There Was An Idea

Camp was splintering. The impending war between the gods was causing strife amongst campers. Cabins began choosing which side of the war they would be on. You weren’t even sure which side you would be on; you figured it depended on what happened to Percy. You and Luke were trying to help Chiron keep things together, but you were too exhausted most days to do much. 

You had been having more nightmares recently, and you tried to chalk it up to anxiety over Percy, but Luke had been having them too. You’d woken up twice this week to Luke sitting bolt upright, causing the entire bunkbed to shake. 

“Just dreams,” he told you. “Don’t worry about it.”

You were sitting near the edge of the strawberry fields when Luke found you leaning back on your elbows in the late afternoon sun, pretending not to notice how the clouds were gathering faster than they should.

“You got a second?” he asked, voice low.

You nodded and sat up. He sat next to you, closer than he needed to, your shoulders pressed against each other. You watched him out of the corner of your eye, golden and beautiful. 

“I talked to Percy,” he said.

“What?” You blinked. “How? Is he okay? Are they all okay?

“Iris message. They’re all okay.” He rubbed your back soothingly as you let out a heavy relieved sigh. Relief crashed over you as your mind raced. 

“That’s good,” You said like you were trying to convince yourself.

“He told me something else.” He said, suddenl, very serious. “He knows who stole the bolt.”

Your chest tightened. “What?”

“Clarisse is the lightning thief.”

You stared at him, stunned. “Clarisse?”

You couldn’t believe it. Clarisse was a lot of things, impulsive, vengeful, rash, sometimes cruel, but Clarisse was not a traitor.

“I know.” He held up his hands like he was trying to soften the blow. “I didn’t believe it at first either. But it all makes sense. They ran into Ares and found out he knows who the lightning thief is. Clarisse is the only person he would ever cover for like that.”

You shook your head slowly. “I know that she can be difficult, but this… this isn’t her.”

Luke exhaled. “I get it. I know she’s your friend. I’m not saying we storm over to her cabin with pitchforks. But if what Percy’s saying is true…”

He trailed off, letting the silence do the work for him. Your heart was thudding in your chest. You couldn’t deny that it did make sense on paper. It felt like the piece fit, but it was a part of the wrong puzzle.

“I just think,” you began carefully, “If there’s even a chance this is true, we should go to Chiron. Not to accuse anyone, but to make sure he knows. He’ll know how to handle it.”

Luke nodded slowly, he seemed grateful that you agreed with him. You thought that he didn’t need to feel that way, you trusted Percy, and you trusted Luke.

“I know that puts you in a hard spot,” he said finally. “I’ll talk to him. Better coming from me anyway.”

You nodded slowly. “Thank you for doing that.”

You were still in shock from the news about Clarisse, still trying to convince yourself. But ultimately ,the only thing you truly cared about was Percy, and knowing he was okay settled the feeling in your stomach that had been there for days now. You let out a heavy sigh, grabbed Luke by the han,d and rested your head on his shoulder as you stared out into the Strawberry fields. He was tense under your touch, his heart beat fast. The quest wasn’t over yet, war still might come, but you felt some peace knowing that if it did, Luke would be there with you.

The next day, Luke found you by the canoe lake.

“Spoke to Chiron,” he said casually. “I didn’t tell him everything, but he’s worried that bringing it up now would just fracture the camp more.”

You agreed with him, too. “So what now?”

“For now.” Luke leaned back, arms crossed. “We just keep an eye on her. When Percy comes back, we can talk to him, we’ll know where things stand with the gods and we’ll make a plan.”

It sounded like a reasonable response. The smart response. But something about it felt wrong, you couldn’t say why, but you felt a sense of unease in your gut.

Still, you nodded. “Okay. Thank you for handling it.”

Luke’s gaze softened, and he pulled you into a hug and kissed the top of your head. “I always will.”

The conch horns blared across camp. You were with Luke, cleaning up after a training session with some of the younger campers. You quickly shot glances at the other before dropping your weapons and sprinting.

