Eternal Glory And Suffering

by Zagreusapollyon

Summary:

He blinked.

It hurts.

That's all Percy can think about as he laid still, his shirt soaked with the crimson color of blood.

He Felt his Thoughts becoming more foggy as the time passed. Likely from the insane amount of lost blood.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Alternate summary: percy dies and chooses to go back in time to save his friends.

Chapter 1: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

He blinked.

 

It hurts.

 

That's all Percy can think about as he laid still, his shirt soaked with the crimson color of blood.

 

He Felt his Thoughts becoming more foggy as the time passed. Likely from the insane amount of lost blood.

 

He turned his eyes To the shimmering gold dust that circled around him.

 

It was what remained of the monster he slew.

 

His lungs burned as he tried to take another breath, his throat constricting as he swallowed down his own saliva.

 

‘I miss Annabeth…’ ,he thought to himself as he Desperately tried to keep a grip on his consciousness. 

 

He thought about his lover, his wise girl. oh, how his heart ached for Her.

to know if she's safe, happy, alive.

What would he give to hold her just one more time.

 

He thought of what would become of her future. He thought about the life they could never have and grieved.

 

Oh, it's not fair, it's not fair, it's.not.FAIR!

 

WHY!? after all the pain, all the suffering, did he not deserve Peace?

 

Was it too much to ask of this cold unforgiving universe!?

 

‘Okay, I'm getting a bit melodramatic.’

 

He coughed, and life oozed out of his mouth in a ruby colored river.

 

‘Befitting’, he thought bitterly. ’for the son of the sea god to drown in his own blood.’

 

His mother and step-father came into his mind, the kind woman who raised him from the day he opened his eyes, and showed him nothing but kindness throughout all the burdens of raising a half-blood.

 

His step-father, who was the first adult other than his mother to believe in him. the person who despite not knowing anything from this world, endangered his life to help him and his mother. The father of his baby sister, Estelle.

 

Oh, Estelle…

His poor baby sister, the little bundle of joy, who he had nothing but pure love for. 

 

He remembered that he promised to take her to see the turtles. She loved them.

 

He wondered how many promises he has broken by now.

 

She would call for his brother, asking,

“Where's percy!”

“Is he back?”

“Is he coming home?”

 

No, little star.

 

I'm not.

 

‘What about your friends?’ his traitorous mind supplied.

 

He sighed, almost not feeling the way his broken rib dug into his lungs.

 

His friends, huh?

 

He could already see the way Hazel would cry for him. The way Frank would be the one to burn his pyre. How Piper would comfort Annabeth as she sobbed for him. And-

 

Jason.

 

‘well, at the very least I can see him again. So that's a positive thing.’ he mused.

 

He missed him. 

 

He missed the stupid way he smirked At him after a spar, the way he was Always trying to help people, the way he narrowed his eyes as he stared at the blueprints for temple, too stubborn to put on his glasses, it didn't Help that he broke Them all the time either.

 

It was painful when he died. It Left a gaping hole in his and his friends' lives.

 

 

He could Feel his body shutting down. The world was getting darker, spots appearing in his vision.

 

He was running out of time.

 

He wondered if that was A last ‘fuck you’ from Kronos.

 

The smell of sea salt taffy reached his nose, familiar and soothing, it felt like an attempt to bring comfort to him in last moments.

 

‘Dad…’ 

 

He felt the tendrils Of his father's power wrapping Around Him, a masquerade of an Embrace.

 

He felt desperation, anger and unsolicited grief surrounding him.

 

The sea god had attempted to be a more Active parent after the war, when Zeus had Loosened his obsession with the ancient laws.

 

It seemed though as if Zeus still held a grudge against Him.

 

He couldn't bear to regret his disrespect Though, don't come at him, it was deserved.

 

 

His breath Became ragged, hid lungs collapsing in on themselves. 

 

He took a breath and closed his eyes.

 

and That Was his last.

 

 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

♤~♡~◇~♧

 

in The darkness of Erebus and the cloak of the starry-eyed nyx, a woman hummed a tune to herself, a prophecy hand-crafted by the inevitable Ananke.

 

 

“The child of the tides

Unrestrained and wild

He shall bring you gain

Or he shall craft your chain

Oh, bringer of fate 

Carrying great weight 

Inevitable, inescapable 

Of what shall be uncontrollable 

Now go forth, go on

Now begone

For if you change the past

It shall be your last stand”

 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

♤~♡~◇~♧

 

 

 

 

He opened his eyes.

 

He was floating in a dark abyss, it was like he was in water, but at the same time, it was like nothing he ever felt.

 

He looked around for something, anything as to why he was here, why he was alive.

 

“calm down, little foal.”

 

His Head head whipped around so fast he thought he broke his cervical spine.

 

“who's there!?”, Percy yelled into the dark void.

 

“A friend, little one.”

 

Percy turned around when he heard The voice behind him. He saw-

 

“Dad!?”

 

a tall ancient looking Man was standing Behind him. Familiar sea green eyes bore into his own.

 

“not exactly, I am your father. Just not one you know, I am far older.” poseidon- or at very least he thought Was poseidon, said, his voice booming and Powerful. 

 

Percy hesitated A little when he said “neptune..?”

 

The god chuckled and ruffled His hair.

 

“i said older, child, not younger.”

 

Percy stared at him with utter confusion.

 

The man sighed as his posture got More serious. 

 

“I am posedawone, the god of the seas, earth and the underworld . The horse of the tides that shakes the ground with it's hooves. I imagine you do not know me?”

 

“Not ringing a bell, no.” Percy said as racked his brain trying to find out whomst the fuck is posedawone-

 

 

 Posedawone sighed Again, which he seemed to do a lot with Percy, he then made a sign for percy to follow him, so he did.

 

Walking felt weird, it felt like trying to walk on something that wasn't there but also, it had a weird Tangiblity that Made feel like you were walking on water.

 

 

They Were walking for what felt like it was an eternity when they reached a... door?

 

Not exactly a door per say, but it was light shaped as a door nonetheless.

 

He looked at his not-father questioningly.

 

He looked at Percy, eyes displaying the horrors and wonders of the depth, the mercy and fairness of the underworld like a Greek fire. All boring in to him.

 

 

Percy gulped.

 

 

“Do you want a second chance?”

 

 

“What?” Percy asked bewildered.

 

“You have two options, either come with me to the after life and live in the isle of the blessed,” the God stared at him, his eyes softening for a fraction of a second.”or go back in time. Although I should warn you that things may differ depending on how you change them. Some for worse and some for the better.” posedawone explained.

 

Percy listened to him and pondered.

 

He could finally get the rest he deserved, no more fighting, no more running and being an errand boy for the gods.

 

But…he could also save so many people.

His friends, the innocent demigods that lost their lives because of Luke's manipulation.

 

He decided.

 

“I wanna go back.” he declared proudly.

 

The god looked…almost sad at that. Perhaps he was Mourning the son he might lose again.

 

“I know that look in your eyes. And I know that no matter how much I try, I will not be able to change your decision.”

 

He then put his forehead on Percy's, muttering something under his breath, kissing the crown of his head, he then pushed Percy into the glowing door, and yelled.

 

“Go then, child! And may my blessing keep you safe from harm throughout your endeavors!”

 

“...and please come back safe.”

 

 

Then everything went black.

 

 

 

Chapter 2: And so it begins.

Notes:

Hi there!

Sorry for the late update.

