Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, or any of the characters. The only thing I own is the depression that I have been carrying for years, and I don't think it will go away in the near future.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter. And I hope you like the little crossover I did... Let's go!
Jumping out of the pan to fall into the fire
"Woow! Did you see that, Thalia? You saw that!? He stopped bullets in midair just by raising his hands!" A seven-year-old boy exclaimed excitedly as he looked at his sister and then at the TV screen.
Thalia couldn't help but laugh at the gleam in her younger brother's eyes. They were both sitting on the sofa in the living room watching 'The Matrix' on the television.
"Well, he's the chosen one, right? Apparently, he will be able to do many things."
"Many cool things! If he can stop bullets, can he fly?" Jason asked.
"Well, if I told you about the things he can do, where would be the thrill of seeing it for the first time? You shouldn't do that, Jason."
"What thing?" he asked, turning to his sister.
"Spoilers," Thalia spat out in disgust. "It's the worst thing you can do when it comes to watching a movie or any story. Only bad people do it, and you're not one of them, are you, Jason?"
"No, I'm not! I'll never do spoilers! I promise you, Thal-Thal"
Thalia chuckled and patted her little brother's blond head. It was easy for her, since Jason sat between her legs while they both watched the movie.
"Promises are very important, Jason." Thalia said. "You don't have to make them to just anybody."
"You're not just anyone!" Jason said hotly. "You are my sister, my family! The promise to the family is the most important!"
Thalia was a little stunned, but she couldn't help but be moved by his words.
'Family...'
Yes, Jason was her only family. It was just him and her. Her mother was an alcoholic bitch with a grudge against Zeus, and she took out her anger and frustration on them. More on Thalia, because she was in the front line to protect Jason.
It was her self-imposed duty as her older sister: to protect Jason.
A promise she had made to herself.
A promise she had failed to keep.
"Family... Huh?" Thalia thought to herself.
'... We are like one big family. We support each other in everything. The success of one is the success of all. And the sorrow of one is the sorrow of all...'
These were the words of the goddess Artemis. Words that had struck a chord with Thalia and caused her to seriously consider the proposal the goddess of the hunt had made to her.
It sounded... tempting. To be part of a group of girls traveling the land in the company of a goddess. To hunt monsters, to be accepted by a group of girls who would see her as an equal, to be independent and live without responsibilities, to be free...
'I offer you the opportunity to leave everything behind and join me forever on my travels around the world.'
'But at what price?' Thalia thought.
'Give up romantic love forever. You will not grow up, and you will not marry. You must swear that you will remain a maiden forever.'
Be a maiden forever? Never marry? Give up love? Were these the conditions she had to fulfill to be free? To be part of the hunt and a family?
But if she did, she would have to leave the others. Sammy had rejected it because she wouldn't leave the person who had saved her. Annabeth had done it to follow her dreams, but... What reasons did Thalia have?
She didn't have a binding debt to someone like Sammy or a dream like Annabeth. She could join the hunt and no one would claim her. Knowing Luke and Annabeth, they would probably be angry and upset with her, but in time they would understand. Sammy would support her, she had no doubt. And Percy...
What would he think?
That was something that had always intrigued Thalia. In all the months they had traveled together, all the times she had talked and interacted with him, she had never been able to read Percy. She didn't know anything about him. She didn't know why he had started living on the streets, she didn't know who his father was. Hell, she didn't even know what his stupid last name was! The only thing she knew about him was to never mess with his chips unless he offers them to you!
She... She didn't know Percy (if that was his real name), but she cared about his opinion. Within a few months, he had become the image of an unbreakable person and an unstoppable force. Someone who was not afraid to face any situation, no matter how dangerous it might be; the hellhounds, the Minotaur, the Wendigo, the leucrota, the cyclops of the factory, the Lamia...
From the first moment she saw him, Thalia saw him as someone imposing. And because of that, she couldn't help but admire him. She had since he had killed the Minotaur, and it had only grown since then. They all did. Luke saw him as a best friend, Annabeth as the older brother she never had, and Sammy even idolized him.
Percy had become an important part of everyone's life. He was their partner, their friend, their leader, their brother, their boss. All that and more.
Thalia let out a long, tired sigh and got up from the stump she was sitting on.
"I... I think I should talk to him," she muttered to herself. "Even if he looks like an idiot, he's quite wise. After all, he talks like a damn fortune cookie."
She chuckled at her statement and set out to find Percy.
It was strange how the presence of the hunters seemed to make the animals of the forest unafraid to approach and interact. Perhaps it was because of the presence the goddess of the hunt seemed to radiate throughout the clearing where the hunters had chosen to camp. It was the first time Thalia had seen a full-grown wolf come so close to a deer without attacking it.
At first, she was surprised at the idea of the wolves watching the hunters' camp, but when Phoebe, the hunter who was showing her around, patted it on the head and fed it a piece of meat directly into its mouth, it got used to the idea.
"Is there no food yet? I'm hungry ̴ ! I'm hungry ̴ !" A childish voice complained.
Thalia smiled when she heard it. She only knew one voice that complained like that.
"I told you the food isn't ready yet!" Another voice, which she recognized as Luke, scolded, "And keep your hands off my sandwich!"
"But I'm hungry ̴ ..."
"Well, you'll have to wait," Annabeth reprimanded this time. "We'll eat when we're all together."
"But Percy's still talking to the goddess," Sammy said. "And Thalia is still mulling over her proposal."
Hearing that, Luke's features darkened a bit.
"I just hope Artemis doesn't turn Percy into an animal and then hunt him down," Annabeth said. "According to the stories I've read about her, she tends to do that to men who offend her in any way."
"She won't do that...will she?" Sammy said, a little pale. "I mean, she was the one who wanted to talk to him."
'Are they still talking?' Thalia thought, 'What would a loli goddess, who seems to be a lesbian, want to talk to Percy about so badly?'
Thalia felt something tap lightly on her shoulder a few times. She turned, slightly startled, and her cheek collided with Percy's outstretched finger.
"What are you doing, lost in thought?" he asked with an amused smile. "Thinking doesn't look good on you, sparky."
"Percy!" she shouted, slapping his hand. "Don't do that, damn it!"
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," then his voice took on a deeper tone. "Is something bothering you?"
Thalia looked insecure for a few seconds, a sight that was not normal at all.
"Uh... well... I... I wanted to talk to you."
"With me?"
"Yes, asshole. That's what I said. I want to get your opinion on something important."
Percy didn't say anything for a few seconds, and Thalia's insecurity increased a little more, but it disappeared completely when he spoke:
"How about we get something to eat first?" Percy suggested. "I think better on a full stomach. Besides, I'm starving."
Without waiting for an answer, Percy walked over to where Luke and the girls were arguing about who was going to eat all the bread they had saved. All signs pointed to Sammy, who seemed to be the prime suspect.
"This is delicious!" Sammy exclaimed happily, taking another bite of her spiced rabbit meat.
"Yes, the spices make the meat much richer," Annabeth said, taking a bite of her rabbit meat skewered on a stick.
"I still find it hard to believe... that hunter... gave you this..." Thalia said, speaking with her mouth full as she eyed Percy warily.
"What? Are you jealous?" Luke asked teasingly.
"Shut up, Castellan" she snapped at him, tearing off the last bit of flesh with her teeth and throwing the stick at him.
Luke dodged deftly, laughing at his friend's embarrassment.
Percy just chuckled as he watched everyone interact and ate his food calmly, making sure the rest of the meat didn't burn.
