Update: 26/1/2021
Happy Australia Day Everyone!
But it is also a time to remember the past and learn from it.
Chapter .3.
The fight between Poseidon and Hades ended after about an hour. Zeus letting his two brothers let off stream before finally breaking them up.
The fight left Clarisse winning the beat with the Demigods and surprisingly Athena winning the beats with the Gods. Also the fight left Hades with a black eye, a broken nose and a few bruised ribs.
"You also have a bruised ego Uncle", Apollo says cheerfully as he fixes Hades up.
Hades scowls at his Nephew.
"Got it out of your system brother?" Hades asks sarcastically.
"Only if you don't do anything else to my son", Poseidon threatens.
Percy silently groans at that. This book would see his Uncle dead. Annabeth and Grover looked at him in amusement.
"It gets worse doesn't it?" Theseus asks in a whisper to Percy.
"Oh yeh", Percy confirms.
"Oh this will be good", Theseus chuckles quietly.
"Just wait to it gets to certain other Gods", Percy mutters knowing that maybe Zeus and Ares would become targets of his Dad.
Theseus looked at his Half-Brother curiously and wondered how many Gods his Dad might kill by the end of this.
"Can we continue?" Hera asks everyone.
"Yes", the Demigods shout looking forward to what happened next.
"I'll read", Demeter volunteers.
She was quickly handed the book and everyone settles down wondering what was going to happen next.
Chapter 3: Three Old Ladies Knit The Socks of Death
"What is with these titles?" Jason asks.
"What does that even mean?" Leo asks.
Calypso and Annabeth look suspiciously at Percy wondering if their hunch is correct.
I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me.
"Did you really believe that?" Grover asks Percy.
"Yes I believed I was losing my mind", Percy replies.
"Oh you lost it long ago", Thalia teases.
"Shut up Pinecone Face", Percy says splashing her with water.
Evening a glare from the daughter of Zeus.
"Why wasn't the Mist working?" Sally asks Chiron.
"Maybe it was just meant to be like that. He IS the most powerful demigod of his generation", Chiron replies.
The Past People all looked at Percy and wondered if he really was the most powerful demigod of his generation. Hercules thought that was impossible seeing how scrawny he looked. He couldn't possibly have done all the things he had done.
Poseidon looked at his son with pride. His son was noted as the most powerful demigod! But what made Percy get that title?
"What did you do to get that title?" Poseidon couldn't help but ask.
"You'll find out. And I am no…", Percy starts.
"YES YOU ARE!" ALL the future Demigods shout to a blushing Percy.
Much to the amusement to the Olympians.
Artemis and Zoe wondered how this boy no man could be so humble.
"I wouldn't even like the answer would I?" Poseidon asks.
"No you won't", Percy admits the truth grimacing.
Poseidon takes a deep breath this would be hard to get through without losing his temper again. Amphitrite puts a hand on his husband in support.
"Lets continue!" Perseus calls, "I want to know what happened to my namesake!"
The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs Kerr – a perky blonde woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip – had been our maths teacher since Christmas.
"That would have been weird", Theseus states.
"It was. Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy", Percy admits.
Grover and Chiron did feel guilty about that. They didn't know how bad it had been.
"We can empathise with you", Jason tells Percy with a nod in confirmation from Piper.
That reminded people that Jason and Piper had, had their memories tampered with.
"But it is worse for you because it basically happened twice", Piper adds.
The Past People were confused by that. Plus those who had been dead look confused.
Did that mean they had someone messing with them?
Who would do that?
"Did something happen to you two?" Hecate asks Percy, Jason and Piper.
"You could say that", Piper replies.
"What happened?" Hermes asks.
"Our memories were tempted with", Jason says darkly.
"Who did it?" Poseidon asks angrily.
Everyone tries not to look at Hera.
"You will find out", Nico states.
The Past groans they would get sick of that answer.