You ran down the hill, past the cabins, as fast as your legs could carry you until you saw him. He was hugging Annabeth, who had come back with Grover the day before. He looked… older. Not in a bad way, just older, more grown. You swore that he had gotten taller in the week he had been gone. When Luke returned from his quest, he was battered, bruised, a shell of himself. Percy was clean. He stood tall and confident.

You collided into him at full force.

He let out an “oof” and stumbled back a step, but wrapped his arms around you without hesitation.

“I missed you,” you muttered, muffled by his shoulder.

“Ew, you’re all sweaty," he laughed. “I missed you too.”

You laughed, light and airy, and stepped back to look at him. “You’re okay?”

“I’m okay,” he confirmed.

You searched his face, his eyes, the set of his jaw, the slope of his shoulders. You’d been afraid, deep down, that he would come back like Luke had: harder, colder, changed in some irrevocable way. But Percy was still… Percy. Still messy-haired and goofy and a little unsure of himself, even after all he’d done.

“How’s your mom?” you asked gently.

“Safe, I think. Hades is supposed to return her.” He nodded slowly.

“I’m proud of you,” you said. “I mean it.”

He ducked his head, cheeks reddening. “I fought Ares.”

You chuckled. “Yeah, Annabeth told me.”

Percy grinned. “On the beach. I made this huge wave, like huge. Way bigger than yours.”

“Okay, okay, slow your rol.l” You ruffled his hair.

“Percy!” Luke approached the two of you with a tight smile. He gave Percy a clap on the back. “Welcome back.”

“We should all go talk,” Annabeth glanced between the three of you. You grabbed Percy’s arm and pulled him to follow you into the empty Hermes cabin

“Why is she still here?” Percy asked as soon as you got inside the cabin. “Clarisse stole the master bolt.”

“It’s complicated.” Annabeth fought.

“How is it complicated?” Percy objected. You could tell how close they had grown in such a short time. You also now noticed that Percy was wearing Annabeth's beads.

Luke looked around, making sure no one was listening in. “Everyone was ready to join the war here. To start fighting each other.” Luke explained. “An accusation against Clarisse-”

“Without proof,” Annabeth added.

“Exactly.” Luke agreed, and you nodded. ‘Without proof. It would have lit this whole place on fire. But now you’re back. You stopped the war. You saved the world. Now, it’s safe to tell Chiron and finish cleaning up the mess. I told him we needed to meet him away from the celebration, so we can talk without any of Clarisse’s supporters noticing.

“We’ll keep an eye on Clarisse while you’re gone.” Annabeth waved between the two of you. You wanted to go with Percy to talk with Chiron, but you didn’t protest. “Make sure she isn’t going anywhere.” “Great.” Luke placed a brotherly hand on her shoulder. “And we’ll meet back here. Ready?”

Percy nodded but looked at you hesitantly like he had something to say.

“Give us a minute, would you?” You said to Luke and Annabeth. Luke nodded his hand, gently grazing across your lower bac,k reassuringly as he walked out with Annabeth. You let Percy over to your bed and sat down with him. “What’s up?”

“I spoke to Dad,” Percy said slowly.

Your whole body stiffened. Dad. You’d never really thought of him that way but still your heart lurched at the word. “Oh, what did you say?”

“I asked him about my mom.” He sighed. “I asked him about you.”

“What did he say?” You choked out through your tight lungs. 

“Nothing.” Percy reached into the pocket of his flannel jacket and pulled out a parchment large enough that you weren't sure how you’d missed it before. “But he asked me to give you this.”

When you took the gift into your hands, you could tell by the weight of it that it was metal. You unwrapped it slowly to reveal a dagger lying within. The hilt was made a of a steel so dark it looked almost blue. The handle and the crossguard consisted of an intricate pattern that looked like waves crashing. The blade was celestial bronze with the image of waves etched into it. The craftsmanship was done so well that when the dagger moved, it looked as if you were looking straight out into the ocean. The blade was perfectly polished and had a bright glow to it. You could swear it was humming to you, begging for you to reach out and grab it. When you finally touched it you felt a sudden chill in your bones. The feeling surged through your body; it was the same feeling you got when you went for a swim or sparred with Luke on the beach. Like the sea was flowing through your veins, giving you its strength. You watched as the glow began to fade as the power siphoned into you. 

