AN: Well I had thought the amount of time it took me to write last chapter was bad. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy.
Previously:
Percy shifted his gaze to the lady yelling at the man. He couldn't understand what she was saying, it wasn't English. She had a thin frame, but not so thin as to be sick. Her skin was a fair white, not as pale as her companion, but not very dark either. He took a look at the lady's face and gasped in shock. Tears streaming down his face, he ignored the pain in his body as he bolted from his hiding spot in the corner and tackled the lady in a tight hug.
"Mom" he screamed, sobbing into her dress.
Percy
Percy was almost unable to believe it. His mother was alive. He hung to her dress and sobbed. He had been so worried, so distressed. He had watched his mother die with his own eyes, unable to defend her. But here she was, as healthy as ever. And she had saved him from the monsters, like she always did. He knew everything would be alright as long as he had his mother.
Flashback
A four year old Percy sat on the floor, a barrage of tears flooding his eyes. Blood , leaking from a cut on his leg, stained the freshly cleaned carpet.
"Percy! I'm home! I brought you some candy from the sto..." Percy's mother started as she walked through the apartment door, swinging a large bag of candy around.
"PERCY! WHAT HAPPENED?"
Percy's mother rushed to the child's side, almost fainting when she saw the amount of blood on the carpet. She instinctively checked the wound, noting the severity of the wound. This was not trip and fall kind of cut. She fretted around Percy, making sure there was no where else he was hurt.
Percy sniffled as he attempted to stop the tears from flowing so he could tell his mother what happened.
"It was G... . I was weaching fow a pewn on the tabwle and I touchwed his pokwer chiwp. H...he picked up a bowken bowtle and thew it at mew when I wan away." Percy was able to sob out with a small lisp that accompanied the four year old.
" Oh gods Percy, are you alright? " Percy's mother said as she pulled the boy in for a tight hug.
"I'm so sowwey mommy. I won't touch Gawbe's stuff again. I'm sowwey I stained the cawpet. I'll cwean it up I pwomise. Pwease don't hate mew." Percy frantically said, still clinging on to his mother. Percy knew his mother probably hated him. Gabe was always telling him how much of a screw up he was. It was surprise she put up with him for four years.
"Perseus Achilles Jackson..." Percy quivered in fear. He was right. His mother did hate him. She only ever said his full name when she was mad.
"... don't you ever dare say that again. I love you more than anything in this world. I could never hate you, you're my little boy. I'm the one that should be sorry. No one should have to grow up like this. But hopefully you'll understand when you're older. " Percy's comfortingly said as she placed the boy in her lap, looking at him in the eyes.
Percy had stopped listening after " I love you". His mother loved him. That's all he needed in this world. She took in the comforting scent of candy that followed his mother around. He placed his head on his mothers shoulder, burying his little face into her flowing brown hair as she picked him up.
" Now come on, let's go clean you up. Put some water on that cut with some bandages. I'll give you a bath afterwards.""Mommy no bath. Pweaseeeeee" Percy begged, opening his little eyes as far as they would go, making the cutest puppy face.
" Hmmm , You know what I heard at the store today? There's a tickle monster going around getting little boys who didn't take their bath." Percy giggled. " Mommy there's no such thwing as a twickle monstwer."
"Oh yeah? Then what's this?" Percy's mother started a ferocious tickle attack against the poor child's abdomen, careful as not to aggravate his wound further."M.m...mommy " Percy managed to stutter out in between a bunch of giggles. "S. Hahahahahahahahahaha"
Percy grinned when his mother finally stopped.
This was how life was supposed to be. He wished Gabe would just disappear.
/* End Flashback */
Percy grinned into his mother's dress after the memory was over. No matter how many times he relieved those moments in his head, he never tired of them.
Percy lifted his head from dress and inhaled deeply. He had spent a lot of time sobbing in his mother's dress. He then noticed something. The smell of candy that usually emanated from his mother was gone, replaced by the smell of a rich man or women, one that Percy usually associated with stuck up snobs who could learn to give respect. He looked at his mother's face, expecting a warm smile and welcoming eyes.
He was greeted with a much different expression. Eyes that always seemed to be filled with happiness and kindness were filled with sadness and hate. The smile and laughter lines that had plastered Sally's face before had disappeared, to be replaced by stress lines above the woman's brow. Her dark brown hair had an oddly fake radiant shine to them, as if the hair was prepared by a stylist. Percy's mother never had money for a stylist. Last of all was the smile on her face, or more accurately, the lack of one. Instead, there lay a shocked and angered look. The once jubilant face of Percy's mother had been reduced the face of one who had forgotten love long ago.
Percy took a step back, reason slowly dawning upon him.
" Yo... You're not my mother."
Laughter boomed from behind Percy. A dark yet melodic voice spoke from behind him.
"You've got that right child. She's the last person on earth that could be your mother."
Hera (Previous Day)
Hera stood by the barn, tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for her guest to show up. The nerve of that man. She had requested his audience with him today and made sure sure he swore on the styx to arrive on time. She snorted.