Every so often I would spring a Mrs Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was a psycho.
It got so I almost believed them – Mrs Dodds had never existed.
Almost.
Everyone looks at Percy with sympathy.
"I am sorry Percy that we deceived you", Chiron states.
"It is all in the past", Percy says dismissively.
But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, than claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.
"Of course it was Grover", Thalia groans.
"Who else could it be?" Clarisse asks rhetorically to the blushing Grover.
Juniper giggles and takes his hand.
"I still love you", Juniper whispers in his ear making his blush deepen.
Thalia, Nico and Percy snicker at how read Grover's face was.
"You really need lying lessons", Hermes tells the satyr.
"I have gotten better", Grover protests.
The Demigods looks at him and raise an eyebrow. And a few chuckle and look at him is disbelief.
"Traitors", Grover mutters.
"But you love us!" Thalia says smiling.
"And couldn't live without us", Percy adds.
Grover really couldn't argue with that.
Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum.
"Of course it did twerp your brain is just two small to know that", Hercules mutters.
"Is that the best you can come up with?" Percy asks rhetorically at the ass.
Zoe snorts at that. Hercules in her opinion didn't have enough brain cells to come up with a better insult. And it seemed Percy had more brain cells then Hercules.
She was still in shock that a male defended her.
What happened in her future?
I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake up in cold sweat.
Chiron and Grover both feel guilty.
"I am so sorry I didn't notice your nightmares", Grover apologies again.
"You sleep like the dead so it is no surprise you didn't hear him", Luke states.
"Don't feel bad G-Man. I am over it", Percy replies.
Grover gives him a weak smile.
"Did the nightmares go away?" Sally asks worriedly.
"Yes Mum they did. Don't worry", Percy replies.
He just didn't tell her Mrs Dodds wasn't in his nightmares now.
Annabeth squeezes his hand knowing what he was thinking.
"When will you tell her?" Annabeth murmurs softly for only him to hear.
"Hopefully never"
The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy.
"What are you two idiots fighting about?" Hera asks her husband and brother.
"How could we know? This is the future", Zeus states.
"Don't get smart with me or you will be sleeping on the couch", Hera warns.
"Yes dear", Zeus mutters.
His sons snicker at their Fathers sulky expression.
"This feud must be big. ", Artemis says.
"Bigger than anything that had happened before", Athena reasons.
"It was", Annabeth replies.
"What were they fighting about?" Apollo asks curiously.
"You will find out", the Greek Demigods say together.
Annoying the Gods and everyone else from the past and the Romans.
"You don't know?" Athena asks the Romans.
"No it didn't involve us", Jason replies.
"For some reason", Leila mutters.
"Maybe because our worlds were separated to not long ago", Malcolm states.
The was plausible.
"What do you mean by that?" Nemesis asks.
"Lets just say the Greeks and Romans have been separated for centuries because of a war between the two", Annabeth replies.
The Gods wondered why they would have to separate their supposedly other aspects and their children because of a war.
One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.
All the Gods looked at the two brothers.
Both looking very confused.
"Do we want to know what they are fighting about?" Persephone asks.
"You will find out anyway it is a big part of this", Annabeth replies.
"Unfortunately", Luke mutters knowing he just might get killed now inside of later.
I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grade slipped from Ds to Fs.
Thalia, Nico, Jason, Grover, Clarisse and many others let at amused chuckles at Annabeth's and Athena's expressions at Percy's grades.
"I was under a lot of pressure. Everyone thought I was going crazy remember", Percy says trying to defend himself.
Thalia and Nico snickered at him. Percy gives them the stink eye.
"Shut up you two", Percy tells them.
Being the mature people they were they stick their tongues out at him.
I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.
"YES!" many exclaim after what that so-called girl did to Grover.
"You didn't hurt her?" Artemis asks.
"Of course not. I would never hit a girl or woman unless they were trying to kill me", Percy says defending himself against the Male-Hating Goddess.
