Divergent timeline, from the beginning of the first book, also AU where everyone takes things a bit more seriously, everything is a bit more high stakes, and, most importantly, everything is shifted by four years. Because everything is more realistic, and twelve year olds don't fight monsters, even in the myths. Adolescents, yes, but children? No. Also, other minor things are different. You'll see, if you're paying attention.
As a side note, this is very much a pet project and I will not hesitate to skip over the parts that I don't want to write, and if there's a plot hole, I very much don't care in any way. If you think it's cringe-y, then I probably think it is a thousand times worse, and yet I do not care. (Also, there is one part in this chapter in particular that is very cringe-y, but actually it's only things he has in the books. You'll see what I mean by that) Also, if there are grammar, spelling, or syntax errors... oops. Also, nobody's abandoning anything, so don't even bother asking that particular question. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: This is a fan made work, not intended to infringe upon the copyright held by Rick Riordan or anyone else. I do not claim ownership of the setting, characters, or plot created by Rick Riordan or any others, but I do claim ownership of any extraneous elements not under previous copyright.
A sixteen year old boy with hair dark as ink and eyes the color of the sea stumbled back from what had, only seconds before, been his teacher.
Once an old lady with a serious mean streak, what stood, or rather hovered, before him was a leathery bat-like creature with razor sharp talons and a fiery whip, with a look in her eye that told only one story: that of endless suffering.
They were in a museum; the class had taken a field trip. The hag had taken the boy aside after he somehow used the water from a fountain to pull a bully into it, in defence of his friend.
"Where is it, boy!" The thing screeched.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" The boy pleaded.
Crack!
The whip came down on the child's shoulder, tearing his blue T-shirt, as well as the skin beneath it.
The child screamed in pain, clutching his shoulder, his hand dripping with blood.
"Do not lie to us, Perseus! We know you have it!" The hag continued to scream.
"Have what!? What do you mean!?" Perseus shouted, his will strong for one so undisciplined.
A look of absolute fury passed over the hags face, and this time it was her talons that struck the boy, leaving him with four long gashes from his right shoulder all the way down to under the ribs on his left side.
Perseus screamed in pain, blood slowly but steadily flowing down his torso. It seemed the hag was trying to torture the information out of him.
Unfortunately for both the hag and Perseus, one cannot draw blood from a stone*. However, it was very easy to draw blood from a Perseus, and this is what the hag did, over, and over, until Perseus's body was covered with bleeding gashes from claw and whip alike. His shirt was little more than tatters at this point, and his pants did not fare much better, barely covering his groin.
Perseus could hardly think. His body was on fire. If he didn't have his mother to worry about, he would have wished wholeheartedly for death. But, he did have his mother. If he died here, she would be devastated, with no one in the world but his disgusting stepfather to console her. He could not die.
He needed to be stronger than this horrible demon. He needed more power. Power. Perseus kept pleading in his head for power. Anything to see his mother again. Please! he screamed in his head, too tired from the blood loss to speak out loud. Give me power!
Suddenly, he heard a voice in his mind speak, somewhat muffled, but just loud and clear enough to be understood.
I can offer you power, child, but the price is heavy. The voice said. It was a smooth voice, and very pleasant to listen to.
I'll pay any price! I'll give you anything you want, I just need power right now! Perseus responded.
Then it is done. I shall give you what you seek, boy.
Perseus felt something enter his body, it flowed through every pore on his skin, in through his wounds, and they burned worse than before, and he cried out in great pain.
The voice spoke in his mind once again, this time crystal clear.
Child, I will cut to the chase. You have dominion over water. You will need to use it to survive. I will lend you my power. You are lucky you have some, locked away, for I can only amplify your power. You are ten times stronger now than you were before I inhabited your body.
Inhabited? That sounds disgusting, anyway, how do I use my power!? There's no water in here!
Foolish boy, water is all around us. In the air we breath, in our body and the bodies of others. And especially in our blood. Half our blood is water. Will it into our body. You need the blood or you will not have enough strength to survive!
How do I will blood back into my body!? I've never done this before!
There is no trick, no secret. You must simply will the water to move. See in your mind the blood flowing back into your cuts. Feel it! Will the water and it will bend to your every whim!
