𐌙/𐌍 Ᏽ𐌵𐌀𐌋𐌄 & 𐌕𐋅𐌄 Ᏽ𐌐𐌄𐌀𐌕 𐌌𐌙𐌕𐋅𐌔 ¹

Chapter 20

Twenty
𖧷

Visit On Christmas

  It took a while, but Percy ran up to me a little before we went back home. He asked me where I would spend Christmas, and I didn't really have an answer. Now that Sally legally adopted me, I couldn't really go back to the orphanage, and I wasn't sure if spending Christmas on Camp Half-Blood was really nice.

  After some time considering, I decided I could spend this year's holidays with Percy and Sally, and maybe go back to camp when break ends, and train as best as I could for any danger. Or I could still just spend the whole year at camp, anyway.

  We paced around for a while, until we finally found a quiet fountain and started some calls. First, we called my cousin, and Percy's brother, Tyson. We told him about our adventures, and Bessie—he wanted to hear every detail about the cute baby cow serpent—and we assured him that Annabeth was safe. Finally I got around to explaining how the shield he'd made me last summer had been damaged in the manticore attack.

  "Yay!" Tyson said. "That means it was good! It saved your life!"

  "It sure did, big guy," I said. "But now it's kinda ruined."

  "Not ruined!" Tyson promised. "I will visit and fix it next summer."

  "Seriously?" Percy asked. "They'll let you take time off?"

  "Yes! I have made two thousand seven hundred and forty-one magic swords," Tyson said proudly, showing me the newest blade. "The boss says “good work”! He will let me take the whole summer off. I will visit camp!"

  We talked for a while about war preparations and Poseidon's fight with the old sea gods, and all the cool things we all could do together next summer, but then Tyson's boss started yelling at him and he had to get back to work.

  I dug out my last golden drachma and made one more Iris-message.

  "Sally Jackson," I said. "Upper East Side, Manhattan."

  The mist shimmered, and there was Sally at our kitchen table, laughing and holding hands with a guy. I didn't know who he was, but he looked pretty cool.

  The man was, I don't know, thirty-something, with longish salt-and-pepper hair and a brown jacket over a black T-shirt. He looked like an actor—like a guy who might play an undercover cop on TV.

  We both were about to disperse the most when Sally noticed the Iris-message.

   Her eyes got wide. She let go of Mr. Blowfish's hand real quick. "Oh, Paul! You know what? I left my writing journal in the living room. Would you mind getting it for me?"

  "Sure, Sally. No problem."

  He left the room, and instantly Sally leaned toward the Iris-message. "Percy! Are you all right?"

  "I'm, uh–" Percy tried to answered.

  "Who's that?" I asked, interrupting Percy.

  "Oh, (y/n)!" Sally flinched. "That was just Pa–Mr. Blofis."

  "... Blowfish?"

  "Blofis," Sally corrected.

  "Anyway, how's that writing seminar going?" Percy asked.

  She pursed her lips. "It's fine. But that's not important. Tell me what's happened!"

  We filled her in as quickly as we could. She sighed with relief when she heard that Annabeth was safe.