Andromeda
"I still can't believe you defeated a titan and threw him in the Lethe," I sighed at my brother as we walked home. It had been nearly five hours. Mom and Paul were likely worried.
He shrugged. 'I'm more surprised that you convinced him he was our friend,' He replied. 'Why did you name him B-O-B?'
"It was just the first thing that came to mind," I said. "I didn't think keeping him waiting would be a good idea. I hope he'll be okay with Uncle Hades."
'What about Persephone?'
I hummed, "I can't say I approved of her manipulating us," I told him honestly. "But she kind of had a point. I understand wanting her husband to be respected." He nodded. "She shouldn't have gone behind his back though."
I hummed a song to the two of us as we continued walking. We waved to the receptionist, Lindsey, and walked up the stairs to our apartment. "Hey Mom, Sorry we're late!" I called as we walked inside. "We got interrupted," I continued. Percy smirked to himself.
Mom looked us over with a raised eyebrow but eventually relented. "Alright," She sighed. "Percy, would you like to help make cookies?" He nodded and joined her in the kitchen. I walked to the living room and collapsed onto the couch next to Paul.
I loved Christmas, but I missed my friends, particularly Annabeth. Unfortunately for me, she was still in San Francisco with her own family. We had asked Nico if he wanted to come over for Christmas, but he had refused confidently. I missed Annabeth more, though.
"Hey there, Andy." He smiled, but he frowned when he saw my expression. "You okay?"
I nodded with a smile, "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Hmm, well I don't believe that, sorry." I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess... boy troubles?" I raised an eyebrow at him. He seemed genuine.
"Girls actually, but yes." I narrowed my eyes, daring him to comment.
Paul smiled and held up his hands. "Hey, as someone who likes girls, I have no business judging."
I cocked my head to the side. "That's an... interesting way of thinking."
He laughed, "So who's the lucky girl?"
I sighed, "Annabeth Chase. She goes to the same summer camp as Percy and I," I explained. "She lives in San Francisco."
He smiled lightly, "Maybe you can visit her," he said. "I'm sure it wouldn't be too much of a problem."
I smiled lightly, "yeah," I said. "Maybe."
I noticed Percy standing in the doorway, smiling softly. The look on his face seemed happy, but the sadness behind his eyes was also more prominent than usual. He had looked like that since we talked to Mellinoe. I could reasonably assume it had something to do with her taking the form of that girl.
He caught my look and grimaced. Paul didn't seem to notice, luckily. We still hadn't told him about Percy running away. It was a topic we needed to discuss, but Percy was never home except for holidays, so we were at a loss.
Line Break
Paul and Mom had gone to bed. I sat across from Percy in my room. I was looking at his hands, deep in thought. Eventually, he looked at me. 'Her name was I-Z-Z-Y.'
I looked at him curiously.
'The girl that Mellinoe...' He clenched his hands.
'Were you close?' I signed back, not knowing if Paul or Mom were awake.
He nodded, 'Yes, but one day she got sick. Didn't get better.' That didn't tell me much, but in sign language, you kind of needed to be concise. I sighed. Percy had probably liked this girl, based on what she had said. I wondered if he felt guilty about liking Calypso. Then again, they likely hadn't been a couple, considering they were eleven at the time.
I pressed myself up next to him. "I'm very sorry, Perce," I whispered.
He looked away. He roughly wiped away his tears and sniffed sharply.
Line Break
Percy typically didn't send me letters or anything during the year and primarily stuck with Iris-Messages, however, without warning a letter appeared in the mail. Inside was one of Percy's graphics. It was beautifully drawn and contained incredible detail. It displayed a man in traditional Greek armour standing before a cradle, looking down at an infant inside with an unreadable expression on his face. In the background was an eagle, looking at the two of them curiously.
The humans were labelled Odysseus and Astyanax. When I asked him about it, he just gave me a knowing smirk and swiped through the Iris Message, ending it. I groaned and walked to the living room, where Mom and Paul were sitting. "Hi Andy," Mom greeted with a warm smile.
I returned the smile and sat down. The two of them continued talking. After a while, I spoke. "Hey, Paul?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you know anything about the Trojan War?" I asked him.
He cocked his head, "A fair amount, why?"
"Oh, Percy sent me this drawing," I handed him the paper. "Who's Astyanax?"
He examined the drawing and raised his eyebrows. "Astyanax was the son of Hektor, prince of Troy. He was prophesized to become the avenger of his people, but he was thrown from the walls of Troy as an infant, usually by Odysseus, definitely by an Achean king of some sort," he explained.
