Between Two Wars

Note to all: I do not own the Percy Jackson universe. None of the characters are mine. All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I do not make any money in this. It is purely my own enjoyment.

Warnings: Graphic content, blood, pain, inner turmoil, period talk, cursing, innuendos, trust issues, explicit intercourse ( In a separate chapter, with a separate warning)

Summary: Percy and Annabeth are finishing college at New Rome soon. Annabeth has a building job making the new temples around Camp Jupiter and Percy is training for the Olympics. Their life is peace, as Gaea is dead and the fighting stopped. For now. But what happens when not everyone can be trusted? What happens when a new monster comes to town? Will Percy and Annabeth fight along side their comrades? Or will Annabeth's shocking secret keep them both from saving their friends?

Pairings: Percy/Annabeth , Jason/Piper , Will/Nico , Frank/Hazel , Leo/Calypso , Reyna/Jessica.

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Author's Note: I have excuses. :( I'm sorry if you hate me. I've been in a writer's slump for quite some time, not to mention high school, my broken laptop, and the fact that I'm reading like 3 different books a week. Trying to update has been on my list of priorities, though. For all my stories. Even the ones I haven't even put up, yet. There's a long list, trust me. I have pleeeeenty of ideas and AU's that I've just got stored in my phone, brain, and laptop. Once I get myself a little more together, I will definitely have a chapter of everything for you all. To those who have reviewed this story and other ones- bless you. The constant feedback leaves me with tears and honestly I've never felt so loved by people before. From the beginning I have wanted to write stories and even though that's not my preferred occupation, it's up there on the things-to-do-before-I-die kind of bucket list (I have quite a few bucket lists).

I seriously have a lot to do before I even finish this story, since I have a long drawn out idea of what I wanted but I think I'm going to try to sort out the story and not make it as long as a Riordan book :/

For now, welcome back (or just welcome if you're new here) to the world of Between Two Wars!

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Chapter 14: The Cold Truth

Percy POV

Percy really didn't know what he was going to do. Pending fatherhood is a big deal. Like, a big deal, but to have it happen during a crisis? Not even remotely a good idea. Course', it obviously wasn't on purpose, but he was elated regardless. And the real cake topper and show stopper? He had to take his pregnant fiancée with him, on a jet, across the country. In simpler words, Percy wasn't having a very fun time away from New Rome.

He was holding Annabeth's hand (rather tightly) and sitting in the middle of the jet. Frank and Hazel were across from them, with Nico beside Hazel, looking her up and down, still surprised that she was properly awake. She seemed to share the sentiment, seeing as she kept looking at her skin and Frank's face as he told her the story the best he could. Jason and Piper were closer to the front of the plane, Piper talking to the pilot about their destination and Jason- dear lord- Jason was in the copilot seat. Apparently, Jason had learned to properly fly a plane.

"Zeus-" Percy said, as the jet started up and rose in the air. Piper went back into the main cabin and sat beside Annabeth, looking worryingly at Percy. "Man, please don't kill us now. We've been through too much- don't kill us now of all things."

"Oh stop that," Annabeth said, hitting his arm with a frown. "You'll be fine."

"It's not me I'm worried about." Percy took a deep breath after the statement, but calmed himself down under Annabeth's gaze. "Alright, alright."

"The pilot said it should take around five hours. Take a nap or something," Piper said, trying to help. Percy raised an eyebrow at her. Did she really think that he would be able to sleep like this? The last time he tried, it didn't end so well.

After a few minutes, Percy looked over at Jason's back in the copilot seat and furrowed his brows. "When did Jason learn to fly a plane?"

Jason chuckled, turning his golden head back at Percy with a smile.

"About a year ago. I mean, I can fly with no problem on my own, but I thought that learning to fly a plane would be a useful hobby. Turns out it has. Sometimes I can make easy cash by flying tourists around California. It really is gorgeous in the air."

"Whatever you say, Superman." Percy said, his teeth gritted as the plane hit some turbulence.

"Is Leo going to meet us at Camp Half-Blood?" Annabeth asked, running her fingers through Percy's hair in an effort to calm him, "Or are we picking him up?"

"He's already there," Jason replied back, "He was in the middle of talking to Chiron when I Iris-ed him earlier."

"Did you see Will?" Nico asked, his forehead glistening with sweat. Right, thought Percy. He's from the Underworld. He hates flying as much as I do.

Jason shook his head in answer, his scarred lips turned down in a frown. "No, but we'll be there soon, so don't worry."

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After about four and a half hours from their departure, Percy was uncomfortably comfortable. Annabeth had drawn her feet in his lap and he was rubbing them softly as she looked out the window. He bit his lip for a moment, thinking about all the drama that's happened and all that will happen. They'd have to tell the others soon, before they got off the plane, that was a certainty.

Annabeth turned her blonde head and faced him, her sparkling grey eyes shimmering with all their hidden secrets and knowledge.

"We have to tell them," She murmured. Her hands fidgeted in her lap.

"We do." Percy replied simply.

