Percy
About 8 hours later Percy noticed the sun shining through the window. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the light as he opened the curtains. He took a long cold shower and got dressed. Valerie was waiting for him in the kitchen reading a book, and Audrey was eating a huge plate of breakfast.
"Morning" she said, her eyes were fixated on the book.
"Hey" Percy took a seat next to Audrey and saw was she was having; it looked like scallops but in a green soup. Percy didn't say anything about it, but apparently his face did, because Audrey glared back at him. "What" she huffed.
"Nothing"
Valerie laughed, "He only eats muggle food."
"Seriously?!"
"Yeah" Percy said.
"Well have you ever tried our food?"
"No"
"Try it"
"No" Percy gagged
Audrey rolled her eyes and continued eating, Percy stared at her in awe, no matter how hungry he was he would rather starve than eat that. "Talking about muggle food, I made you this" Valerie said, she sat down a plate with chocolate chip pancakes.
Audrey let out a huge sigh "You should've told me you were making pancakes"
"I wasn't but Percy hasn't eaten anything so I felt bad"
"You really didn't have to do this" Percy urged.
"I don't mind" Valerie smiled and left the room, taking the book that she was reading with her.
"Her pancakes are the best" Audrey effused. Percy took a bite out of one and understood. He didn't know if it was because this was the first time he ate in weeks but those were definitely the best pancakes he had ever had.
Valerie's three brothers; Micah, Myles and Malik entered the kitchen through the garden doors, dragging mud to the floors as they walked.
"What the hell do you guys think you're doing?!" Audrey yelled. They sat down on the chairs and laughed. "It's not funny you have to clean that up"
"We will clean it up later"
"Yeah sure like you cleaned up the living room when you decided painting on the walls was a hobby"
"I'm a very artistic person" Micah said.
"Oh I'm sure you are" she rolled her eyes. The three boys began to eat their breakfast quickly. Audrey stared at them warily, like she was waiting for them to do something. She turned around and looked at Percy.
"Are you going to the golf play?" she asked Percy, who was already done eating down the pancakes.
"What's that?"
"It's just kind of a gathering where people play golf. I don't play I just sit down in one of the benches and trash talk my entire family, but you can join me."
"Yeah sure"
"Alright" she said, standing up from her seat. "I assume you don't have anything to wear but don't worry leave that to me"
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" he asked. The triplets laughed at him gingerly. Audrey looked at him like he was demented, "Percy you are wearing black jeans and orange t shirt, which is totally not your color by the way but that's not even the point you can't show up like that. I'll leave some clothes up in your room." She smiled as she left. "She does know her fashion," said Myles.
A few minutes later after talking to the triplets Percy went back upstairs to his room. He found the clothes laid out on his bed. He changed and caught a glimpse of his camp half-blood t shirt, the words where already gone. He grabbed the shirt and threw it in the trash along with the necklace he forgot he was still wearing. A knock came through the door, pulling Percy out of his thoughts, Audrey came in wearing an all-white outfit.
"You ready?" she asked. Percy nodded and both of them made their way out of the house towards the golf course. It wasn't really a long walk, but Percy saw people arriving in fancy cars."All of these people are related to you?" he asked.
"Not really, most of them are my aunt's friends". They said hi to everyone out of curtesy but Percy knew Audrey wanted to get over with it as quick as possible so they avoided small talk. When they were done they took a seat in a bench next to Valerie, who was reading the same book from this morning. "Ew you're still reading that?" Audrey asked her.
Valerie nodded her head, "It's the most notable piece of literature ever written, the themes in this novel have become a major part in modern culture, creating terms and concepts that have been incorporated into our own society. No other book has ever contributed to society the way Brave New World has. So yes, I'm still reading it"
"Damn calm down Shakespeare I was just asking" she laughed, which made Valerie laugh too.
They watched everyone talking and playing, the sun was so bright there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and oddly enough Percy felt peaceful.
"What time does this end?" Audrey said. "I'm already sweating"
"Who knows, probably like three hours or so" Valerie said. Audrey groaned and looked up.
"They spend three hours playing golf in the sun?" Percy whinged.
"Usually when they are done pretending they know how to play they go back inside and drink."
Audrey laughed but he could tell Valerie wasn't kidding. Some time passed and Percy was beginning to get hot. He wasn't the only one, next to him Audrey was sweating like a pig. "You sweat a lot" he told her.
Audrey hit him in the shoulder, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing I'm just saying you are a really sweaty person"
Audrey hit him in the shoulder again, she didn't look strong but she knew how to throw a punch. "Can we go inside?" she asked.
"I don't know let me ask my mother" Valerie stood up and stopped when Audrey grabbed her arm.
