#probably Sally first who agrees to come over and also calls Chiron on the way because two of her many adopted kids from camp just kidnapped

[dark-elf-writes]

Will and Nico being asked to adopt Nico’s great-great nephew who has some really bad relatives he's living with. Little nephew has some necromatic skills and is a delight.

Little nephew is named Harry and he is the apple of his parents eyes. All of them, his summoned parents included.

I. Am. Screaming.

Nico getting called in by his father who is very careful about what he can say so he can’t be accused of being directly involved while also heavily implying that he wants at least one child of his line to have a good childhood. Nico who is used to his father asking him for favors at this point but never like this. Never with worry lines worn openly on his face and his eyes showing each and every one of his years of life. Never with a “Please” stated so openly, so plainly.

Nico spares a trip back to the cramped apartment he and Will share while Will is working through medical school to explain what little he can and what more he suspects before leaving to England, unsurprisingly, with Will in tow.

The house they find from what little information Hades could give is too neat. Too normal. Exactly like all the other houses on the block. It’s only Will’s quick talking that gets them in the door after the horse-like woman gets a look at Nico’s painted nails and the remnants of eyeliner that he didn’t quite wash off before being summoned by his father. It’s only Hades’ parting words, delivered through clenched teeth and dripping with world ending fury and eternal sorrow, that makes Nico’s eyes catch on the door.

“You’ll find what you’re looking for under the stairs.”

It’s a short thing. A mere storage space tucked under the stairs.

So why does it have a padlock on it? Why was there a grate snapped shut to keep out all light? Why, if Nico strained his ears and reached out for the shadows, did he hear muffled breathing?

Nico doesn’t bother with pleasantries after that. Doesn’t bother to demand them open the lock either. Instead, with the screams of the dead in his ears and the burning of the Phlegethon in his viens, he brings the hilt of his sword down on the lock and snaps it before anyone can stop him. Not that anyone seems inclined to. Will is already putting the pieces together is the clench of his jaw, and a sword — or whatever weapon they are seeing through the mist — is a rather good deterrent to keep anyone from stoping him.

Inside he finds a boy and the sight drives the breath from his lungs.

(It was a running joke around camp that all of the Greek big three kids looked alike, which Nico thought was a bit of a stretch considering that their one shared attribute was dark hair and he wasn’t entirely convinced Thalia’s was natural.

It wasn’t until he looked at the boy in the cabinet and saw a mix of Percy and Bianca looking back at him that he understood what the others had been saying. That he understood that, while the gods have no DNA to pass down on their own, they were still related and certain traits did carry through.)

Nico holds out a hand to the child and tries to smile. Tries to look heroic and comforting. Prays to his father that no manticore will appear to ruin this rescue.

“My name is Nico di Angelo. I’m your… well, let’s go with Uncle.” The whole god thing would only confuse the poor kid not to mention Nico’s own past would only complicate matters.

The kid, Harry his father had called him, looks him over doubtfully. “You’re young.”

Behind him, and likely in spite of himself, Will snorts. Nico feels his smile tip towards something more honest. Something more steady. A smartass he could handle. The kid would fit in great.

“My boyfriend and I have a place in New York. You’d never have to see this place again.”

Harry doesn’t so much as hesitate before scrambling out of the closet and into Nico’s waiting arms.

(It’s easier to get out without violence when he has a kid perched on his hip. Will, on the other hand, has no such excuse and gladly broke the rather purple faced man’s wrist when he finally decided his fury outweighed his fear of Nico being armed and tried to take the child from him.)

They find papers waiting for them on the table when Nico shadow travels them home, thankfully able to manage longer jumps without passing out after years of practice under Will’s watchful eye. Adoption papers, a birth certificate, citizenship papers. All of them for one Harry Di Angelo.

So much for his father not being directly involved.

[thewidowsghost]

The Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 8

(Y/n)'s POV

I know someone at camp resents Percy and me because one night, I come into the cabin alone and find a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. The article takes me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I get, the more the words float around on the page.

GIRL, BOY, AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT

By Eileen Smythe

Sally Jackson, son Percy, and daughter (Y/n) are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.

Mother, daughter, and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his sister's and his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson, (Y/n), Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free Crimestoppers hotline.

The phone number is circled in black marker.

I wad up the paper and throw it away, flopping down on my bunk on the far edge of the cabin under the window facing the sea.