"Hey, Thalia, what did you want to talk about?" Percy asked, drawing the attention of Thalia.
The girl's mood suddenly changed. Her frown of annoyance turned to one of sorrow.
Since Thalia didn't want to speak first, Percy decided to do so.
"Is this about the proposal to join the hunters?" he asked quietly.
Thalia was not surprised. She assumed that Artemis had told him when she had spoken to him. Instead of answering with words, she simply nodded.
The mood in the room dropped, replaced by a strange tension. Annabeth and Sammy stared silently into the firelight, while Luke looked strangely somber.
"And you don't know what decision to make," Percy speculated.
Thalia nodded again.
"Don't do it..." Luke whispered, even though they all heard him. He looked at Thalia with a slight pleading in his eyes. "I know it's selfish of me to say this, but I don't want you to join them. I don't want you to go and leave us behind."
"Luke..."
"I understand how tempting it must be for you, Thalia," Annabeth said. "To be part of something as great as the hunt... follow a goddess... be immortal... live hundreds of adventures. I wouldn't blame you if you decided to join them. But despite all that, I feel the same way as Luke. I don't want you to go."
"Annabeth..."
"It wouldn't be fair of me to say this if I turned down the offer, but... I don't want you to go either," Sammy said a little sadly. "We've been through a lot together, and it would be... sad if you left us now that we're about to reach a safe place. We are like Top Cat and his gang, right? We have to stick together."
She laughed easily. A humorless laugh, but she managed to make Thalia smile a little.
Then they all looked at Percy expectantly, waiting for him to say something. He felt a little uncomfortable about the expectations they had of him to say something.
"Well... I... do what you think is best... I guess?" he murmured, unsure.
He looked at Thalia and watched as the expectant, even somewhat hopeful look slowly faded from her face, replaced by disappointment and then bitterness. She frowned and looked away.
"Wow... that helps a lot," she said before getting up. "I'm going for a walk."
No one said anything as they watched her leave the clearing they were in and walk into the forest. Percy didn't have to look at the others to know that they were all watching him. Sammy, who was sitting next to him, nudged him lightly, encouraging him to go with Thalia. With a sigh, he tore off the last piece of rabbit meat and threw the stick into the flames before getting up and following Thalia.
It didn't take him long to find her, sitting at the foot of a tree with her legs crossed and her head resting on her knees. With her black hair and clothes, she could almost be mistaken for Mrs. O'Leary when she was rolled up, the only difference being the small silver glint of Thalia's earrings. She hadn't taken them off since Percy had given them to her a few days ago.
When Percy sat down next to her, she didn't even look up, maybe because she knew it was him.
"You know, when I first met Artemis and her hunters, I thought they were an annoying and somewhat stupid bunch," he said.
Thalia said nothing, just remained silent, her head still buried in her knees. Percy took her silence as a sign that she was listening.
"All I saw was a group of schoolgirls, resentful of men, following an equally resentful goddess like puppies," he continued. A cold wind blew over him, ruffling his hair. Perhaps a sign that Artemis was listening, or just Percy's paranoia. "And it certainly didn't help the image I had of her when she turned me into a capybara."
A small chuckle came from Thalia, but she continued without lifting her head.
"But looking back, I knew why I disliked them when I first met them. And it was because, in a way... I envied them. They had something I wanted, something I had lost. A family. So I understand why Artemis' proposal is so tempting to you."
This time, Thalia lifted her head from her knees, put her hands on the grass, and looked up at the sky.
"Sounds good, doesn't it?" she said, a sad little smile stretching her lips. "Not having to worry about monsters when you go to sleep and always being on the run. Not having to steal to eat. Not to be cold or hungry or afraid... Being part of something unique and special..."
"Sounds like a way out of all your problems."
Thalia nodded. A conflicted look appeared on her face.
"But... that decision would mean leaving everything behind. Leaving Annabeth, Luke, Sammy and... and you," she finally added in a whisper.
Percy could see the conflict in her eyes and the dilemma that plagued her. Artemis offered her a way out of all her problems, but taking that path would mean leaving the people who meant so much to her. And Percy was flattered to be one of them. But also sad because he was one of the reasons for her conflicted feelings.
In an attempt to comfort her, as Thalia had comforted him when they were trapped in the cyclops lair, Percy placed his hand over hers. Thalia tensed at his gesture and turned to look at him. Surprise was evident in her blue eyes, but... she didn't pull her hand away.
"What you want to do is your decision and yours alone, but... no matter what you decide, I have already decided to support you," he said slowly, feeling a lump in his throat and trying hard to keep his voice from cracking. "If you decide to join the hunters or go to the camp with us, I will support you without question. I just want you to be okay. That's all. If that happens with the hunters or at the camp, I... I'll be fine with it."
Thalia looked at him carefully for several seconds, processing his words as she watched those eyes that reflected nothing but concern. Concern for her. Thalia would be the first to admit that the beginning of her relationship with Percy had been filled with tension and mistrust. But now she would be the first to step forward to defend him, to support him. After all they had been through together these past few months, Percy had earned her respect, her admiration, her friendship, and ... so much more.
Still with their hands clasped together, she leaned on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Percy. But... What am I supposed to do?" she murmured.
Thalia raised her hands and slowly and gently intertwined her fingers with Percy's, squeezing his hand. She felt her stomach flutter and a warmth in her cheeks, but the intertwining of their hands gave her a feeling of reassurance and excitement at the same time. It was ironic. And when he intertwined his fingers with hers, her heart skipped a beat.
"I have no right to tell you what to do, Thalia," he said quietly. "But the answer is simple. Just make a choice you won't regret."
She lifted her head slightly to meet his gaze, and a warm feeling settled in her stomach.
His words hit Thalia deeply. Simple and concise, but very true and full of meaning.
'A decision I don't regret...' Thalia thought. 'Of course, I don't want to regret it, but... What is the right decision?... No. There isn't one. Artemis offered me to join the hunt. To be part of a family, but... Don't I already have one?'
Luke and Annabeth's faces flashed in her mind. From the moment the three of them had decided to stay together upon discovering that not only were they demigods, but that their own families had abandoned them as well, they had made a promise. A promise to be a better family. They had been through a lot, a lot of it bad, but it had only made their bond even stronger. And when they met Percy and Sammy in that church... their family had only grown.
'Each of them is important to me. And I want to be there for them. Besides... I don't want to leave them,' she glanced at Percy, and then their hands joined before leaning even more on his shoulder. 'I don't want to leave him...'
"Do you mind if we... stay like this just a little longer?" asked Thalia.
She didn't want to give up this feeling that fluttered in her stomach, nor the sense of peace she felt from having Percy by her side.
Percy blinked in surprise, but a soft smile tugged at his lips and he rested his head on Thalia's head.
"As long as you want."
"Are you sure?" Artemis asked, her eyes searching Thalia's.
"Yes, I'm sure," Thalia said, matching the intensity of the goddess' gaze. "As long as I have them, I will not regret my decision. I'll be with them to the end, even if it ends tragically. That's what I've decided."
Thalia hadn't found Artemis in her tent, but in a small clearing in the forest, letting go of the beautiful deer that had been in her tent earlier.
"I can see that your bond with them is strong, but... what will you do once those bonds are broken?" Artemis inquired.
Thalia narrowed her eyes.
"What are you trying to say?"
"The bonds between mortals are fragile and fleeting. Sooner or later they will vanish."
Thalia gritted her teeth at the goddess' words. She felt an insult and contempt for the relationship she had with her friends.