"Should you or should I?" Annabeth asked, her voice still low. Percy looked at her up and down for a moment and then came to a decision.

"I will."

"You aren't going to try anything dumb, are you?" Annabeth said, giving him a knowing glance. She knew him- he'd definitely go back on his word if it meant he could save her, even if it meant loosing a bit of her trust. She's right, after all. He would gladly have fought in this war and won it for her and their children if it meant something, but Percy sadly understood that it did not. His heroic stupidity would help no one. It would probably only leave two children fatherless.

"Me? Try anything dumb?" Percy asked, acting hurt. He grinned at her exasperated expression. "I'm going to tell them what we talked about."

"Good. Then do it, since we'll probably be landing soon."

Percy nodded and faced the rest of the plane. Hazel was asleep on Frank, who was reading a book. Nico was gritting his teeth, his knuckles white on the chair. Piper, meanwhile, was bent over a map of New Rome, her brown hair falling on the map a little as she concentrated. Jason was still flying the plane, his back easy and his posture comfortable.

"Hey guys," Percy started a little loud, trying to get everyone's attention. It seemed to work, since everyone faced him and Hazel woke up, yawning all the while. Jason got into the cabin, sitting next to Piper as they both looked at him.

"What's up, Perce?" Frank said with a nod, noticing how serious Annabeth and Percy looked.

"We," He began, looking at Annabeth and then back to the others, "aren't going to camp with you guys."

"Okay," Jason said slowly, "is there a reason?"

"Annabeth is pregnant." Percy said shortly. "I'd rather she not be in this war if I can help it."

The reaction was priceless- it was a complicated mix of happiness and distraught faces. Everyone looked at Percy deep in the eyes. He could see that they were happy for him, but this wasn't an announcement party on a casual Thursday dinner. This was the start of a war. Hazel was the only one without a reaction, really, getting a weird look in her eyes and a crane in her neck. Percy thought she was probably still dazed from her nap, and would react better when she was fully awake.

"I am taking her to my mom's house and I'm going with her."

Percy winced, ready for a bombardment of questions or dramatic "No!"s. He was right earlier. They all nodded their head in understanding, some biting their lips, biting their nails, or thinking hard.

"We're still going to help," Annabeth said, "but most of our contact will be Iris-messages."

"But wouldn't Camp Half-Blood be the safest place for you guys?" Frank said, his hands motioning with his speech. "Being at your mom's house puts you in danger. The camp has borders and fellow half-bloods."

"If this war goes down anything similar to the Giant war, then no, it won't be." Percy said, shaking his head. "At least at my mom's house, no monsters or baddies will come looking for us or come attack us in a full scale riot. And besides, who is to say what happened to New Rome won't happen to Camp Half-Blood? If that comes to Camp Half-Blood, then it's best that we stay away from it. We've been through enough wars, guys. We all have. I just want this one thing- I can't let the gods take everything."

"Okay," Jason said nodding. "But it might be best if you tell us details. Anything you remember from that night while you are still here."

Frank and Hazel shifted in their seats, coming closer to Percy and Annabeth. All of the demigods were in a circle, watching and waiting for the first person to speak. After a few moments, Annabeth took a deep breath and began her recollection.

"I was coming home from the doctor when I heard chaos. Everyone was screaming, running-" Annabeth said, grabbing her head in concentration. She bit her lip as her grey eyes stared off in space. Percy reached over and put a soothing hand on her knee. He knew she needed the reassurance that she was still here. "There were kids killing adults- I saw a woman murder two kids-!"

She looked like she was struggling for the right words, and Percy couldn't blame her.

Shortly after all the chaos, she got knocked out. She might have a concussion. Percy winced as he remembered seeing Frank knock her out and made a mental note to give her some ambrosia a little bit later.

"What else? Anything odd that you saw?" Piper said the statement with a quiet voice, trying not to cause a bad reaction but urging her on.

"Other than people screaming in the streets?" Annabeth said. She was opening her mouth- about to say a witty comment probably- but hesitated. She began again, this time a little slower, the effort to piece together the events clearly shown on her face. "Actually, yeah. I know the maniae are a factor- they were a big part of the swirling black mass, but there were other reactions to the smoke than just violence. I saw a man burst into sunlight. I saw a woman, who was around thirty, she turned into an old woman and died of old age."

Percy could tell it on Annabeth's face. Her cheeks were low and her eyes grew dimmer. She knew exactly who attacked New Rome, and apparently it wasn't good.

"Tell us," Percy said quietly. "You know."

"It's-it's impossible. If it's true- oh gods." Annabeth shook her head, terrified. It was unlike her, but obviously she had a good reason for it.

"I remember hearing a lot of yelling, but I don't remember that much," Frank said, rubbing his neck, flabbergasted. "Mostly I was just trying to keep up with Hazel and then I found Percy."

"I saw a man getting slapped around and then smacked- he was trying to fight something invisible- but every time he tried to-… hit it...he got slashed...up..." Percy cut himself off, and realized what it was they faced. He hadn't seen her since Tartarus, and unfortunately, it was not anything good. It was possibly the worst situation for him to be in, especially since he promised Annabeth to keep away from this war. They were fighting her children. Every one of them. Oh gods, Percy thought, his mouthing getting drier by the minute. His face went slack and any hope he had died in a minute. They can't dupe this enemy. They already tried it.

