I am uncertain about the exact timeline of PJO, but for the sake of my sanity and convenience, book 4 is set in 2008.

  This chapter was edited by: Gdiusx.

  Same day, almost midnight.

  Rachel Elizabeth Dare stared bnkly at her 90’ TV screen as she flipped the channels to something that might grab her interest. Nothing did, really; her mind drifted toward what had happened the previous day. Who would have thought that the Greek Gods of old were alive and kicking here in modern America? Her adventure with Percy was both exhirating and scary in equal measure.

  Eventually, she stopped the channels at a news feed on Saint Helens. Even though it had been more than a week since the eruption, the volcano was still spewing smoke and ash. A feat supposedly caused by Percy. How a regur-looking human like him could cause so much destruction would forever baffle her. That he came to her for help regarding the Labyrinth fttered Rachel greatly, and made her smile at the thought. She couldn’t remember when was the st time she had so much fun. An errant thought continuously twirled around her mind; maybe she had been an adrenaline junkie all along? Rachel did feel on top of the world when she nailed that Time Lord in the eye with her hairbrush. A giggle escaped from her lips at the priceless memory.

  What was Percy doing now? They refused to allow her into camp, fearing for her safety, though Rachel ter learned she would not have been able to step into it anyway. She still managed to figure out that an attack was imminent, and her newfound friends would be fighting for their lives. ‘Friends, huh?’ She thought glumly; there had not been any word ever since, at least none that reached her. For all Rachel knew, they were all dead.

  Her insides twisted and churned uncomfortably at the thought. No, that couldn’t be. Percy had shown strength and power beyond comprehension. Then again, he was fighting against mythical beings beyond her comprehension.

  She yawned and looked at the time. It showed almost midnight, and she zily stood up from her seat on the floor. The super expensive leather couch was surprisingly less comfortable than the Persian rug her father bought. Thoughts of her father brought an unconscious scowl to her face. She could not believe how he dismissed her concerns over his destruction of wildlife like it was some kind of joke.

  “Environmentalism is pampering the Earth,” he told her. The gall of him! Her meeting with Pan has truly struck a chord in her. The dying God of the wild’s st words for her haunted Rachel. How could she be just as important as her father when she was powerless to stop him from his greed and destruction? Her mother wasn’t any better. She worked for her father as his head of Human Resources. Even after he knocked her up and was forced to marry her, he did not shy from reminding her that she worked for him, not with him. And the woman didn’t care; she got the leisurely life she always wanted.

  ‘The Gold Digger,’ Rachel thought as she stared at the only picture in the entire apartment. It was a picture of the three of them in Disneynd when she was three or four; she couldn’t remember. Her father was talking on one of those blocky cell phones from the 90s while her mother was busy fixing her makeup. Only Rachel was staring at the camera, and even though she was young, she did not look all that happy. Rachel wished they at least gave her a brother or sister to py with, but no, that marriage bed had been colder than a butcher’s freezer since they bought it eight years ago.

  The Apartment was huge. It encompassed the entire top floor of the building and had its own Helipad on the patio. ‘At least it had a good view of Central Park,’ thought Rachel as she absentmindedly gazed toward the dark skies at a bird flying through the moonlit night.

  She opened the patio door and made her way to the lounge chairs as she watched the bird flying around the city.

  That was quite a rge bird.

  As if hearing her thoughts, the bird turned towards her and flew faster than she thought was possible. As it approached, she could clearly see that this was no bird. It was an honest-to-God (Or was it Gods now?) horse! A dark winged horse that could easily be mistaken for a mirage in the night. It even had a rider on it!!

  As she stared with an open mouth at it, the Pegasus (For she finally remembered her mythology) nded on the Helipad, and its rider stared at her from atop. The boy of her thoughts appeared just like that.

  “Permission to nd, my dy?” Percy asked with his crooked grin, though she could see the smile did not reach his eyes, which were strangely rimmed with red.

  “Permission granted, my noble knight, but it appears that you have already nded regardless of my wishes,” She elegantly replied with an upturned nose at him.

  Percy chuckled, and it evolved into a full ugh as he got off the Pegasus and approached her. He had a backpack with him full to the brim and a pot of a strange silver pnt that she had never seen before in his hand. Percy dropped his bag on the ground and pced the pot on a table. The pnt seemed to be blooming despite it being nighttime.

