AN: this chapter is a lot longer than my other ones, and its not even the full. i split it into two, but i think i'll wait for a bit to upload the next one. just an fyi, im...not american...so if there are inconsistencies or inaccuracies, im rlly rlly sorry, i tried ;-;
Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights go to Rick Riordan
Once they had finally eaten their weight in food, they were ready to leave. The majority of the other patrons had already left by then and the sun had long since dipped below the horizon as the full moon took its place in the night sky. They walked back to one of the hotels they had passed earlier, heading into the lobby.
There was no one currently at the reception desk, and seeing his opportunity, Percy jumped up, peering over the top. Target in sight, he reached for the bell, and continued hopping up and down, relentlessly smacking the little button on the top. After a solid minute of bell ringing, a staff member looking somewhat disgruntled came over, glaring down at Percy.
"Yes? Can I help you children?" They asked, smoothing their expression from 'annoyed' to 'I'm still annoyed, but I can't show it'. Clearing his throat, Luke stepped forward.
"My cousins and I want to have a room please," he said, gesturing towards Thalia and Percy. The receptionist looked at them dubiously, eyes narrowing slightly as Percy lost interest and wandered off, exploring the lobby and taking in all the details.
"I'm afraid I can't give you a room without an adult accompanying you," he turned his nose up at them, snobby conceitedness radiating off of him. Rolling her eyes at Luke's incompetence, Thalia shouldered him to the side, slapping her hand onto the desk.
"Look, we just want to stay the night. Give us a room, we have the money," she snapped at him, removing her hand, leaving a credit card. He met her bright blue eyes, filled with promises of pain and misery and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Taking the credit card, he wordlessly started clicking at his computer.
It was somewhat comical, a four foot nine girl who could barely see over the desk glowering at the receptionist as her two companions watched in amusement. After typing away at the keyboard, he looked up nervously, no hint of his previous haughty demeanor.
"Umm, excuse me miss, but would you like just one room, or two?" His gaze flickered between the taller blonde boy and the terrifying girl as they quietly discussed. Finally turning her attention back to him, she told him two would be fine. Nodding, he finalised the transaction after entering the credit card details, handing it back with two key cards.
"Would you like me to take you up to your rooms?" At their nods, he stepped out from behind the desk and led the way to the elevator. Reaching level six, they walked out into the hallway until he stopped them in front of a room.
"These are your rooms, miss," he gestured at the two doors across from each other.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" He asked, wringing his hands together anxiously. Not even looking at him, she dismissed him with a wave of her hand, and he hurried back towards the elevator, casting nervous glances over his shoulder.
Luke and Percy watched him go, and only when the doors had closed and they could no longer see him did they burst out laughing. Thalia just smirked smugly at them, before gesturing at one of the doors.
"So who gets which room?" Luke pulled himself together, a smile still on his face.
"How about Perce and I take one, and you can take the other? You can have some privacy and stuff," he added, looking away as his cheeks heated up. Rooming arrangements made, Percy grabbed one of the key cards and attempted to open the door on the left, but it was denied. Huffing, he tried the door on the right and "ha ha!"-ed when it swung open, running straight to one of the beds and flinging his small body onto it.
Rolling their eyes affectionately at his antics, Thalia and Luke bid each other goodnight, and Thalia disappeared into her room. Luke gazed at her door a second longer before closing his own. Surveying their room, he took in the simplistic layout. Two single beds, each with their own bedside table, a chest of drawers opposite with a TV on top. To the side was a small cabinet and mini fridge set. Turning around, there was a second doorway adjacent to the main door leading to the bathroom.
A thump drew his attention back to the beds, and more specifically, the missing, bouncing child. He breathed a sigh of relief when a mop of black hair popped up in the space between the beds as Percy picked himself up. Giving him a once over, Luke walked into the bathroom after making sure there were no noticeable injuries on the child, the lack of crying and whining consolidating his theory.
"Come on, Perce. It's probably been weeks since you properly brushed your teeth or had a proper shower," he called, sifting through the aesthetically arranged complimentary items on the bathroom countertop. He grabbed everything and walked back into the main room, stashing it all under the pillows of one of the beds. Heading for the service phone resting on the cabinet, he squinted at the little information pad and dialed the number for the front desk. Lifting the handset to his ear, he waited for someone to pick up.
Percy watched him curiously during this process, not saying anything, content to sit back and watch.
"Hello?" A tinny voice crackled through. Luke smirked; it was the same guy from earlier. This was going to be easier than he thought.
"Hi, I just looked in my bathroom, and none of the normal complimentary items are there. What kind of service is this?" Winking at Percy, Luke asked in the most peeved voice he could, channeling his inner Karen.
"I'm so sorry sir, we will bring some right away. Which room is this?" The receptionist continued, completely oblivious.
