Falling Through Portals

Tea Time at Midnight

Chapter 11

Percy was not a history wiz. Reading history textbooks put him to sleep faster than the Hypnos Cabin's down feathered pillows. Fortunately, with a girlfriend who knew just about everything, he had gone to lots of museums for dates. And as romantic as looking at old furniture and artifacts was, some of the information did manage to seep into him.

The long style of coat and fancy style was obviously not from his century. The whole place was like an antique store with old fashioned everything. The question was, how old was it? Since the place was using candles, he didn't think it was the 20th century either. It could have been, but since the guy standing in front of him looked pretty well to do, he decided it wasn't. Therefore he was 80% sure that it was 18th century. 60% sure. . .

The guy smiled at him. He was tall with dark hair and pale skin. The cat eyes were the most unnerving, it made him look like some sort of magical being.

Snowflakes covered his shoulders and hair. Could it be winter?

"So," Magnus prompted, "who are you?" He shrugged off his coat and hung it on a coat tree behind him. Then Magnus pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down. "I have lived through enough centuries to recognize your dress. Anyway, would you care to enlighten me?"

Percy just sort of stood there. He had just appeared in the guy's kitchen and was totally cool about it. It was as if random people popping up dressed in medieval clothes was a part of his normal night time routine.

"Come," Magnus gestured to the chair next to him, "No reason to be afraid. Sit down."

Percy hesitated only a moment before sitting down. 

"My name is Perseus Jackson. And you are right, I am not from this dimension."

Magnus's eye brows went up.

"You are a demon?"

"What?" Percy tensed, suddenly alarmed, "No I am a Demigod. Demon? What are you talking about?"

Magnus relaxed slightly, "Sorry, I- I didn't know that people other than demons came from other dimensions." His eyebrows knit, "What is a demigod?"

"I really need to stop blurting that out," Percy muttered to himself. "A demigod is half human half god. Probably not a god of this world but one from mine. It is confusing."

"So how did you break in here, Demigod?" he asked suspiciously.

"You can just call me, Perseus. And I didn't break it, I transported in here," Percy wished he didn't have to explain everything.

"How? You couldn't have opened a portal here, I would have sensed it," Magnus leaned forwards.

Percy ran his hands through his hair. This was going to take forever. The prophesy still ached at the back of his mind. He needed to find the stones. Even though they seemed more like doomsday stones than anything helpful, at least he had something to aim for. The last thing he wanted to do was share his life story, yet another time, with a complete stranger.

"Listen, I don't have time for this!" Percy stood, "I have a job to do and I can't spend my time here explaining everything to you."

Magnus held up his hands, "Calm yourself, I am not trying to bate you, my boy."

Percy tried not to be irritated but everything just seemed to get under his skin. "I just need to get out of here and find the stones, I am sorry for entering your house without your permission." Percy walked towards the door. 

"You can't go into the snow with only a thin medieval coat on," Magnus said.

Percy stopped and looked back at him. He stood from his chair.