Tet enjoyed his days at camp, but it wasn't long before the Fates decided to put things back on track. Zeus ordered a quest for the Fleece to be taken. Tet was amused by this; when Zeus seemed confused as to why a god other than Dionysus had answered him, Tet just let it go, thinking Zeus had mistaken him for some minor god he'd forgotten about. He smirked to himself, deciding it would simply be added to Zeus's punishment later.
Then, just like in canon, Clarisse got the quest — and also like in canon, Percy was sitting on the beach in the middle of the night, having his con with Hermes.
There was, however, one little difference: first of all, there were no security harpies patrolling the camp. Tet had done away with those after they tried to eat a six-year-old daughter of Demeter when she sat outside one night to stargaze. His usual golden-eyed, playful demeanor had vanished that night, replaced with a sharp glare. Seriously — why were those things near children? Tet had been so angry that he sent all the camp's harpies straight to Tartarus without hesitation.
Anyway, the other difference was that Hermes gave Percy another leather case like the one from last year. The messenger god's eyes glinted mischievously as he handed it over and said, "I recommend using the first toy now."
Percy frowned curiously but obeyed, flipping the case open. Inside, the first toy in the lineup was a perfectly crafted pirate ship made from all black wood, with sails as dark as midnight. As he, Annabeth, and Tyson leaned closer, Hermes smirked and said, "Put it in the water, little cousin."
When Percy set it gently in the shallows, the ship shimmered and grew rapidly into a full-size galleon. Sea spray misted the trio's faces. Hermes's eyes widened, his jaw dropping slightly. "Wait — I thought it was just a regular ship, but that's definitely the Black Pearl. Damn, now I wish I'd just kept it."
Percy grinned triumphantly. "No take backs!" He bolted toward the ship, sand flying behind him as Annabeth and Tyson chased after him, their laughter and shouts echoing across the beach. Moments later, Percy's powers surged — the sea responding eagerly — and he set sail with his friend and brother, vanishing into the moonlit horizon on a new adventure.
Once Hermes was alone, Tet strolled up beside him, hands casually tucked behind his head, his usual easy smile in place.
Hermes turned, gesturing toward the departing galleon. "Did you seriously give them that? Come on, man — I'd have loved to have that for myself. I think you owe me one now. I don't like letting valuable loot go."
Tet gave him a slow, sideways glance and said. "How'd your heist go, Hermes?"
The messenger god instantly looked anywhere but at Tet, whistling innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Oh look, I gotta go."
Before Tet could press further, Hermes was already a blur of motion, vanishing down the shoreline.
Tet stretched lazily, yawning. "Well, the kids are off on a new journey… I best do some work too."
But just before he could disappear, Hestia materialized in front of him. Her presence was a bit colder than usual as she stared at Tet with narrowed eyes. She reached out, pinched his cheek firmly, and began dragging him back toward camp with surprising strength.
"Oh no you don't," she said, her voice gentle but unyielding. "You're staying right here till the summer's over, mister."
Tet winced, trying to pry her hand away. "Ow, ow! Okay, Hestia, I'm sorry — just let go! When did you get so strong?"
Tet wanted to watch the quest — or do any number of things other than actually sit still. He wasn't used to it. He was always either working or playing; he'd never actually just sat and relaxed. It felt unnatural.
But Hestia sat beside him, a small, knowing smile on her face, keeping him from going anywhere. She'd somehow managed to block his teleportation, and he didn't even know how that was possible — until he got a better look at her and realized something that made his eyes widen slightly. She was now as powerful as he was. Which meant his future self had gotten his hands on a lot more worlds… especially if Hestia was already a multiversal-level existence.
He noticed other things, too. Like how close Hestia was. She was leaning against him casually, the faint scent of warm bread and cinnamon clinging to her, reading a book as if she had all the time in the world.
Finally, Tet couldn't take it anymore and said, "Hestia, I need to do something important, and I have to do it now."
Hestia looked up at him over the edge of her book, her calm brown eyes soft but sharp enough to catch every nuance. She smiled faintly and said, "You noticed, huh ? About time. Go on, get to it then."
Tet's grin returned. "Thanks. See you soon."
And in a blink, he teleported — back to the past.
He appeared in his own living room and found present Hestia relaxing on the couch, munching on a snack. She looked perfectly at ease, her feet tucked under her and her hair falling loosely over her shoulders.
