Chapter Text
Percy made a face. He didn’t like that. He really didn’t like that. Considering his track record of being expelled from multiple schools - including military schools - he really didn’t like that Hazel was-
“I’ll read next.” Hera declared.
Poseidon turned his head to look at her. Hera smiled. It was a thin thing. Without another word from either of them the book appeared in her hands. Once the book was gone, Poseidon abruptly had a fishing hook and that thing he had been using earlier to sharpen it. Percy wondered if the gods had ADHD too. He often struggled to pay attention in class and ended up doing something else while the teacher was talking.
Sometimes, Percy was able to walk around before a class started. That helped him somewhat. It wasn’t a magical cure all the way people talking about ADHD thought it was. Adults always talked about exercise and planners like those things magically fix having ADHD. Who knew. Maybe exercise and planners were the magical cure all adults made it sound like if you paired it with ADHD medication.
Percy wouldn’t know. He had never tried any of the medication. Mom didn’t have health insurance and Smelly Gabe sure as shit wasn’t going to let his paycheck be less just so Percy could be listed as a dependent. How his step father managed to not lose his job when all Smelly Gabe did was-
AT LEAST THE CAMP FOOD WAS GOOD. Invisible wind spirits—aurae—waited on the campers and seemed to know exactly what everyone wanted.
“We don’t have those,” Annabeth murmured. She wasn’t looking at Percy - was staring at Hera - but Percy knew she was taking to him none the less. Luke and Grover would know if camp had them.
Percy got a cheeseburger and a strange-looking soda that was bright blue.
Something in Percy’s stomach twisted. His future self had lost his memories but he still remembered what blue meant.
Hazel didn’t understand that, but Percy tried it and grinned. “This makes me happy,” he said. “I don’t know why…but it does.”
Percy felt everyone staring at him. He ignored them, kept looking forward without staring at anyone particular. They were reading the thoughts he would one day have. They were invading so much of his privacy that Percy didn’t feel like giving anymore of his self up.
If the gods wanted the information so much, they could pry it from his mind. Percy wasn’t going to willingly explain how Mom had married a world class jerk. He wasn’t going to talk about how the color blue was one of the few things Mom did as a form of rebellion.
“Strange,” muttered Artemis remarked.
Athena made a noise. It wasn’t a hum but Percy thought it was something close to it. “Which part? The fact he’s happy over that drink despite having lost his memories or the fact an aurae knew this would mean something to him and cared enough to do it?”
Had the aurae gone through his mind?
“They feed the legion whatever they like. The boy isn’t special,” Dionysus pointed out. There were thin vines growing from his wrist to his fingers. Soon leaves began to sprout from the vines.
“He’s Greek,” Artemis sharply reminded him. “The fact she’s catering to his taste when-“
“He’s an auxiliary now,” Ares said, voice deeper than normal. His appearance had changed. His face was littered with knife scars despite being a god. Gone was the biker jacket that probably cost more than a month of rent. In its place was a military uniform; the kind Percy saw army recruiters wear when they had visited a school-
Annabeth made a noise, breaking Percy out of his head. The annoyed sound reminded Percy of a stray cat that used to hang around the apartment buliding he lived in.
“He’s not,” Athena sharply argued. Percy saw Annabeth wince. His eyebrows drew together. Hadn’t she just been annoyed at-
“Be careful,” Poseidon abruptly warned. Percy looked around. It took a few seconds for him to realize his father was talking to him and not to one of the gods.
Percy shifted on his feet. He hated having to ask this. “Of what?”
He felt stupid for having to ask but he didn’t understand just what was going on.
“An aurae is a nymph,” Poseidon told him. The god was staring at Percy, unblinking even as seconds turned into a minute. “Nymphs can be dangerous creatures.”
“Hylas was quite beautiful,” remarked Aphrodite. “Can you truly begrudge the naiads for wanting his company?”
“You would know.” Athena muttered to Poseidon. “After all, how many have you fathered?”
It was then that Poseidon finally looked away from Percy. The god shot Annabeth’s mom an unamused look. Despite glaring at Athena, Poseidon kept sharpening the newest fishing hook he had teleported. Was summoned a better word choice, Percy couldn’t help but wonder.
