Chapter 3:
The rest of the semester passed quickly for Percy, between homework, training his powers, and strategizing with Jason. Considering Percy didn't cause any trouble this time around, he wasn't expelled from Yancy this time. However, he wrote to his mother that he would like to attend a different school next year. While his mother was confused, she agreed to try and find another school next year, but on the condition that if she didn't find one, they would continue at Yancy. He agreed, knowing that he would have to help her find Meriwether Prep so that he could find Tyson. Maybe his lack of expulsion from Yancy Academy will make it easier for her to enroll him next year. Percy put that out of his mind and focused on his Latin exam, breezing through it faster than before because he had met many of the myths in person. He handed his test to Mr. Brunner, and wasn't stopped this time by a poor attempt at comfort. He went back to his dorm, packing up the last of his things. He was ready to see his mom again. Talking to her over letters isn't the same as seeing her, especially since it had been over a year since he had last seen her. He missed her, and Paul. He couldn't wait for his family to get back to normal. But that will take a while to happen. In the meantime, he had to deal with Smelly Gabe. Now that he knew the truth, all Percy wanted to do was get rid of him. His mother had put up with years of abuse for him, and he wanted to protect her. But his mother was capable of taking care of herself, as she had proven last time. He just needed to give her a push.
The last few days of term ended quietly, and soon Percy and Grover were once again heading to New York on a Greyhound Bus. They talked about a lot of things, although since the Fates didn't stop the bus this time to warn him about Luke, they didn't have any serious conversations besides Grover handing over the Camp's business card. This time when Grover went to the bathroom, Percy didn't ditch him like last time. They hailed a cab and headed for Percy's apartment, where they said their goodbyes and watched as the cab dropped Grover off somewhere else. Somewhere close, no doubt. Percy walked to the apartment slowly, trying to steel his nerves for the confrontation about to happen. He opened the door and was met with the smell of alcohol and smoke. He looked to the family room to see a walrus he hadn't seen in years. Gabe was just as Percy remembered him. A large man, an almost bald head, and a cigar in hand as he played poker with his friends, including their building's super, Eddie. He forced himself not to glare too hard at the man, knowing he wouldn't have to deal with him much longer. "So, you're home? You got any cash?" Percy, knowing this was going to happen, internally grinned. "I don't have any cash." Gabe raised an eyebrow. "You took a taxi from the Bus Station. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change?" Percy decided to interrupt him. "You're right, I would have gotten some change. But I got some snacks for me and my friend. I have no cash." Gabe glared at the smug demigod. Percy walked to his room, slamming the door to annoy the man.
Percy sat his things down and looked around. He had almost forgotten the way that Gabe treated his room, with his dirty shoes and old car magazines, and the smell of cheap beer and cigar smoke. He knew any moment his mother would come in, and that he needed to sacrifice their time together at Montauk to save her from Hades. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps at the door. "Percy?" She opened the door and Percy saw his mom again for the first time since Hera had kidnapped him. She was still beautiful, but had an air of tiredness that he hadn't seen from her in years. "Oh, Percy. Look at you! You've grown so much since I last saw you." She was wearing her old uniform from the candy shop and held a bag of free samples in her hand. He dreaded having to ruin the moment of their reunion, but he'd rather not have to go through seeing her turn to dust again.
"Tell me everything that's happened the last few weeks, don't leave a single detail out." Sally said. "Mom, I'm fine. I had a good time, but I miss it here. I was tempted to just sneak out to see you, especially after…" Sally watched her son trail off, worried. "After what?" Percy smiled, brushing it off. "Nothing. Just one of the field trips we went on. It was a little weird." Sally frowned. "Weird? The school didn't tell me anything happened on a field trip this year. Did something happen?" Percy put on a haunted look. "I don't know. Everyone tells me that I'm not remembering right. I'm probably just going crazy." Sally grabbed his hands and pulled him into a hug, getting more worried when he didn't resist and instead clanged to her almost desperately. "You're not crazy. I'm not sure what happened, but I know that. Just tell me what happened and I'll believe you, no matter what." Percy struggled a bit before telling her about Mrs. Dodds turning into a monster, his slash at her, and how no one remembered her anymore. Sally turned pale during his story, but didn't interrupt. After Percy was done, Sally hugged him tightly. "Alright Percy. I believe you. I'll be right back, okay. Don't move." With that she walked out and a few minutes later, came back in, putting up a brave face.
