Theo's new mission was clear: evade Percy Jackson at all costs. His motivation was noble (or at least, that's what he told himself): ensure the sanctity of Percabeth. His method? Pure, unadulterated, desperate avoidance.
The dining pavilion was Theo's first battlefield. He usually liked to linger over his breakfast, savoring every bite of his honey cookies. Not anymore. Now, it was a high-stakes, timed operation.
He woke up with the sun, practically sprinting to the pavilion and staking out the farthest, most obscure corner of the Hermes table.
He poured himself a bowl of suspiciously lumpy oatmeal, sacrificed a single piece of toast to the gods, and began shoveling food into his mouth at a speed that would impress a hungry Cyclops.
He risked one glance towards the Poseidon table. Empty. Good. Percy was probably still getting his food or talking to someone.
"Okay, phase one complete," Theo thought, already pushing his chair back. "Now exit stage left. Go to the woods. Go to the strawberry fields. Go anywhere that isn't here."
He stood up, plate in hand, and began walking. He kept his head low, trying to mimic the exact gait of a moving bush.
'I am a part of the scenery. I am invisible. I am merely a shadow on the floor...'
"Hey Theo! Wait up!"
Theo's soul left his body for approximately three seconds.
He didn't turn around. He increased his pace to a brisk walk.
'La la la la la, I can't hear anything. I am deaf. I am mute. I am a statue made of stone.'
"Theo! Where are you going?" The voice got closer. The sound of footsteps pounding against the earth matched his own rising panic.
Theo risked a look sideways. Percy was jogging to catch up, holding a sandwich and looking annoyingly cheerful.
'Oh gods oh gods oh gods. He is fast! Why is he so fast?! I need a distraction!'
Theo's eyes darted around wildly. He spotted a group of Apollo campers walking past carrying a stack of empty trays.
In a move that would have made Hermes himself proud, Theo suddenly veered hard to the right, cutting directly in front of them.
"Whoa! Watch it!"
"Sorry! Emergency! Important demigod business!" Theo yelled over his shoulder, weaving through the crowd like a running back in a football game.
He risked a glance back. Percy had been blocked by the line of campers.
'Yes! The wall of people! Perfect barrier!'
Theo didn't stop running until he reached the cover of the forest edge, leaving a fuming Percy standing in the middle of the walkway.
"Are you serious?!" Percy muttered, his cheerful demeanor dropping faster than a lead balloon.
He threw his hands up in exasperation as he watched the blur of motion disappear. "He moves faster than a fleeing Hermes camper. And way more dramatically."
Theo had decided that water was the safest bet. Sure, Percy controlled water, but Theo figured he wouldn't dare use his powers aggressively just to say hello.
He was currently sitting on a small, slightly muddy rock formation that jutted out into the lake, surrounded by shallow water.
It had geographical advantage. Required wading. Required effort. Percy was lazy. Therefore, Percy wouldn't come.
Theo leaned back, closing his eyes. The sun was warm, the water was cool. Peace.
'He will never come here. It's wet. It's muddy. It requires walking. He'll just stay on the grass like a normal person. I am safe. I am the King of this tiny rock.'
He felt a drop of water hit his forehead.
Then another.
Then a whole wave of tiny splashes.
Theo opened one eye.
Standing on the shore, ten meters away, was Percy Jackson. And he was snapping his fingers, causing small ripples in the water to send little splashes directly at Theo's face.
'Are you kidding me?! Are you kidding me right now?! You are the Son of Poseidon! You control the oceans! The tides! And you're using your divine heritage to splash me like a five-year-old?!'
"Hey Theo!" Percy waved cheerfully. "Nice view up there!"
'I am not up here, I am on a rock! Go away! Go swim! Go talk to fish! Leave me alone!'
Theo stood up, trying to maintain his dignity. "I'm thinking!" he shouted back. "Spiritual journey! Do not disturb!"
"Oh, cool!" Percy yelled, clearly not getting the hint. "I'll join you!"
Percy took one step forward, and instead of walking through the mud, the water literally parted in front of him, creating a dry path straight to Theo's rock.
'Cheater! That's cheating! Use of supernatural power for harassment!'
Theo's eyes went wide. The bridge of water was forming. He had seconds.
Without thinking of the consequences, Theo turned around and literally jumped off the rock, landing in the water with a massive splash. He sank, swam underwater for a few seconds, and surfaced on the other side, completely soaked.
He didn't look back. He scrambled up the opposite bank and bolted into the trees, leaving Percy standing on the now-dry path, blinking in surprise.
