Chapter 3- The gods are real?

"There are no Oogways"

Master Accident


Percy waited for Grover to finish using the restroom before hailing a cab. Percy considered ditching him as he kept getting freaked out by Grover's expression, looking at him like a dead man. Percy was freaked out enough as it was. But if Percy's instincts were right (and they usually were) and those three ladies he had seen were the Fates, or something as dangerous as that, then he realised he was in far bigger trouble than he could possibly imagine. And considering he didn't even understand why he was in trouble, he thought it'd be best to stick with Grover.

"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," he told the driver.

As they sped towards his apartment, Percy told Grover about Gabe. To his surprise, Grover didn't even seem surprised; he just nodded and accepted it like it was expected.

As soon as they reached his apartment, he looked at Grover, wondering what to do.

"Go home," Grover said. "Speak to your mom. Mr Brunner did have a word with her some time ago. Explain to her what happened today. If what you told me about Gabe is true, she'll understand everything. Tell her these words exactly Percy. They await your son at Camp Half Blood. The beings above and below are aware of his presence.' She'll know what it means. If possible, ask her to come pick me up from the side street. I'll be waiting for you there, alright?"

Percy nodded, not bothering to question anything Grover had told him. He figured out from the past few days that Grover had become good at evading his questions. But if his mother knew what was happening, she'd be more willing to indulge him.

Hopefully.

As mentioned before, Percy loved his mother, more than anyone else. Her name is Sally Jackson and she was the best person in the world, which just proves his theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

The only good break she ever got was from meeting her boyfriend, who was supposedly Percy's father.

Percy had no memories of his father. His only recollection was a soft, warm glow from when he was a baby.

He had other memories as well. Once when he was in his crib, a young girl had looked over at him, the brightest smile on her face. She doted on him, almost like a mother, or elder sister would. She had placed her finger on his chin, lightly tickling him, to make him laugh, placing a kiss on his forehead before disappearing. That was an odd memory to say the least.

Percy took a deep breath and walked into the apartment. As expected, he could see Smelly Gabe sitting on the couch, playing poker with his buddies. Percy had no time to deal with him. He knew if he struck up any conversation with Gabe, he'd lose his temper and things wouldn't end well, for him, and Gabe and his mother. He grabbed the remaining change in his pocket, threw it at him, already knowing what he'd ask for and made a beeline straight for his room.

"Wouldn't make an attitude brain boy," Gabe shouted behind him. "Your report card came through a while ago."

Percy ignored him. He had bigger problems.

As soon as he reached his room, he heard the voice that melted his fears away. "Percy?"

She opened his bedroom door, and immediately Percy rushed to hug her. She had the power to make him feel good just by simply walking into his room. He had said it often, but he loved her. She was the one person in this universe who never gave up on him no matter how badly he messed up.

For a moment, he forgot all of the troubles that had filled him over the past week.

"Oh, Percy." She hugged him tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"

Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought him a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when he came home.

As much as he wanted to just sit there and enjoy her company, he remembered Grover's warning, and the look of fear on his face earlier that morning.

"What's wrong Percy?" Sally asked, noticing the change in mood on her son's face. Her eyes looking right at him, tugging at his conscience. "Did something scare you?"

Percy sighed, not wanting to let the moment pass, and reluctantly told her everything. With every passing word, the blood drained from her face. When he mentioned the three old ladies, her face went pale white. She grabbed his hands with one of hers and placed the other on his cheek, as if to reassure herself that he was still there and alive. Her face was trembling in fear, but she was keeping herself together for his sake. That's why he didn't tell her what he had heard in his head. Nor did he tell her that those three old ladies had snipped the thread. From Grover's reaction, that alone was something terrifying and those words sounded ominous enough and that was the last thing his mother needed to hear.

"Mom, Grover said to tell you this exactly. They await your son at Camp Half Blood. The beings above and below are aware of his presence."

His mother closed her eyes, her lips moving as though muttering a prayer.

"Mom, what's Camp Half–"

"Not here Percy. I promise I'll explain once we leave. Not right now,"

"Leave?" Percy frowned. "Where are we going?"

A small smile flickered on her face, toning the worry in her eyes.

"The beach. Montauk."

