Chapter 2: Sir Perseus' pesky poultry problem
The next morning, Percy walks over to the well to get some water. He passes by the chicken coup and decides what's for the dinner they're all going to have. If Nico can find it in him to have a meal with someone he doesn't seem to trust.
A servant takes the bucket from him as he walks into the kitchen. "You don't have to do that sir, we'll take care of it."
"Thank you," Percy says, "could you inform the other servants of the two guests so they aren't-" A scream of alarm comes from down the corridor. "Ah horse dung!" Percy exclaims and runs toward the yelling.
"Don't TOUCH HER." Nico snarls keeping himself between Hazel and the interloper. Hazel might not notice it, but Nico always places himself between her and the entrance to a room, specifically for this reason. "And don't touch me either!"
" I-I just came into change the sheets" the servant says, surprised at the boy's aggression.
Percy arrives swiftly "Whatever, is happening?" He says in his most formal tone, knowing of course that it just makes him sound ridiculous.
"Sir Jackson! Thank goodness you are here! There seem to be squatters in your estate!"
"Not squatters," Percy shakes his head "Guests...I am sorry." He addresses Nico.
"Oh," The servant calms down. "My apologies."
Nico tucks his aggression away with a "hmph!" and lays back down on the sheets to sleep some more. He wasn't done sleeping damn it.
Hazel is plenty awake. "Nico?" she asks, "are you going back to sleep?"
"Yes. I'm tired. You can...go explore if you want." he hands her the dagger from last night to carry around with her. "Wake me up later?"
"Of course," Hazel says and runs her fingers through Nico's hair. "Sleep well." She walks up to Percy. "Sir knight," she smiles politely and walks past him.
Her fearlessness surprises him and his gut twinges with phantom pain. "W-wait a second," Percy calls and follows her.
"Yes?" She looks back at him, pointedly at the blooming bruise she knows is under his shirt, encouraging him to keep his distance.
"I would gladly show you around... if you'd like," He offers "Also, I ordered some fresh bread from the bakery which should be arriving for breakfast" He smiles a dopey, nonthreatening, Percy smile.
"Oh. Well thank you...um..." Hazel desperately wants to believe in him, and Percy's smile is so... honest. "I will gladly take you up on that offer, Sir knight." Hazel nods decidedly.
Percy fights back the reflex to offer his arm as he normally would to a lady. He doesn't want to get punched again. Instead he gestures for her to lead the way and explore the estate at her leisure, with him merely accompanying her.
He shows her around the farm first and when they are in the field where there is relatively little for him to say as tour guide, he turns to her. "I know it is a bit soon, and you probably didn't talk about it, but has your brother… given any thought to my suggestion? Perhaps?" He tries not to look too desperate.
"Well, unless he thinks when he's asleep...which I would not put it past him…" She chuckles and then clears her throat, "he has not said anything." Hazel pets a pig with a grin, picturing all the tasty things she could eat if they killed it. She can't remember the taste anymore, but she recalls the one time Nico stole them some bacon and they both agreed it was the best thing they'd ever eaten.
"I see..." Percy says, "What do you think?"
"Well...it's really up to Nico. He's already my hero. So becoming a knight would just be giving him a title to go with his heart."
"I thought as much, he is a good man, your brother." Percy smiles "I do hope he makes a decision quickly, tournament is in 3 months that doesn't leave a lot of time to train should he decide to undertake it." Percy spots a wagon heading toward the front of his house. "Well then, shall we wake your brother for breakfast?" Percy suggests.
Hazel kisses Nico's forehead to wake him up, and smiles. "It is time for breakfast, Nico. The knight ordered us something from the bakery! Can you imagine? Bread fresh from the oven!" Her excitement is contagious and Nico finds himself smiling back at her.
They head out to the kitchen where Percy is waiting with bread, a smell the makes Nico's mouth water. "Help yourselves," Percy says gesturing to a plate of warm, freshly baked rolls. The mild cold from the room makes the warmth of the bread visible, and Nico's stomach growls as he breathes in the scent of flour and butter.
