Chapter 3

"You little shit! Get your ass back here, Perseus!"

The trio of intruders watched the small boy who flinched at the voice. The boy looked at the door and then at again and back at the door again, as if he wasn't sure where the safest place to be was. Loud footsteps sounded from outside the door. The boy jumped back away from the door just before it was slammed open. In the doorway stood a man. His hair was barely a comb-over and he had a large beer belly to go with he reeked of alcohol and held a bottle of beer in his meaty hand. He glared at the intruders with a beady eye.

"How did you all get in here?" He slurred.

"The window," Luke answered simply.

"Idiot," Thalia muttered.

"Get out," the man growled,

"Our friend is hurt," Annabeth piped in. "Yes we broke in but we just need some water. Please."

"I said get out! I don't help strays. This one is too much as it is," he said grabbing the little boy tightly by the arm causing the boy to yell out in pain. "Shut up!" The man screamed shoving the little boy behind him.

Luke bit his tongue to keep from shouting everything which sprouted in his head.

"Percy?" A woman's voice called. "I'm home."

"Sally get your ass in here!" The man shouted.

The found of heels on the floor free closer until a woman graying brown hair came into view. She wore a blue apron which read the name of a candy shop. The little boy immediately latched on to her leg.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with brats," the man said walking away leaving the woman with the intruders."

"Hello?" The woman said kindly. "My name is Sally Jackson, you can just call me Sally. What can I do for you three?"

"I'm Annabeth, that's Luke and our friend Thalia is hurt," she told Sally.

Sally looked to Thalia and the blood spurting from the strange looking feather lodged in her calf. "We need to get you to a doctor."

"No!" The three yelled at once.

Sally looked surprised. "Alright," she said gently. "Is there anything I can do?"

Ten minutes later Sally had finished bandaging Thalia's leg and she had an ice pack resting on it while Thalia chewed a square of ambrosia. Meanwhile Sally had left the room to retrieve food for them leaving the four children to sit in silence.

"If you want you can lay on my bed. It's more comfortable than the floor," the little boy said quietly.

"It's fine," Thalia told him. "We aren't staying long you can stay in your own bed."

"Your name is Perseus?" Annabeth asked the boy.

"Percy," he corrected.

"Why Perseus?" She questioned.

Percy shrugged. "My mom likes the old Greek stuff and she said he was the one who lived happily forever after in the end," he explained before turning to Thalia. "How did you get a weird feather in your leg?"

None of them answered his question but thankfully that's when Sally entered the room. "This is all we have currently. Left over seven layer dip and chips. I didn't have time to go the store tonight."

Percy smiled and grabbed a chip and scooped it in the dip before popping it in his mouth happily. Luke took some next and once seeing that he hadn't died Thalia and Annabeth took and ate some as well.

"You all are demigods," Sally said suddenly. Everything froze besides Percy who was still eating chips.

Luke nodded slowly. "And you?"

"Clear sighted."

"Him?"

Sally wrung her hands in her blue apron. "Demigod," she finally answered her voice barely a whisper.

"What's a demigod?" Percy asked his mouth full of food.

"Perseus, we don't talk with food in our mouths."

Percy mumbled a sorry and swallowed. "What's a demigod?"

"Is there another reason you're here?" Sally asked the trio choosing to ignore her son's question.

Thalia shook her head and Luke simply answered "No."

Meanwhile Annabeth stared at Percy. "We are looking for a child of Poseidon."

Sally flinched. "I-Is that so? May I ask why?"

"The gods have requested him."

"Percy can you bring the last of the dip and chips to the kitchen?" Sally asked her son. Percy looked confused but did as he was told. When he was gone Sally looked to the three. "He's not even ten. Please."

"Huh. Luck certainly worked in our favor today," Luke commented.

"You're not the one who took an feather to the leg," Thalia muttered. "We need to know the location of the Masterbolt."

Sally blinked. "The what?"

"The Masterbolt," Luke answered. "You know, the big lighting stick? That oversized taser Zeus loves?"

Thalia reached over to punch him in the arm. "We were told that the child of Poseidon must have it."

"He doesn't," Sally promised. "He doesn't even know what he is exactly. Listen, I'll let you stay the night just stay out of sight of my husband and can we possibly work out a deal in the morning?"

