- Chapter 2 -
I wake up when I feel something gently nudging my side.
"Sod off, Muffin!" I say with a quiet groan. I finally get to sleep without worrying about other gods watching me, and Bast is trying to wake me up? How cruel is she?
"Oh, stop whining, Sadie. Time to wake the patient up."
Patient? What is she talking about?
"The stray you picked up and healed last night? Remember? Yeah, he's having a nightmare, and if it gets any worse, he might end up hurting himself."
Stray? Did I bring home another cat? No, that doesn't sound right. Bast would be playing with it if it was another cat. So then who ... bloody mother, the bloke! The one from the alley! I sit up and look around. How did I get to the couch in the living room? I could have sworn we were still in the bedroom when Isis and I fell asleep.
I do not sleep. I meditate.
"I changed into my human form and brought you here," Bast says and hops off of the couch. She's in her cat form now, so I guess she changed back after she dropped me here. Why did she bring me to the living room, though? There's a chair in the bedroom I could have been perfectly comfortable in.
Snorting, Bast says, "I would never let you sleep in the same room as any boy other than your brother."
Throwing my feet over the side of the couch, I stand up and start a brisk walk for the bedroom. There he is: tangled in the sheet, bare chest without a single trace of the cut, black hair tousled in a bad case of bedhead, and looking worse for wear, but much better than when I found him.
Seeing him in daylight is much different than godly night vision. His tanned skin looks healthier, his hair looks darker, and his limbs look more muscled than I can recall them seeming last night. He seems over all more real; more human.
Look closer. Past his appearance.
Closer. The first observation that jumps to my mind is his scars. He has a collection of little scars all over his body at angles and locations that tell me they can't possibly be self-inflicted. The next that comes to mind is the grey stripe in his hair. What in the world?
It is forged with powerful, Greek magic. I refused to lift the curse for fear that who so ever cast it upon him might be alerted to our location. This is not my point, though. Look at him, Sadie.
And so I do. It's only then that I realize he's shaking in his sleep. I hear him whimper and murmur something softly under his breath in a deep, desperate voice. What was it that Bast said? A nightmare?
"I was sleeping next to him when he started tossing and turning. If you keep him asleep much longer, you'll just be torturing him," Bast says.
He is under a sleeping spell right now. We cast it last night when we were healing him to assure that he wouldn't wake up when we were in the middle of mending his wounds. Obviously, we hadn't considered the possibility of him having a nightmare.
A nightmare is naught compared to pain he could have experienced if he was awake when we were binding his skin together.
Regardless, I need to wake him up now.
His clothes. Clean his clothes first while you can. Conjure a glass for the water, as well.
I nod and wave my hand over the crumbled, orange t-shirt on the floor next to the clay basin of water. The t-shirt mends, cleans, and folds itself while a glass appears next to the basin. I pick the shirt up and crook my finger at the chair. It slides across the room until it is right behind me, next to the bed.
As gently as I can, I place my hand on his sweaty forehead and push warm feelings into him to calm the nightmare to a nice dream. His body relaxes and the smallest of smiles appears on his lips. Releasing the sleeping spell, I sit back in the chair and wait.
His eyes open almost instantly and turn to me. A vivid sea green. It should startle me that he's so alert the second he wakes up, but I suppose that's a given considering he was being attacked by a beast the last time he was awake.
"Hi," I say.
He sits up slowly, as if afraid I'll attack him at any given movement. "Hey."
I pick up the glass and dip it into the basin. After it is filled, I hand the glass to him. "Here."
The bloke stares at it blankly, pratically radiating wariness. He honestly thinks that I'm trying to poison him?
"If I was going to kill you, don't you think I would have done it by now?" I ask and nod my head at the glass in my hand. "Go on, then. Just a few sips."
He cautiously takes the glass and brings it to his lips. After the first sip, he pauses for a contemplating moment before proceeding to drink the rest of it without pause. He then hands the glass back to me with a grin.
"What was that?"
"Water. Purified."
"By who?" he asks.
By me. I can't say that, of course. Instead, I laugh. "By chlorine filters, I suppose."
A sheepish smile appears on his face as he says, "Oh. Right."
I put the glass back into the basin and slide it under the bed, where they both melt into the floor. Best he not have too much of that. While it will give him an energy boost and settle the healing magic on his wounds, if he has too much his body will reject having so much godly power inside of him and he might end up tossing the water back up. Heaven knows that's the last thing he needs at this moment.
When I look back up at him, those green eyes are studying me curiously. He asks, "How did you find me?"
"If you must know, I was walking back to my hotel room-" I pause briefly to gesture around us. "-when I passed by an alley and smelled blood. I found you and took you back here."
"You only found me in the alley?"
"Well, no. There was something else there." I frown and consider the idea of lying to him. But no, keeping up with lies is a tedious task that I hardly ever have the patience to maintain. I find stretching the truth is the best way about it: "I was mostly worried about bringing you somewhere safe ... Why? What was it?"