"What about Odysseus?" I asked him. "What does he think about it?"
Paul smiled lightly, "That's the kicker," was his reply. "Euripides didn't say anything about the thoughts of whoever kills Astyanax. It's neutral. In the modern day, most writers portray him as regretful because he is only following orders, but you could easily go the other way."
"Is that why Percy drew him that way?"
He shrugged, "Maybe, he's not here to tell us about it. Maybe he just wanted to show you the drawing, or maybe he wants to give you something to think about."
I hummed and thought about it. "It could be any of those things, but I want to sing about it," I announced.
Mom smiled amusedly as Paul chuckled.
The next day I was in my music class. We had a free period, the perfect excuse. I strummed a few chords on my guitar and tried to think of a melody. The guy beside me put down his clarinet and looked at me. "What are you doing?"
I must have looked like a deer in headlights. "Um... writing?" It sounded more like a question. "Was I being too loud?"
He smiled. His teeth were stained red with something that looked like fruit punch, or maybe Kool-Aid. "No no, you were fine." He turned so that his body was facing me. "I like the second melody you tried," he told me. I raised an eyebrow. "Here," he repeated the tune on his clarinet.
"Okay," I nodded with a smile. The song was coming together. "Now I just need lyrics."
The boy pursed his lips, "Do you know what the song is about?"
"It's about Odysseus, contemplating killing Astyanax." I watched, amused, as he blanched for a second.
(A/N: I don't really like doing author's notes, but I wanted to clarify that I have not written these lyrics. They are from EPIC: The Musical and I hold no ownership over them. It's a musical that's currently in the works but the first few songs have been released you should listen to them they're great!)
"Oh, that's a bit heavy but okay," he said. I chuckled. "What if there was a lyric along the lines of Will these actions haunt my days, every man I've slain, is the price I pay endless pain?"
I grinned, "I love that!" Then I thought, "What was your name again?"
He smiled lightly, "Dakota Finnick, it's a pleasure."
"Andy Jackson, lovely to meet you."
We continued working on the song and eventually had two of the verses figured out, but we wanted something epic at the end. "It should be Odysseus pondering morality, I think," I said.
He nodded, "It's your song." He played a bit of a melody on his clarinet and stopped. "It could be like 'where does the line get drawn' type of thing."
"When, does a comet become a meteor?" I sang, getting excited. "Yes! That sort of thing. When, does a comet become a meteor? When does a candle become a blaze? When does a man become a monster?"
"Awesome!" He exclaimed loudly. A few people turned to look at him. He cringed, "Sorry."
The bell rang, and we started packing our stuff. The teacher, Mr. P, called Dakota and me to the front as everyone left. "I was listening to you two," He told us. "That was incredible!"
We looked at each other, and back at the teacher. "Thank you?"
Mr. P grinned. "It's true. Now, If you'd like, I want to help you two make this into an entire show."
My eyes widened. "What? It wasn't that good though, we were just messing around."
Dakota frowned, "I thought it was good."
"Mr. Finnick is correct, it was good. But, as I understand it is your song?" My new friend nodded before I could protest.
"Andy," Dakota looked at me. "Do you want to make a musical?"
I pulled a face, "I do, but I don't know if I have the time for it."
"I don't expect you to finish it," Mr. P assured. "These take a long time to write, and you're both students. I think it's always worth a try, though."
"How would this even work?" Dakota asked.
"As a part of the music department here, I have access to the school's studio. You both can work on it at your own pace, and I can help by singing, playing instruments, and even hiring cast members. Whatever you need, I'll do what I can, and I'll see if I can get other students and reach out to help as well," Mr. P said, "What do you say?"
I sighed but smiled in anticipation. "Let's do it."
Dakota grinned widely, looking a like a Kool-Aid vampire. "Let's do it."
Mr. P smiled, "Let's do it."
Line Break
'I've been gone for a week, Andy.' Percy complained after I told him about what had happened. He had an impressive poker face.
I burst out laughing. "Do you want to hear the first song?" I asked him excitedly. We had a few days to finish it. He nodded and I grabbed my guitar. I played the song, 'Just a Man', and looked over at him. He was grinning and clapping. I smiled slightly in return.
'That's amazing!' He signed.
"Thanks..." I said a bit weakly, not used to praise.
He rolled his eyes. I assumed he knew that if I were complimenting his artwork his reaction would be the same. I stared at him blankly.
A boy walked into Percy's room. It was Pollux, son of Dionysus. His twin brother Castor had been killed in the Battle of the Labyrinth. "Percy, we're up. Oh, hi Andy." He waved kindly.
