Stolen (A Percy Jackson Love Story)

1. Announcement

"Aargh!"

My eyes shot open and panicking, I sat up, looked around feverishly. My hands held the sheets tightly in sweating fists, my cheeks with dried tears and my bed wet poured with sweat. It was the same dream again. The one with a man and an ox. I was shaking with fright and adrenaline rushed in my veins but then Henry creaked my door open, letting the yellow light from the hallway enter my room. He was in his robes, his eyes tired and lined with circles beneath them, narrowed at me. He yawned.

"Are you okay? I thought you-" he scratched his stomach lazily with his shoulders hunched. When I looked behind him, I could see a blanket on his rocking chair and a book that sat on the floor by itself on the carpet. He must have slept outside my door. I really hate it when he thinks I might do the stuff these kids do these days; stay up late while texting friends and have a cigarette in their balconies. I know he's worried for me but I have been living with him for years and I think he could start treating me like an adult and putting trust in me.

"I am fine, Henry. I can take care of myself." I grunted at him and he rubbed his eyes as he picked up his mug of coffee on the small cupboard next to my door. 

"Go get cleaned up anyways. School is two hours away." He rolled his eyes and had this face when sighing with annoyance -girls. He shut the door behind him and I could hear the footsteps fading down the hallway.

I shook my head to get rid of the feeling when you want to come back to sleep but I stood up and walked towards the window. I drew the curtains open, the first rays of sunlight shone into my room. I looked down from my window and saw that the streets were already packed with people. Well, didn't somebody looked forward to Monday?

I went to my wardrobe, fished out a plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans and made my way into the bathroom. The tiled floor was cold and let alone the room being small with a shower, a sink, a toilet and a basket full of dirty clothes that have not been washed yet since last week. I took a short, cold shower and put my clothes on, dumping my pajamas into the basket. After brushing my teeth, I left the bathroom and grabbed my satchel, sliding it down so it hung from my shoulder. I left the room and shuffled to the living room, Henry's eyes glued to the tv screen as he sat on the kitchen stool with a pizza in his hand, the cheese hung from his mouth. 

"I'm off-" I walked towards the front door but stopped in a halt as he called me in a stern voice.

"Even though I am old, that doesn't mean I had no teenager experiences," he placed his pizza on his plate and looked at me. "Grab a pizza. Or I will have to fetch you again from school, saying that you've passed out from food shortage or skipping breakfast."

I grinned innocently. "Yes, anything for you," I waltzed myself towards the table and grabbed a pizza from the box, taking a huge bite from it. "I'll walk myself back home after school, bye!" I was essentially relieved that he didn't give me a long lecture about giving a kiss on the cheek to your uncles before going to school. Then, he glued his eyes back to the tv screen with full attention.

"And there was this giant guy with one eye-"

"TOMMY! SPEAK THE-"

"I am-"

But before I knew it, I had shut the door and walked out of the building. I strolled out of the gate and waited for the bus to arrive to pick me up with my hands in my pockets, my hands placed in my pockets. Suddenly, there was a sound of rustling leaves behind me and I turned around. The bushes became still and moved slightly by the wind. I shrugged it off and face my back towards the bushes that had been planted outside the fences. 

And there it went again.

I quickly turned my back around and narrowed my eyes at the now still bushes as I stepped backwards onto the road. Instinctively, I yelled out, "Is anybody there?" But of course, nobody replied. The bushes suddenly moved and I could sense that something was hiding behind the medium height hedge but I was pulled out of the trance when I heard honking of the familiar bus I usually board on to go to school. The bus slowly came to a stop in front of me and I could see the school bus driver didn't look happy.