Perseus -
Two and a half days.
That's how long it took for something to happen. There weren't many tourists since it was nearly winter and break hadn't started, so I was very alone. And alone meant lots of time to think. To dwell on Annabeth's disappearance. To dread the new threat of the Giants. The only consolation was the six or seven months of preparation until the next war would come. Plans went to hell in battle, sure, but seven months would help bulk the forces back up and this time Camp-Halfblood would have a God on their side.
You'll be hard-pressed to find a kid with ADHD to sit still for ten minutes, much less two days. Thinking wasn't something I enjoyed, I mean, I'm always the one that acts before thinking things through. And now there were 84 hours to pass by.
Focusing on the war wasn't the easiest train of thought, but it beat out stressing over Annabeth even more. I was anxious and felt like I was going insane. Grover was Iris Messaging me every few hours giving me updates. He said that a protector named Gleeson Hedge was with two demigods and they'd be coming to the Grand Canyon today. I told Grover I would take care of getting them back to camp. They had to be the people I was looking for. Coincidences like this weren't coincidences at all. Or so I hoped.
Naturally, I missed the fight.
I'm not quite sure what I did to piss off the Fates in a previous life, but they sure hated me. A good fight would've helped me concentrate and save Gleeson. But I was too late. I walked back onto the sky bridge after seeing the class huddled by the doors, peering outside at the miraculous disappearing storm. I knew better than to believe in miracles. I pushed through them and saw three kids. A girl and two boys. They were just kids. For a moment I thought, perhaps, they weren't demigods after all. Maybe they were just mortals who got caught in the storm. But once I stepped outside I felt their auras. Demigods for sure, but not Annabeth. I knew it wouldn't be that simple.
The girl turned the smaller, curly-haired boy over. His army coat was soaked from the rain. His curly hair glittered gold from rolling around in monster dust. But at least he wasn't dead.
"Stupid... ugly... goat," the curly-haired boy muttered, rubbing the monster dust from his eyes.
"Where did he go?" the girl asked.
"Straight up and he never came down. Please tell me he didn't actually save my life."
"Twice," the blond-haired boy corrected.
"What happened? The tornado guy, the gold sword... I hit my head. That's it, right? I'm hallucinating?" Curly said.
Blondie walked over to a golden sword on the floor and picked it up. I had never seen a blade like it. It wasn't celestial bronze and I wondered where he got it from. Blondie flipped it and mid-spin, the sword shrank back into a coin and landed in his palm. He seemed alarmed by his actions.
"Yep," Curly said. "Definitely hallucinating."
"Jason, those things-" the girl said, shivering.
"Venti," Blondie said, "storm spirits."
"Okay. You acted like- like you'd seen them before. Who are you?"
"That's what I've been trying to tell you. I don't-" Blondie began, but I stepped forward. They hadn't noticed me before, but they did now. The curly-haired kid flinched a little when I looked at him.
"I do," I told them, "And you need to come with me."
None of the kids said anything for a moment. I realized they probably thought I was kidnapping them or was the police or something. I hadn't seen the encounter they were in, but I saw the monster dust which means they were safe, but only temporarily.
"Who are you?" the girl asked.
"My name is Perseus." My voice was unfamiliar and cold, but I couldn't deny my name any longer. The girl nodded slowly. "Where is Gleeson Hedge?"
"He got taken by some... tornado things," Curly said.
"Venti," clarified Blondie.
"How old are you guys?" I asked.
The girl held a string of her hair between her fingers, twirling nervously. "We're 15. Coach Hedge is our gym teacher."
"Did you kill all the storm spirits?"
Curly's mouth dropped as if to ask why I believed them at all.
"No. Dylan- the leader one- he got away." Blondie seemed to be taking charge of their little rag-tag group. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was the way his posture was a little too straight, or his hair was just too buzzed and neat, or the way he spoke like he was born with the authority.
"Then we better get moving before he comes back with friends," I said with a false smile. I knew that it wouldn't be likely that I find Annabeth here, but I still had my hopes. These kids had to help me, they must be important somehow. As Curly was helped to his feet by the girl, the skywalk creaked and groaned. The cracks in it began to widen. I cursed beneath my breath. I closed my eyes for a minute or so and called for any nearby pegasi. And soon enough I could feel Blackjack and one of his friends coming to us.
"What is he doing?" Curly whispered not so quietly. I snapped my eyes open, unimpressed.
"I just called our ride." I turned abruptly from them and walk to the edge. The wind felt nice on my face and it smelled like the rain. After the smell of Annabeth's shampoo, the ocean, and my mother's blue chocolate chip cookies, that was my favorite thing.
"Is that a new Uber feature or something, because I didn't get the memo. Telepathic rideshares sure would come in handy when running away, you know," Curly said behind me. I stifled a laugh. He had a type of humor that I could get on board with.
"Hey- um- Perseus?" the girl said, looking up at the sky. "our 'ride' wouldn't happen to be two large flying horses, would they?"
