Chapter 11: The Right People Teach Him to Do the Right Thing
"A call with Aunt Sally?" Thalia asked.
"Actually," Percy said blanching after a second. "We can skip this one."
"Why?" Annabeth demanded. "You never miss a chance to see anything of your mom."
"I will in this case," Percy said.
"So we have to watch it," Nico decided.
Percy moaned and put his head in his hands.
Percy threw the coin and made an offering to Iris saying his moms name and address. Then his mom showed up in the mist sitting at the table laughing with a man with sandy hair and in a brown jacket. There was a bunch of books in between them.
Percy groaned again as everyone else started laughing and the big three kids, bar Hazel, Annabeth and several others started to cheer again.
"Who's that?" Jaz asked.
"That's Paul," Jason grinned. "He's the best mortal who can't see through the mist that I've ever met. Good at fighting too."
"Fighting?" asked Reyna curiosly.
"He can fence," Percy said turning red looking at the frozen scene. "Kind of. Can we turn this off now?"
"Do you not like seeing your mom on the date?" Clarisse teased. "Mommy's boy."
"She usually isn't bad with the PDA," Percy groaned. "I love Paul but I really don't want to see this."
"Not like you don't make her and Paul suffer the same thing with you and Annabeth," Thalia teased.
Percy groaned again.
Percy was staring open mouthed as Paul told Sally she was a riot and offered more wine. She told him no but told him he should take more. He told he that he should use the bathroom. She told him down the hall. He got up and left and Percy called her and she jumped up.
"Way to interrupt Percy," giggled Rachel.
"You're worse than that time with Frank," agreed Annabeth.
Frank blushed as Percy glared at both the girls with another groan and then he just decided to bury his head in his hands for the rest of this.
Sally asked Percy if everything was okay. Percy demanded to know what she was doing. She looked around and told him she was doing homework.
"So then Percy and Annabeth just fell asleep in the stables?" Piper asked grinning evilly. Both glared at her. Percy even took his face out of his hands.
"What's this about the stables?" Magnus asked angrily.
"Nothing," Annabeth told him. "And you don't get to say anything Magnus."
Samira nodded then whispered to him. "Plus, I could just let Alex now some other things you were thinking…"
"Okay," Magnus told her. "But if you do I could say something to your boyfriend… I mean betrothed."
Samira glared him down.
Sally sighed then told him that was Paul, or Mr. Blofis who was in her writing seminar. Percy repeated Mr. Blowfish with a weird look.
"Seaweed brain," Annabeth laughed fondly.
"Like Daddy," Tyson laughed boomingly with an air of delight. Everyone else was confused by that statement but Percy looked up enough to chuckle and nod.
Sally corrected him and told him Paul would be back in a minute. She asked Percy to tell her what was wrong. The scene skipped for a second to Sally tearing up. Percy agreed saying that he was told there was nothing he could do and he'd be coming home.
"Sure…" Jason told him with a roll of the eyes. "Anyone who's met you for five minutes knows that's not true bro."
Sally told him that she would love for him to come home. And she did want him to be safe but she wanted him to understand he had to do whatever he thought he had to do.
"I love your mom," declared Sadie with a grin as everyone cheered.
"You two are definitely coming over soon," Percy told them.
He asked what she meant. She said if Percy knew he had to save Annabeth deep down because it was the right thing to do he had to do it. His heart was in the right place and he had to listen to it. He asked surprised if she was telling him to go. She said he was too old to have her make his decisions but either way she'd support him no matter how dangerous it is.
"Your mom sounds amazing," Magnus said sadly.
Percy looked around at several of his friends with the sad faces and stood up. "That's it. After this we're having a dinner, courtesy of Sally Jackson, a picnic probably with all of us."
"You should probably ask her first," Annabeth scolded him.
"You know she'll say yes," Percy said.
"Of course she will," Nico said with an eye roll. "She's Aunt Sally."
Sally told him there wasn't much time but whatever he decided she knew he would do what's best for Annabeth. Percy asked how she could be so sure.
Every single person in there scoffed.
Then Sally said because she'd do the same for him. Then she smiled as Paul came back in and smiled at her.
Every single person awed.
