EDITED: 7/25/2017

AU. When Perseus Jackson, five-year-old orphan, wandered the world, he is taken in by the least likely Olympian. Overtime, Percy became a ruthless warrior—the secret weapon of Olympus. Without knowing it, Percy sets a whole new prophecy in motion, rousing an ancient enemy; one that will require all of Olympus to destroy. How will history differ this time? Percy/?

ARC II: THE PRELUDE OF DARKNESS

Legend of Olympus

An Offering

A young girl sprinted through the forests on the outskirts of New York City, whacking branches out of her face left and right as she ran for her life. The sound of trees snapping only fed her fear, and the heavy footsteps told her that the monster was gaining on her.

The day started off normal, actually. She was in New York, spending some dearly missed time with her father, when all of a sudden he had to leave for an interview about the newest upcoming movie. That was okay; what happened next wasn't. One of the babysitters that was assigned to her suddenly grew a donkey's leg. And she swore that she didn't touch her father's secret stash of marijuana. That was a mistake she'd only make once.

Then of course, a shitstorm of things happened.

Her leg caught on a stray branch and she fell onto a pile of snow, the cold burning where it touched bare skin. In all of the slasher movies, she had always laughed at the dumb idiot who tripped when running away from the killer, but this was just ridiculous—was karma trying to strike her down? Was laughing at imaginary characters in movies such a terrible sin?

Staggering to her feet, the girl glanced behind her. The heavy footsteps stopped and the trees grew silent. Everything was too silent. The fact that she couldn't hear movement meant that either the monster had stopped chasing her or that it was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. She prayed to whatever that was out there that it was the former, and that everything was just a hallucination because she had some slightly expired milk in the morning.

A low growl told her that she was wrong and totally screwed. Three huge, black dogs with red eyes and rotting fur appeared out of the underbrush, mere feet away from her. They snarled as another figure appeared behind them, a woman with a donkey's leg and a weird metal prosthetic leg brandishing sharp claws.

"That's hardly fair," she weakly complained, backing up against a tree. Running wouldn't do her any good by now. "It's four on one."

The woman grinned, revealing fanged teeth. "Oh? Does it matter?"

"Yeah, it does," she asserted. "You don't want to fight. You'll let me go." The monsters blinked, and, for a few moments, the girl thought that they would actually listen to her. Then Fate laughed at her foolishness and the monster dove at her.

Looking back on it, it probably wasn't as scary as she thought it was. It was just one empousa and three hellhounds. But at the moment, the girl screamed and shut her eyes, balling up on the ground. The footsteps came closer and closer—

Snowflakes fell gently onto her face and stung her cheeks.

Ouch.

Her hands were cold.

Everything was cold.

Nothing. What happened?

The girl opened her eyes—

"I have another mission for you today, hero."

Percy nodded, his hair cascading over his forehead and barely concealing his heterochromatic eyes. "What type, Lady Athena?"

"The usual," the goddess said curtly, glancing at his placid form. "Retrieval and escort."

"It's been months since I've last left Olympus," he murmured, staring out the windows of Athena's temple and down upon the snowy New York rooftops. "And even then I went to the Underworld to deal with that monster uprising at the gates of Tartarus. I nearly fell in myself." He chuckled, glancing at the shadow that crawled along his left arm and solidified into a gauntlet.

"A gift from Hades?" Athena asked. Her eyebrows narrowed discreetly, but she looked away so that her champion couldn't see her displeasure.

Percy nodded, testing the blade. A pitch-black Stygian Iron blade slid smoothly out from under his wrist, about a foot long in length and tapering off into a sharp point. The vicious double edged blade didn't make a sound as he retracted it. "It fits when I fight unarmed. Looks like those years of training is paying off, yeah?"

Athena chuckled at his tone. "Your voice carries a curious amount of resentment, young one. What is troubling you?"

"The rescue and escort mission. I never liked those," he admitted, glancing down at his fingers. Every time he escorted a demigod to Camp Half-blood, Percy was painfully reminded of the life that he was missing out on and the parting he had with Annabeth when he was younger.

"Why not?" the goddess pushed, not yet satisfied with his answer. "I thought that you enjoyed saving demigods, playing the hero. I remember you were very excited for your first one."

Jackpot. Percy's hand clenched into a fist, but after a moment, he relaxed and regained his composure. "Annabeth, Katie, Will, Chloe, Jake, and Leo. Who's next?"

"You'll see," Athena answered cryptically. "This particular one is a favor that's called in from Aphrodite, actually."

A chill went down Percy's spine that had nothing to do with the Goddess of Love. Though he hadn't seen any Olympians except for Athena and Hades for the past few years, Percy had heard from Athena that Aphrodite was very persistent in trying to see him. The only thing that he knew about Olympian gossip was that Artemis and Athena were on very thin ground due to Athena occasionally sending Percy to destroy a monster that the Hunters were tracking.

But still… Percy felt slightly on edge. Something was a bit off.

