They got back to the lobby of the hotel, the clerk eyeing them with a raised eyebrow.
"Messieurs, what happened to you?" he asked, seeing Danny's shirt in the back slashed and various cuts and bruises on everyone else.
"We....got jumped," said Percy.
"With what?" said the clerk.
"They had knives and three of them came up behind me," said Danny.
"Do you need any medical supplies?" the clerk asked.
"We're good. Do you have any dirt or soil?" said Danny.
"Yes, here," said the clerk as he gave a pot full of soil to him.
"Merci," said Danny. They all went to the elevator to take them up to their rooms. They each went into their own room to assess their wounds. Danny took his shirt off and, hesitantly asked Katie.
"Katie, could you?" he said, motioning from the pot to his back where three long, bloody slashes were gleaming.
"Sure. Lay down," said Katie. Danny got onto his belly and relaxed as Katie spread the dirt on his back, making sure to cover the entire length. She paid special attention on the cuts so that they were coated with dirt.
"I just wanted to say thanks for saving me..again," said Katie.
"I couldn't let anything happen to my new friend," said Danny. They were both trying to skirt around the kiss they shared, which is why the conversation sounded awkward.
"Now what?" said Katie after she had applied the dirt. Danny touched the dirt, and motioned it to go back into the pot. Every little grain of it floated and sank back into the pot. Katie was shocked to see that his back looked brand new, except that the large scar was still planted on his back.
"Do you need any help?" he asked, getting off the bed.
"No, I'm pretty okay, besides the cut on my head," she said. Danny scooped some dirt out of the pot and placed it gently on her forehead, his hand still attached, and when he let go the cut was gone.
"How do you do that?" said Katie.
"Raw earth gives me healing powers," said Danny. When he placed his hand away and put the soil back in the pot he brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face. His hand went down to her cheek, instinctively brushing it. They leaned forward a little, their lips almost touching, but Danny stopped. He went into the bathroom with a shirt and closed the door behind him. Inside the bathroom he was thinking hard.
"I cannot do this. This is really, really bad. What am I going to do?"he thought, his head in his hand in deep thought. Outside Katie was thinking something of the same thing.
"I cannot help these feelings I have. If he were a son of another god this would be fine. I don't know what to do," she thought. Danny came out of the bathroom, a new shirt on, the two half-bloods trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible.
Meanwhile in the other room Percy and Annabeth were checking each other. They had escaped much of the fighting with a few light cuts and scrapes.
"That was too close," Percy said, hugging his wife close to him. "I was so worried."
"I'm fine. At least we got rid of him," said Annabeth. They let go a little and gave each other a long kiss, Annabeth's arms wrapped around Percy.
"Did you see Danny and Katie when we had killed Thorn?" said Annabeth when they had let go.
"Yes. I almost fell over when I saw them kissing," said Percy.
"I knew it was going to happen, just not right then," said Annabeth. "What do you think we should do?"
"What do you mean?" said Percy.
"By the lack of any sounds coming in there I'd say they're not trying to say anything about what they just did. They're probably really confused right now," said Annabeth.
"Why would they be confused?" said Percy.
"Danny is having a mental fight about going with Katie or not because he and Zeus despise each other, and Katie doesn't know what to do because she would be dating the son of her father's nemesis," said Annabeth.
"So we should let them fight about it?" said Percy.
Annabeth smacked him upside his head. "No Seaweed Brain. We should try and help them solve their differences. Here, you go and talk to Danny in that room and I'll talk to Katie here," said Annabeth.
"Good idea," said Percy. He walked over to the other room. When he got there he saw Danny and Katie on their respective beds, turned away with slgihty anxious facial expressions etched on them.
"Hey Katie, do you mind going in the other room with Annabeth while I talk to Danny?" said Percy. Katie nodded and got off the bed, walking over to the other room. Percy sat on the edge of the bed next to Danny.
"Danny, me and her saw you two," said Percy once Katie was out of ear shot.
"You did?" said Danny. Percy nodded. Danny sighed and put his hand over his eyes.
"It's okay, I know how you feel. What is it that's stopping you from going with her? You two obviously like each other," said Percy.
"It's our parents, and something Zeus did a long time ago," said Danny.
"Oh. Bu you do obviously like her?" said Percy. Danny groaned.
"Yes, but I can't. It would be dangerous for both of us," said Danny.
"Don't let that stop you from seeing her. You control your life, not anyone else. If you like her than go for it," said Percy.
