Closing his eyes, Percy inhaled slowly, deeply, and the tide lapped past his ankles in a foamy rush of chilling water. He paused for a moment then, holding in the breath and drinking in the energy, letting it soothe the buzz beneath his skin into a dim tingle. A moment of calm passed, his mind clearing, and he finally released the breath, the water receding as he succeeded the tide's control back to the ocean's natural rhythm.

Chiron and Reyna had been in the Big House for over an hour and while Percy knew he would have been welcomed into the meeting both as a camp counselor and leader, he embraced the remaining three hours before classes started as a well needed breather. Besides, there wound't be anything said between the two that Percy hadn't heard three times over, and on the off chance there was, he would find out later during the announcements at the pavilion.

And so, Percy found himself wandering after he left the porch of the Big House.

Frank had not joined the roman's excursion and instead remained back at Camp Jupiter as the only other Praetor to watch over things. To his disappointment, Percy could not find Hazel among the ranks either and as an alternative to going back to his nightmares, he continued walking, no real destination in mind. Figures a son of Poseidon would end up at the beach.

He inhaled again, the ocean swelling to mimic his movements, paused as the water refreshed him, then exhaled. It was a calming repetition, a natural cleansing motion that was refreshing, something akin to meditation.

Breathe in.

The water swirled around his feet.

Breathe out.

The swell withdrew back to the ocean.

Pull.

A wave of smooth energy relaxed him.

Push-

"Percy!"

His eyes flash opened as his concentration broke, the ocean rushing back as if repelled, his head whipping around in disbelief.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare stood no farther than ten feet away from him, arms waving madly and red hair flying in the wind like a flame. Her clothes were strange - generic white tank top and pants - but her voice was even stranger. It was almost like she was talking through a phone with bad reception, only every other chopped word coming through, even though Percy could clearly tell by her body language that she was yelling.

"Rachel? What's going on?" He started towards her and if anything she seemed to get even angrier, huffing in exasperation.

"Go- My- You need- Importa- Dang-"

She was pointing, jabbing her her finger furiously into the air at the forest.

"You want me to go into the forest?"

Rachel slapped her hand to her forehead. "Idiot."

Percy ignored the jab. "I thought you were in the Bahamas."

"I-"

"Percy."

He turned again at the familiar voice. Annabeth stood at the border of the sand and grass, wrapped in one of his jackets. Percy glanced back at the redhead, but to his surprise she gone. It was as if she were never even there, not even a footprint in the sand to mark her existence.

Confusion plucked at his head, and he rubbed his eyes roughly - Still gone.

"Annabeth, did you or did you not see Rachel standing there?"

"Rachel? You do realize that she's on a cruise right?"

A slight coldness broke in his stomach. "So you didn't see…"

Percy trailed off as he took farther notice of Annabeth's appearance. She was pale, face gaunt and eyes hollow, her arms rapped around her torso as if she was holding herself together. He recognized the stance immediately - She had a nightmare.

It took him two seconds to stride over to her and pull her into his arms, tucking her head beneath his chin. She shuddered once and he pressed his hand to the nape of her neck.

"Hey." He spoke softly, soothingly. "It's okay."

"I know… it just felt real and when I woke up you weren't there and I-"

"I'm sorry, I should have told you where I was going." Guilt hung heavy over him, and almost as if Annabeth could sense it, she pulled back a bit, placing a hand on his cheek.

"It's fine, Percy."

Her eyes met his and he found himself thinking back to the aftermath of the war. The nightmares had been a constant then, and they weren't able to close their eyes without being back in that place. It had taken months for the onslaught of dreams to lessen, and even then the intensity never wavered. And as easy as it was to stay in the comfort that was each other, life had other ideas.

They needed to go back to school unless accepting expulsion, and while they had originally planned to go to Goode High with each other, Annabeth wanted to see her family. Percy couldn't find it in himself to blame her - he desperately missed his mother as well.

