Tale of the Raging Sea

Chapter 3

I woke up to the sound of loud bickering. It was quick and sharp. It took me awhile to process what they were saying. All I heard two words: court marshal. At that point, I knew I was in trouble. I groaned and opened my eyes slowly. Annabeth held her hand up at Jason to halt their discussion.

She sat next to me and stared at my face. I was happy to see her until she said, "You're an idiot." with a unforgiving expression on her face.

At this point, I was angry. "Who you callin' an idiot, idiot." I replied. Jason made face and looked away. Annabeth pressed down hard on my chest. I winced in pain and shifted my weight. "Dammit, woman! What the hell?!" I bellowed in pain. She pulled away, got up, grabbed her coat, and made her way to my front door, slamming it shut. Jason looked towards me with a worried look.

"If you think that's going to get her to like you, you've got another thing coming." He told me, wincing a bit.

I scoffed and sat up slowly. "Please. The last thing I need is a woman like her. She's got a lot of nerve calling me an idiot."

Jason found that amusing. "You're going to have a hard time finding a girl with that attitude."

I shrugged it off. "Girls are the least of my troubles. Now, I heard 'Court-Martialed'. What's that about?" Jason nervously shifted his weight. "Grace...what's going on?"

Jason cleared his throat. "You're being Court-Martialed, Percy."

I couldn't believe what I heard. "Wait, what?!'

Jason sighed. "The man you knocked out yesterday was a Private in the Army. He's got you charged with aggravated assault and battery. You're in deep waters, figuratively speaking."

I laid back down and pinched the bridge of my nose. "This isn't happening. I'm dreaming this all up."

Jason shook his head. "No, Percy. This is real. But as your friend, I will clear your name. Leo explained everything. We got you covered."

"Thanks, man." I replied.

Jason smiled. "No problem."

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A few days later, when I was feeling better, I was scheduled to meet up with my superior officer. For years, I tried to avoid him. He was an abnoxious man with a laid back attitude for everything. He also avoided his duties and slacked off a lot. What made this man so powerful was his money. Other than that, he was a no good, two timing, back-stabbing husband of four kids (words from his poor wife). His name was Oliver Jennings. I had a lot of encounters with him for my lack of conduct and breaking some rules and there. I couldn't help to feel an impulse and do what I thought was right. Somehow, doing the right thing always got me in trouble.

I got up from my bed, took a shower, and got into uniform. As I put on my hat, I took a moment to look at my reflection. I should've been happy with my rank. I should of felt some sort of pride like everyone else in my region. Why was it such a burden? Why couldn't it hold the same honor my friends' ranks had? I straightened out my scarf and made sure my badge was showing. I practiced my public speaking in the mirror a few times. I thought of Jason. What would he have done? He would of have went and accepted the consequences for what he did. Didn't fly with me. I wasn't going down with a fight. With that in mind, I headed out my door and made my way to the naval government offices in the city.

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The minute I stepped a foot into the building, faces turned to look at me. Some of them muttered to each other and pointed, while others just stared at me with eyes full of pity. No one knew what was going to happen to me, but some of my rivals were silently wishing for it to be terrible. I could tell by the drunkard from the other night. He tried to suppress his smile, but I clearly could tell he knew that was in store. He, himself, got into trouble all the time with Admiral Jennings, but not like that. I finally reached the corridor, I breathed in and out, talking small steps. But I kept my head up and walked tall. I wasn't going to give them the pleasure of seeing my discomfort.