Percy Jackson

Nico got really quiet after that.

Apollo was what I expected him to be based on the rest of his siblings: egotistical and annoying, but he did it in a narcissistic way that made me want to punch him about five minutes into meeting him.

"Is anyone unable to fly?" The god asked us.

"I mean, I can, but your dad might blow us out of the sky." I warned the patron of Cabin 7. "He kind of... Wants me dead and told me to never enter his domain again, so..."

Flicking his wrist, Apollo pushed that matter aside.

"Pfft, Father would never cast me down from the heavens, much less the sky- I'm sure you'll be fine."

"My brother and I were also told we shouldn't ever fly if we don't have to," Bianca chimed in, which was... Interesting.

"By who?"

"By our Papa!" Nico answered. "He made us take a ship to America even though Mama wanted to fly. He said it wasn't safe and that we shouldn't fly if we don't have to because if his brother found out that we were in a plane, he'd get really mad and we might get in trouble."

"He said..."

Seeing the two gods make eye contact like the world might end with the next answer they recieve felt considerably bad.

Apollo knelt down to be closer to Nico's height, looking more stressed than a god should be.

"Do you know your Papa's name?" Apollo asked him.

"Ha..." Nico started, trying to pull at the memory of his father- a father that he knew. "um... Sorry, it's um..."

"Is it Hephaestus?" Artemis asked, sounding hopeful. "it's a hard name for some people."

Nico shook his head.

"No, not Hephaestus."

"Hermes? Hermes is a pretty cool guy, you'd be lucky to have him as your dad. Not as cool as me, but close." Apollo suggested.

Once again, Nico shook his head.

"Um, no, it was... Ha.... Ade." Nico settled on. "Papa's name was Ade."

"Ah-day? Ade?" Apollo questioned, because it did sound a little like a kid saying daddy, but cutting the first letter off. He looked up at Bianca. "was that his name?"

Bianca nodded her head.

"Sometimes he spelled it with an H for some reason, but we always heard Mom say Ade. A-D-E."

"And where were you guys at before you came to America?"

"Italy!" Nico answered with a bit of excitement. "We're from Venice, but we're here now because our mom died and we have to go to camp because it's apparently the safest place in the world for us."

"It... Oh, fuck me with a flute," Apollo said. "yeah, we need to get you to two to camp as soon as possible. Um..."

Apollo scanned the group, looking at me and Grover.

"Y- oh my gods, no wonder you can't fly, you must remind my father of his brother." Apollo said. "Ever teleported before, kid? You or your satyr friend?"

"Have I... I've used the pearls that you need to escape the Underworld." It was when I said that that Apollo seemed to realize who I was. "So has Grover and Annabeth."

It looked like he might pop a vein if he found out one more questionable thing.

"You... Are Percy Jackson, got it." But I definitely have a reputation based off of that reaction. "yeah, my father might blast me out of the sky if he senses you with me. Um, I'm glad you could see that I'm cool and that you don't have to stab my foot or my ankle or any part of my body. The Medusa thing was funny but also not cool, man- I had to de-stone like three people. It was really annoying."

"It was also really annoying having to go on a quest as a wanted federal fugitive to retrieve something that I didn't even know existed when I was accused of stealing it," I snapped back at Apollo. "What's that saying? An eye for an eye? You inconvenienced me, so I inconvenienced you."

Grover nudged me, his silent way of trying to tell me that maybe I shouldn't mouth off to an Olympian.

Maybe.

I usually take it as a first of three strikes.

The god took a step back.

"Fiesty, too, gods damn." He said. "No wonder Mr. D likes you. I'd watch that mouth of yours, though, kid- your satyr friend here has every right to be nervous if he's your protector or whatever. You say the wrong thing, one of us might just zap you and that can put your friend's job info jeopardy."

"It wouldn't just be his job," Thalia whispered behind us.

"But that being besides the point," the sun god carried on. "I'm sending you two with the two new kids. Tell Mr. D and Chiron it's a GP Emergency. I'll fly the rest of the crew in."

A... Great Prophecy Emergency?

Real creative.

"Okay, what do we-"

And then Grover and I were standing in the Big House with the di Angelo siblings.

Once I was standing, I started to feel the affect of getting transported in the way that gods often do when they leave in a flash of light- mostly, I was lightheaded.

"Mmmm, I didn't like that." Nico said, sitting down on the ground and pulling his knees in. "Please tell me we don't have to do it again."

"We don't have to, we're at camp." I promised the younger demigod. "Wh-"

"Where... Did one of you learn how to teleport while you were away?" Chiron asked as him and Mr. D walked in from the porch. "oh! And you have new recruits as well!"

