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theamityelf · 6 months

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My mind is full of thoughts of a Percy Jackson Danganronpa AU.

Here's an organized brainstorm.

Parameters: Danganronpa universe, Riordanverse characters. This means no one is a demigod, which I would ordinarily find a bit boring, but Ultimates are pretty superhuman anyway, so it's fine. Hope's Peak in Japan still exists; this is an imitation school in New York. The plot of Danganronpa is still happening in Japan. Junko and co are still responsible for the Tragedy and their killing game, but there is someone in the New York Hope's Peak who helped her cause the Tragedy and, separately, someone in the New York Hope's Peak acting in the role of "coerced traitor".

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Percy Jackson- Ultimate Swimmer. Most of his backstory gets to stay pretty much the same, except the weird traumatizing things that happened throughout his childhood that in canon were the result of his godly parentage are now just regular people mistreating a kid. He gained renown as an Olympic swimmer, mostly so that he could give the money that came with that success to his mother, so she could stop being financially dependent on his abusive step-dad. She was able to leave him, and optionally put a hit out on him? If we want a Medusa equivalent.

In the killing game, his classmates are weird about him. A lot of them act like he's not smart, no matter how often he's right about stuff. He gets extremely defensive when he's the one being accused of murder, because he's used to having to defend himself from unfair accusations, so it's already a sore spot for him. This makes him come across as hotheaded and suspicious, but he never hurts anyone.

He survives. Also, he's probably the POV character.

Annabeth Chase- Ultimate Strategist. Backstory is, she ran away from home when she was seven and ended up in the "care" of some kind of army or mercenary group, and she became their best battle strategist at a very young age. When she became old enough to object to what the group was doing, she plotted out the tidiest way to end them and escape (physically) unscathed. Once she was free, she pretty much lived as a drifter until Hope's Peak scouted her.

In the killing game, she channels any fear she has immediately and directly into defensive rage. Because she can see so many potential strategies in the the things people do and the way everyone else behaves, she tends to float on the slightly confrontational side. Ironically, despite Percy being one of the more cunning participants, and despite everyone else accusing him of stuff constantly, she almost never expects him to be up to anything. Like, she'll sit next to him during meals specifically because she does not believe he has it in him to successfully plot her death.

She might kill. She probably wouldn't be killed. Her execution might be chess-based! Maybe a cruel subversion, where she's winning the chess game and then gets crushed to death by a giant checker piece, or something like that.

Grover Underwood- Ultimate Environmentalist. He's a famous activist for climate change and pollution. And unfortunately, Danganronpa Law might dictate that he gets placed in the coward role by default. Someone's gotta have the outrageously out-there fear sprites. I'd say he leans more "easily-startled pacifist" than "genuine coward", though. He might get a moment where he throws a tin can at Monokuma.

He folds in the face of teasing of any kind, so if Monokuma or his classmates make jokes at his expense, he does not banter back. Percy backs him up, since he refuses to defend himself. But he is reasonably vocal in the trials.

He's the character you're sure is going to die every chapter, but he makes it to the end.

Nico di Angelo- Ultimate Gamer. Everyone who hasn't already heard of him is surprised by this, because they find him irrationally eerie and it seems like his talent should have the same vibes. He's had a hard life, partially due to family stuff and partially because these game companies target him whenever he makes them look bad and sometimes they send mercenaries to intimidate or harm him, so he has to live on the run and off the grid- while also being a notorious gamer. He's still Hazel's half-brother, but he has to be careful about acknowledging their relationship in public, lest she be in danger, too. (The game company mercenaries would hold her hostage! They've already done it with a different sister before, and it did not end well.) But he does favors for her when he can, and they manage to keep in touch. Now that they're both attending the same school, they still keep their sibling relationship a secret for a while.

He's very reserved, both socially and in the trials. Sometimes he hangs out with Leo, since Leo focuses so hard on his own work that they don't have to talk much, and that's honestly the only reason he ever has an alibi. He still often gets accused of stuff just based on sheer vibes.

He might kill someone for Hazel. Or he might be killed. Most likely, he dies somehow. One of them has to die for the other's character development, per Danganronpa rules, and I'm choosing him. He would agree with my choice. The group finds out that they're siblings either during the trial or between the verdict and his execution.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare- Ultimate Heiress, but she really really doesn't want to be! She tries really hard to have a different Ultimate, like Ultimate Artist, Ultimate Activist...

In the killing game, her role in the dialogue is mostly to be the one saying obvious things and explaining the joke that was just made. (Look, it's okay. Some of my favorite Danganronpa characters get saddled with that job. It's not a slight on Rachel.) There's a running gag where she tends to correctly guess things ahead of time, culminating in her excitedly saying "Hey! Maybe I'm the Ultimate Psychic!" This annoys Octavian tremendously.

Socially, she kind of cycles between the friend groups. She says very little in the trials. When people tease her, she very much does banter back.

She might kill. Or she might be killed. I think probably the latter, and they can have some line like "She didn't see it coming." Maybe Nico kills her because she was going to kill Hazel? Eh, maybe not. She does get killed, though. Although her execution could be interesting if she murders instead; it could be based on the title she hates, or it can be based on her yearning for another title/identity.

Luke Castellan- Ultimate Traveler. He runs a very popular travel blog or vlog, centered around how he's been to every state, territory, and almost every country. He speaks a lot of languages. He's older than his classmates, because he missed a lot of school while he was traveling.

"I've visited the Hope's Peak in Japan a few times."

"There's one in Japan?" Percy says, immediately interested.

"The first Hope's Peak is in Japan!" Annabeth chides.

He became friends with Junko Enoshima a while back. He had a role in causing the Tragedy to also happen in America, but he thought it was for a different reason. He never wanted his classmates to kill each other! (He was fine with millions of other people dying, though.) Junko said they were locking themselves in for their own safety, so he convinced Headmaster Chiron. His memory was erased along with everyone else, so he doesn't know anything except that he was friends with Junko.

His presence in the killing game is very charismatic and caring and somewhat leaderly.

He might be the first one killed. He probably doesn't kill anyone. All the information about his role in things comes out after his death, but maybe he gets a moment right before he dies where he remembers everything but can only say a cryptic sentence that everyone misunderstands.

Carter Kane- Ultimate Egyptologist. Attended many lectures and archaeological digs with his father, pretty much from infancy. (Yes, Professor Kane giving a lecture with a baby on his chest!) Very well-versed in Egyptology, and took over his father's work and expert status when he tragically died in a freak accident. If New York Hope's Peak has a reserve course, Sadie might be enrolled there as a backup Ultimate Egyptologist.

In the killing game, Carter's place in the social web is to kind of be the quieter Annabeth, in that he's smart and somewhat suspicious of the others but doesn't express it as openly as she does. Also, his particular brand of had-to-grow-up-too-fast is of a more social bent than most of the others', due to the nature of his work, so he's a lot like Reyna in that he'll be the one trying to calm people down and get them to work together. In fact, he and Reyna will have a casually-established trust for each other, where they generally agree about things, side with each other, support each other's alibis, etc.

In the trials, he isn't all that vocal, but when he speaks, he always has an astute point.

He doesn't kill, but he might get killed.

Jason Grace- Oh boy, there are so many funny answers to this. I think it would be most on-brand for him to be the guy who wakes up with no memory of his Ultimate. But, this would necessarily mean that his talent must be significant in some potentially-game-breaking way. Ultimate Wolf Trainer would be great, but maybe a little out there? I'm thinking he'd either be Ultimate Wolf Trainer or Ultimate Survivalist. Either way, his backstory still involves wolves because the wolves are the coolest things about him (in my own personal opinion).

He is killed by Monokuma for rule-breaking, because he does not want to engage with the game on Monokuma's terms. He's used as an example for the others. It's a very heroic death.

Piper McLean- Ultimate Trendsetter. (A really superficial-sounding title that she hates.) She's been in the public eye as the daughter of a famous actor, and she's known for being utterly subversive in her fashion choices and broader lifestyle stuff; she single-handedly reshapes pop cultural trends, and no one can quite put their finger on why she manages to be so...persuasive? Without even saying a word. It's like, just by being herself, she makes people want to "agree" with her. Her social media presence has a significant impact on social justice movements and political campaigns. She also met Junko Enoshima before attending Hope's Peak (because it's not hard for a super influential "fashionista" to engineer a way to meet a super influential "trendsetter"), and Junko identified her as a valuable asset. Piper is the coerced traitor. She confesses after a close friend (probably Leo) dies.

Her behavior in the killing game is kind of guarded, for a while; she's guilty about being in contact with Monokuma, so she isolates herself out of guilt. It comes across as the standard "aloof ice queen" character archetype, especially if the POV character is Percy, who she doesn't soften toward until late in the game when they understand each other better, but she shows her kind side when she's defending those she perceives as underdogs, like Leo and Hazel. She doesn't trust Grover (Another thing that places her at odds with Percy.), because she thinks his pacifist thing is an act, partially because she considers him a celebrity and she has a lot of baggage around the concept of celebrity.

After she confesses to being the traitor, people get back to trusting her surprisingly quickly. It helps that a lot of the late-game participants are more on the trusting side, and also, in true Danganronpa traitor fashion, she didn't actually do anything to anyone; she just is the traitor. Once the cat's out of the bag, it's like a weight has been lifted. She gets along with everyone way better.

She survives.

Leo Valdez- Ultimate Mechanic. Once again, same backstory except he can't create fire with his hands.

In the killing game, he leans SUPER hard on sarcasm and humor as a defense mechanism, causing him to butt heads with some of the more earnest in the cast. Characters like Frank genuinely believe he doesn't care or thinks the situation is funny, whereas characters like Piper understand pretty quickly that Leo is just unable to deal with his fear any other way.

He dies, because his talent is game-breakingly useful once the group at large is focused on game-breaking and not surviving each other. He builds something useful to the rest of the class and then dies, rendering the thing he built far more valuable for the fact that they won't have any more inventions or machines from him to help them.

(If we want to go Danganronpa-style cruel irony, Annabeth could be the one to kill him, since she's the strategy person and his loss would be the most strategically problematic to the group. Like, we could discover that if she just hadn't killed Leo, he was this close to building something that would get them free.)

Hazel Levesque- (I would love to incorporate her love of horses, but that simply can't be relevant here, lol.) Ultimate Witch. She has pretty strong reservations about her title, but essentially she's a talented illusionist with above-average luck. Also she can sometimes see ghosts; it's a genetic thing. (Because if Danganronpa says that's on the table, then why not.) She would prefer to be called the Ultimate Illusionist, but New York Hope's Peak wants snappy, clickbait-y names for their Ultimates.

In the killing game, she gets along with everyone. Frank is protective of her, because she's physically small, kind-hearted, and pretty. Nico is protective of her because she's his sister. All the other girls are protective of her, because she's the least athletic out of all of them (since this AU doesn't require her to have been fighting monsters). Leo makes lighthearted jokes about her talent that Frank takes too seriously. The only person to ever directly accuse her of anything is Octavian, though she's not above suspicion when she doesn't have an alibi.

And for her own part, Hazel's skill set comes into play because she has a keen eye for smoke-and-mirrors, as it were. Like, as soon as the killing game starts, she becomes curious as to where Monokuma is appearing from and determined to find out. Things like that. She discovers secret passageways based on her familiarity with optical illusions, sleight of hand, and hidden compartments.

She survives. Obviously, having a strong personal connection to a character who probably dies means she has to survive to say some line towards the end like "It's what they would want," or "I remember what they said to me..." Monokuma meant for her to die because she was a little too persistent about finding stuff, but it didn't work out that way.

Frank Zhang- Ultimate Archer. Once again, functionally the same backstory with the Roman gods swapped out for human stuff.

In the killing game, he assumes the position of "We would never kill each other! Why would any of us kill each other?!" He's at odds with Leo (and by extension Piper) because of Leo's need to joke about things, and he's at odds with Annabeth because he doesn't want to suspect anyone. His insistence that they shouldn't suspect each other makes Annabeth (and to a lesser extent, Carter) suspicious that he's playing them. He trusts Reyna because she's a team leader, but she is aggressively neutral toward him. Like:

"Reyna, tell them this had to be Monokuma's doing!"

