DISCLAIMER: Everything is the sole property of Rick Riordan. No profits are or will ever be made from this downright poorly-written, horrible fanfiction.

THE SEA'S TRANQUILITY

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5. The Final Talk

"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," Percy told the driver as soon as she took a seat in the yellow cab.

The driver, a middle-aged man with a cigarette hanging from the side of his mouth, glanced into the rearview mirror and nodded at her. As he drove off, Percy couldn't help but notice in relief that he'd at least opened his window. Having been given no choice but to live with Gabe Ugliano under the same roof for almost five years made her no stranger to cigarettes, but she still couldn't stand the smell of it.

Leaning her forehead against the glass of the window, Percy looked at the city and the people hurrying from street to street that they passed on their way to her home. She had parted ways with Grover back at the bus station, telling him her mom would pick her up, though that wasn't the truth. Her mom was probably still at work if she had to take a guess. But ever since the day of Mrs Dodds' attack, Grover had been acting jumpy and skittish, almost paranoid so, and Percy hadn't been able to stand it for a longer time. She didn't tell him about her discovery of being the daughter of Poseidon. First, she had to come to terms with it on her own, and before she went spilling out that particular little information, she wanted to have a talk with her mother.

If someone would have all the answers, it had to be her mother, right?

At least, Percy hoped so.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she raised her hand to rub her eyes. She was a little sleepy, seeing as how she hadn't been able to have a long, good sleep since the crap with Mrs Dodds, the Fury, happened. When Percy did have more than four hours worth of sleep, she was plagued by nightmares, experiencing that incident in the classroom again and again. Needless to say, she woke up covered in cold sweat after those nightmares. Knowing there were monsters among the living world had her acting more careful than usual, her becoming consequently more aware of her surroundings, and Percy had certainly noticed the slightest hesitation she would show when being approached by strangers.

She couldn't help but wonder if those people were something completely else than they pretended to be.

It was all a big, dangerous mess, and Percy had no idea where to start to sort it.

To top that off, her report card said that she wouldn't return to Yancy Academy at the start of the next term. Not that Percy was saddened by it or anything, but she worried about Grover and how he would manage himself among the bullies and the kids there. She'd made him promise to visit her every now and then, not wanting to lose contact with the first real friend she'd made in all her life. He wasn't telling her the whole truth, and the entire school had seemed to believe there had never been a Mrs Dodds to begin with, but Grover had been a great friend. As soon as she figured out his role in the mess, she would be willing to abandon the small grudge she was holding toward him.

The realization that she was Poseidon's child had opened her eyes in a way she'd never have expected, and it was hard for her to understand and grasp it, but at the same time, she knew there wasn't any other explanation. It was the hard, ugly truth, and she had to swallow it like the bitter pill it was. She couldn't go back to the way things were before, not with that kind of knowledge, and there was fear inside her among other things, but she also couldn't help but wonder … and be curious.

She didn't just want to know where the gods were, she wanted to know how they were. The idea of there being gods was probably the hardest thing for her to come to terms with, but she found herself eager to find out what their personalities were made of. It made Percy wonder if this was the chance to prove herself, to break out of society's chains and be something else, be something more than she was now. She had no idea what the future held for her, but she would be more than willing to try and find her place in the world of gods and monsters.

"Miss," the taxi driver grunted at that moment, "We're there."

Percy looked up in surprise, finding that they'd, indeed, arrived. She had been so consumed in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the car coming to a stop.

After the driver had helped her retrieve her bags from the trunk, Percy thanked him and gave him some bills. He drove off, leaving her standing alone in front of the apartment block she lived in with her mom and Gabe. It was tall and shabby and had tiny balconies that seemed to be unstable enough to fall off under the lightest pressure. Percy's gaze wandered further upwards, coming to a rest on the dark, dark sky. The huge clouds gathering above her looked dangerous and menacing. When the wind picked up a few notches, making her long hair whirl into her face, Percy tightened the grip on her bags and walked toward the heavy metal door. She passed a group of boys a little older than her and raised her head high when she noticed them silencing, their eyes trailing her figure up and down. Rolling her eyes upon hearing the wolf whistles behind her, she entered the apartment block.

