AN 12/15/14: This is the revamped chapter three, and as a summary of my old AN, it was basically that since this was a shorter chapter I posted the next chapter midweek after posting (Which is usually on Fridays/Saturdays). Enjoy!
By the time a year and a half passed, Sally determined that it was time for Percy and I to start Preschool. Somehow she had gotten papers for me saying that I was her adopted child. Whether it be godly interference, or resourcefulness, I didn't know. I was positive that I would not have a valid birth certificate for myself nowadays, but whatever worked. By the time the year anniversary came about that I had been with them, she made a little celebration. It was odd, as it was my actual birthday, but she probably didn't know how right her celebration was date wise. I would rather live with Sally and Percy than in some home though. I had grown to enjoy staying with them, as odd the situation was. Sally even kept my last name as Cooper, to which I was thankful for. It was still one solid piece of my old life I was still able to hold onto.
As the date grew closer I grew more anxious about it. This would be the start of Percy and I being outside in the real world, aside from the occasional outing or shopping trip. I didn't know if I still had the same demigod scent; no monsters had attacked since I arrived here, so as far as I could tell it was in the least not at the same level it used to be. Now that we would be interacting with more people, there was a higher chance of monsters. The last thing I wanted to do was bring danger to Sally or Percy.
The morning of the first day was a bit hectic but Sally did a good job of making it seem like a normal, relaxed morning for Percy and I. Sally was rushing around a lot that morning, between making breakfast for the three of us and getting our things packed and jackets on.
As a little treat, Sally had packed some Hot Wheels toy cars in Percy's bag. For me, I had on a backpack with a stuffed moose in it. It was a cute toy that I figured a lot of three year olds would enjoy having. I had grown "attached" to it for the same of keeping Sally in the belief that I was just a normal child. I had even nicknamed it "Moo".
We had woken up in our usual fashions: Percy running around and me drinking some juice from a special toddler cup Sally gave us, legs swinging loose on the chair. Sally even had taken the time to braid my hair up nicely for the occasion. It reminded me of when my mother would do that. Basically though, it was just the average morning in the Jackson household, just a bit more enthusiastic.
The cab ride to the school was a short one, filled with Percy babbling excitedly about what school might be like and how he was excited to see the other kids. For my part I was mainly thinking about what school would be like. I would have to go through it all again - all of the grades repeated. As if it hadn't been a pain enough the first time around.
It would be tedious to have to go through all the lessons little kids got, I didn't need those. I still had the experiences and mind of a young teenage demigod and all that came with it. Stuff that even the typical adult wouldn't have experienced. All of the loss and tragedy that came with war, one that held a host of kids in the crossfire, as with what comes with war, still burned in my memory. I would never be able to forget all that, nor would I want to in some respects. It made me who I am. I tried to look on the bright side though, I could at least help Percy through school, and I might even learn some new things as the grade level progressed too. Times have changed so much that it was bound to happen.
I had my cautions about Percy and I being in the same school building, I had grown suspicious as to who his father was after I learned he was absent. Percy had a strong aura for a child, not one of just the normal mortal child. From what I could also tell, he had the defining hyperactive like traits of a demigod. His battlefield senses always keeping him active. I would be able to see soon if he had trouble reading English.
Once Percy learned that having just one parent is not normal he would start asking questions. I might be able to glean information out of Sally that way, as I couldn't just upright ask her. I was, after all, supposed to be a child. Though the more I knew the better I would be able to protect them. My last wish for him was to live such a short life like the one I had lived. That was no life for a kid.
A bit after Sally dropped us off into the care of Mrs. Russell, the main teacher at Happy K's Preschool, we were told to circle up. I had to drag Percy away from the toy hub, bringing him into the circle. We sat on a carpet that was made up of boxes of different colors and letters within the squares it was divided into. In short: this was not a demigod friendly carpet by any means.
Once all the kids were gathered around, Mrs. Russell went through her introductions, the classroom aids spread throughout the group to keep everyone seated and facing front. Next to me Percy was bouncing up and down excitedly, nudging me with a wide grin on his face that said: "Isn't this awesome?". Percy and I had grown close over the time I spent with him and Sally. We would always stick together and he would give me sloppy toddler hugs at times too. The first time he did it, it came as a slight shock. I hadn't been expecting it, but I have warmed up to it since then. I was just glad to see him having such a fun time today.
