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Nicercy || PJatO || Medusally || The Children of Medusa || Medusally || PJatO || Nicercy

Title: The Champion of Hades and the Children of Medusa – Home at Aunt Em's

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Tags: f/f, m/m, show canon divergence (s1), fluff, adoption, falling in love, hurt/comfort, m/f

Main Pairing: Medusa/Sally & Nico/Percy (pre-relationship)

Side Pairings: Bianca/Annabeth (pre-relationship), Hadephone

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo, Annabeth Chase, Sally Jackson, Grover Underwood, Tyson, Rachel Elizabeth Dare

Mythological Characters: Hades, Persephone, Medusa, Poseidon, Zerberus

Summary: Percy put his trust in Medusa, giving her a chance instead of perceiving her as the monster others did. She rewards that trust with her help. When Hades offers Percy sanctuary and Percy declines it, instead taking the quest to retrieve his helmet. During the quest, Percy gets Hades’ children out of the Lotus Hotel and brings them to Medusa, for safe-keeping. And when Sally finally leaves Gabe, with no place to go, Percy suggests that they could also stay with Medusa.

The Champion of Hades and the Children of Medusa

Home at Aunt Em's

Chapter 1: We All Choose Who We Make Our Monster

Percy's mom used to tell him all the stories from Greek mythology when he was small. He'd never thought much about it until he was running from the Minotaur and found himself in a camp full of demigods. Among those stories was the one of Medusa. Only that Sally had always focused on what had been done to Medusa, than what Medusa had done in return.

So when Grover, Annabeth and Percy ran into Medusa during their quest for the Master Bolt, his gut-instinct was to trust her. Besides, what was the other option? In front of them stood Medusa, behind them stood Alecto. And Medusa was offering them sanctuary; the fury was not going to dare and attack them while on Medusa's territory. So the three headed inside with her.

"These burgers are really good, uh, ma'am," Grover spoke around a mouthful.

He wasn't wrong. Medusa had decked out so much food, and it tasted so good. The only one not eating was Annabeth, who kept side-eyeing Medusa. It was a surprise that she had even just walked in with them, considering how set she was on the fact that Medusa was a monster.

"So you're not a monster. What are you then?" Percy asked softly.

She regarded him like she was pleased he would even bother asking. "A survivor."

"You must be a little more than that," Percy argued while preparing his food. "There's a Fury out there that seems terrified of you."

"Because she knows what I think of her," Medusa turned her back on them. "I don't like bullies. When one shows up on my doorstep, they end up spending a lot more time there than they planned for. The gift the gods gave me is that I cannot be bullied anymore."

"What my mother did to you wasn't a gift," Annabeth argued with a frown. "It was a curse."

Medusa scrutinized Annabeth. "You are loyal to your mother."

"Yes," Annabeth glared stubbornly.

"You stand by her."

Defiance shone in Annabeth's eyes. "Always."

"You love her?"

"Of course I do."

Percy watched the back and forth and watched how Medusa leaned back in her chair some. "So did I. Do you know the story of how I came to be this way?"

Grover was the one to speak up. "I do."

"Do you?" Medusa asked.

The three kids paused and exchanged looks, Grover growing more unsure. "...Do I?"

Medusa leaned back some, her voice soft. "Athena was everything to me. I worshiped her, I prayed to her, I made offerings… She never answered. Not even an omen to suggest she appreciated my love. I wasn't like you, sweetheart. I was you."

Annabeth flinched away ever so slightly, and Medusa continued. "I would have worshiped her that way for a lifetime. In silence. But then one day, another god came and he broke that silence."

She looked straight at Percy, and even through the veil she was wearing to prevent herself from turning anyone to stone, her gaze felt heavy on him. "Your father. The Sea God told me that he loved me. I felt as though he saw me in a way I had never felt seen before. But then Athena declared that I had embarrassed her and I needed to be punished. Not him. Me."

The gentleness, the revered tone to her voice as she had spoken of her love for Athena and the love of Poseidon, was gone, the smile on her lips had melted into an expression of disappointment and maybe frustration. This all had happened so long ago but the look on her face made it seem as though it had only just happened recently. The pain was still there like it had never healed.

"She decided that I would never be seen again by anyone who would live to tell the tale."

"This isn't what happened," Annabeth spoke with conviction, as though she had been there – as though she knew better what had happened to Medusa than Medusa. "My mother is just, always."

Percy's brows furrowed as he looked at Annabeth, looked at the despair on her face. Because Annabeth wanted – needed – to believe that her mother wasn't the bad guy in the story. Slowly, Percy turned his head to instead look at Medusa. Look for her reaction.

"The gods want you to believe that, that they are infallible. But they only want what all bullies want. They want us to blame ourselves for their own shortcomings."

Percy swallowed hard as her words resonated with every single interaction with anything godly he had had since all of this had started. All his life, his father hadn't bothered to claim him, to speak to him, to care. Only when Poseidon needed him to go retrieve the Master Bolt, to clear Poseidon's name, did he claim Percy. Dionysus had seen a boy who'd just lost his mother, who was lost and confused and alone, and played a prank on Percy, pretended to be Percy's dad just for his own gain. He was just a child – him and Annabeth both were – but here they were, risking their lives because of the whims of the gods. How was that different than the bullies who pushed him around.

"That is not what happened," Annabeth took a step forward, glaring. "And you are a liar."

Well, that was going spectacularly well. They were in Medusa's house and she kept antagonizing their host, who was currently granting them sanctuary, who could, if she wanted, turn them to stone with one look. She might be clever, but she sucked at diplomacy. Percy turned toward Medusa, watching her reaction carefully. Watching to see if they needed to defend themselves after all. What little of her smile had been left was gone now as she regarded Annabeth with something close to a sneer but closer to acceptance. She looked resigned. Like she knew arguing with a daughter of Athena was a pointless task, like this was the outcome she had expected – but still had hoped for a different one. She heaved a sigh and turned her head toward the kitchen.

"Something's burning," Medusa got up from the table and walked away. "Would you give me a hand in the kitchen? I think lunch is ready."

Percy instinctively knew she had spoken to him and he got up with little reluctance. He couldn't believe her to have ill intentions toward them. Otherwise, they would already be statues. Now she left the room and they could just run away, if they wanted to. Still, Percy turned toward Annabeth, looking at her, and she shook her head. Untrusting. Unbelieving. Percy stood and followed Medusa.

"She's not usually like that," was the first thing Percy said when he entered the kitchen, pausing for a moment as he amended the truth. "I mean, a little bit, she is, but that was… a lot."

Having the need to apologize for Annabeth, try to explain her behavior. Because deep down, he just knew Medusa wasn't wrong. If for no other reason, because it was her story. And Percy, he knew what it felt like to not be believed. All his life, people didn't believe him, told him that things he knew had happened in a certain way hadn't actually been that way. There were no winged horses there, he was just seeing things. What happened hadn't really happened. But… it had. And it hurt not to be believed, it hurt to have other people think they knew his experiences better than him.

/break\

The son of Poseidon was sweet. Naive, maybe. But not in a dumb way. In a way that spoke of deep belief in others. Wanting to see the best in everyone. A quality Medusa found herself yearning for.

"You need to be careful," Medusa spoke softly, her back to him.

"Annabeth is just very, uh, opinionated-"

"Not her," Medusa interrupted him. "The gods. You are… kind. They use kindness. Until none is left and until you have given everything for them and there will be nothing left of you."

She turned around to face him, the casserole in her hands. He looked confused, but there was a spark of recognition. Surely the child sent onto a life-threatening quest was aware enough to understand this risk, and understand that the gods had put him into harm's way.

When these three children had arrived at her doorstep, she had to admit she first thought they would make a wonderful addition to her statue garden. A son of Poseidon and a daughter of Athena, how befitting for her. But then this boy looked at her with his eyes of ocean and innocence and put his trust into her, in a way nobody had in centuries. Even before she had been able to speak any truths, he had convinced his friends to enter her house. Because his mother had told him Medusa's story. In a way that made this child look at her not as a monster. It left Medusa intrigued about the boy's mother, what kind of gentle soul she was.

He had listened to her. Had listened to her story. Had not doubted her. Now, his little companion, the loud-mouthed daughter of Athena, Medusa would have easily turned to stone if she had come here alone. But she had come and brought the boy, the son of… No, Poseidon didn't deserve it.

"What is your mother's name?" Medusa asked.

"Sally," Percy perked up, eyes shining with love and pride. "Sally Jackson. Uh, I'm Percy."

A soft smile played on her lips. "Percy, son of Sally Jackson. Come, dinner will get cold."

The child perked up even more when she called him the son of Sally Jackson. He loved his mother dearly. And though Medusa didn't know the woman, judging by the values she had taught her son, the kindness, mercy and the ability to listen first before acting, Medusa thought this love was earned and well-placed. Percy shook himself out of it and grabbed something else to carry over to the dining room, where the little satyr was still happily munching and the little daughter of Athena was still grumpily glaring. She was entirely coasting on the good will Percy had gained, truly.

"Eat, you all have a very long journey ahead of you," Medusa urged them.

Percy sat down again and him and his satyr friend were quick and eager to dive in like starved children. The only noises were chewing and the occasional compliment from Percy and – Grover, the satyr's name was. Medusa smiled to herself as she watched the children. It was rare that anyone chose to walk past her doorstep, most ended up in her garden already. Especially demigods, because those always attacked first and asked questions never. But this was… nice. It filled Medusa with a sense of longing that she hadn't known she was still capable of. Her home, filled with warmth and laughter and someone else. Her smile tightened a little at that, knowing the bright demigod was going to leave again. There was an awkward stretch of silence when the children finished their meal – and Grover wrapped up some left-overs, sneaking them into his backpack.

"Well then, I think you have to get going," Medusa stood first. "If I understand this right, you're not just… on a quest for the gods, are you, son of Sally Jackson?"

"I, yes, we're going to save my mom from the underworld."

Utter devotion and conviction in his voice. Medusa's smile widened just a little. No, this boy was indeed not following the gods' quest, he was following his own heart. She thought she could condone this much more than previous demigods. She thought Sally Jackson may be worth saving.

"You showed me mercy and understanding in a way I don't receive often, Percy Jackson," Medusa regarded the boy. "I will reward your behavior. I will grand you a boon. Pack however much food you wish and leave in five minutes."

"The Fury-" Percy argued.

Medusa turned her back on them and only then took off her veiled hat before heading toward the door. "Won't be a problem anymore in five minutes."

/break\

Percy and Annabeth stood at the window, watching as Medusa turned Alecto into stone with one look, while Grover greedily packed up provisions for them all. There was a strange sense of vindication in Percy at having been right to trust Medusa. See, my mom was right! She isn't a monster, was screaming in his head, but he had the sense not to say it aloud to Annabeth. The girl already looked annoyed enough at having been wrong.

"Grover," Annabeth hissed. "Are you quite done? You know we also have to carry it."

Grover paused and looked from the overstuffed bags to Annabeth and Percy with a very sheepish look on his face. Percy huffed out a laugh as he went ahead to take one of the backpacks from Grover. Exchanging one last look with Annabeth – who still had an edge of distrust and doubt in her eyes, like she expected to still get backstabbed – Percy headed to the door. When the three of them left the house, Medusa was just in the middle of straightening her veil properly.

"Not the prettiest of my statues," Medusa mused as she regarded Alecto. "But it will do."

"T… Thank you," Percy looked at her, trying to convey just how grateful he was. "This… is the first time someone's actually… helping. Not just standing by."

"I feel like that should tell you all you need to know," Medusa offered the most twisted smile to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Be careful, Percy Jackson. Not all who look like monsters actually are. And not all who look like heroes are good."

He laughed softly at that, startling her. "My mom used to say something similar."

Medusa tilted her head at his words. "Your mother sounds like a very interesting woman. When you saved her, come and see me again, I think I'd like to meet her."

Percy blinked a couple of times, but he nodded. Sure. She'd just saved them a whole lot of trouble. And his mom would probably totally freak at meeting the Medusa. A grin spread over his lips at that thought. The thought of his mom being back, being safe, of them sharing Medusa's burgers and laughing and he could tell her all about this horrible, weird, fantastic adventure. He couldn't wait for all of this to be over and for life to get… not normal, because it would never be normal again, but less direct dangerous, maybe? He just wanted his mom back.

"Sure thing," Percy grinned at her. "Thank you, for your help."

"Be cafe out there, son of Sally Jackson," was the last thing Medusa said as the three headed off. "This world is dangerous and I would hate to see my mercy go to waste as you die regardless."

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Godly Parents and their Children

So Medusa had been super, totally, definitely right about Athena. That was good to know.

Percy, Grover and Annabeth made it all the way to the Gateway Arch, a sanctuary of Athena's. A place that should be, by default, a sanctuary to all demigods. But, to punish Annabeth for – for something Annabeth hadn't even done, for something Percy had done – Athena had revoked her sanctuary. And this was his quest! He was the leader of the quest, he was the one who had gotten the prophecy, he was the one who had chosen his team. If this were Annabeth's quest, and someone who was supposed to work with her and follow her lead, had decided to go against her, Percy might even kind of understand that she would have failed in her duties as team leader.

But it was Percy's quest. And it had been Percy's decision to trust Medusa, to not mindlessly slay her like a monster, to accept her sanctuary. Yet Athena saw it fit to punish her own daughter. And not just punish her. The trio was being hunted by the mother of all monsters, who very much did intend to kill them. By granting Echidna access to her sanctuary – which seemed super wild to Percy actually, like he wouldn't grant monsters access to his own sanctuary on principle of that looking really bad, but a monster who wanted to kill his daughter? Definitely not, what the heck.

So thanks to all of that, Percy nearly died. Go figure.

Echidna's Chimera had poisoned Percy and he was quickly getting worse and worse. The fact that Echidna was still hunting them in the sanctuary had absolutely not helped his health. So when it came time to fight her, Percy made the executive decision to do it himself, tricking Grover and Annabeth into seeking shelter by promising to be right behind them. There was no reason for two of them to die, if he was going to die from the poison anyway. Might as well be him fighting Echidna.

He was twelve years old and he was facing death. All because the all-powerful king of all gods couldn't keep track of his favorite toy. And it made him angry.

That was the feeling that overwhelmed him when he was plummeting to his death, falling from the Gateway Arch into what had to be certain death. Anger. Anger at everything. His father for never being there, his mother for lying to him, Grover for lying to him, Chiron for lying to him, because if they hadn't lied to him for so unnecessarily long, his mom would still be there, he would have known what was happening and then the Minotaur wouldn't have gotten to Sally, Athena for this stupid punishment, Annabeth for wasting so much of their time together being mean and weird to him when they could have been friends earlier. Just… so much anger.

His anger was washed away by the sudden reach of ice-cold river water. The river caught him. He didn't fall into it, he didn't die on impact, he was plucked out of the air by the river itself.

For a moment, he thought it was his dad, in person. But it was a Nereid, in his father's name, but not his father himself. She told him that his dad wanted to meet him, wanted to help him, so maybe, just maybe, Poseidon did care, after all.

/break\

Other gods continued to suck. Ares, above all else (aside from Athena. Still salty about nearly dying three different ways because the lady held a grudge). Ares was intense and angry, and he sent Annabeth and Percy right into a trap. Into Hephaestus' realm, where Ares had been making out with Hephaestus' wife, which Percy totally got that that annoyed Hephaestus so Percy even understood the trap he found himself in because it had been meant for Ares. Only that Ares had tricked Percy and Annabeth and sent them in there in his stead.

To retrieve Ares' shield, one of them had to sit down on the golden throne. And once again, Percy found himself making the decision, as the leader, to do the dangerous bit himself. Besides, he trusted Annabeth to figure out whatever this was and how it worked. She was the smartest person Percy knew, if anyone could, it was her. So he sat down on the throne, and he felt his body turn to cold. In his last moments of consciousness, he reassured Annabeth, promising her that he was okay. It was a weird, cold sensation, and then there was nothing.

/break\

Tears gathered in Annabeth's eyes as she watched Percy turn into gold. The overwhelming fear of losing someone else she cared about gripped her and left her petrified for many moments. This was why she didn't let anybody in. This was why she kept anyone at arm's length. Because the last time she'd trusted, she'd loved, the person she had adored so much turned into a tree because of a god. And now, now that she'd started opening up to Percy, letting him in, he was turning into a statue because of a god. There was a bitter irony that Annabeth could taste in the back of her throat, about how Percy hadn't turned into a statue when they were facing the monster who turned people into statues, but now, because of a quarrel between Olympians, Percy was solid gold.

