It was a good thing I knew about the Godly world and what Ms. Dodds was, otherwise I would've been completely lost.
As it was, the constant buzzing surrounding everyone was driving me nuts .
The normal buzzing around Mr. Brunner and Ms. Dodds hadn't been bad, it was… natural almost. Something that I could vaguely recall as being a part of Triton's presence too.
But this-
This rattled my bones. This ached something fierce. This put my teeth on edge.
Someone did some sort of magic, it had to be, that tricked everyone into thinking Ms. Dodds never existed.
I didn't think of how I killed her. I didn't think of the feel of my blade slicing into her shoulder. I didn't think of her scream as she died.
I shook my head and focused on the buzzing shaking my body. It blanketed me, pushing down on me and trying to bend me to its will.
It couldn't, even when I didn't shove at it. I figured it was my purification skills keeping me safe from… whatever the spell was.
Thank Pontus for Vapaloa.
Despite it not being able to influence me, it still sent shivers down my spine and rattled my bones and was very annoying. The only place somewhat free of it was my room.
Because notably, Grover didn't have that buzzing around him.
He had a faint buzz, now that I was looking for it. But it was like whispers of a bee, rather than building-shaking-buzzing.
And of course, he was a horrible liar.
I asked about Ms. Dodds too, asked him where she was (I knew, I killed her) and there was always a hesitation. He always looked away, bit his lip, eyes wide.
He always lied.
Mr. Brunner's buzzing hadn't changed either, but that didn't make him any less suspicious. If anything it made him more suspicious.
He had thrown me the pen that was a sword that was a pen.
He had argued with Ms. Dodds before.
I suspected he was the one to cast the spell.
Everyone was denying Ms. Dodds existed, insisting the sub who wasn't there before had been there since Christmas… where did they get her so quickly?
I shook my head, I didn't understand what was up with this, but it was driving me nuts.
Between the lies and the buzzing I was ready to snap.
…
Maybe this would be a good time to practice using my purification abilities to counter spells.
…
Yeah that seemed like a good idea.
(Don't think of her scream as she died)
OO OO OO OO
I learned a very valuable lesson when practicing my purification skills in math.
Do not do that.
The student… had to go to the nurses office because I broke the buzzing off of her and uh… well she stared at the teacher for a long moment and asked where Ms. Dodds was… only for everyone to deny her existence.
She ended up being sent home for her health after she freaked out at everyone over the Ms. Dodds situation.
So yeah… I should not do that.
I learned from that and decided that those experiments should not be done on helpless mortals anymore. Katara wouldn't have done that.
In other news, I was rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender for the twenty-fourth time.
It was not something to be judged, the show was perfect in every way and it was my teacher for waterbending.
I needed to take notes on the healing this time, since I needed to improve on that.
I made a note of it.
OO OO OO OO
I needed a distraction from… everything. The buzzing was distracting and grating and I was having more and more of a hard time keeping myself calm. It didn't stop . It wouldn't stop buzzing . It was driving me mad .
(Gold sand exploded with a scream)
So I was working on a water holding for Carl. He needed a way to come with me without the tank, and he seemed excited for it.
I focused on the ice I was manipulating, carefully shaping it into a ball and preserving the water within. There needed to be a good amount of oxygen, but some ivuisav could help with that.
The ice exploded again as the water within that I was trying to manipulate shattered the thin layer of ice.
(Gold sand exploding with a scream as a blade slid through her chest)
I licked my lips and reformed the ball, making the ice a bit thicker this time. I needed the air to be able to get through so it had to be fairly thin even with the ivuisav, but I also needed to not break easily.
To not shatter with a single hit like-
(Gold sand exploded with a scream as a blade slid through her chest and she was dead dead dead)
I needed it to last, to keep Carl safe when he was with me. It needed to be strong and sturdy but also allow him to breathe.
I shaped it, manipulating the ice and water until there was a steady container. I was going to try to add the ivuisav next, though I needed to practice adding them through shaping the ice, theoretically it should be easier-
The door slammed open and the ice in my hands shattered, water evaporating.
