Theo, or rather, a soul who used to be an ordinary teenager from Earth, was currently sitting on the porch of the Hermes cabin, watching the chaos of Camp Half-Blood unfold like a movie he had already watched a dozen times. He had.
'Oh look, there goes Percy Jackson. Still looking as heroic and clueless as ever. Dude, just kiss Annabeth already! The tension is thicker than the mist around the camp,' Theo thought, resting his chin on his hands.
He had reincarnated into this world years ago. At first he panicked-who wouldn't? He's a demigod, and there are freaking living gods and monsters everywhere!
How did he know? Because of his unnatural ability to calm any agitated creatures.
With no other choice, he accepted his new life and moved on.
What would you do if you were the one reincarnated in this world?
Some would choose to gather romantic partners left and right.
Or save their favorite characters.
Or maybe, become a hero themselves.
But unlike other protagonists in stories he knew, he decided to follow the "Law of Conservation of Energy."
'Why bother?' Theo reasoned in his mind. 'If I don't interfere, the plot stays the same. Percy survives, Annabeth survives, the world gets saved. Perfect ending. I'll just sit here and enjoy the show.'
The Battle of Manhattan had just ended a month ago. Being a proper side character, he kept a low profile at his home.
He waited for days until the war was truly over. Once it was slightly safe to travel, he made his way to Camp Half-Blood, determined to blend in and not change a single thing.
'But still! Who is more idiotic than Percy?' Theo mentally groaned. 'Didn't they know? Kronos is not a good boss. He doesn't even give health insurance!'
Theo was perfectly fine with his current life. Commenting, shipping, and analyzing everything silently in his head.
A few meters away, Percy Jackson was talking with Grover. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Whoa, Percy? You okay?" Grover asked, blinking.
Percy frowned, looking around. "Did... did you hear someone just say 'Kronos doesn't give health insurance'?"
Grover sniffed the air nervously. "Uh... no? Nobody is talking, Percy."
Percy scratched his head. Maybe it was just nothing, or maybe he was imagining things, an effect of his ADHD acting up again.
Theo smiled to himself. He knew this world. He knew this story. He had read every single book back on Earth. Now that he was here, his goal was simple: Survive.
He watched Annabeth Chase walk up to Percy and smack him playfully on the arm.
Theo's mind immediately went into fan mode. 'Look at them! The couple! The OTP! She's so pretty and smart, and he's so dumb and loyal! Just get married already! The whole world is waiting!'
Theo practically squealed internally, though his face remained calm and indifferent on the outside.
'Annabeth is so cool. Percy! Look at her! She's looking at you! Stop spacing out! You idiot!'
Percy's ears turned bright red. He looked down at himself, then at Annabeth, confused.
He definitely wasn't imagining things. He heard a voice, but not from outside. It was inside his head.
"Percy? Are you sick?" Annabeth asked, noticing his red face.
'Say something smooth! Say you like her eyes! No, don't say that, you'll sound weird. Just say hi! Hi, Annabeth!' the voice screamed in his head.
He felt like his brain was being yelled at by an invisible coach.
"H-Hi, Annabeth!" Percy blurted out, his voice coming out much louder and sharper than he had intended.
Annabeth paused, looking him up and down with a skeptical expression before raising an eyebrow.
"Okay... someone's jumpy today," she said, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Well, Seaweed Brain, I've got an important thing to do. I'll see you around."
With that, she offered him and Grover a quick wave and hurried past them.
Grover shook his head as he watched her leave, then turned to Percy. "Man, she's really been busy these days. Building the new cabins is harder than I thought."
"At least she seems to enjoy it," Percy added, scratching the back of his neck.
'Percabeth in the flesh! I ship it! Just kiss already you two!'
With a flustered face, Percy immediately turned his head, scanning the area. His eyes locked onto the blonde-haired kid sitting on the cabin steps. The boy was looking at them.
The boy flinched at the sudden eye contact, then averted his honey-glazed eyes towards the sky, whistling innocently, looking completely bored and unbothered.
'Phew, that was close. Good job, Percy. C+ for effort. Now go get her, tiger,' the voice thought, sounding satisfied.
Percy's eyes widened. It's him.
He stood there frozen, his brain short-circuiting for a second. He looked at the kid sitting on the porch of Cabin 11, the Hermes cabin. He looked... normal. Just another camper, maybe a little too relaxed for someone who had just survived a war.
On the outside, he looked like the most chill, unbothered person in the entire universe.
