Chapter 1: Memories (Percy's POV)

12 years.

It's been 12 years since World War III, the war that sent my father to Tartarus. The war started when Zeus and Hades decided that humans had gotten to powerful. I thought the idea was stupid and their plan to "down grade" mortals was worse. My dad disagreed with them and it started a war. The war divided the council and their children. Chiron kept the average demigods at camp under control but almost each cabin leader was called to help their parents. Of course, I was happy to fight for dad and the human race. I couldn't imagine what Nico and Thalia were thinking when they sides with their parents.

The war was even, a perfectly tied game like a basketball game that went into overtime again, and again, and again. Ares, Hephaestus, Apollo, Hermes, and even Dionysus sided with us. On Zeus's team, was him Hades, Hera, Artemis and of course Athena.

~Flashback~

I had met Annabeth in a clearing in between a grove of trees in Central Park. Soft red flowers painted the field. I smiled as I hugged her, I hadn't seen her in so long. She pushed me away. What was happening?

"Percy, my mother is siding with Zeus and…" she whispered, looking at her toes, "I will too."

She turned around and started to walk away. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards me. Forcing her to look me in the eyes. Her eyes were red and swollen. I could see her pain, I knew her too well to think otherwise. I also knew she was probably breaking up with me. I tried to talk her out of if. She broke through my grasp and ran away after telling me to surrender. A lot of my friends told me that.

I never would have been able to tell that she was 3 weeks pregnant. I don't know how she was able to hide that from everyone and I had only known because a friend told me about it. He was born three months premature, and the second Annabeth left the hospitable I used the Mist to get a doctor to write a letter saying that 4 day old "Luke Chase" died of heart complications. Then I changed the baby's name is Tyler Jackson and allowed a rich aristocrat couple, who thought adopting babies was "in" adopt him. I feel a little bad about telling Annabeth that he was dead but I knew that if I wanted to ever meet him I couldn't let Annabeth know that he was alive. Also, if Thalia or her mother found out he was dead for sure.

Ever since the war Zeus's allies had been trying to find me. It was hard to avoid the monsters and assassins they sent after me but I found a few people to trust. One of those people was Natalia.

That wasn't here real name of course; according to her that's how its best translated to English. She is a half-immortal sorceress. She used magic in the way you'd imagine someone from "Harry Potter" to use it; carrying potions in her handbag and levitating the TV remote when it was to far out of reach etc. I meet her and her fiancé when they offered to help during the Giants' War. She stayed neutral during the war and tried so hard with Hestia to avoid it. She showed me where she had set up safe houses and places where monsters ignored or couldn't go.

Right now, she was navigating me through a horde of traffic through Manhattan. It was a stupid idea to go where my most powerful enemies were but today was an exception. I could tell she was nervous just from her appearance. Whenever she was nervous or anxious she seemed to be like 40-50 years old usually she looked around 20. Now she looked 49. Finally, we pulled up to a limestone luxury apartment building overlooking Central Park. As we walked into the lavish lobby, she seemed to calm down and regained her youthful royal glow. For years now, I'd been coming here on the last Sunday of every month to visit Tyler.

A greasy brown-haired butler opened the door to the penthouse and Tyler stood behind him grinning from ear to ear because I came and wasn't unconscious (like that time when he was younger). Natalia told the butler that he could take the day off and he ran to the elevator trying to get away from his job as quick as possible. Tyler hadn't changed much since I last saw him a month ago. He looked like a carbon copy of me; except his hair was curly and his eyes were a stormy gray. I remembered who he got those features from. It hurt to be reminded of Annabeth, and how she betrayed me. It seemed like the world was trying to remind me of her in any way possible. Whenever I see someone blonde, smart or beautiful it reminded me of her. Even though she, and my two former best friends, Thalia and Nico were probably making plans to track me down, I still miss seeing them and having them only a walk away.

When inside the apartment,

"You guys need me to stay or no?" Natalia asked in her layered accent.

"No, I'll keep us safe." I said, making myself a sandwich and inhaling it just as quickly.

"Iris-message me if you need anything I'll be at the 'Madame Tussaudes' museum with Brandon."

Natalia said waving good bye as she walked out the door. Brandon was her husband. I don't think I have ever since her upset when they were together, he radiated happiness and could easily be a stand up comedian. Last time he and Leo were in the same room for more then 20 minutes the furniture was wrecked and they were rolling on the floor laughing. (Don't ask.)