"Today?" Percy couldn't believe it. Even after everything, just knowing they were going to Montauk meant the world to him.

"I booked three nights there. We'll talk once we're there Percy. Wait here, let me talk to Gabe."

An hour later, they were ready to leave.

Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch him lug Sally's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking—and more important, his '78 Camaro—for the whole weekend. Percy was incredibly close to beating his face.

"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," Gabe warned him as he loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch."

He turned around to head back into the apartment. Percy narrowed his eyes, not willing to let Gabe have the last word. Percy grabbed the wrench from the trunk of Gabe's car and with pinpoint accuracy threw it across, hitting Gabe directly in the back of his skull. The wrench made a clanging sound on contact and Gabe yelled in pain. Percy made the hand gesture he'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over his heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon.

"Never said I couldn't scratch you, huh?" Percy muttered to himself with a smirk on his face.

He got into the Camaro, and Sally drove off. On the way, he told her where Grover said he'd be waiting. She turned down the road, following Percy's directions. As expected, Grover was sitting on the bench in front of a cafe, munching on a muffin. Sally's eyes widened for a moment when seeing Grover but it faded so quickly, Percy thought he'd just imagined it.

"Wait here, please, Percy," Sally said, hopping out of the car without waiting for a response. She walked towards Grover (though Percy hadn't told her what Grover looked like) and Percy could see both of them getting into a conversation. Grover appeared to be frantic and adamant about something, but his mother pleaded to him about something else, and Percy could see Grover relent to whatever Sally had said. He said something else to which his mother nodded and gestured towards the car.

"Your friend, Grover, will be joining us," Sally said as they got back in. Again, without waiting for a response, she hit the gas and they drove off.

That car ride may have been one of the most awkward drives he'd ever been on. He kept glancing at his mother and Grover, but neither of them said a word. He figured he'd be best at initiating a conversation if he wanted answers.

"So, do you two know each other?"

"Not exactly," Grover replied, as he still looked outside the window, jittery as before. "We've never met in person. But your mother knew I was watching you. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend Percy."

"I know, Grover. But why were you watching me?"

"Because of my decisions Percy," Sally said. She wasn't looking at him; her eyes trained on the sunset burning across the sky. "You're special, Percy. Too special. And I was warned that I would need to send you to Camp Half-Blood sooner or later. But I was too weak. And now, because of it, there are things out there that want to kill you."

"What makes me so special?" Percy asked, shooting right to the main was tired of everyone dodging around the question, and this time he wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Percy, Mr Brunner spent the entire year teaching you about the greek gods and myths. That was no accident. He came to Yancy Academy for the purpose of teaching you. I imagine that's because your friend, Grover, realised who you were and alerted him." Sally glanced at Grover, who nodded in confirmation.

"Teaching you about those myths wasn't for some simple reason. I spent your entire childhood telling you those stories not just for your fun, but to help teach you the truth about this world. They weren't just stories taught to teach you about some life lessons. They're real Percy. The gods, the ones from the greek myths, they exist."

Percy felt that same cold chill he felt earlier after seeing the three old ladies. On some level deep down, he had known it was true, but hearing his mom confirm it, made it feel all too real.

"So, the gods are real? They exist here, in America?" He asked, finally getting some answers to all the weirdness he'd been dealing with his entire life. "Okay, that explains some parts. But what does that have to do with me? It's not like I have anything to do with them. I'm not related to them or born to them, am I?"

Neither of them gave him an answer.

"Am I?" Percy prompted. His mother looked at him sadly, but he could see a hint of pride as well in her eyes.

"You are Percy. That's why you're special. You are the son of a God."

Percy's mind went into overload at that sentence. He had managed to accept the fact that the gods existed. That there were unknown monsters that roamed around in plain sight. But him? A random nobody with dyslexia, attention disorder, anger issues who got Cs and Ds. A son of a god? That was too much to handle.

"Me?" he finally croaked out as he tried to wrap his mind around the bomb his mother had dropped on him. She gave him another sad smile.

"Yeah Percy," Grover continued for Sally. "It's why I was assigned to protect you. We're called keepers. We go around the country, finding other people like you and protecting them from monsters and guiding them to safety."