"It could have been him, or it could have been one of us. We don't have all the facts yet."

I'm going to say he kills, and I'm going to say that his motive is a hostage thing with his grandmother. This is also character development for Hazel. Sorry, Hazel. Also, sorry Frank. His execution hearkens to St. Sebastian (shot with a bunch of arrows while tied to a tree or post).

Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano- Ultimate Team Leader. Raised by a now-dead older sister, she led a lot of professional athletic teams to victory. She is great at seeing others' strengths and weaknesses, and she is a champion for team synergy.

Ironically, she's not great at creating or maintaining friendships, but she loves her classmates in her own way. She only speaks up in class trials when she notices someone is being talked over, in which case she makes sure the others quiet down and let them speak. Also, when Octavian is making it impossible to progress, she gets him to shut up. Other than that, she mostly listens.

She's probably killed, and the characters have a bunch of lines sadly reflecting on how they didn't expect someone like her to be killed.

Octavian [Last Name]- Ultimate Psychic. He's famous for his whole gimmick of divining a person's future by cutting open a beloved stuffed animal of theirs; for the hardcore superstitious types, it's considered a show of how serious you are about your beliefs to say you've had your future read by Octavian. (It's also a demonstration of financial status, because he charges a lot.)

In the killing game, he is hugely distrustful and obstructs the group from collaborating at pretty much every turn. Like, Annabeth is cautious, but he is straight up tearing the group apart constantly.

He kills or is killed for sure. Most likely, he kills; no way any self-respecting Danganronpa game would miss the opportunity to make him angrily defend himself in the trial room and get a gruesome execution that probably hearkens to him gutting stuffed animals. I'm going to take it a step further and say he's the one to kill Carter, since its too obvious to have him kill Rachel or Reyna.

Also, if they get to open up Monokuma late in the game, they're going to mention how Octavian would have loved to be around for this.

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So, to recap, in no particular order:

Murderers: Annabeth, Nico(?), Frank, Octavian

Victims: Rachel(?), Luke, Carter, Leo, Reyna

Killed As An Example: Jason

Survivors: Percy, Piper, Hazel, Grover. They are all best friends at the end.

#danganronpa au #pjo #heroes of olympus #hoo #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #nico di angelo #rachel elizabeth dare #luke castellan #jason grace #piper mclean #leo valdez #hazel levesque #frank zhang #reyna avila ramirez arellano #percy jackson danganronpa au

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zukotheartist · 3 months

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Pjo show spoilers

FRED CHASE WANTING TO SHOW ANNABETH AROUND NEW YORK AND THEN TAKING HER TO DISNEY WORLD😭😭😭

(im so glad they're going for this characterisation bc i always thought it was unfair and messed up how he gets villanised for panicking about randomly getting a baby when he didn't even sleep with Athena and wasn't asked if he wanted a child and then he was forced to raise her too even tho it was all Athena's doing and he loves the kid and tried his best but he was young and tbh prayed upon and that caused issues)

#frederick chase #annabeth chase #pjo spoilers #percy jackson #pjo #pjo show #athena #al's post

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blue-banana-the-first · 7 months

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Free Palestine

just to make it clear, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Thalia Grace, Reyna, Nico, Will, Grover, Meg, Frank, Hazel, Silena and all other PJO characters Like Sam, Alex and Magnus would never stand for this genocide

Girl meets world characters would never stand for this genocide

Your favourite characters, your comfort characters ould never stand for this genocide

Httyd characters would never stand for this genocide

My heart hurts for Palestinians and the unfair (and will never be fair) cruelty they're being subjected while our countries DO ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING.

I'm tired of people taking passive stances while people DIE just cause they don't want to get cancelled or lose fans or some other stupid thing.

When a reporter apologies for an oopsie moment of misinformation that lead to more people DYING and nobody condemns her or her news channel or other news channels, my heart hurts, when America's president believed said misinformation despite being a president who should know better, my heart hurt.

She made a mistake and Palestinians paid the price, when Justin Beiber made the post for Israel using Gaza as a background, got called out for his bs and removed the post JUST TO POST THE SAME THING WITH NO PICTURE, my heart hurt, and there are other celebrities who did the same thing too, it's appalling, it's disgusting.

When a bunch of countries know what's happening is wrong and illegal but still let it happen because it's CoMpLiCaTeD my heart hurts because since when was the fight ro save people's lives from and illegal occupation, ethnic cleansing and genocide complicated. Since when did we need analysis and a pros and cons list to help us decide the fate of other people, since when did we need time to think about how a situation would benefit us when hundreds, thousands of lives were on the line.

Since when did we all become so heartless to not see the situation for what it truly is??

#percy jackson #annabeth chase #pjo #girl meets world #httyd #palestine #genocyber #ethnic cleansing #This is so fucked up

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quillinhand · 8 months

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An Obligatory(late) Intro Post

Hi!!!

I'm Quill! I told myself I'd post this after I update my WIP, so now that I finally did that- read on for a description of who I am, what I post, and a vague idea of what I want on this blog.

Who Am I?

I'm desi Canadian. I speak Tamil(my native language) I can understand French somewhat, and I like to think I understand basic Korean. English is my second language, so if you find something clunkily worded or weirdly written, blame it on that.

I'm bi and I use she/they pronouns, and if you could use both pronouns equally, that would be reallyy great.

Personality-wise, I like to think I'm somewhere between Hermione Granger mixed in with Luna Lovegood dumped into Annabeth Chase and then infused with the personality of Ron Weasley. I'm messy and do not stay on topic, and I prioritize being kind. If those are things you like, I'm sure we're going to be great friends. If they aren't, still, just stay kind. That would mean a whole lot to me. ♡

What do I post?

Is this a Harry Potter blog? Is this not a Harry Potter blog? That is the question.

It isn't actually. (I like to think I'm funny) This blog is basically a dumping ground for my hobbies and obsessions, which include, but aren't limited to- writing, drawing, crocheting, singing, and general screaming at the unfairness of life and other bullshit. I become obsessed with fandoms and the odd kdrama frequently often, so every now and then prepare to see random content because I can't be bothered to actually use the sideblogs I made.

Harry Potter is among the list of fandoms I have oPiNiOns in, and therefore, something you're bound to see. Nothing I can do about that, sorry!

Other than that, I post and reblog content about PJO, Grishaverse, MCU, and a shit ton of kdramas you've never heard of and will now know obscure details about.

I have too many ships to list and will read anything, so.

I have one sideblog dedicated to my writing, and I plan on posting there relatively soon, so if that's something you're into, check this out!

DNI's.... uhhhh, not really.

I'm not really a huge fan of DNIs. Or anything else of the variety, because they're mean in a really useless sort of way, and I'm not into that. I just want this to be a fun and kind space to talk about what I like and do and chill w my moots and other incredibly smart people. This is a welcome space for everyone who wants it to be welcome and kind to everybody. That being said: bigotry and other toxic bullshit is not welcome and you will be picked to shreds and immediately blocked if you do decide to bring it on here.

Other than that, if what I post is your thing, scroll on! If it isn't, click the close or block button and I hope you have a wonderful day.

#this is long #but i like it so #pinned post #intro #long overdue ik

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asapphicmagnuschase · 1 month

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THIS is an official message.

I'm so sick and tired of people hating on Leah for countless things. It needs to stop. EVERYONE understands she doesn't look like book Annabeth, but Rick chose her specifically because her

PERSONALITY is like Annabeths. She is an amazing actress, and she plays the part perfectly.

Leah Sava Jeffries is a 14 year old actress who plays the role of Annabeth Chase in the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians tv show. She has received

MULTIPLE death threats by people who hate her for

NO REASON.

Many fan girls of Walker Scobell, the 15 year old actor who plays the lead role, Percy Jackson in the new Percy Jackson tv show, hate on Leah for the stupidest reasons to ever exist. Example: some believe her and Walker are "dating," when they are really just friends and those fans have no way to prove that they are in a relationship. They are just friends, but those specific fans send Leah death threats because of it.

She's 14 years old, and is simply living her dream of acting in the show. People who hate on her for that are just insecure that she's knows Walker and they don't. Do you people really believe that Walker will want to even be friends with you if you send her those death threats? No. It's bullshit now that I'm getting comments of people on my accounts saying stuff like this.

Death threats are WAY too far considering she didn't do ANYTHING wrong to anybody. I recently saw a Pinterest post, (credits to the creator of that post) saying she has panic attacks because of it. Do you realize how messed up that is!? Because of THOSE FANS she is getting panic attacks. That's bullshit.

People who hate her for no reason besides that they're jealous and insecure need to stop. It's too far and it's completely unfair to her and completely unnecessary.

I really hope this ends up stopping, because Leah is an angel and deserves none of it. I don't have much social media, so please, anyone, share this entire message that I have wrote on any other platforms to spread the message. It's sickening to hear all of the hate she is getting, and it hurts to know my favorite actress is getting death threats when she is just trying to live her life.

Thank you for your time,

This message was written by Brianna.

(Not mine, just sharing)

#percy jackson #leah sava jeffries

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tagthescullion · 1 month

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Choices

Fandom(s): Trials of Apollo

Summary: Nico faces the grim reality of losing another sister to the Hunters of Artemis. He has convinced his father to change his mind and fight for their dysfunctional family, surely he can make Reyna change her mind, too.

Rating: T (swearing, people being bitchy)

Words: 1800

AO3 link

“Why?”

Reyna had been waiting for him to arrive. She had barely flinched when she felt that cold, bizarre feeling that meant somebody shadow-travelled nearby.

Nico saw her shoulders rise and fall as she sighed.

“Don’t make a big deal out of this,” she asked.

Nico scoffed.

Only then did she turn around.

“It’s not the same.” Reyna stated.

The same. No need to clarify.

I’m not like your other sister who abandoned you at the first chance. I’m not like your other sister who died days later because death was better than dealing with an unwanted little brother.

“Isn’t it?” Nico asked, his voice hard. “You’re not joining those fucking Hunters, then? All miscommunication. The rumour mill in Camp Jupiter is insane.”

Reyna’s expression became a stony cold wall. Emotionless.

“Don’t be immature,” she chided him. “Yes, I’m joining the Hunters. No, it’s not the same, because I’m not a twelve-year-old girl who doesn’t know better. I made a founded decision.”

Nico crossed his arms. “Yeah, founded. Founded by all that marketing bullshit they use to convince people. First that condescending bitch Zoë, and now Thalia, the giant hypocrite. She hated them, and now she goes around replacing the ones who die.”

Reyna took a deep breath. With her face devoid of emotion, and Nico feeling too many emotions himself, it was hard for him to know if she was exasperated, tired, or about to stab him with a dagger.

But, to be frank, Nico didn’t give a shit. If he got stabbed, so be it. Reyna needed to understand this was a mistake. A huge, massive, regrettable mistake.

“I know how Thalia used to feel about them,” Reyna told him. She leaned back on what would become her former desk, half sitting on it, and mirrored his crossed arms. “She’s told me all about Zoë too. And her version of what happened to Bianca, Nico.”

“Her version?” Nico rolled his eyes. “There’s one version. Artemis convinced Bianca to join the Hunt, had no better idea than to be kidnapped a nanosecond later,” he ignored the rumbling of thunder in the background, “and then darling Zoë took her on a quest she wasn’t ready for where she was murdered because not a single one of those assholes in the quest had a second thought about a girl who didn’t know shit about demigod life joining them!”

Reyna opened her mouth to speak but Nico wasn’t finished.

He shook his head. “And all for what? Because Percy and Thalia wanted to get Annabeth back. All for infallible, perfect Annabeth Chase. My sister’s life wasn’t worth shit next to hers to any of the people in that quest. And neither does yours.” He sneered. “The moment somebody Thalia loves is in danger, you become disposable. She won’t hesitate to put you in the line of fire.”

Reyna put a hand on his forearm. “You’re being unfair.”