Since the apartment was located on the sixth floor, Percy had to take the elevator which always rattled and rumbled whenever she used it. Honestly, the whole building was a ruin.

When she finally unlocked the door and entered the apartment, she grimaced upon detecting the sound of male voices and the TV. It smelled like beer, cigarettes, and cheap cologne everywhere. Percy shoved the dirty shoes standing in front of the door aside and walked to the doorway leading into the living room.

Gabe was sitting at the coffee table with his neighbor buddies. They were busy playing poker by the looks of it, and she scrunched her nose in disgust as she took notice of the beer bottles lying everywhere. The ashtray was nearly overflowing with smokes. Gabe himself looked like his usual self – dressed in a white wifebeater that was covered with stains, and old jeans. The three hairs on his head looked like he'd actually bothered to lay them carefully out on his bald head, and it seemed as if he'd put on even more weight. He also hadn't probably shaved in months.

His poker buddies didn't look any better.

"Where's my mom?" Percy asked coolly, making herself present.

Gabe's small, pig-like eyes narrowed in on her. "Oh, look who's there. It's the super brain. Anyway, you got any cash?"

"No," she answered rigidly. "You want money? Earn it yourself."

Her stepfather's eyes narrowed as he grimaced in fury. When he started to rise, raising his fist threateningly, Percy tried her best not to flinch away. He let his hand slip against her one time a few years ago, and it wasn't a fond memory. In fact, she tried to suppress it as much as she could. The only thing she was glad about regarding that incident was the scar on the back of his left hand, where she'd rammed a kitchen knife into. He hadn't been trying to lay a hand on her since that day, probably remembering the fact that she wasn't repelled against defending herself and using a knife against him.

"C'mon, man," one of his buddies said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "The girl just got home."

Gabe sat back again, but he was still glaring at Percy in a way that told her he wouldn't forget her words.

"So, I've asked you a question." She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Where's my mom?"

"At work, you freak. Bet she won't be much happy about your fucking report card."

Screw you, asshole, Percy said to him mentally as she pressed her lips into a thin line and turned to leave the living room. With a snarl, she kicked a beer bottle out of the way and walked into the kitchen. It was the only room not filled with Gabe's crap, probably because this was her mother's territory. She'd never allow him to place his dirty boots or his ashtray in the kitchen.

"Damn, Gabe," Percy heard one of the slimy poker buddies say, just as she was about to reach for a glass on the shelves, "You didn't tell us that she's such a pretty thing."

Gabe snickered derisively, "Yeah, she's a fine piece of ass."

Percy gritted her teeth, a shiver of disgust and discomfort rolling down her spine. She filled her glass with some water and downed it in one go before rinsing the glass out and placing it back on the shelve. She took her black cardigan off, throwing it over the backrest of one of the chairs, and braced her hands against the kitchen counter. She closed her eyes. The window was tilted, making the sounds of the city from afar stream into her ears – the barking of a dog, the late traffic, cars honking down the streets –, but it didn't help her shaking off the uncomfortable feeling she always got around Gabe. She knew he wouldn't dare to lay a hand on her in that way, but the occasional glances he gave her when she was back at home were enough to fill her with loathing and disgust toward him.

She hated him.

She was surprised at herself, for being able to feel such an amount of aggressive hate, but she loathed him more than anything.

As she kept her eyes closed, Percy felt a weird kind of anxiety bubble up in her, the same one she'd had with Mrs Dodds in that classroom. She could see the glowing red eyes behind her shut eyes again, the claws around her throat, squeezing the life out of her. Something very cold ran down her spine when, in that exact moment, she remembered the old tales she'd read about, realizing that this world of gods and monsters might mark something terrible.

Demigods had apparently never had happy endings.

"Percy?" her mother's voice said, and all of her fears melted in an instant. "Are you here, sweetie?"

