THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR FAVORITES! Not to be an ingrate, but can I have some reviews, too? Anyway…
Hi, hi, hi! I'm back! Remember that little moment I mentioned in "Of Shoplifting and Hacking," where Percy and Katie get arrested? Well, this is it!
Might start off a bit slow, but keep reading! You'll get a good look at what goes through my head. And this will lead to my other fanfictions, which will ultimately lead to Percy Jackson's past.
I DO NOT OWN.
Arrest
Katie Gardner POV
Katie peaked over the shoulder of her best friend, Percy Jackson, to see what he was up to.
Okay, she wasn't really trying to see what he was doing; it was more like checking if he was doing anything that she needed to put a stop to, but it was her job. Even though Percy was older (only by a month, and they were ten, Percy a month from eleven) and had basically—no, not basically, had—protected and raised her for a short period of time, she still had to make sure he didn't do something stupid, or illegal.
She carefully scrutinized his every tap on the computer keyboard. Then she looked up at the screen, because he was typing way too fast for her to read. Katie sighed as she slowly attempted to read what he had typed; it wasn't her dyslexia that was making the spinning words unreadable. No, it wasn't that at all. She sighed. Somehow Percy had managed to change the keyboard so it wrote everything in Russian. Why Russian?
She grumbled slightly to herself, but Percy made no move to even so much as glance at her. Somehow, Katie had managed to put together what Percy had taught her of the language and read some of what was on the computer screen. While she was reading, she realized Percy wasn't typing anything; someone else was. Percy was just reading what they had written.
Сегодня мы говорим о проблеме, мы имели довольно долго сейчас: профессионализация наших военных. Наши военные, чуть более пятнадцати лет, еще молодая и неопытная ...
The translation clicked.
Today we are talking about an issue we have had for quite awhile now: professionalizing our military. Our military, just over fifteen years old, is still young and inexperienced...
What is going on? Katie wanted an answer, so she would get one. She flung the spinning chair towards her and got up real close to Percy's emotionless face. "Okay, mister," she started, dominance oozing from her. "I want an answer to this right this minute, so you better give me one as to why you're reading something that looks like it's from the military, in Russia." She had spat the last word.
Percy shrugged, unaffected. "It is from the military in Russia, but it's not like it's anything important." He waved his hand at the screen. "Didn't you read it? All it's talkin' 'bout is how they need to 'professionalize' their army. Nothing important."
Katie felt a surge of anger speed through her. How could this guy always stay so calm? She shook her head and pulled back away from his face. "Okay… Then how come you're reading it?"
Percy started at her with his sea green eyes, eyes that she hadn't seen ever before a few months before. "'Cause I feel like it." He paused. "Come on Katie, you have to have a better question than that."
Katie thought momentarily, and then she slowly opened her mouth before snapping it closed again. Percy motioned her to go with what she was going to say. Katie eyed him warily, deciding what his reaction would be. Would he laugh? Probably. But this was Percy Jackson; he always had surprises hanging around.
Katie sucked in a breath of clear, cold air. "How did you—how did you even get this information?" It was a stupid question, she knew. It was more than likely from off the internet from some website. Yet she had this nagging sensation in the back of her mind that this was what he wanted her to ask, that he wanted her to know what he was doing.
It was unnatural, that he could do that with her, with anyone, really. All he had to do was wait with his left eyebrow raised and that serious 'I know you can do it' look plastered on his face, and he could put any thought in your head. It was like he was literally putting thoughts in your head, carefully setting them in so you would get that nagging feeling. It was all so uncanny, like his strange knack for being able to tell what was going on in your life or emotions, or even what you were thinking in the first place.
Katie patiently awaited Percy's his answer, his reaction. "I hacked," was all he said.
So he was doing something illegal, and right under her nose! She nearly exploded, but she didn't, because right then her father had walked in. "Hey, guys! Y'all havin' fun?"
Katie nodded happily. "Yep! Just on the computer." She couldn't let her dad know he had a criminal in his house. She just had to act like nothing was wrong. It wasn't like she was lying or anything. Besides, Percy had taught her the acting; he was the best of the best.
Her father took a step forward. "Oh, honey, we're moving, remember? I'm gonna have to pack it up." His eyes lingered on the ancient device he called a computer. "But we'll hook it back up when he get to New York. And then we'll have Percy over, kay?"
Percy nodded in Mr. Gardner's direction. "Yeah, it'll be great. I'll no longer have to travel forever by car. Seriously, New York to Alabama—southern Alabama, that's a long drive." He gave a lopsided grin, and then stood from the swivel seat, stretching. "I'm gonna get some food."
"Mkay," her dad mumbled. "There're apples."
"Apples!"
Katie's dad chuckled under his breath. "I thought you'd like some, considering they're about the only thing you eat."
