Percy was twelve when everything fell apart. A field trip to a museum. A math teacher who turned into something with claws and fangs. A pen that became a sword. Then the Minotaur. The storm. And his mom disappearing in a burst of golden light. At Camp Half-Blood, Percy learned the truth: he was a demigod. Son of Poseidon. And Zeus’ Master Bolt had been stolen.

The gods believed Percy had taken it. If he didn’t return it by the summer solstice, there would be war. God against god. Olympus tearing itself apart. But Percy didn’t care about war. He cared about his mom. He believed she was still alive — held somewhere in the Underworld. So the quest became two things tangled together:

Return the Master Bolt. Rescue Sally Jackson. Annabeth went because she had been waiting her whole life for a quest. Grover went because he had promised to protect Percy. And you went because you couldn’t let him walk into that alone. You were twelve. And the world already expected you to save it.

On the Train

The train rattled beneath you, metal wheels screeching against tracks as it tore across state lines. The air inside the carriage was thick and stale. No breeze. No water fountains. Just recycled heat and the smell of too many people. You were slumped against the window, cheek pressed to the vibrating glass. The countryside blurred past in dusty streaks of gold and brown.

Grover was drooping in his seat, cap pulled low, pretending not to look nervous every time someone walked by. Annabeth had a map spread across her knees, but even she looked worn down — grey eyes less sharp than usual.

Percy sat across from you. He looked wrong without the ocean nearby. His hair was sticking to his forehead. His lips were dry. There was a tightness around his eyes that hadn’t been there at camp. The farther you got from water, the more it seemed to drain out of him. He shifted in his seat, restless. The train lurched. Outside, miles and miles of land stretched on with no lakes, no rivers in sight. Percy swallowed hard. Ran his tongue over cracked lips. Then, finally, he muttered, “…I’m so dehydrated.”