Down the Riverway

by Salmen

Summary:

Perseus Jackson was an almost-eighteen year old college student at New Rome University.
Was his acceptance a bit of a stretch?

Yeah , you could say that.

Percy didn’t really have time for the whole ‘Complete yadda yadda yadda.’ when he was actively saving the world. Not even just once mind you but twice! Actually...scratch that Percy’s positive it’s been wayyy more then twice.

Either way that’s not really the important part. The important part is that Percy was eighteen, finally on spring-break and was finally able to head home back to camp half-blood.

But of course, Percy can never have an uneventful week can he?

Chapter 1: Coming Home

Summary:

Annabeth Chase and Percy head home

Notes:

This is my first solo fic so any and all criticism is welcome, just please be kind.
Feel free to share ideas on where you think/hope this fic will go!

Trigger Warnings!
Graphic violence, Cursing

Percy yawned as he leaned against his arm that was being propped up by the car window seal of the car’s passenger seat he was sitting in. Finally spring break had arrived for the students of New Rome College. The past two weeks had been feeling like walking through mud to Percy. His wonderful girlfriend Annabeth on the other hand, who was driving the car, was conflicted about the break since she rather enjoyed working towards her goal of becoming a mortal architect. Emphasis on mortal considering she already had planned and helped build the layout for Olympus after its destruction. Not to mention her contributions in revamping camp and adding new cabins.

Percy let out a dramatic sigh suddenly, popping up from his previous position and raising his arms above his head to stretch. “Annnnniiieee” the man whined, fauxing a pout. “How much longer ‘til we reach camp?” Percy complained, his right leg bouncing in both anticipation and boredom. He was a demigod, a demigod who had been fighting for his life almost every day for the past six fucking years. Like the majority of older demigods, he tended to be a more hyper-active and restless person on top of the ADHD.

Annabeth let out a long, heavy sigh. “Seaweed brain, for the hundredth time, we’re still only in Illinois.” her tone flat as her hands gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. Her eyes once again swept the surrounding desolate roads to check for any incoming monsters. Percy’s pout became more exaggerated at her words. “But we’ve been in Illinois for hours!” Percy groaned annoyingly. Annabeth glanced over and gave him a dead-panned expression. “If by hours you mean forty five minutes then yes, it has been hours.” The silence after the words stretched on for about 15 minutes before Percy opened his mouth again.

Before the son of Poseidon could even get a word out Annabeth slammed on the breaks and pulled onto the shoulder of the road. Her hand quickly found the car's gear control and shoved it into park. Her head snapped towards Percy, her eyes practically blazing. “Percy Jackson if you do not grab that damned sea-themed coloring book you begged me to buy you for this trip to stay quiet, Gods’ help me I will throw you out of this car tied up in duct tape and leave you for whatever monster finds you first.” Percy then promptly shut his mouth and dejectedly grabbed the coloring book and markers he had begged Annabeth for last Tuesday at Walmart when preparing for the 45 hour drive.

Annabeth, who was rather pleased by the development, turned the stereo up and pushed the car's gear out of park and into drive. A happy content smile plastered on her face as she drove the next 4 hours in silence next to Percy, who had been able to absorb himself into coloring the book as realistically as possible. Annabeth knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth and made sure to let Percy stay infatuated in his coloring book.

But of course, things can never go perfectly for Annabeth when she’s with Percy. The son of Poseidon’s luck liked to stick to everyone around him like taffy being stepped on, on a hot summer day. She knew that bad luck finally hit when she spotted a Manticore starting to tail them. With a defeated sigh Annabeth turned to Percy and tapped his shoulder, one hand one the wheel. “Percy, we’ve got some company.” Annabeth hummed, jerking her thumb back to signal to him to look at the road behind them.

Percy, slightly annoyed at being taken away from his half-completed coloring book, glanced behind him. His already annoyed expression turned sour when he caught sight of the Manticore. He was quick to turn back to Annabeth, a grimace on his face. “Can we just out-pace it?” Percy grumbled, a shake of Annabeth's head and he all but collapsed into his seat with a defeated grunt. “We’re almost out of gas and need to stop at a station soon to refuel on that and snacks.” Annabeth sighed, sounding just as defeated as Percy. Usually Percy would be ecstatic to fight a monster after being stuck in a car for…roughly 30 hours. That being said, he had been really invested in his coloring book.

Percy and Annabeth, in retrospect, were rather lucky thus far. They had only run into a few (mostly friendly) Party Pony centaurs, passed by a small flock of Stymphalian birds, spotted a hydra when going through South Dakota and Idaho near the border of Minnesota, and had a fight with three Empousa in Wyoming. In all actuality, for their combined Demigod scent, that was a pretty good monster count.

Percy fussed for a few more minutes while Annabeth looked for the most opportune side road to take so they could hop out. Once she found one Percy fussed even louder, only ceasing his whines when the car came to a complete stop. “Annie…If I kill it in under five minutes can I pick lunch?” Percy moaned defeatedly, setting his coloring book and colors aside and tightening his shoe-laces Annabeth paused for a moment, thinking before giving a nod. “Sure Perce, if you can kill it in under five I’ll let you pick lunch.” She decided, the reward in question, a rather good motivator for Percy to not drag his feet. If it meant she had to deal with buying another meal from Mcdonalds then she’d gladly throw her money at the damn place.

Percy, hearing his beautiful girlfriend agree to him possibly deciding lunch, was happy to jump out of the car. His hand digging into his pocket to fish out his sword-pen Riptide. He uncapped his trusty pen and gripped the entire pen in his palm. A grin made its way onto his face as he felt the weight change and his palm be engulfed. Now, instead of a pen being held in his palm, Percy held the hilt of the sword Anaklusmos in his hand. The blade pointed outward towards where the Manticore was gunning it towards their current location.

There was no hesitation as Percy dashed forward to meet the beast part way. In his mind he was contemplating his Mcdonalds order, listening to a random song on repeat that had been on the radio an hour ago, and assessing the Manticore’s next move. “Come on bud let’s dance!” Percy called, sliding beside the beast as it reached a paw out to claw him to ribbons. With the momentum Percy drug his sword into the side of the Manticores underbelly and pulled. It was just enough to cause the Manticore to let out an excruciating pained roar as blood exploded from the gash.

Percy flinched and moaned when blood splattered onto his face and clothes. “Oh come on! I just got this shirt!” He rubbed the blood off his face, mostly just so he could see. He had gotten the red liquid off his face just in time to dodge some spikes the wounded Manticore shot in his direction. Before Percy could rush forward again the thing took to the air. A dramatic sigh passed Percy’s lips. “Man, I thought I could avoid training before getting back to camp.” The son of Poseidon grouched, getting int a slightly crouched position. He tensed his muscles for a minute, hearing the blood coursing through his entire body. With a deep breath he took off and sprinted towards the back of the car. Using the glorified metal box as leverage, he jumped onto the roof and used it to propel hum into the air. Luckily the Manticore hadn’t bothered to fly more than 20 feet up in the air. He smacked one of the things spikes heading towards him back towards the Manticore and got it right in the wing. Percy smirked as his sword hit its mark once he was in reach and stabbed the thing right in the eye. The moment they hit the ground, gravity did its magic and dug Riptide even farther. The manticore, having finally sustained too much injury, exploded in a puff of golden dust.

With the lack of the Manticore’s body underneath Percy, he lost his balance and just barely saved himself from a rather embarrassing fall into a puddle of more blood and dust. Percy groaned and stretched slightly, looking down at himself with mild disgust when he saw blood and golden dust was already caked into his hair and clothes. With minimal embarrassment Percy waddled back to the car and held a hand out. Annabeth, with a rather amused expression, handed him a bottle of water. As Percy uncapped the bottle and moved the water out of the container and around himself to get all the dust and blood off, Annabeth spoke. “Good job, a solid three minutes and forty one seconds, a few seconds off from your last go.” she hummed, waving Percy back towards his passenger seat once the water had rid the son of Poseidon of all the grim that clung to him.

Percy sighed as he flopped into the car and back to his previous seat. “…so McDonald’s?” He murmured, glancing at Annabeth out of the corner of his eye. With a chuckle the daughter of Athena nodded. “Yeah yeah seaweed brain, we can go to McDonald’s after we get gas.” Her tone amused, a smile forming on her face when she heard the way Percy did a little victory cheer.

 

Sixteen hours later and the duo had finally made it to camp just in time to catch the end of dinner. It was the feast it always was, and both made sure to give a hefty portion to Hermes as a thanks to the safe travel the past couple days.

