AN: Another chapter here, courtesy of yours truly. We're getting closer and closer to the end, but never fear, there's still a good amount of story left. That being said, buckle up, because from here on out, things are going to be pretty wild.
XxXxX
Hazel looked up at the massive factory in front of her, not missing the smatterings of rust, broken windows, and assorted piles of debris decorating the premises. A barbed wire fence ran around the outskirts of the factory grounds, sealing it away from any would be interlopers. Every twenty-five feet or so, there was a sign warning of radioactive waste beyond the fence line in bold lettering. Through the chain links of the old fence, she could see foliage growing, the beginning signs of nature starting to take back what the factory had used to own. All things considered; it wasn't the most inviting place she'd ever seen. In all honesty, if there was a more inconspicuous place to make a hideout than this factory, she'd be surprised. Most people would give this factory a wide berth plus some, making it more than ideal for someone like Percy to hide.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?" she asked anyways, shooting a hesitant look towards her companion. Although she knew they probably were, she was still hoping for a chance to steer clear of the supposed radiation that was waiting for her inside.
"About eighty percent sure, give or take a few percent." He said with a playful wink, seemingly unbothered by her clear trepidation. Either that, or he was outright amused by it.
With a bounce in his step, he led her further along the fence line, dragging his fingers against the small squares of crossing metal wires as he went. Soon, they came to a part of the fence that was cleanly detached from the nearest post, suspiciously like it had been cut through with wire cutters. Percy grabbed the disconnected piece of the fence, peeling it back to create a gap just large enough for both of them to squeeze through.
"VIP access." He said with a smile, waving towards the gap like a butler. She rolled her eyes at him but ducked through the gap in the fence anyways. Percy was soon to follow, making sure the fence was securely rolled back into place behind him before catching up to her.
"So… About the radioactive waste…" she trailed off, thinking back to the ominous signs she'd seen around the building. She hoped her question was obvious.
"No worries." Percy replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Beckendorf and I have been hiding out here for months, and neither of us have noticed any side effects… Other than that eleventh toe I'm growing."
For a moment, she was almost shocked. A small glance at Percy's smirking face told her he was just messing with her, which shouldn't have come as a surprise. For most people, it would have been odd having him joke around so soon after learning news as shocking as his mother apparently dying before he was even born, but this was Percy. Hazel, unlike most, knew Percy extremely well, which meant she knew that Percy liked to use humor as a defense mechanism sometimes in order to ignore the elephant in the room. Still, the mystery regarding Sally Jackson was one uncomfortably large elephant to ignore, even for him. It might not be the healthiest thing to ignore what he was feeling about the revelation, but it was what he needed, so she decided to play along with the lightheartedness and pretend they hadn't just learned such earth-shattering news. At least for now that is.
"Very funny." she scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. She dragged her feet through a particularly lengthy tuft of grass as she walked. It nipped at her ankles like a small dog, nearly making her stumble midsentence. "Where is this Beckendorf guy anyway? This place is huge."
"It's not much further." Percy consoled, pointing towards the largest building just up ahead. "He's probably on the factory floor. That's where his workshop is set up, and he usually spends most of his time there. Can't put down the machines."
"So he's like Leo then?" she inquired, raising a questioning eyebrow. It was a fair question. Leo was the same way if what Percy was implying about Beckendorf was true. The Latino could never be away from his tools for too long.
"Kind of." Percy laughed jovially, as if there was something humorous in comparing Beckendorf to Leo. "They both need to work on things to feel comfortable, that's for sure. But other than that… Actually, I'll just let you see for yourself."
She wondered exactly what he meant, but she knew he wasn't going to volunteer that information any time soon. Percy always had a flair for the dramatic, so she wasn't surprised he was trying to build suspense. She gave a weak shrug, resigned to waiting, before she continued to follow him. He led her to a small hidden door on the side of the massive building he'd pointed out to her. The door was sequestered behind a tall patch of weeds, grass, and vines, making it almost impossible to notice if you didn't know what you were looking for. Without a doubt, Percy had left it in that condition on purpose as a way to make sure any would be intruders would struggle to find it.
Pushing by the thick foliage that hid it from view, Percy peeled open the door. The hinges were old and rusty, causing them to erupt with an ear wrenching screech as the door swung open. She winced as the noise reached her eardrums. It was painfully irritating, almost enough to make her clamp her hands over her ears.
