Work Text:
AU Rules:
•Mortal AU
•Festus is a small mechanical dragon in this AU.
“Leo!” Calypso chided. “What was that?”
He snickered. “That was the best prank I’ve ever done,” he said, happily sighing.
She raised an eyebrow. “You put watermelon juice into balloons and threw it at Percy and Annabeth when they were trying to walk together on the beach,” she said.
He shrugged. “I used the element of surprise to my advantage,” he said. “Sunshine, do you want us to win this prank war or not?”
“Why don't you two give it up already, it's been a month.” she said. “And watermelon? Seriously?”
“What, what else was I supposed to use? Avocados??” he asked.
[ ~ ]
Percy wiped the juice off his arms with a towel and frowned at his stuffed animal. He groaned as Annabeth flipped the pages of her book. “You’re studying. Again.”
“Percy, I have to.”
“Don’t you think that we need to prank Leo and Calypso back?”
“Percy, you've got to let it go. Besides, I’m the one studying, not you. If you want to prank him, feel free to do so,” she said, her eyes scanning the printed words.
He sulked, and edged towards her, blowing a strand of her hair out of its place.
“Stop distracting me! I have a 1000 word essay due next week. ”
“That sounds like a you problem”
“Percy…” Annabeth began.
“I’m gonna kill Leo for this, and you need to help me!” Percy exclaimed. “He threw watermelon juice at my panda!”
She dried her blond hair, as she lazily read another paragraph, letting out a yawn. “And us, remember?”
“B-but the panda!” He said.
“Percy, you’re the one who started this whole thing,” she reminded him. “You know how much Leo likes pranks...”
“It was between us!” he said. “Did he have to bring Oli into this?”
Annabeth sighed. “So you want revenge?”
“I want revenge,” he repeated. “Think of something, Wise Girl!”
She sat down at the edge of her bed, running a hand through her hair as she pressed her lips together. She then glanced at him. “What if we kidnap Festus?”
He grinned. “Kidnap?”
“Yeah, let’s take Festus, and act like he's been kidnapped,” she said. “We could write ransom notes.”
Percy smirked. “Can I laugh evilly?”
“Sure, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth said with a sigh.
He spread his arms and let out a laugh, that sounded as if he was a wannabe villain.
“Percy? You really need to work on your evil laugh.”
“It’s a work in progress okay?”
The next morning, Annabeth shook Percy’s shoulders. He groaned then turned around and slept.
“Wake up, you doof!” She exclaimed. “Come on, we need to get Festus!”
Percy hugged his panda.
“Percy!” she yelled.
“Huh? Huh? What happened?” he asked, blinking.
“The plan? To kidnap Festus, remember?” She said. “Leo and Calypso usually try to go walking in the morning, we need to take him now.”
“But how are we supposed to get it? Break into their house?”
She smirked. “Leave that to me.”
“What would I do without you?”
“Fail.” Annabeth deadpanned.
A while later, Annabeth and Percy stood before Leo and Calypso’s house. She glanced around, and pulled out her hairpin.
Percy’s eyebrows creased. “Don’t tell me that you’re…”
She smiled. “Let me do my job, Percy.”
He raised his arms in defeat as Annabeth pushed the hairpin into the keyhole. She wiggled it in and turned it around a couple of times. Then she pulled the hairpin out, placed her hand on the doorknob and opened the door.
“I-” Percy began, his eyes wide with surprise. “How, Wise Girl?”
She smiled again and pressed her lips to his cheek. “My nickname is ‘Wise Girl’ for a reason,” she said. “Come on.”
He nodded and followed her as she walked inside. Her eyes scanned the room.
“We need to go to Leo’s room,” she said.
They made their way upstairs, and stopped at a room. “Is this Leo’s room?” Annabeth asked her boyfriend.
“I’m pretty sure that he has a separate room with all his tools. I think Festus is probably there,” he replied.
She nodded, then pushed the door open. Three enormous cabinets were pushed against the walls.