  .

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  .

  Before he could say anything, Rachel rushed and held him tightly in a hug. Her head rested in the crook of his neck, and her arms around his waist. Percy was frozen at the show of affection before he hugged her back and pced his chin on top of her head.

  “You are a jerk; you know that?” Her voice was muffled by his neck as she squeezed him tighter. She could feel him rubbing her back through her tank top…she should probably let him go and dress in something less revealing.

  “What did I do now?” Percy asked as they both let go of each other.

  Rachel didn’t reply straight away. She grabbed the potted pnt and made her way inside. Percy grabbed his bag and bid farewell to Bckjack.

  “If you need me, boss, just give me a whistle. I’ll be there,” and the Pegasus leaped into the night skies.

  Percy smiled as his companion flew off to do what Pegasi did in their free time.

  Probably chasing pigeons?

  With a sigh, he shook his head and followed Rachel inside. She was pcing the pot on another table near the patio door while looking at the pnt with interest. At his footsteps, she twirled to face him with a scowl; the way her hands were on her hips reminded Percy of his mom, albeit in a quite amusing way.

  “It’s what you didn’t do! I have not heard from you for over a day, and I know you were fighting for your life!” Rachel’s voice was steadily rising, and it reached a crescendo near the end. “Do I not deserve to know if you were alive?! I thought we were friends. I was so scared that you died, Percy!”

  A sob followed her final words, making him freeze. Percy was honestly lost and had no idea what to say. A voice that suspiciously sounded like his mom was saying go and hug her, but uh… He noticed how her tank top was a tad too tight for her, along with the fact that there was nothing underneath. It was definitely pleasing to the eye, but ugh, he was reluctant to think about stuff like that right now.

  So instead, he opted to pce an awkward hand on her elbow, “I’m sorry, Rachel.”

  And he truly was. He was very happy that she cared and saw them as friends. He didn’t have many mortal friends. Scratch that; he didn’t have any mortal friends, period.

  “I’m gd you're fine, Percy,” a sigh escaped Rachel’s lips. “Although… you look like crap.”

  “I do, don’t I?” He chuckled bitterly, and his voice lowered to a whisper as he stared into her bright green eyes. “There was a battle in camp. It was a very close thing. Many of my friends were killed.”

  The fact that he was close to dying was left unmentioned, but she seemed to catch onto it anyway, judging by the sad glint in her eyes.

  “Oh, Percy,” Rachel hugged him again, forgetting about propriety completely.

  That was a far warmer reception than the demigod had expected, but he was not going to compin. Although he did feel kinda awkward, he returned the embrace.

  “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important?” He asked as they finally separated.

  “Not really,” she snorted, then took pity on him, “I don’t mind; feel free to stay for as long as you’d like.”

  “Thanks,” he smiled gratefully, “I hope I won’t bring you any trouble?”

  “I don’t particurly care,” Rachel shrugged, and her gaze roamed around the room before looking down at her own attire, and he could see her face redden. “Check the fridge if you’re hungry, I’ll be back in a few.”

  As she disappeared behind a fancy oaken door, Percy dropped his bag on the couch and looked around. The pce was huge; the living room alone was bigger than his mum’s apartment, he realized.

  As his dinner was interrupted due to the meeting, Percy was starving and decided to take Rachel up on her offer. Opening the fridge, he saw plenty of food and dessert. He ended up grabbing a can of Coke and some leftover pepperoni pizza. He was honestly half-expecting her to be vegetarian or something, but apparently, her quirkiness didn’t go that far, he thought, as he pced the pizza on a pte and set the microwave. As he stared at the revolving pte, he started brooding.

  Rachel returned to the living room wearing one of her color-stained T-shirts; she hadn’t bothered changing out of her hot shorts. She found Percy staring bnkly at the microwave, which had long gone dark.

  “Are you alright, Percy?” She asked in concern, only for Percy to flinch in surprise.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just…thinking about something,” he deflected mely as he grabbed the pte from the microwave and made his way to the kitchen table. Rachel started brewing some hot cocoa for herself.

