Hey so sorry about the Hiatus things came up, my laptop died and so did my motivation levels. Also heads up I didn't really edit this chapter, so it may be a little messy. Sorry.
Just want to thank everyone for reviewing/reading/following and favouriting. Really hope you all enjoy.
Main Pairing: Eventual Percy/Artemis
Pairings: Percy/Olympians, Percy/Annabeth
I in no way own PJatO or HoO
He stares down pointedly at his Vanilla spiced Mocha, beside him sits Piper who picks at her chocolate cookie, her eyes constantly darting to meet his. Jason could so easily move his hand to reach out and touch Piper. He could just simply hold her hand and he would feel a million times better.
But both Piper and he had made a deal. They would not hold hands or do anything coupley in the presence of Annabeth. Jason had argued for over an hour with Piper before they came here just to sit next to her.
"It could upset her Jason." Piper had stamped her foot and glared at him.
Jason rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. "You think she is weaker then what she is."
Piper frowned at him, not in the confused way that made him want to envelop her in hugs or in the annoyed way that made Jason want to attack her with kisses but in a way that made him cautious and break into a cold sweat.
"Her boyfriend just disappeared. Again." Piper said, every word enunciated perfectly, he would have thought she was Charms speaking him, but well she wasn't because whilst he was admiring her perfect diction, seriously she should go into public speaking, he didn't feel that mystical need to do what she said or follow her point of view.
"Piper. She is Annabeth Chase." Jason sighs rubbing his forehead. He doesn't want to deal with this, the no kissing, no hugging thing was fine but not even being able to sit next to his girlfriend was too much. "She has faced countless monsters. Super Girl was probably based off her; she will be fine if we sit next to each other."
Piper had sighed and crossed her arms. "You just don't understand women."
When they arrived at the coffee shop an hour and a half later and sat on opposite sides of the table Annabeth had frowned and demanded that they sit next to each other and to stop acting weird around her.
Jason had almost wanted to give Piper an 'I told you so speech' but figured he shouldn't risk it; after all he did want to kiss her at the end of the day. Just not in front of Annabeth.
"They will both come back." Piper says into her hot chocolate, her eyes glance down towards Annabeth who is shuffling around in her seat, her fingers tapping along the cover of a notebook. Jason doesn't want to say it, but she looks like crap, her eyes look red rimmed, her hair looks a mess and her face is as pale as snow.
Jason doesn't feel to crash hot either, his head feels heavy, his chest feels tight and his eyes keep watering at the prospect that his two best friends have both runoff and left him alone. Jason sighs brokenly resting his hand on his forehead. He brushes off his fear and anxiety and picks up his drink.
"Yeah." he agrees taking a sip. "They're both fine, I mean its Percy and Leo." Annabeth smirks a little and Jason takes that as a good sign despite the fact that a cold spread of fear is washing over him slowly. "Fire and water, the best of both worlds."
"They didn't run off together." Annabeth insists running her hands through her hair, she messes it up a little more. "Two separate incidents." She groans.
Jason frowns. He had never thought that Percy and Leo would run off, the thought would never even cross his mind. Jason had never been to Camp Half-Blood with the two of them their together, but he could already picture the two as being in disposable to the Greek camps. It was their home, so why did they run away?
Piper bites her lip and breaks of another piece of her cookie. "They could have met up later?" she tries. Jason cringes lightly because the implication is there, whether Piper meant it or not was not the issue because it Jason heard it then so would have Annabeth.
Annabeth, despite Jason's concern, does not lose her cool over the issue. But he can tell from the way her eyes water and the way she looks at the far wall that she heard it.
Jason taps Piper's leg with his shoe; she doesn't respond but simply goes rigid.
"Oh gods." Piper says her arms flail out as one grasps onto Annabeth's arm, she leans forward apology written all over her face. "That's not what I meant-oh gods- I just meant they would meet up later – oh gods-"
Jason rests a hand on Piper's shoulder and smiles a little at her flustering thoughts; there goes Jason's hopes for Public speaking. Piper gives Jason a strangled look before looking back towards Annabeth who is chuckling a little at the sight.
"Its fine Pipes." she shakes her head, blonde curls falling out of her hair tie. She looks back up at her friend with a smile, pain still in her eyes. "I was just over reacting."