I wanted to update this work two days ago, but I got a cold was staying in bed for most of it.

Although I persist!

I was not gonna let it stop me and kept writing....whatever this mess is.

 

Hit me harder ao3 author curse, you ain't shit.

Various scans Of his life flashed before him.

The death Of many of his good friend. Innocent children, forced to fight in war of their parents' selfishness.

 

Charlie, Silena, Chris, Ethan.

 

Luke.

 

wake up, Percy.

 

wake up!

 

“Wake up!” Someone Yelled right beside his ear.

 

Percy shot up from the bed, nearly hitting his head against the upper bed.

 

He rubbed his face, a splitting headache plaguing him.

 

He turned to face the person Who woke him up in such a rude manner, annoyed.

 

He came face to face with the goat-ish face of his best friend, who looked much younger than he remembered.

 

“Grover!?” Percy gawked.

 

Grover stared at him slightly annoyed. giving him a look as if to say ‘yeah, who else would it be?’.

 

He pulled the blanket off of him.Percy yelped At the sudden exposure to cold air in the morning. He surpassed a shiver.

 

“You were sleeping like the Dead! You have to hurry Or we're gonna be late for the field trip!” Grover said urgently.

 

Percy faltered, ‘field trip?’ he thought bewildered, then, something clicked in his mind.

 

“Grover?” He said, voice vibrating in shock and excitement.

 

“Yes, Percy?” Grover said, apparently noticing his friend's mildly Odd behavior.

 

“What day is it?”

 

Grover stared at him, looking like he wanted to smack him. Still, he answered, and Percy felt like wanting to jump in his arms and kiss his beautiful face.

 

He settled for A crushing hug instead.

 

“Woah, Woah! Love you too buddy! But we gotta go! We're gonna be late for the bus!”

 

Percy nodded enthusiastically and jumped off the bed, accidentally hurling one of the pillows in Grover’s face.

 

He snickered at his offended squack And took out the clothes he wanted to wear.

 

Was he too giddy that he was sent back In time? Yes. But the thought of fixing everything that went wrong was the only thing keeping him sane from the depressing thought of having to go through all of the suffering again.

 

And with that thought he dragged the collar of Grover’s shirt and dragged him to the school Bus as fast as could. that is without wiping the floor with his friend of course.

 

He jumped Into the bus, ignoring the driver's grumbling about unruly teenagers and scanned the bus for a seat.

 

He found two empty Seats near the back of the bus, so he pointed out the seats to Grover and made sure to step on Nancy's foot when he tried to trip Grover.

 

He grinned smugly as he heard her hiss of pain and cursing. Good, she deserved it, and it wasn't like he was scared of detention this time, Alecto was gonna get a not-so-happy surprise this time she attacked him.

 

So, he sat next to the window, bouncing his leg and staring at the outside view. 

 

He unsurprisingly started to analyze the event Before waking up, he hadn't really gave the much thought, he was too busy being happy to do that.

 

 

He circled Back to the words of his father, or not father? He wasn't sure if he counted, not that he was upset about having an extra father, the more the merrier, as they say.dou Double the attention too.

 

 

 

Right, he was getting off track Again, stupid adhd.

 

Anyways, the god had said to not change the past too much, so that confirmed that he could change something, he theorized that it might have to do something with the fates, he remembered Annabeth rambling about how the work of the fates, no matter how cruel it may be, was a delicate process, and that upsetting that balance might cause the worlds to be ripped apart.

 

Yikes, well that puts a damper on things.

If only he could figure out a way to cheat his way out of that rule it would be great.

 

He snapped out of his musings as the bus pulled harshly to a stop.

 

He got up from his seat and nudged Grover, who had fallen asleep on the way, awake.

 

After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he and Grover made their way to the door, he decided to return Nancy's favor and tripped her on the way down from the bus, subtly of course.

 

Uno reverse, Bitch. He thought. 

 

Maybe he was being way too harsh on her, but the amount of things she'd done deserved a little payback.

 

He and Grover went in line with all the other students, and entered the Museum. 

 

His eyes took in the familiar artwork and statues And pottery.

 

The annoying voices of the kids around was getting on his nerves tho.

 

“Will you shut up?!” He finally snapped when Nancy made a comment about the artwork Of a naked guy, which in all fairness Was funny.

 

Oh shoot.

 

Like last time, it came out Louder than expected. 

 

The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped the story he was telling about greek funerals.

“Mr. Jackson,” he said with an inquiring tone, “did you have a comment?”

 

I really need to put a filter on my Mouth. Percy thought miserably.

 

 

“No, sir, not at all. ” Percy said as he silently berated himself.

 

Mr. Brunner looked at him with a amused smile.

 

Mr. Brunner then pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. “Perhaps you’ll tell us what this picture represents?”

 

Percy looked at the said picture, and eternally sighed at the cruelty of the universe.

 

‘Why did it have to be this MOTHERFUCKER again!?’ Percy thought grievously.

 

“That is Kronos eating his kids, Correct?” Mr. Brunner nodded. “well, Kronos was the Titan king, and after castrating his dad,” many pained noises were heard from across the room. “he told him that one of his kids was gonna over throw him. So every time he had a kid with his wife, Rhea, he swallowed them whole.”

 

Mr. Brunner encouraged him to Him to go on.

 

“but, his last child, Zeus, survived and was raised in secret by his grandmother Gaia, so then when he grew up, he freed his siblings by making his father throw them up, and then a war happened,” he catched his breath. ”and the gods won.”

 

Mr.Brunner gave him a proud look, although that was quickly soured by Nancy's annoying voice.

 

“Like we’re going to use this in real life. Like it’s going to say on our job applications, ‘Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.’” Nancy said from the back to her friend.

“And why, Mr. Jackson,” Brunner said, “to paraphrase Miss Bobofit’s excellent question, does this matter in real life?” 

 

Nancy's face heated and was starting to resemble a tomato, so he decided to pity her by answering the question.

 

“I don't know, sir, why would I?” Percy said dryly, sarcasm dripping from his words.

 

Mr.Brunner sighed Disappointedly, then he brightened up and said,”well, thank you, Mr. Jackson, for your magnificent explanation, full credit.”

 

Mr. Brunner then gathered the students and informed them That it's time for lunch.

 

So it took only a few seconds for Percy and Grover to be nearly trampled by a bunch of 12 year old hooligans and barbarians.

 

He pulled Grover to the fountain like last time, and sat down.

 

He put his hand in the water, feeling The coolness and the soft feeling of his soul thrumming with a life-old familiarity.

 

He missed this.

 

The ear shattering sound of thunder made him jump, rudely snapping him Out of his daydreaming.

 

He looked up hesitantly at the sky, he gazed at the dark gray clouds floating overhead. 

 

He had forgotten about the Bolt.

 

Oh my Gods, Percy thought tiredly.I forgot about that overgrown child.

Seriously, not everything is about you!

 

Just as he was about to curse the entirety of existence, Nancy and her ugly gang of chimpanzees made their way to them.

 

 

She then took her half eaten lunch and threw it at Grover’s lap.

 

“Oops.” She said smugly.

 

The sea did not Like to be restrained.

 

But oh boy, he was praying to his father for all restraint in his bloodline, or else a twelve year old is gonna die, And it's not gonna be him.

 

He gave her a sweet smile, and acted surprised when a whip of water grabbed her ankle at a high speed, and pulled her into fountain.

 

He merely glanced at Alecto when she quite honestly appeared out of thin air.

