We have yet so many stupid things to do.


"Hey, Dimples. Promise me one thing," Percy requested.

"Anything."

"Promise me that... you'll be there. You know, for me. No matter where I am."

"Of course!" Katie took his hand and squeezed it tight. "You don't even have to ask. I will be there. No matter where, no matter what."

And she was going to stick to that promise.

After school, Katie had emptied her backpack full of books and filled it up with essentials she's going to need for her journey. Some spare clothes, snacks that they have been hoarding in their treehouse, sketchbook, allowance money and her yo-yo. With that, she put on her black jeans jacket and headed for the train station (because she had common sense and wasn't planning to be splattered to death by jumping into the train).

She didn't bother buying a ticket. She only had so much money and avoiding the law had become one of her best skills over the summer. Her dad will be so worried but she will try to explain everything to him after she finds Percy. Hopefully, he'll understand.

The trip was long. Too long for her anxious little self. Katie was constantly tapping her fingers on whatever solid surface her fingers rested on. For some reason, she had this weird gut feeling that something bad is going to happen.

Finally arriving in New York Katie began tracking down her best friend. She knew the street he lived on but not the exact location. After asking the local people and different landlords for directions she found herself in front of his door.

Katie raised her fist to knock but she froze. I'm telling you that you should do what feels right, Miss Philia had said. See back then it did feel right. Almost mandatory. But now... she wasn't so sure. Percy might be happy with his life. He might be sitting there at the dinner table with his lovely mother and who knows? Maybe even with his father too. She doesn't know how his home life looks like after all. She didn't want to barge in and ruin it for him. But then again that's what he has done the day they met. Her hand was still raised above the wood.

Suddenly, she heard something crash inside the apartment. And then something solid falling down. Her eyes widened. Instead of knocking her hand traveled to the door handle and cautiously twisted it. Unsurely opening the door she walked in. What she saw made her expression shift from worry to rage.

The apartment reeked of smoke and alcohol. Which was understandable considering all the beer bottles and burned out cigarets laying on the ground.

The thing that made her blood boil was the overweight bald drunkard standing over Percy's crouched form. There were tiny pieces of glass on him and on the floor. That man must have thrown one of the bottles at Percy. He was shielding his head with his arms and pressed his body against the wall behind him. He tried to make himself a small target and Katie hated seeing him like that. Percy Jackson wasn't supposed to be so... vulnerable and self-conscious. He rode horses while standing up, he jumped into a moving train, he escaped from jail with her, he took her graffiti painting and pickpocketing. She would have never imagined him being so helpless like right now. And seeing her danger-loving and risktaking idiot cower from that poor excuse of a man made her see red.

Before Katie knew what she was doing she picked up one of the bottles, approached the man from behind and smashed the bottle against his head not giving him the chance to throw a punch on the already bleeding boy. The man fell instantly unconscious. Her heart was beating fast. Dropping the remains of the glass she ran up to her friend.

Percy didn't look up when he heard the glass break and someone falling down. Or when he heard light footsteps coming towards him. His body just became tense. He flinched visibly when a hand touched his shoulder.

Katie stared at him horrified when he actually flinched away from her. She bit her lip.

"Um, h-hey. Percy, it's me." He knew that voice. His eyes shot open and cautiously put his hands down away from his face. It was her. She was really there.

"Katie..." When she heard his quiet voice she threw her arms around him careful not to irritate his wounds. He hugged her back with shaking arms. "I-I..."

"Shut up. Just come with me," She said as she took his hand and lead him away from that apartment.

They found a bench and Katie started taking out band-aids and disinfector out of her backpack. This wasn't their first time when they were licking their wounds like this. The heists they went out on weren't always safe so they made sure they had the first ais kit with them all the time. She was concentrated when she slowly and carefully took out the small pieces of glass off Percy's skin and treated his wounds. He was wincing from time to time but didn't say anything. By the time she was finished his arms and face were covered in the colorful band-aids.

"Thanks," Percy said not looking at her in the eye.

"Who was that?" Katie asked worriedly. "And why..."

She couldn't find the right words. So Percy took it from there and explained everything. He revealed all his secrets to her. About his family. About his single, hardworking mom. His dad lost at sea. His... stepfather. And how he ran away and met her.

"Why are you here?" He asked as he finished his story. "I left Texas so you wouldn't get hurt anymore. I didn't want you to have this life."

"Hey," She smiled. "it was supposed to be no matter where."

"And no matter what. Yeah, I remember," Percy said with a fond smile. "But you-"

"No. Shut up. You're not getting rid of me. Deal with it."

They laughed and hugged each other tiredly.

~xXx~

"Okay... so when you ran away from home you met Katie. And you in return ran away from your home to see Percy again."

They shrugged. "I follow him around," said Katie at the same time Percy said, "I follow her around."

Katie and Percy were explaining themselves to Sally in the candy shop. They were sitting at the table in the back room telling her about the recent events. Except maybe the Percy getting beaten up by his drunk stepfather incident. Percy's mom was impressed and scared at same time. She didn't know many eight-year-olds that would travel across the country just to see each other. These two were obviously really close. She was also scared for their well being and how it must have been going on a trip like this all alone.

