A/N: Okay, things have been good so far with this story, but I have yet to address the reviews so here they are.
TheCrazedBerserker: This looks interesting and seems to be well written. Good job.
thelifeandtimes: Never watched trollhunter but this story seems like it could be interesting. Great start.
GuyUnderABridge: i find this amusing cause I just finished watching the 3rd season of trollhunters a while ago, great start by the way
A: I grouped these together because they were all pretty similar, but nevertheless thank you for your kind works and I hope this story meets your expectations and more.
bee boys: Hello there! This story is looking good so far, but I'm, like, slightly concerned about the "controversial pairing" you mentioned in the Author's Note? I'm not gonna report you for it, because I'm fairly certain you have to have an account to do that, but could you maybe say what pairing you're doing? Because I'd honestly prefer to know going in, as opposed to learning that it's a pairing that makes me uncomfortable 10 chapters in. Other than that, this seems to be well written. The "Annabeth getting possessed" thing was honestly a little abrupt? But there will probably be an explanation in a later chapter, so it's all good.
A: Was the last chapter a good hint? I revealed the pairing earlier than I wished but I just didn't see a way around it. I wanted to withhold it for a while, you know to build drama, but I couldn't figure out how to be sly about a teacher falling in love with his student and vice versa.
Mystborn08: Hey, pretty good start. Looking forward to seeing more. Percy Jackson is an interesting choice to cross with Trollhunters, but it seems like it could work pretty well, and I'm excited to see where you take it. Curious what you mean by a "controversial" pairing, but if it does cause you issues, there's always alternative sites that are less strict. Anyways, can't wait to read more.
A: Yeah, I don't like the alternate sites, they may be more lenient but I find it hard to read from them because they're not aesthetically pleasing to me and I can't imagine writing on them is any better.
Miltonius: Oh wow, wtf. Is this Percy/Claire? Just a reminder, pedophilia is illegal
A: It is?! Holy shit, I thought it was socially accepted for a grown man to go after underage girls. Of course I knew that, I wanted to do this pairing for that reason, it's a social taboo that makes for good drama! You ever watch the beginning of Riverdale? Archie and Mrs. Grundy didn't give a fuck- ok, well, Mrs. Grundy gave him a few fucks, but they were fine until they were found out. My point is this: I know it's illegal, that's part of why I'm writing it.
With that out of the way, this chapter gets a bit... racy. I'm telling you this now so you're prepared for it because I won't put up a LEWD CONTENT AHEAD warning just before it, it messes with the flow of the story. Now, on with it!
The school day was over, rehearsal for the play was through, and Percy had dropped Claire off at her house, which left the man free of external distraction and happy it was a Friday. He went through his drawers, picking out clothes for his trip and setting them in the bottomless bag he'd used when he left Camp Half-Blood. Once he had all he needed in the bag, he let out a sharp whistle. Imperious bounded into the room, getting more excited upon seeing the bag on its master's back.
Percy knelt in front of the hellhound, cradling its head in both hands, "Hey, boy, I'm gonna need you to shadow travel for me, okay?" The dog deflated slightly at that, shadow traveling around the house was more than easy for the dog, but, if its master wanted it to shadow travel with him, that meant they were going far away, something that would tire the dog out immediately, "You remember Mom's apartment, right? We went there for Christmas last year?" His dog barked in recognition, "Good, lets go."
He flicked the lights of his room off and grabbed Imperious' collar. He was dragged off his feet as the dog ran into the shadows in the room. Percy felt the familiar, cold sensation of going through the shadows, remembering why he didn't shadow travel often. Then it was over. The son of Poseidon took in his surroundings, thankful to be in the living room of his old apartment.
The smell of food reached his nostrils, leading the man to the kitchen. He stood in the kitchen doorway, gazing at what was in front of him. His mother, Paul, and a five year old Estelle sat at the kitchen table, just about to start dinner. He made a mock offended sound, "You were going to eat without me, Mother, how could you?!"
Sally and Paul jumped at his voice, holding their hands over their hearts, while his sister let out an excited squeal and leapt from her seat to hug him, "Perthy!" She jumped at her brother and he caught her lifting her up in the air before holding her to his chest, where she gave him a toothy grin, showing the two empty spaces where her front teeth had been, "Look, look, I lotht my fron teeth!"
The man gave a false gasp of amazement, "I thee that, Printheth!" The girl laughed at him as he set her down and walked over to Sally, giving her a kiss on the cheek, "Hey, Mom, sorry if I gave you a heart attack."
The woman smiled at her son, "It's fine, Percy, it'll take more than that to make me have one of those, you and all those quests made sure of that."
They shared a laugh, Percy going to Paul and giving him a hug, "Hey, Paul." The man reciprocated the gesture, wrapping his arms around his stepson.
"How are you, Percy, things going okay in Arcadia?" the men released each other, Percy stiffening before getting control of himself.
"So far things are fine, yeah." the son sat in an empty chair, rubbing his neck. The adults noticed his behavior and shared a glance. Sally leaned forward, "Percy... has something happened?"
"No, Mom, nothing's happened." Percy said, nodding at Estelle, who was vigorously petting Imperious' stomach. The other two understood his meaning: "Not in front of her."
The mood shifted, darkening slightly. The mother waved at her daughter, "Sweetie? Come on, it's time to eat, you can play with Rexxy later."
"Okay, Mommy." The girl pushed herself up and got back in her seat, looking at her brother, "Tho, why'd you come home, Perthy?"
