Child of Time

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Flaming Demon

PERCY

I think I forgot to mention something from my quest with the hunters and Grover. Something that seems to keep popping up in my life from my visit at the Hoover Dam.

It wasn't my fault I almost killed some mortal but I guess I was only glad that I had my celestial bronze knife in my hand.

So I was walking down the street, right. Just casually walking to a mountain so I can meet my father and then I get hit with flashbacks of some flaming girl. Scary, I know.

The only difference is that this time she is kind of angry at me. Yeah, not my fault. Actually it kind of is because I left without giving her a proper explanation and kind of forgot to call her. I memorised her number but just not that I had to call her.

Whoops?

"Perseus! You better get over here!" I hear from the other side of the road. I slowly turn my head to see a red-headed girl with green eyes glaring at me.

"Hey, Rachel. How's life?" I don't think she appreciates that.

"I told you to call me so you could properly explain but I get nothing! For a year and then I see you just walking by." She crosses her arms.

"In my defence, I remembered your number. I just forgot to call you."

She starts walking away before she stops and suddenly I get hit in the eye.

"What the hell?" I yell out and stare at her dumbfounded. "Did- did you just throw a blue hairbrush at me?"

She grins and nods her head. "Yes. And now that we're both here, you're going to tell me everything because I have been stuck in the dark for a whole year because of your useless brain!"

I groan and grab her arm and pull her to the side walk so the annoying mortals could stop beeping and yelling at us in the middle of the road. "Fine, I'll tell you, you vicious demon."

She grins at me and picks up her hairbrush from the ground and places it in her pocket. How that doesn't fall out will forever be beyond me.

"So you want the whole story?" She glares at me with her bright green yes. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Idiot." She says under her breath.

"Okay well basically the gods are real and all that bullshit Greek mythology and whatnot." I continue telling her all about what's going on currently and she just nods along.

"So you've been kicked out of camp?"

"Me? Kicked out of camp?" I let out a laugh. "Nope. They were going to bring me to Olympus, most likely to torture me until I tell them all the precious plans and then they'd kill me. I left all on my own." I sigh and she placed a hand on my arm.

"You'll see them again. Your friends."

I nod. "Yeah."

Once we finally get to our destination Rachel's jaw almost dropped to the floor. "What is that?"

"Hm? Oh that's the new and improved Othrys. It's almost done." We were currently on Mount Tamalpais.

"Can we like... go in?"

I stared at her with mild interest. "You want to go into Titan territory? You're human, aren't you?"

"Last I checked. But I'm bored and want to do something fun."

"Fair enough." I grinned and grabbed her hand. "Let's go!"

******

"I can't believe you got Hyperion to set his hair on fire!" I laughed from my position on the couch. I'm leaning off the edge upside down, Rachel doing the same next to me as she piles ice-cream into her mouth. I think we have mastered the technique of eating ice-cream upside down.