Yes, yes, I know that I shouldn't really be writing another story, but I've been drowning under the symptoms of writer's block for all of my other stories. I've tried and tried and tried to write my other stories, but nothing came out right and it wasn't good. So, to try and cure my affliction of said aforementioned writer's block, I wrote this down and have been pleasantly surprised thus far. I hope you will be, as well.
Ever since I read the Percy Jackson books, this has been in the deep recesses of my brain, awaiting a time for me to put it on a document. So, without further ado, this is my take on the Percy Jackson mythos.
This will be far more, in my opinion, realistic. Riordan's series was written in mind for children and younger teenagers instead of older teens and adults. What if he hadn't done that? What if the gods on Olympus and Titans were much more similar to the mythology? What if the story was darker like real life? What if certain changes were made to the story? What if the story of Percy Jackson was actually like the mythology of Ancient Greece? Well, this is my attempt at it and in case you hadn't realized, this will be a massive AU!
To be honest, at least right now, I plan for many things to be different than the books. Especially pertaining to the Heroes of Olympus series. To be blunt, most, if not all, of that series sucked. Everything became too messy, too utterly convoluted and it seemed half-assed, to put it nicely. No disrespect to Rick Riordan whatsoever, but it seemed, at least to me, that it wasn't his best work, and I have realized since that he had probably really wanted to move on to other story ideas like the Magnus Chase series.
This also means that the world of a demigod will be explored more than it was. Demigods are ones who stand apart from society, they are outcasts because of their heritage, their Fate-decreed destinies. Also, magic will play a much larger role in this because, despite what fanboys and fangirls vehemently claim, magic was as insignificant in the whole series as Percy himself was in the final book of the Heroes of Olympus series.
Wish me luck and I hope that you enjoy it. Please, leave a review and tell me what you think, whether positive or negative; I would really appreciate it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any characters associated with the series or in actual Mythology.
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The dark, misty night howled as Nyx blanketed everything, and Artemis' Chariot shone with a brilliant silver. Intense roars of thunder shook the heavens, spiderwebs of lightning crackling in its wake as Zeus' fury knew no bounds. New York was loud even in the dead of night, the harsh shrills of sirens wailing like a desperate babe.
None of the frantic noise was heard as the lone occupant of a tiny, squalid New York apartment flinched back with a jolt from the realization of the Fates' decree. She couldn't believe it despite the truth glaring at her with the intensity of Apollo's light, and she was unable to look away even though every nerve in her body commanded her to do so.
She was with child.
Sally Jackson closed her tear-filled eyes, tenderly wrapping her arms around her stomach, around the life that she now knew resided within. She shook mightily as tears slid down her cheeks, and spilled to the cheap, rotting floor. She desperately prayed that she was wrong. She couldn't raise a child! She was only 19 years old and penniless, but alas, the Fates were never kind - one of the first facts that she had ever been taught.
What kind of life would her child live?
She didn't need to have Apollo's prophetic sight or Prometheus' famed forethought to know the answer. Her child would be scorned by the world and hunted by the deadly forces who terrorize the children of the gods more than anything. He - because in her gut, she knew that it was a boy - would be cursed to a depraved, hellish existence.
She knew from experience.
Sally herself had dealt with the trials and hardships that inevitably came with being the child of a god. She was one of the few children of Hecate who had been borne in the past thirty years.
Her father had been an abusive alcoholic, never able to stay away from the bottle after Hecate had abandoned him with a 'useless' daughter. Sally could still, unfortunately, remember the long, memorable nights when her father had worn his large, jaded rings.
Then, when she was 9 years old, a pack of Hellhounds had attacked their home, ripping through her father's body like he was made out of tissue paper instead of human flesh, muscle, and bone. The shame still ate at her because, during that moment, she had felt a small, sporadic burst of glee when her father had died, but that had been then quickly masked by the utter terror that permeated through her mind and body, the realization that she was going to die, and that there was nothing that she would be able to do to prevent it.
The pack of Hellhounds had loomed over her small form, smashing through the ceiling, causing white dust to pepper the floor. Then, as if a gift from the heavens, three teenagers - two girls and one boy - had entered her home, cutting through the monsters with an ease that had stolen Sally's dust-riddled lungs.
