Percy Jackson: Immortal High School, Mortal Pain (Completed)

It Would Have To Be The Father

Annabeth POV
My friends and I walk to our apartment we rented for the quest and sit down in the living room. Our topic: Peter Johnson.

"I don't see what the fuss about him is," Nico complains. "He's just a guy."

"A guy hiding something," Thalia points out. "He always gets tense around us and he seems to know something we don't."

"Do you think he could be our demigod?" Jason asks.

"I haven't been able to get close to him to know," Grover answers.

"What about monsters? Smell any of them?" I press. They're the last thing we need.

"No, not right now."

"Are you sneaking anything?" Piper says in exasperation.

"Nothing too distinct to know, but I am picking up a faint scent."

"Like what?"

"It kind of smells like the sea with something even darker."

I feel my insides tighten. Sea. Salt. Percy's lips. Something darker. Betrayal. Pain.

"Kind of like what Percy Jackson smelled like," Nico says, thinking. 

"I wouldn't know even if I wanted to. The gods made me cut off my empathy link with him with him being 'a traitor' and stuff." 

Thalia notices. "Guys, were getting off topic."

"Okay. Why do you think Peter Johnson is different?" Nico asks. "I mean, I wear black and hide sometimes. So does Thalia."

"This seems darker though. More extreme. I don't know how to describe it, but it's like these emotions have been around forever-"

"Which isn't possible though because he's only like what? Seventeen?" Frank asks.

"Right, but there's something not right about him. He seems so familiar but so unrecognizable at the same time."

"Familiar and unrecognizable? Those are like two opposite things!" Leo says.

I roll my eyes and take out my laptop. "I think we should do some researching about our friend."

I type in the name in the search bar and scroll through private websites and pages.

Name: Peter Johnson
Birthday: October 18, 2100
Parents: Diane Johnson (deceased) and Gabrielle Fattriano
Lives: Manhattan, New York
Information: Peter Johnson lives with his stepdad when his mom died when he was younger in a car crash. He attends a public school in Manhattan and has a reputation of being a troublemaker in other ones.

"That gave us nothing," Thalia says dryly.

"Agreed. The only thing we got out of this is the fact that he lives with his stepdad and his mom is dead. I find it hard to believe that he's a troublemaker," Jason muses.

"Yeah. He's a troublemaker and has a stepdad. It's your average description for a demigod," I say.

I understand why he kept his mom's last name." Leo laughs. "Fattriano? Who has a last name like that?"

Calypso nails him in the ribs with her elbow. "Shut up, please."

"Hey, at least we know who our demigod is," Piper comments.

"Not exactly. We have no proof. The only thing we have of him is that he's a troublemaker and has a stepdad, but it also shows his mom's name," I say.

"Then it would have to be the father." Hazel declares.

"But who?" Calypso asks.

"That's something we have to find out. For now, we get to know Peter and become his friend. Next, we find out if he's really a demigod. Then, we bring him to camp," I say confidently.

"Fine by me as long as we don't miss the camp trip," Piper says.

"We won't."