"Hey Pollux," I said. "What do you mean 'We're up?'"
'Missions to kill monster warbands,' my brother explained.
My face fell, "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. "I want to help."
Percy stopped Pollux from speaking. 'Mom needs you more than we do.' His expression didn't leave any room for argument. 'Go. Have fun. I wouldn't forgive myself if you died for something that will be done without you.'
Sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Fine," I grunted. "Good luck, Percy. You too, Pollux. Who else is going with you?"
"Sherman Yang, Son of Ares," Pollux told me. "He's alright once you get to know him."
'Bye, you are my world, Sister.' Percy smiled softly, before swiping through the Iris Message.
I smiled involuntarily at the line. I put away my guitar and sat on my bed. Percy had told me to have fun. As if on cue, Mom poked her head in through the door. "Andy? Rachel is here to see you."
I quickly stood up and grabbed my jacket. Mom smiled knowingly as I all but ran to the front door. "Mom!" I complained.
She giggled and left the room. Taking a deep breath, I walked out to meet Rachel Elizabeth Dare. The girl was my age. She had frizzy, bright red hair and all of her clothes were always covered in some sort of misplaced colour, like ink or paint. She smiled broadly when I opened the door. "Hi!"
"Hey Rachel," I greeted. "How are you?"
She shrugged, "Not too bad," she said. "But to be honest I'm only here to get away from my dad." I laughed lightly. I had met her father a few times before. He was the CEO of a large, landscaping and architectural company. Rachel was an environmental activist and openly didn't approve of his career, but you can't choose your blood family. In any case, William Dare was a real piece of work. I don't think he likes me very much.
"I get that," I replied. We started walking through the streets of Manhattan, talking about various topics. "Percy is fighting right now."
"Really? Is he okay?" It made me happy that she was so worried about my brother, but I wasn't completely sure as to why.
"He's fine," I assured her quickly. "But he and the rest of the demigods are dealing with monsters across the country, and I'm here, just relaxing." I pursed my lips, "I feel like I should be doing more, even if I'm here at Percy's and Chiron's recommendations. I guess I don't like that they're being so selfless."
She listened quietly throughout the entire conversation. "Maybe it's not selfless at all," she told me. I raised an eyebrow. "Well, as long as you're safe, Percy doesn't have to be the Child of the Prophecy."
I thought about it. "Probably not, he's just really selfless," I said eventually. "But thanks anyways."
She laughed as we walked we passed a street Percy liked to walk down. He liked it because it was filled with constantly changing street art and murals. There was a community here that made sure every mural stayed up for a month or two, and then they would hold a vote to replace it. My personal favourite was a replica of a mural in Bushwick that displayed two skeletons. 'Till death do us part,' the speech bubble read.
"I love the murals here," Rachel breathed. "Percy draws, right?"
I nodded, "Yeah, I used to wake up and see him scribbling in his notebook. Always a drawing of a person he knew, or a Greek hero he admired."
She grinned, "Yeah, that seems like him. Which hero?"
I laughed, "Telemachus. Always Telemachus. That's his middle name, but you would think he'd draw Perseus, or even Odysseus or Achilles, right?"
She smiled, "Andy, you're a singer and a musician," She reminded me. "You should know this. Never question the artist."
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling too. "Yeah yeah, whatever."
We continued walking and talking. It was a bit strange, just relaxing in the way that I was doing. Ever since I was twelve, I was made out to be some prophesized hero, destined to save the world or destroy it. I still wasn't sure how I felt about it. I didn't feel like a hero at all. From the little that I had heard, there was a good chance I would make that choice in an incredibly dangerous situation. What if that choice is to die, in order to save the world? What if instead of the world, the only immediate consequence was the life of my worst enemy? Could I be certain that I could do that? What if it isn't dangerous at all? What if the choice is something insignificant, like deciding whether to go to a vending machine? It could be a choice that only results in me being in the right place at the right time. What if the world died because I wanted a Twix?
There was also a chance I wasn't the prophecy child at all. If something happened to me, then the prophecy would fall to Percy, or even to Nico. I wouldn't let that happen. I had already decided that. Even if Percy now had more training, and maybe more experience now, I will always be protective of my baby brother. (This is the part where I remind you that my 'baby brother' is only fourteen minutes younger than me.) The same applied to my cousins, no matter who they were. I am very protective of my family, and if Kronos thought he could beat me by hurting them, then he had another thing coming.
Nobody hurts my family. They're my world.