XLVI
Please read AN for some announcements!
Percy stared blankly ahead, his leg bouncing as he looked at the mortal doctor in front of him. This was the first time they had met since his initial appointment about two weeks ago as Percy had cancelled the last two. It was rather easy to put them off as well, arguably more important things contributed a lot to his decision.
Organizing a city—or rather town—to be built was a lot of work, especially when they had to consider all the inherent dangers that would come along with housing over two thousand demigods and legacies. They had even brought in advisors from New Rome and dozens of legacies and demigods from that business that were contracted to build his home.
That had taken up much of his time nowadays.
Disregarding the inception of New Athens…or whatever they were going to call it, Percy had taken to observing Jane's progress closely. As expected, the valkyrie had subjected him to the silent treatment and had instead turned to Sif as a mentor. She was progressing well and had reached the point where a training automaton had taken over as her sparring partner. Not even close to either of the Swords' level but enough to hold her own against a singular opponent that couldn't be considered holding back.
Well…if that person didn't wield magic that is. Even the most amateur mage could probably wipe the floor with her if they were quick about it.
Needless to say, Jane was being put through her paces and would have to further prove herself if she wanted to join the Avengers. Killing a harpy was a start, but at least she knew what she was getting herself into.
In the hunt for Ian Quinn, it seemed that the mortal had decided to lay low, enough that he completely fell off of SHIELD's grid. Fury assured him that Coulson and his team would find Quinn and would be provided with the resources to do so.
Percy hoped that the Director was aware of the severity of the situation but he couldn't say much unless he was intending to reveal what he was. Appearing spattered in blood at least seemed to rouse some sort of urgency in the man.
And as much as Percy wanted to rouse the planet-spanning intelligence network of nature spirits, he doubted that the gods would take kindly to him doing so for a mortal. Especially considering he had until the Spring Equinox to do so. That was two months away still. It was probably the first time in his life when he didn't have the clock actively working against him.
He was pulled from his thoughts, casting a glance at the office space of Doctor Jennifer Walters. Before returning his gaze back to her own, staring back at her. Or rather, Doctor Walters was doing the staring, jotting down…something on her yellow notepad every now and then. Percy's gaze would flick around, examining the room from time to time.
While the Doctor didn't look particularly happy or unhappy at the moment, there was an undercurrent of inquisitiveness about her as if she wasn't sure what to make of him.
Percy guessed it was because of his cancelled appointments and that she was just annoyed and letting him stew. He had stiffed immortals a couple of times and the annoyed look she had was, oddly both discomforting and inconsequential.
Which was, ironically, why he was uncomfortable. He may have experience in staring down immortals but that was because they were predictable to a degree. They'd rant and rant about how he was going to pay for the insult and conjure up whatever threats on his person they could think of. Percy simply stared at them in silence until they got annoyed or bored enough to let him speak.
Doctor Walters was not that person. She simply stared at him as he did her. While he did have experience in simply waiting and letting the time pass by, constantly looking at the clock made it seem sluggish.
Annoyed silence wasn't something he had experience in dealing with. The beings of his world, barring a select few, were a loud and expressive bunch.
Finally, Percy had his own annoyance bubble up and was about to break the reigning silence when Dr. Walters, standing and straightening her business pants, did so. "Let's go on a walk."
What? "Uh, a walk?"
"Yes, Mr. Jackson. A walk, as in to trudge." She said, smiling slightly and giving a conspiratorial wink as if to ease his mind. "You know? To trudge, the slow yet determined walk?"
Percy blinked.
Walters blinked.
"Was that a reference to something?" Percy asked as he stood slowly. He figured it was considering the voice she used.
The woman coughed into her hand; her face flushed in embarrassment before gesturing towards the door.
The two found themselves on the busy sidewalks of Manhattan only moments later. He took in a deep breath before saddling next to the Doctor. He never quite reacclimated to the hustle and bustle of the city. It was always with great effort that he had to be forced to intermingle when he was there. It was simply too loud and crowded for him. Moving to Long Island was one of the things he was silently grateful for.
It wasn't as crowded or loud there, even if the mortals had a tendency to get in his way while he was out running errands.
Today was no different. He breathed deeply as he walked, matching the pace of Walters. Deftly maneuvering around other pedestrians whenever they strayed too close, he and Walters simply carried on their stroll even as they entered a park.
It was still evening and, from Percy's last glance at the clock, just past four. Which told him that the session was only just beginning.