Nico grabs a roll, he eyes Percy warily before handing it to Hazel. He hands another roll to Hazel and then shoves another in her mouth when she opens it to protest.
Hazel pulls out the roll. "Nico!" She protests with cheeks full of bread which kind of just made her look like an angry chipmunk.
"Eat." is Nico's only response as he finally takes a roll for himself. He bites into it and the soft bread melts with buttery perfection in his mouth. He tries to hide the satisfaction it brings him, as Percy watches them expectantly. "Thank you" Nico grumbles.
"You're welcome." Percy says with a grin, grabbing a roll of his own. He looks like he's about to say something else, but hesitates. He looks down to his roll and munches it pensively, trying to figure out how to spark conversation of his offer again.
Nico reads him well, and after finishing his roll he stands behind Hazel, a hand on her shoulder. "Sir Knight" He says disdainfully, as if the title was an insult. "I've made my decision."
Hazel's head whips around and looks at Nico with bright eyes.
"Really?!" Percy says with such high-pitched excitement that Nico could swear the knight was translating Hazel's eyes rather than speaking for himself. Percy clears his throat. "I mean, that is…good…What is your decision?" Percy tries to be as stoic as possible but Nico recognizes that this characterization was about fitting as a piglet in a gown doing a line dance for this particular knight.
"I will…"He pauses, not for effect but to quickly reassess his decision. Hazel's expectant eyes made his decision clear. "Stay, and become a knight, un-under your instruction." Hazel's eyes brighten even more and she hugs her brother. Her arms and smile telling him she is proud of him.
Percy tries to contain a smile and fails. "Perfect!" He beams. "You will not regret this decision, I promise!"
Nico shoots a look to Hazel which Hazel knows is a secret smile, but for Percy he maintains his default scowl.
"Well, I will have the servants fix you up, make you look presentable and I shall…catch us a chicken, for dinner! To celebrate!" Percy nods, and exits the room to fetch the servants. "Just let them take care of you and-" His head quickly peaks out to look at them again. "try to refrain from killing them."
Nico raises an eyebrow.
"Just a suggestion," Percy chuckles nervously and disappears once again.
After 3 hours of chasing the chicken, Percy is almost ready to give up, That's when the chicken heads toward a puddle. "That's right little chicken go and get drink I am sure you are very tired," he whispers, his eyes full of exhaustion and desperation. He knows he's not supposed to use his magic, except under controlled settings, but... He watches the chicken intently as it nears the water calculating his strike.
"Percy?" Jason walks into the coup and the chicken flutters away from the intruding knight and the puddle.
"I almost had him!" Percy hisses, exhaling to collect himself. "I mean,…Hello, Jason."
Jason raises an eyebrow "Were you chasing a chicken?" He takes in Percy's appearance and draws his own conclusions with a sigh. "For how long?" He adds as if it's obvious. Which is actually kind of insulting and annoying.
"Not too long" Percy lies dusting himself off, "How is your apprentice?" he says with some forced pettiness.
"Zhang is fine. We had a good practice today... Percy, please tell me you weren't just running after the chicken trying to catch it."
Percy almost looks like he's about to say no but then he scratches the back of his head in surrender. "Is there ah- some other way to do it?"
"You really should ask your servants how to- nevermind" Jason sighs and shakes his head slowly approaching the same chicken Percy had been chasing, never looking directly at it. When he's close enough, his hand lashes out and he snatches the thing by the neck, instantly snapping it. "There you are" Jason says and tosses the chicken to Percy.
Percy fumbles it before clutching it to chest. "I probably tired it out for you though" He mumbles.
"What was that?" Jason asks with a knowing smile.
"Nothing…Thank you Jason, now if you'll excuse me I have three people to feed" he
says and starts to walk away.