He quickly shakes his head. "I, uh, I don't know. A mugger, probably."
Bast snorts as she curls up next to my foot. Either he's in denial, or he just isn't very good at making excuses.
Speaking of which, I have to mention my discomfort with this boy. He is mortal, I am sure, and yet he has a strong aura of Greek magic around him. It concerns me.
He was attacked by a Greek monster. Some of the monster's magic probably came off on him.
That could be true. Please be careful, though.
Naturally. "My name is Sadie Faust."
"Percy Jackson. Nice to meet you. And thanks for ... you know, saving my life, I guess." His expression scrunches up a bit in a cute, confused look as he looks down at himself. "Where's my shirt?"
I hand it to him. "It was covered in blood, so I washed it for you. Sorry about that."
He takes it and quickly tugs it over his head. "If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you call the ambulence or something when you found me?" he asks.
Honestly! Who does he think he would be in better care with: some mortal doctor with a paper certificate or the goddess of healing magic?
I shrug and decide to push the truth, again: "Your injuries weren't too much for me to handle. I figured I could save you a talk with your health insurance agency."
"They sure hurt when I went under. But, I guess, thanks," he says with a smile.
"Are you hungry? I ordered breakfast from room service," I say as I stand up.
He moves to the edge of the bed and stands up, as well. "You did?"
I imagine the white table filled with dishes of delicious, morning food and tap my foot against the floor gently. The smell of several different foods hits my nose just seconds later.
I did now.
Percy follows me out of the bedroom and into the main living room area. Sure enough, the table is filled with several dishes that vary between classic American and Egyptian food. Hopefully, he won't notice the Egyptian mixed in.
He doesn't. He's too busy looking around the room with wide eyes. I sit down at the table and begin to put some of the food onto my plate.
"So wait ... are you rich?" he asks as he does the same.
"In a way." I have to change the subject before this gets too personal. Looking up at him from over the plates, I ask, "Are you planning on telling me what happened last night, or am I going to have to trick you into it?"
Percy becomes rigid. "Um, what do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. Whatever else was in that alley wasn't human. My guess is that you know what it is, and my other guess is that you ending up in an alley with it was no coincedence." It's grilling time for Mr. Percy Jackson. I'm fairly certain that he's mortal, but if he isn't he has to go. Now. I won't risk destruction of the world over him.
He is quiet for an unbearably long time. Finally, Percy shakes his head and says, "I don't know what it was. It was dark last night. I was just walking down the street when something grabbed me and pulled me into the alley. I fought as hard as I could."
What I wouldn't give for the feather of truth right now. Normally, I can tell if people are lying to me thanks to my powers, but Percy has too much Greek magic surrounding him right now for me to tell.
"... Alright. I believe you. But if you are lying to me," I point to the door to my balcony and say, "I'll push you off of the building."
Percy swallows loudly and I can't help but laugh at his reaction. He starts laughing to. It feels good to laugh, especially after having that argument with Carter before I left. Maybe Manhattan was exactly what I needed, after all: a good night's sleep, a new person, and a chance to laugh.
After the laughter dies down, Percy looks around the room and asks, "So, does anyone else live here?"
"No. Though, I don't live here, either."
"You don't?"
"I'm only staying here for a week."
"Oh. Where do you live?"
"Brooklyn."
"What about you?" I ask quickly before he can interview me further about my home.
"My mom lives in Manhattan," Percy says, looking extremely uncomfortable about the topic.
I decide to give him some mercy and change the subject. "How old are you? Fourteen?"
"Fifteen." He lifts an eyebrow at the random subject.
One year older than my older brother. If I hadn't just turned thirteen, I would be three years younger than him. Not that two years is much better of an age gap. Although it sounds shallow, I dislike spending time with people older than myself. It normally gives them a reason to belittle me. He doesn't seem to be the belittling type though, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Well, just keep in mind the fact that I saved you. You were saved by a thirteen-year-old girl," I say smugly.
"Shh! Someone might hear!" Percy says, but the smile on his face gives him away.
"Oh, shut it." I roll my eyes, but stop when they land on the hotel phone. "Do you want to ring your mum and tell her where you are?"
Percy looks over at the phone nervously. "Can I ... do it in private? There are some things I need to tell her ..."
"Got something to hide, eh?" I wave my hand towards the bedroom. "Go ahead."
He stands up and, forgetting the phone entirely, walks for the bedroom. I clear my throat and he pratically jumps. Percy shoots me a simper before he carefully picks up the wireless phone, after which he disappears into the bedroom and shuts the door behind him. What an odd boy.
"There's something off about him, Sadie," Bast says.
I look below the table to where she is curled up below my chair. "What do you mean?"
Bast cracks one of her eyes open and says in a lazy tone, "Can't you feel it? He is hiding something. About where he lives, about his parents, and about what happened to him last night."