“Father of monsters I may be but it was your son, not one of my children, who drove mortals insane at the sight of him.
Athena’s lips thinned. In the corner of his eye, Percy saw Hephaestus shift on his throne as though abruptly uncomfortable. Percy frowned. He doubted it was that though. After all, Hephaestus was a god. He could just magically make the throne into being more comfortable. It wasn’t like he was a mortal after all.
“I warned the daughters of Cecrops to not open the box.”
Wait.
Wasn’t a box that wasn’t suppose to be opened about Pandora? What did Athena having a son have to do with-
“You’re the goddess of wisdom. Surely by then, you knew mortals were not capable of listening to simple instruction.” Hera remarked. She had placed the book down - it was shut closed - instead of continuing to hold it up. There was a bookmark sticking out. Only the longer that Percy looked at the bookmark the more he realized it wasn’t some weirdly shape bookmark. It was a feather. Not like a pigeon feather or even like a vulture. The feather was brightly colored and long. Percy was pretty sure it belonged to peacock.
Athena had turned her head to glare at the goddess. Hera was lazily smirking, her head pressed against two fingers.
“Athena is my daughter,” Zeus loudly declared. “She has every right to test mortals on their xenia or have you forgotten my domain, Hera?”
Hera glanced at her husband. She was still propping her arm up and leaning her head against two fingers. “Of course not.”
Despite saying that, a few seconds later Hera asked, “Was it really about honoring xenia or was it trying to cover up the scandal of-“
“Enough,” Zeus loudly told. His voice made Percy think of the boom thunder could have. “We’re never going to finish this book if we continue to argue about the past.”
Hera stared at her husband. She didn’t look happy. “Of course. I’ll begin reading again.”
When the goddess picked up the book and opened it, the bookmark disappeared. Percy couldn’t help but wonder if the feather was returned to peacock it had belonged to or if it was just in some place only Hera had access to until she needed it again.
Just for a moment, one of the aurae became visible—an elfin girl in a white silk dress. She giggled as she topped off Percy’s glass, then disappeared in a gust.
“Terrible flirts,” Annabeth muttered.
It was Luke who, surprisingly, spoke up. “I don’t you have anything to worry about.”
Annabeth wiped her head around to look at Luke. “I’m not worried about anything!”
Despite saying that, Percy couldn’t help but notice how Annaneth had rushed to say that.
Laugher filled the throne room. Percy knew, without looking away, it was Aphrodite laughing at them like they were some tv show characters who were unintentionally being funny instead of, you know, actually people.
Luke gave Annabeth a soft smile. “….Percy needs a friend who can keep him from being kidnapped by nymphs.”
“And that’s why I was telling him they’re terrible flirts.” Annabeth told him.
Luke just hummed at that.
Kids were constantly getting up and trading places, spreading rumors about who liked whom and all the other gossip.
“So the seating arrangements are less strict,” Grover said. He sounded surprised.
Percy turned to look at him. “What are they like at camp?”
“Campers sit by the cabin mates.” Grover told Percy. “But if you were unclaimed you would be sitting at the Hermes table.”
“Do campers not break that rule?”
“Most don’t. Annabeth though? She use to sometimes sit at Cabin Eleven,” Luke admitted. He had a fond expression on his face. The look on his face made the scar less prominent.
Percy glanced at Annabeth. She would have looked uncaring if her cheeks weren’t red. The blushing gave it away. “I wanted to discuss plans for Capture for Flag.”
“I know,” Luke gently reassured her. Something in Percy’s stomach twisted. He wasn’t sure he believed them.
It wasn’t a good sign that he was drinking so much so early in the night.
Percy made a face. He knew from past experiences that adults drinking happy juice weren’t safe to be around. Only his future self didn’t know that because he didn’t have any memories of Smelly Gabe. Percy’s frown grew.
“Um, thanks,” Percy said, but his attention was focused on Nico.
“He’s going to be like a dog with a bone,” Hermes muttered.
