We have a new chapter! We have a new chapter! We have a new chapterOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
And you can start dancing now!
Hello my dear and beautiful readers! I don't know about you, but March took forever for me. But we're finally at the first of the month and that means being able to enjoy a new chapter of this beautiful story! (modesty sold separately)
Now I'll leave you in peace so you can read to your heart's content:
I'll see you in the endnotes!
Chapter 4:
"A Normal Child."
Percy barely managed to retain a few memories of the few birthdays he had spent to date. But they were all pleasant enough that he began to get more hyper than usual as the date approached, especially because of the traditions he and Medusa had adopted to celebrate it. His favorite was baking the cake in the morning. Although it was Medusa who did it for practical purposes, he let his puppy act as assistant: passing him the utensils and ingredients, leaving him in charge of watching the mixer to turn it off when the cream rose enough, as well as letting him lick the blades afterwards, and of course quality control. Whether it was chocolate chips or strawberries, everything was duly tested by Percy so he could give them the thumbs up. And that was just in the morning.
-Happy birthday, Fishy! Happy birthday, Fishy!
Now with two new aunts his birthday promised to be much more entertaining.
Or at least that's what the little mongrel thought on the morning of his ninth birthday when he went down to the kitchen and found it full of balloons: either floating against the ceiling or covering every inch of the floor. The balloons popped with his every step as he ran to the table where CC and Euryale were waiting for him with smiles on their faces. For her part Medusa was leaning on the stove counter pouring Percy's juice. She adored her sister, and she had to admit that Circe was winning her affection. But don't let them believe for a second that she was going to pick up all the mess they made.
-What a handsome birthday boy- As usual Circe was trying to comb Percy's curly hair, not like it was really working at all. She just liked to pamper him, and Percy was happy to let them do his hair. For her part Euríale was always trying to iron his clothes with her hands, and she was constantly pinching his cheeks or wiping them. It had been barely a month since Percy had met him, and already the little infant was fond of him. Medusa sometimes thought that her puppy could become somewhat trusting.
-How old is Pescadito? If only she could convince them not to call him that.
-Eight!" the red-eyed boy spat at his Aunt Euryale from CC's lap as he stretched out seven fingers.
-And since you're such a big boy," said Circe, taking Percy's hand and making him extend the missing finger, "We'll take you to McDonalds for lunch! But tomorrow we'll go over the numbers.
-Yeiih Yeiih!" It was adorable when Percy made that fist-raising gesture when he said "Yeiih" twice. Medusa wasn't sure if he had learned it from some TV show or if it was just part of his usual spontaneity. Whatever it was it was cute enough to make her forget the conversation she'd had earlier with Circe:
-The Little Fish needs to get out!" the sorceress had spat as she refilled her coffee cup -You can't keep him locked up all day every day.
-I don't lock him up, I let him go out and play in the forest," the gorgon defended herself.
-And that's fine, we'll discuss later how safe it is to let an eight year old roam the woods alone," Euryale added from the table, "But CC is right, Percy is not like us. He needs to get out and see the world.
-Besides, we're not talking about sending him to boarding school in Switzerland," added Circe, "It's just a little visit to the McDonald's downtown. Percy will eat some hamburgers, play with some kids his age and we'll contribute to the monster economy in the country.
As much as it pained her to admit it, as much as it almost made her retch with bile, Medusa had finally accepted that Circe and her sister were right. Percy was human, a child. He didn't deserve to grow up cooped up in a house like a monster's lair. Though certainly the prospect of having to walk the streets crawling with mortals didn't thrill her at all:
-Mommy look! What's that? Look at a puppy! It looks just like Marshall! Waoh it's a helicopter!
Concentrating on Percy was enough to keep her mind off the deadly pest, though. The little guy kept pointing from point to point mentioning everything he'd seen on TV and asking about things like parking meters, cell phones and motorcycles. Plus he couldn't believe he had ended up giving in to Circe's suggestion and putting a harness on his torso attached to a leash that she held tightly. But she didn't plan to go through another scare like two blocks back where the three of them lost sight of him for two seconds and suddenly saw him climbing over a traffic light. Similarly, the visit to the local burger franchise turned out to be much more entertaining than they had imagined, although Medusa attracted a lot of attention with her veil and Euryale with her mini-market apron. Circe ordered the happy box for Percy, who chose as his toy the police dog from that children's show he liked so much, Medusa was encouraged to eat an order of nuggets and Euríale ordered an extra milkshake for her Pescadito and one of "those ice creams that have a lot of cookies in them".
Plus it was nice to see him playing in the children's park with all the other human pups:
-Oh by Erebo, that sounded horrible-Circe sighed after hearing Medusa say that -What do you have against the word "child"?