"We're staying together," Percy told her. "You're never getting away from me. Never again."
"As long as we're together," Annabeth agreed as he held her tighter.
The scene started again with Annabeth collapsing under the sky. A voice boomed asking about their mortal guest. Luke came out and walked over to Annabeth before saying she was fading and needing to hurry.
"Tell me he's dead," Magnus growled looking at Percy.
The girls rolled her eyes at him and Percy sighed. "Annabeth doesn't need me to take care of him. She did that herself."
A voice laughed. Then Artemis was shoved forward bleeding golden blood. The voice told her to decide. She looked at Annabeth and asked how they'd torture a maiden that way. Luke said Annabeth would die soon and Artemis could save her.
"No," Apollo said. "Arty…."
Thalia growled. "Luke….. You foul, conniving, evil, selfish…."
Her curses continued in greek until Percy got up and pulled her away leaving Apollo to be the one to curse.
Artemis told Luke to free her hands. He slashed her cuffs away with Backbiter and Artemis took Annabeth's place leaving her to shiver on the floor. The voice laughed saying she was predictable and easy to beat. Artemis told them saying it was because she was surprised and would never happen again.
"Never," Apollo scowled. "Artemis and her…"
"She's okay dad," Will reminded him. "And she'll kick you back to the sky for thinking otherwise."
The voice said she was out of the way for good for helping a young girl. Artemis groaned he knew nothing of mercy. The voice said they could agree their and that Luke could kill Annabeth now.
Magnus growled again and Alex held him down with Samira as Hearth signed quickly at him. Annabeth rolled her eyes as several other people looked over at her. "Still here guys."
Artemis shouted no as Luke said Annabeth could still be helpful as further bait. The voice asked if he really believed that and Luke told the man he called the general he was sure that they would come for her. The man paused then said the dracaenae could guard her if she didn't die from her injuries they could keep her alive till the solstice. If their sacrifice worked her life didn't matter.
"Lukily it didn't go as planned," Grover bleated.
"No," agreed Thalia. "Thanks to Kelp Head."
"Thanks to you," he told her.
"Sure," she drawled.
Luke picked up the unconscious Annabeth and carried her away.
Percy grimaced. "He doesn't get to touch her. None of them do."
"Percy," Annabeth told him in a long-suffering tone.
"Fine."
Artemis told them they'd never find the monster they were looking for. The man told her that she didn't know anything and now her attendants were starting a quest playing into his hands. They had a journey to make to challenge the hunters quest.
Grover looked at Percy. "Thank the gods for your dreams."
Percy frowned. "No, not really."
"They can be pretty helpful," Jason told him. "Like when…"
"Not discussing this," Percy said with his fingers in his ears and his tongue stuck out.
Grover and Jason exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.
Percy sat up suddenly in his bed as the door shook with knocking sounds. He grabbed Riptide and uncapped it. Then he flung open the door as Blackjack brayed.
Everyone laughed.
"That's Blackjack right?" Piper asked.
"That's Blackjack… you guys should finally get to hear him now," Percy said.
"We'll get to hear what it sounds like to you?" Hazel asked eagerly. "I've always wondered."
Blackjack's voice sounded a lot like a new york taxi driver. He yelled out to his boss as he didn't want to be horse-ke-bob.
There were snickers and laughs. Annabeth looked at Percy with wide eyes. "I thought you were insane or mostly joking when you were saying Blackjack sounded like that. Or that he spoke like that."
"I see why he and Percy get along so well though," laughed Rachel. "And he sounds just as sassy as he acts."
"Gets that from his rider," Percy said proudly high-fiving Leo who was laughing madly.
Percy sighed and told Blackjack it was the middle of the night. Blackjack made a huffing sound and Percy heard him say it wasn't but it was five in the morning why was he still sleeping.
"Because I'm not a horse," Percy huffed.
Percy sighed again saying he told Blackjack so many times already never to call him boss. Blackjack responded he would do whatever his boss said, he was number one, he was the man.
Everyone laughed.
Carter was holding back a snort. He looked at his sister. "You reminded of something?"
"Which something? Lots of people sound like that."