“The thing is, I spend most of my time in the Underworld. So unless I met you there somehow—”
“It’s possible,” Hermes conceded, “but not likely.” Percy raised an eyebrow. He didn’t have to ask his question though. Hermes went on to explain. “Not many heroes can say they successfully ventured to the underworld.”
But Hermes wasn’t the god of the underworld. Hades was.
“I imagine Pirithous wishes he hadn’t attempted,” Demeter muttered. She sounded happy about that.
“Shame Theseus couldn’t stay with his friend.” Dionysus remarked and that comment made Demeter throw her head back and laugh. Her laughter filled the throne room.
“How would you know?” Percy asked Hermes.
In the side of his eye, Luke shifted his weight. He answered before his father could. “Hermes isn’t just the god of travelers and thieves. He’s like Thanatos. He guides souls to underworld.”
Percy turned to look at Luke. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Hermes dryly said.
Percy made a face. Huh.
“So if we get powers from our parents then….”
Luke gave Percy an amused smile. “No, I don’t know a way to underworld nor can I-“
“You will,” Apollo abruptly declared. Percy’s back straightened. He immediately turned to look at the sun god. Apollo looked almost bored. Almost being the key word. The god couldn’t quite pull off the nonchalant attitude he was going for; he needed to not be staring if he wanted to do that. “And your plan will fail.”
A part of Percy wanted to ask if Apollo was done being a pessimistic fortune cookie. He didn’t though. He hadn’t forgotten how Apollo had reacted about his cattle being slaughtered in the future.
Dakota belched. “Ambassador from Pluto, they call him.
“He made the boy an ambassador,” Zeus muttered, interrupting Hera.
“Not necessarily,” Poseidon told Zeus. “The position could have been appointed by the Olympian Council after the war.”
Zeus didn’t argue with that but his mouth was thin.
“Oh, man!” Frank looked up from his fish and chips. “Percy, you should have seen her! That’s how Hazel got her stripe. The unicorns decided to stampede—”
“When we come and rescue you, I do want to see those unicorns,” Grover admitted.
Rescue you.
Percy shallowed. “You would rescue me?”
The words came out mean but Percy didn’t mean them that way.
“Of course!” Grover yelped. “I’m your protector.”
Percy made a face. He liked Grover. He really did - they wouldn’t be friends if Percy didn’t - but Grover wasn’t a protector. Percy was the one who had to argue with Nancy so she would lessen up on her antics toward Grover. Out of the two of them, Percy had been the one getting into fights with bullies so Grover-
Hera kept reading, breaking Percy out of his thoughts.
In truth, she’d been mostly afraid that the unicorns would hurt themselves in their panic.
“I like her.” Grover admitted and Percy blinked at. Out of the two of them, Grover was nicer one but Grover was also the one who didn’t go out of his way to interact with his class mates. Grover wasn’t quick to like anyone from Percy’s experience.
“She’s admirably kind to animals,” Artemis agreed. “A rare trait for demi-gods.”
Percy studied her. Those sea-green eyes made her unsettled.
Percy frowned. He was use to teachers not being comfortable with him. They usually knew Percy was a trouble maker even before they met him; his past expulsions were something teachers were warned about. Still, he didn’t like Hazel thinking of them that way.
Thankfully, demigods didn’t use a lot of technology at camp. Their powers tended to make electronic gadgets go haywire.
“Really?” Percy asked. It was easy to hear the confusion in his voice.
Annabeth shook her head. “It’s not like that actually.”
Percy stared at her, waiting for her to explain.
“A demi-god using a phone or a computer helps monsters locate us. I don’t know why but that’s why we’re encouraged to not use technology.”
Percy‘s face twisted. “So, wait, does every-time I watch tv send a signal to monsters that I exist?”
Annabeth’s mouth was thin. Percy knew the answer without her saying it.
Percy let out a curse. Annabeth didn’t wince at his profanity. (Grover wouldn’t because he was use to Percy cussing like a sailor.) Luke, meanwhile, didn’t give Percy a speech about language which Percy appreciated.