Mr. D looked a little concerned. He did a head count.

"Did you trade Andrea and Tanya for these two?"

"Did we- no, Grandpa D." I told him with a sigh. "they'll be here in a bit with the Hunters of Artemis- Apollo is bringing them. He sent us because your dad would zap me out of the sky the moment he realized I was there."

I motioned to the other two.

"He also said that this was a GP Emergency," I told the camp director. "Which, if I'm not a complete dumbass, mind my language, means a great prophecy emergency, yeah?"

"That is the code we use for that, yes, though you really should watch your tongue around young children," Chiron confirmed for me. "Did he mean these new recruits are the emergency?"

I shrugged.

"Nico," I said. "Did your dad have a different name in English than he did in Italian?"

"Um... I think so? We didn't speak much English, but a lot of people talked to him in English."

"No, it's okay, I know all of the Italian names." Mr. D insisted. "Nick, was it? What's your dad's name?"

"Our father's name is Ade." Bianca answered, which naturally had Mr. D's attention for two reasons.

"I'm sorry, is your name Nick or Nate or Norm or whatever?" But I think it might kill him to just say the right fucking name. "No, it's not."

Mr. D redirected his attention to Nico.

"Is Ade your dad, too, Nick?"

Nico nodded his head, not correcting the god.

Standing up, the Camp director looked like he could punt Seymour across the lake right about now.

He would never do that because I think he loves Seymour, the mounted leopard head he found at a garage sale that is now somehow alive, more than he loves Gabe's dad or Gabe or me.

"Okay... Um, Chiron, dear."

"I am half horse, Mr. D, not deer. We've talked about this before."

Dionysus gave him a warning look.

"Please get our two new recruits set up with the orientation film." The god said through gritted teeth. "and when they're done, you can give them a tour while you're at it. I'll tell the Stoll brothers to expect two new campers."

"Sir, I'm a Hunter of Artemis," Bianca informed Mr. D. "I believe I'm meant to stay in the cabin reserved for Lady Artemis."

He exhaled.

"I'll tell the Stoll brothers to expect one new camper." He corrected himself. "It's late, so you might want to hurry."

"Yes, yes, Mr. D, I'm going." Chiron insisted, wheeling himself into the Big House fully. "Come, children, there's lots to learn about. We're going to watch a film together."

"A film? Does it have sound?" Nico asked, his energy starting to come back as Chiron's ushered them into the conference room, shutting the door behind him.

"Does... What kind of question is that?" Mr. D asked as he took a seat on the armchair near the fireplace (and Seymour), motioning for the two of us to sit in the couch across from him. He summoned a few Diet Coke's and regular Coke's.

"A less weird one than you would think," I promised him. "those two were in the Lotus Casino for a while- I met them briefly when we were there. When we met, Nico asked me if I had a new years resolution for the year 1940, so... They're here now, but I don't think they're caught up on everything yet."

Mr. D took a sip of Diet Coke, contemplating.

"I see." He said, which is unfair because I didn't see. "So, Grover, tell me: how do always manage to find children of the Big Three? I'm a little afraid to send you on another job in case you somehow find more."

"Wh... Big Three?" And while I know what he was referencing, I think Grover and I were both really hoping that the idea in the back of our minds was just far from the truth.

Slowly, he nodded his head.

"Ade is what they call Hades in Italy- the H is too hard for them to say, so they shortened it." But he confirmed what might be my worst fucking nightmare, in all honesty. "However, if they went into the casino in 1939 and were born... In what? 1929? 1927? Then Hades didn't break the oath. It still creates the potential issue of both of them being younger than 16, though. Or, I guess of one of them being younger and also aging. How old is he?"

"10." Grover answered. "I think he'll be 11 soon, though. He was talking about this restaurant that he wanted to go to for his birthday not that long ago."

"So quite a bit younger," the god figured, tapping his can. "Well, as of now, the prophecy will still revolve around your birthday, Percy, but it's good to know that if anything happens, we're not in the clear. Thank gods the kids knew their dad."

"Wh... Why are you saying thank gods?"

He shrugged.

"Old Death Breath has never been good about claiming his kids- mostly because it can cause problems with his wife because they refuse to just be in an open relationship." He insisted. "It's the reason he doesn't have a cabin- he also doesn't have a regular throne but... That's an ongoing argument with Chiron."

I raised an eyebrow.

"To give Hades a throne?"

He rolled his eyes.

