"Good." Gaea praised, firing more rocks in his direction. Percy stomped on the ground, the earth lifted up to fling him into the air. He listened carefully, ears picking up the sound of projectiles whistling through the air.

His earth made boxing gloves dispersed, rocks leaping from his fists and creating a medium sized earthwall. He curled his body so the shield would better protect him; jagged stones smacked into his barrier as he began to fall. The ground rose up and caught him, lowering him to be at his mother's level.

Without hesitation he raced forward, gliding quickly towards his mother. She lifted up spikes as he skated towards her, attempting to knock him off his feet. However, he felt the earth begin to rise before him and he evaded her barriers with ease, concentrating on the vibrations of his mother and the earth beneath him.

"Too slow." The woman chuckled, making Percy frown in confusion. He was suddenly knocked off his feet by a boulder. A yelp escaped as he slammed into the ground, and he smacked his head into the trunk of a tree. Gods he hated training in the forest. He sighed, refusing to get up, agitated that he was caught off guard.

His fingers buried themselves within the grass, trying to calm himself. He had been improving but was easily angered by his shortcomings. Gaea was quickly at his side, gently grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet.

"You have to be ready for multiple enemies and multiple attacks. But you've done really well, I feel your strength growing each time we meet." She praised, kissing her son's forehead sweetly and resting her hand on his cheek.

He looked at her dejectedly, eyes darting around as they helplessly tried to make out her face,"I can't focus on all that at once, Ma."

"You must if you are to survive-"

"I just want my sight back." He interrupted, scowling as he leaned away from her touch,"I've been trying to get better and go back to my happier self but...I just want to be able to see." She didn't respond.

Instead she turned her back to him,"If you are to survive," she continued, as though he hadn't said anything,"then you must be exercise your senses. Meditation will help. Sitting there and focusing solely on the vibrations around you, and seeing how far you can reach." The primordial instructed, not wanting him to dwell on his lost sight.

Percy was in front of her in two long strides,"Ma, did you hear me-" He was angry that his mother had so easily dismissed him. He wanted her to comfort him, hold him tight, tell him everything would get better and she would take care of him.

He stiffened in surprise, the reaction he had grown so angered by when exhibited by his friends was the same reaction he wanted his mother to have towards him. Why was that? Maybe he had gotten used to Gaea's affection, he's even grown to like it, but that didn't explain why he craved for his mother's empathy - especially when the last thing he wanted was to be pitied.

"I heard you." She interrupted, brow furrowing in slight shame as she tore her gaze from his face,"I just don't want you to dwell on this." Gaea liked to pretend she wasn't the one who blinded her son, Japetus did that...on her orders. She hadn't wanted to fill her son with pain, but to make him stronger and more reliant on her and his control of the earth. It was for his own good.

Percy, of course, couldn't see the guilt she wore so openly on her face, but he could hear the slight waver in her voice as she spoke. And he didn't recognize compunction that dulled her normally soothing tone, instead he only heard sadness.

He lowered his head slightly and gently reached out to touch his mom's wrist,"I'm sorry." He murmured, feeling selfish for losing his temper when he knew his mother felt conflicted about his brother's actions. Gaea deeply loved all of her children, and for one to attack the other was undoubtedly troubling to her. He felt his mother drag him foreword, carefully wrapping him in a firm hug. She rested her cheek against his collarbone and held him for a moment.

"I cannot fix you...and if anyone should be apologizing it's me."

"You did nothing wrong."

She remained silent for a moment before cupping his face in her hands,"My dear boy, you have no idea how much I love you." She said gently,"I would do anything for you." She promised, smiling softly as Percy placed his hand upon hers, leaning affectionately against her palm and giving her a small smile.

"I know."

"You don't." She sighed, pressing a kiss to his brow,"You'll never understand a mother's love. I'll always be by your side, even when you don't want me, and I'll never let anything hurt you again. I'll love you unconditionally, take care of you, fight for you..." She trailed off, her voice hardening as she said,"and I'll kill for you." Percy felt a shiver run down his spine at the intensity he heard in his mother's voice. It promised death to all those that stood in his path.