“How is that fair?” Percy demanded after a few seconds. It was bad enough that they inherently smelled to monsters but now they couldn’t use a cell phone without dropping their location to monsters.
“It’s not.” Annabeth said. She didn’t look happy but Percy knew she was frustrated at the situation, not him.
“That seemed much less of a fantasy than the twenty-first century.”
Someone snorted at that.
“You have other sisters?” Percy asked, almost as if he knew the answer.
“Did I know Bianca?” Percy couldn’t help but ask. No one answered because no one knew the answer.
“ I was just lucky to find Hazel…in New Orleans, I mean.”
“He’s not a good liar,” remarked Luke. “Reminds me of someone else I know.”
Grover’s face grew red. Even his ears were red.
Percy couldn’t defend Grover on this though. His friend was a terrible liar. Grover was actually the only person who couldn’t fool Percy when everyone had “forgotten” Mrs.Dodds. Which, honestly, Percy was glad for. He probably would have thought he had gone insane if Grover wasn’t such a terrible liar.
Dakota grunted. “Unless you believe the rumors. Not saying that I do.”
What rumors?
Percy didn’t ask though. He knew no one could answer that question.
“Rumors?” Percy asked.
Percy wouldn’t admit it but there was something relieving about his future self being so similar to him despite not having his memories.
He wasn’t allowed in camp, but of course he always managed to get in.
Grover was muttering something about how even if Don wasn’t a searcher, he was still a nature spirit. Percy wasn’t paying much attention though. He was more focused on Hera reading the chapter. He wanted to know about those rumors about Hazel.
Percy frowned. “Aren’t fauns vegetarian?”
“Whoever took his memories did a half ass job,” Hermes muttered.
No one argued with the god. Hera, meanwhile, kept reading.
He sniffed Percy’s hair. “Hey…what’s that smell?”
“There’s this thing called personal space. Has he heard about it?” Percy couldn’t help but ask. He didn’t like the idea of a stranger being that close.
“ I am,” Dakota grumbled into his goblet. “I’m having dinner!”
Percy couldn’t help but snort at that.
“The fawn isn’t a major issue.” Dionysus muttered. “He should let the boy eat.”
Percy turned his face to look at the god. That was considerate. It was honestly suspiciously considerate.
Percy thought back on what he knew about Dakota. If demi-gods - not that Romans had a lot of demi-gods - could get powers from their parents what were the chances they inherited certain preferences?
The centurion had been introduced in the book as someone who was drinking. He was drinking alcohol even though no one else was. Dionysus was the god of wine.
What were the chances Dakota was one of his kids? Or, to be more accurate, one of his Roman self’s kids?
Don was still sniffing around Percy. “Man, you’ve got an empathy link with a faun!”
Abruptly, Hera stopped reading. There was silence in the throne room for just two or three seconds before multiple voices started talking.
“An empathy link?” Grover stuttered out. Percy’s eyebrows drew together. Grover didn’t normally stutter unless Mrs.Dodds was around. Was this empathy link that serious?
“Satyrs nowadays aren’t the friendliest species to mortals,” Hermes explained. Percy hadn’t asked that question out loud though. What were the chances Hermes had just guessed Percy was going to ask that?
Dionysus snorted at that. When he spoke, he sounded amuse. “That’s one way to phrase it.”
Hermes ignored his brother. He kept speaking. “The fact you have an empathy link…..it’s-“
Poseidon cut off Hermes. “It’s dangerous,” the god grimly admitted. Percy glanced his way. The god didn’t look happy. The stuff he had earlier - the thing he was using to sharpen a hook and the actual fishing hook - were abruptly gone.
“I was going to say it’s unusual.” Hermes said. “Maybe even go so far as say it speaks well on Percy.”
Percy narrowed his eyes. Why did that out of everything speak well about him? “Why does it-“
“An empathy link can lead to a satyr’s death once the person they bonded to dies,” Hermes admitted.
Why had he not lead with that?
That seemed like more important info than satyrs don’t like humans.
