Again.
I stared down the humanoid figures in front of me. The wind whipped around my face, pushing the headscarf I was wearing up a bit. The bitter sand of the dessert sprayed against my skin, its heat leaving stinging marks across my face.
I pointed my hand and cried, "Hawi!"
Black, glittering words twirled to life in front of me.
[MAGIC] Hawi, LV-17 (60%)
Hawi is an Egyptian Divine Word that means "strike," or to strike. The hieroglyph consists of mainly two phonograms. The left phonogram is the letter H, the right two represent force or effort.
Three blue hieroglyphs blazed to life in front of me. They made a splashing sound, swirling together like a miniature whirlpool.
FWOOM!
A translucent fist the size of a small car exploded from the whirlpool, bathing the area around it in a blue glow. It coiled outward like a snake, smashing the dummy into the ground, and cracking its body open.
The dummy wailed loudly.
Well, not dummy. I should probably stop calling it that.
I've been told a few times that it's disrespectful to not refer to things by their proper name. The correct term for these little guys is clay servant- shabti.
The word shabti loosely translates to answerer, and like I alluded to, they're generally servants made from clay or wax. Basically, if you get the right materials and throw some magic words in there, you can bring them to life and make them do whatever you want.
Like now, for example.
As a part of my training, Heket's simulating a battle in the old days of Egypt.
No, really.
I'm fighting on the banks of the Nile right now. Somewhere, far off into the distance, I can see the great pyramids of Giza. There are traders and caravans going by me, large groups with camels and all sorts of jewels and trinkets.
They're not paying me or any of my clay enemies any attention. The humans, anyway. The animals keep looking over once in a while.
These shabti are my stand-ins for actual people, without any of their features.
Well, by request, anyway. They could look real if I so wanted.
They're ingenious little inventions. They can have multiple functions, too. Not all of them are stand-ins for training dummies. Some shabti serve as decoys, companions, soldiers, and even librarians or informants, I'm told.
The weird part?
Well, most shabti are made incomplete in some way; if their bodies are perfect, it's an old belief that they'll come to life and possibly kill their master out of vengeance. You know. Standard stuff.
The one I just pounded into the ground was missed its arm. The one I destroyed before that was one-legged. The one before that…well, you get the idea.
I've been fighting these deformed servants for what feels like forever.
I'm in my head. Literally. So, I don't need to eat, or sleep, or drink- I can't even remember if I've gone to the bathroom or not.
Honestly…I probably haven't.
It's a form of inexhaustibility that even being in Atlantis didn't give me. I literally have no physical limitations in here. I could run a one-minute mile, jump high enough to go into space, or even swim on dry land.
Rules don't apply.
Sure, that makes any sort of physical training moot. Obviously.
Mental training still applies, though. I can still learn and grow skills in here, and that's what I've been doing for what feels like a long, long time.
A second shabti sprang out from underneath the first one, and I twisted out of the way of its haphazard strike, my left eye locking onto it the moment there was any sort of movement.
"Saper," I whispered, a light blue aura glowing around the shabti.
[MAGIC] Saper, LV-13 (40%)
Saper is an Egyptian Divine Word used to make the target miss when they are trying to hit something.
The shabti whiffed, and I pressed my advantage by encasing my fist in fire and blazing through it with a punch. It exploded into a dozen clay shards with a haunting shriek, and I groaned in annoyance.
The most annoying thing about these things is they crack super easily and make horrible wailing noises when they're destroyed. Just another reason why I asked her to make them…well, fake.
I've had enough real fighting for a while.
I mean it!
I've spent most of my time just studying and learning. I started off by learning most of the standard spells, then I shifted to different schools of being a magician, and now I'm just using some of them to make sure I know how they work. All in the name of knowledge.
Somewhere in the middle, I learned about the Duat, too.
Oh, you guys have no idea about the Duat. Truthfully, I don't know everything about it either, but it's absolutely insane to think about.
It's sort of like a spirit world. There are gods, magic. Different locations. There's a river in there that supposedly is every river and no river. The land of the dead, some place called the gates- it's the real deal.
The craziest part is that all of this exists beneath the surface of the mortal realm, which is basically everything humans can see and perceive. Think of it like lava beneath the earth's crust. The coolest thing about this super magical realm is that as a magician, I can use and manipulate it.
By submerging just under the surface, you can theoretically travel great distances in a short amount of time.
When Egyptian gods are banished- defeated, in a sense- in the mortal world, they return to the Duat, except much weaker and deeper into it, until they have enough strength to escape.
It's a lot, but it's important to know. I haven't done too much in terms of manipulating the Duat, really just learned how to open and close it, travel a bit, but it's something that grants me a major edge in a fight with a Greek god.
Think about it.
I could hide in the Duat and sling spells from in there. I could travel in and out of reality around them. I could close the Duat on their arm or leg.
This hasn't been training in the sense of training like when I went to Atlantis, or even when I was there. Aside from the obvious physical training, I was also trying to learn as much as I could.
