The Sea Reaper

XV

On the way home, I looked at the street names again. The glittering glass figures made Tiffany's stand out from the rest, and I could only wonder how hectic business was going to get.

Passing down the street, I saw the alley the kitten was staying in. It was between two stores, The Sparrow, and Breen's Bread co. Wait...Breen! That can be the kittens name! It seemed to fit.

Satisfied, I walked back home. As soon as I opened the door, I was glomped  by Lena and the now appointed Breen. I petted both of them affectionately, smiling brightly.

"How does Breen sound?" I asked quietly. The kitten seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding her head. I fist pumped the air, scaring both animals. "Sorry!" I said sheepishly.

I entered the study, Lena sitting on her perch and Breen laying lazily on the floor. After a brief bandage check(in which I was surprised to see only a few gashes were still open), I got to work.

I read through the spell book, testing my memory and finding new spells. I kept this up until Hermione came in. "Percy?" She called. "In here!" I answered, standing up to open the door.

Hermione walked in, smiling. "Hey, so today we're going to actually practice some of the spells. Whatever scenario I give you, say what spell you would use. Then, I'll teach you the correct movements for it. Ready?"

And so, I went through all the incantations I'd learned. Some caused things to fly, others changed object color, the sheer variety of effects was amazing.

After Hermione left, I got ready for bed. Lena and Breen migrated to my bedroom, the owl on her perch and the kitten standing around, probably wandering where to go. I patted the side of the bed, and she hesitantly jumped up. Once she was on I curled up with her.

The soft sound of rain falling on the roof lulled everyone to sleep. Unfortunately, that did not include my mind. That dreaded memory replayed in my sleep, of Gaea and monsters, of fallen friends and foes alike. And Annebeth. The love of my life, the girl I would literally go through hell and back for. I watched her die the most, impaled by Gaea and falling, falling, falling into my arms.

Slowly, the dream edged away. I don't know how, but something warm and bright was entering my mind. It soothed my worries, comforting me. Somehow, it felt familiar.

The rest of the night, I slept peacefully. When I awoke(thankfully to no cat butt) I felt renewed. After my morning routine and a bandage change(more like removal, all of the wounds were healed!) I said my goodbyes and left. It was Friday, and I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend with my friends(can you call animals that? I don't know).

Throughout the day, new customers came in. It was definitely the busiest day of work I'd had, and Tiffany came out of her office once or twice just to ogle at the crowd.

The trinkets were selling fast, and I only had Mary and David to thank. The first few patrons brought more people, and those people brought more people, until a steady flow were circulating through the store. One girl in particular took quite a lot of pictures. When the day was ending and I finished final purchases, she came up to Tiffany. She had chestnut skin, with sharp eyes and long hair.

"Hello, my name is Tasha. I'm a photography student, and I was wondering if it was okay to use the store in one of my projects?" She asked politely. "Oh, that would be wonderful!" Tiffany answered, smiling. "Percy here can help you with anything!"

I smiled at her when I was mentioned, and Tasha got an excited glint in her eye. "Yes, I do believe he can..." She trailed off, seeming to examine me. She walked around in a circle, poking at my body occasionally. I raised an eyebrow, and Tiffany just laughed at my confusion.

"I don't suppose you've ever done any model work before?" Tasha asked. I shook my head, still slightly confused. "Why?" I questioned. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in doing some for me." She explained. My eyebrows shot up. "Why me though?" I asked. Tasha gave an incredulous look, then turned to Tiffany as if to say 'is this guy for real?'

Tiff busted out laughing, having to go to the back room to calm down. Tasha just shook her head. "Will you?" She asked, ignoring my earlier question. "Sure, what would I need to do?"