Mask Of Pain

Chapter 46

Number 3's POV

Several months later…

Number 3 was hungry as he searched the dumpsters in a deserted back street in the middle of the night. The dark sky was dotted with thousands of stars that were barely visible because of the city's lights.

A cold gust of wind moved through the narrow alley and straight through him. He shivered from the chilly wind and hugged the old jacket he wore, more tightly around him. He also wore a couple more layers of clothing under it with slim ripped pants and used shoes. His jaw length surfer black hair was mostly hidden by the brown beanie on his head that covered his ears. He also had a red scarf to keep him warm and he found a cool pair of goggles and put them over the beanie. (Here's the link: . ?item_id=18813)

He sighed when he didn't find anything in the dumpster he was searching in. Of course he couldn't really complain for the lack of food, at least he was free and out in the world. No matter how hungry or thirsty he'd be, he'd rather spend the rest of his days homeless than to go back to that lab.

Still some good food wouldn't hurt, he thought. He moved to another bin when his foot hit something. He looked down to see the decapitated head of one of those robots.

He remembered the day when they invaded New York destroying everything. He himself had a few encounters with them, but he managed to escape them safely. He also noticed that day, that there were other people that he thought looked like trained agents that were fighting those robots. Number 3 remembered a certain agent that amazed him. He was dressed in green armor and flew from roof top to roof top taking down anything that was in his way.

His thoughts were brought back to the present when he heard a sound to his left like something landed on a piece of metal. He turned his head to see a black Bombay cat sitting on the top of a bin with its golden eyes fixed on him.

Number 3 blinked a couple times thinking he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes, but the cat was still there sitting on the bin frozen like a statue.

Then it blinked once, jumped down to dirty ground and walked off with its tail waving at him. Number 3 stared at it confused when he heard the screeching of a car down the alley. He turned to see it was a police car and a police officer stepped out with a flashlight in his hand.

"Hey you!" he yelled as he ran towards Number 3. The young boy stared at the officer in surprise before he bolted down the street towards the cat.

Despite the terrifying situation, he could feel his heart racing in excitement and he smiled at that feeling. That hot burning feeling in the lungs when one's running as hard as one can, the footsteps of one's pursuer echoing so much that one can't tell if they are quiet near you or just right behind you, the fleeting blurred glimpse as one snatches a look behind.

That was the exact feeling he was experiencing and he loved it. Never ever before had he felt it in the lab. It was always dead with no more feeling then dread and boredom. Here in the outside world, he was free and he felt alive for the first time in his entire life.

The black Bombay cat despite its incredible speed was only a few meters in front of him as he sprinted down the alley that led to another and another. He wasn't sure exactly how many blocks they'd done, but he couldn't care less. He was free.

He crossed the road nearly got hit by a taxi driver, but his quick instincts took over and he hopped over the hood. He could hear the taxi driver beeping and yelling at him, but his yells were soon lost in the wind that rushed through Number 3 hears.

He couldn't hear the footsteps of the police officer and he guessed he had lost him several blocks ago, but he didn't care. He found himself more playing a game and catching the cat that had the best endurance he had ever seen.

They crossed another street and another alley when Number 3 saw a metal fence eight foot tall. He also noticed a small whole under it that was just big enough for the cat. Number 3 sprinted faster with new found determination as they closed in on the fence.

Number 3 jumped forward, his hands out to catch the cat, but he caught fin air as the cat passed through the small whole in the fence and Number 3 landed belly first on the hard ground.

He lay there chest heaving and exhausted as he caught his breath. He moved onto his back and looked up at the dark sky and the barely visible stars. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds.

There was a constant murmur, hollow and deep: the traffic. And another sound, intermittent: the wind. It comes in gusts, and in the pauses he can hear it sighing, far away, against other skyscrapers. It gave him a strange feeling as if, for a few moments, his brain freezes. A faint, short-lived siren comes and goes. The noise of two car-horns. A rumble that approaches, but is impatiently eclipsed by a sudden buffet of the wind. A tram car.

He wasn't sure for how long he laid there, but his breathing was back to normal and he felt rested. He might have stayed there all night when he heard a car approaching down the alley. He sat up slowly to see the headlights of a car hit his face as it got closer.

