William

The next day at lunch there were quite a few people at the table. It was Grover, Percy, Thalia Grace, Clarisse La Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Nico Di Angelo, and Will Solace. I knew Clarisse and Chris were dating. I didn't say anything about Percy and I because I had no idea how they'd take the whole gay thing. It's my second day here, so.

"I'll be right back," Will told us and stood up and what I didn't expect:

He gave Nico a kiss on the cheek and Nico just rolled his eyes at it. Nobody made a remark about it. Nobody said anything about it. Like it was totally normal.

"You look lost." Thalia told me. "Have you never seen a gay couple before?"

"I've seen plenty, I've never seen one not been made fun of." I explained.

"You're somewhere with people who are half animal and are trained to fight war and survive hell." Clarisse told me. "Gays are the least of everyone's problems. The only discriminating you're gonna get is if you can't fight. You could literally walk in here with the most messed up person that died 30 years ago and it's their spirit and people literally wouldn't care."

"That's mainly because if somebody spoke against anything like that they'd be put in the infirmary." Percy commented. "I mean, Malcolm was last fall."

Afterwards I got armor and a really cool sword and then headed back to the cabin. Where my mother sent an IM.

"Your cat won't shut up," my mother told me as I sat in the main area, by the fountain. "Please talk to it so it will."

Jack found me and came right up to the message trying to come to me.

"You can come through the message, Jack." I tell him. "I'm not home, I'm going to be gone this summer, but I'll be home in August, okay?"

Percy walked in and heard me talking so he didn't say anything, figuring it was my parents or something.

He did shut up, though. Jack did.

"Thank you." My mother said and I didn't realize she could see Percy getting something from the fridge. I don't think Percy did, either. "Who is that behind you?"

Percy look over at the message. Knowing she meant him.

"Oh. Hi Mrs. Patterson."

My mother had figured out my crush on Percy before I had and was the one who convinced me to ask him out. She was our biggest shipper ever. She loved Percy. My dad... Not so much.

"Percy, is that you?" She asked. "Where in the hell have you been?"

"You don't want that story, just know I'm back now."

Grover

Percy goes to swordfighting, William went to the armory, and a few others left before them.

Literally the first thing that was said once both of them were out of earshot.

"They need to date." Came out of Clarisse's mouth as Will rejoined us.

"Who does?" The son of Apollo asked, sitting down next to his boyfriend.

"Percy and William." Thalia agreed. "Because honestly it would be the best thing to ever happen to Percy."

"I don't think Percy goes for guys, though." Chris retorted.

"Percy's gay." I correct Clarisse's boyfriend. "The whole Annabeth thing... He tried so hard to break up with her. So many times. But you know Annabeth. She's stubborn."

"If I would've known this 3 years ago." Nico remarked.

"You wouldn't have had a chance." I tell the son of Hades," trust me. He had met some dude at open house and would not shut up about him for a week that summer. If Annabeth would've heard, She probably would've killed the dude in jealousy. I don't remember his name, though."

I head over to the practice area where Percy was and once he was done we talked for a little bit.

"What's up?" Percy asked me, downing half of his water bottle.

"Not much," I told my best friend as we started walking," just figured I had to head out to the Strawberry Fields. This was on the way."

"And that's all?" That seemed to surprise him.

"You know me to goddamn well," I remarked," I was going to ask how it was last night, having somebody else in the cabin."

He shrugged.

"It was fine, I mean I've had Tyson there, Grover. It's not I've never had to do it before. You act like it's the biggest thing ever."

"Percy," I told my best friend, " you were staring at him for almost 5 minutes at breakfast today. I know you weren't zoning out."

"So?"

"So ask the guy out." I further elaborate. "What could go wrong?"

"He would look at me like I'm a dumbass."

"How do you know that?"

"Remember the guy, way back before the Battle of the Labyrinth, that summer, when I met that dude at Open House or whatever and wouldn't shut up about him and you almost punched me by the end of that week because of it?"

"Yeah, why?"

"They're the same dude, Grover." Percy told me. "Do you remember what I told you that following winter?"

"Not at all."

"That we were dating." My best friend explained to me. "Going to... Formal I think it was together. We never broke up. There was reasons I said no to Annabeth. She didn't listen. But I said no. Because I was already in a relationship. Now guaranteed we lost contact after I went missing but we figured it out. So yeah. Pretty sure if I asked him out he'd ask if I had amnesia or something."

The summer goes on and whatever. They never really said anything that they were dating. And apparently everyone at the table aside me was clueless to their actual relationship being a thing.

His 18th birthday. His last day here considering he an interview for the art school tomorrow. The school is in the UK but they have a rep here, so. He presented his portfolio and what not in July.

We had this huge as all hell 18 layered blue cake that everyone was getting for breakfast instead if breakfast, it was decided and approved by Chiron last night.

We wheel it into his cabin and in his room. With confetti shots and like 5 cans of silly string and nobody noticed he wasn't alone in his room. Sleeping. Even I didn't. But we had kazoos and those streamer things, too.

