#giant jake mason

[pain-is-too-tired]

Little Glow

Forgot to post this ^^'

Lil guy don't know how to handle the attention hdgdf.

I might do smol Jake at some point next ○♡○

If this ship has 0 supporters I'm ded hdgdg

[thestarstoasun]

Coming up with shortened ship names is so fun, yet a little challenging. I'm putting together a giant fanfic archive in case ao3 ever goes down with both epubs (for those like myself with disabilities) and pdfs and Valgrace is the easiest one to condense down. The current list is just the LGBTQ+ ships, so feel free to leave any ships you'd to see added here. I don't mind adding to it! VG (Valgrace) SOL (Solangelo) THNA (Theyna) SUNFOR (Sunforge / Michael Yew/Jake Mason) SHLPR (Shelper) RUGRD (Ruegard) PABTH (Pipabeth) JRCY (Jercy)

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 18: CHIRON THROWS A PARTY

Alex started shouting reading in delight, and only continued in that way, "and we all know Chiron's family throws the best parties!"

Annabeth was a third worried about Oceanus, a third worried about Percy, and a third worried about her eardrums as she gently tapered, "but Chiron's throwing the party. Perhaps he has something planned more mellow, with hot chocolate and Dean Martin."

"Odd time for a party if so," Magnus offered in peace.

Thalia was mildly impressed Alex couldn't get a hint off Annabeth about even rainbow afros in the near future. She really had her shit together.

Alex frowned at Annabeth killing her vibe but nodded and continued reading a touch more in the normal hearing range.

Midtown was a war zone. We flew over little skirmishes everywhere. A giant was ripping up trees in Bryant Park while dryads pelted him with nuts. Outside the Waldorf Astoria, a bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin was whacking a hellhound with a rolled-up newspaper. A trio of Hephaestus campers fought a squad of dracaenae in the middle of Rockefeller Center.

Those who had never been to New York just heard landmarks and monsters being smashed together like wrong puzzle pieces. They understood the gravity of what they were hearing, simply because of the look on Percy's face. As if every new crack he'd traveled over was a new vindication he sought.

I was tempted to stop and help, but I could tell from the smoke and noise that the real action had moved farther south. Our defenses were collapsing. The enemy was closing in on the Empire State Building.

The sense of gravitas in Alex's voice always did sound like she should have all attention around the campfire. Even those who were in the know had a way of listening in and left breathless at what was going to happen.

We did a quick sweep of the surrounding area. The Hunters had set up a defensive line on 37th, just three blocks north of Olympus. To the east on Park Avenue, Jake Mason and some other Hephaestus campers were leading an army of statues against the enemy. To the west, the Demeter cabin and Grover's nature spirits had turned Sixth Avenue into a jungle that was hampering a squadron of Kronos's demigods. The south was clear for now, but the flanks of the enemy army were swinging around. A few more minutes and we'd be totally surrounded.

"We have to land where they need us most," I muttered.

That's everywhere, boss.

"We've only just started this one and the horse already gets the gold star," Jason looked pretty proud of Blackjack earning that.

Percy nodded seriously. "Right, so, our options include splitting the island in half and hoping Kronos takes the part that doesn't have the Empire State Building-"

"Pass," Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Or shutting the hell up, Jason, to see what we do about it," Percy concluded.

"I'm sort of leaning towards the first option though," Thalia said honestly, "like honestly, I'd just kind of like to see you try."

"You're all hopeless," Nico said in true bafflement how they'd survived this night.

"We're all heroes," Percy reminded with pride, "hopeful, hero, hhhh-" he stammered on another H word.

"Hobgoblins," Alex offered.

"Humanitarians," Magnus grinned.

"Honorable, hopeful, heroes," Jason offered, immediately getting back on Percy's good side as he gestured to him with a nod of thanks.

Alex huffed and called them all a bunch of hobgoblins before she continued.

I spotted a familiar silver owl banner in the southeast corner of the fight, 33rd at the Park Avenue tunnel. Annabeth and two of her siblings were holding back a Hyperborean giant.

"There!" I told Blackjack. He plunged toward the battle.

"No offense to Annabeth in the slightest," Will couldn't help but say through only slightly gritted teeth, "but that's really who you thought needed the most help?"

"No," Percy dismissed at once her injured shoulder had any play in this thought...even if he wouldn't deny it either. "I came to ask her like I would Chiron on top of that hill where forces needed me most."

I leaped off his back and landed on the giant's head. When the giant looked up, I slid off his face, shield-bashing his nose on the way down.

"RAWWWR!' The giant staggered backward, blue blood trickling from his nostrils.

"Does it taste like an Icee?" Alex grinned.

"I didn't lick it!" Percy yelped in disgust.

"Your loss," she shrugged.

I hit the pavement running. The Hyperborean breathed a cloud of white mist, and the temperature dropped. The spot where I'd landed was now coated with ice, and I was covered in frost like a sugar donut.

Alex laughed in delight that further sweets just reinforced her idea of these guys showing up in the next imagining she had of visiting Canada in a complete Willy Wonka mayhem.

"Hey, ugly!" Annabeth yelled. I hoped she was talking to the giant, not me.

"Both?" Magnus smirked.

"No Magnus," Annabeth chuckled, "I meant the giant."

"I don't know, the two looked pretty similar right then, that's not a great defense," Thalia smirked.

"You weren't there, shut it zappy," Percy huffed.

"I don't need to be there to know how you look covered in donut powder, I've witnessed that mess," she chuckled.

Blue Boy bellowed and turned toward her, exposing the unprotected back of his legs. I charged and stabbed him behind the knee.

"Just as planned," Annabeth told Will.

"You planned on Percy descending from above to stab that thing while you distracted him?" He asked in disbelief.

"He's very handy that way," Annabeth shrugged. "I wouldn't have even been surprised to see him tame that pig."

Will couldn't even be mad if they were joking. The two did work best together.

"WAAAAH!" The Hyperborean buckled. I waited for him to turn, but he froze. I mean he literally turned to solid ice. From the point where I'd stabbed him, cracks appeared in his body. They got larger and wider until the giant crumbled in a mountain of blue shards.*

"Why was that somehow more disturbing than turning to dust?" Magnus asked.

"More visually destructive," Alex said with relish.

"They won't turn to dust and vanish as fast," Nico agreed.

Magnus's frown grew as he realized they were right and decided to set aside for now why that did deeply bother him about all these monsters.

"Thanks." Annabeth winced, trying to catch her breath. "The pig?"

"Pork chops," I said.

"Good." She flexed her shoulder. Obviously, the wound was still bothering her, but she saw my expression and rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Percy. Come on! We've got plenty of enemies left."

She was right.

"Mmmmm," Annabeth closed her eyes and savored that.

"About the enemies, you only get to enjoy that half as much for not being fine in the shoulder," Percy huffed.

"Mm," Annabeth mocked, trying to sound just as savoring with a serious face.

The result caused them all to snicker like idiots.

The next hour was a blur. I fought like I'd never fought before—wading into legions of dracaenae, taking out dozens of telkhines with every strike, destroying empousai and knocking out enemy demigods. No matter how many I defeated, more took their place.

Percy had been fighting for his life since page one of this mess.

This felt like more. Heavier. Nine times out of ten Percy was outside of Camp facing down these threats, but this time Camp had come to defend his home, and it didn't feel like there was an end goal in sight this time of running them all out. Even if they won this day. More would always take their place.

Annabeth and I raced from block to block, trying to shore up our defenses. Too many of our friends lay wounded in the streets. Too many were missing.

Will fidgeted with the beads of his camp necklace. He officially had more than Micheal at the end of last summer. The assortment of colors always stood out on his neck when he looked in the mirror, like flashes of eyes he'd never see again.

As the night wore on and the moon got higher, we were backed up foot by foot until we were only a block from the Empire State Building in any direction. At one point Grover was next to me, bonking snake women over the head with his cudgel. Then he disappeared in the crowd, and it was Thalia at my side, driving the monsters back with the power of her magic shield. Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere, picked up a Laistrygonian giant in her mouth, and flung him into the air like a Frisbee.

Annabeth used her invisibility cap to sneak behind the enemy lines. Whenever a monster disintegrated for no apparent reason with a surprised look on his face, I knew Annabeth had been there.

But it still wasn't enough.

Jason felt as if he were being held captive by his own mind. The sounds and smells flashing by to fast to get a real grasp on, the emotions that kept peaking and rolling back out of him while he sat in a green bean bag at the bottom of the ocean. He knew every flick of the wrist Percy had made, but everything felt a step off from truly connecting he felt a little madness creeping in what the heck his old life really was until he forced himself to focus on Alex reading with her whole self, Percy's manic grin, Thalia lounged out in her seat still fiddling with her bracelet. This was real, at least. These weren't moments a god could take away from him again. He wouldn't let it happen.

"Hold your lines!" Katie Gardner shouted, somewhere off to my left.

The problem was there were too few of us to hold anything. The entrance to Olympus was twenty feet behind me. A ring of brave demigods, Hunters, and nature spirits guarded the doors.

Alex's voice shook rarely, but it did now as she realized this was Rachel's drawing, again. Just popping up in Percy's near future. And she was on her way there...somehow. She kept it together well and barreled through the moment, still reading with a thrill in her voice for the idea of being in that action, but Magnus saw it.

I slashed and hacked, destroying everything m my path, but even I was getting tired, and I couldn't be everywhere at once.

Behind the enemy troops, a few blocks to the east, a bright light began to shine. I thought it was the sunrise. Then I realized Kronos was riding toward us on a golden chariot. A dozen Laistrygonian giants bore torches before him. Two Hyperboreans carried his black-and-purple banners. The Titan lord looked fresh and rested, his powers at full strength. He was taking his time advancing, letting me wear myself down.

Alex felt the internal urge to puff up and hiss. To transform into a chimera and use all three heads to deal with this. To throw a slushie with some human teeth in all their faces. This entrapment down here really was starting to affect even her creativity when that's all that came to mind before she just audibly grumbled for a moment before moving on.

Annabeth appeared next to me. "We have to fall back to the doorway. Hold it at all costs!"

She was right. I was about to order a retreat when I heard the hunting horn.

It cut through the noise of the battle like a fire alarm. A chorus of horns answered from all around us, echoing off the buildings of Manhattan.

I glanced at Thalia, but she just frowned.

"Not the Hunters," she assured me. "We're all here."

Alex threw Annabeth a look of fond excitement. She'd known all along the party ponies were coming but had tried to tamper her expectations they weren't going to until the end of the chapter and perhaps only a handful of them would be there with more paintballs.

This, sounded like fun.

"No international league heading in?" Jason asked her, knowing the real answer, still imagining girls in kilts and bows showing up for his own amusement.

"Not unless I was finally unbanned from Saskatchewan," Thalia shrugged. "Long story," she promised at the many confused faces.

"Then who?"

The horns got louder. I couldn't tell where they were coming from because of the echo, but it sounded like an entire army was approaching.

Alex grinned. She read giddy, with such mayhem and delight it would have been infectious to Ethan or possibly even Kronos himself to get hyped about his own demise coming. Annabeth, at least, got a moment to smile and imagine Luke with that old challenging smile on his face to hear of an enemy being thwarted.

I was afraid it might be more enemies, but Kronos's forces looked as confused as we were. Giants lowered their clubs. Dracaenae hissed. Even Kronos's honor guard looked uneasy.

Then, to our left, a hundred monsters cried out at once. Kronos's entire northern flank surged forward.

I thought we were doomed, but they didn't attack. They ran straight past us and crashed into their southern allies.

Percy was already blinking like he was trying to get the dust out of his eyes. The monsters had already started to blur together by that time. The slightly different shades of their skin and the little details they each had in their armor had faded to nothing in his mind but where next to swing his sword. Seeing them run right past him, flee and then explode on their allies' own weapons, coating the streets in glittering sand that was dispersed moments later as more took their place amid those horns really messed with him and put in perspective while an entire army just watched in terror really had made him feel small for just that moment.

A new blast of horns shattered the night. The air shimmered. In a blur of movement, an entire cavalry appeared as if dropping out of light speed.

"Yeah, baby!" a voice wailed. "PARTY!"

A shower of arrows arced over our heads and slammed into the enemy, vaporizing hundreds of demons. But these weren't regular arrows. They made whizzy sounds as they flew, like WHEEEEEE! Some had pinwheels attached to them. Others had boxing gloves rather than points.

"Centaurs!" Annabeth yelled.

"So, I think the Party Ponies have arrived," Will said conversationally.

"And they're going to smash everything in their sight charged on the power of awesome!" Alex yelled like a child high on soda and cursed knowledge. They were already resigned to pissing off the ocean titan and letting her have her fun.

The Party Pony army exploded into our midst in a riot of colors: tie-dyed shirts, rainbow Afro wigs, oversize sunglasses, and war-painted faces. Some had slogans scrawled across their flanks like HORSEZ PWN or KRONOS SUX.

"That's going to be my license plate one day," Alex declared, reading each new thing as if a treasure trove of a lifetime. Maybe Loki Sux instead.

Hundreds of them filled the entire block. My brain couldn't process everything I saw, but I knew if I were the enemy, I'd be running.

"I'm so disappointed in your brain," Jason groaned. He wanted every messy detail of this just as bad.

"I am too," Percy nodded. He knew his friends loved this kind of stuff and really was sorry he couldn't give them better visuals. Stupid brain.

"Percy!" Chiron shouted across the sea of wild centaurs.

"Chiron and Percy, parting the sea of wild centaurs and creatures to get to each other," Thalia gave a mock sniff. "It's such an amazing story of mentor and mentee-"

"I'm going to turn you into a manatee," Percy scowled.