Now, it's like the opposite. I learned a few really important things but the training aspect of it has been learning how to apply that knowledge. How to use it to give me an edge over immortals.
In terms of fighting gods, I also have this technique called [THE TEN RIBBONS OF HEKET].
It's a spell that works in tandem with Heket's power, summoning ten ribbons made from Heket's blood and binding a god. It tears open reality around them, shoving them into a portal and blinking them out of existence. Sort of freaky.
Basically, it's a one-way ticket into the Duat. For an Egyptian god, that would just be like getting put into a deep sleep. Or getting smacked into a coma. Imagine the feeling of being blackout drunk, and raise that exponentially. That's what they'd be getting whacked with.
For a Greek god? Well, let's hope I don't have to find out. I highly doubt it would be as painless.
The only downside is, well, due to the massive power required by this spell, I can only use it once or maybe twice a year. I might be able to push that up to four if I'm wearing all linen all the time and only cast the spell at certain times, but even then, it's debatable at best.
Unlike my powers from Poseidon or Hestia, Egpytian magic is a bit more…methodical.
Certain spells only work at certain times, certain materials can block or bolster casting power, and like I mentioned with the ribbons, certain spells can only be used a certain amount.
By no means have I mastered this branch of magic, but I've definitely got a few tricks up my sleeve for immortals, for now. I haven't really used any of them, seeing as all I've been doing is studying.
I wouldn't even be doing that much right now, if it wasn't for the fact that I now have a healthy aversion to gods. I wanted to make sure I had at least the basics of how to defeat one down before I, well, wake up.
Heket appeared next to me, eyeing the destroyed shabti with a critical eye. "Clean hit. Good. I think you're in a good enough spot, for now. I'm sure you're beginning to miss your mother."
"I am," I confirmed, glancing at the woman. She looked back at me neutrally. "How long have we been here?"
"It's tough to say," Heket replied, examining me closely. A small smile curved on her lips, "A week, perhaps. Maybe a month."
"I would like to go," I replied contritely, not bothering with any sort of nicety in my tone. "I think I have enough of a grasp of magic to hold my own. I can always continue training later. For now, I want to go."
I'm still getting the hang of all this…Egyptian stuff. I've found that even though Heket doesn't like being worshipped or groveled at, speaking directly is preferred. So, I've been doing that. Not that we've been talking much.
We've been communicating mostly through the game itself. She uploaded all that magic into my system as skills, and information as tips. I don't know how that looks on her end, but it's cool as hell on mine.
"And you can," Heket said with a small smile. "You've grown admirably in this short period of time. Now since your mind is unblocked, I will be able to send you more information on training, even when you're not here. Before you go, take…this. Did you receive it?"
Ping!
SKILL RECEIVED: [PILLAR OF FIRE]
According to [XXXX], "It is the most powerful spell a master of fire can summon. It is impossible to defeat, impossible to escape. It can be used to lead the summoner toward a goal. Or it can be used to pursue any enemy, forcing him to run."
COST: 30,000 MP!
"Yes, I did," I said, my eyes bulging at the steep mana cost. That was a mana sink if I've seen one. "That…is a rather steep cost."
"It is. This spell should only be used in dire circumstances," Heket warned. Her eyes tightened, "I was mostly looking to see that we had some form of communication. I would rather not delay you from seeing your mother. We can continue your training in the real world, as well."
"Thank you," I repeated. A rush of excitement bubbled in my stomach at the prospect of seeing everyone again, but it was instantly accompanied by a sudden wave of nausea.
I'd also have to see Aphrodite again. I don't…I still don't know how to feel about any of that.
Heket smiled at me knowingly, "We'll speak soon."
I awoke in a soft bed with a strangled gasp, my body instantly shooting into a sitting up position. The lights of the room blinded me briefly, shapes blurring together. I saw a blob rush toward me.
"Sorry about that, Perce," The lights shut off, and a blurry, but grinning Triton swam into my vision. "Welcome back to the land of the living, brother."
"My body feels like it got rammed by a semi," I complained, holding a hand up to my still tender chest. I noted, with no small amount of annoyance, that my hair had grown so long it was covering my vision. "How long was I out?"
"A couple of weeks," Triton filled me in, sitting down on the foot of my bed as I fumbled around my bedside table for a shirt. "Everyone's been freaking the fuck out, man. Even your mom's down here."
"She's at Atlantis?" I pulled some of the hair out of my eyes. I gasped again, reaching out and grabbing a strand of hair. "Uh…"
"White looks good on you," Triton grinned, giving me a mirror. "Marie Antoinette syndrome, eh? Looks like Oceanus got a lick in before you took him out. I actually kind of like it."
Triton kept talking as I examined myself in the mirror. I really had been out for a while.
My hair- now white- was mid-length, some strands reaching down to my eyebrows while others hung over my eyes.
I don't know if it's all the time I've spent working with my powers or the fact that I've had a shitty month, but my hair change didn't even bother me. It didn't matter. Not right this second.
It wasn't even in my top five list of things that mattered.
Somehow, while I was ruminating on all of that, Triton was back on the topic of my mom.