  “Would you like to share? Speaking of which, while I am very fttered at your te-night visit,” she snorted lightly, which brought a small grin to Percy as he dug into his pizza; “I am sure that you could have contacted me someway. You did mention that you memorized my phone number.” she continued as she filled the electric kettle and turned it on.

  “Uh-mm,” mumbled Percy as his mouth was full of pizza.

  She turned around to look at him with a pyful smile on her face. “It would have been…interesting to expin to my parents why I’m having a boy over in the middle of the night.”

  If Rachel did not pay attention, she would have missed the faint blush forming on his cheeks.

  “Speaking of which, where are your parents? I never really thought about it before showing up here,” Percy asked awkwardly as he looked around, expecting one of her parents to jump from behind the couch or something.

  “Out of town for my father on a business trip, and mother is visiting family.” Unsaid was how her mother had been regurly avoiding staying in the house more than necessary. It wasn’t a lie that she was visiting family, though. Despite their rocky retionship, none of her parents had strayed from their marriage vows…that she knew of.

  Percy looked around and noticed the only picture of the family on dispy. He frowned in thought, then noticed that most of the expensive furniture appeared to have been unused for some time. He looked at Rachel, who raised an eyebrow, clearly in warning, and Percy wisely dropped the question before he could even ask. He would be a hypocrite if he asked questions about someone’s home life, considering until recently, he avoided speaking of his own.

  Rachel, meanwhile, patiently waited for him while she poured hot water over her cocoa and made her way to the table, and sat across from her guest.

  “Well, Percy? I would still like to know why you’re here,” she asked kindly, not trying to appear unwelcoming, for she truly was gd he was here. She was quite curious, though, “I wouldn’t mind lending an ear.”

  Percy took his time to reply as he continued his meal; he really didn’t know how to tell her or if he should tell her of his destiny. Rachel calmly drank from her mug and gave him a kind, encouraging smile.

  Eventually, he finished his meal and had his hands around his can of coke, sitting still for what felt like an eternity as Rachel watched him patiently.

  “I learned something disturbing today about my destiny,” a grimace found its way to his face. “I’m not sure if you are aware of how prophecies work-”

  “I do. I read all about them,” Rachel looked in concern. “What happened, Percy?”

  He swallowed hesitantly but after a moment, made up his mind with a shrug, “I’m destined to die when I turn sixteen, it seems.”

  While his face had become impassive and his voice was emotionless, Rachel could practically feel the despair radiating from him.

  From there, she sat quietly as she listened to Percy pour his heart out over the prophecy that would end his life. She didn’t disbelieve him but instead asked Percy why he thought he was the one the prophecy meant. This devolved into an abridged version of his life story. How he never fit in schools and all the ‘normal’ things that happen to demigods. How, since the age of twelve, he had constantly been fighting for his life as he fought monsters and gods and titans and other strange creatures that were well beyond her vivid imagination. How he held the sky for a cold-hearted goddess that turned out to be not so cold after all. How Percy had seen so many friends and good people die. How his test escapade in the Labyrinth had nded him in Ogygia, and there she noticed to her envy how he talked about his time with Calypso and how it was some of the best days of his life. How she begged him to stay with her, she would have offered him immortality. A way to escape his destiny and strife-filled life. How he refused her because of his duty and loyalty to camp. But also how he promised that he would free her somehow.

  There was a lull in the conversation, and by now, Rachel had finished her mug and opted for a refill. She wordlessly brewed another mug for Percy and heated some blueberry muffins from the fridge. Much to her amusement, any food pced in front of the demigod was quick to disappear, and soon, he resumed his story.

  It all culminated in the battle and more deaths. Eventually, he arrived at the council meeting and his attempt to convince his fellow campers to help him free Calypso. How the daughter of Ats would have been a valuable ally and a first step to reconciliation with other Titans and neglected Gods. Only to be rebuffed by them. When Percy reached the part of Crisse accusing him of betraying them for a woman, she could see his knuckles turn white and feared for the mug in his hands.

  Rachel gently held his hands in her own, making the tension bleed out of him and saving her cup, “It’s okay, Percy. It seems they don’t know you as much as they thought they did.”

  The story did not have a better ending, and Percy’s shoulders sagged in defeat as he finished.