"Do you like him?" said Annabeth.
"A lot, but I can't do this with him. If it wasn't for him being her son I would have went out with him already," said Katie.
"Is he worth it?" said Annabeth. Katie nodded.
"Then don't let that stand in your way. You should like him no matter who is parent is. Look at me and Percy. My mom doesn't like his dad, but that didn't stop me from marrying him now did it?" said Annabeth.
"Maybe you're right," said Katie.
Katie walked in just as Percy walked out. Danny was standing by the window looking outside. He turned and saw her looking at him.
"Katie, I was wondering if, since we have one more night here, that maybe..." said Danny.
"Maybe what?" said Katie.
"Do you want..to...go...to..a..restaurant...with..me?" said Danny, saying the words slowly as if they hurt. At first Katie said nothing, but then a smile got on her face.
"Sure, I'd like to go. What time and where?" said Katie.
"Around 7. It's a restaurant I passed at the Eiffel Tower," said Danny.
"Okay," said Katie. She went into the bathroom while Danny went outside the room to the balcony. He looked out across Paris, thinking of what he had just did.
"Am I signing my own death warrant?"
(7 o'clock)
Danny walked with Katie down to the Eiffel Tower, the two still wearing their same clothes, except for Danny who had on a new shirt. The clerk expressed concern on the way if they should go out again. Danny said it's okay and told him he was fine. They boarded a bus that took them to the Eiffel Tower. Even though Thorn had scratched it up and there was a hole in it, the tower was still open and anyone could still go on there once the French police had investigated the crime scene.
He and Katie boarded the elevator that would take them to the first level to the main restaurant. Disembarking from the elevator they came up to the counter.
"Bonjour, how may I help you?" said the auburn-haired waitress, seeing by Danny and Katie's appearances that they were Americans.
"Table for two," said Danny.
"Right this way," said the waitress. She grabbed two menus and lead them to a table near the window. Once they were seated they looked at the menu to see what they would like while the waitress went and got them cups of water.
"What are you getting?" said Katie.
"I was thinking the roast duck," said Danny.
"I think I'll get the scallops," said Katie. The waitress came back and took out her book to place their orders. Once they said what they wanted and the waitress went and placed the order at the kitchen they started talking.
"So what happened when you fought Thorn here," said Katie.
"Well, I used the elevator to get to the top. He climbs up the tower and slashes my back when I was turned around. Then we fought a little before he pounced on me and sent us into the air. I grabbed onto a part of the tower, him doing the same thing. I jumped down to the net, but when I was coming back down he ran into me and he tumbled into the Seine while I used the ground to cushion my fall," he said.
"How come you can control any part of the ground, but you can't heal yourself with the stone ground," said Katie.
"The pavement was man-made, not natural. I can heal with it, but it takes a lot longer than natural ground," said Danny.
"Oh, that's why you're wounds were looking like they were a lot older and not fresher," she said. "How did you get that scar on your back?"
Danny thought about whether to tell her not, so he only told a little. "It happened when I was eight. Someone was trying to get rid of me, and left me with that scar."
"Who?" said Katie. The look in Danny's eyes told her he didn't want to tell her, not yet. Their food came in and they ate their meal in silence. Danny was taking average bites, but Katie was eating it down like she was starving. She finished her meal in ten minutes flat, and Danny was only half done. He stared at her as his fork was still in his mouth, a piece of meat still on it. Katie looked up and blushed, embarrassed a little.
"I thought I would never see a girl eat that fast," said Danny, swallowing his meat.
"Sorry. I was starving by the time we left," she said. Realization hit Danny when he remembered that he and her had only eaten breakfast that day, and skipped lunch. he ate the rest of his meal and waited for the waitress to get back with the bill.
"This was nice of you to take me here," said Katie.
"Thanks," said Danny. She inched her hand closer to his and they met, but Danny pulled away. The waitress got back with the bill. Danny took care of the bill and he and Katie got up.
"Danny, I was wondering if you and me could go to the top?" said Katie. Danny thought about it, and thought it was okay. He and Katie boarded the elevator and he pressed the button that would take them up. When they got out they looked over the side. The city of Paris was right under him, it's bright lights seeming to paint a picture for them. They could see the Arc, the Notre Dame, the Palace, Les Invalides, and the Seine underneath.
"It's so beautiful," said Katie. She inched closer to him until they were standing side-by-side. He stood where he was, still looking at the city.
"Danny, why are you trying to pull away?" said Katie.