(Gold sand exploded with a scream as a blade slid through her chest and she was dead dead dead and it was my fault I killed her)
"Percy!"
I blinked up at Grover, hanging half off the bed from where I'd fallen.
"Uh… you okay?"
I nodded, pushing myself up and ignoring my warm face and shaking hands.
"I'm fine."
"What were you doing?"
Uh…
"I was trying to do a palm reading on my hands." Nailed it.
" Baa-ha-ha , you do palm readings?"
"No, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I was trying to see if I could pass my exams."
"If you study you might," Grover bleated.
I sniffed, tilting my head up haughtily and hiding a smile.
"Studying is for the weak!" I declared grandly.
Grover laughed.
OO OO OO OO
I opened my eyes to a new place.
Fields stretched around me, white flowers scattering the fields. Misty figures swayed, wandering through the fields, crouching to look at flowers, drifting through short stubby trees with bright red fruits.
The air tingled cold and hot, mist cooled my skin while fires burned beneath it.
Where was I?
I waved my hand in one figure's face, they didn't react.
This had to be another dream, but I hadn't the slightest clue where I was.
I needed to learn more about prophetic dreaming apparently, should've done it when Metua mentioned it.
I made a note of it.
I wandered through the field, looking at the various figures. They all felt… odd. Like small stars shining on me but without the light. Some felt old, some felt young, some large and some small. I wondered at them, fascinated by the effect.
I walked without much care to where I was going, my attention held by the drifting figures. They seemed at peace, comfortable, unworried. I paused under one of the larger trees, watching the figures drifting around me.
It was… oddly beautiful.
And something about it was familiar…
My gaze drew to the distance, something nagging at me.
I knew something over there.
I started walking once more, following the sensation of something known . The field was vast though, and I couldn't see the end.
And so for what seemed like hours I walked. And walked. And walked.
I walked past thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of misty figures. I walked past more trees than I could count. I walked past a sea of stars and flowers.
I walked until something new happened.
Wings snapped through the air.
Words in a language I knew not.
I lifted my head and gasped at the sight above me.
The Erinyes.
They flew free, wings spread, whips coiled, they moved rapidly to a location I couldn't name.
The itch crawled under my skin, acid tingling.
There were three Erinyes.
Ms. Dodds was alive.
I slid down to my knees, relief blossoming. I hadn't killed her. I didn't end her life. She was alive.
I could breathe again.
I was okay.
Everything was fine.
(Things weren't fine, but this was)
I woke up.
OO OO OO OO
I practiced my powers more, playing my Ocarina.
I felt a bit calmer, knowing she was alive .
I didn't kill someone.
That was… relieving.
I didn't want to fight people to the death.
They weren't people technically but… she taught me math. She was my math teacher for over a month. She wasn't nice but-
She was someone I knew and I-
I stared at the plants in front of me.
I wasn't supposed to be practicing Siren's Song at all, not even this little bit. But I needed- I needed something. My chest ached, despite the relief I had- she was alive- I still needed… I needed to bury the thoughts.
So I practiced the first step of Siren's Song, influencing nature.
It was traditional to use it with sea grasses or other plants in the sea, and then move up to coral which weren't plants but worked well with Siren's Song.
I didn't have those here, so I used Grover's plants.
They seemed to respond, just a little bit. Leaves pushing up, growing greener.
I wondered at times why I wasn't supposed to practice it alone, it didn't seem to be dangerous. Other times I lay in bed breathing hard from playing and knew I needed to take a break.
But it was a distraction from the mess of the school, so I clung to it, clung to it despite the blades digging into my chest at times and the breath leaving me.
Everything was fine.
OO OO OO OO
Knowing Ms. Dodds was alive helped with one issue for me, but it didn't fix the buzzing.
The buzzing was never ending, rattling my bones, shaking my teeth, itchy, vibrating my skin, not stopping .
I couldn't stand it. I couldn't focus. I couldn't think .
I just wanted it to stop.
I knew that despite my distractions I wasn't handling it well, but it wouldn't stop. It wouldn't stop and it ached and it was constantly going on and it was driving me to tears I just wanted it to shut up please why wouldn't it stop-
I was snapping at people, and my grades were taking a dive off a cliff into wasetmi infested waters.