“Considering satyr’s life spans, it’s surprising one would create an empathy link with you.” Artemis said, adding her two cents. Percy then abruptly wondered if the Greeks had their own version of cents. lEven when demi-gods lived to adulthood, satyrs would naturally outlive them. The fact a satyr would tie you to him despite knowing this is interesting.”
“An empathy link also means if the satyr dies before you do, you’ll die.” Poseidon said. He wasnt looking at Percy anymore. Percy turned his head around and realized it was Grover the god was glaring at.
His friend looked ready to piss his pants. Considering Grover’s habit of using the bathroom whenever he got anxious that was a very likely outcome.
“Okay.” Percy abruptly said. He made sure to say it loudly so everyone heard him.
Poseidon blinked. It was the first time in the conversation that Percy could remember him blinking.
“Okay?” Poseodon asked, repeating back the very word Percy had used.
“If Grover did it, I trust him.” Percy said, glaring at his father. Despite all his frustration with Grover lately, between the two of them, Percy knew Grover would have his back. He didn’t trust Poseidon to. So Poseidon didn’t get to act all offended on Percy’s behalf when Percy was sure Grover had done it for some important reason.
“Just like that?” Artemis asked and there was an emotion in her voice Percy couldn’t put a name to.
Percy turned to look at her. “Yeah, just like that.”
Artemis didn’t smile at him but she wasn’t glaring like some of the Olympians were.
“Percy,” Grover began but Percy interrupted him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hear what Grover had to say. It’s just he didn’t want to have this conversation in-front of the gods.
Percy turned his head to look at his friend. “I already said it. Just like that.”
Grover looked close to tears.
“An empathy link! It’s real faint, like somebody’s suppressed it, but—”
But who had?
“I know what!” Nico stood suddenly.
Percy’s face twitched.
“He wouldn’t know how to be convert if it bit him in ass.” Hermes muttered.
“Not necessarily,” Apollo said. He didn’t elaborate despite several people, including Percy, turning to look at him.
“We can discuss strategies for the war games.”
“They’re just now trying to come up with a strategy?” Annabeth asked incredulously. “Do they just not care about winning?”
“I mean,” Percy began, “monsters haven’t been staying dead. I feel like that’s a good reason people aren’t focusing on war games.”
There was also the fact Jason guy was missing.
Annabeth’s expression softened. After a few seconds she admitted, “Fair point.”
“Strategies for losing?” Dakota muttered.
“Or they just don’t care,” Annabeth muttered at hearing that.
“Well that’s on him,” Percy argued. “Not Hazel or Frank.” Or even Nico even though Percy was frustrated at how the boy was keeping things from him.
Nobody but Nico could actually touch the Lares.
That was interesting since Hazel was a daughter of Pluto. Percy didn’t bring that up though.
Percy’s eyes widened. “You let him drink wine?”
It was nice that his future self still acted like how Percy thought now. That way, he could ask things and not get treated dumb for asking questions.
“Gods, no!” Hazel said. “That would be a disaster. He’s addicted to red Kool-Aid. Drinks it with three times the normal sugar, and he’s already ADHD—you know, attention deficit/hyperactive.”
He was going to end up become diabetic. Unless being the son of Dion-Bacchus was somehow gonna prevent that.
“ Maybe. Back in my day, they just called kids like us ‘lazy.’”
Percy abruptly closed his eyes. Hazel and her brother could not lie for shit. In Hazel’s defense though, she hadn’t been alive for that long when Percy thought about it.
Percy frowned. “Back in your day?”
“He’s not an idiot,” Annabeth muttered.
Luckily for her, Frank spoke up: “I wish I was ADHD or dyslexic. All I got is lactose intolerance.”
“That must be nice,” Annabeth said. The way she said it made it clear she wasn’t being genuine.
“What did Frank do?”
Annabeth turned to look at him. “Having ADHD isn’t some quirk. It means mentally screaming at myself to get something done and be able to list the consequences of not getting it done in time and still struggling to find motivation to get it done. It’s walking into a room to do one thing and then abruptly thinking hey, you need to do this as well but you know yourself so you know you’ll forgot if you don’t get it done now only that ends up with you finding other things you’ve forgotten to do and it just ends up with this whole mess-“
Luke cut her off. “Annabeth, I think he gets it.”
