This story was part of the 2017 PJO Big Bang project on Tumblr! I decided to write this mortal AU about where Percy was a Pirate in the 1700s. My main inspiration to this story was Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flags. The plot line is 100% my own but I do not own the Percy Jackson characters or the references/influences from Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flags.

In this story I call Percy by his actual name Perseus because it is more fitting as a pirate in this time. All other names have stayed the same.

HUGE shout-outs to:

numendil for taking the time to be my beta for this story! I never knew how bad my grammar was until I saw how much you had to edit! Sorry about that and thank you so much for your work!

kai003 for translating this story into French! I personally don't have a second language so I can only imagine that translating a full story like this is just as hard and time consuming as writing one. You are amazing for taking on this challenge and thank you for choosing my story to be the one you translate!

And last but not least: nicarette for the AMAING fanart you did for this story (my story cover picture). I absolutely love the funeral scene picture you made. It is absolutely gorgeous! You have such amazing talent and I am so glad you loved the story and chose that small scene to draw.

You can find these three amazing people on Tumblr!

The Olympus Empire was vast and strong. Instead of having one ruler, it was governed by 12 men and women, each ruling over their own domain. They called themselves the Olympians. Many did not think it was possible to have a working empire like this, but they made it possible. Those that opposed them in the beginning saw it as a weakness to have the empire separated like this. However, it became one of their strengths. They worked together as a balance system, each with enough power to work effectively in their domains, but still stand united.

Lord Hades ruled over all the precious gems and money. All the coins made and spent are done under his watchful eye. Those who answer to Lord Hermes do all message delivering. Lady Demeter makes sure that all the farms are producing all correct amounts of food and product. The only way to be a healer in the Olympus Empire is to train for years at the Apollo Temple. There, Lord Apollo produces only the best healers. Lady Athena is the brains behind the expansion of the empire. Every year with the assistance of Lord Ares—he rules over the empire's fierce army— Athena brings more land and allies under the Olympians control. Their empire stretches from the Mediterranean, across Europe, down to parts of Africa, and is now expanding across the ocean.

However, that expansion hasn't been simple and easy like they all planed. The Olympians were not prepared for a resistance that came from an unforeseen force. Perseus Jackson has been at the center of this turmoil that has plagued the islands of the Caribbean.

Perseus was born in a small town in England. His parents were part of the working class. His mother Sally was a baker, selling the best sweets in the town. His father Paul was a well-educated man. This gave him an opportunity to work as an accountant into the town hall. Neither of their jobs paid all that much, but it put a roof over their heads and food on the table. That was all Sally and Paul could ask for.

Perseus wanted more. Whirling within his soul was a constant need for adventure. Sally had hoped that when her son became a man that this desire would go away and he would settle down, marry a nice girl, and give her grandbabies. The only problem was that Perseus didn't know what he wanted. All he felt was the hunger crying out to him, but no way to satisfy it.

The first time Perseus saw the sea was when he went to the harbor near his town. It was a two-day travel by horseback, but his mother needed sugar in order to keep her shop open. Due to the harsh taxes that The Olympus Empire imposed on them the month earlier, they were unable to afford the sugar from the trade caravan that travels though their town. Getting the sugar directly from the dispenser was more affordable. A new shipment of it was scheduled to arrive and he had to buy it before it was all sold. Sitting on a crate, Perseus gazed out to sea in wonder. It called out to him like a forbidden lover. The salt filled air gave life in his lungs that he never felt so strongly before. The cool gentle breeze lifted his spirits with hope.

When it was time to travel back home, Perseus heart ached to leave the salt waters behind him. He made a vow to return. Since that day, once month for his mother's sugar, he would travel back to the harbor. Every time, the sea called out to him more and more. His parents saw this and tried talking to their son, but nothing would make him forget. Sally try to set him up with a lovely lass, but his heart called for a different lover. For two years, Perseus felt the sea pull him closer and closer until he couldn't ignore it any more.

He packed a small bag of a few items and left his parents a note: I'm sorry. He knew that his parents would be disappointed in his departure, but he couldn't spend the rest of his life just existing. He only felt life when close to the sea.

Finding work at the harbor was easy since every ship could use more crew members. He found work on a transport ship that was setting sail for the Caribbean. Spending months at sea was addicting. The crew taught him how everyone worked together. They were a lively group of people, loved to drink, sing, and just like Perseus they to only felt alive when out at sea. However, they also lived by rules and code of ethics that the empire has imposed on them. Perseus quickly learned to hold back his wild nature that wanted nothing more than to be unleashed.

The other crew warned him about chance of Pirate attacks. The crew described them as a band of wild men who followed their own rules. They took what they wanted, fought whoever they crossed paths with, and live their lives with no code of ethics. Just like the sea, Perseus thought. Untamable, unpredictable, and will destroy anyone who dares to face her anger.

