Ch19

They had only seconds to hide before the back of the truck was being opened. Early morning sunlight streamed in and almost blinded Percy where he was mostly buried under old hay in the corner. Grover had crouched down behind some spare sacks of turnips, and was doing a remarkable job of blending in. Annabeth had, of course, just pulled her Yankees cap on and vanished from sight.

He wasn't jealous, not at all. It was probably cursed and would backfire on her someday. It wasn't one of the coolest things he'd seen. It wasn't.

Percy had to grit his teeth through the three minutes the truckers were inside, jeering and rattling the cages and generally trying to make life as miserable as possible for the animals. They didn't even notice that the food had been switched around and eaten, or that the balloons had been removed from the antelope's horns. Percy could've sworn he could hear faint growling coming from Grover's hiding place but neither of the men seemed to be able to hear anything over their taunts and ridicule.

A loud bang outside that rattled the truck had Percy just barely stifling a flinch and the two men rushing outside, only to start arguing over who had left their door open and therefore was responsible for the resulting slam. Annabeth appeared in the doorway, flushed and a little out of breath. Percy unearthed himself and noticed Grover rising too out of the corner of his eye.

"We're getting these guys out of here." Annabeth's voice was quiet but determined.

"Thank fuck," Grover swore. Percy did a double take and even Annabeth's eyes grew bigger but the situation was too serious for either of them to tease Grover about his language.

Later. Definitely later.

Grover continued, "I know a blessing that should make sure they make it to the wilds, or at least will protect them until they make it there themselves." He was already pulling out his reed pipes and neither Percy or Annabeth made any attempt to stop him.

Even the streets of L.A have to be better than whatever fate they'd reach in the hands of these assholes.

Forty seconds later, the three of them were running through L.A as screams echoed behind them and a proud lion's roar could be heard in the distance. Somewhere along the way Annabeth had started laughing and Percy couldn't help but join in with Grover as the three of them tore up the Los Angeles sidewalk.

And if the memory of the zebra's "thank you, Lord," kept his heart warm and his spirits soaring, then that was no one's business but his own.

...

Once they'd put some distance between them and the scene of the crime, Percy indicated they should slow down and try to keep their pace natural and unremarkable. Another knot of tension in Percy's shoulders relaxed as they walked. Sure, they still didn't know where the bolt was, and the feds were still after them, and he still couldn't help but feel that Dean was right behind them, but they were in L.A, and Kronos had confirmed they were headed in the right direction. After all, "Hades is the key."

He still wasn't sure he wanted to give Kronos the bolt.

It's– he definitely doesn't want to give it to Zeus. The gods had done nothing but upend his life and then blame him for it, but…

Kronos was sending up so many red flags it wasn't funny. And while history was written by the victors, there were no myths that Kronos came out well in. None Percy knew, anyway. The titan had even outright admitted that he didn't care for mortals and that he saw Percy as nothing but a pawn. A very powerful one, sure, but still just a pawn to be guided and used and sacrificed as Kronos saw fit.

And he was running out of time to make his choice. Once they found the bolt– and they would, Kronos wanted it so Percy trusted his info regarding Hades– Percy had to be ready to act. His fr– his friends would want to return it to Zeus and he wasn't sure he'd be able to sway them.

Besides, it's kind of hard to convince people of something if you're not even sure what you want to convince them of. It's not like 'let's just hang onto it until I make up my mind' will go over well.

Thoughts of Zeus led him back to thoughts of– thoughts of his father. The dream he'd had last night, had that really happened? Sure, he'd trusted his other dreams, and Annabeth and Grover both put stock in them but…

"I won't forget that little…knife incident for many centuries to come."

Did Poseidon…care? Or had it just been perceived as an insult against him or something? The worry creasing his brow had been real though. He'd seen it often enough in the mirror to trust its validity. But Poseidon couldn't, could he? Kronos had said he didn't care. Poseidon didn't care. None of the gods did! The proof was clearly evident at camp. In all the abandoned kids. In everyone who had never even met their parents. In Annabeth's childhood, or lack of it really.

