Chapter 27: Kindness International

A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

The Kindness International Truck sucks.

-x-X-x-

They couldn’t do much in the back of the Kindness International Truck… or so Percy figured. Between Grover and the animals, it just didn’t seem like a good idea to get up to much hanky panky, even with it being dark as hell in here. But just as he’s thinking that, Annabeth and Clarisse are working together to pull open the zipper of the duffel again, dragging out a blanket. After they’ve quickly spread it over all three of their laps, Annabeth gives Clarisse a significant look.

“Good maids are neither seen nor heard… wouldn’t you agree, Percy?”

Clarisse flushes from his other side, before looking at him expectantly. Percy raises an eyebrow and glances at both of them for a moment, not entirely sure what they’re going for here. But in the end, they SEEM to be of the same mind on this, regardless. So… he just shrugs and goes with it.

“Sure… I guess?”

Blushing even harder in the very dim light they’re dealing with, Clarisse nods in response and then ducks under the blanket. Suddenly, Percy knows exactly what the two were going for, as Clarisse shifts into place and leans over his lap. Sitting with his legs crossed and his back against the wall of the Kindness International Van, Percy feels Clarisse quickly work open his belt and pants, sift out his cock, and proceed to put it in her mouth.

He holds back the groan that wants to spill out of his lips as this happens, but Annabeth has a pleased smile on her face all the same, even as she nestles into his side. The girlfriend and the maid, the lover and the servant. It’s obvious the sort of dynamic Annabeth is trying to cement… and also obvious that Clarisse isn’t willing to fight her on it. Perhaps because the Daughter of Ares doesn’t know there’s a battle to be fought over the issue.

Regardless of Annabeth’s duplicity, Percy settled in to enjoy the moment for what it was as Clarisse works her mouth and tongue around his cock beneath the blanket. Better that then focusing on their surroundings, truth be told.

He had a sinking feeling that ‘Kindness International’ was actually one big joke, truth be told. Grover had been up in arms about it from the moment that they’d slipped into the back of course, but before the Satyr could do something drastic or detrimental to their quest, the engine had fired up and they’d been on their way.

Still, even hours later, Grover wasn’t happy about what they were dealing with back here. The trailer had been pitch black before Percy pulled out Riptide and handed it to Grover to use as a faint source of light. But that alone had unveiled the true conditions that the animals in this so-called humane transport were being kept in.

There were three animals in the back of the truck with them, each with their own cages. And frankly, they looked… well, they were depressing to even glance at, so Percy was doing his best not to look their way at all. The zebra, lion, and antelope were all some of the most miserable creatures Percy had ever seen.

They’d done what they could for the animals, of course. For some reason, the idiot truck drivers had given the lion a bag of turnips and the zebra and antelope both a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra had been covered in chewing gum, like someone had been spitting it into his fur whenever they needed to get rid of a piece. The antelope, meanwhile, had a joke birthday balloon tied to one of his horns saying ‘Over the Hill!’.

It seemed like nobody had wanted to get close enough to fuck with the lion, but his cage was just as filthy and tiny as the other two animals, so it wasn’t like he was much better off.

After making sure the food wasn’t completely rotted, they’d gone ahead and switched the meat to the lion’s cage and the turnips to the zebra and antelope. Grover had been able to talk to the creatures, letting them know they’d do whatever they could for them on the other end of this trip, but they hadn’t gone so far as to let them out just yet.

Not only was there little point while the truck was still moving, but Percy really didn’t want to see if just being able to communicate would be enough to keep the lion from taking a bite out of them. Still, they’d done everything they could. And now hours later, Grover was trying to sleep and Percy found himself being given a blowjob under a blanket while Annabeth nestled into his side.

“… There’s something you should know, Percy. About the last quest Grover and I went on together.”

Percy blinks, even as a shifting from Grover’s corner makes it clear the Satyr isn’t fully drifted off yet. But he also doesn’t try to stop Annabeth from speaking, so after a moment of gathering herself, Annabeth begins to tell the whole sordid tale of her, Grover, Luke… and Thalia Grace.

