Hey guys! I just wanted you to know that my updating schedule will be a bit hectic due to a trip I'm taking. Due to that, I'm going to be a bit busy and might or might not be able to update more than usual. This is just a small warning so yeah...beware!
DISCLAIMER-NO I AM NOT RICK RIORDAN. HE SAID SO HIMSELF THAT HE'S NEVER EVEN READ A FANFICTION BEFORE SO...YOU PROBABLY WON'T FIND HIM ON THIS SITE. SORRY.
"Think of me when you're out
When you're out there
I'll beg you nice from my knees
And when the world treats you way too fairly
Well it's a shame I'm a dream"
-Paramore, All I Wanted
PERCY'S POV-
ROUGHLY FOUR YEARS LATER-
"Perce, you ready?" Grover's voice crackles from the chip in my ear.
I straighten my green mask one last time, before letting out a sigh. This is one of my less exciting missions.
"Yeah, I guess." I reply.
"You don't sound too excited." Grover points out.
"Because I'm not." I groan when I see how ridiculous I look in the mirror; like a child trying to play-grown up. "I hate tuxes. Couldn't Chiron have chosen a less classy place to meet Reyna at? How is any of this even necessary?"
"Do you really want me to explain the situation to you again?" Grover says in an exasperated tone.
"That would be nice." I walk out of the bathroom and head towards a set of marble stairs leading down into a ballroom identical to the one in that Beauty and the Beast movie….not that I've ever watched it. That would be considered unmanly.
"I don't know all the details because Chiron wouldn't tell me, but I've got the basics." Grover starts.
I nod at one of the waiters that pass by, and grab a mini cranberry brulée from his tray.
"Trouble is brewing with The U-Council and it has to do with Kronos's Army. I wasn't told the specifics, but I know that whatever is happening has got to be bad because The Legion has decided to send its Praetors here in advance." Grover gives me some time to take what he said in.
I think about Grover's explanation while I savor my dessert, and realize that my mission is a lot more than just an initiation test.
During my first year of training with The Olympians, Chiron explained to me how the whole operation works, sort of like in an Olympian 101 class. Usually an Olympian trainee undergoing initiation, also referred to as becoming determined, teaches the class but I was a special case and had to do a one-on-one class with Chiron.
By special, I mean that my father refused to reveal himself to me until my sixteenth birthday/ the day I'm accepted as an official member of the Olympian allegiance, therefore meaning that I have to learn things separate from those who have been claimed by their parents. Right now, I'm going through the steps every trainee has to go through before their birthday, which for me is next month on August eighteenth.
One of the more important things that stuck in my head was when Chiron told me about The Legion; the sibling of The Olympians located in San Francisco, California. The Legion has pretty much the same purpose as The Olympians (to carry out important missions for The U-Council and ensure that everything runs smoothly), and the only real differences between us two are that The Legion includes more people, has less contact with the actual Olympians (mostly called the U-Council to avoid confusion) than we do, runs more strictly, and lives in a more Roman style where areas we prefer the Greek way.
Each year we have a gathering called The Solstice where the leaders of The Olympians and The Legion meet on either summer or winter to discuss things privately. The meetings are held in Mount Olympus (A.K.A., a secret floor on the Empire State Building) and are pretty much the biggest event of the year for the whole organization, because in reality that's what we all are; one huge organization working for the same group of people in different sectors of the world.
This year, our Solstice is supposed to be held during the Winter, and the fact that The Legion feels such a need to send their two most respected and powerful leaders, The Praetors, here in advance is a really big deal. It means that whatever is happening between the U-Council and Kronos's Army is more serious than I thought. This is what Grover must be trying to say; we can't meet up in our usual spot because it's vital that The Praetors early arrival remain a secret.
"It's been five minutes, do you get what I'm telling you or not?" Grover's voice sounded grave.
"Yes." I whisper.
"Good, now hurry up with this mission or both of our butts will be whooped."