 

He turned to her and grinned.

 

“Why hello Mrs. Dodds! What a terrible accident this is, isn't it?” he said sweetly.

 

“Now, honey-” she hissed furiously. 

 

“I did It!” Grover interrupted frantically.

 

Both Percy and Alecto looked at him, Percy gazed at his friend with a fond expression.

 

 

Oh, how he loved that stupid, brave goat.

 

He made a sign to make him stop, then he turned back to the human shaped nightmare, that was respectfully called Alecto.

 

“Come with me.” She snapped, and Percy resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at Her.

 

 

They made their way to the museum, from the corner of his eye, he saw Chiron exchanging glances with Grover, although unlike Grover, he didn't seem quite as worried.

 

 

They both enter the Museum, and Percy already feels more jittery than before, his instincts yelling at him to kill her.

 

But he waits, for seeing the surprise on her face is gonna be much sweeter.

 

They passed the gift shop and went deeper into the Museum, and went in the Greek and Roman section Again. 

 

 

Well, at least that didn't change.

 

No matter, this was gonna be her grave anyway. 

 

She stopped near a statue of dear ol’ dad. 

 

Which was naked, because of course it was.

 

Oh, I'm gonna need bleach after this, he cringed at the sight of the statue. Also is dad's dick really that small?

 

Alecto’s voice snapped him out of his Thoughts, which was probably the only Thing he was thankful of to her.

 

As she spoke he felt the room's Temperature drop a few Degrees, he could see a wisp of purple and black color smoke filling the room.

 

Wait, what?

 

That was new, he didn't know what It was, but it seemed to be coming from Alecto, it was rising up from her, and it smelled of…death?

 

He'll have to check this out later, maybe it could come in handy. 

 

“ You've been giving us problems, honey.”

Alecto said.

 

Oh my God, her voice sounds like someone is dragging the chalk on the board, someone kill me so I don't have to hear her. Percy thought to himself miserably. 

 

“Sorry, mam.” Percy said apologetically. Please go die in a ditch. 

 

 

“Did you really think you would get away with it?” she basically snarled out.

 

He kept his cool, counting the minutes in his heart.

 

“I don't know what you mean, miss.” He says Calmly. 

 

“You take us for FOOLS, Percy jackson!? Do you think we did not know?!“

 

Percy stood His ground, he could take her with one hand if She attacked him. He would make her regret ever being born from The starry-eyed one.

 

“No, mam.” he replied coldly. 

 

Alecto was getting More pissed off every second, it was apparent as the wisps of smoke started to turn darker, the smell felt Overwhelming. 

 

It felt suffocating.

 

He hated it. Who was she to stand there and demand from him?

 

Woah, Percy shuddered, feeling confused. What fuck was that. He asked himself. 

 

He barely came back down To reality as he heard Alecto screeching and transforming.

 

Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. 

 

 

Good, she Looks as ugly as her dad now.

Percy mused humorously.

 

“die honey!” she spit out. 

 

He effortlessly dodged Her attack, talons Whooshing past his face by inches, he stood back.

 

 

He smiled as he smelled the familiar scent of coffee and stables, so he pretended to fall down, taking on a picture of a lost, untrained child.

 

It wouldn't do him any good If Chiron found out and started asking questions.

 

“what ho, Percy!” Chiron shouted From his wheelchair, and tossed riptide to him.

 

His precious sword flew through The air, and he lunged at it.

 

Catching the sword, he twisted his body, changed the way he held the sword, and slashed the fury in half. 

 

Golden dust swirled around the room.

 

It felt welcoming and familiar. Yet so unbearable and painful at the same time.

 

 

His death flashed before his eyes. Laying in pool of his Own blood, his lungs struggling to breathe.

 

Oh, he felt like drowning. 

 

He was Drowning, Drowning in the bloodied fate of his own making.

 

 

I̵̛̻͙̙̙̺̼̝͓̾̈́͐̌͊̕t̷̡̨̛̲̠̘̞̝͈̊̂̇̂ ̴̬͌̿͛̿͋̈̏̕͝ḩ̸̦͔͍̫͊̈́͐͆͌͋͜ū̷̧͖͙̱̿̆͜͝r̸͍̠͖̼͙̰̯̘̄̀͋t̷̪̓̃̎̊́͘͘ṡ̴̥̥̲͚̰̠̪̹̻̏̓̂̇͒͜,̸̯͙̹̳̺͇̅̓̈́̃̈ ̴̳̙̀̎̉̃̊͘̕į̵̨̫̩̳̯̐̌̅ẗ̸͖́̈́̀͂̓̚͠ ̸̡̱̺̺͎̉̔̿̽͆͝h̴̛̞̫̤͓̜̳̪͕͛̓̚u̵̧̨̩̙̞̩̝͓̍͒ͅȑ̴̮̟̩t̸̻̋́͊̓͋̽̍̿ŝ̸̨̛̛̹̯͍̳̓̀̚,̴̧̳͇͕̙̬̜̓̎ ̴̡̗̺̰̱̥̬̣̼̼́ḭ̶̛͚̰̲̠͍͍̠̔̍̔̀ṯ̵̟̦̠̗̣̠̉͆̆̈́̎͗ ̵̧͕̥̪͍̜̪̫̄̀͗h̵̯̥̫͎̮͠ǘ̸̡͔̺̰͙̂͆̀͊͝͠r̷̡͓͕̭͖͍͚̼̳̺̃̋̈̓͋̕͘͠͝t̷̞͍̮̳͍͙̬͠s̴̜̳̆,̸̼͍̟̯͈̳̬͕̼̾̌̈́̾͆͝ ̵͈̭̝̥̮̺̀̾̕I̴̬̘̖̩̝͂̆̅́̍͂̃̿̏̚T̶̲̞̘̜͕̪͕͎̝͛̊ͅ ̴͖̠̊̒̓̚͜Ḧ̶̛͇̜̖̬̻̙͍͉̣́̉͛͋͘͝Ũ̵̱̠̋̾̊̆̓Ŕ̸̛̦̆T̸̞̠̀̓͘ͅS̵̢͔̮͍̺͚̻̤͇̀̓̐̀͐̈́͂͘͘͘.̶̗̞̘͙̻̒̽̏̆̾̊̃͜͝

 

 

 

˙S⊥ᴚ∩H ⊥I ԀO⊥S '⊥I Ǝ⋊∀W ƎS∀Ǝ˥Ԁ

 

 

 

He gulped down the urge to scratch of His skin.

 

He gritted his teeth and glared at the pile of Golden dust that Laid at his feet.

 

 

 

Good riddance. 

 

 

 

the Cracking of his bones and his wails still rang in his ears.

 

 

He would remember it. How could he not?

 

 

He Will remember this, how they forgot and forsaked.

 

How they answered their Prayers.

 

he will Make them see this Time.

 

 

Time, oh the irony, the only thing they never worried about was time.

 

Not understanding they were,

 

RUNNING. OUT. OF. TIME.

 

 

Percy recollected himself and dusted of the shimmering remains of the kindly One off himself. 

 

Then he turned around, and not once did he look back.

 

He didn't have the time for looking back, did he?

 

Plus, he has a whole lot of gaslighting to go through. 

 

Oh, joy. He thought sarcastically. I cannot possibly wait more for this one.

 

 

 

☆♤°•●¿¡□♡♡□◇

 

 

 

 

In The dark corner of the universe, she smiled sadly . 

 

Oh, poor, poor child.

