Disclaimer: All PJO characters belong to Rick Riordan.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Percy
"Life has many ways of testing a person's will: either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once."
(Paul Coelno)
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Percy woke up in the wrong place.
He was in a bedroom, nestled tightly in a bed. He wasn't wearing a shirt, which he found odd. Instead, a bandage was wrapped around his torso, bright white compared to the dull brown of the blankets. He stared at it, wondering how he obtained it. Every breath hurt, like his insides had been torn out and rearranged. He clenched his teeth together and turned his attention to the room.
It room was lightly decorated, almost bare. Only another bed was in the room with a small side table next to it. There was a window on the wall to Percy's right, but it appeared to be boarded up.
Percy blinked. He was pretty sure that last time he had been awake, he had been locked up in a prison. Not that he was complaining, but he wondered why there was a sudden change of scenery.
"Welcome back to the land of the living," a girl's voice said to the left of him. Percy looked over and found none other than Thalia Grace propped up on the beside table. She greeted him with a hard punch on the shoulder. Percy groaned and rubbed sleep out of his eyes, glaring at the girl. She looked healthy and happy, wearing tight pants that hugged her legs and a loose cotton shirt that revealed way too much, in Percy's opinion. At least Annabeth had had the decency to wear a tank top underneath her cotton shirt during their adventure in the woods.
"How long was I out?" Percy asked. He tried to sit up, but waves of pain washed over him and a moan escaped his lips as he fell back down into the pillows. His right arm throbbed.
"Three days," Thalia informed him, leaning against the wall. "We're in Atlantis. Juniper's house."
Percy blinked. Atlantis? Atlantis was a whole other city, with a whole different royal family and different citizens. How on earth had he gotten there? Or, a better question was, why was he there?
Thalia leaned foward, her eyes glowing with concern. "What's the last thing you remember?" she asked. Percy felt like he was taking a test he hadn't been prepared for. He strained to remember, but it was like his mind was covered with fog. The last clear memory he had was Annabeth visiting him in the prison under the palace, and, of course, he wasn't going to tell Thalia that. He remembered bits and pieces of what had happened after that, but that's all they were. Bits and pieces.
"I-I don't know," he answered honestly. "Everything's kind of a blur. I remember, uh, people coming to talk to me, and, um . . ." He trailed off awkwardly at the end, not sure how to explain to Thalia everything that had happened.
To Percy's surprise, Thalia burst into a fit of giggles. Percy fixed her with a wide-eyed, confused look. "What?" he demanded.
When the girl calmed down, she said, "Percy, I know that you and Annabeth have a thing. Piper's an old friend of mine. When she told me that Annabeth was sending you and your family food and that you were constantly acting if Annabeth was coming to see you, it didn't take rocket science to figure out. Besides, Piper can smell a relationship from a mile away."
Percy sighed and stared at the ceiling. "But the king and queen don't know? The kingdom doesn't know?"
Thalia laughed. "Relax, Kelp Head. No one knows but me and Piper." She paused. "And Grover. And Jason. And Leo."
Percy didn't say anything. He struggled to remember his time in prison. He did seem to recall a girl named Piper coming to bring him food. He remembered wondering why Annabeth never came herself, thinking that maybe now that she was falling back into her palace life routine that she just didn't want to see him. He couldn't remember anything past that.
"How did you get me out?" he asked Thalia. "What happened?"
Thalia pressed her lips together and leaned back against the wall. "Jason and I dressed up as guards so we could get in and talk to you. But when we got to your cell . . . " She trailed off and gazed at Percy like he was a zombie. "You were lying on the ground, unconscious and all beaten and bloody. Jason and I were barely able to sneak you out past the guards. We-we thought you were dead, Percy. That's how bad it was. We thought we were going to lose you."
Percy immediately felt guilty. Thalia was the strongest person he knew. She was always able to look her problems in the face and laugh. She was the one who was always taking crazy risks with Percy while everyone else on their team just played it safe. She could beat up the general of the royal guard so bad, he'd being crying for his mother. (Not that she had. Although, she had come close several times.) But never in his life had Percy seen Thalia Grace show weakness like this. He alwys thought that when he died, she would probably shed a tear or two and then go steal a baguette. That's just how Thalia was.
