper, “I thought she was my friend.”
Lee hugs him tighter. “She was, Perce. I can’t tell you why she did what she did. Whether it is who she is, or Luke, or the Fates. She has a fate, one that cannot be changed. It isn’t your fault. I’m sorry you’re hurting.”
Lee goes quiet and thoughtful, Percy stays silent too. He has no idea how to explain any of it. He’s not sure he even understands why all of this is still stuck in his head. He’d always known there would be a day where she left camp, where her path was set beyond any ability to change it.
All the little glimpses the Fates have shown him of her since… They tell Percy that whatever all this is building up to, Annabeth and he will continue crossing paths right up to that final moment.
He even knows at some level, the reason the Fates are directing things, is because something went very wrong in the past. Percy’s assuming it has to do with Halcyon Green saving the life of that little girl who was fated to die.
Things had gone so wrong since that moment, that the Fates ensured the birth of a child, a natural born prophet who was born with too much power. Prophetic abilities from two separate domains. This was the Fates’ last chance to mend what Halcyon Green had broken.
Percy still doesn’t know what happens if they fail to fix things. But it will be terrible. The world ending type of terrible.
Lee’s gone back to his calm professional voice, still gentle but needing Percy to really listen to his words.
“Perce, are there things about Annabeth that you keep going back to? Things that are particularly bothering you?”
Yes. There are. But they are so stupid. So childish. Yes, his body is thirteen, but his mind has spent centuries following the paths of heroes in his dreams. This shouldn’t bother him. Percy stays quiet.
Lee reaches across and runs a hand through Percy’s hair. “Perce, I know it feels like you’re suddenly expected to go and be a hero, but you’re still a kid. Thirteen’s no different from twelve. You were already a prophet when we met, when you were seven. You were a kid then, and you’re a kid now. I may not be able to follow you every step of the way, but I’m still gonna carry as much of it as I can for you.”
Percy bites his lip, “It’s so stupid though. It shouldn’t have hurt.”
“You know. After the quest party bonfire, a lot of campers came to talk to me. All independently of each other. You know what they wanted to talk about?”
Percy just gives an indifferent half shrug, he’s not in the mood for guessing games.
Lee’s voice is gentle as he speaks, “They were concerned you were being bullied. That Annabeth was saying even worse things to you in private. Many of them were angry that she spoke like that about the kid she called her best friend.”
Huh? That’s… weird. The campers tend to be kinda aggressive when they think someone’s crossed the line. Back when Piper did her rage quit thing and made some really stupid comments that everyone heard, Lee had been stuck repeatedly reminding campers about the retaliation rules.
There was no chance Lee could actually stop them going after Piper, demigods have a bit too much of their divine parents in them. Lee just tries to moderate the behaviour rather than stopping it.
No-one attacked Annabeth after. Though, now Percy’s thinking of it, she had always been on her own during those three weeks. He hadn’t even seen Grover.
Percy doesn’t even need to ask. There’s amusement in Lee’s voice as he says, “They didn’t retaliate because I asked them not to. I told them there was more going on than I could share. If she was still here by the last week of summer, I would give them free rein.”
Oh. Also. Lee is definitely a mind reader.
“Percy, what I’m trying to say, is that what she said at the bonfire was wrong. The campers knew it was wrong. Some of the kids that came to see me said they’d never had much to do with you. But that no-one should be treated like that. A couple of the kids were ones who genuinely don’t like you. They were still pissed she stole your glory.”
Percy huffs, “I don’t need glory.”
There’s a smile in Lee’s voice, “You may not need it, but you have it. She tried to take what wasn’t hers. I know you’d put a lot of thought into the Underworld trip. You genuinely wanted to give her a proper hero experience. You wanted to give her a chance to feel like a hero of old.”
Percy tucks his hands in his sleeves and lifts a shoulder, “She was my friend. I couldn’t change her fate, but I could give her good memories.”
Lee gives him another squeeze, “Even if she wasn’t your friend, you’d still have tried to give her good moments. You’re a real good kid, Percy.”