"Percy, grab your bag. We're leaving." Percy gave her a confused look. "Where are we going?" Sally grimaced. "Somewhere you'll be safe. We're just waiting on someone to pick us up, then we'll head out." A knock sounded and Gabe's voice sounded for someone to get the door. Sally and Percy carried their bags over and opened the door to Grover, thankfully still with his pants on. "Mrs. Jackson? I'm Grover, I'll be your escort to Camp." Percy, still pretending to be ignorant, said, "Grover? What are you doing here?" Grover winced. "Now's not the time, we need to go. I can feel it, we're being hunted. They've caught our scent." Sally paled and grabbed Gabe's keys, ignoring his screams to come back, and pulled the two children to the car. She quickly started it, and reversed, nearing hitting Gabe, who had apparently followed them to the parking lot. Well, that's a shame, Percy thought.
They drove in silence, leaving the city and heading for Long Island Sound. Percy looked up as it began to rain. Percy decided to break the silence. "So, is anyone going to explain what's happening?" Grover exchanged a look with Sally. "Now's really not the time. We need to get to Camp. We can explain everything there safely. Even now, we can be attacked at any time." Sally nodded in agreement. "He's right, Percy. We're not safe. We're almost there. Another mile." Percy found himself leaning forward in excitement, not having seen Camp Half-Blood in almost a year. They had just passed the sign for Delphi Strawberry Farm sign when Pery heard it. The bellow of the Minotaur was so loud it drowned out the thunder from the storm. Percy could see his mother and Grover stiffen at the sound and watched as they both turned back to see who was chasing them. The sight of the monster, still in his underwear for some reason, was too much and Sally floored the gas to put more distance between them. Percy decided now was the time to really act scared. "Is that-?" Sally interrupted him first. "Don't say his name. Names have power. He'll be able to track you faster that way. I didn't think they'd send him first." As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled to the side of the road. "What are you doing? That thing is still chasing us!" Sally and Grover quickly got out, forcing Percy to get out as well. "Camp is close. As soon as we reach the pine tree on top of the hill, we'll be safe. Camp is just beyond. Everything will be okay." Grover sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Percy. "Hurry!" Following his mother's command, Percy grabbed his stuff and started sprinting up the hill, feeling relieved that he had been conditioning his body a little while he was still at Yancy. He quickly overtook the group and was close to the tree when he finally heard the Minotaur reach the Camaro. The sound of the car being lifted and thrown at the ground was hard to miss, but all three of them quickly stopped moving and waited for the monster's reaction. They didn't want to bring attention to themselves by running and shouting.
The group watched as the monster sniffed the overturned vehicle, looking for his target. His sight and hearing were terrible, but his sense of smell would locate them in no time. They began to move slowly toward the tree, getting within 20 meters before they heard the monster begin charging toward them. "Go, go, go!" Percy started pushing his mother and Grover toward the boundary, rushing behind them. Grover had just passed the boundary when Percy heard the Minotaur getting closer. He reached ahead and pushed his mother to the side with his body and both watched as the monster whooshed past and slammed into Thalia's tree. The boundary lit up as the monster rammed into it, but held steady. Percy and Sally had just stood up again as the monster turned in their direction. "Mom, as soon as I move, run. I'll distract it." He didn't wait for a reply and charged the Minotaur. He could vaguely hear his mother run to Grover and Grover invite her inside, but he focused his attention on the monster in front of him. This was now his third time facing the Minotaur, and he was confident that he could easily defeat him. The Minotaur could sense him charging and lowered his head to skewer the demigod on his horns, but Percy jumped and landed on the beast's head. He once again grabbed the Minotaur's horn and pulled, getting strength from the rain, snapping the horn off his head. But he had underestimated the strength he used and ended up falling to the ground behind the enraged bull. Pain laced through his back, but he forced himself to his feet.
