Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson, nor Heroes of Olympus, Rick Riordan

Shad's POV:

"Welcome to camp..." I said as I took a step into the camp and started walked down the hill

"Everyone split up, we can cover more ground. We need to find clues" Annabeth said and I sighed as I wandered around the camp looking at how time has not been kind to the abandoned camp

I walked to the beach, and saw the canoes sunk to the bottom of the docks which loomed over dark and tainted water.

"What has happened..." I said as I knelt down and reached out to touch the water

"that is not a good idea oh 'Lord of Shadows'" A warm voice said and I turned to see Hestia standing behind me looking around sadly

"And why is that?" I asked

"The lake here is not only cursed, it is tainted by Poseidon's betrayal" She said sadly "Not even the hope of the hearth can sooth it's angry waves" Hestia finishes and I sigh

"I understand" I said as I stood up and looked back at the lake for a moment before walking to the old cabin nearby

"Who are you? You do not seem concerned about searching as much as the others..." Hestia asked as she followed me

"My name is Shad, and I do not care about this petty prophecy" I say as I reach Cabin Three and see it still standing in relatively good condition

The cabin was still standing and I grabbed the handle to the door and opened it gently to see the dust covered beds. It looked like no one had gone inside the cabin for centuries but as I looked closer nothing had changed since I left it. The fountain in the corner was still there though it was all dried up, but the scent of the fresh sea still lingered faintly.

"This... is different..." Hestia comments as she walks into the cabin

"How so?" I ask

"The past three hundred and thirty years the scent of this cabin has been that of rotten seaweed, repelling any and all who tried to enter it, but now it smells as it should... fresh sea air on a summer day" Hestia explained and I nodded as a thought hit me

"I think I know why the lake is poisoned" I said as I marched out and back over to the docks

"What do you mean?" Hestia asked and I looked at her

"The Styx was poisoned by dreams that were given up on. But the objects that land in its waters are duplicates. But those duplicates hold the pain of a forgotten dream" I say as I stare out over the dark waters "but if an object is powerful enough, that pain can linger with the original object" I say and Hestia looks confused

"What does that have to do with the water?" She asked and I smiled slightly as I looked at her

"It means I need to go for a swim" I say as I dive into the water

As soon as I enter, my entire body was engulfed in pain that was unimaginable. However, I pushed it to the far reaches of my mind as I willed the water to rocket me down deeper into the lake. As I went deeper, the water got darker and more painful but I pulled Riptide out and uncapped the sword letting its glow pierce the water before shooting deeper into the lake.

'Where is it...' I thought to myself as I neared the bottom of the lake

'What you seek is where it hurt the most...' a voice from in front of me said as a group of old naiads appeared

"What do you mean?" I ask and they move closer

'The object you seek is where it hurts the most' They said again and I frowned before it clicked

"The heart" I said and I rocketed off deeper until I hit the very bottom of the lake then traveled inward until I was in the dead center of the bottom of the lake

That's when I saw the faint glint of metal from Riptide's glow. I swam towards it and recognized the object as the ring that I forged. Around the ring was an aura that pulsed and I felt the pain I felt back then.

"No, I am not affected by this. I have a new family, I will no longer dwell on the past, I will not dwell in my unquenchable thirst for revenge against those who betrayed me" I declare and I grab the ring before calling on all of my power "I forgive you" I say quietly as my form glows a bright golden as I unleash my immortal form "Let these waters run pure as a beacon of hope in this desolate land" I shout as let my power flow free

Hestia's POV:

It's been half an hour since Shad went under and I grew worried. This place was not meant for demigods, not even gods were welcomed here. Just as I was about to flash away, I saw a faint glow in the center of the lake and the water pulsed with power.

"What...?" I asked aloud before taking a step back and watched as the glow grew brighter as if an immortal unleashed their godly form

Suddenly a golden light raced through the water before splitting into two lines, then four and so on until the whole lake was glowing golden. It was so bright I shielded my eyes just as the light stayed there for several minutes before fading slowly. Once it was gone, a stray beam of light in the dark land of New York shone through as if Apollo himself had directed the entire sun to shine down on the lake.

"H-How?" I asked in disbelief as I looked over the lake and saw the glistening blue waters that looked so joyful as Naiads appeared and raced across the water's surface leaping and dancing

But my attention was drawn to the center where a group of three naiads walked toward the shore with the limp body of Shad in their arms. When they reached the shore, they set him down and I ran over.

"What happened?" I asked and they smiled

"We were saved" They said in unity and I gained a confused look "This boy saved us" they said before stepping back into the lake and melting into the pure blue waters that not a moment ago looked dead and lifeless

"Who are you?" I asked again as I knelt next to Shad who held a pen in his right hand and his left hand was clenched around something

Shad's POV:

I opened my eyes to see a girl with fiery red hair looming over me with curiosity in her eyes.

"Welcome back to the land of the living young demigod" She said and I groaned

"That sucked" I complained as I sat up and put riptide in my pocket before looking at my left hand and clenching it more

"Who are you really?" Hestia asked and I shrugged

"Someone who is constantly dragged into stupid situations" I muttered bitterly

"What was that?" She asked and I chuckled

"Nothing Hestia" I said as I looked back over the water and smiled "I missed the beach" I said quietly hoping that Hestia didn't hear me but Tartarus knows I have the worst luck

"What do you mean? From what you've said and from what I can tell, you never went to the beach, much less this camp" Hestia said and I sighed

"It's good to see you again Hestia, it really is" I say as I face her and hold my right palm out and summon a greek fireball "Do you remember who I am now?" I ask as her face turns into one of shock and disbelief

"P-Percy..."

Leo's POV:

I was searching through the old stables when I heard Annabeth curse loudly.

"There's NOTHING here! What clues are we looking for!?" She screamed to the cloudy heavens

Despite it being around Ten am, it was dark out due to the thick clouds that forever covered New York and Camp Half-Blood.

"Annabeth, we still have Camp Jupiter to search" I yelled back as I walked out and saw Shad and Hestia walking closely together "Shad! You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright Leo" Shad said with a smile as he walked up to Annabeth "Annabeth, Hestia told me you would recognize this" He said as Annabeth turned toward him and raised an eyebrow

"What would that be?" She asked and Shad produced a tarnished silver ring with two gems in it

"W-where d-did you get t-this?" She said as she took the ring from Shad and held it like she was holding a holy hand grenade

"I found it at the lake" Shad said and Annabeth started crying before falling on her knees holding the ring

"I was an idiot back then" Annabeth said and Shad put his hand on her shoulder

"I am sure whoever he was, he would forgive you if he knew that you regretted what you did" He said and Annabeth looks at him

"You think so?" She asks

"Yes" Shad said and Annabeth smiles slightly before her eyes snapped to the ring

"Clues will be found where the demigod roamed" Annabeth said before she gasped "Percy always loved the beach, this ring is the clue... we need to find Percy, which means he must be alive!" Annabeth said as she got up and dusted herself off and looked determined "That means we might need to head to Tartarus..."

"Let's head back to the fort first, that way we can get Peleus out of this wretched place" Shad said and I smiled

"Right... though I think you should be the one to get the fleece and Peleus since You are the only one who can get close"

"Alright, I'll get Peleus back to the fort" Shad said as he walked away with Hestia at his side

"I ship those two" I said aloud and Annabeth slapped me

"SHES A MAIDEN GODDESS!!!" Annabeth yelled "DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!!!"

"Sorry" I muttered

A/N: Night

~Major Nich