-Mommy! Mommy!" Although they were able to put the discussion aside when Percy started calling them to see him riding the space shuttle on the side of the slide. Then they saw him start running back and forth in the company of three other children. They seemed to be playing adventurers, and although there were two who looked bigger than the rest, it was obvious that Percy was the leader.
-He's big for his age," said Euryale, guessing her sister's thoughts.
-He is my little boy," said the youngest of the gorgons, "and he will remain so as long as he can.
-We'll discuss that later," Circe interjected, pulling out a cake from gods-know-where, "Attention children! Let's sing birthday!" Medusa may not have liked the plan at first, but seeing the huge smile on her puppy's face as he sang and ate cake with other children was argument enough for Medusa to begin to reconsider her hitherto inflexible stance. Although she did wish Circe would stop using Percy to get close to the single parents in the park.
-O-
The first change was a bit drastic, but although Percy wasn't very keen on the concept of getting up early, he did look very excited with his new Captain America backpack and his uniform for his first day of school. Euryale was adjusting his blue tie and the collar of his little white shirt while she was filling him with advice such as always listen to the teacher, not to fight with his classmates and above all not to mention the little snakes that his mother and aunt had for hair.
Although the little guy had been getting a good education at home at first, Medusa recognized that her puppy needed special attention to learn to deal with his dyslexia in addition to math. The little guy wasn't dumb, he just needed professional education. And it was his Aunt CC who had managed to get him a place in one of the best elementary schools in the country in the middle of the school year thanks to her charms, one way or another. After all after her feminine charms failed to have the desired effect, the old headmaster of the school had mysteriously disappeared leaving only his clothes and a glass of half-drunk fruit juice.
The new principal, who did agree to give Percy a chance, was thanked with a huge bouquet of roses and a new guinea pig for the little first graders.
-Have fun, pay attention and make lots of friends," said CC as she tossed his unruly hair back. After the school bus crossed the corner the sorceress turned to the two gorgons present as she took the keys out of her convertible -Well I have to go supervise the new branch, try not to clean too compulsively while waiting for noon- she added with mockery towards Medusa. Which by the way already had a broom in her hands. And throwing it at the sorceress's car didn't help her nerves, but it felt good to do it.
Although the first day was horrible with the anticipation of imagining her puppy being teased by the other children or by some abusive teacher, and if it weren't for her sister Euríale she would have kept imagining another batch of TV dramas. It was fortunate that his worries were triggered that evening, though not so easily. After all, they had sent a well-groomed little boy on the bus, with his impeccably pressed clothes, his belt and shoes well polished. And the Percy who returned was all sweaty, with his shirt dirty and his tie undone, his pants stained and his shoes full of dirt, not to mention his hair. But before Medusa decided to take a tour of the whole damn school without his veil he was already talking about how much fun he'd had at recess, evidently, and how nice his teachers were, especially the PE teacher who congratulated him for being able to get higher than his other classmates by climbing the rope.
Homework wasn't particularly fun, but Percy really enjoyed going to school. Before long he was chattering about all the friends he had made and everything that went on day after day; he went on field trips, was invited to birthdays and sometimes, with the intervention of his aunts, got permission to go to a friend's house for a sleepover. But of course, trouble didn't wait too long: a stranger in a hat who seemed to follow his group when they went on a trip to the post office, the drinking fountain that exploded near Percy when someone scared him, that group of old ladies who hung around the bus sometimes pointing at the dark-haired boy. The typical problems that used to plague young demigods and the reason why they tended to get expelled from their schools so often.
But, as Medusa used to say, that was what Circe was for. A snap of her fingers and everything went from a horrible misunderstanding to a simple, harmless inconvenience. However, manipulating the mist was hardly a nuisance to her, the real problem was that after graduating from her first year at school and about to move on to the last year of elementary school, her aunts thought it best to explain to the puppy why some people were always staring at her in the street, sometimes with only one eye:
-I said no!" angrily spat Medusa the morning after Percy had left on the auto bus. Circe and Euryale had tried to broach the subject again, but she just kept refusing-"You know perfectly well that as soon as he finds out his blood will smell ten times as much!"-although her argument was quite sound.
-However, I never expected to hear an answer from that voice. The three women turned toward the entrance of the tent, where Esteno was standing-just like in the old days.
-It was no surprise that Euryale went straight to hug her sister, even if she was not very effusive with her gestures:
-Yes yes, let's not make a drama out of this- -She sighed as she let herself be done by her older sister. Instead she fixed her eyes on Medusa's veil-I don't like the idea, but if you want to raise a half-breed, I'd better... I'll help you. You're a very foolish woman!
