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Disclaimer - I do not own anything pertaining to the PJO universe.
Percy had always been a sucker for a good romance movie. Sure, he'd never admit it to any of his friends, not even Annabeth, but Percy was a closeted rom-com fan. On weekends, you could probably catch Percy bawling over Titanic - once, Jason walked in on him; Percy had never, ever, ever! been so embarrassed in his life. Of course, there would normally be no need for keeping something, especially something as simple as a favorite movie genre, a secret from his friends. But, Percy supposed, this was different. He was the Hero of Olympus, a role model for the kids and a literal magnet for the girls. Admitting that he adored romance movies was admitting that he wasn't the perfect "man", who was tough and emotionless to others but sweet and caring to his loved ones. (Whoops, there he went again with his romance movie tropes!) Renouncing that part of his perceived personality meant that Percy was giving up part of his image, which was all too important to him. His image equated his likeability, and Percy knew, more than anything, how much everyone else despised a coward. Manly men always won out above the sensitive men. And if nothing else, Percy was sensitive. Romance movies managed to bring that sensitivity, that had been shoved down over the years, to the surface. Watching rom-coms was probably the only time that Percy allowed himself to feel normal. But to keep everyone else happy and to keep everyone else from suddenly turning on him, Percy swallowed those feelings. Loyalty was his fatal flaw, after all. Even if he had to live a false life, trying to become a different person, it would all be worth it if humanity was safe, and maybe even more important: if humanity loved him. A fatal flaw denied would, indeed, be fatal. Percy would be reduced into a wreck of his former self, so his only choice was to bottle it up. For the sake of love? Maybe. But for his own? Definitely.
Personally, Percy thought romance movies were so appealing to him for a different reason. From birth, he had lived a troubled life. The kid never got a break, not until he turned eighteen. Rom-coms helped Percy believe in a perfect world, where the boy always got the girl and the bad guy always got defeated. Perhaps that was the essential lesson that he had to absorb. Life was not, after all, a romance movie. It shouldn't matter, though - Percy had all of eternity to learn that truth.
2015. A year after the defeat of Gaea, Percy's victory seemed hollow. He had saved the world once again; could he possibly get some peace now? No, it seemed as if the gods were not feeling so lenient today. Another day, another grind. More people to save, more primordials to vanquish. Welcome to the life of Percy Jackson, where your most glaring flaw prevents you from really, truly, living.
PERCY POV. 726 AM
Couldn't even protect a single demigod-
Who could ever trust you-
You're disgusting-
Only a monster could do that-
I can't believe that I ever loved you-
Percy rolled out of bed and immediately stubbed his toe on the brand spankin' new (ly remade) fountain, courtesy of Poseidon himself.
"Di immortales!" he screeched.
His daily routine had been the same for the last nine months. Get jolted awake at precisely - hold on - 7:26 AM by an absolutely terrifying nightmare; tumble out of bed in order to get a grip on reality; walk straight into the fountain, slamming at least three body parts into its unforgiving stone. And, of course, the daily screaming and cursing at the complacent fountain. Percy could have sworn that it was mocking him. As it was, his next-door neighbors in Ares's cabin complained every single day about being able to hear him through the stone walls.
But alas, Percy Jackson was officially up. After vigorously rubbing feeling back into his toes, he managed to stand up and perform the rest of his daily routine, the part that ordinary people do. Brushed, scrubbed, and ready to tackle the new day, Percy flung open the door and strode out into the sunlight.
God, he's so hot- I wish I could be like him- Percy is my role model- Annabeth is so lucky- How does he get so ripped- That shirt is so tight- I hope he can coach me today- Maybe- Love it- Cu- S- - - - - - - - -
The wave of voices hit Percy, nearly sweeping him away. With a weary face, he managed to tune everyone out, a skill gained by months of experience. Finally, Percy steeled himself. He squared his shoulders and donned his mask, smiling at everyone and waving to his especial friends. Even after a year, the gossip hadn't died down yet. Everyone still wanted to be inside Percy's head (or have Percy inside them) to see what, exactly, the Hero of Olympus did for fun, what the Hero of Olympus liked to eat, what the Hero of Olympus worked on at the gym, so on, and so forth. Percy was sick and tired of it, but he needed everyone to know that he cared for them. Loyalty was his fatal flaw, and he would be loyal to the camp for all of his days. Yes, even if they were annoying little magpies at times. Even then.
Finally, Annabeth made her way over to him. "Seaweed Brain, good morning! Can you believe it?"
Percy looked at her, face blank. "Believe what?" Inwardly, he was calculating all of the important events in Annabeth's life. Was today her birthday? Or their anniversary? None too soon, his incredibly incorrect thoughts were interrupted by a sigh and a flounce from Annabeth.
"You really do have kelp in that head, don't you," she smiled indulgently. "Percy, today was the day that we defeated Gaea! Don't you remember that?"
He cringed. Yes, he did remember now, albeit all too well and all too clearly. Percy scrambled for an excuse. "Of course! I just thought that we could move on with our lives after defeating Gaea. Maybe I could finally take that marine biology course that I was talking to you about!"
