"There's nothing to fear, my darling boy," Sally promised, stroking her son's hair as he clung tightly to her.

Large green eyes looked up at her, his arms encircling even tighter around her torso, "But there is! There's a monster in my closet!" She stiffened at this but didn't let her fear show. Her seven-year-old son needed her; she knew the risks, knew the dangers that came with having a demigod, but she took them anyway. The moment she felt him and Luke kick in her belly was the moment she knew she'd love them forever.

"A monster?" She asked, "What does it look like?" But Luke was gone now, so was Hermes, and now there was only Percy.

"It's a big dog! It keeps growling at me," the boy whimpered and Sally felt her heart clench. A hellhound this week, an empousa the last. She'd have to do something about the boy's scent, Hermes said it could be a problem but she hadn't taken the threat seriously.

A part of her resented him for leaving, but she knew that wasn't fair; he had made it very clear that his time with her was temporary. Some mothers killed spiders, some killed monsters.

She pressed a sweet kiss to his brow and pulled out of his embrace, "Why don't you sleep with me tonight? I'll get rid of the dog."

"But what if it comes back?" He asked, and she couldn't help but smile.

Strong hands cupped his face, "I'll never let anything harm you," she tucked her son into her bed, keeping the lamp on per his request, before going into her closet. On the top shelf laid a bow, next to it laid a sheathed celestial bronze sword. It was light, made for smaller fighters, and while she was no fighter she knew how to swing a blade.

"Mom? What is that?"

"Nothing, my darling. Try to get some sleep, mommy will be right back."

And when she went into his room, swingingly wildly and turning the hellhound into flakes of dust, she realized something. She wiped the sweat off her brow, cleaned the scratch marks the hound left on her arms, and finally crept into bed next to her son. She would do anything if it meant protecting Percy.

She hadn't wavered when she saw the hound's glowing red eyes, nor had she flinched when the empousa revealed her fangs. No. Not once had she thought about her own safety. Sally wrapped her arms around her boy, pulling him close to her chest. He had fallen asleep, nestling deeper into her embrace as a soft sigh escaped him.

She hated being helpless, poor, and fearful. She hated that Percy's life was constantly on the line because of his godly blood. Sally pressed a kiss to the back of his head, squeezing her eyes shut. She refused to let the tears fall, Percy may have been sleeping, but she'd know that the stress reduced her to tears. And with that knowledge, more tears would come, and soon she'd be reduced to a weeping ball of anxiety and despair.

They wouldn't continue to live like this, she'd be sure of that. Sally pulled away from her son, snatching her phone off the nightstand and leaving the room. She had been on the fence about Gabe's offer for them to move in, but now it was clear she had no choice, not when the monsters kept slipping in.

She had been in Gabe's mansion, it was fenced in and secure and the interior smelled of sweet cigar smoke. Hopefully, it would be enough. If it couldn't mask his scent, it could at least get them out of the slums. Should the monsters keep popping up then she'd deal with them just as she always had, but until then, she was praying to Hermes that Gabe's home would be the safe haven they needed.

"Sally?" He had picked up after the first ring, and she almost felt bad for using him. But it wasn't about her, it was about Percy. She had already lost one son due to her own incompetence, and she'd be damned if she lost another.

"Hello, Gabe. I was thinking about your offer, for Percy and I to move in-"

"I know you're independent and I promise I won't suffocate you two," he interjected, "I just think you would both be better off in a nice neighborhood- erm, not that you can't handle yourself," he was rambling now, and she hadn't realized she was smiling until a soft laugh escaped her, "And I won't try to butt in and father Percy, uh, unless you'd like that? Not me butting in but me helping raise...shit this is coming out wrong."

Sally laughed again, grinning as she spoke, "I would like that, moving in, I mean."

Gabe was quiet for a moment, "Did something happen?" When she didn't answer he began to panic, "Sally, are you alright-"

"I'm fine, just...there was someone in Percy's closet. I chased him out but-"

There was shuffling in the background, "Hang on, I'm on my way. Have you called the police?"

"The police don't do much around here...why are you coming over?"

A laugh of disbelief escaped him, "To take you and Percy home. Stay on the line with me, alright?"

"Gabe, you really don't have to rush over. I took care of it and Percy's sleeping in my bed. We can talk about moving tomorrow, alright?"

She heard the slam of a car door, "No, not alright. I just...Sally, I know you're strong and you don't need me, but I'm your friend. You take care of Percy, but someone should take care of you," he paused, quickly backtracking, "Erm, not in the romantic sense...unless you want me to be romantic," her smile was soft and her cheeks were warm.

It was nice that Gabe cared so much, and if she were being honest with herself she felt somewhat desperate. It had been a long time since someone's taken care of her. Her parents disowned her when they found out about the news of her pregnancy, her siblings never reached out, and Hermes was gone. She had been alone for so long that she had almost forgotten how good it felt to be cared for.

"I'll let you know when I want you to be romantic," she said, smiling widely at the nervous laugh Gabe gave in return.

"I'll uh, I'll see you soon," when they hung up Sally packed a bag for herself and Percy, it didn't consist of much but she thought about leaving the rest of their belongings in this damnable duplex.

She sat next to her son, stroking his hair and letting him sleep until Gabe arrived, "I'll give you the world, Percy," she murmured, "I swear to you, you'll want for nothing."

Percy's brow furrowed as he lifted the medium-sized rock with his mind, watching excitedly as it propelled towards his mentor. Pan lifted his hand and the rock stopped, and with a flick of his wrist, the rock went flying back to his pupil. They continued doing this for a while, working on strengthening Percy's power over the earth. It was a struggle for him, but one he was slowly starting to overcome.

"You're doing well," Pan enthused, changing the speed of the rock so that it moved faster.

Percy cursed as he tried to keep up, not responding out of fear that he'd break his concentration. It was then that Pan added another rock to the mix, making Percy's hands move like crazy as he prevented the projectiles from striking his face.

If one of these hits my face I'm fucked. He'd certainly be knocked unconscious, and then he'd never hear the end of it from the other gods. After a few more minutes the god of the wilds stopped, dropping the rocks onto the ground and smiling warmly at him.

"You didn't even break a sweat, your improvement is-" a vicious cough cut him off. Percy watched in surprise as the god fell to his knees, coughs violently rocking his body as his fingers burrowed into the grass, clenching the green blades tightly in his fists.

The godling was quick to kneel at his side, "Pan, are you alright?" His coughing fit continued and Percy grew panicked, "Shit, what am I supposed to do? Please, you have to tell me what to do!" The man placed a hand on his mentor's back, hoping to provide any source of comfort, "Can gods choke? Is that what's happening-" he froze when he saw Pan cough up some gold blood, and just like that the coughing fit ended.

Pan's breathing was raspy, and his hand went to his throat as he took in deep breaths. Percy couldn't move, too overcome with dread at what had just occurred. Is this what happens when gods start to fade? They cough up ichor? They get sick?

When his breathing regulated he stood up, clearing his throat and blinking back cough induced tears, "My apologies, usually my coughs aren't that bad. It must mean I'm weakening," this has happened to him before? A numbness crept over Percy as he staggered to his feet, he couldn't look at his mentor, couldn't let him see the fear in his eyes.

But Pan saw, just as he always did, and the godling jumped when a large hand engulfed his shoulder, "There's no need to fret, my boy, this happens to many gods that fa-" what I don't know can't hurt me.

"I have to go," Percy interrupted, shrugging the comforting hand from his shoulder and walking away briskly. I don't need to know about fading. What I don't know can't hurt me.

Percy didn't dare look back, and when he was certain Pan could no longer see him he began to sprint. I just have to get away, if only for a little while, he thought, just as he always did when he felt uncomfortable emotions. His denial ran deep, but he'd take anything over the pain that filled his heart.

Damn you! You can't escape this, Pan is fading! A part of him roared, but if I don't know the signs of fading, then I won't have to acknowledge it. It was a weak argument and he knew it, he knew it and he didn't care.

Tears of frustration pricked his eyes, what I don't know can't hurt me. That's what his mother had believed, that's why she had lied to him, to spare him from pain. I ridiculed her for it, and yet here I am, maintaining what she instilled in me. The godling burst out of his skin, taking the familiar form of his fox, and continued to run aimlessly. What I don't know can't hurt me.

Whines escaped him as he darted through the forest, loud and mournful, and that's when he discovered foxes couldn't cry.

"Where's Demeter?" The godling asked, scowling when it was only Persephone that met him in the clearing. She looked lovely, her black hair pulled into a bun with dark strands framing her face. Her dress was almost the color of his hair, a burnt orange, and it hugged her slim form and accentuated her curves. She saw him frown, clearly confused by her attire, but he didn't comment on her appearance.

The goddess crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "She'll be late, she has other things to attend to," she said haughtily, "You're not as important as you think you are."

Percy looked around the forest, watching as auburn colored leaves slowly fell to the ground, "You should be careful, Persephone," he said casually, "Winter is coming." Persephone bristled, stepping forward and grabbing Percy by the collar of his shirt.

"I'm not sure how you become more arrogant with each passing day, but I promise you it'll be me that wipes that smug look off your face," she growled, growing more infuriated as his lazy smirk broadened and his arms hung limply at his sides.

"Have I touched a nerve? I thought I was stating the obvious."

"Persphone, Percy, that's enough," a sharp voice caused Persephone to shove him away. Percy stumbled backward, smirk morphing into a smile as he looked past her to Demeter.

"Demeter, look what Dionysus taught me!" Persephone gritted her teeth at Percy's clever distraction, scowling as her mother looked at the godling with interest. Percy held both his hands out and vines jumped from the earth to meet him.

With a vine in each hand he jumped in the air, the first vine latched on a tree and he swung forward, letting his second vine catch another tree. He moved like this, swinging with his vines and grinning all the while as he went in a circle around the clearing.

"I'm like Spiderman or George of the Jungle!"

Demeter laughed lightly, much to Persephone's annoyance, "I'm unaware of both those people, but that seems like a very fun way to travel."

Percy stopped in front of her mother, giving her a charming smile, "You should try it."

The harvest goddess looked somewhat embarrassed, "I'm not sure how dignified that would be."

The godling laughed at this, "You're just with me and your daughter, I promise I won't tell anyone."

"I'm not so sure-"

"I'll try to convince the campers to eat cereal every morning and I'll do so myself," Persephone rolled her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest as she watched the exchange. How can you be so blind, mother? He's a snake in our garden.

But her mother looked delighted, "Truly?"

"Truly," Demeter gave Percy a gentle smile before placing her hand on his. The man was smiling softly at her and patted her hand before giving it a firm squeeze. With that, he stepped back and watched as Demeter conjured vines and, while bearing a sheepish look, began to swing through the trees.

Persephone, scowl still intact, asked, "And how much does the word of a fox mean?"

Percy smiled brazenly at her, "More than the word of a winter rose, roses can't talk, and the winter ones are especially frigid-"

"I'm a child of summer," the goddess corrected, eyes narrowing as Percy's sardonic smile only grew.

"I would have never guessed that. I'm a child of winter, myself. I've always loved the cold," a sigh escaped him as he turned to watch her mother, "You should be thankful for me. Winter is a depressing time for most, but your mother will have me, and you should be grateful she'll have a friend to be with while she mourns your absence."

Persephone curled her hands into fists, "Why would I thank a manipulator for toying with my mother's emotions?" The godling didn't bother looking at her, green eyes continued to watch the harvest goddess with a gentleness that surprised her.

Demeter was laughing, swinging through the trees with such enthusiasm that her cheeks were flushed. Gold hair chased after her, brown eyes gleamed with mirth, and flowers sprouted beneath her soaring form.

Persephone watched her in surprise. She's happy. When winter was close her mother would become sullen. Gold hair would dim as would her brown eyes. She'd become clingy, wanting to spend a suffocating amount of time with Persephone, to the point where she would slightly resent her mother.

It wasn't that she wouldn't miss her mother, but Demeter made it so she couldn't breathe whenever the season changed to fall. However, she had displayed none of these behaviors. The harvest goddess spent an alarming amount of time with the godling, and this realization worried her. Is she replacing me?

Percy hummed, causing her anger to spike, "Toying with her emotions? I'm not so sure I am anymore."

Zoe blinked blearily as the sounds of loud whimpers awoke her. A heavy sigh escaped her as she sat up, and a scowl marred her features as she emerged from her tent.

She moved to Percy's tent, slipping inside and hovering over him, "Percy, wake up," he was drenched in sweat, laying on his side and trembling as he hugged his knees close to his chest. Lucky for her, Shadow wasn't with him, meaning she was out hunting, and that gave her enough time to wake the godling so he'd cease making those pitiful noises.

A whine escaped him and he jolted, eyes squeezed shut as he flinched away from her, "I'm sorry!"

Zoe hesitated, reaching out to gently grab his shoulder, "Percy, it's a dream," she gave him a shake and his eyes snapped open. The godling scrambled away from her, breathing heavily as green eyes darted around frantically. He looked like a cornered animal, ready to lash out and escape at any moment.

"Zoe," his breathing slowed and his body relaxed marginally, but he still looked on edge, "Why are you in my tent?"

The huntress rolled her eyes, "You were having a nightmare, your pathetic whimpering woke me up."

Percy bristled at this, baring his teeth at her, "Fuck you," while he looked angry, his words were half-hearted, and this gave Zoe pause. The man that he killed, surely that's what his nightmare was about.

She remembered when he came back from his first mission. He outwardly looked calm and collected when he spoke of the poacher's death, but she knew it had taken a toll on him, just as it had taken a toll on her when she killed her first man. Zoe had joined the hunt because of Artemis, because of the promise of a familial relationship that could be built.

She didn't hate men, she just distrusted them; so when she had slit the throat of a man in self-defense it had sickened her. The huntress wasn't guilt-ridden about defending herself, she would never apologize for that, but watching the life bleed from his eyes and his last breaths leave him had been harrowing. His blood stained her hands, speckled her cheeks, and burned her skin.

Perhaps he had deserved to die. She had come to terms with it now, of course, but she was naive then; never knowing battle and never striking the killing blow.

"Your nightmare, was it of the poacher?" She asked, sitting down across from the godling. He frowned at her but didn't respond, choosing to watch her warily, no doubt waiting for her to leave. But she didn't, and they sat in uncomfortable silence, neither one taking their eyes off each other.

Finally, after what had felt like minutes, Percy dismissed her, "Well, my nightmare is gone, so you can leave too."

"It was of the poacher."

"Get the fuck out of my tent," he said, no heat behind his words, but eyes narrowed and hands balled into fists.

She blinked, overcome with curiosity, "I bother you immensely, why is that?" Percy had detested her from the start, a fact that didn't bother her in the slightest. He had cursed at her, calmed only by Calypso. Her treatment of her sister was most definitely the root cause of why Percy disliked her, but she wanted to hear it from him.