Finally, when our English teacher, Mr Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.
Hermes and Apollo laugh at that. Thalia and Nico were snickering again.
"Really old sot? I can think of better ones then that", Hercules boosts while snickering.
"Yeh right", Percy and Zoe mutter.
They both look at each other shocked that they had spoken the same words at the same time.
The headmaster sent my Mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.
Fine, I told myself. Just Fine.
I was homesick.
"Oh Percy", Sally says with tears in her eyes.
She hugs him and he hugs her back.
"It is ok Mum"
I wanted to be with my Mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.
Poseidon's eyes narrow. If this man hurt Percy or Sally he would die.
Artemis's eyes narrowed too. That didn't sound good.
"Percy what does that mean?" Sally asks not liking where this was going.
"Nothing", Percy says lying through his teeth.
Apollo knew he was lying. He had a feeling about what happened between the Step-Father and Percy.
Percy hoped this book wouldn't go into detail about his Step-Father and himself.
And yet . . . there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange.
"Just a little strange?" Conner and Travis snicker.
"He is more then a little!" Chris snickers with his brothers.
Thalia, Annabeth and Katie whack their heads.
"Be nice", Katie scolds Travis.
"Yes dear", Travis says with a sorry face, but his eyes told a different story.
"Thanks for thinking of me. But you weren't getting rid of me that easily", Grover says bumping Percy's shoulder.
"I know. Couldn't get rid of you if I tried", Percy replies with a strained smile.
I worried how he'd survive next year.
I'd miss Latin class, too – Mr Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.
As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.
"Good", Sally says with a sigh.
"It will keep him alive", Athena nods.
"Actually Percy's instincts are always right", Annabeth admits.
Everyone nods in agreement.
"I hate to admit it by she is right. Prissy is the best with instincts", Clarisse admits.
"We noticed that too. On our quest", Frank states with Hazel.
"And ours", Clarisse admits.
"And ours", Beckendorf states.
"And ours", Bianca states.
"In the war too", Michael Kahale states.
"Ditto", many other Demigods say.
"Thanks", Percy tells them trying to stop all the praise.
"They are just speaking the truth Seaweed Brain", Annabeth states kissing his cheek.
That evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon.
"That explains what you did on the first quest", Annabeth says to Percy.
"What did he do?" Thalia asks curiously.
"Oh this will be good", Grover says smirking remembering what happened.
"You will find out. But you will learn Percy is not very good with names", Annabeth replies.
Percy groans if this book showed that conversation with Charon everyone was going to make fun of it.
He wondered if he could kill the Creator?
Or Polydictes and Polyeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.
I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.
I remembered Mr Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.
I took a deep breath. I picked up my mythology book.
I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat 'F' I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.
Annabeth gives Percy a soft look.
"He would have seen it Seaweed Brain", Annabeth tells him.
"Maybe. But he was the best teacher I had", Percy replies shrugging.
"I did see it Percy and you did quite well on the test", Chiron tells him.
"Thanks Chiron", Percy says.
I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr Brunner's door was ajar,
"You spied on Chiron!" Travis exclaims smirking.
"That is the hardest person to spy on", Conner adds smirking.
"We are so proud off you", Luke adds smirking.
"Thanks a lot. Like you three and others here haven't down it", Percy replies.
Many had to admit they had ears dropped on Chiron at one time or another.
Light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.
I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr Brunner asked a question. A voice that definitely Grover's said, ". . . worried about Percy, sir"
"You heard?" Grover asks nervously.
Percy nods.
I froze.
I'm not usually an eavesdropper,
"Sure your not", Thalia snorts rolling her eyes.
"Just don't make it a bad habit", Athena says to Percy.
"Too late", Nico mutters and gets a glare from Percy in return.
But I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.
I inched closer.
". . . alone this summer", Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too –"
"We would only make matters worse by rushing him", Mr Brunner said, "We need the boy to mature more"
"We would be waiting a while", Nico comments.
