୨⎯ GOOD GRACES ⎯ ୧ ☾P.J☽

32. Don't be so jealous?

MR D WAS HAVING THE TIME, LAUGHING HIS ASS OFF HYSTERICALLY, "OH, WOW." Mr D laughed, "He could never keep his trident to himself, Am I right?" He asked Tantalus, trying to hold more of his laughter in.

"It is rather funny." Tantalus agreed.

"Yeah! You got to keep an eye on him." Mr D giggled.

"Mr. D, can we get back to the part about camp being in danger?" Annabeth suggested, looking at Mr. D.

"Oh." Mr. D sighed.

"You." Tantalus spoke, pointing towards Annabeth, "I know you, too. You're the one who opened the irises message into my private quarters."

"You mean Chiron's office?" Annabeth corrected.

"You mean my office." Tantalus corrected.

"See, Tantalus here is the new activities director," Mr D informed, "As decreed by Zeus himself, who also booted ponyboy on account of the fact that's he's the son... of Kronos."

Bunch of 'what's' escaped Percy's lips as he just stood there in shock.

"I'm sorry, did you not know that?" Mr D asked, looking at Percy.

"No, I..." Percy stammered, looking back at Mr. D, "It's just that's a stupid reason."

"Oh."

"Zeus is also a son of Kronos. Why doesn't he just boot himself--"

Percy was cut off by Annabeth.

Mr D took a deep breath, "Okay. Look Peter. We all know that last year you did something cool. Honestly, I don't even remember what it was. But because you did, I'm gonna let you know that the danger the camp is under is greater than you can possibly imagine." Mr D spoke before he began to storm away, with Tantalus following along.

"See, Tantalus had the delicious idea to revive the chariot races as this year's camp-wide competition." Mr D spoke, pointing towards a figure model of the camp, and specifically towards where the chariot races would be held.

"This latest attack, though, threatens to throw our entire schedule completely off." Mr D continued.

"No, I don't think we need to postpone, Lord Dionysus." Tantalus spoke.

"Oh? Really?" Dionysus spoke as he took a bucket of popcorn and began eating it.

Tantalus just stared at the popcorn, "Oh. Sorry." Dionysus apologised, still eating more.

"I mean, do you really believe these stories of rogue demigods leading monsters?" Tantalus asked, gesturing towards Annabeth and Percy.

"Or is this just your basic seasonal attack with the most damage done to camp morale, which the chariot race could help restore?"

"Are you serious right now?" Percy asked, looking at Tantalus.

"We need a quest to heal Thalia's tree." Annabeth retorted.

"Heal the tree," Tantalus repeated, "How?"

"Yeah. How?" Dionysus repeated.

"Give us a quest." Percy demanded. Looking up at the two men.

"I don't think I like your tone." Tantalus warned.

"I don't care," Percy retorted, "Luke was here and he knew what he was doing. If the tree falls, the barrier falls, and camp will be open to any attack. To every attack!"

"Guards!" Tantalus called out, Tantalus began to speak again, "The only demigod-monster alliance I've seen today is between you and your Cyclops brother, so why don't you go join him in cabin confinement immediately?" Tantalus asked as the guards began to hold Percy.

Tantalus then turned to Annabeth, "I also found your tone a little harsh," He observed the short girl, "something you'd like to add?"

"No." Annabeth responded.

And here Percy was, walking back to his cabin with two guards following behind him. Percy looked around, taking in every laughter, every stare and whatnot.

He walked over to his cabin, pushing the doors as the guards began to walk away.

After a conversation with Tyson, the door knocked, and it revealed to be Erika, "So, that sucked." She said, looking at the boy.

"Do you want to talk?" Percy asked.

"Actually.... do you want to walk?" Erika asked, looking at Percy.

"Uhm...."

"Come on, you're already in trouble, what are they doing to do?" Erika asked, looking up at Percy.

"No, it's just.... Tyson's a little..." Percy spoke as he stepped out of his cabin, looking at Erika, "I'm kinda talking to him right now, why don't you come in?"

"No, it's fine."

"It's fine, come on."

"No..... I was gonna check the damage to Thalia's tree." Erika spoke, crossing her arms as she looked at the boy, she stepped back a bit, almost about to walk away.

"Why did you ghost me?" Percy asked, making her pause and freeze. His tone no longer had calmness in it, almost like he was genuinely hurt.

"What?" Erika asked, turning to look back at him.

"You... you ghosted me. You didn't answer to most of my letters, you stopped attending Iris calls, what happened?"

"It's complicated." Erika let out a breathy sigh, her arms still crossed as she looked up at him.

"Yeah, but why didn't you reach out?" Percy asked, looking back at the girl.

"That's what I'm trying to do now." Erika answered.

Percy stayed silent for a moment, "Give me two minutes." He said.

Erika just stayed silent, "Don't worry about it, just sleep." She spat as she turned around and began to storm away.

"She's right, y'know?" Tyson began to say, already tucked in his bed, "You should sleep. In the streets, you can't because the monsters will know. It was a sphinx who told me."

"That your moms a naiad?" Percy asked, referring to their conversation earlier.

"On the seventy-seventh street. Big bully. He said that my mom was a naiad. And my dad was one of the gods. I just thought he was tricking me." Tyson continued.

Percy took a deep breath as he asked, "Monsters come after you a lot.... out there?"

Tyson didn't say anything other than, "Sleep's good. It means you're safe. And I think we'll get good sleep here."

Meanwhile with Erika, she was in her cabin, half awake, maybe being claimed by Hecate was more of like a curse than it was cool.

Tantalus was now beginning to make a cabin for people who were mixed, as if they had a parent who was a god, and then a grandparent who was another god. Erika was being treated like a monster in her own home.

She was currently packing her bag, ready to move into her own cabin. Not exactly happy with it, as she was already used to staying with Clarisse, and now her new brother, Aaron, who seemed to more okay with being called Noah.

Noah, he was joking around with Erika as he was just done shifting all of her things to her very own new cabin, because according to Tantalus, she was a freak with two godly relatives.

And unfortunately, since Percy's cabin was right across from Erika's, now, he could basically see everything. And honestly, he wasn't really fond of Noah... yet.