He was dressed in armor from the waist up, his bow in his hand, and he was grinning in satisfaction.

"I half imagined him showing up to this in his tweed jacket," Nico admitted.

"He's worn that once guys, while pretending to be a real teacher at my school," Percy chuckled.

"What do you mean a real teacher?" Annabeth looked at him in disappointment. "He's literally the trainer of all hero's seaweed brain."

"Like, grading papers, and Paul- no, but- boring, no," Percy groaned that wasn't right either and waved at Alex to just get back to the fun stuff.

"Sorry we're late!"

"DUDE!" Another centaur yelled. "Talk later. WASTE MONSTERS NOW!"

"That centaur knows how to live," Alex nodded in agreement.

"We haven't slayed one monster in here," Percy agreed in mild disappointment. "Guys, do we talk to much?!"

"Yes," they all agreed, not that it was going to stop a single one of them.

He locked and loaded a double-barrel paint gun and blasted an enemy hellhound bright pink. The paint must've been mixed with Celestial bronze dust or something, because as soon as it splattered the hellhound, the monster yelped and dissolved into a pink-and-black puddle.

Alex's laugh was subdued at best, even for that badass moment though. She couldn't recklessly laugh at that harm done anymore without picturing Mrs. O'Leary crossing her paws over her nose in Percy's apartment. Even Magnus couldn't have a vindictive laugh over this happening to a monster dog with that look on her face.

"PARTY PONIES.'" a centaur yelled. "SOUTH FLORIDA!"

"As opposed to North Florida?" Jason asked blankly.

"Bet the Flordia Georgia line is an epic meet-up spot?" Percy shrugged.

Somewhere across the battlefield, a twangy voice yelled back, "HEART OF TEXAS CHAPTER!"

Will pressed his hand to his heart and started humming something. Nico just thought what a lovable dork he was no matter the song.

"HAWAII OWNS YOUR FACES!" a third one shouted.

It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

Annabeth tried hard to hitch up a mock sob, but it came out to much as a laugh to be anything more than adorable to Percy.

The entire Titan army turned and fled, pushed back by a flood of paintballs, arrows, swords, and NERF baseball bats. The centaurs trampled everything in their path.

"Run, wild horses, run!" Will said with a static kind of energy that got the others just as hyped as Alex could. He'd been running around trying to ensure the sick and injured had gotten inside first, he'd been snatching up supplies so fast the Stolls would have been proud, he'd been having to deal with his own chaos and really hadn't even been aware these guys showed up until one tapped him on the shoulder and offered help. He was pretty sure it was one from Colorado and had still instantly said yes without question.

"Stop running, you fools!" Kronos yelled. "Stand and ACKK!"

Alex really drew that noise out too, making it sound wet and painful, leaving no one in doubt Kronos had not managed to finish saying the word attack.

That last part was because a panicked Hyperborean giant stumbled backward and sat on top of him.

The lord of time disappeared under a giant blue butt.

Through an effort Hercules would never bother with, Percy refused to let himself laugh at that like most everyone else did as Annabeth bit her lip. He was pretty sure that should earn him a free pass for laughing at something inappropriate in the future. Jason might even laminate it for him.

We pushed them for several blocks until Chiron yelled, "HOLD! On your promise, HOLD!"

It wasn't easy, but eventually the order got relayed up and down the ranks of centaurs, and they started to pull back, letting the enemy flee.

Thalia's face was flushed with joy, still panting just a bit from her laughter at Luke's stupid face vanishing under an icy ass like he wholly deserved, the ghost of adrenaline she hadn't properly felt in days still pumping through her. Once this high had worn off she'd been so exhausted she'd nearly fallen asleep climbing some stairs!

"Chiron's smart," Annabeth said, wiping the sweat off her face. "If we pursue, we'll get too spread out. We need to regroup."

"I mean, yeah, but," Alex gestured to the book and the chaos being taken away.

"I'll personally sign you up for the next scavenger hunt at Camp, nothing gets more chaotic than that," Annabeth promised.

"Deal," Alex shrugged without further ado.

"But the enemy—"

"They're not defeated," she agreed. "But the dawn is coming. At least we've bought some time."

I didn't like pulling back, but I knew she was right.

"How to sum up them dating," Will and Nico said at once before they both busted out laughing. Annabeth and Percy exchanged unamused looks at this somehow continuing long past the point it was funny, but as constantly proven, they knew when to pick their battles.

I watched as the last of the telkhines scuttled toward the East River. Then reluctantly I turned and headed back toward the Empire State Building.

We set up a two-block perimeter, with a command tent at the Empire State Building. Chiron informed us that the Party Ponies had sent chapters from almost every state in the Union: forty from California, two from Rhode Island,

"Rhode Island slacking," Alex sniffed. "It's right next door!"

"They're, congressional appointments, of centaurs," Magnus said in fascination. "Like, they sent some by population? Is there a centaur president?"

"Ah, no," Annabeth shook her head with a smile. "Don't overthink it cuz."

"Right," he chuckled, imagining that would be Chiron anyways and he already knew what a hectic leader that guy was.

thirty from Illinois . . . Roughly five hundred total had answered his call, but even with that many, we couldn't defend more than a few blocks.

"Just topple over one unoccupied building, that's all I'm asking for," Alex crossed her fingers hopefully. "Brick launcher grenade gun!"

"They could too," Jason said with mingled dread and delight for that idea.

"Dude," said a centaur named Larry. His T-shirt identified him as BIG CHIEF UBER GUY, NEW MEXICO CHAPTER.

"Are all the Hells Angels just secretly centaurs? Is there a centaur gang?" Percy asked.

"The only turf war they'd have is best licorice supply runs, I think we're safe from that," Annabeth shrugged.

"That was more fun than our last convention in Vegas!"

"Yeah," said Owen from South Dakota. He wore a black leather jacket and an old WWII army helmet. "We totally wasted them!"

Chiron patted Owen on the back. "You did well, my friends, but don't get careless. Kronos should never be underestimated. Now why don't you visit the diner on West 33rd and get some breakfast? I hear the Delaware chapter found a stash of root beer."

"Root beer!" They almost trampled each other as they galloped off.

"I got it," Thalia snapped her fingers, "they argue over which brand is better and that's why they all have to live separately!"

"How many brands of root beer are there?" Percy asked blankly.

"3,192," Alex said without hesitation.

There was a long pause before nobody decided to ask how serious that answer was.

Chiron smiled. Annabeth gave him a big hug, and Mrs. O'Leary licked his face.

"Ack," he grumbled. "Enough of that, dog. Yes, I'm glad to see you too."

"Chiron, thanks," I said. "Talk about saving the day."

He shrugged.

Nico smacked the side of his head. "I finally figured out where you got it from!"

"Yeah Nico, after the second time you've saved the world, it is kind of not a big deal," Percy shrugged.

Nico wouldn't know. He'd only kind of helped once.

"I'm sorry it took so long. Centaurs travel fast, as you know. We can bend distance as we ride. Even so, getting all the centaurs together was no easy task. The Party Ponies are not exactly organized."

"Noooo, say it ain't so!" Magnus chuckled.

"I mean, they're about as organized as Percy's camp, aka being held together by an awesome speech and the thrill of surprise attacks," Alex nodded. "I think it works."

Percy kind of wanted to be offended, but like, she wasn't wrong.

Percy kind of wanted to be offended, but like, she wasn't wrong.

"And a sense of family, loyalty, duty?" Annabeth prompted with a frown.

"Don't forget the duct tape," Thalia chuckled as Will hid his wince. Maybe Annabeth wouldn't admit they'd been fighting family amidst those monsters, but he didn't forget.

"How'd you get through the magic defenses around the city?" Annabeth asked.

"They slowed us down a bit," Chiron admitted, "but I think they're intended mostly to keep mortals out. Kronos doesn't want puny humans getting in the way of his great victory."

"So maybe other reinforcements can get through," I said hopefully.

"What other reinforcements are there?" Jason asked critically. He didn't mean to sound so sharp, but he did all the same. There was an electric storm still simmering in his brain that felt like it was zapping every part of him from the inside if he tried to concentrate on any blurry idea to long and it was giving him a serious headache.

Chiron stroked his beard. "Perhaps, though time is short. As soon as Kronos regroups, he will attack again. Without the element of surprise on our side . . ."

I understood what he meant. Kronos wasn't beaten. Not by a long shot. I half hoped Kronos had been squashed under that Hyperborean giant's butt, but I knew better. He'd be back, tonight at the latest.

"Well there goes my master plan," Alex sighed. "All those years of practice training that guy to squash things with his ass, wasted."

"Have no fears Alex, you'll move onto your next passion project soon," Magnus said with complete confidence.

"Yeah," she agreed with a longing sigh all the same.

"And Typhon?" I asked.

Chiron's face darkened. "The gods are tiring. Dionysus was incapacitated yesterday. Typhon smashed his chariot, and the wine god went down somewhere in the Appalachians.

Nico spluttered on a painful sounding laugh. "Even Chiron calls him the wine dude?"

"The wine god," Will corrected in a posh voice. "And I'm sure Mr. D's threatened to turn him into a table a few times for it."

No one has seen him since. Hephaestus is out of action as well. He was thrown from the battle so hard he created a new lake in West Virginia.

"I really hope some mortal thinks that's an asteroid bringing the dinosaurs back," Percy laughed.

"Percy, no," but Annabeth stopped with a sigh and let him have his fun.

He will heal, but not soon enough to help. The others still fight. They've managed to slow Typhon's approach. But the monster can not be stopped. He will arrive in New York by this time tomorrow. Once he and Kronos combine forces—"

That's all they'd been hearing of this problem from the start, and it somehow just got worse every time they heard it. Even if, beyond all hope, Percy had somehow stopped Kronos with one stupid decision, how the heck had that been stopped?!

"Then what chance do we have?" I said. "We can't hold out another day."

"We'll have to," Thalia said. "I'll see about setting some new traps around the perimeter."

She looked exhausted. Her jacket was smeared in grime and monster dust, but she managed to get to her feet and stagger off.

Annabeth had watched her go with such a tight pain in her throat she wondered if she'd accidentally swallowed some monster dust. Thalia hadn't even glanced back at her. She'd gone off to do her next task with the stoic, stiff shoulders of Luke watching them fall asleep and promising to get more firewood.

"I will help her," Chiron decided. "I should make sure my brethren don't go too overboard with the root beer."

"No such thing as too much fun," Alex huffed.

"I'd believe you'd find it even before the Party Ponies," Annabeth agreed.

I thought "too overboard" pretty much summed up the Party Ponies, but Chiron cantered off, leaving Annabeth and me alone.

"That was strategic," Annabeth huffed how unsubtle he was. She owed him a good nerf arrow.

"I know right, he just got there and he's already running off again," Percy huffed with a frown what on earth he meant by it. He would have thought Chiron would want to stay and chat for more of an update.

She cleaned the monster slime off her knife. I'd seen her do that hundreds of times, but I'd never thought about why she cared so much about the blade.

"Not really something I ever would have questioned," Alex shrugged. "I notice you never clean your blade Percy. Just because it's magic doesn't mean it might not like a good polish every once in a while."

Percy rubbed awkwardly at his nose and had nothing to say to that.

Jason suddenly felt the strong smell of polish in his nose and had an odd deja vu moment of being in an armory doing just this and smiled. He turned eagerly to Nico and asked, "how do you polish your sword?"

Nico grinned and started talking about more deadly rivers that could probably do worse to you than wipe your memory or kill you, like put gravel in your shoes or something worse, but Percy was distracted from listening by still watching Annabeth until someone shut the pair up.

She'd spent the entire time fiddling nervously with her hair, a long lost look in her eyes. He finally let the impulse win and traced the side of her neck with a question in his eyes. What the hell had she been through while he'd been away?

Annabeth caught his fingers and smiled but shook her head. Not now. That was okay. He'd wait as long as she needed.

"At least your mom is okay," I offered.

"If you call fighting Typhon okay." She locked eyes with me. "Percy, even with the centaurs' help, I'm starting to think—"

"I know." I had a bad feeling this might be our last chance to talk, and I felt like there were a million things I hadn't told her.

Athena, her stoic, absent mother, was far from her highest concern, Annabeth shook her head. Though of course her brain had been able to process plenty of concern all around. Chiron darting in and out and around everyone while sparing her a smile first had been that way since she'd arrived. Her dad was on the other side of the country, safe away from the monsters, from her.

It had been Percy she'd wanted, and him who had stayed right there.

"Listen, there were some . . . some visions Hestia showed me."

"You mean about Luke?"

Maybe it was just a safe guess, but I got the feeling Annabeth knew what I'd been holding back.

"I always just assume Annabeth can read your mind and has just been politely not informing you," Magnus nodded.

"That's not polite," Percy frowned.

"Um, or possible," Annabeth gave them a strange look.

"Right, that too," Percy waved off.

Maybe she'd been having dreams of her own.

"She's been having dreams about your dreams?" Will asked excitedly. "Dreamception?"

"This is somebody's nightmare around here," Nico rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," I said. "You and Thalia and Luke. The first time you met. And the time you met Hermes."

Annabeth slipped her knife back into its sheath. "Luke promised he'd never let me get hurt. He said ... he said we'd be a new family, and it would turn out better than his."

"Which, isn't going well," Magnus said in the kindest, most respectful voice anyone could make that sound.

"Right on the money," Annabeth nodded slowly as she leaned back into Percy's side, fingers still linked together. She really didn't know what she'd do without him in all this.

Her eyes reminded me of that seven-year-old girl's in the alley—angry, scared, desperate for a friend.

Thalia bit back a miserable sigh at how much she'd failed her too. Never on purpose, but enough that she wasn't in this moment and felt every hammer swing she deserved for it in the heart.

