Chapter Text
One thing Percy didn't account for when he made sure Thalia got safely to camp was her tree. The camp he knew was always safe because of Thalia dying on that hill. Her death made camp the safe place he knew it to be. He was glad he saved her, but he wasn't sure how to protect the camp now. The older campers, ones he didn't know from before, had kept the edges of camp guarded before the tree, and while he worked on making changes he let them keep that plan. Now though the last cabin, that they had children waiting for, was built, and the last minor gods child was out of the unclaimed cabin he looked at the issue. He needed camp to be safe before more of the campers got hurt. The whole point of going back was to save as many life's as he could, so they needed a different border. Going to the Hecate cabin he was pretty sure he had a plan that would work, but it was vague and depended heavily on them.
The camper who answered the door was happy to see him. They had been in the unclaimed cabin for quite a while waiting for this one to be finished and had loved the bed time stories Percy read. They jumped at the chance to help him. When he explained that he was sure there was a spell that could protect camp they nodded promising to look, and if that failed they would ask their mother for help. She came by the cabin often these days to make sure the children didn't do anything too bad while learning their magic. She didn't want them doing anything they could undo, or getting stuff in a different form or something. Percy thanked them leaving with a promise to come back later that day to read for them.
He was being asked to read by a lot of the campers these days. He found himself making rounds to most of the cabins before bed time to read them a story. At first he was just rereading the stories Annabeth brought with her, but some of the older Hermes campers snuck out to get him more books. At this point every cabin had a small shelf filled with bed time stories. If Percy for some reason couldn't make it to a cabin to read he heard the cabin leaders were reading the stories in his place.
A week later they found a spell that could make a border around camp to keep everyone safe, but they needed a sacrifice. Percy went to Chiron who said he would let a camper leave to find one. Thalia jumped at the chance to prove herself, and agreed to take Luke and Annabeth with her when they asked her. Percy helped them pack, and they set off. Luke packed enough medical items that the Apollo cabin jokingly said he should have been in their cabin. Thalia packed enough arrows to take on an army, and Annabeth remembered food for them all. They came back a week later with deer the size of a minivan. Hurt but not dead. The border was up that night, and the camp rejoiced in their new found safety.
Children were being claimed faster than Percy had ever seen, and there always seemed to be a minor god or goddess walking around camp. The main twelve tended to not show up as much, but made sure to stop in once a week or so. Other than Zeus of course. Poseidon told Percy in his letters that Zeus was getting angry at the lack of control he seemed to have now.
Their plan of opening the floor to gods other than the twelve had worked wonders. Hestia had been the first speaking about her days around the camp fire watching as the campers grow more upset, and Mr. D was quick to back her. Hating that he was so close to the campers and could do nothing but pretend to not care. They talked of the change one single act brought. A god agreeing to help a campers family member. A god listening to their ideas and letting them go wild. Hermes had voiced how nice it was to run into his daughter while picking up a package, and how much he wanted to see his other children. The children's belief was what kept them alive after all. The least they could do was talk to them. Then gods other than the twelve agreed. Said they wanted to see their children, and the temples that had been built for them. When it was put to a vote Zeus had been out voted. Percy wished he could have seen his face when it happened.
Percy had written a letter to Lupa asking about telling the camps about each other, but she had yet to reply. He didn't want a war to start, but he was pretty close to just walking over and knocking on their door. There was of course the problem of the gods getting split, and he had no plan on how to stop that, but Thalia should get to know her brother. He was writing another letter when there was a knock on his cabins door.
Opening it he saw Chiron with a young Katie. Chiron was explaining how she would stay here until she was claimed and moved into her parents cabin. Percy lend against the doorframe waiting for Chiron to finish telling her everything. When Chiron gave her a light push toward the door of the cabin Percy stopped him.
"She doesn't belong here. She belongs in the Demeter cabin." Percy said pointing to the cabin in question. He could see Chiron about to disagree when Katie was claimed. A daughter of Demeter. Just like Percy knew she was. They both looked at Percy in awe before Percy shrugged and went back to writing his letter. He knew where she was meant to be why should she stay in the unclaimed cabin.
The next day in sword training Percy handed Katie the weapon he knew she would be best at and sent her on her way. Thalia had smiled when she heard about the way Percy sent Katie to the right cabin before she was claimed, and Percy just knew she was going to start some new rumor that would confuse everyone. Maybe a demititian of Prometheus this time. He wasn't sure how she would spin that one, but she was having fun messing with everyone. Who was he to spoil her fun?
Over the next three years the campers Percy knew slowly started coming to camp. Each time he said who their parent was before they even stepped into his cabin. The only campers who entered his cabin were the ones who were unclaimed in his own time, but even they were claimed in a few days. Lupa had yet to answer his letters, and he had yet to stop sending them.
Luke took over the Hermes cabin when his older sister went off to collage. He spent his days taking care of his siblings and learning more healing. Thalia trained day in and day out if they weren't able to stop her aging she would be ready for war. Annabeth seemed to had changed the most from his time.
She didn't have the need to prove her worth. She seemed happy to grow up surrounded by a family that loved her, and always made sure she knew it. She was always getting roped into making small temples, or art, or whatever else the campers needed help with. The Apollo cabin had her help make a better stretcher after one too many broke getting campers off the field during capture the flag. One of the Hephaestus campers had her draw a design to make, because they loved building but couldn't draw a plan for sh*t. There were things she helped make all over camp. You couldn't look anywhere without seeing her touch. He hoped his Annabeth was proud of her younger self. He sure was.