Nico pulled his arm out of her grasp. “I’m telling you the truth. You don’t believe me? Look at the facts. Any Hunter dies? Thalia has them replaced before she can even learn the former one’s names. There used to be a dozen when my sister joined. By the Battle of Manhattan Thalia had doubled that number.” He put his hands on his hips. “A bunch of them died then, and by the time you met them, Thalia had already got the numbers up again. She doesn’t care! They’re statistics to her!”

“That’s not true, Nico,” Reyna insisted. “Thalia cares a lot more than you think. Hell, she probably cares more than Zoë did. Most of the girls there have been rescued from tough situations; from abusive partners, sometimes their own families… Thalia’s only helping them have a better future.”

Nico snorted. “Oh, forgive me, I didn’t know she was doing a saint’s work. And here I was, thinking the best way out of a toxic relationship was therapy. Clearly, joining a group of eternal maidens who are taught to hate, mistrust, and shun out men is much better. With the addition of dangerous monster hunting. How fun!”

“If you’ll be a little shit about it, you can just leave,” Reyna snapped. Her façade broke and Nico saw she was both hurt and annoyed. “I do want to talk to you about my decision, but I won’t if you’ll just stand there and complain without listening to my side.”

“Fine,” Nico said. He grabbed a chair from next to the wall, and sat straddling it, leaning on its backrest, looking at Reyna. “Go ahead, explain your betrayal.”

Reyna rolled her eyes again. “You’re dramatic, patronising, and right now, publicity to Thalia’s cause against boys. Be a man, shut up, and listen.”

Nico frowned but stayed quiet. She wanted to talk, let her. There was nothing she could say that would make him change his mind.

“Do you remember how you said you didn’t feel part of Camp Half-Blood?” She began. “How you never fit in, and you struggled to try because you felt whatever you did was never enough, so why bother?”

“You fit in perf— you’re a praetor!”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Reyna raised a hand to stop him. “Ahora me toca a mí. Yes, I was a praetor, so was Jason, and look how quickly he decided to join Camp Half-Blood, where he felt more comfortable. Having power isn’t the same as being happy in a place, you know? You’re powerful in your father’s domain, would you stay there forever?”

Nico first thought it was rhetoric, but she seemed to be waiting for some sort of reply, so he shook his head.

“I love Camp Jupiter,” she stated, and her voice shook with emotion. “But I also think I’ve done more than my fair share to keep it running. I’ve led them through two wars! I’ve given them years of my life.”

Nico swallowed a comment about how they would likely be the last years of her life, because, let’s face it, lately the Hunters, ironically, had a reduced life expectancy.

“Thalia’s offer is one of being able to have a life,” Reyna said. “I won’t have to lead, I won’t have to think for everybody else, shoulder that responsibility.”

“Will you be happy, though?” Nico asked. He tried to keep the venom in his voice to a minimum. “Is it really a life to be your age forever, and run around the wild without a care for the world?”

Reyna shrugged. “It’s better than this. Besides, what do you want my life to be? To grow up, get married, sprout out a couple of kiddies?”

Nico made a face. “Yes, that’s what I want you to do, have children. You know, Reyna, believe it or not, I’m aware it isn’t the 1940s anymore. I simply don’t think having no responsibilities will make you happy. And the Hunters they— they’re just not a good option.”

“Is there really any other reason than what happened to your sister to make you hate them?”

“Do I need any other reason?” He demanded, he felt his heartbeat quicken again. “Other than them letting my sister die? I’ll give you another reason: they take advantage of girls when they’re vulnerable. They’re like mythological mormons! They convince you to join their cult but they fail to give you other options.”

“Mythological mormons?” Reyna sighed. “Your issues with protestants aside—”

“Gods, it’s not about the protestants!” Nico waved his hands as if trying to grab an idea from the air. “You’ve always thought Hylla’s decision to join the Amazons was rushed. You’ve said it yourself, you think they only managed to convince her because she was in despair.”

Reyna’s face shone with anger. “She wasn’t in despair. She was broken. She’d been hurt time and time again by those brutes in Blackbeard’s crew. If you knew what they did to her, you’d understand why she joined some weird group who kept men in line. But the Amazons did sweep in when they saw somebody vulnerable, Thalia and the Hunters don’t do that.”

“You’ve told me they went for girls in abusive relationships, forgive me for assuming that puts you in a vulnerable situation,” Nico argued. “They offered my sister a life free of any burden when she felt overwhelmed, and they —coincidentally— asked you to join the immortal sorority of man-haters when they knew you felt weird and left out.”

“That doesn’t make me vulnerable,” she insisted. “And for your information, Thalia’s been asking me to join for ages, ever since the quest to get the statue back to New York.”

“When, of course, you weren’t vulnerable, it was a perfectly unstressful situation,” Nico deadpanned. He leaned on the back of the chair again. “If your issue is that you don’t want to have sex with people, then maybe go to a pride-parade dressed in purple, don’t abandon your whole life on a whim.”

“You know,” Reyna said. “I’m not sure if you’re worried I’ll abandon my life, or that I’ll abandon you.”

Nico hesitated for a second. “Both. I’ve already been abandoned once by a sister because of the Hunters. I’d rather it didn’t happen again. But you wouldn’t just be abandoning me. You’d be abandoning everybody.”

Reyna walked towards him, she knelt in front of his chair.

“I won’t abandon you,” she promised. “I’ll come back, I’ll see you as much as I can. It’ll be like going to university, that’s all.”

“Let’s, for a second, pretend you can keep that promise,” Nico suggested. “Let’s pretend you’re one of the lucky few who live for centuries. What happens when all the people you know are dead?”

Reyna swallowed. “I don’t know. I don’t see the future. I’ll have the girls.”

“The Hunters Thalia replaces every less than a decade?” He wondered. “Those girls?”

She shook her head. “It’s my decision. I’m making it, sound of mind, having considered the pros and cons —regardless of whether you believe me or not—, and not being led in a moment of vulnerability.”

Nico huffed, shook his head, and stood up.

“All right,” he said. “I give up. You want to leave your friends and family, your life and responsibilities, off you go.”

“Thank you for understand—”

“I don’t,” Nico cut her off. “I don’t understand it. I’m mad as hell.”

“For somebody who didn’t grow up as an only child, you seem to love the word ‘I’.”

Nico scoffed. “Right, sorry, I keep making things about me. Let me make this about you. Remember when you said, in front of both camps, that you used to have a home, but now you had two? Well done, Reyna, by choosing the Hunters, now you have none.”

He turned and left the room, shutting the door with all the strength he could muster.

#first of all i love that it's 1800 words it's beautiful #nico di angelo #reyna avila ramirez arellano #pjo #hoo #toa #pjo hoo toa #riordanverse #pjo fic #mis fics #tagthescullion

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badass-bitch-polls · 1 year

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THE ULTIMATE BRACKET REVEAL

i have spent all evening on this. it's very late. i need sleep.

i'm incredibly sorry in advance for any unfair match ups! i used a random number generator to avoid bias towards my own blorbos, so if anything's op, blame the google number generator lmao

BUT YAY BRACKET REVEAL WOOOOO

FULL CANDIDATE LIST (below cut):

(alphabetically by media name...)

Jessy Thorn - ADACA

Hikari Kuina - Alice in Borderland

Loba Andrade - Apex Legends

Deunan Knute - Appleseed

Jinx - Arcane

Vi - Arcane

Sevika - Arcane (i accidentally put colette in my list twice and so only had 63 candidates, so since y'all loved sevika so much in the preliminaries i decided to add her in as a wild card!)

Azula - Avatar the Last Airbender

Katara - Avatar The Last Airbender

Lollipop - Battle for Dream Island

Moriarty - BBC Sherlock

Harley Quinn - Birds of Prey and DC Batman

Grell Sutcliff - Black Butler

Sakura Ogami - Danganronpa THH

Susie - Deltarune

Connor - Detriot Become Human

River Song - Doctor Who

c!Wilbur - The Dream SMP

Zora Salazar - Epithet Erased

Evelyn Wang - Everything Everywhere All At Once

Erza Scarlet - Fairy Tail

Sephiroth - Final Fantasy 7

River Tam - Firefly

Risa Hawkeye - Full Metal Alchemist

Olivier Armstrong - Full Metal Alchemist (the vote was so close that i thought both deserved to make the cut)

Megaera - Hades

Hornet - Hollow Knight

Mantis Lords - Hollow Knight

Vriska Serket - Homestuck

Snowman - Homestuck

Jolyne Cujoh - JoJo's Bizzare Adventure: Stone Ocean

Maki Zen'in - Jujutsu Kaisen

Vilanelle - Killing Eve

LL!ZombieCleo - Last Life SMP/Life Series

Mei - Lego Monkie Kid

Tony Stark - MCU

Vera Oberlin - Monster Prom

Lady Nagant - My Hero Academia

Nya - Ninjago

Aubrey - OMORI

Bossman Hero - OMORI

Annabeth Chase - Percy Jackson

GLaDOS - Portal

Buttercup - Powerpuff Girls

Death - Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Colette - Ratatouille

Albert Wesker - Resident Evil

April O'Neil - Rise of the TMNT

Cassandra Jones - Rise of the TMNT

Catra - She-Ra

Huntara - She-Ra

Garnet - Steven Universe

Morticia Addams - The Addams Family

Ellie Rose - The Henry Stickmin Collection

Gideon Nav - The Locked Tomb

The Mandalorian - The Mandalorian

Eda Clawthorne - The Owl House

Five Hargreeves - The Umbrella Academy

Elendira the Crimsonnail - Trigun Maximum (the manga)

Mettaton - Undertale

Undyne - Undertale

Lord Dominator - Wander Over Yonder

Urbosa - Zelda BOTW

Revali - Zelda BOTW

#badass bitch #badass bitch polls #tumblr polls #good lord this took so long #but it's done now #hopefully y'all like it!!!!!#i would tag every fandom for every character to gain traction but i genuinely cannot be asked #also that would take too many tags #and my hands would be in pain #polls #other polls

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knuffled · 1 year

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not so bad - chapter five

hope everyone is safe and warm and having a happy holiday season! if you enjoyed the chapter, please drop a comment on ao3 and reblog! thanks!

ao3 link

Annabeth swiped at the beads of cold sweat running down her forehead and rolled another ball onto the penalty spot. The October chill had long since sunk into fingers and toes, but the flames of frustration kept her outside. Her match today had gone abysmally. She’d done well to find space and shrug off defenders, but she couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net for the life of her. In total, Annabeth had hit each of the posts thrice and the crossbar twice. As if to add insult to injury, they had lost the match 0-1 even though they could’ve been up 3-0 by half-time.

She swiped at her nose, picked a spot, and took a breath before starting to run up to the ball. Top left corner was her chosen target, but the ball sailed well past the post. Annabeth got ready to release a stream of obscenities before she remembered the girl’s middle school team were still playing a match a field over, so she forced herself to remain silent.

It seemed there was nothing more to gain from practicing penalties, so she figured she’d head over and watch their game. There had been a dark-haired winger playing that had caught her eye.

She gathered her things and cleaned up the stray balls before making her way downfield. Her old middle school coach noticed her lingering at the edge of the pitch and motioned for her to come join him.

“Thought your game ended an hour ago, Chase,” he said.

“Nice to see you too, Coach,” Annabeth muttered.

He laughed and said, “I see you still take loses as poorly as ever.”

“Ok, I’m leaving.”

He held his palms up in surrender and bit back a smile. “Alright, I promise I won’t pick on you anymore. Just stick around.”

Annabeth sighed and sat on the cold, dry grass. She was surprised to see that East Summers was blowing out the other team 5-1. What was all the more surprising was that their opponents were the winners of middle school cup the year prior.

Suddenly, Annabeth’s interest was piqued.

She leaned in and paid closer attention to the game. A wild pass flew towards the right wing, one that even Annabeth would have had a hard time controlling, but the winger trapped it with the outside of her foot and flicked it past her mark. Annabeth couldn’t help letting out a small whistle of appreciation as the girl sped towards the goal and nutmegged a defender before chipping the keeper charging out to meet her. Her teammates burst into cheers and crowded her to give her a hug.