Annabeth sighed and gave her a good hard nudge with her foot. She wasn't going to let Thalia keep blaming herself for all that happened since then. There was enough to go around.

"That I can't face Luke," she said miserably.

"Hey, look how well you know me though," Thalia said with a genuine smile.

"Yes, your faith in me is everything," Annabeth said with a sad, sarcastic smile.

Thalia tipped her head and looked back at the book with the unsettling feeling this was about to get worse.

I nodded. "But there's something else you should know. Ethan Nakamura seemed to think Luke was still alive inside his body, maybe even fighting Kronos for control."

Annabeth tried to hide it, but I could almost see her mind working on the possibilities, maybe starting to hope.

Thalia let out a puff of breath and looked into her miserable eyes. "I'm not happy to be right you know."

"Well that's always good to know," Annabeth nodded as the two watched each other for a few moments before looking away.

"I didn't want to tell you," I admitted.

"But you did," Annabeth said in relief, just for him. He kissed her temple and couldn't think of anything else to say, but it was more than enough for her.

She looked up at the Empire State Building. "Percy, for so much of my life, I felt like everything was changing, all the time. I didn't have anyone I could rely on."

I nodded. That was something most demigods could understand.

'Most, but not him,' Will shook his head. He'd wondered a lot during this if Percy really knew how good he had it, the best of both worlds in his parents, all three of them.

"I ran away when I was seven," she said. "Then with Luke and Thalia, I thought I'd found a family, but it fell apart almost immediately. What I'm saying . . . I hate it when people let me down, when things are temporary. I think that's why I want to be an architect."

"To build something permanent," I said. "A monument to last a thousand years."

She held my eyes. "I guess that sounds like my fatal flaw again."

Most everyone around Camp knew that that was 'her thing.' Her go to if someone had a project, her specialty. Someone who was even paying attention could probably even piece together that was her fatal flaw.

Percy was still the only one she ever talked about this with. The one who made her feel like she could tell him anything and he'd never judge her for it. He'd shared his mortal spot with her. How could she ever be afraid to share anything with him?

Years ago in the Sea of Monsters, Annabeth had told me her biggest flaw was pride—thinking she could fix anything. I'd even seen a glimpse of her deepest desire, shown to her by the Sirens' magic.

Annabeth had imagined her mother and father together, standing in front of a newly rebuilt Manhattan, designed by Annabeth. And Luke had been there too—good again, welcoming her home.

"I guess I understand how you feel," I said.

"Liar," Annabeth chuckled.

"Yeah," Percy agreed. He knew he'd never understand every part of her, but he did try.

"But Thalia's right. Luke has already betrayed you so many times. He was evil even before Kronos. I don't want him to hurt you anymore."

Annabeth pursed her lips. I could tell she was trying not to get mad.

"And that was going so well," Jason said in surprise. She hadn't even pulled her knife back out.

"Yeah, first time for everything," Percy agreed in surprise.

"And you'll understand if I keep hoping there's a chance you're wrong."

I looked away. I felt like I'd done my best, but that didn't make me feel any better.

Annabeth struggled to swallow as his hand held hers tight enough to never let go. Gods this somehow kept feeling worse the longer they were dragged over each letter.

Across the street, the Apollo campers had set up a field hospital to tend the wounded—dozens of campers and almost as many Hunters. I was watching the medics work, and thinking about our slim chances for holding Mount Olympus. . . .

And suddenly: I wasn't there anymore.

I was standing in a long dingy bar with black walls, neon signs, and a bunch of partying adults. A banner across the bar read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOBBY EARL. Country music played on the speakers.

"Friends in Low Places?" Magnus nodded without surprise. It was barely even a shock to his system Percy had just been yanked out of his own head to deal with another gods mess.

"Does any other country song exist?" Percy chuckled.

Will opened his mouth with a pained look at the pair before closing it slowly, knowing that rant would fall on deaf ears.

Big guys in jeans and work shirts crowded the bar. Waitresses carried trays of drinks and shouted at each other. It was pretty much exactly the kind of place my mom would never let me go.

"In public?" Thalia said in understanding.

"Places where alcohol and those outfits are in one room," Percy huffed. "Mostly the alcohol!"

"We need to get him drunk one of these days, just to see if it'll finally be the thing to piss of Sally," Thalia rolled her eyes.

Somebody was clearly in a terrible mood. "Pass," Percy said at once. The stench reminded him of Gabe without even bothering to indulge the other stupid part of that.

I was stuck in the very back of the room, next to the bathrooms (which didn't smell so great) and a couple of antique arcade games.

"Oh good, you're here," said the man at the Pac-Man machine. "I'll have a Diet Coke."

He was a pudgy guy in a leopard-skin Hawaiian shirt, purple shorts, red running shoes, and black socks, which didn't exactly make him blend in with the crowd. His nose was bright red. A bandage was wrapped around his curly black hair like he was recovering from a concussion.

"So he blended right in like a sore thumb," Nico said, blinking spastically at the setting.

"Accurate," Percy nodded.

I blinked. "Mr. D?"

He sighed, not taking his eyes from the game. "Really, Peter Johnson, how long will it take for you to recognize me on sight?"

"About the same time as when he gets his halo," Alex rolled her eyes.

"About as long as it'll take for you to figure out my name," I muttered.

"Oh, so much never!" Magnus laughed, clasping his hands together in mock praise.

"An infinite amount of never, that's the answer to some riddle out there," Percy laughed along.

"Where are we?"

"Why, Bobby Earl's birthday party," Dionysus said. "Somewhere in lovely rural America."

"It's not a very lost Lestragonian is it?" Nico asked, vividly remembering their names had a similar ring.

"Don't stereotype Nico, lots of normal people have names like Earl, and they're just your everyday pieces of crap," Will rolled his eyes hard. If they were going to make jokes about the South he might as well get his digs in with another classic country song coming to mind.

"I thought Typhon swatted you out of the sky. They said you crash-landed."

"Yes, but Chiron never said where," Jason agreed. "Why wouldn't he land in a bar? Makes sense to me. Bars have wine."

"They're not magnetically drawn to their domain when they crash land," Annabeth sighed.

"Yeah, but I bet you anything if Hepahsuts had drawn me in for a one-on-one, I'd find myself in a very tiny tool shed with him throwing saws around and complaining about their dullness matching mine," Percy sighed.

"Your concern is touching. I did crash-land. Very painfully. In fact, part of me is still buried under a hundred feet of rubble in an abandoned coal mine.

"Huh," Percy and Jason said together with interest they'd been wrong.

Annabeth just smiled and rolled her eyes at these idiots.

It will be several more hours before I have enough strength to mend. But in the meantime, part of my consciousness is here."

"At a bar, playing Pac-Man."

"You sound a tad jealous," Alex chuckled.

"Eh, I prefer Street Fighter eating my quarters," Percy shrugged. There was a retro arcade not far from one of his favorite movie places he didn't get to visit enough, but his high score was still in the top ten.

"Party time," Dionysus said. "Surely you've heard of it. Wherever there is a party, my presence is invoked.

Percy yelped and covered his ears at the idea of such a future pain in his ass. "I take it all back! Alex and anyone else is forbidden from ever throwing me a party!"

"Awww, come on Perce, I promise to keep him in the back with an arcade machine," Alex looked like a kicked puppy.

Percy's heart instantly crumbled. "Yeah, well, fine, but nobody had better involve singing."

"Deal," she instantly agreed. She winked at Will though when he looked away, who instantly grinned back.

Because of this, I can exist in many different places at once. The only problem was finding a party. I don't know if you're aware how serious things are outside your safe little bubble of New York—"

"Safe little bubble?"

"Come on Percy, you'd know this was a trap if he wasn't delusional on all that partying," Thalia shook her head at him.

"Yeah, yeah, one thing is normal in this crazy world," Percy huffed.

"—but believe me, the mortals out here in the heartland are panicking. Typhon has terrified them. Very few are throwing parties. Apparently Bobby Earl and his friends, bless them, are a little slow. They haven't yet figured out that the world is ending."

"Don't know what he's on about, sounds like the perfect time to throw a party," Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, that tracks," Jason nodded without surprise.

"So . . . I'm not really here?"

Magnus couldn't even be upset and surprised that Percy had legitimately thought he'd just been yanked off the street like that. Considering where he'd woken up without memories. It really wasn't that far-fetched.

"No. In a moment I'll send you back to your normal insignificant life, and it will be as if nothing had happened."

"Yes please," Percy sighed. He might even be grateful for a memory wipe!

...unless Dionysus had gone to far. That actually seemed likely.

"And why did you bring me here?"

Dionysus snorted. "Oh, I didn't want you particularly. Any of you silly heroes would do. That Annie girl—"

"Annabeth."

"The point is," he said, "I pulled you into party time to deliver a warning. We are in danger."

There was another long, awkward pause where even Alex looked disconcerted because she hadn't caused it this time.

"As opposed to?" Percy finally asked into the silence.

"Um, Norwegia? Do they have anything bad going on right now?" Nico finally answered.

"To hell if I know!" Percy threw his hands up, long overdone with these gods making no sense and expecting him to keep up.

"Gee," I said. "Never would've figured that out. Thanks."

"Can't say he never helped guide you," Will chuckled.

"Yes I can," Percy huffed.

"It would just be a lie?" Will tried in vain.

"No Will, I know full well when I'm lying," Percy smirked.

He glared at me and momentarily forgot his game. Pac-Man got eaten by the red ghost dude.

"Erre es korakas, Blinky!" Dionysus cursed. "I will have your soul!"

"Appropriate reaction to be honest," Jason nodded.

"Competitive streak, locked and loaded," Percy pointed at him accusingly.

"I, well maybe, I don't know," Jason frowned before he shrugged and decided against arguing the point. He had a strange feeling he'd once strangled someone with a controller, but he wasn't sure if it was a monster or not and that was kind of bothersome.

"Was nobody going to translate that awesome Greek cuss so I know what I'm saying when I use it?" Alex pouted.

"He said go to the crows too," Nico offered with the same helpful smile as the first time.

"Oh, I see, now I know where she got it from," Alex grinned at Annabeth, who didn't bother to look embarrassed as she shrugged.

"Um, he's a video game character," I said.

"That's no excuse! And you're ruining my game, Jorgenson!"

"Jackson."

"Whichever!

"No, no, Percy Jorgenson should very much be discussed more. What's his life like?" Magnus chuckled.

"Going to Giants games, living his best life I assume," Percy sighed.

Now listen, the situation is graver than you imagine. If Olympus falls, not only will the gods fade, but everything that is connected to our legacy will also begin to unravel. The very fabric of your puny little civilization—"

The game played a song and Mr. D progressed to level 254.

"Ha!" he shouted. "Take that, you pixelated fiends!"

"Um, fabric of civilization," I prompted.

"And Pac-Man is a part of that, gosh Percy, let the man prioritize his way," Jason grinned.

"I'll set Blinky on you, don't test me," Percy promised.

"Yes, yes. Your entire society will dissolve. Perhaps not right away, but mark my words, the chaos of the Titans will mean the end of Western civilization. Art, law, wine tastings, music, video games, silk shirts, black velvet paintings—all the things that make life worth living will disappear!"

"This is not news," Thalia frowned as she looked from the book to Percy. "He didn't really think you were tempted by Prometheus did he?"

Percy shivered, something tight lodged in his throat. He couldn't breathe for several moments as his head swam, that stupid jar leaping to mind strapped into the backseat of a car-

Annabeth put her arm around his shoulders. She held him close as he leaned into her for the stability he desperately needed right now as his head swam without the rest of him.

She ran her fingers gently through his hair until his breathing labored into something more even and Alex kept going without question.

"So why aren't the gods rushing back to help us?" I said. "We should combine forces at Olympus. Forget Typhon."

He snapped his fingers impatiently. "You forgot my Diet Coke."

"Gods, you're annoying." I got the attention of a waitress and ordered the stupid soda. I put it on Bobby Earl's tab.

"Is that illegal?" Magnus frowned. "It feels like that should be illegal."

"I honestly don't think anyone here knows," Will admitted. None of them were exactly law-abiding citizens on the regular.

"Fair enough," he nodded.

Mr. D took a good long drink. His eyes never left the video game. "The truth is, Pierre—"

"Percy."

"Posey," Thalia offered with a smirk at Percy, who groaned in dismay. He just knew she'd find a way to tell his dad he'd once accidentally called him that.

"Nah, got to give him one thing, he's never called Percy a Polly," Alex said in delight. "I was thinking Peitro though, or Picholo."

"I'm so glad I wasn't named after an instrument," Percy frowned and knew he owed his mother yet another thanks in his life.

"—the other gods would never admit this, but we actually need you mortals to rescue Olympus. You see, we are manifestations of your culture. If you don't care enough to save Olympus yourselves—"

"Like Pan," I said, "depending on the satyrs to save the Wild."

"Yes, quite. I will deny I ever said this, of course, but the gods need heroes. They always have. Otherwise we would not keep you annoying little brats around."

"I feel so wanted. Thanks."

"You really should," Annabeth was blinking at him like a new riddle to solve. "I don't think he's ever said that out loud. You must have done something during the battle to really get his attention Percy." Short of creating an ocean of Diet Coke, she couldn't think what he'd done to earn this audience.

Percy realized he hadn't yet mentioned the bit where Dionysus had pulled him aside and basically told him he'd cured Chirs and he was sad his son was dead. It was one of those things he was used to the others all knowing. He'd kind of become Mr. D's fall guy for the entire camp after that he supposed. The good and the bad.

"Use the training I have given you at camp."

"What training?"

"You know. All those hero techniques and . . . No!" Mr. D slapped the game console. "Na pari i eychi! The last level!"

