When You Go to Boston, You Have to See the Famous Places… and the Famous People.
"Boston…," Percy said as the military vehicle entered the city, drawing quite a bit of attention, honestly. After all, it's not every day you see a vehicle that size.
Sally drove carefully through the streets while following the directions, until they reached the area near the Port of Boston. The moment he stepped out of the car, the smell of the Atlantic Ocean reached Percy's nose. As always, that unavoidable connection he had with the sea could be felt the moment he looked into the distance. The sea on this side of the country was slightly gray, the waters cold because of the season. But that urge Percy had to dive in every time he saw the open ocean never disappeared, no matter how much he rejected the part of himself connected to his father.
"So what do we do? Do we have to wait for Tyson's news?" Percy asked, pushing those thoughts out of his head as he turned toward the group, which was pretty big by now, especially with Sally there too.
"Since we're already here, we can check along the coast. According to the information Chiron gave us, the idea was to keep watching things from Maine downward through the entire North Atlantic coast," Thalia added seriously.
"It would be funny if our friend ended up near Camp Half-Blood. Maybe we should've accepted Apollo's ride," Percy said in a slightly amused tone.
"So you would've accepted traveling with one of the Greek gods?" Malcolm asked Percy for a moment. Malcolm didn't know Percy that well, but it was pretty well known that Percy didn't exactly like them very much. And he had already shown plenty of that with the way he looked at Artemis.
Percy didn't answer that. He just gave him a look and cleared his throat, glancing toward his mother, who was observing Boston with interest. The city was known for its universities, schools, hospitals… and of course, MIT.
It really was a pretty beautiful place, with a mix of modern and historical architecture. Not as big as New York, but no less important.
"Mom, I think it's time for you to head back," Percy told her in a somewhat soft but serious tone.
"Are you sure, sweetheart? If you need transportation, I wouldn't mind traveling across the whole country with you," Sally told him immediately.
"I know. But we can't put you in danger. You know…"
"Yes, yes… the whole being human thing. I'm very aware of it, don't worry," Sally said, understanding the world her son lived in. And she, even if she could be part of it because of her connection to Percy, really wasn't someone who could still face the same dangers those young people could.
Percy looked at his mother for a moment, genuinely confused that she accepted so quickly, since normally it shouldn't be that easy.
Which, to be honest, made him feel a little strange for a moment as he slightly lifted his gaze toward the top of his mother's head, almost instinctively.
But Sally lightly smacked him on the head before he could do it.
"No," Sally told him with a slightly amused smile.
That honestly made Percy want to look even more now. But from his mother's expression, she really seemed to be hiding something from him as a surprise.
"Anyway, we're only a few hours from Camp Half-Blood. If we find what we're looking for and Luke, we'll save Annabeth and I'll just head back there to receive the next task," Percy said calmly. "I honestly don't think we'll have to travel across the whole country," he added.
"As you wish, son. Remember to stay in contact. And if you need help, you can always count on me, even if I have to drive to the end of the world to get to you," Sally told him while gently patting Percy's head.
"I know," Percy told her with a smile.
Bianca and Thalia watched that exchange for a moment, and neither of them could stop a faint sadness from rising inside them, making both look away.
Sally left after saying goodbye to everyone, while the two groups; Percy and his team, and Thalia and her team; were now left in Boston waiting for news from Tyson.
"So… do you guys want us to split up and meet back at an agreed time until Tyson calls? Which, honestly, I have no idea when that'll be. Or we can go find somewhere to stay in the meantime and get some rest. I could really use something to eat," Percy said calmly, looking at the others.
"Well, I hate agreeing with you, but I could really use some food. We've been running for almost a week, eating disgusting cold food," Clarisse said while looking toward Bianca, who couldn't help but relate to her. Honestly, right now, all she wanted was to take a good bath and sleep for a couple of hours.
Thalia didn't seem to pay it much attention, but her gaze kept scanning the surroundings seriously the whole time, like a monster could jump out and attack them at any moment. Maybe remnants of the past. As Zeus' daughter, she never really lived comfortably until reaching camp and ending up turned into a tree by her own father.