Percy’s face felt hot. He wasn’t frustrated though. It was nice to see someone else go through what he went through instead of immediately thinking it was just Percy being lazy. “Okay.”
Annabeth’s eyebrows drew together.
“That’s it?” She asked defensively. It was like she was expecting him to argue.
“You had a good point.”
Annabeth blinked. She looked surprised. After a few seconds she spoke up. “You really aren’t going to argue with me?”
“I have ADHD too.” Percy admitted. “A lot of people think I’m lazy but it’s like that for me too.”
Grover had snorted when Percy had said the word lazy. It wasn’t until he finished talking that Grover spoke up. “Lazy people don’t successfully smuggle in candy and get away with selling it to classmates without getting caught.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “Selling candy?”
Percy felt more than one pair of eyes on him. “My mom gets free candy at her job. She’ll give me blue candy.”
And Percy sold it despite how much he liked the candy. Selling candy at Yancy Academy was an easy way to make some money since the school’s policy forbid candy.
“Why blue?” Luke asked. He tilted his head.
“I like the color,” he dryly said. He didn’t explain why. He didn’t want to even though he liked Luke.
Luke’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t get ugly about Percy’s tone. “Okay.”
Something in Percy’s stomach twisted. Luke was just letting it go like that. He really was just gonna let it go.
Percy tried to shallow but his mouth was too dry.
Frank might’ve been the silliest demigod ever, but Hazel thought he was cute when he pouted. His shoulders slumped. “And I love ice cream, too.…”
“They’re too adorable,” Aphrodite muttered.
The compliment made Hazel’s toes tingle. “It’s…complicated. Aside from being Pluto’s kid, I want to ride horses.”
In the corner of Percy’s eye Annabeth frowned but she didn’t say anything.
“ Archery,” he muttered. “They don’t like that either, unless you’re a child of Apollo.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Percy muttered. “Archery is something needed, right? Why wouldn’t they want to encourage that even if you’re not a child of Apollo.”
“Sagittarii were more common for auxiliaries than Roman solider.” Apollo said like that explained everything. It didn’t. Really, why couldn’t this god explain things instead of being cryptic fortune cookie?
What even was an auxiliaries?
Least with sagittarii Percy coukd guess that meant archer.
Then you’ve got an excuse. I hope my dad is Apollo, but I don’t know. I can’t do poetry very well.
“All the more he could be my nephew,” Artemis muttered.
Percy narrowed his eyes. Was she saying Apollo was bad at poetry even though he was the god of it.
“Ouch, little sis. That genuinely hurt,” Apollo loudly told Artemis.
Artemis shook her head at her twin’s antic but Percy still saw fondness in her expression.
And I’m not sure I want to be related to Octavian.”
“Competely understandable,” Percy said. Luke’s shoulders shook from laughter. Annabeth, meanwhile, snorted at that.
Abruptly it felt hot in the room. Percy didn’t let it show though. He lived in New York City and there had been times where their A/C wasn’t fixed in the summer despite Mom having called the land lord. It had taken Mom threatening to report a code violation for the landlord to finally send someone to come fix it.
Smelly Gabe had done nothing to help of course. That wasn’t surprising though. Percy’s step father didn’t really do things to help out around the house. Percy didn’t get why his mom stayed with that jerk.
“Can’t blame you,” Percy said. “But you’re excellent with the bow—the way you pegged those gorgons? Forget what other people think.”
“Despite having your memories wiped, you still react like yourself.” Luke murmured.
He looked down at his body, like he couldn’t quite believe it was his. “They say I’m too stocky for an archer. Maybe if my dad would ever claim me…”
Percy frowned. He didn’t get why Frank’s parent couldn’t just claim his kid. If gods weren’t gonna pay for child support could they least say hey, this is my kid so that way their child wasn’t left wondering who their parent was?
A dad who wouldn’t claim you…Hazel knew that feeling. She sensed Percy could relate, too.
Percy tried to keep his face blank. He wasn’t sure he was actually able to do it.
“ The eagle,” Percy said.