Hearing that there was once a Daughter of Zeus out there kind of prickles at Percy a bit. Because… wasn’t part of Zeus’ problem with him the fact that he, Poseidon, and Hades had all made a pact not to have anymore demigod children anymore? Only, it sounded like the Sky God had broken that pact even before Poseidon did with Percy’s mom.

Not that that was Thalia’s fault though. Not one bit. Hearing about how Thalia had given her life so that the others could get to safety… it was honestly amazing and even inspiring. And frankly, his heart went out to Thalia… it sounded like she’d gotten just as bad of a rap as the rest of them. It was also clear that both Annabeth and Grover blamed themselves for how things went down, even to this day.

Shaking his head, Percy gives Annabeth a smile, seemingly focused on her but knowing that Grover would hear him as well.

“It wasn’t either of your fault. Not Grover’s for trying to help as many people as he could, nor yours Annabeth. Frankly… if anyone is to blame, it’s the gods themselves.”

Even Clarisse under the blanket pauses at that one, her mouth still wrapped around his cock as she hesitates briefly at his blasphemous words. Annabeth and Grover meanwhile, both jolt, with the latter even finally sitting up in wide eyed horror as he shakes his head back and forth.

“Percy! You can’t say things like that!”

Huffing, Percy rolls his shoulders.

“Yeah, I know. But it doesn’t make it any less true. Maybe I’m pissing some powerful people off when I say it… but what’s the point of being gods if they can’t even protect their own kids? Why is it sink or swim for us demigods when we’re literally being hunted by monsters from THEIR past mistakes? Why-mmph!”

As he’s been talking, Annabeth has reacted by pulling the package of double-stuffed Oreos that Ares had left them out of the duffel. Ripping it open, she’s grabbed an Oreo and unceremoniously stuffed it in Percy’s mouth to shut him up. He gives her a look before slowly chewing and swallowing, even as Annabeth places a hand on his chest.

“Percy… the gods are the gods and we are but mortals. It’s not our place to expect their intercession at every corner. We can’t expect to be coddled or treated like children when we just… aren’t. We have to forge our own paths, make our own fortunes.”

Percy can see that Annabeth is torn on whether she actually believes that or not. But what she’s not torn on is her conviction that talking ill of the gods, even in a place like this, is a bad idea. She’s giving him this beseeching look right now that’s all but begging for him to drop it. So in the end… Percy drops it with a sigh.

“Fine. Whatever.”

Grover looks like he might have more to say, but in the end the Satyr just lays back down and curls back up. Which is good, because Percy has plenty more to say as well. Like why is a deadbeat dad like Zeus who can’t even save his own daughter the King of the Gods when someone like Hestia is clearly so much more suited for the role? But… no. Voicing THAT thought out loud was sure to be a recipe for disaster like no other.

After a few beats of silence, interspersed with Annabeth sharing more Oreos with him, albeit this time by splitting each one and giving him half while she eats the other half, Clarisse returns to sucking him off under the blanket. It’s not long after that, with Percy no longer distracted by everything else, that she manages to finish him off and relieve him of his load.

He just wished he could say she’d also relieved him of his stress, but even as Clarisse is sucking down his cum, drinking his jizz, Percy remains stressed as all hell. And he carried that stress into his sleep… perhaps that’s why he had the nightmare he did.

-x-X-x-

“Percy! Wake up, the truck’s stopped!”

It’s one of those nightmares that begins to slip away the moment he wakes up. Percy has always hated those kinds of nightmares. It’s especially egregious this time because the nightmare feels so damn important.

He remembers… he remembers a pit and two presences conversing. He remembers his name being thrown about. He remembers an epiphet… the Crooked One. He remembers being seen… and he remembers being shown his mother. But that’s about it. All the other details have already faded away, leaving Percy uncertain of even the things he does remember.

Was it just a nightmare anyways? Or was there more to it than that? He would have chalked it up to just being a bad dream before learning that he was a demigod, before finding out that Greek Gods and Goddesses were all real, that monsters were all real, that there was an Oracle handing out prophecies and quests like fucking candy.