"What are we gonna do today?" Tyler said his eyes glinted with excitement.

"We can go to Central Park and practice sword fighting and then I want to visit my mom, Sally and my step father, Paul." I was looking at the pictures on the mantle of a fake fireplace. The newest one was of Tyler's fifth grade graduation a couple weeks ago. I had tried so hard not to miss that but after a bad fight with a drakon I couldn't walk for five hours and had missed the whole thing. All the pictures on the mantle seemed to be an array of everything I had missed. It felt like I took an arrow to my heart. I turned away to face a confused Tyler.

"You mean my grandparents have been living in New York this whole time?" he stood gaping.

Weird I thought I told him that already.

"Can we see them first?" he asked. He probably assumed that my mortal parents were just as cool as the stories I had told him about my quests.

"Sure, why not?" I said smiling.

We took a taxi to the apartment building. I hope they still live here I thought as I knocked and the old brown door. Tyler's eyes darted everywhere like he was trying to commit every small detail to memory. Thankfully, mom opened the door and not some stranger.

"Percy!" Mom managed between joyful sobs. Finally, she released me from my massive bear hug. Paul shook my hand clapped my back as if he was awarding me. It took them a while to notice Tyler.

"Who's this?" Paul asked.

"Tyler Jackson, my errrr…son," I answered causing an awkward silence. It must have been weird looking from him to me because I looked about 20 years old, eternal youth was the gift that the Olympians bestowed on the seven demigods in the Giant War and Nico because he was a major help too. My mom had known about Tyler but had never met him. That probably didn't matter to her she probably loves him already.

I was surprised by the amount of pictures they had in the apartment of me. I was "paranoid" as a normal person would call it and only gave Tyler only one picture of me. In the picture, I was holding baby Tyler for the first time. I looked extremely happy but at the same time nervous like I was afraid I was going to drop him. While mom baked blue cookies in the kitchen, I started telling him the story behind every picture. I already told him about my quests and stuff as bedtime stories but I hadn't told him much about Annabeth, Thalia, or Nico. He was shocked when he found a picture of me having my arm wrapped around Annabeth's waist and kissing the top of her head.

"You never told me-''

"You never asked." I said in a soft voice.

I slowly took the picture from him. It must have been taken at the Roman camp because I was wearing that embarrassing, purple toga. Even though Nico was kidnapped and we had a terrible prophecy looming over us like a storm cloud we both looked happily oblivious to that. I felt a small twinge of pain as I remembered World War III. If she really loved like she had said why did she betray me? I hated that picture, it was a lie.

I lit a light under the picture and watched the edges of it burn before Tyler snatched it out of my hands. The picture pushed me over the edge. All these years of sleeping in allies and traveling from country to country in a manner of days I kept my anger under control. This was too much. I skimmed through the rest of the pictures in the stack. They were all pretty much the same. I was about to set the entire stack on fire when my mom burst in with a plate of blue cookies.

"Percy, stop that!" she yelled.

I cringed back and all my anger subsided. Tyler's gray eyes were murky pools of anguish, perhaps even disappointment.

Despite the tension and my outburst, nobody could resist Mom's cookies, they seemed to ease everyone back into a good mood, even me. Tyler told them about himself. And I added that he played five different sports and how he made honor roll despite having ADHD and dyslexia. I couldn't help but smile and sit up a little taller. Mom and Paul seemed proud too.

When we had left, it was raining so we couldn't go spar in Central Park. The living room in his apartment would probably suffice. I just we don't accidentally set anything on fire…like last time.

Even though we had been sparing for 20 minutes and Tyler hadn't even touched me his blade, he seemed perfectly happy. I couldn't help but laugh when seeing him with the small dagger I had given to him for his seventh birthday. It had "fallen into my hands" after an encounter with Annabeth and Nico; it was Annabeth's dagger. I hadn't told Tyler that it was his mother's dagger but he loved it all the same.

After a while, Tyler's best friend called and asked if he could come over. I kinda wanted to meet him so I told Tyler that I didn't mind.

What a terrible choice I made.

Question: you guys like my new characters? I can either add them more in the story or the opposite any tips to make them better? What do you think will happen in the next chapter will Tyler's best friend be someone from Percy's past or worse?

This chapter took me a while to write and I don't write so fast so please be patient

Thank you!