That day was the day that she had learned of her heritage, of her cursed life. One of the girls, May, whom was older than Sally by eight years and had had bright crazed eyes, had revealed that she was also a daughter of Hecate, the goddess of Magic, Sorcery, Witchcraft, the Mist, Crossroads, Trivial Knowledge, Necromancy, and Ghosts.
Thus, Sally's life as a demigod had begun. For almost a decade, she had lived at Camp Half-Blood, lived in what had felt like a virtual prison, a training facility whence the only activity encouraged by Chiron and the gods was to train, to train like the weapons that the gods forced them to be. Quickly, and with no one more surprised than herself, Sally had risen through the ranks of her kin, gaining notoriety as her skill in the magical arts was superb, outclassing May herself after several years.
To Sally's distress, May had quickly become jealous and had even at one, heartbreaking point attempted to kill her. Only Sally's mageía had saved her life, waking her in the dead of night, just in time to avoid May's poison-coated knife.
May had quickly been banished from Camp Half-Blood by Chiron, forced to live in the Mortal's World by herself. Sally had been grief-stricken that someone whom she had believed to be her friend, someone who shared her blood, was willing to murder her.
That had been the first experience that had revealed the truth to her, showing glimpses of the abhorrent life that all demigods were cursed to by decree of the Fates.
The gods didn't care about their children and bedded many mortals every day, too prideful to protect and claim their inevitable progeny. They were arrogant, unwilling to act in anything except their own interests.
Even Dionysus himself, who had once been a mortal like Sally and every other half-blood, had never shown any inclination to care about any of the demigods, always prattling on about how lucky that they were to have even lived for as long as they had had. He had said that most demigods didn't live past the age of a toddler for their 'scent' summoned every monster in their vicinity.
Sally had hated it, but at the same time, now looking back, she was thankful for the lessons that she had learned because, without them, she would have certainly died long ago. The moment when she had turned 18, Sally left Camp Half-Blood to live in New York City alongside the ignorant mortals whom sometimes seemed no better than the selfish, petulant gods.
With the aid of her magic and sorcery, which had taken several years to master, Sally was able to conceal her demigod 'scent' from monsters and suppress her aura of power, masking her presence from any on Olympus. It also helped that no one would care to look for her, not even her own mother.
To any at Camp Half-Blood, the plan had been for them to think that she had died, vanishing off the face of the Earth, because Sally had loathed her life there, lounging around, waiting for the moment when one of the gods would claim countless, lonely demigods. She had seen, firsthand, the selfish, callous, and vindictive nature of the gods.
She had lost friends, and even her own half-siblings, from monstrous attacks but the gods had always done nothing, viewing their children as nothing more than tools that could easily be discarded like marketplace trash.
After several months, she had procured a job at a candy shop without the aid of the Mist or her magic. She had wanted to work for her place in life, not just take it like she could have easily done in the Mortal's Realm.
She had quickly become friends with another employee - Naomi, a lively mid-twenty-year-old girl who had desired to provide funds for her widowed, ailing father. Naomi, a pure-blooded mortal, had one day suggested that the two of them visit a nightclub to celebrate their mutual pay raise.
Sally had been hesitant, but ultimately, Naomi had been able to encourage her to simply have fun. Then, when they had arrived, the enormous bouncers didn't even care to see any ID's, simply letting them pass into the raving, sporadic-bursting light show inside the club.
After several hours, Sally had begun to feel her anxiety eventually fade away and she began to feel like a 'normal' mortal instead of a half-blood. Many men, eyes all shining with alcohol and hazed lust, had approached her but with a small twitch of Sally's finger, she had used the Mist to make them forget her.
For the first time in many years, she hadn't been tense, awaiting an attack from anyone. She was having fun, but it wouldn't last.
The Fates were never kind.
For as long as she lived, Sally would never forget the moment when Naomi had squealed into her ear, alcohol clouding her friend's mind, freeing her inhibitions, screaming about the guy who had just entered the club. Naomi had then pulled Sally around and had screeched something about how her panties were drenched just from the sight of the man. Sally had dimly noticed that everything had frozen, music ceasing as everyone's attention was held by the newest arrival.
That's when her eyes had located the man whom every woman in the club was staring at with lust-filled orbs, eyes begging for him to choose them.
She had swallowed in fear as she saw his eyes, the brilliant, shining orbs which had been glowing in absolute power, an unholy power which could slay the mightiest of the Titans and maybe even the Primordials. The Mist had covered the man like an extra pair of clothes, but Sally was unaffected and she had been able to view him in all of his transcendent, divine glory.
