Supernatural Demigods-Book 2

Chapter XXIV-Percy

Percy's stomach was churning as he sadly watched Jack fly out of the library. He felt...off. Percy didn't know if it was from the situation or what, but everything was suddenly surreal. Like he wasn't actually there.

He sighed as his thoughts drifted away from the uneasy feeling in his gut and focused back on Jack. He knew that his all of his friends were feeling guilty about what had happened to him and that they deliberately avoided the truth, but apparently Percy didn't know how far that guilt went.

"Did-did I say something wrong?" Sam asked, looking guilty and sad.

Percy shook his head. "No. He's just..." He looked to his friends for help conveying the words he couldn't say.

"It's a little hard for him because he felt like he screwed up," Jason covered for Percy. "He's a Guardian, a fairly new one at that, and when Percy was stabbed, he felt like he let down everyone else because he couldn't do anything to stop it."

"And it's especially hard because he doesn't have a lot of believers yet," Frank spoke up.

"I'm sorry, what now?" Dean piped up.

"Believers," Hazel answered. "Jack's a winter spirit and he needs kids to believe in him so he can be seen. At least, that's what he told us."

"But we just saw him!" Dean exclaimed.

"That's because we asked the Hecate cabin to make a spell that can let people who don't believe in Jack Frost see him whenever they want," Piper took over. "And ever since Percy, you know, Jack felt like that he didn't deserve to be seen by us, believers or not."

"One of the reasons we did that was because Jack was invisible for three hundred and seventeen years," Annabeth lowered her voice in case Jack overheard the conversation. "We thought that with the spell the Hecate kids created, then Jack won't need to get believers to see him."

"But he still does?" Sam commented. Annabeth nodded in reply.

"Being part of the Guardians means that you still need kids to believe in you," Hazel said. "I mean, Jack does have believers, but not as much as you'd expect. Even after a year of being with them, Jack is still having trouble with finding believers."

"How so?" Sam asked.

Frank shrugged his shoulders. "He wouldn't go into detail about that."

"So, who's part of these so-called, "Guardians"?" Dean asked, after a minute of silence.

"The Sandman," Percy replied. "The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus. But, they go by Sandy, Tooth, Bunnymund, and North, just so you know."

"Santa Claus?" Dean sputtered. "Seriously?"

"Yes." Annabeth answered firmly, making Dean somber up quickly at her look.

Percy zoned out of the conversation as everyone else explained what was going on and looked over to where the winter spirit in question had flew out. He wanted to go and comfort his friend, but he also knew that he should let Jack calm down before going to him.

But...on the other hand, Jack had left the library looking conflicted. And through the short weeks that Percy had knew him, he knew when something was bothering the young Guardian. Percy kept thinking about what Jack had said before flying off.

I figured I owe you.

Owed him for what? That was something in which Percy didn't understand why his friend said that. Was he trying to make up for getting him killed? Because Percy hadn't blamed anyone, especially not Jack, for getting himself killed. That was his choice, and his alone. No one persuaded him to do it, he wanted to save Annabeth. But Percy couldn't help but feel like something was off in whole scenario as he thought about it.