Now here she was, almost in tears because she thought he had died. He didn't know he meant that much to Thalia and the fact was overwhelming. Percy grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Hey," he said and tried a smile, but his face hurt (probably all bruised up) and it most likely looked like a grimace. "It's okay. When I die, it's going to be a magnificent death with music and dancers and the whole deal. You're going to be so blown away, you're going to forget to be sad."
Thalia laughed. "I'm sorry," she apologized, wiping her eyes furiously. "I just didn't want to lose someone I cared about again."
She said it so flippantly, Percy almost didn't catch the hurt in her voice, and the anger. He thought back to what Leo had told him when he brought him and Annabeth food and supplies. He had mentioned something about a guy named Luke Castellan and how Thalia had a thing for him. Maybe that "thing" went deeper than he originally thought.
"Luke?" he asked and Thalia immediately fixed him with a death glare that could freeze over a desert.
"How do you know about Luke?" she demanded. Percy instantly regretted bringing the name up. Obviously, it was a sore subject.
Percy swallowed. "Leo told me. He said you had thing for him. Please don't hit me."
Instead of beating him up even more, Thalia just scowled at the ground. "Well, I didn't." She paused. "It wouldn't even matter if I did."
"Why?" Percy couldn't help but wonder; the bitterness in her voice made him angry on her behalf.
Thalia blinked, as if coming out of a trance. Then she scowled. "He wasn't who he said he was," she replied sharply. Then she nodded at Percy's torso. "You've got a few broken and bruised ribs. Your arm is fractured also. Grover's sentenced you to bed rest for the next three days. Call me or Grover if you need anything." Then she hopped off the table and stalked out of the room.
Percy groaned and stared at the ceiling. "Note to self," he muttered. "Never try to sympathize with Thalia."
Then he fell asleep.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
If Percy didn't get out of that house soon, he was going to go insane.
He wasn't allowed to leave the house, thanks to his new status as the world's most wanted criminal. All he could do while he was under house arrest was stare out the window and wonder what was going on outside of it. He wondered about his Jason and Leo and how they were doing. He wondered about Annabeth a lot. He spent a lot of his time wondering about the little things: what she was wearing, what she had to eat, if all the attention she was getting was annoying her, what she was sketching. Rarely did he let himself think of the big things. He didn't want to wonder if she was married yet, or at least engaged. He didn't want to know if she was missing him or was relieved that he was gone. He tried to stay away from those thoughts.
But most of all, he thought about his family. He worried about his mom and Paul. Paul was their only source of income. Did he still make enough to support them? Did they have enough to eat? Was Macy okay? Had she died yet? Was she still alive? Annabeth had told him that she had a plan and he trusted her even though he didn't know what it was. He tried so hard to believe his family was still alive. They had to still be alive. He couldn't go on without them.
He couldn't wait to go back to Olympia. Grover had told him that they would return once everything had cooled down and they could sneak back in unnoticed. Percy knew it would take a while for things to "cool down". He had abducted a person of royalty, the heir to the throne. He was wanted everywhere.
The rooming wasn't too bad, which was good. Juniper had a two bedroom house so Percy and Grover slept in one room while Thalia slept in Juniper's bedroom. During the day, Thalia spent most of the daylight hours outside, either roaming the town or shooting arrows at a target behind the house. Juniper and Grover acted all couple-y and, unfortunately, stayed at the house most of the time, which meant that Percy had to listen to all their giggling and whispers. He hated it. It reminded him too much of Annabeth and how much he missed her.
He hadn't heard much of Annabeth. Thalia and Grover were keeping in touch with Leo and Jason and Percy knew for a fact that they were keeping them informed about the princess's whereabouts, but he chose to stay oblivious. He didn't want to hear about what she was up to.
Fate, however, seemed to think differently.
It was almost the end of the second month of being locked up. The end of September was drawing near and Percy could feel the air changing into that crisp fall cool. He itched to be outside, even if he was just practicing archery with Thalia (which was definitely saying something; he sucked at archery). The only time he had ever been able to step foot outside was on his birthday. To celebrate turning twenty, his gift had been leaving the house.
He about to head back into the bedroom for a nap, which was about the only thing he could do to forget about his friends and family back home. Once he got to the door, however, the hushed whispers of Grover and Thalia from inside drifted to his ears. He caught one word and went still immediately.
Annabeth.
"She's getting worse," Grover was saying. "Leo said that everything concerning her was very top secret."
Thalia chimed in, "Jason told me that he snuck into the palace and overheard some servants saying the doctor put her on bed rest. She's not allowed to get out of bed."