Even my room wasn't free of the buzzing, though it was the quietest spot on campus.
I watched Avatar, taking comfort in it, but it didn't stop the buzzing. I threw myself into my sea studies, my ocarina and Siren's Song doing well to distract me for a bit, but my lungs ached if I did that too much so I had to take more breaks than I wanted to. I didn't take as many breaks as I probably should've.
I tried to work on other magics, but I couldn't do much. I needed to keep my waterbending on the down low, and I couldn't exactly go clean a river.
I couldn't escape the stupid never stopping buzzing, and I couldn't go to Triton for help. He might've known something I could've done, but he wasn't there . He had to stop a war and-
I didn't know how to get it to stop.
My grades dipped more.
I was handling Pre-Algebra thanks to Triton's old lessons, though I wasn't doing as good as before. I didn't have the focus to do all the steps, kept making stupid mistakes. And Latin wasn't the worst but the grammar and letters were still hard.
Otherwise… English was a wreck. I hated it, couldn't read the books, couldn't write the essays, didn't know how to answer the questions- And Science… the buzzing was not very helpful in letting me focus on the complicated stuff in class. PE wasn't the worst but I always had a headache by that point and well… the teachers didn't really count Art.
The buzzing itched under my skin, vibrating my bones.
I tried to pay more attention to my clubs, but Model UN required your grades to be a certain level and mine… weren't… Music club let me stay regardless and the music was almost enough to drown out the buzzing.
I practiced my music and magic as best I could. I did as much homework as I could. I did my best in class.
The buzzing didn't stop.
I snapped during English class one time too many, clearly flunking the class on top of that. It was official, I wasn't welcome back at the school next year.
I closed my eyes and played my ocarina, trying to drown out the buzzing.
OO OO OO OO
I found that my starglobe helped drown the world out. It had soft magic dancing through it, not a buzz like the world around me. But more importantly, I could stare at it for hours.
The swirling stars glittering and twinkling and dancing all through the orb seemed to drain my stress away.
It reminded me of the sea, laying in the water with Triton while he taught me the constellations. It reminded me of home, where I would project the stars against my ceiling.
It was a comfort.
"Did you know your eyes change colors?"
I blinked, turning to Grover in confusion at the interruption.
"What?"
"Well you normally have like- green eyes. But I noticed the last few times you stared at your sparkly snowglobe and your eyes turned like… silvery-gray? They're doing it right now."
I blinked, "They do?"
"Yeah, I mean, it's cool."
"Hmm... I guess I got it from my mom. Hers did the same thing."
OO OO OO OO
The night before my Latin exam I was glaring at the study guide.
I couldn't figure out the translation, and I'd lost the answer key.
Stupid grammar, it was tripping me up. I knew the words but didn't know how they were ordered… also kept mixing up the endings for everything but feminine first declension, a, ae, ae, am, a-
I didn't trust Mr. Brunner, but I did want to at least pass the class, it was one of the three that I was doing anywhere near decent in. And so, reluctantly, I decided to go ask him for help.
It would be fine as long as he didn't like, try to kill me or something.
…
Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself.
OO OO OO OO
I'd almost reached Mr. Brunner's office when I realized something was off. I paused with a frown, confused.
What-
Then realization hit.
The buzzing of the school was always quietest at night, when the students were asleep. But Mr. Brunner's office was always buzzing. It was low, a hum that set my teeth on edge, but always present.
But the buzzing was gone.
Was Mr. Brunner out? But I could see his office and the light was on…
I moved closer to the office, where the door was slightly ajar. I crept forward as silently as possible.
"… worried about Percy, sir."
I stopped, tilting my head. That was Grover.
Why was he talking about me?
"… alone this summer?" Grover questioned, "I mean, a Kindly One in the school ! Now that we know for sure, and they know too-"
"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner interrupted, "We need the boy to mature more."
That sounded… suspicious. Was Grover working with him- I'd hoped he wasn't- that he was my friend-
"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline-"
"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."
