I've got a poll going- please vote! It's nothing to do with the stories; it's just something annoying me.
It didn't take long for Percy and Annabeth to dispose of Luke and Harvey, but then they were wary of approaching Max.
Tobias was trying to pry the shiny thing from Max's head, but it wouldn't budge. He tried to cut it off with his celestial bronze knife, but that didn't work either.
Annabeth walked over first, but Percy remained reluctant, chewing his lip.
"Leo, any idea?" Annabeth asked, frowning and trying to remove the headpiece.
"Uh, I'm trying to reverse the voice commands…" Leo shook his head. "Complicated encryptions and so many firewalls… I'm trying though." He added hastily, seeing Annabeth scowl. He fell silent and hurriedly tapped away on his phone, trying to hack the headpiece. "What if I short circuited it?"
"That could do more bad than good." Annabeth grumbled. Leo nodded admittedly in agreement, frowning at his phone.
"What if we put a rubber insulation under it and-" Leo studied the headpiece, shook his head again and continued working.
While the adults and Tobias, to some extent, exchanged ideas, Alvie stumbled to his cousins, relieved to see that they were OK. Elsie smiled warmly at him, her arm around her little sister protectively.
Alokia suddenly pulled away from Elsie and hugged Alvie. He looked so miserable and desolate, even with them all there.
"We'll be home soon. We can sort Max out and it'll go back to how it was." Alokia was just trying to comfort him, but she had no idea how they would sort Max out or if they even could and, if they couldn't, things would never go back to how it was.
Thankfully, Alvie didn't say anything contradictory, but he gave no response whatsoever.
Eventually, the idea was passed up that they should go home, work in relative peace and comfort. Tobias and Percy kept hold of Max, marching him out. It took a while to get him in the car as he didn't react to their words or frantic arm waving or Tobias's Charades.
The drive home was eerily quiet and awkward. Annabeth and Leo sat in the back with Max, working on headpiece. Alvie sat shotgun, next to his father. Percy was unusually quiet, his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel too tightly.
"Dad?" Percy stirred then, glancing at his son from the corner of his eye. "Kia said we could get Max back." Percy looked back at the road, biting his lip. "What do you think?" Percy sighed.
"Honestly, I don't know." He admitted. "Me and technology don't mix." Percy gave a weak smile, but he could see that his attempt of humour fell on deaf ears. Alvie didn't really notice humour or sarcasm, but that wasn't his fault. "Look, we're stubborn. We're not going to stop trying to help until the universe implodes?" Alvie looked at him, confused. "Um… figure of speech thing I just made up."
"Oh…" Alvie looked out of the window.
"Alvie…" Percy started, drumming his fingers nervously on the steering wheel. "You've done good." Percy smiled at him. "I'm so proud of you." Alvie stared at his father.
He had made his father proud.
He had screwed up royally, but Percy was proud of him.
It took a few seconds for Alvie to realise Percy was still talking; "I really worried about you on this quest, but, considering everything's that happened, you've done really well and I couldn't be prouder."
Alvie blinked at his father, before smiling bashfully.
"Thanks." He mumbled. Percy grinned.
Alvie looked back out of the window, feeling pretty pleased with himself. Being unlike his older brothers, Alvie really doubted that there would be any way to live up to his parents' name or make them proud or something along those lines. And now he had and it was like a dream come true.
They drove to Camp. Alvie had dozed off at some point and was prodded awake by his father.
"Hello." Percy smiled warmly. "You OK?" Alvie nodded, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Percy ruffled his hair and clambered out.
Alvie sulked in his chair, trying to wake himself up. Why was it that when he needed to sleep, he didn't, but when he had to be awake to pay attention to something important, he slept like a baby? Honestly, his brain didn't make any sense.
A knock on the window caught his attention. He looked round and Tobias waved at him, opening the door and grabbing Alvie's arm.
"Up and out, sleepy-head." Alvie pulled a face and Tobias grinned. The sun was just dipping behind the horizon, but the night's coldness was already settling in. Tobias shed his jacket and draped it around his brother's shoulders, not listening to Alvie's protests and zipping the jacket up. It took Alvie a while to get his arms in the sleeves.
"Thanks, Tobias."
"Don't want my psychic brother freezing- I need lottery numbers too, you know." Alvie smiled.
They looked round as Max stoically got out of the car. He stood a few metres from them, staring up at the pine tree at the top of the hill. Alvie's smile faltered and he hid his face in the collar of Tobias's jacket, hunching his shoulders and wrapping his arms around himself. His hands didn't even reach out of the sleeves, he noticed. Tobias saw an opportunity and tied the ends of the sleeves in a knot against Alvie's back, casting Alvie that trademark, cheeky smile afterwards.
Alvie heard his aunt mutter to Leo, who nodded, kissing Louisa's cheek before she took off up the hill, her daughters in tow. She was probably off to rescue Charlie from Piper.
"What now?" Leo asked.
"Chiron." Annabeth answered immediately. "We go and see Chiron and see what he thinks. Leo, get some a medic or two from Apollo's cabin and some of your siblings." Leo nodded dutifully and darted up the hill, petting Peleus as he passed.
"Mom?" Alvie couldn't get his arms free. Tobias chuckled darkly.
"Tobias!" Tobias's triumphant smile vanished and he held his hands up in surrender. "What did I say about being nice to Alvie?"
"Um… be nice to Alvie or I'll kill you with a fryin pan, probably." Annabeth grumbled something, moving behind her third son and untying the sleeves. "What was that, Mother dear?"
"Too much like your father."