In the center of the blade, amongst the waves, there was an inscription. The words looked to be in ancient Greek, but for some reason, you couldn’t read it.

“What does it say?” Percy asked.

“I’m not sure.” You shook your head, still in shock at the dagger’s beauty.

Underneath the dagger came a pristine dark brown leather sheath and a small parchment note folded up. You held the note in your hands and stared at it silently. You thought about the consequences of this one note. How your whole life, all of the hopes and desires, could be summed up to this small note.

“I’ll give you some alone time.” Percy hugged you, wrapped his arms around your shoulders, and then left. 

You weren’t sure how long you just sat there staring at the piece of paper, but you were sure it was no short amount of time. Finally, with trembling hands, you unfolded the letter and began to read:

Dear Daughter,

(Y/n), I hope that you do not mind for me to call you Daughter. However, I do understand if you have forsaken me after all of these years. Whether my actions were justified or not, I chose not to claim you in an attempt to protect you from all this life has to offer for children like you. Please believe me when I say that not a day goes by that I don’t regret that. By the time I wanted to change that decision, I believed that you had grown to resent me in a way that would only make you feel worse. I felt I must claim Persues to complete this quest despite knowing it would wound you.

From now on, you are claimed as a daughter of the sea, recognized by the Gods. But only if you want it. I heard you when you called to me about Perceus. You are strong, you are fearless, you are unbending. You are everything that I could ask for in a child. 

Please take this gift as a token for how proud I am of the woman you have become.

You stared at the letter, rereading it many times over. You felt sick in your stomach, because for the first time in your life, the god who made you wasn’t silent. He wasn’t distant. He wasn’t just a myth in someone else’s story. He was flawed and hurt, and he had made mistakes. And he was asking for your forgiveness.

You decided to go on a walk to try to collect your thoughts away from the celebration that was beginning. You tied the dagger and its sheath around your waist and left the Hermes cabin. You had walked almost the entirety of the cabin's periphery when the sun sank below the horizon. The booms of fireworks began to pull you from your thoughts, realizing how much time has passed. You decided it was time you headed to the celebration.

As you walked, you passed the Big House. Chiron was in his wheelchair, wearing his bedclothes on the porch as he watched the fireworks

"You packing it in for the night?" You asked as you passed. Chiron was supposed to be meeting Luke and Percy in the woods.

"I learned decades ago that whatever you kids get up to on nights like these,” He said with a weary smile. “I don’t want to know about."

You were so confused that you nearly tripped as you walked. Your gait slowed to a stop as you cocked your head at him.

“Weren’t you meeting with Luke about Clarisse tonight?”

Chiron’s brow creased. "Clarisse? What about her?"

Your mouth opened, then closed. You swallowed. “Oh. It’s… nothing. Probably nothing.”

Chiron tilted his head. “If something’s bothering you,”

“It’s not,” you lied quickly, and began to walk again. “I should get back. Gotta stop Percy from doing any of those things you don’t want to know about.”

Chiron watched you go and called out to you. “Try to get some rest yourself, you’ve earned it.”

Chiron was supposed to be meeting Luke and Percy. Chiron was supposed to know about Clarisse. Luke had told him about it days ago. Luke promised you he took care of it.

Suddenly, you remembered what Annabeth had told you about Percy and Grover nearly being pulled into Tartarus. How Kronos was able to do something to the shoes that Luke had gifted Percy. You thought of the nightmares you’d been having, the mysterious voice calling out to you. The sounds of your friends crying out for your help, Percy’s voice, Annabeth’s voice, Luke’s. You remembered that Luke had been having the same dreams. 

Something was terribly wrong, but you didn’t know what.

Your stomach turned with anxiety as you practically ran towards the cabins. You pushed through the crowd around the bonfire and scanned it desperately. No sign of Percy. No sign of Luke.

Annabeth appeared at your elbow. “Hey.”

“Where are they?” You demanded.

