The Vines of Fate (Percy Jackson fanfic)

The Mist Can Be Mean

"What happened to him?" Piper asked. "When we went up into the clouds, did he... is he gone for good?"

"Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained. "Storm spirits...difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise."

"Jason's sword turned them to dust." Piper remembered.

"Then he was lucky." I said. "If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."

"Tartarus?"

"A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from. Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Anyways, once monsters dissolve, it usually takes months, even years before they can re-form again. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away- well, I don't know why he'd keep Hedge alive." Annabeth furrowed her brows. "Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something."

Piper frowned. She gazed at the cabins below. She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.

"It'll be okay." Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been through a lot of weird stuff."

"No kidding." I snorted.

"We know what you're going through." Annabeth finished.

"I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years." Piper said. "My dad's running out of places to put me."

"Only five?" Annabeth didn't sound like she was teasing. "Piper, we've all been labeled troublemakers. I ran away from home when I was seven."

"Seriously?"

"Oh, yeah."

"I lost track of how many times my mom had to pull me out of schools because she would get embarrassed by my behavior." I shrugged. "I didn't know at that time that drinking Kool-Aid  or any sugary drink messed with me. That's all I had packed in my lunches and snacks everyday at school. I would be bouncing off the walls. Plus, my ADHD and dyslexia didn't help either."

"Most of us are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both-"

"Leo's ADHD." Piper noted.

"Right. It's because we're hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive- we don't fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy..." I trailed off as my face darkened and my heart clenched and ached.

"Anyways," Annabeth gave me a look, seeing if I was okay, "demigods get a bad rep. How'd you get in trouble?"

"I steal stuff." Piper said. "Well, not really steal..."

"Is your family poor?"

"Not even." Piper laughed bitterly. "I did it... I don't know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble."

"I can relate." Annabeth nodded.

"I can't." I breathed out a chuckle. I crossed my arms. "Once I 'ruined' the family business, my mother hated me."

"But you said you didn't really steal?" Annabeth continued, patting my back. "What do you mean?"

"Well...nobody ever believed me. The police, teachers-even the people I took stuff from: they're so embarrassed they'll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don't steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, 'Sure. Take it.' Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess. Then the police came after me."