DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING YOU RECOGNIZE. All rights belong to RICK RIORDAN
Chapter 2
Percy lifted his gun into position as his eyes glanced over to his cousins; Thalia grinned when she met his eyes and waved her metal bat around teasingly. Jason waited for his signal and Percy slowly nodded his head as a clear 'go ahead'. He glanced through the window of the gas station and he only saw one walker on the floor. Jason slowly opened the door and rushed forward to slam a blade into the corpses head before it could even lift its arms up.
Thalia and Jason silently crept forward to check the back of the store while Percy checked the front. No more walkers were inside and they worked quickly to grab anything of use. Piper and Alice are waiting in the truck and they wanted to hurry.
They've done this dance so many times before. Nothing needed to be said; no clarifications needed to be made. They had been a family before the fall of civilization; and now they're a family of survivors. They've lost parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. They've experienced too much loss and now they have something bigger at risk; something they all desperately want to protect.
Percy has just turned twenty eight when the outbreak had started. He was content living in his small two bedroom house a few houses down from his mom and he was content with his simple job as a high school gym coach. He realized early on that he wasn't one to stick out; people simply didn't want him around. He was awkward and shy and he just couldn't find what he was looking for. He felt unvalued and weak. He was smarter than people gave him credit for though; he could think rationally in a desperate situation. He had become the leader of their group simply because he knew how to keep them safe.
Jason had been the complete opposite. He was the popular one in high school; varsity football quarterback and prom king. He had the whole school in the palm of his hand and he didn't even realize it. He had met Piper during senior year, while Thalia and Percy had been juniors, and had instantly fallen in love with her. He had taken over his father's auto shop after he finished college and shortly after made a home with Piper. He was the brawns of the group; he was strong enough to bash a walker's skull in with one hit.
Thalia didn't have anything really figured out before the end of the world. She had finished high school and was thinking about applying to college when it all ended. She was working two jobs to pay rent for Percy's second bedroom and seemed content with her easy going life. She had explored the world for two years; she needed to know what other parts of the country were like; she loved adventure. Her heart had been scared from multiple bad breakups and she had sworn off men forever at twenty four. She was happy living the way she was. She was the navigator of the group, her knowledge of maps and living without electronics proved useful. She had fallen into position as Percy's second in command as Jason's priorities shifted.
Piper Mclean-Grace has been sweet and caring her entire life. After being bullied up until she graduated, she knew a mean soul when she saw one and she never wanted to make anyone feel as badly as she did. She wanted to help people; and she seemed to have a calming effect on anyone willing to listen to her. She had met Percy before she met Jason and had instantly taking a liking to him; despite the fact no one else seemed to. Piper and Jason had stayed together throughout her college years because she had picked a school close to home. Once she had finished school for good she had gotten a job as a nurse. She had Alice when she was twenty five. It was one of the happiest days of her life.
Piper had seen the outbreak when it first started and had warned her husband that something wasn't right. She didn't think it would spiral into something like this. Everything seemed to have fallen too quickly. Piper was the mother-figure of the group and given her medical training, the healer if someone were to get hurt.
Together the four of them felt unstoppable.
Nothing had been out of the ordinary when the walkers had broken free. The Jackson and Grace family had been celebrating Percy's birthday at the park with their close friends, Grover Underwood and Rachel Dare, when two walkers had emerged from the trees and taken a chunk out of Percy's mother's shoulder before anyone could blink.
The next few minutes were a blur as everyone ran screaming. Things were being knocked over and spilled and the sound of growling and chewing was loud in Percy's ears. The image of his mother being eaten alive in front of him was forever burned in his mind. Her blood was splashed acrossed the grass and he was standing there numb as Thalia tried to tug him away. When he finally came to his senses he followed Thalia through the crowd and grabbed the bat they were going to use for his piñata. He could hear Jason calling out desperately for Alice and Piper and he had taken off. Thalia went to the right to grab her brother and Percy went to the left to try and find his family.
Piper was holding Alice tightly in her arms as she tried to find a weapon to defend herself. She was crying and screaming as a walker stumbled towards her. Percy, seeing red as it got closer, acted without thinking and slammed the bat into the monster's skull until it stopped moving. Once Piper was safe he had doubled over and spewed his stomach's contents on the grass. Piper had hugged him and sobbed worriedly into his shirt before he pulled her off and tried to find anyone else alive.
He could see people diving into their cars and driving off without them. He could see blood and human organs spread across the park as innocent people were torn apart. Percy had tried to help as Grover was taken down trying to protect his girlfriend. But the walking corpse had already ripped his chest open by the time Percy could even take a step forward. He tried to call out to Rachel as she ran into the forest surrounding them but she hadn't heard him and he couldn't chase her.
He used his bat to smack away three walkers before they finally made it to Jason's SUV. Thalia had spotted them running for it and had tugged Jason towards the car as she kicked away anything biting at her. Once they were all tucked into the vehicle Jason had sped away until they were close enough to Percy and Thalia's house.
"They're all gone…." Percy whispered as his eyes drifted to the direction of the park.