Piper frowns and shakes her head. "No, you weren't." she moves her hand down towards Annabeth's own and she grasps them tightly in her own. "It's okay to feel upset about this. It's probably a good thing." Piper shrugs and suddenly Jason is a little unsure as to the direction of this conversation. "Everyone needs to have a breakdown at least once and that is okay."
Annabeth takes a deep weary breath. "I'm fine Piper." she manages after a moment. "I just want to find Percy- and Leo." she says after a moment of hesitation. Sighing she sits back in her seat worming her hand out of Piper's grip.
Jason takes another sip of his drink ignoring the two, his hands feel clammy and his heart is still beating too fast. He blinks back the image of Gaia fighting her way towards the surface of the planet, the thought that every day could have been his last, he leans back into his chair, and it creaks under the pressure.
He is panicking recalling every moment of worthlessness in the war, the way his friends had looked to him when all else was failing, the way he felt looking to them when even he had no answers. The earth swallowing him up and spitting him out into oblivion, taking away his home and his friends, away the place that he was oh so willing to call home.
He sees Annabeth and Percy falling into Tartarus, Nico breaking down and professing his dark secret to him, Reyna bloodstained and crying as she puts down Scipio, Leo forlornly looking out at the horizon as if he has lost his first love and Piper, dear sweet Piper standing tall, dagger in hand covered in dirt and mud staring back at him as if she has seen the world for the first time.
Piper takes his hand and slowly the pieces glue themselves back together. He looks over at her and smiles kindly rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.
He takes a deep breath and looks towards Annabeth, she is chewing her fingernails and tapping the notebook at least three beats faster than before.
"It's the gods fault." Annabeth mumbles suddenly. Piper stares at her questioningly.
"What?" Jason asks shifting in his seat.
Annabeth is still silent staring at nothing. "Hestia," she breaks away from her thoughts and looks at Jason. "Vesta." she clarifies, Jason wants to tell her he knows who Hestia is but decides against it. "She told me. I mean I guess I had always known, it's just-"
"Just what?" Piper questions, Jason shifts in his seat and thinks of his father. He takes a deep breath and once again shifts in his seat removing his hand from Piper's; Piper gives him a sideways glance.
"Godhood." she says slowly. Jason blanches and looks away from Annabeth; he is tempted to take another sip of his drink but advises himself against it, he doesn't want to give himself away too much. "He refused and well…" Annabeth shrugs. "They didn't want to accept that."
Piper frowns. "They what?"
"They were going to turn him anyway." Jason finishes. He looks from Annabeth to Piper and frowns. "So he ran?" he looks back at Annabeth who bites her lip, tears well up in her eyes. Jason doesn't know what to do except to curse his father.
"He ran from the gods?" Piper clarifies. She looks shocked if not horrified, Jason almost snorts because what else did she expect. The gods were fickle and all powerful; they were everything both good and bad about humanity. Jason grits his teeth and forces his eyes shut.
Why Jupiter? He thinks to himself. Haven't you learnt from your mistakes?
Thunder rumbles outside but Jason doesn't really give a damn at the moment.
"But their gods." he says shaking dark thoughts out of his head. "What makes him think he can escape them?" Annabeth sighs, Jason think she may even cry.
"He can't." Piper says after a tense moment of silence. Annabeth looks up at them with a sad smile. Jason want's to disagree but he knows that it's the truth, that he can't escape them.
"I'm sure they will forget about it, you know if he keeps away long enough." Jason tries to reassure his blonde haired friend. But Annabeth just gives him a look. Jason bites his lip beside him Piper starts to shake.
"Gods." Piper mutters. "What can we do?" she looks up towards Annabeth who is still silent, tapping away on her notebook, she bites her lip and for the first time since Jason first met her, she looks lost.
"We keep searching for Leo." she mutters. "That's all we can do." She looks up towards Piper. "We know why Percy has gone, but not Leo." sighing again she closes her eyes and opens them slowly, her eyes are fiercer then before. Jason shudders at the sight. "For all we know he could be in trouble."
Jason clenches his jaw and shakes his head. He feels like a terrible friend, two of his best friends gone and he can't do anything to find them.
"He had been acting a little…off since the battle." Piper manages after a moment; her leg brushes against Jason's and rests there.
Truth was they had all been acting strange since the end of the battle. It had taken a lot out of them all both physically, mentally and emotionally. But Leo had been acting odd since they found him at the Café in the Mediterranean.
