The Darkness Is Coming

Family Bonding

Percy POV

"So what am I calling you?" I asked Percie when I walked into our shared room.

She looked up in surprise, flicking a strand of hair out of her face. "I've decided on Alessa."

"Protector of humanity, right?"

"Yes." She smiled.

"Good.... How are you feeling?"

"Much better, honestly." Alessa sighed softly. "But I'm so tired."

"I'd imagine, after that battle."

"You saw some of it? How?"

"Morpheus."

She frowned, but didn't ask.

I sat down, losing myself in what Wisteria had told me earlier. I almost missed Alessa's next question.

"Can you get me out of here?"

"What do you mean?" I looked up at her.

"I want to get out. Off of Olympus. I'm tired of being cooped up in here, and feeling every time a god who doesn't like me passes the door. I just want to leave, try to live some sort of normal life."

"Well.... Technically you're a daughter of Poseidon now.... I could take you to camp."

"They won't want me there." She sighed.

"Unless they don't recognize you." I pointed out. "Did they ever actually see you?"

Alessa bit her lip, thinking. "No...."

"And we could go even farther by changing your appearance. I'm sure we might even be able to convince one of the gods to foster you until this all blows over and I can be there to help you through things."

She nodded quietly, smiling softly. "Thank you, Percy. For everything."

"Thank Piper. She's the one who convinced everyone to give you a second chance." I smiled back at her. "Lets go find Hecate and Apollo."

"Hecate and Apollo? Wouldn't we need to find Aphrodite?"

"See, I'm hoping to knock out the appearance change and parentage switch in one go. Hecate can do the appearance, as well as lay some Mist over you when you cross the border so that Apollo's sign shows above you to the first people that find you.

"We'd just need to ask him for permission, which is why we need to find him." I explained.

Alessa nodded and stood up.

We headed for the throne room first. It was the easiest place to find a god or goddess, and if there was an Olympian there they could always send for Apollo and Hecate mentally.

As it turned out, Dad was there.

"Percy! Percie...." He faltered when he said her name.

"Alessa." She corrected meekly, looking at her feet. "I'm going by Alessa now."

Poseidon nodded slowly. "Alessa then. What are you two doing in here?"

"We're looking for Apollo and Hecate. Hopefully they're going to help Alessa get a somewhat normal start at camp."

Poseidon nodded again. "I could contact them, if you'd like."

I smiled. "That'd be great, Dad. Thanks."

He nodded and looked off away from us for a moment. "They should be here shortly."

"Thank you, Lord Poseidon." Alessa said softly.

He looked at her with a somewhat stricken expression and walked over to her.

Alessa kept her gaze down respectfully until she was pulled into a hug by the god of the sea.

"Alessa, dear, I am your father." Poseidon said quietly. "Please feel free to call me whatever you'd like."

Alessa smiled softly and looked up at him. "Okay.... Dad."

He smiled back at her and hugged her again.

I watched with a smile of my own. Now that we'd gotten past the whole 'I'm crazy and I'm going to destroy everything' deal, it was cool to have a full-blooded sister. One who was a demigod and everything.

"Sorry to interrupt the family meeting." Hecate had arrived.

"But everyone's favorite cousin just got here." Apollo commented as he walked in after her, grinning in his irritatingly bright way.

Alessa pulled away from Poseidon to give Apollo a rather scathing once-over. "Favorite cousin? Hardly."

I couldn't hold back the burst of laughter as Apollo's face twisted into an expression of exaggerated bewilderment and hurt. Poseidon roared with laughter. Even Hecate chuckled softly.

Once he'd calmed down, Poseidon ruffled Alessa's hair with a smile. "Good one, kiddo. I've got to get going, but pray to me at camp and we can talk any time you want."

"Thanks Dad." She smiled.

He nodded and gave her a quick hug, then gave me one as well before walking out of the throne room.

"Okay, so what are we doing?" Hecate asked once he'd left. "Disguising you, correct?" The question was directed at Alessa.

She nodded quickly. "So I can go to camp and maybe avoid some attention."

"And why me?" Apollo asked.

"We were hoping you'd be her foster father for a bit." I explained. "So she can get used to camp without loads of judgement raining down on her."

He nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"Are you both willing to help?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course!"

"Yes."

"Great! Hecate, you're the only one who needs to perform any magic. We just needed Apollo's permission."

The goddess of magic nodded and eyed my sister for a moment. "Lets get started then, shall we?"