Percy let out a jaw-breaking yawn as he stumbled out of his room. They had been up most of the night, as the kids filled him in on everything they knew about Meg. When they were done, Percy used some of his mist-magic and knocked the kids unconscious. They'd wake up thinking they'd simply fallen asleep. He'd also zip-tied them for good measure. He couldn't be too careful after all. Un-cuffing the kids, Percy disposed of the restraints, and snapped his fingers. The kids jolted awake in an instant. Even the previously injured David.
"I don't even remember falling asleep," James said, rubbing tiredly at his eyes, "What time is it,"
"Six in the morning." Percy said, as he walked back to the kitchen, "Your ride will be here in a bit, so get yourselves packed up. And catch Dr. Doolittle up to speed." He then busied himself with making coffee, and his breakfast. As the pot began boiling, he went into his room, and changed into his work clothes. Taking his smoothie off the blender, and poured it into a cup. He downed the entire thing in one go, before pouring his coffee into a thermos. He poured a healthy dose of creamer into the thermos before capping it. He threw his sport coat on and walked back into the living room as he got a text. Looking up at the waiting teens, he nodded at them,
"Your ride's here, come on. Follow me." Percy said,
"You really are a cop, aren't you?" Terri said, a note of disgust in her voice,
"Yup," Percy said, "And I'm going to be late for work if you don't hurry up. Come on," He urged them out the door. They climbed down the stairs and turned around the corner to the street below. Stepping onto the street, he was unsurprised to see a large, black, SUV on the curb. There was a man leaning on the hood. Tall, taller than Percy by a touch, with bright golden hair, and a powerful body. Dark sunglasses
"Oh shit," Terri muttered, as she laid eyes on the man.
"Yeah that seems to sum it up rather nicely, doesn't it?" Said Jason Grace, as he stepped away from the car, pulling his sunglasses off his face. He was glaring at the group of children. It had been years since Percy had seen that look, it was the one Jason had used with the troops. Percy had seen it cow even the hardiest of veterans into submission. The kids had no chance, and shrank into themselves slightly,
"That's what I thought," Jason glowered, and jerked his head towards the car, "Get in," The kids did as they were told; as she got it, Terri gave Percy one last meaningful look. Jason and Percy watched as the kids closed the doors behind them. Before Jason turned to Percy. He looked Percy up and down, appraising him. Percy met the man's gaze evenly. A shimmer of something on the man's hand caught Percy's attention, and he briefly looked down to notice the ornate looking wedding band around the man's finger.
"You missed it," Jason said,
"I'm sorry?" Percy said, feeling confused,
"The wedding," Jason clarified, his thumb rubbing against the ring slightly, "You missed it,"
"Sorry," Percy said again, this time actually meaning it, "Didn't want to, but I was on deployment." The sound of a car door opening drew Percy's attention away from Jason. And he watched as a very pregnant Piper McLean stepped out of the car, and beamed in his direction.
"Apparently that's not all I missed," Percy said,
"Percy!" Piper said in excitement, as she hobbled over. She reached around and gave Percy a hug. Percy raised his coffee into the air in an attempt to avoid spilling it all over the woman. "Good to see you too Piper." Percy said, giving the woman a kiss on the cheek. She then tightened her hold around Percy's neck, and whispered into his ear,
"If I wasn't pregnant I'd knee you in the balls," She hissed, and Percy let go.
"I see you haven't lost your…free spiritedness," Percy said politically,
"Cute, Jackson, real cute." Piper glowered, and Jason wrapped a calming hand around her waist.
"You were supposed to write, Percy." Jason said,
"I did," Percy said indignantly,
Jason snorted, "Once a year? You and I both know that isn't what I meant,"
"Well I'm sorry," Percy said, getting annoyed, "But it's kind of hard to write a letter in the mountains of Afghanistan!"
"Oh, don't try and play that game with me," Jason scoffed, "You've been stateside for years, and how often have I seen you since?" Percy was growing agitated. Here he was, doing the right thing, and he was getting the third degree from someone he hadn't seen in years. Someone who couldn't understand why Percy did what he did, could never understand.