"A load of good that did" She thought to herself. This meeting was imperative to the survival of the Age of the Gods. She could feel her father beginning to rise again. This man was the only one who could help her, or even would help her.
Hera knew she wasn't popular among the Gods, her marriage to Zeus being the only thing that garnered some respect from the fellow Olympians. Her domain of marriage meant little to nothing to the world anymore, with mortals and Gods alike, disrespecting those sacred vows. The man who was coming knew the meaning of family and marriage, despite lacking both. That's the only reason he agreed to meet her today.
She sighed. There was nothing she could do about her standing among the Gods today. Despite the Ancient Laws and their marriage vows, the Gods gained respect by the feats of their mortal children. The greater the achievement of the child, the greater respect the God earned. Gods who did not have mortal children rose to respect through their champions. Hera had tried this with Heracles, to no avail. He was never remembered as the champion of Hera, rather only as the son of Zeus. The only detail Hera was remembered for was making the demigod's life a living hell.
Tired of brooding over her thoughts, Hera plopped down in front of the barn with a pack of cards. She decided to keep herself entertained until her guest showed up, if he ever did.
After several hundred frustrating games of Solitaire, several temper tantrums, a few trips to the great outdoor bathrooms and a stop at a local pharmacy for some Apollo's Beef Jerky, Hera decided she had enough. She couldn't wait any longer. She had pressed back her pride for long enough. It was at that moment Hera began to feel the air chill around the barn door. Shadows began to point to one direction, as if bowing to the person that was arriving. All that was living, save for Hera, had shrunk in fear away. Trees seemed to move away, animals sprinting, already gone from sight. Dark flames flew up from the ground, forming a ring. Darkness was drawn into the center. A pit began to form, extending into the ground. A man had risen from the pit, strikingly attractive with a dark aura surrounding him.
" You called, my great-niece? "
( A few minutes before Percy awakens )
Hera could not believe the actions of her great-uncle. He first shows up over twenty four hours late for their meeting, giving her the excuse that he "Got held up in traffic." How does an immortal being that can teleport get " held up in traffic"? It's preposterous. He continues to goad her with a smug smile while she lectured him on the importance of being on time when he agreed to an appointment. When she had finished she had noticed she was in her immortal form. She must have accidentally flashed into this form for a second in anger. She had always tended to get over enthusiastic when giving lectures. Once she had calmed down she noticed her uncle with a serious expression on his face looking behind her.
She turned around and gasped in shock. Before her lay a bruised and scarred child, exhausted and about to faint with his eyes closed laying on the ground. Behind him lay the golden dust of extinguished monsters. She turned around and started to yell at him again for not mentioning anything. Immediately Hera rushed over to the child, motherly instincts taking over. The poor boy had scars all over his body, none of them recent expect for one. A rather large one ran down the boy's back, clearly still healing. The boy was suffering from malnutrition and a sprained ankle. Other than that, it seemed just to be fatigue that troubled him. Hera had looked up to see her uncle smirking at her. In realization of what she had just done, she immediately got away from the boy, who was clearly a demigod. Distaste was written over her face. Her uncle wanted to get the boy inside and feed him some nectar. She argued vehemently, saving the life of any demigod was not something she wanted to do. Eventually she relented, when he threatened to leave. She had nursed him to health and left him inside the barn to sleep. In all honesty she was slightly intrigued by the child. All his scars seem to have been made by mortal weapons or items, as they left different scarring marks than that of a monsters. They were also far from any urban society, and he was clearly a city breed. There was no way a child like that should have been able to find them.
Hera was lifted from her thoughts when her uncle returned from wherever went. She started to yell at him again , reverting to Ancient Greek, for leaving her stranded with a demigod. She was interrupted mid-lecture when she was lightly tackled by a small figure. When she looked down she found the demigod, sobbing into her dress.
She was shocked. Hera couldn't remember the last time she was hugged by anyone, much less a child. It felt slightly warming and endearing. But that endearment was soon replaced with burning rage. How dare a demigod touch her. Especially after she had saved its pathetic existence. It was nothing more than a reminder of her incompetence as a God. She brought her hand down to end the very life she had saved mere hours ago. Her hand froze mid-swing, as the worthless demigod uttered one barely audible syllable.
"Mom"
Mom. Hera couldn't believe her ears. Over 2 millennia she had waited, wishing one of her children would address her with such endearment in any language. It had never came. Hera had stopped wishing, giving up the hope of ever being loved by her children. But here it came, uttered from the mouth of a lowly demigod. Hera knew she should be offended. She was the Queen of the Olympians. No mere demigod had the right to call her mom.
But for some reason Hera couldn't feel happier. Never in her life had she felt the exhilaration of comforting someone other than herself. She refused to move the boy away from her, basking in this new feeling of motherly love. Sadly the moment could not last. As boy the looked into Hera's face she knew he had recognized that she was not his mother. What a shame. The child took a step away from her.