“You like that, huh? Can’t say I blame you,” Coach said, grinning.

“Who is she?” Annabeth asked, stunned.

“Her name’s Estelle. Only a sixth grader, if you can believe it. Girl’s got the best first touch I’ve ever seen in her age group, possibly even at the U-16 level,” Coach said proudly.

“You could probably set up to play on the counter and ping long balls her way the entire game,” Annabeth muttered.

Coach scoffed indignantly and said, “As if I would ever resort to such brutish tactics.”

Annabeth looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Wanna tell me why you’re playing five at the back then?”

He coughed surreptitiously before crumbling under her accusatory look. He threw his hands up and said, “Alright, I admit it! It’s just too easy a gameplan, okay? Sue me!”

As if on cue, another long ball sailed to Estelle. The opposing defender, who had probably been getting embarrassed all game, tried to contest her aggressively. She pulled at Estelle’s shirt to keep her from turning, but Estelle turned her back to the defender and flicked it over both their heads before spinning and catching the ball on the other side.

Annabeth shook her head and let out an incredulous laugh. It was almost unfair how good the girl was. She could have easily taken a spot on the high school team with her skills.

The two center backs were more wisely stationed in the penalty box, ready to close in on her the moment she stepped in. Annabeth worried her lip and hoped that Estelle wouldn’t try to recklessly rush in to dribble past them. Instead, Estelle stopped at the corner of the box and immediately prepared to shoot.

“She’s been practicing this one non-stop the past few months,” Coach whispered to Annabeth.

Estelle’s form made it look like she was going to blast the ball towards the near post, but instead she curved it into the top corner at the far post. Annabeth blinked in surprise - that was her go-to move when she wanted to score. The whistle blew to signal the end of the game and Estelle jumped in the air, fist-pumping in celebration, as her teammates rushed over to her. But before they swarmed her, Estelle met Annabeth’s eyes and gave her a nod of acknowledgment.

Coach clapped his hands and shouted at them to come over for drinks. The girls dug into a cooler box full of Powerade and chattered excitedly amongst themselves, completely ignoring Annabeth’s presence altogether, but Coach flagged Estelle over.

“Woah, you’re Annabeth Chase,” Estelle said quietly.

“Uh, yeah, hello,” Annabeth said, surprised. “And you’re Estelle, right?”

Estelle’s blue eyes looked like they’d bulge out of their sockets. “Holy shit, Annabeth Chase knows my name!”

“Hey, language,” Coach chided.

“Sorry,” Estelle said absently, her attention focused on Annabeth. “Did you watch the game?”

“Just the tail-end of it,” Annabeth said. “But you were incredible. You could give a lot of high schoolers a run for their money.”

Estelle blushed at that and shifted on her heels. “T-Thank you.”

Annabeth bit back a smile as she watched her. There was something strangely familiar about the girl. She reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t figure out exactly who.

Her train of thought was derailed when Estelle said, “I’ve been practicing your killer finesse shot since the start of the summer. I still only get it like half the time.”

“Well, you should focus more on your point of impact. Hit the center of the ball with the side of your big toe instead of your laces,” Annabeth suggested.

Estelle’s eyes lit up before she grabbed a stray ball and ran over to the penalty box. She set the ball down and tried Annabeth’s suggestion, but the ball curved over the crossbar. Estelle bit her lower lip and frowned at the sight before she went to retrieve the ball.

Without meaning to, Annabeth found herself running over to the penalty box with a ball in hand and waited for Estelle to return.

“You’re trying to hit it too hard. Pretend like you’re trying to cross instead of shooting and just bend it. Watch me,” Annabeth said, putting the ball down.

Estelle watched intensely as Annabeth ran up to ball and relaxed her leg the moment she made contact. The ball curved in a beautiful arc and sank neatly into the top corner of the net. After the string of horrible misses from the game, there was something incredibly relieving, almost therapeutic, seeing the ball go exactly where she’d intended for it to.

“Woah,” Estelle whispered.

Annabeth smiled at her and said, “Why don’t you try again? Remember to relax. You’re not going for power here.”

Estelle stuck her tongue out in concentration and ran up to the ball carefully before hitting it sweetly with her left foot. When her shot met its mark, Estelle bounced up with excitement and sent Annabeth a giddy grin that Annabeth couldn’t help reciprocating.

“Nice! I think you got it!” Annabeth said.

Estelle opened her mouth to say something but she stopped with a frown.

A familiar voice was calling out, “Stella! Stella! Where are you?”

“I’m over here, Perce!” Estelle shouted back.

All at once, Annabeth realized who it was that Estelle reminded her of. Percy jogged onto the field, his hands buried in his coat pockets. The scowl on his face melted the second that he saw Annabeth standing there, however.

“Oh, Chase, h-hi,” Percy said, uncharacteristically nervous. “What are you doing here?”

“I stayed after my match to blow off some steam and ended up catching the middle schooler’s game,” Annabeth said.

“You two know each other?!” Estelle shrieked.

Percy looked at her like noticing she was there for the first time. “Oh, right, yeah. Chase, this is my sister, Estelle. Stella this is Chase. She goes to school with me.”

“I know that , dumb-dumb,” Estelle huffed. “But you know her and you never told me?”

Percy gave Annabeth an apologetic look and mock-whispered, “Sorry, she’s kind of your biggest fan.”

Estelle didn’t hear him because she seemed deep in thought before an epiphany spread across her face.

“Oh my god, don’t tell me she’s the same Chase you’ve been going on and on about at home?”

Percy let out a very uncharacteristic squeak and his face turned beet red, much to Annabeth’s amusement. To be fair, this sudden information also sent her heart rate skyrocketing in her own chest as well.

“I- she’s exaggerating, I swear,” Percy stammered.

“No I’m not,” Estelle huffed indignantly. “You talk about her so much that you’re driving me and mom crazy!”

“Alright, head to car, you little monster,” Percy said, sounding thoroughly exasperated.

“No way,” Estelle said. “I ran into her first. Finders keepers.”

“Finders keepers doesn’t apply to human beings,” Percy said, sighing. “Now scram or I’ll tell Ma who really broke the vase even though she’d been warned not to practice indoors like a hundred times.”

Estelle’s face darkened at that. “Fine. Jerkface.”

“Goldfish brain.”

Estelle flipped him off and stalked off towards the parking lot, but not before giving Annabeth a look of longing and a wave goodbye. Annabeth waved back and offered a small smile.

Once she was out of earshot, Percy coughed surreptitiously and said, “Um, to be clear, she was lying through her teeth there.”

“Mhm, that sounds real convincing.”

When Percy groaned, Annabeth gave him a sidelong glance and said, “I wasn’t aware I was such a hot topic in the Jackson household.”

“You’re making fun of me now,” Percy grumbled.

Annabeth bit back a smile. “Only a little bit.”

Percy shook his head incredulously and said, “Anyone ever tell you that you can be a piece of work sometimes, Chase?”

“Well, my step-mom’s sure to remind me of that pretty much every day so I’d say so.”

Percy had the tact to change topics and said, “Thanks for giving Stella some tips. She really looks up to you.”

Annabeth waved a hand dismissively. “I barely did a thing. She’s crazy good on her own.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her you said that. It’ll make her entire year.”

A breathless laugh escaped Annabeth as she stared at her cleats. “Yeah, well, I’m not so sure I deserve that kind of attention. There’s loads of people she’d be better off looking up to.”

Percy scoffed and said, “Listen, I don’t know much about soccer, but I do know my sister, and let me tell you: the kid is a harsh critic. If she thinks someone’s good, they’re bound to be fucking amazing. I’m pretty sure you’re just doubting yourself.”

Something about his words, the unshakable faith that belied them, made Annabeth feel like she could fly.

Annabeth cleared her throat and shot him a grateful look. “Thanks, Percy. That really means a lot.”

Percy’s face softened. “No problem, Chase.”

A comfortable silence settled between them before a sudden gust of cold wind had them both shivering. All at once, Annabeth was reminded that she was caked in cold sweat and dirt and probably smelled absolutely horrendous.

But before she could excuse herself, Percy said, “I’d better head out before Stella chews my head off for taking so long, but I’ll see you later, Chase.”

“Yeah, later,” Annabeth said, nodding.

It was only after he left that Annabeth allowed herself to groan. Fate seemed to enjoy putting her in situations where she ran into Percy at her absolute worst. Her only saving grace was that he, for whatever reason, never seemed to judge her for that. If anything, he usually helped make things better. That was pretty unfair of him, if you asked her. Pretty unfair indeed.

#knuffled fic #percabeth #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth fluff #percabeth fic

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tinumiel · 2 years

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I’m about to get controversial and might actually delete this later, but right now I feel like expressing myself.

And before anyone comes here accusing me of anything, this is, in NO WAY, giving shit to the actress they cast as Annabeth Chase for PJO. I’m sure she’s going to do an amazing job regardless of what anyone says and if somebody even thinks of bullying that little girl, I’ll be throwing hands.

But yeah, I’m disappointed with Annabeth’s casting. And frustrated. Because I wish people would put as much effort in actually CREATING original POC characters that are multidimensional, complex and well fleshed-out, as they put in celebrating the casting of a POC performer in a white role. Representation is important, but this hardly seems like real representation to me. It seems like the bare minimum, like trying to fix a huge crack on the wall with tape, not like real change. People will go out of their way to create complex and unique white characters, but can’t be bothered to do the same with a POC character? No, they’ll just give a white character to a POC actor and call themselves super inclusive. “Here, you can have this white role and make it POC. Now you can’t say we are racists”, it sounds almost like they’re doing POC people a favor. And no, this isn’t about “taking roles from the white”. That’s stupid, it’s not like white people are gonna run out of characters in media. This is about the fact that the most common/easiest way for POC to see representation on media is by being casted in originally white roles, and people just seem super okay and satisfied with that?

Look at Leigh Bardugo. Granted, she’s a white writer, but she’s gone out of her way to include POC representation in her work, and no one can tell me characters like Inej, Jesper or Zoya aren’t unique and amazing. Is it really that hard to do/find more content like that?

People might be wondering why would I be writing this only thinking of Annabeth’s casting and not Grover’s. That’s basically because, other than his goat feet and horns, Grover’s appearance is described like..two times in five books. I literally always forget Grover is written as white until I see fanart. In fact, in my mind, he was always POC and I’m glad they went with a POC actor. But Annabeth’s appearance is described many, many times. Especially her blonde hair and grey eyes (just like Percy’s black hair and green eyes, by the way).

No, this is not about the casted actors. I hope they have an amazing time doing this show, I hope they get the best experience and all the praise. And no, I don’t want them to recast. That would be unfair, traumatic, and really, really racist. These kids deserve a chance.

So yeah, people should start putting an actual effort in creating POC characters, in giving visibility to POC creators, to other cultures, instead of doing what is basically the equivalent of giving someone scraps.

#annabeth chase #pjo #percy jackson #i can't get over how cute these kids are btw

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halothenthehorns · 1 year

Text

How Do You Say Gods

Chapter 7: I ACCEPT GIFTS FROM A STRANGER

"Define stranger," Will said as he heard the new chapter title with his own confusion. "Is it someone weird at camp, or somebody he actually doesn't know?"

"As long as it's not candy, come on Percy, your mom taught you better," Alex chuckled.

"As long as it's not from Tantalus," Percy corrected, "then I give anyone permission to kill me on insanity."

"He's not a stranger Percy," Thalia rolled her eyes. "You really are the worst at this."

"He's the strangest person I've met!" Percy protested back.

"You'd never accept any gift from him, so he's still out," she insisted.

The two looked likely to start bickering particulates of this until Jason quickly waved Alex on before he got to invested in the argument and tried to place bets.

The way Tantalus saw it, the Stymphalian birds had simply been minding their own business in the woods and would not have attacked if Annabeth, Tyson, and I hadn't disturbed them with our bad chariot driving.