"Room 604. Please be quick, I want to sleep," Luke covered the microphone, sniggering at the audible gulp over the phone.
"I'll see you soon," he added, just for good measure, before lowering the handset back down and ending the call. Percy had watched the one-sided interaction silently and tilted his head to the side, still somewhat confused.
"I'm getting us more stuff, just in case, so we don't run out. We're both pretty gross, y'know," he explained. Just as Percy was about to protest that, excuse him, he was not gross. Maybe in need of a shower, but not gross, thank you very much, when knocks sounded on their door.
Striding over, Luke opened the door and was greeted with the sight of the receptionist with a cart completely full of items. Percy came over as well, standing slightly behind Luke watching the man start taking the usual items off the cart. He handed them over to Luke, who disappeared into the bathroom, presumably to put them down, leaving just Percy and the man.
The man stood there uncertainly, wondering if he was free to go or not. He didn't want to risk leaving, only to be called back later. The less he interacted with these kids, the better. He shifted uncomfortably as the kid stared up at him; those eyes were unnerving. Looking up at the sound of footsteps, he heaved a sigh of relief as the older boy came back.
"Will that be all then, sir?" Say yes. Say yes, he chanted inside his head, hands itching to push the cart back to the elevator. It seemed like whatever deity was out there deemed to pity him as the boy nodded, dismissing him.
-Line Break-
The next morning, Percy was awoken by knocks on their door. Rolling out of his bed, he rubbed at his eyes, hair mussed and sticking out in all different directions. Opening the door, he grinned at the sight of Thalia and stepped aside, closing the door as she walked further in. Casting a curious look at the bags she was carrying, he jumped onto Luke's bed, jostling the teen as he groaned and swatted at the annoyance.
"Wake up," he said in a sing-song voice, perching right next to Luke's head, grinning as the boy turned the other way, covering his head with a pillow. Thalia solved the issue by quite literally kicking him out of bed, snickering as he landed with a thud on the floor. He glared at her, muttering obscenities about rude girls and gremlin children under his breath as he struggled to untangle himself from the sheets.
"I went shopping!" Unable to wait any longer, she dropped the bags she was carrying onto the bed. Curious, Percy reached in, eyes widening at the brand new clothes. The last time he had gotten new clothes was maybe a few weeks ago, when they were still following that dumb goat. Luke also looked over inquisitively, eyes lighting up at the new outfits.
The only clothes they had were the ones they had been wearing from the cave, and despite having showered and washed the clothes multiple times the night before, it just didn't feel clean. They had left Percy's burned and tattered clothing up at the cave, pulling out the emergency clothes in Thalia's bag, hence the slightly oversized attire.
-Line Break-
They took turns to get ready in the bathroom, ordering room service and switching on the TV as they waited. There wasn't anything that interesting, but it was better than nothing. Percy was currently in the bathroom, taking another shower to prove that he "wasn't gross", and it was just Luke and Thalia as they stared at the screen in a comfortable silence. Luke looked over when she gasped slightly, brow furrowing.
"What's up?" He asked. There hadn't been anything that was particularly shock inducing, unless she was expecting it to be ninety five degrees out. *
"Today. It's December 22nd," she breathed.
"Yeah? Is there something special today?" Luke frowned, he wasn't sure what she was getting at. Racking his brain, he tried to think of all the possible reasons it'd be special. Christmas maybe? But that was in three days. So maybe not.
She was oblivious to his internal dilemma, stuck in her own little world.
"It's my birthday. I'm twelve now," he barely heard her whisper and looked at her, stunned. It was her birthday. Her birthday. They had to do something.
Standing up, he cast another glance at her; she still looked shell-shocked. Knocking on the bathroom door, he waited for a response.
"Percy, hurry up. We have a lot to do today, come on!" He didn't want to rush the kid, but they had to do something for Thalia's birthday. He was about to knock again when the door swung open, revealing Percy in his new, albeit a little baggy, clothes.
"Perce, it's Thalia's birthday today, we gotta do something," he said in a hushed tone. Percy's eyes widened before his expression morphed to one of joy, and he skipped out, hurling himself at the figure on the bed. Thalia barely had any time to react before he bowled into her, sending them both tumbling off. Luke smiled; this was going to be a good day.
-Line Break-
A couple months later, they found themselves in Miami, Florida, as they followed Zeus' sacred goat once again. They were currently in the midst of making another safe house, similar in design to the one Thalia had taken Percy to originally. Every time they entered a new state, their top priority was to ensure they had a some kind of hideout stocked up with supplies in case of emergencies.
Percy scowled as he wove together leafy branches, working the slightly bendy branches up and down and through the loops, whilst Thalia and Luke had gone to actually get the supplies. Normally, he wouldn't mind being on his own, nor would he mind pitching in to help out, but the salty scent of the sea was calling him.