"And that means?" Alex asked eagerly, this time looking around at Nico expectantly.

Nico grinned in a way that already made Will blush before he said, "that one's something more in line with what Will would call Hera."

"Ah, fantastic update, thank you," she chuckled while Will sighed without much regret that was never going to die.

He looked at me, and purple fire flickered in his eyes. "As I recall, I once predicted you would turn out to be as selfish as all the other human heroes. Well, here is your chance to prove me wrong."

"Yeah, making you proud is real high on my list."

"Like, right up there with getting kissed by an empousa," Thalia said in a really good simpering act.

Percy high fived her in agreement and Annabeth really kept telling herself she should move so they'd stop doing that across her face.

"You must save Olympus, Pedro!

"Remind me to send Pedro a thank you gift," Percy rolled his eyes.

"Sounds like you might have to learn some Spanish, personally I'd just take credit for it," Jason shrugged.

Leave Typhon to the Olympians and save our own seats of power. It must be done!"

"Great. Nice little chat. Now, if you don't mind, my friends will be wondering—"

"There is more," Mr. D warned.

"Oh thank gods," Magnus clutched at his shirt over his heart. "This just wasn't dire enough yet!"

Alex patted his shoulder and knew in that moment he'd love a good theater camp.

"Kronos has not yet attained full power. The body of the mortal was only a temporary measure."

Annabeth licked her suddenly dry lips as her eyes darted around like she expected to find an angry mob with pitchforks appearing out of nowhere. It made no rational explanation, she kept trying to scold herself, but that did no good. She half expected them all to laugh at her, to throw in her face they'd known all along that Luke was just a pawn, a means to an end, and he'd deserved this.

None did, and she started feeling dizzy with her own relief until Percy put his arm around her in turn until she caught her breath and her eyes stopped burning so bad. Gods she missed Luke so much.

"We kind of guessed that."

"And did you also guess that within a day at most, Kronos will burn away that mortal body and take on the true form of a Titan king?"

"And that would mean . . ."

Dionysus inserted another quarter. "You know about the true forms of the gods."

"Yeah. You can't look at them without burning up."

"Kronos would be ten times more powerful. His very presence would incinerate you. And once he achieves this, he will empower the other Titans. They are weak now, compared to what they will soon become, unless you can stop them. The world will fall, the gods will die, and I will never achieve a perfect score on this stupid machine."

Alex read all of that without to much surprise. It really was a constant case of, 'how could this get any worse?' and then she got her answer and just moved on. It had kind of been the track record of her whole life anyways.

Nobody was really up for arguing the point with her. It's not like it was new information anymore than, 'Percy needed to save the world or we'd all be dead.'

Maybe I should've been terrified, but honestly, I was already about as scared as I could get.

Jason mock rummaged around in his pockets. "Hang on, I have a meter I need to check for that."

"Where haven't I threatened to shove that yet?" Percy tapped his chin, before he snapped his fingers. "Ah, into your belly button!"

Jason theatrically covered his stomach with a horrified expression and the two idiots chuckled for a moment while Thalia and Annabeth exchanged bemused looks.

"Can I go now?" I asked.

"One last thing. My son Pollux. Is he alive?"

Alex really hated herself for the emotion that gripped her voice. That her mind flashed to her father for just a second, then Loki, before she slammed her fist into an already destroyed washing machine in her mind that made something fall out with a clunk to scatter those stupid images away. She knew what she was telling herself, it wasn't denial, it was just anger it wouldn't go away.

I blinked. "Yeah, last I saw him."

"I would very much appreciate it if you could keep him that way. I lost his brother Castor last year—"

"I remember." I stared at him, trying to wrap my mind around the idea that Dionysus could be a caring father. I wondered how many other Olympians were thinking about their demigod children right now.

Will caught Percy's eye and held it to let him know he wasn't alone. That he'd really felt that, been thinking it too. He'd wondered how useless his prayers were while sending them to his dad. The fact that Mr. D even bothered to pull one camper aside to check in, in his own way, really made him believe for a moment that even if he hadn't gotten an answer, his prayers had been heard.

Or that Pollux hadn't been making any.

And he wasn't sure which it was.

"I'll do my best."

Magnus heard that as, when he went to visit his cousin there, he should expect to see a pudgy blonde kid chilling at a cabin alone. The one with grapevines all over it probably. Percy's best wasn't always the solution to everyone coming out alive, but it was as close as he'd ever expect.

"Your best," Dionysus muttered. "Well, isn't that reassuring. Go now. You have some nasty surprises to deal with, and I must defeat Blinky!"

"Nasty surprises?"

He waved his hand, and the bar disappeared.

"Would the gods stop doing at least that," Percy heard it in his own voice, tried to reign in the reverberating power that could easily topple the room they were in, but man was it heard. "If they know something helpful, next time start with that!"

It took every bit of his concentration not to form his hands into fists and draw Riptide and figure out how to go back to his subconscious or whatever and at least break that stupid machine!

"I don't think their brains are exactly linear like ours Percy," Annabeth reminded patiently.

"Then I'm going to start the conversation by setting three alarms so they think they're running out of time and actually tell me this stuff while the first two to go off! The third one's because I'm positive I'll actually want them to stop talking by then," Percy sighed.

"Good plan. Hope it works out for you," Annabeth sighed right with him at whatever god he decided to test this theory on.

I was back on Fifth Avenue. Annabeth hadn't moved. She didn't give any sign that I'd been gone or anything.

She caught me staring and frowned. "What?"

"Um . . . nothing, I guess."

"That really was nothing to you too," Magnus sighed. Just another day in the life of Percy Jackson, being dragged across the country only in his head to have a conversation with the wine dude who also wasn't really there!

"I know the important things in my life," Percy grinned.

I gazed down the avenue, wondering what Mr. D had meant by nasty surprises. How much worse could it get?

Magnus felt the urge to cover his eyes and whimper pre-monster arrival. Just to get it out of the way now.

My eyes rested on a beat-up blue car. The hood was badly dented, like somebody had tried to hammer out some huge craters. My skin tingled. Why did that car look so familiar? Then I realized it was a Prius.

Paul's Prius.

With every new descriptor Alex's voice had gotten a little quieter, a little more shaken. This wasn't her spooky, telling ghost stories over a fire voice where she tried to make herself sound scared to up the mood. She was legitimately upset at realizing Percy's parents could be hurt much more than some dents in the hood of a car, and Percy was as touched as he suddenly was panicked. It was a very strange feeling that stole his spurt of action but left him feeling sick with the need to do something.

I bolted down the street.

"Percy!" Annabeth called. "Where are you going?"

Paul was passed out in the driver's seat. My mom was snoring beside him. My mind felt like mush.

The fact that she was asleep was of interest to note to those not in the know, but not enough to do more than exchange surprised looks.

Rachel was on her way there, and she'd be asleep for whatever message she wanted to deliver. That was yet another disaster on the horizon while he was processing this one with his face an entire mask of pain.

How had I not seen them before? They'd been sitting here in traffic for over a day, the battle raging around them, and I hadn't even noticed.

"We don't come with built in radars Percy," Annabeth gently reminded as they held each other's hands so tight. "I've tested."

Percy gave her a shaky smile, his mind a complete mess he expected to collapse any second. They'd possibly have to start this all over again and build himself back from the ground up. But she kept smiling back and didn't let go, so that was okay.

"They . . . they must've seen those blue lights in the sky." I rattled the doors but they were locked. "I need to get them out."

"Percy," Annabeth said gently.

"I can't leave them here!" I sounded a little crazy. I pounded on the windshield. "I have to move them. I have to—"

"Percy, just . . . just hold on." Annabeth waved to Chiron, who was talking to some centaurs down the block. "We can push the car to a side street, all right? They're going to be fine."

My hands trembled. After all I'd been through over the last few days, I felt so stupid and weak, but the sight of my parents made me want to break down.

Percy had been scared plenty of times over the course of this, but it was usually coupled in with adrenaline and determination and anger. The kind of grit that made him defeat the next monster, gave him the strength to know that even if he hadn't saved everyone from his past at least he'd never forget them again and try not to make the same mistakes.

This is how Kronos could have defeated him all along, he could feel it in his bones. Yet mortals were beneath his notice, and so she'd sat by untouched but always there at the heart of all this.

Chiron galloped over. "What's . . . Oh dear. I see."

"They were coming to find me," I said. "My mom must've sensed something was wrong."

"Most likely," Chiron said. "But, Percy, they will be fine. The best thing we can do for them is stay focused on our job."

Then I noticed something in the backseat of the Prius, and my heart skipped a beat. Seat-belted behind my mother was a black-and-white Greek jar about three feet tall. Its lid was wrapped in a leather harness.

Percy glowered at the book in the kind of way that made Alex confident he wanted to throw the book in her hands out of the ocean and possibly her along with it if she held on to tight. She ignored it best she could and relied on Annabeth and Thalia to remind him why that was a bad idea. She'd actually never done something like that before, but hey, first time for everything.

"No way," I muttered.

Annabeth pressed her hand to the window. "That's impossible! I thought you left that at the Plaza."

"Locked in a vault," I agreed.

"How do you put something in a vault wrong Thalia?" Jason decided not to let that moment pass without a tease.

"When Percy's involved," she said with a straight face. "It was his magic item and he set me up to fail."

"I'm sure you deserve it for something," but Percy was so jittery he couldn't think straight, couldn't think up one instance over the past where she'd messed with him. All his mind could latch onto was his mom, dropping him off at another new school with another hopeful smile, the songs she'd hum while she was baking, the dark circles under her eyes and the sense of joy radiating off of her for a good night's work. Gods he'd be lost without her.

Chiron saw the jar and his eyes widened. "That isn't— "

"Pandora's jar." I told him about my meeting with Prometheus.

"I thought it was a pithos?" Jason felt the strain in the room and strived to do what Percy did best, give a little levity to it. "You told him about Prometheus giving you Pandora's Pithos Percy, remember how pithy that sounded?"

Maybe word play wasn't everyone's cup of tea in amusement, but he at least got a few smiles and eye rolls for his attempt, which made all the world to him to feel like he hadn't failed.

"Then the jar is yours," Chiron said grimly. "It will follow you and tempt you to open it, no matter where you leave it. It will appear when you are weakest."

"Forever?" Magnus frowned. "Like you have a new Riptide? Man, talk about something in serious need of a regift."

Percy had the brief thought that he should give it to Rachel. She'd probably paint over it and make it look more fun and tempting to open, but she'd also been dealing with hopeless situations with much more style than he'd ever have so she just seemed the obvious choice.

He got a pained spike to his brain for the thought and his eyes flickered to Annabeth with guilt instantly so he decided not to voice any of that.

Like now, I thought. Looking at my helpless parents.

I imagined Prometheus smiling, so anxious to help out us poor mortals. Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient.

Anger surged through me. I drew Riptide and cut through the driver's side window like it was made of plastic wrap.

Alex grinned at all the mayhem Percy's sword could cause he didn't indulge in nearly enough. "Did it have that smooth feeling like when scissors glide through wrapping paper?"

"Yeah, actually," Percy's smile was a tad diabolical and Annabeth swallowed in horror how many cars were going to be broken into when those two teamed up.

"We'll put the car in neutral," I said. "Push them out of the way. And take that stupid jar to Olympus."

Chiron nodded. "A good plan. But, Percy . . ."

Whatever he was going to say, he faltered. A mechanical drumbeat grew loud in the distance���the chop-chop-chop of a helicopter.

Rachel's insane deal to go to a finishing school all so she could have a chat with Percy hadn't been mentioned in a few hours, what with the constant battles and deaths and centaurs appearing, but boy did they not get a choice now but to think of all the problems, implications, and disasters that were about to happen!

On a normal Monday morning in New York, this would've been no big deal, but after two days of silence, a mortal helicopter was the oddest thing I'd ever heard.

He'd felt it in his chest, the reverberating machine that disrupted his world overtaking the rest. The ground hadn't actually been shaking, but he'd been so loopy from seeing his parents he wouldn't have been surprised to see drinks shaking and windows rattling like the arrival of that machine had smashed them back together.

A few blocks east, the monster army shouted and jeered as the helicopter came into view. It was a civilian model painted dark red, with a bright green "DE" logo on the side. The words under the logo were too small to read, but I knew what they said: DARE ENTERPRISES.

"Did you, ever get a ride in that Percy?" Will's voice was choppy as he strived for his usual cheerful voice but knew it sounded fake. Gods that helicopter crash had been terrifying. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to sit through another action movie with an explosion again without shivering at the heat and noise.

My throat closed up. I looked at Annabeth and could tell she recognized the logo too. Her face was as red as the helicopter.

Trouble and danger afoot, Nico didn't even roll his eyes in surprised annoyance this time because of course Percy looked to her first.

"What is she doing here?" Annabeth demanded. "How did she get through the barrier?"

"You're asking me?" Percy looked so wounded and confused as he sat deep in his seat.

"I'm asking her as soon as I can," her scowl was more light and playful than anything, but Percy felt like he was in trouble for some reason.

"Who?" Chiron looked confused. "What mortal would be insane enough—"

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," Thalia answered with pride.

"Yeah, not something I'd brag about right now," but Jason couldn't help begrudgingly sounding the same. She really was something, charging into the unknown for her friend. It was as admirable as someone could be.

Suddenly the helicopter pitched forward.

"The Morpheus enchantment!" Chiron said. "The foolish mortal pilot is asleep."

I watched in horror as the helicopter careened sideways, falling toward a row of office buildings.

Even if it didn't crash, the gods of the air would probably swat it out of the sky for coming near the Empire State Building.

I was too paralyzed to move, but Annabeth whistled and Guido the pegasus swooped out of nowhere.

