19: A Visit From Dear Old Dad

Cupid stopped flying when he reached the ocean.

He set them down on the beach. Percy was so happy to feel the sand again that he just laid down on his stomach and dug his fingers into it. He also inhaled a few grains of sand but he decided to just deal with it and not have to explain why he was choking on a few tiny grains. Gwen smiled at him, a smile that said she knew he was trying not to hack away. He scrunched his face at her but that just made him inhale more. Gwen covered her mouth while she laughed.

"I want to apologize for my actions, demigods." Cupid said, holding the other prisoner close to him.

"You smartened up in the end." Gwen answered, "Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

"How'd you know about their family?" Reyna asked while she lay on the sand, frail and hurt looking yet incredibly intimidating.

"He's a god." Grover said, "They know pretty much everything."

"Partially." Cupid said. "We peek and eavesdrop to know everything. And, yes, many gods took to knowing more about the Jackson family because of the powerful twins and the way they communicated with the gods."

"He probably means you," Gwen told Percy, "Because I always did my absolute best to come off as respectful."

"I tried." Percy shrugged, remembering something about a box to the gods and Medusa's head.

"And he fails." Grover sighed.

"Thanks for backing me up, man." Percy said sarcastically.

"No problem." Grover nodded then seemed to catch the sarcasm. He went red.

"But I knew more about the exchange than the other gods, save Hera herself."

"Exchange?" Reyna asked.

"You know," Gwen explained, "We get Percy, they get Jason? Exchange of leaders? Wait, how come you know more about it than most of the other gods?" Cupid didn't shift under Gwen's strong gaze. He simply looked right back at her.

"My wife, Psyche, and I love each other very much. Do you know the story about us?"

"Vaguely." Grover said.

"No." Percy smiled sheepishly when Gwen glanced at him.

"Well, the story pretty much is of how I fell in love with her and how she didn't know who I was. Then, when she found out, I ran away." that time he ducked his head under Gwen's accusing gaze, "Then she went searching for me. She had many journeys. One involving going to the Underworld. Good news is, Zeus agreed to make her my immortal wife, he didn't really have a choice when my mother went on like a love strike. But, when my wife went into the Underworld for a bit of Persephone's beauty, for one of the goddesses, Psyche doesn't need anymore beauty, Persephone but it in a box for her. When my wife got out of the Underworld, she decided that she should have some. But a sleep rose out of the box. I found her sleeping, wiped the sleep away, and put it back in the box."

"And this has something to do with the giants how?" Percy asked impatiently. Bob clicked his claws next to Percy's ear.

"Hera had asked me for a way to put someone to sleep. I gave her the box that Psyche had gotten from the Underworld. Actually, I didn't give it to her, she had me put it over a demigod who she'd traveled across the country then dropped on his head."

"Me?" Percy asked.

"Yes, Jackson, you. When Hera was freed from her prison, which I didn't know she was in, she forgot about the demigod. She remembered a month or two after her freedom but she wasn't sure how to wake you up. So she called on me. When I woke you up, I got a good look at you. I realized who you were. It was dark when I put the sleep over you, you see, so I didn't know. It wasn't hard then to figure out the switch. Then Porphyrion took my Psyche and tortured her until I told him something useful. So I told him about the switch. The gods damn me, I told him."

"That's why we couldn't wake Percy up. Not even in water." Gwen muttered, "I wondered that when he was officially claimed as a son of Neptune. But I just decided the water didn't have the same effect on concussions as broken bones and scratches."

"I ask you again, will you forgive me?" Cupid's wings drooped and he looked so pitiful and sincere.

For a moment, no one said anything, then they all nodded their heads in illusion. Bob pinched Percy on the nose and Gwen burst out laughing.

"Grover, you're hurt." Gwen said suddenly, all traces of laughter gone.

"Just a scratch." Grover said, turning red.

"But how did you get hurt?" Bianca asked, "The giant didn't attack us."

"I kind of stabbed myself. I fell on a really sharp stick when I was holding all the others. It's hard to balance all those sticks out and you should try walking with hooves for a day! It's no dream boat!"

"Percy, let me see your backpack." Gwen ordered, walking over to him and unzipping it. "There's hardly any ambrosia and nectar in here!" She glared at him as if he'd mistaken it for candy and eaten it.

"It's okay, Gwen," Grover said quickly, "I'm not half god so it would just turn me into a pile of ashes and Reyna needs it more."

Gwen nodded her head while she stood up and gave the ambrosia to Reyna. She then went and shifted through Percy's bag a little more.