"I just don't know why the medicine isn't working," Grover said sadly. "Maybe she was off of it for too long when she was with Percy?"
Percy's stomach roiled with unease. No, he knew that the medicine would have worked. Annabeth had told him it would when he had asked her about it. So if she was getting sicker and sicker, that could only mean one thing. She wasn't taking her medicine.
He remembered what she had told him when she saw him in prison. He had asked about his family and she had told him to trust her because she had a plan. At the time, he had trusted her wholeheartedly because she was a good person and wouldn't let her people die, no matter who it was. But how far was she willing to go to ensure that? Would she go as far as to die herself? Macy had the same problem as Annabeth. But surely Annabeth wouldn't do what Percy was thinking. She couldn't. She couldn't die so Percy's stepsister would live. He would rather die than have that happen.
His whole mind was wiped once he heard Thalia's next words.
"And with her impending wedding . . ." she trailed off with a bitter tone. Percy's stomach dropped.
No. No, no, no.
Grover growled, "Maybe this is a good thing. As sick as she is, her marriage to Luke is being pushed off until she gets better."
Percy didn't think. He shoved open the door and looked at his two best friends with wide, angry eyes. "Is it true?" she demanded.
Both of them stared at Percy with startled looks on their faces. "Were you listening-" Grover started but Percy cut him off.
"Is it true?" he snapped again. Thalia's face morphed into a sad expression and she nodded slowly.
"Yes, it's true," she said quietly. "She's engaged to Luke."
Percy choked. Luke? Luke Castellan? Hadn't he been the one who acted like a thief and tricked Thalia and into falling for him? Now he was a prince trying to marry Annabeth? His Annabeth? Percy wouldn't allow that. He would die before he saw the day that Annabeth was married to that back-stabbing Luke Castellan. He swore he would.
"When?" he choked out. "How long has it been since they've been engaged?"
Thalia shook her head and looked down at her feet. Percy could hear the tears in her voice as she said, "They engaged a week after she returned home to Olympia."
He was too angry to hear the pain in his cousin's voice as she talked about Luke. He was too shocked to listen to Grover's encouraging words that they would find a way to stop it and not to worry. He was too overwhelmed with emotion to care that he was supposed to be in hiding and hiding meant staying inside the house. He ran away and out the door, into the bustling streets of Atlantis, not sure where he would go. All he knew was that he needed to get out of there and do something. He couldn't stay in that tiny house for another day knowing that Annabeth was sick, possibly dying, and engaged to someone who wasn't him and not be able to do anything about it.
He knew Annabeth had to be engaged by now. That fact was no surprise to him. He just didn't expect it to hurt this much. It felt like his heart had been torn from his chest and squeezed to dust. He felt like his gut was being poked with a hot iron rod. He felt like no matter how much he breathed, he couldn't get enough oxygen. Everything hurt. In that moment, he felt like the worst way to die was to die of heartsickness.
He hated Annabeth. He hated her for doing this to him, for making him feel this way and then brutally ripping his heart by getting engaged to someone else. Of course, he understood that it was necessary for her to become queen, but it didn't help him feel any better. He hated that princess for being so unforgiving. Yet, he loved Annabeth. He never wanted to see her again, but she was all he wanted. His feelings were so conflicted, it was like he was drunk.
He ran into the town square and came to a stop so he could catch his breath. People were all around him, but he was too hurt to care. Shouts and cheers drifted over to Percy. He looked around and noticed an arena-like stage set him to his right and a crowd of people surrounding it. He heard the sounds of clashing swords and figured that some sort of swordplay tournament was being held. Deeming that as a qualified distraction, he made his way over there.
Two big, burly men were in the ring, both bearing swords. One of the men was shirtless and had tattoos all over his body. His skin glistened with sweat in the late September sun. He looked to be in his late twenties, maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and scruff covered his jaw. Percy noticed several of the girls in the crowd all watching him with wide, adoring eye. He snorted to himself.
The other man wasn't much older. He was well-built also, but unlike his opponent, he sported no tattoos. His shirt was on and it was stained brown, like he worked in the mud a lot. His hair was a dirty blonde color, the length almost to his shoulders. Like the other man, scruff covered his jaw also.
Percy watched with interest as the two men fought, it was a pretty even match. Both men seemed very skilled at the sport. However, after five minutes of watching, the tattooed man found an opening and sliced his sword against the other's side. He yelled out in pain and the first guy slammed the sword out of his hand and pressed the point of it against the other's throat.