Percy only had a moment to regain his bearings before he heard his mother's fearful cry and someone running towards him. He turned to see his mother and Grover running towards him, before they froze at the sound of the Minotaur turning and roaring at the intruders in their fight. Percy could only watch in horror as the monster turned to his companions and charged, intent on fulfilling his mission and taking his mother. No, not again, he thought. Percy shouted, his voice filled with rage and power. Time itself seemed to stop for a moment. The rain that had been falling throughout the fight suddenly stopped, forming a large bubble of water on the hill. Water continued to fall, but would be absorbed into the bubble before it hit the ground. Sally and Grover, who had started running back to Camp when the Minotaur started charging, stopped and gaped. Even the Minotaur stopped in confusion when it didn't feel the water falling onto it. Percy capitalized on its distraction. Suddenly, all the water in the air began to bend to his will, forming two large swords which hardened into ice. With a wave of his hand, the swords impaled the Minotaur, sending the monster to Tartarus. Percy collapsed, finally feeling the pain of the fall from the Minotaur, which had been dulled by adrenaline. The ice swords melted and the rain began to fall again.
Sally and Grover rushed to help, picking him up just as Chiron and several campers appeared on the hill, brandishing weapons. "Grover, what happened here?" Grover struggled to find the words, eventually pointing at the horn nearby. "It was the Minotaur. Percy killed it. He saved us." While the campers appeared taken aback, Chiron appeared troubled. He had seen the bubble Percy had created when he stopped the rain, as well as the icy swords. No Son of Poseidon had ever shown this kind of strength before. Noticing the young demigod wincing in pain, he pushed his worries aside. "Come along now, all of you. Annabeth, see Percy to the infirmary and call for the healers. The rest of you, back to your cabins. Sally and Grover, please follow me to the Big House. We need to talk, privately." Ignoring the campers groans, the centaur trotted back to the Big House with Sally and Grover following close behind.
As Chiron returned to his wheelchair, Sally sat herself down in the sitting room across from a pudgy man in a tiger-print, Hawaiian shirt. Grover sat himself closer to the man, but was obviously very nervous. "Sally, this is our camp director, Mr. D. And I believe you already know Grover. I'm Chiron, the activities director here at Camp Half-Blood. I have a few questions to ask you about Percy. Are you well enough to answer?" Sally nodded. "Good. Now, I already know the identity of the boy's father, but I must ask if you know." Sally nodded and said, "Yes, I know. Poseidon told me I had the rare ability to see through the Mist, although my ability has diminished in recent years." Chiron nodded and continued. "Okay. Did Poseidon ever mention how dangerous it was to bring Percy here?" Mr. D decided to interject. "More than dangerous. I should kill him now before anyone finds out he's here. It'll be a kinder fate for the boy, especially with the recent theft." Sally stood up and shouted, "No! Percy's a good boy, and he's done nothing wrong. Poseidon may have broken his oath, but that is his punishment to bear, not our son's." Chiron sighed. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Poseidon may have told you he broke his oath, but he probably never told you the reason the oath is there in the first place." At seeing her hesitant nod, he continued. "There was a prophecy during the last World War that a child of the Big Three would decide the fate of Olympus. After the prophecy was decreed, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades agreed to never again sire any more demigods. While I admit, Zeus was the first to break the oath, his daughter never made it to camp before Hades' monsters killed her. Zeus and Hades will not allow Percy to live. Not only does it threaten the fate of Olympus, he is also a reminder of an oath neither of Hades' brothers have kept. Not even getting into the recent theft."
Sally was confused and asked, "What theft are you talking about? And why would Percy have anything to do with that?" Chiron sighed and said, "Every year, on the winter solstice, the gods meet on Olympus to hold council. After the meeting, Zeus discovered that his Master Bolt had been stolen. The symbol of his power. While gods cannot steal each other's symbol of power, demigods are not held back by such restrictions. Zeus has suspected Poseidon for months, thinking he persuaded a mortal hero to steal the bolt. With the evidence that Poseidon has sired a child, suspicion will rise that Percy stole the Bolt for his father." Sally immediately shook her head. "Percy doesn't know about his father, much less the location of Olympus. He couldn't have stolen anything. Not to mention he spent his entire break with me. I'd know if he went and stole something as obvious as a lightning bolt." She said.
