Ordinary 3

"There is no throne to Nemesis."

Ethan stared at the waiter, and burst out laughing. "Octavian? Who names there kid, Octavian? Wasn't he like Greek?"

Luke frowned, "A king right?"

The waiter looked personally offended. His eye twitched like he was trying to keep his cool and his smile seemed a little more forced than necessary.

Bianca stared at them like they were both idiots. "Try Roman Emperor, you idiots! How did either of you pass eighth grade without knowing that?"

Ethan's mood darkened drastically. "I didn't."

Octavian seemed confused, "Sorry, what?"

"I got pulled out of school. It's Nothing." Ethan said, sharply, "Are you going to take our order now or what?"

Octavian frowned, but he turned back to Bianca waiting for her order. The door rang in the front of the diner as more people entered the shop.

"I'll have a diet coke, please." She said.

"Do you want some McDonald's fries with that?" Luke snickered, before wincing in pain as she kicked him under the table. Ethan would've kicked him too, but he was sitting diagonally and Ethan didn't want to risk catching Bianca's foot instead.

"Rootbeer." Ethan said, "and can you-" He stopped as his eyes fluttered past the waiter to the group on new customers who were being seated just across the room. "Oh Styx."

"What?" Bianca and Luke followed his gaze and both paled drastically.

"Styx?" Octavian repeated, suddenly looking horrified, "You guys aren't...like demigods, right?"

None of them paid him any mind. Ethan could feel his heart thumping in his chest. His breathing quicken. "What are she doing here?"

"They are sitting right next to the doors. There is no way we are going to be able to walk out with out her seeing us." Luke said, in a low voice.

Bianca brushed a piece of her hair back nervously. Then she turned to Octavian who seemed to be stuck somewhere between nervous and terrified. "How many exits are in this place?"

"Uh about three?" He replied, "Those doors and the drop of area in the kitchen and an emergency exit by the bathrooms.

Luke turned to look behind them again and Bianca kicked him, "Don't turn around you dimwit!"

Ethan's palms were clammy he wiped them on his pants. His black bangs swayed with his nervous energy. His shoulders were tensed up.

"Can you do us a huge huge favor, please?" Bianca asked the waiter, her brown eyes flickering with emotions. Fear, anger, dread, sadness...Ethan felt his own heart ache at the sight. He never wanted to see her in such pain.

"Please?" Bianca practically begged, "We need someone to distract those people over there. They can't see us no matter what."

Octavian followed her pointing finger to the duo who'd just sat down. His sickly pale skin paled even more. His hands shaking dropped his pencil. "No way, sorry. Can't help you. Bye!"

He went to turn away and Luke grabbed his arm dragging him into the open booth seat next to him. Octavian yelped in pain.

"What the Pluto man! Get off me!" He hissed.

"You better help us- wait..." Luke blinked like he was suddenly registering something, "Pluto. That's the Roman form of Hades..."

Ethan groaned, "Screw this. I'll just go walk by and distract them and then feign reincarnation." He stood up, "I'll meet you guys at the IHOP down the road."

"Reincarnation." Octavian repeated again, "Wait you died, too?"

All the of them stiffened, like it was a physical blow. Ethan swallowed a pain of his stomach were Kronos had stabbed him before his endless fall. Luke rubbed his shoulder sorely, even Bianca shuddered at the memory of dying.

Surprisingly Octavian seemed to relax slightly. "I thought I was the only one."

Ethan, Bianca and Luke shared a look, "So did we."

Ethan stole another glance at the girls at the table they were deep in conversation apparently not bothered by the fact that the waiter hadn't down up yet.

Luke sucked in a breath, "Yeah that's finally Annabeth, but I'm not sure who the other girl is."

"Piper McLean." Octavian said, "Daughter of Aphrodite. And very very vicious. That must mean her all righteous boyfriend Jason Grace is somewhere nearby."

"Jason..." Luke frowned, "Thalia had a little brother named that."

"Who's Thalia?"

"Never mind that!" Bianca inserted, "It's obvious that none of us can be seen by them so we need to leave like now!"

Ethan slid past her and smiled, though he was extremely nervous about all of this. "I've got this. You guys head out the back. I'll distract them. Piece of cake!"

