Deceiving

We had just entered the replica and hadn’t walked very far when we all spotted the pearl. It was atop Athena’s head, on her crown.

“Well that was a lot easier than what I thought it would be.” I commented. Grover nodded his head in agreement. “You know, besides figuring out how we’re supposed to get it. Especially with all these people around, I can barely move.”

Percy and Annabeth had exchanged a few words, but Grover and I had been figuring out how we could get up that high in order to grab the pearl.

“Will you guys focus for a second?” I finally asked them both. “We need to get that pearl and we need some ideas.”

Annabeth quickly jumped into action, and yet again Annabeth and I were able to devise another plan. We were going to walk around, split up, and explore the whole place and six minutes till closing time we were going to go to the bathroom and lock ourselves into a stall. Then when we were sure that the place had been closed completely, we would go out and retrieve the pearl.

“How should we split up?” Grover asked.

Annabeth was about to suggest an idea when Percy took charge. “Grover and Annabeth will stick together and Morning and I will stay with each other.”

Annabeth seemed unhappy with his decision, but decided not to argue and left with Grover to take the right side of the Parthenon while Percy and I took the left side. Percy and I remained quiet, but I needed to get close to him. For Luke’s sake.

“So, uh, Percy?” I asked, trying to think of something to talk about.

“Yeah?” he asked, looking up at me from where he was looking.

“Uhm, did you ever learn anything about the Greek gods and goddesses?” I asked. Smooth Morning, you couldn’t think of anything better to say?

“Not much.” He said. “You’re the daughter of Apollo though, right?”

I smirked. “Seems like you listen, son of Poseidon.”

“Have you ever met your dad?” he asked.

I laughed. “Apollo or any of the gods come down to see their kids? Ha.”

“So no one-”

“No one, Percy.” I told him, as I looked around to make sure that no eyes were lingering on us. Percy’s hood had fallen down earlier and I wasn’t sure who had noticed.

“Do you ever hear his voice in your head?” he asked.

I was surprised by his questions. Most of my siblings in the cabin of Apollo would talk of how he would contact them in their head. I was the only one who hadn’t heard his voice. “No, but it isn’t unusual to hear their voice sometimes. All my siblings in the Apollo cabin have heard his voice at least once, if not more.”

“But not you?” he asked.

“No, not me, ever.”

“That seems strange.” He commented, watching for any form of emotion I showed towards it.

I simply shrugged, “I have always been that troubled kid, in more ways than one. You’d be amazed at how many foster homes I’ve been to before I decided to check in and stay at crazy demigod camp all year round.”

“Foster homes?” Percy asked, his full attention now centered on me. “But how did you find out that you were a demigod if you had been around people that had no idea what you were?”

I smiled at the lost memory. “My best friend, my protector.” I told him.

“Who was your protector?”

“I wish you could have met him Percy, he risked his life to keep me alive and for that, I will never be able to repay him.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright… son of Poseidon.” I told him, smiling as I walked off towards another part of the building. I heard Percy hurrying right behind me.

“Is that how it’s going to be daughter of Apollo?” he asked me.

I turned around and smiled up at him before looking in front of me and barely missing a guy pushing his way towards Percy.

“Stay away from that girl.” He threatened.

He had his hand out ready to grab Percy by arm or wherever he could grab and looked as if there was going to be no way to stop him. Thankfully I was already a step ahead and quickly snapped my fingers. The guy turned around and looked completely confused as he stumbled out of the building, not even having the chance to touch Percy.

“Come on, we’ve gotta warn Grover and Annabeth before someone else recognizes you.” I told Percy and grabbed a hold of his wrist, pulling him with me as I searched around for the other two.

“Morning.” Percy said. “Morning!”

“What?” I asked, snapping my attention towards him. We were standing in a crowded area and we were standing super close to each other. I got pushed into him by one of the people around us and wasn’t able to move because we kept being closed in on. I glared and kicked someone nearby. They let out a sound of pain, but they moved away.

“Can’t you just do whatever you do to the mist to make sure no one recognizes me?” he asked, before I had the chance to pull us away from the group of people.

“But we need to let Grover and Annabeth know that someone saw you.” I told him.

“It was one guy and you were able to handle him.” Percy argued.

“There could be more people-”

“Ahh, young love.” An older woman commented and I turned my head towards the voice to see that she was looking directly at me and Percy. “Remember when we were that young darling?” she asked the man she was with.

“I sure do. Don’t let her go easily.” He told Percy before making his way out of the crowd.

“No, we aren’t-” I tried telling them we weren’t a couple, but Percy was laughing. I looked at him, questioning the reason why he was laughing, which only made him laugh more.

I glared at him. “We’re telling Grover. Now.” I said, tugging on Percy’s wrist to get us out of the crowd, but Percy pulled me back.

“Oh come on. It was funny. It seems like everyone thinks we’re together.” He said.

“Not true.” I told him.

“You two make such a cute couple.” Some woman commented as she walked by.

My shoulders slumped. “Just because-” I tried to explain but Percy was already explaining something to me.

“That dude that recognized me told me to stay away from you, he had to think that I had “picked you up”- so to speak and that I was going to hurt you. That older couple thinks we’re in love and that man gave me advice. Not only that but that woman just told us we were cute.”

“You seem proud of that.”

It was now Percy’s turn to shrug his shoulders.

“Come on son of Poseidon, I won’t tell Grover or Annabeth if you drop it.” I told him as I dragged him to a less crowded area.

“Deal. How much more time before we go hide?” he asked, as he tried to search for Grover and Annabeth.

“Forty-five minutes.” I informed him.

“Time went by fast.”

“It sure did, I just want to get this stupid pearl and hit the road.”

“Why?” Percy asked.

“So we can get this quest over with and this whole lightening thief thing settled.” I told him.

“So you don’t think I stole the bolt?” he asked.

I laughed. “How could you have done so? You didn’t even know you were a demigod until just a few days ago.”

“Why doesn’t Zeus realize that?” he asked.

I put my hand on Percy’s shoulder. “Percy, you have to realize that you were born to one of the big three. After they made a deal not to have any children, yes, I do realize that Zeus broke that deal first, but you are a threat.”

“How am I a threat?”

I sighed, “I’ll have to catch you up on the whole god thing… But you’re a threat because you could overthrow the gods and take over.” And you could prove to be a big deal of help for Luke’s plan.

“Why would I want to do that?”

I laughed. “You’d be surprised at who would want the gods to be out of power.”

“I don’t want their power.”

“But they don’t understand that. The big three made a choice on their own part not to have any more kids because they were too powerful and some were too hungry for power. They could destroy the earth if they wanted to. You are a threat to everyone.”

My words seemed to have an effect on Percy.

“Everyone?”

“Yes, but it also depends on who you are as a person and I truly doubt you would do anything to hurt anyone. Hell, you’re risking your own life to save your mother.”

“No.” he said and turned around, shrugging my hand off his shoulder. I saw him look in the direction of Annabeth and then Grover. “I’m risking three other lives.”

I shook my head as Percy turned back around to look at me. “We’re risking our own lives to help you. It was our decision to tag along on your quest.”

“But I could’ve said no to all you three coming along.”

“You know we would all have tagged along no matter what.”

“But why?”

“Well,” I told him. “Grover has to because of rules and regulations of a protector, Annabeth wants to because she almost never leaves the camp and because all she has done is train and has never had the chance to put her skills to practice.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Why you?” his piercing blue eyes never left my eyes, as he searched for and waited for an answer.

“Because Percy, you have potential and I want to be friends.” And what I said wasn’t a lie.