"Sir he saw her…"
I killed her.
"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that. He may still have the pen, but the Mist over it will stop him from realizing."
The Mist? Was that the buzzing? And the pen?
"Sir, I… I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."
"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner soothed, his voice lowering and making it harder to hear. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy-"
He was talking about Ms. Dodds? And what duties? I backed up a bit, my shoe creaking on the linoleum floors.
I flinched at the sound as Mr. Brunner went silent.
I quickly slipped back, making sure to lift my feet fully. A shadow of… something… something far too large to be Mr. Brunner went past the door, holding an archer's bow. I slid into the first door I could find, pressing against the wall next to the door.
I could fight if I had to, my trident was on my bracelet, but… I didn't know how dangerous he was.
A shadow went past, muffled hoof beats sounding with it's steps, clop-clop-clop .
The sounds paused.
"Nothing," Mr. Brunner spoke. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."
"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn…"
"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."
"Don't remind me."
The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office, plunging the hall into darkness.
I waited there in silence, waiting for the sounds of Grover's footsteps and the rolling of the wheelchair, with the familiar buzz returned, fade away.
They were worried about me, about something I did? My health? My safety? Did they want to hurt me? Did they want to protect me? What was their job? Why were they at the school?
The buzzing was probably the Mist he'd talked about, I wasn't sure what that was but… it was probably the cause of no one remembering Ms. Dodds. I'd have to ask Triton.
The good news was that Mr. Brunner, whoever he was, had no idea I knew about the Gods or mythical beings. If he turned out to be a threat I could use that.
They knew about the winter solstice mess apparently, that must mean they had knowledge of the theft. Did they know who stole whatever it was? Were they involved?
I frowned, were they blaming me too? And what was that about a summer solstice deadline? That sounded bad.
What was going on?
The only thing I knew for sure, Mr. Brunner was definitely not human. If he was the one with the hoof beats then he was probably half some animal, maybe half-horse? I'd need to look into that more later.
I made a note of it.
I waited in the dark long after the sounds of them leaving had faded.
Grover was working with Mr. Brunner. I had no idea if he could be trusted. Would he attack me? Was he trustworthy?
I wanted Triton so badly. I didn't know what to do, everything was so stressful right now. I didn't know who to trust.
I didn't know what to do.
I couldn't talk to Triton though, no matter how much I wanted to. There was a risk of war, I had to stay away.
I stood in the dark.
Everything was not okay.
OO OO OO OO
I returned to my room when I calmed. Grover could possibly sense emotions, so I needed to bury mine.
"Hey," Grover said, bleary-eyed as I settled back down with my notes. "You gonna be ready for this test?"
I glanced over, trying to bury any emotions, Triton had said that Grover might have empathic abilities and I can't let him know what I'm feeling.
I forced a smile, "Yeah, I'll be fine." I faked a yawn, "I think I'm gonna go to bed now though. Too tired to get much more done."
And I was tired, I was so tired of being here.
I just wanted to go home, see my mom, hug her, talk to Triton.
I wanted to be back in the still dirty (but much improved) river and cleaning it and talking to the fish and other sea animals.
I wanted to go to events with Triton and talk to my merfolk friends and trade notes on our powers.
I didn't want to be here wondering if my friend was going to betray me and attack me. I didn't want to wonder if my teacher was going to try to hurt me.
I just wanted home.
OO OO OO OO
I woke in Metua's palace, hidden in an alcove.
I stared at the red light, the shining walls, the draped tapestries.
My chest ached, tears welling up and stinging my eyes. It was as if my dreams were trying to comfort me, offering me a safe place to fall apart.
I broke.
Curled up in the alcove I cried for the first time this year.
This year was horrible. So many little things in the first semester, but since the solstice I- I was alone . I didn't have Mom, I didn't have Triton, I didn't have any friends but Grover- Grover who may have been plotting something about me- Grover who was lying to me-
One of my teachers tried to kill me, was a terror from the days of Ancient Greece, and the other was plotting with Grover.
