Hey guys! If you're reading this because you're pissed that I'm starting another story, one that's not even in the HP fandom at that, instead of finishing my other two stories in progress, I'm sorry but I will finish them. I'm actually almost done with chapters for both and they should be up some time this week. I just saw that this story was up for adoption and I couldn't resist the story line. Besides, it's about time I came back to my first fandom. For those of you who have never read my work before, I hope you like it and I hope I do the original author justice.

Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters, those belong to the frigging awesome Rick Riordan. I also don't own the idea for this story, it belongs to the lovely OrionArchis.

Chapter One: Finding Family

August 12, 1999

"Mommy?" A five-year-old Percy's voice wobbles, his sea green eyes swirling with barely restrained tears.

"Hey, baby," Sally Jackson can't help but smile at her beautiful son even though it hurts her already swollen cheek, he was her everything and he would always be worth the pain. She holds the blanket wrapped tightly around her up so that her little boy can slip into her lap. "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," the little boy mumbles, burying his face in his mother's neck.

"Nightmares again?" Sally queries, worry coloring her tone, Poseidon had never mentioned how frequent demigod dreams or how young Percy could start getting them and that worried her more than anything.

Percy nods his little head and Sally feels a dampness on her neck as her little boy's tears finally spill over.

Sally pulls his small body even more tightly to her chest and strokes his hair in an attempt to sooth him. A flash in the sky catches her eye and she looks up, a smile tugging at her lips. "Baby, look," she commands softly as she gently nudges his chin up to the sky. "Make a wish, sweetheart."

Percy looks from the sky to his Mom then back to the sky before squeezing his eyes shut and saying, "I wish we could get away from Smelly Gabe."

Sally's own tears stop any words she might have said to reassure her son until she too looks back up at the sky and another star flashes by. "Do you know what those are called, baby?" she asks her little boy, pointing to the stars flashing by in the sky.

"Wishes?" he asks with wide, confused little eyes.

Sally's warm laughter flows over Percy, completely relaxing the young boy. "Yes but they're also called the Perseids."

Percy's little face scrunches up in confusion. "Why?"

"Because the wishes pass that grouping of stars right there, the ones shaped after the Greek hero Perseus." Percy had been watching his mom trace out the shape of a man with her finger in the sky until she said the man's name.

"Like me?" he points to his chest, completely taken in with his mom's words.

"Exactly like you, baby. He was one of the greatest heroes of his time just like you will be. He fought many monsters and was praised by the Gods and humans alike for his abilities. What separated him from the rest, and what you need to remember my sweet boy, is that he fought for more than himself. First he fought for his mother then the woman who became his wife. He fought for love above all else, he was willing to lose everything for the happiness of those he cared about. He lived a happy and humble life because his kindness earned him not only the respect of his peers, but the respect of the Gods." Sally cups her son's cheek, staring at him much more seriously than any five-year-old should ever be stared at. "Promise me, Perseus. Promise me that you will always have courage and be kind."

"I promise, Mommy," he tells her though he doesn't fully realise the weight of his words in those moments.

August 12, 2000

His Mom and Smelly Gabe's yells echo through the small apartment and Percy silently sobs as he pulls his knees to his chest and looks up at the sky from where he was perched on the fire escape. They were arguing about him again. Smelly Gabe wanted to ship him away but his Mom refused like she always did and Smelly Gabe hurt her like he always did when she displeased him. And, like always, it was all Percy's fault his Mom was hurt. If he wasn't here, his Mom would be free to do whatever she pleased.

Percy pulls his face away from his knees to look up at the sky at the same time a star streaks through the sky. Then another. And another. All of them drawing his attention to his favorite constellation, the one that was made for the man he was named after.

"He was willing to lose everything for the happiness of those he cared about," Percy repeats the words his Mom had said to him this time last year.

Percy rises from the fire escape and crawls into his room, quickly shoving some clothes and the story book of Greek heros his Mom read to him from every night. Taking a deep breath, Percy steps back out onto the fire escape. A tear falls down his cheek as he takes a step forward but Percy doesn't look back.

