Greetings everyone! Welcome to my longest fan fiction yet. This work is also my first foray into Percy's point of view. I hope that I have reflected the style of the books and Percy's own personality into this work. If you find the time, please review, every review warms my heart and I will reply to them as long as they are account bound. Also, the following work contains spoilers to The Last Olympian. All beware who have not finished the series.
Me: Aren't you going to...you know?
Disclaimer: Nope.
Me: Why not?
Disclaimer: You don't pay me enough.
Me: *sigh* Fine. How about this, I'll raise you three drachmas and pay for the nectar after school today.
Disclaimer: *satisfied grin* Excellent. Pallas does not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, it is the property of Rick Riordan and the Disney owned company Hyperion.
Me: Thank you. *addresses the readers* I dearly hope that this work is found enjoyable, otherwise, I just wasted a whole lot of drachmas.
The Owl
I was going to die. It didn't matter that I was nearly invulnerable or a son of Poseidon, because the person who was going to kill me was the only person on the planet who knew my Achilles' heel. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, was going to kill me for being the worst boyfriend ever. Then after she killed me, her mother, none other than the goddess of warfare and wisdom, Athena, was going to make sure that I suffered in the afterlife for harming her daughter.
Now, what you may ask is going to result in my premature death, is something that seems quite tame and unimportant when compared to fighting a titan or a sphinx. In three days, Annabeth is going to turn seventeen and I have no idea what I am going to give her as a present.
Of course, most of the blame does fall on me for not thinking about what I going to get her until three days before the event, but I was slightly distracted, what with monster attacks and finals. Though I know that neither are real good reasons for forgetting my girlfriend's birthday.
I knew I couldn't just get her any regular gift, like jewelry because Annabeth only wears her Camp Half-Blood necklace and the owl earrings her dad bought her. Annabeth is different than other girls. She doesn't wear make up and she isn't obsessed about style. She'd rather fight monsters instead of going to slumber parties. I've never seen her read one of those girly, teen fashion magazines during the six years that I've known her, instead, I've seen her read books upon books about architecture. She's a warrior, a book-worm (despite being dyslexic), and my Wise Girl.
Thinking about all the reasons why I love my girlfriend is really not helping me feel any better about forgetting her birthday. Come on Percy! Think! Annabeth deserves something unique, one of a kind…like my pen or her cap…or my shield! That's it! I could come up with an idea and my brother Tyson could forge it! Wait…valask! Tyson is receiving training from my dad deep in the ocean. He's not allowed to receive any communication while he's learning to become the best Cyclops commander in the history of the Cyclops.
Who else could I turn to for some wicked forging…I could maybe talk to some of the kids from the Hephaestus cabin, but I have never really gotten along with any of them except for Beckendorf…stop right there Percy, no need to dwell on the events of last year. Who else was there? Of course! How could I have been so dense? No wonder why Annabeth calls me Seaweed Brain. I could ask the god of the forge himself, Hephaestus. Of course, there was a slim chance that he'd actually agree…but it was still worth a shot.
Before I should start worrying about whether or not the god of the forge will help, I need to think of what I would like forged. A weapon seems unneeded as Annabeth already as her dagger, which has more meaning to her than just being her weapon. I know she loves me romantically and not Luke, but I could never infringe on the special connection that they had.
The dagger she held so dear to her had been a gift from Luke when she had been on the run from monsters with him and Thalia. I wanted to give her something that would be as special to her as the dagger was. It was selfish, but I couldn't help it. I racked my mind for hours, trying to think of something that would have meaning, that would show Wise Girl that I am capable of thoughtful gifts, despite being a Seaweed Brain.
I paced my room, stopping from time to time to look at the photo I had of Annabeth and I after the Battle of Olympus. When I couldn't take the silence of my apartment, I explored Central Park and wandered around my favorite city in the world, New York. Every time I walked by a store front window, I hoped that something would catch my eye or at least give me an idea as to what I could get Annabeth.
