Not enough time

Chapter 1 : Back then

The Narrator:

           Percy had just been fired from his 4th workplace that same month. He couldn't leave for collage after the sudden news that his mother was diagnosed with cancer. After all, how could he, he'd never leave his mother behind. Smoking was a sick habit that his step father Gabe enjoyed doing, next to torturing him and his mother that is. Percy had kicked Gabe out of the house the moment he turned 18, but it was too late, the damage had been done. The doctors explained how the extreme amount of smoking from Gabe had damaged Sally's lungs more than his. Second hand smoking had ruined her life. More specifically Gabe had ruined her life. Percy had to work hard to pay rent and his mothers medical bill, and now he had to depressingly buy groceries and brake the news to his mother. But little does he know, that today will be the day everything changes.         Ha...        Ha...             Haaa...

Percy Jackson:

I hate red apples. Nothing about them seem to be as good as what they look like. I prefer green apples, they taste better and don't trick the consumer into its reddish evilness. I'd love some blue apples but sadly they don't exist. So I threw the red devil back to the pile of sinning brethren. But the disgusting odor of vegetables was lurking all around me and I had to restrain the urge to gag as I started grabbing everything my mom had put on the list. But no matter how much I hated doing it, angering mom was out of the question.

Look, I don't usually hate on fruits, but I do hate on vegetables lets be clear on that, but today of all days, I was in a bad mood. Not only was it "Percy's turn to get the grocery Friday" but I had just been brutally fired from a thrift store that was nearby from the apartment. It turns out that helping an old costumer from a robber by stabbing the guy was apparently "crazy". I call it heroism, but I get where you'd get that mixed up.

As I lay down the milk and eggs on the moving counter and chose a random candy from the stand, I started to think. That's never good. I would constantly think about my life choices, about many regrets, and all the things I'd change if I could. But I was stuck here carrying groceries bags to my moms apartment. By my own will, the only thing I don't regret is staying with her. It's the least that I can do as her son, but even then, life is truly lonely. No one to joke around since they've all left to random university's across the world.

Climbing the stairs with 7 bags was difficult, not gonna lie. But trying to grab the keys and put them inside the nob was nearly impossible. I could've easily put down the grocery and done it, but that would ruin the whole thing. I needed a slight redemption.

But the strange thing that I noticed when I finally slid the key, was that it was already unlocked. I felt stupid but immediately I felt scared. The door would automatically lock itself from the inside. I quickly dashed to the other side to the horrors of my suspicions were right, someone had broken the lock.

"MOM!" I yelled at the top of my lungs

I dropped the grocery bags and ran across the apartment, grabbing a knife from the kitchen and ran toward my mothers room. Before I could yell for her once more, her thrown bloody corpse caught my eye.

"Holy sh- Mom!" I practically lost my voice.
I frantically ran towards her and slowly caressed her head on my lap.  "Don't leave me"

But she was gone, her eyes didn't give any signs of life, her heart and stomach had been stabbed mercilessly. The apartment was robbed, this was an assassination. But I couldn't do anything, I didn't dare leave her body. I didn't know how much time had passed but I stayed huddled next to her, praying to any god for her, a way to get her back. I didn't notice the flashlight behind, and was startled by a voice.

"Put your hands in the air! You are under arrest" The police thought I had killed my own mother

"It wasn't me! It was someone else!" Was all I could muster, my thought was dry and so was my voice.

"We received a call that a tall mid 20s man, black hair and green eyes was seen entering this building by force 1 hour ago"

He slowly walked towards me, and slowly took out his gun. I didn't even look back when I ran towards the buildings escape ladder. I was set up, and no matter what I would do I would never get away with it. I need to find the killer.

I kept running and eventually hid under a bridge, it was nearly midnight. Some distant yelling could be heard, and traffic was always screaming at every point of any day. But I heard nothing, only the sight of my now dead mother was in my mind taking over my senses. I only felt anger and a lust for vengeance. And that was when I heard his voice, an ancient and untrustworthy voice.

"You seek revenge, don't you? I can give you that"

I jumped and looked to my left as I saw a dragged old man pushing a cart. The same old man who was being robbed the night before. But the voice wasn't his, he was the one who spoke but it was something greater.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked, obviously scarred

"The one who takes all, and the one who took your mother" he rose his hand as to stop me from yelling. "I reap what is dead, and no one is an exception, but I owe your father a favor. Now I shall give you a gift and you can only accept"

Now, normally I don't listen to creepy looking people from the street with a demonic booming voice. But this man had intrigued me and it's not like I had anywhere to go. So I nodded.

And everything changed.

The old man started to float and his voice started to boom even louder what seemed to be from every shadow.

"From gifts of gods I bring.
Time is your master, your king.
But you've been given a second chance
Let the fluids of time, DANCE"

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I woke up with a headache. The bed was unrealistically comfortable and vaguely familiar. That was such a strange dream. It felt so real. But I simply brushed it off and started my day by taking a shower and picking random clothes. I ended up finding my long lost favorite shirt at the corner of a huge dirty pile of laundry. It felt odd though, as if I was missing something. Just as I was about to realize anything, the door blew wide open and guns blazing my mother started screaming.

"PERSEUS JACKSON, YOU WILL NOT BE LATE FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL YOUNG MAN"

And it hit me. As if I had gone deaf for a single moment or maybe the whole world decided to be quite altogether. My eyes were glued to the ocean themed calendar hanging from the closet. It read "August 15th, 2009" with a red marked circle on the 18th, my fifteenth birthday.