Dear Secrets, Please Fly Quietly

3) Wings and Diamonds

As kids were trying to avoid going to their classes and whatnot, I pushed my way through the sea of backpacks and conversations. Luckily, I guessed my way out of there before the bell rang so it wasn't obvious that I was leaving. I walked around the building to a side without windows and climbed/flew up to the roof. From here, I would go straight up and then left or right when no one could see me. The last thing I want on the news is pictures of a teenage boy flying.

I opened my wings and gave them a few experimental flaps. The wind felt amazing, but I realized it would be very cold flying through air and clouds, which are made of water, shirtless. "Please let there be scissors in here." I mumbled to myself, rummaging through my backpack. By almost cutting myself, I found them. I cut two long slits in the back of that stupid polyester button down, hoping I got the spacing right. Turns out, I'm good at guessing. Navy pullover? Not happening.

I carefully stepped back to the edge of the roof. This is going to suck if it doesn't work. I ran to middle of the semi-flat roof, the wings on my ankles making me only brush the ground. I leapt into the wind, feeling it course through my feathers as I went weightless. I love this feeling more than anything.

I glanced down and realized I had officially jumped off the roof. I pushed myself up with a hard down stroke, but something was wrong. My wings felt too light. In actuality, there was too much air was going around my wings, meaning there wasn't enough holding me up. In short, my wings were too small to carry my weight and thus, I fell.

I'm glad no one saw me. I landed on my right foot, to be more specific, my right ankle. I fell forward and rolled onto my back, biting my tongue to keep from screaming. I risked a glance at my foot. My leg was straight but the bottom of my foot was facing left. Dislocated and probably broken. What would Apollo, being a doctor, do? He once said relocating a bone is more painful than dislocating it. Why?! But I had to do what I had to do. I turned onto my side and slowly eased pressure onto my foot. It didn't pop. You can do this, Hermes. You can do this. 3... 2... 1. I pushed my entire weight down onto the injury and heard a crack. Finding nothing else, I stuck my hand in my mouth and bit down hard to keep from screaming. After a few seconds, I realized my hand hurt more than my foot. I released my hand and wrapped it in the red tie to stop the bleeding. Gripping the brick wall, I slowly stood and took in what had just happened. I had tried to fly off the roof by jumping, but instead I had fallen and dislocated my right ankle. The wings on my right foot were okay, surprisingly. Though it throbbed a bit on the down strokes, that pain was nothing compared to relocating my whole foot. I took a deep breath. I could walk on my left leg, the other floating on its wings. I limped along like this for a while, angry at Zeus for putting me in this situation. Though he had given me wings, my father had clipped my primary feathers off, preventing me from flying.

After a few minutes of walking, I came to a busy street (all New York streets are busy) and hailed a taxi. It can immediately because I am Hermes. I control roads, commerce, trade, etc. I'm also the god of thieves, but we won't talk about that now. I wrote Percy's address on a slip of paper. "Are you alright man?" he asked. "You look pretty banged up. What happened?"

I handed him the paper which said at the top 'I'm deaf'. Needless to say, the driver frowned sympathetically and was silent for the rest of the trip. When we arrived at the apartment building, I got out and started to walk away. "Hey!" he called. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

I turned to face him and smiled politely. I held up one finger in the universal sign for 'hold on'. I awkwardly walked up the stairs, the driver wondering how I knew he had said something with my back to him.

When I got to the 5th floor, I sat down and waited for the taxi to leave. It took almost 45 minutes, but eventually the cab left and I got away with a free ride. I'm cheap like that. Partly because I have a reputation to keep and partly because I don't actually have money. I checked my watch. 1:13. I had over three hours until Percy got back from school. There was a mall nearby, so I decided to go shoplifting. I mean, shopping.

I walked around, skimming displays with mild interest. When Percy gets back, I will explain things and then he will let me stay at his house for a while. According to an ancient Greek tradition that we still follow for some reason, a stranger would give their host a gift for their hospitality. This, of course, is done by accepting (eating) whatever food your host provides. That's what happened with Persephone, Hades, and the pomegranate. Translation: I eat something with the Jacksons and then I give them a "thank you" present.

But what should I get them? Then it hit me (not literally). I looked up, blinking in the sun, at some words: Tnfaify Jweerles? Hold on, it's Tiffany Jewelers, one of the most expensive jewelry stores in the world. The Jacksons' present will come from Tiffany & Co. I walked in casually and went to a large desk with a receptionist sitting there. Her brown hair fell in waves around her face. Brushing it aside, she smiled. "May I help you?"

"Yes." I said politely. "Just out of curiosity, what's the most expensive thing you have here?"

"The Diamond Fringe Necklace. C'mon, I'll show you." She got up and took a key off her nametag. So it's locked. As I followed her past four bodyguards and a black curtain, I realized this was quite a big deal. Contained in a bulletproof glass case, was the necklace. The chain, which was diamond, split into two halfway down and attached to the shiniest gem I had ever seen. And I've seen the Underworld. I was told it was a 20.01 karat, color grade D. With a bit of pride, she added, "It has the best quality grade a precious gem can get: Internally Flawless."

I looked back to the necklace. Draping from the large stone, were three strands of even more crystal jewels. "The price?"

"7 million dollars."

Stepping back, I gasped. '7 million dollars? How am I supposed to steal a necklace that's worth more than I am?!' I thought frantically. To calm myself, I refocused on the room and the people guarding the necklace. The woman led me back to the main room, and I thanked her and left. Outside, I checked the time again. 2:07. Percy will be home in an hour and a half and I still didn't have a hospitality gift. Also, it was a challenge. Steal a 7 million dollar diamond necklace from the most prestigious jeweler ever and get it to the Jacksons without going to jail? All in less than 2 hours? Yea, I got this.