After two months out at sea, they arrive at an island. Havana, one of the crew told him. They would spend a week here before setting off again to another island. That first day, Perseus wanders the city in amazement. He has never seen a town such as this. Olympus soldiers marched the streets but that didn't stop the men from singing loudly in the taverns and the woman dancing freely.

It was so much different from his own hometown or the port he would go to. Back home was a modest humble village built out of stone and mud bricks. The roofs made out of wood that always was rotting way, letting rain into the houses. Each house was scattered around but there were a few shops and official buildings joined together near the market place. Surrounding the town was thick forest with a few dirt trails cutting though it to other villages. Compared to the light and colorful buildings of Havana, his home was dark and dreary.

Havana buildings were made out of light colored stones and bricks. Some of the walls were even once painted once bright blues, reds, and yellows but are now are softer due to the consent sunlight. However, what amazed Perseus the most was the size of the buildings. Every home and store was at least two stories tall, some even more. There were also so many buildings that it was like a maze to even find his way around. Scattered throughout in between the buildings where tall palm trees.

After exploring the town and taking in its foreign beauty, Perseus spent most of his time in the taverns drinking pints of rum. It wasn't the most pleasant drink but he developed a taste of rum while out at sea. One night a group of loud rugged men took over the tavern. They sung the loudest and drunk the most. Perseus assumed they has just arrived here from out at sea since Havana has three harbors, a perfect place for trading and travelers to rest.

A group of Olympus soldiers walked in, a hush filled the place for a moment but then everyone went back to how they were before. Ignoring them, Perseus went back to his rum and the lovely woman in his lap. Suddenly a crash, followed by the sound of shouts. The ragged men were fighting with the soldiers. Like the other patrons, Perseus stayed out of it. That was until a soldier fell into his table, breaking it. Full of rum and a sudden need to fight, Perseus joined the group of ragged men in the fight.

"What is your name laddie?" one of the men asked him while smacking a solider with a mug.

"Perseus," he said knocking another solider to the ground.

"Join me at the southernmost harbor just after sunrise."

With that, the group of men fled the tavern. More soldiers filled in, chasing at them, and some approached Perseus. Knowing they were going to take him to jail, or kill him, Perseus fled the tavern also. Running though the city and advoiding the guards was exhilarating. The fire in his blood fuel the energy needed to successfully evade the Olympus guards.

Perseus stumbled onto the southernmost harbor just as the sun was rising. Sitting on a pile of crates, drinking from a bottle of the rum, was the man from the tavern. Wordlessly, Perseus sat next to him, and the stranger passed the bottle. Like always the rum was harsh but it filled his thirst.

"So, you manage to escape the guards," the man said in a gruff voice. "Impressive. Not many can do that." Not knowing what else to say Perseus passed the bottle back. "You're not from around here are you?"

"No," Perseus told him. "I arrived here earlier this week on a trade ship."

"Got any experience manning a ship?"

"Only what I learn in my travels."

"Care to join my men and I on some adventure? There will be more fights like what you witnessed just hours ago. Bigger ones even. I can use a man like you. Someone stupid enough to get into a fight he didn't start but still smart enough to escape unscathed."

"What's your name?" Perseus asked.

"Captain Halton Lester."

"Well Captain Halton you got your self another crewmember. I will gladly follow you were ever the sea takes you."

The Captain clasped him on the shoulder.

"Excellent."

Perseus followed his new Captain to his ship. "Listen up lad!" Captain Halton shouted when boarding the ship. "This here is Perseus. Our newest citizen of Blackjack!"

Sailing under Captain Halton was different than the trade ship he was on before. For one, the Captain knew everyone's name and their story. They worked together as equals. The only code they lived by was the Code of Piracy, which Grover Underwood-the quartermaster-enforced. Code of Piracy consist of eleven rules that were easy to follow, which allowed them to live as they do, freely under no one's ruling other than their own.

Working on the Blackjack was exactly what his soul needed. Working on the trade ship was a good way to be introduced to life at sea but here was where the real adventure was. They sailed wherever they wanted and plundered every ship flying the flag of Olympus. Every so often, they stopped at deserted island for rest, repair for the ship, and stock up on the supplies they could gather.

During the first ship battle Perseus was a part of, he felt like he was dancing with death. It scared him but gave him an addicting kind of thrill. It took some getting used to, but once he did he was constantly itching to feel it again. Perseus was one of the few who would volunteer to explore the underwater shipwrecks. He wasn't afraid of using the diving bell, and face the unknown dangers down there alone. In fact, he craved to be in the water. He was always looking for a reason to be in the water, where he could feel the sea embrace him.

The crew started to call him son of the sea for how much he loved the water.