He scowled at her, "You already know why. You're a complete ass to your sister."

She tilted her head, "In what way? I don't even speak to her."

"That's the problem, you just ignore her and glare at her-"

"And she's your mate. Me being mean to your mate makes you dislike me," she rationalized, only serving to anger Percy further.

Green eyes darkened, "No, that's not it!"

"What else could it be?"

Truthfully, she had mixed feelings about the titaness. Calypso was indeed her sister, they shared the same father and they shared the same blood, but Calypso was a traitor. Before the war, the two had been friends. Not extremely close, but they were on friendly terms. Calypso would visit her garden on occasion and help tend to it, they'd talk about nonsensical things and go on about their business.

During the First Titanomachy, Calypso had sided with their father. Initially, Zoe had believed her sister's banishment to Ogyia to be uncalled for, but that was before she became the lieutenant of Artemis.

She now understood that Calypso's treachery had to be punished. She had stood with their father and other titans that sought to destroy the gods. Had they succeeded she would have never met Artemis and had she never met Artemis she would have still been puttering about that blasted garden for the rest of her life.

Zoe had been weak when she was Hesperide, milling about a stupid garden filled with Hera's golden apples, getting duped by Hercules, and then exiled by her sisters. Gods, she had been so pitiful then, so idiotic, so much like Calypso.

Maybe that's why she hated her sister so much. Zoe had been optimistic when she was a Hesperide, smitten with Hercules, and had fallen in love with the idea of love. But, unlike Calypso, when her heart was broken she never bounced back. She hadn't remained as Calypso had, stupid and naive and romanticizing male heroes.

Instead, she sought out a purpose, she was a huntress now, stronger and smarter. Calypso continued to delude herself with these beliefs of finding true love, even after countless men ended up on her island and left her behind, as was her curse. Her stupidity disgusted the huntress.

It's because you see yourself in her. A treacherous voice whispered and this caused her to scowl.

Percy's voice dragged her from her thoughts, "She's your sister, Zoe, and you treat her like shit. She doesn't deserve that just because of who she used to be."

The lieutenant snorted, stretching her legs out and leaning back to rest her weight on her hands, "Sounds like you're projecting," he glared at her but said nothing, further piquing her interest.

"She's told you? About the men on her island? About Odysseus-"

"Yes," he snapped, "She did."

"Does that bother you? How quickly she took to strangers that arrived on her island, but how slowly she's taking to you?" It wasn't a question asked out of cruelty, and she could tell that Percy recognized that. It caused his defenses to lower ever so slightly, though he still regarded Zoe with suspicion.

He seemed hesitant to answer, but he did so anyway, "She was isolated then, desperate for companionship. Now, she has options and she's surrounded by people she cares for. She's not desperate anymore, and...I'm okay with waiting," Zoe hadn't thought of it that way, and she was impressed with the rationality that came with his answer. That's enough for tonight.

She stood to her feet, "If it's any consolation, you're better than many of the men that washed up on her island. Most had wives but still stayed for a time," Percy looked uncomfortable for a moment, but shrugged it off and gave her a nod.

"I'm better than men that commit infidelity. Good to know," the huntress chuckled at this, and as she made her way to leave he called out to her, "Thanks."

She turned to him with a frown, "For what?"

He rolled his eyes, "For waking me up, stupid," he grumbled, as though it pained him to thank her.

Zoe paused for a moment, "Killing...it gets easier. The nightmares will eventually fade and so will the guilt. Regardless of the circumstances that came with that poacher's death, guilt won't bring him back, and it won't bring you peace."

"Then what will?" His voice was soft, gaze downcast, and for the first time, she noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes. A reoccurring nightmare, a thing we both share.

"Moving forward. You just keep moving forward," she left the godling to ponder her words, going into her tent and laying down.

She was far too awake to sleep now, "Keep moving forward," she laughed bitterly, thinking of Hercules and Calypso, "If only I could do the same."

"You're taking us into the woods to tell us your secret?" Annabeth grumbled, following Percy into the wooded part of Camp Halfblood.

Yang, Arthur, and Clarisse were close on her heels as the auburn-haired man led them to the secluded part of the campgrounds. Shadow trotted beside him, ears perked and orange eyes flitting back and forth, checking for any signs of danger. It was the dead of night and, despite Annabeth's reservations about the harpies running about, her curiosity convinced her to follow him.

"I bet it's all bullshit," Yang laughed, "Percy is taking us into the woods to either murder us or fuck with us," it was cold, Yang and Percy were the only ones without jackets, neither flinching whenever the wind struck them. Arthur, Annabeth, and Clarisse were bundled up in bulky jackets and shivering as they walked; looking enviously at the two that were unphased by the cold.

"He can try to murder us, but he'll only take out Annie and Arthur before I ram my spear up his ass," Clarisse declared, earning a snicker from Yang and an indignant snort from Annabeth.

"Why us?" Arthur asked a touch defensively.

Yang chose this time to say, "Well, Annabeth is a toothpick and you're slow on your feet," she grinned broadly, "Percy is our strongest brother! He'll rip you both in half."

The daughter of Athena sighed, "You two act as though you could take both him and Shadow," Clarisse snorted but it was Yang that pouted, giving Shadow's back a soft pat.

"Look at this sweet puppy, I could never hurt her!" The blonde declared and her sister looked at her incredulously.

"Shadow's a wolf!"

"She's just an overgrown, wild puppy, Clarisse. Are you telling me you'd hurt this precious face?" Yang gestured to the wolf, and Shadow turned slightly. Her tongue slipped just past her sharp teeth, revealing a pink dot, and her tail wagged excitedly. Yang looked to be suppressing a squeal as she cooed about how cute the wolf was.

The daughter of Ares groaned, "She won't look like that when she tries to eat us!" Yang rolled her eyes before showering the black wolf with affectionate scratches and sweet compliments. Shadow was preening from all the attention, her tail wagged furiously and Percy smiled at the sight.

Yang finally tore her attention from Shadow, "Now, if Percy was alone, Clarisse and I would kick his ass-"

"I'd swing you around by your hair and use you to crack Clarisse's skull open," Percy interjected, earning him an elbow to his side from the dual-eyed girl. He grunted, shooting her a dirty look as he held his throbbing side.

"Don't even think about touching my hair-"

Clarisse smirked, "We get it, only Blake can touch your lion mane."

"And only Chris can touch your greasy bird nest," she shot back, dancing away from the punch aimed at her shoulder.

"Shut the fuck up."

"No, you."

Annabeth groaned, "This is what I get for coming out with children of Ares, you're all squabbling brutes."

Yang and Arthur laughed while Clarisse slung an arm over her shoulders, "You love us, Annie, you don't have to pretend you don't."

They walked for a bit longer before Percy stopped, turning to face his friends. They looked at him expectantly, causing him to falter. He was leaving Camp Halflbood for Camp Jupiter in a couple of days, and in his absence, Chiron would make the campers aware of his true identity.

He wasn't sure why, but the idea didn't sit well with him. If anything, the four he had brought here, deserved to hear the truth from him. Then, when he disappeared, they wouldn't be angry with him. If they were in the know now, then the guilt that settled on his chest would finally go away, or so he hoped.

"I'm leaving camp soon," he said, opening his mouth to continue, only to be interrupted by Clarisse.

"A lot of kids are, winter break is coming up and they're going home to be with their families-"

"I'm not coming back," that shut her up and garnered everyone's attention, "Well, I'll come back but not to stay, just to visit," Arthur looked somewhat saddened, Yang surprised, Annabeth curious, and Clarisse was seething.

Before Clarisse could yell at him, a coping mechanism she used to hide her sadness, Annabeth said, "This has something to do with Luke."

Arthur frowned at her, "Luke?"

"Yes," she looked at the man expectantly, ignoring the curious gazes directed towards her, "He's finally going to tell me his connection to Luke."

Percy sighed, deciding to stop dancing around the topic at hand, "I thought you all deserved to know the truth," his form shifted, growing from a seventeen-year-old boy to a twenty-two-year-old man.

His beard grew out slightly, auburn obscured by darkness but the facial hair was outlined by the glow of the moon. He grew a couple of inches, his body filling out as a man's should rather than a teenage boy. The godling was certain the demigods could feel his powerful aura now, based on how unsettled the three of them looked.

Before any questions were raised he said, "I'm a godling, the future god of the wilds. Pan is my mentor, and he sent me here because I've had no prior knowledge or experience with the mythological world before I met him."

Yang looked at him with reverence, stepping closer, mouth agape and eyes opened wide, "Holy shit, our brother's a god! A god of the wilds! That's why you have Shadow...that's why you're so strong, that's incredible!" She breathed, reaching out to touch his arm only to be yanked back by Clarisse.

The daughter of Ares looked murderous, dark eyes glinting with malice, "He's not our brother! He's a liar!"

Percy felt his heart sink, "I didn't want to lie," that was a lie in itself, because before he came to know these demigods he hadn't given a shit about lying, about hurting people, "I was sent here, I couldn't reject the orders of my god, you know that."

Yang ripped herself from Clarisses's grip, giving her a disapproving look, "He's right, and even if he's not our brother by blood, he's our brother in arms."

"Brother in arms," the dark-haired girl sneered, "He's fought in no battles with us, capture the flag is a game," She felt betrayed, used, and Percy felt his guilt return tenfold. I never wanted to care for you, he wanted to explain, but I have and I don't regret it.

"He's our friend, he didn't lie for fun," Arthur pointed out, "Our father claimed him, he wouldn't have done so if he didn't at least respect him," Percy grimaced but didn't speak up, he and Ares were now on grudgingly friendly terms. Clarisse softened at this, and Percy decided not to correct the son of Ares.

Your father chose me out of spite but has since shown me respect because of my love for all of you. No, that was a revelation for a later date, for when the fragility of the truth wouldn't crush Clarisse and make her detest him.

Annabeth disregarded their conversation, looking at Percy in shock and recognition, "You're Percy Jackson," this startled the other demigods and they looked at him in disbelief. Percy was almost startled by that as well. Percy Jackson, there's a name I haven't heard in a while.

His real name pricked his skin, made his muscles tighten, and caused him to feel a slight revulsion. Percy Morgan is a better man than Percy Jackson could ever be. He wasn't sure where the shame was coming from, but it was stifling and unnerving. Percy Jackson was someone else, someone he hardly recognized. A bitter smile twisted on his lips, but that's who you are, you've never been Percy Morgan.

"Yes, I'm Percy Jackson, the son of Hermes and the twin brother of Luke Castellan. We were separated at birth, I didn't know I was even a demigod until this year when I became Pan's successor," successor, I don't like that word, "When I became his student," he amended, looking away from the intensity that came from four pairs of eyes.

"Luke met with me before he died, I happened to be in New York at the time. He was possessed by Kronos then, I didn't know, but something about him was off," he rushed out, "But at the same time there was a connection, I loved him, and then I dreamed of his death," he took Annabeth's hand and gave it a small squeeze before releasing it.

The blonde's grey eyes pierced his green ones, "I'm sorry."

The godling's eyebrows raised, "Why are you sorry? You knew him, I never did."

"That's why I'm sorry...your brother was a good man," he only embodied evil incarnate, Percy almost said but thought better of it. Luke had every reason to be resentful towards the gods, towards me, but he killed Kronos. He killed himself for the betterment of the world.

Percy's eyes burned and he smiled weakly, "So I've been told," there was silence, the somber atmosphere was suffocating, and Percy couldn't bear to withstand his friend's pitiful gazes any longer.

Yang moved forward, wrapping Percy in a warm hug and laying her head on his chest. He hugged her back tightly and no words were exchanged. Yang and Ruby were so close they were at times inseparable. The blonde had practically raised her baby sister, and she had always been empathetic towards peoples' problems. She put herself in my shoes, thought of losing Ruby as I have lost Luke.

She pulled away, giving him a gentle smile and planting a kiss on his cheek. Percy smiled back, surprised by how much he had needed that hug. Am I a hugger and I just didn't know it?

It was Clarisse that broke the silence, surprising everyone, "I uh...fuck I'm not great with words," she grumbled, stuffing her hands in her pockets and staring at her feet, "I'm sorry about Luke and I'm sorry for yelling at you. I hope you know that you've still got a family to come back to, whenever you need us-" Percy embraced the demigod tightly, causing a wheeze to escape her, "Shit! P-Percy!"

He laughed, letting her go so she could catch her breath, "I love you too, sis!" He moved to kiss her cheek only for Clarisse to push him away.

"Don't push it," she muttered, causing the godling to grin.

Arthur spread his arms open wide, "Hey! What about-" the boy squeaked when Percy both smashed him and Annabeth into a tight embrace. Annabeth muttered curses while Arthur laughed, trying to hug Percy back just as tightly.

When Percy let them go, Arthur asked, "You'll come back and visit us often, right?"

"Yep, especially when I become a full god. Then I can finally beat the shit out of Yang and Clarisse," he boasted, earning a laugh from the blonde and an eye roll from the brunette.

Yang grinned, "Ooh! Can you teleport us somewhere?"

It was Annabeth, the responsible one, that was quick to intervene, "No way, it's really late and we have a lot to do tomorrow."

Arthur groaned, moving to walk beside his friends as they began their trek out of the forest, "Gods, Annabeth, I come to camp so I wouldn't have my mom nagging me."

Percy intervened, "I'm not great at teleporting anyway, at least not yet. I might take us to China, or something, and then Artemis would kick my ass-"

Yang stopped him, "Whoa, you're friends with Artemis!" They were standing in a large clearing, only a short walk back to their cabins.

Annabeth sounded annoyed when she answered, "She's the goddess of the wilderness, it only makes sense that they work together."

The dual eyed girl frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, "Damn, you really are related to Blake. You're both so grouchy when you're tired," she didn't wait for a response, instead, turning back to the godling, "When you learn how to teleport, you better take us on some crazy adventure."

Percy shifted his form, going from twenty-two to seventeen, "Of course," his voice was slightly higher-pitched, evoking a mocking laugh from Clarisse. The laugh turned into a panicked shriek when a roaring lion took his place. While it had startled everyone, Clarisse's cry of panic had been by far the loudest.

"Fuck you!" She yelled, taking off after a prancing lion, leaving three laughing demigods to watch the two. Shadow ran beside the godling, tail wagging furiously as they kept just out of Clarisse's reach.

Arthur began to chase Percy as well, "Fuck yeah, let's ride a lion!" A cheering Yang joined him in the chase, and Annabeth was content to watch the four run around. Percy's form shifted from a lion into a fox, and he changed his direction so he was running towards Annabeth.

