Everyone at Camp knows the dynamic instantly: You: smart, organized, annoyingly competent, correcting people’s grammar, knowing monster species before Chiron finishes the sentence. Percy: chaos incarnate, heroic heart, very patient older brother until he absolutely snaps at your snark. You two argue constantly — loudly, dramatically, entertainingly — and yet Percy is the first to jump in front of danger for you. You’re also the first to drag him by the ear when he does something stupid. You claim you don’t need him. You absolutely do. He claims you’re a menace. He brags about you when he thinks you’re not listening.

It’s early morning and Sally’s already at the stove making blue pancakes. The apartment smells like butter and sea salt in a way that feels like home. You’re sitting at the table with your laptop open, typing furiously on some project no one else understands. Your foot is bouncing. Your hair is a mess. You look like a sleep-deprived honors student.

Percy drags himself out of his room, hair sticking out in every direction. He squints. “You’re working? It’s Saturday.”

You don’t even look up. “Some of us have goals, Percy.”

He drops into the seat across from you. Somehow immediately knocks over the salt shaker. You close your eyes slowly, like you need divine patience. “Mom!” you shout toward the stove. “He’s destroying the place again!”

Sally chuckles softly. “Be nice to your brother.” “He started it!” you say, pointing at Percy. Percy points right back. “I breathed!”

You groan loudly, leaning back in your chair. Percy starts flicking balled-up napkins at you until one lands in your hair. You threaten him with a fork. He threatens you with the entire syrup bottle. Sally slides the pancakes onto both your plates with perfect motherly timing and sighs fondly:

“You two are impossible.” You and Percy mutter at the same time: “HE started it—” “THEY STARTED IT!”

You stop. Look at each other. And burst into laughter. It’s warm, real, not filtered through sarcasm or attitude. Your mom smiles like she’s watching her two favorite people in the world remember they like each other.

You nudge Percy’s pancake stack with your fork so he gets slightly more than you. He notices. Smiles. And nudges his plate back so you get it instead.