21 Broken Hero

                                    

                                          
Percy
                          
I threw the hood from my cloak over my face.
                          
Annabeth walked over to me.
                          
"Percy..." She said.
                          
"Hey Annabeth," I said. I kissed her.
                          
"You have to go...?" She asked.
                          
"My oath." I nodded.
                          
"But..." She trailed off.
                          
"Keep in touch..." I said.
                          
"I love you." She said.
                          
"I know." I smirked and began to help pack up the hunters bags.
                          
"Percy!" I heard Leo yell. He ran towards me.
                          
"Hey, Leo." I high fived him.
                          
"Hey Perce." He looks at the hunters who were busily stuffing stuff into the camp bus.
                          
"Keep in touch," I said. He nodded.
                          
"Percy, to be honest, I really missed you. I'm tired of Jason being a... I'd like to say a word that I can't say." He trailed off.
                          
"I know, Leo. Just... Take care of Calypso for me." That was all I could say.
                          
The hunters were almost done packing. I began trudging up Half-Blood hill sadly.
                          
"Cya, Perce!" Leo yelled.
                          
"Bye Leo! Don't burn down home while you're here!" I yelled back, over my shoulder.
                          
Leo smiled. I smiled.
                          
Home. There's no place like home. Home.
                          
As I packed the bus, I looked at Artemis. "Some of those documents are my parents will."
                          
I grabbed the box.
                          
"Hayley!" I yelled. She walked over to me.
                          
You see, Hayley is like Rachel. A mortal who can see through the mist.
                          
"Can you do me a favor?" I asked. She nodded. I smiled. "Read this to me."
                          
I handed her the official document. It was written in small English print which I couldn't read.
                          
At first she read silently. "Wow..." She said after a few minutes. "They gave your everything. The apartment, funds, money. Its up in a storage locker in East Manhattan. The apartment is being held on hold for you."
                          
"Wow." I said.
                          
"Looks like we can take a detour." Artemis smiled.
                          
We headed East.
                          
***
                          
I decided as soon as I stepped into the storage locker I went from having nothing to having something.
                          
Furniture. TV. Electronics. Scrapbooks, books, letters, stamps, and even the car that Blackjack had ruined-
                          
Blackjack.
                          
I hadn't seen him since I fell into... I hope he's ok.
                          
I whistled. Nothing. I whistled again. Nothing. Tears filled my eyes. They were falling fast- like the beat of the large Eagles wings circling around above my head. It was only when I realized what I'd just thought that I looked up to see a pure black Pegasus.
                          
He landed beside me.
                          
Boss! I was looking everywhere! I knew you were still alive coz DEATH BREATH said so but yah know I was so horsing worried- excuse my language. But serious, WHERE YAH BEEN?!?! Blackjack suddenly looked over, realizing the storage locker was there. Wow boss. They left you EVERYTHING.
                          
I know, Blackjack.
                          
So will you move into the apartment?
                          
Maybe. I decided. But I'm in the hunt.
                          
Ain't the hunt fo GURLS?! Dang Bawss, didn't think you'd stoop THAT low. He neighed.
                          
Well, they gave me a reason to live. Now honestly I want to go back to camp. When school starts, I'll go to roman college and... I shrugged.
                          
When I looked over at the hunters I saw Artemis looking at me.
                          
"My real home. My apartment..." I said.
                          
"Let me see the address, Percy," Thalia said. I handed her the sheets of paper. She took out her phone. After several clicks, she looked at me sadly. "Percy..." She said. "Apparently that's how your parents died. The apartment burned down."
                          
Shock filled my body.
                          
"They're re-building it," Thalia showed me the article.
                          
Tears slid down my cheek. I collapsed.
                          
Of course, I had dreams.
                          
"Hey Leo, look here." Chris Rodriguez was showing Leo my parents apartment building. "This is full of monsters. Chiron wants you to burn it down. It's empty, only full of monsters."
                          
Leo smiled. He enjoyed using his skills.
                          
He lit his hands, fire flickering across, and he put his hands on the wooden door. The flames spread.
                          
How was he that gullible?!?!
                          
I woke with a start. It was sunrise. I was on the couch in the locker. Outside, the hunters had sleeping bags.
                          
Artemis saw me sit up, and she walked over.
                          
"Percy, I know what you want," she whispered. "I now declare ye," she spoke up, "no longer guardian of the hunt. You are now dismissed from your duties!" Thunder rumbled. Did she just declare me off of the hunt?
                          
"What... Did you just..." I was happy and disappointed all at once.
                          
And suddenly we were all teleported to my apartment. The furniture was set up exactly how my parents had left it. When I looked out the window, I saw the alley. The building beside ours. Tears filled my eyes.
                          
"We'll leave you be," Artemis said. As she began to leave, I stopped her.
                          
"Wait." I say. "What if I don't fit in at camp?"
                          
"Iris message me." She threw me a coin. "With this."