Immediately, his aura had blanketed the room, suffocating her mind with the intensity of the world's gravity as she could feel the power that he radiated. It had been intense and overwhelming, nearly forcing her to fall to her knees in a pathetic heap.
Sally had quickly tried to think of ways to exit the club without attracting his attention, but she couldn't. If he sensed, for even a moment, her magic, he would approach her and if Sally quickly barrelled towards the exit, he would inevitably track her, maybe even forcing himself on her.
Even though the music was no longer blaring, the ringing in her ears was a deafening screech as she had turned, slouching against the table. She had prayed to the Fates, beseeching them to allow her to be unnoticed by him, but the Fates were never kind.
Naomi had roughly shaken her shoulder, "Girl, he's walking towards us! His beautiful eyes are looking at you!"
Sally had slowly turned around, knowing that if she did not, he would view it as a sign of disrespect and kill her, and probably Naomi. Her head was bowed, hoping that he would focus on Naomi, but she knew of the god's reputation. The younger the mortal woman, the better.
She saw the shadow in front of her and felt his presence looming over them and slowly, nervously, Sally raised her head, craning her neck up to stare at him. The face was perfect, too perfect to be that of a mortal's or a half-blood's. He was… beautiful, and Sally had known and still knew that any and all of Aphrodite's children to ever exist, male or female and immortal or demigod, had nothing against the utter beauty that he possessed. He towered over every man in the club, making the muscular bouncers seem insignificant, like the inconsequential ants that they were to him.
She had felt Naomi's sharp elbow dig into her side and Sally licked her dry lips, "He- hello, sir," she had stuttered quietly, hoping that he would be turned off by her shy attitude.
His full lips had quirked and lust glowed in his powerful depths, "It's not every day that I am in the presence of such a beautiful woman." His voice had been soft, but a deep, booming baritone, sending shivers down her spine despite her best efforts to remain unaffected.
"Thank you, sir."
He had then stepped closer, chiseled body pressed against Sally's. He leaned down and Sally was helpless to resist, "That's a beautiful dress you have on, but you know what?" His breath had ghosted over her lips, "It would look much better if it was crumpled on my bedroom floor." His eyes were stormy, roiling with turbulent power and Sally had shuddered, seeds of arousal blooming despite herself.
She tried to step back but he had stepped even closer if that was even possible. "Sir, I don't…" her eyes darted toward Naomi, who was gleefully smirking, anticipation carved into her pretty face, eyes alight with prideful success. After a moment, Sally glanced away and she noticed that everyone was staring at them, wondering if she would dare to reject the perfect-looking man.
"Surely such a beautiful woman desires the company of one such as me. I would be most distraught if that wasn't the case." His tone had darkened and Sally had quickly recognized that if she did, in fact, reject him, he would kill everyone in the club, herself included.
She had thought of Naomi and all of the innocent adults and teenagers in the club seeking only a way to relax and be themselves. Without any doubt, she knew that she would never be able to live with herself if she signed their death warrants. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naomi step towards her, concern etched into her eyes, hand reaching Sally's shoulder, fingers gripping flesh in a show of support.
Then, without any warning, a strange feeling had come over the daughter of Hecate, making her feel hazy and uninhibited. It was as if someone or something had entered her body and wrenched control away from her. All of a sudden, she had had the overwhelming desire to succumb to his advances and relent.
Decision made, she remembered that she had grinned up at him, craning her neck, her mind clouded with... something. "Well, you are very insightful, sir, because that's exactly why I am here. I have the burning need to feel… passionate with a true man." She knew that she had stroked his ego, relieved that the club's inhabitants wouldn't be on the receiving end of his rage.
His chest had swelled with pleasure and before she could blink, his hands had pulled her hard against him, her breasts pressed tightly against his chiseled chest. Then he leaned down and his lips had slanted over her own, devouring her mouth as heat pooled between her thighs.
Then in a haze of clouded memory, she had lain with a god, giving him her virginity and receiving pleasure that she had never known existed, but it had been for the price of her soul.
She was disgusted with herself when she had awoken the following morning. She had already known the wretched nature of the gods yet she had traitorously given her body to him like a common whore.