And the buzzing - I couldn't escape it- except in my dreams, the buzzing silent, gone, I was safe, cradled in the currents of the deep sea.
I was alone.
Everything ached. I wanted to go home, I wanted my mom, I wanted Triton, I wanted my friends that I knew that weren't plotting about me. I wanted- I wanted-
I wanted to not be alone.
"Oh dear…"
Soothing curls wrapped around me, clean and gentle, banishing the cold heavy currents of the deep sea, of the palace, of Metua's home.
A hand was on my back, someone I couldn't see through the tears. I heard a choked whine. I realized that was me.
"Hush now little Half-Blood, it's alright. You are safe here."
A hand on my back soothed me, whispers gentle and reassuring, the cool curls of the rivers back home, but clean and silky, draped like a blanket over me. I huddled into the comfort, leaned into the touch, and cried.
The person whispered reassurances through my crying, through my choked breaths and whimpers. And slowly my breathing calmed, my tears slowed, my chest stopped aching so badly. Slowly I pulled myself together once more, cradled in familiar river currents.
I finally lifted my head, tears drying and breathing only slightly shaky, to find the Titaness Tethys sitting next to me in the alcove.
Nevermind, I would take the buzzing over crying like an idiot in front of my Metua's first and eternal love.
I would just- go drown myself in a brine pond, why me.
She was still rubbing my back though, and offered me a gentle smile at my gaze, "Are you feeling better?"
I swallowed but nodded, "Yes, Tethys-ran."
It was strange to use 'ran' for someone, it was a suffix de-note-ing a Once Ruler who was Still a Ruler. A Once Queen, who was still a Queen but not The Queen.
The ocean had weirdly specific suffixes.
But using the Right Terms was important, they showed respect and recognition. Okeanus-ari was my Metuano title.
"There, that's better," She said with a gentle smile. "Why don't we get you something to eat, hmm?"
I nodded hesitantly, uncertain if I could eat in a dream. Would it actually feed me? I was going to find out apparently, because She tugged me out of the alcove and swam alongside me as She led the way, Her hand on my back.
"Would you share your name, soha nainiar? I'm afraid we have yet to hear you say it."
I flushed at her words, but nodded, "It's Percy, Tethys-ran."
"Ah, then tis a pleasure to meet you, Persi-tou."
My face warmed further at the use of 'tou'. That was a suffix used mostly for children, but was a... soft? Fond? term to use? It was often used to mean 'little one', but I knew it could be used in other ways too... not that it had been with me. Most I knew called me Persi-te, not Persi-tou.
"Maie em maiv houp opu, Tethys-ran."
She smiled brightly at my use of the traditional greeting in Halmaheran, murmuring a reply as we reached the kitchens.
Her hand was still on my back, grounding me as we entered the busy kitchen. The noise there was somewhat more muffled than I imagined it would be on land, I supposed due to the water.
"Do you have any favorites?"
I blinked, looking up at Her in confusion. "Huh?"
"Do you have any favorite foods?"
"Oh uh-" I paused to think of the events I'd gone to with Triton. "Water chestnuts? And uh… Frozen Plumose?"
"Any meat?"
"... tuna?"
She nodded, nudging me forward as She spoke rapid Halmaheran to one of the cooks.
" Get something - - him to eat, something on the - - end. And something - - snack on. Also some - - if you - -."
I couldn't catch all the words, She spoke fast and had an accent I didn't know, but I was pleased to understand most of it. I'd come a long way in my Halmaheran.
She drifted from me just enough to gather the bowls of food offered by the cooks, only some of them seeming to see me. Once the bowls were gathered She ushered me out, the water tugging me along until we were tucked into another alcove.
I idly noted the strange indentions in the wall, resembling a shape I knew but couldn't name, before my attention was drawn by the snacks She offered me.
The tuna was good, and the taipanu She offered held fresh clean water rather than the tea I normally had.
We ate quietly, though She studied me as I nibbled on the water chestnuts.
I avoided looking at Her, studying the walls, the tapestries, Her tails, the floor-
"You seem to find yourself in our palace fairly often, Persi-tou."
I shifted, tucking my legs under me, "I'm sorry."
