Okay, so I know I promised a prequel and another chapter to my crossover. That's coming, I swear. But I really wanted to get this story going. So, yeah. Here we go! **GO LOOK AT MY PROFILE FOR DISCLAIMER IF YOU CARE**

The kid sat in the jail cell, staring out into the police station. A police officer walked up.

"Jackson?" He asked. The boy in question nodded. "Your mother is here." The

lock clicked and the occupant walked out, escorted by the cop. In the waiting area, nervously pacing, was a woman of about forty. When she saw her son, she rushed towards him. The cop raised a hand.

"Ma'am, we need to get a few things done first." He produced a clipboard and pen. The woman took it and read over it. She signed her name, Sally Jackson, and handed it to her son. He read it.

I, Perseus Jackson, understand the weight my actions. I acknowledge that any further actions in breaking the law will result in heavier penalties.

There was more, but Percy just signed. It was bad enough he had ADHD, but dyslexia was probably worse. He handed the paper back to the cop.

"You can go." A bronze pen was handed from cop to former convict. Percy took it and shoved it in his pocket and turned towards the door.

"Come on, Mom." He walked outside into the cold Ohio air, walking towards his mother's car.

Reaching back, Percy flipped his hood up and leaned against the passenger door. When Sally arrived and unlocked it he hurriedly got in. Sally sighed and also climbed in. She started the old Camaro and they drove off. The first few minutes were silent. Percy stared out the window at the corn fields.

"Percy."

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why do you keep managing to get arrested?"

"I don't know."

"That's not good enough."

"I don't know Mom! I don't know why I do it!" His outburst caused a moment of

silence. Sally's next sentence broke it.

"Your father is aware of your actions." Confused, Percy asked,

"Gabe?"

"No," Sally said quietly. "Your biological father." Percy's jaw dropped.

"The guy that abandoned us?"

"He didn't abandon us, Percy. He is a very wealthy businessman. His company needed him."

"What company?"

"Olympus Transportation. He's COO of it and manages their water vehicles. His two brothers, your uncles, operate the air and ground parts. His youngest brother is the CEO and the oldest is CFO. They were about to get into some very complicated legal stuff and he had to go back."

"So he's a greedy money-man? Great." Percy leaned his seat back, trying sleep and to tell his mom not to talk to him. She took his point and they drove on in silence.

When they arrived at their home, Percy woke up. He quickly got out and ran into the house. Not because he was glad to be home, but because he was trying to avoid Gabe Ugliano, his stepfather. His hand had barely touched his room's door handle when he was yanked back. The smell of beer blasted into his face.

"How was prison, punk?" Gabe asked. Percy blanched.

"About as good as your I.Q." He retorted.

"Your rich daddy called. Said he wants to take you in. Hopefully for good." Gabe slurred. "Then I won't have to worry about another mouth to feed. 'S bad enough you act like a delinquent. You eat all th' food."

"No, that's your fatass eating it all. I have to break into houses to eat!" Percy yelled. Gabe socked Percy in the gut.

"Don't talk to me like that!" he roared. Percy fell and gasped for breath. Gabe raised his foot and kicked his ribs. Percy closed his eyes as the hits rained down

Ten minutes later Percy stepped into the bathroom. After his beating, Gabe had lumbered to his room and passed out. Percy peeled his shirt over his head. Bruises and cuts dotted his body. Old marks and scars overlapped, mixing with the new ones. A particularly bad cut ran from his shoulder to his right peck. Opening the cabinet beneath the sink Percy pulled out a bottle of neosporin and wiped it over the cut. Unwrapping some gauze, he wrapped it over the cut. A quick snip and he was all good. Turning off the light, he walked back to his room. Though room didn't quite cut it. It was more like a place for Gabe to dump his used beer bottles. Percy tried his best to move them aside, but they just rolled right back to where they were. He sighed and flopped into bed. The springs creaked. Percy listened to the wind blowing outside his house. The cold bit through his thin blanket, chilling him. He pulled the blanket closer to himself and curled up.

The next morning, Percy woke up very tired. He had spent the entire night trying to stay warm. He eventually ended up sleeping in his jacket. Sleepily falling onto the ground, he lay there, contemplating whether or not to go downstairs. Standing, Percy blinked and trudged downstairs to the kitchen. The smell of pancakes filled the air. Percy smiled. His mom made the best pancakes. Soft, buttery, blue pancakes. Percy loved the color blue and his mom went out of her way to make everything blue. Gabe had flipped out a few years earlier about how it was impossible for food to be blue. And so began the long tradition of blue food.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Sally greeted. She handed Percy a big plate of blue pancakes. Percy sat at the table, poured syrup all over his plate, and dug in.

