In Which Percy Makes a few Mistakes (and Prepares for the Storm)

The ocean was always so warm.

Part of the reason why Percy loved it so much was that it bent to his every whim—as egotistical as that might sound. He didn't swim as much as float through the water. Where as a mortal would have to press against the water, Percy had freedom. The water didn't push back. It moved aside and let him pass without any complaint. Water was his father's domain. He was its heir. Water was never an opponent. It was a comforting friend. It renewed him with a simple touch. Within the depths, nothing could harm him.

Perhaps that was also why his father, while supportive, was so worried about him leaving it.

Percy floated within his father's throne room, standing before him within a outfit of Greek armor. Ever since Percy had started going on land, his father had been training him for battle as a precaution. While the dwindling existence of the gods had proven to eradicate most of the monster populations on the land, they never knew if one may still be lurking about. Luckily the worst of their old enemies, the giants and the Titans, had ceased to exist before even Hestia had faded.

Percy was thankful for that. He couldn't imagine a world where evil beings such as Kronos or his parents could rise again. With only three gods left, nothing would have been able to stop them. He liked living in a world that was not ending.

Poseidon rested upon his throne of coral, watching his son with a stern but warm gaze. All around them, mosaics adorned the room. In days long past, Poseidon had used them as a way to watch his kingdom. Now, the images were static images of things and people his father had loved that had long since disappeared. One shimmered with an image of another castle similar to the one Percy lived in. Another was a portrait of Poseidon's wife Amphirtrite and their son Triton, who shared the same black hair and green eyes as Percy. Yet another was a portrait of a dolphin surrounded by countless other dolphins, who had been Poseidon's previous commander in chief. Percy could never remember his name, so he just always thought of him as Captain Dolphin. On the floor below Percy's swirling feet, an emerald circle of sea glass gleamed with a lighter green trident within it, surrounded by shimmering shades of blue waves, the very symbol of his father.

The most important and most embellished mosaic rested just behind the throne of the god of the oceans. Within it was the pinnacle of Mount Olympus, the very table that once sat the twelve Olympians. Eight of the chairs were faded, with colors that were seemingly scratched off of the tile and ocean glass pieces. Only three remained in full color, the chairs of Percy's father and his uncles. A fireplace sat alone and cold in the corner, unlit and stained with ashes. For Percy, it was a depressing sight. All it seemed to serve was a reminder that even the gods of Olympus, even those as important as his own father, would cease to exist one day. Still, on quiet days, Percy could sometimes catch his father staring longingly at the circle of chairs, reminiscing about days centuries past.

Poseidon's dark beard swirled in the water like an squid's tentacles, which was distracting for poor Percy. His eyes naturally looked at anything that moved in his vision. According to his father, it was a demigod thing. According to Percy, it was annoying. It pulled Percy's attention away from the tiles and back to his father's face.

"You have done well with your sword training," his father praised. His voice was deep but still managed to be soft and light, like gentle waves. "While you may not be suited to combat with a trident, that sword fits you as if a glove. You were clearly meant to wield Anaklusmos."

Percy dipped his head with respect. "Thanks, Dad," he said. "Anakus... Anakluck..." Percy stumbled for a moment before shaking his head with a nervous smile. "Riptide's a great sword. I'm honored that you gave me such an important sword."

"My only hope is that you never need to use it," Poseidon said gravely. "I have yet to sense a monster near our domain, but my senses cannot see what lies beyond the shore. If you were to ever find something that would want to cause you harm, I would want you to be prepared."

"And I'll be prepared," Percy told him. "I promise you."

The god of the seas nodded before tilting his head gravely towards the ceiling. "I understand you wish to return to the surface this afternoon."

Percy's skin crawled with excitement. He loved the time he spent on land. He had been waiting impatiently all day for it to be time to visit with his new mortal friends. His father was nothing short of supportive of his escapades, even if he sometimes was reluctant for him to leave. He could understand why. Leaving meant leaving him alone with the dolphins and other aquatic citizens of their domain. And they complained... a lot.

"I want you to return long before the fishermen's ships return to port, or long after. The risk of a mortal seeing you return home, with or without the Mist's aid, is not one I want you to take," Poseidon warned. "Rainbow has told me of a mortal who watches the beach you use to reach the surface. He told me that this mortal has already caught you returning once."