Piper propels hers body back against her chair and slams her fist down onto the table. The couple beside them jolt in surprise; Jason sends then an apologetic glance.
"No." She says shaking her head. "No. After everything we have done we will not break." she growls. Jason's eyes widen as he stares at his girlfriend. Annabeth stares at her too with a look of fierce determination.
"I won't allow it." she says folding her arms over her chest, Annabeth nods her head. "We saved the world." Piper hisses leaning in close. "We saved it together," looking towards Jason Piper continues. "So we will all help each other, we will all get through this. Together." She casts a meaningful look to Jason before looking back at Annabeth. "Promise me that when we find Leo and help Percy. That we will all fight this together." her eyes water as she looks down at her clenched fists on the table. "I will not lose another friend."
Silence tears through them like a knife through paper. And Jason, poor Jason does not know what to do or say so instead he bites his lip and soaks up as much of his drink as possible just so he isn't sitting there in awkward tense silence.
See Jason knows that he is suffering from the after effects of the battle, PTSD; the baker at New Rome had told him after he bought two of his favourite Brownies. But Jason was Jason, a son of the great Jupiter, ex-Praetor of the twelfth legion destroyer of Krios. There was no way that he had suffered something as small as PTSD. He was stronger than that he had to be.
Beside him he can feel Piper's eyes glued to him in interrogation.
It had been an issue they had both discussed some days earlier, Piper had Iris messaged him opening up to him on her most recent nightmare, Jason had told her it was just a dream and she had listened and all was great until five minutes later when Piper had asked him about his nightmares. Scared she would think he was weak he denied having any and just like that she had known.
Jason was not misogynistic or sexist; he simply wanted to be seen as emotionally strong as well as physically. He didn't want Piper to know that sometimes the dreams feel so real that he wakes in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat and can't get back to bed until he has inspected the cabin as well as the outside just in case Camp Jupiter's defences had failed and a monster was roaming.
"Well," Jason sighs rubbing his hands together ignoring the way the two pairs of eyes sit on him expectantly. "This deep and meaningful is great and all, but I think I'm going to go up for another round." he says pointing to his cup. "You guys want anything?"
"I'm fine." Annabeth mutters pointing to her bottle of water.
Piper says nothing and simply stares at him accusingly. Ignoring her he gets up to get another drink, his hands shaking and his legs feeling weak.
He orders an extra-large cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso and by the time he gets back with his drink Frank and Hazel are walking through the door smiling privately to each other with wind swept hair, someone might think they had been making out if they didn't know their primary mode of transportation was an extremely fast potty mouth mythological horse.
"Frank, Hazel!" Jason calls waving to the two. Frank looks around quickly before spotting Jason and waving back his giant frame only just fitting in between the clusters of tables. Hazel smiles back at Jason before the two head over towards the table Annabeth and Piper standing up and hugging them all.
Hazel takes a seat before taking a long and deep breath.
"No we don't have any news on Leo." Piper answers quickly sensing the question, Hazel deflates slightly and shakes her head.
"I swear to Jupiter that boy better be safe." Frank sighs rubbing Hazel's back. Jason raises a brow, a few days ago he had never even seen the couple hold hands and now Frank was rubbing Hazel's back in a way that suggested they had always been this physical.
"He is." Annabeth sighs. Her fingers tap along the table almost as if she is hitting keys on a notepad. "Nico hasn't felt him crossover." she sighs and rubs her forehead. She sounds more tired than usual. Jason grits his teeth. "And Mr D. says that no one on the council was involved in his disappearance." Annabeth rolls her eyes. "Not like he would tell us anything anyway." she mutters.
"And Percy?" Frank asks leaning forward; his entire demeanour has changed as a mask of cold indifference flows over his features in a very Reyna-esque way. "Any new news?"
Piper bites her lip and takes a quick look at Annabeth who is staring vacantly out the window and onto the pavement outside. "No." she answers for her friend. "We haven't heard anything."
Jason frowns lightly. "Well there is Rachel." he shakes his head and looks from Annabeth and Piper to Frank and Hazel. Annabeth continues to stare out the window almost uninterested but a look of sudden realisation crosses Piper's face. "Have you told them what Rachel Elizabeth Dare said?"
"No" Piper says looking back towards Annabeth in curiosity. "I don't think we have."