Okay. Okay. Okay, that was enough feelings for a day. Annabeth needed to focus. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath for a moment, trying to ground herself. Despite everything, she was a daughter of Athena, she was an analyst, she solved problems. This was a problem. She could solve it. No, she would solve it. She was not going to leave here without Percy Jackson.

She started rounding the throne, her eyes scanning every part of it, trying to find a weak spot, a mechanism that she could activate, anything that would reverse whatever had happened here. She found an opening, cogs that could be turned. Maybe if she turned the right ones in the right order, in the right direction, she could undo this. She had to.

A door opened and a man walked out. "Can I help you?"

She regarded him warily and returned to her task, not answering him. Why would he be able to help her, after all. This was her task, she would be able to solve this. She had to.

"Do you need some help finding your way out?" the man asked.

She continued ignoring him and he summoned a latter, leading up toward him, giving her a clear path toward the door he had come in from. "So, of you go."

"I'm not leaving without my friend."

He huffed amused, watching her work in a near frantic manner. "Yeah, that isn't really how it works. It's kind of a one-way sort of thing. It can't be undone."

Annabeth furrowed her brows. "How do you know?"

"Because I built it."

Annabeth paused, blinking slowly. Grief and fear had overwhelmed her so much, she wasn't thinking clearly. Who else would be down here? Why else would he be able to summon the ladder? The owner of this place, the creator of this contraption. Hephaestus. She continued working.

"I'm not leaving without my friend. And if you aren't going to help me, could you maybe leave me alone so I can focus?"

Perhaps Percy was rubbing off on her. Perhaps this quest was showing her the bad side of the gods, in a manner she had always tried not to see. Had always been desperate not to see, because where would it put her, as a demigod, if the gods did not care and were actively malevolent toward them? Things she didn't want to think about, things she couldn't think about.

"In spite of what my brother might have told you, I am not someone who'll be pushed around."

Said the all-mighty god, who currently had a twelve-year-old kid trapped on a golden throne. Who was being pushed around here. Annabeth glared as she continued working.

"I know your mother was displeased with you recently," Hephaestus continued talking. "We both know how she gets. But this was a lot. Even for her."

Annabeth paused, her hands shaking ever so slightly. Her lips were set in a tense line. She supposed it figured, that he would know how she got. Being her brother and all. Being close enough in their realms, brilliant minds. Rivaling siblings. Yet in the end, Athena was always more war than creation. And Hephaestus' relationship with war was well-recorded.

"You walk outta here with that shield and you're a hero. On your way to the greatest glory," this felt like taunting to Annabeth and she stood, to fully face the god. "She'll be proud and you will be forgiven, and all will go back to being as it always has been, always will be, as it should be."

Anger crept up on Annabeth, her face contorting into a snarl. "It isn't how it should be! It isn't! Eat or be eaten. Power and glory and nothing else matters. Ares is that way, Zeus is that way, my mother is that way," Annabeth paused and turned to look at Percy with sorrowful eyes. "He isn't that way. He's better than that. Maybe I was that way once. But I don't wanna be that way anymore. I won't be like all of you. I just won't."

Hephaestus looked at her in surprise, with tender and hurt eyes. Recognizing her anger, her frustration, her desire for change. Change of the world, of the gods, of herself. He averted his eyes and turned away from her. This girl was powerful, in a way she may not even realize yet, in a way she may have never considered before, because demigods were trained for war, for brute force and fighting technique. This girl had the power of words, and the power of heart.

Hephaestus was not one to grant favors. He was not one to get involved in demigods and the part they played in all of this. But there was so much force behind her words, so many emotions, so much desire for change. And for the first time in a long time, Hephaestus felt himself moved. And for the first time in even longer, he did a demigod a favor. He released the throne, watching the boy – the forbidden son of Poseidon – return to flesh, stumbling out of the throne.

"Some of us don't like being that way either," Hephaestus' voice was soft as he turned one last time to look at them. "You're a good kid, Annabeth. I'll put in a good word with your mom for you."

Annabeth Chase. Hephaestus was going to make sure to remember her name. And if Athena turned her back on the girl, who knew what laid in their future. Hephaestus knew what it felt like to have one's mother turn on them. He felt a deep sense of hope, borne by her words and behavior.

/break\

Thanks to Hephaestus, they got the stupid shield and got to bring it back to Ares. So they got Grover back, which was great, and Percy was human again, which was also great. Very great. He was still doubtful and confused by Hephaestus, because Annabeth hadn't made much sense when retelling him the encounter. Apparently, she had yelled at him until he just… released Percy? Sounded fake and weird and Percy thought there was something she had forgotten.

And even though he had let Annabeth and Percy walk into a trap and generally being incredibly unpleasant, Ares kept his end of the deal. He got them a ride to the Lotus Casino. An animal transport that stank worse than Gabe, but it was a free ride and there was no Echidna with a monster pocket dog trying to kill them, just a talkative Zebra and some other loud animals.

"It has to be Clarisse. She's Ares' favorite daughter. That's who he's covering for."

Grover was gesturing widely as the three of them sat crammed in in the back of the transporter. Percy didn't really know how much he believed that. Yes, he disliked her on account of her severely trying to beat him up and trying to dunk him into a toilet. But camp did, didn't they? She was a big deal, next to Luke like the biggest deal. Would she really do that kind of thing? And would Ares really care? Because the guy didn't really strike Percy as having a favorite kid. At all. Judging by his own words toward them, he didn't really care about his off-spring. And especially after the little stunt Athena had pulled, Percy had a bit more perspective on how much the gods really cared.

His fingers found their way into his pocket, playing with the pearls the Nereid had given him. A sign that his dad cared, at least somewhat. At least enough not to want Percy to die. Enough to help Percy, and his friends, and his mom. Right? But he also didn't want to get his hopes up. Because if he'd get his hopes up and start thinking that Poseidon cared, genuinely cared, for him and in the end, he'd turn out a douche like Ares or vindictive like Athena… Percy didn't know how well he'd handle that, because Percy loved very fiercely, a quality he got from his mother. So until he stood in front of Poseidon and got to hear the god say it, Percy couldn't get his hopes up.

/break\

Three people should not 'split up'. Because three wasn't an even number. Percy should have spoken up about that, he should have put his foot down and insisted on them staying together. Instead, Percy and Annabeth stayed together and they let Grover go on his own. Separating.

The Lotus Hotel was fascinating, awe-inspiring, with all its colors and all of these people – people in the weirdest clothes Percy had ever seen. There was an allure that made it hard to concentrate and maybe they should have noticed earlier. But then part of the charm was probably that one didn't notice. So they went ahead, on their search for Hermes, to get the god to help them to LA.

Luke. Luke was how Annabeth wanted to convince Hermes. And Percy, he didn't really know about that. Track-record of gods and their kids as it was… Percy was doubtful.

Percy was even more doubtful about Hermes. The guy looked so normal. Sure, Medusa and Ares and Hephaestus had also all just looked really human, but the air around Hermes was so much more casual where the others all had something like an aura to them. Plus, Hermes was super not impressed by Annabeth trying to use Luke against him. But that had figured, for Percy anyway. Still there was something about Hermes that moved Percy. Something about the way he spoke about parenting felt genuine, his pain felt real. It did feel like he cared. It was just hard for Percy to put that care together with the god still refusing to help them, claiming helping made things worse.

"You stole from the god of thieves," Percy muttered, side-eyeing Annabeth.

"I'm multi-talented," Annabeth looked at him fully serious.

And here he'd had this perception of her as a goodie-two-shoes who liked rules. Hah. He was really starting to like her. So they were friends after all. Percy shook his head, trying to focus on what was important right now. Finding Grover and getting out of here as fast as possible.

Because time moved differently here. They'd been here for days already, wandering this casino. Time moved different in here than in the real world, and Hermes knew that. Hermes had idly sat with them in a café, talking to them about the difficulties of parenting while full well knowing that they were running out of time for their quest. This was the opposite of helping, and it made Percy angry. Not helping them was one thing, being impassive was one thing, but to actively get in their way. Why were the gods like this. Why did the gods keep messing with them, like demigods were a source of amusement. This was so frustrating. And now they didn't know where Grover was, because the three had split up. This building was huge, Grover could be anywhere and he was all alone and who knew when or how Percy and Annabeth were going to find him.

They saw a random satyr on the elevator and that satyr had reminded them Grover even existed. Thanks to the lotus fruit that was in the air, being inhaled by them with every breath, making them forget what mattered – which was a terrifying thought.

They had the keys to Hermes' car, they remembered their mission, they remembered Grover. Now all they had to do was find Grover and get out of here as fast as they could so they could drive to LA. Though Percy wasn't entirely sure about the whole driving part, in lack of an adult with a driver's license. It couldn't be that hard, one of them might be able to figure it out?

But first things first. Finding Grover.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: The di Angelo Siblings

Percy and Annabeth decided to run after the elderly satyr and, stupidly enough, they decided to split up. The daughter of Athena cut ahead, with the goal of cutting the satyr off, while Percy chased him. Only that this was the Lotus Casino and the lotus was in the air and the longer Percy ran, the more he breathed it in, the more he started to feel fuzzy on why he was even running to begin with.

"Hey! Watch where you're running."

Percy stumbled after running into someone. A boy, his age, with black curls and the darkest brown eyes Percy had ever seen, like, just on the verge of black. Percy blinked a couple of times, now that he had stopped running, just staring at the other, wondering what he had been doing.

"Sorry… I don't know why I was in such a hurry."

The other boy huffed. "It's okay, I guess. Maybe you wanted to get to a game?"

Percy's eyebrows furrowed as he looked around. Was that it? Maybe? Must be, right? That was what this place as, after all. Yeah, he must have been in a hurry to get to a game.

"I… don't remember," Percy frowned.

"Ah. It's okay. That happens sometimes," the other boy chuckled. "I'm Nico. C'mon, you can hang out with me if you don't know what you wanted to do. We could play a game."

"Percy. Percy Jackson," Percy held his hand out to shake Nico's.

"Nico! You know you shouldn't get too far away from me, you know what happens then."

A girl, probably a year or two older than Percy and Nico, ran up to them with nearly panicked eyes. She had the same black curls as Nico, only so much longer, put into a braid that was laying over her shoulder. Her eyes though, they were even darker than Nico's, fully pitch-black as they bore into Percy curiously. There was something nearly foreboding to them.

"Bia," Nico groaned and rolled his eyes. "It's fine. I could still see you. Anyway! This is my new friend! Percy! We're going to play a game, okay?"

"I'm Bianca," the girl held her hand out for Percy. "This one is my annoying little brother."

"Hey!" Nico glared at her. "I'm not annoying! And I'm not that little! Look! I am like at least two centimeter taller than Percy!"

Nico stood very straight next to Percy, making Percy glare at him in return. He knew he wasn't the tallest, even Annabeth was taller than her, but how rude was that, they only just met!

"I feel like at least one of those centimeters is your hair," Percy argued.

He reached out to flatten Nico's curls to prove a point, causing Nico to gasp. "It counts!"

"Boys," Bianca heaved the most tired and exhausted sigh possible. "Why am I stuck with boys…"

"Anyway," Nico stuck his tongue out at his sister and returned his attention to Percy. "Do you know Mythomagic? It's my favorite game and they have a VR version of it here!"

Percy's eyes widened as he nodded. "Yeah! I love it! I play it all the time with…"

Percy trailed off and his eyebrows furrowed again. There was someone he used to play this with. A hand rested on his arm and he looked at Bianca, who had a nearly kind smile on her lips.

"It's okay, it happens here. You forget things. You'll… get used to it."

Her words sounded kind, but also sad and defeated. No. Percy didn't get defeated. That wasn't a thing Percy did. He used to play Mythomagic with someone. Someone important to him.

"Grover," Percy's eyes widened. "I play it with my best friend, Grover. He… He's also here. I was looking for him! That's what I was doing! Please, can you guys help me find him?"

"Okay," Bianca looked surprised that he remembered something. "Yeah, sure. If you are here with someone and you remember them, we'll help you find them. I've lost Nico before and it's always hard to find him again, to remember again. We'll help you."

/break\

Nico frowned at his sister and stepped forward, putting himself between Bianca and Percy, like he wanted to assert that he had found Percy and that Percy was gonna be his friend. He didn't like having to share everything with his annoying big sister. Ever since they had gotten here, ever since he could remember honestly, he had to share everything with Bianca and he always had to stay close to her, because if he wandered to far from her or she wandered too much from him, then they started to forget each other. They'd forgotten each other once and only when they ran into each other again by chance did they remember again and it had been so terrifying to have forgotten his sister, to realize he'd been all alone for who knew how long. So the siblings always stuck close, even when it got annoying, even when they wanted some time alone, because being alone for maybe forever was a horrible thing to imagine. Still, it would be nice to have someone who wasn't Bianca and maybe someone who was just his. His friend. Besides, Percy had said he loved Mythomagic! Nico had never met someone who loved Mythomagic. His sister only played it to indulge him. So he needed to be the one Percy befriended, not Bianca.

"What does your friend look like? Where did you last see him? Chances are he's still there and playing whatever game was the closest," Nico asked, trying to sound important.

Trying to convince Percy that Nico could help, that Nico knew what to do. He saw Bianca's amused half-smile from the corner of his eyes and he elected to ignore it in favor of Percy. Nico was really fascinated by the color of Percy's eyes, they were like looking at the sea, somewhere between blue and green but it seemed as though the colors were constantly changed, just like waves. Nico had never seen eyes like that and they seemed so much more interesting than any game here. For the first time in he didn't know how long, he had found something that held his attention in here other than the games and he found himself pulled along, following Percy.

"We were…" Percy paused thoughtfully. "There was someone else too."

"Okay, okay, that's good, you're remembering more," Bianca nodded. "See, Nico and I, we have each other, we remember each other and we can remind each other of… things. There's… we forgot a lot since we got here, but we have each other. We can find your each others too."

Nico frowned at his sister. Percy could just stay and join them and Nico would have another other who wasn't his sister, which would be a nice change. But maybe if they found Percy's friends, there was someone there with whom Nico could put Bianca, so she would lay off him a bit. He loved her, of course he did, she was his sister and she was the only person he knew. And that was just it. She was the only person he knew, and there should be more.

"Urgh, why don't you remember," an annoyed girl voice. "And I lost track of Percy. Come on, Grover, we have to find Percy and we have to get out of here."

Percy. At hearing that name, Nico grabbed Percy's hand and pulled him toward the source of the voice and the trio ran into a girl and a… huh. Nico blinked and gaped at the boy with the horns and the goat-legs. A satyr. A real life satyr. Just like in Mythomagic!

"Percy," the girl said, like a breath that got knocked out of her chest, and then she lunged forward and engulfed Percy in a tight hug. "Where did you wander off to!"

"I didn't wander off! You ran ahead, Annabeth," Percy complained before pausing. "Annabeth. I. Oh. I remember you again. You and Grover. And me. We were on a quest. We are on a quest-"

"Yes. Thank the gods," the girl – Annabeth – heaved a relieved sigh. "You weren't gone for so long, so you didn't fully forget. Because Grover here is… currently useless."

The satyr smiled at them and waved. Nico smiled back, broad and excited – because he was interacting with a satyr. A real-life satyr. How cool was that. His eyes found Percy again and the girl. What was it Percy had said about being on a quest though?

"Who… are they?" Annabeth frowned as she looked at them.

"Those are Bianca and Nico! They helped me find you," Percy motioned between them. "These are Grover and Annabeth, my friends. We have to get out of here."

Nico frowned at that. Leave? Was that… an option? His mind felt very fuzzy at thinking about leaving. There was a world out there. Right. Nico tilted his head, looking at Percy when Percy grabbed his hand. There was a world out there and Percy was part of it.

"I have Hermes' keys, we just have to get to the garage and then we can leave."

Nico stared at Annabeth. "Hermes? Like… Like the god?"

Nico didn't like the way Annabeth looked at him. As though Nico was a hindrance, was in the way, was going to slow them down. Nico narrowed his eyes at her, not really thinking he liked her.

"Yeah, we're on a quest for the gods," Percy paused and looked at Nico and Bianca. "You can't come to the quest with us, it's dangerous, but you should get out of here. This place isn't good."

"Right," Bianca frowned at him, crossing her arms. "What are we supposed to do out there."