After dinner Percy rose from his table and approached Mr.D, a grin on his face. “Hey Mr.D” he hummed, a hint of teasing in his voice. If there was one thing he had grown to love it was messing with the gods. Thankfully, the camp had its own resident god to annoy! Dionysus, not dignifying Percy’s fretting with eye-contact, responded. “What is it Perry Johnson.” The god of wine grumbled, reading the news-paper in his hands. Percy let out an amused exasperated sigh at the gods words. “You will never say my name right will ya?” He hummed, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face and an amused glint in his eyes.

Mr.D grumbled at Percy’s attention. “What is it the kids these days say? ‘Nope’? Well Peter Jayline, nope, I will not.” The grouchy man stated, raising an eyebrow as he finally granted Percy with eye contact. Percy beamed at the camp director despite his attitude. If there was one thing he had learned since he first came to Camp at 12 it was that Mr.D liked to act like an ass when he really cared about shit. That shit in question tended be the campers, Percy included.

“Well, I won’t take up anymore of our directors' precious time. I’ll see you tomorrow Mr.D!” Percy beamed, turning away and walking towards Annabeth who was face-palmed with an amused expression. Behind him he heard Mr.D let out a groan of annoyance, knowing that Percy’s words were code for ‘I’m gonna bother you for hours later’.

Percy picked up his leisurely pace into a light jog until he reached Annabeth. He flashed the daughter of Athena a smile as he took her hand in his own. “You gonna crash in my cabin?” Percy hummed, tilting his head to the side as he asked his question. Annabeth gave a nod. “Yeah, I don’t feel like waking up at 5 a'clock in the morning to Malcolm ranting about one thing or another.” She chuckled, Percy following suit. “Well M’lady, to cabin three then.” The man jumped, tugging Annabeth along a bit faster than before. “Now I can make you watch Finding Nemo again.” Percy muttered under his breath as he plotted to torture her with his favorite movie once more.

That night Percy stayed up well into the night with Annabeth. They watched movies, documentaries, snacked, had a food fight at one point, and even a self-care routine courtesy of Annnabeth. Finally, at around 2am the pair had slipped into bed., their faces covered in a thin layer of a mud mask. Annabeth was the first to fall into Hypnos’ land of slumber. Percy struggled more, his eyelids heavy yet unable to close them long enough for slumber. He wasn’t sure why but his instincts were screaming at him that something was Wrong. However, sleep eventually won out around an hour after Annabeth had fallen asleep. The last thing Percy swore he heard was the sound of wind rustling trees.

Notes:

Quick summery for those who skipped, Percy and Annabeth headed back to camp half-blood, fought a monster on the way, and talked-ish with Mr.D and then went to sleep.
Of course that's not all, how the hell would I fill an entire chapter with just that? gotta read it to see all the fun bits.

kinda short Ik Ik, feel bad. Promise the next chapters will be at least 5k words each. Just struggled a bit with getting the beginning started.

Chapter 2: Annabeth, I don't think we're in camp anymore

Summary:

Annabeth and Percy wake up and run around a forest!

Notes:

Hey everyone! This is about the length I'm gonna have my chapters be (anywhere from 5~10k)

I plan on updating every Tuesday if possible! Lets hope I can stick to a schedule! sorry if their short I usually do the writing last minuet

Percy awoke to the sound of wind and cool air on his face. Usually, this wouldn’t be much of an alarm bell, he quite liked sleeping in a cooler environment. No no, the problem was it felt humid, chilly even. Plus he couldn’t feel the softness of his blanket against his skin.

When Percy opened his eyes it was to the sight of a bright blue sky and white clouds. The grass he was laying on was unusually soft and green, he wasn’t aware of anywhere near camp that had such luscious grass other than maybe around the Demeter, Apollo, and sometimes his cabins. Demeter cabin was obvious, cabin 7’s amount of excess sunlight helped the plants grow. The same could be said about his cabin except it was the amount of moisture around instead of the amount of sunlight. Something was irking him though…the grass felt foreign, looked different than the usual grass at camp.

Alarm bells rang in Percy’s ears and he wasted no time sitting up and looking around the rest of his surroundings. As he suspected, the trees were abnormally healthy and growing erratically. Plus he was pretty damn sure that the species of trees around him didn't grow anywhere near New York. If they had he’d have seen them around on his walks with his mother as a child. Percy and her always took strolls out around the parks. They grew more frequent after she married Gabe.

Percy raised his hand and ran it through his hair. All the moisture in the air had practically left a puddle where he once was since it all had slid off his skin while he slept. When he saw the puddle it dawned on him that he had been asleep next to Annabeth the previous night. With that thought Percy quickly jumped to his feet and turned his head in every direction. However, the panic-filled search didn’t last long as he saw Annabeth about 20 yards away unconscious in the grass. Unlike him, her hair and clothes were damp.

He wasted no time wading through the ankle high grass towards Annabeth. The moment he was within reach he willed all the water soaking her clothes and hair towards him. The water quickly gathered at his finger-tip; forming a small ball of liquid. He moved the ball towards the middle of his palm before crushing his hand around it and evaporating the liquid. The last thing he needed was Annabeth catching a cold. That would be bad for pretty much everyone involved, especially if they got back to camp and it ended up being contagious. You never really think about how one little cold can spread until you’re around about fifty to a hundred kids for hours a day that have ADHD that makes them touchy, forgetful, or both. Yeah, there’s a strict illness watch after all the Apollo kids got sick and nobody was able to help any of the ill or the injured from the normal daily activities.

Percy let out a small sigh of relief now that he had found Annabeth and took care of the potential of illness occurring. As he looked around he once again had the nagging feeling he was forgetting something. He had pondered for several minutes before he remembered. He practically slapped himself in the face when he realized he hadn’t remembered to check Annie for any injures, pulse, or even try to just wake her the fuck up. Percy knew things were going too well from him with all the not horrible events that had occurred since waking up.

With a nervous twitch he kneeled down next to her and scanned her body for any obvious lacerations in her skin. He found a few minor ones but those were already covered in bandaids and probably from the sparring training with the younger kids earlier the previous day after dinner but before settling in for bed. Basically it was during their date/spa-night time. Some of the younger aphrodite girls came to Annabeth sobbing for knife lessons because they had been being stalked by boys at their school. Of course, being the people they are, Percy and Annabeth were quick to agree and postpone/pause their own plans. Both agreed that reassuring the girls felt safe knowing some tricks was far more important than who could stuff more blueberry flavored marshmallows in their mouth (courtesy of Percy of course). Plus when the two asked why they hadn’t just asked their head counselor Piper, they said and he quotes ‘we want to keep them away and scare them off not be the reason for mass murder in their town.’ which, to be fair, Percy would totally support Piper’s whole mass murder thing for stalking her sisters; but alas, to each their own he supposed.

Percy shook his head to help reel his thoughts back in, he was getting distracted on the not-dire-in-the-moment-things. Focusing back on his girlfriend, he gently pressed down on Annabeth’s windpipe to feel for a pulse. His muscles relaxed when he felt a normal pulse for a sleeping adult. With most of the major risk-factors out of the way, Percy gently poked around her body and watched her face for any muscle contortions on her face that could indicate pain. After about fifteen minutes of inspecting he grabbed Annabeth by the shoulders, pulled her into a sitting position and started shaking her shoulders. “Annabeth! Annie! Anna! Beth! Ann-u-beth! Wake up!” Percy spoke rather loudly next to her ear. Just as he predicted Annabeth woke up and swung a right-hook his way. With practiced ease he dodged it and the next three until his wonderful girlfriend too notice of their strange predicament.

Annabeth had obviously been startled awake by Percy, which was the man’s intentions. It had taken her a moment to notice that it seems he hadn’t just woken her up for no reason. “Seaweed brain, where are we?” She questioned, her head turning as she inspected their surroundings. She immediately took note of foreign tree species. She immediately recognized some olive, pomegranate, carob, and Mulberry trees. Now that wouldn’t be too odd considering the camp had all kinds of trees being tended to by the Nymphs. No no, what was wrong was that these trees were wild and thriving without any beings intervention.

Percy perked up when Annabeth spoke while looking around. He gave a shrug before speaking. “No clue. I just woke up here and then found you. We must’ve been here a while though because you were soaked to the bone in condensation when I found you. I just hope it’s not another quest. We JUST got to camp yesterday.” Percy moaned, his head tilting down with an annoyed expression at the thought of the gods interfering in their lives again. His expression softened into a smile when Annabeth intertwined their fingers and squeezed gently. “Well, we’ll figure out where we are and then get back to camp as quick as possible ‘Kay?” She spoke, a reassuring smile on her face. Despite reassuring Percy, Annabeth had the nagging feeling they were missing something. Similar to her, Percy could also feel the oddness in the air. It wasn’t until Percy stood up once more and tapped into his power to try and get an estimate of where they were that he realized what was off.