"...Okay then," Percy said, looking at his hands. "I guess he likes swimming?"
He watched Theo's frantic escape into the woods, a vein in his forehead twitching. "Or maybe he just really hates dry ground. This kid is impossible!" He dissolved the water bridge, splashing water back onto his own feet in frustration.
Theo was inside. Safe inside. Behind walls. Behind a closed door.
His next strategy? Fortress Mode. Lockdown. No entry.
He had barricaded the door of Hermes cabin with a trunk, two chairs, and a very confused sleeping camper.
'He cannot get in. This is sacred ground. This is my sanctuary. Even Percy Jackson cannot just barge into another cabin at night. That is against the rules. That is creepy.'
Theo was lying on his bunk, reading a book, finally relaxed.
'He's probably with Annabeth now anyway. Good. Good for them. Good for me. Everyone wins. I am alone, I am happy, I am-'
Tap tap tap.
Someone was knocking on the window.
Theo froze. Slowly, agonizingly, he turned his head towards it.
Outside, standing on the window sill looking like a very friendly, very annoying gargoyle, was Percy Jackson. He was grinning and waving.
'How?! How did you even get there?!'
Percy mouthed the words silently: 'Hey Theo! Open up!'
'No! I am asleep! I am in a coma! I do not exist!' Theo screamed internally, diving off his bed and crawling on the floor, staying below window level.
He heard the latch of the window rattle.
"Come on, man, it's cold out here!" Percy whisper-yelled. "I just wanted to give you this!" He could feel Theo's frantic internal monologue, the mental flailing barely contained. It was frustratingly amusing.
Theo peeked over the bed. Percy was holding something that looked suspiciously like a cookie. A trap! It was obviously a trap!
'I am not falling for it! I have willpower! I have dignity! ...Okay, maybe just a little willpower.'
Theo grabbed a blanket, threw it over his head, and pretended to be a pile of laundry.
"Fine, fine, I'll leave it here!" Percy said, sounding amused, though a flicker of annoyance crossed his face. "Night night, Theo!"
Footsteps scrabbling away. Then silence.
Theo waited five minutes. Then ten. He slowly stood up and walked to the window. It was closed. On the sill, there was indeed a cookie.
'He is a menace. A literal, actual menace. I need to move. I need to move to another country. Or another dimension.'
The next day, Theo was hiding behind a stack of hay bales.
He had spent the previous hour hiding in the stables, pretending to meticulously groom a pegasus that was clearly already spotless.
'If I don't move, he won't see me. Motion detectors can't see static objects. I am part of the hay. I am hay.'
He watched as Percy walked past, looking around. Theo held his breath.
'Walk past. Walk past. Keep going. Go bother the other kids. They love fighting. Go fight them.'
Percy stopped right next to the hay bale. His eyes narrowed slightly. He could hear the mental screaming from inside it. This kid was seriously trying his patience.
"Hmm," Percy said out loud, a dry tone entering his voice. "I could have sworn I saw him somewhere around here."
'I am not here. You are hallucinating. Your mind is playing tricks on you.'
Suddenly, Percy leaned back and casually rested his elbows directly on top of the hay bale where Theo was hiding.
'Oh my gods, he is literally an inch away from my head! Can he feel the vibrations of my panic?!'
"Hey," Percy said suddenly, not looking down, but talking right next to Theo's ear, his voice a low, exasperated rumble. "You know, hay is actually really itchy. And you're starting to smell like a very small farm animal."
Theo exhaled sharply in shock.
Busted.
Without saying a word, Theo scrambled up the other side of the hay bale, vaulted over it, and sprinted in the opposite direction, leaving Percy laughing behind him, though there was a slightly wild, frustrated edge to the sound.
"See you later, Theo!" Percy yelled, running a hand through his hair. "You can run, but you can't hide forever!"
"Go away, Jackson!" Theo screamed back, his voice already fading into the distance.
Result of the Evasion Attempts?
Theo was starting to realize that avoiding Percy Jackson was mathematically impossible. It was like trying to avoid gravity.
And Percy was starting to realize that while his patience was wearing thin, his determination was only growing stronger. This kid was going to talk to him, one way or another.
The game of cat and mouse lasted for a week, but everything has its breaking point.
Theo was exhausted. His lungs burned, his legs felt like jelly, and he was pretty sure he had grass stains in places grass stains shouldn't be.
He had his last trump card to use.
He was standing at the very edge of the water, the waves lapping at his sandals. There was nowhere left to go. Behind him was the endless sea. In front of him, walking slowly, deliberately, was Percy Jackson.
