Percy sat on the edge of the lake pier, watching the ripples in the water as he spun Riptide between his fingers.
The morning sun reflected on the waves, and the sound of campers training in the distance created a familiar backdrop.
Five months.
Five months without any sign of Ikki.
He clicked his tongue, staring at the water. Anyone would think he'd be freaking out. Ikki had disappeared before, for a whole year, no warning, no clues, nothing. But the truth?
He trusted him.
Completely.
It hadn't been easy to get to this point. Before, the idea of losing a friend would make him act impulsively, but Ikki always came back. And, more importantly, he always had a reason.
Still...
"Thinking out loud again, Seaweed Brain?"
The voice came from behind, and Percy didn't even have to turn to know who it was.
"Don't be ridiculous. My thoughts are super quiet," he replied, raising an eyebrow when Annabeth sat down beside him.
She snorted, but didn't retort. Which was rare.
For a moment, they just watched the lake together.
Then, Annabeth sighed. "Five months."
Percy looked at her.
He knew that tone.
"Annabeth..."
"I know," she cut him off before he could say anything. "I know he's fine. I know he comes back when he wants. But that doesn't mean I like it."
Percy hesitated, then decided to be honest. "You miss him."
She pressed her lips together, looking away. "Not just that. I..."
She didn't finish the sentence, but she didn't need to.
Percy knew.
It was obvious. Annabeth was never one to open up about feelings, but when it came to Ikki, she was different. More closed off, more pensive. And, by the way her fingers were gripping her knee, he knew something else was bothering her.
Trying not to focus too much on it, Percy thought about how everything had changed.
Things had changed.
A lot.
Five months ago, Ikki—no, he needed to start getting used to this—Ikki disappeared after doing something no one expected. He simply left a gift for all the campers before leaving.
[Warrior's Blessing.]
That's what everyone called it.
His overpowered magic (because, seriously, Percy didn't know how else to define it) had boosted the demigods to a level that seemed straight out of a video game.
And not a normal one, but those completely unbalanced ones where you pressed a button and destroyed everything on the screen.
Demigods were now absurdly strong. Before, an experienced camper was already a force to be reckoned with, but now? Now, even the newbies had enough strength to knock down buildings, run faster than the speed of sound, and wreak havoc that previously only seemed possible for the gods themselves.
Percy, in particular, gained an ability he found incredibly cool. He could alter his weight to the point of being comparable to an entire ocean. That meant, if he punched the ground with full force, he could sink an island. If he kicked something hard enough, he could knock down mountains.
Yes, definitely an overpowered video game character.
"This kind of doesn't make sense..." he murmured to himself.
"What doesn't make sense?" Annabeth asked, without taking her eyes off the lake.
Percy blinked. Damn, did I say that out loud?
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how overpowered everyone got after Ikki left."
Annabeth snorted.
"That doesn't make sense to you? Percy, we're living in a camp where children of Greek gods learn to fight mythological monsters. And this only seems strange now?"
He opened his mouth to retort, but stopped.
"...Point taken."
It was funny to think that, not long ago, campers could barely hold off a cyclops on their own. Now? Well, they could devastate entire cities without breaking a sweat. And the scariest part?
No one seemed to find it strange.
The camp adapted so quickly to the new abilities that no one stopped to question how insane it all was.
The gods' cabins were also new. Before, only the Olympians had their own cabins, and the children of the minor gods had to squeeze in wherever they could. But now, every god had their own space. Even obscure gods, like Nemesis or Hecate, had a cabin for their children.
This greatly improved the overall mood of the campers. It was amazing what a little divine recognition could do. Now, most demigods had better relationships with their parents. It wasn't so common anymore to find a camper with resentment or parental abandonment.
Well... there were still some cases, of course. But seeing Greek gods regularly visiting the camp was something Percy never imagined would happen.
And speaking of visits...
"Remember that time Ares showed up out of nowhere and decided to 'teach' us in the arena?" Percy asked, looking at Annabeth.
She finally took her eyes off the lake to look at him.
"Remember? How could I forget?" Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You got massacred..."
"Hey!" Percy pointed a finger at her. "I survived. That's a victory in my book..."
Annabeth crossed her arms, giving him that annoyingly smug smile of hers.
