Percy Jackson, the embodiment of hope.

Chapter 62: Learning of the Blessings. (Squid-Phone.)

"What do you mean by 'for real'?" Zoe asked, settling back into the couch.

"More... secret matters can be discussed now," Thalassa answered. "Such as the topic of Percy."

She looked at Artemis. "Listen carefully. You are his rock. You keep him from losing it, and I don't mean that in an 'oh he loves you so much he stays sane' way. No, you literally keep him from going insane."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"You hold part of him and his power within you," Thalassa said. "I can see it clearly. Did he, by any chance, make an oath to you at any point?"

"Yes," Artemis said slowly. "Why does that matter?"

"What exactly was this oath?" Thalassa asked, frowning.

"He swore upon his voice to keep me and the hunters safe," Artemis answered.

Zoe looked at Artemis with wide eyes. "He swore WHAT?" She whispered harshly.

Estelle looked at her in confusion. "What's so bad about that? It's just your voice."

"No," Zoe said, shaking her head. "For Percy, it's just- geez, he must have been utterly devoted to you guys if he swore something like that."

Artemis's mind flashed back to his ruthlessness and efficiency when defending the hunters and how slow he was to enter a relationship with her.

"Yeah, he was," she said. "Looking back, especially with what I know now... he probably saw us as his only family left. He wouldn't have wanted anything to ruin that."

Zoe nodded. "He often spoke of you all. You really were his family. Chaos, to swear upon his voice..."

"Again," Estelle asked. "Why is that significant for my brother?"

"For Percy... his voice was the most important part of his identity for a long, long time. He began to break out of that about 30 years ago, but before that, losing his voice would have broken him," Zoe answered.

"Oh," Estelle said. "So it was like he couldn't exist without it?"

Zoe nodded. "Yeah."

"Right, well, we should get back on track," Thalassa said. "If he made an oath to you to keep you safe, then his primordial body would have taken subconscious safeguards to prevent a broken oath, because believe me, when a primordial breaks an oath, it can get BAD."

"What happens?" Zoe asked. "Because now that you mention it, no primordial I know really makes oaths. Promises, sure, but no oaths."

"Nyx broke an oath once, and a week afterwards, she fell for Erebus," Thalassa answered before she shrugged. "Of course, I can't confirm the two things are connected, but that's the main reason we don't try to make oaths."

"So how does an oath translate to me holding a part of Percy?" Artemis asked.

"When he was turned into a primordial, his body would have recognized the oath and done something to make sure protection was maintained. In this case, it sent out part of his power, as well as part of his core being, out into you," Thalassa explained.

"And that means?" Artemis asked.

"You can access some of his power," Thalssa said. "And if you die, that power and core part of being will return to Percy."

"Oh," Artemis said, putting a hand to her head. "I can- wow. That's... a lot to process."

Thalassa nodded. "I know. But, a word of advice. Whatever you do? Don't. Die."