"He still hasn't matured!" Thalia comments.
"And he is 18!" Nico adds.
"Bastards", Percy mutters at his cousins.
"It is too late anyway to not get him involved. He already is seeing through the Mist", Hecate tells everyone.
"But he may not have time. The Summer Solstice deadline –"
"Summer Solstice Deadline?" Aphrodite asks curiously.
They all look confused too.
"Then whatever happened it happened at the Winter Solstice", Athena reasons, "Am I right?"
The Demigods look at each other.
"Your right", Silena admits.
"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can"
"Sir, he saw her . . ."
"His imagination", Mr Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that"
"Sir, I . . . I can't fail in my duties again", Grover's voice was choked with emotion.
"Grover it was NOT your fault", Annabeth and Thalia yell. And even Luke yells.
"Grover listen to me", Thalia says making him look at her, "It was MY choice to stay behind. It was MY choice to tell you to get Luke and Annabeth to safety. It was MY choice to sacrifice myself. Imagine if they stayed. Annabeth probably wouldn't be here"
"Thanks", Grover states but he still looked like he didn't believe it.
Thalia whacks his head.
"IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT! If you say it is again I'll shock you!" Thalia threatens.
Grover cowers away from Thalia.
"Got it?" Thalia asks glaring at him.
"Yes. Absolutely", Grover stutters.
Thalia's glare turns into a smile and she hugs him.
"Talk about mood swings", Hercules mutters.
Too bad for him Thalia heard and she shoots a lightning bolt at him making him yelp in pain.
Everyone from the Past look at her with wide eyes.
"Your my daughter?" Zeus asks looking at Thalia with new eyes.
"Yes. I am Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, and Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis", Thalia admits.
"Also known as Pinecone Face", Nico says innocently.
"And Thunder Thighs", Percy says innocently.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!" Thalia yells at them.
"Nothing", they both say innocently.
Artemis and Zoe look at her wide eyed.
What happened to Zoe?
"Sister!" Perseus states and moves and pulls her into a bear hug, "It is nice to met you"
"You too", Thalia replies as he lets her go.
"Thank you for saving her", Frederick Chase says to Thalia.
"Your welcome. I would have always done what I did. For anyone", Thalia replies.
"Are you sure your Fathers kid?" Hercules asks looking at her closely.
Sparks flow from Thalia's fingers.
"You want to find out?" Thalia asks mocks him.
Hercules choices to ignore her.
"You know what that would mean"
"You haven't failed, Grover", Mr Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Noe lets just worry about keeping Percy alive until autumn –"
The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.
Apollo and Hermes wince.
"Rookie mistake", Apollo adds.
"A big rookie mistake", Hermes states.
"He must of got caught", Will states.
Percy shakes his head. He hadn't.
Mr Brunner went silent.
My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.
A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.
I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.
A few seconds later a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door.
"Chiron! You shouldn't be out of your human form!" Athena scolds him.
Chiron just gives Athena a smile.
"It was alright. It seems that only Percy has ever caught me like that", Chiron states.
A large dark shape paused in front of the glass then moved on.
A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.
Somewhere in the hallway, My Brunner spoke.
"Nothing", he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the Winter Solstice"
"So it WAS the Winter Solstice!" Athena exclaims.
The Roman Demigods wondered just what happened. And why they weren't involved or saw the signs.
"Mine either", Grover said. "But I could have sworn . . ."
"Go back to the dorm", Mr Brunner told him, "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow"
"Don't remind me"
The lights went out in Mr Brunner's office.
I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.
Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.
Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.
"Hey", he said, bleary-eyed, "You going to be ready for this test?"
I didn't answer.
"You look awful", he frowned, "Is everything okay?"
"Just . . . tired"
"Your nearly as bad a liar as Grover", Leo states.
"Excuse me I'm not!" Percy retorts.
