Summary: Gaea has been defeated and the Camps have been reunited. Things return to normal as the world settles down again. Percy and Annabeth are happier than ever as they live at Camp Half-Blood. Life is turning out well until Percy catches Annabeth kissing a new camper. Broken hearted and betrayed, Percy leaves without telling anyone. When he meets a strange man at a bar with an offer that could just maybe fill the hole inside him, Percy has to make a choice: 'You can either walk out that door and go on with your broken life or you can swear off women forever.'

Velkomen to the repostdux thing that is Brotherhood of Renegades. I know I pulled this story a while ago without much reasoning. I never thought I'd finish it, so I decided it didn't need to remain on . However, thanks to a polite question from miabug02, I've decided to repost BoR with some small changes. Not sure if I'll finish this. I'll certainly try to because I want a story out there that isn't CHAOS themed. So yeh, enjoy, rediscover this story, and cheers.

Chapter 1: Wallowing in Self-Pity

Athens, Greece…

Night had fallen over the city of Athens like a warm blanket of black that was spotted by the glimmer of stars. The citizens of the historic city were returning to their homes after the hot summer day. Some were in the bars or pubs that lined the streets. One such pub was of particular interest as someone of great renown among those who weren't mortals sat inside. The pub was empty of all occupants, save three people. A snoring figure slumped in a dark corner of the tap room while two people sat at the bar, one being the bartender. The youth sitting at the bar with his head in his hands had black hair and vibrant sea-green eyes. The bartender placed a small shot glass before the youth and stepped away to clean some mugs.

Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon and Hero of Olympus, raised the shot glass to his lips and gulped down the fiery spirit, grimacing as the strong liquid cascaded down his throat. He banged the shot glass down on the bar and gestured for another. The bartender, an old wizened man with grey hair, eyed the young patron as he slid another glass in front of him. Percy wrapped his fingers slowly around the glass and knocked it back almost as fast as he had with the first. For a mere second, the alcohol soothed the pain he was feeling and he smiled in contentment. Then the pain returned. Growling deep in his throat, he placed the glass back on the bar counter and gestured again. The bartender sighed, placing another glass before the depressed demigod.

"Woman or work?" the old man asked in heavily accented English. Percy looked up, confused.

"Pardon?" he asked, his words partially slurred by the alcohol.

"There are only two reasons why someone with that face would be drinking," the bartender elaborated, running a cloth across the counter. "Woman or work?" Percy chuckled, taking the third shot glass.

"Both," he grunted before downing the contents. "My girl and I work together at a training camp for kids. We've been through a hell of a lot together and came close to dying several times. Few weeks ago, things started to settle down and we were happy. Then, I caught her kissing this new guy behind one of the cabins. I didn't know what to do when I saw them... So, I ran." The bartender listened silently like he always did for the men and women who needed someone to talk to.

"Do you still love her?" the old man asked. Percy looked up, as if surprised by the unexpected question. He looked at the shot glass in his hand thoughtfully, trying to think of an answer. The counter behind the shot glass was warped as he looked through the glass, his mind swirling around itself. Finally, he shook his head and shrugged.

"I don't know," Percy sighed. "We've been through so much together. I guess I just wanted to be with someone who understood me." The grey haired bartender smiled gently and reached under the bar. He pulled out a bronze flask and swished it once to know if it still had some liquid in it. Nodding in satisfaction, he placed the flask on the counter in front of the demigod.

"On the house," he said. "But you are still paying for those shots." Percy smiled and nodded in thanks, watching the bartender walk through a door into the back. Sighing, the young man took the flask and opened it. He was about to take a swig when the hair on the back of his neck bristled and he froze. Something close by had the intention of doing him harm. Slowly, the demigod placed the flask back on the counter and reached into his pocket, feeling Ripetide in his pocket. Pull and flick. That's all it took. Just pull and flick-

Percy spun around, bringing his hand out of his pocket with Ripetide clenched in his fist. He thumbed the cap off and the bronze sword appeared in his hand. Percy fell into a crouch, ready for a sudden attack…

That never came. Percy blinked at the empty tap room in surprise. He was sure that someone or something had wanted to harm him. His shoulders tense from caution, Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out Ripetide's cap. After sheathing the weapon, the young demigod gave the pub a cursory glance. A subtle shift in the shadows caught his eye. Focusing his gaze on the shadows, Percy stepped backward apprehensively. A young man in his mid-twenties stepped into the light, a bemused expression on his face. He began to clap.