The demigod forced a smile onto his face, "Well, Princess, Mommy's cooking is so good, I smelled it all the way in California and I just had to come get some!"
"Ith that it?" His sister scoffed, "You shouldn't make Reckthy all tired for thome food!" She reached her chubby hand out and slapped her brother on the arm.
The brother laughed at her, "Okay, okay, I'll think more before I come to see you next time!"
The dinner passed smoothly, Percy caught his family up on what he'd been doing, the play, what he was currently teaching his class, and how there was a colony of Trolls underneath the town. He felt at peace. However, it all came to an end, they'd all eaten their fill and Sally took Estelle to put her to sleep, Imperious following after them. The two men went to the living room and sat across from each other and waited for the woman to come back. She joined them soon after, sitting next to Paul, "Okay, Percy, what's the matter?"
The son sighed, feeling less like his twenty-four year old self and more like he was twelve again. He relayed the events of the day prior, how he volunteered to drive Claire to and from school, the hologram Annabeth, and, most importantly, the phone call with Nico. He fell back on the couch across from the parents, who looked confused.
Paul leaned forward, "Percy, what did Nico mean by "Go see Aphrodite?""
Seeing no way around saying it, Percy blurted out, "If he meant what I think he did then I'm in love with one of my students."
Paul slumped back in his chair, a look on his face like he had just been slapped. Percy couldn't blame him, he'd been wrestling with himself ever since he had seen the image of Annabeth around his student, struggling to keep pictures of Claire's smiling face from his mind. His mother spoke up, "Do you have a picture of this girl?"
The boy stood and retrieved his bag from where he had dropped it in the kitchen. He sat back down, unzipping the thing and reaching inside. He pulled out the Arcadia Oaks yearbook from the previous year and flicked through it until he found the page he was looking for. He set the book down on the coffee table, sliding it across its surface while pointing to the picture of Claire, "This was last year, she looks a bit different now, but that's her."
The parents leaned in to look at the picture. In the picture Claire didn't look much different than she did currently, the only differences being that she had yet to get the blue streak in her hair and she had a set of braces over her top row of teeth. Paul leaned back again, still too stunned to speak, while Sally kept her eyes on the photo, "Well, she's cute."
Percy, on instinct, almost found himself correcting her, 'Cute?' He thought, 'Don't you mean beautiful?' He thanked whichever god or goddess allowed him to stifle those words before he could speak them. What he said instead was, "What?"
His mother looked at him, "I said she's cute, I mean, I didn't think you liked braces, but-"
"Sh- she doesn't have the braces anymore, Mom!" Percy interrupted, blushing like a high schooler whose father forced him to say he loved him, "And besides she's fifteen, I can't-"
"So? Your father was well over fifteen hundred when we met." The mother slid the book back to her son, "Percy, remember who Poseidon was... Do you think he cared much about age? Or consent in some cases?"
"Mom, what are you-"
"I'm saying: I don't care how old this girl you fell in love with is." she smiled at him, "I'll support you, Percy."
The son of Poseidon looked at his mother, astonished. Why was she so accepting of this? Her relationship with Poseidon was completely different from Percy being in love with one of his students, "Mom, I don't want to feel like this, it- it's not right! I- I shouldn't feel for Claire like I do!"
Paul shook himself, finding the will to speak, "Then why do you?"
Percy froze, looking at his stepfather. Answers for that question flew through his head but all he could manage to get out was, "I... I don't know."
A sigh forced itself from the man's nose, "Look, Percy, I- I really don't like this, I'm sorry-"
"Don't be, I don't like this!" the boy interrupted.
"I won't condemn you, but... I can't condone this either."
"Neither can I, that's why I came here: so I can go to Olympus and get Aphrodite to- to- to fix me!" the teacher gestured to himself, tears beginning to fall down his face.
"Sweetie, you say that like there's something wrong with you in the first place." Sally rounded the table, cupping her sons face and hugging him. Her son threw his arms around her, anguished sobs wracking his body.
"I shouldn't feel like this, Mom, I shouldn't feel this way for anyone anymore."
The mother shushed him, just holding her son close in silence. She sat with him for what felt like hours until his sobs turned to snores. She motioned to her husband to get a pillow, which he did along with a blanket, placing it at the end of the couch. Sally gently laid him down, placing his head on the pillow and draping the blanket over him. She and her husband retired to their room.
Once the door shut behind them, Sally leaned back against it, a pained look marring her features, "Oh, Paul... I'm worried about Percy."
"I know, Sally," the man lead her away from the door, "Hearing your son is in love with a minor isn't easy."
"That's not what I'm talking about!" the woman pulled away from the man, "Didn't you hear him? He feels like he shouldn't feel love anymore!" She sat on the bed, "He still feels responsible for what happened to Annabeth."
"Hey, come on," Paul stroked her arm, "It's been a long night, for everyone, let's just get some sleep, Percy will go see Aphrodite tomorrow and she'll sort everything out, everything will be okay."
Sally nodded at her husbands words and laid down. It was a long time before she fell asleep.
The smell of pancakes wafted through the apartment, a pleasant way to wake up. Percy, however, was woken up not by the smell of food, but by his sister jumping on his stomach. He clutched his stomach as Estelle giggled and hopped off of him and ran into kitchen. The demigod fell to the floor on all fours, still trying to get his breath back. Finally, he found the strength to stand and staggered to the kitchen.
"Good morning, Percy!" Sally said from the stove.