I remain silent as Percy walks into the cabin, flopping down onto his bunk as well.

That night, I have the worst dream yet.

I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance.

About a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked, and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose.

I had to stop them. I didn't know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back until I was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand.

Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy.

The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt.

I yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting!

The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice.

Come down, little hero, the voice crooned. Come down!

The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the center of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me.

I wake up, sure I'm falling.

I am still in bed in Cabin Three. My body tells me it's morning, but it's dark outside, and thunder rolls over the hills.

A storm is brewing.

I hadn't dreamed that . . .

I hear a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.

"Come in?" Percy asks, sounding uncertain.

Grover trots inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see the two of you."

"Why?" I ask, peeking through the curtain separating mine and Percy's side of the cabin.

'He wants to kill . . . I mean, I'd better let him tell you."

Nervously, Percy and I get dressed and follow, sure we were in huge trouble.

For days, Percy and I'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Now that we were declared children of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, I figure it's just a crime for us to be alive. The other gods had probably been debating on the best way to punish us for existing, and now Mr. D is ready to deliver their verdict.

Over Long Island Sound, the sky looks like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain is coming in our direction. I ask Grover if we'd need an umbrella.

"No," Grover says. "It never rains here unless we want it to."

Percy points at the storm, 'What the heck is that, then?"

Grover glances uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."

I realize that he's right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley.

But this storm . . .

This one's huge.

At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin are playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysius's twins - Castor and Pollux - are walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everyone is going about their normal business, but they look tense; they keep their eyes on the storm.

Grover, Percy, and I walk up the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sits at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sits across the table in his fake wheelchair. They are playing against invisible opponents - two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D says without looking up. "Our little celebrities."

I wait.

"Come closer," Mr. D says. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortals, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

A net of lightning flashes across the clouds; thunder shakes the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus grumbles.

Chiron faints interest in his pinochle cards and Grover cowers by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Dionysus says, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron puts in.

"Nonsense," Dionysus says. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D - " Chiron warns.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relents. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rises, and the invisible players' cards drop onto the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you two must do."

Dionysus picks up a playing card, twists it, and it becomes a plastic rectangle. A security pass. He snaps his fingers. The air seems to fold and bend around him. He becomes a hologram, a wind, then he is gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiles at me and Percy, but he looks tired and strained. "Sit, Percy,(Y/n), please. And Grover."

We do.

Chiron lays his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

"Tell me, (Y/n)," he says. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Just hearing the name makes me shudder.

Chiron probably wants me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But I don't feel like lying.

"It scared me," I admit. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."

"You two will meet worse. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done?" Percy asks. "With what?"

"You're quest, of course," Chiron says. "Will you accept it?"

I glance at Grover, who is crossing his fingers.

"Sir," I say, "you haven't told us what it is yet."

Chiron grimaces. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbles across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I can see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," I guess. "They're fighting over something valuable . . . something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchange looks.

Chiron shoots forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And...I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it," Grover says, his eyes bright.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron orders.

"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes sparkle with excitement. "It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine," Chiron strokes his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, (Y/n), you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughs, looking nervous, "A what?"

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warns. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh."

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron says, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?" I guess.

"Stolen," Chiron corrects.

"By whom?" I ask though I guessed what he was going to say.

"By you two," Chiron says and Percy's jaw drops.

"At least"—Chiron holds up a hand—"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon argued. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't - We didn't -" Percy goes to say.

"Patience and listen, child," Chiron says. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you two as his children. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief.

"But we've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Chiron and Grover glance nervously at the sky. The clouds don't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They are rolling straight over the valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.

"Er, Percy . . . ?" Grover says. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggests. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam...." He looked at Percy.

"The Golden Net?" I guess again. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods trapped Zeus in it and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler?"

"Correct," Chiron says. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you two have come along—the proverbial last straw."

"But we're just kids!" Percy protests.

"Percy," Grover cuts in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, and that he's father, not one, but two mortal heroes who might be used as a weapon against you . . . Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

"But I - we didn't do anything, Poseidon - our dad - he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" Percy asks, and I remain silent in thought.

Chiron sighs. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a fullfledged war would look like, Percy? (Y/n)?"

"Bad?" Percy guesses.

"I'd guess that it would be like nature at war with itself," I say and Chiron nods.

"Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight," Chiron adds to (Y/n)'s statement.

"Bad," Percy repeats.

"And you, Percy and (Y/n) Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

And then, it starts to rain. Volleyball players stop their game and start in stunned silence at the sky.

We had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of us.

"So we have to find that bolt," I say. "And return it to Zeus."

"What better peace offering," Chiron says, "than to have the son and daughter of Poseidon return Zeus's property.

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?" Percy asks.

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression is grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago...well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell us where the bolt is beforehand?" Percy asks.

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

I swallow thickly. "Good reason."

"You agree then?" Chiron asks.

I exchange a glance with Percy, then Grover, who nods encouragingly.

Easy for him, I think. We're the ones Zeus wants to kill.

"All right," Percy says. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron says. "Go upstairs, Percy and (Y/n) Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

. . .

"Well?" Chiron asks us.

We slump into our chairs at the pinochle table. "She said we would retrieve what was stolen.

Grover sits forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron presses. "This is important."

My ears are still tingling from the reptilian voice. "She said we would go west and face a god who had turned. We would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"I knew it," Grover says.

Chiron doesn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

"No," Percy says. "That's about it."

He studies Percy's face, then meets my green gaze. "Very well. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

I get the feeling he knows we're holding something back, and he's trying to make us feel better.

"Okay," Percy says, looking anxious to change topics. "So where do we go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron says."if Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain."

"Someone else who wants to take over?" I guess.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

"Hades," I say, raising an eyebrow.

Chiron nods. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

A scrap of aluminum dribbles out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh - what?"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminds him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but - but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protests. "Especially if he has found out Percy and (Y/n) are children of Poseidon . . ."

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continues. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy and (Y/n) to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill these young half-bloods before he can take on the quest."

"Great," I mutter. "That's two major gods who want to kill us."

"But a quest to . . ." Grover swallows. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in someplace like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy and (Y/n) must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

A strange fire burns in my stomach. The weirdest thing is, it isn't fear. It's anticipation. The desire for revenger. Hades had tried to kill me two times so far with the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It is his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he is trying to frame me, my dad, and my brother for a theft we hadn't committed.

Grover is trembling now; he'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.

The poor guy had to complete a quest with me and Percy so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that is, but how can I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said we were destined to fail?" This is a suicide mission.

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy tells Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus and Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron says. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon does—they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"You're saying I'm being used," Percy says.

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon had claimed you and (Y/n) now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs the two of you."

My dad needs us.

Emotions roll around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I don't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me.

3rd Person POV

Percy looks at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said . . . I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

(Y/n) gets the feeling that there is a lot he wasn't telling them about the prophecy, but she decides that she couldn't worry about that at the moment. After all, she and Percy were hiding back information too."

"So let me get this straight," Percy says. "We're supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron says.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right."

(Y/n) looks over at Grover, who gulps down the ace of hearts.

"But I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asks weakly.

"You don't have to go," Percy tells him. "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh . . ." He shifts his hooves. "No . . . it's just that satyrs and underground places . . . well . . ." He takes a deep breath, then stands, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his t-shirts. "You saved my life, (Y/n), Percy. If . . . if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let the two of you down."

Percy feels so relieved that he wanted to cry, though he didn't think that would be very heroic. Grover is the only friend she'd ever had for longer than a few months. Percy isn't sure what a satyr can do against the forces of the dead but he feels better knowing he'd be with them.

"All the way, G-man," Percy turns to Chiron. "The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?"

Chiron looks surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

Percy's POV

"Oh," I said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane -"

"No!" Grover shrieks. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

I shake my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me and (Y/n) anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash.

"Percy, think," Chiron says. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackles and thunder booms.

"Okay," (Y/n) says, not looking up at the storm. "So, we'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron says. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered if you will accept her help."

(Y/n)'s POV

"Gee," I say, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a suicide quest like this?"

The air shimmers behind Chiron.

Annabeth Chase becomes visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain," she says. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

"If you do say so yourself," I say. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"

Her cheeks flush. "Do you want my help or not?"

The truth is, I do. I need all the help I can get.

"A quartet," I say. "That'll work."

"Excellent," Chiron says. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashes. Rain pours down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.

"No time to waste," Chiron says. "I think you should all get packing."

Word Count: 4018 words

[astriefer]

ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔸𝕌!