Percy frowned for a fraction of a second. "Tattletale," he muttered under his breath.

"Do not be caught again. Once is a simple event. Twice raises alarms."

Percy bowed his head. "It won't happen again, I promise." Percy then lifted his head with a smile. "So...does that mean I can go see my friends now?"

Posiedon however, did not smile. "I understand you're impatient to see them, but I still have to speak with you."

Percy fought the urge to pout. He was long past the age of being able to give a face and sway his father. His mother however...she fell for it every time.

"There will be a storm rolling in from New York City in a week's time," Poseidon warned. "When it arrives, my elder brother Zeus will be here as well. We are to be his hosts for his stay here in our realm."

Percy's spirits lifted instantly. "You mean, I'm gonna meet my uncle?"

The ruler of the sea nodded. "Indeed, you shall."

"Zeus? As in, god of the skies Zeus?" Percy's green eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Yes, Perseus. That Zeus," his father said with slight amusement. "Why are you so excited?"

"Last time he was here, I had to leave the palace and stay in Long Island Sound for a week," he explained. "I mean, I liked being able to see my Mom so often, but... the chance to meet Zeus..." He shook his head in near disbelief.

"That was when you were still a very young child. You are old enough now," Poseidon told him. "My brother has not visited in many years. Now, you are certainly able to be in his presence."

"Old enough," Percy echoed in confusion.

His father's green eyes darkened as if a storm had passed over the ocean. "Yes, old enough. My brother Zeus is not nearly as relaxed as I. He has ruled for centuries as head of the gods. While... While there may not be as many gods for him to rule over, he still expects absolute respect and obedience. You must be at your most polite behavior." He stopped for a moment as if thinking about the past. "If you do not show him the proper honors," he warned, "He may not hesitate to smite you where you stand with his beloved bolt."

Percy gulped. That was not the sort of family reunion he had been hoping for. Even so, the thought of meeting his uncle, even under such stiff circumstances, was still something to look forward to. Who knew? Maybe Zeus would like him. Percy liked to think that he was a very likeable demigod.

"I understand," Percy replied. His ocean green eyes were still bright, even with the threat of electrocution looming in the distance.

Posiedon gave his son a faint smile. "Very well. You may leave now. I'm sure your friends will arrive soon."

Percy gave his father a brilliant grin before turning to swim away.

"Percy!"

The boy stopped and stared at his father. The god of the oceans pointed to his son's hip, where Riptide still rested in a sheath. "Take Anaklusmos with you," he said. "I would feel much happier if you brought it with you."

Percy gave his father a baffled look. "Uh, Dad? Not to be rude, but mortals don't exactly react well to teenagers walking around with celestial bronze swords. Even if the Mist changed it to look like some sort of human weapon, I doubt they'd like that," he said.

Poseidon pointed to the blade again. "Unsheathe it," he commanded.

Percy knew that tone. It was the 'do as I say and do not question it' tone. Percy quickly tore the sword out of its sheathe, nearly pulling it off his waist in the process. Riptide glowed with a soft copper light, casting long shadows over Percy's face.

Poseidon simply flicked his wrist and suddenly the sword shifted into the shape of a old fashioned ballpoint pen. Percy stared in amazement at the pen he now held in the palm of his hand. Looking back at his father, he caught a glimpse of a weary man with a gaunt face. With the next blink, his father looked just as he always did.

"There. I have made it so your sword will now appear as if it is simply a pen," he said. "Uncap it, and it will return to its original form. Now you will not have to worry about panicking mortals."

"But can I write with it," Percy asked with a mischievous smile.

Poseidon chuckled. "Yes, you can. Simply take the cap and place it on the end of the pen. It will remain a simple writing tool." Percy opened his mouth to thank his father, but the man with dark hair continued to talk. "And seeing as you are going to lose it as some point, I've gone through the liberty of making it so it will always return to your pocket while on land."

"And when I don't have pockets?"

"Then it shall appear in your sheathe," his father told him. "So I expect you to start wearing it beyond training hours."

"I will," Percy said. He then looked over his shoulder. Poseidon sighed and waved his hand in dismissal.