"Why isn't there more?" she demanded.

"Maybe it was in your backpack." Bianca suggested.

"Oh, gods, you're right." Gwen sighed, stopping her rough search, and zipping up Percy's backpack.

"Good bye, demigods." Cupid said, holding his fragile wife close, "I wish you luck with this fight. And thank you for helping me get my wife back. Love will be on your side when the Final Battle comes."

He spread his wings and flew up and away.

"We need to get Reyna back to camp." Percy said, standing up and brushing the sand off his shirt. "She needs real attention and not just a quick pick-me-up."

Gwen nodded sharply in agreement.

"You take her and B by way of the sea. You'll get to First Legion since it borders the ocean." she ordered.

Percy started to nod his head then stopped.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what about you and Grover?"

"Grover needs to get back to his camp. In his condition, he needs help. I can fly him there and get myself back easily." Gwen's eyes were steel. Percy knew he wouldn't win.

"I don't like it." he said, crossing his arms, knowing it was a lost cause.

"Too bad. You have to deal with it. Reyna, B, try to be nice, Percy doesn't do cat fights or death and sun fights."

Percy had a feeling Gwen knew her words were unnecessary. Bianca was already helping Reyna up, Reyna's arm around Bianca's neck.

"Bob, you have some explaining to do, Mister." Gwen said suddenly. She picked him up, pulling him off Percy's hair.

"Ow! Hey! Bob! You took some of my hair!" Percy rubbed his head.

Bob clicked one pincher at him and waved the other, since it had a clawful of hair in it. Bob waved at Gwen then jumped off her hands like they were a diving board.

"Bob?" Gwen started. But the second Bob hit the ground, he changed. He shot up and thinned and changed color until there was a man standing where Bob had been.

The man was tall and deeply tanned. His hair was a wavy black and his beard was a little scruffy. He was dressed in crab swim trunks, a SpongeBob T-shirt, and flip-flops. His sea green eyes sparkled at Gwen's startled expression.

"Father." Gwen said, standing straighter.

"Dad!" Percy bounced to Gwen's side.

Poseidon gave a smile. A mixed smile. A smile that said "It's good to see you!" "I'm so proud of you." "I'm sorry." and "Are you mad at me?" all at once. He waited for their reaction. Which Percy personally felt was delayed.

"Why were you impersonating Bob the Crab?" Percy finally asked. Poseidon looked at him, eyes-a-twinkle, and laughed.

"Had to keep a close eye on my twins. Decided old Zeus," the sky gave a menacing rumble. Instinctively, every smart person took a step away from Poseidon. Which was everyone but Gwen and Percy. "was being ridiculous. I needed to get out for a bit and Gwen's never seen me as Poseidon before."

"Nor as a crab." Gwen spoke up. Poseidon laughed again.

"I'm glad I did. You both made me proud. Percy, son, you're getting more in touch with the power inside of you. Gwen, you're keeping everyone in line in your own special way."

"Thanks, Dad." Percy nodded, feeling embarrassed.

"Thank you, Father." Gwen said.

They might have stood there a little longer with their father, feeling awkward and trying to say something, if Grover hadn't put weight on his bad leg and whined a little. Percy turned around.

"Listen, Dad, thanks for all the help..." Percy started.

"But you must go." Poseidon nodded, "I understand. Help your friends. I will go with Gwen and Grover. I would just zap us there but I don't want to call anymore attention to me being here and not in Olympus. Gwen can drop me off at the Empire State Building when she flies Grover to Camp Half-Blood." he looked at Gwen and she nodded sharply in agreement. Poseidon held his hand out to Percy. Percy took it and shook it but there was something in his father's hand. He pulled back and saw the necklace Gwen had lost from Mrs. M. He slipped it silently into his pocket.

"See you later, Perc." Gwen waved to him, "One thing, though, Father." Gwen smiled sweetly when Poseidon raised his dark eyebrows. "We're stopping for lunch and you're buying enchiladas."

"ENCHILADAS!" Grover bellowed, looking half deranged.

"Someone's a little hungry." Bianca muttered quietly to Percy. He smiled. Gwen, Poseidon the Crab, and Grover flew off, disappearing into the clouds. He sighed then turned back to the sea.

"RAINBOW!" he called, wading into the water.