I disconnect our chips in the place of answering and look down into my now-empty pastry cup, to see what I expected. At the bottom of my glass is a metal coin with a logo stamped on to it that reminds me of a fancy horseshoe. With the upmost care, I secretively snatch the coin out of my cup and attach it to a magnet on the silver flat part of my ring so that it would look like just another decal. Once that's finished with, I hand my cup to a passing waiter and head into the crowd of dancing masked couples.
As I near toward the middle of the dance floor, the metal coin on my ring turns a slight shade of blue, which assures me that I'm heading in the right direction. My eyes flicker through the crowd and a lone figure in a deep red dress catches my eyes.
I weave my way cleverly through the crowd, and before I know it, I'm holding out my hand to the familiar looking figure with long dark hair running down her back and deep brown eyes hiding an innumerable amount of emotions.
"Care to dance?" I ask.
From behind her black sequined mask, I can see the girl's eyes running me up and down in a way that makes me want to try to find a paper bag big enough to cover my whole body.
"I'm not sure." She replies. "I was supposed to meet someone, but it seems to me that he's running late like always."
I turn my hand so that she can see the logo on my ring matching the engraving on her necklace before speaking again. "Who ever that someone is must be very sorry, especially when he has the chance to meet with someone as charming as you." I make sure to include just the right amount of sarcasm in my voice.
"Right he should. What with how much of an idiot he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he got lost in his own home." The girl I am now sure is Reyna, takes hold of my hand with one of hers and puts the other on my shoulder.
I lead Reyna more deeply into the dance floor and start swaying to the classical music playing in the background. "That would make more sense if he had an actual home to get lost in. Although I'm pretty sure he hasn't had that in four years."
Reyna shuts up right away, realizing that she had gotten too close to a sensible topic. After a few moments of silent dancing, Reyna leans close to my ear.
"I'm sorry." She whispers.
"What's Jason's cover story?" I quickly change the subject.
Reyna catches on just as fast and responds in a tone slightly above a whisper. "He's meeting up with Juniper on a fake movie date and then they're heading to half-blood alley in cab."
"That's it? No high-speed car chases? No dip in a shark tank?" I still can't believe how uneventful this mission is.
"The plan is to stay simple and remain unnoticed." Reyna seems annoyed at my disbelief. "You pick Jason and I up in completely different environments and take us to your training headquarters. Tomorrow we discuss The Army's interferences and that's all there is to it. I think it quite refreshing really; to have a more basic mission."
"If you say so." I glance down at Reyna's outfit. "Coming here must've been very important if it meant putting your grudge for dresses aside. I'm being completely serious when I say that you look like a thousand drachmas right now."
"Thank you, and I've got to say, Jackson," Reyna brushes off my shoulder," you fill out that suit quite nicely."
I feel my ears turning bright red, and I manage to sputter out a "thanks". After I finally get a hold of myself, I gesture at Reyna that its time for us to leave and we make our way through the crowd.
On the way out, I catch a glimpse of Reyna and I on a shining piece of china, and I can't help but think that maybe I don't look as bad as I thought. Maybe even a little bit handsome.
What can I say? Reyna's compliments have a way of raising my ego.
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I insert my card into a hidden slot on the alley wall and step back as a brick stairway appears where only a moment ago there had been a solid wall. I gesture into the dark and drafty stairway with an innocent expression.
"Ladies first." I say.
Reyna gives me a strange look.
"If you fit in that category I mean."
My comment earns me a dirty look and a jab on the foot on Reyna's part.
"Ow!" I glared at Reyna. "You are aware that heels hurt more than shoes, right?"
"Completely." Reyna walks ahead of me. "Hurry up, it's almost ten P.M. and I get grumpy when I'm tired."
"You need to get more sleep then."
Reyna ignores me and once we get to the foot of the stairs, I put my hand on the blue scanner next to a metal door and stand stock-still. A hissing sound signals that the door is now open and I walk into the room on the other side.
"You guys need more security here." Reyna states. "A scanner and an I.D. card won't cut it in our world."
I walk up to the unoccupied front desk and place my hand on another hidden scanner disguised as a notepad that only members of The Olympians know about. Even Reyna has no idea that almost everything in this room serves a completely different purpose.
"We have more security than meets the eye, Reyna." I say.
