Mom was home this morning.
Despite her three jobs, she did sometimes still have time for me. We made blue cookies and lemonade, and watched TV on the couch while Gabe was out of the house.
Mom didn't know that I snuck out everyday, nor that Gabe was just letting me leave.
I'm afraid of what she'll do if she finds out. Will she be angry at me for talking to strange gods? Or will she be upset that I'm wandering alone like Triton and Ms Athena do?
I really don't want her to worry about me.
I pawned one of the necklaces that I found at the bottom of the bay.
I got over 400 dollars from it! I bought myself a new jacket for winter and kept a whole 30 dollars for books, but I snuck the rest into Mom's wallet. She deserves it, I'm just pulling my weight like Gabe says.
I've decided that I shouldn't go out of the Hudson again; it's too dangerous with all those nets and boats out. I'll go back to the river, but it'll be to help clean up the pollution and I won't there- I have to go to Central Park to hunt.
There might be hidden treasures in Central Park and the Hudson too, the fish love the shiny things that fall to the bottom of the water, even though they hold keys and diamonds in the same category because they're both shiny.
I haven't seen Triton since he left me on the apartment steps two days ago, but I know better than to expect him to show up again. God come and go as they please, and they are very busy. I feel very lucky that Ms Athena is nice enough to meet me twice a week for tutoring.
Speaking of tutoring, I should finish the last of my worksheets for today's session.
oOo
"Ms Athena! Ms Athena!" I whisper-shout, running towards her. "I've got a present for you!"
She raised an eyebrow, surprised. "You do?"
"Well, more like two." I pulled them out of my backpack.
A tupperware full of blue cookies and a beaded bracelet appeared on the table.
"Mom and I made cookies this morning, and if I left them at home, Gabe would eat them all with his poker friends. So I took them and we can have the rest together! And if we don't finish them, you can take them home!" I beamed at her, "And I made you a bracelet! Look, the beads spell out your name! And I found an owl charm too- just like your earrings! Do you like it?"
Ms Athena was smiling fondly down at me. She put on the bracelet and swooped down to give my cheek a kiss. "I do. Good job little one."
I hugged her, smushing my face into her maroon sweater.
"Though, may I ask, why are the cookies blue?"
I giggled at that. "Gabe said there's no such thing as blue food, so Mom proved him wrong with samples- just like you taught me to- and now everything we eat is blue!"
She looked very amused with that answer. "Well, if that's the case, then eating them would surely help prove such a fool wrong."
She grabbed a cookie and bit into it.
"And," she started with a smile. "These are delicious."
I gave her my brightest gap-toothed grin and bit into a cookie too.
oOo
"So, what is the Mitochondria?" Ms Athena asked, pointing to the cell diagram.
"The powerhouse of the cell! It makes energy so we can go!" I responded after a few seconds of deliberation. "It made our cookies into energy!"
"Correct. And where is it found?" She continued.
"Umm, in animals?"
"In plants and animals," she corrected. "Remember, every living thing needs energy."
I was about to reply, but I was interrupted by a strange man's voice.
"Athena, there you are! I've been looking for you for a whole minute!"
Ms Athena stood and whirled around, startled, and I quickly scrambled to see who had snuck up on us.
A short man, blonde with gray on his temples, stood before us. His blue eyes twinkled with mischief, and his nose was upturned- a troublemaker and trickster if I've ever seen one. He was wearing gray jogging clothes, a casual air about him. In his hand, a cellphone with a pair of snakes curled around it.
Hermes, god of thieves, messengers, travellers, and trickster.
"Hermes," she greeted cooly. "Haven't you realised that if you couldn't find me, it means that I don't want to be bothered?"
"I'm just doing my job- Father has an express package for you." Hermes replied, shrugging. "Who's the kid?"
Athena is tense, and it suddenly hit me that she might not actually be allowed to be here seeing me.
Oh no, what do I do?
"Hi, I'm Percy!" I gave him my sweetest, most innocent smile. "The library has a tutoring system, Ms Athena is helping me today."
All completely true, so the god of lies won't notice anything, but the implications are completely different to reality.
"Yes, I am." Ms Athena agrees stiffly. Lying must not be her strong point. "I come to this library when I need quiet, and not to be bothered."
Hermes is smiling despite her glare.
"Right, well, sign off on the package and I'll get back to leaving you alone."
She accepted the small package, placing it on the table, and turning back to sign that she received it.
Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention, and the cellphone with snakes that Hermes placed on the table when he handed Athena the package started talking.
"Hey, little godling, do you have ratsss for usss?" Came from the snake that had slithered partly on my hand.
I yelped, falling backwards onto the floor in surprise.
"Good job, George, you ssscared the darling."
"The snakes are talking!" I squeaked.
Athena and Hermes turned back to be in an instant. Athena helping me up off the ground and brushing off any dust on me, Hermes picking up his cellphone snakes.
"A demigod? Athena, are you breaking the Ancient Laws?" He said in disbelief.
"No, I am not. He's not mine." She was trying to murder him with her eyes, stepping in front of me practically daring him to say anything else.
"George and Martha called him a godling." He deadpanned.
"He's. Not. Mine. I'm not breaking any laws."
He scanned me from my position behind Athena, up and down, and his eyes widened, mouth forming an 'o' when he realised something.
"I see." He told her, his eyes still firmly fixed on me. "No broken laws here."
"Will you tell?" Ms Athena actually looked a little spooked for once, she always seems so strong- it scared me.
Hermes shook his head, "No. You haven't broken any laws, and this would just get you in trouble. You're doing the right thing."
Why did he put so much emphasis on 'you'? Is my presence here breaking some other law? Or did someone else break a law? And what's an Ancient Law?
Athena relaxed, her grip on my shoulder no longer so tight. "Thank you."
He nodded tightly.
He made eye-contact with me and knelt down to my height.
"Be careful kiddo, listen to what Athena tells you." He handed me a lollipop.
I gave him a shaky smile and nodded my head violently.
He smiled and stood back up.
"Make sure he knows what to do when it comes down to it." He said to Athena, and turned to leave.
I don't know what possessed me to speak up, but I did. "Wait, Mr Hermes, do you want a cookie?"
He looked surprised at the question, but accepted one, ruffling my hair. "You're a good kid, Percy."
He's gone in a blink.
Athena breathed out, and swooped down to embrace me in a hug.
I could hear her mutter, "That was close." But it could've been my imagination.
"Ms Athena, what just happened?" I asked, confused.
"Don't worry little one, I'll take care of it. You'll understand when you're older." She sighed, and stood up. "Let's finish this session."
I wanted to protest, but didn't.
I trust her to take care of this, I just hope I don't get dragged into something like the heroes in the stories did whenever the gods got an 'idea.'
A/N
And the final god (before canon era starts) arrives! I love Hermes and he is one of the 4 characters tagged, so take that as you will!
Also, if you were smart enough to connect the dots, Hermes instantly realised that Percy was Poseidon's while Athena still doesn't realise that he is Poseidon's son. Why? Well, Hermes wasn't born when Pallas was alive and Athena was Pallas' best friend, so when Athena looks at Percy, all she sees is the simularities between them.