He stepped out of the stall as water ran in rivulets down the lines of his chiseled body, only for the streams of liquid to pause in their downward descent when he flicked his wrist. With a twirl of his fingers, it formed itself into a ball and deposited itself down the drain, leaving the son of Poseidon perfectly dry without the need for a towel.

He grinned at the clever little trick he'd discovered just a few months ago and turned to look for his clothes, only to stop when he realized he had seemingly made them vanish right before he and Drew got… busy.

He thought back to what he was wearing and imagined himself in those same garments before they had disappeared. There was a slight stirring of air and the subtle scent of perfume around him before he felt the familiar texture of clothing he had started the day with upon his skin. With that crisis averted, he gave a sigh of relief and exited the washroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

He looked over to Drew and found her still sleeping. Careful not to disturb her rest, he softly padded over to the bed and cautiously ascended the ladder to the second bunk. Gently moving aside the assorted items he had left lying across the sheets, he plucked a textbook from where it rested against the railing and climbed back down. He sat down softly in the bunk next to her's and opened it up to where he had left off.

He uttered a mental groan as he was faced once more with one of his worst enemies: English.

He would rather fight a hundred hellhounds back to back instead of having to read another obtuse poem or dull story and attempt to divine some sort of hidden meaning from it. Hades, even math was better since the equations never rearranged themselves into near-illegible combinations that made the already boring task a difficult one as well. Being able to read Ancient Greek was useful as a demigod, but Gods, it made regular academics a pain in the ass.

Unfortunately for him, colleges, even Roman ones, didn't admit students based on their combat record and so he was forced to endure the drudgery that was studying for the New Rome equivalent of the SAT.

He managed to force himself to complete a decent chunk of the short story anthology he was studying through sheer willpower, but before he could get further, his concentration was broken by the sound of shifting fabric to his right.

He looked up from the book and turned his head to check on Drew, only to be met with the utterly adorable sight of the Japanese demigoddess rubbing the sleep from her eyes with her messy hair half-draped over her face in a way that only enhanced her cuteness. He stifled a chuckle as he got up and kneeled beside the bed.

"Hey there, sleepyhead." He teased. "Finally awake?"

She scowled at him half-heartedly, as though she couldn't muster up enough energy to show the contempt she usually held for him. "How long was I asleep for?"

"About twenty minutes, I think. How do you feel?" He brushed aside the hair that was still half-plastered against her forehead.

"I'm fine." A light blush bloomed on her cheeks. "Do you have a shower I can use?"

He nodded and motioned towards the door on the right side of the cabin. "The bathroom's over there. Let me know if you need anything."

She hopped out of the bed and made her way there. Unable to shake off the feeling of being watched, she glanced behind her and noticed that the son of Poseidon had his eyes firmly locked onto her naked body, shamelessly ogling her tight, lithe form as she crossed the room. Her face flushed with embarrassment and she quickly slipped into the restroom, firmly closing the door behind her.

She breathed a sigh of relief at being away from his hungry gaze and pointedly ignored the vague feeling of disappointment now that it was gone. She looked around, noting that despite the multiple sinks and showers, only one of each were being regularly used. She settled for the same stall that Percy had used earlier and turned on the water, waiting for it to warm up before stepping in.

She relaxed as she entered the warm, soothing cascade, letting it flow over her body and wash away the sweat, and other fluids, that clung to her skin. As she began to clean herself, her mind turned to thoughts about the demigod that had made himself a dominant part of her life in the past few days.

She didn't dislike it, if anything it resembled, uncannily enough, a great many of the pleasant dreams she'd had about the son of Poseidon; dreams that she had woken up from in a state of not insignificant arousal and promptly decided that not a word of them could be breathed to anyone else ever.

Until recently they had only been that: dreams. The possibility of her actually getting together with him were worse than a snowball's chance in Tartarus. Even when rumors of Annabeth's last words to Luke had made its way around the camp – and to an extent, Olympus – whatever brief opportunity existed for her to make her move disappeared into oblivion as everyone smothered both of them in an unending torrent of sympathy. Even she was smart enough to realize that flirting with him during such a period would make her even more of an outcast than she already was.

The event had led her to ask herself: would anyone offer her their shoulder to cry on if the love of her life chose someone else over her?

She blinked away the tears in her eyes and the pain in her chest when she recalled the answer she had responded with as soon as the thought came to the forefront of her mind.

No. Of course not.

After all, why would they?

She wasn't one of the prophesized seven nor was she even remotely close to any of them.

She wasn't powerful, save for her charmspeak, nor did she hold a position of importance, not after Piper had ousted her as Counselor.

Hades, they'd probably even be glad that she was gone.

