They're What?!

What's Happening, Seaweed Brain?

Third Person POV

"Percy?"

The son of Posiedon looked over in the direction of the voice. He and Jason were in the middle of a swordsmanship lesson, teaching anyone who was willing to learn and able to properly wield a sword.

"Yeah?" He thought it was Parvarti, but then he realized she was wearing a blue-edged vest. Padma, then.

"How did you learn all of this?" Padma asked curiously. Several students murmured, also seeming interested.

"I trained at a camp that kept demigods safe. Jason too, but at a different camp." Percy shrugged.

"If you know how to defend yourselves, why do you need a camp to keep you safe?" Someone else asked.

"Well...." Percy paused.

"For starters it's nice not having to watch your back constantly." Jason offered.

"And we can learn more when we're at camp. The Roman camp is year-round, with the Greeks we can leave during the school year and go home if we'd like. I train summers at Camp Half-Blood, in the fall I go to Camp Jupiter and stay through the winter until Christmas. I'm taking some college courses there. Then from Christmas on to the first day of summer I alternate weeks at my mom's and Camp Half-Blood."

"I spend most of my year at Camp Half-Blood." Jason shrugged. "A couple months in the fall at Camp Jupiter."

"Do you miss your family?" Padma asked Jason.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Thalia is really the only family I have left. And we see each other often enough."

Percy cleared his throat to continue teaching, but one of the younger girls spoke up. "Tell us more about camp, please?"

The other students echoed agreement. Percy and Jason looked at each other.

"How about this." He finally said. "We'll put together a formal presentation of sorts and let anyone who wants to know more see it. Does that work?"

He got a lot of nods in response. "Okay, good. Lets keep going now. With my style of fighting...."

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"They really want to know what camp is like?" Annabeth asked curiously.

Percy nodded. "I guess summer camps aren't a big thing in the magical community. Or in Great Britain. Either way, most of these kids have never been to anything like it."

"That's interesting.... well why don't the Romans do one, and the Greeks can do the other. You, Jason, Nico, and Thalia if she chooses to participate can do either or help with both." Hermione suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Percy shrugged, looking at the others.

"I bet we could Iris message Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth added. "Camp Jupiter will probably be asleep by the time we present though."

"Good point." Hazel nodded. "Especially with the enforced curfew they added two months ago."

"Ooh, I didn't know they were doing that...."

Percy slowly zoned out, staring at the fire roaring in the fireplace. His thoughts drifted to his talk with Nico and the ghosts. That was going to have to be resolved soon.

He must have been frowning, because Piper nudged him back to the present. "What's up, Fish Boy?"

"Huh?" Percy shook his head. "Oh, nothing serious. Don't worry about it."

"You sure? You know you can tell us anything." Piper smiled. The others, who were listening by now, nodded.

"I know, guys." Percy smiled. "Thanks. But it's all good, I promise. Nothing important."

"Alright, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth kissed his cheek, smiling. "We trust you."

"Speak for yourself." Thalia scoffed jokingly.

"Gee, thanks, Pinecone Face." Percy rolled his eyes, grinning. Thalia chucked a pencil at him as the others laughed.

"Alright, lets get started on these presentations." Frank suggested once they'd all calmed down.

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As she walked back to the Room of Requirement after dinner, Annabeth heard quiet voices in one of the empty classrooms. Curiosity getting the best of her, she snuck closer to listen.

"Look, I know you're planning something." She didn't recognize the voice, but it had to be a student because the accent was very clearly British. "Just tell me what you're gonna do?"

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about." Now that voice she recognized. Who was Percy talking to? And was he planning something? She inched closer to the door.

"Look, Jackson-" wait, that was Harry! "I might be pretty unobservant, but even I know the signs of someone planning something, especially something big."

"And what would you do if I was?" Percy asked sarcastically.

"Well if it's bad I'd turn you in.... but you wouldn't do anything like that-"

"You wouldn't make it past the door." Percy growled quietly.

Annabeth had a brief flashback to Tartarus and shivered. This Percy terrified her.

"So I want to help you." Harry finished as if the son of Poseidon hadn't spoken.

Silence. She almost opened the door to see what was happening.

Finally Percy spoke. "If you want to help. If you really want to help, even though it could be seriously dangerous for you.... meet me here tonight. If you haven't shown your face by midnight, we're going to go through with it. Without you."

"My life has always been expendable. Danger doesn't worry me anymore." Harry said seriously. "See you at midnight."

Annabeth frowned deeply. What in Hades name was Percy planning?

The door suddenly opened and her boyfriend nearly ran her over as he started to walk out. "Oh! Wise Girl, hey-"

"What are you doing?" She asked accusingly.

"Nothing." Percy shrugged casually. "Just chewing Potter out for fooling around during training."

Harry appeared in the doorway. "Sorry, Percy. I'll pay better attention."

"Good."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at Percy. "I know you're lying."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Wise Girl." He kissed her forehead. "C'mon, lets go down to the lake. I wanna talk to the mermaids."

They walked off, Annabeth still trying to grill Percy into giving her some details.

Harry scurried off in the opposite direction, slipping his hand into his pocket to touch the small scrap of paper Percy had handed him. There were two words scribbled on it.

'Forbidden Forest'