He held out his right arm in front of him, palm down, and closed his fist. Immediately, a bright, white xiphos materialized in his hand, and the boy swung it a few times—it did not feel as heavy as it did when he was younger. Though still somewhat thin, Percy would admit that he had gotten stronger.

"Brief me, please," he said simply, grabbing a black backpack off of the table near him. Glancing inside of it, Percy counted five squares of ambrosia and a liter of nectar along with some chips and bandages. He counted one hundred dollars in mortal currency and put it in his jean pocket. For extra measure, Percy stuffed a black windbreaker and a red scarf in. That was more than enough for a simple rescue mission.

"The target is in New York," the goddess told him, watching him pack, "You will arrive fifty yards away from her. There should be a bus stop about two miles north of her general location, and from there get into the main city and call a cab. If you can't find the bus stop you can use this." Athena tossed him a sleek, thin device. Percy dropped it and he heard something crack.

He could've sworn that he heard Athena's eyes roll.

As the boy gingerly picked it up, he noticed that he had just dropped a brand new iPhone. And shattered the screen, no less. Luckily, it was a small crack and off to the side. "I thought phones attracted monsters."

Athena nodded. "They do. Is there a problem with that?"

"No, Lady Athena."

"Good," the goddess smiled, the gesture not reaching her eyes. "Are you ready?"

Percy put his new cracked phone in his other pocket and slung his backpack over one shoulder. A crooked smile appeared on his face. "Sure. Beam me down."

Without warning, Athena snapped her fingers, and the world did flips as his vision suddenly disappeared.

– Ω –

Snowflakes fell gently onto Percy's face and stung his cheeks.

Everything was cold. He blinked, clutching his swirling stomach as he assessed his surroundings. Let it be known to all: teleportation sucks. Percy was in a forest; there were snowflakes falling from the sky and it was chilly. Somewhere in front of him, there was a commotion happening.

As Percy moved forward, the snow muffled his footsteps. It had been a while since Percy had been in snow—he had always watched it fall from the sky in little flakes up on Olympus and down onto New York City. A small knot of nostalgia formed in his stomach, but the boy ignored it and continued forward.

"Yeah, it does," someone said. "You don't want to fight. You'll let me go."

Percy's foot halted on their own accord. He blinked and saw a girl standing in front of four monsters.

Why can't I move?

Percy stared at the girl before him. Her fists were balled into defiant fists, and her long brown hair was tied into a ponytail. There was something familiar about her...

An empousa lunged at her, causing Percy to break out of his stupor. He ran effortlessly across the snow, footsteps lighter than a feather. Dumping his backpack off of his shoulder, Percy tackled the monster right before it would've hit the girl and with a smooth shink, his hidden blade pierced the demon's skull. The empousa exploded into golden dust before it could even scream. The three hellhounds snarled at him, but before they could even do anything, the snow under them solidified into spikes and speared them straight through their heart. Four monsters were a piece of cake.

Letting a small breath out of his mouth, Percy stood back up and wiped the snow off of his jeans. Closing his eyes, he turned towards his target and spoke. "Yo."

Opening his eyes, Percy took in the sight of the girl. She looked roughly his age and had a tanned face, suggesting that she was from somewhere sunny; freckles were sprinkled here and there and pink lips were parted in an "o"-shape, revealing a row of straight, white teeth. Judging by the way that she shivered even underneath all of that heavy clothing, this girl was not used to the cold of New York's winters.

She did not speak. The girl seemed too stunned to talk, and her legs were shaking. Percy's eyes zeroed in on her blue ones. She was quite pretty, actually, with her delicate, princess-like features. Seeing someone like her reminded him of someone with golden curls.

Percy's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. The girl gasped and single word fell out of her mouth: "Hi."

Silence wormed its way in between them. She was still shaking, partly due to the cold and partly due to fear. Percy supposed that he looked rather menacing; a random kid with the mark of the devil in his eye would probably scare anyone along with the living shadow caressing his left arm.

Percy allowed a smirk to break his poker face. "I was expecting a thank you, at least." At his words, she blinked.

"How do I know that you're not one of them?" she spat suddenly, eyes narrowing back at him. The girl was literally shivering in fear. At her accusation, Percy merely laughed. He could see her fists clench in annoyance.

"My name's Percy Jackson," he told her, tone slightly teasing, "and I'm not a monster. I'm your knight in shining armor."

When she recognized his tone, Piper scowled and the fear emanating from her faded and was replaced by something akin to annoyance. "Yeah, because black shines," she immediately retorted. Hesitating for a quick second, the girl added, "I'm Piper. But I'm not telling you my last name."

Percy stared at Piper, and the girl, seemingly having found her courage, stared him back down. Her green eyes had a curious amount of blue in them—wait a second. A few moments ago, her eyes were blue, not green. As Percy pondered this, Piper's eyes slowly slid from green to brown seamlessly.

He had never seen kaleidoscopic eyes before... except…

"Find me."