"Have you considered oiling the hinges?" she complained through gritted teeth. She stepped through the door with a grimace, sending one last glare towards the creaky door as she did.
"Of course I have. The sound is awfully annoying." Percy explained. "But it's a lot easier to know if someone's coming when the door is as loud and obnoxious as that one is. There's no sleeping through that." She had to concede that point, it was a valid one, but it still didn't make her any fonder of the obnoxious entrance.
Turning her attention from the creaky door and her unnatural hatred of it towards her newfound surroundings, she saw almost exactly what she'd been expecting from the old factory. The floor was concrete, with cracks running through the cool stone like little rivers, each off shooting into several even smaller distributaries. Conveyor belts lined the massive open floor of the factory, leading in winding paths as they snaked through various machines. Up overhead, several intersecting catwalks extended across the entire building, illuminated by sunlight filtering through cracked windows.
Strewn about the conveyor belts, concrete floor, and massive machines, were piles of small cans, all marked with the name, "Poseidon's Tuna" in fancy lettering. That would explain the faint, but noticeable scent of fish that had tickled her nose upon entrance. The entire place was a vivid reminder of the fact that before Sapphire City was the technological goliath it was now; it had been a simple port city, running on the haul fisherman could pull from the sea. Absent-mindedly, she wondered if Sapphire City's woes would be so severe if it had remained a fishing town. It seemed all the tech industry had brought was classist rich folk and tech-mongering gangs.
Across the building, she could hear the distant sound of something striking metal. The banging was loud and rhythmic, repeating in a powerful and ominous cadence that sounded like a drumbeat designed to drive her every step as she marched towards some sinister doom. Some ancient, instinctual, primal part of her was telling her to turn cheek and run, but she knew that was a silly notion, so she shrugged it off. The logical side of her brain knew that it as probably Beckendorf working on something, as Percy predicted he would be doing.
Following Percy, the sound grew louder and louder. They were definitely headed towards it, and as they got closer, she became certain Percy was right. The sound, when this close was much more familiar, easily identifiable as exactly the same noise that rang from Leo's workshop night and day. She'd passed by the workshop more than enough times to recognize a hammer on metal from this close.
They continued to approach the sound of hammering, footfalls drowned out by the heavy clattering. As they rounded a corner, the banging stopped suddenly, almost in perfect junction with their arrival. Beckendorf must've heard them approach, a surprise considering the loud banging he'd been the center of. The newfound silence produced by Beckendorf's halted hammering was broken by Percy's yell just as the man in question entered their sightline, back turned away from them as he hunched over a table.
"Yo, Beck! I'm back!" Percy shouted, raising a hand in greeting. He had an easy smile on his face, like he'd been through this routine a hundred times. In fairness, he probably had.
The man turned to greet them and, okay, Hazel had to admit, she could see why Percy had thought comparing Leo to Beckendorf was funny. Leo was a short, almost as short as her, Latino boy who wouldn't weigh much soaking wet. He was a serious contender for head elf if Santa ever decided to relocate to South America. Beckendorf on the other hand was about as far from elf as humans got. As far as people went, the two were on opposite ends of the spectrum.
By Hazel's typical assessment, Percy Jackson, much like Jason Grace, was a very tall, and very large man. Beckendorf was easily bigger than both of them. He was huge, with arms like squeezing pythons coming out of his sweat soaked shirt. He was holding a hammer that had to weigh more than her in one hand as if it was a loaf of bread, and he was grinning a lazy grin at both of them. His eyes were warm and welcoming, and despite the fact that he was easily over a foot taller than her, and could probably rip her in half as easily as he would a piece of paper, she couldn't help but feel as safe with him as if she'd known him for years already. She hadn't met him properly yet, but if Percy's endorsement wasn't enough, seeing how friendly he seemed was. She could tell she was going to like him.
"Percy, glad you're not dead." Beckendorf said, his voice deep and rich, not exactly a surprise given his size. He reached out a massive hand, grasping Percy's forearm in greeting. "And this must be Hazel?" he continued, turning towards her.
"I… Uh… How'd you know it was me? I mean. Uh… Pleasure to meet you." She stumbled out, extending a dainty hand in greeting.