The two teens had promised he could go to the beach once he had finished at least half of the little hut, and he was still doing the door. They had left around ten that morning, and it was now around noon, and he just wanted a break. His ADHD mind couldn't take much more of the repetitive chore, it was already mind numbingly boring enough when he had people to talk to. On his own? Forget it.
Decision made, he set the almost completed door down and stood up, groaning as he strecthed his stiff muscles. He checked that he had his sword and knife with him before he started walking towards the sound of the waves, humming as he walked.
They had decided to settle in the national park, close enough to the beach, but also close enough to still be within walking distance to general civilisation. Finally, after trekking for twenty minutes, he could see the beach through the trees. Letting out a whoop, he began running, leaping over roots jutting out and dodging under low hanging branches.
He burst out of the treeline, hollering in delight as he kicked up sand, uncaring if anyone saw him. Continuing his mad dash down the beach, he sunk into the waves with a sigh. He didn't try to keep his head above water, he just sank down to the sandy floor, letting the current carry him further out until he could stand and still have plenty of water above him.
Turning over onto his back, he put his arms up behind his head, lacing his hands together, and just gazed at the blue sky beyond the surface. The sun shone through the waves, refracting and bending, giving the illusion of the lights dancing. It was bewitching, and he honestly could've just stayed there and watch the lights shimmer through the water.
Alas, the sound of someone shouting drew his attention and he pushed off the sandy bottom. Surfacing, he looked around, wondering what had been causing all that ruckus. As he squinted at the strip of yellow in the distance, he realised just how far out he had travelled. Commanding the waters to take him back, he made a few freestyle strokes to at least appear like he was swimming. Technically, he was, but with help… from the sea. Same difference.
As he neared the shore, he could make out a group of figures, some standing whilst others appeared to be laying in the sand. When he was about sixty five feet from the shore, he could finally see them clearly. A group of young women, ranging from early twenties to mid thirties were milling around, two of them crouching next to a third who seemed to lying down on the beach next to a young man. The closer he got to the beach, the more rapidly the sea floor rose, until he was able to stand, walking out of the water.
They all turned to him as one, even the three on the ground, although the guy made no move. He looked down, half expecting that maybe he had forgotten to stay wet after being used to immediately drying himself for so long. The water was still dripping off of his waterlogged clothes, soaking into the sand and turning it from a bright gold to a darker shade of amber, so that couldn't be it.
"Uhh, hi?" He lifted a hand in greeting, shifting uncomfortably as they continued staring at him. He glanced around; there was no one else on the beach.
His eyes drifted to the man on the ground, he still hadn't moved, hadn't made a single sound. Narrowing them as he scrutinised the motionless figure, they widened as he realised. He was dead. The blood drained from his face as he stared at the lifeless corpse, the facts becoming clearer as he saw how pale the body was. As if it had been drained of blood.
He instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword, backing towards the water as his instincts screamed danger. The women started walking towards him slowly, collectively limping, sinking into the sand.
"Stay right there, honey," one of them spoke, and Percy felt himself relaxing, muscles untensing and he stopped retreating towards the lapping waves. A voice in his head screamed at him to move, to run, to get away, but it was soon silenced. He just wanted to stay right where he was, and wait for them to catch up to him as they ambled along.
"Percy!" A shrill yell broke out into the air, and he momentarily snapped out of his daze, the fog lifting from his mind. He looked around with wild eyes; the ladies had almost reached him, and he stumbled back just as one of them reached for him. Her fingers caught the edge of his shirt, and he heard a ripping sound as it tore.
"Percy, run! Don't listen to them! They're empousai!" This time, he saw who had been shouting at him. Thalia and Luke were sprinting towards him, waving their arms and making as much noise as possible, drawing the women's attention as some turned towards the new threats.
"No! We kill the son of Poseidon first! The other two can wait!" The one who had tore his shirt snarled. Percy watched in horror as her skin paled until it was a chalky white, her lucious brown hair setting ablaze and her fingernails grew into claws that she dug into his shoulder.
He turned and ran, wrenching his arm out her grasp, not registering the agonising pain as she shredded his skin. Reaching the retreating waves, he dove in, breathing a sigh of relief as the water immediately started healing his arm. Reenergised, he turned and walked back out, the power of the ocean at his back.
Thalia and Luke were engaged in battle with the monsters, working together as a team to take them down. Every time one them started speaking, telling Luke to stop fighting, Thalia just whirled her spear around, swinging her spear shaft at their faces with full force. Then Luke would step in and finish them off with his sword.
Percy focused on the three empousai still standing in front of the waves, calmly waiting for him to come out. He couldn't hold back the smirk as he realised why they had been limping before. One of their legs looked like the legs of a donkey he had seen at a petting zoo his mom had taken him to a couple years ago, whilst the other leg was a metal leg, seemingly made of Celestial bronze, if the tint was anything to go by.
