*DISCLAIMER* I OWN NONE OF THE PERCY JACKSON CHARACTERS. If I did... Well, this wouldn't be up here, would it?
Before Percy saved her, his day pretty much sucked ass. To start it off, he was rudely awakened by his mother pouring a bucket of ice-cold water on his head. Now normally he would have liked the water, if he wasn't asleep. "Chores had to be done," she said, "before you can sleep or do anything else."
So he did his daily duties and slept a little longer, only to be late for an appointment with his therapist, whom the 'experts' up at the high school had recommended right before school let out for the summer. So far, nothing was going in his favor.
As if that wasn't bad enough, a friend of his called him later that day to let him know that his "faithful" girlfriend had a different boyfriend on the side she had been seeing for about a month or two now. This, needless to say, did not make him happy.
To top it all off, he went to a party to try and calm his nerves, only to be barraged by everyone's questions about his now-ex. He left after he punched someone in the gut, making them vomit all over the person in front of them.
Percy was thoroughly pissed as he headed home. He lived only a block or two from where the party was being held, so he walked in the first place, trying to save on gas.
As he passed the small alley in between the streets, he heard sounds of laughter followed by a few grunts of pain, as if somebody was being punched or beaten. Percy was generally a pacifist, but next he heard a girl cry out in desperation. "Anybody? Please, help me!" Her scream was cut off by the sound of boots against flesh.
This was the last straw. As he marched into the alley, he saw what all the commotion was about. Strewn about the alleyway were about 6 guys, all late teenage or early twenty years and wearing black bandannas around their forearms. Judging from the matching scowls on their faces, something serious had gone down between the girl hunched in the middle of the alley and them.
"Hey fucktards!" Six heads swiveled in his direction as he walked deeper into the alley. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
One of the guys laughed and cracked his knuckles. "Like you?"
Percy smirked. "Exactly."
"Oh, you're on, squirt!" The one who had spoken before rushed him as Percy readied himself. 10 yards before impact. 5 yards. Then 3 yards. At the last moment, he sidestepped and thrust an arm out to his side, slamming into his attacker's throat and knocking him to the ground unconscious.
"Who's next?" Percy was feeling good about this fight. It gave him a much needed outlet for all his anger.
Yelling as they converged upon him, two stayed to the left while the remaining three advanced from the right. A quick jab to the stomach made one man double over, then an elbow to his neck took him to the ground. Percy turned just in time to receive a punch to the jaw, followed by an attempted kick to his groin, which failed due to a hasty step backwards. Wiping his jaw, Percy felt a slow trickle of blood on his lip and flicked the blood on his fist to the ground. He then proceeded to smash his foot into the previous attacker's shin, causing him to fall and clutch his knee in pain. A sharp knee to the face took care of him.
So far it was Percy: 3, Gang members: 0.
Two of the fighters nodded to each other, seeming to come to an unspoken agreement. One of them swung high, while the other kicked low. Percy saw this and jumped in time to avoid the sweeping kick, however he jumped right into an uppercut swing from the former. Knocked backwards, Percy landed on the ground near the girl, rolling at the last moment to avoid crushing her.
"Not so tough now, are you?" The fighter who had yet to attack was taunting him.
He stood to his feet and rolled his shoulders. "Still tough enough to beat you three pussies," he countered.
At this the double-teamers charged Percy. The kicker began to take potshots at his head, while the other started aiming for his neck and sides. He began to back up, dodging blows until he found himself up against a wall. The two assailants smiled sadistically and pulled back for a final blow. They swung and Percy dropped down, hearing their fists snap against the cinder-block. Moving behind them, he grabbed their hair and slammed their heads against the concrete wall, with a satisfyingly nasty crunch as they were knocked unconscious.
Percy turned to the final kid and popped his neck. "Look, dude. I really don't want to have to hurt you. Now are you going to do this the easy way, or the painful way?" He finished the sentence with a stare that said 'However bad you think you are, I'm worse.' The kid turned tail and ran as if all of Hell had been loosed.
Percy smiled. "I thought so."
He made his way over to the girl and tapped her on the back. "Hey, you're safe now. They're gone." The last part wasn't exactly true, seeing as they were unconscious.
She looked up at him, and the first thing Percy noticed was her hair. While it had a few patches of blood tangled in, he could tell that it was naturally jet black. The second were her eyes. Dark and mysterious, they sparkled with bemusement, admiration, and something a little more sinister... He couldn't place his finger on it.
"Here, take my hand." He held his hand out for her and she grabbed hold, pulling herself up before brushing herself off, wincing from the obvious bruises on her sides and torso. Together they walked to the mouth of the alley.
She smiled softly and hugged him before checking her pockets and sighing, content to find what was there.
"How are you feeling? Not too beaten, I hope?"
The girl looked down at her bloodstained shirt and cuts, then shrugged.
"It's fine really. I've had worse."
Percy nodded, unconvinced. However, he really didn't want to argue with the girl he just saved. "Why were those assholes attacking you anyways?" His voice held a note of concern.
She pulled a silver ring from her pocket and held it up for Percy to see. "A girl needs to eat, right?"
Percy gaped. "You mean you're..." He trailed off as the girl sighed.
"Look, if you're going to pity me, don't. It took me four years to escape, and nothing you can say will convince me to go back to that hell hole. " She glared at Percy, who was holding his hands up in defense.
"Sorry."
She waved away his apology."I hear that way too often. 'Sorry your parents died, kid. Sorry, we can't help you.' Sorry, sorry, sorry. That's all I ever hear." She sighed again. "I'm getting sick and tired of being tired..." Her eyes dropped.
