Title: Legends Aren't Born

Author: DhampyrX2

Genre: Adventure/Drama/X-over

Rating: PG-13ish

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Don't sue me, I'm poor.

Summary: Sally Jackson was tragically taken from this Earth when her son Percy was a mere six years old. Now her lover Poseidon must find someone to raise his young son to be the hero he needs to be to face the Great Prophecy. And there is only one person he can think of to fill that role. It's good to have at least one member of the family you can rely on to do the right thing, even if it is your little brother's estranged son.

Sometimes it's the unexpected things in life that make the greatest impact. Things not even the gods themselves could predict. For example, nobody would have expected the death of Sally Jackson when her young son was only six years old. Or rather, if it happened they would have expected it to happen from one of two scenarios. The first would have been her being killed due to the machinations of Zeus in his paranoia over the children of the Big Three in relation to the Great Prophecy or some other Olympian or monster in relation to her demigod son by Poseidon, Perseus. The second likely culprit would have been Gabe Ugliano; the smelly, lazy, disgusting man she had married to conceal young Percy's demigod scent from monsters.

Ironically enough, what did take Sally Jackson from this world in such an untimely fashion was neither of those things. It was a car crash. Nothing more than a simple accident with no interference from the Fates, Olympians, or any other force beyond mortal understanding. A man that had been in a rush to get to his office in New York had looked down at a text from his secretary, run a red light, and the resulting crash forced his vehicle to jump the curb and crash into Sally as she was walking home from taking her son to school. It was a tragic accident in every sense of the word but nothing more than that.

And it would be that accident that would change the face of the world in ways that none could imagine.

Poseidon paced his palace fretfully as a scowl marred his features and the seas grew choppy at his displeasure. He had made it a point to look in on Sally and his son Percy as best he could without revealing them to Zeus or Hades but in the end it hadn't mattered. The mother of his youngest child was dead from the actions of a careless and stupid mortal. One that Poseidon was debating with himself about snuffing out personally or contacting Nemesis to deal with. Either way he would make certain that the careless fool who had left his son an effective orphan, for Poseidon had no intention of allowing Sally's "husband" to stay anywhere near his son, was going to be in for a world of hurt before reaching the Fields of Punishment.

Unfortunately, that left him with few options. He could not raise the boy himself no matter how much he wanted to. Even if he could somehow convince his bride Amphitrite or their child Triton to accept the result of his most recent indiscretions, there was no way Zeus or the rest of the Olympian council would allow him to skirt Ancient Law and raise his own demigod son. He supposed he could contact Chiron and get Percy taken to Camp Half Blood, but the camp was hardly the place for a six year old that had just lost his mother and had no idea of his divine heritage.

But, what choice did that leave him with? Percy needed someone to look after him. Someone that could protect him from the monsters and angry Olympians that might wish him harm. Someone that would raise him to be a good man, and later, a good hero. Someone that could raise him to look down the gaping maw of the Great Prophecy and rise to the occasion. But where could the Sea God find such a person? It wasn't as if this was the Age of Heroes anymore. Other than the immortal centaur Chiron, those that could raise a hero properly were few and far between in the mortal world.

Unless…

But no. That was an insane idea. Other than Ares and Eris few in the family even spoke to him at his own insistence. On the other hand Poseidon had never really had any quarrels with him as others in the family had and he WAS someone that could protect Percy from anything. If anyone could help it would he him.

Poseidon chuckled to himself as he flashed to California and made his way to the front door of a rather nice home near Hollywood. He was not sure if he would be welcomed at first but he knew he would have to succeed in gaining the aid he required. His son's life depended on it. His musings were cut short as the door opened to reveal the form of a hulking man with long dirty blond hair dressed in a tasteful Polo shirt and khakis.

"Uncle. You know as a rule I prefer to keep my side of the family away from my home," the man greeted coolly.

Poseidon looked sheepish as he replied, "Yes I recall the issues we had after the whole Twilight that led to us taking our Roman forms for the first time to escape your friend's wrath. But I would not have come if it were not important, Hercules. Or would you prefer Kevin now? So many know you as both with your television series."