The crowd began to clap and cheer as a smaller guy ran into the arena and announced the tattooed guy the victor. The other man stumbled off the stage with his head hung low and a hand pressed to his side. Percy saw red dribbling through his fingers.
"Who's brave enough to take on the undefeated victor, Will Piper?" the announcer was asking. Percy turned his attention back to the arena. The announcer was searching the crowd, but no one was volunteering. Apparently, this guy was pretty skilled.
"Chickens," the guy - Will - said, causing a few people to laugh. "These men here are all chickens."
Percy rolled his eyes. Clearly, this guy thought he was the best and needed to be kicked off of his pedestal. Besides, Percy's thoughts were still tainted with that of Annabeth and her engagement. He needed to ground out his anger. He raised his hand. "I'll do it," he said. "I'll fight him."
The crowd roared and Percy was pushed onto the stage. Someone placed a sword in his hand, thankfully, since he didn't have his. Will eyed him like he was surprised that such a young man would challenge him. Percy was, after all, probably eight years younger than him and far smaller. This guy was buffer than a buffalo. Percy was more tall and lean.
Percy flipped his sword, testing the weight of it. Not as balanced as his own sword, Riptide, but not useless. It felt awkward in Percy's hand, but he had fought with a variety of different swords before. He was practiced at adjusting.
Will began to circle him, so Percy followed his lead. The cheers and chants of the crowd kept building up until Will lashed out as quick as a viper and the fighting began.
So, spending two months locked up in a house tended to make one a bit rusty. For the first few minutes or sparring, Percy was barely blocking Will's jabs and thrusts. The sword felt heavy and wobbly in his hand. His body felt sluggish, like he had just woken up from a nap. Will chuckled as he fought, like he knew that this fight would be an easy one.
But then Percy began to fight back. Really fight back, twisting and dancing around Will. Will was strong, but due to his bulkiness, he was slow. Percy had the advantage there. He was faster. He ran circles around his opponent, slashing and jabbing and thrusting.
And gods, it felt amazing. He hadn't fought in so long and after taking a few minutes to warm-up, the moves began to pour out of him. All of his frustration and worry about his friends, his mom and Macy, and Annabeth made him fight harder, as if he was fighting against the problems themselves. Will morphed into a prince in Percy's eyes, this Luke Castellan that was engaged to Annabeth and in Percy's mind, he began to fight for her. He fought with such passion and skill that he saw his opponent's eyes narrow in concern.
Percy didn't know how it happened. But suddenly, the sound of a sword clattering to the ground resonated in Percy's ears and his sword's point was pressing into Will's chest. Both men were breathing heavily. Silence echoed throughout the crowd as they stared at the young man who had defeated their undefeated champion. Then, simultaneously the crowd erupted into cheers and the announcer came up to announce Percy the winner. Percy bent down and handed Will his sword. They shared a respectful nod and Percy was surprised that such a cocky person accepted defeat so easily.
"What's your name, boy?" the announcer murmured.
Percy answered without hesitation, without thinking. "Percy Jackson."
The announcer grabbed his hand and threw it up in the air. "Percy Jackson!" he yelled and the crowd cheered.
And somehow, in the midst of all that noise, Percy heard the sound of someone choking. He turned his gaze to his right and saw a platform that he hadn't noticed before. And on that platform was a man sitting in a chair, surrounded by guards. He wore long golden and blue robes, the colors of Atlantis. He had dark skin, like he spent a lot of time outside. His black hair and green eyes matched Percy's. Percy's stomach sank.
The crown atop his head was studded with jewels, signifying him as what he was. The king.
"Percy?" he choked out.
The two men locked eyes and Percy didn't care that this was the king of Atlantis who obviously recognized him and that he was most likely a dead man. Because when Percy looked at him, he didn't see the king. He saw a picture on thin, old paper, hidden in a table drawer. A picture drawn by his mother.
A picture of his father.
OMG I FINISHED BoO AND IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.
I'm really torn up about those books ending. I finished it about a week ago and it's still all I think about. Feel free to PM me so we can fangirl together because none of my friends have finished it yet and I'm just heartbroken and I have no one to talk to.
And I'm so sorry about the long wait. Volleyball took up all of my time, no joke. Games almost every night, tournaments every weekend. It was exhausting. But now I'm back!
"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