She doesn't have the chance to respond because a few seconds later the security guard I summoned using the "notepad", Peleus, comes in through a sliding door to meet us.
"Hey Percy!" Peleus practically crushes my fingers with his handshake. He turns to Reyna and bows. "Always nice to see you Praetor Reyna!"
Peleus is a nineteen year-old man that's been part of the security team for the past five years, who happens to look like he can tear you to bits, but contrary to his looks, he's actually a really nice guy. Unless you cross him that is, that's when he gets scary, but the last time that happened was due to an um….gardening incident.
"Chiron wants to talk to Reyna alone about certain arrangements." Peleus says to me before turning to Reyna. "Juniper and Jason got here five minutes before you guys, so you can go right away."
She nods and heads straight into the hall leading to Chiron's study.
"What about me?" I say.
"Go take a nice eight hour nap! Tomorrow Chiron will have all the house leaders over for a meeting." Peleus raises his voice in an exaggerated matter. "And don't you even think about sneaking off like you almost did last time!"
He winks at me and drops a golden holographic card discretely on his desk on his way out.
I smile and grab it as I make my way to my room.
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I lock the door of my dorm, making sure that there is no way to push it open. I can't hear a thing through the thick walls of The Olympian sleeping quarters, not even Grover's loud snoring from the room next to mine, which is quite a miracle considering how loud he is in his sleep.
I face my bland, undecorated room, consisting only of a bed, mahogany desk, and a drawer. Since neither I nor anyone else know who my father/patron is, I don't have to dorm with anyone because I am counted as my own patron here in The Olympian headquarters. Something like that is very convenient for moments like these where I can sneak out more easily and frequently without having to worry about waking anyone.
I click off the bedroom lights so that anyone possibly guarding the area won't be able to suspect that I'm still awake, and flash a battery powered flashlight onto a seemingly normal piece of carpeting. I get on my knees and look for an uneven piece of carpet, served to hide a metal slot.
"Yes!" I whisper/yell in triumph when I find what I'm looking for.
Using my thumb and forefinger, I lift up the piece of carpeting and insert the golden card Peleus had left me into a thin slot. The telltale hissing lets me know that the hidden trap door is now open, just waiting for me to lift it up. Once I do, I see rungs leading down to a dark sewer below me. I slip the card known as the golden visa into a sleeve pocket in my jacket, glad that I had the time to change back into normal clothing.
I close the trapdoor on my way down the ladder rungs, making a disgusted face when I catch a whiff of the sewer water. By now I should probably be used to it, but even Gabe's stench couldn't compare to this.
My feet make a light thump noise when I hit the ground, and holding my breath, I grab a pair of black shades from my back jeans pocket. I turn them on by holding my thumb to the temple of the glasses for five seconds before putting them on.
"Its dark in here." My voice echoes slightly throughout the tunnel and I wait for the shades to work their magic. As expected, the night vision mode is now on and I can see practically every detail around me.
That's the great thing about our gadgets; once you get a hang of them, it's easy to do pretty much anything. These glasses for example don't just work as night vision goggles. With simple phrases like, "Its dark in here", or, "I wonder what the temperature is", you can change them from night vision to heat vision. Simple.
In the distance, I see the outline of something that resembles a garage door with the sewer running down under its middle. I fast walk towards it, knowing that on the other side of that door are perhaps thousands of passageways leading to all sorts of locations, one of which includes the neighborhood where I grew up.
I open the garage door just enough to be able to crawl under it, and cough out a bit of dust when I reach the other side. I look to my left and where a bare wall is supposed to be stands thousands of doors side by side with bronze plaques above them telling where they lead. I pick myself off the ground and count each door as I walk.
1…..2…4….7….8…15….20…
I freeze when I reach the door I'm looking for. Door number twenty-five, the one that holds all my past dreams and nightmares. Above it the plaque reads:
East One-hundred-and-fourth and First. New York, New York.
I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, and push the door open. Another set of ladder rungs leads to one of those circular sewer covers with designs and the words NYC SEWER etched into them. Once I climb to the top, I push open the cover and finally get a nice breath of fresh-ish air. I make sure that no one is around, before I pull myself out onto the pavement and put the cover back in its place.