"Other people like me?" Percy asked, trying to focus on something he could understand. Grover nodded.

"Demigods. Half-bloods."

"A half-blood," Percy remembered that term when learning about the greek myths. His namesake, Perseus, Theseus, Belleraphoon and Hercules. They were all half-bloods. "Half human and half god?"

"Percy, in the myths, the gods ran around the mortal world, chasing humans, falling for them, having affairs and giving birth to demigods. Do you think they changed that in the last few thousand years?" Grover explained. They had finally reached Montauk and were unbuckling their seatbelts.

"Do all the other demigods have gods and monsters chasing to kill them?" Percy asked.

"Monsters? Yes. Gods? Less often. Only the special ones," Grover added as an afterthought.

"Coming back to the point," Percy said as they sat on the beach. "What makes me so special? Why did those three old ladies, the fates or whatever, appear before me?"

"Because of your parentage, Percy," Sally answered. The sun was starting to dim, making her hair burn bright in the remaining rays of sunlight. "Your father is special, even amongst the gods. And because of that, there are other gods who are not happy you were born. He told me that there was a place. A summer camp." She wouldn't look at him, focusing on making a fire with the logs they had brought. "But I was selfish. I wanted to keep you as close to me as possible."

"They wanted to send me to a summer camp?" Percy asked, not understanding what that had to do with, well, everything.

"I'm sorry, Percy. I really am, but if I sent you there, it might mean saying goodbye to you. For good."

"Why?" Percy frowned. "I mean if it's a summer camp…" he trailed off, looking at the tears in her eyes. He knew from her expression that if he asked more questions, she'd start to cry, and he'd never forgive himself if he made her cry. Instead, Grover leaned forward.

"Mrs Jackson, it wouldn't have meant goodbye. He could've returned to the mortal world after each summer. We would've kept him just long enough to train him and teach him." But Sally shook her head.

"Do you really believe that, Grover? There was a reason you called Mr Brunner. You suspect who Percy's father is, don't you? Can you honestly tell me that, if you're correct, sending Percy to the mortal world would've been the right decision?"

"Okay, who is my father?" Percy asked, looking between Grover and Sally. Sally turned her face to the fire, not willing to say anymore. Grover's face turned more solemn. He stood up, grabbing his crutches.

"I'm going to give you guys some time alone. I'll be at the cabin. I wonder if they have any good tin cans." Grover limped off towards the cabin they'd booked. Percy looked at his mother, not sure if asking her more questions would cause more harm than good.

"Mom," he said gently. "Please, mom, I need to know who my father is."

"I can't tell you, Percy. Not here, not right now."

"Why not?"

"Because if I do, you'll be dead before the night ends."

"What…"

"Percy, this is why I never told you the truth about who you were. The more you being to realise, the more you understand, the more attention you attract. If I told you who your father was, every other being in this country would know instantly. And many of them will hunt you down with one motive. To kill you. I've already had enough close calls."

She finally met his eyes, and a lot of memories surfaced to him again. Every weird experience he'd been through. He remembered during pre-school when his teacher had put him in a cot for a nap, and a snake had slithered into it. His mother had screamed when she found him giggling and playing with the snake. He'd somehow managed to strangle the reptile to death with his meaty toddler hands.

"Percy, what makes you so different is there was a complication when you were born," his mother said. "Your father realised something was special about you the night you were conceived. He never told me directly what it was, but I could tell it worried him. And watching you grow up, I understood why. It's not my place to tell you what makes you different. I'm sorry, I really am, but Grover is right. The only person who can really tell you is Mr Brunner. But promise me something, Percy. Promise me you'll never give in to your anger."

"What?" Percy asked in confusion, not quite following what she was telling him.

"As much as I wish things were different, I've to accept what has happened. There is a darkness around you, Percy. Promise me that no matter what, you'll never give into the darkness, and you'll never let your anger consume you. You'll choose to do what's right. Promise me, Percy."

"I- I will, mom. I promise," Percy stammered out. He wasn't sure what she was talking about, but he didn't want to worry her even more than she already was. The look of fear in her eyes was all too real. He wondered whether he should tell her the whole story of what happened with the fates. But he chose not to. Call him selfish, but he had a feeling that if he revealed that, his last few moments with his mother at Montauk would be coming to an end.