"I'm not going to apologize for living my life," Percy shot back,
"I'm not trying to keep you from living your life! I'm just trying to stay in it!" Jason roared, and thunder cracked overhead as he got right in Percy's face. Onlookers were beginning to turn and watch the exchange.
Percy deflated. He had no right to blow up at Jason, at his best friend since he was a kid, for simply wanting to be part of Percy's life. Jason had always been there for him, when literally no one else had his back, Jason was there. Percy hadn't wanted to push his best friend away. But Percy had been so desperate to escape, so desperate to live his own life, that he had unconsciously pushed out the best friend he'd ever had.
"I'm sorry, Jason." He said softly, "I didn't-you know I didn't mean-"
"Scio, frater," Jason said, as he wrapped an arm around Percy. "I know you didn't. You had more reason than any to leave the life. Just don't leave me behind because of it."
Percy wrapped his own arms around Jason as well. After a moment, they broke their embrace. "Do you two need a moment, should I get in the car?" Piper asked, and Percy rolled his eyes, but smiled.
"I'm sorry to you too Piper," Percy said,
"Don't be," Piper said, "You really think Jason kept you a secret from me?" It was a rhetorical question, "Besides, it's not me you should be apologizing to," Percy felt his stomach drop slightly. He had an idea where this conversation was going. His expression must have shown on his face, because Piper nodded,
"You need to call Helen," Piper said, and Percy crossed his arms, "No, I don't," Percy said, "I knew her for a month. It's bad enough that all of a sudden parts of your world are catching back up with me, I don't need to go inviting more. You and Jason are enough,"
"Percy she's your sister," Piper pleaded,
"And if she really wants to find me, she knows where I am!" Percy shot back, "But I won't seek her out. I left the life behind; I won't go actively seeking it out again. I have made a life for myself. A real life. My friends are mortals. My life, is mortal. I like it that way. For the first time in my life, I have control of my own destiny, and I won't welcome anything into my life that might change that,"
"So, what are Jason and I then?" Piper asked,
"You two don't count. Jason's more family than she is." Percy said hotly,
"She's your sister," Piper retorted,
"And the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb!" Percy countered, "We don't even technically have the same sperm donor."
"Why are you being so selfish?" Piper asked, "Why can't you just see your sister again? Why is it all about you?"
"Piper!" Jason said sharply, seeing the look on Percy's face. "Pipes, why don't you get in the car, I think Percy ought to get to work." Piper glowered at them, but she got back in the car, leaving Percy and Jason alone.
"Percy," Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair,
"It's fine," Percy said, waving him off, "You bring what I ask you?" Jason looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a photo of Meg, and handed it over to Percy. Percy took it, and looked at it. She was around fourteen or fifteen, with hair and eyes like her mothers, a rounded face, that contrasted with her slightly hawkish features. Committing the picture to memory, Percy tucked it away into his coat pocket, and nodded.
"I'll find her, Jason," Percy said sincerely,
"I know you will," Jason nodded. He didn't leave however, he just stood there awkwardly, "Percy…" He began, but Percy cut him off,
"It's fine, Jason." Percy nodded over at the car, "Boy or girl?" He asked,
"Girl," Jason said, his face breaking out into the largest grin Percy had ever seen on the man,
"Congratulations," Percy said, matching Jason's grin with his own. "Let me know when she's here, I'd like to meet her,"
"I will." Jason nodded, and then gripped Percy's arm. Percy returned the grip,
"Ibimus fortunam fratris" Jason said,
"Et quoque apud te" Percy replied. With a final meaningful look, Jason got in his car, and drove off. Percy checked his watch, he would be cutting it close but he could still make it in time. With a heaving sigh, he headed off to his own vehicle. Meg would have to wait, he had more pressing issues at the moment.
BREAK
"You look like shit," Montoya observed as Percy plopped himself into an open chair in the ops room. "Long night?" Percy hesitated for a moment. He could outright lie, but Montoya was clever, and she would know something was off. So he decided with a partial truth.