"But yeah, she's been liking it so far, and we've been taking turns watching you. Well, me and her, anyway. Aphrodite," Triton gestured to Aphrodite, who I somehow hadn't noticed before. "hasn't left."
"I was worried," Aphrodite replied, with a little tremble in her voice. She gave me a watery smile which I didn't return.
I felt an uncomfortable surge of something in my stomach. It made me queasy.
Triton looked between the both of us, his smile dying down a little. He tapped my shin a few times. "Glad to see you up and about, little bro. I, uh, need to go milk some sea urchins. Talk to an animal after you're up and about, Perce, and we can catch up."
He got up, zipping his jacket all the way. Triton gave me an encouraging smile and left the room without saying much else.
As the door slid shut behind him, I looked at Aphrodite again. She looked back at me uneasily.
She knew.
None of the anger, or betrayal, or even pain I'd felt from before was showing up right now. I just…I had this cold and scary feeling in my chest when I looked at her. It felt so weird compared to the other feelings she used to give me. Even when I was annoyed with her, or frustrated, to when I liked her company- it all felt warm to me.
This was the first time that…that looked at her made me feel like my body was dunked in ice water.
I felt nervous. My stomach was doing flip-flops.
"I…I felt the bond break," Aphrodite offered, starting the conversation frantically. "I-I thought you were so seriously hurt that…that something happened. Something happened to our bond."
Without the bond around, I could feel the air between us get charged with something. Smells of ozone reached my nose.
Aphrodite's gaze felt unnerving. I felt like I was standing in front of a predator. That I was being examined.
I couldn't find the words I wanted. My fists clenched and unclenched underneath my blanket anxiously.
"But you're awake now!" Aphrodite exclaimed, moving closer to me. I unconsciously leaned backward. Heat was beginning to emanate from her in short bursts. "I s-still can't feel it. Maybe we need to reconnect it? Did Oceanus sever it?"
The feeling of hysteria started building in my chest even more. Looking at her was opening up a tear of deep sadness in my body. I felt cold. Empty.
"I've been trying, Percy," Aphrodite continued in a hurried tone. "To make you…to make you feel good! To make it okay!"
I wanted to hide in a bunch of blankets. I wanted to hug my mom. I wanted…I wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Talk to me!" Aphrodite's voice broke, her hands accidentally cracking the wood underneath her fingertips. "Did I do something?"
"Were you ever going to tell me?" I finally found my voice, sick of waiting around. I didn't…I didn't like the way she was making me feel.
Aphrodite's mouth opened slightly. Her bottom lip shook, "I…"
"You're bound to your oath," I reminded her, anger slowly building in my body. "Were you going to tell me what the bond was doing? That you were stealing feelings from me? Sapping me of the things that made me feel good?"
You should've noticed the changes sooner, A twisted voice said in my head, sounding kind of like Oceanus. You just convinced yourself things were fine because a part of you wanted this. You liked feeling wanted.
"You're not answering my question," I squeezed my eyes shut. "Were you ever going to tell me?"
"Someday," Aphrodite whispered.
My eyes shot open again.
She looked so fragile. I felt like I was looking at a shabti- that one wrong move would shatter her into pieces. "I…I would've."
"Someday soon?" I pressed, although her expression was telling me all I could want to know. I braced myself.
"No."
Despite seeing it coming, it still stung. It hurt. It felt so bad. A nervous laugh began bubbling up in my throat. I felt some hot tears form in my eyes.
I pushed forward. "Did you send Piper with me so that you could start appearing in my dreams?"
Aphrodite mumbled, "Yes."
"Did you lie to me before this oath?"
"I did. Multiple times!" Aphrodite wailed. "I just…I needed for us to be together. I needed for you to want the bond! B-but my feelings were real. They are real. I care about you so much, Percy. You're so kind, and sweet to me, and I"-
"Did you know this would happen? That I'd change like this?" I cut her off. "That…that becoming like this could alienate those closest to me?"
My left eye was committing every detail of her face to memory, searing it into the side of my brain. I would never, ever be able to forget what she looked like.
I knew I'd never be able to forget any of this. For the rest of my whole life, I'd have to remember every detail of this horrible, painful moment.
Every emotion on her face…every movement…
"I did," Aphrodite wept, her entire body shaking. "I wanted to say something, but then you would've backed out! You wouldn't have wanted this!"
"Did you manipulate me?" I ground out. Some of my tears dropped down onto the blanket underneath me.
My vision was blurry. My hands were shaky. Each breath I took shuddered down my throat. I couldn't catch my breath. I kept hiccupping on lungful after lungful of air.
Why couldn't I breathe?
"I-I…"
"I don't want to see you right now," I spat out, hiccupping. I actually felt physical pain as the betrayal racked my body. I glared at her, and she looked like I slapped her across the face. I shut my eyes again- I couldn't bear looking at her. I didn't want this. I didn't want to remember this.
How could she?
"I don't want to see you for the foreseeable future. I don't want to talk to you. Please leave."
There was no argument.