 

You don't know what's going to happen do you?

 

No matter, I shall protect you all the same.

 

My darling,αγαπημένη κληρονόμος.

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

αγαπημένη κληρονόμος= beloved heir.

 

I'll probably update this every week.

So stay tuned everybody.

Chapter 3: And fate catches on either way.

Notes:

Hi!
Sooo, I was one day late, sorry!
Didn't want to, but it's the new years for me, and I was busy.

But here is it now

Summary:

Percy has a not delightful meeting with the fates, as the school year comes to a close.

The Rest of the year on the campus was both fun, and extremely annoying at the same time.

 

The gaslighting was getting on his nerves though. Welp, hood to know that hadn't changed a bit.

 

Oh God, please let this end sooner. Percy thought, cringing at his glorious report card.

 

No matter what age, he still hadn't gotten used to the horrendous Grades he got.

 

He stuffed the seven-times cursed Paper into his bag and walked out of the class.

 

He treaded carefully as not alert neither Grover nor Chiron.

 

He slipped out of the school as quietly and sneakily as he could.

 

He found a nearby forest And stopped there. He needed to prepare himself and address a few concerns of his.

 

One, he was a child, that much was obvious, but it also meant he was weaker both physically and in terms of divine stamina and energy. And for a demigod, that could potentially be fatal.

 

So he needed to start building Up his physical attributes, and that equalled coming out here to work out and practice sword fighting, luckily, he kept riptide with him after the encounter with Alecto. 

 

And about the divine training, he found a small stream of water that could come to use.

That way, he could train his powers to tire him out less while in this body.

 

 

Second concern, the weird-ass power he discovered while fighting the kindly Pain in the ass.

 

It was very neat, to say the least. He found out he could sense about any alive (or Dead.) Being around him, which was pretty helpful for sneaking away and hiding from Grover and Chiron, and also the Ridiculous amount of monsters that surrounded the area.

 

Seriously, he knew he smelled, but this was just downright excessive. 

 

He literally Fought an empousa on his way back to campus one time.

 

The power also Allowed him to distinguish and recognize the intent and power of different beings.

 

For example, monsters usually had black aura and jagged smokes surrounding them, they made his body scream at him, telling him to run, run and RUN.

 

It wasn't a really pleasant feeling, as you might imagine. It did result in a mental breakdown. 

 

Yippee!

 

Anyways, mortals on the other hand, we're kinda bleak and Gray, nothing really special about them, except maybe one or two who seemed to have small strings of colored smoke between the overwhelming Gray one. The colors usually varied greatly. 

 

 

He suspected them of either being a clear sighted mortal, or a human with a godly legacy somewhere in the bloodline.

 

The mortals, despite being so ordinary, had a drawing quality to them. You might have passed them in the street, uncaring, but you couldn't help But glance at them.

 

Maybe that was why gods turned their attention to mortals

 

 

 

Maybe immortality is just a little too intrigued by mortality.

 

 

 

The divine creatures like Grover or Chiron, had vivid and colorful, although small auras.

The wisps of smoke warped around them and the location they were in softly. Not like monsters, who's Overwhelming influence tended to make the place reek of rotten flesh and acid.

 

No, Chiron’s smelled like freshly made coffee, straight out of the pot, it was soothing and calming.

 

Grover smelled energizing and kind, maybe a little jittery and anxious, as whenever Percy cut himself, or got into some fights with Nancy and her ugly ducklings, the smoke would worriedly wrap around him, in an attempt to calm him, and the smell of forest And fruit was quite honestly doing wonders for his nerves.

 

Has he told anyone how much loves that stupid goat?

 

Because he does, very much so.

 

 

He wondered where the power came from, it was obviously not an inherited power like water bending and making Hurricanes. Plus, his father didn't have anything associated with him, nor did neptune.

 

So he crossed it off the list.

 

Then came the possibility of it being a blessing of sorts, but he couldn't come up with anyone that wanted to bless him, the fates could probably do that, but no way those old hags were generous enough to even even think about gifting him with anything.

 

 

So who could possibly-

 

Oooooooohh.

 

°○°•°○°•°○°

 

He then put his forehead on Percy's, muttering something under his breath, kissing the crown of his head, he then pushed Percy into the glowing door, and yelled.

 

“Go then, child! And may my blessing keep you safe from harm throughout your endeavors!”

 

“...and please come back safe.”

 

 

Then everything went black.

 

 

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

 

 

He had totally blocked that memory from his mind.

 

So that explains it. 

 

Well, he'll have to remember to sacrifice something to his dear ol not dad.

 

Because this might possibly be the Most useful gift he Has ever received.

 

Thanks not-dad. Percy thought delightfully. This Might possibly make up for the last 12 neglectful years.

 

 

The wind around him changed direction and ruffled His hair, it felt like an exasperated sigh and an amused smile. The air carried strings Of blue and green, the same green you gazed at when the sea met the shore in an arduous and milotonian dance.

 

Aaaaaaaand a leaf smacked him in the face.

 

He cursed him under his breath, and the godly, lovable jackass had the audacity to send a gleeful wave of power his way.

 

“Okay, see if I invite you for Mom's wedding next time!” Percy yelled at…well nowhere but it was directed At Posedawone.

 

 

Another leaf smacked Him in the face.

 

 

He humphed and stomped away, ignoring the amused chuckle that rang In his ears.

 

Despite it all, he smiled, it felt good to have someone that cared this much.

 

He Turned around and made His way out of the forest. 

 

Still smiling with joy.

 

 

 

▪︎°•°•°•°•°•¤°¤•°•°•°•°•°▪︎

 

 

The End of the year came far too early.

 

He woke up that day with a worried feeling in his Stomach.

 

He shifted anxiously in his seat, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling. 

 

He had gotten more grumpy and moody, courtesy of dear old dad.

 

He had forgotten how intertwined their emotions were together. 

 

The obnoxious voice of the teacher was absolutely grating on his nerves, he pushed down his growl of annoyance, not wanting to end the school on a bad note.

 

Who Am I kidding? Percy scoffed to himself. I bet 20 bucks they're already organizing a party for when I take my leave.

 

Another tug pulled At his soul.

 

He surpassed a whine, as he felt the pull of the nearby hurricane. 

 

It was getting quite painful. 

 

His father's anger Churned in his domain, and swirled inside Himself.

 

He hated it.

 

He hated this dysfunctional ass family.

 

Can't they Just talk?

 

He didn't remember the feeling being this strong last time, it felt like a minor inconvenience in his first life.

 

 

Now it felt suffocating, uncomfortable. 

 

The feeling of drowning Returned.

 

He didn't know if other demigods felt their parents' emotion as rooting and deeply as he did, for once he hoped he was the only special one in this case.

 

 

He sighed and rubbed his temple, it was no use crying over spilled milk.

 

He'll just have to go and find that damned lightning bolt sooner.

 

Which he would, if he wasn't bound to this prison of endless malice and pain.

 

 

The bell rang, and Percy shot out of his seat like a bullet. 

 

He nearly tripped over his own feet in the process. 

 

He ignored Nancy's smug cackling, his first priority was to get his ass out of that torture chamber.

 

He went to the yard to meet up with Grover.

 

On his way there, a couple guys from the class waved up to him

 

 

“What are you doing for summer Break, Percy?” One of the boys asked, curiosity getting better than him.

 

Percy cringed internally, his summer break was getting away from monsters and trying to evade his miserable godly family, except maybe, which was very big maybe, his father.