A massive amount of deja vu punched Percy in the metaphorical gut. He had seen them before, once, in a dream a very long time ago. And it was a dream of the future, which meant that this girl standing before him would eventually become close enough to him where they could share a bed…

Percy's felt his face heat up but ignored it, keeping on an impassive expression. Then, seeing how she was still shivering in the cold and fidgeting under his stare, Percy reached into his backpack and pulled out the black windbreaker, tossing it to the girl. Although a windbreaker wasn't going to stop all of the cold, it would help a little bit and an extra layer never hurt. Piper caught it and slowly put it on, pulling her arms towards her chest to preserve some warmth.

"Come on," he said simply, pulling out his iPhone. He tried to make sense of the apps and stuff, but the tiny letters did not help his dyslexia. "Damnit," Percy cussed, smashing his fingers into the small screen. He could've swore that he heard Piper giggle at him, and his gaze snapped in her direction, delivering a withering glare. Her hands covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Need help there?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, Piper plucked the phone out of his hands and looked at him expectantly. "What are you looking for?"

"The compass."

"It's right here." Piper pointed at the compass app, which was actually in the important folder. For extra measure, she added, "Idiot."

Percy raised an eyebrow at her. This was the first time that someone he was escorting called him that. Though, actually, it felt refreshing. It was an odd feeling, really, to be insulted but also to enjoy it. Percy wondered if he was a masochist.

"Here you go." Piper handed him his phone, and he looked at the bright red "N" pointing towards a thick cluster of trees. "Where we headed?"

"North," Percy answered, pointing in the general direction. "There's a bus stop a few miles from here. We should get moving—the other monsters have probably caught onto our scent, and plus, I just used a phone so that pretty much makes it a hundred times worse."

The brunette beside him just nodded, taking everything in stride. "Ooh, so that's why Dad wouldn't let me get a phone. I guess that's why he got so mad when I stole one."

Percy stared at her with a look of incredulity. "You're not even worried about monsters being after us? Do you even know what's going on?"

"I'm not worried," she assured him, and cast him a sliding glance. "Plus, my knight in shining armor is here, right?" Piper smirked at him. "I've watched enough movies to know to just stay calm and chill while we're still in danger—trust me, I've got questions, but I'll ask you when we're safe."

The boy couldn't believe his luck. His last rescue mission, Leo, was an absolute trainwreck, with the extra-hyperactive boy basically concocting bombs out of trees and peanuts, going absolutely ape-shit when anything tried approaching him. Though Percy couldn't lie; he did enjoy the boy's company. "You're really something else, aren't you?"

"That I am," she responded smoothly.

Percy supposed the red on her cheeks was from the cold, so he didn't ask her about it. "Right, let's get moving."

"What," Piper said, deadpan, "into that cluster of trees? We have to go around it—"

The boy reached his arm out, feeling all of the water around him—snowing from the sky, resting on the ground and on the branches—and drove it into the bark of the trees. A smooth layer of ice encased each trunk, and with a fluid motion, Percy closed his fist and the obstacles in front of him shattered into a million pieces, swept away quickly by the swirling wind.

"Stay quiet," he ordered, putting his arm on her back and guiding her so that she was walking right next to him. "There are already monsters around us."

She remained silent and walked alongside him, the soft crunch of snow underneath her staying a steady pace. Percy tried to focus in on his surroundings, but there were too many sounds—the swirling of the winter snow, the swaying of the leaves, and the elderly groan of the ancient trees. If they were ambushed, Percy wouldn't have time to prepare.

"Stop." He reached out an arm to stop her. Their footsteps ceased, but he heard the sound of snow being stomped underfoot around him. Percy's eyes darted around him, trying to find any movement. The thick foliage and snow blocked and limited his vision, causing him to snarl in annoyance. The vast amount of water in such a little amount of space was messing with his perception. "Fuck this."

Piper scoffed. "What, are you going to throw a temper tantrum?"

Percy recognized the playful tone in her voice and nodded. "That's exactly what I'm going to do." He raised his foot, and just when he was about to slam it into the ground, Piper interjected—

"Can you scream HULK SMASH when you do that?"

Percy gaped at her. Gods, this girl… it was hard to describe. How can someone be so infuriating? Did she not realize that she could die any moment?

"... Hulk smash?"

The snow on the ground exploded into different directions, leveling trees and foliage. There were a series of distorted screams from the monsters lurking in their path, but whatever noise they made was quickly drowned out by the croaking and groaning of uprooting trees and thunderous collisions.

Taking a quick look at her, Percy continued forward. The girl gazed at him with something that Percy now recognized as a look of wonder. It was something he'd seen in the faces of the many demigods that he'd escorted before to Camp Half-blood.

A low growl came from his right, and a black mass of fur leapt at him. The hellhound didn't even make it within arm's reach when a icicle shot up from the snow underneath it, stabbing it directly in the chest. The blow didn't kill it outright, so Percy took a step forward and snapped the poor thing's neck. Instead of wincing and backing away from him, Piper's eyes only widened in wonder.

