![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
o5 ♆ video
[Percy is firmly established in Annabeth's suite again. He's frowning absently at the screen, almost like he's totally forgotten what he was going to say. Instead of words, you get the steady pop pop pop of him messing around with a sheet of bubblewrap in front of him. From the right angle, he appears to be popping it in the shape of a sword. Or a stick. Or maybe just a line.
All of a sudden, his hands stop. He glances at the camera like he's just remembered that it's on, and opens his mouth. Shuts it. Open it again] Hey, I think...I'm seventeen now.
[There's a brief moment of silence before a wide grin breaks out across his face. He laughs, and there's a certain relief in the sound.] Not bad for someone who wasn't supposed to make it past sixteen, huh? Oh man, how did I miss this?
[He leans in towards the screen intently, a certain determination stealing his features. Percy's ADHD brain has caught onto an idea, and it is Extremely Important that it be addressed Right Now] Okay, I know that things are really tight and tense right now for everyone, but this is...well, it's important. Or at least, it'd mean a lot to me. Does anyone know where I could get my hands on some blue food dye? Or like, something that dyes...food...blue.
[That's the same thing, Percy.] I can pay. Or, I don't know, blast you with salt water. I guess no one really wants to swim in the canals right now. [Briefly his expression falls, reminded of what he sees as his failure in trying to save the Water Sector] But yeah, if anyone knows where I could get some, that'd be great.
All of a sudden, his hands stop. He glances at the camera like he's just remembered that it's on, and opens his mouth. Shuts it. Open it again] Hey, I think...I'm seventeen now.
[There's a brief moment of silence before a wide grin breaks out across his face. He laughs, and there's a certain relief in the sound.] Not bad for someone who wasn't supposed to make it past sixteen, huh? Oh man, how did I miss this?
[He leans in towards the screen intently, a certain determination stealing his features. Percy's ADHD brain has caught onto an idea, and it is Extremely Important that it be addressed Right Now] Okay, I know that things are really tight and tense right now for everyone, but this is...well, it's important. Or at least, it'd mean a lot to me. Does anyone know where I could get my hands on some blue food dye? Or like, something that dyes...food...blue.
[That's the same thing, Percy.] I can pay. Or, I don't know, blast you with salt water. I guess no one really wants to swim in the canals right now. [Briefly his expression falls, reminded of what he sees as his failure in trying to save the Water Sector] But yeah, if anyone knows where I could get some, that'd be great.
[video]
Sometimes it's important to celebrate whatever you can, [he agrees. Not that Bruce ever celebrates anything, but he's heard it's good. He doesn't react to the potentially intriguing statement of losing so much time at home, because he doesn't like to pry.] I'm guessing that means you've been here a while?
[video]
[His expression tightens, briefly. He twists the entire sheet of bubblewrap, setting off a series of pops] Tell me about it. And I don't know what you'd class as a while. I think it's been like, three months? Annabeth's been here longer.
[video]
That's a while. It's not a full month for me. [He's intentionally avoiding what looks like a sensitive subject, not wanting to ruin his mood.] So you know Annabeth? I spoke to her earlier.
[video]
You...get used to it. Kind of. I think it depends on what's waiting for you back home. [Something flickers across his face, almost like bitterness, but he pushes it away.] I remember! Hydroponics, right? And yeah, she's my girlfriend. Hence the whole, you know. Using her console. [He coughs a little]
[video]
... Yeah. It looks like more came with me here than I thought. [Except Betty, but he doesn't get to see her, regardless, so it's hard to feel as if she's any farther off.]
--Right. That was me. [He pauses, adjusting to the idea that anything he says to Annabeth will get automatically passed along, but okay, that's fine. He wouldn't keep anything from Betty, either.] Are you interested in that, or do you just. Keep each other updated?