Percy switched his annoyed little frown from Thalia to a full blown scowl at the book, resisting saying any number of things to the dead who wasn't here by muttering under his breath plenty that made Thalia keep laughing. The others heard snatches of the words like "donuts," and "eat shit," so thought it best to let that be.

This was so completely unfair, I told Tantalus to go chase a doughnut, which didn't help his mood. He sentenced us to kitchen patrol—scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen with the cleaning harpies. The harpies washed with lava instead of water, to get that extra-clean sparkle and kill ninety-nine point nine percent of all germs, so Annabeth and I had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons.

"I have so many questions," Magnus looked equally perturbed and intrigued. "Where does the lava come from? Do you still use soap?"

"I don't know, and no," Percy answered.

Tyson didn't mind. He plunged his bare hands right in and started scrubbing, but Annabeth and I had to suffer through hours of hot, dangerous work, especially since there were tons of extra plates. Tantalus had ordered a special luncheon banquet to celebrate Clarisse's chariot victory—a full-course meal featuring country-fried Stymphalian death-bird.

"That almost would have been nice if I didn't want to have Tyson scrub him with lava," Will scoffed.

The only good thing about our punishment was that it gave Annabeth and me a common enemy and lots of time to talk. After listening to my dream about Grover again, she looked like she might be starting to believe me.

"If he's really found it," she murmured, "and if we could retrieve it—"

"Hold on," I said. "You act like this ... whatever-it-is Grover found is the only thing in the world that could save the camp. What is it?"

"I'll give you a hint. What do you get when you skin a ram?"

"Messy?"

"If you do it wrong, I guess," Jason looked sort of disturbed at the idea of Percy and sheers, which was kind of hysterical as nobody had batted an eye when he'd been given a sword.

"Does Annabeth know how to do that too!" Alex threw his hands up in exasperation.

Magnus pursed up his lips and resisted asking if you could get a pelt from a satyr, that would definitely get him stabbed.

She sighed. "A fleece. The coat of a ram is called a fleece. And if that ram happens to have golden wool—"

"The Golden Fleece. Are you serious?"

Annabeth scrapped a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava. "Percy, remember the Gray Sisters? They said they knew the location of the thing you seek. And they mentioned Jason. Three thousand years ago, they told him how to find the Golden Fleece. You do know the story of Jason and the Argonauts?"

Percy watched in amusement as others were apparently more in the dark on this than him for once, only Will and Thalia seemed to know what was going on, as usual. "You guys never saw that old movie?"

"Define old," Nico muttered. He was still getting caught up on pop culture movies, let alone anything earlier between his constant roaming.

"I've had other things going on," Magnus reminded, though he'd never come out and said he was homeless, the others had guessed he wasn't in the best situation.

"It's now on my to-do list," Alex assured, he loved old Claymation movies when he could ever get his hands on them, which was very rare.

Jason remained suspiciously silent. Even if he would have admitted to his amnesia now, it was to strange to think he didn't know his namesakes story anymore than his own, and just sent him down a rabbit hole of wondering who had named him and why.

"Yeah," I said. "That old movie with the clay skeletons."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Oh my gods, Percy! You are so hopeless."

"Because he doesn't know every trivia fact from every mythology?" Jason looked rather amused. "Does she think everyone's hopeless in that case?"

"I'm going with yes," Percy always looked so thrilled when he realized she was about to give him a lecture.

"What?" I demanded.

"Just listen. The real story of the Fleece: there were these two children of Zeus, Cadmus and Europa, okay? They were about to get offered up as human sacrifices,

"A practice we really shouldn't have stopped," Alex said with a straight face, "it would make civilizations so much more manageable. Ixnay kids, obviously, though some of those little shits really deserve it, but we should start with the most important people, like the rich."

"Not even touching that one," Thalia frowned at him.

when they prayed to Zeus to save them. So Zeus sent this magical flying ram with golden wool, which picked them up in Greece and carried them all the way to Colchis in Asia Minor. Well, actually it carried Cadmus. Europa fell off and died along the way, but that's not important."

"I think Europa would disagree," Percy said.

"It was probably important to her."

"Always looking out Percy," Alex chuckled without even looking up.

"The point is, when Cadmus got to Colchis, he sacrificed the golden ram to the gods and hung the Fleece in a tree in the middle of the kingdom. The Fleece brought prosperity to the land. Animals stopped getting sick. Plants grew better. Farmers had bumper crops. Plagues never visited. That's why Jason wanted the Fleece.

"Sounds like anyone would want it, it's no wonder it was attracting satyrs," Jason nodded.

It can revitalize any land where it's placed. It cures sickness, strengthens nature, cleans up pollution—"

"It could cure Thalia's tree."

"With bumper crops," Thalia repeated snidely.

"You're more than a pinecone to us," Will told her cheerfully.

Percy looked bemusedly at the pair back and forth like he knew he was missing a joke and for perhaps the first time in his life knew better than to ask.

The others did a double take and finally put the last piece together of just how powerfully, magically curative that fleece was, enough to save the dying girl from her entrapment. How she'd been separated from the tree literally was a question for later. Would Zeus appear to do something kind for once when her mortal spirit was healed?

Annabeth nodded. "And it would totally strengthen the borders of Camp Half-Blood. But Percy, the Fleece has been missing for centuries. Tons of heroes have searched for it with no luck."

"But Grover found it," I said. "He went looking for Pan and he found the Fleece instead because they both radiate nature magic.

"I'm so curious why the God wouldn't be radiating stronger nature magic than this thing though," Jason admitted. "Where's Pan in all of this?"

"A story for another time," Nico promised with a brittle smile. If he could dig himself out of here before that came up he would.

It makes sense, Annabeth. We can rescue him and save the camp at the same time. It's perfect!"

Annabeth hesitated. "A little too perfect, don't you think? What if it's a trap?"

'Oh it's definitely trap,' Hearth agreed. Annabeth was right this was all working out a little too perfectly. Maybe Grover had even gotten some unwitting help escaping Polyphemus the first time, to live long enough to get this message to Percy so that Luke and by extension Kronos could have this game continue. The question was, what was their true endgame? Why would they want the camp saved, and what did it have to do with Thalia?

I remembered last summer, how Kronos had manipulated our quest. He'd almost fooled us into helping him start a war that would've destroyed Western Civilization.

"What choice do we have?" I asked. "Are you going to help me rescue Grover or not?"

She glanced at Tyson,

That made all of them twitch uneasily, especially Percy as he was once again faced with one horrible outcome or another. He didn't know what the camp would do to Tyson if he left, but he couldn't even imagine going on a quest without Annabeth.

who'd lost interest in our conversation and was happily making toy boats out of cups and spoons in the lava.

"Percy," she said under her breath, "we'll have to fight a Cyclops. Polyphemus, the worst of the Cyclopes. And there's only one place his island could be. The Sea of Monsters."

"Where's that?"

She stared at me like she thought I was playing dumb.

"The most common expression she probably ever has towards you," Magnus smirked.

"The Sea of Monsters. The same sea Odysseus sailed through, and Jason, and Aeneas, and all the others."

"You mean the Mediterranean?"

"No. Well, yes ... but no."

"Another straight answer. Thanks."

"She could be a gay icon with as many answers she dances around," Alex rolled his eyes.

"Look, Percy, the Sea of Monsters is the sea all heroes sail through on their adventures. It used to be in the Mediterranean, yes. But like everything else, it shifts locations as the West's center of power shifts."

"Their center of power and domains I can go along with," Alex frowned, "but why would an ocean move? It has no bearing on you guys?"

"It's a part of our stories, our myths," Thalia corrected. "It's all tied together and connected all over the world in the strangest ways nobody can really follow."

"You're as bad as Annabeth," Alex decided that seemed to be a non-answer too.

"Like Mount Olympus being above the Empire State Building," I said. "And Hades being under Los Angeles."

"Right."

"But a whole sea full of monsters—how could you hide something like that? Wouldn't the mortals notice weird things happening ...

"If nobody crashes into a literal mountain hovering over a New York statue, I wasn't going to question that," Magnus shook his head.

like, ships getting eaten and stuff?"

"Of course they notice. They don't understand, but they know something is strange about that part of the ocean. The Sea of Monsters is off the east coast of the U.S. now, just northeast of Florida. The mortals even have a name for it."

"The Bermuda Triangle?"

"I remember reading about that thing in school," Alex nodded, "for some reason I had this weird idea it was going to swallow the world whole. Guess now I know why."

"Exactly."

I let that sink in.

"Is that easier standing next to a sink?" Jason asked, because it sure wasn't under the ocean.

"No," Percy promised.

I guess it wasn't stranger than anything else I'd learned since coming to Camp Half-Blood. "Okay ... so at least we know where to look."

"It's still a huge area, Percy. Searching for one tiny island in monster-infested waters—"

"Hey, I'm the son of the sea god. This is my home turf. How hard can it be?"

"Do you want that answer in bullet points or should we just let Alex keep reading?" Will frowned at Percy oddly.

"At least it'll go better than the last one," Percy seemed pretty determined this was going to be a good thing, and Will found himself smiling back at once for the guy's optimism.

Annabeth knit her eyebrows. "We'll have to talk to Tantalus, get approval for a quest. He'll say no."

"And that will stop you, because?" Magnus demanded.

"It won't stop us," Percy said confidently, before wincing a bit and rubbing his temple in annoyance even if he was sure he was right, and yet it wasn't encouraging to even get an early answer he'd been told no about saving his best friend and home!

"Not if we tell him tonight at the campfire in front of everybody. The whole camp will hear. They'll pressure him. He won't be able to refuse."

"Maybe." A little bit of hope crept into Annabeth's voice. "We'd better get these dishes done. Hand me the lava spray gun, will you?"

That night at the campfire, Apollo's cabin led the sing-along. They tried to get everybody's spirits up, but it wasn't easy after that afternoon's bird attack. We all sat around a semicircle of stone steps, singing halfheartedly and watching the bonfire blaze while the Apollo guys strummed their guitars and picked their lyres.

We did all the standard camp numbers: "Down by the Aegean," "I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa," "This Land is Minos's Land."

"No, it's not," Nico sneered.

"Well if you don't like those," Will instantly redirected, "there's a few others we add in for variety, some even do karaoke."

Nico hadn't much of a chance to develop a taste in music anymore than movies yet to really answer what Will was clearly fishing for, but he found himself smiling anyways just for the guys enthusiasm.

The bonfire was enchanted, so the louder you sang, the higher it rose, changing color and heat with the mood of the crowd. On a good night, I'd seen it twenty feet high, bright purple, and so hot the whole front row's marshmallows burst into the flames. Tonight, the fire was only five feet high, barely warm, and the flames were the color of lint.

"I have never wanted to put fire in a jar so bad," Alex looked like he was salivating at just the idea.

"It's magical fire, so it might work," Magnus agreed.

Dionysus left early. After suffering through a few songs, he muttered something about how even pinochle with Chiron had been more exciting than this. Then he gave Tantalus a distasteful look and headed back toward the Big House.

"I am still so torn on what Dionysus's role there even is," Jason frowned, the idea of the god just lingering around camp bizarre enough as is. "What does he do? He doesn't like Tantalus but doesn't like you guys either."

"If we figure it out we'll let you know," Will promised.

"He actually used to not be that bad," Thalia half heartedly offered. "Artemis has mentioned a few times from before his punishment where he was actually very handsome in an effeminate way and always happy and the life of the party. This punishment, looking and being so, well," she waved to the book. "He's pouting, I guess, in a godly way."

"Fair, I guess, if he didn't take it out on us," Percy shrugged.

When the last song was over, Tantalus said, "Well, that was lovely!"

He came forward with a toasted marshmallow on a stick and tried to pluck it off, real casual like.

But before he could touch it, the marshmallow flew off the stick. Tantalus made a wild grab, but the marshmallow committed suicide, diving into the flames.

"RIP little guy," Alex nodded.

Tantalus turned back toward us, smiling coldly. "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."

"Sir," I said.

Tantalus's eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy has something to say?"