 

 

He didn't want to deal with Triton throwing a hissy fit because that is a foolish mortal mother! He has no place here!

 

He absolutely did not miss THAT Triton, they hadn't started on good terms.

 

But after a while they did manage to get along with each other, Triton was an extreme mother hen, you could not get five feet away from him before he started screaming his head off.(Poseidon said it was a traumatic coping mechanism, whatever that meant.)

 

 

“nothing, really just helping my mom, and visiting my family, they're in another country.” Percy lied through his teeth, giving them a grin, which on a second look resembled a grimace more.

 

They nodded at him, then turned around and took their leave, laughing loudly.

 

 

Percy Sighed, he waited a few seconds, and then looked around trying To spot Grover in the area.

 

He noticed a jittery mop Of brown hair, in the middle of the sea of People. 

 

He smiled slightly as he noticed the tendrils Of smoke, which quite pleasantly smelled like the forest.

 

He jogged his way, and proceeded to give him a crushing hug from the back.

 

Grover let out a shriek of surprise. Percy struggled to hold in his laugh At Sight of his best friend's mildly offended face.

 

He burst out laughing the moment Grover hit him in the back of the head.

 

After they Both calmed down, Grover handed him a card.

 

Percy raised an eyebrow at him, and hesitantly accepted The card from his hand.

 

 

He focused on the letters, trying and failing to read the letters on it.

 

 

Ah, I forgot about That. Percy thought to himself. Alas, no matter the timeline, dyslexia still sucks ass.

 

He Looked up Expectantly at Grover’s face, silently asking for an Explanation. 

 

 

Grover blushed right down to his Adam’s apple. “Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you.”

 

 

Percy's smile softened,he pat Grover’s head.

 

“Sure you do!” Percy said, unable to keep the humor out of his tone.

 

Grover’s blush deepend greatly, he let out an offended squawk. 

 

“I'm serious!” Grover exclaimed.

 

 

Percy burst out laughing again, although it lacked any malicious intent. 

 

“Hah. I'm just kidding! Don't stress it g-man.”

Percy teased Grover good-naturedly.

 

Grover pouted, slightly annoyed, but alas, Percy's charms were irresistible, and soon he was smiling widely again.

 

They went on their way.

 

 

They catched the bus that was passing and climbed up the stairs with the other students, they looked around and sat in two empty spots they found.

 

 

Most of the ride was spent talking shit about the teachers and Nancy and her band of misfits. It was fun, and Percy's heart ached for all the time that he lost after the wars.

 

 

He hadn't been able to even rest for one month, before hera decided to go for a less than savory express adoption business. 

 

Look, Percy knew hera didn't have good kids, one of them was her fault but he would Digress. But still, kidnapping her brother's kid was not a good move.

 

 

She could have just asked, he was tired of war, yes, but if he knew what was going on he would have helped, he wasn't that much of a jackass . 

 

 

Well, what's done is done, he has another chance to fix this broken mess whole again.

 

 

As if on cue, the bus let out a screeching sound and abruptly stopped. Which caused Percy to go headfirst into the seat in front of him.

 

 

He rubbed his forehead mournfully, lamenting that he thought he was going to have one peaceful moment to himself. 

 

 

The driver's voice echoed in the metallic cabin, urging them to get off so he could check what went wrong with the transportation vehicle. 

 

 

He and Grover basically skidded off the stairs, with Grover anxiously eating a cabbage he had in his bag, and him grumbling about the unfairness of the world.

 

 

They stood to the side, quite a bit farther than the other students, who were similarly nagging the teachers about the bus.

 

 

He rolled his eyes, a soft smile appearing on his face as he remembered his own days of unruly attitude . 

 

 

 

 

He turned his head, and his smile froze on his lips.

 

 

 

Cold sweat dripped from his back, the world Seemingly stopping in its tracks. 

 

 

There stood the three sisters of fate. The Moirai. The weavers Of life and death.

 

 

Ⱨ₳Ɽ฿ł₦₲ɆⱤ₴ Ø₣ ĐɆ₴₮ł₦Ɏ ₳₦Đ ĐɆ₳₮Ⱨ.

 

 

He gulped down his fears, and looked at them, straightening Himself, a pitiful attempt to salvage a smidge of his Composure. 

 

 

Atropos smirked and held up two Shiny threads. 

 

 

Percy felt the world crumble around Him as he took sight of the threads.

 

 

Atropos twirled the threads with her fingers, her other hand tapping on the wooden Table she sat on with her sisters.

 

The sound traveled over the traffic, the innocent sound felt Like agonizing screams to his ears. It sounded like a clock. 

 

 

Tap. Tap. (Tik. Tok.)

 

 

 

Ŷ̶̡̀̚Ơ̵̫̼͍Ǘ̷̢̗̝͕̦̳͌͝Ŗ̷͔̜͉̝̦͊̿̄ͅ ̴̼̑̀̿̑̀͂̇̚T̴̢̯̙̰̥̃̓̌͝ͅÏ̵̝͕̻͠M̸̧̨̝͙̩̩̮͍͊͆͋E̶̢̛͙̪̩̙̝̟̼̅͂͋̂̐͒̋ ̶̧͔̬̭̔͛͋̂̀I̶̧͈̹̝̪͉͎͑̑S̷̟̭̺̹̱̍͌͜ ̴͙̻̥̝͙͙̩̃̑͌̄̈́R̷̜̺̮͓͔͕̬̈́̓͐̚̕U̴͖̞̱̠̇̿́̄͠N̸̯͎̜̙͉̍͂̓͆̆̚̕Ṋ̴̯̝̭̻̭͂I̸͍̻̒̊͊Ṇ̴̼̘͓̖̘̼̔̕G̶̮̘̖͉̤̤͈̎̇̏ ̵̘̘͌̋̆̏̈́͐̈́̃S̷͔͎͐̐͆̐͌͌H̴̦̖͙͇̥̓Ȍ̵͜R̷̫̦̞̘̬̱̔̃͆̃̾̓́̚T̷̔̌ͅ,̶̨̜̣̪̞̳͕̹̇͆̾͒̚͝ ̶̨̨̖̗̤̏̔̍͊͐̈́Ş̸͈͓͎͑͊͊Ŏ̷͎̦͉̱̈͋̓̇͋̽̕N̷̩̞̳̘̜̮͉͓͋̃̑̚ ̸̗͎̘̽O̷̟̯̠̟̣̟̾̓͗̉̏̐F̶̬̱͇͕̱̪̥̏͌͑̊̈́̐̾ ̸͔̺̭̠̘͇͉͔̔̊̋̇P̸̢̡͎̻̿Ơ̸̢̖͎͎̾̊̃͊͝S̷̪̙̭̣͓̬̞͈͂͂̊̊̑E̵͔̘̹͖̗͕̫̜͂͛̒Į̴̝̦͚̔̆͗̓̎́͘̚Ḍ̵̺̟̹̿̐Ȏ̷̢̤̭̖̬̘̮̍N̶̛͐̊̑͋̅̉̓ͅ.̶̼͍͚̼̹̗̀̑

 

 

 

 

The gray, feathered thread, and the golden bronze, tethered around each other. (The golden color seemed so familiar…).

 

 

She mouthed something at him, yet he understood all the same.

 

 

 

Nothing comes without consequences. 

 

 

 

Purple Colored smoke filled the space around him.

 

 

He felt like dying.