For a second he thought it was maybe the police officer, but as it came closer, he could see the silhouette of the car better and he recognized it as some rich car that he saw driving around Manhattan.

He stared at it, confused as it came to a stop with the white headlights on and the engine still going. The driver's door opened and someone stepped out. Number 3 couldn't make out much other than the silhouette of a tall man.

He got to his feet and the man walked slowly towards him and stood in front of the headlights so Number 3 couldn't make out his face. Number 3 raised an eyebrow; "Can I help y-"

The man gasped and sprang forward. Number 3 expected a hostile approach, but was surprised when the man spread his arms and hugged him tightly nearly knocking the air right of his lungs. "Oh it's you!" the mysterious man sobbed, "I can't believe I found you!"

Number 3 was bewildered. Here he was in a back street alley of Manhattan with a mysterious man hugging him for dear life. Could this day be any more confusing? He wondered.

After a while of awkwardness, the man let go of Number 3 letting him breathe as he held him at arm's length with a strong grip on his shoulders. Number 3 could see his face more clearly now as the bright headlights of the car illuminated the right side of his face.

He was maybe in his late forties and handsome with black hair, a neatly trimmed black beard, a deep tan, and familiar sea-green eyes that were surrounded by sun-crinkles that told Number 3 he was prone to smiling. Number 3 also noted his outfit: a long black coat over a red shirt and black pants with leather lace up boots. He also wore a golden watch that Number 3 knew was worth more than the car. (here's a link: neptunes_outfit/set?id=213345582)

"Wha- who are you?" Number 3 asked confused.

The man smiled, showing off his brilliant white teeth. There was something in that smile and those eyes that felt so familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. It was like at the tip of his tongue.

"I know son," he said. Even his voice sounded familiar to him. "You must be confused and don't worry I'll explain everything. I understand if you're frightened, but for the past several months, I feared the worst. But you're here now and that's all that counts."

Number 3 was completely lost. "Wha- just how do you know me? Who are you?"

The man smirked that grin of his and that's when he understood. Everything just seemed to click in place. His life had always been a mystery to him, but this man had just given that last piece of the puzzle. He remembered now why those eyes and that grin were so familiar. He saw it every day in the reflections of puddles of back streets or crystal clear coffee shops windows.

"My name is Neptune and I know you very well," he said looking to his left. Number 3 followed his gaze and saw the black Bombay cat sitting there on the ground looking up at them with unblinking golden eyes. "I've been having an eye on you for quite some time thanks to Blackjack here."

Neptune brought a hand up where there was some kind of remote control. He pressed a button and the cat bent his head forward. Number 3 realized that the cat was a robot. "Is that a-?"

"A robot? More like an AI." Neptune bent down and took the cat in his arms before standing back up. "That is all I can tell you, but now we need to leave. You are in grave danger and there's only one person who can help you now and she isn't a softy, being Roman and all."

He smiled to himself as if he made a joke and turned around to walk towards the car.

Number 3 starred at him in confusion before he jumped forward and grabbed the man's arm. Neptune turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised. Number 3 guessed he wasn't often touched, but he didn't care at the moment, he needed answers. "Just who exactly am I? Who are you to me?"

There was a pause and even before he said the words, Number 3 knew it. He could feel his heart racing and his mind spin as his whole world changed. "You are Percy Jackson and I am your father… Now let's go see Lupa, I have an important role for you to play."

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TO BE CONTINUED !

Hello everyone ! I've decided to put this Author's note right here on the very last chapter. I do hope you liked the story! I'm sorry if the end is so… yeah I know, I'm the king of cliff hangers… that's actually a good nickname :)

Anyway, now that Mask Of Pain is finished, I will do a follow up no worries, but I'm going to take a two week break for the holidays. Though I might post a small story of a few chapters that focuses on the other characters in between Mask Of Pain and its sequel which I don't have a name for it yet… Mask Of Pain 2 seems a bit… I don't know, we'll see in the following weeks won't we? Though if you do have an idea for a name for the sequel, please put a review or PM me :)

So that's it for me, THANK YOU very much for following/reviewing/favoriting, it means so MUCH!

On that note, I wish you all a happy holiday and a merry Christmas!

X Saccrior the King Of Cliffhangers X