To make matters worse, the next day, when she had arrived for her shift, her manager had sadly informed her that Naomi had been killed by a gang the previous night, in the wrong place at the wrong time, in a hit-and-run operation.
Sally was devastated and had sobbed as her first mortal friend was cruelly summoned to Hades' Realm far too soon.
For the next two months, she had thrown herself into her work with abandon, growing used to the absence of Naomi and the shame that ate her soul.
If only Sally had been stronger, she could have resisted his advances, but she knew that that was illogical. If she had, Naomi and everyone in the club would have died.
Then the signs, signs that she had seen many of Aphrodite's daughters exhibit at Camp before they had terminated, began to show and her magic had already told her what she didn't want to hear. In spite of the truth staring her in the face, Sally had purchased a pregnancy test with tears streaming down her cheeks, the cashier's face sympathetic to her plight.
The Fates were never kind.
Now, staring down at her stomach, she placed her hand on the area where her son was growing. "If I was stronger, I would terminate you with my mageía, but I already love you too much." She whispered, "Your life won't be easy; you will be scorned by mortals and gods alike, hunted for whose blood flows in your veins, and ultimately, you will be killed." She choked out, hating that she said the truth. "You will have a tough life, but I will be there to guide you through your struggles. I will be the parent who all other half-bloods wished who they had had. I promise you," she swallowed and her hands glowed as she called upon her magic, feeling her son's development. "I will never stop loving you. Your father will not be with you, but I will be. I will help you and keep you safe. You will not suffer as I have and you will always know the feeling of having a true family, Perseus." At that moment, she chose that name so her son would hopefully have the same 'good' life that his namesake, the hero whom she had been fascinated with during her tenure at Camp, had lived, even though she doubted that her son would be so blessed - the Fates were never kind.
Her fingers inched deeper into her skin, the sparks of her mageía seeping into her body. Her eyes closed as she felt her son with the power that she had inherited from Hecate, her mother. With her magic, Sally was gifted with the truth and he was beautiful, perfect. Deep tears welled in her eyes and she knew that her promises were true - she would always love him.
Even now, when he was only a fetus protected in her womb, she could feel his strength, the power that coursed through his body, his godly blood. He would surpass any half-blood whom Sally had ever met and rival the legends of the greatest to ever be borne.
Her son was destined for greatness, and she knew that a time would come when her son would be forced to face his destiny just as Sally herself had had to a decade ago. She decided that she would shelter him away from the darkness and keep him ignorant as long as she possibly could. She knew that it was selfish, but she refused to see her son be burdened like so many of the gods' children tended to become, as she herself had been.
He deserved to be free as long as he could, and Sally was determined to make it happen.
In her mind, as she was still sitting on her bed, she began to concoct her strategy, her plan. She had heard Athena's children preach about the importance to simply think before acting countless times, and in this situation, Sally was able to admit the wisdom in such a course of action.
She would need to keep his 'scent' and aura of power hidden, keeping him ignorant for as long as she could. She would need to restrain his divine heritage, smothering it with all her possible strength.
Sally shuddered out a breath as she realized that despite her precautions, her child would be marked for death if word of his existence ever reached many of the gods' ears.
Her one-time lover's wife would smite Sally and her innocent child if she were ever to discover the affair. Countless other gods would as well, such as her former lover's brothers. Every story that she had heard of the two mighty gods chilled her soul, burdening her with the knowledge that if they so chose, Sally and any demigod could be killed with a simple twitch of their finger.
It would be the hardest thing she could ever endure, but for the love that had blossomed in her heart for her unborn son, she would do it a thousand times over, no matter the risks.
With her resolution cemented, Sally stood up, cradling her still-flat stomach, and stepped onto the rickety balcony, her magic stabilizing the ledge. She slowly closed her eyes and let the sounds flood into her ears.
Lightning crackled with the pace of a million suns and thunder roared across Ouranos, the heavens seeming to shudder from its master's rage, scorching lines of power coursing through the sky like a careless butcher.
The King of the gods was furious, and at whom or what Sally did not know, but she was relieved that he hadn't somehow discovered Perseus. If that were the case, he would pluck the child away to live on Olympus or at Camp Half-Blood to keep a close eye on him. Or, even more likely, he would kill the innocent Perseus, fearing for a threat to his reign.
After all, the story and cycle of revenge had been told before, of a son murdering their father and seizing the throne of creation for himself.