"Morning, Mom." the man sat across from Estelle, who smiled innocently. Percy narrowed his eyes at her as his mother set a plate in front of him. Blue pancakes. He smiled, remembering all the times she had made blue food for him. The man took his time eating, dreading going to Olympus. Sadly, all things must end as he took the final bite from his plate.
The son of Poseidon left the apartment, saying goodbye to his family and making sure Imperious knew to keep them safe. The walk to the Empire State Building seemed to push down on Percy while simultaneously lifting him up. He dreaded facing the goddess of love, but at the same time he couldn't wait.
He entered the lobby of the Empire State Building and went to the front desk, where the guard had his back turned. The man knocked on the counter, alerting the guard, but he still faced away from him, "I need to get to Olympus."
"Sorry, don't know what you're talkin' about." The guard stretched himself out in his chair.
Percy rolled his eyes, "I don't have time for your shit, Zelos."
The chair whirled around, revealing the face of the minor god. He paled at seeing Percy on the other side of the desk, "Oh! Sorry, Percy." He reached under the desk and produced a key card, "Here you go."
The man snatched the card from the deity's hand and went into the elevator, putting the card in and hitting the 600 button. He tapped his foot, trying to think of how to speak to Aphrodite. It was hard enough talking to her normally, but going to her talk about his love life had Percy worried, she always had a... special interest in him. The doors opened and he still had no idea how he was going to broach the subject. The demigod let out a sigh, stepping out of the elevator and onto the stone walkways of Olympus.
Finding Aphrodite's temple was easy enough, after she redesigned Olympus Annabeth had put up street signs to help mortal visitors find their way around. Now Percy stood in front of the heart-shaped doors of the goddess' home. Letting out a breath, he stepped forward and pushed the doors open.
The inside was empty. Percy had not known what to expect, but blank, light pink walls and flooring were not at the top of his list. In the middle of the room stood a lone figure, a woman dressed in a long white gown with straight blonde hair. Aphrodite. She turned to the former hero, a smile on her face, "Percy, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She strode toward him as she spoke, her steps light and soundless, whether it was due to her bare feet or if it was due to the temple Percy didn't know.
The way she spoke made the demigod think she already knew the answer to her question, "I think you know why."
"I'm sorry, I don't," her smile only grew, "Why don't you tell me?"
Percy was convinced she knew why he was out. He clenched his fists, "I need your help."
The goddess stop in front of him, "With what, Percy?"
She touched her finger to his chin, lifting his gaze to her face. He smacked her hand away, but the move didn't change her expression at all, "You know why! I-"
"Love someone you think you shouldn't?" Aphrodite couldn't contain herself, her face giddy and a trill in her voice, "Are caught up in your feelings for a forbidden lover? Wish to partake of the forbidden fruit?"
Before she could get any semblance of an answer from him, the goddess let out a squeal of excitement, twirling away from the man, "Oh, the romance, the drama! It's all so tantalizing to watch!"
Percy looked at the woman in front of as though she were crazy, "What are you talking about?"
"Well, everyone thought your story was over when you left the camp!" the goddess explained, "Don't get me wrong, you running around, dipping your toes in the other pantheons' pools was interesting and all, but your Hephaestus TV ratings took a dive after Annabeth died, but now," she walked back up to him, "With this new love interest, the Trollhunter, and the growing threat of the changelings, your ratings have never been higher!"
While the goddess cheered, the demigod grew impatient, "I don't care about my "ratings," my life is my life, not some damn show! For years you've meddled with my love life and I'm sick of it! I don't want to be in love with Claire so just change me back!" Percy huffed in anger, glaring at the female deity, who looked at him with barely concealed humor.
Finally, she couldn't hold back, here bell-like laughter echoing in the empty room, "You think I did this to you?" Her laughter picked up to where she couldn't speak. She spoke again after she calmed down, "I haven't influenced your love life since you and the Athena girl got together, okay, I did a little with the Ramirez girl, but that wasn't anything, really." She noticed the look the man was giving her, prompting another giggle, "See, Percy you have what you mortals call a "type." You, for some reason, are very attracted to intelligent women, something about them just pulls you in! Think about it: The new oracle, Calypso, Annabeth, that news anchor you had a crush on in third grade, they all had one thing in common, that being they were all smart women, and this Claire," The love goddess looked him in the eyes, "Well, something in her reminds you of Annabeth, makes you think she's the smartest person you have ever met."
Percy backpedaled, putting distance between them. Aphrodite wasn't using her powers when she spoke, he couldn't sense any trace of charmspeak or any other magic at work. That meant the things he was feeling, love for Claire, that she was the smartest person he'd had the pleasure of meeting... They all stemmed from him. The demigod shook his head violently, "No, no! I don't want to feel like this, just- just, please," he fell to his knees, "Make these feelings go away."
"Oh, Percy," the mirth in Aphrodite's voice was gone, replaced with sympathy, as she knelt in front of him, "I can't do that, it's not in my power..."
The teacher looked up at her, "But you're the goddess of love, how is that not in your power?!"
"I can only plant seeds of love, I can't uproot them," the goddess cupped his cheek, "Especially not when they are as deep rooted as yours," she chuckled, "My, your feelings really snuck up on you this time."
She helped him stand as he asked another question, "Isn't there anything you can do?"
The look on her face changed after that question. Instead of a sympathetic face looking down at him, Percy stared into an expression of pure mischief. Aphrodite stepped back, "Well, if you really don't want to feel for her, Percy, I suppose," her hand drifted up her gown to her shoulder, lowering the strap of her gown, "I could help you forget about her."