Not to mention that now there were two demigods who were children of two of the Big Three, along with three other demigods and a satyr. Though the last one maybe didn't attract monsters that much, you could really say that right now the group had a massive beacon over their heads that could attract monsters from the surroundings to use them as snacks.
Meanwhile, Percy looked pretty calm. Too calm. Though for a moment he couldn't help but notice a crow perched on a post, staring directly at him, which made Percy shift his gaze to meet the crow's eyes.
Percy looked at the crow for a moment and slightly moved his body, seeing how the crow followed him with its gaze.
"Ahem…" Percy cleared his throat for a moment. "So, maybe we should find somewhere to eat and rest," Percy said while unable to stop looking at the crow.
"Oh, are you looking for a place to rest? Maybe I have the perfect place for you," a voice suddenly said, making the entire group turn around instantly, while Thalia and Clarisse pulled out their spears, Bianca drew her bow and loaded an arrow, Grover tightened his grip on his flute, which had wolves and bears carved into it, Percy drew his black sword, and Malcolm… well, he was the strategist, so hiding wasn't cowardly, it was wise. Or at least that seemed to be Malcolm's logic while hiding behind Percy.
Everyone looked toward the person who spoke, who stood there quietly, watching them with his single visible eye. Because yes, only one eye could be seen, while the other was covered with an eyepatch. He was an old man, not too old, but with a head full of white hair, a very well-kept beard, and honestly, a pretty elegant suit. He looked like an office worker or some approachable CEO-type guy. The strangest thing about him was probably the crow perched on his shoulder, watching them all with interest.
And the fact he was looking at a bunch of armed teenagers in defensive stances seemed to genuinely not bother or surprise him at all. He even had a calm smile on his lips.
Though his gaze rested for a moment on Percy's black sword.
"An interesting group, truly," the man said calmly. "And at the same time, a little troublesome. Because of your bloodline, I mean," he said in an amused tone, looking at Percy, Thalia, and Bianca.
The group didn't answer.
Because for some reason, the moment the man spoke, the atmosphere seemed to turn strange.
Not hostile. Just… odd.
Like even the noise of the city around them had slightly drifted away.
Percy tightened his grip on the hilt of his black sword slightly harder while the crow kept staring at him from the man's shoulder.
"What do you mean?" Thalia asked, frowning while looking at this man. But at the same time, she felt an overwhelming sense of danger under this guy's gaze. A danger she had only felt once in her life, and it was right in front of her father.
"Come now… Boston is very different from other places. You could easily end up in a lot of trouble. You want somewhere to eat and rest, right?" he said while beginning to walk without answering, still carrying that calm smile.
And for a moment, even though the man kept smiling calmly, Percy felt something strange.
Like behind that smile there was something absurdly ancient staring at them.
Everyone frowned for a moment, while a crow; the same one that had been staring at Percy before; flew overhead before landing on the man's other shoulder and looked at Percy again, before bringing its beak close to the man's ear like it was whispering something to him.
The man observed Percy for a longer moment this time.
The crow on his shoulder slightly tilted its head.
That made Percy feel slightly uncomfortable.
And he opened his mouth to refuse, but before he could, the man spoke again.
"Now I can understand why Miraak seems rather proud of his student. It's making my foolish son look for one of his own, which could cause problems very similar to yours. Though well, at least on that side, I don't think they'll really be as troublesome," he added.
Those words made Percy widen his eyes. Not only because this man knew his master, but because of his other words. The problem they were dealing with right now were the trials. And if his son could cause others… then that meant he was a god from another pantheon.
"You are…?" Percy asked, though he already seemed to know the answer in his head.
"Oh, how rude of me. This always happens to me. Maybe it's because I'm truly buried in work all the time; training soldiers, maintaining a hotel, preventing the end, and stopping my son from starting a war with another pantheon. My name is Odin, king of Asgard. Some call me the Allfather. And I am what could be associated with something similar to the role Zeus occupies in the Greek Olympus. The king of the Norse gods. A pleasure, Perseus Jackson, son of the dragon and the sea," Odin said with the smile of a friendly old man.
But his words left every single person there frozen, including Percy himself.