Tet walked over, his usual confidence tinged with something rarer — a faint blush on his cheeks. "Hestia," he began, eyes unusually serious, "I like you. Will you go out with me?"
Hestia froze mid-bite, staring at him wide-eyed. A flush crept across her cheeks as her hand went slack, her snack slipping from her fingers and landing on the floor. "This is so sudden," she said, voice a little breathless. "What brought this on?"
Tet rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "I've actually liked you for a while now… I just didn't say anything because I was afraid you'd say no."
Hestia took a deep breath, trying to steady the flutter in her chest. Then she nodded slowly, the corners of her lips lifting in a small but genuine smile. "Okay. If you're serious about this, come get me tomorrow at seven. Don't be late, and dress nice — but not over the top. And also, don't go overboard. I'll be happy with something simple."
She stood, smoothing her dress, and walked out of the room.
Maybe Tet was imagining it… but it looked like there was an extra spring in her step.
Tet said, "Holy crap, she said yes! I was fully prepared to be let down easy— oh, I have to go! I've got so much to plan, so much to do… and what the hell do I wear?"
Then he stopped, pressing a hand to his temple. "Okay, calm down. She already said she doesn't want something over the top… but this still needs to be special. Think, Tet. First, figure out a location. Where would the Goddess of the Hearth feel most at ease?"
He began pacing through his realm, long coat fluttering behind him, eyes darting as he mulled over possibilities.
As he walked, Apollo appeared in a flash of warm sunlight. Without hesitation, he grabbed Tet by the collar, lifted him clean off the ground, and shook him like a snow globe.
"Calm the hell down!" Apollo said, squinting at him with exasperated eyes. "I can feel your anxiety from my house. Now listen— the answer to your problem is simple. You want to take her somewhere special, right?"
Tet blinked down at him. "How did you even—"
"God of Prophecy," Apollo interrupted smoothly, holding up a finger. "I saw this before it was even a thought in your head. Now, somewhere special for Aunt Hestia? That would be… if you share a place with her that you love. Like, maybe your original home."
Tet's gaze narrowed. "How much do you know?"
Apollo smirked faintly, the way only someone who knows far too much can. "Enough to know that you're not who you think you are. I know you secretly think you're a fake— because you wished to be Tet back when you were human."
Tet froze, his usual smile faltering. "Wait, but I never told—"
"Again," Apollo said, cutting him off with theatrical flair, "God of Prophecy. I found out by viewing a future where you confided in me. And after that we found out that you're the real Tet— when we found the Disboard terminal on Terminal Island."
As Apollo said this, a large golden king chess piece shimmered into existence, floating above Terminal Island.
Seeing it, Tet tilted his head, brows furrowing. "How—?"
"It's always been there," Apollo replied matter-of-factly. "You didn't see it because you didn't know it existed. And it's yours because you are Tet."
"But I—" Tet started.
Apollo raised his hand sharply, cutting him off again. "The god that reincarnated you didn't tell you that you were going to have Tet's powers or his form. He said that you are Tet. So that's what happened— you became him, body, soul, and history. You lived Tet's life, went through everything he did— surviving the God War, becoming Disboard's one true god. Your human memories didn't awaken until you ended up here. Anyway— I hope this helps you. Later."
With that, Apollo turned and strolled away, waving lazily over his shoulder as he vanished into a trail of golden light.
Once the light faded, Tet let out a long sigh. "Am I dumb? It feels like I should have known all this already. Oh well, no use crying over it now."
He approached the Disboard terminal, placing his hand on it. The instant he connected, a flood of memories slammed into him and when they were finished he felt a sense of completion.
"Why didn't I have these from the start?" he murmured. Then, with a small grin, "Whatever. I have a date to plan."
With that, he teleported straight to Disboard.
His old home floated there in the void— a massive chessboard suspended in endless space. There wasn't much: just a single ornate chair and a computer sitting in the center.
Curious, Tet stepped forward. On the monitor was a note:
Hey, future me. If you're reading this, you finally woke up. I won't bore you with why I sealed our memories. Instead, I'll just say— the game is ready. It's time for those two to come home.
Tet tilted his head, confused by that last line— until he glanced at the computer screen.
An online chess match was open. The opponent's name was simply: [Blank].
Slowly, a smile spread across Tet's face. "Well… guess it's time to get to work."