" Yo... You're not my mother."
Laughter boomed from behind, coming from her great-uncle.
"You've got that right child. She's the last person on earth that could be your mother."
Hera instinctively glared at her uncle. But sadly it was true. She was never meant to have a child that cared about her it seemed.
The boy bowed his head to Hera.
" I'm sorry ma'am. You just l...look so much like her."
Hera could not help but pity the boy as he tried to choke back his tears of the memories of his mother.
Much to her uncle's surprise, Hera kneeled down to the boy's height and lifted his chin up with two fingers.
"It's alright my boy. Will you tell us your name? Where is your mother? How did you get here?"
"My name is Perseus Achilles Jackson ma'am. I'm eight years old. My mom was k...killed by my s..stepfather Gabe trying to protect me. Af..fter she, was gone, Gabe came after me. I ran away from our apartment and lived on the street for two days. After that these large dogs chased after me for three days. I ended up running to here. I don't know where I am. "
Hera growled at the mention of the death of Perseus's mother. " I suppose the Gabe fellow is also the one who gave you those scars."
Perseus's hand seemed to subconsciously run over a scar that extended across his eyes to upper cheek. He merely nodded his head.
Hera noticed for the first time the sparkingly green color that shone from Perseus's eyes.
" Oh Lords no, not Poseidon as well."
" What? What is it niece?" Hera's great uncle growled.
"Take a look at his eyes" Hera merely motioned.
" I see"
Hera pulled her uncle aside, leaving the confused Perseus alone and bewildered by her actions.
"He won't survive for another year out here. Even if he went to camp, Zeus would kill him immediately"
"Niece, you are oddly worried for this child. What is going on?"
Hera blushed slightly. Wait. What was going on? Why did she care so much about this demigod? He was a born mistake. Hera scolded herself when she looked back at Perseus. The boy had been through so much at such a young age. To watch one's own mother die protecting them. That is a fate worse than death. He seemed to care about his mother beyond comparison. Hera was slightly envious of the boy's mother. And even if he did not know, he had provided her at least once the feeling of having a loving child. She did owe it to him to make sure he survived a bit longer.
"Uncle he deserves a break. He has been through much as a child."
"I agree. I was surprised you did. How do you suppose we hide him?"
"Will you take him in Uncle? His scent is too strong for him to escape unnoticed up here."
"WHAT? To my place? That is no such place for a sane adult, much less a child."
" There is no other way Uncle. He will die otherwise. You can protect him."
" We shall ask him and see."
Percy
Once again it felt my heart was torn out. My mother was still dead, and I was still the main reason. The lady that talked to me seemed to look so much like her, but her demeanor was so different. She was unkind to me, but it was clear she wasn't sure how to act. She asked me a bunch of questions, and then asked me about my mother and my scars. I don't know why but I was able to talk freely with her. It's probably because she looks so much like my mother. She then suddenly pulled the man aside and started talking about my eyes. My mother always used to tell me about how my eyes were so much like my father's. That made me want to hate them, but it was such a nice shade of green. I can understand how my mother fell for someone with such an intense eye color. The man and the lady were still talking in hushed whispers, when the man's voice started to raise a bit. After a couple of minutes , the seemed to come to a consensus and returned to where I was standing. The man cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Percy, you are not a normal child. You are the son of a God. You are a half-blood, a mix between mortal and godly blood. Because of this, and your father, you are in high risk. You saw those dogs that came after you today. There are thousands of those dogs, running around trying to find you. Not only are there these monsters trying to kill you, as soon as your father's brother learns of your existence he will attempt to kill you with all that he possesses. With that in mind, you have two options. You can either take your chances up in the world here, or you can travel with me to my place, where I can keep you safe. But be warned, my place is as dangerous, if not more than the above world. However I can keep you safe until you are able to do so yourself. Secondly, if you do venture with me, you must cut your ties with this upper world. I will allow Hera to visit you but only her. This includes severing ties with your father. If you agree to these terms I will be able to take you in. Take as much time as you need deciding. However , you have 5 minutes to give me an answer."
Percy was not at all surprised about being the son of a God. His mother had hinted several times that he was related to Greeks and their gods in more ways than one. However she refused to tell him who his godly parent was. He didn't care though. He had nothing left on this world, he did not care about a father that had left him to such a fate.
"I accept your offer sir."
The lady that the man had called Hera seemed to be relieved. I was glad. I liked her, she reminded me so much of my mother.
"Excellent. We shall depart immediately."
"Excuse me sir, but where are we departing to?"
The man just looked at me, an amused grin twitching upon his face.
"To my palace of course. My humble kingdom, Tartarus."
AN: Well! What did you think? And please leave a review. Quite a few people have taken a look at this story (At least by my standards) yet only four people left a review. Thanks to those who did. I'd really appreciate any feedback at all. Also the poll of Percy/Zoe vs. Percy/Artemis only received two opinions, so please feel free to leave your choice for that in the review section as well. Thanks for reading.
Buh bye now.