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Summary: One would never think of a demigod of one of the Big Three begging, at least not begging another demigod, but given the circumstances, Percy was willing to do just, that for Annabeth's sake at least. But is Percy the only one pleading for help? Takes place a few weeks after "The problem with promises" and I think a few days after "Blood of Olympus."
A pleading demigod:
Percy knew that it was kind of his own fault this was happening. Well, maybe not. Damn Hera or Juno or whatever her name was to all of Hades. She took him from Camp Half-Blood and from her. She wiped his memories in the River Lethe. If there was ever a deity that he wanted to kill, even to kill slowly, it was her. Not even Kronos or Gaea got that rare honor of such wrath from the usually reasonable Percy Jackson.
He wondered how effective cursing a god was. Did it only have consequences to the mortal or demigod spewing out the curse? Or did some of the psychotic goddess's power fade with it? Even if it was only a little bit of her power that petered off, wasn't it worth it just to spite her, after all she had put them through?
He was pretty sure that Frank and Jason at least would agree with him. Having your fate tied to a freaking burning log and being abducted as a child and taken from your mother and big sister couldn't have been good for you.
But the die had been cast, and now his and Annabeth's fate, though still bound by the prophecy of the Seven had started to be cut away at. He found solace with Reyna and was starting to build up a college at Camp Jupiter for Half-Bloods and other Legacies, but Annabeth refused to leave Camp Half-Blood. She had found a home there and wouldn't be leaving it any time soon. And she had found her own solace, her own soul mate. Or soul mates, plural depending on who you asked. Percy was happy for her. He just needed to make sure of one thing before he and Reyna got to their construction.
He had to make sure that she was in good hands. Yes, he had no business in Annabeth's relationships now, and yes, he was technically stepping on toes by doing this, but he had to know she was going to be okay.
He still loved Annabeth. Not like a boyfriend anymore, maybe, but he still deeply cared about her. How could he not? He had known her since they were twelve, it was a little hard for him not to still care about her, and so he wanted to make sure she'd be looked after.
Percy stepped down from the rope ladder of the Argo II, landing on the dirt of the camp below. All the other demigods flocked out, looking and gawking at the great hero of Olympus in awe. Jackson inhaled deeply. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. It had been a while since they had laid eyes on him. He had grown far taller, more broad shouldered, hair longer and shaggier, and he was more than sure that they saw how his green eyes flashed with danger, unlike before Hera had taken him and dumped him on the streets. He heard the sounds of Jason and Nico coming down the ladder after him. They'd be staying here for a while. He was happy for them too. It was good that they were together. Jason was a very protective, attentive boyfriend to Nico. That was what the little Ghost King more than likely needed.
He pulled away from his thoughts when he noticed the large, husky muscled figure of Clarisse La Rue near one of the ponds, polishing her spear. She must have heard him, or at least heard the gasps of some of the other demigods because she turned towards him, dark eyes watching as a sadistic smile spread over her fleshy grim face.
"Hey, Jackson," She mocked, "Come to mope because of Annabeth?" Percy's scowl only made Clarisse's grin widen with malice. "Looks like you actually got a spine," She sneered, getting up from the rock where she had been sitting while shining the pole of her spear, "I heard you got tougher on the streets with House Lupa. Aren't you supposed to be with your Roman buddies up at Camp Jupiter? You've fucked up enough with Annabeth." Percy suppressed a growl, swallowing a lump of resentment and guilt.
"I just wanted to ask you something about Annabeth." The son of Poseidon started, knuckling down on the awkward feeling stirring up inside him. Clarisse in response jammed the butt of the spear down into the earth, the pressure making the earth give way and enclosing the circle of the dirt around the spear's handle, keeping it stable there, and turned to Percy, arms crossing over her chest as she stared at him coldly. "Well, Jackson?" She snapped.
Percy finally started, trying to make his voice as calm as possible, "Look, Clarisse, I'm sorry. Even if Hera was the one that took me from the camp, I know it hurt. I know having me away hurt everyone, especially Annabeth. But if we're going to make this work, I just want to ask something. I know you both had feelings for each other before Hera so I don't know if I even had a chance. But I'm glad that you and Piper are here for her now. So could I just ask something?"