Just about a girl conquering the former Preator and the daughter of Zeus' hearts. And of all hunters, in fact.

It's not Theyna for anyone who might think. Just let those girls be cool parent's figures together!

They did not meet in the regular way.

In short, The girl was captured and Reyna happened to be in the next cell... some events happen and they become closer. Some running, fights, and angst lead to the small girl being very connected to Reyna.

Reyna takes care of the girl since the girl seems to be afraid of anyone else.

The hunters agree that she'll stay until they find her a new home. Maybe half-blood or Camp Jupiter.

Reyna grows more and more attached to this kid. And because no other person actually wants to get involved with the girl, and the girl's fear as well, it's mostly up to her to make her comfortable and comfort her in times of need.

Singing a lullaby to calm the girl at night. She has frequent nightmares and it breaks Reyna's heart. So she sings to her, Specifically the song they sang as they were held captive together.

They arrive in CJ and after some discussion, Hazel and Frank start searching for a new home and family for the small girl.

Reyna gets it hard. That night she understand how much she cares for the child.

She is being very protective and goes everywhere with her. She works hard to make her open up to more people (hell knows it's no good to be with one person ALL the time)

Yet it's not hard to tell Reyna like spending time with the girl. The little lady can sure warp Reyna around her little finger.

She manages to get the girl to be less strict around Thalia. She also recruits Frank and Hazel to help. She believes their nice and open nature will help.

She's there all the time to offer comfort. Yet the girl seems to like the Preators, even though she's acting very shy and careful.

When she want to take the girl for dinner Hazel pulls her aside to ask if she really want to find the girl home in New Rome.

At first, Reyna doesn't know how to respond. She wants the girl to have a family... and she wants to be part of it as well.

That realization makes her come to Thalia and ask just that. She doesn't want to leave the hunters, and she doesn't want to leave the girl in New Rome. So the simplest solution is to bring the girl with them. Permanently.

At the start, all the other hunters (and Artemis) firmly disagree.

Because well, their journeys can be dangerous. And their training area is not a place for straying children.

And of course, someone will have to watch over the girl.

And if there's an attack or they'll have to camouflage or hide? The girl will only slow them down.

And the hunters is a place for YOUNG MEDIANS. Not small children.

Reyna is desperate to get the girl to stay. She tries to convince Artemis but fails. She tries enough to wear out Artemis makes her threat to turn her into a doe.

The girl is worried about Reyna's tiredness and worry and she dares to ask Thalia what she can do to make Reyna feel better.

Thalia is half amazed by the consideration of the child. She has her own reservations, but she truly sees how deep the bond between Reyna and the girl is.

She dismisses the kid with something like "She's just worried for you, to be well." Or some cheesy thing.

She makes her own conversion with Artemis, pointing out what a teaching lesson adopting the girl could be.

I mean, the hunters are their own family, not interrupted by the human world and less affected by what happens in the camps. As they live longer, you can imagine they're starting to be more strict and pay less importance to tenderness and to be responsible for someone. They're mostly care-free apart from their duty to Artemis and to their sisters.

So basically that's half lame so imagine she makes some good explanations of how the girl could benefit them.

When Thalia comes tells Reyna the girl could stay, they find out the kid ran away.

Reyna is shocked and runs to the woods to search for her. If course Thalia is running right after her with the thought, 'we can't lose the girl a moment after we agreed to take her in.'

Reyna is worried as heck and calls for the girl. Damn it monsters, you are not the important thing right now.

They're in the forest for what feels like hours. Reyna and Thalia are still searching. Reyna lashes out on Thalia because she's so tired of fighting against the world to give the little girl the family she deserves.

Thalia breaking the news to Reyna

Reyna just jumps on Thalia from happiness and gratitude. She catches herself quick enough but her heart is still pounding.

Then they hear the little girl soft singing and They run to her.

Some monsters coming in their way, making bad puns and demand the kid to be their rightful finding.

Thalia smacks them off while Reyna and the girl have a heartfelt conversation.

Reyna and Thalia both didn't get to grow in a normal, loving family. Or at least, their parents never actually been there for them. So Reyna promises to the girl she WILL be there for her.

She promises that the girl does not cause any pain for her, but the opposite. They even makes a pinky promise. (She clarify this beacuse the kid run away because she thought she's making Reyna feel bad).

