I felt like I couldn't breathe. My mother, the woman who raised me, who married Smelly Gabe just to protect me, who made me into the man I am today. After going through the hardships that came with raising me, she finally got to relax and met Paul, and he was a pretty cool guy for her. Paul. I winced, I hoped that he was okay because he didn't deserve to die either. I numbly picked myself off the soft sand and walked towards my cabin, with only the moonlight guiding me back towards my cabin.
What am I going to do now? I shook my head, not believing what my father had told me. My head hurt from crying from the news, and I knew that I looked like I was recently crying, but I had no plans to stop and chat with my friends at the moment. Reaching my cabin quickly, I shut the door and locked it behind me, attempting to control my rapid and uncontrollable breath.
Denial hit me like a tidal wave of emotion, but it was nothing compared for the thirst of revenge that now soared through my body, and I did nothing to stop myself. Walking towards the back of my lonesome cabin, I let loose a scream of pain and loss, and felt the earth succumb to my wild emotions as I unleashed a small earthquake on Camp because of my emotions.
I have to get out of here. I have to go home.
Looking into a small mirror I held on my dresser, I attempted to shove my unruly raven hair into a somewhat normal look, threw on a new black t-shirt that wasn't covered in sand, black jeans, and a pair of tennis shoes quickly hurried out of the Poseidon cabin. With my head down low, I walked through camp quickly and quietly, with only the moonlight and some sparse torches around the Camp lighting the way towards the outside of camp. Before reaching the border where Peleus guarded Thalia's tree, I whistled for Blackjack to hitch me a ride, and within a few minutes I saw his midnight black wings cover the view of the moon, and he landed stealthily on the ground next to me.
"Hey boss, whatcha doin up this late at night?"
Fortunately it was too dark for Blackjack to notice the tear stains on my cheeks, and how bloodshot my sea green eyes must have looked, but I wasn't in the mood for talking.
"Blackjack, I need you to take me to my mom's apartment please, it's urgent. And I told you to stop calling me boss."
"Yeah I know boss, let's get on with it, as long as we get some donuts afterwards because no one ever gets me those but you." I rolled my eyes at him, not in the mood to banter, but with Blackjack I couldn't help myself and felt a small smirk grow on my face.
"Okay sure, but it'll have to be tomorrow cause nothing will be open, and you won't have to stick around cause I'll be crashing at my moms house for the night."
"You got it bo-Perce."
I jumped onto Blackjack's back and together we rose into the dark cloudless sky, and I reveled in the silence and peacefulness of the ride. We didn't speak for the rest of the trip, and that was a good thing because I was sure I wouldn't be able to have a conversation at the moment. The closer we got to my childhood home, the more angrier I got. Why would someone attack my mom, kill her, when the war was over? The demigods and the Gods won the war, what is the point of killing Sally when the fighting finished? Was it to get to me? The only thing I was sure about was the fact that I was going to seriously hurt whoever killed my mother when I found out who it was, and I swear I'll find out who or what did this.
We finally reached the apartment, and my brooding features must have scared Blackjack away because he left me without a word, just a sideling glance and an unreadable expression in his eyes. Taking a deep breath I walked up to the door of our old apartment, noticed the doorknob looked broken, and pushed my way inside.
The first thing that hit me was the blood splattered on the wall directly in front of the door, and seconds later the smell of death wafted into my nose, and it took all my might not to vomit right there. I felt more alone then ever walking through the apartment, and a part of me wished I had told Annabeth and brought her along to keep me company right now. Taking more steps into my old home, I looked into the living room and saw that I was relatively untouched, save for objects that would be moved around during everyday life. Taking a breath and turning into the hallway towards my moms bedroom, I calmed my frayed nerves and tried to ignore the pit growing in my stomach, and as I walked towards the door the smell of decay got stronger, and I got more afraid for what I was about to see.
Opening the door with one push, the image of my mother and Paul laying on the bed, sprawled out as if they were sleeping, except with blood on their faces and identical stab wounds on their chests, is an image that I'll see for the rest of my life. Unsuccessfully stopping a sob breaking through my chest, I rushed to my mother side of the bed, more tears spraying down my face as I cried for the woman I loved so much, and for the man who I had respected greatly for treating my mother with respect.
"I'm so sorry mom, I swear I will find out who did this to you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. You and Paul both deserve Elysium." I spoke brokenly, hoping that they would live together in peace in their afterlife. Wiping my face with my not so fresh anymore t-shirt, I stood and began to shake with anger thinking about who could've done this to my mom. The once calm night turned into a stormy one as clouds began to circle Manhattan, the waves became rough, and lightning started to streak the sky as I became more angry about moms death. Turning quickly, I took the closest object and threw it at the wall, shattering a useless vase instantly. As I turned to pick up another object, the shadows in the corner of the room shifted.
"Who's there?" I asked at the wall, but obviously nothing answered me. "I'm going crazy, walls don't talk."
"Yeah walls don't talk Percy Jackson, but my son and I sure have a lot to say to you."
Grabbing Riptide out of my pocket, I pointed it at the voice in the corner of the room, and raised my eyebrows at the one who talked, Echidna.
"Wow Echidna, still looking as ugly as ever. I didn't know you traveled anywhere with your beloved mutt of a son." Echidna's mouth scrunched up in anger, and she looked ready to attack me, but unlucky for her I was more then ready to take out my anger and depression on her.
"I'm not here to tell you bedtime stores here that your mom and her little boyfriend can no longer tell you." Hearing her say that almost made me stab her right there, but attacking the Chimera without a plan would end up badly for the people in the apartment building, even if I didn't really care about myself at this point. "But I am here to tell you that I know who killed these mortals, and I would tell you, but I don't really feel like it today."
Looking at Echidna's ugly smirk, all the pain and rage snapped in me and I couldn't control myself, and I lunged across the room towards her, not even caring about the mortals in the apartment building anymore. Whipping out Riptide, I flew across the bedroom and landed in front of the Chimera, and I wildly swung my sword at her, not using any technique besides my anger powering my swing. Echidna sidestepped easily, laughing at my weak effort, which only fueled my grief and anger. The Chimera swiped her long claws at me, and I blocked them with my sword and lunged to the right of her body, but at the last second I turned and quickly shoved my sword through her chest.
"Oh Jackson, this won't be the last time you'll be seeing me, in fact, I'll be seeing you very soon boy." She spoke confidently, even though she had a sword sticking through her chest she didn't seem afraid, which scared me. She drifted off into dust, and with the fight ending I fell to my knees on the floor, wading slightly in the Echidna's monster dust. My mind was turning too fast, the only thing I could comprehend was the fact that my mother was killed, I couldn't even focus on Echidna's last threat.
Looking around at the now destroyed apartment, I walked sullenly up to the ruined bodies of my mother and Paul, and prayed to my Uncle Hades to let them enter Elysium, and prayed to my father is hopes that he would visit soon so we could figure this out together. My anger fading, I took one last look at my dead mother and boyfriend, and strode out of the apartment and onto the familiarly cracked sidewalk for the last time, a plan of revenge formulating in my emotionally exhausted mind.
Sorry for the break, I'm hoping to update more frequently!
-cmams3515