"I don't know how a goddess sees the world, and I never will," Thalia said with suppressed anger. "But do not pretend to understand mortals when you are not one."
"I have lived among mortals long enough to know what they are like," the goddess said. "They are selfish, treacherous, greedy, lustful, envious, arrogant... And men are the greatest representation of them. A world ruled by them has no future," Artemis' expression softened a bit, but to Thalia she looked like a robot trying to imitate human expression. "Come with me. Leave everything behind and be free."
"Be... free?" Thalia repeated. "What you offer me is not freedom, it's an escape and a fetter. You ask me to turn my back on my friends and men. That I swear to remain a virgin forever and give up romantic love. That is not freedom. Freedom has no strings, no conditions".
For a few seconds there was silence in the clearing. Thalia didn't dare look away from the goddess' eyes, to demonstrate the conviction in her words. Even as Artemis glared at her, she forced herself to stand her ground.
"I am offering you the chance to escape a life of misery that will end in an untimely death. To be part of something greater and more important than the tragic life of a demigod," the goddess said in a tone as cold as ice. "If you are so determined to die in the mud, killed by monsters, then I can see that your mind and your sense of freedom have been irretrievably corrupted by the company of the boys you travel with."
Thalia clenched her fists until her knuckles were white. She didn't know it, but her eyes flashed with electricity for a second, and she took on a glow of power.
"If thinking for myself, making my own decisions, and living by my own terms and ideals means my sense of freedom is corrupted, then yes. My mind is corrupted," Thalia said, matching the icy tone of the goddess.
She knew it wasn't wise to approach a goddess like that. Artemis could incinerate her with a single snap of her fingers. But she wasn't going to sit idly by and let that loli goddess look down on her, Luke and Percy.
"Then you have made your decision," Artemis said.
"Yes, and I don't regret it."
Artemis narrowed her eyes and seemed to want to say something else, but in the end she simply walked past Thalia, leaving her with a few last words:
"Remember that conviction and will. You will need it."
Thalia turned to look at the goddess, but she was already gone, leaving behind a soft breeze that caressed her face.
What did she mean by that?
"Artemis was nice to us by fixing the Mean Machine, right?" Sammy said as she loaded their stuff into the car. "She even filled the gas tank!"
"Yeah..." Thalia agreed, "She can look like a loli..."
"Bitter..." Luke added.
"Cold as a penguin's ass..." Percy added.
"... But she's not all bad," Thalia finished.
"And she's watching us now from the woods," Sammy said, pointing to the trees at the side of the road.
They all gasped and felt a shiver run down their spines. Slowly, as one, they turned to meet the hard, disapproving gaze of the goddess of the hunt, who stood with her arms crossed, looking directly at them.
"Do you think she heard us?" Luke asked weakly, his voice shaking.
The narrowing of the goddess' eyes was all the answer they needed.
They all swallowed loudly.
"Okay, don't make any sudden moves and get in the car slowly," Percy said, moving slowly, not daring to look away from the goddess' eyes.
No one objected, and they all got into the car.
When they were ready, Percy started the car and the engine roared to life. He glanced in the driver's side mirror and took one last look at the goddess. Their eyes met, silvery yellow with sea green.
'I'm counting on you,' Percy thought. 'Don't let her down.'
As if she could read his thoughts (and maybe she could), the goddess gave an almost imperceptible nod, and there was an unspoken agreement between the goddess and the demigod.
Percy put the car into gear and accelerated.
"Mmm... cans... cheese enchiladas..." Grover mused in his sleep.
They all looked at him a little amused. During the whole time they had encountered Artemis and her hunters, Grover had been sleeping. The satyr didn't seem to wake up, even if he was shaken, and they doubted he would, unless monsters attacked him, or they came across a restaurant that had cheese enchiladas on the menu. Grover could smell that food from miles away. Maybe even better than monsters.
"Hey, Percy," Luke called from the passenger seat, "What did Artemis want to talk to you about?"
Percy stiffened in his seat at his friend's question.
"She just wanted to make sure the girls were safe traveling with someone like me," he said. And it was true, that was the main reason. But her methods were questionable.
"Is it because they know you as 'Monster Slayer'?" said Thalia, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Percy.
At that nickname, Percy's expression visibly darkened. His grip on the steering wheel tightened to the point where his knuckles turned white. For an instant, Thalia could see the glint of something in Percy's eyes, something dark, sinister. It was the same gleam he had in Hal's mansion when he controlled that leucrota as if it were some kind of macabre puppeteer.
"Is it... Is it true?" Annabeth asked, hesitant to see the expression on his face. "Percy... Did you really do all that?"
There was a somewhat tense silence as everyone looked at Percy, who maintained an undecipherable expression. It was as if his face was carved in marble.
"I did it," he admitted after a few seconds. "For three years, I killed every monster I could find. And I would have continued to do so if... if Artemis hadn't stopped me" a small smile tugged at his lips. "She showed me that I could dedicate my life to something more than following a path that sooner or later would kill me. That's why she wanted to talk to me, to make sure I hadn't gone back to my old ways and if I have what it takes to protect the girls."
"And why are you the one who has to protect us?" Thalia asked, feeling a little insulted by the fact that she had to be protected.
But not to misunderstand. She was glad that her friends cared about her, but she wouldn't sit idly by and let others put themselves in danger for her safety.
"Because I chose to," Percy said, then turned and gave Thalia a half smile. "It is my choice to protect you guys. I have sworn to keep you safe. And I intend to do so until my last breath."
His words moved all present. They looked at him with appreciation and admiration. As they drove down the desolate road, the atmosphere inside the vehicle was pleasant and comforting. Percy had created this effect simply by his presence and a few words.
But that pleasant atmosphere was shattered, like a glass shattering to the ground, by a horrified bleat from Grover, who jerked awake.
"I swear I didn't eat your cards, Mr. D!" the satyr shouted, obvious panic seeping into his voice as a thick bead of sweat ran down his face.
Everyone looked at him strangely as Grover caught his breath and looked around, searching for this 'Mr. D'. When he realized that it had only been a dream, he sighed in relief.
"Uh... Grover?" Sammy asked slowly, nuzzling Mrs. O'Leary, who lay asleep in her and Annabeth's laps. "Who's Mr. D?"
"Oh... He's the director of Camp Half-Blood," Grover replied. A slight chill ran down his spine. "You don't want to get on his bad side," he looked around and realized that they were in the car. "By the way, where are we? The last thing I remember is that we were camping in the woods."
"We came out of the woods about two hours ago," Thalia replied, looking disinterestedly out the window, her hair blowing in the wind. "We tried to wake you up, but you seemed to be in a coma."
"Percy and I had to carry you to the car like a sack of potatoes," Luke said. "You're pretty heavy for someone your size."
"Mmm... potatoes," Percy muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Grover grumbled, a little offended.
"It means you're fat. Maybe you should stop eating so much," Percy replied as he drove, without a hint of tact.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who gobbles down chips at the first opportunity!"
Percy scowled at him from the rearview mirror.
"Don't mess with my chips," he warned in a sinister tone that sent a shiver down Grover's spine.
They traveled in relative silence ever since.
After Grover was told of their encounter with the goddess of the hunt, the satyr began to moan and bleat plaintively as he wept over the missed opportunity to meet Artemis. Apparently, the goddess was something of a celebrity to every nature spirit. That included a whining satyr in love with her.
After a not-so-subtle threat from Thalia to control his male hormones if the satyrs had them, Grover began giving Percy directions where to drive, avoiding the monsters with his nose. Luke and Thalia played poker with the cards Percy had given him, while Annabeth read a history book and Sammy slept with Mrs. O'Leary curled up on her lap.