I was on the subway (my mom refused to buy me a car, which was understandable considering the damage to Paul's car last year) when I checked my watch, which Tyson had repaired. It was almost seven o'clock. I had been out for nearly three hours and my mother was probably worried sick, so I remained on the sub way, waiting for the stop that would be closest to my home.
Two stops before mine however, my demigod senses started tingling. Instinctively, I curled my fingers around Riptide, which was hidden in my pocket. As subtly as I could, I scanned the passengers in my car. No one screamed monster, but I remained alert anyway. When the train suddenly halted in the middle of the tunnel, I knew that my day was about to get whole lot worse.
Everyone, excluding me, screamed when the lights in the car turned off. I had been expecting it and used the blue light from my watch to guide my way to one of the doors of the car. None of the passengers were paying any attention to me or what I was doing, which was fortunate because the second I reached the door, a dracaena slithered in view. With the covering of darkness, I was able to uncap Riptide and exit the train before any mortals were aware of anything happening.
Apparently, the train was stopped quite a bit of the way from any stations in the rail system as it was pitch black outside, much like the train. Thanks to my ADHD and my watch, I was able to dodge the dracaena when it tried to bite my head off. However, there wasn't much space between the electrified rail the subway train was on and the wall of the tunnel, forcing me to press myself against the slick stone wall when avoiding the monster.
The dracaena lunged again and I thrust Riptide in the direction of its torso, but it slithered away before I could make contact. As the dracaena and I continued to play stab-and-dodge, my anger began rising. I was a son of Poseidon and a hero of the Second Titan War, and yet, I couldn't kill one measly monster. With my anger boiling over, which triggered my ADHD to go into overdrive, I swiftly stabbed the dracaena in between its yellow snake eyes.
After taking a quick breather, I quietly reentered the train and resumed my spot. According to my watch, I had been fighting the dracaena for ten minutes. The gods must have been feeling rather sympathetic for me, because a few seconds after I reclaimed my seat, the electricity returned and I was on my way back to my apartment.
Surprisingly, my mom and Paul were not home when I returned, instead, I found a note in the kitchen.
Percy, We have gone out to dinner and a movie. We will be back around ten, please be careful. There are sandwiches in the refrigerator if you get hungry.
Love,
Mom and Paul
Cold cut sandwiches didn't exactly sound appetizing and I really wasn't that hungry, so I decided to just go to sleep. Bearing the Curse of Achilles was tiring, add that to an unexpected encounter with a dracaena attack (were monster attacks ever expected?), and you got an exhausted Percy Jackson.
The next morning, my mood had definitely not improved from yesterday. It was a good thing that it was spring break, because my school performance would have suffered even more than usual. Until eleven o'clock, I remained in my bed, staring up at my ceiling. Just two days until Annabeth's birthday. I wondered if she was going to break up with me when I showed up at her apartment without a present. She probably wouldn't, but she would definitely be beyond furious at me.
Maybe I could Iris message her, but then she would figure out that I haven't bought her a present yet, which wouldn't be good. It was hopeless. I was doomed to the wrath of Annabeth and her mother. Fantastic.
Sighing heavily, I dragged myself out of my bed and began cleaning the mess that encompassed my room, hoping to distract myself from my bleak thoughts. My room was a pig-sty and cleaning it took all my focus, which thankfully granted me a reprieve. The dirty clothes that had been littering my floor were in my hamper and I had just started to organize my desk when I found a Olympus blueprint that Annabeth had left in my room.
The blueprint was hastily drawn with uneven lines and estimated measurements of an Apollo temple. I nearly jumped in the air and cheered when inspiration struck. It was pure genius. The perfect gift for Annabeth. I tore my eyes from the blueprint and dashed across my room toward my dresser. In my haste, I almost knocked over my lamp and tripped over my bed post, but eventually, I made it to my dresser.
Violently, I ripped open the top drawer of my dresser and dug through the miscellaneous objects within. Thankfully, I managed to find a golden drachma. I ran from my room and plowed right into my mom.
"Percy, what's gotten into you?" She seemed worried, probably thinking that I was in danger, which I was, but not in the way she thought.