Katie frowned. "Hey, it's not his fault he really likes apples."
"I know. I know. Now help me with this piece a junk. Maybe we'll get a new one." He started exiting everything out on the computer, thankfully not realizing that half of it was in Russian. Katie's father was about to shut down the "piece a junk" when Percy walked into the room, apple posed in front of his open mouth.
Percy's eyes widened. "What are you doing?" he asked, though it sounded more of a demand to know.
Mr. Gardner shut down the computer. "Well, I just shut down the computer." He whacked the top. "Now it's time to pack it!"
Percy rushed to Katie's dad, jumped up onto the computer chair, and grasped his shoulders. "Why didn't you let me do it, the techy?"
"Ummm…" Her father was at a loss of words.
"Why does it matter?" Katie questioned. "What is going to happen?"
Percy gave a nervous chuckle and straightened Mr. Gardner's shirt. "Nothing. Nothing." He brushed imaginary dust off of his faded blue jeans. "Umm… By any chance could you tell me how long it'd take for y'all to pack up all your stuff and actually—oh, I don't know—leave this state?"
Her dad blinked. "A week, at the very least."
"Too long. Too long! It should be three days at the very most!" Percy looked as if he were about to hyperventilate.
Katie surged forward and clutched his T-shirt. "Percy, what is going to happen? Answer me!"
There was a loud pounding at the front door. Percy pointed in the direction of the noise. "That. That is what is going to happen."
Suddenly the door burst down and men wearing black stormed the house, her home.
They held out handcuffs and clicked the evil, shiny metal onto her wrists, her father's wrists, and Percy's wrists.
Katie fought against them, squirming and tugging, but not trying to cause any bodily harm. "What are you doing? Where are you taking us?" She could feel fear building up in her, coursing through her body and bringing her to the edge, but she couldn't help it. The whole thing, like getting kidnapped, reminded her of the Time. The Time, like all others like her, was the beginning of a terrible experience.
Katie vaguely heard her dad yelling at the men dragging her to the door. "Don't do that! She's been kidnapped before! You're just bringin' bad memories. That's why she's fightin' like that."
"Accept out apologies. We didn't know, but you all still need to come with us," one man said, loosening his grip on Katie.
"Why?" her father asked, anger lacing his sharp word.
The same man who had apologized answered. "There is a signal coming from here, from your computer, telling us that you have been hacking into our top secret files."
Katie watched as her dad turned a deep shade of red—a red, she thought, that looked like the red roses she had planted in the garden outside—and shook violently. "What?!" he burst. "You think that I hacked into your 'top secret files!'" I can't even work the internet correctly! How am I supposed to hack into your 'top secret files?'"
The man that was holding her father took a step back after the outburst. Katie couldn't blame him; the yelling had hurt her ears, and she was several feet away.
Her father was breathing heavily, his face still the same rose red. "Then why take the children?"
"It's under strict orders, sir, to take all people in the building. That, sadly, includes the children."
Katie felt her heart drop, could hear it shatter.
She was being arrested.
All because of Percy Jackson.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oLINE BREAK0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
There was no way Katie was forgiving Percy, even if they were best friends since age seven.
They were in a black limousine, windows tinted and seat a soft shade of light brown leather. Under any other circumstances, Katie would have been thoroughly squealing and gawking out the windows and rolling around over the overly large seat, but she wasn't. Why? Because she was handcuffed and jammed in between two huge men in black suits and bullet proof vests, that's why.
Yeah, there was no way she would be forgiving Percy. Ever.
Percy, however much Katie glared at him, acted as if the whole experience of getting arrested was insignificant, like he had been through it a million times before and would a million times in the future, which was probably the case. He simply closed his eyes and cocked his head to the side. Then he leaned his head against the shoulder of the buff guy next to him.
Sure, it looked cute and innocent, but Katie knew better. This was all an act, a trick. Because that is how Perseus Jackson worked—pretend to know nothing. Nothing saved lives. At least in Percy's book it did.
Checking to make sure no one was watching, Katie's eyes darted to both guards beside her, and then to Percy. She scanned over him, because there had to be some way he was going to communicate with her so—there! While most people would focus on the adorableness of Percy's head on the man's shoulder or the giant blob of drool dripping from his mouth, Katie didn't. His hands were forming letters and signs, the letters and signs used for American Sign Language.
Even though Katie hated his guts at the moment (yes, she knew it wouldn't last for long and that she'd eventually stop hating him), she was glad he was a genius, even if he acted—not on purpose—like an idiot. She watched his hands.
I am sorry, he signed. For getting us into this mess, that is. I should have just fessed up.
Even while signing he was terrible with words.
Katie reached her foot over and gently tapped his shin with the tip of her shoe. It is okay. We will be fine. We always are. You just have to think of a plan, brain boy.