She shook her head, sending droplets of water every as her hair scattered them this way and that. No, this wasn't the time to be thinking about this. There was no use in crying over something that couldn't be changed.

She turned the water off and stood in the stall for a few more seconds to regain her composure before stepping out and drying herself off with a towel. She vigorously scrubbed her face as though she could wipe away any emotions that might have lingered on her visage, only to pause when she realized she had accidentally rubbed off the rest of her makeup onto his towel, leaving a multicolored streak down the middle. She tossed it into the hamper and took another one from a shelf, finishing the task and looking around for her clothes, which were nowhere to be found.

The Tanaka cracked open the door and hissed, "Percy!"

He snapped his head up, turning towards her – and more importantly, away from the book – enthusiastically.

"Where are my clothes?"

He blinked. "I don't-" He paused. "Oh, right."

He got up from where he sat on the bed and made his way over to her. He reached out and cupped her cheek. Drew nearly recoiled from the unexpected contact, but stopped herself when he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. There was a flash of violet light, and the faint scent of perfume – her favorite, she noticed – and her clothes were present on her body once more.

She opened the door the rest of the way and closed it behind her as she stepped out of the bathroom, noting that her clothes were both cleaner and softer than when she had put them on this morning.

He grinned. "Better?"

"Hmph." She rolled her eyes and shouldered her way past him. He frowned and reached out to stop her. He caught her by the arm, and she nearly jerked it out of his grasp, but he tightened his grip.

She turned her head, glaring daggers at his hand. "Let go of me."

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him to deliver a scathing retort, only to flinch when she met his gaze. His eyes were bright, inquisitive, filled with kindness and concern yet without an ounce judgment or disdain. Guilt bubbled in her chest and she looked away. He took the opportunity to move closer and wrap his arms around her waist.

"I won't force you to tell me anything." He sighed. "I just want you to know I'm here if you want to talk."

The Tanaka closed her eyes. "Sorry. I've been… thinking about a few things." She reluctantly pulled herself away from him. "I just need some time alone."

He nodded. "I understand. Just let me know if you need me."

"I will." She paused for a moment, biting her lower lip in hesitation. "I…" She shook her head and locked eyes with him again, albeit slightly nervously. "Thanks, Percy."

"Any time." He smiled.

She left a moment later, gently closing the door behind her and leaving the son of Poseidon to ponder her behavior.

He sat down on his bed, idly noting in the back of his mind that he would need to wash it later, and rubbed his face. He rested his chin on his hand as he reflected on what had just happened.

It was… unnerving, to say the least. He couldn't recall a time where he had ever seen Drew sad. Granted, his memory wasn't exceptional, but he knew that he would remember if anything as strange as that had occurred.

And it was strange. He had seen the raven-haired demigoddess in a number of moods before, ranging from smug satisfaction, to marked annoyance, and even venomous rage. And while those attitudes were certainly undesirable, they were, at least, normal and he had encountered them often enough to know how to deal with them without even thinking about it.

It made him realize just how little he knew about her, despite the physical intimacy they had shared. Though it wasn't like it was entirely his fault, he'd had more important things to worry about prior to their sudden shift in relationship. But now that his duties as the world's savior had been fulfilled, he had much more free time to do what he wanted to.

Now he just needed to figure out what he wanted to spend that time on.

Well, first, his utmost priority was to get to know the two of them better. While he was familiar with Piper, Drew was a complete mystery beyond her mask as a bitchy ice queen. He suspected that there was more to that façade than a simple penchant for narcissism.

After that, he wanted to work on his powers some more. He was only vaguely aware of what he could do as a child of Poseidon, but he had merely been running off instinct whenever he used his divine abilities thus far. If he wanted to improve his combat prowess, this would certainly be a good way to do it.

Beyond that… He figured that his gear could use some upgrades and Tyson could probably help with that, but he didn't know what needed to be changed, so he'd probably leave that task for later.

For now though, he was going to go get some food, then return to here to study some more before taking a break. He had apparently worked up quite the appetite due to his earlier activities. Not that he minded of course.

Once he made his way to the dining pavilion and sat down, he was secretly pleased to find that there was no one else around. He didn't really want to field questions about his improved appearance, not right now at least.

He looked around and spotted a dryad hovering nervously behind a column with a blush on her cheeks. He chuckled and waved at her, eliciting a startled squeak when she realized that he had noticed her. She paused for a moment, then quickly made her way over to him.

His eyes were automatically drawn the slight sway of her hips as she walked over to where he sat. She was petite and pretty in the same way that most dryads were with her flowing green hair and slight, but perky, frame that seemed to sway even in the gentlest of winds. He could feel himself getting aroused again as a hunger that had nothing to do with sustenance began to dominate his mind.