With all that considered… what was a little bit of prophetic dreaming, right? But that just made it worse, because if it was more than just a nightmare… well, he didn’t remember enough to be of much use, now did he?

“Hide!”

And of course, they were dealing with THIS shit now as well. The engine was off, the truck was stopped… and the doors to the back of the truck were in the process of being unlatched. Annabeth has things the easiest. With her magical cap, she can just turn invisible at the drop of a hat… no pun intended. But Grover, Percy, and Clarisse all have to make do with what they have. Hopefully in the dim light, their blanket wasn’t too colorful, because that’s what Percy and Clarisse hid under. Grover, meanwhile, was stuck hiding behind some burlap sacks filled with smelly rotten feed, hoping he would blend in.

As the trailer doors finally open up, the trucker that appears in the entrance groans and plugs up his nose.

“Fuck, we need to get out of this business. Transport any-fucking-thing else.”

The smell was pretty fucking awful, Percy had to admit. But he didn’t have much pity for the trucker, not when it was obvious the bastard was in on this whole operation. And any pity he did feel vanished quite rapidly given his next actions. The trucker pours some water into each of the animal’s dishes, before splashing the rest right into the lion’s face, much to the poor creature’s indignation. He throws the antelope a happy meal bag of all things, before sneering at the zebra in particular.

“No need to feed you. We’re finally getting rid of you at this stop, heh. Wish I could stick around and see them finish you off after all the shit you’ve given us, Stripes.”

Finish him off?! Percy’s eyes widen as the zebra suddenly looks right at him. There’s no voice, not even a neigh, but Percy nevertheless hears words in his head all the same.

I beseech you, Lord, free me.

Oh shit. That’s right. Poseidon was the God of Horses too, wasn’t he? Percy finds himself shifting, considering what to do. He couldn’t lie… he didn’t consider himself some great big animal-lover. But the abuse that these creatures were suffering… it was unconscionable. More than that though, this had gone from animal abuse to something way worse now that Percy could actually understand the zebra. How could he possibly say no at this point?

Before he can do something drastic however, a series of knocks, seemingly coming from outside the truck, distracts the man inside.

“What? What do you want, Eddie?”

“Huh? Maurice? What’re you talking about?”

What followed was a short game of telephone, before the trucker, now named Maurice, finally got fed up enough to go outside and talk to Eddie directly. Which is when Annabeth reveals herself again, her face set in grim determination.

“Guys, we need to act… fast.”

Percy just nods, mind already made up. Uncapping his sword-pen and revealing Riptide once more, he doesn’t waste time. He cuts the zebra’s cage door free and watches as it carefully slips out from all that metal, before turning to him and bowing its head.

Thank you, my lord.

With that said, the zebra launches himself through the open doors of the truck, much to the immediate fury and aggravation of Maurice and Eddie. As they run after it, Percy doesn’t stop there, freeing the lion and antelope next. Only once they’re gone does Percy finally peek his head out of the back of the truck… only to realize they’ve made it to the ‘stop’ Ares talked about. They’ve made it to Los Vegas.

“They’ll be okay. I made sure to give them all a satyr’s sanctuary blessing, so they’ll reach the wild safely no matter what.”

Grover’s words settle Percy’s worries about releasing three wild animals onto the streets of Las Vegas, but at the same time… it doesn’t settle his worries about what to do next.

“Should we get out of here, I guess?”

But even as he suggests that with some uncertainty, Annabeth shakes her head.

“We’re not where we need to go yet, right? We haven’t gone all the way West and we still need to get to Santa Monica above all else, don’t we?”

Percy slowly nods at that… only for Annabeth to look pointedly to the front of the truck with a smirk.

“While I was invisible, I checked things out up front. They left the keys on the dash. So… why not just take the truck the rest of the way, right?”

That gets a blink from Percy.

“Wait, you can drive?”

Annabeth huffs.

“Of course I can drive! Who do you take me for? I just… don’t own a car. There’d be no point. But I can handle this! I’m a Daughter of Athena after all!”

Well now…

[ ] Find another way, seems a little too risky - 9%

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