Clarisse's eyes narrowed. "What's that?" She remarked, her gaze not quite apprehensive but close enough.
Percy finally submitted, gradually leaning down and going to his knees, hands flat on the ground before Clarisse, eliciting a startled gasp from the large demigod, "Please…..just promise me that you and Piper will take care of and love Annabeth as well as you can. Please."
He felt the impact of the shocked stare on his back. "I….I swear. I swear that I'll take care of Annabeth. I swear on the River Styx." It was Clarisse's turn to startle Percy. His head swung upwards, staring at the daughter of Ares. Clarisse had just made a vow on the River Styx, an incredibly dangerous thing for anyone, particularly already cursed demigods to do. Clarisse stared intensely at the other demigod. "Are you really surprised, Jackson?" She snapped, "What, you thought you were the only one that loved her? Wake up, seaweed brain, why do you think I went with you into that Labyrinth that made Rodriguez a blubbering maniac? Think I'd have done something like that just because? I wasn't gonna leave Annabeth just with you and that halfwit Cyclops and satyr."
Percy's teeth clenched at Clarisse's insult of Grover and his brother but Clarisse grabbed the middle of the spear, yanking it out of the ground with great force and swung it down, the tip at his throat. "And who was it that survived Tartarus with her? Me and Piper. That's right, the two of us were down in the underworld with Annabeth, till we got to the Doors of Death, not you. You were busy cuddling up to your Romans. I warn you, Jackson," She sneered, "You're a Roman now, so as far as I'm concerned, you've lost your right to call yourself part of Camp Half-Blood. You stopped being our protector long ago. I'll take it from here. I covered your asses when that punk Octavian came here, thinking he was such a badass, but I got him, or didn't you hear?"
This time, Percy felt a shiver. Oh, he had heard alright. Clarisse had put that spear of hers right through the unfortunate Octavian, right through his stomach, spilling his insides out as the blade of her spear shot through till it sprang from the bloodied flesh of his punctured back. Supposedly Clarisse had done worse to his body just to spit in the face of the Roman Legion. "Go home, Roman," Clarisse spat the word 'Roman' out like it was the dirtiest word in the world, "You gave up your right to be here. You want to stay with them and build a college there? Go ahead, not my concern."
Percy took the chance to rise to his feet, the blade tip of the spear following him as he went up to his full height, eyes locking with Clarisse's. "You shouldn't be so harsh with Romans," He added to her, "You have a brother that's Roman after all." Clarisse blinked and scowled at the reminder of Frank Zhang, the son of Mars she had met at Camp Jupiter before the place had almost become a battlefield when Leo was possessed and set fire to it.
"So what?" She asked, shrugging her big shoulders, "He can take it. If Romans are as tough as they claim then they can take it. So what are you Seven planning? Annabeth and Piper are staying here of course, and you're now the Legion's bitch. What about the rest of you?"
Percy wanted to get angry at her calling him the Legion's "bitch," but he couldn't help but smile at that. It was just such a Clarisse thing to say. He forgot about the spear at his neck when he chuckled, he suspected, confusing the other demigod for a few moments, "We're a bit split up, I guess. Leo said that he was going to take Calypso to live here with the rest of you and they'd camp the Argo II out near the woods in the Mist. Jason won't leave Nico, so both Jason and Nico will leave here too. That's actually why we're here. To drop them off. They're getting their stuff ready to live in the Apollo Cabin. Will Solace made the arrangements with Chiron. But Frank and Hazel are making plans helping us with the college. I even heard Hazel talking with Frank about possibly raising kids at Camp Jupiter."
Clarisse snorted but said nothing. Percy smirked at her. "What?" He jabbed, "Too cheesy? What about you? You're telling me Annabeth and Piper aren't interested in having kids or ever thought about the future?"
Clarisse rolled her eyes. "That's none of your business, Jackson." She answered flippantly, "We'll adopt, I guess. There's plenty of irresponsible gods and goddesses out there. Some unclaimed children of Ares, Hermes, Demeter or whatever." Clarisse's expression softened and she thankfully withdrew her spear from where it hovered over the young man's throat.