Some of the Ares campers snickered, but I wasn't going to let anybody embarrass me into silence. I stood and looked at Annabeth. Thank the gods, she stood up with me.

I said, "We have an idea to save the camp."

Dead silence, but I could tell I'd gotten everybody's interest, because the campfire flared bright yellow.

"And that is why!" Alex concluded his earlier point with triumph. "Instant knowing and reading of emotions in the room, can you imagine the art show!"

"How do you know the colors wouldn't clash?" Magnus seemed to be honestly asking rather than teasing, but Alex gave him such a pitying look he knew he asked a stupid question anyways even before Alex just went back to reading.

"Indeed," Tantalus said blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots—"

"The Golden Fleece," I said. "We know where it is."

The flames burned orange. Before Tantalus could stop me, I blurted out my dream about Grover and Polyphemus's island. Annabeth stepped in and reminded everybody what the Fleece could do. It sounded more convincing coming from her.

"That darn Athena confidence," Thalia nodded. "You'll get it soon enough Percy." There weren't many boys the Hunters would follow into battle, but Percy was one by the time they fought in Manhattan instead of going off to try and do it themselves.

"The Fleece can save the camp," she concluded. "I'm certain of it."

"Nonsense," said Tantalus. "We don't need saving."

Everybody stared at him until Tantalus started looking uncomfortable.

"Besides," he added quickly, "the Sea of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look."

"Yes, I would," I said.

Annabeth leaned toward me and whispered, "You would?"

I nodded, because Annabeth had jogged something in my memory when she reminded me about our taxi drive with the Gray Sisters. At the time, the information they'd given me made no sense. But now ...

"Oh," Jason yelped, "those random string of numbers! They were a location!"

"Creepy how they gave you that before you even asked," Alex looked more miffed at the idea of this foreknowledge by the gods than not putting that together.

"30, 31, 75, 12," I said.

"Ooo-kay," Tantalus said. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."

Then Alex's face grew darker in further frustration he'd unintentionally mimicked Tantalus! At least his joke had been funny!

"They're sailing coordinates," I said. "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, learned about it in social studies."

"With crayons!" Magnus chuckled.

"The lesson stuck didn't it," Percy shrugged.

Even Annabeth looked impressed. "30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. He's right! The Gray Sisters gave us those coordinates. That'd be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea of Monsters. We need a quest!"

"Wait just a minute," Tantalus said.

But the campers took up the chant. "We need a quest! We need a quest!"

The flames rose higher.

"It isn't necessary!" Tantalus insisted.

"You'd think he'd be sending all of you out on every meaningless quest he could think of," Nico scowled, "not force you guys to stay."

"Then he'd have nobody to torture," Will grimly reminded.

"WE NEED A QUEST! WE NEED A QUEST!"

"Fine!" Tantalus shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"

"YES!"

"Very well," he agreed. "I shall authorize a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying."

My heart filled with excitement. I wasn't going to let Tantalus scare me. This was what I needed to do. I was going to save Grover and the camp. Nothing would stop me.

'So, what do you think is going to stop him?' Hearth asked sardonically.

'More like slow him,' Thalia corrected with a troubled frown, he and Annabeth had their work cut out for them before this one even got started!

"I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle!" Tantalus announced. "And choose two companions for the journey. And I think the choice of champion is obvious."

Tantalus looked at Annabeth and me as if he wanted to flay us alive. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect,

"Uhoh," Jason was already getting a bad feeling about Tantalus saying a kind word about anybody.

who has proven resourceful in the chariot races and courageous in the defense of the camp.

"Um, that doesn't sound like he's complimenting Percy," Magnus muttered with trepidation.

You shall lead this quest ... Clarisse!"

Thalia was thanking her lucky stars Clarisse wasn't in here as she tried to remind Percy he shouldn't strangle her with one hand and Tantalus with the other.

"He's my friend!" Percy was still protesting as he contented himself with only causing ripples of water to swirl around in violent patterns. The word POW appeared above his head at one point. "It's my domain, and no way will Clarisse let me just go along!"

"I know Percy, this is all pretty bad circumstances," Thalia patiently agreed until the majority of his anger tempered out.

"Hope whoever this stranger is will be prepared," Magnus muttered uneasily to Alex. Percy didn't seem in the mood for company.

"Hope those gifts are going to be worth it," Alex agreed.

The fire flickered a thousand different colors. The Ares cabin started stomping and cheering, "CLARISSE! CLARISSE!"

The others were more torn on if this could in any way be a good thing, especially Will who knew the outcome. He didn't particularly like Clarisse, but she wasn't a bad person in principle, he just wasn't so confident this was meant to be her quest to take. Along with Annabeth though she was one of the oldest campers there and deserved to prove her worth, if only she'd asked for a little help and actually invited Percy and Annabeth along to make it go smoother.

Clarisse stood up, looking stunned. Then she swallowed, and her chest swelled with pride. "I accept the quest!"

"Wait!" I shouted. "Grover is my friend. The dream came to me."

"Sit down!" yelled one of the Ares campers. "You had your chance last summer!"

"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" another said.

"It's not my fault these things keep happening to me!" Percy looked stunned anybody could call him a glory hog. He'd leave Zeus's bolt in the hands of Ares every time to go and save Grover!

Clarisse glared at me. "I accept the quest!" she repeated. "I, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will save the camp!"

The Ares campers cheered even louder. Annabeth protested, and the other Athena campers joined in. Everybody else started taking sides—shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. I thought it was going to turn into a full-fledged s'more war

"I'm curious where you were in that fight," Nico admitted quietly to Will.

He smiled forlornly and chuckled, "trying to save the chocolate," but then after only a little more hesitation hurriedly whispered, "Percy, I thought he was more than qualified after last year, but the majority of my siblings thought Clarisse deserved it more, make reprimands for Ares, give her a shot. Lots of cabins were split like that." He finished with an uneasy little wince and wondered now looking back if Tantalus had done that on purpose, trying to divide them further rather than just giving Percy crap. Problems within had made them all the more weak to be picked off that summer.

Nico smiled, just the smallest little quirk of his lips, and mouthed thanks. Will gave himself a mental slap, and an even louder internal applause as he realized the guy had actually taken an interest in something in the camp twice now! Was it the s'mores? He could definitely make sure they always had s'mores around to lure the son of Hades there.

until Tantalus shouted, "Silence, you brats!"

His tone stunned even me.

"Sit down!" he ordered. "And I will tell you a ghost story."

'I don't like ghost stories,' Hearth signed at once.

'Especially the ones based on a true story,' Magnus shivered as he agreed, having a bad feeling they were about to get Tantalus boasting about how he'd ended up there, and he wasn't so curious to know that answer anymore; but he wasn't going to be the one to tell Alex to stop when he sat up proper in his seat and put on a spooky, unneeded voice in this already dimly lit room at the bottom of the ocean! If Alex was going for ambience, he wasn't going to find better!

I didn't know what he was up to, but we all moved reluctantly back to our seats. The evil aura radiating from Tantalus was as strong as any monster I'd ever faced.

"Once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the Gods!" Tantalus put his hand on his chest, and I got the feeling he was talking about himself.

"Can we please skip this and wait for the movie to come out!" Jason groaned.

"We'd be done by now if we could," Percy reminded.

"I bet the graphics would be shit anyways," Alex said without looking up, more than happy with his own imagination and seeing all this in person soon enough.

"This king," he said, "was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus.

That sentence alone still felt like the root of all Jason's issues with these Greek kids, this unsettling notion of how casually they intermingled with their gods. Tantalus was going to be a prime example of why that would never feel like a good thing, he could already feel it just from knowing him this short while.

But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe—just one little doggie bag, mind you—the gods punished him.

"I'm not at all vouching for Tantalus here," Jason prefaced, "but I do feel the need to ask, was it just because he was mortal he was punished? Because you guys hand that stuff out like cake."

"Yes," Thalia agreed. "He stole, and he had no godly blood, and it's still not the entire reason he was punished," she concluded with a shiver of disgust.

They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! And, oh yes, campers, he had horrible children. Children—just—like— you."

He pointed a crooked finger at several people in the audience, including me.

"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus asked softly. "Do you know how he paid back the gods for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show there were no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"

"Why do I feel like he just answered his own question?" Percy asked in rising disgust at the idea Tantalus fell asleep at night dreaming of eating him!

"Good instincts," Thalia said with a look of trying to fight down vomit.

No one dared answer. The firelight glowed dark blue, reflecting evilly on Tantalus's crooked face.

"Oh, the gods punished him in the afterlife," Tantalus croaked. "They did indeed. But he'd had his moment of satisfaction, hadn't he? His children never again spoke back to him or questioned his authority. And do you know what? Rumor has it that the king's spirit now dwells at this very camp, waiting for a chance to take revenge on ungrateful, rebellious children. And so ... are there any more complaints, before we send Clarisse off on her quest?"

Silence.

'Is that better or worse than screams of terror?' Hearth asked.

'I would have run for the ocean by now, so I couldn't say,' Magnus admitted.

Tantalus nodded at Clarisse. "The Oracle, my dear. Go on."

She shifted uncomfortably, like even she didn't want glory at the price of being Tantalus's pet.

"Even Hercules would turn down that glory," Thalia said snidely.

"Sir—"

"Go!" he snarled.

She bowed awkwardly and hurried off toward the Big House.

"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Tantalus asked. "No comments from our dishwasher?"

I didn't say anything. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of punishing me again.

"Good," Tantalus said. "And let me remind everyone— no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries ... well, if they survive the attempt, they will be expelled forever, but it won't come to that.

"Correct, because Chiron will be coming back," Will reminded in a no-nonsense kind of way. Not even trying to hurt Percy's memories, just sheer determination they couldn't put up with this forever or some suicidal kids might have let the camp be over run just to get away from Tantalus. Katie Gardner had already been plotting ways to poison Tantalus to get him out of there by the next day before Lee had reminded her why that wouldn't work.

The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Good night, my dear campers. Sleep well."

With a wave of Tantalus's hand, the fire was extinguished, and the campers trailed off toward their cabins in the dark.

I couldn't explain things to Tyson. He knew I was sad. He knew I wanted to go on a trip and Tantalus wouldn't let me.

"Is there any solution in there where Tyson eats Tantalus?" Jason asked without hope.

"It was on the board," Will sighed, "but nobody voted on it except a couple of Aphrodite kids."

"You will go anyway?" he asked.

"I don't know," I admitted. "It would be hard. Very hard."

"I will help."

"No. I—uh, I couldn't ask you to do that, big guy. Too dangerous."

Tyson looked down at the pieces of metal he was assembling in his lap—springs and gears and tiny wires. Beckendorf had given him some tools and spare parts, and now Tyson spent every night tinkering, though I wasn't sure how his huge hands could handle such delicate little pieces.

Alex looked thrilled and held the book a little closer now, hoping very much he'd get to see Tyson's first attempt at the artistry in whatever his first machine would be from such a unique source!

"What are you building?" I asked.

Tyson didn't answer. Instead he made a whimpering sound in the back of his throat.

"Annabeth doesn't like Cyclopes. You ... don't want me along?"

"Oh, that's not it," I said halfheartedly. "Annabeth likes you. Really."

He had tears in the corners of his eye.

Percy was starting to wish somebody had poisoned him instead of Thalia's tree already rather than constantly feeling like he was letting both Annabeth and Tyson down!

I remembered that Grover, like all satyrs, could read human emotions. I wondered if Cyclopes had the same ability.

"No, they can't," Thalia sighed, "but nobodies exactly been subtle around the poor guy."

Tyson folded up his tinkering project in an oilcloth. He lay down on his bunk bed and hugged his bundle like a teddy bear.

"I now need to know if a cyclops will show up in a photo," Alex said in a sweet, crooning kind of voice. "Nobody will ever say a bad word about him again when I get my picture of that!"

"To us he most certainly would," Thalia nodded eagerly. "Can't claim what mortals would see, and I don't care!"

