Percy didn't plan to land himself and his cousins in the hospital. Really. It just . . . happened. Because everybody knows the Fates hate Percy Jackson. The most he had ever gone without any unexpected monster attacks was one month. Not even a month, really, as Leo had so helpfully pointed out. It was 27 days. He just had bad luck. If anything, Thalia and Nico were the ones to blame for convincing him to spend a day in the city with them. They should have known it wouldn't go well. So actually, he reasoned, none of this was his fault.
Too bad he couldn't convince his short-tempered cousin to think the same.
"This is all your fault," Thalia declared. Her electric-blue eyes flashed under the fluorescent light of the hospital room as she leaned back in her hard, wooden chair to glare at Percy.
"My fault? How was I supposed to see this coming?" Percy protested. He was sitting upright on the only bed, propped up against plain white pillows as he fidgeted with a pair of small scissors he'd picked up from the table next to him.
"You said you knew Manhattan like the back of your hand. You promised there would be no monsters lurking around!"
"I didn't promise anything. I said that if we stick together, we should be able to avoid any surprises!"
"And then you went off on your own."
"I didn't go off on my own. I split up from you guys for one second to check out the cookies that the street vendor was selling. One second. Right, Nico?"
The fourteen year old son of Hades sat on the ground, leaning against the closed door. His dark hair rested over his eyes to conceal the equal amount of amusement and exasperation he felt at his cousins' antics. He may have been the youngest of the group, but sometimes he felt like the older teens' babysitter.
"Leave me out of this," Nico replied. "But Kelp Head, you were supposed to be keeping a lookout." He put up his hands just in time to block the pillow Percy threw at him. Thalia laughed. Percy scowled, but the mirth in his eyes and the slight quirk of his lips gave him away.
"I hate you two," Percy grumbled, sinking back into his remaining pillow.
Thalia smirked and stood up. The room had bare, whitewashed walls with some signs and posters containing information about various diseases. Besides one small table, the chair Thalia was sitting in, and the bed occupied by Percy, there was no furniture. "I'm going to the snack machine, she said. "Anyone up for some Coke and Doritos?" Two hands went up. She nodded and, on her way out, gave Percy a friendly punch on his shoulder. Percy winced, and Thalia looked at him in concern.
"You okay, Perce?" she asked. Nico stood up and walked over to them, looking worried.
"I'm fine," Percy said with an easy smile. None of them were fooled.
"Sure you are," Nico snorted.
Percy sighed. "Fine. I might have taken a hit from the hellhound. But seriously, there's nothing wrong with me."
Thalia and Nico stared at him, eyebrows knitted in concern. "You should have some ambrosia," Thalia said.
"Are you going soft, Pinecone Face?" Percy teased. Thalia rolled her eyes and went to get some nectar and ambrosia from her backpack, which was on the ground next to the door.
The three cousins had just been spending a day in New York City. The Hunters were near the area, so Thalia had gone to Percy's apartment, and they had invited Nico from Camp Half-Blood. They'd walked around, eaten pizza, and caught up on each other's lives. The hellhound was not part of the plan. But, as Nico had pointed out once they got to the hospital, when did things ever go to plan with them?
The hellhound had snuck up on Thalia and Nico from behind. Percy had warned them just in time, and they fought it off easily. Unfortunately, the mortals on the crowded street had seen something else. The Mist had hid the monster from their eyes, but whatever they had seen instead made some of them insist that the three demigods go straight to the hospital. They were put in an empty room and told to rest.
Now, as Percy watched Thalia and Nico rummage for the healing food and drink in the backpack, he couldn't help but feel touched by their concern. They fought and bickered every time they met, but he didn't know what he would do without them.
Of course, he wasn't going to tell Thalia and Nico that.
Nico finally found the half-blood first-aid kit, and held it up in triumph. "I found it before you," he crowed. Thalia gave him a playful glare, and Nico smirked back. He tossed the box to Percy, who caught it deftly.
For a while, there wasn't a sound besides Percy munching on ambrosia squares and drinking the nectar. Nico dawdled next to the bed, eyes flitting around the room to examine the posters on the walls. Thalia sat back on the chair and played with the tiara on her head that showed her status as lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. Eventually, she remembered she had been going to get snacks, and slipped out the door to get to the snack machine.