She straightened herself, just as the door opened, revealing her beloved mother. Before Percy had the chance to utter a word, she found herself in her mother's tight embrace. She didn't even realize how much she'd needed that, and right then, Percy believed everything would play out just fine. Her mom smelled like chocolate cake and the delicious candy from the store she worked at. It felt like an eternity when her mother finally let go of her, but Percy didn't mind that at all. She could feel a smile spread over her face as her mom brushed her hair fondly from her face.

"Oh, sweetie, I missed you so much!" Sally exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with warmth. "You look so pretty. Did you get taller? You seem to look taller than the last time I saw you."

Percy rolled her eyes fondly, though her smile betrayed that she didn't mind her mother's questions. "I missed you, too, Mom. And last time I checked, I was still at miserable five feet."

Being on the tiny side of human population sucked, but it also had many advantages.

Sally continued to smile, her gaze wandering over her daughter as if she wanted to imprint every last inch of her forever in her brain. Percy couldn't help but remember the times her mother had told her how similar she looked to her father because in that moment, Percy saw the resemblance between herself and her mom more than she'd ever had. They shared the same ivory complexion, the same petite and small figure, their mouth shape and their noses were the same, just like their soft facial features. Though, where Percy still had that child-like softness, her mother's features were soft and classic in a timeless, elegant manner.

"So, how was your time at school?" Sally asked, and when she caught Percy's gaze wandering toward the report card on the table, she just laughed. "We can talk about that later, sweetie. I just want to know right now how you are. Is everything okay?"

Percy didn't tell her everything at once. First, she simply talked about her term, the friends she'd made, Aiden Butler, Nancy Bobofit, and everything else that wouldn't erupt into a serious, life-changing conversation. They drank hot cocoa and shared the chocolate and the other candy Sally had brought from work, and it was only when they settled into silence that Percy dared to ask, "Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, Percy?"

"My ..." She hesitated for a moment, wondering if maybe her mother did not know about it all, before deciding to come out with it like it was, "My father's Poseidon, right?"

Sally froze.

Right in that moment, thunder resounded outside.

Percy fidgeted nervously in her seat, tugging on the hem of her top. Her mother seemed speechless. She stared into her cup of hot cocoa for a minute or two before lifting her gaze, looking at Percy with tired, tired eyes. "How –" Her voice seemed to break there for a moment. "How do you know?"

That was it.

That was the spark she needed to have the anxiety lingering above her come crashing down on her.

"I just …" She raised one small shoulder, looking uncertain. "I just kind of found out."

Her mother stared at her.

Then, she got to her feet, pacing along the kitchen, and Percy had to admit she'd never seen her mom look so distraught before. Her forehead was scrunched up in worry lines, the smile disappearing from her eyes. She stopped in front of the window, looking outside in a way that told Percy she was searching for something dangerous. Something that might attack them. Her mom stepped away from the window, turning around to face her, "That's not it, Percy. Tell me everything now."

Thunder resounded again, and this time, beautiful, deadly lightning flashed across the sky.

Percy opened her mouth and started to tell her mom everything, the words pouring out of her like a waterfall. She told her mom about their visit at the museum and how her powers had reacted to her anger, she told her about Mrs Dodds and how the old woman had turned into a monster, a Fury. She talked about how everyone seemed to believe there had never been a Mrs Dodds, and how the research she'd done had led her to realize she was the daughter of Poseidon, the Sea God. With each word she uttered, the horror on Sally's face grew, reflecting in her eyes among shock and a quickly larger becoming fear that made Percy feel anxious and tense.

"I can't believe it," Sally muttered more to herself than to Percy. "I cannot believe it. They told me you'd be safe! They told me you had someone to protect you! And still, here you are, telling me that a Kindly One attacked you in the middle of the school, even though they were responsible for your safety; they promised me you'd be safe!"

Percy furrowed her brow in confusion, leaning forward to grab her mother's hand in reassurance. "Who, Mom? Who told you that?"

