Chapter Text
“Look on the bright side, at least you get free tickets to one of the most beautiful cities in the world?”
Sally Jackson tried to cheer up the sulking teenagers sitting at the backseats of her car. Paul had called her while she was at work and had explained to her what happened earlier that morning. She had picked up a dejected looking Percy and Thalia from their apartment and was now driving them to the airport.
“I just don’t get why we have to fly there,” Thalia grumbled. She wore her signature black leather jacket over a dark blue tank top and combat boots. The silver circlet that identified her as the lieutenant sat on her head like a tiara, contrasting with her skull earrings. It seemed like Aphrodite had also paid her a visit, because despite sounding like she just got out of bed, her make-up was perfect and her hair was neatly done.
“Unless you want to sail over there in a Greek war-ship, this is the best option,” Percy responded, equally as annoyed. He fiddled with the prism in his hand, letting the light from the window shine through. Once the beam refracted into a rainbow of colors, Thalia tossed a drachma into the projection and it disappeared in a flash of light.
“Oh Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Annabeth Chase at New Rome College.”
The rainbow projection flashed, and an image of Annabeth shimmered into view.
She was sitting at a desk, a book open in front of her. She had her head in her hand and was writing something down on a notebook with the other. Noticing the Iris Message, she sat upright and shut her notebook.
“Hey Seaweed Brain,” She said, giving him a tired smile.
“Hey,” He said, smiling back at her. Seeing her smile made him feel a lot better about the sudden trip. “How’s the project going?”
“I’m almost finished actually. You called at the perfect time.”
She leaned closer and squinted at the projection. She raised an eyebrow.
“You’re in the car? Where are you off to?” She asked him curiously. Percy let out a nervous laugh.
“Yeah…about that-”
“We’re on a stupid quest,” Thalia chimed in, leaning over so she was in the frame.
Annabeth’s eyes lit up at the sight of her childhood friend. Thalia gave her a wry smile.
“Nice to see you again Annie,” She said, giving her a small wave. Percy explained to Annabeth what happened with Aphrodite, starting from the invasion of his room to the sparkly note.
Annabeth hummed thoughtfully. “The golden apple, huh?” Her image flickered. “Why do you think she asked you two to retrieve it? Since she never mentioned any other god stealing it, why couldn’t she go there to get it back herself?”
Percy shrugged. “I dunno, maybe it’s because I’ve become the gods’ favorite personal lap dog?”
“She did mention something about other forces in Paris that she was tired of dealing with,” Thalia said, her leg bouncing up and down anxiously. “She didn’t elaborate though.”
Annabeth hummed again, tapping her chin. “I’ll try to look into it. I’ll call you guys if I find something.”
“Thanks Wise Girl,” Percy said, holding his hand out towards her. She did the same.
“What would you do without me?” She teased, sighing dramatically.
“He’d probably be dead by now,” Thalia added with a smirk.
“I agree,” Sally said, smiling at them from the rearview mirror.
Percy huffed. “Why is it that when you guys are together you always gang up on me?”
The three laughed, adding insult to injury. Percy smiled in spite of himself.
“Good luck,” Annabeth told them. “Make sure he doesn’t kill himself, Thalia.”
Percy groaned and Thalia grinned at him.
“Oh, and send me some pictures. The architecture in Paris is beautiful,” Annabeth said wistfully. She leaned back and turned her head to glance at something behind her. “I’ve got to hand in these papers. I’ll see you when you get back. Love you!” She said, blowing Percy a kiss and swiping her hand through the Iris Message.
Percy looked out the window and saw the airport coming into view. He heard Thalia inhale and exhale deeply beside him. Knowing her fear of heights, he gave her a concerned glance. She gave him a shaky thumbs-up in return.
The car finally pulled up in front of the airport. It was packed with people, coming to and leaving New York. Many pushed around carts carrying their suitcases, while others had their arms full with paper bags containing different types of souvenirs. Families crowded the terminal entrances, waiting for their loved ones to arrive.
Sally parked the car at the loading and unloading zone and helped Percy and Thalia with their bags. She kissed Percy on the top of his head and hugged Thalia tightly.
“Good luck out there,” She said, getting back into the car. “Call me everyday Percy, and take care of each other.”
She shut the door and rolled down the window. “Stay safe, okay? I love you!”
Percy smiled. Everyday he asked himself what he did to deserve a mother like Sally Jackson.
“See you in a week mom. I love you too.”
“Thank you again Mrs. Blofis,” Thalia said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
“Anytime,” Sally beamed, gave Percy a look that said: If you don’t come home safely I’ll sicc Annabeth on you, and drove off.
Percy and Thalia glanced at each other, then at the airport terminal. Simultaneously, they both let out a sigh.