They return to the hunter's camp where Artemis announces the kid would stay. The kid is so excited to stay with Reyna, she almost tear off Reyna's hand.

Yeah. Parent a child traumatized bby with immortal dudes. A piece of cake.

At start they all like "ugh get it away we need to concentrate." Beacuse again, the other hunters aren't mean, they just thinks it's not the society or the place to raise a child.

They dosn't feel comfortable around the girl in the start. You can say it's mutual.

The girl stays close to Reyna (and Thalia at times). She has a habit of hiding behind their legs and peek at the others when she's afraid or nervous.

She still very careful. Encouraged by Reyna and Thalia she tries to come on the better side of the hunters. They also convince some hunters to give the girl a shot.

Many of them still very well reserved, but... they feel a little jealous by the shiny, huge smiles the little girl gives Reyna and Thalia.

They all just starting to be more friendly. Play in lyre for her, give her a fresh apple from a tall tree (She just gasps and looks admiringly at them)...you name it.

The hunters fighting over who will teach her archery. That's fun.

"You trained Sophia 100 years ago! Now it's my turn!"

"Stop acting like a baby! You--" "You're the baby! I'm 97 and you're just 56.I'm way more skilled!"

Eventually they agree to divide the responsibility of educating her between whomever want to teach her. So Reyna gets face to face combat, Thalia is responsible for the knowledge of tracking and self-defense (and the introduction to Rock music) .some other hunter teaches Math, antoher teaches her about nature and animals, etc.

The girl is latina. She also has pointy ears (not human? And the hunters have no idea whether she is a demigod or not.)

Reyna being Protective Mami™

Thalia joins.

Probably all the hunters ends up beings protective aunts who will secretly coo at her when she doesn't notice.

Awkward stories time!

Reyna telling her about the journeys of the the seven and also some inside-information about them.

When she first met Percy she asked if after he became a guinea pig he liked lettuce better, then pouted when he agreed (only because Thalia gave him the look). She made a deal with Thalia that if he did, she'll have to eat lettuce at dinner.

Her favorite of the seven is Frank. She loves his hugs after she grew familiar with him (it... takes time).

Both Thalia and Reyna tell her the stories of Jason, Thalia's brother, and Reyna's closest friend. The gratitude all he has done by passing on his life story to their beloved one, and to anyone willing to listen.

She also fascinated by Annabeth, but who isn't actually?

She heard so many stories of Camp half-blood from Thalia. About Camp Jupiter from Reyna. She also likes to call Percy "seaweed brain" but it's just the cutest and without any repulsion.

Her being friends with Estelle Blofis

They're building snowmen in winter, sand castles in summer, eating blue pancakes and cookies made by Sally Blofis together.

Estelle Is the first friend she makes who is in her age.

Piper and the little girl singing together is just the best?

All the hunters having heart attack from the cuteness.

The girl telling Reyna that even though Piper is a great singer she likes singing with Reyna the best. She wants to kill Reyna doesn't she

Leo showing her his gadgets (after Reyna make sure they're unexplosive)

She doesn't get to see Centaurus in her journeys with the hunters so she's so thrilled to meet Chiron. She asks for a ride and Chiron awkwardly agrees. It's offensive for Centaurus to "give a ride" to someone, but she's so polite and looks at him like all her dreams come true.

She says it's the best thing she's done in her life and all the hunters are very offended.

The hunters crushed CHB in Capture the Flag that visits. Revenge accomplished.

The best thing for Reyna and Thalia is to see how shiny and nice their kid is. She was so afraid and alone. Now she has the hunters and both camps. She's opening up, and it's more than they could have wished for her.

Yup. The hunters love their new "recruit".

A.N.

Yeah, I like this au. A lot. If you guys will like it I'd be glad to make more headcanons about this! All you need to do is let me know!

Wish you enjoyed this!

[dumbledearme]

chapter two—a safe place

read Child of Land and Sea here

Act I — Storm At Sea

Part II — Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one summer camp hold?

The gods existed. That's what they were trying to convince her of. The gods existed, they were out there watching over people. The gods were out there watching over people and yet none of them had lifted a finger to save Andy's mom. Sally was dead, gone, vaporized into smoke by a monster that couldn't be real. Andy's head was spinning and they just wouldn't stop talking about the damn gods!