"Lower your weapons, and come towards us, little demigod," the middle one spoke, beckoning for him to come forwards. He could feel the power rolling over him, compelling him to do as they said, but he was still in contact with the sea. They were on the beach, challenging him. This was his home turf, and he'd be damned if he let them win.
Taking his sword out, he held it to his side, calmly walking towards them. His gaze flicked to the side, watching as Luke defeated the current monster he was fighting before whirling and stabbing his sword clean through the gut of an empousai attempting to sneak up on Thalia.
When the three empousai realised he wasn't obeying their commands, they growled, before the one on the left broke the line and charged towards him. She moved surprisingly fast on her mismatched legs, leaping at him with her claws out. She didn't even get close to him before a wave slammed into her and dragged her screaming underwater.
The other two stared at him in shock. This was a six year old child. There was no way he already had this much mastery over his powers. Snarling, the other one on the right stalked towards him. She moved deliberately, not charging headfirst as her sister had done. He lifted his sword, ready. With an angry yell, she dropped low, kicking his feet out from under him before pouncing, wrestling the sword out of his grip. She raised her hand, claws out, but before she could swipe donw, he punched her in the chest.
His mother had told him to never hit a woman, or a girl for that matter, but he thought this could be an exception. She tumbled off of him, coughing as she rubbed the spot where he had punched her. He stood up, dusting the sand off, and before she could get up, he swung his sword at her neck. Looking away, the wet schwick was all the confirmation he needed before he looked back at the remaining empousai, who still hadn't moved during the whole confrontation. He locked eyes with her, daring her to comment. She had something akin to respect in her eyes, before she moved impossibly quick, grabbing at Thalia sneaking up behind her, and held her in a choke hold, a dagger to her throat.
"Sword down, little hero, or she dies," she hissed. Percy's expression morphed into one of panic as he looked between the monster and Thalia.
"If the Hermes' spawn takes one more step towards me, I slit her throat," she continued, pressing the sharp point into the soft flesh. Thalia gulped, causing the blade to pierce the skin, a small trickle of blood oozing out.
That's when Percy lost it. This situation was all too familiar. Fueled by rage, he reached out with his feeling for the thick liquid, ignoring the two familiar bodies. The empousai's blood felt weird; it wasn't thick like human blood, but it definitely wasn't as thin as water. It was an abnormal, in-between consistency. He lifted his own hands, sword forgotten on the sand, and seized it.
The empousai let out a strangled gasp, her whole body tensing up, and she watched, aghast, as the arm holding the knife slowly moved away. Her hand opened up, the knife dropping into the sand, and Thalia took that as her cue to knock her head backwards, pushing at the arm around and struggled out. Still the empousai did not move.
Nobody spoke, the two teens realising that Percy had something to do with this, if his hands were any indication. Suddenly, an agonising scream was torn from the empousai's throat, as her fingers began breaking, one after the other, the bones cracking audibly. She begged and pleaded for mercy, shrieking in pain as her fingers were all bent in the wrong direction, lumps all over from bones poking against the skin from the inside.
She had long passed out, her eyes rolling up into her head after her hand was mangled irrepairably. The only reason she was still standing was because of Percy's hold over her body. With a thump, her body slumped into the floor as Percy released control, stumbling slightly. He hadn't exerted that much power and strength since… his mom died.
Thalia didn't saying anything as she came over, supporting his weight with her own as she led back to the crashing waves. Wading in, she braced him against herself as she let him soak, regaining his strength until he could bear his own weight. Percy mumbled a thanks; he knew she didn't like the sea. Probably something to do with her father.
Luke was waiting for them, a small pile of monster dust at his feet, the empousai nowhere to be seen. Together, the three of travelled back up the beach, walking at their own pace through the nature until they reached the small clearing with the yet-to-be-made- safe house. Percy couldn't help the blush rising to his cheeks as he noticed the uncompleted door on the ground, but as he glanced at Thalia and Luke, neither seemed to particularly care.
They had remained silent on the way back, and he knew. It was bound to come up, and he had avoided it long enough. They were his family. They'd understand.
No one had said anything, even after five minutes of just milling around; Thalia organsing the supplies she and Luke had brought back, Percy picking up the door and weaving once more, and Luke sifting through the photos they had taken over the months. He smiled fondly, recalling when he and Percy had returned from a supply run and whipped out one of those cameras that could print out photos as they took them, presenting it to Thalia as a late birthday gift. Sighing, Luke sat up, looking at the other two.
"Hey Perce?"
"Hmm?"
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" Luke cocked an eyebrow, unimpressed. Percy knew exactly what he was asking. He might be six, but he wasn't stupid.
"Fine. I can kinda control blood?"
* the 95 degrees is in farrenheit. i had to look up the celsius version and then convert it