Time really does hate me. Percy lamented.
But at least he was out of the concrete forest and in the more nature-filled park. It allowed him to breathe more, to calm down. There weren't that many people there, mostly a few joggers and others who were simply enjoying the space.
"You hungry? I find that food is a good icebreaker." Walters led the two of them towards a hotdog vendor.
Percy shrugged; he was always ready to eat.
It took them a couple of minutes and soon they were sitting on a bench in the park, finishing the remnants of their snack. "So, to get started," Walters began, tossing the wrapping into a nearby bin. "How have you been doing? Make any progress on getting out there?"
Percy paused, considering his words, before answering. "Uh…life's normal for the most part. I got back into horse riding but that's about it. Nothing…new."
"Really?" She seemed enthusiastic. "That's great!" She paused, deflating a little. "You don't seem particularly happy though."
He thought on his words for another moment. Could he really trust a mortal? The immediate answer was no but he knew that maybe they could offer some sort of…outside insight. The death of Donnie Gill, in particular, lingered over him. All of what he's done so far in his life was in service to Olympus. Almost all of it was always towards a bigger picture, a grander goal in mind. Be it from the Titanomachy, the Gigantomachy, Asgard, and even in his stint in the past. He knew in his mind, that Donnie Gill's death was morally wrong. He knew that but what could possibly justify the death of an innocent that didn't know better?
The ugly head of immortal politics was the answer, and it didn't sit well with him. Mortals that messed with the Immortal realm always had been made examples of. Justified or not, Donnie Gill was no different, only following precedent. "Have you ever been told to do something, that…" He swallowed, thinking on his words. "That you know is wrong?"
"Wrong in what way?"
"As in there is a definite right thing to do. Like, morally." He answered, staring ahead.
Walters was silent for a moment. "Before I answer, I'm inclined to say that while everything we say is private behind doctor-patient confidentiality, there are exceptions, such as the law being broken, or you intend to harm yourself or others." She breathed deeply as she continued. "I would also like to advise you against straight away diving into the heavy stuff. But if you'd still like me to answer?" Percy nodded slowly and she took another deep breath. "As I'm sure you've noticed, the world isn't so black and white." She began, looking about the park. "No one is ever always good or always bad, people just don't work that way. We're products of our upbringing but it's up to us to grow and improve from that. You being here, tells me that you want to improve."
"That-"
"That doesn't answer your question?" Walters finished. "No, I don't suppose it does but what I'm hoping you understand is that whatever you may or may not have done, you believe it to be justified. Whether it is or isn't, unless you want others to know, is only for you to decide. That being said, I like to believe that I don't condone violence since I wouldn't have gone into this profession if I had. Kind of in a twisted ironic way that the people I treat typically come from some sort of…let's say intense backgrounds. Again, whether it's the right decision or not is up to you and you alone. Others may judge you but at the end of the day, it's you who must live with those consequences. You being here and asking, tells me that you have your own doubts about whatever happened. That says that you're normal and human and not just blindly following."
'Only time will tell.' Percy's mind flared in slight anger at that last comment but deflated. He knew it was wrong to execute Gill as the Olympians have struck down others for a lot less and for more apparent guilt. Did that justify it? Percy knew it didn't. They've made exceptions before. "I hate politics," Percy grumbled after taking a relaxing breath.
Walters laughed at that, breaking the awkward and tense atmosphere that permeated at her previous words. "Don't we all! So, you're a local leader huh, politics?"
"God no." Percy physically recoiled at the thought. "Work politics." He clarified quickly.
"Trouble at work then," she said with a nod. "What is it you do again?"
Telling her about being a demigod was probably not in his or her best interests.
Percy thought about it for a second more, then decided that playing up his cover as a SHIELD agent wasn't that bad of an idea. He didn't really care all that much for SHIELD to be hung up over keeping it a secret, even if it was technically a lie and better still that SHIELD was plastered onto every news station back after the Battle of New York, so they weren't exactly a secret entity anymore. There was also the fact that he didn't collect a paycheck from them. Huh…maybe I should bother Fury about that. It would certainly be entertaining if nothing else. "I'm a SHIELD agent," he said simply as if he were discussing the weather.
Whatever she was expecting, that clearly wasn't it as she started to cough violently. He arched a brow at the reaction. Wasn't SHIELD pretty much public knowledge by now?
"Are you alright?"
She cleared her throat, taking a deep drink of the water she had purchased. "Of all the things I was expecting, it wasn't that. It makes sense though."
