The Unusual Half-Blood

Chapter 17: Aftermath

With the remaining money we had, the three of us boarded a flight, which took around 5 hours to reach New York City.

While on board, I excused myself to the restroom, contacting Chiron and explaining everything that transpired. His tone told me that he was both shocked and hurt.

It's possible that a part of him suspected Luke, but his feelings clouded his judgment. Either way, he understood the gravity of the situation and agreed to comply with my instructions moving forward.

We collected our stuff from the baggage claim and went outside the LaGuardia airport to the taxi stand. It was 11:30 p.m.

30 minutes later, all of us were in Manhattan, walking into the Empire State Building.

I went up to the guard at the front desk. "Six hundredth floor."

He was reading a book and took a while to look up. "No such floor, kiddo."

"I need an audience with Zeus."

He gave me a vacant smile. "Sorry?"

"You heard me."

He stared at us for a few seconds, before his smile disappeared, and he realized I wasn't joking.

"No appointment, no audience. Lord Zeus doesn't see anyone unannounced."

"Well, I'm sure he'll make an exception this time." I slipped off my backpack and unzipped the top.

The guard looked inside, not getting what it was for a few seconds. Then his face went pale.

"That isn't......."

"It is," I promised. "If you want me to show you a demonstration, I'll be more than happy to-"

"No! No!" He scrambled out of his seat, fumbled around his desk for a key card, then handed it to me. "I-Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you."

Annabeth and Grover followed me inside as I used the key card. It disappeared and a new button materialized on the console, a red one that said 600.

I pressed it and waited.

Bach's Air on G string played softly in the background as we ascended for a few minutes.

"It's strange, you know" Annabeth spoke up, as she and Grover stared at me in awe.

"What is?" I asked.

"You. Compared to the time when we first met or when the quest started, everything about you has......changed."

"She's right, Keith" Grover chimed in, "I've known you longer than her but right now, you're like a completely different person."

"Is that so?" I asked.

Annabeth nodded. "The way you look, the way you walk or speak, and your overall presence- it's entirely different from before....."

In my opinion, the only difference from before is that I'm actively taking charge at every step. Other than that, everything else was the same as before, including my facial expressions and thought process.