I had visited last night, made sure his alarm was off.

"H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y !" We all screamed as we covered him in glitter, confetti, streamer, and silly string.

When two heads shot up and not just one...

Everyone had a heart attack basically.

But yes. It was hilarious.

They both went and changed into actual clothes and the bickering started.

"You didn't tell us!" Clarisse insisted.

"You and Chris said nothing for a year!" Percy retorted.

"We told everyone right away, whatever."

"I saw you guys by that campfire after the battle, don't lie to me."

"How did you find us?"

"Mr. D."

So we get to the pavilion and everyone had cake and it's customary on somebody's birthday, if they're in a relationship, that all couples at lunch line up and do the Pocky Game. And if you're not in a relationship, find somebody and do it. Winners continue on with winners, losers go with losers until only two remain and the ultimate winner of camp gets a full year supply of Pocky.

Its great.

Well, they weren't very public about their relationship, so when Thalia grabbed the Pocky bowl, which is a 20 gallon bowl, mind you, everyone was massively confused.

"Why is she taking out Pocky?" I heard Rachel Elizabeth Dare ask. "Percy and Annabeth broke up."

"Alright, you all know the drill!" Thalia said," find somebody and grab a piece of Pocky. Winners to the right. Losers to the left. If it's a tie, you're done! After round three, losers are out. Birthday boy automatically gets a years worth of Pocky win lose or draw."

Everyone grabs a piece and the game begins.

The final four resulted in:

Losers: Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Thalia Grace (Thalia won)

Winners: Apollo, Paolo and they came to a draw.

Yes. Apollo and Paolo kissed.

So Thalia reigned supreme.

After lunch everyone left that were to leave for the school year, leaving just the year round campers.

Percy

As we waited for a ride, William talking with Leo, I was talking with Nico.

"Hey," I said, walking over to the son of Hades. We didn't really talk much this summer. Which I guess I sort of regretted. After last summer we just stopped talking, really. Lunch, but even then it was almost never that we actually talked to each other.

"Hey," Nico said, leaning against Thalia's Tree," so you're off to college now I hear?"

"If they accept me," I agreed," I'm interviewed for it tomorrow. Hopefully I can get it, but with my record? Its not pretty."

"Where would you go?" He sounded like he actually cared.

"Royal College of Art."

"Where is it?" Again, sounding like he actually cared.

"Europe," I answered for him," the UK. NYU and CalArts already sort of turned me down, so. If I'm not accepted, I might come back for another summer, but I don't know."

"You make it sound like you're leaving for good."

Gods, he sounded just like me when I was new here. When I was even his age. It... Almost the same fucking line, too.

"I don't know yet," I was honest with him, and that seemed to maybe offend him," I've been here longer than you, Nico. Trust me, there was a time I couldn't imagine not being here. But now... Like I said, I don't know. William will be back next summer, for sure. If I come back with him, we'll figure it out."

The one thing I asked Luke:

"Why, though?"

I gave him a reassuring smile. I know his spot. I know it sucks. I hate to put him through it, but the sooner the better.

"I've had my run, Nico," I told him," its time for a new hero. A new pawn of Olympus. Just please, don't be stupid. Don't make the same mistakes I did, you can still fix and turn yourself around, especially if you have Will there to help you. He cares about you, Nico, as much as you may doubt it."

"Yeah, I..." The son of Hades told me," what mistakes? You were just fine, Percy. You didn't mess up, not too badly, anyways. But everyone did somewhat."

I looked down, tears escaping. The one thing I didn't want to think about. The one thing I didn't want asked.

"I know that," I explain to the Ghost King," from everyone else's views, I did wonderful over the years."

"So why wouldn't you think that?" That didn't make sense to him. Not at all.

"I showed up when I was twelve," I hadn't ever told anyone else about these stories, about what was going on in my mind when I was here," Grover showed up and Me, him, and my mom were chased down by the Minotaur and it captured my Mom and I thought she was dead, I woke up two days later and I wasn't as easy to believe as you had been, Nico. I refused to believe. My history teacher from middle school was half horse, my oldest and only friend a goat. A dead beat dad I wanted nothing to with a god, and my mom gone. The one thing I remember from that quest was meeting my dad and right in front of me he called me a wrongdoing, just some stupid mistake. He told me he was sorry I had ever been born. He never realized how bad that hurt to hear... When we were in St. Louis my first summer and that Chimera had attacked... I took the chance of jumping off that arch and I thought it would've killed me. When it didn't, I wish it would've. I put everything and everyone before I ever considered myself because I thought one single thought about me was selfish. I never thought of myself as a hero, as of worthy. And I still don't. I think of how I could've saved so many people and prevented so many things if I could've —

"Hey, don't say that," Nico cut me off of my rant where I was," Percy, you couldn't have stopped anything. Everything that happened, it happened for a reason and we wouldn't be here if it didn't happen. Even Bianca's death... There was nothing you could've done about that, Percy. I know I gave you a hard time about it, but it couldn't have been stopped. It was her choice. And hey, at least she can still try for rebirth. And if she doesn't get it, there's always Elysium. She can be with our Mom again, I don't think she'd want it any other way. Same goes for Beckendorf and Silena and everyone else that died, okay? Nothing was your fault, Percy. Everyone dies eventually. They were heroes. Maybe it wasn't the ending they deserved, but it's one they chose. And hey, we'll get Meg back, and as soon we do you'll be first to know. She won't be number one on the list to betray us. Not yet."