Thalia sighed. "Alright."

~~~~

The next morning when Luke woke up from a night full of demigod dream he was on the floor and he found that the girls were already up.

"What are we supposed to do?" Annabeth was asking Thalia.

Thalia shrugged. "I don't know..."

"I have an idea," Luke told them sitting up.

"Care to share?"

Luke nodded. "We bring him with us-"

"He's a Poseidon kid," Annabeth said wrinkling her nose. "And he's little."

"I'm pretty sure he's the same age as you actually. And if you let me finish I'd tell you that we should bring him so we can find who really has it and clear his name. I think that's better than letting Zeus fry a little kid."

"We'd have to get his mom to agree," Thalia mused.

"Let's ask Chiron," Annabeth suggested getting up to retrieve a drachma.

"No. This our quest we make the decisions. I say we talk to his mom and then bring him-" Thalia stopped short as the door creaked open.

Percy peaked in the door and slipped inside. "Sorry," he apologized quickly before hurrying over to a small dresser and grabbing some clothes out.

"Percy?" Thalia asked him.

Percy jumped in surprise. "Y-yes?"

"Did your mom explain anything to you last night?"

"Sorta... I'm still confused. Oh and my mom is making pancakes. She said when Gabe leaves you can have some."

Thalia wanted to ask him another question but the little boy had already hurried out the room.

About ten minutes passed before a soft knock sounded on the door and Sally walked in. "There are pancakes in the kitchen if you'd like. My husband has already left for work."

Luke helped Thalia up her leg still sore and they and Annabeth followed Sally down the hall into a small kitchen where Percy sat at the table eating blue pancakes?

"Why are they blue?" Annabeth asked taking a seat.

"Because blue is awesome!" Percy cheered before taking another bite.

"These are amazing," Luke mumbled through a mouth full of blue pancakes. Thalia rolled her eyes.

Sally chuckled. "Thank you."

"Hey, mom," Percy called getting her attention. "How big is the St. Louis Arch?"

"I'm not sure... Why?"

"Ooh I know!" Annabeth interjected. "630 feet tall and it's actually called the Gateway Arch."

Percy shrugged. "It's still in St. Louis. Why do you even know how tall it is?"

"I read it in an architecture book," she answered after swallowing another bite.

"Architecture?" Sally asked surprised.

"Uhuh. I wanna be an architect."

"Wow you already know?"

"Yup. Athena kids always have a plan! Unlike Hermes kids."

"Wow shots fired," Luke said rolling his eyes. "I'm perfectly content now so I'm not really worried. Also why are you picking on me? Thalia doesn't have everything figured out either. Pick on her too."

"No she's Thalia."

"I'm so proud of you," Thalia told her wiping away a fake tear.

"Athena kid? Hermes kid? What do you mean?" Percy asked. The trio made eye contact unsure of what to say.

"Remember what we talked about last night sweetie?" Sally asked. "About Jason, Perseus, and the other demigods  in history?" Percy nodded. "Well they are the modern version. Their parents are gods and goddesses too."

"That's so cool!" Percy told them. "So what about you?" He asked Thalia.

Thalia shook her head. "It-it doesn't matter. Why were you asking about the arch?"

"Oh right, I had a dream about it."

"What happened in your dream?" Luke asked him quickly.

"Uh... There was the arch and then a river with some lady then something about a recording studio in LA. But it's not like it matters."

"It does actually," Annabeth corrected. "Demigod dreams have meaning. Dreams can be messages, something important or something about the future."

"But you're the demigod not me."

"That's not actually true..." Sally sighed. She bent down so she was eye level with Percy. "You're a demigod too. Your father he wasn't lost at sea he's... he is the god Poseidon. God of the sea."

Percy blinked a couple times his nine year old mind still digesting this information. "Cool?"

"Sally..." Thalia started. "I doubt you'll agree with this but, we want to clear Percy's name, and to do that... We need Percy."

Sally paled. "Umm..."

"Clear my name? Why?" Percy asked.

"Zeus believes you stole his Masterbolt. His sacred weapon," Thalia explained.

"Why would I have it? I have no where to hide it."

"He assumed that Poseidon's child must have it. And you're Poseidon's child apparently. Even though you haven't been officially claimed. So we came up with the idea to find it and give it back to him and prove that it isn't you who took it that's the easiest way to keep him from killing you."

"It was my idea actually," Luke corrected.

"Shut up. So, Sally?"

Sally nodded slowly. "O-o-okay. You'll keep him safe though right? No more feathers to the legs? How is your leg by the way?"

"Just sore."

Sally took a deep breath. "Percy you should go pack some clothes and stuff... I need to get something excuse me."

Sally hurried out the kitchen. Percy looked concerned but decided to do as his mother said and got up and went to his room. The trio followed after him.

"Um..." Percy started. "What do I bring?"

"Clothes mainly. I doubt you have any weapons," Luke told him.

"Weapons?"

"Yeah to fight off the monsters. Oh- right well um, demigod- us we are constantly fighting off monsters so we live at a place called Camp Half-Blood where we are safe and we train to fight monsters incase we have to leave for a quest like we are on now. We can explain more as we go."

Percy nodded and pulled out a small blue backpack. He dumped out school stuff- pencils, pens, and a couple notebooks- onto the floor and then began to shove clothes from
His dressed in it.

"Its not gonna fit unless you fold them," Sally told him walking in. She placed a small box on the dresser before beginning to fold Percy's clothes.

Meanwhile Thalia undid her bandages and threw them out and Annabeth glared at Luke who finally sighed and began to fold his clothes and reorganize his own bag. When they were packed and ready they stood in the small living room.

"Do you all need me to drive you anywhere? Money? Anything?" Sally asked frantically.

"You've already given us money, food, first aid, and your son who well will return to you. That's enough thank you," Thalia told her.

"There's something else," Sally said pulling out the small box she had had earlier. She handed it to Percy. "Your father left this for you."

Percy opened the box and pulled out a pen. He took it confused. "Thanks?" He messed with it and pulled off the cap. From it a sword sprung and it's tip went straight through Sally's arm. Percy screamed and dropped the sword.

"Celestial bronze," Luke commented picking it up. He gave it an experimental swing. "I can show you how to use it."

"Mom- I-"

"It's okay," Annabeth told him. "That kind of metal doesn't work on mortals like your mom. It only works on people like us and monsters. "Unless you have one like Luke's. And it's okay if you carry it around regular mortals- not clear sighted like your mom- can't see through the Mist. Basically it's this stuff which makes people think that the  sword is a baseball bat or that a monster is a poodle."

Luke nodded and handed the sword to Percy who took it carefully. He then drew his own sword. "This is mine Backbiter. Half celestial bronze and half steel."

Percy examined his own sword. "Anaklusmos..." He read reading the word engraved in it. In the back of his mind another word whispered which he said out loud. "Riptide..."

Sally's eyes watered and she grabbed Percy in a tight hug. "Be safe."

Percy nodded and hugged her back. "I will. Promise."

(A/N Have you ever noticed that promises in movies and books are always broken?)

"Thank you again," Thalia told Sally.

Luke nodded. "Alright. St Louis here we come!"