She tilted her head. “Percy and Luke? They are meeting Chiron, remember?” Your stomach churned.

“Annabeth,” You said, panting and out of breath. “Something’s off.”

She raised an eyebrow and stiffened at the tone of your voice.

“I was just talking to Chiron. He didn’t know anything about Clarisse. He doesn’t know anything about the meeting.” You swallowed hard. 

“And I’ve been having these dreams,” You continued, your voice trembling. “Nightmares. They’re worse than usual. Luke’s having them too, I know he is. I think… I think I’m dreaming of Kronos. I feel him. And Percy and Luke… I don’t know, but I think they’re in danger.”

Annabeth was quiet, her face unreadable.

“I need to find them,” You said, turning toward the trees. “Now.”

She caught your arm. “Then we go carefully. Slowly.”

You nodded, barely.

Together, you slipped into the woods. The forest was illuminated gently with the light of the fireworks, the booms cracking overhead

Slowly, you could hear the familiarity of their voices off in the distance. You began to speed up, relief washing over you as their voices became clearer. Annabeth grabbed hold of your arm, stopping you.

“Wait.” Annabeth’s voice was sharp. “Stay low.”

She pulled on her Yankees cap and vanished, but her hand stayed on your arm.

You moved through the trees slowly, knees bent, careful steps.

Then you saw them.

They were stood facing each other, both still as statues. Percy was speaking, but he was too far to distinguish the conversation. You continued to approach the two slowly until you could make out his words.

“You worked with Ares to plant it on me, so when the shoes you gave pulled me down into Tartarus… the bolt would be delivered right to Kronos.”

Your body stiffened, shocked, confused. Luke would have never done the things that Percy was accusing him of. Luke was angry, flawed just like you, but he was still good.

Luke stayed silent for a beat. “I didn’t think you’d give them to Grover to wear.”

A chill ran through your bones. You were hit by a wave of nausea; you would have fallen over if Annabeth hadn’t still had a grip on your arm.

“I am your friend,” Luke continued desperately. “Percy, none of this was meant to betray you. The gods are my enemy. You… I’m here to recruit.”

“Recruit?” Percy asked. Luke nodded slowly before turning to pull something out from behind his back. The sound of metal sent electricity through you body as Luke pulled out a long celestial bronze sword. Percy stumbled back, pulling out his own sword.

“Easy, I don’t want to fight. This is what I wanted to show you.” Luke held out the sword to show Percy. “This is our way out.”

“Way out of what?” Percy questioned.

“Camp,” Luke stated before turning around, raising the blade and slowly carving a line into the ruins behind them. Between the columns, something began to appear, it was like a slice through reality, a portal. “Backbiter can open secret doors; we can stay on the run as long as it takes.”

You had talked to Luke for years about wanting to leave camp, to escape, for the two of you to go off on your own. Luke was the one who always encouraged you to stay. Luke said that you’d never make it as a forbidden kid outside of camp. Luke said he couldn’t lose you like Thalia. He said that as soon as he could find a way a safe place, you'd leave. This sword could be a way to do that.

“Stop saying ‘we’” Percy shouted, taking small steps away from Luke.

“It's the word Zeus fears the most.” Luke shook his head. “The gods want us to fight for them, worship them, fear them. And they couldn’t care less what we want. They’re bad parents, Percy. And they’ve gotten away with it for far too long.

Your mind drifted to the note in your pocket, the note from your father. You were still torn between feeling like you’d gotten everything you’d ever wanted and feeling like too much time had passed to feel like you wanted it anymore. Maybe lost the ability to forgive him years ago. Maybe he wasn’t even telling the truth. Maybe he couldn’t care less about you, but instead wanted to ensure that you’d fight for them when the time came. 

“This isn’t you!” Percy argued. “This is Kronos, he got to you.”

When you had nightmares, you dreamt of your friends, in danger, dying, and there was nothing you could do about it. It was enough to drive you insane.

“No, he opened my eyes to the truth.” Luke turned to carve another line in the column. “The golden age. That’s what they called it when He ruled. We’re going to help Kronos bring the Golden Age back. Stealing the bolt and the helm was easy: what comes next… we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Luke turned around to carve another line into the column, but Percy jumped in front of him using his sword to knock Luke’s away.