Percy had just been meaning to check their location. Despite only using a small effort the sounds of the waves crashed against his skull. The call of the ocean was blaring in his head and begging for his return to its domain. Percy could hear the sounds of waves crashing, the earth rumbling, fish gossiping. Hell, he could practically taste salt in his mouth. At the sudden intrusion he reached a hand up to his head in pain. He hadn’t experienced something like that since he first used his ability back when he was twelve when he was furious at Nancy Bobofit. Even then, it hadn’t been as intense, only the sound of waves crashing. Annabeth noticed Percy’s recoil and reached up to his arm. The moment she touched his skin her head exploded in noise as well. She heard the sound of turning pages, the hooting of an owl, the fall of an olive from its tree. Annabeth swore she could even smell the scent of a library filled with books. She recoiled, pulling her hand back. Despite not touching Percy anymore, the sounds persisted. Along with the sounds, barely noticeable from the excruciating pain, Annabeth could feel something start to take form in her body. It felt hot, like a small ball of burning magma. It was akin to taking too much Ambrosia or Nectar.

It took minutes before either had been able to wind down and for the sensations to lessen to a manageable degree. Percy was able to recover a bit quicker than Annabeth since he has had similar experiences, just less intense. Now the two found themselves sitting in the grass with their arms crossed, sitting in front of each other. “Okay.” Annabeth started, her face hardening as she met Percy’s eyes. “We need to figure out what in the Gods that was.” she stated, keeping eye contact as Percy gave a nod with a serious expression. He paused for a moment before voicing his thoughts. “I understand why I got it. At least, a bit. I was trying to use my navigation ability to figure out where on Gaia’s earth we are, but it was…intense. I couldn’t focus at all. Honestly I have no clue why you got it too.” Percy grumbled, his face scrunching as her tried to think on why his pain was so intense or why Annabeth got it at all. It was only for a moment, but Percy swore he saw Annabeth’s eyes flash an almost glowing grey before she abruptly stood up.

Annabeth had listened to Percy’s words before starting to think. She had thought of the possibilities and scenarios. It was then when she had a thought. ‘If only time would just slow down so i can think!’ she moaned internally. Suddenly, her head started to pound again as she heard the sound of pages turning. Out of nowhere the world shifted around her after thinking those words. Her surroundings seemed to grow darker, and nothing appeared to be moving. She was startled, worried this had something to do with Kronos again somehow. It was when she had looked around for any sign of enemies she noticed time hadn’t completely stopped. Her eyes caught sight of a ladybug nearby that had previously been resting on a leaf with its wings open for take-off. Now the little bug was a few centimeters off the leaf. She blinked at the bug before glancing at Percy’s still form and remembering her thoughts. With that in mind she relaxed her body once again and in front of him like before and took a deep breath. Just as she thought time seemed to catch up to her once more. The sounds returned around her and the colors bled back into her surroundings. The moment everything was normal once more she jumped up. The feeling of whatever it had been was exhilarating.

Percy started up at her in confusion before Annabeth grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Without answering any of Percy’s confused words she took a deeper breath again and focused. She now felt the hot ball in her body from before warm back into existence. Instead of being a burning form of magma it was warm, like being cradled in a tight embrace. She watched as the colors receded back into a grayscale, leaving everything but her and Percy practically frozen. Percy practically choked as the color faded away into a gray world. His head snapped to Annabeth with an astonished expression. “Annia what the fuck?” he startled, squeezing her hand firmly on his own. She glanced back, her gray eyes glowing once more like he had seen for a second early. “Is this..” Percy started, only to be cut off as she spoke over him. “Yes, I seem to have the ability to slow time to some extent. Things still move but at a very slow rate…” She muttered letting go of Percy’s hand and crouching before a grasshopper who had moved a centimeter up in the air.

Percy was at a complete loss. He was pretty sure there had never been a kid of Athena that was gifted with abilities. More or less one that slowed time or sped up thoughts or whatever this was. “Annie…You're amazing!” he yelled, reaching down and pulling her into a tight hug. Annabeth jumped at the hug, a blush creeping onto her cheeks at Percy’s praise. Just like that her focus faded and the world quickly melted back into color. Percy was still ecstatic for Annabeth and reassured her she was perfect and amazing.

After they had let the realization that Annabeth could slow time settle they got back to figuring out how to get back to camp without Percy getting a migraine trying to use even the littlest of his powers. He suspected he may just need to adjust to whatever was causing it. With his navigation skills basically useless he suggested going to a river and asking a Naiad for directions to camp-half blood. With a plan in mind, they started walking. While Percy’s pinpoint navigation skills were useless he could still easily locate the nearest body of water. It was rather common for him to just know where the water was. It took a good fifteen minutes of walking through overgrown greenery to reach a large, shallow, river. The water was rippling and moving at a decently fast pace. The strangest thing was how clean the thing was, he rarely saw rivers so clean outside of camp. Even then, they usually tended to have some pollution at the bottom. He glanced at Annabeth with a raised eyebrow, which she returned with a small shrug but a clinical look, the gears in her head turning. Percy shrugged with a slight head tilt and continued to approach the river, leaving Annabeth a few paces behind him. Without a second of hesitation he put his hand into the cold running water. He winced as the sound of waves once again took over his mind. Luckily it wasn't as bad as it had been earlier, the sounds were weaker and less overpowering. It still took a minute to get used to but soon he was able to voice his intentions to the river. ‘Please’ Percy thought, a bead of sweat forming on his brow ‘I need some help, please come.’ He requested the Naiad of this river. Every body of water had some sort of Nereid or Naiad attached to it. There was almost always some sort of consciousness connected to the water that had formed or traveled to it.

Percy took his hand out and stepped back from the river with a deep-breath. His hand dry as can be as he waited. He was now beside Annabeth once more, just a smidge ahead in case he needed to fight this river spirit. It only took a few more seconds before the water began to collect and rise. In its wake was a young woman, her long black hair fell down her body and melted into the water. The same occurred with her body and clothes. Her face was beautiful and sharp. The clothes she wore were a shimmering Pebelos that was the color of the river water. Her expression was distrustful and guarded as she stared at the two demigods. “What do you require, son of the lord of Sea’s.” She stated coldly, it was rather shocking for Percy considering most Water spirits and the likes were on rather friendly terms with him and his family. “Oh uh, We just need some directions. Can you tell us how far we are from Camp Half-Blood?” Percy requested, using a gentle town but slightly awkward since she seemed so uncomfortable. Annabeth was observing everything around them and the interaction, her eyebrows creasing more and more as things started to slowly start clicking into places that confused her.

The Nariad blinked at the word ‘Camp Half-Blood’. She paused, glancing around before looking back at them. “I apologize but I do not know what camp you speak of, little lord.” She started respectfully, now relaxing slightly. Percy was baffled when she spoke of not knowing his home. “Uh, okay, can you tell us where we are then please?” his hands coming up and starting to fiddle with themselves. The Naiad tilted her head with a bewildered expression. “You are in the mountain range. About a two day journey from the city-state of Athens.” She stated, still confused on how these demigods could wind up near her river without knowing they were near the city of Athens.

Percy slowly turned towards Annabeth, his face pale as he looked at. Annabeth’s face mirrored his, the reality dawning on him. She hurriedly hushed her words and spoke with Percy, asking if he knew of a way on how they could have landed more than two thousand years in the past. After a few minutes of hushed conversation he turned to the Naiad again with a smile. “Thank you for your help, you can go now.” His smile slowly started to strain the longer she waited to disappear. It wasn’t until his smile visibly twitched that she hurriedly melted away.

Once she was gone Percy turned his back to the river and faced Annabeth fully. “Okay wise-girl. What’s the plan?” His voice was tense, ready to follow Annabeth’s words without hesitation. She thought for a moment. “First let's try and find a cave or something similar we can use for shelter.” She decided, opening her mouth to speak once more before there was a rustling noise to their right. They briefly made eye contact before grabbing their weapons and crouching into a battle ready stance. Both tensed as the rustling grew closer and closer until finally whatever it was stumbled out of the bush. Both Percy and Annabeth barely had time to stop themselves from launching at Piper and Hazel, who were tangled in the greenery together and seemed to have fallen out of the bush. The four of them stared at the beach for a moment before erupting into noise. Annabeth was the first to hurry over and cut them loose off the vines and bramble around them. Once the two were free they smiled at the pair. Piper was the first to speak. “Oh thank god you two are here! I thought we were the only ones! Hazel, don't get me wrong girl, I love you, but I don't think we would’ve been able to find camp on our own.” she answered honestly, giving Hazel a slight bashful grin. Hazel just sighed with a smile and shook her head.
Annabeth was lost in thought as Percy spoke with the two to figure out what had happened to them so far. Percy caught the pair up on the current situation, making both pale considerably. Neither knew how they could have been sent to the past, more or less two thousand years into the past. As he spoke Annabeth walked over and decided to speak. “Guy’s. At first I thought it was just me and Percy and something happened in Cabin three…But if you guys are here as well it’s likely others are in the area as well. We need to find everyone and do a headcount. The last thing we need is a demigod from the future accidentally interfering with the past. Or worse, angering a god.” All of them shivered at the prospect. Usually they wouldn’t really care, but they were in a time period where the gods were at the height of both their power and wildness. They needed to be especially careful to avoid any involvement with the divine anymore than necessary.

