Animal: Hello! *eats chocolate*
Hyper: Yo, epical people! *steal's Animal's chocolate*
Different: *randomly crashes A/N* HAHAHAHA. Hello.
Animal: Hey! *steals chocolate back* NO CHOCOLATE FOR YOU.
Hyper: ... Hey, Different! *has already licked the chocolate, HA!*
Animal: ...gods, Hyper. Are you...never mind. *facepalm* Of course you're hyper.
Hyper: :D YESHES I AM! Anyway...So, about this story. It was an epic idea of Animal's, and she suggested I help her write it, which I was more than delighted to do :D
Animal: ...DEJA VU. *thinks of We Are The World*
Different: Oh, and I'm the random person who decided to hack this A/N to say that they own nothing. xP Except the idea.
Hyper: You suck, Different. *Pouts and eats Animal's chocolate to feel better*
Animal: WARNING: A REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LONG A/N AT THE BOTTOM. BE WARNED. xP AND STOP EATING MY CHOCOLATE!
Hyper: NEVER! *runs off into the distance (AKA, the bottom Author's Note)*
Man in the Mirror
Percy Jackson was glad the war was over. He thought all his problems were gone now. But he was wrong.
He was walking home after a Friday at school, glad that the weekend had finally come. His hands were jammed in his pockets, his backpack swung over his shoulder. He whistled a song he had heard on the radio that morning - he couldn't remember all the words, but he remembered the tune.
His eyes wandered to the the alleys he was passing. The sight made him feel something strange. It was a small family - a little boy and girl, and their parents. All had pale skin, and were all bone. The mother gave the two kids a worn out, wool blanket, while the father gave them his jacket, leaving the parents bared to the cold.
I see the kids in the streets, with not enough to eat...
Percy felt goosebumps rise on his arms as the father looked up, his face gaunt and gray. He looked like a man who had seen things worse than even Percy had seen, and the only reason he went on in life was to protect his children. His eyes were wary, and they squinted at Percy like they were searching his soul.
Percy swallowed, wanting to help them. These were the people he had gone to battle for. Wasn't he supposed to help them?
But he found himself walking away, away from the small family and the father's creepy eyes.
Who am I, to be blind, pretending not to see their needs?
He finally reached his apartment, and the familiar sight felt good on his eyes. But in the back of his mind, the children's hungry faces stared at him wordlessly, as if they pleaded for food with their eyes, food they would never receive.
"Mom, I'm home!" he called, still trying to get the image out of his mind.
"Hey, Percy," Sally greeted, smiling warmly at him.
"Hey, Mom." Percy leaned down and kissed her cheek. She smiled up at him, and then she saw the distant look on his face.
"Percy, honey, is everything alright?" She asked with concern.
"Hmmm? Oh, yeah. Everything's alright." He felt bad for lying, but he needed some time to think. "May you excuse me for a second?" He dashed to the bathroom without waiting for an answer.
He leaned against the wall, his heart thudding almost unevenly. He couldn't get the image out of his mouth. He felt like he had failed. But what had he failed?
Percy sighed and rubbed his eyes. He must just be stressed with school, and now every little thing seemed like a big deal to him, or something.
It wasn't that. He could almost hear Chiron's voice in his head, saying, Your duty is to help mortals and let them live a good life. And that family in the alley...
They certainly weren't living a good life.
Percy turned, deciding to talk to his mom about this. Maybe she would know what he could do...
He glanced at himself in the mirror. The song in the radio suddenly came back to him - not the tune, but the lyrics. "I'm starting with the Man in the Mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer: If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a Change."
#####
Percy grabbed the phone from it's cradel, wondering if it was worth the risk. Half-bloods weren't really supposed to use phones, unless in an emergency, but he couldn't Iris message right now. He bit his lip. And then the image of the little girl came back to him, and snapped him into action. He dialed a number and held the phone to his ear.
At the second ring, someone picked up. "Hello?" came Annabeth Chase's voice, his girlfriend.
"Annabeth," Percy breathed, a smile coming onto his face just at the sound of her voice. "It's Percy."
"Percy." Even over the phone, he could practically see her smiling. "What is it? You shouldn't be using a phone!"
Good old Annabeth.
"This is important," he said quickly. "I need your help to call up, or Iris message, some other half-bloods. Travis and Connor, your half-siblings from the Athena cabin, even Clarisse."
"Okay...but what happened, Percy? I've never heard you so urgent since..." Annabeth fell silent. But Percy knew what she was talking about.
"Annabeth... It's hard to explain," he said honestly. "But I realized something: we have the power to make a change, don't we? So... What's holding us back?"
"Percy, what are you talking about? Have you drank a six-pack of Blue Coke again?"
He laughed. "No, Annabeth. This is something much bigger than a sugar high."
"Okay...I'll IM Chiron to see if they can come over to your apartment. But, really, what's going on, Percy?" Annabeth's voice was filled with concern.
"We're going to change the world, Annabeth," he told her urgently. "Even if only a little bit."
"You better explain more throughly when we are at your apartment, Seaweed Brain."
"Of course, Wise Girl."
