Child of lightning-Percy Jackson x reader-Book one

We play fetch

We stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS. We found it.

Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING. Which kinda told as we were at the right place.

It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece.

Percy turned to us. "Okay. You remember the plan."

"The plan," Grover gulped. "Yeah. I love the plan."

Annabeth said, "What happens if the plan doesn't work?"

"Which it probably won't." I added in.

Percy looked back at us, "don't think negative."

"Right," Annabeth said. "We're entering the Land of the Dead, and I shouldn't think negative."

Percy ignored her and took the pearls out of his pocket, the three milky spheres the Nereid had given him in Santa Monica. They didn't seem like much of a backup in case something went wrong.

Annabeth put her hand on Percy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Percy. You're right, we'll make it. It'll be fine."

She gave Grover and me a nudge.

"Oh yeah, Percy you're just the best at making plans, you should be a plan expert!" I said in the most sarcastic voice I could muster.

I honestly thought we should have let Annabeth come up with the plan. I'm usually all for stupid ideas but there was just too much on the line this time. If this failed then Sally might die for real, and the world might end.

"Oh, right!" Grover chimed in, bringing me out of my thoughts. "We got this far. We'll find the master bolt and save your mom. No problem."

As I looked at the three of them I felt super grateful. Gosh, these guys are great, I thought to myself

I turned to Percy, "well even if this is a stupid plan, which it is, at least its our stupid plan." I looked at them all, "I wouldn't want to be doing this with literally anyone else besides you guys, thanks"

Percy slipped the pearls back into his pocket. "Let's whoop some Underworld butt."

With that we walked inside the DOA lobby.

Muzak played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel gray. Pencil cactuses grew in the corners like skeleton fingers. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything really. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see them all just fine, but if I focused on any one of them in particular, they started looking... transparent. Like I could see right through their bodies.

The security guard's desk was a raised podium, so we all had to look up at him.

He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

I read the tag, then looked at him in bewilderment. "Your name is Chiron?"

He leaned across the desk. I couldn't see anything in his glasses except my own reflection, but his smile was sweet and cold, like a snake, right before it eats you.

"What precious young people." He had a strange accent—British, maybe, but also as if he had learned English as a second language. "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"