"Okay, How about we not talk about Hazel and me as if we aren't here?" Frank questions, his voice sound rough like he has been up all night. Who knows maybe he has been Jason sure knows that he has been awake for what feels like weeks.
"Rachel Elizabeth Dare helped Percy." Annabeth helpfully supplies. Her fingers continue to tap as she stares out the window.
Frank looks from Annabeth to Piper quickly. "Okay, who is Rachel Elizabeth Dare?"
"The Oracle." Hazel replies pushing Frank's shoulder. "Remember the one the mortal, the oracle of Delphi?" Hazel says quickly her hands pushing Frank's shoulder over and over again.
"Ow." Frank says in reply pushing Hazel's hands off his shoulder. He smiles lightly. "Okay I get it. Jeeze." he rubs his shoulder while Hazel blushes. He looks back towards Annabeth, deciding it to be proper to address the missing demigod's girlfriend. "What are the details? Why did she help him? When?"
Annabeth sighs before turning back towards Frank with a look of apprehension. "She helped him for a few weeks. But she hasn't seen nor heard from him in two days."
"So what does that mean?" Hazel asks from beside Frank, her body is tense like a spring coil.
"It means that he is hiding." Jason answers for her; Annabeth gives Jason a slight grin. "He doesn't want to be found, so he has officially cut his ties with us."
Annabeth nods her head and looks back out the window. She looks tired Frank decides, he knows the feeling well, except for the whole boyfriend running away, that part is something he hopes he never has to deal with. He takes a sidelong look at Hazel and wraps an arm around her shoulders. They both blush.
"But why?" Hazel manages after a few tense moments, Annabeth's head whirls around on a pivot almost like an owl she stares at Hazel with wide eyes. Frank almost shrinks back in his chair, but Hazel she stays strong and looks back at Annabeth in concern.
"I have a theory." she says, Piper gives Annabeth a weary look and suddenly Frank feels as if this isn't the first time she has shared this opinion. Jason looks at the two in confusion and Frank suddenly doesn't feel so left out.
"What theory?" Jason questions folding his arms over the table, Piper glances at him but turns back to Annabeth quickly.
Annabeth bites her lip again and stops tapping her fingers along her notebook and the table, she now stares out across the room. Frank had never thought he would ever see the daughter of Athena so broken and disheartened.
"It's cray I know, but I think deep down I have always known." Annabeth sighs and shakes her head; a self-depreciating smirk appears on her face as she huffs to herself. "It's going to sound absolutely crazy. I know, but" she looks straight at Frank this time a look of determination on her face. "I think the gods want Percy."
"Want Percy?" Jason asks he takes a fresh gulp of his coffee his eyes circle the group looking almost unsure of himself, his fingers fidget on his thigh. "What do you mean?"
"Like they want him to be a god?" Hazel questions, Jason's finger drum along his thigh in quicker succession.
Annabeth's nose twitches. "Yes, but not really. I mean I know this is going to sound crazy but don't you think the gods have been sort of enamoured with Percy lately?"
Frank raises an eyebrow. "Uhh we haven't really known him for that long."
Annabeth rolls her eyes and a ghost of a smile appears on her face but vanishes almost as quickly as it appears. "Well they have been, I would never have noticed it if it weren't for Grover."
"Grover?" Jason questions.
"Percy's faw- Satyr friend." Hazel says in reply Jason makes an 'O' face and nods his head almost as if he knows who Grover is, judging from the look on Piper's face they have no idea just who Grover is, or at least have never met him.
"Yeah apparently he caught Mr D hanging around Percy's cabin for the past few days." Annabeth frowns, like he was waiting for him or something." She shakes her head again and pushes one of her curls out of her face. "Plus he has heard rumours."
"Rumours?" Frank asks wondering just what rumours a satyr could have heard and where he could have heard them from.
Annabeth nods her head bringing her hand up to her mouth, she chews on her finger. "Yeah, the nymphs and dryads have been talking."
Piper shakes her head, her eyes looking glazed as if she isn't really paying attention to the conversation. "What were they talking about? The latest episode on 'You Think You Can Vine?'"
Frank smirks thinking it's a joke but from the serious look on Jason, Piper and Annabeth's face tells him that the show is no joke and is in fact real. He wonders briefly what it's about, dryads making vines as in actual vines or a show about internet famous nymphs and dryads who are known for their vines.
