Zero to Hero (Percy Jackson Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Three - Parent Issues

N/A I'm sorry it took so long this month guys. I have absolutely no time. And next month I probably won't be able to get another chapter in until Christmas Break. If you guys want to help me out with that, you can go read "The Sunset Stone," my original story. That way I wouldn't have to spend so much time figuring out how to advertize, and I might be more willing to procrastinate homework assignments to shoot you guys another chapter. Thanks for you support and comments! I love you guys!

Percy's POV

I sat on the shore, watching Jason and Thalia battling in the canoes. They'd both offered to let me on their crew, but as Nico wasn't around, I didn't want to give either side an advantage. Besides, I had a lot to think about.

Annabeth was convinced her mother was Athena. The freaking Greek goddess. The lady who rode around in a chariot with a terrifying war helm and giant shield with the head of Medusa plastered to its face. Annabeth's mother. Yup.

 I mean, I guess her logic sort of made sense. In a crazy, nonsensical way. And I know I said I believed her, but...I mean, I knew my dad. He wasn't a god. He was a storm chaser. Right? Or maybe he was a deep sea diver. Or something like that. I dropped my head into my hands. I couldn't remember his name, or what his job was. Even his image from my dream was fading away. 

Freaking Mnemosyne, if that was really what was happening. What exactly made me her enemy? 

Tomorrow, I'm going to call Mom and ask her about...What? "Do you remember what Dad looked like?" She would think I'd gone crazy. Unless, even worse, she didn't know what I was talking about. Did Mnemosyne's magic affect everyone outside of Camp too?

And then...whether I believed Annabeth or not, I couldn't deny my...attraction to her. Gods, that sounds weird. I mean, she pretty and brilliant and brave and naturally gifted, what's not to like? Except I didn't realize how I felt until the other day after Piper mentioned the message her mom in her dream said to give to me: the secret is love. 

I wouldn't have payed any attention to it, if it hadn't been for my own dream. My father had told me to listen to Aphrodite. Maybe he'd meant Piper, because she was in the Aphrodite cabin, or maybe he meant...never mind. Listen to Aphrodite...Annabeth. Maybe that's where my feelings were coming from. My dad made it sound like Annabeth was the one Piper was talking about, so my natural inclination was to like her. Ugh. Or was I just trying to make excuses?

Besides, there was the whole love thing. I wasn't sure I was ready to love Annabeth. Sure I liked her, but I don't know that the attraction was enough to break any curses.

A shout echoed through the Sound. I looked up. There were several people in the deep water; they'd apparently overturned their canoe. Not Thalia or Jason, some other kids. Something was clearly wrong. They were splashing around, looking for something. 

Dread shot through me, and without thinking I jumped to my feet. I dashed into the water, then swam as fast as I could to wear the kids were gathered. Not all of them wore life vests. Idiots.

"Did someone...fall in?" I gasped.

One little girl was clutching to the overturned canoe and sobbing hysterically: "Catherine...sh-she didn't come up!"

Without waiting for more explanation, I dove beneath the surface, despite still recovering from swimming all the way out there. 

The light was dim under water, but I could see perfectly. I didn't see any sign of the girl anywhere. I pushed myself deeper, scanning wildly for her. 

The muck in the water almost seemed to clear away in front of me, illuminating my path. I swam some more, very aware that I was running out of oxygen. 

There!

I spotted her, floating limply among the reeds. I dived. I reached her side in seconds, gripping her under the arms. I began to propel the two of us upward. My lungs burned. My eyes began to water with the effort not to inhale. I wasn't going to make it to the surface. 

In a vain attempt to save the Catherine, I pushed her above me with my last bit of strength. The water pressed on my mouth and nose. I gasped, expecting darkness, expecting to feel water rushing over my tongue.

Instead, I felt completely normal. 

I was so stunned I didn't notice Catherine sinking lower again. Quickly, I grabbed her and hurried back to the surface. There would be time to wonder at the absurdity of what had just happened after the girl was safe. 

Our heads broke the surface. A hand gripped the scruff of my neck and someone hauled me out of the water. I whipped around, shaking lake water everywhere, and blinking in the light. Jason sat on a bench in a canoe, shaking my shoulders furiously. 

I looked around for Catherine, and saw other kids pulling her into their canoe. 

Jason's hands were pushing me backward. "Lay down," he said, "lay down, you idiot, you need to rest."

But I felt surprisingly strong. "I'm not tired," I said, "I'm fine. We need to get Catherine to the Big House."

Jason stared at me for a few moments as Catherine's canoe began pelting towards the shore. "Percy, you were underwater for five minutes straight!"

The words sent a thrill of excitement through me. "Jason, I could breathe. I could breathe under water!"

"What?" He looked at me like he thought my brain was waterlogged. 

"I'm serious!" I insisted, "I was down there, and I needed to take a breath. When I couldn't hold it any longer, I breathed in, and it was just like normal breathing."

"Percy," Jason said gently, "No one can breathe under water."

"You're one to talk," I said, irritated that he didn't believe me, "Superman."

He paused. "Fair enough. I suppose there is some weird stuff happening lately."

I wanted to tell him about what Annabeth said about the gods being our parents, but it would have sounded too crazy. After my experience under water, I had started to suspect which god was my parent. And the correlation was too coincidental to mention. I slept in the Poseidon cabin, and I could breathe underwater. I could move water at will. 

My dad, was Poseidon.