Perseus tried his hardest to imagine the blood flowing back inside him, and eventually it did, which took a few precious seconds, during which time the hag had asked him a question that he did not hear.
The hag spoke again. "Did you not hear me, boy? I said, 'this is your last chance.' Tell us where the helm is, or suffer, Perseus Jackson!" She hadn't noticed the blood being sucked back inside him until it was too late.
Rise, boy! The time has come!
He rose.
Now, deliver a witty one-liner!
The mysterious voice had strange tastes, but Perseus was not in a position to argue.
"I already told you, Mrs. Dodds: My name is Percy!" He yelled. He didn't know how exactly he knew how to do it, but he raised his arms, and all the moisture in the room rushed to his hands; no more than a few droplets.
But it was enough.
"What in Hades' name!? How did you-when did you-" she was cut off by a bullet of water shooting through the middle of her chest at tremendous speed.
She fell to the ground, defeated.
She spoke her dying words in a raspy tone.
"How are you-" she coughed, black blood flowing from her mouth, "so powerful?"
Percy shrugged indifferently as the monster disintegrated.
He sank to his knees immediately, desperately trying to keep the blood in his body, but blood is only half water, and he was severely weakened from propelling the water at a speed high enough to pierce the monsters tough skin, not to mention sucking all the moisture from the air in the room. His control was still very subpar, and he expended far more energy than he needed to.
Get to Mr. Brunner. He will explain everything. By the time you reach him, I will not be able to supply you with power. I am still weak from being formless for so long, and I cannot sustain such high levels of amplification for very long, yet. I am... going to sleep for a while. After you find Brunner, of course.
Okay. I kind of want to take a nap, too.
No, child, if you fall asleep you will die! I do not wish to lose a form with such potential just yet.
Percy stumbled his way out of the nigh deserted museum, covered in blood. He wondered what everyone would do when he came back outside, his clothes tattered and bloodied.
He never got to find out.
*"You can't draw blood from a stone" means that you can't take from someone what they do not have, in this case, information. Other uses might be in reference to having no money or something similar.
He woke up in his dorm room, all his wounds gone, but the first injury he suffered, on his left shoulder, left a small scar. How long had he been asleep? Just what in the world happened? Grover was nowhere to be seen, his bed empty.
Hello!? he shouted into his mind. There was no response. Was the presence gone? He said there was a price, but Percy hadn't paid it, so he assumed the presence was merely still sleeping.
Either way, Percy knew he needed to find Mr. Brunner. He would've assumed it had all been a dream if not for the tiny scar left behind.
It was late in the day when Percy had woken up, around seven in the evening, and he didn't know if Mr. Brunner would still be in his classroom, but sure enough, when he entered the Latin classroom, the man was sitting in his wheelchair behind a desk, grading papers.
"What brings you here, Mr. Jackson? Not looking for extra credit, I hope, because I don't give any out," the man said with a sly smile.
Percy was having none of it. "Mr. Brunner, we need to talk. I know exactly what happened at the museum."
Mr. Brunner wasn't fazed. "Yes, you suffered quite a nasty nosebleed. You stumbled out of the museum delirious, covered in blood. It gave us all quite a shock."
"I know Mrs. Dodds was a monster. She tortured me! I barely managed to kill her!" Percy angrily shouted.
"Percy, you're not well! You must come with me to the nurse immediately!" Mr. Brunner seemed genuinely worried.
"No, Mr. Brunner. Explain this!" Percy looked around for a source of water, and found one: a bottle of water on Mr. Brunner's desk.
Percy reached out his hand, and focused all his might on moving the water in the bottle to the edge of the desk, and eventually he succeeded in toppling it off the desk. It took a great deal of effort to do so without the assistance of... whatever it was, and Percy was panting by the time the bottle hit the floor.
Mr. Brunner looked absolutely shocked.
"So that's how you defeated the Kindly One..." he whispered quietly to himself.
"The what?"
"Shut the door, Percy," Mr. Brunner said quietly.
