Given to Fly (PJ/MR Crossover)

Book 1: Chapter VIII

A/N: Hello, my fabulous readers. I'm back with another chapter.

So, without further ado...

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Perseus

A couple days had passed since Alazne dropped the bomb on me. Of course, I hadn't  told her that she's a demigod yet. I mean, how would I even go about that? Just out-of-the-blue say to her, "Oh, you know your dad Apollo? Well, I've actually met him a few times and, oh yeah, he's an immortal Greek god." She would so love me for that. Wouldn't doubt me for a second.

Yeah, right.

So, I'd spent the days stewing in my own thoughts - or well, trying my hardest not to stew in my own thoughts. It was probably a good thing that the whitecoats were constantly running test after test, or I would've gone insane being stuck in a cage with nothing to do except examine the inner-workings of my head. Because me alone with my thoughts was, in the words of Leo Valdez: no bueno. The experiments also helped with the ADHD somewhat, making me so exhausted that even my hyperactive brain needed a cool down. Although, there were also the tests that didn't include physical exercise. Those were the ones that made me wish Auntie H was around to steal my memories again.

Ali helped to keep me distracted, though. She turned out to be a pretty talkative kid, which surprised me considering all the horrible stuff that had happened to her. I knew that if I had to go through this at her age, I'd probably already be knee-deep in Dionysus's Realm for Crazies.

Also, Alazne was quick to find out about my night terrors after I'd awoken her screaming bloody murder the first time I'd actually fallen asleep (rather than pass out from overexertion). She'd helped to calm me down with her strange mix of humming and hissing that was actually kind of soothing. Once I had come back to my senses and started on an endless stream of apologies, she'd quieted me and said it was fine.

Alazne had then told me that her mom had been an army medic for a short time before she'd been born, but her mom still had nightmares about whatever had happened there, so Ali used to have to do the same for her mother once in awhile. There had been tears in her eyes when she had said this. I had asked her if she missed her mom and got a small nod in return. I had swallowed the lump in my throat before saying that I missed mine too.

After that, we exchanged stories. Me, about how my mom baked the best blue chocolate chip cookies (to which I went on a tangent to explain the blue food), how I had inherited my infamous rebellious streak from her, and all the 99 reasons why she was ranked number one for the nicest person in the world. Alazne told me the rest of her mom's story - how she was the oldest of four kids and practically raised them, so she always felt the need to help others; how that had urged her to become an army medic and then after the army, a nurse; and how she would always sing Ali an old Beetles song instead of a lullaby to help her fall asleep. After hearing her mother's story, I understood why the woman had gained a god's attention.

Listening to a little girl talk about the mother she had been ripped away from was heartbreaking. Each tear that fell from Ali's serpentine eyes made my hatred for the School grow. How many kids had they taken from loving homes? How many parents were left wondering what had happened to their little baby? These scientists were completely sick for doing this to children - they were kids, for crying out loud! It made me want to throw up, or to punch them all in their stupid, sniveling faces - or possibly both.

But...these were humans doing this - mortals, who I had put my life on the line for to protect; who I had gone to hell for to make sure that they could live. I had spent my entire life fighting creatures I deemed to be monsters, but really, who was the real monster here? At least those Telekhines that I'd blown up in that volcano three years ago had been taking care of their young. These people were experimenting on them - grafting animal DNA into them and treating them like lesser beings.