Annabeth piped up once more. “Also, for the time being try to avoid using any powers or abilities from your godly parents domain.” She stated seriously, a crease forming in her brow as she explained to the two girls about what happened less than an hour prior to her and Percy. Both Hazel and Piper agreed that they first needed to find shelter and any others before trying anything risky that could immobilize them. They started off towards the east first, it was rather uneventful at the beginning, just some mindless chatter and joking. It was when they had been walking for about 20 minutes when they heard the sound of conflict. Percy and Hazel, who had been leading them, looked at each other. With a nod and a quiet whistle to gain Piper and Annabeth’s attention, they took off. It took a minute of running through the brambly brush before they broke into a clearing. Percy immediately slid Riptide out of his jean pocket. Confusion graced his features for a fraction of a second when instead of the pen he remembered, a golden ring was produced with a trident symbol in the middle. His attention was quickly brought back to reality at the sound of fighting. He fiddled with the ring to figure out how to transform it, deciding to question its new form. Finally with a twist of the middle section his sword was produced.

Once his trusty sword was in his hand Percy Jumped into the fray with Hazel, Annabeth, and Piper. The enemy was a pack of at least 11 hellhounds from what Percy could guess. It was also plainly obvious that whoever else was fighting was on the opposite side of the pack. ‘Damnit, gotta hurry’ Percy thought, jumping back from the claws that had been aimed at his chest.

Piper had gracefully slipped her trusty dagger Katoptris out of her belt pocket and started slicing at the hellhounds while dancing around their attacks. Hazel had jumped in near her and took out any stranglers with her Spata. Annabeth had cursed and looked for the safest path through the hellhounds with her cap on, which she noticed had, for some reason, turned into an earring on an owl. All she had to do was pinch the thing to turn invisible. That had been funny when Percy pointed out the accessory and everyone promptly freaked out when she disappeared before they heard the commotion. It didn’t take long for Annabeth to get close enough to see the group being attacked. Her shoulders tensed in protecting when she spotted those she knew. Specifically she saw Clarisse, Malcolm, Will, Thalia, Leo, and Travis. No wonder such a larger pack of normally isolated hell-hounds banded together for a hunt. With careful precision Annabeth cut off the strong Hellhounds that seemed to see her friends and brother as a tasty meal.
As the other three grew closer and the pack dwindled, the two groups were able to spot each other. With renowned vigor, they picked up the pace to finish the last few off. Once Clarisse struck the final hellhound and exploded it into golden dust and blood she sighed in relief. “Hey Prissy, Wise girl, Piper, Hazel.” she addressed, nodding her head towards them in thanks. Annabeth had quickly walked forward and pulled Malcolm into a hug before inspecting him for injury. Malcolm’s face reddened at her display of affection. “Annabeth! I’m good!” The man rushed, glaring at Percy when the man started snickering at his girlfriend's mother-henning of her little brother.

Clarisse just sighed and shook her head as she walked to Piper and Hazel to get some information since Annabeth and Percy seemed…preoccupied. Thalia had joined Percy in snickering at Annabeth’s antics. It wasn’t often the girl was able to witness the little girl she saved fussing over her even littler bother. Travis, Leo and Will had simply sat on the grass next to the group of girls to get a grasp of the situation. Leo, Will, Conner and Clarisse shared a look when Piper spoke about avoiding their parents’ godly powers. They had quickly agreed. When Leo had tried to burn a hellhound earlier his mind was overwhelmed with the sound of a crackling fire, the smell of smoke, the sound of metals being hammered. When Will had tried to heal Leo when he saw him collapse after trying to use his fire his mind was assaulted with the smell of a sterile room, the sound of humming, the feeling of the sun soaking into his kin. When Thalia had tried to use her lighting she was assaulted by the crack of thunder, the smell and taste of ozone, she swore she could hear the rumble of thunder too. Travis and Clarisse had witnessed it all and promptly avoided anything they could about their godly parents.

Once Annabeth stopped gripping over her brother they started moving once again. She still made Malcolm walk beside her but she refrained from holding his hand and acting like he was an infant. The walk was once again a rather long one before they ran into anything. By anything Percy meant anyone because after around 45 minutes of walking their group ran (quite literally) into Nico, Frank, Drew, Pollux, and Katie. There was a bit of chaos for a few minutes as everyone spoke over one another. It wasn’t until Annabeth let out a loud whistle to get everyone’s attention that they quieted down. She took a deep breath before speaking. “Okay everyone, This is too large of a group of Demigods to keep running around, especially near a major city, unnoticed. Before we try finding anyone else we need to find shelter. We can leave signs in English carved into places or messages but we need to hide before we draw unwanted attention. And I’m not just talking about Monsters” She paused, taking another breath before stealing her expression. “Somehow we have ended up thousands of years into the past where the gods are at their most powerful. As we all know in this era they are rather wild and unpredictable. We must avoid drawing their attention at all costs! This includes any prayers or offerings. Along with that, try to avoid tapping into any godly domains. There’s something weird going on with their domains. This includes gods without obvious abilities as there may be new…manifestations.” Her words cause murmurs, especially with those around Clarisse, Connor, and Travis. It wasn’t fear, but worry. Worry that their friends could be put in pain.

With everything said, Percy clapped his hands and waved for everyone to start walking. Before finding the other two groups Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, and Piper had found a rather large cave that could probably fit everyone in it. If not then they’d need some help expanding it. Either way Percy let Annabeth lead the group as he fell back and gathered Hazel, Thalia, Pollux, and Katie. He explained to them that they’d be the firsts to need to use their abilities and should mentally prepare. They may need Katie and Pollux’s control over plants to set up support in the cave if they needed to dig out more. They definitely needed Thalia and Hazel’s masterful control over the mist. There was much, but with both of them they should be able to form a thick enough cloak of the stuff to hide them from monsters and gods alike. Once he had briefed the four demigods he sped up and joined Annabeth, Malcolm and Piper in the front. Hazel stayed back with Frank to catch up. He couldn’t blame her, it’d been a month since Frank had returned to Canada to visit his mother. It was about an hour walk before then group of demigods managed to weave around, kill, and hide from any incoming monsters (Which was a LOT) and make it to the cave. Both Percy and Annabeth wasted no time taking charge respectively. Percy helped Hazel and Thalia with the mist and Annabeth helped coordinate Pollux and Katie.

Percy took a deep breath as he looked at the two girls. “Whenever you're ready, just know if it gets too painful you can rest, i'll catch anyone if you fall and get Will out here.” he stated calmly. Thalia nodded vigorously, determined to protect her friends at all costs. Hazel was a bit more hesitant with her nod but no less determined than Thalia. With the stage set Percy stepped back as both the girls held their hands out and started gathering the mist. Hazel’s face contorted in pain as her ears wrung with the sound of mining, jewels hitting one another, the smell of the earth and rotting. She shivered, closing her eyes tightly but refusing to give in to the torment. Thalia was similar, her face pinched as she every so often flinched at the sounds of thunder and lightning strikes roaring in her head. The smell of ozone thickening so dramatically that even Percy could taste it. After around ten minutes of agony the mist was thick enough to hide their scent and both girls collapsed. Only Percy’s quick reflexes saved them from collapsing into the rocks and dirt of the mountain path outside the cave. He carefully threw Hazel and Thalia over his shoulder and carried them to Will for assessment. When he arrived he saw Katie and Pollux already with him and the cave much larger than before with vines of all different kinds acting as support beams and pillars. He whistled softly, impressed at their work. He had a feeling it wasn't done from the layout Annabeth seemed to be scratching into a jagged rock slab, but it was more than suitable for the time being. They can work out making the place more…Livable once they've gotten the major necessities. The last thing he wanted to think about was the idea that they all could be stuck in this time period for a long, long time…

With a heavy sigh Percy glanced behind him and saw the setting sun. He took a moment to ponder before deciding he had plenty of ‘fun’ for the day and laid down. It wasn’t anything special, just Percy cushioning his head on his own arm after laying down out of the way. He could deal with this wholllleee mess tomorrow after he had a bit more patience and energy. Percy’s eyes were quick to flutter shut, his last thought being that he hoped nothing bad happened while he was asleep.