"Some of the lies you have some up with could have been better", Annabeth admits.
"Hah! Your girlfriend agrees with me!" Leo says looking like he won the lottery.
I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.
I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.
But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.
"Sorry Perce. I shouldn't have done that. But I was worried", Grover says.
"I forgive you G-Man, you too Chiron. I understand now", Percy assures him, "But it kind of freaked me out"
"That's what happens when you eavesdrop", Reyna butts him.
"Thanks Reyna like I hadn't figured that one out", Percy mutters sarcastically.
The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr Brunner called me back inside.
For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.
"Percy", he said, "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's . . . it's for the best"
His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.
The Demigods wince. Poor Percy.
Chiron too winces at how he sounded.
I mumbled, "Okay, sir"
"I mean . . .", Mr Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time"
My eyes stung.
"He didn't mean it like that", Annabeth tells him taking his hand.
"Annabeth is right. Percy you are one of the best students I have ever had", Chiron says.
Percy blushes, "Thanks Chiron"
Perseus, Theseus wondered where they fit in.
But Hercules didn't believe what Chiron said. He was just saying that for the pansy to feel better. The big woss.
Here was my favourite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.
Chiron sighs he really had stuffed up.
The rest wondered if Percy really was self-conscious and had low self esteem.
"Right", I said, trembling.
"No, No", Mr Brunner said, "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say . . . you're not normal, Percy That's nothing to be –"
"Chiron", Annabeth groans.
Even Thalia groans.
Chiron winces he didn't remember this being THAT bad.
"Thanks", I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me"
"Percy –"
But I was already gone.
"Your by far his favourite student. He would be kicking himself for that conversation", Annabeth says softly.
"I was and am", Chiron confirms.
"She is right. You're his favourite", Kayla says smiling gently.
"It pains me to agree", Clarisse states.
"I know he didn't mean it like it sounded", Percy states lying.
Apollo knew he was lying. What was with this demigod?
"You have self-esteem issues", Nico mutters.
Percy glares at him pointedly, "Who has self-esteem issues Neeks?"
"You", Nico and Thalia say innocently.
Percy goes to splash them with water but Annabeth holds them back.
"You know what they are trying to do", she whispers for only him to hear.
Percy sighs, "I know"
On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.
The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.
Poseidon frowns. Sally and Paul looked sad.
"You have us", Thalia states.
"You do", Nico agrees.
"And you will always have us", Thalia adds.
"Now I do", Percy confirms smiling at them.
"They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.
What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the autumn.
"Oh", one of the guys said, "That's cool"
They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.
The only person I dreaded saying goodbye to was Grover but, as it turned out I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.
During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.
Finally I couldn't stand it any more.
I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"
"That gave me a heart attack!" Grover informs Percy.
Percy shrugs, "Can you blame me?"
Grover didn't answer that.
Because what could he say?
Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha – what do you mean?"
I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr Brunner the night before the exam.
Grover's eye twitched. "Hie much did you hear?"
"Oh . . . not much. What's the summer-solstice deadline?"
"That's what we want to know", Hephaestus states.
He winced. "Look, Percy . . . I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon maths teachers . . ."
"Low blow Grover", Kayla mutters as Grover winces.
"Grover –"
"And I was telling Mr Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs Dodds, and . . ."
"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar"
All the demigods and some gods snort at that. Grover blushes again.
His ears turned pink.
"That is always a dead giveaway", Thalia states.
"Along with the stuttering and over talking", Annabeth adds.
"Leave the guy alone", Percy tells them deciding to butt in.
Grover smiles at him, "Thanks Percy"
"We love Grover. We were just stating", Thalia replies.
From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer"
The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:
Grover Underwood, Keeper
Half-Blood Hill
Long Island, New York
(800) 009-0009
"What's Half –"
"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um . . . summer address"
My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be rich as the others at Yancy.