Her mom looked at her silently, a battle of emotions seeming to pass through her eyes, before she sighed in defeat. She sat down again, tightening her grip on her daughter's hand. "Percy, I didn't want this for you," she said quietly, the anger from before leaving her quickly. "When they told me about it, I didn't know what to do, how to decide. Your father thought it would be the best for you. I'm realizing now that maybe he was right. Maybe I was just too selfish." When Percy's frown deepened, Sally took a huge breath. "There's a summer camp along the side of Long Island, Percy. You have to know, you're not the only demigod. That camp is a place for children like you. Children of the gods. There are dozens of them. From what I've heard about it, it's the safest place for them. For you. The people who run that place prepare you for any monsters that might attack you, because they will. Demigods are constantly being hunted by monsters, because their smell attracts them. The more powerful the child, the more monsters it will draw in. And you, sweetie, are one hell of a powerful demigod being the mortal daughter of Poseidon."

Percy didn't know what to say.

She felt like, right now, her life resembled a roller coaster that took turns at every opportunity that made itself available.

"So when you started your term at Yancy, I was immediately contacted by that camp. They told me one of their keepers found you at the school, that they would send someone to look after you, protect you. I didn't know who it was, but your father always told me the camp had the best kind of people and protectors."

Silence settled in.

Percy stared down at the table, letting the shock rush over her. It wasn't as big as the initial shock she'd had upon finding out her father was Poseidon, but still … she hadn't expected that. Briefly, she thought about Mr Liu and the martial arts school. She hadn't been there again, but she'd looked into the book she was given, and maybe her enrolling in that school would prove itself to be worthy.

"My father wanted me to go to that camp?" Percy asked after a few moments of silence that was occasionally broken by lightning and thunder.

"Yes, he did." When Percy looked up, her heart almost stopped right then and there. Tears had gathered in her mother's eyes as she whispered, "Percy, you're my daughter. How could I have possibly just given you away to strangers?"

Quickly, Percy got to her feet and rounded the table to pull her mother into a tight hug. She still smelled like candy and chocolate cake and everything that was good in the world, and it was such a comfortable, safe scent that Percy couldn't help but hold on a little tighter. How could she have felt safe at a summer camp when it was her mother she felt safest with? Just the thought of being taken away from her mom struck her down.

"Mom, it's okay," Percy muttered soothingly. "I'm glad you kept me with you."

Sally smiled at her, her eyes shining with warmth as she pressed a kiss to Percy's forehead, feeling relief among other things now. They sat like that for another few minutes, like mother and daughter, while the storm outside subsided a little, leaving the scent of rain and wet earth lingering in the air. The sky began to clear, becoming a lighter blue, allowing the sun to peek through the clouds. The only sound coming in was the screaming of the TV and the voices of Gabe and his poker buddies.

"How do you feel about all that?" Sally asked finally.

Percy knew instantly that she wasn't talking about the camp or any of the other things but about the fact Poseidon was her father. She frowned a little, her mind passing over all those days where she'd hoped for her father to come back from the sea, writing silly, little letters to him she'd never sent away, sitting at the beach in Montauk and hoping for the currents to bring her dad back. She remembered the days where she'd watched other little girls being picked up by their dads from kindergarten or school, them being called princess and swung around in the air, and she remembered the deep longing for a father's strong, protective embrace.

There was a sudden, ugly sadness ascending in her, and Percy had to bite her lip.

I'm fucking pissed, she wanted to say, but she would never use such language around her mother.

"I'm coping," she said instead, trying to sound cheerful. "At least, I'm trying to."

After another short silence, Sally looked up with a gentle smile on her face, asking, "How do you feel about getting out of here for the weekend?"

"Where to?" Percy asked with interest.

"Hmm, how does Montauk sound for you?"

Percy couldn't help the grin stretching across her face. No matter what she knew about her father now, there was no way she'd ever be able to hate Montauk and its beautiful beach for it. It was the only place, apart from her mother, that had the ability to make her feel at home. She felt peaceful there. Balanced. And maybe that did have something to do with her being the daughter of the Sea God, but she couldn't care less.

"Really? Right now?"

