Chapter Text
Percy stared blankly at the letter. It was strange and annoying in many ways, the stupid thing. Strange because a) who communicates with letters anymore. They have phones for that now. B) When he had received it, it was because an owl had flown into his cabin, scaring the Hades out of him and almost sending him to the infirmary. Then there was the fact that the whole thing was written in cursive. Like the crazy loopy kind where even a non-dyslexic wouldn't be able to tell where one letter began and the other ended. The only thing he could make out was in the top left corner, spiraly letters spelling out 'Percy Potter'. Even though it was only his name, it still took him nearly ten minutes to figure it out, having to decipher each letter, transfer it to the standard font, then re-write it in a Greek letter so he wouldn't have to re-translate.
The only thing he could think about was who in the world wrote like this?
Grumbling, the boy jerked his hand down to his side and stalked to the door, intending to find Chiron. If anyone in this place had a chance of translating whatever this was, it would be the thousand year-old horse-guy.
He stopped at the door, glancing back at the owl sitting on the end of a bunk. (Not his, thank his dad) "Uhm," why did talking to a bird feel awkward. Why was the thing judging him? "You can go-"
It screached.
Percy jerked back, arm going up to shield his face. It's beak was tiny, how was it so loud?
"Okay okay!" he glared at it's yellow eyes, "Just, make yourself at home I guess." He mumbled a "It's not like I live here or anything" under his breath as he left his cabin and the Gods forsaken bird-demon behind.
If it was still there when he came back, he was throwing Malcom in there to get it out.
He didn't think about how a month ago, he would've gotten Annie.
"Chiron," Percy rapped his knuckles against the beam holding the roof up over the patio, the 'trainer' turned around, holding a clipboard and writing something down. Percy didn't know what he could possibly be writing, he rarely did anything outside of being annoyingly vague and not being mad, just disappointed.
"Ah, Percy my boy, how are you?"
Percy couldn't help the downturn of his lips. The guy looked normal. Like the last four years never happened. He looked like he did when they had first met. Like over three quarters of the camp werent dead, like Luke had never betrayed them or the cabins had more than four people max.
Like Annie and the rest of the Seven were still alive.
The rest of camp and most of New Rome were still ear deep in grief and PTSD, of anxiety and paranoia. Still adjusting to the lack of campers and loss of friends and family. The councilers and older campers, old or new residents, have been over working themselves, trying to give the younger kids as normal of a life as possible. He didn't think Will has slept more than four hours this week, if that.
Chiron looked perfect, eyes bright and clothes ironed.
Didn't he at least miss them? He had practically raised Annabeth, watched most of the surviving kids grow up. Had watched him grow up. Sucking in air through his nose, stomping down the urge to make him upset, Percy relaxed his face. "Worse than you, clearly." Chiron looked surprised, his hand stopping its movement. Percy released his breath with his next words, rolling his eyes. Honestly, the guy should know him well enough to not be surprised. "I need you to read something for me. Only read it." He fixed a glare on the man. "No advice, no 'let me take care of this'. Just read it, then give it back."
Confused, Chiron nodded and held a hand out, setting the clipboard on his lap. "Alright, hand it over child."
Percy watched his old teachers eyes flick across the page, his mouth opening to read off it, before it went slack. The only difference he could see was the rapid paling of Chirons skin. "Chiron, what does it say?"
Chirons head shot up, eyes burning into his. "Where did you get this."
Percy blinked. It wasn't a question.
"I-" His eyes, the same clear blue-green of the ocean only a few miles away, scanned the older being, searching for something, anything. "An owl. It flew into my cabin, dropped that," he jerked his chin to the paper wrinkling under the mans fingers, "And sat on one of the beds. It's addressed to me. What does it say."
Chiron crumpled the paper, startling the boy. "Hey-!"
"No." The immortal began ripping the ball up, Percy reaching out to stop him. "This is not something you need to get involved with, need to explore. If you get another one of these, don't open it and give it to me." Chirons eyes bore into his, fingers letting the paper, now confetti, flutter to the ground. His hands wrapped around his thin wrists, Percys breath catching as he saw the firm, sharp edge to his mouth, the lines in his face. "Do you understand."
No, he didn't. But Percy nodded anyway.
Something big was written in that letter, something important. Something that Chiron did not want him to find out, to 'be involved in or explore'.
If another letter did find it's way to him, he would take it to Malcom. If he couldn't, he would take it to New Rome. They didn't usually have dyslexia.
He would find out what was written that Chiron wanted to hide from him, even if he had to translate the whole thing by himself.