"He broke three of your ribs and threw you out of the arena."
"Details."
"Directly into the lake."
"...He clearly cheated."
Annabeth laughed, and Percy rolled his eyes. Okay, fine, maybe he was a little bit at fault for underestimating the god of war. But, seriously, who expected Ares to suddenly appear at camp and challenge everyone to duels?
After Ikki disappeared, no one really knew how their new abilities compared to a real god. But Ares decided to test that personally.
And, well...
At the end of that day, half the campers had broken bones and the other half were busy teasing Percy for getting beaten so badly.
"One day I'll beat him..." Percy muttered, still feeling his wounded pride.
Annabeth patted his shoulder, clearly amused.
"Sure, Seaweed Brain. Sure."
Percy sighed and looked back at the lake.
What would Ikki be doing now?
And, perhaps more importantly...
When would he be back?
Before he could ask Annabeth anything, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the direction of the cabins.
"Percy!"
He turned in time to see Bianca and Nico di Angelo approaching. Nico was right behind his sister, looking less gloomy than usual, which meant he only looked slightly moody, instead of completely taciturn.
"You were here," Bianca commented, crossing her arms.
Percy blinked. "Yes? Were we supposed to be somewhere else?"
She sighed, as if he were an idiot. "You know what we're talking about."
Annabeth snorted. "If it's about Ikki, then yes, we know. And no, we have no news."
Bianca frowned, disappointed. "Five months."
"Yes, we've noticed," Percy said, raising his hands. "But seriously, relax. He's Ikki. He'll be back."
Nico kicked a stone on the ground.
"I know that..." he muttered, and Percy realized the boy didn't seem angry - just frustrated.
Bianca sighed. "I just wish I knew where he was."
"If he wanted us to know, he would have said something," Annabeth retorted, still looking at the lake.
Percy stretched. "Exactly. Besides, if there's anyone who can take care of himself, it's Ikki."
Bianca grimaced, but didn't argue.
Nico was silent for a moment before muttering, "He could at least send a sign. Something. This disappearing without explanation is annoying."
Percy shrugged. "It's his way."
"Indeed," Annabeth murmured, almost to herself.
They stood there for a while longer, just watching the lake. None of them were exactly worried - Ikki always came back. But that didn't mean his absence wasn't felt.
Percy sighed and threw himself back, lying on the pier. "He should come back soon. It's been a while since I've seen anyone call me Seaweed Brain with such conviction."
Annabeth rolled her eyes, but couldn't help a small smile.
Nico crossed his arms. "When he gets back, I'm going to punch him."
Bianca raised an eyebrow. "You?"
Nico looked away. "Maybe."
Annabeth just looked at the sky, and, for a brief second, her gaze softened.
"Come back soon, you idiot," she murmured softly, and no one dared to comment.
After a few moments of silence, Percy sighed and stood up, brushing the dust off his shirt. He took one last look at the lake, where the tranquil surface reflected the gray sky. It was strange how everything at Camp Half-Blood continued as normal, even with everything that had happened. But standing around wouldn't help anything.
"I'm going to the arena," he said.
Annabeth just nodded, and Nico and Bianca didn't try to stop him. Maybe because they knew that when he decided something, there was no point in arguing.
On the way, Percy felt his mind wander to the events of the previous day. He had arrived at camp already tired, only to be greeted by an agitated Grover, which was never a good sign. Then came the bombshell: the Council of Cloven Elders had given Grover a ridiculously short deadline to find Pan.
One week.
It was absurd. Satyrs spent centuries searching for Pan, and now they wanted Grover to perform a miracle in a few days? And if he failed? Would they revoke his searcher status? Banish him? Percy felt his blood boil just thinking about it.
He tried to push away the frustration. There was nothing he could do about it now. So, he would focus on the only thing he could control: training.
When he arrived at the arena, he realized he wasn't the only one with that idea. The place was crowded with campers wielding swords, spears, and daggers, some training against straw dummies, others dueling amongst themselves. But most of the attention was focused on the center of the arena.
Percy followed their gazes and saw the reason: Quintus, the new sword fighting instructor.
A tall, strong man with short gray hair and a face scarred by battles. He looked to be about fifty years old, but still moved with the grace and posture of an experienced warrior. His eyes were sharp and appraising, always watching the campers as if he were measuring their potential.