Andy, her mother and Grover had been followed by an enormous beast, half bull half man. Sally had called it Pasiphae's son or whatever, but the only word going through Andy's mind had been Minotaur. Only they wouldn't let her say it out loud. Andy didn't know what to do, what to think. There was a mythical creature following them, trying to kill them, her best friend was a goat—okay, a satyr, as he patiently explained—and her mother seemed to find everything about that situation quite normal. Sally even admitted to have expected such an attack.

Then the bull-man grunted, pawing the ground and charged toward them. Andy could still feel the earth moving under her feet. She could still smell the rotten meat that exhaled from it. But the fear couldn't compare to the feeling of emptiness of when the monster grabbed her mother and turned her to dust.

Andy had lost her mind then. She had attacked the monster with all her might. And somehow, she had managed to destroy it.

After several days in some sort of coma, Andy woke up to find out that none of that had been a dream. It had all happened. Grover told her she was in Camp Half-Blood, a safe place, the place her father had wanted to send her to. The place Sally didn't want her to go to.

Grover took her to the Great House where Andy was introduced to none other than her former Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner, only now he was a centaur going by the name of Chiron.

As if that wasn't weird enough, Andy was forced to sit down for a game of pinochle with the camp's director, Mr. D, also known as Dionysus, son of Zeus, etc etc. Andy wanted to pass out to stop herself from hearing any more of their crazy-talk. They told her the gods existed, they kept repeating it, as if the more they said it the faster she would come to accept it. But Andy couldn't accept that, she found herself completely unable to. Too much craziness and not enough time to process it.

The god of wine apparently had been banished to care for Camp Half-Blood because of a wood nymph he hadn't been able to stay away from. Nothing new there. Boys will be (stupid) boys. His father had declared her off limits, but that wasn't enough to stop Dionysus who was now forced to stay here, forbidden to have a sip of wine.

Then they told her the gods of Olympus were now here in America. They gave her a perfectly good explanation that Andy barely heard. And after that, Chiron invited her for a tour which Andy thought was a terrible idea, since every single one of the other campers kept staring at her and whispering. Most of them were older than Andy and their satyr friends were bigger than Grover. They all wore the same orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt. Andy wasn't shy, but the way they stared made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Trying to take off the edge she was feeling, she asked Chiron about Grover.

"He has big dreams," Chiron told her. "Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill."

"But he did that."

"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate... ah... fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The Council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part."

"But... he'll get a second chance, won't he?"

Chiron winced. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Andy. The Council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, seven years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age..."

"How old is he?"

"Oh, twenty-eight."

"Whaaaat!"

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Andy."

"Oh, that's unfortunate."

"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyrs standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dreams. Perhaps now he will find some other career..."

"That isn't fair. What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"

Chiron looked away quickly and the matter was ended. He would not discuss it with Andy. It was none of her business.

Finally, Chiron showed Andy the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. Chiron explained that each of the cabins represented one of the twelve Olympian gods but Andy was more preoccupied in wondering why some of them looked empty. But before she could ask Chiron that, a blond boy came their way. He was tall, probably Andy's age, and very athletic looking. With his deep tan and his smooth yellow hair, he was exactly the type of guy who'd never glance at Andy twice. When he got closer, Andy saw that his eyes were gray, like storm clouds; pretty but extremely intimidating.

"This is Anthony," Chiron told Andy. "He nursed you back to health."

Andy tried to smile. "Hey."

The boy glared at her, obviously unimpressed with what he was seeing. "You drool when you sleep," he felt the need to inform her. Andy felt the need to slap him.

"Anthony," Chiron said, "I have master's archery class at noon. Would you take Andy from here?"

"Yes, sir," the boy said very politely, as if he was a fifty year old ambassador instead of a hot teenage boy. Andy shook her head.

"We'll be putting her in cabin eleven for now," added Chiron before leaving them.

Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular summer camp cabin and it was the most crowded one as well. There were boys and girls, more than there were beds, so there was sleeping bags spread all over the floor. Andy stood in the doorway, looking at the kids that stared at her in return.

"Well?" Anthony prompted. "Go on." So naturally, Andy tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of herself. Most of them laughed, but Anthony didn't seem to think it was funny at all. "Andy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" Somebody asked.

"Undetermined," he replied. Everyone groaned. A guy around Andy's age made his way through the crowd and if Andy had thought Anthony looked hot, it was nothing compared to this boy. He was much taller than everyone else, his muscles were impossible not to stare at and his short-cropped sandy hair went perfectly nicely with his charming smile. There was no other word to describe him but cool.