Sally refused to allow Perseus to fall into his father's grasp and she swore on the River Styx that her son would not lay siege to Zeus and Olympus in hopes of killing his father as Zeus had done before him and his grandfather, Kronos before him.
It would be strenuous, but she prayed to the Fates that her son would be the first of a new breed of heroes, a new era for demigods and gods alike.
A shockwave of thunder clashed in the sky and Sally opened her eyes, glaring upwards, straight into the King of the gods' ire. She hugged her still-flat stomach tighter, almost desperately. "You will not take away my son, Zeus. I don't care that you are his father - he is mine! You won't have him and none of the other gods will either." Her green eyes brightened unnaturally, her mageía clawing through her body with tenacity. "He will be better than those who have already lived and died. He will be stronger than you and any of the gods or immortals. My son will be the greatest hero to ever live and won't cause the cycle of a son's revenge to begin anew - he will not murder his father unlike you."
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He wished that he could actually be surprised, but he wasn't; quite the opposite, actually. He had felt it, the unmistakable flare of power that could only belong to a child of himself or his brothers. It had only appeared for less than a second, smothered by someone and he would have missed it if he hadn't been actively looking for it.
He was bored, and always sought out flares of power in the Mortal's Realm, trying to determine which god had lain with a mortal. Usually, he always felt Apollo, Athena, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hercules, Ares, and all of the minor gods' children, but this one was different. It had been raw, untamed power, an aura that had already rivaled a fully-matured demigod despite it flickering like a toddler who had just discovered their power. There was only one type of half-blood who felt like that.
A child of one of the Big Three.
Hades hadn't visited a mortal's bed since Maria, and he knew that Zeus was still furious at Hera for her actions against his bastards, not willing to have another child with his blood killed by his vindictive wife for at least another decade or so.
It seemed that Poseidon had finally broken the Oath.
Hades told himself that what he was about to do was the wisest choice that he had and that he was going to be doing his brother a favor because if Zeus somehow received word of Poseidon's child, an easy death would never be a possibility for the innocent half-blood. The Earthshaker would be furious no doubt, but his brother would get over it in time - he always did. Also, things hadn't been too interesting in the Underworld and the Mortal's Realm in far too long.
Since the end of what the mortals call 'World War II', nothing exciting had happened. The only other thing that had caught his attention for more than a few months in the past half-century since his son, the Führer, had killed himself in response to his two cousins and half-brother's victory, was the knowledge that Zeus had broken the Oath first - unsurprising since his youngest brother was as bad as Aphrodite when it came to fucking.
He had debated killing the girl, but the only reason that he had allowed her to live was that she was borne a girl. She would be of no threat to Hades and was far less likely to draw her father's attention in his quest to groom one of his children to unseat his 'disrespectful' elder brothers. No. Zeus would only choose a son to usurp Hades or Poseidon.
The only reason that he had discovered the boy's existence was that of Hera. He had been furious, the Underworld quaking from his wrath for weeks. Zeus had visited the same mortal twice! It was just as Hades had been with Maria, but where were Hades' innocent half-bloods?
In the Lotus Casino after Zeus had attempted to murder them and had succeeded in murdering their mother, poor, sweet, innocent Maria Di Angelo
He would have killed the boy, Jason Grace, but Hera had beaten him to it, killing both Beryl and young Jason in a jealous spite. Hades himself had personally seen Jason enter his realm and had, after consideration, mercifully placed him into Elysium - the boy was innocent and not even he could condemn a baby to the Fields of Asphodel or the Fields of Punishment.
Now, he would do his barnacle-loving brother a favor, mercifully giving his young son a painless death, a gift in comparison to the inevitable agony-filled death that awaited the boy from monster-consuming-demigods.
He appeared in a small room, the walls peeling from decay, but that wasn't what had drawn his attention. It wasn't the feel of mageía clouding the room, almost stifling, even to one as powerful as himself.
No.
A crib was settled in the corner, outlined by the shine of Artemis' Chariot darting through the night sky. It was a worn crib, used by multiple mortal families to feel 'protected' of their children's safety.
