Disclaimer: I don't own PJO
"Ryan, please! Don't do this-"
"No Sally, no. I.. I won't take it, that child is of the devil, I swear!"
"No, not my baby! You can't, Ryan, you-!"
A metallic slam shook Blueberry out of her slumber, the leaves and twigs of her bush shuddering with her jerky awakening. She rested for a moment, blue tinged hand placed over her thudding heart.
"Blueberry! Psst, hey!"
"Bramble?" She muttered back, sitting up. "What is it? Did you see?"
"Oh, Blue!" Her friend whispered from her own bush, crawling out as quickly as she could. "Its a car, they've gone and left something. I think it's a baby, Blueberry. Tiny, left here all on its own! Listen, you can hear them crying from here."
Blueberry frowned, picking her way through her own bush to meet Bramble's brown gaze. A car at this time of night? Surely not, it was far too late for visitors. The revving of an engine couldn't be confused, however, the screeching of tires even more so.
"Who would do such a thing?" She asked, taking her friends hand as she scrambled from her bush.
Bramble shook her head. "I don't know, but I don't think we should leave them. They wouldn't last a night by themselves, I shouldn't think."
Blueberry nodded, grip tightening on Bramble's hand as they raced off, tripping over roots and dead branches in their haste. The main clearing came into sight, the eldest of them surrounding a small patch of grass. In the center lay a small, golden basket, which rocked in time with the wind and a small baby's cries. Bramble tugged her arm, and together they made their way over.
Reaching the basket Blueberry knelt beside it, tugging away at the soft blue blanket that covered the babe. Watery green eyes met hers over the edge of them, a small head of black hair framing their blotchy face. Blueberry felt her chest ache.
"Oh Blue, look at him!" Bramble gushed, reaching down to take a soft pale hand. Her friend frowned, "Him, Bramble? How can you tell?"
"Mortals like to use colours, don't they? Especially with babies. I remember Willow telling me about it, 'blue for boys, pink for girls' she said. I've never understood it, mind. Why do colours need genders?"
Blueberry hummed in agreement. It was rather silly. Carefully, she reached down into the basket, wrapping secure arms around the little boy's body. As she lifted him, a small, brown piece of paper fluttered to the ground, dislodged from the blankets like an Autumn leaf. Bramble scooped it up.
"I don't understand," she frowned, staring hard at the markings. "It only says 'Perseus', what could that mean?"
Blueberry giggled, "I think it's his name, Bram."
"Funny name, that is. Why not something normal, like 'Twig' or 'Leaf'? Why do many syllables for such a small person."
"Maybe they expected him to grow into it."
"Well, I'm most certainly not calling him anything like that." Bramble shook her head, wafting her dark curls about. "Percy will have to do, I suppose."
"Percy," Blueberry let it roll on her tongue. Looking down at the child pressed to her chest, she smiled. Percy gave a contented burble, curling into the warmth. "Yes, I like that.
AN: This idea has been bouncing around my head ever since I read Paimpoint's 'To the Waters and the Wild', so if you've read that you may have an idea on what this fic may be like. Obviously it wont be identical, but no doubt some things will be similar.
I'm going to try to post once a week for this, I've already got the first two chapters already written, meaning my other fic may be put on the back burner for a little while. Sorry about that, writers block is the worst.
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