"No actually, they were talking about Hera."
Jason frowns and looks at Annabeth in confusion. Hazel joins in on the look of confusion at Annabeth. Frank just feels confused.
"But they don't really answer to her, do they?" Hazel asks she looks around the group until she finds Frank's eyes. Frank shrugs in response; he honestly has no idea what they are going on about.
"No they don't. At least they shouldn't be."
"Unless she has made them." Piper says her voice is just above a whisper Frank almost has to lean in to hear her.
"What do you mean?" Jason asks his girlfriend a hand on her knee as he leans forward. Frank notes that he seems just a little less jumpy then earlier; he wonders if it has something to do with the coffee Jason had been drinking. He was sure ADHD and coffee did not mix well.
Piper turns to him with a frown, she opens her mouth to explain it to him but she falls short and instead stares at Jason's nose.
"She means Hera may have ordered nymphs to work for here, perhaps to give her information." Frank says looking at Piper with raised brows. "Right?" When Piper nods her head and looks imploringly at Jason Frank smiles to himself and leans back in his chair he moves over towards Hazel and whispers in her ear. "Hera is Juno Right?"
"Yes." Hazel affirms, Frank smiles to himself again pleased and watches as the trio in front of him talk in hushed tones, he catches words every now and then but for the most part he lets his brain wonder.
"-so what your saying is you think the gods would rather take Percy than fear on missing out? Like taking the last brownie because you don't want to miss out on the delicious brownie." Jason's questions leaning forward slightly, Annabeth raises a brow at the young man and Piper pats her boyfriend on the stomach.
"Yes, except in a little less creepier way." She says with a smug smile, Jason looks down at Pipers hand before smiling kindly and apologetically.
"Sorry, Just really like brownies." he mutters.
"I can tell." Annabeth smiles to herself before shaking her head. "But let's pretend it's still creepy."
"What do you mean?" Hazel asks she moves forward in her chair startling Frank who still has his arm wrapped around her shoulders he drops it immediate in surprise.
Piper frowns and stares at Annabeth. "I mean," Annabeth continues taking a deep shaky breath. "That the gods are the same gods from the myths and legends we all learnt about at our respective camps," after gaining at least two nods of ascent and one 'hmm' the blonde continues. "What if they want Percy for unsavoury reasons?"
Jason scrunches his nose and Frank raises a brow. Hazel looks at Frank in confusion and Frank tells her that he will tell her later.
"It sounds Crazy." Annabeth sighs running a hand through her hair dispelling more of her curls. "I know but it's just a theory."
Piper chews on her tongue and frowns, no one on the table really notices except for Hazel who is still confused. "What is it Piper?" she asks the daughter of Aphrodite.
Piper frowns looking at the table before meeting Hazel's eyes, they then quickly drift to Annabeth's who is staring down at her notebook in front of her. "What if it isn't crazy?"
"Pipes-" Jason starts but he is quickly shut up by Piper who gives him a stern look.
"I'm serious. I mean as a daughter of Aphrodite we live off these myths." she looks around the table at a group of shocked faces. "What sue me I like to hear about tragic romances, they're interesting." she pouts to herself folding her arms over her chest.
"It's okay Piper we have all read Romeo and Juliet." Jason lies, truth is he has never read it he remembers watching the movie once when he was younger but he fell asleep halfway through and couldn't tempt himself to watch it again. "Go on." he urges giving her a polite little smile and nudging her shoulder. She looks up at him with a smirk and Jason really wants to kiss her.
"Okay," she says looking back at the group. "But you know myths are myths, and some myths that we think are true may not entirely be…"
"True?" Frank supplies helpfully.
Piper looks at him and nods her head enthusiastically. "Right, like the story of Adonis."
"The dude that was killed by a boar sent by Mars?" Jason asks.
Hazel shakes her head. "I heard it was Diana."
"Whoever it was from." Piper interrupts, a man from another table gives them all a strong look, and Frank swears he sees Annabeth poke her tongue out at him. "He was loved by the gods, like they all loved him, he was the perfect male."
"Sitting right here pipes." Jason supplies only to be pushed lightly by the girl.
Annabeth frowns. "I thought he was only loved by Aphrodite and Persephone." Piper doesn't answer verbally but simply gives Annabeth a look. "I'm guessing the myths are wrong."
