The Hunter Of Artemis And The Lightning Thief

IX We Get Advice From A Poodle

Percy's POV

We camped out in the woods, about a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that had obviously been used by the local kids for parties. The fast food wrappers and soda cans made me wrinkle my nose in disgust.

I volunteered to take first watch. Annabeth curled up with some blankets from my bag, and was fast asleep as soon as her head hit the ground. Grover, on the other hand, sad down on a blanket and leaned against a tree, staring up at the night sky.

I sat down next to him. "Go ahead and sleep," I told him. "I'll wake you if there is trouble."

He nodded, but didn't move. "It makes me sad, Percy."

I was confused for a moment before I understood what he was talking about. I also gazed up at the sky. "Me too."

Grover didn't speak for a moment. "Are we talking about the same thing?" He asked.

"If you mean all this garbage and the stars, then yes," I replied.

Grover looked at me. I didn't move my eyes from where they were fixed on the sky.

There was a moment of silence before Grover sighed quietly.

"I can't figure you out," he said. "You're a human, yet you don't act like most people. Your feelings are true to your words, yet your words always seem like lies. You seem peaceful and close to nature, yet you also seem ready to whip out a knife and kill something in a split second. I just don't understand it."

There was a second of silence as I tried to think of the best way to say what I was going to say.

"I am not like most people," I said finally. "I am forged from my experiences; my years of being alone, and encounters with other people. The best lies are the ones that are based from the truth, but the lies a person tells become part of your identity. Soon, the person becomes less aware that they are lies, and they start to believe them themselves." I traced my fingers along the patterns on my backpack that was in my lap. "I'm not entirely sure what is true about me and what's not anymore."

I looked away from my backpack and back up at the sky. "A person can say something that's false and not be lying. A person can be saying something that is fact and be telling a lie. It depends on what a person believes. But if everything that you tell everyone about yourself is a lie, but they believe it is the truth, then the lie is actually another version of reality."

There was a moment of silence. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the tree.

Grover spoke. "This is what I mean. You seem so peaceful, yet your thoughts and feelings are so troubled and confused."

I didn't speak for a moment. I glanced at Grover, who was watching me, then I swept my gaze over the dirty clearing. All the litter and pollution. . . It really did make me sad.

"Let's hope you find Pan," I said.

Grover was confused for half a second before realizing what I was talking about. "Yeah. . ."

"I'll help you all that I can," I told him. "I'll help you get your searchers license, I'll help you find Pan. In any way I can. Nature has been my home for as long as I can remember, and have been my only friend. I don't like what people are doing to it. Anyway, you really should get to sleep—"

Grover suddenly cut me off. "Percy, why did you accept the quest?" He asked suddenly.

I was taken aback by the sudden question. "W-what?"

"You heard me, Percy."

"I'm the only child of the Big Three that can help," I said after a slight hesitation. "You know that as well as me."