You rang for a handsome horse? he asked.

"Come on, Percy," Annabeth growled. "We have to save your friend."

"Well don't sound so happy about it Annabeth," Alex said with a strained smile she still tried hard to make casual. "You should be used to this by now!"

"It was Rachel's turn for this, wasn't it," Magnus groaned as he watched Percy get up to take the book. "Gods, is there a ticking clock on this? Are you guys going to have to rescue me by association?"

"Possibly," Percy said sheepishly.

Annabeth waited patiently until he got back beside her before swatting him on the back of the head with a very calculated scowl for trying to scare her cousin.

To her surprise though as Percy flipped to the next chapter as if nothing had happened, Magnus just sighed as if he were already resigned to it. He obviously knew Rachel was fine and they had rescued her. He really was taking this much better than she ever would have dreamed.

PJOPJOPJO

*This was legitimately one of the stand-out kills for me from my first reading of the series and I tried to analyze why upon this reread and I think I've narrowed it down to this reason. Instead of dust like every other monster, it's imagining the pain and anger frozen on the monster's face as he collapses to blue shards that stayed there until they melted long after the fight was over. Something about deviating away from the usual formula I guess?

[fluorynn]

WYDOFFA (when you departed, our fortress fell apart) WAS SO FREAKING GOOD !!! I reread so many times 😭😭😭

I noticed quite a few things actually and would like to ask !!

1 — the way Jake is so focused on being a protector — is it because at the beginning they (and by they I mean Grace and Neytiri when they first meant ) would tell him to protect reader better ? Which is why he was so firm on it?

2 — the way Neytiri sways the reader, is it because of the dancing moment they shared?😭 that’d be so friggin cute I swear if it is, I am so enamored with that part —

3��� Dr. Mason is my spirit animal. That’s my statement 🥹

4 — are we gonna see future fics of Seyk’lan and Lo’ak’s interaction with Jake and Neytiri and Kiri and Neteyam ???

5– the twins were a surprise for me 😭 I love LOVE the baby girl’s name and her meaning however !!

Oh my gosh, hi hello!! I’m glad to hear ( well — read these questions, LOL😭 ) before I elaborate, this might be a slight bit long because I love these questions to which is why it took me some time to respond so sorry in advance !

1 : Partially, slightly yes, Jake is very protective of reader for the reason being that he realized how his recklessness could put her in danger if that makes sense? And especially with her being human in the giant, dangerous world of Pandora. It’s a reflection of his past self, in a way, and he was still picking up his pieces, trying to be better for himself and for his family.

That line he has in Avatar: the Way of Water when they are leaving the forest; “a father protects.”

Side note : Sort of inspired that trope of his overprotective behavior. And of course, the title of this story speaks for itself, in that one scene where Jake and Neytiri are arguing and he says this line, this beautiful, impactful line that somehow always makes me tears up😭😭:

“Wherever we go, this family is our fortress.”

2 : —YOU NOTICED IT ANNON😭😭😭 Yes, yes yes !! I feel that Neytiri would LOVE to slow dance, and she loves the swaying, but she also does it out of second nature, too. There was a part where I was going to include reader with her round belly, Neytiri, and even Jake partaking in slow dancing again — to feel that intimacy and comfort they needed but I didn’t include it because of how lengthy this fic was getting🥲🥲

3 : Your statement, goes acknowledged by me😌 Dr. Mason is one of my favorite characters😆

4 : well… I’m not entirely, surely, sure if everyone else would like to read this …. I may or may not have something in the drafts with the twins having their moment with their parents and siblings !!

5 : the twins were something I was so incredibly debated on including — the reader originally was going to birth our baby girl Seyk’lan, but then I did some turns and included reader birthing twins — including Lo’ak so it can sort of…be apart of the relationship Jake has with Lo’ak in ATWOW — and I’ve seen so many thoughts/says that Jake is much more a girl dad than a roughly boy dad, if that makes sense !

[baby-alien11]

Memories: First time watching Avatar (Y/N Ulrich Universe)

taglist: @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @camiesully @ethanlandryluver @nowitsmissing @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo @itsaaliyah2

Jack the champ

Hey Y/N

Since today is a day off

Do you want to come to watch movies?

(ghostface/serpent) princess

Hi Jack

Sure, sounds fun

Just give me twenty minutes to blow dry my hair

Jack the champ

Perfect, I'll wait for you :)

"She said yes", Jack said towards Mason who was there to help him, "She's coming in twenty minutes"

"Let's get evertything ready", Mason exclaimed

Making calls to the hotel's restaurant and a cafeteria nearby, and assuring that the food and bevarages that they ordered will be there, Mason left five minutes before you were supposed to be there, leaving him alone with Butters who was having a nap between the pillows on his bed

Organizing the room, the door was knocked which he was quick to go answer revealing you on the other side wearing a light orange crewneck with black leggings and Corpse Bride no-show socks with black crocs, with your phone, charger and baby dragon Jake in your arms

"Hi", you smiled

"Hi", Jack did the same opening more the door, "Come in"

Since that first date at the amusement part, both of you started to hang out more in different types of dates alone or with the rest of the crew, so spending time in each others rooms wasn't weird

"I hope you don't mind that I ordered something to eat", Jack said closing the door

"It's okay", you assured leaving your phone and charger on the bedside table before sitting on the bed to scratch Butters between his ears, "What movie do you have in mind?"

"Actually I was going to ask you if you had something especific in mind"

"Avatar", you smiled

"Seriously?", Jack joked

"I mean, the only thing I know is that James Cameron is the director, Sigourney Weaver is in it, there are giant blue aliens, and you are in the sequels", you pointed, "And when I go to watch it in december I want to understand what's happening"

"That's fair", Jack granted starting to set up the TV, "Besides I was planning on inviting you to one of the premieres, what do you say?"

"It would be an honor, yes", you exclaimed, "And thank you for inviting me"

"It's going to be a fun event", Jack assured searching the movie and selecting it, "It's going to be Pandora themed and that, and they are going to be excited to meet you?"

"Wait a second, your castmates know about me?"

"Yeah, well I only told the younger cast, more to Trinity who is like my little sister, they think you are cool and sweet, and also my best friends, Romeo and Willa, I hope that is okay that I told them"

"I think you are one of the sweetest boys I've ever met, and yeah, it's fine by me"

Interrupting the moment a bit, the door was knocked at what Jack went to open revealing the hotel staff with the food that he ordered early while you decided to take off your shoes and sit criss-crossed on the bed letting Butters snuggle in your lap

"Hi baby", you said in a small voice giving him belly rubs, "Are you being a good boy today? Yes, you are"

"The menu for our movies date includes two flavors of pizza, pepperoni and supreme, a bowl of french fries, a small salad, two peach iced teas and a chocolate muffin"

"I hope your trainer doesn't give you hell after eating all this", you joked grabbing a french fry to eat it

"After being on a strict diet for four years, I'm finally free to eat everything", Jack joked sitting on the other side of the bed next to you, "But it's going to be a hard training when Josh and Hayley come"

"I won't let you suffer alone, don't worry"

Putting the food on the bed with a towel underneat and grabbing plates and silverware, both of you started to grab food before starting the movie with the logo of the company and a visual of the Pandora forest with the off-voice of Sam Worthington

"So, in order to go to Pandora, they have to put you in cryo for six years?", you asked, "That's how far it is from Earth?"

"Yeah, it's basically in the Alpha Centaury System, which is like more than four thousand light years from Earth"

"Fascinating"

Between eating the food, the movie continued watching the arrival of Jake on the planet and the base of the RDA

"That's Stephen Lang", you exclaimed when the scene in the cafeteria started, "He was in 'Don't Breathe', I love that movie"

"He's my character's dad, he's a really cool guy"

"I'm going need a small spoiler free resume and things I need to know of the next movie after we finish this one"

"I'll do it happily"

The movie continued with more scenes like Jake meeting Norm, Max and what would his avatar be, and the introducing of Grace Augustine

"Sigourney my queen! I love you", you exclaimed again making Jack smile with fun, "Please tell me she's in the next ones"

"She is", Jack nodded not giving the entire information

"As she should", you nodded, "I once wrote an essay about her during high school"

"Really?"

"It was for a Women's History Month on my theater class, we had to choose an actress or singer that made an impact on the industry and was inspiring to us, and I choose Sigourney Weaver and how Ellen Ripley was a pioneer for the final girls of today, like five pages, I was inspired"

"By only the title I hope you got a perfect score"

"A+, and got published on the school newspaper with the other perfect scores"

"If you're okay with it, I would love to read it"

"I'll send it to you later, I have it in my laptop"

"I can't wait to read it"

With both of you smiling, the movie continued with more scenes of Grace discussing with Selfridge, Jake and Norm trying their avatar bodies for the first time

"I love how you can see the happinesss in his face for using his legs after so many time", you commented, "How did they did the effects?"

"Basically they put us in capture movement suits and we also had little dots on our faces that capture all that we do and later they convert us in post-production", Jack explained

"That fact made me love this movie even more"

Continuing with more scenes like Jake meeting Trudy and getting a special assigment by Quaritch, the first explore to the forest of Pandora and Jake getting lost from the group

"Jake is definetaly a himbo", you said while watching him lost at night in the woods, "How, in Pandora, do you think is a good idea to confront not only but two giant animals?"

"That was a very bad idea", Jack laughed

"Absolutely", you nodded, "Wait a minute, who is she?, she's gorgeous"

"That's Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldaña, she's the daughter of the Olo'eyktan and Tsahik, basically like the princess of the Omatikaya"

"I can already say that she's a badass and doesn't accept shit from anyone", you assured, "What is that thing in her arrow? The one that looks like a jelly, it's so cute"

"That are atokirinas, seeds of the Three of Souls, pure spirits"

"Wait a second, is this going to be a forbidden love trope?"

"Yeah, you can call it that"

"That is one of my favorite romance tropes"

More excited because a new storyline was in the movie, you continued to watch it with scenes Jake still lost in the forest, and Neytiri saving him and taking him to the clan

"Forbidden love and forced proximity, this is amazing", you said after Neytiri was ordered to teach Jake the na'vi way

While the movie continued and both of you finished the food, Jack was more focused on your face as you watched the movie and fall in love with the world of Pandora and the characters

"Skxawng", you laughed at the word, "I'm going to call my brother that, wait, did I said it right?"

"It was a perfect pronuntiation, actually"

"Yes!", you exclaimed, "How do you pronounce the other phrase they just said?"

"Oel ngati kameie, it means 'I see you', it means seeing into the other people soul, also serves as a greeting and a way to show respect"

"That is so poetic and beautiful, how do you pronounce it?"

Pausing the movie, Jack started to help you with the pronounciation of the phrase along with the hand movement

"Okay, I think I got it", you sighed after few minutes of learning it

"Let's hear you"

"Oel ngati kameie", you said a bit stiff

"That was good, now a bit more fluid"

"Oel ngati kameie", you repeated more naturally this time and doing the hand movement

"That was perfect"

"Yes!"

In a celebratory action but of you did a double high five, before returning to watch the movie, this time closer to each other

While the movie continued and after finishing the food and putting the empty plates on the desk, Jack decided to start doing a slide show with the most important things for the new movie

"You know, getting an ikran seems fun, except for the almost dying part", you commented now almost laying on the bed with Butters in your chest who was playing with your hair

"Imagine being a child who wants to become a warrior and pass you iknamiya and they tell you 'it's a deadly rite, good luck'", Jack joked causing you to laugh

By the time Jack was almost done with the slide show, the movie was on the part when Neytiri is preparing Jake for him becoming part of the clan

"He's watching her with heart eyes", you smiled

With another scene of Jake being welcomed to the clan, the scene changed to another of Jake and Neytiri running and playing in a flirty way

"They're so in love with each other", you said watching how Neytiri was taking him to the tree, "And that tree is beautiful"

"Is the Tree of Voices, you can hear the voices of ancestors by connecting the neural queue with the tree", Jack explained, now almost laying on the bed with both of your shoulders touching

"Pandora is so beautiful", you exclaimed, "Oh my god! Look how they're holding hands"

More excited, without letting go Butters, you sat more straight to watch how your new favorite fictional couple were being flirty with each other

"There's so much tension between them", you smiled, "She's using her best outfit, claim your man, Neytiri"

From the moment that Neytiri started to mention the women in the clan and Jake responding that he didn't have interest in them you became a giggling mess, which made Jack smile and start to film your reactions

"Yes!", you exclaimed when they started to kiss, which made Butters to jump off your lap to go with Jack, "Oh my god, they're doing the dirty"

At the moment that phrase left your mouth both of you ended up laughing out loud, which made Butters leave again, this time to nap on the couch, and Jack who was still recording, got on video how both of you fell on the bed in between incontrolable laughs

"Can you repeat that? please", Jack asked now focusing both of your faces

"Neytiri and Jake are doing the dirty", you repeated in between laughs before glancing to the tv, "Wait a second, what is happenning?"

Sitting again on the bed, you watched as RDA machines started to destroy the tree and Jake wasn't in his avatar body yet

"No!", you cried at the scene, "Why?"

"Need a hug?"

