22 Chapter 22: Exploring New York Part 2

Isaiah found himself in front of a large apartment building.

"So this is where he lives huh?" he said as he observed the building.

He walked up to the entrance and saw an electronic device right beside the door. There were multiple buttons and besides each of them, there were names.

"Mason... Todd... Davis... Johnson... Aha! Jackson! Number ten!" Isaiah said and pressed the button.

*Bzzzzzzt*

The boy waited for someone to answer. Suddenly he heard a female voice,

"Hello? Who's this?"

"Huh, Hi? Is this where Percy and Sally Jackson live?"

"Yes. I am Sally Jackson."

"I'm Isaiah Sharpe and I'm a friend of Percy. I was in the area and I just wanted to visit and say hi."

"Oh. Well, Percy's not here right now. He's at school right now. Right now iiiiit's 2:30 so he's going to be home in half an hour.

"Oh right. I forget kids go to school." Isaiah whispered.

"Oh well. That's a shame. I'll come next time then." Isaiah said.

"Well, maybe you can come inside and wait for him. Percy's friends are always welcomed," Sally suddenly said.

Isaiah quirked an eyebrow,

"Really?"

"Yeah! Come on in. Let me buzz you in." the woman said before hanging up.

*BZZZZZZZT*

Suddenly a loud buzzing noise was heard and Isaiah pulled the door and walked inside. He climbed the stairs until he reached the floor where the Jackson family lived and knocked on the door with the number ten on it.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Come in! The door is open!" Isaiah heard Sally's voice inside.

The boy opened the door and walked into a lovely apartment. He could smell the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies.

"Hello?" he called out.

It was at that moment a smiling woman came to the entrance. She had sparkling blue eyes and long brown hair with a few streaks of grey in them. She was wearing a kitchen apron over a blue T-shirt and black pants.

"Hello, Isaiah! Come in! Come in!" the woman said before returning to the kitchen.

The boy took off his boots and walked into the living room. He saw a large couch in front of a coffee table. Up against a wall, he saw an entertainment unit with a TV inside. He could also see multiple pictures of Percy throughout his life. He saw a young Percy playing by the water at a beach. He saw another one playing basketball with friends. Another one with a birthday cake celebrating his sixth birthday. He could also feel the lingering energy present in Percy all around the apartment.

He then sat on the sofa and waited. A few seconds later, Sally came into the living room with a plate full of cookies. Blue cookies.

"You have a nice home, Mrs. Jackson," the boy said.

The mother smiled,

"Thank you. I'm happy with it. Although, I'm sorry about the mess." she replied.

Isaiah looked around the room.

'What mess?'

The room was spotless.

"Here, I made some cookies," she said as she put the plate of delicious goodies down on the coffee table. The heavenly smell entered Isaiah's nose and the boy smiled.

"They smell really good!"

"They are also Percy's favourite cookies."

Isaiah took one cookie and took a bite. His eyes widened when the pastry melted into his mouth releasing an explosion of flavour. He could taste the melting hot chocolate in his mouth as he chewed the cookie.

"This is really good! Best cookie I ever ate!" the boy exclaimed.

'That includes all the other cookies I ate from the stores.'

Sally let out a smile at the boy who ate the cookie with gusto.

"Thank you. Have some more. I'll be back after putting this apron away," she said before going to her room.

A few seconds later, she came back to the living room and took a seat on the sofa.

"So Isaiah, how old are you?"

The boy swallowed the piece in his mouth and replied.

"I'm eleven and I'm turning twelve in June."

"Really? Then you look older than you are," she said in surprise.

"Hm? Then how old did you think I am."

"Hmmm? I would think 13 years old. So how did you meet Percy?"

"Did he not talk about me?"

"He may have mentioned you before. That's why your name seemed familiar."

"Oh."

"Well, why don't we introduce ourselves?" the mother suggested.

"Sure."

"I'll go first. My name is Sally Jackson and I'm the proud mother of a 14-year-old boy. And you?"

"My name is Isaiah Sharpe and I'm an eleven-year-old boy. It's a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Jackson."

"Oh please. Just call me Sally, dear."

"Alright then Sally."

"Which school do you go to?" the mother asked.

Isaiah looked at her with a raised eyebrow,

"School? I don't go to school."

"You don't? Then how do you get your education?"

"I get it from my teacher."

"So like homeschooling?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. Do you like it?"

"Yeah. My teacher is awesome!" Sally smiled at his answer.

"What about your parents?"

"What about them?"