Yep. Not only did Percy teach her Russian, but also ASL and Morse code. Did she mention that this boy is a genius?
Okay, he signed, trying not to shift his body so the man beside him would look over. Here it is.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oANOTHER LINE BREAK0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0o0o0o0o
Katie didn't have complete faith in Percy's plan, but it was all that they had.
It was daring. It was reckless. It was suicidal.
And it depended on Mr. Gardner exploding in another rare occasion of anger that he didn't know he had to do so they would be put behind bars with no supervision.
Did she mention that her father didn't even know they had a plan?
They were doomed.
Katie was pushed forward and she stumbled, only to be caught by Percy. He nodded at her, a movement so small it wouldn't even show up on a monitor, and helped her up. Katie nodded back.
It's strange, she mused, that we can do this, communicate and understand without the use of words. It was strange, but Katie didn't dwell on it for long, because all three of them, herself, her father, and Percy, were pushed and locked into a room with a long plastic table with four uncomfortable looking chairs around it, a single lamp that lit the whole room, and cameras hidden in the upper corners of the room.
They each pulled back a chair and sat. Katie personally couldn't wait for anything. The world seemed to be in slow motion and simply sitting, waiting for the first phase to happen itself was an eternity. Her ADHD took over and she erratically tapped her foot on the cold, concrete floor. Then her erratic tapping began to make a steady beat.
Percy noticed this and began beating his fingers against the table. Tap. Da dap. Tap, tap. Da dap. Tap. Da dap. Tap, tap. Da dap. She couldn't help but smile, because only Percy could turn the melancholy environment into their own stage. Tap. Da dap. Tap, tap. Da dap. Tap. Da dap. Tap, tap. Da dap.
Katie's dad cracked a smile, and he was in a terrible mood, being stuck—more like locked—in a room for something he didn't do. "What are you two doing?"
Percy shrugged, a real, genuine smile on his face. "What are you doing?"
"That doesn't even answer my question."
"Sure it does. You just have to think." Percy tapped Mr. Gardner on the forehead. "Think."
"I'll never understand you, Percy."
"I'm cool with that."
Tap. Da dap. Tap, tap. Da dap. Tap. Da dap. Tap, tap. Da dap.
The happy mood was killed when yet another man wearing a black suit walked in. He sat in the last remaining chair and glared at Katie and Percy. "Would you please stop that racket?" he asked, though it was a command.
Percy, the ever smart-aleck, just has to talk back. "Say it nicely." He stuck out his bottom lip and made his eyes go wide.
The man grumbled, "I said please. Now stop before I make you." His eyes traveled to the door. "Where is my co-worker when I need him?"
As if by magic, said co-worker appeared, holding his pitch black jacket in one hand. "I'm here. Just trying to learn how to get out a drool stain." He glared pointedly at Percy, and dropped his stained jacket on Percy's chair.
Phase one—complete!
"Okay," he started. "We're gonna ask some questions, and you're going to answer them." He turned to her father. "Got it?" He pulled out a clipboard with a long list of questions on them.
Katie's dad nodded once. "Shoot."
"How did you learn about our top secret files?"
"You told me."
"Not funny. Answer the question."
Her father raised his eyebrows. "I did. You told me about your top secret files when you barged into my home."
"Then how come there is a signal from your computer telling us that you are the one that hacked into our files?! Huh? Answer that!"
Her father stood and slammed his hands onto the table that shook under the force. "I have no idea! Why don't you tell me, Mr. Know It All?!"
The man in the black suit-without-a-jacket-to-go-with-it stood as well. "You, Mr. Gardner! You hacked into our system!"
"I DID NOT!" He banged his clenched fist into the table and it collapsed in on itself.
The other man, the one who had killed the fun, yelled for people to take us away. "Okay, that's it! We'll question them tomorrow. Put them behind bars!"
Phase two—complete!
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oWHAT? ANOTHER LINE BREAK?0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0o
Katie clutched at the cool, metal bars, the evil things that kept her from freedom.
"I'm sorry for getting you kids into this mess," her father kept on saying. Truthfully, it was more that she wanted to get away from the apologizing than wanting freedom.
Percy groaned. "We heard you the first hundred times, Mr. Gardner. We get it. You're sorry. Move on."
"It's just that," her dad sighed and swiped a hand through his thinning hair, "you guys are too young to experience getting arrested, too young to even fully understand what it is, and I just put you two behind bars for losing my temper."
Katie patted her dad on the back. "It is okay Dad. We're fine." She peaked over her shoulder to see if the guard was catching any of this. He wasn't because he had just walked out the door.
Phase three—complete!
"And besides," she continued, "we're breakin' outta here."
Her father looked at her, on the brink of tears. "Guys, it's not that easy. And breaking out is illegal—" he stopped right there, because Percy was leaning against the gate, the now opened gate.