The sleepy daughter of Athena frowned, hardly registering that he had jumped in her arms, "What are you doing?" The three children of Ares were running towards her now and she put her hand out, "Oh no you don't, I won't be sucked into your childish games! I'm exhausted!" They showed no signs of slowing, "I swear to all the gods I will murder every last one of you!"

Arthur took up the rear, Clarisse the middle, and Yang the front. As Yang slowed so did Clarisse, but Arthur maintained his speed so he could catch up. Shadow nipped at Arthur's calves, causing the boy to yelp in surprise and turn to look down at her.

She moved swiftly in front of him, his foot caught her hind leg, making him fall forward and slam into his sisters. Percy leaped from Annabeth's arms, watching with glee as the children of Ares barreled into a grouchy Annabeth.

When they hit the ground Percy turned back into his human form, laughing loudly as Annabeth screeched from the weight of the three demigods falling on top of her. Shadow trotted to his side, looking pleased with herself, and Percy pet her ears affectionately.

"I hate all of you," Annabeth muttered, trying to catch her breath as the children of Ares collected themselves.

"Jesus Christ, Clarisse, how fucking heavy are you!" Yang grunted, shoving the older girl off her and splaying out on the ground next to Annabeth.

Clarisse sneered at Yang as she flopped down beside her, "It was Arthur's clumsy ass that ran into me!"

Arthur, who had been lying there with his eyes closed, opened them and turned to Clarisse "Shadow was nipping at my calves-" they all stopped when they heard Percy laughing. The godling bounded over to them, collapsing next to Annabeth and using Yang's thigh as a pillow. Shadow followed suit, resting her head on Percy's chest and nuzzling into him.

The grass was tall enough to touch the top of his stomach, and he was thankful for the cold months that kept the bugs at bay. He felt at peace here, resting on soft grass, looking up at the star riddled sky; the only noises were the occasional crunch of leaves, the steady breathing of Shadow, and the familiar voices of his friends.

There were times he missed the roar of the city, but right now, he couldn't imagine going back.

"If Shadow wasn't on your chest I'd slap the shit out of you," Yang grumbled, but Percy could hear the smile in her voice.

"Did you and Shadow plan that?" Arthur asked, evoking a scoff from Clarisse.

"She's mute, dumbass."

He flipped her off, keeping his gaze on the stars above, "I wish you were mute."

Percy smiled, looking at the full moon with a sense of awe, "We can communicate in some ways, but she's a young wolf that loves to play, and who I am to stop her?" They laid in silence for a moment, as if they were all overcome with peace.

Yang rested a hand on his head, petting auburn colored hair, "Percy, can you make constellations, like Artemis?"

It was a question he had never pondered, and he felt his eyebrows raise, "I don't know, why?"

"Just curious, I guess," she said, "Maybe you can make some really cool constellations, or maybe you can immortalize someone in the stars. How beautiful would that be?"

Clarisse, ever the cynic, spoke up, "What good would a constellation do when you die?"

Arthur chimed in, "A constellation wouldn't be for you, it'd be for your loved ones. Then every night they can look into the stars and think of you."

Percy hummed, brow furrowing in contemplation, "But who needs a constellation to do that? Who needs a constellation to be a constant reminder to the living?"

Annabeth, who he had believed to be asleep, surprised him by answering, "People who fear being forgotten," she moved her hands so they were behind her head, "I look up at stars every night and think about those I've lost. I know they're in Elysium, but I like to pretend they're stars. Bright and beautiful and watching over me. It's silly and illogical but...it's one of the few comforts I indulge in."

A surprised noise escaped Clarisse, and she shifted so she could look at the daughter of Athena, "Annie, that was poetic as shit."

Arthur agreed, "I like your flowery words."

"It was cliche but I still appreciate that you opened up," was Percy's thoughtless response, earning him a smack to the forehead from Yang. He grunted, shooting Yang a glare before opening his mouth to apologize.

But Annabeth shocked them all by laughing, "It's very cliche," she agreed, grey eyes glinting with a challenge, "But I'd love to see you do better," Percy frowned and Annabeth looked back up at the sky, "What do you think about those we've lost? How do you see them?"

"Do you want my bullshit answer or my real one?"

"Real."

He sighed, resting a hand atop Shadow's head, "Our loved ones are dead, they're gone. I don't see them in the stars above and I don't feel them watching over me. Their bodies are rotting in the ground and their souls are in the underworld," too dark, how can they like someone that's as pessimistic as you?

"However, I will say that our memories of them bring them back to life, if only for a moment. Sometimes, talking about them makes you forget they're really gone, like this," the memory makes him smile, "When I was eleven, my stepfather let me stay home from school since it was my birthday. We played Halo 2 and Star Wars Battlefront on the Xbox all day. He bought me those mini chocolate donuts, so we had a competition to see who could eat the most. We both got sick, and when mom came home there were two piles of chocolate throw up on her white rug," this elicited laughs from his companions, and Percy's smile grew even larger.

It was Clarisse that asked, "How did he die?" Her voice was laced with curiosity and concern, the laughter ceased and she realized her mistake, "I'm sorry, that was really shitty of me-"

"No, no it wasn't," Percy said, a hollow laugh escaped him before he answered, "My daddy blew his brains out when I was fifteen," he didn't care how insensitive he sounded, and when he caught Annabeth's questioning gaze he further explained, "My mother lied to me, said he was shot in a mugging, but he had a suicide note and everything. I still haven't read it, but I will when I'm good and ready."

Yang, Arthur, and Annabeth made their attempt at verbally comforting him, but he couldn't hear any of them. A soft hand touched his head and he looked to see it belonged to Yang, and the hand on his arm belonged to Annabeth. What's happening? He was never one to open up, yet there he was, telling his sob story and taking comfort in his friends' closeness.

Clarisse grimaced, looking at the godling regretfully, "Shit...I'm sorry, Percy. I'm sorry I asked-"

"I'm glad you did," he waved her off, he exhaled heavily, as if a weight was lifted off his chest, "Sometimes it's nice to talk about," he looked at the demigods, not liking the pity he saw in their eyes, "Alright, someone else go so I don't look like the ass that ruined the mood."

Arthur rolled so he was on his stomach, making it so he could better see his friends, "I uh, I used to have a son named Isaac," Percy's eyes widened, Arthur couldn't have been older than nineteen, "His mother, Eliza, was a waitress I met in a neighboring city. When she got pregnant she knew who I was, what my life was. I didn't want to promise nothing I couldn't keep but, I said I'd do right by them. Every few months I'd stop by there for a few days...he was such a good kid. She was too, I guess, just a kid, we both were," he swallowed thickly, looking pained.

"I got there one day and...saw two crosses outside. I knew right away. Turned out some bastards had come through, robbed 'em, shot 'em dead...all for ten dollars," his voice wavered and his hands balled into fists, "Ten fucking dollars."

"You don't have to-" Annabeth started but Arthur waved her off.

"No, it's good if I do," he cleared his throat, trying not to fall apart, "I never really talked about it before, it happened last year and...gods it still hurts."

Percy reached over, clasping Arthur's shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze, "Arthur-"

He didn't remove Percy's hand but he did cut him off, "No, I don't want any flowery words coming from you bastards, but I appreciate the gesture," he said, "I don't like dwelling on it, so I'll tell a fun story," he said, smiling widely.

"One day, when I visited, Isaac and Eliza were brushing the horse I had stollen," he stopped, smiling sheepishly, "I mean, the horse I had borrowed. Anyway, it had snowed earlier and it went up to my calves. While they were taking care of the horse, I crept up on Eliza with a handful of snow and shoved it down her coat. She was furious! She and Isaac chased me around, pelting me with snowballs and laughing all the while."

His smile, if possible, grew wider, "They were both so happy that day. After the snowball fight, we went into her cottage, drank hot chocolate, and watched some shitty western movies. Isaac fell asleep in my arms and she fell asleep with her head on my shoulder. We felt like a family, and I loved every minute of it."

Yang looked at her brother fondly, "That's a beautiful story," Percy nodded in agreement, lightly squeezing Arthur's shoulder again before pulling away. He laid back on Yang's thigh, closing his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair. Could I have that someday? A family of my own? He thought of Calypso and wondered if she wanted kids. I hate children, but if she wanted them, he frowned, get your shit together, Percy, you two aren't even dating.

Clarisse sounded amused, "Borrowing horses? What kind of podunk town did you live in?"

"Blackwater," he chuckled, "It has more livestock than people. Needless to say, we all stepped in our fair share of shit."

"Sounds like a...shitty, situation," Yang laughed, but she was the only one to do so, and everyone else groaned.

"Just when I thought you were done with puns," Annabeth muttered, rolling her eyes at the girl.

The blonde daughter of Ares sat up slightly, propping herself up on her elbow so she could better see her friends, "My turn!" She said, sobering slightly as she spoke, "Ruby and I's mom died when we were little. A hellhound had gotten into our house and she sacrificed herself to save us," she frowned, "Ruby was four and I was six, I didn't let her see what happened but...I saw. I was able to get us out of the house and the rest is history," before a word was spoken she put her hand up to keep everyone silent, "All of you shut up, let me tell my fun story now!"

The sadness in her voice faded away, "Our mom used to sing songs to us before we went to sleep. Sometimes," Yang was grinning now, "I'd try to harmonize with her, but-"

"Your singing is subpar," Annabeth supplied.

Arthur laughed, "That's just a nice way of saying her singing sucks."

Yang nodded, "Exactly! So when I joined in it would always upset Ruby. One night, my mom covered my mouth to keep me from singing. In retaliation, I hit her with my pillow. It started a massive pillow fight that ended with a broken window. She was too exhausted to worry about it and my sister and I didn't care. Ruby and I made a huge blanket fort and we all slept on the floor. It was nice until it started raining and we all got drenched."

Percy looked at her in disbelief, turning his head so his cheek was on her thigh, "How did a pillow fight lead to a broken window?"

Yang smiled sheepishly at him, "I was an aggressive child."

"That didn't answer my question."

She patted his head, "It wasn't supposed to."

Annabeth laughed suddenly, sitting up to look at the other demigods, "Remember when Luke broke the windows in The Big House?" She turned to the curious godling, answering his unasked question, "Dionysus had disciplined him for talking back, put him on dishwashing duty, so Luke set up targets in front of The Big House windows. He challenged the children of Apollo to an archery contest, but the targets weren't filled with hay, at least the bullseye zones weren't. He didn't fire a single shot, let the kids of Apollo do all the work, and half the windows were shattered."

Arthur boomed out a laugh, "Oh! And he fled before he could get in trouble-"

"And he used us as alibies," Clarisse smiled.

"In exchange for three favors," Yang finished, grinning broadly, "Wasn't his smartest idea," of course they all knew him. A trace of bitterness crept in his heart, envy, everyone knew my brother but me. The bitterness was quick to subside, instead, replaced by longing and guilt. They knew him and lost him, and a part of me hates them for that, but how is that fair?

He knew it wasn't their fault that they had been separated, nor was it their fault that Percy never got the chance to truly know his twin. I just wish I could have been apart of his life, of their lives. This caused him to frown, is that selfish? He wasn't sure.

The godling tried to imagine Luke there, laying next to him and Shadow. He tried to imagine the boy's smile, his eyes, his voice, his laugh; but he couldn't and it infuriated him. All he could see was the Luke that had been the host of Kronos, sad smiles, weary eyes, voice filled with longing, and he couldn't begin to imagine what his carefree laugh sounded like.

I hear of Luke through stories but it doesn't do him justice, he looked at the demigods, smiling and talking amicably about his deceased brother. He's touched so many lives, even mine and I had only met him once. Percy looked down at his hands, fingers still buried in Shadow's fur, who could I have been if Luke and I weren't separated?

It was Clarisse that noticed his discomfort, and it was Clarisse that changed the subject, "Shut up, I got a story," Percy gave her a grateful nod and she returned it before speaking, "Silena was my best friend, right, the coolest daughter of Aphrodite," Annabeth smiled sadly at the mention of her, and Percy surmised that she was lost in the war, "She knew I liked Chris, so she gave me this gods awful makeover, taught me to walk in heels, and even put me in a skirt."

"Oh, but you looked so pretty!" Yang enthused before quickly backtracking, "I mean, you're always pretty-"

"I know," Clarisse scoffed, "I get it my great looks from dad," Arthur snickered and she continued, "One day, Silena stopped, she called off everything and apologized to me," her voice softened, "She told me that wearing skirts and heels and makeup isn't what defines a woman. Then she encouraged me to be myself. She told me I was fierce and beautiful, and if Chris couldn't see that then another guy would."

She paused, hesitant to continue, "I know I'm not a looker, and I know this is cliche as shit but...it meant a lot to hear that from someone. I may be a brute, a warrior; but I'm still a teenage girl. I have my insecurities, and she helped me overcome a lot of them," her voice became thick with grief, and Percy felt Shadow move from his side, "I really fucking miss her," his wolf laid next to Clarisse, resting her head on the demigod's chest and nuzzling her nose into her neck.

Clarisse laughed brokenly, wrapping her arms around the black wolf and kissing her head, "Thanks," Percy was glad the she-wolf went to comfort Clarisse, she needed it more than he did.

They were all quiet for a while, soaking in her story. None of them were good at verbally expressing empathy, there were three kids born from the war god, a daughter of logic, and a son of thieves. But they didn't need to speak, not when Yang grabbed her hand, and Arthur placed his head on her leg, and Annabeth gave her a soft smile, and Percy laid a hand on her shoulder.

Yang broke the silence, "Gods, we're all miserable shits, aren't we?" They laughed, nothing was funny but they laughed until tears were rolling down their cheeks. It was a mix of pain, fondness, and slight delirium. Perhaps it was borderline insanity, maybe disbelief that the people they loved were really gone, or maybe it was that they felt like they could breathe again.

No one wanted to talk about death, about loved ones they'd lost, but that didn't apply to them. They could speak freely of their dead because there was no judgment that came with being sad; no judgment that came with bearing their souls and sharing their pain. They didn't have to worry about souring the mood, not when they had all hit rock bottom and could understand each other's sorrow.

They talked about what they missed, about what they would say if everyone were still alive, and about all the unfairness that came with losing the people they cared for. They talked about everything and nothing at all, and when Percy found himself laughing at another story he told of Gabe, he couldn't help but let a few tears fall.

You were a piece of shit towards the end, he thought, watching as his friends smiled and discussed the hilarity of his story, but you loved me, and you'll never know how much that meant to me. He may not be able to immortalize Gabe in the constellations, but he found that he had no desire to do so. I have our stories, and I have an eternity to tell them.

Percy could appreciate the strictness at Camp Jupiter. Their tight schedules would work better with him rather than the loose schedules of Camp Halfblood. Instead of campers riding freely in the skies on their pegasus they had a riding course. Instead of campers sparing wherever they pleased they were regulated to the arenas they had around camp.

