#but a bit nicer towards Annabeth since she is one of the only girls who is trying hard as H*ck to outrun the boys | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

amarauder · 5 years

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the adventures of captain bubbles ♆ percy jackson x reader

001. the adventures of captain bubbles

pairing; percy jackson x reader

request; Percy and (Y/N) were dating but Hera took Percy's memory and all he remembered was (Y/N). (Y/N) kept searching with Annabeth for Percy. It was obvious to everyone but Percy that Annabeth liked him but respects his choice of him liking (Y/N), so she doesn't try to break them up and actually ships it a LOT. Percy goes through all the stuff in the book, meets (Y/N) again, regains his memory then The End.

date; Febuary, 11th 2019

word count; 7603

warning; lots and lots of angst, kissing, er i don't know. mentions of death-but wrongly accused? i don't know. you'll see.

a/n; i am so incredibly sorry for how long this took. you literally requested this seven months ago-more than a half of a year. i feel so so bad. so i tried extremely hard on this one in order to kind of make up for it. i hope you like it. if not i am very willing to rewrite it or change anything you want to. :)

trailer; in which a girl's boyfriend goes missing leaving her to pick up the clues to his disappearance.

requested by;

The girl's face was pale as she walked through the Camp. Everything looked just as she remembered it but it seemed different somehow. There were still children running around with glee splashed across their spaces along with strawberry juice dripping down their chins but the air seemed tense as if everyone was waiting for someone to ruin something. It reminded her of last Summer.

She felt her car keys bounce in the pocket of her army green cargo pants as she walked towards the Big House. Annabeth had written her demanding that she come to Camp immediately and meet with the rest of the Head Counselors. Y/N had obliged knowing Annabeth's temper, besides it wasn't like she had been planning on coming within the next month, she had already packed as she was going to leave within the next week.

A small laugh escaped Y/N's lips when she made eye contact with Clarisse and her siblings. They were currently bullying a poor child into giving her their money. The daughter of Hermes would have felt grim at the sight of the scene but after knowing Clarisse for years she didn't care anymore. But it didn't mean Y/N wouldn't try and distract her friend.

"Oi, big lump!" Y/N called, her footsteps increasing as she got closer. Clarisse spun around with a shrewd look in her eye just as she knew she would. Y/N watched her search for her next culprit before stopping at her form, a small smirk formed as she held in a laugh.

Clarrise rolled her eyes at Y/N and grumbled, "I should have known it was you." The girl walked over to Y/N and held out her hand. Y/N was slightly surprised at the gesture as she had been expecting a punch on the arm for insulting her. But Y/N shook it off and finished off the Camp's handshake with ease.

Y/N noticed Clarisse shoo her goonies away-who probably went to go mess with that poor child again-and scrutinize her face with purpose as if looking for any kind of feeling but happiness. When she found none Clarisse looked at her with a sadness that made a pit form in the bottom of her stomach. She hated it, the disgusting feeling almost as if she was going to throw up at any moment but her tummy wouldn't give her the satisfaction of doing so.

"What's wrong, La Rue." Y/N said after a while. She couldn't handle the silent but purposeful look every few seconds anymore.

"Nothing, nothing is wrong." Y/N rolled her eyes at her friend and gave Clarisse a harsh look. Surprisingly, she looked away with a guilty look. Y/N let herself start to worry after that. Clarisse was acting completely out of character which only meant one thing; something was seriously wrong. "Let's just walk a little faster. I don't want to be late for the meeting."

Y/N snorted from behind her friend, "Since when were you ever worried about being late when it didn't consist of Capture the Flag?" Clarisse didn't answer Y/N.

The rest of the walk to the Big House was silent and left Y/N restless, wanting to know what was causing Clarisse to act more sinister than usual. "So," Y/N started as the door hit from behind them, "How's everything been going with Chris?"

"Shut your trap, L/N."

"So, it's going well then." Y/N grinned and pickpocketed a pile of dramachas on a random wooden table. Clarisse didn't answer her again and instead made their presence known to the rest of the Head Counselors.

While Clarisse was making her usual ruckus, Y/N glanced around the room. Her eyes traveled around looking for a special sixteen-year-old boy named Perseus Jackson. Instead of finding him, her eyes landed on her two troublesome brothers. They were both grinning mechanically and for a split second, she was distracted by nervousness.

"Stolen anything recently, sister?" one of the twins snickered.

Y/N laughed and rolled her eyes, "Not since I learned that the phrase 'ignore it and it will go away' does not apply to being chased by a dozen cop cars."

"Wow," Y/n decided it was Travis. He was the only Stoll who had freckles over his left eyebrow bone. "Twelve cop cars, you special little thing."

"Stuff it, Trav-"

"It's Connor."

Y/N smiled sheepishly and would have apologized if she hadn't been interrupted by her dear friend Annabeth. Her stern glare pierced through Y/N leaving her more than a little shocked. It had been a while since she had been on the receiving end of Annabeth's famous death glare. Y/N bit the inside of her cheek and looked away, everyone had been acting weirdly since she got to Camp. Clarisse was looking at her like she was about to break any second, Annabeth seemed like she wanted to murder Y/N, even her brothers were even acting nicer than normal. It was weird but before Y/N could voice her thoughts, Annabeth had started the meeting.

"Chiron had given Butch and me permission to leave the Camp to greet two demigods and a supposed special surprise that is supposed to help us find P-"

"Chase!" Clarisse snapped from next to Lee Fletcher, Y/N had almost jumped out of her seat from her booming voice, "She doesn't know yet."

Y/N watched the exchange with curious eyes that quickly turned into wide, embarrassed peepers. [lol, I couldn't say eyes again bc it sounded terrible. so peepers it is-i'm not saying hues. I did that before when I was younger and never again will I use that word.] Unfortunately, it was a bit intimidating to have all of Camp Half-Blood's most powerful campers waiting to see a reaction out of Y/N. "Y/N is also in the room and would like to remind everyone of that." Y/N said, "She would also like to add that she wants to know what is going on and doesn't like gossiping."

Annabeth went silent after Y/N's comment and shared a look with Clarisse. Analyzing the situation more, Y/N realized it must be bad if no one would tell her. Suddenly, Y/N had a thought that made her entire body shiver. "Kronos isn't back, is he?"

The majority of the counselors laughed at the absurdity of the question and shook their heads making Y/N sigh in relief, but Annabeth wouldn't even break a smile which only made Y/N more worried.

When everyone calmed down, everyone except Chiron had arrived and it was quiet. Almost too quiet. No one said a word as they looked at her but she could all see the sadness in their eyes. Katie had her mouth covered until she stood up and walked over to her. It was a bit awkward since she had never been close to the girl and making Travis move only made it worse. Surprisingly, she took her hand and lead her over to sit between her and Clarisse, never once letting go of her hand. As time moved on, Y/N started to wonder if Katie had somehow developed a crush on her, but she shook the thought away after making a joke about it, "Katie, you're a nice girl and all but I don't feel that way about you."

Katie snorted and gave Y/N a light shove after letting go of her hand, "Fine, if you are that weirded out by physical contact, I won't touch you again."

Y/N grinned and relaxed, stretching her legs out in front of her before remembering the situation she was stuck in and quickly curled herself back into her original tense position. "Again, what's going on?"

Y/N looked around the room, trying to figure out who was missing. The only missing person seemed to be Percy and Chiron. But Percy wasn't supposed to be at Camp until next week. Even though she knew that fact, an uneasy feeling settled into her chest, worrying her instantly. Her gut had always been right.

"Where's Chiron?" She needed someone to answer at least one of her questions.

"He's on his way," Clarisse told her. Y/N scrunched her lips together in frustration. If Chiron was the only one allowed to give her answers then why couldn't he hurry up? The centaur had known Y/N for more than half of her life, yet he couldn't bother to think that she would be uneasy about this whole meeting-especially with everyone still looking at her with sympathetic gazes.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Y/N whispered into the silence of the room. Katie put her hand on top of hers again but didn't say anything. When Chiron finally arrived, Y/N was done waiting for an answer as her patience had completely dwindled. She stood up quickly and rushed over to Chiron with shocking ferocity.

"What's going on? I want to know right now!" Chiron faced her, his eyes avoiding hers for a second. "Chiron please, Everyone else seems to know exactly what is going on, why isn't anyone telling me..." Realization suddenly hit Y/N, Percy had called her last Monday letting her know that he would be arriving earlier that week. She remembered the soothing sound of his voice telling her how much he missed her and couldn't wait to see her. She had made him promise that he would wait for her at the front of the Camp. Piecing all the clues together, her mind immediately went for the worst. The knowledge seemed to have struck her in the face, buried itself in the pit of her stomach, and pierced her heart as she shook her head slowly. "No...no."

"Y/N-" Chiron began but Y/N refused to hear any of it.

"NO!" She grabbed at her hair, covering her ears. "Don't you dare tell me, don't you dare say it!"

"I'm so sorry, Y/N. We don't know how it happened."

"NO! NO! NO!" She screeched at him. Connor went to grab at her arm, but she snatched it away, glaring at Chiron. "It's not true! It's not true! Tell me it's not true!"

Connor took a full step forward and caught Y/N as she fell to her knees breaking into a full cry. "It can't be true... Percy can't be dead. I don't believe you. I don't-" Y/N tried to push away but Connor wouldn't let her go-in shock of what she had interpreted.

"He's not dead, Y/N," Connor said meeting eye contact with Chiron who was also looking at Y/N with confused eyes.

