𝐖𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐂! percy jackson

xiii. Three Blind Mice

Fiona wished she could stab this guy. She wondered whether he would erupt into black flames like the karpoi had, because that would give her some great satisfaction. But with a look from Percy to tell her to stay calm, she sighed and crossed her arms. They needed Phineas's help, even if he's a weed whacker cruel old man who won the coward's way. Gods, he reminded her of Octavian.

"Um, whatever," Percy approached the blind seer, keeping one eye on the weed whacker. "I'm Percy Jackson. This is━"

"Demigods!" cried the old ma. "I can always smell demigods."

Fiona bit back from saying: oh, past your own smell? Wow, impressive. Hazel frowned, "Do we smell that bad?"

The old man laughed. "Of course not, my dear. But you'd be surprised how sharp my other senses became once I was blinded. I'm Phineas. And you━wait, don't tell me━"

He reached for Percy's face and poked him in the eyes.

"Ow!" Percy let out.

"Son of Neptune!" Phineas exclaimed. "I thought I smelled the ocean on you, Percy Jackson. I am also a son of Neptune, you know."

"Hey ... yeah. Okay," Percy rubbed his eyes. Fiona hoped that when Percy grew old he wouldn't end up like this idiot.

Phineas turned to Hazel. "And here ... Oh my, the smell of gold and deep earth. Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto. And here we have your sister━yes, but I smell death on you, my dear. Death. You'd do well to keep that dagger away from me, Fiona Midgrass, daughter of Pluto ..." he sniffed again, "... and a legacy of Victoria! Oh, so it's you."

Fiona frowned, immediately going to the defence. "What do you mean?"

But he ignored her and turned to Frank, "And you━the son of Mars. But there's more to your story, Frank Zhang━"

"Ancient blood," Frank muttered. "Prince of Pylos. Blah, blah, blah."

"Periclymenus, exactly! Oh, he was a nice fellow. I loved the Argonauts!"

Frank's mouth fell opened. "W━wait. Perry who?"

"Don't worry," Phineas grinned. "I know about your family. That story about your great-grandfather? He didn't really destroy the camp. Now, what an interesting group. Are you hungry?"

Fiona frowned, glancing over at Frank who looked like he had been run over by a truck. His great-grandfather was Shen Lun? Phineas moved onto other matters, however. He waved his hand at the picnic table, and as hungry as Fiona was, she would much prefer to have those stupid 'chocolate' muffins back at R.O.F.L. rather than eat with those poor bird ladies suffering as they watched. No, she wasn't that much of a horrible person.

"Look, I'm confused," Percy held a hand up. "We need some information. We were told━"

"━that the harpies were keeping my food away from me," Phineas finished, "and, if you helped me, I'd help you."

"Something like that."

The old man laughed. "That's old news. Do I look like I'm missing any meals?" he patted his pot-belly, and Fiona's nails were digging into the skin of her palm.

"You hold a coward's victory," she couldn't help but snap, and Phineas's milky white eyes landed on her.

"Things have changed, Fiona Midgrass," he told her, not as cheerful as he had been before. "When I first got the gift of prophecy, aeons ago, it's true Jupiter cursed me. He sent the harpies to steal my good. You see, I had a bit of a big mouth. I gave away too many secrets that the gods wanted to keep. For instance, you, my darling angel, are anything but. I'm the coward? Perhaps you should have a look at yourself. Surely you have never gone the cowards way out to win a battle, perhaps that's why you can't seem to win any anymore. Not only that, but you are meant to be dead, Prosperpina stopped watering your tree in the Underworld two days ago, and yet here you are." Fiona knew the others were looking at her with mixed expressions: confusion, alarm, sympathy, but she ignored them. She was glad that Phineas decided to continue his speech to Hazel, declaring her supposed to be dead like Fiona, and then Frank, which caught Fiona's attention, "━Your life depends on a burnt stick."