In the center of the camp was a coliseum where demigods would go to fight and be placed in their legion. Percy didn't think he'd want to do that, not in front of all the other campers at least, but a part of him did like the idea of showing off his strength which is what made him eager for Mars to claim him.

While this camp was nice it still didn't have his demigod friends. There was no Clarisse, or Yang, or Arthur, or Annabeth, or Piper, but at least the gods and Calypso once again joined him. As they had at Camp Halfblood, they showed up before he did, all claimed by their same gods, and the day Percy arrived was an interesting one, to say the least.

He stood sandwiched between Lupa and Shadow, the gossip of the new camper arriving with a wolf of his own had spread throughout camp and now many had gathered around to see for themselves. Percy stood tall and confident, face betraying nothing as he waited for Mars to claim him.

He kept his gaze straight ahead, not daring to look at his immortal companions for fear of arousing suspicion as they had in Camp Halfblood.

"I hadn't thought the rumors to be true, a wolf? Lupa, are you sure this is safe?" A boy and girl had managed to make their way through the crowd, the girl stared at Percy while the boy stared at his wolf.

Both wore purple togas adorned with medals that went over their gold armor. Obviously, they were campers of great importance, probably leaders, and Percy wasn't sure if he liked that. There's no way I'm letting these demigods order me around. It had been different with Clarisse and Yang, they were the leaders of their cabin; they pushed him to do things he didn't want to do but they never ordered him around.

Camp Halfblood had unspoken leaders, heroes of titan war, but they never acted like it. Annabeth, Clarisse, Thalia, Will, Katie, and the others were there to guide rather than lead. No doubt if there were to be another war they'd be on the front lines leading, but off the battlefield, they didn't try to control the other campers.

Lupa bared her teeth at the blonde boy's question, "My pack and I could slaughter this whole camp if we pleased, but it's the small wolf that frightens you," her tone was mocking and it did its job, shaming the boy for questioning his superior's judgment.

He bowed her head, "I hadn't meant any disrespect-"

"Spare me your intentions. Had I deemed his wolf a threat she wouldn't be here," Shadow, as though taunting the boy that had spoken out against her, began wagging her tail and she let her tongue hang from her mouth as she leaned against Percy. This further embarrassed the blonde, cheeks flushing a light pink and head remaining bowed as campers began to whisper.

The blonde looked familiar but Percy couldn't put his finger on where he had seen the similar facial features before. He was handsome, he had sky blue eyes and cropped blonde hair. He was well built, a bit bulkier than Percy, and had pale skin. A small scar was on his lip which led to the godling wondering how he got it.

I bet it wasn't from being attacked by a goddess. He thought smugly, only to berate himself for comparing himself to a demigod. Percy could further recognize his own stupidity at having compared the scars because the ones on his throat were inflicted due to his own incompetence, and who brags about nearly being slaughtered by a goddess? A part of him inwardly laughed, people that survived the attack!

The girl was average height but the way she carried herself made her appear taller. She had light brown skin, looking to be of Hispanic descent, and she was beautiful. Her face was made up of smooth skin, sharp cheekbones, perfectly shaped eyebrows, and a look of regalness that he had never seen in what looked to be a seventeen year old.

"Who's his parent?" A camper asked causing more mutters of curiosity to erupt within the crowd. Percy remained silent, one hand placed on Shadow's head and the other resting at his side. Come on, Mars, don't fail me now.

Gasps erupted from the campers and they immediately bowed to him. Percy frowned, daring to glance at his immortal companions to see them looking up at the claim in shock. But they too bowed, so as not to arouse suspicion, and Percy kept his facial expression neutral as he looked up. A green trident...what the actual fuck.

All the campers were bowing except one. A young girl with green-blue eyes and dark skin gazed at him in wonder while Lupa addressed the campers.

"This is Percy Morgan, the son of Neptune!" He could not believe Neptune had claimed him, that son of a bitch. Percy could control water passably, he was no expert but he could make it look believable, but to be claimed by a god he had never met, by a god he never wanted to meet, was bizarre to him.

It's out of spite, it must be. I refused to meet him so he claims me. He suppressed a curse, not bothering to listen to the responses from the other demigods as he became lost in thought. I know how to act as a son of Mars, not as a son of Neptune. Gods damn him, when I get to Olympus I'll- he remembered Pan's numerous warnings about being on good behavior, greet him less enthusiastically than all the other gods.

Lupa gave Percy's head a gentle nudge with her nose, "Good luck, pup," she then did the same to Shadow, "Take care of your pack," she turned and vanished into the trees that bordered Camp Jupiter.

It was then the campers stood up, looking at Percy with a mix of curiosity, fear, and awe. Neptune wasn't well-loved by the Romans, but the campers seemed to know better than to show outward dislike for him.

The boy and the girl that wore the purple togas were approaching him, much to his dismay, but someone else beat them to him.

"I have a brother!" The dark-skinned girl that had been staring at him earlier was now in front of him. She was grinning widely, a crooked grin that could be interpreted as either aggravating or endearing, and she looked to be restraining herself from jumping on him.

She looked to be about ten or eleven years old, she was of average height for someone her age and already had a decently muscular build. She looked to be Native American. Dark brown hair was tied back into a high ponytail, her bangs almost got into her eyes and they gave her a disheveled appearance.

Truthfully Percy hated children. Anyone under the age of fourteen was surely sent from hell to annoy him. They were too hyper and awkward and loud and obnoxious and disgusting. While this girl was a cute child he had absolutely no interest in spending any time with her.

But he had a role to play, so he gave her a small smile, "Hello, and who might you be?"

The child puffed out her chest proudly, "I'm Korra!" She declared, looking down at Shadow, "What's your wolf's name?"

"Shadow. Would you like to pet her?"

"Yeah!" She gently stroked his wolf's fur, her distraction gave the toga-wearing teens an opening.

"Welcome to Camp Jupiter, I'm Jason Grace," Percy blinked at him, as in, Thalia Grace's brother? That would be something he'd ask Artemis or Apollo about, surely they knew. He had never grown close to Thalia at Camp Halfblood, so if this was her brother, he didn't care all that much, he was more curious than anything.

"I'm Reyna Ramirez, we're the praetors of Camp Jupiter," Percy tried to pay attention but he didn't care. He was irritable and confused about being claimed by Neptune. He just wanted to be with Calypso and the other gods.

"Honored to meet you both, if you'll excuse me," he tried to walk past him but Jason stepped in his way, looking at him curiously.

"What's the rush?" His voice was kind and quiet, not pressuring, just filled with curiosity. Percy had initially thought Jason would be a bit more hostile towards him, given the rivalry between Neptune and Jupiter, but he was pleasantly surprised to see the son of Jupiter was calm in his presence.

"He's just coming to meet me. Hi, I'm Venus, named after my jaw-dropping mother, Venus," gods she couldn't even bother to think of another name? Apollo must be furious. She looked as she did at Camp Halfblood, raven-colored hair, kaleidoscope eyes, a beautiful smile, and a slim figure.

Percy gave her an appreciative smile, glad she was coming to his rescue, "You're certainly a sight for sore eyes."

The goddess winked at him, "I get that a lot. Let's go, I'll show you around camp."

"Ooh! I wanna come too!" Percy inwardly grimaced at the sound of Korra's voice. It was chipper and enthusiastic and gods I hate kids. A grunt of surprise escaped him when the daughter of Neptune jumped on his back. Suppressing a grimace he held the legs that were wrapped around his torso and gave her a piggyback ride.

"Sure, can you show me all the cool hangout spots?" The godling asked while the younger girl laid her head on his shoulder. Aphrodite gave Percy a knowing smile and he rolled his eyes.

"Uh-huh! And you can meet Naga!" She enthused causing Percy to frown but he decided not to ask.

Aphrodite gave Korra a smile, "We would love to meet Naga."

Korra looked at Aphrodite curiously, "Are you Percy's girlfriend?"

The love goddess grinned, "Well, I called dibs before the other girls did."

Naga turned out to be a massive, shaggy maned, white pegasus. When the winged horse saw Korra she whinnied and galloped over to her. Korra slipped off Percy's back, laughing as she ran to her pegasus and embraced her. Naga was a beautiful mount, far more beautiful than any pegasus he had seen at Camp Halfblood.

The only other pegasus that rivaled her beauty was the pure black one that was called Blackjack. Percy had liked that one the most despite his cocky attitude. The pegasus had been so excited to meet the future god of the wilds that he had accidentally knocked Artemis right off her feet with his wings. The godling had laughed but the goddess had found it less humorous.

Aphrodite stood back with Percy, smiling as she said, "She's adorable, I can't believe you hate kids," Percy watched the daughter of Neptune and Naga converse, begrudgingly agreeing with the goddess. Lots of kids are cute, doesn't make them any more tolerable.

"Naga, I have a brother!" Korra cheered, leading the pegasus to the godling. Percy grew wary, if Naga were to reveal he wasn't truly a son of Neptune he would be screwed.

He gave her a pleading look before speaking, "It's nice to meet you, Naga, I'm Percy," he reached out to stroke her fur, "You're beautiful," Naga, however, was focused on his wolf, "Don't worry about Shadow, she would never harm you," he promised, giving Naga's nose a soft pat.

Dark eyes looked at him for a moment before she spoke, "Of course, milord. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm glad my girl has a brother, she was becoming quite lonely," Percy winced, surprisingly empathetic.

He hadn't realized what he was missing until he had been claimed by Ares at Camp Halfblood. Having siblings made him realize how lonely he himself had been when it was just him and his mother. Percy couldn't imagine staying in a cabin all by himself for years, especially being as young as Korra.

Korra looked embarrassed, "Naga," she groaned, giving Percy a shy look, "I wasn't lonely," she insisted. A lie.

The godling nodded, "Of course not, but I'm glad to have someone to share that big cabin with. I'm not fond of being alone," a truth. Despite him disliking children he had grown so used to being around people he wasn't sure how he would fair in isolation.

The girl looked up at him in surprise before nodding, putting on a brave face, "Well, I'll keep you from being lonely."

Percy reached out, ruffling her hair, and grinning as she laughed and smacked his hand away, "I'm sure you will."

It wasn't until the dead of night, when he was trying to get some sleep, that Percy remembered why he hated kids. He laid in his bed, Shadow asleep on his legs, and he stared up at the ceiling as Korra prattled on about the strange thoughts and questions she had. Frustration mounted as he closed his eyes, trying and failing to tune the girl out as she spoke.

"Do you like horses or pegasuses more? I like pegasuses more because they have wings and can fly. Which cohort do you think you'll join? I'm too young to fight in the coliseum but when I'm old enough I'll be in the first legion, I just know it. Can you fight well? How well can you control water? Do you think you could beat Jason?" It's almost one in the fucking morning.

Percy fisted his sheets, trying and failing to cool his temper, "Are you still awake? Percy? If you're not, that's okay. I don't know what it is about the nighttime but I'm always really hyper, but that makes me sleep in really late and Reyna always scolds me. When it's a full moon I like sneaking out and practicing my bending, I call it bending because I bend the water to my will. Asami says I stay up so late because I'm part werewolf, that would be really cool if I was-"

"Korra," he cut off her ramblings sharply, quieting the girl. He usually wouldn't mind being up this late but he had been forgoing naps so he and Pan could practice for his meeting with the Olympian council.

A soft sigh escaped her and he heard her shift in her bed, "Sorry," she mumbled, effectively quieting so he could finally get some rest. Relieved she had finally shut up, Percy closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

He rose early the next morning, slinking out of bed and getting ready for the day before slipping out of the cabin, all without waking the daughter of Neptune. He nearly jumped when he was confronted by two girls he didn't at all recognize.

Shadow was quick, standing between him and the girls and baring her teeth. The godling blinked, realizing they were campers and reached out to entangle his fingers in Shadow's fur. She relaxed, hackles falling, and she stepped back so she was at his side once more.

The first girl gave Percy a sheepish smile and a small wave, "Hello!" She had flaming red hair in a high ponytail and bright green eyes. She was dressed in gold armor and stood as tall as a champion but harbored none of the cockiness that came with being one. She wore a brown circlet that was partially covered by her parted bangs.

The second girl had bright orange hair that nearly went to her shoulders and turquoise colored eyes. She had a hand on her hip and her other one gripped a large silver warhammer, it rested on her shoulder and she grinned wildly as she appraised him.

"Hey, newbie! I'm Nora, daughter of Mars!" She declared, "And I want to fight you!"

Percy blinked owlishly at her while Nora's companion gave an awkward laugh, "Sorry! I tried to tell her to wait but Nora insisted on being the first person you see in the morning," the teen proceeded to stick her hand out, "I'm Pyrrha, daughter of Vicotria," Percy shook her hand, her mother is the goddess of victory, I bet she's an excellent fighter.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Percy," he then turned to Nora with a wide grin, "I'll fight you, and I'll kick your ass!" He enthused, laughing as the daughter of Mars cheered.

"Finally someone who isn't a coward! Every new camper I confront acts so startled by me, but not you," she was grinning just as broadly as he was, "It must be because your dad is Neptune, his kids are the 'go with the flow' type," alright, I need to be more laid back, got it.

"Must be."

Nora then gave him a strange look, "So, what's your weapon?" Shit, I should probably figure that out soon. At Camp Halfblood he had spent all his time training hand to hand, but at Camp Jupiter, he was a son of Neptune and brawling might be considered strange. He fought with a bow in capture the flag but was the same skill normal for a child of Neptune?

"That's a great question. I've trained with lots of weapons and I'm still trying to figure which weapon works best for me," he answered honestly, "But I've been trained by some great brawlers and I like archery."

Pyrrha gave him a quizzical look, "Two very different skill sets."

Percy shrugged, "I want to kick ass from far away and up close."

Nora let out a laugh before elbowing Pyrrha in the arm, "Oh, Yang and Ren would love this guy!"

"Yang?" That's not a common name.

The daughter of Victoria explained, "Our friend. She's an impressive brawler," It can't possibly be the same girl.

"We got to school together at Beacon," Nora supplied, "And Yang has a little sister, Ruby. She isn't as strong but she's pretty damn fast and is an awesome fighter-" holy shit, it is the same Yang. Percy tuned Nora's chatter out, does Yang know Nora is her half-sister? Does Nora know? They couldn't know about each other, could they? The camps are kept separate.

"That's interesting...I'd love to meet her," Percy mumbled. It doesn't matter, you're to be a god and you're worried about problems that aren't yours. Keeping the camps separated isn't your priority.

Percy spoke a bit more with Nora and Pyrrha before excusing himself. Breakfast, all I need is breakfast. His stomach grumbled and he grumbled back. The godling and the wolf walked through camp to the mess hall, ignoring the stares they garnered and even ignoring when Jason called out to him. Nothing personal, just can't be bothered. He just wanted to eat his damn food and go find his companions.

