Chapter Text
“You said what?” Amphitrite stormed into the dining room, waving the first book around. She marched over to where Poseidon was chatting with Hestia over breakfast and shoved it in his face, already turned to the damning page. “He’s a child! Your child!”
Poseidon winced. “Technically, I haven’t said it yet,” he argued weakly.
Amphitrite continued on as though she hadn’t heard him, “Even if you think it, saying something like that in front of you child is unforgivable!”
“I didn’t! I don’t!” Poseidon tried to placate his wife, “It was worded poorly I admit—”
“Is that your best excuse?”
Poseidon decided that it was a trick question and that any and all attempts to answer would make his wife more angry.
Her fury was only half surprising.
Long ago, he had promised to always love and care for his and Amphitrite’s children (which he did) but quite where things stood with the product of his affairs, he was never sure. Though Amphitrite was never unfair, never cruel, Poseidon was often hesitant to force her to confront his demigod children.
On occasion, however, she met his children and formed an opinion. More than once, this involved her adopting the child (oftentimes without his or the child’s knowledge) and treating them as her own, which is what he suspected was happening now.
Amphitrite huffed and turned to Percy, smiling, “Ignore your father, child, he’s an idiot.” After that, she swept out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.
Percy was shell shocked, as were most people assembled in the dining room.
Many of the gods laughed at Poseidon getting told of by his wife.
“Trouble in paradise, brother?” Hades smirked.
“Apparently.”
Hera huffed from where she was sat with her husband. Imagine getting so worked up on behalf of your stepchildren- the proof of your husband’s infidelity.
Then again, Amphitrite had always been strange in that way, Hera thought.
Eventually, everyone was settled in the throne room.
Sally and Paul had decided to join the Poseidon group on the bed which was thankfully big enough that it wasn’t too crowded.
Annabeth was sitting as far away from her mother as possible and Athena was glaring at Poseidon with more anger than usual, likely due to Annabeth’s impromptu sleepover in his quarters.
“I have a question, father.”
Poseidon was jolted out of his thought by Triton’s question. He indicated for Triton to ask him question, and ask he did, “Why do we have a bed when everyone else has a normal seat?”
“I think you’ll figure that one out for yourself sooner or later,” Poseidon said, “Who wants to read?”
“I can, I suppose,” Dionysus said collecting the new book and read the title, “Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters.”
He opened the book, closed it and passed it to coach Hedge. “On second thought, that might not be the best idea.”
MY BEST FRIEND SHOPS FOR A WEDDING DRESS
My nightmare started like this.
When Percy fell asleep, he slumped backwards, narrowly avoiding hitting his head against the headboard when he fell.
Sally gasped and made her way over to try comfort him. She hated how tense he was, even in sleep.
Poseidon, on the other hand, fell sideways on top of Triton.
“I’m guessing this is why we have a bed,” Triton grumbled as he tried to shove him father off his lap, “If they knew this was going to happen, why couldn’t they have laid down first?”
Amphitrite’s worry for her husband conflicted with her amusement at her son’s frustration.
She helped pull Poseidon off Triton and get him laid him down on the bed. She gently carded her fingers through his hair, hoping to provide some comfort.
“Shouldn’t Sally be affected by the curse?” Nico asked, “Not that I want her to be, of course,” He quickly added. He liked Sally and was somewhat pleased that she wasn’t going to be affected in the same way. Percy deserved someone who could fuss over him without being hampered by influenced emotions or injuries.
“That’s a good point,” Hazel agreed, “Maybe the curse only affects our godly parents and not mortal ones?”
“It could also just not affect mortals,” Frank suggested.
“As much as I’d like that, I don’t think we’ll be that lucky,” Rachel said.
There was a bit of discussion about it but because no one was a le to come up with a better theory.
I was standing... been to Florida.
“The saga of scarily accurate dreams continues,” Thalia said.
Then I heard hooves clattering against the pavement. I turned and saw my friend Grover running for his life.
Grover and Dionysus were doused in rain water.
“Seriously?” Dionysus grumbled, “It’s only a dream... unless...” He looked at Grover critically. “You have an empathy link,” he said, “With a hero of a great prophecy.”
Grover nodded sheepishly.
“You do realise how stupid that is?”
Grover nodded again. Dionysus sighed and looked heavenward. It was going to be a wonderful series if he had to go through it feeling his sons’ and satyrs’ pain as well as feedback from an empathy link.