-Effusiveness runs in the family," Circe commented humorously as she relaxed a little.
-I don't care what they say, none of them," Medusa repeated, crossing her arms, "Percy has the right to be a child a little longer.
-But if you think the rest of the monsters are going to treat him like you do, you're stupider than you look.
-Esteno," Euryale tried to stifle him.
-Don't give me "Esteno"! You know it's true, but you've always been very soft on her," she said to her older sister, "I always seem like the bad guy because I say things straight out: the child is a half-breed, and if you don't tell her, you'd better go prepare a pyre. Besides, have any of you ever thought what would happen if he stopped at the half-breed camp? Too brusque. But her words were very accurate. Although she didn't really want to be so rude, so she folded her arms and sighed heavily as she rubbed the bridge of her nose-Look, Medusa, we were both priestesses. We know better than anyone that at any moment the child could be reclaimed by his father, maybe yes and maybe no-I added resignedly-But if it happens. Well, I have no idea what could happen.
-But at least he won't become just another pawn of the gods," Circe added, giving way to an idea that had been going around in her head almost since she had met the little red-eyed boy, "Percy could be, different. A change.
Of course, Percy asked questions.
It was a wise decision that Medusa had raised him under the knowledge that he was adopted. Keeping most of the details to himself, of course. But when they began to explain to him the matter of his half-breed lineage, without revealing his direct ancestry was when he began to ask questions. Was the god his daddy or his mommy? What kind of god was he? Why wasn't he going to visit him? Were these strange people following him because he was a half-breed?
Were they following him, to hurt him?
-Yes my little boy. Half-breeds are always hunted by monsters.
It was worth adding that they had agreed beforehand not to mention that usually half-breeds were simply victims of the hatred and spite that some monsters had for the gods. And not being able to retaliate directly they found it just as satisfying to do so against their children.
-Some have been angry for a long time, so they can't think of anything else," Circe explained, sitting Percy on her lap after he asked why the monsters hated their kind, "Others just hunt because it's in their nature, like lions or hounds.
-But most will just want to kill you for fun," Esteno said from his place at the other end of the room. Euryale sighed heavily as she gave her sister a reproachful look, "What?" But she knew she would have to listen to a whole lecture about tact and corny sentimentality.
-We'll never let anything happen to you," said the eldest gorgon, running her hand through her little fish's hair.
-But you have to promise us that you'll be very careful," said Circe, pressing her finger to his nose.
-I promise!
-O-
The next week Percy came home with a cyclops.
-I have to give credit to the booger," said Esteno with mockery in her voice.
It turned out that the little fellow Percy always talked about playing ball with and always left half of his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for, was one of the many infant Cyclops that roamed the streets of the city and his name was Tyson. At first Medusa had imagined the worst, that they were planning to lure her cub into a trap or some such lake. But in fact it had been Percy who had invited Tyson to her house:
-Ty' doesn't understand divisions very well-Had said Percy-That's why I invited him over to study.
-Little fish, you're not very good at math either," Circe said with her hands on her hips.
-No, but my favorite aunt knows how to explain very well," replied the dark-haired boy with a huge smile on his face. CC just snorted in exasperation as she turned around on her way to the kitchen, sometimes she couldn't believe how easily a little boy could manipulate her. At least that way she could keep a close eye on the cyclops.
Though all her defenses eventually fell down by snack time. When Euryale returned and saw that her Pescadito had brought a friend home, she opened one of the packets of glazed donuts that Esteno used to bribe Percy to leave her alone with, and let him eat them with a glass of milk. Tyson was big, easily ten centimeters taller than Percy and several kilos heavier, but inside he was a full-fledged kid.
He was quite shy, and although at first he was very fearful of the gorgons and would take refuge behind Percy or "the pretty lady" as he called Circe, gradually between his visits he became more confident. With Euryale it was easy, she was always letting him eat all the peanut butter he wanted, but Steno was still too rough when she was around and tended to close her eyes whenever she was near Medusa, although Percy told her that with her veil there was nothing to be afraid of. Sure, there were a few accidents. Like when he inadvertently broke the fence trying to catch a soccer ball that Percy threw too hard or when he dropped several of the statues in the store domino style. On both occasions he had burst into tears in terror.
None of the adults present scolded him too much, it was just a little reprimand to help him calm down. It was hard not to feel tenderness for that big brown eye glistening with tears.