"How so?"
"Well for one, the lack of general information on your file. You being a super spy explains a lot about you."
Percy laughed as he did air quotes. "I'm not a 'super spy'." He wondered about his words. What would his official job title be anyway? Consultant, he assumed but that was before Fury would've changed his credentials.
She nodded her head but didn't press on that, instead, she continued on her previous point. "To add on, your timeline was full of holes. You dropped out of high school and then had a gap of five years, where it looked like you disappeared off the face of the earth. I think it's safe to say that gap was from when SHIELD recruited you." He simply looked at her, neither confirming nor denying. Now that he thought about it and it was said out loud, it was a rather convenient story that clicked into place alarmingly well. They were silent for another few minutes. "How'd they take notice of you? Were you gifted?"
Lady, you have no idea. "In a manner of speaking," Percy responded. "With mild dyslexia and ADHD, I didn't have the best of time in school." He deflected.
"Were you bullied or the bully?" She asked bluntly.
He detested that term, but he responded in a low murmur. "Not really, but I did butt heads often."
"As the instigator or…" Walters continued to prod.
"I don't remember. I never got along well with others at school, so it could've gone either way, to be honest." It was such a long time ago. All those schools…Yancy Academy and Goode were the most vivid even if he had only attended either for what barely amounted to a handful of months, if that, put together.
She hummed and they sat there for a moment longer before she responded. "Tell me about your home life."
Percy thought about what he should tell her before answering. "I live with my mom and sister out in Long Island. Giving room and board to three…friends? Work acquaintances would probably be a better term."
"Are you close with your mom and sister? What about a father?"
"Very close. I'd do anything for them. Uh…my dad…is out of the picture. We reconnected right around when I was 11 but we didn't have much to do with each other until a couple of years ago. Sally remarried to Paul, but he was killed here in New York during that alien invasion."
"My condolences." She offered sincerely.
"Thank you but I'm over it. I hardly knew the guy, but he was nice. He was a college professor and got me into a decent high school. As you can tell, it didn't really matter since I ended up dropping out, but he never made any fuss about it…" He bit the inside of his cheek as he tilted his head. "Paul was a good guy." He finally settled on.
They stewed on that for a moment giving him a moment to think. Lady Ananke was right when she said that Paul could have done a lot of things differently in regard to him. Percy didn't know him as well as he should have and now that he had thought about it, he felt a tinge of regret at that particular line of thought.
He pushed it aside as Walters spoke once again. "What about your acquaintances? What's stopping you from being friends with them?"
"Work mostly." He muttered as he cast his gaze about, keeping an eye on everyone in the park. Mostly, out of habit but there was a lingering anxiousness in his posture as he bounced his uninjured leg. "One of them is there because she doesn't have anywhere else to go. Another, we just met a few months back and the last has… issues with what I do."
She hummed. "Well, it seems you already consider them your friends. You're simply unsure if they consider you their friend."
"I know two of them probably do." Percy nodded. "It's the latter that seems to think that she's doing good when she is just going to get herself hurt."
"They are their own person. You can't expect to control their decisions. The best you can do is give them options."
"And if they're hurt? Whose fault is it?"
Walters eyed him for a moment before answering. "Whoever did the hurting, would be my guess. You have to understand that throwing blame around, assigning fault and 'I told you so's' will only make situations much worse than they need to be."
"So, I'm supposed to move on like it never happened?"
"What I'm saying is that when you're helping people you can't expect them to be perfect and make all the right decisions. Some people learn best when they make the wrong ones and the best we can do for them is to be there to pick them up and help them make better decisions in the future."
"It's not that simple." Percy wasn't going to tell her that mistakes in his world often ended with the loss of life.
"I'm sure, given your line of work, that you've learned to roll with the punches, expecting others to be the same isn't realistic." She took a breath. "Let them make their own decisions and be there to support them whether they fail or succeed," Walters emphasized.
He scoffed lightly but didn't comment further. It was good advice as much as he hated to admit. Jane was still set on joining the Avengers and it still rankled him that he could put a stop to it if he was inclined to do so. But he had already created enough of a rift between the two of them that resorting to house arrest would not be in his best interest, dealing with that was not something he wanted.
Walters was right. Percy was not Jane's keeper, at best, Sif was. The best he could offer was the tools needed to not die in the process.
It gave him something to think about.