"Bravo," the strange man applauded. "You're just as alert as they said you were." The man's voice was a deep baritone that reverberated through the floor like a miniature earthquake. Percy glared at the man curiously. He certainly didn't recognize the stranger but he did know one thing: he wasn't mortal. No mortal would've ever known that Percy was a demigod. So he had to be either another demigod or a god. Or, worst case scenario, some kind of monster.

"I'm sorry," Percy said. "Who are you?" The stranger ignored the question as he sat at the bar. Percy looked at the man curiously. He had never seen him before, of that he was certain. He wore a long black coat that was the most likely reason he'd remained hidden in the shadows for so long. His pants were a dark grey that hung in open ends around his ankles. Dark blue running shoes were laced on the stranger's feet and a dark grey shirt like his pants covered his torso. Despite the clothes, Percy knew that the man had an athletic build. He had sat at the bar with a comfortable grace that would've made Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, gape. Or blush. You could never tell with her.

The strange man rapped twice on the bar counter to summon the bartender. The old man stepped from the back room. His eyes landed on the stranger and he smiled as he moved forward with a hand outstretched, babbling in Greek as he crossed to the bar. The stranger accepted the offered hand and shook it firmly before responding to the man in English.

"A bottle of the good stuff and two glasses," he ordered. The bartender nodded and hurried into the back. The stranger turned to the cautious Percy and gestured to the stool beside him.

"Sit," he requested. "Please." Percy hesitated for a moment before accepting the offered seat and sat. He took advantage of the proximity and scrutinized the man's face. His eyes were a dark brownish-red, like rust. A scar ran across his right eye and intersected with another scar that ran horizontally from his right ear to end beneath his left eye. His skin was a colored bronze from exposure to the sun. Despite his apparently young age, his hair was a light grey that contrasted significantly with his darkened skin. Percy's observations were interrupted by the return of the bartender. The old man held a dusty bottle in one hand and two short glasses in the other. He placed all three items on the counter and spoke to the stranger in Greek again.

"I'll pay," the stranger said as he stuffed a hand into a pocket and pulled out a wad of euros that he then handed to the barkeep. Nodding in thanks, the old man went into the back room to leave the two patrons in peace. Percy watched as the strange man picked up the dusty bottle and poured the contents into each glass. The liquid was like a dark gold, almost like nectar. Taking one of the glasses, he raised it in a toast.

"To Perseus Jackson," he toasted. "The Savior of Olympus." The man downed his drink in one swallow and shuddered before placing the glass back on the table to fill it again. Percy eyed the man cautiously, not touching his own beverage. The man noticed his untouched glass and frowned.

"Now then," he joked. "Don't leave me hanging. It's impolite." Percy narrowed his eyes and slowly took the glass of golden liquid. The demigod raised the glass towards the strange figure.

"To whoever the hell you are," he retorted brazenly before he knocked the drink back. He grimaced as the liquid touched his tongue. The burning sensation was significantly more potent compared to the ordinary liquor he'd been downing earlier. It took some time for the burning to abate and when it did Percy turned to the young man beside him.

"Who are you?" he asked, his words slurred almost beyond comprehension. The young man chuckled and pulled a plastic water bottle from his coat that he slid towards Percy.

"That'll help you feel better," he said, ignoring Percy's question. Percy looked at the water bottle then back at the young man. The young man snorted in amusement as he took the bottle and opened it. The son of Poseidon watched blearily while the young man air fountained for several seconds before lowering the bottle as he swallowed. He held the bottle out to Percy.

"Satisfied?" he asked cheerfully. Percy nodded sluggishly as he took the water bottle and guzzled it. Instantly, his head felt better. The burning sensation in his throat was reduced to a dull throb and his eyesight had cleared. Frowning, Percy looked at the young man closely.

"Who are you?" he repeated. The young man smiled.

"Leman," he said, holding out a hand. "Leman Russano." Percy took the hand and shook it. Leman retrieved his hand and poured another drink out of the dusty bottle.

"I heard that you left your girl," Leman said as he watched the golden liquid cascade into the glass. "Cheated on you, did she?" Percy twisted his face into a grimace.

