ꕥ Mortals were extremely gullible, and Percy was having the time of his life because of it.
As usual, he didn't appreciate Chiron's infinite wisdom until much much later. Chiron had told him that humans tended to fit things into their version of reality, and Percy was watching it happen in real time.
News outlets were reporting that 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 unexpected earthquake.
The crazy kidnapper being Ares and the unexpected earthquake being Hades. None of it being Percy.
According to the media, Ares had abducted Percy, Lorelei and two other kids - apparently the media didn't think Annabeth and Grover were important enough to name - and taken them across the country on a ten day trip to hell (literally).
Percy Jackson wasn't a criminal that committed regular arson or convinced the sole heir to one of the largest old money fortunes in the world to run away with him after all. They made up a totally cool story that made Percy the hero of all the freak accidents that occurred on the way to Santa Monica.
The bus explosion? Ares.
The St. Louis Arch? Ares.
The restaurant in Denver? Being threatened by Ares.
The exploding police cars - wait, actually that one was Ares...Anyways, Ares.
Lotus? Hotel. (I'm sorry I had to do it... shoot me)
Luckily, the cops had arrived just in time to save them, but five cop cars had been destroyed, and the crazy kidnapper - Ares - had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson and his two friends were safely in police custody and
Percy almost cackled when the cops apologised for thinking he had caused all that chaos and told him not to worry about the crazy kidnapper. When they had asked him where Lorelei was, Percy told them he had wrestled said crazy kidnapper - Percy was having too much fun - and Lorelei Irvine had escaped earlier thanks to him.
Lora would likely kick his ass later, but as far as greater America was concerned, Percy Jackson had saved the future Lady Irvine, and that was all that mattered...to him.
He finally had something to hold over her.
"All I want," Percy said, choking back his tears. Damn, he should have become an actor. "is to see my amazing and ever-loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew... somehow... we would be okay."
Percy took in a shaky breath and wiped away a fake tear. He straightened up and the smile he gave the camera was genuine, "I'm sure 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."
He held up a piece of cardboard he found with smelly Gabe's number, using it to hide his grin as he watched lightbulbs go off. Smelly Gabe had called him a delinquent punk. He had to live up to his amazing stepfather vision, its what a good stepson would do.
Annabeth and Grover just stood back and watched Percy.
"Shouldn't we stop him?" Grover asks.
Annabeth looks at him and then back at Percy.
She opens her mouth to stop him but pauses when a concerned cop comes up and gives her a hat filled to the brim with enough money to buy them three tickets to New York.
Annabeth looks at the hat with a look of disbelief. Grover stared at it, jaw dropped.
Damn it. Percy was good.
YOU ARE READING
𝕍𝕖𝕟𝕚 𝕍𝕚𝕕𝕚 𝕍𝕚𝕔𝕚¹ | ᴘᴇʀᴄʏ ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ
Aventura❛ I came, I saw, I Conquered. ❜ ・❥・The Daughter of Death and Legacy of Magic, thought she could handle life and its inconsistencies from being her fathers only child and her grandparents favourite to being the Lord of the Underworld's favoured niece...