Y/N looked up with a distraught look settled on her features. She studied him for a moment before shaking him with an angry scowl, "You better not be joking, Stoll or I swear to Hera I will-"

"He's not joking," Annabeth said interrupting Y/N in her trance-like state. Annabeth came over and kneeled next to Y/N who breathed out in a sigh of relief before sobbing into her shoulder. Y/N felt a surge of emotions as she cried, relief, happiness, and worry being the front-runners. She was so incredibly relieved and happy her boyfriend wasn't dead but she was scared for what was actually going on. She had a feeling it still had to do with Percy as they hadn't realized what she was crying about until later. Although, at the moment she was completely content knowing he was alive and hopefully healthy.

♆ ♆ ♆

She felt useless, completely and utterly useless. There was a sense of denial for the first few months. Y/N could only hope that Percy had moved to another country and had been too cowardly to break up with her. But even that sounded ridiculous to Y/N, she knew Percy was anything but a coward. Stupid at times maybe, but certainly not a coward.

With a flip of her hair, Y/N tied the strands into a ponytail. She was getting ready to start some of the Summer homework that she had been assigned last week. Y/N knew most people wouldn't even look at the work that early in their break but Y/N liked to get things done early despite what everyone thought.

"Hey," Someone said from behind Y/N, she looked over her shoulder as she was placing a headphone in to see Annabeth.

"Hi."

Y/N felt the bed dip and assumed it was the girl she had seen come in earlier, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm... I don't even know, Annie. It's rather weird it's like I keep expecting him to walk in at any given moment and act like we used to but I keep having to remind myself he's not here. I just feel like there is something I should be doing about this but there is nothing. You all already sent many search parties and no one has found him. To be honest, I am starting to get worried. It's just there is a very big possibility that he could be..." Y/N took in a deep breath and tightened her hands around the comforter, "gone and that is what scares me the most."

Annabeth nodded silently, "I know you probably don't want to hear this but I know how you feel."

"Annie, it's fine. You are best friends just because you had a crush on him when you were younger doesn't mean anything."

Annabeth looked away from Y/N. She didn't know how to break it to one of her best friends that she still had a crush on her boyfriend. She knew she was going to have to say something to her eventually but now was not the time. Especially since she thought Percy and Y/N were one of the cutest couples at Camp and she didn't want to be the person who ruined that. Annabeth knew both Y/N and Percy would agree to break up to help ease their friend's pain but she also knew it wouldn't be fair for them to be suffering by silently pinning after each other.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this serious before, Captain Bubbles." Y/N cringed at the terrible nickname, Percy had nicknamed her that after he realized that she knew how to sail and because she apparently reminded him of a pirate. She still didn't really understand the bubbles or the pirate part for that matter but Y/N just decided to roll with it. "I remember when Grover thought of the name. We had been looking for you two when we found you and Percy on the docks. I still hadn't liked you then and Grover had said something about you two would look good together." Annabeth said with a laugh, "I was pissed after that comment and had said you would be a great pirate and Grover declared your ship name would be Captain Bubbles. I don't remember how it became a nickname but."

"Oh, I thought Percy had thought of the name, but that's a rather odd way to gain a nickname."

"I know," Annabeth nodded, "But umm, Chiron said we are going to pick up some demigods later today if you are free then. It will be just me, you, and Butch."

"Butch from the Iris Cabin?" Y/N asked not looking up from her work. Annabeth nodded and stood up to leave, "What time are we going?"

"At Three, don't be late." Y/N heard the door shut behind Annabeth as she quickly jotted down 3 PM - picking up demigods on a bright pink sticky note. Pasting it in her Planner, she didn't hear Annabeth come back in quickly.

"Hey, Argus is looking for you."

"Oh! I completely forgot! Thanks, Annie."

"Where are you going?" Annabeth asked, hanging around the door for a little bit longer. She watched Y/N hurriedly grab all of her stuff and throw it into a bag. She wondered how Y/N was so level headed about the situation she was stuck in if Annabeth had been in Y/N's place she didn't know what she would have done. Annabeth knew she would certainly be a little more productive in trying to find Percy, but Annabeth also knew that Chiron had instructed Y/N not to go looking for Percy. It was a good thing Annabeth was a little pushier than Y/N.

"I'm visiting Sally Jackson."

♆ ♆ ♆

Y/N's fingers drummed on her thigh slowly as she waited for Sally to open the front door. She didn't quite understand why she had so much more energy than normal, she knew she shouldn't be nervous over something as stupid as visiting her Boyfriend's Mother. But she couldn't help be worried that Sally might blame Y/N for her Son's disappearance or even worse, she might not know about it yet.

At that final thought, Y/N almost turned around but decided against it when the door opened and she made eye contact with Sally Jackson. The woman looked a little bit beat up, more tired than normal but the second she saw Y/N her face lit up. She was still in her work outfit leaving Y/N to wonder if she had arrived too early. She hadn't wanted Sally to not have a break after her exhausting work.

Silently, Sally's arm lifted up to give Y/N a hug. Y/N closed the hold quickly. It felt good to be in held into a true embrace, not one that was forced out of pity or because the person felt the need too. But Y/N knew that Sally was feeling the same pain as she was which was enough to let Y/N relax into the warm hug.

"I'm so sorry, Sally. I would have come earlier-I just found out yesterday and-"

"It's alright, Y/N. Come in, I'll make some Hot Chocolate and Blue Cookies. How does that sound?"

"It sounds lovely, Mrs.Jackson. Thank you for having me."

"Now, now, what have I told you about calling me Mrs.Jackson?"

"Sorry, Sally."

A half an hour later, Y/N was sitting on the countertop listening to Sally as she sipped on hot chocolate.

"Then, in the bath, he would move the water back and forth until it would spill over and of course, right after, he would be in a fit of giggles. Teachers told me they have never met such an energized kid before-especially such a naughty one too."

Y/N laughed into her own cup, looking at Sally with mirth in her eyes. "My younger sister is quite a handful too. She has a very bad habit of getting lost all the time. I'm pretty sure she had even gotten lost in her own school once."

Sally laughed, grabbing an oven mitt and pulling the cookies out of the oven. "How do you do that?"

"That's what I said, not to mention that she had been going there for several years now. She's in Sixth Grade at the moment, I'm a bit worried about her going into middle school. Zeus knows how lost she will get there."

"She's in her Sixth Year already? My, my does time fly by. I can't believe how old she is."

Y/N shrugged and took a sip of her Hot Cocoa before answering, "I suppose. I haven't really thought about it. She is starting to look rather like an old woman though."

Sally rolled her eyes with a laugh and placed a plate of cookies in front of her. A small smile made it's way onto Y/N's face as Deja Vu washed over her. The smell of the stupid cookies was the same scent Percy seemed to obtain whenever she hugged him. She knew she usually would have loved the smell and would secretly take in deep breaths to feel as if she were in his arms again. But instead, she felt sick to her stomach like how a small child would feel when knowing they were seconds away from getting grounded by their parents.

"I have got to use the restroom, Y/N." Sally said, "I'll be right back."

Y/N nodded and picked at her cookie, it tasted the same as always. The mouthwatering taste of chocolate overwhelmed Y/N's senses as she eyed a photo on the wall. She was rather surprised it was there. She had thought Gods weren't able to be in pictures. But she had thought wrong, there standing side by side were Poseidon and Sally. They seemed to be laughing at something and before Y/N knew it a small smile landed on her face, Sally looked completely content with Poseidon at her side. Something Y/N hadn't seen in a while, a feeling she hadn't seen on Sally's face since Percy had been back at home.

Y/N pursed her lips, it must have been hard having a child that's a demigod. But at least Sally had tried, her Mother had not. Proving her unhealthy mental state further, Y/N shrugged to herself as if she had been narrating her own story. Her unstableness only seemed to get worse as she felt as if someone was staring at her when it was only the cookies. She had two more on her plate and she was painfully brought back to memories of Percy eating two or three of them. She tapped her thumb on the counter, debating if she should eat another one. She decided too. After all, it was what Percy would have done and Y/N found that doing what he would have done lessened the pain of his absence.

♆ ♆ ♆

"Oh, shut up, doggo. You're only making this situation worse."

"I still don't get the nickname."

"Seriously?" Y/N asked in disbelief, "I've been calling you that since we were thirteen."

"I know."

"Have you ever seen Tom and Jerry?" Y/N asked sneaking a glance at him from the corner of her eye, as she steered the Chariot a little more towards the left. Judging by the look of his face, it looked like he hadn't seen the hilarious cartoon making Y/N feel a little bit of pity for the boy. But it went away soon after. Y/N started to wonder if she had been spending too much time with Clarisse. "Anyway, there's a dog named Butch in the Cartoon. When you first said your name, that's the first thing that came to mind. So now, I call you doggo or puppers. I like them both."

"Whatever, Speedy Gonzalez," Butch said sticking his tongue out at her.

Y/N laughed, "You really are still bent out of shape from that stupid race."

"You tripped me! I should have won!"

"Now, now, puppers. Don't go all Rottweiler on me."

"Hey," Annabeth said, interrupting Butch and Y/N from their 'conversation', "We are about to land. I would appreciate it if you both would shut up and concentrate on the landing. I really don't want to die today."

"Ay Aye, Princess." Y/N said doing a mock salute. Annabeth narrowed her eyes at Y/N making her turn around in pure terror before turning back to Butch, "How's my first mate doing?"

Butch rolled his eyes and nudged her in the hip, "I'll take it from here, Y/N. Go sit with Annie."

"It's Captain Bubbles to you."

"The name's Bond, James Bond," Y/N said holding her hand out towards the stocky blonde, "I'm Sherlock's Newest Assistant. My current mission is figuring out the mysterious disappearance of Shark Doodoo."