"Am I hallucinating again?" Curly asked.
"Nope, that's Blackjack and Pat," I informed them, "Who's riding with me?"
None of them said anything again.
"I'll ride with Jason," the girl said, stepping closer to Blondie. Curly's mouth dropped like he was protesting this injustice. I smiled crookedly at the three of them.
"Alright, Curly, you're with me," I said. And that was when I jumped off the side of the Grand Canyon.
I heard their screams from above me, but Blackjack caught me when I was not even thirty feet down. I knew that jumping off had been a bit melodramatic, but the fall wouldn't have killed me either way. Blondie was about to hurl himself over the edge when I came back up.
"Perseus!" Blondie exclaimed with relief, "Thank the gods, I thought I'd have to go save you!"
"I appreciate the sentiment, but you can't save me," I said. I glanced at him for a moment and my stomach dropped. The forgotten boy lacking a shoe. "Your shoe. Where is it?"
"I- it got blasted off during the fight," Blondie said. He was taken aback by my aggressive change in tone. I hadn't meant to be short with him, but I was mad at myself. How did I miss that?
"Fuck. Get on Pat. We need to go," I said as the sky bridge creaked even more. I pulled Curly onto Blackjack behind me.
Hey there, boss!, Blackjack said to me. I grinned.
It's good to see you too. I'll even grab you a donut when we get back, I promised. The girl gave me a strange look as I helped her onto Pat. I lifted Blondie behind her too.
I'll hold you to it, boss. Congrats on the promotion.
Thanks. Glad you're still willing to help me though. Gotta get these kids to camp.
On it. The two pegasi took off into the wind. I felt the storm picking up behind us, but I wasn't worried. I simply told Blackjack to go a little faster.
"Do you, like, speak Horse, or whatever this is?" Curly asked behind me. He was laughing, but it wasn't mean-hearted.
"Yeah, you could say that."
Blondie leaned forward to shout over the wind. "Hey Perseus, were you the extraction squad Coach was talking about?"
"Not quite. I canceled the dude coming to pick you up. I was in the area."
"For what? And where are you taking us?" he asked, "And you said you know who I am?"
"You're demigods," I said. Blondie's eyebrows dipped.
"That's what the venti said too... Are you one of them?" the girl demanded. Curly's grip on his waist lessened, but when they hit a bump in the wind, he gripped me tightly again.
"As if. I'm taking you to Camp Halfblood. A safe place. The only safe place for people like us. Safe from things like storm spirits," I told them. Might as well lay it on nice and easy, right? Their lives would never be the same after today.
"Half-blood?" the girl said with disgust, "Is that some sort of bad joke?"
I didn't understand what she was getting at. I didn't expect her to know what a half-blood was, but it wasn't supposed to be a bad thing. Something to be said with such vitriol. I was about to apologize.
"He means we're half-god, half-mortal," Blondie corrected.
I paused. "You seem to know an awful lot for a newbie. But, yeah, half-gods. My dad's Poseidon."
"Neptune?" Blondie said, unsure.
"No, it's Poseidon. Neptune's Roman and we are Greek."
"Where's this place you're taking us?" the girl asked suspicion laced in her tone.
I supposed I deserved it. But they did follow some strange kid with horse telepathy who jumped off the side of the Grand Canyon.
"Long Island, New York."
"What? But we're in Arizona?!"
"We were. We're almost home now," I told them. Time, I thought, what a wonderfully silly concept. Torturous to the mind when you thought too hard about it. Especially trippy when more or less time passes than you think.
"Home. So what were you doing out in Arizona if not getting us?" Blondie questioned. It was starting to feel like an interrogation, which was odd because I didn't even know their names.
"I was looking for my girlfriend."
"Across the country... at the Grand Canyon?" Blondie said.
"I was issued a prophecy. I was told to travel west to find her. I hoped she would've been there, but obviously not," I said.
"Why'd she disappear and how long has she been gone?"
"She was taken and it's been three days, five hours, and nearly 47 minutes." I could feel the three of them exchanging looks of pity behind my back, but I didn't care. I could feel the storm spirits catching up to us and bringing a storm along with them.
"Hold on," I warned Curly. His nails were digging into me, but I could hardly feel it. The storm spirit came beside me and with a single touch, I vaporized it. I had never vaporized anything before, but it was exhilarating. I smote the other three it had brought alongside it and the sky calmed. Smooth sailing... or so I thought.
Pat had gotten clipped by a storm spirit and he was spiraling downwards, bringing Blondie and the girl along with him. I dipped Blackjack downwards to get next to Pat and I reached around the pegasus' neck and flashed the six of us to hovering over the camp. Thankfully all of the mortals made it by teleporting with me. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop Pat from crashing into the lake. I manipulated the water so that they wouldn't get hurt in the fall.
"Are they okay?!" Curly shouted in my ear, holding on tighter than ever.
