CONSUMED - Percy Jackson

[ 01 ] familiar eyes

      Hazel hesitated. Her eyes drifted to Noah, who's eyes had not left Percy from the moment she saw him. Something about the interaction made her skin crawl and she wanted to run.

      Hazel forced herself to speak. "Um...Percy's lost his memory." She told the two what had happened since Percy had arrived at the gates.

      "So, Nico..." she continued carefully, "I thought...you know, you travel all over. Maybe you've met demigods like Percy before, or..."

      The two mirrored each others look, their expressions turned as dark as Tartarus. Hazel didn't understand why, but she got the message: Drop it.

      "This story about Gaea's army," Nico said. Desperately changing the subject "You warned Reyna?"

      Percy nodded. "Who is Gaea, anyway?"

      Noah finally looked away from Hazel and back at Percy. "She's the earth goddess." Noah glanced at the ground as if it might be listening. "The oldest goddess of all. She's in a deep sleep most of the time, but she hates the gods and their children."

      "Mother Earth...is evil?" Percy asked.

      Noah hid her smile by looking down.

      One thing Noah missed most about the boy was his obliviousness towards his own bloodline.

      "Very," Nico said gravely. "She convinced her son, the Titan Kronos-um, I mean, Saturn to kill his dad, Uranus, and take over the world. The Titans ruled for a long time. Then the Titans' children, the Olympian gods, overthrew them"

      Noah nodded along.

      "That story seems familiar," Percy sounded surprised, like an old memory had partially surfaced. "But I don't think I ever heard the part about Gaea."

      Nico shrugged. "She got mad when the gods took over. She took a new husband-Tartarus, the spirit of the abyss and gave birth to a race of giants. They tried to destroy Mount Olympus, but the gods finally beat them. At least...the first time."

      Hazel took note to the way Noah uncomfortably shifted at the mention.

      "The first time?" Percy repeated.

      "Last summer," Nico continued, "Saturn tried to make a comeback. There was a second Titan war. The Romans at Camp Jupiter stormed his headquarters on Mount Othrys, across the bay, and destroyed his throne. Saturn disappeared-" He hesitated, watching Percy's face. Noah doing the same.

      She remembered the war as if it were yesterday. She remembered the losses, the gains, everything. She hated the way both the Greek's and Roman's lost so much in the wars all for the other side to to be completely oblivious.

      "Um, anyway," Nico continued, "Saturn probably faded back to the abyss. We all thought the war was over. Now it looks like the Titans' defeat stirred up Gaea. She's starting to wake. I've heard reports of giants being reborn. If they mean to challenge the gods again, they'll probably start by destroying the demigods."

      "You've told Reyna this?" Percy asked.

      "Of course." Nico's jaw tensed. "The Romans don't trust me. That's why I was hoping she'd listen to you. Children of Pluto...well, no offense, but they think we're even worse than children of Neptune. We're bad luck."

      Percy looked at Noah "you're not a child of Pluto though" he wasn't sure how he knew, he just did.

      Noah shifted "No, I'm a child of Nyx"—she cleared her throat—"Nox, which isn't much better"

      He nodded slightly.

      "They let Hazel stay here," Percy noted.

      "That's different," Nico said.

      "Why?"

      "Percy," Hazel cut in, "look, the giants aren't the worst problem. Even...even Gaea isn't the worst problem. The thing you noticed about the gorgons, how they wouldn't die, that's our biggest worry." She looked at Nico.

      Noah noticed this, but decided to ignore it for the time being.

      "Nico and I," she said carefully, "we think that what's happening is...Death isn't-" Before she could finish, a shout came from down the hill.

      A taller boy jogged toward them, wearing jeans, purple camp shirt, and denim jacket.

      He had a weird combination of a baby face and bulky wrestler's body. He looked like a cuddly koala bear with muscles.

      He reached the shrine. "Hey, Nico..."

      "Frank." Nico smiled.

      Frank looked at Noah for a second, trying to remember if he knew her before she finally spoke up "Noah"

      He lightly nodded before saying what he came to the group to say "Reyna sent me to get Percy," Frank said looking towards Hazel. "Did Octavian accept you?"

      "Yeah," Percy said. "He slaughtered my panda."

      Noah furrowed her eyebrows.

      Since when did Percy have a panda?

      "He...Oh. The augury? Yeah, teddy bears"—Noah slightly nodded at the added information, the panda thing making more sense—"must have nightmares about that guy. But you're in! We need to get you cleaned up before evening muster."

      "You're right." she said. "We'd better—"

      "Frank," Nico interrupted, "why don't you take Percy down? Hazel and I will be along soon"

      Noah looked towards Nico confused, where was she supposed to go. Nico nodded in the direction of Percy.

      Noah mumbled an 'oh' before turning back to Percy and frank. "I guess I'll go with you too" she looked towards Nico again, hoping she read him right. He looked completely content so she took that as a good sign "let the siblings have a chat, I guess"

      "That's-that's a good idea," Hazel managed. "Go ahead, guys. We'll catch up."

      Percy looked at Nico one more time, as though he was still trying to place a memory.

      "I'd like to talk with you some more. I can't shake the feeling-"

      "Sure," Nico agreed. "Later. I'll be staying overnight."

      "You will?" Hazel blurted at the same time Noah said "we will?"

      "Go on, Percy," Nico said. "Settle in." He turned to Hazel. "My sister and I need to talk."

AUTHOR TALKS!!
"Well you don't know me...but I know you."
Anywho, I wrote this chapter listening to "which witch" by Florence and the machine. highly recommend.
Honestly recommend any song by Florence and the machine tbh, they're so underrated.