"No, working on something," Percy said. Montoya arched an eyebrow,
"Moonlighting already Metro? I thought you were better than that," She said, looking…disappointed,
"It's not like that," Percy said, with a wave of his hand, "My best friend when I was a kid, his niece ran away from home. Thinks she's somewhere in the city. Asked me to see if I can track her down,"
Montoya's features softened considerably, "Damn," She said, "Sorry about that." But Percy waved it off,
"It's fine." He said,
"You want some help? Could put out a BOLO," She asked, but Percy shook his head,
"No, she doesn't really trust cops. Might spook her. And I appreciate it Monty, but I'll run this solo for now, but if I need ya, I'll call," He added with a smile, "And thanks. That means a lot."
"What are partners for?" She asked rhetorically,
"You get anything from your guy in Narcos?" Percy asked, flipping through a new set of files on the table,
"Yeah, surprisingly," Montoya said, and Percy looked up. Grabbing his coffee, Percy leaned back in his chair and listened,
"There's something new that's been hitting the streets in the last few months. Goes by the name of Wonderland. It's like LSD on steroids. Makes the user basically a fucking zombie." She explained, and Percy arched an eyebrow,
"Got a name on a supplier?" Percy asked, and Montoya shook her head,
"No names, but a nickname has been floating around." She grinned,
"What?" Percy asked,
"You're gonna think I'm joking," She smirked,
"Hit me," Percy said, flexing his fingers in a 'bring it' manner.
"Guy calls himself the Mad Hatter," She said, and Percy stared at her, then leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling.
"The Mad Hatter selling Wonderland. Why the fuck did I trade Metropolis for this?" Percy groaned,
"Better housing rates," Montoya snarked and Percy snorted.
"All right, so it seems like a safe bet that our boy got some of that good good from the Hatter. Uses them to drug up the victims, get them nice and docile so he can butcher them. He's got to have a pretty active supply of the stuff then. So either he's in touch with the Hatter personally, or he's sending a proxy,"
"He's not using a proxy," Came the voice of Hugo Strange from the doorway. Percy and Montoya looked up,
"Good morning doc," Percy greeted, "Got something?"
"Indeed I do, detective." Strange nodded, as he walked into the room. He perched himself in front of the whiteboard, and began pacing, as though lecturing a collegiate psychology class.
"I spent much of yesterday putting together, what I believe, to be a rather excellent profile of our suspect. He is a perfectionist. Everything he does, must be done exceptionally. Anything less is of no worth. It is why he disposes of the bodies the way he does. He tosses them onto the street. He is disgusted. He believes that he is better than that, and he does not tolerate failures. A man like that is a loner. He would be not trust another living soul with any part of his experiment. They might contaminate the results. So he would not use a proxy. He would not trust them with even the most menial of tasks, let alone with something of import to the grander scheme."
Percy was writing down notes on his pad as Strange lectured.
"All right, aside from being a loner and a perfectionist, what else you got for us?" Percy asked, and the good doctor smiled, a wide and toothy smile.
"I do not yet know what our killer does for a living, however I can tell you what he is not, and that is a surgeon, or a practitioner of medicine of any sort." He explained,
Percy and Montoya shared a look,
"How do you figure?" Montoya asked,
"The stitching. It is…imprecise. Unpracticed. All students of medicine learn how to stitch early in their careers. But looking back at the first victims. Taking special care to look at where the stitching meets the skin. You will see notice that where the cuts are made are harsh. Like they had been made with violence. Now the violence goes back to his anger, but the imprecision? That speaks to someone who lacks skill."
"Any ideas yet on what our boy might be doing for a living?" Percy asked, "Since he's clearly not a surgeon,"
Unfortunately, I am still attempting to deduce for myself what his…hidden self, does. I have ideas, but at the moment, they are merely suspicions, and I don't want to burden you with information that is less than substantive."