I heard a whooshing noise. When I opened my eyes again, Aphrodite was gone.
I just put my head into my hands and let it all out.
Not just what she did, but everything. I…the fear of fighting gods, the deep-seated nervousness that I'd never get my mom back. The horror of fighting Carcinus. All of the physical pain I'd felt. The soreness I still felt.
I was hurt.
I cried for a few minutes. Not even your standard sniffle-type cry, but a full-blown sob. Over and over. Not that, uh, that we have to dwell on that too much.
Even when I was done, I didn't…feel great, but I knew I had to get going soon or people would get worried.
Wiping my eyes again, I swung my feet off the bed, noticing, for the first time, that I was in the room I stayed in while I was in Atlantis. Funny how different things can look, sometimes. I felt like a stranger in my own room.
I walked over to my closet, every part of my body cracking and popping. I needed a pair of jeans, or pants, or shorts, or something before I went off to find anyone.
I might be the prince, but I can't be walking around here looking like a bum. Especially a bum without pants on.
Dressed in a pair of blue jeans a cream-colored hoodie, I left the room, in search of Triton.
Well, as I'd come to find out, I didn't have to look too far.
I opened the door, and Triton was standing there, a grim look on his face. "I came back when I heard screaming. I…didn't mean to pry."
I sighed, still feeling muted, "It's okay."
Triton stared at me, "You'll be fine, kid. I know you weren't together long, but those types of things can sneak up on you. I've got your back if you ever need to talk, or vent or something."
"Thanks, Triton," I nodded, shooting him a smile. "So, you said something about my mom?"
"Right, yeah," Triton chuckled, throwing an arm over my shoulder. "She'll probably be in the dining hall. Let's go."
As we walked through the palace, I noticed that every single servant in the house was looking at me with borderline obsessiveness. It was kind of creepy.
Each nymph, each naiad, neired, sea animal, dolphin warrior- anyone who we came across bowed so low, they were basically on the ground. Some of the older people walking around thanked me profusely.
I'd wave them off uneasily, but it was clear they weren't budging on the matter. Their hero-worship from before was multiplied, and at this point, they just didn't want to leave me alone.
They loved me too much.
"Alright, alright, clear out, people! We've got important stuff to do!" Triton sensed my discomfort and basically frog marched me to the dining hall, the first one I'd ever stepped foot in when I reached Atlantis.
"Oh, Percy!" My mom had me wrapped in a hug the moment I came through the doors. I felt her body shaking. "My baby! I was so worried!"
"Hey, mom," I smiled softly, feeling small rushes of warmth feel my system. The absence of the bond was tangible already. I felt…so happy in my mom's arms. So whole. Giddiness was spreading through my chest like wildfire. All of the sadness, the gaping hole from before vanished in her presence.
She yelped as I picked her up and twirled her around. "See? No need to worry! I'm as right as rain, mom."
"Put me down, Percy!" My mom shrieked, but the happiness in her tone betrayed her true feelings.
"Son!" I looked past my mom to see Poseidon running over, as well.
He was wearing an ancient purple tunic, and I started borderline giggling when he ran over, his feet constantly getting caught on the bottom of it. Poseidon eventually made it over to the two of us, breathing slightly harder than normal.
"Son…I'm so very proud of you," He panted, putting a hand on my shoulder. He exchanged a warm smile with my mom. His face turned a bit stern, "That being said…what in my father's name was running through your mind?"
"I'm not too sure," I grinned widely, even with my mom's disapproving look. "Triton promised I'd get some slush from his room if we won, and that was good enough for me, honestly."
Triton snorted next to me, "Keep dreaming, little brother. You could solve world hunger and I'd still be keeping that shit to myself."
"Absurdly false excuses aside," Poseidon shook his head. I noticed his rigid posture. The man was tense about something. "I fear you may have gotten my penchant for trouble. Regardless, I'm glad you're up and about, son. I need to show you something, and then I think your mother would like to leave."
"I took a small break from classes, but they're starting up soon," My mom said apologetically, giving a sad smile to Poseidon. She patted my head, "I was actually going to leave in a few minutes if you weren't up. We really shouldn't stay."
"Okay, we can go after dad shows me, well, whatever it is he wants to show me," I agreed, following Poseidon out of the room.
He led me to a room all the way at the end of the hallway, far away from any of the other areas in the palace.
"Everything cool, Dad?"
"It will be, son, it will be," Poseidon replied simply.
The door slid open, and the two of us walked through.
"I had originally planned to give you this a few years down the line," Poseidon began, his mouth set in a thin line. The only thing in the room was a white pedestal with a small black box on it. "But, after your fight with Oceanus, it's become rather clear to me that your enemies will only grow stronger from here on out. You defeated a Titan, son. That sort of word gets out. Tougher and tougher enemies will come to test your mettle."
"Yeah, I figured," I said lamely, keeping my eyes trained on him. He reached forward and grabbed the box. "What's in there?"