Piper smiles tightly and raises her brows. "Believe it or not but children of Aphrodite like to have hidden secrets and myths." she sighs and shakes her head. "Anyway, the gods all wanted him."
"And he died because of that." Annabeth chews her lip.
"Hey, if anyone can make it out of this its Percy. Right?" Jason says leaning forward in his seat his arm outreaches for Annabeth's which is curled by her chest on the table, she bites her finger again.
"Well this is all incredibly bleak." Frank grumbles to himself.
"So what can we do about it?" Hazel questions. "I mean we don't really know where Percy is, or Leo for that matter."
Jason runs a hand through his hair and frowns; Frank thinks the blonds head might explode from the stress. "Gods dammit when I find those two I may just kill them."
"Get in line." Annabeth sighs to herself. She looks up towards Frank suddenly. "Actually I need to meet up with you and Reyna."
"Me?" Frank questions pointing to his chest in disbelief, Annabeth nods her head slowly chewing her lip. "Why? Is it about Percy?"
Annabeth smirks and shakes her head. "No, not this time. It's actually about Camp Half-Blood."
"What about it?" Hazel asks.
Piper and Annabeth share a look. "I want to make it… better."
Percy was a little skeptical to get inside Don's car. No matter how many times the older man promised he wasn't going to Eat, destroy or torture the demigod.
"This baby is a classic." Don cried at the top of his lungs as they drove down the boulevard, Percy couldn't agree more as the engine rattled with enough force that he was starting to feel like an astronaut re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
The car was a rusty old cherry Red Corvette, the type of car that is usually seen at car shows, well except the cars at car shows are usually in better condition and don't smell so strongly of fish and perfume, Percy winds his window down a little more while Don continues to praise his baby and sing Alicia Keys at the top of his lungs.
A far cry from the sombre Don that was watching a mother and son playing on the side of the road just 20 minutes earlier, he had quickly changed his tune after Percy had agreed to go with him and was now suddenly like a far more annoying version of Apollo. With if Percy has to say a worse car.
"Where are we going?" He asks, Don rolls his eyes and turns the radio down.
"We are going to my house, so you can meet my friends." His eyes turn back to the road and Percy swears he hears the man say 'idiot' and 'needs a haircut'. But he decides not to pressure the man, lest he turns out to be a sociopath who needs a new skull for his collection.
Percy grinds his teeth together. "Yeah but where is that?"
"Fisher Island, we own half of it." Don grins to himself and drums his fingers on the wheel twice.
"Fisher Island?" he questions, he has never heard of it and can't seem to think even why he would have ever heard of it. "Should I be impressed?"
Don almost slams on the breaks and causes a car accident, well if there were cars behind them. Percy flings forward in his seat and apart from being winded he is eternally grateful for seat belts. "Shit." he coughs shifting the seat belt around his waist it cuts into his thighs and waist, he fears that that could have ended up worse however and considers himself lucky.
"Fisher Island." Don says to himself, he spins in his seat until he is fully facing Percy; a car horn beats from the other side of the road. "You have never heard of Fisher Island."
Percy suddenly regrets getting in the car with this madman.
Stranger fucking danger.
"No."
"It's only the most beautiful place in all of America, the place where only the richest and wealthiest Americans live. It's almost like the Bold and the Beautiful everyday there." Don looks like he is about to blow.
"O-okay?" Percy is starting to get a little nervous, there isn't much room to manoeuvre or fight in a car after all. But he is still pretty sure he could take Don, despite the overwhelming feeling of foreboding that is surrounding him.
"Gods." Don sighs, car horns beat behind and beside them now as people scream at them to keep moving. "What do they teach you Americans?" He mumbles to himself putting the car into gear.
"Trigonometry."
"That stuffs overrated." Don mutters. "Bit after my times, but still."
"What?" Percy asks, after his time? Surely he meant before.
"Huh?" Don asks he doesn't look at Percy this time, much to Percy's joy. He really doesn't want to be in another car accident.
"I mean what you meant by 'After your time?'"
"It's an expression." Don replies checking himself out in the rear view mirror.
"Yeah I know that but-"Percy's question is immediately drowned out by the sound of the radio and Don's obnoxious singing. Frowning Percy resigns himself to staring out the window for the rest of the trip, his eyes wandering over landmarks and even catching glimpses of the ocean from the corner of his eye every so often.
