Percy Jackson and the Forgotten Heroes

17 - I have brunch with my enemy

Percy's P.O.V

I swiped my hand through the iris message as Annabeth came into the room. I still couldn't believe that I was going to be a dad. The past day had been a mess of me laughing in disbelief, crying, and just hugging Annabeth for 2 hours straight.

Ordinarily I would be over the moon that we were having a kid, but it couldn't have happened at a worse possible time. Something fishy was going on with the Avengers, a new prophecy had just been issued that ended with me and Annabeth going to Tartarus, and Owen Nakamura was still out there somewhere.

"Nico and Will just arrived at Camp, and Chiron was going to call a meeting to discuss the prophecy. He thinks Nico might - have an alternate interpretation,"

One that doesn't end with us back in Tartarus.

"Yeah, I just - I need to do something first." I said distractedly.

She raised an eyebrow skeptically "You okay, Perce?"

"I'm fine. I just have some unfinished business."

She didn't seem convinced but she didn't push the matter "Okay... I'll see you at Camp then?"

"Yeah. Oh, and Annabeth?" She had started to walk away but turned back "I love you."

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain."

*****

I waited nervously, tapping Riptide rapidly against the table. The restaurant was in the middle of New York, with people passing by every second, but there was only one person I was anticipating. I'd had pancakes, though disappointed to see they weren't blue, and now had nothing to do but wait. I was bored in seconds.

Then he arrived. He looked so different to when I'd last seen him. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie, just like a regular teenager, rather than his battle armour, and he didn't have his sword with him as far as I could see. His face was still twisted in a sour snarl, but he seemed somehow less sinister than when he'd tried to kill me yesterday. Possibly because he wasn't trying to kill me today.

"You want some pancakes?" I feebly offered.

His hands were shoved in his pockets, and I wondered whether he had any weapons hidden in them "I came. What do you want, Jackson?"

"I want to talk."

"And why shouldn't I just kill you right now?"

"Because you didn't before. You had the chance to kill me. I was unarmed. My weapon couldn't hurt you. You had your sword over my heart. You could've killed me in a heartbeat. But you didn't. Why?"

"Not here."

The only empty place nearby that I knew of was the abandoned Avengers Tower. We made our way to the empty floor we'd dueled in previously before Owen started talking.

"You killed my brother when I was 8 and ruined my life. What could you possibly have to say to me?!"

"Owen, I'm not your enemy."

"I'll be the judge of that." He folded his arms stubbornly "Ethan was a good brother. He always looked after me, he never lost his temper with me even when I was a pain, he never once complained about Dad always working or Nemesis never claiming him. All he wanted was a better life for us. For everyone. He tried to get recognition for all of the minor gods, and their children forgotten in the Hermes cabin. He didn't deserve to die!"

"No, you're right, Ethan was right! There's a Nemesis cabin at Camp now. He has 3 siblings. There's other cabins too - Hecate, and Nike, and all of the minor gods. There's temples at Camp Jupiter for them too, not just the Olympians. Ethan didn't die in vain. He made a change. He made the world a better place. A lot of demigods owe a lot to him. You should be proud."

Owen hesitated, and for a second I thought he might be beginning to trust me. Then all hell broke lose.