Percy Jackson and the Forgotten Heroes

7 - I go dumpster diving

Percy's P.O.V

I walked down the street, uncertain of what I was meant to be looking for but sure that Zephyr had told me to for a reason.

Zephyr was the most troublesome demigod at Camp Half-Blood in this century. He caused more trouble than the rest of the Hermes cabin combined, and he was only 12 years old. Life at Camp Half-Blood had been quiet and peaceful for years now - there had been a quest that went wrong 2 years ago and 3 demigods and a satyr either died or went missing presumed dead, but there had been no major wars or world ending events - and the biggest problem Chiron now faced was keeping Zephyr in line, a job that I, as sword fighting instructor, somehow ended up with. Zephyr just left Camp as he pleased, often returning with 'procured' weapons, and no one ever saw him come or go.

I came to a halt. As Zephyr had said, there was a dumpster tucked away just around the corner of an alley, with a gap behind it just big enough for someone to hide in. I looked in the gap and saw a flicker of movement as someone darted out and tried to run.
I reached out and grabbed their arm, stopping them.

She looked around 15 years old, with auburn hair that had dark pink streaks and purple eyes wide with fear. Her clothes were battered and faded, like she'd been wearing them for a while now. She struggled against my grip.

"Hey, hey it's okay." I assured her "I'm not going to hurt you."

She shook her head vigorously "You're one of them - the monsters - like the ones who killed Rowan - "

"No, I'm not. My name's Percy."

She hesitated "Are you, are you like me? A demigod?"

"Yeah, I'm the son of Poseidon."

"...I'm Amy-Rose."

I smiled reassuringly "Nice to meet you, Amy-Rose."

"What happened to the boy?"

"Boy?"

"The blonde one - he was about 12, and he led the.... The monster away from me... He saved my life."

"Zephyr? He's fine, he's alive." For now. "Look, Amy-Rose, there's this place called - "

"Camp Half-Blood?" She guessed.

I was taken back "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Rowan told me about it - he was a satyr who found me and tried to take me to Camp.... He died last week - he saved me from a Hellhound."

"Well I can take you there - to Camp Half-Blood. You'll be safe there."

She nodded, a smile making its way onto her face, and I wondered whether she was actually 15 years old because, just for a moment, her eyes looked a century old - like she'd seen to much, lived too much. Then, as quickly as it had arrived, the look in her eyes disappeared and she was just a scared teenager again.

"We better hurry. This many demigods in one place is bound to attract some monsters' attention."
I mean, I had run into so much trouble when there'd just been 2 of us and a satyr, and now there were 6 demigods gathered outside of the protective borders of Camp.

I walked back to where I had left Zephyr and the other 3 to find him sitting up, no trace of the poison, and talking animatedly " - and there's a climbing wall, with lava coming down, and Pegasus stables, and a forge where you can build magical weapons - "

"You seem better." I laughed. Then I saw the girl unconscious in Lucas's arms. "What happened?" I braced for a monster attack.

Lucas didn't seem to understand it himself "She - her hands were glowing, and - she healed me and Z - then she just passed out."

Zephyr turned to me ecstatically "They've got to be demigods, right? Can we take them to Camp!?"

I nodded, then turned to the 3 of them "Lucas, right? You're those friends of Zephyr's."

He nodded "Can you help Anya?" he asked, referring to the 12 year old girl unconscious in his arms.

"Yeah. But first let's go somewhere safe. Let's go to Camp Half-Blood."

I was hurrying everyone into my car to drive to Camp when a voice called out "Hey, you can't just leave with no explanation."

I turned and walked up to the boy. He was wearing the familiar red outfit of Spider-Man, his mask in his hands, revealing a boyish face with a mop of brown hair and a childish smile. He had been all over the news recently, first his secret identity revealed, then people claiming he was a villain, and then people debunking that, and though I knew he was a superhero, this crazy life was a bit above his pay grade "Look," I spoke softly and rushed, feeling that I owed him an explanation after he'd saved my life "It's a long story and I have to get them to safety as soon as possible. I'll give you a choice. You can walk away right now, forget you ever saw me, and go back to living your life. Or you can come to Farm Road 3.141, Long Island tomorrow morning, alone. I'll explain everything, and your life will never be the same again. It's your choice."