“Our parents aren’t perfect, but they’re trying their best.” They stood swords drawn, pointing them at one another. You wanted to run, jump between them, beg them both to stand down, but you were frozen in place, Annabeth’s hand still firmly around your arm. “I met your dad. But he-”

The mention of Hermes made you cringe. It seemingly had the same effect on Luke because he charged Percy, their swords clashing. Luke attacked, Percy parried his attack, and the cycle continued.

You were frozen watching them fight. Your mind raced, wondering how you had ended up here. How Luke, your Luke, had been planning a titan revolution underneath your nose for months- years? Luke charged Percy again, striking high, causing Percy to drop down and take the opportunity to slash at Luke. Percy’s blade caught Luke, leaving a long, shallow slash across his abdomen. Luke groaned loudly, turning away and doubling over, putting his hand over the wound. You couldn’t help but gasp, the wind being knocked out of you as you heard the metal cut through Luke’s skin.

Percy stumbled hesitantly towards Luke. “I’m sorry.” He said genuinely. “I didn’t mean to-”

Percy was cut off by Luke, slashing his blade upwards, slicing through Percy’s arm. Percy fell back into the grass, losing grip on his sword. Luke loomed over Percy as he tried to create distance between them from the ground. Luke continued to close the distance before he was right over top of Percy, raising his sword, preparing to strike.

Suddenly, you snapped out of your haze. Before you realized it, you were breaking free of Annabeth’s grasp, pulling the blade from around your waist, and putting yourself between Luke and Percy. You used the blade to push Luke’s sword away, causing him to stumble back slightly in surprise. His face was filled with bewilderment, panic in a way you had never seen from him.

“Don’t touch my little brother.” The words came out dripping in fury. You could feel the rage circulating through your body. Luke had hurt Percy, who knows what he would have done if you hadn’t stepped in. Luke was the one person you thought you could trust above anyone else. You loved Luke in every way possible, in a way that only Aphrodite herself could have. Luke knew every part of you; you had given him unfettered access to the darkest, ugliest parts of your soul. You imagined the rest of your life at his side. But none of that mattered right now. Right now, with Percy writhing on the ground behind you, you could have killed him.

“Y/n,” Luke’s voice trembled. He lowered his sword slightly. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I never meant for it to go like this, it just got out of hand-”

“You tried to kill my brother,” The words ripped through your chest. “You tried to pull him into Tartarus.”

“No, no-” He held his hands out, trying to reason with you. “Keeping you and Percy safe was always a priority. I made Kronos promise you’d both be safe.”

“And you believed him?” You practically screamed.

“Y/n, listen please. This is what we’ve wanted our whole lives. You were the one who said you wanted to get rid of Gods. I didn’t understand until I came back from my quest. Until I met him.” Luke was taking tentative steps towards you. “They should pay for how they’ve treated us, everything you’ve gone through. Everything I’ve done has been for you.”

None of this was what you wanted.

You lunged forward, slashing at him with your dagger. Luke stumbled back in surprise, allowing you to grab Percy’s sword with your other hand. 

You and Luke had been training together since the day you arrived at camp. Luke was a good teacher, and he was an amazing fighter, but you were better than he gave you credit for. Clarisse’s words echoed in your mind.

He’ll never let you be better than him. Whether he means to or not, he holds you back.

Maybe this was why he held you back. Maybe this was why you never let him see you grow.

It wasn’t sparring. It wasn’t training. It was war.

You fought like Clarisse had taught you, hard, fast, brutal. You didn’t hold back. He looked surprised at first, but recovered quickly. He was stronger. But you were angrier.

Luke had always told you to look for your opponent’s weaknesses. You never thought Luke had any.

Until now.

You. You were his weakness.

So you let him land a shallow cut across your shoulder, a controlled slice. Pain shot down your arm, and you allowed yourself to let out a cry of agony.

Luke froze, eyes wide. “I’m so sorry, Y/n. Please, I-”

That second of hesitation was all you needed.