He shouldn't have said that.

Bianca didn't look reassured with him. He wanted to pull her into a quick hug. Ethan nearly pinched himself. Why was he thinking about this right now? Octavian stood up though, distracting his minds mini detour. He looked just as anxious if not more to get out of the room than all of them. Something bad had happened between him and the girls, Ethan figured. It seemed like it.

"Ethan..." Luke warned, but Ethan was already walking away.

Ethan swirled his thoughts around. He wondered if Annabeth still hated him for trying to kill Percy. He did stab her with a poison dagger as well.

Behind him he heard Octavian call to another waiter that he was taking a break. He resisted the urge to look back at them. It wasn't like he was never going to see them again.

He shouldn't have thought that.

Ethan walked right by their table checking his imaginary watch at the same time. His head turned ever so slightly so Annabeth could see his face.

Her eyes went wide and she gasped.

Then Ethan took off running shoving through the diners doors in a hurry. With a clatter he heard Annabeth jump out of her seat to follow.

Ethan was great at all this stuff. He knew how to manipulate people like that. Which was needed in his line of work. He could get inside people's head and talk circles around them until they admitted the crime they committed.

He was still working on evidence for his other two cases, but as soon as he could talk to her, he knew Nancy Bobfit was a goner. And she knew it too. He'd already gotten several bribes from her in the mail, trying to lure him off the case. He denied them all. And now they were death threats. He put them all in a folder as evidence against her so far, not that he told anyone about them in the first place.

So a regular mortal was mad at him. He'd face worse. Like an angry Percy Jackson or an all powerful Titan Lord.

Ethan got about halfway across the parking lot before he ran into a couple of people.

"Hey watch it!" Yelled a voice that stung Ethan, though he kept his face blank. Percy Jackson grabbed his arm and looked shocked beyond belief, when their eyes met.

Annabeth followed around the corner, panting.

"Ethan?" Percy asked. Beside him a blond haired guy with electric blue eyes looked confused and Piper followed behind Annabeth looking bewildered.

"Hey man!" Ethan yelled fighting his grip, "Get off!"

"Ethan!" Percy said again, "You! You're alive?! Like Luke?"

Ethan made a face, "Look man, obviously you got me confused with some other freak. I don't know any Ethan's. I'm sorry a ran into you or whatever." He titled his head just enough for all of them to see both his eyes.

Annabeth was so pale she might faint. Percy blinked in confusion and let go of Ethan, muttering an apology. Ethan knew both of them were expecting him to only have one eye. He was glad those weird girls had given it back. Even if he still kept it covered with his bangs.

Ethan made another face at them walking away again. He laughed internally at the irony. That moment when a son of Nemesis lies better than a son of Hermes.

He pushed down a feeling of sorrow that had risen in his throat and rolled his shoulders. There wasn't much he missed about camp. He never had his own cabin there and he always hated the Stolls. But he assumed that he never realized how much some place meant until he couldn't go back.

Sucky mortal life.

Out of the the of them, Ethan always thought he'd be the one last likely to be forgiven. Bianca never actually did anything wrong, and Luke tried to stop Kronos multiple times but failed. Ethan on the other hand had tired to kill Percy just about every time they ran into each other.

Ethan yawned and stretched. For it being a little past 2 he was both tired and hungry. Mostly hungry. What he wouldn't give for a nice juicy burger and some fresh fries covered salt...Maybe some pickles on the side. He could almost taste it now.

"Hey!"

Ethan was startled from his day dream by a guy stopping right in front of him. Everything about the guy screamed "Stay Away!" He had a black leather jacket, not unlike the one Ethan had back at the apartment and a crooked smile with missing teeth. Ethan suddenly wished he brought his switch blade with him.

The guy grinned, causing Ethan to surrender a step back.

"Hey aren't you that private investigator guy, Ethan Nakamura?" He asked, "That one who is going against Nancy Bobfit?"

Alarms blared inside Ethan's head warning him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He squared his stance.

"What's it to you?" He replied.

"Nothing." The guys grin widened.

Ethan barely had time to think oh Styx, before something heavy slammed into the back of his head. He yelled out but it was quickly muffed, and he slumped into unconsciousness.