Percy the Overlander

Chapter 7

       This time, the High Council meeting was a lot shorter. Ripred was beaming (at least Percy thought he was,  Rat Face). 

        " Did you see the look on Farnum's face? Ha! Bet he didn't see this one coming, right Luxa?" Luxa was still unsmileing.
           "We must not waste any more time. All of this Prophecy and Debate has cost us hours."

        " Correct, your Majesty," Mareth limped in on his crutch," prepare yourself, Percy, the Council has decided that you are the Soldier of Blue mentioned in the Prophecy!"

        Percy was going to ask why, when he realized....  Blue jeans. Blue T- shirt. Blue windbreaker.

       "Oh... yeah..."

       " I assume you still have your compactable sword with you?"

        "Uh-huh." Percy put a hand in his side pocket and felt for Riptide, as if he needed to, the Ball-Point Pen of Death always reappeared in his pocket if he ever lost it (which was more times than he'd like to admit).

        Ripred eyed him suspiciously, "Do you know how to use it?"

       " Of course I do. I..er... take classes..."

       "Mm-hm... Well , you will go with Luxa, Aurora, and I to Mount Pax to deliver the Broken Blade of Sandwich to the Cutters." He kind of spat these last words out.

        Everyone had packed things up quickly. All four of them were out the door (gates, actually) within minutes. Luxa kept Sandwich's sword in her backpack while she rode on Ripred's back. Percy, on the other hand, flew on Aurora. In Percy's head, some questions were bugging him...

        "Hey, Aurora,"

       " Yes, Overlander?" She had to shout a little over the blowing air,

       "I've been thinking, Just why Mount Pock?"

        Aurora chuckled a little bit, " First, it is Mount Pax, a Latin word meaning Peace. As for why, I do not know, it certainly is ironic that a transaction between two warring nations would be held on a dormant volcano named such."

       "A what now? Nevermind, another question, If Gregor is... you know, a warrior, how can he be kidnapped?"

       " I suppose it as Ripred sometimes says: even Ragers can be overpowered."

      " Ragers?" Percy asked,

      " A Rager is a... special type of fighter, they are born with a special instinct called the ' Rager Sense'. I gives them certain advantages in combat, such as... blocking out distractions, sharpening reflexes, detecting enemy weak points, some even say predicting their moves."

      Kinda like a Half-Blood with ADD and ADHD. He thought, " So, Gregor is one of these... Ragers?"

    "Yes, and Ripred also, they are extremely rare though."

    Percy tried to think of another question to pass the time, but Aurora suddenly  flew downward and landed.

     "Ripred, what is wrong?, you have stopped." She asked the rodent frozen in his tracks,

     "I just can't take it... He's just ... He smells like... It's JUST NOT RIGHT!" Ripred  marched over to Percy while an irate Luxa slid off  of the rat's back,

     "Ripred, this is ridiculous! We are wasting time!"

    "We could be wasting our breaths if it turns out we're carrying a spy with us!"

   "You have nothing to accuse him of any such thing." Aurora defended the overlander boy  behind her,

    "One search." Riperd begged

    "No." Luxa shot back

   "Just a small pat-down, please."

   "No."

   "Just empty his pockets, real quick."

   Luxa gave one long, exasperated sigh, "Once. Only so we can move on, Percy..."

   Percy quickly turned inside-out all his blue jean and wind breaker pockets. All that come out were Riptide, an old gum wrapper ( he forgot about that), and...

   "What's this?" Ripred quickly snatched up Ishmael's blank card.

   "Er... a friend gave that to me."

    "What's his name?"

   "Uh.... Ishmael."

   Ripred stared at the card, then he gasped.

  "What?" Percy asked,

  Luxa peered at it, "Th-there is writing appearing on it!"

  "What?" He ran over and gazed at the  small piece of paper.

  And sure enough, thin, blood-red lines began to materialize on it. Until within a few seconds the writing was clear enough to read:

                                                                           C.O.M.I.T.E.E.E.
                      Commonly Organized Minded Individuals Together to Eliminate Earth's Evils

                                                             Dr. Ishmael J. Barlow- I.I. Division (New York)                                                    Founder, President, CEO, COO, Head Scientist, Overall Bossman

    Percy was absolutely confused as to what that all meant, but before he could figure anything, Ripred screamed.

    "TRAITOR!"