"Shit," he muttered, having been too distracted with his own musings to have noticed the girl falling in his direction.

She slammed into him, almost taking him to the ground due to him being caught off guard, but he merely stumbled and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling. Shadow huffed, clearly displeased but she didn't react, instead, she watched and Percy appreciated the fact that she hadn't gone into protective mode.

"I'm sorry! I was coming to introduce myself but then I tripped and..." she trailed off, laughing as she patted Percy's arms that were still wrapped around her. Percy chuckled before stepping back, somewhat startled by how pretty the girl was.

She had dark brown skin and gold eyes. Cinnamon colored hair fell to her back in, slightly messy curls that gave her a somewhat wild appearance, but did nothing to detract from her beauty. Her smile revealed dimples and pearly white teeth, it was infectious, and Percy couldn't help but smile back.

She was well muscled from, what he presumed to be, years of fighting. There was something strange about her aura, it was powerful but sometimes it flickered, and his insatiable curiosity is what kept him from brushing off the girl with a curt nod. She kind of looks like Kiara.

"Don't worry about it, I'm Percy Morgan," he stuck out his hand and she grabbed it, giving it a firm shake.

"So I've heard. It's nice to meet you, I'm Hazel Levesque," she then turned her attention to Shadow, "And what's your name, beautiful?" She cooed, holding out her fist for his wolf to sniff. After a quick evaluation, Shadow deemed the girl worthy of petting her, and she pressed her cold nose against her knuckles.

"Shadow," Percy supplied, scratching at his thinly bearded chin as he watched the two interact.

Hazel grinned and gently stroked the fur around Shadow's face, her tail wagged and Hazel's eyes met Percy's, "She's lovely," Shadow licked her hand in appreciation, evoking a giggle from the teen, "And she appreciates flattery. How did a wolf come to follow a son of the sea?"

Percy shrugged, "I spend a lot of time in the woods. I was in Michigan camping with some friends and I found her in a hunter's trap. I let her go and she's followed me ever since."

The dark-skinned girl squinted at him, "You saw a trapped wolf and let her go? What if she had attacked you?" A huff escaped Shadow and Hazel looked at her, surprised to see her tail had stopped wagging, as though she were affronted by such an accusation, "Not saying you would, Shadow, because you're clearly very intelligent," she amended quickly, earning her another tail wag and a laugh from Percy.

"I guess I was lucky, I didn't even think about her attacking me. She doesn't take to many people, but I suppose that's because most people fear her. You're the first person to greet her by calling her beautiful," Percy was impressed that Hazel was so calm around his wolf.

Hazel looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, she is beautiful. I bet the horses and pegasuses aren't particularly fond of her."

Percy sighed, "They aren't...I'm sorry, I don't believe you told me your parentage."

Gold eyes brightened, "Guess."

She was beautiful and charming, which led him to the logical conclusion of, "A daughter of Venus?"

A warm laugh escaped her, neither was aware that they hadn't released the other's hand, "Flattery? I appreciate it but, no, I'm Pluto's Daughter," this is Nico's half-sister? Percy suppressed a frown, Hazel didn't smell like death and his beast wasn't repulsed by her. Instead, she had an earthy smell mixed with cinnamon, a strange combination but not an unpleasant one.

"You seem pretty chipper for a child of Pluto," he mused and she raised a brow.

"You've known many?"

Realizing his slip up he shrugged, "No, but I thought you would be gloomier and...wear more black or something," he said, smile broadening as Hazel laughed once again.

"Well, I'm sorry if I disappoint."

"Not at all."

"You somewhat disappoint me," she confessed, "I thought you'd be taller."

Percy gawked at that, actually taken by surprise at her comment, "I'm six feet. You're, what, five feet tall? Everyone's taller than you!" Hazel released his hand and smacked his shoulder, trying and failing to suppress a smile.

"I'm five feet six inches," she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest and wearing a look of mock irritation.

"That's what I said, five feet."

Hazel laughed, "A son of Neptune and a daughter of Pluto...we'll make an odd pair of friends, won't we?"

The godling grinned, "We will. I hope Jason doesn't feel left out."

The daughter of Pluto shrugged, looping her arm with his as they began walking, "Well, he's a nice boy, but a bit dull for my taste."

Percy sighed in mock exasperation, "That's what I was afraid of. He seems very serious."

"Jason and Reyna don't know how to lighten up," she grinned up at him, "I'm from New Orleans, all we know how to do is lighten up," Percy noticed the way her eyes dimmed at the mention of her city. Bad memories.

He didn't comment on it, "Los Angelas," he replied, grimacing when he heard the whispers of campers that walked past them. Venus is going to be pissed.

"Oh, we're gonna get along perfectly."

Percy smiled at that, "Of that, I have no doubt," she began to drag him by his arm away from the mess hall, "What are you doing?

"I know Los Angelas doesn't have many rules, but we do. We can't eat until we've done our morning laps around the coliseum," she informed him, laughing as an annoyed sigh escaped him.

"I just wanted some cereal," he turned to Shadow, "Do as you like, I'll be back later," he moved from beside Hazel, crouching down to give his wolf a kiss between her ears. Shadow licked his cheek before trotting off. Percy stood to his feet and looped his arm back with Hazel.

Hazel patted his arm and grinned, "Oh, dear cousin, you'll have to get me a wolf."

Calypso tried to ignore it, it shouldn't have bothered her but it did.

Venus made her distaste more vocal, "Gods, he's ruining our power couple status!" She huffed, putting a hand on her hip and squinting as the two jogged past the mess hall they were standing near. Percy was talking amicably with the dark-skinned girl, all smiles and hand gestures as he told her an undoubtedly charming story. She was laughing and exchanging stories of her own, and he smiled widely as she spoke.

Diana hummed, "Isn't she that daughter of Pluto?"

The love goddess snorted, "She could be my daughter for all I care! All I'm certain of is that Percy is screwing me, and not in the way I'd like him too!" Apollo laughed loudly at this and Calypso frowned.

"Venus, they're just jogging, how is that ruining anything?" She asked though she knew the answer.

Kaleidoscope colored eyes couldn't tear their gaze from the daughter of Pluto, "You're not stupid, Calypso, so don't act like you are," Calypso bristled at this but Venus ignored her anger, "Percy doesn't take to new people very well. Even with Clarisse and Yang, there was a bit of resistance before he was this...agreeable with them. It was the same when he met all of us as well, these two just click, and it's very strange."

Artemis crossed her arms over her chest as she scrutinized the two in question, "And it's the same for both of them?"

Venus nodded, "Both have increasing levels of affection for each other, but they've only just met."

"Shouldn't we take into account that Percy's personality has improved?" Apollo pointed out, drawing their attention, "Sure, he's still got a ways to go but he's far better than he was."

His twin seemed surprised by his input, "That's actually very perceptive of you, Paolo."

He grinned, "I can be smart when I need to be."

Hearing that should have made Calypso calm down, but it didn't. He had ignored Reyna and Jason with ease but when it came to this girl they were already enjoying each other's company. Did he find a new mate? Does this mean anything? Am I just overthinking?

"Calm down, he's not in love with her, he just thinks she's beautiful, which she is-but that's beside the point," Venus mused and Calypso's cheeks flushed.

The titaness couldn't help but scowl at the love goddess, "I'm not worried about that. Could you please just mind your business-"

"Soldiers!" A firm voice barked and the group ceased their conversations. Jason Grace strode confidently towards them, back straight, chest puffed, and one hand resting on the hilt of his blade.

It was Diana who spoke first, "Praetor," she inclined her head respectfully, "Do you need something?"

The son of Jupiter narrowed his eyes, "I just came to see if you've all done your morning laps. Breakfast has started and will end in forty minutes, we have much to do today and it appears you four have just been standing here gossiping."

The moon goddess smiled thinly at him, "Well, praetor, have you done your own laps around the coliseum? Or have you just been watching us?"

His face reddened and before he could retort the group was approached by Percy and the daughter of Pluto, "Praetor Jason," Percy greeted respectfully, giving him a slight bow before continuing, "Hazel and I have finished our laps."

Percy had the barest sheen of sweat on his neck and forehead, whereas Hazel had sweat dripping down her face from the heat mixed with the laps they ran. Calypso watched Hazel curiously as she wiped the sweat off her brow, somewhat bothered by how close she stood to Percy. He's not yours, you have no reason to feel threatened.

Jason turned to him, "All thirty?"

"Yessir."

The blonde looked contemplative, "I saw you two running but...you've hardly broken a sweat. Do you run often?"

Percy grinned, eyes flickering to Diana before returning to Jason, "Quite often, yes," he then turned to their group, offering a friendly smile, "I know Venus, but I don't believe I've met the rest of you. I'm Percy Morgan," his gaze met hers and he instantly stretched his hand out to her first.

Calypso couldn't help but smile as she shook his hand, "Cally. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Diana and Apollo introduced themselves after and Hazel did the same. She was friendly, all bright smiles and warm eyes, and it made Calypso feel guilty about her previous jealousy. You're possessive, you've always been, it's in your nature. Shame encompassed her and she quickly pushed it aside, now was not the time.

Hazel looked at Percy, "So, when does Shadow come back?"

"Whenever she wants or whenever I need her...oh, there she is," the black wolf strolled up to the group, eyes focused solely on Percy and the godling grinned broadly at her. The she-wolf wagged her tail and licked Percy's outstretched palm before leaning into his side.

The daughter of Pluto reached out, and to Calypso's surprise, scratched Shadow beneath her chin, "Hey, beautiful," she looked up at Jason, "Jason, come meet our cousin's wolf," she encouraged and Shadow's gaze snapped directly to the son of Jupiter.

Jason looked uneasy, "That's alright-"

"She's friendly," Percy said, "I think if she can get over the stench of death, the smell of the ozone won't bother her," he laughed when Hazel smacked his arm and Jason gave them both a strange look but didn't remark on their closeness.

Instead, he hesitantly stuck out his hand to Shadow, the wolf sniffed it, orange eyes pierced blue as she sized him up. Shadow then gave his hand a lick and lowered her head so Jason could pet her. The boy looked stunned but gave her gentle scratches behind her ears, and a small smile spread across his lips.

Hazel grinned at the son of Jupiter, "See, she's real nice."

Jason smiled, "She is...how did you meet her?"

Percy startled Jason by slinging an arm around his shoulders and leading him towards the mess hall, "Come along, dear cousin, I'll tell you over breakfast," Jason looked as though he were about to argue but Hazel came to the blonde's other side and linked her arm with his.

"We're in dire need of cereal," she agreed before turning to the disguised immortals, "Would you all like to join us?"

It was Apollo that jumped in first, "Hell yeah!"

"Language!" Jason reprimanded and Percy snickered while Apollo rolled his eyes.

Venus skipped up to Percy's free side, "I'm sitting next to Percy!" She declared, intertwining their fingers, and Calypso saw Hazel shoot the godling an amused look.

"Girlfriend?"

"She called dibs, I have to respect the dibs," the seven walked to the mess hall, garnering whispers and stares as they made their way through the throng of demigods. Percy had taken his arm off Jason so he could walk freely, but in doing so he migrated so he was between Hazel and Venus. The godling and the daughter of Pluto were again talking amicably, both extremely charming, charming enough to drag Jason into their conversation.

The poor praetor was clearly on the quiet side, but he spoke with them all the same. Venus would jump in on occasion but she seemed more mystified as she watched Hazel and Percy interact. Artemis was also watching the godling and demigod closely, silver eyes were gleaming with curiosity. Apollo quickly became engrossed in their conversation and actually made Jason laugh at one of his stupid jokes.

When they entered the hall, Jason said, "I've enjoyed talking with you all, but I must go eat with Reyna."

Apollo smirked, "Is she your girl?"

The blonde's cheeks flushed, "No, but praetors eat together and we're supposed to eat with our legions-"

Hazel sighed, "Jason, these guys don't have a legion, and you're the praetor you can sit wherever you want!" She declared before pulling him down to an empty table.

Jason looked uncertain, "Well...I guess you're right, but you belong to the first legion."

"So do you," she pointed out, "I'm technically where I'm supposed to be. C'mon, lighten up! Nico has more fun than you," Calypso saw Percy's eyes widen ever so slightly before he composed himself. Had Calypso not known him so well, she wouldn't have registered the look of surprise on his face.

The praetor bowed his head in defeat when Hazel's large, gold eyes gave him a pleading look, "Fine," she grinned and Percy looked at her in disbelief.

"How the fuck did you do that!"

"Language!"

"Suck my dick."

Jason looked flustered, clearly affronted by Percy talking back to him, "I will do nothing of the sort! I understand you're new, but you shouldn't speak to a praetor that way."

Percy gave him an easy smile and clasped his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze, "I wasn't telling a praetor to suck my dick, I was telling Jason to suck my dick," Hazel and Apollo had to suppress their snickers while Jason scowled at the godling.

"I am Jason the praetor, you can't separate the two."

"I can," Percy argued, "I respect the praetor and I respect Jason, but I'm more than willing to tease Jason whereas I would never tease the praetor," Jason looked confused and Percy laughed, "I'm trying to befriend you, dummy. Watch," he turned to Diana, "Diana, suck my dick!"

Diana's left eye twitched and Apollo's laughter shook his entire body, "I would sooner castrate-"

"Bad example," Percy turned to Venus, "Venus, suck my dick!" To everyone's horror, she had a hand on the waistband of his shorts in an instant and he slapped it away, "Another bad example," he grimaced while the love goddess laughed, Percy then turned to Calypso before thinking better of it, and finally turned to Hazel, "Hazel, suck my dick!"

The daughter of Pluto grinned, "Not 'til you suck mine first."

Percy turned to Jason, who seemed bewildered, "See! It's funny because she doesn't have a dick. This is what you do with friends, Jason, you banter. Don't you and Reyna do this?"

The boy looked contemplative for a moment before shaking his head, "No. Reyna is my friend, but she has never told me to suck her dick," Diana looked exasperated, rubbing her temples as she looked at Calypso. The titaness just offered a sheepish smile and a 'what can you do?' shrug.

Apollo was laughing so hard his face was red, and Percy couldn't help but chuckle before saying, "Alright, let's try this again-"

"Percy, suck my dick!" Jason declared, smiling widely at Percy's raised eyebrows before the two burst into laughter.

Breakfast was served, she found she wasn't hungry so she picked at her food, still dwelling on how easily Hazel and Percy got along. Even as Venus sat there, her hand in his, he paid her little mind. Has his fox chosen a new mate? Does that bother me? She inwardly berated herself, of course, it doesn't bother me. I was the one that was hesitant about the bond, it's better if Percy no longer feels so strongly about me.