Poseidon was going to war against Zeus for the insult of believing he'd been responsible for stealing the bolt. For believing Percy had stolen the bolt. But was that because it was an insult against the god or because it was an insult against Percy? It was…too much. Too much for him to consider, right now.

Thankfully, Grover's stomach chose that moment to voice its displeasure at their lack of breakfast. Annabeth frowned thoughtfully.

"Maybe we could stop somewhere for breakfast? I still have some mortal money from camp."

Percy snorted. "Do you want the cops called on us? You two can go find breakfast and we'll arrange to meet up somewhere in half an hour."

"So no breakfast then, got it." Grover sounded chipper and Percy's brow creased in confusion.

"I said–"

"I know what you said," Grover interrupted, "but we're not splitting up. Not after everything we've faced and certainly not when we're this close to the underworld."

Percy couldn't stop his grin even as he kept protesting. "We shouldn't go hungry just because I'm the subject of a federal investigation."

Annabeth was rolling her eyes at their antics and Percy was so focused on his friends that he didn't spot the group of teenagers lurking in the shadowed alley they were passing.

"Hey!" One of them called out and Grover, like an idiot, stopped. Percy tried to pull him onwards even as Annabeth never missed a step but the hesitation was enough for the group to surround them and push them further into the alley.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, shit that's too many.

The apparent leader of the group smirked. "Why don't you hand over your valuables so we can let you on your way?"

Percy tried. He really did, but the snort escaped him and he couldn't swallow the laugh that bubbled out after it either. Grover elbowed him nervously but Percy could see Annabeth suppressing a smirk out of the corner of his eye. The kid trying to rob them scowled, anger clouding his features.

"I'm sorry," Percy wheezed out. "I really am, I just– valuables? Let us on our way? Dude, what pirate shows have you been watching because Christ that was awful."

The punch was telegraphed so clearly that Percy would've spotted it even if he hadn't been watching for it. He ducked under the poorly thrown punch and slammed a fist into the kid's ribs. He held back some of his strength– this wasn't a spar with Dean after all.

The kid crumpled. Everyone froze. The kid had only managed to wheeze out one breath before Percy had grabbed Annabeth and Grover and pulled them out of the alley at a sprint, pushing through the stunned teenagers. A few moments later he heard the unmistakable sound of pounding feet on the pavement.

Shit. He'd hoped they wouldn't follow.

"We aren't supposed to hurt mortals!" Annabeth cried out, shaking her arm loose from his grip and easily keeping pace.

"What was I supposed to do?" Percy cried back, letting go of Grover too. "Give him our stuff? Besides, he's not hurt. I barely touched him." He didn't bother to stop his grin. "A love tap, really!" He insisted, "it's not my fault the kid can't take a punch!" Annabeth snorted.

The teens were still giving chase and Annabeth cursed. She grabbed Percy's arm and suddenly tugged him into an open store. Percy had the presence of mind to pull Grover with them before he found himself hunkered down behind a…mattress? Waiting for the little assholes to pass them. He crouched there, catching his breath and slowly letting the tension seep from his muscles.

...

"Who are we hiding from?"

...

Percy nearly jumped a foot in the air, spinning and coming face to face with a…a shop attendant? The man was at least six foot two, bulky, and had the most horrendous beard Percy had ever seen. It looked like it hadn't had a trim in two years, minimum. The attendant also had his hands raised in the air in a universal sign of surrender, apology written all over his face.

"Sorry, kid. I thought you'd heard me."

Percy shot a glance at Annabeth and Grover, trying to get his breathing back under control. They both looked just as startled as he felt, which…was not a good sign. Were they seriously all so out of it that they hadn't heard the man approaching? Percy returned his attention to…Crusty? At least Percy thought that's what his name tag said.

"We were just…" Percy scrambled for an excuse but nothing was coming to mind.

Crusty shrugged and took a step back, settling his hands into his pockets. "It looked to me like you were running from those asshole kids. I've tried reporting them to the cops but I guess they come from money or something because nothing's ever been done about them." He paused and an awkward silence settled between them. Crusty took another step back. "Feel free to wander the shop while you wait them out. It's a quiet day, so as long as you don't break anything or cause havoc you guys are free to hang."

