Poseidon's Daughter: Yamato Sui Jean

A PJO fanfic by haganeochibi

Disclaimer: haganoechibi does not own PJO.

A.N.: I couldn't resist.

Chapter 2: Don't forget your weapons!

The journey upward was fine. Nico did most of the talking as he explained things to me. I found it strange that Olympus was actually sitting on top of the Empire State Tower, that the World Wars were influenced by demigods, and that the Beatles were Apollo's kids. I also found it strange that Hades had taken it easy on me by not wearing his helm of darkness when he addressed me.

I thanked Nico when we exited the Underworld and nearly jumped out of my skin when I looked around. We surprisingly ended up at New York Central Park. It was early morning and a few people were hanging out at the park, either jogging or just lounging. Everything was so foreign: the sign boards, the benches, the people, the trees, the cars and even the sky! I stood there for a moment, taking it all in.

Nico looked at me. "Now what?"

I winced as I realized that I didn't know exactly where grandma lived. I just knew she was somewhere in Manhattan.

Here I was, an injured Japanese girl in the big apple park. I was lost, or at least, I would have been if Nico didn't know where other demigods lived. Fortunately, one of them lived in Manhattan, and Nico led the way there. The demigod's name was Percy Jackson, and he lived with his mother, Sally, and stepfather, Paul Blowfish (at least that was what I heard; weird surname though).

Nico and Percy seemed to be good friends; the reception was warmer than I would have expected. Percy was surprised at first to have me, but he did let me inside all the same. He would have pestered me if Mr. Blowfish hadn't grabbed him and set off to the school. Percy gave me and Nico a look that said 'you're-going-to-tell-me-later.'

The Western apartment was almost similar to the ones in Japan, only with different labels and the absence of the low table and cushions. Mrs. Blowfish kissed Percy and Mr. Blowfish goodbye.

Mrs. Blowfish had been kind to give me a new set of clothes (the jeans and shirt were too large) as mine had been tattered and almost destroyed after my fiasco of a journey.

For some reason, I liked this woman. There was something so strong but warm about this person, and her smile was refreshing. Her smile was the best welcome greeting I had in America. She reminded me of my mom, and my breath got caught in my throat. It was still painful. I had a feeling that Nico had dropped by this very apartment more than a few times.

"Thank you, Mrs. Blowfish," I said in my best English accent, as she helped me put on a shirt and change my head bandage. Mrs. Blowfish laughed.

"It's Blofis," Mrs. Blofis corrected, smiling warmly and still stifling chuckles.

"Thank you, Mrs. Blofis," I corrected myself and followed her out of her bedroom and to the kitchen.

"You kids hungry?" she asked. Nico, who was sitting on the sofa, perked up.

As if on cue, my stomach grumbled very loudly and I felt my face blush. I realized I had had nothing but nectar and ambrosia (as Nico told me) for the past 24 hours. She made small talk as she knocked us up a decent meal.

"What's your name?" She asked me warmly as Nico came over.

"My name is Jean Yamato," I answered and we helped prepare food. "I'm Japanese."

"You're Japanese? That's interesting," she said. "I just met an old Japanese lady when I was doing my groceries yesterday."

"Really?" My senses perked up. It might be my grandma. I don't think there are a lot of Japanese in this area.

"She had startling gray eyes, just like Annabeth," Sally said as she served us a plate of blue waffles each. The waffles were topped with strawberries and blue syrup. Wow, must be a family thing. Nico did say that Percy was the son of the sea god, Poseidon. Then I registered what she said. Gray eyes? Old Japanese lady?

"Did she happen to state her name?" I asked as I picked up my fork.

"Something like Ya... Yam..."

"Yamato?" I prompted. Sally nodded.

"She IS my grandma!" I yelped and almost stood up but Sally forced me down on my chair and made me eat.

"Now, it happens that she left me a calling card," Sally said, with a thoughtful expression on her face. She pulled out a small card with what looked like kanji characters from her coat and handed it to me. I looked at it for a few seconds and the letters floated off the paper.

"Um, Sally-san? I can't read. I'm dyslexic," I said tentatively.

"Oh, right, demigod thing," she muttered, taking the card from me. When she read the name and then I got all excited that I nearly knocked my plate of blue waffles off the table. Thank goodness for my good reflexes!

"I'll go contact her and tell her that her granddaughter's here then?" She asked me with a smile.

I nodded and chewed on my waffle. I realized I hadn't been this positive for a while now. Sally decided to take the morning off to wait for my grandmother and I didn't protest. I enjoyed her company very much. It was comforting after all the horrors I encountered. I could see why Percy didn't seem like the typical male teen I would have thought, but then again, he is a demigod son of Poseidon (as Nico said), the sea god.