 

 

He felt pure, uncontrollable, MISERY.

 

 

STOP! STOP! STOP!

 

 

 

He closed his eyes.

 

 

he opened them When he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. 

 

 

Grover looked frightened, and frankly, he told as much. He got rewarded with a smack In the back of the head. And a mirror to show how horrible he, himself, looked.

 

 

His hair was in shambles, his face pale as the harvest Moon, sweat dripped from his forehead. 

 

 

“Those stupid old hags…” Percy cursed Under his breath.

 

 

Grover’s Head turned so hard at that he felt the backlash from where he stood. 

 

 

“What!?” Grover screamed. Percy cringed at all the heads that turned in their direction. 

 

 

“Grover, please, we'll talk about this later.” Percy pleaded with him. Grover went to open his mouth, but one look from Percy that promised a conversation about this shut him up.

 

 

Percy took Grover’s hand, and they both went back to their seats.

 

 

Percy rubbed his temples. 

 

Whatever came next was gonna be a massive headache for him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed it!

If you liked this chapter, simply leave a 🩵 in the comments, and kudos if you want!

I will be really happy to hear your thoughts on my work, and appreciate every single comment.

Chapter 4: She Loves Me That Way

Notes:

Yeah...sooooooo

I'm alive, and I'm going to be honest with you guys, I forgot this fic even existed for a while 😅

His talk with Grover was…interesting to say the least.

 

And by Interesting Percy meant an absolute pain in the ass. Seriously, why did satyrs have such good ears?

 

He didn't need to dwell on that much to figure it out.

 

But alas, he couldn't leave his friend ‘on read’ in the physical realm, much to his grief. 

 

So he told him everything.

 

Well maybe not everything, but a good chunk of it.

 

Including the stuff about traversing time.

 

Suffice to say Grover did not take it well.

 

 

“What do you mean you DIED?!” Grover screamed at the top of his lungs. Percy grimaced at the volume of his friend's voice, and frantically looked around at the other kids in the bus. They had begun whispering and Percy did NOT want that attention right now. 

 

“Y-yeah, the game was really hard and I lost,it's no big deal!” He lied through His teeth, and let out a relieved sigh when he saw the kids go back to their own business. 

 

“Calm down! Do you want everyone to know!?” Percy hushed him in a whispering voice. 

 

Grover looked like he was about to pop a vein, and Percy wasn't sure if he could blame him for it. His respect for Grover skyrocketed when he just sighed and leaned back in the chair. 

 

He still looked like he was going to have an anxiety attack at any given point, but Percy still counted it as a win, a pathetic one, but a win nonetheless.

 

Percy noted the fact that Grover was still bouncing his legs up and down in a messy pattern, his aura shifting anxiously and looking wilted.

 

Grover glanced at him again, a nervous but serious look on his face.

 

He grabbed both of Percy's shoulders and squeezed them hard, making Percy look at him.

 

“Promise me,” Grover demanded, his strong tone betrayed by a slight quiver in his voice, ”promise me, Percy, that you will not ever tell any of this to anyone.”

 

 

Percy gulped down his saliva, goosebumps running through his body as the smokey, green tendrils wrapped around him like a protective shield. 

 

It was so out of character for Grover to be like this, he could count on one hand how many times He had truly seen Grover worried about something…like this.

 

He nodded at him, feeling like quite possibly the only thing he could do at the moment, as he didn't have any other words to say to him.

 

Grover hugged him again, and Percy felt a little guilty to have put his friend through this Mental turmoil.

 

By the god's sake, he himself knew the pressure, no matter how hard he tried to forget It, the trauma was ever present.

 

He contemplated that maybe telling his best friend about the time thingy was a mistake, but he also didn't want to have To lie to someone who had an empathy link with him.

 

Grover turned to him again, a frantic look plastered On his face as they reached the last stopping point for the bus.

 

“Percy,” Grover said anxiously, “do not, and I mean, do NOT get out of My sight, I'm serious. We don't know what might be after you.” 

 

Percy could only nod along. A Guilty feeling gnawing at his conscience for What he was about to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percy ditched him as soon as he could.

 

Turns out Grover’s Bladder couldn't handle all the emotional distress dumped on him. Not that Percy blamed it.

 

He grabbed his suitcase, and quickly catched a taxi, and told the driver his address. 

 

He leaned back in the chair and stretched, weary and exhausted from the mental and physical drain, which was taking a toll on him.

 

After some time, he opened his eyes when he felt The car pull to a stop, he pulled himself up, stretched again, and politely thanked the driver, Then proceeded to grab his things and get off.

 

Never say Sally Jackson didn't raise a gentleman. 

 

 

Speaking of her, Percy was stoked to see her again. 

 

And maybe a little nervous. 

 

He remembered that before his…that, he hadn't really spent time with his mother, or Paul for that matter. 

 

The last time Percy had seen her, was when she asked him to give his room to Estelle.

 

Which he didn't mind! He loved Estelle more than anything, she was his baby sister after all.

 

But…it hurt, more than he thought it would, it had been after his kidnapping by hera, and Percy thought that maybe, just maybe, he meant less than he thought. 

 

A horrible thought came to him, that his parents thought Percy was gone for good and…he had been replaced, the timeline certainly worked.

 

And could he blame her? She could have a child that wasn't a burden like him, she wouldn't have to sacrifice so much of her life, go through all that pain again. 

 

She would have a normal life, with a normal kid and a normal spouse. 

 

She wouldn't have to wait for someone who might never come back, waiting with teary eyes and a heavy heart, for a soldier. 

 

Not even a son, just a soldier.

 

Maybe that was what's wrong with him.

 

Has his war-torn life broke him to such sharp pieces, that cut everyone who touched him?

 

 

Percy hardly remembered what it was like to be whole.

 

It was sad, and truly so so terrifying.

 

He didn't want to be broken until the end of his existence, he didn't want to be unlovable, alone and forsaken forever. 

 

Percy chose not to dwell on those thoughts more than he should. 

 

No matter what had happened, he would love his mother, after all the things she sacrificed for him, it was the least he could do.

 

The moment he snapped out of his thoughts, was when he stood in front of his old apartment door.

 

It was the same as he remembered.

 

From the ugly, yellowish color, to the worn down walls and the stubborn keyhole that refused to make opening the door any easier. 

 

 

He felt nauseous about going in there, he unconsciously rubbed his wrists, where small, circle-like burns laid, a memory of another, more agonizing times.

 

He recalled the awful smell of cigarettes and alcohol burning his nose, someone mocking him as they squeezed his throat, cutting off his oxygen as he struggled to free himself of his grasp, clawing and grasping desperately at a string of relief. 

 

 

When he came to himself he was already rubbing his throat, trying to break free from the ever so vivid memories.

 

He pulled down the door handle, as he got ready to brave the new wave of pain that Laid behind that door. 

 

 

He gazed at familiar walls in disgust, physically recoiling at the scent of beer as he got closer to the living room.

 

And there they were, Gabe and the two ugly baboons that followed him, plus Eddie.

 

 

Gabe looked up from his game, and sent a disgusting sneer in his direction, which made Percy want to throw up even more.

 

“Well, well, look who's back home!” Gabe said in a slimy tone that made his skin crawl.

 

“Hello Gabriel,” Percy spit out behind his gritted teeth, and with all the sarcasm he could muster he replied, “what an absolute delight to see you again.”

 

 

Gabe and his buddies laughed, and Percy was counting the seconds until he snapped and strangled one of them.