Butch rolled his eyes, "Ignore her. She's been affected by his disappearance too."

Y/N scoffed, "I've always been like this, Doggo. that's something we should all know by now. Now onto important matters, any leads, Puppers? They seem like suitable witnesses." Y/N said eyeing the blonde and brunette respectively.

"I'm Piper Mclean." The only girl said in the group. Y/N offered her a grin which she returned.

"Jason."

"Nice to meet you, Just Jason. Where's the third one?" Y/N asked, turning to Annabeth, "Weren't we supposed to pick up three demigods?"

"Yes, and Hedge."

Y/N felt her eyebrows raise to her hairline, Y/N hadn't seen the Saytr anywhere. Thankfully, Butch had seemed to have developed mind-reading powers overnight and had been brave enough to voice his opinion out loud. Y/N didn't like to listen to Annabeth's lectures, they bored her to death. It didn't matter how close of a friendship they had, Y/N never had the attention span to listen to 'authority', "Hedge? Are you sure? I don't see the tiny goat anywhere but I do see the other demigod."

"Now, now, you know the correct term, Doggo. Don't want Sage hearing you say that."

"For Iris' Sake, Y/N. Sage isn't my girlfriend."

"I never said she was." Y/N said with a smirk and her hands up in a surrender position. Y/N watched Butch growl under his breath, he looked close to losing it making Y/N worry a little bit. Maybe she should take down the teasing a notch.

Thankfully, it seemed Piper had also sensed the tension between Y/N and the son of Iris as she had mentioned that no one had gotten Leo, the other demigod. Thankfully, Butch had volunteered to grab him letting him cool off. Y/N followed Annabeth, Piper, and Jason into the Chariot as she listened to Jason's Point of View for the past hour. By the end, Y/N had only realized one detail from his story. He and Annabeth were going to get along very well.

"Wait," Piper said. "So, what's your name again?"

"Y/N, Y/N L/N." She said, mimicking the same extravagated James Bond impression she had done earlier. Piper nodded, her lips perking up as she took a seat next to Jason, Y/N smiled softly at them. They reminded her of her younger self and Percy. They looked so clueless but confident in each other-well, Piper did. The blonde haired boy just looked rather confused. If she didn't have a memory of anything like he did, Y/N guessed she would be acting the same, maybe even a bit worse.

Annabeth had seemed to break a new record in somehow digging herself into an even worse mood after she found out Coach had gotten himself sucked up into the Sky. She had snapped at poor Leo many times and she glowered at anyone in her path. By the time they got back to Camp, it seemed Annabeth had yelled at everyone on the carriage for just existing. Butch had explained the Percy situation with detail and how it could possibly be affecting Annabeth. But Y/N couldn't help but wonder why Annabeth would care so much about a person she pretended to dislike half of the time, especially enough to put in a bad mood when they didn't find him.

If anyone should be pissed off, it should be Y/N.

Y/N's fingers tapped against the edge of the Chariot in rhythm with a song stuck in her head, it had been silent for a few minutes now. Annabeth had been extra harsh when she snapped at the curly haired boy for apparently being too loud.

Even though Y/N hated the way Annabeth was treating everyone, she was relieved that there was finally silence throughout the carriage. She enjoyed listening to the rustling winds against her ears, it had always been relaxing to her. It reminded her of riding Blackjack with Percy. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, why hadn't they thought about using Blackjack?

Sitting up very quickly, she saw herself grab the others' attention including a rather annoyed Annabeth. However, before she could snap at Y/N, Y/N quickly brought up her idea, "Do you think Blackjack could bring us to Percy?"

Annabeth had almost accidentally turned the entire Chariot over in excitement.

♆ ♆ ♆

Y/N was up in the air again. Although this time, Y/N felt her stomach turn from bubbling pits of excited nerves. According to Annabeth, they had been getting closer and closer to Percy for the past few days. Y/N didn't know if she was right, but Blackjack seemed to get more and more restless as the days passed and Y/N was hoping it was from the excitement of getting closer and closer to his "boss". It had been years since Y/N found out that Blackjack called Percy 'boss' but it was still one of the funniest things she had heard in her life.

Annabeth and Y/N had been traveling for weeks, flying on horseback to look for the man known as Seaweed Brain. It had been rather tiring in Y/N's opinion but she knew it would be all worth it in the end.

"Hey," Annabeth said urging her flying horse towards Blackjack, "We are almost in California."

Y/N perked up at that, she had never been to California. She knew Annabeth used to live there before she ran away with Luke and Thalia and that a lot of monsters lived there. But at the same time, the monster may have just been in San Francisco. Y/N's jaw clenched as freezing clouds blew through her hair, at first feeling the puffy material is interesting and delightful but later on, Y/N realized it's only delightful if it's warm and if she hadn't been blowing through clouds the entire day.

A feeling of unsettlement washed through her as her thoughts poked at her fragile feelings. They were almost in California which meant they which meant they were running out of land to search for Percy. Sometimes Y/N regretted being a hopeful person, she seemed to always be disappointed and it was starting to get depressing.

"Stop looking so depressed, we'll find him," Annabeth promised. Y/N started to wonder if being able to read minds was a power you got when you were a child of Athena.

"I've never been more thankful for you always being right." Annabeth laughed but it was cut short from a choke like a gasp as her flying horse started to buck and wiggle around. Annabeth hung on tight resembling a bullfighter which contrasted greatly with her very unadventurous personality. Y/N tried to move Blackjack towards Annabeth but he wouldn't budge if anything it felt like he was moving backward. Y/N didn't even know horses could fly backward, she thought only hummingbirds could do that.

That thought was quickly lost in the abyss of her short term memory as she stared in front of her. With an increasing acceleration, a huge boat was flying towards them. Y/N felt her hands grip Blackjack's mane tighter and tighter as her heart raced in panic. If they didn't move soon, they would be squished by the giant thing.

"Annabeth!" Y/N screamed over the whistling of the wind coming from the stupid boat. "We need to move!"

Annabeth turned to look at the h/c haired girl and somehow managed to glare at her despite her current situation. "Shut up, L/N! Can you not see I am a little busy here?"

Y/N rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Well, don't go haunting after me once you've died." Blackjack whinnied from under her and Y/N looked down to see them moving towards the crazy horse and Annabeth. "Blackjack, what are you doing, you crazy horse!"

Blackjack didn't seem to like that very much and did an experimental twirl in the air as if to say, 'Watch your mouth, lady. I could very much be like my friend over there." Y/N decided to ignore Blackjack's imaginary comment and instead scooted back until she was on the edge of his hide. She was not planning on getting hit by some crazy horse or a jerking Annabeth. How was that girl still alive? Let alone the fact that she was still on the horse? Blackjack whinnied once more and nudged the horse with his nose. Y/N rolled her eyes, no wonder Blackjack choose Percy as his owner. They both acted the same, reckless but somehow lucky.

"Annabeth, are you alright?"

"Yes, I am fine." She said and shakily straightened out her outfit, "Maybe I should have listened to you about taking the car."

Y/N laughed at the absurdity of Annabeth's comment, "That's what you are thinking about right now?"

Annabeth shrugged, "That's what Percy would have said." Y/N went silent after that and looked towards the boat that seemed to be getting closer and closer as they floated. Y/N was sort of confused as to why she wasn't nervous about the boat. It was flying in the freaking sky but she didn't really care. It sort of looked familiar to her but Y/N couldn't think why it did. "Why were you so nervous about the boat?"

"Umm, Annie, in case you haven't noticed it's flying, something boats aren't made to do."

"It's the Argo the Second, genius." Realization washed over her like a wave crashing onto a dock, vigorously and dismayed. Annabeth and Y/N had been Iris Messaging Clarisse and Nico back and forth to keep in contact for any recent news, a week or two ago they had received some interesting news from them. Clarisse, the obvious sympathizer of the pair, [i'm being sarcastic by the way] had broken the news of the new Prophecy. It had hit Y/N hard. She didn't know if she could stand another war, another round of losing people she loved. The only good part of the situation was that it gave her hope that Percy was alive. After all, who would be a better hero to close the Doors of Death than Percy?

However, Y/N wouldn't be joining them on the quest. Something that scared Y/N, how was she going to be able to take care of Percy when he was going to be Hermes' knows where?

The Giant Ship slowed down next to them, giving them a good view of who was inside. Piper, Jason, and Leo were aboard the ship looking mighty pleased with themselves, especially when they made eye contact with the girls; well, Leo was. "Annabeth? Y/N L/N! Where have you been, Captain Bubbles! We've missed you!"

"Wow, don't I feel so loved," Annabeth grumbled from beside Y/N. Blackjack seemed to want to rest immediately, he had sailed over to the deck of the ship way to quickly and had almost forced Y/N off his back due to a rather jerky landing. Leo helped her down as fast as he could, then quickly enveloped her in a hug. Y/N returned it just as tight and looked at her friend with a grin, "How's my muchacha?"

Later on that day, Y/N found herself alone on the edge of the deck. It was near sunset time and the wind was comfortably rustling her hair, a stark contrast to the sharp wind that felt like tiny needles ripping apart your face and disheveling her hair into painful knots.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she rested her head against the edge of the warship. She was alone for the first time in a while, Y/N had forgotten how important it was to develop this habit every day. She would escape time with Percy once and a while, usually it was more calming with him as long as he sat in silence. But that didn't happen most of the time.

Y/N missed Percy immensely, it had been a long few months without him and now when she knew she was so near. She could hardly wait.