"She's going to pick you up in an hour," Sally told me amidst our breakfast. I smiled at her again and mouthed my thanks. I have to remember that I owed this woman a lot. She was like my mom in a million ways!

While we waited, she asked about my family and culture. She was intrigued with the Japanese culture, as she was writer who liked to explore in various fields. Then the discussion strayed to family.

"So you're a demigod too?" Sally asked. We were at the living room, whiling away time. I nodded.

"But I still don't know who my godly parent is," I said rather stiffly, developing a sudden interest at the flower vase.

"Didn't your parent tell you?" she asked and then realized she crossed a line, since I looked away and hung my head. My hair covered my pearl grey eyes. Right, my mom wasn't able to tell me because the plane crashed. Grandma had a LOT of explaining to do. Then I saw with my peripheral vision that Nico gave her a pointed look.

"Um, well, I wasn't able to tell Percy before he went to camp," she said, trying to cover up her mistake. "Your grandma had gray eyes; probably you and Annabeth are related?"

"Annabeth?" I asked. Wasn't she the girl I dreamt of?

"Daughter of Athena, official architect of Olympus," Nico answered. "All of Athena's daughters had grey eyes."

"Can't be," I told them. "I've lived with my mom and grandma all my life."

Sally peered at my eyes. "Yes, her eyes aren't as grey as Annabeth's though. I thought I saw a few green specks in them."

Nico glanced at me curiously. I was beginning to feel self-conscious when thankfully, the doorbell rang. Finally!

Sally opened the door and standing at the threshold was a familiar face: slanted gray eyes, straight white hair that was tied it a neat bun at the base of her head, angular features, oval face... It was that of my grandmother, Izumi Yamato.

"Come in!" Sally beckoned. My grandma bowed respectfully and went straight to me. I was locked in her tight embrace, and I felt a few tears drop. I had forgotten that she was surprisingly agile for a senior citizen, and that she dressed in a traditional Japanese sparring robe (she's a very able martial artist. Ha! Beat that!). I missed her, even if we had this love-hate relationship. Then she released me and turned to Sally.

"It seems the Fates have a strange way of working things," she told her. She bowed low again. "I owe you my granddaughter's life. Thank you, Blofisu-san."

"Oh, don't thank me too much!" Sally said, smiling. She waved a hand towards Nico, who looked like he wanted to disappear into the shadows when my grandmother gave him a calculating stare. "It was Nico who found Jean."

My grandmother shook his hand briefly and gazed knowingly into Nico's black eyes. Then her eyes strayed to his black sword and skull ring. I mean, what kind of twelve-year-old would carry those stuff? She must have thought the same thing I did: Nico was a hell boy.

"Thank you, Nico-kun," my grandma said in a more formal tone. Then she beckoned to me. "Come, my child."

I stood up and followed her out the apartment. I bowed to my two saviours before leaving.

...

I loved grandma's new apartment. It wasn't American at all. It was a piece of Japan in the midst of bustling NYC. Everything was traditionally Oriental, from her threshold, sitting room, tables, cushions, you name it! It reminded so much of Japan, and of mom.

It had been several days since her passing and the wounds were starting to heal. They were harder to cure than my presently healed abdominal and head injuries. I just noticed how strange grandma was behaving when she nursed me. She seemed rather distant and troubled. It was probably because of what Nico and Sally Blofis told me. But I found it strange that she didn't cry for mom. It's like... she didn't even care.

One afternoon when I was fully healed, we sat at the sitting room for a serious conversation. I tapped a finger on the table impatiently and sipped my hot drink. Grandma's eyes were serious and her brows knitted together.

"Tell me everything that happened."

I narrated everything, from the lightning, the plane crash, the dream, the beach, the empousai, the Underworld, Central Park and me being a demigod. Grandma muttered a few things like "Zeus' lightning," "half-bloods," and "the door of Orpheus." Conclusion? Grandma knew I am a half-blood all along. And she DIDN'T tell me.

"Grandma? Mom wanted to tell me something before the plane crashed," I said. "Then Nico and Mrs. Blofis told me I'm a half-blood."

"Did that Nico boy explain anything to you?" she asked. I nodded. She just made a grim expression and sipped her tea.

"I don't like that kid," my grandma said after a few minutes.

"Nico is the son of Hades," I muttered, glaring at my tea cup. So what if you're the son of the Underworld god?

"I told her we should have explained it all before we moved here!" grandma exclaimed, more to herself than to anyone. "And why did she allow you to be on a plane! She knew she's not supposed to be!"

Grandma heaved a sigh. Then she reached and held my hand.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all this not knowing. It's my fault, I should have told you," she said. Her eyes filled with remorse and I looked away. I was hurt, well, more angry than hurt. Why did they have to keep it a secret?