Better for who? You've always been so possessive of the men that washed up on your island. Percy is yours, why fight it?

Calypso nearly jumped when a small hand touched hers, she looked up to see Venus giving her a look filled with warning, eyes flickering to the spoon that was in her grip. Blinking in confusion she looked at her hands, only to see the once silver spoon was turning red. Gods, get ahold of yourself.

The titaness set the spoon down quickly, hastily hiding it from Hazel and Jason and hoped the smell of burning silver wasn't overwhelming. Her shoulders relaxed when Aphrodite decreased the intensity of her feelings, calming her and making her feel foolish for having gotten so worked up over nonsense.

"Thank you," she muttered and the goddess gave her a small smile, keeping her hand on hers for a moment longer before withdrawing it.

When breakfast was over they left the mess hall, getting thirty minutes of free time before they began training. It was Venus that nudged her in Percy's direction, providing her with a stern look before charming Hazel away from the godling. If Percy noticed, he didn't seem to mind, calling for Shadow before he began walking back to his cabin with a green apple clutched firmly in his hand.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," Percy called over his shoulder, Calypso quickened her pace so she was walking next to him, "Oh, hey," he smiled warmly at her and she couldn't help but return the smile with a small one of her own.

"Hi," they walked in silence for a moment before Calypso mustered up her courage, "So, you and Hazel..." she trailed off, looking at him expectantly as he frowned at her.

"Strange, isn't it? I don't know what it is but I feel like I know her from somewhere...she's just so familiar," Calypso couldn't help but gnaw on her lip for a moment, looking pensive as she gently trailed her fingers through Shadow's fur. The wolf moved closer to her, appreciating the touch.

This is ridiculous, you're a titaness, "Is she your mate?"

Percy seemed confused by this question, eyebrows raising in surprise as he looked at Calypso, "No...it's you, it's always been you," he had said it so seriously, and then laughed, "How was that? I heard that line in a movie...a tv show? I can't remember, but I do remember that it never fails to make me laugh."

She felt frustrated, "Percy-"

"Some really cheesy rom-com, I don't like them, but I've been forced to endure them in the past."

"Percy."

"Have you ever seen movies? Did you have a television on your island?" He asked, looking genuinely curious.

Calypso clenched her jaw and shook her head, "Why would I be provided entertainment in my own personal Tartarus?" Her voice had been so venomous, so cold that Percy was looking at her in surprise. She hadn't meant to lash out, she just wanted the godling to take this seriously.

He scratched at his auburn colored stubble and grimaced, "Sorry...I'm just uncertain about how I'm supposed to respond to the whole mate thing. You said you wanted to take things slow and I respect that its just...the whole situation is a mess. I don't want to pressure you. Tell me if you're not interested, alright?" His smile didn't reach his eyes, "Then I'll try to find another mate, or however this weird shit works."

It's not that, she wants to tell him, you don't know how long I've waited to be genuinely loved. But she can't, not here and not now. She had a lot of hangups when it came to love. No one had stayed, everyone had loved their lives and senses of duty more than they had loved her. I don't want this love to be created out of a mate bond. I want you to choose me.

"I'm just...I'm scared," she muttered, looking away from him in case she saw annoyance or ridicule in place of understanding.

He surprised her, "I'm terrified," she looked up at him, "I've never been in love but, I've been pretty damn close," this intrigued her, she had never heard this story, they came to a stop in front of his cabin and Percy's lips pursed as he looked at the door of his cabin.

"Tell me about her," Calypso insisted, earning her a frown from the godling.

"Why?"

"Your heart is not so easily captured, what was different about her?" She was genuinely curious, there was no jealousy as there had been when she watched him with Hazel, just the need to know.

He surprised her again by smiling gently, "It was in high school, everyone was such an ass kisser when it came to me, but not her. Actually, we couldn't stand each other when we first met but...I don't know. How can you describe love without describing love?" He asked, looking frustrated, "Perhaps I loved her, in a way, but not enough to give up my own paranoia and insecurities."

His smile turned sad as his gaze once again met Calypso's, "She was some poor city girl and I was a young billionaire that never worked a day in my life. My mother had convinced me that Kiara wanted me for my money, and I believed her until..." he quieted for a moment, face stoic but eyes bleeding with emotion, "Kiara broke up with me, said I was too paranoid...too accusatory. And I was, but imagine my shock when this 'gold digger' left me. I saw a life with her, maybe I was optimistic, but she'll always be my biggest what if."

Calypso regretted asking, regretted opening up old wounds, "I'm sorry," for someone who has never loved, he sounds quite heartbroken. She felt a wave of anger towards his mother. The titaness had once believed Percy had experienced no adversity, and he had agreed with her, but they had both been proven wrong. Sally manipulated him and lied to his face for years, how foolish was she to have been so quick to judge.

Percy waved her off, replacing his anguish with an easy smile, "Don't be, that was four years ago, and clearly," he winked at her, "I've moved on," she smiled, indulging in his need to change the subject.

"I can see that. Is that for Korra?" She asked, gesturing at the apple in his hand.

Percy blinked before sighing, "Fuck," without another word, he barged into his cabin, "Up and at 'em! It's already ten-thirty!"

Calypso stared into the dark cabin, chuckling as she heard a heavy thump, "Ow! Per-Percy get Shadow off me!" She heard the grumpiness kissed away by the large wolf, and Korra's mutterings turned into high pitched giggles.

"Korra, I swear to our father if you don't get up, I'll throw you out of our cabin!"

"Shadow's on me!"

"Not anymore, and your eyes are still closed- are you fucking serious?"

A grunt and then an admonished, "Awww! You swore!"

"Shut up, you don't know what that word means, you're too little," Calypso made a move to go into the cabin only for Percy to burst outside. Korra was slung over his shoulder, dark brown hair tousled from sleep, and blue pajamas riding up to expose lightly scarred brown skin.

A loud yawn escaped the younger girl and Calypso heard her smack Percy's back, "I'm eleven, dude, I know what bad words are," Percy set her down and she scowled at him, "You know you didn't have to get me up, right? Asami always comes around at ten-forty five, and she wakes me up nicely!" She huffed, putting her hands on her hips and jutting her bottom lip out.

Percy snorted, "You're welcome, for being the best big brother you could ever hope for."

"You're my only brother," she muttered before noticing Calypso standing there, "Oh, hi, I'm Korra."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Cally," Percy tossed the apple to the daughter of Neptune, chuckling as she snatched it out of the air and stuck her tongue out at him.

Blue-green eyes looked at her curiously, "Percy already has a girlfriend, Venus, or whatever, but you're really pretty too-" she yelped when Percy smacked the back of her head.

"She's my friend, you little runt," his eyes widened, having realized what he called her, and Calypso hid her smile behind her hand as he made a face. The children of Ares had certainly rubbed off on him.

Korra rolled her eyes and bit into her apple, nose wrinkling at its sour taste, "And Asami gets me better breakfast."

Percy actually looked offended and Calypso couldn't help but laugh, "Well, sorry I'm not Asami. If you like her so much, why don't you marry her?" Korra choked on her apple, evoking a laugh from Percy as he slammed a hand down on her back. She coughed, spitting the apple piece out, before glowering at him. However, she didn't respond, and instead moodily ate in silence.

Not long after, Korra's friends arrived. Mako, a black-haired boy with amber eyes; Bolin, another black-haired boy with green eyes; and Asami, a black-haired girl with green eyes, who had brought Korra syrup-drenched waffles in a Ziploc bag. Percy wrinkled his nose as he watched the young girl devour them, sticky syrup dripped down her fingers but she didn't seem to mind the mess.

"I'm surprised you're awake already," Asami said, making Korra shoot Percy a dirty look.

"Yeah, I am too."

Bolin was staring at Percy in awe, "Whoa, you're the son of Neptune...the one with the wolf!"

Percy stared blankly at him, "Is there another son of Neptune I'm unaware of?" He asked dryly, earning him a disapproving look from Calypso, he sighed before saying, "Her name's Shadow, would you like to pet her?"

The boy practically squealed, "Yes! You're so cool!" He jumped forward, petting a receptive wolf and grinning widely as he did.

It was Mako that responded, "Sorry, my brother's easily excited," he appeared more reserved than the other three, arms crossed over his chest and eyes watching Calypso and Percy warily.

Calypso gave him a warm smile, "That's nothing to apologize for," the four went to go train, saying their goodbyes and leaving Calypso and Percy alone.

"For not liking kids, you seem to have warmed up to Korra rather quickly," Calypso commented, making Percy snort as they made their way to the training grounds.

"It's an act, that's all."

"You didn't have to bring her breakfast, or come back to the cabin and wake her up," that in itself was unusual for him, but the godling had grown more thoughtful since he had been spending so much time with Pan and the other gods. Percy could still be childish and prickly, but he was improving, and she wondered if he noticed that as well.

Percy frowned as if he hadn't given any thought to it, "No, I guess I didn't."

"Ah, the beloved godling, I've heard much about you and I'm happy you've decided to reconsider meeting with me," Percy narrowed his eyes at Neptune, frustrated but knowing better than to offend.

Neptune was tall, a bit taller than him, with jet black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was handsome, with sea-green eyes framed by sun crinkles that showed he smiled often. A scarred hand rested on his trident while the other extended to shake Percy's hand.

They stood on a reserved beach in Florida, Pan had dropped Percy off before departing, promising to pick him up when all was said and done. Percy still struggled with teleporting, and Neptune had wanted to meet on his own turf rather than in the wilderness.

Pan had offered to stay with Percy while he spoke to Neptune, but the godling had insisted that he left. I'm a grown man, what would Neptune think if I kept Pan with me?

Percy stared at the hand for a moment before shaking it, "I would say it's a pleasure, Lord Neptune, and I mean no disrespect when I say I'm unsure of what to make of you," Pan had spoken briefly about the sea god, giving him pointers before calling their meeting.

While he was prideful like his brother, Jupiter, he didn't appreciate ass-kissing to the same extent. But he was also more relaxed than his other siblings, despite his nasty temper.

Neptune chuckled, giving Percy's hand a light squeeze before pulling away, "I don't blame you! You didn't seem pleased when I claimed you in Camp Jupiter, why is that? I gave you higher status there, made you someone to be feared and respected, you wouldn't have gotten the same reaction had Mars claimed you," he grinned, "And did you see the look on my nephew's face when you were claimed?"

The godling frowned, "I wouldn't be so displeased if I didn't understand what your motives were."

"Oh? Do tell."

"You felt insulted I didn't want to meet with you, so you claimed me as your son as a way to get under my skin," Percy deduced, "Ares did the same at Camp Halfblood after I had been rude to him."

The sea god hummed, smile further unfurling as he tilted his head to the side, "You're looking at this from an angle of malevolence directed towards you, which is where you went wrong. Guess again."

Percy was intrigued, "You did this to agitate Jupiter and Pluto?"

"Again, you're looking at this from an angle of malevolence. Think about what I have to gain from this situation."

Percy thought harder for a moment before the answer struck him, "Korra."

Neptune nodded, "Precisely. Forming a bond with my daughter is beneficial to me. Should a war between the gods break out, should I want to overthrow my baby brother, I can at least count on you to not interfere."

The godling was alarmed now, looking at Neptune with wide eyes, "What you're saying...it's treason."

The sea god smiled, "It's hypothetical, of course. What means do I have to rule Olympus when I rule Atlantis?" Gods and humans aren't so different, Percy thought, eyeing the god warily, both want more than they should. So why should I believe a word Neptune says?

But Percy was smart, he knew his status, and he had no proof that Neptune was actually going to start a war, "As you say, Lord Neptune," if a war does break out, I would stay out of it regardless.

Neptune continued, "Ares wasn't smart enough to realize this, he had only wanted to agitate you, but in the process he made you soften towards him due to befriending his children. Tell me, if you were encouraged to kill Ares, commanded to, even, would you?"

He answered truthfully, "No," there was no point in lying, not when Neptune had already been observing him. But how? With his power, I would have sensed him...unless...his eyes widened in realization. One of the gods had been very open about his relationships, whether intentional or not they had spilled intimate information about him to Neptune. But this concern would have to wait.

"And why would you spare Ares?" I've grown fond of him through his children, this caused him to scowl, I would feel ashamed for killing their father.

"You know why...there's no need for me to answer," Percy grumbled, "And what if I don't become attached to Korra, as I did to the children of Ares? What then?"

Neptune chuckled and shook his head, "Korra has a way about her that makes others like her, I'm not concerned about whether or not she'll sink her claws in you," he then smirked, "And if she doesn't, I have something else for you."

Percy frowned, genuinely confused, "Something else? What could you possibly give me?" I'm already going to become a god, what else could he provide?

"Our council meeting is almost upon us, Athena plans on interrogating you, so I'll vouch for you when she does," this news unsettled him. He had never even met Athena and she was already plotting against him, I'm close friends with her daughter, but perhaps that doesn't matter to her as much as it does to Poseidon and Ares.

"Why is she out to get me? Why would you vouch for me when I've given you nothing in return?"

Neptune smiled, ignoring his question about Athena, "We all need friends, Percy, allies. Know this, if you treat my daughter well, if you align yourself with me, then you will gain a powerful ally," he then stepped forward, placing a hand on Percy's chest, and the godling watched as a bright green light enveloped the god's hand. A warm feeling passed through him, encasing his entire body, and his eyes widened as he felt renewed energy course through him.

"What did you-"

"A blessing, something that will help you blend in more at camp. You'll have stronger control of water, the sea included," the man stepped back, narrowing his eyes at the sea god.

"You're taking a big risk with me," he muttered, uneasy with how friendly Neptune was being. There has to be something else he wants...or maybe he's just an idiot. But Percy didn't think he was.

Neptune gave him an easy smile, "Call it a calculated risk. With what I'm offering, I expect an ally in return."

"You didn't give me a choice as to whether I wanted your gifts or not," Percy said, holding back his anger as he looked out at the sea, "I'm sure the gods have spoken ill of me, of my character, so why bother? How do you know I won't turn my back on you?"

A large hand rested on his shoulder, cupping it firmly as the god spoke, "Pan is your mentor and you've come to care for him, or so my little bird told me," he stiffened, who's telling him all this, "I suspect that he's already taught you about honor and loyalty," his smile darkened, "About the importance of paying one's debts," Percy's eyes widened, this whole thing was a setup.

"What debts do I have to pay to a dishonorable god?" He challenged, watching the sea god carefully as he removed his hand from his shoulder.