Earlier that day, Jason had broken the news that they had an idea where Percy might be. So far, all of Y/N's theories were pointing positively towards Camp Jupiter. Blackjack had been flying in the direction of Camp Jupiter, thankfully they were rather close to the sight. Jason had been thrown to Camp Half-Blood with a lost memory and Y/N had a feeling Percy was having a similar experience. Which had brought on unnecessary worries, Y/N was scared that Percy might have forgotten her. She didn't want to think about what would happen if he had forgotten her. How would she be able to react to that? She knew she would try to help him remember her, but Y/N knew it wouldn't be the same-especially if he didn't love her back.

She shivered at the pure thought of the loss of Percy's love. She knew she would be heartbroken for Hermes' knows how long. The situation would only be worse with him absent from her life, going on a life-threatening Quest.

Instantaneously, Festus blew fire from his mouth breaking Y/N from her thoughts. She turned to look at the dragon only be in a rather awkward position with Leo. Nose to nose, Leo pulled back with a smirk, "You're a nice girl and all Y/N but I don't feel that way about you, Y/N." Y/N threw her head back in laughter, it felt good to laugh after so many depressing thoughts. "We are here, Y/N."

Y/N's eyes widened as she took the information in slowly, she was going to see Percy after many long months. Out of excitement, Y/N stood up too suddenly and hit her head against a rather thick beam that held up a part of the sail.

Leo cringed at the sound, shutting his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. His eyebrows scrunched together as he looked around worriedly, she was nowhere to be seen. That was until Annabeth screamed at him and picked up Y/N's limp body from the ground.

♆ ♆ ♆

Pain.

It was the first thing she felt, the first thing Y/N seemed to have registered, and she had yet to even open her eyes. It seemed like a continuation of the last thing she remembered, but this time it was dull and widespread rather than sharp and acute.

She was on a bed, Y/N could feel it. Something warm enveloped her, most likely a blanket. There was a very muffled scraping and banging in the background, something that reminded her of Y/N's Mother's adventures in the kitchen back home. If it weren't for the dull ache in her skull and the itchiness of a bandage, she would have presumed everything that happened to be a dream.

All of this Y/N registered with her eyes still closed.

She decided to open them then, too curious to withhold it any longer. Her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion as she pried them open, despite having the feeling that a long time had passed when she was asleep. She blinked a few times to let her vision clear. She was indeed on a bed, indeed covered with the softest blanket she had ever felt. The room wasn't too large or too small. It was very cozy, however, dim sunlight poured in from the frost covered window, the rest of the light coming from a roaring fire to her right. There was a glass of water on the bedside table which she eagerly gulped down. A chair sat at the edge of the bed, a smaller blanket draped over it. Someone had been sitting with Y/N. A pair of fuzzy slippers still sat at the chair's legs.

She slowly shifted her legs to the edge, reaching to place her feet in the slippers. They were way too big for you, but they had to do. As she moved, Y/N felt her cranium constricted with what felt like bandages over her hair. The questions in her mind got louder.

Surely, she wasn't captured. If Y/N had been, she would either be dead or kept in a condition worse than death. This environment looked like something out of a movie. Above her rippled a colossal white sheet that was balancing between four wooden beams. In front of her was the crashing waves that reeked of comfortable familiarity.

It was harder to stand up than she had thought. Her legs were wobbly, probably from disuse. How long had she been out? Y/N dragged her feet towards the door. Every step was an effort since her crown still hurt, and she had to hold her arms out to steady yourself.

Y/N was only halfway across the room when someone entered. Her heartbeat sped up as soon as it did, and she immediately knew who it was.

His raven hair was disheveled beyond belief, considering how particular he was about his hair. The shirt he had on him was wrinkled, and you knew he probably hadn't changed in days. The exhaustion on his face was almost pitiful when he turned around to face her, yet he was still a sight for sore eyes.

He gasped in surprise to not only find Y/N out of bed but mere feet away from him. He recoiled slightly at the change but immediately stepped towards her afterward, speaking before Y/N even registered his presence.

"You shouldn't be out of bed! Took us ages to get the wounds to start closing, you'll open them up again." He was next to you then. "C'mon, back to bed."

She took a sharp breath as his hand came in contact with her side, skin erupting in a burning fire. He froze too, and she knew he felt it. Y/N hadn't been near Percy in almost half a year, maybe more since she didn't know how long she had been knocked unconscious. This was the first conscious touch in a long time. And it felt magical.

His hand moved further down until it reached the small of her back. He applied slight pressure, making Y/N move closer to him. Her shaky hands found his chest, traveling upward to his shoulders and behind his neck. Percy didn't hesitate before connecting their lips.

It felt as good as the first one. No, it felt better. She couldn't help but moan out loud at the feeling of his lips lapping at her own, his tongue entering her mouth. Her fingers found his hair, tugging it in a way she knew he loved. Their bodies were flush together now. She could feel every shift in his muscles. His hands were soft against the bandages on her hair, and it reminded her of the million questions she had. Reluctantly she pulled away.

He almost whined at the loss, making Y/N smile slightly. She watched as he forced his eyes open to look into her own, and she felt her body relax into his, a familiar serenity taking over her. A feeling she had craved for so long.

"Percy," His eyes fell shut again at the sound of her voice saying his name, his forehead coming down to rest onto her shoulder. She let him hold her to himself, enjoying his touch like the drug that it was.

"What happened?" She finally whispered, hands moving over his shoulder blades, feeling them relax under her touch. He shook his head and buried himself deeper into her body, his own shaking.

"Gods, I missed you so much," he whispered, his voice was chalky and cracking every now and then. It made Y/N nervous. What had happened to her or worse, what had happened while she was knocked out?

"Hey now," Y/N started to stroke his back softly, "I'm here, Perce. Just calm down and then let's talk, ya?"

His grip tightened on her before he sighed and finally let himself sink into her as he nodded. Y/N let him hold her for a while as she basked a little longer in his touch.

The story of every event from that night onward was a shocking one. Percy had snuck Y/N onto the Argo the second with them, claiming he needed her if he was going to go the quest with them. Along the way, Y/N and Percy had somehow ended up in Tartarus and she had apparently almost died there. She had been asleep for the entire rest of the Quest, including the second Giant War.

Percy let them bask in silence for a while, he knew it was a lot to take in-especially since she didn't remember anything.

"I love you," Y/N whispered as she took Percy's hands in her own, she had realized it when he was gone for so long and she had been reminded of it when he whispered it into her hair creating a warmth shiver over her body when she was asleep.

"Mmm," Percy hummed capturing her in his arms once more, "I love you so much, Captain Bubbles."

#percy jackson x reader #anmarauder writings

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sassysweetstories · 6 years

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Rivalry //Shawn Mendes Series

Summary: You are a demigod that’s been brought to Camp-Half Blood in hopes to find yourself and learn more about your powers. In fear of being bullied, much like before, you intend to stay behind closed doors until there in no choice but to come out about who’s child you truly belong to.

Ship: Shawn Mendes x Fem!Reader

Warnings: angst, fighting, swearing, fluff, blood, etc.

Notes: none of these gifs are mine. i saw another fic about demigods and i wanted to try and make it a series. the thoughts been festering in my mind forever now. i hope you like it. (also, none of the demigods and gods are really related. because of the parents fucking around, it’s not legitimate in this series. I ALSO RECOMMEND YOU TO LISTEN TO THE PERCY JACKSON SOUNDTRACK WHILE READING THIS. IT’S SO COOL)

Your P.O.V

Camp-Half Blood. There is was, staring back at me like some haunting horror movie scene. The outer perimeter only being lit by two burning fires alone gave me a strange mix of home despite the ominous setting. I belong here. I tell myself the same thought that I’ve been repeating the whole drive here. I belong here. This is the golden arches for the odd and weird kids, a place to feel accepted. A place where it’s okay to be different. Or, at least that’s what I was told. But I knew if there were teens here, people my age, there would still be judgement. There always is. And the trip here was nothing but ridiculous. This place seems to fall off the edge of the earth and right under the nose of humans. And yet, I feel a pull towards the location. I know in my heart that I belong.

Despite the nerves that start to fester, I take a deep breath and walk forward. It’s dark and quiet but the second I pass through the veil, I feel a sense of comfort or warmth wash over me. You are safe here. It seems to say to me. Lugging my one suit case farther in, I find myself following the main pathway. That is until my eyes come across a centaur. He’s fucking huge, twice if not three times my height. "Mr. Brunner, I presume.” I say seriously. Everything about me screams business, not pleasure. But he ignores it and gallops up to shake my hand in mutual respect. “Please, call me, Chiron. You’ll be seeing me quite often. Might as well get on a first name basis.” I give him a hardy shake and follow him along the dark pathway, my heart beating with excitement and nerves.

“Welcome to Camp Half Blood, (Y/n). I realize, as you’ve said before, that you do not want to disclose your parentage to anyone, but here in Camp Half Blood, we categories and home you according to your abilities. That is, until I realized who you belonged to-” He pauses, wary of his next words. “-We don’t get many rare demigods here, so in the interest of your discretion, and for you, and the safety of others, we will not disclose that information until it becomes absolutely necessary.” The second the words leave his mouth, I feel a weight being lifted off me. If anyone knew who I belonged to.. Gods, what a nightmare that would be. Mr. D continues to educate me on what exactly I would be doing here and the longer he spoke, the more excited I became.

