Sometimes, Percy wondered if some people had a weird sense of humor that some of them would try to hijack a plane with a storm brewing.
"Everybody put your hands up!" A person suddenly shouted with a gun in his hand and a ski mask over his head, which is honestly useless since they could just watch back the footage of the guy entering the plane before he wore a ski mask. The passengers on board were surprised and some started to panic.
A stewardess tried to intervene. "Sir, please put the gun down." She said in a panicked voice.
"Shut up!" The person said, his gun aimed at her. "I want to talk to your captain,"
The stewardess nodded shakily. "I-I'll bring you to him,"
"My friend will watch over the other cabin." He warned. "So if anyone tries anything funny, I'll shoot their brains out."
Everyone was trembling with fear, but not Percy. He just sighed. This was annoying. The stewardess came back and told the idiot to follow her to the cockpit. As they were about to walk past, Percy stood up with his cane.
"What are you doing?" A man who was sitting next to him whispered. "You're going to get us all killed!"
Percy winked at him before he walked toward where the hijacker had gone. He found him in the next cabin, his gun was at the back of the stewardess. Another person was standing on the other side of the plane, wearing an identical ski mask and holding a gun.
When the other one saw Percy, he shouted. "Hey!" Then he aimed his gun at Percy. "What do you think you're doing?!"
The first guy turned around and saw Percy, then aimed his gun at him. Now, two guns were aimed at him.
"Hey, I'm just here to talk," Percy said with calm and composure.
"Get back to your seat!"
Percy looked between them both. "I'll just get straight to the point. It'll be easier for both of us if you guys surrender,"
The second one laughed. "Who do you think you are, dumbass?!"
"Trust me, I don't want to hurt you guys either. But if you guys aren't giving me a choice, I'll have to-"
The first one fired his gun. Out of pure instinct, Percy ducked. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Percy, but it must've been his adrenaline. As the bullet sailed over his head, he swiped his cane so the stick hit the back of the bullet. He then used the bullet's own momentum to change its direction and send it back at the one who fired.
The bullet hit the first man straight in the leg. The guy yowled in pain and crumpled to the floor. Without wasting any time, he rolled towards where the man was, grabbed his gun, and pinned his hand behind him with his knee.
"Wrong move," Percy muttered. He aimed the gun he took at the second guy, who was staring at him in disbelief.
"H-How did you do that?" The guy grunted as he struggled uselessly under Percy.
Percy smirked. "You don't want to know. So what's it gonna be?" Percy turned towards the second guy. "Are you gonna drop your gun or do you want to end up like your buddy?"
The man was trembling as he aimed his gun now at Percy. The passengers were now shuffling nervously, bracing themselves for whatever that's going to happen.
"S-Shut up!"
"Here's the deal," Percy said. "I'm gonna count to three. In that time, you're gonna drop your gun, or you're gonna walk out of here with a bullet in your head,"
"Don't fuck with me!"
"One,"
"Stop!"
"Two,"
As Percy was about to count to three, he yelled: "Fine! Fine!" And he dropped his gun. Percy sighed.
"Thank god you're not as dumb as your friend here," He turned towards the stewardess. "Tell the captain what happened. And get something to tie them both before we land. I'll make sure the police are waiting,"
"Thank you so much, mister," The stewardess said in relief.
"Just doing my civic duty," He gave her a lopsided grin. The passengers around him started to clap, cheered, and thank him. He just smiled in return.
In truth, they could've taken both of these guys easily. There are more than a hundred people on board against two hijackers. But in their defense, these people had guns.
"That was a nice job you did there," A man said behind him. "I would've butted in, but I saw that you had it under control,"
"Well, could've used some help," Percy said as he turned around. When he saw him, his face paled a bit.
"Yeah well, I thought you could handle it," Jason grinned.
Line Break
When they landed, the cops were waiting for the two criminals. They thanked Percy for his bravery and actions, blah, blah, blah.
Percy got out of the airport. It was nice to get some fresh air after all that. He didn't bring any luggage with him aside from his cane – which happens to be his sword – and a small suitcase.
There was no one around as he was waiting for a cab, which was weird. He thought airports were supposed to be busy.
Then his spine tingled and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He turned around instantly, raising his cane to defend himself. A blade met his cane midway, sending a few sparks.
He looked at his attacker, it was Jason.