"Percy, we need to talk." Percy looked up from his food.

"What?"

"We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Your actions."

"Yeah, yeah. It's wrong and I shouldn't do it anymore, blah blah blah."

"There's more." Seeing his confusion, Sally kept going. "I told you last night that your dad was aware of your actions. Well, last night after we got home, I called him again. He, he said he would take you in for a few months." Percy was stunned. His mom was sending him away?

"Why?"

"I think the reason you do these things is because of Gabe. And you don't really have any friends."

"One, you're right about Gabe. Two, you're also right. But I'm fine here."

"No, you're not. Your father, his name is Poseidon, lives in New York City. You'll be staying with him during and after winter break."

"But that's tomorrow!"

"I know Percy. It's for the best."

"Adults always say that. As if it magically makes it better. I don't want to live with him! He left us!"

"He had no choice!" Rarely did they yell at each other. They sat in silence until Sally spoke again. "Start packing. We're leaving at ten." Angrily, Percy stood and stalked to his room. Slamming the door shut, he sat on his bed. New York City? That was the complete opposite of Ohio. And it was eight hours away. Percy pondered this. No one would know him, save for his father. He would go to a bigger school. He could make friends. But he couldn't. The last time he had a friend, it ended badly.

"Come on, Percy!" Luke said. The older boy ran ahead of Percy. They had vandalized a store that night. Nothing major, just graffitti. The storeowner was there, though, and saw them. She shouted at them, threatened to call the cops and the boys ran, abandoning their stuff. They tore between the buildings, trying to get away. As they came to a road, Percy hesitated. He can't run out into a road. It was much too dangerous. The speed limit was fifty-five. In the dark, they wouldn't be seen until it was too late. Luke had no such qualms. He ran out into the road. Halfway across, he turned back and yelled to Percy.

"Come on, Per-" The truck came from nowhere. It hit Luke with a crunch. Percy watched as his friend was thrown beneath the front fender and bounced along under the bottom in slow motion. When the truck passed, it screeched to a halt, red illuminating the scene. Percy sprinted to the mangled body. Blood flowed across the road, streaming from Luke.

"Luke!" Percy shouted. He shook his friend to no avail. Percy desperately felt for a pulse. Nothing. Percy looked back at his friend's face. His left eye was rolled back in his skull and his right forced open. His mouth was frozen in shock. Percy's vision blurred and his hearing changed to a buzz. He barely heard the driver running over, asking if he was okay. He hardly saw the red lights of the ambulance. The handcuffs snapped onto his wrists, blue and red flashing, taking him away.

Percy snapped out of the flashback. He looked at the clock. Nine a.m. Plenty of time. Walking to the window, Percy pushed it open. Quickly writing a note, he climbed out of the window and ran.

A few minutes later, he reached his destination. It didn't seem like much. Just the outskirts of the small village. Percy turned left and walked a few hundred feet. On the side of the road rested a small, blank, white cross with a long dead wreath. Percy fell to his knees. He pulled out a Sharpie and wrote across it.

Luke Castellan. My friend. R.I.P.

"Hey, Luke. It's me. Ya boy. I'm leaving. My mom told my dad, my actual dad, of all the shit I've done. They decided to send me to him. So yeah. I might not be back for awhile. I miss you, buddy." Percy 's voice shook. He stood. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a red spray paint can. Luke's favorite color. Shaking the canister, Percy painted his friend's grave red. Except around the writing. He left that. Opening a switchblade, he looked at the engraving on the blade. Backbiter. Percy closed it and set it by the cross. He stood and walked away.

When Percy got home, he immediately packed all his belongings into four bags. Two suitcases, a duffel bag, and a backpack. He checked his pocket to make sure his lucky pen was there. It was. Percy put on his backpack, hefted his duffel onto one shoulder and wheeled the suitcases out to the kitchen. His mother was waiting. She took a suitcase and they went out to the Camaro. Gabe was waiting. He popped the trunk and threw Percy's bags in. Percy was digging through one when Gabe leaned down next to him.

"I won't say I'm sad to see you leave, punk. Because I'm not. You were just a waste of space. A waste of a human. I hope I never see you again." He snarled. Percy stood and glared at him.

"If I find out you mistreat my mother, I will come back and kick your ass." With that, Percy went to the passenger door and got in. Sally remained outside for a bit longer. She said goodbye to Gabe, reminded him to get some decent food, and got in. The car started and they drove away. Away from the past. Towards the future.

Yes, I made Percy be from Ohio because I am. I also didn't want him to be from San Francisco. Ohio is probably one of the most boring states to live in aside from Cedar Point. R&R, por favor! I likey those. -RFA