"Go to sleep Percy. I need some time to think, please."

That night he had an intense dream. It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagle's wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.

Then the two animals stopped, almost like they were frozen in time. The golden eagle turned to look at him. It screeched angrily, but the white horse stood in front of him in a protective stance. The horse whinnied as though challenging the eagle. The eagle dived straight for him.

And then Percy woke up with a start. Outside, it was storming, the storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.

With the next thunderclap, his mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."

IPercy knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, he heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made his hair stand on end.

Grover shot out of his bed and ran towards the window. Percy could see his face go completely white, and his face widened in shock.

"Mrs Jackson," Grover trembled, his body shaking in fear. His mother stepped forward to look outside as well. Her face paled exactly as Grover did.

"What?" Percy asked, fearing the worst. His face changed to bewilderment as he watched Grover tear his pants off. He was about to turn away when his eyes caught a glimpse of….fur? Before he could even question it, his mother rounded on him instantly, her eyes far, far more alarmed than he had ever seen.

"Percy," she shouted over the rain. "What didn't you tell me? What happened when you saw the fates?"

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" Grover yelled as he glanced right back outside. Percy was too shocked to realise that Grover had spoken in Ancient Greek and that he had managed to translate the curse in his head. He was far more shocked at Grover's legs. Even though he knew the gods were real and whatnot, knowing and seeing were two completely different things.

"Percy!" his mother spoke sternly to him, a tone she'd never used with him before. "What are you hiding from me?"

Percy told her the voice he'd heard in his head and the fact that they'd snipped a thread. Grover slowly turned to look at him in horror.

"They spoke to you?" he gasped. "I- I never would've let you even step foot here if I'd known that. I would've taken you straight to…."

Percy turned to look at his mother, who looked lost in thought.

"So, he's not his son. He was right. Percy is different…" she shook her head. "No time for ifs. Get to the car, both of you. We need to get Percy to safety."

Percy watched as Grover ran for the Camaro– but he wasn't running exactly.

Because where his feet should've been, there were cloven hooves instead.


Author's Note: Chapter 3 is out. As you can see, things play out a lot differently this time around, Grover actually joins them instead. The next chapter includes two major fight scenes and also showing some of Percy's other powers. And also, there are repercussions for the Fates talking to Percy that will come into play later. Little spoiler: we have a god interference next chapter (well, technically, this chapter as well as Percy had two flashbacks of two people from his childhood. Cookie for whoever can recognise the other god in his flashback, though it should be fairly obvious). But as usual, please feel free to review. I'm enjoying how the story is playing out so far.

Reviews:

Anonymously96: Thank you for catching the error. That was a typo, it was meant to say Kronos foresees her turning into a tree, in my haste I completely missed that, my bad. Thank you for highlighting that, I'll change that soon enough. As for your other comment, as to why Poseidon would've detected Kronos, that's the mystery of this book. That will be answered later in the books, but that will be a recurring theme in Percy's character development. It'll make sense as the book goes on. But for some peace of mind, Kronos didn't woo Sally. And also, there's a specific reason why Kronos picked Sally. I don't wanna spoil, but if you read Trials of Apollo (I think, I'll double check on that), there's something about Sally that is mentioned is the reason why Poseidon fell for her and is the exact reason Kronos was drawn to her as well. It'll be revealed as the book goes on. Thank you for your review, appreciate it.

Anaklusmos404: Percy won't exactly... be the bad guy, but it's not so simple either. Again, I don't wanna spoil too much. But Luke will still hold the importance of Percy's character development, don't worry about that. Well, there's going to be an even bigger impact from Luke on Percy, given their relationship to Kronos, but I'll be capitalising on that more in the Sea of Monsters instead of here. This book is mainly about Percy figuring out his parentage, his relationship with the elder Olympians (including Hades) and of course the quest itself. Thanks for the review

Titus5: Appreciate it a lot. An 8/10 is a strong start and I'll try to maintain that level throughout the book.

That's all for this chapter, hope you lot enjoyed. See you in the next one.

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Stay safe people. I hear Covid is kinda up and about so try and be a bit cautious.

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