For a moment, Percy stared at her, like he was trying to figure something out, before he grinned. "Oh, I know where you could stay, at least for now, and then I'll help you, okay? Just… trust me. Please. You helped me find my friends, and you have no idea how important that is, so now let me help you, and believe me getting out of here is help."

Bianca didn't look convinced, her eyes on Nico. Nico didn't know why she was being cagey. They had no memories of anything before this hotel. Maybe, if they got out here, they could remember again. Perhaps they had… parents. They must have parents. Nico was twelve, Bianca was fourteen, they didn't just spring into existence. Their parents must be looking for them. He could see in his sister's eyes that she was having similar thoughts. Out there was scary and new, in a way, and they didn't know where to go or what to do, but in here… They couldn't stay in here forever.

"You promise we'll be safe there?" Bianca asked, locking eyes with Percy. "Wherever you have in mind, you promise we will be safe there?"

There was something. In the back of Nico's mind, at her insistence of being safe. They hadn't been safe. There had been something, something… bad. But he didn't remember. Looking at Bianca, he could see that it was just outside her grasp too, but she too remembered danger.

"Yes," Percy looked at her with so much sincerity. "I promise you'll be safe there."

"Okay," Bianca nodded, seeming pleased. "How do we get out of here?"

Percy turned toward Annabeth, so Bianca and Nico also turned toward Annabeth. Grover mimicked them all too, still smiling. Nico remembered the way he must be feeling right now. There was a weird disconnected but happy-floaty feeling to being all alone in this hotel. It was scary afterward, once one remembered again. It was good that Percy and Annabeth had found their friend again.

"We have to find Hermes' car. Now that we're all together again."

Annabeth spared a short glance at Bianca and Nico, doubtful about the risk of taking them.

"Okay, let's go find a god's car," Percy straightened up.

The five of them headed out. It was weird, the door was right there, there was nothing blocking the exist, yet for some reason, it had never tempted Nico to go through it and leave. He'd needed the reminder of the outside world to make him want to leave.

"How do we know which car belongs to Hermes?" Nico asked curiously. "I mean, is it a chariot? Are we looking for a chariot? Since he's a god."

"No," Annabeth sounded mildly annoyed. "The gods moved with the times. It's a… there."

They paused in front of a yellow taxi. Somehow, that was a major let-down to Nico. A god, a real god, should own something more impressive, right? But then a taxi was kind of fitting for the god of travelers. No car represented traveling better than a taxi. Annabeth held up a note reading to the dumb kids. Well, that seemed unnecessarily rude to Nico.

"Should have known the god of thieves notices when he's being pick-pocketed," Annabeth muttered to herself, opening the envelope. "Back door to the underworld, magic word, map in the glove box. And he says we'll become travelers once we're on the road. And then the car will take us wherever we wish to go. Which means we can take it to LA and then we can send you two off to… wherever Percy thinks you'll will be safe."

"So, one of us has to drive it out of the garage," Percy pointed out, sounding doubtful.

For some reason, Annabeth and Percy looked at Grover at that, who looked back at them startled. "Oh, I'm still not a hundred percent sure what we're doing here, which seems disqualifying."

Bianca crossed her arms. "I think I'd be the most qualified, on account of being the oldest."

That caused Annabeth to turn and glare just the slightest bit at her. Heh. Somehow, Nico had the feeling that that girl wasn't good at letting go of the reins and having someone else take leadership from her. Why did this remind him of Bianca? He wondered if those two were gonna butt heads.

/break\

Bianca wasn't the worst driver. They only bumped into things like three times and nearly hit another car only once – which had caused Bianca to gesture wildly and cuss very loudly in Italian, startling Percy much more than any of the bumps –before they were on the road and as soon as they hit the road, they were suddenly transported to a beach. Santa Monica. Where Percy's dad was supposed to be waiting for him. Before they got out of the car, Percy closed his eyes tightly and tried to… convey to the car where to go next, then giving Nico and Bianca instructions. As soon as the trio left the car, it disappeared again. Percy could only hope it had worked. He wanted to help them, but he had no time to go with them, he had to save his mom, he had to see his dad, he had to save the world. Bit of a tight schedule, bit of a long to-do-list. But once they did this, once they saved the world and his mom, Percy was going to check in with Bianca and Nico. Surely his mom knew how to help the two and until then, they would be safe. Percy had to believe they would be safe.

A storm was rumbling above and the sea laid before them dark and foreboding, darkness shrouding both sky and sea alike. "I… think I gotta go meet my dad now."

"We'll be here when you get back," Grover promised.

Grover. How could Percy have possibly forgotten Grover. That casino had been scary.

"What… do I say to him?" Percy whispered unsure, brows drawn together.

Annabeth looked at him with the most reassuring look she could muster. "You'll know."

And then he walked into the sea. Just walked straight ahead into the water, not even taking his shoes off. After all, he'd been able to breath in the river, he could do this. Also, getting undressed at the beach in front of Grover and Annabeth seemed awkward. So he walked and walked and hoped to see his father, just to be let down and greeted by another nymph, telling him that she was sorry, that he'd waited but had to go. Disappointment filled Percy, even when the nymph handed him four pearls that would grant them safe passage from the underworld. So he could go and save his mom.

/break\

Medusa looked up from her tea when there was a tentative knocking on her door. Visitors, again? And she hadn't sensed anyone approaching either. Just, all of a sudden, two presences. Putting her tea down, she walked to the front door and opened it to see two young children stand in front of her. The girl was a little taller than the boy and she stood a bit in front of him, protective. Both had their eyes aimed at the ground and both looked nervous, holding hands.

"We… Percy Jackson sent us. He told us to ask you for sanctuary," the girl said.

Medusa smiled amused, opening her door wider. She'd known that one was special, but she hadn't expected him to send others her way. And such… powerful demigods, at that. She could sense it on them, power radiating off them in a dark aura. The aura of the underworld. Very interesting indeed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Welcome to the Underworld, We Got Puppies!

Medusa smiled bemused to herself as she put down plates of pancakes. That she got to cook for someone else again already! And the two children were simply too precious. Siblings, the girl was fourteen, the boy twelve. A protective big sister and her little brother, who wanted to be bigger and stronger than he was just yet. The boy kept glancing at her, but not with fear. With something else. Something that Medusa didn't quite know to pinpoint. He was adorable though, with the dark curls and dark eyes. Looked a lot like his father, even though the boy was probably not aware of it.

"Is there something I can do for you, Nico?" Medusa asked, when Nico stared again.

He blushed and ducked his head, fidgeting with something in his pocket. "Yes… Maybe? I don't know. I was wondering if you… Would you sign my card?"

Pausing, Medusa regarded him curious. "I'm sorry?"

Nico got a deck of cards out of his pocket and then put one of them in front of Medusa. Some kind of playcard, with stats and attacks on it, and a truly stunning illustration… of her. She blinked.

"This is all like a lot. Like, a lot a lot," Nico motioned. "The gods are real! The legends are real! I just… I always liked learning about them, and you're the first real one I meet and I was wondering if you would maybe sign my card of you? Please?"

Bianca groaned in second-hand embarrassment. A small smile played on Medusa's lips. This was too endearing. Where did this new breed of demigods come from? First her little Percy, now this precious boy. Taking a marker, Medusa signed her name on the card, making Nico smile brightly.

"Thank you!" Nico stared at her eagerly.

"You are welcome," Medusa rested her face against her palm. "So, what did I sign there? What are these cards? Is this some kind of… game?"

"Don't get him started," Bianca now covered her face with both hands.

There was something about them that made her feel warm and comforted. It reminded her so much of her own sisters, Euryale and Sthenno. The fighting and bickering and embarrassment on behalf of the annoying little sibling. They had many half-siblings on Keto's side of the family – Keto and Phorkys had given birth to most monsters, including to the mother of monsters, Medusa's half-sister Echidna. But Medusa, Euryale and Sthenno were all gorgons, they were the Gorgon Sisters, daughters of Keto and Aix, the very first gorgon. They'd grown up with Aix, their other mother, only spending part time with Keto and their half-siblings, it had made the three sisters closer.

"It is a game! You can fight gods or monsters or heroes, if you have the right cards…"

Nico started spreading out his cards and explaining how the game worked and showing her his favorite cards. The pure enthusiasm of youth. The trust, too. Percy had told him he could trust her and he just… did. Medusa wasn't used to his, but she felt like Percy Jackson was going to have a lot more of these surprises in store for her. Leaning in, she listened attentively to all Nico explained.

/break\

So Percy got to visit his really creepy half-brother Crusty, the guard of the entrance to the underworld. This family had too many issues. He would honestly rather be at Medusa's with Nico and Bianca right now. Instead, he was walking straight into the underworld.

At first, he was completely overwhelmed. It was… so vast. He didn't know what he had expected, but it seemed to go on forever, with tall mountains and stormy clouds above. The three of them walked and walked, until they reached a line of people. Or… former people.

Charon, the ferryman of the underworld, so much creeper than in Sally's stories though. He didn't seem to be a fan of living people in the underworld, which was fair, Percy guessed. When Charon blew his whistle though, Percy had a bit of a bad feeling. That feeling got infinitely worse when him, Annabeth and Grover found themselves chased by a gigantic, three-headed dog.

He was adorable, but also really huge and really angry. Plus, he ate Grover and Percy had this rule that he didn't befriend creatures that ate his best friend. Thankfully enough, Annabeth had some dog-experience and had also given Grover a squeaky ball at Crusty's. Throwing the ball distracted the giant puppy-dog and gave them the opportunity to leave.

"I am just not having a good time here," Grover groaned and wiped slobber off his face.

And that was an understatement, because while he nearly got eaten, he had lost the pearl. Percy had had four pearls, to get all of them and his mom back out of the underworld. Now, Percy didn't know what to do. Well, he knew what he was going to do, he was going to send Grover and Annabeth back to the surface world with his mom. If anyone was going to stay behind, it was going to be Percy, of course. Like at the arch, like in Hephaestus' fun-park. He wasn't going to put others in unnecessary danger, if he could take care of it himself. That was who he was, at his core.

Things didn't get easier after that though. There was a forest of people, which was a terrifying concept. The fields of Asphodel, was what Annabeth called them, before she got stuck in them. Regrets and burdens tied people down. It went against Percy's nature to leave her behind, but there was no freeing her from the roots that had grown around her, and she had offered to distract Zerberus before the dog could catch up with them. She had the pearl, the only thing that played in his head as he left her behind was that she had the pearl that would get her out once she did as promised. She would be fine, with the pearl, and wait over-ground for them.

It was up to Grover and Percy to confront Hades and to free Sally.

/break\

Grover's shoes, the winged magical shoes they'd gotten from Luke before leaving camp, had nearly dragged him into Tartarus and it was only thanks to Grover's hooves that the shoes could slip off just in time. Things got even more weird when the Master Bolt just manifested in Percy's backpack – the backpack he'd gotten from Ares. So things were going just great for them, really.

But at least they now had the Master Bolt, to return it to Zeus. After they'd saved Sally.

Hades' palace was kind of cool, it was all upside-down and Grover and Percy had to take an elevator up to the main palace. During their drive up, Percy tired to prepare himself for this encounter. He'd met gods before, at this point. Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes. What would the king of the underworld be like? What was he going to demand from Percy in exchange of his mom?

The elevator brought them right to the throne room, with a curious but impressive looking throne. An empty throne. Somehow, Percy had expected to be expected. Instead, Hades came walking up to them with hurried steps, very casual and not as regal as Percy had expected the king to be.

"Hey, fellas. Welcome!" Hades opened his arms wide as he approached them. "Sorry about all the… Oh. Anyways, it's great to meet you. I know who you are, and you know who I am, so we can just skip right past that part. Can I get you anything? Fresh pomegranate juice, a snack?"

"Actually, if…" Grover started before trailing off.

"My mother," Percy interrupted right away.

This wasn't the greeting he had expected from the god, but Percy wasn't going to be lulled in with sweet and kind words. At this point, Percy knew not to take anything at face value with the gods.

Hades tilted his head curiously. "Boom. Straight to business. I admire the cut of your jib. Little nautical reference for you. I see you."

Dad jokes. Another thing Percy hadn't expected from the king of the underworld. But Percy wasn't in the mood. He was finally so close to finding his mom, and all of Hades' presentation of himself here was confusing, wasn't what Percy had expected, so he needed to hurry this along.

Percy leaned forward, frustrated. "Where is she?"

"Okey-dokey," Hades nodded curtly. "Let's get to it. Your mom's just over there."

He jerked his finger over his shoulder and then turned around to lead the way, walking off with quick steps. "You've come all this way, don't be shy."

Grover and Percy were quick to follow, after exchanging a curious look. Hades led them to what could only be described as a sitting room without a room. A carpet, couches, a lamp even, just sat out in the vast open space of the palace. And beside it, a golden statue of Sally Jackson.

"Mom?" Percy's voice was soft, terrified even. "What did you do to her?"

All Percy could think about was turning into gold himself, on Hephaestus' chair, the feeling of losing himself and then just not being there, until the device was turned off again. He approached his mom with tentative steps and large, frightened eyes.

"Uh…" Hades turned around to face Percy. "Saved her life? You know, typically, getting crushed by a Minotaur is a terminal diagnosis. I snagged her for you, just in the ta-dah nick of time so that you would come see me. And here we are."

The image of the Minotaur holding his mom, squishing her, flashed before his eyes. Hades was only able to snatch a soul moments before their death. If he hadn't snatched her, she would have died. Would have been crushed. Percy had been too far away, he would not have been able to return to her fast enough to fight the Minotaur before it was too late. She would be dead.

Still, Hades wanted something. Wanted Percy to see him, wanted Percy to be here.

"You give me what you got and I'm giving you what I got," Hades motioned at Sally.

"I…" Percy paused, eyes not leaving his mother. "I can't give it to you."

"Ah, see, there's a quid and a quo here," Hades frowned at Percy.

"The bolt doesn't belong to you," Percy shook his head. "Your plan almost worked. You and Ares managed to steal the bolt, trick me into bringing it right down and giving it to you. But it's wrong, and I won't do it. So all I can do is ask you to do the right thing, too. Please… let my mom go."

Hades frowned at him in confusion and shook his head. "Huh?"

"What?" Percy frowned right back at Hades, having expected a villain monologue thing.

"Who… Who tricked Ares into doing what?"

"You're in cahoots with Ares, to secure the bolt," Grover interjected.

"I'm not in cahoots with Ares," Hades looked nearly amused in his confusion. "I seldom cahoot. The bolt is my brothers' drama, I don't want any part of it."

Percy drew his brows down even further. "You… don't want it?"

"No," Hades stared at him incredulously.

Percy was fully lost at this point. "Then what do you want?"

Hades looked around, seeming as lost as Percy felt. "My helmet!"

This started to feel like they were both having fully different conversations. "Your what?"

"My Helm of Darkness. It went missing just days before someone used it to turn invisible and steal the bolt. I'd like it back now, please, and then you get your mom back."

Hold on, what. Hades thought that Percy had stolen his magic invisibility helm and used that to steal the Master Bolt and now he just… wanted the helmet back? But Percy didn't have it.

"You… really don't want the bolt?" Percy asked, again, still confused by all of this.

"Why would I want that?"

"To start a war between your brothers," Grover offered.

"Why would I want that?" Hades stared at them amused and curious.

He really did seem as baffled by this conversation as Percy himself felt. This was so not how Percy had expected this to go. What was he supposed to do with this? What was going on here?

Grover motioned around vaguely. "Jealousy!"

"I don't know if you noticed, but it's all candy canes and rainbows down here," Hades motioned toward the outside of the palace, at his vast realm. "I'm managing just fine. I don't really do jealous. My brothers, on the other hand, have the market cornered on jealous. Family drama is why I don't go up there anymore. These grudges, they go on forever. Super unhealthy. Someone stole Zeus' bolt, it wasn't me, it must have been somebody who was..."

While Hades went on and on, Percy replayed everything that had happened during this quest, inspected every clue they'd gotten until now, under a different light. "Kronos."

Percy's voice had been barely a whisper but it was enough to disrupt Hades' flow. The king regarded him with raised eyebrows, his whole focus now on Percy. Serious.

"Excuse me?"

"He's got the longest grudge of them all. Zeus took Kronos' throne. Who else has a bigger reason to weaken Zeus and take his throne back?" Percy elaborated.

"Kronos is in a million pieces," Hades explained calmly. "At the bottom of…"

"Tartarus," Percy interrupted the god. "Where something just tried to pulls us into it the moment the bolt appeared in our bag. Tartarus… where I've been hearing a voice from in my dreams, telling me it needs my help to take down Olympus. I assumed that was you, but that voice I heard… that definitely did not sound like you."

