Percy

The 24 year old Percy was dead tired while working the register at the mall's confections store. He rubbed the fading cut under his eye, trying to pry his eyes open.

Annabeth Chase, his girlfriend, who was his anchor when getting his Achilles heel, held up the sky with him, and kept him alive and well for 12 years, was moving to San Francisco for an architectural project, and he wasn't able to get a job and go with her.

He had stayed up all night communing with her about the situation, and by the time they were done it was about 2 in the morning. His small two bedroom apartment had a very somber mood laying atop it as Annabeth left for her own apartment.

Percy awoke at 8 in the morning, barely able to open his eyes due to lack of sleep. He stumbled out of bed and got his uniform on for work, a green t-shirt and khaki shorts, made breakfast, and left the apartment complex for his car.

His slightly banged up 2008 Honda Accord hummed to life, starting up and pulling out of the parking space.

He drove through the bustling city down to Manhattan Mall at 8:45, arriving at the store by 8:57.

By 10:00 he was nearly asleep, eyes fluttering open every few seconds as to make sure he didn't drift off. He lifted the cup of coffee, something he rarely ever drinks, to his mouth, taking a large sip.

Ruby, 12:20 PM

The young girl darted around the mall, searching for the store the man told her to search for. She had already dashed passed it multiple times, but was too ignorant of it to read the sign. The fact that she had been moved into a younger form of herself was not helping either.

Curse this wretched small body! She thought with annoyance as she kept running and searching.

There it is! The store! I found it! She dashed with glee straight towards it, about to run inside, when

WHAM!

She was sprawled out on the floor, 3 feet away from the entrance, a young man in a green shirt looking down at her with a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry that was-"

"I'm... fine." She croaked, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. "I've just been looking all over for the candy store and now I'm here and now I need to find someone but I dropped the picture of him and~"

She blabbered on, speaking extremely quickly and nearly unintelligibly.

"-and he has uh... black hair, and-"

"How old are you?" The man asked, offering a hand to help her up.

She counted on her finger, not exactly knowing how old her body was, especially after being shot through time and probably space as well.

"Uhh... 7?" 7 sounded good.

He hoisted her up, "you said you were looking for someone, right? Is it a parent? Are you lost?"

"Yes, no- actually yes, sort of. They apparently don't know I exist and-" she took a deep breath, "and no."

The man had a confused look on his face, as he processed what she just said.

"Do you have... their name or... what's your name anyway? That could help, maybe."

She stood up straight. "My name is Ruby Rose Jason. Or... Johnson. Or... something like that. The name was something like that..." she began pacing around, eventually wandering right into the store.

"Hey, wait, the store's closed for- never mind..."

Percy, 12:33 PM

"Hey Annabeth, I sort of got sidetracked on my way to the food court." Percy spoke into his phone.

Annabeth sighed "What happened, seaweed brain?"

"A little girl slammed right into me while looking for a parent of her's, or something like that. Could you meet me back here? I can move my break ahead about an hour to get lunch after, kay?"

"Alright, I'm coming down now. Give me five minutes." Annabeth responded, ending the call.

Percy pocketed the small phone and leaned against the counter, resting his elbows on top.

Ruby still sat in the corner at one of the tables, trying to remember what the name he had told her was.

About five minutes of nothing later, Annabeth came through the door, dressed in a blue sweater and jeans, with her Yankees hat loose on her head.

"So why exactly did you not show up to lunch?" She smirked jokingly.

Percy motioned to the corner where Ruby was sitting, wearing a puffy red jacket and loose sweatpants.

Annabeth studied her for a moment, before turning back to Percy. "Yeah, leaving a lost kid alone would not be good for your conscience."

Annabeth and Percy continued talking, as the conversation moved more towards her move to San Francisco.

"It's gonna be fine, Percy. It's only 6 months. There's nothing to worry about. I'll be staying with-"

"Jackson!" Ruby shouted, face gleaming.

Percy and Annabeth both turned over to face Ruby, puzzled.

"That's what it was! Ruby Rose Jackson!" She started. "And the other one was... Peter! No... Pat... Perseus!"

Annabeth turned to Percy. Percy turned to Annabeth.

"That's who the parent I'm looking for is! Percy Jackson!"

Percy's face flushed, and he looked at Annabeth with a "I don't know what in Hades is going on, send help" look.

Annabeth stared blankly at the back wall.

Ruby hopped out of the chair and rushed up to the counter, pulling herself up so she was eye level with Percy.

"Do you know where I can find Perseus Jackson?" She asked, with a bright smile on her face.

"That's... me..." Percy said quietly.

She hopped off the counter, "How did I not recognize that weirdly shaped nose! I should've known you were the same person in the picture!"

Percy didn't have a weird shaped nose.

Did he?

"And the hair is also different, that's it! Your hair is weird and short compared to... yourself! In picture form!"

"H...how am I your parent?" Percy questioned, still in a nervous shock.

"Because I was born 7 years ago! By you! Or... close enough!" Her cheeks turned bright red. "But I found you! And now you can "finalize the loop" or... something!"

Percy turned to Annabeth again, who was still staring at the wall processing the information.

"Oh! And you gave me this note. To give to you." Ruby exclaimed, digging through one of her coat pockets and pulling out a small slip of paper, and tossing it to Percy.