"Be a hero, Percy," he whispers, clutching the straps of his backpack with white knuckles as he climbs down the fire escape.

August 18, 2000

Percy couldn't breath, fear was clenching his lungs in an unforgiving grasp. He hadn't been able to sleep for more than a few minutes since he'd left his mommy, scary creatures had been chasing him nonstop and the only thing he had to fight them off with the the metal lid from the top of a trashcan that he'd picked up in one of the alleys he'd attempted to hide in. And then he trips and a scream rips through his throat as he puts the the metal lid in front of him, trying to shield himself from the latest monster that had been chasing him. Another scream rips through his throat as fangs clamp around his little arm and then the monster is ripped off of him and he makes himself as small as he possibly can, cradling his arm to his chest and pulling his knees to his chest, as he watches a boy with blonde hair and a girl with spiky black hair fight with the creature. And then the creature explodes into gold dust.

The two teens turn toward Percy and he scoots away in fear, holding his injured arm even closer to his chest.

The girl is the first to approach, dropping her golfclub to the ground beside her as she squats down in front of Percy. "Hey, hey. It's ok. We won't hurt you," she whispers softly, slowly moving closer to Percy.

"You're n-not m-monster," his voice quivers as his eyes flicker from the girl to the boy.

"No," it's the boy who speaks this time, squatting down on Percy's other side. "We're demigods. Just like you."

"Demigods? Like the ones in my book?" Percy asks in a curious voice, pulling his book from his bag with his good hand.

The girl's eyes flicker down to the book and a smile quirks her lips. "Yes, just like that. Can I see your arm, little dude?"

Percy nods, putting his book back in his bag and holding his arm out to the girl.

The girl grimaces and bites her lip then turns to the older boy. "Can I see the water? I want to rinse this out to get a better look."

The boy nods, worrying shining in his clear blue eyes as he slips his bag from his shoulder and pulls out a bottle full of water.

The girl pours the water on Percy's arm and both teens' eyes widen as the little boy's arm begins to heal before their eyes.

"Do you know who your dad is, little dude?" The girl asks as she closes the water bottle and hands it back to the boy.

Percy shakes his head, confusion clouding his sea green eyes.

"I think your dad is Poseidon, bud."

"God of the sea?" Excitement colors Percy's voice and he practically vibrates with excitement as he grins at the two teens.

Thalia returns his grin and nods her head.

"That is so cool!" Percy exclaims.

"It definitely is, buddy," the boy says, smiling at the little boy. "But can you tell us what you were doing out here alone? Or where your mom is?"

Percy's smile disappears and he fidgets with his backpack. "I ran away."

The boy and girl exchange a glance that Percy does see before the girl asks, "Can I ask why you ran away, little one?"

Percy's serious, much more serious than any child's eyes should ever be, gaze bores into the girl's surprised electric blue eyes as he responds, "So Smelly Gabe wouldn't hurt Mommy anymore. So that Mommy could be happy because Mommy deserves to be happy and she can't be with me there."

The girl's entire gaze softens as she stares at Percy for a long minute. "Would you like to come with us then? We could protect you."

"And we can teach you how to protect yourself," the boy says, placing a slightly glowing dagger into Percy's small hand before wrapping his larger hand around Percy's smaller one.

Percy looks down at their hands then back up at the two teens in front of him. "We could be a family?" he asks.

The girl and boy make eye contact again before nodding. "We could be a family," they say in unison, smiling at the little boy.

"I'm Percy," the little boy says, grinning at the two teens.

"Thalia."

"Luke."

June 15, 2002

"Take Percy and go, Luke! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Thalia yells as the three of them fight off a seemingly neverending army of monsters.

"We're not leaving you behind, Thalia!" Luke yells back, slicing through a hellhound with the sword the sea had given them on one of the nights they'd camped out on Montauk.

