Ordinary (A Percy Jackson Story)

Chapter 9

It was all Luke could do not to flop onto the floor like a fish out of water.

"Zoë!"

Bianca rushed her grabbing her in a hug that was well returned. It was one of those girl hugs where they squeeze hard enough to choke the soul out of each other but somehow don't explode. Luke didn't understand it. All the more reason not to hug girls.

Unless it was Thalia. Luke would hug Thalia that hard.

Zoë pulled from the embrace grinning happily. She didn't look the same as when Luke last saw her, no silver glowing aura or combat boots. Instead she wore a white blouse and jeans. Her dark hair was pulled back in a normal braid.

She looked as ordinary as Luke and Bianca and Ethan.

"Zoë, I-I-" Luke swallowed hard taking a step away from her and looking down.

Zoë looked at him suddenly less happy. She pursed her lips.

"Luke," She acknowledged, then went back to grinning at Bianca. Luke wasn't sure if he should be thrilled she hadn't tried to kill him or insulted. He had basically orchestrated her death, even if his hand hadn't struck the final blow. He could totally understand her hating him.

He imagined that she had a pretty good thing going with Artemis and being partially immortal. Much like Bianca had.

Zoe waved her hand at the still quiet offices, "You have jobs, do you not?" Everyone hurried to pretend like they hadn't been watching them. If Luke hadn't been so nervous he might have found it funny, seeing his laid back co-workers suddenly in a hurry to finish reports and file new cases. Even that Jaz girl had disappeared into the maze of desks and official papers.

"It's so great to see you again!" Bianca cheered, "You've even been working on your modern English!"

"And you have been working on your right hook!" Zoe accepted a cup of coffee from Detective Parker and then immediately sent him to do something else trivial. She motioned for the two of them to follow her to the back into a more private office quarters that Luke new were reserved for high end cases that had a lot at stake (it annoyed him to no end that they hadn't been brought there in the first place).

Everyone seemed to give Zoe a wide berth, Luke saw at least four people make eye contract then swing around to go an entirely different direction.

Against his better judgement, Luke finally blurted out the question that had been tugging at him, "How long have you been here?"

Zoe looked back at him, a decidedly evil grin on her features, "Two days."

Of course. Luke was gone for two days and this is what happens. He made a mental note to stop pulling all-nighters and having best his friends get kidnapped. Zoe lead Bianca and him into a room and closed the door behind them. Her smile fade when she turned back around and the air seemed to tense. The seriousness of the situation came flying back and even Bianca allowed herself to look distraught.

"Now tell me everything." Zoe said, sitting down at the desk, "From the beginning don't leave out a detail."

Luke and Bianca shared a look and then he started talking.

***

When Luke had woken up first in the living world he found a piece of paper in his pocket. It had a simple address on it written in green pen. In his other pocket he found a house key and a wallet with his ID and a couple credit cards and a bunch of crumpled ones. He had been standing in the middle of a park.

Not having any better clue what to do he searched for the address, which ended up being an apartment building. When he reached the door he hesitated. He tentatively knocked on the wooden door but it just echoed. It didn't seem like anyone was home. Then he pulled out the key again from his pocket and inserted it in the deadbolt, slightly surprised that it actually fit.