The sudden change in the goddess' demeanor caused the demigod to stumble back in surprise. He expected to hit the doors to the temple but he felt nothing behind him, nevertheless keeping his eyes on the goddess, "N-no, thanks, Aphrodite, I think I'll just be leaving."
"What's the matter, Percy?" The deity kept advancing on him, taking a step forward for each he took back, "I know you're a virgin but there's no need to be nervous."
"That's not what I'm worried about." The man chanced a look behind him, trying to find the door. The doors had disappeared. Now it made sense to Percy, Aphrodite wouldn't let him leave just yet. He was trapped by love.
While his head was turned, Aphrodite spoke, her voice changing mid sentence, "Maybe you'd like me better if I looked like this."
Percy looked back at the goddess, but she was gone. In her place stood Claire. She was dressed in her everyday clothes but something about her was more... alluring to the man. He forced himself to keep backing up, but his face must have changed because the girl's smile widened, going from friendly to sultry. The demigod took a shaky breath, pointing a finger at the goddess in disguise, "Stop it right now, Aphrodite."
She quirked her head at him, "What do you mean, Mr. Jackson?" Claire-odite's hands went to her shoulders, peeling her jacket off her shoulders, "Have I been a bad girl?" The jacket slipped off her arms, evaporating before it hit the floor, "Do I need to be punished?"
The man's steps faltered, stopping for a second. Quickly shaking himself, he kept moving backwards, "Stop it, Aph-" He was cut off when the back of his knees hit something. Percy toppled back, his back hitting a sheet covered mattress. He had no time to wonder where it came from as the girl's hands went to her skirt, causing him to turn away and scramble off the bed. When he turned back she was gone, the skirt evaporating in the air.
Claire's voice echoed through the endless room, "Why do you keep calling me that, Mr. Jackson?" The man looked around, trying to find her, "Is it because you think I'm beautiful?"
"Ye-" Percy stopped himself, still trying to find the origin of the voice, "This isn't funny, Cl- Aphrodite!"
The demigod felt arms wrap around him from behind, "I'm not trying to be funny, Mr. Jackson." Percy jerked away from the hold, whirling around. What he saw made him freeze. Claire stood in front of him as she tossed her shirt to the side, where it disappeared. The room shifted, not that either of the two gave it much notice, warping into Percy's classroom in Arcadia. The girl advanced on him, prompting him to keep retreating but he found himself stopped by his desk. Claire stopped when she was on top of him, almost knocking him onto the desk, and snaked her arms onto his shoulders, "It's okay, Mr. Jackson," her hands slithered down his arms and grabbed his, guiding them behind her, "I'll help you get started."
Percy couldn't control himself, he allowed her to lead his hands up her back. She stopped him at the hook to her black bra and he unconsciously unhooked it. The clothing fell down her arms, disappearing when it reached her wrists and exposing her chest. The man closed his eyes, turning his head in an attempt to preserve her modesty. The feeling of her hand on his cheek made him open his eyes. He saw the door out of the room.
Everything about him protested, but the son of Poseidon extricated himself from the girl and moved to the door. He tried to open it but the handle didn't budge. Percy turned, letting his back hit the door and he slid to the floor. The man watched the girl saunter over to him as her leggings shimmered out of existence and straddled his lap, her arms going around his shoulders again. The demigod couldn't move as she leaned next to his ear, "I love you, Mr. Jackson."
Percy gave in, "I love you too, Claire."
"It's about time!" The girl stood, her figure morphing back into that of the goddess. The room shifted with her appearance and turned back into the light pink interior of the temple, revealing the door he leaned against was in fact the temple door. Aphrodite grabbed the man's hands and pulled him off the floor, "You are very stubborn with your feelings!"
"Wh-what?" He looked at her, dumbfounded and still dazed by what had happened.
"Oh, honey, I wasn't going to rape you," the goddess waved her hand, "This whole thing was to get you to open yourself up to your feelings! You were so dead set on not loving this girl, and Percy," She made him look her in the eyes, "That is a very dangerous thing. You denying your feelings could have driven you insane. Bottling your feelings inside is a very destructive thing, nothing good comes from it. Now, how do you feel?"
Percy, now with a clear mind, answered, "Lighter." And it was true, the experience took a weight off his chest, despite the panic he felt during it. Saying that he loved Claire to her face, even if it wasn't her, was uplifting.
"And how do you feel about Claire?"
A small smile crept onto his face, "I love her."
"And have you accepted that?"
The smile grew, "I have."
Aphrodite hugged him, "Fantastic." She extended her arms, holding the man at arm's length, "Let me show you something!" The goddess span around and threw her hands up. What looked like an Iris appeared, spanning the temple from one wall to the other, its edges tinged pink. In the image was Percy's classroom, "This is from four days ago," The goddess explained, zooming in by pinching her fingers and pulling them apart. The image settled on Claire, "Watch her."
The scene played out like Percy remembered, students answered questions, Percy threw candy at students and woke Steve up. Then came the part where Claire answered his question about Polyphemus, his voice coming through the screen, "That's the sort of answer I'm looking for, answered my question perfectly as well as the one I didn't even ask yet, thank you, Claire." The girl blushed as her remembered, looking down at her lap and brushing an imaginary strand of hair from her face. Them Jim asked his question, taking his attention away from her. She seemed... upset, slightly, at losing the spotlight from the teacher.