He shook it gingerly, careful not to crush her hand in his like he so easily could have. His hand, rough and calloused, swallowed hers whole. The size difference between their hands was comical, even to her, forcing her to bite back a giggle. If Percy's smirk off to the side was anything to go by, just them standing next to each other was an equally humorous sight.
"Oh please." Beckendorf said, shooting a teasing glance at Percy. "I've heard so much about you from Perce that it doesn't even feel like my first time meeting you."
"Is that so?" Hazel said, shooting a sly grin towards Percy.
"I might've mentioned you a few times." Percy muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"A few?" Beckendorf interjected, clearly jumping at the chance to embarrass Percy. "He wouldn't shut up about you and how proud he was. Hazel this, Hazel that. I seriously recommend you appoint him president of your fan club as soon as possible."
"I guess I'll consider it." She said drily, chuckling to herself. After her gentle laughter had subsided, she schooled her features best she could. Outwardly, she seemed rather unmoved by Beckendorf's words, but that was only because she was hiding just how pleased she was to know that Percy would rave about her like a parent who couldn't see any fault in their child. It was the same feeling she got as a kid when her mom would put her terrible macaroni art up on the fridge. It felt good to have someone you looked up to take so much pride in you.
"That's good to hear. I bet he already has the t-shirts made." Beck said, shooting her a grin. The massive tinkerer turned from her now, suddenly all business, raising one bushy eyebrow at Percy in an inquiring look. "Perce, did you happen to pick up what I needed while you were out?"
"Of course I did." Percy scoffed. He seemed insulted that Beckendorf was questioning whether he succeeded or not.
Reaching into his pockets, Percy started to rummage around for what Beckendorf wanted. He dug around for a few moments, seemingly making a show of not being able to find whatever it was, before finally producing Beckendorf's mystery item. In a flash, Percy lobbed it over to Beckendorf, too quickly for Hazel to make out what it was. All she could see was a flash of silver, which told her it was most likely a part of some kind. Odd, she didn't remember seeing Percy pick anything like that up.
Curiously, she looked to Percy, letting her face do the talking. He seemed to notice her interest but shook his head gently rather than elaborating. He mouthed the word 'Later' and gave an apologetic smile, then turned back to Beckendorf. She frowned but accepted that some things would have to wait.
"How many more of those things do you need?" Percy asked, still being cryptic about exactly what that thing was.
"Just a few more, and then I'll be able to finish up." Beckendorf responded, opening a drawer and dropping in the mystery object. "If we're lucky, my design will work perfectly."
"I'm sure it will." Percy reassured him, clapping him on the shoulder. "And when it does, we'll be one step closer to taking care of Luke. We'll have Silena back in no time."
Beckendorf smiled gratefully at Percy, seemingly comforted by his words. He turned and shot a loving look towards the table he'd been hunched over, causing Hazel's eyes to follow his gaze. His sightline led her to a framed photograph on the workbench, proudly displaying a picture of Beckendorf with his arm thrown around a beautiful girl. That must be Silena. She could see the love in both of their eyes, clear as day. It was no wonder the blacksmith seemed so anxious to save her.
"Yeah, about that." Hazel interrupted, drawing both of their attentions. "It might go faster if you guys come back with me. To work with Jason again. You know, 'teamwork makes the dream work' and all that jazz."
"What's she talking about? I thought they gave you the boot?" Beckendorf asked, looking to Percy accusingly.
"They did." Percy reaffirmed, wiping a hand across his face in frustration. "Hazel seems convinced that Jason and the rest of them will welcome me with open arms if I want back in. And if that's the case, they'll let you join too. The problem is, I'm still not entirely convinced that they're ready to hang the 'welcome back' banners just yet."
"But if they are ready to take you back then she's right. It would mean we could take down Luke sooner." Beckendorf argued before turning to Hazel. "Are you sure they'll be okay with it?"
She nodded emphatically, giving an encouraging smile but saying nothing else. She could tell this wasn't going to be a hard sell for Beckendorf, so she wasn't going to overplay it. It was obvious that the big guy was in the moment she had suggested they'd get Silena back faster. All she needed now was for Beckendorf to sell the idea to Percy. She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping he would succeed where she had so far failed.