As he spoke, Percy approached Hades, until they stood close to each other. Grover watched them with confused and near frightened eyes. Percy held Hades' gaze, watching the god closely as he shifted his posture, sighed and straightened up before regarding Percy for a long moment.

"Ask me for sanctuary," Hades' voice was serious and genuine.

That was once again not what Percy had expected to hear from the king of the underworld. "What?"

"If Kronos is somehow planning to emerge from his exile, and you were his first call… you're not safe. Ask me and I'll protect you," Hades regarded him with so much sincerity. "You and your mother. And the goat. I'll throw him in, on the house."

Grover made a face and his gaze clearly conveyed 'dude, seriously' at being called a goat, but all Percy could focus on was Hades' words. Sanctuary. Protection. Not just for him, but his mom and he even considered Grover. Ares, who had tricked Percy and Annabeth into walking into a trap, and who was clearly involved in all of this. Hephaestus, who would have let Percy stay golden if not for Annabeth and let his grudge against Ares lash out on the innocent. Athena, who revoked her own sanctuary on her own daughter to teach her a lesson. Hermes, who couldn't even be bothered to warn them about the way the Lotus Hotel worked, even though he passively allowed them to steal his car. At max, the gods were impassive, at worst they were actively trying to kill them, but here was Hades, the one they'd expected to be the Big Bad, offering actual help.

"This works out nicely for you as it turns out. All it'll cost you is the bolt."

Grover stepped forward, frowning. "I thought you didn't want the bolt?"

"I don't want the bolt," Hades confirmed, still looking serious but also intense now. "Now, I need the bolt. If war with Kronos is coming, I'd like to be prepared. Not messing around here, kid. This only ends one way. The only question is how difficult you make it."

Percy thought on it, his eyes drawn to his mom. "No."

Hades didn't look amused anymore, reaching out for Percy. "Give me the bag."

Percy sidestepped him and got his pearl out, holding it above his head. Hades looked annoyed.

"Nice pearl."

"I accept your offer. Your first offer. We're gonna go get your helm. And when I get back, you're gonna let my mom go. Grover, now. Hold fast, mom."

"Okay, hang on-" was the last thing Hades said that Percy heard before they left the underworld.

He couldn't give the bolt to Hades. Part of him understood Hades' logic, Kronos might be the only thing the gods were afraid of, so he wanted protection. But this wasn't the solution, this would only lead to more infighting among the gods. Percy had to solve this in a different way.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: We Prevent a War, Sort Of

So Percy ended up fighting Ares at the beach and he won.

Percy Jackson, twelve years old, having only learned the gods were real like two weeks and only having received as much basic training, fought against the god of war and he won. Perhaps the most surreal thing that had happened in those past two weeks.

Granted, a part of it surely was the fact that Ares had severely underestimated him, based on everything he just listed. Because Ares fought the son of Poseidon at the beach. Now, to be honest, Percy had no idea what had actually happened. Had he done it, all on his own? Had Poseidon done it all to help his son? Or had Percy done it, with the help of his father? He couldn't tell, but whatever had happened, it had raised the sea in a high wave that had washed over Ares and surprised the god enough to give Percy the opportunity to take him down.

At least the god of war was a man of his word, because when he disappeared, he left Percy the helmet – as agreed upon before their duel. If Percy won, he got both, the helmet and the bolt. If Ares had won, he'd gotten both. Percy had felt Annabeth's eyes boring into the back of his skull at that proclamation and he was pretty sure, she had wanted to kill him or at least smack him for it.

Annabeth went to pick up the helmet, marveling at the beautiful, intricate patterns on it, but Percy's attention was quickly drawn as he heard his mother's voice whisper his name in the wind. The voice drew his attention toward the cabin – the very cabin where Percy and Sally used to stay, where Sally and Poseidon had apparently met all those years ago. The lights in the cabin flickered.

After exchanging a look with Annabeth and Grover, Percy headed straight to the cabin. Percy looked around warily as they walked into the cabin, memories of his good times with his mom flooding his mind, overwhelming him for a moment. He could even still hear her laugh.

No, wait. That was actually her laugh. He perked up and whipped around to follow the sound. In the kitchen, at the kitchen table, sat his mom. And next to her sat a beautiful woman with brown skin and dark-brown curls that fell down her back. She wore a pretty green summer dress with colorful flowers at the bottom. There were actual flowers braided into her hair too. She was really pretty.

"Mom!" Percy threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her.

She was startled for a moment, not having heard him enter, but as soon as he collided with her, she wrapped her own arms around him, pulling him closer. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. That was his mom's scent, like cookies and happiness. A sob escaped him, one that he had been holding in for so, so many days now.

"Percy," Sally sounded so relieved. "Percy, oh, I'm so glad you are here, I'm so glad you are alright. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I lied to you for so long, I'm sorry I left you. I'm… I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this, I always wanted to protect you from it."

She cupped the back of his head with one hand, her other arm around his waist, holding him so close and safe and in his mom's arms like that, he felt like absolutely nothing could harm him. Behind him, Grover and Annabeth also entered the house.

"Who… are you?" Percy asked the other woman, once he was more calmed down.

She smiled at him. "I am here to take what belongs to my husband, and to make sure your mother is safely returned to you, because my husband is a man of his word."

"Y… You're Lady Persephone," Grover's voice had a slight squeak to it.

He immediately bowed deeply in front of her. Persephone? Sally had told him the story, though in her own ways. A child with a bad step-parent, who was whisked away by a handsome king and granted great powers. Kore, the simple maiden, turning into Queen Persephone, goddess of spring and flowers and all that is beautiful in nature. Percy had always liked the complimentary nature of it – or, well, Sally had liked it and told it with such passion that Percy had come to like it too. Death, cold, darkness, falling in love with life itself – spring, flowers, warmth, light.

Which also explained Grover's strong reaction. Persephone was a nature goddess, the satyr felt probably a stronger calling toward those than to other gods. Annabeth stared at them all for a long moment before she held out the helmet – only after exchanging a look with Percy, who nodded his confirmation. Persephone stood and took the helmet with a smile.

"You kept your word, son of Poseidon," Persephone turned to look at Percy. "You found and returned my husband's helmet. And Hades is keeping his. Your mother, unharmed."

Percy gave his mom a look, like he really wanted to make sure she actually was unharmed. With a smile did Sally brush his hair back and nod. He hadn't realized that he could miss someone as much as he had missed his mom while she'd been gone. He hugged her again.

"You were a statue," Percy's voice was muffled by her shoulder. "He turned you into a statue."

"The underworld is not meant for mortals, young hero," Persephone chuckled softly. "My husband saved your mother's life, but she could not stay in the underworld, as a living being. Turning her into a statue was an easy way to keep her safe and alive."

Oh. That… kind of made sense, he guessed. Still, it had been terrifying to see his mom like that. Then again, a lot of things had terrified him lately. He clung onto Sally a little tighter.

"You did my husband a great favor, and did good in his name," Persephone continued after a moment. "You are a worthy champion and a great hero."

Something about the way she said that made alarm bells ring in Percy's ears. It reminded him of every time he had tried to convince his mom of getting a puppy. Persephone smiled at him one last time and then turned to wave at Sally.

"It was so nice to meet you, Sally. Be more careful around monsters, mh? Leave those to the hero. Wouldn't want to see you too soon back in the underworld, for a more permanent stay."

With that, she simply vanished in a whoosh of flower petals and the scent of roses. For another couple moments, Percy allowed himself to stay in the safety and comfort of his mother's arms, before he took a step back. His eyes found Grover and Annabeth, and the bag with the bolt.

"Can we go home now, sweetheart?" Sally looked at him, looking exhausted.

"No. Not yet," Percy frowned, grasping the strap of the bag more tightly. "There's somewhere else I have to go first, something else I have to return first."

"Dude…" Grover looked at him near desperately.

Annabeth frowned at him and shook her head. "No. The quest failed, we missed the deadline."

"What?" Sally looked between the children. "What am I missing?"

Percy looked at Annabeth, and then at his mom. "I have to return the Master Bolt and I have to tell Zeus who is really behind all of this. Even if I missed the deadline he gave, he needs to know. Did you see how frightened Hades was about the idea of Kronos coming back? Zeus has to know."

Percy stood tall, holding Annabeth's eyes, knowing he had to convince her above all else. She was still frowning, narrowing her eyes at him. Until she finally faltered, daughter of war, she knew he was right. She knew this was bigger than them, bigger than a deadline.

"Okay, what's the plan then," Annabeth crossed her arms and looked at him.

"You two have to return to camp, now that we know who Ares and Clarisse were working for, someone has to warn Chiron," Percy then turned to his mom. "And you have to go home. The… uh… the FBI is kind of looking for you and they think I killed you, I think?"

Sally looked startled for a moment and Grover and Annabeth still looked displeased with the plan, especially the part where Percy wanted to go to Olympus all on his own. But this was his quest. He had received it from the oracle, he was going to see it through.

"Sweetheart…" Sally reached out to cup his face. "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah," Percy grinned at her. "I got one uncle on my side, I'll be fine convincing the other too."

Annabeth huffed and shook her head and Grover made a small, distressed noise.

/break\

So Annabeth was really great at cheering someone up. When they hugged goodbye, she whispered to him about how Zeus was going to kill him, either for having stolen the bolt or for being a forbidden kid. Just really not very motivating. He hugged her and sent her off on her way, because Percy was done running. What was he supposed to do? Keep the bolt all to himself? Or go back to the underworld and give it to Hades, after all? Returning it to Zeus was the only option.

Though Annabeth had also given Percy her bead necklace for good luck. Which seemed like a lot of progress. It didn't take a genius to realize that Annabeth wasn't good with social interactions or making friends. And by now, Percy knew she didn't even really do that on purpose. The way she had looked at him when he'd told her he'd thought they would never be friends? She had looked genuinely surprised and even hurt. Like her weirdly stalking him, not telling him anything, being so blunt it was rude, like all of that hadn't been intentional. It was just… how she was. And after he had told her how that had made him feel – like they would never be friends – she had started adjusting her behavior, albeit awkward at it. And now they were friends, and she did better at showing that she wanted to be friends, that she did care about him.

Percy grasped the beads for a moment as he entered the Empire State Building's elevator. Showing the man at the reception the Master Bolt had indeed gotten him upstairs. When the doors dinged and opened, Percy held his breath for a second. It was overwhelming, the huge city kingdom of Olympus was breathtaking and gorgeous and impossible.

He walked for what felt like forever, until he came upon the throne space. On the biggest throne sat an annoyed looking, tall man. Percy swallowed hard as he approached. He'd met so many gods in such a short amount of time, but this was the king of gods, who also wanted to see Percy dead.

Percy took off his bag and got the bolt out, holding it out like an offering to Zeus, even bowing his head – trying to look demure or obedient or something like that. Trying to appeal to Zeus. Zeus got off his throne and slowly walked over to him and took it.

"I didn't steal it. Neither did any of my friends. We found it. We got it back. We tried to get it to you on time, but…"

Zeus gave him a look, judging him, like every adult who'd ever given up on him. "You failed."

"Yes," Percy forced out. "I did. But I had to come. I had to tell you who did steal it. It was Kronos."

Zeus physically backed off from Percy at that, turning around and walking away from Percy, like their business was done now. Great sign. Another god not believing him.

"He's behind it all," Percy continued urgently, trying to sound serious and be taken seriously. "He's emerging from Tartarus, or trying to. He's gathering strength and he's coming for all of you."

"You may go," Zeus dismissed him, like he hadn't heard a single word Percy had said.

Percy tried to argue, but Zeus wasn't hearing any of it. Instead, he went on a rant about how he had taken care of Kronos. Like he was doing a generous thing by letting Percy leave, and ignoring Percy. However, Percy was too stubborn to back down, he tried to appeal to Zeus once more, try to make him end this war. Neither was giving an inch, both insisting on their point being true.

Both of them were too stubborn, neither backing down, until the one with more power got pushed too far and snapped. Zeus raised his arm, the Master Bolt flickering with blue electricity as Zeus prepared to smite him. Filled with fear, Percy curled together, away from him. When nothing happened, he turned back, just to see another man, holding Zeus' arm.

"I surrender," the man said, repeating himself when Zeus asked for it. "Just spare my son."

And from that point on, Percy kind of spaced out on their conversation, because this was his father. His father had come to save his life. His father was giving up the war, for Percy's sake. His father… looked a lot like him. The same messy, black hair that Percy had always wondered about, since his mom was brunette. His mom also had blue eyes, so did Percy get his green eyes from Poseidon too? Did he truly resemble his father this much? Did Sally see Poseidon in him?

"Obedience doesn't come naturally to you, does it?" Poseidon looked straight at Percy, finally speaking to him, after his conversation with Zeus ended.

"No…" Percy trailed off for a moment, unsure. "...sir."

Poseidon looked mostly amused by that, regarding Percy, not with judgment but with pride. "I must take some of the blame for that, I suppose. The sea does not like to be restrained."

There were a billion things he wanted to tell his father, he had thought about telling his father. So many things he wanted to say and ask and it was all kind of too much. Instead, he ended up asking his dad if he ever dreamed about his mom. Which was a fickle, stupid question, probably. Poseidon had Amphitrite, he had a wife. He had taken so many mortal lovers in the past. Did he really want to hear the truth here? Poseidon smiled thinly at him and handed him the pearl that instantly transported him back to Camp Half-Blood. Away from his father.

/break\

"I'm sorry," Percy whispered, his voice breaking.

He was sitting with his legs drawn up against his chest, arms around them. Next to him Annabeth was sitting in the exact same position, her face resting on her knees. She looked unfathomably sad and he understood, even though he knew he would never fully understand.

"What are you sorry for, this wasn't on you," Annabeth whispered. "I should have seen it."

After Percy had returned to camp, he'd gone and found Annabeth, seen that Clarisse was still out. They'd been celebrated as successful heroes and Percy had gone on a walk with Luke. A walk where Percy pieced together that it had never been Clarisse. Luke, who'd first set them out against Clarisse. Luke, who'd given Percy the shoes that had dragged Grover to Tartarus.

Luke Castellan was the traitor. And he tried to recruit Percy too, to turn his back on the gods, on camp. The first friend Percy had made at camp had tried to kill him. The two fought and if not for Annabeth, who'd followed them invisibly, maybe Percy would have lost.

"I can't…" Percy paused. "I don't know how you feel, I don't know if there is anything I can say or do to make this better, but… but you have to know that you're not alone, okay? You have Grover and me and like a whole cabin full of siblings, right? You're not alone in this."

Annabeth turned to look at him at that, her dark eyes clouded with unshed tears. Annabeth Chase was not the type to cry, because she probably thought that was weakness. Her fingers clawed into her jeans and she leaned back against the bark of the tree.

"I had nobody," Annabeth swallowed hard. "I left home because my stepmother didn't believe me, didn't… the monsters I saw, the things I saw, she didn't believe me, and my dad sided with her and I felt like I had nobody in my corner, so I left. And then I met Thalia and Luke and they became my family, my world. They were in my corner, they protected me, taught me, made me feel loved."

Percy remained quiet as he watched her and listened to her. "And then Grover found us and he guided us here and he promised us that we would be safe here and Thalia died. Zeus… Zeus 'saved' her by turning her into a tree, but how is that saving? She's gone. And I was so mad at Grover, for so, so long, but Luke helped me get over it, so I could befriend Grover. And Luke was still there, was always there for me. How… He just… left. He just betrayed me. Left me."

She squeezed her eyes shut, mouth a thin line like she was suppressing a scream or a sob or maybe both. Percy turned toward her fully and pulled her into a tight hug, trying to show her that she wasn't alone, even if Luke had betrayed and left her. Because if all of this mess had shown him one thing, it was that Annabeth was a good person, and that they could be friends. Best friends. He could hear her sob into his shoulder, but he didn't comment. He just held her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Return to Medusa's

His mom was packing. They'd only just arrived back home and instead of relaxing, his mom was packing. Percy stood there, frozen, staring at her while she put all of her belongings into bags and suitcases, all the while grumbling beneath her breath.

"Mom," Percy grabbed her arm. "Mom. What is… What are you doing?"

"We're leaving, Percy," Sally continued packing. "Persephone is right, I deserve better. And that he let people think you would harm me! No. No, we're leaving. We deserve better."