Percy turned to Annabeth, his eyes shocked with his realization.

"Her children-how could they- the gods, how could they allow it?"

Annabeth shook her head, obviously not knowing a lot either.

"Care to share with the class?" Jason asked, his blue eyes bright. Percy jumped slightly, his thoughts had been wandering away from the conversation and where he was. His shoulders tensed as he remembered he was in a plane, but tried to remain calm despite the obvious fact that they were all going to be obliterated.

"We know who it is." Annabeth said. "But if we're correct, this isn't something we can win."

"Shoot," Piper said reassuringly. Her charmspeak showed through her voice a little, and Percy felt it wash over him.

"Nyx," He said bluntly. The others looked at him in confusion, but Nico's face turned paler than usual and his face looked gaunt. "Nyx's children attacked New Rome."

"Oh come on, you can't be serious, here. Lady-," Hazel cut herself off and took a breath. She turned her head up a smile like 'silly me' and then resumed her statement. "I mean, the goddess of night, wouldn't attack New Rome on a whim. What's her purpose?"

Everyone looked at Hazel a little strange, but Percy was the one to speak.

"Well, I mean, Annabeth and I really did make a mess of things for her. If we hadn't fooled her and gone through her palace then we wouldn't even be here right now. We wouldn't have been able to defeat Gaia or the giants if it wasn't for that. And you should have seen her kids, they were all eager and willing to listen to whatever she said. 'Mother knows best' kind of complex, but it was also how powerful she was."

Percy felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of Nyx. Yes, it would be a very bad idea if they wanted to fight her. They wouldn't even know where to begin.

After a few minutes to let it sink in, the entire group started talking all at once, bouncing theories off each other and trying to make battle plans in the middle of the air. It was difficult to calm everyone down, but at one of Jason's hands in the air, they all did.

"We can continue this conversation with Chiron." He said the statement with a frown, the scar on his lip showing white as he bent it. "If what you say is true then we must talk to the gods. They can't repeat what happened last time- it would be bad for everyone. We have to communicate with them and try to get as much help as possible. If this is the case, we are going to need a lot of support, probably the help of demigods outside of the US. But for now, while we are still in the air, let's try not to be too rash. Percy, Annabeth, are you leaving from the plane to your mother's house, or would you like to come with us to camp?"

Jason addressed the question to the couple and Percy bit his lip. "It's better if we leave from the plane. Gods" He said, putting hand on his head. "This is more than anything we've ever faced, man. Nyx's kids are powerful. You're going to need me-"

"No. We won't." Frank interjected. "We'll be fine. We all have each other. I'd like to be your kid's godfather, so you bet your sweet ass you aren't coming with us. You and Annabeth need to stay away. Seriously, if it is Nyx, she'll want to attack you personally."

Percy smiled at Frank, his heart a little heavy with the words.

"Hey wait!" Jason cut in. "Who says you get to be godfather? What about me?"

"Or Grover," Annabeth casually cut in with a smile. "Guess you'll have to duke it out."

"Great," Jason muttered. "Like one tune from the Lord of the Wild and we're all trees. He'll win by default."

Then suddenly the whole cabin was laughing, and no one could stop. It was a long time before anyone said anything, but Hazel approached Annabeth after a while.

"Hey Annabeth?" She said with a smile. Percy glanced around. Frank continued reading his book while Jason was in the co-pilot's seat and Piper was occupied with the map. No one paid any mind to it, but Percy stayed focused on Hazel all the same. Her looked forced, almost like it pained her to smile at Annabeth at all. Annabeth grew tense beside Percy, and for the life of him he didn't know why. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Uh, sure." She said, getting her feet out of Percy's lap. Percy saw in her face that she was uneasy and it didn't bode well with him.

Hazel stepped back and Annabeth got up. The blonde walked to the back of the plane, a little ways away from the others, Hazel in tow. After they took a few steps, Percy did an old hand gesture- the three finger warding off evil sign, one he hadn't done in a long time- and pointed it towards the girls. There was a flinch and a quiet hiss from Hazel, one that only he noticed. She tilted her head slightly, like her neck ached. Percy felt his eyes grow wide, but realized that Annabeth now was in a compromising position. If he tried to attack Hazel, it would look like he was crazy and Hazel could attack Annabeth.

With one swift motion, Hazel pulled a curtain behind her, effectively separating her and Annabeth from the rest of the crew.

Author's Note: Goodness that took a long time. I have been sooooo swamped. Anyway, now we know who our main antagonist is! I am really excited for the next chapter, since we get some Leo Valdez(tm) so that should be fun. I'm sorry for the way I have Nico written- I feel like he should have more in the story, but I can't fit him in anywhere that I think would be appropriate. Don't forget to fav, review, follow, and give feedback! I will try to have the next chapter sooner than 2 months! Bye!~Cryellow