Tiffany Hanson, A Percy Jackson Fan Fiction

Chapter 6, the fun is just beginning

“War?” Percy looked uneasy and confused.

“Training gets a little crazy. I call it war.” I saved. Chiron gave me a grateful look.

“Another thing you may not know,” he said, “is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods- the forces you call the Greek gods- are very much alive.”

Percy looked at each of us in turn. Grover looked sympathetic, as did Chiron. Mr. D was studying his cards. I was watching Percy. He looked like he was waiting for someone to say it was a joke.

Quite suddenly, Mr. D said “Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!” and cackled as he tallied his score.

“Mr. D,” Grover asked shyly, “if you’re not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?”

“Eh? Oh, alright.”

Grover snatched up the can and bit a shard out of it, chewing it gravely.

“Wait.” Percy said again. “You’re telling me there’s such a thing as God.”

“Well, now,” Chiron said, “God- capital G, God. That’s a different matter altogether. We shan’t deal with the metaphysical.”

“Metaphysical? But you were just talking about-“

“Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That’s a smaller matter.”

“Smaller?”

“Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class.”

“Zeus.” Percy said quickly. I winced. “Hera, Apollo,” he gestured at me, “you mean them.”

Thunder rumbled again.

“Young man.” Mr. D said, “I would really be less casual about throwing names around, if I were you.”

“She said a name.” He pointed at me.

“I said a name with respect. Throwing about casual names, as Mr. D said isn’t very respectful.”

“But they’re stories.” Percy said, uneasily. “They’re- myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They’re what people believed before there was science.”

“Science!” Mr. D scoffed. “And tell me Perceus Jackson” Percy flinched at the sound of his full name, but Mr. D continued, “what will people think ofyour science two thousand years from now? Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That’s what. Oh, I love mortals- they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they’ve come sooo far. And have they Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me.”

“Percy,” Chiron said, “you may choose to believe or not, but the fact it immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?”

Percy was about to respond, probably that it was a good deal. But he hesitated. “You mean, whether people believed in you or not.” He said.

“Exactly.” Chiron said. “If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, and old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perceus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just to explain how little boys can get over loosing their mothers?”

“I wouldn’t like it.” Percy said, he was getting a little annoyed I think. “But I don’t believe in gods.”

“Oh you better.” I said. I glanced at Mr. D, who was minding his cards. He was listening though, and he was radiating annoyance. “Before one of them incinerates you.”