𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐀, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

twenty two

YOU/EMBER ✦

it's late as we enter the dinner, shield in my hand— percy following behind me. we walk it over to the table and i place it hard on the table.

"here's your stupid shield, thanks for almost getting us killed." i sneer. grover looks at me with a confused expression. "thanks."

"where's our ride." percy asserts. ares takes us outside and leads us to what looks like a huge truck. grover tugs on my arm— ares and percy now walking ahead of us, "what do you mean almost killed?" grover asks.

"it doesn't matter now, were both okay." i pause. "i told him about the prophecy— and i know what you're going to say. i just, i couldn't take lying to him anymore! and— it was sort of a spur of the moment thing. i know i probably shouldn't have told him and i kind of regret doing so. i don't know if i did the right thing or what's gonna happen now, and if i'm telling the truth i'm kind of scared." i ramble to grover.

"hey, dont worry about it, what's done is done. i'm sure it'll work out fine, just relax. i trust you, and i hope you learn to trust yourself." he smiles at me patting my back as we catch up to percy and ares.

"you're kidding—" percy scoffs. with a snap of ares fingers the back of the truck opened up. "get in, dont. i really don't care, but in a few hours this thing is gonna be at the lotus casino in vegas. hermes hangs out there, you play your cards right and his personal driver can get you to la in minutes." ares throws percy a bag,

"here, clothes, cash, drachmas to summon hermes. i'd wish you luck but what good is that going to do." he tells us, "we're not gonna fail." percy states.

"don't worry, your dad had plenty of kids he stopped caring about once he lost interest. you'll have lots of company." ares sneered. "where not gonna fail, and i'm getting pretty tired of you saying it." he asserted firmly.

"perc—" i warn him. 

"you think you know who i am, but you don't." he takes a few steps closer to ares, looking up at him as i do to percy.

"and if you aren't careful, you're gonna find out."

"percy." i say again desperately wanting to get out of ares' hold. i've spent too much time around my mothers significant others today, i have had enough. 

grover and i are now both standing next to percy as he stares at ares.

"so, thank you for the emotional abuse and the cheeseburgers... and the ride, were gonna take you up on that too." ares looks at grover and then back to percy, glancing to me before i get in the truck.

"what, you gonna tell on me to my mother?" i snarl when i catch him staring, "just for that i might, and we both know what'll happen if i do." he bites back. i turn my back to him with crossed arms while grover pleades for paper towels for the awfully smelling truck.

"hes bluffing." i quietly say to percy and he just gives him that look. i can't read that look— its an unreadable expression. i'd like to say i've gotten pretty good at reading him but— this look i can't seem to ever decode. 

he looks sort of angry or protective, or— maybe even worried. i don't know, i think it will take a bit longer to get to the root of that one.

ares snaps his fingers and the truck doors close. it's dark now and grover starts walking, percy and i following, "well." percy starts. "this smells."

"yup" i sigh, "lets just hope this gets us to where we need to go."

"assuming ares was telling the truth.." he adds, "he wasn't, not entirely at any rate" grover says. "what do you mean?" i asked worriedly, exchanging glances with percy. "he was holding something back."

"because, i think i got it out of him." grover pauses for a moment, "i know who stole the master bolt.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

the sun peered through the window as percy was dozed off next to me. we sat on the floor of the truck as i fidgested with a crystal trying to get a connection so we could call camp.

i glanced to percy, his eyebrows furrowed and he was slightly mouthing words under his breath, "perc, perc-" i whisper to him, but he doesn't open his eyes. instead his head find its way to my shoulder and he continues to sleep. 

the confused and worried look on his face makes me feel uneasy, yet his head on my shoulder sort of calms me a little. the light hitting his face perfectly.

grover interrupts my gaze on percy as i was slightly admiring him, "does that help?"

"i guess we'll find out. can you see where we are?" i ask grover, he lifts his head out into the world once again, "were almost there."

percy's expression deepens, "hey— perc." i whisper looking down at him, his eyes flutter open and the sunlight gleaming in from the window illuminates the color of his eyes. "you okay?" i ask in a whisper.

his heads slowly lifts from my shoulder and i suddenly miss the mop of curls that once laid there, "what? oh yeah— i- i'm fine." he stutters.

"come here." i say after i stand up holding out my hand for him. he grabs it as i walk with him over to sit on a cage across from us still holding onto his hand.

once we sit down i continue trying to get a connection to the crystal. it suddenly started glowing and reflecting off the wall in front of percy and i. "there i got a signal"

i look to percy next to me as he fiddles with the golden drachma, "toss it seaweed brain!" i gesture towards the beams of light reflecting off the wall. he does so in a swift movement. 

"this will never stop being weird." he sighs. "if you want the gods attention, you're gonna have to pay for it perc," i smirk.

"oh iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering." the light reflected on the wall turned colors meaning my offering had been accepted. "show me camp half-blood," i say with urgency. "chiron's office."

"luke?" percy questions. why was luke in chiron's office?

the boy turns around, 

"ember? percy? are you okay?" he asks, "yeah— we're fine." i answer quickly,

"wheres chiron?" i ask, 
    "chiron's holding camp together with both hands, everyone thinks were going to war so the cabins are taking sides. please tell me you're calling with good news." 

"we know who stole the bolt." percy blurts confidently. luke tilts his head to the side, "how do you know?"

"we ran into ares and grover got him talking. he realized that he knew who the thief was and he was just covering for them. so, who would ares cover for other than..."

"his favorite daughter" luke finished.

a/n omg tysm for 1k reads it means sososo much to me. i hope you're enjoying this book and tysm for reading. <33