Chiron raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you sure about that? I've spent the last year teaching Percy, but something changed the day he was attacked by the Fury. Your husband's pungent odor, which even after weeks had still been strong, was suddenly nothing compared to the power that radiated off him. Grover and I spent many weeks wondering about this change, and the only conclusion we've come to is that Percy is well aware of his parentage. And there were some nights that I watched as he walked into the woods and spent hours there before returning. He could have been talking to anyone during that time, including his father. While I personally don't believe that Percy or Posiedon are responsible for the theft, Zeus will not feel the same when he hears about this."
Sally shook her head. "I know my son. Even if something is different about him, I know he isn't a thief. And that trip was after the theft, was it not? If he does know about his father, he didn't learn about it until then if his scent changed so drastically that day." Sally paused. "I'll admit, something doesn't add up, but Percy isn't a bad person. He may be hiding something, considering what he just did against the Minotaur, but my son isn't a thief."
Chiron shook his head. "It's not us Percy needs to convince. He needs to convince Zeus himself." Sally glanced towards the door, worried.
Back in the infirmary, Percy couldn't take his eyes off Annabeth as she and a few other campers situated him in a cot. He was tired and sore, not even bothering to complain when an Apollo kid came to check up on him. He answered the standard questions and complied when asked to lay on his stomach so they could check for bruising from where he fell of the Minotaur. He heard the camper mutter a hymn to Apollo. He could feel the bruises fade a little, and the pain eased. He made a mental note to find some water to heal himself fully later. No need to draw attention to his powers right now. After receiving the go ahead, Percy sat back up and layed on the cot, not even blinking when he saw Argus standing watch over him. This didn't go unnoticed by the Daughter of Athena, who quickly pointed it out. "You don't seem surprised to see Argus. Most new campers are quick to point out the man with hundreds of eyes over his body." Percy shrugged, looking nonchalant, but silently cursing himself. "After what just happened, I'm not very shocked by anything right now."
Annabeth gave him a look. "Hmm. We'll see about that." She continued to help the other campers organize the supplies they'd used to heal the injured demigod. After everythings was put away, Annabeth ushered the other kids out to get some rest, before turning to face Percy again. "Who are you? No regular demigod can claim to have single-handedly killed the Minotaur, one of the most ferocious monsters out there. Most especially can't do what you did with the water. So tell me, who are you?"
Percy blinked, a little startled at her aggressive questioning, before answering her. "My name is Percy Jackson. As for how I did that back there, I have no idea." And technically that wasn't a lie. He'd never tried to use his powers that way before. Whatever he'd done on the hill had been pure instinct, but he had an inkling that he could do it again if he wished. Something to try later. "And before I answer any more questions, can I get your name?" Annabeth frowned before answering. "Annabeth Chase." She answered shortly. "You really just made a dome of water appear around you, by accident?" The disbelief was clear in her voice.
Percy shrugged. "Now that I think about it, something similar happened a few months ago with an exploding fountain, but I didn't know I caused it until now." He lied. "Until today, I thought I was a regular kid, even with my troubled childhood. And now a monster has tried to kill me, and I have powers. Excuse me for not having all the answers, Wise Girl." He said jokingly. However, Annabeth flinched a little at the title, looking a little chastised, but still determined to get answers. Luckily, knocks at the door interrupted the two demigods.
Chiron wheeled into the room, followed by Sally and Mr. D. "Annabeth, please return to your cabin and get some rest. We have some things to discuss with Percy now that he's been treated." Percy noticed she didn't look the least bit happy that she was being kicked out, but she didn't argue about it either. She quickly walked out, followed by Argus. After closing the door behind her, Sally sat beside her son as Chiron started the conversation. "Percy, my boy, I'm sure you have a lot of questions about what's going on, but unfortunately we don't have the time to dive into those. This is the camp director, Mr. D. You may call me Chiron, though you know me by another name. We have some questions to ask you." Percy interrupted him before he could continue. "Mr. Brunner? I don't know what happened. I already told Annabeth that I don't know anything. What I did with the water and the ice was by accident. I didn't mean to do that." Chiron frowned thoughtfully. "Accident or not, what you did with the water has already clued many about the identity of your father. And many of them would rather see you dead than trained." Sally tensed at his words. "But seeing as Percy has yet to be claimed, we may have some time before they act on their suspicions." Percy decided to interrupt him. "Time to what?" Chiron stared at him deeply. "To prove you're not the Lightning Thief."