And so it was that Perseus came to know that the Greek Gods were real, and that his Latin teacher was the great immortal trainer of heroes, Chiron. He learned of the camp that was in place to train people like him: demigods. Chiron said he wasn't quite sure who Percy's father was, but both of them knew Chiron was lying. There were only so many gods who could give him the ability to manipulate water. Percy wasn't a fool. He loved the beach, and his mother had told him that's where she met his father. The only thing that made any sense was Poseidon, god of the seas. Why was Chiron so loathe to admit it? Something about the look in Chiron's eyes told Percy that if he voiced his opinion on this matter, it would not turn out well. This needed to be a secret, for some reason.
"Percy, it is... unfortunate you learned of this now. I am sorry. If only... if only I had realized Mrs. Dodds... I am sorry you had to go through that," Chiron said sadly, genuinely upset with himself.
Percy, being more prone to curiosity that holding a grudge, was thinking of the first thing Chiron said.
"Mr. Bru- sorry, Chiron. Why did you say that it was bad I found out now? What's going on?" Percy asked, half curious, half worried.
"The Lord of the Skies and the Lord of the Seas are fighting. Both have promised war by summer if their demands are not met," Chiron explained slowly, clearly not wishing to explain such things to someone how was still essentially a child.
"Does this have something to do with a 'helm?' Because that demon, er, Kindly One, kept asking me about a helm. She thought I took it," Percy said earnestly.
"What!?" Chiron shouted, before clamping his hand over his mouth. "I apologize, we must remain quiet. Are you sure she thought you took a helm?"
"Certain," Percy answered.
Chiron sat, deep in thought, for over a minute. One minute doesn't seem very long, but time always seems to move more slowly in silence.
"If a Kindly One believed you to be the thief of The Helm, then the Rich One must have had his symbol stolen as well as the Lord of the Skies. And if that is the case-"
"Chiron, why don't you refer to the gods by name? The Rich One, the Lords of the Skies and Seas? Why don't you just say their real names?"
Chiron looked slightly amused. "My boy, names hold great power. You should never use the name of a powerful being unless you are willing to draw their gaze to yourself. This is why we call the demon you fought a Kindly One, rather than their true name, lest we attract her attention."
"Right," Percy gave a shaky smile. "So the Lord of the Skies had his... thunderbolt stolen?"
"That is correct, Percy. During the Winter Solstice. But gods cannot take each others' symbols of power directly. I had assumed that the Rich One had managed to steal the bolt, but if his helm was stolen as well..." Chiron trailed off.
"Someone is trying to make it look like I did it," Percy said glumly. he had, for the most part, forgotten about whatever had inhabited his body and saved his life, just the day before, but he had not forgotten he was most likely the son of Poseidon, and he had some common sense. Two of the three eldest gods had their symbols of power stolen, and he was the son of the god that still had his symbol. Someone was clearly trying to frame him.
Chiron smiled slyly at his student, before putting his index finger to his lips. "We don't know for certain who your father is, Percy. We must keep this a secret between us for as long as possible."
"But why, Chiron?" Percy whined.
"Because right now, you are only protected by the fact the Lord of the Skies knows not where the so called 'lightning thief' lay in hiding. If you were to suddenly appear, outside the boundaries of camp, he would strike you down in an instant, or at least send an army of monsters to do it for him. That is why we must get you to camp. It is the only safe place for you. Right now you only need worry about surviving until you reach the borders."
"How am I supposed to get there?" Percy asked. He hoped he wouldn't have to walk there.
"I'm afraid you'll have to find your own method of transport. Part of the test to find you worthy, you understand. Not to worry though-Grover will be with you. He knows the way."
"Grover? Is he a demigod?" Percy asked, half confused, half excited.
"Heavens, no!" Chiron exclaimed, though his volume was still quite low. "Grover is a satyr."
Percy eyes nearly leapt from his skull.
"They have a knack for sniffing out demigods. We have satyrs stationed at an incredible number of schools across the country. When they sense something truly special though, they contact me directly. I rarely make such... house-calls, as this."
"So I'm... special?" Percy asked cheekily.
It was at this time that whatever had possessed Percy decided to speak up, within his head.
