Author's note: Has it really been almost a month since I updated? Wow time flies!

Okay, so I've gotten a few reviews that I feel like I should respond to:

Sayonara Yasashii Akumu: Your reviews always make me smile when I read them. To your second review (which I'm fairly certain you made in response to my AN back in chapter 30, I'll go back and edit that name once I'm finished with this part of Serena's story, and yes, that means I'm already planning a damn sequel, lol. And yeah, I know that she seems to have a legend status and I'm kinda not happy about that. However, with the things I'm gonna throw her into, I think that'll get washed away, but for now we'll see a bit more of what she can and cannot do, but the drawbacks to what she can do will be seen later.

Much later.

Rose: I'm sure you're not the only one that's confused, but that part of Serena's family tree will be answer towards the end of the story, so if you can, hang on until then! ^.^

AACM25: I'll respond to both your review here and I don't mean to sound snobby or condescending: One, competition is not the same as being matched, it merely implies that there are multiple people striving for the exact same goal or position. Two, actually the events you're speaking of take place after book 3/Percy's third summer at Camp. It's easy to get events in the timeline mixed up and I'm always afraid that I have, but because you meant this as constructive criticism, I'm going to thank you anyway.

Guest: By far my favorite review. I laughed when I read your review and shared it with my friend, ivorycrawler. After I read your review the first time, Fury's expression came to mind and I laughed again from it. It's my goal in this story to try and humanize the characters as much as possible because it seems to me that a lot of fans see all the characters one way or the other based on how they're portrayed in canon and, hopefully, I'm doing a decent job of it.

Once again, if anyone sees any mistakes or errors that they either wish clarification on or to simply bring to my attention so that I can doubt check my meaning and notes, please tell me. There are times when I get my words mixed up or use the wrong word by accident

Disclaimer: If you can google it and find at least 20 pages of it, or recognize it, then quite obviously, I do not own it.

Bitter Coffee Chapter Thirty-seven

Truth be told, Percy didn't know what to expect. This would be his first time even seeing Mysterious Serena, and he… well, he had an image of her built up in his head.

From the stories he had been told by Hera, annabeth, clarisse, and a few people from Apollo's Cabin, Percy knew that serena was someone that could turn the tides. Even though he had Achillies' Cures, they still had to fight against an army of monsters, former friends, Titans, and Kronos himself.

Against a camp that seemed like it only had a little over a hundred people, the odds didn't look promising.

He looked up from where he was sitting when he heard footsteps. Annabeth elbowed him harshly in the ribs. "Listen. Whatever happens, don't insult her. Remember Hera's warning."

Percy winced at the reminder. "Yeah, I remember. She's more griffon than human, and stormwing is more human than griffon." It made Percy wonder if the same could be said for him and Groover a few years down the road.

Still though, it had taken Annabeth's careful explaining to get Stormwing to calm down from Percy's accidental insult. And if that was what a tame griffon was like…

"Hello Annabeth. Been awhile, hasn't it." Percy jumped and spun in his chair, getting his first look at Mysterious Serena.

One look and he had the feeling he knew why the Ares Cabin liked her so much. Loose red hair made her look wild and fierce. High cheek bones and the way she held herself made him think of a general. The sword on her hip, Celestial Bronze by the look of it, helped that image.

Most importantly, her blue eyes were dark with annoyance, but Percy could tell that there was power and strength there.

"Serena. You're looking well." Percy looked over at Annabeth, and she was trying to sound casual, but Percy could see the pulse in her neck. She's nervous. Percy looked back at serena. Was she really that good? That powerful?

"What the hell is this?" Percy looked past Serena and saw a group of people walking into the room. "How the hell did you get on my Helicarrier?" One person behind the man that just spoke - the speaker was dark skinned with an eye patch. Was he trying to be a pirate? - had the same aura of feel that Percy got whenever he met with one of the gods in disguise.