"Yes please", you nodded before turning to Jack and hug him for a few seconds, before acomodating again, this time laying completely in the bed with one of Jack's arms extended and you using it as a pillow and hugging baby dragon Jake, "I hate the RDA"

"They're the principal villians in the five films"

"Great to know, because everyone of my reviews on letterboxd about all the movies will include a 'fuck the RDA' in it"

Angry at the RDA and intrigued at the road the movie was going, it continued with the aftermath of the destruction of the tree with the omatikaya clan, the RDA arresting Jake, Grace and Norm and taking them to Hell's Gate, and the destruction of the Hometree along with the death of Eytukan

"I'm going to need to talk to James Cameron because it's not normal to suffer this much", you said wiping away the tears from your eyes with the sleeve of your crewneck, "Please tell me this has a good ending"

"It has, I promise", Jack assured, a bit worried of your mental health because of the next hour of the movie

With the next minutes of Jake, Grace and Norm being imprisioned and then released by Trudy and Max and got to scape you started to feel a little better, until Grace was shot

"No!", you screamed, "This can't be happening, we were so close to be safe"

Anticipating that tears will start rolling from your eyes again, Jack stretched his other arm to grab the remaining napkins from the lunch and give you one of them before leaving the rest of them on top of his chest so you could grab them when you need it

"He's got a dying instict, I swear it", you sighed after seeing Jake jump on top of the great leonopteryx, "And how every tree is more beautiful than the last?"

"That is the tree of souls, they contact Eywa and their ancestors in there", Jack explained, "It's like the most important tree"

"If the RDA dares to destroy this tree I'm going to go full Loomis mood, even my theater teacher said that I have the 'Loomis look'"

"Really?"

"It was during the rehearsals for 'Carrie: The Musical', I got the role of Chris Hargenssen, the bad girl, and while we were rehearsing the number 'Do me a favor', which is when Chris conviences Billy of helping her to get revenge of Carrie, and after the rehearsal she told me, it was amazing and that she saw the same 'crazy eyes' of my dad during Scream and I felt really good about that compliment, and felt like it made my interpretation better"

"During which year it was?"

"Sophomore, for the Halloween festival, I was fifteen at the time"

"I can't believe that your school aproved to do Carrie"

"The other options were American Psycho, Heathers and Sweeney Todd, and they thought that Carrie was the more apropiate for a school play"

"So, the options were murder, murder, murder and murder?"

"And they choose murder"

Laughing because of that joke, both of you continued to watch the movie showing how they were trying to pass the mind of Grace to her avatar body, without success

"No!", you screamed when Grace stopped breathing, "This can't be more heartbreaking, you told me she is the next movies"

"She is, playing another character"

"Still as iconic?"

"Yes"

"Perfect"

Cleaning your tears with the napkin, the movie continue with scenes of gattering another clans to help, Jake asking Eywa for help, and the battle starting

"Let's go team Pandora and Eywa!", you exclaimed the moment the battle started, "We can do it!"

Excited for what was coming, both of you watched the intense battle between the omatikaya and the RDA, suffering because of Trudy, Tsu'tey and Seze's deaths, and cheering when the animals started to show to help

"Long live Eywa!", you cheered again, "I need a shirt with that phrase"

"It's a catchy phrase"

"Neytiri, go save your man", you exclaimed when Quaritch started to approach the link pod

Almost bitting your nails, if it wasn't for the nail art in your hands, you watched as the final battle was developing between Jake and Neytiri against Quaritch, until Neytiri killed him with two arrows

"Let's go queen Neytiri", you clapped before remembering something, "Oh shit, Jake is dying"

After Neytiri saved Jake, the humans were sent to Earth and Jake passing his mind to his avatar body, ending the movie with 'I See You' by Leona Lewis

"What an amazing movie", you concluded streching to grab your phone to open letterboxd

"What are you going to rate it?", Jack asked watching your phone screen

"Five stars, like and for review 'please give my girl Neytiri some peace, she needs it' and 'fuck the RDA'", you said before submiting it, "And I'm going to put the next four on my watchlist"

"Do you want the things you need to know before the move first or the teaser?"

"The teaser, please"

Finding the teaser quickly, Jack started playing it in his laptop focusing more in your marveled reactions of the scenes showed

"There's you", you exclaimed shaking his arm, "The movie looks incredible, and the fact that everyone involved worked hard for so many years to do the best it makes it better"

Feeling emotional because the appreciation you gave for the next movies, Jack was quick to pull you into a thight hug at what you responded the same way

After the hug ended a few minutes later, Jack took half an hour to explain everything about the next movie at what you paid extreme attention, before continuing with the movie date, at what he choose to watch Riverdale

"You want to watch Riverdale?", you asked in a moved manner

"I mean, you wanted to watch something of what I'm part of, and it's fair that I do the same, besides I've wanted to watch it for a while"

Taking a few minutes to use the bathroom and configure Netflix, and also grab Butters from his spot on the sofa so he could snuggle with both of you, before starting with the first chapter

Jack and Y/N ship club 🚢👫 (melissa, jenna, mason, jasmin, liana, devyn, josh)

mason

GUYSSSSSSSSS

I HOPE EVERYONE IS AWAKE

BECAUSE I HAVE UPDATES

jenna

if it's about the movie date, we already know

melissa

yeah, she told us a few hours ago

but we haven't heard anything from her since that

mason

thankfully for all of you

I have an update

jasmin

mason, you know i love you like a brother...

but can you please hurry up, I'm on a date

devyn

oh yeah!

how's your date going??

jasmin

perfect

she's amazing

we're having so much fun

mason

you know what, I'll just drop the photo

liana

NO FUCKING WAY

jenna

OH MY GOD

melissa

WTF

where did you get that photo?!

jasmin

IT'S HAPPENNING

mason

his mom sent it to me

devyn

they look so cute

i want them together fr

josh

after we knew that they threw up together on their first date, this is normal

liana

that was their bonding experience

melissa

because there's nothing more romantic than throw up next to each other in the same trash can

i swear that these two are perfect for each other

jasmin

it's thanks to you that they are at this point

you pointed the empty seat and they started to talk

liana

melissa, you need to be the maid of honor at their wedding

melissa

if they get married she's going to choose her sister as maid of honor

but you know who has to be the best man

mason

mason

absolutely

i'm the best man right now helping him with the dates

josh

don't you think it's a bit weird we're shipping and thinking of the wedding of two people who are not together yet

jenna

no

jasmin

no

liana

no

melissa

no

devyn

no

mason

no

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New Video: Joel Grey and Eddie Redmayne Talk CABARET and The 'Emcee' Legacy

Last night, the company and audience of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club celebrated Broadway legend Joel Grey’s 92nd birthday on stage at the August Wilson Theatre.

By: A.A. CristiApr. 12, 2024, Broadway World.

Last night, the company of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club wilkommened some very special guests to their immersive nightclub home!

Eddie Redmayne currently in previews as the ‘Emcee’ in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club celebrated Broadway legend Joel Grey’s 92nd birthday on stage at the August Wilson Theatre.

In the video Grey, who won Tony and Academy Awards for originating the role of the Emcee, reacts to the immersive new production now in previews on Broadway and its star Eddie Redmayne.

Redmayne described the feeling of performing for Grey and the show's composer, John Kander as "extraordinary, horrendously intimidating, as well, but joyful," and revealed a special moment he shared with the star during the performance.

Grey, who originated the role of the ‘Emcee’ on Broadway in 1966 and went on to star in the beloved film of Cabaret, took the stage as the entire cast, band, and creative team sang “Happy Birthday” while a custom cake, shaped like a giant pineapple, emerged from the stage.

During his speech honoring Grey, Eddie Redmayne said, “Tonight is an extraordinarily special night for us because we are in the presence of an extraordinary human being without whom none of us would be here.” After thunderous applause, Redmayne continued “Your performance in this part changed my life and it was one of the things that made me want to be an actor.”

The cast and Grey were also joined on stage by Cabaret composer John Kander.

Alongside Joel’s daughter Jennifer Grey and Kander, a star-studded crowd came out to fete the theater icon including Anderson Cooper, Candice Bergen, Jackie Hoffman, Jane Krakowski, Lin-Manuel Miranda, David Rockwell, and more. They were joined by numerous alum of Cabaret spanning the decades including Maude Apatow (Sally Bowles in London, 2023), Madeline Brewer (Sally Bowles in London, 2022), Joely Fisher (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2000), Gina Gershon (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2001), Mason Alexander Park (Emcee in London, 2023), Adam Pascal (Emcee on Broadway, 2003), Molly Ringwald (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2002), Jake Shears (Emcee in London, 2023), and Brooke Shields (Sally Bowles on Broadway, 2001).

About CABARET AT THE KIT KAT CLUB

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club is now in previews on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street). The production, directed by Olivier Award winner Rebecca Frecknall and designed by Tony Award nominee and Evening Standard Award® winner Tom Scutt, will have decadent twin opening night gala celebrations starting Saturday, April 20 and continuing into the following night, with the official press opening on Sunday, April 21. Tickets are on sale now at www.kitkat.club or via Seat Geek HERE.

In addition to Redmayne, Cabaret also stars Gayle Rankin as the toast of Mayfair ‘Sally Bowles, two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth as ‘Fraulein Schneider,’ Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood as ‘Clifford Bradshaw,’ Obie Award winner and Drama Desk Award® nominee Steven Skybell as ‘Herr Schultz,’ Henry Gottfried as ‘Ernst Ludwig,’ and three-time Helen Hayes Award winner Natascia Diaz as ‘Fritzie/Kost.’

The cast of Cabaret includes Gabi Campo as ‘Frenchie,’ Ayla Ciccone-Burton as ‘Helga,’ Colin Cunliffe as ‘Hans,’ Marty Lauter as ‘Victor,’ Loren Lester as‘Herman/Max,’ David Merino as ‘Lulu,’ Julian Ramos as ‘Bobby,’ MiMi Scardulla as ‘Texas,’ and Paige Smallwood as ‘Rosie.’ Swings include Hannah Florence, Pedro Garza, Christian Kidd, Corinne Munsch, Chloé Nadon-Enriquez, and Karl Skyler Urban.

The Prologue Company, the dancers and musicians that welcome audiences to the club, feature dancers Alaïa, Iron Bryan, Will Ervin Jr., Sun Kim, Deja McNair and swings Ida Saki and Spencer James Weidie. The musicians of the Prologue are Brian Russell Carey (piano & bass), Francesca Dawis (violin), Keiji Ishiguri (dedicated substitute), Maeve Stier (accordion), and Michael Winograd (clarinet).

For this production of Cabaret, the creative team have transformed the August Wilson Theatre into the Kit Kat Club with an in-the-round auditorium and custom spaces which guests will be invited to explore during the Prologue, the production’s pre-show entertainment. After purchasing tickets, guests will receive a “club entry time” to allow them to take in the world of the club before the show starts.

Patrons can upgrade their experience at the Kit Kat Club with exclusive dining or drinks packages that allow them to soak up the pre-show atmosphere. These various upgrades offer unparalleled service and unique experiences in the heart of the Kit Kat Club. Drinks can be enjoyed before and during the show, while food will be cleared shortly before the performance begins, ensuring uninterrupted and unmissable views of Cabaret. For a complete menu and more information on the upgrade packages, please visit www.kitkat.club/upgrade.

[gleedreamcasts]

Into the Woods

requested by me!

Santana Lopez as The Witch

Finn Hudson as The Baker

Marley Rose as The Baker’s Wife

Rachel Berry as Cinderella

Blaine Anderson as Jack

Tina Cohen-Chang as Little Red Riding Hood

Joe Hart as The Narrator / The Mysterious Man

Jake Puckerman as Cinderella’s Prince / The Big Bad Wolf

Kurt Hummel as Rapunzel’s Prince

Madison McCarthy as Jack’s Mother

Mercedes Jones as Rapunzel

Jane Hayward as Cinderella’s Stepmother

Unique Adams as Florinda

Kitty Wilde as Lucinda

Mason McCarthy as The Steward

Lauren Zizes as The Giant

[cabin9sblog]

Hi, I'm doing a research/interview about the Second Titanomachy. Mind if I ask a few questions if it's not sensitive?

How did Charles Beckendorf's death affected the Cabin 9? Did any of you knew what he and Percy were going to do? How did Jake Mason and Nyssa Barbera handle the sudden change in leadership?

How was Percy Jackson as a leader? I only came before the Giant War so I don't know how things were handled during the Battle of Manhattan. Did you, in your personal opinion, find him good?

Alabaster Torrington. I kept stumbling upon his name while going through old reports that belonged to the Titan army as he was mentioned as a general. But no one in the camp talks about him. The furthest I could get was Chris Rodriguez mentioning he was a nerd and ex-members of the army vaguely implying they are not allowed to talk about him. Do you know who he is?

Oh, that's a lot of questions. But okay:

Charlie (I refuse to call my brother by his last name) did tell us what their plan was and we were all aware of the risks. That being said, it still hurt. I love all of my siblings so much, and losing any of them always has an impact.

Nyssa has always been quite protective, so her role didn't change much, but it was clearly a strain for Jake, especially after his accident. Jake was not planning to be head counselor, and he never wanted to. Of course, he did it because he wanted to keep the rest of us safe, but he's always been quite antisocial, and isn't a huge fan of people, whether he's in charge of them or not.

Percy did his best, and at the end of the day, he is just a kid. I think he did well for what his situation was. I could not even begin to understand the kind of pressure he was under.

Yes, I knew Alabaster. He is one of the most powerful children of Hecate in the modern world, and was a soldier in the Titan army. We are actually still in contact (sometimes). Once again, he is a child. I know a lot of people at camp don't like him, and I understand that, and while I do not agree with his decisions, I do not hate him. When we talk, we never discuss the war, but occasionally I update him on the happenings of chb. He does not want to come back, even if he was welcome, but he does particularly like to hear that at least some of his siblings are alive, even if he didn't know them.