"Three?" Jason asks, "Who else are you feeding?" Jason isn't arrogant, but he
can honestly say that he is the only person Percy regularly engages with
besides Leo, the blacksmith. And between the two of them, he's the only one that would sit down and have a meal together. And Percy making said meal is another thing entirely. As far as Jason can tell, he's not invited.
"What!?" Percy says stupidly "I didn't say-um it is an expression! The
three people and me, myself, and I, haha! Yes! and we are so hungry we could eat an entire chicken" he smiles nervously hoping Jason will buy it.
"…I see…I never took you as the gluttonous type, Percy. Go feed you, yourself and you." Jason watches Percy leave, marveling at just how bad Percy is at lying.
Percy goes into the kitchen to prep and cook dinner. Hazel enters the kitchen, "I was wondering when you' d be back" she smiles, The servants had cleaned her up nicely. Her bangs are combed and pulled out of her face into a small ponytail. The rest of her hair falls around her shoulders, much tamer than it had been before but still bushy and frizzy. She had also been given a one of Mrs. Jackson's old dresses. It was still two sizes too big, but it was a vast improvement from her prior clothing.
Percy smiles as he plucks the chicken, "I was having-ah…. poultry problems" he says with a nervous grin. "You look very lady-like," he says.
"Thank you." She seems pleased at the compliment.
"You're welcome...My Lady," He adds hastily.
Hazel blushes "Do you want, um… help with the chicken? Or something else? I can peel potatoes. Or eat bread. Or add belladona to the seasonings."
"Certainly, you can boil pota-...wait… what was that last one?"
"Nothing," Hazel grins mischievously and grabs a knife from the counter. "I was jesting with you."
Percy laughs with her, but in his head he seriously reconsiders which sibling he should fear more. They continue working and as they do Percy starts humming.
Hazel smiles as she recognizes the tune. It was the ballad of Sir Weighty…the song that her mom would sing to them before they slept. She hums along. Although she doesn't remember a lot about Maria, she does remember this song and the feeling of comfort and security that accompanies it.
It has been so long since she last heard it. When she was younger, Bianca would sing it for them so they'd never lose hope. Then, just after Bianca's death, Nico used to hum it to her when she couldn't sleep from crying. But after she grown out of that, he'd stopped.
Percy smiles when he stops and Hazel is still humming.
"You know this song then?" Percy asks.
"Of course. Doesn't every child?" Hazel almost explains, but stops herself. For some reason saying Nico used to sing it to her feels like betrayal. Like it's their secret, something just for the two of them. "Its my favorite, actually." She says instead.
"Well I suppose...and who doesn't like Sir Weighty? I'd like to think I could be a knight like him some day." Percy smiles dreamily before stabbing the chicken. Hazel laughs softly at the context.
Percy is almost about to ask where Nico is when they hear a knock at the door. Percy looks down at his bloody hands and immediately regrets not keeping any servants around tonight "uuuummm..." he looks around.
"Spread it on your face and scare them?" Hazel suggests.
" haha…-no... perhaps if I knew who it was…" Percy wipes his hand on a cloth and opens the door to see Jason standing there.
"Jason?!" He exclaims, "What -ah whatever are you doing here?"
Jason notes Percy's flustered eyes darting around.
"Horse slipped a shoe part ways down, so I came back here because its closer than the castle, I hope you don't mind?" Jason smiles and Percy shakes his head.
"N-not at all," he laughs nervously.
"May I come in?" Jason prompts as Percy doesn't move.
"Of course," Percy says through his teeth with a forced smile. He moves aside to let Jason in and pokes his head out of the doorway to scan the gate to see if anyone followed his friend. Percy is about to the close the door he jumps in shock upon realizing that Nico is perched on top of his stone doorway, draped in a dark traveler's cloak, looking down at them in an uncomfortably hawk-like manner.
"Knights of Camelot!" Percy exclaims.
Jason turns. "What is it!?"
"Oh… n-nothing thought I saw a spectre" he lies, glancing quickly at Nico.
Nico brandished his knife and holds it to his throat and mouths: "You want me to kill him?", shooting a glance at Jason.