Gwen:

Enchiladas were good, Gwen had to admit. Even Poseidon seemed to enjoy himself. The best part was watching Grover enter into the Enchilada Contest and beat everyone though. A porky kid began to bawl about how much he'd practiced just to get beat by a scrawny boy in a Halloween costume. Grover didn't have any pants or shoes or a hat. All which were bad when you were a faun. In the summer. But Gwen really didn't care enough at the moment, Poseidon seemed to enjoy the whispers, and Grover's mind was just humming a song about enchiladas.

If you couldn't tell, Grover liked enchiladas.

When they got to the other side of the country, in New York, Gwen began to wonder if she really should have come with Grover. Did she really want to see the city that she should have lived in? Did she really want to see the camp she should have gone to? The friends she should have had? The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. Every mortal down in the streets, milling around, unaware that a Pegasus with a faun and a god were flying right over their heads, could have been Gwen's mother or step-father. Any one of them. Her parents could have been in Maine or they could be right below her. But she'd never know. Now now, at least.

Poseidon, the Greek father she'd never met, placed a hand on her neck. She relaxed a little, the sound of waves blocking out all her other fears and thoughts.

She landed next to the entrance of the Empire State Building. Poseidon slipped off her back. He patted her neck again and brushed her green mane out of her eyes. He smiled at her again then turned away to walk into the Empire State. Mortals were watching her a little worriedly.

They flew on until Grover began to shift around and look between her wing beats. Personally, Gwen preferred swimming to flying but it almost felt the same. If she imagined the sound of waves, the air flying around her wings felt almost like the cool comfort of waves and water.

"DOWN THERE!" Grover screamed.

Gwen dove.

The camp was in the middle of nowhere. It was in a bowl, surrounded by lush green grass that seemed to beckon to Gwen with open arms. The forest didn't look like it would inhale a demigod, chew them up, and spit the remains right back out. It looked dangerous but it had no chance of being as dangerous as the Roman forest. It required a planned attack and a full army to go monster killing. And only experts were allowed.

Gwen planted her feet firmly next to a large pine tree. The dragon wrapped around its base raised its head. Steam rolled out of its nostrils. A golden fleece sparkled in the branch above it.

Grover jumped off Gwen's back.

Gwen concentrated and changed.

Her whole body buzzed. She brushed her purple T-shirt a little even though she knew perfectly well that there was nothing on it.

"Can you get in okay?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, I feel...great?" Grover winced. He was a terrible liar.

Gwen looked past Grover and into the camp.

There was a strawberry field that made the air sweet and lovely. A large old house sat near it. The cabins were different. All unusual and special in their own ways. Gwen's breath caught. It was better than she'd dreamed. People in orange shirts began to notice them. Gwen stepped away from Camp Half-Blood's borders. People began to gather and point to the hill top.

"When you guys bring Jason, come see us again, okay?" Gwen smiled at Grover and gave him a gentle hug.

Grover stepped over the border.

"Why don't you stay with us, Gwen? You could go back to your camp when we all go over." Grover offered timidly.

There were more orange-shirted campers than ever watching them. Gwen knew they were eyeing her purple shirt. She could feel their eyes.

"I don't belong here, Grover." Gwen gave him a weak smile.

"You're Greek." Grover pointed out, his face confused.

"I'm neither and both." Gwen stepped over the border to give Grover another hug. "Bye."

She stepped away and changed. Gwen spread her wings wide. She glanced back down the hill. The home she should have had. The Greek campers were pointing up to her with surprise now. Some were beginning to run up the hill. Gwen took off into the clear blue sky. And didn't look back.

Percy:

Percy ended up carrying Reyna through the shallow waters when they finally got to First Legion's bay. Reyna had stuck it out when the salt water had hit her cuts. Now she had expended all the energy she possibly could. As they stepped into view of the camp, Percy sighed, feeling, strangely, at home. At least as at home he could get at the moment.

Then someone caught sight of them.

"IT'S PERCY!"

"REYNA! REYNA'S BACK!"

"SHE'S ALIVE!"

"Where's Gwen, Percy?"

"Bianca!"

It was a mad rush that left Percy's back a little sore from all the back slaps. Bianca ended up clinging to his arm as everyone shouted her name occasionally. People would ask where Gwen was then rush after Reyna who'd been seized by a couple of Mars campers without finding out the answer. A few Apollo campers were chasing after them, ready to put their healing skills to the test.

Percy ended up laughing.

20: Percy's Birthday is Crashed by a Happy Boat

Percy opened his eyes slowly.

He looked up to the green fabric that had been wrapped under the bunk above him. He sat up cautiously, way too experienced in the pain of hitting his head when he got up too fast. He eased out of bed and stretched slightly, taking in a deep breath of the salt water from the fountain. He was expecting Camp Half-Blood demigods any day now. He was excited and anxious and wanted to know how he should feel about everything.