Something felt…off to Percy but he wasn't sure what. Annabeth immediately took the chance to start browsing through the different mattress options, although Percy wasn't sure if she was genuinely interested or just trying to avoid more awkward conversation. Grover stood stock still next to Percy, his eyes firmly on Crusty. Crusty, for his part, just shrugged and walked off after Annabeth and started explaining the differences between two mattresses she was examining. Hesitantly, Grover followed.

Percy remained rooted to the spot. Something was off.

Annabeth had lain down on one of the beds and was nodding along with whatever Crusty was saying. Grover was hovering nearby, and Percy could see his nostrils flare.

It all happened so fast.

Grover turned to face Percy, eyes panicked. Crusty's arm shot out and grabbed him. Then Grover was on a bed next to Annabeth and Crusty was snapping his fingers and–

"Ergo!"

Ropes sprung out of nowhere, binding Annabeth and Grover to the centre of their beds by their hands and feet. Percy uncapped Riptide as Crusty turned to face him, seemingly unconcerned about the sword or the struggling kids behind him.

"Who are you?" Percy couldn't keep the anger out of his voice, but he ruthlessly suppressed the tremor in his hand.

"Ah, Crusty's just a nickname," Crusty shrugged. "You might know me better as Procustes."

Procrustes. The Stretcher.

As if by thought alone had invoked it, the ropes around Annabeth and Grover started pulling them in two different directions, slowly stretching them along the length of the bed.

The realisation must've shown on Percy's face because Procrustes just smiled.

"It's really inconvenient, you know," Crusty said casually. "No one is ever exactly six feet tall. They're either too short or too tall and they just don't fit." Crusty returned his hands to his pockets and surveyed Percy, ignoring the cries of his friends. "What do you say we get you situated? You'll definitely need some stretching to fit but I'm sure we can make it work."

Percy sized up Procrustes. Even having trained against Sam and Dean for years Percy could tell he didn't stand a chance against this monster. Not without a plan. He capped Riptide and returned the pen to his pocket.

"I'm sorry to add to your list of inconvenient customers," Percy knew he hadn't managed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice but Crusty didn't seem to pick up on it. "If I come closer you're not just going to shove me onto a random mattress like you did Grover, right? Because if I'm going to be stretched, I'd like to do it on something comfortable. The gods know my bed at home was lumpy as all get out. And the beds at camp are way too firm." Annabeth started swearing at him but both he and Crusty ignored her.

Crusty nodded eagerly. "What kind of bed are you after? Did you have something specific in mind?"

Here goes nothing.

"Got any waterbeds?"

Crusty's face lit up. "Someone after my own heart! I have a large selection of waterbeds but this one in particular is my favourite." Crusty directed him to a queen sized bed and Percy did his bed to look interested while keeping Crusty in sight. "It's got minimal wave action so you can really melt into it without too much rocking."

Percy scoffed. "No way. Maybe for a kid but for someone, say, your size? It'd rock just as much as any other waterbed, it's nothing special." Percy could see the ire rising in Procrustes as he clenched his jaw and a shine of determination sparked to life in his eyes.

"Oh yeah? Watch and learn." Procrustes sat on the bed and forcefully leaned back. Percy saw the moment Crusty realised he'd been tricked, but Percy was faster. He snapped his fingers.

"Ergo!"

The ropes bound Procrustes and Percy wasted no time in uncapping Riptide and bringing the sword down across his neck, cutting into the mattress too in his haste. He didn't wait for Crusty to dissolve before rushing to cut Annabeth and Grover free. They were both groaning in pain and he hastened to pull out some ambrosia for Annabeth before fretting over Grover.

"We're okay," Grover tried to reassure him but all Percy could see was them tied to the beds, faces twisted in pain.

Annabeth looked at him, "Percy, we're fine. Would it have been nicer to have been freed faster? Obviously, but you did the best with what you had and got rid of an ancient monster all on your own."