“Let’s get this over with.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
After struggling with the metal detector (That day required a lot of mist bending), killing a hellhound on the way to the bathroom, and checking in their luggage, they both collapsed at the airport’s lounge.
“I hate airports,” Thalia mumbled, slouching in her seat.
Percy stood up and looked around the room. It was surprisingly void of people. The lounge was considerably small, with only four tables, a set of four chairs per table and a couple of maroon couches pushed against the wall. He found a mini bar stocked with food and the password to the wifi (which he knew they weren’t going to be using. He picked up a bag of potato chips from the mini bar and tossed it to Thalia.
They were immediately bored out of their minds. Thalia suggested they explore the airport, but then decided against it, realizing there were probably monsters who would gladly have the demigods for lunch scattered around the area.
Within the next 15 minutes, they already ran out of things to do. After building a fort out of the tables and chairs and putting the furniture back once they realized that there was a security camera in the room, they sat back-to-back on the carpeted floor.
Percy found a water bottle and started playing with the liquid inside, bending it into different shapes. Thalia had her head on her knees and had actually fallen asleep. She would have stayed that way if Percy hadn’t “accidentally” dropped the water bubble on her head. Percy cursed under his breath. She slowly turned around and he could see the electricity crackle in her eyes.
“You’re gonna get it Kelp Head.”
Before Percy could meet his demise, the door burst open. Percy and Thalia hurriedly jumped to their feet.
A boy about their age stumbled through the door. He had blonde hair and bright green eyes. He was wearing clothes that looked like they were from a designer brand. He had a panicked expression on his face.
The half-bloods did not know how to react. They stared at each other for a whole of five seconds, before they heard a rumbling noise from the outside. The blonde cursed and at a blinding speed, dove behind one of the chaise lounges.
About a dozen people burst through the door. Percy put his hand in his pocket and wrapped a hand around Riptide. Through his peripheral vision, he could see Thalia put a hand in her pocket as well.
“Where’s Adrien?!?” A girl in the front of the crowd yelled. She had a terrifyingly crazed expression on her face. The people behind them looked equally insane. They all carried merchandise, and held posters or cutouts of a blonde celebrity Percy was unfamiliar with. Thalia nudged him with her elbow and tilted her head in the direction of the boy who had come in earlier. Percy’s eyes widened when he noticed that the boy was actually the celebrity on the posters. Adrien looked at them helplessly. “Help…Please,” He mouthed. The demigods glanced at each other. Percy nodded ever so slightly. She did the same.
“Who?” Thalia asked, feigning innocence. Percy realized that she had been dry the entire time. Aphrodite’s magic sure does work wonders.
“You know…Adrien Agreste?” The girl exclaimed. The people behind her looked offended that Percy and Thalia didn’t know who he was.
“Have you seen him?” Another girl asked, glancing around the room.
“Uhhh…” Percy racked his brain for ideas. Then it hit him. He started speaking in Ancient Greek.
“Συγγνώμη, ποιος;” He said, trying his best to look confused. Thalia immediately caught on to his plan.
“Δεν μιλάμε αγγλικά” She said, mirroring Percy’s expression.
“Huh?” One of the people in the crowd asked. Percy grinned.
"Γεια, είμαι ο Πέρσι Τζάκσον. Γιος του Ποσειδώνα!" He said, thickening his accent and trying for a friendly wave. Thalia snickered.
“Κι εγώ είμαι η Θάλεια, κόρη του Δία!” She said, smiling at them warmly.
The crowd looked to the girl in front of them for their next move. With one last glance around the room, the girl sighed. After muttering a “Sorry to disturb you,” the group slowly left the room.
The three people left behind let out a breath of relief. Thalia and Percy fist-bumped and turned their attention to the one other occupant in the room.
“Είσαι καλά;” Percy asked. Thalia elbowed him on the arm and he cleared his throat. “I mean uh…Are you okay?”
The boy chuckled. “Yeah,” He said, getting up from his hiding spot. “Thanks to you both.”
“Percy Jackson,” Percy introduced himself, holding out his hand. Adrien shook it. “This is-”
“Thalia. Thalia Grace,” The daughter of Zeus said, shaking Adrien’s hand as well. She raised an eyebrow at her companion and he held up his hands in surrender.
Adrien smiled at them sheepishly. “Adrien Agreste. Although I think you already know that by now.”
“Who were those people?” Percy asked, crossing his arms.
“My fans,” Adrien grimaced. “Turns out they’re as crazy as my fans back at home.”
“You’re a…”
“A model. For my dad’s company,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Percy and Thalia simply nodded. Adrien hadn’t expected them to react so casually. It was surprising, sure, but he liked the change of pace. Usually when he told people that he was a celebrity they reacted by treating him like he was royalty.