"That's Thor, little Half-Blood. Norse God of Thunder." The breath of the words tickled his ear and Percy yelped loudly, whirring around, hands scrambling for Riptide -

Behind him Serena was boredly looking over a pen before she uncapped it. "Nice." Riptide sprang into existence and Percy couldn't help but stare.

"Serena, please." Annabeth tried to reach out but jerked back a bit. "We're only here to talk."

"I gathered as much when Stormwing dropped you here." In a move that was as fluid as water over rocks, Serena slid into a seat at the table. "Everyone, the girl is Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena, budding architect." Annabeth flushed lightly in praise as eyes landed on her. "The boy is a demigod as well, but I don't recognize him."

Swallowing thickly - he hadn't felt this nervous before in a long time. It was actually kinda odd - Percy resumed his seat when eyes landed on him. "Percy Jackson, Son of - "

"Poseidon. So you're the one Luke kept talking about."

Percy wasn't the only one that looked at Serena. "You've spoken to him?" If they had been in contact, was all this for no reason then? Was she on Kronos' side?

"Not for a few months, almost a year now." A troubled look settled on her face. "Which is unusual for us. We make a point of at least speaking once a month."

"Then you don't know about Kronos."

"Who?" The others had taken seats at the table, all except the pirate guy.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Fury, for the record, this is about another matter." She looked over at the man in a concert shirt. "Tony, stay out of this. This is… personal." Those blue eyes landed on Percy again. If it weren't for the eyes, he wouldn't have thought she was a daughter of Apollo. "I'm more than aware of Kronos, Percy. We've chatted a few times when I was… fourteen? Definitely when I was fifteen, but not after."

Percy couldn't help but stare at her. He had been told about the closeness between Luke and her, about the similarities between the two in their lives, but to see that their lives had practically parallelled? Another thought hit him, and even as he thought it, he couldn't stop the feeling of dread that pooled inside him. That meant…

"Serena, we need your help. The gods need your help." Annabeth started to explain. The dark chuckle from serena made her stop before she could get any further.

Capping Riptide, serena flicked it over the table and Percy caught it, glad to have his weapon back. "Not my problem. This war of yours had been in the making for centuries. Those bastards are getting their comeuppance." She leaned back in her seat, steepling her fingers in her lap. "You, of all people Annabeth, should have known my answer. Luke would have told you, seeing as to how it's the very reason why I left the camp."

"They have an army, Serena! Come on! Whatever it was Apollo did, you can't want him dead over it!"

It was the wrong thing for Annabeth to say, and before she had even finished saying it, Percy knew it.

Something dark and cruel passed over her face. Silent as a leopard, Serena got to her feet and Percy felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Annabeth paled and took a step back, also sensing the danger she had accidentally raised. Stalking around the table, one of serena's hands trailed over the table top. If that had been the end of that action, Percy's eyes wouldn't have been riveted to it.

The fingers seemed to turn into claws, and the tips were sharp enough to leave distinct scratches in the polished surface. It was only because Percy had an up close and personal view that he recognized the form serena's left hand had taken.

Did an empathy bond, eventually, turn a demigod into the same species as the one they shared a bond with?

"You know nothing of what Apollo did." Percy snapped his attention back to serena, saw that she was now circling Annabeth. "If you knew the details, knew what Luke knew, you wouldn't be here." A dark smile touched those lips. "Oh no Annabeth. I see you now. Unloved and unwanted by your family, you created a new one with your fellow demigods. The worst this though, is that no matter how hard you try, you'll always be left behind."

"Stop it." It was a weak plea and it was enough to bring Percy to his feet.

"Should I? Even you know is this the truth, Annabeth. First Thalia, then Luke, and then Thalia again." Serena was behind Annabeth now, bent down so that she was speaking into her ear. "Who's next? Who else will leave you for one reason or another? You can't keep them close and the more you try, the quicker they slip away."

"Stop it! Leave her alone!" Anger welled inside him as he glared at the older demigod. "You're no better than Kronos!"