"A tool of great power," Poseidon replied grimly, cracking the box open. A small ring of energy shot out of it, but it was intercepted by my dad, who simply blinked it out of existence with a snap. I turned my attention to the inside of the box. There was a small white ring.
[MAGIC][LEGENDARY] White Light Ring
This ring contains a well of power from the Lord of the Seas himself. Wearing it allows the user to generate and manipulate various forms of electromagnetic energy.
GRANTS THE USER 2X HEALTH AND MANA!
Oh…my. A ring with that much power given to someone like my dad would make him unstoppable. Zeus, it would make me insanely powerful, too.
"Long ago, when the Titan war first ended, I'd gained too much power, if you can believe it. You see, son, the way war worked back then, each deity I defeated became a part of me. I took their powers, their strength. Every sea god before me besides Oceanus and a few others, well, they became me," Poseidon sighed, looking at the ring as I pondered his words. "I…I found it difficult to do even the most basic tasks without residual energy pouring out. Every door I touched was knocked off its hinges. Every punch I threw would crush the skeletal system of the recipient. It became too dangerous. Despite my hardest efforts, I couldn't seem to control certain aspects of that power. It was simply too vast."
"Even for a god?" I questioned, remembering how instantaneous Monaxia's thinking had been. If a god capable of thinking at such a high speed was having trouble controlling power…well…
"Especially for a god," Poseidon confirmed. He continued a moment later, "So, I split up the power. I cut up the power I'd gotten from my exploits into ten rings, forged in the heart of Atlantis by the best Cyclopes."
He lifted his hand, and for the first time, I noticed a pale blue band sitting on his left ring finger. To my immense disappointment, observing the ring only brought up question marks. "The majority of the power went into here. I wanted to still be unequivocally stronger than any other sea deity who could cross my path, but not strong to the point where I couldn't control it. As you gain more power, son, you'll find that controlling it is where the true test is."
"That leaves nine rings," I filled in the blanks, looking back at the ring. "You divided up the rest of the power into nine rings, and you saved one."
"Most of the rings are in possession of your immortal brothers and sisters. Triton has one as well," Poseidon said, putting the box in my hands. His eyes crinkled. "You're correct. I always saved one in case of an emergency, but I think the time has come. You need it."
I gingerly took the box from his hands, "I don't know what to say."
"Put it on," Poseidon urged, looking at me expectantly. "If you want to grow strong, you'll need to exhaust every option available to you."
I nodded slightly- he had a point. I picked up the ring, an audible humming sound filling the room. I could feel the energy coursing through the tiny band, buzzing against my fingertips. It felt like I was holding a mini engine.
I slid the ring down my right ring finger. It was a little bit big at first, but it magically resized itself to fit perfectly.
SKILL[S] RECEIVED:
[MAGIC] Light Burst, LV-MAX
Poseidon's ninth ring may be used to generate bursts of high-intensity light to blind opponents.
[MAGIC] Gravity Field, LV-MAX
The ring may be used to encase opponents in a field of heavy gravity, pinning them to the surfaces.
[MAGIC] Magnetic Levitation, LV-MAX
The ring may be used to utilize electromagnetic fields to levitate and manipulate objects.
[REALITY] Image Projection, LV-MAX
The ring can be used to project holographic illusions.
"Wow," I said, shell-shocked at the words in front of me. The ring felt like a live wire around my finger, buzzing and sticking to my hand. It felt warm, too, like one of those towels barbers would put on your neck after a haircut.
"Wow, indeed," Poseidon smiled proudly. "I know our time here was cut short, but I can sense the potential within you. We've barely scratched the surface. If you ever find time during the year, come down. We'll continue broadening your horizons."
"Thanks, Dad," I said, meaning every word.
We exchanged a brief hug, and he held me at arm's length for a moment. "Take care of your brother, by the way. He hasn't left the water, well, other than the whole, you know, attacking camp fiasco."
"Wait, what?" I sputtered. "He's coming with us? To the overworld?"
"Surprise?" Poseidon said weakly.
A few hours later, Triton, my mom, and I were sitting in the principal's office at Merriweather College Prep- you guessed it, another middle school for troubled kids.
Yancy didn't want to take me back. Apparently, some schools get mad if you take months off without notice, don't pay your bills, and dodge all attempts to contact you.
The nerve of some people.
Anyway, my not-so-honorable discharge from Yancy turned away most of the schools in the area, so we were really at the end of our stick, here, so to speak.
My mom was dressed pretty official, with one of her nicer skirts and a dress shirt. She was wearing a blazer with an NYU pin, and her hair was in a bun.
Honestly, she looked more like she was a teacher here than the mother of one of the so-called trouble kids.
Not that I would've told her no anyway, but she'd insisted on joining me for my interview.
Triton, believe it or not, came along because he'd never seen a school that wasn't on Netflix.
He dragged himself out of bed at eight in the morning, ate breakfast, and teleported us here simply because he was that excited to see an actual school.
I came along because, well, I had to.
The principal, Mr. Sherman, looked at the three of us from across his desk. "Ms. Jackson, clearly you don't expect me to believe that…that Percy is in the seventh grade."