"I'm not," he said.
"Well it really feels like you are. What's wrong?" she asked.
"It's just, we're not really suppose to feel this way," said Danny.
"Danny, I know how you feel. It's okay. I like you," she said. She pulled Danny to her and kissed him. At first he was startled, but then he slowly gave in. Their mouth's moved in sync, planting kiss after kiss on each other, his arms wrapping slowly around her as hers was. It stopped when Danny smelled something and he moved away, close enough so that their lips were still close to each other.
"Do you smell ozone?" he asked. They turned around and nearly jumped out of their skins when they saw who was there on the deck with them. Zeus stood behind them looking furious, his brow and eyes crackling with electricity.
"Katie Linda Sky! What are you doing, and with him?!" yelled Zeus. Danny backed up so that he was standing side-to-side with Katie.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" said Katie.
"I was just inspecting around here when I saw you kissing HIM!" yelled Zeus, his angry eyes fixed on Danny.
"Dad, he's really a good person," said Katie.
"He's a son of Gaia, your enemy! do you think I give a damn if he's good, which I know he isn't," said Zeus.
"Hey, I never harmed anyone," said Danny.
"Don't talk to me boy. If it wasn't for the pact with your mother I would have vaporized you on the spot," said Zeus.
"Pact? What pact?" said Katie.
"Danny took a deep breath. "Do remember when I was telling you about how I got my scar, and when I didn't want to talk to you about my dad?" he said. She nodded.
"You're about to find out," he said. He placed his pointer finger on her forehead and a burst of white light illuminated her eyes.
A dark-skinned man with dreadlocks too was looking at rocks at a stream close to his house.
"Dad, I found something," said a voice further down the stream where a small boy was holding something. The man rushed over to the boy. The boy had light brown eyes, a little lighter skin than the man, and by his appearance he looked eight, a kid's sized North Carolina Tarheels shirt on with a pair of kid's jeans. The boy had dreads too, and he was holding up a shiny gem that sent a white light into the sky. The man observed it, and smiled widely.
"Danny, you found a piece of diamond. That mean's there's a deposit of them somwhere close. good work," said the man, ruffling up the Danny's hair. Danny smiled at his father as he walked with him back to the house. When they got in the boy went and examined some rocks on the table while the man went on his laptop to send info to his colleague.
"Dad, when is mom getting back?" said Danny.
"You know I don't know this Danny. She'll be back when she gets back. We can't rush her," said the man, who's name was Gerald Stone by the screen saver with him and Danny's names etched on it.
"I wish she could lay off the ground for one minute so we could be together," said Danny.
"I wish the same thing too, but she has very important things to do," said Gerald. He came over and gave Danny a hug, which Danny returned. He was about to walk into the kitchen when he felt something. Danny sensed it too, the hair's on his neck standing up. Gerald dove over to Danny, picked him up, and placed him under the table. A blinding flash of light, along with electricity and heat, tore the house apart. Stones and wood flew into the air before falling back down to the ground. Danny pulled himself out of the rubble, looking around. The house was completely destroyed, everything in a heap of rubble. As he looked he saw his dad on top of a pile of wood, eyes closed and a bloody mark on his chest. Danny approached him slowly.
"Dad?" he said, tapping his father on his shoulder. Gerald didn't answer, lying motionless. Danny put his head on his father's chest, listening for a heartbeat. There was none. Danny took one last look at his father before he began to cry, laying on his father's lifeless body. A bright light filled the sky again and a man in Greek battle armor appeared ten feet away. Danny looked at him and got up to run, but the man aimed a arc of lightning at him. The lightning cut across his back, leaving a red, puffy mark like the lightning itself on it. Danny crawled to an outcrop of rubble before he collapsed on it, the pain from the blast stopping him. He turned around to see the man in the armor standing three feet from him.
"Please, don't hurt me," Danny pleaded.
"I have a war going on, and you might be used to help the other side. I can't take any chances," said the man. Another lightning bolt appeared in his hands, raising his arm up to finish Danny off. Danny, seeing that the end was near, closed his eyes for the blow to come. However, the man stopped and the ground right in front of Danny rose up until there was a woman standing, her green eyes acid-green, lighting up brightly as they raged with power.
"Zeus, you will NOT harm my son," said Gaia.
"Gaia, stand out of the way. As your child he will be an ally of the Titans," said Zeus.