As Percy drove down the road, he saw a sign beside the road.
'Gas station 10 km'.
"Hey, anybody want to go to the bath?" Percy asked. "We're near a gas station."
In the rearview mirror he saw Sammy raise her hand shyly. Followed by Annabeth... then Thalia... and finally Luke. Mrs. O'Leary looked around at everyone. And seeing that everyone had their hands up she raised a paw.
"We'll stop then," Percy said, rummaging through his bag of chips. "Besides, I need to restock."
"Pff," Thalia snorted. "You only want to stop for that."
"Sorry, I didn't hear that well," he put a hand over his ear to hear better, "You want to go to the bath in the woods? Okay, I'll stop here."
"No!" the four said in unison. Even Mrs. O'Leary howled.
Percy chuckled.
It didn't take them long to reach the gas station. It looked just like any other you'd find on the side of the road. With a small area for filling up, a store for groceries, and a bathroom for men and women behind the store.
As everyone got out of the car, Percy noticed the lack of people in the store. There was only one car parked next to the gas pump, and it looked oddly familiar.
"Hey, goat boy," Percy called, getting the satyr's attention. "Can you smell if there are any monsters around?"
Grover sniffed the air for a few seconds until he shook his head.
"I'm not sure. The smell of gasoline is very strong here. It dulls my sense, but I can't detect any monsters... I think."
Thalia frowned.
"That's not very reliable," she said.
Grover lowered his head, a bit depressed.
"Sorry..."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it," Percy said. "Stay close. Thalia, go with the girls. Luke, come with me to the shop. Grover, watch your surroundings. Mrs. O'Leary..." Percy looked at the hellhound, who still seemed to be sleeping peacefully in the back seat. "... Never mind. Let's go."
Thalia and the girls quickly went to the bathroom, apparently looking forward to it. Grover stayed by the car while Percy and Luke went into the shop.
As they entered, the bell announced their arrival. There was no one behind the counter to greet them. The place was strangely empty and quiet. So much so that it was a little disconcerting.
While Percy looked around the shelves, no doubt looking for his chips, Luke went over to the counter to see if the manager hadn't fallen asleep or something, but what he saw made his blood run cold and his eyes widen in surprise.
"Percy! Over here," he called urgently, keeping his voice as low as possible.
Percy approached Luke with a bag of chips in his hand, but he almost lost his grip at the sight of what had upset his friend so much.
"Blood..." he whispered.
There was a small pool of thick blood on the floor behind the counter. And from what he could see, it was fresh. On the floor was a bloody name tag with the photo and name of a man who looked to be in his twenties. A cap with the gas station's logo on it, and a trail of blood across the floor leading to the back door. Obviously, something had dragged the body.
"What do you think happened here?" Luke asked, looking down at the trail of blood.
"I don't know," Percy said, his eyes narrowing, "But the blood is fresh, and it's going to the back where..."
"The bathrooms!" Luke exclaimed in alarm. "The girls!"
With nothing else to say, the two quickly followed the trail of blood to a half-open door leading outside. When they were in front of it, Percy motioned for Luke to be quiet as he drew his knife. Luke did the same with his necklace, which quickly became his sword. Slowly, Percy opened the door and they stepped outside.
The trail of blood went the other way from the toilets, to the boys' slight relief, but they still couldn't relax.
"Luke, go check on the girls," Percy said, looking down the trail of blood. "I'll follow the blood."
Luke gave his friend a worried look.
"Are you sure?"
"No. But until we know if whatever killed that guy is still around, it's best not to take any chances. Get the others to safety. Then we're out of here."
Still a little hesitant, Luke nodded in agreement before running quickly in the direction of the bathrooms. Hopefully the girls had done what they had to do and whatever had killed the shopkeeper hadn't gotten to them.
Percy silently followed the trail of blood, not wanting to upset whoever had caused the bloodshed. It didn't take long to find the source. The lifeless body of the shopkeeper lay sprawled on the ground, his clothes soaked in his own blood and a look of terror permanently etched on his face. He had a large bite on his neck where the blood was draining.
Percy studied the body for a few seconds. He did not appear to have been killed by an animal, for there were no other injuries on his body. There were no scratches or bruises, nothing except for the bite mark on his neck, which didn't seem too big either, despite the many holes where blood was oozing out. If Percy had to guess, it looked like it had been made by something with many fine and incredibly sharp teeth.
A sound alerted him that he wasn't alone, snapping him out of his attempt at detective work.
He followed the sound, which he recognized seconds later as the characteristic sound of a fight. Bone clashed against flesh, along with grunts of exertion. Turning the corner of the shop, Percy could see a dazed body on the floor, shifting uncomfortably, unable to identify the person as his attention was drawn to the sight of two people struggling. They were both on the ground. The one on top, a male as far as he could tell, had a large knife pointed at the exposed neck of the one below.
"Tell us where your damn nest is, you bloodsucker!" the man demanded.
"I will when I rip your throat out and drink your blood right out of it!" the man below shouted, malice in his voice.
Percy was slightly taken aback by their conversation, but he didn't think much of it as the threatened man put both legs on his attacker's chest and pushed him with surprising force, causing him to crash into the dumpster and fall, leaving a dent in it.
'What...?! What the hell are they doing here!?' Percy thought, recognizing the man who had been tossed around like a rag doll.
The man, now free, wasted no time and quickly pounced on the one who had threatened him earlier. He grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up with one arm with inhuman strength.
"Not so rude now, are you, hunter?" the man asked, amused.
He moved closer to his victim and opened his mouth, allowing Percy to see the row of shark teeth protruding from his mouth.
'That's it...!' Percy thought in alarm, recognizing the... creature.
It made sense to him now. The creature, the man fighting. And if Percy was right, he also knew who the other dazed man on the ground was. With that in mind, he didn't have to think long as he ran quickly and silently towards the impending assassination.
Stepping up behind the creature, Percy tightened the grip on his knife and in one swift, sure motion decapitated the creature holding the man captive.
The headless body fell abruptly to the floor, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Blood began to stain the floor, but Percy wasn't concerned about that, or the fact that he had just decapitated someone in cold blood. Instead, he was more concerned with the man coughing erratically in front of him.
"Damn... That was close. Thanks for the help, Sa..." the man started, but his words got stuck in his throat when he looked up and saw who had saved him. His eyes widened, and his mouth hung slightly open.
Percy smiled at the stunned look on the man's face.
"What is it? Vampire bite your tongue?" Percy asked amusedly. He helped the man up from the floor.
The man was still stunned when he got to his feet, but he snapped out of his daze when he heard the groan of pain from the other man on the floor.
"Sammy!" the man exclaimed worriedly.
He walked over and helped him up. The man, Sammy, or Sam as Percy knew him, clutched his head in pain as he tried to get his bearings.
"What happened? Did you kill the vampire?" Sam asked.
"Nope. The son of a bitch almost had me for lunch. Actually, someone had to save my ass."
"Who...?"
Sam seemed to come to as he looked in Percy's direction. At first, he didn't recognize him and narrowed his eyes, but when he knew who it was, his eyes widened.
"It can't be... Percy? Is that you?" he asked in disbelief.
"Believe it! Little P. is back!" the other man said with a broad smile. "Although he's not so little anymore."
"Yeah, it's me," Percy replied with a smile. "Good to see you again. Sam, Dean."
"It really is you," Sam said, moving closer to Percy for a closer look. "God, how you've grown."