"They're fine. I have them circling in the water right below us. I'll push them ashore," I told him. Blackjack landed and I jumped off to go help the two new campers. Curly jumped off behind me. Campers poured out of their cabins to watch. They grabbed blankets and handed them to Blondie and the girl. One of the Hephaestus kids grabbed a celestial bronze giant blow-dryer and dried the two kids off.
"Lord Perseus! Perseus!" Shouts rang out from the campers. "What's going on?! Who are they?! Where's Annabeth?!"
I guess the news had spread.
Will stepped forward, "Is there any sign of Annabeth?"
"No," I said, "not yet."
The campers started to mutter and mumble in dissent. I knew it had been three days. I knew it was the second time she had been taken. I knew that everyone was worried. I knew everyone wanted her back. I didn't need their mutterings to remind me about it.
"Well I hope they're worth the trouble," Drew Tanaka sneered. I wasn't her biggest fan, but she sure seemed to be mine. Although judging by the way she was looking at Blondie, perhaps some of that attention would be transferred. I couldn't deny that she was a pretty girl, because she was, in an objective sort of way. But just because she's pretty doesn't mean I want anything to do with her. After all, I only have eyes for Annabeth.
"Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?" Curly said with a snort.
"No kidding!" Blondie exclaimed, "How about some answers before you start judging us- like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"
"Alright, alright," I said loudly. The camp became quiet, "Look, Blondie, we all went through exactly what you are so we'll answer your questions soon. And Drew, everyone is worth saving, and if you disagree then I recommend re-evaluating yourself. Now, obviously, the trip wasn't the best-case scenario. I'm sure you've all heard by now that Annabeth is missing, but the prophecy was clear that Blondie here'll help me find her."
"Who me?" he said unsure.
"We didn't ask to be brought here, you know," the girl interjected. Something about the desperation in her voice made me stop for a minute. I hadn't taken a good look at any of them until now. My eyes raked over her features.
She reminded me of an unfinished painting. Something Rachel would paint from her confusing twirl of future memories. All the signs of classic beauty, but not quite there yet, or maybe it was there and she didn't want it to be. Her hair was haphazardly chopped off. Her color-changing eyes were guarded. She dressed in rags, but you could tell that it was still expensive. She reminisced of the word almost.
"And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?" Drew asked. The almost beautiful girl stepped forward, ready to throw hands or something.
"Stop," I commanded, "both of you. New arrivals are to be made welcome, so we'll give them tour guides. If the Olympians stay true to their word, these three will be claimed by nightfall."
"Claimed?" the girl asked, "What does that mean?"
The campers gasped as a fiery hammer floated over Curly's head. It shouldn't have been fiery, but I brushed it aside for now. I was glad that the gods were listening. Curly swatted at the glowing symbol.
"That is claiming," I told her.
"What do I do?!" Curly shouted. "Is my hair on fire?"
"That can't be good," an undetermined camper said, "the curse-"
"Shut up," I said, "You've been claimed by-"
"By a god," Blondie interrupted, "It's the symbol of Vulcan, right?"
"How did you know that?" I asked carefully. This kid knew more than he was letting on. He knew what demigods were, he knew the Latin counterpart of Hephaestus, he knew more about storm spirits than I did, and he had a sword. What else did he know?
"I'm not sure."
To his credit, he didn't look like he was lying.
"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even like Star Trek. What are you talking about?"
"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and fire," Malcolm chimed in. As he spoke the fiery symbol faded, but Curly was still swatting at it.
"The god of what? Who?" Curly said.
"Will, could you take him to Cabin Nine. I'll handle the other two," I said.
The healer nodded, "Yes, sir."
"What's Cabin Nine? And I'm not a Vulcan?!"
"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything," Will said gently and led Curly off towards the cabins. Malcolm stepped forward and headed straight for Blondie.
"What's that on your arm?" Malcolm asked. He straightened his arm out to reveal an intricate tattoo. It had the letters SPQR and twelve lines and an eagle. I was no expert, but I didn't think that fifteen-year-olds could have tattoos. Although he was at a prison school or something, so maybe he was part of a gang. I almost laughed at the idea. Blondie... in a gang?
"I'm getting tired of saying this, but I don't know," he replied, shaking his head.
"It looks like someone burned it into your skin," I added. He shrugged his shoulders. All the campers seemed sort of irritated by the markings, but they didn't seem to bother me.
"I think they were, but- but I don't know. I can't remember."
"Malcolm, would you take him straight to Chiron," I said. Malcolm nodded. The rest of the crowd started to fade away, leaving me with the girl with the choppy hair.
"Who's Chiron? Is Jason in some kind of trouble?" she asked.
"Trouble? I doubt it. The only time I was ever in trouble with him was when I forgot my Latin homework for a whole week. That was before camp though and I'm still rotten at Latin," I told her. She seemed confused by my response.
"Oh."
"C'mon, I'll give you the tour and answer your questions." I started walking away from the lake and she followed.