"I mean what kind of work do they do?" the mother specified.

"Oh. Well... I don't know?"

"You don't know?"

Isaiah shook his head.

"My mother passed away when I was five and I never knew who my father was."

Sally cringed when she heard the answer,

"I... I'm sorry if I brought up bad memories," she somberly replied.

But Isaiah shook his head and smiled at her,

"It's okay. I don't remember anything about them."

The woman didn't want to ask any further and changed the subject,

"You never told me. How did you meet Percy?"

'Does she know about Percy? I mean it's a summer camp for demigods, but what if she doesn't know that. He never told me. Let's find out.'

"I met him in December during a school dance." Isaiah tested the waters.

The mother looked down as she pondered on his words.

"December... school dance..."

At that moment, Sally's eyes widened when a sudden realization struck her.

"You're part of the supernatural," she stated with wide eyes.

"So you know about that," Isaiah confirmed.

"Of course. I'm a clear-sighted mortal after all." the woman said with a frown

"I see. Then you know about the fact that he went with four others, Zoe, Thalia, Grover, and Bianca, to save Artemis, am I right?"

"Yes?"

"Then has he talked to you about a sixth person that joined them in the middle of the quest?"

The woman thought about it before remembering something.

"Wait. I remember Percy saying that a magician saved him and his friends from a giant killer robot. Was that you?"

Isaiah grinned and got up.

"Isaiah Sharpe. Eleven years old and Master Sorcerer at the Order of the Masters of Mystic Arts. At your service." Isaiah replied with a dramatic bow.

The woman looked at the boy with a poker face before getting off the couch. She then approached the boy and hugged him catching Isaiah off guard.

"Huh, what?"

"Thank you for saving my boy and his friends. I didn't get the chance to tell you before." the woman said before releasing him.

'Are all people always this touchy? First Bianca, then Nico, then Hestia, then Bianca again and now Sally.'

"It was no problem, Sally."

Suddenly, he felt a familiar energy signature approaching the building.

"Looks like Percy has arrived."

Sally looked confused,

"Hm?"

A few seconds later, the door opened and they heard footsteps.

"Hi, Mom! I'm home!"

"Looks like Percy really did come. How did you do that?" Sally asked surprised.

Isaiah grinned,

"Magic."

The woman released a chuckle before walking up to the entrance.

"Welcome home, son. How was school, today?"

"It was boring as usual. I almost fell asleep in Mr. Frisk's class and I'm the one with ADHD." Percy said.

"Well, even if you find your teacher boring, you still have to listen to him. He is your teacher after all."

Percy sighed.

"On the other hand, look who came to visit."

Perry raised an eyebrow,

"Who?"

The mother and son duo arrived in the living room and they saw their guest.

"Hey, Percy!"

"Isaiah! What's up, man? Long time no see!" Percy exclaimed before hugging him.

"I just came to visit since I was in the area," Isaiah replied and reciprocated his gesture.

Percy then frowned,

"I thought you weren't allowed to talk or visit us."

Isaiah raised an eyebrow,

"What makes you say that?"

"well, you know... The whole fiasco at the Council of the Gods and with them banishing you from the Greek Pantheon."

"What!? Why would they banish Isaiah?" asked Sally shocked.

Isaiah then made a time-out sign with his hands,

"Alright. Hold on." the boy interrupted them. "First off, I'm not banned from the Greek Pantheon. How can you banish someone when they were never part of it?"

Percy thought about it.

"Huh, you're right."

"What do you mean when you say that you are not a part of the Greek world?" the mother asked.

"It's a long story. The short version is that the Greek Pantheon is not the only supernatural faction in the world."

"Oh."

"My second point is that they told me not to interfere with the Greek Pantheon. They never said that I couldn't communicate or anything."

Percy nodded.

"Why would they tell you that?" Sally asked a little worried for Isaiah.

Isaiah took a bite out of another cookie.

'Wow! These are really delicious!'

"It's because I'm too dangerous for them. And since I have the protection of the Ancient One who is also very powerful, they can't do much. She's a human by the way. " the boy answered.

The mother looked confused and shocked at the same time due to the new influx of information.

'Not like they can do anything about me.'

Isaiah then got up.

"Anyways, I just stopped by to say hi to you guys. If you ever need anything, you can just Iris-message me."

"Okay. Are you going home?" Percy asked.

Isaiah shook his head.

"Now I still need to go to Queens."

"Alright. It was good to see you."

"Wait, Isaiah." Sally suddenly said.