"NO!" Percy says, and Jason looks back at him with a raised eyebrow. "N-no but that is silly...ghosts do not exist?" Percy covers. He waves his hand dismissively, as if it is a natural part of the comment, but shoots Nico a quick look to show it is directed at him. Nico shrugs and disappears.
Hazel emerges from the kitchen as quickly as Nico demerges. "Who was-" she stops upon seeing the stranger, another knight…her body reflexively locks into a defensive stance.
"Horse dung" Percy curses to himself as Jason looks at the young maiden in surprise. .
"Is there something you are not telling me, Perseus?" Jason asks, going through the very few reasons anyone would have girl in his company at so late an hour, without chaperone.
Percy groans, he hates it when people call him my his full name. It always feels like he's being scolded. He tries for evasion of the question. "S-so dinner then?" His laugh is nervous, and he hopes with futility that the situation will magically fix itself if he just refuses to admit it exists.
"Not unless we want raw chicken." Hazel says, "You…um… did not say we were going to have... company."
She glances at Jason warily with a frown; Nico, who is now perched on a wooden rafter near the ceiling asks her without words if she wants him to kill the newcomer. When she subtly shakes her head "No", Nico shrugs again and disappears into the shadows without so much as a whisper.
Jason looks around expectantly. "And where is your...third companion?"
Percy scratches the back of his head and shrugs "You know, Jason I am ...not entirely sure." he says truthfully. He could be anywhere, Percy thinks.
"He'll show up when there's food on the table." Hazel says confidently and goes back to the kitchen.
Jason turns on Percy the second she leaves. "So your'e alone with a girl? That is so... So un-chivalrous of you, Percy. A woman should always be chaperoned." Jason says it as if he's reciting the text Percy knows the rule came from. That's just how Jason was sometimes, very… "by the book".
"She is," Percy says and looks up to the roof again ,"by a chaperone who could slit your throat before you even knew it" he mumbles.
"What was that?" Jason asks.
"Nothing," Percy responds quickly.
"Are you going to tell me what is going on, Percy?"
"I…um…Ok Jason, you see…there was…a troupe you see, of entertainers! Yes…and these two were separated from that troupe…and I offered them a place… to stay…as a good knight should!" He nods.
Jason doesn't believe him in the slightest but he nods. "Oh…" he feigns understanding, "Alright, Percy, how very noble of you."
"I certainly thought so" Percy smiles nervously.
When Hazel sits down and the food has been served, Nico appears from under the table, and instantly starts putting more food on his sister plate. Jason studies Nico's face, and after some consideration, realizes that he is the "thief" from the ceremony. He also realizes that Percy was lying, but in all fairness, he already knew that.
"Nico!" Hazel huffs, "You have to eat some too!'" She places some on his plate, but he just gives her more in retaliation.
"Jason," Percy says, "this is Nico and the young woman, his sister Hazel."
"Pleased to meet you," Jason says.
Nico grunts.
"So…Nico, Percy tells me you and your sister are entertainers."
Nico shoots Percy a look, and Percy nods.
"That's correct."
"What troupe?...If you don't mind my asking." Jason continues.
"It was called 'Illslityerthrowt'," Nico smiles darkly "You probably haven't heard of it. Hazel lets the confusion pass unseen and smiles, trying to back her brother up.
"I have not," Jason smiles with an edge.
"Oh look! There's chicken! Jason, you should eat it...now." Percy ephisizes and carves off a chunk and plops it on Jason's plate.
"Yes, thank you," Jason says not looking at Percy, his eyes still trained on Nico, "Do you do any tricks then?" He pries.
I can shove your head up your own ass. That would be a trick. Nico thinks, but he just nods with a vague look of disinterest, and shoves some chicken in Hazel's mouth since she's not currently chewing anything.
"Nii-go-!"She whines.
"I would really like to see, if it isn't too much trouble" Jason says shooting a look at Percy.