The boy was just sitting there, chin in hands, staring at the sky, whistling a tune that sounded suspiciously like some old muggle song.
But on the inside? Percy knew better.
'Why is he staring? Is my face dirty? Oh gods, did I drool when I was looking at Annabeth? Don't look nervous, self. Act normal. You are a mysterious wallflower. You are a cool cucumber.'
Percy blinked. A cool cucumber? Really? Where did he even get those phrases?
Okay. So the thoughts were definitely coming from that kid.
He didn't know whether to be amused or worried. He'd been hearing things for a while now. At first, he thought he was still hearing voices from the war, or maybe it was just the stress getting to him.
But slowly, he realized the pattern. Every time the boy was nearby, this running commentary started playing in his mind.
"Percy?" Grover waved a hand in front of his face. "Earth to Percy? What are you staring at?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing," Percy muttered, tearing his eyes away but keeping the boy in his peripheral vision. "Just... noticing someone new."
'He's not talking about me, right? Of course he's not. I am just a side character, not worth his attention!'
Percy had to bite his lip to stop himself from reacting. This kid was weird. Like, really weird.
It was like having a very dramatic, very opinionated narrator living rent-free in his head. And the weirdest part? The kid didn't seem to know he was being heard.
Percy decided right then that he wouldn't say anything.
Confronting him would probably make it stop, or worse, make it awkward.
What would he even say? "Hey, I can hear you thinking inside your brain. Especially about how dense I am"? That would probably scare the guy away.
And honestly? It was kind of entertaining. Also, slightly confusing. Why could he hear this guy and no one else?
So instead of confronting him, Percy just started paying more attention. He just wanted to... listen.
Over the next few days, Percy became a man on a mission.
He made it his goal to somehow 'accidentally' be in the same places as the boy. He'd go to the Amphitheater and sit a few rows away from him. He'd 'happen' to be walking near the canoe lake when the kid was there reading a book.
Basically, anywhere the blonde boy was.
He wanted to see if he could learn more about the mysterious boy.
First, the boy's name was Theo.
He heard other campers call him that. He seemed to get along with everyone, except for what he called the 'main characters.'
Key word: Seemed.
Theo had a presence like he didn't belong to this world. It made getting close to him challenging.
He was a bit lazy, nonchalant, and never started trouble. The perfect silent camper. On the outside.
On the inside? It was a chaotic mess.
When Chiron was giving a speech about the new changes to the camp, Theo was sitting in the back row.
'Okay, Mr. Brunner, or should I say Centaur. Yes, yes, we know that already. But can we skip to the part where we get snacks?'
Percy had to cough violently to hide his laugh, earning a strange look from Annabeth.
Second, Theo's abilities. And curse?
It happened during practice.
The arena was loud and chaotic, as usual. Clanging of steel, shouting, and the aggressive grunts of the Ares cabin filled the air.
A particularly buff son of Ares-someone Percy didn't know the name of-was storming around, looking for a sparring partner. Everyone else wisely scattered or made way for the 'curly-haired baboon.'
"Come on! Who wants to go?!" the guy roared, twirling his spear dangerously. "Nobody? You're all cowards!"
He marched right past where Theo was sitting, leaning against a pillar, watching with half-lidded eyes.
'Oh no. A curly-haired baboon spotted. Calm down, Hulk. You're gonna give yourself an ulcer one day.'
Percy watched, ready to step in just in case, but then something weird happened.
The Ares kid stopped right in front of Theo. He looked down at the relaxed boy, nostrils flaring. "You! Blondie! Get up. Let's spar."
Theo sighed internally. 'Why me? Why is it always me? Can't a man just watch the show in peace? I don't want to fight you. I don't even have the energy to stand up properly.'
Out loud, Theo just smiled gently, his face calm and unbothered. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks though."
'Please go away. Please go away. Please go away. I radiate peace. I am a lotus flower. Be one with the universe.'
The Ares kid's hand actually loosened on his spear. His scowl twitched, like his anger was literally being drained out of him.
He opened his mouth to yell again, but the words died in his throat. The rage just... evaporated. He blinked and looked at his own hands.
"Uh..." The warrior blinked, looking confused. "Yeah... okay. Whatever. You look boring anyway."
He lowered his weapon and walked away, grumbling but significantly less violent than before.
Percy's jaw almost dropped.
'See? Power of Calmness activate! No fighting today, only vibes. Why fight when you can just vibe?'
But the weirdest part came when Chiron announced it was time to learn weapon handling.
"Everyone, pick up a weapon and practice the basic stance!" the centaur called out.