“Tomorrow (Y/n), I will personally show you around the facility, but for now I will take you to your living quarters, which are located not too far from the other kids but a good distance for privacy.” I want to look up at him and thank him but I’m so in awe by everything, I can barely form words. Instead I give him a small nod and unpack, mentally preparing for the next day to arrive. My house, since I’m the only one living in it, is a lot lighter than I thought it would be. It’s an odd mix of colors but nothing like I had anticipated. In one room it is black with shades of bright purple. In the other, it’s a vibrant orange/yellow with blue and green flowers the cover the ceiling which brought an odd contrast. It’s surprisingly warm and cosy despite my first wary impression. Everything about the room alone is far much nicer than I’d ever had. I can’t help but lean against my bed headboard and smile. I was home.

The next morning I’m up bright and early, too excited to even hide it. I’m practically bouncing off the walls as I slip my shoes on. But the second Chiron shows up, I suppress it a little bit. I don’t wanna come off too strong, after-all. I’m not even outside before the sun is happily shinning down on us. The trees all gleam in delight under such warm and bright weather. I can’t help but smile at the sight. Birds fluttered above my head, singing their normal song. The trees around us sway against the wind and tower over my head like mountains. The longer we walk, the closer we come to the middle of the camp grounds. Kids of all ages and colors run by us in a hustle and bustle, not without giving me a once over, if not stare at me as if I had horns or something.

For some reason, I’m something entirely new to them. It’s as if they know. Instead I stand up straighter, demanding respect and even scowl at some who dare to give me pointed looks. And instead of making the situation worse, I focus on Chiron’s words. “You will be training like the rest of the students. But before you get to that, you have a schedule with certain classes to obviously learn about your parents and the other gods here.” As we walk by, a boy with bright eyes and dirty blonde hair eyes me up and down like a piece of meat. He nudges his lacks and they look in my direction and have the audacity to howl at me. Instead of causing a scene, I clench my fists in frustration. Deep breaths. In and out.

Finally pulling my gaze away from them, I can’t help but stand up straighter, as if I was trying to prove something to them. I can tell behind their cocky stares that their curious about me and what I can do. Who do I belong to and what I have to offer. But I hope they never find out. But all I know is that I do, in fact, belong. But if I wanted to show that, I would have to be on the field and in the classroom. My first class is Gods & Goddess and their powers. Before I even came to Camp Half Blood, I had always been fascinated by Greek mythology.

I use to spend hours after school reading up on all sorts of stories only to find out I was the child of one them. Chiron escorts me to the class, if that’s not awkward enough. But when I enter, more than fifty kids look directly at me. I can practically feel their judgment filled expressions pressing down on me like an anvil. I suck in a breath of air, letting Chiron speak for me. “Professor Ryan, this is your new student, (Y/n) (Y/L/N).” I give him a hardly shake and give him my signature smile. I swear I hear a group of girls in the front sigh and swoon. Aphrodite kids, I’m sure.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss (Y/L/N). You can sit right next Mr. Underwood.” I glance up at the large college build lecture hall before my gaze falls on the satyr I saw early. He looks nice, giving me a warm and playful smile. I can’t help but return it because in all honesty, it’s quite contagious. When I take a seat, I pull out my hand for him to take. “(Y/n). Nice to meet you.” He grins and takes it before shaking it lightly. “Grover. Grover Underwood. Likewise!” It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Grover whispers comments at me the entire time, practically shit talking the professor. It takes everything in me to not burst out laughing. Once class is over though, we walk out together and the conversation flows comfortably.

“Hey (Y/n), I wanna introduce you to my best friend, Percy Jackson.” A boy with ocean blue eyes waltz up to us, showing me an equally warm smile. I take his hand and give him a hardy shake. “Nice to meet you, Percy. Cool name. I’m (Y/n), (Y/n) (Y/L/N).” Percy is just as nice as Grover and they make me feel at home. He’s son of Poseidon apparently. Which took me by surprise. “You’ll meet the rest of the gang later. Until now, you’ll have to settle for us.” Percy says jokingly but I can already sense a slight insecurity. “I like your guys’ company just fine.” But the second the words leave my mouth, I see Percy and Grover ease up. The sight makes me chuckle. It was only the first day and I was already making friends.

Grover has taken it upon himself to show me every nook and cranny of the camp, saying Chiron was an old fart who didn’t know any of their secrets. Pointing over to a warm pink lit dorm, he gave me a cheeky smile. “Aphrodite’s daughters. Hello ladies!” He gives them a wave and some of them giggle in response. I’d be lying if I said none of them were attractive. The art of beauty and seduction was always something they perfected apparently. Some even wink at me as we walk by. I can’t help but blush as we shuffle across the way. “Aphrodite’s daughters are nothing but wild, especially in the sheets. Stay away from them. Or don’t. I mean, I don’t stay away, haha. Not far from them is Athena, girls and boys are separated but that doesn’t stop us much. You’ll meet Annabeth later. She’s a child of Athena.”

We make our way over to the dueling field and the girl he was talking about, whom I believe is Annabeth, is dueling with three other opponents. I watch in awe as she beats them with ease, not a bead of sweat to cover her gorgeous features. I can’t help but gape as she strides over to us, looking nothing but powerful. “That was amazing.” I spew out before my mind could even think. Before she seemed more cold and wary, but the longer she eyes me, the more at ease she becomes. “Thank you. I’m Annabeth.” I take her hand, still gaping. “I’m (Y/n). That was incredible. Can you teach me how to do that?” She laughs at my genuine awe. “Of course, in due time. We have to meet up with the others.”

“The others?” I can’t help but ask in curiosity. They all smile as Grover spoke. “Luke and Shawn. Luke tags along with us occasionally but he mainly sticks to the more jock type crowd, ya know? He’s more brutes than he is brains. But don’t tell him I said that. Besides, he only sticks around with us because he fancies Percy.” Percy shakes his head, chuckling lightly as we walk down a different pathway. “He’s my friend. They’re both really great. You’re gonna love Shawn. He’s super chill but can be a bit cocky at times. He’s also got a killer voice. Shawn might seem a bit off but he’s pretty down to earth-” Annabeth practically snorts. “And he’s not a dick like Luke.” I can’t help but laugh at the comments being made towards the young boy. “Is Luke the one with dirty blonde hair? I may have seen him this morning howling at me. What a douche.” They snort at my comment before nodding.

We head over to the weapons hall and as we enter, I can’t help but gape in awe. Weapons from all shapes and sizes layer each side of the walls, some even attached to the ceiling. Running my hand over some, I can’t help but smirk at the glint of light they all give off. “Beautiful, ain’t she? You’ll start combat soon but before you get your hands dirty, you’re gonna need a weapon, eh?” Grover says to me, motioning for everyone to follow him. We do so and listen to the folk lore behind all of the swords and knives without homes. That was until a bright black shine caught my gaze. Without realizing it, I drifted away from the group to get a better look at it. Black as night, the sword stretches a good few feet with a dark red leather handle and small, thin white swirls etched across the blade.

I feel a pull towards the blade, like it was meant for me. I’m so enthralled by it’s treacherous beauty I almost don’t hear the manager comment, “Gorgeous, isn’t she. Five carbon steel, practically unbreakable, with a dark red handle that’s both comfortable yet firm enough to grip.” I graze the outside of the handle and smile at the sensation. That was until the manager commented, “I wouldn’t try to pick it up. It’s the heaviest weapon we’ve got and you look pretty nimble.” I could stand men trying to down grade women. Instead of listening to his warning, I take the sword with one hand and lift, expecting it to be heavy for my too “nimble body” but instead it practically floats under my touch. I twirl it around and it feels like I’m holding air. “Are you sure it’s the heaviest? It feels light to me.”

The look on his face is nothing but priceless. Jaw dropped to the floor, face white he manages to scrape the last bit of testosterone he had and heads to the front. I take the sword with a smile, intending to check out before I came to an abrupt halt. The blonde douche I saw early, Luke, I believe, was speaking to another boy in a hushed manor behind a stack of knives. He had chocolate brown hair and equally as appealing eyes. “I don’t know Luke.. We don’t know anything about her-” He said softly, scanning over the weapons. Luke replied hastily. “She could be a great ally when we have the battle Friday.” The chocolate haired hunk scoffed. “We don’t even know if she can fight yet! Nor do we know of her abilities! What could she possibly offer for the win?!” Luke rolled his eyes and nudged the boys arm jokingly but he didn’t seem to enjoy it. “Don’t worry. With my suave persona, she’ll be confessing everything in no time. We’ll win this fight Friday, Shawn.”

Were they talking about me? They must be. Quickly and quietly, I slip away from them without making a peep and head to the check-out line. “Looks like you found one!” Percy exclaimed happily, eyeing my weapon of choice. Annabeth nods her head with pride. “That’s a beautiful sword. You’re sure about it though? Once you choose a weapon, it becomes like your mate.” Percy and Grover share a confused glance before shrugging at me. I look down at it with my own sense of pride, happy with my choice before nodding. “Yeah, I’m sure.” Percy’s eyes wander to someone over my shoulder. “SHAWN! LUKE!” He exclaims, smiling at the two. I don’t make eye contact with them yet. Instead I hand over my sword to pay.

The cashier nearly drops the sword, half dragging it across the floor to scan the price-tag along with the belt attachment. “Do you need help?” I ask, trying not to smile at his struggling state. He puffs and curses under his breath, arms bulging in hopes to lift the weapon I’ve handed to him. “Nope, ugh, I- I’m f-fine-” The interaction has unfortunately caught the groups attention and Grover can’t help but ask, “(Y/n), did you get the biggest one?!” I glance over at him and nod. “Yeah, what can I say, I like big things.” The sentence was meant to be a casual response but all four of the boys turned bright red with embarrassment while Annabeth burst out laughing at their reactions. As I’m about to look back at the cashier, my gaze meets Shawn’s.

