People, I am SO SO SO SO SO SO sorry for making you wait for an update! Life has been kinda busy lately, so….
But still, that isn't a good excuse. Still, I'm sorry. Now, on to the story!
Percy: Cassandra-Caroline, I'm only speaking to you for Annabeth because she, because of a prank with spiders, is hyperventilating in that corner over there. Did you tell the Stolls that she's scared of spiders?
Me: Percy, dearest, how could someone as sweet and innocent as me tell the Stolls Annabeth's greatest fear? Granted, I may have blackmailed her with it earlier, but it is common knowledge that children of Athena are terrified by spiders.
Percy: I'm just gonna pretend that I understood what you said there and go with a NO, you didn't tell the Stolls. Wise girl, please get up. Hey, guess what? We can go catch the Stolls now so we're good! I'll even get you a blue cookie!
Annabeth: Get revenge on Stolls now, eat blue cookies later. Bye Cassandra-Caroline!
Me: Wait! NOOOOO who will do the disclaimer now?
*random tree has poof of green smoke next to it*
Juniper: Cassandra-Caroline doesn't own PJO or anything in it!
*poof of green smoke and she disappears*
Me: *shudder* Those dryads really need to stop doing that.
Erika's POV
My. Freaking. GOSH. I'm gonna KILL Grover! Normally, I wouldn't be so scared by the fates, but some random satyr *cough* Grover *cough* somehow hijacked my emotions and made me start freaking out. IN FRONT OF PERCY. And then when I tried to tell him that if Atropos cuts a thread, that person dies, but Grover decided to start yelling, BE STILL. DON'T MOVE. DON'T YOU DARE NOD ERIKA! I dare you to try concentrating enough to nod when a crazy satyr is screaming in your head.
I made Percy promise to let me go home with him. Somehow, it worked. I know, I'm wasn't supposed to go to his apartment, but I really wanted to be acquainted with Smelly Gabe. And yes, acquainted with a brick. To his face. Now I finally have a chance to put him in his place.
When we got in the taxi together, Percy told the cabbie his address and gave him a $20. He sat back and looked like he didn't want to talk, so I decided to have a yelling match with Grover.
'GROVER. UNDERWOOD,' I thought yelled at him. I received no reply, so I decided to blackmail him.
'GROVER UNDERWOOD, IF YOU DON'T ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW I WILL SOMEHOW CONVINCE MR. D THAT YOU DON'T DESERVE A SEARCHER'S LICENSE.'
I knew that I was being a little harsh with that threat, but I had to go further when he still didn't respond.
'Grover, so help me, if you don't answer me I will tell the world that Pan is dying and prove it.'
When I said this, I could feel his shock. Firstly because I said that Pan was dying, not already dead.
'Erika, you know that Pan's alive? And to prove it you would have to know where...' He broke off while he thought for a second.
'ERIKA SMITH YOU KNOW WHERE PAN IS?!' Grover yelled at me. I decided to torment him further. Hey, this was my head, after all.
'Of course I do, and I might've told you if you hadn't been such a jerk,' I told him. I could imagine his face going tomato red before I laughed out loud.
'Shoot!' I thought to myself as Percy looked over at me.
"Erika," he started, "are you okay?"
"Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be perfectly fine?" I responded in a rush. He looked at me weirdly for a moment before continuing to talk with me.
"Maybe because you just laughed out loud for no good reason?" He asked cautiously.
"Oh, I was just thinking about something funny that happened yesterday," I said, but I made it sound like a question. He looked at me funnily again before dropping the subject.
"Could you wait outside until I tell you it's okay to come in?" He asked.
"Wow," I said sarcastically, "you sure you don't want me to just climb up the fire escape instead?"
"Umm… maybe?"
I couldn't believe him. I really wanted to meet (read punch) Smelly Gabe.
"Are you really that ashamed of your friends from school?" I asked him.
"Not really… More like I don't want you to meet my step-dad," he told me.
"Well, to solve what I'm sure might be a problem later, why don't you let me keep the change from this ride until I make a dangerous climb through the fire escape to your room?" I suggested. He looked surprised for a moment before thinking. Then a lightbulb went off in his head.
"So, you'll give it all back once I'm in my room?"
"Yep!" I replied. "Then, since I'm assuming you don't want me to meet your step-father, you can give it to your mother instead of funding a poker game." He looked absolutely shocked. It would've been funny except I'd read about how Smelly Gabe mistreated him.
"Don't worry, even if that is the truth, your secret's safe with me," I said quickly. He looked thankful and was about to reply when the taxi came to a halt.
"Here you go," the cabbie announced. I took the change while Percy went and got his bag from the back of the taxi.
"Erika," Percy started, "Don't you have a bag?"
"Umm… no?"
How was I supposed to tell him that my clothes appeared wherever I went? I'm perfectly sure that would make total sense. The fates had decided to make my clothes follow me.
"Just my purse! All my clothes fit in there? And the rest are coming on the next Greyhound," I said, and snapped my fingers. His eyes blurred a bit before he shrugged and turned towards his house. Thank the gods that I convinced Chiron to teach me how to manipulate the mist.
"Okay, so Percy, where exactly is this fire escape and which floor and window do I stop at?" I asked him.
"Take a left right there and you'll see it. I'm on the third floor, and go in the sixth window. See you up there," he said unceremoniously before opening the door and leaving me to climb Hades knows how many steps.
•••
After climbing three flights of rickety stairs, I made it to the third floor. I couldn't remember which window it was, so I decided to ask Grover.
'Was it the fifth or the sixth window?'
'Umm, I think the fifth?' He said uncertainly.
'Grover dearest, THINK and KNOW are two very different things here!'
'Fifth! Definitely the fifth!" He responded before going silent.
"Fifth it is then," I muttered to myself before sliding open the fifth window and slipping through it.
I looked around and saw a really dirty living room. There was an old and very stained couch in one corner, and an ancient looking TV playing a football game in front of it. I dreaded what I would see when I turned to the left, but I had to nonetheless. As I looked at four people sitting around a table, the walrus looking one with a horrendus stench stood up and glared at me.
"What the ****(insert whatever word you want here) are you doing in my house?!" The man who must be Smelly Gabe yelled at me.
'Grover, you idiot, it was the sixth!'
Smelly Gabe came closer, and I gulped.
MWAHAHAHAHA! FIRST CLIFF-HANGER! Okay, now that I've gotten the evil side out, on to the rest. You know the drill- Read & Review! I also need a little help deciding what should happen next, so please send me your ideas!
Happy late thanksgiving!
~Cassandra-Caroline
