The Demigod Business

Chapter 8

Percy

Percy's opinion of Sam and Dean improved when they greeted Percy and Annabeth in the morning with a box of donuts. Percy immediately claimed the blueberry jelly donut and went to town on it.

"I've already checked the news in the closest cities," Sam said as they sat down to eat. "No child disappearances or deaths overnight. We were right about being ahead of them."

Annabeth let out a breath. "Thank the gods." She bit into a glazed donut.

Percy bumped her leg under the table, trying to convey his support. She hadn't talked about it, but he knew she hadn't slept well the past two nights. She was still in prime fighting form, but because he knew her so well, he could see the strain in her eyes.

Dean talked while chewing on a powdered donut. "But we need to find the next kid before that Medusa and Muriel—"

"—Euryale," Percy interjected around his own donut.

"—get to them," Dean finished, barely acknowledging Percy's correction.

"Who's the next target?" Sam asked.

Annabeth pulled out her list and smoothed the paper. "Lily Sherman in Sunnyvale."

Sam opened his laptop and spent a few minutes searching. "That's a few hours from here. We can get there by the afternoon. Looks like Lily's fine so far."

"We should talk to Lily's family first," Annabeth said. "They should know something's coming after her."

"If we can stop the Gorgons before they get to her, there's no reason to worry them," Sam said. "In our experience, people don't really react well to this stuff."

Annabeth shook her head. "I don't think you understand. Monsters will come after her eventually. They can smell us, and when we use technology, it's like lighting a beacon. They're drawn to us like moths to a flame. That's the life of a demigod. Lily's just unlucky enough to have a mother with enemies. She needs to start preparing for that."

Percy spotted pity in Sam and Dean's eyes. He didn't want it. He'd made his peace with this life a while ago. Now, he just wanted to help other demigods do the same.

Sam and Dean shared a quick look only Percy's ADHD let him catch, but he didn't know what it meant. He'd woken up with a feeling that today was going to be an interesting day, and their look only strengthened the feeling.

"How?" Dean asked.

Annabeth shifted in her seat and Percy pressed his leg closer to hers. He dropped his hand under the table to let it rest on her thigh and he felt her muscles relax.

"We have communities for demigods," Annabeth said. "It's how we learn who we are and how to protect ourselves."

"Like a school?" Sam asked.

"More like a summer camp," Percy said.

"Where?" Dean asked, his voice gruff.

Annabeth set down her donut, untouched except for that first bite. "Look, we appreciate your willingness to help. But you're not demigods. And to be honest, I don't entirely trust you yet."

Dean frowned. "We—"

"It's fine, we understand," Sam said. "You have your secrets, we have ours. We just want to make sure everyone's safe. Like you do."

"They will be," Percy insisted.

"Good," Sam said.

"So what happens when we get to Sunnyvale? If that Medusa knows we're protecting Lily, won't she just move on to the next kid?" Dean asked.