[unclescurvy]

Undrafted Free Agents of 2024

Every season, once the dust settles after cutdowns, I like to survey which teams kept undrafted free agents on their 53-man rosters. ARIZONA

WR Xavier Weaver (Colorado)

ATLANTA

None

BALTIMORE

S Beau Brade (Maryland)

BUFFALO

LB Joe Andreessen (Buffalo)

CB Brandon Codrington (NC Central)

CAROLINA

C Andrew Raym (Oklahoma)

LB Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama)

CB Shemar Bartholomew (Georgia Southern)

CHICAGO

None

CINCINNATI

LB Maema Njongmeta (Wisconsin)

P Ryan Rehkow (BYU)

CLEVELAND

G Javion Cohen (Miami)

DALLAS

TE Brevyn Spann-Ford (Minnesota)

DENVER

RB Blake Watson (Memphis)

OT Frank Crum (Wyoming)

DETROIT

S Loren Strickland (Ball State)

GREEN BAY

K Braydon Narveson (NC State)

HOUSTON

None

INDIANAPOLIS

G Dalton Tucker (Marshall)

JACKSONVILLE

None

KANSAS CITY

RB Carson Steele (UCLA)

OT Ethan Driskell (Marshall)

LAS VEGAS

WR Ramel Keyton (Tennessee)

LB Amari Gainer (North Carolina)

S Thomas Harper (Notre Dame)

LA CHARGERS

None

LA RAMS

RB Cody Schrader (Missouri)

LB Omar Speights (LSU)

S Jaylen McCollough (Tennessee)

CB Josh Wallace (Michigan)

CB Charles Woods (SMU)

MIAMI

C Andrew Meyer (UTEP)

CB Storm Duck (Louisville)

MINNESOTA

DT Taki Taimani (Oregon)

CB Dwight McGlothern (Arkansas)

NEW ENGLAND

LB Curtis Jacobs (Penn State)

S Dell Pettus (Troy)

NEW ORLEANS

WR Mason Tipton (Yale)

TE Dallin Holker (Colorado State)

CB Rico Payton (Pittsburg State)

P Matthew Hayball (Vanderbilt)

NY GIANTS

G Jake Kubas (North Dakota State)

DT Elijah Chatman (SMU)

NY JETS

TE Brenden Bates (Kentucky)

DE Eric Watts (UConn)

DE Braiden McGregor (Michigan)

PHILADELPHIA

None

PITTSBURGH

None

SAN FRANCISCO

None

SEATTLE

C Jalen Sundell (North Dakota State)

CB/PR Dee Williams (Tennessee)

TAMPA BAY

WR Kameron Johnson (Barton College)

CB Tyrek Funderburk (Appalachian State)

TENNESSEE

S Julius Wood (East Carolina)

WASHINGTON

TE Colson Yankoff (UCLA)

S Tyler Owens (Texas Tech)

[wewerecore]

The Great Pro-Wrestling Adventure Hour - 025 11/02/23 Defy TV 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST Filmed at the Good Time Theatre at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania

SEGMENT ONE (SEVEN MINUTES):

- We are again welcomed in by Sudu Upadhyay for another week of CORE action. Sudu teases an important announcement for later in the broadcast. Raven speculated on what the announcement could be, a reality show about the behind the scenes happenings, CORE switching their name to Impact Wrestling, or, as some fans have speculated, Raven taking control of CORE creative? Sudu told fans they'd find out before the end of tonight's broadcast.

- The Great Pro-Wrestling Adventure Hour opening aired set to "Black Swan Lake" by Janko Nilovic.

Giant Baba Yaga and Fuego Del Sol vs. Angus Legstrong and Rachel Armstrong Giant Baba Yaga and Fuego Del Sol defeated Angus Legstrong and Rachel Armstrong with a running neckbreaker from Baba Yaga on Armstrong. (3:40)

SEGMENT TWO (EIGHT MINUTES):

- Sudu Upadhyay brought out a special guest all the way from Australia that will be making her CORE debut soon, Charli Evans. She began to say a few words to the audience but the segment was interrupted by Titus Alexander. Titus said that he and Charli have something in common. Titus asks Charli if she could wrestle anyone in the world who would that be, to which Charli responded Eddie Kingston. Alexander said he feels the same way, but that unlike his rematch with Kingston, Charli's dream match is never going to happen. Titus said that Eddie claimed he's done taking indie dates, not that he showed up most of the time even when he was, and AEW doesn't book intergender wrestling, and even if they did they wouldn’t book her, so she's out of luck. But, Titus said that he is willing to give Charli the chance to wrestle the top independent prospect in the world, when she faces Titus next week on Defy TV. Charli accepted the challenge. Titus Alexander then turned his attention to Eddie Kingston, and revealed that his attempt to confront Eddie at the New Japan show in Las Vegas this past weekend was thwarted when Eddie had the New Japan young boys escort him out of the building after Alexander's pre-show match. Titus again gave out his hotline number and said Eddie will want that number next week when he sees what Titus is going to do to his biggest fan.

The TrustBusters (Sonny Kiss and JeeVeS Kay) and The TrustBusters Reserve (Big Dan Champion and Joshua Bishop) vs. The Lawless Family (Rex Lawless/Jake Lawless/David Lawless/Ava Lawless) The TrustBusters and The TrustBusters Reserve defeated The Lawless Family with a Bishop Bomb from Bishop on Jake Lawless. (4:50)

SEGMENT THREE (SEVEN MINUTES):

- folkstyle were scheduled for a six-man tag match next, but Tim Bosby and Hunter Holdcraft made their way to the commentary table. Bosby said they haven't been able to get hold of Shaw Mason all day and he didn't show up to the building. Holdcraft said they signed the contract and their opponents deserve the chance to showcase their talents on national television, but they requested that their match be moved to the next segment just to give Mason a little more time to show up.

The Andersons (Brock Anderson and CW Anderson) vs. Abed Arroniz and Joe Krule The Andersons defeated Abed Arroniz and Joe Krule with a DDT from Brock on Arroniz. (4:02)

- Queen Aminata made her way to the commentary booth and called out Raychell Rose. Rose looked confused as she came out to join her. Aminata wanted to know why CORE matchmakers just offered her a singles match on next week's broadcast and speculated that Athena might have been behind it. Raychell said she's the one that asked for Aminata to have a singles match, Rose said she loves teaming up with Aminata and that they were having great success, but that if Athena is going to insist that Aminata tag with her Minion In Training Billie Starkz at every live event, Raychell should devote her time to becoming a better manager. Aminata said that Athena isn't here, and that while Aminata always wants Raychell in her corner, she'd much rather have Rose standing on the apron as her partner than leaned against the apron as her manager. Raychell smiled and said there's still time to get it changed to a tag match.

SEGMENT FOUR (NINE MINUTES):

folkstyle (Tim Bosby and Hunter Holdcraft) vs. Trevor Terry, Matt Quay, and Ayden Durning - folkstyle struggled considerably in this match as they were down a man. Bosby and Holdcraft showed great resilience and managed to pull out a win in a difficult situation. folkstyle defeated Trevor Terry, Matt Quay, and Ayden Durning with a rip cord lariat from Bosby on Durning. (5:30)

- We were sent to a pre-tape where we were shown a sign reading "Welcome To The Borough Of Jersey Shore." We then join Zack Clayton and former NFL kicker and Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania native Robbie Gould inside the Shore Diner where a crowd has formed. Robbie Gould announced that in acknowledgment of Zack Clayton's many accomplishments, as well as a very generous donation recently made to the Jersey Shore Historical Society, it is his honor to declare Zack Clayton as The King of Jersey Shore. Zack Clayton took the microphone and thanked Gould. Clayton said that you might think that as the star of MTV's Jersey Shore brand and an international professional wrestling star, getting this honor from a podunk, backwater town might not mean much to him. But when the people of Jersey Shore, PA get a glimpse of the man they love seeing on their rent-to-own TVs every week and that toothless grin comes across their face as they call him their King, Zack Clayton said it makes all the hard work he did, slaving away every day on the set of his hit reality show, worth it. We then cut to Zack Clayton and Robbie Gould signing autographs. All the fans must have rushed to Zack Clayton first before moving on to Robbie Gould, as Robbie's line is significantly longer. A fan hands Zack Clayton a diner place mat to autograph and tells Zack that she has seen every episode of Jersey Shore but doesn't remember anyone named Zack. Was he The Situation? Zack explained that he wasn't on Jersey Shore, which barely ran for seventy episodes, he was on the much more successful Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, which has run for over 150 episodes and is still on the air. The fan looks puzzled and asks Zack if he can sign it as The Situation anyway.

SEGMENT FIVE (TEN MINUTES):

Hyan and Kylie Paige vs. Las Chicas Indomables (Lluvia and La Jarochita) Hyan and Kylie Paige defeated Las Chicas Indomables with a Code Red from Kylie on La Jarochita. (8:38)

SEGMENT SIX (FOUR MINUTES):

- Sudu Upadhyay has made his way to the ring and brought out CORE producer The Blue Meanie for a major announcement. Meanie said it was a privilege to announce that in 2024 The Co-Op will be returning, this time taking place in his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Meanie said that in 2023 The Co-Op presented eleven shows in four days. And in 2024 the Co-Op is expanding to take place over five days. Wednesday April 3rd to Sunday April 7th, CORE will present The Co-Op 2024 live from the historic 23rd Street Armory in Philadelphia. 2024 will see the return of Jeff Jarrett's Spring Breakers and now under The Co-Op umbrella, Lindsay Snow's Kaiju Cannabis Cup II.

Next Week On The Great Pro-Wrestling Adventure Hour Titus Alexander vs. Charli Evans folkstyle (Shaw Mason/Tim Bosby/Hunter Holdcraft) vs. Black Generation International (Action Jackson/Black Andromeda/Bendito) Also in action… "The King Of Jersey Shore" Zack Clayton Fuego Del Sol Queen Aminata and Raychell Rose

Upcoming Shows:

CORE Pro #125 11/23/23 Thanksgiving Tussle '23 Cawood Elementary School Trojan Dome - Harlan, Kentucky

CORE debuts in Cincinnati, Ohio at the WCPO TV Studios for a television taping. 11/25/23 Television taping for The Great Pro-Wrestling Adventure Hour as seen on Defy TV.

CORE presents The Co-Op 2024 04/03/23 - 04/07/23 23rd Street Armory - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

[pain-is-too-tired]

How To Pick Up Borrower Frien

Some silly for borrower au! Smol Chris, Leo and Jake :3

Inspo under cut!

[thereallordphoenix]

"muses most to least..." horny

D tier - repressed

Levi has always been the nerdy style, Allen has only recently gone into the acceptance process, and Skylar is just really shy, it's no surprise that these men are so far down this tier list. But that's one more reason for you to try to get them out of their comfort zone and see what they're like in H-time.

C tier - unsure

Because they are very recent muses I still haven't decided the level of hornyness of Grayson, Ike, Cesar, River and Eric. Take this as an invitation to help me discover them.

B tier - regular

Jake, Francis, Bryce and Tory's horny level is pretty average, maybe a little above or below. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes they'll just want to cuddle and other times they'll fuck like animals.

A tier - high

Nash is a college student, Cyrus and César have strong animalistic and primitive instincts, Mason is a naughty sorcerer, Jesús is definitely no saint and Trevor likes to live intensely and throw himself headlong into life's adventures. But in general they manage well and don't usually get into trouble, unlike the next tier…

S tier - dangerous

Muses in this category definitely have an uncontrollable hornyness that often gets them or others into trouble. Rowan's weakness is definitely his ass, and the villains know it. Farmer Max needs no introduction, be careful when walking alone on full moon nights. Don't be fooled by Connor's gentle, giant, green and tusky appearance.

[mitchbeck]

HARTFORD WOLF PACK OPEN ATLANTIC DIVISION FINALS VS HERSHEY BEARS PREVIEW

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HERSHEY, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack has arrived in Chocolatetown, USA, for the 2023 Atlantic Division Finals. The Wolf Pack opens the best-of-five series against the Hershey Bears tonight with Game One at the Giant Center. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr. Tale of The Tape: The Wolf Pack and Bears met six times during the 2022-23 regular season, with the Bears taking four of the six meetings. Hershey posted a record of 4-2-0-0, while the Wolf Pack managed points in three games, going 2-3-0-1. The Wolf Pack posted a 1-2-0-0 record at the Giant Center, with their lone victory coming on November 20th by a final score of 4-2. The sides last met on February 11th in Hershey, with the Bears prevailing by a final score of 2-1. Mike Sgarbossa opened the scoring 12:13 into the tilt, potting his 16th goal of the season. Just under three minutes later, at 15:08, Henrik Rybinski made it a 2-0 game with the first shorthanded goal of his career. The Bears' two goals in the opening frame would be enough, despite a strong effort from the visitors. Hartford outshot Hershey 13-7 in the middle stanza and got on the board courtesy of Will Cuylle. The rookie’s 15th goal of the season put the Wolf Pack within one, but Hunter Shepard slammed the door shut from there. Shepard made 33 saves to cement the victory, earning first-star honors on the night. The Bears won each of the final three meetings between the sides, including the February 11th tilt. Hershey also took a 2-1 regulation decision on November 25th and a 1-0 shootout verdict on November 26th. Both of those games were in Hartford. Wolf Pack Outlook: The Wolf Pack advanced to the Atlantic Division Finals thanks to a 4-0 shutout of the Providence Bruins in Game Four of their Atlantic Division Semifinals series. The victory gave the Wolf Pack a 3-1 series decision. Hartford is 5-1 through six games during the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. Turner Elson scored his first goal of the playoffs 3:40 into Game Four, giving the Wolf Pack a lead they would not lose. Elson became the fifth different Wolf Pack skater to record a game-winning goal during the postseason. Jake Leschyshyn potted a rebound at 4:49 of the middle frame to extend the lead to 2-0. The goal was his first career Calder Cup Playoff marker. Ryan Carpenter then buried a rebound from the right-wing circle at 15:23, essentially ending the intrigue on this night. Leschyshyn put home an empty net goal, his second of the night, 12:18 into the third period to make it a 4-0 game. Dylan Garand made 32 saves for his second career Calder Cup Playoff shutout. Defenseman Ty Emberson leads the Calder Cup Playoffs in +/- with a +13 rating. Forward Anton Blidh is second in the league with a +11. Tim Gettinger (2 g, 5 a) and Tanner Fritz (1 g, 6 a) lead the Wolf Pack in points through two rounds of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Lauri Pajuniemi, meanwhile, leads the team in goals with three through six games. Bears Outlook: The Bears completed a 3-1 series victory over the Charlotte Checkers with a 6-2 win in Game Four over the Charlotte Checkers on May 4th. Jake Wise and Riley Nash scored at 2:00 and 7:54 of the opening stanza, respectively, to give the Checkers a 2-0 lead after one. It would be all Bears from there, however. Mason Morelli got Hershey on the board at 10:15 into the middle stanza. Then Beck Malenstyn tied the game at 19:44. Aliaksei Protas broke the tie 8:59 into the third period, firing home a powerplay goal that would stand as both the game-winning and series-winning tally. Protas’ second goal at 10:57 gave Hershey the insurance they needed to close out the series. Riley Sutter and former Wolf Pack defenseman Dylan McIlrath both hit the empty net in the final few minutes to end the suspense. Sam Anas leads the Bears in points with six (2 g, 4 a) through four games. Protas, meanwhile, leads the Bears in goals with three. Game Information: WATCH: AHLTV LISTEN: Mixlr Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas, will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:45 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr. Game Two of the Atlantic Division Finals takes place this Saturday, May 13th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Giant Center in Hershey. The series shifts back to Hartford for Game Three on Wednesday, May 17th, at 7:00 p.m. For playoff ticket information, please visit HERE. ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers' newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