She quickly returned to the kitchen before coming back a few seconds later.

"Here, I made extra,n you can take some cookies with you," she said as she handed the boy a bag full of cookies.

"We had cookies?" asked Percy.

"Hush. You can have some later." his mother said to him before turning back to Isaiah.

The boy looked at the bag and back to the woman,

"You know I will try to learn recipes, right?"

The woman smiled,

"You're more than welcome to try."

The boy smiled before walking up to the entrance,

"Alright then. Bye guys!"

"Bye, Isaiah!" the mother and son duo replied.

Isaiah soon walked out of the building and pulled out the map.

'Okay. Now, where is Queens?... There it is!"

He then searched for what he was looking for. Once he found it, he opened a portal and walked through. On the other side, Isaiah saw multiple people, old and young, entering and exiting a two-story building.

"Queens Public Library." the boy read the banner on the building.

The reason Isaiah chose this place was to find some information about his mother. A few years ago, after waking up from his coma, his teacher mentioned that before the Disaster in Kathmandu, there was an outbreak of a disease. She said that there was an organization called Doctors Without Borders that was called in to help deal with the disease. She also mentioned that he was found inside a burning station of the organization. This indicated that he or more specifically his mother had a relationship with Doctors without Borders.

He found an isolated place with no witnesses and excited the Mirror Dimension. The boy then entered the building. As he entered the building he saw the front desk and walked over to it.

A young-looking woman in her twenties was working at a computer at the front desk. She then noticed Isaiah walking up to her.

"Hello there. What can I do for you, today?" she asked with a professional smile.

"Huh. Can I use the computers?"

"Sure. Do you have your library card?"

The boy shook his head.

"I don't. I'm visiting Queens."

"I see. Then I can give you the guest login, but I'm going to require a piece of identification and a phone number. Also, how old are you?"

"I'm eleven."

"Then I'm going to need your parent's signature."

Isaiah now realized the problem. He had nothing. No ID, no phone number. And he didn't even know his status, but he figured that he was officially dead or something.

"I guess I have no choice."

The boy looked into the woman's eyes and used (Hypnosis)

"You will give me a guest login and then you will forget this interaction." the boy said.

The woman robotically gave him what he needed and the boy disappeared. He then snapped his fingers to activate the hypnosis. The woman jolted and looked around a little confused before going back to whatever she was doing before. Seeing that his spell worked, the boy went to where the computers were after following directions from another librarian.

He soon found a free computer and logged in.

'Alright then. Doctors... Without... Borders." he thought.

He clicked the first result and it led him to the official website of the organization. He found the search bar and wrote "Kathmandu". As soon as he did, multiple articles appeared about the Disaster of Kathmandu appeared. He looked at the articles and found one that read [Amazing people who tragically lost their lives in the Disaster of Kathmandu]. He clicked on it and started reading it. It was a list of names of the people who died or were not found after the event. On the side of each name, there was a photo.

'Jacque Dubois... Alex Gardner... Xiao Ming... Ana Petrov... Sarah Sharpe.'

The boy paused when he found the picture of his mother. The woman was smiling professionally. He could see the blond hair and blue eyes. The boy stood quietly as he observed the picture.

All of a sudden, he grabbed his head as a sharp stabbing pain assaulted his head.

["So you... the people... feel better?" he heard the voice of a young boy.

"That's right?" an older woman's voice answered.

"That'... cool. It's like you are a superhero!" the boy exclaimed.

"Hm? Maybe you're right."

"Then, when I grow up, I want to become like you!" the boy stated.

"Aw. that's my baby boy."]

Isaiah quietly panted as he recovered from the sudden pain. He looked around and saw that no one paid him attention as they were too busy doing their own thing.

'What was that?' he thought confused.

He brought his pendant that he always carries around and opened it. He looked at the picture of a younger him smiling beside his mother as he pressed his cheek against her. He simply smiled at what could have been a happy memory since that was the only thing he could do. He didn't miss her, he didn't yearn for her, he didn't feel sad, he didn't feel anger and he didn't feel despair. Only joy and contentment. He closed the pendant and put it back.

'A superhero, huh?'

He looked back to his computer,

'Now how do I find my old home?'

He was messing around with the mouse as he thought about what to do when something caught his attention. He scrolled the page back down and saw the contact information of the Doctors Without Borders.

'Phone Number... PHONE NUMBER!'

He quickly went to the librarian and asked.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

"Yes?" she replied.

"Do you have copies of old phone directories?"

The woman looked confused but answered nonetheless.