Yes, child. You are very special. Even before our deal was made, it would not have been a stretch to think you had the most potential of anyone your age in the entire world. I have existed a long time, and I doubt I have met one as strong as you at your age, with the same level of training, of course. Indeed, even without your father's power, you still possess a will of ten point steel. What other adolescent would have remained conscious as long as you did? And as we all know, a strong will is all one truly needs to become strong, for he will learn at any cost, he will get stronger no matter the-
"Percy, did you hear me?" Chiron asked, concerned.
Percy looked down, embarrassed that he had not been paying attention. It was that damn spirit's fault, anyway. He liked to talk way too much. "No, sir. Would did you say?"
Chiron had a kind look in his eye; he had not yet explained that Percy's ADHD was actually constant passive battle reflexes, and very common among demigods. He understood very well Percy hadn't intended to ignore him, though he had no way of knowing the true reason for his disciple's distraction.
"I said, yes, you are special. We cannot be absolutely certain of your heritage, but it is a certainty that you are very strong. And not just physically. Without any adrenaline flowing through you, you still managed to manipulate that much water just now... and to think, a child of his who has this ability at all has only been born once or twice before, and the disparity between the..." Chiron started to trail off, thinking deeply.
Percy started to get impatient. "Chiron? What's the plan?"
"The plan?" Chiron looked confused, still in his own thoughts. "Oh, yes, the plan. Well, I think it best you make your way to camp post haste. With Grover, that is."
"I see. But, how will you get back?"
Chiron smiled. "I'm a centaur, my young lad. I'll be at camp before you've traveled a mile."
"Wait, Chiron. Am I allowed to tell my mother where I'm going?"
"I'm afraid not, my boy, but don't fret. She will be informed, and this place is just a summer camp. You'll see her again before too long."
"Okay." That was good enough for Percy. Although, he promised himself that he would rid his mother of Gabe as soon as he returned. Now that he knew of his scent, there was no need for Gabe to conceal it any longer. He realized that was why his mother married him as soon as Chiron told him that demigods had scents at all. Though, soon she would be rid of that abusive jerk. Percy would make sure of it.
It was a three day journey by foot from Yancy High to Camp Half Blood, and it gave Percy ample time to talk to the spirit living inside him.
Thanks a lot for embarrassing me in front of Chiron, that was real cool of you.
Oh shut it, kid. I saved your life, so be grateful.
Only because I promised to pay you any price. What does that mean, anyway?
You'll learn of the price you must pay soon enough. Until then, don't worry about it. Since, when we made our deal, you said you'd pay anything, I'm not under an obligation to tell you what it is you must pay.
Asshole.
Ingrate.
What are you, anyway? Do you have a name?
A name, huh? Eh, they're not terribly important. Only those whom I've made deals with in the past know I exist, so I don't really have a name. No one named me.
Why not? You said you'd lived a long time, surely someone must have named you by now.
Why would they? There's never any doubt as to who you're talking to in here. Now, if you had two spirits, then I'd need a name.
But, didn't Chiron say names have power, or something? Wouldn't having one make you even more powerful?
That's not the kind of power names have, kid.
Why won't you call me Percy?
To prove a point. I don't need to call you Percy. I can just call you what you are, which is a kid.
So you wouldn't mind if I started calling you 'spirit,' would you, spirit?
Not at all, kid. It's what everybody else has called me.
Well it's far too impersonal for me, thank you very much. I'll have to come up with a real name for you, because I can't stand being called kid. Just call me Percy, please, for the love of the gods!
Percy felt a sort of tension within his mind, as if he could tell the spirit had narrowed his eyes.
Why in the world would I do something for the love of the gods, when I have no love for the gods myself?
You hate the gods?
Not exactly. I hate pretty much all of them, individually, for one reason or another, but I wouldn't say I hate the gods. Rather, I have no problem with the idea of the gods, even as they are now, but the gods themselves I can't stand.
Well, what's the alternative?
Percy felt the tension increase far more, to the point that it almost hurt to be inside his own head.
There aren't many. The titans, for one. Though they are far worse than the gods. They are everything I hate about the gods, but even more intense, and I hate the idea of them as well. Not a single good one in the lot of them.
What about Rhea? Wasn't she-
Shut up, kid, you got no clue what you're talking about.
