𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 ⁽ᵖᵉʳᶜʸ ʲᵃᶜᵏˢᵒⁿ ˣ ᵒᶜ⁾

𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝.

PERCY

PERCY WANTED TO MURDER TANTALUS FOR THE way he spoke to Lana. He wanted to grab Riptide and swing mercilessly at their new activities director. He wanted to take a bat and beat him like a pinata.

No one ever treated or made Lana feel like scum. And if they did, the son of Poseidon wanted to make sure they never would again.

He took a threatening step forward, but Lana grasped his arm tightly and pulled him back. He twisted his head to look back at her and the expression on her face broke his heart into two. She looked so upset and so dejected, that all of his anger disappeared in seconds.

She lightly shook her head and his muscles relaxed the slightest bit. As much as he wanted Tantalus to be dead, he knew that she was stopping him from doing the wrong thing.

"Since you are so deeply devoted to her, Percy Jackson, you can suffer the same consequences as her." The shriveled thing said to him. He could feel his blood boil in rage.

"No, that's not fair. Percy didn't do anything. This is my fault and my fault alone." Lana said bravely, keeping her head held high.

Percy was so immensely proud of her for not taking shit from the asshole in front of them.

"I don't care." He smiled sinisterly. "He has been causing trouble for the camp as well. Both of you are lucky enough to still be welcomed here."

"I said no -"

"No, he's right." Percy interjected her. She looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "I'm not going to turn my back on you, not now. We're sticking together and if that means I have to be treated like shit, then so be it."

Tantalus seemed impressed by his words. "See? The boy doesn't object. I'll take pity on you and sentence the both of you to kitchen patrol. Scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen with the clean harpies."

Percy thought it wasn't that bad and was relieved that their first task was something relatively easy. As he went to celebrate this with Lana, a look of horror struck her face.

"I suggest you begin now." Tantalus sneered. "Chop, chop."

—

As much as Percy loved Lana, he didn't love the work that the both of them had to endure.

The harpies washed with lava instead of water, to get that extra-clean sparkle and kill ninety-nine point nine percent of all germs, so Lana and him had to wear asbestos gloves and aprons.

The couple had to suffer through hours of hot, dangerous work, especially since there were tons of extra plates. Tantalus had ordered a special luncheon banquet to celebrate Clarisse's chariot victory—a full-course meal featuring country-fried Stymphalian death-bird.