The first month apart had been the hardest, but with the help of Iris Messaging, as little as it was, and frequent visiting, the nightmares became somewhat tolerable for lack of choice and better word. The rate of dreams lessened slightly over the following months, and why he would like to say it was becoming easier, it wasn't.

They coped though, finding other outlets than each other - Annabeth threw herself into her schooling and the redesigning of olympus while Percy purchased a punching bag. Just when things were turning to some semblance of normalcy did it start to happen… the perceptiveness.

Percy forced a smile to his face. "Sit with me?"

Annabeth mustered up a grin. "Of course."

They drifted back towards the ocean, nearing the crest of the tide and sitting in the sand where the water could rise to meet them, barely grazing their toes before receding. She threaded her fingers through his, leaning against his chest as the breeze blew salt into their faces.

It was a nice feeling - comfortable, the kind that made your muscles loose and worries forgotten.

Annbeth picked up a small shell with her free hand, contemplating it, before tossing it out to the sea. "I think I'm going to stay here… you know, when the Mist is completely down."

Percy arched a brow. "Like at Camp Half-Blood?"

"No," She shook her head. "In New York. I don't want any of this to be easily connected to my family."

"Do you really think mortals will react that badly?"

Annabeth focused on the horizon, searching for the right words. "Mankind has had a long history of reacting badly to change… to difference. Less then sixty years ago, people of different races couldn't drink from the same fountain. Today, people of different sexualities can be legally denied basic rights. And while it would be nice and dandy for us to be welcomed with open arms, the odds aren't in our favor."

Percy remembered back to what Clarisse said during the counselor meeting- about how many regions the Greek gods coming to light would negate - and he suddenly had a deeper understanding of what she was saying.

Percy turned to Annabeth and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, letting his fingers trail softly over the angle of her cheek before coming rest on her pulse point. "But do you think they will accept us?"

She reached up with her own hand then, pressing his palm more surely against her skin. Her eyes almost had a wry look behind them. "Do you?"

He didn't have to answer.

Friday was the pinnacle of events for Camp Half-Blood. The entire place seemed to buzz with a quick tempo of nervous energy, the bonfire a soft yellow that trembled like static. Not only was tonight capture the flag, but the Maya organization was returning this afternoon, to explain the process of integrating half-bloods into mortal society and the expected due date of complete Mist disintegration.

The conch horn signaling lunch blew in the distance and Percy, capping riptide and murmuring a quick goodbye to Piper, made his way over to the Arts and Crafts center, where Annabeth would no doubt be finishing up her class there.

He met her outside the door, pecking her quickly on her cheek as he draped an arm around her shoulder. Her own hand went to the small of his back - it was no longer sensitive as it once was but the motion still brought an involuntary shiver up his spine. She didn't bother hiding her smirk as they made their way to the dining pavilion.

It was crowded to say the least. The rebuilding project after the great prophecy had to be put on hold as the threat of a new war loomed over them, and with fifty or so romans added to the bunch, it didn't exactly leave much for breathing room.

But if there was ever a perk to being the solitary demigod son of poseidon, it was the table he had to himself.

Jabbing his way past a couple of Hermes's kids, Percy tugged Annabeth to the bench of his table just as Chiron clomped his hoof to grab everyone's attention, the cacophony of voices dwindling to silence.

"Demigods, before lunch commences there are important matters that need to be discussed." Chiron's voice reverberated loudly across the pavilion. "It is no secret that the Mist is failing - a fact that is unavoidable and unchangeable. Mortals will become exposed to our world and to all the occupants it houses."

Murmurs started to rise, but he held up his hand, quelling the words before they could grow.

"This has been a stressing time for everyone but we are not alone in this." Chiron beckoned forward and Percy recognized the blond man coming to the podium as Theo. "This is Theo Rucker, and he will be helping us, all of us, for the duration and aftermath of the mixing of the mortal and immortal worlds."

Theo took Chiron's place at the podium, clearing his throat before speaking in a clear voice. "In five days, the Mist will be no more."

Percy's gripped the edge of his seat, knuckles stretching starkly against his skin. Whispers were breaking out around him, and couldn't help bet share a worried glance with the girl beside him, his quiet sentiments matching her own.

