A/N: I am so, so, so sorry. My computer broke two weeks ago and I haven't been able to get it fixed. As a result, I have been writing this in between classes and finally have it finished. Because of that though, this is not my best work. So, I apologize for that.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson, nor will I ever own it.
I was jumpy for the rest of the day. I half expected a monster to jump out at me and shout "Boo". But that was ridiculous. Monsters don't say 'boo'. They say 'Rawh. I am going to eat you.' After school Drew, Evan, and I went to the skate park. We stopped by my apartment so I could grab my skateboard, but then we were on our way.
I met Drew on my first day at Goode High School. I was just a freshman, but I already had a reputation. Even though I had been declared innocent, I was still the 'crazy boy who got accused of blowing up the school'. Some people thought it was pretty awesome, others not so much. They had been warned to stay away from the 'weirdo'. Anyway, on my first day, I got bombarded with a bunch of people asking me questions about what happened at freshman orientation. I was unable to escape them. They were like a pack of piranhas, swarming all over me. Well, maybe not exactly, but the point is clear. It ended up that Drew saved me. He directed their attention over to something shiny and the piranhas left me alone. We have been friends ever since.
Evan is my other friend. He is a bit different. He is shy and quiet, the complete opposite of me. We met in English class my freshman year. The teacher assigned us a group project and our groups. Since it was our freshman year, the teacher was kind enough to put Drew and me in a group together and since we needed a third person, Evan became that person. At first he was hard to talk to too, but eventually he opened up. And now the three of us were friends.
As we walked to the park, Evan started talking about his family. He constantly worried about his younger sister and brother. Evan had a different childhood. Instead of staying in one place, his family constantly moved around because of his father's job, who worked with a security company. His dad finally got a job high up in the company, working at the Empire State Building, ironically, and now his family was staying put, for now. It still worried Evan though, that his brother and sister may be uprooted, just as they were making friends.
"They will be fine." Drew said. He never said to stop worrying. It wasn't in Evan to stop taking responsibilities that he had no business taking. And besides, Drew knew that family was complicated too. Drew's mom and dad are constantly fighting, on the edge of divorce. His older brother, Jacob, left a year ago to go fight in Afghanistan, leaving Drew to himself. "Hey, did you hear about the crazy people in the news?"
Evan shook his head.
"Well, there are a bunch of people running around saying that they are Greek gods and goddesses, and that the mythical world is living around us." Drew said animatedly. Evan looked skeptical.
"I don't see how that can be true." He said. "What proof is there?"
"They performed some of their 'powers' in an interview."
"But does that make them real? It is most likely some sort of special effect." That was Evan, the ever so serious man. We were nearing the park. It wasn't far from my apartment, but it still took some time to ride there.
"I don't know. What do you think, Percy?" Drew said.
"Hm? Oh, I don't know. I guess we just need to wait and see what else happens." I said. I was getting caught in a hard place. As the mortal world became more aware and accepting of the ancient Greek world, then demigods and all the mythical creatures would have to make a choice. My friends would want to know and I don't know if I could tell them. They were the normal people in my messed up life.
"Yeah. I guess we do." Drew said. "I think it would be really cool if they ended up being true. I mean, imagine it. Monsters and sword fighting and adventure and really cool powers." That was Drew. Always looking for the next adventure.
"You realize though that we would be dead, right?" Evan said. "If monsters are real, then where are we going to get a sword to defend ourselves? Who is going to teach us to sword fight?" I fingered my pen casually. I could easily get them weapons and teach them. But that would mean revealing myself, but if it came down to it, I would rather my friends be safe, than my secret safe.
"But seriously," Drew said, ignoring Evans last remark, "what else is out there? What others creatures do we live with?" Evan shrugged and I said nothing. We were quiet for a moment, and then Evan's phone rang. The shrill tone blared out of his pocket and I jumped. He answered quickly and then hung up.
"That was my mom. She wants me home soon." He said. Drew snorted.