"Nothing…I'm just in a hurry. Excuse me." I walked around her and then down the hall toward the bathroom. When I heard her retreating footsteps, I continued my dash. Once in the bathroom, I worked to create a rainbow, after ten frustrating minutes, I managed to create a small one.
"O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Lord Hephaestus, god of the forge. " I tossed my drachma into the pathetic rainbow and a dark room, lit only by sparks and a small torch, appeared. For the first time, the thought that the god could be in his true immortal form crossed my mind. I dearly hoped that he wasn't, because I really didn't want to be fried to a crisp. Lord Hephaestus, in non-immortal form, was hunched over at his work bench, soldering some new contraption. Silently I prayed that he would not be angry for me interrupting.
"Lord Hephaestus?" My voice came out shakier than I intended, apparently my excitement died at the sight of the god. The sound of metal being soldered ceased and he turned around. His expression was unreadable. At least it wasn't instant anger.
"Ah. Hello cousin. I have received word from Apollo that you request something of me." His gruff voice didn't betray any emotion, which really didn't help me any.
"Yes sir. You see, my girlfriend's birthday is in two days…" He interrupted before I could finish.
"And you have no idea what to get her and you're hoping that I will make something amazing."
"Umm…that's the general idea." I was beginning to get really nervous. I didn't know what I would do if he said no.
"Well, what's in it for me?"
"Uhh…I could do you a favor of some kind." Hephaestus' responding grin frightened me.
"Well…I do happen to have a bit of a problem with a certain wife of mine sneaking around with a god of war…" I gulped, which apparently he heard as his grin grew wider and he chuckled deeply. "Listen cousin, all I need you to do is plant a few traps here and there." I could either face a really angry Ares or a really angry Annabeth.
"Alright. I'll do it."
"Excellent. Now, this is what I want you to do…"
Nineteen hours later, I collapsed on the floor before Hephaestus' throne on Olympus. I was exhausted. I had set twelve traps in cities all over the United States. I was definitely going to have to feed Blackjack some sugar cubes.
"I'm impressed cousin, good job." It took nearly all my remaining energy to look up at the deformed face of Hephaestus.
"You're…welcome." I was too tired to care if I was being slightly rude. He grinned at me and set Annabeth's present in front of me.
"Forged to order. I'm sure Athena's daughter will like it. You came up with a pretty decent idea. You just keep impressing me cousin. " The only response I could manage was a weak smile and thumbs up, which caused him to chuckle deeply. "Here, this might help your energy problem. Farewell cousin." He placed a bottle of nectar beside Annabeth's present. I closed my eyes and turned slightly as he shifted into his true immortal form and vanished.
I took a few sips of the nectar and instantly my energy returned. My excitement couldn't be contained as I exited Olympus, whistling an ancient Greek hymn. My mother congratulated me on completing Hephaestus' task when I returned, despite the fact that it was nearly five o'clock in the morning. In celebration of finally having a present for Annabeth, we ate blue pancakes.
When I was finished, my mom forced me to go to sleep, despite the fact that I was energized by the nectar I had been given. Through my excitement, I somehow managed to sleep until four o'clock. I took my time showering because Annabeth's "party" wasn't until six. At five forty-five, my mom dropped me off at Annabeth's apartment just a few streets from my own. Her mother was paying for her rent while she worked to rebuild Olympus.
Three floors later, I stood before her apartment door. When I'm nervous, my dyslexia works in over drive. I was so nervous that I couldn't read what number was on the door, I only managed to find the apartment from memory. Before knocking on the door, I gave myself a quick once over. I was wearing a green button-down shirt that my mom had bought me along with a pair of black slacks that my mother had also purchased. Finishing off my outfit was my ratty pair of black converse.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door, hoping that Annabeth would answer the door instead of Athena.
"Hello, Perseus." Of course I had to be wrong.
"Hello, Lady Athena." I bowed rather awkwardly. She gave me a slightly amused smile and beckoned me inside.