Theo started once more. "I'm not if any of you have heard of the Maya Organization…"

Percy tuned out of the speech, having heard the similar rendition of the Maya Organization from Dr. Jossa. Instead he focused on Annabeth, murmuring quietly to her. "Did you know about them?"

She nodded softly, whispering back. "Chiron had told be me about them, long before you even came to camp."

That didn't surprise Percy - Annabeth had always had a close relationship with Chiron. The centaur had stood as her father figure for many years while she was young and those bonds never wavered as she grew and reconciled with her real dad. Instead they only seemed to strengthen overtime.

Percy directed his eyes back to Theo, and for the barest of seconds there seemed to be a pop of red flashing behind his shoulder, gone as soon as it came. Percy's brow furrowed, but the conversation soon pulled his attention away from the anomaly before he could investigate any farther.

"This week, I will be meeting for several interviews on popular News Station and Television programs. I'm going to try to explain this world… our world to the best of my ability. Let it be clear, there will be no records open to the public of who and who is not of godly heritage. The only way a mortal will ever find out you are half god is if you tell them."

The words sent a soft flow of relief over Percy, and he found himself releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding. It wasn't much, but a sense of anonymity was a great defense to be left at their disposal and much better then the alternative.

"Building on that." Theo continued. "The camp locations will not be disclosed and as far as the public eye knows, these camps do not even exist."

Armor and a safe house. Percy couldn't help but grin at the thought.

"If you have anymore questions, you can come and meet with me after the meeting concludes. I will also be leaving Maya Organization pamphlets at the Big House - Inside there is a phone number for headquarters, a hotline if you need hep, an address for a division of Maya found in New York, and addresses for all the safe houses in the state of New York. Reyna?"

Theo motioned to the podium and Reyna strode up to the stand, her chin held high and voice strong. "Camp Jupiter is offering housing for all mortal families of demigods in need of protection. If anyone needs the help, there will always be room available."

Her head bowed on her final statement, and Reyna returned to her seat next to Theo, Chiron coming back into focus. The centaur held his hand up and stomped his hoof once more - the motion signifying the end of the meeting. "Keep your heads high, heroes. We must be strong during the time to come."

With that, he gestured with an open palm to the stone steps and wood nymphs came to view, streaming into the pavilion presenting platters with heaps steaming food. "And now, we eat."

Percy's own plate was filled to the brim with an assortment of meats and fruits, but it remained untouched throughout the course of the meal, a certain queasiness already filling this stomach. The camp had regained some of it's spunk, but the usual lively chattered was weighed with stony glances and worried whispers.

Five days.

He tried to wrap his mind around the idea, but the notion was already being forgotten as his hands started to tremble with that certain anxiety, that certain energy, and he couldn't help but think it was getting worse.

Usually he could get through a couple of days, maybe even a week if he were lucky, before the perceptiveness would happen. Now he was lucky to get a few hours in between.

The tingling spread well past his elbows and he sucked in a deep breath, forcing his mind to not notice how the waves crashed against the shore or how the creek was constantly moving miles away in the woods. How the leaves and grass swayed in the lulling breeze or how the trees thrummed with lively energy. How the ring of his sensitivity was slowly spreading, reaching farther and farther out, or how it was being filled in quicker than ever before.

The center of absence was shrinking, pressing closer, suffocating him. It was already reaching the edge of the pavilion, the sound, the feel of-

"Stop."

Percy slammed his hands to the table, his growl of frustration ripping softly from his lips as drinks sloshed heavily within their cups.

The new sense of stinging pain in his palms overpowered the energy, his mind dominated by a sense of anger, and the sensitivity drained from him like a pull plugged, the perceptiveness shrinking back like shadows from a flame.

Annabeth eyes burned into the side of his face and, luckily or unluckily, no else seemed to notice the display.

He wiped sweat roughly from his brow, not bothering glancing at her prompting expression. "What?"

She arched an eyebrow. "The table moved four inches."

He swallowed thickly. "Is that so?"