Swallowing thickly he asked,"Even your other children?"

Her grip on his face tightened ever so slightly,"I love them, but none of them will ever touch you again. No one will ever touch you again." Gaea snarled,"When I'm awoken you will be at my side, and things will be as it should be." Her voice softened at this and a smile graced her lips,"And I will protect you. But until then, I will teach you all I know, and you will become the most powerful mortal to have ever lived." Percy looked at her sorrowfully and tried to pull away but she wouldn't let him.

He resigned from his attempts to step away and once again placed his hand on his mother's,"Ma, I don't know if I can help you when you wake up."

This didn't seem to phase the primordial whatsoever,"Hmmm, it's okay my boy. You'll understand the truth when I return." She cooed sweetly,"And nothing will ever separate us again."

-Line Break-

"Hazel!" The daughter of Pluto turned to see her friend waving at her.

She grinned,"Ray." She greeted, giving the daughter of Venus a hug. Ray was even darker than Hazel, a beautiful ebony color, and she had long black hair to match. Her eyes were a dark amber and, of course, she was extremely gorgeous.

"It's been a hot minute, girl. Me, Zeke, and Travion are gonna be hanging out soon," She grinned, clasping Hazel's hand excitedly,"you in?" Zeke and Travion were half brothers, children of Mars, and were good friends with Hazel and Ray. They were all in the same legion, and the trio had befriended her almost instantly when she arrived; while she had been very wary of them at first, they had grown to be fast friends. When she wasn't with Percy and Thea - she was usually with those three.

"Sounds fun."

"Course it does," Ray hummed, leading Hazel towards their usual spot,"everything's fun when I'm there."

"You're a real goof, you know that?" Hazel laughed, causing Ray to shoot her a grin.

"Only goof here is you, with that weird way you talk." She teased lightly. Ray always made sure Hazel was comfortable around the three, which made her and Zeke buttheads constantly. Zeke always pushed it when it came to mocking Hazel's mannerisms, and while he was her friend she couldn't help but feel he was slightly bitter towards her.

The four almost always hung out on the outskirts of the woods, that's where they could mess around and spar with each other if they wanted. And there were plenty of logs and stumps for them to rest on.

"Hey ladies!" Zeke hollered, grinning broadly as he sat next to Travion. The two brothers were radically different from one another.

Zeke was loud, easily excitable, and was more brash when it came to fighting. Zeke was mixed, caramel colored skin contrasting heavily with Travion's darker complexion. Travion was quiet, more reserved, and far more strategic when it came to fighting.

Ray and Hazel joined and Travion allowed for a small smile to grace his lips,"Hello."

Ray shot him a wink,"Hey boo."

He frowned and looked away from her,"Stop it, Ray." He grumbled, clearly embarrassed by her flirtatious behavior towards him. The daughter of Venus laughed while Travion rolled his eyes, turning his attention to an amused Hazel.

"It's been a while, how's Percy doing?" He asked politely, causing Zeke and Ray to focus in on their friend.

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes,"He's doing...well I don't know. I know he's still cut up about being blind, but he's also a live wire. He's getting better."

Zeke snorted at her,"Live wire? Girl, you sound like my great grandma."

Ray rolled her eyes at this,"And Zeke, you sound like a broken record. Stop worrying about how she talks. She's from the Louisiana - one of them southern blacks. We didn't all come from Chicago like you did." She snorted, causing Zeke to bristle and glower at her.

"Shut up, Ray. Ain't nobody talking to you, miss 'I'm from the Bronx!'" He mimicked her voice and flipped imaginary hair over his shoulder as he overzealously began snapping his fingers. Travion and Hazel laughed as Ray threw a rock at him. Zeke ducked and scowled at her, trying to fight a smile of his own as Ray flipped him off.