The goddess of love let out a small squeal, "Did you see how she reacted to your praise? It was so cute that I almost faded when I saw it!" She swiped her hand across the misty screen and the scene changed, "This is the day after that." She did as she had before, zooming in on the girl. This was a scene Percy did not recognize, Claire sat at a lunch table alone, the cat he had given her sitting on the table looking at her.
"What should I name you?" The teen's voice came through the mist. The feline meowed at her, innocent green eyes looking into hers, "What about Snowball, you like that , girl?" The cat turned away as though to say it didn't, "Hmm, that's a no, how about Butter Cup?" It turned its head the other way, denying the name, prompting a laugh from the girl, "You're a smart one, huh?"
The cat purred under the praise as Claire's friends walked up to the table, "Whatcha doin', Claire?" Darci asked as they sat down.
"Who cares what she's doing? She has a kitty!" Mary Wang said, reaching out to pet the cat. It swatted at her hand, making the Asian girl recoil with a yelp.
"Hey, that wasn't nice... Mumbles?" Claire watched the cat tilt its head like it was mulling the name over before turning its head again, "Dang it, thought I had it that time."
The black girl across from her chuckled at her, "Seriously, what are you doin' with a cat in school?"
"Mr. Jackson gave her to me, I'm trying to give her a name, but she doesn't seem to like anything I come up with... Muffin?" The cat sprang to its feet, back arched, tailed fluffed, and hissed. The girls jerked back in surprise, "Okay, not Muffin."
"So, Mr. Jackson just gave you a kitten, huh?" Darci asked, sipping her drink.
"Yeah," Claire said wistfully, a serene look spreading across her face, "He said his dog, Imperious, got out and he had to go him. When he got back to his house he found this little girl in his kitchen." she let out a sigh, "He's so kind, he could have taken her to the pound but he brought her here to look for a home, it kinda feels like he did that just so he could give her to me..."
The two girls laughed in the image as Aphrodite nudged Percy, "You did do that, subconsciously." He waved her off and went back to watching the scene unfold.
Claire's friends were still laughing, making her blush in embarrassment. Once they calmed down enough, Mary chuckled, "Geez, C-Bomb, you are crushing hard!"
"Yeah, girl, you need to get over him," Darci pointed a fork at her, "He's a teacher, there's no way he likes you! Plus, it's illegal!"
Claire hugged her sides, eyes down, "I know that, but," she cast a sideward look. Percy walked through the cafeteria on his way back to his class. He saw the three looking at him and waved. They waved back and Claire went back to staring at her new cat, "But it's nice to dream... Right, Mittens?"
The cat purred in response, seemingly agreeing with what she had and its new name. The girl laughed, scratching its chin, "You like that one, huh?"
The scene stopped, Aphrodite holding her hand up. She waved the hand, changing the scene once more. Percy had just pulled into his spot and Claire hopped out of his car, "Bye, Mr. Jackson, I'll see you later!" She jogged through the parking lot and up to her friends, "Hey, guys, what's up?"
They gave the girl astonished looks, Darci being the first to speak, "What's up with us? Girl, what's up with you?"
"What do you mean?"
Mary made an indignant sound, "Are you kidding?" She gestured to the parking lot, "You just showed up to school in Mr. Jackson's car, and you ask us what's up?"
Claire tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, is there a problem with that?"
"You cannot be this thick in the head," Darci threw her hands up, "You can't just be driven to school by the teacher you have a massive crush on and think we'd act like it's normal!"
"Yeah, Claire, is something going on between you two?" Mary poked a finger in her chest.
"Wh-what?" Claire's face burned, "No, it's nothing like that, he's just driving me here and home for the play!"
Her friends crossed their arms. Mary leaned into Darci, "I think she's lying."
"Wait-"
"I think so too," The black girl interrupted. The two leaned closer to their friend, "What are you doing with him, Claire?"
"What do yo-"
"Are you dating?" Mary pried.
"No, why w-"
"Well, if you're not dating you must be engaged already!"
"What kind of-"
"She's denying it, they must be married already, Darce!"
"Why are yo-"
"Claire and Mr. Jackson, sittin' in a tree!"
"You are not-"
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"Oh, God..."
Claire buried her head in her hands, her face feeling like it was on fire, as her friends continued the song. Aphrodite stopped the scene, turning to Percy, "Do you need to see more?"
The man gazed at Claire's red face, thinking of how cute it was. He shook his head, "No."
The goddess giggled, "Are you sure? I've got plenty of footage from her bedroom."
"I'm fine, Aphrodite." The demigod looked at her, his face turning pink at the memory of what happened not thirty minutes beforehand.
"Alright, alright." The woman waved her hand through the fog, dispelling the screen, "So, what did those scenes teach you?"
The son of Poseidon sighed through his nose, "That Claire likes me too, or at least has a crush on me."
"Oh, she likes you alright, head over heels," Aphrodite said, "Now... What are you going to do with this information?"
That caused Percy to stall. He never thought of that. On one hand, he had finally accepted that he was in love with his student and wanted to be with her romantically. On the other hand, if he and Claire did get involved with each other and they were discovered, he didn't care what happened to him but Claire's life could be ruined. He imagined her walking through the halls of the school and down the streets of Arcadia, people staring at her, calling her things like "slut," and "whore." He didn't want to put her through that. More images filled his mind, this time happy ones. He imagined himself and Claire together in his house, laughing on the couch, his arm around her, the two of them calling each other pet names, looking into each other's eyes...