After all, as his mind usually concluded when it concerned Jane, her circumstances were different from what he was subjected and used to. There was no lingering danger. No great evil to fight. She was only human until a couple of months ago. She was for all intents and purposes thrown into the deep end when she got involved with a pillar of creation.
All Jane had to do was train and continue honing her skills. Maybe, if he shunted her off to the Avengers, they could provide her with the experience that she was naïve to. She was exposed to the immortal realm, perhaps what she needed was a dose of human reality, The extremes he was accustomed to were not the norm and would hopefully never be the norm for her.
The son of Poseidon thought and knew his actions had forced her off a cliff when she wasn't ready, but perhaps other mortals would prove to be more beneficial than hanging around someone as extreme as he was.
Percy shook his head.
"Is there anything else you would like to talk about?" Walters asked with a concerned brow.
He considered her question. Was there anything he wanted to talk about? What was something that he was concerned with? Something that he wouldn't mind sharing with a mortal?
Ultimately, Percy shook his head once again. "Nothing I can think of."
Walters nodded. "Remember these sessions are for you. If you want to vent or simply talk about your days, we can do that. We don't have to be chasing goals or tackling the meat as they say right off the bat. It's good to wind down, relax and just enjoy the day." She stood and faced him. "In fact, I think that's what I want you to work on. Take a couple of days to yourself. Relax, get a massage! I'd say go suntanning on the beach but in this weather, you'll probably get pneumonia." She laughed lightly. "I remember you saying that sometimes you relax in the woods or beach; I want you to do that and try not to think about work. Maybe even take your friends to do the same since it seems like you only interact with them because of work. Take a day to have a picnic or barbecue. Do something with them other than work."
Percy blinked slowly as he registered her words. With Sif and Jane, training, learning, and esoteric heritages were the only things they had in common. It was so simple and so mundane that it never occurred to him.
His previous thoughts on having a mortal shrink were looking petty now.
They had a certain outlook. The mundanity of it all. Exposure to the horrors of the immortal realm and his own mindset geared and hardwired for war and battle had made those little human things and interactions, those things he fought to protect so he and others could enjoy…so…alien.
Despite his duty, and ironically, like Jane, there was no lingering danger. No great evil to fight. No prophecy to see through. The only thing that could be construed as something to be prepared for was Odin's forewarning of his daughter's return and whenever the Father of Time decided to call upon him and those were hardly things he could easily prepare for. One had a decent chance of not happening for a long while, if at all during his lifetime while the other was something that could come at any moment.
Percy finally nodded, agreeing with his doctor's suggestion.
Jennifer Walters looked upwards at the darkening sky as her patient nodded. She breathed an internal sigh of relief. When he said he worked for SHIELD, she had a mini-heart attack before she was able to calm enough to realize that if SHIELD didn't trust her, they'd have already knocked on her door.
Also, she guessed it helped a lot that she had family on the Avengers. While Bruce wanted nothing to do with Big Green himself, and Jennifer was always trying to help him through his…condition, the doctor was sure that no one wanted to tangle with her cousin.
She checked her watch and stood, prompting Percy to do the same. "We should start heading back."
He shrugged and gestured for her to lead the way, which she did.
The walk back allowed her time to further organize her thoughts on her patient. There was certainly more under the hood than she had originally pinned him for. She was right about some things even if a little off the mark. He did have some military background and while being a SHIELD agent did raise an eyebrow and was surprising at first, it wasn't really anything out of the ordinary from what she usually dealt with. Those working in the field of intelligence typically calculated everything they said and did; they wouldn't last long in their line of work if they didn't.
The lack of information on him and his unwillingness to be forthcoming made sense after that realization.
The fact that he was here to begin with, was a stepping stone in and of itself. People in the know weren't her usual patients, stubbornness and being beholden to state secrets often had them driving themselves off the metaphorical cliff before they caved to needing to see someone. In her experience, it was they, more than anyone else, that had their pride being the biggest hurdle to overcome.
She also hoped to have answered his rather loaded question as best as able.
Jennifer knew that those of his background, military…intelligence…or otherwise…had a knack for questioning what they did. If it was all worth it in the end. Walters didn't enjoy delving into the deeper and the meat of why they were seeking help in the beginning. She saved that stuff for later…when her patients were more comfortable with her. Not in the second session of all things.
The pair walked down the avenue back to her office in a comfortable, if a bit of a thoughtful silence. Walters had noted Percy to be someone that got lost in his thoughts. He had said that he spent a lot of times outdoors. Sitting around at the beach, to be exact and from this session and the last, it seemed that he didn't connect with others all that well, so there was hardly anything else he could be doing in a place like that.