The daughter of Zeus walked at a leisurely pace, strolling along the corridors. As she walked, she reflected on how strange the bond between her and her cousins was. They were the children of the Big Three. Technically, they weren't supposed to exist, let alone get along. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades hated each other. Why should their children be any different? And yet . . . there was something that bound them together. Thalia laughed at herself slightly. She could practically hear Percy and Nico mocking her for the clichéd phrase, but she couldn't help thinking it.
Thalia's friendship with Percy was something that could only be described as turbulent. They both had quick tempers, tended to act impulsively, and were stubborn beyond belief. They could get on each other's nerves like nobody else, and yet calm each other down just as quickly. When they were together, they were explosive.
Nico, on the other hand, was calmer, quieter - usually. When he was angry, he was formidable, but he still had the tendency to act just the ten year old hyperactive boy he was when Thalia first met him. A bridge had been drawn between them when Nico's sister was killed after she joined the Hunters. Nico was bitter, and he'd wanted nothing to do with Thalia. But eventually, Nico had softened to her. They'd become fast friends once they opened up to each other, and found that they actually had plenty of things in common. When they were together, they both shared the relief of being able to act just as they wanted to, without having to put on any masks for others.
Thalia was so lost in thought that when she came out of her reverie, she was surprised to find she was already at the snack machine. She fished in her pocket for mortal coins, and as she did, something caught her eye. She put the coins back in her pocket and walked silently to the door of the nearest hospital room. It was slightly ajar, and voices were drifting through it.
"Finally," a female voice said with relish. "Three of the most powerful demigods ever to be born, all in one place. It will make killing them so much easier." Thalia pressed her ear closer to the door, listening intently.
"Indeed," another female voice agreed maliciously. "They will never see us coming."
Thalia's hand tightened around the collapsible canister in her pocket, ready to turn it into a spear. Carefully, she peeked inside the door. She caught a glimpse of two girls leaning against a table. They were extremely beautiful, with long hair that fell over their shoulders and deep blue eyes. They were both dressed as hospital employees, with blue uniforms. They looked normal enough, but when one opened her mouth, Thalia spotted the fangs. Empousai. The second voice, whose owner Thalia couldn't see, spoke up again.
"I've already sent the others ahead to the filthy half-bloods. They shall be dead in no time at all." Sickly laughter floated through the door.
Thalia muttered an Ancient Greek curse under her breath. Percy and Nico were in danger. Without any hesitation, she raced back to the hospital room as quickly as she could. She could hear Nico laughing at a joke Percy had made. The laughter immediately stopped when Thalia burst the door open.
"Thalia?" Nico frowned. "Are you okay?" Percy, seeing the panic in his cousin's face, immediately brought Riptide out from his pocket.
"I'm fine," Thalia said breathlessly. "But there are empousai in this hospital, and they're coming after us!"
Percy and Nico sprang up. As if on cue, three empousai burst through the wall opposite them, holding a wide array of knives. The wall shattered, bits and pieces scattering over the floor. These empousai were not like the ones Thalia had seen. They were in their full monster form, with flaming yellow hair, wings, and glowing red eyes. They each had one leg that looked like a human's, but was made of bronze. The other leg was brown and furry with a donkey's hoof.
"Children of the Big Three," one empousa growled. "I have waited a long time for this."
Percy uncapped his pen, and it grew into a glowing sword. "You know," he said. "There's a perfectly usable door right there. Didn't anybody ever tell you it's rude to destroy hospitals?"
The empousa snarled. "You are all going to die today!"
"Sorry," Nico said, "But I don't think that was on our to-do list for this week. Do you mind coming back another time?"
The empousai growled again, eyes glowing dangerously.
"Enough small talk," a voice came from behind Thalia. She spun around to find the two empousai she had seen before standing in the doorway, still in their human form, with at least five more behind them. "Kill them already!"
Thalia's eyes narrowed. She drew her spear and activated her shield. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Nico somehow had his Stygian Iron sword in his hand. "Why don't you try it yourself?" Thalia challenged.
The empousa glared. "We could take you down easily, daughter of Zeus," she responded menacingly, but she seemed a little unsure.