"That's why you've been trying to train me in mythology, in Greek, and in defending myself," I realized out loud. "You knew I was a half-blood who needed training because I get attacked by monsters, and all this time YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

"It's never easy to raise a special child such as you and me," grandma explained hurriedly. "My parents threw me out as soon as I came of age. I was luckier because I managed to stumble upon monks so I was able to train."

My ears perked up. "You said 'a special child such as you and me.' YOU'RE A HALF-BLOOD TOO?"

"I'm so sorry," my grandma said morosely. Suddenly, her face looked older and weaker than I had ever seen her. But my heart hardened. I withdrew my hand from hers and stood up.

"If you choose to train at Camp Half-blood, I won't stop you," grandma said. She looked weaker than ever.

"You even know about the camp!" I cried out loud, standing up.

"Just one more thing: who was your immortal parent?" I asked, meeting her gaze. Somehow, I already knew the answer.

"Athena told me everything, from the camp to the whereabouts of Olympus," she explained. My eyes narrowed and filled with hurt.

"Children of the wisdom goddess should be wise," I said and stormed out of the apartment with my survival bag. I shunned the thought that it was grandma who thought of keeping survival bags at the ready. I was just so angry at her, at mom. I probably even imagined that I heard sobs from the room I just left.

...

I never thought I'd run away at age twelve. I run away from my grandma, from all the hurt from my familial relations. I hated how they didn't tell me about what I am. I hated how mom and grandma had spent all those years keeping that secret.

I had barely gone out of the building and worried about how to get to camp when I ran into another demigod and his companion, who was dressed in baggy jeans, a loose sweater and a huge cap.

"Running away?" the demigod asked with a hint of a grin.

"It's Percy, right?" I shifted the strap of my survival kit/bag uncomfortably.

"Yeah," he confirmed. He pointed at his companion. "And this is Grover, my best friend."

"Hi," Grover greeted. His smile widened at Percy's description. He puffed out his chest as I shook his hand. "Nice eyes. She's probably Annabeth's sister."

I slapped myself for not asking grandma about the identity of my father.

"I don't know, Grover," Percy said with a dark tone. It was as if he knew something. "Annabeth has a theory."

"Annabeth? Daughter of Athena?" I piped up. Percy blushed.

"Never mind," he said hastily, waving his arms. I frowned at the rejection. "You're our concern. You need a ride to camp but don't know how to get there?"

I nodded grudgingly. In a few minutes, I had Grover accompany me to the long ride to Camp Half-blood. Percy said he'd catch up. The journey seemed promising; no hindrances so far. There I was wrong.

The bus that took us to Half-blood hill was ordinary enough, with a good old driver and a number of passengers. There was a kid sitting at the back, and he seemed bright and happy enough, which was strange for a kid travelling alone. He stared at us when Grover led me to a seat beside him.

He sniffed at us eagerly during the ride, as if we were something yummy to the nose. I tried not to sit too near to him. Grover nibbled at his soft drink can. I was horrified to see him swallow the rest of the can, but he explained that it was normal for him. I thought he would choke, but he said he was fine.

I was about to ask Grover if what kind of creature he was while the kid did something very strange. He stared at us. And transformed. Into a dog. With large fangs protruding from black snouts. And brown eyes. And pointed ears. And a sea lion body. And a stumpy legs. And human-like hands with sharp claws for nails. Transformed isn't really the right word, but it's the best to describe how this little kid turned out to be what Grover called a telekhine.

Grover quickly grabbed and dragged me by the hand towards the exit. We got off the bus okay, but the kid-dog was still there; apparently he got off the bus via a smashed window. He was now screaming at us. Yeah, screaming.

"Jean, right?" Grover asked as he ran away from the screaming kid-monster.

"Yeah?" I panted.

"Got any weapons?" he asked. I shook my head. Oh shoot, I left my weapon of choice at grandma's place: my arnis. I mentally slapped myself for not remembering to bring it after all my lessons with grandma, who brought it with her when she migrated to the US.

Grover pulled out a reed pipe. I didn't understand how it could be used as a weapon.

"What do we have to do?" I asked Grover, who stared at me in surprise when he saw the absence of shock on my face. I'd seen the Underworld beings and it would take a lot to freak me out now.

"We have to get past Half-blood Hill," Grover told me. He pointed at one of the hills in the distance with a pine tree sitting right at the top.

The telekhine was chasing after us, but it was far behind. I wasn't too worried until I saw no less than six armed telekhines blocking our way to the hill. That was when Grover played music on his reed pipe.

Suddenly the grass started to go haywire: they grew and enlarged big enough and long enough to trap a few of the telekhines, but there were still three more. Two of them came at me from opposite directions, and I jumped out of the way at the last minute. They collided with a sickening crunch.

