Home Stretch
After the museum fiasco, Damien acted like everything was normal. Every time Percy tried to ask about what happened Damien would act dumb or say he doesn't remember. The reason why? Damien even though he's Percy's friend doesn't want to be responsible for him. He thought it should be Grover's and Chiron's job.
Even when weird, almost freak events happened like wind destroying Percy's dorm window open, constant thunderstorms near Yancy, and a hurricane almost hitting Yancy.
On the last day of the term, Damien shoved his clothes into his suitcase. The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like Damien, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. Damien was the son of a tech company CEO but he couldn't be bothered to raise him since he was magically given Damien so he sent him to Yancy.
Damien left Yancy as quickly as he had entered, Damien was on the same bus as Percy and Grover but Damien just stayed in his line, until the bus began to fill with a dark smoke that smelled like sulfur. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway. After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Damien met up with Grover and Percy as we left. We were on a stretch of country road-no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.
During the bus ride, Damien saw the fates cut someone's string of life. Getting a quick look at Percy and Grover's faces it seems they saw it too, Grover at a fearful look on his face, and out of nowhere he was mumbling to himself Percy seemed confused but Damien knew his fear of losing another demigod maybe two.
"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me." Grover pleaded, Percy, promised him, but Damien spoke up "I ain't about to leave this be, I'm coming with." Grover nodded and for some reason seemed happy Damien was tagging along.
Confession time: they ditched Grover as soon as they got to the bus terminal. Grover was freaking Percy out, Percy was fine with Damien staying though. Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so Damien wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made them promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, Damien got my suitcase, slipped outside, and they caught the first taxi uptown."East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," Percy told the driver.
Damien's master plan was to hitch a ride to camp-half-blood and kill monsters so he stuck to Percy knowing he's a trouble magnet. He didn't if he would be suspicious or not if he arrived alone at camp so he made the safe bet and went with Percy.
They walked into Percy's apartment with Percy apologizing for the mess, his stepdad was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN, and Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet. Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home. And you brought a giant with you". "Where's my mom?" Percy asked "Working," he said. "You got any cash?".
"I don't have any cash," Percy told him. He raised a greasy eyebrow. "You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. Probably paid with a twenty. "Got six, seven dollars in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his weight. Am I right, Eddie?" A greasy man nodded grumbling in agreement. Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony. "Fine," Percy said, he dug a wad of dollars out of his pocket and before he was about to throw the money on the table Damien stopped him.
"Don't you have any shame?" Damien said with a disgusted look on his face. "WHAT!" Gabe yelled, "I mean here you are a grown man asking a kid for money, you say a man should hold their weight but from what I hear you don't have a job, so why don't you get up off your ass and get a job instead of Bulling kid like some loser, unless that's what you are a loser," Damien said with a snarky disrespectful tone.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU ARE IN MY HOME, HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT ME YOU PUNK," Gabe said seething. As he looked like he was about to get up and try and attack Damien he said something that made him stop "If you touch me you will most definitely go to jail, my father is CEO of Clark Industry, I'm Damien Clark son of Christopher Clark and my dad happens to be a great friend of the NYPD Commissioner and also has made friend with a bunch of captains, so try if you want". (This is will most likely the only time this is mentioned)
"You know what just leave me sight, the both of you," Gabe said in a defeated tone. As both of them walked off Percy said "Wow, I've never seen him be defeated like that, so cool" Damien just shrugs it off.