𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄! percy jackson¹

viii. Mother Dearest

I frowned when I heard Percy scoff. "Oh, I forgot. Let me guess: Claire helped with Annabeth's plan?"

I looked down, my gaze returning to my dull sneakers. It seemed like someone had had found a way to stab me inwardly to my stomach and slowly twist their way to my heart. At Percy's words, I could feel my shoulders slouch, and I suddenly felt shy and insecure.

"Don't be so hard on her, Percy," Grover told the son of Poseidon. "Or Annabeth, either."

"I don't have a problem with Annabeth." Percy snapped back. "At least she's nice to me, despite the feud between Athena and Poseidon. It's Claire that annoys me, especially when she gives me that look that everything I do is stupid."

"You don't mean that," Grover said. "She can be snappy sometimes, she has a short attention span which makes her impatient ... but she's a good person. Claire ... she's had a rough past, Perce, and she tries to push it away, but her troubles always get to her. I think you annoy her because she doesn't understand you, or what you mean for her future."

"What are you talking about?"

I shrunk down low. I wanted to punch Grover for being so open about me. He's supposed to keep my secret, all my friends are. It was my thing to tell, not his.

Grover seemed to realise his mistake, as he began to splutter. "I-it doesn't matter." He said quickly. "What I'm trying to say is that you should give her a chance, and she'll give you one in return. After all, she forgave me ..." he faltered again, and I pursed my lips. He was talking about Thalia.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked in a fast pace. "Forgave you for what?"

There was a pause, and Percy continued to urge the satyr. "Wait a minute," He said. "Your first keeper job was five years ago. Claire and Annabeth have been here for five years. They weren't ... I mean your first assignment went wrong –"

Grover cut him off. "I can't talk about it." His voice quivered, and I could tell he was on the verge of tears. At that moment, I forgave him again. I couldn't stay angry at Grover, we had been through too much together, but Percy was a whole different matter ... "But as I was saying, back at Medusa's, Annabeth, Claire and I agreed there's something strange going on with this quest. Something isn't what it seems."

"Well, duh. I'm getting blamed for stealing a thunderbolt that Hades took." Percy replied.

"That's not what I mean," Grover said. "The Fu – The Kindly Ones were sort of holding back. Like Mrs Dodds at Yancy Academy ... why did she wait so long to kill you? Then on the bus, they just weren't as aggressive as they could've been."

"They seemed plenty aggressive to me."

Grover shook his head. "They were screeching at us: 'Where is it? Where?'"

"Asking about me," Percy said.

"Maybe ... but Annabeth, Claire and I, we both got the feeling they weren't asking about a person. They said 'Where is it?' They seemed to be asking about an object."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I know. But if we've misunderstood something about this quest, and we only have nine days to find the master bolt..." Grover trailed off, and he looked to Percy like he was hoping for answers, but the Son of Poseidon looked as clueless as him. I pressed my lips together. Grover was right. If we don't get this right ... the whole world is at stake.

Percy took a breath. "Look," he said after a small pause, "I haven't been straight with you. I don't care about the master bolt. I agreed to go to the Underworld so I could bring back my mother."