[glassamphibians]

in the lost hero Jake Mason mentions that cabin nine had been excavating the tunnels under camp half blood, and if Will’s reaction is any indication none of the other cabins know about them?? ive decided that eventually all the cabins find out so uhh here’s that!! also the tunnels are magical and illogical because i said so <3

• the roots from the tree growing in the demeter cabin stretch all the way down to a large cave. they start entire gardens down there full of herbs and berries. the cave system connects to the dionysus cabin and somehow, despite the lack of sunlight, gravevines cover the walls. maybe they grow weed together maybe the don’t who’s to say :)

• the apollo cabin’s tunnel connects to rachel’s cave. its full of abandoned medical supplies, theres one cavern that houses an ancient two story pipe organ, it always looks like golden hour somehow. it connects to the demeter cabin’s gardens and they steal medicinal herbs

• they also uncovered an enormous library between the apollo tunnels and the athena tunnels. its full of works by popular writers from every country and/or era you could ever imagine. some of them had never been published.

• the ares cabin’s tunnels connect to the nike and nemesis cabins. there may or may not be a fight club. there’s an armory so powerful the military should be jealous.

• all of the chthonic cabins are connected by catacombs, but no one is sure where the bones lining the walls came from. their patterns change every night. its full of crystals and the only light is from glowing mushrooms. demons have definitely been summoned there.

• the Poseidon cabin’s tunnels are entirely underwater and leads out into the ocean. the aphrodite cabins’ tunnels connect to cabin three’s and are covered in mosaics made from pearls and abalone shells. they found giant wardrobes full of vintage clothing and cosmetics and now they use the space to run a slightly illegal tattoo/piercing business <3

• the hermes cabin has the only tunnel that extends outside of the camp borders and they’ve known about it all along. they use it to smuggle snacks and technology back into camp without chiron noticing. they also have a slightly illegal casino in the tunnel connecting the hermes and tyche cabins <3

[staal-eric-archives]

bio 🌷 milou ; 26 ; french canadian/montréal based/vietnamese ; she/her ; fanfic writer ; irl teacher ; plays too much with photoshop to create a comfort corner ; hockey fan since the 2008 era

hockey teams supremacy 🍁 habs ; goalies ; laval rocket ; team canada

all time favorite hockey blorbos 🦋 eric staal ; martin st-louis ; vincent lecavalier ; samuel montembeault ; owen power ; corey schueneman ; rafaël harvey-pinard ; daniel brière ; roberto luongo

habs blorbos 🌻 nick suzuki ; cole caufield ; saku koivu ; alex kovalev ; jake allen ; brendan gallagher ; ryan poehling ; kaiden ghule ; joel edmundson ; laurent dauphin ; jesse ylönen ; michael pezzetta ; jake evans ; rem pitlick ; joel armia

honorary hockey blorbos 🌟  jordan staal ; marc staal ; kris letang ; sean couturier ; matt duchene ; tyler myers ; claude giroux ; jack hughes ; trevor zegras ; artturi lehkonen ; tyler toffoli ; evgeni malkin ; kent johnson ; mason mctavish ; thomas bordeleau ; connor bedard ; shane wright ; luke prokop

main ships/otps 💘 suzufield ; staallagher ; st-lecavalier ; lehkevans ; trevack ; gentle giants ; mont-hp [complete masterlist]

writing tag 🍀  prompts & requests ; drabbles masterlist ; wips masterlist ; fics masterlist

graphic tag 🔮 the comfort corner ;  get to know me meme ; otp aesthetics

[randomfandomnerd]

Sunshine and Shadows- Chapter 1

Watching Nico talking to Annabeth and Percy, Will mentally slapped himself in the face. That conversation had gone about as smoothly as the surface of the moon. There was no chance of Nico ever willingly talking to him if he behaved like an overprotective mother hen, although part of him still wanted to wrap the son of Hades up in a blanket, burrito-style, and hand-feed him nutritious snacks.

“Solace!”

The harsh tone of Clarisse’s voice snapped him back to reality.

“Quit admiring Di Angelo! I know you’d be more than happy to do that all day, so I’m reminding you now! You have an appointment after lunch to give Chuck a check-up DO NOT BE LATE OR YOU’LL BE GETTING AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY SPEAR!”

On that friendly note, the newly-elected godmother stormed over to the Athena Cabin to harass the campers who had offered to weave clothes for the new-born satyr. Gods help whoever stood in the way of her warpath. She adored Chuck and was determined to make his life as perfect as possible. 

Will nodded vaguely, before turning back to watch the son of Hades. He couldn’t help it. It wasn’t his fault that Nico was so gods damned attractive. Nico laughed at something Percy said, the action lighting up his face, making him truly look like the angel his name said he was. He gave Annabeth a high-five before heading back towards where Will was standing in front of the Apollo Cabin. 

Will noticed a blush creeping into his cheeks and quickly turned away, mortified. A moment later he felt a prod at his shoulder and looked up to see the son of Hades regarding him questioningly. 

“Will? We’d better get these 3 days over and done with then, right?”

Startled, Will let out a weird laugh that sounded like a piece of machinery made by Cabin 9, before nodding, turning round, and promptly walking into the doorframe, much to the amusement of Kayla, who was sitting inside, waxing her bowstring. Embarrassed, he quickly changed from his flip-flops into something more suitable for the infirmary before emerging again onto the porch. 

✧✧✧

Nico was waiting for him on the porch, leaning against a post, drumming his fingers against the railing. When Will approached him, he stood up and gestured for the son of Apollo to lead the way. The walk to the infirmary was short, thank the gods, and Will spent the time determinedly staring forwards. A few campers were hurrying around, carrying supplies. Will nodded a hello towards Jake Mason, who  was with a few other Hephaestus kids. The older boy didn’t have crutches any more, but preferred to use a cane when he had to walk around. Typical Cabin 9-style it had several cool additions, such as being able to extend into a fighting staff and, if Harley had anything to do with it, probably a flamethrower somewhere. The scarily muscular 8-year-old was chatting animatedly to his older brother, but he wasn’t at his usual bouncy self. Harley had worshipped Leo, and had been devastated by his loss. It didn’t help that now, closer to the start of school, all of his siblings, save for Nyssa, would be heading home or to college for a while. Will made a mental note to hang out with him more. 

The two boys reached the doors of the infirmary and Will opened one, stepping aside to let Nico in first. Once they were inside, Will made a beeline for an empty bed at the back of the infirmary.

“We save the front beds for anyone that comes in with a really severe injury”,

he explained. He gestured for Nico to sit on the bed while he fussed around, clearing some of Austin’s sheet music away from a chair before plonking himself down on it. He’d have a word later with his brother about working on his compositions in the infirmary. Glancing up, he noticed that Nico was looking rather awkward (and adorable). He kept moving his hands around, as if he weren’t quite sure what he was doing, whilst desperately avoiding eye contact with anyone. Right. Nico wasn’t a people person, and it was currently quite busy in the surrounding area. Will stood up to draw the blue curtain around their area, before turning to address the son of Hades. 

“I know this is primarily for you to get some rest, but I think I should give you a general check just to make sure nothing other than your irresponsible use of underworldy powers is a problem.”

Nico scowled at him but didn’t argue, instead opting for a curt nod. Will continued,

“I’ll start by looking under that bandage on your arm”

He reached out to Nico’s arm 

“Is this ok?”,

he asked. Nico paused slightly, before nodding again. As gently as he could, Will raised Nico’s arm and began to slowly unwind the bandage, revealing several nasty-looking red claw-marks gouged into his skin.

“Werewolf claws”,

mumbled Nico. Will frowned.

“These are definitely infected. I’ll check for a fever and get some ambrosia for you. I reckon these will leave scars.”

He hesitated, then leaned in and brushed Nico’s raven-black hair from his forehead. It felt soft and, to his dismay, Will found his cheeks turning pink again. Holding the back of his hand against Nico’s pale forehead, he noticed how warm the son of Hades was.

“Nico, you’re burning up!”,

he announced before rummaging around in a nearby cupboard for some ambrosia and anything else he could use to treat the wound. He noticed a rather sad-looking Aloe Vera plant. Didn’t his siblings know that Aloe Vera should be placed in direct sunlight and not at the back of supply cupboards? He placed the poor plant in the windowsill, before taking a washcloth and some antibacterial ointment from the cupboard, along with the promised ambrosia. After thoroughly washing his hands, he handed the ambrosia to Nico, who began to delicately take small bites out of it, while he wet the cloth under the tap and started to carefully clean the wound. Nico winced slightly when the cloth made contact with the infected area, but had a slightly dopey faraway expression whilst he ate the ambrosia. Will wondered what Nico tasted when he consumed ambrosia. When Will ate it he tasted the sweet lemonade his grandma made whenever he returned home to visit. He tended to remain at camp most of the time, due to his mum always travelling for work and his insistence not to attend any sort of boarding school, but every now and again, he would fly over with a satyr protector to stay at his grandparent’s house with her. When he left, he would spend most of his time wondering when, or if, he’d ever get to go back. Especially after having 2 big wars in the space of a few years. Of course, his problems were all miniscule compared to what Nico had had to go through. He’d had to face the death of his sister, being alone with only a ghost for company, knowing about Camp Jupiter and not being able to tell anyone, being kidnapped and locked in a jar by crazy giants, and then on top of all of that had to deal with everyone at camp avoiding him, because they thought that he wasn’t normal. It all made Will so angry at the world, for allowing some people so many good things, when Nico could probably count the number of times he’d been happy since coming to camp on one hand, and still have fingers left over to spare.

Nico cleared his throat, and Will realised to his embarrassment, that he was staring again. He sheepishly placed the cloth in the sink, before lightly spreading a thin layer of the antibacterial ointment over the claw marks and murmuring a prayer to his father, while wondering if it would even work, seeing as Apollo was probably at that moment in time in the middle of a long lecture from his father, Zeus, concerning Octavian, the evil stuffed-toy destroyer (Percy had treated the whole camp to a story at the campfire of how his panda pillow pet had been brutally slaughtered). 

He then covered the wound with a gauze pad, finishing by gently wrapping a length of bandage around, to prevent further infection. 

He turned round to clean up while giving Nico strict instructions,

“I’ll talk to Chiron and explain that you are under no circumstances to partake in any sort of training exercises. You should spend most of your time here, getting some much needed sleep, however I think it’s a good idea for you to attend 1 meal a day at the pavilion, which will also allow you to have some healthy time outdoors. The rest of the time I will provide food for you.”

Even though he was facing away, he could imagine the son of Hades glaring daggers at him. 

“I can get food myself. There’s a McDonalds near enough that the shadow travel shouldn’t hurt me.”

Will sighed in exasperation, running a hand through his hair and turning around to face his stubborn patient.

“Really? What part of ‘you can’t even summon a wishbone without melting into a puddle of darkness’ do you not get? I’m not even going to start on the ridiculous lack of proper nutrients in a McDonalds meal. What can they offer you that camp doesn’t?”

Nico raised his chin in a show of defiance

“Does Camp Half-Blood offer snazzy boxes? No I thought not. It also has an over-bearing mamma bear watching my every move. When I agreed to this, I expected gentle rest, not a prison sentence.”

He dramatically flopped back on the bed, his head on the pillow. 

“I’m not even tired! Not one bit!”

Fixing his glare at the ceiling he mumbled

“This is a nice pillow. Soft and squishy.”

On that note, he fell asleep, still muttering about how fully awake he was. Amused, Will shook his head and stepped out of the curtained area into the main area of the infirmary to see Cecil and Austin chuckling in his direction. Austin was in the process of checking Cecil’s strained calf muscle and met Will’s eyes with an amused look.

“Why William my dear brother, I do believe that you have met your match. He’s just as headstrong as you are!”

Disgruntled, the senior counsellor of the Apollo cabin went to the storage closet to reorganise the medical supplies.