 

Gabe struggled a bit to pull himself up from his seat, and decided that sitting straight was gonna make him more intimidating or something.

 

As if, Percy wasn't some scared child anymore, one move, and he would send his head flying.

 

“You got any cash?” Gabe asked harshly. 

 

Ah, there it is, an insecure loser with little to no talent in gambling who expects others to clean up after him. Percy thought bitterly to himself as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the overused lines.

 

“Where's my mom?” Percy asked, completely ignoring Gabe’s question. That'll piss him off.

 

“Working.” Gabe said, annoyance creeping into his tone. “Answer My question brat.”

 

 

Several windows snapped open as Gabe uttered the insult, violent winds Swirling around the house, knocking over things.

 

The winds had a distinct smell of the sea.

 

Percy looked surprised, he questioningly looked over the room, trying to find traces of those divine smokes. 

 

His search was awarded fruitful as he caught a glimpse of a faint sea-green wispy aura that seemed to float around the room in an…grumpy Manner?

 

Well livid would be a better word to describe it.

 

As Percy watched that disgusting walrus try and (fail) to get his shit together, he curiously asked the ancient old horse sex-offender if he was the one who did this.

 

His reply was a mix of feelings, and boy were they complicated.

 

Offended was first. Percy assumed it was because of the not so flattering choice of word to describe his father-not-father.

 

Begrudging amusement. How that was a feeling, Percy had no idea. It was also probably from the exaggerated term of endearment he had for his great dad.

 

Denial. That left him puzzled, if he wasn't the one, then who was it that had done this?

 

It couldn't be Poseidon, he probably thought that Percy was still ignorant about the divine world, and he also had to keep his distance from him.

 

Posedawone was a no too, as they had already established. 

 

Triton and Amphitrite didn't know he even existed, and even if they did, Triton would hate him too much right now to help him, and Amphitrite helping him would be too big of a stretch.

 

Then who was left?

 

Before he could ponder about what other divine family member would be feeling generous enough to help him, Gabe had got up on his feet again, cursing out the ‘stupid weather’, which Percy thought was impossible with all the fat that he had.

 

Gabe growled angrily and bolted towards him, grabbing his collar and pulling him near his face.

 

“I don't got time for you kid, cash?” Percy wanted to vomit from even being in close proximity to that thing.

 

Percy sighed, deciding that he was gonna be the mature one, and pulled the change from his taxi money out of his pockets and gave it to the spoiled man child, lest he start throwing a hissy fit like a toddler.

 

 

Percy turned up his nose at Gabe as he handed him the money, then spinned on his heel and strutted into his old room.

 

“Your report card came, brain boy!” he shouted after him. “I wouldn’t act so snooty!”

 

 

Percy once again decided to be the mature one by not turning back and sticking out his tongue at him.

 

He entered his room, brushing the old rusted door handle that Gabe didn't bother to change even after all these years.

 

He quietly observed his room, or Gabe’s study whenever he was gone.

 

He was unimpressed to say the least.

 

Many beer cans were laying on the floor, the ends of at least twenty cigarettes (that Percy counted, he was sure there were probably more elsewhere in the house.) scattered across the room, even leaving small spots of burning, judging by the circular dark marks.

 

 

In his observing, he noticed a small frame on one of the drawers, a photo of him and his mother before she married that bastard. 

 

 

He wished he could gouge his eyes out, just so he never looked at it in the first place. 

 

She Looked so happy.

 

She was hugging him, smiling radiantly at the camera.

 

 

How cursed was he that he sucked the happiness out every life he put his hands on?

 

 

Before he could delve into another bout of self-loathing and misery, the door creaked open.

 

Percy's head snapped in the direction of the door, ready for a battle as his instincts kicked in.

 

He froze at the sight of his mother.

 

It was as if the world became brighter, a warmth surrounded him, melting away his fears in an instant.

 

He ran at her and jumped in her arms, rubbing his face against hers, quietly thanking every single deity that his mother was here.

 

 

Sally laughed, an absolutely delightful sound that made his heart feel light.

 

She slowly put him down, much to his dismay, as to ask him about his school year and tell him that he had grown so much.

 

Shrunk is more like it. Percy thought dryly as he excitedly told his mom about his time in school and his endeavors during it.

 

He felt nothing but joy as he saw her proud look.

 

She patted his head again, and pulled out some blue sea salt taffy candies and gave them to him.

 

As he stuffed his face with the sweets, his mother spoke again.

 

“Percy?” She asked, with a fond look on her face, and maybe a little too much humor in her tone.

 

Percy raised a suspicious eyebrow at her as she smiled too innocently at him.

 

 

“Sooo, since I took the day off tomorrow…” she smiled giddily at him again. “How about we go to Montauk tonight and stay there! In the cabin like when you were younger?”

 

Percy nearly choked on his candy, both in joy and absolute misery.

 

Joy because he Desperately wanted to spend time with his mother again, and this was the perfect opportunity.

 

Misery, because he definitely forgot that stupid cow was gonna show up.

 

Now, he knew that his mother wouldn't die, but it didn't make the situation even slightly better, nope, not even a little.

 

But nevertheless, he forced himself to smile back enthusiastically And hugged his mother. 

 

“Come on baby! Pack your stuff.” Sally said.

 

Then out of nowhere, Gabe’s harsh voice reached them, causing Percy to grit his teeth in annoyance. 

 

The ugly bastard appeared in the room, and started spouting nonsense.

 

“Come on Sally! bean dip! Are you that useless!?” Gabe shouted.

 

Percy wanted to strangle him then and there, but one look at his mother confirmed that it would be the wrong move.

 

Sally decided to calm down Gabe by promises of food.

 

“Fine, but that brat has to apologize to me first.” Gabe demanded.

 

When Percy was a kid, one of the teachers that was Christian, always told him and his classmates that no one was useless and that no one was born without a purpose, as was the will of God or something. 

 

He pondered about what this walking talking piece of trash served a purpose for.

 

Eventually, he took in A deep breath and with all the venom and sarcasm he replied, “I apologize for this inconvenience, please go back to your very important game, I hope that you succeed.” Percy Finished.

 

 

Gabe looked at him with great scrutiny, trying to use the gears in his brain that Percy was sure had rusted away at this point, to detect the sarcasm in his tone.

 

After a while he finally gave up and left.

 

His mother told him to stay there until she finished making food for Gabe.

 

So he did, because he was a delightful child that had done no wrong.

 

He checked around his old room again, trying to pass the time until his mother decided to come back and then they could be on their way.

 

 

 

 

An hour later, they were both ready to leave that damned apartment, finally.

 

Gabe waddled outside, scratching his bum (much to Percy's blatant disgust) and handed the keys to his mother.

 

Percy took the bags and plopped them into the trunk, the weight causing it to screech softly.

 

Her mother was still busy talking with the walking trash-bag, and so it left Percy to his thoughts. 

 

Tonight was the night minotaur attacked them, in doing it, it caused a chain reaction. His mother would get kidnapped by Hades, he would be introduced to camp half-blood and so on, so forth.

 

Unfortunately, most of his quest depended on the fact that he thought his mother was dead, and Percy wasn't keen on having his mother get kidnapped again. So he would have to find another way to further his progress.

 

Percy gripped riptide tightly, his hand in the pouch of his jeans. 

 

It was good that he kept his weapon. While Percy was powerful from his training on the campus, he was also small and young, his body did not have the same training and muscle memory as before. So his weapon would definitely come in handy.