"Why do you always have to ask let's just go, if you ask they'll say no"
She thought about it for a second and looked back. "Fine but let's leave discreetly"
They walked back towards the manor and waited for the game to end, shortly after most of the people left, the three of them sat in the kitchen. Audrey was dead asleep laying over the table and Valerie was chugging a glass of water.
"Do you have a tux?" she asked
"No, why"
"For the ball. You have to wear a tux or a suit"
"What's the difference?"
She took another sip of her water, "I have no idea, but ill get you one"
Valerie
Valerie had two problems: her dress and Audrey. She was already supposed to be ready, but for the last thirty minutes she's been hovering around her room trying to find a dress to wear. If only she had a flattering new dress that fitted her perfectly or one that had colors that she liked. Instead, she had an ugly salmon dress that looked a thousand years old.
"Just wear anything" Audrey said. "You would look good either way." Valerie loved Audrey but sometimes she would say crazy stupid things.
"Audrey you should know more than anyone that no one looks good in salmon." Valerie glanced at her reflection in the mirror and groaned.
"Why are you stressing so much, it's just a stupid ball"
"It's not about the ball I just... I don't know, I want to look good for once"
Audrey rolled her eyes and stood up from the bed and looked around Valerie's closet. "That one isn't so bad" She pointed at a dark green slit dress in the far back.
"I don't know I don't really like the back." She turned it around and the back was covered with a really ugly fat bow.
Audrey winced, "I mean we can just cut it"
"Do you think that would work?"
"Of course it would work, I would do it" Audrey took the dress and grabbed a pair of scissors. She began to cut it while Valerie did an atrocious attempt to do her makeup. When both girls were ready they headed down the stairs towards the living room. Percy was waiting on the couch playing with a pen, his sea-green eyes searched Valerie's face very slowly. Almost painfully so. So much that her breathing didn't get a chance to go back to normal and scattered all over the place. She watched Percy's eyes traveling down the length of her dress, his expression hardening with every inch he navigated. She could see his jaw cramping down tightly by the time his gaze made its way back to hers. A muscle jumped.
Was he ... was he mad?
It certainly looked like he was. For what reason, Valerie couldn't understand. But it was right there. His lips pressed in that tight line that screamed something bothered him.
A subdued voice in her head told her that he probably regretted ever agreeing to come to this thing with her.
"We should probably go we are already late" Audrey said. Valerie ignored the discomfort in the pit of her stomach and nodded. They got inside the car and Henry was waiting for them.
"Mrs. Aesther said we have to pick up some of the other girls" he said.
"Yes that's okay" Valerie smiled. She knew the girls; they were the daughters of her mother's friends. They were nice but sometimes they could be a lot to handle.
The whole ride was quiet, in the corner of Valerie's eye she could see Percy's giant frame looking out the window. He looked really good in a suit, she thought. No. No he didn't. She forced herself to look away just to see Audrey staring deep into her soul.
They made a stop at what Valerie recognized was Elyse's house. Elyse was one of her best friends, and Valerie had to admit, she knew how to dress. She was wearing a red gown dress with her blond wavy hair down.
"Hi!" she said as she got inside, the smell of sparkly vanilla took over the whole entire car.
"Damn how much perfume did you put on?" Audrey asked, coughing on her shoulder.
"Just the right amount" she laughed. Her eyes landed on Percy, who for the first time since Valerie met him, had been paying attention. "I believe we haven't met, I'm Elyse"
"I'm Percy"
Elyse nodded, "I know"
Thankfully the drive was relatively short, Elyse and Aubrey were talking about the food at the ball, which reminded Valerie she hadn't eaten dinner. They arrived at another house, and a girl with dark black hair got in the car.
"Nah because I got told you guys were picking me up at eight and its already nine, I was waiting outside for a whole ass hour-" she stopped and stared.
"Am I going insane or is Percy Jackson right there?" she pointed at him with narrow eyes, like she was imagining it.
"You're not hallucinating Maddy he's right there" Aubrey assured her. Maddy reached over and poked him with her finger, which made Percy chuckle.
"I'm so sorry I don't know why I just did that. What took you guys so long anyways we're going to be so late" Maddy said.
"We got a little sidetracked with Val's outfit, but because of me the wait was worth it and the dress is perfect isn't it Percy?" Audrey nudged at Percy to respond.
"Its okay"
It's okay?
Valerie had no idea what she had been expecting him to say, but she'd be lying if she said that hadn't stung a tiny little bit.
"Good," she answered, looking away, not letting her shoulders sink. "Let's go then" instructing her mouth to smile. As Henry drove, Valerie made sure of two things. One, she wasn't going to wear a dress ever again. And two, she didn't have any reason to feel hurt by whatever Percy Jackson just said.