"We have to do it, Percy." Beckendorf implored, stepping towards his friend. "If there's even a chance it'll speed things up, we have to. I know they kicked you out of the organization you started and that stings. I understand that you'd be bitter about that. I know that you think you're a danger to others, and you bring death wherever you go, but that doesn't matter. This entire situation with Luke is dangerous. If there's just the tiniest chance that it'll make finding Silena faster, then-"
Percy held up a hand, cutting Beckendorf off midsentence. Hazel bit her lip hopefully, crossing her fingers behind her back. Beckendorf for his part, was giving Percy pleading puppy dog eyes, comical coming from someone so large. Percy rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, looking between the two before letting out a heaving sigh.
"Of course we're going to do it. I may not like it, but it'll speed things up." Percy said finally, a small smile ghosting its way onto his face. "Besides, I've never been very patient anyway."
XxXxX
Thousands of scenarios had played through Hazel's mind when she imagined Percy returning. She'd imagined everyone welcoming Percy back with open arms, glad to see him finally return. She'd imagined them starting off adverse to the idea but accepting it, slowly warming up to his return over time. She'd imagined them outright rejecting him, forcing him to leave again without remorse. She'd imagined every scenario between those, plus thousands of other outlandish ones that danced between unlikely and impossible. Of all those imagined outcomes, a whopping zero of them served to prepare her even slightly for what she was met with upon entering the base she had once called home.
Rather than being met by familiar faces as she expected, the second they stepped off the elevator, they were met by what seemed to be the aftermath of a complete warzone. Furniture was tipped over, riddled with bullet holes, presumably from being used as cover. The ground was wet, but covered in scorch marks, trademark signs of fires being put out by the sprinkler system. Several of the walls and pillars holding up the roof had chunks blown clean off, not to mention their own generous smatterings of bullet holes. The entire place was a battlefield. That, or Jason hired a painfully talentless interior decorator.
"What the hell happened here?" Beckendorf muttered, slowly stepping out into the base. His eyes darted across the entire room with confusion. He hadn't been there before, but even he knew something was terribly wrong.
"Nothing good." Percy replied, raising an arm to point up ahead. Following his finger, they saw the lower half of a body just around a corner, lying motionless in a pool of red. "Luke must've found the base."
A hand flew up to Hazel's mouth, catching a gasp just before it escaped her throat. It couldn't be, could it? There was no way Luke was able to attack their base, it was hidden underground and protected by biometric scanners. It should've been impossible to breach.
"That shouldn't have mattered." Hazel argued, voicing her thought. "It's not possible to get down here without someone inside letting you in."
"I know." Percy said slowly, looking down to Hazel with a grim expression on his face.
"You think someone let them in?" Beckendorf asked, catching on to Percy's thinking. "Would anyone here even do that?"
"I didn't think so." Percy replied with a shake of his head. He slowly swept a hand across the room, gesturing towards the wreckage. "Obviously I was wrong."
The three of them shared concerned looks with each other. If a traitor had let Luke in, their plan to team up with Jason had already seriously backfired.
"So now what do we do?" Hazel mumbled, glancing to the fallen body Percy had pointed to. Right now she was in shock, her brain still not fully processing the severity of the situation.
"Well first, we look for survivors." Percy pressed his mouth into a thin line, reaching to his waist to draw his handgun.
He stepped out in front of them, pistol raised and ready, and they began their trek around the base. The longer they walked, the sicker to her stomach Hazel became. Each room was more gruesome than the last. The ground was wet and sticky with blood, with shell casings floating in the blood like bronzed lily pads. The whole building reeked of char, gunpowder, and death. She did her best to avoid looking into the still open eyes of the many cold lifeless bodies left to rot. Some were unfamiliar faces, most likely Luke's henchman that had died in the attack, but most were faces she recognized. Her friends.
"Jesus." Beckendorf grumbled, stepping over a particularly mutilated corpse. "I don't think anyone survived."
Hazel swallowed a lump in her throat. She was beginning to think the same thing but had been afraid to voice it. Some part of her was worried she would speak it into existence if she did.
"They're all gone?" she asked hopelessly, feeling tears form at the corners of her eyes.
"No." Percy said, looking down dismally at another body. "They didn't get everyone."
"How can you be so sure?" Hazel breathed out, still refusing to look down, even as Percy nudged the body with his toe.
"Because." Percy answered, holstering his pistol. "Look at this body."