Percy wasn't sure what to do with that. He'd thought his mom deserved better for a long, long time now, but Sally always insisted on staying. If Persephone had helped change her mind, then Percy had a new favorite goddess right now.

"But… where would we go, mom?"

That finally gave Sally some pause. She turned toward him with furrowed brows and cupped his face so she could gently kiss his forehead. That wasn't much of an answer though.

"Maybe we should go to a motel, or something. I don't know. We'll tide it over at a motel and then we'll find something, our own place, just you and me, sweetie."

A motel? Well, no. Percy was super not going to live in a motel. He frowned as he tried to figure out what to do. His mom wanted to leave and he wanted to leave too, but they couldn't just…

"Go and pack your things, Percy, we'll figure it out later, together."

Together. Okay. Percy could do together. Whatever came next, they would manage together. With a reluctant nod did Percy head into his room to pack everything that was important to him. A new start sounded good. Their lives had been irrevocably changed by this quest. Time to change it more.

/break\

They took the car, because the car was in Sally's name. Screw Gabe. They put their bags and suitcases into the car, filling the backseats too. Gabe was out, poker night. By the time he'd be back home, Sally and Percy would be long gone.

"Mom," Percy's voice was small. "I… I think I know where we can go."

He'd spend all his time packing thinking about it from all angles. His mom didn't really have friends and she had no family left – James and Laura, Percy's grandparents, had died when she was just a teen and even her uncle Richard who'd taken her in after had long since passed. It was just Sally and Percy. However, that also meant it was just Sally and Percy who needed a place.

"What do you have in mind, kiddo?"

"So, there's this really nice lady I met during the quest," Percy shifted a little in his seat. "And two of the friends I made, I sent them to stay with her and uh I think they are. I wanted to check in on them anyway and maybe…. Maybe we could ask her if we can stay with her too?"

"With a stranger," Sally sounded very displeased.

"Not technically," Percy tilted his head. "You know of her, does that count?"

"...Percy," and there was something to the way his mom said his name there.

"It's Medusa," Percy blurted out. "She gave us sanctuary and fed us and was really nice to us. And I think she really wants to meet you because I told her about you so like we could at least drop by to check on my friends and so she can meet you? You don't have to decide if we stay just yet."

A heavy sigh came from Sally, but she didn't have any better idea either. Hers was still the motel.

/break\

Medusa was humming softly to herself as she braided Bianca's hair and listened to the girl talking in an excited voice. The longer the siblings had been out of the Lotus Hotel, the more of their memories were returning to them. Bianca was telling Medusa about their mother, Maria di Angelo. A beautiful, kind and fierce woman, apparently. Well, Medusa would have liked to meet her.

"There's a car driving up," Nico piped up.

He was sitting at the window, drawing. Medusa was encouraging them to do the things they enjoyed, especially since – at least for now – they were stuck here. Until Medusa heard back from Percy on what would be the safest course of action for the siblings, they were hers. They were under her protection and she was not going to let harm come to them. However, she could only guarantee that on her property. Thankfully, she had a large library, an atelier, a garden. Enough things to occupy the children. They also played a lot of games together. Among them, Mythomagic. Even though Bianca always groaned and rolled her eyes in frustration, she still always joined them.

"A car," Medusa fastened Bianca's braid. "Please go to another room, children."

She never got visitors by car. Wayward heroes and monsters who wandered in, but someone specifically seeking out her home? That could mean trouble and she was not going to let any harm come to her children. Nico pouted but he let himself be dragged into one of the house's other rooms by his older sister. It was good that her house was spacious. She'd always needed to occupy herself and over her long life, she had cultivated a long list of interests and talents.

Knocking on the door prompted her to open her door, ready to attack. "Oh. Son of Sally Jackson."

She couldn't help the pleased, small smile when she saw the boy. His fierce, sea-green eyes and that chin-up defiance were endearing on a twelve-year-old. She also had the urge to ruffle his black, messy hair. Crossing her arms, she raised one eyebrow, waiting.

"Son of Sally Jackson, huh," someone else spoke, sounding heavily bemused.

Medusa's eyes moved past Percy and to… the stunning lady standing behind the boy. Gentle lines on her face that showed she must laugh a lot, eyes a deep, endless blue one could drown in and long, brown curls that tempted Medusa to run her fingers through it. A nice figure to compliment it all too, soft but in all the fight places. Medusa tilted her head, more than intrigued.

"Mh, my opinion on… our shared ex-boyfriend," Medusa quirked her lips. "Hasn't been too high since he let Athena go unpunished for what she did to me. So I preferred to think of sweet little Percy as the son of his mother rather than the son of his father. Which must be you, then."

Unfolding her arms, she reached out to take Sally's hand and shake it with a flirtatious smile. It wasn't often that Medusa got pretty visitors, even rarer that those didn't see her as a monster – and according to sweet little Percy, Sally was one of those. The woman looked surprised and the faintest blush lit up her cheeks at Medusa's smile. Mh. Not oblivious then. Able to pick up obvious queues and easily flustered by flirting. How utterly charming.

"I, ah," Sally cleared her throat embarrassed. "Sally Jackson. Yes. I… It's nice to meet you? I don't entirely know what to say when meeting a legend, quite honestly."

"Flattery," Medusa smiled pleased. "Why don't you two come inside, I have cookies in the oven."

"I wanted to introduce you to my mom, show you that I succeeded in my quest. Big thanks to you too there," Percy looked very confused by the exchange between the two women. "And I wanted to see how Bianca and Nico are doing. Sorry for sending them to you without a warning. I just… needed them to be safe and out of the way while I was still on the quest?"

Medusa couldn't describe the warm feeling in her chest at that. When had she… ever… been seen as a safe place by someone? That warm feeling, it felt dangerously like love. She'd isolated herself for so long, had not allowed herself to love. But this little demigod was melting her heart and if he didn't have a living mother standing right next to him, then Medusa would keep him as her own.

"When you left, I granted you a boon," Medusa tilted her head. "That boon was me letting you go and taking care of the Fury for you. I have, however, decided to accept the children as offerings."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that," Percy frowned at her doubtfully.

"They're mine now," Medusa smiled, all teeth. "Two orphaned children, hunted by the gods."

"I… don't know if that's how it works," Percy continued frowning at her.

"Who's to stop me?" Medusa looked at him amused. "They are from the 1930s, Percy. That's how long they have been in the Lotus Hotel. There is nobody left, Percy. They're alone, they technically don't even exist in this time. And their parentage puts them at high risk."

Percy perked up at that. "Wait. Do you know who their godly parent is?"

Medusa smiled to herself as she led the way to the kitchen. "Kids! Cookies are ready."

Within moments did both di Angelos come barelling into the room. They came to a screeching halt when they saw their visitors. Amusement filled Medusa as she saw the way Nico's face lit up. He'd barely talked about anything aside from Mythomagic and Percy Jackson since they got here.

"Percy!" Nico rushed over and tackled Percy in a hug. "You're here! You're safe! I was so worried. What you and your friends were doing was so dangerous, I didn't want anything to happen to you!"

Percy laughed and returned the hug. "Yeah, it was, uh, wild. Guys! This is my mom! Mom, these are my new friends, Bianca and Nico."

Nico's smile was nearly blinding. "You got your mom back!"

"I'm glad," Bianca patted Percy's shoulder. "You'll have to tell us all about it."

"But first," Medusa interrupted as she piled cookies onto a plate. "Cookies. Here, why don't you take them to eat in the living room and talk some? Let the adults talk among themselves."

That was all it took and the three kids rushed into the living room, Percy already halfway into his retelling of that quest of his. Medusa was sure she would get another chance to hear that story too. For now, she was much more intrigued by the woman who had raised that young hero.

/break\

Sally didn't know what she'd expected of Medusa, but the woman who had opened the door was breathtaking. Percy had assured her that it was okay to look at Medusa, because Medusa wore sunglasses that protected others from her powers. And though Sally couldn't see her eyes, everything else she saw was stunning. Her sharp features, her body, her fashion sense, her snakes. The snakes were supposed to be scary and monstrous, but Sally found them oddly… adorable.

And then there had been that smile! That flirtatious smile. It had been a while since Sally last allowed herself to flirt with anyone – between being the single earner of their family and constantly worrying about her son, there just wasn't any time for such nonsense. Not to mention the part where she was still legally married. Though she planned on getting a divorce as soon as possible.

Still, she recognized that she had been flirted with by the beautiful immortal. What was she supposed to do with that? It had been overwhelming realizing that the cute surfer boy who'd been flirting with her had been a Greek god, but to know who Medusa was and to be flirted with…?

"My son says that you have… helped him, when none of the gods were being helpful."

"Oh, what else is new?" Medusa huffed, waving a hand. "That's what the gods do. They mess with your life and then they leave you alone to pick up the pieces."

There was pain and bitterness in her voice and Sally couldn't help but reach out over the table to take her hand in a comforting gesture. It startled Medusa, but she didn't pull away.

"I'm sorry for what they did to you," Sally offered, gently.

A small, sad smile was aimed her way. "That's something I very rarely hear. Most people demonize me for what happened to me. As though I was some great manipulator in the game, when all I really was… was a woman in love. Something, I think, you can relate to."

A blush lit up Sally's cheeks. "I… suppose so. Loving Poseidon was…"

"Yes," Medusa nodded, a look of bemusement on her face. "He is like the sea. Passionate and overwhelming, sweeping you away and making you feel like you could drown in him."

"Mh," Sally had to smile too. "So, you don't regret having loved him either?"

"No," Medusa shook her head. "I don't regret loving him. I do regret loving her."

It took a moment before Sally furrowed her brows. "Athena. You…"

"Loved her," Medusa's smile took a bitter note. "I loved her with my whole being and she rejected me. But when I found love again, she grew jealous. She couldn't stand losing my undivided attention and worship. If I had never loved her, had never given her all of that…"

"Then everything else wouldn't have happened, because she never would have cared about what you did with Poseidon," Sally leaned back in her chair.

"Enough of me," Medusa shook her head. "What about you. Who is the only mortal to seduce Poseidon in this century, mh. You must be… impressive."

"I'm nobody," Sally laughed and shook her head. "I'm just… an orphan from a middle class family, who worked hard all her life. There's nothing special about me."

"I don't believe that's true," Medusa smiled in an enigmatic manner. "You… You taught your son kindness and raised him to think for himself instead of making assumptions based on prejudices and the things other people tell him ought to be true. That says a lot about you."

Again, Sally felt herself blush. When was the last time she'd blushed? This made her feel like a school girl again, which seemed appropriate considering that was about the last time she'd had a girl flirt with her. Mindy Jacobs, vice captain of the cheerleaders. Really knew how to fluster a girl.

"Thank you. For helping Percy when he needed it," Sally turned to look out of the kitchen door and at the three laughing kids in the other room. "What about those two."

"Oh, I meant it. I'm keeping them. They're mine now."

"They are not stray puppies," Sally couldn't help but huff out a laugh. "They're children."

"Yes," Medusa tilted her head. "And now they are mine. It'll be safer for them too. They… are going to face a lot of difficulties, thanks to their father…"

Sally narrowed her eyes at that. "Who is their father."

"I can sense death on them," Medusa offered another cryptic smile. "They reek of the underworld."

At that, Sally's eyes widened. She didn't dare say it – knew why Medusa didn't say the name either. Names had powers and gods could often listen in if their names were mentioned. But Hades? Another one of the Big Three? Sally knew the dangers Percy had been in because of his father. Her eyes found Bianca and Nico again, watching them talk and laugh with Percy.

"And you can protect them?" Sally asked with furrowed brows.

"Nobody is safe from my powers. Monsters and heroes as much as mortals," Medusa shrugged. "Their scent is strong and it attracts particularly powerful monsters. As you must be aware. My home is a place they do not dare to cross. They are safe with me."

It was the fierceness in her eyes and the glare on her face – a glare aimed at the unfairness of the world – that did the last to convince Sally. This was ridiculous and unreal and how was this her life, but she was genuinely considering asking Medusa for sanctuary.

"I married a man… who isn't good… but who was… uniquely suited to cover Percy's scent," Sally started softly. "But I think that Percy might be too powerful at this point to be… I want to leave my husband and I want a new start, but I don't know where he would be safe. I… don't know where to stay. Who to ask for help. I know it's asking a lot, I know you don't even know us-"

"You are more than welcome to stay as long as you want," Medusa interrupted her with a smile.

Sally blinked at her in surprise. "Just… Just like that?"

Medusa tilted her head and even through the thick sunglasses, Sally could feel the intensity of her eyes. "Just like that. I don't think any woman should need to rely on a man for safety. Besides, I am very fond of that son of yours. And I think Nico will be delighted to have Percy around."

Well, Sally had no idea what to do with that, aside from stare at Medusa.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: New Home

Medusa's home was impressive. It left Sally stunned after the first tour. An atelier, a large library, a room with a pool table, a winter garden that made her fingers itch because there were also herbs and fruits in there and it made sense that Medusa farmed things herself too. The garden outside was impressive too – aside from the creepy dead people stuck as statues.

The house was big enough that Sally and Percy got their own rooms each, even though Medusa was already housing the children of Hades. Which was still a thing Sally had to reconcile with. Hades had children. Poseidon never talked too much about his family, but from what she knew, Hades had always been loyal to his wife. There were many famous demigods throughout history and Sally knew none of them to be children of Hades. So for there to be two children of Hades, not even twins but children who were two years apart, that meant something more serious too.

The room Sally got to stay in was absolutely lovely. It was in soft blue colors, with forget-me-nots in a pot on the window-sill that matched the embroider drapes. The bed was large and comfortable, the sheets softer than anything Sally had ever touched before. After a light dinner between all five of them and a shower, Sally sank into that bed and fell asleep more easily than in a long time.

There was something to knowing that they were safe, truly safe, and that they were out of Gabe's reach, that Percy knew the truth and didn't hate her for lying to him, that there was a fierce and strong and powerful person in this house who was willing to protect them both.

Gentle knocking on the door woke her up the next day. "Sally? Breakfast is ready and the children are doing a convincing impression of starving Victorian orphans."

Sally huffed out a laugh at that. "I'll be right out, give me a moment to change."

And the thought of breakfast being ready? She couldn't remember the last time she had a home-cooked meal that she hadn't prepared herself. Taking care of uncle Rich, when he was sick, before that, so many years ago… With a sigh did she get changed and brushed her hair before heading downstairs. A smile spread over her lips as she saw Percy and Nico fight over the waffles.

"You already took all the blueberry pancakes," Nico argued.

"And you took all the bacon!" Percy exclaimed, pointing at Nico's plate.

"I really thought I made enough food for five, but it appears that these are not children, they are black holes," Medusa heaved an exasperated sigh. "Please, sit down so they can eat. Animals."

She pointed at the seat next to her and Sally was happy to oblige. After filling her own plate, they started eating. She used the opportunity to learn more about the siblings, getting Bianca and Nico to talk about their own lives. Their lives in Venice, before they got taken to the US, and their experience in this magical hotel that sounded equally fascinating and mortifying to Sally. Sally startled in the middle of it when something wet tickled her cheek. Turning her head, she found herself eye to eye with one of Medusa's snakes, its little tongue flicking at Sally.

"I am so sorry," Medusa looked at her alarmed, putting a hand on the snake to guide it away from Sally. "Timos loves scrambled eggs."

"Oh," Sally blinked wide-eyed at the little snake that was trying to push its head through Medusa's fingers. "Well, is it okay for him to have them…?"

Now it was Medusa's turn to blink at her. "Yes?"

Sally offered a blinding smile as she took a small bit of scrambled egg between her fingers and held it up to the snake. Timos sniffed her finger curiously before opening his mouth and devouring the eggs. A small giggle escaped Sally as his tongue lapped at her finger.

"Good boy," Sally cooed, brushing her finger against his head.

Oh. Oh, this wasn't good. Medusa swallowed hard. Flirting with a beautiful woman was one thing, it was casual, it didn't have to mean anything. But a beautiful woman not recoiling from her snakes? A beautiful woman cooing at her snakes, feeding them and petting them? That might be more than Medusa could handle, she couldn't remember anyone ever being gentle with her snakes. With her? Yes. But the snakes were something her lovers endured or ignored.

"They're really cool, right?" Percy asked with a broad grin.

"They are adorable," Sally corrected, now petting multiple snakes as others grew jealous of the attention Timos was getting. "There, there, no need to fight."