I switch my sunglasses to eavesdropper mode, and examine my surroundings to see that I am standing in the parking lot of my old apartment. I'm overcome with nostalgia when I see the kitchen light of my past home is illuminated and I climb the emergency stairs until I am standing in the shadows right outside the kitchen window. Knowing that the windows are tinted, meaning I can see in but no one can see out, I look inside without the caution of hiding my face. The scene before me makes me feel like an eight year old once more.
"A snake! You're a snake!" A now twelve year-old version of Tyson is shouting out guesses at a man making animal impressions and I can see that's its obvious they are playing charades.
"Come on Paul! Give us a clue!" My mom is recording the man with a video camera, while trying to hold in a laugh.
I wish she wouldn't. It's been a long time since I've heard it and it's the thing that we've shared when we were in a good mood. The thing that's given me hopes all these years.
"Then that would be cheating!" Paul goes back to flailing his arm up and down in front of his face. "One more guess!"
"You're sneezing!" Tyson seems desperate to find out what Paul is imitating and I can't blame him. The guy looked like a possessed walrus right now.
My mom snaps her fingers and I know she's got the answer. "You're pretending to be an elephant!"
"Ding! Ding! Ding!" Paul claps his hands. "Sally Jackson is the winner! Everybody lets all give her a round of applause!"
Tyson starts cheering and before I know what I'm doing, I clap along.
"Okay you two, save your energy for the cake." My mom takes out a cake (blue as always) from the refrigerator with the words "Happy Twelfth Birthday Tyson" written on it in red icing. My stomach growls slightly at the sight of the delicious goodness.
Paul lights twelve candles and places them onto the cake, while my mom puts the video camera away.
"Before we sing happy birthday, I want to say something." Paul states. "Is that alright with you guys?"
"Yes Paul, go ahead." My mom leans forward, intent to hear what he has to say.
"Meeting you at that tutoring session last year was the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life." Paul aims this comment at my mom. "And….I wouldn't want to change that in any way. Now that Tyson is turning twelve I realize that he's getting older and in need of someone to look up to. So to have that he need to have people to be there for him to provide some type of role model."
Tyson's got me, even if he doesn't know it.
"A fatherly figure of some kind who will always stay by his side. Not only that, but I think that you need someone too Sally, someone who will be with you until the end of time. What I'm trying to say here is….Sally will you…" Paul slips his hand into his jacket pocket.
I lean forward in panic. He's not going to-no he can't-but if he does…
"Will you…."
I can tell that my mom is expecting the same thing as me because a kaleidoscope of emotions crosses her face. I cross my fingers that what we're both expecting isn't true.
"…go to me if you need anything? Both you and Tyson mean the world to me and I want to make sure that you know I'm here for you." The words come out in a rapid succession.
Paul takes out his empty-handed hand from his pocket with an expression of someone who's about to faint.
I uncross my fingers with a sigh of relief, but feel guilty about it immediately when I see the look of disappointment on my mom's face. We were both expecting a proposal of a different kind.
Tyson has an air of confusion surrounding him when he notices how tense the two adult's body language is. Poor kid.
"What a lovely statement Paul." My mom manages to stutter a few sentences. "Um-I was thinking you were about to propose something else. I mean-not that I have any idea what…but there's always something to be expected. Er…"
Hint hint, Paul.
"Yeah, I was being a bit dramatic I guess. Not that I wasn't going to-" Paul seems just as lost as my mom-"well I was, but I couldn't ummm….."
A few painful seconds pass before Tyson decides to break the ice. "How about that cake? It looks great mom! Amazing baking as usual! Look my names on it right there! Just waiting to be devoured by a bunch of hungry humans!"
Real smooth, Tyson.
"Actually, I think I've got to go now." Paul grabs his jacket from a nearby coat rack. "It's getting late and I've got high school orientation coming up. As a teacher, I've got to get things ready!"
"Are you sure?" My mom seems flustered. "You can't stay for some cake? Can I at least wrap some up for you?"
"No no, it's alright." Pauls' already halfway to the door. "Maybe I can pick some up tomorrow? Around four?"
"Oh-okay then." My mom nods her head slowly. "I'll be here."
"Thank you. Bye Tyson!" Paul waves his hand awkwardly. "See you tomorrow! Happy birthday!"
"Thanks-" the door slams closed mid Tyson's sentence-"Paul."
A few minutes of silence pass and I can see Paul walking towards his car muttering to himself.
"Idiot….wimped out…ruined…..Tyson….I'm so stupid!" Paul face palms himself and then drags himself into his car. I can hear the car screeching in the distance.
Back inside the apartment, my mom is beet red and staring at the ground.
"That was…..awkward."
I roll my eyes. Way to state the obvious, Tyson.
"Here…why don't we just sing happy birthday?" My mom puts a half-hearted smile on her face.
"I'm thinking I should just blow the candles this time." Tyson tries to not make my mom feel more uncomfortable than she already is. "Lets skip the song."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, the candles are starting to melt anyway so…."
"Okay then." My mom says. "Don't forget to make a wish."
Tyson closes his eyes in concentration and then blows his candles. I notice that his shoulders seem to droop.
"What did you wish for this year?" I can tell by my mom's voice that she already knows the answer.
"The same as always." Tyson's voice drops down to a whisper. "That he'll come back."
"I miss him too, sweetie." My mom moves to sit next to Tyson and enwraps him in her arms. "I'm still not used to seeing his room so empty."
I know that they are talking about me.
"I don't get it." Tyson removes himself from my mom's hug and I can see that he is trying to hold back tears. "Why did he leave us? Why is he turning into dad?"
I bite my tongue to keep myself from calling out to Tyson. To keep from saying, "I'm here! I never left you! I was trying to protect everyone! Look outside! I didn't forget your birthday!"
"He's not turning into your father." My mom seems to be trying to reassure herself. "He must've had a reason for going away."
"What could possibly make him want to get away from us?" Tyson seems more heartbroken than angry. "I thought he cared. I really did."
I do care. Even when you least knew it, I was doing something. I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste blood to keep from screaming. Who do you think was the one that got rid of Gabe? I smile slightly at the memory of what I had done to him. That was most certainly not an accident.
"Tyson, please, lets not talk about this." The tears flowing down my mother's face make me want to punch myself. "Not today. Someday we'll see him, I know we will."
"By then I might not want to see him anymore." Tyson says in a hushed voice. "He abandoned us, and took it all for granted. What type of brother leaves his family without any type of explanation, but some stupid note? "'Whether you can see me or not, I'll still be here. Don't call the police. They won't find me."', what did he mean by that?"
My mom averts her eyes. "I don't know."
"Well, until I get some proof that he didn't really leave us, I never want to call him my brother again." Tyson grabs a slice of cake and pretends that nothing happened.
My mom watches him in silence for a few seconds, and then sighs.
Outside, it starts to rain, but I don't move. I let the water soak me and hope that the empty feeling in my chest will be washed away.
He thinks I don't care about them. He thinks that I'm just like dad.
I close my eyes.
Well then, it's about time I give him the proof he wants.
"Happy Birthday Tyson."
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NOT MUCH HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER, RIGHT? YEAH...I DID THAT ON PURPOSE. THIS IS LIKE THE CALM WATERS CHAPTER. THE FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY BEFORE THE REAL ACTION COMES IN. *EVIL LAUGH*
ANYWAY, THE THING THAT HAPPENED TO GABE WAS KIND OF MEAN IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF. IT'LL BE REVEALED LATER ON, BUT WHO EVER HAS THE CLOSEST GUESS TO WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM WILL GET A CHAPTER DEDICATION. YAY!
OH AND IF YOU DIDN'T GET THAT AWKWARD PAUL AND SALLY SCENE, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT PAUL WAS ABOUT TO PROPOSE TO SALLY, BUT WIMPED OUT AND DIDN'T DO IT.
IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, I CAN BE QUITE CRUEL TO MY CHARACTERS.
REVIEW, FOLLOW, FAVORITE, OR GO RIDE ON A UNICORN!