"We got bigger problems." Thalia snapped as everyone took in the gruesome sight. Walkers were feeding on people in the middle of the road and people were fighting desperately to get to their cars; ready to abandon their now unsafe homes.
So they drove forward, never stopping to look back. They had spent one night at Jason's and Piper's house to gather supplies and weapons and then they moved on. They looked for anywhere safe to stay for at least a night but the dead always seem to catch up to them.
Percy shook his head to clear his thoughts and got back to work. After stuffing practically every food item on the shelves into his bag, Percy let out a low whistle and Thalia and Jason hurried to meet him at the front door. They gave small nods and Percy grinned. Finally; they could get some food in their stomachs.
The trio rushed back out the doors and towards the large truck. Piper was sitting in the driver's seat; as instructed, and waiting. She grinned when she saw her husband, sister-in-law and best friend coming back with bags of food. She turned to smile back at her four year old daughter Alice, who gave her a toothy grin in return. When Percy came and knocked on her window, she opened her door and pulled him in for a hug.
"I love you." She cooed as she reached to dig through his bag. Jason playfully scoffed at her side and she turned to flash him a quick smile. Percy was already in the driver seat when she turned back around. Piper climbed into the back with Jason and Alice while Thalia rode shotgun; a map already positioned in her hand.
"Okay we got nothing but road for quite a few miles." Thalia mumbled discouraged. "We can stop here for the night or try and find something in two hours; the sun is gonna set soon."
Percy chewed on his lip thoughtfully; his eyes glancing back at his second cousin. Alice was cuddling into her mother's side and adjusting her SpongeBob blanket tighter around herself. She was a perfect mixture of both her parents. She had her blonde hair tied back into a bun on the top of her head, her dark brown eyes fluttering shut. Her skin was partially sun kissed due to Jason's almost pure white skin mixing with Piper's tan. With an almost defeated sigh Percy turned off the car and turned around. He looked at Jason and gestured inside.
"We'll stay here for the night and take off at first light. We're all exhausted and I don't like the idea of driving aimlessly in the dark."
Jason nodded and whistled to Thalia, who was still looking over the map. She glanced at up at the mirror to look at Jason.
"Get the walker out of there before I bring Alice in." He told her quickly, his eyes glancing down to see his daughter looking out the window, unaware of what they were saying. Thalia nodded and she and Percy ventured inside.
Piper sighed and adjusted her daughter's bun. Jason placed his arm around her shoulders and kissed her collarbone to get her attention. Piper slowly turned her head to look at him only to sigh and place her head on his shoulder. He gripped her hand with one hand while the other reached over to rub his daughter's head.
"What's up?" He asked worriedly. Piper shrugged from her spot nuzzled in his neck.
"I just want to stop running. I want to find a secure place to keep Alice safe."
Understanding her worry Jason kissed her head and let his hand wander down to his wife's stomach. A baby bump was there to meet his palm and he sighed. A small smile fell across his lips when he felt a tiny jab against his hand. They figured she was in her second trimester; somewhere between five and six months.
They didn't know if she had gotten pregnant before they had begun running from the outbreak or after but Jason remembers fainting when Piper had told him. Thalia still gives him shit for it.
"Don't worry." Jason soothed. "I won't let anything happen to any of you. I promise."
Piper nodded against his skin and leaned away far enough to give him a quick kiss. He smiled against her mouth and gave her one more peck before opening the door. Piper crawled out from the middle seat after him and held her arms out to her sleepy daughter. Alice rubbed her eyes and grabbed her blanket and favorite toy before climbing into her mother's arms. Jason shut the door behind him and walked behind his family as they made their way across the road to the gas station. Alice lifted her head off her mother's shoulders and freed her hands.
*DADDY, ARE WE STAYING?* She signed to him, glancing at him with tired eyes. Jason smiled at his daughter and shook his head.
*ONLY FOR THE NIGHT* He signed back. Content with the answer Alice placed her back on Piper's shoulder and snuggled up.
Alice had been beautiful when she was born; her face was plump and pink and he was amazed that something so small had changed his life forever. Alice, however, was also two months premature; she came into the world half-way through week twenty five. After being monitored by doctors for a month and a half Jason and Piper were able to take her home. It wasn't until she failed her third hearing test that the new parents learned she couldn't hear.
It was really hard to deal with at first. They started to question and doubt everything. Was this their faults as parents? Giving her DNA that could cause this. The doctor had told them this can happen to premature babies but it didn't settle their worry. Jason and Piper were overprotective from the start but it was cranked up a thousand notches. They wouldn't take their eyes off of Alice for a second and Piper would turn on the blenders or clap behind Alice's head to try and prove she wasn't deaf.
Then they took a _really_ good look at their daughter. She was so happy almost constantly despite her disability and made friends with anyone she could. She followed her parents around mindlessly and looked at the world with such interest it was impossible to see her as underprivileged. Alice was happy the way she was and her parents finally were too. Things were of course different and they had to make some special changes to make sure Alice would have a normal life and be able to understand them but it was more than worth it.
Rubbing his own tired eyes Jason cleared his thoughts and walked into the gas station. Percy was waiting by the door and shut it behind him. With help from Thalia they pushed a large shelf of old magazines against the door. They'd be able to see any walkers coming through the window but the shelf prevented them from coming in.