There wasn't anyone else in the pavilion and he doubted she would say no, so maybe they could-

"W-what would you l-like?"

You. Was the first answer that came to his mind, but then he blinked and snapped himself out of his reverie and looked up at the dryad to see her eyes darting around nervously, looking at everything but him as she stood there waiting for his order.

He shook his head. Ugh, what was I thinking?

"I'll have what I usually have, please."

She nodded and quickly scurried away, leaving the son of Poseidon to reflect on the sudden bout of lust that had nearly overtaken him.

What the Hades just happened? Did I really just consider doing… that? He closed his eyes and sighed. Dammit. I really need to get a better hold of myself.

Nearly silent footsteps interrupted his introspection and a plate containing his favorite meal was placed in front of him, alongside a set of utensils, and a goblet. He opened his mouth and looked up to thank her, but paused when he took note of the dryad's appearance.

Her eyes were clouded and her breathing was ragged. The blush from earlier had darkened to an even deeper green and she was fidgeting under his gaze, though something told him it was no longer entirely due to nervousness. Her luscious lips parted slightly as her tongue darted out to wet her lips before she spoke.

"Is there… Is there anything else you'd like?"

Her last word was uttered with a sultry pant as her thighs rubbed together under the dress she wore. He could feel the heat of attraction blazing from her as brightly as a torch held a few inches away from his face.

For a moment, he seriously considered telling her to get under the table and blow him while he ate. After all, she had probably been hard at work since morning, and he couldn't possibly be so cruel as to let her continue serving in such a distracted state. Surely, he'd be doing both of them a favor by relieving their mutual lust… But then recalled the promise he had made to Piper and tore himself away from that insidious train of thought before it could go any further, regardless of how tempting it was.

"Noth-" He coughed when he noticed his voice came out a bit deeper than before. "Nothing else. Thank you."

She nodded, looking somewhat disappointed but no less aroused despite the implicit rejection. "Of- of course. But please don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything."

"Right. Thank you."

She departed, leaving him to his meal, though he couldn't help but notice the extra sway in her hips as she sashayed away from him, and he had to tear his eyes away from her inviting rear before she noticed what he was doing.

He gave a low growl and rubbed his face with his hands. He needed to control his powers better, otherwise he was going to end up being chased by a crowd of horny women everywhere he went.

While that was a nice idea in theory, he didn't want to become an involuntary hermit for fear of attracting too many women to handle. Especially when groups like the Hunters of Artemis were around. He didn't want to accidentally charm a maiden and receive a hundred arrows in his backside from the trigger-happy moon goddess. Which was why he was going to need to examine his new abilities very carefully before he made any more moves on anyone.

He sacrificed a portion of his meal as a tribute to the gods first before he dug in. The food was excellent, as usual, and he finished it quickly. With at least one of his hungers sated, he left the pavilion and made his way back to his cabin and shut the door behind him when he stepped inside.

He noticed that the bed was still in a state of disarray and decided to sort that out before he got back to studying. It was absolutely not a ploy to delay the return to that horrendously agonizing and extremely boring task at all.

Fortunately for him, his hydrokinesis would come in handy here once more.

He opened the window first before, he directed a stream of water from the fountain with a flick of his hand and let it steadily soak his bed until it was drenched. Then, rhythmically twirling his fingers in a circular motion, he let the water within swish around and wash the entire thing from the inside out.

Once he was certain that it would be clean, he took a deep breath and concentrated, willing every drop of water to leave the bed and coalesce into a shaky sphere before he tossed it out the window. It certainly wasn't the most elegant of solutions but he had an inkling that tossing dirty water back into his father's fountain would definitely anger of the God of the Sea, and he hadn't yet developed the skill necessary to carry it all the way over to the bathroom and ensure it went down the drain. Thankfully, there were nothing but trees and bushes outside the window anyways, so he wasn't at risk of accidentally drenching anyone that wanted to pay him a visit.

He cautiously ran his hands over his bed to make sure that it was really as dry as he wanted to be. Satisfied, he sat down at his desk, took a deep breath, and started studying again.

…

A few hours and several breaks later, he sat back with a groan and rubbed his face.

He couldn't wait to get the damn test done and over with as soon as possible. Then he'd probably take a gap year before he started at New Rome College to give himself a breather, though he'd actually need to get accepted first before he could do that.

He was fairly confident about his chances of course. After all, it would be hard not to grant entrance to one of the prophesized seven, a child of Neptune, and a hero of not just one, but two great prophecies. Still, that didn't mean he could slack off. He didn't want people to think he was merely coasting off of his heritage, which was why he was determined to make sure his grades were up to par.

