nobody's soldier, percy jackson

9. daddy issues and stepdaddy issues

"Hey, guys," Percy said as they walked along the road "I think this quest might be harder than we thought. I've been thinking. I didn't steal the master bolt. You guys didn't steal the master bolt. We're pretty sure Hades has the master bolt, but he couldn't have stolen it himself. I mean, we don't even know who actually stole the thing, or why, or how deep this goes."

"I'm the last person to realise this, aren't I?" he sighed.

"Yeah" Annabeth answered.

"Mhm" Venus nodded.

"Okay, so... maybe when we started, my head wasn't fully in this, but since the river... it all feels different somehow. He saved me. My dad. I guess I just really never thought that's something he'd do for me. So maybe I gotta take things more seriously now" Percy decided.

"Car" Grover said, looking back.

"That's not a car, it's a bike. Just let it pass. Come on" Annabeth said.

The four went to the cement barrier that lined the road and ducked down.

"I'm saying, we're not just trying to retrieve a thing. I think we might need to be detectives here, too" Percy thought quietly as they sat.

"Yeah" Annabeth nodded.

"Why are you being weird with me again? I thought we weren't doing that anymore" Percy said.

"I'm not being weird" she argued.

"Yes, you are. You've been weird since we left the arch," Percy thought for a moment "oh... I get it. It doesn't have to be a thing, you know. That she hugged me."

"Oh boy" Annabeth sighed.

"I mean, we're like friends now. That seems like a thing friends do. At least I think they do" Percy shrugged, looking at Venus.

"Don't ask me," Venus said, shaking her head "but, she's not jealous. Trust me, I know."

"I saw the Fates. Back at the arch, I saw the Three Fates, and I saw Atropos cut a piece of thread" Annabeth responded, making all three of them look at her blankly.

"And that's bad or..?" Percy said.

"The Fates weave the life strand of every living thing. When you see a string cut—" Annabeth began.

"One of us will die" Venus finished with a small gasp.

"We're all gonna die eventually" Percy replied.

"Soon," Annabeth said "it's a warning. An omen."

"But Venus, like... can't die. She's a goddess" Percy shrugged.

"Actually, I'm mortal right now" Venus whispered.

"Wait, what?" Percy said, looking at her with a confused expression.

"I don't have time to explain" she said, shaking her head as they heard the motorcycle approaching.

"Okay. Guys, we need to talk about this whole fate thing. Three old ladies with a ball of yarn can't know what's gonna happen. What I choose to do changes what's gonna happen, and I can choose to do anything I... want."

"Need some help?" they heard.

They turned so that they were on their knees, their heads poking out from the barrier, seeing a man on her motorbike.

Venus let out a small groan as she looked at the man.

"Beg pardon?" Grover asked.

"I asked if you could use some help" he responded.