"We'll see about that," Thalia said in an equally threatening tone.
"Fine," the empousa snapped. "If you want to die so willingly, so be it." As one, the empousai shifted into their monster forms. "Attack!"
The battle began.
Percy had just enough time to think, we never did get the Doritos, before an empousa lunged at him. Caught off guard, he barely blocked it with his sword. She lunged again, and they fought hand to sword.
Percy was quick on his feet. He slashed and stabbed, looking for an opening, but the empousa was quicker. She dodged and danced away from the sword, her uneven feet clomping against the floor. All of a sudden, she bared her fangs, spread her wings, and leapt at Percy, forcing him to put his back to a wall. He was cornered. He put his sword up in a defensive position.
"Perseus, you can drop that," the empousa said. She shifted into her human form and smiled alluringly. "Come closer. I wouldn't hurt you."
Charmspeak. The monster was using charmspeak . . . and she was good. Percy realized this a second too late. He felt his body relax. This lady wouldn't hurt him. She was so nice. He started to lower his sword.
No! A voice in the back of his screamed. She's going to kill you!
With effort, Percy raised his sword back up. "I don't think so," he said. Before the empousa could react, he swung his sword through the air and stabbed her in her side. She exploded into dust, showering over the floor.
Meanwhile, Thalia was fighting two empousai at once. She used her shield to defend herself against one and her spear to slash at the other, alternating between them.
"Give up, Thalia Grace," one of them sneered even as Thalia jabbed her spear at her. "You're outnumbered. We're not evenly matched."
"You're right," Thalia agreed, twisting her spear to disarm the empousa and stab her in the stomach. "Bring in a couple dozen more of your people and maybe then it will be fair!"
The look of surprise on the monster's face hadn't even fully formed before she collapsed on the floor. Thalia, however, didn't have time to feel victorious. Her shield was knocked out of her hand. The remaining empousa raised her knife, poised to hit the girl, and she couldn't raise her spear in time.
Just then, a bronze sword came flying out of the air. It knocked the knife out of the monster's hand and the two weapons fell to the ground. Thalia and the empousa spun around to find Percy, his hand still drawn back in a throwing position.
"Bold move, son of Poseidon," the empousa hissed. "But now you are weaponless."
Percy's eyes flicked to a wooden table. Two of its legs had broken, but miraculously, it was still standing. A glass was one top of it, and it still had some water inside.
"I don't need a weapon to defeat you," Percy replied. He felt a tug in his gut as he summoned the water toward him, making it grow to the size of a bathtub. "Also, your hair looks like it was done by a three year old."
The empousa screeched in anger, but the water slammed into her and pushed her to the ground. Percy dove for his sword and plunged it into her chest, jumping back so the dust wouldn't choke on the dust.
Percy straightened. On the other side of the room, a young male doctor stood gaping in the doorway. "That glass had my retainer in it," he managed to choke out.
Percy looked at him sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
Percy turned around and smirked at Thalia. "You owe me a double cheeseburger for that one. With fries."
Thalia had never been happier to see that smile. "All right, Seaweed Brain." she agreed, rolling her eyes.
Percy grinned, but it faded as he looked around the mostly obliterated room. "Where's Nico?"
Thalia scanned the room as well and frowned. There was no one there. Outside the room, they caught glimpses of people screaming and running through the halls, panicked by the destruction. Suddenly, they heard a particularly loud crash, followed by a lot of yelling. The two demigods locked eyes. Without saying a word, they darted out of the room.
When he passed the still speechless doctor, Percy stopped and said urgently, "You need to get everyone out of here. People could get hurt." He raced after Thalia. "Sorry about your retainer!" he called over his shoulder.
Elsewhere, Nico had chased the other seven empousai into another room. He felt like he had been fighting for an eternity, stabbing one monster and dodging the next. He had successfully killed two of them, but he was starting to get tired. He couldn't keep this up forever.
An empousa lunged at him with her fangs bared. Nico sidestepped and swung his sword. To his surprise, it connected with the monster and she turned into dust.
