Percy couldn't believe what a genius he was.

The threads–the precious threads–sat in his lap as he twisted and braided the colors together. To him, they were more beautiful than anything he'd ever known and more powerful. Already, he could tell that this idea would revolutionize the world as he knew it. Look how much progress he'd made in just, what, twelve or so hours? The creeping light from the window behind him seemed to suggest it was morning. Had he slept? His eyes unconsciously crossed themselves, turning the room into a blur. That seemed to indicate no. Oh well. Who needed sleep when so many new discoveries were being made?

He felt confident in his new creations. Now he only needed to test them. A part of him still resented the idea of giving away the bonds he'd worked so hard to obtain, but he promised himself there would be more coming. For the first time in many hours, he stood up, nearly toppling over as the room spun and his vision gained spots. Whoops. Maybe he needed to use a timer for breaks. Glancing to the side, he realized he already had, the broken remnants of the one he smashed due to the noise scattered over the floor. Maybe he needed to use a calmer one, or perhaps he could set up a thread to play that role…

In the middle of his thought, a pulse of…something rippled across the threads and through his back. Percy shivered. For a moment, he'd felt something buzz through the strings. Before he could get a read on it, he suddenly hunched over as a feeling of being…pinched?…took hold of him. In that moment, the bonds that were attached to him seemed loose, fragile. Like they could be torn off by a mere breeze. That thought caused a wave of fear to crash over him, and he felt his breath grow short.

Then, just as quickly, a new sensation overtook him. One that reminded him of when he attached the threads to himself, except…he wasn't putting anything on right now. It came from the same place as the pinching feeling, these new bonds, flooding him one by one.

The faint love of a son for a father. Although the dominant emotion now appeared to be one of disappointment and disgust.

The friendship between those who suffered much. A workplace camaraderie that said he'd have their back, even if it didn't always look it.

An unsure feeling of affection, one that was felt strongly, yet still gave way to doubts at times. Common in new love. Time would tell if it would last, or fade away after the initial passion.

That was when he figured it out. Someone was touching the string he'd originally planted. These bonds…they weren't random. They came from a singular person.

Someone he…knew. Someone he'd come to know, thanks to the bonds he now held.

Shortly after, the pinching subsided. All his strings remained attached, with no indication that they were in danger of being removed. Percy could feel the cold hardwood floor on his knees, having fallen to the ground at some point. He took a few deep breaths too, since he seemed to be short of them. He forced his racing heart to calm, his forehead sticky with sweat. That had been…close. Closer than anything else had gotten to taking away his threads, even though he didn't think the person knew that they could do that. He clutched the threads in his hands, grateful they wouldn't break from squeezing too hard. Just what was all that?

He thought about the person on the other end of the thread. That was someone Sorano had known for a long time. Someone she cherished, yet at times, resented. Someone from childhood, now navigating a new way of life as adults…

Percy paused. If he was testing the thread on the other end, could that mean that he was trying to find Percy? And if so…did that mean Cobra was trying to find him as well?

Percy's mouth turned a gleeful grin. That would be delightful! He never imagined he would see the dragonslayer again, but if he were coming…he wanted to greet him with a generous welcome. After all, he'd helped Percy's dreams come true.

Or, at least, the first part.

Taking the stairs down two at a time, his mouth still upturned, Percy halted when he got to the entranceway. The two from before. They were still there. They sat near the entryway, both in a haggard state. The smaller one had her hair undone and her head under her arms, legs pulled tightly towards her. The taller one looked at the other one, a hollow look on her face. A part of him felt angry to still see them in the house, although strangely, his mouth remained in its grin. But if they were around, he could at least use them. It would be a waste not to. He stepped towards them. The taller one glared at him, not speaking. The other one didn't respond, head still buried under her arms.

Percy found himself focusing on the one staring back. "You're still around I see. That's a shame. Although, perhaps it worked out, as I have something now for you to do for me. In case this party happens to have more guests than invited, I need you to ensure only the accepted pass…"

A/N: And this is the final interlude before the last bits! I am here to let you know I will be taking another week long break. I am on the cusp of being done with the second half of Day 7, but because I don't want to rush, I'm taking another weekend to make sure it's just right. The ending feels extremely important after working on this for so long, so please forgive one final delay. The next update will be out the 21st. See you then!