"Huh, sure. We have records that date back to 1994."

Isaiah grinned.

"That's perfect. Then can I have the one of the year 2000?"

The woman nodded.

"Just one moment please," she replied and went somewhere.

Isaiah watched as she went somewhere. He only learned about phone books when he learned about phone numbers from his teacher in his studies. After that, he never heard of it.

'Fortunately, I remembered.'

"Alright. Here it is." the woman said before adding, "Although, you are not allowed to borrow this book."

"That's okay. Thank you, Miss!"

The woman smiled,

'What a polite child,' she thought before going back to work.

Isaiah went back to his computer desk and set the huge book. He found the section where individual names appeared along with their address. A few minutes later, he found what he was looking for.

[Sarah Sharpe- 22 Ingram St. Queens, NY--------------------- +1 (718) XXX-XXXX]

Isaiah smiled. He had a huge smile.

'I found it. I found my old home.'

He quickly memorized it and went to google maps and opened Street View after writing down the address. He saw a picture of a nice house and quickly memorized it in his mind. Looking at the time, it was now 3:30 PM.

'There is still some time left before sunset.'

Isaiah closed the computer and returned the book before leaving the library. He went to the same isolated space and entered the Mirror Dimension before opening a portal and stepping through. He then exited the dimension.

He now found himself in front of his old home. It was a nice two-story house similar to the other houses on the street. It was mostly white with a brown porch. That's when he noticed something,

'Is someone living in this house?' he frowned.

It looked way too clean to be abandoned. He looked around and saw no one and his senses also picked no one up.

"Hey, there son."

At that moment, a male elderly voice was heard. He turned to his right and saw an elderly man in a brown winter coat, and a red scarf. He was wearing round glasses and was holding a black briefcase. Isaiah could see white tufts of hair underneath his hat.

"Yes, Mister?"

"What are you doing out here? It's kind of cold out here." the old man asked with a soft voice.

"Nothing much."

"Where are your parents, son? You shouldn't be out here alone."

Isaiah shook his head.

"Don't have any."

The old man let out a sad smile,

"An orphan?"

"You could say that" the boy replied

"Yeah, I know how that feels."

"You do?"

The old man nodded,

"Yeah. My folks passed away in a car accident when I was young. If it wasn't for my wife and brother, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Hmm."

"Any guardian?"

"Yeah. They know I'm here. I'm just exploring the place a little since I'm visiting."

"That's good. It's always nice to explore."

He then looked at the house Isaiah was observing.

"So what are you looking at?" the man asked.

"I was just looking at this house. It seems familiar."

At that moment, the man's smile disappeared before being replaced by a sad expression.

"How unfortunate," he sighed and removed his hat and placed it on his chest.

"What do you mean?"

"This place belonged to a lovely pair of a woman and her son. However, the mother found a job that took her abroad for a while. So she and her son went to Kathmandu. Unfortunately, they perished in the Disaster of Kathmandu."

"I see."

The man nodded and continued,

"Sarah was a great family friend and neighbour. We would often babysit her baby when she needed to study or go to school. At the time, we were a lonely old couple so taking care of a baby was a welcomed change since we never had a child before. Little Isaiah was always so rowdy." the man reminisced.

Unnoticed by him, Isaiah's eyes widened in surprise at his words.

'he babysat me when I was younger?'

"It's a shame they never found him. He must have passed away with his mother," the man said and turned to him, "You remind me a bit of him. If he were older, he would look a bit like you."

'Well. That's because I am him.'

"Then do you know who lives here, right now?"

The man looked at him with a raised eyebrow,

"Why the question?"

The boy shrugged,

"I'm just curious."

The man looked at him before chalking his question to the child's curiosity.

"No one lives here. Every once in a while, there would be someone who would come and clean the place before leaving. Otherwise, there is no one here."

Isaiah looked at him with a quirked eyebrow,

"That's a bit strange, don't you think?"

The man chuckled.

"We live in a strange world, my boy. I learned to not question it. I tried to ask, but I never got an answer. So I gave up. As long as there is nothing strange going on, I'm good."

"Hmm."

Isaiah looked at his watch. It was now 4:00.

"I think it's time for me to go, mister...."

"Parker. Benjamin Franklin Parker, but people call me Ben. And you?"

Isaiah didn't want to be recognized right now so he gave a different name.

"Isaiah Barran."

The man smiled,

"Heh. You even have the same name as that child." He looked at his house,

"Well, I best be on my way too. Bye young Isaiah and be careful on your way home." Ben said and made his way home.