Percy pushed him away. Jason grinned before his sword morphed into a golden coin. "Figures. Just as I expected, you're a demigod,"
"And you have an interesting way of saying hello," Percy grumbled, clearly surprised by it.
"So, which side? Roman or Greek?" Jason asked.
"Greek," Percy said.
"Whose kid?"
"I don't know,"
"Then how do you know you're a Greek demigod if you don't know who your parent is?"
"Maybe I just don't want to tell you who it is," Percy said. Jason was just as obnoxious as he remembered. "Sorry, but I don't trust people who I don't know. Especially if they randomly jump on you from behind with a sword,"
Jason held his hands up. "Good point. Can I at least know your name?"
Percy took a deep breath before answering. "Percy Jackson."
Jason offered his hand. Percy reluctantly shook it. "Jason Grace," There was a slight tingle in their handshake. Like two magnets of the same polarity being pushed together. "Where are you heading?"
"None of your business,"
"Jeez, not much of a sharer, are we? Well, I'm heading to a demigod camp just a few miles from here. If you want to, you can come with me. It's a Roman camp if you were wondering."
Percy really didn't want to meet any of his old friends because it would make things harder for him. He'd already booked a hotel room nearby.
But knowing Jason, he wasn't going to let Percy out of his sight. It would be better to play along for a while.
"Sure," He said. "But I won't be staying long,"
"Then I bet that you'll change your mind about not staying with some Roman hot chocolate," Jason said. "Just wait for a few minutes. A friend of mine is picking us up."
Better be not Frank the Dragon, Percy mused in his mind.
Then, the air turned heavier and darker. Percy and Jason sensed it at the same time. He flipped his coin and got his spear out. Around them, a bunch of monsters appeared at random, surrounding them in a circle. They stood with their backs against each other. "You have a weapon with you aside from that walking stick?" Jason asked. "Preferably the 'monster-killing' kind."
Percy snorted. "Worry about yourself, Grace. I can handle my own." Percy ran his palm over the shaft of the cane. In Jason's eyes, it shimmered into something else. A single-edged blade that was far longer than any sword Jason has ever seen. It was like an oversized single-edged straight sword.
"What is that sword?" Jason asked. But Percy made no clear indication that he wanted to explain. Percy dashed forward with incredible speed before spinning around and slashing at a monster with just one swipe before he stepped back.
Jason had just met him, but Percy was showing excellent skill in swordsmanship. Mentally, he grinned. He couldn't lose to someone he just met. So he lunged forward and threw his spear onto the torso of an enemy before reaching for it, ripping it out, and swiping the sharp end across the monster's face.
"Going for style points, are we?" Percy said with a smile.
Jason shrugged with a smile. "Can't lose to a new kid,"
"You're on, Grace," Percy said before working with the enemies on his side while Jason worked on his side. There were probably a dozen or so of them, so it wasn't much of a problem.
Percy slid to the ground and made an upwards kick at a monster before slashing his sword in midair, splitting it in half. He moved towards the next one and stabbed it before running his sword all the way from the gut to the head. A hellhound clawed at his back and he screamed in pain. He turned around and beheaded the hellhound before backing up.
"Lend me your strength," Percy whispered to himself. The blade got outlined with crimson red hue. Percy stood up, glaring at the three remaining monsters. The sword morphed into a double-edged sword, with a chain running in the middle from the hilt to the tip. Percy cracked the sword like a whip, and it turned into one. A series of small blades chained all the way to the hilt with a reach that doubles its original length.
He lashed the whip blade at one enemy. The blade wrapped itself around its neck and Percy yanked it apart, decapitating it. He spun around and lashed the blade outwards, stabbing one enemy in the gut before retracting the whip and pulling the enemy close to him. The blade retracted and turned into a normal sword as Percy swung his sword at its head.
Percy cracked his sword again, turning it into a whip. He whipped the abdomen of the last monster, the blade wrapped itself around the torso and Percy ripped it apart. After everything was done, the blade morphed back to its original form.
After that, Percy felt weak as his strength disappeared instantly. He started coughing violently until blood sputtered out.
"That was a good workout," Jason grinned. "You okay there?" He turned around, panic went into him instantly. "Percy, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Percy managed.
"Oh gods, you're bleeding."
"Really?" Percy coughed. "What gave it away?"
"Hang tight. Reyna's going to be here in a few minutes."
Too late. Percy passed out.
That's the price of using the Sword of Blood. Giving his own blood to gain more power. That's why Percy only used it when necessary.