"Two years will do that to a person, Sam."
Sam hugged Percy tightly, causing the demigod to gasp a little, but then returned the hug with equal intensity.
He repeated the process with Dean, though his embrace was shorter. It was just as Percy remembered, Sam always being the more emotional of the two.
"Boy, how you've grown!" Dean exclaimed as he pulled away from the hug, "A few more years, and you'll be my size."
"You're not that big," Percy said.
"Leave me alone. Just because you saved my ass doesn't give you the right to be cocky with me, kid. I can still kick your ass at poker and pool."
"Is that a challenge?"
"Turn down the testosterone a bit, you two," Sam said, stepping between them. Although the smile he wore showed that he was amused by the interaction.
Dean clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Killjoy. Anyway, what are you doing here, Little P.?"
Percy opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by someone yelling behind him.
"Percy! Are you okay!? You found the... Wow!"
The three of them turned to see Luke, Thalia, Sammy and Annabeth appear around the corner of the store. Luke and Thalia had their weapons drawn and were ready to attack any monster, though their eyes widened when they saw the decapitated body on the floor.
The girls and Luke turned pale at the sight, but Thalia just frowned in disgust.
"Do they know you, Percy?" Sam asked.
"Yes, they're... my friends," Percy replied. He then turned to Thalia and Luke. "It's okay, guys. The danger is over."
"What the hell just happened?" Thalia asked as she turned her spear into a spray bottle, much to the amazement of Sam and Dean, "And who the hell are those guys?"
"Wow, you're pretty aggressive for a little girl," Dean commented.
Thalia glared at him, but Percy stepped in before she could retaliate.
"Easy, Thalia. They're my... uh... friends. They won't hurt us."
"Are they... like you, Percy?" Sam asked, curious and cautious.
Percy nodded in his direction.
"Yes, they are also demigods," he replied. "Except for Sammy. She is a mortal with clear sight. Like you two."
"Sammy?" inquired Dean, glancing at the young men until his eyes fell on the young girl who shyly raised her hand, "Ha! I told you, Sam. You have a girl's name," he finished, taunting his brother.
"Shut up, Dean," Sam admonished. "Now is not the time."
"You're right. We need to find the nest of these bloodsuckers," Dean said, becoming more serious. "There's no way one person could be responsible for so many disappearances."
"Okay, okay, time out. Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Luke asked, a little exasperated. "Who are you guys?" He pointed at Sam and Dean. "And what the hell is this thing? It has teeth like a damn shark!" He finished pointing at the severed head.
"Oh, yeah. That... Well, I'm Dean Winchester, and that giant over there is my brother, Sam," Dean introduced. "That one over there is a vampire, and we hunted them down."
Everyone fell silent and stared at Dean in disbelief, except for Percy and Sam, who already knew.
"Vampire? Are you kidding me?" Thalia asked skeptically, the first to compose herself. "Like those damn vampires that glow in the light like in Twilight? Or vampires that burn in the sunlight like Blade?"
"Neither," Dean replied. "Although I really liked the Blade movies."
"Yeah, they were cool," Thalia agreed.
"Small talk aside..." Luke interrupted, "If vampires are real, then what about other monsters? Like werewolves?"
"Luke, remember that we are demigods and that monsters hunt us down to kill and eat us," Annabeth said.
"Right... That was a stupid question."
"Anyway. The briefing was very educational, but I'm hungry," Dean said. "Would you like some cheeseburgers, Little P.? On me. For saving my ass."
"Lucky for me, I won some money playing pool not too long ago," Dean said, watching as the group of kids and teenagers devoured their burgers, fries, chicken nuggets, and salad in Grover and Sam's case.
After hiding the vampire's body and calling the authorities on a 'wild animal attack', Sam and Dean took the group of demigods, mortals, and satyr to a McDonald's to gorge on junk food.
Percy, Luke, and Thalia ate their cheeseburgers like they hadn't eaten in weeks, while Sammy and Annabeth ate their chicken nuggets more sparingly. Grover was the only one who didn't seem to have much of an appetite as he poked at his salad with a fork.
"So... how have you been?" Percy asked after swallowing his burger and munching fervently on his fries. "Carrying on the family business?"
"Yeah, well, somebody has to," Dean said. "And we're pretty good at it. Not to mention the best."
"Percy said you are demigods," Sam said, studying the group in fascination. "Who are your parents? I mean, do you know? Because Percy doesn't."
The demigods gave him a suspicious sideways glance. They doubted Percy's explanation, but didn't insist on it. They knew he didn't like to talk about his pious father.
"We haven't introduced ourselves yet," Luke said, taking the floor. "I am Luke, I'm Hermes' son."
"Hermes? The guy with the winged sandals?" Dean asked interestedly as he took another bite of his bacon burger.
"Yep," Luke said with his classic smile that didn't bode well. Although now that Percy thought about it, it was the same smile that Dean had.
The brothers then looked at Annabeth, who shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Um... My name is Annabeth. I'm the daughter of Athena."
"The goddess of wisdom? Wow," Sam said in awe, "But isn't she a virgin goddess? How can she have children?"
"I see you know something about Greek mythology," Annabeth said, looking at Sam with new eyes.
"Yes, I learned about it at Stanford."
"Well, Athena's children are born the same way she was. By cerebral birth."
"Cerebral... what?" Dean asked.
"It means they are born of thought," Sam instructed his brother. "According to mythology, Zeus gave birth to Athena through his mind... literally."
"Nerd."
Dean got an annoyed look from Sam and surprisingly from Annabeth as well, though he didn't seem to care.
"Wait, did you go to college?" Thalia asked, looking at Sam with a raised eyebrow. "No offense, but you went to a prestigious university... What are you doing here in the middle of nowhere hunting vampires?"
Sam just shrugged.
"My family needed me." Then his eyes went to Sammy and Grover. "And you?"
Sammy, who was more focused on devouring her chicken nuggets, swallowed loudly as all eyes fell on her.
"Um... Well... I... I'm just a mortal," she said quietly. "I'm with them because I have nowhere else to go. And I don't want to go anywhere else."
"I... I understand," Sam said thoughtfully. He gave Sammy a sympathetic look. "I can see you haven't had an easy life."
"None of us have," Thalia muttered, a little sullenly.
"And you, kid," Dean said, pointing a potato chip at Grover, "Who are you? But I think the more pertinent question would be: What are you? Mortal? Demigod? A freaking Greek god? At this point, I don't think anything would surprise me."
"Uh... I'm a satyr," Grover replied.
He rolled up the sleeves of his jeans a few inches, revealing his furry feet and the hooves hidden inside his padded sneakers.
Dean's mouth fell open, and he dropped his potato chip on the floor. Percy looked regretfully at the potato on the floor.
"Okay, that's new," Dean said stunned, "You always see something new in this job. That leaves you, punk girl," he finished, looking at Thalia who was taking a big gulp of her extra large Coca-Cola.
"Thalia, daughter of Zeus," she said, stealing some potato chips from Percy, who gave her an annoyed look. For a second, he considered stabbing her hand with his fork.
Sam and Dean's eyes widened. Sam's fork fell to the floor and Dean's burger landed on his plate, luckily for him.
"Is... Is this serious?" Dean was the first to compose himself. "Zeus? The guy with the lightning and the one who rules all the gods in the... What was that place like?"
"Olympus," Sam told him, still looking at Thalia in amazement, "Zeus is the god of the sky, lightning, honor, and justice. He's also the king of the gods, and one of the three most powerful gods in all of Olympus. He's the Big Daddy of all Greek mythology."
