#pjohoo

Seth adjusted his tie in the mirror and dusted off his lapel. This was definitely the fanciest he had ever looked, and it was a fun feeling. He felt like the rich investor of some random art house who swam in champagne pools and only ate cheese and grapes. Of course, he could only indulge in this persona for tonight. Maybe, one day, he could for longer—once he graduated high school, became a full-time Knight, and the thick adventurer paychecks started rolling in.

“Now, does everyone understand the plan?” Warren paused his zipping up of the suitcase to make eye contact with Kendra and Seth. Despite the fact that they were older now and actual mission partners, Seth suspected Warren was always going to act like he was babysitting the two siblings.

Kendra nodded. “Yes. And the car’s here, so let’s get going.”

Her floor-length, pale yellow silk gown brushed the carpet as she opened the door of the hotel room and stepped into the hallway. Seth had a slight suspicion that she had only agreed to help out on this mission for the fancy clothes. It was okay, though, because her presence meant there was an extra buffer to Warren’s worrying.

And it was needed.

On the way to the hotel lobby, Warren reviewed the plan. On the car ride to the museum, Warren reviewed the plan. While they waited in the line of cars, Warren reviewed the plan. Seth couldn’t take it.

“Warren, we are ready. You’ll walk out of here tonight with the amulet, I promise,” Seth placated. He cracked open the car window at his side for a breath of fresh air.

He knew it was important to gather as many healing artifacts as they could to help the emancipated Fairy King but come on. They would be fine. (And, even if not, was this amulet even that important to his health if he had already been washed with the Sands of Sanctity? Like, what could even be more powerful than that? But Seth couldn’t argue with the Fairy Queen. Well, he probably could, but he had been threatened heavily by everyone in his life. Unfortunately.)

“Listen to Seth,” Vanessa said from her driver’s seat. Her short red nails tapped the steering wheel rhythmically. “You will be fine.”

“You’re not the one leading a mission with teenagers,” Warren grumbled, squeezed into the middle seat, the aforementioned teenagers on either side. Unfortunately for him, Vanessa’s surveillance equipment occupied the front seat, and both Kendra and Seth had called dibs on the windows.

Vanessa laughed. “See, I would never put myself in that position ever again. However, I seem to recall someone volunteering…”

“What was I supposed to do? Let Trask handle them?” Warren’s eyes bugged out. “He wouldn’t survive.”

Kendra laughed. “You mean he wouldn’t survive Seth. I’m the perfect mission partner.”

“Blasphemy!” Seth called, reaching over Warren to point at Kendra.

Kendra was so categorically wrong, considering she barely even went on missions anymore now that she was a freshman in college. She was only here because their target was in New York City, so it was convenient for her, considering she went to NYU and was taking classes over the summer this year. This mission was an extreme exception. If the Knights took attendance, she would get detention with her spotty record. If anything, Seth was the more seasoned operative at this point.

Warren struck the hand down and tried to force Seth back into his seat. Never one to be dissuaded so easily, Seth reached past Warren’s lap so he could swat Kendra. She responded with a swat of her own and soon their hands blurred in a mess of slapping, prompting Warren to call for rescue. “My personal bubble is being popped. Vanessa, help!”

The partition between the front and back rolled up.

Both siblings burst into laughter, effectively ending their fight. Seth slapped Warren on the shoulder, trying and failing to catch his wheezing breath. This was going to be a good night.

<hr>

Percy Jackson—demigod, savior of the world, best boyfriend ever. That was right; he got tickets to the opening night of the new architecture museum in New York City. American Museum of Architecture. AMA!

The blocky exterior of the museum contrasted sharply with the soft inside. Walls curved like waves cutting across the floor, and the ceiling’s undulating stained glass simulated a turbulent ocean. (See—Percy had learned something about architecture from all of Annabeth’s talking.)

Suits and slip dresses mingled around the lobby, and Percy contented himself with following Annabeth as she talked excitedly with fellow guests.

It was exciting for Annabeth, so it was exciting for Percy. However, they definitely brought down the average age of the entire function by about 30 or so years. Guess buildings didn’t generally excite the younger crowd.

That was, of course, until Percy glanced towards the door and caught sight of two teenagers. Just like that, Percy and Annabeth lost the crown for being the youngest people in the room.

It was a feeling he had been getting used to while he was in the city for the summer, considering Camp Half-Blood generally skewed younger. And he was getting tired of feeling like an old man.

After more minutes of mingling and discussions of postmodernism and brutalism and such, the lights dimmed, and an announcement directed everyone to the next room where the dinner would commence.

“Did you hear that lady in the pink dress, Percy? They have all the belongings of Frank Lloyd Wright and his first wife here. He was a demigod, you know.” Annabeth linked her arm with his as they shuffled with the crowd toward the ballroom.

Percy remembered the name enough to know Wright was a famous architect, but the demigod connection surprised him. At this point, it shouldn’t. He knew so many famous faces had been demigods, but it was still weird thinking that so many other people had survived this crazy life and thrived enough to be famous. “Athena?”

“Yeah.”

“So, really, we're visiting your siblings' exhibits.”

“If you want to call it that.” Annabeth smiled up at him. “Next time, we can visit your side of the family at the aquarium.”

“Ha, ha.”

They entered the ballroom, and after a brief conversation with the hostess about their assignment, they found their seats at a round table. One of the teenagers Percy had spotted before sat there alone with her long yellow dress. A scarf-looking part spilled over her shoulder and it rustled as she turned to face them.