Theo stood up, stretching lazily. 'Ugh. Physical activity. My worst enemy. Okay, just grab the sword, hold it for five seconds, put it down, mission accomplished.'
He reached out and took a simple iron sword from the rack.
The moment his fingers touched the leather grip:
ZING!
The sword literally jerked out of his hand like it was alive, flew straight up into the air with a high-pitched whistle, and landed point-first into the dirt several meters away, quivering.
Theo stood there with his empty hand still raised.
'...Excuse me? Rude. Much.'
He tried again, picking up a shorter dagger.
WHOOSH!
The dagger shot out of his grip like a rocket, embedding itself into a wooden target across the arena.
Theo blinked. He looked at his hands. 'What is your problem?! I am trying to hold you! Is it because I'm too nice? Do weapons only like bad boys? Is this discrimination?!'
Percy watched, mesmerized. It wasn't that Theo dropped them. He didn't.
The weapons rejected him. They literally flew away the second he touched them, like they were repelled by an invisible force.
"Whoa," Percy whispered.
"Having trouble there, son?" Chiron asked, trotting over.
Theo just shrugged, looking completely unbothered. "Guess they don't like me, sir. Or maybe they just have commitment issues."
'It's fine. I don't need weapons anyway. If a monster comes, I'll just look at it and tell it to go home. Works 50% of the time, every time.'
Percy bit his lip to keep from laughing.
Indeed, he realized. Theo was the bane of all weaponry. Swords, spears, bows, daggers-nothing stayed in his hand. They instinctively flew away.
Even celestial bronze seemed to hum in protest when he was near it.
He was a walking Anti-Weapon. He couldn't fight even if he wanted to.
Which perfectly matched his philosophy.
'Law of Conservation of Energy,' Theo thought as he sat back down, watching everyone else sweat. 'Why hold a sword when it will just fly away? Exactly. My point exactly.'
The son of Poseidon smiled to himself, twisting the cap back onto Riptide and tucking the ballpoint pen safely into his pocket.
Percy was becoming even more determined to... stick around and hear more.
Third, Theo is easy to terrify of everything but hides it well.
During sword practice, when a new camper almost accidentally dropped a blade on his own foot, Theo didn't even flinch, physically.
'Oh gods, move, move, move! Do you want to die?! This isn't a video game, you can't respawn!'
But his face just remained calm and bored. He even yawned. Percy was amazed. How could someone be so panicked internally and so chill externally?
Lastly, The Shipping never stops.
This was the biggest one. Every time Percy was within fifty feet of Annabeth, the commentary started.
One afternoon, Annabeth was showing Percy some blueprints for the new cabins. She was pointing at a spot on the map, her brow furrowed in concentration.
'Look at her! She's so smart! She's an architectural genius! Percy, tell her she's pretty! Tell her her hair looks lovely in the sunlight! Say something romantic, you Seaweed Brain!'
Percy felt his ears burn. The worst part was, Theo was right. Annabeth did look nice in the sunlight.
"...so we're thinking of extending the armory," Annabeth said, looking up. "Percy? Are you even listening?"
"Huh? Oh yeah! Totally! The... armory. Very... pointy."
'Oh my gods, why did you say "pointy"?! Who says that?! You idiot! Run! Just jump into the ocean and hide!'
Percy wanted to die. But he glanced sideways and saw Theo sitting under a tree, pretending to read a book, looking utterly serene.
A thought popped into his head, clear and bright. Percy smirked to himself.
You want to watch the show?
Fine. Your wish is my command.
The next time they were all at free time, Percy purposely sat at the nearest table to Theo. Annabeth came over and sat down with him, sharing her snacks.
"Hey, Annabeth," Percy said, making his voice extra smooth. He even gave her what he hoped was a dazzling smile. "Those plans look really good. You've got great... vision."
She rolled her eyes, though there was a smile tugging at the corner of her lips and a faint but noticeable pink tint rose on her cheeks.
"Thanks, Seaweed Brain," she said, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably, "I'm just that good."
Percy immediately looked at Theo.
'Oh my gods, she blushed! He actually did it! Percy Jackson, the smoothest guy alive! I knew you had it in you, tiger! Gold star for you!'
Percy couldn't help it. He grinned widely and took a bite of his blue chocolate chip cookie.
He was starting to really like this guy. He was weird, lazy, loud, and he spent all his time shipping him and Annabeth.
But he was also kind, truthful in his own way, and somehow... that made him more genuine than others.