"Well doc, pull up a chair, and help yourself to some files." Montoya said, and the doctor nodded at her, unpacking his work case and settling himself in for some work. Montoya turned to Percy,
"Gameplan?" She asked,
"Think Narcotics will play nice? Let us in on their investigation?" Percy asked, feeling as though he already knew the answer,
Montoya winced slightly, "Not likely," She said, and Percy sighed,
"Figures," He muttered,
"I'll see what I can do. If this is taking priority, Jim might be able to pull a few strings for us," Montoya said, and Percy shrugged,
"Must be nice, being all chummy with the Commissioner and all," Percy teased.
"Shut up," Montoya grumbled, "What about you? What's your gameplan?"
"I'm going to start in on the financial records. See if there is anything odd going on. See if any of them have been eating at the same diner or something." Percy also brought out a couple of papers from his pack under the table, "After that, I was going to take these to Judge McKenzie, and get these warrants signed." "
What for?" She asked,
"Did a little digging yesterday, found out that across from the second and third apartments are another bank and a private school respectively. Both have security cameras facing the roadway. Figured we might get a better look at our boy."
"You think that'll help at all?" Montoya asked, and Percy shrugged,
"Who knows," He said, swiveling in his chair and picking up the phone. "But it's worth trying, isn't it?"
BREAK
Percy let out a disgruntled groan, as he placed down the financial record of Monica EdGrow. He'd been staring at financial records all day, and he was confident he'd be seeing numbers when he closed his eyes. So far, he hadn't seen anything that would link the victims together. Nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary. The only bright side of his day had been Judge McKenzie expediting his warrants. They would have copies of the tapes from the dates of the kidnappings by the following morning.
Montoya had made the call to Jim, who had said he'd have a word with the head of Narcotics about getting them in on an upcoming hit.
"Anything?" Montoya groaned, her head laying in a stack of her own financial statements.
"Big, fat, steaming pile of nothing." Percy groaned. Montoya's phone rang and she fished it out of her pocket. "Montoya," She said, before sitting bolt up-right. Percy straightened in his chair, and immediately began collecting his thing.
"We'll be right there," Montoya said, before closing her phone and throwing her coat on, "Found the car. Abandoned down on fifth, by the pier."
"Let's go," Percy said, throwing on his coat.
BREAK
Percy stepped out of the car, shutting the door behind him. Montoya met him mid-stride as they approached the parked car.
"Fuck, me," Percy growled as he stared at the burnt-out husk of the car.
"Bastard," Montoya snarled, "He must know we're onto him," Throwing on spats and gloves, they approached the scene. Montoya wandered off to interview the first on the scene as Percy got to the car. Leaning down, Percy inspected the inside of the husk. Pulling open the glove compartment, Percy inspected the contents, being careful not to get any of the fibers of his coat on the inside. He rifled through some of the burnt up papers and documents. He checked under the seats, and the creases between the cushions but didn't find anything.
Checking the center console, he opened it up, and checked the small compartment in there. Most of the contents inside had been spared from the fire. Not that there was anything worth grabbing. There was a couple of old cartons of cigarettes, and a sandwich bag from a local deli. Picking it up, Percy looked at the insignia on the bag. A cute little cartoon pigs head looked back at him. Sighing, Percy tossed the bag back into the chute. Getting out of the car, Percy marched over the driver's side, and did the same sweep. Again, he found nothing of note.
Noting the trunk release in the peddle well, Percy pulled on it. There was a click, and the trunk popped slightly as the lock mechanism was released. Strolling the back, Percy looked at the charred remains, and was unsurprised to see nothing. He did a casual inspection of the sides of the carpet, when he had to do a double-take. Along the corners of the seams of the burnt carpet, where the fabric met the metal of the frame, there was a small gap. It was almost missable. Pulling his sleeves back, Percy ran his fingers along the sides of the crease and he could feel the false bottom underneath. Gripping the bottom, Percy took careful and measured steps to insure that he pulled the topping off smoothly and within a matter of minutes, he had successfully and carefully removed the false bottom of the trunk.