Hazel had quickly learned that, just like in the thirties, the black community still remained a tight knit group.

In some ways it was nice having that instant connection. Drawing close with people that looked like her without a second thought, unspoken companionship that made her feel like she belonged, and terms of endearment that were used specifically for those in the community. There was a feeling of mutual respect. Anyone could be drawn into a community like that; a community of people that accepted you and claimed you as their own. It was endearing and it gave her pride.

However, she frequently felt peer pressured to be "black", something she didn't really face much of back in the thirties. The only reason she had been looked at differently back then was because of her white boyfriend; other than that no one monitored her to see if she was "black enough."

At first she had tried to assimilate, growing tired of Zeke's constant mocking, and it was Ray who snapped her out of it. "You ain't hood, boo, and that's okay. A lot of us aren't." Her friend was always quick to put Zeke in his place, with the assistance of Travion, who couldn't help but be slightly embarrassed by his brother. But even with the support of Ray and Travion, Hazel still couldn't help but sometimes feel self conscious about her, as Zeke put it, "lack of culture."

But she had more culture than he did. She was alive before the Civil Rights Movement, what did Zeke know about struggle? What did he know about lynch mobs? Or the rocks that rained down on her and her classmates? Or the wails of widows being ripped away from the corpses of their murdered husbands? Or the sight of malevolent men in white cloaks, lighting crosses on fire and chasing after them with dogs?

Or the running? Gods, the running. So much running and sweating and crying and praying. Being so entrenched with fear she could barely breathe. The Klan and the black extremists had made Percy and Hazel's life an absolute nightmare. It had gotten to the point where Hazel had even tried to break up with Percy, not wanting him to endure the constant harassment of intolerant blacks. At least when he was by himself he was safe, but being seen with Hazel had only aggravated both extremists. Those blacks were bold enough to pick on Percy because of Hazel. They knew he wouldn't risk snitching to anyone in the event that Hazel also became a target.

It had been like that for every interracial couple that dared to make their relationship public, and most of them had not been as lucky as Hazel and Percy had. Had the roles been reversed, had it been a black man with a white woman, he would have been lynched in an instant- no questions asked. But there was more leniency in the white community when it came to white men with black women. For white men it was a fetish for them to be with a black woman, a pacing fancy, but it was almost never seen in public. It would hurt his pride. That had been something her mother had warned her about.

Gold eyes flickered to Zeke when he spoke again, but Hazel wasn't paying attention; instead she was trying to maintain her poise and squash the urge to snap at him. He was too stupid to realize that listening to rap and playing basketball wasn't what constituted a black person.

"Zeke, if you don't shut your ugly mouth then imma bust you upside your head." Ray snarled, gaining a snicker from Travion.

Hazel placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance,"Don't worry about him."

Travion nodded,"Can't listen to heathens anyway." This caused the three to laugh again while Zeke rolled his eyes.

"Man, whatever. Ya'll always gang up on me!"

"Boy, don't act like you don't deserve it." Ray quickly retorted, waving him off,"Anyway, more importantly, ya girl got a date." She cheered.

Hazel beamed at her excitedly,"Who is he?"

"Jack, son of Apollo."

"He's a fine fellow!"

"Ain't he?" Ray gushed, fluttering her eyelashes as she smiled dreamily.

Before the two could continue Zeke interrupted,"Jack? That white boy?"

Travion raised a brow at this,"Uh, there are a lot of white boys here, Zeke. You'll have to be more specific."

His brother snorted before shooting a glare at Ray,"Don't matter who I'm talkin' about. I just don't get why you and Hazel date white boys. You guys know there are other black guys at camp, right?" He huffed, looking at the two with a mix of bitterness and exasperation.

Ray bristled at this and was on her feet in an instant,"Mind your business! Why does it matter to you if I prefer white boys?"