Sally smiled, brushing her daughter's hair away from her face. "Right now. Let me just make some Guacamole for Gabe and his friends for the weekend. Then, nothing's going to hold us back from Montauk."

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The drive to Montauk was a fast one.

As soon as they arrived at their cabin, they broke the wooden boards off from the door and the windows and cleaned everything before grabbing some crackers and heading out toward the beach. The sun was already setting down, and the ocean looked beautiful from afar at twilight. As Percy walked with her mother along the sea's edge, she listened to the stories about her grandparents and the books her mom wanted to write one day. Sally Jackson had always been wanting to become a writer, but after her parents' death, she'd had to give college up. Percy herself didn't remember a lot about Jim and Laura Jackson, her grandparents, she just knew them from her mother's pictures.

"You know, your grandma kept her maiden name, even when she married my father," Sally said with a smile when they paused in their walk. While Percy had changed into denim shorts and a ruffled crop top, Sally wore now a light-green summer dress that brushed her knees ever so slightly; reds and golds shone in her brown hair under the setting sun. "It's something all the women in our family have done, myself included. I think it's a way of keeping some kind of independence."

"Well, I'm grateful for that," Percy replied, scrunching up her nose. "Sally and Percy Ugliano sounds awful."

They shivered in horror at that.

As they began to move again, the air around them settled to a soft, silvery blue. Dusk was there, and the sun was gone now, though the light seemed to stay, burning the area where the sea met the sky, and everything else faded into the night. There was a fresh breeze coming off the water, and you could hear the steady rhythm of the waves as they pounded into the shore. The smell of the storm that had raged before still lingered in the air.

"How was it for you, knowing he was a god?" Percy asked after a little while. "Did something change for you?"

Sally smiled a little sadly, and Percy couldn't but notice the look in her mother's deep, blue eyes. It was always there when she remembered her father. There was longing among other things, a deep sadness, and love. So much love. "No, sweetie. Of course, it was a big surprise, but … it changed nothing for me. He was still the same man I fell in love with. You see, I've been able to see monsters all my life long. They call people like me clear-sighted mortals. Normally, the Mist hides the things mortals see, it perceives their sight." Percy savored that knowledge, saving it into the back of her head. "Your father was … he made me feel like a queen, like I was on top of the world. He was always so gentle with me."

"How can you still talk about him that way, Mom?" The words just literally burst out of Percy. "Even though he left you? Even though you know he has a wife and other children?"

Her mom's eyes widened in shock, and she looked like she didn't know what to say or how to react for a moment. Eventually, she sighed sadly. "Because I know he didn't leave voluntarily. He had to. Sweetie, you can't hold a god to human morals and standards. There are laws that forbid gods to visit and contact their mortal children. Would he have stayed, monsters would've become more attracted to you because of his presence. It would've been too dangerous for you. But he did visit, you know. One time, just a few days after I gave birth to you."

Percy's eyes widened, her gaze flying up to her mother. "He did?"

"Yes, he did," Sally smiled fondly. "Funny thing is, he thought you were a boy at that moment. The doctors told me I was expecting a baby boy, so it was a total shock to your father when he came that evening, only to discover he had a daughter. His first daughter at that. Yes, sweetie, your father is known for only having sons so far. You were so special to him, and you still are. He held you in his arms, and you smiled at him. It's one of the most precious memories I have. He told you how much he loved you, and he gave you his blessing. I believe gods don't give out blessings like that every day, and I also believe that this blessing was one of the biggest factors you weren't seriously attacked before now. Monsters usually go after demigods when they're around twelve years old."

"I … I didn't know that," Percy said quietly.

"I know you didn't," Sally answered. "I think it would be best for you to go to that camp after our weekend. You don't have to stay there forever, you know. Not anymore. You're old enough to have the permission to leave the camp after the summer and come back to me. I have to admit, I don't like it at all, because it means revealing you to danger, instead of hiding you from it, but I think the time has come for you to learn about who you are."

Percy could feel the betraying prickle of tears at the back of her eyes.

