Chapter 3

315 11 9
                                    

Isen's POV

As we wandered down Percy's street, for the first time, I began to feel a little nervous. What was here that was so awful that Headmaster Vaughn had forbidden us from coming anywhere near? I shivered as my mind filled with horrible possibilities and Blyke must have noticed, for he elbowed me gently and gave me a questioning look. I took a deep breath and something resembling gobbledegook came out. Blyke tipped his head to one side with an eyebrow cocked, clearly amused.

'I just... are you sure this is a good idea? How do we know it's not horrifically dangerous?' I said quietly, slightly ashamed at admitting I was anxious. It was always me who was scared about everything. I wondered how he could be so calm all the time; he didn't even seem nervous!

Blyke gave me a half-smile. 'It's okay, I'm sure we'll be fine. What could be dangerous about a high-tier in Manhattan with powers we know absolutely nothing about?'

I gave him a disbelieving look and he continued, 'Besides, we're Blyke and Isen, no-one can beat us.'

This wasn't strictly true but I was comforted by his sureness. I bumped his shoulder gently to show my thanks and I could have sworn his permanently grumpy expression softened a little. Just a little. By now, we were standing in front of the Jacksons' door and, reassured by Blyke's words, I knocked on the door with confidence. The door was opened in a few seconds by a middle-aged woman with a weary yet kindly face and a warm smile that made me feel all fuzzy inside. Her long, greying hair was still heavily streaked with brown and her bright eyes were the colour of the sea.

'Sally... Jackson?' I asked tentatively.

She nodded, her eyebrows scrunching just slightly, so she didn't give away much of her emotions.

'We're here to speak to Percy, ma'am,' said Blyke with an air of self-importance about him. He clearly liked responsibility, even if technically that responsibility had been taken away.

Sally's expression changed to, strangely, resignation, as if this sort of thing happened to her a lot. She sighed.

'I'm sorry boys, but Percy isn't here right now. He likely won't be back until the end of the summer.'

My mouth dropped open in shock. The end of the summer!? We couldn't wait that long!

'Please Mrs Jackson, it's really important,' I begged in earnest. Blyke nodded, backing up my statement.

Sally held up her hands and said, 'I guess you'd better come in then. I'll see what I can do.'

We walked into her apartment and, although it was rather small and simple, it enveloped me in a cosy sort of feeling that made me want to stay forever. Blyke and I took a seat on the nearest sofa. Sally and her husband (Paul, I guessed) sat down opposite us, laying down nachos, 7-layer dip and, strangely, blue chocolate chip cookies. Sally acted like this was an utterly normal occurrence although Paul seemed a little more wary. After we had inhaled a few of the cookies and I had tried the dip (which was amazing, by the way), Sally started,

'Percy is at his summer camp which is why he shouldn't be back until September. I can try to contact him but I would need something to make a rainbow and I would need to find my stash of golden drachmas... But why do you need to talk to Percy anyway?'

'Well,' I began, more than a little confused at the mention of rainbows and some sort of gold, 'we have reason to believe that your son is very special. He has amazing powers and we are aiming to bring him back to where we come from so that he can be taught how to hone them.'

I looked at the pair of them intensely, waiting to see how shocked they would be, although it seemed more as if they were searching us than us them.

After a moment's thought, Sally said, 'I know he's special.'

Blyke sighed. 'Look, I know all parents think that their children are special but-'

'No,' Sally cut him off, 'I know.'

'Oh. Well you must have heard of Wellston then.'

Now Sally looked confused. 'I'm sorry, no, I haven't heard of it.'

I was puzzled. How could she know what her son is but not have heard of Wellston? It was the best school around for people with abilities, everyone knew it! I opened my mouth to ask precisely what she knew about her son but suddenly a high-pitched voice behind us exclaimed, 'Percy's coming!'

I turned around in shock to see a young girl that I hadn't noticed before. She was small, I would guess around 7 or 8, and her hair was beautifully braided and the exact same shade as her mother's. When I looked at her eyes, I couldn't tell what colour they were as they seemed to radiate a thousand different hues. For a split second, I could have sworn her eyes glinted bright orange, like my hair, but then the flicker was gone and I could see no hint of it. Sally looked surprised at her daughter's outburst but quickly recovered and told us, 'This is my daughter Rose, or Rosie if you would prefer. She's 7 years old.'

Sally then addressed Rose and said gently, 'I'm sorry darling, Percy's at camp, he isn't com-'

She was cut off by the closing of the front door and who should come in but Percy Jackson himself. Or so I assumed, anyway. 

Thanks for reading :) 

UnKnown Powers (An UnOrdinary/Percy Jackson crossover)Where stories live. Discover now