"No, Percy, a cabin." The wine god clarified, sounding like he needed a drink when he said it. "what do you teach you in school, kid?"

I shrugged.

"I don't know, it's been a few weeks since I've been."

"What do you mean you haven't been to school?"

I put up a finger, not wanting to have this conversation with more than one person at a time.

"That's a check in session question," I told the camp director.

"Which we will have tomorrow morning, if you're still here after breakfast." He informed me. "If you wake up for breakfast. I'll go see how the two little Dr. Who's are doing with Chiron- you two can go do whatever gross stuff you want to do, but tell Travis and Connor about the two of them on your way there."

Do I really have to talk with Travis?

"I thought you said you were going to talk to him."

"Yeah, but it's easier if you guys do it- talk to your peers. Make friends. Maybe you'd be less depressed if you had more friends."

"Okay, I think we should go stop by cabin 11 before getting ready for bed." Grover said, not giving me a chance to argue with the god about the fact that Connor and Travis were two demigods that I was friendly with, once upon a time. "Let us know if you guys need any help with Bianca or Nico."

Insisting that, with the Hunters visiting, there was sure to be a meeting tomorrow, the camp director dismissed us and walked towards the conference room.

The walk to the cabins wasn't long, but I did take a moment to collect myself outside of Cabin 11.

It felt weird to approach the cabin with Grover.

"You okay?" Grover said.

I nodded my head.

"It's been a while." I said, a soft reminder that Travis and I have a complicated history. "Let's just get this over with."

Knocking on the plain door of cabin 11, I heard a series of people yell out that it was open, unlocked, or that I could come right in.

Hesitant, considering this was the Hermes cabin, I opened the door.

"Hey, are either of the Stolls in here?" I asked, instantly noticing a handful of kids either roll their eyes or groan when they saw me. Connor being one of them.

"Yeah, we're both here," Connor told me in a harsh tone. Following the sound of his voice, I saw Connor and his brother sitting with Julia and another sibling I didn't know that well. They were playing some sort of card game. "What do you want? Travis isn't giving you another chance, if that's what you want to know."

Travis, with nothing to add on, was just looking down.

"I'm not... I have a boyfriend, Connor," I reminded the son of Hermes. "who is able to hear you. Please don't... I'm here because Mr. D sent both of us, not because I miss sharing a bunk with you."

"He sent you?" Travis piped in, finally looking up, seeming anxious. "Why? Is everything okay? What are you doing at camp in December? Are both of you okay?"

I smiled, touched by the fact that he asked about both Grover and I.

Connor didn't seem as pleased, nudging his brother with a stern expression on his face.

"Oh, I just went with Annabeth and Thalia to help Grover with a recruit job," I reassured my sort of ex. "It went pretty good- everyone's alive. Mr. D is just too lazy to walk from the Big House to here, so he sent us to tell you guys that you have a new kid who will be here in a little bit- 10 year old kid named Nico di Angelo. He's really into Mythomagic and his sister will be in cabin 8. He is... A very curious person."

"That's it?" Connor asked. "We could've figured that out when Chiron dropped the kid off. In case you don't remember, he did that with you because he does it with every new recruit. We don't need extra priming- we know how to do our jobs, Jackson, because some of us actually have siblings to look after and responsibilities to take care of as counselors."

And, while I appreciated Julia kicking her brother and Travis whispering something I couldn't hear, it's not like I had it in me to fight with Connor without possibly giving into bad habits and hurting myself immediately after.

"You know you could stand to be a little nicer to him."

Taking a step forward, my boyfriend looked like he could punch Connor Still, such surprised me.

I know that Grover cares about me, but his love is usually a quiet love. Always offering to hold my hand and to cuddle when I'm having a bad day that I'm not ready to talk about yet. Reminding me after confrontations like this happen (without him suddenly stepping in like now) that Connor doesn't know what he's talking about, or that I shouldn't let him get to me because Grover knows me, not Connor. And he still loves me and wants me to know that I'm loved.

It's only natural that his love is often quieter- as determined as he is, my boyfriend is soft in every good way and is also very anxious, like me. Lately, he's gotten better at managing it, but he gets worried quite a bit.

So for him to step in and defend me was new.

Mostly because it didn't need to happen before, but still. It was new. It surprised me.

Connor raised an eyebrow at my boyfriend.

"You talking to me, Underwood?"

