UM hi guys. Yea, it's been a super duper long while, hasn't it?
JC hasn't been easy on me and my promos weren't really that well off. Granted, now I do have some time to write this chapter and I do hope i would have more time(and motivation) to write more in the future.
I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's been a long while and I and deeply apologetic for leaving you at such a cruel cliffhanger in the last chapter.
ENjoy!
~Kuntakintae
Percy's POV
"Is this really the right choice to make?"
I sighed as I stared somberly at the door, watching Thalia, Nico, Grover and Annabeth step in to the classroom one by one, their faces wearing grim expressions, as though they knew that what I was going to tell them wasn't pleasant to the ears.
They were absolutely right, of course.
"Why so tensed?" I asked in a lighthearted tone, attempting to lighten up the atmosphere by giving them the usual lopsided grin. A small feeling of satisfaction rose up in me when it worked.
"Maybe it's because we're finally going to hear about your dark past, which, by the way, we know absolutely nothing about other than the fact that it was horrible," Thalia replied in a sarcastic tone, lightening the mood even further.
"Oops," I simply said, shooting a teasing grin at her. She merely rolled her eyes at my behavior.
"Well, sit down. Let's talk over good food," I laughed and signaled to them to sit down around the dining table.
When they noticed the contents on the table, their jaws immediately dropped to the ground as they stared in amazement.
I chuckled at their expressions. I guess they didn't expect food- definitely not good food like what I had prepared.
Piping hot chicken stew, bright yellow delicious looking omelette, shiny and sleek golden pomfret surrounded with soy sauce and even bright red chili crabs were present on the table, waiting to be devoured.
"Woah," Was all Grover could say as his mind tried to adjust to the fact that I had actually prepared such a wonderful-looking meal for them.
I sneaked a glance at Annabeth to see her expression. I secretly smiled when I saw her eyes gleaming with happiness as she focused in on the food. She was also the first one to recover from the shock of having food prepared.
After all, I had always done the exact same thing for her.
"You sure it's not poisoned?" Nico teased when he recovered around fifteen seconds later. I laughed and shook my head.
"Preparing food with poison is such a drag. I gave up that profession long ago," I mock sighed.
"Are we gonna eat or what?" Grover asked impatiently, hurrying towards the table as soon as he recovered. We all shot a helpless glance at him before following suit.
"Wait, so are we gonna talk before, during or after we eat?" Thalia suddenly asked, reminding everyone of why they were here in the first place. The dark cloud of worry that had disappeared for a moment began to come back to existence.
Silence hung heavily in the room. None of us wanted to answer that question. My eyes were glued to the table as I tried to decide.
"Crunch, crunch…" All our eyes shot towards the sound and discovered that Grover was already violently breaking the shell of a chili crab's leg with his teeth.
He suddenly froze when he felt all of our eyes on him. He slowly looked up from his food and gave us a bewildered look.
"Um, arenf we eafin?" His muffled voice carried across the room as he bit down on the crab meat he contained in his mouth, as though he didn't even hear what had just been asked. He probably didn't.
I shook my head and we all sighed in resignation. Where there is food, Grover will never be able to concentrate on anything else. Even if I told the story before or during the meal, Grover would never be able to digest anything I say.
"I guess Grover decided for us," Nico shrugged while giving Grover a hapless smile. Said person was still chewing happily on his food as he gave each of us questioning stares. We all shook our heads once again and dug in to the food, putting the matter behind us for the time being.
"I can never get enough of your cooking. Why aren't you a chef again?" Thalia sighed in contentment as she leaned back in her chair, a satisfied look plastered on her face.
"You should start up a restaurant that sells Eastern delicacies and food. You seem very proficient in that area," Nico commented as he picked up his cup to drink.
"Maybe after my schooling years. It's just a hobby, after all. I'm not sure if I want it to become a job for me," I laughed as I stood up.
"Just go and sit at the sofas. I'll go and wash the utensils first," I told them as I started picking up plates and bowls.
"I'll help," Annabeth immediately stood up and said before mirroring my actions.
"Alright then. Thanks for the meal," Grover said happily as he, Nico and Thalia walked towards the sofa, leaving Annabeth and me alone.
"Percy," She started talking as we went towards the kitchen. I gave her a questioning glance, willing her to go on.
She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again before looking away. Seeing that she seemed unsure, I just let her take her time, focusing on the task at hand first- washing the plates.
"Why do you do so much for me?" Her voice was as soft as the wind, but due to countless years of experience training all my senses when I was young, I managed to catch her question.
In all honesty, that had been a question in my heart for a long, long time.