You struck hard, your dagger slicing across his ribs. He gasped, stumbling back, clutching the wound. He raised his eyes to look at you, and the sight nearly broke your heart. He looked desperate; he looked betrayed. That caused you to become angry all over again. How dare he feel betrayed? You were doubting your entire life. Did he ever really love you? Or was he just looking to add a forbidden kid to his revolution?

“You said if we left camp, we’d do it together.” He pleaded. “This is our chance. Please come with me.”

“You know I can’t do that.” You choked out.

Luke’s eyes filled with something unreadable. Then he turned and ran. He ran through the portal, the rift closing behind him, and just like that- he was gone.

You dropped your dagger and sank to your knees beside Percy.

“I’m so sorry,” You choked out. You're not sure when it started, but you realized you were crying. Not just crying, sobbing. “I didn’t know.”

Annabeth was with you now, helping Percy up off the ground. She was just as shaken as you and Percy were. Just as hurt, just as betrayed. 

The three of you sat speechless in the dirt for several moments. Silence hung heavy in the air as you faced the unmistakable truth that the rest of your lives would be completely and permanently changed. That this moment would be the prologue in the story they’d tell about the demigods who saved or destroyed Olympus.

The Hermes cabin felt empty. On the contrary, it was busier than ever, demigods all finding their way back to their cabins after a night full of celebrations. Laughter and shouts filled the room as you passed through the cabin. That should have been you, should have been Luke. Right now, the two of you should be sneaking off with whatever the Stole brothers smuggled into camp, laughing hand in hand. But instead, you floated like a ghost to your bunk bed, the one you shared with Luke. 

From the moment you first entered the Hermes cabin, it felt like home. It gave you that unmistakable warm feeling in your chest that only your home could. But without Luke, that feeling wasn’t there anymore. You felt just as out of place as you did in every foster home you stayed in as a child, as you did when you first came to camp before Luke took you in. 

When you made it to your bed, the wind was nearly knocked out of you when you saw a brown string necklace with five wooden beads placed neatly on your pillow, Luke’s necklace. Slowly, your hand reached out for the necklace. You sat down on the edge of the bed, clutching the necklace. You held it close to your chest, trying to hold back the tears threatening to resurface. Eventually, you pulled the necklace over your head, letting it rest on top of your beads. Luckily, everyone was either too occupied or inebriated to notice your behavior. 

After Luke left, the three of you went to Chiron and told him what happened. Percy and Annabeth told him. You stood frozen in the corner of his office, replaying the last three years of your life over and over again.

With a deep breath, you stood up, gathered the things that you considered necessities, and left the Hermes cabin. Your heart pounded in your chest as you made your way across the lawn to the large blue cabin at the end of the row.  

Percy had the door propped open. He was walking around the cabin unpacking the backpack that he had taken on his quest.

“Hey,” You knocked on the door. He whipped his head around at your voice.

“Hey,” He looked at you sympathetically. “What’s up?”

“I uh-” You suddenly became nervous. “I was wondering if you would be open to a roommate.”

Percy smiled at you, nodding vigorously. “You don’t have to ask, it’s your cabin too. But no, I don’t mind. I will warn you, though, I’m a little messy.” 

You stepped into the cabin slowly, trying to see if that warm feeling in your chest would come back. You set your stuff down on one of the vacant beds before sitting down with a sigh on the edge of the saltwater reflection pool that sat in the corner of the cabin.

“It’s been a long night.” Percy groaned as he came to sit down next to you. You let out an exasperated mix between a huff and a laugh in agreement. You went to speak but were cut off by the feeling of the blade thrumming at your side. You reached down and pulled the blade out of its sheath. It had still lost its glow, but it felt like it was talking to you, calling out for something. You tilted the blade, watching the light catch the steel and send flares over the surface of the water. The water. Slowly, you brought the blade to the water, letting it submerge fully. When you pulled the blade out, it glowed again, and slowly the inscription that you couldn’t read before started to form a message: I grant the strength of the Ocean to a daughter of the Sea.

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