Percy Tells Paul

Chapter 2

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Percy POV:
"Paul!" My mom's warm voice floated into my room where I stood, frozen in panic. "Can I get you some water?" As Mom made small talk, I desperately stared out the window, calculating my chances of survival if I jumped. "Percy, Paul's here!" Though her voice was welcoming, I caught the undertone of Perseus Jackson you are going to do what I asked or no Annabeth for a month. I gulped, exhaled, and strolled out to face my certain death.

Paul POV:
Nervously, I knocked on Sally's door. Sally Jackson-- what a woman. Strong, kind, intelligent, and fiercely loving, especially toward her teenage son, Percy. Sally opened the door, her turquoise eyes alight with happiness when she saw me. "Paul!" She exclaimed, hugging me tightly. I returned the embrace, breathing in the candy smell of her curly hair. We chatted for a while as she set the table, before she seemed to suddenly remember something. "Oh! Percy, Paul's here!" Her tone was gentle, but with a rare hard edge to it. Huh. Odd.

After a moment of quiet, I saw a hooded figure step out of Percy's room. The boy lifted his head, showing a pair of glimmering sea-green eyes and a somewhat forced smile. Percy's hood slipped off as he sauntered closer, revealing his messy hair and beach tan, along with hardened facial features. "Hey, Paul," he said easily, blowing a strangely gray strand of hair from his eyes. Sally slipped back into the kitchen, muttering something about extra cheese.

"Hi, kid," I answered. Percy's eyes darkened.

"Don't call me kid." It was almost a growl, accompanied by a twisted frown. A light shudder ran down my spine.

I coughed uncomfortably. "Right. Hi, Percy. How have you been?" The conversation between the two of us continued awkwardly for several minutes before Sally finally called out from the kitchen. She brought out a large plate of sandwiches, a few of which were ( for some strange reason) partially dyed blue. Percy grinned for real now, the darkness gone from his face in an instant.

"Let's dig in!" Sally clapped her hands, breaking the ice between Percy and I. The teen snagged one of the blue sandwiches, happily munching along, that terrifying grimace wiped from his face.

Percy Jackson was an enigma to me. He could go from happy -go-lucky kid to battle-hardened soldier and back in a matter of seconds. There was something different about the boy, something I was still trying to figure out. He wasn't a normal kid, and seemed almost... inhuman.

"Paul? Paaaaul? Is there something on my face? Dude, can you hear me?" Percy was waving a hand in front of my face.

"Yes, I'm sorry," I chuckled half heartedly. "Zoned out for a moment. What were we talking about?"

Percy shifted in his chair and scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, well, I guess.. um, you see..." Percy glanced fervently to Sally, who in turn gave him a meaningful look, inclining her head toward me in a 'Go on' motion. "I need to tell you something that's gonna sound pretty crazy, so you might want to hang on to your seat."