A.N. In this story, the Mist clears from the eyes of the mortals who believe in the gods. Enjoy!
Paul Blofis and the Exploding Sink
All right, before I begin, I must say, there have been a lot of embarrassing moments in my lifetime, moments where even I can tell I've been stupid when I look back on them, like not piecing together that I should dance with Annabeth when we went to pick up Nico and Bianca at the military school or when I challenged Ares, the GOD OF WAR, to a fight, or when I charged Atlas when we fought him and freed Artemis and Annabeth. But I must say, this one might just take the cake.
I had a right to be angry, OK? I'd had a bad day. Me and Annabeth had a fight, Chiron was mad; it really wasn't my fault the whole Hermes cabin got soaked, okay maybe it was a little, but still, they'd asked for it with the itching powder between my sheets, Clarisse had broken my nose in wrestling, and Mr. D had been his usual annoying self, which was enough to drive anyone over the edge.
I stormed into the kitchen and plunked down onto the rickety wooden chair, which collapsed under the combined weight of me and my momentum. I swore and got up off of the floor, rubbing my backend, which had gotten a little beat up in the process.
What was I going to tell my mom? She wouldn't be mad, but the kitchen set was the set her parents had had before they died in a plane crash when she was eight. It was the only thing she had that was theirs, that I knew of anyway. My mom didn't like to dwell in the past, but I knew she took pride in the set.
I whirled around as the front door opened, and then slammed shut. Who was it? My mom wouldn't be home until five, and it was only three. Paul? It didn't seem likely.
I dug in my pocket and pulled out Riptide. Uncapping the sword, I crept around the corner.
A THING was standing there, dripping wet, covered in a long black trench coat with the collar turned up, and a black cowboy style hat tilted way down so you couldn't see its face.
My first thought; monster.
I ran forward, ready to take him in a head on assault. I yelled, and behind me I could hear the kitchen sink explode. Water surged around me, giving me power. The figure yelped and out his hands up in the air. I stuck the point of my sword to his throat, and stabbed. The blade went right through. I stumbled back.
Mortal. This was bad. The man pushed back his hat, revealing himself as none other than Paul Blowfish. Double bad.
"Percy," he said, concerned. "What's going on? Why did you try to kill me with the-WHOA!" He had just spotted the water still swirling round me. "What is that!" he asked me.
I quickly let the water drop to the floor.
"Um-nothing?" I tried for a smile. He pulled me into the kitchen and sat me down on another of the rickety wooden chairs.
He took a seat across from me.
"OK, tell me what just went on back there," he said. I had a moment of panic. What should I tell him. The truth, Annabeth's voice echoed through my brain. Tell him the truth. So I did. I spewed everything.
Paul just sat and listened as I told him about gods and monsters, quests and demigods, Mist and ADHD and dyslexia.
When I'd finally finished, my throat was sore and the clock read 4:30. Great. I'd been talking for over an hour and I didn't even know if Paul would believe me. To my surprise, Paul threw back his head and laughed.
"Great!" he said.
I just sat there, shocked. "Um…..what?"
"I think it's great!" he repeated. "I've always wished something like this would be real. So, you're a demigod, huh? Like in the old stories?"
"Yep." I said.
"Could you, you know, like, make something happen? Another water trick?"
"Sure." I made the spilled tap water evaporate from the floor and than condensate into a glass. Paul's eyes bugged out of his head.
For the next half-hour, I showed him Riptide, and answered all of his questions. Boy, was he curious.
Finally, my mom came in the door. Her eyes widened, and then she smiled. "So, you finally got around to telling him?"
I nodded.
"Well, Paul?" she asked. He just sat there, lost for words.
I laughed. I had just realized my mom had picked a really nice guy to be my step-dad.