"Annabeth, Percy is here." Athena called down the hall and a few moments later, Annabeth appeared. Her curly hair was down, framing her face and resting at her shoulders. She wore a pair of dark jeans and a dark blue polo. I felt really overdressed.
"Hey, Seaweed Brain." I couldn't help but to grin at the nickname as she came up to me and gave me a peck on the lips. I was surprised at first, I mean, her mom was right there.
"Happy birthday, Wise Girl." I pulled my gift from behind me back. It was horribly wrapped because I had no skill what so ever, even with my mom giving me step by step instructions.
"Thanks. Did you wrap it?" Her eyes were alight with laughter and I saw that Athena's were as well when I glanced over at her standing a few feet away.
"Yeah. It's that bad, huh?" I was trying to joke about it, but I could feel the blood pooling in my face. Annabeth only laughed in response and took my hand, leading me into the kitchen.
It was a quiet, awkward dinner. I didn't really pay attention to my food, though I ate all that was on my plate. I was more focused on watching Annabeth out of the corner of my eye. When dinner and desert were finished, we retired into the living room for Annabeth to open her gifts. She had already opened the gifts from her mortal family and the gifts from friends at Camp Half-Blood. I didn't know what her family got her, but Annabeth told me that Juniper had given her an extremely rare flower that had healing properties, Grover had given her a wooden pipe and the promise of teaching her how to play, and Thalia had sent a new bow, which was silver just like the ones the Hunters used.
The gifts that remained were just mine and Athena's. Annabeth sat next to her mother on the couch while I sat on the floor in front of them during the opening of Athena's gift. When Annabeth unwrapped it, tears poured down her face as she hugged her mom. It was a picture of Athena standing with college age Frederick Chase. There was no way that my gift would top something that meant so much to Annabeth.
Nervously, I passed my poorly wrapped gift to Annabeth. I prayed that she liked it. When the iron owl was free, along with the pieces of paper and pencils, I received a strange look from Annabeth.
"Err…thanks Seaweed Brain." She seemed disappointed and it broke my heart.
"Press the owl's beak." She did as I asked and gasped when the owl thinned and extended into an ornate yard stick. She continued to click the owl's beak, changing the yard stick into a protractor, then into a compass with a pen built into it instead of a pencil, then into a laser pointer, and finally back into a small owl. My palms were slick and my heart was pounding as I waited for Annabeth's reaction. It definitely was not what I was expecting.
She sprang from the couch and tackled me into a massive hug, then kissed me for a few seconds longer than was socially acceptable when in the present of a god.
"Percy, I love it! How did you manage to find it?" She spoke after releasing me.
"I didn't find it…I designed it. I did a favor for Lord Hephaestus and he forged it. When I remembered all the supplies you started listing off when you were named the chief architect of Olympus, I decided that you need an Olympian Architect Owl." I couldn't help but to crack a grin. I thought that my name for the little gadget was quite clever.
"Not bad for a Seaweed Brain, but really Percy, thank you. It means a lot." Her smile made my knees go weak. Thank the gods that was sitting down, other wise I would have collapsed.
"I agree with Annabeth, Percy. This is quite ingenious, but why did you choose the form of an owl?" Athena gave a small smile as she watched me blush.
"Well…you mean a lot to Annabeth and you're the one who named her chief architect. I thought it was appropriate." Athena nodded in understanding and I released a quiet sigh of relief.
"I am sorry Annabeth, but I really must be heading back to Olympus. Happy birthday. Before I leave, may I speak with you, Percy?" I gulped and stood.
"Yes ma'am." I followed her out into the hall and she smiled down at me.
"I watched everything you went through to find a gift for my daughter. To say the least, I am impressed. However, I would not suggest to wait until three days before my daughter's birthday again. You have maintained my favor, let us hope that you will continue to do so." Her gaze turned stern and I wondered if she was going to burst into flames again. After keeping my gaze for a few moments, she turned and left.
When I reentered the apartment, Annabeth and I experienced the best birthday kiss ever, and this time, there were no nosy campers or a canoe lake to be thrown into.