She made a humming sound of disapproval in the back of her throat, and he could tell by the way her back stiffened that this conversation wasn't over. Percy knew that capture the flag wouldn't come soon enough.

Zues, Athena, Ares, Apollo, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus, along with the children of minor gods and goddesses were red team, while Poseidon, Hades, Hermes, Demeter, and Dionysus, played blue. The romans were divided evenly to either side.

They make a point of trying to separate Children of the big three since they're so powerful and overtip the scale when they all end up on one side. When there is an uneven amount of them, on nights such as these, whichever team gets only one kid ends up with the stronger of cabins.

Percy ended up stationed at the creek, right along the boundary line.

Surprise, surprise.

It was quiet, and the night had eaten away the dying brightness of day quickly, only the single torch bolted to the tree left to illuminate his surroundings.

The blue team strategy was fairly simple - station demigods and traps all along the boundary line, coercing anyone who had the flag to have to cross the creek, and subsequently Percy. Everyone else was scouting for the flag, and quickly too, because any team that had Jason was tough to beat since the guy could literally fly over their heads and back in no time at all.

But Nico was a formidable foe as well since he could pop anywhere and back instantaneously, especially efficient on dark nights like these. The only problem for the son of Hades was actually finding the flag.

"Boo."

Percy twisted to his left, stalking forward, blade raised - only to come to stop as he recognized the figure as Nico leaning against a tree.

"Oh." Percy relaxed his stance, noticing the son of hades's empty hands. "No flag?"

Nico shook his head, a somewhat affectionate smile crossing his face. "Reyna's got it, she's battling it out right now back at the red team's base."

Reyna and Nico had the strangest friendship Percy had seen - a sibling like bond that he could only assume had formed over the time they spent transporting the statue of Athena together.

"Shouldn't you be helping her out?"

"Reyna?" Nico raised a brow. "You know she's got it. In fact, I'd think that she'd fight me if I tried to helped her."
They both cracked a grin.

"Besides, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Percy scraped the dirt off the edge of his sword on his sandal. "Sure, what's up?"

"I saw you, you know, today at lunch."

"Um, yeah? I saw you too… we eat lunch at the same time."

"No." Nico slapped a hand to his forehead, sighing. "No, I mean you looked like you were going to be sick."

Percy's stomach clenched but his face remained neutral as he forced a grin to his face. "Oh yeah, I wasn't feeling well."

Nico didn't look too impressed. "And last week? When you froze that water?"

"What about it?"

Nico sighed again, tiredly, as if he was struggling with the best way of breaching the subject then spoke timidly, carefully, as if approaching a startled animal. "Percy… listen. I think I know what's going on… and I know it has something to do with Tartar-"

Reyna burst through the clearing, nearly fifty feet from the two of them, flag in hand and dashing madly for the creek. Only seconds later did the crowd of red helmeted demigods run out behind her.

The blue team trickled from the surrounding trees like swarming ants from a stepped on hill, ready to attack and defend. The two teams converged in the middle, and Reyna was lost almost immediately in the midst of battling demigods.

Percy fixed his stance, facing the oncoming battle and dodging the fart arrow lodged his way, Anaklusmos raised.

"Don't think this is over." Nico warned as he disappeared in an a cloud of inky tendrils, only to reappear just moments after in the middle of the battle, whirling his blade like a demon. Percy kept his eyes peeled, searching for Reyna in the screaming mass of weapons, curses, and demigods, but she remained unseen.

"Percy."

The voice was impossible to miss, sweet and syrupy like a song of a siren. He stumbled in the water of creek, coherent thought and will crumbling as he turned to meet the speaker.

Piper stood at the far edge of the creek opposite of the fight, her hands held up in surrender.

"You don't want to fight Percy. In fact you are so tired. Very, very tired."

Percy's sword splashed in the water. She was right - his eyes were drooping, his arms felt like lead. In fact, it was amazing how he was even standing under the weight of his exhaustion.

"That's right." She spoke so softly, so quietly, and despite the battle no less then twenty feet away from him, it was all he could hear. "You just want to sleep."