"Hey, hey," she started, jogging a bit to catch up to him, "you're going to explain to me what's going on later, right?"

Percy nodded. Eying the bounce in her step, he observed, "You seem to be a bit too excited for this."

"Well," the brunette confessed, smiling abashedly, "it's just like a movie, isn't it? Monsters attack, someone comes and has a Big Damn Heroes moment…"

"You watch too many movies," Percy countered tersely, trudging ahead. "If you're not careful, you'll get torn to shreds."

"Like that's going to happen with you right here," she smirked.

The boy sighed, conceding, "Fair enough. But you're going to have to learn to fend for your own. I'm not going to be around where you're going."

"And where would that be—"

"Questions later," he dismissed, causing Piper to pout. "There are no monsters left here right now, but they'll be coming soon. It'll be safer once we get to an area with more people."

They made their way through the snow. Now that the trees in the area had all been leveled, there was a strange but beautiful design in the snow where all the debris has landed. The sun didn't peak out from the thick clouds, and small, white snowflakes slowly landed on them from above.

It had been a while since he had seen snowfall from the ground.

The rest of the trip to the bus stop was uneventful; the ride even more so.

After explaining everything about the gods to Piper—the standard lecture he gave every demigod kid, explaining to them that they were then sons or daughters of modern day gods—he noticed that she was shivering even underneath all of the layers of clothing she was wearing. Piper was trying to fall asleep, but it obviously wasn't working.

Sighing slightly, Percy fished the red scarf out of his backpack and wrapped it around her neck with gentleness he didn't quite know that he possessed. After snapping the necks of so many monsters, he was quite afraid of touching Piper's thin neck.

His wrapping job was quite poor, and so the scarf wound its way around her neck and nose, exposing only her eyes. Those multicolored eyes opened and he held her gaze, offering nothing but his most sincere smile. "You looked cold."

Without saying anything and with that sleepy look in her eyes, Piper shut her eyes and snuggled into a ball. Making sure she seemed comfortable, Percy finally looked away. He took a quick glance at the empty bus and nodded in satisfaction.

The bus was a bit chilly, but he was used to it due to the lack of a heater in Athena's temple. At that thought, the mark on his chest pulsed, spreading warmth through his veins.

The mere thought that Athena was watching over him put the boy at ease, and soon, he fell asleep.

– Ω –

However, this dream was… different from the rest. Percy knew he was asleep and dreaming, but he was still in his seat and on the bus. Piper was still curled up next to him, but when he reached an arm out to move, nothing happened. It reminded him eerily of a nightmare he once had when he passed out from working too hard.

Snip.

A low hum spread throughout the bus.

Snip.

The walls of the vehicle shuddered and rumbled like the sides of a room during an earthquake.

Snip.

A bright light began to gather in the corners of his vision until he was completely engulfed and his body was burned away, leaving behind nothing but ashes. The feeling wasn't painful, instead, it felt liberating. A soft, warm breeze blew him upward towards the sky, and Percy dimly registered that the bus wasn't there anymore.

Or, rather, the bus no longer existed. Percy, too, no longer existed. All there was in the world was light and… a slow current of air.

He was in a room of sorts. A room without windows or doors where the walls emanated a brilliant white. To be more accurate, Percy wasn't in a room—he was a concept in the concept of a room. He could not see, since he didn't exist anymore, but he still realized that he was in something that seemed to be a room.

It was a strange experience. Percy guessed that this was something that mortals were incapable of comprehending.

Vaguely, Percy distinguished the forms of three women. As soon as he focused on them, they disappeared into thin air, and as soon as his perception trailed off, they reappeared again. They gathered around a table of sorts, and the more time Percy spent there, the more he could perceive. On the "walls" of the "room" were rectangular blocks of what he guessed would be decorations, and the women were seated on faint wisps of chairs.

Snip.

The world rippled, and in that instant, Percy faded into existence. He felt the floor underneath him despite having no body. He was merely a conscious thought existing in this dimension.

"My, my, we have a visitor," one of the women said, turning to look at him. Although his vision was still blotted by the whiteness of the walls, he could make out and differentiate between the features on her face.

The others stopped what they were doing. When Percy looked at the table before him, he could see that a long string was being woven multiple times through a complex and colorful tapestry.

"We've never had a mortal here before," another lady said. "I would make him some refreshments, but I'm afraid he's having an existential crisis."

"That's a shame," the final lady lamented. "I was hoping that I'd be able to touch my creation."

Percy's sight faded into nothingness for a second before he reappeared in the same spot as before. The beautiful faces of the youthful women contorted into frowns when that happened, and even though Percy tried to assure them that he was alright, nothing could come out of his mouth.

"Oh well, we should stop keeping him," the one holding a pair of scissors said. "Dear sister, please give him what he came here for."

What did he come here for?

The oldest-looking woman dangled something in front of Percy's perception. Although it was right in front of him, Percy could not recognize what it was. She dropped it and the object hovered before him, spinning in the air.