Percy raised his eyebrows. "Well, are you coming or not? 'Cause I don't like it here, and I don't think you do either." He pulled off his handcuffs.
"But how—" her dad started, but he was waved off by Percy.
"Do you seriously think this is the first time I've been put behind bars? 'Cause if so, I need to knock some sense into you." Percy strutted out of the cage and to the computer. There, he pulled out a pair of black gloves he snatched from the drool covered jacket and slipped them on. "I've been arrested before, Mr. Gardner."
Katie could see the question on her father's tongue. "Why?" he asked.
She sighed. "Hacking, Dad. Percy hacks illegally." She patted his back then grabbed another pair of gloves. She tugged them on and walked to a locked window. Careful not to be loud, she pushed it open. It was more difficult than she thought with the handcuffs. "Mkay, I got the window open, Perce. You finally got what you wanted from here?"
Percy typed some words on the keyboard, clicked the mouse, and pressed enter. The printer began to whir. "Yep." He picked up the papers that had printed and examined them. "Definitely." A devilish grin snaked its way onto his face.
Her father was still dumbstruck. He stood there, stupefied and unable to truly process anything. Katie pulled her father along to the window. "Okay," she ordered. "Climb through. When we get further away, we'll have Percy take off our handcuffs."
"But, but, but…"
"It's okay, Dad. Just climb through."
Mr. Gardner did as he was told and squeezed through the tiny window. He tumbled through and landed on a soft patch of grass outside. Katie tumbled through as well and waited patiently for Percy. She watched as Percy, carrying dozens of folded papers, leapt through as if he had done this before. He landed in a crouch and stood quickly, dusting of imaginary dust bunnies.
Katie couldn't help but wonder how many times Percy had done this before, because, now that she thought about it, he did say he had been arrested before. And he didn't say all of the times were for hacking. Why was Perseus Jackson such a mystery?
She stood and helped her dad up. He was shaking and looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Katie hoped he wouldn't; that would be bad.
"Okay, so what do we do now, Percy?" she asked.
He shrugged, again. Man, it was getting on her nerves. "We leave."
Katie was about to ask, but her father beat her to it. "How, Percy? How do we leave?"
Percy scanned the area, and then he pointed. "There. That's our way of leaving."
Katie looked at what he was pointing at, and her heart skipped a beat. He was pointing at a sleek, shiny, pitch black car that she didn't know the name of, but that was because it looked like one of those spy cars that are specially made for awesome spy movies that didn't have a name.
Percy walked off and Katie rushed to catch up with him. "That?" she asked. "We're taking that?"
"Do you not like it?" Percy motioned at the car.
"No, no, I love it. It's just that…"
"Well, spit it out, Katie."
"I don't think my dad is capable of driving right now." To emphasize her point, her father swerved this way and that while walking, mumbling incoherent nothings to calm himself.
Percy smirked. "Who said your dad was driving?" He opened the door on the driver's side and slipped in.
"Oh."
Katie slid into the passenger's seat and told her dad to sit in the back. She watched as Percy played with a GPS so they could find their way back home. The GPS buzzed and a colored map flashed on the screen. Percy pointed at a red line. "We'll follow this rode."
At that moment, her dad gathered enough sense to realize that Percy, a ten year old, was driving. "Whoah, whoah, whoah. Percy, you can't drive."
"Not legally, yes." Percy adjusted the review mirror.
"But you're not even tall enough to reach the pedals."
"Katie will go down there and reach them for me." He said this as if he'd thought of it before. Probably not. He pulled up his legs and motioned for Katie to crawl under.
She sighed. "I hate you."
"Love you, too," he muttered sarcastically.
Katie, however, obliged his wish and crawled under and pressed the pedal after he picked off her handcuffs. The car lurched forward at first, but then she got the hang of it and could press down to get a certain speed as long as Percy told her how fast they were going.
Katie was driving. Well, in a way.
Her dad wasn't as thrilled as she was. "Katie, stop," he would order. "Katie, stop or else." Eventually, the threats turned into complaints to the Fates, whoever they were. "Why my daughter? Why does my daughter have to be a criminal?" Then he went on to blame Percy. "I blame you. You turned my daughter into a criminal."
Katie couldn't help but feel that there was a bit to the truth in his words. Come on, she was put in some sort of jail because Percy wanted some information. Who wouldn't be a bit off?
When Percy had finally had enough of the blame, though, he turned to look at her father at a stoplight and said to him, "Mr. Gardner, do you think you can look up 'How to hypnotize someone?'"
I know, lame ending, but it was all I had. Anyway, this is it; Percy and Katie and her father got arrested in a weird, twisted sort of way. More on the way!
Peace and all that other stuff.
~XxxXGreek GeekXxxX