The phone in his pocket buzzed and he pulled it out, not ignoring how the two people in front of him tensed. He quickly answered, explaining to Nathalie what had happened and where he was. While talking, he observed his unexpected saviors through his peripheral vision. Being a superhero taught him that any information can be crucial in an akuma battle and he had a habit of absent-mindedly hanging on to the tiniest details. This habit was really hard to turn off, even in his civilian form. He noticed that Percy and Thalia fidgeted a lot. Throughout his conversation with Nathalie, Thalia rocked on her heels and Percy paced back and forth across the length of the room.
After a while he hung up and slid his phone back in his pocket. He felt bad about asking them for another favor, but knowing they were the only ones he could trust he decided to just go with it. Plagg, who hadn’t said a peep since they got to the lounge room, popped his head out of his sling bag and squinted at the pair in front of them. Adrien heard a tiny gasp, and the kwamii disappeared back into his holder’s bag. Adrien decided to interrogate him later.
“So uhm…” He started, putting his hands in his pocket. “I might need to ask another favor.”
Thalia shot Percy a tentative look. He shrugged, and they both turned their attention back to Adrien, waiting for him to continue.
“So…my flight starts in like…10 minutes. And I can’t really make a run for it because,” He gestured to the door. “I will probably be mobbed.”
Percy slowly nodded. “Where are you headed?”
Adrien blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected them to be onboard so quickly.
“Gate 18. I’m headed back home to France.”
Thalia and Percy’s eyes widened. He was prepared to be asked about Ladybug and Chat Noir, but instead Percy nodded again.
“We’re headed there too,” Percy said with a smile.
“Wait..Really?!?” Adrien was pleasantly surprised. At least he wouldn’t delay them from their flight.
“Yeah,” Thalia said, tossing a bag to Percy. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure we’ll all make it on time.”
Percy rummaged through his bag and produced a cap, a mask and a scarf. He gave them to Adrien.
“Hope you don’t mind us kidnapping you.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The unlikely trio raced across the airport with their bags in tow. Adrien checked his watch. 5 minutes. He glanced around him worriedly, checking for any signs of crazed fans. Percy noticed his concern and gave him a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry,” He said, patting him on the shoulder. “No one is going to recognize you.”
He winked at Thalia and she smirked back at him. Adrien tried to ignore how ominous and creepy that last statement sounded, and took Percy’s word for it.
They were almost at the gate, and Adrien was hopeful that they would make it there without any unwanted hiccups. But when they turned the corner, they came face-to-face with the same mob of fans from the lounge room. Adrien’s breath hitched, and he tried to run the other direction. Percy stopped him with his arm.
“Just keep walking,” He said, glancing at Thalia. Adrien was half-expecting them to bust out bronze swords and start attacking his admirers with how they were acting, but instead, Thalia snapped her fingers and gestured for them to follow.
Okay, so that was strange. He thought.
With another reassuring pat on the back from Percy, they walked towards his doom. He held his breath as they shuffled past the ‘Adrien Fangirls’ and closed his eyes. One second. Five seconds. Ten seconds had passed. Still nothing.
He slowly opened his eyes, and was surprised to find that the mob had just completely ignored them, walking away like they didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He stared at the dispersing crowd in shock. He was sure that at least one of them would have recognized him.
“See? Told you we’d make it,” Percy said to him, snapping the blonde out of his stupor. Thalia said nothing, and gave the boys a thumbs-up.
Finally making it to their gate, Adrien searched the crowd for any signs of Nathalie and his bodyguard. Adrien found them by the counter. He let out a sigh of relief. He returned the borrowed articles of clothing to Percy and shook their hands again.
“I can’t thank you both enough,” He said, grinning from ear-to-ear.
“Don’t mention it,” Thalia said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “If you hadn’t come in, we would still be bored out of our minds and late for our flight.”
She glared at Percy who made a show of being offended.
“Wow, Pinecone Face. How is it my fault?!?”
“You’re the one with the watch, Kelp Head,” She said, rolling her eyes. “And don’t think you’re off the hook from earlier.”
He watched the exchange fondly. Crazy as it is, in the past 10 minutes, he’d grown to like the pair a lot.
“Well, thank you again,” Adrien said. “Is there really nothing I can do for you?”
“We’re fine,” Percy said, waving him off.
“Unless you can make this seven hour flight less of a pain than it already is,” Thalia muttered.
Adrien glanced back at Nathalie who was calling him over. “Actually…wait here.”
Percy and Thalia watched curiously as Adrien conversed with Nathalie and the woman at the counter. After a while, he came running back to them with something in his hand. He beamed as he handed them two tickets.
“How would you like to join me in first class?