Percy Jackson: The Next Generation

Prologue

Nina

Nina Esperanza Valdez is confident, at least on the outside.

On the inside, she's a nervous ball of anxiety and nervousness. She overthinks almost every single interaction she has, wonders if her machine is good enough, and sees to it that no one finds out how she really feels.

Everyone thought that she knew for sure what her sexuality is in the second grade, but she didn't. She came out to her parents a week after she was sure she was bisexual, and that took a few years.

Noah thinks that she just waited until she knew that Leo and Calypso would be open to it, but she knew that they weren't homophobic long before she came out.

Wearing a mask of confidence every day is hard, but she does it because she knows that people have so much more to worry about than her. They shouldn't have to add her onto their already full plate.

It was fine, she could get through it. Nina is strong.

Then why is this so hard?

Noah

Noah Jason Valdez was confusing himself.

He was never sure of himself like his sister is. Tartarus, he didn't even know his sexuality. Nina knew the second she met her first crush, Bonnibel, in the second grade at school. That passed quickly, but for a week that's all she would talk about. A few years later, she called a family meeting and while they were all waiting for her to show up, she burst from the closet covered with bisexual flags on shirts, hats, scarves, EVERYTHING.

Of course, the first thing Leo said was, "Hi bisexual, I'm Dad," to which Calypso swatted him and hugged Nina.

And Noah had just stood there, jealous. Not of the attention their parents were giving her, but of how goddamn CERTAIN she was.

So why could he not tell her? She could definitely help, she had experience.

He would, he decided, during summer. He would find the perfect time and he would tell her he was questioning, and she would help.

Right?

Alexander

Alex Leo McLean-Grace was not good at showing people his art.

The only people he did show were his sisters, and that was it. Ellie suggested showing it to Leah, and he knew why, so he shut that down. Bree smiled and told him that it was amazing, but he wasn't sure if she was lying.

So this summer he was going to get better to the point of finally being confident enough in his art to show people. Camp Half-Blood was filled to the brim with scenery, people, and interesting weapons.

Not to mention Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the best artist he had ever met and would be his mentor.

He hoped. She was really nice, but what if she considered his work a lost cause?

She wouldn't do that, right?

Bree

Bree Thalia McLean-Grace was no coward.

She faced almost all her problems head-on and was not ashamed of her choices and what she chooses to do.

Almost.

She had accepted a long time ago that she wasn't straight, and was in fact the opposite, but how the fuck do you come out? Everything could go wrong. What if they didn't accept her? What if it made everything different? What if she accidentally used charmspeak to make them accept her and it wasn't real?