That was an exciting week, wasn't it? Of course, I'm going to spare you the details, as you already know them. Mom and I, Medusa had recently left to find an actual job somewhere, not that she really needed one, were currently in the kitchen, talking about my schooling future.
"Percy, I really don't want you to drop out of school, not even if Einstein himself was one of your teachers down in hell. I'm not letting you repeat what happened to me."
Her tone was resolute, and there was a slight frown on her brows.
"But Mom, I never said I would drop out. I can send a copy there. That copy will then share everything that happened and what it learned with me. If it learned how to calculate the circumference of the planet, so will I. If it learned a new language, then I will know it too. I don't feel like it's necessary for me to go there in person, not anymore."
"But what about friends, Percy? I don't want you to isolate yourself just because you're a demigod."
You could feel the discussion heating up, though the only thing keeping it calm was the warm tea and the cozy autumn atmosphere. Autumn Spirit for the win, baby.
"Mom, I already have enough friends for me. And school isn't even the only thing I'll be busy with, to be honest. Remember the Lotus Eaters I came across?"
"Yes, honey, I do. But what do they have to do with you not going to school?"
"Well, that hotel has a lot of demigods trapped inside. Not to mention the necessary management of the building."
"Percy. Why did you bring up management? Are those Lotus Eaters no longer in charge?"
"Well… to be frank…" I chuckled for a few seconds, "…it's more like they're dead and not returning anytime soon."
"So you killed all of the Lotus Eaters? Why?"
"Remember those nightmares, Mom?"
"Don't tell me…" Her face paled a little. Last week, I had already told her about most of those nightmares — not in detail and definitely not including most of their locations — but I certainly hadn't skipped the hotel. That alone was enough for her to connect the dots, and, well, here we are.
"Yeah. They're not going anywhere."
"What did you do to them, Percy? And don't say 'nothing.' I know your father and his temper. And I know you well enough to know you have some of it too, son. So what did you do?"
"Well, let's just say at least six of them are… very unhappy with their situation. If the others were lucky, they're dead. If not — welcome to the family, I guess."
"Percy, what did you do? And stop avoiding the actual question."
"…I turned them into chimera. Then gave them enough free will to act in their own preferred way. The hotel is currently run by some people I apparently rule over now, and we're expanding the hotel's range of operation. I'd like to see how they're doing."
Mom was… definitely not amused. "So tell me, Percy. Why do you keep so many secrets? There is no need. Why do you need to train? And what war are you talking about?"
Ouch. Disappointed eyes and a tone of sadness in her voice — the weapon that could make even gods cave in. Also, maybe I should have kept the "rule over" part to myself, maybe.
"I just want to visit Charlie and help her with her own hotel. Maybe use some of the stuff I can do and train a little more…"
"And the ruling over part, Percy?"
"Some shenenigans in the sea of monsters. I was apparently prophecised to be their ruler. I've got nothing against it. More people outside of the awareness of Kronos. More people able to prepare with me for the coming war."
"There it is. That is the actual reason you want to go, isn't it?"
I… I did know that. The near future, at least regarding the Greek pantheon, wouldn't be much of a problem — even if I didn't want to adjust a few fates along the way. But the Battle for Olympus, that's where a lot of change would occur. Even if just two percent of events up until that point changed slightly, the battle itself could be entirely different, and I needed to prepare for it.
Then, of course, there was the problem with Heatwave — the organization trying to conquer Autumn. I didn't need to see the future to know there would be conflict.
"So tell me, Percy — why do you need so many secrets, and why do you need to train and what war do you mean?"
"I know the future, at least to some limit. Anything after the next four years is blurry at best — too far into the future. But even that is enough for me to know that bad stuff will happen and stronger enemies will appear. For me, knowing who dies and how is important, so that I have enough power and training to prevent unnecessary deaths. A second Titan War will start soon as well; Kronos is already beginning to gather allies. I know that victory is highly likely, but I am not the same Percy Jackson as the one that was supposed to exist here…"
"There is no other Percy — you are my son, regardless of what you think."
"I didn't mean I wasn't, Mom. But there are different timelines and versions of Percy Jackson. The version that won in the original timeline was vastly different from me. That's what I meant. While he wasn't "destined" to win, it was more or less meant to be. At least the prophecy, which exists here too, wasn't about whether he would win or not, but about what he would decide to do. That decision determined victory or loss. I can't allow any wild variables beyond a manageable level, and I've already thrown some major events out of the window — like Annabeth and my friendship, not to mention the matter of my own "race", which will only get more complicated the longer I live. My power level, and that of Percy, is already extremely different. By now, I could probably pick up the Minotaur and throw him a good distance without breaking a sweat. That's something the original never could — or at least never did. Not while he was twelve, like me."
"But wouldn't that mean the future is almost guarantied to be safe?" asked my mother.
"No. As of right now, I know that the future is highly fluctuating. Everything will be decided depending on the changes that I am going to make. One thing is for sure however. I am going to fight against the forces of the Titans. But besides that, my allies and enemies are subject to constant change. One of the possibilities is even only me, completely alone. I need to prepare for that exact scenario. Only once I am sure of my own survival, will I begin preparing for the arming and active training of allies. So no. The future isn't guarantied to be safe, only unstable. During the now and what will be, a lot of things can happen."
My conversation with Mom was mostly over after we discussed the entire thing further. Then she had asked me, if I was going to continue telling her about my nightmares and such. Of course I was going to, at least if they weren't to close to home…..meaning about her. Gods, I pray that day never comes.
Then we began to talk about a few more things I hadn't had the chance to tell her about. I explained the Home-Dimension to her, told her of the nature of spirits, including Halloween-Spirits (when I told her I had killed the Boogyman, she just stared at me like I was insane. Which I might be or was going to be if the nightmares were going to get worse….). The more I told her, the more worried she became. That was until I mentioned I somehow got ownership of a villa in Norway on its north-west coast. She was curious if we would be able to go there sometime, but realised we couldn't really fly there, thanks to the grouch in the sky. But no-one said anything about a "technically" grounded train traveling over the sea at unprecedented speeds….
If I got the chance to check in on the building before next summer, I would be sure to do so. Maybe take a small break before continuing to weave my web for the next war to come…..