"Kevin will be just fine, Poseidon. Although I am surprised to see you. Other than Ares and occasionally Strife, I don't exactly get many visits from Olympus to my home," Hercules, or rather Kevin Sorbo in his modern persona, replied evenly. "So what brings you here?" he added as he motioned stiffly for the lord of the Oceans to enter his home.

"I find myself at a bit of a loss nephew. You see, it involves family, although not family you are acquainted with…" Poseidon led off with a wince. He was not used to asking anyone for aid. Certainly not his brother's one-time favorite son. The one that had been named after that arrogant ass Heracles and had managed to end up salvaging a good portion of his elder half-brother's reputation as time and failed mortal memories made Heracles and Hercules synonymous in the eyes of "mythology."

It did not take Hercules long to understand his Uncle's meaning as his face grew grim and he commented, "You broke your oath to the Styx."

"Zeus did in first. Twice in fact. And at least I genuinely loved Sally instead of just looking for a woman to bed the way my foolish little brother does to escape Hera for a time," Poseidon ranted with a scowl.

It did not escape Kevin's notice that Poseidon had used the past tense to discuss the woman he had been involved with, nor his obvious agitation as he discussed her. "What happened?" he prodded gently, fearing his father had made another mistake like he had when he had attacked Hades' lover decades ago.

Poseidon halted his diatribe to look gravely at his nephew as he fought the urge to break down at the thought of his dear Sally's death. He explained to Hercules who she was and how they had met. How he had loved her and regarded her as a Queen among Women. And how she had been killed earlier that day but a lowly mortal not paying attention to the road.

Kevin would admit to a degree of relief that neither Zeus nor Hades had been involved as he asked, "And you're certain it was really an accident and none of the… family were involved?"

"Quite certain, nephew. I would have been on Olympus in a rage if anyone had struck at Sally or my son like that. Not even your father would have been safe," Poseidon assured his nephew with a deep scowl.

A part of the immortal demigod felt a small moment of pity for the mortal that had just ended the life of Sally Jackson, for he was certain the King of the Seas would have none. A greater part of him, the part that had been raised in the war-torn times as Ancient Greece began its decline and Rome had begun to rise under the reign of Ceasar felt his Uncle was in the right to do what needed to be done so long as it was kept to the guilty party alone. Still, the story did beg the question, "Not that I don't feel for you, Uncle, but why are you telling me all this?"

Poseidon smiled humorlessly as he responded, "Who else could I tell, nephew? My brothers that would try to slay the boy for being my son because a toddler poses such a deep 'threat' to Olympus? Your siblings on Olympus that would inform Zeus immediately either to spite me or because they felt it was their duty to act as such? Perhaps my wife so she can tell me it was my entire fault for allowing another mortal woman to turn my head? Where else could I go?"

Kevin accepted the explanation with a somber nod, even though he knew all too well it was not the whole of the reason why Poseidon was in his living room. "And why else?" he asked gently.

"I… was hoping I could convince you to take him in. His stepfather is the very embodiment of the worst of humanity. Sally only stayed with him to hide Percy's scent. I could never trust my son to actually be raised by the man," Poseidon admitted without meeting his nephew's eyes.

Kevin's own eyes grew wide as Poseidon finally got to the point the demigod was afraid he was coming to. "You can't be serious. Why would you even think of asking me to raise your child?" he asked incredulously.

"Again, nephew, who else could I ask? Who could I trust to raise my son to become a good man? You know as well as I that Percy is just as likely as your newest half sister to become the Child of Prophecy even if Zeus thinks he is hiding his indiscretions from the rest of us. Who else could I entrust to raise him to make the right choices when the time comes? And who else could protect him not only from monsters, but from the… less forgiving members of our family?" Poseidon asked in return.

"You are aware that Ares and Eris are portraying themselves on my show right now in mortal guises despite Zeus' protests, right? And that Deimos' daughter Hudson guest stars as Callisto? Heck I employ more than a few REAL monsters just to keep them under control. I'd hardly call my taking care of him a low profile position," Kevin protested hotly.

