Warning: Some Grover Bashing

Author notes: Sorry on how long it has taken me to up-date

Mind speech/ Prayer

The trio continued like the incident at the museum didn't happen even though Grover constantly brought up Mrs Dodds and Chiron was watching them far too closely. They kept performing and maintained their grades in the B's though Grover's plummeted because he was focusing on the half-bloods.

The storms intensified and a few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events that were studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.

Everyone knew the trio would not be returning the following year and many were sad that they were leaving as they made life a little easier as their music soothed the soul. This helped calm some of the students that were angry at the world or depressed which caused the school year to be more pleasant.

Instead of preparing for their Latin exam, they chose to perform as a farewell gift. They wanted to give hope for the following year and the years to come. They were coming back late when they saw Mr Brunner's door open and heard voices.

"I worried about the twins and Percy, sir" They heard Grover say.

"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too—"

"We would only make matters worse by rushing them," Mr Brunner said. "We need them to mature more."

"But they may not have time. The summer solstice deadline—"

"Will have to be resolved without them, Grover," Chiron interrupted, "Let them enjoy their ignorance while they still can."

"Sir, they saw her but are pretending they hadn't..."

"Their imagination," Mr Brunner insisted. "The Myst over the students and staff will be enough to convince them of that."

"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping the Twins and Percy alive until next fall—"

The trio smiled at Chiron's cluelessness and Grover's insistence that they had seen Alecto, though getting rid of the Satyr would be more difficult. They headed off to bed.

The next Day

As the trio were leaving the three hour Latin exam, knowing they had passed, Chiron called them back inside.

They narrowed their eyes, wondering what the Centaur was trying now as he had given them all lectures about not being friends with Grover all year.

"Percy, Lukas, Psyche," He said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's … it's for the best."

His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at them and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips. She was hoping the golden trio, as three were sometimes known as, had finally gotten in trouble with a teacher.

"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."

The three looked at each other like they couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Why should we be discouraged?" Lukas asked.

Percy continued, "It's not like we wanted to be here in the first place."

"We only mention leaving every day since the day we started." Psyche finished.

The class snickered. Everyone knew they didn't belong at Yancy so how dense can their teacher get.

"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, any of you. That's nothing to be ashamed of. "

"Thank-you for the compliment, sir," Psyche replied.

Lukas added, "But most won't think it was one."

"Maybe you should stick to teaching," Percy finished.

They walked out the door, ignoring Chiron's calls to come back.

One the last day of the term, the trio performed their concert to say farewell to Yancy.

The other students were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities.

Everyone asked the trio if they really were still going to make the guy's, who forced their guardian to send them here, life a living hell. The trio affirmed that they would be until they left for camp.

The only people they didn't wish to see were Grover and Chiron, but as it turned out Grover had booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound. The trio groaned as Grover sat behind them.

Should I call the fates to scare the satyr? Psyche asked mentally.

Percy and Lukas smirked Of course

During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. He was always nervous and fidgety whenever they had left Yancy.

Percy finally getting sick of his fidgeting asked if he was looking for Kindly Ones.

Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha—what do you mean?"

"Mum's clear-sighted," Percy explained.

Lukas continued, "It doesn't help you were talking in an area that it is easy to be overheard."

"We already knew about being Demi's," Psyche finished.

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"

From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer."

"Is that in English?" the trio asked

Grover grimaced, "yes."

"Why would you have a card for Camp that is both in English and has fancy writing," Percy grumbled as she read the card.

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"I see" Lukas commented.

He yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."

Why is he still pretending we don't know anything? Percy complained.

Lukas suggested because he's delusional

"Okay," Psyche said.

He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me."

The trio snorted at that, "Why would I need you?" Lukas asked snarled.

It came out harsher than he had meant it to.

Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you."

They stared at him.

The trio wondered how delusional can he be. Lukas and Psyche were well known in archery and Percy was as equally known in fencing. All three were known in hand and hand combat. And here Grover was acting like he was their knight in shiny armour.

The bus shuddered to a stop, breaking down thanks to a little help.

Thank-you Uncle Hephaestus Psyche thanked the smith god.

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off.

Everyone filed out of the bus.

They were on a stretch of country road—no place would you notice if you didn't break down there. On the bus's side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.

The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice.

There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks ever seen.

The socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.

All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.

Psyche, can the three of you come here, there's a problem with this life thread the fates asked.

She nodded, "Driver, do you mind if we go buy some fruit?" She asked.

The driver seeing who was asking quickly agreed. Grover tried to object but they over-ruled him.

They quickly crossed the road to the fruit shop leaving Grover behind.

"What's wrong?" Psyche asked.

The fate in charge of cutting the life thread, said, "The life thread won't cut."

"Who's thread?" Psyche asked curiously, reaching for the thread.

They hand the thread to Psyche, but before they allow it to touch her hand they reply, "Luke Castellan's."

"It has a soul-mate whose life isn't to end at the same time, that's all I can see." Psyche explained as she looked over the thread, using her sight. "Maybe Aunt Chaos would be able to explain." She handed the thread back.

Percy reported that Grover was coming across the road.

The fates smiled before taking out another thread and cutting it, freaking out Grover who believed that the fates had cut one of their threads, before handing over a package of fruit to Psyche.

The Trio bowed to the fates and thanked them as Grover dragged them back to the bus. The Fates nodded to the three and vanished.

As they reached the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.

The passengers cheered.

"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"

Everyone boarded the bus and Psyche, Percy and Lukas sent a prayer of thanks to the Smith God and the Fates.

Grover was shivering and his teeth were chattering. The trio exchanged glances knowing that they should be able to ditch Grover at the station with how nervous he was.

"Grover," Percy asked concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

"The Fates, they cut a life thread," the twins answered like the answer was obvious.

Grover still in his delusion, ignored the twins, and asked, "Just tell me what you saw."

The twins rolled their eyes while Percy answered, "The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."

He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost—older.

He said, "You saw her snip the cord."

"Yeah, so?" The trio chorused like it wasn't a big deal, though to anyone else it was.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

"What last time?" Percy asked.

"Always sixth grade, they never get past sixth." He muttered.

The trio decided that it didn't matter and ignored him until he asked them to promise that he could walk them home. They said he could but they were still going to ditch him at the station.

Psyche groaned at the fact the satyr didn't know that life threads reflected the colour of your eyes and the cut thread was silver. If someone who was supposed to protect untrained Demi-gods then he should have all his facts right.

"Grover, you know that wasn't any of our threads, right?" She asked.

No answer.

Lukas sighed quietly, "Psyche, he believes that we are new to this and is completely ignoring anything that doesn't fit his delusion especially after Thalia.

He looked at them mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers they would like best on their coffins.