"I'm just asking a question!" He snapped defensively,"How do you prefer white boys when you black?" He snorted, folding his arms over his chest as he towered over the girl. Hazel was just as livid as Ray, eyes darkening as she glowered at Zeke. This wasn't the thirties anymore, she didn't have to put up with this.

Travion intervened,"Zeke, you sound ignorant. Your momma's white-"

"And?" Zeke cut him off, swiveling his glare to his brother,"I may be mixed, but to everyone else I'm just another black man." He turned to Hazel,"I'm not even hating, I'm just askin'." Ray was seething, hands balled into fists and lips curled into a sneer. Travion just looked annoyed and embarrassed, shaking his head at Zeke and mumbling under his breath.

Hazel gave him a look of disdain,"I love Percy, race has nothing to do with it."

"Sure, but I know how black women secretly like white men-" She was so sick of this. When she had learned about MLK and the Civil Rights Movement, she had been naive enough to think that race would no longer be an issue, and she was upset because she was wrong.

Now it was a different problem. Blacks and whites may be equal, but now blacks lacked the freedom of individuality. They were regulated to these strict guidelines to adhere to, and if they didn't then they weren't good enough for the black community. Ray told her all about it; about how she was mocked for liking country music and growing up with money - and how other black people have threatened to revoke her 'black card'. Ray's description had really bothered Hazel.

"We're not a monolith!" Hazel snarled, startling her three companions and causing them to all turn to her in surprise. She was usually calm and soft spoken, but not today. She had thought this generation would have put race behind them a long time ago, but of course that wasn't the case.

"I've grown up around people like you," She continued,"blacks and whites that put us in a box. I've seen what that type of thinking has done to people. I've seen how bitter and resentful our community has become by your way of thinking. And let me tell you," Hazel's eyes darkened,"your mentality is a very, very dangerous one to have." She knew better than anyone how Zeke's mentality, for blacks and whites, had driven the country apart. It made America rife with bigotry on both sides, both trying to hurt the other and attempting to justify their malevolence as righteous vengeance.

Hazel knew her history, it was one of the first things she had studied when she came back to life. There were the MLK's and the Malcolm X's, and while Malcolm X had reformed to a be pro integration, Hazel had known plenty of blacks like Malcolm's past self who had wanted nothing to do with 'white devils'. There were the Robert Kennedy's and the Bull Connor's - and everyone in between. People are, and always had been, multifaceted. And that's why Hazel couldn't fathom being confined to some made up checklist that would determine if she was a proper black person.

She remembered vividly back in the thirties, she and Percy were sitting in his room, and he had looked at her so dejectedly as he said,"I feel really bad being white sometimes." His confessions startled her, and he had gone on this tangent about segregation and slavery, and he had looked so surprised when she had just laughed at him.

"You can't change this." She had grabbed his arm and pointed at his skin,"Just like you can't change the past. You aren't just some white boy, you're my Percy." Hazel had loved the way he lit up when she said this, gushing about how smart she was and how much he adored her. She had lifted a great weight off his shoulders.

And maybe that's another reason she was angry, because people like Zeke had made Percy ashamed of what he couldn't control. The irony was not lost on her.

She felt like her blood was boiling as Zeke stared at her with a mix of shock and contempt,"People like me-"

"Race baiters." Hazel growled, shaking her head in disbelief,"No matter what race you are, you can still be a fool."

"Exactly," Ray chimed in,"mind your business, Zeke. And think about your white momma, the only parent there for you, before you start running your ignorant mouth again." Without another word Ray snatched Hazel's hand and the two left the brothers. Zeke stared at their retreating forms with in disbelief while Travion rubbed his temples tiredly.

"You know, instead of attacking white boys, you could just tell Ray you like her."

"Shut up, Travion."

-Line Break-

"Percy! Percy! Did you see that!" Thea cheered, only to freeze up when she realized her mistake.

