Project Percy (Kotlc Meets Percy Jackson)

Chapter 34

The Council was right. Information had been planted in his brain.

The idea was too huge, he couldn't make it fit inside his head.

His hands shook as he ripped the photo off the scrapbook. He was violating what Athena had told him - everything the Council ordered - but if anyone found out, his life would never be the same again. He couldn't face that.

He slipped the photo into the middle of a thick book and shoved the book among a dozen other thick books on this highest shelf. It should be safe there. For now.

All he wanted was to curl into a ball and never get up again, but he didn't have time. Someone stuck stuff in his brain and he needed to find those memories - before they got him in trouble again.

What had made him think of Elementine?

He pulled out his star maps and plotted the stars on his list on one page, like he'd seen Pluto do at the tribunal. The six stars formed two lines, pointing straight to Elementine.

The room swam around him. It couldn't be an accident. The list must've been made specifically for him. Which meant someone wanted him to find Elementine.

But who? And why?

And what would they want next?

He stayed up all night drawing anything he could think of into his memory log, but when the sun rose, he was no closer to the answer. All he knew for sure was that he had to keep it a secret. If the Council found out, they'd never let him stay at Foxfire. Mars would make sure of it. And if they decided he was dangerous...

Especially since he couldn't be sure he wasn't dangerous. He'd almost blown up the school - way worse than shooting a bus with a cannon. What if that had been the plan when someone gave him that list?

Nowhere seemed safe enough to hide the memory log, so he stuffed it in the bottom of his satchel to keep with him at all times. None of his friends noticed how stressed he was. They were used to his difficulties in PE, and during lunch they were too distracted by all the pressure they were getting to manifest. It wasn't until hydrokinesis that he wished he'd stayed home sick. Then again, that wouldn't really be much better, considering that he and Kym lived in the same place.

"Did you sleep last night?" Kym asked as he slumped into his chair.

"No." There was no point lying. He had dark circles to rival Sally's.

"I expected as much. Athena told me what happened yesterday."

"Wait," Percy interrupted. "That means you talked to Athena."

"Yes."

"For more than one minute, I'm assuming."

"Yes."

"And you didn't kill her?"

Kym laughed. "Don't change the subject. Have you started the memory log?"

He nodded.

"I'm assuming you don't want to show me."

Silence stretched between them. Percy started tapping his fingers. Kym removed a black pathfinder from her pocket. "Concentrate," she said.

Noise hammered into his brain as the water begged for his attention. He closed his eyes and pushed against the noise until it became a muted hum.

"Welcome to Los Angeles," Kym said, pulling him over to a bench. "Actually, I believe the humans call this part Hollywood."

Percy coughed. He'd been away from humans for almost six months, long enough to forget traffic, pollution, and trash. It turned his stomach. "Um, aren't we a little conspicuous?" He pulled the corners of his stupid cape.