Percy nodded lazily in agreement, sinking to his knees. Just as he was about to lay down did something catch his eye - a figure weaving impossibly fast though trees, their feet not even touching the ground… almost as if it were flying.

His eyes shot open.

Flying. Jason. Capture the Flag.

Just as the son of Jupiter was about to pass the boundary, flag in hand, and grin triumph did Percy let out a defiant yell, his hands swinging forward in a harsh shove and the creek erupted.

A jet of water blasted Jason out of the air and into the nearest tree, pinning him to the trunk. Strangely, the water lightened in color, forming intricate swirls of whites and light blues, a cracking sound echoing the movement and only a moment too late did Percy realize what had happened… what he had done.

"You froze me?" Jason sounded like he couldn't decide if he was angry, shocked, or in awe over the fact. "Dude, you froze me to a tree! A tree!"

"Huh." Percy cocked his head to mimic Jason's upside down position.

"You froze him." Piper breathed.

"He froze me!"

"I froze him." Percy agreed, a bit appalled himself.

"Would you pay attention!" Percy turned just in time to see Reyna dashing towards the creek, scuffed up and a cut on her cheek, yet still finding time to roll her eyes at the three of them. Glancing slightly above her shoulder he recognized Annabeth, dagger drawn and hot at her heels.

Then it happened.

A young girl from the sidelines with a blue plumed helmet two sizes too big launched a small, shiny, black ball into the air. It arched over the groups, glinting keenly in the torch light, before exploding at Annabeth's feet. The daughter of Athena came to a grinding halt as a misty cloud of darkness surrounded her ankles, inky tendrils of shadows curling around her calves and snaking up her body.

Reyna splashed into the creek, running the last couple of feet before leaping onto their territory, pumping the flag triumphantly in the air as the blue team erupted into cheers and hollers.

"I can't see!"

And Percy was back in Tartarus, his skin boiling and heart in his ears, surrounded by plumes of green fire, sickly sweet poison, and a cackling goddess. Annabeth scratched desperately at her eyes, the tendrils of black mist bleeding into them.

"I can't see!"

He's choking, the poison is drowning him, and she's screaming-

"What have you done!?"

Percy had the girl by the arm, the creek is trembling dangerously, violently, and he's shaking her-

No, the ground was shaking and the girl was staring with him with wide eyes, lips parted, a look of fear forming-

"What did you do?!"

"I- I-"

Water erupted around him, thousands of gallons swirling, pulsing, forming into a funnel far above them.

"It- It's magic- Temporary- It just blinds you're opponent for a few s-seconds." Tears were beading along the little girl's lower lashes, but he's too far gone to care. Fury was boiling in his veins and he wanted the Goddess of Misery to feel his misery but then he realized that someone was pulling on his arm, tugging, calling his name desperately.

"Percy! Percy! I'm fine! We're not there!"

And then she's there. Annabeth. She had a cut across her forehead and her hair was a tangled mess of gold but most importantly her eyes are clear. Clear and seeing.

"Annabeth." He said her name softly, and then, slowly, it came back to him.

They were at Camp Half-Blood.

He was at Camp Half-Blood.

They were safe.

She was safe.

The water splashed back into the creek.

He dropped the girl's hand, and she scrambled away, visibly shaken, and all he wanted to do was throw up, his heart throbbing in his ears. His breath was coming in through shorts gasps, his chest clenching, burning.

"I-I'm sorry." He breathed, pressing his palms to his eyes. "I'm sorry."

The expressions he received were varying. Some were filled with sadness, some pitying, some understanding, but the majority were frighteningly easy to identify - fear.

And then he caught Nico di Angelo's gaze. It was not a mix of any - no fear, no pity. No. It was one of understanding. One of someone who knew the truth.

Author's note: Well, with summer vacation here I can finally continue this story. If you haven't realized, this story is going to deal a lot with the affects of tartarus on both Annabeth and Percy. Don't be afraid to tell me if I need to tone it down a bit, lord knows I'm so overdoing this. R & R.