Since Ella had no parents, Phineas was invited to the wedding. No one really wanted him there. Ella really didn't want him there. Luckily for her, he'd not be near her since Sally had deliberately spaced out the men's and women's tables.

     Sally had taken Ella to a shrine to Artemis that morning. The bride had offered a lock of her red hair to the goddess. It was all she could offer since she had no property to call her own. Ella had been thrust out of childhood way before any girl should be and now she was on the precipice of womanhood.

        Sally had repurposed the chiton and veil she'd worn to her wedding with Paul. The blue color suited Ella well and the bride looked happier than Percy had ever seen her, if quite nervous. She fidgeted a lot and Percy imagined she was reciting quotes from scrolls and bards to calm herself.

Percy didn't have much time to think about Ella, though, because he had to deal with Phineas. The old man sat between Paul and Tyson. Percy was seated on the opposite side of the table, which meant he had to see Phineas' face up close. Worse yet, he had to hear his words. "I bet the marriage will last a good two days," Phineas said. "Maybe three days if you're lucky, but what am I saying? Luck doesn't exist in marriage."

Tyson was pawing his carving knife as if he wanted to stab him. Percy wanted to give him the go ahead, but instead he looked at his brother and made a goofy face. Phineas' lack of sight had made his other senses extremely sharp, but Percy was starting to doubt Phineas' assertion that he was a seer. "Tyson and Ella won't ever have kids," Phineas announced, flourishing his hands as if he was a mouthpiece of the gods.

Percy curled his lip. "You've spoken with the Fates and interrogated how their lives will play out?"

He made his voice full of sarcasm and mock surprise, causing Phineas to grin. "Ahh, Perseus. . . You are as blind to your fate as any other."

Percy clenched his jaw. "So you can see the future?"

"The big things, yes," Phineas said. "I see more than ordinary seers. I've seen so much the gods struck me blind out of jealousy. Imagine that! The gods were jealous of me. They struck me blind because they feared I should replace Apollo."

Percy had never met anyone who boasted about the gods punishing them, but Phineas had a special kind of hubris. Paul flicked his eyes from Percy to Phineas, his face shadowed with concern. He cleared his throat. "This winter has been fairly mild."

He was right. It was still early in the season, but it hadn't snowed yet. The wedding guests were wearing socks underneath their sandals and had brought cloaks, but no one was shivering. The temperature was deliciously cool and the warmth of the food and the presence of others kept everyone warm.

     Soon winter would come in full force and weddings would be postponed for warmer weather. Percy was hoping that, by the time spring came, he would have the money for his own wedding. He blinked. If he wanted the wedding in spring, then he should go speak to Annabeth's father soon. Marriages took time to work out. There was the contract to write, the choosing of the dates, and all the preparations that came with marriage. Percy wouldn't want to rush it and accidentally have the wedding on a day that might bode misfortune.

     Paul was still trying to keep the calm, while Phineas continued to guzzle down wine and make rude remarks. "I don't see what Ella sees in you, Tyson," he said. "You're an one-eyes freak. I don't know what she sees in you besides a way out. Then again, what do you see in that chatty wench?"

    Those words sent Percy's blood boiling. Even worse was the look of sadness in Tyson's brown eye. Without thinking, Percy knocked over a large drinking vessel, spilling wine over the front of Phineas' chiton and staining the expensive red fabric.

      Two red spots appeared on Phineas' cheeks. "That was my finest chiton!"

      "It was a mistake," Percy lied, "but I doubt the gods disapprove of it."

    Phineas' ruddy face colored purple. "Why you cheeky upstart! I'll have this marriage cancelled."

     "You already signed the contract," Tyson said, his voice terse.

     "I'll take you to court!" Phineas yelled.

    He stood up and immediately fell over one of the chair legs, landing on his face. The conversation at the men's table went silent as Paul got up to check on him. "He's passed out," Paul reported. "I think he drank too much wine."

     Percy and Grover volunteered to lead Phineas home. It was an unpleasant task. Phineas was a deadweight and he stunk like his stuffy house. When they finally got to his residence, a slave took Phineas from them. They thanked Percy and Grover and left. "Wow," Percy said, "they act so nonchalant about this."

     "They probably have to put up with Phineas' erratics a lot," Grover said quietly.

Percy shivered at the thought of having to do that. He'd rather fall into Tartarus. The two men made it back in time for the procession to Tyson and Ella's new house. Much of the goods in their house were wedding presents readying them for life as a couple. As Tyson shyly picked up Ella and carried her over the boundary and into their house, Percy felt his heart squeezing.

Tyson had spent so much of his life full of love and having no one to offer it to. Percy understood it to a degree. They had both been deprived of their father at a young age, but Percy had always had Sally. For most of his life, Tyson only had himself. Now though, he finally had a family to offer all of his love to and Percy knew they would be spoiled with it.