"I'm not sure," the son of Poseidon replied. "I didn't stay long enough to get the details. I just saw her kissing a newcomer to Camp and bolted without speaking." Leman chuckled.

"Well, you picked an ironic place to wallow in self-pity," he teased. "Drinking in the city named after your girlfriend's mother." Percy's eyes widened in surprise.

"How'd you know?" he asked quizzically. Leman chuckled again as he sipped slowly at his drink.

"I know a great many things," the young man replied. "It helps me do my job." Percy frowned at the young man's words.

"Who are you a son of?" he asked. Leman grinned wryly.

"Full of questions, aren't you?" he joked. "I'm a son of Hephaestus. I have never been to Camp Half-Blood. I was found and mentored when I was only five." Percy's frown deepened.

"Who mentored you?" the son of Poseidon asked. Leman's smile disappeared.

"A wise and dangerous man named Anathem," he answered. "A son of Athena. He died a year ago from a poisoned arrow he caught while we were fighting a Manticore." Percy lowered his gaze, understanding Leman's sorrow.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Leman snorted and smiled.

"Don't be," he chuckled. "He was a bit of a bastard at time but man, he sure knew how to fight! I've seen him beat down the Nemean Lion and walk away without a scratch." Percy gaped. Taking on the Nemean Lion alone was no laughing matter. The son of Poseidon himself had only been able to defeat the Nemean Lion all those years ago with the assistance of two huntresses along with Thalia and Annabeth. And even then they had still been beaten up pretty badly. But to defeat the Nemean Lion alone…

"He must've been a courageous man," Percy commented. Leman shrugged, sipping from his glass again.

"He had his moments," the son of Hephaestus grunted. "But I didn't come here to talk about my past. I came here to talk about your future." He shifted so that he could look at Percy directly. Percy blinked at the demigod in confusion.

"My future?" he asked. "What about my future?"

"I'm offering you a chance to be something incredible," Leman said in a hushed tone. "Something that lives in the shadows of history and works to help all peoples, not just the self-serving gods and their offspring, but the entire world."

"Something incredible?"

"Yes, something incredible," Leman snapped irritated at Percy's parroting. "First question: what do you fight for?" Percy cocked his head to one side in puzzlement.

"Pardon?"

"Answer the question!" Leman barked.

"I fight for my friends!" Percy shot back. "I fight to protect!." Leman nodded, his grin almost lupine in nature.

"Good," he said. "Best reason to fight; for the protection of others. Second question: do you still love Annabeth?" Percy gulped. He honestly didn't know. Annabeth had been with him for most of his demigod life. She had supported him and fought with him for several years now. His mind flashed back to the Camp where he had noticed Annabeth kissing that camper. It could've been anything. It could've been an accident. The guy could've forced himself on her. It could've been mutual…

Then he remembered the sound Annabeth had made when that camper had kissed her. He remembered how he had seen her hands twisted into the guy's shirt. That image steeled his nerves. That image decided his answer. Percy looked at Leman with furious eyes.

"No," he growled. "I don't." Leman nodded, his grin gone.

"I'm not gonna say that's good," the demigod said, almost sadly, "but I can't have your head in the clouds if you're gonna be my apprentice. Third and final question: will you never love again?" Percy blinked in surprise. Now that one he hadn't seen coming.

"Pardon?" he asked. Leman's face went grim.

"You have two choices, Percy," he rumbled. "I'm offering you a once in a life-time chance to do something only a select few have ever done before. You can either walk out that door and go on with your broken life-" Leman pointed at the pub's door. "-or you can swear off women forever." Percy was silent as he weighed his options. Leave Leman's offer and remain a dog of war that came when called or become something that could affect the annals of history…

Percy knew that there was no going back, regardless of his decision. With that in mind, he stood from his stool. Leman's eyes flashed with fear, realizing that Percy was refusing his offer. Then Percy held out his hand. Leman was dumbstruck for a moment. Never before over the year since he had lost his mentor had someone accepted his offer. Until now. Leman looked up at Percy in awe and respect. Percy grinned wolfishly as he sealed his fate.

"When do we get started?" he asked gleefully.

And there's the first chapter of Brotherhood of Renegades Repostduxthing. I'll upload the other chapters in a semi consistent fashion because work, life, and other personal hobby/obligations are a thing.

Cheers.