"I- I don't know."
Aphrodite huffed, rolling her eyes, "I guess that's the best I'll get." She gestured to the door, "You can leave now."
Going back into his mother's apartment, Percy didn't expect much, the family watching TV together, Estelle playing with her dolls, any normal family activity. What he saw reminded him that his family is anything but normal.
"Thaly, look, I'm Perthy!" Estelle shouted from Imperious' back. She wore armor made of used paper towel rolls, a cape, and wielded a sword that used to hold a roll of wrapping paper. She lightly knocked her feet into her canine steed's sides, "Let'th go, Jack Black, we have to save the pretty goddethh lady!" The dog reared up on its back paws, like a horse, causing the five year old to fall off of it onto her back with an "oof." She quickly scrambled back onto the dog, who proceeded to walk around the apartment as Percy's sister shouted orders.
On the couch, instead of his mother and stepfather, laid Thalia. She held a battery in her hand, electricity crackling from her fingers into it. She put the battery in the TV remote, casually waving to him, "Hey, Percy."
"Thalia? What are you doing here?" The man walked in, taking a seat in the chair Paul sat in the night before.
The girl shrugged as she flipped through the channels, "Eh, your mom and Paul had to go grocery shopping so they called me to watch Estelle and your dog."
"Okay, but why did they call you? Aren't you supposed to be with the Hunters?" Percy asked her.
"Oh, shit, we haven't talked in a while have we?" The girl sat up, looking her cousin in the eyes, "I left the Hunters, like, two years ago, I've lived downstairs for about half a year now."
Now that she said it, Percy did notice that she looked older than the last time he'd seen her, her face wasn't as round as he remembered and she was a little taller, and she got her hair cut so that it didn't reach her shoulders. The man shook his head, "Why'd you leave the Hunters?"
"I dunno, I got bored, I guess," She set the remote down, the channel on Comedy Central, and headed to the kitchen, "I got tired of always moving around. Guess I just wanted to have a place I could plant my feet for more than a night or two."
"Well, if you wanted to plant yourself, you could've asked your dad to turn you into a tree again." The two shared a laugh as she came back into the room, tossing him a Coke can, "So you moved in downstairs, huh?"
"Yep," Thalia popped the tab of her can, "Rent's pretty cheap, neighborhood's not too bad, and whenever I get tired of takeout I can pop up her for some of Sally's cooking." She took a long drink from he can, letting out a sigh when she pulled it away from her lips, "So what's up with you? Everything cool in California?"
"Oh, yeah, everything's fine now," Percy said, "I'm a teacher, if you can believe that."
"Hmm," the girl stared at him, before she let out a bark of laughter, "You're right, I can't believe it."
The man rolled his eyes at his friend, "Yeah, don't tell Paul, but I think my students like me more than his like him." They laughed together again, their voices going through the apartment and making Estelle yell at them that she was trying to kill a monster. Percy laid back, "It also turns out that there's a Troll city underneath Arcadia."
"Seriously?" the daughter of Zeus gave him an incredulous look, "Are they, like evil trolls who try to eat people or something?"
"No, I've met two of them, they seem harmless, but apparently one of my students was chosen by some amulet to be the "Trollhunter, guardian to both Troll and humankind alike," at least that's what I was told."
"You just can't keep away from this shit can you?" Thalia tipped her drink at him.
The son of Poseidon let out a mirthless laugh, "Seems like it," he sipped his drink, "The two Trolls I met flipped their shit when they heard my name, apparently," he stood, spreading his arms in front of the girl, "I'm famous."
"Pfft!" Thalia covered her mouth in an attempt to muffle her laughter, "Yeah, you're a real Orlando Bloom." Percy joined her in laughing as he sat down again. They stayed like they were for a while, laid out in the living room watchin television and occasionally talking.
"Man, I needed this," Percy took the last sip from his can, "These past few days have been a headache for me."
"Mm," Thalia picked her drink up, "Why's that?"
"Well, I found out I'm in love with one of my students."
The girl choked on her Coke. She set the can down, wiping her mouth and coughing, "What, seriously?!"
"Oh, yeah." The man told her about what had happened to him from two days before to his visit to Aphrodite.
Thalia sat with her eyes wide after her cousin finished his story, "Wow, that's, uh, that's heavy."
"Yeah."
"It's... cool? That Sally supports you on this, I mean now that I think about it she has a great point!"
"How so?"
"Well, think about it," Thalia sat forward, talking with her hands, "Our dads, and most of the Olympians, are the world's top fuck-hounds! They are constantly unfaithful to their wives, have babies faster than rabbits, and back in the day," she looked around, making sure Estelle wasn't in the room, and scooted forward, "Back in the day you couldn't stop our dads from raping anything that moved."
"I'd like to think they've calmed down since then." Percy nodded at his friend's point.
"My point is," she sat back, "Compared to how our godly parents were, you are the poster boy for purity."
"Maybe..." The two fell back into silence, the television and Estelle playing with Imperious being the only sounds in the apartment. A smirk grew on Thalia's face, "So... did you like what Aphrodite did?"
The man's face grew hot, remembering the images of the goddess as Claire. He cleared his throat, "I, uh, I don't wanna talk about it."
"Oh, gods, you did!" the daughter of Zeus let out a peel of laughter, "You dirty bastard, you were totally into that!"
"Into what?"
"The whole student/teacher detention thing, you pervert!" The girl gasped, "Pervy Percy!"
"Aw Hades, don't start."