He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t feel like a good kid.
Lee’s voice is so soft now, there’s an undercurrent of pleading, “Perce, please tell me what’s hurting so much. No matter how silly you think it is. It will help to talk about it. I promise.”
Percy sighs. He stays quiet a few more minutes but knows Lee won’t let him out of this conversation. It’s kinda nice to know Lee’s like that. Makes him feel all cared for.
Percy finally gives in. “It’s the little things, I still flinch when I see Artemis’s flask, from when she kept trying to just grab it off me in the middle of the Underworld. The way she kept calling me ‘seaweed brain’.”
He hesitates. Lee has already said she was wrong about it, but it still hurts. So, Percy admits very softly, “and what she said at the bonfire.”
Lee combs a hand through Percy’s hair again, “Perce, what she said, none of it was true. I can’t tell you what was going through her head, but I can tell you none of that was on you. Even if we ignore her own complicity in it all, she wanted a quest to give her glory. To make her a real life hero, like in the stories.”
That’s what he doesn’t understand, “But the stories aren’t real, she knows this?”
“You know that, I know that, But Perce, it’s like you said, she didn’t hear what you told her. She listened, but she was still certain she was right. She believed those stories were real.”
It still makes no sense to Percy. Other campers, sure, but he spent so much time with Annabeth.
Lee’s calm voice, “I think some of what she said to you, it was her way of telling herself she was smarter than you, knew more. It’s not true. She didn’t know more. She wasn’t smarter. But, even when she was eight, she was so certain she knew more than anyone else. I… I don’t think that came from Luke. I think it’s always been part of her.”
Lee’s voice turns sad, “The Grey Eyed One’s children are well known for their pride. It’s a less great trait to deal with. Annabeth has always had a lot more of it than most.”
Even Percy has to agree with that, “She always needed to be right.”
“Yeah, kid. Problem was, she’s not a prophet.”
Lee squeezes him again and now he’s speaking with so much certainty and conviction, “Percy. What you see, what you know, it is real and true. You can’t let her take that away from you. You can’t second guess yourself on this. You need to trust yourself. It’s important.”
Percy leans harder against Lee. He knows this is stupid, Piper’s said far worse to his face and it’s never bothered him. But Annabeth…
His voice is small, he sounds like a little kid, “How’d she always know the one thing that would hurt the most?”
Lee’s voice is so gentle, so kind, “It’s like with how Piper ‘rage-quits when she’s confused’. When Annabeth feels out of her depth, she lashes out. She is very intelligent. It probably wasn’t conscious, but at some point she’s taken note of the things you were already struggling with.”
Lee hesitates before continuing, “When it comes to the reading… That might partially be my fault? When you were learning to read, she had a lot of opinions about it. I ended up taking her aside and explaining how much she was hurting you with her comments.”
Percy winces. It had taken months for him to even admit he couldn’t read. If Lee had been anything other than totally calm and accepting, Percy would never have found the courage to try again.
Eight year old Annabeth’s constant comments about how she can’t understand how anyone didn’t even know the alphabet at seven… Percy had spent a lot of time crying on Lee in those days. Annabeth got better though. Until this summer, she never brought it up.
Lee continues, “On the quest, when nothing was going as planned and you and Clarisse still seemed to know what you were doing, Annabeth started lashing out in the only way she knew how. It wasn’t good, or caring or well meant. If she’d done that at camp and the Fates weren’t doing their nonsense, we would have immediately separated you.”
That… doesn’t make sense.
He bites at his thumb as he thinks, but eventually just asks, “War Drum didn’t know either? The only times I even gave her a warning were when I knew she’d end up sitting on me 'til I ‘fessed up if I didn’t give her a heads up I was gonna do something weird. Even the Arch, all I said was to dump me in the river after. She didn’t know about the chimera. Most of the time I just went and did things.”
There’s far too much amusement in Lee’s voice, “Clarisse has always been very accepting of the prophet parts of your life.” Percy feels Lee shrug the shoulder he’s leaning against as Lee adds “And just your general chaos.”