Triton started playing with a tiny, metallic Newton's cradle during this time, absolutely mesmerized by the way the balls moved back and forth.
"He is!" My mom supplied frantically, pulling out a file- you see, we'd tried every other middle school that would take me in the area, and no one was willing to put me up. This was our absolute last chance, and the pressure was starting to get to her. She placed the file on the table. "All of his files are in here. His birth certificate, his physicals. Every doctor's note."
"Very efficient. Ms. Jackson," Sherman complimented as he took the file. He did that standard teacher move of licking his finger and then leafed through the files, his eyebrows climbing steadily toward his receding hairline. "My word. Son, you shot up like a weed! What're they feeding you back home?"
Mom nudged me.
I forced myself to laugh at his joke, "Yes, sir. Just your average veggies, and, uh, hummus. Carrot hummus."
I felt like smacking myself. Carrot hummus? Really Percy, really?
"Good lord, what a wingspan, too. Kid's a lean machine," Sherman said, mostly to himself. "How much do you bench, Mr. Jackson?"
"Er," I tried thinking back to the last time I benched anything on the overworld. That would've been…June? July? "150, I think. Sir."
"Oh goodness," The principal said, leaning back into his chair. "150 at the age of thirteen? What in God's good name possessed you to do that, lad?"
Fighting immortals and getting my mother back.
"Oh, my roommate and I used to compete in the weight room," I lied my pants off, my lying skill easily getting the words out. Come on. I wasn't going to come up with two bad lies in a row. "It's safe to say, I won."
"No kidding. I know a thing or two about winning, myself," Sherman pointed to a trophy case behind him. "I was the MVP back in the day."
I read the title of one of the newspapers: Midtown High strikes AGAIN! The Wildcats take home the championship for the fourth year in a row behind a monster performance by Walt Sherman!
"You know, now since I think about it…" I was drawn out of my thoughts as Sherman showed us a picture of him back in high school, posing with a basketball. "You remind me of myself back in the day. Of course, I'm a little more…horizontally challenged, if you may, these days."
We all shared a round of polite laughter. Even Triton, who had stopped playing with the cradle and moved on to listening to our conversation intently. He was looking at the principal the same way you'd look at an animal at the zoo.
"How does one get that fat?" He whispered in my ear.
I chose not to dignify that with a response, just shaking my head.
As the laughter died down, Sherman sighed, "As much as I would like to- which believe me, is a lot- I still can't allow you into this school."
"Why not?" My mom said, her fingers tapping against her thigh nervously. I repressed a frown- I knew how much my education meant to her. Well, that, and she wanted me to be a normal kid for a while. Just a few months out of the year. "Everything seems to be in order!"
"Ma'am, your son isn't a troubled child, nor is he in need to the kind of social rehabilitation that this school specializes in," Sherman explained patiently, handing the file back to my mother. He frowned, "I can tell as much, just by meeting him. I can't, in good conscience, take your money knowing that this school would do nothing but hold the lad back. It would be an affront to my vow as an educator."
My mom's head dropped.
"Tell you what," Sherman said a moment later, opening his file cabinet. He combed through it for a few moments, before pulling out a small packet. He handed me the packet and a pencil. "Fill that out, Mr. Jackson. I might be able to work some things out."
After he handed me the packet, he punched a few numbers into his landline. "Mikey. You won't believe this…"
I read the title: ACADEMIC ACCELERATION TEST
And the questions…
Ursa Minor contains the pole star, Polaris, and the asterism known as the Little Dipper. From most locations in the Northern Hemisphere, all of the stars in Ursa Minor are circumpolar. Does that mean these stars are also above the horizon during the day? Explain.
Oh, that's easy. A lot of the constellations in Greek mythology are like that too. Basically, anything that's in a circumpolar zone is always above the horizon. I filled it out.
By solving the equation a = 2 - 9a, the value of a will be:
- 2/5
- 3/5
- 1/5
- 1/2
Are these people even trying? 10a = 2, that's one-fifth. Annabeth would be laughing herself silly if I got any of these questions wrong. I'm pretty sure even Malcolm knows most of this stuff. Hope the little tyke is doing alright.
I shook myself of those thoughts, for now, turning my attention back to the test. I could always visit camp on the weekends.
This was like Delta's original test, but by the gods, it was somehow even more boring.
I finished the rest of it in five minutes- no joke. All forty questions. I handed the packet back to Sherman, who took it with a raised brow. His mouth dropped as he flipped through the packet.
He took a red pen, pointedly writing 100 in a large manner and circling it three times.
His fingers tightened around the phone, "Mikey, he checks out. Uh-huh. Yeah. Six feet. Okay. I'll let them know. Yeah, I'm good for the fantasy draft on Sunday. I'll send it over. Okay. Bye."
We all stared at him expectantly.
