gnossienne
n. the realisation that you didn't actually know someone as well as you thought you did
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'Look, I never wanted to be a half-blood.
Let's start from the top, shall we?
My name is Cassandra Jackson, but everyone usually calls me Ca...
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It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality. Chiron had told me that long ago, but I was only starting to understand the full force behind it.
According to the L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main tank that had ruptured during the earthquake.
This crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted Percy and me, along with two other adolescents in New York and brought us across the country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.
Poor little Percy and Cassie Jackson weren't international criminals, after all. They'd caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from their captor (and afterwards, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus - 'Why didn't I remember him before?' The crazy man had caused the explosion in the St Louis Arch. After all, no kid could've done that. A concerned waitress in Denver had seen the man threatening his abductees outside her diner, gotten a friend to take a photo and notified the police. Finally, brave little Percy and Cassie Jackson had stolen guns from their captor and battled him shotgun-to-rifles on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars were destroyed and the captor had fled. Percy and Cassie Jackson and their two friends were safely in police custody.
The reporters practically fed us the whole story. All we did was nod, acted tearful and exhausted (which wasn't hard), and played victimised kids for the cameras.
"All I want," Percy said, choking back his tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew... somehow... we would be okay."
I deserved an award for not laughing.
Oh, I have a good idea, I told Percy.
He nodded at me and I stepped forward, tears pouring down my cheeks. "I know in my heart, he'll want to reward each and every person in this," I sighed, looking around, "beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store." I gave the camera a watery smile, appearing grateful to the public's 'help'. "Here's the phone number." Percy bowed his head, shoulders trembling. The cameras lapped it up as distressed kid, but I knew he was trying to control his laugh. I stepped back and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, hugging him, allowing tears to continue to fall.
Nice one, Percy practically howled with laughter in my head.
He had it coming, I said.
The police and reports were so moved that they passed around the hat and raised enough money for four tickets on the next plane to New York.
I knew there was no choice but to fly. I hoped Zeus would cut us some slack, considering the circumstances. But it was still hard to force myself onto the plane. Annabeth practically dragged me and Percy onboard.