Notes:

Hope you liked the chapter! Their in the past now wooo! I really wanted to get to this part quick lol. hope you all like the rang of character
I also really think the Demigods would quickly adept to their situation for survival since they've been doing that for years so it may feel a bit rushed, but I think in reality they would rush for safety before they collapse to rest.

 

more characters may be joining btw ;)

Chapter 3: Uh Thals, please tell me those are just wolves

Notes:

Hey ya'll. I know this is two days late but i have been hit with the AO3 curse. On Tuesday I ended up hurting my wrist while practicing golf. Then on Wednesday I fucked it up even more playing my golf tournament in the rain :)
Thankfully after some ice and wearing a mini brace thingy I had I was able to complete this chapter. I should be able to resume posting on Tuesday's weekly though. Hopefully lol

Percy was in the midst of a rather peaceful dream for once. He was simply reliving some camp experiences from back when he was younger, somewhere around twelve or thirteen? The time when he could still have some tranquil domestic time in the camp's boundaries. It wasn’t until a fire was somehow lit under him in his dream that he bounced awake to find Leo with a small flame near his exposed feet.

 

Percy met Leo’s gaze, holding eye contact with a slightly heated glare. The moment the hostility behind it increased the latino was quick to snuff out the flame with a sheepish yet apologetic smile. “Sorry dude, tried wakein’ ya up the normal way but…” he trailed off with a shrug. The action of his tiny friend caused a loud groan to escape Percy’s mouth as he dragged a hand down his face. “Gods Leo, one of these days you’ll be the death of me.” The man scolded, rubbing his eyes tiredly before squinting them open only to be met with the darkness of the night sky outside the cave. His irritation spiked at the sight and he once again rounded on Leo with a raised eyebrow. Leo, at Percy’s sudden movement, raised his hands in defense. “Hey hey, don’t look at me like that!” He huffed, looking a tad distraught at Percy’s expression.

 

Leo stood silent for about four seconds before caving. “Okay okay look, since you were out cold Annabeth took charge and sent out a group to scout okay? But-” Percy was quick to cut Leo off and lowered his voice, now having taken stock of their friends not too far away in the cave. “Who was sent and how long have they been gone?” he hissed almost silently. Leo was only able to hear him because Percy had slid up beside him to speak. “Travis, Conner, Nico, and Clarisse. About 4 hours.” He spoke quickly, not liking the way Percy’s expression was growing harder and harder as he spoke.

 

Percy ran his tongue over the chapped skin of his lips at Leo’s words. “Why is everyone else asleep then when those four are still away.” Leo paused for a moment, trying to remember why everyone had actually fallen asleep. When Annabeth had the group leave he was a bit preoccupied seeing if he could find any metal from his belt. It hurt his soul a little bit to have to metal down some metal tools even if he could make an infinite amount. “I think…I think Nico reassured that with the sun setting he was in home territory in the dark and not to worry.”

 

That was all Percy needed to hear. He grunted silently as he stood, pushing off his own knee and the ground to get himself up on his feet. He rubbed his thumb over his index finger as he stuck his hand into his jean pocket. Alarm bells rang in his head when he felt a ring on his index finger and no pen in his pocket. It took him a panicked moment to remember that Riptide had changed form into the ring instead of the usual pen he was familiar with. A wave of relief crashed over him as he remembered that tidbit.

 

With his trusty sword confirmed to be in his possession he made his way to the entrance of the cave, Leo hot on his trail. Percy turned to face him once at the mouth of their lodging. “I am going to find them. You stay here. If I’m not back by the barest of sunlight, sound the alarms.” The son of Posiedon stated, his gaze steeled in determination. Leo searched his face for any apprehension. When the fire-user found none his own gaze hardened and he nodded. “Got it. Get back soon or Annabeth’s gonna kick your ass.”

 

Percy let out a quiet chuckle at Leo’s attempt at light-heartedness. “I know I know, just make sure to have some food ready for when we get back, and maybe try to cover for me fire boy.” he teased, making his way out of the cave with a carefree wave. It wouldn’t be hard for him to find their cave with how much moisture the mist was carrying with it. With one last look back at Leo he stepped into the thick fog hiding their only salvation.

 

It was a few minutes of walking before Percy made it out of the mist on the other side. ‘Sheesh, those two really didn’t pull any punches baking that shit up huh?’ he thought, bemused at the effort the two had put into their sanctuary as he finally broke through into the fresh air.

 

The moment he broke through the mist his gaze sharpened and started looking for any possible threats. He crouched down slowly when he saw some movement in the brush a ways away. He tracked the rustling, preparing to either run back into the mist or pounce. Percy all but fumbled forward onto his knees when he saw a rabbit hop out of said bush. If that didn’t make him feel paranoid he wasn't sure what would. ‘I can’t believe I thought a rabbit of all things was a monster.’ he grumbled, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

With a quick shake of his head to clear his mind, Percy began trekking forward once more to find his missing friends. With a swing of his dominant hand, and the twisting of the ring on his finger, Riptide formed in his hand. The sword formed just in time for the demigod to use the blade to brush away some low branches and avoid a wack in the face. It wasn’t uncommon for foliage to uh, dislike him persay. Afterall, if Gaia doesn’t exactly hold the best intentions of you neither does ‘mother nature’ considering that is literally another alias of hers.

 

Percy let out a long sigh as he paused and stared down at multiple foliage tripping hazards. It seems Gaia had placed some sort of curse on him for her ill-will to reach thousands of years before he was even born. ‘Of course she fucking curses me. ‘What's new? She tried destroying the world. Why wouldn’t she curse the one who stops her.’ He thought, sighing once more as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “Oh well, lets get this show on the road before Clarisse throttles one of the Stolls…” Percy muttered to himself, taking a large step over a large tree root.

 

After an hour of Percy searching the damned forest near their little hiding spot he finally heard noise. At first Percy crouched down to listen to the noise to discern if it was humans, animals, or monsters. It took the man a moment to zero in on the sound and not the multiple birds above that seemed to just wanna chat up a storm in his exact spot. Finally, Percy was able to discern voices of humans, humans he just so happened to know. “...inform!” Travis, surprisingly, shouted. He’s pretty sure he could count the amount of times on one hand he’s heard Travis seriously shout out of pure anger. The man was loud, sure, but not as commonly was he angry enough to yell. He tended to be silent and stew in his anger in silence instead of raising his voice.

 

Percy could hear Clarisse sigh at Travis’ outburst. “Look Travis, if…tell…want…” He cursed as he strained his hearing to try and hear her words. Of course Clarisse for once in her life was using a softer voice to talk instead of her usual booming voice. Not to mention these birds above are really starting to grate on his damn nerves. After a few more minutes of trying to eavesdrop the demigod simply got to his feet, glared at the birds perched above, and trekked forward towards the group of four.

 

As he approached he took notice of the fours’ position. Travis was on the opposite side of Clarisse while Nico and Connor were a bit away from the two but in the middle from his perspective. Just from their body language he assumed Clarisse and Travis were arguing over something and Nico and Connor weren’t taking any sides. The fact that Connor wasn’t siding with his brother was odd and clued Percy in on the fact that this wasn’t just a little spat. As he grew closer Nico spotted him, his previously pinched expression smoothing out at his appearance. It was probably because Nico knew Percy could break the two up and settle the matter adequately. Nico wasn’t the best at talking to people, sure he was friends with the Herme's brothers, but he still sometimes preferred keeping to himself. Especially when it came to conflicts that didn’t truly involve him.

 

Percy gave the younger boy a small nod before taking a deep breath. “Heya guys, what's going on here?” he called out with a more carefree tone. No point in invoking any sort of intimidation in this situation, plus they were his friends. Clarisse and Travis’ mouths clicked shut almost immediately when he made an appearance. Almost complete silence penetrated their little area, like even the very sky and earth where holding their breath in anticipation. Connor was the first to address him, the two who were scowballing not breaking eye contact with each other. “Percy, hey man!” the man answered, his voice a smidge shaky as a bead of sweat ran down his face. His eyes quickly switching between his arrival and the two’s standoff.

 

Nico had no such qualms and simply nodded to Percy in acknowledgement. ‘Yikes, that's not good.’ he thought, the fact that Nico still was not speaking wasn't a good sign of the whole situation. He was hoping his presence would help ease whatever was making the boy tense. The fact that it hadn’t made even himself a little tense. “Soooo, Travis, Clarrise. What’s going on?” he spoke, sliding his thumb over the grip. In the very middle where it bugles slightly before slimming back down when meeting the guard and the pommel on either end was a small slidable ring of metal. It had always been there and was the way he was able to transform his sword back into its discrete pen form. Well, in this case it was the ring with the trident symbol on it. Either way, as he spoke he slid his finger across the metal and felt the weight of his sword dissipate, leaving only the weight of a small ring. He slid the ring onto his index finger once more as he looked between both parties he addressed.