Percy was sitting across from her by the river, his legs were crossed and his eyes were looking in her direction,"Afraid I missed it. My eyes were closed." He hummed, smiling when Thea giggled. The daughter of Neptune skipped over to him, plopping down in his lap and looking up at him excitedly.

"I made a wave!

"I heard!" He chuckled, skimming his fingertips across blades of grass,"You know, Neptune can make earthquakes, think you can do somethin' like that?"

He could feel Thea's pulse speed up in excitement,"Whoa!" She breathed,"He can? Does that mean I can do cool earth stuff, like you?" She asked earnestly.

Percy grinned and shrugged,"Well, not as much earth stuff, but a little."

"Aww, but I want to have your powers! You're so cool!" She whined, hanging her head as she pouted,"Hazel is cool too! She can control dead people!"

"I can see dead people too. Shucks Thea, do you even know what powers you have?" A familiar voice interjected. Thea squealed in delight at the sight of Hazel, leaping out of Percy's lap and engulfing the woman in a tight hug. Hazel laughed and hoisted the girl up, swinging her around and making her giggle gleefully.

Percy stood to his feet, smothering the familiar bitterness of his lost vision, and made his way over to them. He could very vaguely make out Hazel's smile, it was hazy at best, but he knew it was there. She reached for him, grabbing his outstretched hand and pulled him into a hug.

When they pulled away Hazel said,"Thea, you have awesome powers. You can even talk to fish! I wish I was as cool as you." The daughter of Neptune smiled shyly at the praise,

"Shucks!" Thea giggled, making Percy and Hazel laugh.

Percy's murky green eyes looked in Hazel's direction,"How are Ray and Travion?" Percy had spoken with the two a couple of times and he had really liked them. He only met Zeke once and, based off Hazel's description of him, he didn't really like the son of Mars.

He felt Hazel's heartbeat quicken slightly, she was anxious,"They're swell, Ray has a date with Jack." Percy listened closely, noting how quickly Hazel rambled,"She's real excited about it, he sure is a nice boy too-"

"Thea, why don't you show Hazel what you've been learning." Percy cut his girlfriend off, gesturing in the direction of the river,"I promise I won't close my eyes this time." Thea laughed as Percy sat down. Hazel sat beside him and the daughter of Neptune raced to the river.

"Watch me!" She cheered, hands stretched out to the water and lifting it with ease. Hazel smiled widely at the girl, watching in awe as Thea created various shapes with the water.

Keeping his blind eyes on the daughter of Neptune he asked,"What happened?" Hazel's pulse was racing again, but it was steadier this time, which usually indicated that she was angry. It was hard to differentiate between fear and anger but Percy had gotten better at finding the differences.

When angry, people usually had a thundering and steady heartbeat, their pulse would quicken slightly, and they typically stood flat footed. When people were nervous or afraid then their pulse was fluttering, the rhythm wasn't as steady, and they stood on the balls of their feet - skittishly shifting as if they were ready to bolt at any moment.

Hazel continued to watch Thea as she spoke,"Zeke was just a real...he's just real jingle-brained." She snarled contemptuously,"Asked Ray and I why we like white boys."

Percy tilted his head in slight confusion,"That doesn't sound like something to be upset about." He shrugged,"Back in the day white boys asked me why I liked black girls-"

"He was angry about it." Hazel interrupted, balling her hands into fists,"Said there are plenty of black boys to date…" She trailed off, a shaky sigh escaping her as she leaned her head against Percy's shoulder,"We may have beaten segregation but...now we're keeping each other down."

Percy winced at this, quickly relaxing his face so Hazel wouldn't see. He never knew what to say. He wanted to understand Hazel's struggle, and he wanted to help her fight it, but he would never be able to fully comprehend what she was going through. White people didn't have a tight community like blacks did, and for that he was grateful.

So he stayed silent, gently interlacing their fingers while she continued,"People like Zeke have the nerve to tell me I'm not black enough," She snorted,"if I wasn't really black then I wouldn't have been runnin' from-ugh." She growled, too angry to formulate a proper sentence that wouldn't consist of obscenities. She was so enraged Percy could feel her hands shake,"His ma is white, and he attacks me and Ray for liking who we do."