"Gods be good," He breathed out,
"Whatcha got Metro-holy shit," Montoya cursed. The false trunk was full of a cache of some sort. Empty bottles, used and stained old rags. Ratty hoods, and piles of something wrapped in tin-foil.
"Fuck a duck," Montoya hissed, "What the hell, I thought our guy was supposed to be a perfectionist, how in the hell did he forget about all of this?"
"Either he thought it would burn, or didn't care if we found it," Percy muttered, he leaned down and picked up one of the rags, he gave it a quick sniff and sighed,
"Chloroform," He said, "Homemade too I'm guessing. Smells too sweet."
"Got a lot of experience with that Metro?" Montoya asked, as she examined one of the bottles,
"Shut up," Percy snarked, "Bet you anything that hood is going to have our vics all over it."
"What I tell you about suckers bets Metro," Montoya sighed,
"Our FOS see anything?" He asked,
"No," Montoya shook her head, "Recognized the plates and called it in. The woman who flagged him down remembered seeing someone drop it off, but it was too dark to see anything. What she could remember fits with the description we got from our interviews."
"We're getting run around in circles," Percy said. He then reached down and grabbed one of the foil packages. Taking care, he opened it slowly and looked inside. There were several tabular squares in the foil. They looked like very small stickers, and they were stack on top of one another.
"Looks like we can confirm that Wonderland theory," Percy sighed. He peeled his gloves off, and as he motioned for an officer to get the car ready for a tow. Montoya's phone chirped and she checked it.
"Text from Jim," Montoya said, "We got an in on a bust Narcos are running on a Wonderland house."
"When and where?" Percy asked,
"This afternoon." Montoya said,
"All right, let's head back to the precinct. Run a little more down on those statements. See if we can't find something." Percy suggested,
"Better plan than anything else I got," Montoya shrugged,
BREAK
"I don't what kind of fucking pull you have Montoya, but this is some deep, pure, bullshit." Detective Hennigan grumbled as he pulled on a flak vest.
"Keep bitching Hennie," Montoya said as finished strapping her own into place, "Besides, we already promised to let you and your boys run the show," Hennigan just grumbled in response, and Percy smirked. Finished with his own strap-up, he leaned back into the chair in the backseat of the suburban. They were a block down the road from what was unequivocally a trap house. They wouldn't be taking part in the actual raid itself. The detectives never were. That was a job for the SWAT team assigned to Narcotics. Instead, they would be waiting for the all clear, before getting sent in. They were promised first dibs on the suspects for interrogation.
Percy couldn't help but be a little disappointed. He missed the days where he was strapping up and getting ankle deep in the shit. He might have a deeply engrained sense of justice, courtesy of his heritage. But Percy was first and foremost a soldier. He was born and bred for battle. A weapon, a dog of war, meant to be pointed in the direction of the enemy and let loose. Sitting out of the action always left him feeling a little antsy. But he was working on rectifying that. He was making headway into getting his weapons certifications, and clearance to run with the SWAT boys on operations. It wouldn't be same as when he was in the teams, or when he was a centurion, but it would be enough for him.
Hennigan checked his watch, then his radio crackled to life,
"All units in position," Squawked the voice.
Hennigan held his hand to the receiver, "On your go,"
"Check,"
The doors to the utility vehicle beside them opened, and a squad made their way out. Percy watched, unintentionally reviewing the strike team as they moved to the house. They moved with precision and alertness. Unsurprising, as a number of them were former operators, or military in some form or another. They stacked up by the doors to the house. Percy watched as one of the strike teams moved around to the back of the house. There were a few moments where nothing happened. Then the other team must have checked in and announced they were in position, because an operator brought up a battering ram. There was a crash as the ram smashed through the door. The point man tossed in what looked like a flash bang, and the team moved in. They disappeared behind the door, and Percy lost visual on them. There was a three-minute window where it appeared as though nothing happened. Then, the radio came to life again.
"Building secure. Three suspects in custody. Hit the mother-load in here detective."