 

Clarisse simply crossed her arms as she stared ahead at Travis. The man in question, however, subtly raised an eyebrow at her before opening his mouth. “We found a settlement of people. I think we should report back and help the occupants. Clarisse believes we should simply ignore them after reporting it or completely omit the detail!” Travis screeched, his head snapping towards Percy at the end of his words. Percy’s eyebrows rose in question as he turned his gaze back towards Clarisse, who remained silent. “And why, pray tell, do you believe we should not approach this settlement you found Clarisse?” he hummed, addressing her directly.

 

Clarisse simply scoffed. “The place feels off. The people are ragged and thin despite the plentiful cattle. Not to mention their clothes are of good quality for this era, but their village looks like it’s falling apart.” she hummed, glancing at Percy with a serious expression. Percy felt conflicted at the situation. On one hand Clarisse makes a good point of the place seeming suspicious, but on the other it's obvious their suffering and need help of some kind. As he pondered the situation Nico finally stepped up towards the conflict. “I…I believe we should at leats check it out.” Nico muttered glancin up and then back towards the ground as he wrapped his arms tighter around himself.

 

Percy was rather shocked but his expression was quick to morph into an encouraging smile. “Well, if Nico thinks we should check it out, we check it out.” he decided, sending Nico another encouraging look when the boy in questioned looked up in sligth shock when he had agreed with him. “Now then, lets report back oaky? Ya’ll gave Leo a mini heart attack being out so long.” Percy teased, turning and waving for them to follow. The four in question immediately grew sheepish as they realized just how long they had been out for. Without complaint they followed after him, starting up some awkward chatter with each other to chase the heavy silence away.

 

It wasn’t long before Percy started feeling the unmistakable feeling of moisture in the air. Without much thought, the son of Posiedon parted the mist for them so they had a direct path without any possible complications. He let out a silent groan as he felt a burning in his stomach. ‘Gods’s i forgot about that…’ The man thought, clenching his fist to ignore the discomfort. He made sure to let the mist converage back together behind them to keep the unwanted out still. It also helped that he actively knew that there was a concelient. Without prior knowledge he was positive it would’ve been nearly impossible to find the correct path with how far-out Thalia and Hazel had spred the mist. The thickest of the stuff centered at their little cave but the mist spread and thinned out about half a mile out on every side. It was a gradual increase that made the mist practically invisible to the naked eye, or immortal eye. As the mist grew thick the burning in his body grew in strength the more force he had to exert. The thing is, he wasn’t even using much power. He didn’t even want to imagine what it’d be like if he tried to create a wave or breathe underwater. Sure the passive skill of water not soaking him worked, but maybe breathing would cause the burning again.

 

It wasn’t long before the mist dissipated eruptly as they passed a large pasture of Willow trees. A sigh of relief escaped Percy as he drew back his influence on the world around him and felt the burning lessen before ceasing entirely. The Willow trees provided the perfect ‘door’ so to speak out of the mist thankfully. “Leo! I’m back.” Percy called out, holding the hanging leaves and vines of the willow trees out of the way to let the four troublemakers inside before letting them fall back into place. It took the son of Hephaestus approximately three seconds to stumble and almost face-plant as he rushed out of the cave with a wild expression of worry. The man’s worry dissipated instantly as he saw the missing scouts and fell back on his ass. “Oh thank the gods, I thought something horrible happened to you guys!” His relieved tone turned scolding by the end as he sent accusing looks at the four, minus Percy, who was struggling not to snicker at the teens getting chewed out.

 

Percy stalked forward, patting Leo on the shoulder in reassurance. “Feel free to make them help ya out for awhile for the trouble.” the man crooned devilishly, a smirk on his face as Clarisse, Travis, Connor, and even Nico looked at him with varying levels of betrayal. Leo, on the other hand, mirrored Percy’s expression and jumped up from his fallen position that he had stayed in. “Aye captain!” the fire user stated, giving a mock salute to Percy as he turned to the four. Percy simply waves as he walked away, ignoring the cries to come back and save them from the heat of working with the fire.

 

Percy raised his arms up and stretched, a groan escaping as he heard some pops from his back and shoulders. Without much to do, the boy decided to gather some berries from the vines Pollux and Katie had grown the day prior to hold the cave up. How thoughtful of them to have the plants be strawberry, grape, and raspberry vines. He bet they used the seeds in their pockets. He was ninety-nine percent sure that their respective cabins had planted some new flora in the strawberry fields the day he and Annie had returned. With a shrug and a quick look around Percy leaned down and grabbed a metal bowl from Leo’s little creation corner before starting to pick the berries and deposit them in said bowl.

 

It wasn’t long after he started collecting the vine barred fruit that the cave’s other occupants started to stir. Specifically, Annabeth, Will, Frank, and Hazel rose. It wasn’t too surprising since he knew that the sun was just starting to peek out over the horizon. Romans always had discipline and some drills were done before dawn. Will was a child of Apollo and almost always rose with the son one way or another. Annabeth, on the other hand, liked adhering to the saying of ‘the early bird gets the worm’.

As they awoke one after another he greeted them cheerily, getting some suspicious looks every time until they heard the distant sound of moaning from outside and knew Percy had sacrificed someone(s) to be Leo’s helpers in building a miniature forge. Which the son of Hepheastus had said he would be making the next day last night. Once they gave him an incredulous look he would hand them a bowl of berries and they’d immediately ignore the commotion outside and go sit near where they slept and start snacking on said berries. He was happy to bribe the four out of going to free the other’s from Leo in exchange for some food.

 

The morning dragged on as, slowly, everyone started to rise from Hypno and Morpheus’ domain. He repeated what he had done with the early risers until Leo practically skipped inside while Clarisse, Nico, Travis, and Connor dragged themselves inside before flopping onto the cool stone. He once again handed them each a bowl. Luckily Leo had made around 6, which was enough for the amount of people awake at one time. Once a person was finished he’d take the bowl and fill it once more to give to whoever rose next. Once the four scouts had somewhat refilled their energy he prompted them to give their report now that everyone was up.

 

Both parties (Clarisse and Travis) once again gave their opinion on what they think should be done about the village they found. Once they finished Nico butted in saying his own two cents. Percy looked to Annabeth for her verdict. “I personally agree that we should at least go check out the situation, but what do you think Annabeth?” he addressed her, waiting patiently for her answer. Annabeth on the other hand was pondering what should be done about the situation. It was a few minutes before she came up with a verdict. She also got a few tidbits from Malcolm to help stimulate her brother. He sent a slightly annoyed look her way but contributed nonetheless in her discussion. He’d throw himself on a dagger in a heartbeat if it would help his sister after all.

After a few more minutes of hushed debate between the two children of Athena silence once again reigned as Annabeth righted herself to speak. “Malcolm and I have decided it’d be best for a small group to go check out this village. Since it’s unknown what dangers may be faced it’d be best to send Percy, Nico, and Thalia to check it out. Nico, since you were with the scouts you know the way, yes?” The blonde questioned the boy, who quickly nodded in response. She nodded back and gave him a small smile. “Great, Will? Can you stay near the Willow tree in case they need any healing when they return?” the woman spoke, turning towards the son of Apollo as she addressed him. The boy in question didn’t hesitate to agree. “Great. Can you three head out at around noon, in 2 hours?” She hummed, addressing the three in question. Percy gave a thumbs up, Thalia grinned with a ‘Hell yeah!’, and Nico just nodded once more.

 

With that matter out of the way and food eaten, Nico curled up next to Will to rest for the few hours left before he would leave once more. The blonde smiled as he let Nico use his lap as a pillow as he ran his hand through the others midnight hair. Percy sent Thalia a look for approximately five seconds before both jumped up from their seats and went outside. Annabeth let out a large sigh as she watched them go. If she knew those two well enough, which she did having known one for eleven years and the other six plus dating him, those two were definitely gonna spar for the next two hours.

 

The two hours passed in a blur as Thalia and Percy exchanged blows through hand to hand combat. Both had agreed they needed more practice without weapons in case they needed to fight mortals or lose their weapon in battle. Annabeth had joined them outside after a while to watch them go at it. Leo went back to building his forage. The base of the thing was already created thanks to the help of the four troublemakers that worried him silly. Will hummed a small tune with his hands still cascading through Nico’s hair to help give him a little extra boost when he woke up later.

