The Jacksons (completed): Book 2 - Percy Jackson Fanfiction

~ Chapter Thirty-One: ESME

"Ezzy..." The nickname made my heart stop. He'd never called me that before. That was Uncle Leo's name for me. When had Adam ever heard Leo say that?

"Yeah," I said, my throat dry. "I'm here."

Unlike Nero, Adam was chained up. Fortunately, the iron key unlocked those too. Adam rubbed his wrists and noticed a cut on his palm. His eyes - blue like sapphires, sharp and pained - widened with fear as he gazed at me. He covered his face with his hands and sobs racked his body.

I didn't know what to do. Nero came over and put a hand reassuringly on Adam's shoulder.

"It's okay," he said comfortingly. "You're safe with us. We're gonna get out of here, mate, and we're gonna stop Zarah and these people."

Why could Nero, after everything he'd been through, cope with this and not me? Was it because my brother had delved into Adam's past and seen things I hadn't? Or was it because Nero had a heart and I really didn't?

But I knew what it was. It was because I felt guilty. I had tortured Adam like this when I fell under Chadwick's drugs. And when I accepted Dolus' offer, maybe Dolus had changed Adam back like this.

I didn't like the gods much, I decided.

Suddenly, an urge overcame me and I took hold of Adam's hand. He looked up, his eyes wet with tears.

"Whatever your past," I said firmly, "I will not judge you. I will never judge you. Come on. Get up."

"Why?" Adam snapped. "I'm a mess, I'm an ugly mess, you know that."

"Were," Nero corrected. "We're Bornes. We're family."

He looked at me. "Esme?"

With my other hand, I took Nero's. Nero took Adam's. We were linked.

"Family," I agreed.

Letting go of our hands, Adam wiped his eyes and stood up. Nero clapped a hand on his best friend's back. I was about to get up when I noticed something and picked it up.

"Here." I unflattened the cap and stuck it firmly on Adam's hair. We were just centimetres apart, my sea-green eyes meeting his sorrowful blue ones. "Be strong."

Adam was about to say something when footsteps could be heard.

"Time to go," I said, and led the boys back down the stairs.

With a little hesitation, they followed.

***

The tunnels took a while but we ended up out of another gate - the key worked again - and in the main facility. I recognised it as the canteen, where Chadwick and Verenspik used to dine with Zarah, Kheo and I.

The big wall clock said it was half past four in the afternoon. Thirty minutes until Chadwick's scheduled dinner. Nobody had followed us, but they'd at least know we were all missing. Yet the last place they'd look would be the canteen.

"They'll be along soon," I told the boys. "We might as well pick up some food."

"We can't," Nero interjected. "Neither can you, if you're up for execution."

"How do you -"

He felt his pockets and pulled out a black iPhone. "Zarah's," he told me. "She dropped it before I left." He felt in his pockets again and took out an earpierce. "I forgot about this!"

He clipped it onto his ear. "Lucas?"

A slow smile spread across his face as his ear buzzed slightly. "Yes! Oh my gods, I forgot, sorry mate! Er... we're trying to get some food from the canteen. We've got about half an hour."