Percy watched as his family settled down for the night. Jason was laying against a wall with Piper in-between his spread legs, using him as a pillow. Alice was sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms and Piper adjusted her blanket around her to make sure she was warm before drifting off herself. Jason had his arms wrapped around them both protectively as he shut his eyes. Thalia was already asleep in a chair behind the counter and Percy found his own spot against the wall and got comfortable. His gun was resting in his lap and his eyes were facing the windows.
He could see the truck in the parking lot and he could see if anything was coming. He decided to take first shift of watch while the rest slept. Jason poked one eye open to stare at him.
"You know you won't be able to drive tomorrow if you're tired." He whispered accusingly. Percy smirked and shrugged.
"Then I'll wake you up in an hour or so to take watch and I'll sleep."
"Fine." Jason agreed quickly. Within seconds he was asleep again, making Percy smile.
With a sigh he went back to watching. No matter how far they ran or how safe they felt Percy knew that's all his life would be from now on; watching for the next threat.
0~0~0~0~0
Percy held Alice as Piper, Jason and Thalia prepped the truck. Thalia had stolen some gas from a car out back and it put their truck at half a tank. Jason was checking out their supplies. All their food, weapons and blankets were in the covered trunk. Piper was organizing snacks for the long drive and prepping the backseat for Alice to keep her occupied. Alice wiggled in Percy's arms and he set her down to stare at her. She smiled up at him cutely.
*I HAVE TO USE THE BATHROOM* She signed quickly, even doing a little potty dance to show how bad it was. Percy smiled at her antics and whistled out to Piper. Her head popped out of the backseat.
"I'm taking Al to the bathroom!" He called out to her. She nodded.
"Alright! Just make sure you have a weapon with you!"
Percy snickered and grabbed Alice's hand leading her to the back.
"Never woulda heard her say _that_ a year ago."
He paused outside the dirty bathroom and gestured for Alice to wait. She eeped and covered her eyes with her hands. After peeking through her fingers and seeing Percy wasn't gone yet she uncovered her hands to sign to him.
*I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYMORE MONSTERS* She pouted nervously. Percy smiled soothingly and ruffled her blonde hair. Her brown eyes looked up at him.
*I KNOW* He winked at her. *BUT YOUR BIG COUSIN PERCY WILL PROTECT YOU. I'LL KEEP YOU SAFE*
*PROMISE?" She signed slowly. She seemed so scared and it broke Percy's heart to know she'll have to toughen up and face this cruel new world.
*PROMISE.* He signed back with a confident grin. With a small thumbs up from the little girl he turned towards the bathroom and pounded on the door. After a minute with no groaning he opened the door and sighed in relief when it saw it was clear. He gestured for Alice to enter and with another timid look in his direction she did.
He toyed with his gun as he waited for her to do her business. He started to feel awkward when a few minutes had passed and Alice had not yet come out. He really should have sent Piper with her. Before he could call out to his friend Percy noticed something in the distant. A few yards away, just coming up over a small hill was a body shuffling towards him, and another, and another. Soon five walkers were stumbling his way and it only took a few seconds for them to notice him.
Panic soon set in and realizing he only had three bullets he started to pound on the porta potty. Alice couldn't hear it but she'd feel the vibration and hopefully hurry. Percy cocked his gun and whistled out for Thalia or Jason but neither seemed to have heard. With another fierce pound on the plastic door Alice opened it and frowned at him. Now seeing the walkers were only a few feet away Percy wasted no time in grabbing Alice and racing to the car.
He could see Jason shutting the trunk and Piper climbing in the back when he rounded the corner. Alice, who was facing behind him, screamed when she saw the monsters advancing on them. Piper and Jason instantly looked up and pulled out their weapons when they saw their cousin running from walkers.
"Get in the car!" Percy demanded as he ran closer to the truck. Thalia slid into the driver's seat and started the car, waiting for Percy. She opened his door for him when he got close enough and Percy climbed in, Alice was still screaming and crying in his arms. Piper climbed into the backseat quickly and waited for Jason to follow.
With an angered grunt Jason stabbed a walker through the eye that had gotten to close. He kicked another one away from the car and practically dove into the backseat. Piper shut the door as soon as Jason was in and Thalia sped down the road. Percy reached behind him to hand Piper the distraught Alice and Jason smacked him in the back of the head.
"Where was the fucking warning whistle?" He demanded angrily as he rubbed his daughter's head soothingly as Piper shushed her. Alice was whimpering.
"I gave it as soon as I saw them!" Percy defended himself. "You must not have heard it!"
"No shit dumbass." Thalia snapped. "We would have come if we did! We could have taken them; five's shit compared to what we've fought through."
"We're trying to avoid fights Thalia." Piper argued quickly. She glanced down at her stomach before meeting Percy's eyes. "There's too much at stake now."
Percy sighed and grabbed the map.
"Which is exactly why we're going to keep searching until we have a safe place for you, Alice and that baby."
"Oh gee thanks Perce; we love you too." Jason mocked with a small smile; the argument forgotten. Thalia hummed under her breath before snapping her fingers.