"Nice meeting you, Percy Jackson," the ladies chorused, all turning their heads towards him. "May we meet again."

With those words, Percy returned to his body.

– Ω –

Breathing hard, Percy nearly slammed his head into the seat in front of him when he woke up.

That was a trippy dream even compared to the ones I've had before, Percy thought, reaching up to massage his forehead. Something dangled from a chain wrapped around his palm and smacked him in the chest. Surprised, Percy slowly gathered the object into his palm and quickly identified what it was. A slow chill spread down his spine.

It was a golden stopwatch. As soon as he had identified it, it vanished from his sight, yet Percy still had the peculiar feeling that the stopwatch wasn't truly gone.

– Ω –

"So this is the place called Camp Half-blood, right?" Piper asked, stepping out of the car. She eyed the massive tree that stood at the crest of a green hill.

Percy nodded as an answer and leaned against the door of the car. Within the car, a taxi driver sat with a glazed look in his eyes. "Well, get going. You don't have all day. Once you get past the tree, you'll—"

"Be safe from monsters and meet other demigods," she finished for him. "Yes, I know all that. But why aren't you coming with me?"

That struck a nerve within Percy, but the boy knew that Piper had no ill intentions behind it. There was no way that Piper would know that he wasn't able to enter the camp. "I can't right now. I have to return to somewhere."

"The camp didn't sent you?" A look of worry flashed in her eyes.

"They did," he responded, lying. "It's nothing to really worry about. I have to be someplace after this, so we don't have time for one of those dramatic goodbyes in the movies."

"No," Piper frowned, "this isn't goodbye. You'll come to the camp later though, right?"

"Of course."

Percy didn't know why he lied blatantly like that, but it was a habit he began to develop. If he didn't promise to return, the people that were with him almost always refused to enter the camp without him. It was only with the false claim of having to run a quick errand that got them to leave.

Piper still looked unconvinced, and her hands clutched the red scarf around her neck. Although it wasn't snowing anymore and the temperature rose, she insisted on wearing the scarf and windbreaker he gave her.

"Go on," he prompted, "we don't wanna keep this guy waiting for too long." Percy patted the side of the car, but Piper didn't know that their driver was under control of the Mist.

She still hesitated. After a moment, Piper demanded, "Only if you come drop me off."

Exasperated, Percy moved forward and grabbed her shoulders, directing her towards the hill. "I'll walk you to the tree."

Piper grinned, satisfied. "I knew you'd listen."

Percy rolled his eyes and trudged up the hill. The last time he'd been on this hill was the first time he'd truly used the powers contained within him to fight against a gathering of monsters. In all of the other escort missions Athena assigned, Percy was able to convince the other demigods to enter camp without him having to get too close.

He just prayed that there were no patrols nearby.

At the top of the hill before the tree, Percy stopped. He could see the buildings in the land before him, and he turned towards Piper. "Satisfied?"

She bit her lip. "Are you sure I should go in alone? What if—"

"You'll be well received," he assured her. "All you have to do is make your way to the biggest building there and ask for a centaur named Chiron. You remember from what I told you on the bus, right?"

"Yeah," she mumbled. Still, she didn't move and just stayed there, fidgeting underneath his confused stare.

Percy tensed. Over Piper's shoulders, at the base of the hill, he saw a few demigods approaching. He had to get out of there before they saw him. It wasn't like he was an enemy to the demigods of Camp Half-blood—it was more like he wished to interact with them all as little as possible.

This camp had rejected him. He had no place there.

"See, there's people there," Percy tried, pointing behind her. "There's not a lot of time. I've got to go."

Even with his encouragement, Piper still looked uncomfortable. Her brow furrowed, and she bit her lip. All too late he realized that she was shaking. "Go where?"

"I told you," he replied smoothly, "I've got to run a few errands in the city and I'll be back."

Piper remained silent for a little bit. He didn't really know what to say to her after that, so Percy decided to turn around and head back to the car before the other group of demigods got closer.

"… why?"

"Hm?" He turned around to look at her.

"Why are you lying to me?"

His body froze imperceptibly, but Percy put down the brief spike of panic that rose in his stomach. "I'm not. What makes you think I am?"

She looked at him with her kaleidoscopic eyes, and for once Percy felt a little bit vulnerable underneath her earnest stare. Her eyes weren't sharp like Athena's, but in a way they were much scarier.

Her voice suddenly became a lot more confident and even. "Tell me the truth."

"About what?"

"Where are you going?"

Without his permission, Percy's mouth began to move on his own. "I need to head back to Olympus." His eyes widened at how words flowed out of his mouth like water.

"Will you be back?" she continued, and Percy began to notice a quality about Piper's voice. It was beautiful and alluring, much like someone's that he'd met long before: a woman who called herself Aph.

Charmspeak, he thought to himself, cursing mentally. Even though he tried to keep his mouth shut, Percy couldn't help but say, "Only if I get another mission."

Her previous command, tell me the truth, was working all too effectively against Percy. He'd never built up an immunity to charmspeak, and Piper was either surprisingly efficient at using it to her advantage or he was just awful at mental resistance.

She lowered her face. "Why did you lie to me?"

"It was the only way to get you to enter the camp without me." Percy prayed that she wouldn't follow this line of inquiry, but his hopes were dashed when she asked her next question.

"Why can't you come to the camp with me?"

The squad of demigods were already close enough for Percy to recognize their faces. The people that he saw made him desperately want to flee, but he was rooted to the spot until whenever Piper wanted to relinquish her hold on him.

Percy tried to keep his mouth shut, but it didn't work. "I physically can't. The camp only allows demigods to enter—no mortals or monsters. Because of that, I can't get past the boundaries."

Piper looked up at him, and her expression was better than what he was expecting. There was a soft smile on her face. "You should've just explained that to me, idiot. But… don't ever lie to me ever again."

Don't ever lie to me ever again.

The command resounded deeply in his brain. It echoed off the interior of his head, sealing it within him.

He didn't say anything. The satisfied look on Piper's face told him that she knew her command had succeeded. "Good. After all, a knight never lies. Chivalry, Percy, learn it before we meet again. And whenever I ask for you to come and you can, you will come to me."

"Alright," Percy agreed. Despite him doubting the possibilities of that command working in the future, Percy needed to get out of the area quickly. He was sure that the approaching group had already identified who he was.

"'kay. You can go," Piper grinned, her nervous exterior gone. "Sorry for the holdup. I just hate it when people lie to me, that's all. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, see you," the boy replied, suddenly feeling rather fatigued. Unconsciously, he must have been attempting to fight off the hold Piper had on him, and now that it was gone, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of him. Nevertheless, he was still a bit beat.

Piper turned around and ran off towards the group of people, bouncing her ponytail back and forth. With her endless excitement for these sort of things, Percy was sure that the camp would fit with her well. He let out a breath that he didn't know that he was holding in. This departing went much more smoothly than the one with Annabeth even with Piper calling him out on lying.

One of the campers that walked up to Piper locked eyes with him. Familiar grey eyes peaked out from under a helmet and held his gaze for a brief moment.

Annabeth.

Percy took three large steps and leapt into the air in the opposite direction, allowing gravity and moment to slide him down the slope of the hill. When he reached the base of the hill and neared he road, Percy's heart nearly stopped a beat when he saw the site that greeted him.

Sitting on the hood of his ride out was the daughter of Zeus, Thalia Grace. Another blonde kid stood next to her, staring down Percy with icy blue eyes, and a scar ran down the side of his face. The Mark of Athena burned suddenly, causing Percy a moment of brief pain. As inexplicable as that was, the feeling was gone instantly.

He didn't say anything, stunned. Thalia just watched him with a confident smirk on her face. They must've made their way around the hill as he was distracted by the other group of demigods.

"Hello there Percy Jackson, son of some god," the older girl greeted smoothly. Her hair was different from six years ago—now, it was longer and sleeker, giving her the appearance not of a tomboy like before but instead of a girl who was sure to be a beautiful woman when she grew up. "I should thank you for all of those demigods you brought to camp."

"No need," he said simply. Percy wasn't too sure why, but he felt his muscles tense up as if they are expecting a fight. "Just doing my job. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to be on my way—"

"I don't think so," she laughed, blocking his path with her leg. "You've grown from what I remember. Shouldn't two friends catch up after not seeing each other for years?"

Percy shrugged, attempting to keep himself from freaking out. He really did not want to run into Annabeth again due to the circumstances of their last parting. "I have places to be. You've changed, too."

"Oh, really?" Thalia swung her legs over and hopped down, standing right in front of him. She looked down at him, and Percy dimly noticed how tall she'd gotten.

"Yeah. More girlish, in a good way."

She seemed to be entertained. "Were you trying to flirt with me? Flattery will get you nowhere, you know."

"I know," Percy retorted, "but I thought it was worth a shot anyways. You're blocking the entrance to my ride."

The daughter of Zeus didn't budge at all, opting to lean against the vehicle instead. "You've gotten a bit snarkier, haven't you? I always had the thought that you were a sweet little kid."

"I was," he admitted, "but based on my memory, you cussed a lot. What happened to that?"

"Eh, well, camp's refined me a bit," she answered. "But, in all honestly, I'm bored as hell here."

"That's unfortunate," the boy observed.

Thalia looked at the boy next to her. "Luke, think this kid could beat you in a sword fight?" she asked suddenly.

Percy's patience was dwindling quickly. He took a quick glance behind him and saw a large group of demigods on the crest of the hill. The only one not wearing armor—Piper, he surmised—was delaying them from joining the trio's conversation.

Percy did not know if Piper was perceptive enough to stall for him on purpose. Either way, he appreciated her distraction whether it was intentional or not.

Luke, with a disinterested face, murmured, "Dunno."

"Look," Percy burst, "I really have to go. It'd be great if you'd let me get into the car."

"Where are you in a rush to?" Thalia questioned leisurely, folding her arms. "See, normally we wouldn't really care, but there's been… other groups of demigods forming outside of camp. Demigods that are against Olympus."

Those words got Percy's interest. "Demigods against Olympus?" he echoed, wondering why Athena never mentioned anything like that to him.

"Demigods that back the titan Kronos," Thalia affirmed. "I'm going to make the executive decision here and say that you're not a part of them even though others suspect you might be trying to plant spies in camp."

"Well then, let others know that they're wrong."

She nodded. "Will do. Also, Leo and the others give their regards. I don't know where you found that maniac, though. Camp's a lot more difficult to keep under control with him blowing things up every now and then."

"That's good to hear," Percy said honestly, "I had the suspicion that Leo was going to cause a little bit of trouble."

"All the people you brought here misses you," Thalia informed him. "Saying things like, 'Oh, you think you're good at fighting? Wait until you see Percy Jackson!' Stuff like that. Well, everyone except for Annabeth. She doesn't quite like to talk about you."

That was a sensitive spot. Percy grit his teeth.

"Most of the people think you're a legend, anyways," she continued, "and nothing more than a myth. Probably because they've never seen you. It was surprising to us when we saw you and that other girl at the top of the hill. Typically, you just drop them off here."

A grin formed on her lips. "Was there something different about this one? You walked her up here yourself, right?"

"She insisted on it." He mentally shook his head, determined to get back to the subject. "Anyways, are we done talking? I'm leaving now."

"You're leaving when I dismiss you," Thalia announced, rolling to the side, "which is now. Keep an eye out for that rogue demigod group, okay?"

Finally, Percy thought, opening the door. As he got in, Percy said something else as an afterthought. "Thalia, Luke, tell them all I said hey. Even though it's been a while since I've seen them… I wanna make sure that they've been doing okay."

The black-haired girl laughed at him. "There's that sweet little kid that I met all those years ago. It's nice to know he's not dead."

Percy scowled at her.

– Ω –

The elevator doors to the 600th floor opened with a ding, and Percy finally escaped that hellish music that played in the background.

With a sigh, he put a hood over his head as per Athena's orders and entered Olympus, weaving his way in and out of the many side streets that Percy had memorized. Athena gave him a very specific route from the gates of Olympus to one of her temple's more secluded entrances in order to avoid other gods and goddesses. She never quite gave him a reason for avoiding everyone on Olympus, but Percy followed her orders anyways.

He cut through the back alleys between a dryad's shop and a fancy Chinese restaurant (Percy ate takeout from there all the time), pausing for a brief moment to wait for the walkways to clear in order for him to slide into the next side street. For a metaphysical Greek mountain, Olympus had a surprising amount of diversity in their restaurants and shops. If anything, Percy had to compare it to a bustling city.

When the coast was clear, Percy cut across the street. He was sure that he looked quite suspicious, but he'd never been stopped before since it was incredibly difficult to get into Olympus in the first place.

The second he had that thought, Percy knew in some way he jinxed himself.

"Why's a young kid like you all alone here?"

Caught like a deer in headlights, Percy froze on the spot. He recognized the voice immediately. He had just heard the less powerful version of it a few hours prior.

Slowly turning his head, Percy's gaze fell upon Aphrodite. The goddess smiled at him innocently, shattering his heart into a million pieces in the process.

When Percy was a child, he had previously met the goddess before. However, now that he was older, Percy was truly stunned by how incredibly beautiful the goddess was. With strangely fierce, kohl shaped eyes and ivory skin, a mere look from the Olympian made him flush with embarrassment.

"Lady Aphrodite," he bowed politely, mentally panicking on the inside. Athena would not be pleased if she found out that Aphrodite found him.

She shook her head, making a tsk, tsk, tsk sound. "That's not how I want you to address me."

Confused for a slight moment, Percy looked up and hesitantly greeted, "Aph?"

He was blinded temporarily by the bright smile Aphrodite flashed at him. She was even more radiant and lovely than the sun. "Good. I was hoping that you didn't forget me."

"No, I'd never." Percy allowed a smile to cross his face. "Although you do look different than the first time we met."

She seemed interested in his statement. "Oh? It's only natural that I'd change as you grew up. After all, what you see in me is your own standard of what beauty should be." The goddess leisurely leaned forward in her chair, resting her chin on her hand. "Come, sit."

"… ah," he fumbled, having a mild mental crisis, "A-Athena wanted me to get back as quickly as possible, so—"

"Athena won't care that much if I steal you away for a few minutes," she dismissed. "So please, come sit."

He noticed that the Olympian wasn't using any of her charm to convince him. Her voice, while soothing, didn't seem to contain any essence of her infamous charmspeak. He wasn't being forced to do anything against his will.

Slowly, Percy sat down across from her so that only a small table separated them. On the entire street, it seemed that they were the only people there. "Do you need anything, Lady Aphrod—er, I mean Aph?" He quickly changed his manner of addressing her as soon as Aphrodite shot him a glare at using her formal title.