It brought her out of her own thoughts, while New York was the City that Never Slept, the streets considerably less crowded than before and only a handful of people out and about. Streetlights were winking on, bodegas were prepping for the slower night shift and street vendors were serving the last of their customers or cleaning and closing up for the night.
A hooded figure was walking towards them in a purposeful gait, hunched over and a ball cap visor obscuring their eyes with their hands stuffed rigidly in their jacket pockets…. almost like he was gripping a hidden weapon tightly.
Walters' heart sped up. She didn't want to assume but maybe going outside wasn't the best idea. All she had was a can of pepper spray and a hand taser in her purse and that was only after being mugged once on her way to her car. While they were in a nicer part of New York and Walters tried to see the good in everyone, she had stopped trusting people implicitly after that incident.
She chanced a glance towards Jackson who appeared unperturbed. In fact, he looked as calm as ever as he walked alongside her. Probably whatever training he had…
They continued forward, too late to cross the street or avoid the hooded figure now.
And almost silently, and only because she was holding her breath, Walters could hear the faint sound of music from the suspicious man as he passed by, muttering along to whatever song he was listening to.
She breathed an internal sigh of relief as the duo continued onward. Walters figured she shouldn't have been as afraid as she was.
Jackson didn't seem the least bit phased, his own hands stuffed into his weathered leather jacket.
That was until he stopped in his tracks. A suspicious, if a bit confused, look washed over his features.
Walters did as well as she looked at him. He looked about and around the darkened street. Their only source of light being the streetlamps that lined it. He even looked up, assuredly at the rooftops.
"Is something wrong?" Walters asked as she followed his gaze as it locked onto one roof in particular.
He didn't answer right away and after a moment only shrugged. "It's just a gut feeling…I think I'm just being paranoid." He looked hesitant as if trying to decide something before he shook his head and turned towards her.
Walters made a mental note of that. While the adrenaline was still in her from the previous encounter, it wouldn't stop her from further diagnosing and deliberating a way to treat her patient. She could guess that he was always used to watching his back and keeping his head on a constant swivel was probably second nature to him. High-stress environments had a tendency to leave those in them paranoid.
Still, it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. She may not implicitly trust everyone but as far as Jackson was concerned, she figured that his 'gut feelings' weren't to be taken lightly. One didn't get the mannerisms he had by being dumb. Especially since he was young. That indicated that he was either a fast learner or that something had forced him to learn to trust his instincts.
She nodded when he began walking once again, following a little behind his larger gait, before putting a little pep in her step. Walters wasn't afraid to admit to herself that having Percy walk with her was more than a little reassuring.
Neither of them noticed the pair of spiders peeking at them from a nearby rooftop.
Director Nicholas Fury palmed his forehead, rubbing his temples as he hung up the class and dried up his last lead regarding Donnie Gill.
It wasn't looking good. By all rights, the boy had disappeared off the face of the earth.
The incident that saw a superstorm spawn out of nowhere, tear up millions of dollars worth of logistic infrastructure and saw several thousand hectares of farmland destroyed, Fury had spent a good deal of his time since placating an irate and thoroughly pissed off Secretary of Agriculture and equally pissed Secretary of Transportation.
While a national blueberry shortage was the last thing on his mind, nothing could compare to the thoughts that ran through his mind.
He kept close tabs on Coulson and the situation at the Academy of Science and Technology and it was a good thing he did otherwise he would be blind to what had happened.
Fury was not a stupid man.
The Director of SHIELD knew that Percy Jackson was as dangerous as they came. Moreso than the Hulk and even Thor. Banner didn't like Big Green coming out to play but when he did, the Hulk was mindless if slightly more intelligent than a rabid beast since Banner was still somewhere in there.
Thor was old-school honorable and almost the picturesque definition of Knight in Shining Armor. The last thing Fury expected of the Asgardian Prince was to kill an innocent.
Percy…it seemed…held no such reservation. Fury couldn't allow someone like him to be able to roam free without his own countermeasures ready and waiting.
He needed a solution to the Apollyon issue quickly.
Preliminary investigations and blood labs taken from where it had been smeared across his desk when Percy had arrived covered in it, had indicated that it was Donnie Gill's. Unfortunately, the labs were spoiled when the refrigerator they were in had broke down. A setback but he had other evidence.