"Well, duh, who else? The wall?" But sometimes my attitude can rub off on him, which made me smile. I noticed Julia and Travis smile at the comment as well. "it's been six months since Percy and Travis fell out, Connor, and from everything I've heard, it had absolutely nothing to do with you, so you can drop the attitude. We came here so you wouldn't be scrambling to get this new kid a sleeping bag. Because Mr. D told us to. It's people like you that make me realize why so many kids at camp request to see a therapist every year. Being quiet costs you nothing- grow up and learn how to be civil."

Connor put his cards down.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He said, not sorry whatsoever. "does goat boy wanna go? Now that you have a big, strong boyfriend, you think you can have a big mouth? How's he going to keep you safe, huh? He can't even take a hit."

Closing my eyes, I tried to stay calm.

Please don't fight please don't fight please don't fight.

I knew this was a bad idea.

I should've just let Grover talk. It would've been so much easier if he talked to them while I went and got ready for bed.

"No, I don't, because I don't think it would solve anything." Grover said, thank the gods. This is why he's my boyfriend. "I just think that you've been really mean to a lot of people ever since you became counselor, and so I called it out because it was uncalled for. I don't like confrontation, but somebody had to do it. Now, if you don't mind, my boyfriend and I are going to go get ready to relax and go to bed. Have a good night, Connor- I hope you're kinder to Nico tonight."

Taking my hand for the first time since walking into the Hermes cabin, Grover guided us out of the tension, his shoulders dropping as soon as we got to the bottom of the steps outside.

"Sorry, I wasn't meaning to start anything with Connor, he just... He's so mean to you." Grover apologized, sensing my anxiety. "why didn't you say anything back to him? You're usually so quick to things like that."

I shrugged, the late night phenomenon of me feeling like shit starting to settle in, just like it does every other night when I'm starting to get ready for bed.

"I just... I don't know, I didn't trust myself to fight with him." I insisted as we turned to make our way towards his little cabin. "It would probably just make me feel like shit and it'd probably make Travis feel guilty or awkward and you'd feel awkward and I just... Don't want to know what Connor really thinks of me. Or why. I'd much rather just get in, get out, and try not to think about it while I get ready for bed."

"Yeah? That's fair," my boyfriend figured, squeezing my hand as we walked inside his place. Stopping in his living room, Grover looked at me intently. "Are you doing okay? It felt like you were okay earlier tonight, but it's been slowly going down from there. From what I can sense, that is."

I sighed, trying to keep my mind off of what Mr. D and Connor said tonight, but struggling to because my brain wants me to die before the expiration date it was explicitly given.

"N... No." I settled on, feeling myself tense up. "I'm not, um... Doing great. Which has been normal. Especially at... At night. Um..."

I felt my nails, which were just starting to grow back thanks to the fact that the people at the hospital made me cut them short, scratch against my upper arm.

Nobody else will ever love you.

I closed my eyes, pursing my lips together as a wave of guilt washes over me and I want to cry but I also don't want to cry and it's hard to decide which I should do.

"I'm sorry..." I apologized to my boyfriend, who noticed the scratching before it could draw any blood.
Placing one hand on the hand that had taken to scratch. Feeling a tear escape, Grover was quick to wipe it away for me, cupping my face with his other band. "We haven't... We haven't gotten to speak in like 20 days and I should be happy right now because we get to hang out for the first time in almost three weeks, but instead I'm just..."

"Shh, hey, don't apologize for what you're feeling right now," Grover said, slipping back into the quiet, gentle love that I was used to and that I desperately needed. He placed a kiss on my forehead. "it's good to feel it, but I don't want you to hurt yourself because of it. Would a hug help? Or would it feel like you're suffocating?"

Putting my arms out, Grover took that as a sign that I wanted a hug (which was correct).

Burying my head carefully between his horns, I tried to focus on how he always managed to spell of pine and strawberries, even in the dead of winter. Feeling his arms around me, I tried to memorize how it felt to have him hug me.

"We'll get through it, okay?" Grover whispered to me. "I'm going to help you get through it, and it'll be okay. And when it's not okay, we'll figure it out again. Do you know why?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you deserve happiness," my boyfriend reminded me. "But at the very least, you deserve to feel okay."

He paused.

"Also," he added, moving his arms to settle around my waist, looking up at me, causing me to move my head and rest my forehead against his. "And maybe the most important reason: because I love you."

He placed a kiss on the corner of my mouth.

"Come on," my boyfriend told me. "Let's lay down and if you're ready to talk about what happened these last three weeks, you can, and if you're not, we can just relax and talk about anything and everything else."

I nodded my head, but then quickly realized something.

"Wait," I said, giving Grover a kiss on the top of his head. "I love you, too."

He smiled.

"I know."