"Don't expect too much," Thalia said in a contemptuous tone. "He's a pompous, arrogant and narcissistic idiot," thunder rang out, even though it was a clear, cloudless day. "You know I'm right! Leave me alone!" Thalia shouted into the sky, drawing the attention of some of the people in the restaurant, but she simply ignored them.
"Yeah... all gods tend to be assholes. It's a common trait," Dean said.
"You talk like you've met several of them," Luke said with a raised eyebrow.
"You'd be surprised what we deal with on a daily basis, kid. There'd be enough to make a series out of it."
"It's a series of books, remember?" Sam said.
"Oh, yeah," Dean said annoyed, "Stupid Chuck. Making a series of books about our lives..."
"By the way, how do you and Percy know each other?" Annabeth asked, deciding to ask the demigods had in mind.
"Oh, well, Little P. here saved our asses from a pack of werewolves," Dean said with a broad grin. "I still can't believe a fourteen-year-old boy was capable of what he did."
"I was fifteen," Percy said defensively.
"But you came at the right time," Sam praised. "Thanks to you, we were able to finish off the entire herd."
"It was nothing. You saved my butt a few times too."
"After he saved us from those werewolves, Percy traveled with us for a few months," Sam said, answering the unspoken question of the others who were looking at them curiously.
"Oh, yeah. Those were the good old days," Dean said wistfully. "Killing monsters and rescuing the girl."
"We still do that, Dean. Just on a bigger scale."
"By the way, were you able to do that thing you told me you wanted to do?" Percy asked. "Did you find your father?"
Sam and Dean's expressions darkened slightly at his question. And Percy was sure that he had just touched a sensitive subject for them.
"Yes, we found him," Sam said. "But then..."
"He's dead," Dean said flatly. "That yellow-eyed son of a bitch killed him. But then we killed him and pissed on his body. End of story."
Dean finished his burger and stood up calmly, leaving a slightly stunned group behind.
"Sorry, this is a bit of a tough subject for him," Sam apologized.
"Don't worry. I know how important family is to you," Percy said.
Sam gave Percy a reassuring smile.
"And it looks like you found yours, Percy. I'm happy for you."
By the time Percy left McDonald's, Dean was leaning against his Impala and drinking a beer, not caring about the stares he was getting from passersby.
"It's only noon, you know?" Percy asked, sitting next to him and sipping his McDonald's drink.
Dean just shrugged.
"It's night somewhere," he said before taking a sip of his beer, "So how have you been these two years? I see you're the leader of a small gang now."
"Yeah, a lot of things have happened."
"Ha! Tell me about it."
They both took a sip of their drink at the same time and let out a satisfied sigh.
"None of us had it easy, did we?" It was more of an affirmation than a question from Percy. "What...? What happened?"
Dean didn't say anything for a few seconds, and Percy thought he was going to tell a bad joke and then change the subject, like he always did when he didn't want to talk about it.
"I sold my soul to a demon to save Sam," Dean said slowly. "I went to hell and back to stop the apocalypse. That's pretty much the summary of what happened." He took a deep swig of his beer and drained it.
Percy looked at him wide-eyed, shocked at what he had revealed. He didn't doubt Dean's words, but still found it hard to believe. He knew about the existence of monsters, ghosts, demons, and a hell where bad people were tortured. After all, he had fought each one of them. But to know that the man who had taught him so much, who had been like a mentor to him, had gone to hell and come back to stop the end of the world... that's not something you just listen to and say, 'Oh, great'.
"A lot happened after that," Dean continued, "Good things... Bad things. I lost people I cared about... But I'm still here. Sam's still here. And I plan to keep it that way. No matter what I have to do," he finished in a determined and unwavering voice.
Percy listened carefully. Of the two brothers, he had always admired Dean the most. He was, in a way, a role model for him. And now, listening to everything that had happened and still holding on to those values that made him who he was, he couldn't help but smile to himself.
"It's good to see you still care so much about your family," Percy said. "'Family doesn't end in blood, but it doesn't start there either.' I still remember what you said back then. It was what made me start looking for my own family."
"At first, I was upset that you left us so abruptly," Dean said. "Hell, you only left one little misspelled note. I thought I'd hunt you down and put a bullet in your ass for worrying us so much."
"I'm sorry about that." Percy scratched his neck uncomfortably. "But I had to do it. And even though it was a little hard to fend for myself, I'm glad I did. I was able to see things differently."
Dean scoffed.
"Yeah, but that didn't save us from the kick in the ass and the angry screams that Bobby gave us. Hell, the last time I got yelled at like that I was twelve."
Percy just chuckled at that.
"Hey, Dean... is Bobby still...?"
"Oh, the bastard's still alive," Dean said, opening a new beer he kept in a small cooler in the passenger seat of his car. "He's probably grumbling like the sour old drunk he is right now, helping out hunters who need help."
"That's good to hear. I owe him a lot."
"He feels the same way about you. He'll be happy when we tell him you're safe and found what you were looking for." Percy looked at him a little surprised while Dean drank his beer. "You found them, didn't you?" he asked with a small smile as he offered Percy a beer from the cooler. "Your own family."
Percy smiled and accepted the beer that Dean had opened earlier. It wasn't his first beer. Dean had offered him his first beer years ago. At first, he had found it bitter and unpleasant, but later he had come to like it. He wasn't an alcoholic, far from it, but there were those rare occasions when he wanted to try a beer. Interestingly enough, today was one of them.
"Yeah, I did," he said, watching the others leave McDonald's. "Technically, they're my family, since we share the same divine blood as our parents, who are related to each other, but... You get my point. The blood isn't everything."
"Yeah. Families can be a pain sometimes. I spend most of the day with Sam, and he has the weirdest taste in music and food, but I wouldn't change him for the world. And there's nothing I wouldn't do for him."
Percy smiled sadly.
"If you sold your soul to a demon to save your brother, then what I have to do is no big deal," he said, raising the bottle to his mouth.
Dean looked at him questioningly.
"What do you...?"
He was interrupted by the timely arrival of the others. Sammy and Annabeth were laughing about something Luke had told them, while Sam was asking Thalia about the various monsters she had faced.
"Did you really kill a Wendigo with lightning?" Sam asked in amazement. "That's amazing. You need fire to kill it, so a bolt of lightning would do the trick."
"Yeah! I fried that festering ass bastard until it was crispy!" Thalia boasted, her chest puffing out with pride. "But if that was surprising, you should have seen Percy fight that thing barehanded! He knocked out its teeth and broke some of its bones. It was really cool."
"And ruthless," Luke added.
"Yeah, that too."
"That's Percy for you!" Sammy exclaimed, joining the conversation.
"Yes, Percy was always very reckless," Sam said, looking at Percy. "But it was that recklessness that saved us so many times."
"Well, it's the same with us," Thalia said. "He was always there to help us when... Percy! Are you drinking?"
They all looked at Percy, who had a bottle of beer in his hand and was about to take a drink.
Thalia quickly walked over and grabbed the beer from him.
"Hey, that's mine!"
"You will not drink when we have important business to discuss!"
"And that business is...?"
"Monsters," Grover said with a hint of fear as he looked around, as if expecting monsters to come out of the shadows. "I can smell them coming closer. They're still a bit far away, but if we don't hurry they'll catch us soon. There are three Hellhounds..." He sniffed the air for a few seconds. "No... there are four and..." He sniffed again. "Two cyclops."
Dean whistled in shock.