But she saved baby Zeus by-
I know what happened, boy. I was there. I'm a lot older than you seem to think. But Rhea wasn't a good Titan. Not even close. How many of her own children did she allow Kronos, that's the Crooked One if anyone asks, by the way, to eat before saving Zeus? The answer is a lot more than one, which is unacceptable.
Wow, are you a good spirit? I totally assumed you were evil, to be honest, what with all that talk about a heavy price and stuff.
Oh, don't worry. I'm evil. I'm very, very evil. But I do have morals. And hurting children is something I can't allow. Everyone deserves a chance at life. Once they've had it, though, all bets are off.
So, when is someone not a kid?
Thirteen and up.
Thirteen!? But you call me kid, and I'm way older than that!
So sue me.
You're insufferable.
Obviously not. You're stuck with me, and yet you remain alive.
The word has two meanings, wise guy. It can also mean you have a huge ego and are like super arrogant and stuff.
How very eloquent.
Ugggggggh!
Hahahaha...
So... what is it that you actually do, exactly?
I already told you. I can amplify your power, up to around ten times. Obviously, it isn't exactly ten times. That would be some crazy luck. No, it's only about ten times.
Okay... But, what do you mean by power, exactly? What if I couldn't control water? What if it was something else?
What precisely are you asking, kid? What other powers there are? Or are you more looking for what I do in clearer terms?
Well, uh... both?
Well, the easier one to answer would be the second question. When I use my power, it amplifies any unnatural effects of the host body by a huge magnitude. For example, if you had the ability to control plant life, I would make your ability ten times stronger in terms of raw power, though not necessarily ten times more control. Or, in a more personal example, if you had the ability to communicate with animals, which you do, horses, pegasi, and all aquatic life, to be more specific, then I would make the connection between you ten times stronger, which I believe would manifest as being able to communicate across a ten times larger distance, although that amount of power directed at a non-magical animal may cause side effects that I'm not aware of.
Umm... uhhh...
What an idiot.
I can still hear you, you know.
Of course I do. As for your first question, I believe I could amplify lightning control, wind control, water control, plant control, telepathy, unnatural intelligence, unnatural swordfighting and archery ability, unnatural strength, unnatural beauty, charmspeak, regeneration, magic-
Magic!?
Er, yes? That was the one that surprised you? If all this was real, why on Earth would you think magic wasn't?
It never really crossed my mind, I guess...
Moron.
Hey-
Back to the list! Necromancy, unnatural toughness, unnatural speed-
Isn't that the same as unnatural strength?
More or less, but power is being able to exert a large amount of force over a period of time, and either the larger the force or the shorter the time, the greater the power. Unnatural strength increases the force, unnatural speed decreases the time. That is the difference. But you are right, in actuality they are practically the same. Stronger legs can give you faster movement, but only if you can move your legs as fast as you want to go.
Cool. So, which of those do I have?
Um, none?
...
Oh, you meant of the whole list, not just unnatural strength or speed. Well, I haven't finished the list. There's also fire control and earth control, and, well, a lot more niche ones, you'll probably never see someone with them, so I won't explain unless we meet.
Okay. So, which of the whole list do I have?
What powers do you possess? Let's see. I'll have to dive very deep to see all of them, some people never even realize all the gifts they have.
Okay, well then, take your time.
~~Some time later~~
Alright. Very interesting. Did you know that your soul is far more mature than you?
Excuse me, spirit?
I had a chat with your soul. How did you think I'd discover your true abilities?
Er... magic?
Yeah, right. The point is, your soul is like a thousand times cooler than you. Lame-o. Anyways, listen up, this might take a while. It turns out that you have a lot of tiny abilities I didn't notice. We'll start with the big ones that you probably already knew about.
Okay!
A bit enthusiastic for my taste, but that's fine. First, the water control. You already know about that. Next, Water regeneration and water augmentation. When you're wet or in the water, you heal exponentially faster. It also augments nearly every aspect of you. Strength, speed, your control abilities, even your swordfighting and leadership. Speaking of control abilities, you've also inherited the earth control ability, though it is limited. The Lord of the Seas is also known as the Earthshaker, and for good reason. You can't manipulate earth as you can water, but you can cause earthquakes. That's about it. Your father is also known as the Stormbringer, and you have inherited the power to create storms centered around yourself, also granting you minor control over wind, rain, lightning, and thunder even without using storm control. Though, your storm control is the weakest of your control abilities, so for it, as well as the minor abilities it grants, to be of any use, you'll need to expend an insane amount of power. Lucky for you, you've got me.