His eyes are bright despite being a chocolate brown. They almost have a flicker of light to them. One I can’t particularly describe. He’s different, I can feel it. I give him a small smile which he returns with a mediocre smirk. “Hun, why don’t I take that before you pull a muscle-” I wrap the holder around my waist and tie it before taking the sword from him. He sighs, almost happy to not have to carry its gargantuan weight any longer. But before I can slip my beautiful weapon into its case, Luke saunters up to me with a cocky grin. “You must be the beautiful, (Y/n). I’m Luke. Would you like me to carry that for you?” Annabeth and I exchange a knowing look. What did this boy expect from me? To just drop my panties cause he decided to be nice? Pff.

I give him the fakest, most innocent smile I could before sighing sweetly. “Oh my gosh, that is so sweet. Thank you.” I take a step back and toss the blade at him. He lefts out an “Oof!” before falling to the ground, coughing and grunting as he attempts to hold the weight up. I walk around his immobile body and stick my hand out for Shawn to shake. “I’m (Y/n). Nice to meet you.” The moment he takes it, I feel a shock run through my body, itching up and down my spine before it dissipates. What the hell was that? “I’m Shawn. Likewise.” When he lets go of my hand, his is warmer than when we first touched. I wonder if I rubbed off on him? He glances down at me with wonder and curiosity. We duel with our eyes, examining one another before looking away.

I strut over to Luke who is still thrashing on the floor before I lift my sword off him with one hand. He sighs in relief, taking massive breaths of fresh air to accommodate for the ones that have been taken from him. Sheathing my blade, I look back at Annabeth with an innocent smile. “Annabeth, hun. Would you like to go practice dueling?” She laces her arm through mine, waving at the boys as we walk out. “I think we’re gonna be very good friends.” I can’t help but laugh with delight at her statement, feeling the boys eyes follow us the whole way out. I can’t help but look back at Shawn and ponder. Who does he belong to?

Annabeth and I head out to the battle arena to change and practice fighting. “So-” I say while adjusting my gear. “-who are Luke and Shawn’s parents.” Annabeth tosses me another accessory for combat before replying. “Well, Luke is Hermes kid. You wouldn’t have guessed it but he, like most kids, hate their parents. He despises his dad, which is understandable. And for some odd reason, he gets super defensive and competitive when it comes to battles. Thinks he has to prove something to someone because he thinks his parent isn’t the strongest. It’s all about titles to him.”

I nod along to her words but ask about the other boy, not caring much about the first. “And Shawn? What about him?” She talks while she ties her boots. “Well I think Luke just hangs out with Shawn because of his parental title-” I sheath my sword, standing up straighter. “What do you mean? Who is his parent?” When she looked back at me, I expect her to tell me the name of a small god but instead it’s someone who rattles me. “He’s the son of Zeus.” I drop my shoe in shock, nearly dropping the rest of my stuff. Annabeth laughs. “Yeah. He usually has that affect on women.” I scoff, shaking my head before resting my hands on my hips. “Pff. No! I was just surprised. Um, that’s pretty rare, isn’t it?”

She nodded, grabbing her sword before following me out onto the battlefield. “Yeah, it is. Percy and him are the only two sons of the big three. There hasn’t been a third son but I’m hoping it’s a girl. I think Luke is using Shawn and Percy’s friendship to get ahead during the trials and fights. It’s vile.” I nod along to her voice. She was definitely Athena’s kid, brilliant and tactical. “Okay so, what are you gonna teach me so that I’ll be prepared. I want to be as good as you.” Annabeth took a few steps back, stretching her muscles. “That might take some time.” I drew my sword and grinned up at her. “I’m a good learning.” Before I knew it, she ran towards me and our swords crashed together. “Let’s get started.”

Annabeth is a brutal teacher but she’s nothing like Ares teachers. They’re ruthless and cruel, just like their god father. I half expect them to have sharp teeth. We practice for nearly two days straight I almost don’t notice it’s been that long. With only fruits, vegetables and water to keep us going, we keep fighting. It’s nothing but exhilarating. We’re dueling and running circles around one another so much I barely acknowledge the ever growing crowd that’s decided to make their way towards us, intrigued by our fight and what we have to offer, what I have to offer. I barrel towards her, dodging whatever attacks she intends to throw my way before slamming my sword down on her. When they clash, sparks fly. Our faces a mere few inches apart as we growl at one another before separating again.

“How long have they been going at it?” I hear Percy ask Grover. To which he responded with. “Two days straight. A few breaks here and there but I’ve never seen someone hold a fight with Annabeth and not fall over. It’s incredible.” Luke and Shawn stand near the other two boys, watching us closely. I almost feel bad for Shawn but I’m then reminded that I don’t really know him. “Getting tired yet?” Annabeth asks me with a shit-eating grin. I stand up straighter with an equally as warming smile before getting into my fighting position. “Not even close.” The sounds of our swords clashing together echoed all throughout the camp. There wasn’t one person who knew we were fighting. She slams her sword down and instead of hitting me, smashes the grass.

I turn over my shoulder to dodge her attack before making one of my own. When I reach my sword out, hers matches my movements. The tips threatening to cut the others throat. “You’re a fast learner.” She says, smiling up at me. We mutually sheath our weapons and examine the others sweaty state. “Gods, I need a shower.” I say, wiping off the sweat that dripped down all parts of my body. “I think the boys disagree.” Turning over my shoulder to see what she meant, Luke stares at me like I’m a prize, like I’m meat to be won over. Grover and Percy look at me as friends do, with pride. But I can’t quite pin Shawn’s facial expression. His is a mixture of things. Some I can’t read, others I can. It’s pride for a friend but with a hint of attraction, lust. “I think you’ve caught the golden boys eye.”

I eye him up and down and watch as he does the same for me. I can’t help but take Annabeth’s previous words into consideration. If this battle is as important to Luke as she says it is, than how important is Shawn to him. What does he have to offer? What are his powers? Do they have limits? What if Shawn isn’t as innocent as people believe him to be? What if he’s just as wrapped up about the hierarchy as Luke is? Annabeth and I head over to the showers, very much in need of some soap. But the whole time I can’t help but ponder that all of this seems to dive deeper than I think.

(I hope you guys liked it! This is just the introduction to the series. I think I’m gonna make it a 2-3 parter series. Comment below! I love suggestions and feedback!)

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dotshiiki · 7 years

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CoL, chpt 2

Okay, so I meant to post this yesterday but it took longer than I expected to get the content page and first chapter up and of course this HAS to be the week where I also have to pack for an upcoming trip and rehearse a presentation for said trip AND three meetings ... But I’ve got my CoL files on my USB stick now so I’ll duck in at lunch time and post another chapter then so I can get up to three today! Thanks to all of you who have checked this out! And feel free to send me an ask any time, I love hearing from readers! :)

II: NICO

Nico was used to the Underworld.

The first time he had entered it had been from the Labyrinth, while running from Camp Half-Blood after his sister Bianca had died. The dark caverns and twisting tunnels had seemed scary to him at the time, but he'd since grown accustomed to navigating his way around them. He knew what paths to take—and more importantly, which to avoid. Even as the son of Hades, there were places in the Underworld where he wasn't meant to go. He'd learned that the hard way.

Over time, he'd also learned of the various entrances from the mortal world: Charon's passage in Los Angeles, Orpheus's door in New York's Central Park, the roving Doors of Death that Thanatos used as his personal gateway. Nico didn't need any of them now, though. Shadow travel was convenient that way. He simply melted into darkness and was transported like a speeding bullet through cold, empty space until he popped out at his destination.

Just one of the perks of being a child of the Underworld.

The only problem was, hitting a precise location in the Underworld was always a tricky business. Although Nico could manage a shadow-jump into the Underworld from anywhere in the upper world, he couldn't always pinpoint where he'd end up when he arrived.

This time, he found himself on the banks of the River Styx. He could hear the deep baritone of Charon the ferryman drifting along upriver, humming that god-awful easy listening music he favoured. The barge was approaching, probably with a full load of newly-dead souls. Nico could feel their presence closing in, clamouring for attention. The recently-deceased tended to be like that: terrified and hungry for reassurance, still clinging to the identities they had held in life. If he listened hard, Nico could sense each one of them—the octogenarian who had passed away in his sleep, the car crash victim whose life support had been turned off, the teenager who had ingested a full bottle of Valium, and many others.

Percy wasn't among them—yet, Nico reminded himself. He turned away from the river and made his way up the shore of black sand, climbing the familiar winding path to the gates of Erebus. The checkpoints were running smoothly today, with the regular lanes moving along almost as quickly as the EZ Death line that went straight to Asphodel. Cerberus gave Nico a hopeful look when he passed through, but Nico shook his head at the enormous, three-headed Rottweiler.

'Not today, old friend,' he said. 'I'm in a hurry.'

He sped up through the Fields of Asphodel, which was easy since the vacuous, chittering spirits there parted before him as always. He usually took the path straight to his father's palace on the south-eastern edge, but this time he turned off towards the left, cutting a trail between the Fields of Punishment and the gated community of Elysium.

The first time he'd ever visited the River Lethe, he'd trudged all the way through the Fields of Punishment to where it was a rushing river gorge cutting through the upper rim of his father's kingdom. Fortunately, he knew enough of the Underworld geography now that he could take a more direct route to where the Lethe snaked down past the Cave of Hypnos to flow more sluggishly across the outskirts of Elysium. It would probably have been a nicer stroll through Elysium to get here, but Nico didn't have time to submit to the stringent security checks at the gates. Even the son of Hades was subject to a thorough frisking at the gates of the most secure community in the Underworld.

