Project Percy (Kotlc Meets Percy Jackson)

Chapter 37

"Can I talk to you?" Percy whispered to Annabeth on their way into the cafeteria the next day. "Somewhere private?"

She raised an eyebrow at the request, but she shrugged and motioned for him to come with her. He could feel Leo's eyes burning into the back of his head as he followed Annabeth down the hall.

"What's up?" she asked when they were alone.

"Do you know what you're mom's investigating right now?"

"Why?"

He focused on her nose to think a little more clearly. "She came over a couple nights ago, begging for Poseidon to help with something. It seemed like it was important."

"I'm sure it's fine."

"She looked really stressed, Annabeth. I've never seen her like that. Do you know what she's working on?"

She hesitated. "It's some sort of fire, and I only know that because she comes home smelling like smoke. She doesn't tell me about official matters."

"But she sent you to find me, so she must tell you some stuff."

Annabeth glanced over her shoulder, making sure they were still alone. "That was an exception. She needed someone close to your age to follow the leads she could find, someone who can blend in. Otherwise she wouldn't have involved me."

He tapped his fingers, processing her words. "And you have no idea what she's working on at all?"

Something changed in her face. She knew more than she was telling him.

"You can trust me," Percy pleaded. "Please." He may have sworn off investigating things after the Quintessence debacle, but this was big, and it was tearing Sally and Poseidon apart. "I need to know."

She closed her eyes. "I shouldn't do this."

"Please," he said again.

"I heard her talking to Luke," she admitted. "It's not one fire, it's hundreds. All in the Forbidden Cities. All starting the same day. And the flames are this weird fluorescent yellow color. The Council ruled it as a human arsonist and refused to investigate, but my mom thinks the Black Swan is involved. Luke thinks she's crazy."

His heart stopped. Hundreds of human fires? "Do you know which cities?"

"She didn't say. But I know they're all over the planet."

"Are they in New York?"

"I'm sure your family is fine. My mom was assigned to keep an eye on them, in case they started questioning your death."

Athena never told him that. "Do you know what the Black Swan is up to?"

"No idea. I swear. And you can't tell anyone I told you this. I'm not supposed to know."

"I won't. Promise."

"Ok. Can we go eat lunch now?"

"You can. I need to think."

"Don't worry about it, Percy. I'm sure it's not a big deal."

He forced a smile. "I just want to think."

He wandered the halls, letting his mind spin with the new information.

Why would the Black Swan set fires around humans? And why were they yellow this time? Why did Athena need Poseidon and Kym's help? And why did they refuse?

He made his way to the atrium so he could switch his books before everyone else got there. He wasn't in the mood to talk.

A book was waiting on the center shelf of his locker: An Insider's Guide to Pyrokinesis. It came with a note: "Hope this helps you find what you're looking for."

He smiled. He'd forgotten the librarian's promise to send him anything she found on Pyrokinetics. There couldn't be better time.

Elementalism was an even bigger disaster than usual. Percy was way too distracted to concentrate, and after he dropped a whirlwind, Lady Alecto released him early, before anything could happen to her cape. Percy used the time to head to the Level Six library, to thank the librarian for finding the book.

"Still looking for books on pyrokinesis?" she asked when she saw Percy.

"No, the one you gave me is more than enough."

"What do you mean?"

"An Insider's Guide to Pyrokinesis." He froze when he saw the look of absolute confusion on the librarian's face. "Didn't you send me the book?"

"I've never even heard of it, and I thought I knew them all."

"Oh. Must've been one of the other librarians I talked to. I guess I'll have to thank them." He forced a tiny laugh.

"Let me know who it was. I'd love to read it when you're done."

Percy nodded, keeping the smile plastered across his lips as he wobbled down the hall.

The other librarians never promised to send a book to his locker. It was possible one of them did, and he had a sinking feeling it had nothing to do with them.

He confirmed the suspicion an hour later when he was alone in his room. A thick dog-ear marked a chapter toward the end. He flipped there, to a drawing of an elf surrounded by bright yellow fire.

EVERBLAZE: THE UNSTOPPABLE FLAME

The book slipped from his hands as foreign memories flashed through his mind. Half blind from the rush of information, he stumbled to his satchel and pulled out his Imparter.

"Show me Athena.