Dark blue eyes slid towards him and Serena straightened. Slowly, she started towards him. Percy stood his ground, hand gripping the pen, ready to uncap it. It might not do anything against another demigod, or even a mortal, but it was still a weapon.

"I see you now, Percy Jackson. Your mother sacrificed much for the sake of protecting you." she started to circle him, and the one talon lightly, almost lovingly, scratched at the air in front of his face. "A child will always love the parent that raised them. But tell me, do you know the reason why you fight? Would you fight for them if you the length and breadth of their cruelty?"

"They're family. That's all I need to know." As far as he was concerned it was all that mattered. Percy couldn't help but twitch - it was not a flinch - when he heard that soft, hollow, breathless laugh. It sounded almost… broken.

"So are the Titans, but that's not the point here." Those eyes fixed on him again. "And if Poseidon demanded the death of your mother? Her death as proof of your faith, of your obedience and loyalty to the gods? Would you do it?"

"He wouldn't do that! He'd never ask that!" Anger was traded for horror.

"Wouldn't he, Percy? Wouldn't he demand it if you loved her more than him? If you had no friends at the camp? No further connection to him and his family?"

Percy swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly drier than a desert. History lessons on the Greek gods suddenly filled his mind. The gods weren't always nice, or so the stories had always said. "Not my mother. He loves her."

"Does he? Or was he only attracted to her? Tell me Percy, did he help your mother after she had you? After you joined camp?" Serena suddenly turned away from him and Percy had to look at the other people in the room. Why weren't they objecting?

"Would you do it, I wonder, if it was either kill her or have him kill you?" Percy's heart stopped and he looked at her. Serena was no looking over her griffon hand, as if it were a particularly interesting bug instead of her hand. "Still no, Percy? Then what if it was her death or the death of everyone else you came to care for? Your bonded, the ones you've started to call friends, or maybe… " serena turned so that she was looking at him and slowly, she pointed a talon at Annabeth. "Her."

"No." Horror swirled inside him. "If those were my options, I'd die first!"

"And if your life was the only thing that protected them from worse? From monsters? From mortals easily influenced by them? Or perhaps from being cursed, to be forever locked inside their own minds while their bodies committed atrocities that they would scream and weep over, forever denied death." Serena stepped backwards, towards Annabeth.

She grabbed Annabeth's chin and made her look at Percy. "Would you still rather die, if Poseidon told you 'her or your mother, or I'll have them kill each other' ?" Percy stared at them both. He wanted to look away, to vocally deny everything, and yet…

What if Poseidon did ask him those questions? Ask him to choose between which world to stay in? Worse yet, what if Poseidon and Janus demanded this from him?

Annabeth's eyes were screaming at him. "Or would you rather someone else made that choice for you?"

What?

Percy actually looked at the scene now. It was the human hand that had Annabeth's chin. The griffon hand was flexing, then it posed and started for Annabeth's throat.

The next thing Percy knew, Riptide was in his hand, he was shoving Annabeth down and Riptide sank into Serena's chest. He froze, staring at Riptide and then at Serena… who didn't seem surprised. Just… pleased.

Then she dissolved into golden dust and Percy stepped away. Was that going to be his fate too? Because of the empathy bond would he - ?

The sound of clapping drew his attention to the side and Percy froze. What in Hades' name? Perhaps he had actually cracked and gone insane because what he was seeing did not make sense.

There, in the chair as if she had never stalked them, was Serena. Both hands were human, and she looked pleased.

"Congratulations, Percy. You survived your only safe taste of Kronos' poison." Around them, everything started to dissolve into gold dust and the silent people were glaring at Serena, some of them loudly objecting to her actions while the others were trying to stay calm. Now Percy was really confused at what had happened.

"And how do you know what Kronos is like?" Annabeth it out as she got to her feet from where Percy had shoved her to the floor.

Serena watched them and everyone seemed to want to hear that answer. "Because, Luke was his second choice."

Horror didn't come close to what Percy felt at that revelation.