The Son of Death (Percy Jackson x Male Reader)

We Resist Arrest

We'd arrived on the outskirts of a little ski town nestled in the mountains.  The sign said "WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO".  The air was cold and thin.  The roofs of the cabins were heaped with snow, and dirty mounds of it were piled up on the sides of the streets.  Tall pine trees loomed over the valley, casting pitch-black shadows, though the morning was sunny.  Even with my wings wrapped around me, I was freezing by the time we got to Main Street, which was about half a mile from the train tracks.  As we walked, I told the others about my chat with Apollo the night before, how he'd told me to seek out Nereus in San Francisco.

Lucas: That's good, I guess.  But we've got to get there first.

I tried not to be too skeptical about our chances.  I didn't want to send the others into a panic, but I knew we had another huge deadline looming, aside from saving Artemis in time for her council of the gods.  According to Percy's dream, the General had said Sara and Annabeth would only be kept alive until the winter solstice.  That was Friday, only four days away.  And he said something about a sacrifice.

YN: Thank you, Lucas.  This conversation is really helping me calm my nerves.

We stopped in the middle of town.  You could pretty much see everything from there.  There was a school, a bunch of tourist stores and cafes, some ski cabins, and a grocery store.

Thalia: Great.  No bus station.  No taxis.  No car rental.  No way out.

Lucas: There's a Starbucks!

Grover: We can get coffee!

Zoe: Yes, coffee is good.

Grover: And pastries.  And wax paper.

Thalia sighed.

Thalia: Fine.  How about you three go get us some food.  Percy, Bianca, YN, and I will check in the grocery store.  Maybe they can give us directions.

We agreed to meet back in front of the grocery store in fifteen minutes.  Bianca looked a little uncomfortable coming with us, but she did.

Store Clerk: You could call for a taxi from Alamogordo.  That's down at the bottom of the mountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here.  Cost several hundred dollars.

The clerk looked so lonely, Percy bought a rubber rat.  Then we headed back outside and stood on the porch.

Thalia: Wonderful.  I'm going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops has a suggestion.

Percy: But the clerk said-

Thalia: I know!  I'm checking anyway.

YN: Fine, but be safe, tree girl.

She walked off.  I knew how it felt to be restless.  All half-bloods had attention deficit problems because of our inborn battlefield reflexes.  We couldn't stand just waiting around.  Bianca, Percy and I stood together awkwardly.  I wasn't sure what to say, especially now that she was a Hunter and everything.

Bianca: Nice rat.

Percy set it on the porch railing.  Maybe it would attract more business for the store.

YN: So... how do you like being a Hunter so far?

Bianca frowned.

Bianca: You guys aren't still mad at me for joining, are you?

YN: I was never upset, I just... felt bad for Nico.

Percy: Are you happy with them?

Bianca: I'm not sure if happy is the right word, with Lady Artemis gone.  But being a Hunter is definitely cool.  I feel calmer somehow.  Everything seems to have slowed down around me.  I guess that's the immortality.