"No. She'd be number 3."

"3?"

"Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis," I told him," Luke Castellan, the son of Hermes. Ethan was 13 when he died, Luke was 23. All they wanted was to be treated fairly. Like they mattered. Ethan is the only reason we have more than 12 cabins. Luke is only reason I'm still here."

"You were the one that demanded more thrones and cabins." Nico told me.

"Because it was Ethan's dying wish." I explained, calmed down. "He just wanted to belong somewhere for once in his life, and I don't blame him. I felt the same way when I was 13."

"You belonged here."

I look at him like he just told a joke.

"When I was claimed people stayed as distant as they could from me," I tell the son of Hades," it wasn't as easily accepted as most people who come here would think. Even Annabeth was distant from me for the longest time. The only person who didn't seem to care was Luke. I was the freak of camp. How you thought if yourself for a few years. But people were pretty open about it to me. I'd walk across camp and everyone fell silent when I did and they always whispered something or another like I was a curse or something. When I went on that quest its the only reason they were glad I was there. To stop WWIII from breaking loose. The next summer, same story. I wasn't the son of Poseidon, I was the outcasted demigod who just wanted attention and now I had a freak brother with one eye, they never let that live down. I'm surprised they never did it after that winter. I mean, they did, just not as confronted as before. Because everywhere I go, I'm either that stupid idiot that can't read or the dude you don't want to know because he scares everyone. I know I terrify Leo and Hazel and Frank and Piper. Jason, not so much. But he's a child of Jupiter. I've scared gods and titans, I've mortified myself. When I first had a crush on a guy and didn't know it wasn't a normal thing... I learned that quick."

"The dude turned you down?"

"My ex-ass figured it out and beat the shit out of me, told me if I ever had a thought like that again he'd put a round in my head. It was one of our guy secrets. Meaning if I ever told my mother. He'd punch out my lights."

"Ex-ass?"

"Ex- stepfather." I clarified. "The guy my Mom married so I wouldn't have to go to camp so early. He reeked. He collected paychecks and spent them on beer and cigars and took my money to gamble when I'd be home for the summers or when I'd be home from the holidays if I was at boarding school that year. He's the reason, that's and my dad walking out, my deoression started. That and school. But he died. I told my mom we had Medusa's Head, if he ever dared touch her, she got rid of him. But as long as he'd be there I couldn't go home. I would kill him if I had. I almost did when I was home for ten minutes."

"What did he do to you and your mom?" This blew his mind I hated somebody so passionately.

"He hit my mom," I told him," abused her. I didn't realize it until the end, but he did. I saw it happen once. Suddenly it made a lot of sense why she never left him. As of me, I was of an it than a person to him. Imagine Mr. D. A Mr. D that's lazy, drinks, smokes, Gambles, and knows he can do anything to you without consequence because you'd never do anything about it."

The look on Nico's face was terror.

"That was him." I told Nico. "World Class Jerk. That's why I've never been fond of Mr. D. He reminds me of him to much. Trust me. Me and Mr. D didn't get along what so ever when I arrived. I managed to make enemies with Ares my first summer, and the whole Area cabin. Almost your dad, too. He almost killed me for being a smart ass, which I would've killed me, too. Not like suicidal kill me, but if I had been Hades, I would've smite me. and Zeus wasn't happy to hear about Kronos. He closed the topic right away and when Luke left... I imagine he wasn't happy hearing it was for Kronos."

It thundered above.

"Do you have a death wish?" Nico asked me. "Speaking about Zeus that way?"

"I don't even care anymore." I was honest. "He hasn't killed me yet."

"And I thought I had an bad mood towards the gods." Nico remarked. "What did they do to you?"

"Everything." I answer his question," Zeus blamed me for stealing his Master Bolt before I even knew this place existed, my father has pawned me multiple times, Ares framed me for stealing the bolt, Athena just hates me, I don't know what I did to her aside befriend her daughter, Hera um, wiped my memory and placed me on the other side of the country. To us, were not kids. We're pawns. We're useless humans that just die to them. We don't matter. But they wonder why Luke leaves and why we get mad that they're not around. Annabeth told me my first summer here. I asked why people aren't always claimed and she told me the gods are busy. They don't always have time for us. They ignore us. I didn't wait for 12 years to be ignored by a man who dares to call himself my father like he deserves it."