Near the river's source in the volcanic mountains, the Lethe was a cascade of violent black water bubbling up from Tartarus, but here on the lower marshes, its colour lightened considerably to a dull grey. Outside the eastern gate of Elysium, a group of souls formed a line along the river to get their drink before reincarnation. One by one they knelt on the river bank and plunged their heads into the lazy river. When they emerged, their ghostly faces looked perfectly serene. The cleansed spirits flickered in the dim light of the Underworld caverns and then disappeared, presumably sent to be reborn into their new mortal lives.

Nico picked a spot a short way upriver from the queueing souls. He approached the banks and then he realised the snag in his plan. He had no jug or goblet or canister with him. In his haste to get here, he had completely forgotten about how he was going to transport the stuff back to the mortal world.

He let out a groan. It seemed he would have to visit his father's palace after all. Did his father even have containers in his palace? Nico wasn't sure. For obvious reasons, he never actually ate or drank anything when he visited.

Nico was about to turn and follow the path back to the palace when a voice hailed him.

'Di Angelo!'

He spun around. A girl with short, spiky black hair and a glowing silver bow slung over her back was walking up to him. There was a delicate silver circlet on her head that clashed badly with the rest of her outfit: a leather jacket adorned with rock band buttons, frayed black jeans, heavy boots, and a black t-shirt with the outline of a deer in the centre. She looked around his age—fifteen or sixteen—but Nico knew she was in fact much older than that. Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, had been that age when he'd first met her five years ago.

In her hands, she carried a bronze stamnos—a squat, circular Greek jar with two stubby handles high up on its sides. It was about half a foot in diameter and just as tall.

'Needing one of these?' said Thalia.

'What are you doing here?'

Thalia raised an eyebrow. 'Annabeth sent an Iris-message. I came to help.'

Nico scowled. 'I don't need help,' he muttered, even though her appearance with the stamnos was fortuitous. He had nothing specifically against Thalia—he didn't even know her all that well—but she led the Hunters of Artemis. He still found it hard not to hold a grudge against the band of immortal girls who had stolen his sister from him and then gotten her killed.

Yeah, okay, so it had been five years ago. But he was a son of Hades. Bearing grudges was his birthright.

'Aren't you forbidden to help boys, anyway?'

Thalia set the stamnos on the bank. 'Percy's a special case,' she admitted. 'Even Artemis has a soft spot for him. And I can see just how much help you don’t need,' she added dryly. 'I'm sure your bare hands would have been the perfect vessel to bring back some liquid Lethe. Super plan, down to the part where you'd definitely remember where you wanted to bring it.'

Nico ignored her sarcasm. 'How did you get here anyway?'

'You think you're the only one who knows about the door in Central Park? And I've been to the Underworld before, you know. It's not even my first time at the Lethe.'

Nico had almost forgotten that Thalia had been with him and Percy on that quest. They'd fought a Titan several miles upriver from this spot and ended up wiping his memories in the Lethe.

Maybe Thalia was thinking about that, too, because she asked, quietly, 'Are you sure about this, Nico?'

'No,' he admitted. 'But it's the only answer I have.'

'Well, let's get ourselves some Lethe water, then.'

Thalia took one handle of the stamnos and motioned for Nico to take the other. Nico was a bit disgruntled at how bossy she was, but it also reminded him slightly of Bianca. Together, they picked up the stamnos and tilted it to scoop up some river water.

'Just what do the two of you think you're doing?'

Nico and Thalia almost dropped the stamnos. They staggered back from the river bank as the ghostly form of a svelte young woman rose out of the water and hovered inches above its surface.

Nico thought at first she was an Underworld soul, one of the group from Elysium heading for rebirth, but she grew more solid as she surveyed them with her arms crossed. Her skin was milky white, which made her look like a marble statue not unlike the sculptures that sprung up every ten feet along the main avenue of New Rome. Except that the contours of her body remained undefined, as if she hadn't finished forming from smoke. Her black dress rippled like waves were moving across its folds. Dark, misty images flashed across the fabric and were absorbed into the creases. Somehow, Nico knew they were all memories, millions of them submerging into the water.

'You're—'

'The goddess Lethe, of course,' she said, looking put out. 'You're taking my waters and you don't even think to ask?'

'We didn't think—' Thalia stammered. 'I mean, we didn't know you—'

'Everyone forgets about me!' Lethe pouted. 'Just because I'm not as fiery as Phlegethon, or as whiny as Cocytus. Is that why? I'm just as powerful as them! More, even—none of them have the power to cleanse the mind of everything.'

'Um, maybe it's because you're the river of forgetfulness,' Thalia ventured. 'That might be why people—er—forget.'

Lethe nodded. 'I am, aren't I?' She trailed the hazy edge of her dress along the water's surface. When she looked up again, her brow was furrowed. 'What was I saying again?'

'You were giving us some water,' Nico said quickly.

Lethe stared at the stamnos. 'Was I?'

'Sure you were!' Thalia said. 'We're just going to get it and be on our way…'

'I don't know,' said Lethe. 'That's high irregular. In fact, I think drinks have to be consumed in-house. I don't do to-go. At least,' she pondered this for a while, 'I don't think I do?'

'Oh, but it'd be great for business,' Thalia said. 'I mean, all the best restaurants have take-away. How else would you make sure people remember you if they don't get to try your products?'

Lethe tapped her chin. 'It's true, I hardly get up to the mortal world. Acheron totally has a monopoly on those streams…and really, I am more powerful, you know. What's Acheron got? Only pain. That's so overdone. Tell me, what other rivers have the power to erase everything? To cleanse the mind and soul completely? Pain, suffering, despair—bah! I can erase all of that!'

Nico leaned forward eagerly. 'Can you heal the mind, then? I mean, if your waters can take away pain and suffering…'

'Of course! What bit of cleansing the mind don't you understand?'

Nico looked at Thalia. This seemed like confirmation that they had hit on the right solution. All they needed now was to actually get the water.

'Wait.' Lethe looked at Nico suspiciously. 'You've been here before, haven't you? You've tried the Lethe treatment?'

'Um, sort of,' Thalia said. 'We've been here. But you didn't appear to us. And we definitely didn't touch the water.'

'Well, maybe not you,' Lethe said. 'But you.' She looked directly at Nico and frowned. 'Ugh, why can't I remember?' She stamped her foot. Nico and Thalia had to jump back to avoid being splashed. 'Hmph. Well, maybe I can't remember, but I can feel it.' She sniffed at Nico. 'You have my mark. The Curse of Lethe.'

'Nico, what's she talking about?'

'It was…before,' Nico muttered. 'Before the Lotus Casino. My father had Bianca and me dunked in the Lethe after our mom died.'

Thalia looked confused. 'But Bianca…she remembered stuff—'

Lethe interrupted. 'I knew it! Though I suppose if you only got dunked…it's not as effective if you don't actually drink, you know. Oh, the memory loss is powerful, of course, but the mind isn't cleaned out. The memories aren't actually dissolved. They can come back, given the right…well, prodding, I suppose.' Lethe scratched her head. 'Hmm. Why am I telling you this again?'

The conversation was making Nico's head spin a little. 'Never mind why. You were saying—it's different if you drink?'

'Well, yes. Souls have to drink. That's the rule—no drink, no rebirth. Can't have people bringing any part of their old lives with them, after all. Drinking cleanses everything: mind and soul. Memories aren't just in the mind, after all. The most important ones, they live in the soul. And I have the power to absorb that—dissolve the core of someone's identity.'

'Is it all in the water, then?' Thalia asked, looking into the murky depths of the river with interest. 'Is that how you get it back?'

Lethe threw her an irritated glance. 'Haven't you been listening, girl? If you drink, there's no getting them back. My waters flow all the way to Tartarus, and beyond that, into the depths of Chaos. That's where everything that is lost goes, in the end. And good luck retrieving anything from that pit.'

'But if you don't drink—say, you just…took a dip,' Nico pressed.

'Ah, like you did, I suppose? You'll still lose your memories. But like I said…hm, or did I? Anyway, you'd forget everything, but your soul would be intact. You could restore your memories, but it's extremely hard.'

'But not impossible,' Thalia said, looking relieved. 'That's great.'

'Not if he has to drink the water to be cured,' Nico reminded her.

'So…what was it you wanted again? Are you after getting your memory back? There's someone else who does that…starts with an "M"…' Lethe rolled her eyes Olympus-ward and stamped her foot again. 'Ugh, why can't I remember?'

'Mnemosyne?' Thalia supplied.

'Maybe. Why do you ask, anyway?'

This conversation was going round in circles. Nico cut in. 'Look, we just need to fill this jar so we can save a life. That okay with you?'

Lethe shrugged. 'Why didn't you say so in the first place?'

She held out her hands for the stamnos. Thalia looked like she was trying not to roll her eyes as they hefted the jar into Lethe's arms.

The murky grey water turned milky white when Lethe scooped it up. She set the filled stamnos down on the river bank. Thalia produced a lid from her pocket and capped it. Nico plucked a leaf from a random plant and carefully wiped off the stray droplets rolling down the side of the jar.

'Easy peasy,' Lethe said. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to…hm, I've forgotten.'

Nico and Thalia didn't wait for her to continue. Lifting the stamnos between them, they hurried off before Lethe could start questioning them again.

'Thanks for the jar,' Nico said when they reached the main path, which was lined with towering oaks that cast long shadows across the ground. One thing about the Underworld—there was never a shortage of shadows. 'I'm going to shadow travel back, so—'

'Can you take me along?' Thalia asked.

Nico had kind of imagined Thalia would leave the same way she'd come, probably going back to New York or wherever the Hunters were right now. He didn't really know what the rules were with them. He always avoided anything to do with the whole group as much as possible.