Her feelings for her father were conflicted. She was angry with him for leaving, letting them stay with Gabe, not once coming around to look after them, but at the same time, her mother's words had opened her eyes a little. When Percy closed her eyes now, she could picture a warm glow – maybe something akin to a smile – she remembered occasionally, and she wanted to believe it was something from her father. And she still didn't know what to think about that camp. Maybe she should give it a chance. Maybe she should stay away from it as far as possible.

"Mom, how can you still love him after all this time?" Percy asked softly, only to be met with an equally soft smile.

"That's the thing about love, sweetie. You just don't let go; no matter how bad it hurts, or how complicated everything gets."

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A few hours later, when Percy and Sally had already settled into their beds, a loud roar disturbed the silence like a sudden flash of lightning.

Only when Percy bolted upwards in her bed, she found out there had been, indeed, a flash of lightning. The storm from before had returned, and it was raining heavily, the drops crashing down on the roof and the windows. Thunder bellowed so loudly, it was almost deafening. Percy could feel the aftershocks of it in the form of trembles running through her body. She'd had a nightmare, before the animalistic roar coming from outside had woken her up. It had been Mrs Dodds and her again, in the classroom, but this time, everything had seemed like it was in slow motion. Percy didn't remember all the details anymore, but she could swear Mrs Dodds' eyes had flashed golden in the dream.

She flinched when another roar echoed through the storm outside, but much closer now, and her eyes flew to her mother who was also sitting upright in her bed, her eyes wide and awake.

"Percy," Sally said dangerously calm, "Get out of your bed and take your things. We're getting out of here. Now."

Percy didn't dare object. Where her mother seemed to appear completely calm, she could feel the panic radiating from herself, because she knew what the roar outside meant – a monster; one who seemed to be entirely too close. She kicked the comforter off and got to her feet, scurrying around the room and gathering her clothes to stuff them back into her backpack.

"Here, Percy." She turned around to face her mom, only to furrow her brow when she saw her holding a knife toward her. "Take this. I have one, too. It's made of Celestial Bronze, the only thing that can successfully kill monsters. I've always kept some with me, just in case."

Having no time to wonder if the one she'd used against Mrs Dodds had been Celestial Bronze, Percy took the knife, but the frown didn't leave her face. "Mom, what's going on? What are we going to do?"

"We're going to bring you to the camp your father talked about," Sally answered, throwing a jacket over herself. "I thought we would have a little time left to enjoy the weekend, but … it's too late. It's too dangerous. Come on, sweetie, we have to get the car started."

"What if we don't make it in time?" Percy blurted out. "What if it catches up with us?"

"If it does, we'll …" The door crashed open. Chunks of wood flew across the room, and the monster appearing in the doorway roared in fury before settling its black eyes on them. Sally swallowed hard as she deadpanned, "Fight."

The sight of the monster made Percy's skin crawl. It was huge, his top half bulky and fuzzy. Its head was larger than the rest of its body, and it had horns. And Percy was pretty sure she knew what this monster was, because she'd stumbled upon it in the books quite a few times. Before she could tell her mom this was the Minotaur, the monster narrowed its black eyes at her and dashed forward, his head lowered as if wanting to pierce her on its horns. The knife dropped from her hands as Percy raised them to protect herself, clinging to the horns to prevent herself from turning into a bloody mess of meat hanging from the Minotaur's horns.

"Percy, his sight and hearing are terrible!" she heard her mother call. "He goes by smell!"

Her blood turned cold as she saw her mom charging at the Minotaur, trying to hit him with her knife, but the monster only roared in fury. It swung its meaty hands around, flinging her mom away from him. She crashed into the opposite wall, just as deadly lightning flashed in front of their cabin door.

Percy found herself flying across the room as well, the monster had managed to shake her grip from its horns. She tasted blood in her mouth as she crashed into the wall, and oddly enough, she could detect the smell of ozone. The tiny hairs on her body suddenly stood on end. There was a ringing in her ears, maybe something akin to a warning, because in that moment, lightning crashed through the roof right into her. Percy managed to skitter to the side, but she was still close enough to feel the prickle run across her skin.

She couldn't breathe for a moment.

