The Half-Blood Project

3- The Eyes Of Storm And Destruction

Percy Jackson  

I awoke early on Tuesday morning, ready for the mission later in the afternoon. The extraction would be simple. Get in, get the known assosicate, and get out as quickly as possible. I was taking Piper, Hazel, and Frank. Leo and Jason were on trainee duty. I didn't trust them without a leader around. 

And I didn't trust Leo alone with the Stolls. 

The last time I did that, the consequences were devastating and full of pink and purple glitter bombs. 

The sun wasn't even up, but my team was. Teaching them how to awake early is a daunting task and many of the trainees think so, they probably hate it more than the fitness test. At least then you get a break afterward. 

Coffee is already brewing and I breathe in the scrumptious scent of buttery waffles and throw a couple onto my plate, sipping my dark roast lightly. 

"How was everyone's night?" I asked and looked at everyone who was all tired. 

"Jason jumped Frank on accident and Frank here turned into an iguana, and he couldn't get out of iguana form for two hours. He kept scuttling around." Leo groaned. I laughed.

"Katie Gardener and Lou Ellen were up all night chatting about how cute the Stoll's were. I nearly killed them." Hazel said tiredly. "You should give us different rooms Perce." 

I shook my head. "Unless you want to bunk with Jason, Leo, and Frank, which I don't trust any of you not to do anything rated R, then you're stuck with them." 

Everyone burst into tears laughing so hard. I chuckled too. But it was the truth. In this line of work, love did not come into play. 

Rule #1, never fall in love with a teammate. 

"You think we're going to do rated R things, Percy? C'mon, we're all adults. I can drink now." Hazel didn't sound as sleepy and her cheeks were red, but she was laughing. 

"We're adults that act like sixteen-year-old kids. Don't get me wrong, I trust you all to a certain length but not with horny boys like Jason in the room." I spread my hands and everyone but Jason laughed who flushed a deep red. 

"Oh shut up Jackson." He growled with a half-amused expression drawn on his face. I loved to make fun of my family. Making Jason goes red and Hazel spills her coffee down her shirt.

"So I was thinking that maybe this next Saturday if everything goes well, we'll all go down to San Diego, Sea World?" I clasped my hands together. Everyone brightened. 

"Sounds great Percy, but are you going to do your weird, 'talking to sea animals' thing again? Freaked me out last time." Piper joked and brushed back her choppy hair. I swore I saw Jason glance at her for a moment, something sparked in his blue eyes but I waved it off. 

Yes, I could talk to sea animals and horses. 

It used to freak me out too, but now it doesn't. I find it funny that horses call me their 'lord'. What am I, a sea prince? That'd be funny. 

"No, maybe. I think we'll leave the security system up and take everyone. Are the vans fixed?" I looked to Leo who was poring over his tablet, a complicated design drew on it. I leaned over and Leo quickly swiped away. 

"Uh, yeah. The gas chamber shouldn't explode this time." Leo took a gulp of his coffee that was loaded with creamer and sugar. I winced. It would take its toll later on when this elfish Latino boy was bouncing off the walls. 

A few of the trainees woke up and poured themselves tea, they were not allowed the luxury of coffee yet, most of them weren't even eighteen. It made me sad and furious most of them came from broken homes. But greatness has to start somewhere, right? It has to start from the broken pieces of us and then together with those broken parts, we create a larger, better whole.