Annabeth noticed the moment of hesitation. (Honestly, what else would you expect from Athena's favorite daughter?) "How could you forget! We lost one of our best friends on this day. We saved Olympus for the second time. I became The Architect. I designed a monument, rivaling the Parthenon, right here at camp. Isn't that worth something?"
"Yeah, Annie, it really was a big achievement. And I still think about Leo every single day. Nico hasn't been able to locate him, but I'll be continuing the search until my dying day. It's just… not too great to dwell on the past. I can't keep on protecting you guys if I don't get stronger, but sometimes, I just want to be selfish and go to university. I.."
She frowned. "Percy, look. I'll be here. I'll support you, no matter what decision you make. But for now, let's get some breakfast. You look like a hellhound ate you alive and spit you out".
He mustered a weak smile. "Whatever you say, Wise Girl".
PERCY POV. 1208 PM
Training time, Percy's favorite (and least favorite) part of the day. Favorite, because he knew that whenever he stepped into the arena, he would get stronger and become more capable of protecting the camp. Least favorite, because the girls would fawn over him and the guys would want to fight him. And gods forbid that he turn any one of them down! The camp would be furious and his image would be destroyed. Which was, after all, a cause for pain - everyone might hate him, but Percy knew that no matter what, he would always be anchored to this camp. So indeed, it was a dilemma best suited for the local Seaweed Brain.
Speaking of whom, Percy could have sworn that someone was calling his name. He managed to yank his ADHD brain back to reality just in time to receive a resounding slap to the face.
CRACK!
"Holy mother of the gods!"
"Don't speak about my grandma that way!"
Oh. Okay. Percy shook the dizziness out of his head, letting his eyes refocus on… Thalia?
"THALS! When did you come back? Are you finally here to stay? Did you bring the hunters with you? Do you want to spar? How did your last hunt go? What have you been doing for the last year? Who are you with? Where have you been over the months? Why do you always do this to me?" Percy chattered, ecstatic over his favorite cousin's return.
"Okay, okay, okay," Thalia raised her hands defensively, scooting away from his flailing arms. "Gods, I forgot how crazy you are sometimes. I know that you're happy to see me, but one question at a time!"
"What was I- hold on- I forgot- Alright! Most important question right here, and then we can take a break to catch up. Sounds good?"
"Yep. Now, get on with it".
"Who the Hades is that?"
Thalia's head snapped to her right before she let out a sigh. "Oh. I was hoping that you wouldn't notice".
"How scatterbrained do you think I am?"
"Very. I have someone that I'd like for you to meet".
PERCY POV. 456 PM
Percy had broken quite a lot of promises. That was a habit that he could never change. It looks like his newest one was his promise to meet Thalia at Zeus's Fist approximately two and a half hours ago. And judging by his cousin's absolutely livid expression, Thalia herself hadn't changed much either. Always quick to anger, quick to forgi-
ZAP!
Percy's little soliloquy was interrupted by a massive lightning bolt, courtesy of the local daughter of Zeus.
He screamed, twitching like a grasshopper on drugs. "Thalia, I'm running out of PG-13 curse words to yell at you!"
Thalia didn't care. (Or if she did, she did a great job hiding it). She continued on, simply patting Percy's head as she walked by. "If you want your questions actually answered by something other than a lightning bolt, maybe you should show up to our meetings when I ask you to". She flicked her wrist to send a breeze his way. "Brighten up, cuz! If you're feeling extra desperate, you can try sneaking into the Artemis cabin tonight".
He looked down in resignation. Looks like another death attempt is going to happen tonight. Ah well. Percy would be lying if he said that he wasn't curious, and besides, sneaking into the Artemis cabin would definitely win him some respect around camp. So maybe, just maybe, it wasn't all bad. Percy dragged himself to the water, where some naiads were waving at him. While he was here, he might as well get some work done and make some friends. He'd make sure Annabeth didn't get the wrong idea. And even if she did, it couldn't hurt more than that lightning bolt, could it?
AN: It's been quite a while (golden age of fanfiction, or 2014) since I've written anything good enough to post with a good conscience (most of what I've written has been quick songfics that are, quite literally, a hundred words long). But this topic has been giving me some good inspiration. I even have a basic plot outline to go off of! What a shocker! My last fic, Forces of Chaos, was written spur-of-the-moment. That's why there have been so many changes. And also why I'm probably never gonna update it ever again hahahaha lol. Now, I'm hoping to keep my thoughts in order and to maybe deviate a little from basic AF Chaos stories (sorry Wacko12). Anyways, I'm finally back. So buckle your seatbelts for a new, mildly OOC, mildly pretentious, fic from your favorite 0 skill writer, MissH142 (aka Akiana, whose profile you should totally check because there's a poll up!).
Be sure to review. Flame my story all you want, but be sure to give some concrete reasons as to why you hate it so much. Be sure to follow/favorite my story and me! Love y'all.