Hades silently stepped closer and his eyes connected with the slumbering babe. It was a lovely child, beautiful in a multitude of ways. A shock of hair the color of Nyx herself, and looked as soft as velvet, sprouted from the boy's head, clashing with his smooth white skin which reminded Hades of Olympus' grand marble. Already, the child displayed godly beauty; his puckered, pink lips were drawn in a peaceful quirk as Morpheus soothed his mind with happy dreams. No doubt the boy would have grown to be a strong half-blood, more than likely the strongest of his generation due to his heritage if Hades didn't offer his brother's son a 'gift' beyond any other: a life without pain, nor the burden of being a god's child.
Suddenly, Hades stiffened, shadows swiftly concealing him in utter darkness, in invisibility as the boy opened his eyes.
Pure, unholy white orbs stared at him, somehow connecting with Hades' own through the darkness as if the child knew where and who he was.
Silence. Heartbeat. Moonlight.
Shock evolved into fury as the shadows exploded off his form, shattering into silent shards of deadly darkness. Rage howled through his blood, demanding death.
How could he have been so blind?
All of Poseidon's children had bronze, tan coloring. This boy had pale white skin, Zeus' skin! His youngest brother had sired another bastard! He had broken the Oath thrice!
The shadows in the small room roiled, barely constrained by the enraged King of the Underworld.
How dare he?
Zeus had murdered Maria and falsely-believed that he had managed to kill Nico and Bianca. Now, his brother had the audacity to flout the Oath that he himself had created!
His thoughts and fury stalled as the child continued to observe him, brilliant white orbs staring up at his grotesque appearance without condemnation or fear. Rather, the boy looked fascinated and quickly, Hades realized that the boy somehow trusted him.
It was preposterous, unheard of!
He was Hades, the fearsome King of the Underworld, bringer of death, sorrow, and evil. No child, let alone a son of Zeus, had ever looked at him without fear, had ever looked at him with eyes shining with innocence and trust. Not even Hades' own children had gazed at him in the way this boy did. In fact, when he had killed his son, Joseph Stalin, the proud Russian leader's eyes had bulged in utter terror. Even Nico and Bianca had both shrieked in distress when they had laid their sights on him for the first time.
He stumbled back soundlessly, feeling trapped for unfathomable reasons. He warily saw the boy sit up, and shakily climb to his feet, beaming at him, white orbs gleaming in the dark like the stars themselves.
Hades raised his hand, trying to ward the child away, away from the emotions and memories of his immortal existence. To his absolute disbelief and horror, the boy raised both of his arms and waved them wildly at him, beginning to jump up and down. "Up!" The child cried out happily, innocently.
He froze, certain that he had heard wrong, but when the boy exclaimed 'up' again, Hades felt a very mortal-like emotion: fear. To his shame, he was afraid of this weak, innocent child. No situation in his very long life had ever been similar to this one, and he didn't know what to do.
He should most definitely kill the boy and welcome him to Elysium. He needed to do it, but could he murder a baby who was bathed in innocence, even if he was Zeus' son?
Slowly, so slowly, he silently approached the crib, feeling a warm emotion when the boy's exclamations became more jubilant. Hades stared down at the innocent child and now, more than ever before, he saw Zeus in the boy. Everything except the boy's pitch-black hair and delicate ears was straight from Hades' brother.
His gnarled, disgusting hands reached out and he gently, so ever gently took the child into his arms. Without a fuss, the boy stared at him with his fingers waving at him, mouth stretched into a large, innocent smile.
Hades tried with all his might to force himself to simply crush the boy in his hands, but his limbs wouldn't respond, continuing to hold the boy gently.
Footsteps pounding assaulted his ears.
"Percy!" A woman's shriek echoed through the room and Hades felt the mageía condense, clouding the air around him. He turned slowly, unperturbed to find a woman staring at him with such terror that he felt guilty. "Get away from him!" The woman, obviously the boy's mother, shook and her fists clenched, unwilling to do anything that could potentially harm her precious child.
"Mommy!" The boy, who was now Percy, tried to jump from Hades' hands towards his mother, "Mommy, look!" He exclaimed excitedly, ignorant to the tension suffocating the room.
Hades knew that the mother had every right to feel afraid, but he wished that her reaction would have been more similar to that of her son's. "Fear not, child," he rumbled, his deep, gargling voice slicing through the tension. "I will not harm your son."
The mother swallowed and her eyes became alight with magic as she stepped closer. "You- …you're him," she breathed out, her mageía frantically lashing towards Hades only for him to twitch a finger, snuffing out the girl's attack.