"Go," he commanded gently. "All I ask is that you remember what I have told you."

"I will," Percy chirped as he turned away. With a mighty spin, he propelled himself forward and dashed away in a current of his own fabrication. "See you later, Dad!"

Poseidon watched his son disappear, the bubbles left in his wake rising to the ceiling before bursting upon contact. Once he knew that his son had reached the courtyard, he slumped in his throne. His skin paled and dimmed, losing the supernatural glow it had possessed moments ago. His dark hair shriveled and grayed, streaks of silver racing upwards from his beard and fringing his hair. His eyes became sullen and sunken with dark circles resting below them. In a matter of heartbeats, the ancient immortal had seemingly aged several decades.

The god of the ocean breathed in a shallow breath before staring grimly at the mosaic behind him. The three chairs flickered before they slowly regained their glow and color. He drew in another breath and he returned to his earlier state, the signs of aging ebbing away and leaving him sitting upright once again.

He said nothing. Posiedon simply closed his eyes.

α

Percy felt the saltwater rush past him as he shot for the surface. His deep green tail hardly moved except for the occasional kick to propel himself faster. Excitement bubbled within his chest. He was going to meet his uncle next week! He would finally see Zeus face to face. The last demigod to see the god of the sky...that was centuries ago! Not a soul in the ocean knew what he looked like besides his father, Poseidon. He was going to be the envy of the entire ocean.

He had to tell Annabeth. Surely she would share his excitement. She would be so impressed. Percy couldn't wait to see her face when he told her.

The young demigod breached on his corner of the beach with such momentum, he hardly had time to will the water to stay in the ocean and leave the surface of his body. His arms spread wide as he willed his tail to split into a pair of legs. His eyes adjusted to the shift in light and he found Annabeth wearing an light orange shirt with white jeans, standing right in front of him with a cloth bag in her hands.

Well, more like she was standing below him.

Before Percy could so much as say hello, he found himself crashing down on top of his friend, smashing them both into the sand. Naturally, Annabeth half screamed half squeaked in confusion and surprise before Percy could pop his head out of the sand and roll away.

"S-Sorry, Annabeth," he mumbled through a mouthful of sand. He then began spitting the sand out of his mouth with a face of disgust.

His best friend sat up and started trying to desperately brush the beach off of her clothes. "Do you always do that," she asked incredulously. "You were easily eight feet in the air, Percy!"

"Nah, I was just in a hurry," he said with a smile. He stood up and examined himself. He was wearing the same blue shirt and jeans he had worn yesterday. He frowned. Looking at Annabeth, he noticed she hadn't worn a single outfit he seen twice. Did mortals always wear new clothes?

"Apparently," she sighed. Annabeth Chase, realizing sadly that she would not be able to get the sand out of her clothes without changing in a bathroom, momentarily gave up the struggle and turned her grey eyes towards Percy. She examined him for a moment before absently nodding her head. "Just as I thought," she said to herself.

"What's just like you thought," Percy asked, his hands still smacking the tiny grains of sand from his jeans.

"You're wearing the same outfit you were yesterday," she told him.

Percy blushed. Great, so she had noticed it too. He had been hoping it wouldn't be so obvious, but he was very wrong. "...Yeah. I guess I can only magically create one set of clothes." He frowned before staring awkwardly at Annabeth's face. "Er, I mean, I'm happy I at least have these. Not having them would be...unpleasant."

Now it was Annabeth's turn to blush. She turned her head and hid it behind one hand. "Percy," she complained. "Please don't elaborate on that. We above the ocean prefer our friends to wear clothes."

Percy blinked. "Really? ...Huh. I had no idea. I'll keep that in mind."

"Percy, please tell me that's sarcasm."

The boy grinned, his eyes brightening in an instant. "Yeah, it was sarcasm. I learned it from those sharks that visit from California."

"Sarcastic...sharks?" Annabeth paused and shook her head. "I'm getting distracted. Here," she said in a huff, thrusting the bag out towards him. "This is for you."

Percy took it with an even bigger smile. "Cool! Thanks!" He looked inside and furrowed his brow, his smile fading. "...What's in it?"