"Mr. Jackson, you finished that test in three minutes. That was an academic acceleration test- the smartest kids I've had take that test have still taken upwards of fifteen minutes," Sherman said, excitement shimmering in his tone. He leaned forward a bit, sizing me up. "As I said before, I can't in good conscience, let you go to school here, knowing your potential. Lucky for you, I just made a call to my good friend Michael Danvers. He's the current coach of the boys' basketball team over at Midtown High, the high school right down the street. Given your results on that test and your potential, he's willing to pull some strings and get you into Midtown. All you'll have to do is agree to be on their basketball team. I can handle the grade ascension process."
Me? Play basketball? Yeah, ri-
My mom's hand tightened dangerously quickly around my knee. Damn it!
"I accept, Mr. Sherman," I said through gritted teeth.
"Thank you for your help," My mom said graciously, shooting him a kind smile.
"It's the least I could do," Sherman replied, nodding his head. "Midtown's been in a rut for a while now. I'll have to come to watch you play, son. Coach has one of the student leaders waiting for you right now if you want to get the orientation."
"I can do that," I agreed, slowly coming to terms with what I'd agreed to. I mean, it wasn't all bad. I'd played basketball for a while in middle school. The sport was entertaining enough, although I did end up dropping it right before all of, well, this happened. "That's no problem. Thanks again."
"You got it, kid," Sherman said, clapping his hands together. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have lunch order coming in…"
We took the unspoken hint. Saying our last goodbyes and final thanks, we exited the building.
"Yay!" My mom cheered the moment we got toward the street, basically suffocating me with a hug. "Oh, I knew it was going to work out one way or another! My special boy, look at you! Moving up grades, joining basketball teams…"
"Getting suffocated to death by his mother," I choked out.
"Getting suffocated to death by his mother," She repeated, still wrapping me in a bear hug and moving me back and forth. "Oh, my little Percy's all grown up!"
"You can handle a Titan, but you fold in your mother's arms," Triton smirked, cracking his knuckles. His cool guy attitude disappeared not even a second later, "That was so sick, though!"
"You think so, Triton?" My mom asked him curiously, and he nodded vigorously. To her credit, she was doing rather well with the whole idea of his living with us. I got the sense that they'd spoken about it at length while I was out of commission,
"You guys just get to, like, sit in a classroom and learn! All day long!" Triton continued, amazed. "Back home, we only got to study when it was to, I don't know, aid us in battle or something. Learning without having to instantly fight something after sounds like a blast."
"Well, not all day," I corrected him. "There's like, lunch, and you get time between classes to go to lockers and see friends, there're assemblies and stuff once in a while, uh, and there's like afterschool clubs and all that. It's honestly not too bad of an experience."
Triton's jaw got lower and lower as I spoke. "No freaking way! Next thing, you're going to tell me that you get to ride those…car…things everywhere."
I told him about the idea of a public bus, and he was beside himself. Literally. He started jumping around so fast, his godly speed was burning a mirage of him into the air.
"Triton, honey, would you like to see a college campus?" My mom asked curiously, touching his shoulder as he calmed down. "I could show you NYU. You could take some classes there, too."
"Oh, Ms. Jackson, you're the best!" Triton hugged my mom instantly. I grinned at their closeness, "I would love that. Can we go now?"
My mom looked at me for approval. She was still a bit worried.
I shrugged off her concerns, "Yeah, go for it. I'll probably finish this orientation thing and meet you guys back home."
"Okay," My mom said hesitantly but turned to Triton. "How do you want to-"
Her sentence turned into a scream as Triton teleported the two of them away. I shook my head, smiling.
Midtown high, huh?
Following Sherman's directions, I just stayed on the sidewalk and continued down the street.
Eventually, it splintered off into a couple of different streets.
I saw a street sign pointing toward the Forest Hills neighborhood, so I shrugged and continued to move in that direction. The other two seemed like dead ends.
Maybe someone else in my position would've felt a little bit uncomfortable walking through a random alley in Queens, but not me. I grew up doing this kind of stuff.
The city was and always will be my home. There's a weird beauty in this sort of life, and a nice sense of calm I feel when I walk around here.
I love it all- everything from the gigantic rat feasting on a half-eaten burrito to the old man yelling at people and telling them that the world's coming to an end. Even the druggies over by the bench had their own kind of charm.
It isn't much, but it's home.
Eventually, though, I found myself at Midtown High.
This place was legit.
The building itself looked like an old-timey castle- it was easily a hundred feet tall, with large pillars of brick, and two domes made of a granite-like substance. Stained glass windows dotted the front, which had a gigantic staircase leading up to it.
I walked up to the flagpole, unsure who I was supposed to meet, or where I was supposed to go. Sherman was so excited about the prospect of me playing basketball, the man forgot to give me specific directions.
"Jackson!" A gruff voice hollered from toward the front of the school before I could wonder for too long.
I saw a man and a girl walking toward me.
Okay, yeah. This dude was the coach.
His baseball cap was pulled low over his hair, so you could just see his blue eyes. He had a full beard, like full-on lumber-jack level, and his face was tan and square. His buff arms and chest pushed against a bright maroon polo shirt. His nylon workout pants and Nikes were spotless white. A whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt.
Also, he was like, six-four.