Medusa swallowed again, feeling like there was a lump in her throat. And Sally Jackson claimed to be nothing special. Hah. Medusa could see why Poseidon had fallen in love with the woman, she felt herself falling for this woman and she'd known her for less than a day! But between her protectiveness, her strength, her unlimited love and kindness? It was hard to deny.

/break\

Nico, Percy and Bianca were in the backyard, laying on the ground in a circle, their heads resting against each other as they stared up into the sky, making up stories about the clouds. Percy and Sally had been living with Medusa for about a month now and Percy had never been more happy in his life. He loved having friends so close by, he just had to walk down a few doors – that was the only thing he'd enjoyed about boarding school too, having Grover just a few rooms over.

School was starting again next week. Percy thought it was stupid. There were monsters and gods (and gods who were monsters), the world might end soon, but he had to go to school? Come on. There were more important things in the world! Which had earned him the sternest mom look from Sally and a preaching about how important his education was, because Sally wanted Percy to have everything he could ever want and for that, Percy would need a good job. To get a good job, he needed a good education. Which was also a concept Percy thought was stupid.

"I don't understand why you're pouting, Perce," Nico turned his head to look away from the sky and instead look at Percy. "I am so looking forward to school. Meeting other people, who aren't my sister, or you. Making friends. Learning. Like, the world has changed so much since we entered the hotel and sure, we got caught up on technology inside the hotel, but… everything changed."

"You will have to be our tour-guide to modern society, Percy," Bianca agreed.

That sounded like it could potentially be fun. He tilted his head. Medusa, after hearing Sally give her passionate preaching about school, had decided that Nico and Bianca also had to go to school. Which had been just a little funny to Percy, because school was a concept that fully had not occurred to Medusa before that. After all, she never had children living with her before.

"You'll have to come to Camp Half-Blood with me next summer," Percy declared, as he watched the leafs fall from the trees. "School is stupid, but camp is awesome. You're gonna love it. Lots of actually cool kids, who are like us, and have like… powers and can sword-fight."

Percy had been teaching them how to sword-fight but it wasn't like he had a lot of training himself. He'd kind of tumbled into this life head-first. Still, Bianca and Nico diligently listened to him. Nico because he was a total nerd who was obsessed with all of this anyway, and Bianca because she knew they needed to keep themselves safe. It made Percy miss Annabeth, because she could teach them so much better and would also be able to teach Percy some more. But Annabeth was in Boston and she was happy with her family and her half-brothers. They talked, on the phone, every week. She'd become his best friend so fast and hard during this quest that he couldn't imagine a life without Annabeth anymore. He also missed Grover, who was… out there, somewhere, searching for Pan, all alone – and that worried Percy, it worried him so much.

/break\

Percy frowned curiously at the bracelet Medusa put on him. She smiled and patted his head before moving on to put bracelets on Bianca and Nico too. They looked really cool. Resin, sturdy and see-through around the blueish black snake-skin. One of Medusa's hobbies was making jewelry and she had made these out of the shed skin from her own snakes. Which was a little weird and creepy.

"They carry my scent, which is going to mask yours," Medusa smiled. "Monsters will smell me first and they will then avoid you before they can get close enough to smell your scent."

"Oh, that is really awesome," Nico stared in awe at the bracelet.

Bianca wrapped her arms around Medusa's middle, hugging her tightly. There was a surprised but tender look on Medusa's face as she returned the hug and smoothed down Bianca's hair.

"Okay. I'm off to work and I'll drop the kids off at school and then pray to every god listening that they will not get into trouble on their first day," Sally heaved a sigh that sounded defeated.

"Wait," Medusa smiled as she took a pendant out of her pocket. "This one is for you."

"I'm not a demigod," Sally blinked surprised. "I don't smell particularly tempting to monsters."

It was a beautiful pendant, the resin was shaped like a sea-shell, but with the snake-skin inside it. Medusa laid it around Sally's neck and closed it at the back of her neck.

"You may be mortal, but monsters have always also attacked mortals. So I would like them to know that you too are under my protection, dear."

Sally flushed furiously at the term of endearment, the near possessive edge to her voice, the casual offer of protection. All her life, she had protected and helped others. It was still something so foreign to her to be taken care of by someone else.

"Thank you," Sally cleared her throat. "I… I'll bring dinner home tonight, okay?"

Medusa couldn't help her bright smile at Sally calling the place her home. Sure, the Jackson had been living with her for a month now, but so far, Sally had not exactly made a decision on what to do. How long this stay was going to be. If she was looking for a place to move, or if she maybe even already had one. But home. Home sounded good. Home sounded like her Jacksons weren't going to leave any time soon. Medusa smiled and nodded at Sally.

Medusa waved at them as they got into Sally's car. "Have a good day, my dears."

/break\

After a week of school, Nico was reconsidering his enthusiasm. Perhaps Percy was right after all. Kids were unnecessarily mean and Nico wasn't sure why they used 'nerd' as a bad word. They kept calling him that and he asked Percy what it meant, but his explanation of it didn't sound bad. It sounded accurate and fun. Percy had heaved a sigh and wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders to appease him. All it did was leave Nico's heart racing like a jackrabbit. Which was a weird thing that was happening more and more often when Percy would hug him.

Beyond the mean kids, school was kind of nice. Learning. Interacting with other people their own age – and not everyone was a bully. There were enough nice kids in their class too (Nico and Percy were in the same class, which also totally made it better). He'd even made another best friend (another because Percy was his first and nobody was going to beat Percy). So things got better over the following weeks of getting settled in, getting used to school.

"This is absolutely amazing and you are awesome," Nico declared.

He was carrying his not-Percy-best-friend's sketch book. She grinned broadly back at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. Rachel Elizabeth Dare was definitely the coolest girl on the planet. She had wild fire-y red hair and freckles and all her clothes were somehow stained with paint because she never went a day without painting. She was super artistic and talented and amazing and she indulged Nico in drawing all of his favorite creatures and gods.

"Yeah, Nick's right," Percy noted as he looked over Nico's shoulder.

His breath puffed at Nico's neck and Nico had no idea what that made his pulse feel like he had run too many laps at PE. Usually that annoyed him so much, whenever Bianca would do it. The four kids paused when they saw a homeless boy sitting at the alley. He was way younger than them, maybe seven and he was definitely not human. Nico and Percy came to a full-stop as they stared into the cyclops' one hazel eye, causing Bianca behind them to bump into them and complain until she saw what they saw. The thing was, on a theoretical level, Nico had been aware that monsters were born and that implied a phase between dangerous adult-sized monsters and babies. But looking at the young cyclops, Nico found it hard to think him monstrous.

"Hey," Percy smiled as he crouched down next to the kid. "I'm Percy. What's your name?"

"Tyson," the younger boy replied softly.

"You hungry, Tyson?" Percy asked, even as he already got his own lunch out. "Here. My mom makes the best pbj on the planet, but I already stole half of Nico's lunch so I'm all full."

Which wasn't even a lie. Medusa had made Nico's pbj with blueberry jam before they ran out of blueberry, so Percy 'only' got strawberry. And when lunch rolled around, Percy did that thing where his lower lip was quivering and his eyes were like twice their size and sparkling in a hypnotizing manner and Nico would just to absolutely anything Percy asked of him so they shared his sandwich.

"Thank you," Tyson accepted the sandwich shyly.

The other three exchanged a look before they stepped closer to them and then sat down with Tyson. Nico got his Mythomagic cards out and the five kids played together and talked for two hours.

/break\

Medusa was enjoying her afternoon tea when her wayward children finally found their way home. She hadn't been overly worried when they didn't come home right after school, they'd given her and Sally a heads up that they would be hanging out with Rachel after school. A talented young artist who had managed to befriend all three children. Medusa would love to meet her, but mortals were tricky and she didn't want to make things complicated for her kids.

"Uhm, Medusa, we kind of… uhm… brought you something?"

Oh, that was Percy's 'I should have asked permission first but that goes entirely against my nature so hello consequences here I am' voice (a very distinct voice that Medusa had learned to identify about a week into Percy and Sally's stay with her). Raising one eyebrow, Medusa put her tea down and went to check what that could possibly mean this time.

Many possibilities presented themselves when Percy Jackson was concerned, yet once again, Percy managed to surprise her, because next to Percy stood a young cyclops. Very young. A child, younger than Percy, Nico and Bianca by a few years. Messy, brown hair that somehow reminded her of Sally's, one big eye staring at her in awe and worry. Due to his nature, he was towering over the other kids despite being younger. The most curious part was the scent of ocean breeze clinging to him. A son of Poseidon. Leave it up to Percy to find a monstrous half-sibling of his.

"Well," Medusa smiled brightly. "Who do we have here?"

"That's Tyson. He doesn't have parents. We found him in an ally," Nico supplied.

Oh, dear. Leave it to Percy to bring her an orphaned child. Her smile turned more warm.

"Hello, Tyson," she approached him to pat his cheek gently. "Bianca, be a dear and go and prepare one of the empty bedrooms for our young guest. Nico and Percy, you help me with dinner."

Sally was going to be in for a surprise. They gained another child. My, she was really doing this whole courting in quite the messy order, wasn't she? First moving in together, then getting a child for the both of them (as opposed to Medusa's di Angelos and Sally's Percy), and they still hadn't even kissed. She needed to rectify this. A date. It was time she took the next step in her courting of Sally Jackson and took her out on a proper date, because the woman deserved to be wooed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: The Courting of Sally Jackson

Sally blinked slowly and then counted again. One, two, three… four. No, she still came up with one more child than before she left for work. Percy, Nico, Bianca and an unnaturally tall young boy with messy brown hair and one big, sad brown eye. Turning toward, Medusa, she raised her eyebrows. The other woman was very obviously ignoring her, focusing on preparing dinner and also clearly hoping that the scent of the delicious roast would distract Sally, but no. Sally was going to stay strong and not let Medusa's superb cooking skills distract her from the additional child.

"Why don't you kids and play some before dinner," Sally suggested, ushering them out.

"Uh-oh, our moms are gonna fight," Percy whispered beneath his breath. "That's mom's no-nonsense-you're-in-trouble voice. I try to avoid being on the receiving end of it."

A blush dusted Sally's cheeks at the 'our moms'. Now, Sally knew how Percy had meant it – she was Percy's mother and Medusa had become Bianca and Nico's mother over the past three months – but it still sounded quite different and that wouldn't even be untrue. Sally and Medusa had been co-parenting all three children for months now.

"Percy," Bianca hissed, even as she herded the boys out of the kitchen. "You need to invest in inside thoughts. Things that stay in your brain instead of leaving through your mouth."

Sally huffed amused as she watched the four children leave. When she turned toward Medusa, the other woman was still pretending to be quite busy with the food and to not notice what was going on. Raising one unimpressed eyebrow, Sally approached her from behind and then turned off the stove, effectively pinning Medusa between herself and the counter.

"The additional child, Medusa," Sally gave her a pointed look. "Or did you hope I wouldn't notice that there is an additional child. Because he's… quite big, he stands out. He's noticeable."

Medusa looked sheepish. The regal, stunning woman, millennia old and fierce who made monsters quiver in fear and did not back down from gods, looked sheepish. She smiled tentatively and scratched her cheek with one manicured finger.

"I was hoping to get the chance to come up with something better than 'your son brought me another stray and I found myself unable to deny them', but so far…"

"My…" Sally trailed off and then shook her head with a sigh. "How. Where. Who is he."

She'd tilted her head forward in resignation, not even thinking about the action. She only became aware of it when one of Medusa's snakes nuzzled her because her forehead was now resting against Medusa's shoulder. For a moment, she tensed. The two had grown quite close, had built a strong friendship and there was still the unspoken flirtation between them, but they hadn't been very casually physical so far. Come to think of it, Sally hadn't been casually physical with anymore in… too many years. Though she wanted to pull away when she noticed, she found herself unable to. Relishing too much in the small, comforting contact. Medusa against her relaxed slowly and, after a contemplative moment, wrapped one arm around Sally's waist.

"It seems the children met him on the streets," Medusa replied, voice such a low whisper that Sally could only hear it because her ear was next to Medusa's lips. "They played Mythomagic with him and shared the left-overs of their lunch with him and then debated what to do. And, being your son, Percy came to the conclusion that they needed to make sure the homeless orphan would be safe."

Sally gave a small noise at that. Oh, she absolutely would not have been able to walk past a homeless child with no parents either. But she was barely getting a grasp on her own life here, without having to work three jobs to keep up with Gabe's gambling debt, Sally could focus on the one job she actually cherished and put her all into it. Percy finally had a safe, stable home. And then there were the di Angelos, who weren't Sally's but who had grown on her too. Medusa was her own whole can of snakes that would take much longer to debate with herself. How did yet another child fit in there? Not to mention, the boy wasn't human…

"I need you to be frank with me," Sally spoke firmly as she took a step away. "He's a cyclops. I can see that. How dangerous could he be, for the demigods that we have living with us. As you keep reminding me, most monsters eat demigods. Just because he looks like an innocent child doesn't have to mean much. Appearances can be deceiving."

Medusa smiled faintly. "You're right. A grown cyclops could be a threat to them, would be a threat to them most likely. But he was not raised among his own kind, he wasn't taught to hate, or kill, demigods. He's just… a lonely child, who has been offered the first kindness in… far too long."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Sally turned to face the doorway. The kids were sitting on the floor in the dining room, continuing the puzzle Bianca and Sally had started last night. Percy and Nico were practically tripping over each other explaining what a puzzle was to the other boy.

"I'll custom-order a new sign for the shop. Rename this place from Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium into Mom Medusa's Home For Wayward Children," Sally muttered beneath her breath.

"So—o, we're keeping Tyson?" Medusa's voice sounded pleased and excited.

Tyson, huh? A small smile spread over Sally's lips as she watched the children.

"We're keeping Tyson," Sally sighed in over-exaggerated defeat.

She startled when Medusa leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. Not a real kiss. But close enough to have Sally's heart race a little. She blinked, staring at the other woman in wonder.

"Go out with me," Medusa was so close, her breath on Sally's cheek. "On a date. It's overdue."

"Oh, you think it's overdue to go on a date when we are four children in?" Sally sputtered out a laugh, leaning back into Medusa's space, resting her forehead on Medusa's shoulder again. "Yes."

"Yes?" Medusa perked up. "That… was easier than anticipated. Don't get me wrong, I have been picking up on your reception of my flirting, however flirting and dating are… different."

The way she trailed off told Sally that Medusa may not have a lot of dating experience. Which did make sense. Getting your heart broken by not one but two gods and getting cursed in a manner that made it impossible for her to have direct eye-contact with someone without killing them? And the sun-glasses she was wearing nowadays hadn't been around all that long either.

"Are you nervous?" Sally couldn't help but grin. "Did you not ask me out in these past three months because you were nervous? I figured you didn't because you let me settle in and… get over… well, you know. But it was at least as much about you, wasn't it?"

"Do not tease me, Jackson," Medusa was pouting.

Oh, that was brilliant. That was beautiful. Sally Jackson managed to make a powerful deity pout. Laughing softly, Sally dove in and kissed her, full on the mouth. Soft and gentle, but a real kiss.

/break\

Nico was laying on the couch, a deeply thoughtful frown on his face. Sally and Medusa were on a date. A romantic date. Between lover type people. But they were both women. Was that allowed? He was pretty sure that wasn't allowed. He'd heard his grandfather say bad things.

"They're on a date, Annie!" Percy sounded super excited where he sat next to Nico.

"That's… a choice," Annabeth's voice came through the phone, sounding baffled.

"Shut up, Medusa is actually really cool," Percy pouted. "And nice. And she took us in. Oh, you haven't met Tyson yet, you're gonna love Tyson. He's my brother now. I have decided."

"Percy, you're… so Percy," Annabeth sighed, sounding fond.

"You should come visit," Percy tilted his head back, phone still pressed to his ear. "I want you to teach me and Bia and Nico. I dunno about Tyson yet, he's only seven, but…"

"Seven is very much old enough to know how to sword-fight," Annabeth argued. "How about I come over and visit you guys soon... Spring break?"

"Yes—s," Percy started bouncing in his seat, effectively shaking Nico too.

He was also gently slapping Nico's chest, like he was trying to get Nico's attention. Like he didn't always have Nico's undivided attention anyway. Well, maybe it was a little divided right now. Did nobody find it weird or wrong that Medusa and Sally were on a date…? Percy was excited and Annabeth seemed mostly bothered on the Medusa being Medusa part, not the Medusa being a woman part. Did that mean that it was okay for two women to like each other?

