Summary: The scorpion at the end of the Lightning Thief had been much more deadly than Percy's first let on… He wakes up one year later with newfound muscles, an enhanced and angelic face, dulled eyes, invisible scales adorning his body, and a strange abilities over all poisons… all hail Percy Jackson, the new Scorpion King.

Pain!

Enormous pain filled his veins and spread across Percy's body like wildfire; with a feral snarl, he dropped to one knee, Anaklusmos falling uselessly at his side. Dimly, in the corner of his awareness, he could make out the thin form of Luke Castellan, his eyes glinting sadistically as he savored his victory.

Dead. Dead, dead, dead. That was what Percy wished he was. Because this pain, this writhing pain he could not take. Molten magma sloshed through his heart, lighting everything in an endless flame.

And the worst part? He could feel the droplets of scorpion venom seeping through and slowly entering his bloodstream, converting his blood, his energies, into something darker. Something deadly.

And through it all, Percy writhed and tried to scream; but his throat wouldn't work, couldn't work. Perhaps a silencing venom… whatever the case, Percy hated it. Hated it entirely.

Luke was speaking now, his voice clearly smitten with victory. "I've outsmarted you, Percy. I expected more, really."

His voice seemed to come from a mile away, through a fishtank. The words were barely decipherable, so distorted that Percy could barely understand his words.

"This scorpion venom is pure genius!"

Percy paled. Ah. So it was venom. Surely it would kill him then, murder him like it would do to any mortal…

But he wasn't mortal. No, far from it. Percy Jackson was a demigod- a powerful one at that.

And as he eyed the beady holes (he didn't care to call them eyes) glinting smartly on the tiny scorpion's face, he made a sudden decision.

No. He was not going to die. He wouldn't die. No force on hell or earth could make him die. Screaming and writhing, his mind twisting, he fought against the poisons, trying for the life of him to take them out.

But they were too much. The internal struggle ended very quickly- and very decisively. Percy gasped as they forced their way, bit by bit, through his veins despite his efforts. Redoubling his strength, he could only feel in despair as the dark energy raced up his arms and into his heart…

He felt it stop. He felt his heartbeat stop, felt the everlasting sound cease mid-beat. And now Luke was truly laughing, his voice uncontrollably loud, guffawing at Percy's stupidity, his ignorance, his lack of foresight…

And Percy watched him as he strolled calmly out from under the grove and out of sight.

The pain suddenly redoubled and forced its way to the forefront of his mind; Percy could only watch helplessly as the last of his blood escaped from his lips. He felt his body roll to the side, sloshing away across the dirt and into the river…

He could fight no more. His body and his mind, tired beyond comparison, slipped into the realm of the unconscious…

And he let the darkness claim him…

1 year later…

Katherine Heatherfield could not help but blush every time she looked down upon Patient #14. The boy was undeniably handsome, with sculpted muscles, a chiselled stomach, and an angelic face; she found it was calming yet strange to look upon him like this.

His name, she'd found out, was Percy Jackson. The paramedics found him lying unconscious in the forest and had brought him into the medical department, but by then it had been too late to remove the venom.

All they could do now was wait. Wait and hope he'd wake up from his already year-old coma.

Humming softly to herself, she scrubbed a bottle of antiperspirant, stealing covert glances at the boy. Thousands of questions raced through her mind like firecrackers, but at the forefront of her mind was: how did this happen to him?

After finishing scrubbing sloppily, she returned the bottle to its original cabinet. She'd been lucky to have a post cleaning this room. Usually the female doctors would draw sticks to clean the room- and it wasn't hard to guess why. Glancing again at the boy, she gave a little huff.

His eyes shot open instantly. She nearly jumped out of her skin. They were a dark emerald, as if the brightest green had been diluted with a dark purple. For a moment, nobody moved a muscle.

Then Percy chuckled, and she screamed.

Percy found it vaguely amusing to wake up to the face of a blushing, pretty nurse. "I'm sorry, can I help you?" he questioned. His voice surprised him. It wasn't hoarse- oh, no. It was a smooth velvet, as if polished by sandpaper. It only made the nurse blush more.

"Er-yes… I-I'd better go…" hurriedly, she scooted from the room, turning to hide her bewildered eyes and red face.