Neptune shrugged, no longer looking sinister, "Who knows. Perhaps I'll want you to bestow your blessing on my daughter when you become a full god. Maybe I'll want your help with the humans that pollute my oceans," he smiled again, a friendly one, "There are many things I could use assistance with, and there are many things I can do for you as well," he stepped backward, the ocean opened up as though to greet him, "Don't worry, godling, I require nothing of you, yet. Just take my blessing and my allegiance to you as a token of good faith," the ocean engulfed him, leaving Percy alone on the beach.

He scowled at the sea, his hands shaking in rage, I can't believe I met with him alone. I shouldn't have been so arrogant, I should have listened to Pan!

"Fuck!" The waves ceased, "Fuck that fucking cocksucker!" A large portion of water shot upwards, twisting around, and violently raging across the shoreline. The sky darkened and the winds picked up, causing Percy gawk at the abrupt weather change.

He watched in disbelief as the mini hurricane, along with his anger, abruptly ended. The water dropped with a loud splash, and the waves lapped the shore once again. Was that me? He looked down at his hands in shock.

"What the hell?" He lifted a hand and the water obeyed him. It usually took him a couple of tries, but not this time. With each wave of his hand, the sea followed, and he couldn't suppress the smile that spread across his face. He wasn't even fatigued by the amount of power usage.

Percy released the water, stepping closer to the shoreline, "Allies, huh?" If he could give this to me, what else could I get?

Demeter couldn't help but feel nervous. Brown eyes watched the godling intensely as he walked through the throne room, he stood proudly, seemingly not at all anxious about being in the presence of new gods. Pan was at his side, both approaching Zeus. She couldn't help but fidget in her chair, garnering a curious glance from Athena.

"Is something the matter?" She asked and Demeter bit her tongue. The council had been called, Athena was wise and loyal to a fault, but loyal to Zeus. No, I will not voice my concerns to her. I will not give Zeus a reason to be suspicious of me.

"Not at all, my darling niece," she liked Athena, but she didn't fully trust her, "It's almost winter," it's a lie, a good one too. She found she hadn't been nearly as depressed about Persephone's leaving as she normally was.

Athena gave her an understanding and sympathetic look, "At least the winter months are short," Demeter smiled and nodded before turning her attention back to Percy.

The godling was dressed in a bear pelt, a gift from Artemis that had made the hunters chuckle and Percy smile sheepishly. The head of the bear acted as a hood, but it was lowered out of respect for the gods. Brown fur covered his torso, the sleeves were made from the bear's arms, tailored to fit him properly.

The pelt was snug, accentuating Percy's now broad shoulders and well-muscled biceps. His pants were looser, made of deerskin, another gift from Artemis. Auburn hair was cut short making it no longer shaggy, but he had insisted on growing his beard out. He looked clean and well-kempt, as well-kempt as a god of the wild can look.

Pan stopped in the center of the room while Percy continued to walk forward. The godling kept his gaze on Zeus and when he stood before him, Percy clutched his right fist to his chest, dropped to one knee, and bowed his head.

"Lord Zeus, it's an honor to be in your presence," he then went around the circle, exchanging pleasantries with every god and goddess. He smiled a little brighter at her, Aphrodite, Artemis, and Apollo.

His demeanor towards Hermes hadn't changed, much to her surprise, he remained pleasant and acted as though he had never met the god in his life, "Lord Father, it's an honor to be in your presence," Hermes had opened his mouth to say something but Percy was already onto the next goddess. When he was finished he returned to Zeus's side.

Zeus looked pleased as Percy once again bowed before him, waiting for permission to stand, and the god raised his hand, "Stand, boy, let me get a good look at you," Percy stood to his feet but kept his head lowered in submission. Zeus appraised him silently, resting his chin the palm of his hand.

Finally, he spoke, "So you are Percy Jackson...I've heard many things about you," Demeter shifted in her chair, fighting a grimace as Percy looked up at her brother.

"And I've heard many things about you," please, say nothing foolish. Anxiety seeped into her stomach and she bit her lip as Zeus raised a quizzical brow.

"Do tell."

The godling dipped his head before raising it, "All good things, I assure you. I didn't grow up with the knowledge of the Greek gods, so you can imagine how fascinated I was when Pan told me of the great battle between you and Kronos. He said you and your siblings fought bravely, and of that, I have no doubt," Zeus was almost beaming with pride and Demeter had to physically stop her jaw from dropping.

He's drawing attention away from himself.

Before Zeus could respond, Athena spoke up, "Hold your silver tongue, boy, we've serious matters to discuss," Percy turned to her, bowing as he had with Zeus, "I don't require your groveling, I require answers."

Percy raised his head, "I don't grovel, Lady Athena, I show respect when the situation calls for it."

Grey eyes narrowed, "When the situation calls for it?"

He smiled easily, "I only know you through stories, unfortunately. Of all the gods to visit me, I was rather disappointed when you didn't," he sounded genuine, and Demeter felt herself relax as Athena's glare turned into a look of curiosity.

"And why is that?"

Percy frowned, "You're wisdom incarnate, any man with sense would want to meet you," she was flattered, Demeter could see it in her eyes. Percy had struck Athena's hubris and it would work well in his favor, or so she hoped.

"Perhaps we may exchange pleasantries another time. For now, we must talk about the complaints we've received about you."

Percy's face betrayed nothing, "Oh? Complaints made by whom?" Demeter frowned, surely none of the gods that's been around Percy has complained about him, at least not to Zeus or Athena. They were far too proud to go and tattle to Zeus or Athena about Percy's behavior, not to mention he was improving in everything he did whether it be in training or his attitude.

"That does not concern you."

"I respectfully disagree. If accusations are made, do I not have the right to hear who they're from?" He then smiled, casting a glance at Zeus, "Which god or goddess can't handle a godling?" Zeus did chuckle at this, as did the other gods in the throne room that had never been subjected to Percy's barbed tongue.

Demeter laughed as well, but not for the same reason, a smart man surrounded by arrogant gods.

Athena looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head, "I'll inform you in private. Until then I would like to question you on your temper-"

"Every newborn god and goddess has a temper," surprisingly, it was Ares that interrupted the goddess, "I don't see why Percy's outbursts are so fucking important to us."

"I agree with Ares," Dionysus huffed, jutting his thumb towards Poseidon, "Poseidon throws hurricanes at whole cities when he gets pissed. And don't even get me started on that earthquake in Japan-"

"That's enough, nephew," Poseidon warned, face reddening in either embarrassment or anger. Perhaps both.

The wine god snorted and shrugged, "I'm just saying-"

"Are you fond of the boy? Is that why you defend him?" Hera asked, lips curling into a sneer as she regarded her husband's bastard. Think quickly, Percy, Hera's detest for Zeus's bastards could be projected onto you.

Percy was quick, wanting to keep the conversation from dissolving into a fight about his behavior, "I've regrettably made mistakes due to my heightened emotions, but I've been doing much better as I've been growing into godhood."

Aphrodite sat forward in her seat, "This is true, he's been far more rational as of late."

Poseidon gave Percy a knowing look and said, "I agree with Dionysus and Ares. If the godling was truly a danger then half the campers in both camps would be dead by now. His control speaks for himself," he leaned back in his throne, "I truthfully find our judgment of his character very tedious. We have a handful of gods as well as immortals that have spent time with him, their reports are nothing out of the ordinary. This little hunt Persephone has sent us on is ridiculous."

Demeter's eyes widened but Percy's face was unchanged. Of course. She never liked him and now she's attempting to assassinate his character. She had wanted Percy and Persephone to get along, but now she was uncertain if they ever would.

She didn't miss the way Percy gave the sea god a subtle nod, nor did she miss how Poseidon returned it. They've spoken before...maybe they have some type of agreement. Athena was glowering at Poseidon for giving 'private' information away and he, in turn, smirked at her, no doubt reveling in her anger.

Percy looked to Zeus, who seemed very contemplative as the gods spoke about the godling, "Lord Zeus, if I may?"

"Of course, boy, speak up!" He encouraged and Percy nodded his thanks before addressing the gods.

"Persephone has never liked me and I have never liked her. It would not be surprising if she told you exaggerated stories about me."

"So she exaggerated when she told us about the poacher you murdered?" Athena challenged and Percy quieted for a moment, eyes softening as he turned his gaze to her and lowered his head.

"We all have a Pallas, Athena," the murmuring gods quieted as well, all eyes on the goddess of wisdom as her clenched and her hands balled into fists. Oh, my boy, you have spoken too brashly.

"You dare mock me."

"I would never mock you, I just want you to understand," Percy said, keeping his voice soft but not too soft, lest he be seen as condescending, "I didn't mean to kill him, but I did, and that is a burden I live with," he paused, biting his lip as though decisive before continuing, "I actually learned the story of Pallas from your daughter, Annabeth. She told me that story when I told her about my run-in with the poacher. She was very understanding and has been a good friend to me during my stay in Camp Halfblood...one day I'd like to return the favor."

Demeter was inwardly reeling. She had only witnessed Percy angry or kind, mostly when his kindness was directed at her. The harvest goddess had always known Percy to be a charming young man but this wasn't charm, it was something else. Manipulation, and he's very good at it too.

Athena was calmer now, eyes still narrowed but no longer looking ready to attack the godling, "I see...since you've cleared up this incident there's only your attack on Artemis that we must discuss."

The moon goddess looked exasperated, "That ties into his emotions, does it not? His emotional imbalances are stabilizing, there's no need for this witch hunt."

Apollo looked at his sister disapprovingly, "He's a male, so he'd be a warlock. Gods, not everything has to be about women," Artemis only blinked at him before rubbing her temples, overcome with annoyance, "Anyways, Artemis is right, there's no need for a warlock hunt. And besides, she kicked his ass and now they're friends."

"I'm also the one that instigated the fight," Artemis continued, "He was calming down when I threatened him," Percy opened his mouth but quickly closed it, deciding that remaining quiet was in his best interests.

The goddess of wisdom frowned, "That doesn't change the fact that he attacked you first," Apollo and Artemis's defense seemed to perturb Athena.

Her frown deepened when Aphrodite also defended the godling, "All gods are emotional, especially godlings. It's actually surprising he hasn't lashed out more. Many godlings and newer gods would certainly try, power goes to one's head very easily," a subtle dig, one that caused Athena to bristle and Poseidon to chuckle.

Zeus intervened, "While all this may be true I do find your actions concerning, boy. What led you to attack my daughter? It's a crime to attack an Olympian unprovoked."

Percy dipped his head when he spoke, "I have no excuses, Lord Zeus, but it should be noted that your daughter is very capable. Even when I reach full godhood I don't expect to ever best your godly children," Demeter watched, no longer surprised by how easily Percy could twist his words.

Zeus seemed very pleased with this answer, giving Percy an approving nod, "My children are very strong, but you are as well. It would be ill-fitting for any grandchild of mine to be weak," now he's recognizing Percy as his grandson, she chanced a glance at Athena, and the wisdom goddess was practically fuming.

To everyone's surprise, it was Hades that spoke up next, "I have a question for the godling," Percy turned to him, bowing slightly, "I'm not as easily flattered as my baby brother, so don't bother," he snapped and Percy gave him a nod while Zeus scowled.

"Compliments are far and few between when it comes to you, brother," Zeus said, "You should take them whenever they're presented."

Hades was unbothered and easily replied, "At least when I get compliments, they're genuine," his younger brother grew angered but was ignored, "Now, I understand you're in Camp Jupiter, and I understand you've taken an interest in my daughter. Tell me, what are your intentions with her?"

If Percy was as taken aback as Demeter was by that question, he didn't show it, "I have no intentions with her, Lord Hades. She's a lovely girl and I enjoy her company, but we're only friends."

"Is that so?"

"You have my word."

"Your word," he sneered, "As if I'd trust the word of some arrogant godling-"

"Uncle, he's not going to do anything with the girl, he's not like that," Hermes interjected, only for the god of death to scoff at him.

"He's your son, why should I think any differently? You and all your children breed like rabbits, even Pan had a problem with his lust."

Percy frowned at this, looking somewhat agitated, "With all due respect, Lord Hades, Lord Hermes is only my father by blood," the atmosphere turned tense and all eyes were on godling, "I was raised by my stepfather, raised to value the sanctity of marriage. I'll father no bastards...especially seeing the resentment that comes with them," he paused, frown smoothing as he looked up at Hades, "My brother, Luke Castellan is one of the reasons why I'm taking such precautions."

Demeter didn't dare look at Hermes, she didn't have to look to know there was hurt in his eyes. The rest of the gods looked unsettled. Hephaestus shifted in his seat, Ares pretended to find his own boots much more fascinating than the conversation, and even Zeus kept his gaze lowered. Luke is the haunting reminder that we failed our children. Shame crept over her as well, and even Aphrodite looked pensive at the very mention of the young man.

The god of death was the only one that seemed at ease, slouching in his throne and looking bored as ever, "Fine, you sound adamant enough, and far more competent than my lustful nephew," Hermes held his tongue, face reddening and eyes narrowing, "But should you be lying to me, I'll know, and I'll deal with you accordingly. You're a godling, not a god, and I'll make you remember your mortal half if you so much as even think about pursuing my daughter. Do you understand, boy?"

The auburn-haired man nodded, "I understand, Lord Hades. I can't imagine having a daughter swept away from me without warning. I would never want to inflict such pain on anyone," Demeter stilled, eyes widening as Hades slammed his fist down on his armrest, sitting up straight and glaring at the boy with hatred.

"Is there something you'd like to say to me? Do it now, boy, if you think yourself so bold!" Percy looked genuinely perplexed, but Demeter was certain it was an act, he knows exactly what he said.

Poseidon intervened, "Oh, calm down, brother. He was raised as a mortal, do you really think he's talking about your unhappy wife?" This directed Hades's anger onto the sea god, but Percy spoke before a fight could break out.

"Lord Hades, I apologize if I've offended you, that was not at all my intention. I was just trying to assure you that I wouldn't take your daughter, she is my friend and I would never do that to her. To be frank, I would hate to make an enemy of you," his submission was the only thing that caused Hades to relax, but he still looked at the god suspiciously, "I will find a woman to marry, and it won't be your daughter, I promise you I'm no threat."

Hera was the one that spoke next, stopping Hades from threatening the godling once again, "Finally! A god that values marriage!" She preened, leaning forward with newfound interest, "When you find a woman you deem worthy to be your wife, I'd love to do the honors and wed you!" The harvest goddess hadn't seen Hera this excited in a long time, but she could understand why.

Percy smiled up at her, "It'd be an honor."

She clapped her hands in delight, turning to her husband with a smile, "Isn't he marvelous?" She didn't wait for a response, instead, she turned towards the godling, "And should you need any marriage advice I will be glad to assist you! Oh, and the wedding, what should the theme be? I'm thinking something foresty because of your wild domain-"

"Dear, I don't think marriage is on his mind at the moment," Zeus pointed out and his wife only rolled her eyes but didn't bother with a rebuttal.