[video]
[Percy decides to neglect mentioning that he was listening in to conversation. In hindsight, that was maybe a little rude, oops. Even though Annabeth would have told him everything anyway.] Kind of both? I mean, anything that involves the world ‘hydro’ in it is pretty much right up my alley, but the science talk goes right over my head. I’m more of the muscle and ‘crazy plans that might just work’ kind of guy than the brains. But me’n Annabeth keep each other updated, it’s just…how we are.
[video]
[He can handle the idea that they tell each other everything, but straight up listening in might make him a little paranoid, yeah. Moreso than his normal baseline level of paranoia.]
You have something to do with water? You mentioned, in your post, salt water... [He lets the gap imply he's waiting to be filled in.] And I have to admit sometimes we need crazy plans. You can't be careful forever. Or so I've been told, [he adds, a good-humored jab at himself.]
[video]
[He nods, apparently not having a problem with filling in that gap.] I'm kind of the son of Poseidon. I mean, not kind of. I'm definitely his son. [He grins a little] Try telling that to Annabeth.
[video]
[Why is his life full of insane phenomenon? He's just wondering.]
Well, that would do it. What can you... do? I'm going to guess that you could be a lot of help with this. Though, uh, it's probably not going to require a crazy plan, sorry. [That's his idea of a joke.]
[video]
[You and Percy both, bro]
Really? You think so? [Because he has been feeling woefully inadequate lately] Uh, I control water. Swim without getting wet, breathe under it, walk on it, punch people with it. Move it around. I've summoned a few storms before. Ice is harder [heh] but I can work with it a little bit. Oh, and I can talk to sea animals. And horses. [And also summon water from his body and explode volcanoes but he's going to keep those to himself for now]
[video]
Yeah. If you can do all that, absolutely. [He understands needing to feel useful, and can sympathize with that, but there's no trace of exaggeration here.] I don't know what you know about hydroponics, but we're going to be moving a lot of water around, and we'll have to set up an extensive filtration system. The whole point is that there won't be any exposure to the illness affecting the rest of the, the turtle. [He still hesitates over saying turtle.]
You'd make things go a lot faster.
[video]
When the problems with the turtle first started, I moved all of the dirty water out of the canals so we could replace it with melted snow. I mean like, unless whatever you're doing's going to cover the whole turtle or something, I should be able to move whatever you need.
[video]
Wow, yeah, then you should-- your help would be great. I'm not sure how large scale we'll be going, it depends on how many people are interested, but I'll let you know. Or I guess Annabeth will let you know. She's more than welcome to take all the organizing she wants off my hands.
[video]
[And that grin widens] Trust me, you're going to have a hard time stopping her. The only thing Annabeth's better at than organising is kicking butt. They're usually related.
[video]
[The grin is a little infectious, and Bruce looks lightly amused as he responds.] Then I'm lucky I ran into her. I'm more of a, sit in the lab kind of guy, if I had my way.
[video]
Yeah, sorry about Ocean Jesus here, science doesn't like him a lot. [it's true though, bro, sorry]
[video]
Ocean Jesus, [he repeats, absorbing the words.] I don't think that's... entirely accurate. Is it? [The fact that he has to ask...]
[video]
[video]
Really. [He doesn't say it like a question.] This is a walking on water reference, isn't it? Not actual Jesus.
[video]
[video]
[aka stop trying to troll me, I am untrollable]
[video]
Anyway! Aside from renewing your faith in Jesus, I can also probably lend you a hand with the filtration system.
[video]
... You can? [Bruce isn't skeptical that someone that could be trying to trick him a second ago could have mechanical knowledge. It's more that he's having an intense moment of deja vu where he wonders if this is what Tony was like as a teenager.] Are you another, part of the pantheon?
[Is it rude to ask who his parents are? Bruce thinks it's probably rude. Who doesn't have daddy issues? So this is him trying to be circumspect.]
[video]
[video]
I appreciate the... the offer, but I don't really want to take risks on this project if you're not sure.
[video]
[video]
[video]
[video]
[video]
[video]
[video]
[video]
[video]
[video]
[video]
[video]