The dance was lame, of course Valerie already knew it was, but somehow this year's was even lamer. Something that she didn't believe could be possible. She said hello to her parents and of course her parents made her say hello to their friends too. She already recognized some of the faces there. The Malfoy's, the Flints, the Bulstrodes, the Burkes, the Yaxleys, the Macmillans... the list can go on and on. The ball was a fancy but frilly room filled with wealthy and uptown old people drinking champagne and all sorts of other things Valerie wasn't sure to name.
"I think I'm going to die of boredom" Aubrey whispered while she faked smiled. Valerie smiled back, "Not if I die first."
"Where's Percy?" Audrey asked. Valerie shrugged and looked around, "I have no idea"
"Damn Valerie you left him alone? They're going to eat him alive!"
"I swear he was next to me a few minutes ago"
They both started walking looking for Percy, they passed the people dancing to the classical music and the people who stood standing chattering with friends.
"Oh there he is" Aubrey said, Valerie followed her gaze, he was laughing at something Draco Malfoy was saying. "You've got to be kidding me"
"What's he doing with him?"
"Beats me"
Draco Malfoy was known for being a pain in everyone's ass. He was selfish and egocentric and he treated everyone like shit on his shoe, so why was Percy talking to him? Where they friends? All these questions ran through Valerie's mind while she approached them with Aubrey. I mean she didn't really know Percy but from the short conversations that they had he seemed like a good guy. Right?
"Malfoy! It's so not a pleasure seeing you here, please leave" Aubrey said.
"Aubrey, I see your still as insufferable than ever, heard from my mother you painted your room pink again, isn't that kind of girly?" he asked. Narcissa Malfoy was like the queen of interior design in the Wizarding World, even though Valerie hated admitting it, her work was pretty good.
"Of course its girly it's a girl's room Malfoy"
"Oh so all those guys they were just passing through?"
Sheesh.
"You're really funny for a guy whose parents don't give enough attention at home, but hey I guess that is the way an immature dumbass with no life, no friends, no date, no money of his own or dignity behaves, maybe your father would love you if you weren't such a little bitch."
"Damn that was like eight burns in one sentence" Valerie murmured.
"At least I have a father"
"Do you actually?"
"Okay that's enough both of you, stop it." Valerie grabbed Aubrey's hand and dragged her to the other side of the room, she didn't notice Percy following behind them until she turned around and let go of Aubrey's hand.
"I need some air I'll be right back" Aubrey said as she left.
Percy frowned, "What was that about?"
"They used to date a while back, it didn't end very well." Valerie noticed a glass of brown liquid in Percy's hand and took it from him.
"Before you say anything that was Malfoy's I haven't drank from it"
Valerie placed the drink on the nearest table and sighed. She looked at her brothers dancing around happily in the dance hall. She noticed how crowded it was, there were definitely more people this year. "Do you like dancing?"
"No" he answered
"Oh, okay"
"You can ask me anyway."
Valerie looked at him straight in the eye, "Will you dance with me?"
"Yes"
So far, Valerie had somehow been able to overlook how attractive Percy was. Not that she hadn't noticed he was good-looking—she had. But she had only needed to remember his dry personality to gloss over that rather quickly.
Before they even got to the dance floor they were interrupted by Elyse, who had twisted her ankle and fell in a not so graceful manner. "Oww" she cried out, a bunch of people started surrounding her trying to help her stand up.
"Oh my dear you have to stop being so clumsy" Elyse's mother said, as she helped her stand up. "She's fine everyone, she just tripped nothing to be worried about" she smiled and waved them off. "Put an ice pack on it honey" she whispered and returned to her table. Elyse tried to stay up on her own but failed miserably. "Ouch Ouch Ouch" she muttered, Valerie helped her stand and told Percy to get ice. She sat her down in one of the empty rooms upstairs, Elyse winced as she sat down in one of the chairs. The room was dark but it was visible.
"Was it as embarrassing as I imagined?" she asked.
"No of course not, I don't even think people saw you fall" that was a lie of course, but right now she didn't need to hear how everyone saw her fall on her ass in the middle of a ball room. Soon enough Percy came through the door holding up a bag of ice, Audrey, Maddy, and a boy Valerie had never seen followed behind him.
"Does your ankle hurt?" Maddy asked. Percy gave Valerie the ice and she put it on her ankle.
"A little," Elyse looked at everyone inside the room, "who's that?" she pointed at the boy standing next to Maddy.
"Oh I found him outside and thought he was cool. His name is Ben." Ben did a little wave with his hand and smiled.