He scratched his head then took a couple long strides to Gwen's bed across the cabin. He grabbed the pillow from the above bunk and silently brought it down. Gwen's green eyes opened suddenly. Percy jumped back, laughing.

"You little!" Gwen grabbed her pillow and hit him over the head. He was laughing too hard for no good reason to fight back. He tripped over the fountain and fell into the water. Gwen set her pillow down and shook her head. She stood up and pulled her hair back.

"Happy Birthday, klutz." she announced.

"Happy Birthday, sis." Percy replied, sloshing water her way.

After a prompt breakfast, Bianca met them outside. Bobby came shortly afterwards, grinning a grin that told Percy he'd devised another plan to defeat him. Bobby hadn't won in one of their sword duels yet. Something that highly angered and motivated the son of Mars.

Gwen pulled out her swords and Bianca unsheathed her knife. They had been practicing in the mornings together so that Bianca could become efficient in the way of the knife. She'd almost defeated Percy so he'd decided it was working.

Percy pulled out Riptide, deciding to challenge himself without Tyson's shield. Bobby's eyes glittered as he jerked free his own thick sword and tightened his grip on his shield. Percy had a feeling Bobby would ram it into his face the first chance he got.

Percy's sword connected with Bobby's. He heard Gwen and Bianca clashing. Just like every morning, Gwen knocked Bianca's legs out from under her. Then she began to bark orders and ways at all three of them. It would have been annoying if it wasn't so helpful. Gwen knew exactly what a person was doing wrong even when she was locked in her own mad duel.

Switch. Percy against Gwen, Bianca against Bobby. Percy pulled out his shield. Switch. Gwen against Bobby. Bianca against Percy. A continuous fight with no breaths, no breaks, no weakness.

Lunch sent them running.

After lunch, Bianca went off with her new friend Reyna to practice archery. Gwen had to go teach a few classes. Bobby went to arts and crafts. Dakota was color coding a map. Percy was left to the Physical Arena with Daisy Dukes.

True to her name, she wore a pair of short black Daisy Dukes. She was a short blonde girl with a bob hair cut and large blue eyes. She liked to wear platform gladiator shoes in battle and training. She hid behind a large pair of round glasses. But she was rosy cheeked and glad to talk to Percy and Gwen now that the camp seemed to accept that they'd saved Reyna's life and were in charge while Jason was on "vacation". Gwen had given up trying to explain that Jason was just fine and was probably enjoying freedom. The Romans were determined that he was a prisoner. Percy told them Jason would probably shoot lightning at them if he was ever imprisoned but the Romans just snickered at the thought and continued to imagine their leader strung to a wall.

The Romans had a bit of a dramatic nature to them.

"PER-cee! Tr-ii tooo keeep uuup!" Daisy sang as she danced in front of him. Daisy was agile. Percy was pretty light on his feet but nothing like her. She was ninety percent air, ten percent Daisy. Or so she liked to say.

Percy ducked as a stream of poison tipped darts narrowly missed his head. He danced over the river of lava, still hunched over. A giant paddle came of of nowhere and hit him in the butt. He flew out of the arena. Right at Daisy's feet. She brushed her hair behind her ears and bent over a little bit.

"Keep it up, Percy, you may die next time." she said cheerfully. She skipped off. Percy got to his feet slowly, rubbing every muscle that should have been sore but wasn't.

"Cuu-mon, PER-cee!" Daisy called again. Percy slouched after her. Daisy didn't wait for you to get accustomed to how fast the darts went or how hard the paddle hit. It was a learn-on-the-job thing with her. She was a good encourager but tough as nails. Daisy earned respect with her lipstick.

Don't ask.

Dinner finally was announced and Percy moved with sincere energy for the first time all day. He appeared by Gwen's side so when she turned around, she burst out laughing.

"I think you need a change of clothes before we go sneaking off."

So maybe he'd slightly fallen into the lava river.

"I think I look great." he glanced down. "Okay, yeah, I'll go change."

"Meet you at the campfire." Gwen waved at him.

He rushed back to the Neptune cabin. All his shirts were dirty. That was always his luck. He thought about stealing one of Gwen's but hers were always too tight. He opened his chest and saw the only shirt that would fit him: his orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt.

"Fine!" he muttered, pulling it on and grabbing a pair of tan shorts. He slipped Riptide into his pocket and grabbed Gwen's present then rushed out of the cabin.