"They're very tired… and no that wouldn't…um..." Percy fumbles with words.
"Oh no!" Nico interrupts Percy's fumbling, his eyes wild. He knew exactly what Jason was doing and he didn't like it one bit. "We wouldn't mind at all, would we, Hazel?" He gives her a wicked grin.
"of course no-mmghph!" Nico shoves some bread in her mouth before she can finish.
Percy laughs nervously again, "Oh no you really do not have t-"
"No! We insist." Nico asserts, and fiddles absently with his knife. Hazel nods silently, refusing to give Nico another chance to shove food down her throat.
Nico hands the knife to Hazel with a wink, and grabs two potatoes from the table. He begins to juggle them while humming some semblance of a jig. He nears Jason with each step he takes.
"Um…" Percy squeaks.
"Another potato, Hazel?" Nico calls, and Hazel throws him another. Nico tosses the other two high in the air as the third approaches his hand. Percy watches in interest and terror, and for a split second believes Nico is actually going to juggle in the third.
His hopes are instantly dashed as Nico tosses the third potato and steps away. The first and second potato land on Jason's head, and in a flash, before Jason or Percy can comprehend it, the third potato is pinned to the wall right next to Jason's head by the knife that used to be in Hazel's hand.
"Ta-dah" Nico says with a smirk, looking expectantly at Percy.
Percy briefly wonders if Jason will notice if he crawls under the table.
Jason wipes the potato off of his face and shoots a cut-the-crap look at Percy.
"That was amazing!" Percy starts clapping "No?"
"Percy," Jason drawls, "what exactly are you trying to pull?"
Percy smiles like a dummy, basically his default face and Jason's eyebrow disappears somewhere into his hair line.
Nico shrugs and pats Hazels shoulder, silently telling her good job.
Percy keeps smiling hoping Jason will buy it. "Percy" Jason says calmly, still mopping potato off of his face. "I am your friend… you do not have to hide things from me." Percy heaves an exasperated sigh.
"Do you recognize him?" he asks. Jason nods patiently, and Percy swears the man would be a saint if he weren't already a knight... not that the two were completely exclusive but, that wasn't the point. "I, um,… want to make him my unofficial apprentice and um...perhaps… enter him into tournament." Percy says, mumbling the last part.
"You wha-" Jason looks at him incredulously. "Percy, you cannot just go taking random people off the street to be your apprentice! We have rules for a reason!"
"Yes, but under those rules, I did not get an apprentice so I had to find one, and Nico," Percy points, "is perfect knight material and not according to some rules but according to me."
Jason looks like he's going to have an aneurism.
"You do not even know Jason,…what this boy has been through…" Percy sighs, and looks back at Jason with troubled eyes.
"The system is putting out all of these knights who are skilled and disciplined enough to fake what they need to when they have to, but… Chivalry? Honor? Kindness...have all gone to the wayside. Knights these days only care about themselves… and I thought if I found someone who is not a knight by blood, and turn him into one…. people would begin to realize what it takes to be a knight again…to revitalize the once ways so that, one day, a poor kid on the street would not have to worry about what he needs to give up for the sake of the mercy of those who should have just helped him."
Percy's speech has Jason at a loss for words, and he exhales "Percy, your heart is in the right place-"
"Jas-"
"But your head," Jason asserts, "leaves something to be desired." Jason puts his hand on Percy's shoulder. "If you are going to pass him off as a knight… you're going to need to forge some documents."
Percy's face lights up with a smile. "Jason?"
"I suppose I can get a hold of the seal…" Jason shakes his head in disbelief but smiles back.
"Jason!" Percy barks out an excited laugh and jumps out of his chair to give Jason forceful kiss. "Thank you, Jason!"
Hazel giggles.
"Percy…" Jason shakes his head "I will help you but...please…don't do that again."
"Of course no-"
"Ever." Jason asserts.
" Ever." Percy nods .
"We've got a lot of work ahead of us." Jason sighs. Of that, everyone can agree.