"What's the matter, Pervy Percy, you don't like being called Pervy Percy?"
"Okay, you're gonna stop," Percy motioned down the hall, "Before Estelle hears you."
The little girl's voice called down the hall, "Pervy Percy, Pervy Percy!"
The man pointed at his friend as she laughed at him, "I'm gonna strangle you."
"Are you into that too?!" Thalia gasped between breathes. The man threw his hands up in defeat.
Returning to Arcadia was a load off to Percy. He loved his family to no end, but being back in the familiarity of the city he had called home for two years brought a calming feeling to him, especially when he woke up Monday morning and set back into his routine.
Percy moved through his house, showering, getting dressed, and was about to make a bowl of cereal until there was a knock at his door. He went to the door, opening it to reveal Claire on the front steps, "Morning, Mr. Jackson."
The man looked at the girl; When Aphrodite had changed into her she was beautiful, but seeing Claire, the real Claire, made him realize just how beautiful she was to him. He smiled at the girl, "A little early today aren't you, Claire?"
"Enrique has a doctors appointment this morning, so my parents left early," she explained, the teacher letting her inside the house, "and instead of sitting by myself in an empty house, I figured I'd come over here... Unless there's a problem with that?"
"No, no, you and your family are always welcome here." He led the girl to the kitchen, "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet," she took a seat at the counter, "I was planning on getting something at school."
The man gagged at the mention of the school's breakfast, "You don't want to do that, I tried it last year once, when I was running late, worst food I've ever had. Tell you what," he grabbed the cereal box from the counter, putting it back in its cabinet and grabbing the eggs from the fridge, "Why don't I make us some eggs?"
"You don't have to do that, Mr. Jackson really."
"Too late, they're already in the pan." Percy cracked four eggs into a pan on the stove, "Besides, I think you deserve a breakfast that won't put you in a coma."
"Thank you, sir." Claire gave him smile, the teacher returning it.
The two sat in comfortable silence, the sounds of the eggs frying being the only disturbance. Finally, the eggs were done and the man grabbed two plates, sliding two eggs onto both and placed one in front of the girl, "Thanks."
"No problem," Percy sat across from her, "So did anything happen while I was away?"
Claire swallowed a bite of food, "Not really, there were some cars that looked like they were tossed around the street though."
"Tossed around the street?" the teacher raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, there was a moving truck on its top," the teen took a bite of her food, "Not much else happened except- Oh, I almost forgot!" Percy watched as the girl got up from her seat, moving to her backpack. She rummaged around inside it before returning to the counter with a box, "You got a package on Saturday, says that it's from Blitz and Hearth?"
'Blitz and Hearth?' Percy took the package, chewing his food, 'What would they want to send me?' He moved his plate to the side, setting the package down. He made quick work of the packing tape and opened the box. A letter was the first thing he saw. He picked it up, reading aloud, "Dear Percy, We heard from Magnus that you became a teacher, congrats, by the way, and that you taught mythology. Hearth and I thought that these may come in handy if you ever talk about Norse mythology, you know, because they're magic! Anyway, stop by the Chase Space soon, last we saw of you, you were dressed like a hermit, I'll fit you for a suit, give you some proper clothes. Yours truly, Blitz and Hearth." 'P.S. These really are magic. They may not know how to use them, but still, don't let mortals touch them - Hearth.'
Percy set the letter aside, facedown so Claire couldn't see it, and looked in the box. Inside the box, in perfectly slotted spaces, were metal runestones. He picked one out of the box, it looked like a vertical line with a triangle on its right side, Thurisaz. Claire rounded the counter, put her plate and fork in the sink, and looked over his shoulder, "What are those, Mr. Jackson?"
"Runes," the teacher slid the metal chip back in the box, closing it, "Nordic runes, Blitz and Hearth are some friends of mine up in Brooklyn, probably should have went to see them while I was up there, they really like old Norse myths and Viking stories so I guess that's why they sent these."
"Are you going to cover runes in class?"
"Well, I wasn't planning on it, but I guess I can fit them in somewhere." Percy stood, grabbing the box, "Wait here while I go put these up, then we'll leave, okay?"
He went upstairs to his room and knelt next to his bed, sliding the box of runes under it, next to a long wooden case. The man stood and made his way back to the kitchen, but Claire was nowhere to be found. He called out, "Claire?" he walked to the next room, the living room, finding the teen holding a picture frame. She turned to look at him apologetically, "Sorry, Mr. Jackson, I guess I just got curious." The teacher walked up next to her as she looked back at the picture, "Who are these people, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I don't mind, Claire," Percy took the frame from the girl's hands, looking at it. The picture was one taken years ago, it showed Percy alongside the other councilors at Camp Half-Blood, all of them gathered under Thalia's tree, "These were some of my friends from a summer camp I used to go to back in New York," He pointed at Grover, whose legs were covered by a seated Clarisse, "This is Grover, he's one of my best friends, travels around a lot and stops in every now and then," he moved his finger to Thalia, Jason, and Piper, "These are my cousins, Thalia and Jason, the girl he has his arm around is his girlfriend Piper, though Thalia told me while I was in New York that they've gotten engaged," The son of Poseidon went through the rest of the people in the picture, sometimes stopping to tell a story about who he pointed to, all with a smile on his face.
He was about to set the picture down when Claire pointed at it, "Who's that?"
Percy looked to where she pointed. Claire's finger rested on the girl next to him in the picture, her arms around his neck, lips to his cheek. He felt a small pang in his chest, "That's Annabeth, she was my girlfriend at the time."