"Do I have to?" Hazel whined, still not looking down.
"That depends. Did you tell Jason I was coming back with you?"
"Of course I did. I didn't want to bring you or Beckendorf unannounced. I didn't think that would go over so well. I sent him a message this morning."
"I figured." Percy said, looking down at the body, head tilted to the side curiously.
"I don't see what that has to do with this dead guy." Beckendorf interrupted, looking curiously at the body at their feet.
"It has everything to do with this dead guy." Percy explained, squatting down to get a closer look at him. "Because Jason knew I was coming. Which means Jason knew I would notice this."
Hazel was forced to look down, too intrigued by Percy's deduction to let her uneasiness stop her. Thankfully, the body belonged to one of Luke's men, which meant she didn't have to feel too uncomfortable. By now, she was used to dead bodies, as long as they didn't belong to her friends.
"Look." Percy said, pointing towards the dead man's mouth. "How many guys try to eat paper right before they succumb to their bullet wounds?"
Peering into the man's mouth, Hazel could see what he was pointing too. Tucked away in the man's cheek, barely visible thanks to the darkness in the man's barely agape jaw, she could see the corner of a folded-up note. How Percy spotted it, or how Jason knew Percy would be able to spot it, she'd probably never know. Percy reached a hand into the man's mouth without any hesitation, withdrawing the paper and unfolding it as he stood up.
"He left a message in a dead man's mouth?" Beckendorf asked incredulously, peering over Percy's shoulder.
"Yup." Percy chirped, popping the p. "It's our agreed upon location if we have nowhere else to hide a message."
"You couldn't choose a more sanitary form of communication than a dead man's mouth?" Hazel cried, finally tearing her eyes from the corpse to look at the note in disgust.
"It was my idea." Percy admitted, holding back a chuckle. "I thought the irony of using a dead guy's mouth as a dead drop was too good not to. Jason wasn't able to convince me otherwise."
Hazel groaned, shaking her head. Somehow, she was still blown away by his childishness after all this time.
"Well. What does it say?" Beckendorf asked, drawing their attention back to the note. Percy nodded, turning back to the note and clearing his throat.
"To whom it may concern," Percy said, eyes scrunched in concentration as he read. "It is with a heavy heart that I report a death in the family. Although we are all morose in these trying times, I hope it will console your aching heart to know that I, along with the rest of our beloved family, will be carrying on in their memory. If you wish to mourn with us, we will be holding the funeral where it all began. With luck, we will see you there. Regards, Uncle Z."
"Well that makes no sense." Hazel said throwing her hands up in the air in disappointment.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Beckendorf said slowly, casting a scrutinizing gaze at Percy's calculating face. He obviously knew something they didn't.
"What do you-"
"Beck's right." Percy cut her off. "The message means that Jason is alive, and at least a few others are as well. They made it out, and they're at a rendezvous waiting for us."
"A rendezvous where?" Hazel asked. Beckendorf looked expectantly at Percy as well, seemingly as confused as her now.
"I'm pretty sure I know the place." Percy said with a faint smile, as if he was remembering some fond memory from a long time ago. "Come on, we don't have much time to waste."
XxXxX
"Why are we at a police station?" Hazel asked, turning to look at Percy curiously for a moment.
She eyed the building with suspicion, wondering what led Percy to think Jason would be waiting for them there. It seemed unlikely, considering the fact that the police couldn't care less about the woes of the poor in this godforsaken city. Maybe there was some other secret entrance hidden around here somewhere. Percy seemed to have a fondness for secret lairs. Still, that seemed unlikely considering all the people milling about just outside. This was one of the busiest parts of the city.
"Because of the note." Percy answered simply. "If Jason wants us to find him, it'll be here. The note said 'where it all began' at the end. This is where it all began for us. This is where Jason and I met and first decided to work together."
"You met Jason at a police station?" Beckendorf wondered aloud, looking up at the double doors that led inside in confusion.
"That he did." Someone said from behind them in a familiar voice.
Hazel whirled around, met with the sight of blonde hair and lightning blue eyes. Jason Grace. He was dressed inconspicuously and would've looked completely unremarkable to someone who didn't know him. To most he was just a civilian, but to Hazel he was her leader and friend. Without thinking about subtlety, she threw herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. Jason humored her, patting her back comfortingly until she finally decided to let go.