Percy unrolled the slip, reading through it.

"I couldn't really tell what it said. It's in a different language." Ruby commented, standing with her hands clasped.

The paper was in Greek, and read;

Young Perseus,

You probably have many questions. Most of which are about this young girl standing before you. As I recall, she's around 7 years old as far as her body goes. But in actuality she's 15 years old. We hail from a separate reality, but by alll means, she's your child.

You... probably know how that complicated things, but you must keep Ruby under your care and guidance until that time comes. She has our blood, which means our power.

She still lacks the knowledge that I sent her, me being you, but that doesn't matter. The thing that matters is that we stop messing around with time. You need to raise her correctly. Everyone around you is willing to help. She's a powerful girl.

In fact, she's probably just as powerful at this very moment as we were at age 11.

Take good care of her for you.

-Yourself,

Perseus

Percy found the choice of wording a bit odd, especially if this letter was written by a future him, but Percy didn't really have much choice but to believe what the letter said. After all, it would be odd for someone to try and trick him into thinking this was all true like this. After all, it was.

Annabeth slowly walked out of the shop without saying another word to Percy. And continued until she was out and away from the mall.

Away from New York.

In San Francisco.

Two weeks later.

Percy didn't know how to tell if Ruby was really his daughter or not.

Her being 7, and him being 24, she would've been... conceived, around the time he had lost his memory, which was all too plausible for Percy.

He could've gone to a doctor for a DNA test, but he decided that wouldn't be helpful, with the godly part of supposedly both of their DNA.

But instead he turned to Apollo.

The god of healing.

Not doctors.

He would've turned to Asclepius, if he knew where in the Hades the Minor god was.

So his best choice was Apollo.

Percy had devised a moderately good strategy for finding Apollo, all he'd have to do is look for the flashiest, brightest red car he could spot during high noon, and wait.

Percy didn't actually know when high noon was during the winter, but he did know where to find a bright red car with a sun decal covering the back. So he went there.

Incredibly, it worked.

Percy was leaning against the face of a building, Ruby holding his hand sitting criss-cross on the floor next to him, when he spotted Apollo on his way to the car.

Why Apollo parked his chariot for two hours above the city in the middle of winter? Who knows.

Why Apollo was wearing a tank top... in the middle of winter? Who knows.

Why Apollo looked at Percy and gave him a very uncomfortable and awkward version of the finger guns?

Because he saw Percy standing near the chariot, and thought he needed a ride.

That's why.

And he refused to not give him a ride.

"Perseus Jackson! Where do you need to go amigo?" He shouted enthusiastically.

"Actually I just needed-"

"Take a ride first, get what you need later." Apollo grinned, sliding into the front seat of the red Ferrari.

Percy sighed, pulling Ruby up and towards the car, sliding into the back seat.

"Are we going for a ride?" She asked, pulling off her headphones.

"Hopefully just a regular ride, yeah." Percy sighed.

"Relax, Perseus! It's my day off!" Apollo replied.

"Day... off?" Percy was extremely confused.

"Indeed! It's so cloudy out that the sun can stay in one position without anyone noticing! Day off! Apollo answered.

"What about... never mind."

The Ferrari shot off into the road, popping off the road ever so slightly at first, before Apollo set it back down.

They drove around the outskirts of the city for around 5 minutes, before Apollo turned around to face Percy."

"So what did you track me down for, Percy?" Apollo asked, "something to do with our small friend here? Is that your young baby sister who wasn't born when you crashed your car into... everything, while getting me to camp?"

"No she's uh... well apparently... my daughter." Percy said cautiously. "I came to you to ask if she actually is, like a... DNA test. But-"

"She is." Apollo said, scanning the young, aloof girl. around and looking at the two. "She looks asleep as well."

"Wh- that fast? Are you serious?" Percy gaped, turning towards Ruby, who had indeed fallen asleep against the door of the car with her headphones back on.

"Yes. 100 percent serious." Apollo responded. "You know, you could've just asked any god you came across. They all would've been able to tell you. Even Chiron."

Percy fidgeted with his hands, looking back up to Apollo. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he wouldn't have to have the burden of some random child being dumped on him.

I mean, that's exactly what happened, but the weight was lifted from his chest.

"Thanks, Apollo." Percy said. Leaning back and closing his eyes for a moment.

"Anytime kid. We're here." Apollo replied.

Percy looked back down, and saw that they were back on the street corner they had started from. He didn't question it, but he was slightly annoyed.

Percy didn't want to wake the sleeping Ruby, so he slipped out the other door and went around, picking her up and walking back to his car.

"I'm going to go get back to work now. It's at that time of the day where the sun staying in one place would be suspicious." Apollo shouted, driving up and off towards the clouds.

Percy chuckled lightly, opening the back door to his car with one hand, hoisting Ruby into the backseat without waking her, and buckling her up.

He got in front, started the car, and drove back to his apartment complex.

He slept well for the first time in two weeks, knowing that, no matter how difficult and out of control the situation gets, he'll know it could've been many times worse.

That's the first chapter! I'm not sure whether or not I'll continue this story, but I'm hoping I do. There's not much RWBY elements yet, but it'll start enveloping more and more of it if the story continues.

Thanks for reading!

Steve