Hennigan nodded at Montoya, who was sitting the passenger seat, "All right Montoya, your show," It looked like it physically pained him to say it. Montoya rolled her eyes, and Percy chuckled, as he stepped out of the vehicle. They made their way up the street and into the house. It was an older building, had to have been built near turn of the twentieth century. It looked about as Percy was expecting it to. Clothes and food thrown onto the floor. His boots made a disgusting squelching sound every time they stepped, and seemed to stick slightly to the floor. The wallpaper was peeling, and the walls looked chipped. Immediately upon entering the home, Percy's nostrils burned and his face squished in disgust. It smelled like body odor, mixed with rotten eggs.
"Jesus," Montoya said, covering her nose and mouth with her hand, "What the fuck,"
"You get used to it," Hennigan said dismissively, as he strode into what looked like the living room.
Percy and Montoya shared a look, and followed after. In the living room were three men, all with their hands restrained behind their backs, and seated on the floor. There was a stack of foils like the ones they'd found in the trunk on the table. In the far corner, Percy could see what looked like a makeshift lab at the end of the room. A table was set up with large bowls, beakers, and other equipment stacked on top of one another. It looked like the men had raided a high school chemistry class.
"Your show detectives," Hennigan said, gesturing to the three men on the ground. Percy gave Montoya a look that told her that he wanted to take lead. She nodded and stepped back, and Percy approached the nearest man, who looked to be just on the other side of twenty. He shrank away as Percy leaned in close, and regarded him. The man stank of piss and vinegar. As though he hadn't bathed properly in days. He refused to meet Percy's eyes, and as Percy channeled his power, he could hear the man's heart hammering in his chest. He was terrified. This guy wasn't the boss here. So Percy moved away and approached the next man.
He was around the same age as the other producer, and he too shrank away from Percy. So Percy backed away from him as well. The third man, however, did not back down. He was around Percy's age. He met Percy gaze evenly, and his heartbeat was steady. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the other two men slightly flinch away from the third. As though they were afraid of him. That made him the head docuhebag in charge. Kneeling down, Percy got face to face with the man,
"How's it going?" He asked,
"Fuck off," The man spat,
"Cute," Percy said, "I'm looking for someone, I think you can help,"
"I left your mother at her place last night, you should check there," The man snarled, and Percy had to force himself to squash the surge of anger that washed over him. Years of conditioning and training allowed him to keep his cool.
"Joke's on you, my mom's been dead for twenty years." Percy snarked back,
"Maybe I like 'em cold," He shot,
"Awe, that the only way you can get any action?" Percy said, and then man snarled and made to leap at him, but Percy calmly shoved him back in place. A couple of the operators moved to intercept but Percy stopped them. He was laying a trap, and he didn't want them to interfere. Percy needed to know if this guy had sold to their boy. Or if not them, someone else. He was going to use his abilities to do so, but he needed to make it look natural or else the others would become suspicious.
"Let's consider the position that you're in." Percy said, glancing around the room, "You've been caught in a trap house, with a felony fuck-ton of illegal narcotics. You'll be going away for a real long time. That is, unless you help me out."
"I ain't telling you who I'm working for," The man said, and Percy just laughed,
"Then it's a good thing that's not what I want to know," Percy said with a shake of his head, "I don't want your boss. He does," He gestured with his head to Hennigan, "What I want, is one of your buyers." The man looked confused for a moments before snorting derisively,
"So what, I help you, you get me out of this?" The man said with an eye roll.
"Nah," Percy said, "No amount of good will is going to get you out of here, Maybe I should clarify yeah? It's not about what I'll say on your behalf, but what I won't say."