He wore a leather combat tunic, similar to the other instructors', but with a more worn look, as if it had seen many battles.
Quintus twirled his sword in his fingers, observing the campers around him. His appraising gaze swept over the group, lingering a second longer on Percy.
"Let's get straight to the point," he said, his deep voice echoing through the arena. "Demigods have impressive strength and powers, but the real difference between life and death is technique."
He pointed to the assembled campers.
"A strong enough enemy can nullify your powers. The wrong environment can render your abilities useless. But if you know how to fight—truly know how to fight—you will never be unarmed."
The campers exchanged glances, some crossing their arms, others murmuring amongst themselves. The idea of fighting without their powers seemed... antiquated. Percy understood. In their world, where monsters could spit fire or regenerate from a fatal wound, relying solely on a sword seemed like a stupid choice.
But he knew Quintus was right.
"So," Quintus continued, sticking the tip of his sword into the ground, "let's settle this in the most direct way possible. Who wants to test their skill against me?"
Silence spread through the arena.
Quintus raised an eyebrow. "No one?"
Percy took a deep breath.
He wasn't the type to hesitate in the face of a challenge. And, if there was one thing he had learned in the past few years, it was that he couldn't afford to back down when opportunity arose.
He stepped forward.
"I will."
The surrounding campers immediately began to murmur. Some looked surprised. Others, anxious.
Quintus, on the other hand, just tilted his head slightly.
"Interesting," he said, in a tone that was almost a compliment. "Then come. No powers. Just technique."
Percy drew Riptide and felt the familiar weight of the sword in his hand.
No powers. Just technique.
He could do this.
They positioned themselves in the center of the arena, swords raised.
Quintus made the first move.
It was fast. Really fast. His blade sliced through the air towards Percy's shoulder, but he twisted his body and deflected, blocking the blow at the last second. The vibration of the impact ran up his arm.
Quintus wasted no time. He advanced with a sequence of fluid attacks, forcing Percy to retreat as he blocked each blow with precision.
The surrounding campers held their breath.
Percy wasn't just keeping up, he was counterattacking. Each block transformed into a new strike, each dodge opened space for a lunge. He pressured Quintus, spinning his sword with refined movements. It wasn't brute force, it was pure skill.
And, to the surprise of everyone, including Percy himself, he was holding his own against the instructor.
No.
He was gaining ground.
Quintus noticed. His eyes narrowed slightly. Then, he adjusted his stance.
He stopped retreating and began to absorb the blows, deflecting them with as little movement as possible. He attacked again, forcing Percy to deflect to the side, but then spun his sword and struck from below.
Percy blocked at the last second, feeling the instructor's blade slide against his own.
The two stepped back, studying each other. Percy thought Quintus was much better than Luke at sword fighting, perhaps due to experience?
Quintus's chin lifted slightly.
"Impressive," he murmured. "Very impressive."
The campers barely breathed.
Percy rolled his shoulders.
He knew he could crush the instructor at any moment if he used his Ocean Force, the gift Ikki had given him. But this wasn't about power.
It was about skill.
He advanced.
This time, the duel accelerated. The clang of metal against metal echoed through the arena. It was like watching a true master duel, two warriors in perfect sync. Percy felt every movement, every nuance of the fight.
He noticed the change in Quintus's posture. The instructor stiffened his shoulders, adjusting his balance. A clear sign that he was starting to feel the pressure.
Now.
Percy feinted left, but spun at the last second to the right, catching Quintus off guard. His blade slipped past the instructor's defense and struck the flat of his sword, deflecting it to the side.
An opening.
Percy didn't hesitate.
He moved Riptide with absurd speed, stopping the blade a hair's breadth from Quintus's neck.
The arena fell silent.
Quintus froze, eyes fixed on the silver sword inches from his throat.
Then, he smiled.
A small smile, but laden with respect.
"I yield," he said, his deep voice cutting through the silence.
The campers erupted in shocked murmurs.
"He won!"
"Percy defeated Quintus?!"
"That's... unbelievable!"
Percy took a deep breath and lowered his sword. His heart hammered in his chest, but not from exhaustion.
From satisfaction.