But Thalia was Percy's friend, too.

'Hold the jar,' he told her. 'Make sure that lid's really tight.'

He took her arm and they slipped into darkness.

OoOoO

Nico stumbled when he landed himself and Thalia back in the infirmary of Camp Jupiter. The stamnos landed on the ground with a loud thud, but fortunately Thalia's grip on the lid was firm. The liquid Lethe stayed safely inside.

'Huh—what—I'm awake, sir!' Clovis, who must have been snoozing again, leapt out of his chair and smacked his head against the elbow of a tall, broad-shouldered Chinese dude.

In the time Nico had been gone, two more demigods had joined the worried circle around Percy, making the infirmary seem a lot more crowded. Or maybe it was just that one of them was Frank Zhang, the bulky Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, who was big enough for two people.

The other was Nico's sister Hazel, who must have sorted out the shape-shifting demon horse that Annabeth had handed off to them. She and Frank were holding hands—hers was so tiny, it disappeared completely in his grasp.

Thalia went straight to Annabeth and hugged her tightly. Annabeth returned the hug in a distracted sort of way. She had been sitting by Percy's bedside with a book open in her lap, gently stroking his hair. There were tear streaks on her cheeks that she hadn't bothered to wipe off. Nico wasn't sure she was even aware of them.

Will caught Nico's eye and mouthed, Gatorade.

I'm fine, Nico mouthed back, although his legs felt a little shaky after his second shadow travel.

Will gave him a stern look and jerked his head towards a side table where he'd already laid out the sports drink.

Nico rolled his eyes, but a secret part of him sort of enjoyed Will's fussing. Not that he'd ever admit it.

At least his boyfriend wasn't being obtrusive about it. Nico drank the Gatorade and felt the energy trickle back into his limbs.

'How does this go, then?' Hazel asked. She eyed the stamnos warily, as if it were another demon horse that might change shape and start spewing its contents at them. 'He has to drink it?'

Thalia looked at Annabeth sadly. 'The healing power comes from drinking. But the memory loss is irreversible.'

'Actually,' Will gestured at the book on Annabeth's lap, 'we were doing some research while you guys were gone.'

Annabeth held up the book and nodded. 'I asked Reyna and she found me this from the Senate library. Turns out the Lethe has been used in potions before: the nepenthe.'

'The drug of forgetfulness,' Will translated. 'Helen of Troy gave it to Odysseus's son to ease his suffering. We just need to add a drop of Lethe to a cup of nectar.'

Hazel looked at them dubiously. 'How is that different? It's still the Lethe. Does diluting it even help?'

'And will it be strong enough?' Frank added. 'I mean, that's a pretty big nectar to Lethe ratio. How much Lethe does he actually have to ingest? There's probably a limit to how much nectar he can take, right?'

'I don't know,' said Annabeth. 'But the records mention that the drinkers had temporary memory loss after drinking. We thought…well, we hoped it would at least give him a chance.'

'A chance is better than nothing,' Thalia said firmly.

Will nodded. 'I think our best shot is to start with the base recipe and monitor him. I can slowly up the concentration of Lethe if it doesn't seem to be working.'

'Can he even drink? Or do you have to, like, IV-it into him?' Frank asked.

They all looked at Percy's comatose form. Will frowned and scratched his head.

'IV is probably the way to go,' he admitted. 'Do you guys have anything for that set up?'

Frank got to his feet. 'The university will have something. I'll go.'

'Hurry back,' Will warned. 'I feel…well, I don't think he has much time.' He gave Nico a significant look.

Nico knew what he meant. He'd always been able to sense when death was imminent, and he could feel that aura thickening around Percy, a cloying layer of smog that was almost tangible. Soon it would start to vibrate with the buzz that alerted the god of death that there was a soul to be collected. Nico didn't think Will had the same ability, but he was probably getting a corresponding message through his healer senses.

Hazel put her hand on Frank's arm. 'Let me go, then,' she said. 'I'll be faster.'

Nico raised an eyebrow when he realised what she was intending to do. 'Are you sure? I could—'

Will shot him a look that said don't even think about it.

'I've practised a couple of times,' Hazel said. 'Besides, it's just across the Field of Mars.'

She took a deep breath and slipped into the shadow of the infirmary door. Watching his sister disappear was disconcerting. Did Nico look like that too when he shadow-travelled—just melting into nothingness? No wonder Will always worried about him.

Annabeth made a strangled noise like a half-stifled sob and took Percy's hand in hers. Thalia patted her on the back.

'It'll be okay,' she said. 'We'll get him back and then you can kill him.'

Annabeth's sob turned into a slightly hysterical laugh. She squared her shoulders and looked at the stamnos. 'We should—we should brew the nepenthe.'

Will was already on it, pulling nectar from the cupboards and carefully measuring out a cup. He brought out a plastic dropper and hesitated. 'We'll need to add a drop of Lethe for now, but someone's going to have to add more at intervals.'

Annabeth uncovered the stamnos. Although her face was resolute, her expression carefully controlled, her hands were shaking so badly Nico thought for sure she would just end up spilling liquid Lethe all over herself.

Clovis, who had surprisingly not dozed off again, grabbed her wrist.

'I'll do it. I'm more familiar with the stuff than all of you. Plus…well, I spend most of my time in dreamland, anyway.' He shrugged. 'There's not much for me to forget.'

Clovis dipped the dropper into the stamnos and came up with it full of milky Lethe. With a steady hand, he added precisely one drop to the cup of nectar. The golden liquid barely changed shade. Nico thought it looked a little paler, but only just.

Hazel sprung out of the shadow of the stamnos right between Will and Clovis. The latter jumped and nearly knocked the whole jug over.

'Geez, just startle us into spilling mind-wiping water everywhere, why don't you?' Thalia sniped.

'Sorry!' Hazel gasped. She held out a rectangular kit to Will, who took it and began assembling the IV bag and needles inside. Hazel lurched away unsteadily. Frank caught her around the waist.

'You okay?'

'Sure. Piece of cake,' Hazel said breathlessly.

Nico held out the Gatorade. She gave him a rueful smile.

'You did fine,' Nico reassured her.

'Clovis,' Will said, 'I'm going to hook Percy up now. I'll need you to add a drop when I say so.'

'Gotcha.' Clovis squared his shoulders and held the dropper like it was a gun he was preparing to shoot.

They all held their breaths as Will inserted the needle into Percy's arm. The pale gold nepenthe ran through the tubes, travelling up his veins.

Nothing seemed to happen.

'Add a drop,' Will said.

Bit by bit, Clovis added Lethe to the potion, which turned gradually milkier. The room was so silent, Nico could practically hear the flow of nepenthe into Percy's veins. He wasn't sure what the Lethe-to-nectar ratio was at this point. Half the cup was already gone.

And then he sensed it.

There was no visible change. Percy's face remained peaceful and blank. His body was still. But Nico felt the sense of imminent death back off a bit.

'It's working,' he said.

The room seemed to let out a collective breath.

'Should we keep this dose, then?' Will asked.

Nico shook his head, though he couldn't say how he knew this. 'Keep going,' he told Clovis.

Clovis refilled the dropper and continued to add Lethe to the nepenthe.

Will put his hands out in front of him, palms towards Percy. 'That's amazing,' he murmured. 'I've never seen anything like it.'

With only a quarter cup left to go, the physical changes began to be visible. Percy's pallor faded. His face twitched. The corners of his mouth quirked upwards and then his lips parted and he drew in a deep, shaky breath like he was cleansing his lungs.

Nico grinned. This was really working.

Then it started to go wrong. The colour in Percy's cheeks, which had come back with the nepenthe treatment, began to fade again. And it wasn't just his face. His entire form seemed to be fading, as though something was leeching his essence away.

'Stop!' Will told Clovis, who withdrew the dropper so quickly, it slipped from his fingers and fell into the stamnos.

It was too late, though. Percy's body became translucent and insubstantial, just like a ghost.

Nico shuddered. A memory flitted into his mind, of another demigod whose physical body had turned to smoke. Whose body Nico had converted into smoke.

But this wasn't quite like Bryce Lawrence, the treacherous Roman demigod whom Nico had ghostified during the Giant War. Bryce had gone black and smoky and sunk straight into the earth. Percy was dissolving into air itself. It was clearly a different thing. Yet Nico felt certain he'd seen it happen before.

The controlled stoicism on Annabeth's face melted into horror. She lunged forward to grab Percy, but her fingers swiped straight through him as his body evaporated completely.

Annabeth spun round to face Nico. 'Where did he go?' she shrieked. 'What happened to him?'

Nico rubbed his forehead guiltily. He'd told Clovis to keep going. But he still felt certain it was the right call. The veil of death wouldn't have lifted otherwise. This was something else, something they hadn't foreseen…

'I don't know…' He knit his eyebrows, trying to send his senses underground, but it was just as he'd ascertained before. Death no longer hovered over Percy. He wasn't in the Underworld.

Then he thought of the souls he had seen on the banks of the Lethe, disappearing after they drank. Ghosts, dissolving into their newborn lives. He thought of Bianca, how he'd lost any ability to track her once she'd chosen that path.

Oh, Hades.

'What?' Annabeth said, seeing the realisation dawning on his face. 'You do know.'

'I think…' Nico gulped. He had to force himself to meet her desperate, stormy eyes. 'I think Percy's been reborn.'

The nepenthe is referenced in the Odyssey as a potion that is supposed to quell all sorrows with forgetfulness. But the actual recipe is my own interpretation, of course!

Also posted on Ao3.

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