"Thought you'd died." Bobby announced.

"You wish." Percy replied, plopping down next to him and Gwen.

"I do, actually."

"Play nice, Bobby." Daisy smiled.

"Percy, why'd you have to go and wear your Greek shirt for?" Dakota demanded, leaning back on his hands.

"You know you're jealous." Percy answered.

"Yee-ah, all four feet and ay-ght inchies of 'im." Lynn giggled.

"Four feet and eight and half inches inches, thank you very much." Dakota replied.

"Watch out," Percy laughed, "He's getting short with us."

"Getting?" Gwen smiled, "Too late."

"What is this?" Dakota demanded, "Dis the little guy day?"

"This is what happens when you pick on Jackson's shirt." Hazel put in, "Even if it does look like he just ran away from the circus."

"Oo, burn!" Bobby punched Percy in the shoulder.

"You know," Reyna said to Bobby, "if you gave up a portion of your big muscles for a little bit of brains, you might have a few intelligent comments once in a while."

"Oo, Reyna, you just said I had big muscles. I know I'm ripped. It comes with the job." he flexed. No one was impressed.

"Job?" Gwen asked.

"Of being an idiot." Bianca explained.

"I will squish you." Bobby threatened.

"Go ahead and try." Bianca sat back and motioned for him to come forward. Gwen burst out laughing.

"So, are we going to have a fight or a party?" she asked.

"What's the difference?" Bobby asked.

"Meathead." Hazel announced.

"Did I ask your opinion?"

"Can it, Bobby, no one cares." Reyna ordered.

Percy watched their bickering quietly. Jason's friends had gravitated to him. He wasn't sure if it was because he helped save Reyna. Or if they really liked him. Or if he was a temporary placeholder for Jason. Or a bit of all three. But they had all come to celebrate his seventeenth birthday so they must have liked him a little. Of course, Hazel still didn't like him and she'd made a cake. So maybe she'd poisoned it.

"Are we going to celebrate or what?" Daisy demanded, glaring at them.

"What is it?" Percy asked, "Party or die?"

"Oh, yeah!" Bobby put his hands in the air.

"We're doing this the traditional family way." Daisy ordered, "They're Greek."

"Obviously." Dakota nodded to Percy's shirt.

"Oh, don't start that again." Hazel groaned. "Let's just get this over with." She turned away and pulled out a cake. It was blue with frosting seaweed draped over it and 17 right in the middle in large orange numbers. "To match your clown costume." she said, pointing to his orange shirt.

"I thought you just said we weren't going to start that again." Reyna put her head in her hands.

"I said Dakota wasn't going to start that again. I didn't say anything about me." Hazel stuck two candles in the campfire and then put them on the cake. "Okay, let's do the singing thing."

"Happy Birthday to you!" Percy rocked back but kept a smile plastered on his face. They were so off tune it would have been funny had his eardrums not been splitting. "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday-" Daisy went really off-key at this part, "to the Twins! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUU!" Everyone clapped.

Percy's ears were ringing.

"Thanks, guys," Percy said, "That was...something else."

"I'LL CUT THE CAKE!" Bobby yelled, yanking out his sword.

Lynn jerked forward and moved the cake out of harm's way. "No," she said, "I'll cut the cake. It will still be recognized as food when I'm done."

Everyone laughed while she passed out the cake.

Percy wondered where Annabeth was and what she was thinking. Gwen moved a little and squeezed his hand. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Right now he would focus on what was happening in front of him. He would ponder Annabeth later. It was time to relax in First Legion, three words that didn't really go that well together. Relax and First Legion. Nope. Not compatible. Bobby stuffed a fistful of cake in Percy's face.

"Pay attention, Water Boy."

"That's what I do best." Percy grinned through the cake.

"Whatever." almost everyone said at once. Percy laughed, wiping off some frosting.

"Open my presents first." Bobby commanded, throwing two crudely wrapped brown gifts at them.

"Thanks, Bobby. I always wanted..." Percy ripped open his present, "A box of band-aids. You're too kind."

"Is this a bloody knife?" Gwen asked, holding the knife at arm's length.

"It's a bloody, rusty knife I stabbed Jason with once." Bobby explained proudly. Gwen's eyebrows went up. She glanced at Percy, And he kept it why? And he thought I'd want it why?

"Thanks, Bobby."

"Yeah, I know, you wouldn't believe I just grabbed some stuff I found in my cabin, would you?"

"Not at all." Percy lied.