Sally stared at them dubiously. "Okay, wow. I admire the dedication but, Katie," at that moment Sally turned into a worried mom. "where is your family? Do they know where you are? I bet they are really worried."

"Yeah, I know I will have to explain all that to my dad too," the girl said reluctantly.

"I'll have to call him to pick you up, you know," Sally informed.

"What? Mom-," Percy started to say.

"Whether Katie stays here or not isn't my decision to make." She looked at the kids sympathetically when she saw their faces fell. "Look, I can tell that this means much to you. And I'll do whatever I can to find a good solution for you guys not to be apart. But," She said when they perked up with hopeful eyes. " I will hold no promises. First, your father and I will have to talk."

~xXx~

After Katie and Percy got scolded by Calvin and Uncle Joe for making them worry so much, the adults sat down in a cafe and talked. They introduced themselves and exchanged their stories how the kids and all the following events. They laughed and sipped on their coffees for the first half an hour. But then they got to the matter at hand.

They knew that they can't separate them. Katie and Percy where very close and you could see that it wasn't one of those fleeting friendships that drift apart after a while. Still, their families, schools, and homes were on the opposite sides of the country. And honestly, there wasn't much the parents could do.

"They practically raised each other!" Joe argued. "Even if you take yo' kids away they'll probably run away again! Ya can't keep those two apart."

Sally sighed tiredly. "What do you suggest we do then? I'm sure Percy had a great time in Texas but I don't have the money to move and finding a job all over again isn't exactly a piece of cake too."

"Katie made her decision when she went after the boy. Maybe she should stay here?"

"No, she should be with her family," Sally reasoned. "You said you are running a family business on your farm. I don't want you to leave your home. Besides, Katie would have to go to new school and the entire surrounding would be a whole new world for her."

"Not necessarily..." Calvin suddenly spoke up. He was stroking his chin thoughtfully.

They knew that the kids were going to stick together no matter what it takes. So that's why they were all standing at Bonnie Gardner's doorstep.

Bonnie Gardner had divorced Joe McConnel and moved to New York starting a new life as a florist. She knew her flowers just as much as she knew the farm she grew up in. Although she was this old country flowers selling lady she was definitely not someone you'd wanna mess with. She was in her early fifties but she was muscular and in a great shape. Her arms were covered in western themed tattoos and her gray hair still had a bit of black in them. She lived alone in a single apartment in a big city but she knew very well how to handle herself.

Bonnie opened her door when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Howdy, sis!" Calvin greeted cheerfully yet somewhat nervously.

"Good afternoon, Bonnie," Joe said not even hiding his fear.

Right, when she saw the two faces she grew to hate the woman slammed the door shut.

"Well, that didn't work," Percy stated.

Katie rolled her eyes. "Let me try." Her dad and uncle stepped away from the door. Katie knocked. "Auntie Bonnie! It's Katie. And co."

After a moment the door opened again and the woman signaled for them to come in. When the kids and Sally entered, the entrance closed again not letting in the two men.

"We need them too," Katie told her aunt dryly.

Bonnie sighed and let her brother and ex-husband in. They nodded thankfully. She sighed and started inspecting her guests. There was her brother, her ex-husband, her niece, a woman and...

"Hey! It's that kid who bought my flowers a couple of days ago!" Was the first thing she said.

"Everywhere I go I seem to meet a Gardner," Percy sighed. Katie stuck out her tongue at him. He then turned to the florist. "I'm friends with your niece."

"I see," Auntie Bonnie nodded. "And that must be the mother." She shook hands with Sally who greeted her respectfully. "Such proper people. Too bad they got involved with these two bufoons." The woman pointed at Calvin and Joe. They valued their lives too much to be offended. When all her guests sat down in the living room she asked, "So, any reason ya'll do me the pleasure of inviting yourself into my home?"

Katie and Percy retold her all the event that happened over the summer. Not mentioning their criminal tendencies. Then Katie's father explained that she wished to stay in New York. He asked his sister if she could take care of Katie during her stay.

"Don't you wanna get back home?" Bonnie was surprised. "To your roots? Your whole life is in there!"

The girl's shoulders slumped. "The only thing that's waiting for me in Texas is that witch Anderson."

"The one that pushed you into that swamp all those years ago?" Her aunt asked knowingly.

Katie nodded.

"Look," Percy spoke up. "we don't know how long Katie's going to stay here but it's very important for us. And we kind of hoped she could stay with you..."

The children gave the old lady their best desperate pleading puppy faces.

In the end, Bonnie gave in and let her niece stay with her. She was actually quite happy she could spend some quality time with her. Katie in return was hugged her tightly and thanked her repeatedly and enthusiastically. Percy (although didn't show it as much) was equally overjoyed.

"Visit as much as possible," Calvin told his daughter when they were saying their goodbyes. He kissed her on the forehead. "And don't you cause any trouble."

She and her partner in crime exchanged looks and said together. "We would never."


There's going to be a time skip in the next chapter!

Next chapter: Dragged by a half goat to a camp full of unstable teenagers.

Until my return.