"Hey," Percy was suddenly upside-down staring at Nico, startling him. "You are thinking super loudly right now. Don't break anything up there. What's going on?"

"I just…" Nico bit his lips. "Is that really okay? Medusa and Sally are both women."

For a moment, Percy just stared at him blankly, confused, before his eyes widened. "Oh. Wait. No! Has nobody told you about gay people yet? You are so obsessed with Mythomagic, do they not cover the gay parts? Because there's like so many gay parts in our family tree."

Nico didn't particularly like it when Percy referred to it as 'their' family tree, though he wasn't entirely sure why it bothered him so much. Sitting up, Nico tilted his head in confusion.

"Yes, no, our deeply catholic Italian family in the 1930s did skip over all the… 'unsavory' parts of Greek mythology," Bianca supplied amused where she was browsing Medusa's bookshelf.

"How," Percy stared at her in bewilderment. "There's like so much 'unsavory' there, how do you sanitize our family to make it palpable for children."

Bianca shrugged with a tilt of her head. "Ah. There. Achilles and Patroclus. Here. Read this."

She threw the book at Nico, who got hit in the stomach with it and oofed hard. He knew about Achilles. But why were him and his best friend Patroclus interesting in this context?

"Okay but if he doesn't know, how do you know?" Percy pointed between Nico and Bianca.

"I kissed a girl in the Lotus Hotel and I liked it," Bianca gave off an air of confidence that was at least 75% fake. "So I burrowed into the internet and did research on it."

"Oh," Percy blinked. "That's cool."

What. No. What. Nico stared between Percy and Bianca – his sister who had kissed a girl – and the book and he had fully no idea what to do with any of this. He stared at Bianca wide-eyed and for once, Bianca looked at him with genuine warm kindness, no mockery or annoyance.

"Just read the book, bambino," Bianca requested with a smile. "And then some more."

/break\

"Can I make a suggestion?" Sally asked during dessert.

They'd shared appetizers and talked about the kids, during the main course Sally had bombarded Medusa with questions about her sisters and family life (not on the best of terms with her parents, still very close with her sisters, who regularly came and visited). Medusa tilted her head.

"Absolutely, darling."

A light blush dusted Sally's cheeks at the pet-name. All of this still felt quite unreal. When she looked at Medusa, she felt so… regular in comparison. Medusa carried herself with so much poise, she was so breathtaking, even if one discounted the snakes (and Sally would not discount the snakes, the snakes only made her hotter). Meanwhile, Sally was just a regular housewife. She knew she wasn't ugly, but she felt very plain. One of many, while Medusa was the most unique woman she had ever met or could ever imagine. And yet Medusa had chosen her.

"Your garden gnome emporium," Sally tilted her head. "I want… I would like… We should sell flowers. It should be a proper gardening empire. It's so… lonely and empty, with only the statues. I would like to bring some life back to it. Colorful flowers, plants, maybe vegetables too. I know you have a green thumb, you do grow your own vegetables in the garden. Why not sell."

Medusa paused curiously, blinking a few times. "It… had never occurred to me, to be quite frank. Selling the statues was more a means to an end. The end being getting rid of them without breaking them, because that did feel… a little wrong. You want to turn it into a flower shop. Together?"

Sally gave a little shrug. "I do have half a business degree. Before I had to quit college to take care of my dying uncle, anyway. And among my jobs, working in the shop is what I enjoy most. I did quit the waitress job, never doing that again if it is avoidable, but… I would like to… I think I want my own thing, or maybe more like our own thing. Something new, a fresh start, something that I could be… proud of and claim as my own, instead of being an employee. Only if that is something you could imagine too, of course. I'd want us to be partners."

"I'd like for us to be partners," Medusa smiled slyly.

The blush returned to Sally's cheeks. "Not those kind of partners. Well. Those too. That's why we're on a date. But I mean business partners. Equals. If you want that too."

"Sally," Medusa's voice turned more serious. "There is nothing I don't want to share with you. I am sharing my home, my children, my life with you. If you want to turn what I basically run as a neglected side-hustle into a proper business, I would be happy to help you."

At her words, Sally perked up with the happiest smile and it made Medusa feel so warm.

/break\

So Achilles and Patroclus actually kissed in the book. Nico had to put the book away and stare wide-eyed at the ceiling for about twenty minutes when that had happened. Two boys, no two heroes, got to just kiss. That was a thing. A thing that happened frequently, apparently. Bianca and Percy had gathered him a whole pile of books and stories, many of them featuring Apollo, to read. It wasn't weird or devious for a boy to like other boys? That was a lot to digest.

"Bit more to the left," Percy called out. "Bit more! And higher!"

Blinking, Nico turned his attention to what was happening right now, even though his thoughts kept drifting back to boys kissing. Medusa and Tyson were putting up a new sign over the shop side of the house. The Snake Garden Emporium. Because they didn't just sell gnomes anymore and it wasn't just Medusa's anymore. It got a thorough cleaning and a new paint-job and now there were flowers and plans everywhere and it was beautiful.

"What do you think, Nico?" Sally asked, sounding proud.

She was resting a hand on his shoulder as they both watched Medusa and Tyson. Bianca was rearranging flowers in the background, claiming they needed to look different to attract more customers. Nico didn't know if that really made sense, but if she wanted to spend her time moving around potted plants, he wasn't going to argue with her (as long as she kept him out of it).

"I think this is really cool," Nico offered after a moment.

"Mh," Sally gently steered him away from the others back into the house. "So Bianca and Percy told us that you had some… reservations about me and Medusa."

"No," Nico stared at her with wide, near afraid eyes. "I don't, I just-"

"It's okay, kiddo," Sally smiled warmly at him. "You're… from a very different time. And sadly, even today there are still too many prejudices. It's okay to be confused or overwhelmed by new things that you don't understand. I just want you to know that you can talk to us about it, about anything, okay? If something confuses you or you need help figuring something out, then both Medusa and I will be there to help you."

"Okay," Nico nodded reluctantly. "Thank you. I just… I didn't think that was a thing? I thought that boys only kissed girls and girls only kissed boys. And somehow this feels… really big? Important?"

He was so confused about that part, about why this felt so important to him. Sally's smile reminded him of Percy, the mischievous kind, and Nico didn't really know what to do with that either.

"When you figure out why it's important, you can come talk to me, sweetie."

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Custody Arrangement

Sally had a hand wrapped her mouth, covering it as she watched Percy and Tyson. Medusa had told her that Tyson was a son of Poseidon and she was still struggling with that. Was it a coincident, that her son had found a half-brother of his, had brought the child home with him…? Or was it fate? Or was it Poseidon himself, sending a companion for Percy, while also making sure his other son was okay too? Or was Sally overthinking everything.

"They're adorable," Medusa whispered, wrapping her arms around Sally's waist.

"They are," Sally agreed, watching the boys kick a soccer ball back and forth.

The di Angelos and Rachel came out too, Nico and Rachel quickly joining Tyson and Percy in their little soccer game, while Bianca sat down under the tall apple tree with a book. Sally sighed softly and leaned back against her girlfriend. This was… her family. She had a family. Her own family, a loving partner, a safe and warm home, Percy had people he could trust and rely on, friends. Finally, for the first time in twelve years, Sally felt like things were looking up. And in her experience, that was when something would happen that may change her life forever.

/break\

Medusa was sitting on the couch, reading. It was late, the moon was high in the night sky, the children were finally asleep in their beds – even Nico, after she had taken the book and flashlight from him with a scowl. It was just Medusa and her lover now, Sally's head resting in Medusa's lap. She had her legs pulled up and her laptop resting on her stomach as she worked. Orders and finances for their business. Turned out Sally wasn't just beautiful but also a clever business woman. Medusa had already sold more statues in the past two months than she had in the past year. They were shipping all over the US and their flowers and plants were also selling well.

Knocking on the door disturbed the peaceful moment. With a heavy sigh did Medusa put her book down and gently ease Sally's head off her lap. The woman mumbled a little in protest and adjusted herself, like it greatly offended her that her pillow was moving. Smiling softly, Medusa leaned over to kiss Sally's forehead and brush unruly chocolate-colored curls out of her lover's face.

When Medusa opened the door, she paused, then frowned annoyed. In front of her stood a regal, tall, pale man with the dark curls and piercing pitch-black eyes, unmistakable in his royalty and power, his black robes with the silver embroidery made of the finest silk. On his arm hung a stunning woman with warm, brown skin and long, chestnut-brown curls falling down her back, red flowers braided into it, ruby jewelry adoring her, her dress green like fresh spring grass and her smile a pull on blood-red lips. Medusa heaved an exasperated sigh.

"What," Medusa's voice was flat and annoyed. "Do you want?"

"Who is it, darling? It's late. Send them away. Unless it's another child for us to adopt," Sally paused for a moment. "...Is it Rachel? Are we adopting Rachel next?"

For a moment, Medusa laughed brightly. Considering Rachel's cold, distant and controlling parents, the thought had crossed both their minds before and they had, repeatedly, offered Rachel that if she ever needed a place to stay, she could come to them. The gods in front of Medusa looked at her curiously, her amused and him surprised.

"You're sleeping with my brother's ex," Hades blinked. "You stole his girl and his son."

"Sons," Medusa corrected, a smirk on her lips. "I took another son of his."

"And ours," Persephone added, tilting her head. "Did you start a collection?"

Mh. Medusa tilted her own head at that. Now where would she find two children of Zeus to complete the set…? Wasn't that an amusing thought. She shook her head and stepped aside, motioning for the two gods to enter her sanctuary. Shielded from godly ears and eyes. Nobody needed to know whatever it was the king and queen of the underworld wanted.

"We have visitors. No, it is not our next daughter," Medusa announced as she returned to the living room. "It's the father of my di Angelos. And he brought his wife."

Sally paused and stared at the godly couple for a few moments before she slowly closed her laptop with a sigh and got up. To Medusa's surprise did Sally go and hug Persephone.

"It's nice to see you again. Please invest in a phone so you can call ahead. It's late."

Persephone laughed and patted Sally's upper arms after their hug parted. "You look good, dear. I see you took my advise about leaving that dreadful man. And you… upgraded."

Mischievous Earth-brown eyes stared at Medusa for a moment and what was Medusa missing here. Why was Sally being friendly with the queen of the underworld? Would this woman ever stop baffling her. Turning toward Hades, Medusa exchanged a look with the king.

"Oh, your… girlfriend spent some time in the underworld with us," Hades offered. "Safe-keeping. And when Percy fulfilled his end of our bargain, my wife insisted on bringing her back herself."

Heaving a sigh, Medusa went to sit down on the couch, motioning for the king to do the same. Sally and Persephone joined them after a moment, all four sitting in silence. Tyson's snoring carrying down the stairs being the only sound inside the house.

"If you want your children back, you're out of luck," Medusa's voice was sharp and final.

When she opened her mouth in a smile, she revealed fanged teeth, her snakes standing up, ready to defend. Sally reached out to take her hand and squeeze it gently, gaining her attention.

"Darling, please do not threaten the king of the underworld in our living room," Sally requested softly. "I would prefer not to get smitten today. We wanted to go to the zoo tomorrow."

It startled a laugh out of Hades. "You are a truly fierce woman, Sally Jackson. I understand how you caught my brother's eye in the first place. I'm here to talk about the children. All three of them."

"Mh," Sally's eyes sharpened now. "I don't know if I like that."

"How about," Persephone heaved an exasperated sigh. "Everyone calms down a little first? Tea?"

After a moment's reluctance, Medusa got up to go and make tea for the four of them. She did not like this. Gods invading her sanctuary. Even though Hades had never harmed her personally before, she didn't like the threat he posed to her family. He could very easily take her children away and even though she'd only had them for half a year, the thought of losing them broke her heart.

When she returned to the living room with the tea, Persephone and Sally were animatedly chatting about succulents. Hades simply leaned back against the couch, one arm around his wife's waist, staring at her like she was the most special and amazing sight to behold.

"So, why and how did you end up cheating on your wife?" Medusa asked with a smile as she sat down and put the tea on the table. "That seems quite unlike you, Lord Hades."

"Who says my husband cheated on me?" Persephone's smile seemed as deadly as their realm. "Maria was a lovely woman, beautiful and kind, and we both agreed on that."

Sally made a small noise, leaning into Medusa as soon as she sat down next to the mortal woman. "How… unconventional. Good for you. But then, why… why not take your children in?"

She narrowed her eyes at the gods and oh how much Medusa was already in love with this woman. Madly and deeply. What mortal could glare down the king of the underworld unflinchingly? Leaning in, Medusa kissed her lover's cheek, causing them to color faintly pink.

"Don't undermine me while I'm threatening a god, dear," Sally whispered softly.

"I'm sorry," Medusa smiled brightly. "I couldn't resist."

Hades chuckled amused for a moment, before he sobered up some. "We wanted to take Maria, Bianca and Nico to the underworld with us, to keep them safe, to protect them. My brother… Zeus, he found out before we could. That's how Maria… died."

Sally's eyes and demeanor changed, softened in compassion. Medusa remained wary, though she watched Hades and Persephone closely. There was grief in both their faces.

"We feared it'd paint a target on them both if we pulled through," Persephone admitted. "Zeus knew about them now, they weren't safe with us. So we put them somewhere safe, somewhere out of reach, somewhere hidden. Until your son came across them and took them away."

"Percy was just trying to help," Sally frowned at them.

"And perhaps he did," Persephone's smile was tight. "Or he didn't. We can't know that yet. But we do know that our children seem… safe with you, for now. Your wards are strong, designed to protect you from the gods' gaze and you seem to have found a way to protect them from monsters and their hunger too. Being safe was all we wanted for them."

"But now that they're no longer in the hotel, we also…" Hades' gaze hardened. "They are safer with you than they would be in the underworld with us or, Nyx forbid, Camp Half-Blood."

"Then why are you here?" Medusa asked with narrowed eyes.

"It may not be safe for them to live with us, but they are our children and there is the Great Prophecy to watch out for," Persephone sat up straighter, her own eyes intense. "Our children need to be prepared. Right now, Bianca is the oldest child of one of the Big Three, right now, she is the child of the prophecy. And Percy and Nico aren't far behind."

Sally tensed, dread in her eyes. "What… prophecy?"

"There is a prophecy, one of the Great Prophecies, that foretells a child of one of the Big Three to either save or destroy Olympus when they reach sixteen," Persephone's voice softened some. "Both Bianca and Nico need to be prepared for this, need to be able to fight and to survive. So does your son, to be quite frank. As much as I'd like to be certain that both Bianca and Nico will survive until their sixteenth birthday, in… our world, you can not be sure of that."

Sally's face was a twisted grimace of horror at the thought of any of the children dying before they could even be adults. And to survive, just to then become the centerpiece in some potentially world ending prophecy? Medusa wrapped both her arms around her lover in comfort.

"The children can stay with you, during the week, attend school and learn what mortals deem important," Hades continued for his wife. "But they'll spend the weekends in the underworld with us, learning from my council how to fight, how to use their powers."

Medusa ground her teeth together, ready to argue, desperate to argue. But prophecies? Medusa knew how deadly and horrible and impossible to avoid prophecies could be. She also knew that for a demigod to survive, training was vital. Percy had learned some at camp, but he'd barely been there and Sally wasn't willing to let him stay there full-time. Neither was Medusa, to be frank. But they also both wanted the children to be safe, to survive.

"Percy too," Hades added, when he noticed the reluctance on both women's faces.

"Why?" Sally looked suspicious now. "He's not yours. And if you want your children safe, wouldn't it be the safest for a different child to take on the prophecy?"

"And even for that, I would want him trained. As much resentment as I hold toward my brother, I do prefer Olympus intact and not razed to the ground," Hades grunted and crossed his arms. "Besides, I seem to have a weak spot for your boy. He has… spunk. He takes nothing from nobody and he makes his own choices, not based on biases or what authority figures tell him to believe. I find that refreshing. He helped me, he found my helmet and he returned it. I want to train him, to become my champion and fight in my name and under my protection."

"Zeus is going to hate that," Sally pointed out, worried.

"Absolutely," Hades agreed. "But he will also not dare to try and harm the boy, if he is under the protection of both Poseidon and me. Zeus wouldn't be stupid enough to provoke a war with both his brothers. This is… the safest course for your son, right now."

Silence befell them and all four nursed their teas while Medusa and Sally contemplated what had been spoken. The suggestion, as selfish as it was for both Hades and Persephone, was also just as generous. An offer they would be fools to refuse. Medusa's grasp on her tea cup tightened.

