Reincarnated

Chapter 8

I walk to the bus stop. Just as I see the greyhound turning onto the street Percy and Grover come running up next to me.

"Why are you late? You almost missed it!" I scold.

"Sorry, but Percy wanted to get some candy from the vending machine," Grover states. I turn to Percy.

"Thanks for throwing me under the bus G-man." Percy mumbles.

We get onto the Greyhound. During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. 

Percy abruptly said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?" 

I quickly looked at him in shock. Not because he knew about the kindly ones, more because he just said it out of the blue. My shock was nothing compared to Grover's though. Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha-what do you mean?"

 Percy confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam. I just stared at the two of them with fake confusion. 

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?" 

"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?" 

Grover winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..." 

"Grover-"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..." 

"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar." 

His ears turned pink. From his shirt pocket, he fished out two grubby business cards. "Just take these, okay? In case you need me this summer. He handed one card to each of us. The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I made out:

Grover Underwood
Keeper
Half-Blood Hill
Long Island, New York
(800) 009-0009 

"What's Half-" I start just for show.

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address." 

"Okay," Percy said glumly. "So, like, if I want to visit your mansion." 

He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me." 

"Why would I need you?" 

"Percy!" I reprimand.

 Grover blushed. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I-I kind of have to protect you two." 

 "Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting us from?" 

There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs - or sulfur if you want. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway. After a few minutes of clanking around in the engine compartment trying to fix whatever the problem was, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. 

We filed outside with everybody else. We were on a stretch of a country road - no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. It was like the most cliche place for breaking down. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. 

On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with the afternoon heat was an old-fashioned fruit stand.  The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, oranges and peaches, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. 

There were no customers, just the fates sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting giant socks. Clotho knitted one of them. Atropos knitted the other. Lachesis held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn. And they were looking straight at Percy, completely ignoring me. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing.

I looked over at Grover to see his reaction about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.

I tuned out the conversation Percy and Grover were having. "Hey guys, I'ma go buy some fruit for us," I say and start heading over to the fruit stand so I can have a chat with the fates. Grover tried to pull me back, but I just shook off his arm and continued.

Once I crossed the street I pull out a few dollars and buy 3 apples and a handful of cherries. I then walk towards the fates and give as close to a curtsey as I can without it getting noticed by someone 300 feet away. 

"My ladies, what brings you here?" I ask. They seem shocked. Wait what?! Why would they be shocked? 

"Who are you?!" they demand. What?! Aren't they the fates? Shouldn't they know who everyone is?!

Puzzled, I reply "I am the reincarnation of Lucey Brown, Diana Jackson, twin of Percy Jackson, 1st demigod daughter of Poseidon and the daughter of Sally Jackson."

"What?! Sally only ever has one child! We made sure of this, right Clotho?!" Atropos demanded. 

"Yes, there isn't supposed to be a twin of Percy Jackson or demigod daughter of Poseidon!" Clotho responded, just as thoroughly confused.

"Um, so, should I try to make sure everything goes along as you guys had it before. Like in the books?" I ask.

"You can try your best, but one person can change everything, and you are the twin of the hero. You are going to have a giant impact whether you like it or not." Lachesis said ominously.

"My ladies, I hope you have a good time, I must get going. Grover would find it suspicious that I am talking to you three for so long."  With that, I give another small curtsy and leave. I head back across the road. The bus starts up so I enter and take my seat next to Grover and Percy. I just sit back and try to figure out what the fates just said.

"Grover?" Percy asks.

"Yeah?" 

"What are you not telling us?"

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?" 

"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?" Percy asks.

 He said, "Just tell me what you saw." 

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn." 

"What about you Diana? What were you doing?"

"Oh, I almost forgot about these!" I pass out the fruits I bought. "I spotted the fruit stand across the road and thought that since it was so hot, the fruits might be a nice treat to cool us down. So I went and bought some. I went into the shade and ate the cherries I had bought while watching the ladies knit their socks and the middle one cut the thread. After that, the bus was ready so I came back across the road and here we are." I say with a flourish.

He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else. I'll have to ask him later what it is. He said, "You saw her snip the cord." 

"Yeah. So?" Percy questions.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

 "What last time?" DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT THALIA! It is not your fault!

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth." 

"Calm down Grover. Take deep breaths," I say trying to calm him down.

"Grover," Percy said. "What are you talking about?" 

"Let me walk you guys home from the bus station. Promise me."

We promised. Of course, it wasn't on the Styx.

"Grover-that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?" I ask. Well, of course, it does. Especially when it's the fates doing the snipping.

No response.