#####
"Percy Jackson, you better explain why you called us over with no explanation!" Annabeth huffed once everyone was there. Percy grinned and stood up, looking around at the assembled half-bloods. He and Annabeth had managed to get at least half the Apollo cabin, most of the Aphrodite cabin, the Stoll brothers, Katie Gardener, a lot of Annabeth's half-siblings, Clarisse, and Chris. All in all, about 25 demigods, including Annabeth.
"Alright, guys. This is going to sound insane. Random. Impossible," Percy began.
"Well that's promising," Clarisse muttered.
Leo, who had also come along, said, "Well, get on with it. I was in the middle of a call with Reyna when you told us to come."
Percy rolled his eyes. "You can get back to pining after Reyna soon, Leo. But for now, there's something a lot more serious to deal with."
Leo blushed. "Shuddup, Percy," he muttered.
Annabeth ignored him and leaned forward. "Percy, you have yet to explain what the hell you're talking about."
"I know," Percy agreed. "Well... How do you guys feel about fundraisers?" He asked with a grin.
Annabeth facepalmed and she and half of the half-bloods demanded, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the people we walk past almost everyday, who need our help. But we ignore them," Percy snapped.
Annabeth's eyes softened. "Percy..."
"Annabeth, please," Percy begged. "Please, you guys need to listen to me. There are people out there who need our help. People with no food. No shelter when it rains. None of the things we take for granted. They need our help. So why the hell aren't we giving it to them?" He demanded, looking around at them with hard eyes.
Annabeth stood up and stood next to her boyfriend, looking at everyone with her gray eyes. Then she said, "Travis, Connor, look up information about the United Nations' work. Anything from world hunger to school. Clarisse, Chris, go spread the word. Will, write a song about any problem in the world and put it in YouTube. The rest of you, donate. Donate money, food, clothes - anything! Go!"
#####
Percy grabbed a box and lifted it off the ground, shifting it so he could bear the weight. It was a simple cardboard box... But it held so much more. It held hope. Hope in the form of four warm coats, three blankets, two boxes of Chex cereal, a pack of water bottles, and a bag of apples.
"Come on, Percy! The taxi is here to take us to the orphanage!" Annabeth called, she herself carrying a cardboard box filled with toys, clothes, blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, books...
"Coming!" Percy called back. He walked towards the yellow taxi cab. He and Annabeth were headed to an orphanage near Percy's school. He walked past it most days in his way home from school, but that wasn't exactly why he had asked to go there.
He had his own reasons for wanting to go that way.
Annabeth blew a piece of blond hair out of her face. "Come on, Percy. I don't want to keep the kids waiting. You know they love you."
He smiled at her. He felt light, and happy as he climbed into the taxi and told the driver the address.
Annabeth put the window down to allow the cool air to enter. They passed Rachel, who had set up an art fundraiser. The money went to the poor families around the neighborhood, the orphanages, and the UN. Annabeth waved as they passed Rachel painting a couple. Rachel grinned and waved back before she disappeared from sight.
Finally, they pulled up as close to the orphanage as the busy New York City traffic would allow. Percy clambered out, grabbing the box he had laid aside - the special one.
Annabeth paid the taxi driver and climbed out, clutching the box she carried. "Come on, Percy."
"Tell them I'll be in in a minute," he told her, his eyes focused on an alley beside the building.
"Okay. Be careful, okay?" Annabeth kissed his cheek and walked inside the orphanage.
Percy took a deep breath and started towards the alley, praying with all his might that they were still there...
They were. There was a cardboard box as big as a fridge, in which the small family was in. They were so bony now that they could all fit and still have space. It broke Percy's heart.
There are some with no home, not a nickel to loan...could it be, really me, pretending that they're not alone?
"Hello," Percy called to them. The father snapped towards him, studying him wearily. His gaze was no longer the intense stare Percy remembered. This was the gaze of a man who had given up.
The little boy stood up shakily. His father went to stop him, but the boy walked over to Percy. The boy's eyes wandered to the box. He couldn't have been older than 3 or 4.
Percy stooped down, setting the box on the ground. He pulled out a little coat and gently held it out to the boy. "For you," he said softly.
The boy grabbed the coat with pale, bony fingers. His face split into a wide smile, which appeared to hurt. The poor boy must've never smiled before.
Percy felt tears prick his eyes as the boy slowly slipped his arms into the sleeves, his smile not wavering once. The boy looked up at Percy when he had the coat on, gratitude showing from every part of him. He reached out his little hand and slipped it into Percy's, dragging him towards his family with more strength than Percy would've thought possible.
The father looked at Percy, still wary. Percy knew that the father could recognize him - recognize him as the teenager who didn't help him in their time of need. But the girl was looking at the stuff inside the box, distracting Percy from the father. Percy helped her into her coat, carefully. Then he pulled out a box of Chex cereal and gave it a little shake so the kids could hear the food inside of it.
The kids snatched the box with fast fingers and ripped the box open, eating the cereal with greedy fingers as color flooded their faces. The mother looked up, fixing her gaze on Percy. He gave her a half-smile, and then grabbed the three blankets. He held them out to her, watching her face cautiously.