That, of course, being the moment the panic sets him. The memories suddenly hit him like a wave- the scorpion. Luke. Turning, he whirled off the bed. And gasped.

Newfound muscles adorned his body; when he glanced in the mirror, his features had been enhanced a hundredfold. But that wasn't the thing that shocked him most. His eyes… they'd been diluted, dulled. It disturbed him.

"What has it done to me…?"

He flipped his palms and pressed his hand against his skin. It gave just the right amount, the way human skin would. He pressed harder. Something wasn't right; he felt a strange barrier between his skin and his flesh.

It was as if they were tougher somehow, more giving, yet firmer and stronger...

Annabeth suddenly strolled in, her hands covered in a clipboard. She looked up. Their eyes met, and Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Percy!"

A flying mass collided with him, and, chuckling, he pulled Annabeth into a brief hug.

"Thank goodness! I thought you'd never-"

She caught herself. "I mean, I'd always believed that you would pull through, Percy."

The daughter of Athena eyed him up and down, her gaze settling on his stomach, chest, and face. Small tinges of a blush formed on the edge of her cheek; she turned to hide it. "What happened to you, Percy?"

"I don't know." this answer was truthful, mostly. "The scorpion venom… it changed me."

"I can tell." the reply came quickly and tersely. Annabeth visibly composed herself and focused on a point below Percy's neck, as if adamant not to meet his eyes.

She looked more beautiful than ever, and the year he'd been out had only given her more time to compliment her looks. Percy found himself staring.

He mentally scolded himself. Hormones, stupid hormones!

And then the gravity of the situation hit him like a sledgehammer. "I- I've got to go. Luke! Where- what-"

Annabeth, with a calming hand, gently pushed him back down. "Sorry, Percy. You've got to have some time to rest and recuperate. We can discuss this later-"

"No, we can't!"

His words made her visibly flinch, as if stung. He quickly softened his tone. "Sorry, Annabeth. But it's urgent."

He tried to make his way around the girl, but she was fast, blocking his path at his every endeavor. "Percy. We'll sort this out later!"

Her exasperated words fell on deaf ears. He had to get out immediately. There were things more important than his health at work here! He eyed the daughter of Athena balefully, and said a quick, "Forgive me for this."

Annabeth visibly tensed herself, as if preparing for a fight. Percy, with the speed of a viper, leapt up and lashed out with his hands, pulling her into his embrace. The daughter of Athena's eyes widened as their lips met, forcing all rational thought from her head.

They stayed like that for a moment, locked in each other's embrace, before Percy ended it. "Sorry." he whispered. "I really do have to go."

Before Annabeth realized that he had tricked her, that he was now behind her, that he'd shifted their positions during the kiss, he strolled from the room.

And now he was well and truly sprinting, never tiring. The venom in his veins truly was strong, powering his every movement..

Then he remembered. This was the same scorpion that killed Orion, the scorpion that spawned from Gaea herself… he paled. It wasn't venom powering him. Oh, no. It was the strengths of the aspect of the Earth.

There was no time for such thoughts now. Not so much as gasping, he streaked up the side of the hill and paused at the porch of the Big House.

Chiron, sitting along the armchair in his dormant form, didn't so much as spare a glance up at him when he arrived.

"Ah, Percy. I see you've finally awakened."

He didn't look the least bit surprised. "Yes, Chiron! There's something very important-"

The old centaur cut him off. "Is it Luke?"

Percy frowned, surprised. "Actually, yes, sir. He was-"

"We know, Percy. We know."

His grave words surprised the demigod. He hadn't heard his old mentor this down since… well, ever. At Percy's confused look, Chiron elaborated. "We found out the hard way… you see, during the year you've been in coma-"

Percy's jaw dropped at this. An entire year?!

"a lot has happened. A new quest was issued, undertaken by Clarisse, the daughter of Ares. She died in a fight with-"

His breath caught at this point. "Luke. Luke Castellan. Her fellow quest-member, Annabeth, barely made it out alive with the Golden Fleece."

A billion questions raced through Percy's mind, but at the foremost- "Was Luke ever caught?"

Chiron turned a grave eye on Percy. "Percy, you need your rest. Now is not the time-"

"Was Luke ever caught?!" he uttered, his voice cracking yet forceful. Chiron sighed. "No, Percy. And that is currently our biggest worry."