 

Piper had stated that they’d need new clothes eventually. With that in mind Katie had piped up saying she could grow some cotton plants. The girl stated Cotton should have been introduced to Greece around this time and it wasn’t too unlikely that the seeds could have traveled this far in the wind. Just as the girl expected, she was able to sense a few seeds in their little field between the cave they stayed in and the Willow trees that marked the start of the mist’s influence. Hazel and Frank, hearing the two, offered to help with the process. Katie started growing the cotton plants while Piper, Hazel, and Frank would harvest the cotton and look through the stuff for the seeds. Any seeds they found they would hand over to Katie so she could sprinkle them about and regrow the plants. Frank and Hazel hardly struggled since patience was a virtue needed in the Roman legion. Piper on the other hand wasn't the best at the whole process but had the determination needed to continue. Pollux, also noting the start of the clothing production, headed over and started crafting looms out of vines for when they finished before helping with the cotton cleaning. Drew and Clarisse were chatting about some training tactics they could do to keep their instincts sharp while avoiding actual monsters as of now since they had minimal weapons.

 

Before everyone knew it Annabeth called Percy, Thalia, and Nico over and inspected them before approving them to head off. She reminded them to stay polite, remember to speak Greek and to hide their weapons out of sight. She went over their backstory before nodding and heading back towards the cave.

 

Percy wasted no time hustlin over to the willow tree. “Come on guys, let's see if we can get back before Annabeth thinks we can.” The son of Posiedon cheered happily, his competitive comment rallying up the other two kids of the big three. Thalia grinned and was the first to step up after Percy, Nico quickly following. “What time did she say we’d be back?” The girl grinned, stretching her arms out in front of her as she stepped into the mist on the other side of the willow tree.

Percy chuckled slightly and motioned for Nico to follow, the boy in question giving a nod as thanks for holding the leaves out of the way as he stepped through. After both were in the mist Percy followed suit and let the draps fall back to place. “She bet it’d take us half a day at the least.” The man huffed, looking at the two who both seemed to gain a smile. Nico let out a small laugh as his eyes crinkled in amusement. “Surely we’ll be back before that. If not, Will might actually kick my ass into sleeping till next thursday.” The son of Hades joked, elbowing Percy as he spoke again. “No getting side-tracked now, Perce. I can’t keep him waiting unless I wanna suffer.” Percy laughed at Nico’s gag. “Hah, if anything I’d get a disappointed look from Annie if we don’t beat her expectations.” Thalia made fake gagging noises at the boys’ words. “Ew gross, love.” The girl spoke, sticking her tongue out as the two boys rolled their eyes in amusement. “Yeah yeah miss forever being single. Don’t mind us.” Percy grinned, shrugging before letting out a yelp when Thalia smacked him on the back. “Don’t go getting cheeky Kelp-Head. I've still technically been alive longer than both of you, so I'm the oldest. Respect your elders, you troublemakers.” The girl chastised.

 

Nico perked up when she spoke, a smirk growing on the boy's face. “Well, if we’re talking about that then technically I’m the oldest since I was born in 1932.” the son of Hades joked, dramatically puffing his chest. Percy raised an eyebrow at the boy and chuckled. “Well if we’re going by that logic wouldn’t Hazel be the eldest?” The man hummed thoughtfully, chuckling when Nico deflated at the logic in his statement. The three continued to banter as Nico mostly led the way, being the only one that had found the village with the other three scouts. Percy moaned at all the brush they had to shuffle through. He hadn’t noticed it the first time while looking for the scouts since he was locked into hunter mode to find them. Now that he was simply walking lazily he noticed all the minor annoyances on the path they were taking.

 

Thalia was practically gliding past any and all foliage. He would bet money that Artemis gave her Hunters’ some sort of blessing so they could traverse the land quickly and elegantly. Nico let out a grumble whenever a branch would smack him in the knee. He was able to avoid most of the obstacles since this wasn’t the first time, but he couldn’t avoid them all. It took awhile, but soon the trio started seeing signs of civilization. They found some broken weaved baskets, obviously made trails, ect.

 

Percy steeled himself and put on an outwardly friendly expression while taking the lead. Nico let out an annoyed sound when he took the lead. The son of Posiedon simply turned back towards the two with a reassuring smile. “I'm the tallest and can play ‘most intimidating’ without using any sort of Godly aura influence shit. Let me lead.” the man grinned, patting his two cousins on the shoulder before turning and starting to walk again while smearing some mud and dirt on himself and his clothes. Nico and Thalia exchanged glances, shrugged, then followed in his suit; Thalia a bit more begrudgingly than the boy.

 

Soon enough, while following the path, they arrived at the front of a run down and tattered village. With a quick glance he could see that the houses were made of some sort of dried mud bricks. He also saw some without roofs, which he guessed used to be covered by straw or hay. The houses were cracked, chipped, and some even reduced to mere rubble. It seemed that Clarisse’s assessment of the living situation was correct so far. They had stood there a mere two minutes before Thalia spotted a woman hurrying over. Her clothes were a smidge tattered but otherwise in perfect condition. The chiton she wore was a pale yellow color that complimented her light brown hair. She had a silver clasp on her shoulder that held the Chiton in place. Her hair was pulled up and done into a tight bun to keep the hair out of her face.

 

Percy was immediately on guard. Considering the surroundings there was no way clothes of such quality would be available to seemingly common women. Thalia and Nico also seemed to tense. It wouldn’t be visible to a naked eye, but he had been around those two for years. He could tell when they felt uncomfortable. It seemed Clarisse’s instincts were spot on as she hurried to the theme before stopping. “Hello travelers! My name is Aleka, welcome to our village. I know it’s not much but please, come in come in.” She greeted, a charming smile on her face as she leaned into a more childish side while grabbing Percy by the hands and tugging him inside the village. He glanced back towards Nico and Thalia, making eye contact with the latter. His gaze sharpened towards her with a stubble nod. The daughter of Zeus sighed dramatically before following after the two at a brisk pace. Nico was left fumbling for a moment before jogging to catch up with Thalia, Percy and the strange women now known as Aleka.

 

The trio followed Aleka to her home. The first thing Nico noticed was all the shadows and darkness in the women's house. The first time Thalia noticed was the lack of any type of food or herbs. The first thing Percy noticed was how dirty and unkept her house was, plus the lack of any real decoration. Almost like she had taken them to an unlived house instead of her own. Aleka was quick to wave the three to a dining room vibe table. She motioned for them to sit before taking a seat herself. Now that Percy could get a closer look he noticed her daunt and pale skin. Aleka let out a small cough to grab their attention. “Welcome travelers. It’s not often we get visitors. As the head of this village I decided to host you three for the night, if you need a place to rest before continuing on your way.” The women spoke softly, almost motherly. Percy felt his heart swell at her expression and words. “Of course we could use a place to stay, thank you for your hospitality.” Nico spoke quickly, his pupils blown wide. Thalia glanced between the two men with wide eyes before smoothing out her expression into a dopey smile.

 

The dinner Aleka had served them seemed to pass in a blur for Peryc and Nico. Thalia on the other hand saw the way she put a plate of unappetizing slope in front of them. With a steady hand she ate the food, but as little as possible. The girl saw the way the Aleka women had a crazed look in her eyes and seemed to be almost drooling. The moment she led them to a room to sleep in and Thalia heard her walk away, she locked the door, turned to Nico and Percy and slapped them both. The two men let out varying degrees of shock at her actions. “Are you two back to your senses?” She spoke, her arms crossing in front of her as she blocked the door.

 

Percy shook his head with a nod. “What uh, what was that for?” He spoke, rubbing his head with a dazed expression, which was mirrored on the son of Hades’ face. Thalia simply sighed and rubbed her face. “Guys, I don’t think that’s a normal mortal. I could tell the moment you guys agreed to staying the night something wasn't right. I’m like, ninety-nine percent sure she bewitched you in some way. Kind of like the Medusa incident on your first quest. Remember Percy?” The girl commented, raising an eyebrow.

 

Percy stiffened when Thalia mentioned Medusa and his first quest. With a quick shake of his head the dazed expression vanished and his pupils returned to normal size. “Well fuck, think she’s a sorceress of some kind? The spell was kinda weak though. Maybe an item.” The man muttered, helping Thalia break the enchantment from Nico. It wasn’t a particularly strong enchantment but it still could get the job done when it isn’t expected. Thalia hadn’t fallen for it since she resented her Mother to a degree. Percy and Nico have or had wonderful relationships with their mothers.

 

Percy sighed as he sat on the bed that was in the guest room. “Well, let's play along and see where this goes. It’d be best to pretend to still see her as the motherly figure she tried to portray with that enchantment or glamor.” he commented, waving his hand around as he spoke. Nico took advantage of the bed and flopped down on it. “Well wake me up in a bit. I’ve still been up for a while even with the catnap.” The boy groaned, shoving his face into a pillow to sleep. Thalia passed the time by sharpening her arrows. Percy sat back and fiddled with Riptide, occasionally helping Thalia with her arrows or readjusting Nico so he was more comfortable while he slept.