When he turned toward the wall, I could see the weird scars on his back, like somebody had plowed over him with a tractor. I wondered for the millionth time how he'd gotten hurt.

No matter how ridiculous the mental image was, Percy now wanted to hug Tyson, wrap him in that to small blanket and never let him leave the bunk again! He couldn't seem to fix anything around there lately, the least he could do was find some way to comfort his friend!

"Daddy always cared for m-me," he sniffled. "Now ... I think he was mean to have a Cyclops boy. I should not have been born."

Alex flushed with a sense of vertigo as he realized how much he had in common with who was literally defined as a monster. He'd grown up wondering why he'd been born too, and quickly read out before Percy's spluttering indignation could take in a word.

"Don't talk that way! Poseidon claimed you, didn't he? So ... he must care about you ... a lot..."

My voice trailed off as I thought about all those years Tyson had lived on the streets of New York in a cardboard refrigerator box. How could Tyson think that Poseidon had cared for him? What kind of dad let that happen to his kid, even if his kid was a monster?

It wasn't the true words of comfort Tyson had needed, but Percy had never shunned or rejected Tyson either. He was at least trying, in his own misguided way, which was more than Alex's father had ever done for him. Parents had always been useless and ineffective to him, but people still surprised him.

"Tyson ... camp will be a good home for you. The others will get used to you. I promise."

Tyson sighed. I waited for him to say something. Then I realized he was already asleep.

"I think we dismissed that whole kind words put you to sleep theory to soon," Will smiled so brightly at Percy.

"We can hold hands and sing kumbaya when we figure out how to get home faster," Percy quickly side stepped.

I lay back on my bed and tried to close my eyes, but I just couldn't. I was afraid I might have another dream about Grover. If the empathy link was real ... if something happened to Grover ... would I ever wake up?

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say ambrosia couldn't heal that?" Magnus winced.

"That would be a no," Thalia agreed.

The full moon shone through my window. The sound of the surf rumbled in the distance. I could smell the warm scent of the strawberry fields, and hear the laughter of the dryads as they chased owls through the forest. But something felt wrong about the night—the sickness of Thalia's tree, spreading across the valley.

Could Clarisse save Half-Blood Hill? I thought the odds were better of me getting a "Best Camper" award from Tantalus.

'Best tasting Camper' Hearth shivered in disgust.

'I'm not sharing that,' Magnus grimaced.

"I wouldn't discount her entirely," Jason hadn't followed along with the silent conversation, but he could tell it wasn't complimentary. "If she's anything like her dad, she's at least resourceful enough to help-"

"Or hinder like she did all last summer," Percy impatiently cut in. "She'll probably try to shove Polyphemus's head in a toilet and abandon Grover while drowning trying to get the fleece back on a raft!"

He felt a little bad being so short with Jason, but no matter what logic told him Grover was fine because he was still alive, he wanted to know it by having his friend safely away already.

I got out of bed and pulled on some clothes.

"Oh good, I was starting to worry some stranger was going to pop in your bed, or worse your dreams, with gifts," Alex admitted.

"Then they would get the gift of a black eye," Percy promised.

I grabbed a beach blanket and a six-pack of Coke from under my bunk. The Cokes were against the rules. No outside snacks or drinks were allowed, but if you talked to the right guy in Hermes's cabin and paid him a few golden drachma, he could smuggle in almost anything from the nearest convenience store.

Sneaking out after curfew was against the rules, too. If I got caught I'd either get in big trouble or be eaten by the harpies. But I wanted to see the ocean. I always felt better there. My thoughts were clearer.

'Does that mean Annabeth feels better in the library?' Hearth asked with amusement. 'What about the gods that have no obligatory domain? Do Hermes kids just feel better hanging around the side of the road?'

'Still asking the wrong person,' Magnus pointed out with a smile, but he still had the lingering idea his dad might have been a satyr of all things now considering how much he had an instinctive love of nature after all the time he and his mom spent outdoors.

I left the cabin and headed for the beach.

I spread my blanket near the surf and popped open a Coke. For some reason sugar and caffeine always calmed down my hyperactive brain. I tried to decide what to do to save the camp, but nothing came to me. I wished Poseidon would talk to me, give me some advice or something.

"Dictating the sea anemones must take up an awful lot of time," Alex scoffed, he never wished from advice from his parents, especially his godly mother. Poseidon wasn't as bad as Loki, but the sea god didn't seem much for trusting all your problems with either.

The sky was clear and starry. I was checking out the constellations Annabeth had taught me— Sagittarius,

"It's still June, isn't it?" Thalia corrected, "Sagittarius wouldn't be in the sky." Mentally debating if she should tell Annabeth she clearly needed another constellation lesson with Percy.

"I had a lot on my mind," Percy halfheartedly defended.

She decided she would, so long as she didn't have to stick around for the lecture.

Hercules, Corona Borealis—when somebody said, "Beautiful, aren't they?"

I almost spewed soda.

"Out your nose, or mouth?" Jason asked critically.

"Does it really matter?" Percy protested, again, as he rubbed his nose in answer.

Standing right next to me was a guy in nylon running shorts and a New York City Marathon T-shirt. He was slim and fit, with salt-and-pepper hair and a sly smile. He looked kind of familiar, but I couldn't figure out why.

"Stranger danger, stranger danger!" Alex tried to mimic the sign for warding off evil.

"Those better be some good gifts," Nico agreed, and he was much more confident Percy could handle whoever this was.

My first thought was that he must've been taking a midnight jog down the beach and strayed inside the camp borders. That wasn't supposed to happen. Regular mortals couldn't enter the valley. But maybe with the tree's magic weakening he'd managed to slip in.

"It's, not, impossible," but Jason didn't sound very sure either.

But in the middle of the night? And there was nothing around except farmland and state preserves. Where would this guy have jogged from?

"I'm guessing now's not the time to take those jokes about running away from New Jersey very seriously," Magnus muttered.

"May I join you?" he asked. "I haven't sat down in ages."

Now, I know—a strange guy in the middle of the night. Common sense: I was supposed to run away, yell for help, etc. But the guy acted so calm about the whole thing that I found it hard to be afraid.

I said, "Uh, sure."

He smiled. "Your hospitality does you credit. Oh, and Coca-Cola! May I?"

He sat at the other end of the blanket, popped a soda and took a drink. "Ah ... that hits the spot. Peace and quiet at—"

A cell phone went off in his pocket.

The jogger sighed. He pulled out his phone and my eyes got big, because it glowed with a bluish light. When he extended the antenna, two creatures began writhing around it—green snakes, no bigger than earthworms.

Yeah, sure, why not. Some obviously magical dude running around with snakes on his phone, they could roll with that, so long as the snakes didn't jump off and into Percy's brain.

The jogger didn't seem to notice. He checked his LCD display and cursed. "I've got to take this. Just a sec ..." Then into the phone: "Hello?"

He listened. The mini-snakes writhed up and down the antenna right next to his ear.

"Yeah," the jogger said. "Listen—I know, but... I don't care if he is chained to a rock with vultures pecking at his liver, if he doesn't have a tracking number, we can't locate his package...

"Why does, vultures, when did, liver, huh?" Magnus had thought he'd been doing so well not freaking out over the last insane thing three sentences ago.

"Met the guy, not all he's cracked up to be," Thalia scoffed.

"Long story," Will more politely bypassed.

A gift to humankind, great... You know how many of those we deliver—Oh, never mind.

'Apparently not enough,' Hearth rolled his eyes. 'Could certainly use a few more at any rate.'

'And involve more carrion birds and internal organs? No thank you,' Magnus shivered.

Listen, just refer him to Eris in customer service. I gotta go."

He hung up. "Sorry. The overnight express business is just booming.

"Mercury," Jason said in understanding at the same time Nico said, "oh, it's Hermes."

Percy grimaced in frustration for that spike of pain for being reminded of this even a few minutes to early, but their voice was an easy distraction as it lulled back down.

Thalia gave them all a warning look to tread carefully! Not that any of them even could guess much more of the night, but she still didn't like seeing her friend in pain.

"Wait, so those snakes, they're supposed to be on his staff thing," Alex vaguely recalled seeing those around hospitals all the time. "Why would the god of travels and thieves have a healing symbol?"

"Originally the caduceus merely represented peace, inviolability, a safe harbor," Will explained.

"None of that answers why he's there," Magnus reminded. "Unless Sally was seriously wrong about a birth certificate mix-up."

'Wrong kid,' Thalia kept to herself as she instead waved Alex on.

Now, as I was saying—"

"You have snakes on your phone."

"He wasn't saying that at all," Magnus nodded along to Percy's constipated look, "but thank you! I never thought they'd be real snakes!"

"Actually I'd think it was more weird personally if they'd been, like, stuffed or something," Alex disagreed.

"What? Oh, they don't bite. Say hello, George and Martha."

Hello, George and Martha, a raspy male voice said inside my head.

"Well I know which snake I like better," Alex grinned.

Don't be sarcastic, said a female voice.

Why not? George demanded. I do all the real work.

"Oh, let's not go into that again!" The jogger slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Now, where were we ... Ah, yes. Peace and quiet."

"Now that's a gift I'm never likely to receive," Percy grumbled.

He crossed his ankles and stared up at the stars. "Been a long time since I've gotten to relax. Ever since the telegraph—rush, rush, rush. Do you have a favorite constellation, Percy?"

I was still kind of wondering about the little green snakes he'd shoved into his jogging shorts,

"There's an alien joke set up somewhere in there I'm missing," Alex said with regret.

"What even is an alien anymore," Magnus groaned.

but I said, "Uh, I like Hercules."

"Why?"

"Well ... because he had rotten luck. Even worse than mine. It makes me feel better."

Thalia laughed raucously at that logic, she had a personal dislike for him after what he'd done to Zoe, and she hadn't even gotten to know the former lieutenant very well. Artemis and many hunters were still bitter about it all these years later, and she sort of picked up on the grudge from osmosis.

The jogger chuckled. "Not because he was strong and famous and all that?"

"No."

"You're an interesting young man. And so, what now?"

I knew immediately what he was asking. What did I intend to do about the Fleece?

Before I could answer, Martha the snake's muffled voice came from his pocket: I have Demeter on line two.

"Not now," the jogger said. "Tell her to leave a message."

She's not going to like that. The last time you put her off, all the flowers in the floral delivery division wilted.

"I'm somewhere between the level of awe at the idea of having an Olympians personal phone number," Jason looked like his brain was melting, "and being put on hold by one."

"Let's not ask what Zeus would do if he was next," Thalia sighed.

"Just tell her I'm in a meeting!" The jogger rolled his eyes. "Sorry again, Percy. You were saying ..."

"Um ... who are you, exactly?"

"Yeah, yeah, you guys are all geniuses," Percy rolled his eyes in exasperation everyone had gotten there before him.

"Outsiders experience, gives us a sense of detachment to look in and spot these things," Alex said imperiously.

"Also we pay attention to more details than snakes on a phone," Jason shrugged.

"Haven't you guessed by now, a smart boy like you?"

Show him! Martha pleaded. I haven't been full-size for months.

Don't listen to her! George said. She just wants to show off!

The man took out his phone again. "Original form, please."

The phone glowed a brilliant blue. It stretched into a three-foot-long wooden staff with dove wings sprouting out the top. George and Martha, now full-sized green snakes, coiled together around the middle. It was a caduceus, the symbol of Cabin Eleven.

My throat tightened. I realized who the jogger reminded me of with his elfish features, the mischievous twinkle in his eyes...

Thalia smiled wistfully at the memory of Luke now, even if she'd yet been able to look at his father the few times she'd seen him since Luke's death. She wondered if Luke had hated how much he'd resembled Hermes, or some part of him had reveled in his meager connection with the looks that gave him even the minor powers of a god.

"You're Luke's father," I said. "Hermes."

Most everybody else's first thought had been the Stoll brothers though, the flamboyant not-twins with a penchant for trouble. Of course Luke would be the more, memorable, kid to stick out in Percy's mind, considering recent events.