He could hear chaos outside as the mortals tried to figure out what exactly was going on, and felt a sudden jolt of fear of the possibility of the innocent people getting hurt. As he continued fighting, he wondered where Percy and Thalia were. He hoped they were okay. Although judging by how much harder it was becoming to hold up his sword, it was himself he needed to be worrying about at the moment. Nico cursed. He knew he should have listened to Hazel last night when she chastised him for eating too much sugar. Hadn't she warned him it would keep him up all night?
Nico decided he needed a new plan, now. Thinking fast, he upturned a huge desk and ducked behind it. The empousai scratched and clawed at the furniture, screeching. Nico closed his eyes and concentrated. Come on, he silently begged. I need you now.
A few seconds later, he heard a crunch as something rose from the ground, breaking through the hospital floor. Nico peeked over the desk and sighed in relief. It had worked. Seven skeletons had risen from the ground, their bones chalk white. They turned to Nico, waiting for him to tell them what to do.
The son of Hades stood up and faced them. He pointed to the empousai. "Kill them!" he ordered.
The skeletons obeyed, and Nico watched as they fought. In a matter of seconds, the monsters were all gone. The skeletons turned to Nico again. "You can go," he told them.
Just as the skeletons sank back into the ground, Percy and Thalia burst through the door. "Nico!" Thalia said in relief. "We thought you were dead!"
"I'm fine," Nico murmured. Then he promptly collapsed on the floor. Percy ran forward and caught him just in time.
"Don't you dare try that again, Death Breath," Percy told him. Nico managed a half-hearted glare at the nickname.
"Guys," Thalia said, fear creeping into her voice. "We need to get out of here. The hospital is about to collapse!"
Percy looked up, eyes narrowing as he noticed the way the ceiling trembled. "She's right," he said. Despite the situation, he couldn't help adding, "First time for everything." Thalia glowered at him and he smiled innocently, getting up and pulling Nico up with him. "Come on, Nico."
Thalia helped him, and the two half dragged and half carried Nico to the exit. They saw mortals running in the same direction as they scrambled to get to safety. All of a sudden, Percy sprinted away from his cousins. Thalia looked around in surprise. "Percy?"
Percy had seen a little girl stuck between falling debris. She looked to be no older than seven, and not tall enough to climb over the closet in front of her. She was crying as she clawed at the wood.
"Hang on!" Percy called. Adrenaline rushed through his body and only one thought filled his mind - he could not let this girl get hurt. Couldn't let her die - couldn't fail her like he had so many other people.
With one more stride he was beside her. Her brown eyes were looking up at him in surprise and hopefulness. Breathless, Percy reached down and lifted her up, depositing her into the waiting arms of an equally distressed and relieved mother.
Thalia watched Percy anxiously as he rescued the little girl. He was coming back toward them. She shifted her eyes around the area, scanning dozens of other mortals screaming in terror. She had to do something.
As if he had read her mind, Nico spoke up. "We have to help them."
Thalia looked down at him. "Yeah," she agreed. "But can you -"
"I'm fine," Nico grunted, standing upright. There was determination in his eyes as he looked around the hospital.
Thalia still wasn't completely satisfied, but she consented, knowing there wasn't much choice. "All right. You take the people closest to the exit. I'll scan the rest of the hospital to see if anyone is stuck there, and Percy can take care of the rest."
"Got it," Nico nodded, and they both looked over at Percy. It was a mark of their friendship, forged through two wars and years of fighting together, that Percy understood what his cousins were trying to say even from ten feet away. He nodded once, then sprinted toward two siblings who were trying to reach the exit. Thalia and Nico exchanged steely looks and ran in opposite directions.
The rest of the hour was a blur to Thalia. She worked harder than she had in a long time, refusing to give in to the aching of her bones as she pulled people to the exit - kids, teenagers, old people, whole families. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Percy and Nico doing the same, using their demigodly strength and sometimes their weapons to slash through barriers.
It felt like only ten minutes later when the three met up again, outside the hospital on a shady spot on the grass. The police had come to the scene, and after making sure everyone was okay and could get home, they had left.
"I Iris-Messaged Chiron," Thalia reported. "He says he can pay for the damage. Apparently Camp Half-Blood has a whole stash of mortal money for this exact kind of thing, plus methods for getting it to the mortals."
