Second Chances: Another Wrong Move

Chapter Six

Percy Jackson

If I had ever screamed that much before, I felt sorry for my throat. The ears of those around me probably needed and apology, too. My throat was on fire, and there was an annoying ringing sound in my ears. Those around me were likely hearing it, too.

The blonde that had been healing me had done something to make my chest feel numb. Without the excruciating pain, I was free to pay attention to how lightheaded I was. I glanced at the healer until his gaze fell on me.

"How are you feeling Perce?" he asked quietly.

"I'm a little dizzy," I admitted, staring at him intently. I could hear how rough my voice sounded.
"Who are you?"

"My name is Will," he hummed. "Your dizziness is likely caused by the bloodloss you had experienced."

I stared blankly at the boy, but he just turned away from me. He seemed to be grabbing little piece of a weird looking pastry and a golden drink. He moved to set them in my hands, staring at me until I ingested them.

The taste of the drink made me scowl in disgust. I came to the conclusion that it tasted like pureed sandpaper would. Will gave me a slightly confused look. He tilted his head and asked what it tasted like.

"Is it supposed to taste good?" I asked incredulously after telling him; he appeared to be in shock.

The blonde nodded slowly before explaining how ichor and ambrosia worked. I didn't want to believe it, but if monsters existed, why not this? I wished I had a memory of something that tasted good. I hadn't eaten anything at all since I'd wound up at Sally's place.

My stomach growled at that thought, and I grabbed for the little bar Will had called ambrosia. I tried to prepare myself for the flavor I'd tasted before. It never came, though. My mouth was flooded by blue chocolate chip cookies.

In my head, a bombardment of memories appeared. They were all small, involved my mother and the blue cookies had just tasted, and a random man I couldn't remember the name of. I knew the look of shock on my face was the reason for the confusion on Will's.

"What's wrong?" he tilted his head.

"It tasted like my mom's homemade cookies," I blinked at the pile of godly food on the bedside table.

"You can't have anymore," Will pushed it away from me. "I've already told you that eating too much can physically burn your insides. Are you remembering things?"

"Only a little," I hummed quietly as I pouted in the direction of the ambrosia. "My mom and someone else... I can't think of his name."

"What did he look like?" Chiron's voice came from behind the door as he entered the room. "It's very important that you tell me."

It took me a few minutes to speak rather than choosing stare at his horse body. After the terrifying monster from before, it was easier to believe that was real. I shook my head to distract myself.

"He was bald," I said thoughtfully as I pulled up the picture of him I had in my mind. "He was fat, too, I vaguely remember that he smelt bad."

Chiron let himself breathe out as if he were glad I was picturing him instead of someone else. I tilted my head curiously. There were a part of me that wondered if he would tell me why he appeared so relieved.

"Before you came here the first time, your mother was married to a man named Gabe Ugliano. She married him to keep you safe."

"How would someone that looks like that protect me?"

"He drank a lot of alcohol and smelt vile because of it," Chiron explained. "Demigods have a certain scent that makes them smell like food to monsters. He covered it up and hid you without even knowing it."

"That's... weird..." I said quietly before completely changing the subject. "Can I call my mom?"

The centaur nodded after a brief moment of shock. I had a feeling he had expected me to react in a completely different way. He helped me stand up, let me climb onto his back, and we rode off towards the cabins.

The cabin we went into was decorated with the color blue and multiple seashells. There was a single cot in the center of the room and a small fountain in the back corner. Chiron brought me towards the thing spewing out water.

As soon as we got to it, the older man handed me a handful of coins. He started to tell me how to use it. As he did so, he gently explained to me how to use it. I threw a coin into the water when he finished, and he left me alone.

"Oh, Iris... Goddess of Rainbows?" I started, hoping I was saying it correctly. "Show me Sally Jackson in..."

It took me a moment to realize that I didn't know where she lived. I didn't even know where Camp Half-Blood was located. Chiron should have stayed with me.

The water in front of me shimmered, making me jump a little. This Iris person must have taken pity on me. I thanked her in my head as a moving image of my mom appeared.

"Percy?" she frowned worriedly. "Is everything alright?"

"I think so," I promised. "I just wanted to tell you that I kind of remember you."

The grin she gave me was totally worth the coin it cost to call her - even if the coin wasn't mine. "How'd you remember? Do you know...?"

"I took a bite of ambrosia," I watched her, putting her 'do you know' question in the back of my head. I wasn't worried about all of the scepticism everyone was giving me at the moment. "They tasted like blue cookies. There were a few new memories after that."

The smile on her face grew even more. She let out a joyous laugh, and in that moment, I knew that she likely would have engulfed me in a large hug had we been in the same room. I bet I would have let her.

8/23/19