Eye-witness accounts from agents on the ground and students last saw Donnie being escorted away by an Agent Jackson and Agent Daniels in a SHIELD motorcade. Percy's SHIELD cover and the latter discovered to be an agent brought in by the World Security Council as they moved closer to curtailing his and Pierce's influence over SHIELD since the incident (read: mutiny) in New York and as they moved closer to deploying INSIGHT. They had their own people in SHIELD before but now they seemed to be cropping up more and more.
Fury called it like he did. He and Maria did ignore and directly went against direct orders to save New York even if the whole incident was swept under the rug. People in power don't like being wrong or humiliated so putting people they trust into his organization was understandable. It was something he would do if in there position. In fact, he's done it before.
That didn't mean he liked it though.
So he had eye witness statements, right?
Wrong.
While they remembered, upon further questioning and requests for clarification, was Donnie being escorted away, two individuals matching the descriptions of Agents Jackson and Daniels alongside a STRIKE team escorting Gill away.
At least he still had Coulson and his team. Fitz and Simmons had explicitly named an Agent Percy Jackson at the scene and May was as loyal as they came. He didn't trust the tagalong-consultant Skye just yet but she corroborated their reports so he'd make an exception this one time.
What he did have was the official order from the World Security Council. It didn't explicitly name anyone but it did say that Gill was to be remanded into their custody to be carried out by SHIELD resources.
So no blood samples, no eye witness statements, and a flimsy piece of paper that didn't show up on any official and…unofficial databases.
Fury reserved moments like these to justify his own paranoia.
Especially, when it concerned someone that can alter a person's mind.
He had ample reason to believe that Percy was involved in the disappearance of Donnie Gill. Whether he killed him or not, didn't matter. Jackson quite literally had Gill's blood on his hands.
And that begged the question. Why was Percy Jackson so concerned about Ian Quinn after disappearing Donnie Gill? By all rights, Percy had dealt with the only witness and victim they had to arrest the man. Finding the billionaire would be a cake walk compared to dealing with the legal trouble that would come with arresting him since Fury had no idea what happened to Donnie Gill.
A rumble of foreboding and ominous thunder was heard and Fury looked from his desk and peered out into the Atlantic. Those sea storms had been growing more common as of late. None of them had made landfall as of yet and only a light sprinkle seemed to make its way ashore. Flashes of light illuminated the distant dark clouds.
He turned his thoughts back, whatever that was, he doubted that Percy could actually read his mind from New York.0 He was no telepath, that Fury was sure of.
Fury frowned.
He supposed he had delayed in contacting the man long enough. Especially if Percy was one of his.
The man pulled out his personal phone. Well, the one that he was sure wasn't bugged or being listened in on. It was an older model, not exactly a burner model but it still had a couple tactile buttons on it.
It took him a moment to find the contact and it was only marked with an 'X' that was as foreboding as those clouds on the horizon.
He waited it for it to connect and Fury was just about to hang up and simply find another solution when the line connected.
A mellow and almost grandfatherly yet stalwart English voice seemed to echo from the speaker when the connection established. "Hello, Director Fury."
"Professor Xavier."
The thunder rumbled ever slightly closer to Fury.
"Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't."
-Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth and Being Free.
A little shorter than what I would like it to be and not at all what I am satisfied with but these therapy chapters are meant to highlight several things when it concerns Percy's character. I'm not going to explicitly point them out here but feel free to comment on what you think those things are meant to be!
A bit of insight into Jennifer Walter's character or rather my interpretation of her, is that I'm attempting to portray her as a sort of extremely observant character similar to Sherlock Holmes. While she may not be aggressively investigative, she is highly observant and I hope to convey that. It's a little difficult keeping track of who knows what and how and I try to be consistent and not force shoveling meta knowledge into someone.
Also I'm back! If you've been on the Discords, you'll probably already know that I got a promotion at work! So more money, more responsibility! :D (/s but also not) My work schedule is also now set in stone so I should have more time to write! Unfortunately no update schedule as of yet but I'll be sure to post one as soon as everything settles down!
This chapter was originally intended to feature our Spider Duo but I didn't want to take away from Percy's session or the after scene so they'll be in the next chapter instead.
Another announcement! I've also commissioned a piece of art for Of Water and Salt! It's Percy in his armor, post-chapter 42, if you want to see it, its in my channel pins in the Emerald Library Discord! I've also commissioned some more art for my SW/PJO work 'In Un'Altra Vita' also in my channel pins! Be sure to check them out!
The link to the discord in on my profile!