Four False Lives

R I P T I D E

The cold wind raced through my hair as my heavy footsteps were the only thing I heard. I ran across the rooftops, jumping through the air.

People below me shouted things and pointed, screams about who I was as they pointed to me. I guess this was a really odd sight for them.

Unlike normal, it wasn't the silver moonlight pouring down on me, it was the rays of sunshine that seemed cold.

It always did this time of year. Villains were crawling the city, but it seemed like with the lack of heat in the winter, they got even worse.

But even then, this felt weird. No villian had ever attacked in the broad daylight, much less eleven AM. So I was confused, why would someone do that now?

Nico Di Angelo didn't seem to care what I though though, he just stood there moving the earth and making ghosts appear.

Solace was usually on patrol in the mornings, so this was new to me. I had dealt with Di Angelo once before, so I had an idea of what to expect.

"What do you want, Di Angelo?" I asked, glaring at him after I jumped off the roof end landed in front of the evil-doer.

Di Angelo was about to retort when my phone went off, buzzing fiercely in my pocket as loud music played. I gave a small and guilty smile as I answered it.

"Percy! Where are you, you said we'd go out to lunch today," Annabeth chided in my ear. "Don't tell me you forgot about it, Seaweed Brain,"

"Uh, Annabeth?" Percy whispered. "Now really isn't the time. Something, uh, came up?"

"Tide?" Di Angelo asked, not bothering to use my full name. "Tide? Riptide!"

I hung up on Annabeth a moment later, forgetting to tell her why. This was so going to get talked about on the news.

"This is why your not my type. I want to fight a hero, not no one," Di Angelo groaned. "Wheres Solace anyways?"

"He called in sick. I was sent in his place. Since you didn't really do anything, do you want me to just pretend to try and get you and then let you escape?"

"That'd be nice, yeah,"

"Okay," I said. "Oh no! A villain! You need to go to jail for your crimes!"

Di Angelo played along. "You will never escape me! But I should go before I get caught,"

D Angelo walked to the shadows and gave me a small smirk reminding me of his time as a hero. "Thanks Tide,"