Not Quite Mortal • HoO

V. Miranda Atwood

"So, Henry, what news is there pertaining to Percy Jackson?" I asked. I stood on one leg, elbows propped up against the kitchen counter as I watched my brother search for snacks in the cupboard. Even though he and Percy would never admit to being friends, I knew they admired each other. At least a little bit. Normally I wouldn't have even asked Henry for this information. After all, I was the one that was Percy's friend. But unfortunately, being home sick on the day Percy Jackson returns means that you miss out on some things.

Both Henry and I are Juniors, just like Percy is, and I always thought that Henry kind of resented me for it. At almost two years younger than him, I could have been one of the older freshman, but I had started school early enough, and then skipped one grade to end up in the same year as he was.

"Still has a girlfriend, Mira," Henry growled. He knew about my crush on Percy, and had known from the time we started going to Goode. He'd made it clear to me on multiple occasions that he didn't think Percy was good enough for me, not to mention that I was too young to be thinking about it anyway, even though he had been the exact same age (15) when he and Leah started dating.

I didn't let his comment change my composure. It wasn't what I had been going to ask about anyway. "If you say so! Do you know anything about where he went?"

"Not really," Henry said. "Look, why don't you ask him yourself instead of bothering me?"

"Fine, maybe I will." I executed the perfect pivot on my toe as I left, probably hitting him across the face with my hair as I went. Either way, I didn't care.

~o~O~o~

"Hi Percy!" I said, waving.

Percy and Andrew turned around and waved back. I hadn't seen either of them all day outside of one or two classes. I had missed lunch for a doctor's appointment, which cut out most of the time that I could have used to ask Percy questions. Now, Andrew, Percy and Leah were leaving school to go to Percy's apartment and make cookies, which Henry had conveniently forgotten to tell me about until the last second.

"Do you mind if I come?" I asked when I got a little bit closer.

"Of course not," Percy told me. "Just you, right?"

I nodded. I knew Percy was probably thinking of Henry - who had decided not to go, thankfully.

The three of us only have to wait a couple seconds before Leah pulls up to the curb and we hear the click of her car's doors unlocking. I call shotgun, and Andrew and Percy slip into the backseat. I look over to Leah sitting beside me. I like to think that Leah actually likes me as a person, even though my brother doesn't seem to, but you can never really tell with Leah. She's not expressionless, but she seems to embrace anything that comes along, good or bad, with ease. I'm pretty sure her life's motto is to go wherever the wind blows. Or at least, that was the usual style of her hair. I don't know how she could see to drive with it blowing everywhere. But I couldn't help but to admire Leah, even as I talked to Percy.

~o~O~o~

When we got to Percy's apartment building and climbed the staircase to his floor (the elevator was full, and who wants to wait for the next one?) Percy's mom, Sally Jackson was waiting for us. She gave every one of us, even Leah who she had never met before, a hug and ushered us inside the kitchen.

"I got everything you need for the cookies, but are you sure you want to make them yourselves? Leah, Andrew and Percy all nodded. I shrugged. I would have been just as happy eating the cookies without having to make them myselves.

"Do you want me to stay and help?"
"I think we've got it, Mrs. Blofis," Leah answered.

"You can call me Sally, Leah. I'll just be over in the office if you need me."

We all watched as she left, and as soon as she was gone, Leah gave a task to each of us. She wasn't kidding when she said we were going to do this. I wasn't sure how many cookies we were making, but from her instructions, it was somewhere between three dozen, and a feast for 10 Percys.

"So, Percy, can you tell us more about camp? Are you sure I couldn't get in?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure. But camp is pretty nice, we uh, have canoe races and horseback riding, and other activities. It's Greek themed."

This was probably the only new information Percy had given us since we first asked years ago, so now everyone is listening.

"Greek themed?" questioned Andrew.

"Yeah. Each cabin has one of the Greek gods or goddesses as their - I guess as a sort of mascot. You don't get to choose your cabin though, you get put there according to your talents -"

"So you sleep outside then. Cause I don't know what talents you'd have that would -"

"I sleep in the Poseidon Cabin. I do have talents and you know it Leah," Percy said, pretending to be mad at her, but we can all see he's laughing.

Andrew takes the cookie sheet from my arms, and puts it into the oven beneath the others.

"All done. Let's go sit in the living room," Leah said.

"Actually, can we stop at Percy's room first? He borrowed a movie from me a while ago and says he lost it in there," asked Andrew.

Percy shrugs, and leads the way.

Percy's room is average sized, with a queen sized bed, and sea green decorations everywhere. It's not very neat, but you can still see that everything has a general area it's supposed to go in.

"I think your movie is," Percy dug in a container of electronics. "Somewhere -" he reaches further back, "In here!" He pulled back his arm revealing a CD case. "This what you've been looking for, Andrew?"

"Yep. I don't see how you couldn't have done that earlier though."

"Sorry."

Typical Percy. I still hadn't seen the history notes I had lent to him before he disappeared. I had needed to make a whole extra copy for myself when he never returned them. As a joke, I asked, "any chance of finding those notes I gave you, since you're apparently so organized?"

He startled me by saying he knew where they were. We followed him further down the hall into another bedroom that I had always supposed must be for guests, or be a storage room, but it was fully furnished in grey and light blue. Judging by the way there was very little dust, and freshly washed laundry sat in a basket next to the bed, someone had recently stayed there, or was going to arrive.

"Guys, this is Annabeth's room. She stayed here a lot when I was gone, and since I got back as well. She just had to leave to go back to school." A small smile had come across Percy's face when he had looked at a picture with about twelve teenagers, many of them in orange t-shirts. He had just finished naming everyone there - it was becoming more and more likely that Annabeth was a real person, Percy wasn't that good with photoshop - when his mom called us to eat. I didn't realize she had ordered us all pizza. The cookies were done as well, so we could have dessert whenever we wanted.

Sally ate with us, and I noticed her face kept breaking out into a tiny smile, before she hid the expression again.

"Percy," she said when we were all done eating the pizza. "I got a call from Annabeth about an hour ago."

Percy stopped chewing his cookie and stared at his mom.

"She's coming to attend Goode next week. She'll be staying here."

A lot of things happened in that moment. Percy's eyes widened, and he yelled 'yes!' at the top of his lungs. Leah looked a bit surprised, and intrigued, and continued chewing her cookie thoughtfully. Andrew looked a bit uncomfortable, like he's not sure if he should leave the room, clap, or start dancing with Percy. From the way it felt, I guessed my own face was turning red. Percy's girlfriend in Manhattan. Percy's girlfriend at my school! I forced my frustrations down and pulled out a fake smile when percy looked at me. After all, one way or another, all of us are going to have to learn to put up with Miss Annabeth Chase, whatever she may be like.

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~Eruditeowl