  “I am still not sure if there is a chance for my survival or not, but all evidence points to the contrary so far,” he sighed tiredly. Rachel squeezed his hands again, and he looked at her gratefully, “Supposedly, there is no doubt that I am the one the Prophecy entails. Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, was highly considered at first, but then she joined the Hunters of Artemis, forever remaining a day younger than sixteen.”

  “How sneaky of her,” Rachel hummed with approval. She would probably have done the same thing if she was in Thalia’s shoes.

  Percy appeared to be looking everywhere and nowhere at the same time before settling to stare at her eyes again, “Annabeth mentioned that the Elder Gods don’t necessarily mean the Big Three. They may also mean the female gods as well, yet the only viable option is Demeter, as both Hera and Hestia do not have any children for obvious reasons. Chiron specifically recited a line of the prophecy to refute Annabeth’s theory.” Percy gulped and looked lost for a moment.

  Rachel brought his attention back with a hand squeeze, she’s been doing that a lot tonight, and she couldn’t help but notice how strong and calloused his hands were. ‘Hands of a warrior’ she thought, “What was the line Percy?”

  Percy still appeared shaken, but he gathered his resolve; “A single choice shall end his days,” he said with a quiver in his voice. “I needed to get away from camp, but I didn’t want to bother my mother when she was busy attending interviews and job hunting. You know how crazy it is with the recession and all, she was already expecting me in the evening anyway.” He finished with a slump in his shoulders.

  Rachel could never have imagined that brave Percy Jackson could be so vulnerable. She let go of his hands and abruptly moved to his side of the table and hugged the living daylights out of him.

  “Uh-mm, Rachel?” Percy squawked as she was almost sitting on his p from her hug. She never struck him as much of a hugger.

  Rachel let go of him before staring determinedly into his eyes, “I would not give up if I were you, Percy,” Rachel put both her arms on his shoulders before continuing, “Worst-case scenario, you have a year to live. That means you have a whole year to live life to its fullest!”

  “Right,” he mumbled, not very enthusiastic. Percy did not truly fear death, but… he preferred it be on his terms, not some obscure prophecy. True, demigods did not often live a very long life, but having the choice taken away from him felt infuriating.

  “Besides,” she continued, “From what I know, prophecies are fickle things. Who knows? Maybe whatever choice you make will end your days, but you will still have your nights. Maybe that choice you make can be something as stupid as pissing off that sun god of yours, and now you can’t live during the day anymore.”

  Rachel continued to ramble, listing off all sorts of outndish alternatives to the prophecy lines. The strangest had to have been when she suggested he would turn into some kind of emo vampire that would be too ashamed to be out in the sun because it would make him sparkle.

  Percy looked at her in bewilderment. When he decided to come here, he was not expecting much. At best, he would have a pce to spend the night until he could meet his mother in the evening. At worst, her parents would kick him out, and he would sleep in Central Park or something. Never would he have expected that he would receive so much support from someone who, by rights, barely knew him.

  As Rachel continued spinning wilder and wilder theories, she noticed that Percy started grinning at her as her conjectures started to go from hirious to insane to pin impossible. She was happy that she managed to distract him from that doom and gloom he was feeling. It just didn’t suit him. Eventually, a chuckle escaped his lips, and soon they were both ughing together.

  A few minutes ter, they found themselves on the nice couch out on the patio, sitting next to each other.

  “I never really thought about death,” Percy suddenly spoke after a few minutes of silence. “I’ve been in so many life-or-death situations that I’ve become numb to it. Heck, I came face to face with the God of the Dead and the afterlife when I was twelve. I still feared death, but at least then, I would always be fighting for my life. Fighting for my very existence sometimes.” Percy stated, in such a matter-of-factly way, that she almost forgot that a life of fighting for his survival had been the norm for him for the st three years.

  “You don’t seem particurly bothered,” Rachel observed.

  “I guess what I am trying to say is, It sucks having no choice in the way you die, not having the option of just fighting for your life anymore.” Percy sighed as he id his head on the back of the couch and stared at the nighttime sky, wondering if Bckjack was really chasing some pigeons.

  Rachel cautiously id her head on his shoulder, but Percy did not seem to mind. “When is your birthday, Percy?”

  Percy scratched his head absentmindedly, “Eighteenth of August, why do you ask?”