She then looked at Percy,"I thought all this would be over by now...do white people get mad at you for dating me?" Nico would sometimes take Percy and Hazel to the mortal world, trying to catch them up on all they had missed. They would jump around to different states and of course they'd have to make conversation with the inhabitants.

"Can't say that they do. For the most part they left that behind." A small smile graced his lips,"Aside from the occasional 'you like darkies?' from some of them older people, there's no longer that constant pressure I faced back then."

Hazel was quiet for a moment, a smile tugging at her lips as she relaxed against the boy,"What do you say when they ask you that?"

He chuckled, his little grin never left his lips,"Yes sir or yes ma'am."

This elicited a quiet laugh from Hazel and she kissed his knuckles affectionately,"Good."

-Line Break-

"So you're the one that has to destroy Saturn's throne?" Percy asked, leaning towards Jason curiously, quickly forgetting the burger in front of him. Thalia was the one who had to defeat Kronos while her younger brother had to destroy the throne. Personally, Percy would rather have Jason's job rather than Thalia's. The thought of confronting his powerful brother had given him chills. With all the stories he's heard about him, Percy couldn't help but feel immensely intimidated by the titan.

Jason, Percy, Hazel, Piper, Frank, and Reyna sat huddled together in the mess hall. Jason was divulging in the prophecy that Octavian, the augur of Camp Jupiter, had revealed to him.

Jason nodded his head,"Yeah, and I want you all with me."

Frank's eyes widened,"Us?"

Piper snorted at the son of Mar's surprise,"We're some of the most powerful demigods in this camp. Frank, you can shape-shift for gods sake."

"And I trust you guys more than anyone." Jason added,"The war is starting soon and I'll need an infiltration team to come with me to destroy his throne. You all are my first choice."

Reyna was quick to speak up,"Of course we'll help-"

"Don't speak for me." Hazel interjected, narrowing her eyes at Jason,"If we all go, who will watch over Thea?" Percy perked up, looking in Reyna and Jason's direction as he awaited an answer.

It was Jason who spoke up,"She has to protect herself."

"She's ten!" Percy snapped.

"Old enough to swing a sword." Reyna pointed out, steeling herself against the angry couple's glares.

"But-"

"Percy. Hazel." Piper cut the two off,"You can't protect her forever."

The daughter of Pluto snorted,"Says who?"

Piper placed a hand atop hers,"Whoa, easy there momma bear! Nothing will happen to Thea." She assured her, wincing as Hazel yanked her hand away and looked at her in disbelief.

"How do you know that?" Percy challenged, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling. Hazel looked at Piper expectantly, unnerving the daughter of Venus. They looked like two angry parents.

Reyna scoffed, quickly garnering Percy's attention,"And what if something were to happen to her? What if she died? What would you two do?" This gave them pause, though Hazel was glowering at Reyna for even suggesting such a thing,"Thea is too young to go into battle, but that does not mean Saturn's forces won't attack camp. If you want to protect her then you'll train her, I'll train her, and she'll be able to defend herself."

Hazel still seemed livid, her lips tugged into a frown and her eyes were burning with anger. She was slightly startled when Percy placed a hand on hers, attempting to calm her.

She looked at him in surprise as he nodded to Reyna,"You agree with this? Training is all well and good, but I don't want her to be exposed to all that." She argued, sitting up straighter in her seat,"I should stay with her. I don't want her all alone and-" She knew she was being illogical about this, but she couldn't help it. She was afraid for the daughter of Neptune, if anything happened to Thea she didn't know what she would do.

"Hazel." Percy murmured, making her stop her rambling,"They're right. Thea is strong, she just needs to learn how to defend herself, and we can teach her."

