The dark and stormy night was filled with the sound of thunder roaring through the skies, accompanied by bright flashes of lightning illuminating the darkness. This continued for a while, the exchange between the two natural phenomena feeling almost casual in nature. However, the exchange quickly came to a halt as the last few bolts of lightning were fired, leading to an eerie silence in the atmosphere. The sky was now filled with thunderclouds, but there was no thunder to be heard, only the faint echoes of the last few thunders.
While the sky raged outside his window, Ren was tossing and turning uncontrollably in his bed. It was clear that he was experiencing a nightmare of some sort, as his face was contorted with fear and his breathing was erratic.
Within his dream, Ren caught a glimpse of the Empire State Building, one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. The view quickly shifted to the highest floor of the building, where he saw a man stepping out of the elevator. The man approached another person who was wearing a suit, and as he faced him, he called out his name, "Zeus...". The person in the suit responded in kind, saying "Poseidon...". It was clear that these two individuals knew each other, as Poseidon greeted Zeus by saying, "It's been many years."
Zeus stood silently, gazing out into the sky as he placed his hand over the railings. His eyes were fixed up on the clouds. After a moment, he turned to Poseidon and asked, "What do you see?" Poseidon took a quick scan of the skies, observing the dark thunderclouds that loomed overhead. He replied hesitantly, "Thunderclouds, but no lightning."
As Poseidon's eyes grew wide with realization, he turned to Zeus who said, "Stolen" Zeus took a few slow steps away from Poseidon, who quickly caught up to him, feeling that he was being blamed for something. "What? You think I took it?" Poseidon said, walking next to Zeus. He then added, "Omnipotence has blinded you, brother. We are forbidden from stealing each other's powers." He said while having his hands pocketed in his hoodie.
Zeus didn't back down, striking back with a harsh tone, "But our children aren't. And I have reason to believe that yours has taken what is not rightfully theirs." The tension in the air became palpable as Zeus and Poseidon stood facing each other, their eyes locked in a silent battle of will.
Amid the heated argument, Poseidon stood up to Zeus and countered his accusation. "You're accusing my son?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "I haven't seen him since he was just a baby. He doesn't even know me or who he is, all because of you." Poseidon's tone gradually rose in anger as he spoke.
As Zeus continued to argue his point, Poseidon decided to suggest an alternative option. "What about the offworlders?" he asked. "Could you consider the possibility that they were the ones who did it?" Zeus shook his head in response, insisting that the people in question had never done anything to provoke any kind of conflict.
"Are you only saying this because your son really did it?" Zeus's tone was just as heated in response, and the two of them engaged in a tense staredown as things continued to escalate.
The tension between Poseidon and Zeus was getting more and more fierce. Poseidon was seething with anger, and in a moment of impulse, he grabbed Zeus by the collar with quick speed. His voice was laced with fury as he warned Zeus, "If you even think of laying a finger on my son, you will have to face the fight of your life!"
The tension between the two reached its peak, Zeus quickly reacted by struggling to free himself from Poseidon's firm grip on his collar. "If it is proven that your son has stolen my bolt, then I will make sure he is punished for his misdeeds and sent to the depths of Tartarus!" Zeus's voice was charged with anger and indignation.
With a powerful gaze, Zeus added, "And let me make this clear- if my bolt is not returned to me personally by your son in 28 days, by midnight on the summer solstice, there will be war!" His roar echoed as he slowly made his way to the nearby elevator, leaving Poseidon behind with a look of concern on his face. Zeus blasted open the door of the elevator with a flick of his hand, revealing a white light inside.
...
A sudden loud thunder with no accompanying lightning jolted Ren awake. The sound was so deafening that it caused him to fall off his bed and land face-flat on the floor. Ren laid there, a faint "ow" escaped his lips in response to the pain he felt.
Just then, there was a knock on the door and a voice outside asked, "You 'kay there bud?" Ren struggled to lift himself off the floor and sat up, his head still pounding from the thunder. He gave a thumbs-up in response and muttered, "Yeah..."
Finally, he managed to stand up and dusted himself off. Still feeling disoriented from the sudden jolt, he asked himself, "The frick was that dream..."
¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤
Ren Light and The Lightning Thief
¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤•¤
Yancy Academy, Pool
May 21, 2009
Ren and Grover were sitting on a bench next to the pool and chatting. Suddenly, Ren turned to Grover and jokingly asked, "Do you reckon he's already kicked the bucket?" referring to their friend Percy who had been underwater for quite some time. Grover, who seemed to know Percy well, confidently replied, "I bet you ten bucks he emerges from that water like it was a walk in the park." Ren, who was always keen on a good bet, instantly got hyped up and said, "Deal's sealed!"
Several minutes passed by, and there was still no sign of Percy. The pool water remained calm and undisturbed, giving no hint that Percy would still be able to come up and out of the water for air. Ren and Grover exchanged nervous glances, wondering if they had made a mistake by betting on Percy's life. However, they decided to wait a bit longer, hoping that their friend would eventually emerge and prove them right.
To their surprise, Percy did emerge from the water and swam towards them with incredible speed. Grover was quickly filled with excitement and said, "Percy Jackson is a total beast! You're a beast, dude! Well, there goes ten bucks down the drain for Mr. Light!" He then proceeded to boast about winning the bet with Ren, who begrudgingly pulled out ten bucks from his wallet and handed it over to Grover. Despite feeling defeated, Ren acknowledged Percy's impressive swimming skills and commented, "Well, darn it! Solid record though..."Percy sat on the edge of the pool next to them, catching his breath.
Percy noticed that the two were whispering and he immediately knew what they were up to. "You two making bets on me again?" he asked, chuckling. "So, how long was I underwater for anyway?"
Ren, who had been keeping track of the time, replied, "Give or take, I'd say around nine minutes, or maybe a smidge less." Grover nodded, confirming Ren's calculation, as he handed Percy a towel to dry himself off.
Red was amazed by Percy's ability to hold his breath for such a long time, especially at such a young age. "That's nuts, dude, that's absolutely ridiculous!" he said. "How in the world do you manage to do that?" Ren couldn't help but continue to wonder how Percy managed to stay under the water for that long.
Percy gently dried his hair with a towel. He looked content and relaxed as he replied "I just love being in the water, you know? It's the one place where I can actually think." Grover agreed with him and added, "Exactly! At least that's an improvement over Ren, who insists on using chopsticks to eat chips and swears it boosts his 'dexterity'." Ren, who was sitting next to Grover, perked up at the mention of his name and defended himself, "Just for the record, it totally does, and I'm not a fan of getting my hands dirty. So annoying."
...
Yancy Academy, Hallway
The sound of the bell echoed loudly throughout the walls of Yancy as Ren, Percy, and Grover turned the corner to enter the crowded hallway filled with the usual chaos. The scene before them was one that they had grown accustomed to - some random guy was getting into a heated argument with another, while others continued to instigate a fight. A teacher was trying to intervene and break up the fight between two students who were already at each other's throats.
They walked through the crowded hallway, Percy couldn't hold back but express his disappointment with the situation. "I wish I could spend the entire day underwater instead of being stuck in this place," he said with a hint of frustration in his voice. Grover, who was walking with the support of his crutches, nodded in agreement. "Absolutely, it's like high school, just without the musical," he said, motioning to the commotion happening behind them.
The three walked further down the hallway, while another two people went to send punches at one another. "I mean, seriously, take a look at this!" Grover exclaimed, adding to his previous statement. Ren, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "Honestly, I have no clue how in the world I ended up here," he said, shoving a guy away with his knee who had tried to get too close.
...
Yancy Academy, Classroom
Ren sat in his seat, fidgeting with his pen, feeling bored and uninterested in the substitute teacher, Mrs. Dodds, who was writing a line on the blackboard that looked like it was taken from one of Shakespeare's works. He glanced around the classroom and noticed his friend Percy was lost in his own world, not paying attention... again. As Mrs. Dodds turned around to face the class, she greeted them with a smile and introduced herself as their substitute English teacher.
Suddenly, Mrs. Dodds raised a question to the class, "Would someone please explain what Shakespeare was trying to convey in this line from Othello?" Ren's classmates eagerly raised their hands, eager to answer the question. Meanwhile, Ren was still lost in thought, trying to come up with a way to snap Percy out of his daydream.