Wow. That's a lot of abilities.
You think that's a lot? That's just the elemental stuff.
Huh?
You've also got unnatural swordfighting ability, self explanatory; unnatural leadership, people tend to listen to you in battle and you inspire loyalty; unnatural courage, also self explanatory; the tiniest amount of unnatural beauty, gross; animal telepathy, which I already explained; unnatural... boat control-
Boat control!?
Yeah, it's weird, but you can control a ship with your mind. Like, you can take the place of an entire captain and crew of a small boat in somewhat rough conditions. With my help, you'll be able to control a cruise-liner in a hurricane.
Wow. I'm sure that'll be helpful.
Not as helpful as unnatural locating ability in seawater.
Excuse me?
You know the exact location of yourself when you're on the open sea. Though, when you reach freshwater you'll be totally lost.
How do you amplify that?
I'm not sure. I've never heard of it before. I'll find out though. At some point.
Sure.
You've also got the ability to see via the heat of currents deep underwater, where no sunlight is able to reach.
Great. Sounds amazing. But I'm unbeatable underwater anyways, so isn't that kind of useless in terms of combat?
Indeed. In fact, in all my years, never have I seen anyone with as many useless powers as you.
Gee, thanks, spirit. Anyway, you keep saying how ancient you are, so... just how old are you?
Not as old as Gaia, but older than the titans.
Wow. And how many people have you possessed?
Including you? Twelve.
Seriously!? How long did they live!?
Not any longer than was normal for their time periods. I can't heal disease or anything. In ancient times, most lived to about fifty before disease took them.
Yeesh. I'm glad I was born now. We live a lot longer.
On average, yes. But a lucky person back then could have easily lived to be a hundred, same as now. Luck has everything to do with life. The gods don't like to admit it, but everything that happens happens for no real reason.
That's kind of depressing.
Is it? Isn't it better knowing that there isn't some master plan? Isn't it liberating?
But what about prophecies? If all this Greek stuff is true, then isn't the oracle real as well?
Yes, prophecies. The truth is, prophecies are just that. They tell the future. But they don't determine the future. So there's no point trying to influence them, or beat them. Though that's easier said than done. People will always try to escape a prophecy they don't like. But they always come true. No matter what.
How on Earth is that liberating?
How isn't it? Knowing that nothing can change your future or decide it for you? Prophecies don't control you, you control prophecies. Humans can do anything they want, and they do just that every day. That is why life is worth living. That is the secret so many human philosophers have searched for, since the dawn of time. There is no purpose, there is no meaning, and in that, humans possess total freedom.
Jeez, you're freaking me out. If you like freedom so much, why do you inhabit people's bodies? Isn't that less freedom?
I thought you were smart, but it seems I was wrong. Have you truly not figured out what my price is?
Whuh? I don't understand.
The price you must pay for my help. I'll tell you what it is, since you seem incapable of putting things together on your own.
Big meanie.
Little boy.
Spirit.
Kid.
Just tell me what the price is already!
Right. Every year, for one week, I will take total control of your body and your power, and I will do whatever I want. And you'll watch, idly, as I do it.
Surprisingly, Percy's first reaction wasn't anger or fear, or anything like that.
If I said I'd pay any price, why'd you limit yourself to a week? You could have had six months, or the whole year, even.
Yes, but luckily for you, I'm very lazy. I'll let you do most of the work. I mean, take right now, for example. How much fun would this be, if I was in control?
It's not very much fun for me, I can tell you that.
Exactly. Right now, it would seem I have the better end of the deal, no?
Yeah, you really showed me. What do you plan on doing, anyways? During your week?
Oh, probably just go on a killing spree.
Percy stopped dead in his tracks.
I'll kill myself this instant.
You wouldn't dare.
Try me.
Fine, I'll do something else during my week.
How do I know I can trust you?
Oh, kid. Why on Earth would you think you could ever trust me?
Hehehehe. One more thing.
Review, or I'll kill you.
Ta ta!