The other telekhine was wiser. He managed to get a chunk out of my jacket when he attacked. I managed to evade but I got a few scratches. The pain sent a signal to my brain, and something clicked into place. I felt a rush of adrenaline (at least that's what I've read) and thought, 'I'm not going to run away this time. I'm going to fight. I'm not going to be helpless.' But how can I fight without a weapon? The telekhine faced me with a grin, as if he knew I couldn't fight him.

Just then the telekhine shrieked in pain. It doubled over, and I saw a familiar knife from it. It was black, long, pointed, symmetrical, and had a ring at the end of its handle: a kunai. A characteristic whack knocked me to my senses. Who else could use a kunai? A ninja cosplayer? Unlikely.

Sure enough, Izumi Yamato, my grandma, was standing there, and she was looking pretty grumpy. I grabbed the knife from the fallen telekhine and started to fight the other free telekhine with my grandma, who grabbed the kunai from me.

She held out my arnis. MY ARNIS!

"I can't trust you with my knife, little Jeanie," she said with a grin. I was glad she used my pet name. I made to grab at the arnis, but she held on. "Your lesson?"

"Don't leave your weapons behind," I said, barely managing not to roll my eyes.

Without further ado, I grabbed my arnis from her and started whacking the nearest telekhine. Whacking isn't the best term for it, actually. Fighting with sticks is a lot more than just whacking. But anyhow, I managed to disorient my opponent and Grandma swiftly attacked it with a few well-placed incisions. Poof! The telekhine just turned into tele-dust!

I briefly enjoyed the first time I actually fought a monster (and won) when one of them hit me at the back of the head. Right at my newly healed head wound. Just when I thought I had been somewhat useful in a fight, I let my guard down.

"Ow!" I yelled in pain.

My body crumpled to the ground as the telekhine proceeded to gobble me up. Grandma and Grover hurried forward to fight it. I saw her place a few stabs at the arm. I blinked and rolled to kneeling position in surprise when I saw a disembodied telekhine hand a few feet from me. Wow, grandma was on a roll.

Another few feet away, the telekhine bared its fangs at grandma and Grover threateningly. But he charged at me. Grandma ran after the monster and sent her knife flying towards it. The knife pierced the black skin of the monster, who whined in pain. I took this moment to stab the monster right in his brown eyes. Grover hurried towards us, playing his reed pipe as he came. He trapped the monster in vines just as grandma and I recovered our weapons.

I was about to fall to the ground when someone caught me by the armpit. I shook my head awake (gently) to see grandma and Grover were staring at me with wide eyes.

"I'm okay," I told them weakly as both companions let out sighs of relief. My head felt really heavy. But we were surrounded by a pile of monsters has-beens' dust. Grover, grandma and I stood side-by-side, breathing heavily. We did it.

"Are they dead?" I asked, still breathing heavily and leaning on grandma.

"They'll be back; monsters reappear after they die," Grover said, panting. I stared at Grover. I didn't know how useful reed pipes could be in a fight until I saw him using it. Wait, is he a half-blood too?

Before I could ask, grandma composed herself and hid her kunai. How she came here I didn't know, but I was glad she did come and brought my weapon. She cleared her throat loudly for attention.

"Hello," Grover greeted, extending his hand to grandma. "You're a half-blood too?"

"Izumi Yamato, daughter of Athena," grandma explained, taking Grover's outstretched hand briefly. Grandma's chest puffed out proudly when she revealed her godly parent. My insides churned as I remembered the conversation me and my grandma had earlier. I felt like a jerk just by running away. And to think that she did nurse me for almost all my life...

"I'm Grover, satyr," Grover said. WAAAAAIT. A satyr? Did my ears go haywire or is Grover a half-goat half-man?

"You're a satyr?" I exclaimed, my eyes wide. Grover nodded meekly. That explained the can-eating.

"You two had best get yourselves to camp before any monsters come close," grandma said. Then she turned to me with a familiar steely glint in her eye. "And as for you... I want you to train as hard as you can—no excuses!"

I cringed. Trust my grandma's high-standards to be imposed on me. That was normal for her, and I was glad of that because it proved that she wasn't mad at me. The wound I sustained when I learned that my elders kept a big secret from me had started healing, but it may take more time for it to completely heal, what with mother gone. But nevertheless, I hugged my grandma and decided to leave Chiron's identity for later. "Thanks, grandma. I'm sorry for running away."

Grandma grimaced. "Let's call a truce for now. But I don't want to hear that you're lagging behind! Train. You owe me that much."

"I couldn't help feeling sorry for the di Angelos. I remembered what it was like for me when I first learned I was a demigod."

~Percy Jackson, PJO: The Titan's Curse.

A.N.: Yay, Jean finally gets to camp in the next chap!