"Every second weekend," Medusa demanded, raising her chin. "This will not take their childhood from them. They will not spend every day at school and then their weekends training to fight a war that isn't theirs. Every second weekend, they will go to the underworld to train with you, the other weekend they will be here, at home, safe and happy and normal."

Before Hades and Persephone could say anything to that did Sally add her own demand. "And you'll also take Tyson with you. He may be younger and may not be the child of the prophecy, but by being part of this family, he is involved and I'll not have him at a disadvantage. Plus, if you're already taking three of our children, you can as well take all four so I can have some alone time with my girlfriend and we get to relax some too."

Persephone sputtered out a laugh. "I really do like you, Sally. We should meet some time, talk some more. We'll have a lot to talk about now, I suppose."

"Your… requests are reasonable," Hades agreed after a moment. "We'll take all four of them, every second weekend. They'll be safe in the palace and they will train under my gods."

Hades and Persephone got up and shook hands with Sally and Medusa before vanishing.

/break\

Percy stood wide-eyed and pressed against the wall, Nico pressed against him, with Percy's hand clasped over his mouth to keep the other boy from yelling or making any other loud noises that could alert the adults to their presence. Nico grabbed Percy's wrist to pull the hand from his mouth and turned around in Percy's grasp. His dark eyes were so wide.

"I'm a son of Hades," Nico whispered, a hissed sound. "Hades. The Hades."

"Uhu," Percy nodded, staring dumbly at the other boy. "Heard that too. Holy shit."

The two were just about to sneak downstairs to steal some of the leftover cookies from this afternoon when they'd heard two unfamiliar voices and thus decided to retreat to the office, hiding and listening in on the conversation. Now that Hades and Persephone had left, Medusa and Sally had headed upstairs to go to bed, leaving Percy and Nico alone downstairs. Percy continued staring at Nico with wide, stunned eyes. Nico di Angelo was the prince of the underworld. That was, holy shit, that was so cool. Not as cool as being the prince of the sea, of course, but close second.

"H… He… He's my father," Nico was grabbing Percy, holding onto him tightly. "And he didn't abandon us, he didn't ignore us because he didn't care. He was… trying to…"

Nico suddenly surged forward, burying his face in Percy's chest. Percy wrapped his arms around Nico to hold him close and sooth him. Of course had Nico thought he'd been abandoned by his godly parents. All demigods went through that. But to hear that Hades had wanted them, had tried to keep them safe. And then there was Persephone. But Percy wasn't sure how ready Nico was to consider that his parents were in a threesome situation, the poor guy was barely wrapping his head around the concept of gays and bisexuals. Percy smoothed down Nico's curls gently.

"He called you his champion," Nico muttered, breath puffing against Percy's neck.

"Uhu," Percy wiggled his nose. "Dunno how I feel about that yet. But I do like the idea of getting to explore the underworld in like a more sanctioned way. It looked really cool. Oh! Oh, you are so going to love it! We're gonna have so much fun!"

Excitement took over, bubbling in Percy's chest. Training, with real gods. Seeing the underworld, together with his friends, without the dread of some prophecy – well, some immediate prophecy, at least, he still had to consider whatever Great Prophecy they were talking about. No. Nope. No thinking about any dreadful things. Only cool things, exciting things, good things.

"The champion of Hades," Percy grinned mildly. "Sounds pretty cool. Could be fun. Right?"

Nico snorted and hit his forehead against Percy's shoulder. "Sounds like trouble to me."

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Training and Vacation

Bianca sat on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. The boys sat on the floor, staring up at her with varying degrees of excitement and anticipation. She fully did not have the space for that. Hades. The lord of the underworld. King of the dead. Was their dad.

"What do we do with that?" Bianca muttered, rubbing her face.

"You're the princess of the underworld!" Percy hissed excited, waving his arms around. "And you're dad is actually kinda cool. Like, he was the first god who was actually willing to help? Hermes and Hephaestus needed to get their arms twisted to help. Your dad's cool."

Bianca huffed out a small laugh at that. Percy really was something else. Even when bad things happened, he found a way to push through it. This entire quest he had gone through, he had managed to focus on the good things. The friends he made, the good he could do.

"And we're supposed to go to the underworld and train?" Bianca whispered tired.

Oh, she could see the foreboding sparkle in Nico's eyes. He was looking forward to this. Of course he was. He'd always idolized heroes from Greek legends. The chance to become a Greek hero himself? Bianca's eyes wandered a little over to Percy and she couldn't help but wonder how much he factored into that too. Seeing Percy be a dashing hero made Nico want to be one even more. And Bianca had the tiniest sneakiest suspicion that maybe that wasn't entirely about wanting to be like Percy. Because Nico's current freak out about sexuality felt much more personal than just wondering about Sally and Medusa. But Bianca wasn't going to press him about it. If her suspicion was right and if he wanted her to know, he'd tell her.

"Percy says there's a big puppy in the underworld," Tyson chimed in. "I wanna meet him."

That eased the atmosphere, making Bianca and the other two boys laugh. Whatever happened next, Bianca had a feeling that she could face it as long as she had her new little family with her.

/break\

"Hello, children," Persephone smiled kindly and went into her knees in front of them. "I may not be your mamma, but I am your mom. I'm looking forward to getting to know you. You'll be spending every second weekend at the palace with us from now on, we'll teach you how to fight, how to control your powers. How to defend yourselves. How does that sound?"

Nico was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "That sounds awesome. What powers do we have? Can I summon a zombie army? Can I see ghosts? Are there-"

"Slow down," Hades chuckled and rested a heavy hand on Nico's head, patting his hair. "Let's get to the palace and then we'll do some tests to see where you lean power-wise, what comes easiest to you and what you may not be able to do."

"Oh, that part is fun. I nearly shot someone and exploded the forges," Percy stated.

"You did what," Sally's voice cracked a little.

"Yeah," Percy grinned at his mom. "They had me test with all the cabins to see who my godly parent could be and some of these were really wild."

With an exasperated sigh did Sally lean into her girlfriend, Medusa wrapping a comforting arm around her waist and pulling her even closer. Percy watched them from the corner of his eyes. He liked how… soft and happy… his mom was around Medusa. He'd never seen her like that, so relaxed and like she had someone she actually could lean on. Percy loved Medusa for making his mom this happy. Impulsively, he leaned in to hug Medusa from the other side.

"Nervous about going to the underworld, kiddo?" Medusa guessed surprised.

"No," Percy shook his head. "Just glad that mom won't be alone while I'm gone."

The look on Medusa's face softened as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Have fun, okay?"

/break\

Percy was actually having a lot of fun. First they got shown around the palace. It wasn't as barren as the throne room had made him feel, there were proper bedrooms and each of the four of them got their own bedroom, got a chance to settle in. There was a beautiful garden behind the palace, all flowers were made of gems though. A garden Hades had made for his wife. It was beautiful.

For a while, Percy and Tyson got to keep themselves busy by playing with Zerberus, while Hades and Persephone took a moment to talk to their kids. Talk about Maria di Angelo, about how they had wanted to take the kids to them but thought it too dangerous after Maria's death, asking how Nico and Bianca's lives had gone so far. Bonding, to make it short.

"I love him," Tyson declared, laying sprawled out on Zerberus' belly. "Can we keep him?"

"No," Percy grinned amused. "I don't think mom would be a fan… But we will get to spend time with him every second weekend from now on, mh? How about we check on the di Angelos now?"

He reached out to offer his little brother a hand that Tyson gladly took. Medusa had worked some magic – well, not literal magic actually, but shady non-legal kind of magic – and Tyson was now officially, legally Tyson Jackson, Sally's son and Percy's little brother. He also had noted that Medusa's current fake ID claimed her to be Medusa di Angelo, to pass for Bianca and Nico's mother without the kids having to change their last names.

"Percy!" Nico collided with him full force.

The boy gave full-body hugs, at least when it came to Percy, and Percy loved those. He grinned and wrapped his own arms around Nico, as clingy as the other. Somehow, Nico was quickly becoming Percy's favorite person to spend time with, even more so than his mom. Which was a little scary, because there had never been a person he loved spending time with even more than with his mom.

"How's it going?" Percy grinned when the two walked over to where Bianca was.

"We talked a lot about mamma," Nico looked a little dimmed at that. "It was… It was nice. Hearing new stories about her. Hearing that there were people who really loved her."

"That's good," Percy's grin turned into a soft smile. "What are we doing right now?"

"Testing powers," Nico looked eager. "Our father says we have a whole lot of possible powers to test, to see what we can and can't do. But there's like a lot."

Percy tilted his head a little. That made sense though. Hades was the king of the underworld and the dead, there were ghosts, ghouls, zombies, he represented wealth and power, darkness. There was a lot of potential there, Annabeth would say, the way Percy's powers had a lot of potential.

"As the king of the underworld, I also have power over my direct subjects. My council," Hades spoke up, eyes on Nico and Percy. "Hecate's magic, Morpheus' dreams, Hypnos' sleep. They are my sworn council, their realms are mine to command to a certain degree too."

"I could have magic," Nico's voice pitched. "I could be a mage, Perce."

He pulled hard on Percy's sleeve to get his attention, like he didn't already have it. Percy grinned. Persephone waved them over, so Percy and Tyson could come and sit with her at the pretty little table with tea and pastries on it. Not what he had imagined. He'd thought a training regime harder than at Camp Half-Blood would be waiting for them here, honestly.

"Before we can train you, we need to know what we're working with," Persephone offered like she had been able to read his mind. "We got a good insight into your potential, sweetie, but we have no idea how powerful Bianca and Nico are, or where their powers lay. And this part, this will be a fun show, I thought we could watch it, before we start proper training."

"We?" Percy asked curiously, looking at the queen.

She looked like such a proper lady, in a pretty, green summer dress with flowers on it, but when she smiled at him, it was sharp and dangerous and he remembered that she was a daughter of Zeus, a powerful goddess, the sister of Athena and Ares and Enyo, gods of war and battle. Right. We.

"Percy, Percy, Percy, look!" Tyson yelped, pointing at Nico and Bianca.

Hades had summoned a wall of pure darkness, though it seemed to kinda move, a little like spilled ink in water. Both Nico and Bianca were seemingly trying to manipulate it. Tendrils of darkness leeched out of the wall toward them, tentative at first. Percy stared in total awe at them, at the way they were controlling pure actual shadows. The ones around Bianca seemed much darker, like they were stronger, but still there were shadows swirling around both di Angelos.

"That is so cool," Percy whispered in awe, kicking his feet.

Persephone pushed a pastry over at him. "Yes, it is. You know what else my husband can do with shadows? He can travel through them. It's a harder feat to master, of course. You have to learn to understand the darkness and find your way through it so you land where you want to go."

Travel through the shadows? Percy's eyes widened at how cool that was. All the places they could go, no trains or cars needed. He could just pop over and visit Annabeth! Sneak into camp to spend time with his new friends and then return home again!

/break\

Persephone was a total badass with a sword and she severely improved Percy's swordsmanship in a way that he hoped Annabeth would be proud of. It was mostly the two of them sparring whenever Hades trained Nico and Bianca about darkness and death, which were the things they excelled in the most apparently. Earth didn't seem to be either of their strength, but Bianca was great with shadows – and Nico was showing real potential when it came to communicating and commanding the dead. Which was to equal parts scary and awesome.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelped in excited joy, throwing his arms around her.

She wasn't a big hugger, but she had hugged him in the past and too bad for her, he was a big hugger so the permission was taken as blanket. She took a moment to hug him back, sighing.

"Hello, Percy," Annabeth sounded mostly fond. "I missed you too."

It was spring break and Sally and Medusa had rented the cabin in Montauk, taking not just their four kids there but also inviting Annabeth, after Percy offered the pleading sad kitten eyes that always worked on his mom and also on Nico for some reason.

"You already know Bianca and Nico, but now you will get to know them better, and this is my little brother Tyson and this is our friend Rachel, who is not gonna stay with us but she is visiting."

Annabeth shook hands with Rachel in a very stilted way but got a smile from Bianca. Percy guessed Bianca was just happy that there was another girl. Annabeth also seemed wary around Medusa, but she behaved herself, so Percy was grateful for that.

/break\

The beach wasn't good. Nico was not a fan of the beach. Percy kept running around shirtless and wet and Nico didn't entirely know why but he absolutely could not look away from the other boy and felt weirdly warm all over. That aside, the little vacation in Montauk was pretty amazing. Bianca stopped annoying him because she was spending absolutely every second of the day with Annabeth, she could not be pried away from the other girl. They were literally braiding each other's hair – Bianca had spend like an hour yesterday watching youtube videos on how to braid black hair and was now proudly braiding blonde strands into Annabeth's hair, at the other girl's request. The many tight little braids looked good on Annabeth, so did the blonde honestly, but looking at her still wasn't even a quarter as interesting as looking at Percy and Nico was starting to think that maybe that meant something. He also decided to not think too much about that.

"You are getting really good at this," Percy grinned, blocking Nico's strike.

While the girls were busy with their hair and talking about strategy, because they were boring, Nico and Percy were sparring with their swords. Nico had a sword now, well technically two; one with a black blade made of Stygian iron that could apparently cut a person's soul, and a more regular celestial bronze sword for sparring reasons. Percy was more advanced, and also more talented, with a sword so Persephone always sparred with him while Nico and Bianca concentrated on their powers, but beyond that, she also taught Nico and Bianca a more entry-level swordsmanship.

"I gotta improve fast to keep up with you," Nico grinned right back at Percy. "I won't be left behind by you. Whatever quest you go on next, I'll come with you."

For a moment, Percy stumbled at that, allowing Nico an in to hit the butt of his sword against Percy's ribs and due to the sudden distraction from Percy, hitting him harder than anticipated. The son of Poseidon went down with a grunt and Nico went right with him, landing on top of Percy. He blinked at Percy, staring into those very blue and very green eyes that were closer than ever before.

"Quests are dangerous," Percy argued with a frown. "They aren't fun, Nico."

"Yeah," Nico frowned too, a little annoyed. "That's why I'm coming."

"What," Percy stared at him as Nico got up, still glaring down at Percy.

Despite the glaring, Nico still offered Percy a hand. "I know quests are dangerous, I'm not a little kid, Percy. I'm coming with you so I can protect you and make sure you come home safe."

Once Percy was standing, he looked at Nico a little baffled. The son of Hades had his chin raised, back straight. Showing his full height, which was a tiny bit taller than Percy and that still annoyed Percy a little. But there was more to it. His deep, dark eyes were firm and intense, his whole aura was… royal. There was no other word for it. For the first time, Percy could see Nico's heritage, could see the king of the underworld in Nico. It had not been a request, it had been a declaration of intend, not to be argued with. This was the prince of the underworld.

"You're an idiot," Percy growled with narrowed eyes. "I don't need to be protected."

He shoved Nico's shoulder as he walked past the other boy and the blue sky above them darkened, the sea stirring behind him. Nico may be the prince of the underworld and he may be coming into his powers and domain, but Percy was the prince of the ocean and he was not to be treated like a damsel in distress and he was absolutely not being commanded by anyone.

"No," Nico growled back, grabbing Percy's shoulder with a surprisingly firm grip, forcing him to turn around and face Nico again. "You are the idiot! You went onto a super dangerous quest with barely like two weeks of training, with a scared satyr and a temperamental daughter of war, even though you could have picked anyone at camp, Annabeth told us that. You could have taken more experienced fighters with you but you didn't. You put yourself into danger and you don't think about the risks, not when it's you! Annabeth told me and Bianca about the stupid arch and the way you nearly died there! You do need to be protected – from your own stupid, reckless, selfless decisions! I'll come with you, I'll protect you, and I will not allow you to die, Percy Jackson."

The weather had gotten worse around them, reflecting Percy's mood. The now heavy, dark clouds pouring rain down on them both, the sea lapping at the shore with violent waves. But the darkness around them wasn't just the storm, it was like every single shadow around them had darkened. Nico's shadow stretched unnaturally large, covering all of Percy and it seemed to be curling around him near possessively. Percy stared down at it tensely, knew that it was a threat and danger, yet it didn't feel that way. It felt protective. It felt nice. Percy turned to look at Nico confused.

"Okay, fine," Percy conceded, unsure why. "We can be idiots together on the next quest."

Nature around them calmed down, melting back into a summer day with neither of the boys aware of just how dangerous and powerful they really were, especially together. At least not yet.

~*~ The End (For Now) ~*~