"I am Hades, daughter of Hecate," he tilted his head, watching as the mother attempted to stare into his face, but quickly lost her composure upon the sight of his rotting countenance.
Quickly, she fell to her knees, tears falling to the floor like dropped bombs, "Please, I beg of you, spare him. He's innocent! If you desire blood, I beseech you, spill my own!" Her eyes rose and the anguish shining in her powerful, green eyes startled him, reminding him painfully of his own mother.
The first memory that Hades possessed was that of Rhea when he had just exited her body. That was when he had felt a pure love, a mother's love in his long life and he had basked in it, wanting to watch his mother's tender face for the rest of eternity. Only minutes later, her expression had become petrified and she had begun to weep. Then his father had appeared like Thanatos himself and scooped him up, swallowing him whole. He had joined his elder sisters, taking the brunt of the pain, keeping Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and later Poseidon safe from the acid of Kronos' stomach.
As a result, the many years - his entire childhood - of constant exposure to the brunt of his father's indigestion had warped his body. His face wasn't recognizable at all, completely deformed to the point that Hades had permanently seared his Helm of Darkness into his face centuries ago, masking his abhorrent features with pure hellfire. Now, to even attempt to remove his Helm was agonizing and chunks of his rotting skin would flail in distress when he tried.
Like all of his siblings, Hades was gifted with his shapeshifting, but to change so much of his appearance was too draining, and rather than waste his power, he had opted instead to hide it with his Helm. Because it had happened when he was still a young godling, he was unable to heal - he was too young to be able to concentrate, focus his energy and power to his wounds. Now, it was too late to attempt to heal himself. He may be immortal, but he was an immortal cursed to live with his grotesque body.
Suddenly, he felt a blast of mageía slam into his face, rattling his Helm painfully. He grunted and stepped back, "I mean you no harm, woman," he lied, knowing that if Percy's mother knew his true purpose for his 'visit', she would attack.
"Please, don't hurt him!" She sobbed out and Hades slowly, like he was approaching a wild animal, handed Percy to his mother. The boy immediately wrapped his pudgy arms around the mother, settling his face into the crook of her neck.
He stepped back and one last time, tried to force himself to obliterate the boy from this life, but he couldn't do it. Perhaps if the boy was older and had shown the disrespect and disgust that was so common amongst half-bloods, Hades could have gone through with his original purpose, but he refused to murder an innocent child, one who had shown him more kindness than anyone in far too long - Percy had gazed upon him with trust and without fear, something that meant more to him than the boy would ever know. Ultimately, the fact that he was Zeus' bastard was irrelevant; he was Hades' nephew and the King of the Underworld intended to show the boy the same kindness that had been gifted to him by Percy.
He lowered his helmed-head just slightly, "Fear not, daughter of Hecate. Your child is safe and won't feel my wrath, I swear on the River Styx."
The woman squeezed Percy tighter, almost bringing him into her body. "Th- thank you, lo- lord Hades," she stuttered out, fear carved into her face as thunder boomed outside, sealing the oath.
Hades took one last glance of the child: Percy was snuggled into his mother's neck and seemed to have fallen into Morpheus' grasp once again, soft puffs of breath shuddering against his mother's skin. He hoped that the boy remained in that state forever because he didn't deserve the cursed life he was destined for, but he knew it was pointless to hope. Silently, he swore once more that no monsters on his orders would attack little Percy or his mother for as long as they drew breath.
Then, Hades vanished into the shadows.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Sally gasped and fell to her knees, clutching her beloved son. The feel of his soft breaths puffing against her neck relieved her, the weight in her arms assuring her that Percy was still alive.
Hades had kept his word.
By the Fates, she had never been so terrified. Her face quivered and silent sobs wracked her body, relief and fear fighting for control over her mind.
She had awoken when a flash of power had shaken her apartment. At first, she had mistakenly believed that Zeus was throwing around lightning again, the shockwaves of his thunder rattling the entire continent, furious about something. Then, her mageía had screamed in warning, frantically screeching like one of the Furies themselves.
Sally had leaped to her feet, bolting to Percy's room, praying to anyone that her precious boy was safe. When she had entered the room, the worst sight imaginable had met her eyes, traumatizing her more than the Hellhounds that had murdered her father, and May's attempt on her life years ago.
Large, boiled hands with warts held her son and a massive man was bathed in the darkness. Over seven feet tall, with spikes sticking out of his body, the man's power was enormous, making Sally shudder.