Percy told Blackjack he was supposed to stay in the stables. Blackjack groaned asking if Chiron ever stayed in the stables. Percy paused before saying no.
"If he did, well how would he have enough room for his music without driving the horses crazy?" asked Piper.
"Chiron hates staying with the horses, or being told he should," Grover said roughly. "It's an insult."
"Right," agreed Clarisse. "And the horses aren't sophisticated enough to curl their tales."
Chris held back a laugh as he gave her a warning laugh. She looked at him. "Come on! You were thinking it too."
Blackjack told him that their was another sea creature that needed his help. Percy groaned asking again. Blackjack nodded saying that he'd told the hippocampi he'd come and get them. Percy sighed and said he was coming. Blackjack responded that Boss, was the best. Percy yelled for him not to call him boss. A bray like laugh followed.
Everyone else laughed as well. Percy laughed too with a chuckle. "Always with the boss. And with the donuts too."
"Donuts?" Carter asked Percy.
"Donuts."
Percy got dressed and grabbed his shield, his pen, and Annabeth's hat looking at it for a moment and putting it in his pocket. He ran out the door and onto Blackjack's back. Then Blackjack stopped over a part of the ocean and whinnied pointing down with his head. Percy dived in.
"Wait, what?" asked Blitz. "In your pajamas at five AM your just jumping in like that?"
"Son of Poseidon, right? It's not an issue. Watch."
Percy went down over fifty feet and got to three hippocampi at the bottom. Their tails shimmered and glowed but they weren't happy. Percy got closer to the overturned boat and saw something else there trapped in the fishing net.
Percy growled. "I hate those things."
"The Animal?" Frank asked surprised.
"No," Percy shouted. "That stupid net. Fishermen don't even care. They trap animals in them and instead of cutting them free the let the net go leaving the animal to die. It happens all the time, to turtles, dolphins, and sometimes mythological creatures too."
"It hurts the ocean environment," Grover stomped.
"New lesson kids," Leo announced. "Don't litter. In the ocean or everywhere."
THe hippocampi circled and one tried to chew on the net. Percy got closer and the hippocampi followed. Then the animal made a mooing sound.
"Did it just moo?" asked Walt surprised.
"It did," agreed Percy.
"What sea creature moves, mythological or not?" asked Clarisse.
"Wait," Nico said. "I've heard that thing. I mean seen it. At…"
"Spoilers!" Percy, Grover, Thalia and Annabeth told him.
Percy swam next to a sea cow with the back end of a serpent's black and brown tail. He uncapped riptide and the creature started to struggle. Percy reached out holding his sword away from the creature. He promised not to hurt it and to cut the net.
"That's why it—" Thalia started.
"Shh!" Percy cut her off. "But yeah. Probably."
The cow creature kept struggling. It struggled so much the boat started to tip. Percy put his sword away and told the creature to calm down. He started to name things like sea grass, vegetarianism, milk and mom cows.
"And that worked?" asked Sadie. "There's no way that thing knew what you were saying."
"He didn't. It's all about Percy's tone of voice," Piper said. "We'll really need to conduct that test later."
"You still haven't explained what test," Percy complained.
The creature stopped thrashing and the hippocampi brayed. Percy told them he was thinking. Then a moment later he told them they had to push the way he told them too. It moved away so it was no longer collapsing on the creature. Then Percy started to work on untangling the net by hand telling her different things. He called her Bessie and told her she was almost out.
"Bessie?"
"It's a good cow name," Percy protested at Magnus's judging comment and look.
"You took the time to do it by hand?" Grover asked. "I mean Bessie really did like you but I never realized why. That was awesome Percy."
"I learnt to help creatures in need from the best example," Percy said. "Sadly I can't give the sanctuary of the ocean or the wild. It was the right thing to do."
A skip happened to the creature, Bessie zooming out. Percy told it to stay out of trouble and shot to the surface where he caught BlackJack's neck and swung himself up.
"Can you make a stunt movie or something?" Leo asked. "I'll do the pyrochenetics but with all this sick stuff and tricks you do…. Please dude?"
"What are you talking about?" Percy asked. "I can't really do anything cool."
Snorts sounded all around the room as Percy blushed.