Her limbs felt too numb to move.

"Percy!" She heard her mother cry, and when she turned around, she found her at her side. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way – directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"

She nodded, still feeling numb, but the beeping in her ears was already subsiding. Percy knew exactly where the lightning had come from, she knew there was only one deity who had control over that deadly, sudden flash. Their knives were lying across the room, and there was no possibility of getting them. An idea was forming in her head, forming rapidly, and before her mother could say anything, Percy had already gotten to her feet and was running toward the Minotaur. He released a deafening roar as she managed to kick him in his torso, making him stumble back a few steps.

C'mon, Zeus, come on, she thought desperately, hoping her stupid, stupid plan would work. I know you want to do it. Show me some lightning.

She had to trust her instincts. She just had to.

And then, the hairs on her body stood again. The ringing returned to her ears, a cold, anxious chill rolled down her spine. Just seconds before it happened, Percy jumped to the side, just like her mother had told her to do. The Minotaur was momentarily confused by her movement, snapping forward to where she'd been standing, and that was his mistake. Lightning struck through the ceiling, straight into the huge form of the monster. Percy found herself hurled back by the pressure and sheer force of the lightning, landing flat on her back next to her mom. It hurt like a bitch, knocking the breath out of her lungs.

The Minotaur roared in pain and agony as he burned and smoked and sizzled before exploding into a cloud of monster dust.

Outside, the storm subsided.

Silence settled in, deafening and deadly.

"Sweetie, remind me to ground you when you're home again," Sally said with a little hysteria clinging to her voice. "That was the stupidest, most dangerous thing you could have ever done!"

Percy chuckled tiredly, "Yeah, but it worked."

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"I only have to stay there for the summer, right?" Percy asked hesitantly. "I can come back to you when school will start again."

After their fight with the Minotaur, they had left their cabin in a hurry, taking all their things and loading them into the car. Her mother had driven them straight to where that Camp Half-Blood, so its name, was, explaining her everything on their way. It was getting too dangerous for Percy, being in the mortal world, let alone being there without having any training. She didn't like that she had to go there, to be honest, but she saw where her mom was coming from. The fight with the Minotaur had been the last straw, though Percy didn't understand what kind of problem her uncle had, attacking them with fucking lightning like that.

"Of course, sweetie," Sally replied and pulled her into a tight hug. "Call me if you can, okay? They've got to have a phone there."

"Okay," Percy agreed quietly, and in the next minute, "I still don't want to go."

They were standing on the hill bordering the camp, and dawn had already broken in. The grass was wet and slippery from the rain, but it was glowing a healthy green, and everything looked like it had been washed clean. The approaching rays of the sun felt gentle and comforting, but it didn't help Percy to feel better in the slightest. She was still dressed in her pajamas and a denim jacket, but thankfully, she had her bag filled with her clothes and toiletries. Her hair was a mess, she just knew that, and her face felt tired and raw.

Sally smiled, a watery smile, her eyes shining with love and unshed tears. She caressed Percy's cheeks fondly. "You know, sweetie, sometimes you just have to do what needs to be done. Even if other people disagree."

She had no idea how much that sentence would come to haunt her in her later years.

"Are you ready?"

Percy shook her head. "No … but I will be."

One last tight hug, and then, they parted ways. Percy turned around and looked at the huge tree marking the border of Half-Blood Hill. When she set to move, a mystical, sudden wind rose in the air, blowing through her long, dark hair. She cast a glance over her shoulder, seeing her mother standing there, her hands clasped to her chest, a sad and melancholic smile lingering on her face. Percy smiled at her before walking further.

When she finally crossed the barrier, she felt like, in that moment, she'd sealed her own fate.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And that's it! We're entering Camp Half-Blood now!

To tell you the truth, I'm not really satisfied with this chapter. I don't know why, it was just hard to write, and I rewrote it so many times that, eventually, I was just like fuck it, if I'm gonna continue rewriting, I'll just make it worse. But I hope you guys will at least like it! :) I included a lot of things in this chapter – Gabe, Percy's talk with her mom, the fight with the Minotaur, and Percy going to the camp. I also included something that foreshadows a certain darkness Percy's had in her all along – her intense hate of Gabe, which is unhealthy for a girl her age. I wanted to show with it that there's always been something inside her that will continue to make her character grow darker as the story progresses.