"It's no fault of yours," She assured me gently. "A tamapu cannot be expected to control their tairo."
"Tairo?" I asked with a frown. I didn't know that word.
"Ah… dream swimming? No- those of the land may call it dream walking ?"
I shrugged a shoulder, chewing on the taipanu, "I don't- ah- I don't know much about… tairo."
"The full title for what you're doing would be Hioipihaiho, though most just refer to it as tairo. Tis when your mind leaves your body to travel beyond. Hioiphihaiho is traveling in the moment, to the now. You are seeing the present in another place."
I nodded, wishing I had my notebook to take notes.
"I believe Demigods in general have a bit of an affinity for Hioiphaiho, though tis still uncommon. None technically require the use of sleep, tis simply the easiest medium through which to receive the visions. As your mind must leave the body to do Hioiphaiho it is also the safest for your body."
I nodded, though I didn't really understand how that worked. Did that mean that the other forms of tairo didn't require the mind leaving the body?
"Of course, many places hold a waniev to prevent accidental or purposeful tairo into them, this palace is one such place. It is quite… curious that you are able to visit."
I grabbed one of the chestnuts, it was mixed with something a bit spicy, and chewed it to give myself a moment to think everything over. It was really interesting, but confusing. I didn't know how I was getting through their shield either though…
"I just… started showing up here."
She nodded, humming softly, "Tis certainly interesting… we shall likely have to adjust our waniev."
It was likely connected to my Metua being Okeanus, maybe their waniev didn't stop family? Well, a lot of the sea was related to Them so maybe not…
I kinda wanted to bring up that Okeanus was my Metua, that that was probably why, but I'd promised Triton I wouldn't talk about my Godly parent. I would keep my promise, even here.
"Moving past tairo, how are you feeling now? Do you want to talk about why you were so upset when you arrived?"
I stared at the bowl in front of me, considering the tuna pieces carefully. Maybe I could mix one with a water chestnut…
"Persi-tou?" She asked softly.
I licked my lips, "It… I just had a um… a stressful week."
I wrapped a piece of tuna around a water chestnut.
"Oh?"
"I have a lot of big tests, been studying, and uh… found out a friend wasn't really a friend…"
My voice trailed off when speaking of Grover and I quickly shoved the tuna and water chestnut in my mouth.
Tethys-ran hummed softly, "Tis a sad thing to learn."
I swallowed and nodded.
She ran a hand through my hair and I peeked up at Her, to find a soft smile on Her face.
"Friends come and go like the tides. They can leave a mark on you, adding to you or taking away, and tis good to learn from your time with them. But you should not let them hold you back, nor should you cling to them when they seek to leave. If they are not your friend, you must move on and take care of your sands, else they will drown you."
I nodded slowly, working through what she said. That made sense, I supposed. I hadn't had many friends other than Triton, and while he left a lot he always came back.
Grover was spying on me for Mr. Brunner. I didn't know why but… he was probably not my friend.
I had to accept that.
But it still hurt.
"Havu," I murmured, leaning into the soft currents that draped over me.
"I hope that things improve for you, soha nainiar, but I do believe tis time for you to wake. I have held you long enough."
She gathered the bowls, running Her hand through my hair one last time, then flicked away, taking Her currents with Her.
Without the soft currents wrapped around me I immediately noticed the tugging of a much stronger current, a familiar one from previous trips.
"Stay safe Persi-tou."
I woke up.
OO OO OO OO
I finished the Latin exam fairly quickly, one of the first done.
I knew I'd messed up a bunch of the grammar, but I was pretty sure I did okay on word meaning. I used the context for most of the grammar, so that wasn't too bad. The history questions were mostly on mythology and some on the government of Ancient Romans and I was pretty sure I did okay on those.
I did rush through it. Between the buzzing and knowing Mr. Brunner was spying on me… well I didn't want to be in the room for any longer than I had to.
Despite that I was pretty sure I'd managed a C, maybe even a B if I guessed right on the grammar.
I grabbed my bag and was just about to leave when Mr. Brunner called me back.