  Rachel pointed at the TV inside the living room that had remained turned on but muted since Percy arrived. “It’s been the eighteenth for two hours now. Happy Birthday, Percy Jackson.”

  Percy blinked a few moments, processing the information, and the corner of his lips twitched, “So it would seem. Thanks.”

  So many things happened in the past few weeks that he must have been more tired than he thought. Not to mention, time ran differently in the Labyrinth and Ogygia. He recalled spending a few days in the Labyrinth only for weeks to pass outside. He wasn’t sure if Ogygia was the same or not.

  Rachel yawned as she stood up from the couch, “I’m going to sleep, I’ll get you some pillows and a bnket. You should catch some rest as well, birthday boy. We have a long day ahead of us.”

  Rachel walked towards the corridor leading to her room, and Percy stared at her back before he called to her, “What do you mean we have a long day?”

  Rachel stood in the living room’s doorway before she looked back at him with a grin, “I mean, we are going out. I got you all to myself until your mother expects you in the evening. It’s gonna be so much fun!”

  Then she was gone for a minute before she returned with pillows and a bnket, “This birthday is gonna be the best you’ve ever had, that’s for sure. Good night, Percy. Don’t forget to brush your teeth, I left you a new toothbrush in the bathroom. It's the third door on the left,” she waved at him.

  Percy was bemused by the whole situation, but then a frown found its way to his face.

  “Wait, this is a date, isn’t it?” he mumbled to himself. Not that he minded, Rachel was nice. “What does one do on a date again?”

  He was too tired to think about it, so he shook his head, made his way to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and returned to the couch to catch some sleep.

  It wasn’t long before he had the best sleep since Ogygia.

  August 18th,

  Percy woke up refreshed and ready for a new day. He gnced at the clock on the wall to find the golden clock hand pointing at eleven. The nine hours of sleep seemed to suit him well, but it seemed the dy of the hour was not an early bird. After washing up, showering, and dressing in khaki pants and a blue shirt, he decided to explore the apartment.

  It was frankly ludicrously huge! He must have gotten lost in wardrobes that were bigger than his room. He had guessed that Rachel’s family was loaded from the stunt she did with that Limo driver, but It seemed that he may have underestimated her wealth.

  After walking around, he found Rachel’s room. She had left the door open, and as he lightly knocked to no response, he entered to wake her. It was her idea in the first pce for the day’s outing, and half the day was nearly gone already.

  Rachel’s room wasn’t very rge, but it certainly felt cramped by the rge amount of random stuff thrown around haphazardly. He could see costumes, paintings, news clippings about Dare Enterprises getting mbasted for cutting down forests, buckets of paint, and many more. It took him a while to maneuver his way through the debris until he found her.

  Rachel, dressed in a fluffy red shirt and leggings, was sleeping peacefully in her bed, not a care in the world.

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  .

  .

  “...hel…Ra..l..” Rachel was in deep slumber. She had stayed up too te to be with Percy, but the truth was she had had a long day as well, with no demigod physiology to keep her going. She was certainly enjoying her sleep, now if only that buzzing would stop.

  “..chel…Rachel! Wake up already,” a loud voice followed by a shaking of her arms jolted her awake. She saw Percy above her, and for a second or two, she wondered what he was doing here before she was fully awake, remembering it was his birthday!

  “Percy. Wha’ time is it?” she slurred as she stumbled out of bed and made her way to her room’s adjoining bathroom.

  “Nearly noon, now,” the answer cast away her drowsiness. She bit back a curse; they would barely have time to have fun now. She grumbled inwardly as she closed the door, took off her clothes, and headed for the shower.

  “I’ll be ready in fifteen,” she cried out and began adjusting the water temperature.

  “I’ll make breakfast while you get ready,” Percy’s muffled voice came through the door.

  “Some coffee for me, please!” she shouted at the door, hoping he heard before she braved the shower. The cold water finally woke her up, and she just remembered that Percy had seen her in her sleep! Hopefully, she did not drool or snore…

  Once she was done showering, Rachel checked herself in the mirror to prepare for the outing. Her long red hair was frazzled from the water, so she wrapped it in a towel. The teen didn’t think she was the vain type, but she couldn’t deny that she was beautiful. Her sharp freckled face, her full lips, her emerald green eyes, her budding breasts, and her widening hips. She was also quite tall, nearly Percy’s height. The number of associates of her dad who approached her for her acquaintance was disturbing, despite her young age.