Also, an important information for you guys: I've decided to set an update rhythm. So, you can anticipate a new chapter once a week, on every Wednesday. I've got The Lightning Thief completely planned out, and I altered its timeline, so it's gonna be a massive Canon Divergent.

About the pairing: First of, a huge thank to everyone who left a vote! As you can see below, Apollo's had by far the most votes. Now, now, before any of you go on a sulking road, I can guarantee you that it's not going to be easy for Percy and Apollo to get together at last. Their relationship won't be sunshine and rainbows at all. Apollo's going to be one of the darkest characters I'll introduce in this series, if not the darkest. Prepare yourself for an obsessive, possessive, and jealous Sun God. Their relationship is going to be one of the most complicated and twisted ones Percy will generally have with any of the characters.

So, yeah, it's official now. The end pairing will be Fem!Percy/Apollo.

Thank you so, so much for all your reviews! I'm blown away by the response!

Nightsky1290: Hey, thanks for reviewing! It's definitely going to be Dark!Apollo, who has a humorous side that will be more dark and twisted than actually light-heartedly funny.

OriontheGreat: Thank you! Your reviews are awesome, seriously! :) And yeah, I have to give you another thanks, because you totally got me on an idea when you mentioned Percy using guns, lol.

dreamwalkerlisa: Oh, thanks so much, that's really sweet! I'm so happy you like my approach to a new Percy! :)

Dark Serpent Cat: True! I think I might include something on that, though I doubt it'll be in The Lightning Thief part. As for villains developing obsessive lust – I'm not against it! In fact, you've got me to develop an idea, and that's one of the reasons why I love getting reviews from you guys! You all are, like, my muses, haha.

babasosis: Thanks for reviewing! Well, there's some Fem!Percy stories I can definitely suggest you to read: Daughter of Broken Vows, by Just A Drop In The Ocean (She has several other Fem!Percy stories, so you can check them out, too). Then, there's The Light Before We Land, by Felicity Dream. It's probably THE Fem!Percy story in this fandom, haha. One of my personal favorites is also Uphill and Against the Wind, by , but sadly, this fic hasn't been updated in years. I might actually send you a list of some good stories later by PM. And to answer your question – yes, Annabeth is older, too. Everyone who was the same age like Percy or born later (like Jason, Piper, Leo, etc.) were aged by two years. So that means that Bianca and Nico will stay the ages they originally are, as they both were born before Percy.

Guest: Yes, yes, I totally agree with you! I've only read The Hidden Oracle so far, and it was enough for me, believe me. I'm not planning on reading the next books. The way Apollo was portrayed there was just so cringe-worthy, I couldn't take him serious at all. You'd expect an ancient deity to be … well, more mature and smarter, but nooo. Honestly, if Riordan wants to write more on the PJ-Verse, he shouldn't take a god, because writing from the perspective of a Greek God in a kid-friendly way is just … nearly impossible, especially with a Greek god like Apollo. I also mostly agree with you on the Percy part – I do like him, but sometimes, I just wanted to slap my hand against my forehead. It's not really his character that made me react that way, it was more the way how he quickly got over anything. Like, for example, when he was in Tartarus with Annabeth. You'd think a person would grow darker at his core after literally going through hell, but sadly, not so in the House of Hades. The character development was really the biggest issue I had.

PAIRING VOTES

Percy x Apollo (32x)

Percy x Clarisse (14x)

Percy x Thalia (20x)

Percy x Piper (2x)

Percy x Luke (3x)

Percy x Bianca x Zoë

Percy x Hermes (3x)

Percy x Zeus

Percy x Nico (7x)

Percy x Jason (6x)

Percy x Katie

Percy x Malcolm

Percy x Connor

THE VOTE IS CLOSED NOW!