"Even so, it isn't as though he'll attack me ... Is it?"
She shifts in place and opens both eyes, showing me an uneasy look. "No, he doesn't smell like hostility. But I know his type: always attracting danger to himself. Which says all the more about you being the one to find him. You are better off sending him on his way now before you become too attached to him."
I agree, Sadie. Remember where we are. What we came here for.
"I'm not becoming attached to him! At best, he's an acquaintance! That isn't even the real problem here, is it? The problem is that having a boy living with me is a major blow to the 'Fate Deems That Goddess Sadie Can Never Be Happy In A Relationship!' policy!" I let my forehead hit the surface of the table. "I suppose you'll be mentioning Anubis soon, won't you?"
Neither of them say a word. I have a feeling that I might have been a bit too harsh. They're only trying to keep me from getting hurt, again.
Exactly. This is why I think you should take the vow of chastity. The magic keeps you from gaining interest of any kind in males.
"Isis-"
Yes, yes, I know. There is always hope that you will find the right one and whatnot.
Some sort of disturbance consumes the air, and conversation between us stills. It feels like a large burst of magic has come from somewhere very nearby. I can't quite identify it, which most likely means that it's Greek magic.
Bast's fur stands on edge as she springs to her feet. I hear a long growl comes from her throat. "Do you feel that?"
"Yeah."
It came from the bedroom.
I fly up from my chair and run towards the door. I swear to god, if there is a monster attacking him in there, I'll kill the monster and then I'll kill Percy for not calling for help! My hand tries the knob, but the door is locked. I slam my hand on it and unlock it like I did last night with the front door.
The bedroom is empty. Ra, where is he?
Bast flies past me and stops in front of the door to the loo, which is closed. She scratches it with her paw and says, "In here."
"Percy? Open up, Percy!" I do the unlocking trick with the door, and it swings open. Percy is standing in the middle of the steam-filled bathroom, waving his hand over the air above the sink and staring at me with shocked eyes. The Greek magic is fading. I lean against the doorway and let out a small groan. "You scared me."
"What's wrong?" Percy asks.
I glare at him. "Oh no, don't you dare try to divert attention! What were you doing in here? And that! What is that thing where you wave your hand above the sink?"
"It was getting too steamy so I was fanning it out a little." He shrugs, but his eyes still look nervous.
"Why were you running the water?"
"Some people like to wash their hands after they use the toilet, you know."
Oh. But then, where did the magic come from?
I sense deception in his excuse.
What? I look back at Percy and narrow my eyes. "What about calling your mum?"
He shrugs. "I did it already. Figured I would use the bathroom after I did." He pauses and then says, "Now can I ask what happened? You came in here freaking out."
"Something isn't right with this boy, Sadie. Monster attack or not, that Greek magic came from him!" Muffin says as she hisses at him.
He lied. The little bugger lied to me. It was no coincedence that he ended up with that monster. "You liar!"
"What?" he asks, backing into the sink unsurely.
"What are you, Percy? And don't lie to me, again! I want to know what you were doing in here, and I want to know now!"
"How do you-"
"Now!"
His eyes look from left to right, trying to find an alternate exit, but not succeding. Percy looks back at me, then to Muffin, then to the floor, and finally back to me. He groans and slaps a hand to his forehead with dread.
I cross my arms and tap my foot impatiently. "If you're quite done now, I would like my answer."
"Ok." Percy takes in a deep breath and looks up at me, looking his own gaze with mine. "Ok, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to freak out or call the cops on me, though."
"We'll see."
He hesitates at my answer, but then shakes his head and says, "My dad is the Greek god Poseidon, and I live at a camp for demigods. I was trying to contact them just now before you came in."
Oh my god.
You see? You cannot even throw a stone in this town without hitting a child of some Greek god or another!
God. Percy ... Percy is ...
Which would explain why I thought him to be a mortal. He is half-mortal, after all. The Greek magic is explained by this, as well.
"Sadie?"
"Get out."
"What?"
I point to the door, hating myself for saying it, yet knowing that I need to. "Get out, Percy."
"I'm not crazy! I swear!" He turns the faucet of the sink and lets more hot water and steam pour out of it. "Here, do you want me to show-"
"No!"
Percy stops what he's doing and turns back to me unsurely. "Sadie?"
"Please ... please, just get out of here."
"But why? You believe me, right?"
"Go!"
Shuffling out of the door, Percy disappears from sight. I hear the front door of the hotel room shut only moments later, plummeting Bast and I into tense silence.
"It would have been worse if you had kept him around and found out later," Bast offers sympathetically.
I let a small sigh escape my lips and nod. "It would have been worse, yes. Still he would have made a good friend."
No use dwelling on what could have been.
"Let's just hope his father won't be hearing about this, then." Or Carter will have my head. If the Greek gods don't have it first, that is.