 

As hours passed Percy watched as the sun that had been high in the sky now was starting to set. Just as Nico was starting to seem to be being drawn into a nightmare there was a knock on the door. With a gentle shake Percy woke the boy up as Thalia opened the door. Aleka was on the other end. “Travelers, there’s a celebration tonight! Please, join us for this special occasion.” she purred, her eyes crinkling in an odd manner, obviously forced rather than natural. Thalia’s blank face instantly turned into a smile as she nodded. “Of course we’ll join you, let us just let our friend here wake up more than we’ll be right out.” Thalia spoke, her head tilted at an angle. Aleka enthusiastically nodded at the girls words and hurried off. If she had to compare Aleka’s actions, she’d say it almost felt like those mortal stories of skinwalkers. She felt wrong. Her skin seemed too tight and pale, her fingers seemed too boney and her nails too sharp. Her neck was thick and so was her face. It was chubbier than when they first arrived. Her hair looked silkier and done up more neatly than before.

 

Percy combed Nico’s hair out of his face with his hands, making the boy’s hair look less bed-head-like. After about fifteen minutes of freshening up and making sure all their weapons were ready (Nico’s included, his Stygian sword gained a new form, taking the shape of a skull pendant, which he hid under his shirt.) They headed out of the guest room. Percy grimaced as he smelt the scent of dust and mold. How a mud-brick house could carry the scent of mold that deeply, he had no clue. With a few brisk strides he opened the door and stepped out of the house, a cold chill settling on his shoulders as he forced an easy-going smile as he moved aside for Nico and Thalia.

 

As the sun fell, multiple people started stepping out of the surrounding houses that were still standing. There was a lack of children compared to adults, but Percy supposed small villages like this couldn’t afford to have lots of them running around. Aleka approached them again, her hands clasped together tightly as she addressed them. “Come, follow me, the celebration takes place in the field near our village. The bonfire should already be set up, please, follow me.” She spoke, turning and starting to walk towards the fields. Her strides were quick yet light, a small humming sound coming from her.

 

‘This is so fucking weird.’ Percy thought, his expression a complete opposite of his thoughts. If Thalia and Nico didn’t know any better, they’d think he was genuinely under the enchantment. His hands’ twitched every few minutes with a need to do something to prevent whatever tragedy was about to occur. It was definitely gonna be a tragedy if the gut feeling he was getting was anything worth its cents. Up ahead he spotted the bonfire, the women had been talking about, abandoned but lit. There were no people around the flames despite it obviously being man made.

 

Aleka motioned for them to go first. The moment Percy, Thalia, and Nico stepped outside the gates they abruptly shut. Without any warning a loud howling noise was heard from the forest that surrounded the open field they were trapped in now. Percy stiffened at the noise and slowly turned to Thalia. “Thals…Please tell me those are wolves and not what I think they are.” he begged, a glint of hope in his eyes. It was immediately crushed when the girl in question shook her head and pulled a small metal rod out of her pocket. With a click the thing expanded into a full-blown spear. With a shake of her head the bracelet on her wrist turned to a large shield in her hand. Nico quickly followed in her steps, squeezing the purplish black gem on his pendant. The gem quickly expanded into his signature Stygian sword. Percy grumbled as he rubbed the ring on his index finger before feeling the weight of Riptide sliding into his hand.

 

Percy crouched down into a fighting position and felt his muscles tense as he scanned the treeline. Soon, as minutes passed, Percy started to hear some sort of wolf-like growl. It wasn’t until the beast emerged did Percy's jaw drop. “Is that a damn Lycanthrope?!” he whispered to Thalia and Nico, never taking his eyes off the thing. He eternally cursed when seven others followed the original Lycanthrope out of the forest. Nico groaned when he saw the others. “Wow, thanks Percy. Your bad luck just had to kick in didn't it?” the boy grumbled, striding past both his cousins. As he approached the hostile creatures he started to sink into the shadows around him until he disappeared completely.

 

Silently, Nico started picking off and weakening the pack. Thalia rolled her eyes and jumped into the fray. Percy on the other hand squawked at the audacity the two had. “Not my fault..” he grumbled begrudgingly joining in on the fight. The battle soon turned into an elegant massacre. Percy jumped between enemies while Thalia practically danced around any attacks towards her.

 

Nico, having completely forgotten Percy’s warning about power usage. He hadn’t felt anything when sinking into the shadows so he had assumed he was fine. It wasn’t until the boy went in for the kill that he felt a sudden throbbing pain consume his body. He barely had enough time to stab his sword into the thing's throat before doubling over in pain. Percy was the first to notice and sprinted as fast as he could to cover the boy. The only thing he was locked in on was Nico’s curled up frame…that reminded him of Annabeth’s when she had been stabbed in the battle of Manhattan.

 

He was beside the boy in less than five seconds and was quick to deflect any attacks aimed at Nico. It wasn’t long before Thalia noticed the situation and switched to a far more aggressive battle approach. Nico had already started breaking out in a cold sweat, clutching his abdomen. His breaths came out short and heavy as he tried to manage the sudden pain that coursed through his body. His eyes had been squeezed shut when the pain had begun, but slowly he started to open them. When his gaze shifted down he was horrified at what he saw. His arms, up to about his elbows, were a dark black. The lines blurred between his arms and the shadows at his feet.

 

As Thalia and Percy killed the last Lycanthrope they heard a blood-curdling scream from behind Percy. Both their heads snapped in the direction only to find Nico half sticking out of a shadow with fear ingrained into his expression, desperately reaching out for them. “Help! Please help!” he yelled, reaching out for them. Thalia rushed over the fastest and grabbed Nico’s hand as he had started slipping under. Percy got there a second after the girl and grabbed Nico’s free hand. With the combined effort they were able to yank the boy out of the shadows trying to swallow him. Thalia and Percy fell on their asses with Nico on top of them from the amount of force it took to free him.

 

Percy looked at the boy with wide eyes as he saw his skin was a sickening black that was slowly starting to recede from his arms and legs. NIco was obviously shaken from the way he desperately clung onto both Thalia and Percy like a lifeline.

 

Percy’s face hardened as he scooped the boy up into his arms and tightly held him as he stood up. “Thals get up. We’re leaving.” His voice was a netural calm as he spoke, his emotions boiling in his body as he waited for the girl to stand and follow. Miles away, an ocean’s calm waves had drastically changed to harsh tides and whirlpools. Thalia wasn’t much better than Percy, her own electric blue eyes seeming cloudy. Far off a clear sky turned into a raging lighting storm in the blink of an eye.

 

The trek back towards their group was silent except for the crunching of foliage under their shoes. Each step was powerful and purposeful. Percy’s anger was only exacerbated by the way Nico’s grip only seemed to tighten around him as the shaking slowly faded.

 

He didn’t stop for a second as he shoved the mist away to make a path towards the willow trees. The burning sensation in his body going unnoticed by the man because of his emotion filled turmoral. Once they passed the Willow tree Percy continued marking towards the cave despite hearing an outcry from behind him. Will, who had been waiting by the willow tree all day like he had been told too, immediately jumped up the moment he saw Percy pass through the willow tree carrying Nico. “Nico?! Percy, Thalia what happened?!” the healer rushed, following behind the trio as they walked to the cave where everyone had been eating some berries and rabbit for dinner. The chatter that had filled the cave ceased when they four entered the cave.

 

Percy stood in front of everyone, his face lacking any sort of visible emotion. “Pack. We are moving. We are NOT staying here.” he spoke, his voice holding hints of anger and his jaw seemed to clench as he practically growled his last words. Slowly, he stalked over towards the fire and sat with Nico in his lap. His arms tightly wrapping around the boy in a reassuringly tight embrace. Will was quick to follow Percy, worry obviously etched into his expression. Thalia, being the only one that could even slightly detach herself from her emotions, explained the situation to the others. Annabeth was quick to ban all ability usage starting that moment forward unless there is some sort of fatal injury or possible death.

 

Percy silently pulled Will into his embrace when the boy began poking around to see if there were any injuries on Nico or him. He would protect his family, no matter what it took. If it came down to it, he knew he would break his promise to Annabeth. If anyone or anything threatened anyone he cared for again, he swore they’d see just how ruthless he could be to his enemies.

Notes:

Soooooo, what did everyone think? I'm a huge epic fan and just had to add the last sentence just for some irony.
Next chapter I'm probably gonna introduce some new demigod character so be excited! Gods wont be appearing for a bit btw, gotta have more angst. Also, did you guys like what happened to Nico? The whole 'almost getting swallowed by his own shadow' thing? Yeah that's probably gonna happen a lot more. Expect way more power-related trauma's from way strong powers than any of the demigods know how to deal with. having over a 20% ratio of your godly parents ability's when your in the height of their power isn't the greatest for someone who is still half mortal