"That's the beauty of cellphones. Mothers can call you home whenever they feel like it." He said sarcastically. "Percy, you are lucky. You don't have a cell phone for your mom to call you with. I swear though, you are the only sixteen year old in the world without one." Nope, I thought. Not the only one. Others like me don't have one. You see, cell phones are dangerous for a demigod. They send up a signal that is like a honing beacon for monsters. So unless I feel like being monster chow, then I don't use one. Not all demigods follow this rule though. Like Annabeth for example. She has one, but only for emergencies.
"Yeah, well. Cell phones aren't for me. They break as soon as I even hold one." I said.
"I even find that a little weird though." Evan said. "Sometimes, it is like you don't trust us. I mean, you won't even tell us where you were this past summer." I winced. Of course I couldn't tell them. They would have had me committed to a mental institution. But now, I don't know what they would think.
"I told you," I started. "I was out of the state."
"Yeah. But where? And doing what?" Drew said. "All we know is that you left this summer with no contact and when you came back you had a strange look in your eyes and a girlfriend." Drew was a lot more observant than people gave in credit for. I had tried to act normal, but this summer was gruesome and it was going to take a long time to heal from.
"Speaking of your girlfriend, are we ever going to get to meet her?" Evan asked.
"Maybe. Depends on what we do next time I see her." I told them. We fell into a silence. It wasn't exactly quiet, with all of the traffic going on around us, but we weren't talking. We reached the park and skated around for a while but that grew boring after some time and Evan had to leave.
We all went our separate ways, going back home. The city sounds welcomed me. I didn't take them for granted anymore. When New York had been our battle ground and everybody was sleeping, there were no sounds. It was eerily quiet, creating a feeling of suspense. And now they are back again. Drew and Evan have no idea what happened this summer. They don't know of the chaotic war my friends and I fought in or the people I lost. And it should stay this way.
I opened my apartment door, calling out to my mom, but I was immediately attacked with a hug.
"Annabeth." I said, grunting a little as she squeezed me. "What are you doing here?" I took a look at her. Her blonde hair was loose around her head, not up in a ponytail like at camp, and she was wearing a while polo shirt, that had the logo of her school.
"I came to see you, seaweed brain." She said with a smile. I gave her a smile, but it slowly slid off my face.
"This is about Olympus, right?" I asked her. She took a deep breath, turning to me.
"Yes." Her gray eyes were a million miles away, calculating possible scenarios.
"Did Grover come tell you?" I asked.
"No. I got a letter from Hermes." She said distractedly. "The letter said that we shouldn't worry and that everything was going to work out, but I don't know. It doesn't seem to be the way the world works. Nothing is ever simple."
"So, you came here to rant to me?" I asked. She smiled.
"Yes. Well, no. I also wanted to see you."
"Do you think that people will believe? What will happen if they do?"
"Percy! One question at a time. And I don't know. Is this how you feel all the time?" She asked. I feigned a hurt look.
"I'm not that stupid." She gave me a look. "Well, I guess I could pay attention in school more." I honestly tried in school, but when the letters swim off the page, I get frustrated easily. And then trying to pay attention is a nightmare with the ADHD. I might have annoyed some people because I keep drumming my fingers on the desk, even though I have no musical talent.
"Those are good questions though." Annabeth said. "I wish we could go to Olympus and talk to our parents. They would tell us how bad it is." I didn't want to hurt Annabeth's feelings, but I don't think Poseidon or Athena would have told us anything.
"Yeah. Maybe." I said. We were silent for a moment, before Annabeth spoke up.
"Oh, and I heard from a few people at camp. Clarisse, Travis, and Connor said that they would go around to schools, telling people about themselves, in order to convince people." I was surprised. I didn't think Clarisse would ever step foot into a school, let alone volunteer to go to one.
"That's weird." I said. Annabeth laughed.
"You are weird, seaweed brain."
A/N: So, that was it. Sorry for the bad quality and late update. And I made a Twitter account, just so I don't have to use an Author's note again. So, if you care enough to follow me, check it out. It is below.
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