"Damn right." Percy and Tobias grinned. Annabeth rolled her eyes, but stopped herself when she noticed something.
Max was frowning, rubbing at his forehead as if he had a headache. She knew that look, even years later- it was that look Jason had when he was suddenly there with no memories whatsoever and he couldn't remember a thing, no matter how hard he tried.
Alvie looked at Tobias, waving a sleeve at him. Tobias grinned and grabbed it. Alvie was tugged towards his oldest brother and held in a bear hug.
"Hello, lovely brother of mine." Tobias smiled. Alvie squirmed, but Tobias only hugged him tighter. "You're not leaving me." Tobias insisted. The next thing Alvie knew, Tobias had picked him up in a fireman's lift and was carrying him up the hill.
"Tobias!" Their parents shouted. Tobias laughed maniacally. Max lifted his head and stared after his brothers, looking lost and confused. Percy and Annabeth shared a look, but said nothing. Tobias vanished over the crest of the hill, dodging around Peleus and putting Alvie down. "We should make sure Tobias stays nice to Alvie." Annabeth said. Percy nodded in agreement. "If I take Max to Chiron, do you mind getting the others?"
"No problemo." Percy grinned. He glanced at Max curiously before running up the hill.
Sighing, Annabeth turned to Max. He looked at her and she could see the stoicism settling back in.
"Max?" He continued to stir at her. "Can you talk?" Nothing. Annabeth sighed again. With Tobias mucking around like the goofball he was, she had caught a glimmer of the old Max in this new emotionless being and it had sparked a small flame of hope in her.
But now, she was left with the blank-faced, quiet and non-breathing version of her son. "Let's go and see Chiron." Max followed her up the hill, but that was the only way she knew he had registered he words.
Nico crash-landed.
He hadn't done that in donkeys' years, but he had crashed landed in his living room, having tripped over Crystal's stupid cat.
Pebble hissed angrily and scampered away, jumping up onto Crystal's lap and padding about. Crystal calmed her pet, trying not to laugh at Nico.
Joy appeared before Nico could shush Crystal and he was distracted by the relief flowing from Joy. She hurried towards him, practically strangling him in a hug.
"Hi, Joy." Nico chuckled, returning the hug.
"How did it go?" Joy asked, holding him at arm's length.
"Well…" Nico grimaced and told them, watering it down as best he could, but they got the gist- Max was a cyborg zombie; Percy wasn't handling this; Tobias was freaking out, but hiding it behind a smile and Alvie had no idea what to do.
"Elsie and Alokia?" Crystal asked.
"They're OK. Bit shaken up."
"What happened?"
"Nothing. That's the weird thing- Max is this… thoughtless thing, but he managed to throw an axe at Harvey and stop him from hurting Alokia and then he seemed to recognise something in Tobias tormenting Alvie, but the rest of the time, he's been an emotionless bastard."
"Nico!" Joy scolded. Nico instantly held his hands up in surrender. "I know she says worse, but Nico!"
"Hold on… if she says worse," Nico pointed at Crystal, "Why the hell are you telling me off?"
"She doesn't need encouragement."
"Oh, as if she needs that." Nico stuck his tongue out at Crystal, who copied.
"Hey, do you reckon it'll be OK to IM Alvie?"
"I'm running out of drachmas with all these bloody IMs, but go ahead." Crystal smiled gratefully at him and got up, Pebble padding after her as she bounced to her room.
When the IM was set up, she saw Alvie wearing Tobias's jacket and sat on the end of his bunk in the Poseidon cabin. The only problem was that someone had tied the sleeves to one of the bedposts and Alvie couldn't get free.
Crystal's laugh caught his attention and he blinked at her.
"This is Tobias." He eventually said.
"Yeah, I thought so. Where is he?" Alvie shrugged. "How are you doing?" Crystal asked kindly.
"Mom's taken Max to Chiron and I think Dad was on his way there now…" He looked at her. "Do you-?"
"Nico told me." Alvie nodded, turning back to his knot situation. "Remind me to whack Tobias one next time I see him." Alvie just nodded again, sitting back and sighing. "Couldn't you untie it with your psychic-ness?"
"I've tried." Alvie mumbled. "Not working."
"Not working?" Crystal frowned. "You were getting really good though." Alvie sighed. "It's probably stress or tiredness, Alvie. You'll get it back." He gave up and turned as best he could to look at her and attempt to hold a proper conversation with her. "Hey, guess what!"
"What?" Alvie looked panicked. Crystal laughed.
"No, don't worry, you haven't done or forgotten anything." He looked relieved and she smiled. "Now guess." She insisted.
"Um…" He stared at her, tilting his head to the side and biting his lip thoughtfully. "Something to do with your mom…" Crystal nodded encouragingly. "And Nico…" He frowned. "And… uh…"
"Oh, come on!" Crystal grinned. Alvie blinked at her.
Then realisation dawned on him and he smiled.
"Is your mom-?" Crystal nodded.
"I'm going to be a big sister!" She was practically jumping in her seat with excitement. "Do you know what it is? Can you tell? Do you need Mom to be there? What do you think it'll be called?"
"Crystal, breathe!" Alvie smiled.
"I am breathing! I'm just really super excited and- when are you coming home? Do you know? Is it soon?"
"Is this Who wants to be a millionaire?"
"Oh shush." Crystal pulled a face at him.
Tobias walked into view and untied Alvie. Then he left again, waving at Crystal and grinning cheekily as he passed.
Ooh, that will do. My brain is like 'ugh, why is it still Monday? Why isn't it Friday? Who invented school?' and so on and so forth. Just don't forget to vote, people!