The boy watched him walk to the house next to his old home. Taking out his keys, the man opened the door and called out,

"I'm home!"

"Uncle Ben!" a younger voice of a boy around his age was heard. He saw a boy slam/hug his uncle.

"Oof! Hey there Petey!" the man replied and patted his head.

"Welcome home, honey." the voice of an elderly woman was heard.

"Hey there, May," Ben said and kissed his wife before closing the door.

Isaiah smiled at their interaction before making his way back to the New York Sanctum. Unbeknownst to him, a small red blinking light of a camera could be seen on the top of the door of his old home. It has also captured his image.

***

At approximately 4500 kilometres from 22 Ingram St.," a British voice was heard.

"Sir, it would seem I have found information that might interest you."

One could hear the sound of tinkering as if something was being built or repaired.

"Not now, buddy. I'm busy with something." a male American voice was heard.

"Oh but, sir. I believe this might be of importance to you." the voice said.

The tinkering noise stopped.

"Are you sure?"

"Quite sure, sir."

Tools were being put down.

"What's up buddy?"

"If you would please come to the main computer."

The man followed his instruction and went to a large table where multiple holograms were seen.

"So? What did you want to tell me?"

"Do you remember the house in New York?"

"I have multiple houses in New York. You gotta be more specific."

"Then what about the house in Queens on 22 Ingram Street?"

A sombre expression appeared on the man.

"Yeah, I remember. Did something happen to it?" he asked, worry slipping from his voice.

"No, nothing happened to it, sir. But something did happen in front of it."

"Well? Don't leave me hanging. Show it to me."

A holographic screen appeared in front of him. the view showed Ingram St from the house's perspective. At first, there was nothing. Suddenly, a fiery ring appeared out of nowhere and a child stepped through the ring.

"What the fuck! What the fuck happened?"

"I do not know sir. But it appeared that a child appeared out of a circle."

The man shook his head,

"No. That's not a normal circle. That's more like a portal. Do you see that?" the man pointed at an area behind the boy and inside the portal.

"That's another location. A kid just walked out of a portal. Keep rolling.

The video continued and they saw the boy looking at the house. They saw him frown and look around as if searching for something. At that moment, an old man appeared in the frame.

"Who's that?"

"That's Benjamin Franklin Parker. He is one of the neighbours of the Sharpe family. It appears he was simply going home when he saw the boy. He has a wife named May Parker and they are raising their nephew Peter Parker."

"What happened to the parents?"

Another holographic screen appeared with a newspaper,

"It appears that they have passed away in a plane crash."

The man nodded and continued watching the video.

They then listened to the conversation before the old man returned to his house. The boy watched the man enter the house and smiled. Suddenly the space behind Isaiah cracked like glass and the boy entered it before the space repaired itself leaving no traces of the boy.

"Alright, so it was a mutant. But what the hell was he doing in front of this house?"

"Have you not noticed it, sir?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Does the boy not look a bit familiar?"

"Huh... no?"

"Then I will show you. Will you give me permission to open the secret file?"

The man looked confused but nodded nonetheless,

"Sure."

"Password, sir?"

"Sarah Sharpe."

"Password confirmed. Opening files."

Multiple pictures of a boy from his baby stage until his five-year-old self.

"Why are you showing me this, Jarvis?" the man asked with a neutral voice.

However, if one could listen closely, one would hear a little bit of sorrow escaping his lips.

"Look closely, Sir," Jarvis said.

A picture of a five-year-old Isaiah rose beside the video. The video then zoomed into the older boy's face.

"What do you see, sir?"

The man gasped in shock when he finally realized what his AI wanted to show.

"Holy shit," he whispered.

The shock was so overwhelming that he had to support himself on the computer interface.

"Holy shit," he whispered again.

The man whipped his head back to the screen,

"Jarvis, is this real? Is what I'm seeing real?"

"100% authentic sir. The video has not been tampered with."

The man couldn't hold it anymore. He fell on his butt and started laughing as drops of tears rolled down his cheeks.

"He's alive. He's alive. HE'S FUCKING ALIVE!" the man finally shouted.

He quickly got up from the ground,

"Jarvis, do anything to find him. I don't give a shit. Use any means necessary. Although, you have to do it discreetly. No one has to find out. Not even Pepper." the man ordered his A.I.

"Understood, Sir."

He looked down and supported himself with the computer interface as his tear drops fell on it.

"He's alive. My son is alive!" Tony Stark exclaimed.