Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series, or any of its characters. I do not own Simple Plan or their song, Perfect.
Author's Note: Some parts may not be exactly accurate. This is supposed to tell a story, not exactly match up with the lyrics.
Hey dad look at me;
Think back and talk to me,
Did I grow up according to plan?
And do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do?
But it hurts when you disapprove all along.
Luke looked out of the bush he was hiding in. Maybe, just maybe, if he completed this quest, Dad would be proud of him. He could remember the few times he met Hermes, the pain in his eyes when he saw Luke, as if he couldn't bear to look at his son. I'm doing this for you Dad. You and no one else, Luke thought as he charged Ladon from behind.
And now I try to make it,
I just want to make you proud.
I'm never gonna be good enough for you;
I'm can't pretend that
I'm alright,
And you can't change me.
Ladon roared in pain as Luke's sword entered his back, and one of its heads whipped back and sank into his shoulder. Luke cried out in pain, pulling his sword down as he fell. The dragon turned, his breath stinking like the eucalyptus he ate. Luke stood and felt the blood freely flow from the bite. He raised his sword in anticipation.
'Cuz we lost it all,
Nothing lasts forever.
I'm sorry
I can't be perfect.
Now it's just too late and
We can't go back;
I'm sorry I can't be perfect.
Ladon dripped poison from his many heads as he lunged at Luke. Luke parried one head, then stepped back as more came to fight. He knew the dragon was overpowering him, and Luke backed away, swinging his sword as he moved. Several of the heads hissed and retracted. Ladon growled and swung a claw at him; Luke moved back, but the claw still struck him, running down his face. Luke swung once more, aiming upwards at the dragon's claw; Ladon roared again and retreated back to the tree, nursing one of his paws. Luke went down on one knee, gasping for air, the wound on his face stinging. He picked up his prize and left the garden, pride stinging more than the wounds.
I try not to think
About the pain I feel inside.
Did you know you used to be my hero?
All the days you spent with me
Now feel so far away,
And it feels like you don't care anymore.
Luke walked down the street. He knew this town, this street. He looked up at the building before him. This house. His mother lived here, abandoned by her husband. And by me, Luke thought. No, I left because she was better without me. But Dad, you could have helped her. But you didn't. He remembered his father coming once or twice while he still lived here. Hermes seemed like an important, if eccentric, man by the way he talked, and by the way he held his caduceus. It seemed like the staff of a king or pharaoh. But now Luke knew it meant nothing, like his father. Luke shook his head and walked on.
And now I try hard to make it;
I just want to make you proud.
I'm never gonna be good enough for you.
I can't stand another fight,
And nothing's all right.
Luke ran hard, his breath labored. The empousa had come from literally nowhere, and had tried to charm him. Only did the throbbing pain form Luke's wounds break the demon's spell, and he ran. He stopped behind a tree and tried to catch his breath. The empousa was noisy; she growled and clanked, calling out for her prey. Luke calmed down slightly, just enough to pull out his sword. He looked around a tree and saw the demon. She looked remarkably like Annabeth, just enough so that his breath caught in his throat. He charged at the empousa, eyes closed. He blindly struck out, managing to catch its heart. She cried out.
"Annabeth," Luke sobbed. He opened his eyes. "Annabeth, I'm sorry." He held the empousa close, forgetting that it was a monster. He looked at it as it turned to dust. Luke wiped his face, sleeve catching on the makeshift bandages for the cut on his face. A statue of Hermes looked down on Luke disapprovingly. "I'll show you," he cried out, "I'll show you all just what you gods make us do for you."
'Cuz we lost it all,
Nothing lasts forever.
I'm sorry,
I can't be perfect.
Now it's just too late and
We can't go back;
I'm sorry I can't be perfect.
Luke threw himself on the bed. He had used his skills as a thief to steal some money, just enough to pay for a night in a motel and for a bus fare back to New York. Granted, the motel was cheap and Luke could hear rats, but something was better than nothing. Luke looked up into the ceiling.
"Why would you leave me Dad?" Luke asked himself. "Why would you leave me and Mom? Those fits of hers…" Luke shuddered. "You left me with her when she was like that, and you didn't do anything." Luke felt drained. "You did…nothing…" Anger started to boil inside of him. Hermes left his mother when she wasn't well; there was something wrong, and the gods could have helped her. But they didn't. Luke frowned. Because she was mortal. Because she wasn't a goddess.
