I know it has been a while since my last update. I hope you guys enjoy it. I know I'm chugging along with these updates, but thank you guys for bearing with me.
I don't own Percy Jackson All rights belong to Rick Riordan
The movie was epic. Percy hadn't been able to just...relax in a long time. He enjoyed watching the movie, especially when he was provided with a three gallon bucket of extra buttery popcorn. Dispite the fact Piper had literally dragged him away from his all important quest, he had to admit it was not an unwelcomed interruption as he had first thought. The teen actually needed a get away.
Too bad Annabeth and Grover weren't able to join them.
After the movie ended, Percy and Piper stood to exit. Piper had told him it would take a while before her dad actually managed to escape the applauding crowd. The two of them did their best to navigate through those who were staying and those who were leaving the theater. Every so often Percy would hear one of the younger actors they walked by flirting with Piper, but she ignored them blissfully. Escaping the packed theater was like getting a breath of fresh air.
Well, as fresh as the smell of expensive perfume and even more expensive wine could be.
There were few people in the lobby, it almost seemed as if they hadn't been in watching the movie at all. Some of the actors were at the bar chatting and drinking cocktails. One would make a joke and they'd burst out in a roar of laughter. Percy never had good experiences with people who drank. Gabe was a prime example, the goons he'd invite into the house weren't much better. These people were just the rich versions of Gabe.
The very thought made his jaw twitch with anger.
"Let's go back to the table." Piper suggested. "We should have enough privacy for a moment."
Back at the table, Percy once again was reminded of his exhaustion. The day had been long and exhausting. It started out with him evading a kidnapping only for him to be kidnapped anyway by another stranger. Though, he couldn't help but feel he could lower Piper's rank from crazy kidnapper to over eccentric friend. And if she was a demigod like he thought, he'd probably be seeing her not too long after they finally parted ways.
"So, Percy, tell me how I can help you." She asked mimicking a receptionist even going so far as to have the customer service smile. "You said you were looking for someone."
Percy nodded, "Yeah, last I heard, he was at a homeless shelter somewhere in California."
Piper gave him a look of utter disbelief. Of course she would, he was asking for a lot. It wasn't like there was just one shelter for homeless people in the whole state. More people were starting to exit the theater, all of them were talking loudly about the movie and their favorite parts. Every so often some of the celebrities would start arguing. Percy could hardly hear what they were arguing about and what he could pick up was just nonsense. Weird.
"Is there anything else you can give me to go on?" Piper sighed as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. It had to be getting late in the day. "There is no way I will just be able to give you one off the top of my head."
Yep, he knew that.
The nymph hadn't given him an exact location of Nereus. But she called him the old man of the sea. That would mean that he'd be close to the water, right? Percy gave a deep sigh, hoping that there weren't many homeless shelters near the water. Piper tapped her fingers along the table as she waited for his answer.
"He likes water, a lot, so he probably is at a shelter somewhere by the ocean or something." Percy offered helplessly.
Piper made an exaggerated cry of triumph and smile at him. "Thank God, there's only a few homeless shelters near the ocean, but I know where I'd be if I were an ocean loving homeless man. Hopefully, he's there. And before you ask, I had to work at some homeless shelters for community service."
Percy couldn't help but feel relieved by the girl's answer. At least some things were going right for him. That is until...they weren't. The group at the bar broke out into an uproar. It started with a scream and a wine glass shattering on the floor. The people who had once been jovial at the bar were now in a pile on the floor, throwing punches and screaming profanities.
It seemed like the negative energy wave continued to spread through to the rest of the celebrities in the room. Percy couldn't help but feel they were caught in a war-zone. A hot feeling of anger washed over him as well. It reminded him of how he felt whenever Gabe was even near him. His fist clenched and his jaw felt so tight he'd thought he'd break his teeth.
He had never felt so...so...hateful.
"What the heck is going on?" Piper yelped. She pulled Percy under the table, narrowly avoiding a large, red pump that was flying towards his head.
Percy felt the anger start to fade under the table. He didn't know where it all came from. Was something effecting the patrons? The teen couldn't help but feel the fight broke out because of something related to the mythological world he had been thrown into. Piper was shivering next to him. The screaming of people and the violence they knew was occurring just beyond the tables velvet covering was unnerving.
"We need to get out of here." Percy hissed as the table shook. Someone had stumbled into the it before taking off again. Luckily, the table hadn't broken under the person's weight.
"I have to find my dad first." The girl protested.
"We have to be quick."