My stomach dropped and my breath caught. Did he know I'd heard them last night? Did he know I was onto them? He wouldn't call me out in front of the whole class right?
I stood in front of his desk and forced myself to stay still.
"Percy," he said gently (liar). "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's… it's for the best."
I swallowed hard, feeling heavy. He… he was saying that in front of the whole class . I could see Nancy smirking at me.
Other students snickered, clearly he wanted me to suffer.
"Okay, sir," I mumbled.
"I mean…" Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say (everything he said was a lie anyways). "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."
My throat felt tight, what was he meaning with that ? That I was "destined" to be kicked out? Did he know about my powers? Had he planned to remove me himself if I hadn't been kicked out? Were all his high standards for me lies (of course they were he's a liar)?
"Right," I whispered, keeping myself still by force of will.
He didn't know about my powers. He didn't .
"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say… you're not normal, Percy. That's–"
"Thanks," I blurted, almost scrambling back. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me."
I fled, hearing and ignoring his call.
OO OO OO OO
The last day of term arrived at long last and I was more than a little relieved.
I packed everything up. My school supplies, assorted decorations, and most of my clothes went in my suitcase. My personal stuff, gifts from Triton and my friends, my waterskin, a few favorite clothes, and Carl in his new, very carefully made, transportable, tank went in the large duffle bag. My backpack held my notebooks, books from Triton, and my rune making supplies.
We had one last lunch before we'd be leaving, and it was spent with people talking about their plans for the break.
They were all juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich ones. They didn't just have a brother giving them nice things as gifts, they had parents who could afford all the nice things.
I felt a bit jealous of them, and a bit frustrated with how they acted with their money. They had so much but were just planning to go to cool places for vacations. All of my mom's resources were spent sending me to school and providing for us.
I sometimes wanted to explain to them exactly how good their lives were, but I knew that would just isolate me even more. So I kept my mouth shut about how much I wanted to gape at them when they talked about a trip to Italy for a weekend to myself.
"What about you, Percy?" One involved me in their conversation about the summer.
I flashed a bright smile and debated for half a second whether to tell them that I would have nothing to do unless Triton contacted me, or to pretend this summer would be like my last one and rephrase things to fit land stuff.
The answer was obvious.
"I'll be visiting some of my friends overseas, I haven't seen them since winter break." I hoped I'd get to see my friends at least.
"Oh, that's cool. Where do they live?"
"A few different islands, they're a bit spread out so it'll be a lot of travel."
"Sounds fun! You looking forward to it?"
I nodded, "They're always a lot of fun."
They moved back to discussing their summers, leaving space for me to join in.
I didn't want to, some of the things they said boggled my mind (one of them was taking a private jet to China to watch a movie being filmed ) plus, a lot of them weren't very nice to Grover, but I did appreciate it a bit.
I was still… conflicted about Grover. Even with Tethys-ranano advice, even knowing he was spying on me, even knowing he may have been plotting to hurt me, it was… it was hard to drop the year of friendship.
He was my first real land friend, my only one, but he wasn't- he was lying- and I just-
I was nervous about saying goodbye, was torn on how to feel about him, but apparently I'd have more time.
He was taking the same bus back to Manhattan.
…
Suspicious.
OO OO OO OO
Grover was clearly very nervous on the bus ride back. He spent the entire time glancing up and down aisles, watching the passengers, and flinching with every bump in the road. It was a more extreme version of how he acted whenever we left Yancy.
I ducked my head, staring intently at my backpack.
"Hey, Percy?"
I glanced at him, "Yeah?"
"I uh, I know that uh, that we're going different ways this summer. But…. I thought, uh, here-"
He handed me a card, "Just take this, in case you need me this summer."
I took the card and read it. Or well, tried to. It was in the most obnoxious fancy script and I had to squint and carefully sound out each letter to find out what it said.
Grover Underwood
Keeper
Half-Blood Hill
Long Island, New York
(800) 009-0009
My breath caught, Half-Blood Hill. I swallowed and tried to shove my panic down. Grover could sense emotions.
"What's Half-"
"Don't say it aloud!" He yelped, "That's my, um… summer address."