"We'll do this together. Like we always do." Percy joins the conversation. His voice and eyes a deadly calm. "Cover me," he tells them as he steps behind their two man line and begins gathering the falling rain and creating a blanket over top of the army of monsters just like they had done hundreds of times before. "Ready, Thals!" Percy yells once he completes his water blanket.

Thalia calls down a lightning bolt, instantly vaporizing the army, but one of the monsters sees the move coming and takes a last ditch swing at the trio, stabbing Thalia in the stomach.

"THALIA!" Percy and Luke scream as their best friend collapses to the ground, blood rushing from her stomach.

The two boys fall to their knees beside her, trying to stop the bleeding.

"It's...not...going to work," Thalia wheezes, trying to give her boys a smile but it turns into more of a grimace.

"Please," Luke whispers over and over like it's some sort of prayer with tears streaming down his face.

"You promised," Percy sobs.

"I'm...sorry...Love you…" Thalia forces the words out.

Before either of the boys can respond, thunder rumbles and lightning strikes down on the trio leaving a sapling in place of the girl both boys considered family.

June 21, 2005 (Lightning Thief)

Luke and Percy sit on the edge of the creek next to Thalia's Tree, the one Percy's dad had put into place after claiming Percy as a son of Poseidon the night Thalia died. This is their spot, the place they go when they need time alone as a family or when they need to talk about something important. Like when Percy is sent on a quest without Luke because the gods felt Percy might run away if Luke were to go on the quest with him so he has to fill in his brother when he gets back safely.

Percy tells Luke about nearly dying in St. Louis and finally getting Annabeth to let go of her Poseidon/Athena grudge. Of dueling Ares and the look on Annabeth's face when the spider robots came at them in the theme park. Of going to the Underworld and using the pearls to escape. Of meeting his half-brother for the first time and finding out he had betrayed their father. And then he got to the hard part, the question that had been tearing him apart since he had figured it out…

"So why'd you do it?" Percy asks, staring at his brother in everything but blood with a cold gaze that had never once been directed at the older boy but that chilled the older boy to the bone.

"What?" Luke stares at Percy with widened, bewildered, eyes.

"I'm not stupid, Luke. Why did you steal the fucking bolt?"

Luke looks away from Percy and to Thalia's Tree, letting out a long sigh. "Because they've never done anything to help us, Perce. They left us all to fend for ourselves. Thalia with her drunk mom. Me with my crazy, cursed mom. You with your abusive step dad. Then they left us to fend for ourselves without weapons for months before your dad decided to help us. They let Thalia die for Hades' sake when camp was just over the hill, they couldn't have given us five seconds of help. That's all we would have needed for Thalia to be alive right now."

"They helped us as much as the ancient laws allowed, Luke! You know that and you still betrayed us all. You betrayed me, Luke. We're supposed to be family and you put my life at risk with this stunt."

"I never meant to-"

"Like hell you did! I'm the only child of the Big Three left, Luke! Of course I'd be the first one they expect!"

"Please, Percy."

"Just go, Luke. You've obviously chosen your side."

"Percy…"

"I said go, Luke."

Luke stares at Percy for a long moment before glancing at Thalia's Tree one more time and walking away from the one person in the world that he still cared about.

August 1, 2006 (Sea of Monsters)

"Perce?" Tears fill Percy's eyes as the familiar voice washes over him and, for once, they're happy tears instead of tears of sorrow or betrayal.

"Thals." He's at her side in two strides, pulling her into the tightest hug he possibly can and burying his face in her neck as the tears start flowing down his cheeks. "I'm so glad you're here," he whispers as her fingers run through his hair in the comforting way they always had, the way that reminds him of his mom.

"What's going on, little dude? Why are you so much older? Why is everyone staring at us?" Percy feels her head move around, searching the crowd. "And where the hell is Luke?"

Percy freezes and it all clicks in his head. It stills pisses him off that Luke would risk poisoning Thalia's Tree but the fact that she's now here in Percy's arms tells him why. It tells him that that crazy bastard had figured out how to bring back their sister. That Luke still put his family first. That there is still a chance for his brother.