Percy couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "You know, if you ever need a place to rest, I live just down the street."
Her attitude perked up, if only a little. "And how would I know which house is yours?"
Percy laughed softly and pointed down the road. "Third house on the right, with the blue flowers by the walkway. You'd have to be colorblind to miss it."
The girl nodded, then turned to Percy. "Thanks, um..." She paused for a minute, realizing that she had no idea what his name was.
He smiled. "Percy. Percy Jackson."
"Percy... what a beautiful name." She whispered his name to herself a few times, relishing the way it felt in her mouth.
He spoke again. "And you are?"
The girl smiled softly. "Reyna. It's Reyna."
Percy nodded, then glanced at his watch and cursed as thunder rolled overhead. "Listen Reyna, as much as I'd love to stay and chat with you, I have a curfew to keep." A shadow crossed his face momentarily. "Otherwise, I'll be in big trouble myself."
Reyna's dark eyes sparkled with amusement as she smiled. "Well Mr. Jackson, I guess you'd better get going. You wouldn't want to be punished for helping me, now would you?"
Percy laughed. "No, I guess not. I'll see you around, Reyna."
As Percy turned to go, Reyna grabbed his hand and pulled him back.
"Percy?"
"Yes, Reyna?"
Suddenly he felt a stinging pain across his left cheek as she backhanded him.
"That," she shook her hand, "was for fighting for me."
Percy rubbed his cheek tenderly. "That's going to leave a mark."
Reyna giggled. "And this," she kissed his other cheek, "is for caring about me enough to fight. Thanks, Percy." She turned to go.
"Um.. you're welcome... I guess."
As she walked away, Percy could think of only one thing: When, if ever, would he see her again?
Abruptly his phone rang, breaking his train of thought. He answered it.
"Hello?"
"PERSEUS JACKSON! Why the hell aren't you home yet?"
Percy swore, then checked his watch; ten minutes until curfew. He sighed.
"I'm on my way mom. I had to help a friend."
"Well, hurry home. It's starting to rain, and it doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon. In fact, it looks like a thunderstorm."
He shuddered. He didn't mind the rain, it was the lightning he was afraid of. Inches away, raindrops began to splatter heavily on the asphalt.
"Ok, mom. I'll be home in a few minutes."
"Alright. Lock the door behind you, ok?"
He let out an exasperated sigh. "I know mom. Bye."
He ended the call before she could get another word in. "Good god, she can be annoying."
Shoving his phone in the pocket of his jacket, Percy set off down the road, clothes growing heavier by the second.
A few blocks away, Reyna was drenched. After she had left Percy, Reyna wandered in search of somewhere to pawn the stolen ring. However, there was one problem. At 11 o'clock at night, any and all pawn shops were closed, and without the money she would have gotten from the ring, she was broke. Reyna sighed.
"If only I hadn't snapped at Percy like that," she thought. "I might have had a place to sleep, maybe even some food.."
As she walked along the road, a few shop lights still flickered sporadically. In an alley to the side, Reyna glimpsed a small pair of eyes, then heard a soft mewl. Her heart jumped in her chest as she made her way to the alley and bent down to pick up a small bundle of fur.
"Your'e just like me, aren't you, little one? All alone, no family or home, and without a scrap to eat.." She whispered to the malnourished kitten, stroking it's back lightly. The kitten purred.
Reyna tucked the kitten inside her shirt, keeping it warm... At least for now anyways. She wasn't sure how long she would last, much less the kitten, in this freezing rain. Reyna looked desperately for somewhere to dry off, to no avail.
"Well, little one, I guess we're all alone right now."
"No you aren't, Reyna." A little part of her mind tugged at the rest, urging her to remember earlier that night.
She waved the thought away. "I can't go back to him. Not after he helped me so much already."
"Oh, but you can. He said it himself. You need a place to rest, to dry off. "
She thought about Percy, his warm smile and the way he fought like his own family was in danger.
The thought of asking him for help again killed her, but the tiny part of her mind was correct. She DID need a place to stay, at least temporarily. If she was quick, she might be able to be gone before he woke the next morning.
She looked down at the kitten. "What do you think, little one?"
The kitten mewled softly.
Reyna smiled. "It's decided then. The worst he could do is refuse."
Another mewl.
She headed down the street, running back to where she first met Percy and looked down the street towards what she thought was his house.
"Third house on the right... Blue flowers."
A flash of lightning revealed the house, complete with bright blue flowers by the walkway, just as he had said. She sprinted towards it, holding her chest so the kitten would be safe.
Percy was exhausted. The fight against the gang members had taken a lot out of him, even though he had trained for fights before. But for now, he had decided he wasn't going to think about that. Instead, he needed to figure out which console would make the least noise, in order to avoid waking his mom.
He decided that the old-school Gamecube would make the least noise, and popped a disc in, then powered it up. Passing the title screen, he had just loaded his game when he heard something. Muting the sound, he waited again.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
He checked the clock. Who could be knocking at 11:30 at night?
"Probably some lost guy wanting directions," he muttered.
Making his way to the door, he opened it slowly, then smiled.
"Hey Percy."
And... That's it for chapter one! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review honestly. I need tips, corrections, notes, or anything else that will help me become a better writer. If you flame, you will be blocked. If guests flame or spam, they will be disabled. Thanks to Luna-Soul-Sky for inspiring me to do this, and all the guys on the martial arts club for help with the fight scenes.
Next Chapter: A Good Nights Sleep.