"Wow, you know all that just by smelling the air?" He asked in an amazed tone, "That's fabulous. You would be very useful in hunting monsters."
"That... Thank you," Grover said and lowered his head. Embarrassed and very pleased with the compliment.
"We have to go," Luke said. "There's no time to waste. So I'm sorry, Percy, but save the beer for when we get to camp."
"Camp?" Sam asked curiously.
"That's where we're going," Thalia said. "A safe camp for the demigods. Where we don't have to worry about monsters coming at us every five damn minutes."
Sam and Dean's eyes widened in surprise.
"A camp where the demigods gather?" Dean asked, torn between amazement and amusement. "What's that? Some kind of low-budget Harry Potter? The only thing left is that when you arrive, you're divided into houses according to which god is your father."
"Actually, that's exactly how it is," Grover chimed in. "The camp has twelve cabins. And the campers stay in one of the cabins depending on who their parent is."
"Oh, fabulous. And you're telling me the camp director is an old man with a big beard?"
"No, that's our activity's director. Our director doesn't have a big beard, but he does have a big belly. But don't point that out to him, or he'll send you into a temporary state of madness. It's happened a couple of times."
"Put you in a crazy state?" Sam asked, taken aback. "Who exactly is your director?"
"Dionysus, god of wine, vegetation, theater and madness."
An awkward silence settled over the room.
"Fabulous," Dean said, then looked at Percy, "Good luck dealing with a deity. In my personal experience, they're idiots who, if they don't try to kill you, will eat you alive in some sort of macabre ritual while complaining about how the world has changed and people no longer worship them."
"Don't you think he says 'fabulous' a lot?" Thalia whispered to Luke, getting a nod from him.
Percy just shrugged.
"I've dealt with arrogant gods before. In fact, I just dealt with one not five hours ago."
"Really?" Sam said in amazement. "Who?"
"Artemis, goddess of the hunt."
"One of the three virgin goddesses? She didn't turn you into some kind of exotic animal and then hunt you down, did she? The stories say she did that a lot with men."
"I think she was very tempted to do that, but luckily she didn't."
"A virgin goddess..." Dean asked dreamily, "Can you imagine how tight she must be? More than two thousand years without ever having a good fuck..."
He was jolted out of his reverie by his brother's punch to the shoulder.
"Behave yourself, Dean!" Sam admonished him. "There are children present."
"Oh, sorry," he laughed, a little embarrassed.
Percy chuckled at the interaction between the two brothers.
"Well, as touching as this encounter has been, I must go my own way, as must you," Percy said. "That nest of vampires isn't going to clear itself."
"You're damn right," Dean said, putting a hand on Percy's shoulder, "It was good to see you and know you're safe, Little P."
"We'll go first," Luke said, pushing Thalia by her shoulders.
"Hey! I can walk by myself!"
"Stop complaining. If you do, we'll let you drive."
Thalia grinned and walked towards the Mean Machine.
"It was nice to meet you, Sam, Dean," Annabeth said politely before following Thalia and Luke, accompanied by Grover, who said a somewhat awkward goodbye.
Sammy stood still for a few seconds, not sure what to do. Her eyes flickered between Percy and the others. After an encouraging nod from Percy, she followed the others after saying a friendly goodbye to the two brothers.
"They're good kids," Sam commented as she watched the small group get into the car. "Keep them safe, Percy. I can see they trust you a lot."
"That's exactly what I intend to do, Sam," Percy said. "Make sure you do the same with Dean. You know how reckless he can be."
"Hey, I'm not reckless!" Dean said, a little offended. "I'm just brave, and I'm not afraid of anything."
"What about flying?" Sam asked, amused.
"That's different."
Sam gave Percy one last goodbye hug, which he gladly returned, before getting into the passenger seat of the Impala. The iconic Winchester car.
"I guess this is goodbye, Dean," Percy said, giving him a grateful smile. "I can never thank you enough for what you both did for me. What you did for me."
"Percy..."
"Don't worry. I've already accepted it." There was resignation in his voice. And also a bit of sadness. "I've had time to mentally prepare for this. So I'm not afraid."
"Don't give me that shit," Dean said harshly, "I know what you're going through. When I sold my soul to that demon to save Sam's life, it gave me only a year to live. I knew I was going to die and go to hell. And I lived with that fear all year. So I tried to hide my fear. So I know you are afraid too, just by looking at you."
Percy looked down sadly.
"And what do you want me to do? Tell them? There's nothing they can do. They'll just go crazy trying to change things." Percy clenched his fists. "And what if one of them dies trying to save me? I would never forgive myself. If someone has to die for others to survive, it will be me and no one else."
Dean must have seen Percy's resolve. And he would be lying if he said he didn't understand. Maybe he understood it better than anyone. To sacrifice himself so that his loved ones would survive. He understood that very well.
"Fine. It's your decision," Dean said. "But at least say goodbye to them properly. Let them know how you feel, so they won't feel guilty about your death in the future."
"I... I will," he said hesitantly.
Dean was right. They deserved to know the truth... but not now. He would find a way to tell them how he felt without them suspecting it or trying to avoid it. Knowing them, they would do something rash, risky and suicidal. Especially Thalia. That girl will be his undoing.
"Goodbye, Little P." Dean said, giving him a hug that was stronger than Percy expected. "It was nice to meet you."
Maybe Percy was imagining it, but he felt Dean tremble in his embrace. When they parted, Dean looked at him with great regret and sadness in his slightly red eyes.
Percy felt a lump form in his throat, but he found the strength to speak.
"Goodbye, Dean. And thanks... for everything."
By the time he got to the car, Thalia was already behind the wheel, tapping impatiently.
"Did you get a chance to say goodbye properly?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as Percy got in and sat in the back seat.
Mrs. O'Leary quickly walked over and sat on his lap, earning a scratch behind the ears from Percy, to which she responded with a happy wag of her tail.
"Yes, I did," Percy said with a faraway look. "I said goodbye."
If anyone noticed his strange behavior, no one said anything. Instead, they turned to the group guide.
"Grover, which way is the monsters?" Luke asked. "I'd like to avoid them if possible."
Grover sniffed the air for a few seconds and frowned in confusion.
"How... strange," he said, truly puzzled. "The monsters are gone. I can't smell them anymore."
"Maybe they went to another address," Sammy asked.
"Or maybe the hunters took them out," Annabeth said. "We're not too far from them."
"Maybe..." Grover said, hesitantly weighing the possibilities.
"It doesn't matter if they went somewhere else or got killed," Luke said. "This is great for us. We'll be able to travel without feeling pressured."
"Yeah, we don't have to look the gift horse in the mouth," Thalia said. The engine roared as she started the car, bringing a smile to her freckled face. "If we don't have any monsters on our asses, we'll make it to the camp quickly."
"Then step on it, Sparky," Percy said. "I don't want to push my luck. Considering how shitty it is."
"You already roared, boss."
And she stepped on the gas.
The highway stretched before him to the horizon, seemingly endless. The sky was a combination of unique and harmonious colors as the sun set to give way to night. An endless cycle.
Percy was behind the wheel of a car, the Mean Machine guessed, which struck him as odd because he remembered falling asleep in the backseat with Mrs. O'Leary on his lap. Besides, he was alone. There was no one else.
That should have scared him, but instead he just let out a tired sigh as he drove on, looking out at the road that stretched out beyond sight.
"Why have you brought me here this time?" Percy asked no one in particular, but he didn't have to turn around to know if someone would answer him. He knew someone would.