Dakota got Percy a world map and Gwen colored markers. Lynn gave Percy a seashell she found once and Gwen a set of rubber bands. Reyna had found a laurel leaf for Percy and a piece of circular bronze scrap metal for Gwen. Hazel gave them both a single grape apiece. ("Try not to kill it.") From Bianca, Percy got a small fish skeleton preserved in sandstone and Gwen got a ring made of bone with a little diamond in the center. Daisy gave them a necklace she'd weaved out of flowers and grass that had a smiley face sticker on one of the flowers. ("I'm going green. Just practice.")

"My turn!" Gwen turned to Percy and held out a small box. He smiled at her and took it. Inside the box was a clay bead. It had a red heart on it with orange arrows going through it. At first glance, it looked like a crab. Percy paused to put it on his necklace.

"Thanks, Gwen. This is from Dad and me." he showed her the pouch he'd hidden her present in. She smiled at him. She poured the necklace out onto her hand. Her face looked at his sharply, mirroring surprise. He grinned at her. She looked at the necklace and touched the part he'd made. It had taken him a couple weeks to make it and make it look slightly how he wanted it to look.

It was a thumb-nail sized silver crab. One leg was longer than all the others but Percy had scratched into the center, in his sloppy handwriting, Dad. It wasn't very good. It could have been mistaken for a spider or a jellyfish or something. But Gwen slipped it around her neck and fit the clasp. Percy's handiwork shined on her purple shirt from the glow of the campfire.

"Thank you." she whispered.

"Well," Dakota said, looking back to where everyone else was having dinner like good little Romans, "People are going to start coming out here now that dinner's almost done. I would have us finish the cake but I think Bobby read my mind."

Bobby grinned at him, his mouth stuffed full of the rest of the cake.

Dakota tossed the cardboard plate into the fire.

"I wonder where Jason is." he mumbled.

"On his way here." Gwen replied, everyone looked at her, "The Greeks will come with Jason for Percy. They'll come to help us defeat Gaea and her forces."

"We don't need their help." Bobby said, licking a frosting covered finger. Gwen glared at him.

"We could use all the help we get. The Greek and the Romans together will fix this. We are brothers. We are family. We are one."

"Spoken like a true Greek." Hazel said. Gwen fell silent.

"When thay cum fer Percy," Lynn asked, "Will ya go with 'em, Gwen?"

Gwen hesitated then opened her mouth. But Percy didn't find out whether she said yes or no or skirted around the question, because Dakota suddenly jumped to his feet and yelled, "Do you hear that?"

Everyone was on their feet in an instant.

"It's coming from over there!" Reyna pointed to the hills. They held their breath as they waited. The sound of metallic wing beats grinding against their ears even though it was just a whisper.

"Should we alert Lupa?" Daisy whispered.

"Yeah, someone go get her." Percy ordered. Lynn broke away and went running, holding onto her straw hat. Flashes of bronze shone in the sky. Then they really saw it. It was a bronze boat. A bronze flying boat.

"There's orange on it!" Gwen yelled, "Archers, hold your bows. Steady!" Reyna and Bianca tightened their grip on their bows. Everyone else held their swords and knives tightly.

The boat was going down. It was going to land. Gwen began to run forward. Percy went after her, Bianca trailing.

"Stay back!" Gwen called to the others. Percy, Gwen, and Bianca stopped on the crest of the hill. The boat was coming down a little too hot and fast. Percy found himself capping Riptide. Gwen glanced at him but didn't put her swords away. Then the boat half-landed, half-crashed in the field of blue-green grass.

"Festus! Are you okay, buddy?" a voice called. Gwen cocked her head a little bit, a small smile pulling on her lips.

"Our birthday party was crashed by a happy boat."

The passengers to the happy boat jumped off. Percy held his breath when he saw the orange shirts. There were about six people. They turned around to look at Percy, Bianca, and Gwen. Percy was very aware of his orange shirt.

"Greeks." Bianca said in a low voice.

"Peace!" Gwen called over her shoulder. She flicked her wrists to put her swords up. Bianca put her arrow up. "Welcome, Greeks of Camp Half-Blood to First Legion, home to the Romans!" It surprised Percy how tight and lifeless her voice was. It always surprised him. He wondered if he'd ever get used to it. He knew he never wanted to.

Gwen, he said in her head, I want to you know, before they get up here, that no matter what I'm called, I'm still your brother. It doesn't matter if I'm called a Greek or Roman or neither. I'm both and whatever I want to be. I am the son of Poseidon. Your brother. The son of Neptune.