But it wasn't until one particular week, when Tyson hadn't shown up at school that something of real noteworthy merit occurred:
-This way! This way! -Percy was so worried about his friend that he had managed to convince his aunts Euryale and Steno to go into town to look for him in the alley where Tyson said he lived. Actually, he had only asked Euríale, but she had forced her other sister to go as well. They were halfway down the alley near a dumpster when a small whine made them notice the refrigerator box next to it:
-Percy!" both gorgons sputtered as the little boy let go and knelt down to peek out from one end.
-To the terror of the older girls, the box seemed to shake a little, but luckily they didn't hear any screams. But luckily they didn't hear any screams or cries of pain because they decided to bend down and check for themselves, "Is that you?
-P-Percy?" In the background, half hidden in the shadows, they could see the crouching figure of the little Cyclops, who hugged himself trembling and frightened. He tried to grab him by the shoulder to ask him what was going on, but Tyson's shriek made him recoil in fear.
It turned out that the reason Tyson had missed so much school was because he had been attacked by a sphinx a couple of blocks away from his alley after returning from spending the afternoon at Percy's house; he had large and long scars that went from the base of his back to almost his shoulders, and although they were almost healed the little cyclops didn't want to move because of the pain.
-It's very common, Cyclops are abandoned from a young age to learn how to survive," Esteno had told him that night at dinner after Percy asked where Ty's parents were.
That only strengthened Percy's determination to visit his friend in his alley every day after school. He would bring him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, help him with all his overdue homework and give him some painkillers for the pain. He wasn't sure where such dedication to a monster came from after the talk with his mother. He was just sure that something deep inside him was telling him that this was the right thing to do, even if he didn't know why. He just felt that way. That was why on Friday afternoon, when Tyson's wounds were healed and his homework finished they both arrived at Percy's house barely in time for dinner. The dark-haired man carrying his backpack and Tyson his cooler box.
-Ha! Pay me," Circe snapped at Esteno, who only snorted in annoyance as she handed him a couple of dramas. None of those who had been raising the half-breed for the longest time were surprised that she came in saying she wanted Tyson to live with them. Even Medusa just tapped the floor a couple of times with the toe of her shoe as she scolded them for being late for dinner. That night Esteno had to stop by Percy's room to tell both boys to shut up and go to sleep after going to throw the refrigerator box in the trash.
-Good night, Ty'- Percy said from his bed as he turned to stand near the edge and, with a little help from the little light filtering in from the street, watch his new companion return a shy smile.
-Good night, Percy-Only he didn't expect to see how, from down on the mat where he would have to sleep until they got him a bed appropriate for his size, Tyson would briefly raise his hand and then lower it again in sorrow. Percy smiled as he stretched out his arm and intertwined his hand with the same one Tyson had tried to reach out to him earlier. Thus, holding hands, they both drifted off to sleep with an identical feeling of joy caused by different reasons: one happy to have found a new home and the other happy to have inadvertently helped a brother.
At first it was a little complicated. Medusa said she didn't plan to go through another remodel of the house, but it was Percy who said he didn't mind sharing his room. So in the end there ended up being two single beds on either side of the bedroom next to two closets; Tyson was beaming at all the clothes the pretty lady had bought him. That he had even, without measuring his strength properly, ended up lifting her off the floor by hugging her. Food was no problem, Tyson ate twice as much as Percy and Euryale was delighted to see him devour whatever was put in front of him. Besides, having a playmate her age ensured that Medusa could get some rest, she never thought she'd get to the point of having back pain. Plus, with another little one hanging around nearby it was becoming more and more apparent how she was starting to soften up a bit.
It was almost hard to believe that it had already been two years like this. Percy was already ten years old, and though for a cyclops Tyson was half that, according to Esteno he and Percy could pass for brothers with a year or two difference. But already, threatening to almost step into puberty and vibrating at the prospect of another summer his "guardians" and his mother made a decision that would begin to change the way Percy understood the world.
-Puppy, you're ten years old. The monsters are going to start harassing you more-Had Medusa said in the morning at breakfast while Percy waited for his little brother to finish his maple syrup-So we think it's time you start getting strong.
-What does that mean, you're going to send me to military school," asked a terrified green-eyed Percy remembering all the threats from his Aunt Esteno.
-No, little fish, something much better: you will come with me to my island to spend the summer," Circe was the only one who looked more excited than the little ones.
To be continued...
Uhhh! With that ending, even I got anxious...
UHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Alright my loves, unfortunately that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. Anyway you have no idea of everything that is coming our way in this story so I recommend you to get ready, maybe a seatbelt or a helmet. Ok ok, also an axe or a shotgun because, I'll be honest, you're going to hate me.
On the other hand, I can't wait to read what you thought of this chapter, don't forget that reviews are a vital part of a good feed.
See you in May with a new chapter!