Percy blinked in surprise. He could see Nico looking just as confused. "Camp has that? I had no idea."
"I guess," Thalia shrugged wearily. She was tired. She brought out the ambrosia and nectar and handed them out to her cousins. They turned to look at the hospital.
They had everyone gotten out just in time. As they watched, the right side of the hospital collapsed, the structure falling over and crashing to the ground. It made a deafening noise, but nobody was around to hear it except the three demigods.
When they were sure the destruction was over, Percy, Thalia, and Nico looked at each other. "Well," Percy offered. "At least no one got hurt."
"But they could have," Nico spoke up.
"But they didn't." Thalia said firmly. "And that's all that matters."
"They were only in this situation because of us," Nico pointed out.
Thalia looked down, unable to object. Percy fumbled for the right thing to say, and came up empty. Partly to give his hands something to do, he took a sip of nectar, restoring his strength and healing all his wounds. It did the same for Thalia and Nico, but the mood was still somber, and Percy found that he wasn't sure how to lighten it up.
When they were finished, they sat without saying anything. Finally, Nico said what they were all thinking. "Why can't we ever do anything normally?"
Percy and Thalia glanced at one another, each hoping the other had the answer. None of them did.
"Every time we try, innocent people end up getting hurt," Nico continued. He looked away, as if ashamed of the statement.
The hardest part of being a demigod was that they barely ever got to do normal things. Mortal teenagers got to spend their weekends doing homework and going to the mall. Demigods, meanwhile, fought monsters and prevented the world from ending, hoping they would survive the process. Every half-blood yearned for a sense of normalcy in life, but for most of them, it never came.
"You're right," Thalia finally answered. "We never get to be normal. Every time I take a break with the Hunters, hoping to relax, some monster or the other always ends up finding us."
"I met a nice old man at a restaurant once," Nico recalled. "He introduced me to his dog. It turned out to be a hellhound. Even pets I meet are monsters."
Percy sighed. "Annabeth and I went to a dance at our high school a couple of months ago. But we couldn't even enjoy that, because halfway through the night, we noticed the DJ was actually a monster."
His cousins blinked and stared at him. "What?" said Percy.
"The DJ was a monster?" Thalia said incredulously.
"Yeah," Percy confirmed, nodding. "The DJ was a monster."
Now that he thought about it, the idea was kind of ridiculous. To his own surprise, Percy felt his mouth twisting into a smile. Nico snorted, and Thalia let out a snicker.
Despite there being no logical reason to, the three cousins started laughing, and although they tried, none of them could stop. Pretty soon, they were all roaring with laughter, holding their sides as they rolled around in the grass. The afternoon sun shone brightly down upon them, as if it too was joining in their mirth.
Finally, after a few last giggles and snorts, the children stopped. They caught their breath and met each other's eyes, and in that moment, each of them was struck by the realization of how lucky they were to have each other as friends. As a family.
Percy broke the silence. "We don't need normal," he said. He had never been so sure of anything in his life.
"Yeah," Nico agreed. "Normal is boring."
"I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with you," Thalia said. She looked pointedly at Percy when she said, "First time for everything, huh?"
Percy rolled his eyes. "You just couldn't let that go, could you?"
Nico grinned and stood up. His cousins did the same. "What now?" he asked.
Percy smiled, playful mischief visible in his eyes. "Well, if I remember correctly, I think Pinecone Face here owes me a burger."
Thalia sighed and shook her head. Nico laughed.
"Well, I know a new burger place that just opened up," Thalia admitted. "It's pretty close to here."
"Lead the way, Your Highness," Percy sayed with a mock bow. Thalia smacked his arm playfully. Now it was Nico's turn to roll his eyes.
"Come on, guys," the younger boy said.
And as Percy, Thalia, and Nico walked together into the city to eat burgers, any passing mortal would assume they were three perfectly normal cousins, enjoying their day off from school. No one would ever suspect that they were actually demigods, that they fought monsters every week and had been through two wars and almost died more times than they could count. Nobody would suspect that they had just blown up a hospital . . . and that was okay. Because they may not have been completely normal - or anything even close to it - but that was the best thing about them. And they wouldn't give it up for anything.