"Percy!" She had cried out in fear, mind racing as she tried to desperately think of a solution. "Get away from him!"
Then the man had turned around and Sally had almost fainted. An enormous helm covered his head, but between the metal, a pure fire was all that was visible. No eyes, nose, mouth, or skin. Just hellish-looking fire.
Percy, her precious, beautiful Percy had then reached towards her, "Mommy!" He had called out innocently, unaware of the unholy danger that had befallen them. "Mommy, look!" One of his hands had pointed towards the man and that was when Sally had had the sickening realization of who the god was. The power, while weaker, was too similar to Zeus' to be a coincidence.
"Fear not, child." The god's voice had been rugged, almost raspy as if the fire had almost fully seared it away. "I will not harm him."
"You- …you're him," she had choked out, certain that she was about to watch her beautiful son murdered by his uncle. Her magic suddenly had then lashed out but with a simple twitch of the god's finger, it had dissipated like smoke.
Hades had mercifully spared Percy, and Sally held him tightly, feeling her fear seep away with every second that passed when Percy continued to sleep against her neck.
She ran her fingers through her son's curled hair, the same color as her own, threading her fingers gently through the silk-like strands. She kissed his head all over, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She whispered to anyone who was listening, "Oh, my baby boy, you are my heart. You are the light of my life, my sun, moon, and stars, my everything." She closed her vibrant green eyes and nestled her head against her son's, inhaling his unique scent, allowing it to soothe her warring mind and heart.
Sally had promised, when she left Camp Half-Blood, that she would never utilize her mageía to her benefit, but now she realized how foolish that that decision had been.
Thankfully, she had had the forethought not to swear it on the Styx.
For her precious boy, she would use her mageía to move to a safer location, shrouding it with magical defenses so no situation like tonight would ever happen again. Hades might betray his promise, realizing his mistake in letting his nephew live.
This apartment was no longer safe, and Sally was kicking herself for her foolish actions. The Fates had, surprisingly, been kind tonight, but they weren't always and now, Sally would be prepared, fortifying her new family from the Immortal Realm, willing to do anything to spare her beloved Perseus.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Well, that all for this little prologue, premise bit. I hope you all enjoyed it, and please leave a review to tell me what you thought.
Let's discuss the plot, shall we? Too late:
**Sally Jackson is a daughter of Hecate, who already is fully aware of the dangers Percy will face. She has mageía, or magic, to aid her. Physically she isn't powerful, but her magic makes her a force to be reckoned with. Yes, she got knocked up at only 19 years of age, but I think that is realistic especially in New York City. Sally is strikingly attractive - she's a demigod and she would gain notoriety for her beauty.
**Yes, Percy Jackson is the son of Zeus. Okay, I know that I should be clawing my eyes out for this blasphemy, but let me explain my reasoning. Poseidon's fatal flaw is loyalty - how could he cheat on his wife of thousands of years multiple times? I know in the myths that Poseidon was as infamous as Zeus for his dalliances, but in Percy Jackson, he shows really no symptoms of that except for Percy himself. So, who is far more likely to sire Percy based on probability - Zeus or Poseidon? Plus, there are hardly any stories, that I at least could find, where Percy Jackson is a son of Zeus. Usually, it's always his canon origin, Hades, a Primordial, or a Titan.
In this story, Percy is not at all going to be stupid, pathetic, loyal to a fault, and a complete and utter moron. He will be smarter and a child actually worthy of the prophecy, of defeating the King of the Titans. Many things will be changed! Percy becoming Zeus' son is only one of those. Also, demigods powers and abilities will be explored much more than in canon because Riordan seriously nerfed them. In a time of war, people come to their full potential yet Athena, Hermes, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Hermes, Ares, and Aphrodite's children are all sitting ducks because they are nothing without a weapon. They have godly blood flowing in their veins, but they don't use it. In this story, they will accept their inheritance and learn to thrive off it.
**So, Hades appears and considers murdering poor, little-kid Percy. Thankfully, he doesn't because little Percy is a brave kid, but I hope it seemed realistic. Hades has never been a devil-like figure. Instead, he has been portrayed as a neutral immortal, strict but fair. Since Percy didn't fear him, his hardened heart softened somewhat. Also, his appearance is based on the god of war series if you hadn't deduced.
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