"I bought you some clothes for you to wear so the others wouldn't realize you've been wearing the same outfit since we first met," she blurted. She waved her hand towards the bag. "I assumed you were a size smaller than Luke, since Luke's sweater was too big on you that day at the lighthouse."

Percy started to smile again. "Sweet! Thanks, Annabeth!"

Annabeth blushed and pushed some of her hair behind her ear before switching halfway to fixing her baseball hat. "You're welcome, Percy." She lifted her head and looked towards the beach. "There's a few places you can change nearby," she told him. "I can show you where they are."

Percy nodded. "That sounds good. Is the beach busy yet," he asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "Not really. I'm sure you can snatch a changing room." She then glanced down at her own clothes and scowled. "If you need me, wait outside. I'll be getting the sand out of my clothes so the others don't know I stopped by to pick you up."

She then started to lead the way back to the main part of the beach. Percy was just about to follow her when he stopped in his tracks. He bolted upright. "Annabeth," he called with enthusiasm. He then ran after her and then pulled her back towards their part of the beach, repeating her name a thousand times.

"What is it, Percy," Annabeth asked in confusion. "We have to hurry. The others are meeting us in only a few hours."

"I have something really exciting to tell you," he said breathlessly. "That's why I was in such a hurry!"

"Is it something you can tell me while we wait for the others," she asked. "I'd love to hear it, Percy, but I'm worried we won't be ready when the others get here."

Percy thought for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "I can tell you then," he said.

Annabeth mirrored him and gently took his hand. "Then we'll talk about it then," she told him. "Come on."

α

Percy had a new enemy on the beach.

First, the door to the summer clothes store was jammed. He tried to pull it open with all his strength but it refused to open. For a moment he debated on whether he should use his powers to gulp some water and rip the door off entirely—he totally could do that—when Annabeth walked forward and effortlessly pushed it open. Percy stared at her in disbelief as she held the door open for him.

"It's a push door," she informed him. "You push, not pull."

Percy walked inside, his face burning with embarrassment. "Where I live, we don't have doors," he mumbled.

Next, ignoring the way the woman behind the counter was trying and failing to not laugh at him out loud, he couldn't find an unoccupied changing room. Annabeth couldn't even help him; she had to go to a separate hall that had changing rooms reserved for women. Percy frowned and leaned against a wall. He did not like waiting. Waiting made him bored. Percy hated being bored.

The final nail in the coffin was when a room was finally vacated, he still had to wait for a store employee to clean it out for him, even when he insisted that he could go in with the room as-is. When Percy finally walked in and locked the door behind him, he scowled. Summer apparel stores were now on his list of enemies. Watch out, stores. Never cross a demigod and expect a peaceful respite. Vengeance would be swift—

"Percy?" The boy lifted his head when he heard Annabeth calling for him.

"Just a minute," he called back. "Just wait there!"

In a few minutes, Percy proudly emerged from his changing room wearing a new pair of dark jeans and a bright orange shirt. He lifted his head high with his bag in hand and stopped in front of a speechless Annabeth. "Well," he asked happily. "Is this different enough?"

"...We match," she said quietly after a very long pause.

"Huh?" Percy stared down at his shirt before looking at Annabeth's. Curiously, the two shades of orange were close, though Annabeth's was less saturated than his. He looked back at her face in confusion. "What's wrong with matching?"

The blond stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head. "Nothing," she said quickly. "It's nothing." Annabeth then turned towards the exit and motioned for him to follow her. "Come on. We'd better go. You can tell me about that thing while while we wait for Thalia, Luke and Grover."

Percy's confusion immediately faded away. "Okay," he chirped with a grin. "C'mon!" He then promptly grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the exit—

Only to smash his shoulder into the door.

The lady at the checkout counter finally lost her professional composure and laughed at Percy's baffled and pained expression. He looked behind him to seek guidance yet again from Annabeth. The girl just snorted a laugh of her own before pulling the door open and motioning for him to walk outside.

"...You pull to leave, Percy," she told him, the corner of her eyes wet with tears, no doubt of sympathy.

Percy tried his best to lift his chin high and walk out with pride.

Oh, the summer apparel shop had messed with the wrong demigod. He could already taste his revenge.

α

Revenge tasted like a can of coke.

At least, that's what Percy imagined it would taste like. Annabeth had bought him a can of the drink while they waited for the others to meet them and Percy had to say, he was very impressed. Never in his life had he tasted something so sweet that wasn't a dessert. Annabeth told him it also contained something called caffine in it, which usually made people have more energy. But not Percy. In fact, it actually made him feel a little more focused, if only for a moment. Apparently, it had a similar effect on Annabeth.

The two teenagers sat outside of rather small seaside restaurant, which was locked tight at such an hour, the windows dark and depressing. Annabeth fixed her hat before looking back at Percy. "Well, we should have an hour or so before the others show up. What did you want to tell me?"

Percy gulped down a bit more of his soda pop before placing it on the table. Eyes gleaming, the boy excitedly pulled on his sleeves. Even if the caffeine was supposed to calm him down, his excitement was too great to sit still. "My uncle, Zeus, is going to come here next week, and I get to meet him!"

Annabeth's eyes grew wide. "Zeus...is coming here?" Her voice was quiet and filled with curiosity.

Percy frantically nodded his head. "Isn't it great?! I finally get to meet him! Last time he visited our place, I had to go spend the week with my mom in Manhattan. But now, I can actually meet him! How awesome is that," he asked, though it was clear he found it to be an incredible thing.

The girl with blond hair took a deep breath and glanced up at the sky, almost as if she thought the god of the skies would appear at any moment. "There's supposed to be this huge storm system moving in next week," she recalled. "Is that—"

"Him? Oh yeah. Zeus only travels by air," Percy told her.

Her grey eyes narrowed. "Does... Are there any children of Zeus?"

"Huh?" Percy scratched at his neck. "You mean demigod kids?"

"Yeah," she said. "Does Zeus have any demigod children?"

Percy frowned. "I'm... not sure." He paused and looked out over the ocean. "Way back in the day, the Big Three so to speak had plenty of kids. Zeus definitely had some, like Heracles—"

"And your namesake, Perseus," Annabeth added.

"Yeah! There were a ton of demigod kids. Though..." His voice trailed off. "I haven't heard of any others." His shoulders slumped and Annabeth frowned in sympathy. "But...if they did, wouldn't I have heard of them? Zeus at least knows about me, right?"

"Would there be any reason for them to keep their children a secret," Annabeth asked.

"Not from each other. They're currently under this huge truce, since there's only the three of them. No wars, no fighting and certainly no sabotage." Percy smirked. "Personally, I'm quite glad. The others had this horrible habit of killing off kids early."

Annabeth paled. "A truce sounds like a pretty good thing to have." Her eyes lingered out on the ocean before slowly looking back at Percy.

Percy was staring at the water, his eyes clouded with thought. His brow slowly knotted together and his teeth pulled at his lip before he sighed and resumed staring bleakly at the reflection of the sunlight on the water. For a moment, Annabeth once again realized the precarious position Percy was in; he was a boy with a hand in each world now, though the home he knew and loved was far from guaranteed. Did the knowledge of his world's crumbling nature bother him as it did her?

It must. Even if he didn't show it.

With a heavy exhale, Annabeth slowly rose from her chair and stood up. She picked up her empty can of pop, threw it in a nearby recycling bin and walked over to Percy. Gently, her hand fell upon his shoulder. Two windows of the ocean lifted and stared at her, the deep greens and blues brightening slightly. The girl gave him a smile and even though he seemed overwhelmed a moment ago, he smiled back.

"We'd better head over and wait for the others. They should be here in under a half hour," she said gently.

Percy took a deep breath and nodded. His face brightened as he stood beside her, taking his soda in his hand. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

α

Percy gently rubbed at his throat. He had long since finished his coke, though he suddenly felt very thirsty. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it, though that was far easier said than done. His throat felt absolutely parched. His feet swayed. His vision swam. Was he...dehydrated? How? He had done far more yesterday, and he had only been moderately thirsty then. He could feel water close by—cold, refreshing, fresh water. He let his mind focus on that water, carefully directing his attention to it. When he opened his eyes, he expected to see said water. Instead, he saw a bright red hunk of metal sticking out of the sidewalk.

The demigod frowned. What was that? A water prison? What did a mortal have to do to retrieve the water inside? He had heard of cacti holding water within a coarse, spiny exterior before, but metal? Very unfair.

Annabeth noticed his unusual wrath towards a fire hydrant. "Um, why are you glaring at that fire hydrant," she asked him nervously.

Percy looked away from the shiny red water prision. "Fire hydrant? What's it used for?"

"When a building nearby catches on fire, firefighters will come by and attach a hose to it so they can have the water they need to put the fire out," she explained. "Otherwise, they just sit there."

Percy returned to glaring at it. "...How much water is in there," he asked lowly.

"I...have no idea." She looked at him in concern. "Percy, why are you suddenly so facinated with a fire hydrant?"

"I'm thirsty," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the entire world.

"Oh." Annabeth looked away. Then she abruptly realized the connection. She frantically turned back to him only to find him glaring at the outlet cap. "Percy don't!"

It was too late. Abruptly, the very ground shook as the outlet cap flew off the fire hydrant and sailed down the street. A familiar scream came from the direction of the chaos and Annabeth turned to see her friends narrowly avoid the red disk of metal, with Grover providing the scream. The group exchanged a flurry of confused looks and Annabeth turned away and stared at Percy just as they started running towards them.

Percy simply watched the gallons of water gush out on the sidewalk before subtly flicking his wrist upwards. Immediately, the water changed course and blasted him directly in the face, the pressure knocking him backwards and sending him skidding on his butt on the sidewalk. He coughed as the water went up his nose. His eyes turned down to his drenched clothes. Well, he wasn't thirsty anymore.

He looked up just in time to Thalia staring at him, her face twisting with confusion. He offered her a sheepish smile and a shrug, trying to make it seem like it was a freak accident and not an impulsive decision. Her bright blue eyes darkened and grew distant before suddenly her eyes widened with something that looked similar to surprise. Percy stared at she turned her head and stared at the store next to them instead.

Luke kneeled down and lifted him up. "Are you okay, Percy," he asked, his voice both concerned and almost amused. "What happened to that fire hydrant?"

"Ugh, too much water pressure, maybe," he offered as he casually wiped water off his face. He took great effort to not repel the water. If he suddenly was dry, it would surely raise suspicions.

Luke shook his head. "That was crazy! That cap flew down a few blocks." He then looked at Annabeth, his hand now reaching towards her. "Are you okay, Annabeth? It didn't hit you, did it?"

Percy quickly turned his head towards Annabeth to find her leaning against the store, the entire right side of her clothes wet. "Annabeth," he echoed, his eyebrows brushing against each other. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just wet," she said quickly, though her eyes lingered on Percy for a moment.

Luke carefully looked them over before looking wildly around the street. It was surprisingly empty, though he knew that it would quickly fill up. "How about we leave before people start showing up and gawking at the fire hydrant," he asked, though his tone made it clear that he wasn't exactly asking.

"Sounds like a great idea," Percy said as he pulled on his shirt.

Luke nodded and glanced around. "Then how about we go somewhere else for a few hours until this whole thing blows over?"

Grover frowned. "But I'm hungry..."

Thalia stopped staring at the store and looked at Grover instead. "We can come back after that. The last thing we need is for someone to accuse us of tampering with the fire hydrant."

"Absolutely, Thalia. Now," Luke said, ushering his friends closer. "Let's get going."

The group then walked away from the scene, leaving the fire hydrant spewing water behind them. Percy glanced over his shoulder and stared at the hunk of metal. He could sense there was an emergency shutoff switch...

With another glare, Percy swiped his hand to the side. The water abruptly stopped, leaving only the several gallons of water in various puddles nearby. He smiled and then continued walking away with the others.

Author's Note: You might notice that there's new art! I made a new version of the cover to celebrate the start of the new arc! Unfortunately, the size restrictions really cropped out most of the background...and Annabeth's feet... If you want to see the whole picture, please check out my Tumblr illusionsofinsanity! I posted the full image there.

Zeus? Coming to visit the ocean? Is it ever good when he shows up? I highly doubt that. But hey, Percy is excited at least! Though he still needs to learn a few odds and ends on the mortal side of things...

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one should be finished before the end of the month.