Percy looked like he wanted to laugh but he held himself together, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Lady Hera, and I look forward to planning my wedding with you."

Hera perked at this, giving Percy a wide smile, "We'll go over the details later when we won't be interrupted," she shot her husband a look before leaning back into her throne.

Zeus sighed again, looking exasperated, "Dear-"

"Good, because I'll definitely need advice on what to wear," Percy chimed in, making Aphrodite snort.

"I'll help you with that, let Hera focus on the wedding design, she has quite the eye for it," the love goddess earned an appreciative nod from her.

Before anymore wedding talk could be exchanged, Hestia spoke up, "As much as I enjoy the talk of weddings, I would like to learn of his progress," she gave him a warm smile, "How are you doing, Percy?" He seemed surprised that she used his name, but he was quick to recover with an easy smile and a slight bow.

"Very well, Lady Hestia, thank you. Shifting comes naturally, I've improved with forestry, but teleporting continues to elude me," he ducked his head sheepishly, "As does the use of godly energy, but practice has proven helpful in the past, I assume it will continue to do so."

The hearth goddess tilted her head, "A good perspective to have. I'm certain you'll catch on to these abilities quickly," she then said, "And while I appreciate the title, I require no such formalities."

The godling smiled charmingly, "Lord Pan said you didn't, but, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to continue to address you with the formality. At least in the throne room, it only seems right."

The two continued their conversation while Demeter watched Athena. The wisdom goddess seemed agitated and anxious, running through probabilities and logistics while her grey eyes scrutinized Percy. She doesn't like him.

"I don't understand," she said finally, speaking loud enough so only Demeter could hear. The goddesses were leaning towards each other, keeping their faces forward as they spoke.

Demeter asked, "What don't you understand?"

Athena rested her chin on the palm of her hand, "The boy...I don't understand how he has such a firm grasp on the other gods. Apollo's attachment makes sense, he makes friends easily. Hermes's attachment is logical as well due to being his father. Poseidon is undoubtedly siding with him to vex me. With Aphrodite, it's safe to assume they lust after one another. But Ares, Dionysus, and Artemis," her brow furrowed and Demeter thought it best to attempt to soothe her.

"Athena, you're jumping to conclusions. Ares and Dionysus-"

"Most likely don't care about this meeting or Percy, or so I believed until they defended him. Think about it, when have they ever contributed to something that wasn't in their own interest? And Artemis is never one to admit she's in the wrong, especially when it comes to men," Athena's fingers began twitching, "Yet here she is, swallowing her pride and confessing so she can protect him. What do you make of that?"

The harvest goddess felt exasperated by her niece's paranoia, "Perhaps they're friends."

She could feel grey eyes boring into the side of her head, "There is no 'perhaps'. You're with him constantly, surely you know the truth behind your previous statement," telling the truth will make her more paranoid, but telling a lie will drive her crazy.

"They are friends, which shouldn't be a concern," Demeter sighed, "We all have our own friends within the council-"

"What of Dionysus and Ares, are they friends with him as well?" She questioned and Demeter shrugged hopelessly.

"Yes, Dionysus likes Percy and begrudgingly Ares respects him. What is the harm in having friends?"

A harsh chuckle escaped her, "You know all too well what having friends can do. Friends turn into allies-"

"That's what you're worried about? The power dynamic?" Demeter finally looked at her, "He's not even an Olympian, he won't be attending most of the council meetings. His friendships don't matter."

"Friendships and alliances always matter," Athena responded harshly, "When he wants something he'll come before the council, we'll take a vote, and he has at least six gods guaranteed to vote in his favor. Possibly seven, the child mentions marriage and Hera is enthralled by him," she said sourly, earning an exasperated sigh from her aunt.

"Just because they befriended him doesn't mean they'll forgo all rationality. Percy is a sweet boy, yet you make him out to be a threat. But a threat to whom?"

Grey eyes widened and Demeter realized her mistake, "You...he has you too, doesn't he? That's why you're defending him."

"I train him, it's not unusual that I've grown fond of him," she defended, but the damage had already been done. Athena faced forward, lips pursed and eyes narrowed as she once again scrutinized the godling.

Demeter faced forward as well, deciding to remain quiet until Athena said, "I suppose it makes sense," she looked over at her niece in confusion, but Athena kept her gaze on Percy, "Persephone will be gone soon, and Percy will be there to fill the void," she felt her blood boil, and she turned away from her, trying to drown out her words, "I heard he and his mother got into an intense fight, and you've always had a soft spot for poorly mothered children. I'm sure he likes that you care for him, and I'm sure you like having him to take care of, especially with your daughter's absence-"

"Athena," Apollo's voice interrupted whatever conversation Hestia and Percy were having, "I couldn't help but notice you talking to yourself, sweet sister. But what about, I wonder?" He smiled innocently, and Demeter felt herself relax.

Athena glared at her halfbrother, "It's nothing," she said stiffly, and Demeter caught the worried eyes of Percy. He was looking her over, as though making certain she was okay, I'm not as good at hiding my emotions as I thought. The harvest goddess gave him a gentle smile and he returned it, causing the heat in her chest to subside.

But Athena's words had done their damage. Am I using Percy as a means to replace Persephone? The thought troubled her, while the two shared their similarities they were also very different. But I'm happier despite losing Persephone in less than a month. She gnawed on her lip, overcome with guilt, and unnerved by how true Athena's words may be.

"You did very well at that meeting," Pan praised, patting Percy on the back, "However, I do encourage you to be mindful whenever you speak of the gods' blunders. Athena looked ready to smite you on the spot when you mentioned Pallas. And the reference to Persephone only served to make Hades dislike you."

Percy sighed, "Hades is a controlling ass, but I definitely don't want to piss him off again. And, well, my mentioning of Pallas sure got Athena off her high horse, at least for a moment. Why was she so hostile towards me?" He asked, sitting on the tree stump, making sure there was enough room for Pan to sit next to him.

The god shook his head, sitting next to his pupil and looking out past the stream, "She's always been a bit...high strung when it comes to new gods. She doesn't know you, so that makes her infinitely curious but also fearful. You're an unknown, one that has the approval of a handful of gods. I'm sure that unsettled her."

The godling pursed his lips, lifting some water from the stream with his power, "Well, if she's so unsettled, maybe she should get to know me."

Pan chuckled, watching as Percy manipulated the water seamlessly, "I'm certain she'd grow to like you," he watched the young man pause, and with him, the water stilled in midair.

Green eyes peered at Pan, "You think?" Percy spoke with uncertainty, his voice underlined with hope but his eyes revealed his hesitance. Pan was confused by his pupil's perplexion at his statement. Percy had befriended many gods and demigods alike, so his sudden uncertainty surprised him.

"Of course she would, why should I believe otherwise?" When the godling didn't answer, Pan realized why, "Percy-"

He looked away from him, green eyes fixating on the water above them, "I'm...I'm not a good person. You see me, you know who and what I am, what I've done. I use people, Pan, I act like I'm something I'm not. They don't really like me, they like whoever I've created," Percy's voice gained some heat behind it, his face reddened, and the water he had been controlling burst into tiny droplets; splattering the two immortals and their surroundings.

Pan was startled by the outburst and he reached out, only for Percy to stand and move away from him, "Demeter likes me because I'm a motherless child that pretends to depend on her. Artemis likes me because I kiss her ass and pretend to give a shit about her hunters. Ares likes me because I'm nice to his kids, and his kids liked me because I lied about who I was to them."

Percy was rambling now, on the verge of lashing out, "And even when I told them the truth I didn't act like Percy Jackson, I pretended I was still Percy Morgan, because who the fuck genuinely likes Percy Jackson?" Tears pricked the godling's eyes, filled with bitter resentment and self-loathing.

The god stood to his hooves, stepping closer to Percy, "My boy-"

"I'm not your boy!" He snarled, tears sliding down his cheeks as he turned away from his mentor. Pan's own eyes burned, no longer seeing Percy, but his deceased daughter that stood before him. His eyes...they're the exact same shade as hers.

Iambe had grown bitter towards the end, full of anger and self-loathing and uncertainty of who actually loved her.

"I act as though I'm happy all the time, people don't like when you're miserable. Sadness spreads like a disease and people scatter so they won't catch it."

She was beside herself with grief and rage, but he had overlooked her pain and let her suffer alone. And when she finally confided in him, what had he done? I encouraged her to meditate, I was too blinded by my own naivety to see how bad everything had truly become.

"I'm not your boy and I'm not Hermes's boy! I'm no one's boy! I'm-" Pan lunged forward, grabbing the man and pulling him to his chest. Percy froze, hands balling into fists as Pan kissed the top of his head.

"I may not be your father, but that doesn't mean I don't love you," he said fiercely, tightening his grip and squeezing his eyes shut, "Do you understand me?" He pulled away slightly, gripping Percy's shoulders firmly and staring into startled, emerald-colored eyes. I couldn't save Iambe, but I can try to save you.

Percy opened his mouth to speak but Pan stopped him, "Iambe took her own life because she couldn't see how wonderful she was," he swallowed thickly, finding the strength to continue, "She came to me for help and I ignored her. I will not make the same mistake with you, because you are my boy."

More tears fell from Percy's eyes and Pan wiped them away, "You're not the man you used to be. You care for those gods, you care for Calypso, and you care for the demigods more than you admit. Your character is not based on lies, not anymore, so don't lie to me about putting on an act for people; not when I've seen how much you've grown."

Percy rubbed at red-rimmed eyes, something akin to guilt crossed his face, "I...I care for you too, Pan."

"Then don't run from me, don't hide," he gave the man a sad smile, "I'm not long for this world."

The godling pulled out of his embrace, turning away from his mentor, "I don't like talking about that."

"It's reality-"

"Fuck reality!" Percy whirled around, throwing his hands up in exasperation as he spoke, "We're gods, what good is all this mythical bullshit if it can't keep you from fading!" Rationality wouldn't work for Percy, not now. He was emotionally exhausted, and Pan could respect that they would need to speak about this later.

The godling had yet to read his stepfather's suicide note, possibly out of fear, and most likely due to the reality of the situation. Sally Jackson had led her son to believe that his stepfather's final moments were spent drinking and getting shot by a random assailant in a mugging gone wrong.

A good narrative for Percy to have, it would make him more resentful and less saddened by the loss of Gabe. But Gabe hadn't been murdered, he had taken his own life, and that ruined the narrative that provided Percy with the resentment he had clung to.

The god was quiet for a moment before saying, "Well, I suppose this mythical bullshit really isn't all that good," Percy blanched at his choice of words, his posture relaxed and a surprised laugh escaped him. The godling was grateful for the change of subject, grateful for the ability to maintain his ignorance. It won't last long, Pan thought, I won't coddle you as your mother did. But he also didn't want to overwhelm the godling, we'll speak of my later, but soon.

"Holy shit, I'm telling Artemis and Calypso you cursed. Apollo will have a field day," Pan chuckled, slinging an arm around his shoulders and steering him back towards their camp.

"Don't be foolish, they'll never believe you."

Around 24-25k this time! Realized I had to write about Pan fading, I now fucking hate this fic cuz I love Pan and I'll have to listen to every fucking sad song imaginable to write his death scene. But at least we got Pyrrha out of this.

I love Arthur Morgan with my whole heart, which is why I threw him in here. Also, I adore socially awkward Jason, it just makes him more likable to me. There will be Calypso and Zoe interactions and more Percy and Zoe interactions next chapter. I will not apologize for bringing Korra into this fic. I fucking hate the OCs that people make for the children of Poseidon/Neptune so we're gonna have the MFing Avatar in this bitch.

njral: I dislike how you've chosen to do this part. Percy has developed and matured as the story has gone on, so he shouldn't be acting like some 5 year old anymore. Honestly, he shouldn't be in the first place. He might be entitled and bratty, but he's clever and smart. There's no good reason why he would be further ruining his own reputation by arguing like a child with a huntress. It's like all the character development has gone down the drain and he's regressed into a kid.

There's a deeper reason as to why Percy reacts to Zoe the way he does that I haven't completely written yet. Either you'll like it or not, can't help how you perceive it, but his attitude towards her has a purpose. ALSO, read you loud and clear on the spacing shenanigans :) thanks for that.

sssteele23: Great chapter. Meeting the Bbeg will be cool, but I'm honestly not interested in learning more about this foreshadowed daughter of Poseidon who has somewhat replaced canon Percy to an extent, and how Percy will deal with Jason after meeting Thalia. Can't wait for the next chapter!

Jokes on you bitch boy (I say this with love I don't actually think you're a bitch boy)! The daughter of Neptune ain't no reskin of Percy, she's the Avatar and you gotta deal with it! And if I'm being real, I didn't care about Percy and Jason's interaction either, which is why Percy also didn't care because that rivalry is boring as fuck to write about.

Seth A. Mincberg: I gotta ask... Is Olea a Native American deity/spirit? The crow/raven comment, in reference to Hermes, feels like a hint. Is it? It also looked like she knew him as Hermes and not Hershal? Also, this fic is just sooo good! Great emotional development, description of settings, and even better AU of characters... (shortened due to being a longer review)

Ooh, is Olea something else? That's a fine question my friend, one I too would like the answer too. And I'm glad you like the AU characters! They were tough to right and tying their stories together was difficult as hell. I can't even express to you how nice it is to hear this :) I was worried about how people would take them!

SuicidalRainbows: I'm telling you I'm gonna end up kidnapping you and forcing you to write for me. ;)

Haha, you're so funny! (Somebody call the fucking cops SuicidalRainbows wasn't joking. Do you really think I would update a story so close to finals? Do you really think I would update any of my stories within the same year? Please help-

AllAboutThoseMyths: I'm gonna be honest, this chapter hit me in the feels. Like way more than it should've. I absolutely loved the Avatar reference, Uncle Iroh will always and forever be my favorite character in Avatar. I can not wait to see who the "big bad" is! It's definitely not Kronos, cause he's already dead. So who...? A primordial maybe? Hmmmm. The chapter was definitely worth the wait btw. Anywho, take your sweet ass time with the next chapter, don't rush it. Even if that means I have to wait awhile...

Uncle Iroh is the best character, my baby Azula is a close second :) and it took me about 3 ish months, I was working on this story in bits and pieces, I hope it was worth the wait!

UxysRaze: The character development of everyone is so amazing. I felt like the scene where Artemis and Percy were messing around before capture the flag was playing like a movie scene. Looking forward to the Camp Jupiter and Zoe moments coming up

Like a movie :) ya'll flatter me way too much. This review made me smile, hope this chapter made you do the same!

Please feed me your reviews, I'm starving and have been writing this for 3 hours straight. (SuicidalRainbows won't let me go! I'm so hungry somebody pleas call the fucking polic