Percy let that sink in. He'd done the best he could with limited time and limited knowledge. Annabeth and Grover were okay. That was all anyone could ask for. He could almost feel Dean resting a hand on his shoulder, Sam a comforting presence on his other side.

It wasn't perfect but so what. You lived, they lived, we all get to fight another day. Chin up Perce. A successful hunt means pie time. An eye roll. Not everything revolves around pie, Dean.

Annabeth rolled her shoulders before standing. "Alright, let's get going. Hopefully we can make it to the underworld without meeting another monster." She grinned at Percy and he rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, excuse me. Who was the one who pulled us into Crusty's mattress shop? Oh, that's right, you did."

Annabeth laughed, "you were the one who punched that kid in the ribs, although I suppose we can pin that one on Grover for stopping–"

"Hey!" Grover called, good-naturedly.

"–besides, technically Crusty is your half-brother, so why don't we call this a family spat and be done with it?"

Percy froze. "What."

Annabeth paused and turned to face him, confused. "Procrustes? He's a son of Poseidon. Didn't you…"

Percy felt cold. That monster was his half brother? How many other monstrous children did Poseidon have? Did they all turn out that way? Would he? Twisted, and greedy, and murderous?

"Percy?" Grover sounded hesitant.

"You guys keep telling me to come to terms with my– with my heritage." He struggled to find the words but Annabeth and Grover just waited patiently. "You keep telling me to come to terms with this, that there's nothing wrong with us, but I'm related to that!" Percy gestured vaguely at the pile of sand left on Crusty's waterbed. "I share a father with Procrustes, and I know he wasn't my father's only monstrous child, so how am I not monstrous?"

"Percy," Annabeth said gently, "a monster isn't what you're born, or your heritage, or whatever else you're going to claim. It's what you choose."

He staggered back a step, the words hitting him like a blow. Grover wrapped an arm around him.

"Percy," he said, "have you ever knowingly and willingly hurt someone who didn't deserve it?"

His legs felt weak and he was pretty sure Grover was the only reason he was still standing. "I–." When had he started shaking? Annabeth took his hand.

"Being a Demi-god doesn't change you. Your life, yeah, your perspective, sure, but you? Not even a little. Sometimes you get some cool powers, and I think at this point the trauma may also be inherited but it doesn't change you as a person. Nothing does, unless you let it. The only thing that can make you monstrous is your choices, and I have seen nothing to make you worthy of the title Monster."

"A monster isn't what you're born," Grover repeated, "it's what you choose."

Percy took a deep breath. And then another. Slowly he took his own weight and Grover let him stand without assistance, switching to holding his other hand.

It's what you choose.

Well then. He had a quest to complete.

They didn't even make it out of the mattress shop before the next issue arose. It came in the form of a deceptively innocent bag sitting in front of the door. A bag that Percy was absolutely certain he'd left on the animal transport van in his haste to escape with the animals. Ares' bag.

"You are absolutely certain that you didn't grab it as you left?" Annabeth sounded…concerned. She was fidgeting with her camp necklace, pushing the beads through the college ring looped on and then back again.

"Positive." Percy was sure his voice sounded grim, but bags didn't just show up out of nowhere. Not regular, unbooby-trapped, definitely-just-a-bag bags, anyway.

"Maybe he's just making sure we don't leave behind something important?" Grover's voice was trembling. "Or maybe he– he took offence to leaving it behind? What's in the bag anyway, Perce?"

Percy froze. In his haste to flee the diner and in the wake of his minor breakdown, he'd completely forgotten to open it. It hadn't seemed like an urgent question to answer; what was in the bag Ares had left? He remembered it weighing a…normal amount? It wasn't overly heavy or overly light in any case, and it wasn't packed oddly so that all the weight was to one side. It was just a…regular bag. That he hadn't opened.

"I have no idea," he admitted to Grover. "I never opened it."

It was Annabeth's turn to freeze, but when she spoke her voice was dry. "Well, that would certainly be enough for him to take offence. Maybe you should open it now so we can carry on?"