 

A plan started forming in his mind.

 

He could kill the minotaur and save his mother, then send her back home while he dealt with camp and the stolen lightning bolt. He could save Nico and Bianca whilst he was at it, using them as a bargaining chip against Hades. That way, he would be able to protect Bianca and Nico, and also get on Hades’s good side.

 

The only downside to this plan was the fact that he had to find a way to avoid Luke, but that would make him suspicious in the eyes of both him and camp.

 

He could also try convincing Zeus to start preparing for the uprising earlier than last time. It would take a great amount of persuasion but it would be worth it. (That is if he didn't get smoted before that of course.)

 

 

Percy was suddenly interrupted by the creaking and motion of the car. He looked up and saw that his mother was already getting in the car. He walked up to the passenger seat and opened the door.

 

A devilish smile appeared on his lips.

 

He turned around just in time to see Gabe going inside. And just as he was about to close the door, Percy reanimated the gesture Grover had made last time, watching gleefully as Gabe flew backwards and fell on the top of the ceramic floor.

 

He puffed up in pride and sat down in his seat, ignoring his mother's questioning glance.

 

The ride was quite pleasant, filled with laughter as he and his mother exchanged stories about what happened while he was gone. Percy tried to steer away any questions about his encounters with mythological figures of any kind, he wasn't really confident in his lying abilities and his failed attempts in the past were enough to discourage him from trying again.

 

 

He has not yet forgotten the cabin 1 incident.

 

Percy surpassed a shiver of terror.

 

Zeus had probably gained immense levels of hatred for him after that, if he didn't have much already.

 

Percy snapped out of the dark abyss of that freakish memory when Sally pulled the car to a stop, nearly causing Percy to get thrown straight at the window with his face.

 

He noted to himself to wear the damn seat belt next time.

 

He got out of the car, slamming the door behind him as he looked over the surrounding area, the familiar smell of the fresh ocean making him feel absolutely delighted.

 

He closed his eyes to feel the soft breeze gently caress his face, like a soft chuckle that rang softly in his ears. He turned around to go help his mother with getting the things out of the car's bunker.

 

He picked up some heavy bags, throwing two on his back as he started to go towards the small, familiar cabin that he and his mother had visited in the past, whether it be this one or from another life. He didn't see his mother's eyes widen like saucers as she saw his son carry more weight than a 12-year-old should be able to.

 

Sally shook her head, choosing to not draw attention to it, believing his son to still be unaware of his true heritage.

 

Percy hummed happily as he opened the cabin door, dropping the bags on a corner and flopping on one of the beds.

 

 

God, he missed this place.

 

 

He turned his head to look outside from a nearby window, frowning as another flash of thunder appeared across the dark sky. 

 

‘Looks like dear old uncle is being pissy again.’ Percy mused, he closed his eyes in annoyance as another flash of lightning streaked across the sky. 

 

Call it a very important discovery, but apparently children of Poseidon didn't do well with sky and booming thunder.

 

“Percy! Come outside!” He heard his mother yell. “I made a campfire!” 

 

Percy smiled again, chuckling as he stood up to leave the cabin. He threw on a sweater and checked his pockets again for riptide, making sure it was secure.

 

He closed the door behind him and made His way towards the campfire, waving cheerily towards his mother. He turned his head towards the ocean, gazing at the vast blue expanse that stretched up to the horizon. His smile fell as he saw something moving in the water, disturbing the calm water, its movement too abnormal to be excused as a sea animal, at least for an animal that lived near the shore.

 

And just as it came, it was gone in an instant, as if it was never there in the first place.

 

Percy narrowed his eyes suspiciously, baring his teeth involuntarily in agitation. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was a mythological creature.

 

Question was, what? What was that thing?

 

He genuinely hoped it was a nymph sent from his father for surveillance, because gods knew he wasn't in the mood for out of script encounters.

 

He hesitantly turned his gaze away from the ocean, plopping down on one of the seating spots near his Sally.

 

He happily accepted a marshmallow from his mother, chewing it down slowly as he intently listened to Sally's rambling about her job and customers, and apparently this cute adorable dog she met yesterday that reminded her of him.

 

He couldn't bring himself to be offended about being compared to a dog, because: one, they were absolutely delightful creatures and were so cool, and two, because the image of his mother seeing a puppy and going ‘my baby boy’ was too funny to be mad at.

 

He snorted at the image before turning to his mother again. He tilted his head, pursing his lips as he contemplated whether or not to ask his question.

 

“Mom?” Percy finally voiced out.

 

Sally looked up from the fire, her blue eyes glittering like pearls as the light reflected off of them.

 

“Yes Percy?” Sally said back.

 

Percy shifted uncomfortably in his place before looking up at her again.

 

“How was dad before he left?” Percy asked.

 

Sally stared at him for a few seconds, bewildered at her son's question. From the surprise on her face, it was obvious she didn't expect Percy to spring this question on her out of nowhere.

 

Sally closed her eyes, the initial shock slowly disappearing as she smiled softly, seemingly lost in memories of long, long ago.

 

Percy looked on expectantly, leaning closer to her.

 

“He was…a wonderful person.” Sally answered with a smile, a deep sense of melancholy weaving around her. “He was kind, gentle yet strong, pretty funny as well!” Sally teased in amusement, laughing as Percy gave a disgusted look.

 

Sally exhaled softly as she calmed down, still smiling with joy and marvel.

 

Suddenly, her mood sobered. Percy tilted his head and frowned at the sudden change in the mood.

 

“And…I wish he was here to see you.” Sally admitted after a small pause.

 

Percy's face fell and he pulled himself closer to his mother, hugging her tightly as she patted his head in gratitude. 

 

“It's gonna be okay, mom. we're gonna be okay. I promise you that.” 

 

The mother and son sat near each other for a long time, with Percy's face smushed on Sally's shoulder, while he and his mother chewed on marshmallows and candy.

 

they were both in a comfortable cocoon of love, with the warmth of their hearth, keeping out the cold that waited for them outside of it.

 

“You look like him, did you know?” Sally spoke up again, a smile playing on her lips, she seemed to be remembering a familiar face, one Percy knew well.

 

“Good.” Percy said, Sally turned to him, surprise etched on her face. 

 

“If he made you happy, then I'm more than grateful to look like him.” Percy concluded, his voice firm with conviction.

 

 

 

Sally Jackson felt like crying.

 

 

She laughed softly, pulling the boy into her arms, resting her head on his soft hair. Percy hugged her back, smiling as his mother's laugh danced in the air, tolling like bells.

 

 

They sat with each other for a while, then Sally beckoned him to go back to the cabin, remarking about the chill of the wind and how she didn't want him to get sick. 

 

 

He drifted off to sleep that night, his heart light as a feather and brighter than he had known it to be for a very long time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alas, there was one thing Percy Jackson did not have, and apparently that was luck.

 

 

Right in the middle of the night, frantic banging echoed through the cabin. His mother bolted up from her bed, throwing on a thin jacket to answer the door.

There, Grover stood, panting as he stared at them both, eyes darting around in fear.

 

"You," he started, voice shaky. "Need to leave, now."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

This chapter was written way before and was basically rotating in my Google docs, I've gotten better at writing these days. I hope I can muster up the willpower to continue the fic, but I can't say I'm making any promises.

Thanks for anyone who've read it this far. :)

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of 𝕿𝖍𝖘𝖙 𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖘 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖉.