A/N: Hello everyone, JkAlex here with a new chapter!
Guys, seriously, I fucking love you. The reception I received from you for the first chapter, the reviews and favorites, was much more than I expected. It makes me really excited about writing this story. Each comment was with a hug from you.
I'm sorry for the late update, but I don't have as much free time as I'd like to sit down and write this story due to final exams at my college. Still, I try to update as quickly as possible. I hope you will bear with me in this story, which has only just begun, as I have a lot on my mind that will blow your mind. It is from here that I plan to throw the book out the window.
I know you've been waiting for the sequel and outcome of the crossover with The Kane Chronicles, along with information about Percy's amnesia. This chapter will put some points on the ¨i¨.
At a separate point, I remind you that this story is originally written in Spanish, but translated into English through an online translator. So I apologize if there are some inconsistencies in the writing.
Anyway, and without further ado... Let's go!
Episode 2
Greeks and Egyptians
How long has it been?
Days?
Weeks?
Months?
Years...?
I did not know it. I didn't even know if time itself existed in this strange place.
Every second, every minute, every hour, was the same as before. The silence and darkness was so absolute that it was stifling and hopeless.
Why am I in this place? I have asked myself that question so many times and have not been able to come up with an answer.
Is this some kind of punishment? My punishment after death is... to be in this place forever?
No... I don't want that!
Please...! Someone help me! Whoever!
Please...
Help...
But no matter how much I yelled, even if I had no voice, silence was my only response.
The first time Percy met a god (or at least the first time he can remember) he ended up in a brutal and bloody battle with the god's daughter, where they both ended up in the infirmary with some broken bones.
From there, he learned three important things.
The first was that his body instinctively knew, like breathing, how to fight someone. And above all, how skilled he was in knife combat. His dexterity was something that even Luke, who was considered the best swordsman in the last 300 years, had a hard time with. But, most surprising of all, was the incredible accuracy he had when throwing a knife. His aim was such that he even ridiculed one of the sons of Apollo. Although that aim was not reflected in archery.
He still remembered that occasion where he used a bow and arrow for the first time. The arrow did a surprising 180-degree turn and ended up embed itself in Chiron's hindquarters. Percy vowed never to touch a bow again.
The second was how enormous and dangerous his powers were as the son of Poseidon. He still hadn't found a limit to his powers, but he knew that such power was really difficult to control. It was like trying to juggle flaming sticks blindfolded while he was riding a unicycle. It wasn't impossible, but it took a lot of practice. Which is why he had trained these past few months to control his powers.
And the third was that, during his fight with Clarisse, he was able to realize how much he liked to fight.
It was a strange feeling, intense and somewhat intoxicating. The adrenaline flowing through your veins, causing all your senses to sharpen so as not to miss the smallest detail while you faced an enemy who, in the worst case, wanted to kill you.
And now, finding himself facing the Egyptian goddess of scorpions and her army of them, Percy began to feel that same adrenaline begin to pump through his body. He held his knife firmly and prepared his body for the impending battle.
Although Bast, the other goddess present, didn't seem to have the same thoughts.
"This is bad... This is very bad," she muttered. "We have to escape."
"Can't you handle her?" Thalia questioned, raising an eyebrow at the goddess of cats.
"The power I have within this hostess is very limited. But my priority right now isn't fighting, it's getting Sadie and Carter to safety."
She cast a concerned look at Sadie and Carter, who were still watching Serqet with fear in their eyes as she approached along with her scorpion army.
"You said you had to go to Central Park to get those kids to safety, right?" Percy asked, not taking his gaze from Serqet. "We will help you get there."
"Yes, but we need a transport."
"I've got you covered," Thalia assured. "Just follow me."
"Good," the goddess agreed, then turned to Sadie and Carter. "Kids, we have to go!"
They both didn't argue and turned to run, following Thalia.
Serqet had other plans, as she sent her scorpion army after them. The little arachnids advanced with terrifying speed. The sound of its pincers snapping, along with that of its tiny paws, were becoming more and more audible.
"They're reaching us!" Sadie exclaimed, turning to look over her shoulder at the swarm that was chasing them.
"Thalia!" Percy called as they ran. "Can't you use your lightning power to take us all away?!"
"If it was one or two people, I could do it!" She answered, running to his side.
"We need to buy time!" Carter said. "They'll catch up with us at any moment!"
As they ran toward the Washington Square Arch and past the fountain, Percy had an idea. He stopped and looked at the rapidly approaching army of scorpions.
"Percy?! What the hell are you doing?! Thalia questioned, with slight concern.
"Buying us some time!"
Percy closed his eyes and concentrated. He could feel it. He could feel the tons of water rushing underground, waiting, yearning to be released.
Remember, Percy, the sea doesn't like to be contained...
He had heard that before. He was sure. It was a blurry, fleeting memory.
You can't just guide the water like a river channel. If you wish, you can control it, subject it to your will.
It was a man with a hood. Percy couldn't see his face, but he remembered his sad, wistful smile. He remembered giving him something. A knife...
Remember, the will is the key...
Percy's eyes widened as he felt the familiar tug in his stomach. He watched as Serqet approached him. The scorpions acted as a platform where she stood. The arachnid army began to amass and lift the goddess up into what looked like a giant 13 feet wave made of scorpions. At the top, the goddess glared down at Percy. She opened her mouth, and second insect jaws snapped shut on the sides with a menacing snap.
But Percy stood his ground.
"You cannot pass" he growled.
"Percy!" Thalia yelled.
The concern on her face was evident as she watched her dear friend stand before the goddess defiantly.
Percy stretched out his arms in the direction of the fountain and the water erupted like a geyser erupting 13 feet high, sending gallons of water into the sky, carrying dozens of scorpions with it.
The others watched in shock as Percy waved his arms and the water followed his movements and rose even above the huge wave of scorpions, reaching a height of 20 feet.
Percy couldn't help himself and smiled defiantly at the goddess, who watched with mounting panic at the huge wave of water bearing down on her.
"Go back to the shadow..." he said. "You... shall not pass!"
Percy waved his arms and sent the massive amount of water forward, causing it to sweep all the scorpions towards Serqet, who widened in surprise as she was abruptly washed away with enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, sending her crashing into a tree.
Percy gritted his teeth as the pull in his stomach grew stronger to the point of pain as he concentrated on freezing the water. At a slow, but steady rate, the water began to solidify, trapping the hundreds of scorpions inside it and the goddess herself in it, who had a look of utter shock and terror on her face before the ice covered all her body.
Percy collapsed to one knee as he gasped for air. There was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead from the effort of controlling so much water and then turning it to ice. He knew that his powers were enormous, but he still needed proper training in order not to get tired every time he used it at this level.
'That was... A memory?' he thought, feeling a warm feeling in his heart at the thought of those words that came to his mind, along with the image of a man giving him that hellhound fang knife. 'Yes, it was. It was a memory of me. One of my own'
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Thalia, giving him a surprised and appreciative look, though Percy could see something else in the background that he couldn't place.
"Percy..." she said. "That was..."
"Fucking amazing!" Sadie exclaimed, moving closer to them.
"Nah, the Gandalf imitation could have been better."
"Dude, how the hell did you do that?" Carter asked, still unable to believe what he had seen.
"Son of Poseidon, I guess..." Percy gasped as he straightened up. "I... I just followed my instincts. Just like the night I woke up from the tree."
Sadie looked confused at his words, while Thalia merely nodded in acknowledgment.
"As amazing as what the boy just did is, we have to go," Bast prompted, sending a sideways glance at the frozen goddess. "I don't think that's enough to stop Serqet."
Percy nodded. He could already feel the scorpion goddess struggling to free herself from the ice.
"The ice will melt soon," he reported. "It will not be able to contain the goddess for long."
"So, how do we get to Central Park?" Carter asked. "Will we have to steal another car? Because I'm not very comfortable with the idea."
"That won't be necessary," Thalia said, pulling a set of keys from inside her coat. "I have my own car."
Thalia's car was a black Mercedes-Benz. A smart and practical car with enough space to fit five people and a dog, although Mrs. O'Leary had to ride on Percy's lap, who sat in the back seat between Carter and Sadie. Behind the wheel was Thalia and in the passenger seat was Bast, guiding the daughter of Zeus towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"So..." Sadie spoke up, looking at Percy with interest, "What did you mean by 'wake up from the tree' earlier?"
Thalia gave Sadie an annoyed look in the rearview mirror. Although she didn't realize it as she kept looking at Percy.
He glanced at Thalia in the rearview mirror. She looked doubtful whether it would be right to tell those people about him.
In the end, Percy ended up shrugging.
"About four months ago, I came out of a tree in the middle of a battle between demigods and monsters," he said.
Sadie and Carter's jaws dropped at that, even Bast looked a bit puzzled and intrigued when she turned to look at him.
"Wait a minute... Were you a tree?" Carter asked, looking confused. "Didn't you say you were a son of Poseidon?"
"Well, I am... I guess," Percy replied. "From what I've been told, six years ago, I died in battle against a small army of monsters. Dying, my father turned my body into a pine tree."
"'From what you have been told'? Sadie asked, raising an eyebrow. "You talk like you don't know what happened."
"I do not know. I have no memories of my life before being turned into a tree," he revealed, much to their surprise. "I don't know who I am, where I come from, the things I did, or the people I met. Everything is a mystery to me. Even Thalia, who has said that she traveled with me a few months before I "died" that night, she doesn't know much about me. Not even my last name."
The atmosphere turned slightly gloomy at his words. He received pained looks from the Kane siblings, though Bast looked at him with more intrigue.
"Tell me, Percy," she said, looking directly at him. "Is there anything you remember before waking up from that tree?"
Percy looked at her confused, but at the serious look he received from the goddess, he decided to answer.
"I... I only remember darkness," he said, then looked at Thalia. "And Thalia's voice speaking to me... It was the only thing that kept me from going crazy in the middle of all that darkness."
Thalia focused on continuing to drive without taking her eyes off the road, not wanting to meet her gaze with Percy's, causing him to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"I see. Then you remember something," Bast nodded understandingly. "If so, it is most likely that you have not lost your memories, but have suppressed them."
Percy looked at the goddess with intrigue.
"Why you believe that?"
"Because memories are part of one's soul. Of its very essence. It is impossible to get rid of them. Most likely, due to the years you spent inside that tree, you unconsciously suppressed your memories so as not to go insane."
Percy stared at the goddess in amazement. Chiron had told him that he had to be patient. That memories of him would come back naturally, sooner or later, and although Percy came to accept it, he still wanted an explanation as to why he had no memories.
He leaned across his seat to look at Bast.
"Is there any way you can have them back?" he asked, looking anxious. "If my memories are part of my soul, then there has to be a way to bring them up."
"I can help you make that happen," she proposed. "Your memories are just suppressed. Hidden somewhere inside your mind. The power I have within this host is weak and limited, but I should be able to do this. Although it can be a little overwhelming for you to have sixteen years of memories flooding into your mind so abruptly, plus those years you spent inside the tree. It can be overwhelming for you."
"Percy... You don't need to force yourself," Thalia said, looking at him with concern. "We can find another way."
"It's the only chance I've had since Silena offered to help me, Thalia," Percy said, looking at her seriously. "And she hasn't even wanted to try again. She's too scared to do it."
Thalia's gaze softened at the almost desperate tone in his voice.
"Are you sure of this?"
"No," he admitted. "But I... I don't want to be confused anymore." He gave Bast a serious look and nodded. "Please do it."
Bast placed a hand on Percy's head and closed her eyes in concentration. For a few seconds, nothing happened until Bast frowned, as if something was bothering her.
Finally, she pulled her hand away and gave Percy a strange look. It was as if she was seeing something in him that she hadn't seen before.
"Percy... Do you remember anything?" Thalia asked, looking at him expectantly.
"I... I still don't remember anything," he said with disappointment before looking at Bast. "What happened?"
"I was right. Your memories are suppressed," she said, frowning grimly. "But it wasn't you who suppressed them, it was something else. It's like some kind of... wall. One of magical nature and very powerful. I can't break it. Even if I was in a powerful hostess, I don't think I can do it."
Percy blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Bast looked directly at him.
"It means that someone put up a wall in your mind to keep your memories at bay."
Percy felt a chill run down his spine.
"But why...? Why would someone do that?"
"I don't know," Bast admitted, frowning. "But considering how powerful it is, it's not there by chance. Someone doesn't want you to get your memories back."
Percy frowned and sat back down in his place in a pained manner.
For the rest of the trip, no one said anything.
When they got to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it took Thalia almost ten minutes to find a parking space. Fifth Avenue was full of traffic, so she had to drive around the blocks several times looking for a place to park her car. Finally, she found a vacant spot two blocks away from the museum.
Getting out of the car, they wasted no time running to the museum, and once they were there, all stared at the huge building that spanned three whole blocks.
"It's right behind the museum," Bast pointed out, before turning to Percy and Thalia. "I appreciate that you... Wait, where's Percy?"
They all turned to look for the son of Poseidon and found him in front of one of the hot dog stands with Mrs. O'Leary next to him, tail wagging impatiently as she looked at the hot dogs on display.
"Two please," Percy said, holding up two fingers.
"Sure, son, just wait a minute," the vendor said with a friendly smile as he prepared his order.
"He is...?" Carter muttered, incredulous.
"Yeah, Percy always puts his stomach first," Thalia said with a sigh. "With or without amnesia."
Percy approached them, munching on his ketchup-and-fry-topped hot dog, while Mrs. O'Leary had already devoured her hot dog in one bite and was licking the ketchup from her lips.
"Really, Percy?" Thalia questioned, arching an eyebrow. "Are you eating right now?"
Percy swallowed before looking at her, slightly offended.
"What? An insect goddess who was chasing some kids interrupted my lunch and tried to drown me in a sea of scorpions," he said, then took another bite of his hot dog. "If I'm going to face that pedophile goddess again, I won't be doing it on an empty stomach."
"Actually, that won't be necessary anymore because this is the moment where we part ways," Bast intervened.
"What? Why?" Thalia asked. "You're the first goddess I've met that I like. And believe me, I know many gods."
Bast sadly shook her head.
"It's better if Camp Half-Blood and the House of Life stay away from each other. Nothing good ever comes of pantheons intermingling with each other."
Percy and Thalia's eyes widened as they looked at the goddess.
"Wait, you know about Camp Half-Blood?" Percy asked.
"Of course. I've never seen it personally, but I know who runs it."
"Mr. D?"
"Who?"
"Dionysus," Thalia clarified.
"That old drunk?" Bast snorted. "No. I'm talking about Chiron."
Thalia looked at her in astonishment.
"Do you know Chiron?"
"Of course. He is an old friend. Although it's been a few centuries since I last spoke to him. We try not to interact too much because, like I said, when our cultures meet, nothing good ever comes of it."
"Then it has happened in the past," Carter guessed.
Bast's features darkened.
"Yes, many times. Like I said, it's never good. That's why we try not to get involved with other pantheons."
"Are there other pantheons besides the Greek and Egyptian ones?" Percy asked, feeling strangely interested.
"Many more. And each of them with their own problems, although they usually keep them in their own territory. Manhattan is Greek territory, while Brooklyn is Egyptian territory." She looked at both demigods gratefully. "We appreciate the help you've given us, but we'd better part ways. Especially now that our pantheon is going through a moment of crisis."
"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," Thalia said with an exasperated tone. "Since I went to the camp six years ago, I have had nothing but problems related to the gods. I swear one day I will have an ulcer because of them."
"Isn't it because of the insane amount of cigarettes you smoke or the beers you drink?" Percy pointed out, raising an eyebrow.
"Shut up, Percy. Don't mess with my cigarettes and beer. Especially my beer."
Bast watched with slight amusement at the interaction between the two.
"Anyway, we appreciate your help," the goddess said. "I doubt we would have made it this far without you."
"It was interesting," Sadie said, crossing her arms and smiling in a friendly way. "I never thought of meeting two sons of gods. Although, to be honest, I never thought I'd find myself in the shitty situation I'm in right now."
"If there's one thing in our lives that could coincide, it's that we're always in a shit situation if the gods are involved," Thalia said, before turning to face Bast. "No offense."
"Never mind," Bast dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I know how... difficult the life of a demigod can be."
"Tell me about it..."
"Hey, Percy, I wanted to thank you for healing me," Sadie said, taking a step closer to Percy. "If it wasn't for you, I don't think we could have escaped from that goddess."
"Yeah, not to mention that you saved me from being stung by that scorpion. I really hate those bugs," Carter added, with a slight shudder at the memory of that scorpion.
"Don't be a little girl."
"Shut up."
Carter extended his hand towards the demigod with a friendly smile.
"It was nice meeting you, Percy."
"Damned, but I agree with Carter," Sadie said, giving Percy a friendly pat on the shoulder. "You know? I would have liked to meet you in other circumstances. You're pretty cool for someone who was once a tree."
Percy looked at Sadie and then at Carter, who still had his hand out, not sure how to react or what to say. It was the first time since he woke up from the tree that someone was kind because of who he was now, not who he was in the past. A past that he did not remember. The Kane siblings only met him today, but they were already nice and friendly to him.
With a smile, he shook Carter's hand firmly.
"Same to me. It was a pleasure meeting you both. Hey, Thalia, lend me your pen."
Thalia raised an eyebrow, but gave him the pen she always carried with her. Percy took it and looked for where he could write. Not finding any, he saw both siblings. It wouldn't work on Carter because of the dark complexion of his skin. Instead, Sadie had much whiter skin.
Percy grabbed Sadie's hand and proceeded to write on it, under Thalia's watchful eye.
"This is Thalia's apartment phone number," Percy explained. "If you're in Manhattan and need help, don't hesitate to give us a call."
"From Thalia?" Sadie inquired with confusion, looking at her hand before looking at Percy and Thalia. "Did you two...?"
"Yeah, that's right, Percy and I live together," Thalia said, throwing an arm around Percy's shoulder with a smirk.
Maybe it was Thalia's smile or the somewhat possessive and protective way she wrapped her arm around Percy, but Carter and Sadie's eyes widened and misinterpreted her statement and their relationship.
"Okay, let's go, kids. We have to go," Bast said, drawing attention before looking at Thalia and Percy with a smile. "This is where we part ways. I appreciate the help you have offered us. It was a pleasure meeting you, Thalia, Percy."
"Same," Thalia said, her arm still around Percy's shoulders. "It was great to meet a goddess who doesn't try to kill us or..."
"Curse us by turning into some exotic animal," Percy added.
"Then kill us."
Bast chuckled as he heard them.
'It's kind of cute how each other's sentences end,' she thought.
"Goodbye, both of you. I hope our paths meet again under better circumstances" the goddess said goodbye, walking away with the Kane siblings and turning over her shoulder to look at Percy sympathetically. "And Percy, I hope one day you get your memories back. No one should live condemned without knowing who he is."
After a final farewell gesture, the Greek demigods and the Egyptian goddess and magicians said goodbye. Percy and Thalia watched them go behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art and disappear out of sight. They both had the feeling that it would not be the last time they would see them.
Thalia, who still had one arm wrapped around Percy's shoulder, turned to see the wistful expression on his face.
"Percy?" she called softly.
He remained silent for a few seconds, slightly pursed his lips.
"Thalia... Do you remember... what you asked me before?" he inquired. "About whether I wanted to know who I am. About whether I wanted my memories back."
Thalia nodded slowly.
"The truth is... since I woke up that night, it's all I can think about," Percy revealed. "And today, for the first time, I was able to remember something."
"Really?!" Thalia exclaimed, sounding hopeful. "What did you remember?"
"Earlier, when I was fighting against that scorpion goddess, I remembered someone telling me; Remember, Percy, the sea doesn't like to be contained. It's... It's the first time I remember anything about myself. And it's about my name..." He smiled, feeling immensely relieved. "My name is really 'Percy'."
"We told you. We don't lie to you about who you are."
"I know. But I needed to be sure. Now I am."
Percy was truly relieved to discover that fact. It meant that his name was authentic and not just something they gave him out of pity. It was something that belonged only to him.
"And apparently this person knew me," he continued. "He knew who I am and what I can do, because he also told me; You can't just guide the water like a river channel. If you wish, you can control it, subject it to your will. Remember, the will is the key... I also remembered that it was he who gave me this knife."
Percy pulled the knife from him and looked at him. From the first time he saw it, he knew it meant something to him. And now, he was sure of it.
"I think this person, whoever he was, was like..."
"Like a teacher to you," Thalia finished, earning a surprised look from Percy. "In those days, when we traveled together, you would tell me about how you had someone who taught you everything you knew. How to fight all kinds of monsters using only a knife, your flawless aim with it, how to use your powers, even if you refused to use them... You told me that it was he who taught you to survive."
"Do you remember... Do you remember his name? Who was he?"
Thalia sadly shook her head.
"You never told me, because you didn't even know."
"I see..." Percy lowered his head and looked at his knife before clenching hard on its hilt. "I... I want to know who I am, desperately. The things I've done, the people I've met, the life I've had. I want to know all that. Not knowing who I am... is like feeling a void that I can't fill."
Thalia looked at him sadly.
"Percy, I... I can't imagine how you feel..."
"That's the point, Thalia, I hardly feel anything." He turned to look at her and due to their closeness, she could see the anguish in his eyes. "I don't have good or bad memories. I have no memories at all, except for these last four months. That's why I don't feel happy or sad almost all the time. All I feel is this... empty feeling. An emptiness that lessens a bit when... when I'm with you. Is it because your voice is the only thing I remember?"
Thalia was shocked by Percy's words. She knew he was affected by the lack of memories of him, but she didn't know it was so hard on him.
And most of all, she didn't know that Percy felt that way about her.
Without much thought, Thalia pulled him closer and wrapped him in a half hug. Due to their height difference, her head was resting on top of his.
"We'll find a way, Percy. I promise you," she said with conviction. "Together."
"Together..."
Percy looked reflective as he repeated that word, as if he had heard it before.
'We have to stick together if we want to get through this.'
'Then let's do this. Together.'
The words came to his mind like a warm summer breeze, along with the image of a much younger Thalia and Luke, who held out a fist toward him.
'Together.'
A smile tugged at his lips. Perhaps it was because of Thalia's words, perhaps because of her embrace, or perhaps because of the brief memory that flashed through his mind, but he felt a strange sensation of warmth and comfort.
Percy and Thalia had to part ways. Thalia still had classes for the afternoon, not to mention that she had to go talk to her editor about the progress of her new book, which left Percy with nothing to do for the afternoon. Thalia offered to take him back to her apartment, since it was on her way, but Percy decided to decline and instead said that he would just take a bus whenever he wanted to come back. Besides, he needed to pick up something he'd ordered, and he couldn't do it with Thalia present.
So as the day progressed, Percy accompanied by Mrs. O'Leary decided to take a walk through Central Park, taking advantage of the fact that he was there. He liked spending time with Thalia, and Luke was good company from time to time, too. But lately he had found it relaxing to walk the streets of New York. He was strangely familiar. On all those occasions, he had gone out, hoping that he might just remember something. On all those occasions he had been disappointed, but he came to find pleasure in walking.
It's for that he was able to enjoy the view offered to him by the heart of Central Park, the Bethesda Fountain located on Bethesda Terrace, north of 72nd Street.
"If Annabeth were here, I have no doubt she'd be babbling about the history of the statue and its measurements," Percy commented with a slight, amused smile. "Don't you think so, girl?"
Mrs. O'Leary barked in agreement as they both watched the landscape stretching out before them from the terrace.
Since he had woken up from that tree four months ago, Percy met many people, some of whom knew him from his time before he became a tree. Annabeth was one of them. A daughter of Athena who was quite stubborn and insistent that Percy regain his memories, going so far as to find various ways in which she could achieve it.
Now that he thought about it, Percy felt a little bad about the rude way he'd treated her while he was at Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth had been very insistent with him that he remember them, she was constantly on top of him recounting events from his past. At one point, Percy even went so far as to shove the chips she had offered him away, telling him they were his favorite snacks.
"I'll have to apologize to her next time," he told Mrs. O'Leary as he stroked her head, recalling Annabeth's pained look. "I know she meant well. I just... I was really overwhelmed by everything. To tell the truth, I still am. Gods... Titans... Monsters... An imminent war that is coming and me being in the middle of it all because I am the son of a god. What am I supposed to do when I don't even know who I am?"
Mrs. O'Leary whimpered pitifully and nuzzled her head down Percy's leg in an attempt to comfort him. He smiled at her as he patted her head and turned to watch the doves perch on the wings of the Angel of the Waters statue.
Mrs. O'Leary then began to sniff the shopping bag that Percy was holding and stuck her head inside it, searching for what was inside it.
"Oh, no, girl. There's no food there," he said, pulling the bag away from her and placing a hand on her head. "It's a gift for Thalia. After all, her birthday is close. I hope she likes it."
It was then that Percy felt Mrs. O'Leary tense under his touch, her ears pricked up, and she drew back her lips to bare her fangs. Percy watched in surprise as his pet loomed over the terrace and began to growl menacingly.
"What's up, girl?" he asked, looking over to where Mrs. O'Leary was snarling at it.
Percy looked over the stone railing, but he couldn't see anything. There was no one there, as the place was empty, but Mrs. O'Leary didn't seem to think so, as she kept grumbling.
Confused, Percy went to the end of the terrace and started down the two-tiered stairs on either side. He kept one eye on the lower part of the terrace as he reached the middle, and ducked behind the high railing and peered over it. Mrs. O'Leary followed suit, and they could both see two people emerging from a passageway at the bottom of the terrace. Percy was surprised though when the stones that made up the walls clicked together and the passageway disappeared as if it had never been.
"I told you we shouldn't have gone left earlier!"
The one who spoke was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes who seemed to be wearing a purple and white cheerleader uniform. The other person, who was also wearing the same uniform, was an African-American girl with dark curly hair.
"And what would you know?" the African-American girl replied, folding her arms with a sour expression. "We've been wandering in that dark, dank, disgusting place for who knows how long. So much humidity is not good for my skin. I need to sunbathe less than 15 minutes a day."
'They remind me of the daughters of Aphrodite from camp,' Percy thought.
"Besides, we don't even know if we're going in the right direction," she added with a snort and a grimace. "That stupid and arrogant demigod just sent us looking for something impossible to find. He is full of himself just because he was able to free Prometheus. It wasn't even his idea!"
"Although I think it's a bit handsome..." the blonde girl reflected, then smiled mischievously. "I wonder what his blood tastes like..."
Hearing that triggered red flags in Percy's brain, along with Mrs. O'Leary's growl that grew more intense, and he knew these girls weren't human.
'Monsters...' he surmised, reaching for his sheathed knife in the back of his jeans.
The African-American girl spoke again:
"We will be able to know that when that little god is no longer of help to us. For now... Wait..." She sniffed the air for a few seconds. "This smell... A demigod!"
Percy tensed and ducked behind the railing. He could hear how the girls were approaching where he was. Although the sound of their footsteps was strange, since it was heard like the walk of a horse and the rattle of something metallic hitting the ground.
"We know you're there, demigod. Show yourself."
Strangely, Percy felt that her voice was not threatening as he expected, but soft and attractive. He would even say seductive. Perhaps it was because of that he stopped hiding and got up, revealing himself to the two of them.
"Oh, you were right, Kelli," the blonde girl spoke up, with a dazzling smile. "There really was a demigod... and a very attractive one. Come closer, handsome."
Percy felt confused by the smile that the girl gave him, it was like a mix between flirtatious and threatening. It didn't help that the other girl, Kelli, was licking her lips with a hungry look, either.
Even so, he went down the stairs to approach the two girls. His knife partially forgotten in the back of his jeans as he placed the shopping bag carefully at the bottom of the stairs.
Mrs. O'Leary followed close behind, eyeing the two girls warily.
"My name is Tammi," the blonde girl introduced herself with a radiant smile, which distracted Percy a bit. "Tell me, handsome, what's your name?"
Percy's head felt a little cloudy, like the time he fought against that daughter of Ares, Clarisse, and she hit him hard on the head.
Before he could think about it further, he found himself answering:
"Percy... My name is Percy."
Tammi's smile faltered slightly, and her expression turned incredulous, but Kelli narrowed her eyes warily and something else. If not for Tammi's smile distracting him, Percy could swear he saw fear in her eyes and her body tense as she took a step back.
"Mmm... So you're Percy, huh?" Tammi mused, pulling herself together. "Tell me, Percy, what is someone like you doing here?"
Tammi started to move closer in a suggestive way by slightly swaying her hips, which caught Percy's attention, but he raised an eyebrow at Tammi's slightly limping gait. For a second, her slender legs were blurred and Percy saw that her left leg was hairy and had hooves like a donkey's, while her right seemed to be made of a bronze prosthetic.
Percy tensed at the sight and surreptitiously reached for the back of his jeans, reminding himself that they were in the presence of two monsters.
Mrs. O'Leary bared her teeth and began to snarl menacingly.
"Tammi," Kelli said in a reproachful, warning tone. "Stop playing."
"Oh, why?" Tammi complained. "It's not every day you meet someone as infamous as him. I have heard how the monsters whisper his name in fear. To have someone, so dangerous like him, standing right in front of me is... fascinating."
"Because he is the one our Lady warned us about."
Tammi turned to look at Percy with new interest shining in her blue eyes.
"So it's him, huh...?"
Percy's grip on the handle of his knife loosened.
"How come you know about me?" Percy questioned, intrigued.
"Oh, honey. You're much more famous than you think." Tammi reached out and began to hover around him, slipping her hand around his shoulders and causing Percy to tense under her touch. "The amount of monsters you killed in the past was hundreds. You killed Echidna, Chimera, a Drakon, and even the Minotaur itself... Twice! Not even the Lightning Princess, the most powerful demigod alive, has a kill count as high as yours. Our Lady has taken a special interest in you since you came back from the dead four months ago."
Percy blinked, confused.
"Your Lady? Who the hell are you? Don't they work for Kronos?"
Tammi's and Kelli's features crinkled in disgust, and it was at that moment that they began to transform. The color that had been on their faces and arms drained away, leaving their skin white as wax. Their eyes turned completely blood-red, and their teeth turned into fangs. Their legs beneath their skirt took on the shape he had seen before, giving them a somewhat disconcerting sight in their cheerleading uniform.
"We don't work for him," Tammi snarled, baring her fangs. "We are empousai. Black magic created us as a mixture of bronze, animal and ghost. We are servants of Hecate. And she is an ally of the Lord of the Titans. She doesn't work for him."
"And what does she want from me?" Percy questioned, tightening his grip on his knife upon seeing Tammi and Kelli's true appearance.
"Come with us, and you'll find out," Kelli offered, holding out her hand. "Our Lady gave us the order to offer you a position next to her if we were to meet you. A demigod as powerful as you will be a great ally."
Percy eyed his arm suspiciously. He had no reason to trust these monsters, let alone their Lady.
"We know about your amnesia," she added, causing Percy to look at her in surprise. "When you emerged from the tree four months ago, you did so without any memories, right? Come with us and you will recover your memories. You want to know who you are, don't you?"
"Why should I trust you?" Percy questioned, still looking at them suspiciously.
Kelli's smile turned more mischievous.
"They haven't told you your real name, have they?"
Percy felt his blood run cold.
"My... real name? What are you talking about? My name is Percy!"
"Yes, it is, but... What about your last name? Did those at Camp Half-Blood tell you? Did the gods tell you? Did those people who claim to be your "friends" tell you?"
Percy's grip on his knife began to shake from the force, his knuckles turning white from the strain and his breathing becoming a little more erratic.
"What... What's my last name?" he finally asked.
Kelli smiled triumphantly before answering:
"Percy... Jackson."
"Jackson..."
Percy frowned. He had heard that last name before somewhere.
It was then that the image of a girl with black hair and sea green eyes flashed into his mind.
'Andy... Andy Jackson!' thought Percy, their eyes widened with understanding, 'She has the same last name. So are we familiar? We are both children of Poseidon, but... Are we also related by our mortal side? They know? If so, why didn't they tell me? Why... Thalia didn't tell me?'
Questions plagued Percy's mind, causing his face to scrunch with confusion and frustration.
Mrs. O'Leary, seeing the troubled state her master was in, whimpered piteously and nuzzled her head against his leg to get his attention. That worked, as Percy looked up at her and smiled sadly at her as he patted her head.
"Don't worry, girl. I'm fine," he told her before turning to look at Kelli and Tammi. "How come you know that? And how do I know you are telling the truth?"
"If you want to know, then come with us," Kelli offered once more. "Our Lady has the answers you seek. We will not lie to you, nor will we hide anything from you as the gods and Camp Half-Blood have done. They don't deserve that kind of consideration from you. They have done nothing for you."
Percy pondered the proposal. He was not going to lie and say that he was not tempting. Ever since he had emerged from that tree four months ago, he had been wanting to know who he was. Get full answers and not just partial and vague as they had been giving. Now, he had the chance to perhaps find out who he really was.
"You're right," Percy admitted. "Both the gods and Camp Half-Blood have done nothing for me. I owe nothing to them..."
"Excellent," Kelli smiled triumphantly. "Then..."
"But I won't turn my back on Thalia and Luke," he said firmly. "They have been the only ones who have been there for me since I came out of the tree. And I know that Camp Half-Blood means a lot to them. If finding out who I am means turning my back on them and joining those who seek the destruction of the camp, I won't do it."
Tammi and Kelli both looked surprised by his response.
"You say that even after they kept your real name from you?" Tammi asked incredulously. "Who are you really about?"
Percy reflected on her words for a few seconds, and it was then that he remembered Thalia's words.
'We'll find a way, Percy. I promise you. Together.'
"I will not betray them," he said with conviction. "I prefer to continue not knowing who I am instead of betraying them... instead of betraying her..."
"You are deluded and foolish," Kelli snapped, taking a cautious step back. "You turn down the opportunity to find out who you are, just because you refuse to turn your back on those who have lied and deceived you."
"Maybe you're right..." Percy admitted, readying his knife and coming on guard. "But I'd rather be deluded and foolish than be a traitor. So you can tell your Lady to take her offer and shove it up her ass."
Mrs. O'Leary bared her fangs as she prepared to pounce on those monsters if necessary.
Kelli's and Tammi's features crinkled with fury and contempt at the insult to her mistress.
"Cheeky boy!" Tammi snarled, baring her fangs menacingly. "How dare you spit on our Lady's kind offer? I'll take you to her in pieces!"
She lunged at Percy, intending to sink her fangs into his neck, but he moved away from her. Mrs. O'Leary let out a loud bark and jumped at Tammi, but she slapped her away, though the hellhound did go so far as to slash her forearm with her claws.
"You disgusting animal!" Tammi screeched in pain, watching the blood trickle down her arm. "How dare you attack a fellow monster to defend a demigod?!"
Mrs. O'Leary just growled defiantly at her as she moved to Percy's side.
"Enough," he said, taking a step forward. "Go to the high school you came from. Although, if you're going to try out for cheerleading, I recommend shaving your leg if you're going to wear a skirt. And remember to oil the other leg."
Both Tammi and Kelli gasped in an offended manner.
"Insolent boy!" Tammi snapped. "How dare you...?!"
Percy pointed his knife at them, silencing her.
"I'll only say it once," he said. "Go away."
A growl emerged from Tammi's throat.
"Do you think you can tell me what to do?"
Percy's gaze fell on her.
"I wasn't talking to you, Elsa. Normally, I don't kill monsters, even if I run into them... unless they attack me."
Tammi laughed out loud.
"Do you think you can kill me?" she scoffed. "Maybe you've been like the Boogyeman to monsters in the past. But now, without your memories, you are but a shadow of what you once were. You no longer influence fear in us."
Percy raised an eyebrow and held out a hand in Tammi's direction. Immediately, she tensed in her place and her eyes widened in alarm.
"Wh-what... What's going on?" she said with mounting panic. "I can't... move my body..."
"You said that I am only a shadow of what I once was, right?" Percy said, beginning to slowly clench his fist. "Well, I guess it's time for me to go back to my old ways and influence fear into you, monsters."
Tammi's body began to spasm violently. The wound on her forearm began to bleed even more. Likewise, blood began to trickle out of her nose, mouth, her ears, and also out of her eyes.
"If I am... a monster..." Tammi gasped, looking at Percy as blood trickled from her eyes and mouth. "Then... What are you...?"
Percy's eyes narrowed murderously, his sea-green eyes glittering with ferocity.
"Something worse."
As he clenched her fist, the empousa stopped moving and her face was plastered with an expression of terror. Her limp body crumpled to the floor and turned into a pile of golden dust.
"Ta... Tammi..." Kelli muttered, taking a step back in fear as Percy's gaze landed on her.
"Go away," Percy growled, pointing his knife at her. "Or I will make the blood in your body boil. You don't want to know what it's like to be burned from the inside out."
It was a lie. Percy knew he couldn't do that. The scope of his powers was not yet that wide. He had learned that he couldn't control the blood in someone's body unless there was a wound in their body that caused it to bleed. And even if he did, he could only do one at a time. Likewise, he couldn't control the temperature of someone's blood the way he could control water. He couldn't freeze it or boil it.
At least, not yet.
But Kelli didn't have to know that. It was just a bluff. And judging by the scared look on her face, it had worked.
"My... My Lady will hear about this."
Those were her last words before exploding in a blaze of fire that then spread everywhere. Percy watched with interest, since it was the first time a monster would disappear like that, but seeing the flames start to spread all over the place he panicked.
He looked around for a way to turn them off, and his eyes fell on the Bethesda Fountain. With a wave of his hand, water rushed out of the fountain and quickly doused the flames, leaving only a charred stain in place. Percy was glad for that, he didn't want to ruin this nice place.
"Time to go home, girl," he told Mrs. O'Leary. "Going up against pedophile goddesses and monsters in cheerleader outfits is interesting, but I have to cook dinner."
She barked in agreement, and they both walked over to the shopping bag that Percy had left on the side of the stairs and picked it up, checking that the gift inside hadn't suffered any damage from the flames.
'You reject the opportunity to know who you are, just because you refuse to turn your back on those who have lied and deceived you.'
The bag crumpled under Percy's grasp as he remembered Kelli's words. He didn't know if she was telling the truth or just a trick to make him distrust Thalia and Luke. He had decided to trust them and not turn his back on them, but they would undoubtedly have some explaining to do.
'Jackson...'
Again, Percy was reminded of Andy and the similarity they both shared, not only in divine ancestry, but also in appearance. He would have to talk to her the next time they met.
He turned to look at the place where Kelli had disappeared in a burst of flames, and his eyes fell on something that caught his attention.
He curiously approached the lower part of the terrace and, on one of the walls, he could see a strange symbol glowing on it. It almost seemed to blend in with the facade of the wall, and Percy would have passed it by if it weren't for the faint glow it gave off. Approaching it and examining it more carefully, Percy could see that it was in the shape of a triangle and thanks to his brain being programmed to read ancient Greek, he recognized it as a Greek letter ¨Δ¨, a Delta.
Somewhat hesitantly, Percy pressed the symbol, and it cast a faint blue glow for an instant before the stone wall opened like automated sliding doors, revealing a dark passage with no bottom visible. Percy could feel the hot breeze blowing from inside, carrying the smell of damp earth, rotten eggs, and a more metallic smell. For some reason, Percy was able to identify that smell with blood.
Mrs. O'Leary whimpered pitifully and hid behind Percy's leg, as if she was afraid of what she found inside of it.
Percy cautiously eyed the hallway. His instincts told him that it was dangerous. And if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that his instincts were always right.
He took several steps back without taking his eyes off the dark passage, expecting something to come out of the darkness and attack him. But all that happened was that the wall slid back as before, closing the passage, although the letter Delta was still there, glowing dimly as if it were urging him to oppress it.
Giving a one last look over him shoulder, Percy walked away from that place, although the symbol still flashed in his mind, along with the sensation that that dark passage produced in him.
"What a day..." Thalia sighed as the elevator doors opened, and she stepped out into the seventh-floor hallway.
After she went back to college and finished her afternoon classes, she had to go to the publisher that helped publish her first book to discuss the terms of the future sequel. It was a real torment. Between receiving the offer that her book be adapted into a film and the discussion about the direction the sequel would take, it took her all afternoon to participate in that meeting. By the time they were done, the sun had already set. Which meant that she would have to get back to her apartment in traffic, and because of that she would be later than usual.
The sound of the second elevator stopping on the same floor caught her attention, and she turned to watch as the doors opened to reveal an equally tired Luke. His clothes were lightly stained with dirt, dried cement, and mud.
"What a day..." he also sighed.
It was then that he became aware of Thalia's presence. They both stared at each other for a second until Luke raised his hand.
"Hey," he waved tiredly.
"What's up?"
"Nothing. Just another day slaving away at the construction company," Luke said, walking next to her.
"Oh, tell me about it," Thalia snorted. "Sometimes I feel like a slave to my own work."
"Let me guess. Again your editors."
"Those damn vultures," she complained. "They only care about the amount of money they can get from my work. They want to censor my movie, and they don't like the direction I want to take in the sequel to my book. Fucking assholes."
"Come on, Thalia, calm down." Luke tried to calm her down. "They won't ignore your opinions because they would be the ones to lose out. You have nothing to lose."
That seemed to dampen Thalia's anger a bit, and she ended up snorting.
"Yeah, you're right," she said before sighing tiredly. "Sorry, Luke. It is not my intention to bring work problems home."
"Don't worry," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Both Percy and I are here to support you when you're feeling frustrated. Just try not to let your work consume you. Remember, you do it because you like to do it, not because you are forced to do it."
Thalia smiled and gave her a friendly smack on the arm.
"You're absolutely damn right. Come on, I need a beer."
"Thalia, it's still Thursday," Luke reminded her, rubbing the spot where she hit him.
She glanced at him sideways and raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"We are during the week."
"Aha."
"You have classes tomorrow."
"I still don't understand your point."
Luke sighed and gave up.
Thalia smiled triumphantly and opened the door to her apartment. Upon doing so, she was almost immediately assaulted by the smell.
"This smell..." Luke murmured, sniffing the air.
Thalia smiled with anticipation and walked inside. Her nose took her directly to the kitchen, being the place where came from that pleasant and appetizing smell.
"Hey Percy, we're back," she greeted.
Percy turned and smiled at both of them. His sea-green eyes seemed to light up at the sight of them.
"Hey, welcome," he said, holding a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other as he wore a kitchen apron. "Dinner will be ready soon. Can you prepare the table?"
Thalia didn't quite understand, but seeing that brought warmth to her heart.
"Sure. Luke, give me a hand."
After shedding their coats, Thalia and Luke set up the dining room table, carrying plates and utensils.
As Luke set out the plates, Thalia could see that he was smiling.
"Hey, why are you grinning like an idiot?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"It's nothing," he shook his head, though he was still smiling. "You'll think it's something stupid."
"Rest assured that I will. Now spit it out."
"It's just... I always thought it would be nice to have a home to go back to. A home to which to say 'I'm back' when I return. And since I started living with you two, every time I come back, there is always someone telling me 'Welcome'. It's... It's really nice."
Thalia put down the plates and watched with Luke in amazement.
It was that.
Ever since Luke and Percy had started living with her, things had taken a 180° turn in her life. Yes, there were not-so-nice moments, like when she wanted to hit Luke for drinking all her beer, or when she was exasperated that Percy was insistent that she should eat better and almost forced her to eat the healthier food than he prepared. Even Mrs. O'Leary had been a pain in the ass, as she had on more than one occasion shredded curtains or sofas with her claws and teeth, not to mention leaving hair all over the carpet.
But even with all that, there wasn't a better feeling in the world for her than coming back to her apartment after a tiring day to be greeted by either Percy or Luke. Back, and Percy offering her a delicious home-cooked meal and Luke an ear to listen to all her troubles. It was a huge contrast compared to when she lived alone, where when she came back there was only a cold and empty room.
Now, when she returned, there was always someone to greet her. Someone waiting for her.
"Yeah... you were right, it's kind of stupid," she said, then smiled. "But that doesn't mean what you say isn't true. I... also think it's nice."
After finishing setting the table, Luke went to take a quick shower. Thalia went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, where she pulled out a can of beer and opened it while she waited for Percy to finish cooking.
"Hard day?" he asked, turning the meat that was in the pan with the spatula.
"Stressful, I'd say," she said, taking a sip of her beer. "My publishers want my book movie to be rated PG, just because they want to heavily censor some topics that I touch deeply and took me so long to research. Such as social inequality, discrimination, abuse of power, corruption, xenophobia, suicide, along with the harsh and horrible truth about war and its dire consequences. All under the pretense that the cost of production would be too high and that it would be too long a gamble to make it R-rated! Fucking bastards..."
"Sounds like your publishers only care about money," Percy commented.
"This is what I say!" Thalia exclaimed in exasperation. "They do not have the true love of art."
Percy raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"'Love of art'? And you have it?"
Thalia snorted.
"I have a lot of love for what I do."
Percy chuckled in amusement.
"Yeah, you have it. I know more than anyone how much you love to write."
"It's partly thanks to you, you know?" she said, turning to look directly at him. "You were the one who motivated me to be a writer."
"It was like this?"
Thalia nodded.
"The day you regain your memories back, you will know." Thalia gently placed her hand over Percy's, causing him to look at her. "And when that happens, Percy, I..."
"Ahem," cleared a voice.
Thalia frowned and turned slightly annoyed to look at who had interrupted her. At first, she thought it was Luke, but she was surprised when she saw a slightly translucent image float above the kitchen counter.
"Annabeth," Thalia agreed.
The young teen arched an eyebrow as she saw Thalia's hand separate from Percy's.
"Am I interrupting something?" Annabeth asked.
'Yes, you do' Thalia wanted to say forcefully, but she refrained from doing it.
If Annabeth contacted her through an Iris Message, it meant it was something important or urgent.
"What do you want, Annabeth?" Thalia asked, getting straight to the point.
"It's Grover," she said, a serious look on her face. Her storm-gray eyes darkened. "He has contacted Chiron. He has told that he has found two. And that he needs all the help he can get."
Thalia arched a curious brow as she took a sip from her can of beer.
"Demigods?"
Annabeth nodded.
"Yes. And from their scents, he said they were very strong, even without knowing their ancestry."
"So, what is the problem?" Percy spoke for the first time, turning off the kitchen fire and giving Annabeth an accusing look. "Why don't you take them to camp as your new recruits? After all, they need warriors to fight the coming war, right?"
Thalia pursed her lips as she listened to Percy. She knew why Percy had that image of Camp Half-Blood. Since he had woken up from the tree four months ago and lived in the camp for two weeks, the image he had of it hadn't been the best. At best, he saw it as a military school training soldiers for a future war. A war in which, without him wanting it, he was a part. And, at worst, as mere disposable pawns of the gods.
Annabeth looked away, conflicting. Whether she went by hid words or seeing Percy giving her an accusing look, Thalia didn't know.