I stared at him. Was Half-Blood Hill some sort of trap? Was it a place where they killed Half-Bloods?
"So if I want to visit," I offered weakly.
"Or… or if you need me." He nodded.
"Why would I need you?"
I couldn't help the bitter words. How could he think I'd "need him" after all of this? I was the one who'd protected him at school. He was the one spying on me and-
Grover blushed right down to his adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you."
My thoughts screeched to a halt.
What.
The one who was spying on me, and working with the suspicious teacher was supposed to protect me .
What ert areo was that supposed to mean?
"What are you protecting me from ?" I asked slowly.
He shifted, opening his mouth to answer, only to falter as a loud grinding noise screeched through the bus from under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs.
The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.
I coughed, making a face at the smell. Grover covered his nose with his shirt. After a few minutes of sitting there while the driver clanked around in the engine compartment, the driver announced we'd all have to get off.
Grover and I filed outside with everyone else and I stumbled. There was a presence that I knew hadn't been there a second ago.
A web of feeling twined over me, fabric sliding over my skin and sparking with… something as it moved. Infinity threaded over my skin.
My head snapped around, following the threads, to find the source.
On the other side of the road, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.
And there, next to it, in rocking chairs under a maple tree, sat three old ladies.
They were- they were-
Their skin was wrinkled, and yet smooth as silk. Their clothes were composed of an infinite number of threads, threads that threaded right into the pile of electric-blue yarn the middle lady held in a basket. Their clothes were ancient chitons. Their clothes were jeans and t-shirts.
A knife pressed to my throat when I looked at the electric-blue yarn.
The old ladies looked right at me. Their presence clawed at my skin, smoothed over the edges, jabbed at me like knives. Who were they? What were they?
I stared back at them, caught in the folds of their presence.
A strangled noise snapped me out of it, my attention drawn to Grover.
"Grover?"
"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"
"Yeah."
My gaze was drawn back to them as one took out a pair of scissors, slim and elegant, gold and silver and bronze and platinum and a thousand other metals and just plain steel.
Grover's breath caught like my gaze.
"We're getting on the bus," he told me through layers of fabric miles thick. "Come on."
I didn't move. I didn't turn. My gaze locked onto the scissors that reached for the yarn that held a knife to my throat.
"Come on!" he called, prying the door open and climbing inside.
My eyes locked with the middle lady, the future laid out before me. She lifted the scissors.
I could hear the snip of her cutting the yarn from across all four lanes of traffic. I could feel the snip of her cutting the yarn in the small of my back across time.
The other two ladies bundled up the electric-blue fabric, the fabric threaded through with a thousand shades that they had not held a moment ago, that they'd always held, that I knew and did not. Between one blink and the next they were gone and I was free.
At the front of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment and the bus shuddered, before roaring back to life.
The passengers cheered and I drew in large gulps of breath.
"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"
We got back on the bus and I slumped into my seat, noting the buzzing wrapping around Grover. He looked sick.
I didn't feel good either.
"Grover?"
"Yeah?"
I wanted to ask a thousand questions, but I needed to know one thing first.
"What are you not telling me?"
He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"
That wasn't the question. That wasn't what I wanted to know. The old ladies were- They were-
I answered it, hoping for a clear answer for myself.
"There were three old ladies, knitting… something. One was holding yarn. The one in the middle cut the yarn, then They left."
He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers, a symbol Triton had showed me that was used to ward off evil. You could add some magic to it to add a bit of flare too.
"You saw her snip the cord."
"Yeah. So?"
Who were They? What were They? I'd never felt anything like that. I'd never seen anything like that.
"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like last time."
I scowled, "What last time?"
"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."
"Grover," I snapped. I just wanted answers! "What are you talking about?"
"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."
I stared at him. He had spied on me all year. He'd lied to me all year. He was lying to me right now. He wasn't answering my questions. He was supposed to protect me. He was planning to kill me.
I wasn't endangering my mom.
"Sure."
He continued to bemoan my fate, looking at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin (Forget-me-nots so I can boss people around even when I'm dead).