  She remembered an odd couple of older people whom her dad introduced her to at an event. They supposedly owned a private isnd where they trained talented children to be actors or something. Whatever the reason her father was cozying up to them, she didn’t care as she had gotten severe goosebumps from their gazes. It was as if she was a piece of meat that they were judging whether to buy or not. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to avoid them at all costs, no matter what promises they gave or how much it would hurt her father’s company. Thankfully, her mom had dragged her away when she hyperventited and ended up puking at their feet.

  It was one of the reasons she picked up her art hobby. Not many liked a quirky/nerdy girl with dirty paint stains on her, after all. It helps that it was a hobby she had grown to love.

  Rachel dressed in casual clothes. This is a fun date, not one of her father’s boring society parties. Yet she also decided to let go of the oversized shirts that she wore to hide her figure and the torn jeans. After checking her wardrobe, she settled for a simple beige skirt, a white undershirt, and a green blouse that matched her eyes. She finished the ensemble with a neckce and her trusty leather boots that totally cshed with her outfit, but she cared not one bit. She loved to walk comfy, and she was sure Percy wouldn’t mind.

  After drying her hair, she made her way to the kitchen, where the smell of breakfast being made filled the air.

  Percy had just finished serving two ptes of bacon and eggs and brewed some coffee per Rachel’s request. He had never had coffee before, preferring Co and other sugary poisons, as his mother called them. But today, he decided to try something new, at least for Rachel. She clearly liked her coffee from how well-used the espresso machine was, and she had 4 mugs of coffee in the sink already! He sat down at the table, waiting for her. He didn’t have to wait long.

  “Good morning, Percy,” chirped Rachel as she entered the kitchen. He stared a little at her outfit and thought she looked quite cute.

  “Mornin’,” a wide smile found its way to his face, “looking pretty, Rachel.”

  She returned the smile, preening under his wandering gaze. The breakfast was a quiet affair, and the only amusing thing was Percy’s attempts to sample coffee. His expression soured after the first sip, and so much sugar and cream were poured into his mug that it couldn’t really be called coffee anymore.

  “So where do you want to spend the day most, Percy? It is your birthday, so I want to know what your idea of fun is,” Rachel asked as she added after taking a generous sip from her own mug.

  “Well, since mom is expecting me by eight at the most, we got about seven hours to have our fun. How about we go to that batting center off of 74th Street? It's been a while since I swung at something that wasn’t trying to kill me,” Percy chuckled, and she found herself ughing along, “How about you, Rachel? Where would you like to go after?”

  Rachel sipped her coffee as she thought she knew exactly where she wanted to go, but she worried it may bore Percy out of his mind. Still, no harm asking, “Well, there’s this new exhibition show in the Museum of Natural History. It’s a few minutes walk from the batting center, I think. What do you think of visiting there afterward?” she gazed at Percy with a bit of anxiety as she waited for his response.

  “Sure, I don't mind.” To her surprise, Percy didn’t even bat an eye and agreed with her, “My mom took me there a few years ago, and it was fun. I loved the dinosaur exhibition, and I heard they will have an entire exhibition about horses.” Percy finished the st of his coffee-fvored sugarcream and moved to the sink to wash the mug. Rachel quickly gulped the st of hers and joined him.

  “Do you want to call your mother? To at least make sure she knows where you are?” Rachel asked before they left.

  Percy thought about it, “I can try, but she would probably be in an interview right about now,” He checked the time to see it was twenty minutes past noon, “Or maybe I’ll be lucky, and she’s on break.”

  Rachel lent him her iPhone and after he confusingly held it like it was alien tech for a few minutes, she took pity on him and quickly typed in his mom’s number as he told it. It took a few rings, but eventually, it connected. Rachel mischievously had it on loudspeaker as she handed Percy the phone.

  “Hello? Who is this?”

  “Hey, mom. It’s me, Percy.”

  “Percy! I’m gd you called. How are you, sweetie? Camp called this morning about you flying off with a pegasus and to expect you some time soon. Couldn’t wait to visit your mum?” Rachel barely hid her giggle.

  Percy chuckled good-naturedly, “Something like that, mom. I’m spending the day with a friend, are we still good to meet by eight?”