The god pursed his lips. He stuck his caduceus in the sand like an umbrella pole. "'Luke's father.' Normally, that's not the first way people introduce me. God of thieves, yes. God of messengers and travelers, if they wish to be kind."

God of thieves works, George said.

Oh, don't mind George. Martha flicked her tongue at me. He's just bitter because Hermes likes me best.

He does not!

Does too!

"Behave, you two," Hermes warned, "or I'll turn you back into a cell phone and set you on vibrate!

Will yelped, "that's uncalled for violence!"

"Oh Will, you poor sweet soul," Thalia rolled her eyes. "If you think that was harsh-"

"And we're moving on," Nico forcefully inserted himself into the conversation before Thalia could ruin Will's current good mood.

Thalia chuckled and turned away, but Will was still grinning at him to his embarrassment. He hoped Will wouldn't get the impression Nico thought he was weak now.

Now, Percy, you still haven't answered my question. What do you intend to do about the quest?"

"I—I don't have permission to go."

"No, indeed. Will that stop you?"

"I want to go. I have to save Grover."

Hermes smiled. "I knew a boy once ... oh, younger than you by far. A mere baby, really."

Here we go again, George said. Always talking about himself.

Quiet! Martha snapped. Do you want to get set on vibrate?

Hermes ignored them. "One night, when this boy's mother wasn't watching, he sneaked out of their cave and stole some cattle that belonged to Apollo."

"Dad hates this story, he thinks it makes him look soft now," Will told Nico cheerfully, and Nico was just beginning to wonder if that was Will's default no matter what was thrown at him. Will didn't seem annoyed at him at any rate.

"Did he get blasted to tiny pieces?" I asked.

"Hmm ... no. Actually, everything turned out quite well. To make up for his theft, the boy gave Apollo an instrument he'd invented—a lyre. Apollo was so enchanted with the music that he forgot all about being angry."

"So what's the moral?"

"The moral?" Hermes asked. "Goodness, you act like it's a fable. It's a true story. Does truth have a moral?"

"No," Alex looked extremely interested in this moral quandary, "but the point of a story can also just be for entertainment. I was plenty entertained by the idea of a baby stealing cows and making instruments, so it works."

"That being said, the moral should still be please do not ever try and steal from the gods, or your more likely to wind up like Tantalus than Hermes," Jason offered.

"Um ..."

"How about this: stealing is not always bad?"

Jason didn't seem very chagrined he'd disagreed with the god who'd told the story.

"I don't think my mom would like that moral."

"Neither would mine," Magnus whispered, but it was a habit he'd fallen into, a necessity that now dictated his life.

Rats are delicious, suggested George.

What does that have to do with the story? Martha demanded.

Nothing, George said. But I'm hungry.

"I've got it," Hermes said. "Young people don't always do what they're told, but if they can pull it off and do something wonderful, sometimes they escape punishment. How's that?"

"I think the morals almost as long as the story," Thalia said deadpan.

"You're saying I should go anyway," I said, "even without permission."

"I can't believe it took somebody else to convince you of that!" Nico was still especially flabbergasted why Percy wasn't in the ocean swimming for Florida already.

Hermes's eyes twinkled. "Martha, may I have the first package, please?"

Martha opened her mouth ... and kept opening it until it was as wide as my arm. She belched out a stainless steel canister—an old-fashioned lunch box thermos with a black plastic top.

"And the night still gets stranger," Magnus rubbed his temples like he was getting a headache next. Just when he adjusted to talking snakes, they start spitting up kitchen-ware.

The sides of the thermos were enameled with red and yellow Ancient Greek scenes—a hero killing a lion; a hero lifting up Cerberus, the three-headed dog.

"That's Hercules," I said. "But how—"

"Never question a gift," Hermes chided. "This is a collector's item from Hercules Busts Heads. The first season."

"Hercules Busts Heads?"

"Great show." Hermes sighed. "Back before Hephaestus-TV was all reality programming. Of course, the thermos would be worth much more if I had the whole lunch box—"

Or if it hadn't been in Martha's mouth, George added.

I'll get you for that. Martha began chasing him around the caduceus.

"Wait a minute," I said. "This is a gift?"

"One of two," Hermes said. "Go on, pick it up."

I almost dropped it because it was freezing cold on one side and burning hot on the other. The weird thing was, when I turned the thermos, the side facing the ocean— north—was always the cold side...

"It's a compass!" I said.

"A decorative compass, not going to lie, always wanted one," Alex said with intrigue.

"Especially if it's golden," Magnus grinned, his smile widening when Alex shared a private smirk with him.

Hermes looked surprised. "Very clever. I never thought of that.

"Percy the Greek Philosopher, has a nice ring to it," Percy said proudly.

"What are you on about?" Thalia asked.

"What? They're only famous for being the first people to think of that stuff, they weren't that smart," he insisted, then he sighed and tried to backpedal, "wait, I meant-"

"Nope, to late, this is what we're sticking with," Thalia promised.

But its intended use is a bit more dramatic. Uncap it, and you will release the winds from the four corners of the earth to speed you on your way.

Jason whistled at the idea being offered. "Would Zeus still blast you out of the sky if you were launched up there involuntarily?"

"Hopefully I never have to find out," Percy winced.

Not now! And please, when the time comes, only unscrew the lid a tiny bit. The winds are a bit like me—always restless. Should all four escape at once ... ah, but I'm sure you'll be careful. And now my second gift. George?"

She's touching me, George complained as he and Martha slithered around the pole.

"She's always touching you," Hermes said. "You're inter-twined. And if you don't stop that, you'll get knotted again!"

"Do they come off the staff?" Magnus finally hit his limit. "Where does Martha end and George begin? Which came first, the snake's names, or did he here other people saying them? How much capacity can they hold for these deliveries? Do they still shed?"

There was a pause for moment as they all let that train of mystery come to a crashing end.

"Feel better?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," he agreed.

The snakes stopped wrestling.

George unhinged his jaw and coughed up a little plastic bottle filled with chewable vitamins.

"You're kidding," I said. "Are those Minotaur-shaped?"

Hermes picked up the bottle and rattled it. "The lemon ones, yes. The grape ones are Furies, I think. Or are they hydras? At any rate, these are potent. Don't take one unless you really, really need it."

"How will I know if I really, really need it?"

"You'll know, believe me. Nine essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids ... oh, everything you need to feel your-self again."

'Sounds to me like they make you, um, entirely not who I'd want to be,' Hearth protested. 'I do not want to turn into a minotaur or fury! Getting super strength would not be worth having a bull half!'

'Hopefully Percy doesn't really, really need them,' Magnus was frowning too at what exactly those things did.

He tossed me the bottle.

"Um, thanks," I said. "But Lord Hermes, why are you helping me?"

He gave me a melancholy smile. "Perhaps because I hope that you can save many people on this quest, Percy. Not just your friend Grover."

I stared at him. "You don't mean ... Luke?"

Hermes didn't answer.

"Look," I said. "Lord Hermes, I mean, thanks and everything, but you might as well take back your gifts. Luke can't be saved.

Thalia was starting to wonder if you could spontaneously combust under water, she certainly felt like she was on fire and it was never going to be put out as she closed her eyes, the miserable feeling welling up again and again. Even if that weren't long since true now, she still couldn't tell herself what length's she'd go to save him now...

Even if I could find him ... he told me he wanted to tear down Olympus stone by stone. He betrayed everybody he knew. He—he hates you especially."

and that more than anything ate at her. He'd hated Hermes more than he'd cared about Annabeth, or even her. There had been no saving him, only he'd been able to free himself too late.

Hermes gazed up at the stars.

Jason found himself as much in awe of Percy as he was irate with him. The impulsive lunatic speaking his mind to a god, telling Mercury who had showed up in person and offered him gifts and a personal quest, that there was no point. Arguing with him. This demigod really was something he didn't think he could ever wrap his head around.

"My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it. It doesn't matter if they hate you, or embarrass you, or simply don't appreciate your genius for inventing the Internet—"

"You invented the Internet?"

"That's what you got out of that grand speech?" Will looked likely to get up and smack Percy for Thalia if she wasn't so quick to shake off her melancholy and do it first.

"No track mind," Percy reminded as he rubbed the spot. "It was sweet, yada yada, feel good, I promise."

It was my idea, Martha said.

Rats are delicious, George said.

"It was my idea!" Hermes said. "I mean the Internet, not the rats. But that's not the point. Percy, do you understand what I'm saying about family?"

"I—I'm not sure."

Percy really felt he did though, as he looked around at his friends. He'd barely known some of them twenty-four hours and already had chosen not to send any of them away on the off chance he could have just one part of his family back. He'd been willing to sacrifice the earth for his mom before, he truly did understand now as he hadn't at twelve what Hermes had been willing the world to give him in a way to save his son. He just hoped he hadn't made it worse.

"You will some day." Hermes got up and brushed the sand off his legs. "In the meantime, I must be going."

You have sixty calls to return, Martha said.

And one thousand-thirty-eight e-mails, George added. Not counting the offers for online discount ambrosia.

"And you, Percy," Hermes said, "have a shorter deadline than you realize to complete your quest. Your friends should be coming right about ... now."

"That god of travels shtick must come with an internal clock," Will chuckled.

"Or he woke them up with a dream to come," Nico nodded.

I heard Annabeth's voice calling my name from the sand dunes. Tyson, too, was shouting from a little bit farther away.

"I guess nobodies worried about harpies eating them anymore, Tantalus, not so much." No, Magnus was not letting that go.

"I hope I packed well for you," Hermes said. "I do have some experience with travel."

He snapped his fingers and three yellow duffel bags appeared at my feet. "Waterproof, of course. If you ask nicely, your father should be able to help you reach the ship."

"Ship?"

"I was more caught on asking your dad for anything," Alex blinked. "Last time he gave you pearls, are we getting the bonus round with cupholders?"

Hermes pointed. Sure enough, a big cruise ship was cutting across Long Island Sound, its white-and-gold lights glowing against the dark water.

"Convenient," Jason drew the word out, his mind boggling with appreciation if Mercury had really pulled that right off its path or straight from thin air, both equally cool!

"Wait," I said. "I don't understand any of this. I haven't even agreed to go!"

"I'd make up your mind in the next five minutes, if I were you," Hermes advised. "That's when the harpies will come to eat you.

"Oh, no, being eaten is just everywhere on the floor tonight," Magnus sighed.

"Those cannibals' really scared you huh," Alex said sympathetically. "Don't worry Magnus, visiting Canada's not on our to-do list."

Magnus found himself oddly reassured...and to late realized as Alex kept reading that he'd somehow been drafted onto that list?!

Now, good night, cousin, and dare I say it? May the gods go with you."

He opened his hand and the caduceus flew into it.

Good luck, Martha told me.

Bring me back a rat, George said.

"George might now eat Luke if you drag him back, so everybody wins," Will smiled, but the joke didn't quite reach his eyes.

The caduceus changed into a cell phone and Hermes slipped it into his pocket.

"Think they behaved themselves well enough not to be on vibrate?" Nico chuckled.

"Depends on how many of those emails they answer for him," Will grinned, and this time the smile did make his light blue eyes twinkle for just a moment.

He jogged off down the beach. Twenty paces away, he shimmered and vanished, leaving me alone with a thermos, a bottle of chewable vitamins, and five minutes to make an impossible decision.

"Well if it's impossible than at least the time is superfluous," Thalia said bracingly.

"And you say I'm bad at these predictions," he huffed as Alex got up from his seat. "Have you given one bit of helpful advice?"

"I'm saving your life from a headache I'll never hear the end of you ingrate," she happily reminded.

Alex thrusted the book into Percy's lap before that escalated and quickly hurried back to his seat while Percy flipped pages to lean close and ask Magnus, "hey, show me the sign for compass," and offering his hands out palm up hopefully.

#PJO #Percy Jackson #Thalia Grace #Jason Grace #Nico di Angelo #Will Solace #Alex Fierro #Magnus Chase #fierrochase #solangleo #Percabeth #reading the books #fanfiction #HDYSG #How Do You Say Gods #Sea of Monsters #Hearthstone

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