In fact, Percy could feel the presence of someone in the passenger seat, but like the other times, he couldn't turn around to look at whoever it was. He could only keep his eyes on the road.
"You sound annoyed. A little impatient maybe?" To Percy's ears, the voice spoke with amusement.
"Well, I have a right to be," Percy said, not trying to hide the annoyance in his voice. "Every time I wake up from this dream, I remember nothing. But when I dream of you again, I remember all of our previous conversations. I wonder why this is happening. You are the cause, right?"
It was more of a statement than a question. An action that The Voice, as Percy had decided to call it, found amusing, if the slight chuckle was any indication.
"You're right," the voice said. "I am the cause of this."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I want to see what kind of person you are. I've been doing it for years, but it's in moments of uncertainty and when everything seems hopeless that you show who you really are. And I have to say, you have never let me down. The day you lost your mom... When you got that knife... How you killed that Drakon... Echidna... the Hydra... the giant scorpion... the Minotaur... I have watched all the great feats of your life. And all those times you showed me the kind of man you are. Now your long journey comes to an end. And with it, your final test."
Percy's eyes widened in surprise. If The Voice knew all this, then it had been watching him from the beginning. It only made him more suspicious.
And there was also the unsettling feeling that it knew what was in store for him. And what he was planning to do.
"I don't know how you know all this, but it doesn't matter," Percy said. "If you want to see me in action, just sit where you are. You've never interfered in my life, so don't you dare now. Make yourself some popcorn and a refreshing drink."
"What makes you so sure that you will succeed in your self-imposed mission?" the voice asked, sounding genuinely curious. "That none of your loved ones will get hurt when you get to the camp."
"Because I will not allow myself to fail. Failure is not an option," he said, his voice hard as steel. His mind took him to a distant memory. Distant, yet so clear. "There are mistakes I cannot make twice. If I have to die, I'll do it my way. I'm tired of running," his grip on the wheel tightened, turning his knuckles white. "If dying is what awaits me at the end of this journey, I'll face it."
Percy could almost feel the smile of the person next to him. He wanted to turn around and find out once and for all who it was that kept visiting him in his dreams. He was curious, the voice was neither friendly nor hostile, mostly neutral and undoubtedly curious. It was curious about Percy, which he didn't understand. What about his life was interesting? It was nothing but a series of tragedies. One after the other.
The voice hummed happily to itself for a few seconds, sounding strangely contemplative and contented.
"Your words have always been special," the voice said. "They always had the power to captivate those who heard them. Even the gods themselves. They have a power not many possess."
"And what is that power?" he asked, torn between amusement and curiosity.
This time, it was not his imagination. He felt the voice smile at him.
"Hope. Your words have always given hope to those who have lost it. All the young people who accompany you, every one of them, lost it at some point. Your actions, and especially your words, have rekindled in them a flame that had gone out. This is a power that only a privileged few possess."
Against his will, Percy considered what the voice had told him. Was it like that? He just wanted them to be safe, and he would do whatever it took to make that happen. Had he really helped his friends that much?
A warm feeling settled in the pit of his stomach at that thought. It felt... good.
"I guess at least I know my life hasn't been a total failure," Percy said with a grim smile.
"That remains to be seen," the voice said. "You still have work to do. There are still those who depend upon you. And it seems... one of them is here."
"What?" Percy said, confused.
"They need you, Perseus. I pray this is not our last conversation."
Before Percy could ask what it was talking about, he felt the same familiar pull stretch across his body. The beautiful scenery of the endless highway seemed to recede rapidly until he was plunged into darkness.
"Percy, wake up!" Sammy yelled, shaking him lightly by the shoulders.
"Okay, okay, I'm awake," Percy said, coming to and noticing that the car had stopped. "What's going on? Did the monsters catch up with us?"
"No... not exactly."
"Ahead of us," Annabeth pointed out.
Percy looked ahead, and his surprise was evident in what he saw.
"Is that what I think it is?" Thalia asked fascinated.
"Yes. I think it is," Luke said, not taking his eyes off the majestic and beautiful creature that was blocking his path. "It's the first time I've seen one."
"It's beautiful," Sammy said.
"And it's staring at us," Thalia said. "It doesn't seem to want to move, so... Why is it here?"
"For me," Percy replied.
Everyone looked at them in obvious surprise. Even now, after so many months, Percy could still surprise them.
"You're like a damn Jack in the box toy," Thalia said. "You never know when it's going to come out and surprise you."
Percy just laughed at her comparison.
"Well, that's what makes our friendship interesting, isn't it?" he asked amusedly.
Luke shared his amusement and laughed.
"You're full of surprises," he said. "It's never boring to be with you."
"It's not going to attack us, is it?" Annabeth asked cautiously, looking at the beautiful creature blocking their way.
"Not unless you have a box of donuts," Percy said, getting out of the car. "In that case, he'll just attack you so he can eat them all."
Percy got out of the car, leaving the others intrigued by his comment. Without a hint of fear or hesitation, he approached the beautiful creature that was impatiently awaiting him, if the way he stamped his hooves on the asphalt and flapped his wings was any indication.
Percy still marveled at the glossy black color of his fur. His majestic wings were contracted, but he knew how mesmerizing it was when he spread them out in all their glory.
"Hey, Blackjack, how you doing, buddy?" Percy asked, nuzzling the Pegasus's face, causing his wings to flutter happily.
'Boss! It's good to see you again!' the Pegasus exclaimed, 'Do you have any donuts?'
Percy still found it amazing that he could mentally talk to horses and Pegasi.
"Sorry pal, all I have is chips," Percy said.
The Pegasus grumbled in his own neighing language.
'I don't like salty things. I prefer sweet things.'
"Yeah, I know. So? Why are you here?"
Blackjack looked at him alarmed, as if he remembered why he was here in the first place.
'This is bad, boss! We need your help!' he shouted, panic in his... voice?
"We? Who?"
'The Pegasi! They are being captured!'
The Pegasi were being captured? Who would do that? The Pegasi were peaceful beings. They liked freedom and running through the fields and grazing in the woods. Percy didn't understand why anyone would want to capture them.
"Do you know who they are?" Percy asked, his voice deep and dangerous.
Blackjack nodded, Percy could almost feel his unease.
'I heard them call themselves the Amazons.'
...
..
.
And that's all for now, dear readers!
A lot of interesting things have happened so far.
I wanted to focus on Thalia's thoughts when she refused Artemis' offer. In the books, she did it so she wouldn't leave Annabeth and Luke, and I think it was more for Luke. Here, I wanted to do the same thing, only on a bigger, more personal level, and acknowledge that she already has what she longed for: a family that accepts her for who she is. Not only that, but she stood up to Artemis herself with her strong ideals and beliefs, as I imagine Thalia would do. Also, Percy has some weight in this decision, which I will get to later.
I will also show the result of the conversation between Percy and Artemis later, where it will be more relevant.
As for Sam and Dean, it was a little crossover I came up with that I thought would work really well. As I said, after Percy started living on the streets, he met the Winchester brothers and traveled with them for a few months, learning a lot of their monster-fighting skills.
And before you ask, no, it wasn't the Winchester brothers who gave Percy his Hellhound fang knife, nor did they teach him how to fight with it. Percy had it before he met the brothers.
Poor Percy, coming off an encounter with Artemis' hunters and then meeting the Amazons. No rest for our hero.
The next chapter will deal with the Amazons. Look forward to it!
What did you think? Tell me your opinion. It's very inspiring for me to read your comments and support.
Anyway, nothing more to say... A psychological hug to you all, beautiful!