Waking

War-Committee

The FIRST THING THAT MEET PAUL, when he stepped inside the door was people loudly discussing the end of the world.

"So what you are saying is that we are just going to wait, while a whole army are going to invade us?" A girl asked angrily.

Paul stopped in his track, not sure if he was disturbing.

"What can we do, Piper? You know I am not the type to give up!" Annabeth argued back.

The girl, Piper, Annabeth had called her, let out a sight. "I know, Annabeth. It's not like I don't trust that Percy would break the circle, but we can't just do nothing! We need to organize a defense or something!"

"Have you guys considered that maybe Zeus is lying?" Nico asked calmly.

Paul pressed himself closer up at the wall. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he didn't want to disturb them. It was always best to gain information before casting yourself into a situation. Besides if they were listening to Zeus... How did they even find that dude?

"Why should I be lying?" a deep voice asked sadly. It took Paul some moments to realize that it was Zeus' voice. So this was how The Former Ruler of the Universe sounded? He hadn't imagined it to sound so...sad. Arrogant? Yeah. Mighty? Yeah. Just not sad.

"Your own skin, Zeus. That's what you always try to do, right?" Nico answered darkly.

"I admit I have done my fair share of fails, but this time you got to trust me. I am telling the truth."

"Just like Percy trusted you? Or what?" Piper whispered, so silent that Paul nearly couldn't make out the words.

"I am really sorry about Percy—"Zeus started, but then Sally cut him off.

"Sorry isn't going to bring my son back, Zeus. Sorry, just aren't enough. You are telling us that Percy maybe lives, then bring him back safe! First then will I accept you apology!" Paul had never heard Sally's voice sound so harsh, but it didn't surprise him. After all Sally was a mom, and they could love just as much as they could hate. And Sally had the biggest heart of all them Paul had meet. If you messed with anyone she loved, then you were screwed.

Seriously, Paul had seen her with a gun. She was defiantly the most badass wife ever. He still couldn't understand how he, the normal boring guy, had ended up with her.

A tense silence sank over the room. Paul decided this was the best moment he could have to enter the room. As he walked inside the room, everybody's eyes turned to him.

"Paul!" Sally exclaimed. "You are back from work."

A smile started to form at his lips, as he walked over and gave his beautiful wife a hug. "Yeah, it looks like I am." He answered.

When the hug was over, he took in his surroundings. Annabeth was sitting in the coach, looking down at her hands, her blond hair spilling over her shoulders. Her face was pale and her eyes were red. All in all: She looked terrible.

Opposite Annabeth, a man was sitting anxiously in an armchair. His bear and hair was shaggy and filled with grey strikes, which made it look like a thundercloud. His eyes were a piercing sky blue, which just made his face seem even paler.

It didn't take a PhD to figure out that he was Zeus, the earlier sky god.

A girl besides Annabeth (Paul figured that was Piper) was sending Zeus a death-glare. Together with her choppy hair, it gave her a pretty raw look, but the fact that she comforted Annabeth destroyed the look a bit. Somehow she reminded Paul a bit about Sally. The constantly worried expression, the black ran under her eyes, signing on that she stressed too much, how she managed to look dangerous and worried at the same time...