After Hazel backed off, Jason moved to Percy, clasping his forearm in greeting. They shook hands, smiling at each other despite the unfortunate circumstances of their finally meeting each other again. To most, it would look like a much less emotional meeting than it was, but Hazel knew better. For them this was the equivalent of one of those movie scenes where the couple runs at each other in slow motion before jumping into each other's arms. As much as the two butted heads, it was moments like these where Hazel saw that they truly were good friends.
While they reunited, Beckendorf stood awkwardly off to the side, waiting for them to finish. Jason was the first to take notice of their fourth wheel, breaking off his handshake with Percy to turn to Beckendorf. He offered his hand to the larger man, slightly shocked by the fact that he was forced to look up at someone. Beckendorf smiled gratefully, returning Jason's handshake with fervor.
"You must be Jason." He said, his voice as low and smooth as ever.
"I am. You're Beckendorf? Hazel mentioned you in her message. Said you'd been working with Percy since he left." Jason said, though his voice did hold some suspicion, similar to when Percy had first introduced her to him.
The big guy nodded, but said nothing, instead glancing at Percy. He clearly wanted him to do the talking, which made sense considering he'd met Jason approximately three seconds ago. Percy had already established a rapport of trustworthiness with the soldier, and Beckendorf was looking to lean on it.
"He has." Percy said, crossing his arms defensively. "He's been a great asset, and a great friend. I promise he's a good guy."
"Good." Jason nodded, apparently finding Percy's endorsement to be enough. "We're running particularly short on good guys right about now."
Hazel and Percy gave each other pained glances. Based on the emotion in Jason's voice, they weren't going to like what came out of his mouth next.
"How many made it out?" Hazel asked, already dreading the answer.
"Four that I know of, counting myself."
"Four." Hazel spluttered. "As in four?"
Jason nodded grimly, seemingly unable to verbalize the sickening number again. To her left, she could see the pain dash it's way across Percy's face. Beckendorf looked sympathetic to their pain, but he couldn't understand. He didn't know all the people who they'd lost. Her and Percy? They had to live knowing they'd just walked through the grave of almost everyone they'd spent their lives with for so long now.
"Who." Percy asked forcefully, able to ask the question she couldn't.
"Myself, Annabeth, Piper, and Leo." Jason said, closing his eyes in frustration as he spoke. "They were with me when the attack happened. I was able to get them out of the nearest entrance. By the time I got back to help everyone else, it was too late. I fought as hard as I could, but it was pointless. Everyone was already gone."
"Could anyone else have escaped?" Hazel asked hopefully, not willing to face the complete massacre of her first real family.
"I suppose." Jason nodded, though he didn't seem to believe it himself. "But I doubt many did. And if they did, I doubt they'd be eager to return. It was a bloodbath. One I doubt they'd want to relive."
"How'd it even happen?"
"I'm not sure." Jason admitted. "But obviously someone had to have let them in. Once that happened, it was already over. Everything happened so fast. I was in a meeting with Piper, Leo, and Annabeth, and then all of a sudden, we heard gunshots. That's when the screaming started. I got them to the exit as quickly as I could, but we had to fight our way there. Then I went back for more, but it seemed like no matter how many of Luke's men I killed, more kept coming. By the time they were gone, everyone else was dead. I knew that with everyone gone, the base compromised, and you guys on the way, the only hope I had was to leave a message for you and bolt before they came back looking for survivors."
"You made the right choice." Percy said, placing a comforting hand on the solemn man's shoulder. "You did all we could. Now all that's left is to group up with who's left and finish the fight for those who can't."
Jason nodded, somewhat comforted by his words.
"The rest are hiding out. I figured it would attract less attention if I met you alone. I was hoping you'd have somewhere we could all stay. Somewhere we can bring this son of a bitch Luke down for good."
"I do." Percy said, smiling viciously. "On one condition."
"Which is?"
"When we get Luke, that son of a bitch is mine."
AN: And there we have it, another chapter done. Yes, Luke really did that. Yes, most everyone is dead. Who was the traitor? Is the traitor one of the only ones left alive, or are they someone else entirely? What is Beckendorf building? What happened to Percy's mother? So many questions, and absolutely zero answers. At least until next time that is. Until then, please be sure as always to let me know how I did. I love the feedback. Until next time,
Peace