Raging Seas [pjo au] || 1

δεκαέχι

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
( FATHERS: THE WORLD'S
MOST CONFUSING BEINGS )

ACCORDING TO THE L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the earthquake.

The kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted four adolescents in New York and brought them across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

Poor little Percy Jackson wasn't an international criminal after all, and Kali Beaumont wasn't his accomplice but rather a fellow victim. They teamed up and caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from their captor (and afterward, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus – "Why didn't I remember him before?"). The crazy man had caused the explosion in the St. Louis Arch. After all, no kids could've done that. A concerned waitress in Denver had seen the man threatening his abductees outside her diner, gotten a friend to take a photo, and notified the police. Finally, brave Percy Jackson ("I'm starting to like this kid." / "Don't gain an ego, Percy.") had stolen a gun from his captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle on the beach, Kali Beaumont bravely taking his place when the kidnapper knocked him down ("She sounds badass." / "Don't gain an ego, Kali." / "Oh, shut up."). Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the captor had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson, Kali Beaumont, and their two friends were safely in police custody.

The reporters fed the kids this whole story. They just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted, and played victimized kids for the cameras. It was hard to do so, given the circumstances.

Really, truly amazing how humans wrap their minds around things and fit them into their version of reality.

"All I want," Percy said, choking back his tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again." Kali snorted quietly into Annabeth's shoulder, her own shoulders shaking as if she was crying when in actuality she was silently laughing at Percy's acting. "Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew...somehow...we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number."

One of the reporters tried to question Kali once they were done speaking to Percy. Annabeth backed up with her still wrapped in her arms. "Back off! Give her some space! She's been traumatized!"

The police and reporters were so moved and filled with sympathy for them that they passed around a hat to raise money for four tickets on the next plane to New York.

There was no choice but to fly, Percy and Kali both knew that. They hoped Zeus would cut them some slack, seeing as though they were rushing to New York and not further away. But it was still hard for Percy to force himself on board the flight, and Kali's anxiety skyrocketed.

Takeoff was a nightmare. Turbulence was insanely worse than it had been on the flight from Hawaii. It was scarier than facing a Greek monster. The bumps in the air made her nauseous. The entire time, Kali squeezed her eyes shut and clenched a plastic bag she had asked for, and tried to think of anything but crashing and falling to their deaths. She couldn't get off the plane fast enough when they landed safely at La Guardia, literally running out of the terminal when there was space to do so. Percy wasn't that far behind.