"And yet, I could think of nobody that could keep my son safer. Neither Zeus nor Hera would dare move against you. Despite your estrangement from us, more than half of Olympus still considers you a friend, Hercules. Even Hades and Persephone owe you a debt for brokering the deal with Demeter that allows them to be together. They would never strike out at your cousin so long as he was in your care. And I know you would raise him well," Poseidon countered passionately.

"Uncle, you don't know what you're asking of me. I mean, I just got married last year. And there is still one last season of my series. And I'm in talks for a new sci-fi series after that. Taking in a child without even asking Samantha like that…" Hercules protested weakly.

"Can you really turn him away? My only other option would be Chiron. Can you ask a child that knows nothing of his heritage, his world, to be raised at Camp Half Blood at the age of six? Would you risk him to the danger so young a demigod would face? You are my only hope, Hercules. I ask this not as a God or as a Lord of the Seas. I ask as a father that is desperate. As your Uncle that needs your aid. Will you raise my son? Will you protect him until he is ready to face his destiny?" Poseidon pleaded.

The resolve on Kevin's face began to crumble as another voice interjected, "Yes. We will."

"Sam?" Kevin asked in shock as he looked toward the bottom of the stairwell and saw his new bride looking on with an expression that was both fierce and compassionate. Samantha Jenkins was an actress that had portrayed Serena in Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. She was a clear-sighted mortal that had captured the demigod's heart. The first mortal he had allowed himself to fall for in a VERY long time.

"I know it's a scary proposition, honey, but it's the right thing to do. You know it is. Now go rescue your little cousin, hero. I want to meet me new son," Sam ordered with a kind smile and a twinkle in her eye.

Kevin smiled in return as he playfully responded, "Well I can't argue with a command like that, now can I?"

"Thank you nephew. Thank you both so much. I will make certain everything is arranged so that you can take him right away. He will be in protective custody with child services once school is out for the day to make certain that idiot Sally used to mask his scent won't get near him. Can I have Hermes bring you the necessary documentation?" Poseidon all but gushed in relief as he clasped Hercules gratefully on the shoulders. It was all he could do to keep his composure well enough to keep from hugging his brother's son in his elation.

"Actually, if you can slip it to Eris and have her flash it to me, I'll arrange a private jet and probably be on the way by the time you have it ready. Zeus would be less suspicious of Ares or Eris popping up and, frankly, I don't trust Ares not to lose something. Eris will be glad to be assigned something 'important' by one of the Big Three. You know she feels overlooked sometimes," Kevin suggested.

"Like when she tried to petition for Nemesis' domain during her short time as a mortal before Hera accepted that no one else could fill her role adequately. I recall it quite well. Can Eris be trusted though if she figures out who Percy is before you claim him?" Poseidon asked.

Kevin and Sam both chuckled at the question as San interjected, "You don't have to worry about that Lord Poseidon. Eris caught quite a bit of the acting bug using Kevin's show to increase awareness and worship for Olympus. She'd never risk anything that would put Kevin, Lucy, or either of their shows in danger. She loves that she gets more attention as Discord than major Olympians like Athena, Artemis, and Apollo get put together. And she's thrilled at the following Strife gets given that he's her son. She's almost nicer to Kevin than Aphrodite is when we run into her at a Hollywood party these days."

"Huh. Can't say I ever saw that one coming. Well I can see Aphrodite looking for mortal conquests among movie stars but Eris' behavior is a surprise," Poseidon commented.

"She's easier to deal with when you manage to keep her busy. I think that was half of her and Strife's problem in the old days was they their domains didn't keep them occupied enough and they were forced to drum up their own conflicts to make up the difference. She's mellowed a bit, although I still prefer to keep her away from the house," Kevin explained.

"Which is why I think Strife pops in occasionally. He says it's to talk about how Joel portrays him on the show but I think it's mostly because his mother won't follow him here. She can get a bit smothering with him after Callisto killed him and it took so long for him to reform the first time from what I understand," Sam admitted. "And, he loves it when I bake cookies for him. I think he likes getting the attention here that he tends to lack on Olympus from everyone but his mother and Ares."

"It probably doesn't help that Ares is busy with Aphrodite, both your series and that one about Xena, and his domain," Poseidon added with a sympathetic wince.

"My sister and her new actor obsession. I know she has at least one demigod girl in the area because of it. I just never thought it would be an excuse to rekindle her affair with Ares," Kevin said with a sad shake of his head.