The mother grabbed them carefully, her face emotionless, which was really annoying. She inspected each blanket, as if expecting to see it worn out or have a bunch of holes in them, but they were brand new. She finally smiled.
Lastly, Percy pulled out the bag of apples. He took a slow step forward, and then set them down in front of the father. He watched the father carefully. He watched as the man picked up the bag of apples, taking out one apple. He checked it, looking at it, touching it, smelling it. His eyes were wary, as if this is too good to be true.
"Good luck," Percy told them, though he was mostly speaking to the father. With those two simple words, he tried to convey every emotion he was feeling at the moment: Faith. Trust.
/Hope/.
"Thank you." The father's voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time. "Thank you," he repeated, his eyes filled with something other than wariness - hope of surviving.
"You're welcome," Percy whispered. He turned around and walked out of the alley, feeling much better, like the world had been taken off his shoulders (and he actually knew that feeling).
I'm gonna make a change
For once in my life
It's gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right
"Percy?" Annabeth had come out of the orphanage, and was looking at him with confusion.
Percy jumped. "Annabeth, I-" He figured he would be dead in ten seconds. Maybe less. Annabeth looked from Percy, to the alley where he had walked out of. She raised her eyebrows, apparently having connected the dots.
"Good job, Percy," she said quietly, smiling a bit.
"W-what?" Percy looked at her in confusion, oblivious, as always. Annabeth sighed.
"My theory is that there is a person or a family of homeless people in that alley. They were the ones who made you want to change how the world is. You went in there to repay them, to say I'm sorry, to give them hope, right?" Annabeth guessed.
Percy stared at her. "... I don't even want to know how you figured that out."
"You're my boyfriend and best friend, Seaweed Brain. I know you. Now come on. Let's go in there. The kids are demanding to see you." Annabeth's eyes sparkled with pride as she grabbed Percy's hand. She led him to the door of the orphanage, where kids practically flooded out onto the doorstep, hugging them around their waists and screaming thank you's for all of New York to hear.
If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change...
Different: I AM STARTING THIS ONE. Okay, so after you guys read that amazing piece of writing (what else to be expected of AC11 and Hyper?), don't you feel inspired? I mean, there is poverty and sadness in the world. We should all lend a hand to stop that.
Hyper: And, like Percy said: we have the power to change things like world hunger and homelessness. So what the hell are we waiting for?
Animal: Go to the nearest orphanage and donate old clothes, toys, books. My school has an AYA group - Ayuda y Admistad, which is, in English, Help and Friendship. Kids from different orphanages come and have fun. Every Christmas, we give a certain kid a present. Believe me, I nearly cried when a kid opened his simple present of toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, and burst out crying - of happiness. Do the same!
Different: Or maybe, during the Holiday Season especially, your city/town has a donation center to donate toys to children who don't have any. My parents and I make sure to do this every year. I tell you, it feels so freaking amazing to know that such a simple thing can make someone out there smile like no tomorrow.
Hyper: You could also volunteer at a Soup Kitchen. Or, if you don't have time to actually volunteer, all you have to do is pack up some cans of soup, or loafs of bread, and drive down to a Soup Kitchen. They're always happy to accept donations of food, or money, or even clothes. Homeless people come to Soup Kitchens for meals that they don't have to pay for, which is why it's such a good type of place to donate to.
Animal: Do everything you can. Heck, if you see a homeless kid in the streets, and he's unharmed, take him to an orphanage! If you have too much food in your house, donate it to a cause! Do a fundraiser! Set up an art set like Rachel did and send the money to the UN! Get involved, get interested! DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN PEOPLE!
Hyper: However, remember: don't ever approach a stranger, homeless or not, without a parent or trustworthy adult with you. There are some bad people out there, and just because you want to be nice doesn't mean you need to put yourself in danger.
Animal: Very good point, Hyper. *nods* ...eh, where did Different go?
Different: Sorry. On freerice . com. (No joke. I seriously was.)
Animal: That reminds me: A VERY EASY WAY TO HELP IS GO ON FREE RICE . COM! YOU CAN LEARN AND HELP AT THE SAME TIME! BELIEVE ME, EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LEARN (WHICH I EXPECT MOST OF YOU DO) DON'T YOU WANT THE HELP THE HUNGRY? *does Puss-in-Boots pouty face*
Hyper: And if you DO like Freerice . com, then check out the speech I have in bold at the top of my profile, and copy and paste it onto yours! We need to spread awareness about freerice! It's one of the most amazing things ever, or at least in my mind, so people should KNOW about it!
Animal: I guess everything's been said and done, so...REVIEW! TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! FLAMES ACCEPTED!
Hyper: *mutters* You'd be a pretty cold person to flame a story about hope and charity.
Different: I agree with Hyper.
Animal: I second that. But if you DO flame this story, expect Hyper to cuss you out. Believe me. I've seen her. *looks at Hyper*
Hyper: *sheepish smile* I didn't MEAN to make the guy cry! It was an ACCIDENT!
Animal: Meh. The guy was a wimp and a coward, anyways.
Different: Anyway, review!