But that idea was short-lived when Mrs. Dodds then called upon Percy to answer it. Percy appeared to hesitate at first, but eventually, he spoke up, admitting that he did not know the answer. Mrs. Dodds reprimanded him sternly for his lack of knowledge, and the class continued on with their lesson.
...
Yancy Academy, Front Entrance
The Trio had just stepped down from the stairs of their school's front entrance. Percy looked annoyed as he spoke up, "I swear, it feels like she already hates my guts." Ren tried to comfort him by saying, "Well, don't be too hard on yourself. She's probably just one of those picky teachers, you know, the annoying bitch kind." Grover chimed in, "Yeah, Percy, don't let it get to you. I'm sure you'll manage to impress her sooner or later." But Percy wasn't convinced and let out a groan, "No way, it's bad enough as it is. I'd rather not make it any worse." Ren then shrugged and responded, "That makes sense, but if I were you, I'd be complaining about her for a week straight."
As they made their way outside the gates, their attention was drawn to an elegant white Chevrolet Camaro parked on the street. The vehicle was a sight to behold, adorned with striking blue lights that added a vibrant contrast to its pristine white exterior. Its smooth automotive shape were a proof to its modern design, and the wheels, notably featured, were fitted with what appeared to be alloy rims, giving the car a sporty and refined look.
Once they approached the car, the three saw a man inside who looked a lot like Ren, but in the awkward between teenhood and adulthood. He was singing and bopping his head to his music, seemingly lost in his own world. Ren couldn't stop himself to facepalm at the man, but Grover seemed to find it amusing and remarked, "Your dad's up to his antics again... Looks like he's having a blast, though..."
Ren sighed in surrender and replied, "Can't blame him; his music's got me hooked too." He snickered, feeling a bit embarrassed but also secretly enjoying his dad's carefree attitude. Percy, on the other hand, seemed to find it cool that Ren's dad was this kind of person, and have a little admiration for him because of it.
...
Moments before...
Darren sat inside the car, he was completely immersed in the music blaring out of the speakers. The volume was too high for him to hear anything else. He was singing along to the lyrics of "Lips of An Angel" by Hinder at the top of his voice. His eyes were closed, his head was back, and he was completely lost in the moment.
Meanwhile, outside the car, Ren and his friends were approaching slowly. They could hear the music from a distance and could see the car shaking with Darren's singing. They continue to get closer, once they did, so did Ren begin knocking on the windows, trying to get Darren's attention. However, the knocks were too faint to be heard over the music.
Darren continued to sing, oblivious to the knocks. He sang, "I gotta whisper 'cause I can't be too loud~" and "We'll, my girl's in the next room, sometimes I wish it was you~" with increasing passion. As he sang, the knocks outside the car became more frequent and intense.
Ren could be seen lifting up his sleeves and knocking even harder, trying to get his dad's attention. Darren continued to sing, "I guess we never really moved on!~" and "It's really good to hear your voice, saying my name it sounds so sweet. Coming from the lips of an ang-"
Suddenly, the car shook violently, causing Darren to turn down the music and open his eyes. The window on the driver's seat rolled down, and Ren's face appeared, looking both annoyed and amused.
Ren was about to curse out loud, starting with "You motherfu-" but his dad interrupted him, "Easy there, kiddo, dial it back a bit," he warned. "We don't want your mom catching wind of you dropping that word." Ren let out a sigh of defeat, realizing that his father was right. He went inside the car and sat next to Darren.
Darren looked at Percy and Grover and said, "Need a lift, fellas?". Percy declined, saying, "No worries, Mr. Light. Appreciate the offer, but we'll stick to taking the bus." Grover nodded in agreement. "Well, make sure you guys get home safe. We can't have Ren going off about you two stirring up trouble," Darren advised them. "We'll make sure to, sir," Percy and Grover replied in unison, assuring Darren that they knew how to take care of themselves.
Darren let out a light-hearted chuckle and spoke up with a friendly tone, "Come on, enough with the formalities. Just call me Darren." Ren, who had his head buried inside the car, finally emerged and gave a quick fist bump to his two friends, Grover and Percy. "Bros before... well, you know the rest," Ren quipped, eliciting some laughter from the trio.
The windows soon rolled up as the car sped away down the street and headed towards home. Percy and Grover watched it disappear from their sight. They quickly made their way to a nearby bus station.