Four False Lives

R I P T I D E

I moved towards my room, collapsing onto my bed. The warmth of the covers made me never wanted to leave, hiding my scar I had gotten in the most recent battle.

Secret had beat me up pretty bad, but luckily I had managed to defeat her before he hurt anyone else.

My right shoulder ached with pain, and the blood stained my mattress. I was tired of cleaning up the blood though, and I sighed in defeat as I covered my bloody gash with my blanket.

"You okay?" My roommate asked, standing in the doorway. His elfish ears stuck up from under his curly brown hair as he stared at me with an intensity that reminded me of an old friend. "Grovers in the other room, he sounded pretty urgent. Something about how you slipped on mustard but you still kicked ketchups butt. I'm a bit confused but I need to call a friend in a moment so I came to get you,"

I nodded and pulled my sleeve over my shoulder, walking out of the door to greet my best friend and coworker.

Grover walked towards me, his green eyes wide and his jaw clenched. "What the hell? You didn't stop by or call me? Coms went out percy! I didn't know if you were still alive! You can't just do that to me!"

"I'm sorry. But I needed to get back before they saw me. Leo's always home at five thirty and I think he would notice blood dripping from my shoulder!"

"You haven't healed yet?" His voice was a sharp whisper, "just grab a drink of water and you'll be fine,"

"It's more complicated than that! Secret is strong, her dagger had some sort of poison. Water only does so much. It's healing, just slower. I'll be fine by tonight,"

"Perseus Jackson!" Grover scolded me like a mother would scold a child, "if you think for one moment that I will stand by and watch you go back out after that fight you are wrong!"

"Well I'm not wrong because I don't believe that. You'll help me," I gave a small troublemaking smirk.

"I don't know what we are supposed to do with you anymore," he shook his head and smiled.

My phone started bursting with a song that suited one of my closest friends. "I SET FIRE TO THE RAIN!"

Quickly answering it I pulled it up to my ear. Ash answered it, "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!? NO CALLS! NO NOTHING! YOU DIDN'T EVEN CALL FRO BACKUP!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Don't worry, I'll be out again tonight," I promised

"Fine but you let me handle it too," the door jiggled and I knew either my girlfriend—Annabeth or one of my other roommates—Frank was home. Ash finished off, "I have to go. But this discussion isn't over,"

"Fine fine. By ash,"

"By Tide,"

Annabeth was in the doorway, a look of confusion on her face, "Who's Ash?"

"An old friend of mine. Huge fan of the superhero so it's our inside joke,"

Lying seemed to come more easily to me than telling the truth. Living a double life was hard, especially when your keeping it from both sides of your life.

Annabeth, Leo, Frank, all of my friends, they all didn't know I was the superhero riptide.

But ash—someone I would consider my closest friend besides Grover didn't know either. And it was hard not telling them.

But as it turns out, they had their own secrets themselves. My three roommates weren't who I thought they were at all.

My name is Percy Jackson, but others know me as the superhero Riptide who controls the water. Me and my best friend have been operating out of an organization called OLYMPUS for the past year.

And although I didn't think it could get more crazy, I was in for a whole world of secrets, death, and landlords.