  “A friend, huh? It wouldn’t happen to be a certain red-haired girl that Annabeth mentioned to me when she called, would it?” Rachel raised an eyebrow at him.

  Percy inwardly cursed at his blonde friend, “Who knows? You will have to find out ter.” He quickly whispered to Rachel if she wanted to visit his mom with him, and after she nodded with a smile, he went back to the call. “She’s coming along to meet you anyway.”

  “She, huh? Guess that answers it.” This time Percy nearly cussed at his mistake but caught himself. “Hold on for a moment, sweetie.” Percy could barely hear someone asking for a Sally Jackson, and he guessed it was work-reted.

  Sally got back to him a moment ter, “Sorry about that, Percy. Paul will be there as well. You know he doesn’t bme you for what happened. It was a freak accident, and he is very worried about you.”

  Percy felt bad for Paul. The man was cool, and he helped him get into Goode High. The least he could do was apologize to him tonight. “Sounds good. Interestingly enough; Rachel, my redheaded friend, was also present during what happened in school. I’m sure together we can make an argument for Paul that we had no hand in the explosion.”

  “I see. Well, I need to get back to my next interview, Percy. We’ll be expecting you in the evening. Don’t be te, and enjoy your day.” She hung up before he could reply.

  Percy handed the phone back to Rachel, “well, it’s official. You have my mother’s approval. Might as well go.”

  Once they were ready, they left the building. Rachel snickered when she saw the receptionist, who reports to her father, gaping as she walked arm in arm with an unknown boy who definitely did not enter the building earlier. Percy, Gods bless him, even sent him a jaunty wave as well.

  As they agreed, the first stop was the Batting Cages. Apparently, Percy was a natural at smashing stuff flying at him at high speeds, “Reminds me of that time we were attacked by metallic birds in camp,” he chuckled. Rachel wasn’t too bad either, though she certainly showed him up as they pyed a game of Catch in the parking lot. That Bull’s Eye (Or is it Titan’s Eye?) she nailed; it wasn’t a fluke after all!

  Their next stop was the museum. Unfortunately, Rachel misread the date for the exhibition she wanted. The Climate Change exhibition is set to open in October, not August.

  “I bme whoever decided to name the tenth month as the eighth month,” Rachel grumbled as she tried to scowl, but Percy could barely hold his ughter. He reached out to her cheeks and lightly pinched it, “Whatever you say, Princess. Now how about we go to my exhibition? I heard they will have seven real horses there, so I would like to talk to them.”

  Too bad for Percy, those horses ended up being fake and made out of fibergss. Now it was Rachel’s turn to hold her ughter at his twitching eyebrow and indignant scowl.

  “Oh, don’t feel so bad, my galnt knight. We can still walk around and pet them at least, though I doubt they will be agreeable for a ride,” She cooed at him as it was her turn to pinch his cheeks.

  After they had fun at the museum, they headed towards Central Park to stroll and feed the ducks. They even had a security guy chase after them for feeding the ducks. Percy felt like all the worries in the world were flowing out of him, and he owed it all to Rachel.

  Later on, they went window shopping, with Rachel insisting on paying for everything. Under her unrelenting persistence, Percy reluctantly agreed, as he lost his wallet and all he had were Drachmas. She bought Percy a new pair of steel-tipped leather boots to repce his worn shoes, simir to the ones she wore, as well as a swimsuit for herself, which she hoped she would get to use soon in the future.

  It was nearly five when they finished their stroll, and they were feeling a bit hungry. They had dinner at a nearby Pizzeria; then they returned to Central Park to kill some time.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Rachel suddenly said. She and Percy had just enjoyed some ice cream as they sat on Cherry Hill. She seemed to hesitate and thought more about whatever was on her mind. Percy turned to her, one eyebrow raised and a slight grin causing her to continue, “I’ve been thinking of a way for you to circumvent your destiny. There might be a way…”

  His eyes widened, and suddenly, she found herself under his intense gaze, “How?”

  Rachel struggled to formute her thoughts for a moment. Truth be told, Percy was… well, Percy. He was gorgeous, brave, and, well, extremely likable and fun. And strong, inhumanely so. It helped that his crooked grin melted her insides, and she could get lost in those warm sea-green eyes of his… But precisely because Rachel liked him, she would voice this suggestion, no matter how much it made her insides twist uncomfortably.