I mean, sure I told her that before that it was because I was her friend and plenty of other excuses, but they were definitely invalid.
Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't that much of a saint. I wouldn't go around helping just anyone with all my strength and effort. At most, I would show them some kindness and help them in some minor way.
However, the moment I had met Annabeth, I had immediately been prepared to sacrifice anything for her happiness. Up to this day, I still wondered why all those years ago, I had decided to protect her no matter what the cost.
Not that I regretted that decision. In fact, that was probably the greatest decision I have ever made in my life.
"I…don't really know. But I don't regret it," I gave her an assuring smile.
It made me wonder whether I had fallen for her the very first time I had spoken to her. Perhaps I had, and it had only been because of the shadow of guilt and grief that had hung over me because of Rachel that had blinded me of my feelings towards her that I never realized it until recently.
"But isn't it too soon since Rachel?" Countless thoughts flowed through my brain.
While I may know quite a fair bit about everything else, my knowledge and understanding of love issues are still severely lacking.
"You really don't?" Annabeth asked, her voice a little louder this time, her eyes still containing a hint of doubt.
I looked at her and sighed affectionately. The recent events must have got to her. She had stopped being like this for a year already.
"Annabeth," I started, putting down the plates and wiping my hands dry with a cloth before turning to face her. I could feel the nervousness- and even a hint of fear- seeping out from her as she looked back at me.
The sight made me want to murder Luke even more for causing her to return back to this state.
I stretched out my arms and pulled her into an embrace. She was shocked still for a moment, but she didn't resist. After a few seconds, she relaxed a little and buried her face in my shoulder.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again and again and forever. I don't feel burdened. I don't see any of this as your fault. I don't regret any of this. I'll stay with you through all this, okay? And this is by my own choice, and mine alone. Not because of circumstances or whatever, but because I want to." I spoke in a quiet voice as I held her.
She didn't cry, but by the small tremble in her body, I could tell that she had been carrying this weight of guilt and condemnation in her heart for a long time. I sighed internally as I was once again reminded of a promise I made o myself- to always be there for Annabeth.
Fifteen minutes later, Annabeth and I were finally done with the dishes.
"Want any drinks before going?" I asked her, holding up a mug.
"Coke, please, " she replied with a relaxed smile. Seeing her so relaxed made me feel joyful- it had been a while since I saw her that relaxed.
I nodded my head and shot back a similar smile before proceeding to pour drinks for everyone.
In five minutes, we were all seated on the sofas around a coffee table, sipping on our cokes as we prepped ourselves for the serious talk ahead.
"I think it's time you get started about your story," Thalia broke the silence as she placed her mug onto the coffee table. I nodded and sighed.
"Well, here goes nothing." I thought as I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, making sure I was mentally prepared to speak out the things I have tried to lock away for the past ten to fifteen years.
"When I was four years old, my parents died in a fire that started at my house," I began. Sudden breath intakes could be heard from all around.
"It wasn't just some normal fire. Someone had purposely come down to my house and started the fire. It was arson," Annabeth gasped in shock while the others all stared, dumbfounded.
"The only keepsake I had from my Father was the sword I currently use- Riptide. I somehow managed to snatch it away before running from the fire."
"The world is a cruel place," I said, gritting my teeth and clenching my fists as I remembered the years of pain and torture.
"I had no idea what to do or where to go. I had no cash, no other possessions except Riptide and the clothes on my back, and I was travelling without an aim. I was lost."
"Then I stumbled across a place. Up to this day, there's no proper name for it, but a popular given name is Hell's checkpoint."
"What?!" Thalia's eyes widened as humanly possible as it could. I nodded.
"Yes, the central communication hub for all underground organizations in the World. it's also where Tartarus was located. By this time, it had already been a year. I had travelled across America. I survived on hunting-sometimes-, but most of the time, I relied on stealing. I learned how to fight on the streets whenever someone wanted to rob my sword and trained my swordplay in the wilderness."
"I guess you could say that by the time I reached Hell's checkpoint, I already suffered much. I was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. I almost let some of the people there kill me without a fight."
"But someone jumped in and killed every single one of those bullies. Someone who had amazing talent for swordplay."
"That someone was also the one who brought me into Tartarus, the one who became my blood brother, and the one who betrayed me in the end."
I looked up and saw all of them watching me intently, eyes filled with eagerness yet trepidation of knowing who it was.
"His name was Luke Castellan, the 'Killer of Thousands' and his benefactor and guardian is the current strongest and most powerful Criminal mastermind in the World- Kronos."