"Now, now, campers," he said, "that's what we're here for. Welcome, Andy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there." He stopped right beside Andy and she noticed two things about him she hadn't seen from the distance. He had a unsettling thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw—not that that made him any less hotter—and he wore a leather necklace with seven different-colored clay beads.

"This is Luke," Anthony said and this time his voice was full of pride. Andy wondered if she wasn't the only one charmed by the guy. "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" Andy asked, disappointed.

"You're undetermined," explained Luke. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all the newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

"How long will I be here?"

"Until you're determined," he said.

"How long will that take?"

The campers laughed.

"Come on," said Anthony. "I'll show you the rest."

"Oh I'm pretty sure I've seen everything," Andy told him, wishing to stay with the other hot dude. Anthony grabbed her wrist and dragged her outside. Andy could hear the others still laughing.

"You have to do better than that," he told her, when they were outside.

"Excuse me?"

He rolled his eyes. Again, Andy's hand itched to hit him. "I can't believe I thought you were the one."

"What is your problem?" she snapped. "I just got here. I have absolutely no idea what is going on. My mother's dead and I killed this bull guy and—"

"You know how many of us wish they'd had your chance?" he interrupted. "To fight the Minotaur? That's what we train for."

Andy still wanted to hit him, but she thought of something she hadn't figured before. "If... If that thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the one in the stories..."

"Yes?"

"Then there's only one."

"Your point being?"

"He died, like, a gazillion years ago. Theseus or some other guy killed him in the labyrinth."

"Monsters don't die. They can be killed, but they don't die."

"Oh, yes. That makes perfect sense. Why didn't I see it before?"

Anthony sighed. "They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they reform."

Andy thought about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean, if I killed one... With a sword...?"

"The Fur—Your math teacher. Yes, she's still out there. You just made her very angry."

"How do you know about that?"

"When you're not drooling all over yourself, you talk a lot in your sleep."

Andy chose to ignore that. "You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

"You shouldn't call them by name," he said nervously. "We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."

Andy scowled, "Is there anything we can say without it thundering? And why do I have to stay in cabin eleven? Why is everybody crowded there when there are several cabins empty?"

"You don't just choose a cabin. It depends on who your parents are. Or rather... parent."

"My mom is Sally Jackson," Andy heard herself say. "Or rather... was."

A shadow of sorrow crossed the boy's eyes. But only for a second. "I'm sorry about your mom, but that is not what I meant."

Andy shook her head. "I don't have... I never met him. I don't know who he is. He's probably dead."

"He's not dead."

"How do you know?"

"I know you. And you wouldn't be here if—"

"You don't know anything about me."

"No?" He raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. You were kicked out of most of them. Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

Andy tried to swallow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read. That's because your brain is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD—you're impulsive, can't sit still in class. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

"You sound like... like you went through the same thing?"

"All of us did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar?"

"What I've been feeding you. The food and drink of the gods. I would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand if you were a regular kid. Face it. You're a half-blood."

Suddenly Andy realized she had a million questions to ask. But they would have to wait for a husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!"

Andy looked over. A big girl, twice Andy's size, walked over to them with an evil sneer. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," said Anthony. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, you nerd," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

Anthony cursed her in ancient Greek. That would'd been weird enough if not for the fact that Andy understood him perfectly. "You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. "Now who's the little rat?"

Andy raised her head, though it made no difference, she was much shorter than the other girl.

"Andy Jackson," said Anthony, "meet Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares."

Andy blinked. "Like the war god?"

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Andy said, taking a step ahead. "It explains the smell."

Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, little rat. Come on, I'll show you."

"Clarisse—" Anthony tried to say.

"Stay out of it, geek." Anthony looked unsure, but he did stay out of it. Clarisse grabbed Andy by the neck and dragged her towards a cinder-block building—the bathroom.

Andy kicked and punched but the giant girl had hands like iron. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. Clarisse's friends were all laughing and Anthony stood on the corner, watching. Clarisse bent Andy over her knees and started pushing her head toward the toilet bowl. It reeked. Andy strained to keep her head up. She was decided not to go into that disgusting water. Then she felt a tug in the pit of her stomach. The plumbing rumbled, the pipes shuddered. Clarisse's grip on her hair loosened.

Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over her head, and the next thing she knew, Andy was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind her. The water hit her so hard she fell on her ass. She struggled, gasping, and ran after her friends out of there. The entire bathroom was flooded. Andy turned to find Anthony staring right at her with those stormy eyes. He seemed genuinely surprised.

Andy stood up, knees weak.

"How did you—"

"I don't know," she said, defensively.

Anthony simply stared. "I want you on my team for capture the flag," he said finally.

[latinopercy]

a long list of my fave lightning thief musical moments

before the play started they had fog in the air and the sound of thunder and crows playing over the speakers, it was so spooky, i walked into the theater and immediately fell in love (also they were selling orange chb t-shirts at the merch table!)

you’ve probably already seen pics of the set design but ancient greek columns sprayed w graffiti and covered in nyc scaffolding is the Ultimate PJO Aesthetic

sally calling percy “baby” :’) carrie compere’s sally was so good overall i loved her so much

mr. d’s song was so funny, george salazar really nailed him

luke going past percy while sword training and stopping to watch him go by when they met eyes uhhh.....

percy and grover’s hug when they see each other again, percy just ran to him and held him so tight i love them

luke annabeth and grover sitting together and joking in the background!! there were a lot of little interactions between characters when the focus wasnt on them that were so cute <3

percy making lightsaber noises with his sword when he first gets it before capture the flag

silena hyping clarisse up during “put you in your place”

grover crying about pan but trying to keep dancing during his part of the campfire song

percy at the campfire saying he can’t sing after he’s spent the entire first act singing, i love him

also the entire campfire song being abt how much everyone hates their parents and then percy standing up and being like “hi everyone, i love my mom”

percy climbing the scaffolding during “good kid” and hanging like he’s going to jump when he sings “all you get are bad grades and a bum rap and a bad rep and a good smack and no friends and no hope and no mom” chris made me cry real tears here oof

grover telling percy he’s coming w him on his quest and percy immediately going into Angry Protective Mode and grover jumping in before he can say anything w/ “don’t get mad!”

act 1 ending with this big triumphant song abt leaving on their quest but then the lights go dark and monster calls echo and groups of red eyes peak from the back of the stage and percy grabs for grover’s hand before the blackout 😭

"i don’t wanna die in the garden state!”

grover staring percy down for a good silent five seconds after percy responded to him talking to a squirrel w “this is nuts”

annabeth telling percy her mom turned medusa into a monster and chugging water halfway through her sentence so she doesn’t have to finish it

“that little squirrel came back and gave me these!” “three amtrak tickets?”

girl in braids and a floppy hat at the lotus hotel: why, my brother and i arrived just yesterday, may 1st, 1939!

thalia singing softly on the second level while luke and annabeth stand behind her with their hands held out, lit w green light, turning her into a tree while grover tells percy about being afraid he failed her, he was crying, i was crying

“it’s charon with an “a” as in AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

creators of this musical, apparently: well we dont have time to focus on them facing cerberus so now he’s a dj for a sequined charon who rocks the entire theater

“i think this pit is tartarus” “(gasping) YOU MEAN LIKE...........THE FISH SAUCE”

the toilet paper guns used for percy’s water powers being shot over the audience until the entire orchestra was completely covered in toilet paper

“well the gods aren’t always fair but we’re not total dicks”

jonathan raviv’s quick change from poseidon to chiron was really quick so he came out as chiron with his shirt unbuttoned in the deepest v saying “I GALLOPED HERE AS FAST AS I COULD” which was ridiculous and yet completely in character

percy and luke’s handshake! and luke telling percy what he thinks of the gods and going for the handshake and percy hesitantly doing it w him bc he agrees w/ the way luke feels before realizing that luke’s the lightning thief

luke has a dark reprise of “good kid” when he betrays percy and i !!!! SCREAMED!!!!

also the creators of this musical, apparently: well we cant have a poison scorpion on stage so how about luke just fuckin stabs percy in the back? hm?

the stage was a huge mess of confetti and toilet paper by the end which is truly the only way a percy jackson musical should end

please go see this if you have the chance it’s so funny and so good, it’s really an amazing adaption that gets the tone of the book so well and every actor captures their character(s) perfectly, they all clearly know the material and seem like they’re having so much fun onstage, i loved it so much!!!!