Just as they were going to make their way out from under the table yet another person came. But it wasn't as abrupt of an arrival as the last person. Just under where the cloth hovered over the floor, Percy could see a pair of shoes, they weren't very fancy or expensive looking. It couldn't be one of the celebrities. Whoever it was, they didn't seem in a hurry to leave. Piper clutched tightly onto Percy's hand and tried to keep her breathing steady, though the chaos in the lobby was probably keeping them unheard.
Or so Percy thought.
"I know you're under there, son of Poseidon." An all too familiar voice taunted. "Do you really think a few regular horses could carry you far enough from Kronos's reaches? Just make this easy on yourself, come quietly."
Percy felt his stomach lurch. How did Luke find him so quickly? Sure monsters could smell him, but he thought it would take time before he was actually found again. At least long enough for him to finish his quest. The older demigod made no attempt to reach under the table to grab him. It didn't seem like he was going to leave anytime soon either.
He knew he had Percy cornered.
The girl crouched down next to him gave a scowl of confusion. Of course it'd be hard to understand what the heck Luke was trying to say. Both Percy and Piper were rooted in place, they had to escape. Percy reached into his pocket and felt Riptide resting faithfully there. He could uncap it and stab Luke in the ankle, but that would require a lot of explaining on his part. Though, an interrogation may be better than becoming a captive.
"Ah, it's crazy out here, right?" Luke spoke as if they were old friends. The familiarity in the older demigod's voice made Percy's stomach turn to ice. "Ares has really been doing a lot to influence people in this part of the country. He's been spreading anger and hate and starting fights all over the world. Guess without Zeus hanging over his head, the god of war is spreading violence however he pleases. He has no limits now."
Percy grasped even tighter onto the pen.
"Come on, are you really going to hide like a child?" The blond taunted and tapped his foot impatiently. "Don't make me crawl under there to get you."
The air under the table became stale and suffocating. Piper squirmed uncomfortably next to him, her elbow dug into his side as she tried to move away from Luke. Percy had to do something before Luke took the first strike. But what could he do against the more powerful sword wielder?
Percy brought Riptide out from his pocket and inspected it. He really didn't know much about it beyond its ability to turn into a sword and to return to him if he ever lost it. That was about it. The teen didn't even know if he could use it like a regular pen. He heard Luke give an exaggerated sigh before the toes of his shoes turned to face them. It was clear that Luke was done waiting for him to come out.
Piper screamed as the table cloth was slowly being lifted. It felt like a door to a murder hall was being opened.
When Percy saw Luke's semi-model face come in view, his whole body went numb. The blond thief gave a devilish grin as he became eyelevel with Percy. Piper tried pulling Percy back with her as she made a desperate attempt to escape, but unfortunately were trapped by the wall behind them.
"This is just sad." Luke reached under the table. The son of Poseidon was fully prepared to uncap his sword, his thumb worked away at the cap. He didn't want to alert the other demigod to what he was doing.
"Stay away from my daughter!" A tan fist came out of nowhere and connected to the side of Luke's face. Percy was thoroughly relieved to see, Tristian McLean come to their rescue. It was like something out of one of his movies. "Pipes, I'm going to get you and your boyfriend out of here."
Relieved, both teens scrambled out from under the table. Percy saw Luke clutching his jaw painfully. Tristian's strength was more than just Hollywood magic after all. Piper threw her arms around her dad and thanked him profusely. The actor hugged her back, thankfully kissing the top of her head.
Tristian ushered both teens to the door. "Come on, the limo should be waiting outside."
"The emmy should have been mine, McLean!" An outraged voice bellowed. The actor was knocked to the side like a rag doll.
Piper tried to run to her dad, but the man pointed to the doors. His orders were very clear. Go! It didn't sit right with Percy to leave the man helpless and at the mercy of triggered actors running amuck. The girl, with a conflicted look on her face, dragged Percy to the theater entrance. Percy didn't know what made her willing to leave her father, to follow his orders, but she didn't say anything even when they managed to dive into the awaiting limo.
….
Sweat dripped down Percy's face as he watched the lights of the theater disappear from sight. Piper had told the driver to book it, so he did. Sirens bellowed as the LA PD rushed to the chaos still ensuing at the premier. Did Ares contently happen to start a brawl when Luke had showed up? Or were the two working together? From his experiences, Percy was inclined to believe the later.
"Oh, my God." Piper sobbed painfully. The two of them watched frantically as two ambulances sped past them. "Daddy, please."
The son of Poseidon felt his heart sink. Hopefully no one was killed. Percy closed his eyes, he hadn't talked to his father much, but he hoped that Poseidon would somehow be able to do something. Dad, if you're listening. Can you somehow help Piper's dad? He helped me get away. His optimistic side liked to think that maybe Poseidon had done something.