“He named his cabinets,” Percy chirped. “That’s Chico, that one there is Harpo and the last one is Groucho.”
“How do you remember this?” she asked.
He shrugged. “He also said that Festus is usually kept in the Chico cabinet.”
“That’s useful information,” she said, and walked towards Chico. She pulled open its first drawer and peered inside. “He’s not there in this one.” Then she scanned the second drawer.
“Is he there?”
“Aha!” Annabeth exclaimed triumphantly as she pulled out the mechanical dragon. “We have Festus!”
“Hell yeah!” Percy pumped his fist in the air.
“Now, we need to leave quickly, before Leo and Calypso come back,” Annabeth said.
[ ~ ]
Leo hummed as he walked down the driveway, Calypso beside him. He stopped in front of the door, and pulled the key out of his pocket.
“Leo…?” Calypso said, as she pushed the door open.
“Yeah?”
“The door’s unlocked,” she said, glancing at him.
“Uh...that isn’t great is it?” He mumbled.
“No shit sherlock,” Calypso said, shaking her head at him. “We could have been robbed.” She ran inside their house.
Everything was in its place. No one had tried to carry their TV and run off, she wondered. What could these people have taken?
“What did they steal?” He asked.
“I don’t know,” she muttered. “It seems like everything's in place”
“Wait, I’ll go and get Festus, and maybe he can sniff it out or something,” Leo said.
“He’s not a dog, Leo,” Calypso said, raising her eyebrow and folding her arms.
“I know...but it’s worth a shot!” he insisted, as he made his way up the stairs.
“Fine.”
Leo walked upstairs, and pushed open the door where he kept his three cabinets. He pulled the second drawer of his first cabinet, Chico, open. He fumbled around for Festus, but he couldn't Festus.
“Uh, Cal…?” Leo asked.
“Yeah? What?” Came her voice from downstairs.
“Did you take Festus out or something?” he mumbled.
“What? I repeat, Leo, Festus isn’t a dog, I can’t take him out for walks, you know?” Calypso reminded him. “Why? What happened?”
“He’s not...exactly here...in my cabinet?”
“Try looking in the other drawers my boy,” she advised. “You might have misplaced him.”
“But I always...okay, let me see.”
{ ~ }
Percy nervously laughed, as he held the small mechanical dragon in his hands.
Annabeth looked at him, and frowned. “What was that laugh?”
“My evil laugh!” Percy replied, then laughed again.
She raised an eyebrow. “Your evil-you know what, nevermind.” She scanned the bronze dragon. “Moving on, now we need to write the ransom note.”
“Let me write it, let me write it!” Percy exclaimed, like how a five year old kid would if they were offered candy.
“Okay fine, you find a place to hide Festus while I get a sticky note and a pen.”
Percy nodded, as Annabeth walked inside their room. She came out with a fluorescent yellow sticky note, and a black pen, and sat down at the table. She pushed the pen towards him.
“So what do we write?” Annabeth asked.
“A ransom note?”
“I know, but how?” She continued, then let out an exasperated sigh before Percy could begin. “Seaweed Brain, I hope you weren’t planning on replying with your hands.”
“I wasn’t,” Percy replied, folding his hands. He flushed a little under her gaze, and meekly admitted, “Okay, maybe I was, but that’s not the point!”
“I’ve never written a ransom note before.” Annabeth said, then looked at Percy suspiciously. “Do you know how to?”
“Why do you think I’ve written a ransom note?!”
“With you, Perseus, I can never be sure,” she answered with a sigh. “Okay wait, so write down we have your dragon, Leo.”
Percy picked up the pen and wrote down what she said hurriedly.
“Fix it,” Annabeth said.
“Fix what?”
“You wrote, you’re instead of your, Percy.”
“It’s a ransom note! I don’t care about grammar,” he said.
“There is no excuse for bad grammar,” Annabeth chided. “Now, fix it.”
“Okay fine,” Percy groaned, as he changed the you’re into your. “Happy?”
“Extremely.”