"It's not that simple," she finally said. "Grover is unable to get them out of the boarding school where they are."
"Let me guess." Thalia rolled her eyes. "Monsters."
Annabeth nodded grimly.
"And from what Chiron told me, it's a whole battalion of them."
Thalia felt surprised and confused, hearing that.
"Wait, if there's a whole battalion of monsters, how come those demigods are still there? Hell, how come they're even still alive?"
"That's the weird thing." Annabeth frowned in a confused way. "From what Grover has told Chiron, they just seem to wander around aimlessly. As if something was keeping them confused and at the same time driving them away. Grover hasn't been able to figure out the reason. Regardless, he needs help getting those two demigods out safely. That's why I'm asking for your help, Thalia. Andy and I won't be able to handle this alone if there's an army of monsters lurking."
At the mention of Andy's name, Percy tensed in his place, causing Thalia to raise an intrigued eyebrow.
She took a deep drink of her beer before answering.
"Okay, you convinced me with the monster army. I'm in," she said, before turning to look at Percy. "Hey, Percy, what do you say? Do you want to join a rescue mission and face an army of monsters?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Thalia caught a glimpse of Annabeth's expectant expression, which caused an amused smile to tug at her lips.
It was pretty obvious to her that Annabeth also wanted Percy to go to spend more time with him. After all, Percy had only been at the camp for two weeks before moving in with her and Luke in New York. And in that short time, the interaction between Percy and Annabeth was quite... intense.
"Sure." He shrugged with a smile that reminded Thalia of old Percy. "Sounds good for a weekend outing."
Thalia smirked as Annabeth's face seemed to light up.
"Great," Thalia said before looking at Annabeth. "Where do we meet?"
"Actually, Andy and I were planning to stop by your apartment and then join Grover in your car," she replied.
"And where is he?"
"Bar Harbor, Maine. At a boarding school called Westover Hall."
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This isn't over yet, ladies and gentlemen!
The specials are back!
Enjoy it.
Special #1
Percy Christ
"About four months ago, I emerged from a tree in the middle of a battle between demigods and monsters," Percy explained.
Sadie and Carter's jaws dropped at that, even Bast looked a bit taken aback when she glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
"Wait a minute... Were you a tree?" Carter asked, looking confused. "Didn't you say you were a son of Poseidon?"
"Well, I am... I guess," Percy replied. "From what I've been told, six years ago, I died in a battle against a small army of monsters. Dying, my father turned my body into a pine tree. Technically, I wasn't dead, since my soul was linked to the tree. So, four months ago, I 'resurrected'."
"Yeah, Percy is the Jesus of the demigods," Thalia commented, looking at him in the rearview mirror with a smirk. "The son of a god, rising from the dead. Too bad you can't turn water into wine."
The others chuckled at Percy's expense, who frowned slightly in annoyance.
Thalia didn't stop teasing him.
"Hey, just in case, can you also do that fish multiplication thing?"
Bast looked interested as she raised her head and her ears twitched slightly like a cat would.
"Oh, wait," Thalia continued. "What about walking on water? You are a son of Poseidon. Surely you can do that."
"Thalia..."
"Wait, wait," she said between laughs. "Since you were a tree before, does it mean that you can now become one like a nymph?"
Thalia burst out laughing. Even Bast was chuckling.
"Yeah, haha, very funny, Thalia," Percy said before he narrowed his eyes in her direction. "There is no dinner for you tonight."
"What?!"
Thalia slammed on the brake and the car came to an abrupt stop. Sadie and Carter smashed their faces into the back of the front seats from the recoil.
She turned to look at Percy and leaned over him in a menacing manner.
"You would not dare..."
Percy matched her gaze, only he smiled menacingly as he leaned in as well.
"Try me."
Thalia's attitude did a 180-degree turn, and her expression became one of indignation and pleading.
"Why not?! Tonight we were going to have steak and mashed potatoes! Mashed potatoes!"
"Too bad. I'll have to eat it all myself. But don't worry, I'll give the steak to Mrs. O'Leary. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
Mrs. O'Leary barked cheerfully.
"No, Percy... Don't do this to me."
Thalia seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"Percy? According to you, I'm not Percy. I'm Jesus. And rest assured that you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, where the French fries are free, crispy, perfectly fried, with the right amount of salt and do not produce cholesterol."
"Those French fries don't exist!"
"They exist in my kingdom! And if you don't believe it, you are not worthy of being in it! You have no love for French fries!"
"How dare you question my love of French fries?!"
As Percy and Thalia continued to argue, Sadie leaned in to speak to her brother.
"Demigods sure are weird," she said. "Arguing over plain fries."
"They are sons of gods, what did you expect?" Carter arched an eyebrow. "You don't remember when Bast attacked that wrecking ball because, according to her, it could be 'hostile'."
"Oh, yeah," she remembered, as they both continued to watch Thalia and Percy argue. "That explains everything..."
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And that's all for now, my dear readers!
With this chapter, we head towards the third book ¨The Titan's Curse¨
Damn, I get excited just thinking about all the things that will happen from now on. All I can say is that from now on, everything will get darker.
I know Percy Jackson is YA literature, but I always knew it had the potential to be darker, which I'll try to exploit in the future.
With this chapter, I have clarified a couple of important things, which I will mention:
We had the outcome of Percy and Thalia's encounter with the Kane siblings. Greeks and Egyptians know of the existence of the other. Most likely, later in the story, I will exploit that interaction as special chapters. But, the question is, if the Kane siblings showed up, does that mean Magnus will also show up?
We got to see the extent of Percy's powers as he faced off against Serqet. I will never get tired of writing how great Percy can be.
There were also clarifications regarding Percy's amnesia and his own feelings and thoughts about it. In my opinion, I'm happy with how it turned out.
We all know what Percy found when he confronted Kelli and Tammi. That will play a very important role in this book, so keep that in mind.
In the next chapter, we will see Percy and company go to Westover Hall. And we all know what awaits them in that place. Or more specifically, who...
Finally, I hope you liked it. Tell me your opinion in the reviews.
If you have any ideas about how the story could develop in the future, feel free to write me a message, no matter how long it is. We can discuss your ideas and see if I can add them in the future. It really is exciting to read the ideas and theories you send or about the possible future of the story.
For those interested, I invite you to join the ¨Emerald Library¨ server, a community for lovers of writing, be it fanfics or original stories, where you can share your stories, find authors and chat with them. You can enter through this code:
/ discord. gg/PD693JJWck
You can also find me on Discord under the name JkAlex#5083. Send me a message and let's talk, I always have a little time in the day to answer messages.
And lastly, if anyone is interested in proofreading the grammar of my English chapters before publishing, I'd be happy to accept help. Preferably, I'd like someone who has some writing experience, so we can discuss the best possible development of a scene. Just contact me through a private message.
That's all for now, I hope you liked this first chapter and without anything else to say... Until next time, handsome!