"Annabeth wants children, I can tell." Clarisse began, one of those rare gentle smiles coming onto her face as she thought about it, and Percy felt the sting of envy for a moment, "And I think I'd like that. Annabeth and Piper, they'd make good mothers." She looked at Percy seriously and behind that hard glint of her deep brown eyes, he noticed something that didn't appear often there. Insecurity. Vulnerability. He hadn't seen that in a while. He only remembered seeing it at least only two times before. Once when she had been threatened by Ares on their mission to retrieve the Golden Fleece and the second time had been when Annabeth was captured by Luke and the manticore a year before Clarisse had gone into the Labyrinth with them. And of course, he was not going to utter a word of either of those times to her.
"You think you won't be a good parent?" Percy asked, suddenly struck with the ridiculousness of this. As a demigod (not to mention the son of Poseidon), he was used to being threatened and insulted as well as praised and respected for his deeds, but to ask such a normal, albeit worrisome question after having the blade of a weapon so close to his throat was kind of befuddling.
Clarisse shook her head as she glared at the ground, "I don't know. I want to be a good parent. But I'm good at kicking people's butts into next century and pulverizing monsters, not looking after kids. I don't know how to…."
Clarisse was glaring away from both Percy and the ground, and the son of Poseidon was certain that she was trying to look at anywhere else except him because she didn't want to admit that she was basically asking the son of Poseidon and the irritation she had known for years who had snubbed her father the first year he had come to Camp Half-Blood, and the guy that used to be her lover's boyfriend for help. The idea seemed nearly impossible. Wasn't Percy the one that had come here to plead a request? But then, in the world where Greek and Roman gods existed, monsters ran rampant and there were magical places all around the globe, was impossible really a word that he could use anymore?
Percy again tried not to laugh and it came out as a sigh, "Clarisse, I'm not a dad, I don't know any more about parenting than you do."
Clarisse grumbled something that Percy couldn't catch but she snapped out quickly, anger evident, "Whatever, waterspawn. The point is, I don't know if I'm cut out for this."
Percy wasn't sure what he should say. He started realizing that he wanted kids when he had held Annabeth in his arms again after so long at Camp Jupiter after the bounty hunt had been put on his, Annabeth and the rest of the Argo II's crew's heads. He just had always thought that the mother of his children would be Annabeth. He just hadn't realized his feelings yet for Reyna. But yes, he wanted children. He used to think about how they'd have Annabeth's grey eyes and long curly blonde hair. Now he dreamed of children with dark eyes and hair as dark brown as Reyna's with brown skin.
Still, what did he have as a good example to be a good father? The closest he had had to fathers were Poseidon, Smelly Gabe and Paul. Poseidon was never there for him, he barely showed up, just offered him advice and expected him and the other demigods to serve them, Gabe was an abusive piece of garbage, and Paul was more of a cool friend than a dad.
Suffering from the same fears that he'd be a bad father, he could empathize. He spoke in a voice that was reassuring, "I really don't know how to be a parent, Clarisse. But I'll tell you this, I'll be the opposite of every parent except my mom. I'll be there for my kids and I'll prove that I love them every chance I get and I won't break their trust and I won't hurt them. That's more than I can say for the Olympians." Clarisse turned back, startled as she stared at the other demigod. Percy offered a smile and shrugged, before turning back in the direction of the Argo II. "Take care," He called back, "And tell Annabeth and Piper I said hi. Leo will be coming back with Calypso in a few days after they've dropped me, Frank and Hazel off."
As the black haired demigod strode off, Clarisse stepped forward and opened her mouth, but stopped herself. What was she going to say? Thank you? Stay? She bit her lower lip hard. She wasn't going to let the punk know that she once considered him her friend. She would not. He made his choice. He was going off to be with the Romans. He was of no concern to her.
She huffed and pivoted, swirling around and walked towards Cabin 6 where Annabeth and Piper were. As she reached the steps, she halted and looked over her shoulder where she saw Percy's departing figure in the woods. She smiled. Yeah, showing your children that you loved them, never hurting them, never breaking their trust and actually being there for them. What a radical idea. The Gods really should be taking notes.
She turned back towards the cabin and walked on in.