"Anyways..., do you guys want to hear a horror story?" Audrey said
"No not really" Elyse grunted. Ignoring her, Audrey went on telling the story. Valerie zoned out for the most part of it but she understood what she was telling, at least she thought so.
"And the man said, here's your daughter's sweater, she left it in my car last night, and the woman said, well that's impossible... my daughter died ten years ago...wearing that...same very sweater..."
"So?" Maddy rasped.
"So...she was dead and he gave her a ride!"
"When I was six the mayor from my town hanged from a tree. Your story was not scary" Ben said as he took a bite out of something he pulled out.
"Seriously? The ghost of a dead girl gave him her sweater!" Audrey taunted.
"What does a ghost need with a sweater?" Percy faltered.
"Maybe it's to keep her guts from falling out" Valerie chimed in.
"Your story was not scary." Maddy pointed at Ben, who had a sort of liquid all over his face. Audrey shook her head, "Ok whatever. So Waldon Crane lived in the village of Sleepy Hollow-"
"Wait don't tell me! He left his jacket somewhere." Maddy interrupted.
"I left my jacket down below once" murmured Ben.
"Remind me where you found this guy again?" Elyse said.
"I already told you I found him outside near the trash."
Elyse raised her eyebrows. Sure, Ben looked nice but there was something off about him Valerie couldn't point out. Apparently, Audrey was thinking the same thing, both girls shared a look. "So, Ben...where are you from?" Audrey asked.
"Down there"
"Down where?"
"The downs"
The room was too dark to see anything, but Valerie could hear Percy moving.
"Man, you are really weird" Elyse said.
"Hey! He is not weird, he just has a very hard time communicating, maybe he is from Antarctica. Or Australia" Maddy shrugged. Then it got weird, because Ben started laughing out of nowhere. "Down in the world" he said between laughs.
Percy
Percy knew Ben was a monster from the start. He didn't know what to do about it though, the mist didn't work and he promised Hecate he wouldn't let wizards discover demigods, he didn't want her to kill all of the people there. He definitely couldn't let that happen. Nonetheless, Percy had to thank the gods the room was dark, and if one of the girls saw Ben pull out a rabbit and bite it to bits in the middle of the conversation, they didn't say anything about it. In conclusion Percy was fucked. He was silently praying Ben didn't decide to attack now.
"Ben," Percy said as he stood up and touched him on the shoulder. "Are you hungry?"
"Yes" he said it so deep, Percy felt the ground shake a bit.
He stood up and followed Percy down the stairs and through the dancefloor until they were out of the building. There weren't much people outside but Percy decided not to risk it, so he entered the woods with Ben following up right behind him. Ben's appearance changed, if he looked like a human before, he was definitely the opposite now.
Ben turned into a gigantic boar; he was about 8ft tall, taller than most boars he had fought. Calydonian Boar he remembered. Annabeth told him all about it, the Calydonian Boar was a beast which was sent by Artemis to wreck Calydon, because its king did not honor her. It wrecked havoc in the city for many days, before a lot of male heroes took part in a hunt to kill it. He could hear Annabeth's voice saying it in his head, and it made him want to let the damn boar kill him, but he knew he couldn't do that.
He had barely uncapped Riptide when the boar charged towards him, Percy dodged him and managed to slash riptide in its lungs before it lunged again. It moved quickly and Percy could understand why a bunch of male heroes were needed to kill it. Percy dodged every attack the boar did, it was big but at the same time it was agile. As the boar charged him again he sidestepped, cut its stomach in half and slammed the point of his sword against its head. The monster disintegrated almost immediately, Percy put away Riptide and headed back to the building.
Valerie, Audrey, Elyse and Maddy were sitting on the stairs outside the entrance, as Percy approached them he tried to come up with a story.
"What were you doing in the woods?" Audrey asked.
"Just needed some air"
"Where's Ben?" Maddy looked around and then at Percy. "He left a few minutes ago, he told me his parents were looking for him." Maddy looked disappointed, like she was wondering why her friend didn't say goodbye to her before leaving. Percy felt bad for her but there was no other believable lie he could have told her.
After the ball was over, they headed back to the manor. Elyse still couldn't walk so the girls made Percy carry her inside.
"It would be easier to drag her by the arms" Audrey stated.
Elyse glared at her, "I feel like that would hurt more than walking"
"Yes, but it would be really funny"
When they got inside Valerie did a spell to heal Elyse's ankle, which to Percy's surprise worked like a charm. He kept forgetting magic was a real thing.
"It's really late we should probably go to sleep" Maddie added "wouldn't want to miss the train tomorrow"
And just like that they all headed to their rooms. Percy tried to sleep that night, but he couldn't. His attempt ended up with him staring at the ceiling for hours on end, and before he realized it, the sun was coming up.