The Demigods Adventures at Goode High School {DISCONTINUED}

Chapter Fifteen: CHARLES

Charles awoke to Percy, leaning over him, shaking him awake. "Charles, it's time for us to leave."

After Charles got ready in his dirty clothes from yesterday, they grabbed a quick breakfast and headed down to the docks. Everyone had either left or was still asleep. Charles wondered how fun it would be to live with all of your best friends. Like a dorm with people you liked. Living alone got lonely. He did his best to stay upbeat and positive and to spend time in the hospital with his mom, but after a while that got pretty depressing. He remembered the day he drove his mom to the hospital. He had found her on the floor clutching a bottle of pills, shaking. Charles had lived alone ever since.

When they got there, Percy led him down a long, stone dock with only a few people on it.

"What are we doing here?" Charles asked, feeling anxious.

"You'll see." Percy said. He leaned over the edge and touched the water with his finger. The air buzzed with electricity and the water became calmer. Percy stared at the water with his eyes shut until two glowing figures materialized under the surface. Quickly Charles realized that the hippocampi, as Annabeth had called them, were half-horse and half-fish. They were beautiful and magnetic creatures but were also a bit frightening.

Percy began talking to the figures."Hey boys, Good to see you again. I need a favor. My friend and I here," Percy gestured to Charles who waved awkwardly, "We need a ride to camp. It's urgent."

The hippocampi whinnied in protest.

"You owe me one." Percy said as he jumped over the side and dropped onto one of the creatures backs. He gestured for Charles to follow, who tumbled over the side and thrashed wildly until he felt the smooth skin of his hippocampus under him. He gripped onto the top fin of the horse-fish as they sped across the waves swiftly.

"So, uh, Olivia told me a bit about what you've been through. Not a lot, but a bit and I just wanted to say that I'm glad we're friends."

Percy laughed. "Of course man. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." He thought for a moment and then spoke again, "Remember last winter when I disappeared and my mom told you that I had transferred for a bit but would be back?"

Charles nodded. He recalled when he had shown up to Percy's mothers apartment asking where Percy had been. She had told him sadly that he went away to boarding school. Charles was crushed and pretty lonely. He didn't see Percy until the beginning of the current school year, almost 10 months since he had left. "You were at the Roman camp, Hera sent you and wiped your memory, right?"

Percy pulled his sleeve up, and revealed a forearm tattoo of the words SPQR, a trident and a line. Charles' eyes widened. "No way, you got a tattoo? How have I never seen this before?"

Percy grinned. "Magic. I got this when I was away for all of those months. Man, I'm sorry for not calling."

Charles began to answer when Percy stiffened. After a moment, he relaxed and rolled his eyes. He called for the hippocampi to stop. It was completely silent except for the sound of the water moving until a massive figure shot up from the sea. The hippocampi shifted nervously as Percy leaped off of his hippocampi as the figure, who resembled a large eel, landed on the surface causing the waves to grow higher. Charles watched in awe as Percy swam faster than Charles had ever seen him swim before, right up to the eel when he took a pen out of his pocket, took off the cap, transforming it into a bronze sword, and stabbed it in the eye. It writhed in pain and Percy dodged its attempts to bite him. A wave then came up and pushed Percy atop the eel, where he climbed across, and slashed at the creatures head. The creature turned to dust and Percy returned to his hippocampi swiftly.