Apollo started humming a tune that Percy couldn’t name. It sounded familiar though. Like something he had heard years ago but had forgotten about until now.
Ares, who once again had a face littered with knife scars, turned to look at Apollo. Neither of them said anything. Apollo just kept humming that tune.
Percy’s eyes narrowed. What were the chances those two were talking?
Hazel was stunned. “How’d you know?”
“You can be pretty observant,” Luke told him quietly. Percy just brought up his shoulders to shrug.
Usually, he got told he didn’t pay attention.
Percy shrugged. “Vitellius was talking about how the legion lost its eagle a long time ago—the first time, he said. He acted like it was a huge disgrace. I’m guessing that’s what’s missing. And from the way you and Reyna were talking earlier, I’m guessing your eagle got lost a second time, more recently, and it had something to do with the Fifth Cohort.”
“There’s no way we’re not gonna go looking for that eagle,” Percy couldn’t help but think out-loud. After a few seconds he added, “So we’ve got to rescue a god and the legion’s eagle.”
Percy felt the urge to rub his face. He couldn’t even steal a pizza slice from Smelly Gabe. If someone had kidnapped Thanatos, they were going to have to try and steal him back from whoever was keeping him captive.
Percy frowned.
He wondered what were the chances the eagle was in the same place as Thanatos. One hand that seemed way too easy but on the other hand…..
Hazel made a mental note not to underestimate Percy again. When he’d first arrived, she’d thought he was a little goofy from the questions he’d asked—about the Feast of Tuna and all—but clearly he was smarter than he let on.
No one commented on that. Percy wasn’t sure if it was better that way.
“ I don’t like lightning,” Percy said.
Zeus let out a laugh at that. For a second Percy thought about raising a single finger up to the god; Zeus was probably the reason his future self didn’t like lightning.
“There was this huge expedition to Alaska back in the eighties.…
“Of course it is,” Grover muttered. “Why can’t it be in Disney park or-“
“Wait,” Percy said only to pause. His eyebrows drew together.
Grover was staring at him. “What’s wrong?”
“How long has this been going on?”
“This?” Luke asked. His mouth was thin.
“Gaia was the one who convinced Hazel’s mom to move to Alaska and that was in World War Two. So how long has Gaia been-“
“Names have power, Paul.” Dionysus abruptly said, interrupting Percy.
Percy didn’t say anything. If he opened his mouth, he was gonna lose his temper.
“….Percy?” Luke asked.
Percy just shook his head.
There was something sad about Luke’s eyes. He didn’t try to convince Percy to keep talking. Percy was thankful for that. No matter what he did - even if he was trying to help - wasn’t enough.
What was point of trying?
After all, this book was completed. What was going to happen was going to happen.
It wasn’t his problem if the gods failed to actually learn from the book.
The survivors went crazy or refused to talk about what had attacked them.”
Grover had a point. Why couldn’t the quest happen at Disney land?
“And the Fifth Cohort took the blame,” Percy guessed. “So now everyone thinks we’re cursed.”
Annabeth frowned. Percy was surprised she didn’t say anything.
“Besides, joining the legion is better than being chased through the wilderness by monsters. I’ve got myself some new friends. Maybe together we can turn things around for the Fifth Cohort, huh?”
“Ambitious,” Ares remarked. The thing was the god didn’t sound upset by it.
Hazel shrugged. “Good news: we get the elephant. Bad news—”
“Then you’re in good hands,” Grover admitted. “Elephants are some of the smartest animals on the planet.”
Percy never heard that before. “Really?”
Grover nodded. “Elephants can remember not only a member of their herd even if they’ve been separated for a long time but any human who has harmed them.”
“Huh.”
Grover smiled. It was a small thing. Percy got the feeling Grover was glad he was taking again.
“Let me guess,” said Percy. “The Fifth Cohort always loses.”
One of the gods snorted at that.
“I love this guy. Come on, new friend. Let’s go chalk up my thirteenth defeat in a row!”
Ares shook his head at that. He had a frown on his face that made the knife scars more prominent.
Percy’s eyes narrowed at that.