Yeah, I said... hindquarters and hooves.
“Why is it beginning with a recap?” Athena asked, “We already know all of this.”
“It could be for the new arrivals,” Hermes suggested, “In case they didn’t get far enough in the first book to know already?”
Athena looked at Hermes considering, “Perhaps.”
Grover had been... to the ground.
“That’s quite a storm,” Piper said.
Grover was terrified... away from… something.
“Something is always the worst,” Leo said sagely. Piper sighed.
A bone-rattling growl... shadow passed on.
“That’s good... right?”
“Not if he comes back.”
Silence except for the rain. Grover took a deep breath. Maybe the thing was gone.
Then lightning flashed. The entire front of the store exploded, and a monstrous voice bellowed:
“MIIIIINE!”
I sat bolt upright, shivering in my bed.
Percy and Poseidon both woke up suddenly.
Percy fell easily into his mother’s arms and held her as tight as he dared.
Poseidon was subjected to the fussing of his wife and son.
Dionysus snapped his fingers and dried himself and Grover off, grumbling a our how annoying the curse was.
There was no... humanlike shape.
“What?” Piper said before she noticed Annabeth’s faint embarrassment. “Were you watching him sleep?”
“Maybe...”
There was a mixed reaction to this statement. Some people thought that it was cute or amusing, others felt that it was distinctly creepy.
Percy’s cheeks were warm with embarrassment.
But then there... Anaklusmos. Riptide.
“You sleep with your sword under you pillow? Isn’t that dangerous?” Paul asked.
“Riptide is a pen and a sword, which is less dangerous than keeping a knife under it,” Percy argued, “Besides, it feels safer to sleep with a weapon close than without it.”
Paul looked at his stepson with concern before he addressed the wider room. “Do you all sleep with a weapon?”
The demigods all confirmed that the slept with a weapon which Paul thought was bad enough. What really surprised him, however, was the gods confirming that they also did it.
I thought about... her china cabinet.
Several people laughed while Percy did his best to avoid eye contact.
“Why did you even have a javelin?” Annabeth asked, “You don’t use one!”
Percy shrugged.
“Surely you would have used it when you got attacked by monsters,” Nico said.
“I didn’t get many attacks that year,” Percy said.
I put Anaklusmos... have been real.
“We’ve already established that your dreams are scarily accurate,” Thalia said.
“I was in denial,” Percy protested, “I really didn’t want it to be real.”
Last day... without getting expelled.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Nico said.
No weird accidents... mess that up.
“And you jinxed it,” Connor complained.
As usual, I didn’t have a clue how wrong I was.
“You really need to stop overestimating your luck,” Will said.
My mom made... was bothering me.
“How do you do it?” Piper asked Sally.
“I would also like to know,” Hades said, “His father is just as hard to read.”
“I’m his mother,” Sally said, trying to ignore the unease she was feeling from the curse, “I’ve always been able to tell.”
“It’s not that hard,” Amphitrite agreed.
She dried her... skateboard shop you like.”
“I guess we know where Percy gets his natural bribery skills from,” Hermes said, “This is the second time you’ve done something like this.” When he noticed that Sally was looking confused, he added, “That was meant as a compliment, but the way. If uncle P hadn’t found you first...”
Sally flushed slightly whilst Percy and Hermes’ children looked uncomfortable. Percy shuddered to think what his life might have been like as a son of Hermes, he probably would have joined Luke or something.
Poseidon looked curiously at Sally. She was certainly and interesting woman.
Paul was holding her hand protectively and Poseidon couldn’t help but feel happy for her finding someone who could lover her properly and he seemed like a good man. He was only sad at what she and Percy had been forced to live through first.
Oh, man, that... have to postpone.”
“Why would camp not be safe?” Hermes asked.
Chiron sighed, “I’m certain that it will be explained later.”
Those who had been at camp the summer scowled at the reminder.
“Postpone? Mom, how... traveling underground alone.
“Smells funny,” Tyson agreed with his book self.
I gathered up... long, long time.
“The Percy sense strikes again,” Leo said.
“Percy sense?”
“Like spider sense but with Percy!”
As I stepped... rippled and vanished.
“Chapter’s over cupcakes,” Coach Hedge announced, “Not a lot of action, though.”
“It was pretty short, too,” Pollux said.
Dionysus gestured impatiently for the book back. Hopefully the next chapter wouldn’t involve too many satyrs, if it was going to be set in a school.