  “You mentioned that the gods believed that Zeus’ daughter, Thalia, was the prophesied one, correct?” At Percy’s nod, she continued, “Well, she avoided the prophecy by joining the Hunters of Artemis, thus never turning sixteen. Why don’t you do something simir?”

  “You want me to join the Hunters?” Percy deadpanned, “While I think Artemis might be willing to accept me into the hunt If she turns me into a girl, I very much would rather remain a man, thank you very much”

  Rachel huffed but couldn’t hide her smile, “Not that you loony, I’m talking about Calypso.”

  Percy shifted uncomfortably, wondering where this was going.

  “What about her? I will try to release her from her prison before my time is up, but what else can I do?” Percy asked dishearteningly. He wanted to sulk and brood, but his cheery friend and the sunny sky made it impossible.

  “Well, if you can’t convince the gods to free her, wouldn’t you have to find your way back to her isnd and break her out?” At that, Percy perked up, “What if you find your way there again and instead ask her to bless you with immortal life? This way, you would never be sixteen, and many gods seemed capable of doing that in myth, and supposedly Calypso was a powerful Titaness in her own right. Maybe she could do the same?”

  He rubbed his brow as he considered her words. It was a good idea all around, but there were many problems with it; why not ask any of the other gods to bless him instead? The answer came to him as he thought about it; he would have to swear himself to servitude to whomever granted him immortality, and he did not have a good retionship with many of the gods. Not to mention getting Zeus’ permission, who could veto even his dad, whom Percy was sure would grant it to him instantly.

  No, Calypso seemed to be the best choice. So far, she was a neutral party to the war between the gods and titans, and Percy was confident in her personality and attitude as well as her potential to switch to their side. Still, that was a question for another time. He still had a whole year to consider.

  “To tell you the truth, I have thought about it. The problem right now is her imprisonment. I would rather not accept immortality only to be stuck in a gilded cage. Granted, I’m sure I will grow to enjoy the company, and the sea is everywhere, but I will miss my mother and friends.”Rachel didn’t think of it that way, “Well, it wouldn’t be forever if you manage to free her, right? Once she is free, you can both travel around the world or visit your mom anytime you want.”

  “You make it sound so simple,” he chuckled.” Thanks for the pep talk, Rachel. I think it's time for us to make our way to my mom’s pce.” Percy pointed out at the nearby clock tower, which showed it was seven in the evening, “It’s a good half-hour walk from here at a leisurely pace.”

  Percy stood up, and Rachel followed suit. The road to Sally’s apartment was spent in uneventful yet comfortable silence.

  “You are welcome, by the way, It was my pleasure to help you find your way. We’re friends, aren’t we?” Hesitation crept into her voice.

  “Of course we are,” Percy cpped Rachel on her back before pcing his arm on her shoulder, “hopefully for a long time as well.”

  She grinned back at the demigod, but they found themselves stopping in their tracks as they faced the unlikeliest of couples Percy could have ever imagined sitting at a nearby table enjoying cake and coffee. The woman was beautiful and stately, yet she looked familiar to him, and her name was just on the tip of his tongue, but there was no doubt about the identity of the man.

  “Dad?” Percy asked confusingly as he stared at a smiling Poseidon, who waved them over to take the empty two seats on the table. Percy looked at Rachel, who looked utterly confused and a bit apprehensive as she stared at the couple before they both took a seat. It would not do to refuse the Gods, after all.

  A reminder that this is mainly a Percy/Calypso story. I might explore Rachel, but I am unsure if any romance will form between them for now. We know they had great chemistry in the books but a certain Sun God poached her from Percy’s grasp.

  Here, she is a solid friend for Percy who might have a crush on him. Percy too for that matter. They're hormonal teenagers; what do you expect? You will notice that I put some hints on Rachel’s powers as well as her potential for when the One Piece arc begins.

  I’m pretty sure I nailed Manhattan well enough, especially since I was there a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea how Percy’s mom afforded an apartment on a cashier’s wage, but I know plenty of people who are willing to bankrupt themselves to brag that they live there.

  Guess who the woman is? Here's a hint, she's divine… duh.