"Just wanted to see you, that's all. Your patron is not so… welcoming of others into her palace."

Percy could only nod numbly. Somehow, in the presence of gods, he naturally cowered a little bit. Act as confident as he might in front of mortals and demigods, as soon as Percy was pitted against a god, he lost his edge and became submissive. That was something that Athena drilled into him.

"Look at how you've grown. I remember when you were just a little kid," the Olympian sighed, running her green eyes all over him. She stayed silent for a bit before saying, "Time really does pass by in a blink. How fortunate you are to be a mortal."

She smiled ruefully at him. There was a distinct lack of brightness behind that expression that unnerved Percy to no end. Before he could say anything, Aphrodite continued. "Anywho~" she sang, recovering her bubbly personality, "I want to hear your description of me."

"I'm sorry?" Percy blanched, surprised at her straightforwardness.

"I'm a vain goddess," the woman smiled, tilting her head. "I like to hear what I look like. How did I change from before?"

"Well, um," he swallowed thickly, not quite sure what to say, "you're not as tan as before. Your skin's pale now—not in a sickly way, of course, but in a good way. Also, ah, your eyes are green now and shaped differently, and your hair is also a different color with a different style. Of course, you're… you know…"

Percy's face felt hot. His hands that were resting in his lap were already beginning to sweat. In a small voice, Percy finished, "… beautiful."

Aphrodite had a very pleased look on her face. She twirled a lock of brown hair around her fingers, staring at the demigod before her through her thick eyelashes. Percy gulped.

"I haven't heard that description in a long time," she finally said. "I'd forgotten that I even looked like that." A small chuckle escaped from her pink lips. It suddenly occurred to Percy that Aphrodite had a curious lack of makeup—she went with an all natural look.

After she was done laughing, her face grew serious. Percy waited with bated breath, ready for any opportunity to scram and get out of there. He was going to get a legendary whipping from Athena if she found him like this…

"Here's the real reason that I wanted to find you," Aphrodite began. "Have you ever heard of the Romans?"

Romans? "Well, yeah, but they existed quite a while ago—"

She interrupted him. "Wrong. They still exist, right here and right now. Think about it. If the Greeks are in New York, the East, then where would the Romans be?"

"The West," Percy answered easily. His brain was still reeling from the whiplash between moods. "But what do you mean that they exist?"

"This is a massive secret," Aphrodite confided in him, leaning closer to the demigod, "but Romans demigods exist just like the Greek demigods. They have their own camp in California just like Camp Half-blood."

He processed that information for a while. Aphrodite's tone was earnest, and he didn't see any indication that she would blatantly lie to him. "Alright. But if there are Roman demigods, then where are the Roman gods? Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto?"

Aphrodite held a pained expression on her face. She raised her hand and pointed it at herself. "All gods suffer from schizophrenia. It's stemmed from the fact that there are two beings living in the same body. While I am Aphrodite right now, I am also Venus at the same time. The difference for some gods is much more drastic depending on how the Greeks or Romans viewed them."

"I see how that would be an issue," Percy said, "but why is this a 'massive secret'? Do the Greeks not know that the Romans exist?"

"They did, once," Aphrodite told him. "That was the American Civil War. Their memories of each other were wiped ever since, and the gods decided to move them to different coasts."

Percy blinked. "I'm guessing that Greek and Roman don't mix well, then."

"Not at all."

He nodded. Now that Aphrodite was dishing out some information, learning something new managed to help Percy relax a little bit more. He was more antsy making idle talk with Aphrodite than when she was telling him some important Olympian secret. "If I may ask, why are you telling me this now?"

"Well, this is also one of the reasons that I wanted to see you," Aphrodite confessed. "The Roman camp is named Camp Jupiter. I want you to go there."

Percy didn't say anything. His hopes jumped at the idea of a camp where he could live with other people, but he quickly squashed those ideas down. "If I can't enter Camp Half-blood, I doubt I can enter this Camp Jupiter."

Aphrodite's expression remained serious. "Think about it. What if you're unable to enter Camp Half-blood because you are a Roman demigod?"

Percy had nothing to say to that. A little ball of hope rose in the pit of his stomach.

"Of course, there is a big issue," Aphrodite admitted. "Athena hates the Romans. She hates anything to do with them at all."

That little ball of hope was instantly crushed. Percy sank back in his seat, defeated.

"But… I think I can manage a way around that," she smiled mysteriously. "If you scratch my back I'll scratch yours. Help me out with something, and I'll try to get you a nice camp life. What do you think?"

"I don't know," Percy responded. "I-I think that I'll have to ask Athena—"

"Noo," the Olympian frowned, "if you go to Athena then any deal we have is off." Her eyes followed Percy's every movement, and at once the boy realized something critical: he had severely underestimated the Goddess of Love.

"So, Percy," Aphrodite insisted, "what will it be?"