That didn't make the studying any less boring or tortuous of course, but if he had made it through Tartarus, he could make it through this.

He stood up and stretched, glancing outside the window and noting that the sun had already sunk halfway behind the horizon.

He didn't feel very hungry since he had eaten earlier and did nothing more strenuous than turn pages and write, so he decided to head down to the beach to watch the sunset and go for a swim. He didn't bother changing into his swimming trunks since he wouldn't get wet unless he wanted to, nor did his clothes affect his underwater mobility in any significant way. He did however, replace his sneakers with sandals since he didn't want to deal with sand getting caught in his socks.

He checked his pocket to make sure Riptide was with him and felt the comforting weight of the watch-shield on his wrist before he stepped outside and made his way to the beach.

He paused at its edge, taking a moment to drink in the sight and sounds of the gorgeous vista before him.

The gentle cries of seagulls echoed around him, interspersed with the soft crash of watery blue waves as they lapped against the shore. The dusk light bathed the beach a fiery orange, giving the golden sand a reddish hue as it shone in the brilliance of the setting sun. A whisper of wind swept across the beach, sending a few wayward grains scattering and filling his lungs with the refreshing scent of the sea.

He smiled, breathing deeply as he made his way down to the shore. He wholeheartedly thanked whoever had chosen to include a beach within camp boundaries. There was nothing else like being so close to his home. Well, one of his homes. The other being his mother's apartment of course. And while he did appreciate Camp Jupiter and how different it was from Half-Blood, the Little Tiber couldn't compare to the Atlantic Ocean in terms of personal comfort.

He stepped out of his slippers, leaving them on the shoreline as he stepped into the sea and sat down when it came up to his knees.

A few fish swam up to him, though given the shallowness of the water around him, only the smaller ones were able to maneuver with any degree of freedom. The bigger ones nonetheless made their presence known however, as they carved graceful arcs through the air before diving back into the water from which they had leaped, throwing up droplets of liquid and showing off their glittering scales that caught in the light of the setting sun.

He chuckled and pet the ones bold enough to come within arm's reach of him while he sent his thanks to those he couldn't touch. They seemed to titter happily at being acknowledged by the son of the Sea God and, sensing his desire to be alone, left quickly, but only after giving him a proper and deferential farewell.

Then, with a soft smile on his face, he watched as the sun slipped beneath the horizon and brought upon twilight with its disappearance. He stood and walked out further into the sea before diving into its waters, using his hydrokinesis to propel himself forward.

Going for a swim, or even just being wet in general, gave him an impressive boost in strength, speed, and stamina, and always left him feeling refreshed when he went back on land, but the effect was most pronounced when he was submerged in any of the oceans, where his father reigned supreme.

The world beneath the waves was one unlike any other, and without the need for goggles, or flashlights, or any diving gear in general, he was fully free to experience and explore it to his heart's content.

He sunk down to the ocean floor and landed on his feet with a slight puff of sediment. He looked around, taking in the healthy diversity of flora and fauna that thrived around him.

Forests of seaweed gently swayed in the current, the upper portions of their blades only slightly brighter than the rest as what little light remained was scattered by the water, lending the normally mundane plants an ethereal quality as they seemed to almost glow in the darkness. Fish, octopi, and crustaceans swam, propelled, and scurried around him respectively. While he could feel their curiosity, they never lingered. It seemed that those he had interacted with earlier had spread the message, which was something he appreciated.

The beach, and the immediate area surrounding it, had always been one of his favorite places to simply relax in. Being immersed in his domain and surrounded by his subjects never failed to evoke a wondrous sense of soothing awe. He doubted he would ever get tired of it.

Not all places were as vibrant or as peaceful as this however. After all, decades upon decades of human interference had a way of inadvertently degrading whatever previously idyllic natural environment they decided to settle in. It wasn't any different for sea life, but due to this place's proximity to the camp, they enjoyed the natural protection it brought them as well as the boosts in vitality that came with being regularly tended to by sea nymphs and protected from any pollution or monster that sought to make its way within the camp boundaries.

He swam around for a few minutes more, and relaxed for a bit afterwards, letting himself drift with the current. Once he felt that he had enough, he shot forward with a flick of his feet and burst through the surface of the water, heading for the beach. He emerged from the water and onto the sand, as dry as when he had left his cabin, and stepped into his sandals before making his way back to his cabin. Since there wasn't much else he wanted to do tonight, he decided to turn in early.

After brushing his teeth, taking a shower, and laying out next day's change of clothing, he turned off the lights, slipped into bed, and was lulled to sleep by the calming gurgle of the ever-flowing saltwater fountain that dominated the room.