But for that occasion, he just wanted to show off to Jason.
Line Break
"Chiron, I need to talk to you," Annabeth said after having lunch.
"What is it, my dear?"
She fished out the picture he grabbed from Poseidon's cabin and showed it to Chiron. "Do you know who that is?"
Chiron was in his wheelchair form, sitting at the porch of the Big House. "That's you, right?"
"I know, but who is that next to me?"
Chiron studied the picture closely. "I'm afraid I don't know. Is he someone close?"
Annabeth took the picture back. "I-I don't know. I mean, we look close, but I don't know him at all. Even if I did, I don't remember him, which is impossible. I thought you might have an idea since he had the camp shirt on."
"I remember the names of every single demigod that had entered this camp, but he doesn't seem familiar. Maybe I'm getting senile,"
Annabeth just smiled. "Thank you, Chiron."
"I'm sorry I can't be of any help,"
"No, it's okay. I was just curious, that's all." Annabeth then walked away. But not before Piper called her.
"Hey, Annie!"
Annabeth grumbled. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that,"
Piper gave her a sideways smile. "Sorry, but your name is just too long," Piper said. "Anyway, I'm going to Camp Jupiter. You wanna go?"
"What for?"
"Reyna found something under the Little Tiber," Piper said. "She wanted us to take a look at it because they couldn't find anything in their archives. She thought maybe you'd know what it was."
Annabeth eyed her warily. "Something tells me that this isn't an offer,"
Piper laughed. "Well, I figured I asked you nicely before resorting to charmspeak,"
"You're annoying," Annabeth said. "But yeah, I'll go with you,"
"Nice. I'll get Leo. We're gonna hitch a ride on Festus,"
In the span of a year, Leo had turned the Argo II into a dragon again, which was Festus's original form. The first time Annabeth saw it, it almost bit her head off. But now, Festus was rather fond of Annabeth. Leo blamed the biting part on Buford, who sabotaged him.
Line Break
Percy woke up on a bed but he was facing down. How he was breathing through the pillow, he had no idea. His back was stinging with pain and his arms felt numb.
He groaned as he tried to stand up, but a voice said. "Easy," Percy recognized it to be Jason's voice. "You're hurt pretty bad,"
"Not the first time," Percy grunted. Slowly and with difficulty, he managed to sit up. The pain in his back had lessened a little. "Thanks for the help,"
Jason grinned. "No problem. But your weapon is awesome though," Jason nudged at Percy's sword that was leaning against the wall. "I didn't know it could change into a whip. Maybe a gift of Vulcan?"
"Maybe," Percy lied. Technically, it was made by Hephaestus, not his Roman counterpart. And it wasn't really a gift. He found it with a little divine help from Gaia.
Well, the sword was guarded by some mean monsters in the Labyrinth, but there was no name on it so finders keepers.
"You feeling okay?"
"I've felt better," Percy admitted.
"I'll call for the healers to check up on you,"
Percy shook his head. "There's no need. I've had worse than this,"
"You don't have to act tough, you know?"
Percy just waved his comment off and stood up shakily. He took his sword and transformed it into a cane again, using it to support himself as he walked. "Lead me outside,"
"Whatever you say, tough guy," Jason said.
He led Percy out of the principia, into the pathway known as the via Principalis. Roman demigods, legacies, and Lares were walking about. Some fauns asked Percy for a spare change, but Jason chased him away.
"I'll take you to Reyna. She's the praetor here and gets to decide things."
Great, Percy thought. He can't lie to her thanks to her dogs, Aurum and Argentum, who could sniff out liars like bloodhounds.
"You know what, I think I'm just gonna go. I have somewhere else I have to be."
Jason looked at him weirdly. "And where might that be?"
"That's none of your business," Percy said. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Just wait a -" Jason never finished his sentence. A dragon landed just in front of them. Jason recognized it, but Percy instantly went for his sword. "Calm down, it's just a friend of mine,"
"You have a dragon as a friend?"
"No, my friend owns the dragon," Jason said. It was true. The dragon wasn't actually a dragon, but an automaton. On top of it were three people. All three of which Percy recognized.
At the driving wheel, was Leo Valdez. Sitting in the middle was Jason's girlfriend, Piper McLean. And at the back seat . . .
Oh no . . .
Even without seeing her face, Percy knows that blonde hair all too well. When she turned around, his heart skipped a beat.
It was her. It was really her.
Annabeth Chase.