As the day passed on, time was spent playing games and the staff ran through the emergency procedures with us. We learned names through games and went over rules - as much as you could with kids this age anyway. I spent most of my time with Percy, idly playing the games while watching for any signs of trouble. It was an old habit I had developed that was hard to break. Every now and then I would find my hand had drifted to my wrist or neck, checking for my weapons. Being out in public made me more aware of things without Sally around.
Percy on the other hand was having the time of his life playing with so many kids his age. At one point I saw a classroom aid looking at Percy and I strangely, but I brushed it off, chalking it up to Percy's odd attempts at doing a somersault.
The end of the day was taken up by a nap time, then pick up. The cab ride home was nice, I could tell Sally was very entertained by Percy's dramatic stories about the adventures of the day. For dinner she made us chicken-parmesan with green beans, and for dessert: vanilla ice cream. After the initial energy spike that came along with the ice cream, we both crashed, tired from the long day.
That night my dreams were filled with visions of my past. They were not entirely unusual, I would have a memory at times play out in my dreams sometimes, but nothing like this. It was Nick and I in the arena, battling it out to see who could beat who. The days Nick and I would play outside, the rare times my mother and I would go out for ice cream. Those were the happier memories in my life. Then my dreams took a turn from the norm.
I saw glimpses of different missions I had gone on. Battles, monsters, etcetera. All of the tough choices I had to witness and experience again. I saw when I had to kill my half-brother in Italy after we were captured, the mountain cracking. Then I was back fighting the monsters on my last day, but this time we were being overrun. I saw some campers being taken down and I found myself being separated from Nick no matter how hard I fought against it.
Chester came into the picture next, and this time he didn't just hold Nick captive to get me to cooperate, he simply killed him. I stood there, mortified, watching him fall to the ground, feeling as his life went dark, his electric blue eyes catching mine one last time before glazing over. It was my worst fear - losing him and being helpless to save him. All traces of life had left him. Chester then turned to me, a cruel smile marring his face, and spoke. But his voice wasn't him. The voice was powerful and ancient sounding.
"So, she has returned. You could have been a valuable asset to me, but you had to die for a reason. You were becoming too powerful, too uncontrolled. It would have been detrimental to my plans. No, you could not continue on the path you were on. Now look at you, a mere child again. Pathetic, what were they thinking? Yet you may be of used to me. Keep an open mind, Miss. Cooper. Your options are limited." He said, then looked down at Nick.
"If you do not want more of this to happen, you will choose wisely. The gods have done nothing for you, they let you die in vain. Keep that in mind." Chester's eyes were now golden, like the brief flash I had seen in his final moments. He radiated power so intense that I struggled to breathe. I didn't understand what was happening. Who is this? That isn't Chester, and I 'had to die for a reason'? Did this thing cause my death?
Chester walked past Nick's body, kicking it as he went. I flinched at the sight. He approached me, leveling his sword.
"A new age is coming. Remember this conversation when the time comes." He said, his voice cold. I tried to move, to activate my weapons, but I was frozen in place. It was as if I was trying to move through thick syrup.
His figure stopped before me, putting his sword tauntingly against where the real Chester's blade had actually killed me. I felt the spot on my arm begin to sting, then he jerked his sword forward. The pain was as real as the first time, maybe worse. My breath hitched. Chester pulled out the sword roughly and pushed me away. I fell to the ground, released from the spell. I clutched my stomach, curling in on myself protectively like last time. I felt myself shaking, the pain a burning, struggling to breathe.
When I looked back up at Chester, he was no longer alone. Firmly in his grip was Percy. Little, tiny, innocent Percy. His eyes were marred with tears, a terrified look on his face.
"He will be next, you can't save them all unless you are smart about your choices." The voice speaking through Chester warned. My gaze drifted to Nick's motionless form, then back to Chester and Percy.
"I will end you. You won't touch him." I seethed. Nobody would harm anyone I loved again. Chester had hurt Nick, then he had killed me, leaving him alone in the world.
Chester just shrugged, as if that was not a serious threat, but he was wrong. I would make this thing pay. He then he stepped forward, looking down at me, cold golden eyes suddenly blazing.
"Think what you want. I will win in the end, with or without your help, little hero. Be on the right side when that time comes." He told me. He then pulled back his boot covered foot and kicked me in the head, making my vision go black.