Nothing's gonna change the things that you said
Nothing's gonna make this right again.
Please don't turn your back,
I can't believe it's hard
Just to talk to you.
But you don't understand.
Luke crossed the camp border, placing a hand on Thalia's tree as he walked past it. He wouldn't forget what she had done for him and Annabeth. He made it to the crest of the hill and squinted, resisting the urge to itch the makeshift bandages on his face. Campers were scurrying around the camp, probably nervous that he hadn't made it back yet. Luke almost laughed, and came into the valley. He saw several campers brighten when they saw him, and then stop when they came close. He went up the steps of the Big House and knocked on the door. The people inside quieted; it sounded like an argument. Chiron opened the door.
"Welcome back Luke," the centaur greeted him.
Luke walked in and saw Annabeth. She was still so young, why did she have to be here? Because her parents hate her, just like Dad does me, Luke bitterly thought.
"Are you alright Luke?" she asked him with concern. He shook his head. "Your dad… he's here."
Hermes stepped up to his son, a hand on his shoulder. "Luke… what happened?"
'Cuz we lost it all,
Nothing lasts forever.
I'm sorry,
I can't be perfect.
Now it's just too late and
We can't go back;
I'm sorry I can't be perfect.
"Let's go, Annabeth," Chiron whispered.
"But…" Annabeth wavered.
The counselor hushed her and led her outside. Hermes still had his hand on Luke's shoulder. The boy felt a wave of anger, so great that it couldn't have entirely been his own. Luke shook, and Hermes stepped back.
"Do you know how I feel?" Luke asked quietly. "I feel nothing but hatred right now. First you left me with Mom. Do you know what happens when she has one of her fits? I hid in the closet when she did that, screaming something about my destiny. Second, you and the other gods let Thalia die! She deserved to live! It wasn't her fault she was born; it was Zeus'!" Luke's voice rose to a shout. "And third, you sent me on a stupid quest, one that Hercules already did, to get the apples of Hesperides. And I couldn't get past the dragon! All I got was this," Luke yelled, holding up Ladon's claw, "and this," pulling down the bloody bandages. "I couldn't even get the Apples, but it's not like you care!" Luke shouted.
Hermes looked flabbergasted, and Luke stormed past him. He went up to the top floor and pulled the string to let down the ladder. Luke saw the Oracle and felt his anger grow.
"And this," Luke growled, "is what you get." He threw the claw and the Oracle, which hung form her hippie shirt. "And you deserve it as well."
'Cuz we lost it all,
Nothing lasts forever.
I'm sorry,
I can't be perfect.
Now it's just too late and
We can't go back;
I'm sorry I can't be perfect.
When Luke entered the Hermes cabin that night, he felt anger all over again. All these half-bloods, left unclaimed by their parents. And it was all because they were too busy to bother with their own children. Some of these kids had nothing to return to. He and Annabeth were just the tip of the iceberg. Some of them looked up at him, showing a mixture of fear and worry.
"Lights out, all of you go to bed."
His voice was light but tense, much mores so than it should have been. Luke got into his own bed, closest to the door on the guy's side. He was counselor, so he had the choice of top or bottom. He chose top, because it once made him feel closer to his father. Luke fell asleep. In his dream, he fell into a dark cavern. It was more like floating down, and when his feet touched the ground, he felt a presence in his mind.
"You feel anger, boy." The voice was dark but seductive, and made Luke want to hear more. "Your father has left you, and your mother has left her mind." Luke didn't ask how the voice knew this; all he knew was that he wanted to hear it speak again. "You want revenge. I can bring it to you, but I need to ask you for something." It paused, as though unsure if he was unwilling to comply. "Will you help me, so I can help you?"
Luke smiled. "I will help you."
Author's Note: Just because I want to be nice, and because today is my birthday, I'm giving all of you a sneak-peek at my in-progress series for Percy Jackson. I won't update any more chapters until I finish chapter 9, which is being much more difficult than I anticipated. *shrugs* What are you going to do?