He wishes he was back at Camp. The only place he has ever truly felt safe at.
Plus Camp did have the advantage of Annabeth.
It takes them ten minutes to arrive at their destination; it's a large garage that looks big enough to fit six other vehicles and a Hummer.
Don swings his car door open, Percy confused follows his lead slamming.
"Uh? You live here?" Percy points to the garage, only for Don to snicker in reply.
"In a garage? What did you live in a barn? A garage." He chuckles to himself; Percy wants to belt the man in reply. Instead he clenches his fist tightly to his side.
"Then why are we here?"
"Car can't travel on water, so we are taking a boat."
Suddenly a man steps out from the building, his bright blue polo and khaki shorts means that he probably works here and isn't a monster looking for a snack, though Percy has met some monsters with rather questionable fashion senses.
"Why do we need a boat?"
"To travel on water." Don replies throwing the man the keys. Percy glares at Don in return. "Because we are going to Fisher Island."
Percy frowns. "So it's actually an island."
Don stares at Percy in wonder. Percy starts to feel insanely stupid and really just wants to crawl into a hole somewhere from embarrassment. "I thought it might have just been an ironic thing."
Don shakes his head and mumbles something under his breath, before turning back to the man and rattling off a list of instructions.
The ocean breeze hits him suddenly and Percy feels alive for the first time in months. He takes a deep breath and takes a step towards the dock where three boats greet him.
"Ready waterboy?" Don greets suddenly clapping Percy on the back.
"Don't call me that."
"Touchy." Don mutters walking ahead of him. "We are taking the Ulysses." He shouts back to Percy.
"Ulysses? Like Odysseus?"
"Wow." Don exclaims jumping onto one of the boats. "He knows something. Congrats." Percy grumbles a reply before hoping onto the boat beside him, he is a little nervous about travelling by water, but he has a feeling that Don has probably done some form of hoodoo voodoo magic or something to make them invisible. Otherwise Don and his friends would have been found long ago.
Or maybe he is just hoping that they have. Otherwise he is totally screwed.
After a few shaky turns at trying to get to start the engine, the duo manage to finally leave the dock.
Percy smiles into the wind as it rushes past him and as the sea salt sprays his face leaving him feeling refreshed and relaxed. A few times he is tempted to dip his hand into the salty water but he resists the urge, he doesn't want anything to give away his position.
When they finally reach dry land, Don all but pushes Percy out of the boat and back onto solid land. "C'mon, the place is just up around here." Percy frowns as he follows Don who continues to draw passer-by's attention, Percy hates it because the men and women will often then look towards him with a look of disdain and disgust. Not that he really blames them, he hasn't had a proper shower in gods only knows how long.
Percy follows Don for a total of five minutes before he stops in front of one of the largest houses Percy has ever seen.
"Woah." The house, if he could even call it a house is only just shorter than Percy's apartment building back in New York and while that may be one of the shortest buildings in his neighbourhood, it should not diminish from the actual size of this monstrosity. "That is one big house."
Don looks at him with a smirk. "Wait till you see the inside, waterboy."
"Big, big house." Percy says ignoring the annoying Abercrombie and Fitch model beside him.
Annabeth would love this house. Percy thinks as he follows Don up the paved driveway, he brushes his hands along the finely trimmed hedges, his eyes locked onto the house as an unsettling feeling rests in his belly.
Percy pauses in his steps and begins to assess his surroundings. He could make a runner, but he figures he would not get too far, considering he is hungry and a little tired and Don looks as if his muscles aren't just for show.
'GUUURGH'
Percy looks down and clutches his stomach; Don looks back at him with his perfectly sculpted eyebrows raised.
"We have pizza." he offers.
Percy feels his resolve breaking. If it is a trap, I could fight my way out of it. He grits his teeth together and looks back towards the way they came before looking back towards the house.
"Fuck it, pizza wins." Percy almost pushes Don out of the way as he makes his way towards the house and possible trap.
Like I've mentioned earlier, this fic is going to be huge, like I have a lot planned for this so I'm sorry if you feel let down by this as little to no romance has happened, but it will take time I am planning on growing Percy as a character first and introducing a new story line that will later become important.
Anyway hope you all enjoyed this, this story has greatly moved away from my original storyline and plan, so I will be reworking on that soon before starting another chapter, I will aim to have that chapter up by next Wednesday, but I make no promises.