"Was?" Claire glanced at him as he set the frame down.
"She, uh, died six years ago." The man moved back to kitchen, his student following.
"Oh!" the teen covered her mouth, "I- I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson, I shouldn't have-"
The teacher cut her off, a sad smile on his face, "It's alright, Claire, it happened a long time ago and I'm past it now."
"Still, I shouldn't have asked..."
"And how would you have known not to ask?"
Percy turned to the girl, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes, "You had no way of knowing what happened to Annabeth," 'You don't even know a fifth of the story.' "You shouldn't have to apologize for asking a question, they are meant to be answered. You did nothing wrong, alright?"
"Yes, sir." Claire smiled softly.
"Great," the man returned her smile, standing straight, "Now, let's get going. Don't wanna be late do you?"
Percy walked through the halls of Arcadia Oaks High School, happy to see the white, cinderblock walls and happy to be leaving them. The final bell had rang not long ago and there was no practice for the play for the day, which meant that the teacher was free to leave and go home, he still had to grade the tests he gave out that day but he wasn't worried about them. He opened the door to the courtyard, intent on heading straight for the parking lot only to be stopped when he saw a crowd of students. It was a small crowd, allowing him to easily see Steve throwing punches at Jim.
The demigod began to run toward the fight. He made it halfway when he saw the blonde boy shove Claire aside. Jim whispered something he couldn't hear and uppercut Steve, causing him to fall back as a piece of one of his teeth fell out of mouth, "My tooth!" The boy shouted, getting up and glaring at the Trollhunter, "You're dead!"
Steve tried to hit the black haired boy again, but he ducked and rolled out of the way. The jock screwed his eyes shut in pain and frustration. He whirled around, throwing another fist. He felt it connect. The boy swung again.
Another hand grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm behind him. A foot swept his ankle out from under him, sending him chest first into the ground. Steve turned his head and opened his eyes. Percy sneered down at him, a red mark on his face from where he had been hit. His eyes seemed to glow as he looked at the boy and a nearby water fountain exploded, "Principal's office now." Steve quickly picked himself off the ground, scampering off to the office. The teacher turned to Claire, "You okay?" She nodded, "Good. Call your parents, let them know you'll be home a bit late, it shouldn't be too long though. And Jim," He pointed at the boy who was trying to sneak away. The man smirked at him, "Nice swing."
Jim sputtered as Percy walked away, Claire not far behind on her phone. The two made their way through the halls, headed to the principal's office, "No, Mamá, I won't be too late, Mr. Jackson says it will only be fifteen to thirty minutes. Okay, bye, love you too." The girl hung up, slipping the phone into her pocket. She found her eyes wandering toward the teacher, "Was it necessary to do that to Steve?"
He shrugged, "Probably not," the man looked at her, "But he put the wellbeing of my other students on the line, and I take your safety very seriously." Percy saw his student's cheeks turn a light shade of pink, prompting a small smile from him. They arrived at the principal's office, Palchuk sitting outside in the few chairs that lined the wall, his head down.
Percy coughed, catching the boy's attention. He jerked his head toward the office and the younger male let out a dejected sigh, going through the door. The teacher gestured to the chairs as he followed, "Wait out here, Claire, I should be back shortly."
Claire took a seat next to the door, folding her hands in her lap. She bounced her leg in an attempt to distract herself from the deafening silence of the hallway. Her thoughts began to wonder. At first she thought of the play, mulling over her worry about her performance. She assured herself that she would be fine, having faith in her acting skills, but her mind went to her castmates'. She had seen most of them act in the previous year's performance of Grease, so she found comfort in knowing their capabilities. The one she was most worried about was Jim. He hadn't shown any interest in the play until she gave him the flier, despite Mr. Jackson bringing it up at the end of each of his classes. She had no denial that the speech he gave during auditions was great, but she felt like something would keep him from performing. Mr. Jackson seemed at least glad that the boy had auditioned, even going as far to offer to help him with his swordplay.
Mr. Jackson. Claire's mind wandered, losing herself in thoughts of her teacher. She remembered the day he brought in a replica set of ancient Greek armor and sword to class, to show them an example of what the Greek soldiers in Troy used during their siege. Memories of how he looked with the armor on over his clothes, sword in hand, flooded her mind, strong, confident. He reminded her of one of the soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae, strong, confident, ready to go to battle to defend what he held dear. She thought about what he would look like when he trained Jim. Would he wear the same armor? Or would he wear some sort of gym clothes? Maybe he would be shirtless. Claire set her head in her hand, an absent smile on her lightly blushing face. A wistful sigh passed her lips, wondering what it would be like to feel her teacher's arms around her. She imagined waking up next to him, her head on his chest with one of his arms around her. She would wake him with a kiss and they would say they loved each other, then she would climb on top of him and-
"Claire?"
The girl snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. Mr. Jackson stood in front of her, waving his hand in front of her face. She felt her ears burn at the sight of him, what she had just imagined still fresh in her mind, "Y-yes, Mr. Jackson?"
"The meeting's over," the teacher jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "We should head out, get you home, yeah?"
"Yeah," Claire stood quickly, "Sorry, I was a bit... lost in my own head."
"Don't worry about it," the man waved off her apology, "I used to daydream all the time, and at least you were out of class when you did."
Claire chuckled at that, but it died when she remembered what she dreamed about, 'If you only knew, Mr. Jackson...'