Percy had stopped running. He didn't need to. He knew he had cornered his prey.
Theo backed up until the water was up to his ankles.
"Stay back," Theo warned, pointing a finger, his voice rough and defensive. "I mean it, Percy. Just stay back. Go away."
'I... I will swim to Atlantis. I will go live with the fish. I will become a mermaid!'
Percy stopped a few feet away. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't teasing. His jaw was tight, his hands were clenched into fists at his sides.
The wind blew his dark hair across his face, and his eyes were as dark and deep as the ocean behind Theo.
He was vibrating with anger, but he was forcing himself to stay calm. He was taking deep breaths, trying not to explode.
"No," Percy said. His voice was low, controlled, and cutting through the sound of the crashing waves. "I'm not leaving. Not until you tell me why. Stop. Just stop running. Please."
"I am telling you!" Theo snapped, the frustration finally boiling over. "I'm telling you to leave me alone! What part of that don't you understand?! Is it in Ancient Greek? Do I need to write it down for you?!"
"You've been running from me for days! For weeks!" Percy shot back, taking a step forward. The water behind Theo swirled gently, rising an inch or two, forming a soft barrier so he couldn't back up anymore. "You're avoiding me! Why?! What did I ever do to you except try to be your friend?!"
"That's exactly it!" Theo yelled, throwing his hands up. "I don't want to become your friend! So why are you wasting time following me?!"
He took a shaky breath, his chest heaving. The words poured out faster than he could control them.
"I just want some space! I want to be left alone! Can't you just respect that?! Can't you just go be the hero somewhere else and let me be invisible?! I don't want you around! I don't need you!"
Silence fell.
Percy stared at him. For a long moment, he didn't move. Then, slowly, his expression shifted to something incredibly intense and hurt.
"You don't mean that," Percy shakily said, his voice low and dangerous. "And even if you do, I don't believe you."
Suddenly, the water around Theo's feet surged upward instantly, forming a thick, solid wall of water behind him, trapping him in a circle.
The waves roared, rising higher and higher, the sea churning violently, matching Percy's rage. The air grew heavy and cold.
"Stop!" Theo shouted, panic rising in his chest. He held out a hand, his eyes glowing softly with a warm, golden light. "Percy! Calm down!"
A wave of soothing energy flowed from him, trying to wrap around Percy's mind and force his anger to melt away.
He saw it. He saw the way Percy's eyes were glowing, the way his hands were shaking uncontrollably. Percy was losing himself.
"I'm trying..." Percy whispered, the water trembling around him. "Why are you always pushing me aside. Don't do this... I'm doing my best!"
He raised his hand, ready to pull Theo back. But a soft, warm, stabilizing energy flowed out from the boy, surrounding Percy and the raging sea.
Like a stone dropped into a violent pond, the ripples smoothed out instantly.
The roaring water stopped. The towering wall didn't crash. It just... stilled.
It hung there for a second, suspended, then slowly, gently lowered itself back into the ocean, becoming calm and flat as glass.
Percy froze.
His hand trembled mid-air.
'What am I doing?'
The realization hit him like a bucket of ice water. He was acting exactly like the thing he hated most. He was using fear. He was forcing someone to stay against their will.
If Theo hadn't been able to calm him down, without his power to stop him, he didn't know what he might have done.
Percy looked down at the boy in front of him. Really looked at him. He saw the stubborn set of Theo's jaw. He saw that Theo wasn't going to budge. Not today.
They weren't thinking clearly enough to continue this conversation.
"Gods..." Percy breathed out, his hand dropping slowly to his side.
The fight slowly drained out of Percy, replaced by a cold, heavy disappointment.
"You really want this?" Percy asked, his voice dropping to a low, dead tone. "You really want me to just... stop?"
"Yes!" Theo said firmly, crossing his arms. "I want you to stop. I want you to leave. Just go."
Percy stared at him for one long, painful second. Then, he nodded slowly.
"Fine," Percy said. The word was sharp. Final.
He took a step back. The water around Theo's feet receded instantly, leaving him standing on dry sand, feeling suddenly very exposed.
"If that's what you really want," Percy said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Then I... I won't bother you anymore."
He turned around without waiting for an answer.
Percy walked away, shoulders stiff, hands in his pockets, disappearing into the growing darkness without looking back once.
"I tried," he whispered to the empty wind as he walked away. "Gods know I tried."
Theo watched the son of Poseidon go.
"It worked."
He had won. He had successfully pushed Percy away. He had his space. He had his silence.
So why did it feel like he had just swallowed a rock?