"Zeus, listen to me clearly. He's just a boy and right now he wouldn't even think of that. And if you harm him and if he dies by your hand, I'll use every ounce of my power to make sure you and Olympus topples. You have taken and killed or thrown away my other children. If you kill him, I'll make sure that your civilization and rules ends that same day. The you will be known as the one who foolishly challenged the Earth itself!" she yelled, the Earth splitting and dividing at her feet. Zeus paused, holding his lightning bolt at his side. His face suggested he was deep in thought. Finally he made his answer.
"Fine, I accept your wager," he said. He disappeared in a ball of electricity and disappeared. Gaia's eyes went back to their normal green and she turned to Danny. Danny was shaking out of fear from the sight of his mother after using her powers.
"Danny, it's okay," she said, crouching down to hug him. Danny put his head into the folds of her chiton and cried silently. Gaia hugged him tightly, her eyes resting on him and Gerald's body, tears coming down her face as well.
Katie's eyes refocused as she came back to reality. She was breathing heavily, her experience with the memory shaking her to the core. She turned slowly towards Zeus.
"Dad, how could you do that?" she yelled.
"Because he would have been a threat," said Zeus.
"He was only eight!" said Katie.
"He was still a threat, and I wasn't going to take any chances, especially in the middle of a war," said Zeus.
"I never harmed or thought of harming you. Why are you.."
"Boy, do not speak. I know what you are going to become. You're going to end like the rest of your kindred brothers: dead. You will try to attack Olympus, just like them, and you will be killed just like them. Your fate is in death, and when the time comes you will be remembered as another son of Gaia who tried to usurp power," said Zeus.
"Dad, that'e enough. That's not true," said Katie.
"No, he's right," said Danny, his eyes cast downward.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I am going to end up like my brothers. I thought I wouldn't, but now I see I am what they were. I'm dangerous," said Danny. He turned to leave, his head cast down. Katie held his hand.
"Danny, you're not.."
"I think you should avoid me Katie. I'm not going to let you fall because of my choices," said Danny. He walked over to the elevator and pressed the button to take him down. Katie looked back at Zeus.
"Dad, how could you say that?!" she yelled.
"The boy is right, he's going to be just like the other sons of Gaia," said Zeus.
"Dad, he saved me twice today. How many sons of Gaia do you know would do that?" said Katie.
"The point is he's dangerous and I forbid you to see him," said Zeus. Katie walked away to the elevator that just gotten up.
"You can't control me," she said. She boarded the elevator and didn't look back at her dad, who's face was contorted in rage and shock. The elevator came down to the ground level. Katie'e eyes scanned around for Danny. She saw him walking back to the bus stop. She ran as fast as she could towards him.
"Danny," she yelled. Danny didn't look at her when she came to him.
"Danny, I'm sorry about what my dad was saying. You're not a bad person," she said.
"But I will be. If the opportunity to attack Olympus comes, I'm probably going to take it," he said gloomily.
"Danny, you can't let what your family did determine your future. I've seen enough of you to know that you're going to do the right thing," said Katie.
"Katie, it's not that simple. The reason I'm holding back is because.." he said, but then stopped.
"Danny, tell me what it is?" she said. Danny turned suddenly to her and planted a kiss on her that had her startled. She gave in and they wrapped their arms around each other, kissing near the bus sign. Danny pulled away, but his lips were still near hers.
"I don't want to see you suffer because of my choices or my lifestyle," he said.
"Danny, you don't have to worry about that. All I want now is you," she said. She pushed her lips back onto his and they were both kissing as the bus pulled up. They let go, their eyes staring intently at each other before they boarded the bus, hand in hand. They sat o the bus, softly kissing each other as the bus rode back to the hotel. Danny's hands were on her cheek and her waist while hers were wrapped around his neck. By the gods how they wanted to do this!
They came back to the hotel, the driver saying bye to them as they climbed off. Danny and Katie walked past the clerk, who saw the way they looked at each other when they were walking. He winked to Danny, who returned the wink back. Getting back to the room they hastily closed the door behind them.
"How do you think they're doing?" said Annabeth in her room with Percy, the two in their pajamas in the bed wrapped around each other.
"I don't know. We'll see when they get back," said Percy. They heard the door to the other room open and close. They got out of the bed, slowly so that they didn't attract attention to themselves. They opened the door quietly and peered around the corner. What they saw had them stare in shock and happiness. Danny and Katie were on the bed, Katie under Danny, making out!
"I take it it went very good," said Percy. He and Annabeth went back into their room, happy that the once big time enemies were now the exact opposite.