The man looked confused, "The fuck is that supposed to mean,"
Percy laughed, "See here's the thing. I took one too many shelling's when I was in the service. My memory is kind of hazy and I got this bad problem where I can't stop myself from talking. I got some real loose lips, just ask my partner," He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Montoya. Taking her cue brilliantly, she sighed and nodded,
"He's right. Dumbass can't keep his mouth shut. He's always blabbing about things he shouldn't." She said in faux exasperation, and Percy just nodded solemnly,
"See, I'm scheduled to go over to gen-po in the morning, I'm visiting some folks. And I got this problem where I can't stop talking, and like I said, my memory is kind of hazy. In fact, I think I'm already starting forget what we've been talking about. Hey Monty, our boy here was just telling us all about where the Hatter is right?"
"That's right Metro," Montoya said, playing her unplanned part beautifully, "Sung like a canary for ya."
"Yeah," Percy nodded at her, "That's what I thought. I thought you were just ratting out your boy, and man, I just hope that I don't let it slip that you told us everything about it tomorrow in gen-po." He shook his head and closed his eyes as though severally depressed. The man's heart rate climbed considerably at that point, and Percy could feel the sweat beginning to accumulate at the back of his neck.
"Yo0-you can't do this shit. I want my goddamn lawyer," He said, shaking slightly where he sat. Percy cupped an ear, as though he were hard of hearing,
"Sorry, what was that? Did I mention that my hearing was going too? Did he just tell me the Hatter's name and home address?" He asked, turning to look at Montoya,
"Sure did," She said with a shark-like grin,
"That's what I heard," Hennigan said, giving Percy a feral grin of his own. Grumpy old asshole or not, Percy would have to thank Hennigan later for taking up the game.
Percy turned his attention back to the man on the ground. He looked petrified, and Percy had to fight to keep his grin off his face. And there was his door. Channeling the mist, he focused it into his next words, and influenced the man to be more compelled to do as Percy wished.
"Of course, if you had something else you wanted to tell me, something about one of your clients, maybe I'll forget all about this conversation." Percy said, and the air distorted around the man, visible only to Percy, as the mist compelled the man to comply with Percy's wishes.
"What do you want to know," The man said, slumping slightly, and Percy grinned in triumph.
"You've been selling bulk quantities of your product. Not just a couple of tabs, but you would have sold a shit ton of this stuff to one guy. Would have been a white-boy, about five-ten. Probably wearing a black hoodie and drove an all black sedan. Would have looked like an old cop car."
The man didn't meet Percy's eyes, but he nodded, "Yeah we sold to him. Guy was a fucking prized pig. Literally."
"What do you mean?" Percy said,
"Cause he wore a pig mask. Cartoon looking thing. Looked cheesy as hell but we never saw his face. He came by once a week and bought out damn near the whole fucking supply. He wasn't fleecin' it neither. We would know. He ain't been distributing it to the streets. I don't know what he wants with it, never asked, but he keeps buying more of it."
Percy nodded, and exchanged a look with Montoya, she inclined her head.
Standing up, Percy looked over at Hennigan. "They're all yours detective, have at it,"
"Wait," the man said, shaking somewhat, "You won't say anything right! I did as you asked, you're not going to say nothing right?"
Percy turned and smirked at the man, "Don't know what you're talking about, I'm not going to gen-po tomorrow." The man deflated somewhat, as the reality that he'd just been played washed over him,
"Have a nice day," Percy said, and he and Montoya left the trap house.
AN: Ok, so to just address something out the gate. I have not read the Apollo books, so I had no idea that there was a Meg from that series as well. So just to inform all of you, the character here, is not that character, because I didn't know that character existed. Sorry for the confusion, I literally just picked the name because it's a famous Greek name and I liked the sound of it.
Now onto the actual note, hope you liked the minor cameos! This arc deals pretty heavily with Percy's personal history and he is forced to grapple with a lot of his previous failings and past mistakes. So if you were hoping to learn more about Percy this time around, get excited because over the next few months, you're going to be learning a lot about our wayward detective! Anyways, let me know what you think, any theories or ideas you might be having about the story, or just say hey. Thanks again for all the love and support, you guys have been awesome! Like always, if you like this but haven't read any of my other works, give 'em a try you might like them as well. Until next week, same bat time, same bat channel. Stay safe, stay healthy, and I love you all!
Love,
LilDB