Last Olympian - My Way

Betrayed

The first thing I did was jump off the living room couch and stop Mrs. O'Leary from doing anything else.

Hestia had teleported us to the Jackson apartment... along with the hellhound herself.

"Mrs. O'Leary, stay! Stay!" I commanded, earning an immediate response. She sat still, unmoving. I kept my eyes locked on hers as Mom and Paul called out.

"Percy, Clair? Are you here? Are you alright?" Mom called as I kept Mrs. O'Leary calm. I kept a stern expression on my face, staring straight into her big black eyes.

"Yeah, we're here!" Percy shouted back in response.

"Woah, who put this wall of fur here?!" I heard Paul exclaim.

"Oh boy," I mumbled.

After that, it took a bit but we managed to get all of the people in the kitchen along with the hellhound's head into the entrance, where she just peered in.

"When did you manage to train her?" Nico asked, a bit surprised.

"I'd like to know that too," Percy looked at me as well.

"I didn't. She's more responsive than the average dog. She can understand commands faster. Not to mention you just need to keep a stern look on your face whenever you say something," I shrugged.

And then, as Mom poured us glasses of lemonade, Percy explained what happened in Connecticut.

"So it's true," Paul stared at us with a look that showed shocked awe. Percy and I had told him about who we were with Mom backing us up as well. I doubt he even believed us until now.

"Um... sorry about the living room," Percy said.

"No I think there would've been bigger damage if Clair hadn't been able to control Mrs. O'Leary so well," Mom gave me a grin as she tossed a huge ten pound ground beef tube at the hellhound. The meat just disappeared completely.

"This is amazing! I mean when I saw the hoofprints on the Prius, I thought maybe. But this!" Paul exclaimed, laughing with the biggest grin I've ever seen on his face.

"Wait... Blackjack decided to land on the Prius?!" I exclaimed with a facepalm.

"It's the pegasus, not me," Percy argued.

I rolled my eyes and glared at Percy. "I frickin told you-!"

"Claira," I felt a hand on my wrist and I turned to see Nico.

"I think we have bigger problems right now,"

I huffed and decided to just sip on my lemonade as Percy told Mom and Paul about Typhon, the gods, and the war ahead. And then he told them about Nico's plan.

Mom's reaction was to be expected. Her expression said everything. 'I don't want him to do this,'

"Percy, it's dangerous. Even for you," She said, which made me scoff. That was definitely true. But we really didn't have any choice left.

"Mom, I know. I could die. Nico explained everything. but if we don't try-"

"We'll all die," Nico said. "Ms. Jackson, we don't stand a chance against an invasion. And there will be an invasion,"

I sighed, shifting my gaze to the window sill. To the moonlace in the flower box. Whenever I was looking at it, it made my chest hurt. The scent reminded me of simpler times. When we didn't have a war at hand. But now I guess... I have to face reality.

When I tuned back into the conversation, Mom looked conflicted. And I could relate. To be honest, in the beginning I didn't want Percy to do this solely because of the risk. But considering the bigger risk of fighting the Lord of Time without any serious protection whatsoever was the situation where he could be killed sooner rather than later.