"I know! But I want to protect her! I can't lose her, Percy. I just can't...and you know you can't either!" She accused, balling her hands into fists and scowling when Percy gave her a warm smile.

"I worry about her too, but she'll better off if she can take care of herself. We can't always be there. And what if we both die? We can't be constantly coddling her." Hazel bit her lip, trying and failing to come up with a rebuttal. A weary sigh escaped her and she slouched in her seat, feeling utterly exhausted by the amount of worry she had for Thea. If she could she'd just build a wall around Thea and Percy to keep them from ever coming to harm. Let her do the fighting and keep them safe, despite Percy being able to take care of himself, she just wanted them to all survive.

Percy held her hand and squeezed it affectionately,"Besides, our parents weren't that involved in our lives, and we turned out just fine." While it was partially true, Jeb had been a rather good influence on Hazel. Without him she didn't want to think of who she'd be today.

Hazel rubbed her temples and shook her head,"Fine, you're right. No matter how much I want to be there all the time...I can't. She has to be able to defend herself." Amber eyes hardened,"But if anything happens to my baby-"

"I know." He replied softly, giving her hand another light squeeze.

Everyone in the room was silent for a moment before Frank asked,"Are you sure Thea isn't your kid?" He looked at the two curiously,"I know there was a rumor about it a while ago but-"

"Frank...there's a five year age difference between us and Thea." Hazel sighed.

"...you never answered my question."

"Oh my gods. Of course she isn't my kid, you goof." Hazel huffed, rolling her eyes as her companions laughed at her.

When lunch was over Percy and Hazel were quick to find Thea. The daughter of Neptune was pleasantly surprised to see them, smiling widely when they approached her. She walked in between them, holding each of their hands and listening carefully as they told her about the upcoming war. Hazel watched the two closely, Percy was animatedly telling Thea how he'd teach her how to move the earth, and how Hazel would teach her how to fight with a sword.

Thea was nearly shaking in excitement as the two chattered away about their abilities. Hazel smiled, content with listening quietly as they spoke. If anything were to happen to either of them she would lose her mind. And she swore to the styx that Camp Jupiter would burn.

First I would like to dedicate this chapter to my cousin, Alison, may she rest in peace.

I've already been called racist because of this story, despite being half black and half white myself (and I know that doesn't mean I can't be racist :/ but really), and I can't say I really give a fuck. I know I'm not racist, and I'm doing my best to accurately portray race relations back then and now.

The conversation between Hazel and Zeke was not meant to be inflammatory towards anyone. These are problems in the black community and I've had very similar conversations before whenever I would crush on a white boy. I was once told that I shouldn't like white boys because they're crazy and they beat their girlfriends...and I was just dumbfounded by the level of stupidity it took to make such a comment.

This story won't be preachy about today's race relations but I wanted to show the new barrier that popped up for Hazel.

fireflame789: NO. YOU DO NOT BLAME ME. STOP BLAMING ME FOR ALL YOUR MISDEEDS. Anyway, fine chapter. Still doing well on the heart-clenching, "it hurts the heart" moments, I see. Percy's so stubborn but so realistic, I love it! Just... make sure this is probably the worst thing that's going to happen to him.

...NO WAIT. Don't you dare do everything barely better than that just to spite me. I know you too well!

:)

EmperorRevan: So it has been six months since this has been updated... half a year... wow.

Life is busy, I'm moving, I worked full time over the summer, my cousin died, and I've had writers block...wow :D Not saying this to be bitchy at all, I was just letting you know. I don't want to throw out a shit chapter just to update quicker. I've been working on this one for a while now but it was put on hold because of all the shenanigans. I want to update quicker but I just don't have the free time that I used to, unfortunately. My writers block is gone so I hope to update this story sooner rather than wait so long again :)

I'm speeding up the Kronos story line so we can get to the Gaea one. Fight chapter coming up! I love writing Toph -I mean- Percy fight scenes! It will be a heavy combat chapter. Thank you all for your patience and I love you guys!