This is true. Percy’s War Drum is the best.
Lee goes on, “She also trusts you, completely. As far as she’s concerned, you’ll tell her if she needs to know. Otherwise she’ll wait until it’s over to take her revenge.”
That is an accurate description of his War Drum. But why would Annabeth be different? Oh.
Percy’s voice is soft and cautious, he doesn’t like what he’s thinking, “You’re saying Annabeth didn’t trust me.”
Lee’s voice is full of sympathy and his arm squeezes him tighter, “Sorry, Perce. It doesn’t have anything to do with you. Annabeth needs to feel in control. You were quest leader and a prophet. You needed to make decisions quickly and you often were unable to explain or just didn’t have the time. It was a bad combination.”
They sit quietly for awhile, Percy trying to make peace with what Lee is telling him. It’s the truth, but it hurts.
Then Lee quietly asks, “Perce, is there a reason you’ve been thinking so much about Annabeth?”
Yeah. Lee’s a mind reader. Percy doesn’t really want to tell him. He’s spent years dealing with the gods complaining about Annabeth and worrying Percy was going to intervene in her fate. He really doesn’t want it to start again. He can’t even give a proper reason.
Since Nico and Bianca got claimed there’s been too many gods watching camp. It’s screwing with his dreams, most of them are just a shattered mess of flickering images.
Then, Lee asks, all calm, like nothing is the matter, “Are you planning a trip to the Sea of Monsters?”
Percy shoots up and turns on him, “What? How?”
Lee has the sight, yes. Sees a lot more than he admits. He can’t see the tapestry, it’s dangerous to have the sight when you don’t know what’s safe to change. Like, gods hunting him down dangerous. Lee is only safe if he never speaks of it.
Percy’s suddenly terrified, his voice desperate and way too loud, “Lee! You said you’d never say?”
Oh gods. No. Percy needs Lee.
Lee’s in front of him immediately, hands on his shoulders, making direct eye contact, “Hey, hey! Perce! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t see it, I promise. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m not going anywhere.”
Percy squeezes his eyes shut and tries to breathe. That was a heart attack he did not need.
Lee eventually gets him settled on the couch again and wraps his arm back around his shoulders. Much more gently he explains that the day Annabeth left she’d gone to see the cursed oracle and it had given her another doom and gloom prophecy. One that mentioned the Sea of Monsters.
Annabeth is not someone who should ever be told prophecies. There was a reason Percy only ever told her the first two lines of the last one.
Percy remembers how she’s been constantly fighting with Luke in his dreams. Annabeth wanted to go somewhere and Luke kept telling her no. Percy gets the impression they’ve been or will be fighting over whatever it is for months. At some point, something changes. She goes anyway? Or with Luke’s help? He can’t really tell.
He bites his cheek, “Don’t suppose Imhotep told her she’s gonna die there?”
Lee seems surprised, “Ah, not in those exact words? It definitely said something about being entombed within stone, and despairing for her life?”
Awesome. Annabeth had a prophecy saying she was gonna die and still went. Huh. At least now Percy knows why he kept dreaming of her arguing with Luke.
Percy is not remotely okay with how Luke has treated Annabeth, but from Luke’s perspective she is Percy’s friend. He could see Luke thinking he could use her as bait. If her trip to the Sea of Monsters comes with a prophecy that suggests she’ll die, there’d be no point letting her leave. Maybe she ran away from Luke?
Lee doesn’t push him for more information. All Percy really says is that it’s not for a while yet. He thinks Sky King is watching Dad a bit too closely and please don’t talk about any of this. At all. When it starts, it needs to look like its caught them by surprise.
Percy hopes Lee forgives him when he finds out what will cause their newest dumb adventure.
Even with Lee spending the past few years sneakily preparing things like he’s expecting a zombie apocalypse, it is not going to be fun for anyone when that barrier falls.
Especially after Zeus sticks his oar in.