They continued to work on their attempt at writing a decent ransom note. Half hour later, Percy sat before her, grinning triumphantly.
“We have your dragon, Leo,” he read out loud. “If you want to see him again, buy a panda pillow pet and bring it to the address below or else you’ll never see the dragon again. Remember, you shouldn’t bring anyone else with you.”
He put the note down. “That’s threatening enough.”
“Sure, it is.”
{ ~ }
The next morning, Leo and Calypso woke up on the couch to find a sticky note stuck on his face.
“What the-?” Leo mumbled, as he pulled it off. “Wait, wait...is this a ransom note?”
“Leo what are you on about?” Calypso asked groggily, as she rubbed her eyes.
“No, Cal, look!” He pushed the sticky note towards her.
“We have your…” Calypso’s eyes widened a little bit. “Your dragon? Someone kidnapped Festus?”
Leo frantically nodded. “We need to get him back! Poor boy, he must be so lost without us…”
“Oh yeah, I know who wrote this,” Calypso said, sighing.
“Who?”
“Percy!” She said. “Look at that handwriting, it’s clearly his. He must have kidnapped it because you threw watermelon juice at him, Annabeth and his beloved panda pillow pet.”
“Ah...well, we buy a panda pillow pet for him, I guess,” Leo said, shrugging. “But…”
“But…?”
“But if you think i'm not gonna take revenge, you’re wrong.”
Calpyso sighed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say Leelee,” she said. “But you both can’t keep this prank war going.”
“Try me Cal, I'm gonna keep this war alive for as long as I shall live.”
“Leo don’t make me kill you.”
“Tempting offer, but no thank you.” He cheekily smiled at her, as she groaned.
{ ~ }
“Now,” Percy began. “We wait!”
“Fun,” Annabeth said, as she sat down on the chair nearby. She pulled out the book that she had managed to bring with her without Percy catching her.
“You’re studying again?”
“Percy, what am I ever going to do with you?” Annabeth said, exasperatedly.
“I think about that too. Anyways, close your book, they’ll be here anytime soon!”
They heard footsteps, they hid and saw leo clutching a pillow pet, Calypso beside him, and looking around.
“They’re here!” Percy exclaimed.
“Yes, I can see that,” Annabeth muttered.
“Percy Jackson,” Leo said, frowning.
“Leo Valdez,” Percy said, smirking. “We meet again.”
“Where’s Festus?” Leo asked.
“Don’t hurry, Leo,” Percy warned. “First hand over the pillow pet, then we’ll see.”
They were both too immersed in their serious talk to notice that Annabeth and Calypso had disappeared.
Leo reluctantly passed the pillow pet to Percy, who hugged it.
“Now, Nemo & Oli have a friend!” Percy said smiling, then noticed Leo’s grin. “Why are you smirking? You don’t have Festus yet. And it’s totally normal for a grown adult to have pillow pets.”
“And both of you won’t be seeing Festus or Oli,” came a voice.
They turned to see Annabeth holding Oli and Calypso with Festus in her hands.
“Festus!”
“Oli!” Percy frowned. “Annabeth, you had Oli with you?
“We demand one thing,” Annabeth said. “You both better stop your prank war if you want to see Festus or Oli again. Got it?”
“Bu-but!” Leo stammered.
“No buts,” Calypso said. “Festus is warming up to me already, I think he likes me.”
“Hah Festus is gonna come right to me, just watch,” Leo said, with a smug smile.
Festus exhaled a puff of smoke and snuggled deeper into Calypso’s neck.
“Fessy! How could you! After all we’ve been through”
“And Percy,” Annabeth said, pulling up a pair of scissors, and held it at Oli’s neck. “I won’t hesitate.”
“NO! Don’t hurt Oli!” Percy pleaded. “Not Oli!”
“Try me,” Annabeth said.
“So unless, you wanna put an end to this war, it’s over,” Calypso threatened Leo and Percy.
“Fiiiiiinnnnnneeeeee,” Leo gave in.
“So...who won?” Percy asked.
“Us, Seaweed Brain.”