"Okay", I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion"
He nodded. "Or . . . or if you need me"
"Why would I need you?"
It came out harsher than I meant it too.
Grover blushed right down to his. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I – I kind of have to protect you"
I stared at him.
All year long, I'd gotten in fights keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me.
"Thanks Perce", Grover says smiling at his best friend.
"Any time man. Lucky for you eh?" Percy asks amused.
"Why?" Thalia asks.
"Oh nothing", Percy says innocently.
"What?" many asks.
"Will it involved a Wedd…", he starts before Grover launches at Percy and covers his mouth.
"Nothing!" Grover states.
Percy licks his hand and Grover pulls back grimacing.
"Just saying G-Man it will come out eventually", Percy tells him.
"I prefer it never comes out", Grover mutters blushing deeply.
Much to everyone's interest. What was the story Grover didn't want Percy to share?
"Grover", I said. "What exactly are you protecting me from?"
There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.
After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.
We were on a stretch of country road – no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.
The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood-red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice, There were no customers.
Percy sighs and he knew his Dad and Mum and everyone else would not like what was coming.
Just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.
"Please say they are not who I think they are", Poseidon begs his son.
Sally had gone deathly pale.
Percy couldn't meet his eyes.
I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.
The Gods all look startled and were looking strangely at Percy. But Percy wouldn't look at them. Poseidon was begging for this to be wrong.
All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.
The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.
Poseidon groans at that. He knew it wasn't good.
Paul held Sally to him tightly trying to calm her down.
Why did everyone have a bad feeling about this?
I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.
"Grover?" I said, "Hey, man –"
"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are. Aren't they?"
"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"
"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all"
The Old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors – gold and silver, long -bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.
"We're getting I the bus", he told me, "Come on"
"Listen to him!" many exclaim.
"What?" I said, "It's a thousand degrees in there"
"Come on!" he prised open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.
Everyone was holding their breath. Many looked scared and were glancing at Percy every few seconds.
Even the Past heros (Besides Hercules) that didn't know him well.
Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic, Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for – Sasquatch or Godzilla.
"They cut the string", Poseidon gasps teary eyed.
"No, no not my baby boy", Sally cries.
Annabeth clutches at Percy tightly.
Thalia and Nico looked at their favourite cousin like he was going to disappear.
"The Fates", Apollo whispers
Everyone looked at Percy as if he was going to die.
"It wasn't my string", Percy tells them with a fleeting glance at Luke.
Luke knows it was his string.
"Whose was it then?" Athena asks.
"I am sure you will find out", Percy replies with sorrow in his eyes.
Luke nods at Percy and was touched by the concern and sorrow in Percy's eyes after everything he had done.
At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.
The passengers cheered.
"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"
"Thank Gods", Hylla whispers.
Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.
Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.
"Grover?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you not telling me?
He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"
"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like . . . Mrs Dodds, are they?"
His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw"
"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn"
Everyone in the room shudders at what Percy said so casually.
He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost – older.
He said, "You saw her snip the cord"
"Yeah. So?" but even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.
"This is not happening", Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time"
"What last time?"
"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth"
Thalia glares at Grover for STILL blaming himself for her death.
"Grover", I said, because be was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"
"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me"
This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.
"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.
No answer.
"Grover – that snipping of yarn. Does that mean somebody is going top die?"
"Very perceptive", Athena states.
How could a son of Barnacle Beard be that?
He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.
"That is the end of the chapter", Demeter tells them.
There is silence in the throne room. Nobody knowing what to say.
"Why is it always you Kelp-For-Brains?" Thalia asks.
"It is not my fault I am Fates personal play thing", Percy replies.
"Yeh right. How did you piss them off in your last life?" Nico asks teasing him.
The three cousins start bickering again. Breaking some of the tension in the room which was their intention.
Everyone looked at the three and after the last two chapters and this one they could see how close they were. Just how did they become that close?
Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)