His pessimistic side didn't want to get his hopes up.
"Piper." He grabbed her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry. I hope your dad is okay."
He knew what she was going through, he knew it all too well. The memory of his mom's death ever present in his mind. Piper sniffled and sighed before she looked up at him. Her multicolored eyes had taken on a more bluish tint, reflecting her sadness. She didn't look angry at him, or like she blamed him for what had happened. It was strange for him to find someone who didn't automatically make him the bad guy.
"He'll be okay, he has to be. He's Tristian McLean." She gave Percy a watery smile. "Besides, you were the one in danger. Who was that guy?"
Lie or tell her the truth?
"He's..." Percy cupped his hands together nervously. He didn't want to directly lie to Piper, not when she could be a demigod herself. "He's bad. His name is Luke, he works for a bad guy who wants me to join their group. They want to get a lot of people in their group."
"Why did he call you 'son of Poseidon'?" She asked. "Last I checked, the guy is considered a myth by most people."
Right. Percy thought ruefully, Luke didn't seem to care about being subtle when he had come for him. It was still crazy how the older demigod was able to find him so fast. The large black Pegasus came to mind, Luke must have road him to the premier. The teen didn't doubt that the mutiny was rewarded by sever punishment. First his mom, then Blackjack, and now Piper's dad. So many sacrifices were being made to keep him safe.
A wave of guilt rolled over him. Was he really worth all of this trouble?
Piper gave a nudge and tried to prompt an answer from him, "Percy? What exactly is going on?"
"You'd think I'm crazy." Percy warned as he ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know where to start, Piper. Right now, it'd be best for you to get as far as you can from me."
"We had a deal, Percy." She told him with a firm voice. "You helped me, now I help you. A deal is a deal. I may not understand everything that's happening with you, but I know you need my help."
He felt a grateful smile come to his face, "I wish we went to high school together, Piper McLean."
She returned with a megawatt smile and gave his shoulder a tap with her fist as if to say 'Me too bro'. Piper was definitely different than the media liked to portray her. The celebrity teen was kind, brave, and generally more amazing than he ever thought she'd be. He was sure that Rachel would have been a good friends with her too. He'd probably become a third wheel in the friendship at some point.
"So." Piper began awkwardly. "What should we do first? Find your friends or the guy you're looking for?"
Percy looked out the tinted window of the limo. It was night now, the day felt like it had been two or three mashed together. The soreness of sleeping on a barn floor accompanied by the pain of riding a horse for hours was catching up with him. There was no way anyone at the shelter would be there, nor would Grover and Annabeth still be searching for him. The teen slumped back in the seat of the limo in thought.
"We're not going to get anything done this late." He decided as he slid to the limo floor. "I want to find my friends, they're probably worried sick about me."
Piper sat on the floor too. "Then we should find somewhere to sleep for the night. I'd say my place, but it's too far away."
Percy ran his hands along the carpet of the limo, it was rather soft for the interior of a car. When you're rich it is just a given. Truth be told, Percy was afraid to stop anywhere. What if Luke found him while he was asleep? Would Percy have the ability to fend the other demigod off? Somehow Percy doubted he'd get lucky a third time. He also didn't want to put Piper in danger, but it seemed as if she weren't going to leave him any time soon.
"Maybe, if I ask sweetly, the driver will take us around LA for the rest of the night." Piper mumbled as she slouched farther to the floor, she was practically laying down. The day had been exhausting for her too. "Then we don't have to stop and we can sleep without that blond guy finding us."
It felt wrong, wrong to make someone drive all night, just so that he would feel safe. Percy knew that if Piper asked, with or without the Aphrodite magic, the driver would probably do it. Though that would be a monstrous bill the McLean's would receive. The teen felt his muscles give up as he planked himself to the floor. Yeah, maybe he didn't have the energy to be courteous to the driver.
Percy gave Piper a nudge and was about ask what she wanted to do, but the only response he got was a soft snore. She had fallen asleep. Piper looked peaceful, like a normal teen tired after a day at a theme park. Though what they had experienced was far from the average thrill ride. With heavy eyes, Percy looked back up at the limo roof, the tiny lights that lined it were calming. There was a time that Percy couldn't sleep without a nightlight.
His mom had no qualms about it, but Gabe did.
The driver, in spite of not being asked, flipped the switch and the limo cab went dark. And Just like that, Percy was out like a light.
Looking through my story, I can see some revisions need to be made, hopefully I'll have time to do it soon.