"As much as we all love Aphrodite, well other than Hera and Artemis, we all know how flighty she can be. It's the nature of her domain," Poseidon said with a shrug.

"True enough," Hercules agreed. "Anyway, you'd best be off to get everything ready Uncle. I'll pack an overnight bag and arrange a flight immediately to get Percy."

Poseidon smiled warmly as he reached out and clasped his nephew's forearm in the old tradition of the ancient Greeks "Thank you again, Hercules. I am forever in your debt for this. Both of your debts."

"It's alright, Uncle. My issues with Father and his growing paranoia aside, we are all still family. And family should look out for each other," Kevin replied with a modest grin of his own.

Poseidon shook his head ruefully as he responded, "If only you could convince the rest of Olympus to see that it would be a better world for us all nephew."

"Well I can start with teaching your son and maybe we can go from there," Kevin replied with an optimistic twinkle in his eye.

Poseidon let out a grateful chuckle as he shot back, "Indeed you can nephew. I'll will have everything arranged and have Eris flash in to give it to you as soon as I can. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart. You and your family will always have the blessings of the Sea for this," before disappearing in a spray of sea mist.

Kevin stood there for a moment before turning to meet look at his wife as she strode toward him and took him into a warm embrace. "Do you really think this is the right thing, honey? Taking in another demigod? Raising him to deal with that stupid prophecy that has my father so worked up?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter. It's not about a prophecy, or my father-in-law, or anything like that. It's about a little boy that needs us. A little be that happens to be family. The rest can sort itself out," Sam replied before moving in to kiss her husband tenderly.

"Glad I have you here to remind me of things like that," Kevin replied with rueful grin once the kiss ended.

"Well you didn't just marry me for my good looks. Someone has to keep a cool head around here and help you come up with stories about arm injuries and whatnot to make people less likely to believe you are who you play on TV," she shot back with a wink.

Kevin laughed again before stepping out of his embrace as he said, "Truer words, Sam. Now can you arrange the flight for us while I throw a few things together. We need to hurry so we can meet out new stepson."

Sam nodded with a grin as she replied, "It would be my pleasure."

NOTE: Yes I'm tweaking several think for PLO and H:tLJ to make this fit. First and foremost is that Heracles and Hercules are not the same person. Heracles is still the insensitive jerk that broke Zoe's heart and deserves anything unpleasant that comes his way. I will do all I can to make that distinction where I can here. Heracles is a jerk, Hercules is the good guy we see in The Legendary Journeys. In fact, the only reason Alcmene named her son after Heracles was at Zeus' insistence.

Also, not everything on the show will be gospel truth. The second future episode pretty much explained that the whole thing with Iaolus getting killed by Dahok and all of that was pure tripe to please producers. That, the Twilight of the Gods, and several other things either did not happen or happened differently from what we saw so they will not interfere with PJO canon too much. In fact, other than Aphrodite's, and possibly Discord/Eris', personalities you won't see much change from PJO portrayals of various gods. It's almost scary how the two worlds can mesh in that regard.

Finally, I understand that this is technically a crossover and that I put it exclusively in the PJO fandom. That was intentional to get more readers than just the few that follow me due to my other stories because I want people to give this a chance. Despite the first couple of chapters to establish the changes in canon, the rest will focus mostly on Percy and his world rather than Hercules. Herc might show up at some points in the future but he will have raised Percy to act as a hero and be independent just as Chiron trained Hercules, Ialous, and Jason to act when they were young. Percy won't be running home to his stepdad when things get tough. That's not who he is. Besides, Kevin will have three natural kids of his own with Sam to look after and Percy won't want to risk pulling his dad away from his step-siblings just because some monster or titan is taking a nuisance of itself.

As for the timeline… The Lightning Thief came out in '05. In it Percy was twelve. Make him six and you have 1999, the year after Kevin Sorbo got married in real life. Hercules: the Legendary Journeys ran through 1999. Andromeda started in 2000 so it's not impossible that talks for the show were already in the works. I'll try to avoid mentioning years directly where I can but that should give you a little bit of an understanding of where I'm working with things.