Percy stared at the bag. "You could open it."

Grover turned to stare at him incredulously. "Are you…scared? The great Percy Jackson, scared of a bag?"

Percy scoffed, burying his unease. He wasn't scared of a bag. Or the potential contents of a bag. He wasn't. There definitely wasn't anything ominous about it, and he had nothing to worry about from the god who slammed a hunting knife in between his hands in the middle of a diner. Nothing to worry about at all.

Annabeth started chuckling. He opened the bag.

Or, he tried to open the bag. It only had two zips and they were somehow both stuck. Grover started laughing.

"Oh, shut up," Percy grumbled. "You give it a go. I can't get either pocket open, neither of the zips will work."

Annabeth was still laughing when she took the bag from him, but it was Percy's turn to laugh when she immediately started struggling with the zips. She was scowling when she passed the bag to Grover, who also couldn't get it open.

Percy was openly smug when Grover thrust the bag at him. "I don't know why he gave you the bag, or what's in it, but he would definitely take offence if you left it behind a second time."

Percy scowled, but shouldered it obligingly. Luckily or unluckily, he wasn't sure which, he'd left his duffel on the transport van too and Ares hadn't seen fit to deliver that bag to him at the same time. He pushed the door open and they stepped out into the Los Angeles morning light.

...

It took three blocks for his good mood to crash. Thankfully, it wasn't another monster. Unfortunately, it was Smelly Gabe, and Percy felt he fit into that category anyway, despite being human.

After all, it's what you choose.

He was giving an interview and Percy couldn't help but stop in front of the TV store and watch, even knowing it was a bad idea. Grover and Annabeth stopped with him, a scowl automatically taking over Grover's features once he saw Percy's step father. Percy was absolutely silent as he took in what Gabe was saying.

"–always knew there was something off about him. I just didn't expect him to wreck my Camaro– and of course my poor wife, Sally. She never believed me when I said he was up to no good, and now she's– well. If it wasn't for my grief counsellor, Sugar, here…" Percy tuned Gabe out and he took in the young woman sitting next to Smelly Gabe. Anger pulsed through him even as the reporter started speaking.

"–Mr. Ugliano is offering a reward to–"

Percy turned away. They hadn't shown his photo yet but he was sure that was coming. He started walking and Annabeth and Grover followed silently.

"Percy?" Grover said quietly after they'd been walking for a bit. Percy turned to him. "I'm so sorry." Grover didn't say for what. Percy just gave him a sad smile.

After all, this was not how it ended. Not for his mom. Smelly Gabe didn't get to do this, he didn't get to win. Not after everything they'd been through. Hades had his mom. Percy was going to get her back.

DEAN

The waitress was useless.

Somehow he'd beaten the feds to St. Luis but the diner was a dud regardless.

"You're telling me," he said slowly, trying to smother the anger in his voice, "you saw this big-ass biker slam a knife into the table, in a clearly threatening manner, and you still let the kids leave?"

She was pale and shaking, and if this had been a regular case he would've been trying to comfort her. Hell, he'd probably have been trying to get her number. But this wasn't a regular case. This was Percy.

"They– they were too fast, I just–"

"Right," he cut her off before she could offer the same platitudes she'd been spouting the whole interview. "We're done here. My colleagues will be by later to get a more detailed and official statement." He walked off before he could do something stupid that would blow his cover wide open. The last thing he needed were the feds on his ass as well as Percy's.

Speaking of, the kid was in so much trouble when Dean eventually caught up to him. He was grounded. Forever.

Sam called just as he hopped behind the wheel of Baby.

"Go."

"Got another tip-off. You're gonna have to move fast." Sam rattled off a string of coordinates, completely focused on the detail of the case. Dean was pretty sure it was the only way his brother was holding it together between school and the shitstorm Percy was in the middle of.

"Got it. What's that general area? Haven't got a map open."

"You're headed to L.A."

Dean was reeling as Sam hung up the phone. He put Baby into gear and peeled out of the parking lot.

What the fuck are you doing in L.A, Percy?