Icarus - Annabeth Chase

chapter fourteen.

Before they left Olympus, Percy decided to make a few calls. It wasn't easy, but he finally found a quiet fountain in a corner garden and sent an Iris-message to his brother, Tyson, under the sea. he told him about their adventures, and Bessie—he wanted to hear every detail about the cute baby cow serpent—and he assured him that Annabeth was safe. Finally he got around to explaining how the shield he'd made him last summer had been damaged in the manticore attack. Akira ran up to him and stopped in her tracks at seeing the cyclops.

"Woah," She gaped.

"That's Tyson. My brother."

"That is so cool!"

"Yay!" Tyson interrupted. "That means it was good! It saved your life!"

"It sure did, big guy," Percy said. "But now it's ruined."

"Not ruined!" Tyson promised. "I will visit and fix it next summer."

The idea picked him up instantly. He guessed he hadn't realized how much he missed having Tyson around.

"Seriously?" He asked. "They'll let you take time off?"

"Yes! I have made two thousand seven hundred and forty-one magic swords," Tyson said proudly, showing them the newest blade. "The boss says 'good work'! He will let me take the whole summer off. I will visit camp!"

"So many. I wish." Akira gasped.

They talked for a while about war preparations and their dad's fight with the old sea gods, and all the cool things they could do together next summer, but then Tyson's boss started yelling at him and he had to get back to work.

Percy dug out his last golden drachma and made one more Iris-message.

"Sally Jackson," He said. "Upper East Side, Manhattan."

"Yes! She's amazing and beautiful. You probably got your dad's genes." Akira nodded to herself, he then noticed that she finally had a shirt on although it was a bit small on her, it was just black and he swore he had seen the same one on Annabeth.

"Is that Annabeth's shirt?" Akira looked down at herself and shrugged.

"She let me use it and she patched me up. Said it was her way of saying sorry." She smirked at him and he turned his head away, a blush spreading across his cheeks. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and laughed, waiting for Sally to appear.

The mist shimmered, and there was his mom at their kitchen table, laughing and holding hands with her friend Mr. Blowfish.

He felt so embarrassed, he was about to wave his hand through the mist and cut the connection, but before he could, his mom saw them.

Her eyes got wide. She let go of Mr. Blowfish's hand real quick. "Oh, Paul! You know what? I left my writing journal in the living room. Would you mind getting it for me?"

"Sure, Sally. No problem."

He left the room, and instantly his mom leaned toward the Iris-message. "Percy! Akira! Are you all right?"

"We're, uh, fine. How's that writing seminar going?"

She pursed her lips. "It's fine. But that's not important. Tell me what's happened!"

They filled her in as quickly as they could. She sighed with relief when she heard that Annabeth was safe.

"I knew you could do it!" she said. "I'm so proud."

"Yeah, well, I'd better let you get back to your homework."

"Percy, I... Paul and I—"

"Mom, are you happy?"