Percy gave the trio a confused look. "Lightning Thief? How can someone steal lighting?" Chiron eyed the demigod. "Percy, while most people will be fooled by your performance, I am not one of them. I have been watching over you at Yancy for some time now. I know you have some knowledge of what's going on. You may even know the identity of your father." Percy panicked for a moment. I can't tell them the truth, but I also can't lie if he does know something. Guess I'll have to settle for a half truth. Percy sighed. "Was I that obvious?" He asked, faking defeat. Chiron shook his head. "Only to me and Grover. Most others wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, but we had been watching you for a while. It was obvious something happened that day with Mrs. Dodds. Your scent changed completely for someone that was still ignorant of his power." Mr. D interrupted. "It's obvious to me as well. I can feel the strength radiating from his body. You've been training, haven't you?" Percy shrugged. "A little. I would sneak off the grounds into the woods to practice."
Sally burst into tears at that. "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to keep this from you, but you were safer not knowing. I hope you can forgive me?" Percy softened. "I know mom. I'm not angry. I knew you had your reasons for not telling me, but what I don't understand is how you went from a god to Smelly Gabe." Sally tensed. "It was for you. I've always known how he was Percy, and I didn't stay with him out of love. I stayed with him so that he would protect you. Your father told me that when you reached a certain age, monsters would be able to smell your divine blood. So I thought of a way to mask it and keep you safe. Neither of us may like him, but he protected you in a way that I could never provide for you. I hope you understand."
Percy sighed. "I do. I might not like it, but I understand. But now that I know, we don't need him anymore do we? You can leave him and be happy. You don't need to worry about me anymore. I can take care of myself." Sally considered his words before sighing. "I'll think about it. It's too late to be making any decisions right now." Percy wanted to push it, but decided against it for now. "As sweet as this is, we have more questions." Mr. D said. "Yes. Percy, how did you find out about your heritage? I doubt suddenly having powers led you to believe you are half god." Chiron asked. Percy thought for a moment before answering."I had a dream of two men fighting on the shore. Both wore old fashioned tunics of blue and green and they were yelling at each other. I heard their names and noticed the one called Poseidon looked a lot like me. I thought it was a little strange, but didn't think too much of it until the fountain exploded. I knew it was me, but I didn't know how. After I killed Mrs. Dodds with your sword, I began to think about it. Monsters, gods, and swords. I wasn't sure what to think, but the dreams kept coming. I had no choice, but to believe it. I began walking into the woods to a creek and practiced. At first, it was just moving it a little to create shapes. Before I left, I was able to lift a good portion of the creek, but that drained me a great deal. Nothing like what I did tonight."
Chiron looked thoughtful. "What you did tonight is not something I've ever seen before. The demigods your father has sired before have never shown such raw power before, especially at such a young age. We need to understand the depth of your power before we continue your training. I'll send a message to your father and have him send someone soon. It may have to wait until he officially claims you, which may not be for a while. He'll want to hide your existence until the very last moment." Percy nodded. That sounded like his father. "Before you go, can you get me some water? I need to finish healing, and it will be faster in some water." Chiron and Mr. D looked at each other before the god sighed and waved his hand. A tub of water appeared in the corner. "Thank you, my lord." Mr. D looked startled for a moment, before giving a hum of approval. "Seems you taught him well Chiron. He actually recognized me. Maybe I won't kill him yet." With that the two immortals left, leaving the Jacksons to themselves to rest.
At least so they thought. Neither were aware of the Daughter of Athena, invisible, standing in the window behind them, shocked at the conversation that had just taken place.
A/N: I own nothing. It's been a while! I've had this chapter for a while and decided to post it. I haven't dropped anything, just been busy with school and a new job. I have a good portion of the next chapter written, so hopefully that will be out soon. Until next time.