"Goddamn, Sherman wasn't lying. You touch a ball before, kid?" Coach said. He moved his arms around, pretending to dribble a basketball. "You ever hit them with the, ah, ah, between the legs, step back, oh, you're not getting me, lean and bam!"
The coach started making fake cheering and booing noises. "And the crowd goes wild! Mikey Danvers did it again and man does he look good doing it!"
The cute blonde girl next to him cleared her throat. Her eye was twitching, "Um, coach, maybe you should let him…"
Danvers was in his own little world now, dribbling an imaginary basketball between his legs now, spinning and twirling around.
"Uh, I actually have played basketball," I replied awkwardly as he started bouncing around, taking fake jump shots. I added, "When I was about a foot shorter, that is."
"No kidding!" Danvers stopped, the whistle on his neck now backward. He sized me up, just like Sherman had done. "We'll get you on the court, get some shots up. You free tomorrow?"
I nodded, "Yeah."
"Good, good," Danvers said, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. He pointed at me. "You're going to be a good addition for us, son. Come to the gym, 8 in the morning. Ball shoes and shorts and all. Cool?"
He didn't wait for me to reply. He just took off sprinting, his large body disappearing into the building in front of us.
"He's always like that," The girl in front of me replied, her voice strained. She offered me a kind smile. "Nice to meet you, Jackson. I'm Gwen."
I returned her smile, "Oh, uh, my name isn't Jackson. It's Percy. Percy Jackson."
"Oh! Silly me!" Gwen laughed brightly, and I found myself chuckling a bit too. "Yeah, the coach is a little, well, crazy. I should probably clarify, too. Gwen's my first name. I'm Gwen Stacy."
"And here I was, hoping it was your last," I said sarcastically, letting off an exaggerated sigh. "There goes my dream of meeting a girl named Stacy Gwen."
"Oh, shut up," Gwen complained, fake-hitting me with her binder. "You better watch yourself, mister. I am the one giving you the tour. I could just tell you all the wrong information and watch you flounder on the first day of classes."
"And lose your job?" I countered as she began leading me up the staircase. "I find myself doubting that, Gwen."
"Well, you can believe what you want, Percy," Gwen replied sweetly. She looked up at me from under her bangs. "You'll just have to trust me."
"I've trusted shadier people before," We shared another laugh and she walked me into the lobby.
Gwen entered a more serious, formal tone of voice as we stopped in the lobby. "Welcome to Midtown High. We're one of the oldest public high schools in this part of the country. We're also one of the only schools that have students take an entrance exam- the only way to bypass that is to get here on athletics, or a formal recommendation. This first floor…"
As she launched into her spiel, some kid walked out of a classroom, holding a box. Unluckily for him, there was a spill right where he was stepping. He shrieked, and the box lifted upward, random computer parts flying everywhere.
Accelerate!
The world slowed down.
Well, that's a new record. I've been at this school for not even five whole minutes, and I'm already using my powers. Go figure.
I noticed a few pieces flying toward Gwen, so I quickly switched places with her, grabbing the parts out of the air.
I grabbed the kid by the shirt- he was rather scrawny, honestly, so it didn't take much- and pulled. Hard.
"Oof," The kid said, dropping his box. My hand held the rest of him steady.
He looked at us sheepishly. "Sorry about that. The floor was, um, kind of wet. I wasn't really paying attention."
"It's okay, man," I said, handing him the parts I caught. "Just watch out. You could've taken a nasty fall."
Gwen blinked a few times. "Wow. That was fast. No wonder you're joining the team."
She looked between the two of us. "Aw, Pete, you just don't have a good track record with any of the guys on the team, huh?"
"Well, I'm sure we can change that," I laughed, sticking out my hand. "Percy Jackson. I just got here. Literally."
"Sorry, again," The scrawny boy profusely apologized, shaking my hand. "But it's good to meet you. I'm Peter Parker."
AN: Mainly just a set-up chapter! Rather than a Q+A, I'll just touch on a few of the broader topics.
I did want to touch on the original C24.
That was my bad, for a few different reasons.
First, I completely played that wrong. I didn't want to give anyone the impression that they had to catch all of that but reading it back, I can see how it reads like that. Maybe I was a bit more annoyed than I thought I was.
I was trying to point out how I had planned it from the start, explaining all of the things I packed in there, without really thinking about the fact that, well, it doesn't matter what I did, if the readers, aka you guys, couldn't follow all of it.
I agree that it makes the explanation rather useless.
I appreciate the constructive criticism, though. I'll definitely be looking into how I can make some of that symbolism more accessible, just so it's fun for both sides.
Aphrodite
She'll be around, still. I'm not even saying a future relationship is too too far out of the question. It's just the way things were meant to be at this point in the story. She was a lesson for Percy, just like Heket is, just like Piper is, just like Malcolm is. She's just taking a detour out of Percy's life.
Other than that, well, I'll let my writing speak for itself, and keep extemporaneous personal notes to a minimum.
Also, I think the 'twist' in this chapter is pretty recognizable. I look forward to seeing what people think.